"I am the DA." She mumbled to herself as she paced around her office later that afternoon. "Why on earth did I agree to have dinner with him? He's a criminal." He's also Michael she reminded herself. Was it really possible to separate the two as he had suggested. Would they be able to be Sonny and Alexis to the rest of the world and still remain Michael and Natasha when alone together? They had done it before as children, but that was different. When they were children they had always presented a united front. Teachers, friends, neighbors, everyone knew they were a package deal. Here they would have to hide their friendship, pretend they were no more than acquaintances at best, enemies at worst. And why not? Shouldn't he be her enemy? He was after all a mobster; he represented everything she had wanted to fight against. And yet when she looked at him, looked into his eyes, she could only see Michael. The boy she could tell her secrets to, the boy who held her when she was scared and made her laugh when she was sad. The boy who had rescued her and later protected her when...
"Alexis?" She jumped at the voice and quickly spun around.
"Jax"
"Hi, sorry if I startled you, the door was open and... Are you okay?"
"Of course, I'm fine. Why would you ask?" She wondered just how long he had been standing there and began to nervously rearrange things on her desk.
"You had this look on your face like you were a million miles away."
"Not quite that far, just thinking about the past."
"Good thoughts?"
"Some. So, two visits in one day, to what do I owe the honor." And there it was again, the past or more specifically her past was another topic that was off limits. Sometimes he felt as though he barely knew her at all.
"I was hoping you might agree to have dinner with me, since we didn't get to finish lunch."
"Oh, um... I'm sorry, I have a dinner meeting scheduled." She lied.
"Well then I guess it'll have to be another time." Jax said not bothering to cover his disappointment. "Well I already know tomorrow's out since you promised Brooke, maybe early next week?"
"I'll have to check but I'm sure I could. I didn't realize you knew Brooke, and Ned?"
"My fiancée, Brenda, was Brooke's godmother."
"Oh." Alexis had known about Brenda, mostly from Lady Jane who had seemed to really love the girl. Jax had spoken of her a couple times but never gave much detail. It hurt her to think that he had finally found someone, someone who could love him back, only to lose her.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course." He knew the reply all too well. Of course he could ask her but that didn't mean she would answer.
"Ned was the man, the one in New York that you were seeing?"
"How did you know?"
"Ned and I are friends, he told me about you at the time, well I didn't know he was talking about you. He told me he had met someone and she was wonderful. He had wanted to introduce me to her but it ended before he got the chance. That was the same week I called you and you told me you had broken up with the man you had been seen from out of town. I didn't put it together at the time but it was kind of obvious after today."
"Well if it's obvious I guess I don't need to answer."
"Fair enough I was just wondering..." he was interrupted by his cell phone. "Excuse me."
"Hello. Kristina, yeah I'm actually in the middle of something here. Tonight? Nothing, why? No Kristina, no way. I am not going out on another blind date. I don't care if she is perfect, I'm not going."
Alexis couldn't help laughing at his almost petulant tone.
"Don't laugh at me." He glared at her. "No not you Kristina I was talking to Alexis." He paused and looked slightly annoyed. "Yes that Alexis." Alexis stopped laughing at the sound of her name and wondered just what Jax had told this Kristina about her.
"No she just moved to Port Charles." He was saying into the phone. "Are you crazy I'm not letting you anywhere near her. He exclaimed into the phone with mock horror while smiling at Alexis. "Okay I'll ask her. Later. Yes I promise. All right. Bye."
"Friend of yours?" Alexis asked still amused.
"Yeah, Kristina Cassidine."
"Cassadine?" Alexis tried to make her voice sound normal.
"Yeah, you've probably heard of them, kind of like the Addams family only not very funny."
"Kristina doesn't seem so bad." She pointed out.
"No Kristina's not like the rest of them. She like, she's like a beautiful child. She impetuous, spoilt but sweet, and sometimes extremely annoying." He finished off his description with a slight frown remembering their earlier conversation.
"Were you two involved?"
"Kristina and I?" A look akin to horror crossed Jax's face. "God no. I mean Kristina's a great kid, but she's more like a little sister than anything else."
"So, she was trying to set you up on a date? On the phone, I mean"
"Yeah, Kristina has made it her mission to see me find someone and as I may have mentioned she's used to getting what she wants.
"I've heard the Cassadine's are like that."
"Yeah but at least Kristina's intentions are good. It's surprising how well she turned out considering her parents."
"Her parents?" Alexis asked in what she hoped was a casual tone.
"Yeah her father was apparently some kind of a nut. I never met him, he died when Kristina was a little girl."
"And her mother?
"Helena Cassadine, I met her once, it was enough."
"That bad?"
"Have you ever seen the movie Mommy Dearest?"
Alexis shuddered slightly, she knew all to well how cruel Helena Cassadine could be.
"She's not cruel to her own daughter though is she?" Alexis asked.
"No, from what I can tell she seems to have spent most of Kristina's life ignoring her. It's Stefan she hates. Stefan is her son" Jax explained. Of course she already knew that but merely nodded and encouraged him to continue. "He's her younger son. The older one, Stavros, died several years ago. Stefan has been raising Stavros' son Nicolas and Helena hates him for taking the child away from her."
"And Stefan, what is he like?"
"I don't really know him that well. He's extremely protective of Kristina and Nicolas and a capable businessman. Other than that I'm not sure. Why so interested?"
"I'm not, its just... I figure I should know as much about the people in this town as possible, especially the ones that I may come across in my capacity as D.A."
"If you want to know about the criminals in this town you should start with Sonny Corinthos."
"What?" Alexis almost squeaked.
"Sonny Corinthos, the local mobster. I'm sure you've got a file on him somewhere. He's the one you need to look out for.
"You sound like you know him personally."
"Unfortunately I do. Listen, I have to get going. I'll call you later about next week?"
"Sure." Alexis said wondering what had caused his quick exit. Was it the mention of Sonny Corinthos? Just how did Jax and he know each other?