Sugar and Spice
by Zandergirl

Part 1

This the first of what I plan to be only two or three parts ranging from sweet to well...more spicy! It IS the Lansings from "Twist" so all history applies. Happy Holidays!

Alexis looked around the great room of their new home, twitched her nose slightly and smiled. This was the Lansing’s first Christmas together and she wanted it to be more than merely “special”, she wanted it to be memorable. She wanted to show Kristina an old fashioned Christmas with magnificent decorations and lights and music. At two, she was just old enough to really experience the excitement of Santa Clause and get swept away in the celebration of the season. And then there was Ric. Ever since their first day on Martha’s Vineyard, he was passionate about creating new memories and she knew that Christmas would be no exception. He would want the halls decked in style and a huge tree with ornaments and presents below. It was his first Christmas with his own family and she was determined to see that he get his wish, even if it was a bit of a challenge to her imagination.

The Cassadines traditionally left Christmas up to the staff. In retrospect, Alexis thought it cruel, but every year Athena and the other servants would scurry around preparing the island estate to Helena’s satisfaction and never quite achieving it to her satisfaction. She made her displeasure known and all would suffer because of it.

“That old bag wouldn’t know the meaning of Christmas if…” Alexis muttered to herself trailing off and she chuckled. She was starting to sound like Luke Spencer, a gruff but lovable Ebeneezer Scrooge if she ever knew one!

On Spoon Island, Mrs. Landsbury was the inspiration behind Wyndemere’s annual Yuletide celebration. One year she even convinced Stefan to dress up as Saint Nick, which was no small feat! It took a generous amount of potent eggnog, but she recalled fondly her sister Kristina’s first Christmas as a Cassadine. She sat on Stefan’s lap and he gifted her with a beautiful amulet bearing the family crest. Nikolas, who wore a crested ring, held it up next to hers and they shared the most profound smile that Alexis had ever seen. For a split second, the Cassadines truly felt like a family.

Wiping a melancholy tear, she breezed across the room to the desk and opened the top drawer, rummaging through it to find a phone book. Flipping to the yellow section she scanned the pages and mumbled out loud “Trees…trees…Christmas trees…”

“What are you looking for?”

Alexis jumped as she felt Ric’s arms slide around her waist and his head perch on her shoulder looking down at the page in front of them.”

“I…um,” she faltered and licked her lips trying to ignore the subtly erotic sensation of his embrace and hands as they lazily massaged her stomach, “I’m looking for Christmas trees.”

She felt his body twitch, stifling laughter.

“What?” she demanded, beginning to feel the heat of embarrassment cross her cheeks. “I was just going to reserve one that’s all. After all, it’s Kristina’s first real Christmas and our first Christmas as a family and I want it to be absolutely perfect in every way so I thought that maybe I’d just try something new for once and --”

Ric removed the book from her hands and gently turned her around and kissed her, his favorite, not to mention most effective way of silencing her adorable rants. Once he was satisfied that she was effectively distracted, he lovingly touched her cheek and smiled. “Alexis darling, that’s not the way to get a tree - unless you’re opting for the tacky and aluminum. I’m going show you the right way. Go and dress Kristina in her warmest snowsuit and grab your coat and hat. We’re going on an outing.”

***

“Where in the world are we?” Alexis mused. They had been driving for close to an hour now and were well outside of Port Charles and the county line. A light snow had begun to fall and she was actually glad that Ric had persisted in talking her into buying the new SUV with 4-wheel drive. Although he argued in favor of its practicality with aplomb, she swore that the new Porsche Cayenne was nothing more than a macho status symbol. Yes, he wanted to one-up Nikolas and make every testosterone toting male at the courthouse green with envy, but she’d never let on; Ric enjoyed his new toy too much.

“Where are we?” he grinned cryptically, “You’ll see.”

“The last time you said that you bought a house,” she said suspiciously.

“Well,” he drawled, still grinning. “Between the house and the Cayenne, we’re a little tapped out on big ticket items but I think you’ll like this. Consider it an adventure!”

“That word scares me.”

He laughed and looked into the rearview at Kristina. “What do you think cupcake? Are you ready to play in the snow?”

“Play in the snow!” her eyes lit up and she eagerly leaned forward.

“That’s right!” he smiled back at her, then glanced at Alexis as if he had just discovered newfound treasure. “I can’t get over how her vocabulary is growing. It’s as if overnight she’s forming complete sentences.”

“Of course! She’s a Davis.” Alexis gleamed proudly.

“I thought that she was a Lansing now,” Ric teased.

“Actually, she’s a Davis-Lansing which means that she has my intelligence and your…”

“My what?”

“Sense of wonder.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” she answered shifting slightly to the left so that she could watch his reaction as she explained. “I first noticed when we were sailing on Martha’s Vineyard; the way you marveled when you looked out over the water. I see it when you watch Kristina sleep and she looks at you the same way when you walk into the room. I see it when you make love to me and it makes me feel so special.”

