They
sat on her bed with her nestled into the crook of his arm, her little
body snuggled up against him.
"Do you always take this well to strangers?" Sonny asked.
"You're not a stranger. You're my Dad silly."
"But you don't really know me Kristina."
"Well isn't that what you're here for?" she asked.
"Yea," he said incredulously.
"That's what I thought. Now where were we?"
"Getting to know each other."
"Right. I'll ask the first question."
"Shoot."
"What is your job?"
"Coffee importing."
"Are there bad men in coffee importing? Mom said you are a
good man, but other men at your job were bad, and would try to hurt
me."
"Umm I quit that job. No one's going to hurt you I promise."
"You might want to tell Mom that," Kristina said.
"I will."
"Now you ask me a question."
"What's your favorite subject in school?"
"Gym."
"Gym's a subject now?"
"Not really I just like it a lot. History is my favorite to
learn."
"What's your least favorite?"
"Math. It's too easy. It bores me."
"I can understand that. Maybe when you grow up you can be my
accountant," Sonny told her.
"Could we see each other everyday, and go out to lunch like
Mommy does with her clients!"
"Sure we could," he smiled at her youthful exuberance.
"Mommy has an accountant. His name is Nigel. He always has
suckers when we go there. Cherry is my favorite." She rambled
on bringing a dimpled grin to his face.
"Your turn."
"Do you love mommy?"
"Sure I do."
"I really, really think you need to tell her that."
"It's not that simple, and don't run and tell your mom what
I just told you."
"I can keep a secret Daddy."
"Good, but no secrets. You're just not going to say anything."
"My lips are sealed. Will you be here when I wake up in the
morning?" she asked.
"No. I'll go get a hotel room, and come back in the morning.
How would you like it if I made you the best breakfast ever?"
"You can cook?"
"Of course."
"Mom can't. She burns things."
"I know. How do French Toast, bacon, and fresh squeezed orange
juice sound?"
"With syrup and powdered sugar?"
"Whatever you want."
"Sounds yummy. Can Mommy eat with us too?"
"Of course. I'll go downstairs and invite her. You need to
get some sleep. It's late."
"OK you go ask mom and I'll get ready for bed."
Sonny headed downstairs. Alexis sat at her desk going over some
legal documents. She rubbed at her neck trying to ease some of the
tension that had her tied up in knots.
"Is she alright?" Alexis asked as he walked up behind
her.
"Yea she's fine," he said as his hands touched down on
her shoulders. She stiffened immediately. "Relax," Sonny
whispered as he tried to knead the tension from her muscles. She
wasn't cooperating.
"Please stop," she felt herself succumbing to the firm
pressure of his hands and fingers. It felt good, but she couldn't
allow him to continue.
"I'm just trying to help."
"Thanks, but I don't need it," Alexis quickly rose from
her chair and put some distance between them.
"I'm sorry."
"MOMMY! DADDY! I'M READY TO BE TUCKED IN!" Kristina hollered.
"We'll be right there sweetie," Alexis returned.
"Every other weekend won't be enough for me," Sonny told
her softly.
"We're not discussing this right now. We are going to put our
daughter to bed, and then you're leaving."
"I told her I'd be back in the morning to make her breakfast."
"That's fine," she snapped as they made their way upstairs.
"That's fine," he mimicked. Alexis rolled her eyes and
held her tongue.
They each gave Kristina a goodnight kiss and hug, making sure she
was all snuggled in for the night.
"See you in the morning Daddy," she said giving him her
sweetest smile.
"You will. Goodnight Kristina."
"Mommy I need to talk to you for a second."
"Sure what is it?"
"I just wanted to tell that I'm glad I have a daddy now, but
I'm always going to want my mommy too."
"I love you so much baby," Alexis said pulling Kristina
into her arms, and trying to not weep openly.
"I love you too."
Sonny watched their exchange through the crack in the door and smiled.
He knew Alexis' fears, and would do his best to keep them at bay.
He had no intention of stealing his daughter away. It was clear
Alexis needed Kristina, as much as Kristina did her. They were a
package deal. A package he hoped to take delivery of very soon.
He'd been waiting for eight years, and that was to damn long.
~~~~~~~~~~
Kristina
opened the door to him early that morning with strict orders for
him to be quiet and not wake Alexis.
