Ned is sitting at the bar, nursing a vodka, when Jax sits down beside him.
Ned: (slurring) �Go away. I don�t want a lecture.�
Jax: �I am not here to lecture you, Ned. I am, however, here to tell you that your wife is pretty worried about you.�
Ned: �Do I look like someone who cares?�
Jax: (getting mad) �Damn it, Ned! Why do you have to be so pigheaded?�
Ned: �Jax, leave me alone. I�ll see you when you get back to New York.�
Jax: (challenging him) �Oh, so you�re going to just run away from your problems?�
Ned: �I have no problem.� He takes a long drink of vodka.
Jax: �Ned, you walked out on your wife. I think that can be considered a problem.�
Ned: (slamming his glass down) �Did it ever occur to you that I walked out on her because she lied to me? Yet again?�
Jax: �Alexis loves you.�
Ned: �If she loved me, she would not keep lying to me.�
Jax: �Ned, knock it off. You know that Alexis loves you.�
Meanwhile. The condo.
Kimberly is walking to her room when she hears crying coming from Alexis� room, followed by several loud thuds.
Kimberly: �Alexis? Are you okay?�
Alexis: (muffled) �Leave me alone.�
Kimberly: (opening the door) �I am not going to leave you alone�� She trails off as she sees Alexis standing next to her packed suitcase. �What are you doing?�
Alexis: �I am going home.�
Kimberly: �And why would that be?�
Alexis: (in a calm voice) �Why should I stay here? Ned hates me.�
Kimberly: �So you�re just going to run away from your problems? Alexis, you can�t just go back to Port Charles. What about us? And what about Mikhail?�
Alexis: �I already called Mikhail and told him I am leaving. I will see you in a week.� She picks up her suitcase.
Kimberly: �Alexis, you can�t do this.�
Alexis: (dropping her suitcase and starting to cry) �Kim, can you stop telling me what to do for once and just be my best friend?�
Kimberly: (going to her and giving her a hug) �I�m sorry.� She strokes Alexis� hair as she cries against her. �Lex, I am so sorry. But you know that Ned loves you.�
Alexis: �He has never looked at me like that before. He looked straight through me.�
Kimberly: �Lex, he�s been mad at you before. He will get over this, just like he always does.�
Alexis: �That doesn�t change anything.� She pauses. �Will you drive me to the airport?�
Kimberly: �Alexis��
Alexis: �If you don�t drive me, I will take a cab. I am not staying her, Kim. I can�t.�
Kimberly: �Fine. I�ll drive you to the airport.�
She picks up Alexis� suitcase and they head for the door.
Alexis: �Thanks, Kim. I love you.�
Kimberly: �I love you too, Lex. Everything is going to be fine.�
Meanwhile. Port Charles.
Emily and Nikolas are sleeping soundly in the guestroom when they hear a scream coming from down the hall.
Brooke: (screaming) �NO! MOMMY, NO!�
Emily bolts out of bed and runs down the hall to her cousin�s room. Turning on the light, she sees Brooke curled up in a ball at the end of the bed. She is sobbing.
Emily: �Brooke, Sweetheart, what happened?�
Brooke: (sobbing) �Mommy� I want my Mommy to come home!�
Emily: (cradling her against her) �Did you have a bad dream, Sweetie?�
Brooke: (nodding) �My mommy�s plane fell out of the sky and she died.�
Emily: �Oh, Brooke, it was only a dream. Your mommy is fine.�
Brooke: (challenging her) �How do you know?�
Emily: �Because your daddy is with her. Nothing bad could happen to her if your daddy is with her. He will protect her from anything bad.�
Brooke: (in a very small voice) �Can I call her?�
Emily: (looking at the clock) �No, baby, she�s asleep. It�s too late.�
Brooke: (crying harder) �I want my mommy to come home!�
Emily: �Brooke, she will come home soon! I promise!�
Brooke: (softly) �Emily, will you sleep in here with me?�
Emily: �Sure I will, Sweetie. Sure I will.�
Emily gets up and turns off the light before climbing into Brooke�s bed with her. She wraps her arms around the little girl and they slowly fall asleep.
Meanwhile. Maui.
Ned is just reaching for his next vodka when his cell phone rings. He ignores it.
Jax: (slightly amused) �Aren�t you going to get the phone?�
Ned: (slurring) �No one I wanna talk to�� He takes out his phone to shut the power off.