Ric reached his right hand over and covered hers, wishing that he weren’t driving so that he could take her into his arms. “You are special. You and Kristina are my miracles and that’s why this Christmas is so important. I’m celebrating - no, I’m thanking God for the gifts I’ve been given.”

They drove in cognitive silence for another half mile and pulled off the road and stopped the car. Alexis looked out and saw nothing but trees, their branches taking adorned with a dreamlike frosting of snow. There were no buildings or road signs, just the tranquil upstate New York wilderness.

“Now will you tell me where we are?” Alexis pressed, pulling her coat collar closely about her neck.

“Patience!” Ric got out of the car and bounded around the front to open her door. He practically pulled her out and then opened the back door to get Kristina and set her down to toddle in the snow. He then went to the back and opened the hatch and pulled out a huge tarp and axe.

“Uh oh!” Alexis exclaimed facetiously. “Are there warrants out on you that I’m not aware of?”

He let out a sinister laugh and raised his eyebrows before picking up a spool of heavy twine and tossing it to her accompanied by an infectious grin. “Nothing criminal about finding the perfect Christmas tree, is there?” Closing the door Ric locked it and led the way down a tiny path into the woods.

“Is this legal?” Alexis wondered as they marched through the snow behind him approaching a small clearing.

“Nope, I’m unlawfully pilfering from the wild lands of the State of New York.”

“Ric!”

“I told you that this was an adventure.”

“Ric?” she repeated warily.

“Come on Alexis! The property belongs to one of the cops at the station. He gave his blessing to pick any tree that we wanted. Chalk it up to the benevolence Christmas spirit, good will toward men - even the dreaded DA - if you can believe that.”

“You mean that there’s hope for someone in the PCPD?” Alexis smirked. “Now there’s a miracle!”

Once to the clearing they were greeted by a mass of breathtaking fir trees of all shapes and sizes from short and squat to tall and willowy. Kristina squealed with glee and Alexis put her down so that she could run and play.

Ric put dropped the tarp and, still wielding the axe, and opened his arms wide, beaming. “Pick a tree Alexis! Any tree you want, just say the word and I will fall it for you!”

She bit her lip and giggled feeling like a child, but this sense of joyous anticipation was utterly foreign. Some might be more impressed with a gift of diamonds, furs or any number of priceless commodities but as Ric stood before her offering a tree, it meant the world to her. She ran over and grabbed Kristina’s hand, playfully pulling her through the snowcapped orchard as Ric looked on in delight. At that suspended moment, he saw two little girls skipping uninhibited through the forest in search of natural perfection. Finally, they waved their arms laughing and he picked up the tarp and ambled over to inspect their find.

“Very nice!” he nodded with approval. “Good shape, full and tall – but not too tall. You say that you’ve never done this before?”

“Nope!” Alexis shook her head laughed and Kristina giggled along with her.

“You could have fooled me!” Ric knelt to inspect the trunk and then surveyed its perimeter to see which way it should fall. “OK, now stand back!”

Alexis pulled Kristina away as Ric lifted the axe and powerfully swung at a sharp angle into the trunk. The first stoke loosened shards of bark but barely made a dent. He continued to chop with forceful fluidity as his “girls” jubilantly cheered him on. However, Alexis’s cheers waned as she began to notice the sheer magnitude of Ric’s physical strength and it inspired something feral to stir inside of her; something that she noted to further investigate well after Kristina’s bedtime. Kristina squealed again and Alexis resumed her laughter as the tree’s trunk groaned and it began to teeter to the left.

Breathing heavily, Ric stepped back and dropped to his knees to gather Kristina in his arms. “OK, can you say timber? One, two, three…”

“Timber!” they all yelled together as the tree fell to the ground in thunderous submission. The sound startled Kristina and her eyes grew huge, her tiny forehead wrinkling in fear.

“What’s the matter sweetheart?” Ric frowned and he pulled her closer. “Did that scare you?”

She looked up at him with a heart-wrenching expression and Ric winced glancing at Alexis for assistance. She knelt beside them and kissed Kristina’s cheek. “That’s all right honey, the tree just wants to come home to live with us for a while. Is that OK with you?”

The little girl looked dubiously from the fallen tree to her parents and back again and then struggled to free herself from Ric’s arms. He let her go and she ran over and reached her small hand out to touch its branches, as if to see if it was still alive, then quizzically glanced back over her shoulder.

“Come home with us?” her small voice questioned.

“Yes!” Ric said enthusiastically. “We’re going to take very good care of it and dress it up with pretty decorations. The tree will be very happy.”

“Happy tree?” Kristina contemplated more than asked.

“That’s right,” Alexis encouraged her. “Don’t you want to take the tree home?”

She pondered the possibility a little longer and a gradual smile illuminated her precious face. “Tree comes home with us!”

Alexis smiled at a relieved Ric and stepped forward to sweep Kristina up into her arms. “Why don’t we go get the car warmed up and let daddy bring the tree.”

