She seemed to have a pair in every color

She never wore them to bed

He wasn’t complaining…

But he couldn’t help but ask why she never did

Her response

She said she just didn’t like sleeping in them anymore… She loved silk pajamas just not sleeping in them. She said she ‘didn’t like them against her skin’ and then she grinned and said she ‘preferred him against her skin now’

She left it at that

He couldn’t complain

She stood there in her silk pajamas

Kristina in her arms…Lamby tucked under Kristina’s arm and Angel Bear tucked under Alexis’ by insistence

They stood out on the balcony chattering away, Kristina pointing to the morning sun

“See sunshine?” Ric heard Alexis ask

Spring had set in and the sun had warmed the air just enough that it was a perfect morning to walk out on the balcony for apple juice and conversation

Conversation with Alexis’ greatest confidant

Jealous he couldn’t spend another moment watching his beautiful girls, Ric slid on his suit jacket

“I’m leaving” he said peeking through the door to the balcony

Kristina threw her arms open and Ric quickly obliged wanting himself to get one last hug, a fix that would carry him through the day

“Will you be at your office today?” Ric asked

“I have an early lunch and then I should be there this afternoon”

“I should be home around six”

“Me too” she agreed

Ric handed Kristina back to Alexis

“Be a sweet girl today and have fun and play all day!” Ric said giving her one last kiss

Kristina shook her head understanding “be a sweet girl” and “play”

Then a kiss to his wife

A short but stalling kiss

It left her bottom lip tucked between her teeth

“I’ll let you two get back to your conversation” Ric said grinning “I’ll see you tonight”

Alexis shook her head yes

And again his heart jealous that he couldn’t stay a minute longer

++++++++++

“He seems pretty perfect huh?” Alexis said sitting down still holding Kristina comfortably in her arms “I’ve never felt like this… I mean he really does seem to love the both of so much”

Kristina looked up at her mother

“I’m just jabbering away I know” Alexis said giving Kristina kisses until she giggled

“Mommy just has a lot of important decisions to make, and you and Ric…”

“Wic!” Kristina squealed recognizing his name amongst her mother’s conversation

Alexis laughed

“Yeah, you and Ric need to help me make the right decision because I’m not sure if changing the way things are is the best thing to do… I just love you so much and I love Ric and I want us to all be happy…”

“Be happy!” Kristina said excitedly

“You’re happy… I know you’re happy and I’m happy. Mommy just doesn’t want to make us unhappy again…”

Alexis paused to entertain Kristina, moving Lamby back and forth across Kristina’s lap

“I think you would like New York… big tall buildings and bright lights…” Alexis rambled

She kissed the top of her little girls head as she was now preoccupied with Lamby

“Your daddy’s not going to be too happy if I take you away from him…”

Alexis sat for a moment thinking to herself

“I think I really want to go back to New York” she said aloud finally

Kristina now reached for Angel Bear and Alexis handed her to her

“I wish you could tell me the right thing to do. Or at least promise me that you, and me and Ric will be happy there… I just don’t want to mess this one up…”

Alexis looked at Kristina who quickly looked back at her as if to say ‘I was paying attention all along’

Alexis grinned at her

“Let’s go get dressed my sweet girl”

Alexis let Kristina down and guided her and Lamby and Angel Bear back inside to get ready for the day

++++++++++++

It had been two days since she had mentioned anything about the job or New York

Ric had thought about it constantly

She wasn’t ignoring it… Ric had caught her several times staring in to space, with her mind obviously reeling

But he decided to let her talk about it on her own time, make her own decisions…

He promised her if she decided to go he would be by her side, and he would

It was her decision

A knock at his office door

Ric had been lost in his thoughts…

“I was about to leave for the day, is there anything else you need before I go?”

“No, no you go ahead home… have a good night”

“Thank you, you too and say hello to Miss Kristina for me”

Ric grinned “I will”

Miss Kristina

Miss Kristina indeed

Her picture with the irreplaceable smile sitting in front of him on his desk

Another on the table

And two more on the bookshelves

It was funny how easily and how quickly he had become smitten with that little girl, his little girl

Her picture on his desk was strikingly similar to the picture beside it

The picture of Alexis

A picture that showed the other side of her… her laughing face

People who knew her, people who came in to his office who knew her, knew her as the savvy lady lawyer…

But the picture Ric kept on his desk was one of her with bare feet in a pair jeans and an cream sweater that hugged her neck. And a laughing face...

The picture told she was tickled by something, laughing unconsciously…

It was the Alexis he wanted everyone to know but secretly wanted to keep all to himself

Ric studied the picture

He wanted her to be happy

And he wanted her to have the opportunity to feel alive doing what she did best

Ric pulled his Treo from his jacket pocket and searched his contacts

He reached for the phone without hesitating

“John Casey’s office” a polite voice said answering the phone

“Yes, John please”

“May I ask who’s calling?”

