Family Ties
by Susanne

Chapter 7 -- Letting Go Of The Frustration

When Alexis came charging through the front door, Cameron looked up from today's paper with a questioning look on his face.

Alexis: "Don't ask! Where's Kristina?"

Cameron: "Upstairs talking to Belinda - she wanted to share the news about Sonny with her new best friend."

Alexis: "I thought she and Belinda weren't speaking to each other?"

Cameron: "Kids!" He smiled, as he got up from the chair, and advanced towards her.

Alexis: "Again: don't ask! I'm going to go upstairs, take a nice, hot bath, change clothes, and then I'm going to kiss my beautiful, little girl goodnight, and get blind drunk!" She exclaimed charging up the steps towards their bedroom.

When Alexis entered the bedroom she sat down on the bed, and immediately thought of Sonny, and of a time that he'd actually asked her if she'd been used.

*** FLASHBACK ***

Sonny: "If Courtney had run off with anybody else, even if I didn't approve, I wouldn't try to stop her, I mean, you know, people have a right to live their own lives. And I sure as hell am not going to tell my own sister who to love or who to sleep with. But A.J. wants payback for Michael and he's using it to get back at me."

Alexis: "He's goading you."

Sonny: "He's…"

Alexis: "He wants you to follow him."

Sonny: "I know! But if A.J. is drinking, Courtney's in physical danger. And even if she's not, he's playing her, Alexis. He's pretending to love her. Have you ever been used?"

Alexis: "Yes."

Sonny: "How did you feel? Like you were stupid, and…And wrong, and part of you felt like you deserved it and made you hard and suspicious and you…I bet you promised yourself you'd never be used again. I want Courtney away from A.J. so that way that never happens to her."

*** FLASHBACK ***

Alexis: "God! I need to take a shower, and get all these old memories of Sonny and I out of my head once and for all - especially if I'm supposed to keep Sonny away from Kristina." She told herself, as she walked into the bathroom, and got into a nice, hot, lingering bubble bath.

Meanwhile downstairs Kristina was making her way towards Cameron, who was standing near the window thinking about how different Alexis seemed.

Kristina: "Uncle C.?" Cameron immediately turned around, and spotted his favorite girl wearing her blue pajamas together with her hair being tied up in a ponytail.
Cameron: "Hey, you! Did you tell Belinda the good news then?"

Kristina: "You bet! C.? Is something wrong with mommy?"

Cameron: "Why do you ask?" He asked, taking Kristina's hand, as they walked to the couch and sat down.

Kristina: "I looked into your bedroom a little while ago, and she was sitting on the bed just staring into thin air - that isn't normal! Is it because of daddy?"

Cameron: "Why would you say that?"

Kristina: "Mommy looked angry when she came to the police station - is it my fault?"

Cameron: "Of course it's not your fault Krissy! Sometimes people get hurt when they are lied to or something is kept from them. Your dad didn't tell your mom that he was alive, and therefore she's a little angry with him, but I'm sure it'll pass. Now…Why don't you head on upstairs, and get into bed, and then your mom will be in shortly to tuck you in, OK?"

Kristina: "OK! Goodnight uncle C.!" She exclaimed kissing Cameron on the cheek before going upstairs to her bedroom.

Cameron knew that whatever had happened between Sonny and Alexis in that interrogation room then it was bad. He had never seen Alexis like that other than when they'd returned home to her apartment back when the custody case over Kristina had been ruled, and Sonny and Alexis had been rewarded shared custody over their little girl.

*** FLASHBACK ***

Alexis: "What am I supposed to do now Cameron? Sonny Corinthos had been awarded access to Kristina! It's only a matter of time before she'll be shot at or…"

Cameron: "I don't think that Judge Farmer would have awarded Sonny shared custody if she didn't believe that Kristina would be safe with him. Besides…Would you prefer Kristina living in the Quartermaine mansion with Ned and Skye posing as her 'parents'?" He asked, as they took a seat on Alexis' couch.

Alexis: "Of course not! Ned is just trying to make up for having neglected Brook Lyn, and he thinks that by posing as Kristina's father he'll obtain absolution. And Skye…Well…She's just trying to prove to everyone around her that she's changed. That's she's not as self-centered, as she's always been!"

Cameron: "Then how about giving Corinthos the benefit of the doubt, huh?"

Alexis: "You wouldn't be saying that if you knew EVERYTHING about Sonny! Did you know that his former archenemy; Joseph Sorel sent a package to Sonny and Carly's on Michael's birthday? Sonny and Jason had to defuse the thing right there in PH4!"