"You wanna help me make breakfast?" he asked.
"Sure, but no loud noises. Mom was up most of the night crying."
"What?"
"I shouldn't have told you," she said.
"I won't mention it to her. Why was she crying?"
"I don't know? She doesn't do it every night, but she's done
it since I was little. When I hear her I crawl into bed and cuddle
with her. She always tells me how beautiful I am, and then goes
to sleep."
Kristina's admission was a double-edged sword. Sonny hoped it was
he who she was crying over. It meant she still cared, but it pained
him to think he had hurt her so badly that she'd lost sleep over
him.
"Well we'll be extra quiet then so mommy can get her beauty
sleep."
"Mommy doesn't need it. She's always pretty," Kristina
said with a smile.
"That she is. Ok lets get started shall we?"
"We shall sir," she said in her best British accent.
Alexis stretched and yawned as the heady scent of coffee and bacon
assailed her senses, then she remembered … Sonny's here. She
rolled out of bed, completed her morning beauty routine and padded
to the kitchen. She entered undetected and watched from the doorway.
Kristina stood on a chair next to Sonny as he concocted some sort
of mixture for the French toast.
"Ok Kristina its two eggs, a dash of milk, and one-half teaspoon
of vanilla extract. Are you writing this down?" he asked.
"I've got it all right here," she said, tapping at her
temple.
"You are your mother's daughter."
"Well who else's would I be?"
"Nobody's, and I wouldn't want it any other way." Sonny
tweaked the end of her nose making Kristina laugh. Alexis backed
up a few steps and entered the kitchen fully.
"Good morning," she said cheerfully as she put her arms
around Kristina from behind and smothered the side of her face with
playful kisses.
"Mommy I'm helping Daddy make breakfast!"
"I see that. You're such a good helper."
"I can make you an omelet if you don't want French toast,"
Sonny offered as he thought of how adorable she looked wearing a
baby tee, flannel sleep pants, and her trademark wool socks. Her
hair was pulled back in a thick ponytail, and her face was freshly
scrubbed. She looked down right edible. "Down boy." He
screamed on the inside as he held the whisk in a death grip.
"French toast will be fine. Thank you."
"No problem. We have things under control here. Why don't you
go in the living room, and we'll come get you when it's ready."
"Any reason in particular I'm being excluded?"
"We're bonding mom, and you can't cook anyway."
"Well when you're right, you're right," Alexis said with
a resigned sigh and turned to leave. "Are you sure you don't
need my help?"
"Yep."
"Positive," Sonny chimed in.
"Humph." She went to the living room and plopped down
on the couch. She flipped threw a magazine. Their laughter bounced
off the walls and reached her ears. Alexis was feeling left out
and more than a little sad. She was in danger of losing her daughter
to the charms of Sonny Corinthos. She couldn't blame Kristina though;
she hadn't been able to resist them either.
"Come on Mommy breakfast is ready!" Kristina said happily
as she dragged Alexis off the couch and into the dining room.
"It smells heavenly. I bet I can guess which pieces of toast
are yours," Alexis said.
"Aren't they neat! Daddy cooked them in that shape. He said
I already had his, but that if you wanted you could have it too!"
she exclaimed.
"Have what?" Alexis asked as Kristina rambled on at a
feverish pace.
"His heart," Kristina said none the wiser to the implications
that went along with the possession of such a thing.
"He said that did he?"
"It's the truth," Sonny said as his eyes stared hard into
hers.
"The truth hurts. Let's eat shall we?" She said nonchalantly
as she took a seat. They ate in relative harmony. Kristina helped
pass the time as she recounted every event of her life she could
remember since the age of two. By the time they had finished breakfast
she had only covered up to age four. Hearing her tell of each adventure
as she saw it delighted both mother and father immensely. Sonny
wished so badly that he had been allowed to share in them with her.
After they had cleaned the kitchen Kristina went upstairs to shower
and change. Alexis tried to do the same, but as her daughter reached
the top of the stairs and disappeared down the hall Sonny stopped
her.
"What was all that about earlier? The truth hurts?"
"I could have your heart if I wanted it!" she hissed.
"My god Sonny eight years have gone by! Do you think I'm so
desperate that you can just waltz back in here, make my daughter
fall in love you, and expect me to follow suit?"
