Love Endures
by Susanne

Chapter 4 - Ned's Dangerous Visit

Alexis was sitting in her office working on some documents when a well known friendly voice asked

Grace: "There's something called working too much!" Alexis looked up from the legal documents smiling when Grace entered the office and shut the door close.

Alexis: "And what are you doing here?" She asked removing her glasses, as Grace took a seat opposite Alexis.

Grace: "I have an appointment with Jax at 'Kelly's' concerning that new club we've been talking about opening. I thought that since there's an hour until that meeting I might as well pop by and hear how it went with Sonny last night!"

Alexis: "It didn't!" She replied sadly, going to the bar pouring some coffee for both her and Grace.

Grace: "Did you make this?" She asked skeptically when Alexis offered her a cup.

Alexis: "No! Anna; Gia's new assistant made it so you can go on, and dare your throat!" She replied, as the two friends giggled.
Grace: "I don't get why you can't make a decent cup of coffee! Sonny and I have both taught you how to handle that machine, and you can even make breakfast now why not coffee?"

Alexis: "I don't know! Why aren't you asking me?" She asked sitting down on the chair behind her desk.

Grace: "Asking you what?" She asked looking everywhere but at Alexis.

Alexis: "About last night! Or have you suddenly had a sudden change in personality, which had resulted in you not wanting to know the tiniest thing about my personal life."

Grace: "You know that I'm dying to know what happened, but only if you don't mind telling me of course!"

Alexis: "After you left Sonny called and cancelled feeding me some excuse that his cancellation had to do with Courtney!"

Grace: "That sounds reasonable!"

Alexis: "Yeah…If it hadn't been for the fact that Courtney had called me earlier to tell her that Sonny and Jason were at 'L&B' talking to Ned about something!"

Grace: "So in other words; you caught Sonny with his hand in the cookie jar?"

Alexis: "Yeah…More or less. We had a big argument this morning, but we agreed on making up by having dinner together tonight!"

Grace: "So you're telling him tonight then?"

Alexis: "Absolutely! I don't want what happened with Kristina to repeat itself. I know that becoming a father again so soon after Kristina will amaze Sonny. After all I think it did take some time for Sonny to get over the fact that Kristina was his, and that he hadn't been there for me when Alcazar had left me in labor in the park, and then through her surgery, and so on."

Grace: "Did he blame you?"

Alexis: "Not really! I think it was more himself for having stayed with Carly when he'd always had a feeling that Kristina was his. He just never had the courage to act on those feelings. I just don't think that I'll do the same thing as last time."

Grace: "What do you mean?"

Alexis: "Well…Instead of making a big deal out of it I think that I'll simply wait until we're upstairs in bed, and then just tell him that we're going to become parents again."

Grace: "That will be romantic too. You're so lucky to have someone like Sonny in your life Lexie!" She replied envious.

Alexis: "You'll find someone too Gracie! What happened to that guy from last night?"

Grace: "Well…We went to the movies to watch the new movie; 'Sweet Home Alabama', and then we went to 'Kelly's' to drink some coffee, and then a mad woman turned up."

Alexis: "Who was she?"

Grace: "Apparently his wife; Tracy Finnegan! So my night was a total bust because I helped Peter Finnegan commit adultery, and was faced with a woman, who threatened to sue every bone in my body if I didn't go back to whatever hole I came from."

Alexis: "What then happened?"

Grace: "Well…Then Johnny suddenly turned up, and stepped in and defended me saying that I was his employer, and that I owned four top modeling agencies in New York. We then walked away grinning like fools, and he followed me to my door, and I discovered that for a night, which had become a total bust it's always good to have a henchman near!" She replied giggling.

Alexis: "That sounds like a very…Confusing evening!"

Grace: "Oh it was! I'd better get going if I'm to be on time to my business meeting with a certain Jasper Jacks. Take care, OK?" She said, hugging Alexis.

Alexis: "Yeah…You too!" She replied, returning the hug, and going back to work, as Grace left her office.

Alexis had her head buried in a legal document when her office door creaked, and she simply thought that it was Grace because she'd left her handbag behind and asked laughing

Alexis: "Did you forget something Grace?"

