HALLWAY OUTSIDE PH4

"Hi, I'm here to see Mr. Corinthos. I have an appointment for noon." Joanna said to the attractive man at the door. She was prepared for this, the plan was going to work. "My name is Victoria Lorenzo." She watched as the guard stuck his head in the door to announce her.

"Victoria Lorenzo, sir." she heard him say.

"Send her in Johnny."

Johnny opened the door and let her in. Standing there waiting on her was Corinthos. She smiled brightly at him, trying to make a good impression. He smiled back and she noticed just how attractive he really was with those dimples flashing.

"Hello, Ms. Lorenzo. I'm Sonny Corinthos, it's nice to meet you. Carly will be down in a minute, she's just getting Michael ready to meet you." He reached out to shake her hand.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Corinthos. I can't wait to meet Michael and Mrs. Corinthos." She grinned broadly. She knew they weren't married, but she wasn't supposed to know. She was surprised he didn't correct her. They talked casually for a few moments until Carly came bounding down the stairs holding Michael. Joanna raised her gaze to meet the target of her first order of business.

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Carly looked cautiously into the eyes of the one she would be interviewing. Well, she certainly is attractive, she thought. She stared deeply into her eyes. Something's off, she thought. There was a little too much gleam in this girl's eyes, and in Carly's experience that usually meant something was up. She looked over at Sonny and saw that he was smiling up at her. He seems totally at ease, she thought, maybe I'm just being overly cautious, I'll give her a chance. Carly walked forward to stand beside Sonny and handed Michael over to him. She then held out her hand to the girl. She smiled, "Hi, I'm Carly."

"I'm Victoria. It's so nice to meet you. Is this little Michael?? Hey there big boy! How are you doing?" She reached out and ruffled Michael's hair, and he kind of giggled. Then she went to reach for him, and he started crying. "Oh no," she said, "I didn't mean to scare you, buddy."

Sonny held Michael tighter and said, "It's alright Michael." He looked over the little boy's head and said, "He's just not used to you, that's all. Why don't we sit down for lunch?"

He and Victoria walked over to the table, but Carly dragged behind. What was up with that?, she thought, Michael's never done that before. Hmmm, he must be tired. She walked over to join them, feeling a little jealous. This girl looked a little too much like Hannah and Brenda for her taste. She would have to keep an eye out for her.

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LATER, PH4

Sonny and Carly sat on the couch with Michael, watching TV like usual. Carly turned her head to look at Sonny, and said, "So, what did you think of the nanny's today?"

"Well, there are some crazy people wanting to be nanny's in this town. Can you believe that one woman asking us if we were married, then saying we were going to hell? I was speechless, I didn't know what to say!" He laughed, remembering the string of wierdos they'd seen that afternoon. "The only one who seemed halfway decent was Victoria Lorenzo."

"Yeah, she was okay, I guess." Carly said, thinking back on how strange she'd felt with Victoria.

"What's wrong with her?" Sonny asked, looking down at Carly.

"I don't know, just a feeling I got. I'm just being stupid. You think we should hire her?"

"Well, if you're not sure............we could always hire the lady who wanted to make Michael a prodigy in her Wiccan studies." He laughed hard, and she hit him on the arm.

"No, I think we should hire Victoria. She was the only sane one we saw."

"Yeah," he said, and looked down at her. He lowered his head to kiss her, and stood up, "I'm going to call her right now."

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JOANNA'S APARTMENT ACROSS FROM HARBOR VIEW TOWERS

"Hello." she answered the phone crossly. She was in a bad mood. That stupid kid had messed up her plan today. He started crying when she reached for him, and she had felt her entire plan slip between her fingers. Now, how was she going to get Corinthos.

"Victoria?" She heard Corinthos' voice on the other end of the line and felt her heart stop in her throat.

"Yes."

"Hi, this is Sonny Corinthos. I was just calling to let you know that Carly and I have decided to hire you as our new nanny. How soon can you start?"

"Oh, Mr. Corinthos, I'm so glad. I can start whenever you'd like me to. I'm so excited! Little Michael is such a cutie."

"Well, you can start tomorrow morning if you want. Just be here by 8:00 am and we'll discuss all the details then."

"Okay, Mr. Corinthos, I'll be there."

She hung up the phone feeling extremely proud of herself. The smile plastered on her face could not be removed as she thought of how fun the next few weeks were going to be. She'd wait a week or so, and then begin her sweet torture. The little Ms. Corinthos wannabe would be very sorry she ever took Michael away from his daddy, and then while Corinthos' guard was down, she'd nab him, for her father, and for her future. She sat in the chair to watch the view across the street all the while making plans.