Jax: (grabbing the phone from him and answering it) �Ned�s phone, this is Jax...�
Julia: �Jax, we have a problem. Kim just took Alexis to the airport.�
Jax: �WHAT? Why did you let her leave?�
Julia: �Jax, I couldn�t stop them. Alexis is going back to New York.�
Jax: �Well� Ned is not the most sober he has ever been.�
Julia: �I don�t care if he has drank an entire case of vodka. Get him to the airport.�
Jax: �I will. I love you. Bye.� He turns off the phone. �Guess what, Ned?�
Ned: (dully) �I dunno.�
Jax: �Kimberly is driving your wife to the airport.�
Ned: �That�s nice.�
Jax: �She is going back to New York.�
Ned: (looking completely coherent) �Are you serious?�
Jax: �Totally. She is shattered that you left her. I was trying to tell you that before.�
Ned: (determined) �I have to stop her.�
Jax: �Do you want me to drive you to the airport?�
Ned: (nodding) �I don�t have my clothes though��
Jax: �Ned, does that really matter? Do you want your wife to leave you or do you want to go back and pick up your clothes?�
Ned: �Take me to the airport!�
Fifteen minutes later.
Kimberly and Alexis are standing at the gate.
Announcer: �Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin first-class boarding for United Airlines Flight 873 with nonstop service to New York.�
Kimberly: �Are you sure you want to go?�
Alexis: �I don�t have any other choice.�
Kimberly: �Ned loves you, Alexis. He is not going to stay mad forever.�
Alexis: �I lied to him one too many times. I don�t blame him for hating me.�
Kimberly: �He doesn�t hate you.�
Alexis: �I have to go.�
Kimberly: (giving her a hug) �I love you, Alexis Ashton. Don�t forget that.�
Alexis: �I love you too, Kimberly Baldwin.� She smiles for the first time. �And I still want to know what made you want to drop Corday.�
Kimberly: �We�ll talk about it later. I�ll see you in a few days.�
She watches as Alexis walks toward the jetway and then disappears. She stands there as the plane continues to board, to make sure that Alexis does not change her mind and need a ride back to the condo.
Announcer: (ten minutes later) �Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final boarding call for United Airlines flight 873.�
When no one walks forward, she heads over and begins closing the door to the jet way.
Meanwhile. Aboard the aircraft.
Alexis sits in the fifth row of first class seating, her eyes red from crying. Tears fill her eyes but she does not notice.
Pilot: (on the intercom) �Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard United Airlines flight 873 with nonstop service to New York. We will be taking off shortly, but until we do, please direct your attention toward the front of the aircraft for the flight attendants� safety demonstration.�
Alexis slumps down in her seat, not caring about the safety demonstration.
At the gate.
The attendant is closing the door to the jet way when Jax and Ned race up.
Jax: �Wait! Hold the plane!�
Attendant: �The plane is leaving, sir. I am sorry.�
Ned: (begging) �Please� I have to� my wife is on that plane�� he holds out a ticket.
The engine on the plane roars to life and Alexis leans back, waiting for the first jerk as the plane pulls away from the jet way and heads toward the runway.
Attendant: (speaking into her radio-walkie talkie) �Wait, hold the flight. We have a late passenger.�
Just as the engines give the whir of beginning to back up, the plane stops.
Ned: �Thank you.�
Attendant: (opening the door for him) �You�re welcome.�
Ned: (over his shoulder as he runs) �Thanks, Jax! I owe you!�
Jax: (calling after him) �Don�t worry about it! Good luck!�
Ned: (walking onto the plane, to the flight attendants) �Sorry I�m late.�
Flight attendant: (slightly amused) �Please take your seat, sir.�
Ned: (walking to Alexis� row) �Is this seat taken?�
Alexis: (not looking up) �Go away, Ned.�
Ned: (sitting down next to her) �I�m not going anywhere.�
Alexis: �Just leave me alone.�
Ned: �Alexis, look at me.�
Alexis: (looking at her weary and slightly drunken husband) �Ned, what am I supposed to do now? Beg for mercy? Did you have to chase down my plane so that I could spend twelve hours listening to you scream at me for being a liar and whatever else you want to call me? Because if that is your intention, than I have no desire to sit with you. I would rather go sit in coach.�
The plane roars to life and backs away from the terminal. It heads for the runway.
Ned: (furious) �Alexis, why do you have to run away from everything? From everyone who loves you?�
Alexis: �You made it pretty clear that you do not love me.�
Ned: �Alexis, I never said that I did not love you. Being angry with someone and not loving them is two totally different things.�
Alexis doesn�t say anything. She just faces forward.
