Summary: In a vital moment of choice, Sonny Corinthos will have to choose between a present that could turn out disastrous and a future that could change everything… for everyone…
Disclaimer: GeneralHospital and all of its characters belong to those who were genius enough to think them up. I do not have an affiliation with anything having to do with the soap or with ABC, although I really wish I were a writer for the show… I'd fix everything that was broken or forgotten…
Author's note: I'm sure this idea has been done ten times over somewhere in GH fic-land, but I want to put my twist on things… And for further information, I don't mean to offend anyone's dream pairings with this piece and if I do, I apologize. But as of late, I've been VERY upset with the way things have been going on my favorite soap opera (and my pairing obsessions of yore have reared their fabulous heads). So, this is my way to salvage a good character that I like but don't love (Sonny) and get everything to the way I would love to see it done on the show… Anyways, please let me know what you think – either way – because I love reviews! I just ask that you don't flame. Thanks!
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Resonance
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But what if you could? I mean, forget reality, forget marriage, forget everything for just a second. Where would you want me to live? Would you want me across the hall with Jason? Or would you want me and our child in the penthouse with you?
Sonny Corinthos – son, brother, husband, father… mob boss – walked into a silent, dark penthouse with a heavy sigh. An evening spent evading Sam McCall's pointed, yet extremely pertinent questions was wearing his already thin restraint. Sam McCall was temptation personified, and he'd already tasted the forbidden fruit. With another sigh, Sonny wiped a tired hand over his face as he sat down on the cool leather of his couch. Oh yes, he'd tasted the forbidden fruit… and now, he was paying the price. The mobster looked around the penthouse at Michael's toys scattered around the room. Carly's decorating magazines sat on the coffee table. If news of Sam's baby came out and what the true paternity of the child was, the evidence of a family – Carly and Michael's things – would be gone in a heartbeat. Carly would not stay to be mother to a child that was not hers. Not by another woman. And certainly not if that woman was Sam McCall – the woman who had come so close to destroying her marriage… if tiny brunette temptress hadn't already. But at the same time, Sonny couldn't imagine his life without Sam. There was something that kept drawing him to her, something in him that refused to let her go. The very idea that she could marry Jason and give Sonny's child his name made his heart ache. But it wasn't that the child would be raised as Jason's that had Sonny gritting his teeth. It was the fact that Sam would be married to Jason. Sonny chuckled when all of the irony in this situation finally hit him. Jason was pretending to be the father of Sam's baby… just like he had done for Carly years before. Jason was going to marry Sam while she was in love with another man – and that man was as close as he could get to being in love with her without admitting it… just like Sonny had with Carly years before. Yet Jason wasn't doing all of this for himself… or Sonny even. Jason was doing it to make sure Carly was happy. When he'd been given the choice between the two women, Sonny had picked Carly. And now Jason, knowing that Carly loved Sonny, was doing everything in his power to make sure she never found out about her husband's betrayal. Payback's a bitch… ain't it? Sonny let out a bitter laugh when he realized that thought came out in Luke Spencer's witty drawl. Yep… payback was a bitch. And now, he'd damned all of them to the hell of living the lie. A lie that, if exposed in the slightest, would blow everything to unrecognizable bits. There were too many friendships compromised, too many trusts broken. There would be no salvation for Carly and Sonny, or Jason and Sonny, or Sam and Sonny. There would be no where to hide for Carly and Jason should their friendship fall among the ashes. The solid foundation that had become Carly, Sonny and Jason would be no more. There would be no going back… for any of them. Sonny let out a sigh as every morbid thought in his head made everything more real. He let his eyes close as he tried to focus on the positives. If the marriage goes through, Carly will still be with him. He will still have his family. Sonny sat up straight when he realized that it was the only one he could come up with.
"The bad far outweighs the good, don't you think?" a voice called from the shadows. Sonny spun around where he sat to see who had spoken to him. Out stepped a young, dark-haired boy who looked to be no more than twelve years old. Not knowing how to react to someone so young who had broken in to his home, – and into his thoughts – Sonny stood.
"Who… who are you?" Sonny asked, turning to face the boy. "And how did you get in here?" The boy stepped further into the room.
