An October fanfic challenge from justbreathe.tv on how Sonny finds out about his daughter.

Flower Girls

Alexis looked in the mirror critically. She made another adjustment.

"It's perfect, Alexis; you're perfect. You look beautiful." Emily stood behind her and looked at her in the mirror. "I'm surprised at this wedding, but I'm not surprised that you make a beautiful bride."

Alexis smiled automatically at Emily's words, but her thoughts went in the opposite direction.

I'm anything but perfect. She thought to herself, her heart and mind in a jumble. How did all of this ever happen?

In less than twenty minutes, she would be walking down the stairs at Wyndemere. Nikolas would be waiting for her, to escort down a silk-lined walkway into the arms of Ric Lansing, her soon-to-be husband.

Why?

The answer toddled into the room even as she asked herself that question for the twentieth time, an angelic bustle of satin and lace and ribbons. Alexis' heart thrilled every time she looked at her daughter, with her beautiful curling hair, and deep dimples, all the legacy of her father, whom she would never know. With mingled pain and joy. Alexis knelt down and gathered her precious daughter into her arms.

"Marry me, Alexis."

"We don't love each other, Ric."

She'd lost her heart only once in her life, and she didn't think that she would ever be able to lose it that way ever again. The brass ring had been in reach, even if only for a moment, if only for a night. But it had been enough; and now part of her didn't want to settle for anything less.

"We do care about each other – and we both love Kristina. We want what's best for her." Ric's eyes had been earnest, and open for once. "You know as well as I do, what Sonny's capable of. You know what he'll try to do once he finds out that Kristina is his child."

"I'll break you. You know that I can."

Alexis still could hear Sonny's voice as he's spoken to her, while she'd lain weak and helpless in her hospital bed. The voice that had once teased her, laughed with her, whispered Latin love words to her, was now speaking words so cold that they still had the power to evoke a chill in her. He'd meant every word. In that moment, Sonny had become a stranger to her. The man she'd known, the man she'd laughed with and yes- had loved – was utterly and undeniably gone. Everything that had transpired after that had driven that point home to her. The continuing catastrophe of the Corinthoses' marriage, a casual affair with a woman he'd barely known that had resulted in a pregnancy that had turned into a custody battle of it's own, from what little she had heard. Carly discovering the truth – although Alexis would bet her life that Carly had always known from the very beginning – the ongoing threat had become too much.

And now there were the latest troubles; a federal prosecutor in town, determined to take Sonny down, once and for all and his increasingly dangerous lifestyle – Sonny was slipping somehow, and more and more rivals were springing up to challenge him for control.

This is what she had been protecting Kristina from. It was only a matter of time before Sonny realized the truth. She couldn't trust Carly to keep her word, especially since it had been Morgan's bone marrow that had saved Kristina's life. Proof beyond any doubts that Kristina' was Sonny's child. That Carly had permitted it was one more secret for her to hold over Alexis' head; Carly had already used what she knew to threaten and blackmail her and Alexis couldn't live with that any longer.

Both she and Ric had lost so much in the last few years; he, his unborn child and his marriage. She'd lost her sister, then her brother and yes…she'd lost her chance at love.

What she and Ric had may not be sweep-you-off-your-feet kind of love, but their union made sense in a lot of ways. Maybe it was a new chance for them to seek and perhaps find what they'd both lost and wanted so desperately so hard to find again.

And the truth was that she had to protect herself from Sonny. The man she once trusted with her deepest secrets, had trusted with her oh-so-carefully-guarded heart, she now had to protect herself from him.

What a painful realization that was.

"Mommy, happy?" Kristina's tiny voice brought Alexis back to the present.

"Mommy's happy."

Kristina looked up and touched a tiny finger to her mother's cheek. "Then why tears, Mommy?"

Alexis was lost for words for a moment. "That's because Mommy is with her favorite girl." Alexis said, hugging her tightly. "And she is so very, very beautiful today. Mommy is very happy."

"I brought you flowers too, mommy." Kristina proudly thrust her gift forward. Alexis reached for it automatically, pausing for just a moment as she realized what they were. ….gardenias.

"Kristina and I went for a walk in the garden to pick out the flowers for her garland, and she insisted on picking one for you." Mrs. Lansbury explained with a smile. Kristina enchanted everyone she came in contact with, and Wyndemere's housekeeper had not been immune either.

Kristina pulled free and made her way over to her bouquet. "Mine too?" she raised questioning eyes to her mother.

