Lorenzo left Faith in the interrogation room and found himself watching as Alexis Davis fed animal crackers to her baby. Doing her civic duty was probably getting old right about now. The PCPD's resources were stretched paper-thin by the explosions and the officer who had brought Alexis down to the station had been dispatched to the hospital.

He made a quick call on his cell phone, then approached the woman who had killed his brother.

"Ms Davis." Lorenzo took a seat at the officer's desk, "I understand that your apartment was destroyed. Congratulations on your good luck."

"What do you mean by that?" Alexis kept her tone light for Kristina, but she was making it clear that this was not a social visit. "I hardly think that losing everything I own qualifies as good luck, Mr. Alcazar."

"But Ms Davis, you still have the two things most precious to you: your life and that of your daughter." He needed to win this woman over, and her actions over the course of the last year had convinced him that her daughter was her first priority.

"True, and I mustn't forget the diaper bag. If I had to pick one possession to have with me right now, that would be it." Alexis stopped herself from babbling on about the utility of the diaper bag. Lorenzo Alcazar wanted something from her, and she wouldn't forget it.

"Unfortunately, the careful façade of invulnerability that I work so hard to maintain has been shattered," Alexis said ruefully. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Mr. Alcazar?"

"I have information," Lorenzo stated firmly.

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "And you have a reason for sharing this information with me."

Lorenzo ignored the implied question. "You are a target just as Emily Quartermaine was a target."

Alexis stiffened in her chair, causing Kristina to fuss. "So Faith didn't kill Emily?"

"Think, Ms Davis. Was Miss Quartermaine the type of wife Helena Cassadine would choose for her grandson?" Lorenzo asked gently. He could see the determined set of her jaw and knew the answer to the question. "Of course not. Faith's treatment of your nephew made her the logical person to implicate in the murder."

"Helena has no interest in the other. targets." Alexis was thinking of Zander. This could not be true.

"Who said that Helena was working alone?"

Alexis Davis might be in denial, but he was certain that she would piece together the truth soon enough.

Kristina's fussing got louder and Alexis realized that she was holding her daughter too tightly. She had lived with the threat of Helena Cassadine for more years than she cared to remember, and she had thought herself immune to her threats. But now that she had Kristina, the idea of Helena taking the ultimate vengeance still had the power to make her feel like a scared little girl. She couldn't lose Kristina again, and she wouldn't allow her daughter to be motherless.

Lorenzo Alcazar was right. There was nothing to tie her to the rest of the targets. Emily's murder served no one's interests but Helena's.

"You're telling me this for a reason." Alexis had resigned herself to the fact that Helena was finally ready to kill her.

Lorenzo realized that they had come to a place where negotiations could begin. "Yes. I will ensure the safety of you and your daughter in exchange for your legal services."

Suddenly it was all becoming clear to Alexis. "I want details. Exactly who am I representing and how exactly do you propose to keep us safe."

"Faith Roscoe is innocent of Miss Quartermaine's murder. She wants you to defend her. Your first priority is securing Mrs. Roscoe's release."

Alexis opened her mouth to tell him she was done being a mouthpiece for the mob, but then closed it again. "First I see the arrangements you've made to keep us safe."

"I will be happy to show you the compound. It is not yet furnished, but construction and landscaping have been completed," Lorenzo said, escorting Alexis and Kristina to the car. Even under these circumstances, Alexis insisted upon a car seat for Kristina, so they stopped by her car to retrieve the seat. Lorenzo watched as Alexis expertly transferred Kristina from the baby carrier to the car seat and secured the car seat with a seat belt. This woman's first priority was most certainly the safety of his daughter. She would have little choice but to agree to his proposal.

When they were seated in the car, he made a phone call.

"Please make the compound ready for the arrival of a baby. We will be there shortly."

With that, he closed the phone and watched as Alexis and the baby played with a teething ring. There was something softer about her when she played with her daughter, and he found the contrast between the sharp lawyer's mind he had observed earlier and her current gentle smile strangely attractive.

_ _ _ _

Alexis had been keeping half an eye out the window, and had noticed the city thin out to be replaced by woods. About ten minutes later, the car began its ascent around a hill. At the top of the hill they came upon a gated property. The first gate opened and the car pulled forward to a second gate. The first gate closed behind them and the driver buzzed the house for entry. The car was effectively trapped while cameras examined the occupants. A few seconds later the second gate opened and the car pulled forward and stopped. Alexis was impressed.

