The Quartermaine mansion.
Alexis is let in by Reginald. She has puffy circles under her eyes, and hasn�t slept since Ned threw her out. She has been staying with Scott, but nothing has happened between them.
Reginald: �And how are you today, Mrs. Ashton?�
Alexis: �I�m okay, Reginald, thanks.�
Reginald: �The other women are waiting in the living room.�
Alexis: �Thanks.� She heads into the living room.
Sitting on the couches are Julia, Mackenzie, Monica, Bobbie and Emily.
Mackenzie: (getting up and hugging her) �How are you doing?�
Alexis: �I take it that you talked to Ned?�
Mackenzie: �Yeah. I called him since you haven�t been to work for two days.�
Alexis: �I just couldn�t handle the thought of going to work.�
Mackenzie: �I understand completely.� She half smiles. �I miss you.�
Alexis: �I miss you too.� She lowers her voice. �How�s wedded bliss?�
Mackenzie: (blushing a little) �Great.� She smiles. �Some things are better when you�re married.�
Alexis: (laughing for the first time in days) �Mackenzie! Gross! I don�t want to hear about you and my brother!�
Julia and Monica hear Alexis� last comment and they both start laughing.
Julia: (walking over to them) �Have you talked to Ned at all?�
Alexis: (shaking her head sadly) �Nope. I picked Brooke and Avery up from school yesterday, but I haven�t talked to Ned or seen Hannah in almost three days. But I�m going to see him tonight at Brooke�s soccer game.�
Mackenzie: �Alexis, you have to talk to him.�
Alexis: (sadly) �Why? It doesn�t matter because Kim ran straight to him and told him about me and Scott kissing.�
Julia: �Actually, Ned talked to Jax and he told me that Ned is really upset about what happened, and he knows that you and Scott didn�t sleep together.�
Alexis looks a little bit more relieved. Just then, Kimberly and Claire walk in. Her entire body visibly tenses.
Julia: (whispering) �Relax.�
Kimberly: (in a neutral voice) �Hello, everyone.� She glares at Alexis. �Are you guys ready to rehearse?�
Monica: �I can�t believe that the Fire and Ice Ball is only a week away.�
Claire: �Well, we have the dance pretty much down.�
Kimberly: �Did everyone get their outfits?� Everyone nods except Alexis. �What about you, Alexis?� under her breath. �Whore.�
Alexis: (her head snapping up) �I heard that.�
Mackenzie: �Both of you, can you just put your differences aside long enough to do this? Kimberly, that means that you stop trying to start a fight with Alexis.�
Kimberly: (angry) �Fine. Let�s dance.�
Monica gets up and turns on the stereo.
Bobbie: �Positions, please.�
The eight women line up in two lines of four- Alexis, Julia, Mackenzie and Claire in the front, Emily, Bobbie, Monica and Kimberly in the back.
Sighing, they begin to practice their dance, Alexis and Kimberly shooting each other death glares the entire time.
Six o�clock.
Alexis pulls her Mercedes into the parking lot of the Port Charles Community Center and goes inside. The two soccer teams are running around the field.
Brooke: (running up to hug her) �Mommy, you came!�
Alexis: (picking her up and giving her a kiss) �Brooke, you know I�d never miss your soccer game!�
Brooke: �Mommy, you guys aren�t going to get a divorce are you?�
Alexis: (hugging her again) �No, Sweetie. We�re just having a little fight.�
Brooke: �You kissed Uncle Scott.�
Alexis: �How did you know that?�
Brooke: �I heard Daddy talking on the phone. Do you still love Daddy?�
Alexis: �Brooke, I don�t know if you�re going to understand this, but I kissed Uncle Scott by accident. I love your daddy with all my heart.�
Just then, Ned walks up. He is carrying Hannah and holding Avery�s hand.
Ned: (neutrally) �Hello, Alexis.�
Alexis: (equally neutral) �Hello, Ned.�
Brooke: (whispering in Alexis� ear) �Talk to him, Mommy. Please. It�s almost Christmas.� She jumps out of Alexis� arms. �I have to go warm up.�
She runs off, leaving Ned and Alexis staring at each other.
