They took an overheated cab back to General Hospital and walked into the lobby sweaty and out of breath. Everybody except for Elizabeth was gone.

"Jason." She stood, smiling. "I just got off. Can you drop me off?" she asked sweetly.

"Did your car break down?" Alexis asked, concerned for the nurse.

"Well no but..." she trailed off, looking at her shoes.

"Elizabeth, I would but I think I'm dropping Alexis off and it's out of the way. I'm sorry. It's just been a long day," Jason replied, yawning.

"Oh well okay. Maybe some other time," she suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." Jason grinned and led Alexis into the elevator.

"You're dropping me off?" she asked. "That's very nice but you don't need to."

"That's true but I want to."

He led her back into the cold and opened the car door for her. She sunk in and admired the new car smell.

"This must be brand new," she observed, as he put the key in the ignition.

"Not really. Max or Milo usually drives me or I take my motorcycle."

"You have a motorcycle? Is it fast?" Alexis asked.

Oh God I sound like a giggly schoolgirl. The worst part is I'm a giggly school girl at Harvard Law who is going gaga for a hit man. My life is so screwed up, she thought to herself.

When Jason parked in her driveway she sighed in relief.

"It's good to be home." She smiled at him.

"I know the feeling. You must be so tired."

"All I want to do is kiss my girls good night put on a sleeping t-shirt and hop in my bed." Alexis sighed.

"You wear a t-shirt to sleep?" he asked, chuckling.

"Yes," she replied, embarrassed. "What did you think I would wear?"

I am making such an idiot of myself, she thought.

"I don't know a business suit?" He laughed.

"Well I'll have to try that. Just not tonight." She laughed.

Once they were quiet she opened the car door and slipped out of his jacket, putting it on his lap.

"Thank you so much, Alexis." He smiled sadly, thinking of Emily.

"You're welcome. If you need anything I'm right here." She pointed to her house.

As she walked towards the house he opened the window.

"You forgot something." He smiled.

She shuffled back to the car and looked into the window. He handed her the jacket she had worn of his.

"Keep warm."

"I'll make sure of it." She flashed him another smile before walking into her familiar house and watched out the window as he sped off into the night.

She awoke the next morning to Kristina snuggled up next to her sleeping in her Barbie pajamas.

"My sweet little girl," she whispered while stroking her daughter's hair. She looked like a younger Emily with the long hair and angelic smile.

Alexis padded out of her bed and checked on a sleeping Molly in her crib diagonal from her bed. The house smelled like cinnamon and she smiled when she saw Sam standing in her kitchen with a plate of cinnabuns and omelets on the table.

"Did I ever tell you that you're my favorite daughter even if you do break into my house at six in the morning to cook?" Alexis asked sleepily.

"No, but thank you, now I know for sure." She winked and then handed Alexis a plate with an omelet and two cinnabuns. Sam gulped down her orange juice as Alexis downed three cups of coffee.

"How is Nikolas doing?" Alexis asked, worried. "I came back to the hospital and you were all gone."

"I'm sorry. Nikolas was just so tired and Lucky and I decided that it might be best if we got him over to Lucky's house and let him sleep. He can't go back to Wyndemere for a while. The wounds are still fresh and all the memories are there." Sam sighed. "I just can't believe she's gone. I mean Emily dying kind of makes me realize my own mortality. It's morbid but its true."

"That's completely understandable." Alexis sipped her fourth cup of coffee. "That happens with a lot of people especially when the person dying is your age or younger. It's perfectly natural." She got up to throw out her plate. "That was a sensational breakfast, thank you."

"Wait!" Sam stopped her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm throwing out my plate." Alexis looked at her.

"You don't have to I will. Lay back and relax."

"There's something you don't want me to see isn't there?" Alexis asked eyeing her daughter.

"No," she insisted in a convincing tone. But not convincing enough.

Alexis flipped open the garbage and gasped. "Diner containers?" she asked in mock shock. "You made me believe that you cooked food when really it's just diner food?"

