This is a Sexis-themed epilogue to my Jaxis story "Redux." You don't really need to read "Redux" first to keep up if Jaxis isn't your thing...




"Outlive him."

In retrospect, that heartfelt plea had probably been the most selfish request he had ever made of her, but Sonny hadn't regretted giving voice to his deepest wish...not then, and not now. Only once, one day, had he ever wished he could take the words back.

Standing, Sonny walked out onto the terrace and inhaled the scent of the water and the lush greenery that made up the landscape outside. In the summer of his 64th year, Sonny Corinthos was a man contented in almost every aspect of his life. He was fit and healthy, his hair threaded with more salt than pepper these days, but he rarely got complaints. His business, which he had held onto through three major turf wars and one Quartermaine onslaught, was still thriving. He had money, power, friends...and family...he had his family.

Not the family he had imagined. Things between he and Courtney had improved but they never became as close as he wanted them to be. She lived in Pennsylvania with her husband and three kids and visited on the occasional holiday. Mike...Sonny's heart tightened a bit at the thought of the father he had lost six years earlier. At least they had finally made peace, he reminded himself. He had held his father's hand as Mike slipped away to go join his mother in the afterlife. Sonny liked to imagine that...them together, happy at last.

Sonny couldn't really remember having thought about being old earlier in his life, but certainly if he had, it had been a picture of he and Carly and Michael...the view he had limited himself to by the choices he had made. That wasn't how things had turned out, though. The year he turned 50, Sonny had gotten the shock of his life when Carly asked HIM for a divorce. She had said she was tired of feeling like his second choice. Sonny regretted that he'd ever made her feel that way, but he hadn't been able to deny it, either. Of course, he was fairly certain that her decision to leave was hastened not by her growing unhappiness in their marriage but by the obscenely rich Hollywood director she had met while on vacation in Rome. Carly eloped with him a week after their divorce became final.

Michael had grown into a restless young man. He had been away at college when Carly left, and dropped out a semester later. His love of hockey had never dissipated, and he managed to turn a love for the sport into a journeyman career in the semi-pro ranks. He was still unmarried, and Sonny felt responsible for that. Somehow he felt that the example he'd set, staying in a union that so clearly worked for no one, had skewed Michael's view of real love. When he had shared that belief with Alexis, she had told him to stop trying to carry the blame for everyone's mistakes.

"Michael's a grown man, Sonny. Whatever you or Carly or AJ might have done to influence him, he's capable of making his own choices now. He's choosing his life, and that's not your responsibility."

Alexis...she had remained the one constant in his life since she had walked back into it with the stunning news that her daughter, her beautiful baby girl, was his daughter, too. She had been there for him when he'd be so mad at Carly he didn't know how he could go home again, when he was heartbroken over the rift that opened up between he and Jason over Courtney and never really healed, and she had been there for him during one of the hardest times in his life...the day when Michael had stopped being placated by simple answers and wanted to know who AJ Quartermaine really was.

Carly had been livid when Sonny came home after a talk with Alexis and sat then 12-year-old Michael down and told his son as much of the truth as he thought a child of that age could understand. It had almost killed him, but Alexis had convinced him that Michael's right to know the truth had to come before his own desire to protect what was "his." It was a lesson she would remind him of again in the years that they raised their daughter as the best friends they were once again.

Michael had survived...they all had...and though A.J. became a part of his life, Sonny remained "Dad." To another child, though, he was "Daddy," and the sound of that word from her lips still made Sonny's heart melt each time he heard it.

Kristina was the great joy of his life, and that she had come from Alexis seemed like destiny fulfilled. His dark-eyed, curly-haired she-devil of a daughter was brilliant and spontaneous and as stubborn as a human being could possibly be. Kristina even managed to do the impossible...she had challenged him more than her mother had.

Though they worshiped each other, it was always something...the length of her skirt, the amount of makeup she wanted to wear, her choice in dates...all the typical things. But they fought as often about Sonny's life as they did her typical little girl/teenage girl decisions. Kristina couldn't stand to see her father settle...and she had no reservations about telling him so.