Avery: �Mommy!� she jumps into Alexis� arms. �I miss you!�
Alexis: (holding her close) �I miss you too, Avery. Are you and your sisters being good for Daddy?�
Avery: (nodding) �Yes. Daddy said that we can get the Christmas tree tomorrow night if you say it�s okay, and you�ll come.�
Alexis: (looking at Ned) �Sure, Av. I�d love to get the tree tomorrow night.� She puts Avery down and holds her arms out to Hannah. �Can I see her?�
Ned: (handing the baby to Alexis) �Of course. She is your daughter after all.�
Alexis: (in a whisper) �Our daughter. We made her together.�
Ned: (almost nicely) �I know. I will never forget that day.�
Loudspeaker: �Could all parents and spectators please sit down?�
Ned takes Avery�s hand and leads her to the bleachers. Alexis follows, carrying Hannah.
They sit down next to each other, Alexis holding Hannah and Ned holding Avery.
Avery: �Mommy, when are you guys going to take us to see Santa?�
Alexis: �Uh, maybe after the Fire and Ice Ball.�
Avery: �Will you stay home tonight? Daddy, can she?�
Ned: �That�s up to Mommy if she wants to sleep at home tonight.� He stares at her. �I think it would be a good thing if she came home.�
Alexis looks at Ned, surprised. He doesn�t say anything.
Alexis: �In that case, sure I will, Avery.�
Later that night.
Ned and Alexis have just finished tucking Brooke, Avery and Hannah into bed.
Ned: (coming downstairs to where Alexis is sitting on the couch) �I�ll sleep in the guest bedroom if you�d like.�
Alexis: �Ned, no. I want you to sleep in our bedroom. With me.�
Ned: (sitting down next to her) �Alexis, I can�t do that.�
Alexis: �Why not? Does it repulse you to even look at me?�
Ned: �Alexis, you know that I love you. But I don�t know if I can forgive you for what you did. I need some time to think.�
Alexis: (tears falling down her face) �I love you Ned. Always remember that.�
Late that night. Two o�clock a.m.
Ned gets out of bed in the guest room and walks down the hall. He opens the door to their bedroom and sees Alexis sound asleep, clutching a pillow in her arms.
Ned: (whispering) �I love you.�
Closing the door, he heads back to the guest room, where he falls immediately into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Meanwhile. There is a knock at Gregory�s apartment door.
Gregory: (getting out of bed and going to answer the door) �Yeah?� he opens the door to see Monica standing there. �Monica. What are you doing here?�
Monica: �I need to talk to you. May I come in?�
Gregory: �Sure.� He opens the door wider and ushers her in.
They sit down on the couch and Monica removes her coat.
Monica: �Greg, I know that we both said some things when I was here last, and I want you to know that I am so sorry.�
Gregory: �I can�t believe that you reacted so badly to my having a daughter.�
Monica: �I know.� She blushes a little. �I was a bitch.�
Gregory: �I was going to go with two headed she-devil.� He smiles.
Monica: �It�s just that I... I�m not used to this... loving you and having you so far away... having to look at Alan every night...�
Gregory: (stroking her hair) �I know, and I love you, Dr. Monica Quartermaine.� In a soft voice. �And I would love it if you would get to know Morgan.�
Monica: (sincerely) �She�s beautiful. She has your eyes, you know.�
Gregory: �Thank you.� He smiles. �I was so shocked at first that Kimberly never told me that I had a daughter, but looking at Morgan makes me realize that...�
Monica: �That you made this child, and she became a part of you from the moment you first laid eyes on her?�
Gregory: �Exactly. How do you know?�
Monica: �Emily isn�t my birth daughter. She is the daughter of a friend from when I had cancer. We adopted her when Paige died, and she�s been ours ever since.� She smiles. �Sometimes I don�t even remember that I didn�t give birth to her, that she hasn�t been in my life since she was born. To me, she is my daughter.�
Gregory: (kissing her softly) �Will you spend the night here?�
Monica: (kissing him back) �I�d love to.� She smiles. �But what about Kimberly and Morgan?�
Gregory: �They�re asleep. In the guest rooms.� He stands up and holds a hand out to her. �We�ll be quiet.�
Monica smiles, and taking his hand, walks with him to his bedroom, where they close the door and do not come out for the rest of the night.
