She was walking through the lobby of the Plaza hotel, talking on her cell phone and throwing papers in her briefcase. She was in her usual hurry. She hated living
in the hotel but her apartment was being renovated and she had no other choice. It was either live in the hotel or move back to Port Charles and stay with Nikolas
and Stefan at Wyndemere. When she had left Port Charles shortly after she and Ned had said their last goodbye, when they had realized things between them
were never going to be the same after she ran out on their wedding, she swore she would never step foot back in Port Charles again. She had carved a nice
organized, emotionless life for herself in Manhattan and that's the way she liked it...or at least that's what she told herself.

He was walking through the lobby, his ear pressed to the phone, his Grandfather's bellowing giving him a headache and it wasn't even eight in the morning. No matter how many spread sheets or how many balance sheets he faxed over to the office, Edward insisted that Ned was doing nothing at all in Manhattan but spending his time gallivanting around, wasting his life.

She never noticed him walking towards her; he never noticed her walking towards him, until they collided. She looked up; ready to blast the person who she
thought had rudely gotten in her way. Before she could say anything her senses were assaulted with a familiar scent. A scent that had always made her feel at
peace, a scent that always meant 'home'. She looked up and her eyes locked with his and she was looking into his hazel eyes for the first time in two and a half
years. She tried to find her voice, the emotions welling up inside her stealing her voice. She cleared her throat and tried to steady her racing heart, "Ned...."

He had clicked his phone shut, hanging up on Edward, whose bellowing voice could be heard by anyone that passed by, but neither one of them heard it, they only heard the beating of their own hearts. He bent down and helped her pick up the papers that had fallen when they had collided. They each reached for the last piece of paper, their hands brushing against each other. She started to pull away, he held on tight. She looked up at him, he looked up at her; they both looked down at their hands as they stood upright. He continued to hold her hand as they both tried to find the right words to say.

Alexis cleared her throat, willing the tears not to fall, "You're the last person I expected to see."
"It's been a long time, Alexis. Almost three years since you left town without a look back."
She could see the pain in his eyes, still so fresh, as though it had all happened just yesterday. She tried desperately to keep her emotions in check. She did not

something safe, "So where were you off to in such a hurry that you almost knocked me over?"
She knew what he was trying to do, finding that safe topic, "Well who were you talking to that made YOU almost knock ME over?"
"Touch\u00e9...umm Grandfather."
"Ah," she raised her hand in understanding, "then my apologies for not paying attention, you on the other hand have an excuse. If I had Edward bellowing in my

ear, my attention wouldn't be on where I was going at all."
"Wow, Alexis Davis...admitting she was at fault."
Alexis looked up at him and their eyes locked, so much truth in that one statement, "I'm so sorry, Ned...for everything."
He nodded, "I know you are. Deep down I know you realize all that was lost, but it still doesn't make the pain any easier or make facing each day without that

She takes a moment to try and contain her emotions, the tears slowly rolling down her cheeks, "I didn't know you felt that way. All I knew was that I had hurt you again. After that night on the docks, when we promised to meet and once again I put work ahead of you...ahead of us, I knew I had hurt you and I did not want to do that again. I thought your life would be better without me in it, without the pain I kept bringing. I never wanted to have the opportunity to break your heart again. I just wanted you to find happiness...the happiness I couldn't give you."

what made me fall in love with you."
He noticed her use of the present tense and smiled, "So you never did answer my question. Where were you going in such a hurry?"
"Oh...I was going up to my suite." he looked at her, surprised she was living in a hotel again, "my apartment is being renovated," she explained, answering his

unasked question.
"Oh, I see...and out of all the hotels in Manhattan, I just happened to decide to really live it up on Grandfather's dime...sounds like fate to me."
"Yeah....fate." She noticed the twinkle in his eye, the pain disappearing for the moment, "So what are you doing in the city?"

