The Prodigal Daughter Chapter 9

The Prodigal Daughter-Chapter 9

Alexis dried and dressed quickly and quietly so that she would not wake Ned up. She was getting a little tired of all this sneaking around, but she knew Ned would not be happy with what she was doing, but it had to be done. She couldn't share the information with him, and it was killing her. After today's meeting with Jax and Keesha, maybe she would be able to.

She had to admit that the call she got from Jax late last night telling her to meet him there this morning was a little surprising. She could not understand what his interest in Keesha was. He was adamant about her knowing the truth. He did not want any surprises where she was concerned. She agreed, and now she was trying to sneak out before her husband woke up.

"Alexis," the sleepy voice from the bed said. "where are you going? Will there ever be a Saturday that I can just lounge around all day in bed with my wife?"

She sighed and went over to him. "I'm sorry, but I have some things I really need to take care of today. I promise that Saturday will come very soon." She leaned down and kissed him.

He nodded, "I hope that is a promise that you will fulfill," he said smiling.

"Yes," she said softly. She could die for his dimples. She sighed and stood up. "I will see you later, and if you're still in bed, we'll see what we can do."

"You'd better," he joked as he fell back asleep.

*****

"Come in," Keesha greeted them at the door with a smile. "I hope that you haven't eaten; I made breakfast."

"That's great, I could use something to eat," Alexis said coming in with Jax following her.

When they sat at the table, Keesha asked, "Now, are the two of you finally going to tell me what's going on, since it obviously involves me in some way? Is this about Justus?"

Alexis looked at Jax who nodded for her to tell her. "Keesha, this isn't about Justus, but this is about family, the Cassadine family."

She smiled, "And what do the Cassadines have to do with me?"

"A lot," Jax said. "It is very important that you're calm when you hear this, okay."

She nodded, "Okay, I'm calm, just tell me."

Alexis took a deep breath. She didn't want this to hurt her as much as the news about what happened to her hurt her. Luke had been less than tactful when he told her, but that was just the way he was. "Keesha, you have to believe what I'm going to tell you. It seems that your mother was in Greece a couple of years before you were born, and it also seems that she had an affair with my brother."

"Wait a minute, you're telling me that my mother and Stefan, I presume, had an affair. That is a little disheartening to hear about my mother, but still why all the secrecy. That was a long time ago."

"Well, it seems that when she left Greece, she was pregnant, with you."

"That can't be true," she said shaking her head. "She and my father were married a while before I was born. That can't be true."

"They were separated, so it seems, but worked things out, I assume, and he accepted you as his child. Stefan knew that it would be dangerous for him to accept you, but more than that, he would not say."

Jax looked at Keesha to gauge her reaction. She seemed to be in shock, but was calm nevertheless. "The question about all this is why does Stefan think that his children will be in danger if it is found out that he is their father. The same was the case with Nikolas. We think that this threat is coming from Helena."

"So, we're going to Greece to find out exactly what the bigger secret is. We wanted to make sure you were on your guard against Helena, Stefan seems to think that she knows the truth," Alexis continued.

"The two of you are going to Greece," she said shaking her head. "Ned is not going to let you go without any questions. I'm sure you haven't told him what's going on. If you did, he would most likely be here right now."

Alexis really hadn't considered that. The last time she and Jax jetted off to Greece, it wasn't a problem, she and Ned had not been married yet. "She's right, Jax. There is no way I would be able to do that."

"No, you won't," Keesha continued. "But, I could. There are no demands on my time here."

Jax shook his head and smiled at her, "I don't think so."

"Jax," Alexis said, "there is no other way. This is her family, too, and I'm sure with you there, nothing terribly wrong could happen."

"Yes, Jax, I have made up my mind, I'm going, unless you can give me one good reason why I can't."

"Oh, I think that you know the reason," he said.

"Please, Jax, pregnant women travel all the time. I think that being here would be worse. I would be worrying all the while that my child's father was placing himself in danger, wouldn't it be better for me to be there, that way you would have to be more careful. Jax, I'm going."

"Pregnant women, child's father. Is there something I should know about here?" Alexis inquired looking at Jax.

"Keesha is pregnant with my child. Other than that, no," he joked.

"Alexis, this will not create a problem, other than the fact that my child is going to be a Jacks as well as a Cassadine, other than that, nothing." She was trying to be strong, but Jax could see that her eyes were becoming wet with tears when she said that.

"A baby does complicate matters. It will only be a matter of time before Helena finds that bit of information out, and when she does, there is no telling what she might do. Jax, you will have to look out for her."

