Jax, Ned and Justin stand outside the door to Alexis, Kimberly, Mackenzie, Sierra and Julia�s condo. They are all holding their luggage.
Justin: (impressed) �Nice job getting the keys, Ned. You�re quite a good liar.�
Ned: �I�ll take that as a compliment, so thanks.� He grins. �They are in for a huge shock.�
Jax: �Yeah. And after the shock wears off, they will either hug us or kill us.�
Justin: �Yeah, hopefully, it will be that first option.�
Ned holds a finger up to his lips that quiets them and silently opens the front door of the condo. They slip inside and stop for a moment, absorbing the silence of their pristine surroundings.
Justin: (mouthing) �I�m going to go find Sierra.� He tiptoes off in one direction.
Jax and Ned head off in the other direction. Opening the door of the first bedroom a crack, Ned sees Kimberly and Mackenzie sleeping peacefully. He closes the door and heads to the next one.
Sound asleep in the bed is Julia, her hands resting on her stomach.
Ned motions to Jax, who smiles happily and tiptoes into the room.
Ned continues on to the bedroom at the end of the hall. He opens the door and sees his favorite site�Alexis; sound asleep with a peaceful smile on her face.
He heads over to the bed and leaning down, softly kisses Alexis� lips. She moans softly and rolls over onto her side.
Ned: (softly) �Alexis?�
Alexis rolls over and her eyes flutter open. She looks shocked.
Alexis: (half-asleep) �Am I dreaming?� she pauses. �Ned?�
Ned: (whispering) �Good morning, beautiful.�
Alexis: (sitting up) �What are you doing here?�
Ned: (smiling sheepishly) �I missed you.� He sits down on the bed.
Alexis: (softly) �How long are you staying?�
Ned: �As long as you want me to.� He grins. �Or until you guys throw us out.�
Alexis: (echoing him) �Us?�
Ned: �Yeah. Jax and Justin are my co-conspirators here.�
Alexis: (laughing) �You three are incorrigible.� She lies back down.
Ned: (gently stroking her hair) �No, we just missed you guys a whole lot.�
Alexis: (touched) �Ned��
Ned: (softly) �Do you know how beautiful you are?�
Alexis: �I can�t believe you�re here.� She pauses. �How are the girls doing?�
Ned: �Luckily, Hannah is sleeping through the night even though you�re gone, Avery is too busy playing with her cat to be upset, but as for Brooke�� he trails off.
Alexis: (a little too sharply) �As for Brooke what?�
Ned: �She�s pretty upset that you didn�t call last night, or the night before.� He looks at her, unamused. �You promised her, Alexis.�
Alexis: (defensively) �I�ve been busy, Ned. This is my vacation! It�s not like I am being a neglectful mother to our children, if I don�t have time to call them every night!�
Ned: �Oh yeah? Well, what have you been doing that has been keeping you so busy?�
Alexis: (sitting up) �What do you THINK I have been doing, Ned? I have been sunbathing. Sightseeing. Swimming. Kicking back and relaxing with my friends.�
Ned: �Is that so?�
Alexis: �Yes, it is.� She glares at him. �Why did you fly across the country to start a fight with me, Ned?�
Ned: �I never said anything about a fight, Alexis.�
Alexis: �Well, you sound like�� she pauses. �Never mind. Honey, I�m sorry. I�m sorry that I didn�t call Brooke, and I am very sorry that I sound like such a bitch.�
Ned: (pulling her into his arms) �Lex, I never said you were a bitch. Just a little cranky.�
Alexis: (running her hands through his hair) �I missed you.�
Ned: (leaning over and kissing her) �I missed you too.�
Alexis: (softly) �Why don�t you show me how much you missed me, Mr. Ashton?�
Ned: �It would be my pleasure, Mrs. Ashton.� He leans over and kisses her passionately.
Alexis closes her eyes in pleasure, but not before Ned sees the worried look in her eyes.
