Alexis paced back and forth holding Kristina against her chest with one arm and held Kates cell phone in the palm of her other hand

Good morning" Kate said interrupting Alexis as she turned to make another pace across the living room floor

Alexis stopped to analyze Kate

"What?" Kate said looking at her trying to read what she was thinking

"Sit"

"Hmm?"

"Sit" Alexis said pointing to the couch

Kate followed directions and sat down as Alexis put Kristina in her play pen

"Whats wrong?"

Alexis held out Kates cell phone in front of her

"My phone?" Kate questioned still unsure of what Alexis point was

"Your phone rang this morning... I saw that it was an over sees number... so I answered thinking it would be Connor... when I answered it was a woman and she spoke in French asking where you were and if you were alright..."

"Why did you answer my phone!" Kate said interrupting

"Who was that? And why does she want to know where you are?" Alexis questioned ignoring Kates interruption

"It was a friend" Kate said defensively

Alexis paused for a moment and sat down on top of the coffee table directly facing Kate.

"Does Connor know where you are?" She said seriously

"Yes, of course he does" Kate said still defensive

Alexis had slipped into lawyer mode calculating everything, every lie Kate told

"If he doesnt know where you are... if he doesnt know you came here looking for me..."

"Im an adult now!"

"Yes youre an adult, but Connor should still know where you are especially if youre not even in the same country!"

"Would you stop jumping to conclusions" Kate said quickly standing before Alexis could stop her

"Where are you going?"

"Im meeting Zander for breakfast, I promised him I would be there ok... I have to go"

"Isabella!"

Kate hated to start the morning off this way and even more to start it off with Alexis this way... but she only turned to acknowledge Alexis before heading back to the bedroom to get dressed

*****

"...Alexis... Alexis"

Her eyes seemed to have a fixation on the tip of her own finger as it circles around and around on the arm of Camerons leather couch

"Alexis!" He said deepening his voice

"Hmm?" Alexis said letting her eyes slowly rise from the trance she was in to look Cameron in the eyes

"Alexis where are you today? You seem a million miles away... are you ok?"

"Im fine, my heads just a million miles away" she said not realizing Cameron had just came to the same conclusion

"Is everything alright with Kristina?"

"Shes perfect..."Alexis responded again back in her daze

"Would you like to talk about something?"

"I uh..." The tears that fell from Kates dark eyes to the laughter that filled her face as the night went on, replayed through out Alexis head, she had a million things to talk about... "I just cant focus today Cameron... can we re- schedule?"

"Alexis Im here for your benefit. If there is something worrying you, we can talk it over..."

"No nothings wrong... everything for once is just right. I just have somethings I need to do... Thats the only reason why I dont need to be here right now. I need to be home with my..." She hesitated for a moment "Home with my daughter"

Cameron took a moment as if he were evaluating the state she was in

"Ok, ok" he said understandingly

Alexis stood up and Cameron followed. She wrapped her arms around his neck giving him a quick hug good-bye

It was an agreed upon therapy session... more like friends confiding in the other... in the past year she and Cameron and been through a lot together and he needed her as much as she needed him

*********

"Hi, sorry Im late" Kate said sitting down in front of Zander

"No problem, Im actually surprised to see you" he said grinning

"I promised I would be here didnt I?" She said flashing him, her irresistible smile

Today she looked different. Her face was different, maybe her eyes...

She didnt look so determined or defeated. Zander couldnt put his finger on it

"Well Im glad you made it from your night out prowling the neighborhood" He said still kidding

Kate scrunched her face

"Look about that..."

"Hey, we agreed to let that be your business. Remember?"

"Yeah but I know youre thinking Ive lost my mind especially hanging out around the Quartermane estate"

"Kate... Ive made some bad decisions and Ive been in situations where I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thats what last night was to me. And you needed my help... I knew Alexis would help me, help you... its that simple"

Alexis the magic word

It made her stumble

"Oh uh Alexis... please thank her for the trouble"

"Alexis is great and I probably owe her more than I could ever repay her..."

"So what did she do for you" Kate questioned, intrigued

"She got me out of trouble and did her best to keep me out of trouble. It for the most part worked... and I owe her a lot for it"

"So she bails your friends out of jail?"

"You know you remind me of her a little..." Zander said changing the subject

Zander watched Kates body stiffen

"What do you mean?"

"Hey, I meant that as a compliment"

"Yeah... I uh I just meant, how do I remind you of her"

"I dont know you two seem to have the same spirit, you both are very determined in a very relentless way... its very endearing in both of you"

Kate gave a smile allowing Zander to let his discovery unknown

"So any wild adventures for the day?"

"Actually I think Im going to head back to my hotel, take it easy today, you know after my adventures last night I didnt sleep much..." Kate said rolling her eyes

"I understand" Zander said in good suspicion to only half believe her

*****

Alexis was waiting in Kates hotel room when Kate arrived

"You scared me to death! You have to stop doing this!"

Alexis didnt seem amused

"My God what is with you? Yesterday youre so happy to see me, today you seem to want my head on a platter!"

"We have to talk"

"Can we not do this... can we please just be happy?"

"Is Connor in London?"

"Why do you keep bringing him up?" Kate said seriously

"Answer me"

"Yes"

"Where you in London with him?"

"Youre speaking to me like Im on trial"

"He adores you... you cant just take off and not tell him where youre going"

Kate still stood in front of Alexis, arms crossed

"He would have forbid me to come..."

"Hes your father, he loves you"

"He would have called you, you would have forbid me from coming too"

"Isabella!"

She was silenced

Words were starting to sting

Alexis put her face to the palms of her hands as she tried to come up with a solution to do the right thing

"I would have..." Kate was frozen still as she listened to Alexis confessions"I would have forbid you to come. I would have had you stopped. You know my reasons..."

"Your reasons arent good enough anymore" Kate said coldly

"Youre still alive arent you?"

"It was noble I admit to give me up just to insure I would stay alive..."

"Isabella I know you resent me and you have every right..."

"Youre my mother!"

Mother

The word had yet to be spoken between either of them until now

Alexis couldnt seem to catch her breath

"Youre here now... And I have to do everything I can to protect you here, because you want to be here... and for some ungodly reason with me..." Alexis said almost sounding panicked... "but you have to call your father. You have to tell him where you are and that youre here with me"

"And what if he threatens to come get me? You know he will" Kate said sounding as if she were pleading her case

Alexis didnt have an answer. She wouldnt know how to react seeing Connor again. She had spoke to him regularly but briefly on the phone about Isabella but she hadnt been face to face with him in what was now forever

Tears had welled up in Kates eyes. She knew this could be the ending of her time with Alexis... her father would come and take her back

Alexis closed her eyes but still spoke directly to Kate

"You have to let him know youre ok, that youre here. That everything is ok, that were ok..."

"Are we ok? Youre not just trying to ship me off?"

Alexis stood up wrapping her arms around Kate

"You have no reason to trust me I know, but I have to make this situation work now, and I will because I love you so much"

Kate let go of her mother and pulled out her cell and began to dial the number

"Hi, its Isabella is my father in?... Yes Im fine..." Kate began to fidget while she waited for her father to come to the phone. "Hi, Im fine, I know... yes sir, yes sir...Im, Im in the United States... Im with my mother..."