Part Eleven

Author's Note: This is the final chapter! An epilogue may be posted!

"No!" Carly screamed pulling away from Sonny's protective grasp to fall next to the still figure. She carefully rolled him over. "Oh God, he's bleeding so much." She said as she watched his shirt soak more. "Someone help him."

            Before anyone could move, Stavros appeared from the bushes, stepping between the group of men and Carly and Stefan. His gun was aimed at her but he spoke evenly. "Drop your weapons."

Everyone complied.

"Now kick them off the cliff." He ordered.

Everyone kicked them left and watched them sail towards the rocks below.

Stavros smiled and looked back at his fallen brother and captive. She glared back up at him, her hand covering the wound on Stefan's shoulder. He still hadn't opened his eyes. Carly figured that he must have hit his head when he fell. She reached up and untied the scarf from her hair and pressed it against the wound.

"My poor younger brother. He is such a waste of life." He raised the gun to Stefan's head.

"NO!" Carly screamed.

"My dear Caroline, he needs to die. He tried to take you from me. I told him once that he would never have anything I want and I meant it." Stavros was about to pull the trigger.

"Father, no!"

Stavros looked back at his son. "Nikolas…"

"Don't kill him." Nikolas pleaded. "Please don't kill him."

"Nikolas…" Stavros seemed almost in a trance. "I have waited so long to come face to face with you. I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted you, me, Caroline and Michael to be a family. I was going to come to you once she had submitted to me."

"You can't force people to love you." Nikolas said the look on his face disgusted.

Stavros was taken aback. "I should have figured you to say this. My son…" He looked at Sonny and Jax. "My son standing with the enemy. I should have seen this coming. You showed yourself to be a true Cassadine when you deceived Mother. It was truly brilliant. You got what you wanted from her and then turned you back. I knew then that you were truly my son. But I can see now that you still have been brainwashed by your uncle and your mother. You still believe in people like Sonny…and Luke." He spat.

"I believe in what is right. I don't take what I want, I work for it." He said, contempt in his eyes. His father was everything Stefan and Laura said he would be. He could feel his heart breaking; knowing that the man he once wanted a relationship with was better off dead.

"That's right." Stavros laughed. "You work for it. Like you worked to repair your relationship with the lovely Gia. She isn't worthy of you, Nikolas. She is merely someone to amuse you with. I could have taken her to bed…she wanted it you know. But I cared enough for you to push her away."

"You leave Gia out of this." Nikolas lunged for his father. Sonny grabbed his arm.

"Watch what you say." Stavros warned. "I am going to let you live…." He stopped. "Luke Spencer, come out from those bushes." He called, sensing the other man was trying to ambush them.

Luke immediately came out when he saw the barrel of the gun move dangerously close to Carly. He too threw his gun into the ocean. "Stavros!"

Stavros didn't even acknowledge the man who took his life before. He turned back to his son. "As I was saying…I am going to let you live. But first I must finish off these annoyances." He looked back at Carly who was staring at the ocean. She immediately looked back at him. "How about I finish you beloved first? There will be nothing standing between us with him dead."

Carly rose to her feet. "Please don't. I'll do anything you say. Don't kill him."

"I am sorry but I must." Stavros raised his gun.

"No!" Carly screamed grabbing his arm, and with all her strength pulling him backwards. She locked eyes with Sonny as Stavros blindly pulled the trigger firing into the air. She leaped backwards, pulling Stavros with her.

The others could only watch as the two went flying off the cliff.

"CARLY, NOOOOOO!" Sonny screamed running forward and looking down. He couldn't see either Stavros or her. "Oh God." He cried as he turned around, heading for the stairway. Luke and Jax followed behind as Nikolas rushed to help his uncle.

Sonny hit the water first, looking for any sign of the woman he loved. Luke immediately went to the rocks, fearful of what he may find. Jax joined Sonny in the search for Carly.

Sonny ducked under the water and went for the bottom. He could make out a figure and immediately went for it. His arms encircled Carly and he swam for the top. She lay limply in his arms.

Jax surfaced next to him. "Let's get her to the shore."

Sonny nodded as the two gently moved Carly to lie on the sand.

