Family Ties
by Susanne

Chapter 8 - Erasing The Pain

After the confrontation with Alexis, Sonny had gone back to PH4 alone needing to think about his future, and whether it could entail his daughter or not. When Sonny arrived at PH4 Max stood guard outside.

Max: "Sir?" He asked, as he stood face to face with Sonny.

Sonny: "Yeah, Max - what is it?"

Max: "Johnny is guarding Ms. Davis' house right now, as you asked!" He exclaimed opening the door for his employer.

Sonny: "Good - listen Max! If the present Mrs. Corinthos comes then tell her that I want to be alone tonight - I've got some thinking to do!"

Max: "You got it boss!"

Sonny: "Good…" He replied entering PH4 before shutting the door close.

Sonny walked to the fireplace where he started a fire before his gaze went to the mantel, and his eyes caught a glimpse of a picture, which had been taken a few weeks back of Michael and Kristina. They were sitting on the couch in Sonny's livingroom - Kristina on Michael's lap, and Michael's arms entwined around Kristina's waist, and they both had big smiles on their faces. It had been a mutual present from Michael and Kristina to their father on his birthday.

*** FLASHBACK ***

Kristina: "I hope you like it daddy!" She exclaimed, as she and Michael sat on opposite sides of Sonny on the couch in the livingroom, as Sonny unwrapped their present to him.

Sonny: "I'm sure I will! Let's see here…" He replied, as he'd unwrapped the present, and came face to face with a portrait of his two children.

Michael: "Do you like it dad?" He asked, as Sonny just kept on watching the picture frame in amazement.

Sonny: "This is absolutely beautiful, and it's going right onto the mantel! Who thought of this?"

Kristina: "Mommy! She said that nothing warms a man's heart more than his most precious gifts being displayed public. And I already have a picture of you, mommy and me at home, so I wanted to give you a picture of Michael and me - to show you how much we love you!" She explained, as Sonny placed the picture on the mantel for everyone to admire.

Sonny: "Come here…" He replied, as Michael and Kristina hugged him at the same time letting their father know just how much they loved him.

*** FLASHBACK ***

Sonny knew that what he'd recently done to both Alexis and Kristina had made them all drift further apart. Ever since Alexis and he had been awarded shared custody of Kristina he'd been insanely jealous of how Alexis seemed to turn to Dr. Feel Good for every emergency. And when they'd announced that they were moving in together that had been IT! Sonny had realized how deeply he felt for Alexis but he also knew that he couldn't tell her his true feelings because then it would ruin everything just like it had the last time.

*** FLASHBACK ***

Sonny: "Hey. You OK?"

Alexis: "I'm OK."

Sonny: "This is what you thought would wreck things between us?"

Alexis: "Yeah."
Sonny: "It's all going to be OK. Don't worry about it."

*** FLASHBACK ***

Suddenly he could hear his always 'quiet' wife; Carly Corinthos yelling at his bodyguard; Max.

Carly: "I have a right to be here Max! He's my husband, and I'm not going away just because you say so!"

Max: "Mr. Corinthos gave me strict orders not to let you in Mrs. Corinthos! Michael is at Bobbie's - why don't you go join him?" He asked getting fed up with her.

Sonny: "Max! It's fine - just let her in!" He exclaimed opening the door.

Max: "You're sure?"

Sonny: "Yeah…What do you want Carly?" He asked, as Carly entered PH4 before Sonny slammed the door shut.

Carly: "I know that whatever Alexis said to you in the interrogation room must have hurt, but nothing has to change with us Sonny! We're just as much in love, as we were when we first laid eyes on each other!"

Sonny: "Are you nuts? We hated each other on sight, and I only let you into my life because you were pregnant with my baby!"

Carly: "So…You're blaming me for all of this - including the fact that Alexis is going to cut you out of Kristina's life?"

Sonny: "Wait a minute…How did you know about that?" He asked knowing that he hadn't told her about what had transpired between him and Alexis in the interrogation room.

Carly: "You told me?"