"My name is Jason. I am the son you and Carly never had," the boy said. Sonny's eyes went wide.
"Our… son…" was all he could choke out.
"Yes. The one that was taken from you the night AJ pushed her down a flight of stairs," the boy clarified. Sonny closed his eyes as he sat heavily down again on the couch.
"Why… why are you…?" he started. The boy smiled.
"I'm here because there was a moment in time that, should it have gone another way, would have changed everything," he told Sonny. "I'm here to help you…"
"Help me with what?" Sonny asked, a confused frown coming over his face. The boy crossed the room and stood in front of the mob boss.
"She asked you to forget everything and answer honestly… and you ignored the question's importance. Why didn't you answer?" the boy asked.
"She? She who?" Sonny asked, and then he knew. He let out a breath and sat back. "Sam…"
"Yes. Sam. Why didn't you answer?" he asked. Sonny thought for a second.
"Because, I couldn't. What could I say? I'm married. I love my wife, I love my sons," he said. The boy nodded.
"Yes. But are you happy?" he asked. Sonny stood angrily.
"What the hell kind of question is that? Are you implying that I should walk away from my family, divorce Carly and go off with Sam?" he demanded. Sonny didn't give the young boy a chance to answer. "I love Carly and she loves me. We're a family." The boy was silent for a moment as he stepped closer to Sonny.
"What you say is true. Carly does love you. And you do love her. Together you do make a family. But is it a love that will stand the test of time? Has it withstood the test of time?" he asked.
"Yes!" Sonny almost yelled, but the word felt hollow. The boy looked knowingly at Sonny as he struggled with the conclusions he was coming to.
"Regardless of whether you believe that answer or not, you will still have to make a decision," he said.
"What kind of decision?" Sonny asked. The boy smiled.
"To tell the truth, or continue on with a lie," he said. Sonny's eyes went wide at the statement.
"The truth? I can't tell Carly the truth about Sam! It will tear everyone apart! No! Jason must marry Sam. It's the only way to fix things," Sonny said.
"My answer was not a solution to the web you've spun now. My answer is to a baser decision," the boy said. Sonny was silent as he looked down at his hands… they were shaking slightly. Deep down, Sonny knew. He knew what the boy was talking about. But he didn't want to know.
"What… what will happen to everyone if I make the wrong choice?" Sonny asked, his brow furrowed in concern and anxiety.
"There is no guarantee, Sonny. Each decision will have repercussions that will be felt by everyone. I can't tell you who will be happy and who will be miserable. But for the most part, all feelings, each person's deep seated hopes and dreams will be the same whichever way you choose. It's up to you to decide which way it will turn out," he said. Sonny frowned.
"What are you talking about?" Sonny asked. The ghost-like presence looked straight at him.
"I will tell you this… My name, never spoken aloud but known in a heart, was given to me for a reason. And in that light, the name of your living son was given in the same manner. Hopes and dreams may fade in the light of certain choices and certain needs, buried deep. But when uncovered, no matter how or when, they are discovered to be just as strong, just as true… if not stronger," he said.
"What are you saying?" Sonny asked, although he had an idea… one he didn't like. The son that never was smiled gently.
"I am saying that you've made choices, Sonny Corinthos. You've loved, you've married, you've separated… only to come back together again… and then separate once more. You both fight and you both lose only to be continually hurt. You've been given chances to be happy. One was passed by with repercussions that changed you both. And now, another is in danger of being ignored. I am here to give you a chance to repent your mistakes… and I am also here to give you a chance to know yourself and your own hopes and dreams," the soft voice said. Sonny was silent. He didn't know what to say. He knew what his hopes and dreams were. Sonny, then, thought over the past, and thought over everyone in it. He reflected on every moment of pain he had been through, and every moment of pain those he loved had been through as well. And then he thought of all the happiness. What small moments of happiness there was… Finally, Sonny looked up at the child that wasn't a child standing in front of him. His dark, whiskey-colored eyes held resolve, and a little bit of regret.
