Molly ate up most of her apple crisp with a side of French vanilla ice cream from the freezer. Sam stayed by to help her mom work on the dark chocolate cake. God it tasted so exquisitely wonderful, needing no side of anything except a glass of chardonnay that wouldn't wind up on some man's suit.

They sat in the living room on the couch with warmth coming from the fireplace. Molly on the floor sprawled out with the term paper she'd been finishing up. She'd been out with TJ at Kelly's and had promised her mom she'd finish it up.

"I was working on the index and then Sam called me and I was so worried I couldn't focus."

Alexis shot her youngest a look. That's all it took to get her point across.

She was so onto her but she couldn't get cross with her because in so many ways Molly reminded her of what she'd been like at her age.

No more of what she could have been like if she hadn't grown up as an unwanted orphan in a medieval castle with a bunch of mad people.

It was like the Lewis Carroll tale about the girl who fell down the rabbit hole. She meets up with the Cheshire Cat in his tree and tells him she doesn't want to be around mad people.

"Oh you can't help that. We're all mad here."

But her daughter had grown upside of that and she'd never wound up like Alexis. Alone and pregnant at 16. She'd pulled herself up and fought so hard most of her life and gotten her own progeny out of that life.

She glanced at Sam who was on a chaise enjoying her cake and wine, before heading back to Silas. She'd told her mom she was taking things slowly with the soft spoken but clearly talented doctor. Molly got a phone call from TJ and went to take it and wouldn't talk long. Sam and Alexis watched her go before hitting the dessert again.

"So mom…Derek's really with Carly?"

Alexis sighed, relishing the richness of her dessert if not the topic.

"Yes…I ran into them at the Metro Court several weeks ago. She said they were going on a date and then there was some ruckus at the hotel and apparently Franco and Derek were fighting over her."

Sam shot her one of her looks.

"You're kidding right? That can't be right. He seems like too nice, too smart of a man to go for Carly."

Alexis stabbed a piece of cake with her fork to eat it.

"I don't understand it. Then again, all the new men in town seem unable to keep away from her for long…so why should he be any different?"

"Because he likes you."

She shot her daughter a look.

"I don't know him very well. I know we got to know each other while Danny's in the hospital. We got along pretty well…he likes to flirt…a lot. So do I and I thought…but he's with Carly and I'm not interested in waiting for her to get finished with her men…"

Sam rolled her eyes.

"You're much better than Carly. God, I don't get it either. Jason loved her but she tried his patience so much and you know how unflappable he was…"

Alexis knew.

"The sad thing is that she attracts all these fine looking men as her new toys and she breaks them all…"

Sam groaned.

"I know…but Derek's different from the rest. He's very careful, very guarded with so many things yet I know that when it comes to you…it's just different than everything else…he opens up. I watched him with Carly and I don't even think he likes her."

"Could have fooled me…not that I was paying attention. My mind's on this case and then I wind up locked up in jail."

Sam sighed.

"I gave you some advice mom…"

Alexis enjoyed another bite.

"Oh yeah something about horses…and saddles. By the time I could find the saddle the horse was gone."

Sam sipped her wine.

"It's never too late…"

Alexis brightened.

"Taggart's back in town and he's fun…he invited me to go riding with him…on his motorcycle. I might take him up on it."

"You should if that's what you want to do. You need to stop focusing on work and get out more at night and kick up your heels."

"I do…it's just when I'm busy with a case…and then there's the school party…Molly's got to make 400 red velvet cupcakes and needs help and you know how I'm in the kitchen."

The truth was she burned things. She scorched meats and melted plastic and shriveled every vegetable from asparagus to zucchini.

"I'll help and I'm sure Liz can as well…and bring the boys over."

Alexis brightened.

"That sounds like a plan."

Sam finished her cake and before taking their dishes to the kitchen, she hugged her mother. Alexis slid her arms around her daughter and held onto her tightly.

Molly walked in from her phone call and went over to join them, wrapping her arms around both women.


In this office, Derek looked across his desk at Carlos who'd walked inside to give him the latest news. The latest shipment had been monitored and it would be hit as soon as Carlos set up the explosives. Carlos had hit the office late after meeting for dinner in the GH cafeteria with Sabrina.

He'd told Carly he wouldn't see her tonight…the upcoming edition of the newspaper had been printed with some pages labeled incorrectly so he'd gone back to oversee hit himself. Crimson magazine had been started up after the untimely death of its last editor in chief Connie and its first issue would be released soon.

The new editor had decided to do a fashion spread of some of the most successful professional women in PC representing a variety of professions from business to law to medicine among others. He would receive a list of selected individuals to set up for interviews and photo sessions by morning.

Running a successful publishing company while trying to set up his…other business had proven more difficult than anticipated. But he enjoyed both lives that he had built side by side for several decades now.

Carlos went to get some bottled water out of the frig and took a large sip out of it. He looked exhausted but he'd been putting the docks under surveillance to figure out how, when and exactly where to hit Sonny's next shipment of you know what arrived in PC's harbor.

"Man this quality is lower than in the last shipment," Carlos said, "Where do they get this stuff?"

Derek shrugged.