Sonny: "The hell I did! You listened into my private conversation with the mother of my child - didn't you?"

Carly: "What did you expect me to do Sonny? You don't tell me anything anymore!!"

Sonny: "GET OUT!!!!" He yelled, as he took her arm, and towed her to the door, which he slammed shut afterwards.

Cameron and Alexis were sitting in the livingroom having a cup of coffee after having discussed the lifestyle of Sonny Corinthos.

Cameron: "I think that you're afraid to admit your true feelings for him!"

Alexis: "What? How can you say that after everything we've been through together?"

Cameron: "I know that you love me, OK? But I'm beginning to think that you think of me as a friend, and not as a lifelong companion. And maybe that's for the best…?"

Alexis: "What? You've said yourself that you think of Kristina as your own daughter, and if Sonny's out of the picture then…"

Cameron: "I can't substitute Sonny's role in Kristina's life. Kristina will only think of one man as her father, and that man is Sonny Corinthos."

Alexis: "Sonny's life is too dangerous, which is why I kept the truth from him in the first place. Carly might be able to risk Michael's life like that but I can't."

Cameron: "You want to hear my take on this?"

Alexis: "Can I stop you?" She asked sarcastically.

Cameron: "Probably not! You haven't dealt with your feelings for Sonny because after he and Carly resumed their relationship your relationship with Sonny back stepped into being a 'business relationship'. You need to deal with your emotions better, and…" Suddenly he stopped because Alexis was giggling.

Alexis: "Sorry…"

Cameron: "What's so funny?" He asked with a smile on his lips.

Alexis: "A few years back I said the very same thing to Sonny…" She replied, as she remembered that very evening.

*** FLASHBACK ***

Sonny: "Your sister seems a little high-strung, don't you think?"

Alexis: "I hardly think you're qualified to make that comment."

Sonny: "Well, I'm just saying that, you know, sometimes she seems like she doesn't think clearly. Like, you know, she gets going on this metaphysical stuff, like one time she dragged me out into the hall and started telling me about this…You know, this monkey story or…What I'm trying to say, I mean, does she ever, like, say things that don't quite make sense to you?"

Alexis: "She may be a little overly enthusiastic, you know, and tend to draw unique, if not completely inaccurate, conclusions about things, but she's hardly deluded. Is she?"

Sonny: "Well, I don't know. I mean, I don't…I don't know her that well to make that judgment. She just seems a little excitable."

Alexis: "How you can accuse anyone of being excitable is beyond my comprehension."

Sonny: "Well, I mean, I do have a temper. We all know that."

Alexis: "That's an understatement."

Sonny: "But I already apologized."

Alexis: "Well, you could do better."

Sonny: "A better apology?"

Alexis: "No, you could deal with your emotions in a more productive manner."

Sonny: "Oh, say what I feel, don't get mad?"

Alexis: "That's the general idea, yes."

*** FLASHBACK ***

Cameron: "And did he?"

Alexis: "Did he what?" She asked lost in her memories of Sonny.

Cameron: "Learn to deal with his emotions in a more productive manner?"

Alexis: "NO! Sonny will never learn to do that because then it wouldn't be Sonny anymore! He's always very concerned about the people around him, and I love that about him but…"

Cameron: "You can't stand that all that concern get's wasted on the likes of Carly Corinthos?"

Alexis: "Listen…It's true that I don't like Carly actually I can't stand her but she is the woman that Sonny loves…"

Cameron: "Is she? If I look away from my own personal feelings, and look at this scenario as a trusted friend of yours then I would tell you to follow your heart!"

Alexis: "Tried that - got burned!"

Cameron: "Then try again because unless you dig deep into your heart then you'll never be able to love me completely - you need to figure out who your heart belongs to, and you need to do it before we grow any closer."

Alexis: "Cameron?"

Cameron: "I'll go upstairs and pack - if you don't do this Alexis there'll be huge consequences to pay - and one of them will be living apart from the man you truly love!" He explained hurrying upstairs, while Alexis remained in the livingroom amazed of Cameron's kindness.

chapter 9