"I know what I need to do," he said. With those words, the child smiled and reached to touch Sonny's shoulder…
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November 30th, 1999…
Sonny shook his head as he stood looking at Carly. She was ranting on about something and he couldn't quite focus on her words. It was as if he'd just come out of a daydream and a cloak of haziness was still over his mind. With a frown, he watched as Carly paced a few steps and then spun around to face him.
"What do you know about Elizabeth Webber?" she demanded, her words suddenly ringing loud and clear in his ears. It took a second for him to find the words, but they emerged past his lips as if he had no control over them.
"Her height? Weight? Ring sizes? Relatives?" he asked almost mockingly. Carly gave him a glare as she placed her hands on her hips.
"What is she to Jason?" she asked. Sonny continued to look at her through disinterested eyes.
"She's beautiful, she's not married, she's not loud, she's not ignorant…" Sonny started to list off, but Carly cut him off with a huff.
"She's a child," she spat. Sonny turned from her and went to sit on the couch.
"She's in college, isn't she? Come on, Carly," Sonny implored incredulously. "You drop-kick the guy, you take away his kid. And what – you're shocked that he's gonna fall for someone else?" Carly's eyes went wide at his words. She was silent for a moment or two before she spoke again.
"What do you mean 'fall'? What… is he in love with her?" she asked, the pain registering in her voice. It was then that Sonny felt the cloak that had enveloped his mind lift. He was silent as he thought over her words and he realized that the goal he'd had in his mind… he couldn't do it. It was too monstrous… even for him. He couldn't go through with his plan to get rid of her. Her loyalty, her love for Jason shone in her eyes… and so did the pain at the thought of his betrayal. It was enough to shake his resolve… it was enough to punch through his own misery and his own past betrayals that he just couldn't do it. He couldn't manipulate that pain. If only he could find someone that loved him half as much as she loved Jason. Sonny closed his eyes for a second.
"Sonny?" Carly's voice almost squeaked, the anxiety and urgency for his answer taking a toll on her patience. "Does he love her?" When Sonny opened his eyes she was kneeling in front of him, a shaking hand lying on his knee. Panic was written clearly in her gaze, which was begging him to tell her what she wanted to hear. It was just his luck that the truth was what she wanted to hear.
"No…" he said finally, somehow knowing that his answer would change everything. Carly let out an audible sigh of relief as she plopped herself down on the couch next to him. The shaking hand that had been on his knee was removed and lifted to shakily wipe a tear of worry that escaped her eye.
"He doesn't love her…" Carly reiterated, trying to calm herself with the words. Sonny looked over at her, his dark gaze giving her a once over.
"No, he doesn't love her. They are just friends," he confirmed softly. Carly's own dark eyes finally looked over to meet his.
"He was dancing with her," she told him, as if to explain her panicked ambush of him. Sonny gave her a small smile that held none of the animosity of before.
"But they're just friends," he reassured. It took a moment, but Carly finally gave him a small smile back. Then, she stood with a relieved, calm sigh.
"Well… I'd say thanks for the cool down time to get my head on straight and for being honest with me… but we both know where that will take us," she said. Sonny looked up at her questioningly. At his confused look, she let out a short laugh.
"Come on, Sonny. Back to our thrust and parry. I say thank you and you tell me where to shove it, then I insult you, you insult me back and BAM… we're back to square one," she said as she went to the door. Sonny continued to watch her, expressionless. He'd brought her back from the brink of destruction. It was something she plainly said with her eyes. It lifted his shoulders a bit to know that he was the one to do that. But then… she had done the same for him when he'd been crashing and burning. Carly watched him for a second or two before she gave him a quick, honest smile before opening the penthouse door. People like us, we light a match, and the whole house burns. The words rang through his head as if he'd spoken them. But he didn't. He was silent as Carly walked out of his penthouse door and threw a half-hearted wave to him. Sonny wearily sat back and laid his head against the soft, cool leather of the couch. His eyes went back to the door that was now closed. No, not this time. The house is just fine…
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Four years later…
The alarm clock was buzzing and it was beginning to annoy him. He opened his eyes slowly but didn't move to turn the irritating sound off. Finally there was a groan from beside him and a thin, feminine arm reached across his chest and knocked the plastic clock from where it sat to the floor, effectively breaking it as it hit the cold wood. He smiled as he gripped the arm that had fallen over his chest and pulled the form it was attached to closer to him. Blond hair fell over his chest as she snuggled her head into the crook of his shoulder. He looked down into the sleepy face and smiled.
