In 1996, Stefan, who has instructed Alexis to change her last name to Davis, brings her to town for legal aid. Alexis is protective of Stefan, and tries to make him believe his lover Katherine Bell is his half-sister Natasha. Luke Spencer helps Alexis discover that she is actually the real Natasha. Helena uses this to force Alexis to help her gain control of the Cassadine empire. By doing so, Alexis receives her princess birthright, a title she later gives up. In an attempt to avenge her mother's death, she teams up with Luke to kill Helena, and mistakenly pushes Katherine off a parapet instead. Katherine is presumed dead and Stefan is put on trial; Alexis defends him and gets the charges dropped. Meanwhile, Alexis begins dating Ned Ashton. In 1999, in a complicated scheme to help Chloe Morgan save her company, Ned marries Chloe and Alexis marries Jasper Jacks. Chloe eventually loses her company, and the couples divorce. Ned then proposes to Alexis, but she developed cold feet and talked to Ned right before the wedding and called it off.