In the front living room of the brownstone Alexis and Bobbie were sitting on the couch talking about Bobbie's legal battles. Tony had filed for divorce and custody of B.J. and Lucas. Alexis had been more then willing to represent Bobbie in both cases. The divorce would be pretty straightforward and because Bobbie still loved Tony, she wouldn't contest it. He would keep his assets and she'd keep hers, which included the brownstone, which she'd bought years before she'd ever met Tony. The real battle would be in family court. B.J. was Tony's biological daughter, which gave him an upper hand where she was concerned. Bobbie had adopted Lucas on her own before she and Tony were married; after they were married Tony adopted him as well. Bobbie didn't want to keep the kids from their father, but Tony wanted sole custody, he wanted to keep them away from her.
Bobbie looked at the closed door that separated the front room from the family room, where Carly, B.J. Lucas, and Zander were, before looking at Alexis with such hurt in her eyes. "I swear I think he's trying to punish me."
Alexis frowned at her friend. "Punish you for what Bobbie?"
"My past." Bobbie said softly. "I think it was easier for him to deal with it when it wasn't so tangible."
"Carly?" Alexis said just as softly.
Bobbie nodded. "I was a teenage hooker, Alexis, and she's the product of that. Tony just couldn't handle it. He couldn't handle having his perfect little vision of his world tarnished that way." Bobbie sighed as she set the cup she'd been cradling in her hands down on the coffee table. "He couldn't handle that I lied to him either."
"You didn't lie." Alexis tried to reassure the other woman. "Bobbie, I understand that kind of pain. You didn't lie; you buried it down deep so you wouldn't hurt. I didn't tell anyone about Sam until I told Kristina. Telling someone, even someone you love and trust, it would have been like stabling yourself in the heart."
"What made you tell Kristina?" Bobbie asked as she looked up into the dark eyes of the younger woman.
Alexis thought about it for a moment. "I was telling her about our mother, about my memories of what happened to her, the knife was already plunged pretty deep. I guess I figured that while it was there I might as well share that too. I'm really glad I did."
Bobbie gave the younger woman a warm smile. "I'm glad you did too because now our girls are home where they belong."
"Oh good grief." Carly said as she walked into the room. "Mama, we've been home for two years. When are you two going to stop gushing like we just walked through the door?"
"Never." Bobbie answered as she wiped away a singer tear that had rolled down her cheek.
Carly frowned when she saw the tear. "Mama, what's wrong?"
"Nothing honey, I'm fine." Bobbie lied.
"Is this about Tony?" Carly asked as she looked between her mother and Alexis. "Has he done something?"
Bobbie could see the guilt and pain in Carly's eyes. She stood up and went to her daughter, pulling the young woman into her arms. "I don't want you to worry about this, Carly. Everything is going to be just fine."
Carly hugged her mother tightly as she looked over at Alexis who gave her a reassuring nod. It helped knowing that Alexis was on her mother's side, not only as a kick ass lawyer but also as a friend. "I'm sorry Mama."
"Caroline." Bobbie said firmly as she pulled away so she could look into her daughter's eyes. "Listen to me." She paused to make sure Carly was paying attention. "This is not your fault. Honey, Tony and I were having issues before you came to town. I don't want you blaming yourself for this. Understand?"
"Yeah." Carly said with a nod.
Bobbie caressed her daughter's cheeks. "Good. Now, did you need something?"
"I was going to make some lunch for B.J. and Lucas and wanted to know if you and Alexis would like something." Carly said softly.
"Fresh coffee would be nice." Bobbie replied and then looked over at Alexis. "Alexis?"
Alexis gave a soft warm smile. "Coffee would be prefect, thank you Carly."
Carly's returned smile was weak but warm. She looked at her mother one last time and then disappeared back behind the closed doors. Bobbie walked over and sat beside Alexis with a soft, sad, sigh.