"You'll have to ask Corinthos. I thought he was moving Cuban Cigars or some illicit booze to avoid taxes and tariffs but nothing like…"

Carlos chuckled

"I didn't think he had it in him. He's not going to like when it all goes kaboom."

Derek shrugged.

"How's his ex-wife going to take it? Is she going to freeze you out?"

"You mean Carly?"

Carlos smiled.

"You're playing a dangerous game," he said, "Because some crazy painter threatened you and you couldn't back down."

Derek gave him a pointed look.

"He's a lightweight…and I don't back down…"

"So I take it you're not still interested in Alexis? Man I don't get it. She's so damn smart and she's a great attorney…this Carly…she's Sonny's leftovers. Morgan…he's a quick study but I feel sorry for the guy. His parents really messed him up."

"Not our concern Carlos…we need an errand boy. If he does well there and can be trusted, he'll advance."

"Sonny won't let you get away with it."

"He won't be able to stop me. He's too busy trying to come back from that meltdown he had when he went off his meds."

Carlos shook his head.

"I don't know how he managed to control and keep his territory this long. He's down to one enforcer after the other one died."

Derek fell quiet because he knew his associate meant Jason Morgan who'd left behind a widow named Sam and a son named Danny.

"It's not going to matter when we go for the main targets. He'll be too busy trying to regroup."

Carlos shrugged slugging down his water. A knock sounded on the door. Derek asked the person to come inside.

"I'm Scarlett Evans the new editor of Crimson…I'm here to talk to you about the fashion spread."

Derek glanced at Carlos who took that as his cue to leave.

"I'm done here with a meeting with my client. What do you need to discuss?"

Scarlett sighed.

"The list of women…I just don't think they're right for the magazine. I mean they're all successful but there's only one woman under the age of 25."

He leaned back in his chair.

"That's hardly surprising…if they're successful enough to be renowned in this city that takes some time. You wouldn't expect them to be too young."

"I know but…and there's only a couple women under 35!"

He sighed.

"Scarlett, Crimson is for women in a wide demographic range not just those who are in college."

She shrugged.

"It's your magazine."

"Yes it is and show me your list."

His eyes perused it. He saw many familiar names. Monica and Tracy Quartermaine. Dianne Miller…Felicia Scorpio…Lucy Coe…and others….then he saw the last name.

"Alexis Davis."

Scarlett looked at her nails.

"Yeah the mouthy lawyer on that custody battle case who wound up in lockup earlier tonight…"

"Alexis Davis is a very intelligent, formidable woman who's well known in this town for her legal skills."

Scarlett smirked.

"She's got three kids by three different fathers, one is a mobster. I mean what could be more sordid than that?"

Derek flashed her an annoyed look.

"She's got a very loving and stable family…all her daughters are growing up into formidable young women from what I hear…"

Scarlett waved her hand.

"The way she dresses…"

"Enough…she stays on the list. In fact, I'll handle that interview myself. You assign out the others to your staff."

She blinked her eyes at him.

"Okay…if that's what you really want."

"Yes that's what I want and we're finished here."

She left the room and he went to pour himself a glass of water thinking about how he'd jumped into defend her. It came automatically to him but then there was a lot about the woman to like.

He looked forward to seeing her in court in the morning.

Alexis dreamed of something she couldn't imagine awake. For one thing she wasn't in PC anymore she was on the coastline of a faraway place, with palm trees dotting the landscape and rich sandy beaches meeting the splash of the tides.

A man stood in front of her in silhouette. Tall, muscled and hard bodied. Blond hair tightly curled like she remembered, his face tanned gazing down at hers.

"Alexis…I thought I'd find you here…"

She smiled coyly.

"I was waiting…"

Their lips met, so soft, the brushing of moth's wings and the softness of rose petals, all those comparisons and others filled her mind but she swept them away as she anted up the kiss, tasting him, his cologne teasing her.

He slid his arms around and drew her closer to him. Their bodies so close…and then closer as his chest brushed against her breasts. Wait, when had her shirt come off? It didn't matter because the feel of the collision of their bodies filled her with such headiness.

She rested her hands on his broad chest kissing his mouth again, exploring with with her tongue which she slipped between his lips.

Then his hands grabbed her and lifted up to push her against the wall and her lips wrapped around him tightly. It seemed as if the rest of her clothes had melted off her, leaving skin against skin surrounded by heat.

The coolness of the breeze off the ocean didn't temper what they generated just by coming together after time apart.

He kissed her mouth again, this time he traced her lips with his tongue before he slipped it inside her mouth which caused her heart to beat faster.

"Oh Alexis…I've waited forever for this…"

She sighed beneath his lips.

"Oh Jax…"

She woke up beneath her sheets her heart pounding. Did she really just dream about her first husband? She and Jax had never even…but that had been her healthiest marriage. Much more so than the marriage that had produced Molly.

But dreaming about Jax. He was living happily in Australia now that Brenda had one of her episodes and had taken off again. Alexis thought her too moody and high maintenance for her best friend but whatever made him happy. She just wanted the best for him and if at times that meant Brenda…

She sighed laying back on the bed knowing she had to get back to sleep for a full day in court. Dianne would be ready to reverse her loss today.

Alexis knew she had to be ready to stop her.