Alexis smiled when she picked up the phone.

"Jax, that really is you…good to hear your voice…No…I didn't go through with the wedding…yes there were gunshots fired and some explosions but not many. You know how the media always exaggerates…I'm just surprised the news reached Australia….Oh there was a talk show about it in Melbourne.

Julian returned to his towel after taking a swim in the ocean. He glanced at her and then closed his eyes. He could almost get used to this way of life. Being able to relax underneath the sun on the beach, swim in the ocean and eat on the deck at night.

Oh, and spend time with such a beautiful woman who was on the phone talking to some man he'd heard in passing mostly through his time spent with Carly.

"Well so when are you going to come back to PC? It's a bit crowded with the FBI, ATF and everyone running around now but I and the girls really miss you…Okay well you can stay at our place."

She didn't pay any mind to Julian arching a brow.

"Okay then…no I don't know if Carly's been in trouble…she's running around with Shawn now appearing on talk shows. Jax…you know when it comes to Carly and her children…she just gets too busy for them sometimes…"

She clicked off the phone and saw Julian looking at her. She smiled at him.

"Oh that's Jax, my favorite ex-husband," she said, "He's thinking about coming to visit…when things die down a bit in PC."

"That could be a while. He might have to be patient."

She enjoyed the heat of the sun on her shoulders…it was such a beautiful day.

"Why? Don't tell me you have a problem with it because really you have no right to do that," she said, "Hey you did what you felt you had to do with…Carly and Olivia and I'm leaving that to you. I expect you to do the same with my relationships."

He sighed.

"But you and Jax…"

She shook her head and got up to head on out to the water. It looked a bit chilly, but she'd done a lot of swimming beginning when she'd been a young girl on Cassadine Island so she walked into the water and dove beneath the waves to swim clean strokes through the water.

Julian was going to ask her about her relationship with Jax…the celibate marriage. He didn't get that information from her so she wondered who had spilled it. Jax had been the perfect husband. Yeah the sex might have been great with Ric but when his sleazy side resurfaced, she'd classified that marriage as her least favorite of them.

The water felt good against her skin and it reminded her of her time on the Island doing one of the few things she liked to do.

Julian watched her head to the water and knew she hadn't liked what she said about Jax. Carly had dropped some information about her ex-husband. They'd been walking down the hallway of the courthouse because AJ was having another court hearing for allegedly killing Connie and it'd been delayed.

He'd heard a familiar voice and walked into another courtroom nearby where he saw Sonny's son Dante and his wife Lulu sitting at a table while his ex-employee that nosy Maxie sat at the other table. His newspaper had been covering some lawsuit involving a surrogacy gone horribly bad.

He meant only to peek inside and get back to Carly and Franco but saw Alexis dressed in one of her smart business suits arguing before a judge, totally on fire. She used her hands to emphasize her point for her clients. She glanced in his direction but if she saw him she didn't let on, she was totally focused on what she was doing.

Too bad she worked for Sonny as a defense attorney because he'd give anything to have her on his own team. In more ways than one…but she'd been getting too damn close to the truth and he couldn't afford that right now.

Ava had dug at him about Sam poaching on Silas and he'd had to remind her again that Sam and his grandson were off limits.

Anyway, he'd been mesmerized by Alexis in the courtroom. He thought she raised good points but then Franco's attorney Dianne stood up and made counter arguments. He watched Alexis sit down like a prize fighter in the corner of the ring considering her next move and conferring with her clients.

Worthy opponent didn't even begin to describe her. Yet he'd been the one who'd backed off because he'd been fighting his mob war and had his own agenda to pursue and she was just one step away from blowing his cover.

He could see why watching her now and when Carly joined him in the courtroom he didn't notice. His eyes were on the woman in front of him.

During the break, Alexis stayed at the desk with her clients but Dianne walked up to him to stump for the DA's race against Scotty Baldwin.

"Hey, Derek…Carly you hear for the Franco hearing?"

Carly nodded.

"I'm sure you'll do your best with him because you're the best lawyer in PC."

Julian didn't know about that. But Dianne laughed.

"Alexis was sure on her game this morning," she said, "but I think the judge ultimately will side with my clients."

Carly nodded.

"Alexis isn't…bad but she's been out of the courtroom a while what with the crisis with Danny and all that…and you've just got so many more skills…"

Julian coughed.

"I don't know about that. Some of it comes naturally, the instinct to go for it…no matter what. I don't know if my money's on you Dianne."

The attorney snorted.

"Alexis is sharp. Oh yeah, you're the bone marrow donor aren't you? Alexis talked about you but didn't mention your name.

Carly interjected.

