Love…Friend Or Foe?
Carly considered herself a forgiving person for the most part. Sure she could hold grudges and turn people's lives upside down from time to time but she was once told that she was her own worst enemy. Truth was she didn't think she was. She was starting to think that her worst enemy wasn't her but love. Every single time she got stung by the love bug she vowed to herself that she would never do it again but then as a few days, or weeks would pass by and she got tempted by someone she would find herself giving love another chance. So as love a stricken fool she forgave the pain and hurt love had caused her in the past and then proceeded to hope that love wouldn't bite her in the ass once more. This time however she wasn't so sure she should give love yet another chance. You could only get burnt by love so many times before finally realizing that maybe just maybe love wasn't really your friend but the enemy. As Carly stood in the freezing cold weather she knew she only had two options. Her first option was to kick loves ass to the curb before love kicks her ass first. The second option was to forgive love for all the hurt and pain it caused her for which seemed like the thousandth time and risk getting hurt all over again. As Carly takes a glance at the guarded fence she lets out a heavy sigh, still unsure if she should walk away or risk giving love another shot.
"Hey Mrs. C…Sorry I mean Mrs. J?" seeing the dirty look across her face as he said Mrs. J, Max corrects himself as he utters out "Sorry…uh…what exactly should I call you now that you and Jax are divorced?"
With a heavy heart Carly whisper out to Max "Just call me Carly, Max"
"Okay, uh…you've been standing out here for the last ten minutes now. Do you want me to get the boss?" Max questions, he was starting to get worried. Normally Carly was like a tornado. She didn't ask to come inside someone's place she just blew in, which drove the boss crazy, and yet he loved it whenever she stopped by.
"No, don't bother him" Carly replies since Sonny was the last person she wanted to see right now. She knew she had to make a decision but Carly also knew she couldn't make a clear one if she was facing him. She would get lost in his soulful brown eyes and it would cloud her judgment. She needed to make a choice and stand by it without anything or anyone tempting her before she made her choice.
When she doesn't budge from the spot she was standing at, Max asks "Aren't you cold?" it was winter after all and Carly seemed to be dressed for the spring or late fall. She had a winter coat on but it didn't look that warm to him. She was either wearing a skirt or a dress he couldn't tell because of her buttoned up coat with black knee high boots but her legs were clearly red from the cold.
"Cold is better than getting burnt" Carly responds to Max's questions. He scowls at her reply not understanding what she meant by it but she didn't care to explain to him what exactly she meant by her statement. She didn't want him gossiping with the other guards about the inward battle she was having with herself if love was a friend or a foe of hers.
"Uh…well I was going to go inside and get a cup of hot coco would you like a cup?"
"No thanks" Carly replies since she didn't want to risk Sonny noticing Max with two cups of hot coco in his hands and then having him blabbing to Sonny that she was standing outside his gate like a crazed person.
"Alright, I guess I'll see you in a few" Max replies before walking away from her and heading towards the confines of Sonny's home.
As Max walks away, Carly nibbles on her lower lip a little, while praying he didn't say a word to Sonny about her whereabouts.
~~**~~**~~~**~~
Inside Sonny's kitchen Sonny was making vegetable soup for his lunch when Max strolls in. Glancing at Max as he opens his cupboard, Sonny's eyes darken when Max's grabs a can that was labelled hot chocolate on it. "Since when has that crap been in my cupboard Max?!" It was bad enough when Carly had her junk food stashed in his cupboards. It ALWAYS drove him crazy to see his kitchen filled with her crap instead of healthy food but Carly had weaned him down partly because he wanted to make her happy and partly because he wanted to get laid.
Cursing inwardly Max shifts on his feet a little...he had forgotten that Sonny was unaware that Carly was stashing junk food at his place again. Carly had claimed she was only doing it for Morgan and Michael since Sonny was given his rights back as Morgan and Michael's father but somehow he had a feeling she was doing it for herself now that she was free from Jax.
"Max I asked you a question. What is that crap doing in my cupboard?"
