Convenient Wife

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The Convenient Wife

Prologue

The man who strode into Mac Scorpio’s office at five till nine on a Monday morning did so without knocking and was accompanied by Ric Lansing.

Two wrong moves right off the bat, Mac groused to himself.

You just didn’t barge in on the commissioner when he’d spent the previous evening arguing bitterly with his youngest daughter, Georgie, about her boyfriend and her
curfew and her responsibilities. When there had been yet another interminable night spent sleeping two doors down from his beautiful ex-wife without a single conjugal
visit. And following closely on the heels of those two disasters had been this morning’s three-hour marathon meeting with the mayor where Mac was promised no
additional funding for the police force this year.

All of it had conspired to give the commissioner a mammoth headache that he was currently self-medicating with high-octane doses of precinct coffee while slumped
behind his cluttered desk. And he’d planned to do that in peace and quiet. Long story short: Mac was in no mood to deal with Lansing or the suit he’d dragged with him
this morning.

“What?” Mac demanded as Ric drew to a halt in front of his desk.

“No ‘Good Morning’? No ‘What can I do for you, DA Lansing’?”

“Stuff it, Ric. You walked into my office uninvited. And you always have an agenda. So what do you want?”

Ric gestured to the man beside him. “It’s not my agenda today, Mac. This is Federal Prosecutor, Jack Grayson. He has some pretty important business to discuss with
you.”

Mac’s eyes lit on the stranger as he sized him up in one long, intense stare. He was tall and thin…too thin…the buttoned up type…a guy with mousy brown hair, darting
eyes one would be a fool to trust, and a lip that curled a little too easily into a condescending smirk.

Ivy League wanna-be who’d gone into civil service by default, Mac sneered inwardly. Frustrated politician. Frustrated something.

Mac disliked him at first sight.

The commissioner leaned back in his chair now, setting his coffee down and folding his arms across his chest. This should at least be good for a laugh, he decided.

“Fire away, Mr. Grayson,” said Mac. “I’m all ears.”

A thick manila file folder dropped noisily onto Mac’s desk. “That may look like just another pile of legal documents,” Grayson intoned, “but what I really dropped there
is Sonny Corinthos, gift wrapped and on a silver platter.”

Mac’s expression didn’t alter. He’d heard this promise a million times. He’d lost count of how many arrests Taggert had racked up on Corinthos. Not to mention the
failed federal charges from the FBI during the Hannah Scott debacle. And who could forget former DA, Scott Baldwin’s weekly laundry list of allegations filed against
the dapper don. Corinthos had always found a way out of the noose before.

Correction: Alexis had always found a way out of the noose for him, Mac amended with a grim smile on his face.

“So what’s the charge this time?” he queried.

“Attempted kidnapping, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder,” stated the prosecutor, his small eyes glistening with excitement. “That’s why my office
is involved, as kidnapping is a—”

“A federal charge, yeah, I know,” Mac interrupted brusquely. “Just whom is Corinthos supposed to have kidnapped and tried to kill?”

“One Alan Quartermaine, JR. About two years ago.”

This time, Mac could not disguise his reaction. He was genuinely surprised. The plot itself was not news to him. He’d heard back then that Sonny had actually
contemplated making an order against AJ when the man had married Sonny’s baby sister. But there had never been a shred of evidence that Sonny had actually done it.
And of course AJ was still very much alive and well.

Idly, Mac reached forward to leaf through the fed’s file folder. Sure enough, the charges were spelled out in stark, black ink. The evidence outlined neatly and clearly.
Signed and properly sealed by the Justice Department. The second page of the document leapt out at him.

One of the would-be hit men was talking! Mac swallowed convulsively. He simply couldn’t believe what he was reading.

“As you can see,” Grayson said, “we have the assassin. But he’s only testifying to save his own butt, so obviously a more significant witness would shore up our case.
Someone who’ll play better to a jury.”

The Fed reached across Mac’s desk to point into the file. “We believe she’s the lynch pin; she’s the one who’ll get us a conviction. She knew about the hit and didn’t
report it.”

Mac looked down at the name Grayson was indicating, expecting to see Carly Corinthos written there. Or even Courtney Morgan. Any name but the one he saw. His
heart sank into his stomach.
The name was Alexis Davis.

“Absolutely not,” the commissioner said, shaking his head. “Sonny putting a hit out on AJ…that’s believable. But there’s no way in hell Alexis knew about it.”

“How can you be so sure, Commissioner?” Grayson replied. “We have a source in the Corinthos organization, and rumor has it the attorney was there just as the fee was
paid for the hit. We hear she’s the one who talked him OUT of it. If she never reported this to the police, Mr. Scorpio, she’s guilty of a crime. And if we pressure her
and offer her a deal, she’ll talk. She’s got a kid, after all. Then presto: Sonny Corinthos in Statesville.”

Mac was still shaking his head. “I’m telling you: Alexis Davis is an honest attorney,” he fired back. “She’s stand up. She’s been well-respected as a lawyer around here
even when she had Sonny’s sorry ass as her client.”

Ric rolled his eyes. “You’ll have to forgive Mr. Scorpio,” he told Grayson. “He’s a personal friend of Ms. Davis.”

“I actually thought you were, too, Ric. And so what, that just means I know her well enough to see that she’s a good woman with pretty solid character. Yeah, there
were a few errors over the years—”

“Oh, you mean like faking DID and killing an arms dealer?” Ric quipped. “Acting like a man to gain illegal access to her child?”

Mac stood to his feet, a little sick of the man’s self-righteous tone. “Yeah, I’m sure the prosecutor here knows Alexis has made a few bad mistakes to protect her
daughter. I wonder if he also knows YOUR history. Didn’t you WORK for that arms dealer you just mentioned? And let’s not forget Carly, Sonny’s WIFE, in whom you
took a little bit of an unhealthy interest, huh, Ric? Two words: panic room. Baby stealing. Ring a bell?”

“Unsubstantiated rumor and innuendo,” Ric retorted. “And you’re bordering on libelous charges, Mac. I’d watch that. But we digress: this is about getting Sonny.”

“Really? I kinda think it’s about you NOT getting Alexis,” Mac muttered under his breath.

“Excuse me?” Ric’s dark eyes spit fire at the commissioner.

Mac simply grinned. It had been widely observed by their colleagues that sparks flew between the DA and his opposing counsel that weren’t exclusive to the cases they
tried. Perhaps this was just as much about Sonny as it was about Alexis, Mac mused. This idiot really was relationship challenged.

Ric sighed, exasperated. “You’re protesting an awful lot, Mac,” he snapped. “I thought you’ve wanted to bust my brother for like…what is it…ten unsuccessful years
now? The whole time you’ve been commissioner of police? Or are you in love with Sonny, too? Maybe you and Alexis need to go into therapy together.”

Light dawned in Mac’s mind and he nodded, a bitter smile crossing his face. “Ah, your agenda is showing,” he said. “A little angry at Ms. Davis, are we? What did she do,
shoot your romantic plans outta the water? So now you’re gonna help the Feds force her to destroy Sonny, huh? That’ll really make her love ya.”

An ugly silence descended upon the room and Mac watched as emotions chased across Ric's face. He saw something dark and haunting pass there: hurt…deep and
wounding. The next moment, though, it was gone, replaced by the arrogant smirk he wore like armor.

He and Sonny were more alike than they knew, Mac mused. There were even odds of each one crashing and burning in a fit of self-indulgent rage one day. The sad thing
was that each in his own way seemed determined to bring Alexis down with him.

“I don’t have any agenda as you term it,” Ric flared. “This is a federal action. It’s my job to assist.”

Mac chuckled disbelievingly and downed the rest of his coffee.

“Gentlemen, this personal drama has no impact on the case,” the prosecutor said. “Like it or not, Commissioner, we have every intention of pressuring Ms. Davis until she
breaks. With her testimony, we WILL get Sonny Corinthos.”

Mac met the other man’s steely gaze. “Look, I know you have evidence against Sonny. Bully for you. But the woman…she’s a single mother with a toddler, for God’s sake.
Isn’t there any way you can leave her the hell out of it?”

“Are you asking me to ignore knowledge of a crime, Commissioner Scorpio?” the prosecutor demanded. “Because if you are, that’s a breach of ethics.”

“All I’m asking is whether ruining Alexis’ life is absolutely necessary to the success of this case,” Mac persisted.

“To get Corinthos? I might even sell my mother out for that,” Grayson drawled.

Mac’s stomach clenched. Alexis was in for the ride of her life…

“We’ll be in touch with indictment paperwork,” Ric stated and the two men exited his office. “Keep the details under wraps until we’re ready to go forward.”

Mac waited for the two of them to be out of earshot before he gripped the phone in his hand and dialed a cell number. Sure he’d keep the details under wraps…from
everyone but Alexis.

“Hello?”

“Yeah, it’s Mac Scorpio. There’s trouble. Major trouble.”

“Cassadine?”

“Corinthos.”

“Mac, you know that I no longer handle his—”


“Alexis, this most definitely affects both YOU and Corinthos. There’s no time for dialogue. Get down here fast.”

Mac hung up the phone and closed his eyes for a moment. This day had gone from bad to hellish. To finally nail Corinthos…to make a big public arrest…to get positive
media attention for his brothers and sisters in blue for once…to maybe win back some of the funding that had been cut…these were his greatest dreams.

But to have Alexis go down as part of the package? A damn nightmare.

He should have stayed in bed this morning.

Chapter 1

Mac Scorpio was not an alarmist. If he called and said it was major, then the trouble was major. Alexis drove the few miles from her apartment to the precinct with
her heart enfolded in a fist of ice. She knew instinctively that this would be life changing, and dread settled on her shoulders like a lead weight as she walked up to
Mac’s office.

Half an hour later, she knew that her instincts had been dead on. It was not only bad; it was horrific. Her choice: testify against Sonny, or they would likely place her in
jail until they could convict her of conspiracy to commit murder. Mac’s advice: get a great lawyer and then--though it would cost her dearly--cooperate fully with the
government.

Not even the Cassadine stoicism that had been ingrained in her as a child helped her combat the emotion she felt sitting in Mac’s office. Her eyes betrayed her fear,
and in that instant she saw Mac read the truth in her face.

He sighed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Alexis. I had hoped…”

He wasn’t able to find the words to finish.

“Can I…can we talk just as friends for a moment?” she asked in a voice that was so small he had to strain to hear. “Off the record, I mean.”

Mac nodded.

“What would you have done? If you knew Felicia planned to commit a crime and you also knew that you could stop her…save her from her mistake. Would you stop her,
or would you report her because you’re an officer of the law?”

He looked at her mutely, and she easily intuited his answer. Mac would have been moved by love not the law. Just as she had been.

“Then I don’t feel so damn stupid right now,” she whispered. “Cuz I loved him. And that’s what I acted on. Just like anyone else would have.”

She stood, nodded to him, and left his office in a numb haze.
*****
Now she sat in her living room, her legs tucked under her and her head resting on the arm of the sofa. The tears had long since ended; there was just a persistent ache
in her heart. At best, Alexis would lose her reputation…one that she’d fought long and hard to restore…all her friends in Port Charles, and her practice. And Kristina
would lose the father she’d never even had a chance to know. Alexis felt sick to her stomach when she realized those were the best-case scenarios.

Alice had read the pain in her eyes and had whisked Kristina off to a park for the afternoon, for which Alexis was seriously grateful. She couldn’t even look at her
precious daughter and consider having to say goodbye. And just now, she had to gear herself up to make a phone call she dreaded with all her being.

Lifting the receiver, she dialed the private cell number she’d never forgotten.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Sonny. It’s—”

“Alexis,” he said, his voice cool even as it held the obvious question he didn’t ask. Why the hell was she calling him? Especially after she’d all but attacked him for
talking to her daughter the last time she’d seen him. She could almost hear his thoughts though he didn’t verbalize them.

“I--I know this is strange. I know you--you and I don’t talk and, well, we basically have nothing to do with each other any more so this request is going to seem…bizarre,
but you just need to do what I ask and—”

“You’re rambling,” he said, arrogance coating his tone.

His statement annoyed her though it was true. “I know I’m rambling,” she snapped, exasperated. “But that’s because this is difficult.”

“So why don’t you just tell me why you called? Carly’s out shopping somewhere. Leticia’s off today and I’m—uh-- kinda busy here with the kids.”

She grimaced. His kids. Sonny would have painful goodbyes, too.

“I-I’m sorry,” she whispered as she registered for the first time that baby Morgan was screaming his lungs out on the other end of the line.

“Listen, I—you need to come to my apartment as soon as possible. There’s been an emergency, and it concerns you.”

“Lexis, what’s this about? Come on, you gotta give me more than that…”

And then it seemed that the tension of the day that had knotted in her shoulders and in her gut finally tightened to a strangle hold and Alexis could not stand one
more second of this conversation.
“Sonny, any minute now we’re both going to be in crap so deep we’ll need hip waders to get through it. Now cut the interrogation, and get over to my apartment before
it’s too late!”

Then the line went dead. Alexis hung up on him.

Chapter 2

When Alexis opened the door to him, she looked as shaken as she’d sounded an hour ago on the phone. Her face ashen, her eyes bleary with the after effects of her
tears, and it looked as if she’d been running both hands through her hair for every one of those sixty minutes. She looked…vulnerable. And despite his best efforts not
to notice, as beautiful as ever. It made Sonny want to pull her against him in an embrace and promise to protect her again.

But the next moment, the past came hurtling back to the front of his mind, and he squared his shoulders, raising his guard against her. He wished he’d taken the time
to don one of his impeccable designer suits. He would at least feel more in control. But as it was, he’d had to rush over to Bobbie's with his kids. He’d had no time to
change out of the pair of chinos and the short-sleeved shirt he wore.

“Come in,” Alexis said softly, moving aside.

He glanced around her cozy living room checking for others in residence.

“Alice took Krissy to the park, and then she’s going to take her to Kelly’s for dinner. We’re alone.”

He nodded as she unerringly read his mind and sank into an inviting looking armchair. Alexis took a seat on the couch, her hands clasped tightly together as if to stop
them from fidgeting.

“Damn, this must really be bad,” he said, his dark eyes glued to hers. “You’ve been crying.”

She sniffed and rubbed self-consciously at her nose. “Yeah, it’s bad,” she whispered.

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together like hers. “So tell me.”

“Earlier today, Mac Scorpio called me down to his office. He told me that a federal prosecutor is planning to indict you on the charges of attempted kidnapping and
attempted murder.”

Sonny frowned. “Who the hell was the victim?”

“AJ Quartermaine,” she answered and her voice trembled. “They know, Sonny.”

He stared at her, his scowl firmly in place. “They know what?”

“They know you ordered a hit on AJ two years ago.”

It took him a moment to process the information. How could the police have found this out after two years? Only one way came to his mind.

“You told them?” he exploded, jumping to his feet. “You told them that after all this damned time?”

Alexis’ eyes went wide with what he thought was hurt and anger. She stood up as well. “No, Sonny! I didn’t tell them. That’s the point. I didn’t tell anyone. And now they
want to take me down, too!”

Stunned, Sonny lapsed into silence, one hand finding his hip and the other running through his ebony hair in agitation. He walked away from her to stand at her window,
staring out at the city bathed in summer sunlight. He needed to reign in the tide of emotion that had swamped him.

After what seemed like an eternity, he questioned her, his voice nearly emotionless now. “How? Who’s giving them their information?”

“One of the--the men you hired to do the…job,” she said, and he could tell from her tone that the words were distasteful to her. “He’s been indicted in another federal
crime, so he’s trying to buy his way out of that charge by giving you up.”

Sonny sighed and closed his eyes briefly. “That’s all they got?”

“No, Sonny, nobody’s going to trial with just that. They also have a source inside your organization, so they say. That’s the person who put my name into it.”

Finally, he turned back to her, hands on his hips. “So what are they going to offer you?”

“Mac told me that either I say that you did this, or they indict me for conspiracy to commit murder right along with you.”

“They can’t do that,” Sonny scoffed, his voice, he knew, sounding a bit desperate. “Back then, you were my lawyer. You can’t talk about legal matters between you and I
—”

“Knowledge you committed a crime isn’t covered under privilege,” she told him. “I was bound by law to report it and I didn’t. I told you that back then…that night
when…”

Her voice faded and they were both bathed in memories from the past. He remembered that she had screamed at him, “You’ve made me a party to murder…I have put
everything on the line for you and you cannot do this to me!”

And she had put it all on the line for him. He’d responded by choosing her over revenge.

He saw her shudder now as other memories of that night intruded. Memories that were sweeter indeed. She met his eyes, her face suddenly suffused in color. It took
all his strength to break the connection and look away.

He needed to think. He needed to be stone cold sober not swamped by memories of making love to her. He had his kids to think about. And Carly. This was life or
death…for all of them.

“In Mac’s opinion, do they have a strong case?”

“The best,” she responded bleakly. “The federal prosecutor is really into seeing this the whole way through. His goal is you in Statesville and me in the women’s wing if I
don’t cooperate.”

Sonny heaved in a breath and let it slip noisily from his lips. “Damn,” he said softly. “Never thought I’d get popped for a crime I didn’t even go through with.”

The thought caused a bitter laugh to issue from his lips.

Alexis whirled round to face him, fire flashing in her eyes. “You’re laughing about this? I mean, I don’t find any of it the slightest bit funny!”

His head tilted to one side, as he scratched his chin, a grim smile on his face. “Really, Lex? I feel it’s funny as hell. It’s poetic justice. I hurt you. I walked away from
us. And now you have the perfect opportunity to see that justice is done. Testify against me and put me away where I belong. Isn’t that what you said you wanted when
you ran for DA against Baldwin? To keep me off the streets and make PC safe for all? Even for your daughter who I’m apparently too maladjusted to even speak to!”

“Oh, right on schedule,” Alexis shouted, hands fluttering wildly about. “Here comes the self-pity and the paranoid accusations. I mean, really, Sonny, what do you think:
that I’m over here turning somersaults at the prospect of having to help put you in jail?”

“Why wouldn’t I think you’d be happy about this? You been actively trying to hurt me for two years now…parading secrets I shared with you in open court…acting as if I
am some kind of pedophile when I come near Kristina—”

“That is absolutely untrue!” Alexis screamed. “You are such a pompous, arrogant, ass! This is not JUST about you! FIRST, you walk in here and automatically assume
that I ratted you out to the feds. Excuse me, but that was the termagant you married, not me. Let the record show that Alexis Davis has NEVER informed on you.
NEXT, you just assume that I am going to cooperate with the case without even asking me. And NOW you go so far as to infer that it would be my revenge for you
ending our…whatever it was…two years ago! You’re unbelievable!”

“Well, what do you expect me to think?” he flared, unable to stem the twist of hurt that overtook him. “You shut me out ever since Carly came back even though YOU
sent me back to her in the first place. You turned away from me and made me public enemy number one. I was no longer worthy to be part of your life. So excuse me
for thinking that this solves all your damn problems with me!”

Alexis stepped into his face, swiping at the angry tears in her eyes. Her voice softened but it shook with the vitriolic emotion of this moment. “Do I look happy?
Whether I testify or not, my life here is OVER, Sonny. How will I look Ned in the face--and Monica and Alan for that matter--when they find out that I knew someone
was trying to kill their son and I did nothing? And as for my career, that’s gone now, too. Who'll hire a mob snitch? And my pride? Well, do you think it’ll give me
pleasure to tell this whole town I chose you over my principals and broke the damn law and you STILL walked away?”

She poked him in the chest and then the poking became an all out assault with her fists. Alexis was melting down in front of him. “I CHOSE you that night and here I
am still paying for it two years later! How much more penance do I have to do for loving you, damn it?”

Sonny let her hit him, as her words like unerring weapons sank into his mind. She was right. Every single word she’d said. He’d come here and attacked her when this
whole thing was his fault. She was no happier than he was about this mess; it would irreparably damage her life, too. He deserved her fury. So he did something he had
never done since the day Deke Woods lay dying in and alley: Sonny allowed himself to be hit.

He absorbed her blows with a savage pain in his heart until her burst of emotion died down and she fell against his chest limp as a rag doll, wracked by her sobs.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered over and over as he held her. It was the natural thing for Sonny’s arms to come round her. It was the expected thing for him to speak soft,
soothing words as he wiped her tears away. And it was as instinctive as his next breath for him to lean his mouth down to stroke her cheek. A series of tender kisses
on her skin followed, gentle as whispers. They seemed to calm her and bring her some measure of peace. That was all he intended in that moment.

But then she turned her mouth to his, her lips parted on a ragged sigh, and he lost thought of his innocent intentions. The only thought was that he wanted her. That
he needed to hold her as much as she needed to be held. That he’d missed just being near her for far too long now and he couldn’t do without it for one more minute.

And with a sigh at the inevitability of it all, he took her mouth with his own.

Chapter 3

This must be what drowning feels like, Alexis mused as Sonny’s mouth slanted boldly against hers and she drank deeply from his sweetness. The world receded by
inches as she felt herself sink beneath the surface of him. Further and further from the shores of reality and pain, deeper into the tides of sensation and sensuality
and desire. She sighed into his mouth and it turned into a groan.

His hands framed her face, his thumbs stroking tenderly across her cheekbones. Then they shifted into the silky strands of her hair as he held her firmly to him. Her
hand on his chest sought the strong rhythm of his heartbeat as if seeking proof that this was real and not a dream.

His tongue slipped boldly into her mouth to stroke hers and her breathing hitched. Waves of wanting spread languidly through her loins as she pressed closer to him.
She inhaled his fragrance…spice, cloves. The taste of his mouth was a sense memory that had dulled with the passage of time but had never quite disappeared. And now
in the present, she found that he was even more delicious than she recalled.

He was a force of nature. A vortex pulling her in until she felt she was drowning in him…Losing thought. Losing reason. Losing herself. Again.

The last thought rocketed through her head and her eyes opened wide. Panicked, she began to push against his chest frantically, pulling her lips from his. She averted
her eyes, her breath coming in gasps. She couldn’t look at him; she was too shaken. Too ashamed.
“I—I don’t know what that was,’ she stammered, going immediately into spin mode. “The—the emotion of the moment…the--the craziness we’re going through or—”

“Or the fact that we want each other and always will,” Sonny said huskily, and lifted her chin so that her eyes had to meet his. “I’m way past pretending it isn’t there,
Lex.”

Alexis didn’t want to hear that. It didn’t help anything. They were in too much trouble here to add to it the complicated feelings they had once shared…still shared…
whatever. She craved distance. She stepped back from him, rubbed the back of her hand across her mouth as if to erase the feeling of him.

“We--we need to think,” she whispered. “To decide what we’re going to do. Calmly and rationally this time.”

He held her gaze for what seemed like ages. “You’re right. I was--I went a little crazy before…when you told me about all this. I was—I was wrong to go off on you like
that.”

Alexis folded her arms across herself. Those words had hurt; they hurt still. “Yes, you were. No matter what’s gone down between us, no matter what I may have said
or done, I have no desire to see you go to prison. You have to know that.”

Sonny looked at her and—she hoped---saw the sincerity of her words. He swallowed hard and nodded. “I do. In my heart, I know that. Just the way I don’t want--and
have NEVER wanted--anything bad to happen to you. Especially not because of me. I couldn’t take that.”

She sensed he’d come to a decision and she waited for him to share it. “I don’t want to leave my children, my family. But I don’t intend to go to prison. Whatever I have
to do to avoid that, I’ll do.”

Alexis read his thoughts, knowing he meant that he would run just to stay free. But if he did that, he’d still be giving up his life. She knew he’d never make his kids and
Carly live on the run. His eyes filled with grief and tears even now as he spoke of it.

“Don’t worry about me; tell them you’ll testify,” he whispered, brokenly. “Give me up. At least one of us will get to stay with their child. At least one of us can have a
normal life.”

Her lips parted in surprise at his words.

“It’s the only option. I did this; I should take the fall. You tell ‘em you’ll talk, they’ll back off o’ you. Then I run, and they’ll have nothing. Simple.”

Simple. Except that she’d never see him again. Never talk to him…never touch him…

It wasn’t as if she’d had much contact with him over the last few years. But there had always been the hope that she would catch a glimpse of him…see him smile…even
argue with him. It was better than his total absence from her life.

She shook herself mentally. She wasn't supposed to be thinking of Sonny. She needed to save her own life for her daughter’s sake, didn’t she? This was what she
wanted, right? For Sonny to take the burden of this and get her out of the mess that he’d created? So he’d run. It was the only way.

Then why were her insides twisted up with pain? Why did she feel like she was betraying him by letting him take the burden of it all alone? Why did she feel as if her
daughter would be losing something precious if Sonny ran?

“Just say yes, Alexis,” he prodded now. “Just save yourself.”

She looked him straight in the eye and shook her head. “I'm sorry. I know I should. But I can’t.”

Chapter 4

“What the hell are you sayin’?” he demanded, angry beyond reason. This was not the time for Alexis to exert her famous stubborn streak.

“I don’t know. I just can’t let you lose your children. You’re not going to run, so we’ll have to find another way.”

“There is no other way,” he snapped. “You said it yourself: they got a solid case against me. The hit man, this supposed source, and you. Either I run or we both get
hauled into court. You wanna let that happen?”

“No,” she said firmly. “But I also don’t want you to be a fugitive traipsing all over the world with police after you.”

He wouldn’t admit to himself how much the tender concern in her voice meant to him. His heart softened within him. “Lex, I know how to take care of myself,” he told
her.

She nodded. “Yeah, but you’re not Superman. We both know it only takes one slip up for things to go horribly wrong. Remember that Christmas at the PCPD? With Em
and Zander? Neither of us saw the gunmen, Sonny. And then there was just this…noise…and the blood. And you could have…”

He felt her shudder, one of her hands slipping upwards to touch his shirt just at the spot where his scars lay hidden. Her eyes, misted with pain at the memory, lifted
to his.

“It only takes one time…one money hungry bounty hunter…one nervous cop…and you’re gone,” she whispered.

He reached up to grasp her hand in his where it lay on his chest. She was killing him…shaking his determination to do what he had to do. He needed his guard back up.
Where had all that distance gone…all that firm resolve to keep her at arm’s length? Out the window within a second of touching her.

“I’ll be okay,” he promised her softly. “This is the only way out of the situation.”

“How do you know that?” Alexis persisted. “Look, we—we just need a fresh perspective…another legal mind…someone who can be less emotional about this right now.
And I think I know just the person.”
She crossed the room to the phone and lifted the receiver to her ear. Sonny frowned as he watched her beautiful mind in motion, coming up with dozens of scenarios
at once. She sprang into action like the old Alexis he knew and loved.

Loved. He rubbed a hand over his face wearily. Something told him that the real battle wouldn’t be waged against some federal prosecutor. It would be against his own
traitorous heart.
***
The phone rang seven times or so before Dara Jensen could take it no longer and wrenched her mouth from the glorious lips of Attorney Justus Ward.

“Baby, don’t you think you should answer that?” she murmured. “It doesn’t seem like they’re gonna stop till you do.”

Justus groaned and slackened his hold on Dara’s tiny waist. She laughed at his disgruntled expression even as she tenderly wiped lip-gloss from his mouth with her
fingertips.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Ward,” she whispered as he pouted. “We’ll get back to that later. I have to go check on dinner anyway.”

Justus beamed as the phone stopped and went to voicemail, his eyes darkening as they lit on her curvy form unfolding from the sofa. “Who said I’m hungry for dinner?”
he quipped. “Though it does smell wonderful.”

“Oh, honey, you know I only cook once a century, so you are most definitely going to eat dinner tonight,” she reproved, walking off to his kitchenette. “You can indulge
other appetites later if you’re a good boy.”

Justus uttered something akin to a growl that made Dara laugh again. Then the phone started ringing anew, and he swore under his breath. He couldn’t win tonight.
Snatching it up, he barked, “Speak, and make it good.”

“I can’t promise that,” came the dulcet tones of Alexis Davis.

Justus gave a small, rueful smile. “Well, it better be compelling at least, Counselor. I’m in the middle of a hot date.”

“Mmm, sorry. I think I remember how good those can be. Vaguely.”

Justus laughed. “What can I do for you?”

“We…Sonny and I…could be in some serious trouble.”

Justus’ eyebrows rose. “Wait: Sonny and you? Since when do you allow Sonny in your stratosphere?”

“Since today. Since I was informed that we’re both going to be charged with something very serious. Federal stuff.”

“Federal?” he questioned. “What did you two do: rob a damn bank?”

“Justus, can you come over here? I have no idea how long these charges have been brewing, so I can’t be sure they haven’t got a wiretap on my phone. Plus—
technically-- you’re Sonny’s lawyer so privilege only extends to whatever he says not me…”

“Mmm, ever the careful and meticulous attorney. That’s what I admire so much about you.”

Alexis muttered something about “not being more careful two years ago”, but Justus didn’t quite catch it. “Whatever. Just come over please. We’d appreciate it.”

“Be right there.”

“Oh, and Justus, if you have anybody with ties to the DA’s office who can get more details on our case…”

“Say no more…Dara?” he called.

“Dara?” Alexis echoed. “Dara’s there? What happened to that cute little lawyer, Jen?”

“Sometimes an old flame is hard to get over, Alexis,” Justus murmured with a smile.

“Tell me about it,” came the dry reply.

The “old flame” popped her head through the doorway of the kitchenette. “You called me?”

“Got anyone in Lansing’s office who owes you a favor?” her boyfriend queried.

“Sure,” she answered, frowning slightly. “Why?”

“I just have a friend who needs some info.”

“I’m not gonna like this, am I?” Dara asked, suspicion in her tone.

“Especially not when you tell her the friend is me,” Alexis quipped and Justus laughed.

“She’s over all that, Alexis.”

“Alexis?” Dara fired, so loud Justus was sure the whole condo complex heard her. “I’m supposed to be helping Alexis?”
Justus lifted a finger to his lips to quiet his girlfriend down. “Consider it done, Counselor,” he promised, and afterwards took down her address. “See you in fifteen.”

No sooner was the phone on its charger base than Dara exploded.

“I made you dinner and dessert and you’ll see HER in fifteen?” Dara demanded, eyes flashing and hands on her hips. “Alexis Davis of all people?”

“I thought you two made up.”

“We’re okay. We’re cordial. We’re not home girls. I don’t want to help her out of a jam or anything. You overstepped, Mr. Ward.”

“Come on, sweetie,” he said in his husky voice, reaching up to pull her across his lap. “A colleague’s in trouble. I want to help. So do this for me, please?”

Dara was caught in his dark compelling gaze for a moment, then rolled her eyes and—he decided smugly--realized that she couldn’t hold out against him.

“What?” she mumbled grudgingly.

“Find out what the federal case against my client, Sonny Corinthos, will entail,” he stated smoothly. “You know, witness lists, affidavits, names of sources, anything you
can get your hot little hands on.”

“You don’t ask for much, do you? I’m supposed to interfere with a federal case? I’m not even in the DA’s office anymore!”

“Pretty please?”

“For Corinthos—yuck—and Alexis Davis—yuckier?”

“Pretty please with a kiss?”

Dara smirked and shook her head in exasperation. “The kiss better be damn good.”

And as she leaned in, Justus made sure that it was.

Chapter 5

Justus sat in silence on Alexis’ sofa processing the story he’d just been told. The single word the attorney had uttered since Sonny had wrapped the tale: “Damn.”

Then he heaved in a deep breath and seesawed a mystified look between the two of them. “So why am I here?”

“We were kinda hoping you had some ideas,” Sonny said. “I mean, we know you worked with the Justice Department some time back and…”

“Nah, I mean, whose side am I on?” Justus clarified. “I gotta wonder why you guys are sitting here strategizing together. You two do realize that you’re on opposite
sides of this thing, right?”

“No, actually, we’re not,” Alexis said. “We talked a lot before you got here. And we each want the same thing: for the other one to stay out of jail. We just don’t know
exactly how to do that.”

“That’s because neither one of you is David Copperfield,” Justus quipped, “and it’s gonna take magic…or a miracle…to accomplish that.”

He spied the crestfallen expressions on each of their faces, and he sighed and relented a bit. “It’s not totally hopeless, but when the feds want somebody this bad,
they’ll do almost anything to bag ‘em. You have to think out of the box to get out of this one.”

He took a pad of paper from his brief case and noted down the date. “As of right now, I am the attorney of record for you both. That’s so I can’t testify to anything
that Alexis says from here on out. Agreed?”

Both Alexis and Sonny nodded.

“Now let’s get down some ideas: anybody considered running for the border?”

Sonny cast Alexis an evil look, and Justus laughed. “Just kidding,” the attorney said. “Trying to lighten the mood, guys. We should look at precedents in the case law,
Alexis. You know, other times when a mob guy—‘scuse me Sonny—has gone up against informants in his own family or organization.”

“Well, you can look up an old case of mine cuz this has happened to me before,” Sonny said making a wry face. “Remember, Lexis?”

She nodded. “Carly thought she’d help Sonny with one of his enemies and ended up implicating him in a huge FBI mess. It was awful. The FBI had a couple of made guys
as witnesses. So they needed somebody outside the organization to make a stronger case. Hence, they tried to force Carly to testify against Sonny.”

“But they couldn’t right?” Justus noted, pencil flying across his legal pad. “Cuz you can’t compel a wife to testify against her husband.”

“Well, this was before Sonny and Carly were married. In fact, I came up with the idea that they marry in the first place to save Sonny from prosecution.”

Justus greeted Alexis’ words with complete silence; she looked up him quizzically. “What?”

“They married and the case fell apart?” Justus paraphrased.

“Ye-es,” Alexis replied slowly, obviously confused by the stupefied expression on the face staring across at her.
“A wife can’t be forced to testify against her husband, right?”

“I think we’ve established that, yes. What’s up?”

He simply stared at her unblinking for what seemed like an hour then looked at Sonny, a grin spreading across his face. “History may just have to repeat itself.”

“What are you talking about, Jus—”

Alexis’ voice trailed off as she froze like a deer in headlights staring at him. “Are you suggesting…You’re not saying…that the only way out of this is to…I—we—he’s
already married!”

Sonny shook his head. “Technically, I’m not.”

“What d’you mean ‘technically I’m not’?” Alexis flashed. “That’s like being a little bit pregnant. Either you’re married or you’re not. You live with her!”

“For Michael,” Sonny answered softly. “We—after her thing with Alcazar and then Sam being in my life…we went forward with the divorce. We settled the custody
stuff, as you know. And now…though I live there with her…I am not married to her.”

Alexis’ mouth was open so wide a truck could have driven in. It was so cute, Justus smiled despite himself. She swung her disbelieving gaze back to him.

“It’s true,” he informed her. “I filed the papers myself.”

Justus watched Alexis. She seemed to let their words sink in for a moment before she launched herself to her feet and began pacing the room. “Well, so what if he’s
single. I cannot—I will not—marry him. I mean, that’s just ridiculous. No one will buy the mobster and the lawyer getting hitched after all the fighting and squabbling
we’ve done!”

“Why not? Fighting and squabbling is what me and Carly are known for and we been married I don’t know how many times, Lex.”

“He’s got you there, Counselor,” Justus responded.

Alexis shot him “the Cassadine look of death” and kept arguing her side. “This is absolutely, positively impossible and should be taken off the table as an option right
now because no one in his right mind could actually buy Sonny Corinthos and Alexis Davis in a marriage. That idea ascends to new heights of ridiculousness and—and--
and I, for one, cannot be party to any plan that includes such a doomed proposition in the first place—”

“Breathe,” Sonny told her as she came to the end of her lung capacity and had to sit down on the couch before she fell down. Sonny leaned over towards Justus.
“Asthma,” he explained deadpan expression in place.

“Sonny,” Alexis wheezed, “this is not on the table, right? You agree with me? Right?”

He looked at her and shook his head. “Apparently we have found the one option which—for Alexis—would be worse than prison: becoming my wife.”

She heard the sarcasm in his tone judging by the glare she sent his way. “I didn’t say that. I’m simply saying that we need to explore other more…viable and less…
disruptive options before we settle on something this…drastic.”

“So not only am I undesirable but disruptive and drastic as well,” Sonny muttered to Justus. “Gee, she really knows how to stroke a guy’s ego.”

“Just stop it, you two,” she commanded in a tone that reminded Justus of his sixth grade teacher. “We have to come up with some real ideas. Now let’s forget about
the nuptials and get down to work.”

Justus held up his hand in a mock salute as Alexis huffed back to her seat. But he couldn’t help but notice how agitated the woman had gotten in the last few minutes.

Did she know she was protesting too much? Did she know that anyone with eyes could see that she was scared witless to be caught in a marriage deal with Sonny? Could
it be all that animosity they’d been spitting for the past months Justus had been back in town was a cover for some other deeper emotions?

He grinned to himself and received the look of death from Alexis again. So he cleared his throat and turned to business.

It was to no one’s surprise an hour and a half later that they had to return to the plan that had made Alexis hyperventilate. Each eventuality they had mapped out had
come with too great a cost for Sonny, Alexis, or the both of them.

Justus rubbed his neck wearily as he stared at Alexis’ obstinate posture at the end of the sofa. Folded arms, foot tapping, eyes on the opposite wall. She was
infuriated.

“There's no guarantee it'll work, Counselor, but marriage is still the best choice you’ve got,” he told her. “I’d sleep on it and then make a decision. But in my opinion, this
is what you need to do.”

He stood to his feet, stretching, and reaching for his briefcase. “I’ll be in touch when Dara gets some info on the case…oh, man, Dara’s at my place. She is gonna kill me
and hide the body.”

Sonny stood and showed him to the door. “Thanks, man. I appreciate you coming over on such short notice. Tell Dara I’m sorry.”

Justus gave a look of chagrin. “I don’t think I’ll mention either of your names when I get back…if she’s even still there. See ya.”

Chapter 6

Sonny turned back to her when they were again alone. He felt irrationally upbeat for someone who was about to be indicted. Marriage…rebuilding a closeness with
Alexis…exploring the feelings he’d subdued in his soul for far too long…Try as he might he couldn’t feel badly about this plan.
But then he saw the panic in her expression and quashed his emotion before she could see it.

“So?” he said. “What’s the problem?”

“So what’s the problem? How would you explain our marriage to Michael? Or—good God—to Carly? We’d have to live together to make it at least LOOK real, or we could
be busted for fraud along with all this other crap. It would have to be for quite a while…at least until the feds found another bone to chew that’s more interesting than
you. Who knows when that would be? Sonny, marriage wouldn’t be easy.”

“Nothing about you and me ever is,” he told her, a small, wistful smile on his face. He reached up to smooth a tendril of hair behind her ear and was gratified when she
didn’t bat his hand away. “Lexis, I told you I’d do anything to stay free. That also applies to you: I’d do anything to keep you free as well. And… sorry if you disagree…
but it wouldn’t be that much of a sacrifice to marry you.”

Her eyes widened as they met his and nervously she caught her lip between her teeth. He moved towards her slowly, not wanting to spook her, but needing to taste her
once more if only for a moment. He leaned across confident she would let him. She didn’t recoil; that was a good sign. In fact, her eyes whispered shut and her
beautiful lips…those lips he loved...parted ever so slightly.

“There we are, Kristina, home again,” came the booming voice of Alice as she bustled through the door with Alexis’ sleepy child in her arms. “Oh!”

Alice froze stock still in the doorway keys and bags grasped in one hand, Krissy balanced on her opposite hip. The woman seemed nonplussed at seeing her boss in the
arms of the local crime boss.

“I’m sorry,” she sputtered, struggling to close the door and balance what was in her arms. “I’ll just…if you’ll excuse me...I’ll take the Little One on through to bed.”

And that was what she did without sparing either of them a second glance. He’d seen this woman in action when she’d worked at the Quartermaine’s and nothing had
seemed to shake her. But the sight of him with Alexis did?

“And that’s only a small sample of the reactions we’d get if we were to…marry,” Alexis whispered.

Sonny tilted his head, grinning. “And when have you ever known me to care about people’s reactions?” he said. “Lexis, I can’t make the decision for you. Just think about
what’s most important, and you’ll know what to do.”

He touched her jaw line gently with his fingertip, and then he turned to go…leaving her with one of the most difficult choices she’d faced in her life.
***
Hours later, when Alice had gone home, and she stood over her daughter sleeping in her little bed, she thought. She let herself think. She let herself consider. She let
herself dream.

Marriage to Sonny? Living together? Sharing meals? Sharing talks like they used to? Sleeping in the same vicinity? Just meeting with him today had been brutal for
her self-control. She’d let him kiss her. She’d kissed him back. She’d wanted to do even more.

Because you still love him, you idiot.

But he didn’t love her, she told herself firmly. He never had. And this would only be a marriage of convenience…one designed to save his butt and her own as well. How
could she survive emotionally intact while pretending each day that she felt nothing?

“Think of what’s most important, and you’ll know what to do,” he’d told her.

Her eyes fell to the tiny sleeping form in front of her. Kristina needed her mother. And, Alexis swallowed hard, she needed to know her father, too. Alexis had always
intended that one day…sometime in the future…when things in Sonny’s life had calmed down…the two of them could know each other…grow close.

Alexis shook her head. There might never be a one day…a sometime. There might never be a perfect moment. She’d realized today when he’d spoken of running that
something—anything—unexpected could happen. Something like this case could arise and suddenly he’d be gone and there would be no more chances to make things
right. No more some days. Then what would she tell her daughter? “I was waiting till your Daddy was perfect before I let him near you?”

If she married Sonny, he had a fighting chance in court. If she married him, he could know his daughter…at least for however long the marriage had to stay legal. If
she married him… If she married him, he could stay.

“Think about what’s important, and you’ll know what to do…”

That instant, Alexis knew what she had to do.

Chapter 7

“YOU WHAT?”

“Shh, Carly, Morgan’s asleep. Leticia just got him down.”

He had hoped to tell her slowly, over a long dinner out, after a few rather large drinks had gotten into her system. But fate had conspired against him, as usual. Justus
had learned from Dara that the charges would be filed within the week. If he was going to marry Alexis, Justus warned him, it had to be now.

That meant telling Carly.

“What the hell did you just say?” Carly demanded, still at a decibel that could break glass.

“I have to marry Alexis. It’s the only way we could figure to fight these charges.”
“Oh, I bet it was the only way she could think of…cuz it gets her back into your bed!” Carly shrieked. “Isn’t this a nice little turn of events: she talks you into marrying
me to save you from jail, and now she does it again with HERSELF starring in the role of wife? No way, Sonny!”

His jaw tensed as he ground his teeth. “Alexis didn’t even suggest it. Justus did.”

“Fine. Remind me to cuss him out, too, when I see him. But the fact remains that Alexis loves this idea, doesn’t she? She can finally trick you into coming back to her.
The little witch. Three words: No. Way. Sonny.”

Sonny wanted to grab her and shake her when she talked about people that way…especially Alexis. “You and I are divorced. You have no say in this.”

“Oh no? I have your children. I have custody. I have a say in whether or not you see them,” she told him.

Sonny looked at her, a warning in his gaze. “Don’t try to play that card, Carly.”

“I’ll do what I have to do. You marry that witch, you won’t see them as long as I draw breath…”

“God knows, you shouldn’t tempt me like that!” he retorted walking away from her.

Her eyes shrank to slits spitting wrath at him. “You will not see them, Sonny. Do you hear me? You marry her you might as well be in prison because I won’t have you
near my children.”

If he ever needed proof that Carly knew nothing of real love, here it was staring him in the face. “You’d really do that to me?”

“You’re MARRYING another woman and you have the nerve to act like a betrayed little boy with me? I’m the one who’s been betrayed, Sonny!”

“We’re divorced, Carly! We don’t sleep together. I live here for the kids. And damn it, that hasn’t even been working cuz Michael’s only gotten more confused…and more
manipulative every minute. We should’ve been honest with him. We should’ve helped him live with reality.”

“Reality? You mean like the fact that his father was sleeping with a former hooker at the PC Hotel?”

“Or that his mama was doing the same with a drug dealer?” Sonny sneered. “Don’t do this, Carly. Don’t play this game. I’m much better at it.”

“Yes, yes you are. You are better at dirty, low-down betrayals…I have the scars to prove it. Including one from walking in and finding you and your future wife upstairs
in my bed!”

“I got scars too, Carlybabes. Like the big one across my heart when I realized you faked your death for days on end just to pay me back for moving on with my life! Like
realizing the woman I loved and married could do something like that not just to me but also to her mother and to her son. And damn it…even to Alexis.”

“Alexis?”

“She felt like she’d driven you off that damn cliff herself. I watched her suffer for weeks. We both suffered!”

“She felt bad for sleeping with my man. You felt bad for defiling our bed. Good for both of you. I could care less! The point is: I have been through too much drama
with you to just walk away the loser now. I left Lorenzo to make our family whole. We were supposed to stay together, you and me. Now you think you’ll just take up
with your former lover, and I’ll stand by and allow it?”

“There’s nothing you can DO about it, Carly.”

“Oh, sure there is! I wonder how little miss perfect will feel when she realizes her current scheme is gonna rob you of your children?”

Carly’s lip curled venomously. “But then, maybe that’s the point. To get you away from our kids.”

Sonny met her gaze coldly. “Alexis would never keep me from my children!”

Carly said nothing for a moment. Then she opened her mouth and laughed so long and so loud he thought she’d gone crazy. “If you only understood how funny that was,
hon’, oh my god…”

She sobered under his confused gaze, and wiped the tears of laughter from her face. “It’s…like so ironic. And you don’t even know it. Maybe I’ll let you…let you be
blissfully ignorant and marry her. Then she can hurt you deeply, mortally, like you’ve hurt me. I think that would be perfect. A wonderful lesson for you to learn at
Alexis’ hands.”

She turned away from him, and began to pick up toys strewn around the living room. It was then that he noticed that her hands were shaking. Something like sympathy
twisted in his gut.

He reached out, touched her shoulder. “Carly, I’m sorry.”

She turned to face him, her face emotionless. “Not yet. But you will be.”

And then she strode upstairs to see her kids.

Chapter 8

The private jet touched down on San Rafael at 2:30 am, taxied down the tiny runway, and came round toward the single terminal of the island’s airport. Alexis could see
nothing but inky blackness occasionally broken by spotlights from her window. And maybe the darkened outline of a palm tree or two. She was sure that by daylight it
was beautiful.
She fidgeted, thinking back on the hasty packing job she’d done in preparation for the trip. She’d been more concerned with finding out if Alice could stay at the
apartment with Kristina for the next few days. When the woman had said that she could, Alexis had relaxed a little.

Now that they’d landed, however, her shoulders stiffened with tension again. She was here to get married…and there wasn’t a semi in sight.

But did she even want one? Did she even want to escape…or was it just comforting to tell herself that she did? The fact was she loved Sonny. It was as natural as
breathing. And it had never stopped.

She looked at him as he reclined in his chair now, eyes closed as the pilot drew them nearer to their final stop, as serene and defenseless as a child in repose. His
beauty stopped her breath. All that black hair dark as midnight…that olive skin…that arrogant nose...those eyes that were so dark and compelling that they stared
right into her soul.

“My God, I'm like a chick in a romance novel,” she mumbled.

Without her even realizing it, his eyes had opened. He smiled at her, sending her into a state of befuddled confusion. He’d caught her staring.

“Watching me sleep?” he teased.

Alexis shook herself mentally. Get it together, girl, she commanded. “No, I was just wondering when you were going to wake up, lazy bones.”

He stretched a little, emitting a small yawn. “I think I needed the rest,” he told her. “Tellin’ Carly about this was six kinds o’ hell.”

Alexis giggled at his turn of phrase. “I’ll bet. I’m sure she thinks this is all my idea, right?”

“Yeah, of course. She did the usual yelling and screaming. But then she acted real…strange at the end.”

Alexis shrugged. “Strange for normal people or strange for Carly? You’ll have to be more specific.”

Sonny gave her a look of reproof.

“Sorry,” she replied with a smirk that said she was anything but.

“It’s just…you know…she was hinting that I couldn’t trust you…that you would hurt me…and keep me from my children. When I said you would never do something like
that, she just like laughed hysterically. Totally lost it.”

Alexis felt a cold thread of fear slip down her spine. Carly knew about Kristina. She had for a long time. She wouldn’t dare tell Sonny and admit that she had known the
truth, would she? She wouldn’t risk totally losing his respect? She wouldn’t lay another issue at his feet when he was busy fighting for his freedom?

There was no predicting Caroline Benson Corinthos.

Alexis hadn’t had time to plan for this contingent. She’d thought that they’d all be too busy with the case…that her secret would be the last thing on anyone’s mind for
a while. In the meantime, Sonny would have a chance to know Kristina even if he did not know she was his. That had been her hope anyway. Was Carly now poised to blow
it all to hell?

The pilot’s voice came across the intercom. “We’ll be ready to disembark in about five minutes, Mr. Corinthos.”

Sonny gave a small smile. “I half expected the feds to impound the damn plane,” he said.

“I’m sure they will when we get back,” she said gravely. She bit her lip a moment as something occurred to her. “So what’s the plan, Sonny? What’ll we do if we marry
and the case still goes south?”

“Worried that you’re getting hitched for nothin’?” he chuckled.

“No, I’m serious. Justus said this will help get me out of trouble, and it will hurt the prosecutor’s case against you. But we still have to fight the other evidence.”

“I don’t want you to think about any of that right now,” he said, leaning forward in his seat to take her hands. “One thing at a time. Let’s get to the hotel and get some
sleep. Then tomorrow I’m gonna give you a beautiful day that you’ll never forget. I promise you that, Alexis.”

And she believed his promise. When he looked at her like that, she could believe almost anything.
***
“Ric?”

“Who is this? Carly? Do you know what time it is right now?”

Carly drank deeply from the decanter held in her hand. She was well on the way to blotting out the ugly images in her head.

“It’s 3 am, Ric.”

“Why are you calling me at this hour, Carly?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, making a determined effort not to slur her words. If he thought she was drunk or out of control, he wouldn’t listen. And she had secrets
she needed him to hear.

“So drink some warm milk,” came Ric’s dry response. “I’m going back to sleep.”
Desperation singed a path through her brain, bringing a moment of sobriety. “And miss a chance to get Alexis for yourself?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve seen how you look at her, Ric. Everybody has. Don’t deny it. I know you want her.”

“Carly, what the hell are you—”

“They’re getting married, Ric,” she sneered. “Alexis and my—Sonny. To get him off on the murder for hire case.”

“How the hell do you know about that?”

“Oh, please, Ric. Sonny has known for days. And he’s gone off with Alexis to tie the knot. But it’s a scam. The marriage isn’t real.”

There was a long silence on the line. Then Ric said, “If that’s true, why would you tell me? You know this could help put him in prison.”

“Could it?” Carly asked feigning ignorance. “I didn’t realize. I thought I was just being an honest citizen.”

She hung up the phone and swallowed a good deal more of the alcohol in the decanter. Maybe by the time she’d seen the bottom of it, she would forget the way Alexis
had looked lying against the sheets in this very bed with Sonny.

But she doubted it.

Chapter 9

She’d married him. Alexis had gone off to marry Sonny.

One day, he would write an autobiography and title it, The Anatomy of Ric Lansing. And he would center the plot on the defining moments of his life. Unfortunately,
they would all be moments like these: moments when a woman he cared for and trusted shoved a knife’s blade between his shoulders and walked away from his broken
and bleeding form without so much as a backward glance.

Certainly, the first one he’d write about would be his mother. Well, Sonny’s mother, actually, for that was how Ric had thought of her since she’d chosen a life with her
elder son rather than to stay and raise him, her baby. She’d followed her emotional tie to her disturbed six-year-old son and had died broken and alone years later. But
Ric would forever indict her for her crime: she hadn’t stayed.

Featured just as prominently in his book would be Elizabeth. Ric had loved her with all of himself. And he had done all he knew how to make their life perfect. From the
ring he’d chosen, to the honeymoon, to the house he’d bought for her. It all would have worked…would have lasted forever…if their baby hadn’t died. That, too, had
come at Sonny’s hands-- a fact, he conceded now, that had driven him over the edge for a while. Once again, his brother’s evil had interfered in his life and had taken it
over. After that, no matter what Ric had done, Elizabeth had not been happy. Like his mother, she hadn’t stayed.

Now there was Alexis.

She’d married Sonny to save his life. That was how much she still cared for the brother Ric despised.

Admittedly, this thing with her had begun as a way to get to his brother, a means of revenge. That was all. Oh, the fact that she was beautiful and sexy and smart as
hell made Ric’s duel with her compelling, but he had been determined to keep her away from his heart and out of his head so that he could strategize. So that he could
use her and not be used in return.

Yet slowly, by inches and increments, Alexis was becoming far more than that. And Ric was hard pressed to pinpoint the moment when things had spiraled out of his
control. All he knew was that his feelings had come to a head about two weeks before.

He and Alexis had been having a drink in a restaurant after work, doing their usual sparring thing. And then Sonny had come in with his ex-wife, Ric reflected lips
twisting. They had gotten a table clear across the room, but Alexis had noticed her former lover at once. And then as if he’d felt her watching, Sonny had raised his
head and met her gaze.

They’d frozen for a long moment, looking at each other. At first with the disdain they usually displayed. But then her eyes had changed. Ric had watched it happen.
They’d deepened…darkened with some emotion he couldn't name. And Sonny had seen it, too. His own expression had softened. He’d lifted his head in an almost
imperceptible greeting. Alexis had done the same.

Ric could still see in his mind’s eye the look on Carly’s face at that moment. There was this resigned expression…a sort of sad acceptance. Sonny and Alexis were fooling
no one except themselves. It had never ended, this dance they danced. Whether fighting, estranged, or on separate desert islands on opposite poles of the earth, they
would always have that current of energy…that insidious connection that leapt between them.

Ric knew he couldn’t allow that to continue.

The means had fallen right into his lap as if by the hands of the Fates: a murder-for-hire case with Sonny cast as the culprit. And the DA had known exactly what he
had to do. He would pressure Alexis to turn on Sonny. And he would work hard to put his brother away for Alexis’ own good. And once she had involuntarily helped to
slam the prison doors on Sonny Corinthos, her connection with Sonny would be destroyed. For good this time.

She shouldn’t have married him, Ric mused. It would only make things harder on her when her plan collapsed and Sonny was inevitably brought down.

Ric would be obligated to extricate her from this mess. That he would do. But when all was said and done, Alexis would forsake Sonny and stay with him. That was the
point. That was all that mattered. He’d defeat his brother in this final game, and then Alexis would stay.

Chapter 10
“You reserved the Honeymoon Suite?”

Alexis was feeling more than a little bemused standing in the middle of the most sumptuous set of rooms she'd ever seen....rooms designed for newlyweds.

Sonny was tipping the bellman, and waited for the young man to leave before turning to face her.

“From this point on, Lex, we gotta act the part of a couple. We don’t know who will be around us: paparazzi, reporters, informants for the Feds.”

Her face was still immobile with surprise. She looked around at their surroundings, taking in the dimly lit room with its polished mahogany furnishings, the exotic
flowers in vases placed strategically about. The fragrant white gardenias floating romantically in a bowl of water on an end table.

“When did you have time to do all this?”

He shrugged. “Soon as you agreed to marry me, I had some of my people arrange the accommodations and the ceremony tomorrow.”

Alexis shuddered and wrapped her arms about herself. “I’m—I guess I’m just out of my depth all of a sudden. It’s all happening so fast. There’s so much to think
about.”

He strode over to her and placed his hands on her forearms gently. “You think too much,” he whispered. “I have it all planned. Trust me. Let’s just get some rest.”

Alexis’ eyes widened as she glanced through to the massive bed in the other room. Sonny laughed.

“I don’t have any paper bags, so calm down Alexis,” he said. “I’ll sleep on the sofa out here.”

She hunched one shoulder, clearly trying to appear as if she hadn’t been worried. “I knew that,” she said.

“Oh, you did, did you?” he countered. “So since I’m being such a gentleman about our sleeping arrangements, can I at least have one request?”

She almost held her breath as she looked at him. “What?” she whispered.

“A goodnight kiss from my fiancée.”

Alexis froze.
***
“Jack Grayson?”

“Jack. Ric Lansing, here. Sorry to call you in the middle of the night, but we have a problem. Sonny Corinthos is trying to corrupt this case.”

“How the hell could he do that?”

“He’s marrying one of the witnesses so that she can’t testify.”

“Alexis Davis?”

“Yes.”

“You absolutely sure of this?”

“100%.”

“So where is this alleged marriage taking place?”

“We’re working on that. Sonny’s plane is missing. The flight plan was bogus, and no one at the damn airport will help us without a warrant.”

“Damn it, that’ll take us into tomorrow. We need to find Corinthos fast. File an arrest warrant now. And I’ll get some of my men to that airport. The second Sonny Boy’s
plane touches down we’ll bust him…and we’ll add a damn fraud charge to his list of sins. Let’s see if Corinthos and Davis can convince a judge that their marriage is real.”

Chapter 11

“I want a goodnight kiss from my fiancée, Alexis.”

Sonny wanted to kiss her again? Alexis’ body thrummed to life at the mere suggestion. She wanted to give in more than anything…to taste him again…have him hold her.
Why did this man turn her on as no one else ever had? It was maddening.

“Should we…I mean, is it wise for us to…” Alexis’ voice faded as she stole a glance at his beautiful face.

“Come on, Lex, we have to practice for when we’re out in public,” he said, his tone and the look in his eyes completely rational. “This has to at least look real. You can’t
be this jumpy when I touch you.”

So that was it…the real reason. He wanted them to practice so they’d look convincing to others? Her heart squeezed painfully within her. For one foolish second, she
thought he’d just wanted to…

But that’s because I’m an idiot ruled by emotion like some schoolgirl, she chastised herself. That would end now. Her eyes grew cool and distant, a legacy from too many
Cassadine encounters.

“Believe me, Sonny, when we have to perform for the public, I’ll be ready,” she told him succinctly. “There’s no need to practice anything.”
On that note Alexis turned, flounced into the bedroom, and left Sonny---she was sure—drowning in typical masculine confusion unaware of what he had done wrong.
***
Since the evening had ended so badly, Alexis was totally floored when she’d awoken the next morning in the deliciously comfortable bed with a velvet jewelry box on
the next pillow. Upon opening it, she’d spied the most exquisite ring she had ever seen…and being a Cassadine she had been privy to quite a few.

It was pure gold, with an impressive vibrant yellow stone in the center, flawlessly cut. Around it lay sparkling miniature diamonds nestled in a setting that looked
ornate, elegant, and tasteful all at once…as if rather than selecting a modern ring he’d selected an heirloom, a piece with some history.

Her hands had trembled as she’d slipped the precious ring onto her third finger, and watched reverently as it sparkled up at her. It had fit perfectly, but what else
had she expected from Sonny Corinthos?

So taken was she with the ring, she had almost overlooked the note next to it written in Sonny’s familiar scrawl.

“Lex,

I have some last minute stuff to take care of for the wedding. I booked some time for you in the salon downstairs so you can relax and be fussed over for once. The
staff there will take you to the boutique and show you a selection of dresses to choose from. Please enjoy yourself and choose exactly what you want.

I scheduled our ceremony for sunset. A limo will pick you up and take you to the site. I look forward to meeting you there tonight. And I promise to make it beautiful.

I will never forget what you’re doing for me…Never.

S.”

Alexis had stroked a finger across the words he’d written. He had no way of knowing that she was doing this for herself and her child as much as she was doing it for
him.

And that was how she’d ended up here in the fabulous salon, for a spa facial, a glorious massage, both a manicure and pedicure. Presently, a young woman was brushing
her freshly highlighted chestnut hair until it shone with life and lay against her shoulders in a lustrous mane. Alexis sighed and felt the tension that usually settled in
her shoulders ebb out of her slowly.

The salon manager and head stylist, Diego, had supervised the whole affair under Sonny’s orders.

“Not too much makeup,” he’d instructed his technicians in his lilting Spanish accent. “Senor Corinthos desires that his fiancée’s natural beauty shine through. And I
concur. She is lovely without adornment.”

She had spent the whole of the beautiful sun drenched morning being served fresh fruit and hand-ground coffee as she underwent various beauty treatments ordered
by ‘Senor Corinthos’. Smiling, she rolled her eyes at that. ‘Senor Corinthos’ seemed to have planned this whole affair with his usual meticulous flair. Alexis wished she
could have that much control over her own emotions.

How would she ever show a pretense of calm when she looked into his beautiful dark eyes at sunset and promised to love and honor him?

Chapter 12

Mac pushed open the door of Ric Lansing’s office without knocking. Ric looked up from his paperwork, annoyance written plainly on his face. The commissioner had come
tearing in like the Lone Ranger, Avenger of the Good and Righteous of the World.

Ric grimaced. That was exactly what Mac fancied himself: the good guy. Didn’t he know that the good guys had to get their hands dirty sometimes to win?

“What’s this about Mac?”

“You leaked this crap to the local newspapers, didn’t you?” the commissioner flared, shoving a copy of the paper under the DA’s nose.

Ric took it calmly and read the article on the front page. After a time, he grinned without much humor. A cold little smile. He hadn’t expected The Herald to take this
to press so soon. So much the better for him.

“Seems my big brother has run off to take a bride…not for love but to save himself from the murder charge. First I’m hearing of it, Mac.”

“Sure…and I’m the Queen of England. So is the story true or not, Lansing? Did they get married?”

Ric shrugged. “Well, it would appear so. The paper has quotes from an unnamed source in the Corinthos camp. Sonny’s plane—the article says—is gone and no one knows
where it is. Ms. Davis hasn’t reported in to her office lately. It doesn’t take Columbo to put the facts together and conclude that something’s going on.”

Mac shook his head. “What the hell is Alexis thinking?” he muttered to himself.

“I think her heart is in control of this one, Mac,” the DA sneered, a grim look on his face. “Obviously she loves my brother more than her own pride and reputation.”

“I’ll concede this isn’t the best decision she’s ever made,” Mac said, “but YOU backed her against a wall. People do stupid things when they’re cornered. And to top it
off, you put it in the paper so the world can enjoy this scandal like they’re watching a damn soap opera. That was cold, Ric.”

“I told you I did not leak that story—”

“Well, if you didn’t, you know who did. And they did it with your complete approval! You’re a snake. You claim to care for the woman yet you’re helping to bring her down
just because you’re jealous she’s connected to your brother!”
“She had a choice, Mac,” Ric erupted, jumping to his feet. “She could have cooperated with the case and that would have been the end of it! She chose HIM…she chose
to save HIM instead of herself. And that will be her downfall. But it was her own damn choice, Mac, not mine!”

Mac stood there, his face registering his continued disbelief. “You actually buy what you’re saying, right? You think the choice was that simple? Life is that black and
white for you?”

“You’re a man of the law, Mac. Life is supposed to be black or white for us: guilty or innocent, truth or lies—”

“Panic Room kidnapper or district attorney. If life is so black and white, Ric, which are you? Good or evil? Cuz looking at what you’re doing to a so-called friend right
now, I honestly can’t tell which!”

Mac spun on his heel and left.


***
Jasper Jacks unfolded the morning paper and lay it out across the linen of his breakfast table. Room service had just delivered a bowl of fresh fruit and some eggs and
bacon cooked to perfection. The coffee was stunningly hot and strong, the way he liked it since he’d lived with Alexis. He smiled a little smile at that last thought.
She’d been a hoot to live with when they were married.

She’d enlivened his day with her vibrant personality, her wit, her intelligence, her compassion ever ready when he needed it. She’d made the corporate raider proud to
have her as his wife. And though he’d been in love with her friend Chloe at the time, he had still enjoyed the sight of his sexy wife in her lingerie each morning. In fact,
he may have lengthened his breakfast routine quite a few times just to prolong the experience. Alexis in lingerie with those long, long legs was a wonderful way to start
the day.

He missed her. He missed just talking with her. But he had been so wrapped up in his own world, his own drama, his own mishaps with the women in his life. And then
with the death of his father. He hadn’t paid his dear friend nearly enough attention. And that he would have to remedy.

His smile broadened as he took a gulp of the coffee and scanned the front page. Then he promptly spluttered the java across the linen tablecloth as he took in the lead
story.

Coughing and spluttering still, he reached for the phone and dialed Ned’s private number.

“Hello?”

“Have you seen the damn Herald this morning?” Jax rasped.

“Yep.”

“And?”

“And Alexis has gotten herself into one hell of a mess, Jax. But if you’re calling to ask me to jump in and pull her out, I can’t. I won’t.”

“What the hell are you talking about? If she’s back with Corinthos, there’s no question about it. We have to act.”

“Did you read the name of the person he’s accused of trying to murder?” Ned demanded, his voice sharp. “A.J isn’t my favorite person in the world, but I would never
wish him dead. He’s my family. Alexis KNEW Sonny planned to kill him and she did nothing!”

“Allegedly, Ned. There’s no proof as yet—”

“You know it’s true just as well as I do, Jax. He did it and she protected him. She’s still protecting him. And it may get her thrown into jail and away from her daughter
for good this time.”

Jax’s gut tightened. “And that would actually make you happy, wouldn’t it?”

“Of course not. I love Kristina. I want her to be happy and to be with her mother. But if Alexis is dumb enough to help that idiot after all he’s done to her—”

“Then you’ll be willing to step right in and take your child back. You’re unbelievable.”

“No, you are, Jax! How many times are you gonna rescue someone who doesn’t want to be saved? She loves him. And she’s a damn fool. I won’t get involved in that
anymore.”

Jax shook his head. “It bothers me that she was accused of a crime that could put her in prison yet she didn’t trust either of us enough to come to us for help. That’s
not just because of Sonny, Ned. It’s because we haven’t been her friends. Not for a long time.”

“Then you go and be that friend, pal. Like I said, don’t expect me to help you. I’m on the law’s side this time. If she did this, she deserves punishment.”

“That’s mighty high moral ground to be standing on for a Quartermaine, isn’t it?” Jax sneered.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that people do strange things for love, Ned. Immoral things. Like bed their uncle’s wife and actively try to woo her away from said uncle. Like marry one woman
while already wed to another. That last offense was illegal, wasn’t it? Yet you’re too good to deign to offer a little understanding to Alexis? I’d remember my own sins
before I passed judgment on Alexis if I were you.”

“Well, thanks for the reminder, Jax. But the fact remains that Alexis chooses Sonny above all others…and now even above the law apparently. So I will not be rushing
in to save what cannot be saved. You do what you want!”
“Thanks, Ned, I always do,” Jax retorted and slammed down the phone.

He would not turn away from her this time, no matter what Ned said. Alexis was in deep and if he could help her, he would. There was no way she was going to go down
for Sonny Corinthos. Not if he could help it.

Chapter 13

The limousine pulled down to the end of a narrow, palm-lined road and drew to a stop. The driver, who had introduced himself as Carlo, turned around to look at her.

“This is it,” he said. “I’ll escort you down to the site where Mr. Corinthos is waiting.”

Sonny was waiting.

A knot of nerves settled low in her body as the driver helped her out of the car. He must have read her nervousness as she smoothed the skirt of her dress down over
her hips.

“You look magnificent, Senorita,” he told her. “Senor Corinthos is indeed a lucky man.”

The smile that answered his words was beatific; it glowed from the inside of her. She’d agonized over her choice of dress, but it felt perfect now. It was a soft white
silk that clung lovingly to every curve as it fell all the way to her feet. A web of crisscrossed spaghetti straps across her cleavage made an intriguing and intimate
pattern. Sonny’s face came to her mind’s eye. She hoped he would find her beautiful in it.

This was pretend, she told herself, but her heart wouldn’t let those words penetrate. All she saw inside herself was his face.

“I’m the lucky one,” she told the driver, and they walked through a tree-lined entryway.

Before her was the loveliest beach, its white sand glimmering under the burning orange sunset. Torches mounted on tall bamboo stands glowed lighting her way. And in
front of her feet lay a pathway on top of the sand made from red rose petals. And that pathway led directly to Sonny.

Sonny…

She met his eyes and read the intensity there. She saw it…the pure masculine appreciation of her that he could not mask. And her heart slammed against her ribcage in
an almost involuntary response.

He was standing at the end of the rose petal path beside a minister waiting for her. Adorned in a light colored suit with a periwinkle blue shirt opened at the neck to
reveal the powerful column of his throat. His curls rioting against the power of the heavy, humid Caribbean air. Looking the sexiest and the most relaxed she’d ever
seen him. From his dark head to his bare feet.

Alexis giggled at his toes, then quickly kicked off own her high-heeled sandals to match him. Beside her the driver offered her his arm and a small bouquet of
gardenias.

“May I escort you, Miss?”

“You may,” she replied, as regal as the princess she was born to be.

And from somewhere unseen came the sound of violins playing in perfect harmony. Not the traditional wedding march. But rather a song Alexis had heard many times
and had loved for ages…one that her late sister Kristina had often sung around their home.

Someone to watch over me…

Was that what she was gaining now? Someone to watch over her and protect her as no one but Stefan had in her entire life?

She drew close to Sonny’s side and looked into his eyes, and she saw him. Really saw him. The friend she’d once had, the friend who had held her secrets and shared his
own with her. The one who had cared enough to hold her close when the world crashed and burned around her shoulders. The one who cared enough now to have planned
this beautiful day for her.

Someone who’ll watch over me…

Maybe he didn’t feel the love that she wanted, her traitorous heart whispered, but wasn’t what he clearly did feel for her enough?

As he took her hand in his and his perfect ring glittered on her finger, she prayed that what they had together would be enough. Enough to free him from the dangers
that faced him…and enough to keep him with her even when all that was over and done.

And for the first time in ages and ages, Alexis did something that defied logic and reason and practicality. She simply closed her eyes and made a wish.

She wished that this was real.


***
She looked like a dream, he thought. Standing here before him, her eyes closed as if in deep concentration. He wondered what she was thinking. He hoped it was of
him.

He loved her hair, how its softness had been gathered into a sexy loose upsweep from which tendrils kept escaping in an enticing cascade. The hairstyle brought the
elegant column of her neck into emphasis, its smooth skin capturing his attention again as it had the night they’d made love. He knew she liked to be kissed at the
hollow of her throat. He wondered if he leaned over now and stroked his lips across…

Her eyes opened and stared right into his, and he swore for a moment that she could read his rather impure thoughts. Could she tell that he secretly harbored a
fantasy of making tonight’s honeymoon real? What would she do if he proposed that they enjoy each other while they were married as any normal couple would? Would
she agree?

He grinned at his idiocy. She would think he was a lunatic. Her feelings for him were long dead. Killed by the many weapons they’d hurled at each other over these last
few years. She would never trust him again, never want him again. Not when he had lain with her and promised her they’d be together and had then run right back into
the manipulative hands of his undead wife. Not when his business had attracted the attention of an evil man who had killed her sister. There had been too many lines in
the sand and he had crossed them all with her.

He knew that rationally, but somehow when he took her hand just now and felt it tremble just the slightest bit…when he looked into those lustrous brown eyes and saw
the past…the moments that were unbearably sweet…and unforgettably powerful…and indescribably passionate…Somehow when all that came together inside him, the
facts in his head receded and the emotion in his heart took center stage.

He imagined that her mind was filled with the practicality of matters…how long they would have to stay together…whether this would free him of murder charges…how
Carly would react when they returned…how Jax and Ned would treat her.

But his thoughts were anything but practical. He couldn’t hear the words of the minister spoken in his native tongue of Spanish. He couldn’t hear the pounding of the
waves onto the shore. All he sensed was the touch of her hand and the beating of his heart hammering within his chest. He wished that she were more than his
convenient wife. That her feelings had never died. Because no matter how he had pretended these last few years…no matter how much he had stuffed his emotion
behind a wall of anger and regret…like the rising tide, it had all returned with a force that would not be denied.

So he clasped her hand just a little bit tighter. Then he closed his eyes just as she had done and wished with all his might.

He wished that this was real.

Chapter 14

Justus reviewed his notes on Sonny’s case once more before leaning back wearily in his chair. His desk was cluttered with every conceivable attack plan he could come
up with, but would any of them be enough to win over Grayson?

The front door of the condo opened and swished shut as Dara entered. He turned to greet her with a small, tired smile and opened his arms so that she could step into
them. She melted against him, leaning down to kiss his mouth lovingly and to stroke the frown from between his brows.

“Not going well?” she asked him and he heard the sympathy in her tone.

He shook his head. “I’ve been at it all day. This is a tough one, Dee. I just don’t know if I’m gonna be able to spring him from this.”

Dara sat daintily on his lap; her arms looped loosely round his neck. She shrugged. “Then maybe it’s time for Sonny Corinthos to pay for his crimes, honey. I’m sorry to
say it but—”

“I know you don’t like him,” Justus interjected, “and I don’t always like the things he does. But Sonny—he’s not all bad. He’s had some hard knocks in life. When people
hurt him, he loses it. But I believe he can change. Certainly that night when he was gonna kill AJ he had the capacity to change his mind and he used it.”

“Because Alexis asked him to.”

“Yeah,” Justus conceded. “And because she made him see what that act would’ve turned him into. He’d have killed his sister’s husband. Lila’s grandson.”

“It wasn’t Courtney or Lila he was thinking of that night,” Dara noted dryly. “It was Alexis. What’s up with that? If she meant that much to him, why did he leave her
and go back to his she-devil of a wife?”

“I don’t think even Sonny knows the answer to that question,” he said. “He’s a complicated guy with a complicated set of morals.”

“You’re making a lot of excuses for him, baby. But it all boils down to the fact that Mr. Complicated doesn’t seem to know right from wrong.”

“Sometimes right and wrong are blurred,” Justus replied. “Like the fact that you and I are breaking our ethical code by discussing this case right now! And like the fact
that I’m about to ask you what you found out from your friend at the DA’s office.”

She shook her head. “You’re not going to be like it. The source they have? One of Sonny’s right hand men, a Francis somebody or other.”

“His guard?”

“Apparently. And now for the worst news: any minute, you’ll be getting a copy of an arrest warrant for Sonny. Grayson is ballistic because he knows Sonny and Alexis
left to get married. He’s been told it’s a fraud.”

Justus rolled his eyes heavenward. Could this case get any worse? “How the hell could they know about that already?”

“Well, who knew about the plan? You, me, Sonny, Alexis...”

“And Carly,” Justus finished. It really was a no-brainer.


***
“Mrs. Corinthos, how do you feel about your ex-husband’s marriage to his former attorney? Weren’t they lovers quite some time ago? Did Sonny marry Ms. Davis to
save himself from the rumored murder charge? A comment, Carly, just one comment, please! Help us out here, Carly!”

They’d come out of nowhere when she’d emerged from her mother’s brownstone with the children. She’d only had Max with her and he had tried to head them off
before they’d gotten near, but he had been holding onto Michael with one hand and clutching a bag of purchases from an earlier shopping trip against his chest with the
other. Leticia had been holding Morgan and the baby bag, so Carly had ended up encircled by the reporters.

Sonny had always told her not to make Max hold either of the children or her shopping bags but to leave him free to guard and to respond to potential attacks. Carly
had never listened. Now she saw the wisdom of it as the paparazzi and tabloid reporters converged.

