This little ficlet is totally Ebony's fault because she had to get in my face about Jax today when he's busy being the best ex-husband and uncle ever. So I had to say to hell with canon (and logic), take some spoilery info and have some fun with even a hint of a Jax/Alexis/Sonny setup. So yeah, spoilery if you don't know what's up with the Sonny/Kids custody stuff as of late and otherwise... just some fun.





Nikolas looked up at the scene in the entryway at Wyndemere and tried hard not to laugh because his aunt surely did not look like she was in the mood. But there Alexis stood with Molly in her arms, Kristina held by the hand and a collection of overnight bags and backpacks that had clearly been packed in a hurry.

"I take it you and the girls need a place to stay for a few days?"

Alexis released Kristina's hand, and the little girl ran over to him, jumping into his arms. His aunt sighed heavily as she set Molly down, unloaded her bounty of bags and then scooped her youngest child up once again.

"My house has been overrun by insanity. No, let me clarify that... by insanity in the form of men, one of whom, I know, is just trying to be his usual knight in shining armor self, and one who I truly, truly think wants to drive me insane just to prove he's the person capable of actually doing it."

Nikolas looked at Kristina, who had a huge grin on her face.

"Do you know what she's talking about?"

"Uh-huh. Uncle Jax and my daddy."

Kristina burst into giggles at that point, and Alexis rolled her eyes, and Nikolas decided it was time to settle the ladies Cassadine in the living room with some ice tea and milk and cookies in the hopes of getting the full story for their sudden visit.

** Five Hours Earlier **

Alexis had been certain that letting Jax move in with her had been a terrible idea given her history with Carly and the way Sonny felt about his longtime rival, but when you're best friend and your favorite ex-husband shows up on your doorstep looking to escape a woman you wish he'd never married, how do you turn him away?

As it turned out, the timing had been on their side. Sonny, stinging after relinquishing custody of his children and still grieving Michael, had gone to Puerto Rico to try and get himself back on something akin to steady ground. Carly, while livid about Jax being angry at her and wanting some time to think and furious that he'd chosen to do his thinking while staying at Alexis'... well, even she had lost some of her desire to fight after Michael. And with Sam off doing lord knew what with who and Alexis not even wanting to know what Ric was currently up to, having Jax around to help with the girls and to talk with had turned into a wonderful thing.

She'd gotten a little distracted by the normalcy of it all and by how nice it was to have what felt like a normal home for a change when a knock at her door brought the peace to a crashing halt.

"Sonny. When did you get back?"

He looked better... rested, more in control. But she could tell that he was still hurting.

"I flew in this morning. I, uh, I know I should've called, but... you said I could still see her, and I just really needed..."

His voice trailed off, and Alexis took his hand and drew him inside. After closing the door, she walked back toward the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

"Kristina, someone's here to see you."

Footsteps thundered against the floor, and when her dark-eyed little girl saw just who was there, she flew into her father's arms and hugged him tightly.

"Daddy!"

Sonny held their daughter close and kissed her cheek. As they teased and joked with each other, Alexis knew she'd been right to not try to stand between them still seeing one another even if Sonny had finally relinquished his joint custody rights. The world already knew who her father was; there was no erasing that. And while it would probably never be safe for her to go into his world, Alexis really did hope they could find a way to keep him in hers.

The visit was clearly a hit, so Alexis excused herself and went off to help Molly finish the drawing they'd been working on, and then she went into the kitchen to put together some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. She went into the living room to drop off the plate of sandwiches and some glasses of milk before going to grab Molly from her room, but Alexis never made it that far. Just as she leaned over to set her tray on the coffee table, she heard Kristina say the words that were sure to send the day straight to hell.

"And now that Uncle Jax lives with us, he walks me to school sometimes, and we went swimming and he said he'd teach me how to do the backstroke."

Sonny kept a smile on his face, but his eyes sought Alexis out and she knew better than to try to escape that particular look.

"He needed a place to stay, and he's my best friend."

"Uh-huh."