Ned: (softly) �You know that I love you.� He gently pushes a lock of hair out of her face. �I could never stop loving you, Brinna.�
Alexis does not say anything as the plane begins to taxi down the runway. As its speed increases, she tenses back against the seat.
Without a word, as the plane takes off into the sky, Ned reaches over and takes his wife�s hand. She does not pull away. They sit in silence.
Ten minutes later.
Ned: �I was a stupid man, Alexis. I should have never yelled at you.�
Alexis: (tears in her eyes) �Ned, I never lied to you. I did not know that Mikhail was my brother. Honest.�
Ned: �I know.�
Alexis: �No you don�t. If you knew that, you would never have walked out on me. You would not have accused me of lying to you. Do you know how much that hurt?�
Ned does not say anything.
Alexis: (continuing) �Imagine knowing that you every time that something is going just right in your life, it all shatters in one moment. Every time I have ever been happy, something goes wrong. Starting way back with my parents dying to the time when Avery was kidnapped because of who my family is.� She starts to cry. �Nothing is ever totally perfect for me, Ned, and hearing the one person who I love above all else tell me that they never want to see me again made me want to throw myself into the ocean.�
Ned: �I�m sorry, Alexis.�
Alexis: �And it gets worse. Mikhail was my only friend when Stefan decided that he was too cool to hang out with me. I did not care that he was not of �true� Cassadine descent, nor did he care that I was not �one of them.� He was my first real friend.� She looks away. �He was my first love.�
Ned: �You had an affair with him?�
Alexis: �We were teenagers� I was in love with him� and he was with me� and we wanted to so very badly but I thought it was wrong because he was technically my cousin� well not by blood� but my cousin all the same��
Ned: �So I take it that you told him that you couldn�t be together?�
Alexis: (nodding) �But the attraction was too great.� She does not say anything for several moments.
Ned: �Lex, if you don�t want to tell me, you don�t have to.�
Alexis sighs.
* * * F L A S H B A C K * * *
(Alexis is telling Ned the events as they happen in her flashback.)
The Cassadine Compound.
15-year-old Alexis is sitting on her bed reading a book. There is a knock at the door. She quickly hides the book behind her pillow, a worried look on her face.
Alexis: �You may enter.�
Mikhail: (sticking his head inside the room) �Want some company?�
Alexis: (delighted) �Mikhail! I�ve missed you!�
Mikhail: �Well, you ran out on me two weeks ago on the beach.�
Alexis: �Details, details.� She grins. �Come on in. I�ve never had a guy in my room�other than Stefan or Stavros.�
Mikhail: �So I take it then that you are feeling pretty naughty?�
Alexis: (grinning) �I�m never naughty. I am a perfect angel.�
Mikhail: �Whatever you say, Alexis.�
Alexis: �Anyway, Mikhail� I have been thinking about what you wanted us to do.�
Mikhail: �What?�
Alexis: (giggling) �Do it. You know� be together.� She smiles. �I want to.�
Mikhail: (shocked) �What made you change your mind?�
Alexis: �I went down and looked at the genealogy. We are not actually blood cousins. So it�s different.�
Mikhail: �Are you sure, Alexis? I don�t want us to do anything you don�t want to do.�
Alexis pulls him to her and they begin kissing. She presses her body against his.
Mikhail: �Do you want me to lock the door?�
Alexis: (pulling her shirt over her head) �Nah. Helena is off� I think Stefan called it screwing one of her servants.�
Mikhail: (stroking her breasts through her bra) �Are you ready for this?�
Alexis: �Yep. Let�s do it.�
Mikhail reaches behind her and unhooks her bra. It falls off. Alexis looks surprised.
Alexis: �What are you doing?�
Mikhail: �I want to touch your breasts, Alexis.�
Alexis: �You were before.�
Mikhail does not say anything. He gently strokes her breasts, making her moan.
Alexis: �So when are we gonna do it?�
Mikhail: �I�m still dressed. It might be hard for us if I am fully clothed.�
Alexis: �Then take off your clothes.�
Mikhail pulls his shirt off and then unzips his pants. They fall to the floor. Alexis looks at his naked body and then away.
Mikhail: �What�s wrong?�
Alexis: �I�ve never seen� well� you know��
Mikhail: �Alexis, it�s not a big deal. All guys��
Alexis: �I know that!� she blushes. �But it�s so big��
Mikhail leans close to her and starts kissing her.