It had been this way since the news had broken this morning. Reporters on the telephone, congregating outside the penthouse garage, waiting outside the hospital
after Morgan’s checkup, and now here at her mother’s house tonight.

She was so done with this: done with the humiliation of playing the cast off wife, done with putting up with Sonny’s mercurial, life-changing decisions, and done with
covering for her ex. She was going to stand up for herself and to hell with everyone else.

The noise swelled and grew to a fever pitch while flashbulbs exploded in her face. And all at once she erupted in frustration. She opened and her mouth and screamed
above their clamor to get their attention. “Shut up, all of you!”

Somehow her screech shocked them into attention, and their questions died down to a lower din. “If you’re quiet, I’ll give you a statement.”

The men and women in the crowd pressed their microphones closer. Carly inhaled deeply, and let the air out on a long, slow hiss. “I am no longer married to Sonny
Corinthos. We were--for a brief time--sharing our penthouse apartment so that our family could remain intact despite our divorce. Sonny’s current marriage or
whatever the hell it is with Alexis Davis is his business. I have nothing to do with that. I have my own life and two children to raise.”

“Will you still live in the penthouse?”

Carly’s eyes burned holes in the reporter who slung that question her way. “That is the place my children consider to be their home. I will most definitely be living
there with them.”

And she could have stopped there with the fairly tactful and fairly innocuous answers she’d made. But of course she didn’t. She was no one’s coward. She said what she
wanted to say and damn the consequences. It was what made her who she was…

“As for whether their marriage is real or not,” she simpered, “all I can say is that neither I nor my children have seen Sonny with Ms. Davis. Ever. He’s never had
anything positive to say about her. She didn’t hold his interest the first time they…were together. I can’t imagine that Sonny would make a permanent commitment to
her.”

She gave the reporters a practiced innocent smile. “Unless of course there was some other reason involved.”

By the time she’d completed her reply, Max had finally pushed and shoved his way through the journalists and had latched onto her arm to pull her away with him. But
he was too late. Her damage had been done, and no amount of strong-arm tactics could undo it.

For the first time in a long time, Carly Corinthos smiled. Really smiled.

Chapter 15

“You may kiss your bride.”

The kiss was at once tender and sweet, almost reverent, then demanding and deep. Gentle in its beginnings and frantic at its end. Until their breath and their taste and
their scents and their souls seemed to meld into one entity. One fevered passionate entity that took her over…took him over. As it had once before.

Amazingly, they were able to part, her hands on his strong chest, his framing her face. His eyes heavy lidded with the effect of her nearness, hers wide with the
emotion that filled her heart. Both of them amazed that such a powerful reaction still surged between them whenever they touched.

Wordlessly, he led her down the rose petal path to the car and helped her inside. And there—as if by silent mutual agreement-- the kiss that they had begun on the
beach continued in the protective darkness of the limousine. There in that private space, safe from the public they were supposed to be fooling, the truth leapt
between them. This kiss was not about a pretense to avoid jail sentences or a plan to save Alexis from the witness stand. It was about the truth that lived within them:
the wanting had never died.

It took a determined effort to separate a second time…to walk hand in hand with a semblance of calm through the lobby, to the elevator, and up to their suite. She
imagined they made quite a picture strolling together barefoot, their shoes dangling from their free hands. The mob boss and his former lawyer, now simply a man and
his wife.

The silence between them was palpable, heavy. They understood almost intuitively that words would only intrude on this moment and break the spell. Words would bring
back doubts, pain, misunderstandings and loss, the tragedy and blame, the promises made and vows broken. The thousand and one reasons why they shouldn’t indulge
their passion. Words brought walls. And so tonight there were none.

Behind the closed door of their suite, he simply took her in his arms, his hands gripping her tiny waist almost desperately; he swayed against her as if in a dance,
relishing just the heat of her body against his. His mouth took hers in a series of hot, deep kisses that began at her lips and strayed to the graceful column of her
throat. He paid homage to the spot above her cleavage, which throbbed madly with her heart’s pulse.

Her hands wound frantically in his curls dragging him upwards to her mouth again where she drank deeply of him. Her tongue slipped out to play sensually electric games
with his. And she pressed herself against him to unerringly find proof of his desire.

Alexis realized all at once that she was burning. That they were both afire and that there was no way to douse the flame except to dance into it.

His hands found the intricate straps of her gown and hers found his jacket at the exact same moment. She managed to have him out of the jacket and his shirt halfway
unbuttoned before he’d figured out even one of the gown’s formidable fastenings. He half-groaned, half-laughed against her mouth, pulling away slightly to ask her for
help with his eyes. She smiled, reaching upwards to assist and…

His cell phone rang. It rang and vibrated all over the coffee table where he’d left it.

Sonny swore in two languages, sighing. “I—I’m sorry…I thought I turned it off,” he muttered, his tone apologetic. “Ignore it.”
Alexis’ head fell onto his shoulder, her lips brushing the hot skin of his neck. “You know we can’t.”

“Lex, you remember what happened the last time we were away together? The phone call that ruined everything?”

She looked up at him, her eyebrow raised quizzically. She had always thought…hoped really…that they would make love that night in Puerto Rico. But she hadn’t really
imagined that he'd wanted it, too.

“Let’s ignore the world for just tonight,” he implored. “Let’s just be together again.”

The phone went to voicemail sending the room into a sudden silence. Sonny stepped closer to her and leaned across to kiss her again. And then the cell began ringing for
a second time.

“Sonny, I—we--it could be about the case.”

He looked into her eyes. “I know.”

Reluctantly, he released her and turned to answer the cell phone. “Hello? Justus, yeah what is it?”

As he listened, his face changed from a visage of annoyance to one of anxiety in a matter of minutes. He shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, turning his
back to her. “Carly went on television talking about this? What the hell does she think she’s doing?”

His shoulders slumped as Justus spoke again, this time –Alexis feared—with worse news. She waited impatiently for him to end the call and turn to her. When he did,
she pounced.

“What? What did he say?”

“It’s started, Lex,” he told her, his voice so quiet she had to strain to hear. “Justus says they have a warrant out for me. I have to go back tonight. He’s arranged for
me to turn myself in at the station house. Avoid the reporters that way. Then he’s gonna work like hell to get me out on bond. It may take several hours. Maybe more.”

Alexis’ heart sank. She knew how much it would cost him to spend even a few hours in that hot, tiny cell. But if she’d learned anything in her years as an attorney, it was
that no one at the PCPD was going to let Sonny walk tonight. They would draw it out deliberately to make him suffer. And they would enjoy it.

Sonny knew that, too. He was just putting on a brave face for her.

He looked up and caught her eyes. “Can I—you know, we never really talked about where we would live after the wedding. Do you think I could stay at your place when I
get out?”

Her heart softened in anguish for him. “Of course, Sonny. That’s fine. Don’t even worry about that.”

She stepped towards him heedless of the fact that her heart was in her eyes. She touched the line of his jaw with her fingertips, stroked her forefinger across his
mouth.

“Don’t worry about anything. I promised I’d be there for you and I will be. All the way.”

He drew her into his arms again, his head falling against her shoulder and a sigh issuing from his lips. “I don’t deserve that. I’ve done so much to destroy us.”

“We both have,” she whispered. “But this…situation…has made me look at things with new eyes.” He pulled back so he could see her face as she spoke. “I always
thought…deep inside me…that someday we’d get past our anger at each other,” she continued. “That someday we’d stop the childish warfare we engage in. I thought I
would always have the time to regain the friend I used to have in you. But this case came and the time almost ran out.” She looked deeply into his eyes. “Sonny, what
would we have done if the time had run out and we hadn’t said the things we needed to?”

He shook his head, his throat bobbing convulsively. “I don’t know. But I’m glad we have a second chance.”

She nodded. “Me, too.”

But as they gathered their belongings to drive back to the airport, each of them couldn’t help wonder if they had a prayer of overcoming the mess that waited for
them at home.

Chapter 16

He rested his perfectly polished $500.00 shoes—Italian by design—upon the settee before him and settled back into his armchair. His eyes briskly scanned the sitting
room. The suite was magnificent, comfortable and plush all at once just as he’d ordered. The best in the hotel; he demanded that whenever he traveled now. No less
than the best or he would not stay in the establishment.

Grinning, he took in the state-of-the-art plasma television ensconced in one corner of the room, in the opposite corner an enormous salt-water aquarium featuring
fascinating creatures his son would love to watch…It all spoke of the modern grandeur that he had come to expect in his travels.

But this was not the typical business trip he’d gotten used to as he expanded his ventures abroad. This was his homecoming, both triumphant and bittersweet in the
same instant.

Bittersweet because of what had been lost while he’d been gone. This morning, he’d had to face that. He’d walked in silence across the manicured lawns of his childhood
home until he stood in front of the family mausoleum; inside was his grandmother’s crypt. He’d gone there just to lay an arrangement of lilies. And to say a private
goodbye.

He hadn’t stayed away from her funeral because he didn’t care. Or out of fear of the rest of the piranha he called family. He had stayed away because it hurt far too
much to come and bid farewell to the one person in his life who had given him a chance. The one constant who had loved him unconditionally even while calling him on his
wrongdoing. Lila had been beautiful and fair. And she had loved him purely. She was probably the only one to ever have done so.

His parents had loved him as long as he was sober and took their side on family issues. His grandfather had loved him as long as he'd lied and cheated on behalf of ELQ.
His wife presently loved him as long as he held onto his cache of stolen money and continued to supply her with the things she had become accustomed to having.

Everyone had conditions…everyone but Lila.

His son could have loved him unconditionally; that is, if Sonny had even allowed them to have a relationship. But then, that was what made this journey home so sweetly
triumphant. When the Feds had tracked him down in Europe and told him about the case in detail, the news had warmed his heart like nothing had in years. Sonny
Corinthos on trial for murder…for his murder. What poetic justice. Finally a way to hurt that thug…a way to bring the arrogant mobster to his knees.

The Feds needed him to put a human face on the case, to make the jury see the victim’s side up close and personal. They also needed him to say that Sonny had
threatened his life more than once, and that he would certainly do. His testimony would be so emotional and vivid that the jurors would practically be able to feel the
cold metal of the assassin’s gun in their hands.

By the time he was through, Sonny would be carted straight off to prison. The man would be made to regret the way he had thoughtlessly ruined so many lives.

Hell, AJ thought, Sonny might even apologize in open court. Miracles could happen…
***
“I thought you said that Justus was going to have you surrender at the PCPD?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why is all of Port Charles apparently waiting for us in the airport?”

Sonny looked out of the window when he registered the panic in Alexis’ voice. The plane had taxied to a stop before the terminal, and a mass of bodies with badges not
to mention bodies with cameras flashing could clearly be seen. Sonny swore under his breath.

“The Feds must’ve changed the plan," he muttered. “The new one is entitled, ‘Embarrass the Hell out of the Accused’.”

“They get your attorney to go all the way to the precinct while they ambush you here on live television?!” she exploded. “Just to humiliate you?”

Suddenly she stood and looked at him, and he read the grim determination in her eyes. She raised a finely arched eyebrow, an icy expression slipping onto her face that
would have frozen Helena in place.

“This isn’t about justice for them. This is about revenge. They want to play hardball?” she queried. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

She stepped close to him, and tucked her hand into his as they exited the plane and stepped out onto the tarmac. He looked at her. "What are you about to do, Alexis?”

“I’m going to give the performance of a lifetime, Mr. Corinthos. I won’t let you down.”

And then Alexis--being the revelation she always was to him—shocked him senseless. She turned to him there before God and the tabloid press, looped her arms
around his neck, and pulled him into the deepest, sweetest, longest kiss. He felt himself fall into it...into her…all pretense receding from his mind. The flashbulbs were
snapping; reporters were yelling; and the heavy footfalls of federal officers were approaching. But he couldn't make himself care.

All that mattered at the moment was kissing this woman, his wife, memorizing her taste and her touch in case it was some time before he kissed her again. He came
away breathless and did not release her from his arms though he found that they were surrounded by a wall of bodies, all with perplexed looks on their faces.

He gave them a goofy, well-kissed grin. “Ladies…Gentlemen, do you know my wife, Alexis Davis?”

“Davis-Corinthos, darling,” she corrected him, and gave a serene smile that would grace the Port Charles Herald in the morning…right next to the photo of Sonny in
handcuffs.

Chapter 17

“Michael J Corinthos, JR, by the authority of the federal government, I place you under arrest for the crimes of attempted kidnapping, attempted murder and
conspiracy to commit murder.”

His hands were pulled from hers and drawn behind his back so that he could be cuffed, but Alexis wanted to preserve her connection with him. To silently communicate
that she was here for him, that somehow it would all be okay. She looked deeply into his eyes, willing him to read her thoughts. Her gaze burned into his with an
intensity she hoped would sear her face into his memory. Perhaps tonight…in that cell…he’d see her eyes in his mind instead of Deke’s locked closet.

“You have the right to remain silent.”

Alexis placed one hand against his jaw softly, her tapered fingers stroking gently across his mouth. Just the barest touch to feel the heat of him.

“Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

Her hand dropped from his face to his chest, and crept its way slowly until she could feel his heartbeat. She felt it fluttering with his anguish even as outwardly he
maintained the calm of Sonny Corinthos. Inwardly, he was terrified.

“You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you without charge.”

She pressed against his heart, willing strength into him. And her eyes never left his.
“Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?”

“Yes.”

They made to draw him away from her, but Alexis held fast to his shirtfront.

“Ma’am—”

“I only need a moment,” she told the officer, in a voice that sounded more like the royal Natasha than the attorney Alexis. The man instantly halted his action.

Sonny looked at her questioningly, and she leaned across to whisper in his ear. “I’m with you, Sonny. We’re in this together.”

She drew her lips across his cheek to his mouth and there she kissed him once more. Not for the cameras but for herself. When he drew back, she saw a fire in his
eyes that she alone had ignited. Hopefully, it would keep him strong and warm through the long night that lay ahead.
***
He’d kissed her…like a man in love.

It was one thing to imagine what they had done two years ago in her bed upstairs…how they’d betrayed her in her own home. It was one thing to watch him flirt with
her and tease her and indulge her neurotic behavior and hold her when she hurt and support her when she broke and trust her with secrets his wife alone should have
shared…

But to see him married to his whore and presently kissing her on the WLPC news like a besotted little boy in love with the homecoming queen—that was too much. He
was kissing her with a tenderness that he seldom let his own wife see…let alone all of the tri-state area via the evening newscast.

It was simply too much.

All at once, Carly couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t drag in enough air. Her lungs felt as if they were in the midst of an asthma attack. The inside of her head was filled with
images tumbling noisily about in no particular sequence or sensible order…

Alexis in her negligee in her penthouse; Sonny sleeping there overnight to “protect” her from her boogeyman.

Alexis with him in their penthouse years ago; him consoling her about her aborted wedding.

Alexis in that bed upstairs laying across his bare chest, his arms about her in such a protective embrace…

A loving embrace.

He loved her.

She had prayed it wasn’t love…had actually had her own talk with a God she only half-believed in. Had asked Him sincerely to block whatever was growing in Sonny’s
heart for that witch.

Because Carly had recognized it for what it was a long time ago even if she hadn’t accepted it consciously. It had masqueraded as a professional relationship then
morphed into a friendship…but the connection was always there tugging at each of them and mocking Carly whenever she was in the room. Alexis’ presence had made
her feel like the third wheel in her own marriage.

When he’d slept with her, Carly had labeled it a mistake and a fling just to get past it and to make her marriage work despite it. And he had repeated those words to
appease his wife. Mistake…Alexis was a mistake. Alexis was a fling. But she’d known he was lying…to her and to himself. This was stronger than any fling…deeper than
any recreational/revenge sex he’d indulged in with Sam. This was entirely different.

It was what she’d dreaded for weeks, for months, and for years on end. It was love.

Her knees gave out beneath her and she slumped down on the couch, her arms wrapping about herself protectively. She was alone. Who could she turn to now that
Sonny had left her completely alone…once again?

The answer came to her like a beacon of rich, pure light. There was only one person who had always been there for her.

She dialed a number he’d left for emergencies. She knew that this qualified. He picked up on the third ring.

“Hello?”

“Jase, I need you.”

Chapter 18

Alexis now knew how it felt to be tossed into the middle of a tornado.

The crowd had lifted her like a buoy on an ocean wave and had moved her bodily into the airline terminal; there, a mass of people formed a chaotic spill of bodies across
the gate entrance. Alexis’ eyes widened at the sheer number of them; most were journalists, ravenous for a sound byte, crowding in to get a statement from her.

At the other end of the room, the Feds were currently dragging Sonny away; he had turned to take a last glimpse of her and she had waved. But she didn’t think he saw
it through the horde of people. And just like that, he was gone, whisked away from her to be processed for his crime.

Now, she was on her own. The earlier bravado she’d shown deserted her as a thousand questions were hurled in her face all at once. She felt like a deer caught in the
headlights as they pressed in towards her.
It seemed like a miracle when a hand reached out of thin air over shoulders, heads, and bodies to grasp her arm. She looked up and saw a grim faced Jax extricating
her firmly from the crowd and pulling her through them towards a closed door marked Personnel Only. She nearly tripped over her feet he pulled her away so fast. But
finally, shaking and breathing hard, she found herself behind that Personnel door with him, closed off from the noise and the commotion at last.

She blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears, to shield her shock and anguish from him. She lasted exactly two seconds. The emotion was too powerful; she had to let it
go. Besides, he was one of her closest friends and her ex-husband. He would eventually see through her brave front anyway. Relieved beyond words that he was here
for her, she collapsed against his chest, silent sobs shaking her body as she clung to him.

“They took him, Jax,” she whispered raggedly. “They took him.”

Jax’s muscled arms came round her securely, anchoring her body to his. She sank into him, grateful for his strength and just plain tired of exerting her own. She let
him hold her until she was able to calm herself, then she drew back and looked up into his face.

“You knew they would, Alexis,” he murmured softly, one finger stroking tears away beneath her eyes. “Isn’t that why you married him? To save him from jail?”

“There are a lot of reasons for marriage, Jax,” she told him, honesty shining from her brown eyes. “Sonny and I had a few. But the most important one is that…I love
him.”

Jax stared at her and she could tell exactly what was on the tip of his tongue to throw at her…the countless reasons why she shouldn’t trust Sonny with her emotions
again…the reasons why she shouldn’t risk her future on such a man. But then he seemed to see something in her face…and his whole body shifted and he didn’t say a
thing. He just drew her against his chest and held her, rocking her like a child. A sigh shuddered through him.

“I know you love him, Alexis,” he said. “I know.”

There was a quick rap on the door, and then it abruptly opened. Ric stood in the doorway staring at Alexis and her ex. Thus the Press got a few more choice photos of
her wrapped in Jax’s embrace before Ric shut the door behind him.

Alexis did not turn to face him immediately. She took her time to wipe her face with the back of her hand and to compose her riotous emotions. Squaring her
shoulders, she stood to her full height and turned to look at the district attorney. When she did, her face was a mask of disdain, cold and rigid. She saw Ric almost
recoil from the ice in her eyes.

“So what could you possibly have to say to me?” she asked, her voice devoid of emotion.

“You have to know that what you’ve done is a huge mistake,” he told her gruffly. “I’ve tried my best to protect you…to put in a good word for you with the Feds because
you’re my friend—”

“Am I?” she asked, her voice monotone. When he looked nonplussed, she elaborated. “Am I your friend, Ric?”

He swallowed visibly and what she thought was pain clouded his eyes. But in the next moment it was gone, replaced by the mask he wore for the public. He and Sonny
were so alike, she found herself thinking.

“I- I thought we were…that we’d come to an understanding,” he stammered. “We were adversaries in court at first. But we seemed to have a common aim: to rid this
town of vermin like my brother. You were on my side for a while. Now this…betrayal.”

Alexis’ face was grave. “Betrayal’s an interesting word. I’m more used to hearing it from your brother actually,” she mused, folding her arms across her chest. “But it’s
interesting that you choose to throw it at me. Who’s really been betrayed, Ric? You…or me?”

“You claimed to want nothing to do with him. You claimed to hate his business and the chaos in his life. Then you show up here with that phony display of newlywed love
out there, making a fool of yourself. You’re ruining your life, your daughter’s life! Don’t you understand that?”

Alexis stepped closer to him, fixing him with a gaze that froze him to the spot where he stood. “No, of course I don’t understand, Ric. I’m apparently too feebleminded
to understand anything. That’s why you didn’t bother to tell poor stupid Alexis that I was being investigated. That’s why you didn’t warn me that I was a part of a
federal case that could separate me from my daughter forever. That’s why you left me to twist in the wind and find my own way through this mess!”

Ric had the decency to avert his eyes to somewhere in the vicinity of his own shoes. “I did want to tell you,” he muttered. “But you know I couldn’t. There are laws
against that…the Feds—”

“Oh come now, we’ve both lived through enough to know that laws sometimes have to be broken…or in your case, bent out of shape until they’re unrecognizable.”

“Don’t put this on me!” Ric said on a sudden burst of anger. “You know damn well you’re lying to protect Sonny. You married him just to save him from prosecution, but it
won’t work! You’re betting on the wrong man, Alexis.”

“Really? And whom should I be betting on? You? Is that what this is about? You wanted me to panic when I heard about this case and come running to you, not to your
brother, right?”

This time she caught the look of guilt that passed across his face before he could banish it. He shook his head, his voice softening. “No, that’s not the way it was…”

“You saw me in court almost every day. You went out of your way to engage me in our daily verbal battles. You took me out for drinks twice, and once to dinner.”

Beside her she felt Jax react physically to that bit of news. His mouth tightened.

“Yet never once did you give me even a hint that I could be in trouble,” she continued. “And if your reason really was that you’re an ethical man who has to play by the
rules of our profession, then I’d accept it and forgive. But we both know that you and ethical in the same sentence is doubtful at best and laughable at worst. You were
happy that I’d have to betray Sonny. You looked forward to it. Cuz then I’d have to turn to you.”
“I didn’t manufacture this case, Alexis. The Feds actually have witnesses and this DID happen, as you well know.”

“Did it?” she queried facetiously. “I don’t know about that. I think my husband is quite an honorable man. Who's to say what really happened two years ago?”

Ric’s veneer of calm rationality slipped and she saw the ugliness of anger there. “Are you going to continue this playacting? Why are you doing this? You don’t love him
anymore. You couldn’t possibly.”

Alexis grinned widely as she delivered her final words to Ric. “Oh, Counselor, I most certainly do love my husband. With all my heart. That’s why I married him. And if
you guys force a hearing on the validity of my marriage—which I’m sure you will—that is exactly what I’m going to say in my testimony. I. Love. Him.”

She held the smile in place as Jax took her hand and led her out of the office and back through the crush of journalists.

Chapter 19

The cold clasp of metal bracelets never failed to sober him. He’d been laughing his head off a moment ago at something idiotic one of the cops had said. Then they’d
put the cuffs back on him, and all laughter had vanished from his face instantly. He hated being shackled, caught like a moth between a little boy’s fingers. And in this
case, the “little boy” was Jack Grayson, Federal Prosecutor of NY. And Sonny Corinthos was left to flutter helplessly in Grayson’s grubby little fingers.

“You finally did it, Corinthos,” Jack said in a voice that reminded Sonny of nails on a chalkboard. “You gift wrapped your freedom and gave it to us on a silver platter.”

Sonny flashed his best insincere grin, the smile all teeth and a millisecond of dimples before it disappeared. “Yeah, Grayson,” he said, making sure his voice was loud
enough for all of Jack’s minions to hear it. “I figured you Feds needed a bright spot in your life. But if it’s making you this orgasmic, you probably need to get out more.”

Sonny knew the remark had hit the target when he saw a red flush creep up the man’s neck inch by inch. The jibe wouldn’t win Sonny any breaks, he knew, but it had
been fun to toss it at the lawman.

Jack Grayson returned fire. “How’d you manage to sucker Alexis into marriage?” he sneered. “Heard through the grapevine that she hates your guts.”

The thought of Alexis brought longing to his heart. And the sound of her name on Grayson’s lips made him want to do something violent to the man.

“That got to ya, didn’t it?” Jack muttered, his eyes unerringly spotting the fury in Sonny’s eyes. “When I mentioned Alexis? One might even think that you really care
about her. Too bad though. Cuz once this marriage of yours is invalidated, I think your faithful little mouthpiece will sell you out. I mean, she’s gotta realize you ain’t
worth the trouble.”

Shut up. Sonny’s eyes averted as he fought to control the rush of anger that threatened to overwhelm him.

“But when she does, you probably won’t bat an eye; you’re probably used to females betraying you by now, right?” Jack continued. “I read your file. Let’s see, there was
Brenda, then Hannah, your ex, Carly with the Feds, and I heard she even left you once for the arms dealer…Hell, Alexis will only be one of the crowd.”

I’m warning you, Jack, shut up. Silently, Sonny counted to ten. Then twenty. Something Alexis had taught him. Something that had never worked before and wasn’t now.

“I’m confused about one thing though,” Jack trilled, enjoying his rant.

“Only one?”

“Ha ha, good one,” came the reply. “But I am a little fuzzy. All the chicks who did you in before were bed buddies of yours. As far as I know, you never bounced Ms.
Davis’ mattress before this marriage...or did ya? Tell me, she any good? Would it be worth it for me to give her a try?”

That does it. Sonny had a line, and Jack had just crossed it. Suddenly he couldn’t stand the nasty smirk on the Fed’s face nor his whiny little voice a moment longer. He
stepped forward at him, intending to throw his body into the man and knock him to the floor just to shut his mouth. Two officers got there before he could connect
and do any damage, grabbing Sonny by his arms and yanking him away from the lawman.

“Now, now, Don Corinthos, that’s not nice,” Jack jeered. “Take him in for paperwork, officers, and then it’s right down to the holding cell. Mac said it’s been a long time,
and I know Mr. Corinthos must have missed your lovely holding cell.”

Sonny swallowed, averting his eyes again so Grayson didn’t catch the flash of fear that shot through him at the mention of that confined space. He couldn’t however
control the beads of sweat that appeared on his upper lip, though he firmed his jaw and fought the panic rising like the tide in his gut.

“I need to see my lawyer,” Sonny grated, his mind whirling for an excuse—any excuse—to stay in this open room.

“Ya know, one of my men made a mistake and sent him out to the airport to meet you. He must have just missed us. Sorry.”

“I need to call my wife. That’s my right.”

“Sure thing, Sonny,” Jack said. “It’s your right. But no one says you get to execute it before you go down to the cell.”

They sped him through the paperwork phase, took his mug shot in record time, and had him in the dimly lit stairwell on his way down to the lower level of the building
within the hour. Sonny had to exert an effort to make his numb legs move as they led him down and down and down into the bowels of the building. So far down it felt
like death.

Breathe. He heard himself say it in his head. Back in the day, he’d said it to Alexis. Now he said it to himself because his lungs were starting to forget how to do their
job. He was wheezing a bit, like an asthmatic. It embarrassed him. He gritted his teeth, hating the weakness, but at a loss to overcome it.

Finally there was the cell, looking two inches long and two inches wide. The walls leaning in to steal the air from the space around him almost immediately. The guards
slammed the door shut, and it sounded like the snap of a mousetrap finding its prey. He was caged.

He ran his hands over his face in agitation, his palms coming away covered with sweat. His mind hurtled backward to the last time in this horrid place. And he closed his
eyes, rested his head against the bars, praying the cold metal against his face would help. As he’d prayed futilely the last time.

But the cool metal hadn’t helped. The deep breathing hadn’t helped. Shedding his jacket and tie that threatened to choke him hadn’t relieved the building pressure in
his chest. Nothing had done that…except her. Her voice. Meaningless tales that had suddenly become meaningful… a guarded soul letting down its defense for one
moment in time. And saving the other.

Now she was not here. He didn’t know if he could do this alone.

“Damn it,” he swore disgusted at his self-pitying thoughts. How stupid was it that he was missing her like this? Like some schoolyard sap. He was Sonny Corinthos…boss
of this territory. He owned casinos all over the Caribbean; he owned prime waterfront property here in New York. He could handle his life on his own as he’d always had
to do.

Sill, he couldn’t stop himself from looking up now…through the bars…and hoping that she’d be standing there.

Chapter 20

Jason Morgan sat pensively in first class, staring out the window at the night sky. He never liked to fly commercial because there were strangers in the seats next to
him who never failed to want to chat…to indulge in some small talk about whatever. Jason didn’t do small talk.

His personality mirrored the work he did: cool, controlled, goal driven. No detours or side trips down Conversation Lane. Efficiency was key. Words were used when
they had to be.

Except with Sonny and Carly. They were two friends with whom he could let his guard down and share his feelings. Sonny because he had given him a life and a purpose
ever since the accident. Carly because he had loved her…and in many ways, still did…

The two of them had only failed Jason one time, and he had resolved never to dwell on that night again. It had sliced a bit of his heart away when Sonny had slept with
Carly even though she had still belonged to Jason. More than the visceral betrayal of a lover and a friend, it had been the loss of his family that he’d mourned. Little
Michael who had been--in every sense except the biological--his son. That had been the deepest wound.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall of the plane. He’d shuffled that pain away with the rest of his grief and loss so that he could behave the way
people expected the unfeeling mob enforcer to behave. But lately he had had enough of loss. Lila, his beloved grandmother. And the finalization of his divorce from
Courtney. It had all piled up on him until he’d had to flee Port Charles for a while. He’d asked Sonny for some down time, which had been gladly granted, and he’d flown
to Europe to be by himself.

But he’d stayed away too long it seemed.

Carly had called him hysterical with the news that Sonny had been arrested for the AJ debacle years ago. He hadn’t been around then but he knew of it. And if the
Feds had witnesses they would nail Sonny to the wall with this case. Jason knew he needed to be Sonny’s eyes and ears along with Justus. He needed to find a way to
make the charges—and possibly the witnesses—go away. By any means necessary.

Only one thing bothered him. Carly said this mess had been brewing for a week or so. Jason had left Sonny his number overseas. So why hadn’t his friend called for his
help?
***
“You should have gone home with Jax and gotten some sleep,” the commissioner told her. “He didn’t want to leave without you.”

Alexis tilted her head and angled a determined look at Mac. “That’s because my ex-husband is a gentleman and a sweetheart,” she told him. “But I am not leaving this
precinct no matter what you, Jax, or anyone else says. I’m staying here until I can see him.”

“The Feds are in control of that, Counselor. All I’m contributing is the holding cell. I can’t interfere with their routine.”

Alexis gave him a small smile. “Come on, Mac. With your reputation and your WSB ties, you can do whatever you want. Plus the Feds are in your territory.”

He grinned reluctantly at her. “You sure know how to sweet talk a man. Sonny know that yet?”

With any luck he would have if that damn cell phone hadn’t rung, she smiled to herself.

“Please Mac, let me see him tonight. Let me stay with him. It’s our honeymoon, for goodness sake.”

“And you wanna spend it in a jail cell?”

“I want to spend it wherever my husband is.”

She looked at him, saw him softening a bit. “The night’s half gone anyway,” she argued.

“Now wait a minute, you cannot spend all night. Grayson’s people see that they’ll say I’m biased towards Sonny and they won’t let me anywhere near this thing.”

Alexis’ smile broadened and she drew one elegant finger down his jaw playfully. “But you are biased….just not towards Sonny.”

Mac caught her hand in his and squeezed it affectionately. “You’re shameless, Ms. Davis.”

Alexis winked. “I know.”


***
He lay on his back and tried to keep breathing though a foot was pressing squarely onto his chest. Or it felt that way even if the feeling was in his head.
It was amazing how the mind worked, he mused, torturing him long after the literal abuse had stopped. Then he almost laughed at the thought. That was something
Alexis would do: analyze her panic attack.

He busied himself by counting the intersecting lines on the ceiling…His life and hers had been like the lines…on two totally disparate paths when they had suddenly
intersected. By chance…by fate…by his good fortune.

And losing her had felt worse than losing any woman who’d ever walked out of his life. He could admit that now if only to himself. It had been worse even than this thing
with Carly. Because Alexis had been more than lawyer and lover. She had been his equal. His friend. She knew him almost as well as he knew himself. He’d missed her
then.

He missed her now.

“Sonny.”

So much apparently that he was conjuring her voice in his mind.

“Sonny.”

He turned his head and marveled at the person who stood there, an exquisite apparition straight out of his head.

Alexis.

Chapter 21

Mac walked up to the cell and unlocked it, never once meeting Sonny’s eyes. “This sure as hell isn’t for you, Corinthos,” he said. “You two have an hour. But no conjugal
visiting, please.”

Alexis stepped into the cell, and Mac shut the door behind her. She heard him clear the guards from the post nearest to the holding cell as he walked away. But all of
her attention was on Sonny, her breath coming in quick bursts as he stood before her at last.

He seemed okay…fairly calm. Still sexy as hell despite the fact that they’d left him in his suit and it was rumpled. His jacket had been tossed on the top bunk. His shirt
was unbuttoned to reveal the powerful column of his throat. The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows. All in all, he looked as if he’d been trying to stay cool in the heat
of the holding cell area. But she knew that the claustrophobia had made him feel as if the clothes were choking him.

There was strain in his face, around his eyes. “How are you?” she asked him.

He tilted his head. “I’ll be better when you come over here,” he whispered.

Alexis rushed into his arms. She clung to him and breathed in his scent, grateful that she’d gotten to touch him again.

“How the hell did you convince Mac to let you do this?” he demanded, a thread of suspicion in his tone.

Alexis leaned back to look at him. “I have my ways,” she laughed.

“I think the commissioner has a crush on my wife,” he replied. “Don’t know if I like that.”

One finely arched eyebrow raised. “Well, it got me in here to see you.”

“Okay, well, then I guess I’ll tolerate his lust for you.”

Alexis laughed again, but then sobered as she saw how he was staring at her. “What?”

“You just look so…amazing when you laugh,” he confessed. “I think…”

“What do you think?” she asked, wide eyed.

“I think I’m gonna have to kiss you.”

“Oh…”

His mouth fell upon her, impassioned kisses raining down upon her face and the side of her neck, inching with agonizing slowness to her softly parted lips. His hands
threading through the silken strands of her hair, he crushed his mouth against hers and instantly a blistering heat began to radiate through her entire body. He
plundered her depths, his tongue stroking intimately against hers until she thought she would lose it and scream against his mouth.

She could never erase the imprint of his body from her memory even when she had wanted to…could never lose the sensation of his mouth on hers. The mastery of his
lips and hands and tongue were sensual delights she had missed in the fiber of her being. Now she drank her fill until the heady pleasure made her dizzy in his arms.

His hands held her firmly to him even as he slowly surfaced from the deep and drugging kiss. “You blow me away,” he rasped. “I don’t understand this thing with you.”

She looked at him in confusion, detecting the serious note in his voice. “What do you mean?”

His throat bobbed convulsively as his eyes bore down into hers. “You scare me, Alexis,” he admitted, his voice so low she had to read his lips to understand what he had
said. “I been—you know—having trouble breathing down here. It felt like this cell was two inches wide. All I could think about was how you helped me last time and I
found myself wishing you were with me. And now here you are…”
She smiled against his neck, inexplicably happy. “What’s so confusing about that?”

“Well, I mean, the wanting was always there between us from like day one.”

She nodded her agreement.

“But needing you is...” He seemed to lose the will to express the words, as if he was walking through a minefield and one slip of the tongue could blow them both to
kingdom come.

“You know I don’t lean on anyone. Anyone at all. Yet I seem to be leaning a lot on you. Just like I did before. When we were friends.”

She shrugged. “I lean on you, too. Why is that a problem?”

“It’s not,” he said, but she plainly saw the glimmer of doubt in his eyes. “Except…we’re not supposed to be that way anymore. All the fighting and the anger we’ve
indulged in for the last two years…that was gone with one kiss in your apartment. We did like a 360 or something overnight. Yeah, there are things that you said that
still hurt in my heart. Just like I’m sure there are things you still hold against me. But here we are anyway…not talking about any of those issues…just wrapped in each
other’s arms…like a couple of teenagers on a first date. And I can’t seem to keep my hands off you.”

She bit her lip, unsure of how to answer him. Unsure if there even was an answer. She was as shocked as he was that they were together like this. But she didn’t want
to analyze it and didn’t want him to either. She had analyzed everything else in her life until it made some sort of sense. Instinctively, she knew that loving Sonny would
not ever make sense. It just was what it was.

”I wanted to keep the distance between us, you know…so you couldn’t hurt me ever again,” he said. “And so I wouldn’t hurt you like I’ve done countless times before.
Now all of a sudden there’s no distance. What the hell’s happening here?”

She heard the uncertainty in his tone, the same fear that lived in her heart when she was near him, and it touched her deeply. She reached across and caressed his lips
gently, tracing the arrogant line of that perfect mouth.

“Maybe we just needed each other…but couldn’t find a way to get back,” she whispered. “A way to scale the wall we’d erected between us. And we knew that talking
would only bring the pain back. So when life gave us this opportunity, we decided to communicate in the simplest, most honest way we know how…like this.”

She held his gaze as she looped her arms round his neck and pulled him down to her once again. She kissed him with all the love she couldn’t express in any other way.
And from the moment she did so, she was lost.

Chapter 22

Mac rounded the corner and entered the holding area exactly sixty-one minutes later. “Alright, Alexis, it’s time to—”

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw them, curled up together asleep on the bottom bunk of the bed. Sonny lay behind Alexis, his arms round her waist in an
embrace that was at once protective and possessive.

Mac knew Sonny’s associates would keel over if they ever saw this side of the man. He shook his head, exasperated. Why did the bad boys always get the sexy, smart
girls? What was it, a law of nature? He remembered with gritted teeth the way Luke Spencer had swept Felicia into his underworld of secrets and lies for a time. And
Mac and his ex still had that baggage between them even as they endeavored to reunite. For a moment, the bitterness threatened to overwhelm him.

He moved towards the cell, keys in hand, fully intending to wake these two from their peaceful slumber and make Corinthos spend the rest of this interminable night
alone. Then he looked at Alexis’ face, peaceful for once after these challenging last few days.

He really didn’t envy her the hearings and the trial and the news coverage that would methodically shred her reputation and standing in this town…especially after
tonight’s fiasco at the airport. The coming weeks would bring unending scandal and distress to her door once again. But tonight at least there was peace.

Shrugging, he moved back from the cell.

What the hell? Mac thought. Giving her another few hours with him wouldn’t hurt anything.
***
“How are you, man? Good to see you.”

Max clapped Jason on the back as the man approached Penthouse 4 the next morning. “You heard things are nuts, right?”

“Yeah, “ Jason replied with a grimace. “I heard.”

“Carly’s in there if you want to talk to her. The boss’s hearing to see if he can get out on bond is this morning at ten. Justus is going crazy trying to find an angle, a way
outta this, and Alexis is working with him, too.”

“Whoa, Alexis?” Jason questioned, frowning. “Since when did they—”

“Aw, man, you haven’t heard? Alexis was the star witness in this thing before she married Sonny and now won’t have to testify.”

“Married Sonny?” Jason exploded. “They went from enemies to married while I was gone?”

The young man shuddered. This was why Carly had called him. Not so much because Sonny needed him. She was upset that Sonny had chosen to wed Alexis. He rubbed a
hand over his face, grimacing. She wanted him to sweep into PH4 like the knight in shining armor and make her all better. And some part of him—the part that would
forever be tied to her—urged him to do it.

But how many times could he mop up their relationship? He’d had enough of that during the Alcazar and Sam episodes. Right now, he needed to do his job. And that
meant he needed the facts on the case as soon as possible so he could get to work. Carly wasn’t going to talk rationally. She was going to rant and rage and end up
sobbing in his arms looking for comfort. He hadn’t the time for that just now.

“Listen, don’t tell her I’m here yet, Max. She’ll see me at the hearing. I gotta go figure out what the hell is going on.”

“Ok, sure thing.”

Jason rode the elevator down to the lobby with only one thing on his mind: first stop, the apartment of Alexis Davis…Corinthos.
***
“Hey, Sonny, looks like your lawyer brought you fresh duds for court. One of your signature Armani’s paid for with the blood of poor dock workers and slain
competitors.”

If Sonny never heard Jack Grayson’s dry as milquetoast voice again, it would be too soon. His eyes popped open and he found himself in his bunk alone in his cell. But he
was sure Alexis had really been there; her sweet scent still lingered on the scratchy pillow beside him. Despite the circumstance, he smiled.

Mac had made her leave, he supposed, but only after he’d fallen asleep. He’d been so deep in his slumber that he hadn’t even stirred. Her presence had lulled him into
rest. He had forgotten his fear…hadn’t felt as if his lungs were going to explode. In fact, the claustrophobia had receded almost miraculously.

This power she had over him—the power to hurt and to heal--it was a strange entity. One that both enlivened and frightened him at the same time.

“Come on, Corinthos, time to get up. Got a big day ahead of you. Arraignment at ten!”

Sonny stood and faced his tormenter through the bars. “How can I have a hearing this morning when you didn’t let me see my lawyer last night? That’s denial of
counsel.”

The Fed clapped his hands in a slow mocking fashion. “Pretty good. Guess you’ve been in the system so much you picked up some legal terms. Or maybe you got them
from pillow talk with that sexy wife of yours…”

“Shut your filthy mouth, Grayson!”

Jack held up his hands in mock surrender. “You’re right,” he intoned sarcastically. “That was way out of line. Anyway, the official story is that your lawyer never showed
up here until it was too late for visiting hours. But—being the softies that we are--we will let you see him upstairs this morning.”

“You’re too kind.”

Jack laughed. “Nah. You know who really is too kind? That ka-billionaire, Jasper Jacks. Wasn’t he married to your wife once?”

Grayson unfolded what looked like a newspaper and held it up so Sonny could see. On the front page, he spied a picture of he and Alexis kissing in front of his plane.
The headline screamed at him, “Embattled Kingpin Takes a Bride”. But that wasn’t all. Beneath that photo was one of Jax who appeared to have Alexis in his arms. The
Aussie had wrapped her close to him, one of his hands threaded through that soft mass of chestnut waves, as Sonny’s hands had been last night.

“Look at how kind he’s being to your wife while you’re away,” Grayson said.

Though Sonny knew in his soul it was innocent…that Jax was her friend and he was just comforting her…a stab of heat shot straight through his gut. He recognized the
ugly sting of jealousy and cursed it inwardly. He wasn’t supposed to feel this way. This relationship wasn’t permanent. It was just…well, he had no clue what it was. But
he knew that jealousy should have no part of it.

“Isn’t it just a lovely photo?” Grayson taunted. “I guess you can comfort yourself with the fact that when she betrays you she’ll have a nice, big, rich, handsome
shoulder to lean on, huh?”

Sonny met the man’s gaze with a sneer of his own. “I look worried, Grayson?” he said with a boldness that belied the emotions that rioted within him. “You can stop
trying to shake me.”

“Glad to see you’re so calm,” the Fed replied smoothly, his eyes clearly telling Sonny that he knew crap when he waded through it. “Now come on out here so you can get
a nice shower with the rest of the boys and dress up in your lovely blue suit.”

Chapter 23

Alexis swung her front door open and froze at the sight of the person on the other side. Jason Morgan stood there staring at her, unblinking and unsmiling. There was
a silence that was a little too long to be comfortable.

“Hi,” she greeted finally, unsure of what else to say.

“Hey,” he answered. “Can I come in?”

“Yes, sure,” she mumbled, and stood aside for him to walk past her. He looked about, taking in every nook and cranny of her living room.

“Nice place,” he said in a banal tone.

“Thanks.”

After another uncomfortable silence, he sighed and turned his piercing eyes to her. “Listen, I just got back from Europe and I find out Sonny’s been booked for the AJ
thing and you and he are married. What the hell is going on?”

“Sonny called you?”

“No, Carly.”
Alexis frowned.

Jason reiterated his demand. “So tell me what’s happened.”

She sighed. She was so weary of saying this aloud; it just made it seem all the more dire. “The government has the hit man and a source in your…organization …who say
that Sonny tried to kill AJ and that I knew about it.”

Jason closed his eyes for a moment. “So you married him to avoid having to testify?”

Alexis simply stared at him. She wasn’t willing to confirm anything to this man who was so close to Carly that he’d flown thousands of miles at her distress call. “I
married him at his request. The why is no one’s business but ours.”

Jason’s jaw tensed. “I’m his right hand, Alexis. He’d want me to know everything.”

She turned her back to him and walked several feet away. “Then let him tell you. Go see him at the jailhouse, Jason.”

“What’s with the attitude?” Jason fired at her.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I’m a little leery of people who are friendly with Carly…given the fact that she went on television claiming this marriage isn’t legitimate. She
could get Sonny and I charged with fraud just because of her petty jealousy. So excuse me if I don’t exactly leap to trust someone close to her.”

“Well, the distrust is mutual,” Jason told her, raw suspicion in his tone. “I mean, last thing I knew, you and Ric Lansing were awful close…bonding over your Sonny-hate.
He couldn’t see past sibling rivalry, and you couldn’t seem to get over losing Sonny to Carly.”

Alexis whirled to face him. “I didn’t lose Sonny,” she said acidly. “I let him go so he could have another chance with the woman he claimed to love. That was my choice.”

“And you’re telling me you don’t still hurt over that…deep down? How do I know you’re really trying to save Sonny? For all I know, you could be working with Ric and the
Feds to bring him down.”

How dare he insinuate that she was some kind of jealous shrew who’d plot to destroy Sonny just to get revenge! Alexis had to swallow her rage to answer him with a
semblance of calm. “I am not Carly,” she said between clenched teeth. “All that subterfuge is her M.O., not mine. I don’t want Sonny to go to jail any more than I want
to go there myself.”

“Could’ve fooled me by the way you acted before I left.”

“Sonny wasn’t exactly cordial to me either, Jason. A lot happened…some of which I regret. But I can tell you now truthfully that I am not a part of any plot to hurt
Sonny. I would much rather no one had ever found out about AJ. But they have. And Sonny and I are trying our damndest to get out of it the best way possible.”

She spread her hands out palms up in a gesture of take it or leave it. “You can believe me or disbelieve me. What’s important is that Sonny trusts me and that the two
of us get out of this with no jail time. I don’t actually care what you and your…friend…think.”

Jason stared at her without words again, and she knew that he was trying to look into her eyes and discern the truth. She met his intense gaze steadily and held it for
what seemed like an eternity. She thought she saw a glimmer of respect that she’d stood up to him, but she couldn’t be sure.

In the end, he simply nodded and turned to go...and she was left to wonder whether or not he’d believed her.

Chapter 24

All morning, Justus had been arguing his heart out on Sonny’s behalf. Sonny had watched him in awe, feeling almost as confident as he had when Alexis was leading the
charge for him in court.

Alexis. He turned his head and saw her seated behind him, her lovely face serene and composed when he knew that inside she was scared as hell. He smiled an
encouraging smile her way, all the while thankful to God that she was here. He could breathe.

A white-hot heat was suddenly directed at him from the back of the room. Carly sat there, rolling her eyes when she saw the look he’d exchanged with Alexis. The
woman’s hatred was palpable even from a distance. He glared at her wishing she would just get up and leave.

Just then, the door opened quietly; in walked his enforcer and best friend, Jason Morgan. Jason stopped in the doorway and nodded at him, then folded himself into a
seat beside Carly to watch the proceedings. Sonny noted wryly that Carly withdrew her feline claws and the look of hatred she’d worn on her face for him and replaced
them with a warm welcoming smile for Jason.

Something twisted within him. Had he and Carly ever been real? Had they ever truly belonged to each other? Or had she just been on loan from Jason? And had he—
Sonny--been hiding in her skirts like the emotional coward he was afraid of what he felt for Alexis?

He shook his head, turning away, but in so doing caught sight of the other end of the courtroom, which was no better. It was literally filled with Quartermaine’s,
though this was only a hearing. Emily looking as if she didn’t know what to think. Alan and Monica sending invisible and deadly scalpels flying his way every five minutes.
Edward with his perpetual grimace. And Ned, well Ned couldn’t pry the exultant grin off his face with a crowbar.

Ric sat alone not far from Grayson's table.

Sighing, Sonny turned back to the proceedings. All the vultures were circling. This was a circus and would only get worse.

“Your Honor, the federal agents in charge of this case have not even allowed me to speak to my client until right before this hearing,” Justus was arguing, his tone
indignant. “In addition, they twice gave me the incorrect location to meet my client last night. Meanwhile, they shoved him into a holding cell and left him there all night
without allowing him to make a phone call. I'm inclined to think they're deliberately trying to sabotage my ability to represent my client.”
The judge, a Marion Long, turned a terse gaze to Jack Grayson and asked, “Is that true?”

“Of course, not, Your Honor,” Jack parried easily. “We were short staffed last night so Mr. Corinthos was not able to be supervised appropriately outside of his cell.
Thus, no phone call. And Mr. Ward was simply the victim of unintended misinformation and we have apologized to him profusely about that.”

“I’m sure you have,” Judge Long’s voice was dry. “Mr. Grayson, your explanation does not ring true with me. It’s by the books from here on out, or you’ll find yourself in
the same holding cell Mr. Corinthos made use of last night. You hear me?”

Sonny smirked.

Grayson nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Now about bond,” the judge stated.

“The government recommends no bond at all, Your Honor. Mr. Corinthos is a flight risk who has safe houses all over the region and can gain access to nations which do
not observe extradition laws.”

Justus exploded. “Your Honor, federal agents have already impounded Mr. Corinthos’ plane and he is quite willing to surrender his passport to this court! Besides, he
runs a successful coffee importing business here in this city. In addition, he has extensive family ties: his two small children, his father, and his sister all live here in
Port Charles. And most importantly, he has only recently gotten married to his wife, Alexis.”

The whole courtroom could not miss the snort from Caroline Corinthos.

“With all these ties to the community, I am certain that Mr. Corinthos will remain and face his accusers,” Justus concluded.

“Oh really?” Judge Long replied. “I’m not so certain. We’ll agree to the passport surrender in addition to a hefty bail amount, but he’ll also have to wear an ankle
monitor if he wants out, Mr. Ward. Agreed?”

Justus looked at his client who nodded. “Yes, Your Honor.”

“Where will Mr. Corinthos be residing, for the record?”

“At the apartment of his wife, Alexis Davis-Corinthos.”

“Then that is where he shall be confined until trial begins and thereafter during the days we are not in session. His children will have to be brought there to visit at
their mother’s convenience.”

The bail amount was discussed briefly and agreed upon. Judge Long then stood. “Court is now dismissed. Counsel, meet me in chambers with the clerk in about fifteen
minutes to discuss a trial date. Mr. Corinthos?”

Sonny stood and faced the judge.

“No funny stuff,” she said. “Stay in that apartment and make no attempt to flee this jurisdiction.”

He directed a full-dimpled smile her way. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Your Honor.”

“Of course not.” Marion Long rolled her eyes and left the bench. Spectators and reporters began to file noisily out of the room.

“I’m gonna go meet the judge about the court date,” Justus told him. “Somebody will come and take you down to post bail.”

Sonny nodded, exhaling noisily as reality hit him. He was free…at least for a little while. He felt Alexis’ hand lay softly on his shoulder. He turned around to her,
thinking that nothing was lovelier than the support that shone in those deep brown eyes. He grabbed her to him, sighing heavily into her shoulder.

He was free.
***
Carly tried valiantly to get through the crowd to him, and had almost made it when she saw him drag Alexis against his body. The sight stopped her in her tracks, and
Jason—who’d been following close behind—bumped into her.

“I’m so glad you won’t have to spend another night in that cell,” she heard Alexis say to him.

“Me, too cuz I don’t think Mac woulda let you sneak in again.”

Alexis smiled in reply. “That was really nice of him. At least we had a few hours together.”

His eyes darkened and fell to her mouth. “Yeah, well, what are you gonna do now? I have to be confined to your apartment, Lex, for days on end. I can’t leave. How ever
will you amuse me?”

Carly saw Alexis blush and tuck the corner of her lip between her teeth; the woman’s eyes fairly danced with excitement. And then Sonny drew her flush against his
chest and kissed her. Carly, like a motorist passing an accident, could not look away. Her stomach lurched, and she feared she might be sick here in front of everyone.
But she could not look away.

It’s love, the voice in her head whispered. You can’t fight this one. It’s not sex. It’s not flirtation. It’s connection.

That’s when a burning anger flew through her being and she shot forward at the two of them. Only Jason’s restraining hand like a manacle on her flesh stopped her
from a head-on collision. Carly whirled around, furious.

“Let me go, Jase,” she hissed. “They don’t just get to stand there and embarrass me like this. Make eyes at each other like puppy dogs. They are so sickening.”

“Carly, I know this hurts you,” he told her, his deep voice low and calm in an effort—she knew from experience—to deescalate her anger. “But let it go for now; he’s
married to her.”

“It’s phony, Jason. They married to save her ass. It’s all an act.”

She saw Jason’s frown as he gazed at his best friend with Alexis. “It doesn’t look like just an act to me.”

Carly turned her head and saw Sonny’s mouth descend to his wife’s where he kissed her deeply and tenderly for long moments. Neither of them seemed aware of
anyone around them as they held each other.

This couldn’t be happening. They had had a connection, but Carly had destroyed it when she had “come back from the dead”, hadn’t she? She had flaunted her reunion
with Sonny until she’d finally forced the woman out of PH2 and across town somewhere far away from Sonny. She had successfully kept the secret of Kristina’s
paternity under wraps. She had done too much…risked too much…for this to be happening now…

“Don’t tell me you believe in this,” Carly said, her voice sounding raw and desperate even to her own ears. “They HAD to get married. She engineered it. Maybe for
herself. Maybe for Ric. But I don’t trust her for one second. You can’t be sure whose side she’s really on.”

She saw something flicker in Jason’s eyes and knew that he’d considered her words. “I don’t completely trust her, no,” he said. “There’s been so much bad blood
between her and Sonny. But I talked to Justus this morning and he says that so far, what she’s done has only helped the defense. And it does seem like…the feelings
she once had for him…are still there.”

Carly’s eyes widened with disbelief. “So you’re gonna just get taken in by her like he is, aren’t you? You’re sayin’ you believe that lying witch!”

“No, Carly. I’m sayin’ that she hasn’t made a wrong move as yet. Unlike you.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I heard you went on television and told the world the marriage is a fake. You endangered both of them with a claim like that.”

She shrugged dismissively. “I was angry. I didn’t know what I was saying. He shouldn’t have done this to me, and I wouldn’t have had to fight back like that.”

“What was he supposed to do, Carly?”

“He could have run. We could have packed up the kids and—”

“That’s not the life that those kids deserve, and you know that. He knows that, too.”

“So what’s the alternative: let Alexis step into my place and have my life?”

“I’m not saying that either. I’m just—look, you know I want you and Sonny to have a solid family for Michael and Morgan. But things are the way they have to be at the
moment. So just take a step back. Let’s just watch and wait for now.”

Carly snatched her arm from his grasp. “I’m not that patient or that blind. You wanna wait and watch, go ahead. I’ll deal with them myself.”

Chapter 25

Incoming…

Alexis saw the harpy swoop down upon them before Sonny did. But the change in her expression alerted him, and he swung around to see his ex-wife stalking up to
them, eyes wild with anger.

"Calm," Alexis cautioned him. "There's an officer waiting for us by the door. Don't do anything to give him or the reporters a story about how violent your temper is.
No matter what she says, don't react."

Sonny nodded as his ex drew to a stop two inches from his body, flailing a finger in his face as she spoke.

"I just want to say one thing," she said to Sonny, her voice literally trembling with her anger. "I will not allow you to see your children while you're living with her, do
you hear me? Do you hear me?"

"I think probably the whole courthouse heard you," Sonny answered evenly, his arm sliding around Alexis' waist. "I guess there's—uh--nothin' I can do about that. I'll
miss the boys; it'll kill me to be without them. But--you know--if you're so vindictive you can't see that this will hurt them as much as me…then so be it."

He turned to look at Alexis and she smiled widely; she had never been so proud of him. He had held himself together and had spoken with tolerance to the least
tolerated woman on the planet.

But of course Carly wasn't done yet.

"Go ahead and laugh at me, you old hag," the younger woman flung at her. "But I'll get the last laugh. I always do. Sure, he'll stay with you for a while. He has to; he'll
be imprisoned in your apartment by that ankle bracelet. At least, he freely CHOSE to live with me. He'd never choose you."

Alexis couldn't shield herself from the accuracy of that verbal blow. Deep in her heart there had always been a secret fear that that was true. That if she had allowed
him to choose freely---between her and Carly—he still would've returned to his ex-wife.

Sonny's tightly clipped words brought her back to the present moment. "My choice is Alexis, Carly. The sooner you realize that the better."

Carly's hands found her slender hips. "Ok, you know what? Cut the crap. We all know why you're with her, Sonny."
Sonny's eyes found those of his bride. "Because she's beautiful. Because she's sexy. Because she's smart as hell. And because—no matter what ugliness has happened
between us before—she's standing by me through the battle of my life. That's why I'm with her."

Alexis' heart nearly fell out of her chest. The words…said with such quiet, sincere resolve…struck a chord in her soul and nearly erased her earlier doubt.

She caught sight of the other woman's face; the girl looked visibly shaken. Apparently, Carly believed him on some level at least.

In no time, the wounded look in her eyes faded and she shook herself back into attack mode. Her glare returned to Alexis. "He'll say or do anything to stay free, you
know that. You wanna be a fool and buy his story? Fine, but just remember that in the end, Sonny tires easily of whores like you and comes right back to me."

Sonny's jaw clenched, his hand tightened on her waist, and Alexis feared the worst. But he simply turned to his wife, ignoring Carly altogether.

"You ready?" he asked her. "Cuz if she calls you that one more time, I won't be responsible for what I do. And I don't want to let you down."

Alexis linked her arm around his waist. "Yes, let's go. Kristina's temper tantrums I can comprehend…this, not so much."

Sonny nodded again to his enforcer and then turned to walk downstairs to the bail area with his wife.

***

"Did that make you feel any better? To call her names and piss Sonny off?"

"Jason, no sermon right now. I don't wanna hear it."

"Well, you're gonna hear it anyway. If you want me to stand by you…if you want me to help you through this…then you gotta stop acting on impulse, or you could send
Sonny to prison."

He didn't like the smile that curled Carly's lips. "Maybe that's what I wanna do: put him in prison. At least then he'd be away from her. All I'd have to do is tell what I
know. He confessed to me that this marriage is a setup to make sure Alexis couldn't testify. With one phone call to Grayson, I could end this and get my revenge,
Jason."

His breath caught somewhere in the vicinity of his throat. She was dead serious. Jason grasped her upper arms in a viselike grip and turned her bodily to face him.

"If you do that," he told her, the fury in his eyes burning down into hers, "say goodbye to me here and now because I will never speak a word to you ever again. You'll be
dead to me. Just like you'll be dead to him."

And after a moment of paralyzed wide-eyed shock, her whole face changed. He watched her slowly morph into her little girl persona, all innocent watery smiles and
hurt eyes as she touched his jaw with her fingertips. "Of--of course I wouldn't do that. He's my children's father. I-I wouldn't send him to jail. That was stupid of me
to even joke about."

"Yeah, it was," he said, his tone a little harsher than he intended, but it was time for her to smell the coffee. To face reality and deal with it head on. Instead of going
off half-cocked "Carly against the World" and shooting everyone including herself in the damn foot.

He pushed her down onto a seat in the spectator's box in the now silent courtroom. "Here's the deal," he said. "You're gonna follow my lead on this."

She blinked up at him. "What?"

"I'll watch the two of them. I'll make sure she's not setting Sonny up for a fall. I'll even find out if it's—real—for him. This thing with her."

"Wouldn't that be a betrayal of your code with Sonny?"

He caught the sarcasm coating her voice. "You're my friend, too. I don't want you hurt, and I think you have a right to know the truth."

She looked at him doubtfully. "But…?"

"But I might find out somethin' you don't wanna know," he told her. "I mean, this marriage deal might have begun as a lie. But the way Alexis was looking at him in
court…and what he said just now about her…I don't know, Carly. You may have to accept that it is real. And if it is…if it's love…you don't have a weapon strong enough
to destroy it. It's lasted through everything else you've thrown at
it all these years."

She was silent, but he saw her throat bob.

"I made you a promise, now you have to make one to me," Jason said.

"And that would be?"

"That you won't cook up any harebrained schemes for once. Let Sonny have a fighting chance to beat these charges. And let's all deal with the emotional stuff after
that."

She averted her gaze, but he lifted her chin to see her eyes. "This is serious, Carly. Promise me you'll let me handle it my way. Promise me on our friendship."

Chapter 26

She gazed up into those intense blue eyes that had always looked at her with honesty…Sometimes with anger, sometimes with sadness, but never with judgment. She
knew he was Sonny's friend, but he would never abandon her. He was the only one who hadn't.

"I promise, Jason."

And she allowed herself to be swallowed up in an embrace that was more supportive and reassuring than anything else. But as she rested her head on his strong
shoulder, she couldn't help but miss the days when their embrace had been more intimate. The days when his simple trust in her and acceptance of her crazy impulsive
nature had been enough. But she had thrown all that away for the explosive passion she'd felt for Sonny. Now the pain of that failed relationship threatened to
incinerate her soul.

Perhaps she'd taken the wrong road back then. The road away from Jason. And it had cost her. She doubted he would ever be able to let her back to his heart without
reliving her betrayal with Sonny. She may have lost her chance with him forever.

But this wasn't all her fault alone. Sonny should be suffering, too, her wounded heart cried. But was he? No, he was panting after that overeducated, stuck up bitch,
Alexis. And tonight he would lie in her bed in her apartment as her husband. And Carly would be alone with her kids and her bitterness.
Jason had asked her to let it alone…and she had promised she would. But there was one last loose end she could not ignore. Not even for him.

Sonny raved about the virtues of his new wife. He thought she walked on water because she married him and had his back. Well, Carly wondered how he would feel
when he knew that Alexis was a liar…that she'd robbed him of his child for two years now? That secret would effectively destroy every last shred of trust he held for
his new wife. Their relationship would be rubble beneath Carly's feet.

But Carly would need a pawn to do the actual dirty work. Someone who hated Sonny and who would relish the thought of revealing this little tidbit for her.

It didn't take long for the perfect person to pop into her mind.

***

It was much too early in the evening to be getting smashed, but he was going to give it the old college try. The first few drinks had slid through his veins nicely numbing
the pain to a dull ache. But it would take a lot more of the rather watered down vodka of this establishment to erase her words.

"I most certainly do love my husband. With all my heart. That's why I married him."

More telling than the words had been the glimmer in Alexis' eyes when she'd said them. The depth of the emotion was there for his brother, clear as day. Mocking him.
Mocking what had been hidden in his heart for so long.

"My husband is quite an honorable man…I love him."

He had wanted her for himself. But once again, here sat Ric Lansing, his arms empty, his heart full. And his brother was to blame.

He drained the glass easily, hoping to vault past numb to knocked out in the next hour.

"Hey there, Ric."

A familiar voice broke through his reverie and caused him to swivel the barstool around.

"AJ," the DA muttered. "When did you get in?"

"Late last night," came the reply.

"You missed a lovely arraignment today," Ric informed him. "My brother plans your murder and I don't know how many others over his auspicious crime career and the
judge gives him bond. And an ankle bracelet. No jail time."

"Musta been a female judge," AJ quipped, hopping onto a neighboring barstool. "I think it's the damn dimples."

Ric's laugh was more bitter than humorous. "Even my own mother was susceptible, apparently."

AJ grimaced. "I know how that can be. Favored son and all. I suppose the favored son in my life is standing by Sonny as usual?"

"Oh yeah, of course. No matter what, his buddy Jason is at his side. Those two should get married and end the suspense for everyone." The two men shared a heartier
laugh over that remark. Then AJ grew serious and fixed his gaze on Ric. "Do you guys really have him this time? You're sure the case is strong?"

"Open and shut," Ric stated flatly. "This is what we've both been waiting for."

AJ grinned and stuck his hand out to clap Ric on the shoulder. "That's all I needed to hear," he said. "So whatever's got you in this mood…or whomever…shake it off.
Your greatest goal is within your reach. Finally."

Yes it was, Ric acknowledged silently. But he hated to think of what he'd lost to attain it.

***

She was starting to fall for him; Alexis recognized the signs. Sitting at the dining room table in her apartment, Alexis was formally introducing father to daughter
when Kristina got uncharacteristically shy. That's when she knew that her baby girl was developing a bad case of infatuation for her charming father. And judging by
his absolutely enraptured gaze as he ran his fingers gently across Kristina's curls, Sonny was about to suffer the same fate.

"You remember Mama's friend, right, baby?" she asked Krissy, cuddling her close in her lap.

"Yes," Krissy said, pointing shyly across at him while half-burying her face in her mother's neck. "Sonny."

"That's my smart girl! Well, Sonny's gonna be staying with us now. And that's gonna be really great cuz Sonny's a much better cook than Mama, and he might make us
lots of gourmet dishes. You'll like his spaghetti Bolognese, I can tell you that. And his pesto sauce is just to die for."

Sonny's amused gaze caught hers over Krissy's curly top. "So you're gonna teach your daughter to use me for my culinary skills?"

Alexis's eyes twinkled. "Why not? It worked for me."

"There's much more of me to love than just my cooking," he quipped, the flirtation easy and light.

"Oh yeah, like what? I haven't noticed anything else worth my time."

"Really? I'll have to work hard to make you notice my other attributes then," he replied, laughing huskily when she blushed to the roots of her hair.

And then the first awkward moment arrived.

"Make cookies!" Kristina declared imperiously to Sonny, latching on to a tendril of her mother's hair with one tiny hand.

"Uh-hmm," Sonny noted, "Just like I suspected. She's got the bossy gene. Now did that come from the Cassadine or the Quartermaine side? That's what I have to
figure out."

Alexis froze for a second, and wished with all her might that she could tell him exactly where that gene had originated from…

Chapter 27

It took four attempts to get the key in the lock of his front door, but he managed it at last. Stumbling through it into the darkness, he began to regret the
overindulgence in the booze tonight. After all, he had to be ready to assist Grayson in the morning getting the next hearing together and then the trial. There was
much to do to keep the ball rolling.
Slamming the door behind him, he switched on the lamp standing in the corner of the room. He slid off his jacket, tossed it onto the couch, and slumped on the cushions
beside it. That's when he saw it. A white envelope, kind of thick, with his name typed across it in nice, bold, black letters.

Clearly, someone had slid it under his door. Ric stood and trundled over to pick it up. His hands shook a little as he ripped it open; he had to blink several times to clear
his vision. But once he read the contents of the envelope, he was almost instantly as sober as a judge.

They were copies of legal documents. Two of them. A birth certificate and a DNA test. Both belonging to little Miss Kristina Davis.

Ric grinned a tight little grin, feeling a lead weight lift from his belly.

It seemed he was an uncle.

***

She stared at him from the doorway of her kitchen, a bowl of freshly popped corn in her hands. Sonny sat on the couch in her living room, barefoot, and clad in cotton
pajama pants, a tee shirt, and a government-issue ankle bracelet. Looking every inch the sexiest mob boss who ever drew breath. And she was supposed to walk and talk
and otherwise behave as a normal, intelligent, woman when all she wanted to do was throw him down and ravage him?

Even Alice had been affected. Granted, the nanny had been more than a little surprised that Alexis had gotten married, but the woman's appreciation for the beautiful
male specimen currently reclining in the living room was readily apparent. One or two dimpled smiles into the evening and Alice's hard won respect had been a fait
accomplit for Mr. Corinthos.

Now they were alone, and she had so many butterflies in her stomach she thought she could levitate at any moment. It wasn't like before. When she had kissed and
held him on the island, that had been a magical night, otherworldly, a fantasy. And kissing him senseless in that jail cell? He had needed her strength; they only had a
short time together; it was a crisis situation. She'd always had some kind of extraordinary excuse…

But now they were just two normal married people. (Well, normal was questionable.) But they were two newlyweds quietly spending the evening at home…with no
intrusions, no others present, and hours on end to kill. It was a totally calm and un-extraordinary situation. Yet she was more nervous than she'd ever been with him.

She took a deep breath, and forced her legs to walk into the living room. Wrapping the black satin robe tighter around her, she perched on the opposite end of the
sofa, as far away from him as she could. He gave her a sardonic look as if he knew just what she was doing.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, it was like they had stepped back in time. Like they were in her penthouse, flirting, bobbing, and weaving over cappuccino.

"Alexis, you had my fettuccini not an hour ago and here you go with the popcorn," he teased.

"It's an after-dinner snack. Haven't you ever heard of that?"

"Yeah sure. I coulda made you a better one, though."

"Oh?"

"Strawberries. I remember how much you like them."

She choked on the handful of popcorn she'd shoveled into her mouth, while he laughed and leaned across to clap her gently on the back. "You alright there? Swallow a
kernel?"

She gave him the Cassadine look of death and he responded by hunching his shoulders innocently. "What? I just thought some strawberries might be nice tonight."

Completely flustered and not knowing where to look or what to do, she grabbed the remote and switched on her television. Flicking through channels, she found a news
program based in Manhattan and recognized a glossy head of hair the color of raven's wing.

"Look, Sonny, it's you," she said, pointing with the remote.

Sonny followed her eyes and then grinned. "No, Lex, it's us."

She squinted as the camera angle widened and rebroadcast their steamy kiss at the airport. It was accompanied by an entertainment reporter's salacious voice-over,
"Usually the height of decorum, Alexis Davis shocked all onlookers by kissing her new husband, reputed mob kingpin Sonny Corinthos, for an obscenely long time in front
of a waiting crowd of federal agents and journalists. The lengthy kiss shocked her friends and colleagues. But remember the
rumors that surfaced years ago claiming the lawyer had a more intimate relationship with her infamous client? Guess we finally have our answer, folks."

"Oh. My. God!"

Sonny chuckled. "Mmm, Lex, look at you go!"

Apparently, she had grabbed him to her and ravaged his mouth like a wanton on live television. Doing it "spur of the moment" had been one thing. Her righteous anger at
the Feds and the reporters on Sonny's behalf had fueled her. But to see it now in a stone cold, sober moment with Sonny right beside her…

"I look like I'm attacking you!" she groaned.

"But I was such a willing victim," Sonny cooed, tilting his head to the side to get another angle. "It's actually…quite…hot to look at."

His words mortified her. Alexis covered her eyes with her hand and turned an enchanting shade of pink, but she couldn't resist peeking through her fingers. She and
Sonny were molded together so closely in that embrace there seemed no space between them.

"I was SO not trying to look—hot."

"You don't have to try. You just are!"

"What the hell was I thinking—"

"Lex, you got nothing to be ashamed of. You look fabulous, sexy, and… passionate. I—damn, I can't take my eyes off of you."

"Will you just stop it?"

He reached for the telephone. "What is this, channel 7? I may need a videotape of that kiss for my private collection."

Alexis slapped the phone out of his hand, nearly hyperventilating. "Don't you dare!"
Sonny erupted in a fit of laughter. "Breathe, Lex. I'm kidding."

"Well, it's not funny!"

The video onscreen switched to a still photo of Jax and then an image of said ex-husband holding her in a kindly embrace. She sighed noisily. "Ah, now, see? That's
better."

She saw Sonny's face cloud over. "Nah, actually that picture there… that just ruined the whole mood," he muttered. "Did you have to like— lounge-- in the Candy Boy's
arms for so long?"

Alexis read the look of unease on her husband's face and it helped her to recover from hers. Her eyebrow arched prettily. "You didn't complain when I was in your
arms. What's wrong with allowing my good friend to hold and comfort me?"

"Nothin'," he snapped, grabbing the remote from her and switching channels. "But does your holder and comforter have to be the most annoying man on the planet? And
one who used to be married to you?"

Alexis smiled and tilted her head in an exact parody of his earlier move. "If I didn't know how conceited and self-important you are, I'd think you were a bit jealous…"

"Jealous?" he burst. "Of the Candy Boy? That's actually hilarious, Lex."

"Mmm, if you say so," she retorted.

"I say so," he said coldly.

"Well, okay then," she said cheerily.

"Fine!" he replied.

They subsided into a silence that pulsed with annoyance on his part and with amusement on hers. It was Sonny who broke it.

"If you don't mind looking like some kind of fickle female, then go ahead," he muttered. "Hug Jax."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, hey, you were all over me one second then you're wrapped around the Australian ex."

"So?"

"So the public will be wondering what the hell kind of woman I married."

"The kind who can and will kick your chauvinistic hide into her hallway if she has to!" Alexis declared, standing in front of him. "You don't have that option," he taunted,
standing as well. "Ankle bracelet. Deal with that."

Alexis's eyes grew wild. "I'll deal with it by taking myself to bed. You'll find a guest bedroom opposite Kristina's. Good night!"

"Alexis, we're married."

"As if I needed reminding."

"So married people sleep TOGETHER."

"Oh, Sonny, what's the damn difference? No one will know."

"Alice will know. She comes fairly early."

Alexis frowned. "So you can wake up earlier, clean up the guest bedroom, and sneak into bed with me before she arrives."

"Too risky and too much work."

Her head tilted. "Why do you keep throwing excuses at me?"

He put his head down for a moment, and then raised his eyes to hers. "You're right," he said huskily. "We're both dancing around the truth right now. Like old times.
We been doing it all night. The fact is I WANT to sleep with you. I WANT to make love with you. No more pretense. No more excuses. No more trying to get you mad
enough to kiss me. Just the truth. And there it is."

If there was ever a time to stop breathing, Alexis thought, this was it!

Chapter 28

"I told you that I was past denying this thing between us. It's real. It's here. You feel it, too."

He stared into her eyes, daring her to contradict what he'd said. All the while knowing that just like the last time they'd made love…she couldn't refuse him. That
wasn't his ego talking. It was just that what they had was elemental…basic. She couldn't walk away from it any more than he could.

He'd always hated needing anyone.

So he'd pushed his need deep within him…so far down that no one—not Carly not even he, himself—could reach it. He'd called Alexis "just sex" and "a one night stand"
to distance his heart from the searing pain of her loss. But just like that she'd been forced back into his world. And just like that he couldn't lie anymore. He wasn't
willing to spend another night longing for the feel of her skin against his.

He needed her.

Sonny breathed in deeply and steadied himself. She was like a chess game, and he was going for victory. He had to thinking strategically, two or three steps ahead. Had
to plan the moves that would be guaranteed to make her come apart in his arms. Plan a match that would ultimately win him his queen.

Now he upped the ante. He lifted his arms and peeled the tee shirt from his muscled chest. Then he tossed it to the floor without ever breaking eye contact with her.

Her move.

He waited.
And he hoped.

And he breathed.

Finally she answered his unspoken demand.

Her hands found the lapels of her robe, sliding its satiny fabric from her body till it lay in a diaphanous pool at her feet. And his eyes fastened hungrily on her long,
sinuous form clad only in a clinging black nightgown. The scrap of cloth did much for his libido but little for his patience.

His move. Most definitely now his move.

He reached for the string that would loosen the cotton pajama pants slung low on his hips, but found her hands atop his, stilling his action. She gave him a smile at once
suggestive and regal, unique to Alexis. It went straight to his soul.

