renda had no idea when she began following Magda Petoffi from Jax's room at the Port Charles Hotel, that it would lead her to the toughest neighborhood in town. She was terrified to be in the part of town without any sort of protection, but she forced herself to continue on. This was the only way she'd find out how to get Sonny back, and for that she'd travel through the gates of hell, itself.

Magda was sitting at the round table laying out Tarot cards when Brenda entered. "You were wise not to wait outside of my shop long before you entered." Magda wasn't the least bit surprised about Brenda's arrival.

"You knew I was following you?" Brenda asked in shock.

"Of course." Magda smiled. "You should leave the trailing of people to your gangster lover. As you Americans say, you suck at it." She added. "Of course, you have no choice in the matter at the moment, considering what has happened to your lover."

"If you knew I was following you." Brenda retorted. "Then why didn't you try to lose me."

"That's very simple, my dear." Magda returned. "I wanted you to come here."

"Why?" Brenda eyed her in suspicion.

"I don't like Jasper Jacks." Magda said, as if that explained it all. "I find him irritating and tiresome and I want to be free of him." She added. "He came to me to perform one service for him, and now I can't get rid of him."

"I guess you should be careful who you do business with." Brenda sniped.

"And you should be careful who you insult, Missy." Magda snarled. "You'd best remember I'm the only one who can bring your lover back to you."

"Are you saying you'll bring Sonny back?" Brenda asked. "What about Jax."

"I figure if I can help you bring Sonny Corinthos back to this time realm." Magda answered. "When he realizes what Mr. Jacks did to him, he'll simply kill him and rid me of him, forever."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Brenda wanted to know.

"You don't." Magda did nothing to put to rest Brenda's suspicions. "I'm the only one who can bring your lover back, so you have to trust me."

"What do you want in return." Brenda knew there had to be a price.

"I already told you." Magda sighed. "I want to be rid of Jasper Jacks. So when Mr. Corinthos is back, don't whine and carry on when he wants to kill Jasper Jacks. Just let him do it so we can all finally be rid of him."

"And that's it?" Brenda didn't believe her.

"That's it." Magda smiled. "Though don't be fooled. Reversing what I've done will be no easy task."

"Why?" Brenda was suddenly filled with worry that she couldn't bring Sonny back.

"You'll need to provide me with the things that belong to Marco Consuelos, that Mr. Jacks provided for me that belonged to Sonny Corinthos." Magda explained. "And believe me they won't be easy to obtain from him. If you ask him to give them to you, he won't. So you'll have to get them from him by trickery and manipulation." She added. "And as you're well aware, there's a clock ticking off the time Mr. Corinthos has left before he dies and the switch can't be reversed."

"You know about that?" Brenda gasped in shock.

"Of course." Magda said calmly. "It matters suck as these I always do my research." She added. "I haven't told Mr. Jacks about this, of course. If he knew, he'd know there's no reason for him to go back to the past, and if you and I don't reach a deal, I fully intend to send him back to the past and to make sure he never returns." She paused for a moment. "So do we have a deal, Ms. Barrett?"

"What do I need from Marco Consuelos." Brenda wanted to know, making her choice.

"An excellent decision, Ms. Barrett." Magda smiled, as she wrote out a list for Brenda of the things she'd need to obtain from Marco. "It's one you won't regret."

Marco now knew a great deal more about Sonny Corinthos. Just as he'd hoped, Brenda Barrett had kept not one, but many diaries on her exploits with Sonny Corinthos. He now knew simply recreating past romantic moments that Brenda had shared with Sonny would not work. No, he had to become the Sonny Corinthos she loved.

After reading Brenda's diaries where she spoke of her feelings for her lover, Marco decided she was as sick and twisted as her lover was. She made it clear in her writings that she hated Sonny's involvement in the mob, but she also loved it. The danger of his profession turned her on, as did the fact she knew it was wrong to love a criminal, but she still did. She also seemed to understand all of Sonny Corithos' personality traits and they seemed to be part of what made her love him.

Brenda had written at great volume about Sonny's need to be in control of everything and everyone and her understanding of it. As exasperated as it would make her at times, she also knew it was a product of the emotional damaged he'd incurred from his abusive childhood.

His need to keep things from her about his professional life could also be traced back to his childhood. He had been unable to protect his mother from his abusive stepfather, but he thought if he kept things from Brenda about his business, he could keep her safe and protected from it.