That's what she called the two women Sonny had been involved with since his divorce. One was a local woman who Sonny had set up in a house near the lake. She was beautiful, wonderful in bed and she liked to talk about things Sonny enjoyed. Marissa had no illusions about ever winning Sonny's heart or becoming a permanent part of his life. She new her place in Sonny's sphere, and she was happy to be there for the time it lasted. After Marissa had come Rachel, the actress Sonny had met in Manhattan and dated long distance for several years. Rachel, too, understood that Sonny's love was not available to her, but she liked being romanced and adored and Sonny liked spending time with her.

But he loved spending time with Alexis more, and despite her marriage to Jax, she remained in his life. Their friendship had been a touchstone for both of them through the years, and when they weren't at Kelly's chatting over coffee about Kristina's latest adventures or accomplishments, they sometimes took walks in the park, just being together silently, happy to have back the connection they had both thought lost forever.

Sonny had resisted all temptation to interfere in her marriage. Jax had given Alexis a life she reveled in, and her radiant joy in it and the opportunity to share it with her had kept Sonny honest. But every year, she grew more beautiful to him, and every year, especially on Kristina's birthdays, the pang of regret in his heart grew more painful.

Whenever he had missed her too much, Sonny would plan a trip to visit Kristina. It was on one of these trips, when he'd gone to visit his daughter during her second year of law school at Harvard, that he had "interrupted" her and her boyfriend. After she spent two hours calming him down, Kristina had introduced Sonny to the boy who was going to be lucky to survive the night...Dante. It was an innocuous enough name, and the kid was a med student, on the fast track for a surgical residency. Despite the way he'd met him, Dante still managed to make a good impression. And then Kristina ad mentioned his last name, and though she clearly didn't make the connection, Sonny made it instantly.

DeNucci...son of Carlo DeNucci.

Sonny remembered the way his stomach had dropped, the abject panic he had fought back as he made his excuses, promised to see Kristina the next day, and raced back to his hotel room.

"Alexis, you have to come to Cambridge. Come right now."

She had laughed at him...he found out later that Kristina had already called her panicked about Sonny walking in on her and Dante half-dressed on the sofa.

"Sonny, think about how our daughter was conceived. You're hardly the poster boy for chaste behavior."

"That's not it," he had said, trying to meter his voice so as not to scare her. "That kid...do you know who he is?"

"Dante DeNucci. He's going to be an orthopedic surgeon."

"He's Carlo DeNucci's son, Alexis. Carlo DeNucci as in one of the heads of the five families."

Alexis had made it to Cambridge in six hours, and Sonny had laid out for her all he knew, and all that his men could tell him, about the DeNucci family.

"I can't believe this..." Alexis had said. "All the...everything I went through... everything WE went through, and she falls in love with the son of another mob boss? Please, tell me this is a bad joke."

A hyperventilation fit and two bowls of popcorn later, Sonny had left Cambridge and flown to New York. He arrived at Carlo DeNucci's home and was greeted by the man himself.

"You said this is about my son?" Carlo had said as they shook hands.

"Nothing bad, Carlo, I assure you. This is personal, not business."

"Personal?"

"Have you met your son's girlfriend?"

Carlo had shaken his head. "No, but he adores her, I know that. He's asked me if he can have his mother's engagement ring."

Sonny could still feel his hand gripping the arm of the chair he'd been sitting in.

"Your son's girlfriend is my daughter Kristina."

Wide-eyed, Carlo had leaned back in his chair, folding his hands across his stomach.

"That would explain why he's never mentioned her last name."

"Carlo, I've made a concerted effort to keep my daughter very clear of my life. She carries my name and she knows what I do, but she's clean, and she's staying clean. If your son..."

"I have two other sons to inherit my business, Sonny," Carlo had assured him. "Dante is going to be a doctor, a healer. My wife made me swear that any one of the children that wanted out of this life could leave it, and Dante has never wanted any part of it."

"They might still be targets," Sonny had observed, his stomach rolling over at the thought.