"Well you see Carly" Seeing the scowl on Sonny's face Max sighs out as he corrects himself "Sorry I meant Mrs. C boss brought this over the other day when she dropped Morgan off after school"
"What?!" Sonny asks shocked since the last time Carly dropped Morgan off she didn't even stay five minutes…or so he thought anyways.
"I saw her placing it inside the cupboard sir and she told me, that the guys and I were more than welcome to partake" Max explains.
"Right because she didn't want you to blab to me which you didn't and should have done because this is MY house and not hers!" Sonny remarks with a scowl across his face.
"I didn't think you would mind since Mrs. C used to do it all the time sir"
"That was different, we were married than Max" Sonny states as he walks away from the stove towards Max. Placing his hands onto his hips Sonny demands "What else did Carly stash in here Max?"
"What else?"
"Max this is CARLY we are talking about. I know her. She just doesn't stash one thing."
"I only saw the hot chocolate sir" It wasn't a lie, not really anyways. Sure he knew there was more but that was just hearsay from the other guys. He wasn't about to rat on Carly because he enjoyed eating junk food almost as much as Carly did.
"There's got to be more" Sonny mumbles out as he starts opening cupboards and drawers around his kitchen looking for Carly's stash while silently wondering why Carly was starting to hide her crap in his kitchen again. Had she been thinking about getting back together? When he had tried to suggest they get back together and give their relationship another try Carly has decline his advances. He only backed off because he didn't want to push Carly away or cause tension between them. She had finally decided to truly forgive him and give him his rights back as Michael and Morgan's father. Since then they have been getting along great so he didn't want to mess with a good thing.
Placing the hot chocolate can onto the countertop, Max states "Boss Car-I mean Mrs. C has been standing outside for the last ten minutes now. I'm kind of worried about her."
"What?!" Sonny asks stopping his search for Carly's stash, looking back at Max.
"I asked her if she wanted me to go get you since she didn't seem to want to come inside sir but she told me not to bother you. Did you and Mrs. C get into a fight about something?"
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!" Sonny berates Max before leaving his kitchen with a huff
~~**~~**~~~**~~
Letting out a groan as Carly sees Sonny walking down his driveway towards the gate, Carly silently curses Max's for his big fat mouth. She would have ran if she could but running away from Sonny now would make her look even crazier than she already looked. Besides he would only run after her if she did take off running towards her car that was parked on the other side of the road a few feet away from Sonny's place.
"Carly? What the hell are you doing standing out here in the cold?" Sonny questions Carly as he tightens the sash around his winter coat.
"I was uh…you know taking in the winter scenery" Carly utters out, sure it may sound crazy but she wasn't about to tell him the truth. Sonny had already tried to get her to give love another chance and she had declined his advances only to find herself thinking about him, about their relationship more and more each and every passing day. It was getting harder for her not to think about Sonny because even in her dreams she would see his face…and so much more of him.
As he takes a quick glance behind him and then looks back at Carly, Sonny asks in a skeptical voice "Of my driveway?"
"Actually I was thinking maybe that spot of land beside the driveway would make a perfect place for an ice rink for the boys to play on" Carly lies, thankful that she was a pretty fast thinker because coming up with a lie, especially while talking to Sonny wasn't exactly an easy task to pull off. Sure she sometimes managed to get a few lies past him but unfortunately for her most of the times Sonny always saw through her lies. It often drove her crazy just how well he could read her.
"There's an ice rink at the park Carly. Morgan would much rather go there than skate here especially since most of his friends aren't allowed to step foot here because their parents have forbidden them from doing so" Sonny points out to her, not buying her reasons for standing outside in the cold, instead of just barging into his place like she normally did. He was worried about what was troubling Carly. He assumed it had to be bad if she didn't want to come inside and face him.
"I guess you're right" Carly nods, with a heavy sigh. Knowing she better make her leave now Carly goes on to say "Well I guess I'll see you the next time it's your turn to have the boys"
"Carly" Sonny calls out her name, stopping her from walking away from him.
Blinking her eyes shut Carly questions "Yeah?"
