Sonny took one last peek at his sleeping daughter, and then he walked out of her room and closed the door. It felt good to have her in his home again, to know that Alexis felt confident enough in his recovery that she had actually suggested Kristina stay over for the weekend while her mother was in the hospital receiving another treatment.

His heart heavy, Sonny walked downstairs and sank into the couch. These were the times he longed for a drink... several drinks. But those days were behind him. He couldn't hide from his emotions in a bottle of scotch anymore. His meds kept him stable and stability kept him in his children's lives. Nothing was more important than that.

He'd been able to escape his sadness tonight as he "taught" Kristina how to make a simple pasta dinner before they had gone upstairs to read from his little girl's new favorite book, "Charlotte's Web." Not surprisingly, the book was a gift from her mother.

Alexis was doing all she could to try to keep their daughter's mind off the possibility of losing her mother, and so Sonny had gotten several phone calls as of late to join the two for lunch or ice cream or a walk in the park. He suspected that underneath the desire for a friendly ear--something he hadn't been in a long time, but was grateful to be again--that Alexis was also trying to foster his relationship with their daughter... just in case.

Sonny refused to consider the "just in case." Alexis was not dying. They still had too much to repair between them and they had a daughter to raise, and he was determined that they were doing it together.

Thankfully, Alexis' stubborn nature was working in her favor this time. She was fighting the cancer, every bit of strength she had focused on survival. But the toll her personal life was taking on her was eating away at her energy, and Sonny wished there was something he could do to get Ric and Sam away from her. But so long as Alexis felt like she had to hold her "family," together, she would--the fact that her husband and daughter had betrayed her wasn't enough for her to give up on them.

He remembered the day he'd realized she knew. Her heart was so obviously broken, and Sonny had never hated his brother more than he did in that moment.

Sonny remembered all the chances she'd given Stefan over the years, and he knew he shouldn't have been surprised by her willingness to try to forgive what seemed unforgivable. Hell, he needed to be grateful for it himself given all that had passed between them over the last four years. Still, he wished so much that he could give her some peace so that she could focus even more on beating this damn disease and living a long life with their little girl.

Unexpectedly, a way to fulfill his wish appeared one day in the form of Bernie.

"Boss, you got a minute?"

Sonny had been sipping a cup of coffee when Bernie arrived, and the younger man glanced at his watch, noting the hour.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no," the older man said. "Nothing like that, just... well, Stan and I were having dinner and something interesting came up. I thought you might want to know."

"Okay, shoot."

The two men sat down in the chairs placed on either side of the living room's unlit fireplace.

"Well, we were talking about Ms. Davis... you know, 'cause Stan knows since he's the one who got the file... and, well, we were talking about a lot of stuff, mostly about little Kristina and if there was anything we could do to help without, you know, Ms. Davis knowing 'cause I know she doesn't like us poking around in things."

"Bernie..." Sonny interrupted, "you're kinda rambling. Actually, you're sort of reminding me of Ms. Davis right now."

The look on the old man's face made Sonny laugh. Bernie just shook his head and went on.

"Okay, sorry. While we were talking about Kristina, I mentioned how incredibly lucky it was, you know, that Sam was Ms. Davis' daughter because that's probably why her--your--why the baby's stem cells were able to save Kristina when she was sick."

It wasn't a time he liked to remember. Though he'd been thrilled to discover Alexis' beautiful little girl was his, the terror of how sick she was and the anger he'd felt back then for Alexis were both memories best left in the past.

"I can't imagine if we'd lost her then. She makes me so happy, you know? She always just wants to give me a hug and tell me how much she loves me."

"She's pretty terrific," Bernie replied. "So anyway, when I said that, Stan got kinda quiet. So I prodded him a little. And, well, Boss, he told me something I think you should know."

"What's that?" Sonny asked, his neck muscles beginning to tense.

