What Lies Beneath Chapter 11

A/N: Getting back into writing Sexis again.

"Nikolas?"

Alexis rose swiftly a smile lighting her face at the sight of her nephew who she embraced warmly much to the discomfort of the man on the ground. As Nikolas wrapped his arms around his aunt and stared James Craig in the face the feeling that he had in the pit of his stomach didn't go away. This man was dangerous and he had an unhealthy obsession with the woman in his arms.

The one Cassadine that was sane in a family of wolves he had said to Emily and now her life was in danger and instead of proactively doing something to stop him he had setup a deadly game of cat and mouse in hopes that James would lose his curiosity with her aunt and go on to another subject. Unfortunately, to date that hadn't been the case.

Alexis pulled back and said, "This is certainly a surprise, why don't we all come inside? I think Viola made some lemonade and I made some cookies yesterday."

Alexis hurried over to get a pouting Kristina from the water, who when she found out the reason for her leaving the water was her surprise visitor was only too happy to oblige. After drying her off with a towel she ran into Nikolas's arms for a hug while James helped Alexis with Molly who went into his arms with minimal fuss as she watched her mother hurriedly pick up all of her items as she efficiently moved her sudden party to the living room.

Closing the door she smiled at her guests when Nikolas piped up, "You can't bake Aunt, so who made the cookies?"

Alexis stuck out her tongue happy at the visit and the company and rolled off, "Nestle Kibblers."

Laughing Nikolas waited until Alexis and Kristina were out of the room before he rose and yanked his cousin out of James's arms cradling her startled face with a beaming smile and spoke through clenched teeth to the intruder, "What are you doing here?"

James crossed his legs, "I was having a delightful talk with your aunt until your arrival. Why are you here?"

Nikolas laughed sarcastically as he looked at the man he currently loathed more than anyone he had ever known and spoke, "I'm the one with blood ties to Alexis, you have no reason to be here and I'd appreciate if you leave before she comes back from the kitchen."

James rolled his eyes and said, "I don't think so," as Alexis came out of the kitchen a plateful of cookies followed behind by a skipping Kristina who carried beverages for everyone in attendance.

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"As much as I would love to know why you just tried to slap me Sam, I'm not in the mood for visitors so please leave."

Sam snorted as she crossed her arms standing her ground, "That's just it? The great Sonny Corinthos dismisses me and I'm supposed to what just leave? No Sonny, this time you are going to listen to me and you are going to hear me."

Sonny walked over to the wet bar tempted to pour himself a drink to handle whatever problem she had come to lay on his doorstep, taking a deep breath he questioned, "What do you need?"

Sam sat down as she tossed her purse in the chair, "It's not what I need. It's what my mother deserves, and that's closure from her relationship with you and that's something you are going to provide her with by leaving her alone. I don't know what your game is and whether you're just bored because Carly actually appears happy with Jax or because you need something to do but my mother's feelings aren't something that should be manipulated and especially after all she's been through at your hands."

Sonny swore under his breath, "If this is about Alexis, this is definitely something I'm not going to discuss with you. Alexis and I have a lot of stuff to work through and we don't need you in the middle of our problems."

Sam looked at him in disbelief, "You call almost making love to my mother stuff to work through? You've lost your mind, the only problem my mother needs to work through is how and when to get rid of you. You are a thorn in her side and it's about time she gets to live her life without the shadow of Sonny Corinthos hanging over her head."

Reaching for her purse she stood and said, "I hope we understand each other."

Sonny felt a smile cross his lips as he heard the fire that was present in Sam's voice and knew that she would one day make Alexis even more proud than she was now her mirror image fighting for her loved ones, but for now it depended upon him to be honest with her, "I love her Sam, I know that now. I can't lose her, I won't walk away."

Sam looked down at him sadly, "You don't know the meaning of the word Sonny you never have, so please leave my mother alone."


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"What is this I hear about someone leaving?"

Kristina pouted as she walked towards the table and spread out the glasses and turned with a pout on the two men in attendance, "You just got here Nikolas, you can't go now!"

Nikolas smiled and bent down to his cousin's level and embraced her warmly and placed her on his shoulders as he glanced warily at James and then back at his aunt who was beaming with happiness. Sitting down on the chair he turned to Alexis and said, "I'm staying, I don't know if Mr. Bronson can though."

James glanced at his watch, cursing silently as he realized that the business he was actually in Port Charles to attend to, had gotten lost in the mix of getting more quality time with the woman in front of him, "I'm afraid Nikolas is correct. Unfortunately Alexis, I have a conference call that I must make and all of my paperwork is at Wyndemere."

Alexis nodded in understanding, "I can understand that, I can't wait to get back to work being down by a disease is definitely something I would wish on my worst enemy. I'll walk you out."

