True
by Abelard

Part 9

****AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sonny and Alexis are all grown up now; it's the summer of their 18th year. With adulthood comes the responsibility to make hard choices; what will they choose?***

Alexis had convinced Sonny not to have his stepfather killed for murdering his mother, but she hadn't persuaded him to leave Joe Scully's crew. Even though he never talked to her about his "job," she knew he was moving up in the ranks. In March of her senior year, she began getting phone calls from him every few days. When she asked where he was calling her from, he announced he'd moved out of the Cerullos' place into his own apartment. When she asked how he could afford to pay rent and long distance phone charges, he said something vague about being 18 years old and a man, about being able to take care of himself.

When Alexis wrote to Sonny about being admitted to Harvard, he sent her six dozen roses; they filled her suite with perfume. When she graduated, he sent her an amythest pendant. And when she came back to New York for the summer, Sonny told her not to bother asking Stefan's driver to take her to Brooklyn. He said he'd come and pick her up himself.

On a bright summer day in June, Sonny pulled up in front of Stefan's townhouse in a red Corvette. Alexis was waiting for him on the sidewalk. When Sonny saw her, he had to blink three times to convince himself it was really Alexis. He had to fight to keep his jaw from dropping open. Alexis had always appealed to him, physically. He'd always thought she was beautiful and her body exerted some kind of electrical pull on his. There had always been undeniable chemistry between them. But now…

Alexis was stunning. Ravishing. Sonny hadn't seen her in nearly six months, since Stefan had requested that she spend her spring vacation with him, on the Cassadine island. But when Sonny had last seen Alexis, she'd been a girl. Suddenly, in the span of a few short months, she'd grown into her own beauty. And she owned it. Sonny had always known that Alexis would someday realize how much sexual power she could wield over men, and that when she did realize it, her power would increase a hundred fold. *Well, I was right. Was I ever,* Sonny said to himself, shaking his head at how damn good she looked.

Alexis wore a slim, tight-fitting black skirt that ended just above her knees, and a red sweater that matched his brand-new car in color. The sweater dipped to a V in front, revealing just a teasing bit of cleavage, and it clung to her like it never wanted to let go, showing off all her alluring curves. She had changed her hair; it was shorter, now, reaching just to her shoulders, and it was straight. Sonny had loved her curls, but he was bowled over at how elegant her new style made her look, how well her straight locks showcased her high cheekbones, her soft pink lips, and luminous brown eyes. As for her delicious legs, they were encased in silky sheer stockings that Sonny longed to run his hands over. She was wearing high, high black stiletto heels that made her legs look even longer and, if it were possible, even sexier. As Sonny walked from his car towards her, he had to force himself to look at her face instead of her body, otherwise his desire would get to be completely unbearable.

Alexis was amazed when she saw the sportscar Sonny arrived in, but she was even more amazed at the sight of Sonny himself. He looked so different than when Alexis had seen him last, five and a half months before. Alexis had always thought Sonny was the handsomest boy she'd ever seen, but there was nothing boyish about the person who got out of the Corvette. He wore a crisp, expensive-looking black blazer over a dazzling white shirt that had the top four buttons unbuttoned. He wore black slacks that matched his blazer and black dress shoes polished to a high shine. Alexis was transfixed by his sly smile and the intense stare he was giving her as he approached. His dark curly hair was slicked back and she had to fight the urge to lick her lips at how golden the skin on his chest and face looked next to his pristine white shirt. He looked like a young, wealthy playboy. And yet, he was the same person that Alexis had known - and loved - for two years. Her Sonny.

*That's my girl,* Sonny thought, amazed, as he got nearer and nearer to the sophisticated, gorgeous goddess waiting for him on the sidewalk. *That's my Alexis.* Filled with pride, lust, joy, and desire, he took both her hands in his and pressed a warm kiss to her cheek. If he kissed her lips, he knew he'd never be able to stop. "Hi," he said against her ear, enjoying the feeling of standing right up against her, the heat of their bodies combining.

Alexis moved back a little, enough to meet his eyes with her own. The heat in his gaze nearly made her knees give out, but she found the strength to stand perfectly still and meet his seductive smile with one of her own. "Hi yourself," she whispered.

Sonny almost gasped when he heard her teasing, sultry voice. She was flirting with him. He stared at the graceful curve of her creamy neck, the sweep of her soft hair against the side of her face, and his hand moved of its own volition to stroke her check. Alexis couldn't help herself. She closed her eyes and nuzzled into Sonny's palm like a kitten seeking attention.

Sonny fought the wave of need that washed over him at the sight and feel of her; he drew his hand back before he was tempted to give Alexis the kind of attention she seemed to want, the kind of attention he'd been dreaming of giving her for more than two years. "You ready? Do you have everything you need?" he asked.

Alexis gestured to a small black overnight bag at her feet. "I think so," she replied. Their eyes met briefly, in silent acknowledgement of their long-discussed plans. They had talked about this day for months; they had agreed that when Alexis came to New York for the summer, her first night in town would be their "first time." Sonny picked up her bag, and Alexis swung her purse over her shoulder, and Sonny drove them to Brooklyn at eighty miles per hour.

****

In the car, Sonny asked Alexis about her week on the island. They hadn't ever talked about her spring vacation with Stefan, even though Sonny had been curious. He knew her family was usually off-limits for discussion, but he thought maybe now that she'd had some time to process her latest encounter with the Cassadines, she might be willing to share something.

"It was so strange," Alexis said, looking out the car window onto the East River as they crossed over the Manhattan Bridge.