"I'm making soup for lunch" as he gazes at her legs he adds in "And you look cold so how about joining me for lunch? I have more than enough soup for the two of us"
"Thanks but I really should get going" Carly replies back, knowing she shouldn't be alone in a room with Sonny right now. Her dream from last night was still vivid in her mind and as she blinked her eyes open and gazes at him she was afraid that she may do something stupid.
"Where to?" Sonny asks Carly while pressing the gate button, causing the gates doors to open.
"I have a lot of work to do at the Metro Court" Carly explains
"That may be true but you still need to eat lunch so you might as well come in and eat with me."
Before Carly had a chance to decline his offer yet again he takes a hold of her hand before walking up his driveway back towards his front door. As Carly follow him somewhat reluctantly she calls out "Okay fine, but I can't stay too long Sonny, I meant it. I have work that needs to get done today"
~~**~~**~~~**~~
While slurping his soup, Max glances between the boss and Carly. He wasn't sure why but Carly had insisted that he join them for lunch. Sonny had tried to tell Carly he was on the job but Carly had pointed out to Sonny that if she couldn't work before having lunch than he shouldn't either. He was pretty shocked that the boss hadn't put up a fight and just grudgingly agreed to let him eat with them.
"The soup taste really great boss. You outdid yourself" Max finally speaks up breaking the silence in the room.
"Of course it does, it's not from a can after all" Sonny replies back, making a dig at Carly since she tried more than once in the past to get him to eat canned soup. Unfortunately for him he had to eat it a few times and just the memory alone of eating canned soup made him physically ill.
Looking up from her bowl Carly tells Sonny "You're such a food snob Sonny. Soup from a can is just as good as this soup if not better."
"Don't insult my soup by comparing it to that slop they put in cans" Sonny berates her with a scowl across his face.
He was always touchy about his cooking and to tell you the truth Carly often made comments like that just so she could get a rise out of him. "You're on my side aren't you Max?" Carly questions while trying to hold back a smile, enjoying from time to time putting Sonny's men under fire. It was kind of fun to watch them scrum. Besides Max deserved it for blabbing to Sonny she was standing outside his gate in the cold.
With a groan he glances at the boss than back at Carly. He HATED it when Carly pulled him into their fights. There was no wining. If he took the boss's side than Carly would be hurt and he hated hurting her feeling and if he took Carly's side than he risked getting his head chewed off from the boss.
"Max go ahead tell Carly she's wrong" Sonny speaks up
"Well uh…the boss's soup does have more taste but I do enjoy eating canned soup as well"
Max finally replies, hoping that his answer would satisfied them both since he kind of took both their sides.
"Oh what the hell do you know Max?! You eat takeout pizza for God's sake!" Sonny berates him annoyed.
"Unbelievable Max. Why don't you grow a pair and just tell Sonny you LOVE can soup better." Carly states, since Max was trying to copout by not really picking a side.
Giving Sonny a pleading look, Max asks wanting to remove himself from being in the same room as Sonny and Carly as they battle it out over what soup was better "Can I go now?"
Not giving Sonny a chance to respond, Carly quickly speak up, not wanting to be stuck alone with Sonny "You're NOT even done eating your soup Max that just proves that you don't really like Sonny's soup!"
Grabbing the bowl with his two hands Max drinks down the soup as fast as he could without burning his tongue. Placing the bowl back onto the table Max asks again "I'm done boss and I LOVE your soup so uh…can I leave"
With a nod of his head Sonny dismisses him since he didn't want Max with them in the first place "Go"
As Carly tries to do the same, so she can make her own exit Sonny calls out to Carly with annoyance laced into his voice… "Use your spoon Carly!"
"But Max didn't" Carly point out with a heavy sigh, placing her bowl that she had picked up back onto the table
"Max's eats like a pig that's why" Sonny grumbles out
With a heavy sigh Carly grabs her spoon and starts sipping her soup.
