Sonny stood by the fireplace in his penthouse and let his gaze linger on the one picture of Michael that he allowed himself to

Sonny stood by the fireplace in his penthouse and let his gaze linger on the one picture of Michael that he allowed himself to keep. Carly had been gone for months and after she left, he had obliterated anything that was hers from his home. It wasn't so much that he couldn't forgive her, because he could have. But forgiving her meant betraying his men and himself. That was something he could not do.

Loving Carly was easy, maybe the easiest thing that he'd ever done. He couldn't keep her and Michael safe and when she got scared, she panicked. She turned him over to the Feds and then expected to not have to deal with the consequences of her actions. Even though he loved her, he couldn't forget what she did, and neither would the people who worked for him. He was faced with loving Carly and giving up the only life he'd ever known or turning Carly away and staying with the life that he choose for himself.

He let himself keep the picture of Michael because it reminded him that he still had a family. Michael would always be his son and he would always care for that little boy. Sonny brushed his fingers over the wood frame one more time and turned away from the picture. He knew that if he looked at it for one more second, he was going to fling it across the room.

Sonny went to his liquor cart to push thoughts of his stepson and ex-wife from his head, it was the only sure way he knew to get rid of the memories. He poured a splash of scotch into a glass and lifted the amber liquid to look at it. He knew that if he downed it, he'd lose feeling in about five minutes. The alcohol would make him feel better, just like it always did. It made him forget that his life was a big, empty, black hole. Instead of drowning himself in the scotch, he flung it in the direction of the door. He couldn't do this. Elizabeth would be here soon and she needed him. For the first time in a long time, someone needed him. He wouldn't let her down and he wouldn't let Jason down. Sonny picked another glass and filled it with ice cubes and water. If he was going to drown his sorrows, he'd have to wait until after Elizabeth was gone.

Minutes later there was a knock on the door. Johnny opened it far enough to slide his body in, blocking view of anyone in the hall.

"Boss, Miss Webber is here," he spoke quietly.

"Show her in," Sonny's tone was cold, detached. Why hadn't Johnny just announced her like she was a normal guest?

"Mr. Corinthos, sir, she's in her wedding gown." Johnny shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the next.

"Her what?" Sonny's voice rose. "She ran out on her own wedding?"

"Looks that way, sir."

Sonny refilled his glass with water and took a seat on the couch. "Show her in, Johnny."

"Yes, sir."

Johnny opened the door and allowed Elizabeth to pass through before he went back into the hall. He closed the door quietly behind him.

Sonny stood from his position on the couch and walked towards Elizabeth. "Sweetheart, what happened?" he asked carefully.

"I couldn't do it, Sonny." Her voice was hoarse from the tears that she'd cried on the docks. "I couldn't marry him." Her voice cracked. Elizabeth stopped, remembering her vow to not cry anymore. When she was more sure of herself, she began to speak again. "I was standing in front of the mirror in my dressing room, saying 'Elizabeth Spencer' over and over again. The more I said it, the more I would cry."

Sonny crossed the room to where Elizabeth was and wrapped his arm around her tiny waist. "Elizabeth, why don't you sit down?" He started to guide her towards the couch and then glanced at the drink cart. "Do you want something to drink?" When she shook her head, he continued towards the couch. After she was seated, he went back to the cart and poured a small amount of scotch into a glass.

He looked back at the young girl sitting in his living room, looking so broken. "Elizabeth," he said. He returned to the couch and sat beside her. "Why don't you drink this," he suggested. He held out the scotch to her. "It's not enough to do anything, it'll calm you down some. Please?"

Elizabeth's shaky hand reached for the glass and her fingers wrapped around the cool tumbler. Her other hand came to cup the bottom so she wouldn't drop it. Slowly she raised the rim of the container to her mouth and drank. Elizabeth coughed as the scotch burned a trail down her throat and settled at the bottom of her stomach. Soon, her nerves began to calm down and she turned to look at Sonny. He was studying her face intently, trying to read what she was thinking.

"Better?" he asked. He reached for the glass and pried it out of her fingers. Setting it down on the ottoman and turned to look back at her. "Have you eaten anything today Elizabeth?"

She shook her head and Sonny stood and moved towards the door. "Sonny?" she called. Is that my voice?

He went back to her side and crouched in front of her. "I'm just going to send Johnny to Kelly's to get you something to eat, okay?" His hand reached up to cup her cheek and he smiled. "If you don't eat something then that scotch isn't going to do you any good."

