CHAPTER THREE

Was this her third Stolichnaya or fourth? It didn't matter, Alexis thought as she reached for the next shot of iced Russian vodka. After her outburst at the penthouse, Alexis had stormed out with no idea of where she was going, only knowing that she couldn't stay there another moment longer.
The promised storm had reached the city, and outside the rain was coming down in torrents. Earlier, Alexis had found herself driving almost on auto-pilot to her office. She parked her car in her reserved parking space in the indoor garage, but then a sudden whim sent her back out into the street from a back alley exit just as the first growls of thunder rumbled over the city.
"Just drive." She'd muttered at the taxi driver that answered her hail. That and the fifty she'd shoved at him got her gone in a heartbeat. She chanced a look back through the rear view window, and was relieved not to have seen anyone looking like they were following. With luck, by the time any of Sonny's men caught up to her, all they'll see is her car parked and would assume she'd decided to work late at the office. One of her standing orders was that the guards could be there, but not too close. They wouldn't invade her office unless Sonny ordered it. It had been one of the requirements she'd made when she had "accepted" Sonny's guards. Not that she wasn't glad for them most of the time, she was no fool. But tonight, she just didn't care.
The fact that there was no one behind her irritated her at the same time she was relieved. That figures, she thought. He has no use for me at the moment, so he assumes that I'll stay put in that damn*d penthouse, awaiting his heavenly call. The split emotions only caused her mood to sour by the moment. The rain was getting heavier and as the cabbie passed it by, on the spur of the moment, Alexis had decided on the bar at the Grille. It was plush enough, comfortable enough and she was tired of riding around trying to find places where she wouldn't run into anyone. To hell with all of them.

"To hell with all of them." Alexis hoisted the shot glass in a toast to herself. She remembered a favorite curse of Helena's and paraphrased it, murmuring the Greek aloud. "To the seventh circle of the seventh circle of hell I consign thee…everyone who wants to tell me what I feel and what I shouldn't feels, as if my feelings shwere anybody's business but my own." Shwere? Alexis' lips twitched as she fought a grin from spreading across her face. The vodka was definitely starting to work, she noted with satisfaction.
Deep throated rumbles of thunder filled the air, muted beyond the walls of the hotel and she was glad again to be inside away from the storm. The Grille was as good as place as any to park it. Or so she had thought until she saw Jax at a table at the far end of the room. And to top off a perfect moment, he was just finishing up dinner with Ned.

Alexis deliberately turned away from the sight; she raised the tiny glass upwards, once more. A bittersweet smile crossed her face. To the Four Musketeers. That was what she and Ned and Jax and Chloe had been. Everything was changed now. Chloe was gone, and so was any trace of she and Ned. Just as dead and buried as Chloe was. Why did things have to change? She was happy, or at least she'd thought so, she'd been safe. That was what she wanted more than anything else. And now?
The storm outside wasn't the only one brewing. Her confrontation with Kristina had only pushed her own inner storm to the surface. A part of her knew that she'd end up apologizing to her little sister. Sonny Corinthos. Michael Corinthos Jr. Mobster. Racketeer. Best friend. And the object of her heart's desire. Well, maybe not her heart's but parts' desire – definitely. Definitely some points south of her heart were making their wants known. And if she kept on thinking about him, those eyes, that voice, the deep dark mind that somehow meshed with so many points in her own…

With a shake of her head, Alexis downed the iced drink in a sudden movement, savoring the sharp yet smooth jolt as it seared its way downward, banishing the cold inside her and replace it with a suffused glow. She beckoned to the bartender, motioning with her fingers to serve up another.
 "The next round is on me."

Alexis half turned in her seat to see Jax standing there. As the next drinks arrived, he slipped onto the stool next to hers.
 "Hello, Jasper Jacks…how is my favorite ex-husband this evening?"
 "Just fine, Alexis, but it doesn't look like my favorite ex-wife is feeling all that well."

"Oh, don't frown." Alexis lifted an imperious brow at him. "Actually, at the moment, I'm feeling no pain." Not the absolute truth, but then, she wasn't on the stand, was she?