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Carly smiled as Sonny came back to join her on the couch. She reached out her hand and put it on his leg. He felt her touch him and it felt so right. He covered her hand with his, and sighed a sigh of content. He looked down at Michael, who had fallen asleep on Carly's lap. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of this. He looked at Carly who was looking up at him, her eyes telling him what she was too afraid to say. He leaned down to kiss her again, this time more than a peck. He kissed her long and hard, and she moaned softly, truly content and at peace. He pulled back, grabbed Michael off her lap, and said, "Let's go to bed, Carly." He stood up, turned off the TV, and grabbed her hand. They headed up the stairs to put their son to bed.

Part Ten

One week later, PH4

"Good morning, Victoria. Sleep well?" Carly was sitting at the breakfast table with Michael. Joanna looked over at her. She really didn't like Carly, but she'd made friends with her over the past week. The things I do for my Father, she thought.

"Morning Carly, yes I did. Morning Michael." She reached out and offered to take Michael from Carly. He shrank back, but Carly didn't notice because she was looking at what Victoria was wearing. How dare that girl run around her house with those cutoff shorts on?? She was feeling a little hostility and handed Michael to her, still thinking about whether this new nanny was after her man. She pushed the thought out of her mind, and said, "I was going to go shopping today and I'm taking Michael with me. We were going to stop by and have a picnic with Sonny in the park afterwards. Did you wanna come?" She really wished the girl would say no, she wanted the picnic to be a family thing, and she didn't want to have to worry about whether Sonny was looking at her or not.

"No, that's okay. You guys need some time alone, probably. I'll just go off and have a day to myself.........if that's alright?" Joanna thought today would be a perfect day to begin. It had been a week and they didn't suspect a thing. That kid was getting on her nerves and she wanted to do this as soon as possible. She'd go out for the whole day, but fix things before she left.

"Oh yeah, that's fine!" Carly said, a little too enthusiastically. Good, she's not coming, she thought. "I guess Michael and I will be leaving, we've got a lot of places to go today." She stood up and, after getting the diaper bag, and placing Michael in the stroller, she left.

"Well, let's see," Joanna said out loud to herself, "where can we start?"

She went upstairs to begin her task.

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KELLY'S

Carly sat at the counter, waiting on her food to be ready. She was so looking forward to her picnic with Sonny. She loved every minute they spent together. Where was he anyway? He was supposed to meet her there. She looked at the door when she heard it open, and her breath caught as she saw AJ walk in. She turned around quickly, starting to get a little angry, and hoping that he wouldn't come over to her. She had forgotten just how angry with him she was.

"Well, if it isn't my long-lost son and his whore mother. What is missing from this picture? Oh yeah, the mobster. What's the matter Carly?? Sonny has no use for you now that your baby's dead?"

Carly whirled around, her eyes aflame with hatred. "You....." Her eyes filled up with tears. "How can you even talk to me? You killed my son!!"

"Oh yeah, Carly Babes, keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day the guilt will be gone. God knows, your baby is." He laughs at her, and this only serves to upset her more.

She stands up and yells at him, "How dare you??? It's all your fault! I loved my baby!" She runs at him and starts pounding on him. She gets a couple of good shots in at his head before he pushes her away, just as Sonny walks in. He sees her fall, and in his mind he can see her falling down the stairs.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING???" Sonny yells at AJ. He runs over to Carly, and seeing that she was alright, he stood up to face AJ. "You better get out of here Junior, before I forget what I said to you about Michael! If you ever come near me or my family again, AJ..." he got right in his face, and his voice was soft, but his eyes were filled with pure hatred, "you will regret it. I will hunt you down like the dog you are, and I will make you pay. I will make you pay so that you will never forget it. You will not be able to hide from me, because everywhere you turn, I'll be there. You better run AJ, because if you touch Carly, or even talk to her, ever again, you will be VERY sorry!" The last words were said with such fierceness that AJ flinched. He looked at Sonny, then turned and left. Sonny yelled after him, "Don't forget what I said AJ!" He turned back to Carly who was crying softly, but making sure Michael was okay. She looked up at him, and Sonny went to her. He opened his arms, and she climbed into them, holding him so tight he almost couldn't breathe.

"Oh Sonny......"

"Are you alright, Carly?"

"I'm okay, Sonny, it just brought back memories. He kept talking about our baby and how he was gone. I'm sorry, I should've left him alone....... but I just couldn't. I was so angry. I'm so sorry............." She broke down then, and Sonny just held her.

"It's okay Carly, he won't be bothering you again. Of that you can be sure." He pulled back and kissed her lips, and wiped her tears. Trying to lighten the mood, he said, "I'm hungry, aren't you?? Let's go to that picnic now, I'm ready to have some fun." He smiled at her and she smiled back. How did he know just how to take care of her? They got their food, and walked hand in hand to the park.