"Morning, Carly," he mumbled. She mumbled incoherently for a second before she draped one of her legs over his and scooted closer into his side.
"Too early…" she said, tightening her hold around his torso. He smiled before he craned his head to the side to look at the destruction on the floor.
"Well… before you sent the thing to its death, I think the clock said 9:30…" he said. It took a second for his words to register, but then Carly's eyes snapped open.
"What?!" she said, suddenly sitting up. He put a hand behind his head and made himself comfortable in order to watch her. The sleep was gone from her eyes and she was now a blond flurry. Carly was never one to slow down, especially in times of trouble. But there was no trouble. They were happy. Happier than he could have ever imagined… and he didn't imagine a lot. Now, she was still a reckless bundle of energy, rarely staying still. Even in sleep, he thought, thinking immediately of his bruised shin he received in the middle of the night… and the elbow to the gut… So, he watched from the bed, amused, as Carly ran around the bedroom trying to find the items she was searching for.
"Jason! Why didn't you wake me up? God knows you're up early enough every day," she grumbled. Jason rolled his eyes.
"If you wouldn't make it habit to sleep in until noon… and if I remember correctly, we both had an interestingly late night," he reminded her. Carly stopped what she was doing for a second and let a preoccupied smile cross her features.
"We did, didn't we?" she commented before shaking herself out of the moment and rushing into the closet. Then she emerged holding a pair of shoes.
"And another thing," she said, holding a shoe out to point at him. "I do not sleep until noon." Then she was off again, this time to the bathroom.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah… and I'm really just a coffee importer," Jason said with a roll of his eyes. Carly stood in the bathroom doorway, toothbrush in her mouth, eyes narrowed, and dressed only in nylons and a half-buttoned dress shirt. She took the toothbrush out of her mouth.
"When did you become so sarcastic?" she asked. Jason smirked.
"The day I met you… It's only gotten worse since I married you," he said. Carly rolled her own eyes as she went back to finish her task.
"It's good to see that my better qualities are rubbing off on you," she called from the bathroom before exiting and going to the closet.
"Well, you know… for better or worse…" he said. "It kind of scares me as to what your worst is…" Carly gave him a look over her shoulder.
"Ha, ha… very funny. Besides, I think you've seen my worst," she said.
"Yeah, I guess I have. So… what's your rush?" he asked with a smile. Carly turned to him, hands on her hips and clothes dangling from her hands.
"What's the rush?" she asked incredulously. "You know very well that I have to meet Courtney in a half an hour. If she and AJ are going to take Michael for the weekend, we have to make sure the club is in order so that I can deal without her." Jason shook his head as he sat up against the headboard.
"First of all, I can't believe AJ straightened up enough for us to actually want to send Michael with him…" Jason commented dryly. Carly looked back at him from the clothes she was ransacking with a grin.
"Yeah… who knew it would take a Corinthos sister to make a Quartermaine sane," she said. Jason rolled his eyes.
"Second, I can't believe that you own a club with Jasper Jacks as an investor and Courtney Quartermaine as your partner," he said. Carly shook her head with a laugh.
"You're just still upset that I didn't come to you or Sonny for the money," she told him. Jason frowned at her, but she didn't see it.
"We would have given it to you," he said. Carly let out a sigh as she closed the closet door with a snap and turned to look at him with a loving gaze.
"I know that Jason, and don't think I don't appreciate it or want you to help me out. But I don't want people to think the only reason I succeed is because my husband hands me money. I worked hard to get Jax's respect and partnership and I did it on my own. It was difficult to get him to see past his prejudice against you and Sonny to actually want to support me in my venture, but it was my hard work, my business acumen, and my unbelievably charming personality that did it," she said as she approached the bed. Jason smiled at the last part. Carly continued as she began to pull on the skirt she'd haphazardly chosen.