"I'm doing some work at the Manhattan headquarters and then I'm going to be taking Brooke back to Port Charles with me on Christmas morning."
She smiled, glad he was getting the opportunity to spend time with his daughter, "I\u2019ll bet Brooke is thrilled to have her daddy with her for Christmas."
"She is...she just got back home. Lois dragged her all over Europe, touring with one of her bands. Brooke's had her fill of tutors and is glad to be back in the

mother."
"I'm so happy to hear that you've been able to work things out with Lois."
He knew she knew how much his daughter meant to him, "Yes, I'm really looking forward to it." He glanced at his watch, "So have you had breakfast yet?\u201d She

She placed her arm through his and let him lead her over to the restaurant. They spent the next few hours talking about their respective lives. She told him
about the cases she's been working on and he filled her in on the family and the goings on in Port Charles. He looked down at his watch and realized he was running
late for a meeting with the head of one of their sister companies. They made plans to meet in the lobby at eight that night for dinner.

He kissed her cheek lightly before walking away. She stood there for a moment and watched him; he turned once and waved before disappearing through the front doors. She sighed and brought her hand up to where his lips had just been. She could still feel the feel of his lips against her skin. She picked up her briefcase and went up to her suite.

He spent the rest of the day tied up in meeting after meeting, but his thoughts constantly strayed. He couldn't stop his mind from wandering to thoughts of her. He had wanted to hate her, he always thought he would feel hatred towards her when and if he ever saw her again, but instead he felt at peace, as though the storms that had been raging inside of him for the past three years had finally calmed and he was where he was meant to be, that his heart's secret wish had come true and he had found, 'home' again.

She shut her laptop at seven sharp; turning out the desk lamp and laying her glasses down on the desk. She walked back into her bedroom and began to get ready
for her dinner with Ned. She stood in front of her closet for a few moments; trying to find something to wear. She finally settled on a red silk dress. She laid it
out on the bed and stepped into the shower. Thirty minutes later she was standing in front of the mirror, making last minute adjustments to her makeup. She
stepped back and took in her reflection. The dress was a dress she had bought a few months back on a whim, knowing she would probably never have the
opportunity to wear it since she rarely allowed herself a social life. She ran her hands down the front of the dress, smoothing out any imperfections. The thin
straps accentuated her shoulders perfectly and the low cut bodice left little to the imagination. The slit on the side offered a view of her long shapely legs when
she moved just right. She sighed and picked up the shawl that went with the dress. She placed the shawl across her shoulders and picked up her evening coat that
she had brought out from the back of the closet.

She walked off the elevator and made her way to the lobby where they had agreed to meet. She looked around and found him standing off to the side talking to the hotel manager. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt a lump in her throat when she saw him standing there in his tux, so many memories of events from their past came rushing through her. He noticed her standing there, the dress she wore accentuating every curve. He felt a heat rise up inside of him at the sight of her. He shook the hotel manager's hand and walked over to where she stood. He took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips, kissing it gently, before leaning in and kissing her cheek. He extended his arm and she snaked her through his, "Shall we." She nodded as he led her through the double doors that were to their left.

The two bellboys opened the doors for them and she gasped at the sight before her. The ballroom was filled with Christmas lights, music played softly in the background, and there was a table for two positioned just off the dance floor. She looked over at him and the tears she had tried to keep at bay for so long; finally fell, "Ned...you shouldn\u2019t have."

"I know, but like you've pointed out so often, I'm a hopeless romantic." Ned looked up and she followed the direction of his eyes with her own. He looked back down at her and she did the same, their eyes locking. His eyes were dancing; a mixture of mischief and desire was all she could see. She looked back up at the sprig of mistletoe and smiled. She reached out and took his face in her hands, bringing his lips down onto hers. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity...

It must have been the mistletoe
The lazy fire the falling snow
The magic in the frosty air
That feeling everywhere
It must have been the pretty lights that glistened in the silent night
It may be just the stars so bright that shined above you
Our first Christmas more than we'd be dreaming of
Ah, Saint Nicholas had his fingers crossed that we would fall in love!

They walked up and down the city streets, the snow falling all around them, the feeling of Christmas surrounded them. The lights in the windows, the tree in
Rockefeller Center, the joy they saw in the eyes of the people that passed them by. She looked up at the sky, the stars were sparkling, she closed her eyes and
made a secret Christmas wish.