Returning to a Friend
by Cowgirl

Part 12

Alexis leaned on the accelerator of her BMW and let the wind course through her hair. The warm breeze and sun felt wonderful on her face. She loved this car - it was the one luxury that she allowed herself. She had a lot of money and invested it wisely. When she had gone shopping for a vehicle, the blue metallic color of this car had called to her so she bought it. She would have to part with it sooner or later when Kristina was able to come home with her. She smiled as she tried to picture herself behind the wheel of a minivan. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her cell phone ringing from inside of her purse. Careful to keep her eyes on the road, she reached into her bag with one hand and fished around for the noisy device. Finding it, she lifted it to her ear. "Alexis Davis," she quipped.

"Hey favorite ex-wife," came the happy sound of Jax's accent.

She smiled. "Hey yourself. What's up?"

"Well my dear ex, I've just uncovered the first step in the road to reuniting mother with daughter."

Alexis' heart thumped wildly in her chest as she took in his words. "What do you mean?" she said excitedly.

"Now Alexis," came Jax's cautious tone. "I said first step. There's undoubtedly many more. Don't set yourself up for heartache."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Oh sure, like I haven't seen any of that lately."

"You know what I mean."

"Jax, just tell me what you have," she said impatiently.

"Well, I've managed to convince a certain lab tech to find it in his heart to let me have a copy of the real DNA test that was done."

Alexis hit the break pedal, bringing her car screeching to a halt. She carefully guided the vehicle to the shoulder of the road and threw it into park. "How on earth did you do that?" she asked almost breathlessly.

"Well, apparently having more money than God can have that affect on people."

"You bribed him?"

"It worked for Ned."

"Touché," Alexis replied. "You have them in your possession?"

"I do. Would you like to know the real results?" he joked.

"I know the real results Jax," she said dryly. "Can I swing by and pick them up?"

"I'm at my office."

"Oh Jax I love you."

"I love you too. I'll be waiting."

"We should have never gotten divorced, you know that?"

"I agree ... we had a better fake marriage than most real couples."

"I'll be there soon ... and thank you."

"Anything for you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carly stepped off of the elevator and took a deep breath. She marched straight ahead bypassing Max and reaching for the doorknob of the penthouse. Max moved quickly and covered her hand with his own before wedging himself between her and the door. "I'm sorry Mrs. Corinthos. I have orders not to let anyone in."

Carly clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes. "I live here ... it's my damn house and he's my damn husband."

Max sighed. "I know that Mrs. Corinthos, but he doesn't want to see anyone." Carly let out and exasperated breath. "I don't care. I'm going in there."

Max shook his head. "Mrs. Corinthos ... the boss has been doing a little better lately. Why don't you let him decide when he wants to see you?"

Carly stepped closer to Max and looked directly at him. "You know what Max?" she said with a fake smile.

Max shook his head. "What's that?"

"You're an asshole," she spat out before landing a knee to his groin sending the body guard to the floor racked with pain.

Carly smiled to herself and entered the penthouse, locking the door behind her.

She cautiously eyed the room for signs of Sonny. She was about to go upstairs when she heard movement in the kitchen. "Sonny?" she called out in a low voice.

A minute later Sonny came out of the kitchen. "Lex? Is that you?" He stopped, his smile fading when he saw who stood before him. "What are you doing here Carly?"

Carly fought to quell her anger. "Disappointed that I'm not ... Lex?" she said sarcastically.

Sonny breathed deep, trying to remain calm. "I was expecting her ... that's all."

Carly raised and eyebrow and pursed her lips. "But your own wife isn't allowed."

Sonny reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I just want to get myself together Carly."

"Oh, I see. And only the great almighty savior Alexis Davis can help you?"

Sonny looked away for a moment. "Making things better with Alexis is part of helping myself."

Carly shook with anger. "Why is that Sonny? Why is it still about that lying betraying whore?"

"Don't talk about her like that," Sonny admonished.