~~**~~**~~~**~~
An hour later Carly was thankful to be at work, far away from Sonny. He had tried to get her to stay for dessert but she had refused to stay because the dessert she found herself longing to have was him. Carly wasn't about to let herself partake in him until she was sure she could give love another chance. She knew that Sonny wouldn't do just sex because he wanted more from her. He made his feelings clear on the subject when he brought the possibility of them being a couple again the last time. He made it clear that he wouldn't be having meaningless sex with her because she meant too much to him for her to be a one night stand. When she told him she didn't want to even consider starting up a sexual relationship with him again since they were both still reeling from their breakups Sonny had told her that she wasn't a rebound chick for him. She was everything to him, which made her to question him on why he would marry Brenda if she was everything to him. Sonny than had pointed out to her that she was not one to throw stones especially since she married A.J., Alcazar, and Jax knowing she wasn't in love with any of those men either. Knowing he was right Carly backed down and changed the subject because like Sonny she hated to be wrong and hated even more to have her wrong doings being pointed out to her. She was just grateful Sonny's marriage to Brenda had ended after their I do's and since they never had a real honeymoon Sonny just had their marriage annulled. Now that whinny little bitch was out of town with Jax somewhere unknown to her. Not that she cared where Jax was, she just felt bad for her little girl for being fatherless since she grew up without a daddy herself.
Hearing someone knocking on her office door, interrupting her thoughts Carly call out "Come in"
As the door opens a look of shock appears across Carly's face as she watches Sonny walk into her office while holding a trash bag in his hand "Sonny?"
"I found all the junk food you hid at my place" He tells Carly proudly, while kicking the door shut with his foot.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe one of the guards got fed up of eating carrots as a snack so they hid the good stuff at your place" Carly states trying to place the blame on someone else while Sonny places the fully packed trash bag against the wall by the door.
"Do I look stupid to you?! This is all you're doing sweetheart. And my men wouldn't have hid some in my room." He points out to her.
Letting out a small groan since she was clearly busted Carly confesses "Alright it's my stash...happy? I confess I hid junk food at your place, so now what? You're going to give yet another boring lecture about how bad junk food is for my health"
"How about the truth? What's really going on here Carly?"
Biting down on her lower lip, Carly wasn't sure how to respond as she watches Sonny intensely while he moves closer and closer towards her desk.
Taking off his coat Sonny drapes it onto the chair that was in front of her desk while telling her "As you can see I'm in no hurry to leave so whatever lie you're trying to come up with it's not going to fly. I won't pretend to buy it because I'm in a hurry to take care of business."
Leaning forward in her chair Carly asks "You want the truth Sonny?"
"Yes the truth would be a nice change actually"
Leaning back in her chair Carly take a quick glance at his package before making eye contact with him again. With a small sigh she admits "For a while now I've been conflicted"
"What about?"
"Whether or not love is a friend or a foe of mine" Carly replies truthfully
As Sonny plops himself in the chair that was in front of her desk he tells her in complete confidence "Love isn't the enemy. Like I told you in the past you're your own worst enemy Carly. Love hasn't let you down, if anything you let love down."
"I may have made mistakes in the past but God knows you're far from being blameless Sonny" Carly tells him bitterly, not about to let him blame her for all that went wrong between them.
Sonny caused her as much pain as she caused him.
"I know" he whispers out, with regret
"I hid the junk food when I knew you wouldn't be home or while you were distracted by whatever the boys were telling you" Carly declares softly
"Why did you? It's not like you live with me anymore" he asks
"I don't know" Carly whisper out, chickening out from confessing to Sonny she's been debating with herself whether she should want to be romantically involved with him again or not. She started adding junk food at his place figuring if she did decided to be with Sonny again her junk food would be already in the house and it would be a lot easier to sneak it in since Sonny wouldn't be expecting her to have junk food in his home.
"Oh come on now. You were doing so well. You were telling me the truth, so don't stop now" he pleads with her, wanting Carly to confirm the suspension he had that she wanted him back.
"Maybe a part of me wants to us to be a couple again" Carly softly admits
Standing up from the chair he was sitting on, Sonny walks around the desk to stand beside her as he states "You're scared. Tell me something when are you going to stop running?"
"I did stop running once before and you hurt me Sonny"
With a heavy sigh, Sonny places his hand over hers "We both did things in the past we shouldn't have but despite all the garbage that's between us when it really matters, when it really counts we were there for each other. You know I would give up my life to save yours and I know you would risk your own life to save mine no matter how many times I tell you not to."
