Accidentally In Love - Chapter 1
Alexis's hands shook as she reached to knock on the door of Jason's penthouse. Before she knocked, she traced the outline of the letters: PH2. She hated coming here because the pain nearly overwhelmed her. She'd lived with and lost her sister here. She'd fallen for Sonny and lost here, too. Her life had taken many turns both good and bad since then, but she often wondered if she'd made a mistake by leaving.
One mistake she was certain she'd made was Jerry Jax. Two hours earlier, she'd accidentally learned the man with whom she most recently begun a relationship, was responsible for Michael's shooting. This morning, she'd overheard a conversation on the docks that she wasn't supposed to hear. And then in a most gruesome manner, she'd watched Jerry, also known as Mr. Craig, kill a man in cold blood. From the conversation, she'd learned this man was the man who shot Michael.
When Jerry realized she was near, Alexis pretended she'd been looking for him to invite him to lunch. Once at Kelly's, she immediately pretended to receive an emergency call from Viola. She mentioned she needed to leave then headed straight to PH2.
The door opened and Jason's expressionless face greeted her. "Why are you here, Alexis?"
She wondered where their relationship had gone wrong. They had been friends once. It was probably when she allowed him and Brenda stand trial for the murder of Luis Alcazar, although she was the responsible party. "I have information about Michael's shooting."
He opened the door and gestured for her to enter. "Do you know who is responsible?"
"Yes and I'll take care of it." She was the D.A. after all. She would find a way to make things right. For years, she'd tried to protect Kristina and Molly from Sonny and Ric's associations with the mob. Yet, somehow, through her association with Jerry, they were once-again exposed.
"Why are you here?"
She'd asked herself the same question. "To make sure you don't do something to get yourself thrown in prison. I know how much Michael means to you. I was there from the beginning." Once upon a time, Sonny asked her to represent Jason in his fight to keep baby Michael. She often wondered if Michael would have been a different boy if Jason had raised him instead of Sonny and Carly. " I just wanted to tell you to sit tight."
She watched him stare at her with his ice-cold blue eyes. After a moment, he spoke. "Is there anything else?"
She shook her head "no," then left.
On the drive home, she swerved to avoid other cars twice before she pulled over to compose herself. Her eyes flooded with tears. Jerry was involved in a plot to kill Sonny: the same plot that went so wrong and wound up leaving Michael brain-dead. He'd placed a call on the docks. She heard him on the phone with Claudia Zacchara. He was a monster. How could she have been so wrong?
As she looked in the rearview mirror, she barely recognized herself. What happened to the Alexis Davis that loved suited businessmen? When did she become a woman who was attracted to men who walked on the edge of the law? As she looked in her own tear-stained eyes, she knew the answer: Sonny. Well, she'd had enough. As soon as she put this affair with Jerry to rest, she was done with dangerous men.
In her distress she opened the door without looking around. It was something she'd known not to do from the time she was a little girl. She threw her purse and keys on the desk and walked to the window. It was then she first heard his voice.
"Hello Alexis." The familiar Aussie voice visibly shook her. "Did I startle you?"
"Hello Jerry." She noticed he positioned himself to block the door and she took a deep breath. "I don't recall giving you a key to my home, so I am a little surprised to see you." Cautiously, she stepped toward her desk. Jerry took a step closer to her.
"I thought you'd be happy to see me. After all, we are seeing each other."
Alexis wrapped her arms protectively around her body. "Speaking of us seeing each other, I think maybe we should stop."
Jerry moved closer to her. "Alexis, you can't let what you've heard from other people influence you about our relationship."
Before she could stop herself, she laughed. "Other people? What I've heard came straight from the horse's mouth. You used me because I was the DA, but it stops now. I'm done, Jerry."
"Alexis," he moved to within inches of her. "I was afraid you were going to say that. This afternoon when you left without a word, I was afraid of what you thought you may have heard. Then you went straight to Morgan and told him you would take care of me...big mistake my dear. "
Jerry must have read the confusion on her face because he grabbed her purse from the desk. He dug inside then produced a silver pen. "Listening device." He threw it on the desk.
As she looked at the pen, she realized he wore a pair of leather gloves. "I think you should go."
Jerry shook his head "no." "I'm so sorry my dear. I was fond of you."
Before she knew what was happening, she felt the air tightening in her throat. It was then that she realized Jerry's hands were around her neck and tightening by the second. If she'd ever doubted the cancer had weakened her lungs, she was sure of it now. She tried to fight, but she had no strength. As she felt her knees weaken, she knew her life was over. It was then she heard the POP. Jerry's grip loosened. Another POP and he began to sink to the ground.
She looked at her blouse, her hands and her shoes. There was blood everywhere. She dared not touch her cheek because she knew it was there, too. She was shaking. What was she supposed to do?
"Are you okay?" She heard the male voice.
It was Jason. She felt herself nodding. Everything was a blur. He made a call. She believed it was to Max. She stood there frozen during the call.
"Where do you keep your clothes?"
She pointed toward her bedroom. She noticed he, too, wore gloves. Moments later, he returned carrying her clothes, a wet towel and a plastic bag. He gestured for her to take the towel, but her arms couldn't move.
Jason set the clothes on a chair and began to wipe her face with the towel. He held her hands in his own and wiped each with the towel before he dropped the towel in the bag. "Listen to me, Alexis." His voice was calm and steady. "I need you to take off your clothes and put them in the bag."
"I want to take a shower." She was willing to beg him if she had to.
"Not here." He held the bag open. "You gotta hurry."
Her hands trembled as she undid the clasp on her skirt. She dropped it in the bag. She was three buttons down on her blouse before the tears came. Impatiently, he quickly undid the rest of the buttons and helped her out of the blouse.
Mercifully, he'd grabbed sweats and a t-shirt, which she slipped on without much trouble. She threw the shoes in the bag and slid on a pair of flip flops.
"Let's go."
She began to process what was happening. She shook her head, "no." "We have to call the police...we have to tell them..."
"We can't." His voice was firm and parental. "Do you want to explain what I was doing here? Do you think the police will believe I was defending your life when you tell them you found out he played a roll in Michael's shooting? What about when they find out you came by my home just before you got here?"
She nodded. He was right. It terrified her, but he was right. "What are we supposed to do?"
"Leave. Then we come up with a plan."
Fifteen minutes later, she found herself standing in Jason's Penthouse; the very same place where she used to live. She loved her old shower and she couldn't wait to jump inside. "I need to take a shower."
"We need to talk about the plan first." He walked to the desk and threw his jacket across the chair. He picked up some documents and began to sift through them.
She sighed. All she wanted to do was clean off the memory of Jerry and his blood. "What do you suggest we do?"
"We get married."