"Carly." Sonny felt for a pulse and was overjoyed to find one.

"She's breathing." Jax smiled a little at the man he had once considered an enemy.

"Carly." Sonny said more softly this time, touching her face. "Carly, wake up."

Carly moaned and soon brown eyes flew open to meet his. "Sonny!" She tried to sit up but Jax prevented her. "Just lie still, the force you hit the water with must have knocked you out."

Sonny moved to cradle her head on his lap. "Why did you do that?" He asked, as his heartbeat struggled to return to normal. He didn't know what he would have down if she had died.

"Stavros can't swim." She told him. "When I jumped I made sure that I had enough power to clear the rocks. I let go of him as soon as we cleared the cliff. I knew that even if he hit the water he would never be able to get to shore."

"Why did you do that?" Sonny was close to tears. "You could have been killed."

"But I'm alive." She whispered. "Don't think of what could have happened. I couldn't let him kill you."

Luke appeared, thankful to see his niece alive.

"Stavros?" Jax asked.

"He's on the rocks." Luke's face looked grim. "Let's just say, if Momma Cass tries to freeze him again, she'll have to sew him back together again."

He knelt down next to Carly. "Hey Caroline."

Carly frowned a little. "Could you call me Carly?" She asked her Uncle. "He called me that."

"Sure princess." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Bobbie is going to be so happy to see you."

"I am going to be so happy to see her." Carly laughed a little. "Because I am going home."

Luke stroked her hair and looked up. He saw Nikolas and Stefan making their way to the group. Nikolas was supporting his Uncle.  "Good to see you alive." Luke said.

"I never thought I would live to hear you say that." Stefan laughed a little. "Stavros…"

"Dead." Carly said. "Michael!" She sat up again, this time breaking through any hands trying to hold her down. "We need to get Michael. The key to the room is in Stavros' pocket."

"Calm down." Luke said. "Sonny, Jax, Nikolas, and I will get Michael. Stefan, will you stay with her."

"Sure." Stefan was still holding Carly's scarf to the wound in his shoulder. His head hurt worse than his shoulder.

Nikolas removed his jacket and wrapped around Carly's shoulder.

"How will you get into the room?" Carly asked.

"We'll get in." Sonny promised. He kissed her forehead. "You just calm down."

Carly placed her hands on Sonny's face. She pulled into a kiss. "You just come back with him." She said, and watched them leave. She turned back to Stefan. "How is you shoulder?"

"It hurts." Stefan saw the blood on her dress. "Are you hurt?"

"Actually, it's your blood." Carly informed him.

"Thank you for your help." Stefan indicated the scarf.

Carly laughed. "I should be thanking you. You're the one who risked your life to come here and get me." She glanced over towards the rocks. She could barely make out the broken and battered form of Stavros Cassadine. Shuddering, tears streamed down her face. "I hope you rot in hell, you bastard." She screamed.

Stefan struggled against pain to place a hand on her shoulder as she continued to scream at the dead man. She finally turned around and fell against him, sobbing uncontrollably.

                ****

Sonny stood in the hallway. He was getting impatient. "Damn Cassadines and their huge houses." He muttered. "Michael!"

"Uncle Sonny!" A small voice cried from further down the hall.

Sonny rushed forward, followed by the rest. He found the source…and big oak door separating them. He tried the handle and was disgusted when it wouldn't open. Carly had said they would need a key. "Michael, I am here. And so is your Uncle Luke."

"Momma?" He asked.

"She is down on the beach, waiting for you." Sonny promised. "We are going to get you out." He turned back to the others, and lowered his voice. "How? Nothing breaks through oak."

Nikolas leaned by the door. "Michael, is there a window in your room?"

"Yes."

"We can break the window from the outside and get him out that way." Nikolas suggested.

"That's all we got going." Sonny said. He turned back to door. "Michael, we are going to get you out. But I have to go. I'll be right back."

"You're not going to leave for a long time like Momma did are you?" He asked.

"I'll stay here." Luke told him. He whispered to Sonny. "We need someone to talk to him while you break the glass."

Sonny nodded, and he and Jax and Nikolas disappeared.