“This is Ric Lansing”

“One moment please”

“Thank you”

Sinatra’s “Love And Marriage” was playing on the hold music

Ric snickered… he found it amusing

“Ric”

John’s familiar voice almost startled Ric as he had become lost in the thought of his own love and marriage

“John… how are you?”

“Very good. I hope you’re the same?”

“I’m fine”

“How’s Alexis?”

“She’s doing great”

“So what’s on your mind? I mean I’d like to think I just merit a call but…”

“Sorry, but you’re right, I do have something on my mind… I need to ask a huge favor that you may or may not be able to help me with…”

“Anything, ask away” John said seriously

“Michael Silver, he offered Alexis a job and asked her to come back to New York…”

“Oh… so you’re looking for work I see?” John said humored

“She hasn’t made up her mind yet, but I know she really wants to take the job…”

“Ric I owe you, and you know I can always use a great lawyer on my side, if you’re asking me?”

“Well I’m trying to swallow my pride… yes I am asking…”

“Ric even if you didn’t want to work for me I can pull a few strings… you’re highly recommended…”

“I would appreciate it all”

“Look I’m just glad you and Alexis are doing so well”

“We’re doing better than that… but she has this opportunity and if she wants it I want to help her make it happen. I don’t want her fear about me having to quit my job as being DA as a factor”

“I understand… but like I said, I owe you. I have owed you long before our last deal together… Call me tomorrow afternoon. And we’ll look at options for you”

“John I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this and if you say I don’t owe you, then we are at least equal”

“Agreed! You take care of your wife and that little girl, let me handle the rest”

“Thank you I’ll call tomorrow… have a good night”

“You do the same”                                                     

And it was done

Ric swallowed his pride, his courage and the lump that had been sitting in his throat for days

++++++++++++

6:23

His key unlocked the door

“Oh Viola” he said almost running in to her as she was about to leave

“Hi”

Kristina made her way between them reaching impatiently for Ric

A hug was waiting for him and a picture of a purple and red circle that was suppose to resemble the “sunshine”

“Hello sweetheart!”

Viola grinned knowing how happy Kristina was to see Ric

“I’ll see you two tomorrow” Viola said waving bye to Kristina

“Be careful out there it’s getting dark” Ric cautioned

“I’ll be fine” Viola assured

Ric closed the door behind her

“How was your day?” Alexis asked appearing and with a kiss

She, herself hadn’t been home long enough to take off her suit or at least discard her shoes in to the middle of the floor where she usually left them

“It was a good day” he said meaning it

“Good” she said smiling

“And yours?”

“It was good… I did a lot of thinking…”

“Yeah?”

Ric sat Kristina’s feet to the floor and she was off to play again

“Come to any conclusions?”

“More conclusions than you would want to know about” she joked

“Oh yeah… wanna try a few of them on me?”

Ric looked over Alexis’ shoulder to Kristina occupied on the floor with her toys

He pulled her to the couch, removing her shoes and began rubbing her feet

“Now where were we? Conclusions?”

“Oh yeah that” she smirked

She paused to gather her thoughts 

“I, I like to work”

“I know this”

“And I used to be a workaholic”

“This doesn’t surprise me”

“I mean I am different now because of Kristina and for the better… I just really do like to work”

“There’s nothing wrong with loving your work”

Alexis paused as if she were choosing her words carefully

“And, I love New York. I loved working there and living there… and a few weeks ago it all was brought back to me and I, I realized I still loved it all”

“That’s completely rational”

“Ric!”

He grinned

He was egging her on

“Port Charles has been one thing after another… but my life is here. My work, friends, even what’s left of my family… and you of course.” She was being completely serious “Even after everything that’s happen between us, we seemed to have survived and I just fall more and more in love with you everyday… I really do love this life with you”

A grin unconsciously appeared on Ric’s face

“And I’m pretty sure no job is worth jeopardizing what we have” she said continuing

“Alexis, Alexis I told you it wouldn’t…”

Alexis interrupted him by placing her finger to his lips

“I want… I want us to have everything that we have now between us. And I want us to have and be so much more...”

“Me too, me too” Ric said agreeing

“But… I want to take the job. I want to go to New York”

Ric let our a sigh of what seemed to be relief

“I think we’ll be ok” she said assuring, more so for herself

“We will, we will” he promised placing his hands at her jaw line and kissing her repeatedly

She let out a deep breath

She was biting at her bottom lip and fidgeting nervously with a toy Kristina had left on the couch

Ric took the toy from her

“Honey, this is a great thing…”

Alexis shook her head

“I know, I’m just trying to get use to the idea I guess”

A smile suddenly appeared on Ric’s face

“We’re going to have a great life in New York” he said assured “You know how I know?”

Alexis looked at him intrigued

“How do you know?”

“Because our “take out” options will endless!”

“Ric!”

“Come on! Think of the breakfast, lunch and dinner options we’ll have!”

Alexis grinned shaking her head

Ric then kissed her holding his lips pressed to her cheek

“A great life Alexis, we’ll have a great life”