"Isn't your family always strange?" Sonny asked.

Alexis laughed a bit. "Yes, but this time was bizarre even for my family. Actually, it was just Stefan and one other person there, otherwise I would never have agreed to go."

"Who was the other person?" Sonny asked.

"That's the strange part. It was a woman I'd met Thanksgiving before last. Do you remember when Helena was coming for me, and I left school and got a ride to that little town, Port Charles?"

Sonny recalled a certain pre-med Ivy Leaguer who had picked up his Alexis by the side of the road, whom all Alexis's friends had thought was "cute." Oh, he remembered. He remembered that he'd still punch college boy in the face if he ever met him.

"Well," Alexis said, "when I had Thanksgiving dinner in that diner, Kelly's, with that nice woman, Ruby Spencer, and her family, one of the people there was this woman, Laura Webber. Somehow, I don't know how, she ended up on our island."

"What's she doing there?" Sonny frowned.

"She's married to Stavros, of all people. It's almost unbelievable. I mean, when I met Laura, she was so in love with Ruby's nephew. She looked at him with…with stars in her eyes. And he looked at her the same way. Then, just a year and a half later, she's on my family's island married to my horrible, cruel cousin. I don't understand it."

"Did she recognize you?"

"No. Not at all. And I wondered, how could she not have recognized me? But her eyes, Sonny…they were completely blank. When I'd met her in Port Charles, they were so full of life. She can't be that much older than me, you know. Three or four years at the most. Anyway, she looked like she'd forgotten what it was like to feel anything. And she didn't recognize me at all, even though I was there for seven days straight. At first I thought Helena might have done something to her mind…"

"Her mind?" Sonny interrupted. "What could Helena do to her mind?"

Alexis suddenly wrapped her arms around her midsection. She didn't look at Sonny. "I don't want to talk about it."

Sonny cleared his throat. After a moment, he said, "You said it was just you, Stefan, and this Laura person. Where was Stavros?"

Alexis shrugged. "Gone. Fulfilling his princely Cassadine duties somewhere. But it was so odd - I felt like Stefan asked me to go spend that week with him and Laura so I could, I don't know, meet Laura and give him…my approval or something."

"Give Stefan your approval? When Laura is married to his brother?"

Alexis sighed deeply. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

****

Alexis was surprised when they pulled up in front of Mauricio's, the coffee shop where Scully's men hung out. "I just have to pick something up," Sonny said.

"I'll just wait for you here," said Alexis.

"Come on, come inside with me," Sonny countered. "It'll just be a minute."

The minute Sonny and Alexis entered the coffee shop together, all heads turned. Men blatantly looked Alexis up and down. A few looked as if they would have liked to make some comment about her, but Sonny moved close to Alexis and put a possessive hand around her waist, and no one said a word. "Hey Paul, do you have my package?"

"Here ya go, Sonny," the burly man behind the counter answered, pushing a small brown bulging envelope across.

As Sonny pocketed the package, a few men came out of Scully's back room. "Hey, look! It's Corinthos!" a tall man shouted. "And who's this? Sonny, don't tell me it's your boarding school girl. Wow! She's all growed up!" Alexis felt herself blush under the open-mouthed stare he was giving her. He and his cohorts couldn't seem to take their eyes off her breasts.

"Hey there, Jimmy." Sonny took his arm from Alexis's waist and led her by the hand towards the men. "Come on, let me introduce you to some of the guys." Alexis noticed that these were the same men who'd treated Sonny like an errand boy just two summers before. Now, they greeted him almost as an equal. Alexis shuddered at the thought of what he had done - what he was doing, on a regular basis - to earn their respect.

Ten minutes later, as they walked to the Vette, Alexis removed Sonny's arm from her shoulder. "What is it?" Sonny asked.

When they reached the car, Sonny opened the passenger door for her, but she didn't get in. "You were showing me off in there," Alexis accused.

Sonny shrugged. "So what if I was? Alexis, you're not the same little girl you were when we first met, and I'm not their messenger boy anymore." He reached out and put his hands on her, not quite on her waist but a little lower, on her hourglass hips. His eyes roamed across her curves, even more intimately than Scully's men had looked at her minutes before. "You're a woman, now. And I'm a man. So what if I want them to know it?"

Alexis felt her anger dissipate as soon as Sonny touched her. Was this how it was going to be? Would he have the ability to make her forget everything but him, just by his merest touch? Alexis took a step forward so the front of her body was in contact with the front of his, and she hugged him lightly around the waist, underneath his expensive jacket. From his slight gasp and the expression on his face, she guessed she had the same ability to make *him* forget everything but *her*. "I'm not your prized filly, Corinthos. Don't do that again," she warned.

Sonny leaned forward and took her mouth with his. He couldn't wait another second to kiss her. Their tongues slid and danced together endlessly. Alexis moaned deeply in her throat, and the sound reverberated within Sonny's chest. Alexis pulled back first; Sonny released her lips with a long sigh. He rested his forehead against hers for a few seconds. Then, he reached into his pocket, where he'd put the brown package Paul had given to him. He opened the flap of the bulging envelope and took out a tiny box.

Standing close to Alexis, Sonny kissed her once on the cheek and then opened the box in front of her eyes. A silver ring with a sparkling diamond met Alexis's shocked gaze.

"I know we're young, Alexis, but we're adults now, and we have the right to decide who we want to be for the rest of our lives. And I want to be the person who gets to be with you. Will you marry me?" asked Sonny in a near-whisper.

***continued on adult site***

part 10