James smiled at Nikolas, kissed both Molly and Kristina and placed his hand in the small of Alexis's back as he walked her outside and they stood on the deck and overlooked the water. Sighing quietly as he stood next to the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with he mused about the choices he had made since he had arrived in this town. He had not counted on having to kill Ric Lansing however it had happened and since he couldn't look back he knew it was for the best.

"You look a million miles away, is something wrong James?"

Smiling at her intuitiveness he shook his head and said, "Just wondering if you would accept a dinner invitation from me for tomorrow evening, I know its could be considered as a bad taste due to the events of the past couple of days but I think you need to relax. There's something I wanted to discuss with you anyway, and its best if it's done in private."

Alexis bit her bottom lip as she pondered whether it would be wise to leave the girls alone and then shook her head as she heard her eldest daughters voice in her head telling her that she needed to focus on herself, "I'd love to, what time are you picking me up?"

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Carly barged into his office with all of her usual exuberance and threw her purse in the chair as she stared at Sonny who was on the phone. After finishing his business he sighed, "Carly, how can I help you?"

Sitting down in the chair across from his desk she said, "Okay, what's going on with you? The boys have noted that you are upset about something. I would think it's about me but from the look in your eye its not so who is it? What Chippie has caught your eye this time?"

Sonny leaned back in his chair, "Chippie?"

Carly raised an eyebrow, "It's a saying, who is she?"

Sonny looked at the clock on his desk, "Alexis."

Carly laughed and said, "I wondered how long it would take you to wake up!"

Sonny stood up and stared at her in shock while walking to his cooler and pulling out two bottles of water for them, "You aren't surprised?"

Carly shrugged as she opened her bottle with a flourish and gulped down large sips, "Contrary to what I felt, I knew that I would never be equal to her in your eyes. Oh, you tried to act as though she meant nothing but if she hadn't I wouldn't have done the things I did."

Sonny sat on the edge of the desk, "Do I even want to know?"

Carly finished off the bottle while looking at him and said, "When I tell you what I did, you'll hate me and while I'm not trying to get back with you, I am having a nice relationship with the father of my children and I'm not in the mood for another fight so I'll tell you this, I fought dirty. I fought wrong and Alexis knew. She could've called me on a lot of my crap but she didn't because she cared about you too much."

Sonny pushed himself forward and walked back around his desk and sat in his chair as he viewed his ex, "Would we have ever worked out? Or was I just kidding myself?"

Carly shrugged as she stood reaching for her purse and said, "I'm happily married to Jax, but I think what we wanted was real it was just not the right fit. I'm loud, you're quiet."

Sonny laughed, "I told Alexis that same thing once, while she was trying to convince me to go back to you."

Carly looked down, "She fought for me too you know, I was a bitch to her. I did everything in my power to keep her away and she still fought for me no matter what I did because she was loyal to you. I never could be her in your eyes could I?"

Sonny didn't speak as he looked down and only looked her way when she called his name with a question, "Sonny, can't you be honest with me? Would I ever have been equal to Alexis in your eyes?"

The silence was her answer as she reached for the door, "Talk to Alexis, Sonny. Tell her how you feel and if she still cares, don't ever let her go."

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Walking back in the house, Alexis reached for Molly out of her crib and turned to Nikolas who was caught up in a lively conversation with Kristina, "So did you guys enjoy the cookies?"

Nikolas looked at her, with a smirk and said, "Best batch you ever made Aunt."

Sticking her tongue out at her nephew she turned to Kristina and said, "So young lady what do you need to do now that are you in such a hurry to get off too?"

Kristina inched herself off Nikolas's lap and said, "I'm going to take a bath. Viola said she was making the water nice and warm for me."

She gave Nikolas a hug and kiss, the same to her sister and mother before scampering up the stairs leaving Nikolas alone with Alexis and Molly who was quickly falling fast asleep on her mother's arm and said, "So what brings the prince to my house today?"

Shrugging he reached for the drink, careful to keep the shaking to a minimum and said, "I didn't know I had to have an appointment to come over. I heard about everything that happened with Ric and since you didn't call…."

Looking down sheepishly Alexis, uttered a quick apology, "I knew I forgot to call somebody. I'm sorry it was just in the middle of everything with Ric and Sonny here I didn't have time to call the other overbearing man in my life."

Laughing at her joke Nikolas said, "So Sonny gave you a hard time? What about?"

Reaching for the cup of tea that she had placed there prior she grimaced, "He's upset because he thinks I've been spending too much time with James. I don't know what his problem with him is but its not going to stop our friendship."

Nikolas met his Aunt's eyes, "As long as that is all it is."

Alexis looked at her nephew questioningly, "And if it isn't? We've shared a couple of kisses but nothing that should concern either Sonny or you. I mean, I realize that he could be concerned about my choice of men after Ric but I'm cured of psychos I promise."