"Yours too, Little One." Alexis promised her. Kristina's face lit up in a radiant smile.

"I'm almost ready. But do you think I could get a few minutes…alone?"

"Of course." Emily nodded understandingly. "Kristina, I'd like a special flower too… do you think you could find one for me?" She barely finished the words before Kristina had took her hand and began pulling her towards the door. "I guess she likes flowers." Emily said with a laugh as they headed out the door.

"…Just like her father…" the unspoken thought went through her mind.

"Shall I inform Master Nikolas that you'll be ready for him to escort you, in say, about fifteen minutes?" Mrs. Lansbury inquired.

"That will be fine." After the door closed behind the housekeeper, Alexis crossed the room to where her wedding bouquet lay, next the blooms her daughter had brought. Alexis sat down, and lifted the spray of gardenias. The scent of them overwhelmed her.

Alexis closed her eyes.

Sonny stood before the penthouse window. Something wasn't right. He'd felt it all day, like a storm brewing on a distant horizon that he couldn't see. He'd sent Jason out on the streets to see what he could ferret out. Something was happening that he needed to know about.

Recently, nothing had been going right in his life. Business was bad, enemies springing up like weeds after a storm. His ex-mistress living across the hall with his best friend; his oldest son feeling the stress and strain of his relationship with his mother and acting out in worse and worse ways.. His marriage to Carly was the least of his problems… but it was problem enough. They went through the motions, said and did all the right things, but something had gone from their marriage. What it was and when it had left, Sonny had no idea, but whatever it was, it was long gone.

Not for the first time, Sonny considered getting out of this life. All of it. The Business, the marriage, even the predicament with Sam and his unborn child. She wanted to move on with her life, without him. Could he let her? Could he bear living without his sons under his roof? Could he give up the danger? If he wanted, could he even do it and live?

But was he living now? Sonny heard a noise behind him, and recognized from the sound that it was his wife coming downstairs. He heard her cross the room and go into the kitchen.

Wife. Carly was his wife, but only in name, not in spirit. Not for a very long time. They loved each other in their own way, he supposed, but their love wasn't going to be enough; not in the long run. They didn't trust each other and when it came down to it, there was no loyalty there. The proof of his disloyalty was right across the hall, hers was across town, where she'd begun sneaking off to see her daddy, the star prosecutor, John Durant. But he was only the latest in the long line of lies and betrayals.

Not that he was blameless. Far from it. He'd betrayed Carly, and others too. Jason for one, who'd gone along with everything he'd asked him to do, including taking care of his pregnant mistress and keeping it from Carly. One best friend betrayed. And then the other. Alexis.

He'd refused to think about her for the longest. Every time her name came up, he banished it forcibly from his thoughts. Somehow, she'd become his enemy. Tell the truth… a little voice whispered in his head… You made her into one. You threatened her – the friend that had stood by you through blood and bullets, laughter, anger and tears. She stood by you when you needed her most and you repaid her with betrayal.

"Dammit, Alexis." He unconsciously whispered the words aloud.

"She should be damned," Carly's voice sounded behind him. "After all she's done to you – to us."

Sonny sighed, but carefully kept his expression neutral. The last thing he was in the mood for was one of Carly's unending tirades against Alexis. Alexis was evil, she was selfish, she was out to destroy Sonny because he had rejected her and come back to his wife. Look how she had acted in the custody battle, and if it hadn't been for Carly, she would have tried her best to destroy him, yadda yadda yadda.

He and Alexis barely spoke anymore. Why couldn't that be enough?

Obviously he hadn't succeeded in keeping his emotions from his face, or maybe something showed in his eyes, or maybe Carly was just being Carly. At any rate, Carly was all set to begin on another of her anti-Alexis rants. Again.

Thankfully there was a knock on the door and then Jason was coming in. Sonny turned away from the window and walked past Carly.

"So what's the word on the street?"

"I checked around a few places, and everything seems to be cool."

"Durant?" Sonny watched as Jason's eyes flicked to where Carly must be standing somewhere behind him.

"Nothing at the moment."

Sonny wasn't satisfied. His hunches were usually powerful, and usually right. "And baby brother?"

Jason hesitated for a second. "Nothing as far as business. But…"

"But what?"

"Ric is out at Wyndemere. He and Alexis are getting married today."

Carly was the first to react. "Do you need any more proof that Alexis is your enemy, Sonny? She's marrying Ric so the two of them can bring you down together!"