Pushing all thoughts of displeasure from his mind, he gently lays her down and shedding their clothes, they begin to make love.
Meanwhile. Julia�s bedroom.
Jax: (kissing Julia�s stomach) �Have you missed me?�
Julia: �You have no idea.� She moans as he kisses up and down her body. �And the twins have too.�
Jax: �How are my beautiful son and daughter?� he rests his head on Julia�s stomach. �Hello, there my darling children. Are you behaving yourselves for your mommy?�
He is greeted with the feel of Julia�s stomach being kicked. �I�ll take that as a yes.�
Julia: �They�re very active in the morning.�
Jax: �I don�t think I could stand having two living beings kicking me all day and all night. How do you do it?�
Julia: �I got used to it after a while.�
Jax: �I can�t believe that you�re due in three months.� He frowns at her. �You shouldn�t be flying, Julia Michelle!�
Julia: (yawning) �Oh save it.�
Jax: �You know that I worry about you.�
Julia: �I know you do. But why don�t you redirect some of that pent up worry towards making love to me?�
Jax: �Sounds heavenly.� He smiles at her and then begins kissing her stomach again, working his way up to her lips. �I love you, Julia.�
Julia: �I love you too, Jax. And I am really glad you�re here.� She glares at him. �Even if��
Jax silences her by kissing her hard on the lips. Their kissing quickly escalates until they begin making love.
Down the hall. Sierra�s bedroom.
Sierra wakes up slowly and rolls over onto her stomach. She meets a foot that is not hers and partially opens her eyes.
Sierra: (mumbling) �Mackenzie, go back to your bed! I don�t care if Kimberly snores.�
Justin: (smiling, in a low voice) �Good morning, Gorgeous.�
Sierra: (still sleeping) �Very funny, Mackenzie. Your Justin impression is hilarious. Now go away.�
Justin: (laughing) �Well, if it�s what you really want, I�ll go back to Port Charles.�
Sierra�s eyes fly open and she sits up quickly. Justin smiles as her mouth drops open.
Sierra: �You�re� where� how� Justin!�
Justin: (innocently) �Miss me?�
Sierra: (throwing herself into his arms) �Oh my God, I have missed you so much! What on earth are you doing here?�
Justin: �Ned, Jax and I got bored and felt like visiting a luau.� He kisses her gently.
Sierra: �I am so glad to see you!� she kisses him passionately. �Kim and Mackenzie keep accusing us of having men withdrawal.�
Justin: (amused) �Are you?�
Sierra: �That�s neither here nor there.� She grins and leans close to him. �Let me put it this way. You look gorgeous this time of day.�
Justin: �So do you.� He wraps his arms around her and they fall back on the bed, kissing. �You are so beautiful, Sierra.�
Sierra: (caressing her tongue with hers) �I dreamed of this� you coming here and us walking on the beach and��
Justin: (kissing her passionately) �Making love in the waves?�
Sierra pulls away from him and her eyes grow large.
Justin: �Oh, Sie, I am so sorry. I didn�t mean to say that. I just� never mind.�
Sierra: �It�s not that. I just� never mind.�
Justin: �Are you sure you�re okay? I don�t want you to think that things are moving too fast.�
Sierra: �I�m fine.� She smiles at him. �Now kiss me again.�
Justin: �Whatever you say, Ms. Hudson.� He leans down and kisses her.
Sierra: (between kisses) �Justin� there�s something� I� I need to tell you��
Justin: (breathing heavily) �What?�
Sierra opens her mouth to speak, but just then, the door opens and Mackenzie bounds in, still in her pajamas.