"As for Courtney… well… I'd like to say we're becoming friends. We didn't hit it off too well at first, due to the fact that she's in love with my formerly psycho ex-husband and the sister of a man who once hated my guts. I haven't had many friends… especially female ones, and I'd like to think that going into business together will only help us get to know each other better," she said. Jason let out a sigh as he reached out and took her hand.
"I understand both of those reasonings, Carly. It's just that you know I want to help you whenever I can," he said. Carly smiled as she kneeled on the bed next to him.
"I know that, Jason. And it's one of the many things that I love about you. But you've got enough going on right now. Sonny has enough going on right now. And Faith Roscoe causing problems is only going to add more to it. Sonny's going to need you and the two of you are going to need what you can get. You don't need the worry of a start-up club to add more stress," she said. Jason's blue eyes looked up into hers as she moved to straddle his waist.
"Have I told you I love you this morning, Mrs. Morgan?" he asked, causing Carly to chuckle at his atypical question. She reached up and cupped his cheeks.
"You just did," she said in an atypical manner all her own. Jason reached up and pulled her head down for a passionate kiss. After a few moments, Carly's hands reached down to run over his bare chest as she pulled back. Jason raised an eyebrow at where she seemed to be going with the gentle caress.
"You're gonna be late," he said, ever so practical, as her lips descended onto his again.
"I'll call… Courtney… She'll… understand," she said between breathless kisses before she reached over and picked up the phone. After a quick conversation in which Jason tried his best to distract her, Carly set the phone back on the nightstand.
"Now…" she said as Jason trailed kisses along the side of her neck. "…where were we?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth a happy gurgling noise filled the room. Jason stopped what he was doing and looked to the nightstand where the clock had met its doom. There sat the baby monitor.
"Looks like Amelia is taking after her daddy… an early morning riser," Carly said with mock disappointment as she separated herself from Jason slightly.
"Carly, it's not that early," he said, laughing as she shot a glare over her shoulder as she exited the room. She returned moments later with a beautiful blue-eyed, blond-haired baby girl.
"Say 'good morning' to daddy baby girl," Carly said as she snuggled their ten-month-old daughter closer to her. Amelia giggled as she was passed over to her father. Carly watched as Jason's eyes lit up in a way only their daughter could accomplish. Oh, he loved Michael to no end and would until the day he died, but there was something to be said for the knowledge of something belonging to him, flesh and blood. Where Michael was the embodiment of the dedication and loyalty the tightly knit family felt for each other, Amelia Jean Morgan was a testament to the love and devotion.
"Do you get the feeling this was meant to be?" Carly asked suddenly, causing Jason to look up at her.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Carly frowned as she crossed her arms.
"Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm in a dream. That me and Michael being here with you and Amelia… that it wasn't supposed to happen this way. That we weren't supposed to be together like this," she said. Jason let out a small chuckle as he looked down to his daughter whose head was resting comfortably on his shoulder.
"And you'd think, after almost two years of blissful marriage and the most beautiful daughter anyone could ask for, we'd have cured Mommy of this little hang-up of panicking when things go too well," he said to the oblivious female on his shoulder. Carly sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around his waist, lying her cheek against his other shoulder.
"I'm not panicking or planning on doing anything stupid to screw this up. I plan on you being stuck with me forever," she said, causing Jason to chuckle again. Carly smiled as well.
"It's just that I do get this feeling that things weren't supposed to have happened this way," she said. Jason let out a sigh as he wrapped his arm around Carly. When she looked up at him he leaned down and gave her a lingering kiss.
"Relax Carly. We are where we both want to be. I love you, you love me… we're happy. And if you get the feeling that it shouldn't have happened the way it did, that's too bad. Because it did. And in the event that it wouldn't have gone the way it did… then we would have eventually ended up right back here anyways. You said it yourself… it would have never been over between us," he said. Carly frowned.
"No, I didn't Jase. I've never said anything like that to you," she said, but for some reason it felt like she did. Jason frowned as well as he realized she was right. Where did that come from? And why? Rather than dwell on it, he shrugged his shoulder.
