Baby Book
by SexisFan

Chapter 9

Alexis sat on her bed, running a fine tapered finger over splotches of color on a wooden surface. That day had been so special for them.

The summer had passed and autumn had set in. Sonny and Alexis had developed a comfortable routine for the most part. He came over most evenings, usually early enough to cook dinner. He taught her at least one new recipe each week. And on most nights when he wasn't introducing a new dish into her repertoire, they were working side by side making a dish he'd already taught her.

Yeah, it was a way for him to make sure that she was eating well. But it was much more than that. It was a nice, companionable time they shared at the end of most days. He would talk about the coffee warehouse, or one of his other legitimate businesses. And Alexis would talk of her law practice.

Her workload was a lot lighter ever since they'd transferred all of Sonny's legal work to other lawyers who had no personal interest in him. Still, Sonny worried that she was working too much. Alexis knew that he'd be thrilled if she'd decided to spend every day on a pile of pillows, watching Oprah and drinking icy glasses of milk. But that wasn't Alexis. So he had to accept the compromise of a lighter workload for her.

On those evenings when they talked of their daily activities, Alexis could almost forget what Sonny's real business was. Almost.

Of course the guards that lurked on the periphery of her life belied the illusion that the father of her child was simply a successful coffee merchant and property investor.

The worry about having her baby anywhere near Sonny's life still scared Alexis to death. She was so confused, not knowing how this situation might ever work out. There were moments when she still had fleeting thoughts of disappearing, so strong was her desire to keep her child safe.

In the meantime, the Carly situation had gotten worse. Sonny, thanks to Alexis' pregnancy, had begun to rethink his role in Michael's life. Knowing Alexis' fear that his life would endanger their child, knowing that she sometimes considered that their child would be safer not knowing him, Sonny had developed some understanding of AJ's situation, kept from his child because of the mother's fear. At the same time, after realizing the lengths to which Carly was willing to go to 'win' what she considers hers, Sonny also began to rethink whether Carly's 'fear' was really an excuse to keep Michael to herself rather than to share him with his father.

Sonny was no fan of AJ's, but he had to admit that AJ was maintaining his sobriety - and had never done anything to harm Michael. That was the most ironic part of the whole thing. AJ had never harmed Michael, never even came close to harming him. Yet Sonny was helping Carly deny AJ his child - and deny Michael his father.

Sonny couldn't avoid the irony that here he was working determinedly to keep his own child in his life - even though mob violence had already killed one of his children. At the same time he was buying Carly's fear that AJ was a danger to Michael. Courtney was right, he'd told Alexis. It wasn't reasonable.

Alexis thought that Courtney's marriage had influenced Sonny's thinking in regard to Michael, too. AJ had left his family for his sister. He'd been ruined financially by Old Man Quartermaine, and still he chose to be with Courtney. Sonny caught how AJ looked at Courtney a few times when he didn't know Sonny was around to see. He looked like a man in love Sonny had told Alexis. Alexis hadn't been surprised to hear it. She'd seen similar looks between AJ and Courtney, as if no one else in the world existed. Sonny expressed mixed feelings about his sister's marriage being real, but he wanted Courtney to be happy. And with Courtney in AJ's life, Sonny felt safer about Michael spending time with AJ.

So Sonny had made an uneasy truce with AJ, and had insisted that Carly allow visitation so that Michael could get to know his father. Carly had thrown a fit, but had finally given in - though most likely because she thought it would score her points with Sonny. What she didn't know - yet - is that Sonny was exploring how he might, without incriminating himself, admit that AJ was coerced into signing over his parental rights, and from there have his own adoption of Michael overturned.

Carly would have a stroke if that ever came to pass. For her part, Alexis was touched by Sonny's change of heart.

Sonny had a way of touching her heart lately, and sometimes she wondered if she was getting too soft toward him. Take for example the guest bedroom, which was rapidly becoming Sonny's home away from home. He'd show up for dinner, still dressed for work in one of his expensive suits. But quite often he'd have a small bag with more casual clothes he wanted to change into. On some of those nights, he'd be 'too tired' to go home and would use the guest room instead. In the morning, he'd dress in one of the suits left at the house on a previous visit. In this way, bit by bit he'd built up a wardrobe in her guest room closet. He'd stocked the bathroom with his toiletries. Then there came the day when he had the dry cleaner deliver his suits to the house instead of the penthouse. Alexis hadn't known whether to smile or spit that day.