"Let me do that," she whispered, and slowly—oh, so slowly—she divested him of the offending cotton garment, leaving him standing before her on shaky knees in silk
boxers.

Checkmate for Alexis.

He was trying hard to control his breathing now. Emboldened by the graceful way she had stripped him of his clothing, he reached for the delicate straps of her
nightgown. He stroked them off her shoulders almost reverently as memories came rushing back to him.

"It's almost like the slip you wore…that night," he murmured.

Her eyes lifted to his, startled, and he cursed himself for bringing up the past.

"You remember?" she whispered.

"I remember everything," he assured her softly, leaning across to run his mouth across her shoulder in a heady caress. "The way you undressed for me. The way you
held my hand. The way your mouth felt on my skin. Some nights I remember everything until I ache."

His hands found her waist and he felt her breath hitch and then release on a soft, sweet sigh. "A thousand reasons…" she whispered. "Hmm?" He lifted his head.

"I had a thousand reasons why I should never make love with you again," she whispered honestly. "And you just wiped them all out of my head by bringing up that damn
slip I wore. What are you doing to me?"

He pulled her to him by her waist, and stared into her eyes, unblinking. "Whatever you want me to."

"With my body, I thee worship…"

The words from the wedding ceremony whispered to him. And that was what he intended to do this night. Worship her with all that he was… answer her every request
until she was mindless with need.

So the dance…as if choreographed by some unseen hand… began again.

Gently, he held her to him.

Sweetly, he nibbled at her mouth until she opened to him, and then took her in a kiss that filled his senses with the taste and scent of Alexis.

Tenderly, he swept her high into his arms, cradling her against his chest, and carried her into the bedroom.

Softly, he lay her against the down pillows of her bed.

And slowly…inch by glorious inch…minute by endless minute…the night grew hot and became an amalgam of touch, as he loved her exquisitely. As he slowly and
torturously traveled a path across her body… as he traced the fine line of her collarbone with his fingertips and followed them with his tongue…as he anointed her with
warm, wet kisses at the base of her throat…and on the satin of her thighs…as he relearned by touch the details that had lived only in memory for so long.

Trembling with the power of his passion, he slid against her and was consumed by her heat.

His words were hushed whispers in Spanish sweet and soft against her skin…words of love that he couldn't share in any other way. And words of thanks to God for
giving him a second chance.

***

"Justus Ward."

"Please tell your clients to bring their marriage license and any other relevant documents to an emergency hearing Thursday at ten."

"That's three days away, Lansing!"

"Whine to the Judge. She approved it."

"What's this about, Ric?"

"We're challenging the validity of the marriage, Mr. Ward. You knew we would. So come ready to defend your clients."

"Why are you doing this? Is what's between you and Sonny so deep you'd hurt Alexis in the bargain?"

"I'm doing my job, Justus. And I will continue to do it. Just be ready or the newlyweds will both be seeing the inside of a jailhouse."

Chapter 29

The next morning, when Alice found nightclothes strewn across Alexis' living room carpet, she didn't bat an eye. In fact, she folded said nightclothes neatly on the
sofa, and went through to the kitchen. However, what she discovered in there did make her cheeks turn pink.

Sonny Corinthos, barefoot and in his bathrobe, his hair still wet from the shower, Kristina perched expertly on his hip as he finished cooking an omelet. The sight so
beautifully domestic it knocked the wind from Alice's lungs for a moment.
Dang the man was sexy, she mused. Ms. Davis wasn't just in this to save the guy from prison. There were some fringe benefits along the way to be sure. But the guy
was too smooth, a smile so sweet had to have a tinge of steel beneath it. She'd known plenty of men like that in her time, sweet on the palette but rapier sharp on the
digestion. She hoped Ms. Davis hadn't gotten in too deep here like she had once before.

"We're gonna make Mama some eggs and toast," he was saying to the tyke.

"Toast?" she repeated. "Mama have toast?"

"Yup…and some juice. We'll even fix her some strawberries. They're Mama's favorite."

"Eeewww," Krissy said, making a face at him.

He chuckled as she wrinkled her nose. "You don't like berries? You'd be the first Davis woman who didn't."

Little Kristina looked as if she was born to be held by Mr. Corinthos; she was so comfortable with him. Just like she should have been with her own father, Alice
seethed. But that no account Ashton never deemed her important enough to treat her mother right. Some father he'd been. Sperm donor more like it…

Sonny must have sensed her presence for he turned around and Alice was met by the blunt force of his smile. But this time it wasn't the man's dynamic looks that set
her knees to jelly. It was the sight of the two of them—man and child-- together that nearly stopped her heart.

Sometimes what is obvious is the easiest to miss…

Her own mother had taught her that when she was a child. And it was the only way she could explain to herself why she hadn't picked up on the resemblance before
now. The dark curls…the olive skin… the matching set of dimples twinkling across at her…Daddy's little girl.

"Hey, Alice, you're here early," he greeted.

For a moment, his words didn't even register in her brain. Her mouth was open, her eyes unfocused. This was why Alexis had taken her daughter from Ned and that
Quartermaine House of Horrors…Sonny Corinthos was her child's real father. And apparently he didn't even know!

When she finally heard him repeat his greeting, and saw a frown pleat his brows, she shook herself. The nanny reached inward for her usually impenetrable mental
control and was able to muster up a cool smile in reply. "Good morning, sir."

"Yeah, everything alright?"

"Fine," Alice answered, clearing her throat of its rather raw tone. "I don't know if you're aware but—besides nanny duty whenever your wife has to go to court-- I also
come by twice a week to clean the apartment. That's what I'm doing here." Sonny nodded. "Lex told me. And the rest of the time you're at the Quartermaine's, right?
Don't know how the hell you put up with that."

She grinned a little more warmly at his tone of commiseration. "I used to quite enjoy it…bossing the bunch of them around for Mrs. Q. But there's not much joy there
now that she's gone."

He nodded again, settling the toddler in her high chair. "Lila was a great lady."

"One of the best," Alice agreed, then jerked her head in the direction of Alexis' bedroom. "And so is your wife."

Sonny must have heard the challenge in Alice's voice, but he met her eyes unflinchingly. "I know that."

She folded her arms across her ample chest, fixing him with a determined stare that she hoped said it all. "All she cares about is protecting that little one there. She
did all she could to make sure she was safe from that Luis Alcazar…from the Quartermaine’s…from everyone. Mistakes and all, I'd say she's still the best mother I've
seen in a good while."

His eyes told her that he had no idea where this was leading.

"I just wanna be sure you know how good a woman she is…no matter what anyone else ever says."

A light seemed to dawn in the man's mind. "I won't hurt her, Alice," he said, his voice husky with sincerity. "If you're worried about her, you can rest easy. There's
been enough hurt on both sides. That's all over."

Alice fixed him with her stare for long, silent moments. Then she nodded. "I hope that's true. Well, it seems you got everything under control in here. I think I'll start
on Kristina's bedroom and the laundry."

The woman shuffled out of the room.

***

Alexis stumbled sleepily into the kitchen some twenty minutes later and found him feeding her daughter breakfast that morning. "Why'd you let me sleep so late?" she
asked him, dropping a kiss on Kristina's curls before sitting at the table.

"I figured you needed the rest," he said, a highly suggestive smile curving his lips. He'd never get over how sexy she looked in the morning, her heavy lidded eyes
dimmed by sleep, her hair all over the place, those long, long legs peeking out from a night shirt hastily donned sometime during the night. He looked his fill until she
reached over and hit him in the chest.

"Ow!"

"Well, could you just stop staring at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like I'm breakfast."

"Mmm, fascinating idea," Sonny murmured, "for another morning. Ready for some grub?"

"You made it?"

"Yep."

"Then I'm ready for it."


He laughed and got up to retrieve her plate from where it was warming in the oven. Then he sat down and continued to feed Krissy and to half-listen to her toddler
chatter with her mom. But surreptitiously he was watching Alexis take those tiny sexy bites of the food he'd prepared. Her nibbling on the strawberries nearly did him
in.

He knew she must ache deliciously in some inconvenient places today. Once had not been nearly enough to assuage his pent-up desire. They had made love slowly and
languorously in bed. Then she'd tried to go for a midnight snack, which had led to something fast and furious on the living room couch. And of course the time she'd
snuck off to the shower at nearly two in the morning… that had been the prelude to something hushed and fervent and sweet in the bathroom. And still his need
throbbed within him. He was considering leaving Kristina with Alice so that he could wrestle Alexis back into bed.

"You're doing it again."

"What?"

"Looking at me like I'm your last meal."

"Well, actually, I am pretty hungry for you," he murmured, his eyes hot with the truth of his words.

"Sonny, Kristina's right there."

"So."

"So, I don't want my daughter to see us…see us…"

"Ye-es?"

She was too flustered to answer him. Her hands flailed silently as she sought words. He cut her off at the pass.

"Lexis, I'm not proposing you let me take you on the kitchen table. At least not this morning."

Alexis turned beet red and then visibly relaxed as someone knocked on the front door. "Thank God! Why don't you run along and go get the door, Sonny?"

He flung a devastating grin her way as he stood. "Your wish is my command, wife," he whispered. "Just like it was last night."

He dropped a brief, hard kiss on her startled mouth and walked out of the room, laughing at her shocked expression. He so loved to shock her.

Chapter 30

The knock at the door was firm and insistent. Alice looked through the peephole then opened it only a fraction.

"Yeah?"

Jason was clearly taken aback by her frigid manner. "Uh, I work for Sonny. I need to see him."

"Name?" Alice demanded.

"Jason Morgan. Alice, you've met me before—"

Alice closed the door in his face and said something to someone inside. Sonny must have told her it was okay because only then did she open the door to him.

This time her face was softened by the tiniest of smiles. "Sorry, Mr. Morgan. Can't be too careful these days."

Sonny sat on the couch grinning as Alice grabbed her bag and jacket. "I'll be out shopping for groceries, Mr. Corinthos. Be back in an hour or so."

She passed Sonny's enforcer with a stiff nod his way. Jason entered the living room with eyebrows raised quizzically.

"She's almost as good as your bodyguards, Sonny, damn," he quipped.

"I know. Protective as hell of Alexis," his boss replied, grinning. Then with that mercurial swiftness he possessed, his face grew serious. "So how are you? You alright?"

Jason shrugged, knowing he was referring to Lila and Courtney. "You know, you gotta go on. Gotta keep living. We got a job to do."

Sonny nodded. "Yeah, yeah. And speaking of that, what've you found out? Can you get to Francis? It's not gonna be easy. They have to be guarding him pretty heavy."

"We still have men in the PCPD who can find out for us where they're stashing him and get me in there. I'm pretty sure I can… "

Jason voice faded and he gave a furtive look towards the kitchen where he heard Alexis and her daughter clanging around eating breakfast. Sonny saw the look and
misinterpreted it.

"I had Max sweep for bugs already. The place is clean."

"I'm not worried about bugs, Sonny. We're gonna talk about it while she's here?"

"It's okay," Sonny said. "You can say what you need to."

Jason's insides twisted; what the hell was this? He didn't trust for one second that Alexis would allow Sonny to play dirty. And dirty was the only way to get him out of
this infernal mess.

"Look, Sonny, Francis rolled on you," Jason said in a whisper. "So the first order of business is to get into the Feds' safe house and have a chat with him, know what I
mean? I doubt that Alexis is gonna be okay with that."

"She's in as deep as I am at this point."

"So?"

"So she has as much to lose as I do. Her freedom. Her kid."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean she'll compromise the law so that we win."

"She's already compromised it once to save me."


"And look where it got her; she's probably regretting the hell out of it. She's not one of us. She doesn't think like us. I thought the past taught you that, Sonny. Why
are you so ready to invite her into your life again?"

The older man's dark eyes flashed anger, sudden and vitriolic. "She is in my life no matter what. We're married, Jason."

"For show. You told Carly—"

"I know what I told Carly," he snapped, shooting to his feet and walking over to the window.

Jason knew he was walking through a minefield right now; what he said and how he said it were critical. A false move and Sonny would shut down…end of conversation.

"Look," he said, his voice slow and quiet, "I'm just tryin' to find out if things have changed between you two. Just catch me up on the back-story, Sonny, so I know how
to proceed."

His friend turned to face him, a barely-controlled rage burning in his eyes. "Okay, first of all, don't talk to me in that voice you use with Carly," he said. "I am not out
of control. I know exactly what I'm doing. And I don't need my hand held like some little kid."

Jason stared at him, his eyes wide.

"And secondly, I told you we can talk here, so talk. Don't second-guess me. Last time I checked I was still in charge, so what is your damn problem?"

Now Jason stood. He had reached his own boiling point. "The problem is this is the same woman who slapped your face when she found out you hid Zander from her. She
called it tampering with a witness and said it could get us jail time and her disbarred. Now you expect her to be cool with me leaning on Francis?"

He knew that Sonny saw the logic in his words, but for some reason the older man was bent on not accepting it. "I don't think this is about business at all," he sneered
at Jason. "I think this is about Carly. You wanna protect her and you think that me and Lex are getting too close, is that it?"

"Well, are you?" Jason fired.

Sonny turned a dangerous glare his way. "That would be none of your business. I trust her. That's all you or Carly or anyone has the right to know!"

"And you can't see that you're getting a little over sensitive about her? I mean, when I left here you two were at each other's throats and she was helpin' Ric to bring
you down. I get back here and you're married to her, living at her place, and she's helping you now. The apartment's the picture of married bliss and you're going all
hair trigger on me about her. Don't I have a right to wonder what the hell's going on?"

"Yes, Jason, you have the right."

Both men turned and saw Alexis in the kitchen doorway, her sleepy daughter cradled against her chest.

Chapter 31

The men were staring at her with an intensity that made her nervous, so she licked her lips that suddenly felt dry. She blushed a little, self-conscious about the
nightshirt she wore and Jason's oppressive presence in the room.

"Sonny, he has a right to be wary of me," she said quietly. "You both know that I hate your business and the…things…you have to do to stay on top of it. It's only
natural for Jason to wonder how far I'd be willing to go to get us out of this mess."

The younger man stared at her, seeming to admire her directness.

"You're right," she told him. "I have gone head to head with both of you on the way you operate. Sometimes it has sickened me."

Jason shook his head and made to interrupt her, but she spoke to forestall him. "No, I'm not trying to accuse you all over again. I'm just telling you that I realize that
life is not all black and white, good and evil. I, myself, have had to do some devastating things to keep my family safe from Helena over the years. Sometimes I've hurt
others in the process. Besides that, I actually took a life to defend my child and let you stand trial for it. And I-I could have faced what Sonny is up against right now.
So I'm no better than either of you."

She swallowed deeply. "Sometimes, one has to compromise one's principles when something precious is involved."

Alexis touched her daughter's curls and then looked up into Sonny's eyes. "A child. A friend. My freedom. This is a very serious fight. It'll take serious methods to win
it."

Jason's gaze pierced her and rooted her to the spot she stood upon. "Are you trying to tell me that if I have to take a life to save him, you'll stand by and let that
happen?"

Some of the light in Alexis' eyes dimmed. She was conscious of Sonny standing there his eyes glued to her face. "I'm hoping that with all the trouble Sonny's already
in you won't make it worse by going to that extreme," she whispered.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"She doesn't have to answer the question," Sonny erupted.

"No, I need to, Sonny." Alexis sighed and found Jason's blue gaze. "Despite things that I've done in the past to defend myself and my family, I don't believe in
wantonly taking a life. Unless it's self-defense, it's wrong and I won't be party to it. I'm not Carly. I'm not turning a blind eye to the violence when I have a child to
protect. That's my line in the sand."

Jason shook his head and cast a wary look at Sonny. But Alexis spoke again. "However, Grayson and Ric are not going to play fair with Sonny. They're going to pull out all
the stops so they can destroy him. So Jason if you have to…meet…with Francis or any other witness and… convince…them to see things your way, I could understand
that. I wouldn't like it, but I'd understand it."

And then they all stood there in silence, caught at a crossroads. Jason was baffled at the fact that Sonny was allowing Alexis to hem him in like this. He watched,
mystified, as the man lifted a hand to Alexis' cheek and stroked it with a tenderness he had rarely seen from his boss.

"You know I wouldn't put you in that position, right?" he asked her quietly.

She nodded, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. "I know. I hope you won't put yourself in that position either. If someone dies or disappears, they're gonna
come straight for you, Sonny. And they're gonna nail you."
A knock at the door spun them all around, and it was Sonny who answered it. A young man, unknown to them stood there with a wide but nervous smile on his face.
"Sonny Corinthos?"

"Yeah."

The youth handed him a packet of papers. "You've been served."

And as quickly as he'd come, he retreated. Sonny sighed noisily, and unfolded the paper. "Seems we gotta appear in court Thursday to prove our marriage is real, Lex."

Jason clapped him on the shoulder on his way out the door. "Well, I don't think you'll have much trouble doing that," he said, sarcasm coating his tone. "Not judging by
what I've seen today."

And with that Jason walked out.

***

Three days later, Alexis stretched and yawned in bed relishing the delicious ache that settled in secret parts of her body. She and Sonny had made love late into the
night again, neither one seeming to be sated until sheer exhaustion claimed them near dawn. It was as if they were making up for the lost time that had stretched
between the first night they had lain together and these precious moments now. She felt like some giddy teenager with him savoring the magic of their desire.

Amazingly, their lives had fallen into a strange sort of routine. Sonny would rise first and feed Krissy and then he'd make Alexis her breakfast afterward. The two of
them would linger over coffee and then talk strategy with Justus, either in person or by phone. When Krissy was asleep or out with Alice for the day, they would each
make a pretense of working or making business calls or watching news coverage. But more often than not, they would give in to the
invisible pull that lay between them and race to the bedroom for a few more stolen hours in each other's arms.

They didn't speak of the tension with Jason or of the fact that Sonny missed his boys desperately; there was nothing they could do about either situation at present.

Alexis would sometimes go out of the apartment on errands, to tie up outstanding court cases or to meet with clients. But that was almost always tiresome if not
disastrous for several reasons. One, Sonny insisted that she go in the limo with Max shadowing her every move. Two, the reporters also shadowed her making for
something of an entourage the size of which rivaled that of the musician, Prince. And three, she just plain hated leaving Sonny alone at home. She much more enjoyed
staying there with him creating this fantasy of married life that she desperately wished were real.

She missed him when she was gone.

Rolling over, she gazed at the sky as it brightened and was bathed with golden light. How could she feel this blissful? She knew what had happened last time. She knew
that his unnatural attachment to Carly had blown their connection to hell the very next day after their lovemaking two years ago. The situation they were presently in
was no less precarious. Yet she had started pretending it was real, wishing for it to be forever, and knowing all the while that it could
not be. Why was she risking the pain of losing Sonny all over again?

She inhaled and caught his scent, spicy and exotic, on the pillow next to hers. And instantly, she knew the answer to her question though she didn't want to say it aloud.

He was a part of her and would always be. It was as simple and as complicated as that.

Chapter 32

She opened the door to her best friend that morning and instantly felt the force of his unease. It was like that with them. Since she had first met and really
connected with him all those years ago, she had always been able to sense his emotions. To sense when he had something weighing on him that he could only share with
her.

So for once, Carly didn't overwhelm him with her own issues or with stuff about the kids. With vacuous small talk or complaints about Sonny. She just let Jason in, her
eyes following his body as he slowly loped over to the sofa in her living room. His face, she saw, was as always set in stone. That immutable resolve, that strength always
in place there. But in his blue eyes…the eyes that could go hard like the edge of a machete and slice into the hearts of men…in
his eyes she found his soul. And it was open to her. It showed her the truth even when she couldn't give it back. That was who Jason was to her. Always.

Today it showed her sorrow, a sorrow that went deep inside him. And Carly was afraid.

Jason stretched out a muscled arm towards her and she went to him, sitting close by on the couch. She felt his heat seep into her body, which had suddenly become
chilled with a premonition of what was coming.

"Tell me," she whispered. "Just tell me."

He held her hands and looked into her eyes and did exactly as she bade him to. "He loves her."

Just those three words. No embellishment. No explanations. Nothing to soften the truth.

Jason was Sonny's best friend and knew him as well as he knew himself. There was no doubt in her heart that he was right. And the truth of it went straight through
her like a knife through unsuspecting flesh. Her heart was unforgivably lanced by the blow and bled silent tears onto the carpet.

A minute passed or maybe ten—she couldn't know. Then she found her voice.

"After—after I gave you up…after I watched him romance Alexis and take her to my bed…after he shot me and almost cost me my child…after he branded me a whore
for my tie to Lorenzo…and then brought his own whore, Sam, into our lives…after I put up with his rages and his darkness and his screaming...but even more deadly, his
silences…after all that, Jason, he loves her?"

It was a question threaded with such intrinsic pain he could not answer. And in fact, there was no reply that could suffice. So he simply took her in his arms, and held
her to him while she sat in shocked quiet against his muscled chest.

And wondered what in the hell she was supposed to do when everything she counted as true was suddenly made into a lie…

***

Alexis padded sleepily toward the kitchen to join Sonny and their daughter for their daily breakfast ritual, but when she looked into the kitchen she found it empty.
Perhaps they were in Kristina's room, she thought and headed that way.

In the hallway, she found the door ajar and peered inside to see Sonny sitting on the toddler's bed. A soft smile curved Alexis' mouth. It seemed Kristina was being a
little sleepyhead this morning, and her father was waiting by her side for her to wake.
The simple affectionate gesture spoke volumes about his connection with the child. His child. Alexis swallowed. Without any sense of when or how, they had each
created a little family unit consisting of the three of them against the world. Absently she thought of Alice and amended the number to four. But it was true: in the
midst of the hurricane of scandal and accusation that swirled around them, their little unit stood together in the eye of the storm. How had they ever survived without
him here? And how would they go back to living without him when this was over?

Alexis was about to make her presence known when Sonny began to speak.

"You are so beautiful, Kristina," he murmured. "Just like your mother."

Alexis' heart swelled within her chest as he stroked a loving finger down the baby's cheek. "She loves you more than her life and I can see why," he continued. "I've
only known you a little while but you're already part of my heart. Maybe…maybe because you're part of her."

And then he said the words that pierced her soul. "I wish you were mine. I always have, you know. Your Mama doesn't know that, but it's true."

Alexis closed her eyes against the pain his admission wrought in her. I wish I could tell you, she lamented in her mind. I wish I could take the chance that your life
wouldn't touch her. I wish I wasn't so afraid. I wish I'd never begun this lie.

The emotion rose up in her chest and threatened to overwhelm her. Tears escaped from the corners of her eyes. I'm already risking her life by faking this marriage. I
can't put her in even more danger by telling the world she's really yours…I can't. My god, I hope that one day you'll get out of the business and I can tell the truth and
that you'll try to understand.

Sonny's earnest whispers snapped her out of her thoughts. "I-I wouldn't admit it to anyone else," he said, "but you're probably better off not being my child. At least
you don't have to worry about people trying to hurt you to get to me. I hate that my kids have to deal with that. You're lucky, Kristina, to have a mother like her. She
fought so hard to get you back and to keep you safe. And I know she'll always do that. Cuz she knows what it is to grow up unsafe… like I do. She'll never let you know a
moment of terror. With Alexis, you'll only know about love."

She had to press her knuckles against her mouth to stem the sobs from escaping. And it was at that moment that Kristina began to wake, rubbing her eyes with one
hand. When she saw the man beside her, she smiled and reached for him. "Hi, Sonny," she whispered, as he took her into his arms with an ease that belied their new
relationship. Alexis' heart melted as her daughter snuggled into her father's shoulder.

"Love you," Krissy murmured.

With emotion deepening his voice, Sonny replied, "I love you, too, baby."

***

"Man, please do not get caught. You do, and it's not just my job. It’s my life."

The federal guard was sweating as he faced Jason, his round face and body in constant motion as nerves overtook him. Jason recognized the signs of full-blown panic
and he knew the guy was ten seconds from a melt down, which would blow his whole plan. Jason's mind was back at the penthouse with Carly. He hadn't wanted to leave
her, but this job had to be done. And he was annoyed as hell at this little coward for his anxiety attack.

Resolutely, he forced himself to be patient. "Listen, Joey, chill," he whispered, placing a hand heavily on each of the guy's shoulders. "All the time I've known you, I
ever slip up? I ever get you into trouble?"

Joey's eyes darted. "Nah."

"All the times you slipped us info about raids on the docks, we paid you good, right? On time and everything. No mistakes. Nobody ever got caught. And you were able to
buy your wife that nice new car, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure Jason." Again the eyes darted.

"Then just calm the hell down. All I'm gonna do is talk to my boy, Francis. He's in deep and I'm gonna offer him a way out, you get me? No violence, no way to pin
anything on you, okay?"

"Yeah, Jase. But make sure. The wife's brother got me into the department and she'd kill me if I lost this job—"

"You're not gonna lose it, Joe. Long as you get Francis out here sometime before doomsday, okay?"

The man grinned sheepishly and swiped a keycard. A door sprang open silently.

Jason's hand on his arm forestalled the man. "What's your story?"

"I bring him out for a smoke on my watch every morning. Shouldn't raise any eyebrows."

"Any video surveillance out here?"

"Nope. Budget cuts."

The enforcer smiled, gave a silent thanks to the politicians for more dumb moves, and sent Joey on his way. Maybe one thing about this mess would go smoothly.

Chapter 33

Carly cast a furtive glance around the restaurant for the fiftieth time and Ric sighed. "No one can see us back here at this booth, Carly. That's why I chose this place.
It's private and off the beaten path. We can have a quiet breakfast all to ourselves."

The woman didn't relax, but rather ran both hands through her hair in a nervous gesture. "If anyone sees me here and tells him…"

"What do you care?" Ric demanded in a biting tone. "He's off with Alexis laughing at the court, laughing at the cops, and laughing at you."

The fear in her eyes was replaced by fury. "Shut the hell up, Ric. No one laughs at me!"

Ric inhaled and covered his utter disdain for this woman behind a mask of false sympathy. Carly was all about her image of the feisty mob wife, irresistible to all males
but particularly to Sonny Corinthos. If Ric played his wrong…if he attacked her ego…if he insulted her…then she would cut him off and this would be over before it
started.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "That came out wrong. I wasn't trying to be disrespectful. I'm just telling you what it looks like to the rest of the world: that Sonny's used
you. After you were loyal to him for all these years, he's turned to that woman and played you for a fool."
Carly's mouth worked without sound for a moment, but Ric reached across to cover her hand on the tablecloth. "I know you're no one's fool, Carly. But that's what he's
making you out to be."

He saw her swallow, and imagined that she was taking his bait hook line and sinker. The thought made him smile inside. She reached for her glass of OJ but her hand
trembled on its stem.

"Is that why I'm here?" she queried, bitterness thickening her voice. "So you can ridicule me as Sonny's cast away wife like everyone else is?"

Ric injected just the right amount of warmth into his voice and his facial expression. He leaned in closer to her, his hand still covering one of hers on the table. "You're
here because of all the people involved in this, I think YOU are the victim. You and your kids. I mean, how could my brother live with you…offer you all that false hope
of getting back together…then the second things get tough for him he leans on Alexis Davis? Who isn't even his lawyer anymore… or his friend…or his lover."

He allowed just the briefest pause to ensue. "Allegedly."

Carly's mouth trembled. Her gaze averted.

"What is it?" Ric asked her quietly.

"Nothing."

"Has something changed between them? I thought you said that their marriage was phony?"

Her eyes darted back to his too quickly. Ric sensed his misstep. He'd moved too fast. The girl was a nut case, but she wasn't completely stupid. She snatched her hand
from his on the table and he knew the jig was up.

"So that's it?" she whispered furiously. "All this syrupy sympathy and attentiveness. You want me to help you prove the marriage is a fraud? You want me to send him
to prison?"

Ric shook his head and leaned in close to her again. "No, Carly, I want you to prove to the world that you aren't an idiot. That you have an ounce of pride. And that
Sonny Corinthos can't control your life."

And this time when she looked at him, he could tell that she was really considering it.

***

"The guy'll be here to deprogram the ankle bracelet soon, then we can go to the hearing."

Alexis fiddled with her mother's necklace as she stared out of the window in her apartment. Sonny could tell she hadn't heard a word he'd said.

He slid his arms around her waist and she literally jumped as if shocked by electrical current. "Whoa, what's up? You're wound up tight, Lex."

He felt her relax against him slowly. "I'm just…this whole thing makes me nervous."

"What? You don't think Justus can out argue Grayson and his lackey, Ric?" Sonny said. "I'll bet the waterfront he makes `em both look like idiots."

Alexis nodded. "I know Justus is up to the job. It's just that this hearing doesn't feel right to me. They don't seem to have much to prove their case that we faked
this marriage. So I can't help but wonder why they're going through with it…and what they have up their sleeves for us today."

"You think Grayson has a surprise waiting for us?"

She turned in his arms to face him. "Yeah, something like that."

Sonny lifted her chin with his finger and met her gaze steadily. "Then whatever it is we'll face it together. We've come this far, baby. We're gonna make it the whole
way."

She nodded biting her lip. A clear sign she was still anxious. But he kissed the spot her teeth had worried and then soothed it with a subtle swipe of his tongue.
Instantly, the now familiar heat unfurled low in his belly; she shuddered against him seeking his mouth. Her arms tightened around his body. He marveled at how swiftly
each of them could reach this place where need outweighed logic and discipline was defeated by desire.

She groaned against his adventurous mouth. "Why would you start this when we can't finish it?"

"Who says we can't?" he queried and dragged her out of the living room and into the bedroom where he shut and locked the door.

"Sonny, I just put this suit on," she protested halfheartedly as he unbuttoned her jacket and tossed it onto the bed.

"So I'll help you get it on again….after." Off went the skirt.

"You are incorrigible."

"Ooh, more twenty dollar words, please. They turn me on." Her stilettos were tossed aside.

"Give me a word that means I never tire of making love to you."

"Ummm, your desire is indefatigable."

He repeated the word on a moan, syllable by syllable. Up went her camisole. Down went her silk hose. She stood in only her slip.

"Wow, nice word. Betcha can't come up with another."

"Your appetite is voracious."

"Damn, your good." Off went his belt. His shirt was out of his pants. He toed off his Italian shoes.

"Sonny, I'm much better than good." His zipper was properly attended to. She pushed him down to the bed.

"When you're right, wife," he murmured, "you're right."

And then all talking---at least in complete sentences---was over.

Chapter 34
"She said no?" Jack exploded in disbelief.

"It's not gonna happen."

"Why the hell not? Sonny's kicked her to the curb. It looks to the world like he's taken up with his former lover again. Why the hell wouldn't Carly salvage her pride
and self-esteem and help us put the bastard behind bars where he belongs?"

"Because she has no pride or self-esteem," Ric snapped. "She won't do it, Jack. She'll plead the fifth if I try to get her on that stand. And I can't repeat what she
told me when she was half-drunk on the phone at two or three am. It's hearsay. No matter how angry Carly is at my brother, she's not gonna send him to jail. Disgrace
him, yeah. Humiliate him, sure. But send the father of her kids to the big house? No way."

"Then we won't win this hearing today. There's really no way to prove they married to mess with the case unless Carly Corinthos testifies to that fact."

Ric turned his solemn black gaze to Jack, completely unfazed by his words.

"Lansing, why the hell are you so calm?"

"Because all is not lost. We don't need Carly."

He tossed a file onto the desk and looked directly at Jack. "That was pushed under my door a few nights ago by some helpful soul. With what's in that file, we can
damage Alexis' credibility with Sonny so badly that the two of them will fall apart at the seams. He loves her, Jack. I know it as surely as I know my own name. And I'm
going to rip that love away piece by piece today. And when he has no one to trust…no one to turn to…he'll shut down like the little megalomaniac he is. And then we'll
have him."

Jack examined the file; his whole face changed. He looked up at Ric with a new respect and maybe just a tinge of wariness. "Remind me never to piss you off, Lansing."

His face devoid of emotion, Ric nodded. "I'll do that."

***

"Your Honor, it's clear to me that Mr. Corinthos married just to keep the government from questioning his wife about the hit on AJ Quartermaine. It's just the latest
abuse of the law for a man who has made a career of such crimes."

It was amazing how many lawyers were in love with their own voices, Judge Marion Long mused. She eyed the federal prosecutor's cocky stance as he rattled off the
third paragraph of his wordy opening statement. One would have thought the man was standing in front of the Supreme Court arguing about the Bush-Gore-Florida
fiasco. It was just a preliminary hearing, for Pete's sake.

Since it had been such a hurriedly scheduled action, all the relevant parties sat tensely in a small room usually reserved for depositions at the back of the courthouse.
It was the perfect setting: intimate enough for Marion to observe the players closely and formal enough to keep them all just a little bit on edge. She leaned back in
her chair, steepled her hands against her chest and eyed each of them with the thoroughness of a chemist observing lab rats in an
experiment.

Jack Grayson was staking his professional rep and his career advancement on bringing Corinthos down, that much was clear.

Justus Ward…he'd appeared before her once maybe twice before. Earnest enough for a lawyer. Knew his stuff. Came prepared.

Ric Lansing sat in the background, his eyes on the wall, the carpet, and his hands alternately. But his eyes kept darting back to Ms. Davis-Corinthos every few moments
when he thought no one was looking. Someone had a bad case of misplaced affection there…

But the Corinthos’ were the real sight to behold. The infamous Sonny, the mobster, as smooth as they came, handsome as the devil himself. Guilty of 90% of the
charges leveled against him in the past, she was sure. But he never broke a sweat. Always cruised to freedom aided by a high priced attorney…usually the one at his
side now.

Alexis Davis…tough cookie…a Cassadine…well-bred and well-educated…but she was as taut as a high wire. She constantly sought the reassurance of Sonny's gaze. And
he gave it freely. It was an almost unconscious act for the both of them. And once, Marion noted, Sonny grabbed his wife's hand. Not in an obvious or showy way, but
unobtrusively. He simply took it and held it gingerly against his thigh, giving her a small smile that made the woman's whole body relax in the chair beside him.

There was genuine connection there, Marion decided. Though to what degree it went, she could not tell.

Grayson neared his fifth paragraph of monologue and the jurist's patience dissolved.

"Jack, I have a short attention span," she cut in dryly. "Either get to the point or I'll throw this out right now."

The prosecutor stared at her dumbfounded for a beat, and then quickly recovered. "Your Honor, I can bring a boatload of people in here to testify that prior to this
wedding, Mr. Corinthos was the sworn enemy of Ms. Davis," he avowed. "They were at each other's throats since her sister's death at the hands of a Corinthos rival."

"And that proves exactly nothing, Your Honor," Justus interjected. "I mean, how many couples do you know that have overcome difficulty in a personal relationship and
found their way back to each other? We can't legislate romance."

"Eloquently stated, Mr. Ward, and quite true," Judge Long replied. "But their timing does seem a bit too convenient."

Grayson, seeing an opening, hopped all over it. "You're absolutely correct, ma'am. If you look at the date of the wedding ceremony and the rushed nature of the
arrangements, it is obvious that the two of them are committing a fraud."

"It's only obvious to me that they wanted to be together as soon as possible," their lawyer countered. "And knowing what Mr. Corinthos was soon to face in court,
perhaps they wanted to be wed and face it together. Again, you can't legislate romance."

Grayson rolled his eyes. "Still, the government finds it awfully interesting that Mr. Corinthos evaded prosecution yet another time by marrying the principal witness in
an action against him, one Caroline Benson Corinthos. Was that romance, too, or do I see a pattern of fraud?"

"Is this true, Mr. Ward?"

"The FBI never proved fraud when my client married his ex-wife, Carly," Justus argued. "The two of them had known each other for quite some time before they wed.
And after all, they remained married for years and even have two children from their union."

"So it appears that their marriage was—on some level—genuine," Marion stated, looking down at a stack of paperwork on the table in front of her. "As for the current
union, the marriage license is legal. There's documentation here from the priest in San Rafael who did the deed. No argument there, Mr. Grayson?"
The prosecutor shook his head. "No, Your Honor."

"Then Mr. Ward has bested you on every single point you brought up today. Listen, in the interest of time, let's cut to the chase. I'd like to speak to the newlyweds
myself…if counsel approves."

Justus grew tense. "Your Honor, this is highly irregular—"

Marion held up her hand to forestall him. "Before you blow a gasket, counselor, I only have one question. Let's start with Ms. Davis. You are an officer of the court. Is
it your testimony that this marriage to Mr. Corinthos is genuine and a union based on love?"

Justus lay a hand on her arm and whispered, "She can't make you testify or incriminate yourself."

Judge Long gave a wry smile. "Mr. Ward, you are well worth your retainer. That's true. But why would your client NOT want to defend her marriage on the record?"

Marion watched Sonny take a deep breath and hold it while his bride seemed about to pass out beside him. When no response was forthcoming from either, the judge
asked again. "Alexis Davis, do you love your husband?"

Chapter 35

What did one say when a federal judge asked you ON THE RECORD and UNDER OATH to tell the truth about your feelings for the man you'd married? In normal
circumstances, it would have been easy. Hell, Alexis thought, it should be easy even in these circumstances. She could say a short, simple yes and Sonny would assume
she was lying to protect him; presto chango the whole hearing would be over. All's well that ends well.

But somehow, when she opened her mouth, a short, simple yes did not slip out. What did emerge was the truth. The truth that she'd wanted to confess on an April
night in his arms on satin sheets when their worlds had collided and she had found her way home.

The truth that had lived in her for so long that it felt heavy on her tongue as it was finally freed now…

"I've always loved him," she whispered. "Even when I didn't want to. I loved him then and I love him still."

She closed her eyes on a sigh and wished she had the strength to look at him. She felt his hand tighten its grasp on hers and was empowered by the gesture. It was
then that she lifted her eyes to his.

He looked…he seemed…it was like he was in shock. Then there was this glimmer of something that looked like hope in his face, but she couldn't be sure. Did he want her
to be in love with him? Did he want to believe she was telling the truth?

That possibility…just the chance that it could be so…made her continue.

"I was always deathly afraid of marriage," Alexis found strength enough to confess. "I even ran out on my first wedding. But then I realized something with Sonny: for
some reason I wasn't afraid to join my life with his…because for so long….in fact, since before I could remember…my life had already been joined with his. In so many
inextricable ways. So I wasn't afraid anymore. I just did it…because it only mirrored what had already happened in my heart way before
that night in San Rafael. My life was already joined to his."

Alexis looked at the judge with complete honesty in her eyes. "So yes, Your Honor, I love my husband."

Marion Long leaned back in her chair, staring intently at Alexis. At long last, she expelled a sigh and nodded abruptly. "I believe that you do," she said. Then she turned
to Jack Grayson. "Well, gentlemen, if there's nothing else, I have no choice but to find in favor of—"

"Just a moment, Your Honor," Ric interrupted, standing to his feet. "Yes, Mr. Lansing?"

"I'm sure we were all duly impressed by Ms. Davis' monologue," he sneered. "It really could have come straight from the pages of a Harlequin Romance."

"Mr. Lansing—"

"But it isn't just Mr. Corinthos who has shown a pattern of fraudulent behavior. Ms. Davis herself has been perpetuating lies on legal documents. We have irrefutable
proof of this and would like to question her."

Alexis looked to Justus nervously. "What is he talking about?"

Justus shook his head. "I have no idea. Your Honor, no such evidence was ever furnished to me."

"It only dropped into my hands this very morning," Jack responded, turning to Alexis. "I wonder if Ms. Davis can explain it? Because I have in my possession a DNA test
that confirms that Mr. Corinthos is the father of Ms. Davis' daughter, Kristina. Yet on the child's birth certificate, Ms. Davis lists another father, a Mr. Ashton. I
have proof that Ms. Davis knowingly perpetrated this fraud. What's to say that this marriage isn't just another one of those frauds?"

Alexis froze in her seat, her breath arrested somewhere between her lungs and her mouth. Beside her she felt Sonny go rigid and turn to her. She heard him breathe
her name, just her name, on an anguished sigh. "Lex?"

She couldn't even look at him. Couldn't watch the confusion cloud his eyes. Couldn't watch them darken with pain.

"Lex, that isn't right…that can't be true…"

The hand that held hers tightened for a moment, as he held desperately to hope. But when she didn't turn to him, it slowly slackened. She actually felt the warmth in
his skin drain away leaving the appendage as cold as ice…until finally it slid out of her grasp. That was when she finally looked over at him. He shifted away from her…
stared forward…his eyes shuttered like a house boarded up against an approaching storm. She could not read the emotion there.
His mask of control was firmly in place. He was letting no one in… especially not her.

Her heart fell to someplace between her feet. This was it. The moment she had dreaded for so long. The truth that she had prayed would come from her own lips when
she was ready to share it. And now it was too late. Tears flooded her eyes even as the abject fear flooded her heart.

She realized right then that there were some times in life when one stood at a precipice and faced a critical choice, and one wrong move could never be called back.
Today in Kristina's room when he had been pouring out his heart to their child…that had been her precipice. She could have taken the
leap and told him the truth. But she had stalled like a coward. He would have been furious, sure. And so very, very hurt. But at least it would have been she who had told
him the truth her way. And eventually he could have forgiven her.

But like this? His heart ripped open and laid bare in front of his mortal enemy? This was a betrayal he would not forgive.

"Dear god…" Alexis whispered, her hand rising to cover her mouth.
Grayson was exultant. "If you allow their deceit to work, then you are allowing Mr. Corinthos to undercut the justice system once again," he declared at the climax of
his sermon. "The people of Port Charles deserve some protection from this man and his organization!"

Marion Long appeared to implode. "No, the people of Port Charles deserve officials who can convict criminals on the merits of the case not on character assassination.
That's what this was. You know damn well that this revelation has no bearing on this case!"

"It was our duty to inform the court that—"

"You brought this woman here to malign her reputation on the record; and I have no idea as to why because it won't win you any points with me!" the judge interjected.

Alexis stole a look at the two prosecutors. Jack Grayson was doing his best to appear earnest and well-chastised. But Ric couldn't even cover his self-satisfied smirk.
This hadn't been about winning favor with the judge. It was about her and Sonny. The ice that manacled Ric's heart would not be thawed by the anguish Sonny was
going through nor by the tears in Alexis' eyes. Ric no longer cared about anyone's pain but his own.

"You had no proof as to your allegations about this marriage," the judge added. "The motion to invalidate it is absolutely dismissed." She pointed a finger at Jack
Grayson and Ric Lansing in tandem. "You're looking at a fine and possible sanctions if I find this was deliberate."

"Yes, Your Honor," they replied together. But the judge's measures brought Alexis no peace. She knew that they were not the slightest bit sorry. After all, their
objective had been achieved.

Sonny finally turned his head and looked at her as if he had never seen her before, his eyes a fathomless well of shock. Then he stood and left without one word.

Chapter 36

The door opened and Jason burst in excitedly, passing Sonny without taking in the man's ravaged expression, his disheveled appearance.

"I was able to get to Francis," he said. "Man, you're never going to believe this. His brother's in deep with this guy out of Atlantic City…the guy's gonna kill his brother
if the debt's not paid. So the Feds find out and they work a little blackmail. `You testify for us or else we'll see that your brother is killed'. So anyway, instead of
comin' to us like he should have, Francis makes a deal with the Feds to get his brother into protective custody and to pay off his debt in
exchange for giving you up."

Sonny stared at his friend blankly which Jason took for shock because he rattled on with the story. "So I say to Francis, man, we'll take care of your brother but you
gotta blow your story. Tell the Feds whatever--that you changed your mind or that you exaggerated so that they'd take care of your situation. I told him that right
after they spring him we'll help him disappear."

Jason shrugged with a cold little smile. "Course he thought I meant we'd pop him and hide his body. And that is what the little twerp deserves. But, like Alexis said,
anybody disappearing right now wouldn't look good for us. So I think I convinced him to change his story. He's ready to work this our way."

The room was bathed in such silence when Jason stopped talking that the younger man finally looked at his friend. Really looked at him. That's when he saw the raw
agony in his dark eyes.

"Sonny, what the hell happened?"

For a long time, there was no answer. Then his boss motioned to the door with his head. "You gotta go."

"Why? What's the matter with you?"

Sonny shook his head. "You just gotta go. I don't—I can't talk now."

"Wait, was it the hearing? Did they prove—"

"Just get the hell out of here, Jason! Now!"

Jason frowned, looking at Sonny as if he'd grown two heads. Then reluctantly, he left him. Sonny slammed the door behind him and locked it.

***

Carly answered the phone on the first ring, seeing by her caller id that it was Jason on his cell phone.

"Jase? What's up?"

"What did you do?"

"Huh?"

"To Sonny. What the hell did you do?"

The question was growled in a voice that brooked no argument and no prevarication. Jason knew. He wasn't asking if she did anything, but what she had done.

"What happened? Is Sonny alright?"

"So you're not gonna deny it, huh? That's an improvement at least."

There was a coldness in his voice she could not miss. "Don't be like that, Jase," she said. "You knew that I couldn't let him hurt me and not do something about it. I
don't let men run all over me. I'm not built that way. You've known me for years…better than anyone else in fact. So don't punish me for being who I am. You never
have before."

"Oh, well pardon me for believing you when you promised to stay out of it…when you promised on our friendship, Carly!" he countered.

"I-I know what I promised. And I'm sorry I couldn't keep it. Really."

"You never intended to, did you? From the moment you said the words, they were lies."

Carly bit back a new lie that automatically sprang to her lips and just told him the straight truth. "Yeah, you're right. I was never gonna leave it alone. I just told you
that to get you to back off of me."

She heard and felt him sigh across the wireless connection. Her heart was caught in her throat. Had she lost Jason, too? Because if she had, she had lost everything.

"Are you gonna tell me what it is you did to him?" Jason demanded.
She licked her lips nervously. "He didn't tell you?"

"He can't even speak, Carly. His face is…I mean, he's devastated. Shell-shocked. Like somebody took his whole world apart, brick by brick today. And funny…the first
person I thought of was you."

The coldness in his voice had morphed into outright disdain. This was bad.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry to pile more on you when you've got so much to deal with. But he hurt me, Jason, and this had to be done."

A silence took the line, so long she thought he'd disconnected. But finally he spoke. "That's all you have to say?"

"He deserved some pain after what he did to me—"

"Ok, fine. You got your dig in. Now be afraid, Carly. Very afraid. Because he's hurt and pissed and more alone than I've seen him since… forever. And when he's like
that we both know there's no predicting what he'll do to the people who brought him to that place. Normally, I'd stand between you two and play gatekeeper. But you
know what? No more. You chose to do this, you deal with the damn fallout!"

"Jason, you can't…you know how Sonny is! You can't just leave me to deal with this on my own…"

"Is that all I am to you? The man who fixes your life? I know I filled that place for you before but, damnit, at some point somebody has to grow up, Carly! You made
this mess; clean it up yourself!"

Then the line really was disconnected.

Chapter 37

Alexis pushed frantically through the front door of her apartment, passing Sonny on the couch. She rushed into her daughter's bedroom, calling her name at the top of
her lungs. She searched her own bedroom, the kitchen. The child was gone.

She returned to the living room, her heart tattooing a beat so loud she thought he could hear it across the room. He sat staring straight ahead, his eyes on the wall, a
bottle of scotch cradled between his knees. He'd been drinking it straight, it seemed.

"Where's my daughter?" she demanded, her voice cracking.

"Don't you mean our daughter?" he asked without looking at her. "Alice took her out after we went to court. Don't you remember? They were going to the zoo today."

Alexis heaved out a relieved sigh, and sagged against the wall. Her hands covered her face and came away wet with her tears. She had rushed home trying to catch him,
fearing that in this state he would take her baby away from her and disappear.

"You still don't trust me even when the truth is out?" he asked rhetorically. "That tells me a helluva lot."

Alexis had steeled herself for the screaming, for physical intimidation even. For that violent temper to come roaring through and cause him to vent his rage in her face
until she cowered on the floor. For him to hurl the verbal poison she knew he excelled at until she felt as small as she should feel at having robbed him of his child. She
had prepared herself for all of that.

But not for this. Not for the raw pain aired in quiet almost emotionless words. This was almost harder to bear. It was like she'd broken him…she'd broken them. And
she had no idea how to make it better.

Her eyes dropped warily to the bottle of scotch he held with an almost ginger grasp. He followed her gaze.

"Oh, don't worry about this," he declared, lifting it to his lips for quite a generous swig. "This is just anesthetic. Numbs the pain of betrayal."

She winced a little as she heard his now familiar accusation. Only this time, she knew, she deserved to have the term applied to her actions.

He cast a brittle smile at her. "I always thought it was strange how weird you got when I was around Kristina," he mused. "How you like froze up when she would smile
at me or talk to me. You always denied it, but I knew. Inside I knew you didn't want me near her."

She stared at him in wide-eyed silence. "I've been sitting here by myself trying to figure out why you'd do this to me," he said now. "Help me out, Lex. Is it that I'm so
evil that I don't deserve to be a father to your child? Or is that I'm so damaged that—you know- - you can't trust me to be near her? Yeah, that's it: the boy who was
locked in a closet would do too much harm to your little girl so you have to keep him away, right?"

The self-loathing in his words brought her forward. On trembling legs she approached the sofa. "No, that—that's not true," she stammered. "I never thought you were
damaged, Sonny."

"Yes, you did," he countered calmly. "Don't you remember you said as much in court when you defended Carly against me? But then I can almost understand your
attitude," he added, shrugging. "I mean, you're Yale educated; I'm a high school drop out. You grew up in high society; I grew up working for the mob. I should have
`Not Good Enough' tattooed on my damn forehead, right?"

She shook her head. "None of that…none of what happened in your past made any difference to me…ever. You know that!"

He tilted his head and smiled sadly. "I don't know anything when it comes to pain.

“You--you have to let me explain," she said, her voice catching on a sob. "You have to listen to me, Sonny…There were reasons…"

"I listened to you in that hearing today," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. "You told them all that you loved me. And for one wonderful moment, I thought it was true.
I thought I had finally won your heart…that I had finally become worthy of your love. And so I decided that I would take a risk. That I would come home tonight and
make love to you and hold you in my arms and look in your eyes and tell you what I've been afraid to say for so long. What I've been
afraid to face for so long…that I love you, too, Alexis. That I am in love with you. Tonight was going to be that night."

He stood and turned to her, his heart, raw and bleeding, reflected in his eyes. "But then I found out who you really are: you're a liar. And our whole relationship from
start to finish has been a lie."

"Don't say that. Please don't—"

"Why not, Lex?" he demanded, stepping ever closer until she felt his warm breath on her lips mingling with her tears. "Because today you proved that you look at me
the same way Grayson does. The same way Ric does. As some criminal to be locked away from all that's good and pure. As some peasant to be kept away from the
decent folk. Except once in a while when you need him to steal a necklace from your stepmother, well then his tactics are okay, right?"
"That's not—not true at all—"

He reached across and slid his finger suggestively across the hollow of her throat. "Or when you feel the need for some sex with a bad boy, you can allow him to crawl
into your bed and satisfy you, right? I'm good enough for that."

Bile rose in her throat and Alexis recoiled from his words, turning her head away. "God, please don't…"

She bit her lip until it bled to stop herself from melting down in front of him. How could he think that? He had never been those things to her. And their intimacy had
never just been about the physical act. He couldn't cheapen what they had like this…

"Are you begging me to stop telling you the truth?" he asked snidely, and despite his best efforts his tears began to fall. "You? The champion of truth who slapped my
face when I lied about Zander? You? The principled lawyer who hated my dishonest business? You know what Alexis? I think you may be a better liar than even I am.
Cuz I couldn't have looked you in the face for two years, held you in my arms, lived with you, made love to you…all the while lying to your
face about something as important as our child. But apparently it was easy for you to do to me."

His voice never rose above a whisper, but his words were so acidic they burned an impression in her soul. Neither one of them could control their tears now; their chest
rose and fell with the effort of keeping some measure of control over their emotions.

Alexis tried to defend herself. "You think this didn't cost me? Do you think it was easy for me to lie to you all this time? I—"

"What I think is that I'm good enough to be your fake friend or your fake husband or your temporary lover," he said. "Whatever serves your purpose. But nothing
lasting. Nothing genuine. Nothing real. Certainly not your child's father. Isn't that right?"

He stood so close yet was farther from her in spirit than he had ever been. Desperate, she reached a hand out as if to touch his hair. He caught her fingers in a
viselike grip and tossed them aside.

"Don't touch me," he said, his eyes freezing her to the spot.

She was left with only one thing to say to him, and hoped desperately that it would make a difference. "I meant it, Sonny, when I said I love you. I do."

Her prayer went unanswered. "How could you love me and take my child away from me?"

"There were reasons…"

"None that I'd ever accept."

Then he swept past her on his way to the door. "Where--where are you going? You can't leave! The monitor…the police will come after you…"

He looked back at her briefly, his expression dead and cold. "I don't care what they do to me," he told her, and to her shame his voice broke. "It can't be worse than
what the woman I loved just did."

And then he was gone. From her apartment. And maybe, from her life. She felt her legs give out beneath her and she fell to the carpet and cried.

Chapter 38

He hadn't had a clue what he would do when she opened the door to him. He hadn't thought the visit out in any coherent fashion; after all he was more than a little
upset, and more than halfway round the bend on Scotch and his agony. So when he saw Carly, the first thing he did was instinctual, not fueled by any romantic or lustful
notion. It was fueled by the simple human need for contact. By the open and salted wound left by Alexis' lie. By the chasm of loneliness that settled in his chest when
he contemplated life without her. And by the deep and abiding ache when he realized she considered him unworthy of their child.

What he did was not fueled by conscious thought, but by desperation and pain.

He kissed Carly.

Actually, he pulled her slender form to his almost violently and plundered her lips under the brute force of his own. She had no time to react except for issuing a
strangled little gasp before he took her roughly into his arms. And all at once, the whirlwind of his rage swept them both up into an embrace that mirrored the very
first time they had come together.

He kissed her now until the memory of that violent first event and the present moment came crashing together in nightmarish images in his head.

He kissed her until he had no more breath.

He kissed her until he tasted his own tears on her skin.

And that's when he knew it was a pointless waste. The pain seeped through no matter how he tried to dull it. He would not forget Alexis here…in this place…in this
woman's bed. In any woman's bed. Life in these last two years had taught him that at least.

He tore his mouth away, clasping Carly to him, struggling to get air into his lungs, struggling to stem the tide of his tears, and failing miserably at both.

He felt her trembling hands come up instantly to frame his face. "I'm s-sorry," she moaned. "I'm sorry. Please, Sonny, it'll be okay. Just let me hold you. Let me help
you."

He struggled to get words out, to explain to her why he was losing his mind, to tell her all about Alexis. To tell her why he'd even come here. Why he needed to be with
someone else…anyone else… to forget.

But he couldn't find the words or the will to push them from his mouth. So he collapsed against her quivering form, his head laying heavily on her shoulder as she held
him for what seemed like hours.

Softly, he felt her hand in his hair, brushing, caressing, and soothing. But all he could think of was that Alexis had wanted to do that earlier and he'd not allowed her
to. It brought tears afresh to his eyes.

"God. " Just the word. A plea. A groan. A halfhearted prayer. It was all he could say.

"Shh," she whispered. "I'll make it better now. We can make it better."

She didn't understand. His world had crashed and burned at his feet. Alexis had shown him what love could be only to rip it from him when he'd least expected it.
Nothing could make that better.
"I'm glad you came here to me. I didn't think you would once you knew."

“Once I knew?”

The words echoed in his mind in a confusing whirl, reverberating within him, caught in some sickening echo in his head. Once he knew what? He didn't know what she
was talking about and couldn't ask. But something inside him…some natural instinct…told him to keep quiet and listen.

"I thought once she told you about Kristina…and that I knew…that you would hate me, too," Carly whispered. "I'm so glad you don't."

Sonny's heart nearly shut down. He had to exert every ounce of self-control to keep from stiffening and pulling out of his ex-wife's arms that were presently snaked
around him. But again, some still voice in his head told him to wait.

"I hated knowing, Sonny. I wanted to tell you every day, but Alexis wouldn't allow it."

Each word she spoke called him back from the chaos in his head. His mind finally began to regain focus. Alexis wouldn't allow Carly to tell the truth? Since when had
Alexis or anyone been able to force Carly to do something? The words felt untrue in his soul. What was going on here?

"She doesn't care about you, Sonny. Not really. Not in her heart. She always thought she was better than you. You know that. That's why she kept her child from you."

He raised his head to look at her and forced wind to his vocal chords; he needed to ask the question. "Did she—did she say that to you?"

Carly's lips twisted sardonically. "Well, no, not in those words. She just got on her high horse as usual. Said she couldn't risk losing her child to the violence in your life.
Said she wouldn't subject Princess Kristina to a life like that."

Carly shook her head in disbelief. "She looks at us and judges us as if she's so much better. She went on and on about the attempts on your life…the bombing at the
courthouse months ago…and about the times Michael has gone missing. As if we haven't been good parents. As if we don't love our children. I tried to tell her that you
always keep us safe…that she had no right to say those things about you. But she wouldn't budge. She didn't want you to know about your daughter."

His mind shifted into gear. And neither, Carly, did you.

"She told me she'd never let her kid have a childhood like hers,"

Carly scoffed. "She has no courage, Sonny. She can't face the dangers in your life the way I can. She's a coward!"

Coward. The word replayed in his head. A woman who had watched her own mother be murdered and lived to tell the tale? A woman who had suffered the loss of her
only sister for the second time in her life and still survived? A woman who had been persecuted by a maniacal stepmother and denied by a bastard of a father and still
managed to give her daughter a normal, loving, and safe home life? That was the woman Carly was calling a coward?

Sonny stepped back from her, disentangling his body from her limbs gently. He swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, heaved in a sigh, and strove to regain
control. "So Alexis didn't tell me the truth because she thought my life…the mob…would endanger Kristina," he said softly.

Carly nodded.

"And you didn't tell me because…?"

His ex-wife's mouth opened and closed once before she came up with the words. "Well, because--because Alexis begged me not to."

Sonny swallowed hard. "I don't believe you."

"What? Why?"

"Because five minutes ago you said it was because Lex wouldn't allow you to…now it's cuz she begged you not to tell. Which is it?"

"I-I don't know what you mean. I was confused when you asked—"

"What Alexis thought or wanted has never meant a damn thing to you Carly. And now you want me to believe that you honored her request out of the goodness of your
heart?"

The woman's eyes bulged as she realized that she was rapidly losing control of him here. "I—Sonny, why else would I not tell you the truth? You were my husband. I
love you—"

"Maybe because you could gain a little mileage out of the information," he said, his head tilting. In his mind, he ran over the events of the last year. "Is that why she
represented you in court against me? You blackmailed her, didn't you?"

His ex-wife hesitated a beat too long.

Sonny's eyes averted. "I'll take that as a yes."

"God, I'm an idiot." He turned away from her and headed for the door.

"No, Sonny, please—"

"I think we're done here."

"Wait!" Carly erupted, grabbing his arm to stop him. "What the hell is your problem? You came here knowing that Alexis Davis is a liar! That she kept your child from
you! And then you turned to me! You kissed me! You wanted me! And now you're leaving? To go back to her?"

He stopped and turned once more to Carly. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I'm going back to her."

"Why?" The cry was anguished, agonized. "Why would you do that to me? I know I lied to you but so did she!"

"Yeah, the only difference is why it was done," he whispered. "She lied and it hurts like hell. It probably always will. But ironically, I never let her explain why to me. I
just blew up and walked out. You, Carly, you just made her case. You told me why she kept my child from me. It was so Kristina would live…and have a life free of the
danger and death that Alexis and her mother and sister had to face. You reminded me of something…that Alexis is really not a selfish person. And that if she kept me
from my child there had to be some kind of reason. I'd say Kristina's safety is reason enough."

Then Sonny pointed at her. "But you? You lied to me because you were afraid that I'd leave you for Alexis. You were afraid I would love my daughter and want to be a
father to her. You were afraid that once I knew everything I had with you would be over."
He shrugged. "I wish I could tell you that your fears were unfounded. But they weren't. I've loved her too much too long for this to kill it. We've got a lot of issues to
solve, but I intend to try. And I hope that once and for all this proves something to you: that no matter what you put in front of Alexis and me, we'll climb over it and
we'll be together. It's over, Carly. You and me, we're over. But I owe you a debt of thanks for making me think before I threw away
the greatest gift God ever gave me."

He stepped closer to her, his hands finding her shoulders with an almost tender touch. He leaned close, touched his lips to her forehead in a gentle salute. And then he
said it. The word she never wanted to hear from him.

"Goodbye."

Chapter 39

The door had opened, Jax had taken one look at her, and she was enveloped in those long muscular arms. "What the hell did he do to you?" he'd demanded.

Sobs had overwhelmed her tiny frame preventing speech, and Jax had simply held her against him, cradled against his big body on the sofa until she'd quieted. For a
long while, the silence was only broken by the occasional whisper of his soothing words and the hiccupping sighs that were the remnants of her tears.

"Can you tell me about it now?"

For a moment longer, she burrowed against his strong chest, sinking into his strength and relying on him to hold her steady as he'd done so many times before.

"Alexis?" he prodded. "What did that thug do to you? If he's hurt you, I'll kill him!"

"Oh, Jax," she hiccupped against him. "It w-wasn't him. It was m-me. It was what I did."

He leaned back from her a bit so that he could peer down into her tearstained face. "You? What happened, Alexis?"

She swallowed. "Kristina…my baby…she's his."

Jax's jaw slackened as he took in this information. "Sonny's the father? What about Ned?"

"He—he lied to help me. I d-didn't ask him to. He just kind of did it on his own and I-I went along to protect myself. To protect my child."

Jax eyes lit with understanding. "Now I get the things Ned has done to you. And why he's been acting like such a jackass towards you for far too long now."

Alexis sighed raggedly. "S-Sonny found out today. In court. In front of the lawyers. In front of the judge. In front of Ric. Oh god, I hurt him so bad."

"And I take it he exploded."

Alexis shook her head. "No. He just—he went inside himself…so deep I couldn't even reach him. And then he just left. Which means the police will pick him up and
everything will get worse, so much worse. God, what have I done?"

Her sobs were renewed as she pressed her face into his chest. His embrace tightened. "Shh, baby, don't cry. You had absolutely no choice. You had to lie to him. His
life is unfit to have children in it, you know that. You were right to keep your daughter from him. That's why she's safe today."

"I've missed that so much," she mumbled against him.

"Missed what?"

"That unconditional love you've always offered to me. That assumption that I'm in the right even though I know for sure that I was wrong." She felt Jax smile against
her hair. "You'll always have that from me," he avowed. "Especially since the idea of keeping distance from Corinthos could NEVER be wrong to me."

She looked up at him sadly. "That's not fair. I didn't trust Sonny with the truth when I was pregnant because there were things that were going on in his life that I
couldn't accept. But after, when things calmed down, when I began to trust him again, I should have told him. Maybe we could have kept it a secret from the world for
a while. Maybe we could have worked something out. I don't know. But I never gave him the chance. He was someone I loved, and I never gave him a fair chance. That
was wrong."

Her mouth began to tremble. "And the thing is I don't know if he can ever forgive that."

The sound of the front door quietly closing behind them startled them out of each other's arms. She stood and stared, wide-eyed, at her husband in the doorway. Jax
got to his feet as well and placed his body in front of her protectively.

"How many times am I gonna have to see you in the Candy Boy's arms, Alexis?" Sonny demanded huskily.

She tried to read his eyes to gauge his emotions, but found them still shuttered off behind his cool mask of control. It made her nervous. Her hands knitted together
in a knot in front of her body.

"I—I called Jax because I was upset," she explained softly.

Sonny rubbed his neck wearily with one hand. "Guess everyone returned to their exes tonight," he whispered.

The surge of pain in her gut at that statement was immediate and vicious. So he'd rushed right over to Carly's. And she supposed the young woman had comforted him
in the world's oldest way and had sent him back here before the ankle monitor got him thrown into jail. Bile once again rolled in Alexis' stomach.

Of course the little bitch hadn't admitted that she'd known about Kristina for months now. She'd probably taken every opportunity to slander Alexis, though.

"We need to talk," he said simply.

"Yes," she agreed.

"Alone," he said and looked pointedly at Jax.

Her ex-husband sought her gaze. "You sure about this?"

Sonny rolled his eyes. "Jax, whaddya think I'm gonna do: put my hands on her?"

"I have no idea what you'd do, Corinthos. But you excel at trashing women's lives. So forgive me for being overprotective of someone who means a great deal to me."

"Last time I checked that was my ring on her finger, not yours."
"No sham marriage is ever going to separate me from Alexis. She is part of my life and I, hers. There's nothing you can do to change that!"

Sonny stepped closer to the man, menace in his eyes. His voice dropped two decibels. "You have no idea what I can do when motivated."

Jax, never one to back down, stepped forward as well. "Try it and see. You hurt her again and you'll meet another side of me that I doubt you'll like, Sonny."

Alexis slipped between them anxiously.

"Jax, stop," she whispered, placing her fingertips against his lips gently. She could feel the tension radiating off of his body in waves and knew this conversation would
spiral into something even less civil in about two seconds. She couldn't take any more scenes tonight. She was exhausted.

"I—I'm sorry but we need to be alone," she implored, her heart in her eyes. "Would you mind leaving us, please?"

He stared at her for a moment, clearly torn between what she wanted him to do and what his head and heart told him to do. At last, he relented and sighed. His hands
found hers and squeezed them gently. "You call if you need me. Anytime."

Alexis nodded. "I will. I promise."

And she watched him walk out of the apartment. Sonny shut the door a little harder than necessary. The room was pitched into an abrupt silence that stretched
awkwardly between them for long moments.

Finally he broke it. "Should I put him on the list of my wife's admirer’s right under Mac Scorpio?"

Alexis tried a smile but it faltered under the strain of her emotions. "Jax is a friend…a close friend."

"Yeah, well, I'll never understand what you see in him," her husband grumbled.

She shrugged. "And he'll never understand what I see in you."

His face grew suddenly serious, and his dark eyes, deep and wounded, lifted to hers. "What do you see in me, Alexis? I need to know right now. Because I'm telling
you… you stomped on my heart tonight…and it might not ever recover. We might not ever recover."

She bit her lip to stop its renewed trembling, and stepped closer to him, close enough to touch. But there was no actual contact. And instinctively she knew that her
whole world was spinning on the axis of this very moment. She would open her heart and tell him what he needed to know. The truth, finally.

She just prayed that it wasn't too late.

Chapter 40

She looked into his beautiful face and felt her love for him shine from her eyes. It was pointless now to deny it; whether he felt the same way or not, he was her life.

"What do I see in you? I see a lot, Sonny," she confessed in a voice that was at once breathless and strangely sure. "I see a man who rose from the worst kind of
childhood….like I did…and made himself a better life in the only way he could. But he had to sacrifice a lot along the way. I see the father of my only child. I see the
best friend I've ever had. And the only lover who's ever broken through the barriers I erected around my heart. I don't see damage. I don't see worthlessness. I see
you, the real you, the greatness and the flaws alike. And I have never once felt ashamed of who you are."

When she finished, he was hard pressed to keep his emotions in check, his mouth quivered and he couldn't quite meet her eyes. The tidal surge of sadness threatened
to overwhelm him in front of her.

"Then tell me why," he demanded, his voice hoarse and little boy uncertainty in his stance. "If that's true, tell me why you kept her from me."

Alexis reached up and with one tapered finger, brought his chin up so he'd be forced to face her. "It was never you," she whispered. "It was never that you weren't
good enough for her…or for me. You know I love you. You know it. You're hurt and angry right now, but you know it, Sonny." Tears overflowed his dark eyes splashing
onto her hand. She reached up to wipe them away. "It was your life. It was who it made you become that year. Someone I didn't even know anymore."

He swallowed. It was the same thing Carly had told him. But did it make any difference? Would any reason she could offer soothe the savage ache in his soul?

His emotions seesawed from one extreme to the other. Earlier, he had told Alexis no reason would ever suffice. Then he'd negated that to Carly; he'd told her nothing
could sever him and Alexis. Now he stood before the love of his life conflicted somewhere between those two assertions: awestruck enough by her beauty to want to
take her into his arms and make love to her all night. Wounded enough by her deceit to walk away and never let himself be hurt like this again.

She hauled in an uneven breath. "You--you must remember what you were like with me back then. You said you'd break me. I'll never forget that."

He stiffened at the accusation, wiping angrily at his tears with the back of his hand. "You tried to break me, too. You stood in front of the Press on live television and
told them all that you were coming after me when you ran for DA. You became my enemy."

"I had a job to do…"

"A job you used to hurt me! Do you know how that made me feel?"

"And you never wielded any weapons against me? You never told me if you were Kristina's father you'd take her away from me? You said that, Sonny! You said it more
than once!"

"And you actively tried to take my children from me. You represented Carly, of all people. And you said things in court that shamed me, Lex. Things I shared with you in
secret! How would you like it if I shared what Helena did to you and your mother in front of the entire world?"

"I didn't want to do any of that! Carly blackmailed me! You remember Carly? The woman you ran to tonight! The woman you let comfort you!" Sonny read the allegation
in her eyes.

"I didn't sleep with her tonight if that's what you're trying to say."

She folded her arms across her body and angled a wounded glance his way. "But you wanted to. You wanted to hurt me with her, didn't you?"

He held her gaze for a beat, then nodded. "Yeah, I did. And I almost went through with that."

Alexis wanted to wretch. "Why the hell don't you stop falling for that witch? She knew the truth about Kristina all along, Sonny, and she kept quiet so that she could
pull my strings!"
"I know," he said gruffly. "She stupidly told me that herself tonight. But she wouldn't have been able to pull any strings, Alexis, if you had trusted me with the truth.
If you had trusted us to work something out…to keep the baby safe."

She shook her head sadly. "Okay, Sonny. So we both have valid points. Both of us lost our way back then. And both of us forgot what we had been to each other."

His eyes darkened as he conceded to that truth. "How the hell did we let that happen? How the hell did something so pure and right become so damn wrong?"

A colossal knot of dread settled between the blades of her shoulders. She knew. She knew the very moment she had started to hate him.

Chapter 41

Alexis closed her eyes and let herself recall the precise second when she had started to see his life as a quagmire of violence and depression and death from which no
one could escape, least of all her unborn child. She knew the moment like she knew her own name. And for the first time, she would face it with him. Tell him the truth.

She could only force two words beyond the painful lump that lodged in her throat.

"My sister."

Just two words. But they said it all.

Like a physical force, they pushed him to take an involuntary step away from her. And the wariness in his eyes was apparent, stark and naked to her gaze. He was
remembering the day Alexis had lost her only sister. Hearing in his mind the horrifying wail of her pain in that hospital room as Kristina had taken her final breath.
Seeing images of the funeral when he'd gone to pay his respects only to witness Alexis breaking into fragments of herself before his eyes.

He had avoided this conversation for two years because the pain of those moments still lived vividly in his soul. Haunted him, in fact. The guilt that had settled squarely
in his gut that awful day when his warehouse had exploded had never ever subsided. The nightmares came less frequently now, but there were still times when he would
wake in a sweat seeing Kristina's eyes in his mind.

No one knew of those dreams. It was something he bore alone, along with flashes of the dark closet where he'd left his childhood innocence, and the scenes of the
exploding car that had stolen his faith in God's fairness.

Now he had to talk about it…about her sister…a topic he'd consciously evaded for so very long. He looked at her tentatively and read the pain in her eyes. This would be
far more difficult for Alexis. He had no right to back away and avoid it. He had to face it with her if they were to ever scale the wall that was now between them.

"When my sister died," she whispered, "something in me went with her that I can never get back. My hope. She was my eternal optimist. She was my miracle. The only
one I'd ever gotten in this life." Her eyes took on a faraway look, as if she was now mentally in some distant place. "You have to understand that I had felt guilty my
whole life about her. That night…when my mother was murdered…my sister was taken and likely killed by Helena, too. And I--I was the only one to survive the attack. I
blamed myself. I was supposed to watch over my sister, but I failed. And the pain of that…the weight of that followed me in everything I did all my life."

He nodded, his mind flashing images of Lily. He rubbed a hand absently over his face, trying to blot out the serenity of the last smile she'd cast at him before she was
blown apart by a bomb. Sonny knew about guilt. It was yet another thing they shared. With sheer force of will, he retrained his mind on Alexis.

"When Jax brought my sister to me"—a smile, sudden and magnificent, interrupted her words—"the sun rose, the birds sang, I heard my mother's voice again. I saw
her beautiful smiling face, touched her hair, and felt her embrace. All in Kristina. And the guilt…finally that weight was off me. Because I hadn't failed. She was alive
and well and happy. She'd had a good life and had become a very good person."

Suddenly, violently, the smile was stripped from her lips by memories too horrific to imagine. A mystified frown pleated her brow. "But then—in the space of a second—
in a flash of brutal and senseless anger—she was just gone. A casualty of a war she knew nothing about. A precious life extinguished just like that.

"My mind went dark. Black. All I could feel was rage. All I could taste was rage. All I wanted was revenge. It ate at me. It nearly killed me. I went a little crazy, I know.
I hated you…or at least I told myself I did. I told you I wished you dead."

She saw him wince and regretted the pain her words wrought. But she owed him her honesty.

"Then I thought about the baby," she said, her hand pressing against her belly in memory. "Our baby. This was---she was a new life, a new chance for me. The last part
of you that I would ever have."

He looked at her, saw the sincerity in her eyes, and his heart moved within him.

"And I felt so privileged, Sonny. I had another chance. I just knew that I had to protect this life. I had to make sure that nothing or no one took this miracle from me
like they had taken my sister. Yes, Sonny, I lied for this baby. I even killed for this baby. And I couldn't—I wouldn't--let your life and the dangers and craziness in it
touch hers. I couldn't risk losing her, too."

She reached for him then, stroked the hard masculine jaw with her fingertips. "Though I loved you with all of my heart, though I wanted you with me as I brought our
daughter into this world, though I hated to look into your eyes and lie…I felt I had to. I put our child first."

When she finished speaking, she felt like she was empty. As if all the words that had ever flowed into the substantial linguistic center of her brain had been used up in
this one conversation. He was silent, his eyes on the carpet as he processed what she said. Once again, his expression grew enigmatic; she could not tell what his true
feelings were. And she was suddenly afraid to know.

Unconsciously, she held her breath.

She had truly bared her soul, her deepest wound. And all she wished for now was for him to look at her, to say he understood, to say he still loved her. Maybe he
couldn't forgive her in one fell swoop, but if he could say he would try…that he'd work on it…that they could hold each other and talk some more and work to move past
this…she'd accept that.

She needed assurances. She craved them.

She got none.

When he looked up at her, his expression was veiled, his mask in place, and she knew he was somewhere inside himself trying to figure all of this out. Somewhere far
from her. The breath she'd held was released on a long, sad, noiseless sigh.

His head bowed, and he cleared his throat struggling to speak. "I—uh---Alexis I need some time."

It wasn't said in anger. It was a simple, straightforward request. It was more than she deserved.
Yet it still felt like a physical blow. All she could do was nod.

