They pulled into the driveway and were taken off guard by the unfamiliar vibrant red convertible sitting in their driveway. "Ned.." She looked to her husband.
"I know." He said turning the car off and they hurried towards the front door. He took out his key and then on a hunch tried the handle to find it unlocked. At first sight there was no sign of them as they walked into the foyer and through the living room.
"Kristen?" Alexis called out, frantically as she quickly moved from room to room. "Kristen, are you here?" She breathed a sigh of relief when she entered the kitchen and saw her sitting at the table unharmed, eating a small bowl of ice cream.
"I'm right here mommy." She said as Alexis walked over to her.
"I can see that." She glared at Jillian and crouched down to her daughter's level. "Come here." She said as Kristen got up and Alexis wrapped her tightly in her arms. "I was so worried about you." She said, kissing her forehead as Ned entered the kitchen.
"Why mommy?" She asked innocently.
"I went to pick you up at camp and you weren't there. I just got scared, but you're safe." She said hugging her again before she let her climb back up in the chair and continue eating her ice cream.
"I thought I was being helpful, with your meeting schedules…" Jillian said, looking at Ned as he interrupted.
"You know exactly what you did and this wasn't about being helpful." He said, careful not to frighten his daughter. "Alexis, can you call Mac? I need to have a conversation with Jillian outside." He said pointedly at her.
"Yeah, I'll let him know we found her." She said not leaving her daughter's side as she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed the PCPD.
He walked her outside to the front porch and closed the front door. "Ned, honestly, I was just trying to be helpful. I knew you were on for pick up and had a full day."
"How? How would you know that unless you had been deliberately trying to find out where I'd be and when."
"It's not that sinister. I saw your calendar when we were in your office the other day. That's all."
"Is that how you got the key to my house? Hand it over, now."
"You're being ridiculous. Maybe your wife just forgot to lock the door. I think they call that pregnancy brain? Not that I would know, the whole mommy track never quite appealed to me."
"Look at me. You want to go after me, that's fine. You antagonize Alexis? She can hold her own. But you go after my child and that's criminal. You've endangered the safety of my little girl."
"I didn't do anything wrong here. She's home safe and she was never in any danger."
"You kidnapped my daughter, Jillian."
"I would never do anything to hurt your daughter! You've been beating yourself up about being unfaithful and you're seeing what you want to see here."
"You are the only one not seeing things clearly here. You staged this entire thing to try and get my attention after I warned you in the park not to bring my daughter into this twisted fantasy you're fixated on."
"Twisted fantasy? That's original. We slept together and maybe it's time you faced that, told your wife and moved on. Now, I don't think she's the type to forgive that, but her loss is my gain…" She said seductively as she tried to get closer to him.
"My marriage is none of your business. Now, leave before I call the PCPD for trespassing."
"Ok, ok. I'm going." She said, holding up her hands. "But you're only delaying the inevitable." She went to her car, knowing that he was about to face the truth one way or another because waiting for his wife was a manilla envelope stacked within the pile of documents sitting on his wife's desk.
He shook his head, exasperated. "Go." He was adamant and she listened. He stood there and watched to make sure she actually left the property before going back inside and locking the door. He walked into the kitchen to find Kristen sitting in Alexis' lap, giggling over something that happened at camp as Alexis took a spoonful of her ice cream. "Did you talk to Mac?"
"Yeah, they canceled the alert. He told me to call back if anything seems off, but she seems fine. Is Jillian gone?"
"Yes." She nodded, and whispered good, relieved, not wanting to say anything else in front of their daughter. "Did you save any for me?" He turned his attention to Kristen.
"Sorry daddy, I gave mommy the last bite."
"That's ok, princess. Hey, why don't you go upstairs and play for a bit. Daddy needs to talk to mommy." Alexis kissed the top of the little girl's head as she got down off her lap.
"Love you, cuddlebug."
"I love you, too, mommy." She said as she ran off and Alexis got up from the table as Ned tried to reach across it and take her hand. She picked up the empty cup and spoon and walked over to the trash.
He watched her carefully, knowing she was slowly building a wall after what had just happened. "She really does seem ok." He said getting up and following her.
"Thankfully. It could have gone so differently."
"I don't think she intended to hurt her or put her in any danger."
"Are you seriously defending her right now? She kidnapped our daughter, Ned."
"I know that and no. I'm not defending her. I just think this was about getting to me and I believed her when she told me she wouldn't hurt Kristen."
"Well that makes me feel oh so much better about this. That she's so deranged she'd use kidnapping a child to show you that she's not going anywhere? Ned, this is getting out of control. It's not just blatant attempts to throw her attraction to you in my face. There's more going on here."
He knew there was, but he wasn't ready to have the conversation they so desperately needed to have not after the stress of that afternoon. Not without proof he never slept with her. She had to have drugged him, it was the only thing that made sense, he just needed the proof. "You and our family mean everything to me. You trust that, right?"
"Maybe that's not enough."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I will do whatever it takes to protect our children."
"And I won't?"
"That's not what I said and you know it."
