Alexis sat in the courtroom barely aware of where she was. The room was still empty except for Jax who was watching her nervously as though he expected her to break down, or bolt for the door. Actually he had tried to convince her to run away but she had refused. All her adult life she had relied on the law, trusted it, now she was putting her life in its hands.
She was still certain she would be found not guilty, if she thought otherwise she might well have taken Jax up on his offer. Instead she had gone to the police station and turned herself in. However, her belief in the law only extended so far, and she was prepared should things go against her. She couldn't bear the thought of being torn away from Kristina. For so many months she and Kristina had been all each other had and though she had recently found great support, she did not want to have to rely on them to care for her daughter. If she had to she would leave Port Charles and never look back.
"Alexis? Are you okay?" Jax asked nervously. Poor Jax, Alexis thought sadly. He still felt so guilty; she could see it in his eyes.
"I'm fine," she assured him though they both knew it was a lie.
"Can I do anything?"
"Could you call Skye and check on Kristina?" She asked.
Her friendship with Skye still amazed Jax though he had never commented on it. In truth he hadn't even realized the two women were friends until recently. There were so many things he hadn't realized, if only he had been paying attention instead of living in his fantasy world with Brenda. If only...
"Sure." He replied with a gentle smile, knowing that Kristina was the most important thing in the world to Alexis. Still he didn't want to leave her alone so he stood there neither coming nor going.
"I'll be fine by myself for a couple minutes," she assured him as though reading his thoughts. He was still trying to decide what to do when Sonny walked in. Jax left the two of them alone without a word. Though the two men had never got along they had recently had cause to bond and had come to an understanding where Alexis was concerned.
Sonny came fully into the room and sat down beside her in the chair her lawyer would sit in once the courtroom was full. Without a word he reached down and took her hand in his. They sat together in silence hand in hand for several minutes before Sonny's voice was heard.
"I'm sorry." It was a whisper, a plea, a confession. It was so much less than what he owed her this woman who had given him so much and whom he had betrayed in return. He had not been there when she needed him most, and now she was here ready to pay for a crime that only came about because he allowed it to. He almost smiled at that. Alexis would have smacked him if she heard the way he was thinking. Still he was a control freak and old habits die-hard.
"Sonny?"
"Yes?"
"Can you give me a minute alone, I just need to... I have to think." He knew better than to argue with her and yet the last thing he wanted to do was leave her alone, never again he had promised himself. <>"Are you sure?" He asked hoping she would change her mind but she merely nodded and so he stood and left.
Once she was alone Alexis began to think of the events that had led her here. It had all started with Kristina's death, the anger that losing Kristina had caused. She had always known she was capable of taking a life in defense of her daughter. She never dreamt she would be forced to prove it. Ever since it happened he had haunted her dreams, the look in his eyes when he realized what had happened. She would never be able to forget his face.
Her thoughts were interrupted as people began to enter the courtroom. She saw Zander and Cameron enter together. They had both done so much for her, Zander especially had done more for her than she could ever repay. At this point Jax and Sonny also came back into the room though they did not sit together. Felicia soon followed with Bobbie. Jason and Brenda came in together and sat beside Sonny. Alexis saw Jax look away from the couple and begin a discussion with Felicia. Before long Nikolas, Gia, Courtney, Luke, Lucky and even Tony Jones were all sitting behind her. Alexis couldn't help but wonder why they chose to come show their support now, when it was too late. Still she was grateful she had them there.
She sat there trying to prepare herself for the ordeal to come and yet somehow the only thing going through her mind was the image of Kristina's face when she left her that morning. Though she loved "auntie Skye" Kristina did not like it when her Mommy left. Alexis had held her for as long as she could before Jax gently reminded her that they had to leave if they wanted to get there before the press. Still it was with great reluctance that she handed the baby to Skye. Kristina sensing her mother's mood had immediately begun to cry. Jax had put his arm around her shoulder and led her to the door while Skye soothed the infant. Even before she reached the door Alexis could hear her daughter's soft giggles.
Suddenly Alexis felt a nudge and realized the judge was entering the room. She quickly stood up and tried to steele herself for what was coming.
"Alexis Davis you are charged with the murder of Edward Lewis Ashton, how do you plead?"