The next morning.
Alexis comes downstairs to the kitchen to see Ned drinking a cup of coffee. He looks at her briefly, and then looks back at the newspaper.
Alexis: (softly) �Good morning.�
Ned: �Morning.� He doesn�t look up.
Alexis: �Ned?�
Ned: �Yeah?�
Alexis: (losing her nerve) �I was wondering when you wanted to go get the tree.�
Ned: �I don�t know... after work, I believe.�
Alexis: �Okay, but what about our song for the Fire and Ice Ball?�
Ned: �What about it?�
Alexis: �We need to rehearse it.�
Ned: �Oh, you still want to do it? I don�t really have time to practice.�
Alexis: (getting angry) �Ned! Since when does our marriage not matter anymore?�
Ned: (not even looking up) �I never said that.�
Alexis: �I said that I was SORRY! Can�t you accept that?�
Ned: (slamming his coffee cup down) �No. I can�t.�
Alexis: �Never mind then. I think I�ll have breakfast at work.� She walks out.
Ned just shakes his head and goes back to his breakfast.
Meanwhile.
Wyndemere. Stefan and Mackenzie�s bedroom.
Stefan: (coming up behind Mackenzie and kissing her neck) �Good morning, Mrs. Cassadine.� He frowns. �You got up really early.�
Mackenzie: �I couldn�t sleep.� She turns around and looks at him. �I�m worried about Alexis. She hasn�t been eating or sleeping since she and Ned got into their fight.�
Stefan: �Mackenzie, surely you can�t blame Ned for being angry.�
Mackenzie: �I don�t. and Ned is my brother, and I love him. But Alexis is not only my sister in law, but also my best friend. I hope that they�re okay by Christmas.�
Stefan: �I think that they will be. For the sake of the girls, if not for anything else.�
Mackenzie: �I hope so.� she tries to smile. �This is going to be our first Christmas together as a married couple.�
Stefan: �I know.� He kisses her gently. �It�s going to be a wonderful Christmas.�
They smile at each other.
Nine o�clock. Ned is walking down the hall from Edward�s office to his own.
Scott is standing in front of his office door, his arms folded.
Ned: �What the hell are you doing here?�
Scott: �Ned, I want to talk to you.�
Ned: �I don�t want to talk to you. What, did Alexis put you up to this?�
Scott: �No, she didn�t. Ned, I�m serious. I want to talk to you.�
Ned: (opening his door) �Fine. But make it quick. I have better things to do that shoot the breeze with the man who kissed my wife. The man who used to be my best friend.�
Scott doesn�t say anything. He just sits down in one of the chairs as Ned sits down behind his desk and folds his arms.
Scott: �Ned, there are a few things you need to know. First of all, Alexis and I did not have sex, regardless of whatever Kimberly told you.�
Ned: �How do you know that Kimberly talked to me?�
Scott: �Please. I know my wife better than anyone.� He frowns. �Or at least I thought I did.�
Ned: �Scott, I don�t care what you did or didn�t do. The bottom line is that you and Alexis kissed.�
Scott: �Do you want to know WHY we kissed? Kimberly through us for a huge loophole by announcing that she and Gregory have a child together.�
Ned: (snidely) �I don�t think that you picked the smartest way to handle your shock.�
Scott: �Ned, Alexis and I talked about this. Do you realize that other than you, she has only loved one man? Gregory was her first love, the first man she slept with, he opened doors for her that would still be closed now if it wasn�t for him.� He pauses as he looks at Ned, who is listening now. �Ned, you know better than anyone that Alexis is not a very trusting person. She has been burned too many times.�
Ned: �I know that. But what does that have to do with you and her?�
Scott: �I was getting to that.� He thinks for a moment. �When Alexis trusts someone, she TRUSTS them. For her, it�s all or nothing. Finding out that Gregory had a baby with Kimberly really shocked her, because she trusted them above all else for a long time. They were all she had.�
Ned doesn�t say anything. He just nods a little.
