"Sonny! Sonny, nooooo! Please help me!"

"Shit!"

Sonny jumped in bed, looking down at the woman resting on his chest. He wiped the sweat beads from his face and realized he was just dreaming again. The woman who was warming his bed was here, but she was gone. She had been gone for over six years now.

Traces of her lipstick still haunted him when he looked at one of his favorite shirts he refused to wash because it smelled like her. He still saw her beautiful brunette hair blowing in the wind when he looked over his balcony. He could still feel her olive skin caressing his in the throes of ecstasy. Some memories faded, but not those of her. Her deep brown eyes still invaded his dreams. Too bad this time they were laced with terror.

His ex, Carly, was gone.

His best friend, Jason, was gone.

His son, Morgan, was gone, and now, his heart was gone.

He only had Michael, Kristina, and Avery. His three wonderful kids. He had another son, Dante, but he would hardly consider the relationship they had as anything but cordial.

Carly had left him after finding him in bed with his stepdaughter's boyfriend's mother, Kim. Jason left after he found out Sonny had killed his brother, AJ, while he was being held captive for five years in Russia, and Drew, his twin who had mistakenly assumed Jason's life in his absence, was right behind him. Morgan was gone forever after having a break with reality over the disease he had passed down. He still blamed himself for that, but none of that was the source of his nightmares tonight.

His nightmares came from seeing the face he always swore he would die remembering. The face of the woman who had given all she could to be his. She had lost her mind, her self-worth at a point, and had even given the purest thing she ever could, her actual blood. His ex-wife, Brenda, the love of his life, was the reason for his turmoil.

Brenda and Carly were adversaries for no reason other than their similar choices in men. Brenda had loved Sonny from the age of eighteen up until well into her thirties. He hoped the loved still remained, but he refused to delude himself. In the midst of their tumultuous love, Brenda had fallen for another and Sonny had married another woman. His first marriage ended tragically, and he fought to get Brenda back. They both still pined for each other but tried as hard as they could to let go but neither was fully willing. Through the years Brenda had different relationships, and Sonny married several times afterward. Sonny and Brenda eventually reunited several times and ended up marrying over six years ago. The man Brenda fell in love with, Jax, married Carly and added a new layer of angst to her and Carly's already growing feud.

Sonny resolved to push his feelings to the side because dreaming of his lost love would only lead to more heartache, and she was never in danger of stepping foot into his life again. She had made it clear the last time they spoke. She made a grave error in judgment in her attempt to one-up Carly in their rivalry the last time she was in town, but even then he knew he would forgive her. He just needed time. Too bad time had run out.

Sonny waited six months before he contacted her again after saying a cold goodbye in the airport, and she was more than happy to let him know to never contact her again. Her words were that he made her crazy and that if he had given her half of what she gave to him, they would be married with children of their own. She said she needed time to get over the love she had for him. When he pointed out that over twenty years later it still hadn't happened, she hung up in his face. He called back days later, but her number was no longer the same. She was gone.

His life was different from what he intended, Sonny would be the first to admit that, but he didn't regret his children or any of the eight marriages he had been in. They taught him who he was meant to have. Too bad he didn't realize it sooner.

His first wife, Lilly taught him how one mistake could start a chain of events that couldn't be undone. The marriages between he and Carly had taught him how friendship couldn't always transcend real love. He loved her, but she was more like a detonator for him where he needed someone to snatch the reigns and pull him back at times. Claudia was just business, combustible, dangerous, psychotic business. And Brenda, she had given him everything. She was his conscience, his love, his light in the dark. He had taken her early adult years and filled them with gunfights, near-death experiences, and the most powerful love either was capable of, and she still came back time after time. But not this time.

She had finally had enough, and he felt empty. He and Carly were the last stop on his quest to find happily ever after in a marriage, and it failed just as it did all the other times before. As much as he had grown as a man and she as a woman, something was missing. They both felt it, and he made it real by taking Kim to bed. Carly defaulted to Jason's side in the middle of their argument over AJ, and he knew it was where she belonged. He didn't fight her when she wanted to leave. He didn't hold up the divorce she requested. He just gave her what she needed and wished her well.

Now, he was in this shell of a life with a woman that served as an outlet, but it would never be anything real. He made that clear in the beginning.

