A/N: Next installment, let me know your thoughts, also Story may be over in less than
5 chapters...

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Emily and Carly were pacing around the living room and stopping in front of each other every other minute. Carly finally put a hand on Emily's shoulder and said, "Sit down, your making me nervous."

Emily sat down and said, "I finally got Nikolas settled down, he's still worried about his family and I don't know how to help him."

Carly shrugged as she sat on the edge of the couch and said, "You can't help him just now, the wounds are still too fresh. He hasn't had a chance to process what's going on with his family members. Give him time, give him space but even from far away give him love."

Emily smiled at her and said, "Thanks for the advice; I know that your right but it just feels so surreal. All of our families are squeezed into Sonny Corinthos' safe house and we don't know what's going to happen from one moment to the next and I just want everyone to be okay but the more I think about it, I don't know how it will happen. What kind of world am I bringing my child into Carly?"

Carly rolled her eyes, "The world doesn't matter Emily the people the child is surrounded by is what matters. As long as you and Nikolas love this child, then nothing else matters."

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"I'll go in Zander's place."

Sounds of groans and protests were met with Kristina's announcement as Zander stared down his aunt disbelievingly, "You do know that is worse than me going. Mom would really have a cow. Listen, Kristina if I have to be sacrificed it will be for the best, Mom didn't remember seeing me, she doesn't even know that I'm alive. If you go and something happens."

Luke whistled to garner everyone's attention, "Listen, enough with the death and destruction, we are not getting rid of you Zander. We need you as a placeholder to protect our most valuable investment which is the queen or in this case your mother. She has to be kept away from the clutches of Helena and Stavros, because if she's not then it could mean disaster for the whole family. We don't plan on letting you die."

Kristina hugged her nephew to her, "I just found you I'm not letting you go that easy."

Zander let his arms fall loosely to his waist but Kristina kept squeezing harder and he felt the tears well in his eyes, "You really do love me?"

Kristina looked into his eyes and for a moment saw the fragility of Zander and all that he must've been through, "You are my nephew, you are my sister's child but above all of that you are family. We love family no matter where they come from besides we all have our stories as I'm sure Luke could attest to here."

Luke smirked, "I'm no 'blanco paloma' as they say but whatever your past Zander your Alexis's kid and I'm sure Count Vlad would concur with me that you aren't expendable so get that thought of your head."

Zander nodded with a smile as he finally wrapped his arms around his aunt's waist and looked at the men in the room with a question, "So, then what are we supposed to do?"

Luke leaned forward, "This is what we are going to do."

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"I failed you sweetheart. I tried, I really did. I tried to hold it all inside while they were out there fighting the battle but you know me better than anyone and you know that I don't do well with my hands crossed in my lap. I'm a man of action and watching you lying in this bed with our child nestled inside of you made me furious. We should be happy together enjoying the birth of our oncoming child and instead I'm waiting on bated breath for you to awaken and tell me everything is going to be okay."

Sonny stood by the bed as he undressed and slid between the cool sheets and into his arms, "I love you Alexis. I didn't get to say it enough with our short time again but after everything I feel like it's the only true thing I can say to you. Love, I love you, I love our daughter Kristina, I love your daughter Molly who even though she carries the blood of my brother in her veins I couldn't love her anymore than if I had conceived her like we did Kristina. Most of all I love Zander and I love this child that is inside of you now because it's a start of our new lives together. Because I do believe that we will have a life together, trying to think any other way is completely unacceptable and it scares me too much to voice. So, I need you to come back to me, I don't care if it takes days or hours or even months, I just need you Alexis because," Sonny felt the tears start to fall freely from his cheeks as he pulled her even closer into his body until it appeared to the outside world that they were just one body and not two halves of the same soul, "because I'm only half a person without you Alexis."

His plea fell on deaf ears as the sound of his breathing mingling with hers was the only answer. He cradled his chin in her neck as he inhaled her scent and fell asleep. He didn't even recognize that her tears started falling down her cheeks and onto his hand as he cradled her in his arms.

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Kristina exhaled softly as she walked into the safe house with her heart in her throat. She hadn't been able to convince Luke and Stefan that Zander wasn't the best option and so they had sent her back here without her nephew and a feeling of guilt threatening to choke her even as she struggled to move forward.
The sound of the door opening didn't faze her as she walked into the kitchen and reached for the juice in the fridge, she needed something stronger but seeing as how Sonny was cutting back on the booze everybody suffered.

