A Twist on the Truth
by Zandergirl

Chapter 39

“Niiice!” Ric nodded in approval after Josh popped open the tiny black velvet box lid.

“That had to set you back some bucks.”

“It’s just money, right?” he chuckled. “What do you think Alexis?”

She stopped folding a sweater and set it down walking over to peer at the ring. It was a one-carat Princess cut diamond set in an exquisite platinum setting. He held it up to the light and Alexis gasped as the reflection inspired the fire in all of its facets to sparkle brilliantly displaying an array of dancing stars on the far bedroom wall.

“Its gorgeous!” she breathed. “Gillian will be speechless.”

“I hope not!” he joked. “I’m hoping that she’ll say ‘yes’.”

Alexis stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, smiling radiantly. “How could she resist you?”

“Hey!” Ric pouted. “What about me?”

“You’ll get yours later.” She grinned and resumed packing her suitcase.

“So,” Josh continued, glossing over Ric’s immediate preoccupation with whatever it was that his wife promised. “Did you do the knee thing?”

“He did the blurt thing.” Alexis interjected from across the room.

“Alexis!” Ric scolded her playfully.

“Sorry,” she sang demurely. “Carry on.”

“No,” he turned to Josh. “I didn’t ask. I-”

“You stated it,” she couldn’t resist. “Your marriage proposal wasn’t a question, but rather a statement.”

“It was?” Josh asked.

“Sort of,” Ric grumbled shooting Alexis a dirty look “But our circumstances were different.”

“Yes. Very different,” she quipped and grinned at Josh. “Do the knee thing.”

“Only if you’re comfortable with it.” Ric added firmly. “Have you told Sarah yet?”

“No. I wanted to wait until I had an answer. I don’t want to upset her should Gilly refuse me.”

“She won’t.” Alexis reassured him. “I’m just about done here,” she announced glancing at her husband’s half packed suitcase, “which is more than I can say for you. I think I’m going to walk over and see Sarah. Will you and Kristina pick me up there?”

“Sure,” Ric smiled sauntering over and pulling her into his arms. Nuzzling his face close to hers he gratefully mouthed the words “Thank you.”

“I love her too,” she whispered back accepting his soft kiss. She knew that Ric was concerned about Sarah but still unsure if his presence was more of burden than a blessing. Emotions were still raw and the wounds wide open.

Alexis quickly kissed him once more and pulled away. “Make sure he gets packed,” she admonished Josh. “We have a plane to catch in Boston. We’re not on Jax’s flexible schedule for this trip.”

“Don’t worry,” Josh laughed. “I’ll see to it that they’re both ready to go.”

***

Alexis could smell the aromatic perfume of Sarah’s roses at the end of the driveway. Thanks to her tender care, they were rewarding her with one last bloom before fall and settling down for their winter’s nap. As expected, she found Sarah bending over a rose bush near the trellis pruning the plants meticulously in hollow silence.

“Sarah?” she called out her name softly.

The steady “snip” of gardening clippers ceased as the older woman looked up, a trace of a smile threatening her lips. “Alexis. Good to see ya darlin’.”

She approached gingerly, hands clasped in front of her. “We…we’re getting ready to go. I wanted to stop over and tell you goodbye.”

“And to see how I’m doin’,” Sarah cut to the truth.

“There’s no fooling you, is there?”

“Aye, that’s where you’re wrong.”

“You weren’t fooled Sarah,” Alexis quietly corrected her. “You were intentionally kept from the truth. For what it’s worth, I know how it feels. For years my father and stepmother withheld my true identity from me. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I learned I was really part of the family and not a distant cousin to my brothers. It was jolting and I felt all of the anger and resentment you must be feeling right now.”

“I feel more sorrow than anger,” she said honestly.

“Can we sit a while?” Alexis asked spying a wrought iron garden bench nearby adorned with a colorful floral cushion. Sarah nodded following her over and the two women sat down.

“Ya referred to your family?” Sarah mused curiously.

“The Cassadines,” Alexis explained. “ I use the name ‘Davis’ but my family’s surname is actually Cassadine, the not-so-proud descendants of Russian royalty dating back to the Czar.”

Sarah slowly set down her garden sheers. “I don’t know much about Russian history but that sounds important.”

“That depends.”

“Depends on what? Ya said ‘royalty’ didn’t ya?”

