A/N: I don't write action scenes very well, so bear with me through the death of 'pRic'...Let me know your thoughts.


Alexis gripped the side of the crib for strength as she stared at the face of her crying daughter and in the apparently insane face of her husband, well soon to be ex-husband anyway and knew true fear for as many times as she could count in her life.

"This is ridiculous Ric, put my daughter down."

Ric advanced forward intent on finishing out what he had been paid to do, this was the money he needed to leave the country, with his daughter he would have the new life that he always wanted and Alexis would be so crippled emotionally that she would regret ever letting him in her life.

Alexis reached for Molly even as the toddler was struggling out of her father's arms reaching for her mother and Alexis felt the tears well in her eyes as he daughter started crying as she struggled to be let out of her father's arms as she was helpless to do anything but watch, her strength was minimal these days and especially when she was fighting a strong person.

Swiping at Ric she managed to grip the back of his shirt and was rewarded for her efforts with a simple backslap across her face which set her daughter Molly into even more sobs.

"Ric this is crazy, let my daughter go." Having grown tired of all the games, he reached in his shirt for the weapon he had been holding back, a gun fortunately James had provided him with an unmarked weapon sure that he would have no need for it but if necessary he would be armed.

Waving the gun in her general direction he motioned for her to walk down the stairs, ahead of him as he cradled Molly in his arms. Stopping on the bottom step, Alexis couldn't believe this was happening to her. She had hoped that she could reason with her ex-husband but it was obvious that he was insane and her daughter could be injured if she didn't think fast.

Walking to the door she turned around and tried to reason with him once more, "Please Ric, don't do this."

She was saved from hearing his response as the knock on the door came, Ric swore under his breath as he looked at her and said, "Who did you call? Is this one of Sonny's men?"

Alexis didn't know who it was at the front door but would be forever grateful for their presence tonight; she opened her mouth and screamed at the same time as the door was kicked in and like a savior appeared James Bronson.

"James, he's trying to take Molly from me. He's lost his mind."

Ric looked at the man in front of him in complete confusion, from their conversation he thought their plan had been worked out perfectly and there was no need for his intervention. James looked at Ric and walked up to him, grateful for the element of surprise that was on his side as he reached for the infant who had not stopped crying since the whole ordeal began he moved Alexis behind his back and started to act the part of the anxious suitor.

James took Ric's shock to his advantage as he snatched the baby girl out of his arms and transferred the child to her mother's waiting arms as she stood behind James kissing the side of Molly's face as she looked in horror at the man her ex-husband had turned into.

Ric swore under his breath, "What kind of game are you playing here Bronson? Alexis, give me Molly back."

Alexis shook her head as she clutched her daughter closer to her refusing to focus on anything except for the fact that her daughter was finally back in her arms where she belonged, "Over my dead body."

James felt the smile work his way to his lips, things were working out exactly as he had planned, "Ric give me the gun, your life isn't worth it. We can forget everything that happened here tonight."

Ric rolled his eyes, "Yea right, I hand you the gun Alexis turns me in for attempted kidnapping and I lose custody of Molly forever. Forget it, Alexis give me my daughter and I'll let you live."

James advanced on Ric determined to end this game now as he jumped the man in front of him. He heard the screams of Alexis behind him and knew that his plan couldn't have worked better, he was fighting for Alexis, and her daughter and she would be forever grateful to him.

The guards that Sonny Corinthos had hired for the safety of his daughter and Alexis heard the scuffle as the gun misfired, they came running into the door, and suddenly as if a movie was in play, the ordeal was over.

A single gunshot was fired.

A single shot that ended the life of a man who had caused more damage in his years on this earth then the good he had brought to it, Ric Lansing was dead.

& - Break

"Boss, we got an issue."

Sonny swore under his breath as he reached for the clock next on the stand next to his bed. Ever since James Craig had entered into his life and subsequently the life of Alexis and his daughters he hadn't been sleeping at all so when the phone call came it didn't jolt him out of a restful sleep it just brought him into focus, "What time is it?"

"2:00 AM boss, listen I'm sorry to disturb your sleep but there was an incident at Ms. Davis's house."

The insomnia suddenly had disappeared as he was already getting out of bed and reaching for his clothes and said, "What happened?"

The guard on the other end of the phone spoke, "Listen I'm still shady on the details but from what I've heard it appears that Ric Lansing, Ms. Davis's ex-husband tried to break in the house and kidnap Molly. An altercation occurred and he was, well he's dead."

Sonny closed his eyes as he felt the news soak into his mind. "He's dead? Ric is dead. How?"

The bodyguard nodded and spoke, "Yes, I'm afraid so it was a single gunshot wound to the head, the police are at Ms. Davis's house right now."

Sonny nodded and said, "Pull the car around I'll be downstairs in fifteen minutes."

& - Break

The cup of tea was placed gently into her shaking hands by James Bronson who hadn't left her side since the trying ordeal and frankly she was grateful for his emotional support. She didn't know what she would've done if he hadn't come over when he had, she forget to ask him what had he been doing there but she was more concerned with getting her daughter back from her ex-husband. Her head was suddenly pressed into his shoulder as she exhaled a deep breath and looked at him with a grateful smile, "Thank you for everything. I don't know what I would've done if he had actually taken Molly away from me. She's my daughter; she's a part of me and if I had lost her….," she let her voice trail off as the memories ran through her head again.

Kissing her forehead he nodded, secretly pleased that his plan had worked out so well. It had helped that he had sent Molly upstairs with her mother while he placed the blank bullets that were in Ric's guns with real ones and had created a fake record to trace the untraceable gun all making the squeaky clean gun now make the impeccable Ric Lansing appear as guilty as his brother had been.

