Penthouse Number Two

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there, just staring at the door as if that was going to magically make some action happen, but Sonny knew that he was being ridiculous. She wasn't going to march across the hall, throw open the door and spill the precious contents of her closely-guarded heart all over the room. That was Carly's style, and Alexis couldn't be less like Carly if she tried.

And isn't that part of why he was sitting here, staring at the door in the first place?

The last month had been a roller coaster for him on many levels, and dealing with Mike and Courtney had seemed like it would be the greatest of challenges for him. If anyone had told him that, in fact, his relationship with his attorney would plague him more deeply than his own family, he would have laughed, but they would have been right in a way that both shocked and delighted him.

Not that Sonny hadn't tried to dismiss it. After initially obsessing over the idea for several days following Kristina's accidental admission of Alexis' love for him, a period which included several attempts to get Alexis to reveal how she did, in fact, feel about him, Sonny had started to backpedal from the issue. That feeling of retreat was only reinforced when Kristina made HER feelings crystal clear; she was worried that her sister's attachment to Sonny could only spell trouble. Though he'd tried to brush off her words, Sonny couldn't help but notice a sense of old fear creeping up in him, fear that said "back away."

So back away he had. He'd stopped pestering Alexis for "the truth." He'd focused on business. He'd even convinced himself to go on a dinner date or two with Carly. He and Alexis were just friends, after all, and it was only his comfort in that friendship that had made him think there might be anything more to it. That was it. Alexis was...she was like a sister to him, and he'd just confused those feelings with something else.

It was a good theory, and it had occupied Sonny's mind some for a week or so. But then he started to wonder, if it's only because you feel so comfortable with her, Corinthos, why is it that you keep thinking about her? Why does the memory of dancing with her in Puerto Rico lull you to sleep at night? And why is it that every time she gets that shy, I-can't-believe-I-just-said-that look on her face, all you want to do is reach out and touch her face and...

and kiss her?

Yeah, some sister. That realization put Sonny back on the path of needing to know. So he decided it was time to test a new theory.

First there had been the breakfast meeting at Kelly's, when he'd made an excuse to reach across the table and ended up resting his hand on top of hers. He felt her pulse double the moment he made contact, and she immediately shifted into her flustered, talkative mode. Test number one was a definite check mark in the "she loves me" column.

Test number two had been unplanned and came about of its own volition. Luke, in his usual style, had done something to annoy Mac Scorpio and gotten thrown into lockup. He'd called the only lawyer who would speak to him, Alexis, and she'd gone down to straighten things out. Knowing that watching Alexis humble Taggart and Scorpio was always worth a good laugh, Sonny decided to tag along for the ride. Unfortunately, what had been meant as amusement quickly turned into a serious situation. No one had thought ahead, thought about the fact that Helena was being escorted from jail to the courthouse that day for a hearing, and no one had anticipated that Alexis' path might cross Helena's, but cross it did.

"Well, well, well, the bastard daughter. What a perfect accent to my already glorious day."

Sonny's first instinct had been to reach out smack Helena's ugly, cruel face, but he could tell from the body language Alexis was displaying that she wanted to handle it herself. Sonny felt himself swell with pride at the way the child who had once run from Helena in terror stood taller now as a woman and faced her tormentor eye to eye with no hint of fear in her eyes.

"Helena, I hear if you bribe the guards around here, they'll let you have a few luxuries like makeup, a hairbrush, that sort of thing. You certainly look like you could use them."

The moment had been too good, and Sonny had enjoyed her humor too much to see the sideswipe before it came.

"I hear your lover has taken up with your sister. Maybe now you understand how I felt about your whore of a mother, no? No matter. Kristina is a rash girl with a very delicate neck. I doubt she'll live long enough to be much of a bother to...anyone."

Mac grabbed Helena's arm and pulled her away, but the poisoned arrow had already made contact with its intended target. Sonny watched Alexis pale completely and he barely reached her before her legs gave out from under her. Acting quickly, he scooped her up into his arms and moved toward the interrogation room he knew so well. It was empty and he closed the door with her still in his arms, turning the room into a glass-enclosed refuge.

Sonny sat Alexis down in the chair, kneeling beside her. Her face was still ghostly white and she seemed to be having trouble breathing. Only this wasn't her typical "hyperventilating," and Sonny knew it. Taggart poked his head in to see if Alexis was okay, but Sonny shooed him off with a wave of his hand. Surprisingly, the detective who so often sought to anger him had simply nodded and walked away. Perhaps it was that more than anything that made Sonny afraid for her.

"Alexis? Alexis, talk to me. Say something for me."

But she didn't say anything. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead, and Sonny began to wonder if she'd gone into shock. Thinking quickly, he slipped off his coat and put it around her, his arms encircling her as he placed the fabric.

