The Rain

Lighting flashed, thunder roared in her ears and sheets of rain poured down from the heavens. However, Alexis could hear the voices from that house, whispering that she was crazy and a threat to her child. Lila had shown her pity, Edward had displayed utter contempt and Ned had stood back relishing the whole fiasco. Looking back, Alexis could hardly deny that Ned had been wonderful the first few months after Alexis had given birth to her daughter. He had pledged to take care of both of them, despite the fact that little Kristina was the flesh and blood of a man that Ned hated. Then, over night, Ned became paranoid, obsessive and possessive of the baby. Alexis was not sure if it was because of the death of her sister, Kristina, or if it was the stress of returning to ELQ. Something had sent Ned over the edge into lunacy and he had started to believe that the baby really was his daughter. When Alexis tried to remind him that he was not the father of her child, Ned had accused her of being mentally unstable. He suggested that she was working too hard or maybe she was suffering from postpartum depression. The bottom line was, He had threatened to have her committed to Ferncliff if she did not stop insisting that Sonny was the father of the baby. It had not escaped her attention that her situation was ironically similar to the situation Carly had found herself in when she was married to AJ. At that time, Carly was desperate and had turned to Sonny for help. Sonny had helped her to escape from the clutches of the Quartermaine family. Alexis could not help but wonder if Sonny would do the same for her? The problem was she really could not be sure that she wanted Sonny to help her. It had cost Carly a great deal and Alexis was not sure that she was willing to pay the price Sonny would no doubt ask.

So, at the moment, Alexis sat on a bench in the park while drenching, freezing rain fell around her. She tried to think about her next move, but she felt emotionally paralyzed. She had done what she could to protect herself. She had woken up her trusty Judge-In-A-Pocket from a peacefully sleep and managed to file a motion making Stefan her trustee. Ned could threaten to have he committed to Ferncilff until he was blue in the face. He no longer had that kind of power over her. However, Ned had something that was infinitely more precious to Alexis. Ned had her daughter and he was holding the child captive in that house, with that insane group he called a family! Alexis was not the only one who had a judge in her pocket. The Quartermaine family had a dozen or more judges in their pockets. They had managed to get one of those judges to declare Alexis unfit as a mother, simply because Alexis had decided that she wanted to tell the truth. Ned was not the father of her child, Kristina. Sonny Corinthos was the father of her daughter. A few hours earlier, she had stood in the living room of the big house and watched as the family scrutinized her for signs of mental instability. It was then that Alexis realized that she had to get away and save herself before she could save her daughter.

She had no idea how to go about accomplishing that task though. So she sat in the park in the rain and cried, Not because she felt defeated, but because she was emotionally drained and she needed a good cry. She was so upset that she failed to realize that someone was watching her. Alexis jumped when he stood next to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Sonny standing beside her, drenched from head to toe. A bolt of lightening lit up his concerned face. Sonny sat down beside her and placed one of his hands on one of her knees. It felt strange to her, not uncomfortable or necessarily wrong, just strange. It made her chest tighten and her heart beat a little faster. On top of everything else, the last thing she needed was to have the conflicted feelings that she had for the father of her child come floating to the surface.

"Alexis, what are you doing out here?" He asks with a great deal of concern in his voice.

Alexis felt that he had asked the silly question and she gave him a silly answer.

"Nothing really. I am sitting on a park bench, in the rain. Is there a law against doing that? Anyway, not that you would care if it were against the law in the first place. You would just as soon break the law as drive on the right hand side of the road! Get your hand off of my leg this instant or I will break all your fingers!"

Sonny tried hard to suppress a smile. It was good to know that after all that had happen between them, he was still able get a rise out of Alexis.

"I do not drive on the right hand side of the road Alexis." He teases.

"Of course you do!" She snaps

"Actually, I have a driver. I do not technically drive on either side of the road. I am driven."

"That is the underestimate of the century! This is your finally warning. Remove your hand from my leg!"

"Or what?" He gives her a devilish look.

"Face the consequences of ignoring the request of a Cassadine! I am in no mood to play games!"

Sonny smiles, at her determination but he does not remove his hand. In fact, he inches it up her leg, then back down to her knee cap. Which he messages in a circular motion. Something he knew from past experience drove her wild.

"Technically, I do not have my hand on you leg. I have my hand on your knee." He grins

Alexis popped the joint on one of his fingers, which caused him to cry out in pain. He pulled his hand off her knee quickly.

"I warned you!" She snapped without an ounce of sympathy in her voice.

Sonny rubbed his finger and was relieved find that it was not broken, but she had snapped it out of the socket.

"Damn it Alexis! What is your problem?"

"What is my problem? I will tell you! I was sitting her peacefully and you came along and invaded my space!" She makes a move towards one of his other fingers, but he pulls it away.

"You are sitting alone, in the rain, in the dark. I thought you might need some help. Excuse me for caring!"

"You are excused and you are wrong. I am just fine. I do not need your kind of help." She snaps.

"Alexis, you want to tell me exactly what I have done this week that you find so offensive that you would rather sit here alone in the rain rather than let me help you?" He gives her an innocent, schoolboy look.

"You lied to me! You deceived me! You broke our trust!" The recites the list as if though she is bringing him before a judge and jury for trial.

"Not recently." He grins.

"You faked your own death!" She reminds him.

"You threw one of those heavy, legal books at me for that one." He counters.

"You paid a fine!" She sarcastically mentions.

"That fine cost me a bundle in coffee profits." He sighs mockingly.

"Does that include the money you paid to bribe the judge?" She gives him a sarcastic frown.

"Who me?" He gives her an innocent grin and shrugs.

"Sonny, go to..."

He holds up his hand and stops her before she can finish her sentence.

"Now don't go saying things that you really don't mean Alexis." He grins again.

"Then. Just go away!" She snaps and waves her hand in a dismissive manner.

"I am not going anywhere, because you do need help!" Sonny gives her an intent look.

"Not from you!" She comments dryly and shakes her head in a negative fashion.

The Rain Part 2

Alexis would have rather flung herself off of the parapet at Wyndamer than admitted that she not only needed his help, but that she wanted it as well.

"I am the only one around and I know you need help because you have been crying."

"I never cry! I am a Cassadine, we do not openly express frivolous emotions!"

Alexis snaps at him, through tear soaked eyes.

"That is because you keep your emotions so bottled up, it is wonder that you don't explode!"

"Well, you should know. You are the king of explosions. At least my tears never killed anyone!"

"So, you admit that something has you upset enough to make you cry?"

He gives her a smug smile.

"Wipe that ridiculous grin off your face this instant or I will find some way to do it for you!"

She is lashing out, which indicates to Sonny that whatever has her upset, must be important.

"Something sure has you in a feisty mood. Which I must admit I kind of like." He grins.

Alexis hits him, hard on the shoulder.

"This is your last warning, Sonny stand up and walk away. I am in no mood for games." She repeats, glaring at him.

Then, she gives him her most venomous look, one that has caused some of the top lawyers on the eastern seaboard to crawl away cowering in fear. Sonny just laughs.

"You forget who you are dealing with Alexis! There is nothing you can say that will push me away. I know all too well what you are trying to do. You have called me on the exact same behavior far to many times. You do what you need to do. Cry or hit me or insult me all you want. I am going to sit right here and wait until you are ready to accept my help."

He crosses his arms and gives her determined look.

"Your kind of help ends up making me hurt. So thanks, but no thanks."

Alexis starts to walk off. Sonny jumps up and follows her.

"I thought we were getting somewhere Alexis. Where are running off to now?" He places a hand on her arm to stop her and turns her around until they are face to face.

"I have no idea where I am going, but it will be somewhere far away from you!" She states firmly and loudly.

"The ladies room at the Grille?" Sonny teases.

"You are getting on my last nerve!" She passionately exclaims.

"I do that sometimes. Can I call someone for you? Ned? Reginald? Nikolas?" Sonny asks softly.

"No!" Alexis answers him adamantly.

"Fine then, I guess I will have to take care of you myself."

Without asking permission, he lifts her off of her feet, flings her over his shoulder and carries her towards his limo. He drops her in the backseat and has Johnny lock the doors. Alexis gives him an angry look.

"This is unacceptable! Let me out of her this instant!" She demands.

"I will, just as soon as you tell me exactly what Ashton did to get you so upset!"

Alexis hated that Sonny knew her so well. She hated how he could see right through her.

"It will be a cold day in Hell before I confide in you ever again!" She informs Sonny.

Sonny accepts the challenge that he sees in her eyes.

"We can wait here in this limo until the next ice age, if that is what it takes." He gives her a smirk.

"Johnny unlock the doors!" She demands.

"Yes Ms. Davis." He unlocks the door immediately.

"You are fired!" Sonny gives him a death stare. Johnny shrugs.

Sonny flings open his door and follows Alexis out into the rain, but he can't see anything. Raindrops sting his eyes. He runs his hand through his hair in an unsuccessful attempt at getting some of the water off of his face.

"Why do I always end up chasing women in the rain!" He loudly laments.

"Because you hate the snow." Alexis quietly answers him. There is a great deal of emotion in her voice.

She has been standing right beside him.

"You remember?" He softly asks.

"I remember." She gives him a small heartfelt smile.

"You are the only woman I have ever told about that part of my life." He sighs.

"I know." She states simply.

He tilts his head to the side and tries desperately to understand this woman who has always been such a mystery. He has never met anyone like her. She is an enigma wrapped up in a challenge. Yet, she is the closest thing to an equal he has ever had in his life. She could make him so angry one moment and then in the next instant make him feel instantly protective. She presented such a tough exterior to the outside world, but he knew that underneath it all she was frightened and vulnerable and most of all extremely stubborn. He knew her so well, because he was the exact same way.

"Alexis, will you please get back in the car? It is pouring out here and you are going to end up with a cold."

"We probably both will end up with colds." She gives him a challenging look.

"I am not leaving you out here alone. So if you are going to get sick, so am I!" He folds his arms in defiance.

"You are such a stubborn pain in the butt! I hate you!" She states and then walks towards the car.

"Yeah right, I know she really still likes me!" Sonny states under his breath, then follows her to the car.

He finds Alexis sitting in his seat, right behind Johnny. She knows that Sonny feels it is the seat of power, because it was the place from which he could best communicate with the driver. She waits for his reaction and he notices that she is slightly disappointed when one never comes. He knows she is trying to engage him and he refuses to give her the satisfaction.

"So, Alexis, where should Johnny drive us in his last act as my employee, before I drop kick his butt straight into Lake Michigan?" Sonny glares in the general direction of Johnny.

"Sorry boss, I can not hear a word you are saying. You are sitting too far away." Johnny replies smugly.

Sonny hears Alexis stifle a laugh.

"He is going down!" Sonny promises as he shoots another dirty look in the general direction of his belligerent bodyguard. Alexis rolls her eyes.

"Sonny, your violent temper is not very attractive. You should really learn to curb it" Alexis scolds.

"Yes mother." Sonny shoots her a dirty look as well.

"You can act like such an offensive buffoon sometimes." She glares at him in return.

"Alexis, he disobeyed a direct order! I am sorry to offend your murderous Cassadine sensibilities."

"You could probably learn a thing or two from my murderous family practices." She accuses.

"Since you Royals murder each other with such class?"

He grumbles.

"At least we do not slaughter the innocent!" She rolls her eyes and mentions under her breath.

"Please enlighten me oh great queen of the wrongly deceased. After all, I am just a lowly old peasant toiling in your fields!" He glares at her.

Sonny could see the remorse in her eyes.

"I am sorry about that." She whispers and then swallows hard.

"Why, because I am so beneath you and your kind?" He crosses his arms in anger.

Alexis was sorry for a lot of things, but mostly because there was now so much distance between her and a man who, despite her best efforts to deny the fact she still loved with all her heart.

"I am sorry for calling you a peasant, Sonny." It was unnecessarily cruel and hurtful.

She bites her lower lip.

"If I remember correctly, you called my ancestors peasants, not me specifically." He reminds her with a small smile.

"It was still wrong of me to humiliate and hurt you in public." She admits.

"Were we in public? All I can remember is you and me being there, no one else. The fact that it did hurt me deeply. I had always counted on you being the one person who knew the real me and could see past the image that I presented to the world. I have never felt like I was as good as the next guy. As my friend, you made me feel like I was good enough, you made me believe in myself and you stood by me through everything. Then you threw it all back in my face and you made me feel like I so far beneath you that I hardly even deserved a second thought. What hurt the most though, was I knew at that moment that you hated me. You had been the most important person in my life for a long time and suddenly you hated me and I felt my world come crashing down. Up until that point, I had been working hard to be a better man so that I could be worthy of your respect."

Alexis is stunned by his revelation. She shakes her head sadly.

"You should want to be a better man for you Sonny, not just for me." She states.

"My world does not work that way Alexis. Before I met you, I never had a reason to be a better person. Then you came into my life and I wanted to change. Then you left and I had no reason to be a better person. No one in my life placed any expectations on my behavior, so in many ways I became worse."

"Why are you telling me this now?" Alexis gives him a puzzled look.

"I have no Idea. Maybe because I am trying to justify some of the things I have done." He sighs

"Some of the things you did are hard to justify, like having Zander beaten for one." She sighs.

"You are right, that was inexcusable. I need you to point these things out to me though." He gives her a weary smile.

"I will not be your moral barometer, Sonny. It is too exhausting." She gives him a weary look.

"I understand, but the fact is, having you around makes me want to be a better person."

"Then you should probably hold on to that goal." She gives him a serious look

"Is there any chance that you will ever stop hating me?" He asks.

"Sonny, I could never hate you. At least not for very long." She gives him a quick smile.

"I would understand if you did hate me." I caused you a lot of pain Alexis.

She nods her head in agreement.

"That is an understatement! For a long time I blamed you for the death of my sister."

"Do you still blame me for her death?" He asks the question and then holds his breath waiting.

"Not so much." She answers simply.

"Do you still think I am just a lowly peasant that is beneath you?" He asks with feeling.

"My mother was a peasant." Alexis gives him a teasing smile.

"I thought she was an opera singer?" Sonny teases back.

"She was also a peasant and yet my father still loved her passionately."

She gives him a wistful look.

"Well, if your mother was anything like you, I can understand why your father loved her."

Sonny gives her an intense look that confuses Alexis greatly. It sounds as if Sonny is indicating that he loved her, but Alexis knows that is impossible. So instead of confronting him about the subject, she does her best of deflect his attention in another direction.

"Kristina was actually more like her than I am. They were both positive, loving and full of life." Alexis insists.

"They both had life which was cut short, you mean?" Sonny locks her gaze with his own intent stare.

"No, that is not what they had in common. They livid a shorter life, but they lived life more fully than I ever will. They were passionate and I am not, pure and simple."

"Alexis, that is not true. Sonny states, his voice full of feeling.

"Maybe, I have just forgotten what it feels like to be passionate. It is necessary to bury all feelings of passion when living with the Quartermaine family. It is dangerous to feel too much when you are living with that family!" She pulls her gaze away from Sonny.

She knows full well that he has the power to see more in her eyes than she is willing to share. She wants to change the subject, but Sonny refuses to let it go.

"You have plenty of passion in you Alexis. You just hide it better than others, which is not always a bad thing, but it is there none the less." He instinctively reaches out to gently touch her face, when she does not pull away or attempt to break his fingers; he takes it as a good sign.

"My mother was so beautiful. Things were different with her, her passion gave her life." Alexis sighs.

"When you speak of your mother, you speak of a woman who expressed her passion on the opera stage. You express your passion in the courtroom. Same expression, different venue. You also describe your mother as a woman that was passionate about her children and was willing to lay down her life for her two daughters. I have seen you with your child Alexis. I know you would gladly sacrifice your own life and happiness for her. That makes you beautiful, Alexis."

He gives her a small, reassuring smile and drops his hand back onto the seat. Alexis finds that she instantly misses his touch, which disturbs her to no end. She can not help but wonder if she would have been better off just walking away from Sonny the moment he appeared at her side. As complicated as her emotions were at the moment, she did not need the added confusion of a battle between her heart and her head over how she felt about Sonny.

"I understand where you are coming from Alexis, but we are just going to have to agree to disagree about how passionate you are."

He gives her a look of encouragement.

Alexis studied his face for a moment and wondered if he really could understand.

"Unless you want me to go over a list of your passionate traits, because I could do that if you would like? I have to warn you though; they are a bit of a turn on. So I can not be responsible for my actions once I am through reciting the list"

He teases and she blushes. Which makes him smile.

