Jax wanted to buy his favorite ex-wife some flowers so he went to the MC gift shop to do just that. It had an impressive floral selection and a renowned florist, an artist really to take a bunch of flowers selected apparently randomly and whip them into award winning bouquets.

He picked out each flower special for Alexis to have sent to her office thanking for their evening at the Floating Rib and for watching his back when he navigated through the tripwires and snares surrounding his uneasy relationship with Carly. Jossie had been his primary concern, the girl was running wild around the hotel screaming and had been dressed up in some strange outfit almost like a costume. He barely recognized her and after hearing what had happened with her older brother Morgan…

The teenager that he had raised now worked as an errand boy for Julian Jerome and his criminal organization. That news had blown his mind but then he shouldn't be surprised considering the parenting skills of Sonny and Carly. But he needed to save Jossie from the same fate.

He glanced up to see the man return to the counter with his credit card.

"The flower arrangement will be ready and at the address you listed by early afternoon. Whoever's there seeing quite a bit of business."

Jax narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

The man smiled.

"We've been sending flowers there daily for almost a month. Well, we do provide the best floral arrangement in town and pride ourselves on customer satisfaction…"

Jax nodded, satisfied. He knew Alexis would like the flowers, she loved the little things he'd done for her during their brief marriage not to mention their enduring friendship. The things she did to make him happy, lifted his spirits many a time. Her promise to help him with Jossie…well he hoped it wouldn't come to that but the thought of Franco near his precious little girl…it made his muscles tighten and his fists clench. He took care of his own after all.

He left the shop and went to pick up some easy breakfast at the restaurant which had a cluster of tables filled with customers, mostly guests in its hotel. The MC was almost like a village in itself, only one with a manager who thought nothing of barging in on its guests and getting into their business.

"Jax…"

The familiar voice behind him belonged to one person. He didn't turn around right away.

"Carly…"

When he did, she had an indignant look on her face, a hand on her hip.

"You here to see me?"

He clenched his jaw.

"I'm here to make sure my daughter is doing fine."

She frowned.

"Don't you mean 'our daughter' Jax?"

He didn't respond right away and she smiled at him.

"Can't we discuss this like adults? You know if you only met Franco…you might see how much he's really changed."

Jax gave her a piercing look.

"After what he did to Jossie…to Michael…your own son not to mention Sam…"

She didn't flinch. Her eyes danced, she looked like she was…well once that look had been for him…years ago. His lips formed a fine line.

"I'll do whatever it takes to protect our daughter. Even if it means hiring Alexis…"

Carly got that snarly look.

"Don't be bringing Alexis into this…as if she's in any position to judge with all her baby daddies being from mobsters…"

Jax' eyes hardened from blue to grey.

"I mean it's all over town who really fathered Sam," Carly snickered, "Haven't seen either of them around much lately."

"Carly…"

She ignored the warning in his voice.

"I mean Derek…I guess it's Julian now…I had him wrapped around my finger not long ago…"

Jax just looked at her incredulously. Julian Jerome was not the type of man easily manipulated certainly not by someone like Carly who played in the minor leagues.

"He…well I had two men pursuing me…the other day he was asking me questions about Lucas. I told him that if he asked me out…I might accept."

Jax shook his head. So like Carly to flock like a moth to a light source when it came to dating men who hated Sonny. Only she didn't know the difference between a flame and a bug zapper.

"I'd stay away from him," he said, "but then he's no more dangerous than Franco."

Carly narrowed her eyes.

"Franco's not dangerous. He's very nice underneath it all and horribly misunderstood. I mean if you had parents as crazy as his…"

"That's no excuse Carly and I meant what I said."

They both looked up to see Julian heading towards them after leaving a tall woman with icy blonde hair in a bob. Jax knew from photos who he was looking at and that the woman was likely his sister Ava Jerome. She'd run art galleries back in the day only no one ever knew where her financial backing came from…until now. Beautiful on the outside, but she held all the appeal of a barracuda. Julian appraised both of them and Jax saw his mind working.

"You must be Jasper Jacks," he said, "I read about you in Financial Monthly recently."

Jax eyed him back.

"You must be Julian Jerome, another one of Port Charles' mobsters rising from the dead though you look more like Derek Wells, media magnate."

Julian smiled.

"I still run the same businesses I did before I revealed my identity. In fact I'm the other interested party in acquiring that string of radio stations in Indonesia."

Jax looked at him coolly.

"Really…well you should know by now I'm very determined when it comes to getting what I want and in protecting my interests."

Julian mirrored his expression.

"As am I…"

Carly sighed at the two of them, her arms crossed.

"Come now, I've agreed to give both of you a block of my busy schedule today…"

Both men looked at her puzzled then back at each other. Jax shook his head at the mobster.

"I don't get it…Men like you I can't figure out...If I had to choose between my business and my family…there wouldn't be a choice…"

Julian narrowed his eyes.

"This isn't any of your business…"

Jax pursed his lips.

"You made it everyone's business when you splashed it on the front page of your tabloid."

Julian bristled.

"I was coming clean to my readership about my past."

Jax shook his head.

"I don't buy it. Your past wasn't the only one you put out there for public consumption. What about Alexis and Sam?"

