"Don’t you think the house is too big” Alexis said peering out of the window of the car to the house sitting at the end of a long driveway

“You haven’t even seen the house. How do you know it’s too big?”

“I can see the house right in front of me… its big”

‘Will you just go inside with me and look at it? If you don’t fall in love with it, we’ll find another house”

“You know I’m going to fall in love with this house don’t you?”

“I have absolutely no doubts” Jax said grinning

Alexis’s palm cupped his cheek for a moment

“Jax, you know I’m not the house, domesticated type…”

“I seem to recall someone making a declaration about needing something new and making changes

Alexis looked at Jax rolling her eyes

“I’m just trying to give you that little nudge you need”

“Little nudge? Fine…” Alexis said sounding defeated “let’s go”

Jax quickly jumped out of the car meeting her on the passenger side

He took her hand as he reassured “If you don’t love it, it’s ok…”

“Mr. Jacks, Ms. Davis” the realtor said holding out her hand “I think you’re going to fall in love with this house” she said as she invited them in

“So I’m told” Alexis said giving Jax a quick glace

“The house has five bedrooms, six and a half bathrooms… two offices, a converted workout room… enormous closet space…” she said bright eyed

Alexis looked back at Jax as the realtor looked on

“I think you will find that the house is very cozy. And I’m told you have three children correct?”

“Um yes” Alexis said speaking up

“So there’s plenty of room for them and for the both of you”

Alexis only smiled as Jax nudged her

“We should start in the kitchen. Ms. Davis I think you will love the kitchen”

Alexis stopped, Jax almost stumbling over her

“Um actually the uh kitchen will be my area” Jax said speaking up before Alexis had a domesticated attack “I’ll be doing the cooking” He said with a charming grin

“Oh well aren’t you just the perfect man!” The realtor squealed “You are one lucky lady” she said giving Alexis a quick wink

Alexis squeezed Jax’s hand as they walked behind the realtor towards the kitchen

Room to room Alexis couldn’t help but fall in love with the house. It was beautiful, perfect even. And despite the overly perky delivery of how “cozy” the house was… it was.

Jax watched as Alexis became more at ease. He watched her face light up at “her office” and the tub in the master bathroom and which room would be perfect for John, and which one for Kristina, and for Molly

“How about I let you two talk. Feel free to wander round. I’ll be in the kitchen”

Jax took Alexis hand and immediately led her back up stairs in to what would be the master suit

“The view from here…” She said almost pressing her nose to the window

“Serene”

“Do you and I do serene? I mean we both live in high rises… I kind of like the sound of the city”

“I love the sound of the city, that’s why I have an apartment in New York. But I don’t like the sirens on a nightly basis waking up John at 3am when I just got him back to sleep…”

“Becoming a softy eh?”

“No just realistic”

“And you’re going to have a refutation for my every argument aren’t you?”

“Yes but I’ll admit it’s not as easy as it looks”

A grin seeped through her lips as Jax, from behind wrapped his arms around her shoulders

“Alexis if this isn’t it if you and I need to figure out how we’re going to knock down walls at the Metro court or at your apartment then we will. But you and I both want something new; we need something new and this house… God Alexis I can already see Kristina barreling down the stairs and Molly racing across the floor on her knees and John not far behind her. I can see what this house looks like with a snowman in the winter and bikes in the front yard in the summer…”

Alexis stared out the window, her eyes now fixated on nothing

“Alexis?”

“I uh, I’m sorry if I’m not over enthusiastic about all of this. I love the house Jax”

“But?”

“It’s stupid”

“What? And I’m sure it’s not stupid”

“I was suppose to move in to my dream house with Ric ok” Alexis looked back at Jax almost as if she were ashamed of her admission

“I know”

“It just all seems a little odd. I mean I can’t help it… I can’t help feeling sad, feeling like a failure because I’m not standing here with Ric, planning my life with him and the girls”

“It’s ok to feel that way”

“That’s just it, I understand it’s ok… but I still just don’t want to feel that way anymore

“What if you feel this way because you really do want to be with Ric, because you don’t want to sign your divorce papers… Because you want to be with him…”

”I don’t want to be with him. Not after what we’ve been through. I’ve told you I can’t live my life that way. Not spending my life with on and off again happiness. I can’t and I won’t let my girls be apart of that like either”

“Then I’m sorry to say this so bluntly but you have to make a decision”

“You know I’m truly happy with you”

“Even if I’m not your husband?”