"Maybe later?" She makes a heartfelt promise.

Alexis instantly covers the blush and Sonny sees a pensive look in her eyes and takes it as a positive sign that maybe she no longer hated him; but he could also tell from the look on her face that he had pushed her a far as she was willing go on the subject of passion. So he changes the subject for her benefit, because he felt that they were connecting again, but he did not want to push the situation into a zone.

"I am guessing that you do not want to go back to the Quartermaine mansion?" He gingerly asks.

"No!" She answers quickly and simply.

It still gave him no clue as to why she was upset, but he figured that if he kept working at it she would eventually tell him the whole story. Trust was still a big issue between him and Alexis, but having her in his life was too important to let that get in his way. He would slowly get her to open up to him and once he had her trust again, he would never let it go.

"I have no idea where I want to go, Sonny, but back to that house is not an option right now." She was firm.

"I know you like the police station. Should I have Johnny take you there?" He teases.

Alexis rolled her eyes in exasperation. Sonny had a way of making her relax that was beyond her comprehension. When he was not driving her insane, he had this magical way of making her feel like everything was going to be all right. Alexis did not know what it felt like to be safe, but she imaged it was something similar to the way Sonny was making her feel at that moment.

"The PCPD is not nearly as much fun now that you are never there." She gives him a sly look.

"I could get myself arrested if that would help?" He teases.

"You keep forgetting that I am no longer your lawyer." She teases back.

"Believe me, that is one thing I can not bring myself to forget. Can I take you to Nikolas?"

"He is in Milan visiting Stefan." She informs him with a heavy sigh.

"I can take you to Milan. I can have the jet ready and waiting by the time we reach the airport."

Alexis studies his face intently for several seconds. When she realizes that he is serious, her breath catches in her chest.

"You would really take me to Milan, tonight?" She is astounded by his suggestion.

"If that is what you want. Alexis, all I have ever wanted was to know what you wanted."

"You had a strange way of showing it!" She sighs.

"I am sorry about that, but the problem is that lately I have had no idea what you want."

He shrugs.

"That makes two of us!" She admits with more feeling in her voice than she expected. She nervously bites her lower lip, as an awkward moment of silence to develop between them. It is Johnny that finally breaks the silence and eases the tension.

"Boss, should I let you and Ms. Davis off in front or do you want to ride around to the garage?"

Alexis looks out the window of the car and realizes that they are parked in front of Harborview Towers. She has not even noticed that the car was moving, much less that it had stopped again.

"The garage is fine." Sonny answers him.

"You brought me to Harborview Towers? Are you insane?" Alexis shoots him a deadly look.

Sonny opens his mouth to speak, but Alexis stops him.

"That was a rhetorical question. Don’t you dare answer!"

She gives his a warning look that indicates she means business.

"Alexis, you are soaking wet and I asked you where you wanted to go and you had no answer!" He whines.

"I told I am confused."

She states with expiration in her voice and a look of panic in her eyes.

"I had to take you somewhere. So I made it easy on Johnny and myself and brought you here." Sonny insists.

"How did Johnny know what to do, since I am.." She breaks off.

"Are you admitting that you sat in my seat on purpose?" He teases.

"I am admitting no such thing." She quips.

"Fine with me, we both know the truth. I hardly matters because I have other ways of communicating with Johnny." He gives her a mischievous grin.

Alexis rolls her eyes.

"What? Do you two have some kind of secret handshake or something?"

"Maybe." Sonny winks at her.

"Sonny, I am serious. I would rather you take me back to the gatehouse than have to face Carly tonight!"

"That makes two of us. Alexis, Carly left me for Jason over a month ago." His voice is weary and he scans her face for sighs of approval.

A thousand thoughts go through her mind. "Good riddance!" "Glory Hallelujah!" "When are you throwing the party?" All those words speed through her head in less than 10 seconds flat, but what comes spilling out of her mouth is more heartfelt.

"Sonny, I am so sorry." She says it with feeling and he has not doubt that she means every word.

"Thank you, that means a lot coming from you." He gives her a weary smile.

"What about Michael?" Alexis asks.

"I will always love him, but Carly and Jason will raise him as their son." Tears well up in his eyes.

Without thinking twice about it, Alexis instantly reaches out from his hand.

"Sonny, you should have called me as soon as she left. I could have worked out a custody deal for you. Maybe I can still get you some kind of visitation rights. Did you sign any papers or was it a verbal agreement between you and Carly? If you did and a month has passed, it will be harder to get the document revoked. Just tell me what you need me to do and I will get on it right away. I have already woken up the judge once tonight. I can do it again."

She was talking a mile a minute and Sonny could see the gears in her head moving at nearly that speed. He could also see her getting very close to hyperventilating.

"Alexis, the only thing I need you to do right now is breath!" He teases.

She shoots him a dirty look.

"This is no time for jokes. Sonny, the happiness of your little boy is at stake!"

She is nearly on the verge of tears. Sonny can tell by the sound of her voice that this is about more than just Michael.

"Alexis, Michael is fine. What is really going on here?"

There is concern in his voice.

"Nothing, I was just trying to help you to keep someone in you life that you have always professed to love."

She is getting defensive, which indicates to Sonny that he is getting close to the truth.

"Alexis, where is Kristina?" He asks point blank.

"Kristina?"

She answers as if though she has never heard the name before in her life.

"You know, that beautiful baby girl of yours? She has dark eyes and hair, and dimples that go all the way to China. She is about the size of a small watermelon." He grins.

Alexis has a hard time covering up her own smile. Her face turns into a sort of grimace, but Sonny can see the smile shining through her eyes

"She weighs a lot more than a small watermelon!" She responds.

"So where is the little Pookie Pie?" He asks.

"Did you just refer to me daughter as Pookie Pie?" She raises an eyebrow at him.

"I heard him say it!" Johnny chimes in.

Sonny shoots him a dirty look.

"Here I was about to spare your life!" He threatens.

"It is not the first time I have heard him call her that." Johnny adds without hesitation.

"You really want to die a horrible death?" Sonny asks.

"You can only kill me once." Johnny shrugs.

"Want to make a bet?" Sonny threatens.

"Sonny, I forbid you to kill Johnny!" Alexis snaps at him.

Johnny gives Sonny a self-satisfied grin.

"What kind of a man hides behind a woman?" Sonny replies, shaking his head in disappointment.

"What kind of man nicknames a little girl Pookie Pie?" Alexis shoots back.

"Pookie Pie and I have an understanding, she likes it when I call her that." Sonny grins.

"You are making all of this up, when have you even met my daughter?" Alexis demands.

"I see her all the time, when I go to visit Lila. We have really bonded." Sonny explains.

This leaves Alexis speechless. The very thought that Sonny had been bonding with their daughter without her knowledge conflicted her deeply. The idea that Lila had allowed it to happen, made her angry. Alexis had admitted to Lila that Sonny was the father of Kristina before the baby was born. She knew that Lila probably had pure intentions when she allowed Sonny to see the child, but it still upset her that they had done so in secret.

"How many times has this happen?"

Alexis tries to keep the anger out of her voice.

"Two or three." Sonny reluctantly admits.

"Two or three times since Kristina was born?" Alexis relaxes a little.

"Two or three times a week since she was born. More often in the last month though, sonce Carly and Michael left." Sonny reluctantly admits.

The realization hits Alexis hard. Sonny has probably spent more time with the baby than Ned. Which would be normal, if he knew that he was her father and not Ned

"I guess you have gotten pretty close to Kristina?" She swallows tears.

"Sometimes, looking forward to our visits is the only thing that would get me out of bed in the morning. She is a very special little girl. This may sound strange, but I feel connected to her."

There is a great deal of emotion and pride in his voice. Which causes those conflicted emotions Alexis is feeling to swell up to the point that they are nearly overflowing.

"Sonny, It does not sound strange at all. There is something that we need to talk about." Alexis admits. There is a new seriousness and urgency in her voice. This does not go unnoticed by Sonny.

"Okay, but first you need to breath!" He instructs.

"There is no time for breathing. This is important! It is something we should have talked about a long time ago." She desperately insists.

She realizes that she has to tell him the truth about Kristina. She has to tell him that there is a reason he feels connected to her little girl. It is the only way they can fight they can fight together to get their child away from Ned and his manipulative family. It was the only hope they had of winning against the Quartermaine family.

"Is it something that has to be said right this minute, in my limo, in the parking garage, when we can not even see each other?"

Alexis realizes he is right, this is something she needs to do in the right place. She needs to be able to see his face when she tells him that he is the father of her child.

"You are right, there are better places to do this. Can we go somewhere and talk."

"You can let me take you upstairs to my penthouse and let me take care of you. Then we can talk." Sonny insists.

He opens the door of the car and helps her out. Alexis feels every ounce of resolve slip from her body as he takes her arm and leads her to the elevator. She is exhausted from the evenings events. More importantly, she is bone tired from the lies and secrets she has kept for months. It was clear to Alexis that Sonny wanted nothing more in that moment that to take care of her. For once in her life, she was going to stop resisting and let him do exactly what he wanted. Even though, she was sure she could live to regret that decision!

The Rain Part 3

Sonny led Alexis to the doorway of Penthouse #2.

"I thought Jason had moved in here?" Alexis gives him a confused look.

"He did for awhile, then when he moved in with Carly and Michael, they moved across the hall."

Sonny informs her.

"You let them move into your home and you moved across the hall?" There is shock in her voice.

"I figured it would be easier on Michael if he did not have to move another time." Sonny shrugs.

"You are a good father." Alexis states with deep feeling.

"Not anymore." Sonny flatly replies, shrugging.

Alexis bites her lower lip. Ever since they arrived at the door, Sonny has been struggling with the lock.

"I told you to get that lock changed." Alexis teases him and gives him a sly smile.

"Jason changed it as soon as he moved back in. He never had much patience for locks that stick."

Sonny continues to struggle with the lock and key.

"Jason never had much patience period." Alexis frowns.

"He never was much fun!" Sonny dryly remarks.

"Are you sure that is the right key?" Alexis gives him an exasperated look.

"Of course!" He exclaims. Alexis steps in front of him and takes the key. She tries it in the lock and it opens right away. She gives him a triumphant look.

"I never have this much trouble with the lock." Sonny insists.

"The only time the lock used to give me trouble was when I was nervous. Are you nervous about something Sonny?" Alexis gives him a flirtatious wink and tosses him the keys.

She walks through the door and is immediately overwhelmed by the memories that rush through her head. She vividly recalls the first night she moved into the penthouse, the first time she had a panic attack in front of Sonny. She recalls how nervous she felt the first night that Sonny slept on her couch. Then she had that amazing dream where they kissed, which was followed by 50 or so similar dreams. She could recall each of them in vivid detail, but she rarely thought about them because it was too painful. Alexis recalls the day her sister moved in. She remembers the last big talk her and Sonny had in that very living room. The one where she pushed him to reconcile with Carly. Alexis also remembers the last day she spent in that room. The day Ned and her sister helped her pack up all her belongings. Only she had left something behind that day. Something she had not even missed until that moment. She had left behind her memories of penthouse #2. The laughter and the tears, the love and the joy. The feeling of safety and home that she only felt there. She had left a part of herself in penthouse #2. Alexis wonders to herself how she could have left behind something so important. And how could she have failed to miss it until now

"Alexis, why did you leave without saying goodbye?" Sonny interrupts her trip down memory lane.

"When?" She asks, jarred by the sound of his voice.

"That day when you moved out of this penthouse. I was waiting for you to bring me the keys and say goodbye. You never came. You sent Ned with the keys and left me waiting."

Alexis is speechless for several seconds. The thought that goes through her head is that he has a lot of nerve being upset since he was the one who drove her away in the first place.

"Sonny, we had already said our good-byes. There was nothing else for us to say that day."

"It was never supposed to be goodbye Alexis. We were supposed to be friends till the end of time. Remember the promise we made in Puerto Rico?"

As if she could ever forget.

"That was before your life became too crowded. I had no place in it after Carly was miraculously resurrected from the dead."

"Maybe I mistakenly believed that Carly and Michael were my life and that cost me." He shrugs.

"What happened to change your mind?" She asks hesitantly, biting her lower lip once more.

"I woke up one morning and realized that Carly and I were wrong for each other." He answers simply.

His eyes look her eyes in a penetrating stare. This makes Alexis nervous and she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. She drops her eyes to the floor and speaks softly.

"I understand what it means to wake up one morning and realize that the person you look at across the breakfast table every morning is not the person you thought he was." Alexis admits.

"You are talking about Ned."

It was not a question Sonny was asking. Rather, it was a fact he was stating. Alexis once again, ever so subtly, indicates that she is nervous by shifting her weight, gnawing on her bottom lip and glancing everywhere in the room except at Sonny.

"I never mentioned Ned!" She exclaims.

"Not in some many words, but I know your body language pretty well Alexis." He gives her the once over from head to toe.

"Sonny, I did not come up here to talk about Ned." She cried out in protest.

"Fine with me. Sonny shrugs. There is a blanket on the couch that you can wrap up in until I get the fire built."

"Thank you." Alexis gives him a heartfelt smile.

"Of course, you can also slip out of those wet clothes and I can have then sent down to be cleaned."

Sonny thought of it as being an innocent and helpful suggestion. He did not consciously think of it as a way of getting Alexis out of her clothes so that he could seduce her. The idea might have been buried in his subconscious, but it was buried deeply. The thought of being undressed in his presence unnerved Alexis more than she was willing to admit.

"You would just love it if I did take off my clothes, it would make it easier!" She insists.

"Alexis, I am worried about your health! What would it make easier for me?"

"If I got undressed then you could more easily seduce me!" She accuses.

"You do not have to be undressed in order for me to seduce you." He laughs.

"This is not funny!" She insists.

"Has anyone ever told you that your paranoid streak is not very attractive Alexis?"

"Sonny!" She states.

"Alexis!" He answers.

"Sonny!" She says again.

He looks her up and down.

"What do you want me to say?" He gives her a dimpled smile.

"I want you to admit you brought me up here in order to engage me in certain nocturnal activities!"

She accuses him point blank. Sonny just smiles.

"Alexis, I brought you up here because you were sitting alone in the cold rain." He innocently insists.

"Then the other activities never crossed your mind?" She gives him a suspicious look.

"I would be lying if I told you that. You are a beautiful, desirable woman and I know what it feels

like to make love to you. It feels pretty good, if my memory serves me right. I am only human and my life has been sorely lacking in the area of certain nocturnal activities lately."

He gives her a passionate look, which Alexis rejects.

"I knew it! You are so transparent that I can see right through you and here I was starting to think that maybe you were not such a bad guy after all." She scoffs.

"I know that you like me better when I am bad." He teases, which causes her to protest.

"That is not true!"

"Yeah it is true. In fact, right now the idea of me being bad is turning you on." He insists.

"What makes you think I am turned on?" She gives him an innocent look.

Sonny glances at her.

"Alexis, you are wearing a tight, soaking wet shirt. I recognize turned on when I see it!"

He gives her a dimpled grin.

"I do not have any idea what it is that you think you see. I assure you I am just cold!" She protests.

"I am going to build you a warm fire and I even gave you a warm blanket. I can not think of a better way to warm you up. Besides applying body to body heat directly from my body to that beautiful body or yours, which I am guessing is out of the question?"

"I’ll take the blanket!" Alexis insists as she grabs it off of the couch and glares at him.

"I’ll go find some matches so we can get that fire started."

He walks towards the kitchen in a huff.

"Starting a fire that we can not put out is what scares me!" She says under her breath.

Alexis looks down at her chest.

"Stop that!" She tells her body out loud. I know we are vulnerable and Sonny has the power to turn us on, even on a good day when we are not vulnerable. But you are going to have to settle down because there is going to be no Sonny loving tonight for us!"

She grabs the blanket and wraps up, but she is still cold and wet. So she slips off her wet clothes and kicks them in a corner. She prays that Sonny will not notice and take it as some kind of invitation.

Sonny comes back in several minutes and has his back to her while he prepares the fire. Soon, Alexis can feel the warmth of the flames and she starts to relax. Sonny turns around and is stunned to see her lounging peacefully on the couch wrapped up in the blanket. Her wet clothes are in a pile on the floor. Sonny tries not to think about her naked underneath the blanket. What he does try and think about is coming up with an excuse to take off all of his clothes and get under that blanket with her. Alexis notices that he is staring at her in a provocative manner and it makes her a little nervous.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" She asks averting her eyes from his.

