Julian had already rapped on the door once before he realized he needed a plan of attack. He had yet to think through how he was going to get into the apartment, especially if Molly answered. The hallway was no place to share the news but as the knob turned, he vowed he'd say whatever was needed to cross the threshold.
-"Wow. Julian?"
His relief at seeing his daughter was quickly replaced with panic. Julian was on a mission to make sure Sam was protected. But he hadn't quite thought out the steps required to get from this side of the door to his daughter safe from the police. He had forgotten that to shield his daughter he would need to tell her why she needed shielding, and that required breaking the news about Silas.
Julian never liked Silas. He was arrogant, and he was married. His callous treatment of his daughter's feelings and reputation had enraged Julian. But as Alexis had reminded him time and again, Sam didn't need him butting into her life. She could handle it on her own.
But now when he looked at Sam—her mother's eyes looking back at him—he knew he lacked the deft touch required to break the news of her lover's death.
-"Sam. Hi"
-"What are you doing here, Julian?"
-"I need to speak to your mother. Five minutes."
-"Julian, you can't come here looking for her. You need to leave her alone. Please."
Sam's response at least confirmed Alexis was around. Julian realized that each second he stood in the hallway reduced his chances of getting into the penthouse. And he had to get to Alexis. Left without good options, Julian picked the one he'd regret least.
He barged in passed Sam, "I understand, but it's really important. Alexis?" he called into the penthouse. "She's upstairs right?"
-"You can't just barge in here." Molly's indignation announced her emergence from the kitchen.
-"Hi Molly," dismissed Julian. He started barreling up the stairs. "Look Sam, just five minutes." Sam followed him, whispering his name harshly trying to stop him without waking up her son.
Julian had only been upstairs once. He used process of elimination and the light under a door to guide him as he gently knocked and opened it before he could be denied entry.
Everything stopped when he saw her: his breath, his heart, his forward motion. Without a warning as to her father's intentions, Sam crashed into him from behind propelling him another six inches into the room.
-"Mom, I'm sorry. I tried to stop him. Please Julian, you need to leave."
Alexis hadn't moved since he entered. She was in a t-shirt and yoga pants, hair up and still wet. She peered at Julian over the edge of her glasses, a book opened on her lap. She was thinner. Her eyes lacked their sparkle and humor—they were perched dully atop dark circles. Her whole body was tense.
As he took her in, Julian was overwhelmed with self-loathing. His breathing came harder as the silent recriminations started: He never should have pursued her. He never should have tried to leave the mob. He never should have lied to her. He loved her more than he had loved anything in his life. And he broke her.
Sam looked back and forth between her parents and immediately recognized that breakup notwithstanding, their story wasn't over. Yet with Molly downstairs, Danny asleep and her mother's psyche of late, it seemed unwise to write another chapter tonight. She gently gripped Julian's arm to guide him out of the room. "Dad," she begged quietly, "please."
His daughter's words broke not only the silence but Julian's trance. "Alexis, I need five minutes."
-"Julian," Alexis's voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't think—"
-"It's not about us, Alexis. I need five minutes. Please."
Sam started to interject, but was quickly shut down by her mother. "It's OK, Sam." Alexis took off her glasses and peered at Julian for what felt like hours, trying to make up her mind. "You have five minutes."
-"Mom, do you want me to stay?"
Alexis broke her gaze away from Julian and turned to Sam. "No sweetheart. It will be fine." Julian nodded but turned to Sam as if it was an afterthought. "Sam, I'll be down in five minutes, and I need you to promise me something. If someone knocks on the door, let Molly answer it."
-"Huh?"
-"Trust me, sweetheart."
Sam stood agape for a moment, realization dawning: there was danger. "What do you mean 'trust you'? You just barged into my apartment and now you're telling me not to open my own front door."
-"I can explain. I just need five minutes with your mother first."
Her anger was building. "Julian. My son lives here. My sister and mother live here. Whatever you're doing has nothing to do with us. You need to leave now." Sam was livid. Her father brought whatever shit he'd gotten himself into straight to their front door. Lucas's shooting and the lake house weren't the end of it. Molly was right: it was never going to end as long as Julian was around. His failure to move only enraged her more.
-"I'm not kidding 'Dad'—get the hell out of my house."
-"Sam. It's not like that," Julian was on his heels. He threw a pleading look to Alexis who quietly watched the two. "Alexis, please."
-Alexis stared right into Julian's eyes, wondering if she would be able to tell if he was lying. She never had before.
-"Julian, is anyone in physical danger right now?" Alexis asked.