Marco suddenly looked around the room as if all the time he'd spent here with Brenda was playing back in fast forward mode for him. No wonder Brenda Barrett was still so determined to get her Sonny back. Sonny Corinthos would have never put up with her calling the shots and keeping him a virtual prisoner in this place. No, he would be out making things happen and that's just what Marco was going to do. It was time he claimed Sonny Corinthos' life for his own and once he did that, it wouldn't be long after that he claimed Brenda Barrett for his own, as well.

With that in mind, Marco headed over to Sonny's penthouse. Brenda had told Marco where Sonny lived. When he entered the people there were in a frenzy. A guy with blonde spikey hair and cold blue eyes stomped over him and started to speak to him in a demanding tone, Marco didn't like one little bit. "Where have you been?" Jason demanded to know. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

"I've been with Brenda." Marco arrogantly announced, waiting to see what kind of reaction that would get. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yeah, I do." Jason spat. "What about Carly?"

"What about her?" Marco retorted. "Since she's constantly going all over the place practically climaxing over you, I'd doubt she even noticed I was gone."

"I can't believe you're treating her this way." Jason's voice took on a preachy tone. "I gave her and Michael to you because I thought you were worthy of them and this is how you behave? You cheat on her with Brenda."

"Whoa!" Marco really didn't care for that. "I thought slavery was abolished in this century." Then he repeated what Jason said. "You gave a woman and a child to me. You speak as if you owned them. If that's the case and if you feel I'm so unworthy, then maybe you should take them back."

"Sonny!" Jason was shocked. "What's come over you?"

"No." Marco corrected him. "What's come over you? Did you suddenly become the big boss man while I was gone? If not, then I think you need to remember your place and to remember just who you're speaking to." He added. "If you speak to me in such a fashion again, I'll be forced to give the order to have you disposed of." He headed for the stairs. "Now I'm going up stairs to take a shower." He looked back at a stunned Jason. "Don't be here when I get back."

As Marco headed to what he believed was his bedroom, he was extremely proud of himself. That was a piece of cake. He didn't know what Brenda Barrett was so afraid of. Being Sonny Corinthos was as easy as pie. He had seconds thoughts a few second later as he was undressing and a shrieking banshee stormed into the room. This must be his wife Carly, Marco guessed

"Is what I just heard true?" Carly demanded in outraged tones.

"You mean about Brenda and me?" He asked. "Yeah, it's true."

"No, not that." Carly spat. "Did you just threaten to kill Jason." Then she added. "It better not be, because before you can harm one hair on his head, I'll kill you myself."

Marco hadn't really believed half the stuff Brenda had told him about Carly, but now he saw it was true. He'd only really said that stuff about her climaxing all over the place about Morgan to Morgan to be pissy. "You know." Marco replied. "Most women would be more concerned that their husband was off with another woman, not their old boyfriend." He added. "But then those women are in love with their husbands and not their old boyfriends."

"Don't you dare try to put your cheating on me off on Jason." Carly warned him.

"And don't you dare threaten to kill me." Marco turned lethal and grabbed her by the throat. "Because before you even lift a hand to harm me, you'll be laying on the floor dead." Then he shoved her away from him. He was sick to death of these women plotting to send him to his death and he wasn't going to take it anymore. "Now get out of my sight before I decide to dispose of you for daring to disrespect me."

"Who are you?" Carly began to back away from him in fear.

"I'm your loving husband, of course." Marco replied.

"No." Carly shook her head in denial. "Your not Sonny. He would never threaten mine or Jason's life like this."

"Anyone's capable of it if their pushed too far." He warned her. "And you and your boyfriend have pushed me too far for too long." He added. "Now get out of my sight. You sicken me."

As Carly fled from the bedroom in fear, Marco thought Sonny Corinthos owed him a debt of thanks. He'd just done what he should have done long ago. That's what comes from having a soft side. Marco didn't have one and the people around here were going to find out about that sooner rather than later.

he first thing Brenda noticed when she returned was that Marco was gone. A quick search of the place turned up a note he left behind announcing he had headed off to Sonny's penthouse, deciding it was time that he became Sonny Corinthos. Then she noticed some papers sticking out of her desk drawer. It were the documents she had printed out about the newspaper articles on the deaths of Belinda Jerrold and Marco Consuelos'. She hadn't left them that way, so it could only mean that Marco had seen them. Which put his current actions into a whole other light.

Magda Petoffi had claimed Marco would never agree to give her the things she needed to send him back to his own time zone, but Brenda had been hoping against hope that she'd been wrong. Now she realized how right she was. So just how was she going to get them from Marco without him knowing about it and did she have enough time left to get it before it was too late for Sonny?