This was so confusing. She loved the growing closeness they had. She loved his presence in her life. She loved the rhythm they were developing. But she worried about getting too used to it. After all, she still had no idea how they would work this out - his business, her fears, his lifestyle, her morals.

None of that was on her mind, though, the day that Sonny came home and found her on the floor of the nursery.

"Alexis! What happened!" He rushed through the door toward her, his face suddenly pale.

"Nothing's wrong," she answered, looking up from where she lay stretched out on her side.

"What the hell are you doing on the floor!" he snapped, fear still evident in his eyes as he dropped to his knees beside her.

"Deciding."

"Deciding what?" he asked, confused.

Alexis lifted a hand and pointed to the wall opposite her. "Colors."

"What the. . ." Sonny turned his head to follow her finger. There on the wall opposite the little bay window were huge spots of different colored paint. There were three white sections. And two pink ones. There were three yellow sections, and a soft violet one. There were even two different greens sections. "Who did that?"

"I did," she answered. Nodding to the cans of paint scattered around the room.

Sonny dropped down to sit beside her as she pushed herself upright. "You're painting?" he asked, his tone reproving.

"It's safe, Sonny," she assured him, a gentle hand on his knee as she spoke.

"What about the decorator? He doesn't have people to do this?"

"Of course he does. But I'm having trouble picking colors. I finally decided to go with paint instead of wallpaper, but I couldn't pick a color from those tiny little squares. So I got the colors I thought I might like, and figured I'd try them out."

"You didn't carry all these cans up the stairs. . ."

Alexis bit her lip and shook her head.

"Who then?" Sonny demanded.

"Johnny took me to the store. . ."

Sonny exhaled sharply. "When in the hell is he going to learn. . ."

"He didn't do anything wrong Sonny. He was helping."

Sonny sighed. Alexis wouldn't allow him to take this lapse in judgment out of Johnny's hide, so he might as well let it go. Leaning his head back against the wall behind them, Sonny focused his attention on the colorful wall. "So. Have you chosen?"

Alexis shook her head, her gaze following his. "But I think I've narrowed them down a bit."

"No blues?" he asked, grinning.

"I know it's sexist and I should be ashamed," Alexis replied sheepishly. "I should be the last woman making such stereotypical choices."

Sonny laughed. "Alexis Davis, feminist attorney at law, dressing her daughter in frilly dresses and pink satin hair ribbons."

Alexis blushed and reached out to give him a playful slap. "Stop it," she giggled. "I feel stupid enough as it is."

"Stupid? Why?" Sonny turned suddenly serious.

Alexis shrugged. "This whole mothering thing. It's so new to me. I feel like a fake, like I'm trying to learn to do things that other women are born knowing how to do. Like decorating a nursery."

Tears brimmed her eyes, prompting Sonny to slip his arm around her shoulders and draw her near him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder.

Alexis cried softly, cursing the hormones that she blamed for such outbursts, which were coming more frequently.

"No one knows how to be a mother - or a father - by instinct. This is something you and I will be learning to do together," he soothed. Then his tone lightened. "How about tonight we settle for simply painting this nursery together?"

Alexis raised her head and smiled up into his eyes. He could be so sweet, damn him, she thought as she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "Deal," she answered.

"Pick a color," he instructed, hurrying out to change. It didn't take long for Sonny to return to the nursery ready for work in a pair of faded jeans and a T shirt. He walked into the room rubbing his hands, ready to go. Alexis was kneeling over a can, stirring the paint with a thin wooden stick. "What'd you pick?" he asked, leaning over her shoulder for a peek.

"Don't make fun of me," Alexis warned with a pout as she handed him the stir-stick smeared with pale pink latex paint. Sonny simply smiled and dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head.

Using a chair, since Alexis hadn't thought to purchase a ladder, Sonny managed the cutting in around the windows, the doorways, the corners and where the walls met the ceiling. Alexis followed behind him, applying color in long sweeps of a roller perched upon an extension handle. It was a bit awkward at first, but it wasn't long before she got the feel for it. While the bending and stretching was a bit tiring, there was something energizing about watching the non-descript white walls transformed with the soft, warm glow of the barest hint of pink. They were doing this for their child, creating the safe place that would be the center of her little universe for the start of her tender life. The thought excited Alexis even as it scared her a little bit.

