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Family
Reunited Chapter 4 Alexis quickly left the kitchen and joined Sonny in the living room, she picked up her briefcase. "I'm ready," she stated, and walked out the door. Sonny followed quickly, stifling a smile. Three years and he could still get her rattled. He followed her out the door and he walked to the passenger side door of his car, opened it and waited for her. Their lives may have been lived separately over the last three years but Sonny was confident that this woman was still the Alexis he had know and lo... "now don't go getting ahead of yourself Sonny boy...one step at a time." Alexis got into the front passenger seat as Sonny took her briefcase, he placed the briefcase in the backseat and walked around to the driver's side and got in. He looked at her and gave her a small smile. She responded with a shy, nervous smile. "Where to?" Sonny asked. "You..you're the one who said you wanted to buy me lunch...you tell me where we're going," Alexis said. Sonny chuckled, okay...I can't think of a better place than my hotel." Alexis jerked her head toward Sonny. He saw that her eyes had gotten big and her mouth had dropped opened. She quickly closed her mouth and stared straight ahead. They sat in silence for what seemed like hours. All Sonny had been able to think about since she walked into the room was the little girl he had met, Alexis' little girl. "Beautiful like her mother." Those were the first words that had popped into his head when he first laid eyes on her. And then he listened to her speak. She rambled just like her mother. He was about to laugh when he felt the knot that had formed in his stomach. Then he felt it spreading through his body and mind, regret...regret she wasn't his child too. Sonny used every ounce of strength he could muster to push the regret back down. "It is what it is," he told himself sadly. "Regret doesn't change anything. Only look forward, don't look back," he had repeated over and over in his mind while he waited for Alexis to return from the kitchen. "Here we are," Sonny said, as he pulled up outside the front of his hotel. One of the valets opened Alexis' door while another meet Sonny as he exited his car door and retrieved Alexis' briefcase from the backseat. "Good Afternoon, Mr. Corinthos," they both said. Sonny walked up next to Alexis, placed his hand on the small of her back and began walking in to the hotel. Sonny did not miss the gasp that escaped from Alexis' mouth when he touched her. He couldn't help but feel relieved. If he still had an effect on Alexis, she hadn't forgotten about him completely. As they walked through the lobby of the hotel, Alexis couldn't help but think about the first time they had been there together so long ago. This was so not good. She had to gain control of herself. She had given up so much for the safety of her children. She couldn't throw it all out the window because of unresolved feelings for their father. Oh God what was she going to do. Getting him away from the villa was a good thing, at least, she thought it was. Now, here she was about to have lunch with him. When they walked through the restaurant toward a door that she remembered led to Sonny's private dining room, she blew out a puff of air. "Oh...private was not good." The last thing Alexis needed to be was alone with Sonny Corinthos. This was a nightmare. It had to be. She was sure she was going to wake up soon and find the children tucked in their beds and her, curled up, alone, in her bed. "That's it. Too much sun," she told herself. "Wrong again," she mumbled as she heard Sonny's voice again speaking to her. "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of having the chef prepare one of your favorites," Sonny stated with a smile on his face. "You...did...what...wait...how...you made these arrangements BEFORE you even asked me to lunch? A little presumptuous on your part don't you think. I thought you said you changed. Arrogant as ever, Mr. Corinthos." Sonny chuckled lightly. I've been waiting patiently for more than three years to see you again. "if you accepted my invitation, I wanted to be prepared...and if you didn't well...I was trying to think positively." "Sonny Corinthos waiting patiently? Thinking positively? Excuse me..." Alexis said in disbelief. "You'd be surprised how positive I've become, Alexis. And, yes, very patient, after all, it has been three years since I've seen you...there was a time that would have been less than three days," he said with a soft laugh. Alexis eyed Sonny as she sipped from her water glass. The man before here was different than the Sonny Corinthos she had left behind. At this moment he didn't appear to be that dark, brooding, cold man she had tried so hard to escape. His laughter and smiles were light, and free. He was looking at her with soft, caring eyes...not the cold dark eyes he had displayed that fateful day in her apartment when he demanded to know if she were pregnant with his child. He was more like her best friend, the man she had "a connection" with, the man she lo... "This is so not good," Alexis thought. "Not a day had gone by that she hadn't thought about Sonny. And not a day had gone by that she didn't feel guilty keeping him from the one thing he had always wanted, a child of his own, well, actually two things, she corrected herself. Her head had always been able to win this argument. "He's not the person you thought he was. His children would not be safe." The guilt was ever present, but her justifications had kept it pushed below the surface. Here he was, the old Sonny she had known and...l...lo...cared about...right in front of her. The guilt came crashing down on her.