Alexis reached over and touched her arm, “Aristocracy has its advantages, but more oft than not, wealth and power breeds greed and discontent. In my family’s case, both were true but the latter prevailed. My father became disenchanted with his wife and enamored with my mother. That’s how my late sister and I came to be.

With a touch of bitterness in her voice, Alexis continued. “My stepmother was so consumed with jealousy and rage that she killed my mother in order to extort the ultimate revenge. From that moment on, father was banished from claiming me as his own. If he did Helena made it clear that I would suffer the same fate as my mother. So you see, all the power and position in the world does not buy happiness.”

Horrified, Sarah shook her head in disbelief. “Land sakes child! You’ve suffered so! Just as much as my Ricky has.”

“My father Mikkos was as ruthless and misguided as Trevor is,” Alexis replied pensively. “Mama’s death was such a traumatic event for me that I blocked it and my whole childhood beforehand out of my mind. It was as if my life began again at eight years old. I didn’t remember who I was or what happened until years later when I when I could finally handle the truth.

Awestruck by the kinetic nature of her relationship with Ric, Alexis emphatically reached for Sarah’s hand. “I truly believe that Ric and I were brought together for a reason. In a way, we’re mirrors of one another. I look at him and I recognize the tormented child; it’s myself staring back at me. The difference between us is that he had you in his life to love him and give him hope. The thought of hurting you and losing that love was slowly killing him. That’s why I know what excruciating pain he’s in right now.”

“It breaks m’ heart to think of him sufferin’. It wasn’t his fault. That’s why I told ya both it’s time to put aside the hurt and start healin’,” she reminded her. “I meant that.”

“I know you did. But Ric has just awakened from years of suppressing the truth about what happened. He’s realizing and feeling years of guilt that have been burrowed away with this secret. It’s a powerful emotion and not easily overcome.”

“That’s why I’m so furious with Trevor!” Sara declared angrily. “What in the fires o’ hell made him do that to his own son? And to Patrick?”

“An equally powerful emotion,” Alexis answered frankly. “Misdirected as he was, Trevor was motivated by his love for you. It was – is – obviously very real.”

“I don’t know how ta feel about that,” she fretted. “All those years ago I only had eyes for Patrick. Trevor was a man I worked for. In time, he and I became friends. I felt sorry for him. Here he was all alone with this wee little baby and no one to help him.”

Sarah’s anger relented as she drifted back to fonder times.

“We’d all heard about Adella’s leavin’ – the Vineyard can be very small due to those with loose lips. Trevor posted a notice at the market. ‘Housekeeper wanted. Experience with children required.’ I tore it down and took it home to discuss it with Patrick. He said it couldn’t hurt to call n’ ask about it. He never expected me to work but he understood that I liked keepin’ busy and after Josh was born we could use the extra money.”

Sarah smiled as she remembered the first time she set eyes on Ric. “I set an appointment and went to see Trevor the very next day. Lordy! I could hear the babe wailin’ before he opened the door. Such a sight! The awkward way he held the lad as his little red face crinkled, tears runnin’ down those chubby cheeks. I reached out and took him then dried his tears. Within a few minutes he was peaceful as can be, restin’ his tiny head on m’ shoulder.”

She smiled wistfully lost in the sentiment of the past. “He told me the job was mine and I could start immediately. So I bathed the wee one n’ fed him then put him down for a nap. Trevor looked at me like I was a carny magician!” Sadness filled Sarah’s voice as she fought the regret she felt for Trevor’s choices in life. “That’s the way it was until he took that business trip to Boston and came home with Claire. From that moment on things were different.”

“How?” Alexis asked.

“Trevor’d often sit and share a cup o’ tea with me while Ric and Josh played on the floor in front of us. He was never what I’d call a dotin’ father but he paid attention. After she arrived, he started distancin’ himself from Ricky. And Claire? Well, she never gave the boy the time o’day. The house was no longer a home if ya know what I mean. What gets me is, if he didn’t love her, then why n’ the blazes did Trevor keep her around all these years? And why protect her after she’d killed my husband?”

More than one theory swirled around in Alexis’s head, some more sordid than others, but she decided to avoid outlandish speculation opting for reiterating Trevor’s initial answer.

“By outing Claire, Trevor would have Patrick at the scene of the accident. He didn’t want to tarnish your husband’s reputation or destroy your fond image of him. As you said, the island can be small where gossip is concerned. I think Trevor wanted to spare you being a public victim of such a tawdry scandal.