Scott: �She was totally shocked when she found out about Morgan. And the crowning glory was finding out that Morgan�s middle name is Alexis, in honor of her. How would you feel if I had a child with Alexis and gave him the middle name Ned? You would be ballistic. She was furious that Kimberly knew that Morgan was Gregory�s child and yet she still gave Morgan her name, as if what she and Gregory did was acceptable.�
Ned: (slowly) �And I suppose that she got scared, and when you came in, equally upset, she knew that you wouldn�t ask her if she still had feelings for Gregory, that you would just be there for her.�
Scott: �Exactly. Ned, you�re my best friend. I would never try to ruin that. You know that Alexis doesn�t love Gregory at all. She only loves you. Anyone can see it.�
Ned: �What do you mean?�
Scott: �Have you ever taken a good look at the spark in her eyes when you�re around? The smile on her face after you touch her? All it takes is you walking into a room for Alexis to turn from straight-edged-lawyer to the passionate, loving Mrs. Ned Ashton.�
Ned: (about to cry) �When I found out that she kissed you, I got so scared, because I know that Alexis doesn�t have feelings for you, it�s just...�
Scott: �You�re afraid that she�s going to leave you like everyone else did.� He looks him in the eye. �Ned, do you love Alexis?�
Ned: (in a whisper) �More than anything. She is the reason that I breathe.�
Scott: �Alexis loves you the same way, Ned. She was afraid that you would think that she still loves Gregory, and you threw her out because you were afraid that she was going to hurt you so you wanted to hurt her first. You wanted to test your love for her.�
Ned: (a tear slipping down his face) �I love her so much. I can�t live without her.�
Scott: �Ned, you have to tell her that. Have you looked at her lately? She hasn�t slept, hasn�t eaten anything, she�s so afraid that you don�t love her anymore.�
Ned: (crying) �Scott, I... I�m sorry for hating you.�
Scott: �I deserved it.� He smiles. �And I don�t deserve a best friend like you.�
Ned: �But I am still mad at Alexis... she said some things... but you have put things into perspective. I just need another day or two to cool off.�
Scott: (getting up) �No problem.� He pats him on the back. �Call me later.�
Ned: �Thanks for everything, Scott.�
Late that evening.
The Ashtons� living room.
Ned, Alexis, Brooke and Avery are stringing lights and tinsel on their huge pine Christmas tree. The gigantic tree can be seen in the living room�s bay windows.
Avery: (hanging some more tinsel) �You know what I want for Christmas?�
Ned: �Let me guess. More Spice Girls stuff.�
Avery: �Nope.� She grins. �A brother.�
Alexis and Ned exchange a look. They both look shocked.
Alexis: �Uh, Sweetie, Daddy and I don�t plan on having any more kids.� She picks Hannah up out of her baby swing and gives her a kiss. �You three wear us out.�
Avery: �Aw man. But that�s okay because I also want a Christmas barbie doll.�
Brooke: �I want a pink soccer ball and new soccer shoes..�
Ned: �We�re going to have to write some letters to Santa tomorrow, I guess.�
Avery: �What about you, Mommy? What do you want for Christmas?�
Alexis: �Actually, I haven�t given it much thought. What do I want for Christmas? Hmm... a lifetime supply of chocolate ice cream.�
Brooke: (laughing) �That would be awesome.� She turns to Ned. �What about you, Daddy?�
Ned: (looking down at her from the ladder that he is standing on to string lights) �Uh, some new pajamas.�
Avery: �That�s boring.� She hangs another ornament on the tree. �Our tree is so pretty.�
Brooke: �It�s so big!�
Ned: (climbing off the ladder) �Well, all of the lights are done. Who wants to put the angel on the top of the tree?�
Brooke: �I think that Mommy should.�
Avery: �So do I.� They exchange a smile.