The first thing that she noticed was that there were no windows on the exterior walls of the house. In fact, it looked like a two-story white stucco covered shoebox. The shingled roof was the only decoration, until they came to the front doors. Together they formed an arch, and the gracefully carved wood looked heavy, although the door opened noiselessly. Alexis knocked on the door as she passed through and could hear that the door must have a core of steel.

As she passed through the door, Alexis caught her breath. There was a garden at the heart of the house- a Japanese winter garden. Even the pool and hot tub blended seamlessly with the stream running across the calm expanse.

Alexis noticed that each of the rooms had expansive glass walls facing the courtyard. The rooms would not want for light.

Alexis was again impressed. It was a serene, modern dwelling with elegant lines and plenty of room for a child to play safely.

"Let me show you to the kitchen. It must be time for her to eat. Kristina, is it?"

"Yes, Kristina." Alexis couldn't help be relieved. The cheerios were fine for Kristina to snack on, but she would soon have an unhappy baby if she didn't feed her something more substantial.

"Miss Davis, please meet Esmerelda. Esmerelda has been with our family for many years."

"Hello Miss Davis. So this is the little one." Esmerelda greeted Kristina with a smile, then opened the pantry for Alexis to peruse. "I hope that you will find something she likes."

Alexis was surprised. Lorenzo was better stocked for baby food than she had been.

_ _ _ _ _

"So, what's the catch, Mr. Alcazar?" Alexis already suspected that she would be living here with Lorenzo Alcazar. She was not immune to his charm, and the thought of living in his house left her both uneasy and strangely excited.

Lorenzo watched Alexis, aware that she was nervous about her attraction to him. He needed to reassure her. "There is no catch. Mrs. Roscoe needs your legal services. You have an excellent reputation. I, too, may need your services. If you agree, you will receive my full protection." Lorenzo's eyes held hers as he spoke, "including a highly secure residence."

"I assume you had this built for your own use. Will you be living here as well?" Alexis flushed slightly. She had killed his brother. The attraction she was feeling was completely inappropriate.

"Yes. After this morning's events, safety has become a priority." A war was about to start and he intended to be safely ensconced in the compound before his enemies could make another attempt on his life.

"Won't that be a bit uncomfortable? Expecting your niece to live with the woman responsible for her father's death?" Alexis asked softly. She did not blame herself for Luis's death, but she now wished that she had never gone to confront him. She regretted that defending herself had required his death, if only for his daughter's sake.

Lorenzo no longer blamed Alexis for Luis's death. Luis had brought it on himself, and Lorenzo privately admitted to himself that Luis had become unbalanced during the last year of his life. He respected Alexis for bringing up the subject, but now it needed to be put behind them. "Sage will be returning to boarding school. She will be safer away from all of this." A sad but determined look crossed his face. "I have mourned my brother in my own way, and I am at peace with his death," he said firmly.

With that behind them, he knew that it was time to press for an answer, and he knew what that answer would be. "I can assure you, your privacy will be respected. Can you agree to my terms?"

Alexis was grateful that Lorenzo let the matter of his brother's death drop. As it was, she was finding herself feeling grateful to Lorenzo for providing her with this haven. She could move to Wyndemere, but it was hardly a secure environment, and the thought of finding housing in addition to replacing everything she had lost was quite frankly overwhelming.

"Yes. I feel safe here, and that is the most important consideration at the moment," Alexis said, putting aside her qualms about her soon to be "on call" status for Faith and Lorenzo. She tried not to think very hard about why she felt safe with Lorenzo Alcazar.

"Of course, you will be well compensated for your legal work. The compound is merely my way of ensuring your safety." Lorenzo found himself strangely satisfied by the idea of Alexis and her daughter living under his roof.

There was an awkward moment of silence as the tension between them grew thick. Alexis nervously looked around for any distraction. It came when she saw furniture being carried through the courtyard, including a crib.

"A crib? And how did you know that I'd say yes?" Alexis wondered at his arrogance.

"Furniture can always be returned, Ms Davis. I assumed that you would want to see to your daughter's welfare before you began your work. I was merely ensuring that you would be available to Mrs. Roscoe sooner rather than later. She does not like to wait."

This struck Alexis as funny. "No, I can't see Faith Roscoe waiting patiently in jail while a war for her territory has begun." Alexis paused with a slight smile on her face, then went for it. "And please, call me Alexis."

Lorenzo was impressed that Alexis understood the implications of the events of the night before. This he attributed to her work with Sonny Corinthos. He smiled and extended his hand to shake hers, sealing the deal.

"Welcome to my home, Alexis. I hope that you will call me Lorenzo."