As for keeping her around all those years? Companionship, I guess. A man of his position is expected to be married and maintain certain airs. On the outside, Claire shows very well.”

“ ’Tis so shallow.”

Alexis nodded in agreement. “It’s human. Flawed, but human nonetheless.”

“No wonder Ric’s found it so hard to love,” she sighed sadly. “Thank heavens he found you and Kristina. You’re his salvation ya know.”

Astounded, Alexis marveled at the exceptional woman in front of her. It was clear that Sarah genuinely believed every word she said. In her entire life, no one had ever held Alexis in such high regard. It was a foreign feeling that her first instinct was to doubt and cast away with some tongue and cheek remark. But she realized that it was important to Sarah for her to really hear her and to believe her. Sarah challenged Alexis to have faith in herself and would be satisfied with nothing less. The task was humbling and hard to swallow but she knew that Sarah was right. If she and Ric were ever going to put the past behind them then it was up to her to show him the way.

She looked down at her stomach and placed her hand upon it, wondering.

“Sarah?”

“Yes dear?”

“Ric wants us to have a baby.”

Her hands excitedly flew to her face. “Glory be! After everything that’s happened, it would be a miracle! How do you feel about it?”

“Excited. Petrified. Hopeful.” Alexis answered honestly. “That was a huge part of the reason he so desperately needed to tell you the truth about Patrick. The guilt and shame was becoming so consuming that he feared it would prevent him from being a good father. He was afraid that he would turn into Trevor.”

Like she would to a child, Sarah put her hands firmly on Alexis’s shoulders garnering her full attention.

“Ric will never be Trevor. I made sure o’ that. I worked hard to protect his young heart from his father’s indifference. It’s up to you to continue protectin’ him. Remember the vows you made and honor them.”

“I will stand beside you as you face your demons, for someday I want you to truly be free,” Alexis recited in a ghost of a whisper.

She could feel her trembling hands enclosed firmly in his and see the intensity in his enchanted dark eyes. At the time, it frightened her. He was hanging his hope on each word and Alexis was not sure that she could shoulder the responsibility. Now it was among her most cherished memories.

“Ya see? The prophecy of yer vow has been fulfilled, child.” Sarah gently wrapped her arms around Alexis and pulled her into a heartfelt embrace. “Ric is free now. Free to love you and that precious little girl and all of the little feet that ya soon will have runnin’ around that big house of yers.”

Alexis closed her eyes allowing herself to feel the reassuring warmth of a mother’s love. It was more powerful than she’d ever imagined. From it she drew strength and courage and was comforted by the realization that everything would be all right. She knew she would do whatever was necessary to help Ric heal so they could face the future together as one.

“I love you,” Alexis said softly into Sarah’s hair.

“Oh, and I love ya too dear.”

They pulled apart as a car turned into the driveway and stopped. Hearing the door open then shut, they stood and leisurely walked around the side of the house to the driveway where Ric was waiting, Kristina in his arms.

“Sarah,” he greeted her apprehensively as Kristina smiled charmingly and waved to her.

Alexis looked from one to the other and stepped forward encouraging Kristina to crawl into her arms.

“Kristina! Want to see Sarah’s pretty roses?”

“Uh huh,” the little girl nodded enthusiastically as they headed around back to the garden leaving Ric and Sarah alone.

Ric felt his heart racing in his chest and the protruding veins in his arms began to ache with each pulsating push of blood. He looked at her then quickly looked away, his shame overwhelming him.

“Ya must be excited about gettin’ back to Port Charles,” Sarah said purposefully intruding on their awkward silence.

“I’m anxious to get started with physical therapy,” he said referencing his wrapped arm.

“How is it?” she gingerly reached out and touched it.

“It aches. But the swelling is almost gone and I don’t have to wear that sling anymore.”

“Not that ya wore it when you were supposed to,” she scolded.

The ice began to melt as Ric heard the familiar tone in Sarah’s voice. She knew him so well; better than he knew himself.

“Yeah, well I never was one to follow orders.”

“Tell me about it!” she smiled. “I remember when ya broke yer ankle playin’ football with the boys. The doctor told ya to stay off of it and use crutches. The moment I turned m’back ya were up and hobblin’ around.”

He smiled. “And you were shaking your finger at me.”

They allowed a trace of laughter, which soon trickled back into deafening silence.

“I’m goin’ to be all right,” Sarah spoke up again gingerly approaching him.