"Possibly," Carlo had agreed, "but as a man who lives life without the woman I love every day, God bless her soul, I won't tell my son he should give her up."

Sonny hadn't been that willing to give in. He and Alexis had confronted their daughter, and even though she was furious once she realized that Dante had known who she was and had kept his own family connections a secret, she had refused to be separated from him. Punish him, yes...and Dante had had to grovel for six months to get back in her good graces, but the longer things went on, the more Sonny and Alexis had been forced to admit that their headstrong daughter had made her choice. Sonny had escorted Kristina down the aisle two years later and been at his daughter's side, Alexis on the other, when Adella Rosalie DeNucci had been born.

His granddaughter had brought Sonny a new level of happiness he'd never dared to imagine. With Adella, he not only relived memories of Kristina's childhood, he was allowed the gift of grandparenting...never having to say no. He spoiled the little girl rotten every chance he got.

That had been the state of his life when, on a night just over three years ago, the phone rang and Sonny had picked it up to the sound of his daughter's grief-stricken voice.

"Daddy?"

Sonny had been sitting at his desk reading over some contracts when Kristina called. He had dropped the papers from his hand and clutched the phone.

"Sweetheart, what is it? Are you all right, the baby?"

"No, we're fine...well, I'm not fine, but I'm not hurt or anything. Daddy..." She had paused and Sonny had listened for several painful seconds as his not-so little girl cried on the other end of the line. "Daddy...Jax...he's dead."

The words had struck Sonny with the same impact as the bullets that had once tried to claim his life on the sidewalk in front of the PCPD. His memory instantly returned to that day in Kelly's when he had asked the love of his life to make one vow to him, and sitting there, knowing that Alexis was again facing the pain of losing someone she loved, his first and only thought had been, 'I take it back.'

It had been a plane crash. Jax had flown himself to California to sign off on a business deal and had met up with a severe wind shear on his way back. The plane had gone down in Utah.

"Daddy, I'm on my way. Dante hired a car. I just... I can't take the baby on a plane, not after..."

"Honey, it's okay," Sonny had reassured her. It didn't matter if her fear was irrational or not, he just wanted her to make the trip safely from Manhattan, where she and Dante had made their home, back to Port Charles.

"Jake is in Switzerland. He went there with Nikolas to check on the renovations at the resort. They're on their way home, but..."

Her voice had trailed off, and Sonny had known what the "but" was.

"Kristina, sweetheart, where's your mom?"

"She's at home. Mac is with her. He's the one who told her...what happened."

"Okay, baby," Sonny had said, standing and grabbing his keys, "I'm on my way. You just be safe, all right?"

"Okay. I love you, Daddy."

She had sounded five years old to him that night, and it had warmed and broken his heart simultaneously.

Sonny had made the trip to Alexis' home in ten minutes. He knocked on the door and was greeted by Mac Scorpio, who was still the police commissioner in Port Charles. Mac had told Sonny he would cut through as much red tape as he could to get Jax' body home quickly, and then he had left. Alexis had sat on the couch the whole time, not moving, her eyes staring out at nothing.

When he walked over to her, Sonny hadn't noticed any change in her demeanor, but when he had sat down beside her, he could see her body shaking with the effort it was taking to hold her grief in. He eased his arm around her.

"I can't do this," she had choked out. "I know we had 25 years, but it...it wasn't enough."

His guilt had overwhelmed him then, and that's when Sonny had felt deep, true regret over his words. He hadn't thought about what it would cost Alexis for him to get his wish...about how she would cope with losing the man that she had called husband, the man who had fathered her son.

"Alexis, I'm sorry," he had said, his eyes watering. "I'm so sorry."

She had looked at him then, and Sonny wasn't sure if she'd seen his sincerity, his love, his wish to make it better or a combination of all of the above, but whatever she had seen had let Alexis open up the gate on the grief that had threatened to choke her. That night, he had sat on her couch holding her as she mourned for the other man that she had loved, and in doing so, Sonny knew he was giving her the only thing he could--his comfort, his presence, his friendship.