"Is it against the law to stare at a beautiful woman?" He flashes her a sizzling smile.

"We have already established that you have little or no regard for the law Sonny." She scolds.

"Right, and we have also established that my bad boy image is part of my charm." He counters.

"I wish you would stop staring at me. It makes me uncomfortable." She reluctantly admits.

"Why because it makes you aware of the fact that you are a beautiful, sexy, desirable woman?"

He gives her a smoldering look.

"I am not!" She loudly protests. "I am a mother, a lawyer and the wife of another man!"

She puts emphasis on the last part. Sonny wonders if she is trying to convince him or if she is trying to convince herself. Whatever the case, he isn’t buying any of her protests. He sits down on the couch beside her and gives her another intense, smoldering look.

"Alexis, do you remember the last time I stared at you like this?" He whispers.

"Yes, the morning after we made lo... The morning after our one night stand." She corrects herself.

"You asked what I was staring at and I told you I was staring at your mouth."

His eyes focus on her lips and he licks his own lips.

"Do you remember what happened next?" He teases.

"You kissed me." She states, slightly out of breath.

His eyes are still focused on her lips.

"Do you want me to kiss you right now Alexis?" His voice is as smooth as silk. It is hypnotic, but Alexis had never been that easily swayed by his charm. She needed more than smooth talk and a little TLC.

"I most certainly do not!" She tires to sound disgusted. Sonny can tell by the way her body is responding to his closeness that her words are lies, but they are her words and he will not move against them. Instead he reaches out to touch a strand of her hair. It is starting to dry from the rain and it is wavy.

"If you must know I was staring at your hair." I have never seen it wavy like that. Well there was that one time, but I would rather not think about it because it is too painful.

His mind briefly flashes back to the night he saw Ned and Alexis through the window of Brenda’s cottage. It hurt that night to see them together and it still hurt to think that she had turned to Ned.

Alexis gives him a puzzled look.

You should wear your hair like that more often.

"It would be easier than straightening it every morning. But, Ned says it makes me look like I have a dirty mop on my head." She shrugs

"What does he know?" Sonny shrugs "I think you should wear it like that all the time."

"Why?" She asks.

"Because I like it that way." He gives her a heartfelt sigh and walks back into the kitchen. Alexis fingers a lock of her hair and smiles like a little girl who has just received a complement from her secret crush. Sonny watches he from the doorway of the kitchen and smiles as well.

"So he is charming and sexy as h*ll. We are still not going to sleep with him tonight or any other night! He is way to complicated and that is the last thing we need right now!"

She reminds her overly stimulated body.

"I need a cold shower!" She curses out loud

Sonny comes back a couple of minutes later with two mugs. He hands her one of the mugs of steaming hot liquid.

"What is this?" She eyes the mug with suspicion

"Hot buttered rum. It will help warm you up, Alexis." He promises.

"Actually, alcohol lowers your core body temperature." She informs him.

"Alexis, stop over thinking things and drink your rum. It will help you relax."

"Sonny, I told you there was something that we need to talk about, something we should have talked about along time ago." There is urgency in her voice.

"If it has waited this long, it can wait a little longer. Right now I am more concerned about you health, Alexis. Once I am sure you are okay, we can talk all you want. Now, please drink your rum and move a little bit closer to the fire. You can not be possibly be warm enough way over there."

He pats a spot on the couch that is right beside him. Alexis sighs and moves closer to him.

He starts to knead her shoulders to release tension that he figures has been building for a long time. He knows that Alexis has been carrying around a great deal of weight on those shoulders for a long time. She has been able to hide it from most of the world, but Sonny had been able to see it in her eyes, on her face and in the way that she carried herself. She was weary and he has yearned to reach out to her for months. To help her in any way, even if it was just by listening to her problems and offering her a shoulder to cry on. However, things between them had been complicated. They were both hurt for a long time and they were too stubborn to admit that they needed each other. Sonny realizes that Alexis must feel nearly defeated, otherwise she would not be allowing him to help he in any capacity. The first thing he needed was to find out what had happened. He needed her to open up to him.

"Sonny, for once in your life will you tell me the truth?" She is almost pleading.

"I always tell you the truth, Alexis." He winks at her flirtatiously.

"Sonny, I am serious. I need you to tell me the truth. Are you trying to seduce me?" She pleads.

"No." He flatly replies.

Her mixed emotions show clearly on her face.

"That was a quick answer. You did not have to think about that much."

"Alexis, I just want to help you. I would not mind if you seduced me later though." He winks

"You self centered, egotistical swine! I would not seduce you if the world were ending tomorrow."

She protests and hits him on the arm.

"Shall I leave the room so you can discuss it with the more perky parts of your body?" He grins.

"Oh g*d! You heard me?"

Alexis turns several shades of red.

"I think it is kind of cute." He grins and then laughs.

"I was not thinking about you when I said those things." She flatly protests.

"I think it is great that you still get excited by something. When I found you in the park earlier you seemed so lost, like living with the Quartermaine family has caused you to forget who you are."

"Sometimes I feel that way. I mean I feel lost." She admits.

"Then allow me to reintroduce you to a woman that never admits defeat. A woman that has taken more cr*p in her life than anyone human being deserves. I woman that fights every fight with a passion that can not be contained. A woman who always supports the underdog and always knows what is right and what is wrong. A woman that speaks her mind and will not be quieted. This woman is a survivor. I see that in her, because I am a survivor as well." He gives her a sympathetic smile.

"Can you call her up on the phone and have her come over. I would love to meet her." Alexis gives him a weary sigh.

"She is sitting right beside me. She is inside of you somewhere and I am not going to rest until I help you find her again. At which time, she will probably kick me straight to the curb again because I am not nearly good enough to be a part of her life." He gives her a heartfelt smile.

"I wish I could find her, but I have looked long and hard and I think she is gone for good."

She gives him another heartfelt sigh.

"I think I can find her and I think I know where to start looking. He winks."

"Where?" She asks.

"I think we might find her at the bottom of that mug you are holding." He teases.

"The real Alexis is a lush?" She rolls her eyes.

"No, the real Alexis just needs to be loosened up a bit." He promises with a wink and then a flash of dimples.

"I am afraid to ask, but you really think you are the man for the job?"

"I know I am." He promises, with another flash of dimples and a seductive wink.

The Rain Part 4

Alexis reluctantly sips the hot liquid. Sonny was right on both counts, it did help warm her up and it did help her to relax. In fact, after her second hot buttered rum, Alexis was feeling down right giddy. She relaxed enough to tell Sonny what had happened with Ned. She did omit some parts of the story. Like the fact that Sonny, not Ned was really the father of her child. She was feeling venerable and she was only dressed in a blanket. The last thing she needed to tell Sonny that Kristina was his daughter and then to have him get angry and throw her out of the penthouse. She had seen his angry streak. He had once thrown Carly out and let her run around town in her wedding dress. Alexis could not take the chance of Sonny throwing her out while her clothes were still wet. So, she told him how Ned became obsessed with the baby and threatened to have her committed to Ferncliff. Sonny listened to every word without interrupting and without interjected an "I told you so." He just listened while Alexis let go of all her feelings of fear, pain and rejection. Alexis as relived the past few nightmarish months. Only this time, she was not alone. Sonny was there with her, every step of the way. When she is done, they both feel emotionally drained and both have tears in their eyes. Sonny sits there too stunned for words to form.

"Did Ned ever threaten you or the baby physically?"

His voice is quivering with emotion and he chokes on the words. Alexis studies his face for a moment. This was the side of Sonny that she had not seen in a long while. The scared little boy who was so wracked with guilt over his inability to stop his mother from being abused that he could hardly stand to think of any woman suffering that same fate.

"No, it was never like that." She tires to give him a reassuring smile.

She can tell by the look in his eyes that he is hardly convinced. For a moment Alexis realizes how lucky she really is. Her life has been stressful the past few months, but she and her daughter were never in any real physical danger and they were never alone. Alexis can barely imagine what it must have been like for Sonny to grow up living in fear for his own life and the life of his mother. He must have felt so alone. Even as a child Alexis had always had Stefan to protect her. She had never been alone. Just as she was not alone now. Not to long ago, Sonny had declared in public that she meant nothing to him. he had turned his back on her. Now he was reaching out to her and acting as if none of that had happened. Alexis knew why Stefan defended her, no matter what he loved her. Alexis wondered what motivated Sonny to help her now? Could it be that despite everything that had happened between them, Sonny loved her? At the same time, Alexis wondered why she always turned to Sonny. It had happened many times before her sister died and it had even happed a few times after. The moment her sister had died Alexis had found herself in Sonny's arms. Even at the funeral, Sonny had been the one that she had felt herself reaching for, only there had been to much distance between them. Maybe, even after everything that has happened between them, she keeps finding herself turning to Sonny because she needs him in her life.

Sonny watches Alexis as she processes these many thoughts. He can see by the look in her eyes that she is thinking of something profound. He mistakes the serious look on her face for one of fear. He concludes that he must be right. Ned must have threatened Alexis and the baby.

"You can tell me the truth, Alexis. I will not go off and kill Ned or anything." He promises.

"I know." She reassures him with a shy smile.

"Unless you want me to kill him?" He asks with hope in his voice.

"Sonny, we have already discussed the fact that I know at least as much about murder as you do."

"You are avoiding my question. Did Ned or anyone in that house touch you or Kristina?"

He gives her a serious look.

"The Quartermaine family is not physically violent. They do not bruise with their fists. they cut a person down with words. They make a person feel insignificant and then they trap with false gratitude and control with guilt, blackmail and threats."

Alexis has a far away look in her eyes and he understands at last. What the Quartermaine family did to Alexis is far worse than any kind of physical harm. They did a number on her head. The look in her eyes is one that Sonny has only seen her get when she talks about Helena and the fear that her stepmother instilled in her when she was a child. Sonny wonders if Alexis has experienced that kind of fear recently. As far as he knew, Helena never physically hurt Alexis either. What she did was much colder and more calculated. She cut Alexis down with words and made her feel as if she were not good enough to be a Cassadine. He had witnessed Helena do it to Alexis first hand, He could only imagine what she did to her as a child. If that was how the Quartermaine bunch had made Alexis feel, if they had used words to control her, Sonny vowed then and there that he would make them pay. Alexis was the most loving, forgiving, and wonderful woman he knew. He would wipe out anyone who dared to show her any disrespect.

"You knew this about them before you married Ned." Sonny reminds her.

"Yes, I did know. You are probably thinking that this is exactly what happened with Carly."

Alexis sighs.

"I would never compare your situation to that of Carly. She probably deserved to be committed to Ferncliff. You, on the other hand, do not deserve to be threatened that way." He states simply.

"Thank you, that helps more than you can imagine. However, it does not change the fact that my daughter is in that house. They are not going to give her up that easily." Alexis sighs.

"Then you are just going to have to trust me to help Alexis." He gives her a sincere look.

"I am thankful that you want to stand by my side Sonny, but I fail to see how that would help me in a custody battle with Ned. You kind of have a little bit of an image problem." She shrugs.

Sonny bursts out laughing. Alexis looks at him like he has just lost his mind.

"A little image problem? I am not talking about a custody battle. I have something on the Q family that is so big it could destroy them forever. It could reduce them to ashes." He teases.

"You can not blow up ELQ!" There is shock in her voice.

"I am not going to literally blow them up Alexis!"

He gives her a disappointed look.

"Sonny, with you one never knows." She sighs.

"I have not been involved in an explosion for months Alexis."

He protests and Alexis rolls her eyes.

"I am talking about having information that could bring the whole family to their knees."

He grins.

"What do you have on them?"

She gives him a skeptical look.

"Is that something you feel you have to know before you will let me help?"

He gives her a weary look in return.

"Yes, because it had better be good. Otherwise we are wasting our time."

"Can you just trust me on this Alexis?"

He gives her a perturbed look.

"If it was just about me, but this is the life of my daughter that I am entrusting you with. Besides, you have given me little reason to trust you in the past few months." She reminds him tearfully.

"Alexis, when we have really needed each other, we have always come through for each other. This time is no different. Believe me, I am the last guy on earth to admit that I believe in soul mates and fates and all of that higher plain mumbo jumbo. But I know this, we share a connection Alexis. Something so special that it only comes once in a lifetime. You may not be able to trust me completely, but you can trust in that unexplainable cosmic force that bonds us together." he gives her a sincere smile

"A bond or a connection or whatever you think we had, does not equal trust!" She bluntly informs him, while waving her hands towards the heavens.

"When we are together, Alexis I feel as if I have found my missing half. You have to feel it too?"

There is desperation in his voice. As if he will completely go to pieces if she denies that she feels what he feels.

"I do not want to talk philosophy with you Sonny and I hardly want to be your soul mate. You are starting to sound like my sister Kristina and that is a very scary thought." Alexis rubs her temples.

"Maybe she was on to something. She knew we had a connection, even when we both denied it."

"Stop it with all of this cosmic connection talk. You are giving me a headache!"

He sits down beside her and starts to rub her shoulders once more. Alexis leans into him physically, while at the same time she finds herself more willing to lean on him emotionally than she has in months. He was right about one thing. When she had needed him the most he had always been there for her and he did usually know what she needed even if neither of them was every really sure what Alexis really wanted.

"Alexis, this bond between us exists. It is not something that goes away when it is something so strong. It is the thing that keeps us connected even when we are apart. It was the force that brought me to you tonight and it was the force that made you doubt so strongly that I was really gone when I faked my own death." He gives her a knowing look.

Her mouth drops open in shock. She had not confided that to anyone.

"How did you know about that? I never even told Ned that I believed that you were really still alive! How could you know something like that?" She bits her lower lip in frustration.

"I knew the minute you tore into me about faking my own death. I knew that is was less about being mad at me and more about being mad at yourself for not trusting your instincts."

He gives her an infuriating triumphant look.

"Well, that just proves how little you really do know me! I was more than angry with you for that little stunt! I was livid with you and I proved that by prosecuting to the fullest extent of the law!"

She points a finger accusingly at him.

"You prosecuted me for insurance fraud Alexis. You knew you would never get a conviction on those charges."

He gives her another smug look. Alexis throws her hands up in the air in frustration.

"I would have gotten a conviction if you had not bribed the judge!" She reminds him, which he does not deny.

"Alexis, the Quartermaine family knows how to bribe judges as well."

He reminds her as he stands up and walks to the window.

"I know that. Which is why I would like to trust you, but we are talking about the most precious thing in my life. You are asking me to put the life of my daughter in your hands! Give me one good reason why I should trust you with Kristina?"

"Because I love your daughter, maybe as much as you love her Alexis. She is the most important thing in my life. She makes my life worth living and I would do anything for her."

Sonny watches Alexis as pure shock crosses her face.

"You arrogant little bastard! How could you possibly understand that level of love? I have loved her since the moment I knew she existed. I have spent every waking moment cherishing her and protecting her. I carried her for 9 months and after that I have made her the focal point of my every waking moment. So do not tell me that you love her as much as I do!"

There is strength and protectiveness in her voice, but there is anger as well.

"You're right, you are her mother and you have a bond with Kristina that I will never be able to come close to matching." He sadly admits.

"I am glad we cleared that up." Alexis still gives him a determined look.

"Never the less, I do love her. I love everything about her. The way she looks at you with those big brown eyes all full of trust and acceptance. Smiles when she is happy and the way she pouts when she thinks she is not getting her way. You know what I mean? She kind of turns her lips down and gets those sad puppy dog eyes. The kind that make you want to turn the world upside down just to make her smile again."

Alexis can not help but smile at his descriptions.

"I love her laugh, that is the best part and how she when you tickle her and she giggles until she spits up all over you." Sonny sighs euphorically.

"You actually like that? I thought that was the kind of thing only a mother could love!" Alexis grins proudly.

"I really do. Is it all right for her to do that? I mean is it healthy?" He asks with concern in his voice.

"I think anytime a baby giggles, it is very healthy."

Alexis smiles.

"Her smile reminds me of her mother. I love everything about that little girl, Alexis. You have to believe me when I tell you I want her safe."

"I believe you, but it is not going to be that easy to get her away from that house." Alexis admits.

Sonny walks around the couch and sits beside her. He sees her flinch slightly. It is obvious to him that the two of them being so close is affecting her.

"You know when Rick Webber was killed a few months ago?"

Alexis nods her head and acknowledges that she knows the case well.

