Chapter 9
Leaving the penthouse Zander headed for Alexis' place. Being very careful and staying alert he circled the block twice before finally entering the building. As he entered he noticed Johnny standing just down the hall from her door. Figuring that it would be best to let Johnny know he had just come from Sonny's he headed for him and became curious when Johnny tried to wave him away. Looking around anxiously for any sign of trouble and not seeing any he continued toward Johnny and questioned him.
"What's up?"
"Nothing. Ms. Davis is not to know she is being guarded. Mr. Corinthos let me know you were coming. Do not alert her to my presence. Is that clear?"
"Yeah, no problem."
Turning back to her door, Zander knocked briefly and looked around again to see if there were any unwelcome visitors lurking about.
Hearing a knock on her door, Alexis threw the dish towel down in frustration as she glanced once more at the pitiful looking omelet she had been trying to fix before going to the door to see who was there. Feeling her heart fill with the sight of him, she opened the door and welcomed him in.
"Now where have you been keeping yourself?"
"Oh, I've been around. It's good to see you."
"I've missed you." Taking him in her arms she hugged him with a strength she hadn't felt in days. "You have no idea what the sight of you means to me."
"Alexis, I'm sorry about Kristina. I know you loved her a lot. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Loving him for caring she led him over to the couch and sat down beside him.
"Actually there is something you can do for me. You can stop making yourself so scarce. I need to see you every once in a while. I need to know you are ok. I heard that Sonny had put out a hit on you..."
"Alexis, wait. That's one of the reasons I'm here. I need to talk to you about something. I need to know what to do. I'm in a bind and I want to do the right thing... I just don't know what that is right now."
Reaching for him, she took his hands in hers and leaned closer to him. "Talk to me, Zander. I'll help in any way I can."
Looking down at their clasped hands he disengaged himself from her and went to stand on the other side of the coffee table. He needed to put a little distance between them because he knew he was fixing to cause her more pain.
"Alexis, I need to begin from the beginning and some of this is going to hurt you and you will probably want to throw me out of here before I finish. But, please give me the chance to tell you everything before you decide to throw me out."
"Go on."
"Kristina and I were friends. She stood by me when the mess with Sonny came down. She tried to talk me down several times and I did like I always do and went off and did my own thing regardless of how it affected anybody else. But, she never gave up on me. She was a lot like you. I admired her for that."
Releasing a heavy sigh Zander sat down on the couch opposite Alexis and tried to look her in the eye. Failing in his attempt to make eye contact with her he looked at the floor and continued his story.
"When Roy bought the pier I called him for a job. I admit it was only to get at Sonny. I wanted to hurt him, maybe make him regret turning on me. Then the pier went up in flames and we retaliated by contaminating the contents of Sonny's warehouse."
Glancing up at Alexis he saw the tears running down her face, but she kept her word and held her silence. He wondered at that moment if anyone else in the world could hate himself as much as he did at that moment. Unaware of how the sight of her tears had affected him, he continued to relate the events as best he could while his own tears slid unhindered down his own face.
"You need to know that Roy, nor I planted that bomb. There is someone else involved that wants to take Sonny down and they are using Roy to do it. I knew I had to do something to try and stop all of this when Kristina got caught in the middle of it, so I went to Mac and laid it all out for him."
Alexis stared at him with shock.
"You're Mac's informant?"
"Yeah. I didn't know what else to do. Elizabeth got shot, Kristina was... It just all needed to end. I couldn't come here and look you in the face before now, because I knew I was as much a part of what happened to Kristina as the rest of them were. I'm so sorry, Alexis. I never wanted it to go this far. I was just so angry."
Standing and moving toward him Alexis sat down beside him, put her arms around him and rocked him as he cried on her shoulder. Feeling his arms steal around her and tighten she shifted just enough so he wouldn't harm the baby and sat with him patiently until he regained control of himself.
"I'm sorry, Alexis. I wish more than anything it could have been me in that warehouse."
"Shhh... Zander stop. We have all made mistakes in the past few months. Every one of us is responsible for my sister's death. But, you are the only one out of all of us who made a conscious effort to try to change things; to try and make things right. Do you know how much I love and respect you for that? Kristina would be so proud of you."
That's not exactly true, Alexis. I mean, I'm not the only one who's trying to stop all of this."
"What do you mean?"
"I just came from Sonny's."
"No Zander, I will not discuss Sonny in this house."
"Alexis, you said you would listen to the whole story. This is part of it. I need you to hear the rest in order for you to have all the facts to help me. Please let me finish."
He watched her draw away from him and straightened her back; like she always did when she prepared herself to receive unpleasant news.
"Sonny requested I meet with him today and he asked me what he could do to end the conflict between us. He told me that he and I were a lot alike, I mean with our anger problem. He wants to end this war as much as I do. He told me he wants to talk to Roy about joining forces against this guy who started it all, but he doesn't think Roy will trust him enough to sit and talk with him about it. Sonny also told me to come here, that you needed to see me... that you needed your friends right now. He told me he would do anything he could to help me find my place. I believe he really wants all of this to end..."