Mackenzie: (coming through the door) �Sierra, come on, let�s go running.� Her mouth drops open when she sees the back of Justin and does not realize whom it is. �Wow, does Justin know that you have another boyfriend?�
Justin: (turning around, dryly) �Yep, and I�m sure that he�s going to be mad.�
Mackenzie: (shocked) �JUSTIN? What are YOU doing here?�
Justin: �Gee, Mackenzie, nice to see you too. I hope you�re as happy to see Jax and your brother as you are to see me.�
Mackenzie: (incredulous) �Ned and Jax are here? I don�t mean to be all� well, why are you guys here? And if you are here, why isn�t Stefan?�
Justin: �Well, we are here because we missed you guys. And Stefan couldn�t come because he is in the middle of some work thing.�
Kimberly: (coming into the room) �I thought I heard a male voice. Hi, Justin. Where�s Scott?�
Justin: �In court. He and Jillian are knee-deep in that lawsuit.�
Kimberly: �Great. It�s just who I wanted to be the co-council. Jillian the man-eater.� She sighs. �So who�s with you?�
Justin: �Ned and Jax.�
Sierra: �Who�s watching Ned and Alexis� kids?�
Justin: �Emily and Nikolas.�
Mackenzie: �So where�s my brother and Jax?�
Kimberly: (smugly) �I would guess that they�re down the hall� in bed.�
They all start laughing as Ned and Alexis walk down the hall, hand in hand.
Ned: (unamused) �What�s so funny?�
Mackenzie: �Nothing.� She grins and runs over to hug him. �What is it about older brothers that they can�t leave you alone for a whole week?�
Ned: (hugging her back) �What is it about pesky little sisters who think that their brothers came to see THEM in Hawaii?�
Alexis: �Is Julia up yet?�
Kimberly: �Nope. And since Jax is in there with her, we may not see them until dinner.�
Mackenzie: (laughing) �And you thought that all I talk about is sex? I think ya should look in the mirror, Kim dear!�
Kimberly: �Whatever you say, Mackenzie.� She grins. �Ned, how on earth could you have done such a heinous thing to me? Some friend you are!�
Ned: (confused) �What are you talking about?�
Kimberly: �You left Scott in Port Charles with that� that� THING!�
Alexis: (to Ned, who is still confused) �Jillian.�
Justin: �Kim, don�t worry. Jillian�s charm isn�t as great as SHE thinks it is! You have absolutely nothing to worry about!�
Meanwhile. Port Charles.
Serena is eating a bowl of cereal at the kitchen table as Scott assists Olivia with her oatmeal.
Just then, the door rings.
Serena: (her mouth full) �Who�s here so early?�
Scott: �Jillian. We�re going to court this morning so I invited her over for coffee.� He calls out loudly. �Jillian, come on in!�
Serena: (singsong) �Mom is going to be mad!�
Scott: �Serena, enough. This is for work.�
Serena: �Sorry. Besides, I like Jillian!�
Jillian: (walking into the kitchen in a black suit with a short skirt) �Good morning, you guys.� She sighs. �I need some coffee.�
Scott: (pointing at the coffeemaker) �Help yourself.� He grins. �Did you actually stay up all night finishing your opening statement?�
Jillian: (pouring herself a cup of coffee) �Yep. And I already know that we have a good chance at winning. I know the opposing council�I went up against him in a trial last year�and he is no good at opening statements. His opening can pretty much make or break a trial, so if we�re lucky, he will be totally terrible.� She yawns.
Scott: (as Olivia flings a spoonful of oatmeal on him) �Oh, no, Olivia!� he groans. �I�m going to have to go change. I�ll be back.� He gets up and leaves.