"Well, Stan said he tested a few points on the hospital mainframe, and pediatrics was the easiest way to get into the system. Apparently the passwords are a lot easier to figure out. So he went in through Kristina's record, and used the portal to leapfrog over to Ms. Davis'. But to cover his tracks, when he printed out all the information, he printed Kristina's record first, and Ms. Davis' kinda grandfathered after it."

"Is there something in Kristina's file I should be worried about, Bernie?"

Bernie shook his head. "Not worried, but... well, Stan said he happened to see the results summary from all the tests that were run when Kristina was sick. And something there... it doesn't make any sense."

Sonny shifted in his chair, and Bernie clearly noted his employer's impatience.

"Did you know Stan has a degree in biology? He was gonna go to med school before he realized how much money there was to be made with his computer skills."

"No, I didn't know that," Sonny replied.

"So he tells me he's reading this list, and for Sam, they had the blood type of her baby and for her... and, well, he says that there's no way that Sam and Kristina could be sisters."

"Well, he's wrong," Sonny said as he stood to go get some water from the bar. "Because they are."

"Yeah, except... Stan swears that it's just not possible. Something about inconsistent blood groups... I don't know. He said he wasn't sure how to bring this to you or if he even should, so I told him I'd talk to you about it."

Sonny thanked Bernie for the information and bid him good night. Stan had to be wrong. He just had to be. But he couldn't honestly remember anyone mentioning a blood test or a DNA test that actually confirmed Sam's parentage. Everyone had just put all the clues together and come to what seemed like the obvious conclusion.

But Alexis was a Cassadine... and in the years of their friendship, Sonny had seen more bizarre things happen in the Cassadine universe than he'd ever seen on television or in a movie. And Stan wasn't the type of guy to leap to a conclusion like this unless he was sure.

The next day, Sonny met with Stan and had his computer wizard walk him through what he'd found step-by-step. Stan showed him the documentation in Kristina's file that showed the different blood types and then, just to make sure there hadn't been any mistakes, Stan had broken into Sam's medical file and pulled her listed blood type up to compare it with what was in Kristina's records and the type listed in Alexis'.

"I'm telling you, unless one of their blood types was put in here incorrectly... there is no way Sam McCall is Alexis Davis' daughter."

Sonny put his men to work--all of them except Jason. He needed answers before he trusted Jason not to tell Sam what was going on. The guys accumulated files, broke into labs, retraced the trail that had led Jason and Sam to Alexis in the first place. They spent hours checking and double-checking, and when it was all said and done, Sonny knew without a doubt that Stan was right. Sam was not Alexis' daughter. The child he and Sam had lost had saved Kristina because of the DNA she shared with her father.

"Are you gonna tell her?"

Bernie's question earned a shake of the head from Sonny.

"Alexis thought her child was dead, then she found Sam and... if I'm going to take that away from her, we need to know the truth about what happened. So now that's what we work on... we find out where and who Alexis' child is."

The search began with Stan and his crew running a computer search for all the babies born the month Sam was so that they could compare their blood types with Alexis'. It was a long shot, but it was the most sensible first step.

The second step was for Sonny to look up his sometime friend, sometime enemy Luke Spencer. He needed information on the Cassadines, and Luke was the expert.

"Sonny, my man, if something went hinky in Cassaweird land, I guarantee you, Helena is at the heart of it. Nothing bad ever went down in that family without her hands all over it."

Luke hated all Cassadines but one. So he came to Stan's computer room to lend a hand. And less than 5 minutes later, the world turned 180 degrees.

"Wait, this is Sam's birthday? You're sure?"

"It's the birthday on the records Jason found, yeah," Sonny answered.

"Well, unless one too many scotches has addled my brain, which is possible," Luke joked, "then I suggest you run your next check on my not-so-beloved stepson."

Sonny's eyes narrowed. "Nikolas?"

"Vlad Jr.'s the same age as her."

Stan pulled up Nikolas' medical records and checked the blood types. Though it wasn't conclusive the way an impossible match would be, what they had made it clear that Nikolas could, biologically, be Alexis' son.