Kristina, Dante and Adella arrived by early morning, and the next afternoon, Jake returned. Nikolas and Stefan and Jerry Jax followed and soon Alexis was surrounded by a family that loved her. Sonny had faded to the periphery, but he had stayed a constant presence during the funeral, during the first few difficult weeks that followed...always.

Time passed. Kristina gave them a grandson, Jack Michael DeNucci, and with another baby to spoil and a new source of happiness in their lives, Sonny and Alexis both moved past that dark night when she had lost something so precious and he had felt the weight of having wished it upon her. That sense of responsibility had kept Sonny from pursuing anything more than his steady friendship with Alexis as month after month passed though, and in truth, it probably would have kept him at bay forever, despite the overwhelming want in his heart, had it not been for the visit he'd received a few months ago.

"Jake Jacks is here to see you," the guard had announced, and Sonny turned around from where he was pouring a drink in time to see the tall, chestnut-haired young man that was Alexis' son walk through the door. It was a surprise to see Jake, but not shocking. The two men had spent time together constantly over Jake's lifetime, and despite the fact that the boy was connected to Jax, Sonny's love for Alexis had always overridden his dislike of Jake's father.

He was a son that had made Alexis proud. He had inherited his father's natural business acumen and had forgone college to jump right into the family business. He had successfully developed a ski resort and a medical technology company from the ground up. A good-looking young man, Jake had also had his choice of the ladies and for a while, during that first year after Jax' death, he had run wild. Alexis had been worried sick and Sonny had been about to step in and talk to him when Jake's eye fell on Page Quartermaine Smith, Zander and Emily's daughter. The running amok had ended that day, and the two were now engaged.

"Jake, can I get you a drink?" Sonny had asked casually, not worried about the visit because Jake seemed relaxed himself.

"No, thanks. I'm sorry I didn't call first. Don't tell Mom, okay, she'll kill me."

Sonny had laughed and crossed to the sofa, offering Jake a seat. "I think we can keep that between us. What can I do for you?"

"Well, um," Jake had said, "it's...I wanted to talk to you about my mom."

"She's all right, isn't she?" The flare of concern that had crept into his voice had been second nature, and Jake had instantly shaken his head to stave off Sonny's concern.

"Mom's good. She's, uh...well, Sonny, do you remember when I was about fourteen and I got that serious attitude with you?"

"Yeah," Sonny confirmed, "I do. I thought you were gonna try and pick a fistfight with me at one point, but then it seemed to blow over."

Jake nodded. "Yeah, um, see, I overheard Mom and Grandma talking about you, and, well, Grandma said something about knowing Mom would always love you, and that it was okay."

"Oh," Sonny said, brows raising, "I can see where that would have been, uh...you know, Jake..."

"It's okay, Sonny. I fumed about it for a while and then one day, I-I made some really crappy remark to my mom about it and my dad came unglued. He forced me to tell him what was bugging me, and I did."

"What did he say?" Sonny had queried.

"He said that Mom had loved you, a lot, and that you loved her, too, but that Mom and you weren't meant to be together, at least, not when you loved each other back then. He said he knew Mom belonged with him, with us, and that I shouldn't worry because it wasn't a bad thing for lots of people to love Mom, that she'd gone through too much of her life without anyone to love her."

The confession had cleared up a small mystery for Sonny, but he didn't know why Jake had come here to tell him that piece of information. When he asked, Jake had smiled, and Sonny found himself mere inches from a reflection of Alexis' smile.

"It's been three years, Sonny. Mom's life is good, but I think it can be better."

Sonny was dumbstruck...her son, Jax' son, wasn't suggesting...

"I know you and my dad never really got along," Jake had continued, "but you aren't the reason he's gone, Sonny. Stuff happens...life happens and planes crash. I'll miss him forever, so will Mom, but...well, Kristina and I have been talking, and, we want Mom to be happy. If you can do that, then do it, okay? It's all right with me."