***

It was huge. Ric had to take the front door of just to get it into the house. Strange, how small it looked against the other trees in the forest. But after ample effort and comical navigation from Alexis, the first official Lansing Christmas tree found its way to a stand sitting majestically in the corner of the great room to the far right of the stone fireplace.

“It smells so good!” Alexis sighed as she closed her eyes and breathed in the natural pine scent that was permeating the room.

“It had better!” Ric sighed. “That damn thing nearly killed me.”

“What happened to ‘I’m gonna show you the right way’?” Alexis mocked him as she watched him rub the back of his sore neck.

“I am,” he defended stubbornly. “Just wait until we decorate it.”

“You have decorations?”

“Of course we do.”

He disappeared to the garage and returned with a stack of boxes so tall that he was perilously attempting to balance them with his chin. He’d almost gotten to the sofa when the top box began to sway.

“They're going to fall!” Alexis screamed and made an attempt to catch it but the boxes hit the floor and the ornaments s***tered into pieces.

Ric looked down at the pile of colored glass on the floor, stunned. Alexis walked over to his side and put her hand on his shoulder and stared down at the mess and suddenly began to laugh.

“Hey!” he frowned. “That’s not funny. I spent a lot of time and money picking out the perfect decorations and now you’re making fun of it?

“You don’t get it!” she exclaimed. “I was planning the perfect Christmas for you and you disagreed with what I was going to do and hijacked my plans. Now look where we are!”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and smirked, which soon turned into a full-blown smile. “We’re not very good at this, are we?”

“The tree was perfect! It’s just the decorating part that went south.”

He started to laugh and they fed off of each other until both were hysterical and fell back on the couch wiping their eyes.

“Oh God, I love you!” Ric sighed happily and put his arm around her. “You’d forgive me anything, wouldn’t you?”

“So far. I mean considering what a disaster I am in the kitchen, how can I blame you for a few smashed ornaments?”

“Try a few dozen,” he chuckled. “But what are we going to do about the tree? Kristina has to have a fully decorated holiday ‘Ho! Ho! Ho! and all that jazz’ Christmas tree. I insist!”

Alexis kissed his cheek and jumped up off of the sofa. “You leave that to me!”

She ran upstairs and soon came back down with two huge Wyndham’s shopping bags and set them down at Ric’s feet for his inspection. Peering into the bags his mouth fell open and he grinned from ear-to-ear. “I’ll get the eggnog and meet you and Kristina back here in five minutes!”

Strands of sparkling lights, mirrored bulbs of red and gold laced with delicate ornaments of crystal festive satin bows; with each layer, the tree began to blossom with beauty and luster. One by one, Ric, Alexis and then - with their help - Kristina, took turns adorning it with the ornaments that Alexis had purchased for their first tree. They were nearly finished when Ric opened the end table drawer and pulled out a red box with a white satin bow and handed it to Alexis. “The last one is yours.”

Alexis looked down at the box and back up at Ric as she gingerly accepted it and untied the bow. Removing the lid she pulled away the green tissue paper and gasped. “Ric!”

He looked over at the exquisitely decorated tree. “It’s a little crude compared to the Tiffany crystal and other finery that you picked out, but I thought that it might complete the tree.”

She held up the ornament which was simple silver frame displaying a picture of the three of them at the beach on Martha’s Vineyard. Kristina was standing in front of them proudly displaying her pink pail and Alexis, a hint of sunburn on her cheeks, had her arm anchored around Ric who was shirtless with tousled hair and sporting his ever present Ray Bans.

“Little did I know that this would be a snapshot of my future, “ he said quietly looking into her eyes, “…of our future together.”

“It’s beautiful,” she thanked him, her eyes shining brightly in the dim tree light. “And you’re right. It does complete our tree.”

He walked up beside her and put an arm around her waist, his hand touching hers as they raised the ornament together and carefully hung it on the tree and stepped back. For several minutes, they gazed at the frame as it twisted, brilliantly reflecting the light with each slow rotation.

“Merry Christmas Ric,” Alexis whispered as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Merry Christmas Alexis,” he echoed and raised her chin and closed his eyes, kissing her tenderly. “Is Kristina asleep?”

Alexis looked down on her daughter curled up on the corner of the couch and smiled. “Yes. Sound alseep.”

He grinned and pulled her close, burying his head in the haven of her neck and mumbling, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about the difference between naughty and nice.”

She reached up and pulled him further into his quest. “And I’ve been meaning to talk to you about your amazing skill with that axe.” Alexis let one hand drop to his arm and caress the defined muscles beneath his flannel shirt.

“You liked that, did you?” he murmured provocatively. “I didn’t realize that physical exertion was such a turn on for you.”

“It depends on the kind,” she purred alluringly

Ric began to lightly suck and nip the side of her neck, uttering in a low guttural growl. “I see. Well, let me show you what I can do.”

part 2