Jillian: (to Serena) �So what are you up to today, Serena?�
Serena: (pouring herself another bowl of Lucky Charms) �School and then ballet.� She pauses. �Would you like a bowl of cereal? It�s really good!�
Jillian: �No thanks.� She thinks about it. �Actually, sure. Some sugar would be good. Just point me toward the bowls.�
Serena: (gesturing towards the bowls as Jillian gets up) �I�m kinda glad my mom is in Hawaii.�
Jillian: (sitting down and pouring herself some cereal) �How come?�
Serena: �Cuz she doesn�t like me to eat sugary cereal! She says it causes um� plaque and cavities.�
Jillian: �It can, but only if you eat a whole bunch. Like a million pounds of it.�
Serena: (laughing) �A million pounds! That�s a lot of marshmallows!� she grins and takes another bite. �Do you ever do fun stuff?�
Jillian: �Like what?�
Serena: �It seems like you work all day and night! Do you ever do fun stuff like go out for ice cream or anything?�
Jillian: �Nope. I haven�t been out for ice cream in a very long time. What about you?�
Serena: �Nah. Mom was supposed to take me and Morgan out last week but she got too busy.� She looks sad. �She�s busy a lot.�
Jillian: (trying to change the subject to cheer her up) �Morgan�s your mom�s other daughter, right?�
Serena: �Yeah. Her dad is Gregory.�
Jillian: �So I have heard. So how many sisters do you have?�
Serena: �Karen�she�s my dad�s daughter, and Morgan�she�s my mom�s daughter, and Olivia�my mom and dad adopted her at birth. Do you have any sisters?�
Jillian: �No, but I have a half brother named Jeff. He�s older than me.�
Serena: �I wish I had a brother!� she sets her spoon down. �I want some ice cream now since we were talking about it! Do you think my dad would be mad if I had some?�
Jillian: �I think that ice cream wouldn�t be such a great breakfast�. So why don�t I make a deal with you?�
Serena: �What?�
Jillian: �Why don�t you finish your breakfast�. And sometime this week, I�ll take you out for ice cream when your dad and I aren�t in court.�
Serena: �Really?� she looks surprised. �You�d take me out for ice cream?�
Jillian: �Sure, why not?�
Serena: �Wow, Jillian! Thanks!�
Scott: (coming in, with a new shirt on) �Thanks for what?�
Serena: �Dad, Jillian said she�d take me out to have ice cream sometime this week!�
Scott: �Wow, Jillian, that�s pretty nice of you!� Jillian shrugs. �Serena, why don�t you run get your backpack and we�ll drop you off at school.�
Serena nods and runs out of the kitchen.
Jillian: (to Scott) �Scott, I hope that you don�t mind that I offered to take her out for ice cream.�
Scott: (slowly) �Jillian, I don�t mind.� He pauses. �However, I don�t want you jerking my daughter around if you decide that you don�t want her hanging around anymore. Serena thinks a LOT of you, and I don�t want her to be hurt by you when you decide to drop her.�
Jillian: (hurt) �Scott, I never said I was going to drop Serena. When I asked her to go have ice cream, I was just trying to be nice.� She shrugs. �Don�t worry. I like Serena. I think she�s a good kid.�
Scott: �Well I am glad you feel that way because she likes you a lot.�
Jillian: �To be honest, I am a little worried about what Kim is going to say if she finds out that I took Serena out for ice cream. Honestly, do you MIND?�
Scott: �I already told you that I don�t mind. It was very nice of you to offer. And don�t worry about Kimberly. She isn�t going to be mad.�
Jillian: �But she hates me. We ALL know that.�
Scott: �Maybe� but she isn�t going to begrudge you for spending time with her daughter, especially if you have no ulterior motives.� He notices she still looks worried. �Jillian, don�t worry. Kim isn�t going to care!�
Meanwhile. Maui. The beach.
Kimberly: (to Mackenzie) �What if she�s trying to seduce Scott?�
Mackenzie: �Kim, would you relax? Scott loves YOU. Jillian isn�t going to seduce him.�
Kimberly: (angry) �How do you know? After all, he did have a five minute fling with Alexis last year.�
Justin: (sitting down next to her) �Excuse me? Scott and Alexis?�
Mackenzie: (groaning) �It�s a long story but the basic gist of it is that when we all found out that Morgan was Kim and Greg�s child, Alexis and Scott got a little drunk and did a little kissing� twice.� She glares at Kimberly. �And a certain someone thought they had slept together and told Ned.�
Kimberly: (defensively) �Hey what can I say? Everyone�s sleeping together these days!�
Sierra: (amusedly) �Not everyone.�
Mackenzie: (surprised) �You two haven�t��
Justin: �There is such a thing as perfect timing, Mackenzie! Right, Sierra?�
Sierra: (annoyed) �I don�t want to talk about this.� She gets up and walks away. Turning around, she calls over her shoulder. �I�m going for a walk.�
Justin: �Do you want me to come with you?�
Sierra: �I�d rather be alone right now.� She walks away.