"Alexis, it's Sonny. Can you hear me? Lex..."

That's when she screamed. Sonny had never heard anything as full of horror and pain in all of his life as that sound, and he swore then and there to make Helena Cassadine pay with her life for causing it to happen. Then just as the sound faded from her raw throat, Alexis collapsed against Sonny. His chest was instantly damp, a torrent of tears, her tears, washing over him.

"Oh, God, Mama, no. No."

And Sonny suddenly realized exactly where Alexis had gone. She was in that room, all those years ago, watching her mother's murder. "...delicate neck..." Sonny shook his head, ridding himself temporarily of Helena's voice. Instead he moved, pulling Alexis out of the chair and down into his lap as he sat on the floor. He wrapped his arms around her as she weakly twisted her hands into his shirt. Then he started to rock her back and forth as he pressed her against his body. There was nothing else to do or to say. The storm would pass when it had wrung itself of all its pain and misery for that day, and he could do nothing but hold her.

Hours later, he walked her up the stairs of her penthouse and toward her bedroom. Moments after he'd settled her blankets on top of her, sleep claimed her. Alexis was completely exhausted, and though Mac and Taggart had tried to make her go to the hospital once she'd managed to calm down, Sonny had fought her battle for her, knowing that all she would want would be to go home and forget the day had ever happened.

But Sonny hadn't forgotten. Now, thinking back to her anguish, he sat hating the knowledge that he could never take it away. Alexis' demons were as real as his own, as real as Deke, and he could not erase them. All he could do was what he'd done that day, what she'd let him do, and that was hold her until each particular return to hell was over and peace had returned.

But she'd let him and no one else comfort her, and that had to mean something, didn't it?

They say the third time's the charm, and for Sonny, the "charm" had come yesterday when they had gone to a hearing on Jax's proposed "renovation" of Sonny's property. The truth was the property meant little to Sonny in the grand scheme of things, but since it was Jax, it was worth fighting. He'd been moderately concerned about Alexis having to face her friend in court, especially in those days immediately following her run-in with Helena, but she seemed to welcome the chance to do it.

Sometimes, Sonny wondered if the main failing of all the men in Alexis' life was that they underestimated her, always. Ned had done it, Stefan had been guilty of it and Stavros had ended up dead because of it. He hoped he would never be that foolish. But Jax was. In his quest to protect the whiny and oh, so insignificant Skye Chandler, Jax had forgotten just how damn good Alexis was. It had taken some, but not much effort on her part to convince the judge that Jax's manipulation of the system had involved several not so on-the-level payoffs as well as a big helping of rule bending courtesy of the PCPD. The order to condemn was rescinded. Sonny warmed as Alexis smiled at him and said, "what, you were worried?" No, he thought, he'd never been worried, not about his freedom or his business, for one day since she'd come to stand by his side.

It was in the parking garage that things got ugly, but the game point went Sonny's way, and he couldn't help but smile over it as he remembered. Jax had decided to come over and warn Sonny again about what would happen to him if "he and his goons" didn't leave Skye alone. Sonny had thrown up his hands, refusing to defend himself any longer against something he was not guilty of. Then Jax had thrown his attention Alexis' way.

"How much longer are you going to defend him? Till he actually pulls the trigger on someone himself?"

Alexis grinned and leaned closer to her ex-husband. "A man who was just accused in open court of bribing the city council should really watch where he slings mud."

"I don't hurt people, Alexis."

"No, you just use corrupt business practices to get what you want when you want it regardless of how it affects anyone else. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Sonny opened the door of the limo and Alexis climbed in. Before joining her, he hadn't been able to resist a small little wink in Jax's direction. Aussie boy desperately searched for something to say, but Sonny made his way into the car and closed the door before any words came from him.

"Let's go, Johnny."

Johnny had pulled away then, and Sonny turned to look at Alexis. She was staring out the window on her side, her eyes doing that nervous blinking thing they did so often when she was upset.

"Alexis?"

"Hmm?"

"I appreciate what you did today. I just want you to know that. I know Jax is your friend, and I'd never ask you..."

"I know." Her voice was low and soft, and the tone of it made Sonny want to reach over and take her hand in his, but he didn't.

"I know that about you, Sonny. That's what drives me crazy. You're the only one who doesn't ask me to choose between you and the other people I love."

She looked down then and her hands started to play with her gloves. There was nothing in her behavior or action on the rest of the drive to indicate that she had any idea what she'd just said. But there was something on Sonny's side of the car; there was the unbelievably bright smile that spread over the expanse of Sonny's face.

"...between you and the other people I LOVE."

It was that moment, right then, when Sonny knew that he was tired of testing and game playing. Alexis loved him, he knew it, he could feel it. She showed him constantly, and suddenly he wanted to find Kristina and grab her and kiss her for finally hitting him over the head with the truth.

