A wave of dizziness hit Kristina as she tried to move. She groaned, but succeeded in sitting up. She pointed to the sensible shoes that sat on the end of the bed.

"She never put on her shoes."

"How long have you been awake? "

"Long enough to know Helena is responsible for me being here, although I'm not quite sure what exactly happened. Can you tell me what happened, Sonny?"

Kristina had never shown the ability to keep her mouth shut, so Sonny was not about to let her know the full extent of what had been done to keep her safe. The police still had to be dealt with. They didn't need to know Alexis had killed two people tonight. No one had to know.

"Helena tried to have you kidnaped tonight. She sent three men to abduct you. They didn't succeed."

"Max and Adam, are they really okay?"

"They will be."

"And Helena, she planned to kill me?"

Kristina couldn't believe someone would actually want her dead. Sonny wouldn't sugar-coat the situation for her. Up until now she had been shielded from Helena. It was important that she understand just how serious this all was.

"Eventually, but I doubt she'd have killed you right away. Helena likes to play with her prey, and she loves to torture Alexis. She probably planned to torture you both."

The implications of Sonny's words hit her hard. She shuddered. She thought back on all the conversations she had with Alexis and it finally all clicked into place. This was why Alexis had advised her not to announce herself as a Cassadine. When she did, Kristina made herself a target. Stefan promised to protect her, but how many times had he failed to protect Alexis. It seemed nobody could stop Helena when she set her sights on you. And she seemed to continually set her sights on the people Alexis loved. Alexis loved Sonny.

"This is why you two are hiding that you're together now? Alexis doesn't want Helena to know that you're in love."

Sonny let out a deep breath. "You were awake before Ned came in. You saw us."

She nodded. "Yeah, but it just confirmed what I already knew."

Kristina already knew. How transparent were they? Could everyone tell? "What tipped you off?"

"Lots of things, you two have an aura." Sonny couldn't suppress the pained expression that crossed his face. "Don't laugh. You positively glow when you're together. And there's this connection between you. You're very tactile. Even when you're not touching each other you're still touching each other, you know?"

Sonny smiled politely, nodding his head, but his eyes were glazing over. "Kristina, I have to be honest. I don't understand half of what you say on a good day. Today, I understand even less."

She sighed deeply. She wanted to hit him up side the head. He was so clueless. They both were. "It's simple. You're both happy when you're together, not just happy, blissful. It was so obvious when I came home. But the clincher was the music." She gave him a huge smile and began to sing softly. "Honey, honey come and dance with me" His cheeks flushed and he looked away. "You went off the playlist, didn't you?" She teased him with accusations. "You went off it big time!"

He looked up. "How do you know that?"

"That computer is not a jukebox, Sonny. It was designed for music industry professionals. It has an archive feature. I know every song it played, and in what order, for the last two months. You went off the playlist." Her eyebrows danced as she continued her gentle teasing. "You loaded the special playlist I made for Alexis, didn't you?"

Sonny twisted his head and grimaced. He was busted. He didn't know what to say. What could he say?

"Kristina . . . Thank you."

.

.

.

Alexis dragged Ned out the door and about 20 feet down a little used corridor. Johnny immediately followed and positioned himself a discreet distance away. No one would disturb them.

"Why am I out here and that . . . that gangster is still in with Kristina?"

"Because you're the one, who could be charged with conspiracy to commit murder!" She hissed.

"What!"

"You asked Sonny to kill Helena. You don't make that kind of suggestion to a man with Sonny's reputation, Ned. People take those words seriously."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Didn't you, Ned?" Alexis knew Ned well. She understood how his cut-throat business mind worked. her eyes met his, demanding honesty. "If you could goad Sonny into doing something, it would solve a lot of problems for you. Helena would be gone. Kristina would be safe and if you were lucky maybe Sonny would go to prison for murder. Wouldn't that be a bonus?"

Ned looked into Alexis eyes and sighed. He wouldn't even try to lie. "Well I'll be honest with you, Alexis. I don't see a downside to the deal."

"The downside is you just asked Sonny to commit murder in front of witnesses! You'd be just as guilty as Sonny. What if Kristina were conscious? You know she can't keep her thoughts in her head. There's no censor between her brain and her mouth! Sooner or later she would tell someone what she heard. What are you going to do when the police knock on your door. What are you going to do when they arrest you? You can't hire me. I'm Sonny's lawyer."

"Well I was engaged to a lawyer once and I learned some things from her. Kristina's not conscious. You won't talk. I won't talk. Sonny certainly won't talk and I haven't offered him any money. I wouldn't be convicted, Alexis. Look, eliminating people is part of Sonny's business. He does it for money all the time, why can't he do it for you?"

Ned could be so callus. He thought of Sonny as an unfeeling killer, yet Sonny would never speak of murder so casually. Sonny understood the price you pay when you take a life. "First of all, Sonny doesn't eliminate people for money. Second, you have no idea what you just asked of him. You don't know the toll that taking a life can have. No matter how justified, killing weighs on you. It's a burden you can't put down and it never leaves you."

Ned studied Alexis. She seemed to be speaking from experience. "Alexis, how do you know this?"

Alexis' voice grew weary. "Ned, I don't want Sonny to take care of Helena. I don't want you to take care of Helena. She's not worth the price." They were interrupted by a familiar voice down the hallway.

"Well, well, well, Johnny, just the man I'm looking for." Marcus Taggert was marching straight for Johnny. The police had arrived. Things were about to get messy.