Hi all, so sorry about the delay. Anyhow, this chapter was a little long so I broke it into two chapters. Alexis is softening a bit toward Sonny. Sonny's being nice now but we'll see his ruthlessness later. For now, Jason is trying to be a good friend to both. Hope you enjoy. And as always, replies are greatly appreciated.

Single – Chapter 4a

One week had passed since Alexis made the announcement that rocked Sonny's world. In one week's time, Carly Corinthos had gone from being the newly resurrected wife to being the outcast. At the very moment Alexis mentioned that Carly had known about Sonny's child and tried to keep him or her a secret, Sonny decided he'd had enough. By the same evening of Alexis's revelation, Carly was tucked safely away in the Port Charles hotel where Sonny imagined she was licking her wounds.

Sonny on the other hand was in a state of euphoria. God had given him another chance to be a father and this time, the baby's mother was a woman for whom he cared deeply. In fact, it was possible he even loved her. Alexis was an amazing woman and upon learning that she was pregnant with his child, he had decided almost instantaneously that she would be his wife.

While it was true Sonny loved Michael as though he were his own flesh and blood, he'd grown tied of Carly's antics. Alexis and this baby were a chance at a fresh start. Alexis's refusal to see him, to accept any of his gifts or to speak to him on the phone, made him ponder the possibility that his fresh start might be harder to obtain than he once suspected. However, Sonny typically got what he wanted and he was confident that when it came to Alexis, he knew all the right buttons to push.

Alexis was now at her wits end. She'd stopped answering the phone because she knew who was on the other end. She'd stayed at home for the last several days for when she'd gone out, Sonny managed to "run" into her. The knocks on the door were typically made by Sonny or a guard delivering a baby gift, Sonny inquiring about her health, or a guard brining her some sort of meal, which admittedly she didn't always turn away. Interestingly enough or so Kristina thought, was that there was one person Alexis didn't turn away: Jason Morgan.

Of course, Kristina could understand the reason why: Jason was handsome and soft-spoken. When Alexis didn't want to talk he left and when she did he stayed. When he'd asked Ned about him, he told her the story of how Jason was his cousin, once a Quartermaine, who was every bit as dangerous as his employer. Even still, Ned believed that Jason, albeit dangerous, was more stable than Sonny. So, it came as no surprise to her when the steely-eyed man appeared at their doorstep on this day.

"Alexis, you have a visitor." Kristina called toward the bedroom.

"Whatever it is, I don't want any." Jason heard Alexis call out before she entered the room.

He smiled. "All I have is news."

She extended her arm as an informal invitation to enter her home. He stepped inside the door, but remained silent and he continued to stand.

"So, is this news good or bad?" She tilted her head to the side and attempted to read him; a foreign language would have been easier to read.

"Both."

"Give me the good." Alexis sighed.

"Sonny's leaving town for a week. So, you can take a break from telling the guards to get lost and returning all of his gifts, except the food." Jason smiled. His face became serious. "Alexis, you know he just wants to be a part of his child's life."

Alexis leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes. "Jason, I know that. I even want him to be…I think. But he won't give me any time or space to figure out how we can make that happen." Her arms moved through the air as she spoke.

Jason's stoic presence was just the opposite of Alexis's animated movements. "A phone conversation might help. Sonny likes to feel like he's in control of things. Every time you push him away from you and the baby, it freaks him out. It just makes him push harder to be a part of your lives."

"Fine, I'll call him." Jason's stare unnerved her. "I will. I promise. So, what's the bad news?"

"Sonny asked me to keep an eye on you while he's gone."

"Hmm, it's not the worst news I've heard, but how do you feel about the demotion?" she asked seriously.

"What demotion?"

"From enforcer to babysitter."

Jason couldn't help smiling. "I think I can handle it, after all it's just for a week." He stood to leave. Sonny and Alexis were both strong-willed, equally unwilling to budge. He reminded her before he left, "Alexis, make the call."

"Fine."

Alexis watched as Jason left her home. Slowly, she dialed the familiar number.

"Alexis?" Sonny's voice conveyed his surprise.

"Hi." She paused as she wondered how she'd gotten to a place where she didn't want to talk to what used to be her best friend. "I just want you to know that I'm not trying to push you out of the baby's life."

Sonny let out an audible breath. "Then why won't you let me come see you or talk to you?"

"Because I'm trying to figure out how I feel about you. I know where you'll fit in the baby's life; I'm just not sure where you'll fit in mine. I'd like it very much if you gave me a little time and space to figure that out."

"How much time?" his annoyance was audible.

"I don't know."

"Fine. I'll back off for now, but I promise you I won't wait forever."

She hung up, annoyed that he still managed to slip an implied threat into there conversation. Then she sat back and smiled. For whatever reason, she'd been granted a reprieve; she would be Sonny-free for a week.

The next day, just before Sonny was due to depart, Jason stopped by to receive a few last minute instructions. He could tell Sonny was still riding a high. Jason was used to his friend's mood swings, both the ups and the downs. He'd learned to take them as they came, without reacting too much to either extreme.

"Hey," Sonny sauntered into the living room of his Penthouse. "You sure you can handle things for the next week?"

Jason shrugged, "I've done it before."

"I know, but now you've got the extra responsibility of looking out for Alexis. You know, Helena got her last November. That can't happen again. You have to keep my child safe while I'm gone." Sonny ran his fingers through his hair. "And trust me, Alexis is going to fight you every step of the way." Or so, Sonny thought.

The day Sonny left, Jason stopped by Alexis's condo. He'd bought a gift, actually several, for the baby. Kristina answered the door and called out, "Alexis, Mr. Doubtfire is here."

Alexis, who was sitting on the sofa, tried to stifle a giggle.

Jason had no idea what either of them seemed to think was so funny. "Mr. Doubtfire?"

"It's a movie that came out a few years back." She noticed the perplexed look on Jason's face. "Nevermind." She noticed what appeared to be a sage-green satchel tied with a beautiful white silk bow. "Is that a present for the baby from Sonny?"

"No, they're from me." He sat beside her on the sofa and watched as Alexis opened the satchel of books. "I figured you could read to the baby about all of the different places in the world."

Alexis thumbed through the books; some were specifically for children and some were not. There were some for Africa, China, Italy, Russia and Greece. She loved to travel and began to flip through the books with increasing excitement. "Have you been to all these places?"

"Most of them." He smiled. It amazed him that Alexis could go from all-business to totally childlike within a moment's notice.

"What was it like to just pick a place and go?" She tapped the cover of one of the books. "I've always wanted to just pick up and go at the spur of the moment. I used to dream about running away from it all when I was growing up in…" She froze as she came to the book on Greece. "Greece." Absentmindedly, she traced the shape of the island on the book. "Do you mind if I don't keep this one? It's just…Greece doesn't hold the most pleasant memories for me." She dropped her head.

When he saw the sadness in her eyes, he touched her hand. "Helena won't get to you as long as I'm around. I promise." She looked at him; gave him a sad smile. Something about her was so vulnerable at that moment. Her large brown eyes that were typically so intense now held water at their brims. He'd allowed his hand to linger too long, but she hadn't moved it. It felt as though they were having an intimate moment. "I should go."

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you later, then." He rose to leave. "There is one thing."

"Yeah?"

"Food. You need to start bringing it when you come." She raised an eyebrow to indicate she meant business. "After all you wouldn't want to tell your boss that you let me starve." Alexis giggled.

"I guess I can do that," he smiled, "Anything else?"

"The pleasure of your company and food, what else could a girl want?"