"Sonny," she whispered, planting kisses on his chest.

"Yeah?" he answered, absently.

"What are your plans for the day?"

"I have the girls coming by. Molly, Kristina, and Parker are coming to spend time with me and Avery."

"Well, I could—"

"I don't do that," he stopped her before she could ask.

"I just figured... It's been almost a year, Sonny."

"And I've gotten you out of here before Avery woke every time. Let's not make a good situation complicated."

Sonny stood and went into the bathroom, and by the time he came back out, Kim was gone.

It was a little after six, and Avery was still asleep. He looked in on her and kissed the top of her head before heading to the kitchen. He had a huge menu planned for breakfast and was going to get started on whipping it up.

Hours later, Sonny had the kitchen in full swing and looked up to see the girls emerging. Kristina had Avery in her arms and Molly had books, as usual. She was always looking something up. "I swung upstairs and got her," Kristina announced in regards to Avery who was now fully dressed.

"Good. Have a seat," Sonny announced, grinning at the girls who were still able to put a smile on his face.

He and Kristina had a difficult road in the past, but the last year had settled a once rocky relationship. Kristina had gone off with her girlfriend, Parker, but was now back in Port Charles full time. They were all getting to know each other again. Parker was due to come by at any moment.

"Uncle Sonny, will you ever have a wife here again?" Molly asked, always being the one to break the ice.

"Molly," Kristina warned. "Not the time."

Sonny laughed and slid the crepes he was cooking onto a plate. "No," he answered. "I don't need a wife."

"But—" Kristina cleared her throat and looked at Molly sideways, shutting her up. Sonny caught it.

"What, girls?" he asked quickly while sliding eggs onto the plates he had in front of them.

"Nothing." Kristina smiled. "We just want you happy."

Sonny and the girls started on breakfast, and Parker walked in a few minutes later. "Krissy, I brought your phone," she announced. "You left it on the nightstand and Bren..."

"I'll take it," Kristina rushed to say, but Sonny caught that too. "I'll call back—"

"Kristina," Sonny called out. "You talk to her?"

Kristina turned slowly and nodded. Sonny could see the anguish on her face. "She called when AJ died, and we've just been in touch."

"Three years you kept this from me?" Sonny was hurt, but it wasn't with his daughter. He was hurt that Brenda's world kept moving and all the people he loved were still a part of it. He knew she had gotten close to his children, but he never knew they had the number that he had been skipped in receiving.

"She's good, now," Kristina offered. "Just... she is better now."

"Better, now?" Sonny asked. "What happened?" Just like that, all the love he felt for her rushed back with the utterance of the word now. What was wrong before?

"I shouldn't," Kristina said quietly. "She asked me to let our friendship be just ours. It has nothing to do with you and what you guys shared. I just hoped one day—"

"She will never want to come back here. She made that clear, especially after AJ. I did some things I can never take back. I just want to know that she's fine. What happened?"

Kristina opened her mouth and closed it quickly when she looked up and saw Michael walking into the kitchen. Apparently, the girls had clued him on on their breakfast plans, Sonny learned through hushed whispers. "What do you think you're doing?" Michael barked. So apparently, he had been in contact with her as well. Not a surprise there.

Michael and Brenda's relationship was complex. She had used him as a ploy to get back at Carly, and although he was distraught over hurting Sonny, he and Brenda repaired their friendship. It turned out that Brenda had only helped Michael get over a hangover and slipped into bed with him as a way to get even with Carly. Her desperation was intense, but Michael came to understand how crazy the tumultuous past was between his parents and Brenda and forgave her. Sonny knew that much from the last conversation he and Brenda had. She was sure to point that out before she dismissed him forever.

"Michael," Sonny greeted. "I didn't know you were coming. I'll get an extra plate."

"I just came for this." Michael laid a few papers on the counter and stepped in front of Kristina. "It's her business. You heard the same request I did."

"Yes, I did," Kristina protested, and Michael just shook his head.

"There are no exceptions. You made a promise just as well as I did."

Molly looked between her sister and cousin and cleared her throat. "You two made a promise, and I just listened, but as her husband, Uncle Sonny deserves to know."

"Molly, they have been divorced for over six years. He's gotten married twice since then. To my mom," Michael pointed out.