"I—I think that we should—you know--be apart for a while. For tonight at least. I need to think."

She nodded numbly again.

"I'll sleep in the guest room," he told her, his dark eyes averted, one hand absently rubbing the side of his face.

"Okay," she said in a small voice, turning away. She walked two steps and stopped. Her question was faint; he had to strain to hear. But it was one of the most important
she'd ever asked.

"Will we be alright, Sonny?"

His voice was just as faint in reply.

"I wish to hell I knew."

She looked at him over her shoulder, catching sight of the tension that beset his body as he fought an internal war with his emotions. Then somehow she found the
strength to walk away, closing the bedroom door on his dark expression.

A sad whisper echoed through her mind. "I wish to hell I knew."

Chapter 42

In the office Jack Grayson had been assigned for use during this investigation and trial sat a special guest, AJ Quartermaine. He reclined in a leather armchair, one leg
crossed redolently over the other, his hands folded in his lap. It was quite a serene pose, Grayson noted, the stance of a man who was calmly awaiting the fruition of a
long held dream. And, Jack mused, he was just the man to make AJ's dream come true.

Normally, he thought as he poured the man a cup of coffee, a spoilt rich twerp like Quartermaine wouldn't be his type of guy. Grayson was sick to death of guys who
had had their checks written, their futures laid out for them by families too rich and too well-known to let their kids make strides on their own. Grayson's own college
had been filled with them, the silver spooners who had bought grades and hired private tutors so their spawn could vault ahead of him in his law school class…thus
winning a placement in some big time law firm. Whereas he, Jack, had worked as a lowly prosecutor then had found a small salary bump in the office of the federal
prosecutor. None of his career had been glamorous or cushy like those damn little rich boys had had.

But alas that was all going to change, he reflected. Nothing was sexier to the Press and to the public than the fall of a powerful gangster like Sonny Corinthos. Grayson
could see the headlines and the television interviews now...maybe even national programs! Just like the ones Guiliani had had on his way up the ladder. Perhaps Jack
would seek a big public office soon after, get his mug plastered on some campaign posters. Make the big time finally after years of
busting his hump in cramped civil service offices.

And it would all be accomplished on the back of one Sonny Corinthos. Jack smiled at AJ. This was all too sweet.

"So your testimony has to have a genuine and humble feel," Jack coached presently. "I need to see an `aw, shucks, jury members, I'm just a regular guy victimized by
this thug' vibe from you."

AJ nodded. "Not a problem. I can do humble."

"No anger, no resentment, not even any glee that the jerk is finally going to prison. Be `middle of the road', get my drift?"

"You're looking at someone calm, cool, and collected, Grayson," the young man responded. "I know how to give a game face. I'm in total control of my emotions."

"Good," Jack said, then his eyes lifted to a spot behind Quartermaine where Ric Lansing stood, sipping his own mug of coffee. He was so silent Jack had almost
forgotten he was in the office.

"You alright, Ric?"

Lansing had been staring into space absently; his eyes suddenly jerked back to Grayson. Before he could veil his expression, Jack saw the sadness there. It had been
there since the hearing this morning where they'd roasted Alexis Davis in front of her hubby. It seemed Ric Lansing did have a heart. Watching the deconstruction of
Davis had done something to him.

"I'm fine," he asserted presently. "I've—uh---got some work to do in my office."

He left with undue haste and Jack's lips twisted grimly.

"What's up with him?" AJ queried.

"Don't know," Jack lied, and then apologized as his phone buzzed and he picked it up. "Grayson."

The person on the other end spoke rapid fire and all Jack could do was to listen to the frantic words. What he heard twisted his stomach into a pretzel and threatened
to cause the return of an earlier migraine. AJ saw his face and frowned.

"I want this investigated!" Jack snapped. "Somebody got to him. I'm as sure of who it was as you are. Get me proof and we'll nail his ass to the wall."

After a terse conclusion, Jack banged the receiver down.

"What? What happened?"

"The bodyguard…the idiot took back his story. We have no lead witness against Corinthos."

AJ froze for a moment. Grayson could almost hear the wheels in his head grinding to a halt. "But you have other witnesses right?"

"Penny ante people. Stories that don't add up to the hammer blow this guy Francis was gonna be. We don't have Alexis cuz she married the thug, and we don't have
Carly who could invalidate the marriage cuz she's too dumb to testify. All we got is one hit man…who by the very nature of his job is untrustworthy and abhorrent to a
jury."

AJ's throat worked convulsively. "But you've still got my testimony. You can still put me on the stand, right?"

"You saw nothing. You heard nothing. You knew nothing."

"Are you telling me this case is dead? That I came all the way from Europe to finally nail this idiot to the wall for NOTHING?"
Grayson held up a hand. "The case isn't dead, exactly," he placated. "It is…however…severely wounded. But I'm not worried yet, Mr. Quartermaine."

AJ shot out of his seat, leaning across the desk at the federal prosecutor. "I've seen this guy wiggle out of iron clad charges. You say this case is weak but you're NOT
WORRIED? You know he's escaped a prison sentence for more than half his life and you're NOT WORRIED? Well, let me tell you, Jack: you better start worrying!
This isn't an amateur you're prosecuting here. It's Sonny frickin' Corinthos, and I want him gone! I need him gone! Now, damn it!"

Jack cringed as the spoilt little rich kid in AJ came roaring out. Mr. "I'm-in-total-control- of-my-emotions-let-me-testify" hurled his coffee mug across the room
where it crashed into the wall, spattering java all over the carpet.

Jack watched the streaks of coffee cry ugly tears against the white paint and shook his head wryly.

Not one thing in this case was going according to plan.

***

If Alice noticed the rather silent nature of the Corinthos household the next morning, she didn't comment on it. But Sonny did see her looking at him several times
surreptitiously under her eyelashes. She was wary of him today. He supposed that was because he looked like what he was: a stressed out man who had gotten about
one hour of sleep after about three hours of tears. He was walking around with this dark expression plastered on his face all morning. It had only lightened when he
had fed Kristina as was his custom to do, but still he'd had to swipe at errant tears in his eyes when the child had
impulsively hugged him.

Alice probably sensed that the dynamic had changed. Sonny shrugged. He couldn't talk about it with Alexis so he damned sure couldn't say anything to reassure the
nanny. He simply finished feeding his daughter, kissed her, and handed her to Alice for bath time and dressing. Like always.

Alexis hadn't come out of her room by the time Kristina was dressed. Alice had chosen a cute pink jumper with a matching headband. Sonny ruffled her curls
affectionately, once again struck by how beautiful she was. He thought he saw a hint of his mother and that made him smile wistfully. He saw so much of Alexis and
that squeezed his heart.

Alice told him she was taking the tyke to the park. His first instinct was to say no. He wanted to keep his daughter near him today. His daughter. The newness of that
knowledge made his breath catch in his throat.

In the end he did let Alice go, with a bodyguard as usual. Sonny wasn't ready to assert his newfound identity. He hadn't the words to explain the truth to his child
though he longed for her to know him. Something held him back. Something told him to wait. Though Alexis had hurt him, he would never just tell Kristina the truth
without her being okay with it.

With a wrench in his gut, he watched Alice leave with the baby and shut the door sadly behind them. Now it was just he and Alexis in the apartment with no third party
to diffuse the tension. He sighed. He hoped she slept a few more hours. He didn't know how he'd feel when he saw her. Or what he'd say. God knew, he didn't want to
hurt her like he'd done last night. But with this pain in his gut still raging he just didn't know if he could stop. So it was definitely better that she stayed asleep. He
needed to be alone to think.

He turned from the front door to go to the kitchen intending to pour himself another coffee. And there stood his wife, clad in one of the satin nightgowns he loved,
staring at him with eyes that were wide and beautiful, red-rimmed and wary.

They looked at each other, adopting almost combative stances, ready for whatever battle would come. But the first thing he saw in her gaze as she took him in, bare-
chested and disheveled from sleep, was hunger. He also drank in the sight of her body, her curves outlined sensuously in the lavender nightgown. The same hunger was
mirrored in his own face. He wanted to touch her. Hold her. Drown deep within her and never come up for air. Forget everything that had gone on before and just be
one with her.

His eyes lifted to her face and he met her gaze. Her cheeks were flushed with heat. She'd read his mind. And he'd read hers.

It seemed no one was going to avoid anything today.

Chapter 43

He was looking at her in a way that made Alexis feel more naked than clothed. In a way that told her clearly what he desired…what he needed. To be wrapped around
her body in her bed in the next room. Now. Heat flamed in her belly and slowly flooded her entire being. She wanted exactly the same thing.

But she hesitated between two extremes: passion and abject fear. The desire in his eyes called to her, so dark and vitriolic in its nature. But after the depth of
yesterday's hurt, the depth of today's wanting petrified her to her heart's core. She couldn't move. But he could.

All at once, he was standing in front of her, mere inches away, without her realizing he'd shifted an inch. With the stealth of a predatory cat, he'd glided across the
room until he was so close she literally felt his heat emanating towards her body and his breath sifted through the tendrils of her hair. She breathed deeply. The dark
heavy scent of his cologne mingled enticingly with the inimitable scent of his skin. Alexis' tongue darted out to lick lips
that were suddenly very dry.

She hadn't known that wanting like this was possible before Sonny.

And then his hands, strong and sure and warm, were framing her lovely face; his thumbs sweeping sensuously along the line of her full bottom lip, mimicking an action he
clearly wanted to emulate with his mouth.

Wide eyed she gaped at him, tried to see into his very soul. Was this forgiveness or was it just the basic elemental need that always surged between them like
lightning? Was this an end to the conflict or just a lull in the storm?

"Sonny?" she questioned, her voice low and raspy.

"No words," he whispered, shaking his head. But his eyes did not meet hers. Rather he stared at her mouth like a thirsty man in a desert land. Then his head dipped and
he took possession of her mouth with an expertise…a mastery that had long since driven the taste of any other man from her head. His lips now burned a hot wet path
across hers, drinking deeply from her in a manner she would always crave.

For ages it seemed, he made love to her mouth with his own, bestowing an ever changing arsenal of kisses upon her…some demanding and almost savage… others gentle
and giving and full of intimate persuasion…still others suggestive and sexual beyond words…beyond dreams. Her knees almost buckled when his tongue slid out to tease
the sensitive corner of her mouth and his teeth nipped playfully at her bottom lip. But he didn't touch her anywhere other than on her face. He held his body from
hers while he mercilessly teased and tempted and stoked the fire blazing within her.
Alexis had lost sense of time or place. The whole apartment could have burned to the ground around her without notice. She was trembling, breathless with need
moments later, and quite ready to beg him to touch her, when he seemed to read her mind and finally swept her into his muscular arms. Pressed close to him with not an
inch separating their two bodies, she felt the proof of his ardent desire; his body was taut with it, throbbing insistently against her, and
every nerve ending she possessed screamed out his name.

She set herself free to explore him, the palms of her hands shaping the muscled contours of his shoulders, his chest, his tapered hips, the solid strength of his thighs.
The feminine heart of her was gratified when she felt a shudder of longing run through his hard body.

His hands were by no means idle. They slipped indecently down her spine, spreading the insidious warmth that seemed to be her constant companion when he was within
five feet of her. Then his hands crept lower still to lift her bodily into his raging heat. This time she was the one to shudder with longing.

"Now," she whispered fervently, defying his order for silence between them. "Now, Sonny, I can't wait any more."

He compelled her into the bedroom, somehow having the presence of mind to shut the door behind them, and there was a mindless blur of garments being shed in haste.

It was not slow and seductive. Nor was it particularly loving. It was...in a word…intense. His teeth, his tongue ravaging the elegant arch of her neck. Her shoulder, her
navel, her inner thigh. Leaving marks of his possession behind as testaments to passion. Her hands threading demandingly through his dark, curly hair. Her nails raking
the sweat soaked skin of his back. Marking him just as surely as he'd marked her.

She came apart wrapped in his arms the very moment he shattered with her. They kissed as if the only air to breathe was in each other's mouths, and made love as if
she were a river and he, the man determined to find the source. And find it he did.

***

Jason slid soundlessly onto a bar stool and motioned for a beer from Coleman. Jerking his head in an informal greeting, the bartender placed one in front of him; then
he turned glittering eyes to Carly, eyebrows raised in a question.

"Yeah, I'll have another," she said quietly, her eyes flitting to Jason nervously and then back to the bar top. She could feel the anger emanating off of him and knew to
be wary. Jason typically kept his emotions deeply in check; when he got mad at most people all he gave off was ice. Ice cold hatred. Ice cold professionalism. She
imagined that allowed him to carry out the types of ugly, unmentionable tasks Sonny needed him to do.

But when he was mad at her, it was always fiery. Always heated. She smiled inwardly at the thought that he loved her too much to be cool and detached when she
angered him. Somehow her mind was able to twist his anger into a positive. At least he cared enough to be furious, she mused.

"So, talk," he said.

She smirked prettily and edged closer to him. "Gee, no `hello, Carly'? No how are the kids?"

He frowned darkly. "Don't get cute. We're way past that," he told her, his voice cutting into her rose toned version of the situation. "The deal was I meet you for a
drink; you tell me what the hell you did to Sonny."

She swallowed a healthy swig of Guinness and allowed her eyes to wander to a few stray pool players at the opposite end of the room. "I just thought we could talk
about other stuff, first," she said. "You know, like about us."

"There is no us anymore," he told her in a tone so sharp it brought her eyes careening back to his.

"You know you don't mean that. We been friends for too long for you to…we've been through too much to just…"

"Yeah, I went over all that in my head," he said. "And you know I had to admit that we have been through a lot, you and me. A love affair and betrayal, a custody battle
and then a friendship no one saw coming. Umpteen stupid schemes against the world, which I mopped up for you. But I did it gladly. Cuz I knew that you were my friend.
And that no matter how crazy things got I could count on you."

"You could then and you can now," she said insistently, placing her hand on his forearm. "Nothing's changed."

"Something's changed, Carly," Jason said, turning his blue gaze directly to her. "Me."

***

Sonny lay beside her, one muscled arm thrown carelessly above his head. The picture of a sated male in repose after earth shattering lovemaking. But where he would
usually hold her, stroking her in languid loving movements, now he was perfectly still. Oddly still. Usually his eyes would chase her; he would stare with an intentness
that often made her blush, as if in an attempt to memorize the planes and contours of her face. Now his dark eyes were distant, turned from her, focused instead on a
spot on the opposite wall. Absent were the accustomed lover's words. He didn't speak at all. Did not make one sound. And the silence was deafening. He simply lay next
to her, as close as a heartbeat, yet miles away from Alexis in his spirit.

She could feel the distance between them as though it were physical, and closed her eyes on the vicious wave of pain that stabbed her heart. She was surprised at the
wetness behind her eyes, the fresh sting of tears. She'd thought that she'd cried out all the tears in her body last night.

Ashamed, she rolled away from him and let the aloneness fall heavily upon her like a layer of snow on a cold hillside.

It had happened. What she had feared two years ago when their child was born.

She'd lost the love of her life. Because of her lie.

Chapter 44

Alexis could take the silence no longer. They had lain together listening to the sound of each other's breathing for long agonizing minutes. Both seemed on the verge of
speech. Neither seemed to know what precisely to say.

She bit her lip, her face flaming at the uninhibited way she'd responded to him just now. His silence made her ashamed of her sexual abandon. She leapt from the bed
abruptly and reached for her robe, wrapping it around her body in jerky movements. She fully intended to take a long hot shower, to wash away the scent of his skin
that was clinging to her. She wished it were as easy to wash away the memories they'd shared.

She was so wrapped up in her morbid thoughts that she didn't hear the front door of the apartment open. But she did however hear the piercing cries of her daughter.
The child was wailing as if in terrible pain. Her heart dropped.

"Kristina?" she called, and without thought to Sonny's state of undress Alexis wrenched open the bedroom door and ran out into the living room to seek out her child.
She felt Sonny behind her a few moments later; apparently he'd grabbed a robe himself. But judging from the reddish purple shade of Alice's cheeks, he hadn't
covered up quite in time to preserve his modesty.

Alexis could care less about that; she was too busy gathering the wailing little toddler into her arms. "What happened, baby?" she asked, her eyes checking the tiny
form for injuries. Kristina could only hiccup a reply.

"Poor little thing fell in the park and scraped her knee," Alice explained, sympathetically stroking Krissy's curls. "It doesn't look bad. Just a scrape, which I cleaned
and bandaged while we were still out there. But sometimes Nanny just won't do."

Alexis face creased into a sympathetic smile as she rubbed the child's back in soothing circles. "Aw, did my baby need her Mama to kiss it and make it better?"

Alice suddenly wore an awkward expression. "Ah, actually, Kristina wanted her…uhm, your husband. She's been asking for him since she fell."

Sure enough, the little girl who had been cuddled in her mother's familiar embrace now reached out an arm towards Sonny. With a look of awe and unmistakable
affection, Sonny took his child into his arms.

Alexis' chest squeezed painfully as she watched the beauty of the moment unfolding in front of her. The moment she'd denied him for so long. There would be no need
to tell her child who this man was to her. Kristina's heart had already told her the truth. Inevitable tears welled in Alexis' eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks.

"I'll just go put the baby's things away," Alice said softly but her departure wasn't noted by any of the three of them.

"Daddy'll make it all better, sweetheart," Alexis whispered, and Sonny's eyes lifted sharply to hers.

"You're crying, too," he whispered back, stroking the back of his hand gently under her eyes to wipe the tears away.

Alexis laugh was half-sob. "Yeah, I seem to be an endless well of water these days," she admitted. "When someone I love hurts, I hurt, too."

Sonny's eyes darkened as he nodded. He leaned in to kiss Krissy's forehead where it rested on his chest. "It's just a scrape. She'll be alright."

She met his gaze straight on. "I didn't mean Kristina," she said brokenly and stepped closer to him, one of her hands finding a place above his heart. "Some wounds are
too deep and in hidden places where I can't bandage them and kiss them away like I can for my child. I wish the wound I gave you could be healed as easily as one of
her bruises…with words and tender care and love. But your wound is somewhere deep and I don't know how to heal it, Sonny. I don't like seeing you in pain. And I don't
want to lose what we have together."

Her chest tightened so much that she didn't know if she could get the words out, but she forced herself. "I've told you why I did what I did, and why I believed I was
right," she sobbed. "I can't undo it, Sonny...any more than you can undo the tragic mistakes in your past. All I can deal with is now…and I ask that you forgive me."

She knew what she was asking. The impossible. This was a man for whom betrayal was not a possibility he faced but an expectation he coveted. He claimed he could
forgive, but Alexis knew better. He always preserved a vestige of doubt in the corner of his soul when a person let him down. It was the reason he still held Mike at
arm's length, the child in him still expecting the old man to leave him. It was the reason he and Carly continued to implode; he still expected her to self-destruct and
sell him out to the Feds or to Alcazar or to another lover. And it was the reason he'd gone to bed with Alexis earlier and shared his body while holding his heart at
arm's length to protect it.

He did not forgive. He certainly did not forget.

She was asking the impossible.

He stared at her now for a long while, his jaw clenched and a pulse throbbing visibly in his neck. She watched him wrestle against his emotions, saw him swallow once,
twice before he spoke. Only three words. Three quiet words. But words that were not without hope.

"Give me time."

It was all he said. And then he turned and took Krissy with him into the kitchen. Alexis pressed a fist to her mouth and prayed. She prayed for a miracle. That for the
first time in his adult life, Sonny Corinthos would truly forgive.

***

Blue eyes fixed on Carly unblinking as she finished her last statement. She stared back waiting for Jason to say something. When apparently she could take the quiet
no longer, she burst, "So now you know what I did! What next?"

Jason began to shake with laughter. Strong but silent laughter. He wiped his face wearily with one hand and shook his head. "You're askin' me `what next' after you
tell me you kept Sonny's kid from him?"

Carly swallowed and nodded. "Yeah. What are you gonna do?"

"What else? I'm gonna go help mop my best friend up off the floor where he is probably lying crumpled right now," he said bitterly. "After finding out two of the most
important people in his adult life lied to him for years."

"I haven't known all that time," she scoffed.

"I don't care how long you knew," he told her. "You knew. And you didn't tell. Not to protect Kristina…you admitted that. But to keep Sonny away from Alexis."

"And I was right to do that, Jason! If the present situation proves anything, it proves that I was right to do it! Look where he is right now: with that bitch!"

Her loud voice grated on his nerves, and he once again wondered how he could ever have found her "spunk" attractive. How he could ever have confused her irreverent,
self-centered spirit with courage. How many times had she taken care of anyone beside herself? Yeah, she was okay as a parent but as a friend? It was always about
her and what she thought should happen. Her own next words damned her.

"Come on, Jase. You know that I always do what I have to do to survive. That's who I am. And you always loved that about me…Admit it!"

Carly hand stole up to caress his firm jaw as she shot him a look that he supposed she thought enticing. But unbidden, memories came to him of another woman, her
soft brown hair silky against his hands. He'd been injured and she'd helped him, nursed him, gotten him food. She'd hidden him in her art studio. Befriended him when
everyone else called him trash. Her soft hands had healed him, had given him peace for a while.

Never had Carly's embrace been as soothing. Or giving. There had always been something she wanted. Something she needed from him. And he'd received precious
little in return. He hadn't realized until this very moment just how empty she'd left him…until he thought back now to Elizabeth's gentle touch and compared the two.

There was no comparison. He shrugged Carly away from him now.


"Let me tell you something that you need to get straight," Jason snapped at her. "Sonny isn't with Alexis because of that baby. He didn't even know about Kristina and
he loved Alexis. Even before they made Kristina, he probably loved Alexis. It just took all this time for him to finally realize it. And like I told you, you don't have a
weapon strong enough to defeat that, Carly. If Sonny and Alexis stay together, it'll be their decision. If they don't, it'll still be
their decision. Not mine. And definitely not yours."

She gaped at him, her expression pained. "You know what?" she demanded hoarsely. "I never expected you to be like this. I never thought you'd take their side against
me."

Jason gulped down the last of his beer, stood and tossed a few bills on the top of the bar. "Life's full of surprises," he said, and walked out the door.

Chapter 45

When he found Alexis on the pier sitting alone on a bench, her knees drawn up to her chest, while in the midst of a good old-fashioned cry, Jason's first thought was
to turn and walk away. Leave her with her pride. Leave her alone with her misery to let it all out…or to stop herself…to whatever. It made him uncomfortable to view
this formidable woman in the throes of such pain, and he halted not knowing whether to go or stay.

The decision was made for him when she suddenly sensed his presence and looked up. Jason received the patented Davis eye roll as she endeavored to wipe her face
and runny nose with the back of her hand. He smiled at that. Quite an inelegant move for a beautiful semi-royal aristocrat who was raised to know her salad fork from
her dinner fork.

Alexis must have caught his smirk and misinterpreted it because she exploded like M'80's on the Fourth of July.

"Don't you dare laugh at me, Jason Morgan!" she yelled hurtling to her feet. "I know you KNOW. And I don't care that you KNOW. My life does not revolve around
what Sonny's mob enforcer thinks of me!"

Jason held up his hands in surrender. "Alexis, I'm not here to attack you. I just—"

"Did you hear what I said, Mr. Tough Guy? I don't care what you think of me! I LOVE him and I have ALWAYS loved him. You can believe that or not, knock yourself
out. But you are not gonna stand here and question the truth of it. Not tonight. Because if you do I think I may just have to knock you on your ass!"

Jason inhaled a quick shocked breath and held it as he realized that he was having to do a sort of backwards, bent-at-the-waist, Matrix move to avoid contact with
Alexis. The little woman was jabbing one finger into his muscled chest to punctuate each word she said. Finally, he had no choice but to grab her forearms gently but
firmly and to hold her away from him.

"ALEXIS, I repeat, I am not here to attack you," he told her, enunciating each word with exaggerated care. "I saw you crying on the bench all alone. I wanted to make
sure you were alright. Period. The end."

"M-make sure I was alright?" she repeated stupidly, unable to make sense of the words, apparently.

"Yes," he answered her. "To make sure you were alright. That's all."

Alexis blinked at him, seemed to see the sincerity in his face, and then did the unthinkable. Her face crumpled and she began to cry again, this time in earnest.

Jason, unsure of exactly what to do, let instinct lead him and pulled her into his arms. He felt her sink into his chest and her arms linked round his back. He frowned in
pure masculine confusion. "What? Alexis, why are you…why did that make you cry?"

She tried to speak but it came out muffled against the fabric of his shirt. He leaned back to ask her what she'd said. She sniffled and hiccupped through her words
just like her daughter had earlier today. "I—said—I said, why the hell'd you have to pick now to be n- nice to me, you big th-thug?"

Jason was nonplussed for a second. And then the words sank into his brain. And he laughed from the depths of his soul, so deep and so true that his mirth infected her
and she laughed through her tears as he held her in his arms.

"It's way past time for Sonny's two guardians to stop throwing daggers at each other," he chuckled, holding her back from him so he could look at her. "I think we may
just be on the same side."

Alexis sobered. "How can you say that? You—you don't hate me for lying to him?"

Jason averted his eyes for a moment, and then looked back at her. "I can't pretend I'm happy you kept his child from him. But there's something else I been thinking
about since I came back from Europe, something that lets me know what he means to you."

She arched one eyebrow at him questioningly.

"If you truly hated him, you would've never married him and saved him from prison. You would've turned State's evidence and put Sonny in Pentonville when this whole
thing began. That's what Ric wanted you to do. It's probably what Mac advised…and Jax and Ned, too. But you didn't."

She tucked the corner of her lip into her mouth as he continued. "I thought it was a trick to bring Sonny down; now I know it wasn't. I was wrong."

Alexis nodded. "I only wanted to help him."

"So if you did all this now to protect Sonny, then I think you did all that two years ago to protect his child."

Her eyes fell to the docks. "But I don't know if he can get past that."

Jason gave a rueful shrug. "We both know what he's like when he's hurt," he said. "It takes him back to being abused as a kid."

She sighed deeply, closing her eyes. Jason read the resigned sadness in her face, and lifted her chin with his finger. Her brown eyes opened to him.

"All you can do is give him time," he said.

"That's what he asked me for," she whispered back.

"Then give it to him," came the husky reply. "Wait for him to get his head on straight, Alexis. What you two share…it's worth the wait, isn't it?"

She smiled tearfully. "It is," she agreed.

Then a flash of chestnut brown caught his eye and he turned to watch Elizabeth walk across the docks with her child. Alexis followed his gaze. They smiled at the
young woman and waved. She waved back happily.
"Worth the wait," Jason repeated half under his breath, his eyes on the departing figure. "The best things always are."

***

"You haven't contacted me today, Grayson. What kind of operation are you and Lansing running? It's all over the paper that you may not take this to trial. They're
saying you have no case against Sonny Corinthos. Are you just gonna sit there and let this thing go south without fighting back?"

There were days when dealing with the public felt like nails on a chalkboard to Jack, and today was one of those days. AJ Quartermaine had been calling all morning and
here it was the afternoon and the man's fifth call had been put through by the receptionist who took over for his secretary on lunch hour. The secretary knew that
under no circumstances was this little twerp to be put through today. Jack had predicted that the conversation would run like this, and he had no time to placate the
little rich boy. So he had issued an "I'm in a meeting" policy for any and all calls Quartermaine to his secretary.

The receptionist twit who'd put the call through would be losing a vacation day or two when he was finished with her.

"Mr. Quartermaine," Jack greeted, affecting his best saccharine sweet, brown nosing tone. "How are you today?"

"How the hell do you think I am when the man you promised to PUT AWAY is on the verge of getting off Scot free again?!"

"That is not true, Mr. Quartermaine. Our case has been damaged, admittedly, but it is by no means dead as I told you—"

"You're incompetent if you believe that. You don't have the experience I have with this guy. He's Teflon!"

Jack gritted his teeth at the incompetent remark. This man was treading on thin ice. "No man is Teflon. I've been a prosecutor for a long time. Even the toughest
crime bosses can and do fall."

"Oh really? Well, I don't see a plan in place that can make THIS one fall, Jack. So what is your plan B cuz obviously plan A is dead in the water? What are we going to
do?"

That was the straw.

"You know what?" the prosecutor finally exploded. "WE are not going to do anything because WE are not prosecuting this case, AJ! I am! You don't get to order me
around because you hate this guy and you happen to come from the richest family in town. You have no more right to pull strings in this case than a bum on the street
does, regardless of the fact that the man adopted your only child. That's tough but it isn't my concern! I'm here to get a criminal off the
streets, and I'll do it the best way I see fit!"

For a solid three minutes, there was silence on the line. "That's how you're playing it, Jack?"

"That's how I'm playing it, AJ."

"Then I guess I'll take matters into my own hands. You know the saying, if you want a job done…"

The line went dead, and Jack's stomach soured. He popped a few antacids from his top drawer stash into his mouth.

He feared he'd just supplied gunpowder to loose cannon.

Chapter 46

Was there anything better than playing hooky and spending the whole of your stolen afternoon in bed?

Justus sighed contentedly and drew Dara's lush body closer to his. He so enjoyed these quiet lazy times when they could just hide away from the world together and
not be combatants. They could just do ordinary stuff. Like watching the early evening news as they were doing now.

He was about to channel surf when the shot switched to a local reporter for the Port Charles locality. Dara gasped and grabbed his arm. "Wait, Justus, look! It's AJ!"

He looked up at the television in amazement and indeed saw AJ Quartermaine on screen standing on the courthouse steps.

The reporter's voice over explained, "This was the scene today as Alan Quartermaine, JR made an appeal to the public on behalf of a case he desperately wants
prosecuted."

AJ's voice intruded. "It is common knowledge in legal circles that Sonny Corinthos, mob boss, contracted an assassin to have me killed two years back. The hit man has
come forward to tell his story to the authorities. But for some reason…because of cowardice most likely…the federal prosecutor, Jack Grayson, and the local DA, Ric
Lansing…may back away from this case. They've let Sonny's guard--who had first hand knowledge of the contract--recant his testimony! This is an outrage. I ask you,
do you want to live in a town where a man like Sonny Corinthos can decide he doesn't like you and plot to take your
life…with no punishment? I urge you to call the prosecutor and the DA today and compel them to take on this case. Believe me, you won't be safe unless Corinthos goes
to trial and then to jail!"

The picture switched to one of a young female journalist. "DA Lansing was asked to comment on Mr. Quartermaine's statement, but he declined. When Prosecutor
Grayson was contacted, he called the statement bizarre and hung up on me. Stay close to the WLPC News for more details on this developing story."

Justus clicked off the set and sat open-mouthed staring at the blank
screen.

Dara shook her head. "I don't believe Corinthos' luck!"

A wide grin spread over Justus' mouth. "Luck, thy name is AJ," he jibed. "Could he be any more sanctimonious? Could he be more melodramatic?"

"Only if he were Edward," she quipped.

"In one moment, that idiot poisoned the local jury pool and released details of the case that were supposed to be kept under wraps. I will bury this thing in motions
until the cows come home…or more accurately until Jack and Ric get tired of even bothering with it. The case is a lame duck now."

She looked across at him. "Think AJ realizes he shot himself in the foot?"

He smiled knowingly and lifted the receiver from his bedside table. "No, but I'll be glad to call his hotel and give him the great news."

She grinned despite herself. `You're evil!"

He shrugged. "I know."


***

"Mama?"

Sonny smiled down at Krissy as she woke from her nap, rubbing her eyes. "No, Mama's out. But Daddy's here."

Krissy popped one arm around Lamby and the other hand stole up to rest against Sonny's cheek. "Sonny?"

He nodded. "Yes. I'm Sonny. And I'm your Daddy."

"You're Daddy?"

"Yes," he answered, drawing a finger affectionately down her cheek.

"Daddy," she repeated, her hand warming his cheek and his heart.

"Daddy," he whispered and had to swallow hard to get the word past the lump in his throat.

My first born, he thought. My only daughter. Beautiful and strong and smart as a whip. Loving and affectionate and trusting. Her heart open and unafraid.

Her life peaceful and safe.

Safe.

Just as Alexis had prayed and hoped and wished and worked for…a life unlike her own. Unlike his own. One that this angelic creature deserved.

Something twisted in his heart. How could he be angry at her mother… how could he hold on to this wretched hurt…when the reason for her lie stared up at him with
trusting beautiful eyes untainted by the agonies of his world? When he looked at this perfect child laying before him?

Alexis' face came to his mind, so hurt and wounded when he'd pulled away from her after they had made love. Her eyes, filled with tears as they had been since
yesterday, stared at him in his imagination. Was she somewhere now regretting her decisions, punishing herself as she always did for her wrongs, wondering if he loved
her enough to do what he swore never to do…forgive?

A piece of him softened. He fought it valiantly, banished her face from his head. But then her scent came to him. That gardenia scented bubble bath that seemed ever
present in the apartment. He could almost smell it now. He frowned and concentrated on his rage and was able to dim that sense memory in his mind. But then there
was the softness of her skin. Like silk. The feel of it was on his palms. He rubbed them futilely against the jeans he'd pulled on. He couldn't erase the feel of her.

She was all over him. She was inside him. She was under his skin. Part of his life. Part of his world. Part of him. And no matter how much he raged and warred with her,
he loved her and would always do so. Now was the time to decide whether that was enough.

And as the thought flitted through his mind, he heard the front door open. Krissy's eyes lit with excitement. "Mama?"

Sonny's eyes mirrored his child's. "Yes, Mama."

And he stood to go greet his wife.

Chapter 47

Alexis closed the door behind her wearily and tossed her pocketbook onto the sofa. She sighed, feeling more fatigued than an old woman. And thus she was wholly
unprepared for the almost instantaneous appearance of her husband, so dark and sexy in the jeans he rarely wore in public, cradling their daughter to his powerful
chest as he strode out of the little girl's bedroom. It was a scene so precious she knew she'd never fail to be affected by it.

If she lived to be 100, the sight of him just taking their daughter's hand would still tug at her heart.

Krissy beamed a sweet little grin and gave a sleepy wave towards her mother. Her little arms reached out for Alexis, and Sonny passed the baby into her waiting
embrace.

"Hi, sweetheart," she cooed, awed for the millionth time by the sense of peace that came upon her when she held her daughter. They had created a miracle, she and
Sonny.

She reluctantly, then, lifted her eyes to meet those of the man who had given Kristina her smile, her dimples, her dark curls, and her fiery spirit. Alexis' lip caught
between her teeth and she was at a rare loss for words. She looked for the coldness, the distance that had been in his face before she'd left, but his expression was
unreadable.

"Hey," she said simply.

"Hey," he said back.

She grimaced. It wasn't exactly sparkling repartee. They sounded awkward. Stilted…like two people on a bad blind date. And now there was this oppressive silence.
They were longtime friends… lovers….husband and wife for goodness sake!

Her gaze fell to their child who lay contentedly against her breast. Suddenly intellectual thought returned.

"Was she alright when I left?"

"She was fine," he answered. "I made her a little fruit salad and then we took a nap."

Fruit salad, she thought smiling ruefully. Leave it to Sonny to expose his daughter to the healthier choices in life immediately. He would probably have a stroke when he
found out that Alexis had already introduced her to the fine art of French fries and ketchup.

Awkward silence number two slid heavily over them. As if sensing the conflicted atmosphere, Kristina squirmed to be free. Alexis set her on the floor and watched her
toddle off to play with her mother's pocketbook.

When she looked back at Sonny, his head was turned as he gazed affectionately at their little girl. He was already a concerned and tender parent to their child. But
then that had never been something Alexis had doubted.

"Thank you," she felt compelled to say him now.

His brows lowered in confusion. "For?"


"For taking such good care of her," she replied.

His eyes darkened with emotion. "You don't have to thank me for that. I'm her father. That's my job. To care for her. You been doing it on your own for too long now."

She stiffened feeling as if she'd stepped just into a minefield. He lifted his hands defensively. "Lex, I just meant that you don't have to raise her alone anymore. I'm
here. Don't—don't get like that. All defensive. I'm not coming down on you every time I talk about our daughter."

Alexis shrugged and folded her arms across herself. "Well, it's hard not to assume you're criticizing me after…how you were today…"

Her voice trailed off as the painful memories played across her face as if on a movie screen. They'd been explosive in each other's arms….they'd been as close as two
separate souls could be. Then he had lain next to her like a stranger…like a man who'd picked up a woman for the night. Alexis didn't think she could hurt any deeper
than she had lying beside him in bed today.

It was several long moments before he looked her in the eye again. She saw him swallow.

"You're right," he said, his voice husky with emotion. "Earlier, when we were…together…I was…it was wrong the way I acted…afterwards."

His words were disjointed as he stumbled over them, and she sensed how difficult it was to get them out of his mouth so she kept silent. "You know I…that it's hard
for me to say…to apologize…so I hope you'll just believe me. I regret like hell what I did. I …uh…I was wrong. And I didn't mean to hurt you like that."

Her arms tightened around herself and she nodded at him.

"Basically, I was a jerk," he concluded.

Another moment of silence passed. Then the corner of Alexis' mouth lifted in the slightest bit of a grin. "Kinda," she agreed.

His head tilted; his face was lit by an answering smile. "Just like always. You never miss an opportunity to tell me when I'm wrong."

She shrugged, her head tilting to match his, her smile spreading across her face. "Well, you're wrong so often it's sort of become a habit of mine."

His head bobbed in wry agreement then he slowly sobered as he stepped closer to her. "I been right a few times in my life though, Lex. Like the day I harassed you
into representing me. And the day I decided to charm you into being my friend…the best friend I ever had. I was damn right then."

Her heart squeezed but she covered it as best she could. Her gaze fell to somewhere between his feet, but he touched her chin and made her look at him. He wouldn't
let her hide the emotion that shone from her eyes.

"I was right that night in April, too. When I forced you to choose and you chose me. When I forced you to stop dancing around me and dance with me…for one long
incredible and unforgettable night. And no matter what, Alexis, no matter what hell has come for us after, know this: I have never regretted becoming your friend,
your lover, or your husband. And I never will."

Entranced and moved totally off her emotional axis by his words, she struggled within herself to fight off oncoming tears. To fight off the feminine meltdown she
knew was a hair's breadth away. She had to focus: there was still conflict between them. Still questions...hard questions about their future and their child…questions
unasked and unanswered.

She gave him a rather serious look. "Does this…does this mean that you've forgiven me?"

He took a sudden breath, and she could tell that he hadn't expected her question. His mouth opened, then closed without words. He looked away, then back at her
again. He uttered his next words in a soft and thoughtful voice.

"I…understand…why you made the choices that you made now. I understand why you feared telling me the truth…and why you thought protecting our child meant
keeping her from me."

Alexis stared into his dark eyes, the part of her heart that relished soft sentiments eating up his response. But there was the strong core of her…the part made of
Cassadine steel forged in the furnace of childhood struggle…the part of her that challenged his words.

"I asked if you had forgiven me, Sonny," she murmured. "Your words were sweet, and everything I want to hear…but you didn't actually answer the question."

His eyebrows rose a fraction as if he was again surprised at her response. Then they lowered and he shook his head, a rueful smile in place. "Didn't think you'd call me
on that."

"I can't stop being an attorney just because the man I love says all the right things and melts my heart," she told him honestly. "I know that we can't survive with
secrets between us so I've given you mine. I also know that we can't survive without forgiveness between us…and only you can give me that."

Silence greeted her pronouncement at first, and then he nodded his head brusquely as if he accepted that what she said was true. He caught sight of their beautiful
child at the corner of the room, watching them with wide intrigued eyes. "Kristina," he said in a lilting voice, "are you gonna be as hard on your old man as your Mama
is?"

Krissy simply smiled, and shrugged in a manner that made her parents laugh and diminished some of the tension between them.

"I don't stand a chance against that smile, do I?" Sonny asked Lex.

"Nope," she replied. "I was lost the first time I saw it."

He looked back at her, his dark gaze dropping to her mouth curved into a soft smile as well. He touched her lip so gently with just his fingertip and his words were
whispered. "I was lost the first time I saw this one, too."

A tremor slipped through her when he said that. So much emotion laced his words. Surely if there was so much love still there, they could climb the mountain of anger
and distrust between them. They could get back to each other and forge a life. Couldn't they?

He leaned across and placed a kiss on her mouth so light and tender it was just the merest whisper of a touch. She answered it with her own, her long elegant fingers
soft against the hard strength of his jaw.

"I love you, you know," she told him, marveling at the ease with which the words came out. For so long…too long...she'd felt forbidden to express her feeling for this
man. Because he was wrong for her… because everyone disapproved…because he loved his ex-wife…because he had walked away…because of her secret…because of
everything in the world. But now, though they stood on the edge of the biggest precipice their relationship had ever faced…now, curiously, she felt free to tell him.
Absolutely free. So she did.

"I love you."


He stared into her beautiful brown eyes and answered her declaration with his own. "I can't remember a time…since we first met…when I haven't loved you. I denied
it, drove it away…called it attraction… called it a one night stand…outright lied about it…hid it from my wife…but it still lived and still held my heart even when I didn't
want it to. I love you, Alexis Davis-Corinthos. Always."

He found her hips with his strong hands and pulled her body into his so that their chests touched and their breath mingled as one. "We'll get through this," he
promised. "We're not gonna mess it up this time. For us..."

His eyes found their daughter playing contentedly on her own. "And for Kristina, too."

And somewhere within the darkness of her guarded heart glowed a sliver of light as Alexis allowed a tiny part of herself to believe.

Chapter 48

Jason's voice was inflexible steel. The negotiation had gone on for far too long. Though they were meeting in the back room of a "family" restaurant in a dark corner of
the City…and though he was pretty sure no one had followed him from Port Charles…if he had indeed slipped up and picked up a tail or some errant Fed, Sonny was
through. Because the burly man who sat across from him was well known, infamous for his mob ties…and it wouldn't take Mac or Grayson long to figure out what this
little meeting was about.

"There's no compromise here," Jason stated flatly. "We spoke on the phone. You agreed to the terms. My employer wants this over, and you're gonna make that happen
or there will be grave consequences… very grave."

A pair of eyebrows rose over small darting eyes. The voice was laconic, challenging; the expression set and unfazed. "And how precisely would Mr. Corinthos propose to
deal out consequences from behind Statesville's high stone walls? It seems to me that I hold all the cards here."

Jason's ice blue gaze pinned the man in his place. "Do you think his reach ends at prison bars?" he asked, his voice dangerously low. "Should my employer go to prison
because of your lack of assistance, you will feel the repercussions. They will be swift. They will be devastating. They will be personal. And they will be delivered by the
man sitting across from you now."

Jason felt more than saw the man tense as he gauged the sincerity of the Corinthos enforcer. For seemingly endless moments, he weighed his response. His answer
came to his eyes before spilling from his lips. And Jason knew he'd won.

"What do you expect me to do?"

"The man in question was a member of your `family'. He's now in jail on a murder charge totally unrelated to my employer. All I ask is that you convince him that talking
about Sonny would not be in his best interest. He got his money two years ago for a job he didn't even have to do. Tell him to shut up and take his punishment like a
man. Or else tell him goodbye. Cuz he'll never live to get a gig in the prison laundry room. And you'll never live see the light of a new
day."

Assured that he'd won, Jason didn't even wait for a verbal reply. He simply stood and walked out of the establishment, flanked by two of Sonny's most trusted guards.
He smirked to himself, feeling more like an under boss than an enforcer. Sonny had trusted him to deliver this critical message, to achieve this goal. And he'd done it.
It felt good…damn good. He'd removed the last challenge to Sonny's freedom.

***

"This has become a circus, you know, a real embarrassment to the city. I've no more patience for it."

Judge Marion Long leaned forward in her chair hunched over a cup of soup that steamed fragrantly under her nose. Justus' stomach growled in protest. He had rushed
from bed with his lover to the law library after seeing AJ's impromptu news conference. Then it had been straight here to Judge Long's chambers for a hastily
scheduled appointment with her and Grayson. Justus was gritty eyed from lack of sleep and he was starving. But this case wouldn't wait.

"I understand your frustration," he told the judge now. "The media attention paid to this case is ridiculous. So let's save the tax payers of Port Charles some money
and end this now."

The judge sipped a little soup and eyed him across the desk with serious eyes. "On what grounds?"

"AJ Quartermaine has made it impossible for my client t get a fair trial—"

"Bull!" Grayson exploded from the chair next to Justus'. "AJ simply said what the populace of PC has been thinking of Corinthos for years!"

"Your Honor, it's not just AJ. The prosecution's case is crumbling. They've lost their major witness and a hit man is the best thing they have going for them. I move we
throw this out. It's over."

Marion eyed the legal motion Justus slapped on her desk. "Looks to be in order, Jack," she noted. "We'll slip it into the docket tomorrow and hash this out."

Her eyes lifted to Justus. "But just for the record, Counselor: I'll be the one to decide when this is over."

Grayson sighed noisily and stood to his feet. "Are we done?" he asked huffily and the judge nodded. He left on a cloud of discontent and Justus beamed.

"Don't get too jubilant, Mr. Ward," the judge warned. "Your client may be winning this battle, but odds are he won't win the war. He's charming and as sexy as sin, but
those things aren't going to keep him out of prison forever. He's got children and a wife. Tell him to change his life or next time he may not be so damn lucky."

Justus met her gaze solemnly, nodded, and left her to her solitude and her soup.

***

They had eaten a light dinner with their daughter and had put her down for the night by reading her a favorite story twice through. Then they'd smothered her round
cheeks with kisses till she'd practically pushed them both away. Now, hours later, they sat in an easy companionable quiet in front of the television, each of them clad
comfortably in their pajamas. Alexis was sprawled across the couch, her satin robe outlining every delicate curve of her long,
lithe body. Sonny sat in an armchair nearby, his legs stretched in front of him, feet crossed at the ankle. His eyelids were lowered as he pretended to watch the news
with her; actually he was stealing glimpses of her beautiful form.

She was stunning, he mused. Just stunning. And all the more so because she refused to believe it of herself.

Because she wasn't paying attention to him, he felt free to let his eyes peruse her…from the classic angles of her lovely face and the elegant column of her neck to the
feminine flare of her hips and the endlessly long line of her legs. He had found heaven when their bodies became one, when the silk and satin of her skin was pressed
against his, when those legs wrapped round him and enveloped him in a sacred heat. He'd felt his world shake and alter each and every time, felt a bit of himself break
off and become hers.

Truth be told, he was no longer his own.

Why didn't that scare him? He had never yielded so much of himself to a woman. Never trusted so much that he'd shared his secret self…his fears…his soul with any
female. He'd thought that no woman could ever face the man he really was inside.

Brenda had tried; she had tried with all her sweet gentle heart, but she'd broken. He'd actually driven her into insanity for a time. He'd hated himself for that. Still
did. He loved her and did not wish her one millisecond of pain on his behalf. When he'd looked into her vacant eyes the countless times he'd damaged her, he had
known. He had known that a creature of such fragile beauty could not ever face the ugliness of his soul.

And then there had been Carly, whose past had been dimmed by angst and doubt and pain long before she had ever met him. She had seemed so tough and strong, a
whirlwind of energy and fortitude. But she was actually a whirlwind of need. He'd thought her able to face his demons with him; he'd thought wrong. She, too, had
broken. First, she'd turned him in to the Feds. Next, she'd turned to another man and had driven Sonny increasingly into his darkness. Her jealous insecure nature had
eaten away at their union like so many carpenter ants on a succulent slab of wood.

But Alexis…Alexis was different.

She didn't have Brenda's outrageous boldness…that saucy exterior that in Ms. Barrett concealed a fractured core. She didn't have Carly's brashness, that outward
show of strength that hid an inner inferiority and selfishness. No, Alexis had something unique… something entirely her own.

She had the heart of a survivor. She had known darkness, the same kind that had plagued Sonny. And she had stood up to it in her own quiet inimitable way. She had
known suffering and she had toughed it out…had made decisions a child shouldn't have to make. Ever. But she had done it, like he had, because it was necessary. And
the result hadn't always been sweetness and light. It hadn't always been something that others could readily accept or understand…as evidenced by the number of
people who had walked away from each of them.

But Alexis could look at Sonny and understand because she'd faced the same losses; and he could do the same for her. That understanding was worth more than gold.
More than the explosive passion with a wounded bird like Brenda…More than the volatile relationship he'd shared with his flighty ex-wife. More than anything.

He and Alexis were in many ways as different as two people could be, yet at the same time twin spirits who seemed to have known each other for all time.

He smiled at the almost mystic nature of his thoughts, and noted that if they had met in a past life, he would still have been a pauper and she a regal princess whose
beauty and wit would stun the hell out of him. And he would have watched her relentlessly until the time was right…and then he'd have stolen off with her to some
dungeon to have his wicked way with her for an entire night. And afterwards she would have never been able to meet his dark eyes without remembering and longing
for him. He, too, would feel the same.

Suddenly Alexis shot upright. "Dear God, Sonny, it's AJ!"

Her startled declaration forced his eyes from her and shifted them to the TV. It was indeed AJ onscreen, the little idiot who'd started this whole fiasco of a federal
case. Looking as pompous and spoilt as ever, he stood before the cameras in a shot from earlier today.

"Mr. Quartermaine asked for the help of the public to get the attempted murder case against reputed mobster, Sonny Corinthos, into court," a reporter intoned in a
voice over.

AJ's insipid voice became audible. "Do you want to live in a town where a man like Sonny Corinthos can decide he doesn't like you and plot to take your life… with no
punishment?" he queried. "I urge you to call the prosecutor and the DA today and compel them to take on this case. Believe me, you won't be safe unless Corinthos goes
to trial and then to jail!"

Sonny muttered a vicious curse in Spanish that was absolutely unmentionable. Alexis frowned at him. "Watch it, that one had a Latin root and I understood it," she
quipped. "Be quiet and let's see what the little weasel is up to."

Properly chastised, Sonny subsided into silence and was surprised to see Justus come onto the scene. "Tonight, Mr. Corinthos' attorney, Justus Ward, issued a
response. Ironically Mr. Ward is a cousin of the alleged victim in this case."

"AJ Quartermaine is a liar at best and an embezzler who stole from his own family at worst," Justus declared. "I have to question his intentions. Is he really after
justice? Then why would he attempt to poison the minds of potential jurors in this case and deny my client due process? Is he really seeking to avenge a crime, or is the
object actually to punish my client for LEGALLY adopting Mr. Quartermaine's son with the complete approval of the
court, I might add? Is this about the case at hand, or is this about the personal agenda of an alcoholic father who lost his son?

"Before this case, my client had never been legally accused of harming Mr. Quartermaine or his family. However, Mr. Quartermaine was investigated by police after a
rather questionable altercation with my client's ex-wife. The altercation resulted in her falling down a staircase and losing her unborn child…nearly losing her own life
as well. So who is the real aggressor here?"

Justus looked directly into the camera. "Actually, in light of all that AJ Quartermaine has done to my client, I think Sonny's a pretty big man NOT to have retaliated.
I doubt that I could have shown such restraint."

Then Justus walked through the crowd of reporters and out of the courthouse doors. A journalist remarked, "Mr. Ward reportedly met with Judge Marion Long today
to ask that the charges against Sonny Corinthos be thrown out due to lack of evidence."

As the story shifted, Sonny triumphantly shut off the TV by remote and laughed out loud. "Ah, Justus. My man!"

Alexis slanted a sly glance his way. "He practically painted a halo over your head."

"Mm-hmm. And rightfully so."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Seriously, he was brilliant," she told him. "He just might get you out of this mess."

"Justus is a damn good lawyer—almost as good as you."

"So whatever you're paying him, triple it."

"No way. You're the only attorney I allow to triple bill me."

His eyes moved slowly over her satin encased curves. "And there have been obvious benefits to that arrangement."
Their eyes caught and held for a moment fraught with tension that was decidedly sexual. Soundlessly, he slid from the armchair to a spot beside her on the sofa.

Chapter 49

Alexis fidgeted a little, feeling rather like prey to his predator. She tried to joke her way out of the feeling. "Are you insinuating that I'd trade my feminine favors
for a hefty legal sum?" she asked saucily.

Sonny grinned. "You? Never. You got too many principles."

She nodded, obviously satisfied with his answer.

" `Course—if I recall-- you tend to lose those principles in satin sheets…"

"Sonny—"

"And in Egyptian cotton ones, too."

"You—Sonny—stop it--"

"That's not what you say to me on top of a goose down comforter…or on this very sofa as a matter of fact…"

"You're an absolute jerk," she told him, but couldn't erase the smile on her lips. He was far too sexy when he was being this way. And his body was far too close to hers
now. How had he managed that? She got up from the couch and walked over to the dining room table. Folding one leg beneath her, she perched on a chair and
distractedly plucked at some pineapple in a bowl leftover from dessert. Her tactic didn't work because—of course--he followed her, taking the seat opposite hers.

He wore a dangerous smile and an even more dangerous glitter in his eyes. "What?" he queried. "What's the problem, Lex?"

She gave him a droll look. "You know damn well what the problem is. We're alone without Krissy or Alice for like five minutes and you start getting all…"

"Getting…what?" he demanded when her voice trailed off.

"Getting…you know…suggestive."

"And that would be wrong because?"

"Well…because…you just keep me all unsettled, Sonny," she protested. "I don't know what you really want here."

His eyes twinkled wickedly; his lips curved. His voice grew husky. "I think you know pretty well what I want."

The look she gave him was that of a mother to an overindulged child. "I meant, I don't know if this is your heart talking or just your libido."

She selected another chunk of pineapple and licked her fingers of its juices. His eyes followed the progress of her tongue.

"Oh, my libido's definitely talkin'. Always does around you. Why would you still be surprised by that?"

He had slid forward in his chair until her thighs were pinioned between his cloth-covered legs. He'd effectively cut off her route of escape. She shook her head and
tried a more direct argument.

"Do you honestly think it's wise to be together when things are…the way they are…between us right now?"

"Hell, yeah. First of all, Lex, I'm a man. Men always think sex is a good idea. Besides with the two of us, it's not just run of the mill sex….it's lovemaking. It's magic."

She looked away. "We had that magic today, but it didn't change anything," she remarked. "And anyway, you were the one who asked to sleep alone after you found out
about Kristina. You recognized that we needed some time apart to adjust to this."

"But I ached for you all night…physically and emotionally, Lex. It was one of the worst nights of my life. And being apart didn't change anything either."

She sighed, sensing a loss in this battle as her stomach fluttered at his words. “I know," she whispered. "But we've been through five kinds of hell these last few days
and at least as many mood swings. I don't know the right thing to do…the right way to act…or even what to think."

"So don't think. I don't wanna think. I just wanna be with my best friend."

She swallowed hard, her eyes falling to her lap. She wanted the very same thing…with every ounce of herself. "You called me that earlier: your best friend," she said.
"I thought I'd lost that title to Jason."

Sonny tipped her chin up with one warm hand. "Jason is…he's my brother. Always will be. But there are things Jason can't do for me. He takes my orders. He supports
me even when he doesn't believe I'm right. But he'd never challenge me like you do when I'm wrong. He'd never expect me to be better than I ever dreamed I could…
and he'd never inspire me to believe in a life beyond this violence."

He reached across to stroke the soft skin of her cheek. "You do. You do all that."

His hand---strong and warm---traced a slow, delicate path down her face to her neck to her collarbone, where his thumb stroked back and forth over the fine bone
structure she knew that he loved to touch. All the while those dark intense eyes followed his fingers with rapt almost reverent focus. Her breath hitched as his hand
continued its inexorable progress downward to trace the sexy vee that hid her breasts and then further still. The satin robe had fallen open and gaped at her middle.
He slipped his fingers past the barrier of satin to touch the warm skin of her abdomen.

She flinched, her cheeks going pink. His eyes lifted questioningly to hers.

"Someone ought to have told you that a woman of a certain age who has had a child doesn't really want her lover staring at her stomach," she explained, and tried to
laugh but it came out husky and fractured. And he knew that she was serious.

"It amazes me that you don't know you're beautiful," he told her. "There are so many places on your body I love. But none more than this: the place where you did
something a man can never do. Where you kept our child safe, nurtured her, and loved her long before she came into this world. You didn't have to keep my child. Hell,
you didn't even have to bare my child. But you did. And the love in that is more than words can say."

He stroked a finger across her navel and back.

"There's no place on you more beautiful than this, Lexis," he told her solemnly and flattened his palm against her so that he felt his heat there…so that it radiated
outward to secret places that made her shiver…so that she felt him within her even without sexual connection.
"God," she asked silently, trembling again. "Will it always be this way? Will I always fracture and fall apart at the thought of this man's hands on me?"

Its simple power stunned her, and she was at once helpless to argue against it for even one more minute. With embarrassing speed, she'd had her mind changed for
her. She was ready to risk it all again for him…and worry about his forgiveness later. Much, much later.

Tenderly, he took her hand, pulled her to her feet, and led her to their bedroom. Having shut the door, he sank to his knees before her. Alexis gasped as he pulled her
by her hips to his mouth. And gently, he kissed her there, on her navel and on the slightly rounded curve of her belly. Over and over, he paid homage to her, his tongue
meeting the silk of her warm flesh until she felt weak and shivery with the heat of his mouth and hands and what they wrought in her. She couldn't halt the groan that
slid between her lips.

"You're beautiful,' he murmured against the softness of her skin, "and you're mine."

She threaded her fingers through his hair, cradled him gently against her, feeling wanted and cherished and loved because of this simple adoring act. The ruthless
powerful domineering Sonny Corinthos was at her feet, offering himself body and soul to her. It moved her beyond words. And desperately, she fought off a fresh
onslaught of tears.

"You belong to me, Alexis," he whispered against her. "My beautiful love. Te amo."

The next moment, she fell to her knees with him, wrapping her arms about his neck and drawing him into a deep and soul shattering kiss until their mouths were swollen
and wet and tingling from their exertion.

"You belong to me, too," she whispered, her hands on his broad chest, reveling in the ripple of his muscles at her touch.

What would pass between them this night would be magic and passionate and shattering as it always was. But it would also be more than just physical. And later, as he
moved to be one with her, he marked her his in his soul; she felt it as clearly as though he'd branded his name upon her breast. And as she caught and held his
shuddering body to hers, she knew that she had branded him hers as well.

The cell phone buzzed on the dining room table. It vibrated all over the mahogany wood singing out notice of Justus' impatient call. But no one heard and no one
answered… until the next morning.

Chapter 50

After the chaos that had rocked their worlds and caused them to dramatically alter the course of their lives, the end came with stunning brevity and two very simple
words:

"Case dismissed."

The hearing had been scheduled for ten and had started on time. Justus had finally gotten through to them at nine that morning. So there had been no time for shock,
only a blur of movement. The two of them in the shower, then donning clothes that looked presentable, respectable, sober. When they felt anything but.

She was a raging amalgam of emotions. She had awakened imprisoned in his arms where she had been held all night feeling languid, sated, heavy with lack of sleep. Now
there was conflict, worry, and nervous tension knotting her stomach…making her spine stiff and straight as she walked into the parking garage of her building. The
emotions came in waves on the way over in the limousine. Until finally they faced the court, literally filled with reporters and Quartermaine’s alternately on each row.

Alexis had seen Jax sitting in the back, and when she entered he'd given her a reassuring, if nervous smile. She'd smiled back, appreciating that his fear was for her.
He knew the devastating blow the loss of Sonny would be to her at this point. And he didn't want her to go through such anguish again.

Of course, no one was surprised to see Carly there, playing her role of bitter, put-upon, betrayed ex-wife to the very hilt, but Alexis saw the tinge of anxiety in her
eyes. No matter how volatile her emotions or how highly idiotic the things the woman would say, there was no doubt in Alexis' mind that she cared about Sonny enough
NOT to want him in prison. Even if he had left her.

And then in the back on the other side of the courtroom was Ned, a totally stoic expression settling on features she'd once thought handsome. Not a glance her way.
Not a word of greeting. Just a cold and cutting glance at Sonny and then his attention was taken by the woman on the bench.

Grayson did his level best to argue against Justus' motion; with no help from an all but immobile Ric at his side, the federal prosecutor even referenced a quote from
Shakespeare for Marion Long. But Alexis could feel the case shift, sensed the subtle change in the legal winds that only an attorney of her brilliance could detect. She
was afraid to hope, to believe her instincts, but somewhere inside her heart began to sing.

Could Sonny beat this?

In the end, Grayson had to admit that even the hit man had bailed on his statement. Then the moment they had awaited arrived. In front of her, she saw Sonny's
shoulders lift and tense. He leaned forward, his fingers folded together onto the table as he endeavored—she knew---to calm himself. Then he turned, ever so slightly,
and looked over his shoulder at her. Their eyes met and held.

His message was unspoken as was hers, but they each read it clearly in the other's face: "I love you."

He did. She did. They did. And at the moment that love was enough.

"Case dismissed."

Alexis fell in love with Judge Long, who clearly knew a lame duck case when she saw it. There was an explosion of noise from the Press Core, from the gallery. The judge
attempted to stop it with her gavel, then shrugged and made to leave the bench. Her responsibility was done, her eyes said to Alexis.

Sonny pumped Justus' hand vigorously, true gratitude in his eyes. But his next contact was Alexis. And she was enveloped in his strong arms and anchored to his body
as if he were willing her never to leave. And she had absolutely no problem with that. His mouth pressed lovingly to hers, as he held her face tenderly to his for one of
those kisses that went on forever even in front of the unwanted company that swirled around them.

When he lifted his mouth simply for breathing's sake, he still held her to him. And it was over his shoulder that she saw Carly leave in a huff. Jason, who'd been
standing by the door, barely acknowledged the woman as she passed though she touched his arm, pouted, and leaned into him clearly expecting support. Finally, she gave
up and left; Alexis couldn't scare up any empathy.

Jason's solemn blue gaze met her own and he actually smiled. She smiled back. He nodded and was gone like the mist after a foggy morning.

The peace of the moment was bound not to last with the riotous lot that was gathered n the courtroom, from journalists firing questions at them to Quartermaine’s
hurling insults destined to be printed on several front page editions.
"That's it?" she heard someone yell. "He gets to plan my murder and just walk away? That's the kind of justice you dole out, Your Honor?"

AJ. His words stopped Marion Long in her tracks. She turned and leveled a cautionary stare at him. "I rendered a verdict based on evidence or lack thereof, Mr.
Quartermaine," she told him coldly. "Your disappointment notwithstanding, don't ever talk to a federal justice in that manner again or you may find yourself in
contempt of court and in a jail cell."

She exited but her absence did not stop the front page seeking of AJ Quartermaine. "She calls that justice? That's what the American court system calls fair? I'm
glad as hell that I live in Europe then!"

Justus smirked wryly. "You should be, cousin. Otherwise, your behind would be in a jail cell for embezzlement, now wouldn't it? Don't say the American court system
never did you any favors!"

"Well, he's certainly right there," Tracy piped in.

"Indeed," Edward said, eyeing his grandson coldly. "If we had any sense, we'd press charges against the little thief before he gets on a plane for parts unknown again."

Furious, AJ stormed from the room into the waiting hands of myriad reporters.

Tracy spread her hands questioningly toward her family. "Well? What are you waiting for? You're all just going to stand there while AJ takes off?" she demanded.
"Forget Sonny. I'm tailing the crook. Maybe I can find some of my money."

And she left the court posthaste, Tracy—as always—looking after Tracy. Justus shook his head. "Ah, Quartermaine family solidarity. Nonexistent."

"Look what you did, Edward," Monica scoffed. "Ran my son off once again. Maybe we could have talked…negotiated something. He's still family."

"And he's also still a little thief. Who didn't even come to Lila's funeral," her father in law rebuffed. "Don't ask me to forget that…or to forgive it."

There was a tense silence among them as Monica swallowed, having a hard time answering that accusation herself. Finally she gave up trying and tried another
argument. "You're confusing the point, Edward. The issue is that Sonny Corinthos goes free again with the help of your other grandson!"

"Yes, Father," Alan intoned. "You don't have any censure for the man who betrayed his family to defend this thug yet again? To help the man who stole one son from me
then tried to murder the other?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Justus knows damn well what I think of his choice of clients. He's a fool if he believes Corinthos will help his career."

Justus' lip curled. "Make no mistake, Sonny pays an excellent retainer. And the media certainly ran wild with this story, which gave me great publicity. But once again,
my shortsighted and self- engrossed family, you've missed the entire point. Maybe this wasn't about money or notoriety. Maybe it was about trying to get someone a
second chance. Maybe it was to show you all that I have my own ethics, my own goals, and I make my own decisions. That I'm not about to get dictated to like the poor
minority relation. I live my own life. Get used to it."

Alexis gave a secret inward cheer for her lawyer; she'd fought the same battle for her self-identity when she'd been engaged to Ned. And the only way to win it had
been to run. She was proud of Justus for fighting them head to head.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, Ned himself walked forward into the fray, his eyes more distant than she had ever seen them as they swept over her. "Don't
you know what's going on here, Alan? Grandfather?" he queried, sarcasm thick in his tone. "Justus is one of the Pod People now, one of the Sonny Lover's Club. He has
no mind of his own. They all surrender it to Sonny; it's part of the bylaws."

Alexis sighed, eyeing Ned, her husband, and the blocked path to the doorway alternately. This was sure to be ugly. "Ashton—"

"No, Sonny," Alexis told him, a delicate hand placed on his arm. "Ned, just stop this. Your family is intact. AJ is alive. You don't like the verdict; make an appeal to the
judge. You'll get nowhere, but it's your right to try."

She turned to her husband. "Let's go."

"Running away again?" Ned sneered, stopping her cold. "You've done that your whole life. Can't you ever stand your ground, Alexis?"

And though she knew with all her heart that she should ignore him and go, she was unable to back down from that kind of challenge. It just wasn't in her. He had
crossed the line with his criticism: they had been lovers for years and he still knew nothing about what made her who she was today. This man would not be allowed to
pass judgment on her life. Not even once more.

Alexis turned back to him and froze him with her eyes.

"Oh no, Ned," she said, her voice rapier sharp, "I'm not running. You'll never make me run anywhere ever again."

Chapter 51

"Ned, back off." This time the warning voice belonged to Jax who had walked up from the back of the room. "Let it go."

"No, Jax, don't stop me now. I'm enjoying this little spectacle: Alexis standing here supporting Sonny. Its rich, but by God it's not new! Risking her whole life—and her
daughter's as well—on a thug who chose Carly over her time and time again!"

Sonny pushed past her before Alexis could do a thing to stop him. "Whatsa matter, Nedly? " he taunted. "Hurt that she didn't want to risk anything to be with you?"

Silence fell in whispered gasp across the courtroom; Ned's eyes physically reddened and he stepped closer to Sonny. Alexis tried once more to stave off the conflict
that was approaching with the relentless speed of an oncoming train. "This is so pointless. We are over; we have been for some time. Let go of the petty jealousy and
just walk away."

Ned's eyes swept over her again with disdain. "I HAVE walked away from you, Alexis. Or were you too dim to notice that part?" Sonny tensed; she felt it.

"Don't you ever talk that way to her. I won't allow it. That's your warning. And it'll be the only one."

Ned's eyes snapped back to him, foolishly unafraid. "Ooh, did you hear that everybody? The threats come so easy to him now that he knows he can get away with
murder. God, Alexis, this is the man you trust to raise my daughter?"

If possible, Sonny stiffened even more. "She was NEVER your daughter! Get that through your head. And you can be damned sure that if I knew she was mine back
when you stole her from her mother, you'd have never drawn another breath."
"Wow! Look at that: a second threat in less than a minute? Am I supposed to quake? Fall on my knees, Sonny? Like Alexis has apparently done for you many, many times,
I'd guess."

"You sick bastard—"

Jax jumped between the two men just as Sonny surged forward.

"No!" Monica cried simultaneously.

Alexis cringed; she was absolutely mortified. She had never known that someone she had loved could debase her so, and do so in a roomful of witnesses.

"This is getting way out of hand!" Jax shouted at his friend. "This isn't about your anger with Sonny anymore; it's about stuff you didn't finish with Alexis! And that's
not her problem; it's yours!"

Ned, totally out of control now, flung off Jax's restraining hand. "Still in her corner even now? When she'll let him threaten my life twice and not say a word? Maybe
you're delusional, too, Jax!

"And by the way, when will everyone realize that I am NOT jealous of Corinthos? I am NOT longing for Alexis. Hardly. I had her already… often…and in many, many
ways…and from what I remember it's really nothing to miss!"

Somehow (and no one afterward would be able to tell exactly how), Sonny maneuvered around Jax with a lightning quickness no one thought he possessed and grabbed
two fistfuls of Ned's shirt, his black gaze daring anyone to try and stop him. "You need to shut your filthy mouth before I shut it for you! I am trying DAMN HARD to
have restraint and not beat the crap outta you because she loved you once and because you're obviously in pain and making a COMPLETE ass out of yourself! But don't
push me, Ashton! Dear God, don't push me any more than you already have!"

Amazingly, Ned smiled. An eerie wounded smile that was so sad it hurt her to see it. "In pain, Sonny? Why would you think I'm in pain? Just because the woman I loved
turned to you over and over again when we were together? Just because she took a child that she let me call my own and turned her over to you when we'd decided
that that was too dangerous? Just because she let you plan to MURDER a family member of mine and never told me? Because she apparently never gave a damn about
me in the first place? Why would any of that hurt me?

"Why would I still WANT someone like that, some little bitch with no pride who lets YOU crawl all over her in bed at night—"

And that, as they say, was the proverbial last straw.

He didn't get to finish that sentiment. Sonny's fist was rammed so soundly into Ned's offensive mouth that the man flew over the prosecutor's table ending up in a
heap on the floor. Sonny—in a fit of rage--followed him over the table, leaping on him with a flurry of fists so fast and unerringly precise that it took Jax and two
guards to pry him loose.

Alexis was horrified as she watched Sonny fight like the boy he had once been on the streets of New York. She was not embarrassed about the violence though she
knew she should have been; Ned had asked for his punishment more than once. Rather, she was embarrassed over the way Ned had made Sonny lower the polished,
controlled veneer he strove so hard to erect and maintain.

She knew that later—in a more sober moment—Sonny would regret his loss of control in front of them. He'd regret giving them yet another reason to label him an
animal. He would pretend valiantly to one and all---even to Alexis—that the Quartermaine's disdain meant nothing to him. Just like he'd pretended that selling
newspapers in the snow while people blithely drove by him had meant nothing. But Alexis knew differently; she knew that his pride meant everything. And that was why
she would hate Ned Ashton from that day forward. Not for herself but for Sonny.

As Jax delivered Sonny back to his feet and to her side, with a stern warning to stop the madness now, Alexis took him into her arms, cradling a hurt and bloodied fist
that would surely be swollen in the hours to come. She looked at him with tender eyes. He was so angry he could only stare at Ned on the floor, his chest heaving, and
adrenaline pumping, at the ready to go at him again if need be.

Her whispered voice was what deescalated his flaring emotions, called him back from the abyss that had claimed his conscious mind when he'd lost it a moment ago.
"It's alright, Sonny. It's okay. Just calm down. You took care of it. It's done. No more, now. Please no more."

Her words dragged his eyes from Ned back to her face, serene even in this time of great strain. He nodded numbly at her and allowed some of the tension to ebb from
his body. She felt him relax against her and she absorbed his weight, becoming his support now.

"Look what you did to his face!" Monica flared, as they all spied Ned's bloody lip and a jaw that was already turning black and blue and a peculiar shade of green.

"My God, you're barbaric!" Alan yelled. "You think you run this town! Well, you don't! We'll sue you for this! We'll prosecute you! These guards saw it. My whole family
saw it. You'll be back behind bars before noon, Sonny!"

Alexis was the one to stiffen now. She stepped away from her husband and shielded his body with her own as she faced down people she had once considered friends
and nearly family. "You do that and I will dig up every dirty, tawdry, lowdown, scandalous underhanded thing each of you has ever done and make sure it is published in
every newspaper in this region. By the time I am done with you, every citizen in the surrounding areas will know the salacious details of the Quartermaine family; it will
be a story in proportion to the Martha Stewart trial. You will NEVER live it down, do you all hear me? And the Amanda Barrington’s of this world will not hesitate to cut
you off from every powerful echelon you inhabit."

Alexis met Edward's eye and fearlessly faced him down. "You doubt that I will? Then try me. Have Sonny arrested and see if I'm not a woman of my word."

Edward stared back unflinching, a man of consummate skill who could spot a bluff anywhere he found it. It took him only moments to see Cassadine steel in her eyes
and back down.

He looked at the waiting guards and waved a dismissive hand. They stood down and cleared the scene. Alexis turned to her husband. "Looks like we're done here. Let's
go home."

And that's exactly what they did.

Chapter 52

The limo moved smoothly through the streets of Port Charles carrying its two silent occupants on the short journey home. It had taken Sonny and Alexis quite some
time to carve a path through the rabid crowd of journalists at the front of the courthouse building. Justus had given them the requisite statement about how the
court system had prevailed and an innocent man had been set free. But they had clamored for a quote from the infamous couple and followed them all the way to the
limo in order to get it.

They got nothing but a smile, a wave, and limo exhaust in their faces.
And now Alexis was glad for the back streets and side alleys Max was negotiating with expertise in the big, sleek car. Not one journalist had been able to catch them,
an amazing feat in itself. Thus she was convinced Max had been a CIA operative in a past life; but she was deeply grateful for his skill. She was tired of prying eyes…of
judgmental glares…of whispers and pointing. She just wanted to be alone in the quiet of her old life.

Well, not quite alone, she mused, as she looked over at Sonny. She wanted someone else to share her world. For the first time in a long time.

His face was turned toward the window as he watched the passing scenery. His shoulders were tensed; he still looked pensive. Automatically, she found herself
reaching for his hand, which lay on the soft leather between them, her fingers tracing the bruises on his knuckles with acute tenderness.

"It's over," she whispered. "We made it."

He turned his black gaze to her, and she found his eyes clouded with emotion. "Yeah, we did," he replied. "But I…I'm sorry…I…uh…I messed up back there."

Alexis frowned. "What?"

"I let him get to me," he said and she knew he meant Ned. "I lost it and I shouldn't have. I-I know you…you don't like the violence…that part of who I am. And I tried
not to let it take over, but I just—"

She silenced him with gentle fingertips pressed against his warm lips and shook her head. "Why are you apologizing, Sonny?" she asked him. "I mean, yes, I'm no fan of
violence, but if ever a man deserved to be knocked out it was Ned just now. I only wish I could have been the one to do it."

Sonny stared. "I just …I couldn't stand there and do nothing after the things he said about you. But I gotta admit, I actually thought you'd be mad at me…"

"Are you kidding?" she asked him, a radiant grin overtaking her face. "No one---no one since Stefan---has defended my honor so well. Ned said things today that I
never imagined he would ever say. And he hurt me. But you took the hurt away when you stood up for me. I love you for that."

She took his injured hand in her own, lifted it to her mouth, and kissed it lovingly. "You did me proud," she whispered.

He grinned back, but she could see that his eyes were not quite dry. As masculine a man as he was, he was also emotional with the people he trusted. She could see that
the tension of this situation had taken its toll. And she was gratified that he felt safe enough with her to let her help him bear it.