Because the truth was that he loved Alexis in return.

He loved her, and he knew her. So when they got back to their mutual floor, he simply walked her to the door marked PH2 and said thank you once again. She wasn't ready for declarations, not just yet. Alexis was just about to close her apartment door when he turned and said, "Hey, counselor." She'd stopped, just staring out at him, waiting for his question.

"Got any plans for tomorrow?"

"You mean other than diving into the stack of new paperwork you've created for me this week and double-billing you for every hour I spend doing it? No, not really."

"Great. I'll pick you up at 7:00."

"I hope that's p.m. or have you suddenly developed some weird need to drag me to a gym or on a run or something because I get enough of that here at home."

He couldn't help but laugh. "7:00 p.m., and wear something...wear something that reminds you of Puerto Rico."

She was still standing there, her mouth open but silent, when Sonny closed his own door.

And now here it was, five hours before he was supposed to pick her up on the most romantic day of the year. He knew he should stand up, get moving and start making his plans for her. She wasn't going to suddenly tell him the truth. He'd have to let her know that the truth was welcome, and that this one time in her life, the truth wouldn't cause her hurt.

As he finally stood and crossed to the phone to call Luke's, he couldn't help but wonder if the workaholic love-of-his-life even knew that today was Valentine's Day. No matter. By the time it was over, he'd make certain it was her favorite day of the year.



Penthouse Number Four

Alexis moved pile of paper "A" to a new spot and picked up pile of paper "B" and began sifting through it, trying to keep her thoughts on work. Trying, rather, to keep her thoughts off of the one person who dominated them constantly.

After about 20 minutes of trying to focus on the legal semantics of yet another labor contract, this one for the dock workers who handled shipping for Corinthos Coffee Importers, Alexis gave up, sighing loudly as she tossed the papers aside and walked over to the living room window.

Maybe she could work if she wasn't supposed to be going out with the source of her confusion in a few hours. And why was she doing that? Alexis knew she was a smart woman, and smart wasn't mooning over Sonny Corinthos when he was no more interested in her than in the rate of exchange of dollars to Yen. She was his friend, his best friend, and he'd made that clear to her on more than one occasion. She should just be grateful for what she had and move on.

That was no oversimplification to try and rationalize her feelings, and Alexis knew it. She was closer to Sonny than any woman that had ever been in his life, any woman who had ever shared his bed. He had made that fact clear to her, too, and what the truth of it meant to Alexis was beyond measure. She knew that she had a part of Sonny all to herself, one that no one, not even Brenda had ever been trusted with. And that mattered.


She only wished she could resolve herself to being happy with that, but the problem was, it wasn't all that she wanted. Sitting here, in the privacy of her own home and mind, staring out the window, Alexis could admit what she denied to Kristina over and over again...she was in love with him. She was in love with Sonny Corinthos.

How or why it had happened ceased to matter to her. It just had. One day she'd started looking at Sonny as a man instead of just as her friend and client and the landslide of emotion in her soul had simply taken on a life of its own. Perhaps it was as long ago as that horrible day in front of the police station, the day she'd sat beside his bloodied body, begging him to live. All she could think was, "please, don't take him. Don't take him away." And thankfully, God has listened.

Everything changed after that. Kept changing. Sonny leaned on her more and more, and she had found her only solace in him while facing down the demons of her own family. What they had was something other people failed to understand, but it felt so right to her, she was starting not to care what anyone, not even Kristina, thought about it.

Kristina...she loved her little sister dearly, but she was like a dog with a bone on the subject of Sonny. First, there had been the constant insistence that Alexis was in love with Sonny, which she had, of course, vehemently denied. Then suddenly everything had changed, and Kristina seemed to turn on Sonny. She kept "warning" him about hurting Alexis, imploring Alexis to distance herself from him. Obviously Ned and Jax had gotten to her, but it was growing frustrating to have to keep defending Sonny to all of them. Why couldn't they just mind their own business?

Business. That was usually her safety net when it came to Sonny; a good way to distract him from talking about her feelings and a good excuse to see him. It had been odd, to say that least, that strange three or four days where Sonny kept asking her how she felt, almost as if he knew and wanted to hear her say it out loud. Alexis had been terrified she would slip up and let something out. She couldn't stand the thought of risking their friendship by actually letting him see the depth of her feelings for him. Then just as suddenly as he'd started pursuing the issue, he'd stopped. Things had just returned to normal, business and friendship and their usual banter filling their time together.

Then there were the times when business put her in situations that only seemed to stir her feelings up, like that morning at Kelly's. They'd been talking about the new management contract for the head of the casino when Sonny had reached over to lift up the edge of the contract so he could see it. After a moment, his hand had come to rest on top of hers, and Alexis had been forced to keep one mantra going through her head for the duration of the contact: breathe, breathe, breathe.