"Listen, to me, I can take care of myself. I don't need anyone to look out for me," she said stubbornly.

"Keesha, under normal circumstances, I have not doubt that you would be able to. But, this is Helena we're talking about," Alexis said. "She fears only certain people, and Jax just happens to be one of those people, just like she fears Luke Spencer, Sonny Corinthos, and Jerry. That is why I am grateful to have those men as my friends, because I would be dead if they weren't. I'm tired of being scared, and I need to know the truth."

Keesha nodded, "So, what will I have to do."

"Nothing drastic," Jax said. "I promised that I wouldn't propose to you, so I won't. I do not feel that you are safe here; I would suggest that you move in with me."

"Before you object, that is a good idea. Helena already knows that you spent the night there a couple of nights ago, so this will not look too out of the ordinary."

"She's keeping tabs on me, now?"

"I don't think so," Alexis smiled. "She likes to keep abreast of what her enemies are doing, so it is more likely that she was spying on Jax. Another reason is that she has a little crush on Jax as well."

Jax rolled his eyes, he was quite aware of what Helena's feelings concerning him were. "So my grandmother is making time for my baby's father. That's just great. That will be fine. The sooner we start this, the better. I figure we can go to Greece under the pretense of a vacation. I would say we don't have to be so blatant about our intentions even though she probably knows them anyway."

"Are you sure about this?' Alexis asked her.

"I don't see another way. I do want to help you, and maybe get some answers myself," she said shrugging and turning away from them.

Jax shared a silent communication with Alexis. He really needed to talk to Keesha and make sure everything was fine. She was taking this entirely too well. "I think that I'm going to go. I'm supposed to meet Ned. Keesha, thank you for doing this. And for what it's worth, not all Cassadines are so bad. I'll see you later, Jax," she said getting up and leaving.

She laced her hands together and placed them on the table. She made a big show of examining her nails; she did not want to discuss this. If she did, then it meant that she was accepting it. It meant that her entire life was one big lie. "Do you think Justus knows?"

The question surprised him. "What do you mean?"

"I think that he knows. Justus always knew that we were different from the rest of the family somehow. It was because we weren't really a part of the family. The one thing that remained constant in my life no matter what happened was that I knew who I was, but now I'm not even sure about that."

"I don't think that's true," he said moving to the chair closest to her. "I would say that you know exactly who you are."

She shrugged. "I don't know about that. When do you want me to move in?"

"Whenever you want to; the sooner the better, though. You're taking this pretty well," he observed.

"Would you rather me rant and rave about it, have a big water show." She shook her head. "I don't think so. If it is one thing that my grandmother taught me, it was to accept what was. Nothing can change the truth, so I'll just accept it."

He was amazed. Most of the women he knew would do the opposite of what she was doing. She was strong, he knew that before, but now, he had absolutely no doubt about it. He found that incredibly attractive. "I believe you, and your grandmother was a very wise woman." He reached over a placed a light kiss on her lips. He felt them part, but he pulled away. "We should have dinner tonight at the Grille, make a big show of things. I know you're going to be fine." He stood up and kissed her cheek before he left.

*****

"Mr. Jacks," came the low voice. "Why are you without some charming dinner companion?"

He looked up from his menu. Of course he knew who it was before he looked up. "Helena, I see that you too are quite alone. But, I will not be alone for long."

"Really," she mused. "And who pray tell is joining you?"

Jax smiled at her. "Surely life in Port Charles is not quite so dull that you are interested in who I am dining with. That just will not do, we will have to get some excitement back into this place." He noticed Keesha at the doorway. "Ah, here is my lovely companion now."

Keesha smiled as she joined them and made big show of giving him a big kiss. "I missed you," she said before turning to Helena. "I don't believe that we've ever met." She extended her hand, "I'm Keesha Ward."

Helena shook her hand and was mildly impressed that when she increased pressure with the shake, the younger woman did as well. Keesha just smiled at her. Releasing her hand, she moved to wrap her arm around Jax's. "Have you been keeping him company for me?"

"We were discussing something rather important," Helena said grinning at Jax. She really wanted him, and this woman would not stop her.

Keesha felt a wave of nausea come over her. She pulled her arm away and instinctively pressed her hand to her stomach. "Well, the two of you can continue to discuss this business. I think you will have to excuse me for a minute."

Jax stared after her, quite concerned. "What happened to the little blonde?" Helena asked him forcing him to look back at her. "Chloe Morgan was her name, right? Although this young lady seems to have more backbone than your last little fling, I am surprised, she doesn't seem your type."