"She's making a life for herself, Carly. That doesn't make her Sonny's enemy." Carly couldn't see it, but Jason saw the stunned look that flashed in Sonny's eyes.

"Don't you start defending her too, Jase!" Carly shrilled. "I get way too much of that around here as it is!"

"I'm not defending her, Carly." Jason said patiently. "But Alexis is not our enemy. She decided she didn't want to be a part of our lives. There's a lot she could have done to hurt us… hurt Sonny, and she didn't. She made a choice. I can respect that."

"Baloney! She didn't make a choice! Sonny used her for one night and then kicked her to the curb. And she's been out for revenge ever since!"

Sonny closed his eyes against his wife's words. It hadn't been like that at all He'd never set out to use Alexis. Their one night together had been the beginning of something, not an end-all be-all in itself.

But did Alexis think that too? Somehow that thought hurt him more than he thought it could.

There was a second knock at the door and Max opened it to announce the arrival of John Durant. Sonny tensed. Carly's father or not, he didn't want the man in his house.

Durant knew it, the fact was clear in his eyes as he strolled into the room. "Down, Corinthos. I'm here as a father, not as a prosecutor." His smile said otherwise :Of course that might change tomorrow.

"What do you want, Durant?"

"I've received an invitation to a wedding, and I came to ask my daughter if she'd care to be my escort." He smiled at Carly. "I thought it might be a chance for us to get together and enjoy ourselves."

"And you couldn't use the phone?"

"My daughter's house was on my way, and I thought I could maybe see my grandsons." He smiled again and Sonny wanted to drive his fist into the man's self-serving expression. And if he caused a little conflict between Sonny and his daughter, all the better for him. If Sonny got angry enough, he might make a mistake. If not, then he'd use Carly to find out everything he can. Any way Durant could do it, he was using his daughter; and Carly was too busy being lost in her little girl lost fantasy to see it.

As if on cue, Morgan wailed from upstairs and then Michael was calling downstairs. "Mom, Morgan's awake and I think he wants you!"

Carly looked nervously from her husband to her father and was glad to murmur an excuse and flee upstairs.

"You don't miss a beat, do you, Durant?" Sonny said, crossing the room to his bar. His hand reached out automatically, then swerved from the scotch to the carafe of water. He poured himself a glass, and then turned to regard the prosecutor with a calm demeanor. "You'll use any wedge you can to insinuate yourself into Carly's life."

"Wake up, Corinthos. She sought me out, not the other way around. Carly obviously wants to see me, so she does." Durant looked around. Noticing a picture of their sons on the fireplace, he walked over to it and picked them up. "Such wonderful boys. I look forward to getting to know them."

He paused. "I've heard stories about you being a real family man, Sonny. And I admit it, I found that hard to believe, given what I know about you."

"What you think you know." Sonny answered.

Durant went on as though Sonny hadn't spoken. "But I guess this latest action of yours proves that the stories are right about you. You do care about your children. Enough that you'll let your daughter grow up happy and healthy, without you in her life."

When Sonny didn't answer, John laughed. "Come on, Sonny. Did you think that I wouldn't find out? Who'd you pay to keep the bone marrow tests and transplant between Morgan and Kristina Davis a secret?"

Sonny felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Morgan and Kristina….

"No snappy comeback?" John asked, just as Carly returned downstairs, Morgan in her arms. She froze on the last step as she heard her father's words. "No need to deny it either, I've seen the forms with both of your signatures. Of course, I expect no less from my own flesh and blood. I'm proud of her, that she could overlook her pride to allow her child to help save the life of another child, your own lawyer's child, but I'll admit, I was very surprised to see your signature right along hers on the consent forms."

Sonny turned to look at Carly. Her face had gone pale and her guilt was written plainly in her expression. She knew exactly what Durant was talking about. Because she'd known that Kristina was his child.

"I don't think Carly will be going with you today, Durant." Sonny said quietly. He didn't look at Carly again. He couldn't, not with the red rage that was filling his mind.

"Carly?" Durant looked at her, while Sonny's mind whirled. His signature? His consent? How could he have consented to something that he'd had no knowledge of?

He barely heard her reply. "Morgan has just finished being sick," she was saying. "I need to be with him right now."

"Well, I can't fault you for that." He flicked a gaze at Sonny. "Another time, then."

The silence after he'd left the penthouse was deafening.

"How long have you known, Carly." Sonny's voice was almost gentle.

"After Kristina got sick, Alexis came to me and begged me to have Morgan tested."

Sonny's mind began to work. He turned to face her. "How long have you known, Carly?"