"No, I don't know that. What I see is you're attempting to push me away. Didn't you just tell me this afternoon that we needed to face this together?"
"You know what, I am not doing this with you right now. You've been on edge for weeks and I'm not going to let you pick a fight with me because you don't like the way I'm reacting to our daughter being kidnapped." She walked out of the kitchen and picked up the keys he had thrown haphazardly on the counter when they first got home as he followed her through the living room to the main entryway.
"Where are you going, Alexis?"
"I'm giving us some space, before either of us says something we can't take back." She said trying to stay in control, knowing there was more going on, but also wanting to escalate the fight. If they were going to deal with whatever he was trying so hard not to tell her they would need to be calm.
"You can't run across the hall to Sonny, so now what, you're just leaving, with no explanation?"
"Like that, Ned. Before either of us says something like that. I'll be home in a couple hours and I'll pick up dinner." She knew exactly where she was going and it was only going to add fuel to fire, but after that comment he deserved to be in the dark, at least for a few hours. She was going to do what it takes to protect her family.
Soon, she was getting off the launch and arriving at Wyndemere unexpectedly. Mrs. Landsbery wasn't sure Stefan was available but she led her into his study. "Alexis, what brings you to Wyndemere? I don't recall asking you to meet me here."
"What? You're only my brother when you need something?"
"No. You just usually avoid this place like the plague that it is."
"You're right. This place is a mausoleum. But I need your help."
"I thought you washed your hands of this family to get your happy ending. And now when you need something, here you are. How predictable."
"What has gotten into you? You know damn well that I've shown up when you need my help."
"Well, so far you've failed with Nikolas. What do you need, Alexis?" He was deliberately standoffish with his sister, wanting to get her out of there and protect her from the lurking threat that had descended upon them.
"I need you to get me whatever you can on Jillian Trainor."
"The CEO of Trainor Industries? Whatever for?"
"Because that bitch is out to destroy my family and I won't just stand by and let it happen."
"My, my Natasha, such language from a little mouse." Helena said emerging from the entrance to the tunnels.
"She's here?" She was initially taken off guard, and looked toward her brother. "Why haven't you called the authorities?"
"Oh please, my lawyers are handling that. I'm here as the leader with whom all Cassadines will rally."
"Your situation is a little more severe as I understand it, but that's besides the point."
"Oh, locking me up won't solve any of your problems. Especially the one Mikkos' bastard over here created with Nikolas. Giving him some pedestrian job in the music industry and then encouraging his distance from this family. You'd be very wise to listen to what I have to say." She said, directed toward Stefan.
"Nikolas is doing fine without your, oh so sage counsel." Alexis chimed in sarcastically.
"Such confidence. One would almost assume you weren't here begging your brother for help dispensing of your Mr. Ashton's dare I say mistress?"
"Why I'm here is none of your concern." She replied on edge as her last comment hit a nerve that was a little too close to home.
"Now I understand why someone in your condition would want to play pretend and ignore the truth, but I never expected that from you Natasha. Getting pregnant to hold onto a man. I never thought that would be your style. But I suppose, oh, what's that silly American expression…apple/tree?" She replied smugly, laughing.
"You have no idea what you're talking about." She replied, trying not to let Helena goad her any further after that comment about her mother.
"Alexis, why don't you go? I'll handle my mother." Stefan replied, trying to diffuse the tension that was starting to build. "I'll look into that matter for you."
"Thank you." She said and then turned to leave, "Helena." She said looking her dead in the eye.
"Natasha." She waited for Alexis to leave before turning her attention back to her son. "Alexis and her offspring are an obstacle that will need to be dealt with."
"I can handle my sister and should any harm come to her, you'll pay the price."
She rode the launch back to the mainland, debating what or if she was going to tell her husband Helena had surfaced and knew she was pregnant. How, she had no idea, but protecting her family was her first priority and now she needed to fight on two fronts. She went to Kelley's and picked up take out and weighed the pros and cons. She had left that afternoon, not only to ask Stefan for help, but also to truly prevent an escalation of their fight. Telling Ned she went to Stefan would only put him more on edge. Stefan wasn't the threat Ned perceived Sonny to be, but her family was still dangerous and if they couldn't be civil to one another, he'd throw that back in her face. She was certain of that much.
She walked back into the house and he was sitting in the living room. They made eye contact, but said nothing as she walked into the kitchen and put down the bag of takeout. She had expected him to follow her, but when he didn't she walked back into the living room and stood in the doorway.
Finally he spoke first, "You're back."
"I told you I would be."
"I'm worried about us," he expressed solemnly as he stood up and walked closer to her on the verge of finally coming clean. "So, where did you go?"
She searched his eyes, knowing he was sincere, but not wanting to start another fight. "Does it matter?" She said as she leaned her back against the door jamb and he stepped closer. He shook his head no, and she took his hand and placed it on her rounding stomach, wanting him to feel the life growing inside of her. "This is what's important. Me, you, our kids. Nothing else matters more to me."
He took her other hand and leaned in closer to her, capturing her lips with his. "I love you." He was serious.
"I know. And I love you, too."