She exhaled softly when she heard someone clear their throat, she didn't look up as she muttered, "Yea," to whoever was listening.

She turned around when the person didn't speak and nodded when she saw Jason, "Hey." Jason walked over to her, "You look upset, what's wrong?"

Kristina shrugged, "I really thought me being alive was going to make a difference. I thought it meant that my sister would finally be happy and all of the sins of the past would finally be corrected but I guess I was wrong; it's only served to help setup the new generation of evil to continue practicing their evil. I don't know how to right any wrongs and I'm wondering why I was allowed to survive that warehouse bomb."

Jason pulled her into his arms as he started stroking her hair, "Kristina, you can't believe that."

She pulled back as she looked into his eyes, "Jason, how can I not think that? I have everything I ever wanted, I have a brother and sister, nieces and a nephew that any woman would be proud to call aunt but I also have a sister who almost lost her life trying to save everyone she cares about and a stepmother who's demented not to mention a demonic half-brother. What kind of twisted Stephen King novel am I living in? I don't get why all of my family has to suffer for all these injustices and now Zander….," Kristina broke off as Jason looked up as if noticing for the first time that she came back alone, "Where is Zander?"

Kristina pulled away, "I have to go tell Sonny what happened. He'll want to be informed and I know he's going to take it as hard as I am. He's really growing closer to Zander."

Jason followed behind her, "What happened to Zander?"

Kristina turned around, "Luke and Stefan offered him up as a placeholder until they figure out how to move against Stavros and Helena. I'm worried about him Jason."

Jason closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms as the tears started falling down her cheeks.

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Sonny opened his eyes slowly as he heard noises outside the door. He looked down at noticed the moisture on his hand but figured he must've been crying without realizing what happened.

He carefully extracted Alexis from his embrace and pulled on his pants as he walked to the door and flung it open in anger. His attitude quickly changed when he saw Jason comforting Kristina. He looked at Jason in confusion as he walked out the door and pulled Kristina out of Jason's arms and into his.

He didn't know what Jason was doing holding Kristina closely but he didn't like it, especially if she was another one of his sister's. There was something caring about Jason but also there was something deadly, the same deadly that he had surrounding him and as selfish as it was, he didn't want that to extend to the sister he loved even if she was currently his wife. God, could his life be anymore screwed up?

"Kristina, what's going on?"

Kristina looked at Sonny with tears welling in her eyes and Sonny knew something bad had happened. "Honey, what happened?"

Sonny didn't notice the movement from the bed or that someone else was listening to their conversation as Kristina uttered, "Zander is with Stavros."

Sonny cursed to himself as he shut the door behind him, "I don't know how much if anything that Alexis can hear but I don't want her to hear that. What the hell happened how did he get over to Stavros?"

Kristina struggled as she spoke, Jason pulled her back into his arms shooting a glare to Sonny as Kristina continued, "Luke and Stefan think it's the best to keep Stavros and Helena neutralized while they come up with a way to protect Alexis."

Sonny stalked over to the phone and started speaking rapidly in Spanish, "No, ahora mismo. No hay tiempo que perder!"

He hung up the phone and turned to Kristina and Jason, "I'm going to get him before he gets there. I warned the people guarding Wyndemere to hold Zander until I get there, I let Luke and Stefan run this and they send Alexis's kid off to the slaughter."

Jason glared at Sonny, "I don't think that was their plan Sonny. I think they were more worried about protecting Alexis which is what I think everyone here is trying to do. So calm down and think with your mind and not your heart."

Kristina nodded and opened up her mouth to speak as Emily came out of the room gently tugging on Nikolas's arm. Emily stopped short when she realized they weren't alone, "I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was up. What's wrong?"

Nikolas who had been blissfully asleep with his wife cradled in his arms caught on to the tension immediately and started spouting out questions, "What's wrong? What happened? Is it Alexis?"

Sonny walked towards the door, "Kristina, explain this to him. I'm leaving."

Nikolas looked at Kristina who was crying and said, "Corinthos, I'm coming with you. You can explain to me on the way."

Emily started to protest but Nikolas quieted her thoughts with a brush of his lips against hers and a whispered I love you as he rushed out the door after Sonny.

Thoughts Please.