Her smile was weak, but genuine. "Thank you Sonny. But, I don't want anyone to know that I'm here. Please, will you make sure he doesn't say anything?"

Sonny nodded and stood. He crossed the room back to the door and stepped outside.

"I want you to go to Kelly's and pick something up for her to eat. A cheeseburger or something. Make sure that you don't mention it's for her. No one is to know that she's here, okay?"

"Yes sir, Boss." Johnny couldn't help but wonder what was going on. It wasn't everyday that someone would show up in their wedding dress at Sonny's penthouse.

Sonny gave Johnny a simple nod back and retreated back into the penthouse. Shutting the door behind him, he went back to where Elizabeth was sitting. She sat there with her head cradled in the palms of her hands and he couldn't help but notice how lost she looked. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked.

Elizabeth raised her head and studied the older man's face. His soft brown eyes were wide with concern for her. She hated that she'd come to cry on his shoulder, but she didn't have anywhere or anyone else that she could go to. "I'd never been to a wedding where there wasn't actually a marriage until I moved to Port Charles."

Sonny sat down beside her and flashed his dimples. He leaned back against the couch and threw his arm over the top of it. "Is that so?" If this was going to help her, then so be it.

"Right after I moved to Port Charles, all they could talk about was Sonny Corinthos was set to marry Brenda Barrett. I knew who Brenda was because she was in fashion magazines everywhere. But, as I watched Jason walk down the aisle and tear her world apart, I had to wonder what kind of man could do that to a woman. So I have to ask, were you not in love with her?"

Sonny drew in a quick breath and tried to answer her question. "I was very much in love with her. I was so in love with her that I refused to let her live the life that I choose for
myself. I'll always love her and I'll always miss her." The light in his eyes dimmed a little as he remembered his lost love. "Brenda was the first woman that completed me. And I'll always have to wonder 'what if' when it comes to her. If I had married her, could I have saved her?"

"Sonny," she started. When he held up his hand to stop her, she continued despite his protests. "It's not your fault. I don't really know the circumstances that surrounded Brenda's death, but just know that you did the right thing. I saw her after you left, she was happy. She moved on. You have to let that guilt go."

He turned his head to look at her, but only got the side of her profile. Elizabeth was looking straight ahead into space. "You're young, but you're wise. The same applies to
you, though. The guilt that's eating at you right now about not marrying Lucky? You have to let it go too."

Elizabeth continued on as if he hadn't even spoken. "Then, there was the Alexis-Ned non-wedding. She didn't make it down the aisle either, instead she hitched a ride with a trucker. It was something right out of that Julia Roberts movie." Elizabeth turned to look at him, her expression was cold and guilt-racked. "Alexis and Ned can't even be in the same room together anymore without fighting. It that what's going to happen to Lucky and me?"

"Elizabeth, if you're having second thoughts about your second thoughts we'll go down to that church right now. I'll walk you down the aisle and give you away. I'll watch you
get married." Sonny stood and extended his hand to her. He looked down at her upturned face and spoke. "If you want to go, let's go. I just need to get my jacket. I can't give you away if I don't have my jacket."

A smile played on her lips and she looked up at him. Her smile turned bitter when she realized that he was standing exactly as Jason had stood that day. "How can you be nice to me?" she asked. "After what I did to him, how can you stand to look at me?"

Sonny sunk back to the soft cushions of the couch and ran a hand over his face. "When Carly fell down those stairs and lost the baby, you sat in the hospital with me and held me. I don't know what happened between you and Jason, but I know that what you did to him doesn't dictate how I feel about you. If you want to marry Lucky, I'll take you. We'll get you married, but you have to be sure."

"I don't want to marry Lucky," she whispered. Her head fell back into her hands and the tears started to fall down her cheeks again. "I don't want to marry him. I never wanted to
marry him."

Sonny wrapped an arm around her and pulled the young woman to his chest. "Then why'd you say yes?"

"I don't remember," she admitted. "We were at the place where we either had to break up or get married. And I don't know who I am without being Lucky's girlfriend." She pulled away from him and the tears fell silently down her cheeks. "I don't remember any of the reasons that we are together anymore. I don't remember why I fell in love with him."

