Chapter 13

Sonny raised the shot glass, staring at the amber liquid before swallowing all of it greedily in one gulp. His thoughts were plaguing him from the conversation he'd had with his brother two days previously. Since then, things had changed. Oh yes, things had changed in more ways than one.

"I'm not going to ask how you know that." Sonny lift the glass to his lips, chugging it down without delay. "What else?"

"It's about Courtney."

Sonny filled the shot glass once more, his eyes darkening as he turned to meet his brother's gaze. "What about her?"

Aric took a deep breath. "I think she's lying to you."

Sonny's only response to his brother was the throwing of a filled shot glass against the wall.

His brother had spilled the truth immediately after.

He'd calmly explained to him how Courtney was a well known con-artist and how he and Elizabeth had believed she was trying to play him. Elizabeth, Sonny scoffed at her name. What the hell did she know? She was just Jason's wife and Carly's best friend. Carly didn't like Courtney, hence the reason Elizabeth had automatically jumped to conclusions about his sister.

If she even was that.

He believed his brother when he claimed that Courtney might not be his flesh and blood. Aric had no reason to lie to him. Elizabeth did.

The door to the penthouse opened suddenly. "Sonny, you have a visitor."

His personal doctor walked in, a big grin on her face. "Do have siblings coming out of the wood work or something Sonny? Should I keep your DNA analysis handy?"

Sonny's eyes narrowed at the doctor. He was in no mood for her. The only thing he wanted from her was the truth. Was Courtney his sister or not? "Do you have the file?"

She took a few more steps closer to him, waving the files in front of his face. "Only took me two days this time."

Sonny glared at her, snatching the files from her before walking over to the couch and sitting down, not caring where he landed on it.

The doctor frowned at him. Was he on drugs? This wasn't the Sonny that usually greeted her. The Sonny Corinthos she knew joked with her and laughed with her. This wasn't him. She shook her head and turned around, walking to the door. She didn't need to be informally dismissed twice – she already got the hint.

"You're welcome." She muttered before opening the door. She didn't even think he heard her. And if he did, he made no indication. She gave him one last look before closing the door behind her and nodding at Max as she stepped onto the elevator.

Mobsters, she rolled her eyes as she pressed the button for the lobby.

"So what did your charming husband say about us going out to lunch?" Aric walked across the creaky wooden planks with JP in his arms.

"He didn't say anything." Elizabeth frowned, staring out at the water. It wouldn't do her any good today, she sighed. There was no way she could be calm when Jason was at home stewing. She'd never categorize Jason Morgan as the jealous type, but ever since Aric had resurfaced in her life – she could honestly say he was. "I don't think he likes you very much."

"He doesn't like me at all, Elizabeth." Aric chuckled, sitting on the bench as he too stared out at the water. "He doesn't trust me and I don't think he likes how close we are either."

"Jason doesn't trust easily." Elizabeth made her way back to the bench and sat down beside her friend, motioning for him to hand her son over. She took the little boy in her arms and he snuggled against her, the uneasiness from being in a stranger's arms seeping out of him immediately.

"He's jealous." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"I…" Elizabeth looked up at her friend. "Yes." She sighed. "I think he's jealous of you."

"Why?" Why would Jason be jealous of him? Elizabeth was his best friend – nothing more, nothing less. Jason had no reason to be jealous of him. The man was married to Elizabeth for crying out loud!

"I don't know." She admitted, her cheeks staring to tinge pink with embarrassment. "He hasn't said. He won't even admit that he is jealous."

Aric rolled her eyes. "He has no reason to be jealous."

"I know." Elizabeth nodded. "But, he doesn't know that. You know our past. Can you blame him for feeling threatened?"

"I guess not." Aric glanced sideways at his friend. "But, he still doesn't have a reason to be jealous in the first place. It's not like I'm going to be here for much longer anyway. Business is starting to heat up back home and I don't know how much longer I can procrastinate going back."

