Chapter 9
Sonny walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. He didn't know what to do next, really, which baffled him. With Carly, he'd always known what to do, but right now, all she needed was to talk, but he didn't know what to say. He wanted to comfort her and let her know he was there, but this was obviously about Jax, and that probably wasn't what she wanted to hear right now.
Carly threw the covers back and stood up, her bare feet sliding against the wooden floor, as she moved toward him. He reached out to her, softly caressing her cheek and brushing away the tears. Her lower lip trembled, and he traced his thumb against it. She closed her eyes, and he pulled her in, holding her close, as she wrapped her arms securely around his neck.
Sonny's hand softly stroked her back, and they just held onto one another, as if they were all they had left in the world. She rested her head on his shoulder, realizing how much she'd missed feeling his arms around her. His touch had a way of making every ache disappear.
"Hey, hey," he whispered, pulling back a little. "What's going on?" She pulled back too, looking into his eyes, and she shook her head.
"Swear to God you won't say 'I told you so?'"
"I swear. What's wrong, Carly?" She sighed heavily, pulling back and walking over to her window that overlooked the garden. She shook her head, searching for the sparkle of Jax's ring in the moonlight, but the clouds were too thick, and she could hardly see anything but the snow falling down from the dark sky.
"Jax is cheating on me," she finally said, turning to face him, leaning against the windowsill.
"What?"
"Jax. He called earlier, and I heard another woman on the line."
"That…doesn't mean anything, does it?"
"He said it was his assistant Sherry. She was trying to help him find Jerry. Before he hung up, she said her parents were waiting. He's in Australia going to dinner with his assistant."
"So, Jax can't eat…"
"Sonny!" Carly exclaimed with an outburst of anger. "That's not funny! I sent him out there and told him I'd wait for him, and he repays me by cheating!"
"How do you know he's cheating?" Sonny asked quietly, moving toward her. She sighed and brushed away another tear.
"I called Jane, and she told me he found Jerry two weeks ago, while Jax lied through his teeth, making me think the search was going well." Sonny stood back for a moment, thinking about what she'd just said. He was angry about what had happened, but then again, he wasn't much surprised. He remembered the back and forth Brenda had done between himself and Jax, and he didn't want to see that happen with Carly. He knew he was selfish, and he wanted her for himself. Jax didn't deserve her, and now, he'd proven that.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. Carly glared at him.
"That's all you have to say? You're sorry? Sorry." She let out a little laugh, shaking her head. "You're not sorry, Sonny! You should be…be running through the streets or jumping for joy that he's out of my life. So why don't you go? I'll give you a head start before I start throwing things at you." Sonny gave her a strange look.
"What? Carly…"
"You know you want to, Sonny. For months, you've been trying to get me to leave Jax. You've done everything to try to get me back You've…you've tricked me into marrying you, for God's sake. Well, here's your chance. You remember, Sonny, don't you? You remember the first time we were together. I thought Jason was cheating on me with Elizabeth, and you swooped in to take advantage."
"Wait a minute, Carly. You're the one that came to me."
"Oh, yeah. I'm not saying I didn't want you to take advantage, am I? Huh? Why don't you just do what comes natural, Sonny? I'm right here. You know you want to." Her eyes weren't full of lust or even love right now. She was hurt. She was angry. She wanted comfort, and he wanted to give it to her. But he wanted to do this right. He didn't want to do this out of anger or revenge. "What are you waiting for, huh?" She stepped toward him, and he saw how badly she was trembling. He shook his head, and he pulled her in. She froze, and he pulled her in close, looking into her eyes, and shaking his head slightly.
"Come here," he whispered softly. She shook her head, fighting back the tears. But, within moments, she was holding onto him again. "Shh. Don't cry, Carly. Not over him. He doesn't deserve your tears." He slowly walked her over to the bed and sat down with her. He pulled back and handed her a tissue.
"Thanks," she breathed, shaking her head. "I feel like an idiot."
"You're not."
"Maybe I am, Sonny. I really thought I'd made the right choice this time. I thought I could be happier than I was with—" She stopped, and Sonny nodded his head.
"With me. You can say it. Were you?" Carly shook her head.