That man had no idea what his touch could do to a woman. If he did, he would have been far more careful about who he touched. There was something inherently masculine and powerful in every pore of Sonny's being, and when his hand had rested on top of her own, she'd felt that strange sensation of him flowing through her. Her heart had been pounding so loudly that she was afraid he would hear, afraid he would look at her and finally know what was in her heart. And though her body screamed out at the loss of contact when he finally took his hand away, Alexis was grateful that she hadn't made a fool of herself with the power of her want for him.

And there was the issue of need. Alexis needed Sonny too much for her own liking. She'd never needed anyone, really, except Stefan, and being pushed away by him when she'd displeased him had hurt her more than anything Stavros or Helena had ever done to her in her dreadful childhood. Need could equal hurt. It was why she'd never really let herself need Ned, why he had ultimately been unable to stay with her. Need could equal hurt.

But she did need Sonny. She needed his open acceptance of who she was, his willingness to listen to her, his ability to hold her when she cried without making her feel weak. And she'd never needed him more than that day at the police station. Thinking back on it sent chills down Alexis' spine and she hugged her own arms around her tightly. The embrace reminded her of the warmth of Sonny's arms encircling her as she'd suffered the terrifying flashback that Helena's venomous words had unleashed.

"...delicate neck..." such innocent words, yet they'd carried such a real and dangerous threat upon them, and they had pulled Alexis back to a horror that no one, let alone a child, should have had to endure. Everything had come back to life for her in that moment, the smell of her mother's blood, the sight of the dark red of it all around Kristin's pale, white skin, the pain of realizing that her mother wasn't going to wake up. Coupled with that already grotesque memory was her now recaptured pain at realizing Kristina had disappeared during those moments Alexis, or rather Natasha, had spent grieving for her fallen mother. And now Helena's not so thinly veiled threat was there - a promise of sorts to take away her sister once again.

It had undone her. Alexis remembered falling toward the ground but being stopped by something warm and strong against her. She had known it was Sonny, but she shouldn't respond to him, couldn't find the words to let him know that she knew he was there. Instead she was trapped in that room with the blood and her mother's body, and pain held her paralyzed in the past. Part of Alexis' mind had been trying to work for her, trying to snap her out of the dangerous reverie, but she couldn't do it alone. She had needed something to pull her back. And something had been Sonny.

Once the dark spell had been broken, she'd found herself in his arms, her head falling of its own will against his chest as her renewed grief spilled out. And he'd done nothing but hold her. No promises he couldn't keep, no scolding her for crying, no treating her like a child, all of the things that so many other men in her life had done to her. Sonny had just held her until she was strong enough to stand on her own.

And people wondered what she saw in him?

That thought made her eyes move to her desk and she quickly went and pulled out the gift she had bought, on impulse, to thank Sonny for his care and concern that day. She wasn't certain why she hadn't given it to him yet, but perhaps tonight was a good time. She pulled the envelope from the drawer and put it in her purse. Then she moved back to the window.

She knew that none of them ever got to see the Sonny that she saw, but still, Ned and Jax's hatred for him was beginning to make her want to push both of them away. At least Ned had restricted himself to badmouthing Sonny to Kristina. Jax had decided to widen their vendetta against each other by coming after Sonny's waterfront properties. Sonny had been so distracted with Courtney and Mike that he'd almost let it go, but once Alexis heard about what her ex-husband was up to, she'd known she had to stop him. It wasn't just that it was completely unfair. Skye Quartermaine meant nothing to Sonny. She was a minor annoyance and he'd never have sent her some vague threats to terrorize her. That wasn't how Sonny operated. No, what really upset Alexis was the horrible double standard by which Sonny was judged. How many people had Jax and Ned hurt over the years with their business deals? How many underhanded tricks had they pulled? And they thought they had a right to sit in judgment of him?

Her suspicions had been amply born out when she'd discovered just how Jax managed to get the city council to condemn Sonny's warehouses. Thankfully Judge Hopkins was a man more concerned with rules of law than with politics, a rarity these days, and he'd quickly rescinded the order for condemnation. And then Jax had come at her with his accusatory tone and superior attitude. Alexis knew deep down that her friend was really worried about her, but she was getting tired of being pulled in too many directions, and when Jax had attacked Sonny, it was one time too many.

She'd meant what she'd said to Sonny in the car. He, who paid for her loyalty as his attorney on top of simply having it outright via their friendship, he had never once asked her to cut off Ned or Jax or Stefan or anyone else he might have had issues with. He was the only one who seemed to say, "Love who you want, it's fine with me. I'll still be here." Was that so much to ask, to have her judgment be respected and accepted?

