Hi all. Seriously sorry about the delay with all my stories. Hope you are still interested in this one and if you are thank you so much for hanging in there. Three more chapters left. So if you've hung in this long, maybe you can hold on a little longer. As always, reviews are appreciated.

Stop This World – Chapter - 9

Alexis was amazed at how quickly things changed. After her hospital stay a few weeks before, Sonny began therapy with Dr. Kevin Collins. Kevin helped Stone while he was alive and as a result, Sonny felt comfortable with him. Although he'd only seen Kevin for a short time, Alexis saw the improvement in his overall demeanor. He'd even shared some of the details from his sessions with Kevin with her. As a result, she began to feel as though she was getting her best friend back.

The only thing she couldn't share with her friend was the fact that she was head over heels in love with his best friend. She couldn't explain it; although she and Jason agreed to keep a physical distance between them, their desire for one another intensified instead of lessening. Now, they either remained silent or they argued about inconsequential things, which was something they hadn't done before. Still, she hadn't seen him in two days and she missed him. He'd gone to do something she'd rather not know about and she hadn't asked what or where. Instead, she and Sonny were spending the afternoon together to plan for the baby's arrival.

Sonny's transformation couldn't have come at a better time. At her last appointment, Dr. Meadows had expressed concern about Alexis's pregnancy and she'd threatened to put her on bed rest if she didn't take it easy. Between Jason and Sonny, she couldn't take any easier. Neither of them let her do anything at all

She watched as Sonny descended the stairs carrying three-year old Michael in his arms. As soon as she saw the two together, she knew Jason was right when he convinced her to tell Sonny about the baby. Sonny was a good father. She just hoped and prayed Kevin could help him get his life together enough for him to let her go.

"Hey handsome," she touched Michael's nose.

"Hey yourself." Sonny smiled, before he broke into a full chuckle.

"Cute Corinthos," Alexis deadpanned.

"Wow, more flattery."

"Stop it." Without either of them paying much attention, Sonny handed Michael to her before he left the room. After about a minute or so, it hit her…she was developing maternal instincts. She sat on the sofa and placed the toddler next to her as he no longer fit comfortably on her lap. Michael poked at her belly, which caused her to giggle.

Sonny returned carrying a plate of fruit and cheese. He patted the boy on the head. "Michael, your baby brother is in there."

Alexis squirmed uncomfortably. "Sonny, don't you think it's too soon to tell Michael about the B…A...B…Y?"

"Kids are like adults, they need time to get used to things. Michael needs time to deal with the idea that he's going to be a big brother. And he's only got three months before it happens."

"But what about C...A…R…L…Y? What if she gets back together with AJ or if she wins the c…u…s…t--"

"Alexis, would you stop it with the spelling?" Sonny laughed. "Carly won't be a problem. In your line of work, you should know that faking a death is a criminal offense." He watched as Alexis nodded. "And you should know that when faced with a choice between custody of my son and being in state custody, Carly is always going to look out for Carly."

"So, you're going to…" she placed her hands on Michael's ears before she whispered, "blackmail Carly," she uncovered his ears, "into staying away from him?" She pushed Michael's reddish bangs out of his face. "Is that what you're going to do to me if I step out of line when it comes to our baby?"

Sonny touched her cheek and she quickly moved away from his hand. He frowned as he tried to process why Alexis's mood shifted. "Are you trying to pick a fight with me?" He sighed, "I'll make sure she has visitation. But as for you, you never have to worry about me keeping you away from the baby because you're not reckless. I have no doubt that you'll always do what's best for the baby."

Alexis thought to ask him if he'd always put their baby first, but given his profession she knew her question would only result in an argument. So, she decided to let it drop. Deciding a change in subject was appropriate, Alexis asked, "So, when you invited me over, you said you wanted to talk about the baby's future. What do you want to talk about?"

"Baby names and living arrangements."

Alexis sighed. "Do we have to do this now? I don't want to argue about not moving in here."

"I don't want you to move in here. I want you to move next door." He ran his hands over his face. "I want to ask Jason to consider switching condos with you, so you can be across the hall in case you or the baby needs me. But I knew I should ask you first. "

"You're really not going to pressure me about moving in? And you're actually asking what I think about something first?"

"Yeah, Doc Collins has been telling me that my need to control people often makes me lose them." He proceeded to talk to her about the other things he'd begun to learn in therapy before he switched the topic to baby names.

After listening to the ways Kevin was helping Sonny get his life back and how ultimately he might help her and Jason get their lives back as well, Alexis had an idea. "What do you think about name the baby Collin, after Kevin?"

"Collin Corinthos. I can live with that." Sonny nodded his head.

"Wow! That was too easy."

"Things don't always have to be hard between us." Sonny pushed her hair from her face.

Alexis jumped, not from her Sonny's touch, but from the strong kick coming from inside her belly. "I don't believe the baby believes us because he's kicking like crazy."

"Can I?" He waited for Alexis to nod and he was surprised when she moved his hand to her belly. His heart leapt as he felt the strong kick from his baby boy. He then lifted Michael to his lap and placed his hand on Alexis's belly as they waited for Collin to make his presence known once more.

