An Eye for an Eye
by Cowgirl

part 9

Sonny stood in the doorway of Alexis's bedroom and watched her sleeping peacefully.

He had shown up at nine a.m. and Alexis answered the door with Kristina perched on her hip. She looked tired. "Hey," she said in a sleepy voice as she led him into the living room.

"Did I come too early? I mean...you look like I woke you up."

Alexis stopped and set Kristina down on the couch, then turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Woke us up? Are you kidding? We get up at the crack of dawn around here. See, she does this thing where she doesn't fall asleep until after eleven and then proceeds to get up at six. So no, you did not wake us up."

Sonny suppressed a smile. "You get up at six in the morning?" he chuckled. "You never used to get up before..."

"Ten unless I had a court date," she replied longingly. "Those days are over," she replied slumping down onto the couch next to Kristina and rubbing her eyes.

Sonny sat on the other side of Kristina. "How's my angel today?" He cooed as he nuzzled his cheek against her soft mane of curls. He looked up at Alexis. "I can't get over that she's mine. My little girl."

Alexis smiled. She hadn't seen a light in Sonny's eyes like the one she was seeing that very moment in a very long time. "She's something else," she replied and stifled a yawn, her eyes closing momentarily.

Sonny reached over and touched her hand. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you go on and head back to bed. Get some sleep, Kristina and I will be fine."

Alexis gave him an uncertain look.

He flicked his head. "Go ahead. I've never even spent a single moment alone with my daughter. We'll be all right. I'll make her breakfast."

Alexis let one corner of her mouth turn up. "You know that sounds like heaven. Are you sure? You don't have anywhere to be today?"

He shook his head. "Nope, cleared my schedule for my girls today," he said as he tickled Kristina's tummy.

Alexis bit the corner of her mouth and decided to pretend she didn't hear him pluralize the word girls. Instead she stood up. "If you're sure..."

Sonny waved a hand at her. "Go. Get some sleep. Sleep as long as you want. I'll keep an omelet in the oven for you."

"You don't have to make me an omelet," she said and bent down to kiss Kristina. "You be a good girl for daddy," she made her way toward her bedroom and stopped, turning around. "Would you mind washing her up and getting her dressed?"

Sonny nodded, not taking his eyes away from Kristina. "No problem."

"All her clothes are in the dresser in her room. Her bath stuff is..."

"Go, will you already? I'll find what I need."

"Make sure you pick out something for her to wear that matches."

Sonny's head shot up and an eyebrow arched on his forehead. "You're kidding right?"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Look who I'm talking to. Picking out clothing for women is your specialty."

Sonny's dimpled smile beamed back at her. "That's right," he said emphatically.

Alexis shook her head. "You should call Elton, I think the two of you have a bright future in business together," she retorted and continued towards her bedroom.

"Maybe I will," he called after her.

So now he stood leaning on the wood frame at the entrance to her room watching the steady pace of her breathing as she slept. It had already been a long morning for he and Kristina. They had eaten breakfast, then he gave her a bath and took her to the park. Now the little girl was slumbering in her own bed just as peacefully as her mother. A silence had fallen over the house except for the faint hum of the refrigerator coming from the kitchen.

Sonny sighed and gave a small smile as he still couldn't quite believe how easy it had been for he and Alexis to call a truce and fall back into their previously established compatibility. The chasm that had been between them had been so deep and so wide, that Sonny couldn't have fathomed as little as a month ago that he'd be in Alexis' apartment, spending time with his daughter and getting along with her mother as if nothing unpleasant had occurred between them at all.

His smile faded at that thought. So much had happened between them and it would undoubtedly surface sooner or later. He leaned his head back against the wood and closed his eyes at the thought, absorbing himself in the stillness, and tranquility of the moment.

"Stop staring at me," Alexis' sleepy voice called out.

Sonny's eyes snapped open and he rolled his head to look at her as she struggled to sit up.

She propped herself up with her arms behind her. "What time is it?" she asked searching for her bedside clock.

"After noon."

Her eyes widened. "I slept past noon?" A dreamy smile took hold of her mouth. "I haven't slept past noon in over two years," she said as her head lolled backwards, her hair spilling back over her shoulders.

Sonny swallowed the lump that rose in his throat. God, she looked incredible right now.

She closed one eye and tilted her head towards him. "You know if you wanted to take a nap the living room couch is much more comfortable."

Sonny smiled. "I wasn't sleeping," he said quietly embarrassed that she had caught him watching her.

"Well your eyes were closed and you certainly looked like you were standing there sleeping."

"I was just..." He shook his head. "I just came into...ah...check on you and..."

A full tilt dimpled smile crossed her face. "Mr. Corinthos were you watching me sleep?"

Sonny shook his head and looked at the floor.

Alexis decided to let up. "Where's my little one?" she asked as swung her legs out of the bed and reached for her robe.

"She's taking a nap. I took her to the park...I hope that was okay."

Alexis looked over her shoulder at him and nodded.

"Good...uh...I have an omelet in the oven for you...you hungry?"

Alexis stood up and began tying the belt on her robe. "Starving."

"Why don't you take a nice long shower and I'll heat up the food."

Alexis finished fastening her belt and let her arms drop to her sides, her face taking on a tranquil look as she met his eyes.

When she said nothing he flicked his head. "What?"

Her mouth opened slightly and he noticed her breathing hitch.

"Nothing...just...thank you," she said quietly, her eyes casting downward.

"Thank you for what?"

Slowly her eyes met his again. "For making this so easy. You have every right not to."

Sonny hesitated and then took a few steps into the room. "We both had our share of acting irrational these last two years...like I said before, I know you wouldn't...you didn't keep her from me to hurt me."

"I didn't."

"I know that." He shook his head. "It's all good now. I mean, we're going to work on showing her both her mom and dad love her."

Alexis nodded. "That's what matters."

Sonny nodded as well and turned to head for the kitchen. He stopped and turned his head to the side. "You've always mattered...even when you didn't think you did." He said quietly and then turned all the way around to look at her.

She dipped her head, her eyes peering up to his. She wasn't sure what to say to that.

He smiled. "Go take your shower."

"Okay."

Lorenzo was in a foul mood this morning. It was one thing to use Carly for the sole purpose of scratching the proverbial itch, but quite another to have to wake up next to her, especially with his new found awakening to the real Carly Corinthos. She had gotten up and clamored loudly out of bed a few minutes ago muttering about how she would probably have to find something to eat on her own. Lorenzo sat up in bed and reached for his phone, dialing a number. "Andrew. It's Lorenzo. How are things coming with the property I want purchased."

"Well sir, it's difficult. I mean the way you want to purchase it is quite difficult. Especially if you don't want to arouse suspicion." Came the voice of Lorenzo's business manager.

"It's really quite simple Andrew," Lorenzo answered with growing impatience. "I want to by that old warehouse at the very edge of the water front and I want to do it anonymously."

"I understand that sir, but don't you think that Sonny Corinthos will want to know who's buying property in his area and why?"

Lorenzo smiled. "That's exactly what I want. But I want him to have to dig for it first. Make him do his homework before he discovers it's me. Make him nervous."

"All right then. But I do have a question. Have you actually seen that property?"

"I have."

"Well then you know it's at the most remote spot on the pier. Not room for more than one liner to pull up to if you're planning to run a business through there. It's also very dilapidated...it will take a lot of money to fix it up, that's why no one's been buying it. It's way off the beaten path, not very good for a business."

Lorenzo almost laughed out loud. "No, not very good for business." He said sadistically. "But for what I intend to use it for...it's perfect."

part 10