Chapter 25

After putting Molly down in her room, Sonny and Carly both entered Kristina room, seeing her thrown over her bed, sobbing into her Little Mermaid pillows. A picture of Alexis with all three of her daughters rested on Kristina's bedside table. Carly swallowed hard, and she took Sonny's hand, squeezing it.

They walked quietly into the room, shutting the door behind themselves. Kristina heard them, and she sat up, wiping her tear-filled eyes.

"I don't want a new mommy," she insisted straight off. "I had a mommy, and she left me. She died, and I don't want a new one."

"Sweetheart," Carly whispered, "I don't want you to think I'm trying to replace your mommy." Kristina sniffled.

"But why did Molly call you that?" Carly looked at Sonny, and he stepped in.

"Princess, I think Molly's so used to being here now. She's so young, and she just needs to feel safe. I think she's started feeling safe, and she's beginning to feel like she's at home. Molly doesn't have the kind of memories of your mommy that you do. You had more time with her than your little sister did."

"She won't ever remember Mommy?"

"She's very young, Kristina," Carly pointed out, "so when the two of you are older, you'll have to help her out…tell her everything you remember about her." Kristina frowned.

"What if I can't remember?"

"You won't forget, baby," Sonny replied, kissing the top of his daughter's head.

"And Molly probably called me that because…she's safe here. She's happy, because she's got her big sister here and well as Michael and Morgan."

"I want her to feel safe," Kristina mused slowly. Carly glanced over at Sonny.

"Honey, could I have a few minutes with her?"

"Sure," he whispered, getting up and leaving the room. Carly turned back to her stepdaughter.

"You know, Kristina," Carly began softly, "there was a while when Sonny didn't even know he had a little girl. But when he found out about you, God, he loved you so much. He loved having you in his life, because he had a little girl he could spoil. You had him wrapped around your little finger." Kristina grinned. "See, there was a time, when I wasn't sure about another baby being in the family, but you know what? You're a special little girl, and this family wouldn't be the same without you. I love you and your baby sister, Kristina. I want you to know that I think of you two as my own…but I don't want you to have to feel like you should see me any different. If you want to call me Carly forever, that's just fine, because that's who I am. I'd never want to replace your mommy. So long as you don't call me step-monster, I'll be happy." Kristina giggled and threw her arms around Carly's neck. "It's not the end of the world having me as a step-mom is it?" Kristina shook her head.

"No," she grinned, "you're really nice. Sorry…"

"You don't have anything to apologize for. You love your mommy…you always will. There's nothing wrong with that, ok?" Kristina nodded.

"Can we pick some flowers for her? Mommy loved flowers." Carly smiled.

"I think that's a good idea. We'll go look for some tomorrow. If we can't find any, we'll buy them, and we'll take them to her, ok?" Kristina nodded and hugged her again. Carly kissed her cheek and gave her a squeeze. "You ready to go downstairs now?" Kristina nodded. "Ok, come on." She took the little girl's hand and led her out of the room to re-join the rest of the family.

Another week had passed, and Lucky hadn't seen any signs of Sam around town. He knew she was staying at the Metro Court, but he also knew that she wouldn't want to see him. The truth was, he really wanted to see her. He couldn't get her out of his head since their kiss. Sure, she was still hung up on Jason, and he was still hung up on Elizabeth, but maybe they needed each other to help let go.

So, stepping into the Metro Court, he handed the man at the desk a note, asking him to deliver it directly to Sam McCall when she came down to work. The man agreed, and Lucky gave him a twenty for his troubles. Just minutes after he'd left, Sam came downstairs, ready to work for the day.

"Ms. McCall, this came for you," Andre said with a smile. Sam looked at him quizzically before taking the note in her hands.

"Thanks, Andre. You can go on break now. I'll take over here." He nodded and left her to read in private. Opening up the note, Sam wondered who it was from. From Jason? Maybe he wanted to see her? No, she couldn't be that lucky. She'd heard from him a few times, but she'd maintained her decision to stay away and give him the chance to be with the family he deserved.

Sam,

I know I'm probably the last person you want to see, but I really want to see you. Please, meet me at the park at 2:00 so we can talk.

Lucky

Her lips tingled at the thought of that kiss, but she quickly tossed it to the back of her mind. The truth was, she couldn't stop thinking about it, but the other truth was that she didn't think this was a good idea at all. No, she wasn't ready for any of this. She couldn't see him. She was afraid of what that would mean.

So, she tossed the paper into the trashcan, looking around to see if he was there. When she was satisfied that he wasn't, she got back to work, trying and failing to get him out of her head.

"Stop pacing!" Carly said with exasperation soaking her words. "You're making me nervous."

"I'm sorry. I can't help it. Is it time yet?" Carly shook her head.

"Thirty seconds," she replied. "Just wait. We have to be sure." They had been going around and around about this all morning. She hadn't wanted to take the test, because she didn't think it was the right time. But, he'd insisted as soon as she'd woken up, not feeling very well.

"I can't wait, Carly," Sonny replied. "This is driving me crazy. I know it's true. I can feel it, you know?" Carly rolled her eyes.

"If you can feel it, you're the one that should be pregnant. Don't even say it, Corinthos. You have no idea what it feels like."

"Mood swings," he teased, getting a death glare from his loving wife. "Are you ok with this?"

"What?"

"This soon…I mean, I know we talked about having more kids…"

"Yeah," Carly said slowly. "If it's true, we'll adjust. We always do. You know, I didn't expect it this soon though. But then again, we pretty much did everything but prevent it. We're never careful, Sonny." She smiled at him. "Then again, we never have to be careful with each other." She smiled at him and motioned for him to come to her. He crossed the room, and she, sitting on the bed, her knees balancing her, wrapped her arms around his neck. She stood up, looking down at him, and he grinned at her. She practically leapt into his arms, and she giggled, as he stumbled backward but caught them both.

"Easy, Caroline. If you're carrying my baby…"

"Shh," she whispered. "Just kiss me." And he did. He held her tight, kissing her so slowly, savoring the moment. These moments were rare these days. Kristina, Molly, Michael, and Morgan were all up and watching Saturday morning cartoons. It was only a matter of time before one of them burst in asking what was going on.

"Hey," he said finally, "time was up a minute and a half ago." Carly laughed, and he let her down.

"Wow, you really do have a one track mind today…and not in the usual way." She leaned in to kiss him again. "I guess it's time to look, hmm?"

"Yeah," he breathed, pulling her back in. "I guess we can wait another minute." He pulled her in again, but she shook her head.

"Oh, no, no, no, Mr. Corinthos. That'll take much longer than a minute." Sonny groaned as she padded toward the master bathroom in nothing but his shirt. "And there's no time like the present." He followed her in, and both leaned over the sink to find out what the future held for them.

Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter, folks! I just wanted to get one out before I start studying for an exam I have in my Non-Fiction Writing class tomorrow. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!