Returning to a Friend
by Cowgirl

Part 1

Alexis sat on her couch in her apartment. It was quiet, too quiet, almost deafeningly quiet. She glanced down at the medical journal she was studying and continued to read about disassociative identity disorder. That's all she had done since the day the trial ended and her sentence was handed down to her, researched ways to get around this did nightmare she had started. Six months with no contact with her daughter. When she had first heard the judge's decision, she had panicked; her whole plan was for nothing. She had gotten away with ridding the world of Luiz Alcazar, but she had lost her precious girl in the process. Now she was in Ned's hands and that was too close to the Quartermaine family for Alexis' comfort. The more she thought about her sentence though, the more she became encouraged that she could find ways around it. Surely Jax would help her, but when she had asked him, he refused. Cameron had been so good to her through this whole thing, even when he found out she had been faking the whole thing, but even he had told her that he planned to stick to the six month order, for her own good. Ned ... Ned was of no use to anyone. He had physically thrown her out of the gatehouse when she tried to see her baby.

She threw aside the book she was reading and stretched her aching neck muscles when a knock sounded on her door. "Just a minute!" she exclaimed wearily as she moved to answer the door.

She expected to find Jax or Cameron or even Gia standing there with their well-meaning concern at the ready but when she opened the door her stomach clenched in anger as she stood face to face with Carly Corinthos.

Alexis' eyes turned cold as she looked at the woman before her. "Leave," she said pointedly as she prepared to shut the door.

Carly moved forward preventing Alexis from doing so. "I need to talk to you."

"I can't think of a single thing that you and I need to talk about," Alexis said, fighting to keep a calm exterior.

Carly held up her hands. "I didn't come here to fight. I really need to talk to you."

Alexis took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I couldn't care less what you need Carly."

"Alexis, please, it's about Sonny."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "I take that back. I could care less. Goodbye Carly."

Carly moved further into the apartment. "Please. It took every ounce of courage I have to come to you."

Alexis shook her head. "Carly, in case you haven't heard, I have problems of my own right now. If Sonny needs a lawyer I suggest that you find Ric Lansing."

"He doesn't need a lawyer okay ... he needs ... " Carly took a deep breath, clearly troubled by what she was trying to say. "He's in trouble."

Alexis shrugged. "When isn't he? Like I said, right now I have bigger fish to fry."

Alexis held up her hands in defeat when Carly made no move to go. "I give up ... " she said taking a few steps away from Carly. "You want to stand in my living room? Be my guest ... I need to take a shower." She turned to walk out of the room when Carly's voice stopped her.

"You're the only one who might be able to get through to him!" she practically yelled, her voice riddled with desperation.

Alexis stopped in her tracks and thought for a second before turning around. "What ever is wrong with Sonny ... I'm the last person who can get through to him ... he hates me, despises me ... isn't that what you told me the day you slapped my face in that courtroom?"

Carly pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "He's in bad shape and you used to be able to talk him out of his depressions."

Alexis moved to the couch and sat down. Crossing her legs and folding her arms across her chest, she stared up at Carly. "So Sonny's depressed. What do you want me to do about it? Cheer him up? You're his wife, why don't you help him?"

Carly walked over to Alexis' fireplace and picked up a stuffed toy that sat there. She held it for a moment before putting it down and turning back to Alexis. "I'm sorry you lost your daughter."

Alexis blinked. "Spare me the idle chatter Carly. You could care less if I burned in hell."

Carly scratched her head. "Okay ... I dislike you, you dislike me. Can we get past that for a minute and talk about Sonny."

"I'm done talking about Sonny." She stood up and paced the room. "I'm confused here Carly. Ever since your spectacular rise from the dead you've been yammering for me to get out of Sonny's life." She spread her hands out in front of her. "I'm out ... you win ... Sonny and I can't stand to be in the same room anymore. He hates me. Now you want me to go and help him with his depression?"

"You know how he gets when he's like this. It's really bad this time and I don't know what to do. The families ... "

Alexis held up a hand. "Don't ... don't you dare bring up any of Sonny's despicable associates in my home."

"This coming from a murderer!" Carly shot out and regretted it instantly.

Alexis jumped at her words. "Get out," she said through gritted teeth.

"Alexis wait ... I didn't mean that. I know you're ... you couldn't help what you did. Please ... please help him before he gets killed."

Alexis turned away from Carly. Her words were hitting her like a fist to the gut. She knew in her mind if Carly was begging this hard for her help, that Sonny must be in bad shape.

"Alexis ... Sonny doesn't ... he doesn't hate you all right. I said that ... he never did."

Alexis turned back to face Carly.

"I said it. Sonny, as usual excused everything that you've said and done to him. He thinks you hate him."

Alexis' head was starting to throb. "I don't ... " She put her hand to her forehead.

"What am I supposed to do for him?"

Carly shook her head. "I don't know ... try to talk to him. He's lost everything Alexis. Benny's dead and he blames himself. He fired Jason and won't talk to him ... he's shut Michael and me out ... made us go and stay at my mother's. He's drinking, he walks around unguarded ... when he bothers to leave the penthouse at all. I've never seen him like this ... not this bad. He used to listen to you, he respected you and trusted you Alexis."

Alexis stood and walked around her living room, she shook her head. "Carly, I'm sorry, but you don't understand. I lost my daughter. You're a mother ... think about someone telling you that you can't see your child for six months. I can't deal with someone else's problems right now. I'm under constant scrutiny from my doctor, from the courts ... the last thing I need to do is be seen commiserating with Sonny Corinthos, local crime lord." She shook her head again. "I'm sorry."

Carly sighed heavily and walked to Alexis. "Please help him."

Alexis stared into the other woman's eyes for a second before closing her own.
"Where is he?" she said at last.

"He's at the penthouse. He barely leaves there."

"I'll go and talk to him Carly, but I don't know what good it will do if he's this bad," she replied as she walked to the door and opened it. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a lot to do today."

Carly moved to the door but stopped short of going through it her back to Alexis.

"Thank you," she said meekly and left.