"You stood up for me, too," he whispered now. "This whole time. To everyone who came against me. Just like you used to back when we were first friends. And when the
Quartermaine’s tried to pull their usual bull just now, you fought them down like the tigress I know you are. If I didn't know you were an ethical woman, I'd have made
you part of my organization."

Alexis' grin turned lopsided as she looked at him warningly. "Don't even joke about that, Mr. Corinthos," she told him.

"Sorry," he said on a chuckle and dropped a small tender kiss on the side of her neck. Reflexively, he drew her by her waist across the seat and into his body until she
inhaled the unique dark and spicy cologne he wore and the inimitable all male scent of his skin. It went straight to her head as it always did overloading her senses with
wanting. And once again she found herself wondering if it would always be this way. And acknowledging within herself that she'd never known anything like this pull with
anyone else.

She breathed in deeply, a slight tremor running through her. He was free. She'd helped keep him free. That in itself was a blessing. Dare she ask God for anything
more than that? For a commitment from him… for a future?

He leaned back from her slightly and took her lips in a series of brief deep kisses that stole her breath in their intensity. Then he looked at her, his dark eyes
glittering into hers. "I wanna ask you something."

Her pulse jumped. "What—what is it?"

"You wanna go on a honeymoon with me?"

Her heart almost stopped she was so stunned at his words. Her mouth parted on a slight gasp.

"Cuz…cuz I was thinkin' maybe Paris," he said. "You like Europe. Or maybe I could take you to Greece; you could show me where you grew up if you want. Or we could
just keep it simple and go back to Puerto Rico. I could watch you lose at roulette again. We could swim in the ocean all night. Lay in bed talking. Not talking. Whatever."

His eyes shadowed and he fidgeted with a tendril of her hair, curling it round his finger, then pushing it behind the pink shell of her ear.

"This… the way we are now …is so new, Lex," he said softly. "I just think we should have some time alone to enjoy it…to figure it out. But only if that…if that's what you
want, too."

He stared at her and she saw the question lingering in his eyes, the uncertainty. She couldn't believe it: Sonny didn't know whether she wanted this either! She was
amazed that a man who seemed so self- assured, who was so sexy and dynamic, who could have practically any woman he wanted, would get so nervous asking her to
commit to him.

Because that's what he was asking, in essence, she reasoned inside her rather methodical mind. There would be no need to honeymoon if he weren't considering this a
marriage that would last beyond today. That thought more than anything else painted a beatific smile on her face.

"I think we should keep it simple," she answered him softly. "Puerto Rico has worked for us before. And there are so many more confessions in the moonlight we need
to indulge in…plus I could stand another dip in your lovely fountain."

He traced her jaw line and then her lips with his fingertips. "I wanted to make love to you so badly that night," he told her, and her heart jumped again. Because she
had wanted exactly the same thing, with all her heart. But Carly…

She shook her head of the memory. "No regrets," she said. "Everything happens for a reason. And we'll do it right this time."

"Speaking of that, doing things right, I been…I been thinking of the future a lot. While the whole trial was going on, it kinda helped me to think about you and me and
what we'd do if I beat the charges."

"You did?" she asked giddily as the thought tickled her. "What did you think about?"

"Well, you know I like your apartment…just as much as I liked my penthouse. But they're both in the city. And they're kinda cramped. I thought it would be nice if--if
we got a place in the suburbs. You know, a big house where Kristina could have a yard and a swing set and a place to feel free. Stuff I didn't have growing up in the city.
And Michael and Morgan…they'd have a room to use when they stayed over with us."
Alexis melted. She loved him for his beautiful dreams, especially the ones he had for his children. She thought he was being a little optimistic, believing that the harpy
would let her children spend the night at their house, but stranger things had happened.

"I…I always felt trapped in the city," he told her, his eyes taking on a faraway look. "In New York and in Port Charles. Trapped in this image I made….this tough guy
people have to believe I am. I can't really be myself there. I don't want that for Krissy. I don't want one moment of that in her life."

Her heart squeezed and she nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. "I didn't grow up in the city like you, but I think the Island had the same horrific effect. Living in
a cold fortress surrounded on all sides by water. It was very much like being trapped, the despised stepdaughter of the woman who murdered my mother. I felt so
weak each and every day of my life. Until I escaped it and made myself a new existence and a new home. I don't ever want Krissy to experience any of that struggle
either. I want her always to feel free."

He nodded, then looked away, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. His eyes grew troubled like the sea suddenly disturbed by the winds of a storm.

"There is something else we have to deal with though. You--you know my life…and you know my business. It's not gonna miraculously disappear. The reality of getting
out of it is difficult even at the best of times. With this investigation, getting out now would be just about impossible.

"At the same time, people know now that Krissy's my daughter. She has to have guards. 24 hours, Lex. A country house will make it easier for her to feel free though
she has to have that protection."

It was something Alexis had forced herself NOT to think about since this mess started; that part of Sonny's life was so detestable to her hat she had hid her
daughter from him for two years. But now…now they had to deal with it. Calmly and rationally if they were to have a safe and happy life. She knew she was ready to do
that. Because what she had with Sonny and her daughter was worth the challenge.

She swallowed hard and met his eyes steadily, saw the insecurity there again as he waited for what she would decide. She chose her words carefully, measured their
effect before she said them.

"I won't lie to you and say that doesn't scare me," she said.

She saw him swallow convulsively. "But you know, even if she hadn't been your daughter," she whispered, "there would have eventually been a need for security. My
stepmother…for some ungodly reason…feels drawn to this town. And like a homing pigeon she always returns to wreak havoc on our lives. She would have targeted
Kristina; I'm almost certain. In the same way she targets me. So…protection to some degree was always going to have to be a part of her life. Just like it was a part of
mine."

His eyes cleared and she felt the tension ebb out of him in increments. Almost absently, he caressed her collarbone, toyed with the skin at her pulse points sending
little shivers fissuring through her.

"You don't know how glad I am that you said that," he sighed. "God, I wasn't sure you'd even want to stay married to me. I took a shot in the dark. I mean, there's
really nothing tying you to me anymore."

She shook her head at him. "Silly man, there's this," she said taking his hand and placing it over her heart. "And there's this, too."

With slow, deliberate movements, she leaned across to take his face in her hands and placed her mouth, open and hot, on his. She took her time tasting his sweetness…
savoring the taste that was uniquely Sonny… drawing his tongue into her mouth…dueling with him for long moments that stoked the fire inside each of them. The
familiar ache settled low in her body as she slanted her mouth and took the kiss even deeper.

She felt him shudder, felt the rush of heat as he breathed a moan into her. Her fingers shifted through his hair even as he anchored her closer to his body…as close
as their positions would allow. She heard the privacy screen slide up between the front and back seats. In the back of her mind, she thought she heard Max chuckle
but couldn't make herself care.

She was a millisecond from implosion when he drew back, heaving air into his lungs. He was shaking in her arms with the desire to have her; she felt it and it sent a jolt
of pride in her feminine power over him surging through her body.

"Things are about to get far too interesting for a moving limousine," he whispered huskily. "A car is fine for a quick passionate interlude. We'll save that for another
time. Cuz the need in me right now is much too great for a car. I'm gonna get you home and take you to bed and make love to you so long we'll forget what day it is."

A huge Cheshire cat grin spread over her lovely mouth as she burrowed into the warm hollow of his neck. "You promise?"

With intensity she couldn't miss he met her eyes. "Yeah," he whispered. "And from here on out, I keep all my promises."

Just then she felt a vibrating against her chest. It was quite nice actually, she thought, and pressed closer to him before she realized what it was. His cell phone in his
breast pocket. Of course, her mind railed. How surprising. What else would happen during this perfectly passionate moment between them?

"I am not answering that," he said his teeth clenched.

Though she knew she'd regret it, she pulled from him with a sigh. "You have to," she said. "It might be Alice, or it might be about the boys."

He grimaced ruefully as he opened the offensive piece of technology. "These things are the tool of the devil," he muttered and she laughed.

"It's okay," she murmured, meeting his gaze with her heart in her eyes. "There's no hurry. We have forever."

But as he listened to his message, she watched the happiness and desire fade; saw his whole face change and his smile disappear. And she knew a fear that forever
could be cut short.

Chapter 53

Like one of Medusa's unlucky victims, Sonny felt as if he'd been turned to stone.

Perhaps that was indeed what had happened to him. One fateful day, he had been bewitched by a beauty…had joined his life to hers believing that she was beautiful
inside as well…only to find that she was as evil and self-serving as Medusa herself. And like that classic mythological creature, every time Carly touched his world, she
turned it to a pile of rubble.

This time, she had outdone herself.

His little boy's words surged through his heart, hot and sharp like the blade of a dagger. And with sudden vicious force, his fist closed around his phone in a viselike
grip, so tightly that the display window cracked and the colors bled together madly.

"Daddy, don't you…don't you love me anymore? Did I do something wrong?"


The damning words reverberated against his skull caught in some sickening echo. Michael was nine…nearly ten, but he'd sounded like a toddler, his voice high and
uncertain and shaking with emotion. He'd been crying; a sob punctuated each sentence. Sonny had felt each one like a blow.

"Why haven't you come to see me?"

The rejection in the boy's voice twisted Sonny's stomach into knots. This was what Mike Corbin—his own father-- had made him feel all those years ago.
Brokenhearted. Alone. Like some unwanted afterthought. A cast-off. The Cerullo family's charity case. Sonny gritted his teeth against the remembered indignity and
pain. He'd felt betrayed and abandoned.

And now his little Michael felt the same way about him.

"Mommy told me you're too busy for me. She said—she said Kristina's your real daughter and that you live with her now. Does that mean…do you love her more than me,
Dad?"

Red…the color of murderous rage…flashed before his eyes and blinded him to everything else. It stiffened his spine until he was coiled as tightly as a spring, every
muscle in his body tensed against the almost savage ache that stole his breath. He had sworn never to hurt a child, his child. Never to make his offspring feel an ounce
of the pain he'd experienced in his own youth. And now here was the evidence that he had failed at what he considered a man's most sacred duty.

"What did I do to make you stop loving me? Tell me Dad and I won't do it anymore. I promise."

No…oh God, no, his heart cried. He saw Michael's eyes in his mind, full of the hero worship that all little boys reserved for their daddies. That child could never do
anything so wrong that Sonny would turn away from him. Ever. He'd raised him to understand that…or so he'd thought, but Carly had destroyed that understanding
with her bitter, selfish garbage.

"Sonny?"

He felt Alexis's concerned gaze upon him, saw her reach out to touch his arm, heard the worry in her soft voice. But for long moments he couldn't look at her; he
couldn't even speak. He struggled against the tears standing in his eyes, brimming angrily, his fury so deep his body wouldn't even let him shed them.

He had to swallow several times in order to get words past the lump in his throat. And when he could finally do it, they were raw and hoarse and so soft he was sure she
had to struggle to hear them.

"It was…it was Michael," he said. "Carly told him Krissy's my daughter…my real child…and that she's more important to me than he is. She told him…she told him I
don't love him like I love Kristina. She made him feel like NOTHING just to get to me. God, Lex, how could any mother be that cruel?"

He looked at her and saw her face contort into lines of rage. "Because she's selfish and petty and has the mind of a child!" she flashed. "But don't you worry, she will
NOT win this one! You'll go see Michael…right now…and you'll fix this!"

His eyes closed on his despair; a few tears squeezed between his lids. "I don't even know what to say to him. I-I don't know how to undo it. You didn't hear the pain in
his voice…"

"You'll know what to say when you see him. When you hold him. Your heart will give you the words, Sonny. It always does."

His eyes opened, his doubt shining there. "You have so much confidence in me. You make me feel like I can do anything."

His heart swelled as she stared at him, faith shining in her eyes. "Because I think you can. I know you're a good father. I never doubted that. Michael knows you are,
too. And once he sees you, he'll remember what being with you is like. And he'll know that you'd never ever abandon him."

Sonny was silent, nodding as he rubbed a hand wearily over the corner of his eye.

"You just have to tell him, you know. The whole truth."

He looked at her questioningly.

"That it was Carly who prevented you from seeing him."

"No."

"You have to make him understand it's not that you didn't want to be with him, but that his mother was angry and wouldn't allow you to…"

"I said, no," he repeated, his voice flat and definitive.

She frowned at him, clearly taken aback. "What do you mean, no?"

"I won't discredit his mother in front of him."

"But that's what she's done to you, Sonny!"

He shook his head, certain in his resolve. "It'll hurt him even more if I tell him that."

"And it'll also hurt him if you don't. If you let him believe you just don't want to be with him."

"Lex, you don't…you don't understand," he told her gruffly.

She shook her head. "No, apparently I don't. So make me."

He sighed, then softened his voice, tried to explain it differently. "Carly and I and our messed up marriage have already scarred him enough for ten lifetimes. I can't
add to that, Lex. I can't dishonor his mother in his eyes. It would only make things worse."

Alexis' head tilted as she regarded him with an odd look. He almost tangibly felt the racing energy in her over-analytical brain and knew the next question would not be
one he wanted to hear…or to answer.

"He's lived through divorce and custody battles and his parents with other partners, right?" she asked him.

"Yes," he answered and waited for the other shoe to drop.

"Then obviously he's a mature and strong little boy who can face the truth. So why can't you tell him the truth about his mother?" she fired. "What's the real reason?"

Sonny frowned. "I told you the real reason. I don't wanna change the way he feels about her. No matter what she did to me."
"Is that it? Is it really because you don't want Michael to stop loving Carly? Or is it because YOU can't?"

Chapter 54

There was a silence in the car so heavy and thick that it felt like another person had entered and had taken a spot on the back seat between them. Sonny turned his
eyes away from her stubbornly.

"Come on, Alexis."

"No, don't run from this," she said. "Answer me. Is it about Michael's respect for his mother…or yours?"

"I can't even believe you asked me that."

"Why not? It's a logical question. I'm a logical woman."

"You're being a lawyer."

"That's who I am."

"That's not who you are; it's what you do. You're not a lawyer in this car. You're my wife. You're my lover, and you're supposed to know how I feel about you."

"I do. I know that you care about me."

"That I LOVE you," he said swinging his furious gaze back to her.

Alexis bit her lip and nodded. "Okay, that you love me. But you said it yourself. It's new this relationship between us. I guess I trust it one minute and fear it the next.
I need to KNOW that some part of you isn't holding on to what you felt for Carly and hiding it under a concern for your son."

The car drew to a smooth silent stop. They had arrived outside her apartment building. But nobody moved.

She sighed heavily resting her head against the cushions for a moment. He knew what she was waiting for: to see if he would answer her…to see if he would confirm or
deny that he cared about his ex…to see if he would explain why he was still protecting the woman. But Sonny would be damned if he answered any of those questions.

Alexis had betrayed him yet he hadn't walked away. Didn't that tell her anything? He had more than proven his love for her in his mind. It was time she trusted it.

Besides, when he knew he was right…when he'd made up his mind…he didn't spend a million years explaining his rationale to anyone. Not even to his attorney wife who
felt she had the right to cross-examine him at will.

At long last, she seemed to tire of awaiting his answer, opened her own door, and slid gracefully from the car without a word. After a moment, he stepped out, too, one
hand on the roof of the vehicle as he stared across it at her.

"So you know I've gotta go see Michael, and you're just gonna leave it like this…with this argument hanging over our heads?" he demanded.

She folded her arms and he read the obstinate turn of her chin as she lifted it. "I guess so…since you don't have any answers for me. You won't explain why you can't
tell Michael the truth about this situation. No one's asking you to make Carly out to be the Wicked Witch of the West, Sonny. Just to tell your son you're not guilty of
what she's accused you of!"

"I gave you my answer," he barked. "And I told you why. You're just not accepting it. I can't break Michael's heart in six more pieces. You wouldn't do that to Kristina!
Don't ask me to do it to my son!"

"I wouldn't HAVE to do it to Kristina, cuz you'd never USE her to get me into your life the way Carly is using MICHAEL to get back into yours! I have to question why
you'd protect someone like that…ex or not!"

"Well, you know what, at some point it's time to stop askin' me about it and just trust my answer! I'm planning a life with you! A honeymoon… a new home! And you're
wonderin' if I still love her? Why would I do that, Lex? Why would I plan a future with YOU if I still loved HER?"

Her gaze fell to a spot between her feet. "I don't know, Sonny. But it's been a pattern with you, hasn't it? You've gone back to her a helluva lot."

He sighed noisily. "Now you're repeating what Ned said…the man you applauded me for beating up a few minutes ago."

"Well, one part of what he said was true. Just now…when you refused to tell Michael the truth…it hit me like a ton of bricks that she's done all these hellish things to
you yet you've gone back to her. Each and every time. She's betrayed you with another man yet you've gone back to her. Lied to you countless times yet you went back.
You forgave and went back. Me…I did one thing…and you are ‘working’ on forgiving me. Who knows when or if you'll succeed."

Sonny's jaw clenched. "That ONE THING you did was to keep my kid from me for two years. You're someone I trusted never to betray me like that. Excuse me if it hit
me hard."

She looked away but not before he saw the pain cloud her eyes. Instantly he regretted shoving that into her face again. But she'd pushed him to it.

When she spoke again, her voice broke. "All of Carly's lies must have hit you hard too, but you got over THEM."

He fixed her with a stare so intense it called her eyes back to his.

"You're not Carly," he said. "Maybe I find it so hard to forgive your betrayal because it hurts more than anything she ever did… because I love you like I've loved no
one else including my ex-wife. You ever think of that, Alexis?"

He held her eyes for another minute, until the backs of his own began to burn with suppressed tears and then he slid back into the limo without a glance and told Max
to drive away. His heart was somewhere in his belly, stomped on first by Michael's message and then by Alexis' ever-present doubts. He leaned back in the car and
fought an oncoming headache, wondering to himself how a day of such stunning victory had become stained with such a vicious defeat.

***

The evidence of tears had been on Michael's face when Sonny had arrived, and even now fresh ones cascaded down his ruddy little cheeks as he had the conversation
no kid ever sees coming...the kind that fractures a childhood.

Sonny had feared not having the words, but as he'd held the slender body in his arms, inhaled the familiar soapy scent of the child he'd reared for so long now, it had
been just as Alexis had said. The words had come.

"You know I try real hard never to lie to you, right?" he whispered.
The boy nodded solemnly.

"Well, I gotta tell you some important stuff and I want you to listen real good to me, okay?"

There was another solemn nod.

"Your Mama and I…you know that we…we fought a lot, Michael. And you know that we decided that we couldn't live together like a family and be happy. So we…we split
up and we lived apart. Remember? You lived in that nice house on your own. And you guys used to visit as much as you could."

The boy nodded. "But then we came back here to live."

Sonny swallowed. "Yeah, buddy, we all lived here again for a while. I let that happen because you asked me to, and Daddy would do just about anything to make you
happy. But I found something out: I love you so much that sometimes I do the wrong thing just to make you smile."

Michael's eyes lit. "You do?"

"Yeah…yeah, I do. When I…when we all lived here together…I made you think I could be happy livin' with Mommy. That was a lie. And it…it was wrong of me to do that.
Cuz you and Morgan got used to us all being together again and you two were all excited…but Mommy and me…we weren't."

Michael frowned. "Why, Daddy? Why can't you guys just get along and not fight and be in love like you used to be?"

Sonny stared at him for a moment and wished to God he had the answer to that question. As it was, all he could do was shrug his shoulders. "I don't know, Michael. All I
know is it can't work out if everybody in the family isn't happy. And you know Mommy and me…we're always gonna love you and Morgan…our boys…but we can't all live
together."

The sorrow in his child's eyes was something that hit him like a leaden weight; it was something he hoped never to see there again but knew instinctively…as a parent…
that he would have to bear it many times in the future.

In the quiet moments that ensued, he held Michael as he cried and gave the soothing words his heart fed him. Sonny knew that he was indeed doing what was best for
his children. Even though he'd spent his adult life indicting his own father for leaving, Sonny knew that in this situation, leaving was best for all concerned.

Still his own heart broke for his son.

"You know you'll always have a place with me," he assured him. "In my new house, you guys can come visit whenever you want to and stay over… get to know your new
sister. I hope you'll love her, Michael. Cuz she's just a little thing…only a little bigger than your brother. And she needs somebody to look out for her."

Sonny drew a finger under Michael's wobbling chin and lifted it until the boy met his eyes. "And there's only one guy I trust enough to protect Kristina and Morgan…
that's you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you, buddy."

A smile fought its way through the tears and Michael leaned in to hug his father tightly. "Am I still your boy?" he whispered.

"You're still my boy…my first boy," Sonny whispered fervently. "And I love you with everything I got."

Chapter 55

Gently, he pulled the blanket up around his son's ears, assured by the deep, regular fall of the child's chest that he was tucked in for a long nap. Michael didn't usually
take them anymore, but he'd been so emotionally drained after their talk that his little body had just given out on him.

Sonny sighed. Truth be told, he was exhausted, too. From the hearing this morning, his fight with Ned, this ordeal with his son…his argument with Alexis…and of course
from the effort it had taken not to strangle Carly when she'd opened the door to him earlier.

Now it would take that same superhuman effort to leave the penthouse without doing her bodily harm. He knew he'd have to talk to her about what she'd said to
Michael, but right now his emotions ran far too high and his tolerance far too low. He didn't trust himself to keep his hands from her throat.

So he shrugged on his suit jacket wearily and slipped quietly down the stairs and was nearly to the front door when she caught him. "Leaving without saying goodbye?"

He whirled to face her, fury instantly ablaze in his eyes. "Oh, I got a few more choice words for you than just goodbye, Carly."

She sauntered down the stairs and across the living room, planting herself in front of him and folding her arms challengingly. "Say what you need to, Sonny. No one's
stopping you."

"The presence of my sons upstairs asleep in their beds is stopping me."

"Worried they'll hear you abusing their mother?" she sneered, one eyebrow raised. "I don't think we should protect them from reality anymore."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded, stepping dangerously close to her. "That you feel free to tell my son I don't want him anymore? That I love his
sister more than I love him?"

She met his gaze unflinchingly. "Truth hurts, huh?"

"It's NOT the truth!" he erupted. "It's your own warped version of payback for me being with the woman I love. But you don't realize you're not just hurting me;
you're hurting your children!"

Carly's hands found her slender hips as her stance turned combative. "YOU are the one who's hurting your kids. You walked out on them."

"I have not abandoned my boys…"

"You WALKED OUT on them. You chose your whore's child over them. You think you can do no wrong? You're some fabulous father? Well, right about now, I think
you're no better than Mike!"

He tasted the acrid flavor of bile in his throat. She had used his most secret fear like a knife's blow to his gut, slashing him deep, and she had done it without
hesitation. He looked at her with a scathing disgust he couldn't even contain. How could he ever have loved her? How could he ever have had respect for her? How
could he ever have called her strong or brave? She was a coward…afraid of being alone…afraid of facing the end of their relationship…afraid to admit they'd made a
colossal mistake.
He had to step back from her to preserve a safe distance because his hands itched to slap the smug expression off her face.

"I'm outta here," he said. "I'll have my lawyer contact you about visitation for the boys."

He'd turned and gotten some six steps away when she said it. "What makes you think you can see my children?"

He turned, hands on his hips. "What the hell did you say?"

"You heard me," she said. "I have custody. What makes you think I'll allow visitation? I told you when this thing first started that if you married her you'd never see
them. Clearly from what I overheard you telling Michael, you're not going to give up this farce with Alexis. You're going to stick it out. Fine; choose her. But you're also
choosing not to be with your kids."

Sonny felt his chest constrict and struggled to rasp oxygen into his lungs. "You cannot keep me from my children, Carly."

"I can't?" she simpered. "I repeat: I have custody. You gave it up when a BOMB blew up your car. You admitted in open court that your life is too dangerous for your
children. It's public record. Do you really think any judge will force me to share my boys with you?"

There was absolutely nothing to say to that. She was right of course.

He was Sonny Corinthos; reputed mob boss; a man whose warehouses had blown sky high more times than anyone could count. The courts would think twice…maybe
three times…before granting him rights to two minors.

He eyed her coldly, knowing there was an offer afoot. She was never without an offer.

"So what the hell do you want from me?"

"What do you mean?" she asked facetiously.

"Cut the crap. You always have a bottom line. What is it?"

The smile that lit her face was feral, carnivorous, as if she were a predator who scented the blood of her prey. "It's simple, really," she replied. "Leave her."

He swept a dismissive hand her way. "You're out of you're freakin' mind!"

She smirked. "Maybe. Hell, Sonny, I don't know why, but I still want you. I still think you belong with me. You shamed me publicly by taking up with that bitch, Alexis,
again. Now you need to make up for that. You need to leave her and come back to me. Immediately, or I'll never let you see your kids."

Carly spread her hands theatrically in front of her and she shrugged magnanimously. "You can still have Kristina. I won't forbid it. After all, I'm not heartless. The
boys can even get to know her. But you'll live here with me. SHE'LL be the kid who visits on the weekend, not MY boys."

Amazingly, somewhere deep in his soul, he was able to scrape out a humorless smile. He stared at her stunned expression, bemused.

"What exactly is funny about that?" she fired.

"The line about you not being heartless," he replied. "That was a classic. I mean, you're NOT heartless but you'd keep a dad from his kids as some kind of emotional
blackmail. You're NOT heartless but you'll tell a little boy that his father doesn't love him anymore. That is the DEFINITION of heartless! Look it up!"

"Actually, I never told him that," she replied calmly. "I told him you had a new daughter; that's the truth. I told him you lived with her not him; that's true, too."

"But you knew what he was feeling! You knew that it was tearing him up inside and you let him suffer. All to get at me. That's sick, Carly. SICK. It's not love. It sure as
hell isn't being a good mother. It's obsession. And you know what? I'm not gonna play into it. I'm not gonna give in to your games just to see my children. Cuz they'll
see through me in a second. They'll know that I'm miserable living with a heartless shrew like you."

He strode to the door, opened it, and looked back. "You won this battle," he said, his voice breaking. "I'm sure you'll be able to keep the boys from me for a time. And
it'll kill me to be without them. But I won't give up. Don't think for a moment that I will. I love them and I'll NEVER stop fighting for them."

She was seething as he prepared to walk out on her; her face radiated disbelief. Clearly she'd thought he would cave in. "So what, Sonny, I can tell your sons you chose
your bastard over them, is that it?"

"No, Carly," he stated flatly. "You can tell them I fell in love with a real woman and chose HER over YOU."

The door slammed in her face.

Chapter 56

Jason stepped off the elevator at the same moment Sonny jammed his fist into the call button.

Hands on his hips, Jason gawked at Sonny, watched the older man pace the hallway like a tiger in a cage, eyes wild. Agitation radiated off of Sonny in waves; his eyes
were red, his jaw tense. He was about to blow sky high; Jason knew well to be wary.

Sonny made to step by him into the elevator, but Jason grabbed his arm.

"Wait a minute--"

"Get off o' me!" was the shouted reply, Sonny jerking his arm away, too far-gone for reason.

Jason held up his hands in front of his body. "Whoa, man, I'm just tryin' to figure out what's wrong with you. I don't want a fight. But if you need one, we could take
this to the gym and do it right. You look as if you could use a few rounds to get that aggression out."

Sonny uttered a bitter laugh. "I'd need a lifetime to get rid of the aggression I feel towards that bitch," he said, jerking his head in the direction of the penthouse.

Jason recoiled. He had seldom heard Sonny use that term against a woman unless it was someone beneath contempt like Faith Roscoe. It wasn't a word he'd ever
expected the man to use about Carly.

"What the hell happened in there?" he asked.

Sonny was pacing again. "Go ask your best friend what happened," he sneered.

"I'm askin' him right now," Jason parried, his eyes narrowing. "Don't attack ME for something she did. I'm tryin' to help. Just talk about it."
Sonny shook his head. "Talk isn't gonna change a damn thing."

"Okay, fine. So at least tell me what she said to you."

"She's nuts! She's lost it! She wants me…she expects me to leave Alexis…just give up on a happy life AGAIN and come back to this…this hellish marriage with HER."

"You love Alexis, Carly knows that. So…you told her no?"

"Hell yeah, I told her no!" Sonny repeated bitterly. "And then she told me I can't ever see my kids!"

Jason stared at him for a long while without blinking. "Are you kidding?"

"Would I joke about something like that?"

"Sonny, she's angry. She's hurt. She doesn't mean it. She'll come around."

"Nah, Jason, she's been sayin' this since the beginning of this whole mess. She threatened me with it when I married Alexis. Now it's official: either I leave the best
thing that has ever happened to me, or I lose my kids. How do I make that choice, Jason? My boys are my heart…but so is Alexis. My boys are my family…but Alexis is
my home. How the hell do I choose and still live with myself?"

Sonny had paced all of his energy away, his rage suddenly deserted him and left only this look of quiet anguish on his face. He leaned against the wall by the elevator,
utterly defeated.

"There is no damn choice," he said. "I left Alexis on her own two years ago and it shattered both of us. I walked away from her out of guilt and duty. And guilt and duty
got me nothing but misery. Guilt and duty almost cost me my daughter and the love of my life. Well, there'll be no more of that. I promised Alexis a future, and damn
it, this time I'm gonna make sure I keep my word to her."

The younger man eyed him solemnly. "No matter what it costs you?"

Sonny looked at Jason for a fleeting moment, long enough for his friend to see the fresh rush of tears that welled in his eyes. But then his dark gaze swung to the
penthouse door staring as if he could see the small children who lived behind it.

"I'm never gonna be the same without them in my life," he avowed, his voice husky with emotion. "Never. But I guess there's nothin' I can do about that right now."

He reached across to press the call button again. And within seconds the elevator doors opened for him to step inside. Jason watched his friend struggle to maintain
composure, but he knew from the way Sonny's hand shook as he pressed the Ground Floor button, from the way his chin wobbled just before the doors closed again…

Sonny was a mess.

And once again Jason found himself wondering how Carly could be so cruel to someone she claimed to love.

***

The front door shut softly, and Alexis looked up from her position on the couch where she had been pretending to read a book. She had actually been waiting for him,
had been checking the clock incessantly from the moment she'd watched him drive away. She'd been on page five of the biography of a great legal mind for at least
the past half hour and couldn't recall a single word of it.

She deeply regretted their argument. Yes, she'd had a point. She still believed that he should defend himself against Carly. But she acknowledged now that she had
gone too far in her accusations…that she had pushed him too hard in a direction in which he didn't want to go. That hadn't been fair. Especially given what he had been
about to face with his son.

He looked like hell, and because of that she felt even worse. The talk with Michael had clearly been rough on him.

His dark eyes found her, and—mercifully--there was no anger in them. Only a great gaping wound left by emotional weaponry. Hers, Michael's, Ned's, Carly's…he had
been targeted by quite a few today.

Alexis stood and faced him, her face the picture of contrite concern, her hands twisted tensely in front of her. She breathed in deeply, and pressed a palm flat to her
abdomen as she strove to keep herself together through the words she needed to deliver.

"I'd like to throw myself on the mercy of the court, Your Honor," she whispered, "and plead Not Guilty by reason of extreme emotional distress. You see, I fell in love
with this man…this dark haired, beautiful man with these deep, intense eyes that look straight into my heart. And I'm so in love with him that sometimes I make a
complete idiot of myself. Today was one of those times.

"I'm afraid I was guilty of the crimes of jealousy and insecurity, two qualities I normally despise. I doubted my lover and I questioned his motives when I should have
trusted in his love.

"So I ask the court's mercy for my foolish mistake. But I have to be honest: I can't promise it won't ever happen again because I quite often believe I'm right in my
opinions…actually I usually am…and I feel the need to share them more than most people do. Plus I seem to love the sound of my own voice. And—um--I also can't swear
that I won't want to rip the head off of that Barbie doll ex-wife of his when I think she's abusing him. I'm kinda funny that way. But I CAN humble myself…and ask
the court's indulgence for my wrong doing…and plead for a light sentence…and maybe another chance."

Sonny's gaze softened as he looked into her eyes. He moved close enough for her to feel his warm breath on her cheek. With tenderness, he took her waist in his
hands, spanning it with his fingers and drawing her to his chest.

"I'm afraid the court can't grant you a light punishment for your crimes," he demurred softly. "Nothing will do, Ms. Davis-Corinthos, except a life sentence of being
committed to this man you love and to building a future with him."

He touched her mouth lovingly with a fingertip. "What do you say to those terms?"

She looked up at him, her eyes misted with emotion. "I say I'm lucky you're still offering them."

He leaned his forehead to hers and sighed deeply. "I'm guilty, too, `Lexis…of being a proud, stubborn ass."

She gave a throaty chuckle. "Shall I get the tape recorder and make you repeat that for the record?"

"You probably should, cuz I won't be admitting that again any time soon," he quipped. "Seriously, you know I love you? You know it for sure, right?"

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I do."


He closed his eyes. "I just…when I make up my mind and my pride gets involved…I get upset and dig my heels in. Today, I didn't want to prove anything to you. I wanted
you to just believe me about Carly. To just trust me."

She closed her eyes, too. "I'm trying, Sonny. This trust thing is harder than I thought."

"Yeah, for me, too," he confessed. "There's just…there's one thing I should have explained to you today. I—uh--I guess I thought you'd figure it out on your own."

Alexis looked up at him, hearing the seriousness in his tone. "Tell me."

He swallowed, his eyes darting away from hers, finding a point on a distant wall on which to focus. And she knew that whatever he was about to say was painful and it
came from his heart.

Chapter 57

He began to speak, his voice halting. "When I…back when Mike left my family…when I was just a little kid…I had to watch my mother struggle every day. Every day,
Lex. And she was so…so ashamed of that. So ashamed that we had to rely on charity from other families. That her husband took off for parts unknown. She was a
beautiful woman, Lex, and before that she took pride in herself. Walked around with her head held high. But after that…after Mike left…and then with Deke and what
he did to her…I just…I never saw that pride in my mother's eyes again. All I saw was shame. Day in. Day out."

He looked onto Alexis's eyes now, his sorrow evident. "It got to me. It really got to me. And I promised myself…that I'd never make my own wife suffer like that…
never shame her in front of our children like Mike and Deke did to my mother. And though I made a lot o' mistakes with Carly, I tried hard never to make THAT one.
So…so even though she hurt Michael and she lied about me to him, I still can't go back on my vow. I can't get her back through our son. Cuz then all I'd see is my
mother's face…my mother's eyes…looking at me…full of shame."

Alexis breathed in deeply, so affected by his words, so moved that he had shared his past with her like he used to back when they'd had implicit trust in each other.

"Thank you," she told him now. "Thank you for explaining all that to me."

"Shoulda told you in the first place…but today…earlier…I just…didn't have the words. I get like that. You know."

Alexis smiled softly. "I know. And it's okay. We'll make it past those times. You forgive me for having too much to say, and I'll forgive you when you say too little."

"Yin and yang, we fit together," he said, an answering smile on his lips. "Like this."

He pressed his mouth to hers, kissed her thoroughly, sensually. Until her knees trembled under her. Until her body heated with an internal flame. He pulled her body
tightly to his as if he craved her closeness. And that was fine with her, because only in his warmth did she feel whole and not so alone. She sighed against him, sinking
into his solid strength. For a long time she just enjoyed the closeness and the quiet with him.

She felt his heart beating against hers and felt so right. She didn't want to disturb the quiet with turmoil, but she thought of his son and had to ask the question.

"Did you see Michael? Did you get to talk?"

He nodded against her.

"Was it awful?" she asked.

She felt the shudder that ran through him. "It was…it was terrible. It tore me apart. But in the end, it was right."

He leaned back to see her eyes. "It was right. I was able to tell him I loved him and would never stop. And I was able to explain about me moving on from his mom. He
deserved to hear it from me. He understands now that there's no future for me and Carly."

Alexis nodded, drawing a fingertip along his jaw. "I know that had to be hard for him to hear…and harder for you to say. But…"

She backed away from him, a small smile on her face. "I have something that may make you feel a tiny bit better."

She turned and crossed to the dining room table where she grabbed some papers piled there and returned to him. She brandished them in front of her body, and he
was able to see that they were E-tickets.

"I—uh—I thought the Feds might still have your plane on lock down. So I got these…for two…round trip to Puerto Rico. For next week."

Sonny stared at them for a moment then lifted his eyes to hers. "Our honeymoon?"

She shrugged, the smile on her face uncertain, tentative. "I thought… what better way to prove that I believe you about our future than to go ahead and get the
tickets."

He smiled…just a small one at first…then it grew and grew until it lit up his handsome face. "I can't believe you, Lexis. You always…you always surprise me."

"And that's not all you know," she told him. "I called an old friend of mine, Janie. She's a realtor, and she's got info on the hottest properties. I thought she could help
us find a house when we get back. A house with lots of rooms so Michael could pick out his own and keep some of his stuff there. Then he'd always know he has a place
with you."

She thought she saw his smile slip and something she couldn't name darkened his eyes, but only for a second and then it was gone. She frowned and wondered at the
cause.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No," he whispered, drawing her to him again. "No, not a thing. I love that idea, baby. Thank you for doing all this. I can't wait." And Alexis held him to her heart as she
envisioned a beautiful future for their family.

***

The door was opened after only one terse knock. Carly was clearly surprised to see him standing there. Since their last confrontation, he hadn't spoken to her. Not
once. Which wasn't an easy feat to manage since he lived just across the hall.

He often popped over to play with the baby or to take Michael to the park. But he dealt only with Leticia, and said a terse hello and goodbye to Carly at the most.

He had fully intended to keep it that way until he'd seen the anguish in Sonny's eyes a little while ago. There was no way Jason could ignore what she'd done this time.
There were things he had to say to Carly about how she hurt people…things that were so long overdue.
Things he would say today or die trying.

Jason moved past her into the penthouse without a word and stood in the living room. She followed him, a sullen look on her face. "I take it you're still on `Mute' when
it comes to talking to me," she quipped. "If you came to see the boys, they're both napping. Sorry."

"I wanna see you," he said flatly.

Her eyes grew curious. "What about? It can't be to see how I am since you haven't cared in forever. It can't be to TALK to me since you don't do that any more.
What's left? Sign language?"

Jason rubbed his forehead wearily. "If you're done with the comedy routine, can we talk? It's serious."

Carly threw her arms wide in frustration, elbows flailing. "Yeah, sure, Jase. It's gotta be something serious. You remind me of Sonny. Always serious. Always morbid.
No one's any fun anymore."

He frowned. "Guess it's hard for a man to be fun when you take his kids away."

She fell silent, her lips parting in surprise. He could see that she hadn't expected him to know yet. Her eyes darted away and she couldn't quite meet his intense blue
gaze.

"Yeah, he told me," Jason confirmed. "He told me what you said: leave Alexis or he can't see his boys."

Still looking away, she folded her arms. "So you're here to judge me, too."

"I don't think you need me to tell you it's wrong. You can't even look me in the face right now."

Defiantly, she swung her gaze to his, held it for a moment or two, and then whirled away from him with a disgusted sigh to pour herself a drink.

Jason watched her for a second, amazed at her reed slim grace. It had the effect of making a man think she was fragile…tender. But what she really was brittle…easily
broken. And the shards left behind after she broke were sharp enough to kill.

"You know what?" she fired, gulping a mouthful of the amber liquid. "I'm not really in the mood for a sermon right now. So why don't we just like skip it, `kay?"

"How about for the truth?" he countered. "You in the mood for that today?"

Chapter 58

Carly faced him, swirled her drink in her glass and shrugged, feigning a careless attitude. But he saw through it. She was rattled. Jason knew his friendship still
mattered to her and that his long silence had pierced her heart.

"There's plenty of ladies out there who hafta struggle to raise their kids alone," he said. "You're not one of them, Carly. Even if you're divorced, you know Sonny would
be there in a second for Michael and Morgan."

"Oh sure, he'll run over between little Kristina's dance recitals and her Latin class. Oops, mustn't forget piano lessons!"

"Sonny loves his boys as much as any father could," he told her. "You know that."

"Then why isn't he willing to put them first before that…that hag?"

"He IS putting them first," Jason stated. "He knows that a miserable parent isn't any good to a kid. Haven't your three failed marriages and the hell they put Michael
through taught you that? He can't do it, Carly. He can't walk away from Alexis again. He can't lie to his kids again. As much as it hurts like hell, he's gonna stay with
the woman he loves and respect the promises he made her. That's love."

"No, that's bein' an idiot, Jason! Because he owes that loyalty to ME first! Me and my boys!"

"And to hell with HER and THEIR daughter, right? It's just all about YOU?"

He shook his head in disdain. "Like always."

Carly gulped the last of her drink, but this time her hand trembled. She shook her head at him. "Don't," she said, her tone raw. "Don't do this. Not you. Not today. I
have been beaten down, thrown away, stomped on by that man and I can't handle it if you do that to me, too. All I ever asked was that he LOVE me. He promised to do
that and damn it, he needs to keep his word!"

Her friend sighed shaking his head. "That's over. He doesn't feel that for you anymore. I'm sorry, but he's moved on."

"With Alexis Davis? That crazy repressed witch? She doesn't love him! She can't…not like me!"

"How can you even presume to tell someone like Alexis about love?" he demanded. "She walked away from Sonny two years ago because she thought he loved you. When
you came back from the accident, she stepped away so you two could have your family back. That was love, Carly…selfless love. She gave him up."

She threw her hands in the air. "Oh wonderful, now I have to hear about the sainted Alexis from you, too, Jase? Any more and I'll puke, I mean it."

"No, Carly, I'm not…" He sighed and shut his eyes for a moment. "You don't get it. I'm not even talking about Alexis per se. I'm talking about LOVE. Love means it's not
all about YOU. It's about the other person."

He took off his leather jacket, slung it in the couch. "Remember… remember when you came to me…so long ago…desperate. Crying. You'd just had the baby. Michael.
And you couldn't…you couldn't connect to him for some reason. You needed someone to--to take him in and to love him when you couldn't. To protect him from the
Quartermaine’s. Someone who could sacrifice his time and his own agenda for you. Who did that Carly?"

She looked away from him. "You, Jason, I know you did that. I'll always be grateful--"

"But WHY did I do it?" he demanded. "It was cuz I loved that baby. Because I loved YOU. I sacrificed my needs for yours time after time. That's what love is.
Somewhere along the line you never learned that. They say I'm the one who's damaged, but you never even learned what love is…something so basic to--to life."

Her eyes narrowed; she was fighting angry tears. "How can you say that to me?" she asked, her voice hoarse. "I d-do…know about love. I love you, Jase. I always have.
And I love Sonny."

"If you do, then when have you put yourself second for me? For Sonny? When have you sacrificed for either one of us?"
"I've done that plenty of times—"

"No, I meant when there was nothing for you to gain…no competition for you to win…no other woman you wanted to get me or Sonny away from. When have you ever just
put another person first because it was the right thing to do?"

She was silent. Utterly silent. Her mouth trembled and she turned her head away to hide it. He watched as she rubbed her hands over her face and shoved them into
her hair. The tears were getting harder to manage.

"This isn't fair," she whispered. "You're not being fair…"

Jason shook his head, swallowed back the pain and forced himself to go on. To tell the truth that he prized above all else. "I remember. I remember it all Carly even if
you don't. Falling in love with your son. Standing at that window over there telling him true stories of faraway lands. He became my world. I-I talked to him and I felt
he understood me in his heart. The way he'd look up at me. It was…it was just magic. I've never felt anything like it before or since."

She stared at him now, the tears coming freely. He'd never shared any of this with her before.

"And then you decided you wanted Sonny…"

A ragged sob escaped her lips as he said the words…whispered them… straight from his lips to her soul.

"I'm sorry…"

It was just a whisper but he heard it.

"I know," he acknowledged. "But you ripped my heart in two when you slept with my best friend…Somehow I pushed away the hurt. I strangled the pain out of my body.
And I became your friend again. Because I thought that was what you needed. And you had made your choice. I respected that. So I walked away from you and from
the baby. And I never asked ANYTHING in return.

"But worse than losing you…worse than losing you, Carly…was losing my son. Cuz that's what he was. Michael was MY son. MINE. I gave up the only child I ever had so
you could be happy. That's sacrifice. That's love. When have you ever done that? Tell me, Carly."

She wrapped her arms across herself, sobbing openly now. "I know a- about l-love, Jason! Real love! You can't tell me I don't! I—I sacrifice all the time! I
put my children…I put my boys ahead of myself!"

He stared her straight in the eyes. "You didn't today. Unless you call kicking their father out of their lives something you did for their own good."

Silently they held each other's gaze, and he felt palpably the pain he had wrought in her. He walked towards her now, his own tears making the journey a blurred mess,
and he took hold of her upper arms tenderly. He swallowed as he watched her face contort with pain. No matter what, he didn't like to hurt her. He remembered the
awful things she'd done, but he also remembered the good times. Jake's…the bad beer, the good pool, and the companionship…no questions asked loyalty no matter
what. There had been special times. Times that merited remembering.

He swept his thumbs under her eyes now wiping away tears born more of hurt than anger. "I love you," he avowed. "I probably always will. But I don't love who you
become when you're trying to hold on to what's already gone."

He cupped her face in his hands and forced her to meet his gaze. "What will you say 10 years from now when Michael's a bitter teenager and he--he turns to you and
asks what happened to his dad? What're you gonna say when he asks why his dad won't see him? Why his dad doesn't care? When he blames it on himself and feels like
less of a person cuz his father didn't stick around? What are you gonna do then? Are you gonna admit the truth? That you stole something precious from their lives
just to—just to make yourself feel better?"

Slowly he lowered his hands from her face, and turned to walk to her door. Doorknob in hand, he turned once more to look her way.

"All I'm askin' is that you be the one who does the sacrificing this time," he told her quietly. "You be the one to love."

And this time her door wasn't slammed but was pressed softly into place.

Chapter 59

"There," Alexis sighed, zipping up the last suitcase and lugging it into the living room to set it by the sofa. Hands on her hips, she looked around her and took mental
inventory of the bags that had already been packed.

She sighed, her breath lifting her wispy bangs away from her forehead. Why, she asked herself, did I leave this for the last minute? Their flight to Puerto Rico was
scheduled for tomorrow afternoon; she'd had all week since the hearing to pack. Yet she'd waited till today to throw her clothes in a bag.

Then again Sonny had kept her rather busy this week, she mused, a secret smile playing about her lips. One would have thought that they'd started their honeymoon
the night of the hearing by the way he had so energetically and thoroughly made love to her deep into the night. The entire week since then had been idyllic.

There had been the tender moments between just the two of them, as they'd walked alone in the park or dined in a quiet out of the way restaurant like two normal
newlyweds. They had had time to just be… There was no pressure…no court judgment hanging over them now. Just the sense that they could be themselves and that
they had all the time in the world.

And then there had also been so much precious time spent with their daughter; Sonny just getting to know her as his own. Finding wonderful similarities in their
personalities…and some rather scary ones such as the little girl's fiery temper that readily matched his own!

But in quiet moments, when he would think that he was alone, sometimes Alexis would catch him looking a bit sad; his eyes would dim and take on this faraway look and
she would wonder where he'd gone inside himself. Once, she'd even asked him about it, but he'd explained it was only a result of the trauma of the past weeks, that he
was tired, and that their honeymoon trip would refresh him.

It was an excuse that she did not entirely believe, but she was at a loss as to what was really troubling him. She had thought it was that he missed his boys, though
twice this week already he had gone to visit them at Carly's.

A knock at the door stirred her from her thoughts and she crossed the room to answer it. On the other side stood Jason in his ever-present leather jacket, looking as
intense as he ever did, but now…she noticed…his eyes took on a slightly softer look when they lit upon her. They had come to a new understanding through this whole
conflict, and Alexis was grateful for that.

"Hello, stranger," she said to him warmly, opening the door wider for his entry. "Haven't seen much of you this past week."
He walked past her to stand in the living room. "Thought I'd give you guys space to spend some time together after…everything," he explained with his customary
shrug.

She shook her head, a big smile on her lips. "No one would ever guess you're this sensitive, Mr. Morgan."

"So let's not tell them, Ms. Davis-Corinthos."

She laughed. "I won't. I'm afraid you just missed Sonny though. He's off with Kristina at the store buying her a new bathing suit and some of those swim fins for our
trip."

His eyebrows rose. "You're taking her with you? Thought this was a honeymoon?"

"It is," she nodded. "But I'm afraid Sonny has fallen head over heels in love with his daughter, and he just can't leave her yet. Even for a week, poor man. So we
decided to make it a family trip. He can't wait to take her to the ocean for the first time."

Jason flashed a brief smile. "Then he must be feeling better?"

"Better?" she asked, nonplussed.

"About this situation with the boys. I was there last week right after his fight with Carly."

She blinked up at him, having no idea what he was talking about. A fight with Carly last week? Sonny had said that the two of them had talked and that they were
working things out.

Jason obviously took no note of her silence as he kept on speaking. "I tried to talk to her, you know. I tried to get her to see that what she's doing isn't about love; it's
revenge. And that it's bad for the boys. But she just…Carly gets something into her head and she won't let it go."

Alexis nodded as if she understood, and kept silent hoping that Jason would tell her the rest of it. But when the man lapsed into one of his sudden silences and stared
at her awaiting her reply, she had to fish quickly through her brain for something non-committal enough to keep the conversation going. She needed to know what
Sonny was hiding from her.

"I-I'm sure you did your best to—to change her mind, Jason," she said. "You are her friend, and she respects you."

He sighed. "Does she? I don't know anymore. I wanted her to listen to me and think about what I said, but all she could do was to go off about how Sonny chose you.
And so far she's sticking to her threats… if he stays here he can't ever see the boys."

Alexis froze. So that was it? Sonny had been presented with an impossible choice: his new wife or his children. Carly had determined that he could not have both.

What an absolutely vicious shrew, Alexis thought. Her heart broke for him, landing in several pieces somewhere in the vicinity of her feet.

"Did he like the custody lawyer Justus recommended?"

She shook her head to clear the sudden fog that had descended over her brain. The times Sonny had "gone to see the boys"…he'd probably been going to see this new
lawyer with Justus instead.

"I—I don't really know," she told Jason now. "He—uh--he hasn't talked about the lawyer."

That at least was the truth.

The man nodded. "Yeah. It's probably best if he just takes his time with the case...waits till after your trip to deal with it. You two deserve to have a good time away
from here…with no worries."

She blinked up at him surprised. "I know that has to be hard for you to say. You wanted Sonny and Carly to keep their family together very badly."

"No, Alexis, I wanted something positive to come out of the worst experience of my life: losing Michael," he corrected her. "If Carly wrecked my life to be with Sonny,
then I wanted her to STAY with him and be happy so that it all wasn't for nothing. And I wanted the boys to have a good life with both their parents.

"It's not gonna work out the way I thought, but those boys can still have a good life…with two homes. And lots of people who love them."

She could only nod, her lip caught painfully in her teeth as she strove to hold herself together.

He frowned, touching her shoulder lightly. "You okay?"

"Yes," she breathed. "Just a little distracted. I…still have a lot of packing to do."

"Oh yeah, sure. Let me get outta your way. Tell Sonny I'll call him before the flight."

"Okay."

He was gone as suddenly as he came. And Alexis was left alone with the truth: Sonny could not have her and his children, too. He had tried to protect her from that, to
pretend that he was happy with their lives when all along he had to have been in such pain…

Alexis raked a hand through her long hair. So what the hell was she supposed to do now? Try to forge a life with him while his heart was in two places at
once?

Or set him free?

Chapter 60

An hour later, the answer came to her heart before it came to her head. She closed her eyes and called up every ounce of the Cassadine reserve that had helped her
to survive each and every other thing life had thrown at her in the past.

Resolutely she stood, her mind made up. She had more packing to do, she decided. But this time for a very different journey.

She had made her decision. She would stick to it. She would make it work. No matter what.

***

Impulsive. Vengeful. Mean-spirited. Self-centered. Short-sighted. Ignorant. Evil.


Carly was tired of the labels people pinned to her chest. She was tired of being told how wrong she was…of being told what to do…what to think…how to react. Yes, she
had made mistakes, but contrary to popular belief some of them had actually been a result of caring too much about another person…not about the self-concern
everyone thought ran her entire life.

Jason…he had hurt her so very deeply last week. The wound had only festered; aching each time her mind revisited it. He was her best friend, her conscience; the one
man who could look honestly at her flaws and still accept her. But he'd not done that. He'd turned on her…confronted her with past wrongs she hadn't believed he still
thought of…and the accusations had hit her like weapons. Like the unerring blows of a soldier attacking an enemy. It had hurt more than anything had in a very long
time.

It had also made her stop and think.

Her boys…they meant everything to her. They were the only two people on this earth who truly trusted that she had good inside her…whose eyes lit up every time they
saw her…whose arms opened to welcome her no matter what she had said or done. Their love was without condition, and so was hers for them.

Sonny, Jason, even her mother…they all had too many conditions. They each sought to control her. To make decisions for her because they didn't believe she had the
capacity to make the right ones for herself. But she did. She knew she did. And she would prove that to all of them. She'd make them sorry they judged her…She'd
make them all sorry.

She lugged another suitcase onto her bed and began to fill it with her sons' clothing. This was her chance to show them all. She would make them see what she was
made of…none of them could control Carly Corinthos. None of them.

She knew exactly what she had to do. She had made her decision. She would stick to it. She would make it work. No matter what.

***

Sonny opened the door with one hand and balanced his sleeping child in the other. Max stood behind him at the door with one rather large and colorful shopping bag in
his hand. He smirked as he slid it into the apartment just inside the door.

"Never thought I'd see the day that you went shopping for little girl swimsuits, Boss," he quipped.

Sonny fixed him with a sharp stare. "Gotta problem with that?"

Max shrugged lightly and wiped the smile off his face. "No, sir."

Sonny nodded. "Good," And with that he shut the door and felt free to grin against his sleeping daughter's curly hair. It smelled sweet like Ivory soap and he breathed
in the scent until it filled him with a peace and contentment he seldom felt. But lately, those two emotions had come to him more often… because of his child and her
mother.

Max was right; he had changed. For the better, he mused. So much for the better.

He only wished that his sons could share this peace with him…

"So how was your day?"

The soft voice of his wife had him spinning towards her. He hadn't noticed her there at the dining room table, sitting behind a lace- covered table setting complete
with silver domed dishes and tall, elegant candles. Lit and burning in the dimness of the room, a fragrant and enticing scent wafting across the space to him.

Sonny smiled, noting that she was wearing his nightshirt…the black one she'd worn the morning after they'd made their little girl. He sensed a seduction was afoot.

"What's this?" he murmured huskily, his head tilting quizzically.

"Well," she replied, "I know you said you were going to take Krissy shopping then out to dinner for your Daddy and Daughter day. But I thought I'd be the one to
provide your dessert."

Sonny's smile widened as he bobbed his head in understanding, his sexy dimples coming out to play. "And what's on the menu?"

"Oh, you'll have to go put our daughter down and then come see," she said suggestively.

"Right away, ma'am," he promised and went off to do just that.

Alexis rested a hand on her chest as she watched him walk away. She breathed in deeply in an effort to calm herself. She had to hold it together. She had to do the
acting job of her entire life. Pretend everything was normal. He couldn't know what Jason had told her. It would ruin everything.

They would have tonight, this one perfect night. And tomorrow she'd tell him what she'd decided. Tomorrow she would do what she had to do.

She squeezed her eyes shut as pain, searing and sharp, sailed through her breast. Tomorrow, somehow, she'd do it. She only prayed that she'd have the strength.

Chapter 61

Sonny eyed her sitting in serene grace at their dining room table. She had removed the silver domed top of a serving dish to reveal—of all things--an assortment of
fruit slices. Kiwi and pineapple, in all their ripe succulent glory, lay resplendent before his eyes. And of course there were strawberries… there just had to be. They
surrounded an ornate dish filled with whipped cream.

And presently, Alexis dipped one, long, elegant finger into the sugary white mixture and slipped it between her lips.

He groaned softly. This woman would kill him yet.

She turned hearing the husky sound in his throat. "Doesn't it look delicious?" she asked him, her wide eyes luminous even in the dimness of the apartment.

"You look delicious," he corrected, and walked across to take her hand in his, drawing her from her chair. With a satisfied sigh, he sat down with her body cradled into
his lap and was gratified to find that his black nightshirt was indeed all she was wearing on this night.

"Mmmm, I do enjoy the sight of you in this," he murmured, running his hands up and down the silk until she faintly purred. "And the feel of you in it."

"I aim to please, husband."

"And you do, wife. You most certainly do."


Alexis reached behind them to pluck a ripe strawberry from the platter and dipped it liberally into the cream. She dangled it before his mouth, her eyes full of
mischief as he tried to bite it but missed. Her quick fingers snatched it just out of reach. He growled in mock frustration.

"Patience," she whispered, and used the fruit to dot a white path lightly along his mouth. Then she leaned forward to swipe the tip of her tongue along the trail she'd
painted him with…finishing with a deliciously deep kiss. It was only after she'd so indulged herself that she let him take a bite of the berry.

"You like control, do you Mrs. Corinthos?" he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "That's Davis-Corinthos."

"Indeed it is," he whispered, dipping two fingers into the cream and marking the delicate line of her neck. "And control is nice, but did you know that sometimes it's
better to surrender?"

His lips unerringly found the streaks of sugary liquid and suckled them from her delicate skin. He felt her tremble, felt her gasp against him, and finally felt the
rumble of a husky moan in her throat. He smiled from his soul, always in wonderment at how cool and controlled she was in her public life yet how unrestrained and
responsive she was in his arms. The contentment of the moment filled him with that peace that was fast becoming all too familiar.

"What did I do to deserve you?" he asked.

She shook her head, one hand pressed affectionately against his jaw. "We're both lucky," she whispered. "To even know this kind of connection…this kind of…of
rightness...once in life is a blessing. To lose it then get it back again is a miracle."

She couldn't have been more correct. He knew that he'd found the truth now because he'd lived a lie for so long with the wrong woman.

His arms tightened round her as he leaned in to kiss the corner of her mouth, tasting her unadorned sweetness before pressing his forehead to hers. For long
moments, they sat in a companionable silence that enveloped them like a warm embrace.

"Sonny?" he heard her whisper.

"Yes?"

"I know you're…that you're happy. Here with me. But would you…would you change anything? Anything about our lives? About us?"

He heard something in her voice--some thread of something…an unsure note…a catch-- that concerned him. It reminded him of their conversation in the limo when
she'd been worried about his tie to Carly. Was that still a concern?

He knew what Alexis' childhood had been like…one torturous moment after another leaving scars of self-doubt that couldn't be eradicated simply by his promises of
love. She judged people by their actions. He'd hurt her before when he'd returned to Carly. He'd let her down, and perhaps to some degree he would always be making
up for that.

He sat back now and tried to meet her eyes. But they darted away then fell to his chest. Her hands fidgeted with the buttons of his shirt. He'd read her correctly.
Something was bothering her.

"There is nothing…NOTHING…about our lives that I would change," he avowed. "I love you and even the struggles we go through prove to me that we're worth it. Every
battle. Every trial. Every opponent. They don't matter. It all comes back to how you make me feel. That's something I want for my whole life."

Her eyes lifted and met the truth in the darkness of his. But there was something there still. Something deeply affected. "What, Lex? What's bothering you?"

A tear appeared in her eye. She swallowed before she spoke, her fingertip finding and tracing the curve of his upper lip. "I just… we're going on our honeymoon
tomorrow…I'm—I'm so close to having everything I've wanted for so long with you. And I guess…I just want to be sure that it's what you really want, too."

She took a big breath and expelled it in one long rush. "You can tell me if it's not…if you've changed your mind…and I'll understand." He stared into her lovely face and
said—he hoped—words that penetrated straight into her heart. "I want YOU. I want US. Without reservation. And tonight I'll show you that. Until you never have to
ask that question again."

The doubt in her beautiful eyes hit him squarely in the chest and made him ache. That this woman he prized above all should question his commitment still… it just made
him ache. He would prove himself if it was the last thing he ever did for her. He would prove he loved her and that what he'd done two years ago had been a colossal
mistake that he would never repeat.

The incredible surge of emotion that swelled within him made his hands tender on her body, his touch reverent as it lit upon her satiny skin. He held her and kissed
her…over and over and then over again…until at last he felt the tension…the questions…the fears….ebb from her beautiful body. He kissed her until her mouth opened
beneath his. Until her arms wrapped round his neck. Until her body moved in restless wanting against his. Until her long, long legs slid astride him. Until her body was
straddling the barely leashed power of his and quivering in anticipation of what was certainly to come.

In the fewest simple but masterful moves, he had removed the shirt from her body, filled his hands with the fruit she'd prepared for his dessert, and had begun to
create quite another type of delicacy with her long lithe form as his canvas. His hands stroked her body, with culinary artistry creating his masterpiece, leaving a trail
of sweetness across her skin like a path for his mouth to follow.

She became dessert, his midnight treat, his secret delight. The soft moans in the back of her throat, the renewed tremors in her body combined into one heady force
that only escalated his desire…made him want to please her even more…all night long.

And as he devoured her skin with his mouth he only prayed that he had the discipline to survive the passion running riot in him at the moment.

Her hands were by no means idle; she had unbuttoned his shirt and was caressing the hard planes of his chest, tracing the contours she knew he loved for her to touch,
and smiling as he quivered in response to her ministrations. Soon, she, too, was tasting. The flavor of his skin mingled with the sweetness of fruit juices. An aphrodisiac
no one could bottle, one too priceless to even share outside this room.

Her hands worked at his belt buckle, her impatience and haste making her clumsy. She swore under her breath inspiring the giddy laugh that rumbled in his chest.
"Patience," he said, echoing her advice back to her teasingly. He half stood to his feet bringing her with him, her legs wrapped round his torso.

He had planned to make his way to their bedroom, but she reached behind her with both hands and grasped the table. "No," she told him firmly, her tongue darting out
to swipe her lower lip. "Here."

"Here?" he asked, and this time he was the one who was unsure.

She nodded, sliding backwards until she reclined against the table. "Here."
The sultry look in her heavy-lidded eyes enflamed his blood. And he smiled again…straight from his soul…as she subtly wrested control from his hands yet again tonight.
Her wish was his command as the night became a fusion of tastes: sweet lips and savory, stimulating, sensual kisses that exploded with flavor on their tongues.
Intoxicating…shattering senses…shaking them both to their foundations.

And as they moved together as one…neither of them thought of stopping for rest until appetites were whetted, satiated, and reignited yet again. Until they had tasted
all of the bounteous delights they each could offer to the other during this one perfect and endless night.

Chapter 62

She didn't know precisely when, but sometime in the night he roused from where they had collapsed in blissful slumber on the couch and carried her into their
bedroom. From there, he strode with her into the bathroom to the large, well-built shower that could easily be shared by two. Under the hot palpating sprays, she
came half-awake in his arms and leaned into the solidness of his body, giving herself up to his strength.

There was fruit on her body and his, matted in her long silky hair. A great sticky mess that she was much too sated and weak to do anything about.

Dimly she was aware of his hands on her…caressing fragrant shower gel gently across her skin… then later the feel of his fingers massaging shampoo into her hair,
stroking languidly across her scalp as she slumped against him in total relaxed peace.

Her eyes opened to slits just enough so that she could watch him. With a tenderness that revealed who Sonny Corinthos was in his soul, he removed all traces of their
endless adventurous play while bearing her weight against him like the tower of strength he was. And after a time, when he was done, his lips found hers and he kissed
her with such love, such adoration, that tears surged weakly to her eyes. A sob caught in her throat, one she was only just able to conceal from him.

She needed him again, even in her state of mindless exhaustion. She needed to be with him. Blindly, she reached out and again he was there. Pressing her against the
shower stall. Loving her gently… slowly…endlessly until she cried out with him, her mouth open against his throat.

Sonny was right. Sometimes it was better to surrender.

In silence, he carried her from the bathroom wrapped in her favorite fluffy terry towel. He dried her wavy tresses with brisk strokes. Then he turned back the covers
and placed her in the bed beside him. She sighed against him as he pulled her in to spoon against his body.

God, he was so good to her, she thought. So good. So much love. Love she could never doubt again…

The thought made her want to cry even more…the thought of how much he was willing to sacrifice to stay in her life, to be her lover, her husband. To make her happy.

She bit her lip against the tears that threatened and prayed for strength. She had to be willing to sacrifice just as much to make him happy, too. She had to be.

***

The last of Carly's things had been packed, but there were a few items she needed from the store. She planned to bundle the boys into the limo and make a quick trip
to Madeleine's, a new department store that had opened in the heart of Port Charles.

Leticia had just finished cleaning up the morning dishes from their breakfast and had gone upstairs to get the kids ready; so all that remained was for Carly to alert
one of the guards to their plans. She opened up the front door and saw that Max was standing there in his usual position, leaning against the outer wall, a cup of coffee
in his hand.

"Thought Francis was on today and you had Sonny's door," she sneered at him.

"We rotate duty, Carly. What do you need?" he asked brusquely and she rolled her eyes. His manner had been coldly businesslike since she and Sonny had split. It was
clear which side he was on…the one that paid his salary.

"I need to make a run downtown," she told him flatly. "Be ready in ten, please."

Max nodded, then something caught his attention inside the penthouse. Carly tossed a look over her shoulder and saw the bags sitting by the staircase.

"Going somewhere else?" he asked, suspicion evident in his eyes.

Carly's own eyes narrowed. "Yes, but I won't be needing your assistance, thanks. Or your input."

She slammed the door in his face, barking, "Ten minutes, remember?" through the door at him.

Arrogant jerk, she groused mentally. Treated her like an imbecile because of course "the great Sonny" could never be wrong in his eyes. Because as the lucky ex-wife
she should just sit by, count her alimony, and accept whatever emotional scraps were tossed her way, right?

Her lip curled. Well, Max, you try living with a man who views you as a silly bit of fluff he can never trust. You try dealing with someone with moods as volatile as
Sonny's. You try staying meekly in the background while you watch him lapse into silences, his eyes faraway as he mourns the loss of a woman you can never compete
with. Because all you ever owned was his body…while she held his heart.

And you gave him two children. Two beautiful boys. For what? So that he could make forever into a lie?

No one ever bothered to ask Carly her version of events. They just sided with Sonny. And she was highly sick of that. She needed her own life….apart from him. Apart
from all of them.

She shrugged and determinedly shoved her anger to the back of her mind. Max would be part of her past soon. And she'd be damn glad to see the back of him once she
was out of this place.

***

Max stared at the closed door, tension riddling his body. Where the hell was that witch going and had she even bothered to tell Sonny? He hadn't seen just her bags
by the stairs; the boys' luggage had been there as well. She had sole custody. What if she was planning to run off with them just to cause Sonny more angst? What if
she planned to travel without benefit of guards? The kids would be unprotected. She couldn't be that idiotic, could she?

He thought of who he was dealing with and nodded his head. Yes, she damn well could.

He flipped open his cell phone to call his boss. But then he thought better of it. What exactly would he say to Sonny? "Boss, I think Carly may be taking off with your
kids, so get over here, and go off on her so she can throw you in jail and take off for parts unknown?"

Max swore under his breath. This called for a slightly cooler head. He dialed Jason's number instead.
The man almost slammed his fist against the door when the number rang and rang then went to voicemail. He checked his watch and sighed. It was early yet. Usually
Jase was up working out, but perhaps the man had slept in for once. Max thought it safe to leave him a message.

"Hey, Jason. Max here. I thought someone should know Carly's packed her and the kids bags and isn't telling anyone where she plans to go. She hasn't made
arrangements for me or Francis to shadow them which means I doubt she's taking guards. Thought it best to alert you. I'll stay with her today, find out all I can, but
you better call me or get over here as soon as possible."

He broke off the call and slid the phone back into his pocket. His boss had been through enough. He was finally with a woman who kept him pretty level, who made him
happy without sucking the life out of him, who didn't constantly scheme her way through life.

He had seen the man's happiness last night at the apartment. Just a day spent buying Krissy a bathing suit…like a normal dad. Max had teased him, but it had all been in
fun. He was actually proud of the way his boss was acting; Sonny finally had some balance in his life.

There was no way Max was going to let a tramp like Carly ruin that for Sonny. Not this time. And not on his watch.

Chapter 63

She needed this…this silence…this freedom to look at his beautiful face…to memorize every beautiful line and angle.

He was still asleep, his lashes--impossibly long and dark for such a masculine creature--resting against his face. His mouth softened by sleep. The sheet rode low on his
hips baring his muscled chest…the chest that had borne her weight last night.

She had lain without sleep for many hours, listening to his heart beat steadily under her ear. Coveting the closeness, the intimacy that she'd prayed to have with him
for so long.

Her hand found her throat now, caressing a spot of skin that was tender and faintly bruised. The beginnings of a night's growth of beard had brushed her there in a
rough and unintended caress. They had not exactly been gentle with each other in that dining room. Their lovemaking had been fevered, hot, desperate, a little
dangerous… and oh, so very good.

Then afterwards, there had been the shift to something so sweetly tender she would never again be able to think of it without tears.

"There is nothing…NOTHING…about our lives that I would change," he had promised her. "I love you and even the struggles we go through prove to me that we're
worth it. Every battle. Every trial. Every opponent. They don't matter. It all comes back to how you make me feel. That's something I want for my whole life."

She knew that he'd spoken the truth in the moment. But she also knew that it wasn't the WHOLE truth. That he was risking his relationship with his children for her.
He hadn't shared the whole truth with Alexis…and that hurt.

"Are you gonna tell me what's wrong now?"

Alexis jumped. His eyes were still closed, yet he'd spoken. Slowly, he blinked, rubbing a hand across his face as his gaze cleared of sleep and focused pointedly on her.
Standing in her robe at his bedside.

"I—um—I didn't know you were awake," she stammered.

"Yeah, I know," he said. "But I am. And I could feel your worry like a third person in the room. It's been here since last night. You gonna tell me why now?"

Her eyes fell to the carpet. He had known something was wrong. She had wanted it all to be perfect last night and yet he had known.

"I'm sorry if I seemed preoccupied."

"I'm not complaining about how you were with me," he told her, leaning up against the pillows so that he could see her eye to eye. "Last night was…it…I don't have any
words for how magical that was. We always are. We always will be. But that doesn't mean I couldn't sense that something was in your heart. Something you need to
discuss with me. So let's do it. Let's clear the air."

Alexis swallowed. She wasn't ready for this. She had had all night but she wasn't ready to tell him. She had envisioned having more time.

"I…I need you to do something for me," she whispered, the ache in her heart strangling her voice.

"Anything," he said.

She closed her eyes. "I need you to leave."

Silence---utter and complete—greeted her words.

Then, one stark word. "What?"

She cleared her throat, pressed her hand to it as if willing her voice to come out stronger. "I need you to leave."

When he didn't speak, she opened her eyes and saw his gaze fall to a spot just behind her. He saw the luggage and in the same second seemed to register that her bags
were no longer there amongst his. The suitcases all belonged to his Armani set. All his clothes had apparently been packed. Confusion and anguish chased across his
face for a moment. Then he determinedly wiped them away and replaced them with a placatory smile.

"Lex, obviously you're upset. Let's just calm down and let's talk about this. Come back to bed and talk to me."

She shook her head firmly. "No, there's nothing to talk about. I told you what I need. I'm not going to change my mind. If I...if I come back to bed, you'll touch me…
and we'll…I can't think when you touch me. I need a clear head. I need you to hear me."

Sonny sat up fully now, worry evident in his handsome face. "I hear you; I just don't understand you. Just tell me what I've done. Come back to bed and tell me what
I've done. Let me make it better."

She stared at him and heard him say the word she had so rarely heard from him in their life together. It was a hoarse statement, plain and heartfelt and bare of
adornment. Just one word.

"Please."

It made her cry that he'd said it, and she turned her head away. "I can't," she said. "I can't, Sonny. I love you. You know I do, but sometimes love isn't enough to make
a life against…against incredible odds…and if you're honest you'll admit we face incredible odds—"
"So what? We've beaten them all before! Every single one!"

She leveled a stare at him. "What if I'm tired of the fight?" she asked him. "What if I'm tired of every single person we know lobbing mortar shells at our
relationship? What if I'm tired of waiting and trembling and fearing that this blow will be the one that does us in? It's better to end it than to live like that."

She turned her back on him. "I—I'm sorry. I wanted…wanted one last night with you. And it was…it was everything I needed it to be. It was something I'll always
remember and treasure. But, Sonny, it was goodbye."

She stepped towards the bedroom door, intending to leave him there to dress and to get his thoughts together. To prepare to leave. But his voice stopped her.

"You think that little speech is gonna convince me you want out of the best thing that ever happened to either one of us?" he snapped. "You got another thing coming.
For an incredibly intelligent woman, that was the dumbest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth."

She swung to face him, wide eyes luminous with tears. "It's the truth! I…I need things to be over! I want you to leave!"

"You're lying!" he snapped. "And after Kristina, we vowed never to do that to each other again. So tell me what the hell is going on!"

She folded her arms across her body protectively. He wouldn't let this go. He wouldn't let her go. He wanted to know what was wrong so she'd tell him.

"Yes, Sonny, we did promise not to lie anymore," she said quietly, her voice breaking. "But I'm not the one who broke that promise. You are."

Chapter 64

She saw his eyes darken with confusion and anger. Suddenly he threw off the covers and strode over to her, heedless of his gloriously nude state. Her stomach
tightened and she bit her lip, ashamed that even in this time of stress she was so moved by the sight of his body bared to her eyes.

He saw her reaction. With a small smug smile, he shrugged on his robe, which had been lying at the foot of the bed.

"Don't even try to deny what you still feel for me," he told her. "I'm not bragging. I'm not being arrogant because it's the same for me, Lex. I react to you like I react
to NO other woman. That always scared me, but it doesn't anymore; it's just a natural truth. Like breathing. And I've accepted that I need you. I've committed myself
to you and this connection we share. Now you stand here and call me a liar and tell me to get out of your life like I mean nothing! With no explanation. You just expect
me to walk? Well, there's no way that's happening! No way in hell."

Her eyes filled with tears, tears of anger and hurt now. "If we have such a great connection, then why haven't you told me the whole truth, Sonny?"

"What truth, Alexis? Will you tell me what's going on? All of it…and NOW!"

He had lost his patience completely; his voice had risen to a shout. And she had lost hers as well. But her voice lowered to a mere whisper in her heightened state of
emotion. She stepped closer to him so she could watch his face as she asked him a pivotal question.

"Have you really gone to see your boys this week?"

He froze. Every muscle, every sinew. Just froze. Then his eyes…some moments later…fell away from hers. And she swallowed knowing the truth.

"You haven't," she whispered. "You haven't because Carly forbid you to…because you're here with me. And staying with me will mean you lose your children. But you
never told me, Sonny. You kept that hidden in your heart. You suffered it alone. And you never once shared your pain with me, the woman you're supposed to love. Some
connection."

She turned away from him and missed the abject misery in his eyes, the tears that welled before he blinked them away. But she couldn't miss the pain in his voice.

"I…I know that was wrong," he whispered.

"Then why did you do it?" she asked him.

"Because…because of what you're doing to me right now."