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LATER

Carly walked up the steps of the penthouse, tired from a hard day shopping and playing in the park with Michael. Sonny had offered to put Michael to bed. She opened the door of the bedroom, yawning. Then she saw it laying on the bed. "Oh God!" she cried. She walked over to the bed and picked it up, holding it in her hands. She sank to her knees beside the bed, crying as though her heart was ripped out of her chest.

Down the hall, Sonny heard her crying and rushed to the room.

Meanwhile, Joanna, in her room, also heard the crying. "And so it begins!" she said out loud. She lay back on her pillow and went to sleep to the sounds of Carly crying, and with a satisfied smile on her face.

Part Eleven

PH4, Sonny's Bedroom

Sonny runs into the bedroom, looking at Carly. She is sitting on the floor, on her knees, clutching a blue baby blanket. He went over to her, but when he got closer, he saw what was on the blanket. Blood. It was covered in blood. Oh God! He ran to her.

"Carly, are you alright??" CARLY!! Are you hurt?" he starts to grab her and look her over.

"Oh Sonny! I'm fine......." she says through her tears. "It was like this when I found it. Someone put it here. What's going on?"

"Man, oh, Carly I don't know what's going on. Here, let me have it......" he pulled it from her hands, and left her there to talk to Johnny.

He runs down the stairs, anxious to get back to Carly, "Johnny!"

"Yes boss?" Johnny sticks his head in.

"Where did this come from?" he asked angrily.

"I don't know boss!" Johnny looked shocked at the sight of the blanket. "I'll get rid of it."

"Find out who did this Johnny. Call Benny. I've got to get back to Carly." With that, he went back upstairs.

He walked in the room to find her missing. Where did she go? Then he heard the water running. He went into the bathroom and found Carly in the shower naked, scrubbing herself so hard, he thought her skin would come off. He walked over to her, amazed that she was doing this.

"Carly, what are you doing? CARLY!" he grabbed her hard, and made her stop. "Stop!"

"Sonny........" she said, crying, "I've got to get this blood off me! Our baby's blood. It's all my fault!" She sobbed into his chest, her whole body shaking in fear and anger and hurt all rolled into one. "It's my fault."

"Carly, it's not your fault. It's not!" he was trying to reassure her, but he didn't know how.

"Yes Sonny, it is! Everyone thinks so! Mike, you, AJ even said it today! He said maybe one day.............one day the guilt would be gone...................and he said lord knows our baby is! Oh Sonny, how could I do this to our baby?" she stumbled through the words.

"Carly, you didn't do anything. It was an accident." He didn't know what to do, so he just held her. "I'm going to get whoever did this Carly. I promise."

"I know Sonny, I know." She hugged him tighter to her, and listened to his heart beat. "Sonny.............. do you blame me?"

She said it very soft, so soft he almost didn't hear it. He pulled her face up to meet his. He let his forehead rest against hers, and he looked deep into her eyes.

"Carly," he said softly, "do you see me sitting here, holding you? Do you see my eyes? Do you think I'd be here if I blamed you? You know me. I don't blame you for anything. It was an accident, pure and simple. Please believe me. I need you to believe me." He looked at her, and she looked at him.

"I believe you Sonny. Thank you." She let out a soft cry, and grabbed his head with her hands. She pulled his lips to hers in a crushing kiss. When they pulled apart, he looked at her, his eyes filled with emotion.

"No, thank you Carly. I need you so much." he pulled her lips in again, and this time kissed her with all the passion he could muster. She moved her hands down to his chest, and she began to unbutton his shirt, needing him more than she'd ever needed any man before. He helped her get the shirt off, then he carried her to the bed. He lay her down, kissing her all the while. He rubbed his hands all over her body, each caress leaving a trail of fire behind it. She moaned his name and as he took her to the heights of passion, it took everything she had not to scream how much she loved him. He had once again saved her from her despair.

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Joanna listened in disgust as Sonny and Carly made love. Could they be any louder, she thought?? Okay, she was gonna have to come up with something better than this. If everything she did made them closer, how was she supposed to make Carly insane?? UGH! What are they doing in there? Suddenly, she got another idea. She plugged her ears and giggled. This was going to be better than what she had imagined! She couldn't wait until tomorrow! She put her pillow over her head and grimaced one more time! Don't they ever stop, she thought.

Joanna looked at herself in the mirror. Wow, oh yeah, this was gonna work. She fixed her hair and went out the door to begin her seduction of Sonny Corinthos. This would work, it would tear Sonny and Carly apart, and she might even have a little fun herself, if he was game. He was a hot man!