It wasn't to him, and perhaps it was ultimately that truth that had made Alexis love him. She often teased Sonny that he was in no position to judge her, but the truth was none of them had lived perfect lives and no one had the right to judge, but he was the only one who didn't see fit to tell her how to live her life. It was a gift of the highest magnitude, and one she hoped he felt returned in equal measure.

Glancing at the clock, Alexis realized it was time for her to start getting ready if she didn't want to keep Sonny waiting. She couldn't suppress a smile as she climbed the stairs, thinking back on his words from last night. "...wear something that reminds you of Puerto Rico." It had stunned her at first, but once she'd recovered herself, she simply took his phrasing as a way of letting her know that the time they'd spent together that night had meant something to him, too, even if it was only a memory of deepening friendship on his part.

Perhaps she would never know what it felt like to be in Sonny's arms as a woman, but she knew what it was to truly be his friend, and she knew that they would be that to each other for all time. Maybe that was all anyone could ask for in life, one person they could count on, always. It was a lot more than she'd ever thought she would have, and Alexis told herself again that it was time to just be grateful for what she had.

If only she could stop wishing...




7:00 P.M., February 14, 2002

Alexis was just descending the steps when she heard the knock on her door. Damn that man was prompt. She took a moment to take a quick glance in the mirror and decided she was happy with what she saw. She'd chosen a pale gray tank-cut silk dress. Alexis had almost balked at buying the garment, but Kristina had gone on and on about how good she looked in it, so she'd purchased it and hung it in her closet uncertain of when she'd ever wear it. But its soft fabric and delicate lines did remind her of dancing with Sonny in Puerto Rico, and so it seemed the perfect choice for tonight. Her hair was pulled back off her face, held by a sparkling barrette, and she wore her mother's necklace and the bracelet Stefan had given her just before leaving. What was it he'd said, stop worrying so much about what everyone else thinks? If only she could free herself from her own thoughts.

Another knock told her she'd been thinking a little too long, and Alexis hurried to the door. She opened it and her breath caught in her throat. The old familiar mantra came back to her...breathe, breathe, breathe. Because what she saw definitely took her breath away. Sonny was in a black Armani suit, his smile firmly in place, his dimples as seductive as ever. And he was holding a gardenia in his hand. Breathe, breathe, breathe.

Sonny hadn't expected Alexis to look anything less than beautiful, but it was all he could do to keep his mind focused on not turning into a blithering fool when he got his first glimpse of her. The gray silk traced her body, outlining every beautiful, unique element that was Alexis, and Sonny wondered if she had even the slightest idea of how incredibly beautiful she really was. He guessed no. He would change that, in time. Tonight, he wanted to let her see the one thing he thought she needed to see in order to open up to him...he wanted her to know that he saw her as a woman.

She watched him staring at her and wondered quietly if she'd done something wrong. His scrutiny of her was so intense that Alexis wasn't certain how to take it. Then he stepped forward, entering the doorframe. He closed the few steps between them quickly, and Alexis stood frozen as Sonny lifted the flower and placed it in her hair. Then he took one small step back and looked at her.

"Perfect."

Alexis swallowed hard. God, he was so close. She was going to melt if he stayed this close.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Alexis."

Valentine's Day? It couldn't...but then her mind began to work again and Alexis remembered that their hearing had been on February 13th. Of course today was Valentine's Day. How could she have not known that? Then again, why would she have known it? She hadn't expected to be sharing it with anyone, certainly not with the man she wanted to be with. And yet here she was, all dressed up, about to go out for Valentine's Day with Sonny.

"Sonny," she started, hoping her voice didn't sound as nervous as she felt, "I...it was nice of you to want to save me from being alone tonight, but you don't have..."

His fingertips found her lips, silencing them with a very gentle touch.

"I'm exactly where I want to be. You're supposed to spend this day with someone you care about, right? Someone who makes you happy? So that's the person I'm with."

She smiled, nervously, and Alexis watched as Sonny's fingers drifted from her mouth down to her right hand. He took it within his own, his fingers wrapping around hers.

"Are you ready to go?" His voice was warm and low and she wondered how, exactly, she was going to remind herself that they were just friends when he was looking at her the way he was. Not trusting herself to speak, she only nodded and leaned over to pick her purse up off the desk. Still holding her hand, Sonny led her out the door and toward the elevator.

"What's your sister up to tonight?"

His voice still held that low, deep tone and Alexis decided it was far wiser to look straight ahead at the elevator than it was to turn toward him.

"She, uh, um, I think she had plans with, um, um..."

"Ned?" He asked, a slight smile on his face. She wouldn't look at him, and she was nervous as hell. He only wished she knew how little she had to be nervous about.

