It had been two days since she'd spoken to Jason and Spinelli and she was trying desperately to stop being paranoid, but as she walked along the docks she could swear someone was following her. It had to be paranoia. She glanced around as she walked, and saw something move out of the corner of her eye, she picked up her pace and ruffled around in her bag for that pepper spray that Mac had given her, and as soon as she walked around the corner she pressed herself against the wall and waited, she could feel her heart beating heavily, and tried to control her trembling and remain silent. A moment later man walked past her and stopped, and glanced around, he turned in her direction, and Maxie jumped forward, just about ready begin a round of never ending frantic spraying, when she recognised the man, she sighed loudly
"Spinelli!" in her relief she didn't know whether to hug him or kick him, so she settled with hitting him on the shoulder with her designer handbag "What....the....hell is....wrong....with....you?!" she exclaimed in between each hit "You could've given me a heart attack!"
"Ow" Spinelli lowered his arms which had been protectively held out in front of himself, during Maxie's assault "The Jackal apologizes for his need for stealth, however-"
"Stealth?!" Maxie hit him with her bag again "N-no, no, there was no stealth, stealth would be me not knowing someone was following me!" she put her pepper spray back in her bag, so she wouldn't be tempted to use it on him "First you go make me all paranoid yesterday telling me Johnny Zacchara was killing people and stalking me, and now you're stalking me!" she zipped up her bag and hit him with it again "Do you have any idea how wrong that is, and how freaked out I was when I thought someone was following me?!"
"Aha!" Spinelli waved a finger at her victoriously "Which shows that you have been concerned about someone following you!"
"No, this was like living the moment after watching a horror movie, where you spend the next week being slightly paranoid of doing anything that the character who died did" Maxie informed him
Spinelli looked confused "May I ask why you are referring to a horror movie at this point?"
"This is not about a horror movie Spinelli!" she exclaimed, frustrated that he didn't automatically decipher her meaning himself "This is about you and Jason, freaking me out by putting false ideas in my head last night, of course I'm going to be a little paranoid!"
"The Jackal notices however that the blonde one did not change her course and head toward the PCPD or perhaps call myself or StoneCold"
Maxie looked at Spinelli for a second, before her eyes widened angrily in realisation "Was this some kind of sick test?" she asked, holding up her bag threateningly "You wanted to see what I'd do while freaking me out?!"
"No never" Spinelli hurriedly assured her "The Jackal was merely following in a silent attempt to make sure that you were not being....Followed"
Maxie snickered and rolled her eyes "Ironic that"
"The Jackal apologizes, but he feels it is still in the decietful blonde ones best interest to allow himself and Stone Cold to protect her" he informed her seriously, but before Maxie could reply, a male voice interrupted them
"Maxie!" Matt said and Spinelli and Maxie turned, as Matt walked down the stairs and joined them "What was up with that cryptic sms?"
Maxie rolled her eyes. A few minutes earlier she'd hurriedly sent Matt and sms while trying to avoid the person she thought was following her "'Get down to the docks becase I may be murdered', is in no way cryptic Matt!" she informed the doctor, who handed her his phone "Get Docks now, may mud!!!" she read her sms out loud, and glared at Matt who smirked at her "Well, I was being quick, I thought I was living on borrowed time ok? and that I was being followed" she handed him his phone back and glared at Spinelli "Which actually I was being..."
Matt frowned as he turned to Spinelli "Now you're following her?" he questioned with a hint of annoyance and surprise, but Spinelli ignored him and focused his full attention on Maxie
"So, the blonde one felt she should call the disastardly doctor to assist her in her time of need as appose to Stone Cold or the lawful ones?" he asked in disbelief
"Hey, well, you know, when I kill someone or want someone killed, I'll call Jason for help, but when I am paranoid that I'm being followed and want a guy to walk me home, I'll call Matt" she replied casually
"Maxie, I believe your life is in dire danger" he took a step towards her "A danger that the disastardly doctor cannot assist you with, if you were to allow Stone Cold and myself and fair Samantha to help...It is the Jackals wish to provide.." he stopped and lowered his voice "You need help Maxie, as does anyone that the mob prince sets his sights on. Please allow me...us to protect you"
Maxie stared at Spinelli, he looked genuinely concerned, and she felt herself being drawn into his worried, caring green eyes, until Matt's voice broke her out of her rivare
"Excuse us" Matt said, as he grabbed Maxie's arm and pulled her a few steps away from Spinelli
"What are you doing?" Maxie asked still a little dazed, as she pulled her arm away from Matt's grasp
"As a friend, I'm attempting an intervention" he told her, and waved a hand in Spinelli's direction "Are you seriously getting suckered into this?"