"Would you like some wine," the waiter questioned. "No,
thank you," Alexis answered. Sonny passed on the wine as well. "So, Alexis, how have you been?" "Fine." "Fine, huh?" Sonny said with a smile. "Yes..fine." "Where...where have you been living for the past three years? What have you been up to, besides being a mother to that beautiful little girl?" "We live in Europe. I'm in charge of the Cassadine holdings in that part of the world, as well as the legal aspects of the Cassadine holdings worldwide." "You took over the family business from Nicholas?" "No. In order to better serve the family business, Stefan, Nicholas and I work together..." "I never would have thought you would have become involved with the family business...you...you left Port Charles to do that?" "Nicholas wanted to stay in Port Charles to be with his family and friends. It's not like I had anything left in Port Charles," Alexis whispered so softly she wasn't sure if Sonny heard her. "One day you were there and one day you were gone. I know we weren't getting along...but...I...thought...we'd...you know...work it out...I thought you would always be there...and then one day you weren't. You didn't even say goodbye," Sonny choked out. Alexis' head snapped up and she found her eyes locked with Sonny's. She saw the unshed tears, the fear, the hurt. And then he looked down at the table. Alexis was at a loss. What was going on here? She couldn't take it anymore.
Sonny thought for a second. The Alexis he knew would not be ready to hear what he had waited three years to tell her. So, he figured he'd answer the easy parts of her qustion first. "Benny. I thought it was pretty ironic...actually...I've been living here in Puerto Rico, for the most part, the last three years." She wasn't surprised that Benny had found her, though she was surprised that Sonny had been living in Puerto Rico. Alexis raised her eyebrows as if to encourage Sonny to answer the most important part of her question, why he had found her after so long. "I...I missed you..." Sonny said as he shyly looked up at her. "Did you miss me?" Alexis froze. Sonny saw the fear in Alexis' face, looked down at his hands. This wouldn't work as an interactive conversation. He quickly continued. "I wanted to see you...to see how you were...I wanted to apologize for the way I treated you," Sonny stated. "Sonny...that was a lifetime ago," Alexis stated. "I'm not the same person I was then. You aren't the same. People change..." "That's right Alexis, people change," Sonny sighed. "You asked and so I'm going to tell you...I was going to take it slow...I...didn't want you to run away from me again...but I don't want another day to pass without you hearing the truth." "The TRUTH?" Alexis squeaked out. "About What?" "Don't you want to at least finish your lunch before we talk?" Sonny asked shyly. "Oh no you don't, Corinthos," Alexis demanded. "Spill." "Okay...Okay...all that I ask is that you listen and don't interrupt," Sonny said. "Sonny." "Alexis." "Oh...okay...I'll try...but please...get on with it already," Alexis choked out. Sonny looked down at his hands. "I know things had gotten bad between us...but...but...I always thought that we'd be able to work through them...I mean...we always had before...but then one day I hear that you've left town...and not just left town but left the country," Sonny stated softly. "I figured you might have put your things in storage and would return...but then I found out you had donated most of your things to charity...I just felt so lost...abandoned...alone." "I DID NOT abandon YOU!" She stated through clenched teeth. "And you had your WIFE!" "Please Alexis. I'm just telling you how I felt. It doesn't mean my feelings were right or justified." "No one seemed to know where you went...not Jax...not even Ned...I figured that Nicholas knew but he wouldn't give me the time of day, why would he tell me where you where?" "I was bound and determined to find you. I finally realized the one thing that I had known all along but put out of my mind when I found you were gone, I didn't deserve you in my life." Alexis had been fighting to keep her feelings masked. She knew that was hard to do with Sonny but she had to for the children's sake, she told herself. Alexis couldn't help but let the mask slip as her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. "When I was with you, you made me fell like I could be a better person than I knew I was. You were too good for me," he whispered. "It was a matter of time before