Carly rolled her eyes.

"What about them? It's nice to know that Alexis isn't so holier than thou and got knocked off of her damn pedestal."

Both men glanced at her, flashing warning looks.

"Hey I was just saying it's refreshing to know that she's human after all."

Julian tilted his face.

"I told Alexis I'd protect them."

Jax chuckled mirthlessly.

"I'd like to see that. But I know men like you are all talk and little action. That said, my advice is that you stay away from the both of them."

Julian's eyes hardened.

"It seems to me that they make that decision on their own."

Jax smiled slightly.

"It seems to me both did but you're right, you aren't a man who gives up easily. They're both family to me as far as I'm concerned and I take care of family, something for you to think long and hard about before doing anything."

Carly looked puzzled.

"Jossie and I are your family…Alexis is just another ex-wife and Sam well she…are you two going to have a fight in the middle of my hotel?"

Both men looked at her. Julian shook his head.

"I'm sure Mr. Jacks has his concerns but he's not the only one who considers them family. I take care of what's mine too."

Jax sighed.

"You've got a strange way of showing it…like I said if you do anything…"

Julian appraised him.

"Is that a threat?"

Jax didn't move an inch.

"That's a promise…I wouldn't enjoy it but if it needs to be done…consider yourself warned…"

Alexis had no awareness of the two alpha men squaring off at the MC as she was out shopping at the department store, in the scarf section.

She thought about buying one for Molly as she'd been collecting them as of lately. They had a colorful selection and she enjoyed perusing them. Molly would be spending Christmas with her and then off to Los Angeles to visit her father for the remainder of the holidays.

"Red and black provides an interesting contrast."

She glanced over at the man standing next to her. Carlos, the man hired to be circulation manager for a publishing company that was a front…which meant that wasn't really his assignment. She guessed he might hold a position in the Jerome organization similar to that of Shawn's.

"Of course fuchsia is very hot right now in fashion."

She arched her brow.

"You speaking as a fashion editor of Crimson? I didn't know your boss had you slumming."

He chuckled.

"Nah…just an observation. You getting your shopping out of the way?"

She sighed.

"Finally…what about you? My son in law was an enforcer…and even they take time off their busy schedules to celebrate holidays."

He shook his head, not offended in the least.

"The boss was right…you do have a sharp wit and great delivery."

She frowned.

"You mean Julian? When did he say that?"

He paused.

"He speaks of you a lot. He admires a lot about you."

She sucked in her breath but shrugged slightly.

"If that's so, then his delivery is beyond poor…"

"Agreed."

She glanced up at him in surprise.

"You talk so freely about your boss' less than positive attributes?"

He fingered a scarf that was polka dotted with a hot pink background.

"No…I don't but I'm not above setting him straight."

She put a hand on her hip, looking at him more closely.

"Why are you even telling me this? I haven't seen or heard from him in weeks…except for him sending flowers to my office."

"He's been busy…"

She chuckled.

"So I hear…I feel for Bobbie I do…because I know how persistent he can be when he wants something out of you. Nothing's real about him, any more than it was with Derek Wells."

Carlos just watched her face.

"It's one thing to use me like that but my daughter and grandson…that I can't forgive. Maybe someday but not right now. I told him I'd do anything to protect my family and I mean it."

Carlos saw a trace of that in her eyes right now and believed it. Julian was really in over his head with this woman.

Too bad his boss didn't realize that. He might soon enough.

Carly watched as the two men squared off. Neither would back down right in the middle of the MC restaurant.

"Consider it a warning…you mess with Alexis and you mess with me."

Jax meant it. Only Julian did too. He'd staked his claim on his family and wouldn't let anyone stand in his way even a corporate raider from Aussie land who had challenged him.

Carly rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you're going to stage a boxing match like you did with Franco over me…I mean this is Alexis you're talking about…"

Both men stared at her, ice in their eyes. She put up her hands.

"Okay…just don't mess up my hotel. I think it's silly but I've got to get ready for my date."

The two men started slowly circling.

"I do have a date with Franco so I'll need to get ready. Jax, you do have Jossie tonight right?"

Jax nodded, his attention still focused on Julian. Carly left them shaking her head at the folly that two men would be engaged in a heated standoff over another woman besides herself.

What was the world coming to and would it ever be righted again…she mumbled to herself striding away.

Julian stared at his opponent.

"This isn't going to be a boxing match…"

Jax kept his focus.

"I know…"

Carlos picked up his menu.

"So the burgers are great at this dive?"

Alexis nodded.

"So are the sandwiches. I actually think that those paintings at the gallery might have been good promotion after all."

"Didn't get a chance to see them."

She sipped her water.

"Of course…you were out there matching caliber sizes with Shawn."

He sighed.

"How do you know I wasn't trying to sell him a subscription?"

She eyed him carefully.

"I know better…but I did promise you if I accepted your invite, I'd leave the shop talk out of it if…"

He grinned.

"I stopped trying to convince you to give my boss another chance."

She smiled back at him.

"Deal…and the clam chowder is to die for especially this time of year…"

They both settled down to enjoy their meal not noticing the sound of sirens in the distance.