Game Day
by Cowgirl

chapter 18 - Technical Difficulties

Sonny rolled over in his bed and slammed his fist down hard on his offending alarm clock. He sat up and looked around the room, his eyes adjusting to the morning light when a noise emanating from downstairs caught his attention. Warily he got up and walked softly out of his room to the top of the stairs. He held his breath straining to hear any further sounds. After a few minutes, he could hear the distinct sound of a woman humming and it was coming from the kitchen. He smiled and started to descend the stairs. Alexis must have let herself in. He was half way down the stairs when he stopped, suddenly horrified. Alexis was in his kitchen. He skipped the last three stairs and sped toward his undoubtedly doomed kitchen. "Step away from my kitchen before you hurt it woman," he yelled as he burst into the room, grabbing Alexis around the waist.

Alexis laughed and grabbed at Sonny's hands. "Will you stop. I brought food over from Kelly's," she giggled as she warded off Sonny's wandering hands. "I was just getting some plates and eating utensils I swear."

Sonny tightened his hold. "You sure you didn't touch any of my appliances?"

Alexis held up three fingers in a Girl Scout salute. "Honest."

Sonny eyed her suspiciously. "You weren't about to attempt to cook, heat up or make anything?"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Please."

Sonny held her gaze for a moment and they both broke into matching dimpled smiles. He leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the mouth. "Good morning."

Alexis moved away from him and offered him a coffee out of a to go cup from Kelly's. "Good morning yourself. You can sure spoil a surprise breakfast in bed Mr. Paranoid."

"I always have to be cautious, you know that."

Alexis shook her head. "And what...you thought one of the five families was in here hot wiring your oven?"

Sonny smiled and spread his hands open. "Stranger things have happened to people."

Alexis held up a hand. "Forget it...I don't want to know."

Sonny moved to the sink and dropped his styrofoam cup of coffee into it. Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong with the coffee?"

Sonny nodded. "Yeah, it's not mine...and I don't drink from styrofoam."

Alexis thrust her nose up in the air. "Well, pardon me." She shot him a smirk. "You know for a criminal you're awfully picky."

Sonny held up a finger. "Alleged criminal," he said as he gently pushed Alexis against the counter and pressed himself against her. "And I prefer the term lawfully challenged," he said seductively.

Alexis smiled and pressed her mouth to his. "Lawfully challenged huh?" she murmured against his lips.

"Yeah." Sonny answered before pressing his lips to hers. He pulled away gently. "Are we going to eat or what?"

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Sonny finished cleaning up the remnants of breakfast and returned to the couch where Alexis sat with the remote in her hand. He watched her for a moment, giving her puppy dog eyes as she flipped through channels. She turned her head to him. "What?"

Sonny said nothing and flipped his head towards the remote control in her hand, wiggling his eyebrows for added effect.

Alexis held the remote up. "This? You want this?" she said waving the remote. Sonny nodded and Alexis thought for a moment. "No...I don't think so."

Sonny stuck out his lower lip and Alexis rolled her eyes. "No."

Sonny looked away and then back to her, brandishing his best killer dimpled smile.

Alexis laughed. "You think you can get whatever you want with those dimples."

Sonny nodded, the smile never leaving his face.

Alexis leaned towards his face until they were inches apart. "No," she said softly and sat back up.

"Come on...give me the remote sweetheart...please?"

Alexis snapped her head in his direction and raised an eyebrow. "Do you honestly think pet names are going to work on me?"

"They do when we're..."

"Must you always be so crass?" Alexis cut him off.

Sonny ran a hand slowly over Alexis' jean clad thigh. "You're not going to make me watch some girlie sport today are you?"

"Girlie sport?"

"Yeah...you know like ice capades or something."

Alexis deadpanned him. "When have I ever made you watch the ice capades?"

"You did that one time," Sonny argued.

"That wasn't the ice capades -- it was figure skating."

"Same difference."

"How can you be so close minded when for the last how many months you've been sitting here forcing me to watch all of your barbaric sports."

Sonny sat up straight, and excited look crossing his face. "Sonny the barbarian?"