The familiar sting arose within him and Ric bit the inside of his lower lip to dam another river of tears.

“I don’t know how I could have let all these years go by without telling you, “ he choked. “I thought if I could just forget about it and act like it never happened then maybe it would go away.”

“That’s the optimism of a child,” she reasoned. “And the only way that ya could cope with it back then.”

“Maybe,” he hedged. “But then about a year ago I started having nightmares and piece by piece it all started coming back to me. Then in Paris when I saw my father, the floodgates opened. I had to tell you and he knew it. That’s why he raced back to Martha’s Vineyard.”

“To try and stop you?” she asked.

“No,” Ric concluded, surprising himself. “I think…Sarah, I think that you were right. Somehow that cold shell of a man realized that he loved me and, little did I know, he loved you too. The only way he could show it was by telling the truth.”

“Thirty years too late,” she sighed. “I can’t speak for his so-called feelin’s fer me but I’m glad he came through for you. I’m just sorry that he saddled you with all that pain and misery. That guilt was not yours to carry.”

“I’ve done some pretty awful things on my own,” Ric admitted denying her pardon. “I let my obsession with my brother spiral out of control and tormented his wife. Then I was utterly cruel to Elizabeth during our first marriage; I lied to her and manipulated her.” he hung his head. “If my father was capable of doing something so vile and lying about it all these years then, I don’t know, maybe it’s in the genes.”

“Don’t ya dare start comparin’ yourself to Trevor!” she cried pleading with him to embrace her forgiveness. “You are nothin’ like him! Ya saw the error in your ways and made amends. Now you get up, stand tall and go be the best husband and father that ya can to yer family.”

Ric looked at her incredulous. Sarah’s capacity to forgive and love was almost incomprehensible. Yet, he grasped it with both hands and held on tight grateful that he had not lost the most precious thing in his life next to Alexis and Kristina. He didn’t deserve it, but she was giving him a chance to live the life he’d always dreamed of as a child.

He bent down tenderly kissing her cheek and she held out her hand.

“Come. I have a gift for you.”

Just as he had as a little boy, Ric put his hand in hers and let her lead the way. They strolled back to her garden where Kristina was busily running around chasing one of the last monarchs before it migrated south for winter. Alexis was kneeling in the grass laughing as the butterfly fluttered up, down and around the lawn successfully evading her daughter’s eager little hands.

"Just look at that picture!" Sarah said eyes twinkling. "Tis the image of true bliss and it's yours if you choose to embrace it as yer own. I'll show ya how."

She let go of Ric and walked over to a rose bush eyeing it carefully. Finally she selected one and clipped its long stem then brought it over to him.

“Close yer eyes and smell,” she urged him and held it up for him to inhale its heavenly aroma.

“Hmmm,” he said, eyes closed. “It’s intoxicating.”

“Now look.”

He opened his eyes and she handed the stem to him, careful not to prick him with the razor sharp thorns. The delicate flower was in full bloom, its velvet soft petals of golden yellow swirling around its bud, which was exquisitely framed by delicate fans of pink.

“It’s beautiful,” Ric observed admiring nature’s artistry.

“It’s a Peace Rose. ‘Twas christened so the day Berlin fell to commemorate the end of World War II. It’s one of the heartiest roses there is. Taken care of, it can survive disease, weather and just about everything else that Mother Nature throws its way. That’s how your marriage and family should be, a bond so strong that ya can face anything as long as you’re together. Put the past behind ya Ric and move on in peace.”

Alexis walked up holding a now exhausted Kristina in her arms. “I hate to say this but we’re going to miss our plane if we don’t go.”

Sarah reluctantly smiled and nodded, her eyes visibly beginning to moisten. “Ya know I hate ta see ya go, but Kristina will be excited to see her toys and that swing set she likes so much.”

Alexis could see that by focusing on their daughter, Sarah was trying to avoid crying. Whispering in Kristina’s ear she nodded enthusiastically smiling as they stepped up to Sarah and she craned her petite neck kissing her lightly on the cheek.

“Awe, ya precious girl!” her blue eyes misted as she smoothed the silky brown curls. “Be good and mind yer parents.”

“Good girl!” Kristina responded earnestly and they all laughed.

“We’ll miss you,” Alexis hugged her.

“Call me the minute ya get home to let me know yer safe.”

“We’ll do.” Ric stepped forward to deliver another hug. “If you need anything...”