"I represented both Lucky and Luke in that case, but what does that have to do with anything?"

She gives him a puzzled look.

"Then you realize that neither one of them was responsible for his death?"

He gives her a serious look and she is about to interrupt, but he holds his hand up to stop her from speaking.

"Alexis, just hear me out on this. Luke did not kill Rick Webber and neither did Laura. Alan Quartermaine killed him."

Sonny says it calmly and then waits for her reaction. She thinks for a moment and then bites her bottom lip in a nervous manner.

"How do you know this? Do you have witnesses?" She accuses.

"As a matter of fact, I do. I saw the whole thing myself!" Sonny gives her a devilish grin.

"You had better tell me the whole story." Is all she can say.

Sonny tells her how he was supposed to meet a contact in the attic that night. He arrived in time to see Luke and Laura fleeing the scene of the crime. He went up to the attic and found Rick Webber unconscious. He was about to call 911 when he heard someone coming up the stairs. He hid behind a trunk and watched as Alan entered the room, saw Rick lying on the floor and figured out that he was not dead.

"What is this thing that you and Carly have about hiding behind furniture and listening to the conversations of others?" Alexis rolls her eyes

Sonny gives her a puzzled look and continues with his story.

"Alan realized that Rick was still alive. So, he picked up the candle stick that Laura had thrown aside and bashed Rick with it repeatedly. Then he stood over the body and proclaimed that Rick deserved no less for trying to sweep Monica off her feet and trying to steal the hospital!"

Sonny gives Alexis a proud smile, but she just shakes her head.

"It is your word against his! She reminds Sonny."

"I have the candle stick!"

Sonny gives her a smug look. However, she still seems unimpressed. He pulls out his trump card.

"I also have the whole thing on video tape!" He gives her one final, triumphant smile.

"Do I want to know what your were doing in that attic?"

She questions as she rubs her temples.

"Probably not. It involved Lucas Jones and a boatload of Cuban cigars." He grins.

"Oh great! I forgot that corrupting this cities youth is your favorite pastime."

"You have to be kidding me? Alexis, that kid is a Jerome by birthright. They were one of the foremost mob families in Port Charles for years. Corruption runs in his blood!"

"Stop it! As an officer of the court I can not listen to another word." She holds up her hand.

"So, do you trust me now?"

He smirks, which gets on her last nerve.

"This is not the first murder Alan has committed. The family will just cover it up as usual."

"Sometimes, there is just too much to cover up." He firmly states.

"The Quartermaine's are a very powerful family. The thing that scares me the most is that they stick together. They cover up for each other." She laments

"Maybe, but every family has it a malcontent or two. When you were comparing yourself to Carly I was thinking that your situation reminds me more of Lois."

"Why because we both fell for the idea that Ned is not the product of his family."

"No, because you both realized the opposite in time."

"Lois was smart enough to get her daughter away from that family before she was born.

She also realized that someday another woman might be in the same position and she made provisions for that event." Sonny informs her.

"What kind of provisions?"

Alexis gives him a puzzled look. She watches as Sonny goes to the closet, opens the door and pulls up a floorboard. Alexis is stunned when he pulls out a small file box.

"How long has that been there?" She is finally able to ask.

"A few of years. You should really sit down for this."

Sonny responds as he opens the box and hands her a leather bound journal.

The title on the cover reads:

"Is this real?" Alexis asks

"It is all too real. Some of the things in that book will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up straight." He warns her.

"That file was here when I was living in this apartment?" Alexis asks as she skims the contents of the book.

"I hid it here right after Jason moved in to the apartment the first time." He admits.

"Why have I never seen this?" She asks.

"I never had reason to use it before now."

"Do you have proof that any of this really happened?" Alexis looks up from the book.

"Lois has proof. She has showed me some of it, other stuff is to sensitive."

Alexis looks like she is going to be ill.

"Are you impressed?" Sonny asks.

"Some of the things described in this book are downright barbaric." Alexis winches.

"You thought I was a cold blooded killer. I do not even come close to the members of the Q family."

Alexis places the book on the coffee table.

"Why would Lois want you to use this. After all, you would be destroying the father of her child?"

"You would have to ask her that question. Ned is not really implicated in anything too wicked."

Sonny shrugs.

"You know he has to know about all of this though. he has made a life out of protecting his family."

Alexis sighs and shudders at the thought of some of the things that she has just read

"I though my family was cold blooded as well. This makes even the Cassadine family look like saints."

"Alexis, I showed you this because I trust you and I thought it might help. If you would rather I did not use it against them because you want to protect Ned, I will understand. All, I ask is that you keep this to your self.

He gives her a pleading look."

"Sonny, you have got to get my daughter out of that house! You have to get her away from those people tonight! Use whatever means is necessary." Alexis is pale and shaking, then she bursts into tears. Sonny pulls her into a tight embrace and strokes her hair in a loving manner.

"Hey don't cry. I told you I would take care of everything. You are just going to have to trust me."

"I am just so tired and I feel so defeated." Alexis bawls.

"I know you are tired sweetheart. We all get tired sometimes, but that doesn't mean you are defeated. I want you to throw that word right out of that big ol vocabulary of yours. You and the word defeat are not a very good fit Alexis."

He gives her a reassuring squeeze. Alexis pulls back and gives him a sly smile, which causes his eyes to fall on her lips, where they linger. He reaches up and runs his hand across her cheek, making her whole body tingle. Without a warning he grabs her and kisses her passionately. He bends her body back until her head is touching the arm. At first she is caught off guard, then she gives in and kisses him back amorously with an impatience and zest that surprises him. Her pulse races and her mouth feels like it is on fire. He laces his hands with hers and kisses her harder than before. As suddenly as he kissed her, he pulls away leaving her lips and cheeks more pink than then they had been in months. She tries to recover, but is left completely turned on and wanting more. At the same time, neither is sure how the other feels and they are both trying to be cautious. A look of shock crosses his face.

"I am so sorry, Alexis!" He actually seems mortified. "That should have never happened. here we were getting along so well. We were even getting our friendship back on track a little, maybe. I had to go and ruin the whole thing. Maybe I should just go get some air or take a cold shower or something!"

He sounds like he is about to hyperventilate. Alexis looks around for a paper bag or a glass of cold water to throw in his face or something to snap him out of it. When she doesn't see anything to help she does the only thing she can think of to calm him down. Before Sonny can stop her, Alexis has her arms around him and is engaging his whole body in an an other electrifying kiss. Sonny pulls back, speechless.

"Sonny Breath!" She commands.

"I am not sure I remember how!" He laments.

"Here I'll show you in and out! In and out!"

She breathes heavily, which only turns Sonny on more.

"Alexis stop that!" He begs.

She realizes what is happening.

"Sonny get your mind out of the gutter for a second!" She orders.

"My mind was not in the gutter. I was thinking about you and me! Not me and Carly!" He insists.

"Pull yourself together, before I slap you silly. We have to get my daughter out of that house, then you can go to pieces!"

"There she is! The feisty Alexis I know so well. If I had known all it would take to wake her up was a kiss from her prince, I would have laid one on you a long time ago!"

He grins in triumph.

"If you ever describe your self as in terms of a prince that rescued me again. I will do something so drastic it will turn you into a princess! Am I making myself perfectly clear?" She glares at him.

"D*mn you are hot when you are in full feminist mode!" He grins.

"My last hope at getting Kristina out of that house tonight has lost his mind. I guess I am going to have to do something drastic and kiss you again."

She rolls her eyes and moves into kiss him again. Sonny holds her off.

"Please don't do that! If you want me to keep what little shred of dignity I still have remaining you will keep your potent lips far away from me." He pleads.

"Potent lips?" Alexis gives him a questioning look and touches her lips. Sonny places his hands over his eyes.

"Please stop doing that too!" He whines.

Alexis shrugs.

"Are you joking?" She asks.

"No, joking is the farthest thing from my mind right now. Alexis, there is a certain path that once I start down it, there is no turning back. That last kiss darn near put me on that path." He gives her a sincere look, begging her to take pity on him.

Alexis shakes her head in disbelief.

"Men! You claim to be the stronger sex, but all we have to do is get you a little excited and turn to marshmallow cream."

"Alexis!" Sonny pleads for her to stop. "I do not need visions of marshmallow cream in my head right now!"

"You are unbelievable!" She scolds.

She walks over to her purse. She pulls out several legal documents.

"Here are some papers that you need to take with you to the Quartermaine's tonight. I had the judge sign them when she singed the papers declaring Stefan my trustee."

She hands them to him.

"Alexis, that is another thing. Since you have rediscovered your passion. I was thinking maybe you could go to the Q house yourself and get Kristina?" He flutters his eyelashes at her.

"So much for using the brain in your head Sonny! I would love nothing more than to walk up to the door of that big house, wave that book chronicling their dirty deeds in the face of every last member of that family and then walk out of there with my daughter in my arms!"

Her speech is punctuated and deliberate.

"I would love to watch you do that Alexis!" Sonny grins.

"Well, I can hardly go to the mansion wrapped up in this blanket! My clothes are still wet. Your clothes are dry. Besides, Lois gave you that book and those files to use against them! Pull yourself together, act like a man and not a horny teen and go get my daughter!" Alexis snaps.

"I think I like submissive, Stepford Wife Alexis better." Sonny pouts.

"She is gone now, thanks to you. So go! Before you get to see Extremely Po'd Alexis!"

She commands.

"Fine, you will be here when we get back?" He softly asks.

"I will be right here." She practically pushes him out the door.

A few seconds later, there is a soft knock on the door. She opens it and hands Sonny his rain coat without saying word, He stands there for a couple of seconds.

"I know I am no prince, but you have to admit that those kisses were kind of nice." He smiles.

"You are right about one thing. You are no prince! The kisses were nice though."

There is a twinkle in her yes when she says that. It is a light that Sonny has not seen in a long time.

She sees a smile cross his face as she closes the door. Once She hears the elevator door open, then close. She leans against the door and lets out a sigh.

"Why do I keep letting myself fall in love with that raving lunatic?"

She asks out loud. The instant the words leave her lips her hands shoots up to cover her own mouth and her eyes grow large with surprise. She looks around as if to make sure that no one has heard her confession. When she realizes that she is indeed alone, she bites her lip nervously.

The Rain Part 5

After Alexis admitted to herself that she was indeed in love with Sonny, she downed a couple of more hot buttered rums and she was feeling pretty good about herself. She was starting to feel a little silly walking around in a blanket. So she made her way upstairs to one of the bedrooms to see if she could find something more comfortable to wear. Sure enough, she found one of Sonny's silk shirts draped over a chair. She picks it up and holds it to her face feeling the softness of the material and inhaling the scent of his cologne. A small smile forms on her face as she slips the shirt on. She sits on the edge of his bed and runs her hands across the black satin sheets. Memories, sweet and fleeting flood though her mind once more. Memories of cool satin and hot passion, kisses, caresses, sweet words and the melding of Sonny and her bodies, minds and souls. Alexis snaps back to the present when she suddenly realizes she is hungry. She should have asked Sonny to cook something before he left. Now she was left to forage for something on her own. She heads for the dark and mysterious domain known as the kitchen and prepares to do battle with the appliances.

Sonny would have been grateful for only having to battle a coffeepot or microwave. Instead, the Q clan outnumbered him. However, he was more than holding his own. They were completely caught off guard by the files chronicling their many dirty deeds. They were even more surprised that Sonny had waited this long to make use of the documents in question. He had simply told them that he never had a good enough reason before to use them, but getting Alexis and the baby out of that house was defiantly important enough.

"Why do you care where Alexis lives, you hate her!" Ned reminds him, smugly.

Sonny contemplates for several seconds about the best way to answer that question. He finally decides to just tell the truth.

"I came here tonight because Alexis asked for my help. I owe her a lot and she has never really asked for anything in return. Tonight she called out for me and I answered that call."

"Are we supposed to believe that your are a marriage counselor now?" Edward grimaces.

"I understand Alexis and what she needs." Sonny replies simply.

"Considering how many women's lives you have ruined, I fail to see how you can claim to understand any woman." Alan sarcastically replies. "How many has it been Sonny? Lets see there was Karen, who you turned into a pill popping striper!"

"She is a very successful doctor now I do believe." Sonny counters.

"What about Brenda, you drove her insane with your mind games." Alan reminds him.

"Brenda always had a mind of her own and besides she is happy now." Sonny remarks.

"What about Carly?" Alan demands.

"What about her?" Sonny shrugs. "She was crazy before I met her and she is still crazy, only now she is no longer my problem. None of this has anything to do with Alexis or the things you people do to her. Are we almost through here, because I would like to hurry things up so I can reunite Alexis with her daughter."

Sonny looks at his watch and taps his foot impatiently.

"If you people will just sign those documents, then I will go get the baby and be on my way."

"That is what you do Sonny. You take babies and you take women and you covet them like trophies until your grow tired of them or they end up dead." Ned glares at him.

"The last thing I want to do is covet Alexis and Kristina."

Sonny replies with great feeling in his voice.

"Never the less, people around you die Sonny. How long before that happens to Alexis and Kristina?"

Ned shoots him a death stare.

"I don't know." Sonny readily admits. "All I know is that Alexis and her daughter have a better chance if they are away from here. If Alexis stays here you people will destroy every ounce of passion she has in her. I will not allow that to happen!"

Sonny gives them all a very determined look. Ned gives him a self-satisfied smirk.

"That proves how little you really know about Alexis. She may be many things, but passionate is not one of them. I should know, she is my wife after all."

Sonny studies Ned's face, trying to figure out if he truly believes what he has just stated. The sad truth seems to be that Ned does indeed believe that Alexis is passionless. Sonny actually feels sorry for the man for a fleeting second. There was so much about Alexis that Ned would never understand. She really was multifaceted and yet there were sides to her that Ned would never see. Sonny wondered if Ned saw her strength, her determination and her wonderful spirit or if all he saw when he looked at Alexis was something that was broken and needed to be fixed. Sonny knew the truth though, Alexis was not broken, just oppressed, and Ned was her oppressor.

"I wonder who you think you married, Ned, because I could tell you stories about Alexis and her passionate side that would make your head spin." Sonny crosses his arms in a challenging fashion.

He desperately wanted to make Ned understand, but it seemed to be an exercise in futility. If Ned did not understand Alexis by now, Sonny figured it was because he had really never tried.

"I do not need you to tell me what Alexis is like in bed, especially since you only had her one time compared with the countless disappointing nights I shared with her."

"I may have only had one night with Alexis, but I can tell you that we made love more than one time that night and nobody was disappointed." Sonny gloats without thinking about his choice of words.

"Well, if you get Alexis drunk enough there is no telling what she will do." Ned challenges.

Sonny understands why Ned is saying these things. He has been challenged in front of his family, the only people who respect him on any level. Ned is lashing out at Alexis in order to safe face. However, Sonny will not allow Ned to disrespect Alexis in the process. When he entered the house he never intended to come to physical blows with Ned. However, hearing such nonsense coming out of his mouth triggers something in Sonny. When he walked in the door his only mission was to have the Quartermaine family sign the papers Alexis had sent and to get the baby and leave. Suddenly, it is about more. It is about defending Alexis, fighting for her honor and doing what he has wanted to do for some time, beating the living day lights out of Ashton. Sonny sees Ned standing there with a smug, self-righteous smirk on his face. Before he knows what is happening his fist is making violent contact with Ashton's jaw. Much to his surprise Ned hits back, landing sucker punch in his ribs followed by several others. Sonny gets in his fair share as well, before Edward demands that they cease and detest at once.

"Enough!" Edward bellows. "Or I will have you both thrown out of my house!"

"The house belongs to Monica!" Alan dryly reminds no one in particular.

"Alan is right, he gave it to me for a wedding present." Monica adds.

"That hardly matters right now!" Edward insists. "The most important thing at the moment is the health and welfare of that child upstairs." He states in that rather shady way he has of saying things.

"At least we agree on one thing." Sonny replies as he stands up and straightens his suit." Ned remains on the floor, nursing his wounds.

"Then I hope you understand that baby Kristina is better off here with us and not with Alexis who has obviously lost touch with reality." Edward gives Sonny a patronizing smile.

"Alexis has a fine grasp on realty. She knew enough to get away from you people!" Sonny points out.

"Is Alexis is sane, then why is she convinced that Ned is not the father of that child upstairs?" Edward exclaims.

