GENERAL HOSPITAL #035

It was nearly 8pm when the doorbell at Sonny's home rang. Moments later, Ava Jerome, who was carrying baby Avery with her, entered the den and was escorted there by Max.

Carly was sitting on one of the couches, while Sonny was walking for exercise, though a bit wobbly as he used a cane to support the right side of his body.

Ava was about to say something but Sonny held up his left hand, prompting to her to stop.

"I know why you're here, Ava," Sonny said point blank.

"You do?" Ava came back with. "Julian and Alexis are gone, and their house is abandoned. This has the Feds written all over it!"

Sonny nodded his head.

"Probably," Sonny said back to her, "I only found out because Kristina was dropped off here unexpectedly about four hours ago, and is upstairs not too happy about it."

Ava couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"What about Molly and Sam?" Ava asked in a snobby way.

Carly stood up from where she sat and faced Ava.

"It seems as if Kristina was not given the option to go," Carly replied. "But Sam and Lucas chose to stay," Carly continued to say, "While Molly chose to go with Julian and Alexis."

Ava put two and two together.

"Molly wanted to stay," Sonny added, "but Ric convinced her to go."

"Wait…I see the connection," Ava said shaking her head in disbelief. "All of them are Julian's children."

"And then there's Leo," Carly added. "But apparently Olivia chose to stay here with Leo and…"

"And," Sonny chimed in with, "I promised Olivia that I would protect Leo, even though he is the son of your brother."

Ava looked at Avery then back at Sonny.

"Julian must be in some kind of trouble," Ava finally said. "That is why all his children were offered the chance to go with him and be resettled," Ava concluded. "But what about us," Ava said she kissed the head of Avery, "what about me and Avery and Kiki?"

Sonny looked at Avery with a sneer in his eyes.

"You know what, Ava, I don't really care what happens to you," Sonny said, "but I do care about what happens to our daughter and even Kiki."

Ava shot Sonny a look of contempt.

"I'm the mother of your child," Ava spat the words out.

"And you killed Connie," Sonny came back with. "The Feds," Sonny continued, "didn't offer you the choice to go into the witness protection plan because, from what I know of the system, at the time he was offered the deal, Julian did not list you as a sibling."

The look of anger rose in Ava's eyes.

"You'd be putting our daughter in danger," Ava said. "Whoever the Feds are saving Julian from could come after me…and Avery...or Kiki."

Sonny nodded his head.

"Like I said a moment ago, I know that," Sonny said, while nodding his head. "But I'm not about to offer lifelong protection to the woman who killed Connie, you," Sonny said, his voice trailing up in pitch at the end.

Ava thought for a moment.

"If you're half as smart as I think you are," Sonny continued to say, as Carly remained silent, "I'm sure you have been setting aside money for a rainy day; well, it's pouring now."

Carly chimed in.

"Do the right thing, Ava," Carly told her husband's one time mistress, "and leave Avery and Kiki here. Sonny can protect them and you can leave Port Charles, and just start a new life."

Tears started to stream from Ava's eyes as she realized there was no option.

"You promise me," Ava said to Sonny, "that I can see Avery someday."

As Carly took Avery from Ava, Sonny thought about Ava's demand.

"I will let you see her," Sonny decided, "but only if you wait at least two years to come back; no, make that three."

Ava's tears became more pronounced, but so as to limit the heartbreak, she kissed her daughter.

"It might be wise," Sonny said, with a little tone of mercy in his voice, "to not let Kiki know you're leaving. I'll explain it to her."

Ava took one last look at Avery, then turned and left…her destination was an unknown future.

With Ava gone, Carly, holding Avery, looked at Sonny; it was clear he knew more about what was going on than he had led on. And Carly had the sinking feeling it was all part of Sonny's uneasy alliance with Robert Scorpio.

Aboard Petrev's Yacht

Petrev was alone, having sent Spencer Cassadine to bed an hour earlier. His contact in Port Charles had reported the sudden disappearance of Julian Jerome, along with his fiancé and her daughter. But Petrev wasn't interested in Julian's past, he had only hired Grant Putnam to steal the file and get it to Paul Hornsby to use against Julian.

The file that contained the information about Julian secretly working for the American authorities sat on his desk. He could reveal the contents, but decided to keep it locked in his safe. He looked at Julian's two pictures (before and after his face reconstruction) and spoke.

"Stay dead, Jerome," Petrev said. "And if you do, the contents of this file will never see the light of die. If you should return," Petrev added as he opened up his wall-safe and put the file inside of it, "this file will live again as well."

Continued…