Returning to a Friend
by Cowgirl

Part 32

Sonny sat in his limo on the ride back to the penthouse and thought about his session with Dr. Lewis. He had gotten a lot off of his chest but there was several questions left to answer. He knew what he wanted ... what he had wanted from the beginning but was afraid to take it. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the soft leather of the seat and thought about Alexis. Why were things so difficult with them? Why couldn't he have just said to her two years ago that he loved her and that no other woman both amazed and terrified him like she had? All the times before that he had claimed Brenda was his soul mate, or that Carly was the love of his life when it had been Alexis all along. He had been so confused and so frightened of what she brought out in him that no other woman had ever been able to do that he just thought it easier to let go when she had pushed him away.

They could have been happy right now ... maybe. Things could have been different, she might have never kept his daughter from him at all if maybe he had had the courage to tell admit to himself that Alexis Davis was the best thing to ever walk into his life. He sniffed a couple of times and leaned forward hitting the button for the privacy glass.

"Johnny, take me over to Alexis' place."

***********************

He stood on her porch for over an hour debating whether to bother her or not. He walked quietly across her first floor balcony and peered into the living room window. Alexis was on the floor with Kristina. They were playing and Sonny swore to himself that he'd never seen Alexis happier or more beautiful then when she looked at that little girl of theirs. He closed his eyes and wandered off somewhere in his mind. When he snapped out of his reverie and turned his gaze back to the window Alexis was looking at him. He held his breath and let it out in relief when she gave him a very minuscule half smile and got up with Kristina to head for the door. Sonny moved to the door as well and waited until it swung open. He smiled at his daughter who reached for him.

"She misses her da da," Alexis said as she handed the little girl to her father.

He nuzzled her and rocked her gently in his arms. "You okay?" he said to Alexis as they moved to sit down on the couch.

Alexis nodded. "I'm okay," she answered and was instantly taken back to the first night they made love when Sonny asked her that about a million times. She smiled despite herself.

"I hope it's all right that I stopped by ... I felt bad about the way we left things earlier."

Alexis closed one eye and looked at him. "Me too. I'm ... " she looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry I was so upset."

"You have every right to be. Everything you said was the truth."

Alexis shook her head. "I'm the one with the problems Sonny. You've been ... you've been great the past few months."

Sonny coughed. "I feel bad about last night."

Alexis looked up at him with confusion in her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Sonny sighed and switched Kristina to his other side. "I feel like ... I feel like I took advantage of you when you were feeling upset and vulnerable."

Alexis reached over and wiped a line of spittle from Kristina's chin with her sleeve. "Don't ... don't think that."

"I made you feel like your mother."

Her eyes snapped up to meet his. "I didn't say that."

"I know you Lex. I know that's exactly what you were thinking about this morning."

Alexis leaned back against the swing and tilted her head up. "I do seem to be paralleling her life a bit." She sat up straight again, her hand gesturing in the air. "I mean ... in love with a married man ... had an affair with a married man, bore said married man's child ... married man is married to an evil stepmother." She quickly covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't talk about your wife like that to you." She held up her hands. "See? I have no clue what motivates my thoughts and actions anymore."

Sonny reached over and took Alexis' hand in his own. "You are different from your mother Alexis."

Alexis gave him a crooked smile. "Yeah ... she could sing and cook ... I can't."

Sonny chuckled but then grew serious as he looked into Alexis' smiling eyes. "Do you really mean it when you say you're in love with me?"

Alexis' smile faded and she gazed down at her lap. She wanted to speak, but couldn't. She nodded her head slowly.

"Why is it so hard?" he said stroking his daughter's head.

"Why is what hard?"

Sonny turned his head to her. "Us ... I love you, you love me, we have a beautiful daughter and that should be the end of it right?"

Alexis' head sank down until her chin almost rested on her chest. "It's not that simple with us."

"Why? Why can’t it be simple?"

Alexis bit her lip and closed her eyes. "Because we spent a year of our lives hurting one another as much as we could."

"But that's past ... we're working past all that remember?"

"There's still the original reason I thought I couldn't tell you about Kristina."

"My business."

Alexis nodded. "It's still your business and all it takes is one person to find out Kristina is yours and she and I are right back in the crosshairs of one of your enemies revenge plots."