"It doesn't matter Carly. Regardless of how we got here or how we could have gotten here, we're happy," he said. Carly thought over Jason's words. Still, the uncomfortable feeling remained. But when she looked up and caught his eyes, all those feelings went away. One look at him, and she was calm. That was the way it always was. Just being with him made all the craziness go away. And that was how she knew they were forever. She smiled at him and replaced her cheek against his shoulder.
"I went to Sonny that night, you know," she said. Jason looked down at her.
"What night?" he asked. Carly smiled again.
"The night I saw you dancing with Saint Lizzie… the night I told you I trusted you," she told him. Jason frowned slightly as he shifted Amelia slightly.
"You and Sonny hated each other then," he said. Carly chuckled.
"Don't I know it," she huffed. "But he told me that you and Liz… well… he told me you were just friends. He hated me, he hated me with you, but he told me that anyway." Jason smiled.
"So that's when it all started," he said. "I wondered after that why I hadn't heard Sonny complain about you being around all the time. I just thought he'd given up."
"If he'd really wanted me gone and said anything different, I don't know what I would have done. Something incredibly stupid, crazy and utterly destructive I'll bet," she said. Jason laughed.
"I'm not going to disagree with that," he said as he stood up, just missing the hand that Carly tried to slap him with. Carly stood too and looked at her watch.
"Well… since we were interrupted from what I had planned on us doing, I suppose I should go find Courtney. We're going shopping later," she said with a grin. Jason nodded as he looked at his daughter.
"I'll take this girl over to Bobbie's. Leticia will bring her and Michael home after school gets out," he said. Carly nodded.
"That sounds good," she said as she bent down to put her heels on. When she stood, she went over to where Jason stood and took her baby's hand to kiss it.
"I'll see you later, baby girl. You be good for Grandma," she said. Then, she leaned up as Jason pulled her close to him.
"I'll see you later tonight. Sonny and I have a meeting," he said.
"Will you be too late?" she asked huskily. Jason grinned.
"Have another interestingly late night planned?" he asked. Carly grinned back.
"Seeing as we do have some unfinished business… that's my plan," she told him.
"That sounds like a Carly plan that I can get on board with," he said and leaned over for a kiss.
"Great. See you tonight… Now, I gotta go," she said, running across the room to get her purse.
"I love you!" he called to her as she rushed out of the room.
"I love you too!" she sing-songed back to him as she rushed down the stairs. When he heard the door slam, Jason chuckled and looked down at Amelia who was watching him with avid interest.
"You're mommy's crazy, little girl," he said, causing the girl to giggle and grab for his nose.
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Sonny's penthouse, later that night…
He was dreaming. He knew he was. But the morbid curiosity kept him from waking up. In his mind he saw himself… He saw a shell of himself on the verge of self-destruction. He saw himself become a veritable monster and betray the man he thought of as a brother… a son… a friend. And he saw himself fall in love. It was a passionate love, full of fire, of desire, of a symmetrical need. It was a love that would flare up large and bright when given the fuel, but would die off for awhile. It was beautiful while it lasted, but fuel eventually runs out leaving behind charred, broken remains that barely resembles what it started as. He saw the betrayals, he saw the separations, he saw the fights. He saw a broken man and a broken woman trying desperately to recapture what they once had, both unaware that there was nothing left to fight for. The love was no longer for each other, but for the idea of each other… for the Carly and Sonny they had forced each other to become. And he saw Jason, he saw his sister, he saw Michael… he saw everyone else trying to live in the hurricane that he and Carly created. And then, he saw things he wouldn't have been able to see before, things he'd been blind to or unaware of. He saw the fear on Jason's face after Carly's accident, he saw the exuberant joy and love on Carly's when Jason returned. He saw the painful acceptance in Jason as he watched Carly try to keep her marriage from failing. He saw the hurt when Michael finally called the husband, not the father, 'daddy'. It was on Jason's face, and deep in Carly's heart. And then, he saw all of their good-byes. The times when they thought it was the last time they'd see each other… the spoken and the implied 'I love yous'. The plane that was doomed to never land, the hospital where Carly almost died with a bullet in her head, the escape from Sonny's trial, the hotel fire… There was no thought to the husband or the wife in those moments, but there were of the children… and