"He really said all of that?" Alexis wasn't quite ready to buy into all Zander was relating to her. But, one thing was for sure. Sonny was certainly on a roll this time.
"Yeah, you should'a seen him. He looks bad."
"All right, I get your point. You may be ready to fall right back into his good graces, but I for one have had enough. Don't worry though, my feelings toward Sonny are a separate issue. We have to figure out what you're going to do next."
"You mean you'll actually help after me telling you all that?"
"Zander, I have always told you that you had a lot of potential. You have proved that I was right. It took a lot of courage to go to Mac with all of this. You did good. Now, we just have to figure out how to get the Bobbsie Twins together to finish what you started. And I have an idea."
"Well that was fast."
"I know. I'm good aren't I?" Laughing playfully she jabbed him in the arm and pulled him toward the kitchen.
"It's your turn to fix lunch I think, and my baby and I are starving. So get busy."
"Baby?"
She had to take a step backward to keep from falling when Zander stopped in his tracks. Shyly looking down she glanced up and peeked at him through her bangs.
"Yeah. A baby."
"Sonny, doesn't know yet?"
"It's Ned's, Zander."
Putting a hand on each of her arms he waited for her to meet his eyes.
"There's not a lot that I can claim to be smart about. But, one thing I know for sure is you are not the type to climb from one man's bed into another's. I've always respected your loyalty and those damn principles of yours. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. If you want it to be Ned's, that's fine. You've never lied to me and some day I want to be able to say the same thing to you and know it's true. I respect you, Alexis. I wish my mom had been half the woman you are."
Lifting her arms she hugged him to her.
"Thank you, Zander. Thank you for believing in me, for knowing me. I cannot tell you how much that means to me. I guess what has hurt me the most is that Sonny actually believed that I would go to Ned after..."
"Don't bet on it. I would be willing to wager that Sonny does know, he just wants you safe so he is letting you get away with that little fib and not calling you on it."
"No, he sees what he wants to see. Look, are you going to fix me lunch or am I going to have to call for take-out? I am starving."
"Ok. Ok. You win... this round. But, we're not through with this one yet. Show me where the eggs are and the same rules apply... It is our secret that your lack of cooking skills has forced me to learn how to cook."
Laughingly companionably they linked arms and headed toward the kitchen.
Leaving the penthouse Zander headed for Alexis' place. Being very careful and staying alert he circled the block twice before finally entering the building. As he entered he noticed Johnny standing just down the hall from her door. Figuring that it would be best to let Johnny know he had just come from Sonny's he headed for him and became curious when Johnny tried to wave him away. Looking around anxiously for any sign of trouble and not seeing any he continued toward Johnny and questioned him.
"What's up?"
"Nothing. Ms. Davis is not to know she is being guarded. Mr. Corinthos let me know you were coming. Do not alert her to my presence. Is that clear?"
"Yeah, no problem."
Turning back to her door, Zander knocked briefly and looked around again to see if there were any unwelcome visitors lurking about.
Hearing a knock on her door, Alexis threw the dish towel down in frustration as she glanced once more at the pitiful looking omelet she had been trying to fix before going to the door to see who was there. Feeling her heart fill with the sight of him, she opened the door and welcomed him in.
"Now where have you been keeping yourself?"
"Oh, I've been around. It's good to see you."
"I've missed you." Taking him in her arms she hugged him with a strength she hadn't felt in days. "You have no idea what the sight of you means to me."
"Alexis, I'm sorry about Kristina. I know you loved her a lot. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Loving him for caring she led him over to the couch and sat down beside him.
"Actually there is something you can do for me. You can stop making yourself so scarce. I need to see you every once in a while. I need to know you are ok. I heard that Sonny had put out a hit on you..."
"Alexis, wait. That's one of the reasons I'm here. I need to talk to you about something. I need to know what to do. I'm in a bind and I want to do the right thing... I just don't know what that is right now."
Reaching for him, she took his hands in hers and leaned closer to him. "Talk to me, Zander. I'll help in any way I can."
Looking down at their clasped hands he disengaged himself from her and went to stand on the other side of the coffee table. He needed to put a little distance between them because he knew he was fixing to cause her more pain.
"Alexis, I need to begin from the beginning and some of this is going to hurt you and you will probably want to throw me out of here before I finish. But, please give me the chance to tell you everything before you decide to throw me out."
"Go on."
"Kristina and I were friends. She stood by me when the mess with Sonny came down. She tried to talk me down several times and I did like I always do and went off and did my own thing regardless of how it affected anybody else. But, she never gave up on me. She was a lot like you. I admired her for that."
Releasing a heavy sigh Zander sat down on the couch opposite Alexis and tried to look her in the eye. Failing in his attempt to make eye contact with her he looked at the floor and continued his story.