Sonny sniffed and wiped at his mouth with his hand. "I would never let that happen." He turned to her. "It won't happen."

"You can't be sure." Alexis said regretfully. "And ... "

"And what?"

"Sonny you're married. You're married to a woman whom you will always love."

Sonny bent his head and took a deep breath.

"You can't have it both ways Sonny. You can't have Carly over there with Michael at the penthouse and me and Kristina over here in a cozy country hideaway."

"I know that."

"Part of me ... when I'm not around you ... wants to ask you to back out of our lives."

"Lex," Sonny said with a panicked voice.

Alexis held up a hand. "But when I'm near you all I can think about is how good you are with her and how much she loves you already ... how much I love you." She turned her head away so that Sonny wouldn't see her blush.

Sonny reached his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him, stroking her arm. Alexis couldn't help but melt into his embrace. She was lost ... she was always and would always be lost in this man.

***********************

Sonny walked into the penthouse and tossed his keys onto the desk. He took a few steps, stopped and brought his hand up to his forehead and sighed. He rolled his neck from side to side and worked out the stress that settled in his muscles. He didn't even notice anyone else was in the room.

"Where have you been?" Carly asked, already knowing the answer.

Sonny removed his hand from his head and looked at her. "How'd you get in?"

She rolled her eyes. "I have keys Sonny, this is still my home."

He nodded and moved into the penthouse, taking a seat on the couch.

"I came here last night to see you." She went on. "When you weren't here I decided to wait for you." She paused and sat down in the chair across from him. "I've been waiting here ever since."

Sonny met her eyes and knew instantly that she was on to him. "I ... I was visiting Kristina," he said weakly.

"And her mother?"

Sonny's head dropped. "Of course Alexis was there."

"Sonny, I'm not stupid. You and Alexis having an affair."

Sonny's head shot up. "We're not ... we're not having an affair."

Carly stood and went over to the bar, pouring herself a glass of water. "So you just slept over there ... why?"

Sonny breathed deep and exhaled loudly. "Because after I put Kristina to bed Alexis and I started talking. It got late, I was tired so I sacked out on her couch," he lied.

"On the couch huh."

"That's right."

She walked across the room slowly and stopped, keeping her back to Sonny. "Do you love Alexis?"

"Yes," Sonny said without hesitation. "But I love you too."

Carly sniffed and shook her head. "So you love both of us ... now what?"

Sonny stood. "I don't know. I'm ... I'm trying to figure that out."

"So I should just sit here and wait until you decide if you want a life with me or with Alexis?"

Sonny walked around behind the couch, leaning on the back of it. "Why can't you both be part of my life? You're both the mother of my children ... why can't we all work on getting along for their sakes?"

Carly nodded and moved toward Sonny. "I see what's happening here Sonny."

"What? What's happening?"

"You're trying to decide which one of us you want to be with." She shook her head. "You already know that in your heart."

"Carly ... "

"Let me finish," she said, holding up a hand. "Even before we got married ... the first time, Alexis was there. You listened to her ... you trusted her without even thinking about it. Hell, we got married the first time because Alexis told you to marry me. If Alexis said it was so then it had to be so." She folded her arms across her chest and walked around the room. "She was always at the source of most of our arguments ... even when I asked you to you could never let her go ... even for the sake of our marriage. You just went through the worst depression of your life and she was the only one you would let help you ... even after everything that has happened between the two of you." Carly stopped pacing and looked at him. "That's someone you should make a life with." She closed her eyes. "God I hate saying that, but it’s true. I know you love me, but you love her just that much more ... you always have."

Sonny sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything," she replied as she walked over to his desk. "I went through your desk," she said matter of factly.

Sonny raised his head. "How come?"

Carly smiled. "I was so angry with you last night. I came over here and I waited and I waited ... you didn't come home and I knew you were with her. I searched this whole place." She held up her hands. "I don't even know what for. Something ... anything that would tell me if you and Alexis were together." She picked up a folder off of the desk and held it out to him. "I found this in the desk."

Sonny recognized the blue folder immediately. "Our divorce papers," he said quietly.

Carly nodded. "You kept them."

"I didn't even know they were in there. I forgot they were there."

Carly nodded again and moved to the coffee table, sitting down on the couch in front of it. She flipped open the pages. "You never signed them."