Alexis: (somewhat surprised) �Are you sure that one of you doesn�t want to?�
Brooke: (smiling slightly) �No, you go ahead.�
Alexis: �Okay.� She puts Hannah down on the couch and goes over to the box to remove the angel and heads for the ladder.
Avery and Brooke quickly grab the ladder and pull it away from the tree.
Alexis: �What are you doing?�
Avery: �Mommy, Daddy is supposed to lift you up. He did that to me last year.�
Alexis: �Avery, there is a big difference between a five and thirty six year old.�
Brooke: �Please? It�s romantic! I mean, we don�t have any mistletoe.�
Without a word, Ned goes over to Alexis and picks her up. He lifts her into the air so she can put the angel on the top of the tree.
Avery and Brooke smile as Ned slowly puts Alexis down, letting her slide down his body. She looks at him, surprised.
Ned: (standing close to her) �How does it look?�
Alexis: (flustered) �How does what look?�
Ned: �The angel?�
Brooke: �It looks great.�
Alexis: (looking at the clock) �Uh, girls, you�d better get ready for bed.�
Avery: �NO! I want to have hot cocoa with marshmallows! We always do!�
Brooke: �Yeah! I�ve never done that!�
Ned: �I�ll make a deal with you two. If you go upstairs and get your pajamas on, Mommy and I will make some cocoa and you can come down here and have come. Okay?�
Brooke and Avery nod and run upstairs.
At the top of the stairs, they stop to watch Ned and Alexis finish hanging the ornaments.
Brooke: (smiling) �I think that they�re going to be okay.�
Avery: �Yeah, they will be. They just have to say I�m sorry.�
They smile at each other as they watch Ned walk up behind Alexis and place his arm on her back as they stand back and look at the tree. She looks a little surprised.
Brooke: �It�s going to be an awesome Christmas.�
Late that night.
It�s not that I can�t live without you. It�s just that I don�t even want to try.
Every night I dream about you, ever since the day we said goodbye.
Scott sits on his couch, lost in his thoughts about Kimberly and Gregory.
If I wasn�t such a fool right now I�d be holding you.
There�s nothing that I wouldn�t do
Baby, if I only knew...
Ned wakes up and looks at Alexis, who is sleeping on the corner of the bed.
The words to say, the road to take
To find a way back to your heart.
What can I do to get to you
And find a way back to your heart?
Alexis opens her eyes and looks at Ned. He doesn�t say anything. He just smiles slightly.
I don�t know how it got so crazy, but I�ll do anything to set things right.
Cause your love is so amazing, baby, you�re the best thing in my life
Monica and Gregory stand in front of his bedroom window, his arms around her.
Let me prove my love is real and make you feel the way I feel
I promise I would give you the world, if only you would tell me girl
The front door of the firehouse opens and Kimberly walks in, tears in her eyes.
The words to say, the road to take
To find a way back to your heart.
What can I do to get to you
And find a way back to your heart?
Mackenzie and Stefan stand downstairs at Wyndemere, looking at their Christmas tree.
Give me one more chance, to give my love to you
Cause no one on this earth love you like I do, tell me
Julia and Jax sit on their couch, eating a midnight snack of ice cream.
The words to say, the road to take
To find a way back to your heart.
What can I do to get to you
And find a way back to your heart?
Claire holds a tattered picture of Lily, in her hands, tears falling freely from her eyes.
I turn back time, to make you mine, and find a way back to your heart.
I beg and plead, fall to my knees, to find a way back to your heart
Scott slowly walks to Kimberly and then pulls her into his arms as she cries in remorse.
The words to say, the road to take
To find a way back to your heart.
What can I do to get to you
And find a way back to your heart?
Ned reaches over and gently strokes Alexis� hair. She smiles at him, tears in her eyes.