"When Roy bought the pier I called him for a job. I admit it was only to get at Sonny. I wanted to hurt him, maybe make him regret turning on me. Then the pier went up in flames and we retaliated by contaminating the contents of Sonny's warehouse."
Glancing up at Alexis he saw the tears running down her face, but she kept her word and held her silence. He wondered at that moment if anyone else in the world could hate himself as much as he did at that moment. Unaware of how the sight of her tears had affected him, he continued to relate the events as best he could while his own tears slid unhindered down his own face.
"You need to know that Roy, nor I planted that bomb. There is someone else involved that wants to take Sonny down and they are using Roy to do it. I knew I had to do something to try and stop all of this when Kristina got caught in the middle of it, so I went to Mac and laid it all out for him."
Alexis stared at him with shock.
"You're Mac's informant?"
"Yeah. I didn't know what else to do. Elizabeth got shot, Kristina was... It just all needed to end. I couldn't come here and look you in the face before now, because I knew I was as much a part of what happened to Kristina as the rest of them were. I'm so sorry, Alexis. I never wanted it to go this far. I was just so angry."
Standing and moving toward him Alexis sat down beside him, put her arms around him and rocked him as he cried on her shoulder. Feeling his arms steal around her and tighten she shifted just enough so he wouldn't harm the baby and sat with him patiently until he regained control of himself.
"I'm sorry, Alexis. I wish more than anything it could have been me in that warehouse."
"Shhh... Zander stop. We have all made mistakes in the past few months. Every one of us is responsible for my sister's death. But, you are the only one out of all of us who made a conscious effort to try to change things; to try and make things right. Do you know how much I love and respect you for that? Kristina would be so proud of you."
That's not exactly true, Alexis. I mean, I'm not the only one who's trying to stop all of this."
"What do you mean?"
"I just came from Sonny's."
"No Zander, I will not discuss Sonny in this house."
"Alexis, you said you would listen to the whole story. This is part of it. I need you to hear the rest in order for you to have all the facts to help me. Please let me finish."
He watched her draw away from him and straightened her back; like she always did when she prepared herself to receive unpleasant news.
"Sonny requested I meet with him today and he asked me what he could do to end the conflict between us. He told me that he and I were a lot alike, I mean with our anger problem. He wants to end this war as much as I do. He told me he wants to talk to Roy about joining forces against this guy who started it all, but he doesn't think Roy will trust him enough to sit and talk with him about it. Sonny also told me to come here, that you needed to see me... that you needed your friends right now. He told me he would do anything he could to help me find my place. I believe he really wants all of this to end..."
"He really said all of that?" Alexis wasn't quite ready to buy into all Zander was relating to her. But, one thing was for sure. Sonny was certainly on a roll this time.
"Yeah, you should'a seen him. He looks bad."
"All right, I get your point. You may be ready to fall right back into his good graces, but I for one have had enough. Don't worry though, my feelings toward Sonny are a separate issue. We have to figure out what you're going to do next."
"You mean you'll actually help after me telling you all that?"
"Zander, I have always told you that you had a lot of potential. You have proved that I was right. It took a lot of courage to go to Mac with all of this. You did good. Now, we just have to figure out how to get the Bobbsie Twins together to finish what you started. And I have an idea."
"Well that was fast."
"I know. I'm good aren't I?" Laughing playfully she jabbed him in the arm and pulled him toward the kitchen.
"It's your turn to fix lunch I think, and my baby and I are starving. So get busy."
"Baby?"
She had to take a step backward to keep from falling when Zander stopped in his tracks. Shyly looking down she glanced up and peeked at him through her bangs.
"Yeah. A baby."
"Sonny, doesn't know yet?"
"It's Ned's, Zander."
Putting a hand on each of her arms he waited for her to meet his eyes.
"There's not a lot that I can claim to be smart about. But, one thing I know for sure is you are not the type to climb from one man's bed into another's. I've always respected your loyalty and those damn principles of yours. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. If you want it to be Ned's, that's fine. You've never lied to me and some day I want to be able to say the same thing to you and know it's true. I respect you, Alexis. I wish my mom had been half the woman you are."
Lifting her arms she hugged him to her.
"Thank you, Zander. Thank you for believing in me, for knowing me. I cannot tell you how much that means to me. I guess what has hurt me the most is that Sonny actually believed that I would go to Ned after..."
"Don't bet on it. I would be willing to wager that Sonny does know, he just wants you safe so he is letting you get away with that little fib and not calling you on it."
"No, he sees what he wants to see. Look, are you going to fix me lunch or am I going to have to call for take-out? I am starving."
"Ok. Ok. You win... this round. But, we're not through with this one yet. Show me where the eggs are and the same rules apply... It is our secret that your lack of cooking skills has forced me to learn how to cook."
Laughingly companionably they linked arms and headed toward the kitchen.