"Momma is going to be real happy to see you." Luke told him. "She'll squeeze you so tight that you'll squeak."  Michael laughed.  "The glass in the window is going to break but don't be scared." Luke said. "I want you to stay by the door, okay?"

"Okay." Michael promised.

Luke heard the sound of glass breaking. "Who is there?"

"Nikolas." He answered staring at the little boy who was staring back.

"Wow you can fly." Michael exclaimed.

"Not exactly." Nikolas laughed as he finished removing the glass from the window frame. He picked up Michael and walked over to the window. "This here is Jax. He is going to help you the ground." He helped maneuver Michael onto Jax's back. "Just hold onto his neck. It will be like a piggy back ride."

Sonny watched from below as Jax scaled down the latticework with Michael on his back. When they reached ground level, Sonny plucked the boy from his back and held him close. "Let's go to your mother."

                ****

"Bobbie, she's fine." Luke assured her. "And Michael too." He said. "I know you want to talk to her but she is asleep right now." He looked over at his niece who was sleeping in Sonny's arms. Michael was content with talking up a storm with his newfound friends Stefan, and Nikolas. "Our plane is landing in an hour. See you then." He hung up the cell phone.

"Bobbie must be on the moon." Sonny whispered.

"Yep." Luke grinned. "She was screaming my ear off. She'll probably be at the airport with bells on."

"Sounds like Bobbie." The two were silent again.

"I love her." Sonny spoke after a few moments.

"I know." Luke said.

"I am going to marry her again."

"I know." Luke repeated. "This is your last chance Corinthos. If you mess up again and hurt her, I'll personally rip your…"

"You'll do nothing of the sorts." Carly whispered without opening her eyes.

Sonny and Luke looked at each other, with amusement.

"Uncle Sonny, Stefan told me that I'm brave." Michael cried.

"You are." Sonny nodded. "Very brave, and I am so proud you."

"Stefan, I think I owe you a thanks." Luke spoke up. "We have been fighting for many years and I think we accomplished much more when we work together."

"I agree." Stefan offered him his good arm.

Luke shook his hand.

Sonny laughed a little. Two enemies ending a feud… "Hell, why not? Thanks, Candy Boy." He called towards the cockpit.

"Anytime, you two bit gangster." He called back.

Everyone, including the not so asleep Carly, laughed.

                ****

"Stop fusing over me!" Carly protested, as her mother fluffed her pillow. "You heard what Alan said. I am only slightly malnourished, I am not the one with a gunshot wound."

"Stefan got out yesterday." Bobbie sat back down in the chair next to her daughter's hospital bed. "He still got a lot of healing to do but he doesn't like hospitals."

"How is Leticia?" Carly asked.

"She is going to be just fine." Bobbie smiled. "I walked into her room today, and Johnny was helping her eat a meal. She was very lucky."

"We all were." Carly said looking past her mother to see Sonny standing there. She had persuaded him to go home last night after he had made sure she was taken straight to the hospital after they landed in Port Charles. "You still look like hell."

"Same to you." Sonny laughed.

Bobbie stood up. "I leave you two alone." She kissed Sonny's cheek on the way out. "Thank you for saving my daughter."

"Tell Stefan thank you." Carly called.

Bobbie stopped short. "How did you know?"

"I'm your daughter, I'm supposed to know these things." Carly laughed as her mother disappeared. "Hey you."

"Hey you." Sonny sat in the chair.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Carly asked.

Sonny shook his head. "How about you?"

"Like a baby." She laughed. "But only because you were in my dreams."

"Carly, did he…did he…"

Carly knew what he was trying to say. "No. He didn't get the chance. My protectors showed up." Carly placed a hand on his arm. "None of this is your fault, so don't ever think that." She was silent for a moment. "Did you mean it?"

"What?"

"What you said on the plane yesterday?" Carly reminded him. "That you were going to marry me again."

"I meant it." He leaned in for a kiss.

Carly placed her hand on his lips to stop him. "I'll be your wife on one condition."

"Name it."

"That we never go to bed angry." She said. "Ever…"

"I can live with that." He said placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too."