Swan Dive

As Alexis Davis stood outside the lakehouse she
shivered involuntarily at the brisk March wind blowing
at her back. She knocked, and quickly retracted her
hand and placed it back in her pocket.

When Skye appeared at the door Alexis was struck
again by her vulnerability. Skye appeared fragile and a
bit tired. Free of makeup, she was barefoot, clothed in
a jade green stretchy dress, the fabric clinging to her
every curve, illuminating them in the moonlight.

Alexis let her eyes slide over Skye`s frame in genuine
appreciation. A sculptor would be so lucky to have her
as his model. Realizing the direction her thoughts were
turning, Alexis quickly shook her head, stifled a small
smile, and tried to focus on what she was doing there.

Simultaneously Skye was looking at Alexis. It was hard
to believe she had just given birth a mere six weeks
ago. Her figure was nearly restored to its
pre-pregnancy state. The only telltale signs of the
pregnancy could be seen in the curve of her breasts
and the slight fatigue around her eyes. Her hair was
soft around her face, and it seemed even shinier than
usual.

Skye was happy for the distraction, and even happier
that the distraction had come in the form of Alexis.
Despite their differences, she had always admired the
other woman`s strength and determination.

Alexis cleared her throat and began to speak. `I`m
sorry to bother you so late, but I brought those papers
you`d asked for. I thought you`d want to get them
taken care of as soon as possible so that you can
move on with ... things,` she said in a rush, trying to
get the words out so as to focus on something other
than her earlier thoughts.

Trying to mask her disappointment that Alexis was only
there as a courier, Skye pushed open the door and
gestured for Alexis to come in. Once she was inside
Skye closed the door and slipped Alexis` trenchcoat
off. As she did her hand brushed Alexis` shoulder. She
was wearing a sparkly black shirt paired with gray wool
pants. Skye was surprised to see her in an outfit like
this, as she was usually only found wearing dull
business suits.

`Come, sit,` Skye said as she swept her hand towards
the living room. Since they were going to be signing
papers which required Alexis to point out where she
needed her signature, both women walked towards to
sofa, to sit side by side. Alexis dropped the papers on
the table and reached into her bag for a pen.

As they started to descend to a sitting position both
women reached for the papers simultaneously, and
their hands brushed. Alexis was surprised by the
softness and purity of Skye`s hands. Tiny, white and
smooth as baby`s skin, she was reluctant to pull hers
away.

At the same time, Skye was fascinated by Alexis`
hands. They were darker than her own, and exotic
looking. She had the most beautiful long fingers, and
perfect nails, devoid of polish but perfect nonetheless.
Her hands were graceful, like those of a pianist or
painter.

As each woman retracted their hand, nervous giggles
abounded from both. Each decided that exhaustion
and loneliness were probably making things seem
enhanced, and that the palpable sexual undertone
between their meeting thus far was probably just
imagined.

`So, where do I sign,` Skye asked, with forced
cheerfulness. Alexis looked at her, without pity, but
with genuine concern. `Listen, I know this is really hard
for you. What you and Jax had was the real thing, and
if Brenda hadn`t come back, you would still be
together.`

Skye forced a smile and said, `I appreciate your
concern, but deep down I think I always knew that
something would tear us apart. I think I always knew
that my love for Jax was greater than his love for me.
Brenda coming back may have been the catalyst for
our break-up, but if it wasn`t this, it would have been
something down the road. Besides, I would rather see
Jax happy, and in perfect health, and with Brenda,
rather than with me, but unable to walk on his own.`

Alexis looked at Skye, and knew she was telling the
truth. `You really mean that, don`t you? You really
would prefer that Jax make a life with the woman who
gave him the strength to learn to walk again, rather
than with you. That`s admirable.`

Skye looked at Alexis and tried to blink back the tears
in her eyes. `No one understood or really gave
credence to my love for Jax. Everyone assumed that
the person I was in the past was the person I was
going to be for the rest of my life. Apparently in Port
Charles no one can undergo a transformation without
suspicion. I loved him with my whole heart, and when
he chose to be with Brenda, I had to let him go.
Signing these papers is just the physical manifestation
of that decision, so it`s not as hard as you might
imagine.`

Alexis appreciated the fact that Skye was trying to be
strong for her, but she knew that the other woman was
downplaying the affect this was having on her. In any
case, Alexis respected her decision to allow the man
that she loved to pursue happiness with another
woman. Unfortunately, it was a situation she knew only
too well for herself.