Mackenzie: �Justin, I am really sorry. I didn�t mean to pry and get into your business.�
Justin: �It�s okay, Mackenzie. I have no clue what that was all about. But should I go after her?�
Kimberly: �NO!�
Mackenzie: (at the same time) �NO!�
Meanwhile. Down the beach.
Ned: (rubbing sun block onto Alexis� back) �So are you enjoying yourself?�
Alexis: (softly) �It�s gotten considerably better since you arrived. I can�t enjoy a beach without having you next to me in the sand.�
Ned: (gently kissing the back of her neck) �I�m glad you aren�t mad we crashed your vacation.�
Alexis: �It was a wonderful surprise, Ned.�
Ned: (casually) �So who�s this Mikhail guy you ran into here? Some old client?�
Alexis: (after a few moments) �Not exactly.�
Ned: �Did you go to school with him?�
Alexis: �No�. I knew him in Greece.�
Ned: (raising his eyebrows) �Alexis, is this an old boyfriend?�
Alexis: �No, he is not. I just knew him in Greece.�
Ned: �Is that him coming towards us now?�
Mikhail: (approaching them) �Alexis! I thought you would be here. I need to talk to you.�
Ned: (standing up, somewhat defensively) �Hello. I�m Ned Ashton, Alexis� husband.�
Mikhail: (holding out a hand) �Hello, I am Mikhail�� he looks at Alexis, who shakes her head. �Estes.�
Ned: �Alexis was just explaining to me how she knows you.� He shakes his hand.
Alexis: (standing up) �And I was telling Ned that you and I knew each other in Greece.�
Mikhail nods. Alexis looks somewhat pained. Ned looks at him and then her. He doesn�t say anything.
Alexis: �So what did you need to talk to me about, Mikhail?�
Mikhail: �Actually, it�s about that� business acquisition for Cassadine Industries that I wanted you to tell Stefan about for me.�
Ned: (cutting in) �Oh, you work for Cassadine Industries?�
Mikhail: �No, but the company I work for does a lot of relations with them.�
Ned: �So why do you want to talk to Alexis about the business deal? Shouldn�t you be talking to Stefan?�
Mikhail: (patiently) �I thought that Alexis may want to stay abreast of what�s going on seeing as that she is one of Cassadine Industries� councils.�
Alexis: (to Ned) �Ned, just let me talk to him for a moment and then I�ll meet you where everyone else is down the beach.�
Ned: (shortly) �Fine.� He turns to walk away but then turns around and kisses Alexis hard on the lips. �I�ll be waiting.�
Alexis: (after Ned walks away) �Well, that�s my husband!�
Mikhail: �He seems� protective of you.�
Alexis: �He is. And it drives me insane sometimes but I know that he loves me so I don�t complain.� She shrugs. �It�s nice to be protected.�
Mikhail: �I just wish I could have protected you from Helena.�
Alexis: (softly) �Me too. Stefan did his best� but Stavros was always one step ahead of us. It was his mission in life to make me suffer.�
Mikhail: (taking her hands) �I�m so, so sorry, Alexis.�
Alexis: �It�s okay. Because you�re here now. And that�s what matters.�
Mikhail reaches over and gives her a hug. She hugs him back.
Down the beach, Ned sees them hugging and quickly grows angry.
That evening.
Justin knocks on Sierra�s bedroom door.