His answer made her turn back to him, a quizzical frown on her tearstained face.

"I knew that someone with the heart you have could never let me walk away from my boys," he explained. "I knew that you'd sacrifice your own happiness for mine. I
knew that you'd find a way to end us so that I could have my children. And I couldn't risk that, Lex. I told— I told Jason, I love Michael and Morgan, but I love you,
too. I won't lose my shot at happiness because Carly has a tantrum."

She stared at him. "But you can't fight her. Because of the last custody battle…and what you did…you gave them up and cited the danger in your life. No judge will help
you, Sonny. You're at her mercy. And we both know she has none."

He swallowed hard, but this time the tears did fall. He nodded brusquely. "I know what I'm facing. The lawyer…the lawyer I saw…she told me I'm at a disadvantage.
It's a long shot. But I'm still gonna try. Lex, I can't fight her without you. If I'm gonna win, I need you with me. This is the fight of my life. I need you by my side."

She wiped her face with her hands, and then shoved them agitatedly through her hair. Her heart broke at his plea and she wanted to acquiesce—to be there for him--
but she couldn't let him risk what she herself would NEVER risk: losing her child. She shook her head at him and stepped back from the commanding magnetism his
body put out towards hers.

"I have another plan," she told him, her voice still quiet, still resolute. "One that will definitely work."

He frowned as if he sensed her putting up an invisible wall against him. "Alexis—"

"No, listen. You know that I love you and that I'd do just about anything to make you happy…even let you leave. Right?"

He nodded, swallowing hard. "But I won't leave. I don't want to leave."

"Wait, just listen. I want you to go. I want you to get your own place. Tell Carly that you're ending things with me. Then she'll let you see your boys. You'll start
establishing that they're safe with you. You can document every visit. Make a case; your lawyer will help you. And at the same time, you can come see Kristina, and that
will only add to your legal argument."

Sonny's eyes narrowed. "You mentioned everybody in this bloody mess except for you. Where will you be?"

She closed her eyes for a second knowing he would not like her next words. But also knowing that it was the only way to guarantee he had his children.

"I'll be here, where I always was. And you can come to me…in secret…and we can be together just like we have been. She doesn't have to know. No one has to know."
Silence. Except for the sounds of his breath rasping in his throat. Then the explosion.

"Hell no!"

"Sonny—"

He pointed a finger at her chest. "You want me to leave you…pretend you mean nothing to me? Shame you in front of that bitch and in front of the world like I got
tired of you? Like I just used you to get free?"

"That was originally the plan, anyway," she whispered. "We did this to get you free."

"No, we THOUGHT we did this to get me free," he corrected. "But deep down you and I both know we couldn't wait for an excuse to be together. To live together.
That wedding on the beach…that was real! It was what we both wanted. It wasn't a plot to get me outta jail. That whole mess…that was a happy coincidence. I should
send Grayson a freakin' Christmas card. Cuz you know what? He forced me to see what I really wanted and to go for it. You, too, Alexis. And now that we have it, I am
NOT letting it go."

"But it wouldn't be LETTING IT GO!" she yelled at him. "It would be screwing with Carly's mind. It would be planning behind her back. And after you get access to your
children—legally--we can get back together."

"And how long will that take, Lex? You know the court system: our case could drag on for years. You prepared to live apart that long? Cuz I'm not prepared to be away
from you a week let alone 12 months!"

Sonny stepped towards her, took her arms in his grasp and pulled her body to his. His voice grew quiet now. "Listen to me, I know what you're trying to do. I KNOW.
But I won't let you give us up. I will fight for my children. I will do what I have to do to make myself into the citizen I shoulda always been for them and for you. It's
not gonna be pleasant. And its not gonna be overnight. But it will happen."

He took her face in his hands, staring at the softness of her beautiful mouth. "What I won't do is live without the right to kiss you. To hold you. To make love to you all
night. To feel you lying against me in our bed. I won't, Lexis. So this discussion is over."

He ducked his head and dropped a quick decisive kiss on her surprised mouth, then walked away and strode towards the bathroom.

"What are you--You don't just get to tell me the discussion is over and walk away!" she squawked.

He pivoted, eyes flashing an iron clad resolve. "Oh, yes I do," he countered. "I'm gonna take a shower. Our flight is this afternoon you remember, and we can't be late
since we're flying commercial. Plus I have a lot of repacking to do since you unfortunately decided to kick me out and now all my clothes are in those bags over there.
And you should get busy, too. I'm sure Krissy's things need organizing and yours as well."

Alexis' mouth fell open working for a few moments without sound.

"What is it, baby? What are you trying to say?"

"There is no honeymoon," she told him, hands on her hips. "We haven't decided anything. We can't go away together with all this hanging over our heads."

"Well, I'll leave you to analyze moves and countermoves, honey. But when I am out of the shower, you had better be packing your things. Otherwise, I'll simply throw
you and my daughter onto the plane without any luggage at all. I can buy you what you need in Puerto Rico anyway."

With that, he shrugged, turned, and walked into the bathroom, arrogance and power personified and left her gaping at him as he left. And absolutely mad as hell.

Chapter 65

"Daddy? Where's Daddy?"

Alexis pressed her fingers against her child's mouth gently and whispered, "Shh, Krissy, we'll see Daddy later. We're just gonna go on a little trip, you and me. For a
little while. Let Daddy come to his senses."

Krissy whimpered a little, still sleepy and grouchy for having been awakened from a sound slumber and bundled quickly into clothing. Then add to that that her father
had not been there to give her his customary good morning hug and kiss and the little girl was way out of sorts.

But Alexis did not have the time to placate her child. Sonny was in the shower and she had hastily donned some clothing and grabbed a bag of things for her and her
daughter. She planned to go…well, she didn't actually know where. But she knew that she was going to disappear and make them all miss today's flight…so Daddy could
indeed come to his senses. So he'd realize that he needed to leave her and be a father to all his children.

Alexis knew her plan was the best one; everyone got what they wanted. Sonny got his sons and he could also see Alexis. Not as often as they wanted surely. Not all
night. They would have to be circumspect. But at least they would not be totally apart. Why couldn't he see that?

Quietly, she slung the tote bag on her shoulder and shifted Krissy in her arms, then swung open the front door of the apartment to make her escape. Francis sat in a
chair at his post. He stood up, a ready smile on his face.

"Can I help you, Ms. Davis-Corinthos?"

She grimaced at the mouthful of a name then flashed him a quick smile. "It's Alexis. And no, thanks, I can handle it. Actually I'm in a bit of a hurry, so—"

"Oh," he said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "You planned on going out?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well, I'm afraid I can't allow that, Ms. Davis."

Alexis frowned, then one eyebrow arched imperiously. "What do you mean you can't allow that? I wasn't asking your permission—"

"Sorry, ma'am. Sonny called from the bathroom," the guard shrugged, holding up his cell phone in explanation. "I have orders to keep you and the little miss here in the
apartment until the Boss tells me otherwise."

Alexis stared at him dumbfounded until she heard Sonny's voice behind her. "Thanks Francis, I'll take it from here." Then his hand snaked around her and pushed the
door closed.

His wife whirled angrily on him heedless of the child in her arms. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded.
"Keeping my family together," he retorted sharply, eyebrows lowered darkly over his eyes. "And I wouldn't use that tone with me right now, Alexis. I'm not exactly
happy that you tried to run away without a damn word!"

She swallowed, willing the small knot of guilt in her throat to go down. "Well, you must have expected me to try it," she flashed, "since you had your guard dog on duty
ready for me to leave! And it wasn't ‘without a word’. I left a note."

She waved a hand vaguely at the dining room table. He turned and saw it, crossed and grabbed it. He stood with his back to her reading it and she saw his shoulders
slump from their tensed position. The sentiments had been brief:

"I can't make you Mike. You'll regret it someday, you'll resent me, and we'll be over. I couldn't take that. It's better to do things my way. Please understand and
forgive me. I'll be in touch soon. Love, Alexis."

He turned to her, some of the darkness gone from his eyes. "Lex, I won't feel this way," he told her. "I didn't choose to leave my kids like my father chose to leave me.
It's a different situation. And as far as resenting people…it's not you I'll resent for the rest of my days. It's Carly."

She shook her head. "You say that now, but you can't know what will happen in the future."

"Can anyone ever know that for sure?"

She shook her head. "I can't risk this one. Sonny, you need to go."

"I told you that ain't happenin'."

"Then let me go!"

"That's not goin' down either."

"Then this is kidnapping!"

Their daughter had watched enough of the exchange apparently for she began to squirm in earnest.

"Daddy!" Kristina yelled with a pout and flung her arms open for him to take her, which he did happily.

"Seems somebody's willing to be my captive," Sonny quipped, cradling his daughter.

"Mornin' kiss," the child crowed, pursing her lips and waiting for her daddy's customary smooch, which he again gave with glee.

Alexis' heart sank. The girl—like every other red-blooded female—had fallen for Sonny. Even a short separation from him would hurt Kristina. She was so attached to
him already.

Sonny's eyes lifted from their daughter to his wife. They glittered with a heat she felt across the tiny space that separated them.

"Momma get a mornin' kiss, too!"

The child's exuberant words made her mother roll her eyes.

"Ah, Krissy, it seems Momma's a little mad at Daddy right now," Sonny explained gently to his daughter. "She thinks Daddy's bein' mean and bossy. But Daddy just
wants his family to stay together and he'll do anything to make sure that happens."

He stepped even closer to her, his free hand slipping inside Alexis' jacket to lie flat against her stomach. The heat of his hand radiated through her; all her senses
stood at rapt attention.

"Absolutely anything," he repeated.

"Including unlawful imprisonment of his wife?" she snapped.

He leaned in closer till their eyes met head on and his lips were inches from hers, his warm hand rubbing across the curve of her belly. "Including that, yeah," he told
her. "But are you sure you really want to escape me in the first place?"

Alexis glared obstinately at the opposite wall rather than into his intense and soulful dark eyes. In response, he leaned in further, his lips just brushing the curve of
her cheek, his tender touch having its usual effect on her senses. Her lips parted on a sigh as he traced a delicate trail to the corner of her mouth where he knew her
dimple hid from sight.

"Damn you," she whispered. "This isn't fair."

A sexy laugh rumbled in his chest. "Since when have I ever played fair?"

And with a dexterity one wouldn't expect a man with a toddler in his arms to have, he slid his free hand into the heavy fall of her hair and drew her face to his,
fastening his mouth across hers in a breathtaking kiss.

It went on forever as he kissed her thoroughly, indulging in the passionate embrace until his daughter squirmed against him and cried out, "Ewwww, Daddy…"

It was so adorable that Daddy and Mommy collapsed against each other in a fit of giggles, Alexis' earlier anger quickly forgotten. Sonny held her against him and the
three of them stood together as a unit, as a family. Alexis subsided against the strength of her husband's body and sighed.

"Does that sigh mean I win?" he asked her, grasping her chin in his hand and drawing her eyes up to his.

"This wasn't me against you, Sonny."

"No, it's us against Carly. Remember that."

"I do," she said. "I just…I want you to be happy."

"You make me happy," he murmured, sneaking another kiss. "We're a family. And we'll fight her together. We've spent way too much time— each of us—dancin' to
Carly's tune. Now it's time we take control."

Alexis met his eyes, seeing the raw determination there. He was a fighter, and he was asking her to fight his way: face-to-face with the enemy.
"I shoulda told you from the beginning and included you in this," he acknowledged. "But now that you know, stand by me. Like you have so many times before. Like you
did when I fought Sorel. Like you did when I fought the demons inside myself in that jail cell years ago. Like you did during this trial with Grayson."

She bit her lip, but his finger shot out to soothe the spot she worried with her teeth. "Will you?" he asked, a sudden uncertainty invading his gaze. "Will you just take a
leap of faith and stand by me now? Believe in me again?"

She was left with an uncomfortable sensation she had only rarely felt in the courtroom: that a superior orator, someone whose argument was flawless, and whose logic
could not be contradicted, had bested her. If she believed in him, he'd proclaimed, she'd stay and fight. If she didn't, she'd leave him alone to face this battle by
himself.

There was no other answer but the one she gave as she lifted her hands to his neck and pulled his face back to hers. She kissed him deeply and then rested her cheek
against his.

"If you're sure this is what you want…"

"I am…"

"Then yes, Sonny," she whispered. "I'll stand by you. Through it all."

Chapter 66

She very rarely drove. Most days she just took the limo that Sonny had left at her disposal. But today she'd rented a car. This way, she'd need none of his men with
her. She just wanted to get on the open road…to choose an interstate and go. Like she used to do down in Florida…just hop an Amtrak without a plan. Without a set
destination until she hit the ticket booth and picked a random town whose name sounded appealing. Whenever she felt trapped in her life, she'd just taken off to find
out what the hell she wanted to do next and with whom. To get lost for a while in her own thoughts…in her hopes and
her dreams. And that's exactly what she intended to do now.

With any luck, she'd lose Carly Corinthos in the crowd somewhere and find someone who'd been missing for a long time: Caroline Benson.

She'd gotten too absorbed in her husband's world…in his identity…in his concept of who she was. And now she had to do some work to get back to who she wanted to
be.

She had decided to drop the kids off first, say her goodbyes—they would be painful but it wouldn't be forever—and then make her way to the interstate. Simply the
thought of getting away made her body feel less tense already, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. No more tears. No more fighting. She had had
enough of all that.

The children were downstairs with her in the living room; Michael was amusing Morgan on the sofa and their bags stood by the door as Carly contemplated her
departure. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp rap on the door.

When she opened it, she saw Jason on the other side and her stomach fell. His eyes, so intensely blue, were as cold as ice as they fastened on the children's bags. His
hand snaked out and grabbed her shoulder like a manacle….tight enough to leave marks on her tender skin. She yelped and jerked away from him.

"What's the matter with you, Jase? Let me go!"

"What the hell are you thinkin'?" he demanded, stalking into the room. "It's not enough you take the boys from Sonny. Now you're gonna sneak outta town with them
and never let him see `em again? Never let ME see `em again? Like some kidnapper? Carly, you make me sick! I can't think of words low enough for you!"

She stared at him in the wake of his violent anger, her face white with shock and hurt.

"That's what you think?" she asked him in small voice. "That's what you think I'd do? Steal his kids and never look back? Walk away from YOU and never look back?"

Jason flung a hand out towards the luggage. "Seems that way, doesn't it?"

She swallowed convulsively, looking up at the man who had once believed in her without question, even when she was stupid and wrong. But now he thought her so
vindictive that he was glaring at her with a disgust he reserved for Faith Roscoe. Something in Carly withered under the heat of his fury.

"You used to tell me the truth even when you were lying to everyone else," he raged on. "You used to be loyal to me…to Sonny. It was us against the world. But that's all
changed now. YOU'VE changed. So what the hell am I supposed to think?"

"You're supposed to think, `This is my best friend so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt cuz that's what friends do'," she said to him. "The old Jason would've asked
me for an explanation. The old Jason wouldn't have come blazing in here yelling at me in front of my kids!"

She watched as Jason's eyes shifted to the couch and found Michael staring at him wide-eyed with fear and a bit of anger at how the man had spoken to his mother.

"Sorry, buddy," he said more gently to Michael. "But me and your mom have somethin' really serious to work out."

"But you don't have to yell at her like that," the little boy responded sternly, poking his jaw out in a show of masculine strength of which Carly was proud.

Jason sighed, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably. "Michael, I just want to make sure you get to see your mom AND your dad, okay?"

"But that's what's gonna happen, Uncle Jason. I'm gonna go visit my Dad and my new sister right now."

Jason's eyes shifted to Carly questioningly. She smiled, a bittersweet little smile. "I'm taking the boys to stay with their father while I go out of town BY MYSELF and
get my head together," she explained. "You know, I do listen to your advice occasionally…and- -and when you asked me to be the one to sacrifice…to love Sonny enough
to let him go… I listened and I realized you're right: I'm being selfish keeping them from their dad."

His face softened as he took in her words and the scene before him with new understanding. His body uncoiled from its attack position and he sighed.

"I can't believe this," he murmured.

Her smile grew but sadness remained in her eyes. "I know…that selfish old me would put someone else first. Hard to swallow, huh? Maybe I'm growing up a little.
Stranger things have happened."

Jason heard the pain in her voice if his frown was any indication. "I'm…I'm sorry," he told her. "Max called me and told me about the bags and--you know--with the way
things are I just assumed—"
"That I'd take them and run," she interjected. "I'm not gonna lie: I thought about it. I thought about it a whole helluva lot. And I almost did it. Cuz I wanted to hurt
Sonny. Badly. I still do. But hurting him was hurting them, too. And I don't want them growing up thinking they don't have their father's love. I know what that can do
to a kid. I've been there."

The man nodded in understanding; she knew Jason remembered well what she had endured searching for her biological mother and then learning that her father was
some john who never even knew he had a kid somewhere.

Carly shrugged. "I've used these boys as a weapon against him. So I guess…you had a right to think what you did."

Jason's expression hardened. "Yeah, I had a right. After the hell you brought him this week. He's aged like ten years from this, Carly."

She shrugged again. "Yeah, well it's been no picnic for me either. And look: I'm not saying that I'm suddenly Mary Poppins and that I like that he's with Alexis. I
NEVER will. But he's moved on, and he's by no means my last stop either. I have a lot o' life left in me. It's time I stopped living through him and find out what I want
for myself."

"If that's true…I hope to hell you make it," he whispered. "I really do."

She nodded. "Thanks."

"But if this is real…if you're serious about bringing them to Sonny today—"

"I am."

"Then there's something you should know. Sonny and Alexis…they're not home. They're on their way to Puerto Rico with Kristina…on a honeymoon."

Carly couldn't help it…her eyes rolled. "Fabulous. I try to do a good deed, and they go off to paradise together."

"Now wait, maybe we can catch up to `em. Maybe they'll want to take the boys, too. Let `em get to know Krissy."

Carly thought a moment, swallowed hard as if a mammoth piece of something had to be forced down her throat. And maybe it was something large…her pride.

"I…I guess that would be alright," she croaked. "If Alexis is woman enough to care for two babies and a little man like my Michael."

"Carly—"

She heard the warning in his voice and smiled wider. "Yeah, I know that was bitchy. I'll try, Jase. It isn't easy to break the habit of insulting her. It just comes natural
to me."

Jason smirked and shook his head, but Carly couldn't help but feel that some little piece of what they were…some part that had broken and fallen away…could be
salvaged…could be held on to and repaired. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But sometime in the future she could win back Jason's respect…his trust…his
friendship.

And that made her irrationally happy.

Chapter 67

Kristina snuggled into the warm secure hollow between Sonny's jaw line and his shoulder, her soft curls brushing his skin and bringing a contented smile to his face. His
arms closed convulsively around her, bringing her slight form against his chest. She smelled of powder and baby lotion. So sweet, he mused. And she felt so fine-
boned…delicate…so unlike his rough and tumble boys. The thought broadened the smile on his lips. He loved all of his children equally, but there would always be
something about Daddy's little girl. Something dear to his heart.

With a small sigh, he turned to look at Daddy's other girl, who sat to his right squirming in the hard uncomfortable chair of the airline restaurant. Alexis' beautiful
face was pensive and he shook his head, reaching out to grasp her hand in his.

"You still worryin'?" he asked.

She wrinkled her nose, and he found her adorable all over again. "You can tell, huh?" she asked ruefully. "I'm sorry. I guess being born a Cassadine means that I've got
an extra strong dose of pessimism in my genes. I can't help but think the worst at all times."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I'm the same way. Life made me a pessimist early, you know that."

He shifted Krissy into his lap as he leaned towards his wife. "But I don't want Kristina—or any of my children—to have that attitude about life. Like we do. I don't
want them to expect the worst from the world, Lex."

He surprised himself with the fierceness of his tone, and it was only just then that he realized how fervently he believed in what he was saying.

"I always expected my kids to die…to be taken from me…because of what happened to me in the past. And you know I expect everyone to leave because …because
that's what Mike did to me all those years ago. But I realized through this…through what we've gone through…that I need to count the blessings I have. Three
children are alive and well. That's a miracle. I'm not in prison thanks to what you've done for me. And I'm not alone because I have your love. Life's pretty damn good. "

She nodded with a smile. He touched her face lovingly with one hand. "I want Krissy to blow out her birthday candles and believe that her wish could actually come true.
I want her to get excited when she sees a falling star in the sky and--and I want her to pray for miracles and actually expect God to grant `em to her. I want all that
for her Lex, more than I want her to have money or things. I want her to have the hope that I didn't have…that you didn't have. I
want her to have a whole different outlook."

He saw her bite her lip, her eyes dewy with emotion. "God, you are one beautiful man," she told him on a whisper. "To have such dreams for your child. That's--that's
what I want for her, too. All of that."

He nodded solemnly. "Then if we want it for her…we have to—to teach her by example. We have to believe that good things can happen, too, Lex. Or else our daughter
won't."

She stared into his eyes, and he hoped that she saw the strength of his conviction. When she leaned closer to him, touched her soft lips to his, his heart squeezed in
his chest. She believed. He could feel it. She was going to try to do this…to commit all the way.

"I trust you," she said, her mouth against his. "Enough to risk it all. Enough to show our daughter that love is worth the chance of pain for the chance at paradise."
She kissed him tenderly; he reciprocated with all the love in his heart. And it didn't matter that some people stared at the mobster and his Cassadine wife…that some
whispered behind their hands about the couple that had been on the front page of the Port Charles Herald for weeks now. All that mattered was the feel of her skin
on his, his hand clasped in hers, and the future that both of them now believed could come to them.

***

"Michael J. Corinthos, please pick up the courtesy phone at any airline counter. Michael Corinthos, please pick up the courtesy phone at any airline counter."

Sonny stiffened against her as he heard the tinny voice call his name over the PA. His dark eyes shifted nervously to Alexis, and she felt anxiety replacing his earlier
calm.

"What are the odds there's another Michael Corinthos in the Port Charles airport today?" he growled.

"Doubt it," his wife said. "You'd better go see who it is."

"We're this close to our honeymoon," he said, holding his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "I don't wanna know what this is. Could be Max or Francis or Marco with
some crap Carly concocted to keep us here. Or it could be the Feds again. Wastin' our time…"

Alexis smiled. "And who was the one who just lectured me about positive thinking? Just go pick up the phone and see what this is. If it's Carly, we'll ignore her. If it's
the Feds and they try anything, I will sue them within an inch of their pinstripes. So go."

Sonny shifted Kristina to her mother's lap obediently and got up to find a phone. A few minutes later, he lifted the receiver. "Corinthos."

"Sonny?"

The voice of his best friend gave him pause. "Jason? What's up? What's the problem?"

"There's no problem, man," came the reply in what Sonny could have sworn was a lighthearted tone. "Quite the opposite."

"Well, tell me."

"It's—uhm-- better if I show you. I'm over by Cabrini's coffee stand, you know down by the South entrance of the airport."

"Yeah," Sonny growled. "I know the area, but my plane is set for takeoff in—"

"Sonny, just come meet me, okay? Trust me. It's worth it."

Confused and annoyed simultaneously, the older man growled out an answer in the affirmative and went to inform Alexis of Jason's call.

Her response was a puzzled frown, but she had sage words for him. "He hasn't steered you wrong through this whole mess. Let's just go meet him and see what this is
about."

Sonny smiled as she stood and walked with him toward the South entrance. "Well, listen to my little Jason fan," he quipped.

She smiled. "Let's just say that he and I have come to an understanding of late. He's not so bad. All bark and no bite."

Her husband shook his head. "Only you would be able to say that about Jason; he damn well intimidates everybody else."

They walked on further in silence, each wondering what it was that Sonny's chief enforcer had waiting for them at their destination…each worried that it might bring
them crashing down from the plateau of contentment they'd been sitting on.

Alexis shifted Kristina in her arms, and Sonny turned to her. "Want me to take her?" he asked.

"No, I have her. It's just up ahead a bit and…oh…my…Sonny…"

"What?" he asked, puzzled as she stopped walking and talking midstream. With a frown, he turned and followed her openmouthed gaze.

There, about twenty feet away from them, stood his best friend and his ex-wife. But more amazing than that was the sight of his boys. Michael, who stood in front of
his mother grinning widely and Morgan who flailed in Jason's arms, gumming a plastic toy gleefully. Sonny froze, not believing what his eyes were transmitting to his
brain.

Chapter 68

Sonny's dark eyes lifted questioningly to Carly.

Even across the distance, he saw the tears standing in hers, tears she was trying so hard not to shed. But her mouth betrayed her. It trembled. Then hardened
abruptly as her gaze flicked over to Alexis. After a tense moment, both women looked away. It was Sonny who spoke, first having to clear the raw emotion that fisted
in his throat.

"What…what is this?" he rasped hoarsely. "You brought `em to say goodbye to me?"

Carly looked back at him, shaking her head. "No. I was…I thought they could use a visit with you…with you and Kristina."

"And Alexis, Mommy," Michael added politely.

There was another deep and awkward silence amongst them for a minute. "And Alexis," Carly said, but the two words were whispered with palpable dislike.

"I…I need to go out of town myself…for a little while," the woman explained. "And I wanted you to take care of them, Sonny. But Jason came over and he told me that
you were headed to Puerto Rico. So I guess…"

Her voice trailed off as she realized…along with Jason and Alexis, too…that Sonny still hadn't said a word. That he was standing there staring, his throat working
convulsively as he struggled to contain his emotions in front of his sons. Alexis reached out with her free hand and touched his arm. Without conscious thought he
leaned into her touch. Carly and Jason both caught the gesture. Jason smiled; Carly closed her eyes against the truth.

After a moment, with difficulty, she continued. "I don't…I mean, I guess you wouldn't wanna take three kids to the islands with you, so if we can't make this work now
then we can reschedule…"

"No," Alexis interjected firmly. "We can definitely make this work. A gesture like this Carly…is very generous. We'll make this work. However you want to do it."
The younger woman's gaze held to hers for a long pained moment, then averted, but she nodded at what Alexis had said. Michael, no longer able to contain himself,
surged forward to embrace his father, his little arms wrapping round Sonny's waist.

"I missed you," he murmured into the cloth of his father's suit.

"I missed you, too, man," Sonny whispered, his voice wrecked by emotion. "More than words can say."

"So I get to go with you to Puerto Rico?" the boy chirped excitedly. "We get to go swimming in the ocean and everything, Daddy? Right?"

Sonny looked down at his child with something akin to worship. "We can go wherever you want, buddy," he choked out. "Wherever you want."

Jason stepped forward, and Sonny noticed that his friend had luggage beside him…the children's suitcases. "She's promised to make this right," the younger man said,
his voice steady like that of a negotiator, a role he had played many times in this marriage. "Not just for this trip, but for good. No more fighting over the boys. As
long as you guys respect her, she respects your rights as a dad."

Sonny caught his friend's gaze, gratitude shining from his face. "Thank you, man."

Jason held up his hands. "It wasn't me. I went to the penthouse, and Carly had already made her mind up…had already packed their bags. It was all her decision."

His boss nodded, letting his eyes fall on the face he had once found so bewitching, so dear. Now, he looked at her with some vestige of the affection he'd once felt,
but with such regret as well. Regret that it had taken so many battles, so many wounds to realize that they were poison to each other as lovers. He squared his
shoulders with a new resolve: that he would never go down that disastrous road again. That he would never take his children down it again.

Right now, he wasn't sure they could make a smooth transition to co-parenting, but he was grateful that today she'd made a huge step in that direction. All he could
think to say when he looked at her was two words…two heartfelt words…that seemed to convey it all and yet not enough at the very same time.

"Thank you," he whispered.

The tears that had been brimming in Carly's eyes finally spilled over onto her cheeks. She swiped at them with the back of her hand and didn't even attempt to answer
Sonny.

Instead, she fell to her knees, beckoning her son to come back to her. "So I gotta say goodbye for a little while, Mr. Man. But I'll call you when you're on your trip and
tell you where I'm traveling. And you can call me anytime on my cell phone; Daddy knows the number. I'll miss you, but I'll think of you having so much fun with your
father. You be good, now. You promise?"

"Yes, Mommy," came the earnest reply as his mother enveloped him in a hug.

Carly stood up, leaned over to kiss Morgan's fair hair, and then looked up at Jason. "I'll be outside," she said and turned to leave.

Sonny shook himself out of his shock and strode across to grasp her arm. She turned to face him, eyebrows raised. In a move that surprised them both, he leaned down
and brushed his lips against her temple. Instinctively, she clutched his shoulders, holding him to her for a brief moment. Her breath caught audibly on a ragged sob,
and she squeezed her eyes shut. It only lasted a few seconds, but the action had spoken volumes. It had said a firm and final sad goodbye.

She stood back from him, her eyes blurred with tears, and then turned away to head for the door. Jason's eyes followed her out, concern clearly etched on his face.
Sonny saw him and shook his head, knowing that the younger man would never stop caring for Carly. And deep in his heart, though he didn't understand the feeling,
Sonny was grateful she wouldn't ever be totally alone.

Jason handed the baby to his father and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "So what're you guys gonna do? Get tickets on a later flight, or—"

Sonny smiled. "Stop makin' small talk, man. You know you're worried about her. Go see if she's ok."

Jason grinned sheepishly. "That obvious, huh?"

"Yep. Just…you know…take care of her, Jason."

The other man shook his head. "I think the idea is to let her find a way to take care of herself first."

Alexis nodded and touched his arm. "Yes, that would be wise," she said softly. "And in the meantime, Mr. Caretaker, take some time for Jason, would ya?"

The man smiled, and leaned over to place a brotherly kiss on her cheek. He waved at the children and turned to leave the airport.

Sonny looked at his wife, a tide of emotion rising over his face. "Mrs. Corinthos?"

She smirked. "That's Davis-Corinthos to you."

He laughed. "Right. Mrs. Davis-Corinthos, can you believe what just happened here?"

She brushed an affectionate touch across Michael's red hair with a smile. "Carly did the right thing for her children. Yeah, I can believe it."

"That's not what I meant," he told her. "I was talkin' about YOU. I have never met a woman like you. Someone who would swallow her anger and her pride to be civil to
someone who has never been civil to her… just to make sure her husband has his kids. Just to make sure her husband is happy."

"You'd do the same for me," Alexis said, trying to downplay his words. "In fact you have. How many times did you resist the urge to deck Jax or Ned when they told you
to stay away from me?"

He pursed his lips, amusement dancing in his misty eyes. "Quite a lot… except the last time…in court. But then Nedly had that coming to him."

"Yes, he certainly did."

"My point, Lex, is that I respect you more than any other woman for what you've done for me. The sacrifices you've made. Making room in your life for my children."

She kissed him tenderly. "They're part of you and Kristina; that makes them part of me, too. That's not a sacrifice, Sonny. That's love."

He was struck again by the difference between her and his ex-wife. He was quite sure that Carly would not have been so magnanimous about Kristina joining their
family in the penthouse were the situation reversed.

And looking at his wife beside him now he knew that he had finally found real, mature, everlasting love. He wasn't even tempted to look back at the past anymore. He
would only look to the future. His priority was to make his family happy and whole and secure. Nothing else…no one else…mattered.
He smiled and enveloped the little group of them into a warm embrace. Then he laughed as he imagined them all on a TV screen with the credits rolling over their happy
ending. They would be in one of those schmaltzy romantic comedies…the kind Alexis secretly watched on the Lifetime channel when she thought he wasn't paying
attention. He always found the movies corny and unrealistic. He'd always asked himself, who would do all those things for another person? He'd always doubted that
anyone could really love that way…the forever way. He had never bought into it. Not once.

Now he looked at a brown-eyed beauty with dimples that smiled at him and warmed his heart. The woman who was his and his alone. He hadn't had faith before, but
starting today….

Starting today…he believed.

THE END

The Promise (the continuation of The Convenient Wife)

Chapter 1

She sat in front of the mirror on an ornate cushioned bench clad only in his shirt and completely unaware of how alluring she was. The shirt gaped a little in front,
revealing a soft glimpse of cleavage; and it fell only to her mid thighs baring the long length of her legs to his view. She was wholly engrossed in the task of brushing
her long chestnut tresses up into a ponytail. Tendrils escaped onto her forehead and at her nape. He watched, enraptured by the sight of her completing such a
mundane task, awed by the power of such a simple act.

She hadn’t seen him when she’d come into the bedroom earlier from the shower. He’d been standing on the terrace soaking up the Caribbean sun, a bottle of tonic
water fizzing in one hand, his back against the rail that fenced in their private terrace. Then she’d walked in wrapped in a white terry towel, every inch of skin he could
see bronzed from their days spent on the beach together. He’d sighed, watching her progress across the room, unconsciously elegant, as regal as a princess. He stood
immobile, running his eyes over the graceful lines of her form, over the soft curves of her body made even more generous by the birth of their daughter.

He stood there…not quite believing that someone like her was his, that he could look at her like this, that he could touch her, and love her. It still seemed unreal.

Stealthily, he walked into the bedroom, placing his drink next to her on the top of the bureau. She turned to him startled, her brown eyes wide and luminous as they
met his. Then they darkened as she lowered her gaze to take in his lean muscular form, bare-chested and clad only in boxers, and the tip of her pink tongue betrayed
her by stealing out to wet her lips. He recognized the familiar heat in her gaze, and desire—stark and sweet--streaked through his belly in instant response. His lips
curved. It had been this way with them every day of their honeymoon; he’d lusted for her like a randy teenager and she had reciprocated in like manner.

“Don’t, Sonny,” she warned in that husky tone of hers that sent shivers down his spine.

“Don’t what, my love?” His tone was innocent, his smile anything but.

“Look at me that way when you promised Michael we’d go to the beach this morning.”

“We’ll just…delay…that a little while.” His voice deepened to match hers.

“Any moment, he’ll knock on that door. There isn’t time—” Her breath hissed at him.

His fingers pressed against her lips and stopped her words. “I disagree: there’s always time.”

“It’s our last day on the island. We should spend it with the kids—”

“And we will—later.” He took a tendril of her hair in his finger, wrapped it round and let it go, loving its silken softness.

“Later, Alexis…”

He saw her catch the corner of her bottom lip in her teeth and knew that he had her. Her token resistance was over. He just had to move in for the kill.

“Later’s good…” she whispered.

He lowered his knees to the carpet beside her and lightly trailed a finger down the side of her face to her throat. He felt her shiver, saw her close her eyes, leaned
close enough to feel the warmth of her sigh. His lips near her ear, he whispered, “I knew you wanted to.”

A frustrated groan issued from her throat. “Cocky, aren’t you?” she said, even as her arms curved round his neck. “My problem is that I ALWAYS want to with you.”

“How could that ever be a problem?” His hands spanned her waist.

“Because I sense a wicked pattern in our marriage. Every time you want me to do something your way, you’re going to use sex on me, right?”

He chuckled deep in his throat and let his lips trace a path from her ear to her mouth. And just before he captured her lips with his, he whispered an arrogant, “Mmm,
whatever works.”

Her scent…gardenia soap and baby powder…made him smile in his mind as he indulged himself in the honeyed sweetness of her mouth. Without prelude, his tongue
invaded her sweet depths and parried with hers in a duel that was sudden and erotic and powerful.

If the taste of her lips was addictive as he drank deeply from them, then the feel of her silken skin was just as compelling. Without breaking the kiss, he quickly
reversed their positions so that he sat on the bench beneath her and she was suddenly straddling his lap.
His hands found her legs, sliding slowly up her outer thighs with amorous and single-minded intent. He found that he just couldn’t wait anymore. He had awakened this
morning hungry for her. And the need had only grown with each passing hour.

Somewhere in his mind he was stunned by the ferocity of that need and wondered if they would ever not feel this violent wanting. It coursed through his veins like
life’s blood.
His hands stole under the shirt she wore now and pushed it off her shoulders, his fingertips reverently following the progress of the cloth as it left her body. He made
to pull her closer, but she knew his aim before he asked and was already there, moving fervently against him as he silently lost his mind. All rational thought shut down
and everything between them was about his strength and her heat and their connection.

About pleasing and taking pleasure.

About driving each other towards a goal just there…just out of reach… then almost within their grasp once again.

Till reaching it was as vital as air.

And at last it was there. Shimmering, shuddering, like the burst of crimson sunlight just before night claims the world.

It rocked her body and mind, stole her breath and his, drove promises from his mouth, and unashamed cries of surrender from hers.

This was paradise, he thought breathing raggedly into the hollow of her throat, not anything that his money could ever obtain. This…what he held in his arms…was his
paradise.

***

It was…it was just…simply delicious.

“Daddy? Alexis?”

And more than a little naughty for an uptight lawyer. I do believe I’m proud of myself.

“Dad? Isn’t it time for us to go swimming now?”

Michael’s high-pitched question finally reached her ears through the door like the faraway call of a bird in a very deep valley. It seemed to come through fog…though
the corridors of a dream. She knew it was real, but she couldn’t seem to focus on it…nor to get enough oxygen to her brain cells to formulate an answer for the tyke.

“Hey, guys, are you awake in there?”

Slowly, second by second, she resurfaced from the sweet paradise to which he’d just taken her to the harsh reality of the moment. She became aware of her intimate
position curled against his strong, sweet body…her arms wrapped round his back…her mouth against the strong column of his neck…his hands thrust into her hair...both
of them struggling to regain their breath. She was suddenly—shamefully--aware of what they’d both done here on this bench with such abandon moments ago…right in
front of the mirror…in broad daylight…twenty feet away from the kids and the nanny.

“Good god, Sonny, what have you done to me?” she breathed against his skin. “It’s n-nine o’clock in the morning and the k-kids are out there and we were—we were
probably loud and they could have heard us, you know—”

“Breathe,” he told her, laughter shaking him. “They didn’t hear us, Lex.” Then he lifted her chin with his finger and forced her to meet his eyes. “By the way, I had a
helluva good time. You?”

She took one look at those dark intense eyes with the impossibly long lashes and was lost. Despite the mortifying blush on her cheeks, she giggled. Like a schoolgirl, she
—Alexis Davis--actually giggled.

“Yes, thank you, I did, actually,” she replied in a rather prim tone.

He laughed at her again and pulled her tighter into his embrace so that he could lift her against him as he walked with her into the shower. That was probably a good
thing, she mused, as she seemed to have lost the power to move her lower extremities.

Dimly, she heard Michael reiterate his plea then Leticia’s voice reproving him gently to let his parents alone. Alexis was suddenly glad that Sonny’s snippy ex had
insisted on flying Leticia down to help with the kids. The nanny was worth her weight in gold.

“We’ll be dressed in ten minutes, buddy,” Sonny called out, then he looked down at his wife who felt her insides melt.

“Well, maybe twenty minutes, son,” her husband amended. “Give or take a half hour.”

Chapter 2

Much, much later they emerged from the bedroom, Sonny grinning like the Cheshire Cat he was and Alexis ducking her head so that Leticia would miss the pink flush
staining her cheeks. Alexis couldn’t believe how easily he made her lose herself. How she could care less whether they were alone or in a roomful of people, she so
wanted him. And it would show in her eyes and on her face and in the movement of her body against his on a dance floor…in the language of their entwined fingers as
they walked down the beach. It was amazing…and embarrassing.

She was a Cassadine, for goodness sake. They were not by nature demonstrative in public; they were people of passion but only behind closed doors. But with him, she
felt like she wore her heart on the outside of her body…she felt exposed. What in the world had this mob boss done to her?

He looked at her now as she stood outside the bedroom door and unerringly read her perplexing thoughts. Grinning, he said, “You can’t go back, baby. Once you’ve
tasted this kinda chemistry, there’s no going back. Stop fighting it.”

And she frowned at him in consternation, which only made him laugh again. Because he knew he was right. She knew he was right. They each had this…thing…this
inexplicable thing for the other. And it was beautiful and awe-inspiring and frightening and sometimes even annoying as hell. But this morning it had been…powerful.
And delicious; her mind couldn’t seem to leave that word alone.

She turned from him, determined to short-circuit his teasing, and greeted the nanny warmly. Her daughter was squirming in the woman’s arms to get to her mother and
happily Alexis enveloped her in an embrace. “Good morning. Did you have a good sleep, munchkin?”

The child nodded and Alexis bestowed a bevy of kisses on round cheeks. She breathed in the familiar soap and baby powder smell of her daughter and felt the peace
that it brought her to her very toes.

Then she turned to Leticia, a rueful grin on her face. “Thanks for getting the kids’ breakfast by yourself.” She cast an accusatory glare at her husband. “Again.”

He shrugged unrepentantly and Leticia giggled. “It was fine, Mrs. Corinthos. Krissy ate all her breakfast. Morgan had his bottle and some applesauce. And Michael was a
great helper.”

Sonny jerked his head toward the little red head who was on the couch, smiling and chatting animatedly into the phone. “Is he talkin’ to his mother again?”

“Yes, Carly just called him,” the nanny answered. “Are we going to the beach? If so, I’ll get Morgan up from his nap and dress Kristina now.”

“Would you?” Alexis said. “I need to grab something to eat. I’m starving.”

“Yeah, she has quite an…appetite…this morning,” Sonny said and his wife sent him the Cassadine look of death as Leticia took Kristina out of the room.

Alexis got into his face, index finger jabbing into his chest. “You need to stop embarrassing me with remarks like that,” she hissed. “I mean, really, does the woman
have to know what we’ve been doing in there all morning? Do you have to include her in our sexual…gymnastics?”

His head fell back as he laughed out loud. She jabbed him again. “I’m sorry, Lex, but sexual gymnastics is just…well…funny. You make me laugh.”

“I’m so glad I amuse you,” she said her tone droll.

“Baby, we’re here on our honeymoon. I think Leticia knows what goes on when we’re locked in our bedroom…Besides, she probably heard you. You were kinda loud.”

His wife’s mouth gaped like a guppy’s in a fish tank. “But you said…Sonny, are you serious—?”

He smirked. “Nope.”

That earned him a punch to his shoulder, which he rubbed playfully as if her swat had hurt him.

Shortly, their attention was taken by his eldest child.

“Yeah, Mom,” Michael was chirping. “We do lots of stuff together. Like go to the pool and to the markets and out to eat. We went to this Carnival thing…not like our
carnivals at home but the singing and dancing kind. It was neat. Lots of people in costumes.”

Alexis smiled at the boy’s words, glad that he’d enjoyed his time with his father and with her. They had really been buddies on this trip; with Alexis making him very
much aware that she was not going to try to take his mother’s place, but that she was just an additional person in his life who loved him. It seemed the boy had gotten
the message judging by how well they all had been getting along.

“And we go to the beach most mornings,” the child was adding now. “Yes, all of us go…except when Daddy and Lexis are extra sleepy. They spend a lotta time in their
bedroom together, just the two of them. But then Leticia takes us out. She told me that sometimes that’s what married people do…spend special time together alone…
and I gotta be understanding…”

Again, color flooded her face. What was this: Embarrass the Bride Day? If so, no one had informed her!

She was sure that Michael did not even see his father move across the room, but suddenly Sonny was a streak of lightning and had the receiver in his hand. The next
moment he was speaking to his son rapidly.

“You know what? We gotta get you ready for the beach, buddy, so why don’t you go into the room and get your trunks, huh? Tell Mama goodbye.”

Sonny held the phone to the boy’s ear for a quick farewell then reluctantly lifted the receiver to his own ear. “Sorry about that,” he got out before Alexis heard a
barrage of shouting from the other end as Carly apparently let her emotions fly.

She watched a ruddy hue slowly creep up Sonny’s neck and knew his temper was about to flare. Though he tried to keep his voice quiet, the tone of it was still low and
fierce. “What the hell are you screaming about? Are you crazy? Of course, we haven’t been exposing him to our sex life.”

She rolled her eyes. Carly criticizing someone’s sexual mores? Pot meet kettle; call it black. Immediately.

“He’s a little boy; he’s gonna wonder why we spend time in the bedroom on our own. He certainly didn’t see that kind of thing from us in the end of our marriage so it’s
not like he’s used to it.”

Alexis’ heart lurched. That had been rather cold…probably well-deserved…but cold. She turned from him, feeling like an eavesdropper on the conversation, and went
into the kitchen to get herself something to eat. But even in there she could hear his angry voice.

And just like that her morning went from cherry pink fizz to black clouds and doom, care of Carly. Alexis wondered dismally if the interplay between Sonny and his ex
would ever cease to make her uncomfortable
Chapter 3

Sonny had had quite enough of this conversation and was ready to blow, but his children didn’t need to hear him raging at Carly for what had to be the thousandth time.
He had vowed to try to avoid this from now on, to show the kids a different picture of love and marriage and divorce and family. How it could all work out for the best
in the end. But damn it, he thought, his ex could make a saint use profanity.

“If I’d known you two were so hot for each other that you couldn’t spare my kids a moment of attention, I’d never have allowed them to go to the island with you!” she
was presently shrieking.

“Oh come on, that’s ridiculous and you know it. I HAVE spent time with them, Carly, but this is my honeymoon. I can’t dedicate every second to them.”

“I realize that, Sonny. I’m not an idiot. That’s why I sent Leticia down there to help you. Out of the goodness of my heart.”

“Oh, sure you did. Complete with a note that basically said you didn’t trust my wife to be able to handle three kids at the same time.”

“That is not what I meant!”

“Well, that’s how we took it.”

“Well, that’s YOUR problem! Anyway, it’s a good thing I did send the nanny since--according to Michael--she’s the one who’s entertaining my kids all alone.”

“Oh, please, Carly—”

“But then I should’ve known Alexis would get you to pawn our children off on the help as soon as she dragged you down the aisle!”

His blood pressure elevated two more notches. “That’s mighty funny comin’ from you since YOU pawn the kids off on Leticia on a regular basis even when you’re at
home!”

“What the hell did you say? I do not--!”

“And since YOU were so GENEROUS to send Leticia down here,” he railed over her enraged cries, “I can’t see why you’d mind us actually USING her services! Lex and I
do deserve some time to ourselves.”

“Whatever! I don’t have a problem with your ‘time’ with your precious Alexis.”

“Oh, I think you do,” he sneered. “You have a problem with the fact that I got a woman in my life…in my BED…and it’s not you.”

There was silence on the other line; all he could hear was the rasping of her breath for a long while.

“I repeat,” she said bitterly, “I don’t have a problem with you and your…wife…spending time together. Have a ball for all I care! But I DO have a problem with you two
ignoring my kids. And then when you ARE doing a family thing, you’re probably fawning all over each other in front of Michael! That’s not acceptable.”

He sighed. “Okay, first of all, Alexis and I show normal affection to each other in front of the children. As far as I know, it’s a good thing for a kid to see his parents
as part of a loving couple.”

“Parents?” Carly flared, her voice low and severe. “SHE is not his parent. Don’t you try to replace me in his life just because you’re married again. I’m warning you; you’ll
regret it.”

“What’s that: a custody threat after you swore to me and Jason that you wouldn’t throw that in my face anymore? Shoulda known that wouldn’t last.”

“All I’m sayin’ is Alexis isn’t his mother, and you both should remember that if you know what’s good for you.”

“Nobody said she’s his mother, but she is a ‘mother figure’ to him now and it’s time you accept that. She has a place in his life, and he likes her. And so help me if we get
back and you try to ruin that…make him unhappy in any way, I’ll-- ”

“You’ll what? What the hell else can you do to me, Sonny, besides leaving me for your tramp lawyer, embarrassing me in the papers, and breaking our children’s hearts?
Is there something else you can take away this week? Some hurt you forgot? I don’t think so! You were pretty damn thorough!”

Michael came bounding out of the bedroom, his towel round his neck, his Spider Man trunks on, and looked ready for fun with his father and his family. “I’ll be out
front with Renaldo, Dad,” he called as he went out the front door. The image tore at Sonny’s heart. He loved that boy and he owed his child peace. If Carly wouldn’t
work towards that end, then at least he could.

So he took a breath and remembered his vow to himself.

“Look, I’m—Carly, we’ve ALL been hurt in the last few months. But, damn it, it’s time to move on. Alexis is my wife. She respects that you and I have a past and share
two children. Why don’t you respect her place in my life and in your sons’ lives? That’s all I’m askin’. And if you can’t do that, then you’ll be makin’ yourself miserable
along with our children. But you won’t affect me with your melodrama. Or Lex. Not anymore. You hear me? We’re BOTH over you. Goodbye.”

***

Round 243,000 to Sonny, Alexis decided in the kitchen, sure that his parting shot had struck the harpy dead in the heart like a silver bullet. She chomped distractedly
on a piece of pineapple from the fridge as a sense of dread assailed her. She had long ago realized that by staying married to him she’d signed on as a permanent enemy
of Carly’s. But she had hoped the young woman would grow out of the emotional warfare at which she excelled…

Alexis was tired of going to battle, tired of the scars, the ugliness, the revenge plots. More than anything in her life with Sonny, she just wanted some peace. For all of
them. Even for his ex-wife. Alexis wanted peace.

***

Kathryn Bell lifted the phone and dialed a number with a Port Charles area code. It was picked up before the third ring.

“Hello?” a voice said.

“It’s me. The arrangements have been made. When they start home in the morning, I’ll be right behind them on the next flight.”

“Good…and you’re sure this will work?”

“Come now, you should know that nothing in life is certain. Sonny and Alexis are two little lab rats in our experiment. We’ll just have to see how they react and adjust
the plan accordingly.”

“That doesn’t exactly reassure me. I have a lot riding on this.”

“And I don’t? Look, just hold up your end, and I’ll hold up mine. I already have one of his men on my payroll. You’d think a mob boss would be a lot more careful about
whom he hires. It was an absurdly easy deal to sway the guard. That should calm your nerves a bit.”

“There’s just one thing, Kathryn: I know you’ve worked with Helena Cassadine before. But I’m not into those kinds of tactics. I don’t want a murder on my hands,
understand?”

“I’m not out to go to prison, either. The goal is to make Alexis pay. If we follow the plan correctly, that’s exactly what we’ll achieve: her marriage destroyed, her child
lost to her.”

A heavy pause took the line. Then…

“Agreed,” came a whisper.

Kathryn hung up the phone, a smile of pure feline satisfaction curving her lips. “Agreed.”

Chapter 4

Alexis twirled and pirouetted once more to check her image in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction. The dress suited her to perfection; Madrigal in the resort
boutique had been absolutely right. It was a simple design, shaded a deep cerulean blue like the sea Sonny loved, molding her generous curves lovingly and falling to just
above her knees. The low cut bodice was held up precariously by delicate spaghetti straps. The dress looked fabulous against her skin which had deepened to a rich tan
in the island sun.

She had chosen to pull the front of her hair except for her bangs into a clasp high atop her head but to leave the rest of her chestnut mane flowing about her
shoulders, as she knew Sonny preferred it that way, unfettered and free. A touch of shadow to her eyelids, a smoky kohl around her eye, a hint of lip-gloss, and she
was done. And she rather liked the effect.

Their last day had been a full one what with the beach, then packing, a family lunch followed by a final trip to the small children’s park at the far end of the resort
property. After they’d returned from the park, the kids had been sleepy and had lounged in the living room in front of the television watching DVD’s with their father
until she’d heard gentle snoring from all of them…including Sonny! Morgan was sprawled across his father’s chest. Kristina’s curly head lay against his knee, while
Michael was tucked against his shoulder, the boy’s red head resting against his father’s darker one.

She’d smiled at them all, her family. For that was what they were now in her eyes. Sonny had looked more like Mike Brady from the 70’s sitcom than the much feared
mob boss of Port Charles.

Still smiling, Alexis had lain down in their bedroom, pleasantly tuckered out herself. But when she’d awakened some hours later, it was to find the whole place quiet and
empty. Beside her lay a gilt-edged note card, folded and perched on Sonny’s pillow, his bold scrawl visible upon it.

“Alexis,

You are cordially invited to dinner with your husband on the terrace of our cottage tonight at seven sharp. Don’t worry…the children are safely tucked away with
Leticia in another suite for the night...the whole night.

Clothing for this affair? 1-Casual enough for sunset, candlelight, and a stroll on the beach hand in hand and 2- simple enough to remove when we take a little swim in the
moonlight.

I’ll be back from my errand as soon as I can. I look forward to our last night on the island together.

I love you,

Sonny”.

Presently, Alexis read the card again, her hand on her breastbone where her heart fluttered with emotion. A tender smile curved her lips; she was touched beyond
belief by his thoughtfulness. Who would ever guess that this dynamic force of nature whose dark side and temper were legendary, could also be so tender and giving, so
romantic and sweet? He had made these honeymoon weeks sheer perfection for her, for their family. And it was a time she would never in her life forget.

Looking out of the window over the terrace railing she was caught by the beauty of the dying sun. He would return in moments. And apparently, she mused, she had a
date with him on this idyllic evening. She wondered what her handsome husband had up his sleeve and looked forward like a teenager to the night that awaited her.
***

In the restaurant of his opulent new hotel, MetroCourt, Jasper Jacks meandered his way through the crowded tables, greeting some of his dinner guests with a smile
as he went. He loved taking a hands-on approach with his work here. He was a people person, naturally “an affable bloke”, his beloved father had always said. And it
gave him great pleasure to mingle with his guests as they enjoyed the place.

Then he spotted his dinner appointment sitting stiffly at the far end of the room and his jovial mood shifted darkly. He sighed as he neared the table, mentally
preparing himself for battle, and inwardly, asking himself why he’d bothered keeping this appointment in the first place. As he folded his long muscular form into a
chair, he stalled for time by signaling for a waitress who rushed over to take his order.

“Sherry,” he said, then reluctantly shifted his eyes to Ned Ashton’s cool gaze across from him.

That just about described the men’s relationship of late: cool. Arctic, in fact. It had been that way ever since Jax had supported Alexis after she’d married Sonny. But
last week, the temperamental Quartermaine heir had suddenly faxed him papers detailing a sweetheart of a business deal. It was to be a combined effort between
ELQ and a Jax-owned corporation.

Now, the jet-setting millionaire in Jax salivated at the projected profits, but the corporate raider in him was suspicious of his friend’s about face.

“So what’s going on, Ned?” he demanded without preliminaries and leaned forward till his elbows rested on the linen tablecloth. “We haven’t talked in weeks, not since
Sonny’s trial. Now out of the blue you invite me to lunch to discuss a lucrative deal like this?”

Ned drank deeply from his glass, his dark eyes never leaving Jax’s face. “I’m simply offering an opportunity to the only game in town with enough capital to make it
work. That happens to be you. But if you don’t want to take this on, then—”

Jax held up his hand. “Don’t try to play me like your grandfather would; that was classic Edward. He thinks I can’t resist the thrill of the deal. But I damn well can if I
feel I’m being lied to…or reeled in on a hook. Know that and know it well.”

The other man smiled widely and spread his hands wide in a gesture of offended innocence. “How the hell could I be playing you? And why would I do that? This deal is
as important to ELQ as it is to your company. That’s all this is about, period.”

Jax held his friend's gaze for a beat, his gut telling him something was off here even though he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

“So my support of Alexis in the rather ugly argument you waged on her in court that day…you’re saying you’re over that?” he demanded.

Ned shook his head. “I just faced a little reality, pal. I can’t change the fact that Alexis wants to ruin her life and place her child in danger for that criminal. I tried to
change her mind; she rejected me.”

The Aussie’s eyes grew cold. “No, actually, you didn’t try to ‘change her mind’; you called her a whore in front of witnesses and basically insinuated she’d do anything to
prostitute herself for Sonny. If we're gonna talk about it, then let’s both be brutally honest.”

He saw Ned recoil in anger, but Jax didn’t regret a word he’d said. There was no way in the world he was going to let Ned sugarcoat what he had done to Alexis that
day. If the man thought that was a possibility, then he was sadly mistaken.

Chapter 5

Ned couldn’t help but grimace as his poisonous words were thrown into his face; he knew in his heart that what he’d said about Alexis had been ugly. He had intimated
that she’d sold herself body and soul to Sonny. And though he regretted having lobbed those accusations at her in public, he still wouldn’t take one bit of it back. In his
mind, Alexis had volunteered to be Sonny’s whore, and she deserved the inevitable downfall that would come her way.

So who could fault him really for attacking her in court? After all, she was blatantly risking their child just to get Sonny into her bed. Didn’t anyone see that?

“Maybe that whole courthouse scene was…ill-advised,” he conceded grudgingly to Jax now, “but I was angry. Hurt. Can you blame me? She took the child I considered
my own and gave her to Sonny.”

“She gave her to her biological father,” Jax protested.

“Who’s nothing more than a murderer in an expensive suit!”

Jax nodded. “You’re preaching to the converted,” he said. “I don’t happen to like her being with Corinthos either. You know I can’t stand the man, but she loves him. And
because I care a great deal for her, I have to let her live her life the way she sees fit.”

“Since when?” Ned scoffed. “You’ve been a champion of the Anti-Sonny campaign since the day you met him. So what’s this politically correct act you’re putting on
now?”

“It’s called being a supportive friend.”

Ned shook his head in disbelief. “This sure as hell is a turnaround from the old days when you BEGGED me to get her away from the Dapper Don. Now you could care
less about her being in danger?”

“Of course not. It just came down to either accepting her decision or losing Alexis from my life. You chose to lose her. I’m not willing to.”

Cobalt eyes narrowed on Jax’s face as Ned watched him in silence. He saw Jax fidget a bit then his pale eyes skittered away.
“Doesn’t sound like all you feel for her is friendship, pal.”

He felt Jax’s questioning gaze return to him. “Of course, that’s all there is,” the Aussie replied, a gruffness to his voice that hadn’t been there before. “If you haven’t
noticed, I’m with Courtney.”

Ned’s face remained serious as he shrugged. “If you say so.”

“What, now you think I’m after Alexis? You’re jealous of Sonny AND me?”

“I’m not jealous of either of you: you two are welcome to Alexis as a lover, friend, whatever. I’ll take business, a much more faithful partner.”

They paused as the waitress delivered a drink with a solicitous smile sent towards her boss. Jax didn’t bother to return it this time. Instead, Ned noted, he shifted in
his seat uncomfortably and turned the tide of the conversation.

“Speaking of business: you do know that Alexis is acting as corporate counsel for me until I replace my last attorney. That means she’ll have to be in on this deal. Is
that going to be a problem?”

It’s what I’m counting on, Ned mused in his head. Aloud he said, “That’s not a problem for me. Just set the time for the next meeting and I’ll be there. Alexis can even
bring one or two of her thugs for protection if she so desires.”

Jax’s eyes became glacial again. “It’s comments like that that make me want to rethink this partnership. Let me make this crystal clear one final time: I won’t have her
abused by anyone for any reason. That includes you. Do you understand?”

Ned felt himself pinned by a rapier stare that he returned unflinchingly for long silent moments. Abused? Strong word, he thought, and just a little overdramatic.

“I understand perfectly,” Ned replied at last. “No wisecracks at Alexis’s expense.”

Jax nodded. “Good, because if you do decide to cause her pain, I’ll have no choice but to make sure you regret it. Friend or not.”

He stood and tossed money for his untouched sherry onto the table. “I’ll have my secretary contact you with a meeting time.”

Ned watched him go with speculation in his eyes. Was it his imagination, or had his pal Jasper been more than a little touchy when it came to the subject of their
mutual ex?

Downing his drink, he reached for his cell phone. His assignment had been to create a situation in which Jax and Alexis would be thrust together…to cause the illusion
that there were some unresolved feelings there...to drive a wedge between her and the mini-mobster. But Jax’s reactions tonight didn’t seem like just an illusion. They
seemed real. And suddenly Ned thought, his task seemed that much easier.

Today, things had gotten a lot more interesting.

Chapter 6

“You want another slice?” Carly asked, gesturing to the open pizza box.

Jason half-smirked. There was nothing worse than trying to watch a playoff series with a woman like Carly. Too much conversation, he mused.

He shook his head in answer to her latest question, eyes half closed as he stared at the widescreen in her living room. He was reclining on the sofa, one arm flung
behind his head, the other across his stomach.

“I’m too full,” he murmured. “I could take another beer though before I call it a night.”

Carly brought a bottle to him from the bar and folded her legs beneath herself as she perched on the couch beside him. “Jase, you don’t have to go so early. It’s just
after ten.”

Blue eyes flicked to her briefly then went back to the television. “Game’s almost over,” he said simply.

She sighed and he could feel her going into a pout even if he didn’t look her way. “The kids are gone till tomorrow and I’m here by myself. You’d think you could spare
me some time…some company—”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Carly, since they’ve been gone these last two weeks, you and I have spent like four nights together here or at Jake’s. Not to mention coffee at
Kelly’s-- what was it--Thursday morning?”

He felt her body stiffen, and she folded her arms across her chest. “You were counting our dates? How flattering. Gee, if I’d known it was such a burden to spend time
with me, I wouldn’t have asked you over—”

“Okay, hold it, cuz that’ s not what I meant and you know it,” he interrupted her. “And they haven’t been dates. We’ve been hangin’ out is all.”

He felt her eyes on his face and turned to meet her wide-eyed stare. The little girl lost expression was firmly in place and though he tried to guard himself against it…
knowing it was just a ploy… it still kicked him under the ribs a bit. He sighed at his idiot heart.

But then he should have expected this. Carly had been dropping hints all week…hints like great big boulders rolling down a mountain…that she wanted him…that she
wanted them to get back together as lovers. But he didn’t want that. Not with his mind anyway. Not now. Not yet. Not when things were still muddy in her heart and in
his. Not when the ghost of Sonny and Alexis’ new marriage stood between them and he couldn’t be sure if a) Carly wanted him, b) she just wanted to stick it to Sonny,
or c) all of the above.
No. It was way too soon for anything like that…and her little girl act…though compelling…was not winning him over to her side this time, he vowed.

“Don’t look at me with the hurt expression and the big tearful eyes cuz its not gonna work,” Jason said as much to himself as to her. “We hang out. We have fun. Like
the old days when we were friends. And that’s enough right now.”

She inched closer to him on the couch. “It’s not gonna be enough for me…not forever, Jase. You know that. You and me…we don’t have to pretend anymore. No one’s
between us. We’re free to be together any way we want.”

Now he turned his body to her on the sofa, reaching to click the set off with one hand. The room was bathed in a silence so sudden that it was uncomfortable.

“Are we?” he demanded. “Are we free? Or are you kidding yourself?”

“What’re you talking about?”

“I mean you called Sonny this morning and went off on him about him and Alexis being together in front of the kids…”

“How did you--?”

Jason angled his head and sent her a look she well understood. Sonny had called him.

“My goodness, it’s like you two are a coupla girls the way you talk on the phone every day,” she grumbled getting up from the sofa and walking back to the bar.

He looked at her rigid posture and the back she had turned to him and read her perfectly: now it was avoidance time. He was in no mood for this song and dance. He
was a man who cut to the chase.

“Look,” he said, “any time you’re still throwing missiles Sonny’s way cuz you can’t stand the thought of him with another woman…there’s baggage there. Things aren’t
done between you. That’s all I’m sayin’.”

She whirled to face him. “That wasn’t…today wasn’t about him and me! It was about respecting my kids, Jase! She doesn’t respect my boys if she feels she can slobber
all over Sonny every five minutes in front of them!”

Jason shook his head. “You always make it sound like Alexis is this predator who’s chasin’ Sonny down like prey. They’re married, Carly. They love each other. They’re on
their honeymoon and affection is normal.”

She laughed but it was a cold little sound. “Do you two rehearse these lines cuz that’s exactly what he said!” she burst. “You don’t understand. You just jump to Sonny’s
defense any time he tells you we had an argument. Which is crazy cuz I thought you were supposed to be my friend first.”

Jason tried not to think about how much her conversation sounded like that of a kindergartener. Instead, he stood and walked over to her, meeting her eyes with
sincerity and what little patience he had left shining from his face.

“You know that I’m you’re friend,” he said softly. “That’ll never change. But if you want more than that…if you want us to be what we used to be…then you need to be
honest with me. And with yourself.”

Solemnly, she blinked up at him. “About what?”

“When you think of them together,” Jason said, “makin’ a life for themselves, for Kristina, and the boys…does it make you angry still? Does it make you feel alone? Does
this shaft of pain go through your heart? So deep you almost can’t breathe?”

In the silence that ensued, he watched her face, her eyes, and saw her try to close off the emotion. He saw her mind working to concoct a lie. And all the while, she
tried to hold his gaze valiantly, to dredge up the words to tell him Sonny really didn’t matter, but she couldn’t. He wished she could do it; then maybe he could let
himself care for her again and stop feeling so damn alone. But he saw the truth...and he had to face it.

“It’s not about Michael and Morgan,” he said softly. “It’s about you. I know it hurts. It hurts like hell when you have to see him with his new wife and the family that
was yours. You get a pain right here,”—Jason pointed to his chest--“and you don’t know what to do with it. So you lash out and try to hurt them back. But all that does,
Carly, is tell me you’re not ready to go on, not with me or anyone else.”

She shook her head, swallowed convulsively, and finally found her voice. “You don’t know that, Jason,” she whispered fervently. “You don’t.”

His eyes were sad as he answered. “Yeah, I do,” he whispered back. “I know because that’s the same way I felt when you chose Sonny over me...”

And he turned and left the penthouse as silently as always, shutting the door behind him without another word. Had he stayed he would have seen the tears of anger in
her eyes, then the jut of her chin as she resolved to strike out at the source of her pain. Then the tremble of her hands as she reached for her cell phone and dialed
the number of someone who shared her hatred. Someone who’d made her an offer she wouldn’t refuse.

Chapter 7

The night had begun with a dance in his arms on the terrace to the light strains of violin music. He’d reminded her, his mouth on her skin and his voice husky in her ear,
that when they were married on a beach the music played had been a violin solo, too. The instrument would always be meaningful to him, he’d said.

The dinner afterwards had been perfection. Softly lit candles and gardenias had been set afloat in a large glass bowl as the exotic centerpiece of the linen covered
table on their terrace. Ornately painted dishes had been set before them; they held the most flavorful treats: empanadillas, crescent-shaped turnovers, some filled
with lobster, others with crab…a bowl laden with pollo al jerez, sumptuous chicken done in a light sherry sauce…and then later, after Alexis indulged herself on those
delicacies, there was a perfect flan that her husband fed her delicately. And a very special blend of Sonny’s rum to round out the romantic meal and to send her heart
—already tipsy with love for him—into a full spin.

She felt him take her hand across the table after the dishes had been cleared away by the very discreet wait staff. She breathed in the beautiful humid air mingling
with his fragrance and smiled from her soul.

“This was utterly beautiful, Sonny,” she sighed. “Thank you.”

His eyes darkened with emotion. “It’s you who should be thanked,” he whispered.

Her eyebrow arched questioningly.

“You’ll understand soon,” he said enigmatically, and took her hand to prod her from her chair. “Take off those sexy heels so we can walk on the beach.”

And after they had both toed off their shoes, they walked hand in hand down the flagstone steps that led from their private terrace to the shore. Under a crescent
moon they strolled down the white-sanded beach, iridescent under the night sky, the wind and waves the only sound to disturb the night.

Down the way a bit she spied a low lying torch, set on a short stand, and beside it a blanket had been laid out. He led her to it and drew her down to sit with him, her
back against his chest as he enfolded her in his embrace. Again she sighed, her body relaxing into the strength of his, and couldn’t quite believe how at peace she felt
with him.

“Do you always think of everything, Mr. Corinthos?” she whispered.

His mouth caressed the side of her neck then rose to her ear. “I’m a very thorough man,” he said, his hands coming to rest of on her abdomen, his touch bringing heat
to her.

“This I know,” she replied with a smile.

And they sat in silence enjoying the night and perhaps thinking of another island night when they had almost given in to temptation, and to several bottles of glorious
rum, and indulged their passion.

“I can’t believe this is our last night already,” he said. “It just flew by.”

“Mmm, but you’ve made it so remarkable. Come to think of it, how did you plan tonight so quickly?”

“I made arrangements today when you were napping,” he said. “I just wanted it to be perfect for you…a time you’d never forget. A time that was worthy of how special
you are.”

She turned in his arms slightly so that she could look up at him, into the depth of his ebony eyes. She needed him to believe her words. “It was the most perfect time,
Sonny. You made it that way. And it’s me who should hope to be worthy of a man like you.”

His finger traced the fine lines of her mouth and her jaw as he stole a kiss from her parted lips. “I love you,” he said. “And I…I wanna give you somethin’ so you never
forget that.”

She closed her eyes and smiled. “You already have…every day of this honeymoon. You gave me you.”

“No, I mean…somethin’…tangible,” he stumbled, as if nervous.

She looked at him curiously. It wasn’t often that her powerful husband was ill at ease.

He rose to his knees and compelled her to do the same then reached into the pocket of his pants and drew out a small velvet box. “It…it’s not much…certainly not like
the jewelry you must have in your family vault,” he said. “It’s not an antique or anything. But I…I picked it out…for a special reason.”

She bit her lip, stunned that he’d be so worried about her tastes.

“Oh Sonny,” she said softly, her fingers chasing the frown from his brow gently, “whatever you choose for me is precious. You know that.”

With shaky hands, he placed the box in her grasp and she felt him watching her intently as she opened it. What lay against the satin folds inside was the most exquisite
oval locket; done in gold, with one simple yet perfect diamond adorning its center.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, touching it reverently with a fingertip.

“No,” he said, “what’s really beautiful is inside.”

And he opened the locket to reveal a tiny picture of their daughter with her brothers and on the other side there was a picture of Sonny and her from their wedding
day. Their family.

“When did you--?”

“Yesterday, I took the kids to get this taken while you were shopping with Leticia,” he explained. “Lex, I can’t imagine another woman who would put herself aside to
love her husband’s children and treat them just like they’re her own. I can’t imagine another woman who would welcome three kids on her honeymoon the way you did.
And I can’t imagine any other woman who could make all of us into one family…who’d make all of us feel as if we’re at home. When you did that for us…for me…I knew
without a doubt that you love me. You really love me.”

He said it with wonder…with awe…as if he couldn’t quite believe it was true. Her eyes filled with tears just because of that, but his spilled onto his cheeks faster than
her own.
“You are my center,” he said. “You give me a place to run to when I can’t take the darkness in my head, when I need a safe harbor, when I need understanding. You’re
like a beacon in a storm. Any time I can’t see my way, I—I just look for you. And it’s been that way since the day I met you…whether I accepted it or not. Whether I
denied it or not. You’re my home. And you’ve always been that.”

He took the chain in his hands and slipped the locket gently around her neck “And so I'm givin' you this promise,” he whispered, “I’ll never lose sight of that again…of
YOU again. I’ll never let myself lose what I’ve found in you. This necklace”—he said as he fingered the locket—“it’s my promise that we’re forever.”

She stared up at him, her heart so full of love it overflowed. She’d never before believed she could feel this way, this moved. She’d thought it to be sappy romance
book stuff and had written it off as fantasy. But now…now there was Sonny and what she felt for him was so real it almost hurt.

His hands framed her face and he drew her towards him for a kiss. As his lips melded with hers she sighed into him, and the sigh became a groan of pure passion. He’d
promised her forever…and it would take forever to salve the longing she felt for him deep within her body…and to express the love held for him deep within her soul.

They’d start on forever tonight.

***

His stomach was in knots when he stole behind the apartment building to meet the blonde bombshell that was Kathryn Bell. The woman was sexy, yes, and she was
paying him a mint to be in on this scheme. Money he needed to save his kneecaps in the wake of some unwise loans he’d taken in recent weeks. Money he needed to shut
up a loud mouth wife and three demanding kids. But was the money worth the risk of selling out Sonny Corinthos?

Franco Denaldi was a newer guard, having only been employed in the Corinthos syndicate for a year. He was still allowed only on the periphery of the boss’s affairs…and
even that was under the watchful eye of one of the more senior guards. Franco still wasn’t allowed to protect the boss by himself or Carly or the kids. And definitely
not Sonny’s new wife. He was back up detail in the organization and Max, the meathead senior guy in charge of all of them, watched him like a hawk.

There were moments, like this one, when he was off duty and he could steal away to meet this crazy broad who’d hired him without fear of being spotted. But the
moments were few and far between. And they filled him with dread. Sonny Corinthos was not one who took betrayal lightly. No matter what positive effect people
claimed the wife, Alexis, had on him. He was still ruthless. The name Johnnie O’Brien rang in Franco’s mind.

Kathryn must’ve seen the fear on his face for she instantly started in with, “You’ve been paid half. If you want the rest—and if you want to live to spend it--there’s no
backing out of this now.”

He nodded, calling her silent and unmentionable names in his head.

“Now let’s go over this,” she said. “There are only two things I need from you. First, I need you to start the rumors we discussed within the organization. The rumors
about Alexis and Jasper Jacks. I’ll follow it up with more concrete evidence. Do you understand?”

His lips twisted. “I do speak English,” he snapped.

She shook her head impatiently. “Never mind the jokes. This is deadly serious.”

“No kidding. It’s my life on the line.”

“Then do your job well and he won’t be the wiser,” came the stinging reply. “The second thing I need is the daily routine Sonny establishes with his children. I’ll need
that information no more than a week after they return from Puerto Rico.”

Franco frowned. “Routines with his kids? Hey, just what is it that you want to happen here?”

Kathryn froze him with her stare. “No harm will come to his spawn, Franco. I don’t get
my kicks killing children. Just do your job. It’s really too late for questions, my friend.”

Franco grimaced knowing she was right. He was hemmed into this plot now for better or for worse. He had to make it work.

Chapter 8

He snuggled into her back savoring the warmth of her skin against his chest as they curved together beneath the sheets. Inhaling the sweet scent of her hair, he was
beset by a surge of wanting again, instant and virulent. But he knew she must be exhausted from their escapades the previous night, so he forced himself to be gallant
and resisted the urge to wake her with his kiss.

After dinner and their walk on the beach, Sonny had taken her into his arms and kissed her like a man starved for her taste. And indeed that was how he felt around
her. The love…the desire overwhelmed him…so that he felt just a little out of control. That alone was foreign to his nature. But with Alexis…whom he had come to trust
so implicitly…he had learned to love the feeling of being slightly unbalanced by her and to indulge himself in it.

He had been bold last night, calling her out of her inhibitions, undressing her lithe body on their private beach and pulling her into the dark, warm embrace of the ocean
waves. He’d been pleasantly surprised to see the trust that shone in her eyes, the reverence and passion in her gaze, as she followed him without protest. And when his
arms had enfolded her, she’d allowed her long limbs to drift upwards and to cradle his strong form as they began a dance secret and private and pure beneath the
waves.

Their loving was slow and endless and unbearably sweet…and her touch had driven him to the edge of his mind and back. She must have felt him shudder, must have
known that not all of the salty water on her shoulders was from the ocean. Some droplets were made of his tears as he came apart in her arms. But he hadn’t bothered
to try to hide how moved he was as her body welcomed his and drew everything from him that he was willing to share.

Soon after, he’d helped her to dress and they had walked up the beach to their dimly lit cottage. He had lain her on the duvet cover atop the bed and had once again
made gentle love to her. Stroking her from the fine lines of her neck to her collarbone and the graceful curve of her breast. Dipping over her belly to her navel and
beyond to sweet spots only he knew and loving them with single-minded devotion. He’d touched her as if she were made of fine crystal. Like she was a precious jewel to
be treasured and adored. He wanted her to always feel that way with him. He hoped she knew that.