Changing tacts, Skye said, `I hope you don`t think that
I`m prying... But I know you must be struggling in your
own life. When the truth came out that Sonny was
Adella`s father, and in such a public way -- I can`t
imagine how hard that was for you. You spent over a
year of your life defending him to anyone who would
listen, while simultaneously fighting your attraction for
him. You spent one night with him, and suddenly he
decided to go back to the viper. The situation is
obviously different from mine, but I do understand your
heartbreak. The man that you loved turned out to be
fundamentally different than the man you thought him
to be. That, I understand.`

Alexis found herself surprised to hear these words
coming out of Skye`s mouth, because frankly, she had
thought all of them herself at one time or another. She
was just surprised to hear Skye Quartermaine of all
people, drawing such accurate parallels with her own
life. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

`Sign here,` Alexis said, perhaps a little more harshly
than she intended. Startled, Skye dropped the pen. It
dropped onto the floor and under the couch. Both
women reached for it at the same time and in the
process of leaning over, bumped heads. They each
jerked back into their spots quickly, hair in their eyes,
and, quite honestly, in their lipstick.

Alexis flipped her hair back first and looked at Skye.
Her red hair was spilling over her face haphazardly
and as she tried to fix it, things got worse. Alexis said,
`let me`. She smoothed the hair out of her face until
she could see her forehead, then her cheeks, and
finally her lips.

A strand or two of hair had embedded itself in Skye`s
lipstick. Alexis gently pulled these hairs back and
tucked them behind Skye`s ears. `All better,` she
began, and frowned. `Actually, wait a minute.
Apparently when that hair touched your lipstick, it
brushed across your face before it went back behind
your ear. There`s just a smudge of lipstick here. I`ll just
get that...` she said, as she trailed off.

Touching Skye`s skin was like running her hand across
the most expensive piece of fabric she`d ever come
into contact with. Her skin reminded Alexis of the color
of foam on a perfect frothy latte, creamy and white.
The texture was velvety and inviting. As she ran a
thumb over her jawbone, Skye trembled.

Alexis was surprised at the symphony of emotions
running through her at this moment. She tried to reign
it in, but found her hand was still on Skye`s face, and
that for some inexplicable reason, she didn`t want to
move it.

Enjoying the warmth of Alexis`s touch, Skye said,
`actually, you have lipstick, too. I`ll just ... I`ll get it for
you`. Skye outstretched her left hand and traced her
index finger against Alexis` cheek.

Alexis involuntarily closed her eyes and shuddered.
Her mouth sank open slightly and she bit her lip to
keep from moaning aloud.

Skye couldn`t help but think how much Alexis
reminded her of Katherine Hepburn in `The
Philadelphia Story`. She was strong, funny, caring, and
irresistible. And Skye was a lonely woman.

At the same time, Alexis was reminded of the movie
`Gilda` which starred the woman she believed to be
cinema`s most sensual star ever, the late, great Rita
Hayworth. Rita Hayworth, with her flashing eyes,
seductive smile and red, red hair. Alexis was also tired
of being alone. After turning down a marriage proposal
(or ten) from Ned, and seeing Sonny proving that old
habits die hard by returning to his wife, she had
accepted that it was her destiny to be a single woman.

Neither woman was one to turn down a new
opportunity or experience, and given the pleasure of
the foreplay thus far, each decided to go for it. In one
swift motion the space between them closed.

Each gave up the pretense that the only reason they
were touching was to remove the other`s lipstick.
Instead, they found their lips together. Neither was
exactly sure how to go about this. At first it was enough
to revel in the nearness of the other. Both were
pleased by the physicality of the other: the smells of
another`s perfume, shampoo and even make-up were
exciting, simply because of the newness of it all.

Alexis ran her hand through Skye`s hair. She was
again surprised by the softness of it, and the ease with
which her hand made its way through her locks. Skye
hesitantly placed her hand at the back of Alexis` neck.
She caught a tendril of her hair around her finger and
was astonished at the smoothness of it. Her hair had
always looked healthy and shiny, but this close, it was
a work of art, like spun gold.

As the women`s passion began to gain momentum
their unease began to fade away. Alexis became
aware of the pressure of Skye`s lips next to her own.
She could taste the vanilla in her lipstick (mental note:
it must be a MAC product; I`ll have to ask her about the
shade at a later point), and feel the moisture in it.

Having never kissed another woman (she had
convinced herself that the incident at boarding school
didn`t count -- after all, they`d been practicing for
boys), she found herself fascinated by these new
sensations. Skye`s lips were as soft as her skin and
her hair, but by using them properly, she found the kiss
as pleasant as any that she had shared with any man.
It was tentative, but true. Full of mutual passion,
pent-up emotions, fear, and desire for something
different.