"Well I tried to make pancakes but I can't do it!" Sam whined. "I can make two things: cookies and cereal. That's it." She laughed.

"I can't believe I didn't know that." Alexis sighed. Her tone became more serious when she added, "We haven't spent all that much time together."

Sam looked at her feet, slightly ashamed. "Family is important and I get that now more than I ever had. I missed you and Molly and Kristina. I want use to be closer."

"I want that too." Alexis smiled reaching over and squeezing her daughter's hand.

After a lazy morning Sam offered to watch Kristina and Molly while Alexis checked on Nikolas. She drove over remembering that the next day was Thanksgiving. Nikolas would be spending it without the love of his life. She sighed deeply as she pulled up to Lucky's white house. She rang the door bell twice and Lucky answered it immediately, looking disheveled. His hair was messy and his eyes bloodshot.

"Alexis." He smiled and yawned.

"Has he been keeping you up all night?" she asked her voice filled with empathy.

Lucky hesitated, not wanting to complain, but finally told her about his sleepless night. He walked into the kitchen with coffee in his hands and handed the steaming drink to Nikolas.

"Hey Nikolas," Alexis smiled weakly as she sat down next to her nephew.
"The funeral is tomorrow." Nikolas sighed. The gash in his head cover with gauze, just the sight made Alexis nauseous.

"Well, I can assure that we will all be there to pay our respects and Emily is up in Heaven looking down at you and smiling for your bravery," Alexis replied turning to him.

"Maybe she's up there next to Courtney and they're fighting." He managed a smile.

"She's up there with my sister," Alexis mused as she thought about her beautiful sister Kristina.

"Maybe," Nikolas said, laying his head in Alexis' lap and drifting off into a dream. A dream about him and Emily living in a normal house with a white picket fence and a bunch of kids.
XXXXXXXXXX

Alexis stared at herself in the full length mirror.

It hadn't been a good morning. She had awoken before dawn violently sick running into the bathroom a total of five times in an hour. Her hair was now neatly braided back neatly showing off her natural chestnut tresses. Her black pantsuit was somber and elegant without trying to be. After all she was dressing for a funeral. Kristina and Molly looked like little princesses in matching black dresses and stockings. Kristina had an incredible understanding of the sad situation and her usually cheery eyes were solemn and gray but marinating their innocence.

Sam came to pick her up, her eldest daughter heart stoppingly beautiful even considering the circumstances. Her chocolate colored hair swept back into a bun, a black sweater and silk trousers made her look wise beyond her years but Alexis still saw the little baby she had given birth to twenty seven years ago. They arrived at the Church to see a line of guests by the door. An array of black and gray ensembles was disrupted by Monica's pink blazer.

"Breast cancer colors," Alexis murmured quietly.

She let the girls sit with Jax and Carly, who eyed Sam angrily.

Poor woman, she will never know what she wants and her life will never have the fulfillment of stability, Alexis thought about Carly.Even if Alexis' wasn't much better, she still pitied the blonde.

She saw Lucky and Elizabeth walk in slowly, Nikolas clutching onto their arms. Alexis' heart broke into a million pieces as the scene unraveled. Her beloved nephew hanging onto his best friends for dear life. His brown eyes were covered by a pair of black sunglasses as were Lucky's and Edward's. She pushed through the crowd of Emily's friends and family to her nephew. Without words she reached over to him hugging him tightly.

"I just want you to know that she loved you and would want you to be happy even without her," Alexis whispered into his ear before walking into the church and taking her place next to her daughters.

The funeral opened with Father Michaels talking about his memories of Emily as a student at St.Catherine's catholic school. Then came the hard part. Lucky stood up by the podium and began the Eulogy.

Lucky's voice shook as he began,"I sat up last night struggling to write the eulogy that I thought Emily deserved. But I couldn't. Because the thing is Emily doesn't deserve an eulogy. She deserves a long, happy, healthy life. One filled with love and laughter. That is what she should have. Emily was my best friend. I remember once Emily and I were just looking at the sky and she picked out a star and said when I die that star will be me. I didn't understand why. The star wasn't that big and it was surrounded by a cluster of other stars and when I asked why that star, she simply replied that the star was surrounded by others.