A look of shock crosses Sonny's face. It was all about Alexis denying that Ned was the father of her child. It was all about her wanting to tell the truth after lying for so many months.

"Damn! What took her so long!" Sonny grins.

"I beg your pardon?" Edward grumbles.

"Alexis hasn't lost her mind. Ned is not really that baby’s father!" Sonny proudly proclaims.

"The DNA results tell a different story!" Edward insists.

"The DNA results tell the story I want them to tell. I could have made the results indicate that Johnny was her father. In fact, come to think of it I would have loved to have seen the look on your face when those doctored results came back."

Sonny gives him a huge grin.

"What are you talking about?" Edward is visibly flustered by now.

"I suspected all along that the baby was mine. When you suggested that we run a DNA test I knew that it was my best chance at finding out the truth. You rushed the test, I found out the results and then changed them to make it seem like Ned really was the father."

Sonny smiles proudly. He glances around and sees looks of shock being exchanged.

"Why?" Is all Ned can muster through his shock.

"Maybe a better question is why would you take credit for it, Nedly?" Sonny asks.

"I wanted Alexis to love me as much as she loves you"

Ned shrugs.

"Why did you fake the results, Sonny. That is a felony." Alan warns, "So you must have had a good reason."

"You could ask you Edward, but he would probably just make excuses. So I will tell you about the deal he tried to make. He came to me and offered to trade my daughter for Michael."

"Edward how could you be that vile? Monica scolds.

"He accepted the offer!" Edward defensively replies.

"I did no such thing! Sonny corrects. I came to you the morning we got the results and told you that I would do anything for my child. I went straight to the hospital and changed the results before anyone saw them. I did what I believed was best for my daughter at the time."

A look of pain and regret crosses Sonny's face

"The offer to trade Michael for Kristina still stands!"

Edward states, as he recovers from the shock of learning that Sonny switched the results.

"Shut up!" Monica and Alan respond in unison.

"You are only making things worse, grandfather!" Ned adds.

"Well, you could have done something right for a change Ned, and just beat Corinthos to the punch!"

Edward scowls.

"I actually went to change the DNA results and found that they had already been changed!" Ned insists.

"I meant you should have beat him to the punch and gotten Alexis pregnant! Instead, you wasted your time running around with her wild child sister! You are incapable of doing anything right, Ned!" Edward snaps.

"I loved Kristina." Ned whines.

The very idea that Ned would describe what he did to Alexi’s sister as love makes Sonny want to vomit.

"It is not my place to comment on that one. Edward and I agree for once, You are incapable of comprehending how to get it right, Ashton."

"Ned, you are a colossal disappointment as usual!"

"Grandfather..." Ned begins.

Be quiet! I am trying to negotiate with Mr. Corinthos. Edward gives Sonny a devious smile.

"There is nothing to negotiate." Sonny states simply. "I am holding all the cards. If you fail to sign those documents in the next two minutes. I will take everything that I have on you and your family and go straight to the authorities, then I will take everything else that I am asking for tonight. It is a win/win situation."

"I fail to see how we win." Edward comments.

"You don't. Either way I win!" Sonny grins and hands Edward the papers. "Oh and by the way if you want to make a deal regarding Michael you should talk to Jason. Carly and Michael have been living with him for over a month now."

Sonny takes the signed documents from Edward and leaves. He can hear them start to argue about Carly and Michael. They seem to be genuinely surprised to learn that not only has Carly moved in with Michael, Monica has known about it the whole time. Sonny just shakes his head, holds his bruised ribs and walks away. He figures that he might as well let them devour their own as long as he gets him and his out of there in one piece.

Alexis had looked through the cabinets in Sonny's kitchen and had not been able to find anything that did not have to be blanched, sautéed, or poached. At least those were the directions on the packages. Alexis was not sure what those words meant, much less how to set about doing those things. Her grumbling stomach leads her to a place she never thought she would revisit. She finds herself outside of penthouse # 4. She is about to knock on the door, but she hesitates and runs back across the hall to the safety of her former home. Her growling stomach forces her to retreat back to the door and actually knock on it this time. Jason opens the door, naked from the waist up.

"Alexis!"

Jason seemed barely surprised to see her at his door, only wearing a silk shirt belonging to his absent boss. Then again, Jason rarely displayed any emotion that went beyond barely. Carly pulls herself up off of the couch, groaning and half dressed.

"Oh god!" Alexis exclaims, blushing, she lowers her eyes to the ground.

"Oh god! What do you want? Jace and I are busy!" Carly snarls.

"Carly do you really think it is proper for you two to be doing that in the living room? What if Michael sees you undressed?" Alexis still will not look up.

"Michael is with Bobbie. Are you wearing one of Sonny's shirts?"

Carly angrily squeals like a wounded pig.

"My clothes were wet and I sent them down to be cleaned. I had nothing else to wear."

Alexis blushes again.

Why are you here, Alexis? Did you drop by to prove that you have wormed your way back into the bed that Sonny used to share with me? He must be really desperate to turn to a hag like you."

Alexis seriously contemplates slapping Carly silly, but decides that it is beneath her to stoop to the level of trailer trash.

"Carly, it is really none of your business, but I am not sleeping with Sonny." Alexis rolls her eyes and speaks slowly, as if she were talking to a puppy that just refused to be house broken.

"Of course not!" Carly snaps. "Even Sonny is not desperate enough to hook up with you again. He tired you out once, was obviously disappointed and had to run back to me to get the foul taste of you out of his mouth."

Alexis rolls her eyes and refuses to comment.

"Enough Carly!" Jason scolds. "Alexis, is Sonny back yet?"

"No, did he tell you where he was going?" Alexis asks and tries to avoid the daggers of death Carly is shooting her way.

"Only that he was going to the mansion for your daughter. He hardly had time for details, but hed refused to let me help him out. He told me he had it covered." Jason looks anxious.

"He took the Quartermaine Chronicles with him, so he should be okay." Alexis assures Jason.

"What the h*ll are the Quartermaine Chronicles?" Carly asks.

Jason ignores her question and gives Alexis a puzzled look.

"That is kind of strange, because the Quartermaine Chronicles were not supposed to be used until after the Lila dies." Jason frowns.

"I guess Sonny knows what he is doing. At least I hope so." Alexis answers casually.

"Was there Something else you needed?" Jason asks in a slightly dismissive tone.

"Popcorn!" Alexis replies simply.

"Popcorn?" Jason squints in bewilderment.

"I came to get popcorn. Do you have any?" Alexis shifts her weight from foot to foot nervously.

"I think there is some in the kitchen." Jason looks over his shoulder as he heads for the kitchen. "Carly, come with me." He insists.

"Why?" Carly questions.

"Because I would rather not have to clean up spilt blood when I get back." Jason sighs.

"Alexis is so not worth spilling blood over." Carly insists.

"I am not worried about you hurting Alexis, but I am afraid that once my back is turned Alexis may take the opportunity to spill your blood all over the place."

Carly looks shocked and Alexis just smiles innocently, yet deviously.

Sonny walks down the stairs of the Quartermaine mansion with Kristina in his arms. Lila is waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, looking extremely cross.

"I am sorry it had to come to this." Sonny insists.

"Mr. Corinthos You know very well that I gave that information to Lois with strict instructions that it not be used until after me death!" She points a finger at him accusingly.

"I had no other choice. I never really intended to take it to the police. I was just hoping that none of them knew that I was bluffing and it worked." He smiles.

"That information was you ace card, Mr. Corinthos. I hope it was worth it for you to expose it so early in the game." Lila sighs.

Sonny looks at Kristina, who seems content to play with one of the buttons on his jacket.

"I can not think of anything in the world that would be more worth it." He smiles.

"You do seem to have made a habit of rescuing souls from this house. At times you one might even suspect that you have a hidden white knight complex." Lila comments in a friendlier manner.

Sonny laughs and Kristina looks up at him with surprise in her eyes. Then she giggles and returns to playing with the button.

"Mrs Q, I would be insulted if anyone else on the planet said that about me, but with you it is cool because I know you mean well. He winks at her. Can we just keep that between the two of us though? After all I have a reputation to protect."

Lila laughs as well.

"Your secret is safe with me Mr. Corinthos." Lila winks back at him.

"Mrs. Q have to ask you, how do you live with these people without loosing your mind after all of these years?" Sonny asks.

"I spend a great deal of time meditating in the rose garden and in the winter I have a greenhouse."

She answers simply.

"Alexis would never meditate. She can not quiet the voices in her head long enough. I should know because I am the same way. Being in this house nearly broke Alexis' spirit. I am going to have to work pretty hard to get her fires burning again."

Sonny sighs wistfully.

"If anyone can get Alexis' fires burning again, it is you." Lila gives him a reassuring look.

"I am going to try my hardest." Sonny grins.

"I know you love that child very much." Lila indicates

Kristina.

"I love her with all of my heart." Sonny answers with pride in his voice.

"Are you in love with her mother? Do you love Alexis as well?" Lila questions.

"I am not sure." Sonny shrugs. "When I look at Kristina, I see so much of Alexis and it makes my heart swell to the point that I am afraid it is going to burst. When I am with Alexis I feel lighter, as if she is carrying part of the load that makes up my life. Alexis makes me feel warm and safe and I want everything for her. I have never felt those feelings for anyone else in my life. So I am not sure if they are love. These feelings are all new to me, but I know one thing for sure, Alexis deserves better than I can ever give her in a thousand years."

He shrugs again. Lila shakes her head sadly.

"Perhaps that is the problem. You have convinced yourself that you are not good enough to be a part of the lives of Alexis and her daughter. Then you behave in a way that leaves Alexis no other choice than to agree."

Sonny ponders this for a brief moment. However, before he can agree or disagree Johnny comes downstairs loaded up with diaper bags and baby paraphernalia.

"That seems to be most of the baby things. Boy she sure does have a lot of stuff!" Johnny complains.

"Of course she does." Sonny replies. "She is a baby and she is a girl. They always have lots of things! Bows and ribbons and dresses and tights and stuff. If she were a boy, all she would need is an extra change of diapers and a pair of pants and one shirt."

Kristina looks at Sonny as if she believes he has lost his mind. Sonny swoops her down so Lila can kiss her goodbye and the baby giggles. Johnny lumbers out after Sonny, muttering about needing help. The rain has stopped momentarily and the air is chilly, but not cold. There is a freshness about it, almost as if singling a new beginning. Sonny stops at the limo and turns to Johnny.

"Where is the car seat?" He asks.

"I thought you brought it!" Johnny insists.

"I was carrying the baby!" Sonny defends.

"I was carrying half of FAO Swartz!" Johnny whines.

Go back in there and get her car seat! Sonny demands.

"You go get it!" Johnny counters. "You promised me that if I helped you I would never have to go back into that house. That cook was giving me a very strange look!" He shudders at the thought.

"No, I promised you that if you helped me out I would spare your life!"

Sonny corrects him. Then he looks down at Kristina.

"You did not hear me say that and whatever you do, please do not tell your mommy I said that!"

Sonny hands the baby to Johnny.

"I am not sure which of you is the bigger child!"

Sonny angrily storms off back towards the house. This leaves Johnny staring at Kristina as if he has just been handed a squirming alien. Kristina settles down quickly and starts playing with the button on Johnny's jacket.

Some time later, Sonny stops right outside of the door to his penthouse. He is carrying Kristina in her carrier and he has sent Johnny though the back door, upstairs to set up a crib for the baby.

"Okay, precious girl. Your mommy is waiting on the other side of that door. Right now she is just waiting for you, but if we work this right she could be waiting for me as well. One day we might even be a family. What do you think of that Pookie Pie?"

The little girl giggles her approval.

"I thought you might like that idea." He grins, then his voice takes on serious tone.

"Now, baby, you know I love you. You are so easy to love and I would do anything for you. Even though I can not publicly act as your father, we both know that I am as much a part of you as you are a part of me. I am going to let you in on a secret. Your mommy is very easy to love too, she just does not believe it. Lila is right, I have loved Alexis, that is your mommy, for longer than I have loved you baby girl. It is just hard for me to tell her, because I am afraid I will scare her and she will reject me and that would destroy me. You might find this hard to believe, but I am not really good enough for Alexis. So, I was thinking that maybe you could put in a good word for me with your mommy. You know, smile when I pick you up and that sort of thing. Maybe if that wonderful, sassy and oh so smart woman you call mama can see that you love me she might find it in her heart to love me as well?"

He kisses Kristina on the forehead.

"Okay, baby girl and light of my life. It is show time."

His daughter smiles at him, her eyes brimming with adoration.

Oh that is a good start." He smiles as he puts the key in the lock. "

Sonny gives his daughter another kiss and opens the door. The fire has burnt down to coals and he finds the blanket laying on the couch. Alexis is nowhere to be seen though. Sonny places the baby carrier on the couch.

"Alexis, we're home."

It feels so natural to say those words. It feels even more natural to see Alexis walk out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of popcorn. She is bare foot, her hair is loosely piled on top of her head and she is clad only in one of his blue, silk shirts. Sonny is glad he set Kristina down before he saw Alexis, otherwise he might have lost his grip on the carrier. Seeing Alexis like this is making him weak on every level. She takes his breath away.

"Is that my shirt?" He asks out of breath.

"Yes, I took your advice and sent my clothes downstairs to be cleaned and it was a little awkward to move around in that blanket. So, I hope you don't mind that I borrowed one of your shirts."

She pops a kernel of corn in her mouth.

"Not minding is an understatement! I told you once before that you look good in my shirt."

He gives her a sultry look.

"You also told me to make myself at home." She winks at him.

"I see you took me literally and invaded my kitchen?" He teases

"I got hungry, so I made some popcorn." Alexis shrugs an

She holds the bowl out to him.

"There never has been nor will there ever be any popcorn in my kitchen!" He insists.

"Now you tell me! I had to go across the hall and borrow some form Jason and Carly."

Alexis gives him a nonchalant look.

"You wore one of my shirts across the hall to borrow popcorn from Jason and Carly?"

He gives her a shocked look.

"Yes I did and if you think Jason lacks a sense of humor? You should have seen Carly!"

Alexis shudders with mock fear. Sonny laughs.

"No thanks, I actually value my sight!" He teases.

"How much rum did you drink while I was gone?" He teases once more.

"I had a couple more drinks before I made my way across the hall." She admits.

"Are you drunk?" He teases again.

"No, I sobered up with popcorn! So how did your mission go?" She inquires.

"See for yourself." Sonny indicates the carrier on the couch, that had been hidden from Alexis.

She practically leaps for the couch and her daughter. Luckily, Sonny somehow catches the bowel of popcorn that she throws into the air in the process.

"My baby!" She picks Kristina up and cuddles the child close to her chest, then showers her daughter with kisses. Sonny stand back, drinking in the wonder of the scene unfolding before his eyes. He feels that lightness and that warmth and he basks in it for a moment.

"I think she missed you" Sonny grins

"I hope she can forgive me for leaving her in that house." Alexis has tears in her eyes as she hugs her daughter.

"She loves you Alexis. When someone loves you, there is nothing you can do that can not be forgiven." He gives her a powerful look.

Alexis studies his face for a moment. The look she sees in his eyes tells her that they are not talking about Kristina anymore. However, Kristina is the most important thing in Alexis' mind right now.

"Was she unhappy when you found her?" Alexis presses Sonny for information.

"Is that little girl ever unhappy?" Sonny reaches out for the child's hand and is pleased when she reaches back.

"Sometimes when Ned pushes her to hard." Alexis frowns.

"Let's just say that she was happy to see me." Sonny grins and kisses Kristina's hand.

Alexis watches the child’s reaction carefully. She only relaxes when Kristina giggles.

"She really seems to like you, Sonny." Alexis replies, giving him a shy look.

"She tolerates me!" Sonny gives Alexis a sultry smile.

Alexis blushes and covers it quickly.

I really should feed Kristina. She must be starving.

Alexis starts to look through a dipper bag that Sonny has brought in with him.

"Actually, I feed her on the way here." Sonny reliantly admits. "I hope you don't mind."

"She likes her bottle warmed in a pan." Alexis tells him.

"I know, that is because she is a little princess like her mother"

Alexis gives him a teasingly perturbed look.

What did you just call me? She scolds.

"I called you a princess, who is a control freak and has to have everything just so." He grins. "Luckily your daughter is a little easier to please and was willing to drink a bottle I warmed for her in the microwave in the limo."

He tickles Kristina and until she giggles.

"Isn't that right Pookie Pie?" Sonny grins and Alexis rolls her eyes.