Alexis matched her kisses with her own passion. She
was happy to feel desired, thrilled to be providing such
exquisite pleasure for another, and at the same time,
feeling at least a partial release from the stresses she
had been feeling since the birth of her daughter.

Skye was enjoying kissing Alexis much more than she
dreamed she would. This wasn`t the first time she had
kissed a girl before, but it was the first time she did so
with such fervor and meaning. She was kissing Alexis
because she was Alexis; not to make some guy on the
other side of the room jealous, or because she was too
drunk to be aware of her actions. She was kissing
Alexis because she liked the way she wore a suit;
because the faint scent of green tea lotion and baby
powder was intoxicating; because this was the first
time in weeks that she had been able to get Jax out of
her mind fully, and because this was the first time she
had felt desire for someone other than Jax in over two
years. Alexis knew how to use her lips to give
pleasure, and, as Skye was finding out, her hands, as
well. Alexis`s hands were in her hair and Skye`s were
at the back of Alexis` neck.

The women clung to one another, their kisses growing
from awkward and tentative to passionate and sure.
They were revelling in their newfound connection, and
had no idea they were being watched.

On the front porch Jax stood, hand raised, poised to
knock, with his mouth hanging open. He had come by
to see if Skye was all right after signing the divorce
papers. When Alexis had stopped by his penthouse
earlier that evening and told him she was going over to
Skye`s, he felt a nagging guilt about how his wife
would handle the news. He decided to come by and
check on her, but this scene was so far from what he
expected to see, that he couldn`t form words.

At the same time, Sonny Corinthos stood at the side
window, he too in shock. Yet another threat from AJ
about taking Michael away had prompted him to stop
by to speak with Skye about her brother. He wanted to
ensure that Jax wasn`t there, so he decided to peek in
the window first. What he saw was nothing he had
imagined in his wildest dreams.

Seeing the mother of his child in a liplock with the fiery
Skye Chandler Quartermaine made him ache in places
he hadn`t thought about since his last birthday. He had
always seen Alexis as a desirable woman, but seeing
this side of her made his throat tight, and his pants
tighter. That was it, he decided. He could no longer
stay with Michael`s mother out of loyalty. It was time to
step up, admit what he wanted, and undertake
whatever challenges he needed in order to make
Alexis his.

Jax, at the front door, was having similar feelings about
Skye as Sonny was having about Alexis. As much as
he loved the idea of him and Brenda, and what they
used to represent, he knew with utter certainty that
they were done. Seeing Skye interacting this way with
anyone else -- even his former wife, who he would love
until the day he died, stirred up a rage within him that
he could barely control.

Jax knew what it was like to kiss Alexis, and it was
good. Jax knew what it was like to kiss Skye, and it
was amazing. He felt like a bull, and seeing these
women making out with each other was as though a
red cape was being waved in front of him. He knew he
had to stop this situation, quickly and permanently.

In one swift motion Jax was through the front door, his
hands around Skye`s waist, pulling her away from
Alexis. Simultaneously, Sonny had entered through the
side door, and had Alexis around the waist, pulling her
in the opposite direction of Skye.

The women were too stunned to do very much at first.
Neither could believe the pleasure they were getting
from the other, and just when they started to enjoy it
they found themselves being pulled away. By the time
they opened their eyes and started kicking into the air
they had been pulled into opposite sides of the room
by their respective suitors.

Alexis was the first to speak, lashing out at her captor.
`How dare you come in here, after pushing me away,
and quite literally pull me away from the person I chose
to move on with? What gives you the right?`

Simultaneously Skye, in a slightly higher-pitched and
more hysterically tone, accused Jax. `You chose to
move on -- with Brenda. You told me things were over
between us and the moment that I decided to move on
and put the past behind me, you miraculously show up
and drag me away like a caveman would his prey?
Where do you get off?`

Sonny spoke first, to Alexis. `Can we go somewhere
and talk about this? Please? You shouldn`t be here,
you shouldn`t be doing this. We need to discuss this.`

Alexis looked at him, and would have pummeled him
but her hands were pinned behind her back, his hands
locked around her waist from when he picked her up
off the couch. `No, we most certainly cannot go
somewhere and talk about this. I will leave when I am
good and ready. And I`m not going anywhere,
especially not with you.`

`Fine, if that`s the way you want it,` he said, picking
her up, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of
sugar.