"I can't blame him for being jealous. I've given him so many reasons to doubt me." Elizabeth's voice came out dejected as she brushed a hand across her son's back. "But, I don't want to give him anymore reasons not to trust me. So, if he asks me to stay away from you…" She met Aric's gaze. "I'm going to do it."

"Elizabeth." He sighed. "If- If it comes to that, fine. But, I don't think it will."

"Aric-"

Elizabeth immediately snapped her mouth shut as she and Aric turned to see Carly and Alexis walking down the stairs. Both women stayed near the stairs, neither of them noticing Aric, Elizabeth and the baby on the bench nearby.

"I already told you Carly, stay out of my life." Alexis' lips formed a thin line which was neither a frown, nor a smile. "And for that matter, stay out of my daughter's life."

"Don't you mean Sonny's daughter's life?" Carly snapped back. "He has a right to know his daughter Alexis. And I won't let you keep her from him."

"Sonny will get her killed!" Alexis' eyes flamed with anger and her cheeks matched her mood by turning a bright red to showcase her frustration. "I want my daughter alive and if she's around Sonny there will be danger not far behind her. I don't want her growing up with bodyguards always having to check her back. I want my daughter to live her life, I don't want her having to worry about the possibility of getting into Sonny's limo for the last time. It's not happening."

"Alexis, she could walk across the street tomorrow and get hit by the local bus! Or she could come in contact with a disease just from walking around her room! Life is unpredictable." Carly's eyes narrowed at the woman. "….and you cannot keep Sonny's daughter from him."

"You mean like you kept AJ's son from him?" Alexis fired back. "Like you still are?"

"Don't bring Michael into this! This is about you keeping Sonny from his daughter! You have no right to-"

"And what about you, Carly? Did you have a right to keep AJ from his son? No. But that didn't stop you, did it? Did it?"

"You know what? You're not worth it." Carly glared at Alexis. "Next time you see me at Kelly's don't talk to me."

"Don't talk to you?" Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Don't talk to me! You approached me, Carly! It wasn't the other way around."

"Well you shouldn't have told me that Kristina was Sonny's in the first place!"

"I thought she was going to die! And I didn't tell you! You were eavesdropping as usual!"

"I was not!" Carly took a step closer to the woman so she was right near her face. "And you weren't exactly whispering so you should be careful when you open your mouth! If you don't want the world to know your deep, dark secret keep your mouth shut!"

Alexis glared at the blonde. "I don't need to listen to this. Goodbye, Carly." Alexis turned on her heel and made her way up the stairs, going back the same way she had arrived.

"Oh God." Carly's knees nearly gave out as she placed a hand over her mouth. What was she going to do now? She had to tell Sonny the truth. But…if she did then he'd know she had known about Kristina for a while. Either way she was damned.

"Carly."

Carly looked up just in time to see Elizabeth pass her son to Aric and stand from the bench, making her way over to her. Elizabeth immediately pulled Carly into a hug, allowing the woman to draw as much strength from her as she needed.

She knew Elizabeth had overheard the entire conversation, she didn't even need to ask her. "What am I going to do, Elizabeth?" The first tear fell. Then the second. And before she knew what was happening she had already soaked Elizabeth's shirt. "What am I going to do?" She continued to chant over and over with a few verses of 'Oh God'.

Aric walked into Sonny's penthouse with Carly and Elizabeth on his heels. He and Elizabeth had taken Carly across the hall so they could talk to her when they had gotten back to the towers. They both knew Carly needed to calm down before she faced her husband and now that she had calmed down considerably it was show time.

"Sonny." Aric walked over to his brother, pulling him into a hug.

Sonny allowed his brother to pull him into a hug and as they pulled away from each other he noticed his wife and best friend's wife standing in front of the now closed door.

"Sonny…" Carly took a tentative step towards him. She knew he'd been drinking and that meant he couldn't be predicted. Sonny went on a war path when he was drunk and never stopped to think about the consequences. "There's something I need to tell you."

Sonny's eyed darkened dangerously as they landed solely on his wife. "What?"