"We've always been good together when disaster strikes Sonny. It's the day to day stuff we can't seem to get it right"
"So you're just going to give up? The Carly I know and love never gives up no matter how hopeless things get. I've seen you fight for our children no matter how bleak the situation got. Most mothers would have given up on Michael when he went into his coma but you didn't. You wouldn't allow yourself to give up on him. You fought until you got the outcome you wanted. So why not fight with me and give our love another shot. Isn't being together worth the fight?"
"I don't want to get hurt again" Carly cries out softly, she was tired of feeling pain
Reaching his hand out, Sonny lightly wipes away a tear drop that was sliding down her cheek as he comments "Looks to me like you're hurting right now."
"Aren't you scared of us after everything we've been through Sonny?" Carly asks not understanding how he can be so confident they could make it work after failing over and over again in the past.
"Yeah, a little but I'm more scared of living my life without you… without my soul mate."
"My heart aches for you" Carly admits
"Mine does too"
"I don't want to be scared anymore."
Flashing her a dimple smile, Sonny utters out "Then let me help you not be afraid anymore" before his lips tenderly captures hers into a kiss.
Moaning into his mouth, Carly kisses him back, letting herself enjoy the kiss despite of the fears she had about getting hurt all over again by love. As their lips break apart, Carly breaths out "I must be crazy to want to go down this road with you again"
"Well you are a little crazy you know…" Sonny teases her with a chuckle
"Shut up" Carly laughs out
"But following your heart isn't crazy" Sonny goes on to tell her.
"So, how do we do this and not get hurt in the end again?" Carly asks since he seemed to have all the answers
"I can't promise we won't hurt each other again Carly but I will promise you this if you don't give up on us I won't ever give up on us either until we get this relationship right" Sonny replies back, knowing he couldn't promise her that they wouldn't ever mess up again and end up hurting each other because of who they are but he could promise her that he won't stray. He won't ever let whatever pain or anger that may come between tear them apart again because he knew all too well that they were meant for one another. They both tried to and failed to be with people who were supposed to be good for them, who were supposed to be better and yet they both ended up unsatisfied with the person they tried to convince themselves to be with.
"I won't give up on us either" Carly smiles, knowing that she couldn't because regardless of all the fights they had and how much they hurt each other she was never happier than when she was with Sonny. Sonny made her feel alive, and made her heart skip a beat whenever he looked at her with his dark chocolate eyes that she could get lost in forever.
"Good because I won't let you" Sonny chuckles out
"If we're going to do this I have one request"
"Yeah, what's that?" Sonny asks curiously
"I want you to woo me"
"Woo you?" Sonny asks amused
"Yes woo me. I want you to ask me out on dates like normal couples do and then maybe I'll marry you again"
"Maybe you'll marry me again?" Sonny asks with a smirk across his face since not once did he mention marrying her again, not that he didn't think about it or want to be her husband again but it was amusing to him that she just assumed he would ask her
"Yeah…maybe" Carly nods
"Well maybe I will ask you again…IF you play your cards right that is" Sonny adds in
"Maybe you'll ask me again? Come on Sonny I know you better than anyone. I bet you're already thinking of wedding locations"
Shrugging his shoulders, Sonny mumbles out "Maybe…but I still haven't asked you yet"
"But you will" Carly points out
"Yeah…someday" leaning into her, Sonny places a small kiss against her lips before whispering out "see ya"
"What? Where you going?" Carly asks, as she watches Sonny walk away from her, grabbing his coat from off the chair that was in front of her desk…
"To plan out our first date..." Sonny states with a smile across his face, before leaving her office.
As Carly watched Sonny walk away she had a huge smile across her face, she couldn't wait to see just what Sonny had in mind for their first date. It had been AGES since she felt this giddy over a date, and this date was going to be special because this date was going to be with her soul mate…Sonny Corinthos. She knew they were going to get it right this time because they had no other choice...she wasn't going to let love burn her again. She wouldn't let love be her foe, not ever again.
The end
I hope you enjoyed reading this short fan fiction as always all feedback is welcomed and very much appreciated.
Take care