Alexis turned to look at Jax

“You’re better than my husband… my soon to be ex husband that is”

“I don’t want to turn out to be your whim despite my nudging. I don’t want to be something else you regret”

“You’re the only thing in my life besides my girls that I have never ever regretted”

“There’s still a chance that could happen”

“What happen to Mr. Sunshine, Mr. Positive?”

“He got worried when he saw the look on your face just a minute again”

She wrapped her arms around his waste holding him in almost a bear hug until Jax returned the hug

“We’re never going to hear silence again” she said suddenly

“I’ve gotten kind of use to it” he said grinning

“Me too” she said letting out a breathy laugh

“So?”

Alexis pulled away from him

“So… you love it?” She asked honestly

“Yeah… I think this is it”

“Aren’t we supposed to look at more than one house? She asked laughing

“Not when you’re offering to pay as much as we are, no”

“We need to discuss that too”

“Discuss what?”

“Buying this house”

“Weren’t we discussing that?”

“No I mean literally buying as in paying for”

“No need to discuss”

“Jax!” she said knowing what he meant

“Let’s just say it’s my gift to you”

“A gift? Jax you don’t just give houses as gifts!”

“Sure you do… or at least I do”

“Jax!”

“Your half of the house is a gift from me for not only being my best friend and but for also giving me something that no one else could…”

“And what’s that?”

“You and Kristina and Molly”

 “Jax”

“And for  all the court stuff too. You getting me John. You made it a little less painful for me and I think for even Courtney”

“It was pretty cut and dry”

“Lex you know those things are never cut and dry”

Alexis paced around the room and Jax circled with each corner she took, watching her

“I can’t find anything wrong with it”

“Maybe you’re not trying hard enough?”

“Jax!”

He laughed

“I mean there’s plenty of room, all the bedrooms are a good size. I love that we could both have an office… I mean you can have the one with all the sunlight and I’ll take the one without… ”

“That sounds perfect… and the tub, don’t forget the tub!”

“Yes and the tub… the deal breaker” she said laughing

Alexis stopped her pacing to look at Jax

“So this is our new house” she said biting at her fingernail

Jax grinned as he went towards her actually hoping to catch her before she had a chance to run

“Shall we tell her it’s sold?”

A deep breath in, deep breath out

“Yeah… we should” Alexis said still sounding a bit unsure

Another walk down the stairs

“You tell her” Jax said pushing Alexis towards the kitchen

“I think we want to put an offer on the house”

“Excellent! I knew you would just love it!”

“We do… we really do”

“Well I’ll put your offer in and give you call… I believe Mr. Jacks you’ve taken care of just about everything else”

“Good, good. We will be anxiously waiting your call” Jax said with his charming grin

Alexis and Jax had both gotten back in the car

“You do a lot of swindling with that grin of yours”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about”

“You could have had that house even if it weren’t for sale Jasper Jax!”

“I like to be charming”

“You like to lay it on thick”

“You have your house don’t you?”

“Yes I do, as much as it scares me, yes I do” she said leaning over to kiss him

This time after there kiss it left a long silence between them, for the first time almost an awkward silence

“You know… how am I supposed to focus at work for the rest of the day now that I’m thinking about this house?”

“I think you’ll manage and I think you’ll have a million reasons why we shouldn’t but the house by the time we have dinner tonight”

“We’re having dinner tonight?”

“Yes I’ll bring dinner to you”

Alexis grinned as they pulled inside the parking garage to her office

“What?” Jax questioned

Alexis let out a breathy laugh “Sometimes I just wish life was life it was inside my head”

“What do you mean?”

She bit at her bottom lip, hesitating before answering

“I would have you”

“But you do have me” Jax said quickly

Alexis smiled somewhat nervously

“No, I would have you” she said as she opened the car door and stepped out “I’ll see you tonight ok” she said as she shut the door leaving him with a million thoughts about what she had just said