"Yes, that's his name. Ned." She laughed at herself then. That was smooth.

The elevator doors opened and they stepped in. It was only as they passed floor seven that Alexis realized Sonny hadn't let go of her hand since he'd taken hold of it in the apartment. He kept it within his grasp even as the elevator doors opened to the garage and Johnny, who was waiting with the car.

Sonny stepped toward the car, Alexis just behind him. He opened the door and stepped aside for her to enter. It was only then, because he could think of no way to avoid it, that he finally released her hand.

"Your chariot."

She looked up at him then, her eyes locking with his. Somehow it seemed like those dark orbs were trying to tell her something, something new, but that feeling, the sensation of something happening that she hadn't expected was threatening to overwhelm her, and so Alexis climbed into the limo and waited for Sonny to follow.

Once they were both settled, Johnny pulled out of the garage. Sonny allowed himself a glance at the vision sitting beside him. She was looking out the window, watching the lights of the evening pass them by, watching the stars start to appear. But he was all too aware that the most beautiful thing he would see that evening was the woman at his side. Missing the feeling of Alexis' skin against his own, he reached over, taking hold of her hand again. He looked down, studying the delicacy of it, of her, and wondered again how it was that he had missed this for so long.

Alexis looked at him, surprise on her face until she saw him staring down at her wrist. She incorrectly assumed that what so deeply held his attention was the bracelet she wore.

"It was a goodbye present from Stefan."

Sonny was confused for a moment until he realized Alexis thought he was looking at her jewelry rather than at her hand. He smiled, his dimples showing deeply.

"It's beautiful. Almost beautiful enough for you."

The flattery took her off guard this time, and Alexis had to fall back on her wit to save her from the blush she knew must be rising up on her cheeks.

"My, my, someone read the 10 best things to say to their valentine today."

His comeback was quick and just as charming as she might have expected. "Only 10, you underestimate my research abilities, counselor."

Suddenly her face turned serious, and Sonny worried that he had said something wrong until she leveled her eyes at him.

"I never underestimate you, Sonny. Not in anything."

The smile returned to her face as he leaned closer and whispered, "I know."

The car stopped and Alexis glanced out the window. Luke's. She remembered hearing he was having some special dinner and dance for Valentine's Day, but it surprised her that this was where Sonny wanted to come. He and Luke hadn't exactly been the best of friends in recent years, but she supposed he felt more comfortable here than at the Grill.
Alexis had no more completed that thought then Sonny climbed from the car and walked around to her door. He opened it, reaching in his hand to help her out. The moment her hand made contact with his again, she felt a jolt of that familiar "Sonny Sense" running through her. Sonny closed the door, nodded to Johnny and then moved to lead Alexis into the club. Once again, her hand had become his possession, and though Alexis reveled in the constant touching, she was starting to feel more confused than ever. Why was he all of a sudden wanting to hold her hand everywhere they went?

Sonny opened the door of the club and let her pass by him, their hands keeping contact as he then followed her in. A soft jazz vocal filled the club and welcomed them, and a quick scan of the club told them that Luke's Valentine's Day celebration was a success. There was only one empty table in the room that Alexis could see, and it clearly had a reserved sign sitting on it. There was also something else on the table, a vase of white roses.

The feeling of walking into the room with her was so different tonight, and Sonny let himself soak it in. Before, he had known men envied him his companion, but he'd only seen it as their bad luck that they weren't men enough to walk over and speak with her. Tonight, he knew that if any man dared to approach Alexis, the fool was taking his life in his hands. Sonny had come here tonight to make his intentions known, and no one was getting in the way of it.

Squeezing her hand lightly, Sonny moved forward, leading Alexis toward the far end of the bar where Luke stood grinning like a Cheshire cat. It was only as they walked forward that Alexis began to take in the faces of the other people there. Nicholas and Gia were at one table, over toward the near side of the bar. Bobbie and Scotty and Lucky and Elizabeth were two of the other couples she noticed and smiled to as they moved. Then she saw the tables on the other side of the dance floor, and her heart almost stopped. At one table sat couple number one, Jax and Skye. Behind them was couple number two, Ned and Kristina, and behind them, perhaps most awfully, sat Courtney and A.J. Quartermaine. Alexis tightened her hold on Sonny's hand, her instinct to keep him out of harm's way kicking in. If he saw Courtney here with A.J...

Reading her thoughts, Sonny pulled Alexis closer to him.

"Don't worry, I knew already."

She turned a confused gaze to him then. He'd known?

"When I called Luke for the table, he told me who else was coming tonight, but I wanted to share a dance with my favorite legal eagle, and this was the place to be. I promise, I won't break A.J.'s neck, at least not tonight."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I'm here with you, Alexis. Consider it my night off from trying to save Courtney from herself. No fighting, I promise."