“I’ve got the number of that cell phone that sticks to ya like glue,” she assured him. “Now go. Take yer girls home.”

***

Alexis looked at Ric as he stared out the plane window at the clouds rolling lazily by. It was a phenomenon, which never ceased to amaze him. Here they were moving at nearly 600 mph and the clouds seem to be floating in slow motion.

“What are you thinking about?” Alexis asked putting her head on his shoulder. She’d been watching him concerned and was no longer able to ignore his lingering gaze.

“Everything,” he sighed. “Now I know how you feel when you can’t pick just one thought. They’re all zipping around in my head colliding with each other. I’m relieved that this nightmare is finally over but I’m worried about Sarah. I know that we’ve got to get back to Port Charles and resume our lives but she looked so forlorn when we waved goodbye and drove off.”

“Sarah’s a tough woman,” Alexis reassured him. “She just needs some time to let all of this sink in and process it in her own way. She has her faith to guide her. I envy that. The only time the Cassadines saw the inside of a church was for family funerals.”

“I know what you mean. My father used to make a huge donation to the Catholic Church every year and consider himself squared away with the man upstairs. My mother, on the other hand, was extremely religious. Sonny and I discussed it once in the hospital chapel.”

“You had a discussion about religion with your brother?” she asked skimming the edge of sarcasm.

“I know, I know…it’s the epitome of hypocrisy, right? I called him on it. I asked him how he could kill people for a living and then turn around and pray to God to save his soul. He told me that he and our mother prayed together everyday. Sarah mentioned that as well. I don’t know; maybe if she’d been there to pray with me things would have turned out differently.”

“You can’t be sure of that,” Alexis said quietly. “I used to find Sonny’s religious streak a rather intriguing contradiction of character until the people who turned up severely beaten or dead were those whom I cared about.”

Ric ran his hand down the back of her hair, a small but consoling gesture indicating that he understood.

“Sonny is a paradox.” Ric admitted. “On the one hand he can be brutal and ruthless then, out of the blue, he’ll turn around and display extraordinary acts of kindness and compassion.”

“Like saving your life?”

“Yeah. Sarah says it’s our mother shining through. She acted almost as if she really knew him. It was strange.”

“They did have some time to talk,” Alexis confessed. “Sonny offered her his hotel room so she could take Kristina somewhere to nap.”

“He did?” Ric asked stunned. “And you let her accept it?”

“I didn’t know about it. It was at the same time Tony insisted I get some sleep and put me up in his hospital room for a few hours. I found out after the fact and went straight over to get Kristina. Sonny and I argued, then Sarah defended him to me. Perhaps he worked his “charm” on her in the interim.”

“Sarah’s not easily charmed. She’s proud and stubborn…anything but gullible. She’s also normally a good judge of character. That’s why she was so devastated when I told her about Patrick. He, my father and I all disillusioned and disappointed her.”

“She didn’t blame you,” Alexis gently reminded him. “You were a little boy caught up in your father’s deceit. Sarah recognized that. She forgave you.”

“I can forgive myself as a boy, “ he allowed, “But as a man? I should have told her sooner. I should have told her years ago.”

“You were honoring a promise to your father. Twisted as it sounds now, you were obeying him and that was a respectful thing to do. It’s easier for children to suppress traumatic events rather than face them. Trevor had such an emotional stranglehold on you that you were suffocating.”

“My father,” he sighed again. “After every despicable thing he’s done, I still want to protect him - legally anyway.”

“I gather you told the police that Patrick was already dead when you and Trevor put him in the trunk.”

Ric nodded. “It was his word against the memory of a terrified little boy in a rainstorm. He was right. I could have mistaken the wind for Patrick’s moan and, forensically speaking, a body does experience involuntary muscle spasms immediately after death.”

“So you chose to believe him. Ric, that alone proves that you are nothing like him. You gave him the benefit of the doubt and exonerated him from first degree murder. That was significant. The rest is up to Trevor’s attorney.”

“Whoever that is,” he grumbled dying to know who his father contacted if he contacted anyone at all.

“He’ll no doubt get the best legal representation that money can retain,” Alexis reasoned. “What I want to know is will he do the same for Claire? She’s the one who is going to need it. Does she even know what she was responsible for?”

“My father said it was a total blackout,” Ric replied sadly and glanced over at Kristina who was fast asleep in the next seat.