`Jax,` he said, giving him a cursory nod as he made his
way out the front door.

`Sonny,` said Jax, doing the same. Inasmuch as Jax
didn`t want Alexis to have any involvement with Sonny,
he wanted even less for his wife to have any further
contact with Alexis before he said what he needed to
say to her.

Once they were alone Jax asked, `If I let you go, do
you promise not to run away or throw things? I`m still
not up to my previous former body strength since the
shooting, and I don`t want to hurt myself trying to
chase after you`. A flicker of fear crossed Skye`s heart,
and as angry as she was with Jax, she solemnly
agreed to a civil conversation with him.

`Did you sign the divorce papers?,` he asked, quickly
cutting to the point. `No,` she said, and smiled, thinking
about the circumstances in which she and Alexis had
ended up in that position. `We didn`t quite get that far,`
she said with a sly smile.

Jax stifled a smile and asked, `What were you
thinking? I mean, seriously Skye, were you trying to
make me jealous?`

`Jax, think about it. I would have had no way of
knowing you were on your way over here. How would
I? Alexis and I were both feeling vulnerable,
abandoned and curious and open to new experiences.
We`re both consenting adults, and we were having a
pretty good time on our own before you showed up.
What are you doing here?`

Jax hesitated, smiled, and pushed on. `I came to make
sure you were all right after signing the divorce papers,
but I can see that you are. I can also say, with full
certainty, that I never ever want to see you kissing
another person again, as long as I live. Brenda and I
were a fantasy that ended five years ago when she
didn`t have enough trust in me to know that I would
have done anything for her. I went back to her because
I felt guilty. But no more. You`re the one I`m in love
with. You`re the one I want to spend the rest of my life
with. And you`re the one I want to have children with. I
will never hurt you again. I will never push you away
again. I will never lie to you again. Can you ever trust
me again?`

Skye was shocked that one simple makeout session
with a really hot chick had been enough to ease her
temporary troubles by making her feel wanted and
desired and sexy, but also that it was enough to cure
her long-term issues, by alerting Jax to the fact that he
just might lose her. She would always be grateful for
the time she had spent tonight with Alexis, but even
more so because it had prompted Jax to return to her.
Skye was no longer lonely, but happy, fulfilled, and,
though she would not tell Jax until he`d had time to
calm down, ready for a three-way with Alexis.

Meanwhile, back at Alexis` apartment, Sonny was
ducking the various objects being hurled his way by
Alexis. He moved to the left as a law book whizzed by
his head. He picked it up and began to walk over to
return it to Alexis when he was hit in the stomach by
one of Adella`s stuffed animals. `Alexis, please, can
we talk about this?`

`You had absolutely no right to spy on me that way.
You broke my heart, then you stepped on it, then you
broke it again. Then you made everything better by
going back to Carly,` she said, her voice dripping with
sarcasm. `So for the first time that I find someone I can
be myself with, have some fun with, let myself go with,
and you have to ruin it? That`s so typical Sonny, it`s an
old, old song and I`m sick of it. You can`t stand to see
anyone happy but yourself, and you don`t have the
right to do this to me, or to my daughter. You made
your choice, you picked the blonde, and I accepted
that. Why can`t you accept that I chose the redhead?`

Sonny grimaced and walked towards her, deliberately
and slowly. `She`s our daughter, not just your
daughter. I`m sorry I couldn`t see what was standing
right here in front of me. I should have chosen you. I
don`t know what I was thinking. I choose you now, and
for the future. Seeing you with Skye tonight made my
blood boil, and not for the reasons that you think. Yes
it hurt me that she could give you something that I
couldn`t. But it hurt me even more to think that you
could find anyone else who could give you such
pleasure. Obviously you were having a pretty good
time together, and obviously it wasn`t the first time. It
hurt me because I`m in love with you, and it never
occurred to me that you might one day seek your
pleasure from a different source. Please let me into
your heart. A court order let me into our daughter`s life.
Please don`t limit my access to that. Please let me love
you.`

With that, he took one final stride and had her in his
arms. He pressed his lips to her temple and she
sighed. They both knew that what was about to happen
next was inevitable. She accepted that her destiny was
to be with him, for as long, and in whatever capacity
that she could. And if it took one amazing night with
one sexy woman to make him realize it, so be it. She
would take him back, but what she would tell him later,
was that it was only under the condition that he agree
to share their bed -- for one night -- with Skye. She had
latched onto several good things that evening -- and
she wasn`t willing to give them up for any man. Life
was just about to improve, she could feel it.