"Danny's doing very well back at home with Sam and Derek and I…we've been busy."

"I'll bet…Well Alexis and I might fight in the courtroom but we've decided to bury the hatchet over drinks at the Floating Rib. She's going out on a date and well, someone's got to give her advice."

Julian arched his brows.

"A date?"

Dianne nodded.

"Yeah she was interested in some other guy…but that's not going anywhere. Not surprised, not every guy can hang with a woman like her. She's not like some women who are simple…or in some cases simple minded…"

She flashed Carly a sympathetic look that didn't seem to Julian all that sincere.

"I'm glad that you two found each other."

She walked away and Julian watched her go. Carly blew a tendril of hair out of her face.

"God what was that all about? Sometimes I don't understand her."

But Julian did. He just didn't know what he was going to do about it.

Thinking back later, on the beach he decided to head back to the house to work on some plans for the next meeting they would have with Coleman and he looked forward to Sam and Danny's visit.

He walked into the house to turn on the television to catch up on the news.

"This is Crystal Garner with the latest updates on the runaway bride and her partner who are rumored to be holed up somewhere in New York State…"

Her partner Beau Starr nodded.

"Yes…but New York is a big state…so it's like looking for a needle in a haystack by everyone from Shawn Butler the businessman turned jilted groom, the PCPD and now the feds…"

Julian arched his brow. Wow, they were really sending the dragnet after them.

"Shawn is with us on the air right now. He wants to reach out to his fiancée who he said is confused if she thinks she's still a hit man…"

The screen focused on Shawn.

"It's not true that I'm still a hired hit man for Sonny let alone the Five Families and…those other rumors about my other connections…lies all lies. I urge Alexis, honey you need to just come back and we'll talk and straighten out all these misunderstandings…give our love a chance."

Alexis walked in just as Julian turned the television off.

"What was that? More drama…"

He smiled at her.

"Not much interesting…how was your swim?"

"Good…very refreshing…so what's on the menu? We have any meetings?"

He shook his head.

"I was thinking maybe going out…"

She frowned.

"Is that safe?"

"Is anything?"

She shrugged.

"You have a good point. I'd asked myself the same question about you…"

That brow arched.

"Oh really…you mean the mobster agenda I had going…"

She paused.

"Not really…you got so…piqued when I tried to find the truth about who you really were Julian and yet if you hadn't been throwing out all those damn hints…"

"Oh that…"

"I mean I know you just did it because it made you feel more powerful…to have that kind of edge over another person and you didn't want to lose that…"

"Alexis…"

She went to the kitchen to fetch herself a bottle of water and sipped it.

"No…no need to explain yourself. I do get it. You had to keep your past…well present as Julian Jerome a big secret from everyone…I do get that. But to hide the fact that you're Sam's father…that's what I don't understand."

"I can…"

She cut him off.

"I know you can…but Julian, you…we have the most amazing daughter, well I've been blessed to have three amazing daughters but you…I don't know how you could have known so long and just walked away from it."

He sighed.

"It was hard. Harder than you'd ever know."

"I mean I was forced to give her up when she was born…and yeah when we met up again we weren't the best of friends…not even close but…I don't get it."

"She knows the truth now…"

"Yes she does…and you're damn lucky she forgave you."

He stared at her daring her to look away from him.

"Have you…forgiven me?"

She threw up her arms.

"What kind of question's that? This wasn't…it isn't about me…you…me I was just some young girl you had in the backseat of his car and walked away from…frankly from what I heard on the dossier on Julian Jerome I got from Duke and Anna, it doesn't sound much like him…but again this isn't about us…it's about you and your daughter."

"I love Sam. She knows that."

Alexis softened.

"I know she does…and it's up to the two of you to work out what relationship you want to have. I did my job. I brought you together."

"You did more than that…"

She tilted her head studying the man who stood in front of her.

"You thought I was just fine as long as you could keep me in a box…on the Derek Wells side of your life….but he's not real. Julian Jerome he's real and to him I was some ONS that turned into a thorn in his side once I decided to get out of that place and find out the truth."

"With Duke right?"

She nodded.

"I used him…he used me…he wanted Julian Jerome the notorious mobster. I wanted Julian Jerome the young man who may have used me but who also showed me the only kindness a man had ever shown me in my life."

The doorbell rang. She just looked at him.

"One of us better get it."

He went to answer it keeping his hand on his gun. She folded her arms waiting.

There stood Dianne and Julian wondered why the hell she'd shown up and how she knew they were even here.

"Dianne…what brings you here?"

She threw him a pithy glance.

"You're a fine looking man but a pitiful excuse for a human being. I'm here to help Alexis…something's come up…"