"Suckered into-"
"The whole Spinelli web thing" he put his hands on her shoulders, to keep her full attention "You told me to keep you down to reality when it came to Spinelli, so you didn't become a psychotic obsessive crazed person again"
Maxie crossed her arms over her chest and pouted "I'd never say that about myself"
"You said it continuously for three months" he reminded her "You told me to bring you down to earth, if you ever started to even talk to him again"
Maxie pushed his hands off her shoulders and frowned "Ok, but Matt this is different my life is in danger-"
Matt sighed loudly "You told me not to fall for that line, because you'd likely use that excuse sometime"
"But this is serious, I mean I could die, and Stone..Jason and Spinelli might be the best people to help keep me safe" she shook her head when he looked at her in disbelief "Ok, I know I told you I'd probably use that line too"
"If you want protection, why are you going to a mobster?" he asked "Go to the PCPD, and you have people around you, you're not exactly alone"
Maxie sighed loudly and nodded in agreement, before turning back to Spinelli again "Spinelli, I really don't need anything, Johnny's not a problem"
"Maxie-" Spinelli began to argue
"I'm serious Spinelli" she insisted
Spinelli looked at her for a moment, before giving in "The Jackal shall be in touch" he said as he began walking away
"No, no the Jackal's touch shall not be needed" Maxie called after him, ignoring Matt's amused expression "The touch...being in the touch..." she stammered in embarrassment as she tried to correct herself but didn't quite manage "I don't need your help or protection!" she added, but Spinelli was already at the top of the stairs, and didn't look back, as he disappeared around the corner
Spinelli looked up from his laptop, as the front door to the penthouse opened, and Stone Cold walked in. Although he had his own place, he found himself staying in the regrettably pink room quite often while trying to solve what the mob prince was doing, and working more than part time with Stone Cold, putting his PI job on the side for now, especially now that the blonde one was in danger he would willingly put his PI job aside completely until they had enough proof to put the mob prince behind bars for the rest of his life
"So did you talk to Maxie?" Jason asked as he shut the door behind himself
"The Jackal attempted to" Spinelli sighed tiredly "If he had not in these past months been so harsh with his formal friend, perhaps she'd be more trusting of the Jackal and Stone Cold now, however she refuses help"
Jason rubbed the back of his neck, he'd been expecting this. It was only natural that Spinelli would start blaming himself "You can't blame yourself for this Spinelli"
Spinelli put his laptop aside "Stone Cold, no matter what standings the relationship between the blonde one and myself are, I still do not wish to see her in danger"
"I get that Spinelli. Nothing's going to happen to Maxie" he tried to assure Spinelli, and sat down across from him "We've just got to for now focus our energy on Johnny, have you found out anything new?"
Spinelli opened his mouth to reply, but a frantic knocking at the door interrupted him, he stood and walked over to the door and pulled it open "M-maxie?" he asked in surprise, when he spotted a rather panicked looking blonde on the other side
"I need your help and protection" Maxie said, as she walked past him and into the penthouse, focusing her attention on Jason "I was at home...alone after Spinelli had been stalking me" she said, and Spinelli shrugged when Jason glanced his way "I started to think about that movie where the guy calls around saying 'you're next' to all his victims, before he turns up and kills them horribly" she walked over to where Jason was sitting and handed him her mobile, showing the miscalls from Johnny
Jason raised his eyebrows "Nine miscalls, does he do this everyday?"
Maxie nodded "Until now I thought it was just Johnny reaching out, and he'd get the hint when I didn't answer, but then we had that lovely conversation where you practically said he was out to kill me" she reminded irritably "I don't want to believe Johnny might actually be that dangerous, but I don't really want to test that theory" she told them, as she began pacing up and down, and started a rambling session "I'm so not ready for death, I have so many plans for the future, and I may just be getting that promotion eventually, I mean Kate would be lost without me, and so would Lulu and Mac, and well lets just say quite a few people not to mention the fashion world, and while you may think I've made alot of mistakes and Port Charles would be better without me, I think I've more than made up for it with my contribution to the fashion world, and who are you to judge me anyway?!" she finished off eventually stopping her pacing and shooting a glare at the two shocked speechless men
"Maxie relax, just take a breath" Jason told her
"Take a breath?" she asked incrediously "I haven't slept in two days! I'm paranoid I'm about to be killed by a mobster, and instead of going to the PCPD or my father, I for some reason actually thought the next logial step would be coming to another mobster for help, I am obviously not thinking clearly!" she exclaimed, as she flopped down onto the couch and rubbed her eyes, looking up when she felt a hand on her shoulder
"Here" Spinelli held out a glass of water
"No thanks" she said as she took the glass and began sipping the water
"Before you started ignoring Johnny did he say anything strange or did anything strange happen?" Jason questioned
"Johnny actually never really told me much" Maxie furrowed her brow thoughtfully "He said he'd done something that'd break himself and Lulu up. He never told me what" she paused as she remembered something else, something she really didn't want to mention "Um, and-" she rubbed the back of her neck and lowered her voice to a mumble "I helped him carry Ric's unconscious body out of Sonny's house and to the hospital"
"What?!" Jason and Spinelli asked in shock
Maxie rolled her eyes "It was months ago, Ric was in Claudia's bed, obviously they'd just been doing it" he snickered, but neither Spinelli or Jason looked amused "Anyway he'd OD'd on something, and Claudia called Johnny for help, Johnny and I were on our way to a Crimson event, but we went to Sonny's house, she needed us to help sneak Ric out of the house, and get him to the hospital without Sonny noticing"
Spinelli furrowed his brow as he sat down on the long couch next to Jason "Is there a reason you felt it unneccessary to mention this to anyone?"
Maxie sighed, trying to ignore his judgemental expression "Look he did it for his sister, and I didn't think that much of it, I gave him my word, because I thought he was protecting his only family just like Georgie was always there for me if I did something stupid, which was every day" she ran her finger along the rim of the glass "Not that Georgie would have gone as far as I did, but hey I've never been good with judging the limitations of stupidity" she shrugged, and focused her attention back on Jason again "And I didn't want to make myself a knowing participant in anything illegal so I didn't force him to tell me anything"
"Okay" Jason stood and began walking to the door "Stay here"
"Where are you going?" Maxie asked, as she placed her glass on the table and stood
"I have something to take care of" he replied
"IS that information it, do you have enough to take Johnny down?"
"No" he pointed to the couch "Stay here" he ordered, as he opened the door, and stepped out, closing it behind him before Maxie could say anymore
"Well, I see he's still as cryptic as ever" Maxie remarked, as she reluctantly turned back to an awkward looking Spinelli.
Great. This is just what she needed after four months of staying away from Spinelli, and attempting to get on with her life. Pretending to be over Spinelli from a distance was almost doable, she could almost fake that, but pretending to be over him, while in close quaters with him, was another story
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