A Drunken Man's Words
by SexisFan

chapter 3

Alexis signaled a lane change and moved her sleek, black BMW into the faster flow of traffic through downtown Port Charles. Her mind, though, was not on the road as much as it was still back in the P. C. Grille.

She had dropped the news of her impending move on Sonny without preparing him at all. She hadn't planned it that way. She hadn't even been sure until early that morning that she actually would move. Kristina had proposed the idea, but Alexis hadn't thought seriously of it until she'd come home from her date with Grant only to be summoned to Sonny's penthouse in the middle of the night.

Memories from earlier that day came flooding back, threatening to overwhelm her with phantom sensations of Sonny's hands on her body, Sonny's mouth on her mouth, Sonny's body hard and lean below her own.

Alexis shook her head, driving the images from her mind. This is exactly why she had to put some distance between the two of them. Alexis had accepted her attraction for Sonny months ago, and a one-sided crush while uncomfortable at times was safe. But after last night, finding out that on some level Sonny harbored an attraction of his own for her, she knew that the situation was too dangerous for both of them. This was something that could never happen, and a closeness that kept such feelings alive would only hurt them both and their friendship in the end. So Alexis had made up her mind. She and Kristina would indeed move.

Once her mind was set, Alexis wasted no time putting things into motion. She'd called a realtor Jax recommended, and set up that meeting with him at the Grille, the meeting Sonny had stumbled into.

It was obvious that the night before was lost to some alcoholic amnesia. She knew that it was for the best, but still it hurt her to know. Somehow, knowing that there wasn't another person on earth who could remember that experience with her made it seem as if she'd lost something precious. But it was something that wasn't really hers to lose, she reminded herself. Last night never should have happened, but now that it had she would use her new knowledge of Sonny's feelings to protect them both.

Sure, in the short run it would hurt. Alexis hadn't missed the flash of pain in Sonny's eyes when she'd dropped her bomb on him. He tried to cover his surprise, attempting to look nonplussed as he reached a hand out and grasped the back of a chair to steady himself. He made some blithe remarks with little meaning and excused himself to a meeting on the patio, saying he'd leave her to make her plans. But she knew that she'd hurt him. It tore at her heart to cause him any more pain, but it was better this way. It would hurt him a whole lot more if this thing between them wasn't halted as soon as possible.

Alexis signaled another lane change, checking the rear view mirror to make sure that the way was clear. What she saw in the mirror made her blood boil. She'd known for quite some time that Sonny had her guarded. She'd accepted it as part of their business relationship. Until last night. Sonny's knowledge of her dinner companion and his reaction to their date made it clear that the men following her all over Port Charles were not simply a necessary evil of his business.

"What f!cking nerve!" Alexis muttered to herself as she watched the black Mercedes change lanes behind her.

Suddenly she felt not only angry, but suffocated. Was this how Carly felt as she tried to move on from her marriage with Sonny? Alexis groaned. The last thing in the world she wanted was any point of common life experience with Carly Roberts Benson Spencer Quartermaine Corinthos.

With a flash of temper and a sudden fear at the idea of being anything like Carly, Alexis made a sharp right turn without signaling. Knowing that a single unexpected turn would not be sufficient to lose the tail, Alexis made an immediate hard left. Weaving through the streets of Port Charles, turning here and there with no destination in mind, Alexis eventually succeeded in shaking her "protection."

"Take that, Dimples," she spat out, reassuring herself with another glance in the rear-view mirror that she was indeed on her own.

Flush with the exhilaration of the chase and the thrill of escape, Alexis wasn't about to return to her penthouse. Suddenly she felt free, and it was an amazingly unfamiliar feeling. It was a feeling she was going to enjoy as long as she could, she decided as she pointed her car away from Port Charles and pressed the accelerator to the floor. She had no idea where she was going, or for how long. And she liked it that way.

*****

Sonny threw the glass of whiskey against the wall, sending shards of crystal and a spray of alcohol across the room.

"God d@mn it, Johnny!" he screamed, his face flush with rage. "How in the hell did she lose them?"

Johnny shrugged. "Bert said she was driving like a bat out of hell," Johnny answered, wishing that he hadn't when Sonny's dark face turned toward him. This was going to be one of those times when Sonny didn't really want answers, Johnny realized. He just needed to yell and give orders. And Johnny just needed to take it and follow the orders.

"I want two cars on that lawyer she's been seeing. Don't lose him. If it even looks like he's talking to her on the phone, I want to know about it," Sonny dictated.

Kristina. That would be his best source of information about Alexis.

"And find her sister. I want to know where Kristina is as soon as possible."

Johnny nodded.

"Anything else, boss?" Johnny asked.

"Get me Benny. I want Alexis found, and found fast." Sonny turned his back to the guard, effectively dismissing him. Walking to the window, Sonny looked out over the city spread before him. She was out there somewhere, and something was very, very wrong. Not only was something wrong, but it was his fault and he was sure of it. If only he could remember.

Moving. Why would she suddenly decide to move? What could he have said or done that would drive her away from him so swiftly?

"God, Alexis," he sighed into the golden afternoon. "What have I done?"

********

Alexis peeled out of the lot and out onto the blacktop. This was more like it, she smiled to herself as she reached for the knob to turn on the radio. Searching the stations, she found the one she'd been listening to earlier, the one playing classic rock and roll.

Yeah, that's what I need, she thought, bouncing to the familiar beat. At the moment she felt 16 again - young, free and ready for the future. This was definitely the music for her.

Alexis pressed the accelerator down further, thrilling to the speed she was attaining. As the wind whipped through her hair, she laughed out loud. What would Stefan think if he could see her at this particular moment? Would he think her insane? It was very likely that he would, she laughed. Especially if he knew that on impulse she'd pulled off the highway to trade her stodgy black BMW for a canary yellow convertible that better fit the music she'd been listening to as she sailed down the interstate.

Alexis laughed again. Buying a car to fit the radio station she'd tuned into. How recklessly insane was that? But it felt good. No, it felt damned good.

Alexis reached over and cranked up the volume on the radio. Joining in at the top of her lungs, she sang with no inhibition. She knew that is was very adolescent of her to be running away from home, but she didn't care. This was her one trip through this world, and she'd spent too much of it doing things the right way. She would enjoy living and take some risks.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, her brain registered the hypocrisy of her own thoughts. If she was so willing to throw caution to the wind and take some risks, why was she running as fast as she could from Sonny and the biggest risk she could take?

But Alexis wasn't ready to hear reason from that little corner of her mind. Not yet. For now, an impromptu road trip was the limit of her risk-taking capacity. So the chiding voice decided to keep quite for the time being, allowing Alexis to bask in the illusion that she was helping both Sonny and herself with her impulsive flight toward freedom.

*****

Sonny stood at the window, watching as afternoon turned to night. No one knew where Alexis was. Her car hadn't been seen since she lost her tail. She hadn't contacted Grant. Her credit cards hadn't been used. There had been no call to Kristina.

Sonny sighed. She had to be alright. She had to be. He couldn't lose her. She meant too much to him.

"Alexis," he whispered into the darkness. "Come back to me."

chapter 4