His eyes filled with tears as he finished with, "Family was the most important thing to Emily. So every time I'm looking at the sky I'm going to look for that star and remember my best friend."

A chorus of sobs and claps filled the room as Lucky descended down the aisle to his seat clasping Sam and Nikolas' hands. Alexis heard a small thud next to her and turned to see Jason Morgan.

"Hi, Jason" she whispered sadly, half listening to the priest leading a prayer.

His hair was cut short again and was styled spiky as it used to be. He looked distinguished in his suit and tie. Distinguished but terribly uncomfortable, she noticed.

"Hello, Alexis, he said almost robotically.

Halfway through the funeral Nikolas surprised everyone by clinging onto Sam's hand. Nobody was more surprised then the brunette herself. After all this man had almost killed her once and the rest of the time showed no real interest in her - unless it was anger or disappointment.

At the end of the service the chapel emptied and Alexis gave Nikolas a final hug before letting him go off with the Quartermaines. They had asked him to stay with them for a few weeks until he was ready to go back to Wyndemere. Alexis had to smile when she saw Lucky and Sam off to a corner his arms around her waist and a smile on her face. Her daughter was in love. Alexis missed that. She missed the giddy feeling she got whenever she saw someone and the little smiles that would creep across her face when she knew she had someone to come home to.

Then she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She turned around and she felt a fluttering in her stomach.

"Alexis." Jason smiled.

"We meet again,Mr. Morgan. How are you holding up?" she asked while
admiring his broad shoulders.

"I honestly don't know," he admitted. "One minute I'm okay the next I feel like someone ripped my heart out of my chest."

"I remember the feeling quite well. My sister died, also."

"I know. Can I ask you something?" he whispered, as if he didn't want to be heard.

"Anything. I might even tell you how old I am." She tried to make him laugh.

Jason chuckled softly. "Can I crash on your couch tonight?" He looked at his shoes in embarrassment, already regretting the words as soon as they came out of his mouth.

Alexis felt her mouth go dry. The last time a guy had asked to sleep on her couch was in the tenth grade. Garrett Williams was his name. A jock on the lacrosse team and a honor student. She had been infatuated with him. He had broken up with his girlfriend and needed a place to stay because he didn't want to go home.

"You want to sleep on my couch?" She asked laughing.

"Never mind. Forget I said anything."

"No, I won't." she argued smiling. "Of course, you can sleep on my couch."

"Really?" he asked looking up into her beautiful brown eyes.

"Yes and if you would like to spend tomorrow's holiday with us that is also an option." Suddenly, she felt bold.

"I might just take you up on that offer." He winked.

"Mommy, Mommy" Kristina cheered, running up behind her mother.

"Kristina, Kristina." Alexis mimicked her daughter playfully.

"Can I sleep over at Daddy's?" she begged. Alexis looked over at Sonny who nodded letting her know he wanted her there.

"Well... okay sweetie. But first give me a big hug goodbye." Alexis smiled and wrapped her arms around her daughter. She waved goodbye to Sonny and Kristina and strapped Molly into her car seat.

"I guess it's just us ,Ms.Davis." Jason smirked.

"I suppose it is, Mr. Morgan." She laughed, backing out of the parking lot. The drove in wonderful silence for about ten minutes.

Jason spoke first, "I have just noticed two things about you."

"My good looks and superior legal skills."

"Nope, your an awful driver..." he started.

"Hey!" she argued "Remember I am letting you sleep on my couch at any given moment I can dumb cold water on you or something."

"The second one is better," he assured her. "You cheer me up." He flashed a genuine smile.

"Well thank you. I live to serve." She smiled back.

Please read and review. A special shout out to IlovetowriteSMP (Sara) for helping me and editing my chapters :)