I hurt you like I had hurt everyone else in my life and you didn't deserve that. You were so much better off without me in your life. "Me, on the other hand, well...I wasn't so good without you in my life. I slipped back into my old way of doing things. I did things without thinking...I hurt people. Pushed them away. I became the monster I always was...not the person that you had tried to convince me I could be." "Sonny...it wasn't me who made you a better person...it was you..." Alexis said. "See...I knew you couldn't do it...shhh...I'm not finished," Sonny smiled. "I was drowning in the darkness. I realized that I hadn't been happy since you walked out of my life." "Sonny..." "Alexis...please...let me finish."
Alexis shook her head slightly. How could this be? How many times had she caught herself dreaming that Sonny would show up, profess his love for her and the two of them would live happily ever after with their children. All she could think of is when did this dream become a nightmare. "So...it wasn't easy...you always were able to make me see things...it was hard on my own but I knew if I didn't try my best I could never find you. "I realized that first I had to remove the darkness from my life. Carly and I weren't good for each other. We were poison. I thought that God gave me a second chance with her that I had missed out on so many times before," Sonny said. "Carly wasn't happy but I had to do it for Michael," Sonny said. "All he ever saw his parents do was fight. That can't be good. So I divorced Carly...and before you say anything...for the LAST time." Alexis tried to stifle a laugh. "That was a first step but I wasn't close to being the kind of person that deserved someone like you..." "I made legitimate business investments with my money. I kept the coffee business and this casino, hotel and restaurant and turned everything else over to Jason. I don't need to have an attorney on retainer to bail me out of jail at all hours of the night when the PCPD are violating my rights. I'm completely legit," he said with a smile. Sonny's eyes had been moving all over the place as he spoke. The one thing he refused to do was look into Alexis' eyes until he was finished. He was afraid that if he did and he saw anything that would indicate Alexis wanted no part of him in her life, that he would never finish telling her how he felt. He did however glance at her when he mentioned becoming a legitimate businessman. Alexis' jaw dropped open. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. He again looked down and continued. "As I was making these changes in my life you weren't with me but I could hear your voice in my head telling me I was doing the right thing...but the most important message I received from you was in a dream one night," Sonny said, a serious look replacing the smile. "You were sitting there with me on the couch in my apartment. You told me that I was going about things all wrong, that I couldn't do them for you. I had to do them for me or it wouldn't work. I woke up the next day and realized that is what you would have wanted me to do. So I did. Alexis...I cleaned up my life...removed the things that made me unhappy and made sure that all of my businesses were legit. I then waited to make sure all the danger was long gone before I came looking for you. "I'm here today, Alexis, to tell you I am the man you always thought I could be and more. Yes...I'm still selfish and I still do what I want but I try to make sure it's what's best for me too," Sonny said as the smile returned to his face. "I'm also here to apologize to you from the bottom of my heart. I should never have become involved with you on another level until I was sure about my feelings for Carly. I realized after you were gone that I went back to her out of some since of duty. The love that I had for her wasn't a healthy love. It tainted me. "I'm sorry that I hurt you. You are the last person in the world that I ever wanted to hurt. All those other times you wouldn't let me push you away...but this time you did." "Sonny..." "Alexis, please...I'm almost finished...let me...When I saw you with Ned, it hurt so much. Everything that you had been through with him and you went back to him. I wasn't good enough for you. As bad as Ned was for you, he was better for you than me. "And then when Jason told me you were pregnant. I knew it would complicate things if the baby was mine. But a part of me wanted it to be my baby because then you would be connected to me for life. I knew