That wasn't a good sign, she thought. And she knew she was right when Sonny gave Kristina a kiss on her forehead and told her to go and get Molly so they could both get their hands washed for lunch. The moment their little girl disappeared around the corner, he stood and challenged her with his stance and his gaze.

"Jax is living in this house... with my daughter... and with you?"

"Jax has been living with your son for quite a while now with no ill effects. He and Carly are having problems, and like I said, he needed a place to stay."

"Hotel."

Alexis scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I didn't want him in a hotel, I wanted him here with us because we're his family, too, Sonny."

"Uh-huh."

He cocked an eyebrow at her and then walked over and picked up a triangle of whole wheat with peanut butter and apple jelly. He took a bite and looked back at her.

"You're waiting for me to ask what the 'uh-huh' means?" she asked.

"You know what it means," he replied.

"I do not."

"You do, too."

"I do not!"

The girls appeared then, thankfully ending what sounded like an exchange between the kids and not two grown adults. Once the girls were eating happily, Sonny and Alexis stepped away from them and lowered their voices.

"You have noticed, right, that Candy Boy has a thing for following in my footsteps? He already did it with Brenda and with Carly and my sons. And now he wants you and my daughter."

Alexis burst out laughing.

"Really, that ego of yours is an amazing thing. And in case you forgot, I was married to Jax long before you and I..."

"Yeah, but that wasn't for real."

Maybe it was that flash of annoying arrogance she saw in his eyes... or maybe it was realizing that there was life in them now that they were fighting again about something and she wanted to egg it on. Whatever it was, Alexis shrugged and gave him her most coy look.

"Maybe it wasn't all for real."

She hadn't known, of course, what she was unleashing with that prodding tease, that slightly seductive "oh, that's what you think" intimation. But after lunch was done and Molly was down for her nap, after Kristina had gone off to the study for her piano lesson, Alexis still had one Sonny Corinthos sitting on her sofa, and then she heard another knock at her door.

"Ah, Max. Good. Sonny, your ride is here."

"Uh, Ms. Davis, I'm not here to pick up the boss. He asked me to bring him these."

These... were two suitcases.

"Sonny, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Without moving from the couch, Sonny spread his arms wide against the pillows and got comfortable.

"If Jax is living here with my daughter and with you... then so am I."

** The Present **

"And then Jax came home, and the two of them started arguing and trying to one up one another, and so I just took the girls and left them there."

Nikolas nearly choked on his tea.

"You left them in the house... together?"

Alexis nodded. "It's the least they both deserve. Do you know that Jax actually tried to make it worse? When I told him to tell Sonny he didn't ever think of me that way anymore, Jax told him he 'tried' not to think of me that way anymore, but that sometimes he forgot he wasn't supposed to."

Again he tried hard not to laugh, but Nikolas lost the battle. Alexis hit him on the arm, which for some reason only made him laugh all the harder.

And then they were distracted by the sound of a scuffle out in the hall. But before either of them could get up to go see what had happened, the door flew open and Sonny and Jax nearly fell into the room as their mutual attempt to be first one through the door left them both almost face down on the floor.

"What in the world are you two doing here?" Alexis demanded, her hand going to her hip as she stood and turned to face the two men.

"He locked us out," Jax offered, motioning toward Sonny.

"No, he tried to throw me out, I pulled him out with me, and the door slammed shut and the lock was on, so..."

Alexis groaned and pulled Nikolas to the opposite side of the room.

"Do you see? Do you see this? How am I supposed to deal with them now that they're like this?"

"Well..." Nikolas considered her desperate question a moment. "I suppose you could... keep them."

"Keep them?!"

"It's that or let them kill each other. And even though I know the thought has crossed your mind where Sonny is concerned, you know kind of adore them both."

Alexis muttered, trying to conjure some kind of argument. But finally she sighed and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Fine, boys, let's get the kids and go home. But, Sonny, you have to do all the cooking. And, Jax, homework and soccer practice--that's all you."

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