Her worried face gave way to a smile, and Sonny led them the rest of the way toward their table. Alexis was hardly surprised when he held her chair for her, but she was a tad taken aback when he moved his own chair so that he was seated very close to her. She reeled still further when he took one of the white roses from the vase and lightly grazed the petals against her face. The softness made her instinctively close her eyes, and though she couldn't see it, she sensed a satisfied smile on Sonny's face. Finally, her confusion overcame the sense of awe she'd been in all night, and Alexis opened her eyes. She was met with the stifling power of Sonny's gaze.

"Sonny, what are you doing?"

Sonny took the rose and sat it down in front of her, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I told you, I'm spending Valentine's with someone who makes me happy."

She was about to ask just what that meant when Luke walked up behind them, a hand going to each of their backs.

"Michael and Natasha, whatever brought you two out tonight?"

"Luke," Sonny started, clearly annoyed by the interruption, "don't you have an ex-wife to win back or secret plot to hatch somewhere?"

"Well, yes, yes, I do," came Luke's playful response, "but not before I come over and mention to my favorite lawyer how absolutely lovely she looks this evening. You make an-almost-remarried-man think he should reconsider his options, Natasha."

"Luke, if that man is you, I'd count your blessings that Laura is insane enough to give you another chance and go buy her a lot of roses right now."

Sonny laughed quietly at Alexis' response. Her brilliance was one of the things he loved about her, one of a list that had seemed to grow exponentially since he'd finally admitted the truth to himself.

"Well, if you two need anything, you be sure to let me know. Dinner's being served at about 8:30, so in the meantime, enjoy yourselves. Oh, and Sonny, I took care of that other request. It should be along any minute."

With that, Hurricane Luke was gone, and Alexis blinked as she looked over at Sonny.

"Other request?"

"What's the matter, Alexis, don't like surprises?"

She found herself unable to resist smiling at him, even though what she wanted to do was smack him over the head. Damn him for being so lovable and sexy and so seemingly out of her reach. The desire was so strong, she felt her hand tighten around her purse. That's when she remembered her own little surprise for Sonny.

"Oh, speaking of, I, um, well, I bought you something the other day. Kind of a thanks for, well, you know, for getting me through that thing with Helena, and...

"Alexis, you don't have to thank me for that. I'm glad I was there for you."

"I know that, but I, I was online doing some research on something else, and then I saw it and I just...oh, here."

She opened her purse and pulled out a small envelope with a ribbon around it. Alexis pushed it toward him with no idea that eyes all over Luke's were boring into her with a myriad of minds thinking, "Did Alexis Davis just give Sonny Corinthos a present on Valentine's Day?"

Sonny took the envelope and lifted it up to untie the ribbon. He could smell her perfume on it, and he wondered if, at some moment, perhaps she'd held it against her body. It was so like her to feel like she had to thank him for caring about her. Why couldn't a woman as smart as she was realize how lucky he felt just to be around her?

Pushing that thought aside for now, Sonny reached in and pulled out the slip of paper in the envelope. He unfolded it and found a deed from Star Gazers. He looked at Alexis with questioning eyes, then looked down to read the document. As he took in the words, his whole sense of why he loved this woman was renewed. She'd bought him a star, a star named Adella.

"I know she watches over you, so I thought maybe this way you'd have a place to look up to and think of her."

She was amazing. Alexis had only been upset that day because of the pain of losing her own mother, yet to thank him for taking care of her, she'd bought him a unique and beautiful remembrance of his own.

"If you dial in the numbers on a telescope, it'll go directly to her star."

Sonny's eyes filled with emotion. He reached over and took her hand in his again, this time not satisfied with only holding onto a part of her. He brought it gently to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

"Thank you, Alexis. It's beautiful."

Her smile lit up, igniting things inside of Sonny that he had been convinced were dead. She reached him in ways that no woman ever had, and she knew him in ways no other human ever could. And he loved her. He was about to just tell her, to risk scaring her and pushing her away when the opening strains of the song he'd asked Luke to play began in the background. No, he reminded herself. Don't push. Just let her know that you want it, too.

Sonny carefully folded the paper and put it back inside the envelope. Then he stood, reaching his hand for her.

"May I have this dance?"

Alexis smiled nervously, her throat suddenly dry. The memory of their dance in Puerto Rico haunted her dreams and she wanted to be in his arms again more than anything. But there, it had been only them. Here, she felt as if all of Port Charles would see the truth, see her love for him, and then she would be exposed to everyone, to Sonny most of all.

"Sonny, I..."

But his eyes stopped her as surely as his thumb brushing against her lips stopped her. "Shush. Dance with me."