the baby wasn't mine. I had wanted a child so much and believed that God was punishing me and that I would never have that. You were too good for me. There is no way God would have let me have a child with you." Alexis cringed as she heard his words. The guilt hit her like a tidal wave. "Alexis...I know it's been a long time...but believe me when I tell you I am a changed man. I made myself the kind of person that is worthy of you. All I ask is that you give me a chance. Get to know the person I've become. I'll take whatever you can give me Alexis. Please can we get to know each other, become friends and see what happens," Sonny said. "Sonny...I don't now what to say," Alexis began. "Wait...wait just a minute...there is something else...Michae...Michael isn't my biological child but I love him as if he were...I could do the same with Kristina. Your daughter is so much like you...I fell in love with her today when I met her. I know that you walked away from me to make sure your baby was safe. You have seen to it that she has been safe. What I'm telling you Alexis is that my life isn't a threat to you or her anymore. Please give me a chance." Alexis sat dumbstruck. Her mouth hanging open, her eyes filled with unshed tears. Sonny looked into her eyes and saw disbelief, fear and what he thought was regret. "Sonny," Alexis choked out, her voice thick with emotion. "I don't know what to say..." "Don't...don't say anything...please just give me a chance...see for yourself...please..." "Sonny, you...you've changed...for the better...but how do you know I have?" Alexis softly asked. "Alexis, you are one of the best people I have ever met. That couldn't happen." "I know you. You know me. We trusted each other...I will do anything to regain your trust." "Sonny...you don't understand...I've done things that don't deserve your trust. Once you may have known me as a paragon of truth, but my life is a lie...I don't think I could ever regain your trust..." "I could see how working for you family could do that to you," he chuckled. His face grew serious again. "I am a different person. A better person. Let's start over today. Forget yesterday. I said hurtful things to you. You said hurtful things to me. That is our past. As much as I wish I had never gone back to Carly and you and I could have been together the last three years, I know we wouldn't have worked. I had to become a better person and I have...please let me show you." "You've been honest with me and I need to be honest with you. After you hear what I have to say you may never want to see my face again." "Alexis...there is nothing you could say to me to make me feel that way...after everything that happened between us I was never able to hate you, no matter how hard I tried." "Sonny...I...I'm just going to say it...I have two children....Kristina has a younger brother..." A look of loss crossed Sonny's face. "I'm sorry, Alexis...I...I never...I always thought that you'd be there after I changed my life...I'm so stupid...I never thought that you'd meet someone else..." "Oh...no...you don't understand," Alexis said quickly. "Are you involved with your son's father?" Sonny asked, afraid to her the answer. "Uh...not at the present time," Alexis squeaked out. The truth, though, she thought, was that her son's father was currently expressing his interest in a relationship with her. Alexis knew she was going to have to tell him. But the how was what she was having a problem with. Blurting it out just didn't seem like the best way. "Wait, she thought to herself. "He said he's already fallen in love with Kristina and he only saw her for a few minutes...if he could just see Kristopher..." "Sonny...could we just go back to the villa...could you please just have an open mind....meet my son...get to know Kristina a little better. I'm willing to give you a chance. All I ask is that you extend me the same courtesy. Please try to understand how I've lived my life the last three years and why...maybe then we can become friends again." "Alexis...I think that's only fair. I've tried to work hard to be patient and understanding. Let me show you. Let's go. I can't wait to meet your son." Sonny got up from his chair and walked to Alexis. He extended his hand to hers. She took his hand as she got up from her chair. She gently tugged her hand away from his and turned to leave. "Let's see how you feel about that once you see him," she thought to herself as she blew out a puff of air.
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