"The ceremonies were nice," Molly sipped the juice in front of her.

"What does that mean?" Michael questioned.

"It means ceremonies are only ceremonies but no actual marriages took place."

"It's too early for this," Michael huffed and picked Avery up, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'd like to know what you meant by that." Sonny inserted himself back into the conversation. "What do you mean by husband and that the marriages weren't real?"

"You can't get married when you already have a wife," Kristina admitted.

"We signed papers. She gave the rings back. I know you love Brenda, but it's over."

Kristina had a look on her face and cleared her throat. "You gave Dianne the papers to file, and she did. She asked me to hand them over to the courier, but they never made it to the destination. I took them. Me and Molly sent you a divorce decree we created. We sent Dianne a copy to send to both you and Brenda."

"You did what?!" Sonny was livid. "Why would you do that?"

"You were trying to keep me from Ethan at the time, and I was pissed," Kristina admitted. "I wanted to get back at you, and you're right, I loved Brenda. She tried to talk to me and show me how silly my crush on Ethan was. I just thought she was coming back one day and if you were already married it would just go back to normal. Each year she was gone it just got harder to do. You moved on with Kate and then Carly, but I knew none of that would work. We weren't going to tell you until we had to."

Sonny was thrown. He wasn't sure if he should be happy or if he should kill his daughter and niece. He had a wife. He had Brenda as a wife. She was 4,000 miles around the world, but she was still his. It was poetic justice. She thought she had gotten rid of him, but just like the blood coursing through his body, she was in his veins.

"Dad, I'm sorry," Kristina apologized, and Michael just shook his head.

"Krissy, tell him. Tell him everything." He took Avery and walked away before she started talking again.

"Dad, Alec died. Tomorrow is the anniversary of his death. We were going to fly out to Rome, and we'd like to take Avery. Jason is coming too." His stepson was dead. He couldn't believe it. The last time he saw him, he was nothing but a kid.

"What?" Sonny took a seat on the stool in front of him. "She didn't call me? She didn't want you to tell me? What happened to him?"

"He was killed in Russia."

"Russia? What the hell was he doing there?"

"Jason was able to reach out to Michael before he got here. Michael talked to Brenda about it because he didn't know who would contact him from there, and Alec was looking into things. He was great with computers. He just followed leads, and he and Brenda ended up there. Brenda didn't even know what was going on until too late. She thought they were there to follow up on some models she needed for the cover of her magazine. Alec was trying to help Jason and was hit by a car. He's one of the reasons why Jason made it back to us," Kristina said, and the weight of a thousand bricks felt like they were sitting on Sonny's shoulders. Jason hated him now that everything was said and done with the twin situation. Carly was on Jason's side, and so was Michael for the most part. Micheal just split his loyalties between the men that raised him.

"He was only seventeen. Why did none of you tell me?"

"Brenda wanted to distance herself, and Jason thought it was best. He didn't want you going after her."

"I would have," Sonny admitted.

"I know," Michael entered the room again. "Do us a favor and don't. Not now. Let us take Avery, and we will send your regards."

They were all trying to sneak off on this trip and weren't going to tell him. If it weren't for the fact that he had Avery's passport locked in his safe, he was convinced they never would have. Damn. Brenda. He wanted to see her so badly. He wanted to reach out and comfort her.

Instead of fighting his children and niece, who were all waiting for a response, he quietly walked away and fished Avery's passport from the safe and slid it into Michael's palm. "Take care of them. You and... Jason," he gritted. He didn't hate Jason, he loved him, but he was pissed that Brenda confided in Jason and Michael over him.

Sonny let the breakfast go by without another mention of Brenda, and after the kids left, he sat on his couch, nursing a glass of brandy.

He would be patient.

They would have to tell her.

She would be pissed to still be his wife.

But she would have to talk to him.

He was sure of it.

While this line of thinking comforted him, he wondered. If she was fine and as safe as they all claimed, why in the hell had he had that dream? She was screaming and crying in the dream he had, and it wasn't a memory of all the past danger he had placed her in. This was new. Something was wrong. There was no way in hell he was just going to sit back and wait. With the guilt of breaking his promise to his kids looming over him, Sonny pushed it aside and made a few calls to get his trip arranged. He was going to Rome and bringing his wife home.