Jax laughed now. "And what is my type I wonder? That really doesn't matter. I think it would be wise for you to stay away from her. I do not take kindly for anything bad happening to anyone that I care about."

She flinched slightly, but then came back with, "Care about, and how long have you known her?"

"Long enough. Enjoy your dinner, Helena," he said obviously dismissing her.

She looked at him again as she walked to her table. She noticed that Keesha was returning from the bathroom, and her hand rested lightly on her stomach. Helena noticed that she looked absolutely sick before she left, and now she looked fine. What was going on with her? It looked like it was time to call in a few favors, she thought taking her seat at the table.

"It's obvious that grandmother doesn't like me," Keesha said wryly as she put her menu down.

"Keesha, you can't let Helena get to you. I've been ignoring her for years, believe me, it works," he smiled at her. He had no doubt that Helena did not scare Keesha as much as irritate her. He wondered if it had anything to do with Helena's interest in him. That would be interesting.

"Don't worry about that," she smiled and reached over to take his hand. She was really good at this. "So, I guess I'll have to go home with you tonight."

"You make it sound like a chore," he teased her.

"Well, what are we going to do all night, Jax?" she asked and regretted asking as soon as she saw the humor in his eyes.

He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a small kiss there. "Well, we could make love if you want. I mean, I would be more than willing to comply."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and chose to cup his chin in her hand instead. "Jax, that is not an option, I assure you." Her eyes glanced over at Helena. If anything, Helena looked like she was believing this completely.

"Oh, the night is young. But, I thought that we could at least watch a movie together, and then I have some work to do. I won't take advantage of you, I promise."

*****

Keesha came out of the shower and dressed for bed quickly. She went downstairs and found Jax in the kitchen. "I thought you had started on your work already."

"Of course not," he said leaving the kitchen. She followed him out. "I was just getting the necessary items for our night of TV watching," he said smiling.

Why did he have to do such endearing things, she wondered. She also wondered why he did not tie his robe. Looking at his finely chiseled chest was not helping matters at all. She cleared her throat and looked away. "Where are you going with that?" she asked noticing that he was going upstairs.

"To my bedroom of course. It's much more comfortable there." He noticed her hesitation. "Hey, I promised that I wouldn't take advantage of you. I already got you pregnant, what's left?" he joked. "Don't you trust me?"

"Yes, I trust you," she said following him up the stairs. It's me I don't trust, she thought.

"Let's see what's on," Jax said as she settled herself on the pillows on the bed. "A Star Trek marathon," they both said in unison.

"Don't tell me that you like Star Trek," Keesha said sliding under the covers.

"An avid fan. I haven't meet too many people that like the original series that much. This is a first. Dost my lady wish to view it?"

She rolled her eyes, "Of course. I would never turn that down. I love them. I haven't gotten as bad as to buy the tapes yet, though. They are too expensive, but I guess I can afford them now."

Jax smiled, "I have them. I am a little extravagant, I have been told, but I felt that they were a necessity." He took off his robe and threw it on a nearby chair. He joined her in the bed and propped himself on some pillows. "This doesn't make you uncomfortable, does it? If it does, then I can dress more appropriately."

She shook her head. "Whatever makes you comfortable is fine with me. Jax, thank you for caring so much. I know that I can be a little difficult sometimes, and I can only guess that it will get worse once the pregnancy progresses. Are you sure you're up for it?"

"Honey, I've raided countless companies, dealt with the Quartermaines, and lived with Jerry, I think that I can handle anything," he laughed. He could not remember laughing more, definitely not with Chloe.

"I wish I had a tape recorder. I've already started being really bitchy, Jax, I can only imagine that it will get worse. It's like PMS everyday of the week."

He looked over at her. He could see a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. He didn't think that he had ever seen anything more inviting. He slowly eased down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He was totally prepared for her to push him away, but she didn't. He kissed her again, and this time she returned it.

She couldn't believe that she was actually doing this. She wasn't ready for a relationship with Jax, but she didn't want to push him away either. This was right, it had to be, but she couldn't be sure. Maybe she should push him away, but she couldn't.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked pulling away from her.

She looked into his eyes, but didn't think that was such a good idea. "I'm not really sure about anything. You should be asking yourself if you're sure. I have already told you how I feel; I can't make you any promises."

"I know what you've said. Could you at least give me some hope?" he asked laughing. She bit her lip in contemplation, and he stopped laughing and stared at her. "Trust me, I'm sure. I can take a little teasing," he said kissing her again.

As he moved down her to her neck, she closed her eyes. "As I told you before, I'm not making any promises."

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