Sierra: �Come in.�
Justin: (opening the door) �Am I allowed in here or do you want to be alone?�
Sierra: (without looking at him) �I think we need to talk.�
Justin: (about to sit down on the bed) �I�m ready to listen to whatever you have to say.�
Sierra: (standing up) �Not here. Let�s go for a walk.�
Fifteen minutes later. The beach.
Justin and Sierra are sitting on the sand, staring out at the dark water. Neither of them say anything for a few moments.
Sierra: (finally) �I guess you want to know why I am acting so weird.�
Justin: �Well, yeah. You seem to be having some mood swings� if I didn�t know any better, I would think you were pregnant.�
Sierra: (sharply) �I�m not!� she pauses. �And that�s what we need to talk about. Justin, you know that I love you�. But all this talk about us making love is driving me insane.�
Justin: �What do you mean? We haven�t even discussed it.�
Sierra: �It�s the little things� like Mackenzie�s comment. Just because we have been sleeping in the same bed does not mean that we are sleeping together. And I resent anyone who thinks that.�
Justin: (gently) �Sierra, I hope you don�t think I am trying to pressure you into sleeping with me. I mean, what I said about perfect timing� I meant that. And if you�re hesitant because you had a bad last relationship or something� then tell me and we can work it out together.�
Sierra: �Justin, how many women have you slept with?�
Justin: �Three. Is that what is bugging you?�
Sierra: (blurting it out) �Justin, I have never slept with anyone.�
Justin: (shocked) �You mean that you�re�.�
Sierra: �Justin, I�m a virgin.� She groans loudly. �And it sounds even more horrible out loud than in my head� I am a thirty two year old virgin.�
Justin: (carefully) �Not to offend you, but how is that possible? You�re beautiful and sexy and smart� how could no one want to�.�
Sierra: (seriously) �Because I never let them.�
Justin: �Is there some specific reason why?�
Sierra: �I have a sister� she�s two, almost three, years younger than me. And the year that I was a junior and she was a freshman� her boyfriend� well, Gwen was a party girl. I was the good girl, honor student� and my sister was a party girl who had to be dragged to school. And her boyfriend at the time was twenty one.�
Justin: �Your parents let a fifteen year old go out with a twenty one year old?�
Sierra: �She never told them. Anyway, he took her to a party one night when they were out of town and they got pretty drunk�. And he pretty much raped her. She was too drunk to know what was happening and he raped her and then his best friend did too.�
Justin: (concerned) �Oh God, Sierra. That�s horrible.�
Sierra: �That wasn�t the worst of it. Three days after Christmas, Gwen found out that she was pregnant. She had a son when she was fifteen. She�s twenty-nine now and her son, Quinn, just turned fourteen.�
Justin: �Is that why you never slept with anyone? Because of what happened to your sister?�
Sierra: �I was a good student and I rarely even went out�. I had a job and friends and cheerleading� I was the beloved one� and when my parents found out that Gwen was pregnant they almost sent her to boarding school�. They didn�t even come to the hospital when Quinn was born. I was there for all of it� I was there when the snobby girls started rumors about my baby sister� I was there to loan her money when the salary she made working at a department store didn�t cover the cost of baby clothes�I was there when Quinn was born.�
Justin doesn�t say anything as she goes on.