"Stranger things have happened."
"Such as?" she questioned.
"We had a baby together. I never expected that. I bet you didn't
either."
"The concept of you and I was strange. Procreation is the natural
thing that happens when two people have sex," she said.
"I've had sex Alexis. We didn't have sex that night."
"Don't you dare bring love into it."
"Why not. You were in love me. Weren't you?" Sonny asked
as he slowly walked toward her.
"What ever gave you that idea?" Her breathing quickened
as he stopped within inches of her.
"Not what ever; whom ever. Your sister, Ned, Jax, and my ex-wife;
they all knew how you felt about me. Why didn't I?"
"You knew! Don't try and pretend that just because I never
came right out and said it that you didn't."
"You should have told me."
"When, that night? If you would have stopped shoving your tongue
down my throat long enough for me to say a few words I might have!"
Alexis railed.
"I didn't hear you complaining."
"How could you? I was practically gagged."
Sonny laughed and it irked her to no end. "What's so damned
funny."
"You. You can't even say you enjoyed making love with me, all
admissions of love aside. Can you?"
"Your ego knows no bounds," she said taking a step back
"Has it ever?" he asked taking a step closer.
"No." Her back hit a wall.
"I can tell you one thing for sure Alexis. I more than enjoyed
myself that night, and was hoping for a repeat performance after
breakfast, but you went and got dressed. When you asked me if I
had any idea what would happen next, do you know what my answer
was going to be?" Sonny purred.
"No, and I don't want to know."
"Sure ya do." He leaned in pressing his body gently against
hers. His voice was low and seductive against her ear. Alexis' face
flushed scarlet at his provocative suggestion as to what he would
have and still longed to do with her. "Whaddya say Alexis?
We're both consenting adults."
"I'm not consenting to anything with you again, ever."
She was dying a slow and painful death. With each breath her chest
grazed his, the thin tee shirt doing nothing to conceal her awareness
of him.
"Never say never Alexis. I've waited eight years for you."
Sonny's teeth nipped her earlobe, and his lips brushed light kisses
over the sensitive skin of her neck. He heard the faintest of moans
escape her lips, and felt her eyelash brush against his cheek as
her eyes drifted shut.
"MOMMY I'M ALL CLEAN!" Her entire body jerked against
him as her daughter's voice brought her back to reality. Alexis
silently cursed herself for letting him get to her. She ducked under
his arm and ran upstairs. Sonny groaned in frustrated agony.
"So close, but yet so far," he thought. Sonny sat on Kristina's
very girly bed amongst the pile of pillows and stuffed animals and
watched as Alexis gently worked her way through the thick dark mass
of waves and curls of his daughter's hair with extreme care.
"Ok what will it be today madam?" Alexis asked as she
finished untangling her hair.
"French braids Mommy."
"You got it kiddo."
"How'd you learn to do that Alexis?" he asked. She'd fixed
Kristina up in no time flat.
"Years of practice."
"How do I look Daddy?" she asked.
"Beautiful absolutely beautiful," he said, beaming with
pride. "How about I take you out for the day, and then ice
skating at Rockefeller Center tonight."
"I would love that!"
"I'm sorry she can't go. I have plans tonight, and can't go
with you. Besides Ms. Stanphill already agreed to baby-sit."
"What? You don't trust me with my own kid Alexis?"
"I trust you Daddy," Kristina chirped.
"Thank you baby."
"You hardly know him," Alexis said as she looked down
at her.
"I know him enough."
"Yea she knows me enough," Sonny declared.
"Can I trust you?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"A valid one. You have her back home by ten o' clock, not a
second later or I call out the national guard."
"I promise. We'll be home by ten and not a second later ...
Hitler."
"We're going to have so much fun Daddy," she said taking
his hand.
"Yea. It's to bad Mommy can't come have fun with us because
she has plaaannnsss."
"Bite me," Alexis mouthed as she glared at him.
"I'd love too," he said aloud as he led Kristina out her
room and down the stairs to begin their day of fun.
"You'd love to what Daddy?"
"Nothing baby," Sonny chuckled, as he looked up at Alexis
whose mouth was hanging open as she leaned over the railing and
watched them walk out the door.
