Alexis and Max rode up the elevator in silence, when the doors finally slid open, she exited the compartment and headed for the front door of her apartment, Max following behind carrying the suitcase she'd left with earlier.

"Max, you think you can do me a favor?" Alexis asked, as she searched her purse for the house key.

"Sure Ms. Davis."

"Can you pick me up in a hour?" Alexis smiled shyly," I'm never going to get used to being chauffeured around by Sonny's men, but seeing as tonight is a special occasion, I'm making an exception to the rule."

"It's nice to have you back Ms. Davis."

"You know Max, I think I'm glad too… but don't quote me on that." Alexis winked, and watched as the bodyguard disappeared.

Once out of view, Alexis looked to the heavens and slumped against the wall," what have I gotten myself into?" she muttered, before turning toward the door to unlock it.

"When you figure out the answer, clue me in too."

Alexis cringed, at one time the man's voice from behind her would've soothed her weary soul, unfortunately that was no more, "Ned, this is a really bad time… so if you don't mind."

"Oh, but I do mind," Ned said, lodging his foot in the door as she tried shutting it on him.

"If you've come here to harass me."

"Have you made your decision?" Ned asked, cutting her off.

"I can't believe you're the same man that I…"

"You what? I'm the same man Alexis, the same man you left time and time again to focus on your precious career, the same man you cast aside anytime the John Gotti of Port Charles needed you, I was a puppet Alexis, and you held the strings."

"I've never heardanything more ridiculous, that's Carly talking, not you."

"Leave Carly out of this, I came here to talk about us, how you betrayed our love for that kingpin."

Alexis shook her head, and rounded the couch, "what are you possibly gaining by doing all this?"

"It's called revenge Alexis, you're a Cassadine, you should be familiar with the term," Ned seethed, "I want you to hurt as much as I did… as much as I still do."

Alexis resolve softened, she could see the signs of the old Ned she'd known and loved seeping through the surface of the angry stranger before her, " this doesn't have anything to do with us does it Ned? This is about Kristina."

"NO!" Ned shouted," This is about you and me and what you did!"

"There hasn't been an "us" in a very long time, " Alexis batted the tears away, she was hurt, angry and sympathetic all rolled into one, "but you fell in love again, didn't you Ned? She was a beautiful girl… Kristina loved you very much."

"Be quiet!" Ned barked, his heart breaking at the mention of Kristina, "don't talk about her to me… because of you and your lover she's dead!"

Alexis felt the weight of his words, "I told you once not to throw Kristina's death in my face, so what are you trying to prove, by doing it again?"

"It was because of you and Sonny and the sick games you played that caused all of this… there never would've been a secret to begin with if you had of been straight with him from the start… but, you my friend, the woman I once loved and wanted to marry, begged me to keep your twisted secret… I did that for you, I sacrificed my relationship with Kristina to protect you and your baby… and look what it cost me… it cost me the woman I really loved… and all the while you wanted him, and he wanted you… and baby makes three."

"Ned, your upset, and your not thinking rationally, because otherwise you'd remember it was your brilliant idea to tell Sonny you were the father."

"BUT, you went along with it!"

"Because I was terrified!" Alexis shouted, "how can you stand there and accuse me of endangering my own sister's life, when that's the very thing I was protecting my child from?"

"You played with people's lives Alexis, you and Sonny both, and because of that, there are consequences and there won't be a happily ever after."

"Threatening people doesn't become you."

"Take it anyway you want to Alexis, you have a decision to make… I suggest you think it over carefully."

Alexis watched as he stomped out of her front door, slamming the door behind him, she winced; her heart was in her throat as she eyed the suitcases and the door.

Harbor View Towers

"Benny, I need you to check something out for me… I need to know everything there is to know about Jake O'Brien… yeah, I know we already did a rundown, I want more, when I say everything I mean everything for the time he cut his first tooth, to the day he arrived in Port Charles," Sonny listened as Benny rattled off a list of Jake's past deeds, many of them that Sonny himself had been involved in, he had always read Jake like a book, they were two of a kind… but now he wondered if he'd ever really know him at all.

Flashback to 1979
(Sonny's 17 and Jake's 19)

"You ever been in love Mikey?"

"Me? Nah, who has time to fall in love… your best bet is to keep it simple, that way nobody gets hurt."

"Yeah, well I'm thinking you haven't met your match yet."

"Maybe not, but I've had a helluva time looking!"

"Watch out Mikey, when you meet her, you'll never want to let her go."

"You talking from experience?"

"If you ever listen to another thing I say, remember this… value those you love, hold onto the ones closest to you…they're the only ones that matter in the end."

"Yeah well, besides my Ma, I ain't got squat… power and money are my only friends."

"Lucky for you, I know better than that Mikey, you ain't as tough as you think."

"I think your keeping quiet on something big."

"Well, you could be right about that, but don't worry, I'm not holding out on Scully."

"Then what's bugging you?"