"We need to get blood from all these people," Bernie said, "Ms. Davis, Sam, Nikolas--that's the only way we're gonna know for sure."

"Well, Alexis' blood is gettin' tested all the time," Sonny replied. "But I don't know how we get the other two to, you know, do it without them wondering what's up."

Stan leaned back in his chair and stretched. "That's easy. Sometimes cancer patients need transfusions, so let's get the family together to donate blood, you know, just in case. We'll pinch what we need and get our answer."

It was easy enough to bribe a nurse to suggest the blood donations to Ric, Sam and Nikolas as they sat gathered together outside Alexis' hospital room after a brutal session of chemo. They all agreed to go by the blood bank, and as they did, the same nurse secured one vial of blood from both Sam and Nikolas. She had already pulled a vial from Alexis' earlier blood draw.

The results gave them more information than they'd expected. The test proved that Alexis was not Sam's mother. It proved Nikolas was Alexis' son. And it proved that Sam and Nikolas were half-siblings.

Sonny couldn't begin to let himself think about what that meant, about what young, scared Alexis must have gone through in her life. He focused on what he could fix--and that was the wrong done to her so long ago when her child had been taken and a web of lies had hidden him from her for his entire life.

Luke's theory probably made the most sense. Laura and Stavros had parented a girl--Sam--and Helena had found that unsatisfactory. She wanted a male heir, and Alexis' pregnancy had provided one. How she'd gotten the babies from place to place or managed to avoid Stavros' or Mikkos' suspicions--those were mysteries still to be solved. For now, Sonny knew what came next.

To say that his relationship with Nikolas was poor was an understatement. But Sonny couldn't ask anyone else to handle this for him, not when it would change Alexis and Kristina's lives so much. So he took the launch out to Wyndemere and ventured in to find Nikolas sitting in the living room giving his son a bottle.

His son... Alexis' grandson... Sonny felt his throat tighten as he suddenly realized there was a chance the baby might never get to know her.

"Did something happen... with Alexis or Kristina?" Nikolas asked, rising up from where he sat.

"Nothing, uh... no, they're fine. But there's something we need to talk about... about your au--about Alexis."

Sonny explained the whole story, showing Nikolas the tests they'd run to confirm what finally appeared to be the truth. He watched as the younger man pulled his own son closer while the news sunk in. A few moments later, Nikolas stood and moved to place John into the portable crib that sat nearby, and then he turned to face the older man.

"When she told me she was sick... it felt like someone was trying to take a piece of me. Literally, just take it right out of me. Every day, I wake up and I try to think of something... some doctor I can find, some medicine I can put money behind... anything that'll make her well. I can't imagine my life without her."

Nodding, Sonny stood and took a few steps towards Nikolas. "She's been dealing with a lot... things you don't know about. But you're her son... and she needs someone to protect her."

Nikolas squared his shoulders and looked Sonny dead in the eye. "What do I need to protect her from?"

*****

It was just after dinnertime when Sonny strolled into the waiting room on the oncology floor and beckoned to his brother. Ric came when called and Sonny led him out into the hallway. Nikolas was waiting there for them.

"What's going on?" Ric asked.

"I wanted to talk to you," Nikolas replied, "and I thought it best that we not do it in a room full of family and friends."

Sonny saw his brother's eyes dart nervously from Nikolas to him and then back again.

"Talk to me about what?"

Moving quickly and with a skill that spoke of how much damage he might do if he wanted to, Nikolas backed Ric into the corner formed by the wall and a nearby pillar. Ric's eyes widened with fear and shock.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm letting you know that for now, I'll tolerate you. For these few weeks when Alexis feels weak and she thinks she needs you, I won't try to force you out of my family. But when she regains her strength, and she will... when she's ready to be done with you, you'll leave quietly or so help me, you'll wish it was Jason Morgan coming after you."

With that, Nikolas turned away from Ric and headed toward Alexis' room. Sonny couldn't help but smile at the very real terror on his brother's face.