"I don't know. I thought so, Sonny. There were times I was sure of it, but there were times I'd wake up, and I'd almost expect to see you there. I was so used to you being there, and I couldn't…I couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened between us."
"Neither could I," he replied. "Not with Emily or…"
"Sonny."
"Sorry."
"The truth is…the truth…Sonny, I thought I'd finally found somebody that respected me. But now I know that was all a lie. Maybe…maybe you were right. Maybe all he wanted was to get me, because you had me. Well, he succeeded, didn't he? He managed to make a fool out of me. To think somebody could actually respect trailer-trash Caroline, huh?" Sonny watched her pace the room, and he wanted to reach out again, but he didn't know if that was such a good idea.
"He didn't. He didn't make a fool of you, Carly. You know now…you deserve better than him."
"Better," she said with a nod, "obviously I can do better, but do I deserve it? Maybe I don't, Sonny. Maybe all this time with Jax…maybe it was just me playing dress up…pretending to be somebody I'm not."
"You're a strong, beautiful woman, Carly. There's no dressing that up."
"It's not true," she breathed. "You're wrong, you know? I'm not strong. I'm not."
"How could you say that? You're the strongest woman I know."
"No, Sonny. I can't be. A strong woman wouldn't have let this happen to her. A strong woman wouldn't have convinced herself that she was in love with a man that would never hurt her." Sonny felt his heart sting with guilt. He knew he'd hurt her too many times to count.
"I don't want you to hurt anymore," he whispered, as Carly leaned against his chest. He pulled his legs up on the bed and leaned against the headboard. She cuddled against him.
"Don't leave me tonight, Sonny."
"I won't," he promised. They lay in silence together for a while, and when he thought she was sleeping, he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." Silence. And then:
"For what?" She turned her face up toward his, and he could see that her tears had finally dried.
"For what? For…for everything. I'm sorry I hurt you before. I'm sorry you're hurting now." Tired, weary with emotion, Carly nodded her head.
"I'm sorry too," she whispered. Smiling a little, she let out a slow breath, and she leaned up, pressing her lips against his. He held her tight, pressing feather-light kisses to her lips and her eyes, and when he pulled back, she smiled, comfortable for once in a very long time, and she fell asleep in his arms, feeling like she finally belonged somewhere.
When Carly woke in the morning, she was lying on one side of the bed, and on the other side, Sonny was lying there, still in his clothes from the night before. She smiled a little, grateful that he'd stayed.
"Morning," he whispered. "Feel any better?"
"A little," she admitted with a nod, her eyes bleary from sleep. "You stayed all night?" He nodded.
"I was worried."
"Thank you."
"Anytime." His voice was quiet and a little rough, like she remembered it was after a long night's sleep. She had missed waking up to him, and now that she just had, she missed it even more. She didn't want a rebound relationship, but even throughout her relationship with Jax, she had tried to deny to herself that she still wanted Sonny. In many ways, Jax had been a rebound. She'd still missed Sonny, and Jax was there for comfort. Now…was it all changing around on her?
"How long have you been awake?"
"Not long. I was waiting for you," he admitted. She smiled a little and sat up.
"Look," she whispered, not wanting the children to barge in and assume things that weren't true. "I don't know what all of this means, Sonny."
"Me neither. I just know…I love you, and I want you to be happy." She smiled, and she touched his cheek.
"I have a lot of thinking to do."
"I know," he replied with a nod. "Why don't you shower first? I'll go check on Molly and see if she's up. I'm sure Sam and Jason will be here to see the girls today." Carly nodded.
"Alright." With that, she grabbed the things she needed for a nice, hot shower, and she disappeared down the hall. Sonny leaned back against the pillow, running his hands over his face and trying to get a grasp on the situation. She wasn't pushing him away anymore, but he had to take it slow. He had to prove to her that they belonged together. He didn't know how, but someday, she was going to realize it.
Michael, Morgan, and Kristina sat at the breakfast table. Kristina sat with her hands folded in her lap, looking down. Michael and Morgan talked to her and tried to keep her cheerful, but she didn't feel like talking. Sonny was pretty sure she hadn't stopped talking out of shock, but she was still very upset, and it was going to take time. He just had to give her time.
Carly was making faces at Molly, who had most of her breakfast all over her face.
