Chapters 98 & 99

Keesha turned off the television. She glanced over at the clock. Three hours had past since her argument with Jax. That should be enough time. What happened next, she decided, would all depend on whether Jax was awake or not. She would either ignore it completely, or, if he was awake, she was going to take it as a sign that it was time for them to delve deeper into whatever was bothering the both of them.

She walked up the stairs, easing open the bedroom door.

Jax looked at Keesha as she stood in the doorway. He tossed the book he was reading on the nightstand.

"Can we talk about this rationally?" she hoped quietly. "I'll explain myself and you listen, or you can explain yourself, and I'll do nothing but listen...but in the end there has to be a compromise to what we both want."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It can be. Perhaps we're both making it harder than it needs."

"Okay. Then you go first."

Keesha nodded. She closed the door and walked over to the edge of the bed. "I worry about you." she said as she sat down across from him. "And I realize you probably know that, but I don't think you realize how much I worry about you. I know that you're...very capable of handelling things...but sometimes I think you put yourself in the position of having to handle things, when really there was no need for you to be involved in...whatever to begin with..."

"I don't have a reason to be involved in what will get you in trouble?"

"You said you would listen," she reminded him gently.

Jax sighed. "Okay."

"I need you to really hear me on this. I do not take unnecessary risks..."

"Any risk is unnecessary..."

"Jax..."

"I'm sorry. But we can't come up with some sort of compromise. We can't. Stefan Cassadine is dangerous. His enemies are as well. And you obviously don't know how much-if you knew how much you would stay far away from him...."

"Then why should you get yourself involved?"

"You think I want to be any more involved with that man than necessary? Because I don't. Any involvement I have lately is because of you..."

"That's not fair."

"It isn't? If I wasn't worried about what you would do for him, I wouldn't be asking Stefan to use me instead."

"See...that's just it. Think about this-I don't have near the resources you do, I don't have near the experience in dealing with...certain things as you seem to do. Stefan knows that. He's not going to ask me to do anything that could get back to him if I mess it up. Therefore he won't ask me to do anything that I cannot do. You, he knows you will get in deeper than I ever even imagined. And if something goes wrong, I will bet you that you will be the one to take the fall-not him. Because people know what you are capable of. Me, they just think that...." Keesha's voice trailed off.

"What?"

It hit her suddenly. Perhaps that was Stefan's whole purpose in getting her involved. Because no one would expect she would. Or even if she tried, no one would believe that she would know what she was doing. No one's guard would be up because of her.

"Keesha..." Jax furrowed his brow. "You're somewhere else," he noted.

Keesha sighed. "The thing is that it is way more dangerous for you to be involved with Stefan than me. Does that make any sense to you at all?"

"Yes," Jax had to admit. "However..." he began.

"You aren't the only one who's lost people, Jax...you and Laurence and Jocelyn mean everything to me. You're all I have. And I worry about what you get yourself involved in..."

Jax broke eye contact, looking over at the door.

"I don't want to be afraid I'm going to lose you, Jax." Keesha's eyes dropped and she stared at her hands. "I've lost enough...I am tired of loving people only to have them taken away."

"You aren't going to lose me." Jax tilted her face back up, looking into her eyes. "But I can't just sit by and watch your fear of losing me cause you to do things that will make me lose you. Can't you understand that? This is not a case of the lesser of two evils. You cannot take the risks because you think mine are greater."

"Neither can you," Keesha countered.

Jax sighed once more. "So what do we do?"

Keesha shook her head. "I don't know. But I doubt Stefan will let either of us back out now."

A week later

"Thanks for doing this on such short notice..." Jax spoke to Jerry on the phone.

"A vacation will do you two good. When will you be back?"

"Monday at the latest." He looked over at Keesha as she left the airline ticket counter. She reached into her purse, pulling out her phone.

"Hi Stefan...no, I don't think Jax suspects anything. I just told him I've never been to Puerto Rico, and he suggested we go. Do you have an address for me...okay...thanks. Yes, I will be careful. Bye."

"Bye." Jax disconnected his call to Jerry. He stood from the chair in the waiting area, dialing his phone once more. "Stefan...this is Jax...I'm quiet because I don't want Keesha to hear...where am I? On my way to Puerto Rico...so I was wondering, is there anything you need...no...aren't Jason and Luke...you're sure...okay...I have to go. Keesha's calling me." Jax hung up. "He doesn't suspect that we're working together," Jax said as he looked at Keesha.

"Okay, then lets go to Puerto Rico and see what Stefan could possibly find so interesting about Luke and Jason."