Standing on nervous legs, Alexis took his hand. Slowly, he led her to the dance floor. There were a few other people out on the floor, but Alexis couldn't really look at them. All she could do was think about keeping her eyes down so she didn't trip over anything, about the feel of Sonny's hand holding hers and the sense of lightheadedness that threatened to overtake her at any moment.

Once they were on the dance floor, Sonny took her into his arms. She didn't look up at him. She tensed instantly, and he leaned closer to her, his forehead touching hers.

"There's no one else here, Alexis, no one we need to think about or care about. This is the other request Luke mentioned. Every time I hear this song, I think about you. And tonight I wanted to dance with you, only you, and listen to it with you. Listen to the words, Alexis..."

Then he tilted her chin up so her eyes were level with his.

"...and dance with me."

He returned his hand to the small of her back, pulling her tighter against him. Alexis could barely breathe for the intoxication of being so close to him, inhaling him in and feeling the smooth silk of his Armani against her arms. And as he began to guide her around on the dance floor, the words of the song he'd asked her to listen to started to take hold in her mind.


you think i'd leave your side baby
you know me better than that
you think i'd leave you down when you're down on your knees
i wouldn't do that
i'll tell you you're right when you want
and if only you could see into me
ha ah ah ah ah ah


The words were exactly the words she would have said to him if only she were that brave, that able to risk everything. Without thinking, she relaxed more against him, her cheek coming to rest upon his shoulder. She wasn't that brave, she knew it, but she could have this one night, this one moment with him and hold onto it. And as she surrendered to that thought, she became lost in Sonny and in this special few minutes he was giving to her. She didn't see the curious looks on the faces of Luke or Nicholas or Gia. She didn't see the conflicted emotions that played out on Kristina's face, half of her thrilled for her sister, the other half terrified for her. And she didn't see the mix of jealousy and anger that consumed Ned and Jax. She could have imagined it all, but she didn't care. She just wanted to be where she was.

oh when you're cold
i'll be there
hold you tight to me

Sonny felt her giving in, felt her forgetting about everything and everyone else. He smiled as his cheek came to rest against the top of her head.

"Are you listening, Alexis? This song is for us. Us, Alexis."

She looked up at him then, her eyes a mixture of confusion and fear. Her voice was filled with emotion as she spoke to him.

"What do you mean, us?"

Sonny lifted one hand to her cheek, brushing his fingers lightly against her skin.

"I mean that sometimes a man gets lucky, and he wakes up before something he almost let go of slips away."

Her mouth opened, but she said nothing. She couldn't. No words would form. Was he saying what she thought he was? No, it wasn't possible. She never got what she wanted. To hope for the most important thing to happen just as she wished, well, Alexis didn't have that kind of hope inside of her.

"I won't let you slip away, Alexis. I see you, and I know what's in my arms."

"Sonny..." her eyes closed as she said his name. She was so afraid.

"Shush. Just dance with me, sweetheart. Tonight, just know that I'm where I want to be."

He used his hand to guide her head back down to his shoulder, and the rest of the song washed over her as she felt Sonny pull her even more tightly against him.

when you're on the outside baby and you can't get in
i will show you you're so much better than you know
when you're lost and you're alone and you can't get back again
i will find you darling and i will bring you home

and if you want to cry
i am here to dry your eyes

And she did want to cry. It all felt too real, too possible, suddenly, and every fear she'd ever felt was welling up inside of her. But he knew. He knew her fears of loss and loneliness because they were his fears. He knew how afraid she was to let go and surrender because surrender meant you were defenseless. And he knew how afraid she was to need because need could equal hurt. And as the song winded into an instrumental version of itself, he moved his lips close to her ear.

"I need you, too, Alexis. We'll just take it one day at a time, okay. One day, then another, then another, and before you know it, we'll have been afraid together forever."

She brought he head up then, tears on her cheeks.

"Sonny, I was never...I didn't want to risk losing you."

"I know, " he said, his forehead coming to rest against hers again, "me, too. But one of us had to finally say something, didn't we? I guess we'll just have to hold onto each other as tight as we can, just to make sure no one gets lost."

"You're sure?" She didn't care that more tears spilled from her eyes as she spoke. She just needed him to see her fear, needed him to be sure before he made a promise he couldn't keep.

"Forever, Alexis."

She found her smile again in his answer, even though still more tears spilled from her eyes. Alexis brought her hand up and touched his face, stroking it gently as she had in her mind a million times. And though she was still terrified and they still had many steps to take together, she settled her head back down on his shoulder and leaned into his embrace, the soft whisper of her voice just reaching Sonny's ear. He knew when he heard it that he had succeeded. From now on, Valentine's Day would be one of Alexis' favorite days.

"Forever."


The song is "By Your Side" by Sade off the album Lovers Rock

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