Man: "Actually yes; you and MY daughter!" He replied harshly, making Alexis drop her pen upon hearing that hoarse voice again after such a long time.

Alexis: "Ned? What are you doing here? The last time I checked Gia Campbell was your lawyer, not me!" She replied equally harsh, as she stood up from her chair.

Ned: "I'm here to take you home with me along with OUR daughter; Kristina!" He exclaimed, going to stand on the other side of the desk opposite Alexis.

Alexis: "Have you completely lost your mind Ned? You didn't father Kristina - Sonny did. Furthermore I'm married to Sonny now, and we have a family now!"

Ned: "You mean the kind of family I'd have had with your sister if it hadn't been for Sonny?"

Alexis: "Sonny didn't kill my sister!"

Ned: "Since when? A few years back you didn't even want to have anything to do with him, and now what? You're his whore!" He yelled in her face.

Alexis: "The last time I checked you were involved with Faith Roscoe; the mob princess so don't you even dare come and lecture me about my morals. You've gone on and on and on about the dangers surrounding Sonny's life, and now you're shacked up with the mob princess of Port Charles, who so just happens to be the person responsible for Carly being dead!"

Ned: "Those bullets were meant for Sonny!"

Alexis: "And that's supposed to what? Justify Carly's death? Michael couldn't sleep alone the first year after Carly had been killed. Does that mean anything to you? That little boy paid for Faith's actions."

Ned: "Why are you so caring towards a son A.J. Quartermaine fathered? You hate both him, and Carly!"

Alexis: "Michael is my son just as much as Kristina is my daughter!"

Ned: "Come again!" He exclaimed, thinking he'd heard wrong.

Alexis: "Sonny and I are Michael's legal parents. Ned…If you have some business with Gia you're welcome to wait…In the waiting room but get the hell out of my office!" She exclaimed sitting down behind her desk once again.

Ned: "And what do we have here?" He asked, as he'd spotted a family picture on the mantel in Alexis' office. The picture had been taken on Sonny and Alexis' wedding day; Sonny, Alexis and Kristina were standing in front of the altar flanked on the left by Jason, Elizabeth and Johnny and flanked on the right by Benny, Courtney and Grace as Mike, Michael, Skye and Jax were squatted down in front of the other part of the wedding party.

Alexis: "Ned? Didn't you hear me? I want you to leave right now!" She replied angrily advancing towards him.

Ned: "You're unbelievable you know that?!"

Alexis: "Ned…You have no business in this office so why don't you just get going before someone comes in and sees you?"

Ned: "Like who? Your dear hubby? Sorry…He's pretty busy trying to find me! I am not going to let you get away with disrespecting me or disrespecting your sister's memory!!" He exclaimed madly slapping her hard on her left cheek, which had such an impact that Alexis, was thrown against the desk followed by falling hard down on the marble floor in her office.

Alexis: "Help me, please…" She begged, as she could feel a thumping in her head, and could feel her legs overflowing with blood. She realized in that instant that she was loosing the baby.

Ned: "You decided to live with, and for Sonny Corinthos so it's only fitting that I leave you like he's left every single woman he's ever been involved with!" He replied harshly leaving Alexis in her office begging for a monster to help her.

When Ned was about to leave the office he bumped into Grace at the elevators, who'd returned for her handbag.

Grace: "Ned? What in the world are you doing here?" She asked amazed that he'd set his foot in a law firm, which was owned by Sonny Corinthos' wife.

Ned: "If I were you I'd check on my best friend…" He whispered so hoarsely that it sent chills up Grace's spine. Just as Grace was about to give him a piece of her mind Anna; Gia's assistant screamed. Grace ran as fast as she humanly could, and had the shock of her life when she spotted Alexis lying face down on the cold marble floor with blood everywhere.

Grace: "Anna…ANNA! Listen to me OK?" She yelled wanting her to gain control over herself.

Anna: "What?"

Grace: "Call 911 immediately, and say that a pregnant woman is bleeding! GO!" She yelled when Anna was caught in her own tracks.

Grace: "Lexis wake up…Please Lexie wake up!" She replied stroking Alexis' face knowing somewhere in her gut that she'd arrived too late to save her best friend, and her unborn baby.

chapter 5