Then he spontaneously captured Alexis’s face in his hands and turned her toward him, drawing her into a deep, passionate kiss.

“What was that for?” she asked slipping into a mesmerizing smile.

“I don’t want to talk about my father or Claire right now. I’m going to take Sarah’s words at face value. Alexis, I promised you a romantic honeymoon and it turned into an atrocity of gigantic proportions. What should have been all about me and you and Kristina--”

“Shhh,” she put a long, slender finger to his lips as her smile waned into a sultry grin. “I seem to recall some very romantic moments…on the couch…on the patio…in the bathtub…even in the bedroom.”

“Hmmm,” he sensually let the tip of his tongue brush her finger. “The bedroom? How conventional of us, considering…Those were highpoints of our trip.”

“Maybe we could create a few more highpoints on our return,” she enticed suggestively planting a strategic kiss just behind his left ear. “I told you that you’d get yours ‘later’. Maybe now is later.”

She glanced toward the back of the plane at the lavatory door and his eyes followed, amused.

“Here?”

“Well,” she continued deliberately arousing him. “You did say that you wanted a baby, right?”

“Yeees,” he answered slowly. “We said we wanted a baby, but Alexis? It’d be an awfully tight fit.”

“I like being confined in small spaces as long as it’s with you. Just imagine the story we’d have to tell him!”

“Or her,” he interjected.

“Or them,” she raised him one, thoroughly enjoying his reaction; face frozen solid in a goofy grin. “I-I,” he stuttered, “I hadn’t even considered that.”

“It’s possible,” she continued to tantalize him glancing back at the door. “Anything is possible.”

“You know I’m beginning to appreciate that imagination of yours,” he licked his lips helplessly submitting to the subtle persuasion of her warm moist ones traveling in a tantalizing path down and around his neck. “I mean, the beach is an amazing place to, well…you know, but a crypt? That was just inspired!”

“But that was a dream…this is real.”

Ric swallowed hard succumbing to his wife in copious ways.

Alexis giggled as the passengers seated around them became distracted by their very public display of affection. Ric could feel their eyes glued to them and the heat creeping up his neck and onto his cheeks.

“What happened to Alexis Davis, the model of propriety?” he mumbled hoarsely in her ear.

She looked at him, her wanton brown eyes smoldering and whispered, “Alexis Lansing is much more adventurous.”

“You really want to…here…I mean back there?”

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are beginning our approach to Port Charles International. It’s a pleasant day down there, partly sunny and 63 degrees. We’ll be on the ground in approximately 15 minutes. Flight attendants, prepare the cabin.”

“Darn!” Alexis pouted glancing down at his belt buckle. “I guess instead of unbuckling, it’s time to buckle up.”

Ric threw back his head and laughed as he watched her gather their belongings for landing. “You are such a tease!”

“I am not!” she defended. “I’ll have you know that when I was at boarding school, all of the guys called me…well, they called me…”she hesitated.

“Called you what?” he prodded sensing that this was going to be good.

“ ‘No Access Alexis!’ ” She blurted.

“No!” he feigned surprise. “You?”

“Okay, I was a bit of a prude.”

“I’m glad that changed,” he grinned wickedly. “You had me going there – in more ways than one – and I, um…let’s just say that I had a reputation of sorts as well.”

“I know,” she pursed her lips trying hard not to laugh.

“How do you know?” he leaned over and smiled, appearing every bit the cad.

“Josh told me all about it.”

“Just what did Josh tell you?” he asked with growing suspicion.

“Can’t say. I gave him my word and I’d never go back on my word,” Alexis winked. “It’s a wonder you made it through school, let alone college and law school. Not much time to study!”

“That’s it!” he cried resolutely snapping his seat buckle together. “You are going to tell me what he said when we get home or I’ll be forced to use “other methods” of interrogation to get it out of you.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Try me.”

“I have,” she quipped. “Not bad.”

“Not bad?” he asked grabbing her hands and restraining them.

“Ouch!” Alexis cried. “Now you’re acting like a child.”

“I feel like one - with you.” he raised one hand to his lips, pleased with his clever double entendre.

Ric kissed her once more as the loud groan of the landing gear descending jarred Kristina awake and she rubbed her sleepy eyes searching for her parents.

“Mommy?”

“Right here sweetie,” Alexis smiled feeling pure contentment for the first time in ages. “Daddy and I are right here and guess what angel? We’re home.”

Next: The final chapter.