"Oh!" Alexis quickly set the roller down and grabbed her back with her and.

"What's wrong?" Sonny demanded, jumping up from where he was cutting in around the baseboards. "Are you hurt?"

Alexis took a few slow deep breaths, shaking her head while she did so. "Just a cramp," she whispered between breaths.

"Here, sit down," Sonny insisted, drawing her toward the chair he'd been using as a ladder earlier.

Alexis didn't argue. She could use a moment off her feet, a moment with the growing weight of the baby off of her back.

Sonny knelt before her as she sat. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to call the doctor?" he asked, gently placing his hands protectively over the expanding bulge that was her tummy.

"I'm fine," Alexis assured him, covering his hands with her own. "Just a cramp in a back muscle," she promised.

At that moment, their daughter decided to make herself known - likely reacting with temper to the shrinking of her little playground when Alexis was seated. As the baby kicked, Sonny jumped, startled. Had Alexis' hands not been holding his to her belly, he'd likely have pulled back in surprise.

"What's that?" he burst out, knowing how stupid his words sounded even as they were passing his lips.

Alexis smiled. "That's your testy little girl," Alexis teased, her heart rising to her throat as she watched Sonny experience for the first time the reality of his daughter.

Sonny's fingers spread across Alexis' middle as his palms pressed a little more firmly against the spot where he'd felt the baby move. "Is this too hard?" he asked with concern.

"Not at all," Alexis whispered, her eyes misting over with tears of joy for him - this man who was sharing this miracle with her.

Sonny's face took on an inscrutable expression. His eyes filled with tears as their little girl continued to thump and bump against his hands. Finally, his eyes lifted from Alexis' belly to meet her gaze. He was speechless, Alexis could tell.

Slowly a satisfied smile crossed his lips. "Our daughter is strong - like her mother," he purred.

Alexis blushed.

"How about we call it a night?" Sonny suggested.

Alexis took a quick glance around the room. They had made a lot of progress and she was tired. Sonny's suggestion, she admitted to herself, was a welcome one. With a nod, she answered him, agreeing.

"You need a shower," she teased, running her fingers through his dark curls, "unless you plan to go to work speckled in pink tomorrow."

Sonny smiled. "I could say the same for you."

Alexis returned his smile. She knew he was right. She could feel the paint crusting on her skin and could only imagine that her hair was much more a mess than Sonny's was.

"Come on," Sonny prodded, taking her by the hands and pulling her from the chair.

He led her into the master bathroom where he went to work drawing a warm bath while she waited wordlessly. Turning to face her, Sonny slowly began to undress her as the tub filled. Alexis caught her breath. As if of their own accord, her own hands reached out and began removing Sonny's clothes from his frame.

Alexis watched as his eyes darkened and his breathing grew as shallow as hers had. He would not be sleeping in the guest room tonight, she knew. And so did he.

***** They had taken a slow, soaking bath that night. Sonny had washed her hair and massaged the aching muscles in her back. His tender ministrations relaxed her, while the warm bath calmed their daughter. By the time they left their bed and reached Alexis' bed, both Sonny and Alexis were feeling more loverly than parental - and that was just fine by Alexis. They'd not been together like this for quite some time, and their lovemaking required some innovation since Alexis' form had changed a bit since their last encounter. Yet that had seemed just fine by Sonny.

The next morning, Alexis wandered into the nursery after wakening late in the morning to an empty bed. Sonny had scooted out to work while Alexis had dreamt on soundly.

In the nursery, Alexis surveyed the work they'd accomplished the night before. They were close to being done. Perhaps she could finish today while. . .she was pondering Sonny's reaction when her eye caught sight of a piece of paper on top of the last can of pink paint. It was a note from Sonny, held there on top of the paint can by the paint stirrer dappled with pink.

"I want my girls to rest today! I'll finish the painting when I get home. Sonny."

His girls. Home.

Alexis felt the tears spill over her lashes and down her cheeks.

Damn. She was getting so soft over him. . .

***** Alexis sighed and slipped the wooden paint stirrer back into the shoebox. Yep, Sonny had really started to get into her heart that night. But it couldn't compare to the day when. . .yes, there it was. Alexis reached into the box and pulled out a bag of popcorn.

That man's charm was lethal, she thought to herself chuckling and remembering the popcorn. . .

chapter 10