"It'll be ok, Bobbie." Alexis reassured her friend as she took the older woman's hand in her own and squeezed it. "Everyone will come out of this fine, stronger, you'll see."
Later that evening Carly told her mother she was going for a walk. She walked all the way to her uncle's club, to the apartment above it, and used her key to let herself in. "Jason?"
Jason Morgan, who had been Jason Quartermain until his eighteenth birthday, had left his parents house as soon as he was legally able. Two years after the accident that nearly killed him, hurt Carly, and sent his alcoholic brother to rehab, Jason still wasn't the boy he use to be. He wasn't, and couldn't be, the all American boy, the athlete, the perfect student on his way to medical school, the Quartermain's golden boy. So on his eighteenth birthday he moved out, first into an old train car out in the middle of nowhere, and then into the apartment above Luke's, which is also where he worked.
"Jason?" Carly called out again as she flopped down on his beat up old couch. He didn't have to say a word; Carly simply knew he'd come out of his bedroom. "I ruined my mother's life."
"You didn't ruin her life." Jason replied. It was the same conversation they'd been having for weeks. "Tony Jones is an ass. A horny old bastard with major mommy issues."
Carly snorted, then smiled at him until she noticed he was in nothing but a towel and that he was still wet from his shower. She and Zander had started dating awhile back and for the last year were pretty steady, but there was something about Jason that sent her heart into overdrive.
Jason noticed her blush and smirked. "Sorry." He went back into his room to get dressed. A few minutes later he came out in jeans and tight, dark, Luke's club t-shirt. "So what happened?"
"Alexis came over to talk to my Mom about the court cases." Carly explained. "I just hate seeing her going through this, Jas."
"I know." Jason replied as he sat beside her. "Bobbie's a good person. She shouldn't be treated like shit, from what I've heard Monica say it's been going on for a while. Tracy seems to think he only married her because B.J. needed a mother." He paused a moment and then asked, "Want me to rough him up?"
Carly laughed. Simply being with Jason made her feel better. He always knew the right things to say and do. Most people saw him as damaged, but not Carly, she saw him as being liberated. In her mind the accident hadn't destroyed Jason, it freed him to be who he really was. "No, I don't think my Mom would approve of that, but thanks for the offer."
Jason just shrugged his reply. He was her best friend, and she was his. They'd helped each other out over the past couple of years, and they knew they could be real with each other no matter what. If anything more then friendship and unconditional love sprang up between them it was fleeting. Neither wanted to risk screwing up a good thing. Besides, Carly was dating Zander and Jason was dating Kristina.
"Probably better that way." Jason told her. "If anyone's going to kick Dr. Jones' ass for hurting Bobbie, it'll be Luke."
That got a small smile from Carly.
"Come down to the club." Jason said when he saw her relax a little. "Kris is singing tonight."
Carly nodded. "Ok, sure, just don't make me go around Ned and his wife. Lois is seriously annoying."
Down in the club Carly sat at the bar while Jason was working. She smiled brightly when her friend took the stage. She was so engrossed in watching Kristina that she hadn't seen Zander until he snuck up on her. She yelped and then smacked his arm. Zander laughed and then leaned down and kissed her.
"Hey now none of that." Luke said as he pointed the soda water sprayer at them. "That's my niece your man handling."
"Uncle Luke!" Carly moaned as she shooed him away.
After the club was closed Carly, Zander, Jason and Kristina sat at a table talking and laughing. Kristina was so excited about the upcoming mini tour that Lois had booked for her that it was infectious. Zander talked about his first semester at PCU, and Jason just listened as always. At the end of the night Zander walked Carly home, while Kristina stayed with Jason. It was nearly dawn when the redhead finally made it back to the lakehouse. When she turned eighteen she moved to the bedroom in the back of the house that had it's own door, which made it so much easier to sneak in at night.
"Good morning sister dear." Kristina greeted the next morning as she walked into the kitchen.