"I do not like the way my daughter looks at you!" Alexis exclaims.

Sonny gives her a worried look.

"What was that?" He asks.

"I do not like the way my daughter gets all googly eyed over your every move." She states, throwing her hands into the air.

"Googly eyed? Alexis she is a baby. She gets googly eyed over mashed bananas!" He laughs

"That may be true, but I do not want you to think that all you have to do is flash those dimples and then you can get whatever you want!" Alexis scolds.

"Are we still talking about Kristina or are we talking about you now?" He flashes her a dimples grin.

"Can the dimples, Mr. I am so smooth that women fall at my feet. I am immune to your charms!" She quips as her face grows flush.

Alexis backs away from Sonny, who is sitting on the couch beside her and nearly falls off the piece of furniture.

The baby looks at her mother as if she has gone around the bend.

"If you say so!" Sonny gives her a sultry look. "Will you just admit that I did a good thing tonight." His voice turns serious.

"Of course you did a good thing and I will be eternally grateful" Alexis willfully admits.

"Now was that so hard? Sonny teases. I told you I would be there for you when you really needed me."

"You may have done the best thing ever tonight." She tells him with feeling in her voice.

"Even better than the night I stopped the hit on AJ?"

"Yes." She replies. "How can I ever find enough ways to thank you?" Alexis smiles at him. That was a good start in his book. He starts to remind her of how she thanked him that night, but he decides to settle for her smile for the moment. Especially, since he is bearing some bad news as well.

"I would hold your applause for a moment." He hands her one of the legal papers. Alexis puts the baby in the tot carrier and scans the document and her face falls.

"Ned refused to sign the annulment papers?" She gives him a puzzled look.

"Ned never saw the annulment papers." Sonny admits. "I decided not to show them to him."

"You think I should stay married to Ned?" A look of bewilderment crosses her face.

"No, absolutely not, but I do think that ending your marriage to Ashton is something you need to do on your own. I could have done it for you Alexis, but someday you would have regretted having me do so. This is something you have to do on you own, then we can move on to the next step in our relationship." Sonny gives her a heartfelt smile.

"Sonny, last time I checked we did not have a relationship. Did something change while I wasn't looking?" Alexis gives him a serious look.

"The truth is Alexis. I have been spending the past month or so trying to figure out how to get you way from Ashton. When I saw you sitting alone in the rain tonight, I jumped at the opportunity that I had been on for the last 6 or so months. When you finally asked for my help tonight, my heart leapt for joy."

He expects a different reaction to his heartfelt outpouring than what Alexis gives him.

"You bastard! You told me you rescued Kristina because you love her, but that was all a lie. You did it because you wanted to score points with me?" She spits the words out.

"I do love her. I would never lie about that, but, I also did it so that you would be grateful, because I want you back Alexis!"

"Back? How can you want me back, when you never had me in the first place!"

"What do you mean? I had you on April, 22 or have you forgotten the night we made love?" Sonny asks with emotion in his voice.

"No, how could I forget. Every morning I wake up to a permanent reminder of our little fling!"

"It was more than a fling to me Alexis! Besides, what reminder are you talking about?"

She looks down at the carrier where their daughter is sleeping. She was going to tell him the truth, but the he had to go and ruin everything by being a jerk.

"Every morning I have to wake up and deal with the fact that I will have a broken heart for the rest of my natural life, thank you very much Sonny Corinthos!"

"So stop dealing with it or rather start dealing with it. Face it head on Alexis."

"What are you rambling about?" She asks.

"Alexis the night You asked me to call of the hit on AJ. I told you that I was choosing you and I asked you if the tables were turned if you would choose me? Now is your chance to answer that question."

"It is not that easy Sonny. It is complicated. I am still married to Ned. I have a daughter to protect." She drops her eyes to the floor.

"You have a heart to protect?" He guesses. He takes his hand and places it on her chin, tilting her face up until her eyes meet his.

"It is complicated." She repeats while her eyes scan the room once more.

"Then make it easy! Ask me how I feel about you Alexis. Go on I dare you to do it!" He gives her a flirtatious look.

"Oh no I don't want to know!" Alexis tells him.

"Why because it might be scary to know that someone has genuine feelings for you Alexis." He runs his thumb down her cheek. He marvels at how she has not yet pulled away from his gentle touch. In fact, he would almost swear that she was accepting his gesture.

"No, because I am not really sure that I would believe you if you told me you had genuine feelings." She removes his hand from her cheek.

"That goes back to your problem of not believing that you are desirable. I partially blame myself for making you feel that way." He gives her a heartfelt look.

"Why would you blame yourself for the way I feel?" Alexis gives him a puzzled look in return.

"Because I told you that I choose you and then turned around and went back to Carly and I broke your heart and I am so sorry." Sonny almost has tears in his eyes.

"I am getting an apology from Sonny Corinthos for the second time in my life. I feel so honored!"

She teases.

"No, you are the one that honors me, Alexis. Sonny sighs. I should have done this earlier. I should have told you how I feel before now." The heartfelt look on his face is hard for her to ignore.

Alexis starts looking anxious and wringing her hands. She looks down at her sleeping daughter.

"Maybe I should leave and go check into a hotel. Kristina needs a crib and we have imposed on you long enough."

She stands up and, for the second time that evening, he puts a gentle hand on her arm to stop her from leaving.

"Johnny set up a crib for her upstairs and I as for imposing, I am glad you are here. There are some things I need to say to you Alexis. Important things." Sonny pleads. Alexis refuses to look in straight in the eyes.

"Maybe I should go see how the crib is coming along then." She starts up the stairs.

"Alexis, Kristina is fine. She is just as happy sleeping in her carrier as she would be sleeping in a crib. In fact, she is probably happy where she is because she can hear our voices. She knows that she is safe and she knows that she is loved. She has something that you and I were deprived of when we were children." Sonny has a far away look in his eyes.

"A tot carrier?" Alexis tries to lighten his mood with a joke. He smiles slightly.

"That and security. When I went into the nursery at the mansion tonight, Kristina was ready and waiting for me. It was if she knew that I would come for her and get her out of that terrible place. She knows there are people who she can count on in her life. People who will always put her first. When we were her age we lacked that sense of safety. We never had anyone we could count on except ourselves. Do you know what I am trying to say Alexis?" His eyes plead for her understanding.

"That Kristina is very fortunate and maybe she will not end up as emotionally damaged as you and me." Alexis gives him a pensive smile.

"That is exactly what I am trying to say! Sonny almost seems delighted. Only, we do not have to be emotional damaged forever. We have someone to count on now, because we have each other. We can help each other gain that sense of security that Kristina has never had to live without." He smiles.

"Do you ever wonder if it is too late though? If we are so broken inside that we can never be whole again?

Alexis sighs and wipes tears from her eyes.

"No, absolutely not!" Sonny insists as he shakes his head. "I look at you and I see someone who is worth the effort and then I look at your beautiful daughter and know that we have to try."

He reaches up with the pad of his thumb and wipes away her tears that just will not stop falling.

"Please, Alexis can we try?" He gives her a desperate, yet loving look.

It is at times like this that Alexis can see past the image that he presents to the world. She does not see a cold-hearted mobster who kills people. All she sees is the little Cuban boy who sold newspapers in the snow and took joy in seeing his mother happy at the ballet. She does not see the man that Michael Corinthos Jr. became. She sees what he has always wanted to be. She sees a little boy that wants to be loved and accepted for who he really is. She sees the person that she could never deny anything. Sonny sees a renewed softness in her eyes. Something he has not seen in a very long time. He sees what he hardly dares to hope is love and acceptance. He closes his eyes, wanting to savor the moment. However, in what is typical of his and Alexis' precious moments, this one is too short and rudely interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

"Alexis I know you are in there! Open this door!" Ned's demanding voice can be heard across the hall and it is soon joined by the shrill voice of Carly.

"Hey Ned can you keep it down, Jace and I are trying to have sex in here." Carly informs the whole world.

"Is Alexis in there?" Ned asks.

"As far as I know. She probably can't hear you though because her and Sonny are probably going at it like chipmunks upstairs."

A mortified look crosses Alexis' face. She feels as if she has been caught committing some act of emotional adultery.

"This is typical!" Sonny swears under his breath. "Alexis, just when you and I start to get somewhere all hell breaks loose."

"I will have you know that this is why I moved out of this three ring circus of an apartment!"

Alexis snaps.

"Exactly how do chipmunks go at it?" Sonny asks slightly amused.

"The better question is, how does Carly know how chipmunks go at it?" Alexis shudders in mock disgust. Then they both laugh.

"If we ignore Aston maybe he will go away." Sonny silently prays that it will happen.

Alexis notices that Sonny has his eyes shut.

"What are you doing?" She tilts her head to one side and gives him a perplexed look.

"Praying that he will just go away, that they will all just go away!" Sonny sighs.

"Alexis, you are still my wife. Open this damn door and let me see my daughter!" Ned demands.

For the hundredth time that evening, Sonny wants to hit Ned.

"Fat chance of anyone them going away!" Alexis gives him a sly smile. You know, this would not be a problem if you had just given Ned those annulment papers." Alexis then dryly points out.

"I know this is all my fault." Sonny shakes his head sadly. "So much for my desire to empower you."

"At least you meant well." Alexis sighs. "So much for us trying to talk out our feelings."

"We should know better!" Sonny frowns. "I think the universe is conspiring to keep us part!"

In the hall, Ned and Carly are arguing about whom is married to whom.

Alexis walks over to the balcony and flings open the doors, rain continues to fall outside.

"What are you doing?" Sonny asks Alexis.

"I am going to fling myself off the balcony and end this now!" She replies

"Although I have no idea why Sonny would want to sleep with Alexis, she is such a passionless shrew." Carly continues, loudly, outside the door.

"You would throw yourself off the balcony and let Carly and Ned win?" Sonny judiciously asks.

"You are right!" Alexis closes the doors. "Did she just call me a passionless shrew?" Alexis asks, biting her lower lip and narrowing her eyes at the door.

"Yes she did! The whole world heard her say it." He gauges her reaction. Alexis is upset. She just needs a little more of a nudge and Sonny knows exactly what she needs to hear to push her over the edge into a passionate uproar.

"Also, earlier this evening Ned said the same thing. He even said I probably had to get you drunk in order to loosen you up when we made love." Sonny stands back and waits for the explosion.

Ned and Carly can still be heard in the hall discussing Alexis when she yanks the door open.

"Carly shut up or I will wring you scrawny neck until it snaps like a chicken bone!" Alexis glares at Carly, who shuts up immediately. Alexis then turns her angry eyes on Ned.

"Get your butt in here this instant and explain to me why you think I would have to be drunk before I would sleep with Sonny!" She pulls a very stunned Ned into the room by the cuff of his jacket.

"I have created a monster!" Sonny exclaims to no one in particular, then a big grin crosses his face as he realizes this is what he has been working towards all evening. The strong, feisty Alexis he knows and loves was about to be unleashed in all of her fiery glory. Mount Saint Natasha was about to erupt and Ned was right in her path of destruction. Sonny grabs the bowl of popcorn and sits back to watch Alexis school Ashton on exactly how passionate she really was. To bad, Ned was going to learn that lesson too late to have any fun with said passion. Alexis was going to Cassadine Ashton's butt, and kick him to the curb. Then, after Alexis had successfully vanquished Ned, Sonny vowed to himself that he was going to make her sit down and they were going to fully explore their feeling for each other.

The Rain Part 6

Alexis looks at Ned as if he is a petulant child. He gives her a shocked look.

"Alexis, what on earth is the matter with you, have you finally lost your mind?" He asks.

Alexis gives him an angry look.

"If that was meant to be a joke, I can not even begin to tell you how it went wrong." She snaps at Ned.

"What is wrong with you?" Ned repeats.

"What is wrong with you, Ned? You stand out in a public hallway and exchange un-pleasantries with Carly while discussing my sex life and you have the nerve to call me crazy?"

Alexis stifles a laugh. Ned ignores her as he usually did when she tried to speak her mind. He had decided long ago that if he just ignored her, she would get bored eventually and shut up. What he failed to realize was that Alexis had no intention of shutting up until she had spoken her peace.

"Well, where are your clothes?" He demands. "What are you wearing?"

"She is wearing one of my favorite silk shirts." Sonny chimes in. "At least it is one of my favorites now!" He grins from ear to ear as Ned glares at him.

"Do you want a few more bruises to go along with the ones I gave you earlier?" Ned growls.

"You hit Sonny?" Alexis asks, appalled.

"Actually, I hit Ned first because he defamed your honor. It lasted less than a round though, Aston ended up on the floor whining for his mommy."

Sonny grins.

"I do not want you to ever hit Ned again! Is that clear?" Alexis glares at Sonny.

"Alexis, you should have heard the things that he was saying about you." Sonny insists.

"I could care less what he says about me. I do not want men fighting over me, ever!"

Ned gives Sonny a self-satisfied look, which only makes his blood boil.

"Especially, when one of them could easily kill the other." She adds. "Ned, I will not have your death on my head!"

It is Sonny's turn to give Ned a self-satisfied grin.

"Did Sonny threaten you?" Ned asks Alexis.

"Not even close!" Sonny grits his teeth.

"Alexis, did he threaten you?" Ned turns to her.

"You mean, did he threaten to have my baby taken away and have me shipped off to a mental institution the way you did?" She speaks slowly and keeps as much emotion out of her voice as she can manage.

"I'm sorry about that," Ned insists. "That was Grandfather's idea."

"You went along with it though!" Sonny reminds him. "Agreeing to send your wife away to Ferncliff is not cool, Ashton!"

Alexis turns to glare at Sonny.

"Sonny, will you please take Kristina upstairs. I do not want all the yelling to wake her up."

A disappointed look crosses Sonny's face.

"Alexis I have waited a long time to see you kick Ashton to the curb. Remember when you used to confide in me about how wrong he was for you? I knew then that it was only a matter of time before you cut him out of your life."

Ned looks appalled.

"You confided in Sonny about how wrong we were for each other?" He asks with anger in his voice. "Why?"

"Sonny was my friend and he listened. Just like he is going to listen to me right now when I tell him that I need to be alone with Ned."

She gives Sonny a serious look. Sonny picks up the carrier and goes upstairs.

"Thank you." She gives him a small heart felt smile.

He stops half the way up.

"Can I wake her up?" He asks Alexis.

"Why?" She replies.

"So I can play with her." Sonny's eyes shine and Ned look like he is about to vomit or punch something.

"Sonny, please do not wake her up. If you do she will just be hungry." Alexis rolls her eyes as her takes the carrier up the rest of the stairs.

"Sonny do not wake her up!" Alexis calls after him.

"Yes mame!" He calls back down.

"Sonny will never make you happy." Ned insists. "You will never be enough for him Alexis. In a little while Jason will want to trade up from Carly, she will go whining to Sonny and you will be out in the cold. You had better not come crawling back to me when it happens." He gives her a smug look.

" I would rather join the circus or a convent! She remarks under her breath." Then louder she states, "This is not about Sonny. Alexis sighs. This is about you and me and how we really are wrong for each other."

"I have done nothing these past few months besides do right by you and our daughter Alexis. What more do you want from me?" Ned demands.

"You have given me a great deal of support Ned, which I appreciate. However, Kristina is not your daughter. Every way you have supported me could have been achieved without insisting that I had to marry you!" She gives him and angry look.

"I thought we both agreed that marrying me was what was best for our daughter." Ned insists as he shrugs.

Alexis rolls her eyes.

"Ned, repeat after me!Kristina is not my daughter!" I want to hear you say the words! Alexis demands."

Her temper is running short.

"She may not be my child, biologically, but I am the only father she has ever known. That has to count for something." Ned gives her an ultra smug look.

Nothing could have been father from the truth in Alexis' mind and she voices those feelings to Ned.

"Ned, you guilted me into marrying you by repeatedly reminding me that it was you who stood by me throughout my pregnancy. I really believed that you could be a good father to my daughter. Perhaps things would have been different if I had closely examined your relationship with your biological daughter Brooklyn! Reginald has been a better father to my daughter than you!"

She snaps at him! Ned is completely taken aback by her outburst.

"You are having an affair with Reginald?" He gives her a puzzled look.

"Of course not!" She rolls her eyes again. "I just mean that other than clinging to me you have taken very little interest in being a husband or a father." Alexis sighs.