"I wouldn't mess with the kid, Ric. You know those Cassadines... they're all a little, you know..."

Sonny made a clicking sound with his mouth and then he, too, turned and left Ric where he stood. Now that Nikolas knew the truth, Sonny wanted to tell Jason so he could be the one to speak with Sam. What Sonny didn't know was what Alexis would do about Sam once she knew the whole truth. Even though Sam was not her daughter, she was still family... and he knew Alexis didn't turn her back on family, even when they deserved it. But at least now she had someone by her side who was going to put her first. Sonny knew that for certain as he peeked into the room where Alexis lay sleeping quietly, Nikolas at her side.

"You know what I think?" Nikolas whispered. "I think John and I should come stay at the lake house with you and the girls till you get well. You can teach me how to raise a great kid like Kristina... like my sister... and I can help take care of you."

Sonny let the door fall shut as Nikolas leaned even closer and whispered a few final words to Alexis.

"I love you, Mom."

*****

Kristina's birthday, thankfully, came with Alexis strong enough to celebrate it. Though she was still recovering and far from 100 %, the doctors were hopeful, and Sonny could see the change in his daughter as she began to feel more and more secure in the permanence of her mother's place in her life.

The party was going to be small... just family. He had wanted to bring the boys, but Carly was being Carly, so he headed to the lake house on his own. He arrived a little early, though, because he wanted a chance to check in on Alexis himself.

She answered the door and the smile she gave him told Sonny that she really was feeling better. And he knew that wasn't just physically. When she had woken up in the hospital and regained a bit of strength, Nikolas had been the one to tell her the strange tale of yet another change in their family tree. When Sonny had gone by later to see her, it was hard not to describe what he saw in her eyes as relief. There had been a real reason why she and Sam had been unable to build any kind of relationship--they were never meant to have one. And at least now Alexis didn't have to live forever with the vision of her own child's betrayal.

Sam had left town as soon as her real identity was revealed and even Jason had yet to hear from her. Ric had moved out as soon as Alexis confessed that she'd seen what had happened with Sam, and Nikolas had an army of lawyers assembled in case Ric tried to fight any of Alexis' wishes regarding divorce and custody. So far, Ric hadn't dared to say no to one of her requests.

"I'm glad you're early," Alexis said as she closed the front door behind him. "I've been meaning to talk to you, but we always seem to be getting interrupted, you and I."

"Yeah, it seems to make people nervous when we're alone in a room together."

He flashed his dimples--a reflex of a long-ago habit. Alexis rolled her eyes, but a grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"I never got to thank you," she said, her voice growing softer. "What you did... I don't know how... well, really, I don't want to know how because you probably broke about a hundred laws and I am still an officer of the court, but... what you did, Sonny... changed my life, and very much for the better. So thank you."

It had been a long time since they'd been in this place. Sonny wasn't sure they could be called friends again, but it felt good to have done something that helped her, to hear her thank him. He hadn't really understood how much he missed their closeness until her illness and their talks had reminded him.

"I'm just glad that, you know, things are working out. It looks like Nikolas is, uh, taking good care of you."

"He is," she said, her smile beaming. "And the girls... they're in heaven. Between having Nikolas here and getting to be close to John, it's just... oh, my God, can you believe I'm a grandmother?"

They both laughed.

"Well, the important thing is that you stick around to be one again, when Kristina's, you know, all grown up and married and..."

Alexis scoffed. "Like you're ever gonna think a man is good enough for her."

"Well, if she let's me pick him out, you know... maybe."

A scream came from the kitchen then, but it was a squealed one, full of delight. Kristina appeared atop her big brother's shoulders as Nikolas gave her a piggyback ride into the living room.

"Hey, is this family having a party today or what?" the young man asked.

"Yes, indeed," Alexis replied, her hand reaching for Sonny's, "this family is having a party today. So to the playroom, let's go."

Sonny let her fingers slip through his, and together they walked down the hall behind her son and their daughter so the celebration could begin.

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