Cameron: "I had no idea…"

Alexis: "Well…Now you do! Listen…I'm not trying to say that Sonny isn't allowed to have children of his own, OK? I mean…If Carly had been the one pregnant with his child she'd have jumped on the opportunity to tell him, but I didn't because I wanted to protect Kristina - and now…Well now all of Sonny's enemies know that the best way to get to Sonny is by using Kristina."

Cameron: "He does have guards on you…"
Alexis: "He had guards on me when my step-mother; Helena Cassadine kidnapped me, and Johnny was ambushed so forgive me if I don't put all my confidence in Sonny's guards."

Cameron: "You have to make the most of this situation Alexis because there's no changing it."

Alexis: "I realize that - well…Until Sonny screws up anyways - and trust me - he will screw up!"

*** FLASHBACK ***

Alexis: "You're still up?" She asked descending the stairs wearing a pair of jeans, a white jersey, a pair of black sandals and her hair up in a parted ponytail.

Cameron: "Of course…You look better!"

Alexis: "Thanks…" She replied touching her hair, before she poured some water into a glass.

Cameron: "I thought you were going to get blind-drunk?"

Alexis: "That was the idea but after having seen my beautiful daughter sleeping I couldn't! I need to figure out where to go now - without the assistance of alcohol." She replied sitting down on the couch next to Cameron.

Cameron: "What happened between you and Sonny?"

Alexis: "When?"

Cameron: "Alexis! In the interrogation room of course!" He exclaimed knowing that she was trying to get him to change the subject.

Alexis: "Nothing…He talked…I talked…I told him that he could never see Kristina again…Aren't you tired?"

Cameron: "What?"

Alexis: "Aren't you tired?"

Cameron: "How could you say that to Sonny knowing what she means to him? I'm hardly a fan of Sonny's but you know what he went through last time to get shared custody over her."

Alexis: "I lost my temper, OK? But I meant everything I said - I can't let my child live in his life when he can just fake his death whenever he feels like it!"

Cameron: "His enemies were probably getting too close for comfort, and he felt like it was the only way out - try and see it from Sonny's point of view."

Alexis: "I have! Do you know that every woman, who's carried Sonny's child has either died or lost the child they were carrying! Lily was pregnant at the time she was blown to bits just because she'd taken a seat in a limousine, which was owned by Sonny, and Carly lost her child at the Quartermaine mansion thanks to Ned's drunken cousin; A.J."

Cameron: "That's of course terrible but that still doesn't justify cutting the man out of his only child's life. Don't you remember how hard you fought to stay close to Kristina when the Quartermaines had custody of her? You even impersonated a butler to stay close to her."

Alexis: "I know that I went to extremes, OK? But I never faked my own death in hopes of getting the upper hand of my enemies." She replied getting up from the couch, and walking to the window facing the street.

Cameron: "I realize that you and Sonny are very different in your lifestyles, OK? But you loved him once enough to create a brand, new life with him. And even if you didn't tell him the truth right away then Sonny is a part of Kristina no matter how much visitation he has."

Alexis: "So what do you want me to do Dr.?" She asked sarcastically turning away from the window.

Cameron: "Simple: go to Sonny, and tell him that you were wrong!"

Alexis: "No way! I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of gaining control over me! That's the whole point of separating him from Kristina - so that I can be in control for once."

Cameron: "This has nothing to do with control! You just want to hurt Sonny - right? You want to hurt Sonny because of all the times he's hurt you in the past!" He exclaimed looking at Alexis, as if he didn't even know the woman standing before him anymore.

Alexis: "Don't look at me that way, alright? Sonny is the guilty party in all of this! He made me fall for him, and then he just tossed me aside like some…Floosie he'd picked up at the local bar! This is all because of Sonny, and he deserves to suffer!"

Cameron: "How can you talk about the father of your child that way? You and Sonny are the reasons why Kristina is alive today! Or have you completely forgotten a year ago when Kristina had been sick with a throat infection, and you got all riled up - Sonny was the one, who calmed you down!" He exclaimed jumping up from the couch.

Alexis: "He'll never change…" She replied remembering what Sonny had told her once about his lifestyle.

*** FLASHBACK ***

Sonny: "Well, you know if it's something small, I'll get upset but I'll handle it. But, you know, if he betrays me in any way, then, you know, I…I don't know if I can get past that."

Alexis: "Maybe he knows that."

Sonny: "He thinks that I'll change, but I won't."

Alexis: "That's a part of who you are."

*** FLASHBACK ***

chapter 8