-"No."
-"And you don't want to talk about us?"
-"I do, but no. Not now. It's different and urgent. I promise you Alexis, no one is endangered by my presence here. Please."
-"OK." Alexis turned to her daughter, "Sam, this is your house. I'd like to speak to your father for five minutes here if you are comfortable with his presence. If not, we can leave."
Sam stared at her father. If there was safety within these walls, she certainly didn't want her mother outside of them. "You have five minutes. FIVE, Julian. And I'm timing you." She left the room and closed the door with a little more force than she intended.
Julian stared at Alexis. He wanted to start talking but found his mouth suddenly dry.
-"Clock's ticking, Julian," she said quietly.
-"Alexis. God—"
She interrupted him. "Let's just focus on why you're here. You said it's not about us. I'm assuming that means that there's another threat," she said resignedly. "So who did you piss off this time, Julian?"
-"That's not it Alexis. Look. I needed to see you because Sam may be in trouble."
Alexis perked up a bit. "Why is she in danger, Julian? What have you done?"
-"You're not listening," Julian's frustration was building. He was doing this completely wrong. "I didn't say she was in danger. I said she was in trouble."
-"Ahhh. Well, no one can parse language like a journalist. Except for maybe a lawyer." Alexis cocked her head to the side, "So, why is our girl in trouble?"
-"Silas Clay was murdered today. As was Nina."
Alexis's body straightened as though she was propelling the "WHAT?" that wrenched from her body into the room. "Wait, how? How do you know this Julian?" She got off the bed and walked to him, preparing for a cross-examination in her bedroom.
-"Kiki came to the apartment. She told Ava and accused her of the murder in her own roundabout way."
-"Did she do it? Did Ava kill them?"
-"No. She was with me all afternoon. There's no way Ava is putting out a hit on those two. She's too shrewd and she has her hands full with Sonny and…"
-"Sonny and? And who?"
-"The baby." The best lies have a grain of truth, and Julian's managed to satisfy her.
-"We can table why she has her hands full with Sonny for another day." Alexis crossed the room and looked at him, arms folded across her chest. "So Sam's trouble—it's that they're dead. Why didn't you just tell her, Julian? Why did you have to talk to me?"
Julian looked at her. "Because I'm not known for my gentle delivery of sensitive topics. It's going to hurt her. Coming from me will make it more painful whereas-"
-"-whereas coming from me will make it easier?" Alexis sighed, tears starting to well for her daughter as the dread started to build. "She just moved on from Jason. She finally took her ring off. God, no matter how hard she tries our baby cannot catch a break."
-"Alexis, there's more."
-"What?"
-"Alexis, Sam's former lover and his wife were murdered today—"
-"—and she's going to be a suspect" For the second time in as many minutes, Alexis finished a thought for him.
-"I have to ask you. I know the answer already, but I need to confirm it so I can prepare—could she have done it?"
Alexis stared at him, "Of course not, Julian. Of course she wouldn't have done it. How can you even ask that?"
-"Look Alexis, I'm not asking because I'm judging her. I'm only asking so I can get her out of here if we have to."
The room was quiet. Alexis looked at him hard. For all the horror she expressed at his choice of employment, she had many of the same instincts. If she thought for one second Sam did this she'd have her on a Cassadine plane to a country without an extradition treaty so quickly it would defy the laws of time and space.
-"I understand," Alexis said quietly. She shifted her body further away from him, seeking to use greater physical distance to mitigate against the instinctive closeness she felt.
She put her hands to her forehead for a moment and when she raised her head it was clear she had switched gears. "OK. I need to talk to Sam. I need to tell her about Silas and to—" She paused for a moment looking at Julian no longer as a former lover or father of her daughter, but as a witness who could be subpoenaed. "-and to ask about her day," she finished.
Julian caught her knowing look. Message received. "What do you want me to do?"
-"I want you to go downstairs and send Sam up. I want you to stay there until we come down. If the doorbell rings you answer it and send Molly to get us. No one enters this house unless I'm present." She smirked, "I'm assuming you can use your unique brand of antagonistic charm to distract any officers at the door until Molly fetches me."
"That's fine with me, Alexis. You know I'll do anything for Sam. But what about Molly? She's not going to be too happy about having to sit in the living room with me."
For the first time since she left Danny's room, a genuine smile spread across Alexis's face. "I'm not concerned, Julian. I think you two have earned some quality alone time." Her next comment dismissed him. "Oh, and Julian? Give Sam a dollar before you send her up."
-"A dollar?"
-"My retainer."