Nikolas wanted to scream the truth out but knew that until he had the antidote in his fingers he wasn't in a position to demand anything, "I think he's just concerned about you. I know you are concerned for him. When those robbers took over the Metro Court, you didn't leave until you knew Sonny was okay, there is still something there."

Alexis shook her head, "It's the concern that any mother would have for the father of her child. Kristina adores Sonny and if something happened to him she would be devastated."

Nikolas snorted disbelievingly, "This is me Aunt. You can't fool me, I see right through this façade you are putting on, you still have feelings for Sonny maybe you always have."

Alexis closed her eyes as she heard the voice of her nephew prick at her conscience, "Sonny is my past Nikolas. He has to stay buried there for everyone's sakes."

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"Corinthos."

"Sonny, can you talk?"

Nodding Sonny dismissed the people in his office as he turned his attention the caller on the phone, "Yea Robin I'm free what's going on?"

The sigh on the other end of the phone did nothing to booster his spirits, "I have bad news, and worse news Sonny, which do you want first?"

Gripping the receiver of the phone he prayed that it wasn't something permanent, "What is the bad news Robin?"

Robin slipped into doctor's mode as her tone became all business, "We've isolated the compound and are working on the antidote, however some of the ingredients remain a mystery and will take an extra week or so to fix. We need to buy time so this facade with Alexis and James has to continue if we want to save Nikolas's life."

Swearing under his voice he imagined the face of Alexis and his daughters smiling with James Craig standing next to them and had to suppress a shiver, "What's the worse news Robin?"

Robin cleared her throat hesitant to voice her next thoughts for fear that it would cause a war, "James had a package delivered to the house today, from all appearances it was an engagement ring. Sonny, I think James Craig is going to propose to Alexis tomorrow."

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Nikolas picked up the saucers, cups, and leftover cookies while his aunt napped quietly on the sofa. On his third trip back from the kitchen he noticed that Sam was at the front door, smiling he opened the door and turned to her, "Hey, I was wondering where you were?"

Brushing a gentle kiss against her cheek he smiled as she closed the door behind her snuck a glance at the sleeping woman on the sofa and sighed in relief before setting her purse down. "You know she's been sleeping erratically lately. Are you coming to the funeral?"

Checking his watch he wondered if James Craig would have the antidote prepared for him in time and mentally crossed his fingers that it would happen, "Yes, if all goes well with my call later on today. How has she been?"

Sam shrugged as she stared at her mother and said, "It appears that she's taking it well but I know that she's holding back. It hurts and not just because Ric is dead and Molly's father is no more, it hurts because she wasn't able to protect her daughter from a madman. It doesn't help that Sonny has been around Mom confusing her feelings."

Nikolas looked at her in question, "Sonny?"

Sam nodded as she sat down on the edge of the couch, sighed and spoke, "Look I wasn't around when my Mom and Sonny were together. I didn't know what their relationship consisted of but whatever it is, ran deep because I never seen Alexis so flustered. It's always that way when she's in his presence."

Nikolas sighed and motioned to the front door and Sam picking upon his silent signals covered her mother with the throw draping the couch and followed her cousin out the front door and turned to him in question, "So what did you want to say?"

Nikolas looked out at the water as he wondered about how much to tell Sam, she was his aunt's daughter but she was also an ex-lover of Sonny but at looking at her he could see that all she wanted was to help her mother and that was the same position he was in, "Sonny is the love of Alexis's life."

Sam looked at her cousin strangely, "How do you know that?"

Nikolas smirked, "She ran away from her wedding to Ned, only married Ric because she was trying to keep Kristina away from Sonny. When she was with Sonny she was happy, I saw it even though I didn't want too. It wasn't easy to imagine that your aunt was consistently putting her life in danger no matter what anyone else thought, she was happy he became her best friend, even seemingly closer than Stefan at times… and Sonny I still don't know what their time together meant to him."

Sam looked down, "So is he it for Mom then? I mean I always thought she seemed a little too concerned about Sonny, and that was even before I knew she was my mother and knew the thread that was between them. I never understood why she went from one extreme to another with him."

Nikolas gazed at his cousin, "She probably never gave as much of herself as she did with Sonny. He didn't demand it and that's what Alexis liked, to be in control. They are really alike in a lot of ways. Ways I would never try to explain because sometimes even I don't understand it. You just can't pick who you'll fall in love with."

Sam nodded in agreement and then asked, "Is she still in love with him?"

Nikolas looked back at the couch and hoped against hope she wasn't because if this plan blew up in their faces he could lose more than his life, "I don't know, I really don't know Sam."

A/N: Writing the backstory is taking longer than I expected. I didn't want to leave anything out. I'll try to work on the story this weekend and have an update sometime next week. Let me know your thoughts and whether I should continue.