Sierra: �They pretty much disowned her. And it hurt her so badly� she really needed my parents to be there for her but they were too damn selfish to help out their own daughter. So I did. I even had Quinn live with me when he was seven so Gwen could get her college degree. He lived with me for two years and she came to see him every weekend.�
Justin: �Wow, you�re some nice aunt!�
Sierra: (simply) �I love my sister, and I love my nephew.� She shakes her head. �And God knows that Gwen has paid for her mistakes.�
Justin: �Do your parents have anything to do with her now?�
Sierra: �Not really. They send Quinn a check every year on his birthday, but they rarely see or talk to Gwen. She doesn�t care though because she wants nothing to do with them.� She pauses. �Anyway, back to my point. Seeing what Gwen went through made me realize that if I ever got pregnant like that�or slept with some guy just because� I would be paying for it for the rest of my life�I could end up with a child before I was ready to have one, or with some horrible disease. So I promised myself that I would not sleep with a man until I had the emotional stability that I desired�which was marriage.�
Justin: (softly) �Are you still planning to wait?�
Sierra: (after a few moments) �I honestly do not know.�
Justin: �Sierra, if you are not ready to sleep with me, than I will respect that. I will wait for you.� Sierra looks surprised. �I mean, I am not saying that we will end up married, because time will tell� but I love you and I will not push you.�
Sierra: (in a low voice) �That�s all I ask. I mean, I may decide that I don�t want to wait until marriage, but I just don�t want to be pressured. My last boyfriend�he didn�t know I was a virgin, but he kept pushing me into bed with him.�
Justin: �What ended up happening?�
Sierra: �I dumped him the day after his birthday shortly after he had tried to force me into bed. Like literally force�as in pick me up and carry me��
Justin: �Men like that give our whole gender a bad name.�
Sierra: �Well, you certainly don�t.� she leans close to him. �Thank you for understanding.�
Justin: �I love you.�
Sierra: �I love you too.�
They lean close to each other and begin kissing.
Meanwhile. The condo.
Ned and Alexis are facing off in front of their bed. They both have their arms crossed.
Alexis: �Since when are you so rude in front of my friends?�
Ned: (hotly) �I wasn�t aware that Mikhail was one of your friends, Alexis!�
Alexis: �I use the term lightly. I have known him for a long time.�
Ned: �Well, you seemed pretty cozy today when you were hugging on the beach.�
Alexis: �You were spying on me?�
Ned: �It�s not spying if it is on a PUBLIC beach, Alexis!�
Alexis: �It was a friendly hug. He was friends with Stefan and I knew him too��
Ned: (cutting her off) �Oh stop lying, Alexis. Who is he? Is he an old boyfriend?�
Alexis: �NO! Ned, I already told you that!�
Ned: (staring her in the eye) �So you can honestly tell me that you never felt anything romantic for Mikhail Estes? Can you truly say that?�
Alexis: (faltering a little) �Yes� I can say that.�
Ned: �Whatever you say.� He turns and walks away. �I�m going to take a shower. When you�re ready to tell me the truth, let me know.�
Alexis glares at him as he walks away.
Just then, Kimberly sticks her head into the room. She does not see Ned.
Kimberly: �Lex, your brother is on the phone.�
Ned: (coming out of the bathroom, still dressed) �Oh good, maybe STEFAN will tell me who this Mikhail guy is.�
Before Kimberly can pull the phone back, Ned grabs it out of her hand and starts talking into the receiver.
Ned: �Hey Stefan?� he pauses and then frowns. �This isn�t Stefan, is it? Who is this��
Alexis and Kimberly exchange a worried look as Ned turns to Kimberly.
Ned: �Kim, I thought you said Alexis� brother was on the phone.�
Alexis: (weakly) �He is.�
Ned: �Excuse me?� he speaks into the phone. �Alexis is going to have to call you back. She and I have some talking to do.�
Kimberly: (meekly) �I�ll leave you two alone now.�
Ned: (half confused, half mad) �Are you aware that Mikhail was on the phone?�
Alexis: �Yes. He�s my brother.�
Ned: �And how is that?� he thinks about it. �Come to think of it, you two do look alike.�
Alexis: (whispering) �We�re twins.�
Ned: (glaring at her) �And you never bothered to tell me?�
Alexis: �Ned, I��
Ned: (cutting her off, furious) �I don�t want to talk about this. I don�t even want to know why you�re keeping secrets from me.�
Alexis: �Ned��
Ned: �Actually, I don�t even want to see you right now.�
He walks out of the bedroom, slamming the door.
Alexis: (sobbing) �Ned!�
There is no answer. Alexis sinks to the ground and cries as the silence in the room seems to swallow her alive.