Alexis looked up at her sister with her best mother's glare over the top of her glasses.
"What?" The redhead asked as she poured a cup of coffee.
"Do you have any idea what time it was when you came home last night?" Alexis asked.
Kristina sighed. "Alexis. Don't start." She pulled out a kitchen chair and sat down. "How's Sam? Is she feeling better?"
Alexis nodded. "Her fever broke last night. Now she's just feeling icky. She's still in my bed."
"Will you be able to come down to L&B?" Kristina asked. "Lois has some contracts for you to look over."
"I'll be there." Alexis agreed. "Jax is stopping by to stay with Sam."
Kristina smiled at her sister. She knew this whole music thing wasn't want Alexis wanted for her, but she had to give her big sister credit for trying. Kristina understood that in Alexis' mind, if their mother hadn't been performing, Helena would have never figured out what Mikkos had done, that he'd hidden Kristin and their daughters away in Sweden, and their mother would still be alive. Getting up from the table Kristina walked over to her sister and kissed the top of her head. "Love you Lex."
"Love you too, Krissy." Alexis replied as her baby sister hugged her, completely defusing any rant or reprimand that might have come on about Kristina's sneaking in after a late night.
After leaving the lakehouse Kristina headed to the studio but stopped at Kelly's first to get some tea. She chatted with Ruby for a few minutes and then headed towards the studio. While she was walking she bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry."
The man was tall and smiled warmly at the young woman. "No harm done miss."
"Kris?" Jason called out. He'd seen her and the stranger collide and for a moment it seemed like it had been on purpose. "You ok?"
"I'm fine." Kristina replied.
"I wasn't paying attention. I apologize." The man said with a slight bow and tip of his hat.
Kristina gave him a warm smile. "It's alright."
The man watched as the young woman walked off with the young man. Once they were out of sight he slipped her pda from his pocket and began checking some of the information on it. When he had what he needed he discreetly left it at Kelly's for her to find when she realized it was missing.
Later that afternoon Ned looked up from his paperwork when he heard someone walk into the front office. He smiled at Alexis.
"Hello Ned." Alexis said as she walked towards him.
"Oh, so you're talking to me this week." Ned teased.
Alexis gave him a hard glare. "I have too. I'm Kristina's attorney and there are contracts to look over."
"Lois has them." Ned informed her. "She'll be here in a few minutes. Can I get you anything?"
"No." Alexis replied as she set her brief case down. "Thank you."
Ned sighed. "How long are you going to be mad at me over this?" When she didn't reply he asked, "Why are you so dead set against this, Alexis? Kristina has talent. She could have a huge career."
"At a price." Alexis said as she glared at him. "She's an eighteen year old kid, Ned. She should be doing stuff that eighteen-year-old kids do, but she won't be able to do that if she has to deal with the loss of privacy and loss of her own time that will happen if she follows through with this. She isn't going to be able to hide the way you hid behind Eddie Maine. She'll be out in the open, exposed."
"A target?" Ned asked.
Alexis nodded. "We still have no idea where Helena is, or if she's even dead or live. You're setting my sister up as the perfect piece of prey, Ned. If Helena's out there, do you know how much she'd enjoy finding Kristina the way she found our mother? Do you know how much pleasure, how much joy that twisted old bitch would take in slitting my sister's throat and ripping out her vocal cords the way she did our mother's?"
Ned soot up and closed the distance between him and Alexis. He put his hands on her upper arms in a comforting way, and looked into her frightened dark eyes. "I won't let anything happen to Kristina, Alexis, I promise you she'll be safe."
"You'd better." Alexis told him, as she looked him right in the eyes. "Because if anything happens to my baby sister I will hold you personally responsible."
Something in her eyes, in her tone, made Ned shiver. "I understand."
"I can't loose her again, Ned." Alexis said softly.
"You won't Alexis." Ned replied as he hugged her. "I promise."