And then she had truly shocked him, when she had propelled him onto his back amongst the disheveled sheets and had risen above his body to take control of their
lovemaking. And as they’d striven together for a moment of paradise only each could give the other, she had stared into his eyes, never breaking the connection
between them. Until he’d felt that she was just an extension of himself. The embodiment of his own heart.

If lovemaking could be cosmic…could be soul shattering…could be something other than simply physical, then last night, for the first time in all his years…he felt that
he had reached that plateau. With a woman he loved beyond reason and trusted with his life, one who had the power to hurt him and the power to heal.

He thanked God she had chosen to heal him.

Now, as the lights of dawn stole over the horizon, he watched her sleeping in his arms and prayed that he would always feel this way. That they would always have this.
And something…some sense of foreboding in his gut…made him add to his plea.

He prayed that whatever obstacle came at them in the future their love would overcome…

***

Carly hurried into the rear stairwell of the office building across town from her penthouse. She was almost late for this meeting, she knew, and her heart was racing as
she took the stairs two at a time bound for the fourth floor. The elevator would’ve saved her time, but she couldn’t risk it. Port Charles was a small town. Someone she
knew was bound to be in the lobby of the building. And that would arouse suspicion.

She rounded the corner in the quiet hallway, dipped into her pocketbook for the key that had been mailed to her, and used it to enter the darkened office suite
marked 4023. Locking the door behind her as she’d been instructed, she proceeded into the rear office, flicked on the lights and turned to scan the place for signs of
life when all of sudden the leather chair behind the desk spun round. And the person in it stared at her incredulously.

Carly’s mouth gaped, too, and as always she said the first thing that came into her head. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Shaken out of his shocked glare, Ned Ashton replied, “I was about to ask you the same damn thing!”

***

Kathryn had learned much during the long tortuous year she’d spent recuperating from the fall Alexis and Luke had engineered. She had had weeks and weeks of
tutelage from the consummate executor of revenge herself, Helena Cassadine. If there was one thing Kathryn had learned from the Grande Dame, it was this: when
you plot, always use the element of surprise never allowing the enemy—or anyone else for that matter—to see your whole hand before you played it.

Now as she sat in an unoccupied backroom of the same office suite, empty accept for a video monitor, she looked amusedly at two of her pawns lighting up the screen.
Ned and Carly were sitting in the rear office pensively trying hard not to look at each other, she noted. The poor saps had no idea what they’d both gotten themselves
into. They’d had no idea they’d be working together.

A second lesson from Helena: keep the players ignorant of the whole game. Each one could have a piece of the puzzle but certainly not the whole picture until the right
moment. For instance, Sonny’s guard, Franco, was on the bottom rung of the food chain as far as the plan was concerned. He knew his orders but none of the reasons
behind them. He would do as he was told out of greed.

On the next rung of the ladder was Carly, a woman scorned, who was primed and ready to seek and destroy. The woman knew only that there was a plot afoot that
would paint Alexis as an adulteress. Carly had leapt at the opportunity to make that happen.

But on the top rung of the ladder was Ned Ashton, Kathryn’s friend and former lover. He truly could watch her back in this little power play because he was a damn
sight more level headed than Carly; and Ned was playing for keeps against Alexis. Besides, if things went south and Sonny figured things out, Kathryn mused, she and
Ned could always pin the whole scheme on Carly and the guard.

Boldly now, she stepped into the office and greeted the players. She figured she’d set the tone from the outset. This was business…but oh was it going to be fun as
well!

“Hello, Ned. Carly. Ready for the ride of your lives?”

Chapter 9

Alexis finished fastening her couture suit, charcoal in color, and smoothed her chestnut tresses over her shoulders. A glance at her image in the bedroom mirror
confirmed that she looked suitably professional for this meeting.

She sighed. She’d need her armor on today; this was the first time she’d be seeing Ned since their horrendous fight in court some weeks ago. She shuddered a little at
the memory. Ned had been so vile that Sonny had leapt on him and would have beaten him to a bloody pulp if Jax hadn’t pulled him off of the man.

Jax…her lips curved into a sweet smile. He’d defended her beautifully. And truthfully, he was the only one who could have ever convinced her to attend a lunch meeting
where Ned Ashton would be present. Her ex-husband had desperately needed her to fill in as corporate counsel for some hot deal Ned had proposed. Rather than
disappoint Jax when he was this close to acquiring a new venture with ELQ, she had said yes though in her gut, she felt she should stay far away from Ned.

Sonny walked into the bedroom and spied her by the mirror. He wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her against his chest, his mouth finding the spot at the
side of her neck he loved to caress. She shivered, a renewed sense of longing taking her.
“Don’t do that, husband,” she whispered playfully. “We’re not on our honeymoon anymore. It’s back to the real world for us. Work, work, work.”

He groaned against her. “Yeah, I know. I got a meeting with Jason.”

She nodded, steeling her face not to react. She would never feel totally comfortable with his “business” with Jason Morgan. Jason and the business represented a part
of Sonny’s life that was inherently dangerous.

Determinedly, she pushed that thought from her mind and recalled that Sonny had promised her when they were married that he would take steps to remove himself…
and all of them…from that world. But it would take time.

“Where are you off to today?” he asked.

“You remember I told you I’m doing some work for Jax? We have that meeting today at Metrocourt for lunch.”

He met her eyes in the mirror, surprise in his. “That’s a coincidence. Me and Jason are havin’ our meeting there, too.”

Alexis’ eyes narrowed. “You and Jason?”

“Yeah.”

“You and Jason who used to be married to Courtney?”

“Yeah.”

“You and Jason who used to be married to Courtney are having lunch at the hotel Jax NAMED for Courtney…his girlfriend and soon to be fiancée?”

Sonny nodded as if he didn’t get where she was going with this. “Yeah, we’re havin’ lunch there, too. That’s what I said.”

Alexis turned in his arms, folded hers across her chest, and looked him square in the eye. “What? Was the Grille closed? Did the No Name burn down when I wasn’t
paying attention?”

His head tilted; his eyes skittered away from her face. “Nah, I just felt like a change,” he said. “Jax’s place has good food, I hear.”

Alexis stared him down with a silent, “I dare you to keep lying to me” glare, until finally he threw his hands up in the air and walked a few paces away from her in a huff.
“Okay, I give. I checked your appointment book, saw you had this meeting with Jax and NED, and made a reservation at Metrocourt, too. Okay? You happy now?’

She shook her head and walked over to him, touching his shoulder. “But why did you feel you had to do that, Sonny? Don’t you trust me with Ned?”

“Of course! It’s that little punk I don’t trust. After how he spoke to you…what he called you in front of the Quartermaines…Lex, I…I just wanted to be there in case
there was trouble, okay?”

“And the two guards you keep on me that you think I don’t notice wouldn’t have been enough?” she asked, her tender smile taking the sting out of the words.

He ducked his head. “I just…I just needed to be there.”

She reached up to grasp the lapels of his suit, to pull him forward and kiss the beautiful lips that had slipped into an adorable masculine pout. “I understand, baby, and
that makes me feel so cared for. But Jax will be there. He won’t let Ned do anything to me.”

Sonny’s eyes darkened and narrowed. “That’s supposed to make me feel better?”

Her eyebrows arched. “What do you mean?”

“I’m supposed to be glad Candy Boy’ll have a reason to be all over you?” he remarked. “It was hard enough when they arrested me a month ago, and I had to see photos
of him by your side in the newspaper. Or how he defended you in court that day when I was perfectly able to do it myself. Or how you called him when you and I had
that huge blowout about Kristina’s paternity. Every time I turn around, there’s Candy Boy.”

Alexis’ mouth curved slightly. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous of my ex?”

Sonny ducked his head again, his mouth firming into an arrogant line. “Nah, I’m not jealous of him. I just don’t like that he tries to be so close to you sometimes. Why
doesn’t he go pay attention to my baby sister and get outta your hair?”

Alexis laughed and shook her head. “That’s a first. You actually WANT a man to pursue Courtney. Sonny, there’s nothing to worry about. Jax is my friend and that’s all.
And he’ll make sure Ned stays in his place today. Go have lunch at a place you’ll enjoy and stop worrying so much, okay?”

He sighed and shook his head in exasperation but dropped several hard loving kisses on her mouth before he turned to leave. “See you for dinner,” he told her.

“I promise,” she said.

But mentally she noted that he hadn’t said he’d cancel lunch at Metrocourt. She had a sneaking suspicion that she’d have three guards today.

**

Franco slipped the driver a business card.

“What’s this?” the chauffeur asked.


“The new address for the lunch meeting. Mr. Jax said to take Ms. Davis to this location instead. He’ll meet her there.”

“The boss know?”

Franco frowned and held up his hands in a gesture that said he had no idea. “I don’t know what the wife tells the boss. I don’t get involved. All I know is this Jax guy
requested she come to that address I just gave you. Some private place. Frankly, it makes me a little uncomfortable she changed the plans last minute like this, but
hey. Who am I to question it? Just take her there.”

The chauffeur shrugged. “Will do.”

Franco nodded and walked away.

Chapter 10

The cottage sat on the picturesque grounds of a vineyard just a bit upstate from Port Charles, and—according to the caretaker who’d shown Jax and Alexis in---it was
typically used by businesses for private meetings. Meetings that had to stay under the public radar.

Jax stood with her in the foyer of the place looking around at the bright spacious room, filled with vases of flowers and platters laden with goodies. A bottle of
champagne chilled on a side table. There were no high backed swivel chairs….only rich plush couches. He frowned at the picture it all made before him: that of a
romantic lunch getaway rather than a corporate gathering to set up a business proposal. The single furnishing that related to their agenda was a rectangular table set
up at the rear of the room complete with a wireless laptop, some paper, and binders bearing the ELQ insignia.

“Alright, what on earth are we doing here?” Alexis asked.

Jax shrugged. “Hell if I know. Ned’s office contacted mine and said this had all been arranged. I assumed he was trying to keep our deal out of the Press for a while,
but this is ridiculous.”

She nodded. “The CIA couldn’t have done better. My limo driver got lost twice on the way up here. And where is our fearless Quartermaine anyway?”

“I’ve no idea, but I do know that that pâté looks good over there, and I intend to indulge while we go over these numbers. You?”

She smiled back. “Never let anyone say that you don’t have your priorities straight.”

“Luxury first, work second,” Jax heartily agreed as he took her arm and drew her further into the room.

***

Carly crouched behind a clump of foliage struggling to avoid being seen by Sonny’s guards who were posted at the front of the cottage. Unfortunately, she was also
trying to avoid a persistent swarm of gnats that had fallen in love with her hairspray while also maintaining a clear view of Jax and Alexis inside the cottage. She
gritted her teeth at the idiocy of her position. She couldn’t tell who she most felt like, Lucy or Ethel, in this caper.

But she’d accomplished the objective: the camera was well hidden in the cottage ready to catch Alexis and the blond Aussie Adonis in any suggestive pose they might
adopt. And if there were no suggestive poses, then she’d make sure the video was doctored to create one!

Of course the lofty Kathryn and the arrogant Ned were far too good…far too important…to draw this covert duty, creeping around bushes and sneaking about
vineyards to set up surveillance equipment. No, that duty was reserved for the low man in the scheme. Carly’s lips twisted bitterly.

But really, she thought, she could care less how they treated her, or what she had to do at this point. All that mattered was that the people she was scheming with
shared her hatred of Alexis Davis, and they were going to help Carly get the job done: the removal of a certain lady lawyer from Sonny’s world for good. She could bear
anything if that goal was achieved.

***

Ned watched Sonny with dark amusement. The usually smooth criminal was decidedly flustered, obviously trying to pay attention to whatever nefarious things Jason
was saying to him but totally unable to sustain attention. His dark eyes were all over the restaurant evidently scanning for Alexis who was supposed to be there having
lunch, too.

But of course his lovely wife was nowhere in sight, Ned mused, and it was time Sonny knew precisely why.

He grinned as he raised the cell phone to his ear and walked across the restaurant till he was well within earshot of the mobster.

“What do you mean they went to the cottage?” he demanded though no one was on the phone line. “I specifically told Jax and Alexis to meet me here at Metro Court;
why the hell are they way up there?”

He could feel Sonny’s penetrating gaze riveted on his back; the heat in the man’s stare could almost cause tangible damage.

“You tell Jax if he wanted a private meeting with his lawyer he could’ve at least had the courtesy to tell me,” he raged feigning an indignant tone. “I cleared my
schedule for this meeting today and he pulls this crap? My time is valuable and he better not forget that again.”

Before Ned had even slipped his phone back into his pocket, Sonny was out of his seat and striding across the room.

“Where the hell is my wife, Ashton?”

Ned faced him and returned his gaze smugly. “Now how should I know that, Sonny? She is your wife, after all. I assume you have guards on her at all times due to your…
business. Why not ask one of them?”
Sonny took an ominous step into Ned’s space and glared in a way that made most men quake. “I asked you where she is. Answer me.”

Ned shrugged. “I can give you my best guess based on what my people just told me. She’s at a cottage at Davidson Vineyards, a ways upstate from here. Apparently she
and Jax went there for a private meeting without informing me. Quite rude. Now I wonder why they would do something like that?”

Sonny frowned. “I thought the three of you were having lunch here.”

Ned shrugged again. “I thought the very same thing. Seems my friend and your wife had other plans.”

And with a grin that could have lit up Manhattan on a dark night, Ned turned and walked way from his nemesis.

Chapter 11

Her sides hurt from laughing so hard at her ex-husband’s stupid jokes. The hours with him had flown by. She’d forgotten just how fun it was to be with Jax…and just
how bawdy a sense of humor he had. He never ceased to make her blush over one of his ribald stories.

As Alexis leaned back in absolute agony on the couch, she held up a hand in surrender. “Stop now while I still have stomach muscles,” she gasped. “You’re awful, Jasper,
to do this to me.”

He shrugged, his smile genuine. “Can’t help it. I like to see you laugh…to see you happy,” he said and leaned back against the sofa as well, one muscled arm thrown behind
her head affectionately.

Hearing the warmth in his tone, she turned to him, a loving smile on her face. He’d always been a true friend; she was glad to know that she meant as much to him as he
did to her.

“You’re someone who has always made me happy, you know,” she said in a confessional tone. “Being with you and John and Jane saved me from myself lots of times.”

He was quiet for a moment or two, and then he reached out his hand to take hers and to clasp it against his thigh. His eyes darkened with emotion. “You’ve had far too
much sadness in your life,” he said. “Your mother, Kristina, Stefan…”

She met his gaze, surprised at the suddenly serious turn of the conversation.

“I don’t want you to ever be back in that dark place. You know that, right?”

Her heart melted and instinctively she reached out to place a gentle hand on his jaw. “Of course I know that. But…where’s this coming from?”

His fingers tightened round hers as he caught her free hand and brought it to his lap as well. When he spoke his voice was a whisper. “Are you…are you happy, Alexis?
With Sonny? Is he worth all the danger he brings to your life?”

She bit her lip struggling to tamp down the instant defensive reaction that rose in her like a wave. She knew that Jax wasn’t attacking her; in fact he hadn’t brought
this up in quite a while. He was one of the few people in her life who’d been nothing but supportive since the day she’d married Sonny.

She squeezed his hand in hers and met his gaze squarely. “I’m truly happy, Jax,” she replied, her voice strong, sure. “When he and I were apart, there was just always…
something missing. My life isn’t nearly as rich without him in it. He takes care of me in a way that I won’t let anyone else do. And Jax, I take care of him. It’s right…it
is. He’s worth the risk.”

Jax listened to her, then was still for a moment. Finally he nodded his head as if she’d just answered a question that had lingered in him for ages.

“I’m glad you’re sure,” he murmured.

Alexis’ head tilted. “I am,” she told him, lifting one of his hands to place a soft kiss on his knuckle. “But it means the world to me that you didn’t jump down my throat
just now. You’ve held back your criticism of my marriage for months. That’s admirable.”

“It hasn’t been easy,” he quipped, grasping his chest dramatically. “It’s taken a lot out of the old playboy.”

She laughed with him and the atmosphere lightened. “Well, it didn’t harm your dirty sense of humor, mate. Those jokes would’ve made a truck driver proud!”

He leaned closer, winking an eye flirtatiously. “You always were the most fun ex-wife to tease.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Compared to Brenda Barrett Jax, the ultimate party girl? Yeah right!”

He smiled into her eyes. “I’m serious! You and I always had fun together, no matter what hell our actual relationships were going through at the time.”

She nodded. “True. We were well-suited that way.”

Jax smiled suggestively. “Only in that way?”

Alexis sighed, a blush trying to steal over her face as she got his meaning. “Well, we never indulged in any other tests of compatibility, now did we?”

He shook his head with a regretful sigh. “No, and that’s a pity. I’ll always mourn that lost opportunity.”

Her lips parted in shock as his words settled over her. Could he be serious? Sure they’d flirted, but they’d never come close to…
The next second she decided that he couldn’t possibly be serious about it and smacked him playfully on his chest. “Come on, Jax. You loved Chloe at the time, and I—for
some odd reason—loved Ned. It was never about you and me and you know it.”

“What if I said I thought about it?”

She ducked her head. “Then I’d say you were lying.”

“Come on Alexis, you expect a red blooded male to live for months with those legs of yours and NOT imagine them wrapped around him?”

”Jax!” she cried, turning a mortifying purple hue.

“Are you going to tell me you DIDN’T think about me that way? Not in the whole time we lived together? Never once?”

Flustered, and with a mouth that gaped like a guppy’s in a fish tank, Alexis searched for a suitable retort. A minute later, she stood, hands on her hips and announced,
“That’s so ridiculous it doesn’t even deserve an answer!”

Still in stitches, Jax got up and took her arm to escort her to the door. “Only because you can’t think of one, Counselor.”

Chapter 12

Sonny stood at the window of their apartment that looked out over the streets of the city, but he might as well have had his eyes closed for all that he saw. His mind
was too busy. It was after five and Alexis still hadn’t shown up. He knew she was alright; he’d given in to the temptation to call her guards over two hours ago—Max was
with her today along with the new guy, Franco Denaldi as his back up. They’d reported that, “Ms. Davis and Mr. Jacks” were still in their meeting. But Alexis hadn’t
called Sonny personally, not once. And though he didn’t want to admit it, his blood was boiling over that fact.

What the hell had she been doing with Jax all afternoon at some secluded vineyard spot? Why hadn’t anyone told Ashton about the change in location for the meeting?
And why hadn’t she taken five seconds to call him herself and tell him she’d be late?

The thoughts merged into one huge boulder that bounced around his head causing it to ache as the front door of the apartment finally opened and his wife came into
view. He swung around, hands on his hips, to face her and the apologetic smile on her beautiful mouth froze, and fell away. She sighed recognizing that he was angry as
hell and seemed to mentally prepare herself for battle.

She was right to do so, Sonny thought, because this sure was going to be a big one.

***

Franco Denaldi positioned himself in the dimmest spot of the corridor so he could watch the comings and goings of security personnel on their way to Sonny’s floor. At
last, he heard the elevator ding and saw Max exit. The man nodded to another guard, Francis as he stepped into the car for the shift change. “Have a drink for me,
man,” Francis bade Max.

Max smirked. “Sure thing.”

Franco watched his superior amble down the hallway toward the lobby of the apartment complex. That’s when he stepped out into Max’s path.

“What’s up, Franco?” Max queried. “It’s quitting time. Thought you’d be down at the bar already.”

Franco shifted his weight from one leg to the other, trying to appear nervous. “There was something I needed to run by you.”

Max nodded for him to continue. “Shoot.”

Franco swallowed. “You told me to do the sweep of the cottage where Ms. Davis and Mr. Jacks were meeting today and…well, I found a video camera.”

The senior guard frowned. “Was it in plain sight?”

“Yeah,” Franco lied.

“So it was just a security camera for the vineyard. Not from any of Sonny’s enemies. No worries, man.”

The other man made a show of discomfort. “Nah, that’s not what’s bothering me.”

“Then what’s the deal? Spill it.”

“I…I kinda checked out what got recorded. Just to be sure everything was okay.”

Max nodded. “That was smart. So what did you see that’s got you rattled like this?”

“It was…I mean…well, I’m just gonna come out and say it. This guy Jax just seemed to be pushing up on the boss’s wife a little. I mean, just a little too familiar and
affectionate, you know what I’m sayin’?”

Max smirked. “Well, he’s that kinda guy, you know? The showy playboy type. And they used to be married. Still are good friends. I wouldn’t worry, man. Ms. Davis isn’t
like that.”
Franco shrugged. “If you say so.”

“I do say so. She’s totally gone over Sonny. I don’t think she’d ever step out on him, no matter what you saw.”

“Maybe. I’d still like you to see the tape. See what you think.”

Max sighed, shook his head slightly then took the recorded disc from the other man. “Always the newbies, being extra paranoid.”

He clapped Franco on the shoulder as he passed him. “It’s a good trait to have when you’re starting out in this business. Thanks, I’ll check this out and get back to you
tomorrow.”

“Alright, Max, you do that,” Franco murmured as the muscle bound security chief rounded the corner to go out of the building.

Franco smirked. Thank goodness the man was no genius. He had no idea what Franco’s true aim was. And one look at the video…doctored to exaggerate their
affectionate gestures…would put Max on Ms. Davis’ case big time. And by extension, Sonny.

Mission 1 accomplished

Chapter 13

Alexis dropped her bag on the sofa registering how dark it was in the apartment and how quiet.

“Is Kristina—”

“Out with Alice at the park,” Sonny interjected gruffly. “Then to Kelly’s for supper.”

Alexis frowned. “I thought we were going to have dinner together?”

Sonny’s eyes darkened. “Gee, so did I. But it seems somebody changed her plans on me so I couldn’t be sure of anything.”

Her shoulders tensed. “Okay, let’s get this over with. Obviously you’re angry with me that I’m late but—”

“No, bein' late happens. Business goes long sometimes. But bein’ late with no phone call doesn’t go over well with me. Bein' late with no phone call and with an ex-husband
in the picture is unacceptable.”

Alexis lifted her jaw defensively. “Okay, I agree with you about not calling. That was inconsiderate of me and I’m sorry. But Jax being with me shouldn’t mean anything.
I’ve told you he and I are friends and that’s all. My word should be good enough on that.”

Sonny’s head tilted. “Your word is good enough. But you’re gonna tell me a husband doesn’t have the right to be mad at a wife for spending the day with her ex without
so much as one phone call home?”

“Said husband should realize his wife is trustworthy and shouldn’t treat her as if she was the same as his former wife.”

Sonny recoiled. “That was bitchy.”

“Bitchy but true,” she retorted, unrepentant.

He wiped a hand over his mouth in agitation and fired back. “Since YOU brought up Carly, let’s use her as an example. If I were out gallivanting with her all afternoon at
some damn cottage in the vineyards when I said I’d be at Metro Court, you wouldn’t flip?”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s not even remotely the same situation!”

Sonny stepped towards her. “Why isn’t it the same?”

“Because you and Carly have a long and complicated history…a romantic history…a sexual history, Sonny. Jax and I do not.”

“He’s still a man and he looks at you like a man looks at a woman, Lexis! You can’t deny that!”

She froze. Before today’s conversation, she would’ve denied it. But Jax had definitely opened her eyes about their attraction. Still, she wasn’t about to concede an
argument that questioned her character. Attacking her character had been Port Charles’ favorite sport for the last few years and she wasn’t about to take it from her
own husband in her own home!

“It shouldn’t matter how Jax does or does not look at me. All that should matter is that you trust your wife not to act on any feelings with any other man.”

“So you’d be okay with me hangin’ out alone with my ex and not calling you all afternoon?”

Every fiber of her being screamed no, but she forced herself to deny it. “I’d have to deal with it. I wouldn’t LIKE it, but I’d trust you. Which is what seems to be
missing here!”

“Okay, since I have your permission, I’ll take Carly out to lunch tomorrow. We’ll be gone all day. Fine by you, right?”

“You’re being ridiculous!” Alexis fumed, completely exasperated now. “That’s not the point. I didn’t even know I’d be going to some vineyard with Jax. Plans got screwed
up between his office and Ned’s. It wasn’t my fault!”
“Did any of that prevent you from picking up a phone, Lex?”

“No, and I’ve already apologized for that—”

“I know you’ve never been married before…and you’re not used to answering to another person…but you need to get used to it—”

“You wait one minute,” she flashed, pointing a slender finger his direction. “I am married to you, but I do not ANSWER to you, Sonny—”

“Oh, please, don’t go all feminist on me! You know that wasn’t what I meant—”

“And do not talk to me as if you are the EXPERT on marital relationships! Because we both know that is untrue! Three broken marriages to the same woman should tell
you that!”

Silence. A total, complete, black void of silence descended on them as if they had been plunged underwater. And in that instant she knew she’d gone too far…said too
much…and that she had just escalated this to a new and uncomfortable level of tension.

He looked at her, hurt mingled with anger in his dark eyes. And then he pivoted grabbing his jacket and keys.

“Where are you—”

“Out,” he yelled, and the door slammed behind him.

She caught her reflection pale and strained in the mirror mounted by the front door, right above a framed picture of them at their honeymoon cottage. Her lips
twisted bitterly.

Great Alexis, she berated herself. You handled that well!

Chapter 14

Max watched the DVD recording over breakfast, only half paying attention to it as he scanned the sports section of the PC Herald. The recording was without sound,
he discovered, so he finally sighed and had to give it his undivided attention. It only rolled for about seven minutes before he switched it off and cursed violently under
his breath.

This couldn’t be what he was seeing, could it? There couldn’t be something between this guy and Alexis? The same Alexis who made his boss sane again…made him
happier than Max had ever seen him…centered, rational…The man could even deal with Carly sensibly now that Alexis was in his life!

Max rewound the disc to view it again. The second time only confirmed his first impression….Jax and Alexis were way too close. The hand holding, the arm around her
back, her fingers cradling his jaw, the gazes at each other just a little too long to connote simple friendship. Sitting so closely on the couch there seemed to be no
space between them.

As he watched the rest it seemed to blur as if the camera had had a malfunction, but the guard had already seen as much as he could stomach. The question was what
to do with this.

Did he bring it to the boss? If he did, he ran the risk of Sonny being offended or shamed in front of his bodyguard. Or—worse--not believing the story at all and taking
it out on Max as only Sonny could do.

Did he bring it to Jason and let the enforcer handle it? Or did he just keep his eyes open and his mouth shut for now?

With a groan, Max lay back against the couch and covered his face with his hands. Some damn mornings, it just didn’t pay to get up.

***

An image of Sonny, his eyes hurt and angry, filled her troubled mind. He’d stayed out all afternoon, returning late in the night after their daughter was asleep. He’d
slipped into bed without a word. She’d pretended to be asleep, knowing it to be cowardly, but still feeling angry and hurt enough to know that the argument would not
be over that night if she opened up her mouth.

He’d sighed, and then had surprisingly reached out a single finger to touch her hair. Soo gently she'd almost not felt it at all. Then he had rolled away from her and had
given in to sleep. She hadn’t been so lucky. Sleep hadn’t claimed her until early morning.

A knock on the door of her office presently shook Alexis from her dark thoughts, and she raised her head from the legal contract she’d been trying—with no success—
to decipher.

“Come in,” she called and smiled as Jax popped his head around the doorjamb.

“Am I early?”

“Nope, right on time,” she replied.

Jax strode across her office and sat across from her, a laconic smile on his lips. “Got an answer for me, yet?”

Alexis looked at him, nonplussed.

“I made the astute observation that we shared an attraction during our marriage. Yesterday you had no answer. Have you scraped one together today?”
She gave him a bittersweet smile and leaned back in her chair with a sigh. “Unfortunately, I’m in no mood to feed your ego, Jasper. You got me in trouble with my
better half.”

Jax frowned. “How?”

“I’m afraid it’s my fault really. I stayed late with you and didn’t call.”

“And his ever loyal minions were there every minute. Did he think I’d wrestle you to the sofa and have my wicked way with you while Dumb and Dumber watched your
every move?”

Alexis frowned. “Don’t be like that, honey. Max and the guys are really respectful of me and they’re there to provide safety. They don’t report on me to Sonny.”

“Or so you think,” he drawled bitterly.

“So I KNOW.”

“But realistically, does he think you’d be stupid enough to run around on him with those meatheads—excuse me, body guards--on duty? More importantly, doesn’t he
trust you?”

Alexis wagged a finger at him in warning. “That’s not fair, Jax. He doesn’t distrust me. I think…I think he just felt like I didn’t consider his feelings. And when he came
at me with that I went into defense mode. I guess I have a hair trigger when it comes to people questioning my actions.”

“As well you should,” Jax agreed. “If Sonny truly knew you, then he would trust you, Alexis. You shouldn’t put up with those kind of doubts.”

She folded her arms across her chest as a wave of anger washed over her at his words. “It doesn’t sound like you’re being very objective. I mean, you tossed Brenda
out on her butt on her wedding day after witnessing a simple little kiss between her and Sonny. You didn’t listen to her explain. You didn’t trust what you two had. You
just said goodbye. Yet you expect Sonny to just believe you and I spent hours together alone without telling him and that nothing happened. Pot meet kettle, Jax?”

He lapsed into silence, his eyes darkening with emotion. “Touché,” he muttered. “But I still don’t like him taking out his petty jealousies on you.”

“Nor do I…but I also don’t like you attacking my husband even if I am angry with him,” she said firmly, grasping the stack of paperwork before her. “So we’re at an
impasse. Let’s get to work, partner. Less talk, more action.”

He smirked, good humor restored. “Ah, now that’s what all the women say to me!”

They laughed together, tension broken, and neither noticed the door opening to admit a third person. It took a moment before Alexis’s eyes rose and spied her husband
standing in the doorway, a single flawless gardenia in his hands. The perfect gift…and the worst possible timing.

Chapter 15

Jax seemed to be caught by Sonny’s deadly stare; one would have to be blind not to read the fury in the perfectly motionless lines of the other man’s body. After a
silence that was much too long to be comfortable, it was Jax who stood up and spoke.

“Looks like you two have something to deal with here,” he said. “We can pick this up again later, Alexis.”

Her eyes were on the rigid stance of her husband as she replied. “I--I’ll have my secretary contact you.”

She didn’t even notice Jax leaving until the door shut with a firm snap behind him. One look at Sonny told her he would not be the one to speak first.

“You left early this morning,” she noted softly.

He stared at her for a while before dropping his eyes from hers. “I had a meeting.”

She nodded. “And maybe…you didn’t want to speak to me?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t say that.”

“No, but your actions spoke for you. You stayed out half the night and then you left this morning before I woke up. I just assumed—”

“Well, don’t assume, then,” he snapped gruffly, walking across to gaze out of the window behind her desk.

Alexis closed her eyes and sighed. “Fine…since you’re making enough assumptions for both of us.”

He pivoted toward her, eyes spitting fire. “What the hell does that mean?”

His wife faced him straight on. “That you’re still furious about yesterday because you assume there’s something between Jax and me.”

He shook his head. “Nah, Alexis, I had gotten past yesterday,” he muttered, lifting the gardenia he still had in his hands. “I even came with a little peace offering for
letting the argument get that far. But who’s sittin’ pretty with my wife when I get here? Jax again! Damn it, how much time are you gonna spend with him?”

Her head tilted, her hands found her hips. “As much time as it takes for me to finish the business deal we’re working on. I don’t ask how long you’re gonna spend with
Jason, do I?”
“Far as I know Jason doesn’t want to sleep with me,” he quipped. “So it isn’t quite the same.”

“It is so the same! And Jax is in love with Courtney anyway—”

“Yeah, right—”

“God, this is so unfair!” she flared. “I don’t do this to you, Sonny, when I get left behind to worry about whether whatever business you and Jason are working on will
get you killed. I don’t enjoy that any more than you apparently enjoy my being with my ex-husband. But I deal with it because I believe in you! Did you believe me when I
promised to love only you in front of that priest on our beach? Because if you did I certainly don’t see it right now!”

He held her gaze, swallowing convulsively. “I believed what you said. And I trust you to keep that. But I don’t have to like it that your ex…someone who clearly loves you
and has an attraction for you…fawns all over you when you’re together. I don’t have to like it that someone who has so much more in common with you than I do is up in
your face whenever possible. And I’m not gonna pretend that I DO like it!”

Alexis stilled, her heart hearing something her ears had ignored before. She took two steps toward him, her brown eyes softening. “Is that it? Is that what this is
really about?”

He stared at her uncomprehendingly.

“Are you—does my friendship with Jax bother you because he and I have a common background and you and I don’t?”

She saw something in his eyes darken and his gaze fell away from hers. Her hands lifted to touch his chest and draw his dark eyes back to hers. “Is that it, Sonny? Tell
me.”

“Well, you gotta—you gotta admit there’s a lot you two share. You both grew up rich. Privileged. Comfortable with places and things I can only…”

His voice faded away.

“Jax’s family wasn’t always wealthy—”

“Close enough, Lex! The Candy Boy grew up soft. He had the schooling, the connections, and the luxuries. Like you did. Maybe it wasn’t all happy fairy tale endings, but
you both have a connection I can’t understand…or share. And he has always shoved that in my face…and it…that irritates the crap outta me!”

She bit the corner of her lip, stunned by his words. Her heart melted as she looked at him, reaching up to cradle his face in her slender hands. “I had no idea you felt
this way all this time,” she whispered. “Sonny, Jax and I have friendship; that’s our connection but it could never compare to the way I love you. I have never felt…and
will never feel…what I share with you with any other man. And I’m sad that you don’t know that.”

Her voice broke when he pulled his face from her touch. “Why don’t you know that?”

The room grew quiet again. For a moment, it seemed that he heard her. That his heart had opened to her words. She stepped closer to him. “Sweetheart, I chose you.
You said you were sure of that on our honeymoon just days ago. What happened to your faith in me in just a few days?”

But then, just as quickly as that gentled expression had come upon his handsome face, it was gone. His visage hardened, a grim and stubborn set to his jaw.

“You can’t sweet-talk me outta how I feel cuz this has bothered me for way too long,” he asserted. “Back when you and I were just friends, he was there with his damn
sermons about how dangerous I am. Puttin’ me down at every turn. Then when I had to go on trial, he was there to hold you and comfort you and defend you when I
couldn’t. Now that we’re married, he hires you into his company and he’s here with this damn deal and the meetings, the lunches and the phone calls. It’s…Lex, it’s too
much! I’ve had it! And if…if you keep workin’ for him…I’m just sayin’…there may be a problem with us.”

A shaft of pain seared through her at his words, but they were followed just as swiftly by a surge of feminine pride and outrage that made her spine straighten. “Is
that an ultimatum?”

He didn’t answer at first; he just rubbed a hand over his eyes wearily. So she decided to spell it out, her lips stinging as the bitter words slipped past them. “Are you
telling me I have to quit working as his corporate counsel? That I have to stop being his friend?”

At long last, he looked at her. “I said it’s causing problems between us. You need to make your own decision.”

Tears—more of rage than sadness—welled in her eyes. “You are being so unreasonable.”

His voice was soft as he answered. “Maybe. But it’s how I feel, Alexis. And I’m not gonna change.”

And it wasn’t until after he’d left that she saw the gardenia on the carpet, its petals torn asunder from being trampled under his foot.

Chapter 16

Franco was waiting for the boss as he swept out of his wife’s office at breakneck speed. The guard fell into step with Sonny as quickly as he could and followed him into
the elevator. The man’s head was about to blow off and Franco knew why. The couple’s argument had been clearly heard by him, the other guard Max, and Alexis’s
secretary. Though each of them had tried to act as if they hadn’t heard it.

It was apparent Kathryn’s plan was working, Franco thought as they rode down to the lobby in silence. On the first floor, they all exited and headed straight for the
limo. Max slid behind the steering wheel with the other guard beside him.

“Where we headed, Sonny?” Max queried, glancing in the rearview mirror at the boss.
Sonny’s eyes were glacial and flat as they stared out of the window. “The Grille.”

Max shifted the car into drive and headed for the restaurant Sonny had named.

***

His head was filled with noise…like a train clattering across the tracks at full speed. He closed his eyes to the scenery that sped by, feeling the sick throb of an
oncoming headache behind his eyelids and at his temples.

He hadn’t meant to say half of what he had said to her. He had just seen the Candy Boy’s perfect blond head…his arrogant mouth curved in laughter…Alexis enjoying
the man’s oh-so-cultured company…and something had clicked inside of Sonny like a light switch. And that had been that. All he’d seen was rage from that moment on.

It certainly hadn’t been the scene he’d hoped for…He had wanted to sweep in to her office, to give her the flower…to remind her of their perfect time on the island…
to apologize for losing his cool yesterday.

And then maybe, he would have touched her hair, the fine lines of her face, and neck. He would have kissed her, held her sweet body to him and whispered words of his
heart that he could not say to any other woman on the planet.

Then he would have locked the door to her office, sent the secretary home for the day. And he would have swept her body under his on her desk…on the carpet…on her
sofa and made explosive love to her for long passionate hours in the middle of her posh office. He would have branded her his over and over again until the nagging ache
of uncertainty…of unworthiness…that gnawed at his gut was assuaged. Or at least until it had been dulled by her sweet touch.

And then…when she lay in his arms suppliant and warm and satisfied…then he would have felt strong enough to pour out his heart to her about Jax. His fears. His anger.
His jealousy. In the security of her embrace, anything would have been possible.

But her avid defense of Jax…her arguments…had weakened his resolve. Had thrown his plans right out of the window. Had made him furious and insecure as hell. And
when that happened there was only one mode he lapsed into: fight dirty and take no prisoners.

No compromise.

No backing down.

And that was what he had done: he had painted himself into a corner from which there was no escape. At least, none with his pride intact. Either he had to give in or
Alexis had to. And the hell of it was he had no idea if he was even right about this Jax thing. Maybe it was all in his damn head.

Now, in the quiet confines of the restaurant’s bar, he ran a hand wearily over his face and dove into his third drink.

A presence on his right side caused him to freeze in the act of bringing the shot glass to his lips. He turned slightly and saw the new guard, Franco, standing there.

“What?” he demanded.

“I—uh---Boss, I don’t how to say this.”

Sonny tossed back his shot and motioned to the bartender for another. “Just say it,” he spat. “You got about one minute before my attention shuts down.”

The guard nodded, shifting from one foot to the other. “See, I—uh—I wanted to say somethin’ to you earlier, but Max said he’d take care of it.”

“Franco, what the hell is it you gotta tell me?” Sonny demanded, swiveling now on the barstool. “You see me drinkin’, and you obviously heard me and my wife earlier. You
know I’m in no mood for chitchat. So say it or get outta my face!”

The younger man stiffened his shoulders and spit out words rapid fire. “I think you’re right about Mr. Jax and your wife. I think they’re together--”

He couldn’t have anticipated how quickly a man of Sonny’s size and musculature could move, but quite before Franco could think or finish his statement, he was grabbed
by the lapels and bent backwards over the wooden bar ledge knocking countless glasses out of place and sending them crashing to the floor.

“What are you sayin’ about my wife?” Sonny demanded. “What are you sayin’?”

It was only a solid hand on Sonny’s shoulder that prevented him from tossing Franco over the bar itself. That and Max’s voice imploring his boss to cool it.

“What’s wrong? What happened, Sonny?” Max demanded.

“Tell him, ” Franco squawked, hanging limply from Sonny’s grasp. “Tell him about his wife and Jax, man! Max, tell him!”

The words penetrated Sonny’s brain slowly and he loosened his grip slightly on Franco’s lapels, turning his attention to the senior guard who had held his trust for a long
time.

“What the hell is this weasel talkin’ about, Max?”

“For God’s sake, man, tell him,” Franco implored. “It isn’t me sayin’ stuff about your wife, Mr. Corinthos. I meant no disrespect. It’s just…I found this—this security
video. From the vineyard. Of Mr. Jax and your wife. And I—I gave it to Max. Tell him, man!”

Sonny’s eyes focused piercingly on Max’s face and the senior guard at last nodded. “It’s true, Sonny. There was a video from yesterday.”

If anything the statement angered him more. He shook Franco bodily up against the bar. “Why the hell wasn’t I told about this?”
“It—it’s a delicate matter,” Max said, his voice softening in an effort to calm Sonny’s irascible temper. “I didn’t know if I should bring it to you yet. I was planning to
watch the situation some more and see what the truth actually is.”

“But the tape made you suspicious enough to hold onto it,” Sonny noted. “Right?”

Reluctantly, the senior guard nodded again. “Yeah. I mean, Jax and Alexis looked a little…a little close.”

It took a minute more for Sonny’s brain to telegraph a message to his hands that it was okay to let go. Franco slid down the bar gracelessly and struggled to straighten
his suit.

“I wanna see it myself…now,” the boss ordered.

Max watched as Sonny proceeded to the exit door of the restaurant. Franco made to leave as well but Max grabbed his sleeve.

“What--?”

“Didn’t I tell you I’d take care of this?” he ground out. “Why the hell did you tell him?”

Franco raised his jaw stubbornly. “You heard that argument today between him and his wife. She’s makin’ a fool of him. He had a right to know.”

“All I’m sure of is you punked me in front of the boss,” Max grated. “And that doesn’t go unpunished.”

“Come on, it wasn’t personal. You told me you’d get back to me about the video, but all day you been avoidin’ it. The boss needed to know his wife is messin’ him over.”

“Oh, are you so sure that you’re willin’ to bet breathing on it? Cuz that’s what you just did. Alexis Davis is a damn good woman. Yeah, there’s some suspicion here, but
there’s no way we can be sure what’s going on with her and Jax yet. Seein’ this video is just gonna make Sonny go off half cocked and create more trouble.”

Max stepped into Franco’s face, menace in his eyes. “And let me tell you this: if the boss chucks Alexis because o’ you and she was really innocent, you won’t need to
worry about him comin’ after you. Cuz I’ll waste you myself.”

Franco watched Max stalk out of the restaurant and slowly followed him to the exit. All the while, he mentally concocted ways to get Kathryn Bell to pay him extra
money. He had a feeling he was going to need travel funds fairly soon.

Chapter 17

“IT WAS AMAZING!” Ned blared, wanting to shout it from the rooftop of the Empire State building. He leaned back in the soft leather chair and kicked his feet up
onto the mahogany surface of his massive desk. “You should have seen the bastard’s face when he heard that Alexis had gone to meet Jax in some secluded spot. He
was infuriated. It was a thing of beauty.”

Kathryn read the joy on his face and responded with a quiet smile of her own. “It’s always lovely when you get to serve a plate of revenge, nice and cold and bitter, to
your enemy,” she murmured. “And we owe it all to our unpleasant little Carly and our greedy little Franco. They started the jealousy ball rolling. And I’m sure that soon
it’ll be completely out of control.”

Ned nodded, grinning. “Sonny’s nothing if not a macho Neanderthal with abandonment issues,” he laughed. Then just as suddenly, he sobered. “But we still have to be
vigilant. You can never count your chickens with the two of them. He and Alexis have this sick…thing…this ridiculously loyal connection between them. They encounter
trouble like this and they still rebound.”

Kathryn crossed one long leg over the other, her face the picture of calm. “That’s why we can’t let them rest for even one moment. We have to keep throwing Jax into
their marriage to weaken their relationship. Then you and I will step up to the next part of the plan when they’re least prepared for it. They’ll be at each other’s
throats at the very time they need to stand together.”

“And I’ll get my daughter back…finally,” Ned whispered.

“Yes,” came the soft answer. “You’ll have Kristina soon. And Alexis will be without a marriage, a child, and a career. Broken. Just like she left me all those years ago.”

Ned’s eyes gleamed with promise. “I…can’t…wait.”

***

Franco got the call later that evening when he was off duty.

“Hello?”

“I need your report on the child’s routine with her parents, Franco. I thought you understood that.”

At the sound of her voice, he bristled. It had become an almost Pavlovian reaction. “Sorry, Ms. Bell, “ he said, his voice saccharine. “I been kinda busy settin’ up Jax and
Alexis not to mention havin’ to dodge Max’s fists and almost gettin’ beat up by the Boss for tellin’ him his wife’s a tramp, thank you very much.”

“Ooh, sounds delicious,” Kathryn replied, gleeful. “What was Sonny’s reaction to the Jax rumors?”

He sighed, massaging knotted muscles in his neck. “You’da been proud: he went out of his tree as predicted. Ordered her not to see or work with Jax.”

“And naturally, Ms. Davis didn’t take that well.”


“Naturally. Things are frosty between them.”

“Good work. I still need that schedule for little Kristina immediately. There are some other things I need to put in place.”

Her tone laced with arrogance irritated the hell out of him suddenly. All at once, he was tired of being everyone’s underling, of taking all the risk on the frontlines
without knowing a damn thing. “Am I ever gonna hear about these mysterious other plans, Ms. Bell? It is my life on the line, after all?”

“So you keep reminding me. But let me remind you that you’re being paid very well to put it on the line…to do what I tell you to…and to shut up about it afterward. I
don’t want to hear any more about knowing my plans, do you hear me?”

There was silence on the line.

“Do you hear me?”

“Loud and clear.”

“The schedule…by tomorrow…or fifty thousand is deducted from your fee.”

The line most decidedly went dead.

Franco’s head dropped into his hands. Dead…that was what he was going to be if this crazy wench went too far with Sonny Corinthos and got caught. He sighed; there
was no alternative now. He would have to continue with Kathryn even though all his instincts were screaming for him to cut and run. He had no choice. He had to keep
working if only to make sure the plan succeeded and he, himself, was not exposed as a conspirator.

Life was a bitch and so was Kathryn Bell.

***

Alexis stepped off the elevator at the Harbor View Towers with her heart tattooing a nasty rhythm in her throat. She turned to Penthouse Four, staring at the closed
door as if by sheer will she could see beyond it.

Was he in there with her? Had Sonny taken refuge again in the clinging arms of his ex-wife? He certainly wasn’t at their apartment…and she had called his office at
the warehouse. He wasn’t answering his cell and he hadn’t bothered to call home.

So at a loss for any other options, she had swallowed her pride and come looking for him. And somehow her car had carried her here, to where Carly lived.

“Hey, Ms. Davis,” came a husky voice from the shadows of the hallway. Marco leaned up from his post against the wall by Carly’s door.

Alexis looked into his eyes for any sign of panic, of anxiety. Any sign that the boss was inside with his ex while the current wife stood out here in the hallway like a
fool.

There was nothing in Marco’s gaze that betrayed any such emotion. But then there wouldn’t be or Sonny wouldn’t have hired him in his organization.

She sighed, cursing her husband and herself in her heart. Why couldn’t either of them trust the perfection of the love they felt? How had their relationship been
shaken in a mere few days after the paradise of their honeymoon? And did the fact that it could be shaken mean that it hadn’t been all that steady in the first place?

“Ms. Davis? Are you alright?”

She shook herself from her malaise and forced herself to meet Marco’s gaze.

“Are you here to see Carly or Jason?” he asked, his eyes quizzical.

She swallowed, a resurgence of her pride defining her answer.

“Jason,” she said.

Chapter 18

“Go on in,” Marco bade, pushing open the door to the penthouse. But Alexis stood in the doorway tentatively as the guard walked away to allow her entry. Jason saw her
as he stood by the sofa talking on his cell phone, so he flashed a grin and waved an arm beckoning her inside. He cut his call short and slipped the cell into his pocket.

“Hey there,” he greeted, blue eyes smiling as he walked across to her, arms thrown wide. “How are you?”

They sank easily into a quick embrace; Jason, with a sense of bemusement as he wondered just when hugs had become okay between the two of them. At any rate, it
felt right. And it spoke volumes as to how he’d had come to accept her in Sonny’s life.

“I’m fine,” she told him, but he noted that she avoided his eyes while saying it.

“And the honeymoon trip?”

“It was bliss, Jason. Just great.” She stepped away from him to look around the old apartment with a fond expression. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”

He laughed. “You’re kidding.”


The starkness of the living room with its bare necessity of furnishings irritated the hell out of Carly who was constantly trying to spruce it up with photographs and
knickknacks. To make it what she called ‘homey’.

“No, I’m not kidding. It’s straightforward and uncluttered and functional. Perfect for you.”

Jason stared at her a minute, mystified. “I’ll never understand how you just ‘get’ things like that about me when other people can’t,” he muttered.

Alexis gave a lopsided grin. “And by ‘other people’ I suppose you mean Carly?”

Jason ducked his head. “What, am I transparent?”

Her eyes grew sad. “No, maybe I just recognize when someone else is having relationship trouble.”

He frowned. “Because…?”

She looked up at him mutely as if she just couldn’t form the words.

“Alexis, obviously, something’s buggin’ you. I don’t think you showed up at my door at ten pm just cuz you missed me, right?”

She shook her head.

“Then what is it? What’s up with you and Sonny?”

He could tell from her eyes that she wanted to talk to him about this. But still the words wouldn’t come. She walked away from him to the fireplace, her hand finding
the familiar wood of his mantle.

“It’s nothing, Jason. Nothing for you to worry about anyway. I just…Sonny and I had a disagreement. And he isn’t home or at his office and I wanted to see if you knew
where he was or why he’s not answering his cell phone or maybe you can tell me how to reach his guards because—”

“Whoa,” he said gently, stepping close to her and placing his hands on her shoulders to turn her to face him. “Hold on a minute; sounds like you’re really worried here.
What’s going on?”

She shook her head. “I don’t wanna be like Carly, to come running to you to dump all my Sonny baggage at your doorstep and…”

Her voice faded away as she blushed.

“I’m so sorry,” she muttered. “You care for Carly and here I am saying something like that. Sometimes I blurt things that should stay in my head. It’s like I’m
channeling my sister or something.”

Jason’s mouth curved in a sardonic grin. “It’s okay, Alexis. You’re just telling the truth. Carly DOES dump on me. But this is different. I’m ASKING you to let me help
you. I know that’s hard for a strong independent woman like you: to give up control and let someone share the burden. But I’m here if you wanna try.”

She looked at him, her expression bemused. “Now it’s my turn to ask how you ‘get’ that about me.”

“When Sonny doesn’t, right?’

Her gaze averted. “Yeah.”

“So…what did he do?”

Alexis’s hands found her hips, her eyes suddenly flashing fire. “Earlier today he ordered me to stop working for Jax. To stop being his friend. Or else.”

Jason stared unblinking, then sighed. “Gotta admit, Jax isn’t my favorite person.”

“Regardless, Jason, would you ever make the woman you love cut off a friend because you were jealous? Or would you trust her?”

He shrugged. “Alexis, men in love get jealous and do stupid things. I can’t promise I wouldn’t demand the same thing as Sonny did.”

Her mouth opened as she prepared to let him have it.

“Hold on,” he forestalled her. “I didn’t say I think you and Jax would hook up or even that Sonny thinks that. I just mean…hey, look at the facts. You’re a sexy, classy
woman. Jax is your ex-husband…this multi-millionaire playboy. You spend hours alone together working. Jax loves you—”

“As a friend—”

“Okay, but lots o’ couples started out as friends,” Jason said with a smile. “Or don’t you know that already?”

She fell silent in the face of those words and Jason knew she was considering what he’d said. And maybe seeing things as Sonny had for the first time.

“Try not to blame him too much for ordering you around,” Jason said gently. “He’s only a guy.”

Alexis sighed; some of the angry tension seeping out of her physically like the air out of a balloon. “The guy I love,” she replied. “But where the hell is he?”

“Lost him already, Alexis?” came a dissonant shout. “What a pity!”


Jason’s eyes lifted heavenward as a blond whirlwind swept in to his apartment, destruction clearly in mind.

Chapter 19

She didn’t even have to turn around to know that the shrill voice belonged to Carly. Errantly, she wondered what gods she had crossed to have a day like this come into
her life.

At the same time, she felt a bone deep sense of relief for if Carly was here now to taunt her then the little bimbette hadn’t just been in Penthouse 4 with Sonny.

“So it’s finally happened," she jeered. "Sonny has realized what a stuck up prig you are and he’s walked away!”

Alexis turned toward the dulcet tones of Sonny’s ex-shrew with ice in her expression. “You don’t want to take me on right now,” she warned.

The other woman simply smirked. “Oh, there’s no better time to kick a person than when she’s down, don’t you know that? And you just look so adorable down in the
dumps!”

“Carly, turn around and go back home. I’ll come see you later.”

“I’d rather stay and get some more juicy tidbits, Jase. So Sonny thinks Jax and Alexis are fooling around, huh? How interesting.”

Alexis exploded, stalking over to the woman. “You listened to our private conversation?”

“Couldn’t help it, hon. You were talking loud and the door was ajar.”

Alexis shook her head. “I cannot believe you have such a boring existence that you spend time skulking outside people’s apartments eavesdropping!”

“Carly, just go. Now’s not the time—”

“Oh, Jason, now is the PERFECT time!” Carly crowed. “The perfect time for an ‘I told you so’. I told Sonny that this witch was just a rich, spoiled snob who looked down
her nose at everyone including him. That she’d finally tire of slumming it and throw him out of her life like a bag of garbage when she was done having great sex with
him. He was like a thrill ride; she’s had her fill. Now it’s off to a more expensive model: Jasper Jacks!”

Alexis stepped into her face just as Jason raced over placing a restraining hand on her shoulder. “Hey, guys, just stop this—”

“You are so incredibly crude,” Alexis spat, shaking off Jason's hand. “I don’t have to be a snob to look down at you: you could have all the money in the world and still be
trash. Because you are mentally and emotionally a guttersnipe…a common rodent…with no desire other than to be make everyone else as lowly and miserable as you are.”

Despite Jason’s presence, Carly managed to get even closer to Alexis until the two women were only inches apart. “Is it working?” she simpered. “Are you as lowly and
miserable as you left me? Are you as desperate as I was when I was living with Sonny and my children and you cooked up a scheme to marry him and steal him away
from me so he could be with your little girl? Do you feel a TENTH of what I felt, Alexis? If so, then I’m glad. I’m truly truly glad.”

Alexis did not back down an inch. “Revisionist history, little girl. You were DIVORCED when I first slept with him years ago and DIVORCED when we decided to marry.
How many more ways can Sonny say he’s over you? Do you want him to skywrite it over Port Charles?”

The younger woman recoiled, momentarily wounded. Then like the venomous asp she was, she spat back. “Nothing so obvious is necessary. All he has to do to tell a
woman he’s done with her is to walk away…turn off his cell phone…not be anywhere his loving wife can find him…That’s message in itself, right Alexis?”

Jason finally stepped between them, facing Carly. “Enough. Get out of here now.”

“Tell HER to get out! Tell her to go home to her cold empty bed—”

“Forget it, Jason,” Alexis interjected. “I’ll leave. I can’t wait to get away from her anyway.”

Her friend’s gaze was apologetic. “I’ll call you if I hear from him.”

“Thank you,” she murmured starting for the door. She stopped just shy of it not even turning around as she spoke. But her words were uncompromising.

“Jason, this is a woman whose whole aim is to exact revenge on a man she claims to be over. Either she’s lying to you or to herself. You deserve better.”

And behind her, Alexis heard him say softly, “She’s absolutely right.”

***

She dragged her exhausted form into the darkened apartment, rubbing her face wearily. Alexis felt as if she’d aged ten years in the last twenty-four hours.

“Alice?” she called softly, mindful that Kristina was most likely sleeping. “Alice, are you still up?”

“I sent her home.”

Her husband’s deep voice from the shadows of the living room startled her, but when he stepped forward she was able to make out his form. Her hand was at her
breast, her heart beating out of control as she walked toward him.

“I was…I was worried about you,” she whispered fervently.


He nodded. “Sorry. I needed time...time to think.”

“I understand, but your phone was off. And I…I didn’t know if you were okay. I even went to Jason’s. And then Carly came in and started all kinds of nonsense…”

“Nothin’ new there.”

“It’s just been a hell of a day,” she said, dismayed to find her voice wobbling. “I don’t like this…thing…between us.”

He looked into her eyes and seemed to see the pain there. His hand came up to stroke her cheek. It stopped just short of connection with her skin and dropped back to
his side.

He turned away. “This…thing…is Jax.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not. This thing is that we don’t trust our love.”

She touched his arm, felt the heat of his bare skin through his shirt. “Tonight I--I went to the Harbor View but not really to see Jason,” she confessed with difficulty.
“I went to see if you’d gone to Carly out of anger with me. So what does that say about our relationship, Sonny?”

He sighed deeply, seemingly from his soul. And shrugged wearily. “Maybe that …that we had to rush into marriage due to the charges I was facin’. And maybe…maybe
we got swept away by what we have…the chemistry…the connection. And you thought you could commit to me but…you know…found you really couldn’t.”

“So you think this is my fault?”

He groaned. “No, Alexis, no. I don’t wanna fight. You asked what I thought. I answered you, that’s all.”

She folded her arms protectively across herself. “Maybe…maybe we should just stop talking. We’re getting nowhere. I’m gonna go to bed.”

Sonny looked at her for a moment, nodded, then sank down onto the sofa. Alexis swallowed convulsively and in a voice that sounded raw as an open wound bade him
goodnight.

Chapter 20 (PG-13)

Sometime between the midnight hour and dawn, he woke from a sound sleep. Some sound had shaken him awake and he stilled listening for a repeat of it.

There. It was faint. Just a whimper, a moan. Kristina?

He threw off the blanket he’d drawn over himself earlier that evening and stood to his feet. Quietly he crept to his daughter’s bedroom to check on her and found the
sweet little bundle tucked in snugly, her face angelic and serene. Fast asleep. Then the sound came again, and he realized it was Alexis.

In their bedroom, she lay tangled in the sheets, her head twisting slightly. Her lips parted on a soft sound of anguish. He saw the telltale streaks on her face that bore
record of her tears; she’d been crying in her sleep.

His gut twisted. He had done this: hurt her. Even though he’d promised he never would. She twisted toward him now sniffling softly and something broke inside him. He
loved her. Oh, how he loved her. And to see her in pain was at this moment more than he could bear.

He sat on the bed, intending only to touch her face, to murmur sweet words to her to calm her back into sleep. Almost as he would quiet Kristina’s nightmares. But the
second he touched his lover’s skin it was there.

The sheer magnetism of her body’s pull on his. The heat. The connection. The wanting.

The need to be close to her again, to be wrapped in her arms and surrounded by her fragrance. To possess her as well as to be possessed by her. He was powerless to
stop the inevitable flow of desire that billowed within him like a wave.

His fingers left her cheek and now trailed lightly down and up her arm. Up and over the soft curve of her shoulder then to the graceful line of her neck. She stirred
but did not open her eyes, moved closer almost imperceptibly to his body.

His hand slid into the heavy fall of her hair, stroking her scalp with gentle fingers that brought her face closer to his. She sighed, her features softened in repose and
lost some of the sadness they had held moments ago. One arm reached out across the silken sheets towards him as if in invitation. It was an invitation he hadn’t the
strength to refuse.

He lay with her; close enough to feel the heat of her body. And the lure of her mouth was suddenly too strong to resist.

Cursing himself, he gave in to desperate impulse and leaned forward to touch his lips softly to hers.

And then he felt it, the subtle shift in her breathing that told him she was awake, the shift in her body towards his, her hands seeking and finding his broad shoulders,
her mouth seeking and finding deeper connection with his, her tongue seeking and finding the long, slow, delicious slide of his own.

“Sonny,” she said, her sigh warming his lips.

“I need you,” he whispered near delirium with need. “Please say yes.”

“Yes, always yes.”

His kiss stopped any other speech as he reached for her, one strong hand cradling her face to his, anchoring her mouth to his. Then inch by inexorable inch, his hand
descended her body, tracing the supple curves of her form from her breast to the indentation of her waist to the silken skin of her thigh. Cupping the juncture under
her knee, he lifted her leg over his hip and drew her body into intimate alignment with his.

In age-old fashion, he gripped her waist and pulled her body to him, rolling his hips forward against her until he was sure she felt the power of his arousal. Her moan of
surrender told him all he needed to know. She was his… if only in this way in this moment…coming apart only for him in his arms.

Whatever stood between them, there was always this…always this longing to get lost in each other.

And that was what he intended to do: get lost in desire…in a place where the need to be right fell away…where pain fell away…where hurtful words fell away. And
pleasure took ultimate control.

In a haze of wanting, he rolled her pliant body beneath him. Stripped her urgently of the filmy satin shielding her body from his eyes. Worshipped her with his mouth
and with his tongue. Joined with her powerfully in their familiar and ever explosive dance. Over and over and over until at last there was a struggle for breath and
sanity.

***

A long time later, she lay in his arms, clutched against his muscled chest, feeling his heart slamming against hers in the aftermath of their passion, hearing his breath
rasping into the sudden silence. Sweat-slicked limbs still intertwined and clinging.

She leaned back to look up at him. His eyes opened and focused on her face.

His expression was shuttered; she couldn’t tell what his emotions were behind the enigmatic expression. But she had laid herself bare to him in so many ways tonight.
Her tears had bathed his shoulders as he’d brought her to ecstasy again and again. Words of love and need had been on her lips she’d lost sense of time and space. She
couldn’t even begin to hide the fact that he’d shattered her with his lovemaking just now.

Her hands sought his untamed curls rifling through them to bring his head back down to hers. “That was so…incredibly beautiful,” she murmured against his mouth. “I
don’t know what to say.”

And he lifted his forefinger to stroke the fullness of her bottom lip. “Say that you love me…”

“I do,” she told him fervently. “Sonny, you know I do.”

“Then say that you need me.”

Her gaze became questioning as she heard the urgency of his tone.

“Say that you need me more than him.”

It took a few moments for what he said to sink in…and her hands stilled on him as the words reverberated through her skull. Then through her soul.

“Say it,” he whispered again. “Say you need me more than Jax.”

And with those few words her heart grew cold and heavy in her body. Her hands slid from his back to press flat against his chest.

“Was that what this was about?” she whispered. “Making love to me?”

He frowned. “What?”

“It was just a ploy to get me to promise to stay away from Jax?” she demanded, her voice as sharp as a razor. “Was that what it was, Sonny? Was that all this meant to
you?”

“What the...I never said…how the hell could you think that?”

She pushed at his chest and levered his body away from hers, severing the precious connection they had just enjoyed. “How could I think that? Because of what you
just said to me! ‘Say it, Alexis, say that you need me more than Jax. Say that you love me more than Jax.’”

“I asked you something I needed to know!”

“It’s something you should ALREADY know, damn you! I married YOU!”

She scampered off of the bed, snatching on a robe with jerky movements. She could barely stand to look at the bed, disheveled by their fevered activity moments ago.
Now it seemed so tawdry. And she felt like his used goods.

Her voice trembled as she put her bone deep hurt into words. “Do all men think they can get what they want by using sex to control a woman? Or is it just you?”

Sonny lay still on the bed, glaring at her in shocked disbelief. As her words smashed into him, his face changed to an emotionless mask again. And he fired back at her
with unerring precision. “Nah, it’s not all men. It’s just me. I’m the only man with a woman whose heart is made o’ Cassadine ice. I have to use some kinda weapon to get
through that.”

It hurt. She admitted it to herself. The pain stabbed through her savagely. His words were unfair.

“I wasn’t icy in that bed though,” she retorted. “I was hot for it. And you took what you wanted and then snuck in your real goal in the afterglow, didn’t you? Just so
long as you could get your own damn way!”
He stood up and lazily shrugged on his own robe. He didn’t fail to notice the way her eyes coveted the lines of his well-defined body even in the midst of their rage. He
smiled coldly.

“I didn’t TAKE anything, Lex. You gave and gave willingly. More than once. And if I touched you right now you’d give in again.”

She lifted her chin defiantly as he strode over to her, slowly, with the predatory stance of panther, the look in his eyes just as feral as that magnificent beast. She
tried to evade him, stepping back, but found herself against the bedroom wall.

“Don’t touch me,” she breathed. “I don’t want you now…”

“No?” he queried, his mouth curved into a mocking grin. His eyes dropped to her curvaceous form finding undeniable proof of her desire. “Your body says somethin’
different.”

“Bastard,” she hissed at him.

“You want this bastard and you always will,” he told her.

“No—”

And then he took her mouth with his, his hands lacing inexorably into her thick hair, his body, taut, muscled, and masculine, pressing hers forcibly into the wall. He
kissed the way he did everything else…with mastery. He devoured her mouth with lips, teeth, and tongue until her full lips parted on an anguished groan and granted him
the access he was demanding. She didn’t want to feel. She longed to shut down the sensory portion of her brain, to deny this fierce and raging need that burned low in
her belly. But for all the world she couldn’t deny him. Had never been able to. And probably never would.

Long minutes later, he released her only to breathe, his hands still in her hair, his jaw resting against her face. She fought to catch her breath, to find the words to
reject him, to cut him to the quick. But his words came first.

“Deny it,” he taunted huskily. “Deny what you felt for me just now, so I can call you a liar.”

Weakly she pushed at his chest, a raw sob tearing at her chest. But she swore within herself that she would die before she let him see her cry.

His accusation had been low. Utterly low. But…she acknowledged in some small part of her soul…accurate. She did want him…more than she had ever wanted any man.

Still she raised her chin, her pride demanding she fight him back…and fight him as he had fought her: dirty.

“Maybe it’s true, Sonny,” she whispered, eyes filling with tears she refused to shed. “That I want you even when you hurt me like this. But you know what that proves?
It proves that—besides Kristina—lust is all we ever really had between us.”

She shrugged expressively. “You learn something new every day!”

And she turned and swept out of the bedroom.

Chapter 21

Fourteen days. Two solid weeks.

Two weeks of walking around the apartment like a stranger. Talking to her only when it was unavoidable. And then only in monosyllables. Smiling only with Kristina.
Staying out as late as possible so as to avoid contact with his wife. Sleeping apart…that is when he was able to sleep at all. Two weeks in which Sonny reviewed every
word and every action that had led him to this place with her.

And regretted every damn one.

He’d said a lot to Alexis that fateful night. But the one thing he should have told her he hadn’t. He should have told her that before she’d come home he’d spent a
whole hour playing and replaying a videodisc. Punishing himself with scenes of her and Jax holed up in some vineyard cottage together…of Jax touching her…making her
laugh…captivating her attention. Being the gallant, polished, white knight that Sonny could never be. The type of man she could bring to a gala, the opera, some ballet or
benefit. Someone she could walk with on equal footing, her head held high in public. Not someone labeled a thug in every local newspaper.

One thing he knew for sure: after years of battling to get her into his life…he was losing her. A millimeter at a time, he felt her slipping away. And that was killing him
because he couldn’t bring himself to push aside his pride and stop it.

***

Her head was bent over some papers, her spectacles perched precariously on her nose. Her hair formed a bit of a curtain to screen her face from onlookers, but he
could still see the furtive way she brushed at her cheeks. The way she surreptitiously brought a tissue to her nose every few minutes. The way she’d barely been able
to eat a bite of the muffin that sat before her.

Ned walked up to her table at Kelly’s and reached out to touch her shoulder. Her head shot up and her body jumped as if struck by a bullet. Wide, misty eyes met his.
Her mouth tightened when she saw who it was.

“What do you want?” Alexis rasped.

He shrugged. “Nothing. I just saw you over here and you looked…sad. Like you were crying. I thought I’d come over and ask if you were okay.”
Her eyes narrowed on his face. “Why on earth would you care? The way you talked to me in court that day…the things you insinuated about Sonny and me…I would
hardly call you a friend anymore, Ned.”

His gaze averted and he heaved in a sigh, endeavoring as hard as he could to sound regretful. “I know our relationship has been rocky lately—”

“We have no relationship,” she told him coldly.

He stiffened. “Okay, suit yourself. I saw you hurting and I was just trying to be neighborly. But whatever, Alexis.”

He turned to walk away in a huff when her hand shot out and caught his sleeve. “Wait,” she said, her voice small and uncertain.

He grinned in satisfaction, but was able to erase the expression from his face when he turned back to her, eyebrows raised.

“I’m…I’m sorry,” she told him. “It’s not you. I’m in a bit of a mood right now. And I have a lot of work to catch up on from the deal with you and Jax. And…well…it was…
thoughtful…of you to come over. Really.”

He pretended to consider her words, and then placed his hand over hers on his sleeve. “I understand,” he replied softly. “Everybody has a bad patch now and then. And
we all occasionally need help.”

She looked at him warily then shook her head. “You and I can’t be like that with each other anymore,” she whispered, more gently than before. “Too much water under
the bridge.”

Inside him, he grimaced at her assumption that he was begging for her friendship. He’d never beg for anything again. It was she who would be begging HIM for help
when he took her child from her arms!

With sheer force of will, he kept the bitter twist from his lips and replaced it with a sympathetic smile. “I know we can’t be what we were, Alexis. But obviously you
need to talk to somebody and it doesn’t look like Sonny can be that person right now.”

She was the one to stiffen now, he saw her posture go rigid and realized he had mentioned the wrong name. “I won’t talk to you about my marriage, Ned.”

“I didn’t ask you to,” he replied smoothly. “I was going to say that you and Jax are close. He’s your friend. A good listener, I know that from my own experience. You
shouldn’t deal with whatever you’re feeling alone; talk to him.”

He saw her gaze dim, felt her considering his words. And then with an almost imperceptible shake of her head, she decided something. She gathered her paperwork
together and shoved it all in her attaché case. “I—I don’t want to bother Jax with this. I—I can handle it myself, thank you. It’s nothing a long walk in the park can’t
cure.”

He watched her stand and exit the diner, a dejected slump in her shoulders. And he smiled a smile that held menace and deadly intent. She was only suffering a tenth
of the pain she would soon feel.

He lifted his cell phone to his ear and connected to his friend’s private number.

“Jax, where are you?”

“Metro Court. Why?”

“I just saw Alexis and she is mighty upset about something. She was at Kelly’s crying over her breakfast. So you know it must be bad.”

“What’s wrong with her? Sonny?”

“Like she would really tell me, pal.”

“Is she still there? At Kelly’s?”

“No. She just left. Said something about a walk in the park though. You might be able to catch her there.”

“Thanks Ned.”

The call ended and another one began.

“Get over to the park in the center of town with your camera. Our targets will be there together. Same arrangement as before.”

***

Alexis Davis was a private person.

It was demeaning enough for Ned to have seen her cry, but to have two of Sonny’s guards observe it was more than she could stand at the moment. It had taken every
last bit of her charm but she’d finally convinced them to sit by the limo which was parked a ways off from the park bench. At least she’d have some semblance of
privacy.

Of course they’d insisted on sweeping through the park a few times first to check for any sign of danger. She was surprised they hadn’t frisked the young mothers
with babies in carriages or the young female jogger who passed by on a nearby path. But they’d finally deemed the nearly empty place safe and had gone back to the car
for a while. Leaving her alone.

Alone. A very familiar state for Alexis.


There weren’t too many people she felt comfortable talking to about what was in her heart. Chloe had been one of the few. And Stefan…the Stefan of her youth. Her
precious protector. And even Cameron…when they had found sure footing between them…had managed to become a trustworthy friend.

They were all gone.

Nikolas was…well as always preoccupied with business and with Emily. Besides, he was overseas at the moment.

Jason was a wonderful listener and he was fast becoming her friend. But he was a brother to Sonny and that was as it should be. She could not go to him with her
feelings.

And then there was Jax…the very source of the conflict. But also someone Alexis could unburden herself to without having to worry about judgment. Did she dare go
to him? Or would it only make matters worse?

She sat on the park bench and fingered the locket around her neck gingerly. Inside it were the now familiar photographs of Sonny, his boys, and Kristina. Her family.
The family she had brought together on their honeymoon trip to the island. And out of gratitude Sonny had given her this locket, a gift from his heart. Together with a
promise that NO problem…NO outsider…NO force on earth would separate them again.

But it seemed to be happening nonetheless.

“Need a shoulder? I’ve got one to spare.”

The deep voice came from behind her. She lifted her eyes to see Jax standing over her, his smile tender and his eyes filled with concern. She stood up, her bottom lip
caught forlornly in her teeth.

Wordlessly his arms swung open. Wordlessly she stepped into them. And felt more secure than she had in ages.

Chapter 22

Glass splintered against the warehouse office wall just as Jason stepped into the room. He flinched but resisted the urge to duck as shards sprayed the carpet.
Unblinking, he stared at Sonny where he stood behind his desk.

“Doesn’t that ever get old?” the enforcer quipped.

Sonny’s brows lowered. “Nope.”

The younger man shrugged looking around at the glass littering the floor. “Guess somebody has to keep the barware industry in the black,” he said.

A sigh hissed through his friend’s lips. “What do you want, man?”

“To know why you’re killin’ the best thing that ever happened to you by bein’ jealous of Jax.”

Silence greeted Jason’s pronouncement as Sonny met his steady blue stare with an intense black gaze. “That would be none of your business.”

Jason nodded. “Expected that one. That’s your classic response.”

“Glad I’m so predictable.”

“Yeah, Sonny, you are. And I’m ready for it today. You and Alexis are my friends; that MAKES your happiness my business.”

There was no answer; Sonny’s gaze focused obstinately on the opposite wall.

Jason sighed. “And there’s also the fact that the you and I work together. Or at least we used to.”

Dark eyes grew rapier sharp. “What’s that crack supposed to mean?”

“Only that you haven’t been much help lately. You’re in the middle of major restructuring. You promised Alexis that you’d get out of our line of work; so since you got
married we’ve been workin’ our tails off to stabilize your legit businesses. To pull it off without having bodies floating in the Port Charles harbor. It’s delicate and
dangerous work, as you know.

“Yet for the last two weeks or so, you’ve done nothin’ on that end. Nothin’ except yell at Max and the rest of the guys. Nothin’ but sit in meetings like a ghost of
yourself not payin’ attention to a word I say. Nothin’ but throw glasses across the room. That makes your attitude my business, Sonny!”

Again there was no reply, but Jason saw his jaw clench as he registered the truth in the younger man’s words. The enforcer did not bite his tongue when he spoke again.

“We both know you’re going off on everybody just to avoid what the real deal is: you’re mad as hell at Alexis, but at the same time you miss her like crazy. Right?”

Sonny did not meet his friend’s eyes even when he finally responded, and his voice was like a gravel road covered in dust. “The last time I checked,” he said, “I was in
charge of this organization and I dictate how it’s gonna go. Now I’m gonna tell you exactly one more time, Jason. This is none of your business. I don’t need your damn
help when it concerns my marriage. This is between Lexis and me, you got it?”

His enforcer looked at him intently for a moment. Both he and Sonny knew that those words should end the conversation. That the codes of the syndicate demanded
that Jason now turn on his heel and leave and give Sonny space. But somehow Jason also knew in his gut that Sonny needed help to deal with whatever was eating at him
before the man messed up everything that mattered in his life. So, defying his boss and best friend, Jason stayed put. His voice quiet, he told Sonny what he always
told him: the truth.

“You know you love her. When you were on trial and I begged you to be careful of her because of her closeness with Ric Lansing, what did you do? You trusted her. You
trusted your love. You stay married to her. And you were right! She saved you from the law, Sonny. She saved you from yourself. I’d like to think you did the same for
her.”