"Why not Sonny? For months you claimed she meant nothing to you."

"You know that Alexis means a great deal to me. I was angry with her ... she was angry with me."

"But now she's all in good graces again, right?"

"Look Carly, you're the one who went to her and asked her to help me."

"That's right," Carly snapped. "I went to the lying bitch because I know you and I know that no matter what she's always going to be a saint in your eyes."

"Don't do this Carly. I don't want to fight," Sonny said dejectedly.

"Do what? Wonder why my husband has kicked me and our son out of our own home? Wonder why he won't see us or talk to us?"

Sonny squeezed his eyes shut. The familiar pounding starting up in his head.

"Carly, I'm scared all right?"

"Scared of what Sonny?"

"I'm not myself. I don't want to be around you or Michael until I'm myself again."

Carly rolled her eyes. "I don't see what the problem is Sonny. Just make yourself better like you always do."

Sonny massaged his throbbing head. "It's not like that Carly ... this thing is getting worse. I ... I can't control it anymore." He looked desperately at Carly willing her to understand. "I almost hurt Alexis the other day and I don't want to hurt you or Michael, don't you get that?" He swallowed hard as the familiar sinking feeling started to well up in his chest. He took a few puffs of air. "Carly ... I need you to leave," he said as he squinted and ran his hand across the beads of sweat that were forming on his brow.

Carly looked at him confused. "Sonny? What's the matter."

Sonny fought the urge to cry. "Just go, Carly."

Carly moved forward and threw her arms around him. "What is it, baby?"

Sonny removed her hands and gave her a shove away from him. "Get out," he shouted. "Max."

Seconds later he heard his bodyguard trying to open the door that Carly had locked. He looked at her. "Go unlock the damn door and leave Carly," he huffed.

Carly's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Sonny, what the hell is going on ... I'm not leaving you like this."

"Get the hell out!" Sonny shouted as tears ran down his cheek. "Get out."

Carly jumped at the tone of his voice and headed for the door. She unlocked it and the second she did the door burst open as Max flew into the penthouse followed by Alexis.

"Carly, what the hell are you doing here?" Alexis said sharply as she took in the sight of a rapidly deteriorating Sonny leaning against the wall. She moved to him and touched his face. "Sonny? It's okay ... breathe ... just breathe through the feelings ... you can do it."

Sonny looked at her and placed his head on her shoulder, walking into her embrace. Alexis looked over at Carly with disgust. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked quietly. She stroked Sonny's back. "It's all right ... just take deep breaths ... I'm here."

Carly watched in quiet fury as her husband folded like a rag doll into Alexis' arms when moments earlier he had recoiled from her own embrace like she was death.

Max stepped forward and gripped Carly's shoulder. "It’s time to go," he said sternly and ushered Carly out the door. She turned and looked over her shoulder as she left to see Sonny and Alexis sink to the floor holding one another.

Once out in the hallway and the door was closed Carly turned to Max. "You called her, didn't you?"

Max nodded. "That's right I did Mrs. Corinthos ... and I'll call her every single time he needs her because she helps him."

Carly shook her head slowly, a look of pure hatred on her face. "You wait until he's better and I tell him what you did."

Max gave a sarcastic chuckle and leaned close to her. "You go right ahead ... once he's in his right mind he'll realize what's in front of him." He poked a finger into her chest. "And for the record ... if you ever pull a stunt like you did earlier with me again, I don't care whose wife you are ... are we clear?"

Something about the bodyguard's tone made her shudder. "Fine," she said curtly and got onto the waiting elevator.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alexis let out a sigh. She was sitting on the floor with her back to the wall, her legs stretched out in front of her, Sonny lying with his head in her lap. His breathing had finally returned to normal. She rubbed his forehead with one hand while the other sat perched on his shoulder. She looked down at him. "You want to tell me what happened?" she asked softly. Sonny took a breath and slowly sat up, positioning against the wall next to her. "I don't know," he said, his voice raspy. "One minute I'm in the kitchen making lunch ... I heard the door open and someone called out my name." He looked at her. "I thought it was you. I came out of the kitchen and Carly was there."