"Why does that matter…" Carly began but the look that came over his face shut her up. "Jason, would you tell him that it doesn't matter?"

Jason looked at her, but said nothing. He came and took Morgan from her arms. "I'm taking Morgan back upstairs with Michael," was all he said. Clearly, he didn't want the baby to be a part of what was sure to be an ugly scene.

Carly turned back to Sonny. "I only kept it from you because she wanted me too."

"You never do anything that doesn't benefit you, Carly. I'm only going to ask you one more time…how long have you known!"

Carly tried to retreat into anger. "You're accusing me of being selfish? You couldn't wait to get me out of your bed so you could get Alexis in it! And Alexis was there all along, willing and ready to roll around with you in our bed! She knew almost from the beginning, that she was pregnant with your child. There was no way that Ned was ever the father, because the only man she'd slept with was you! I heard her tell her doctor all about it…that the man she was pregnant by was someone who lived a dangerous lifestyle and went on and on about all the reasons why she couldn't tell the father… you should have heard her! So don't you dare stand there and talk about my selfishness!"

"Her doctor, Carly? You mean you knew all along since before Kristina was born that she was mine. You knew when Ned told that lie about being the father that none of it was true? And you kept that from me?"

"If she was willing to lie to you, why should I say anything!"

"Because Kristina is my child…" Sonny's expression changed from anger to one of near anguish. "My first-born – she almost died when she was born. And you didn't even tell me then!"

Sonny walked away from her, then turned back as a new thought came to him. "The custody battle. Alexis would have never helped you willingly. You blackmailed her into it, didn't you?"

"You were coming after me, Sonny, coming after me with everything you had to take our boys away from me. Don't you remember?" Carly came to him, her voice pleading. It grated on him worse than the shrilling. Her pleading was calculated, like so much of every thing Carly did. Even while she looked at him with tears in her eyes, he could see the calculating gleam that lay beneath, judging the effect of her words. "You didn't leave me any choice. I had to fight back any way I could." She tried to touch him. "Can't you understand?"

"What I'm starting to understand is that this means it was you that came after me on the stand, not Alexis. It was you that gave her the ammunition to try and destroy me in front of everyone." Sonny shook her hand off of him; her touch was suddenly repugnant. He thought he'd known what kinds of deceit and schemes Carly was capable of, but he was wrong. This was a new level of selfishness that he'd never thought she was able to have perpetrated. "You forced her into it, didn't you?"

"I didn't have to force her as much as you think, Sonny."

"You didn't have to blackmail her?" Carly dropped her eyes, but Sonny grabbed her arms and with a little shake, forced her to look up. "Is that what you're saying?"

The look in her eyes told Sonny that Carly was at the point where she knew she dared not lie. "I did it, okay? I blackmailed her, are you happy?"

"And after the trial, you couldn't vilify Alexis enough. I bet you enjoyed that; it was like twisting the knife after you'd stuck it in her back. Was that your plan all along? Even while you were fighting for your kids, supposedly the most important thing in your life, you saw a way to come up with a scheme to stick it to Alexis so that I would hate her. What was it – if you couldn't have me, you were going to make sure that she couldn't either?"

Sonny let her go as abruptly as he had grabbed her and she fell into a chair. "Am I happy? No, what I am is disgusted. With you and with myself. I let myself believe your lies. I let myself believe that you loved me."

"I do love you, Sonny!" Carly said. She stood up again and came after him, stopping just behind him. "And you love me. You're finally free of that witch. She was always panting after you, way back when she was 'just' your attorney. And she played you. Alexis wanted you in her bed from the moment she met you. She's the one who lied to you, Sonny. She is!"

Jason came back downstairs at that moment, but stood quietly to the side, a shadow in a scene.

"But you're my wife!" Sonny spun around, his eyes blazing. The fury in them was so fierce that Carly took an involuntary step backwards. "We spoke vows to honor and love one another. Over and over and over again. And for what! Where's the honor in this, Carly? Where was the love?"

"It's because I love you that I kept quiet because…. Because…" Carly sputtered to a halt.

"What? Was it because if I knew that Alexis was carrying my child, that I might not have come back to you?"

That she thought exactly that was written all over her face. Had his feelings for Alexis been so clear that Carly had seen it, even when he hadn't?

Her lips shaped another lie; spouting words that denied the truth. "I knew that she would use that child to manipulate you into staying with her!"