each other. If Sonny could have woken up at that moment, he would have, but he needed to see it through. He could see every time Carly and Jason fought for each other, and for each other's happiness. Jason thought Carly was happy with Sonny, so he offered to lie about the father of Sam's baby to keep them together. Carly thought Jason was happy with Courtney, so she marched in and broke up Sam and Jason's wedding before it could begin so that Courtney would have a chance to make Jason happy again. He saw all the times Jason defended and protected Carly from him and all of Port Charles and he saw all the times Carly could make the stoic man smile. And then, the words he'd forgotten came back to him… Hopes and dreams may fade in the light of certain choices and certain needs, buried deep. But when uncovered, no matter how or when, they are discovered to be just as strong, just as true… if not stronger. The son that was never born, named in Carly's heart… Jason. And the son born on a stormy night in a house bought to separate the family by the father who'd put the bullet in the mother's head… Morgan. The names echoed in Sonny's thoughts, just as they did within the mother's heart. With that thought, Sonny's eyes snapped open and he sat up straight in his bed. Looking around he saw that the other side of the bed had been slept in, but the occupant was no longer there. With a frown, Sonny threw back the covers and stood. He wiped the beads of perspiration from his temples that the combination of the dream and a warm summer night had caused. Then, he began his search. But for the life of him, he couldn't picture who it was. Carly? He called out the name mentally, uncertain as to what life had been given to him. Whether he was walking in reality, or still immersed in a dream. Sonny slowly made his way down the stairs, and around to the kitchen. The refrigerator door was open and blocking the person holding the door. All Sonny could see was a small, tanned hand and two thin, tanned legs.
"What are you doing up?" he asked softly, to not frighten her. But he did anyway. There was a small shriek as the person slammed the refrigerator door again.
"Sonny! Don't do that!" Sam's husky voice called out. A warm wave of memory washed over Sonny as he stared at the small woman in front of him. Her long, dark hair was piled on top of her head in a messy pony tail. All she wore was the matching pajama top to the bottoms he now wore, and it stretched slightly over her gently swelling belly. A smile quickly came over his face, softening the expression.
"I thought I told you no more midnight snacks," he said with a mock glare as he crossed the cold floor to where she stood. Sam stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Yes, master, of course, master. I will obey, master. But this child of yours has a different idea. You can be the Food Nazi all you want, but this kid wanted something to eat. I, of course, denied such a demand and came down for a glass of water," she said. Sonny leaned forward slightly and kissed her lips. Then, he pulled back and ran his tongue over the bottom of his lip to catch the distinctly salty taste of pickle juice. Sam had the grace to look slightly ashamed.
"Kosher dill?" he asked seriously before breaking into his dimpled grin. Sam rolled her eyes.
"Yeeees," she admitted. "But I can't help it. I feel like I haven't eaten anything all day." Sonny let out a laugh.
"If you call six meals a day not eating anything," he said. Sam let out an offended wail as she slapped Sonny's arm.
"I hear any jokes about whales, weight, or anything concerning whale weight, we're just going to have to make the guest room your permanent home," she said as she started to walk away. Sonny stopped her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders with a laugh.
"Fine, fine, fine. I'm sorry," he said. She turned her head to look back at him, her hands laying over his.
"You'd better be. We've got three more months of this," she said. He smiled at her before he kissed her.
"I love you," he said as he pulled back. Sam gave him a beautiful smile in return.
"I love you too, mob man," she said. "Now, we'd better get back to bed. I'm meeting Carly and Courtney later to go baby shopping." Sonny let out a groan.
"We don't need any more things. The two of them have already bought enough for you to fill two nurseries," he said. Sam took his hand and started leading them back up to the bedroom.
"You're lucky it's the two of them spending Jason and AJ's money rather than me spending yours," she told him. He laughed.
"Fine. But no junk food," he said pointing at her. Sam just laughed.
"What makes you think I'd do that? I know you monitor every bit of food that goes by my lips. I think you're paying the guards extra for that service, aren't you?" she teased. Sonny rolled his eyes as they entered the bedroom. He stopped and leaned against the doorway to watch as the petite body carrying his child crossed the room to the other side of the bed.