Carly looked up at Victoria as she came down the stairs. That slut, she thought. Who did she think she was strutting around her house in those little skimpy outfits. Well, she thought, two can play at that game. She would not her grubby hands on Carly Babes man, not if she had something to do with it. She knew something was up when she'd first come here. This little tramp was after her man. Well, she would just have to learn, you don't mess with Caroline "Carly Babes" Benson. She might just have to learn it the hard way. She smiled up at Victoria, "Good morning," she said sweetly.

"Good morning," Joanna said. Man, she hated Carly. This little witch would get what was coming to her. At first, it had been a side plan to help AJ, but now that she knew Carly, it was very personal.

Sonny came in the room just then to find Carly and Victoria in a stare down. Victoria was barely dressed, and he looked away from her quickly wondering what that was all about. He walked over to Carly and kissed her good morning. He was just going to peck her, but Carly pulled him down for a slow, lingering kiss. He pulled back, slightly amused. "Well, good morning to you, too! Mornin' Victoria."

"Good morning, Mr. Corinthos!" she said brightly. Carly seethed in anger. This woman had to go, there was something wierd about her.

Johnny stuck his head in the door, "Mr. Corinthos, can I talk with you for a second?"

Sonny walked out into the hall with a questioning look," Did you find out anything?"

"No sir, the only person who came in here yesterday was Victoria."

"Oh, well, why don't you keep an eye on her. There's something wierd about her. I can't put my finger on it. I want you to wait until she's gone one day, and we will install some security cameras. I want to know what's going on with this." He walked back inside.

"Carly, I'm heading out to the warehouse, you alright?" He reached out and touched her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine Sonny. Go ahead." and she grabbed him again, pulling him in for a smoking kiss, practically eating him alive right there. He pulled back now slightly aroused. She gave him another quick kiss, and he left feeling a little cheated. As soon as he walked out the door, Carly gave Victoria a triumphant smile and walked out of the room.

Well, Joanna thought, she thinks she's won. I don't think so. Miss Benson still had a few surprises waiting for her today. It would be interesting to see them all play out.

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Carly ran herself some bath water and decided to turn on some music while she took her bath. She reached over and pushed play on the tape player where she'd left her favorite tape yesterday. All of a sudden she heard Rock a bye baby, on the tree tops, When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall.........

Carly reached over and quickly turned off the tape, feeling tears well up again. What was going on? Someone was doing this to her, and she wasn't going to let them get the best of her. She just acted like nothing happened, and got into the bath, trying to get the tune out of her head.

She got out of the bath after soaking there for a while. She went into the bedroom, starting to get dressed. She decided maybe TV would help get her mind off that tune going through her head. She flipped through the channels, and when she saw that nothing was on, she turned on the movie in the VCR remembering it was a movie she and Sonny had been watching the other night. She pushed play, and the sight that popped up on the screen made her face go pale, she sat there, no color in her cheeks, tiny tears rolling down her face. She moved quietly to the phone and dialed Sonny's number.

"Hello."

"Sonny, I need you........" she said, as a small sob broke free.

"Carly, I'll be right there." he hung up, and she knew he was on his way.

She sat back down and stared at the screen. The image staring back at her made her ache. Who was doing this to her?

She watched the video, glued to the set, all the way through. Every second tore her up inside, but she watched just the same.

It began with a woman in labor in the hospital, she gave birth, and the doctor said, "Congratulations! You have a baby boy!" She sobbed as she watched a family in the park with their new baby, laughing and giggling, the parents holding hands, and the older son playing on the swings. Then a picture of her, Michael, and Sonny popped up. They were at the park, playing with Michael, but there was no baby. Then words flashed across the screen, This could have been you!

She lay back on the bed, and she wept. She wept for the family she should have had, and she wept for the pain that this sicko was putting her through. She hardly noticed when Sonny walked into the room. But when she felt his arms go around her, she buried herself into his chest. "I can't do this anymore, Sonny............... I just can't!" she cried, and he saw the sheer pain in her eyes.

"I know baby! I know. We're going to catch this person, and we've already got a lead. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again."

Meanwhile, downstairs, Joanna had gone out to meet AJ, and while she was gone, Johnny and the other men were busy installing the cameras. Johnny smiled, he knew that woman was fishy from the moment he saw her, and he knew Miss Benson saw the same thing he did. He saw it when she looked at Victoria. This girl thought she could pull one over on Miss Benson. He laughed out loud at the thought. He knew that if this were the case, he wouldn't have to worry about it. Miss Benson could take that girl with no problem. He was worried about what she really wanted here. No doubt to take Sonny down. Well, he had missed it with Hannah, but this time, he would catch this girl before she had a chance to hurt his family. That's exactly what it felt like to him. He was not only their bodyguard, he really cared for them, especially Miss Benson. She had always been good to him. It made him mad to see someone torturing her this way. It made him VERY mad.