"No, Carly… that's your MO." All of a sudden, Sonny saw clearly now, like a veil had been drawn from across his eyes. Carly was who she was. And she was never going to change. He had never demanded change from her, had let her tell him lie after lie, and never faced the consequences of what it had done.

Worse of all, he saw himself as Alexis must have seen him in these last months, ever since Carly had returned miraculously from the dead, and it sickened him. No wonder she had made the choice to leave his life. As suddenly as it had come, his anger fell away. "Keeping Kristina a secret wasn't your choice. But keeping the lie was."

The pain in his voice silenced Carly. Sonny stared at her for a long, long moment. Then he turned towards the door.

"Where are you going, Sonny?" she dared ask as his hand hit the doorknob.

"Anywhere away from you." His eyes went to Jason. "Make sure she's gone from here before I get back."

And he was gone.

Carly crumpled onto the couch. "He can't mean that. Not after everything we've been through, everything I've done to keep us together."

"He meant it, Carly, and we both know it." Jason came and stood beside her. "I always hoped that the day wouldn't come when you crossed the line, but you have."

"You've got to help me, Jason," Carly sobbed noisily. "You've got to make him see that maybe what I did was wrong, but I did it for all the right reasons."

"I can't do that, because he would know that was a lie. What you did, you did for yourself. You and nobody else. Sonny is not going to forget and he's not going to forgive this. Honestly, I don't see how he can."

A gentle knocking came at the door, rousing Alexis from her reverie. "Miss Alexis," came Mrs. Lansbury's voice. "It's time."

Yes, it was. Time to make sure Kristina was safe forevermore. Alexis picked up the spray of gardenias entwined it with deep crimson roses that Ric had arranged. It was fitting somehow, that these memories become intertwined, much like their lives had. After all, a part of Sonny would always be present in this marriage, whether she would have it that way or not. Every time Kristina smiled at her, she would see her father's dimples and be reminded of his smile. Every time she would try and brush Kristina's unruly curls, she would be reminded of another's….

Alexis stepped carefully down the stairs. Near the bottom, she halted. Nikolas stood to one side. Kristina, radiant as ever, stood at the base of the stairs, holding his hand.

In the bright sunshine streaming through the open doors, it was hard to make out his features and for a second, all Alexis could see was dark Latin hair framed against the brilliant late afternoon glow. For a second, her heart did a sudden flip-flop. Then he moved slightly, and Ric's familiar features were smiling up at her.

He swung Kristina up in his arms and came to meet Alexis as she descended the rest of the stairs. "Just wanted to make sure you hadn't bolted." Ric said gently.

"No chance of that." Alexis said. Her eyes went to Kristina. "I have no reason to run. Not any more."

"All I want is for you to be happy and for Kristina to be safe."

"And that's all I want too."

Alexis and Ric spun, surprised at the sound of Sonny's voice.

Alexis stared at him, fearful of what she would see. Anger? Hate? Words of vengeance? She didn't know what to expect. But Sonny wasn't looking at her, his eyes were focused solely on Kristina. He was staring at her as though he were scrutinizing every inch of her features. His eyes raised to Alexis' and a shock went through her. The old sense of intuition they'd once shared, when they knew each other's thoughts without speaking, came surging back in full force.

He knows

The knowledge took her breath away. Just breathe, Alexis, she had to remind herself.

Kristina regarded him with the same intensity that he did her, in the way that only small children can, with no reservation and total openness, her bright eyes meeting his without no fear and no hesitation. She squirmed in Ric's arms suddenly.

"Down!" she announced. Ric glanced at Alexis. She nodded numbly, her heart a sledgehammer in her chest. She'd dreaded and dreamed of this moment, all at the same time.

Once on the ground, Kristina walked straight up to Sonny. As she reached him, Sonny knelt down so that they were eye-to-eye. The two of them gazed into each other's eyes for a long, long moment. Sonny reached out with a gentle finger and slowly traced the outline of his daughter's face.

The gaze he raised to Alexis was one glistening with tears. "She's beautiful." He whispered, just before his eyes went back to Kristina. It was as thought he couldn't get enough of looking at her.

Alexis felt her heart swell with an unnamable emotion. The tears in Sonny's eyes were mirrored by her own.

"Alexis?" Ric looked at her questioningly.

"I think it's going to be all right." She whispered. To her surprise, Ric smiled and squeezed her hand in encouragement. They both turned back to look at Sonny and Kristina.

Sonny smiled at Kristina, his deep dimples suddenly echoed in his child's face. She reached forward and patted his face, then poked a baby-soft finger into one cheek. "Dim-pwles" she announced with glee.