Sonny took her face in his hands and started to wipe her tears away. "I do," he said. "Lucky before the fire was a wonderful person who loved you. It was one of those once
in a lifetime deals. If he hadn't died then I think things would have turned out so much differently for you." He moved his hands so that it was cupping her chin and she was looking at him. "But he did die, Elizabeth. A year in captivity changes a person and he can't be that person anymore. You changed too. You don't want to be that person anymore, do you?"

"I don't know what I want," she said softly. She remembered her words from earlier that night and turned her face away from Sonny. I want you, Jason. "No, that's not right. I do know what I want, I just can't have it."

"It or him?" he questioned.

She jerked her head back to look at him, her eyes were wide. "You know?" she asked, not really believing her ears.

"I know that Jason cares about you very much and I know that you care about him too. If you didn't you would have never helped him. Especially when it cost you people in your
life."

Elizabeth shook her head and laughed. The sound was strangled and bitter. "You're wrong, Sonny." She stood and moved away from him towards the fireplace. "Jason might have cared about me before, but there is no way he cares about me now. Not after I hurt him." She looked up at the picture of Michael and let her fingers whisper over the wood frame. "Do you miss him?"

"I talk to Jason a lot, Elizabeth," Sonny said.

"Michael." She turned to look at him with the frame in her hands. "Do you miss Michael?"

He crossed to where she was and took the picture out of her hands. "Everyday," he admitted. He gently placed it back on its spot of the mantle. "I think that's the worst part. I got so used to him being here, making noise. I got used to little army men in the back of my limo, building blocks in my briefcase. But, as time passes by, the pain lessens. He's taken care of and he's happy. They're both happy, and that's all I want for them."

"You still love her Sonny." It wasn't a question, just a statement of fact.

"I'll always love her," he confessed. Sonny wasn't really aware that Elizabeth was in the room anymore, he was just voicing what his heart told him everyday. "Even though I can
forgive her, I can't forget. I can't forget that she was willing to trade Jason's freedom for my own. Jason and the men that kept her safe every single day. She didn't just betray
me, she betrayed everyone who has ever worked for me: Jason, Johnny, Francis, Will. She didn't think about that when she turned me in. She didn't think that us being 'free,' as she put it, would mean Jason spending the rest of his life behind bars."

Elizabeth didn't really understand why he couldn't take her back, but she knew that he never would. No matter how much he loved her, Carly would never step foot into his penthouse again. She was about to speak when Johnny knocked on the door.

The sound of knuckles rapping against the wood brought Sonny out of his trance. He guided Elizabeth back to the couch and sat her down, careful to not step on her dress.
When he opened the door, Johnny was standing there with a brown paper bag that had her food in it.

"Thanks, Johnny," was the only acknowledgement that he got before the door shut in his face.

Sonny took the cheeseburger and fries out of the bag and sat them on the ottoman in front of the couch. "Eat," he urged. He went back to the drink cart to pour her some water
into a glass and took it back to her. He stood and watched her for a minute, satisfied that she was eating something, even if she was only picking over the food.

When he sat down, he laid his head back on the couch and listened to the quiet of the penthouse. He usually treasured the quiet, but he missed having Michael and Carly around. "I'm not in love with her anymore," he whispered.

Elizabeth stopped, French fry in mid-air and looked at him, "What did you say?"

"I'm not in love with Carly anymore," he repeated. He lifted his head to look at the woman he'd come to think of as a sister. "Do you know how long it's taken me to realize that?"

"I'm not in love with Lucky," she said quietly. "I haven't been for a very long time." She stopped speaking and turned to look at Sonny. Before finishing her thoughts, she scooted
back into the corner of the couch and pulled her knees to her chest. The dress rustled as her body moved underneath it. "That's the bad part, Sonny. I knew that I wasn't in love
with Lucky, but I still agreed to marry him."

"You did what was right, Elizabeth. What was right for Lucky," he tried to assure her. "And what you thought was right for you. At least you didn't marry him."

Elizabeth looked down at her hands and then back at Sonny's face. He was right. She knew that he was right. At least she hadn't made it down the aisle, she hadn't promised to love, honor, and cherish Lucky. She still had the chance to fix her life the way that she wanted it. Her hands smoothed over the silk material of her wedding dress and she smiled. "I can't believe I'm eating a greasy cheeseburger while I'm wearing a Chloe Morgan original." Her smile turned to a laugh when she saw Sonny's dimples. "But I guess I don't have much choice."

Sonny ran a hand over her cheek and stood. "Yes, you do. Let me go ask Alexis if she has something you can borrow." He made his way towards the door, but stopped when she spoke.