Alexis put her hand on his chest and held him at bay. "You wish." She turned her attention to the television. "I think today we'll watch a sport that I have some chance of understanding." She flipped through the channels.

Sonny made a grab for the remote and Alexis held it away from him. She aimed the remote at the t.v and turned on the sports channel that they usually watched. "Oh good, we'll watch this," she said with glee.

Sonny turned his head and looked at the television. "I am not watching trout fishing."

Alexis gave him a cupie doll face. "It's a sport," she said with mock innocence. "And it isn't girlie."

Sonny stood up and extended his hand. "Come on sweetheart...you know you want to give me the remote," he said with a flick of his head.

Alexis backed up toward the door and opened it tossing the remote to a surprised Max. "Max, this might be a bomb...get rid of it quick," she said rapidly and slammed the door shut.

Sonny stopped and stared open-mouthed at the door. "You told him to get rid of my remote?" He ran to the door and threw it open to reveal a puzzled Max holding a completely dismantled television remote. Sonny glared at him.

The bodyguard blushed and ducked his head, his eyes nervously bouncing between Sonny and Alexis. "Um... she was kidding wasn't she," he said sheepishly.

"Yeah...she was kidding." Sonny replied irritated. He reached out his hand and took the broken remote pieces, carrying them back into the penthouse followed by Alexis.

Alexis put her hand over her mouth to hide her laughter. "He defused your remote."

Sonny looked up at her from the couch like a wounded little boy. "This isn't funny," he whined. "You don't mess with a man's remote control Alexis."

Alexis moved to the couch and sat down beside him. "I'm sorry...I'll buy you a new one."

He held up the broken remote like it had once been his best friend. "Now how am I going to change channels?"

Alexis patted him on the leg. "I think you'll have to do it the old fashioned way."

Sonny shot her a horrified look.

She patted him again. "Here, let me." She stood up and walked to the television. Sonny jumped up and went after her.

"No, you've done enough damage for today," he pouted as he reached for her.

Alexis ducked out of his way just as he lunged for her, sending Sonny careening into the ottoman which took flight knocking into the entertainment unit and sending to the ground with a shower of sparks and glass.

Alexis stood with her hands over her ears and her shoulders scrunched up to her chin. Sonny slowly pulled himself off of the ground and surveyed the rubble that was once his very expensive entertainment unit with quiet shock. He slowly turned his open-mouthed gaze to Alexis, using one hand to point at the pile of wreckage. "That was a plasma television," he said mechanically.

Alexis slowly moved towards him. "I am so sorry...I just ducked to get out of your way."

Sonny narrowed his eyes into a disbelieving squint. "You wrecked my remote...and my television...thereby wrecking my Sunday sports ritual."

Alexis cringed and cautiously reached out and laid her hand on his shoulder. "Honey I'm really sorry."

Sonny looked at her for a moment. "Don't try the pet names with me. It's not going to work." He pouted at her for a second. "I need to be entertained you know."

Alexis laughed softly and wrapped her arms around his slender waist. "You know, there is a part of your Sunday sports ritual that is still in tact."

"What's that?" Sonny asked with all the fervor of a scolded boy.

Alexis moved closer to him and ran her tongue over the outline of his ear. "You seem to forget...I can be even more entertaining than a sporting event."

Sonny pondered this for a second before cracking a smile. "You've got a lot of making up to do."

"I'll try my best," she purred as her hands ran down his back.

"That was an expensive t.v you know," he said as he backed her to the stairs.

"I'll see if I can make you forget about it."

"It had picture in picture."

"I'm much better than picture in picture."

"It had digital stereo sound."

Alexis cocked an eyebrow. "I'll scream in your ear," she said sarcastically. "You're pushing it Corinthos."

"I just really liked that television," he said casting a glance back over his shoulder at his fallen friend.

Alexis hooked her finger under his chin and pulled his face within inches of hers. "I thought you really liked me," she drawled.

Sonny smiled and picked her up in his arms, kissing her passionately. "You, I more than like sweetheart."

"Again with the pet names."

"Yeah, but this time their working."

chapter 19