"How could I when you have shown no interest in being my wife. We love each other Alexis. At least we used to be in love. Why is it that ever since we have been married you seem repulsed by the mere thought of me touching you in any way?"

His eyes are desperate, searching for answers. Guilt starts to seep into Alexi’s heart.

"How do you think it makes me feel to be married to the most frigid woman on the eastern seaboard? I am only human Alexis and I do have needs!"

Suddenly, Alexis realizes that he is trying to make her feel guilty. It is all about him and it always has been. He could care less about her feelings as long as she behaves in a way that he sees fit. She was done feeling guilty and she was done trying to become a woman that was acceptable to the rigorous specifications of Edward Lawrence Ashton II! It was time for him to tell him the truth. Even though she knew it would hurt them both terribly.

"Ned, you say that I appear to be repulsed by your touch? For once in your life you are being observant. I am sickened by the thought of you touching me after having been intimate with my sister. It makes me ill and I do not think it is anyway to honor her memory or to conduct our lives."

Alexis is shaking now and Ned makes no attempt to reach out and comfort her in any way.

He just stands there while her words shower him like acid rain.

"I loved your sister."

He repeats the words for the thousandth time since her death. Yet there is no feeling behind them and Alexis wonders if he is just saying them out of habit.

"I would like to believe that you did love her, maybe then I can believe that the her death meant something. However, I am not really sure if you were just using Kristina to replace me or if you are now using me to replace my sister. Either way, it is just wrong. It always was wrong and it always will be wrong."

Alexis holds back tears and wraps her arms around her body in order to comfort herself. She sees a new look in Ned's eyes. A cold look that sends chills throughout her body.

"As long as we are telling the truth, Alexis, I have a confession to make as well. You wonder why I never bonded with your daughter? Maybe it is because every time I look at her all I can see is the vicious demon who spawned her." He gives Alexis a smug look.

It is promptly removed from his face when Alexis lunges for him and sends his body slamming against the door.

"You monster! How dare you talk about my beautiful daughter that way." She spits out the words.

"Alexis! I am so sorry! I didn't mean it!" Ned pleads with her. Alexis can not tell if it is out of fear or what, but she refuses to look him in the eyes or to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"You meant every word! She gives him a steely look. I never should have expected you to care about a child sired by a man you hate anyway. Those feelings you have were inevitable."

She throws the annulment papers at him.

"I do not want to hear another word come out of your mouth! Sign the papers and get out!" She tells him with no emotion in her voice.

"If I refuse?" Ned asks

"If you refuse, I will personally take the Quartermaine Chronicles to not only the police, but to every newspaper on the East Coast. I think I will start with the Wall Street Journal!"

"My family would be ruined!" Ned exclaims.

"That's right Nedly! ELQ would be like Humpty Dumpty. Not even you could put it back together again."

She gets a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"I guess maybe all those nursery rhymes I read Kristina are useful after all."

Alexis gives him a cold smile as he signs the papers. He throws them back at her.

"Alexis, you will never be happy!"

"What did I tell you about talking?" She warns him as she looks over the papers.

"For the record, I did love your sister! You will never be half the woman she was. She was willing to go after what she wanted. You will never have that much nerve!"

Alexis goes to the door and opens it.

"Shut up and get out!" She demands.

"I will, but I only have one more thing to say. I did not change the DNA test results to show that I was the father of your child. Someone else did which is something you might want to think about!"

As Ned leaves her with those parting words as the attendant from the cleaners steps off of the elevator. He looks at Ned and Alexis.

"Here are your clothes, Ms. Davis." He softly tells her.

Alexis takes the clothes and pays the man. After he is gone she catches site of Carly trying to tip toe back to her apartment. It is obvious that she has been listening in the hall in order to catch what she could of Alexis and Ned's conversation. Alexis gives her a vicious look and wrings her hands indicating that she is going to break the shrew's neck. Carly lets out a frightened yelp and retreats to the safety of penthouse # 4. Alexis closes the door and leans against it, letting the tears flow freely. Ned hated her now and that hurt her deeply because she did love him. He now saw her in a very ugly light and that hurt the most.

There was really nothing left for her and Kristina in Port Charles anymore. Nikolas spent more time in Milan with Stefan than he spent in the States. Jax had taken Brenda on a round the world cruise and Alexis had lessened her workload to spend more time with her daughter. Alexis felt that she could salvage her friendship with Ned, but he was going to need some time to cool off first. She takes off Sonny's shirt and puts on her own clothes. She wipes away the tears and goes upstairs to find her daughter. Alexis takes Sonny's shirt and places it carefully back in his room. She walks back into the hall and stops when she hears Sonny's voice. He is talking to Kristina.

Alexis stops outside of the room, where she can hear what he is saying, but out of his line of sight.

"Your mommy thinks I am a control freak, but I know she likes to be in control as well and that is why I left her alone with Ashton. As much as I want to slay every dragon for her, I know this is something she has to do on her own."

Alexis hears her daughter laugh and figures that Sonny is tickling her. It makes Alexis smile.

"As much as I love your mother, I have to realize there are some things that she has to do on her own. Sonny continues. I do you her with all my heart. I have had a lot of fiery women in my life and yet, not one of them has come close comparing to the flame that your mother ignites in my heart. The passion and determination that she shows when she stands up for what she believes in is combustible. I know that If I needed her to, she would support me unconditionally and all she asks for in return is that I behave in a rational and reasonable manner. It is so little to ask and my love for her is so great that I can not even think about denying her anything desires. Loving her is the so liberating and yet it is wonderful and frightening at the same time."

Alexis is so overcome with feeling upon hearing his heartfelt declaration that she has to hang onto the edge of the door for support. She suspected that Sonny was in love with her, but to hear him actually say the words out loud blows her away. Even though he did not say them directly to her, she feels as if the words were meant for her ears alone.

Sonny breaks into song, singing several altered versus of Van Morison's Brown Eyed Girl for the benefit of his daughter. Alexis takes a deep breath and steps through the door way as he is placing the sleeping child back in the crib. Sonny looks up at Alexis.

"You changed back into your own clothes?" Sonny sounds disappointed, but he tries to keep his voice upbeat.

"The attendant from the dry cleaners brought me clothes up just as Ned was leaving. You needn't worry though. I put your shirt back exactly how I found it. Neat and proper, just the way you like it." She smiles.

There was nothing proper about it, as far as he was concerned the shirt would never be the same again. It had been touched by a goddess. It had touched by the skin of his beloved and the next time her wore it he would feel as if he had been touched by her as well.

"Does this mean that you are leaving too?" Sonny tries not to sound too anxious this time.

"No, I want Kristina to sleep. You woke her up, even when I asked you not too didn't you?" Alexis gives him a shy look.

'Guilty as charged counselor! I did get her back to sleep though and she wasn't even hungry." Sonny looks proud of himself.

"I heard your song!" She laughs.

"What else did you hear?" A nervous look crosses his face.

"Was there more? Did I get in on the encore?" She teases.

"No, that was it." Sonny quickly responds. "For the singing at least."

"Oh!" Alexis bites her lip and tries to hide her disappointment.

Alexis wondered why it was so easy for them to admit that they were in love with each other as long as they were admitting it to other people? She wanted to grab him and shake him and make him say the words to her, to stop hiding behind Kristina, Brenda Carly or anyone else. Of course, in all fairness she would have to tell him how much she was in love with him as well. How she had pushed him back to Carly and how she had turned to Ned

"You have a nice voice, you should sing more." She smiles again.

"No thank you! I only want an audience of one."

He indicates the sleeping child.

"I heard it too, is that alight?" She smiles.

Sonny sees through the smile and the lighthearted teasing. He can see in her eyes that things ended badly with Ned. Sonny wants to pull her into his arms and make her pain disappear. he wants to sweep her off her feet and make all her dreams come true, but he wants her to want it as much as he does. So, he will continue to take things slowly and let her set the pace.

"That's more than alright." He smiles back. "But are you alright?" He gives her a serious look.

"No I am not alright. Sonny I hurt!"

She lets go of all of her pent up feelings and breaks down in tears. He envelops her in a protective embrace.

"Tell me what I can do to take away the pain. Tell me what you need, Alexis baby."

"I need you to love me, if only for tonight. I need you to love me." She sobs.

Sonny looks at her with tenderness in his eyes. She had to know that all she had to do was ask.

"Alexis I..."

She stops him by placing her hand over his mouth, but she can not silence the look of adoration in his eyes. The most wonderful woman he had ever met was asking him to do something that was as natural to him as drawing breath. Somehow it hardly seemed like it was enough.

"Not with words, anyone can say pretty things and they mean nothing. I want you to show me." She pleads.

She takes his hand and interlaces their fingers. While her eyes scan his their souls interlace as well.

He knew what she wanted and needed, seeing the look in her eyes was simply a conformation. Perhaps it was an imploration as well, requesting that he not deny either of them this opportunity to express their love and to heal together. Alexis had heard him confess his love for her. It may have been wrong for her to be listening, but never the less she had heard him. She knew now knew he was capable of speaking the words, but she needed more. She needed him to show her his love. She needed to be reassured on the barest of physical levels. Sonny knew what she needed without her having to say a word.

He lightly traces the features of her face with one of his fingers. His gentle touch sends pluses of pleasure thorough her whole body. After all they have been through and all the mixed feelings she has had for him over the past few months, it is hard for Alexis to believe that his touch could still affect her in such a profound way. He leans into kiss her, sending her pulse racing and making her short of breath. She had never really paid attention to the way his body reacted when they touched. The first time they had made love it had been such a rush that she had hardly had time to realize what she was feeling, much less pay attention to how the whole thing was affecting Sonny.

Now, she wanted to know how she affected him. Alexis wants to allow herself to feel him on every level. It goes beyond any way that she has ever experienced another man. Alexis reaches up and gently pulls his face to hers as their lips meet in a lingering kiss of passion. She pays attention to the changing rhythm of his body. He leans into her and his pulse quickens as her mouth fuses with his in a moment of hot passion.

She can also feel his heart beat faster and she realizes that his body must be experiencing the same sensations as hers. She opens her eyes and notices that he has his shut tightly, as if he is trying to block out the rest of the world and concentrate only on their kiss. She shuts hers again. She finally lets the rush of excitement over power her as she deepens the kiss, which he pulls out of only when they are both breathless. Sonny wanted her; she had felt it when they kissed. She had never realized before how much she had the power to affect him. It was an awakening for her as she discovered this new wonderful thing. Unfortunately, it made her want him even more than before, but he was confused. She could tell by the look on his face that he was worried that she had stopped kissing him because she had changed her mind about them being together. Alexis realizes that he needs a reassurance as much as she does.

Alexis provides that reassurance when she gives him a very intense look and then slowly and methodically she begins to unbutton his shirt. She takes her time, giving him every chance to protest, to stop her and tell her why they should not be together. Stopping her is the last thing on his mind as she slowly removes the shirt from his shoulders, never once does she breaks their intense gaze.

"What are you doing?" Sonny chokes on the words.

"What I promised earlier I would get around doing tonight. I am seducing you, unless you want me to stop?"

She teases and pulls back from him. She walks straight out of the room, leaving him in shock. Alexis sticks her head back into the room.

"This is where you follow me or you can stand there and look like a fool with his mouth open and his eyes popped out of his head." She winks at him and drops his shirt seductively on the floor. Sonny follows her into the hall and discovers a trail of her clothing leading to his bedroom. He finds her on his bed with a stain sheet seductively draped across her body.

"I thought I was suppose to be the one reassuring you?" He teases her.

"You just did." A smile plays across her lips as she pulls him down towards the bed

Their mouths collide in a deep penetrating kiss. They both let go of any resistance that they may have been holding on to and their mutual exploration reaches an almost frantic pace. They become completely consumed with each other. Like thirsty desert nomads who have stumbled upon an oasis of passion, they drink each other in, enjoying the essence that is uniquely theirs. Both Sonny and Alexis take turns touching, kissing and tasting each other to the fullest. They find that they need words to express their desires, each knows the other so well that they know where to kiss, where to touch to bring about the highest pleasures. They indulge each other’s pleasures until they are both so weak that all they can do is lie in each other’s arms. Sonny wraps his arm around the most beautiful woman in the world, and relishes the complete physical and emotional happiness that she has just brought him. Wrapped up in his arms, Alexis felt safe. However she felt something more profound as well. He had gently coaxed pleasure from every fiber of her body and left her feeling like the most beloved and beautiful woman in the world. He had touched her in ways that went beyond the physical and were felt it in her heart and soul as well.

The Rain Part 7: The Conclusion

Alexis was lying on her stomach with the satin sheet draped over the bottom part of her body. Sonny was kissing the small of her back, causing Alexis to moan softly. He found that making love with her always affected him the same way. He could never get enough of her afterwards. He wanted to touch her and kiss her constantly. He had no idea that Alexis felt the same way about him. She rolls over and kisses him long and hard on the mouth.

"How can something be both exhilarating and exhausting at the same time." She moans.

"When you do something 6 times in one night it can be rather strenuous." Sonny teases.

"I guess I lost count!" She laughs.

"Are you all right?" Sonny whispers into her hair.

Alexis groans and rolls her eyes.

"Why do you always ask me that?"

"Things get a little wild between us. I always feel like I need to make sure that I have not pushed you to do something that your were uncomfortable doing."

"Believe me I would kick you right out of bed if that were the case. I am a willing participant in everything we do." She bites her bottom lip and Sonny feels his body go wild with desire for her.

"I would just die if I ever did anything again to cause you pain." He whispers.

"There is good pain and bad pain and think we both have the bite marks to prove it"

She winks at him. Then, she places her head on his chest. He wraps one arm around her and lovingly strokes her hair.

"I love listening to your heart beat and knowing that it beats for me." Alexis sighs.

"For you and Kristina." He smiles.

"She loves you so much. Alexis smiles. She never really liked Ned." She gets a sad look in her eyes.

"Alexis I think it is good that you asked Ned for an annulment." Sonny continues to stroke her hair.

"I think so too, I married him for all the wrong reasons." Alexis sighs.

"Uhuu and now you are free to marry me!" Sonny states simply.

"Why would I want to do that?" Alexis coos.

"Because we are really great together and we have this connection." Sonny whispers lovingly.

"There you go with that connection stuff again." Alexis teases.

"How about because I think that Kristina needs her parents together?" Sonny replies with feeling.

"What does that have to do with you?" Alexis gives him a determined look.

"I know she is my daughter, Alexis." His voice turns serious.

"How long have you known?" Alexis gives him a shocked look and pulls away from him.

"I suspected all along. I knew for sure after the DNA test." Sonny readily admits.

"The test showed Ned was her father." She reminds him.

"The test was switched." Sonny responds and takes a moment to gauge her reaction.

"What makes you think so?" Alexis coolly asks.

"I switched the test." Sonny calmly informs her.

The last words Ned said to her suddenly make sense.

"You switched the test? That is insane, even for you! Why would you do such a thing?"

She pulls farther away from him, clutching the satin sheet to her upper body.

"Edward came to me and wanted to trade our daughter for Michael. That is why he ordered the DNA test. I needed to know for sure that the child you were carrying was mine. I knew Edward had the power to rush the test. So I agreed to the test. I even gave Edward a strand of my hair."

Sonny explains to a shocked Alexis.

"You agreed to trade one child for the other? That is sick, I can hardly believe that I let you touch me!" She gives him a disappointed look.

"I wanted the test done. I had no intention of trading anything. Once Edward had the test rushed, I went in and changed the results and made it look like Ned was the father." Sonny insists.

"Why?" She asks, stunned.

"Because I knew the only way to protect both Michael and our daughter was to make Edward believe that Ned was the father of your baby. The Quartermaine family protects its own."

Sonny places a hand on her shoulder and is somewhat comforted by the fact that Alexis does not pull away from him.

"I know why I hid Kristina's true paternity from you, but why on earth would you do something like this? It is insane, even by your standards!" Alexis repeats.

"Alexis, you are not like any other woman I have ever had in my life before. You touch me on a different level and I respond to you in ways that I have never responded to another woman."

There is a great deal of emotion in his voice when he speaks.

"Is this about sex?" Alexis snaps at him, angrily.

"No, Alexis this is about business. You have a way of getting me to see different ways of dealing with a situation. Take for example the way you talked me out of killing AJ. No one has ever second guessed me on something like that and no one besides you would ever be able to convince me to change a plan like that."

His tone is matter of fact and right to the point.

"I would think that would be a good thing?" Alexis sighs.