"Sometimes you can't protect the ones you love… sometimes all the power in the world can't save a life…there's always someone a step ahead, more powerful, more dangerous, that can rip your life to shreds. Everything you ever wanted is gone with a blink of an eye… don't make that mistake Michael, whatever you do… don't make the same mistakes I have."

End of Flashback

Sonny had never known what Jake meant by that, and unfortunately his advice had fallen on deaf ears, in all of Sonny's trying to protect the ones he loved, he'd forgotten the golden rule… Family first…power second.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm still here Benny, listen this stays between us, I don't want Jason involved… Igave Zander my word."

Hanging up the phone, Sonny leaned forward on the counter, the more he thought about it, the more he realized he'd made all the mistakes Jake had warned him about, he'd loved Brenda with every fiber of his being, but even the love they shared, hadn't stopped him from the need for power.

Jake had always been and older brother, taking Sonny under his wing when he'd come to work for Joe Scully, he wondered now about the times Jake had disappeared, the secret phone calls, the faraway expression's… things that the young and inexperienced Sonny Corinthos could've cared less about, unless it interrupted his own quest for a bad ass reputation.

Jake was both respected and feared through out the community, something Sonny had always admired, he'd rarely spoken to or of Jake over the years, the young Sonny had never accepted Jake's reasons for leaving the states.

Flashback 1981

"Your lying O'Brien, what's the real reason your skipping town?"

"Skipping town? You make me sound like a felon on the run… I have some opportunities in Milan that's all."

"Since when has Scully had connections in Milan, he's a two bit hood!"

"Watch your mouth Mikey, that two bit hood's your boss." Jake warned, " you need to keep that temper of yours in check around him, he's a time bomb waiting to go off."

"What about Johnny, you skipping out on him too?"

"I found a good boarding school, he'll come to visit on holidays."

"What happened to the guy that told me to keep those you love close to you?"

"He's standing right in front of you… but, sometimes you gotta give the ones you love time to grow… Little John needs and education, I have the money to do that, I want him to have the life I didn't."

"We aren't so bad."

"We're killers Corinthos, we're thieves…what we do isn't to be commended, there are days I can't look at myself in the mirror… do you think your Mother would accept your lifestyle choices, I know my Father didn't and because of this life… It costhim,his!"

"He was protecting you, like a Father should."

"And so were you that day in the alley… and for that I will always owe you, but right now I need to move on… I've lost to much to stay any longer."

"You met your match didn't you?"

Jake had looked up surprised that the younger man had remembered that long ago conversation, bowing his head, his dark hair hung in his eyes, his voice barely audible," Yeah, and then I lost her… and then some."

End of Flashback

With that Jake was gone, life had moved forward and Mikey had eventually turned into the powerful and ruthless Michael J. Corinthos both well respected and feared throughout the Easter Seaboard, he wondered if Jake had of stayed what would've happened for him.

"Sonny?"

Sonny glanced to the side; Johnny's worried expression instantly alerted him to signs of trouble, " what's happened?"

"It's Alexis."

Sonny's mind flashed with visions of Alkazar holding a gun to Alexis, his heart twisted in his chest, "where is she?"

"She went back to her apartment, everything was fine until Max left her, he got on the elevators and they jammed…Ned must've rigged the elevators."

"Ned isn't that bright… but with the Q's money, he could easily buy someone off," Sonny growled, his expression growing dark, "he's there with Alexis now?"

"Yes sir, I tried calling Jason, but he's not picking up."

Sonny paused momentarily, Johnny's expectant face growing frustrated by the second, reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed across town.

The Apartment

Alexis was furious, kicking the corner of the couch with her boot, she muttered under her breath and fell into the cushions of the couch with weariness.

Being a Cassadine had always been much more of a curse rather than a blessing during her life, even when she'd merely thought she was a cousin it had almost been her undoing, she'd lost so much due to her heritage, but for the first time in ages Alexis relished the idea of payback to those who'd tortured her, how she'd resented the idea of Carly yet again getting away with murder and Ned yet again controlling her life, and she'd almost let it happen, because she was scared, scared of loving someone and having them taken away again. Her hand traveled down to her stomach, " I hope you know how much you're loved already by your Father and I."

The ringing of the phone jarred her, grabbing the cordless off the end table, she continued to speak to the baby as she answered the phone, " and this will be your Father little on, though I'm surprised he didn't send in the Calvary to save me for big bad Ned."

"Now Alexis, don't go filling our little girl's head with nonsense…I would never send a Calvary to deal with Ashton, I would've taken care of him myself had I been aware of it."

"Are you saying you had no idea he was here?"

"No, cause you don't like it when I lie."

"Cute."

"You, Okay?"

"He gave me an ultimatum… the clock continues to tick."

"Sounds to me like we need to put our heads together and come up with a plan."

"Since your supplying the meal, I guess I can sacrifice my evening to spend it with you."

Before Sonny could respond in only a way he could, there was a knock at the door….

"Hold that thought Corinthos," Alexis said, rising from the couch and walking toward the door, "if this is Carly, I'm going to personally call the Calvary myself."

Opening the door, she let out a gasp, "What are you doing here?"