Just then, the door flies open. Standing there is Stefan.
Alexis: (panicking) �Stefan! What are you doing in here?�
Stefan: (furious) �I could ask you the same!� he turns to Mikhail. �Leave!�
Alexis watches helplessly as Mikhail gets dressed and practically runs out of the room.
* * * E N D O F F L A S H B A C K * * *
Ned: (laughing) �Stefan walked in and ruined your first sexual��
Alexis: �Ned, it wasn�t funny. He was furious at me. He threatened to tell Helena if I was ever so careless again.�
Ned: �What happened after that?�
Alexis: �Stefan forbid me from seeing Mikhail again. And then he left the island to go to school so I didn�t see him again for a long time.�
Ned: �Poor Lexi.�
Alexis: �Ned, do you know how repulsed I feel? He is my TWIN BROTHER!�
Ned: �It�s not like you knew that, Alexis!�
Alexis: �But still��
Ned: �You didn�t know. You have no reason to feel ashamed.�
Alexis: (shaking her head) �I didn�t speak to Stefan for a week. I was so mad at him for ruining the one good thing in my life.�
Ned: �Has he ever said anything about it?
Alexis: �I think that he prefers to forget that he walked in on me almost having sex.�
Ned: (somewhat amused) �Sorry, Lex, I don�t mean to laugh� it�s just��
Alexis: �You�re so supportive.�
Ned: �I am. I won�t say anything to anyone.�
Alexis: �You�d better not.�
Ned: (softly) �Do you know how long it�s been since I kissed you?�
Alexis: �What are you waiting for?�
Ned leans over and softly kisses Alexis� lips. She kisses him back.
Alexis: (pulling back) �Ned, how much alcohol did you have tonight?�
Ned: �I stopped counting after the sixth vodka.�
Alexis: (shaking her head) �You�re pathetic.�
Ned: �I know.� He smiles. �Pathetically in love with you.�
Alexis: �I love you too.�
Ned: �And now I think we should sleep� I need to sleep off the hangover that I can feel beginning to start.�
Alexis: (softly) �Can you hold me while I sleep?�
Ned: (pushing the armrest up) �You can lay in my lap.�
Alexis: �Isn�t that against the airlines� rules?�
Ned: �What are they going to do? Throw us off the plane?�
Alexis smiles. She undoes her seat belt and lays down in Ned�s lap and closes her eyes. Ned strokes her hair until she falls asleep.
Once Alexis has fallen asleep, Ned closes his eyes too�
When I'm lost in the rain,
In your eyes I know
I'll find the light to light my way
And when I'm scared, losing ground
When my world is going crazy
You can turn it all around and when I'm down you're there
Alexis shifts in her sleep and Ned holds her tightly against him.
Pushing me to the top
You're always there, giving me all you've got
Emily sleeps soundly in Brooke�s bed as Brooke cradles her doll. Nikolas watches them from the doorway.
For a shield from the storm
For a friend
For a love to keep me safe and warm
I turn to you
Jax and Julia lay in their bed in the condo, talking softly.
For the strength to be strong
For the will to carry on
For everything you do
For everything that's true
I turn to you
Kimberly picks up the phone to call home. The phone rings busy.
When I lose the will to win
I just reach for you
And I can reach the sky again
I can do anything
'Cause your love is so amazing
'Cause your love inspires me
And when I need a friend
You're always on my side
Giving me faith, taking me through the night
Scott and Jillian sit on the couch, watching a movie with Serena. None of them notice that the phone has fallen off the hook.
For a shield from the storm
For a friend
For a love to keep me safe and warm
I turn to you
Morgan sits in her room, looking at a picture of Nikolas hidden inside a book.
For the strength to be strong
For the will to carry on
For everything you do
For everything that's true
I turn to you
Mackenzie talks to Stefan on the phone, laughing into the receiver.
For the arms to be my shelter
Through all the rain
For truth that will never change
For someone to lean on
For a heart I can rely on through anything
For the one who I can run to...
Sierra and Justin walk hand in hand down the beach.
For a shield from the storm
For a friend
For a love to keep me safe and warm
I turn to you
Alexis opens her eyes and looks at Ned. He smiles at her.
For the strength to be strong
For the will to carry on
For everything you do
For everything that's true
I turn to you
Ned: �I love you, Alexis.�
Alexis: �I love you too, Ned. Always.