Sonny moved from behind the couch and sat down next to her. "I wasn't sure I wanted to."

Carly set the papers down on the coffee table and picked up a pen. "Sign them now," she said in a whisper as tears escaped from her eyes.

"Carly ... "

"Sonny, just do it. I'm not going to fight it anymore." She looked at his face. "Sign them and this can all be over tonight. You love Alexis and as much as I will always hate it ... you should be with her."

Sonny's hand shook as he took the pen from her hand and added his signature to the papers. When he was done Carly took the pen and did the same. She stood up and smiled at him. "We'll all be happier this way."

Sonny stood up and hugged her. "I never meant to hurt you."

"I know."

"I'm still Michael's father and he'll always be part of my life."

"I know that too."

He tipped her face up to his. "And so will you."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," she said quietly and walked to the door, exiting the apartment.

***********************

Alexis sat at the Grille, her hand wrapped around a cup of coffee as she read over the documents she had picked up at the courthouse, her glasses perched on the end of her nose. She had barely touched the salad that sat in front of her. She was almost to the last page of the document when she felt someone approach her table. She looked up and smiled as she took in the sight of Sonny, clean shaving, standing in front of her in an Armani suit looking for the first time in months like the Sonny she had first met.

He cocked his head to the side and smiled. "I believe we've already been introduced properly," he said as he pulled out the chair across from her. "So, we can skip the formalities." He nodded at the chair and sat down. "Is this seat taken?"

Alexis shook her head and couldn't help but smile. He was re-enacting the day they first met. "Well, Mr. Corinthos ... perhaps you can tell me why you've suddenly become my table companion," she shot back at him, engaging in whatever it was he was doing.

He leaned on the table and handed her an 8x10 envelope. "I need a lawyer and I've heard you're the best," he said looking into his eyes.

Alexis took the envelope from him. "What are you up to Corinthos? And for the record, I am the best."

He laughed. "I already know that."

She held up the envelope. "What's in here?"

He shrugged. "Just a document I need you to look at."

Alexis' smile faded. "Sonny ... you know I can no longer be your lawyer."

Sonny nodded. "I know. I just said that I need you to look at that document. I didn't say you had to do anything with it."

Alexis furrowed her brow and eyed him curiously as she released the clasp on the envelope and pulled out the papers in side. She looked at him once more before turning her eyes to the documents in front of her. Once she read the heading that adorned the top of the page she gasped and looked back to Sonny. "This is ... ."

"A divorce decree." He leaned closer. "Legal, final and filed away at the courthouse."

Alexis stared at him for a moment.

Sonny gestured with his hand and scooted his chair over so that he was right next to her. "Maybe you should take a look at the very last page."

Alexis continued to look at him, unsure of what he was trying to say to her.

"Go ahead ... look."

Slowly Alexis flipped through the pages until she got to the last one. "It's the signature page," she said.

Sonny nodded. "Read the very last line."

Alexis skimmed down until her eyes hit on Sonny's signature right along side Carly's. Her heart stopped when her eyes met with the handwritten note at the bottom of the page. She closed her eyes and then looked at it again.

It read: I love you Alexis Davis.

Her eyes welled up and she turned her head to him. "I love you Sonny Corinthos."

Sonny leaned his forehead against the side of her head. "I want to make a life with you."

"I want to make a life with you too."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Sonny wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him, both oblivious to the open mouthed stares of the rest of the patrons in the Grille, including Ned and Skye.

"Let's get out of here," Sonny whispered against her cheek.

"Where are we going?"

"To get our little girl and take her home."

"She's with Nickolas."

"Let's go get her," he said as he stood and took Alexis' hand, helping her to her feet.

They started to leave the restaurant when Alexis stopped. "What do you mean take her "home"?

Sonny smiled and ducked his head. "I mean I gave Carly the penthouse and I have no where to live."

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "And you thought you could just shack up with old reliable Alexis?"

He wiggled his eyebrows and shot her the dimples. "I was hoping."

Alexis opened her mouth to speak and then shut it, shaking her head. "Damn those dimples."

"You know you like 'em."

"You are such a pain in the butt."

"But you love me anyway."

Alexis stopped and her mouth hung open for a second before she whispered, "Forever."

THE END