"You're gonna need another bath, little lady," Carly said with a grin, as she reached over to wipe her face off. Sonny smiled, watching Carly with the baby. She seemed to light up around the kids, and that made Sonny happy. He was grateful Carly had stayed the night. He was grateful for a lot of things, and he couldn't help but feel a little grateful that Jax was out of the picture, and he hoped that was permanent.
Footsteps coming toward the kitchen were heard, and Carly and Sonny looked up to see Jason and Sam walking in. Sam's eyes were red from crying, but she seemed to be holding up a little better than at the hospital.
"We just came back from making arrangements for the funeral," Sam said softly. "We're having the service tomorrow afternoon." Sonny nodded.
"How're you doing?"
"I'm…not sure right now." She smiled a little when she saw Molly, and she immediately rounded the table to pick her up out of the high chair. Kristina looked up, but she stayed put. "Hello, sweet girl. Did you miss your big sister?" Molly grinned at Sam. Sam moved around the table to hug Kristina. "I missed you both so much."
"Diane's on her way to talk about Alexis' will," Jason explained. "We ran into her, and she said she'd wait to discuss it until we were all together." Carly looked questioningly at her friend.
"All of us?"
"Yeah. You too, Carly."
"Look, Sonny," Sam started, adjusting Molly on her hip. "Can we talk in the living room?" Sonny nodded.
"Sure." Carly looked at Sonny, and he nodded for her to join him.
"Boys, Kristina, finish your breakfast. Boys, Max is taking you to school in ten minutes."
"But Kristina…"
"Kristina doesn't have to go today," Carly said, making a face that told the boys to be quiet or else risk upsetting their sister. "Now eat." With that, Carly followed Jason, Sam, and Sonny into the living room.
"What's going on?" Sonny asked quietly, watching Molly bounce on Sam's hip. Sam held her protectively.
"Jason and I were talking last night, and we were thinking…we could take Molly with us, and…"
"You're not honestly suggesting splitting two sisters up, are you?"
"No!" Sam said quickly. "Of course not. We were—"
"Well, I would hope not," came an intruding voice, as Max let Diane Miller in. "Because Ms. Davis left specific instructions in her will regarding her youngest daughter."
"What specific instructions?" Jason asked.
"Well," Diane pointed out, "she didn't want her daughters to be separated, so she requested that Mr. Corinthos have custody of Molly, since he also has custody of Kristina." Carly watched Sam hold Molly close. "But that is, of course, if Mr. Corinthos is willing to take responsibility of the child. I have the paperwork. All it needs is a signature." All eyes turned to Sonny, who glanced at Carly. He couldn't keep Kristina separated from her sister. Besides, if she was with anyone else, Ric would have a better chance at finding a way to get custody.
"I'm willing," he said with a definite nod. "Show me what I have to sign." Sam looked as if she'd been crushed. Her little sisters were so important to her, and she wanted to protect them. She knew they'd be safe with Sonny, but it wasn't the same. She wanted to protect them.
"Sam, this doesn't change anything. You can see the girls whenever you want. You can take them out. You're their sister, after all," Sonny assured her. Sam nodded sadly, knowing there was nothing she could do. "I'll protect them both, I swear it."
"Like Hell you will." All eyes turned to the door, where Max was holding Ric Lansing back from entering.
"Get the hell off my property. You're not welcome here," Sonny pointed out, trying not to lose his cool in front of the baby. Carly sensed Sonny's tension.
"Ric, don't make things worse."
"That baby belongs with me!" he insisted.
"What, so you can screw her up with your sick view of the world?" Carly asked. "That's not gonna happen."
"You have your daughter, Sonny. Just let me have mine," Ric pleaded, more out of crazy desperation.
"Go to Hell, Ric! You're not laying a finger on that baby. You won't split up two sisters, and if I recall, that restraining order's still active, isn't it, Ms. Miller?"
"Yes, it is, Mr. Lansing. And if you'd like, I'll show you the papers here that indicate Ms. Davis' wishes, along with the paperwork given to me by Judge Dunn, who sympathizes with cases such as these."
"This isn't over," Ric threatened. "That's my daughter, and you're not going to keep me from her forever." Even his D.A. powers couldn't get Molly away from Sonny, and he knew it, so he was going to have to think of something else. But, when Max escorted Ric from the house, Sam turned to Sonny.