The knock on the door startled Alexis and he soothed her quietly before going to the door and opening it to Kristina and Sam who came running in fear resident on both of their faces. They pushed him out of the way as they crowded their mother and James allowed it. It gave him a chance to prepare the next part of his plan.

He nodded to Alexis as he excused himself and went outside. He reached for his cell phone when he heard the swearing next to him. Closing the phone he turned to the latest guest and said, "Why Mr. Corinthos this is definitely a surprise? Are you here to give your condolences to the newly widowed Mrs. Lansing? She's inside with her daughters."

"You killed him didn't you?"

Crossing his arms in front of him he looked at him and said, "When I want something I go after it and I don't let anything stop me, unlike you who I've seen dances around your feelings until it's too late. Your brother met an untimely death when he tried to kidnap his own daughter from her mother. It's not a course I would recommend."

Sonny stepped in front of him his bodyguards flanking his sides, "What will it take for you to leave my family alone? I want you away from Alexis."

The door opened as Kristina came running outside with tears in her eyes as she reached for her Daddy and began sobbing, "Daddy. Uncle Ric is dead; he tried to take Molly from us."

Cradling his grieving daughter in his arms he focused his attention on her and vowed to deal with James Craig at a later date but now his priority was his daughter and Alexis.

& - Break

Sam stroked her mother's hair as she laid her head across her lap and said, "Mom, when James called me I thought the worst. I thought the chemo had a bad side effect or you had fainted again, I never imagined Ric would try to take Molly from you."

Alexis turned her head into her daughter's leg as she felt a sob rise in her throat, "It was horrible Sam. I couldn't protect my own daughter because I was too weak. I finally placed my hand on Ric's shoulder and he slapped me, I never felt more weak or worthless at that moment. He made me believe that tonight was the last time I would see my youngest child."

The tears fell quickly down her cheeks as Sam swore and damned Ric Lansing to hell for all eternity. She was just grateful that her mother had James Bronson by her side, she didn't want to think what would've happened if he hadn't been there. As the door opened and Sonny walked in with Kristina in his arms Sam stiffened on the couch. Her mother wasn't up for another fight tonight and especially one with the man who still left her mother's emotions tied in a knot.

She decided to go for the amicable route, "Sonny."

The nod was barely perceptible as he nodded back and looked to Alexis on the couch and felt his heart tied up in knots. After their argument or discussion as he tried to call it, he had gone home and rewound in his mind the events that had lead up to the night where he chose Carly and realized that every word out of Alexis's mouth was true. She had loved him enough to let him go back to Carly even if he was self-destructive with her by his side. Seeing James Craig move in on what he had just decided he wanted again made him come to the realization, that if he lost her he would lose his world.

Walking to the couch he sat on the edge of the couch and positioned Kristina in his arms as he gently placed a hand on her back. Sitting up Alexis smiled softly at him, "I'm sorry Sonny. I know he was your brother," cradling his chin in her hand she looked down. For all of the hatred and bad blood that lay between the two, he was still his brother.

Touching the side of her hand, "Alexis he was going to take Molly, I understand the guards did what they had to do."

Nodding Alexis looked down, "He was crazy Sonny, he lost his mind and I'm just sorry I couldn't do more to help him." Sam cleared her throat as she recognized the intimacy of the moment and reached for her sister as she spoke, "Mom I'm going upstairs I'm spending the night with Kristina in her room."

Alexis broke off from her conversation to look at her daughter and shake her head, "Sam, you don't have to do that you have enough on your plate without worrying about what's going on here."

Sam rolled her eyes as she pressed a gentle kiss to her mother's forehead, "No arguments or I'm going to start calling you Ma again, there is nowhere else I would rather be tonight."

Alexis nodded and after Sam took the stairs she turned back to Sonny who was watching her with awe as he spoke, "She reminds me so much of you that it's almost hard to believe that you didn't have her to raise her whole life."

She looked down as she felt the tears rise to her eyes again at the thought of what she had been through this night, without another thought she was wrapped in Sonny's arms as he wrapped his arms possessively around her waist. The sobs wouldn't stop as the memories washed through her head, but they were calmed by the gentle kisses being pressed against her hair and every place Sonny could reach.

The door opened stopping the soft sobs as James walked down the stairs and up to her silently seething inside. This whole production had been made to draw himself closer to Alexis not Sonny Corinthos. If nothing changed he was going to have to rethink Sonny's position in her life, "Alexis, I think its best if I go."

Sonny was blatant in his response to that statement, "You should've never come."

Alexis gasped as she leaned her head off his chest to stare at his face which was immovable in his glare at the man in Alexis's home, "Sonny if it wasn't for him Ric might have actually gotten away with Molly, I'm grateful to him."

James shook his head, "I'm just glad I was able to help."

Sonny looked up and said, "And how did you happen to be here just at the right moment?"

James looked at Sonny with a dangerous glint in his eye that Alexis wasn't privy to, she interrupted Sonny's interrogation and said, "I'm sorry James, he's just worried about his daughter. You don't have to answer any questions; the police handled the interrogation part sufficiently."

James smiled politely at her as she rose and said, "There's no explanation needed I promise you Alexis, I'll see you tomorrow."

Alexis bit her bottom lip and said, "If you don't mind I would really like it if you spent the night here, on the couch I mean, on the couch. I'll just feel safer if someone can be here all night."

Sonny shook his head and said, "You have bodyguards here who won't have any problems staying the night or you could just ask me, there's no reason to put Mr. Bronson out, is it? To put Mr. Bronson out of his home would be unnecessary."

James smiled as he focused his attention on Alexis, maybe Sonny Corinthos wasn't as much of a problem as he previously thought, and said "It's not problem at all Alexis, I'll be happy to stay."


Thoughts please!