"You will tomorrow." The drinks arrived and Jax watched as Alexis neatly disposed of hers in a single swallow.
 "Let tomorrow take care of itself." Alexis declared. "Tonight…well, tonight…I take care of me a little…"
 "This is not taking care of yourself, Alexis." Jax said. "This is the exact opposite. And I know who's to blame for this."
 "Jax…" her voice was a warning; the same warning snapped in her eyes. Then she smiled sweetly. Sort of.  "Since you're involved with both the blonde self-detonator –she's certifiable, you know – I've seen the paperwork -- and the Chandler-Quartermaine protégé  who has her own unique set of issues that I don't wanna even begin to get into – she walks, she talks ..very loudly most of the time, I must add -- and there she is, walking around  with her very own self-destruct button that by your own account, you're just itching to push, you're hardly the one to speak on my love life…or lack thereof."
 "I'm not involved with either of them, except on a professional level."
 "Same here, Jaxxy. So you lay offa my love life, and I'll do the same for you…quid pro quo, as it were."
 "Alexis." Jax held up a hand in a gesture of peace. "I won't pry if you don't want me to. Not tonight, at any rate. You know I'm only saying anything because I care. You're too important to me not to. So, what is it now? Anything you can talk about?"

Alexis unbent a little. "Kristina...I love her…I really do, but she insists on encroaching into my private life where I really don't want her… I just can't deal with her there."

The memories of their earlier conversation hadn't been far from Jax's mind from the moment Kristina had all but dragged him out of Alexis' penthouse. They'd emerged full force again as soon as he'd seen Alexis enter the Grille. For obvious reasons, Ned had wanted no part of the scene and had left the restaurant as soon as possible, but Jax couldn't help but keep an eye on Alexis as she settled back and began what was obviously going to be a steady intake of alcohol. Jax studied her carefully, now. He knew his ex-wife better than she might think. "Do you want to tell me about what Kristina said that sent you out of your own apartment and out into this storm?" When she didn't answer immediately, he knew the answer. "Corinthos. She knows about you and Corinthos."

 Alexis ordered another drink. Another shot followed its brethren; Alexis cracked the shot glass down on the bar. This time when the bartender made to walk away, she grasped his wrist and firmly took the bottle out of his hand.
Jax sighed. "Put it on my tab."

Alexis waited until the waiter was out of earshot before she spoke again. "There is no me and Corinthos." She pointed a finger at him unsteadily. "Sonny is my friend. You are my friend. The both of you mean the world to me. But you know what?  Sonny doesn't hold me to his standards and neither does he expect me to make his standards my own. Something you tend to do. A sometimes endearing, but thoroughly irritating habit of yours."
"That's because he doesn't have any standards of his own to hold you to. You're so above him, Alexis. Why can't you see this?"

"Far above him? How is that? Because I'm descended from semi-royal Greek and Russian blood? Let's not forget that we Cassidines are a clan full of megalomaniacs and despots who make Sonny Corinthos look like a decorated Eagle Scout, shall we? Ohhh...yes, I am so far above him. He wants to rule Port Charles, we Cassidines wanted to rule the world. Maybe Sonny's just not ambitious enough." Another shot followed the previous ones.  "Is not wanting to take over the world a character flaw?"

"Alexis, you're drunk."

"No, I'm not. But it's an option I'm seriously considering."
"Is this what Corinthos has driven you to?" Jax's blue eyes were icy in rekindling anger.

"No, this is what Kristina and her questions and her pushing and her prodding and Ned with his judgments and you and your accusations and your well meaning intentions and the whole of Port Charles with their all-knowing omniscient opinions of what's good or bad concerning my life have done." Alexis said. A skein of Cassidine steel interwove itself into her voice as her eyes narrowed in anger. Then they closed and Jax watched silently while she visibly fought for control. "I'm not in the mood for this. I'm really not, Jax. Leave it alone. Please."

"All right, Alexis. I'll back off – for now." Jax capitulated. Despite all her brave and caustic words, he could see the thin crystalline sheen of unshed tears in those beautiful brown eyes. If pushed, he knew what she'd do. She'd run. And the last thing he wanted was to send Alexis fleeing from him out into the storm. "I just don't want to see you hurt."

"Sonny won't hurt me, Jax." Her eyes dropped from his as she lowered her head.

Jax reached over and placing his fingers gently under her chin, raised her eyes to meet his. "I think he already has."