Jason reached down absently to the carpet and picked up a large shard of glass turning it over and over in his hand. “She’s the first thing you think of in the morning,
and the last face you wanna see next to you at night. With her, you’re like you’ve never been, man. All the guys see it. I see it. You see it.”

He paused, turned to the door, and tossed the piece of glass onto the top of a cabinet. “Trust that feeling, Sonny. Don’t be an idiot and shatter your future like you do
the damn scotch glasses in this place. Or pretty soon you’re gonna chase her right into Jax’s arms for real. And it’ll be no one’s fault but your own.”

***

Jax traced a fingertip down her cheek wiping away some of the ravages that her tears had created. She had long since stopped crying but seemed loath to remove
herself from his arms. He was quite happy to keep her there, nestled securely against his well-toned chest. It felt right, somehow, having her lithe form pressed
against his, her sweet fragrance surrounding him. Someone he’d always trusted. Someone who’d always supported him. Someone he loved.

For a millisecond, he thought of Courtney…of how he had ignored her calls to his cell to come after Alexis…of how he’d really rather be here right now than somewhere
else with the blond beauty who was his girlfriend. For some reason, he didn’t want to deal with that fact and shoved it to the back of his mind.

“I’m not one to be controlled,” Alexis whispered now, her words muffled against his chest yet still firm with resolve. “He cannot order you out of my life. I won’t let
him.”

Jax sighed, two very different emotions warring within him: the desire to tell her she was right to run as far and as fast as she could from the mob boss he despised…
and the desire to see her happy. Even if that meant that she stayed with the man she’d married.

He measured his words carefully, remembering very well that she didn’t appreciate anyone attacking her husband…even when the idiot was wrong.

“It has to be hard for him when you stand up for a relationship with someone he hates,” Jax remarked. “Believe me, I know the feeling.”

“Of course. And I understand that. But he won’t even compromise.”

“Sonny’s not exactly well known for doing that, is he?”

“No. But Jax he’s backed me into a corner, and I don’t know where to go from here. We both walk around so angry. Krissy must sense how unhappy her parents are. It
can’t be good for her.”

He smoothed her hair with his hand. “Well, kids are resilient, Alexis.”

She sniffled and lifted her eyes to his, a twinkle resurfacing in them. “And how on earth would you know, Mr. International Playboy?”

Jax smiled lopsidedly. “I watch the odd Discovery Channel program,” he quipped and she chuckled for which he was grateful.

“I love to hear you laugh, ex-wife,” he told her sincerely. “That’s much better than these tears.”

He wiped beneath her eyes with her fingertips once again and his tenderness was her undoing. “I know. I’m sick of crying…sick of feeling miserable and angry all the
time. This has made me…made me feel like such a…weakling…”

Her words ran out, and her chin wobbled.

“Don’t,” he said, taking her chin in his hand. “Don’t beat yourself up like that. You’re no weakling; you’re one of the strongest people I know.”

She shook her head. “I don’t feel very strong right now.”

“That’s because you don’t see what I do when I look into these brown eyes,” he whispered. “You don’t see the fearlessness there that I’ve always admired. These are
the eyes that have stared Helena and a horde of evil Quartermaines into submission.”

She smiled again, and then sobered as his fingertip lightly traced a path down her cheek again. “You don’t see what I see,” he continued. “The strength and the elegance
and the grace under fire. Even when the world was against you and there was nowhere to run…there was still all that in your eyes.”

She stared at him, moved by his words. “Why are you always my champion? I could always run to you. You’ve always been there.”

He shook his head. “No, Alexis, I haven’t and you know that. There were times I got so caught up in my life that I forgot about what we have…about how you’ve
supported me when the chips were down. But I won’t do that again, I promise. You mean too much for me to forget.”

And he would never be sure exactly when the moment changed. When the friendship in his tone became something deeper. When the silent appeal for comfort in her
face became an appeal for something else. When the need inside him to hold her up became a need to hold her close.

But in the space of seconds, the pure intentions in both of them shifted. Altered. Changed. Subtly but certainly he felt it. The atmosphere once sweetly flavored with
friendship became charged with something else…something darker…something unstable
...something dangerous.

Her lips parted on a wondering sigh; his eyes lowered to stare at the mute invitation of her full mouth. Blood thrummed through his veins as his body came alive. And he
knew even as he touched her that it was wrong. But he didn’t want to stop if it meant he never tasted her lips with his.

His head descended and their mouths danced…furtively…uncertainly in the beginning. Sweetly and gently at the start. Until the moment when he felt her breath leave
her lungs and her mouth and flow into him through their kiss. That was the moment…the moment he should have let her go and turned away before he was consumed by
the fire.

But he didn’t let go. He pulled her to him and deepened the intimacy of the kiss. And had she fought him…pressed at his chest even just a little bit…he might have had a
chance at rational thought. A prayer of putting her sweet body away from his.

But she held him fast, her arms surrounding first his waist then sliding up his chest to his shoulders. Then locking with a passionate strength around the column of his
neck.

And Jax felt the will to resist leave his body as he surrendered to the sensation…to the taste of a woman he’d only fantasized of.

“My god!”

The words were raw and choked as they sounded behind him, piercing the fog that clouded his brain. He broke the kiss and whirled around, his arms still round Alexis’s
waist, to see who’d spoken.

All he saw was a mass of blond hair as a woman backed away, stumbling and nearly falling to the ground in her haste. Then she turned and fled as if the hounds of hell
were chasing her.

Courtney…

Courtney had seen him. Kissing and touching another woman. Kissing and touching her brother’s wife! In a public park. In the middle of the day.

His stomach sank like a stone. He’d caught a glimpse of the stricken expression in her eyes. He’d hurt her beyond measure…and he’d shamed himself.

Dismayed, he turned to Alexis, his mouth full of apologies, but she shook her head. One of her hands fisted against he mouth, her eyes wide with emotion. She just
shook her head.

“Don’t,” she whispered. “Don’t…because I don’t know what to say.”

She, too, backed away from him, grabbing her briefcase from the bench with trembling hands. “You’d…you’d better go after her, Jax.”

And then he watched her also turn and leave him. His head swung back and forth between the disparate paths the two women had taken and a deep groan left his lips.
How the hell could this have happened? And how could a normally decisive man now stand here in a park watching two women he loved leave him

…and not know which one to follow?

Chapter 23

So it WAS true! They were fooling around right under Sonny’s nose!

She felt like a lottery winner just after the six lucky numbers are announced. Carly smirked broadly. No, more like a member of the paparazzi who’s stumbled upon the
trail of some cheating celebrities. Only in this case, she’d successfully snapped some pics of playboy Jasper Jacks dabbling in a little extracurricular activity with
Sonny’s latest bed buddy: his fickle wife, Alexis.

Gleeful, she skimmed through the pictures on the digital as she walked to the rear entrance of the park where she’d left her car. She felt like skipping all the way back
to her apartment. The photos were just beautiful…vivid and clear. Down to the faint trickle of a tear coming down Courtney’s pale, shocked face.

This had all been way too easy. Carly had hidden in plain sight. Dressed like a jogger complete with a disheveled ponytail, baseball cap, and dark sunglasses. Complete
with a lovely little digital with telephoto capabilities tucked in a fanny pack around her waist. Marco and Max hadn’t even blinked when she’d jogged by on the opposite
trail.

This was it, she mused gleefully. This was the nail in Alexis’s coffin. And Carly would be the one to drive it home. With absolute pleasure!

***

“Ned? It’s Kathryn. It happens tomorrow morning.”

“As we discussed, correct? Everything’s in place exactly the way we planned?”

Kathryn paused a bit. “With minor alterations.”

“Wait a minute, you didn’t discuss any alterations with me—”

“I thought you agreed to leave the details to my discretion.”

“With the rest of the plan, yeah, fine. But this is my child we’re talking about. No harm comes to my daughter in this, Kathryn, or the consequences will rest on your
head.”

She heard the threat between the lines and bristled at it. “Your attitude is distasteful, Ned. Where’s your faith in me? Hasn’t everything gone swimmingly so far?”
“Yes,” came the reluctant reply. “But this part of the deal is delicate. It can make or break us.”

“That’s why I’ve planned for every eventuality. No worries. All will be well. Just find yourself a solid and very public alibi tomorrow morning.”

The connection went dead.

***

“Kristina, sweetie, can you hold still so Mommy can fasten the back of your sleeper, please?”

Alexis tried again to force the little buttons through the even tinier holes but gave up with a dejected sigh, as her trembling hands wouldn’t allow her to complete the
task. Alice, who was in the kitchen fixing dinner for the two of them, saw the problem and intervened.

“I’ll get that, Ms. Davis. You just pour her milk, won’t you?”

Alexis nodded gratefully, straightening to pull the milk out of the refrigerator then promptly dropping the open carton on the tiled floor.

“Damn it!” she yelled and Kristina looked up at her, startled, unused to her mother speaking in such a loud voice with her around. Instantly, Alexis felt ashamed.

“It’s okay,” Alice said, placing one comforting hand on Krissy’s curls and the other on Alexis’s shoulder. “I’ll get that cleaned up, too.”

Her employer gave her a sad but appreciative smile. “Thanks, Alice. I--I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight.”

Alice’s knowing eyes denied the truth of that statement. The woman would have had to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to feel the tension around this apartment in the
last two weeks, but she made no comment on that.

“Why don’t you just go out to the living room and put your feet up until dinner, Ms. Davis?”

Alexis nodded, seeing the wisdom in the suggestion. She was doing no good in here. Dinner wouldn’t be done until doomsday if she stayed. She kissed Krissy, murmuring
an apology under her breath, and went out into the front room.

Dismally, she sank down onto the sofa. She just couldn’t seem to calm her nerves. Ever since the park…the thing with Jax…the kiss…and then Courtney seeing them…

She folded her legs beneath her on the cushions and drew her hands through her long mane in agitation. Her heart was racing and her nerves were at screaming pitch.
She kept expecting Sonny to burst in, call her every name under the sun, and tell her just how right he had been to demand she stay away from Jax.

But he hadn’t been right! The kiss today was…a mistake…born of raw emotion. It was an aberration…a cosmic joke that had come out of nowhere. The stress of her
marital difficulties had weakened her and she’d sought a little comfort in the wrong pair of arms. Just friends giving comfort. That was all. Cased closed.

She sighed again. She was kidding herself. She was in serious trouble. Because that kiss-- though not as explosive as what she shared with her husband--was sweetly
passionate enough to wake her body to its latent attraction to Jax. That kiss was powerful enough to show her that someone she felt safe with could be waiting for her
with open arms if she needed them. And that kiss was powerful enough to ruin her marriage for good if Sonny got wind of it from Courtney. He would read it as a
betrayal…and she knew in her soul that it was.

Keys jangled in the front door of the apartment, and it swung open. Her husband walked in and his intense gaze found her where she sat on the couch. She froze from
head to foot.

Did he know? And worse…if he didn’t: should she tell him?

Chapter 24

She was so effortlessly lovely, his wife. Sitting there in a simple tee shirt and form fitting jeans, her legs tucked beneath her, her hair in a sexy disarray about her
face. He wanted to touch her, to pull her from the couch and gather her into him, inhale her fragrance, and kiss her lips. Take her to his bed.

But it wasn’t just the sex he missed…the explosive mating they experienced in each other’s arms. It was the closeness he craved. The way she could hold him and make
him feel cherished; the way she could look at him and make him feel like he could do anything in the world.

His gaze dropped from hers to keep her from seeing the longing in his eyes. “Hey,” he greeted, his voice gruff. He tossed his keys on the table by the door and
shrugged off his suit jacket.

“Hi,” she whispered back, and caught her lip between her teeth.

He glanced up and saw the unnerved expression she wore. “What’s wrong? Kristina?”

She shook her head. “She’s fine. She’s with Alice in the kitchen.”

He nodded. “Then what?”

He saw her tense, her glance shift sideways to the wall. “Besides the fact that this is the most we’ve talked in weeks?”

He ran a weary hand across his mouth and sighed. “Yeah. I hear what you’re sayin’.”

They lapsed into the very silence they’d just spoken of, and he saw his wife fold her arms across her body protectively. When had they become so awkward with each
other that a conversation alone was beyond them?

“Anyway,” he said, “I…uh...I want my boys to stay overnight tomorrow if that’s okay with you.”

She looked up at him annoyance in her gaze. “Of course it’s okay. Kristina would love time with her brothers, you know that.”

He shrugged. “I’m just tryin’ to be considerate. Maybe you had plans or somethin’. It’s not like I’d know that.”

“You would if you talked to me.”

“Yeah, well, talkin’ goes both ways,” he snapped. “You been shuttin’ me down since…”

“Since you made love to me in order to get me to leave Jax alone?” she rejoined, eyes narrowed. “Oh, gee, I wonder why I wouldn’t feel like talking?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head in exasperation. “I’m gonna take a shower,” he grumbled and made to leave the room.

“So that’s the way we’re going to keep dealing with this…this elephant in the room? Run away? Ignore it? Till it squashes our relationship to death?”

“What the hell do you expect me to do?” Sonny demanded, arm flaring out. “Every damn thing I say to you is wrong!”

Her beautiful eyes saddened; he hated himself for causing it. “God, Sonny, I guess…I just wish…”

He swallowed. “What?” he asked her, his voice gentler this time.

She fixed her eyes on him, wide with pain, but full of sincerity that shot straight through his soul. “I just wish we could talk about this without losing it,” she
whispered. “That we could just talk. Like we used to. In my penthouse. In your penthouse. Over cappuccino and burnt popcorn, you know?”

Her mouth curved into a bittersweet grin and he nodded, his heart too full of emotion at the memory for him to speak. When the words did come, he had to clear his
throat first to even emit a sound.

“That’s what you want?”

“Yes.”

“Me, too.”

He stretched out a hand to her.

“So come on. Take a walk with me.”

She just stared at him and for a second he didn’t know if she would come. But she did. She stood and walked to him with the effortless grace he’d always found sexy as
hell. She took his hand and trusted him, following him to the door of their apartment. And just that simple act made his heart swell with hope.

***

“Courtney, if you’re there, pick up…please…”

Jax’s voice was husky with concern as it came across her answering machine, but she shut her heart off to the emotion in his tone. She was lying on her bed curled into
a ball as she had been for the last few hours. All she could feel--beside the stabbing pain of betrayal and embarrassment--was a bitter, violent anger.

“Please…we need to talk. What you saw was…well, it was a mistake. It’s never happened before and won’t again…”

How could he? How could he do this after she’d done so much for him? She’d turned away from Jason, shut him completely out of her life for Jasper Jacks, and barely
spoke to her own brother because Jax was so dead set against Sonny’s lifestyle. She’d done exactly what she’d vowed never to do for a man: she’d changed herself and
given up things she loved and needed for him. She’d spent her whole life watching her mother do the same thing. First for her own father and then for a succession of
rich and pointless men. Courtney had promised herself she’d never go down that road ever in life. But nevertheless here she was on the road alone.

She felt an absolute failure.

“Courtney, just talk to me. Just pick up the phone and talk to me…”

Suddenly she craved an outlet for this raging disappointment within her. She would not stay in her apartment hiding like a coward…like she’d done something wrong. She
grabbed her purse and a light jacket and headed for the door.

She needed to let this out. And she knew the exact person with whom she’d share it first.

As she touched the doorknob, she happened to glance down at her carpet and espied an envelope, large and manila colored, that seemed to have been pushed under the
door. Hands trembling, she opened it, and her worst nightmare lay before her…in vivid digital detail.

***

When they walked into a clean and quiet Kelly’s that evening, Alexis had to admit that she was surprised. It was late and Mike was sweeping the floor, the chairs at
every table were up in preparation for closing. When he turned and saw them together, the older man grinned widely in delight.

“Hey, you two, what brings you out tonight?”


“I need the place for an hour or so,” his son replied. “Can you swing that?”

Mike’s eyes twinkled quizzically at them. “O---kay. Sure thing. I’ll leave the keys on the counter top. You can lock up when you’re done.”

“One more thing. You got any popcorn? The microwave kind?”

Now his father raised an eyebrow. “You kidding? Mr. Gourmet Cook wants to nuke something?”

Sonny smirked. “I know, I know. But it has to be that kind. And I need some cappuccino, too.”

Mike shook his head with a laugh. “I got regular coffee over there on the coffee maker. You can use a straw to blow some bubbles in it and call it latte. That’s as good
as it gets, son.”

They all laughed as Mike popped back into the kitchen to see to Sonny’s requests. Meanwhile, Sonny took down a chair for his wife and set his own next to hers. They
fell into a far more companionable silence than before as they waited for Mike, and waited to be alone. Sonny reached across and took her hand, touching her softly
and reverently. She felt the undeniable warmth travel up her arm and realized just how much she’d missed his touch. His tenderness.

Mike brought out the popcorn and coffee and bid them a quiet goodnight. Sonny didn’t even look up at him; his eyes were locked on his wife’s brown gaze. She trembled
at the intensity in them.

“Like old times?” he whispered.

She nodded. “Close enough.”

“Thought maybe it’d help us…help us be…us again. Know what I mean?”

She squeezed the hand that held hers. “There were times back then that I couldn’t believe what I told you. What I trusted you with. My past. My terror of Helena and
Stavros. My…my panic attacks. My mother…the way she died. ”

He nodded. “Deke. The beatings. The nights in a closet. You’re really the first woman I ever really told about the…the loneliness of that life. About how Joe Scully put
me on a path I’ve never been able to escape…and never wanted to…until you.”

He reached out with his other hand to push a tendril of her hair behind her ear. “I’ve trusted you with a lot, too, Alexis.”

“We have to get back there,” she said. “To that place of trust. No matter what happens.”

“Yeah, we do.”’

And suddenly the secret she was keeping weighed like an anchor on her chest. She knew that this was the moment to tell him…that if this moment passed she’d never
get it back and she’d never stop regretting it her entire life. Even if he got infuriated. Even if he saw the kiss as proof that she and Jax should not be in each other’s
lives. She had to be the one to tell him or all trust would disintegrate into dust right here and now.

Her face was a mask of tension. She took her hands out of his and clasped them together on the tabletop. “I…I have something to tell you,” she whispered. “Something
I did that you’re not going to like but that I hope you can forgive.”

She ran out of words and glanced around furtively as if they were written on the walls of the room for her to find. Once again he reached out to her, touching her face
and turning her to look into his eyes again.

“Just tell me,” he said softly. “Tell me, Alexis.”

She swallowed. “I…I’ve been really lonely these last few weeks…and stressed. I thought…I thought that we might be at the end of our relationship because you couldn’t
accept my friendship with Jax. And that…that crushed me. I didn’t how to deal with it alone.”

He nodded. “It did a number on me, too.”

“But I…today I…just hit a wall. I felt so…alone. And then Jax was there…with me…in the park. And he…we just…”

The door of the diner swung open and a body hurtled through it. “Daddy? Daddy where are you, I really need to…talk…”

Courtney’s voice trailed off as she saw them together, her eyes growing cold. Alexis grabbed the edge of the table, as the floor seemed to shift beneath her. She knew
with certainty that her whole world was about to spin right off its axis.

And she was powerless to stop it.

Chapter 25

Courtney’s eyes narrowed on her sister-in-law. Her voice was razor sharp when she spoke. “Have you told him?”

Sonny’s head swung back and forth between them, his eyes finally pinning to Alexis’s pale face. “Told me what?”

The young woman laughed, a bitter sound like shards of glass breaking. “Of course you haven’t. Cuz you know he won’t forgive you. Not my brother’s style.”

Sonny’s frown darkened. He stood and faced his sister. “What’s goin’ on here? Why are you talking to her like that?”
The blonde’s arm flailed wildly in Alexis’s direction. “Ask her! Ask her why I’m so upset! Why I’ve been laying in my bed like a zombie for the last few hours! Then you’ll
know why I’m talking to her like this!”

Alexis shook her head, her eyes pleading for the young woman to understand. She got to her feet unsteadily and tried to reach her with words. “Don’t do this.”

Courtney folded her arms across her chest. “Why shouldn’t I?”

“Because I was telling him when you came in, Courtney. What you saw meant nothing. I love your brother. You know that.”

“And Jax loves me, right?” Courtney sneered. “Right, Alexis? That’s what I’m supposed to believe?”

Sonny stiffened, his muscles tensed and ready for battle. Alexis felt it. “If somebody doesn’t tell me right now what the hell is going on, I’m gonna lose it.”

“You’re gonna lose it, anyway,” his sister said in a flat tone. “And I don’t have to tell you anything; I can show you!”

Courtney practically threw the envelope at him across the room. He caught it with one hand against his chest and opened it with fumbling fingers as Alexis watched,
nonplussed.

“Apparently, some reporter must have been following the mob boss’s wife today,” Courtney explained caustically. “And got some really good snapshots of her afternoon
in the park. Just for kicks, he sent them to me so I could relive the humiliation in color.”

Alexis felt a sick nauseous hand clasp her stomach as Sonny pulled out the photographs. Slowly, one by one, he looked at them, his eyes turning to polished glass, his
face wiped emotionless by the depth of his shock. She watched as he visibly froze before her eyes and slowly faded from living man to statue. The only thing that
betrayed emotion was the pulse she saw beating rapidly in his neck and the slight tremble of his hands. When he had looked at all the photos, he raised his eyes to
hers. And they were dead. Lifeless. Loveless. A shaft of pain hit her so hard she lost her breath.

“Excuse me if I don’t stay for the show,” Courtney muttered. “I’ve had enough drama for one day.”

And with that she whirled and left them alone, the bells on the door tinkling gaily in her wake like some sort of cosmic joke. Sonny fixed his deadened stare on his wife
and walked steadily forward to her. It was all she could do not to step back in abject fear.

“Did you sleep with him?”

The words were uttered in a soft chilling tone. For a second she couldn’t reply.

“Did--you--sleep--with him?” he enunciated in a harsh rasp.

‘That’s—that’s ridiculous, Sonny—”

“Answer it anyway.”

She shook her head, repulsed. “No. No, I didn’t sleep with him. I couldn’t do that.”

“I didn’t think you could kiss another man in a public park either…shame me like that…but apparently you can,” he hissed and turned his back on her.

The silence and the distance fell between them like a heavy snow upon an unsuspecting town. She folded her arms across herself, willing the words to come that could
open him back up to her. That would reach him beneath this shell he’d retreated into. It was almost worse than his anger, this ice.

“Do you love him?” His tone was acidic as if the words tasted bitter on his tongue.

“The way I always have: as a friend.”

Sonny gestured towards the photos. “I don’t kiss my friends like that, Alexis.”

She shook her head; trying to clear her thoughts, make a persuasive argument, the argument of her life. ‘I…I know that. I just meant…it was a one-time thing. I never
kissed him before. I was just so…I mean, our situation… you and I weren’t communicating and—”

“So I can expect you to be unfaithful any time we argue? Is that what you’re sayin’?””

She realized the stupidity of her own words the minute he threw them back at her. “No, that’s not what I meant either. There’s no excuse for what I did. I admit that.

“But obviously, I…there’s something going on with us that’s deeper than just Jax. Do you…do you remember when you…when you found out about Kristina…about her
being your daughter? You left me, Sonny, and went straight to Carly. You told me…you told me later that you didn’t make love to her…and I believe you…but I do know
that something happened. I know you…tried to get comfort in her arms. The same way I tried to do with Jax today.”

He turned to face her, his eyes pinning her coldly to the spot. “Don’t you dare…don’t you dare try to make this about me…about what I did months ago!” he flared. “You
had lied to me about my child for two years. This is not the same situation.”

“In some ways, it is the same, Sonny! We both reacted to pain in our marriage the exact same way. We sought somebody else out for comfort. Someone who couldn’t
hurt us. Someone who could make us forget the pain for a while. But someone we don’t love. If we truly trusted what we have, there wouldn’t be this…need...to lean on
others. That’s all I meant. Do you understand?”

He nodded, a bitter smile on his lips. “Yeah, I understand. This high school dropout understands your throwin’ some desperate amateur psychology at me, Alexis. But it
doesn’t mean a damn thing. Cuz I’m still standin’ here with photos of you in the Candy Boy’s arms and lovin’ it. And I’m supposed to live with that image burned into my
brain and somehow trust that you won’t go there again. How’s that supposed to happen? You got an answer for that one, Doc?”

His cutting tone was direct and unerring; it sliced her confidence to shreds. She didn’t know what to say to get him to hear her.

“I…I was going to tell you right before she came in.” Her words were fervent whispers. “I knew you’d be angry. Hurt. But I wanted you to hear the truth from me. You
have to believe that at least.”

He inhaled deeply, expelled a soundless breath. “The thing is, I do believe you. But would you have told me about it at all if my sister hadn’t seen you in the park? Would
you have thought the truth was so damn important then?”

“Yes!” she breathed. “Yes, I would have! We came here tonight to…to get back to the old times when we could tell each other anything…and everything. To trust again.
And I knew if I didn’t tell you what I’d done…that that would be betraying the very trust we were trying to get back. So yes, Sonny, I would have told you about the
kiss even if Courtney hadn’t been there.”

His eyes lifted and for an instant she saw them thaw, saw the naked pain there burning so intensely it was like looking at the sun. For a moment he was the little boy
left to fend for himself by everyone who mattered in his life. This time, Alexis acknowledged, it was she who’d put that look there. It almost killed her where she
stood.

“There’s no way for me to know that you would have done that,” he whispered.

She swallowed deeply. “No way…except by trusting me…trusting the woman you married on that beach in the islands.”

Tenderly she fingered the locket around her neck, the one she always wore in honor of their love, and unbidden tears filed her eyes. “You gave me this with a promise…
that no force on earth would get between us again. Because no matter what pain we bring to each other…we’re better together than we are apart. You promised. Don’t
let…don’t let anything…even my stupid, stupid act…make you break your word.”

He looked at her for a long time, and then shook his head as if he’d come to some sort of decision.

“Go home. Take the limo. I’ll find another ride.”

She reached out to touch his chest. “Sonny, we need to talk…”

He stepped back. “No,” he said, his eyes frigid. “You need to talk. I need quiet. I need to think.”

His voice was clipped, definitive. He looked away from her, effectively dismissing her from his presence. And normally she wouldn’t have allowed him to do it…to do the
thing he used to do to Carly so well. To banish her from his presence like a dictator would do the peasants in his kingdom.

But tonight she allowed it. Because she had hurt him, wronged him terribly.

And she hadn’t the first idea how to make it right.

Chapter 26

He didn’t come home that night.

Alexis had sat up in bed dozing fitfully and waking every few hours waiting for him until the early fingers of dawn peeked over the horizon.

He had not come home.

But she would not sit in this apartment and replay her sins like a bad movie at the Cineplex; she’d played the dejected wife for far too long. She would not play that
role one second longer.

Yes, she had made mistakes. She had reacted badly to her husband’s attempt to control her. And she now regretted it. But he’d made errors, too. He had tried to
control her and had nearly driven her from his life with his distrust. Sonny had much to make up for as well.

So with leaden feet and gritty eyes, she forced herself out of bed, into the shower, and then out to the kitchen to give her child breakfast. She plastered a smile on
her face for her lovely daughter and dressed her for a play date at the community center that she’d arranged weeks ago and had managed to forget until consulting
her calendar this morning.

Makeup repaired the damage a sleepless night and secret tears had wrought; her slender form was clad in urban mommy wear: jeans and a white tee shirt.
Determinedly, she swallowed her pride and whatever else was lodged in her throat and carried Kristina out to the elevator and down to the lobby accompanied by Marco
who was on duty at her door.

Gritting her teeth, she resisted the compelling urge to ask the guard where Sonny was. But then reasoned that in the mood her husband was presently in he’d probably
sworn them all to secrecy…or worse…hadn’t called in to the guards at all.

Determinedly, she shook off the morbid thoughts. She’d linger over her woes later. Krissy deserved a peaceful day with her mother and new friends, and that’s exactly
what the little girl would have.

***

The streets were mostly clear…just a few innocuous looking people about walking, jogging, laughing. It was the perfect day for it; the sky was a pure and beautiful
cerulean blue and the air as light and temperate as springtime in New York could ever be. It was still early yet, so Max had ordered the limo to pull out to the curb to
pick up Ms. Davis instead of making her go all the way down into the parking garage.

He watched as Franco held the main doors of the apartment building open for her, and she bestowed a wide smile on the man as she passed. Alexis gathered the child
close. She kissed her temple and set off carrying her towards the limo where Max waited, holding open the door, his customary goofy grin in place for Kristina who just
loved to bat her eyelashes his way.

The sight made Alexis laugh, an uninhibited joyful sound, one she hadn’t uttered in a long time; Krissy looked up and placed a small hand on her mother’s cheek as if in
approval. Max was struck for a moment by how pretty mother and daughter were, how sweet their bond together. This woman seemed to actually enjoy being with her
child instead of pawning her off on a nanny every five minutes like the previous Mrs. Corinthos had. Max blessed his lucky stars for Sonny’s change in wives. He only
hoped his high-strung boss didn’t blow this one with his violent temper.

Later he would think back on this moment and regret the fact that he’d been so wrapped up in his thoughts...regret that he’d missed the telling glint of steel flashing
down at them from a neighboring rooftop. All it had taken was a moment of inattentiveness and that’s when he heard the shot.

Everything in his world shifted with the violence of a twirling car on a roller coaster ride. With the kind of sick intensity that accompanies a massive pileup on the
interstate…

It wasn’t loud public gunfire, rather just an expulsion of air as something whizzed past his head at high velocity. Its trajectory took it directly into the limousine; he
registered the explosion of glass bursting outward before he even had time to react.

Thankfully something…some innate instinct…stopped Alexis’s forward progress. Stopped her cold. He saw her face freeze over in terror, her legs pushing her
backward from the limo. He saw her nearly stumbling, bundling her daughter frantically into her body as she turned to run back to the building. Instants later, he was
there, just behind her, instinct taking him over as well, his bulky form at her back shielding her…propelling her in through the main doors and then down onto the cold
tile floor.

They huddled there for what seemed an eternity but could only have been minutes, Max rationalized. Franco and the limo driver helped him to get a distraught Alexis
and her daughter into the elevator and up to her apartment to safety. It was then and only then that Max shook off his shock and the vicious kick of adrenalin; he
picked up his cell phone and made a call.

***

She heard their voices from faraway as if she were in a tunnel. Through a blur of movement and noise and fear:

Shooting at us.

Bullet. Silencer.

The back window is gone…

The would-be assassins had shot at the back seat…the place where she and her daughter would have been sitting ten seconds later. Ten tiny seconds…the only barrier
between life and death. It was a fact that engulfed her in its icy grip.

And that was why she sat…even now…hours afterward in a haze of shock. Still perched on the edge of her sofa, her body as taut as a high wire. She rocked slightly
back and forth returning in her mind to another devastating day when all control had been wrested away from her by a killer. The day her mother lay pale and bloodied
on a cream carpet. The day her childhood had ended.

Reflexively, her arms tightened on Kristina. Somewhere in her mind, she registered that she was clutching her daughter too tightly; the child was whimpering in her
arms. But Alexis could not loosen her grip; couldn’t rub tiny circles on the little girl’s back… or speak to her soothingly…or reassure her that she was safe.

She knew they’d never feel safe again. Someone had stolen that today.

The scene in her head switched like a television channel to the day she’d lost her only sister…when the beautiful girl lay broken and lifeless on a hospital bed, her face
pale, her vibrant red hair startling against the pallor of death.

The scene dissolved again only to be replaced by a beloved face, laying in the snow, She was holding this man, her hands covered in blood, trying to stem the flow of it
from his wounds. Demanding that he not die on her. Demanding that he stay. Cursing him for being shot down in the streets right in front of her. And begging him to
live in the next breath.

Sonny…

She shook her head now as all the violent moments that had defined her life now rolled together and wrapped into this present horror. Insidiously, they wrapped
together into a tremendous wave that threatened to overwhelm her…to submerge her until she drowned in it. But she wouldn’t let it. By sheer force of will, she kept it
at bay.

Because she wouldn’t feel. She wouldn’t let the pain in. Her safety was gone. Her husband was gone; he’d left them last night and still had not returned. But it didn’t
matter. She didn’t miss him. She didn’t long for his arms. For his strength. She didn’t feel anything…wouldn’t let herself feel anything. Because she knew if she did…the
second she let herself know how close she’d come to losing the most precious gift she’d ever been given…she wouldn’t be able to breathe. She wouldn’t be able to take
it.

So she turned off her emotions, extinguished them like the flame of a candle under a burst of wind. It was a trick she’d learned under the constant torment of Stavros
Cassadine. She’d learned to separate herself from the pain.

She wouldn’t feel.


She would stay here in this nice wooly blanket of numbness, her daughter lying safely underneath her heart, and the world frozen helplessly in time.

Chapter 27

Times like this he hated the business.

The insidious thrill of traveling under the criminal radar and of outwitting Port Charles’ finest-- all that went out the window when he looked into the terror filled eyes
of the little girl he’d come to love and the woman he’d come to respect.

Jason slammed his hand down on the kitchen table in fury then dialed Sonny’s cell phone for the third time in five minutes. The man had picked a hell of a time to
disappear…

Yes, Jason had switched into a leadership role effortlessly, ordering their people to investigate the shooting, to make inquiries of local made men. To stall the cops. To
place extra security on Carly and the boys, on Courtney and Mike. Besides that he’d contacted the five families and had made it abundantly clear that any information
would be richly rewarded and that any guilty person among them would be methodically dealt with. All that was second nature to him and he’d taken care of it as if on
autopilot, but he still needed Sonny here. This was HIS family, damn it. They needed HIM.

It had briefly crossed Jason’s mind that if their syndicate was under attack from outside forces someone might have gotten to Sonny. But after the guards had told
him that Sonny and Alexis had had an almighty fight last night that had resulted in Alexis coming home alone and in tears, Jason thought it more likely that Sonny was
just off sulking somewhere drinking himself into oblivion. Again. And he was mad as hell that the man had not at least called in. Not even once.

The voicemail message switched on again, and Jason lost all semblance of patience.

“Sonny, you turn your phone off and disappear without a word to anyone? Something went down. Your wife and child weren’t hurt but they’re shaky as hell. You need to
get home NOW.”

Jason sighed, closing weary eyes.

Where are you, man? Where are you?

***

Across town in a darkened bar, a man slumped back in his chair nursing a well-used Scotch glass. His eyes were red and unfocused; he’d been there all night.

The bartender had closed the place at his request. Actually, it was more a succinctly delivered order than anything else. The bartender had recognized him pretty
quickly: Sonny Corinthos, King of Port Charles’ underworld. No force on earth could have made the man say no after that.

So he’d kept his bar closed to the public all night, had switched on the television mounted over the bar to keep himself halfway conscious, and had laid out bottles of
Scotch at the man’s “request”.

Now it was morning, the bartender expected…hoped really…that the don would pick himself up and leave. He’d even call a cab for the guy. He just wanted to go upstairs
to his crummy apartment and go to sleep. But he didn’t know how to suggest an end to this interminable bender without losing his own life.

Dismally, he sighed, and switched the television to the channel 7 news. A few stories into the program, he got bored and made to switch to ESPN when a name caught
his attention as well as the attention of his unwanted guest. He saw the man sit up straight and blink repeatedly to clear his bleary gaze and focus on the screen.

“This just in—a breaking news story,” a reporter announced. “Port Charles attorney, Alexis Davis was involved in a sniper shooting at her apartment building on Lane
Avenue this morning. Ms. Davis--who is the wife of Michael “Sonny” Corinthos, JR, reputed mob boss—reportedly had the couple’s tiny daughter in her arms when the
incident occurred. According to eyewitnesses, Mr. Corinthos was not on the scene at the time. Neither the police investigating the case nor the Corinthos family could
be reached for comment. We have no word yet on injuries or fatalities, but we’ll keep you posted on this developing story.”

By the time the bartender turned from the screen, Corinthos was out of his seat and stumbling through the front door.

***

Kathryn swung open the door to her office after hearing the staccato knock she knew to be Ned’s. She only had a second to register the open hand coming towards her
at high speed. It hooked under her jaw with such force that she lost her breath and was propelled backwards, stumbling, across the room. Her back pressed flat into
the wall and she hung suspended, unable to get air, pinned by one of Ned’s muscular arms.

“You stupid bitch!” he screamed into her face. “Did I tell you not to endanger my child? Did you understand me when I said my child was NOT to be touched? Not to be
harmed in ANY way? Did you hear me, Kathryn? Because the only thing keeping me from snapping your scrawny neck is the thought that maybe you’re too stupid to
have understood what I told you!”

Kathryn reached up to grab at his restraining hand, struggling to breathe; making strangled choking sounds that finally forced their way into Ned’s consciousness. He
loosened his grip but only fractionally.

“She wasn’t hurt!” she rasped. “I had an expert marksman do the shooting, Ned!”

He shook her bodily for that remark. “With a gun! A high powered rifle that could have ripped my daughter apart, Kathryn!”

“I said he’s an expert. Kristina was in absolutely no danger—”

“You’ve never heard of accidents? Of misfiring weapons, you idiot?” he yelled wildly, sweat beading on his upper lip as he shook her again with force. “This wasn’t the
plan!”

Kathryn’s eyes grew cold with disdain. “We needed a better plan. A more definitive way to destroy Alexis, Ned. Your way wouldn’t have worked.”

“All we needed was a weapons incident and a witness, Kathryn,” he retorted. “We agreed to a little knife attack…some belligerent thug takes on Max then runs away.
Kristina is nearby but never in direct danger! A witness sees it and reports it; we use it in court to get my child. Simple and clean. In NO WAY does that plan resemble
a sniper attack!”

He let go of her neck only to grasp her upper arms, lifting her into the wall and leaning so close to her that she could smell his lunch on his breath. “Tell me why I
should let you live after this! Give me a reason!”

And even in the midst of his menacing posture and the violent anger in his eyes, Kathryn was able to issue her patented icy smile. “I’ll give you more than one, Ned. I
have unequivocal proof that YOU hired Sonny’s guard to spy on him. Photographs of the two of you meeting. I have solid evidence that YOU hired the sniper on the
rooftop today. Cancelled checks coming from one of your old business accounts that can…unfortunately…be traced back to L&B. Confirmation, sweetie, that YOU
planned this whole thing. Stored away just waiting to be mailed simultaneously to Sonny and to Mac Scorpio should anything happen to me. And in that case, you’d just
better pray the mail to the precinct is faster than the mail to Sonny’s apartment. Cuz Mac’ll be a whole lot more understanding than Sonny.”

She smirked as he loosened his grip again, his face the picture of utter shock. “Don’t look so surprised. You’ve known me forever; you know that I always look after
myself first. I can also implicate Franco and our dear Carly with certain other evidence. So you all should really just keep going along for the ride.”

Gingerly, she pried her body out of his grasp, straightened her couture pantsuit, brushed her hair into place, and strode away from him to her desk. “Now let’s forget
this unpleasantness ever happened and move on with the plan. You’re in even better shape than you would have been with a safe little knife incident. You now have local
and even regional news reports of Sonny’s wife being shot at with her child in tow. How do you think a judge will view that?”

Kathryn’s mouth pursed into a reflective moue. “The child’s obviously in danger. Besides which, there are photos floating around of the wife in a clinch with Jasper
Jacks so there’s obviously adultery in their marriage. It’s really not a safe environment for a child. She’ll need a new home.”

Kathryn smiled and crossed to the door of her office, swinging it open for him. “You’d better hurry over to the mansion and get it childproofed, and file your custody
suit while you’re at it. Forget you and I ever had this little tiff and proceed as planned.”

Ned stared at her unblinking for another minute then walked numbly to the door. He stopped in the doorway and looked over his shoulder at her. “You know what?
You’re more like Helena every day, Kathryn. You can’t be controlled.”

The woman smiled gleefully. “That’s a compliment of the highest order, Ned. Thank you!”

And she slammed the door in his face.

Chapter 28

It was Max who opened the door to him. But the bodyguard didn’t step instantly to the side the way he usually would out of deference to Sonny’s rank. Rather, the man
simply stood there, looking Sonny up and down with critical eyes. Taking in his boss’s disheveled appearance, no doubt. The night’s growth of beard on his jaw. The curls
he so relentlessly controlled now all over his head in disarray. The smell of alcohol seeping literally from his pores.

While the bodyguard had been shielding Alexis and Kristina from gunfire, the boss had been getting sloshed in some random dive. For once Max couldn’t keep the
emotion, the silent reprimand, from his eyes. And Sonny saw it clear as day.

It marked the first time he’d ever looked at Max and hadn’t seen a loyal soldier but rather one massive wall of disdain. In his gut, Sonny wanted to avert his gaze and
say that he agreed with Max. He had been an idiot. He had shirked his duty as a husband, a father. But his pride demanded he stand firm. So he met the guard’s eyes
with an unwavering gaze of his own. At last, Max turned his head and stepped aside out of respect.

But then there was Jason, standing across the room by the couch. He wouldn’t be as easy to evade. His blue eyes were like shards of ice. There was no missing the cold
fury and Jason made no attempt to conceal it. Max must have sensed the tension because he turned and walked into the kitchen without even being asked.

And then the enforcer voiced the question that already hung in the air: “Where the hell were you all this time?”

It was less a query than it was an accusation. Sonny felt the sting of it as it struck him, but he shrugged off the feeling and walked further into the room, customary
authority in his step. All he wanted was to see Alexis and Jason stood as a barrier to that goal.

“Where’s my wife?” he demanded. “And my daughter? I saw Franco outside; he said they’re safe. So where are they?”

Jason shook his head. “Where do you think? Resting in your bed, the both of them. Sniper fire tends to take a lot out of you.”

Sonny ignored the dig and shouldered his way past his friend heading for the bedroom, then stopped short to turn his head back towards Jason. “We know who did
this?” he grated.

“Not yet.”

“ALL resources get directed towards that. Anyone not protectin’ family members is out lookin’ for the person who did this, you understand?”

“Yeah, Sonny, I think I got that,” came the answer in a tone that was at once efficient and snide. Sonny didn’t miss the sarcastic note. He whirled to face Jason, his
face a mass of anger.

“You think I need this right now?” the older man fired.
“Maybe what you need isn’t my priority.”

Sonny’s eyes narrowed. “Jason, just nod and say you’ll take care o’ things. Cuz you aren’t what’s important right now. All I wanna do is go in there and hold my wife and
my daughter and thank God they’re breathing. I don’t have the energy to deal with your crap on top o’ that!”

Jason’s eyes ignited with a fire of rage. “YOU don’t have the energy? I’m the one who’s been here talking to her for hours… tryin’ to get her to come back from the
place she went to inside her head when this happened! Is that my job, Sonny, or yours?”

Jason stepped closer to him, his gaze pinning Sonny to the spot. “She wouldn’t let loose of Kristina for even one second,” he rasped. “Finally we got a doctor to give her
somethin’ to help her sleep, but even then she’s still in there holding your daughter. Scared to let go. And through all that I’m dealin’ with giving orders out and keeping
Mac and the cops away from Alexis. And you say YOU don’t have the energy? What happened, Sonny? You use it all up hoisting Scotch to your lips?”

Sonny’s body left his conscious control and the next thing he knew he was in Jason’s face; his hands gripping the shirt collar below Jason’s thickly corded neck. He had
almost rocked his friend off his feet but the two of them stumbled into a wall, which held them both upright.

“Shut up!” Sonny ordered. “Just shut up! Nobody talks to me like that. I run this organization, Jason! Don’t forget that!”

Jason’s blue gaze frosted over even more but his mouth curved into a humorless smile. “Why not? You have.”

The words were deadly quiet, but the younger man wasn’t done. “Will this make you feel better?” he demanded, his voice low and controlled. “Go ahead then, swing. I’ll
even let you land one without fightin’ back. It still won’t take away that noise in your head. It’s called guilt.”

Sonny froze for a second as the man’s words punched him in the gut. Then he snatched his hands away from Jason and stepped back from him shamefaced. The sudden
silence ate at him.

Jason straightened his clothing blithely, his eyes never leaving Sonny’s face. “You got enough ENERGY to tell me what the hell happened to make you take off like this?
You KNEW that our enemies were foamin’ at the mouth to get at us during this transition period. You KNEW we had to be alert and on our watch…accessible to each
other at all times. We agreed on that. And yet you drop out of contact for a whole night, Sonny? What the hell is goin’ on with you?”

His boss rubbed both hands across his face warily. “Don’t you think I know it was wrong? I screwed up, man. I know that! There’s no excuse and I’m not tryin’ to find
one. But you don’t have all the facts.”

“What facts?”

“Somethin’…somethin’ happened earlier. Between Lex and me. Somethin’ I never expected.”

Jason frowned. “Like what?”

Sonny lowered his eyes, and shook his head. “I won’t…I’m not goin’ into that now. Alexis knows why I left. But none of that even matters. I…Jason I can’t…All I care
about is seeing them. Holding them. So you gotta…you gotta get off my case, man. Cuz tonight I just…I’m grateful they’re alive…and that’s all I can feel right now. Can
you just understand that and let this go for tonight?”

There was another long silence, but at last Jason nodded, his eyes solemn. Sonny sighed his relief, shed his suit jacket and tossed it onto the couch. He rubbed at his
burning eyes a moment, the sudden anger seeping sadly from him and leaving him looking small and defeated.

“Thank you,” he muttered, the word barely a whisper. The next moment he disappeared into his bedroom leaving Jason alone with his thoughts.

Neither of them noticed the photographs that had fallen silently from Sonny’s jacket onto the floor. Photographs that had torn a marriage apart with the succinctness
of an assassin’s bullet.

Chapter 29

“Did you hear?”

Carly blinked trying to reach full consciousness. The voice on the other end of the phone sounded familiar.

“Courtney?”

“Yeah,” came the reply.

Carly shifted in bed, saw that the digital clock read an ungodly hour in the AM.

“Why are you calling me so early?” she grumbled. “Haven’t even had my coffee yet.”

“Because I wanted to know if you’d heard,” the younger woman said, and Carly finally detected the anxiety in her voice. She sat up instantly alert.

“Is it Sonny? Did something happen to him?”

“A lot of things happened to him,” Courtney stated on a sigh. “None of them good.”

“It wasn’t…he’s not…” Carly stumbled.

“No, oh God, no, I’m sorry,” his sister stammered. “I didn’t mean that he was hurt Carly. Not physically anyway. It’s just…well, he found out recently that Jax and
Alexis…that-- that they’re together…or--or at least that something’s going on between them. They were—they were kissing…in the park. I…saw them actually.”

Carly sighed in relief and a contented grin spread across her face. This wasn’t news to her. She’d been an eyewitness to the infamous kiss having worked hard with Ned
and Kathryn to bring it to pass. Carly felt a bone deep satisfaction and let herself bathe in it for a moment.

She was, however, genuinely sorry that Courtney was hurting, so with determination she tamped down on her wicked glee about Alexis and tended to her friend’s
feelings.

“I’m sorry Jax betrayed you like that. But if he could do something so awful, he’s not worthy of you.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” came the whispered reply. “But…you don’t even sound surprised. You’re not shocked that Alexis would…”

“I don’t put anything past that sneaky bitch,” Carly sniped. “She deserves whatever the hell comes to her for this.”

The line fell silent.

“Court?”

“Yeah, I’m here. Listen, I…don’t get me wrong. I am furious with Alexis. But…no one deserves what happened to her yesterday.”

Carly frowned. “What are you talkin’ about?”

“The other thing I was gonna tell you: somebody shot at her and Kristina. A sniper, the news said. They’re both okay but Alexis has to be freaking out. Sonny, too. They
could’ve lost their child.”

Carly’s heart lurched within her. Kristina?

Truth be told, she had had no use for the child since she’d learned of her existence seeing her only as Alexis’ ploy to win Sonny back. And she still believed that was
true. But a child was a child, precious and unique. Her little life mattered. And besides, seeing Sonny hurt over a divorce from Alexis was one thing; she had no desire
to see him shatter into a million pieces after losing his only daughter.

“Carly?”

“Y-yeah,” she stammered. “My God, I--I didn’t see the news. Was it…it must have been related to his business, right? Some enemy of his?”

“No one knows yet, but that’s what they suspect.”

Carly sighed. “Sonny must be a wreck.”

“Of course. I’ve been trying to call him since it happened but I can’t get through.”

“Well, you know how he is,” Carly said absently, some thought nibbling at the edge of her consciousness. “He’s probably holed up somewhere blaming himself that his
wife and child almost died.”

“Right. And thinking that the universe is conspiring to break him and Alexis. I mean first this thing with Jax and the next day sniper fire? Some coincidence, huh?”

The thought in Carly’s mind crystallized.

Coincidence.

Could this all be a cosmic coincidence? Or could it be deliberate? Could the person who plotted the downfall of Alexis have simply upped the ante without Carly’s
knowledge? Would Kathryn Bell actually…

No.

Carly dismissed it the next moment. Ned LOVED Kristina. He wouldn’t allow such a heinous act to be part of their plot to hurt Alexis. No one had mentioned bodily
harm. No one-- no matter how much they all hated the lady lawyer--would want her child in harm’s way. Right?

Right?

The question was posed in her own mind and came back unanswered. But some internal sensor she’d possessed all her life was clanging like an alarm clock. Something was
wrong with this picture. Something…

The younger woman had been talking, but Carly had caught none of her words. “Listen, I’m sorry, Courtney. I--I need to get off the phone. Morgan’s upset about
something.”

“Oh, okay, sure.”

“Call me if you need anything,” Carly offered and didn’t wait for an answer as she disconnected the call. The next moment she had turned the phone on again and was
dialing a now memorized cell number. It rang once.

“Hello?”

Ned Ashton’s voice was terse.


“What’s going on?” Carly demanded. “I heard about the shooting and I…Kathryn had nothing to do with that, right?”

The line fell silent.

“Ned,” she shouted, her tone edged with desperation, “I KNOW you! You love that little girl. You would never--”

“No,” came the husky reply. “I wouldn’t.”

“So…so you had no part in it and neither did I. That leaves either the mob…or Kathryn. Ned, please tell me, did she have anything to do with this?”

The line was quiet once more. Then at last, something: with a rasp of breath, Ned’s voice whispered across the line. “There are some questions you shouldn’t ask.”

Carly’s heart dropped to her feet.

“Oh god, no…” Her eyes closed. In the darkness she saw what she never wanted to see: little Kristina laying on the ground…her body torn apart by a bullet. A shudder
wracked Carly’s body.

If Kristina were dead today…how would she ever have lived with herself? How would she ever have looked Sonny in the eye?

She had finally done it. She had finally allowed her anger and jealousy to push her too far. And now there was no going back: she’d betrayed her ex-husband in a way he
could never forgive…or forget.

Behind her eyes, the scene shifted to Sonny’s face, contorted into lines of rage and hatred. Bile rose, hot and fierce, in her throat.

“He’s gonna …he’s gonna kill us, you know,” she whispered hoarsely.

“Only if he finds out,” Ned replied. “That’s the only way to play this, Carly: we make sure he never finds out about our part in this.”

Carly bit her lip, disconnecting the call without another word. Was that indeed the only way out? Or should she take her chances, tell Sonny now, and plead ignorance of
the sniper plot? If there was one thing she knew, secrets had a way of being unearthed here in Port Charles. Nothing stayed under the surface forever. If anyone
found out…she could lose Sonny, her children, and Jason…

Could she risk it? Could she risk this coming out and destroying what was left of her life?

Chapter 30

The phone rang in the Corinthos apartment for the thousandth time just after eight am, and Jason sighed from his soul. He opened scratchy eyes and checked the
caller id on Sonny’s phone registering an unfamiliar number. Another damn reporter? he wondered. If so, they could go to hell. He rolled over on the lumpy couch that
had been his bed all night and tried to ignore the shrill bleating of the phone.

Finally, it fell silent.

The next moment, his cell was vibrating all over the coffee table. Cursing under his breath, he turned over and grabbed it, checking the small display with bleary eyes.
He flicked it open with impatience.

“What is it, Justus?”

“Jason, I’ve been trying to get a hold of Sonny for two hours now!” his cousin shouted. “Where the hell is he?”

“In bed. He’s been up half the night. Reporters calling.”

“Well, that’s better than getting contacted by the court all morning,” the lawyer replied flatly. “Guess what: our dear cousin Ned is suing Sonny and Alexis.”

“What the hell are you talkin’ about? For what?”

“For custody of Kristina.”

“You gotta be joking!”

“Wish I was. Ned’s claiming that Kristina’s in danger from Sonny’s business.”

Jason swung his legs to the carpet as he sat up. “Ned lost custody a long time ago! There’s no way a judge’ll take this seriously, right?”

“Well, let me put it this way: the shooting is all over the news and everybody knows Kristina was there. Therefore, a Family Court judge has scheduled an emergency
court session for tomorrow. That tell you anything, Jason?”

The enforcer ran a hand over the weary lines etched in his face. “It tells me this is not gonna be a good day.”

“Nope,” Justus agreed in a dark tone. “And Ned’s hired big-time firepower to represent him.”

“Someone you know?”

“Someone you know, too: Ric Lansing. Seems his first case since quitting as DA is to try and take his brother’s child. Sweet, huh?”
Jason grimaced. “Yeah, sweet.”

***

Something woke him. Not a sound really, just a tiny shift in movement. A little hand rubbed his shoulder then found its way up to his face to lie softly against his cheek.
Then he heard a whisper.

“Daddy’s tired, sweetheart. Let’s get up quietly and let him sleep.”

His eyes opened then and delighted in the beauty of his wife.

She had been deeply asleep last night when he had lay down in the bed; she hadn’t even stirred when he’d slipped a protective arm over her and the baby between them.
For hours, he had watched her sleep. Had seen the telltale streaks of her tears on her face…had heard the intermittent hiccupped breaths that came after a torrent
of emotion. Regretted that she’d been hurting but rejoiced in the fact that she was still here to feel anything at all. It had given him an immense sense of relief just to
lay here and listen to them breathe. His wife and his child, their warm life-filled forms enfolded in his embrace.

His tears had flowed silent and steady into the night.

Now, he felt the love in Kristina’s touch and his heart warmed. He smiled down at her, his dimples peeking out and causing her to giggle. He was so glad…so grateful…
that with the resilience of a child she greeted this day as if it were any other.

Then his eyes rose to find her mother’s again…so beautiful, so deep and so intensely sad. Not angry and not cold as he had imagined and expected. Just beautiful and
sad. Overwhelmingly so.

He swallowed once…twice. Then he said it. “I’m sorry. God, I’m sorry, Lex.”

She bit her lip and was silent a moment. Then she did what he never expected: her lovely mouth slipped into an irreverent grin. It was lopsided, tremulous, but still a
grin.

“Why are you apologizing?” she quipped softly. “You didn’t shoot at us.”

He swallowed again, unable to let her joke their way out of this one. “Don’t,” he muttered. “Don’t do that for me. Don’t make it okay for me. Not now.”

Alexis hunched one shoulder. “Making you feel worse than I know you already do is not going to help either of us.”

He heaved in a deep breath. “I brought this life close to you and Kristina,” he whispered. “I shoulda given you up. I shoulda run when they had me on the charges of
tryin’ to kill A.J. Instead I…I was selfish. You don’t belong in this life…”

“Right, because my own was so very safe before I met you,” she replied in a wry tone. “Ever heard of Helena? Listen, Sonny, I was horrified….still am…that someone
would try to kill me and your daughter. I was in shock yesterday. I blamed you. I blamed your men. Hell, I blamed anyone in a fifty-mile radius. And I…I told myself I
would never forgive you for exposing us to this.”

He couldn’t even look at her. His heart was in the vise grip of some invisible hand. This was what he’d expected. She was going to leave him, to say it wouldn’t work.
Because he was garbage. Because he didn’t deserve either of them…

“But then…then I remembered you never forced me into anything,” she whispered. “I chose you. I chose this life. And when you chose me back you said you’d get out
and you’d keep us safe. And I believe you. I know it’ll take time, but you’ll do it.”

He shook his head in disbelief, his eyes on her. “How can you say any o’ that? I wasn’t there, Alexis,” he whispered. His hand stroked his daughter’s cheek, and then
found the tiny fingers that the girl had placed on his own face. “I wasn’t there--”

She shook her head. “Forgive yourself for that: you can’t always be there,” she whispered. “And this time I…I was the one who pushed you away.”

He swallowed again against the upsurge of pain those words brought. “We’ve both done our share o’ pushin’. But after something like this you realize…you realize that…”

His voice faded as—mouth trembling—he fought back tears. She swept her thumb under his eyes, catching those that escaped. “You realize that it could all be gone so
quickly.”

He nodded, his eyes falling away. “Yeah.”

“So maybe…maybe if we start remembering that, we can find our way back…”

Her words held hope and fear at the same time. He met her gaze with his and wished with all his might that they could do it. That they could rebuild what jealousy and
doubt and fear had torn down.

It was then that his daughter struggled to sit up, impatient to get on with her day. She gave each of them an imperious look before saying in what amounted to a
Cassadine tone, “Breakfast?”

One little eyebrow was raised in a questioning manner that her parents found adorable. They laughed then together, a deep rich sound. A sound that was more beautiful
than anything else.

Chapter 31
Jason looked up from where he sat on the couch as Sonny, Alexis, and Kristina came into the living room that morning. His eyes bleary and somber, his back aching from
sleeping on their couch, he met Sonny’s gaze.

Sonny read the silent message and turned to his wife. “You wanna take Kristina in for breakfast while I talk to Jason?”

It was Jason however who shook his head. “I need to talk to both of you actually,” he said. “Alice is in the kitchen already.”

Alexis nodded then knelt to her daughter’s level. “Honey, can you go find Alice while we talk to Uncle Jason?”

Kristina frowned for a moment, reluctant to go. Alexis’ heart ached. She saw the fear in Kristina’s eyes…knew the child was still shaken from what had happened
earlier.

“Krissy, Alice is in there, okay? Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Jason will be right out here. Is that alright?”

The child finally nodded and walked into the kitchen, unwillingness clearly written in the tenseness of her little shoulders. Sonny swore under his breath.

“I vowed she’d never feel fear like that…that no child of mine would ever be endangered,” he muttered. “Whoever did this will pay with his life. And I mean that.”

Alexis shuddered, discomfort plain on her face, Jason noted, as she wrapped her arms around herself protectively.

Sonny shook his head warningly. “You can’t talk me out of that, Alexis. You have to know that anyone involved in this deserves what I’m gonna give ‘em.”

She didn’t answer, she just sighed, and looked to Jason. “What did you need to talk to us about?”

Bemused, Jason had watched the interplay, had seen the intimacy…the closeness between them when they’d emerged from the bedroom. Now with just a few words the
distance that had been between them these last few weeks was back and back with a vengeance. They didn’t even know they had the fight of their lives coming at
them; could Jason trust them to react to this news and fight as a unit? Or would they continue to self-destruct as they had been doing?

It would take tough talk to find out; he’d have to intervene in things he would normally never touch. But it was because he loved Kristina. And because they were all his
family. It had to be done.

He sighed and looked down at the photos in his hands. “You left yesterday, Sonny, and disappeared without a word. I assume this is the reason?”

Sonny looked at the pictures of Jax kissing his wife, then glared at Alexis a moment. The embarrassment---the wounded pride—was all over his face. He swallowed
convulsively and turned away, walking to the window that looked out over the city. At long last, he spoke, his tone unyielding.

“I know we share everything—business wise, Jason. And you are my brother. But that…what you’re lookin’ at right now…you were never meant to see. And we’re not ever
gonna talk about it.”

“Oh yeah, we are, Sonny,” Jason retorted boldly, watching the man pivot to glare at him, his dark eyes violent. “We are. I’m not tryin’ to get into your business.” He
switched his gaze to Alexis. “Or yours. God knows, I don’t wanna embarrass either of you any more than you’ve embarrassed yourselves.”

“Now wait a minute, you don’t have a right to come down on us,” Alexis fumed. “This is our affair!”

Sonny laughed shortly and without humor. “Interesting choice of words, Lexis.”

“Don’t go there, Sonny,” she snapped. “You know what I meant.”

“This is exactly what I’m talking about,” Jason interjected. “One minute you’re together; the next you’re miles apart. I’m having a tough time telling this marriage from
your last one, Sonny.”

“That’s low, man. Really low.”

“But it’s true. See what I wanna know is where you two stand with each other. I’m tryin’ to protect this family, both the one in this room and the one you command. I
need to know if you two are gonna fight together or fight each other. Cuz there’s a battle coming and it’s coming fast. It’s time for decisions.”

“What are you talkin’ about? Alexis has no place in what we hafta do on the street to make this right.”

“I didn’t mean the battle with whoever took a shot at them,” Jason corrected. “The war I'm talkin' about is much more personal.”

Sonny frowned, hands placed on his hips. “Justus called,” Jason enlightened him. “Ned is suing you both for custody of Kristina. On the grounds that your life endangers
her. And based on the fact that a judge—most likely one of Edward’s golfing buddies—set a court date for tomorrow, I’d say Ned’s got a damn good case.”

Alexis’ eyes widened. “He wants to take our child? What in the world is he thinking? To try all this again after what happened last time?”

“He won last time, remember?” Jason noted. “At least at first. And now he’s got the ammo to prove what he was saying back then. The courts gave Kristina to you,
Alexis, not to you and Sonny. Your marriage is something Ned can’t wait to attack.”

Sonny shook his head. “It’s like the damn sky is falling. We didn’t have enough drama between us? Then there’s a sniper and now a custody fight? What the hell is going
on?”

Jason hunched his shoulders. “There’s no time for questions like that. Justus is on his way over here for a meeting with you two. All I wanna know is are we all on the
same page? Are we gonna fight this together? Or are you gonna run to the bottle and Alexis to Jax?”

The couple fell silent, and Alexis’ throat worked convulsively. Finally she replied. “You know us too well to ask that question. There’s…there’s a lot going on between
Sonny and me. But we...we love each other. And when it comes to our daughter—”

“Nothing else matters,” Sonny finished for her. “Nothing.”

Jason looked each of them squarely in the eye and then he nodded, evidently satisfied with the resolve he saw there. “Good. Now if you could only fight for your
marriage like that, all would be right with the world.”

And he turned and strode into the kitchen leaving them silent behind him.

Chapter 32

Alexis straightened her suit jacket for the thousandth time, but Justus’ hand covered hers.

“No fidgeting,” he whispered. “Look confident, concerned, and strong. This is a judge with decided conservative leanings. He’s not gonna approve of a lawyer who faked
DID and an alleged mob boss. You gotta make him look at you as two rational, loving people. And don’t appear nervous.”

Alexis nodded, then looked to her side at Sonny who also sat up front at the large wooden table. Her husband reached out and took her hand, a gesture that was both
tender and awkward in the same moment. They met each other’s eyes and she knew that he’d touched her only to convey a message to onlookers. That he was still very
angry with her and—if she were honest—that she was as angry with him.

She bit her lip. How was it that their touch…their connection…was now just a show for all to see? How had they gotten to this place?

She turned her eyes from his before he could see the anguish in them. But the sight that caught her was no better. Across from them, she spied Ric, his eyes sharp
and cold. They swept over her insolently and she shivered. Not with fear but with hatred. She couldn’t believe jealousy of his brother and of her marriage to him could
have taken the man this deep into darkness.

Then there was Ned, beside Ric, looking…utterly blank. Eerily calm yet not smug at all. No smile. No excited sparkle in his eye at what he was trying to do to her. In
fact, there was no emotion at all on his face. She found that odd.

By contrast, behind Ned there was nothing but glee as every single Quartermaine that had ever existed sat proudly in the first rows, obviously there to support their
favored son.

Her attention reverted to the front of the courtroom as the judge emerged, a rather stern looking little creature named Haskins who mounted the bench briskly as if
he had much to accomplish and little time in which to do it. When they had all taken their seats, Alexis studied him, her analytical eyes picking him apart. At the same
moment, he glanced up at her and Sonny, his eyes brief and coldly critical.

She sighed. He would not show them any favor. All of a sudden she felt like an Enron executive sitting in front of Congress. How would they ever win this?

The judge scanned the case file quickly then looked up at the lawyers facing him. “We are here to discuss arguments for custody of the minor, Kristina Davis
Corinthos,” the man intoned. “This is a highly unusual case, first because all of the parties are so…shall we say…well-known to Port Charles society. Second because the
petitioner is not a blood relative of the child. And third because there was an unresolved shooting incident in the child’s presence just a few days ago.

“Despite all those issues, we will proceed as normally as we can. Because at the center of this is a child who deserves a safe upbringing in a loving household. On that
note, let’s keep this hearing orderly and child-centered, shall we counsel?”

Both Ric and Justus stood and nodded in the affirmative. “Mr. Lansing may begin with his statement.”

Alexis felt Sonny stiffen beside her, his anger at Ric a physical force emanating off of him in waves. “Jealous little punk,” he muttered.

The judge looked his way with censure. “Something you need to say, Mr. Corinthos?”

Sonny coughed and shook his head. “No, sir. Sorry.”

Ric smirked. “Your Honor, my client’s wishes are simple and straightforward. Ned Ashton raised this child as his own gaining custody years ago due to Ms. Davis’…
unfortunate… legal and emotional situation at the time. Ned Ashton loved this child and only gave her up because her mother resolved her conflicts and provided a safe,
court supervised environment for the minor, Kristina.”

Nice Ric, she mused silently, in one fell swoop you’ve painted me as a former criminal with lunatic leanings. And Ned is the generous benefactor who gave me back my
daughter.

“But clearly, your Honor, circumstances have changed,” Ric intoned. “Ms. Davis is now the wife of a man with organized crime connections—”

“Objection. That’s never been proven,” Justus was quick to interject.

“Not proven, no, but alleged over and over through the years,” Ric retorted. “And he has been the victim of attempted shootings and bombings more times than we can
count. Thus Mr. Ashton has decided that since Ms. Davis is married to the mob—”

“Your Honor—”

“Sorry, I mean married to a man who is consistently in danger, then the child is also in danger. Clearly we saw that two days ago.”

“And you’re alleging that the gunshot incident was because of mob warfare?” the judge queried.
Ric nodded. “It has to have been an attempted hit on Mr. Corinthos.”

Justus sighed dramatically. “Objection again. These are facts not in evidence. No shooter has been captured, so how can anyone KNOW why the shots were fired? It
could’ve been totally random.”

The judge gave Justus a wry, disbelieving glance, and then looked back at Ric. “As much as I’d like to laugh at Mr. Ward’s last comment, technically he is correct.
There’s no evidence as yet that this was about Mr. Corinthos. Your counter argument, Mr. Lansing?”

Ric smirked. “It’s simple: my client Ned Ashton has never had a shooter intentionally or even randomly fire at him. Mr. Corinthos has---prior to this event—had
numerous brushes with gunfire. Based on that difference alone, my client proves to be the better parent.”

The judge pursed his lips, averting his eyes for a moment. “I’m inclined to agree given the record of prior incidents before me. Mr. Ward, make your statement.”

What followed was a passionate speech by Justus about the dedicated parents he knew Sonny and Alexis to be. The attorney spoke eloquently of their family, their
love, the honeymoon during which Alexis had melded all their children into one unit. But when he finished, Alexis looked at a judge who seemed unmoved.

“You spoke of a very loving couple,” he noted flatly. “Are these the same people written about in this tabloid Mr. Lansing gave me?”

The judge held up a copy of The Sun, a regional paper. On the front were the horrid photos of Alexis locked in Jax’s arms. They had been published only this morning.
The headline screamed at her, “Has the Mob Boss lost his Touch?” Her heart sank like a stone under the weight of her embarrassment. Sonny’s hand loosened on hers.

“This hardly conveys the image of a solid marital relationship,” Haskins noted, his censorious eyes falling on the Corinthos’ couple.

Justus was quickly losing his temper at the inequitable treatment; Alexis felt it. “Your Honor, that’s not fair. Photos which may have been doctored and splashed across
a trashy often libelous paper should not be used to judge whether my clients’ marriage is viable…or whether they’re good parents! As you well know, Mr. Ashton is not
even married at all!”

The judge pinned his eyes on the attorney dispassionately. “Perhaps you’re right, but the media attention these two garner does give me a picture of a rather chaotic
home this child is part of.”

“Then take the children of every Hollywood celebrity away, too!” Justus fired. “Because they’ve all had worse publicity!”

Haskins fixed Justus with a deadly stare. “I don’t like your tone, young man. However your protest is noted.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Justus said between gritted teeth.

“So I won’t consider the alleged adultery in order to make my decision. All I need is the sniper incident to know that I must err on the side of caution to protect this
child. Thus, I’m ruling that the minor Kristina Davis Corinthos be placed in the care of Mr. Ashton for the duration of the court case.”

“No!” The word leapt from Alexis’s lips as she jumped to her feet. “Judge Haskins, you can’t do that! You can’t take my daughter from me! We’ve done nothing wrong!”

“It’s not a permanent decision, Mrs. Corinthos,” the justice countered. “This is merely to ensure the child’s immediate safety. You’ll have your opportunity to prove that
your lifestyle with your husband poses no danger when the case commences. So ordered.”

The gavel hit the desktop with a massive thud that caused her to jump.

Alexis’ eyes filled with tears as the court erupted, Quartermaine’s celebrating, clapping Ric on the back effusively. She turned to Sonny, her heart racing, her mouth
working without sound. But he simply sat at the table, as still as a stone. He didn’t look her way.

“We’ll get her back,” Justus promised. “This is just temporary, you two. I promise we’ll get her back!”

Sonny’s black gaze found his lawyer’s; they were like two open wounds. “You can’t promise that. There’s no way you can promise that. So don’t say the words.”

He got up and walked out of the courtroom past Jason at the door. She saw Sonny’s best friend sigh and hang his head, for once all show of strength gone from his
face.

“My God,” she whispered. “My baby…”

“Alexis.”

The deep and familiar voice sounded behind her. She turned hate filled eyes towards its owner.

“Alexis,” Ned repeated. “We need to talk.”

Chapter 33

Justus whirled towards the voice of his cousin and stepped between the man’s body and that of his client. “She doesn’t want to talk to you, you slimy bastard. How
could you do this to her? To Kristina? Hasn’t that little girl been through enough…not being with her mother for the first year of her life?”

Ned ignored Justus and stepped around him, his hand touching Alexis’ arm. She wrenched hers away. “Don’t touch me,” she hissed fiercely. “Don’t you ever touch me.”

“I hate…I hate that its come to this. That I had to do this.”

Her eyes narrowed. “No one forced you, Ned. This is what you’ve always wanted: to destroy me for being with Sonny.”

“No,” he denied, then shook his head. “I mean, okay, yes, there was always that. I think you’re a fool for being with him. But I’m honestly doing this for my daughter—”
“On what planet is Kristina YOUR daughter?” she snapped.

“You thought I was good enough to be her father once.”

“I was delusional,” she rasped. “That’s when I thought you were the only member of your family with a heart. Then you dated Skye and tried to make her the mother of
my child. Do you think I’ll ever forget that?”

His voice lowered to a whisper. “This isn’t like that time. I promise you: this is about the safety of our little girl.”

“Stop calling her that!” Alexis screamed. “She’s not yours!”

Justus touched her arm warningly, glancing around. “Not here. Go after him, Alexis, I’ll help you. But not where reporters can see.”

She reigned in her temper and nodded jerkily. “Oh, I’m quite done. I never wanna speak to him again.”

“You may want to rethink that; I have something worthwhile to say,” Ned stated. “Something that could make this whole court case go away for good.”

She eyed him suspiciously, but he continued speaking. “Come with me. Come with me to lunch, somewhere nice. Somewhere private. We’ll talk this out, just you and me.”

“Hell no,” Justus interjected. “You must be crazy if you think I’ll let that happen, Ashton.”

Ned’s eyes never wavered from Alexis’. “You make your own decisions, don’t you? Before Sonny, you always did. Look at my face: you know I’m serious. Come talk to me,
and we can make this whole thing go away.”

She stared at him, searching for truth. Searching for the man she had once thought she loved. The one who had been a gatekeeper like her, who had understood what
families like theirs could do to each other. How they could make you a casualty with a few biting words. She looked for remnants of the man he was before he’d tried to
own her. Before she’d run out on him at the altar. Before he’d chosen to woo her own sister. In the recesses of his eyes, she saw a bit of him, the man he used to be.

“Alexis—”

“It's okay, Justus,” she whispered. “I want to see what he could possibly have to say."

“I don’t advise that. I don’t think you should be alone where he can claim you said or did something inappropriate—”

“Oh, we won’t be alone,” she contradicted. “I’m not stupid, Justus. And I won’t ever break bread with this man again. But we’ll go out into the hall to a private spot. And
I’ll let him have his say. You can wait for me here if you’re still worried.”

She touched Justus’ arm reassuringly and then preceded Ned into the bustling court hallway. Flashbulbs went off in their faces until court guards pushed the media
back. Fighting their way through crowds, they managed to find a quiet space, a bench against the wall of a corridor. She sat, crossing her arms, and stared at him
coldly.

“What do want to suggest, Ned?” she asked bitterly. “How could we possibly make this right now that it’s in motion? The only way is for you to drop this suit, and we
both know you won’t do that.”

“Perhaps I will.”

She stared at him hard knowing there was more. “If…?”

“Leave him,” Ned said. “Leave him and I’ll drop this suit. You’ll get your daughter back. All will be well.”

Her mouth gaped. “What? What are you saying?”

“You heard me. You know what I want you to do. Leave him and make our baby safe. The ball’s in your court, Alexis.”

“How can you ask me to do that?” she whispered, her voice raw against her lips. “I could never leave him. He’s…he’s my husband, the love of my life. I won’t lose that.”

“What would you lose, Alexis?” Ned snarled viciously. “Steady sex! That’s all he ever gave you. That and gunfire.”

She stood to face him. “You can’t imagine what he gives me, Ned! Cuz you’ve never experienced the kind of love Sonny and I share!”

“Love, huh? The man can barely stand to look at you outside your little acting gig in court.” Ned laughed bitterly. “The handholding was a good touch though. All the
while the two of you looked rather green when the judge held up today’s issue of The Sun!”

“You don’t know one thing about my marriage!”

“I know it’s not more important to you than keeping your child! Not if you’re any kind of mother!”

Tears filled her eyes and she turned her back on him. “You’re a pig. A vicious pig. What would you know about good mothers: you were raised by a she-wolf. Obviously
she made you the bastard you are!”

He came up behind her and spoke, his voice soft and sure. “Fling all the insults you want. Bottom line: you have a choice to make. If this case continues, you know what’ll
happen. It’s obvious the way Haskins is leaning.”

“You said this was about my daughter and her safety. Her happiness. You’ll never convince me of that. I know what you really want. What you’ve always wanted.”
She whirled to face him. “To hurt me. To separate me from the man I chose over you. And if you can wrap that goal up in some phony concern for Kristina then so much
the better! You make yourself a hero in your own eyes. But can you keep lying to yourself Ned? Can you lie to Kristina all her life about why you took her from her own
loving parents? Can you?”

Ned’s eyes grew cold and resolved. “I can do anything for that little girl, Alexis,” he said. “Absolutely anything…

The question is, can you?”

And he strode away from her into the crowd.

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