"I know the company you keep," he explained. Again, Sam laughed.
"Just because Carly brought me 5 cheeseburgers from that fast-food place she loves so much, doesn't mean I'm going to eat 'em," she said. Sonny let out a disbelieving snort.
"Right. And where, exactly, did those cheeseburgers go?" he prompted. Sam shrugged her shoulders.
"Would you believe we were mugged?" she asked. She let out a happy shriek as Sonny crossed the room, picked her up and spun her around.
"By whom?" he asked, a dark eyebrow raised.
"The Hamburglar," she said. At Sonny's clueless look, Sam chuckled and brought a hand up to his cheek.
"Babe, you've got to get a handle on some pop culture if you don't want to bore our child to death," she said lovingly.
"I'll get a handle on pop culture the day Carly stops trying to smuggle you junk food," he said walking them over to the bed and gently laying her down.
"She does it because she likes to get a rise out of you. She wants to scramble up your neat, orderly, silk-suit life. She did it to Jason's, so now she's moved on to you. In her words, 'it's weird to use a coaster, but it's doubly weird and right near twilight zone to use a coaster for a coaster. Sonny needs to lighten up'," Sam reported.
"It's good to know that I am Carly's personal mission," Sonny said dryly. Sam smirked.
"Jason said it keeps her busy," she said. He rolled his eyes.
"Jason's an asshole," he said without a hint of condemnation.
"Well… you gave him his job for a reason," Sam agreed. Sonny shook his head.
"Have I told you you're a smartass?" he asked as he sat on the bed next to her. Sam grinned.
"Don't worry, Sonny. I told Carly that I've been trying to mess up your life since the day I met you. It hasn't worked completely, but give me time," she predicted.
"Enough pep talks with Carly and you should be good to go. She's the expert," he said. Sam smacked his arm again.
"Stop that. She and Jason are extremely happy. Even you have to admit that," she said. Sonny thought over the entire dream he'd had for a moment. And then he nodded.
"Yes, I will admit that they are happy. After her past, I never thought it would be possible for her to ever be happy with anything. She was always one to mess things up, destroy things, blow things out of proportion. I know, because I'm like that too. But, she's stopped doing that. She's still crazy in her wild, unpredictable way, but she's happy. And she makes Jason happy. That's all I care about," he said. Sam smiled.
"She has everything she ever searched for. The Spencers have let her in, she's made peace with her mother, she has her children and she knows that Jason loves and respects her, heart and soul. They say when the soul is at peace a person can be truly happy. And a key to that peace is Jason… her soul mate," she said. Sonny contemplated her words. Then, he gave her a beautiful smile.
"If that's the case, then we can certainly say I've found mine as well," he said cutting off the conversation with a sweet kiss. And Sam didn't argue one bit.
El fin… the end…
O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O
Author's end note: I really hope you liked this. I will forever be a cheerleader for Jason and Carly… and I will forever threaten to never watch GH again if they don't put the two of them together. I said it in the piece and I will say it again, they are soul mates. They complement each other and, if given the chance, could be a forever love. But the volatile hurdle is in getting there. Carly proved that when she slept with Sonny. I think if Carly had known that Jason really loved her and if they had been together at that point, nothing could have torn them apart. It would have been all she wrote. And I think that was what made the writers uncomfortable and made them write that scene that Jason and Carly fans heard around the world. And I think that's why they don't put them together now. They're afraid that all of us J&C fans were right from the beginning… that J&C would be the supercouple to eclipse all supercouples. Wouldn't it be mud on their face for us to be right and then they'd have to explain away all the S&C and Journey/Liason craziness? Oh well, maybe one day, they will see the error of their ways and make things right for everyone again. You may agree with me, you may not… and if you don't, I'm sorry. If you didn't like this piece, I'm sorry. I welcome any criticism except about the couplings. I understand that there are people out there who adore S&C and Journey and I hope they all understand that there are people who don't. So… that being said… long live J&C… long live Sonny/Sam… long live Courtney/Jax. It's the perfect world… :) Thanks for reading (the story, and my rant. I have a lot of both!)…