It had taken Sonny weeks to come to terms with the door that had opened to him with Jake's words, but finally, Sonny had realized he had a choice to make. He could spend the rest of his life feeling guilty for stealing Alexis' happiness with some errant wish, or he could spend it making Alexis happy...if she would still have him. Choice made, he realized there was only one way to find out. And so he had sent his invitation--a poker chip--one poker chip and a note.

[i]"The terrace is still there. I think it's time for another visit. Dinner, Sunday, 6:00."[/i]

Sonny glanced at his watch...it was 5:30. She hadn't said she would come, hadn't said she wouldn't. But he hoped...God, he hoped.

The turning of the key in the door drew his eyes that way. He had told the manager to show her directly to the suite if she arrived. The door opened and a bellman stepped in, suitcase in hand. A moment later, Alexis followed him in, her long, lithe body still holding the power to make Sonny's mouth go dry just at the sight of her. He watched as her eyes scanned the room, looking for him, and then he smiled as she found him, her dimples lighting up her face as she did.

The bellman did his duty and left, and Alexis sat down her purse and walked out to the terrace where Sonny had remained, transfixed by the realization that this was happening...she was here, and they were in Puerto Rico together, both free after so much time.

"Still beautiful," she said as she looked out toward the horizon.

"Definitely still beautiful," Sonny agreed, stepping closer to her. "The view's not bad these days, either."

He winked as her eyes flashed to him, and despite the passage of years, despite the small wrinkles that laughter had placed in the corners of her eyes and mouth and the few defiant gray hairs that shone through despite Alexis' expertly colored hair, despite all of that, she blushed and Sonny felt like he had three decades earlier as he'd prepared to show Alexis the night of her life in the Puerto Rico moonlight.

"I'm glad you came," he said, his voice low, and Sonny stepped even closer to her and took her hand. She let him and then locked her eyes with his.

"I'm glad you asked."

That night, Sonny and Alexis dressed in their finest clothes and they gambled in the casino and they ate dinner in the private dining room. They talked about Kristina and her gorgeous children and Jake and his upcoming wedding and Michael and his decision to go back to college because he had finally decided he wanted to coach hockey at the college ranks and needed a degree to do it. They caught up on friends, teased, joked...they were just together.

Sonny saw Alexis staring at the dance floor as they walked back toward the casino, and he wondered if she was surprised when he kept moving them forward, toward the elevator and away from the crowded room. She said nothing if she was, but he sensed a bit of disappointment from her, and it made him smile. He was glad that after so many years, he could still surprise her.

She gasped when they walked through the hotel suite and back out onto the terrace. Candles lit the tiled-covered balcony and a small group of musicians stood on the beach below, playing music just for them.

"You...when did you do all this?" she asked, and Sonny flashed to a similar question on a night very much like this one.

"I have my ways," he said, walking over to the gardenia bush that grew lushly beside the terrace. He plucked one of the buds and walked to her, his hands trembling as he eased the blossom into her hair.

"May I have this dance, Alexis?"

He offered her his hand, and Alexis took it. Sonny swept her into his arms and held her close as the soft, slow music floated up toward them from below. Time had not stood still, but it didn't matter...she still fit into his arms like she had been made to be there, and Sonny heard himself sigh as he pulled her still closer.

"That was a beautiful night, Sonny," she whispered against his ear. "Thank you for helping me remember just how wonderful it was."

Sonny felt a momentary beat of panic. Was she telling him goodbye? His worry ended, though, when she pulled back and looked at him.

"But this time, do me a favor?"

"Anything," he promised, meaning it.

"If the phone rings, don't answer it. We may not have another 30 years to earn ourselves another chance."

He laughed...it seemed that after all this time, she could still surprise him as well.

"Deal," he said as he wove his fingers into her hair and pulled her lips to his for the kiss under the Puerto Rican moonlight that had been so long postponed.

And then, when they broke the kiss, Sonny reached into his pocket, took out his cell phone, and threw out into the vastness of the dark night and the ocean. Then he drew her lips to his again and thought only about this moment, and how perfect it was.

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