Sonny stroked her own in return. "That's right, Kristina, dimples."

Kristina turned to her mother and pointed. "Mommy's dim-pwles. Pretty."

"That's right again, Kristina. Mommy's dimples… " Kristina turned back to him, obviously happy to have him in total agreement with him. Sonny continued even as his voice turned husky with emotion. "Mommy's dimples…and…" he looked to Alexis. "…and Daddy's dimples."

"Da-ddy?" Kristina tilted her head and looked at Sonny as if with fresh eyes. She looked at her mother. "Da-ddy?" she asked again.

Alexis exhaled. "Yes, Kristina. Daddy." She watched as Kristina turned back to study Sonny again. Then she snuggled against him, arms going around his neck. "Da-ddy…." She said the word softly and then began saying it over and over again.

"Da-ddy...Da-ddy…" A little overcome of the excitement of the day, she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.

Sonny's arms came up slowly to hold her close. His eyes closed and he began to gently rock her back and forth, heedless of the tears escaping and ran down his cheeks.

The sight of Sonny's once familiar action being echoed in her, no - their – daughter with the both of them standing there and then Kristina total acceptance of him was more than Alexis' heart could handle. Her legs trembled and she felt herself getting weak in the knees. Ric noticed first. Sweeping an arm around her waist, he guided her to the stairs. Alexis sank down gratefully.

Sonny stood, holding Kristina in his arms. He hurried over to Alexis and knelt beside her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm just a little…overwhelmed."

Kristina opened her eyes, and seeing Alexis so near, climbed from Sonny's arms into her mother's.

Sonny stood. "Yeah, me too. Whatta day, hm?" His eyes went to Ric. His younger brother looked at him, a long, measuring look.

"All I want is Alexis' and Kristina's happiness." Ric said. He looked at Alexis. "You said you think it's going to be all right. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Sonny said. His eyes challenged Ric's for a moment, and then turned to Alexis. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I've made a lot of mistakes, but that's going to stop. Right here, and right now."

His eyes touched hers, and suddenly Alexis knew he was telling the truth. Never taking her eyes from Sonny, she knew her eyes said the same.

"Well." Ric said. He bent down and brushed his lips across the top of Kristina's head. "Be happy," he whispered as he kissed Alexis on the cheek. He straightened up and began to walk away. He took a single step then turned back to Sonny. He reached out and grasped Sonny's shoulder. "Take care, big brother. Give me a call sometime; maybe I can be the best man, next time around." He gave the two of them a final glance, then walked out, whistling softly to himself.

Sonny turned his attention back to Alexis. He knelt down beside the mother of his first-born and their child. Their beautiful daughter.

"She's the perfect mix of both of us…" he said, awed by the fact.

"Sonny, I don't know where to begin.. to try and explain…"

"Shhh…" Sonny said. "There's plenty of time for explanations, and we've got all the time in the world for them." He reached out and caressed Kristina's soft curls, then raised his hand to Alexis' cheek, unable to resist touching her after so long… so very long. "Right now, I just want you to know that everything is going to be different. Things are going to change. I'm going to change – I want to be the man you always thought I could be. The man that Kristina deserves as a father."

Alexis' eyes filled with tears again. Sonny leaned forward and wiped them gently away, first with his fingers, and then with his lips. And all the pain and heartache and lost time was wiped away as though they had never been.

As the kiss ended, Sonny's hand fell to her free one, the one that was still holding what was supposed to have been her bridal bouquet. Sonny's eyes dropped down to them.

"Roses…and gardenias?"

"Kristina brought them to me just before I came downstairs." The little girl heard her mommy speak her name and opened her eyes again.

"Hey Kristina, did you know that gardenias…" and he picked up the spray of flowers to gently tickle her cheek, making her giggle delightedly, "… gardenias were you mommy's favorite. And I used to give them to her all the time."

"Well, not exactly, all the time, Sonny." Alexis said, with a smile.

"I'm not going to argue with my favorite lawyer." Sonny answered with a smile of his own. "Let's just say that I'll be rectifying that from here on out."

"More 'denias!" Kristina demanded. "Now!"

"Bossy – just like her mother." Sonny murmured.

"Stubborn – just like her father." Alexis softly replied.

Kristina took each of them by the hand and pulled them to their feet and towards the garden, out into the last rays of the afternoon sun.

It was the end of this day.

But the beginning of all their tomorrows.

-end-