"It's about Alexis…" Carly trailed off. "And her daughter Kristina."

"What about them?" His eyes glazed over in confusion.

"Kristina isn't Ned's daughter, Sonny." Carly swallowed, taking a large gulp of air. "She's yours."

Jason walked into Sonny's penthouse, the door slamming shut in his wake. His eyes immediately began searching the room for Sonny. Sonny had called him just a few moments ago and said he needed to talk to him. He hadn't wasted any time in running over to his friend who had been acting very strange over the past week.

During the last week Sonny had begun to drink a lot more than usual and therefore he'd been snapping at people – including him. Every time he had brought up Sonny's brother or sister, Sonny would snap at him and get very angry. Jason had learned quickly not to mention them anymore unless Sonny talked about them first.

"Sonny." He called out into the empty penthouse as he walked further into the room, still scoping it for the man in question.

"Jason."

The soft spoken word had him snapping his head to the front of the living room. His electric blue eyes landed on Sonny as he walked over to the man who was kneeling in front of the fire place. Sonny's clothing was all ruffled, not neat and straight like it usually was. His face was dark and his eyes glinted when they came to rest on the tumbler in his hand.

Sonny's eyes met with Jason's and Jason had to suppress a gasp as he looked down at his friend. Sonny's eyes were weary and bloodshot. They showcased a man in intense misery and at that moment all Jason wanted to do was take it all away for his friend.

Sonny's lips curled up into a smile that showed no humor, only desolation. "Kristina is my daughter."

"What?" Jason's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "Are you sure?"

"Carly knew about it." His voice hitched as his eyes fell from Jason's.

Jason opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He had no clue what to say to Sonny, no clue what to say to make him feel better. "Sonny…I'm sorry." The words seemed so miniscule to what Sonny was going through, but it was too late to take them back now.

"I know. If you would have known, you'd have told me." Sonny placed a hand on his chin as if he was in deep thought before brushing the same hand across his face in frustration.

Jason reached his hand out and grabbed the tumbler from Sonny's other hand before walking over to the mini bar and leaving it there. He walked back over to Sonny, kneeling in front of his friend so that he was eye level. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

The word was spoken which such vehemence that Jason didn't comment further. He narrowed his eyes at his friend as he spoke, "What's going on Sonny? Is this why you've been drinking all week?"

"No."

Sonny's voice was a whisper again and Jason decided to just wait, knowing that eventually Sonny would continue.

"Why don't you like Courtney and Aric?" Sonny's brown eyes finally landed on Jason again.

"What?" For the second time since he'd arrived Sonny had him in total astonishment.

"You don't like them." It wasn't a question, but a statement. When Jason didn't say a word, Sonny continued. "I know you don't trust them at all, but Aric is still my brother and Courtney is my sister."

Jason let out a deep sigh. "I know that Aric is your brother, you showed me the blood work. But, you still have no proof that Courtney is your sister. The only thing you have to go on is Mike's word and we all know how trustworthy he is."

"Wrong." Sonny shook his head. "I just had Courtney tested. Her guard was able to get me a strand of her hair so that we could get in analyzed."

"And?" Jason prompted him.

"And Courtney is my sister." Sonny searched Jason eyes for a hint of what he was thinking. "But, she isn't who she says she is."

Jason frowned. Was Sonny messing with his head or something? He was really confusing him today. He had no clue where he was going with this, with any of this. "What do you mean?"

"Aric knows she's a common con artist and he was worried that she was trying to scam me. So, I had some tests done and she is my sister."

"Are you-"

Jason was interrupted by a knock on the door followed by the opening of it. Max stuck his head in, his eyes landing on the duo. "Boss, your sister is here."

Sonny nodded his head and Max opened the door further so Courtney could enter. He closed the door once she was inside and Courtney walked over to Jason and Sonny.

Courtney stood in front of them, shuffling her feet as they stared at her. "You said we needed to talk." Her head jutted out at them.

"Courtney…" Sonny stood from his spot in front of the fire place. "You have some explaining to do."