When Jason walked in, he hadn't expected to see Alexis, Sonny and Michael looking like a family. He couldn't explain it, but something about the scene hurt him deeply. Somehow, he managed to mumble a greeting to Sonny and Alexis. His first instinct was to leave, but he had no idea where he should go. So, he stood with his eyes lowered to the ground until Alexis excused herself and went into the kitchen.

Once Alexis was gone, Jason gave Sonny the latest update on Alcazar, which included the fact that he was now living on a boat in the Port Charles harbor. He'd also been making inquiries about both Sonny and Jasper Jacks. He'd also learned that Luis Alcazar had a twin brother, named Lorenzo and the two of them had been trying to ship drugs into Sonny's territory. As a result, Sonny decided a meeting with Luis was in order and he asked Jason to take Alexis home.

Jason was silent the entire car ride to Alexis's home. As she opened her door, he turned to walk away.

"You're leaving?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Jason shrugged. He felt her hand on his arm when he turned to walk away once more. She pulled him inside of her apartment.

"What's wrong with you?" She pulled him to the sofa.

For a moment, he simply stared back at her hoping she would drop the subject. "Look, I can tell things have changed between you and Sonny. If you want to be with him, then be with him. I'll deal with it."

"What are you talking about?"

Jason sighed. "I saw the three of you: you and Sonny and Michael. You looked like a family. If that's what you want then I don't want to get in the way of it."

"You were in a room with Sonny and me for ten minutes and now you think I want to be a family with him?"

"You are carrying his baby."

"And you were the one that told me I should make peace with him for the baby's sake. Guess what: You were right. I'm pretty confident now that this baby will be born to two parents who are not constantly at each others' throats. Sonny's in therapy and things are better now."

"Now that things are better, are you sure you don't want to give Sonny another chance?"

After staring at Jason for a second or two, Alexis leaned in and allowed her lips to brush his. She stroked his cheek with her hand. "Does that answer your question?" She laughed, mostly to herself. "Jason, I'm not Carly. You don't have to worry. I'm not going to break your heart."

"Do you know how many times a day I want to kiss you?"

Alexis felt herself blushing. She cast her eyes downward before she asked, "How many?"

Lifting her chin so he could look into her chocolate brown orbs, he answered, "About a thousand."

She sighed. "It was your idea for us to avoid being physically intimate with each other because it was too risky."

"I know, but then I see you with Sonny and I hate it."

"So, what are you saying?"

"Maybe I was wrong."

"There's only one way to find out." Alexis inched toward his mouth until she engaged him in a tender kiss.

Neither of them knew how explosive their kiss could be. The fireworks wouldn't come from the emotion they felt from each other; instead the powder keg that was about to be ignited was in the form of one Sonny Corinthos. Unbeknownst to Jason and Alexis, Sonny had decided to postpone the meeting with Alcazar and instead, to spend more time with Alexis. When he noticed her door was slightly ajar, he pushed it open. The sight of Alexis and Jason kissing made him feel as though he'd been punched in the gut. He remained frozen for what felt like an eternity, but what was actually about 30 seconds. Kristina's voice startled him.

"Sonny, what are you doing here? And why are you standing outside of the door?"

"I, uh, wanted to talk to Alexis, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow."

She shrugged. "Okay."

Kristina could not believe what she saw with her own two eyes. Alexis was making out with Jason right in their living room. She cleared her throat, causing them both to jump apart.

Jason simply stared at Kristina while Alexis's voice rose three octaves higher than its normal pitch. "Kristina, we were just…"

"Alexis, I need to talk to you alone."

Jason stared at the young woman. "Kristina, you need to keep quiet about this…"

This time, it was Kristina who had no patience with Jason. "No, what I need is to talk to my sister."

Jason turned to Alexis, "Are you going to be okay?"

Alexis nodded. "I'll be fine."

Jason left without kissing Alexis goodbye and without another word to Kristina. No sooner than the door closed behind him, Alexis began to pace. "I don't want to talk about this with you, Kristina.

"But Alexis…"

"Seriously, not a word."

Kristina put her hands on her hips. "Oh, I've got a word for you. I've got a couple. I ran into Sonny in the hallway. And he was staring into the doorway when I walked up. I'm guessing he saw the two of you doing what I can't talk about."

Alexis sank onto the sofa. "Sonny?" She ran her hands over her face. "Did he say anything?"

"He said he changed his mind about coming in to talk to you."

"Oh no…I've got to go talk to him."

"Do you really think that's a good idea? Maybe you should talk about this with Jason, first. What's going on with you and Jason, anyway?"

Alexis grabbed her coat and headed to Sonny's. In the hallway, she ran into a frowning Johnny.

"Miss Davis, I can't let you in there. The Boss is having a heated discussion with Benny."

"About what?"

Johnny shrugged. It was then that she heard Benny raising his voice, which was something he never did.

"Jason's your right hand. I don't care what you think he did. I can't sit by quietly and let you do this without urging you to think about it."

"Benny, I won't let anyone disrespect me; not Jason and not you!"

The door opened unexpectedly, leaving Sonny and Alexis face to face. Benny wouldn't even look her in the eye as he passed her.

Sonny frowned, "What are you doing here?"

Alexis moved past him until she was safely inside. "We need to talk and it can't wait."