"And that's what upset you? Seeing Carly?"

Sonny let his head drop onto his chest for a few minutes before returning his gaze out in front of him. "I'm almost ashamed to admit this Lex ... but ... that's why I made Carly and Michael go to Bobby's." He stopped and chewed on his lower lip.

"Why?" Alexis encouraged him.

Sonny slowly swung his head around to look at her. "Because ... because one day I looked at Carly," he said matter of factly.

Alexis furrowed her brow. "I don't understand."

Sonny breathed deep and let it out. "One day I looked at Carly ... she was sitting on the couch reading a magazine ... and I wanted to hurt her."

Alexis' chest lurched at his admittance. "Hurt her how Sonny?"

He shrugged. "I don't know ... I wanted to hit her, smack her so hard ... " his lip quivered as he fought to control his breath. He looked at Alexis with such desperation in his eyes that it brought tears to hers. "I wanted to hurt my own wife," he choked out and started sobbing again.

Alexis scooted over closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. "It's all right Sonny. You didn't hurt her and you knew you had to get her away from you for a while. That's good." She laid her head against his. "Have you talked with Dr. Lewis about this?"

Sonny shook his head. "No, not yet. We only got as far as my childhood so far." Sonny pulled away from Alexis and looked at her for several minutes. He furrowed his brow and dug his hand into his pants pocket, retrieving a wrinkled slip of paper out of it and handed it to Alexis.

"What's this?"

Sonny licked his dry lips. "It's ... Dr. Lewis wants me to take those ... he said they'll help."

Alexis looked at the prescription and read the name of the drug that Cameron had prescribed ... lithium. She turned her head to Sonny. "Do you want to take this Sonny?"

Sonny half nodded his head. "Not really ... I mean I hate ... I've read what those kinds of drugs do to people."

"Then why are you giving this to me?"

Sonny swallowed a couple of times and rubbed his forehead. "I don't know ... I want you to go and get it filled ... or have Max do it I guess."

Alexis nodded and looked at the prescription again. "So you're going to take them?"

Sonny let his head drop. "I have to," he choked out. "I can't go on like this. It's like there's this monster inside me and he's taking over more and more. I almost can't control when he comes out anymore."

"I'll get this filled and you can think about if you want to take them," Alexis said quietly.

Sonny nodded and leaned to the side placing his head on her shoulder. "I want this to go away."

Alexis brought her arm up and cupped his head. "I know you do ... and it will ... but you have to fight for it Sonny. Fight for it like you've never fought for anything in your life."

Sonny closed his eyes at her words, his heart stinging as he thinks about what he has not fought for in his life. Slowly he lifts his head and looks at his friend. "When ... when this is over ... are you and me going to be okay?"

Alexis let her arm slip from his body and flop into her lap. She stared down at her hands as she searched for the proper answer. "Sonny," she began. "I'm here now with you because I care about you. But we've been perfectly horrible to one another over this last year. Things were said between us that can't be so easily forgotten." She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't know what's going to happen with us Sonny ... but I'm not walking away from you. I'll help you through this in any way that I can, but you have to remember that my life is a mess right now too. I need to focus on getting ... getting my daughter back. I need to put her before anything else." She lowered her head once more and bit down on her lower lip. "As much as it pains me to say this, if it turns out that after all is said and done that I need to distance myself again ... if it is better for Kristina and for me that you and I have separate lives ... than it has to be that way. I can't promise you anything Sonny ... I'm sorry, I wish I could."

Sonny's head sunk down onto his chest as the weight of the words she just spoke took their effect. She was right and he knew it. It was her connection to him that started this downward spiral she was fighting so hard to come
out of. He gave his head a quick nod of agreement. "I'll respect whatever it is you think you need to do," he said, not looking up for fear that Alexis would see the sadness that burned in his eyes.