No, Alexis, it made you a liability to me. You made me do and think things that were bad for business. You wanted me to be a better man." Sonny whispers, choking on the words or the concept. Alexis is not sure which.

"I demand that you be a better man!" She states simply.

"Well, it is almost impossible to be that better man and to still remain powerful." He sighs.

"Then give up the power and the problem is solved." She responds abruptly.

"I would if I could, but I have people who rely on me for protection." He responds.

"What about protecting me and Kristina?" Alexis asks with tears in her eyes.

"I thought that was what I was doing. I thought Ashton was what you both needed. I trusted him to take care of you and I counted on him growing a backbone and standing up to his family for once in his life. I convinced myself that he would put you and the baby first and I was wrong. So sue me!" Sonny tries to get her to smile.

"Do not tempt me! I am sure that tampering with medical results is a felony." She bites her lip nervously.

"I did what I thought was right for you and the baby at the time." Sonny fights back his own tears.

"You had no right to make that choice for us! She starts to shake slightly." Sonny thinking she is cold places a blanket over her shoulders.

"I am not the only one at fault her, Alexis. You were more than willing to let Ned claim to have contributed to the creation of our beautiful daughter. You knew very well that there was no way in h*ll that he could have been responsible. Did you think I was too stupid to count backwards from your due date and figure out when Kristina was conceived?"

He rubs his eyes to clear the unshed tears.

"I don't know what I thought! I was sacred and confused. Ned presented a solution to the problem and I took it without thinking about what it meant to me or my child in the long run!"

She allows one tear to slide down her cheek. Sonny reaches up and wipes it away ever so gently.

"I know exactly what you were thinking Alexis. You were taking the easy way out and using Ned as an emotional crutch. Us being together scares you to death. So you are willing to do anything to avoid being with me, to avoid being happy" He blatantly accuses.

"Now you are just confusing me, Sonny." She sighs. "One moment you are acting like you want me and the next you are calling me a liability. I have no idea what you want from me!"

"I want you Alexis! I would have thought that would be obvious after the past few hours. I was trying to explain how I felt when I changed the DNA results. I want you right now, but I also want you to stop running from happiness."

"I would love to trust what you are saying Sonny, but the truth of the matter is that you did all of this knowing full well that Kristina was your daughter. I know what family means to you and that makes me believe that all you see us as is an obligation and that is such an ugly concept."

He takes her gently by the shoulders and turns her to face him and pulls her into a breath-stealing passionate kiss.

"Alexis, I would not do what I did here tonight with someone that I consider to be an obligation."

He assures her. As if to prove his point, impulsively he grabs her and kisses her with every once of strength in his body. The kiss is hot and passionate, but at the same time it is loving. He leans her body back against the headboard and lowers his own body against hers. Alexis struggles out of his embrace.

"Is there some point to that virile display." Alexis rolls her eyes.

"Yes, you asked me to love you tonight. You asked me to show it and that was the point to that display. Do you still think it is nothing more than some antiquated sense of obligation that drives my desire to have you in my life and in my bed?" His eyes and voice are demanding.

"Maybe you just want conjugal visits." She sighs.

"Is that what you call this?" He indicated the bed with covered tossed every which way.

"I am not sure what to call it, but I am sure you can come up with something."

"How about calling it once in a lifetime special" He suggests.

"What happened here tonight was good on a physical level." She reluctantly agrees.

"It was mind blowing good!" Sonny insists.

"It was mind blowing good." Alexis nods her head in agreement.

"It was soul searing good and it deepened a connection that was already profound."

His voice is so smooth, it is almost hypnotic.

"There you go with the [i]connection[/i] talk again! Next thing, you will talking about that blasted [i]code[/i]!" She accuses mockingly.

"You can joke about the code all you want, but we both know that the you are real trying to avoid dealing with the fact that something amazing happened here tonight! You would rather run away of go back to a trite twit like Ashton than face the fact that you are in love with a morally bankrupt thug, who also happens to be a pheasant!"

"We are back to that class struggle garbage? I already told you that my father loved my mother passionately, and she was a peasant! You you... jerk!" She yells at him.

"Insult me all you want, Alexis." He responds giving her an omnipotent look.

"Like I need your permission to insult you!" She replies angrily.

"We both know that the only reason you are mad at me is because it gives you an excuse to push me away. We were happy for a few minutes and you just had to go and sabotage the whole thing!"

"Oh, you're more than capable of doing that on your own!" She loudly replies.

Just then, Kristina starts to cry in the other room and Alexis starts to get out of the bed.

"Where are you going? Back to Ashton I suppose." Sonny gives her a disappointed look.

Ned's words about seeing Sonny when he looked at Kristina echo through Alexis’ mind. They sitll make her feel heart sick.

"Sonny, you should not speak of things that you do not understand." She calmly replies. "My daughter is hungry and she is the most important person in my life! So I am going to go down stairs and warm her a bottle and take care of her!"

"She is my daughter too Alexis. I would like to help you with her?" Sonny has a pleading look in his eyes.

"No!" Alexis coldly refuses.

"Why not? You were fine with the idea of me feeding her before you knew that I knew she was mine."

"Right now I am angry at you! Kristina adores you and I do not want her to see me mad at a man she adores!" Alexis answers through gritted teeth.

Alexis grabs one of his shirts, throws it on and stomps out of the room. Sonny pulls on a pair of pants and follows her to the living room.

"Alexis, can you at least tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it?" He pleads.

"You can not even begin to fix what is wrong. It is too much a fabric of your being. For me to even ask would be asking too much!" She sharply states from the kitchen.

"I need a stiff drink!" Sonny sighs.

"Wonderful! Things get a little rough and you turn to a bottle for comfort!" Alexis scolds.

"I doubt I am going to get anymore comfort from you tonight." He shakes his head sadly.

"Not if you come to me drunk and refuse to take responsibility for your actions!" She replies sharply.

"You know, Alexis, I am not the only one to blame here. You shut down on me and then I have know idea where to go from here!"

If you decide to get drunk, you can go to hell! If you want a bottle, there is one of our daughter’s on the kitchen counter. Sorry, it has apple juice and not scotch!" She storms back upstairs with a bottle of warmed milk in her hands.

"Real cute, Alexis!" He calls after her.

She stops when she gets to the top of the stairs, regretting at least part of her outburst. Sonny could be narcissistic, overbearing, controlling and a Neanderthal when it came to dealing with relationships. Not to mention, she hated that he switched the DNA without telling her and someone really needed to take a pin and pop that over-inflated ego of his. However, she loved him and she needed him and so did their daughter. She is about to go back down stairs and invite him to help her feed Kristina, but by the time she gets back downstairs she sees the door to the hallway closing. Since he was naked from the waist up, Alexis figures that he is going no farther than across the hall. Probably to seek comfort in Carly’s arms. She convinces herself that it is a pattern with him. When things get rough between them, he always has Carly to fall back on for comfort. the strange thing is that Jason never seemed to mind. He and Sonny seemed to trade Carly back and forth as if she were a cheap novel. Alexis walks up to the crib and picks up her daughter to feed her.

"Well, pumpkin daddy has gone back to the Harpy. I hope you were not too attached to him because he may never be seen again. She will spin her web and lure him back in and then suck the life out of him. How is that for a bedtime story sweet pea?"

Her daughter looks at Alexis as if she thinks her mama has lost her mind.

Sonny stands in the hall way waiting for Jason to open the door. When he does Jason gives him a stoic look, then smiles.

"You should get together with Alexis. I think she has your shirt." Jason deadpans.

"People say you have no sense of humor. I need scotch!" Sonny grimaces.

"Are you okay?" Jason asks.

"No, I am not okay. I am in love with the most stubborn woman on the planet and she is driving me crazy! I need a drink and I don’t have anything in my apartment, because I found out I didn‘t need anything after I moved away from Carly. Now I need something though. Do you have anything to drink that is stronger than apple juice?"

"Alexis was drinking rum earlier." Jason comments.

I know, but I don't want to drink rum...not without her." Sonny sighs

"I think you left a bottle of scotch here when you moved." Jason pulls a key out of his pocket and looks in the bottom drawer of the desk and pulls out a bottle.

"Thank you!" Sonny takes the bottle.

"Is Alexis that bad in bed?" Jason asks without blinking.

"No, Alexis is perfect in everyway. Sonny states with feeling. "She is smart, beautiful, sexy, sensual lover and a wonderful mother. If you ever repeat a word of this to Carly you die!"

"Okay, but you have been whining for sometime about wanting Alexis back and how she was the best thing you ever had." Jason replies.

"Yea, I have." Sonny nods.

"So you have her back. Then what is the problem?" Jason scolds.

"I am the problem! I am a royal screw up who is not fit to breath the same air that Alexis breaths. I am not good enough for her, Jason. I asked her to marry me tonight. No make that I ordered her to marry me and the ink is not even dry on the annulment papers that she had Ned sign tonight."

"So you jumped the gun tonight, big deal!" Jason shrugs. "I doubt that Alexis will hold that against you at least not for very long. She is probably trying to get a feel for things right now. She is emotionally vulnerable right now and she probably feels like you are trying to take advantage of that vulnerability."

"Thank you Dr Phil!" Sonny scowls.

"Nobody says you have to listen to my advice. If you want to let her cool off for the night, you can stay here." Jason offers.

"No, the last thing I want is for Alexis to feel that I have abandoned her. She has real serious abandonment issues as it is. She wanted me to show her that I love her and that is what I plan on doing."

Sonny takes the bottle and goes right back across the hall.

"Alexis, I am back." He calls up the stairs.

Alexis gets a surprised look on her face and then she smiles at her daughter.

"He came back to us, pumpkin! He really does love us! I guess you probably already knew that, but your mommy can be a little hard headed at times."

She kisses her daughter on the forehead.

"Now, I know that you adore your father and I think he is pretty special as well. I needed to be reassured that you and I are the most important people in his life. He reassured me of that tonight. I can not go into details, because there are some things a daughter does not need to know about her parents. Lets just say he reassured me of his feelings in some pretty creative ways. Now this means that he will do anything for us. The only problem is your father is not a patient man. He is used to having things his way and he is used to women falling at his feet."

She gives her daughter a serious look.

"This is very important. Your mother is not the type of woman who falls at any man’s feet and I do not want you to be that type of woman either when you are grown. No matter how smooth, sexy and wonderful that man happens to be. If you let a man have his way all the time than you will eventually looses his respect. You have to make him work for it and wait for it and then he will think he has something good. You have to teach some men patience and your father happens to be desperately in need of this lesson."

Alexis looks her daughter right in the eyes.

"Your daddy makes me weak in the knees. Whenever I am around him my resolve just caves. So I can not be around him. We are going to have to leave for awhile. It is the only way your father will learn the to appreciate us. He has shown me that he loves us and I am pretty sure he will wait for us. On the off chance that I am wrong and he goes back to the shrew, it is better to find out this way."

Alexis carries her daughter across the hall and places her on the bed, then she lays down beside her.

"Knowing that he loves us makes it all that much harder to leave. However, it has to be done, only it can wait until later. I am tired right now and I know you are too princess. So, for now we eill catch up on our beauty sleep and we will leave later." She promises as she kisses her daughter goodnight. Alexis falls asleep and dreams sweet dreams of someday having her hearts desire fulfilled. She dreams of someday having her happy family.

Sonny sits on the couch and looks at the glass of scotch for some time. Alexis was right, when he found a situation that made him uncomfortable he found a way to hide. Either behind the pain of his childhood, the career he carved out for himself before he knew that he could have something good in his life, or more commonly, he hid behind a bottle. Drowning his discomfort in a bottle of scotch was second nature to Sonny. He would simply drink until he was nearly passed out and then he would be able to forget the pain for a few hours. Only tonight was going to be different. It was going to be a new beginning. He picks up the glass and the bottle and takes them both to the sink in the kitchen and pour the contents down the drain.

He was not sure what he intended to do when he entered the bedroom where Alexis was feeding their daughter. As he walked up the stairs he felt so many raw emotions swirling inside him. He was angry at Alexis for keeping Kristina from him and he felt jealous of all the moments he had missed sharing with his daughter. He was jealous because Alexis had allowed Ashton to be apart of those moments and not him. Mostly though, Sonny felt shame, because of the things he had said to Alexis, the mother of his child and the woman he respected most in the world. He knew none of it was true, but he had been desperate and angry and the words had flowed from some black place in his soul before he could stop them. His emotions were so tied up in knots that he could not find the ends to unravel them. The moment he stepped into the bedroom, all of that changed. Alexis was lying on the with their daughter protectively resting in the crook of her arm. They were both asleep and their perfectly synchronized breaths were shallow and calm. It was the most beautiful and tranquil site Sonny had every seen.

If pure love could be perceived by the naked eye, Sonny imagined this was what is must look like. In that moment all of his feelings became less complicated and he realized that what he had been looking for his whole life was right in front of him. This was the definition of family he had always been looking for, and had never been able to find until now. If he played his cards right, they might even be his family in the end. He wanted to tell Alexis he was sorry for the things he had said, he wanted to tell her all the things he had realized in the last few moments. Yet, her and their daughter looked so peaceful asleep in each others arms. He decided it could wait until morning. So, he kissed them both on their foreheads and sat on the edge of the bed. One sheet was still hanging from the corner of the mattress. Everything else had ended up on the floor along with his and Alexis’ clothes and a handful of empty condom wrappers. Sonny smiled at the realization that the life he wanted was in that room. From the stormy, yet soulful sex, to the woman and child asleep on the bed. It was what he wanted more than he had ever wanted anything in his life.

He decided that he would not wait until morning to tell Alexis and the baby how he felt. He would sit down in the chair and get some rest and when he heard Kristina cry for her next feeding, he would tell them both then. Maybe Alexis would even let him help feed her in some way. The instant he hit the soft chair he was sound asleep with smile on his face. He never heard the baby cry and he never heard Alexis slip out of the bedroom. When he woke up the next morning to the suns raises stinging his eyes, he was alone. On the lamp stand was an envelop propped up by a small, flat clay object. Sonny picked up the objected and smiled. It was the hand print of his daughter and the plaque read:

[i]To Daddy[/i]

Sonny turned it over and noticed that it had been made two months earlier. It was not something that he figured Alexis would give to Ned, so she must of had it made for him. Sonny picked up the envelop and read the enclosed note.

[i]Dear daddy,

I hope you can someday forgive mommy for keeping me a secret. She was scared when she found out about me and she did not know what else to do. You were wrong about mommy being cold hearted. She has a very warm and loving heart, but you broke it. She forgave you and she did not do any of this to hurt you. She tried to hate you, but it was impossible. She will always love you and she will make sure that I always love you too. This has to be goodbye for now. That is the way mommy wants it. Please respect her enough not to look for us. Mommy can take care of me and she can take care of herself. We will be okay and so will you.

Love always,

Kristina Michele Davis.[/i]

Sonny was to stunned to move or to even feel. He did not even know the full name of his daughter. He had not known that Alexis named her Michele after her father and he had always assumed that her last name was Ashton. He stood there as realization finally settled in. He had lost his family.

"I will not allow it to end this way for us, Alexis! You and Kristina are my family now. You are my world. It can not end this way. I will get you both back." Sonny vows.

Many weeks later, Alexis stood alone staring at the pregnancy test in her hand. More to the point, she was staring at the two blue lines that appeared on the stick.

"Oh god! Why is this happening to me again?"

She asked out loud. To herself, she wondered why sex with Sonny always had to lead to her getting pregnant. Why couldn’t they have nice, calm, predictable sex like her and Ned always had. The kind that only lasted a few minutes and had no lasting consequences. Instead, sex with Sonny always ended up being vigorous. multi session, condom breaking sex that had far reaching and long lasting consequences. She leaned against the bathroom door and let out a loud groan.

"Alexis are you alright? You have been in there for some time!"

The concerned voice of her brother Stefan filled her ears and consoled her for a brief moment.

"No, Stefan I am not alright. In fact, I may never be alright again!"

She opens the door and waved the positive test before his eyes.

"This is about as far from being alright that I get these days"

She actually almost laughed at the expression that crossed his face, but she really felt like crying. As he held out his arms to her, she collapsed into them, sobbing. Tears spilled from her eyes like drops of rain, staining the back of his shirt. The only things that she knew in that moment was that she now had two children by Sonny Corinthos, instead of one. She now had two children to love, protect and do the right thing by. She was scared. Only this time she was not alone. this time she had her brother to help her do the right thing.