"You're sure you can do this?" she asked.
"He can," Carly said with a nod. "Because the boys and I are going to move in to help." Sonny glanced up at those words, and he seemed surprised.
"You're moving in?" Jason asked, wondering what in the hell had happened to have made her so willing to move in with Sonny after the arguments they'd had lately. He didn't think that even this could cause her to willingly volunteer, especially with no knowledge on Sonny's part.
"That's right," Carly replied. Sonny took her aside, and he cleared his throat.
"Carly, what are you doing?"
"I'm moving in, Sonny."
"You don't have to do that."
"Trust me, you're going to need all the help you can get."
"I'll get Leticia to…"
"Leticia's going to run screaming out the front door between our boys and these girls. She's got a lot on her plate her own life, Sonny."
"And Viola."
"Sure. But, they can't be here 24/7. Just for a little while."
"You really don't have to do this. I don't want you to if it's going to make you or the boys uncomfortable." Carly raised an eyebrow, surprised and pleased that he was speaking so rationally. He'd come a long way from ordering her to move in for her own safety. Sure, it had been important, but the fact that he was thinking about what she wanted was something else.
"These kids need a real family right now, Sonny. Even if we're not together, we can still give them that, can't we? We can give them some stability. Kristina really needs that in her life, and Molly does too, even though she's too young to understand. She's going to realize her mother's not here, and then she's going to need us even more."
"If this is what you want," he said with hope in his voice. It was certainly what he wanted, to have his family under one roof again. Carly nodded a little.
"It's not permanent, Sonny, but I want to help. It'll take my mind off of my own problems for a while." Sonny nodded.
"Ok," he agreed. "Thank you." She nodded, and they both rejoined the group. "Carly is moving in, and we'll make sure the girls get everything they need." Sam looked up at Jason, and he put his arm around her, knowing that she had been looking forward to taking care of Molly. He kissed the top of her head, as she passed the baby over to Carly.
"Did she sleep ok last night?"
"Yeah," Carly assured her. "She went right to sleep and slept all night." Sam nodded, feeling a little jealous.
"And Kristina?"
"She's quiet," Sonny said gently, "but that's understandable. I want her to see Lainey again."
"Maybe I'll go try to talk to her," Sam suggested, getting a nod from Sonny. He followed her into the kitchen, leaving Carly alone with Jason and baby Molly.
"You sure you know what you're doing?" Jason asked skeptically. Carly nodded.
"I'm helping him out."
"I thought you were mad at him."
"I was. But, Molly and Kristina need a lot of attention right now, and I'm going to help out."
"Did something happen with Jax?" Carly looked into his eyes, and he knew.
"That's over," she said. "I'm moving on." Jason shook his head, trying to absorb all of this. "What about you, hmm? How'd the sonogram go yesterday?"
"You really want to hear about that?"
"Hey, I might not be holding an I LOVE ELIZABETH fan club banner, but you're my best friend, and she's having your baby."
"Well…we found out the baby's sex," he pointed out. Carly's eyes widened.
"And? It's a girl, isn't it?"
"Yeah," he replied proudly. "She's beautiful."
"Congratulations, Jase," Carly said happily, hugging him with her free arm. "I'm happy for you. But, how's Sam taking it?" Jason shook his head, and she frowned. "I'm sorry. I hope it works out. I might not be Sam's biggest fan either, but I know she makes you happy." Jason only nodded, and Carly lifted Molly up in the air, making her giggle. It made her feel happy to be here. She felt like she was part of a family again. After Jax had gone, she'd been doing her best to keep herself sane, but the only time she felt comfortable was when she was with her family, like when they celebrated New Year's together. Though, Sonny had had to go and ruin it with that kiss, well, that's what she let him think. But the truth was, she'd dreamed about that kiss for nights afterward.
Michael and Morgan came running into the living room, now with their coats and book bags. Max came in like clockwork to help the boys out to the limo.
"Have a good day, boys. I love you!"
"Love you!" they called, running out the door. "Bye Jason!" Carly smiled, shaking her head. This was home.
Author's Note: Please let me know what you think! I'd greatly appreciate the feedback! I'd like to know if this story's worth continuing or not:)