"Thanks Sonny," she said. She thought for a minute before making her next request. "I think that I'm going to leave town for a little bit. Do you think that you could get some
paper and a pencil from Alexis so I can write Lucky a letter?"

"Sure," he agreed. The door closed after him and he crossed the hall to Alexis' penthouse. He knocked twice and waited for her to open the door.

When she did open the door, with a bowl of popcorn in hand, she blushed. Her free hand immediately went to the back of her head to smooth down her ponytail. "Sonny, I wasn't expecting you."

"I need a favor," he said. He couldn't help but notice the blush that colored her cheeks when he looked at her. Stop it Corinthos, she's your attorney, he ordered. "Uh... you can't tell anyone. You know, client/attorney confidentiality thing?"

Alexis opened the door a little wider as to invite him. "I won't, you know that. What's up? Who's in trouble?"

"Elizabeth is across the hall in her wedding dress. I don't have anything that she can change into, so I thought maybe you could lend her something."

Alexis raised an eyebrow at him, but immediately went to the bedroom that was off the living room. She returned with jogging pants and a t-shirt. "These should work. But do you want to tell me why Elizabeth is in your penthouse and not marrying Lucky?"

"She doesn't love him," he answered her simply. "She's in love with Jason."

"Did she say that Sonny?"

"She doesn't have to, Alexis." He took the clothes from her hands and was shocked at the awareness that shot through him when their fingers brushed. "Saying it out loud only means that other people can hear it. She doesn't have to say she loves Jason to know that it's true."

It was like his words had a double meaning, but she couldn't figure out how they would apply to her. When he touched her, she felt something that was so much more than friendship. Her gaze dropped to his mouth for a minute and she found herself wondering what it would be like to taste him. He's your client Alexis! "Is there anything else you need?"

He watched her retreat into herself as she stepped away from him. What did I say? "Uh, yeah. Elizabeth wanted some paper and a pencil. Something about writing Lucky a letter."

She left the door open-with Johnny in full view as she made her way to the desk. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a white legal pad and a blue ink pen before she shut it again. She held the paper and pen out for Sonny to take.

Once he took the supplies from her, he made his way towards the door. When he stepped outside, he turned to say thanks, but the door was already closed behind him.

As he crossed the hall, he noticed Johnny's amused face and was embarrassed because his attorney was having this effect on him. "Go home Johnny," he ordered.

"But sir–" Johnny tried to protest.

"Go home," Sonny said more adamantly. "Don't repeat anything that has happened here tonight. No one is going to come in on me and Elizabeth will be fine. I'll see you in the
morning."

Johnny wanted to stay outside and argue with his boss some more. He wanted to make him see that it wasn't a smart move, but he didn't. Things had been quiet for awhile, so he hoped that Sonny could handle trouble if it were to come knocking. "Yes sir." As he made his way to the elevator he heard the penthouse door shut and lock behind him.

Once inside, Sonny went to where Elizabeth was sitting on the couch. Her eyes were closed, but her breathing wasn't even enough for her to be asleep.

"I got what you wanted," he said. "You can stay in the guest room tonight and then tomorrow we'll talk about what you're going to need."

She silently nodded her head and opened her eyes. Taking the clothes from Sonny's extended hand, she watched him set the legal pad and pen down in front of her. "Can I shower first? It'll clear my head and I probably need to have one when I write a letter to my childhood sweetheart explaining to him that I don't want to marry him or even see him anymore."

"Sure," he nodded. "Anything you need sweetheart."

After Elizabeth stood, Sonny placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the stairs. When they were standing in front of the guestroom door, he looked down at her again. She looked hesitant, but not full of regret. "This used to be Carly's room. And Jason's before that."

"Jason stayed here?" she asked, turning her head to look at him. "I didn't know that."

"After I didn't marry Brenda, he moved into the penthouse for awhile. He told me that he could never move into the master bedroom, so he made this bedroom his own." He pushed the door open and reached for the switch, flipped it on. "You couldn't tell though. Carly redecorated it after she moved in."

Elizabeth took in all of the feminine touches and could see how Carly had once lived there. But at the same time, she still felt Jason there. "Thanks Sonny." Before she could stop herself, she had wrapped her arms around his neck for a hug. She could feel him hesitate for a second before hugged her back. Slowly, she disentangled herself from him and gave him a smile. "I'll see you in the morning."

He nodded and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Sleep well, sweetheart."