Chapter 17

Sonny's Jet

Sonny stared at the notepad before him, trying to concentrate. He needed to jot down the details of his recent meeting in Puerto Rico while it was still fresh in his mind. But it was impossible. His thoughts kept straying to Skye and their encounter five days ago. The way she had stood there in the rain, proud and defiant while soaked to the skin. The look she had given him after she had seen the painting. The tears in her eyes when he had called her Antoinette. The way she had called out his name when… The pencil he was holding snapped in two. He threw it down in disgust. What he should be remembering was how she showed no remorse for keeping Courtney's elopement a secret. But even as he tried to focus on his anger, the words that came back to his mind were "I wasn't going to betray his trust." Sonny closed his eyes. The concept was very familiar to him. It was the code he lived by, and expected others to follow or face the consequences. If he held it against her, then he would be the hypocrite that she had accused him of being on several occasions.

Not that it mattered anyway. Whether he was angry with her or not, they were still at odds with each other. They were adversaries by default. The brother that she loved just happened to be his bitterest enemy. The bitter enemy who was now married to Sonny's sister. He felt a pang as he thought of Courtney. He had worked so hard for more than six months to win her love and trust. He hadn't argued when she wanted to move in with Mike. He was even grudgingly glad when they had grown closer and Mike hadn't hurt her again. It softened his attitude towards Mike to the point where they could have a meal together without tension. Sonny had backed off her relationship with AJ, even though it killed him inside. He had hoped that AJ would grow tired of the game he was playing and end it. Instead he had taken it to the next level. Sonny wondered if this was still part of AJ's plan to get back at him, or if it was another attempt to get in his family's good graces. Edward had a soft spot for Courtney. Of course, his attempt to accomplish such a feat with Carly had failed miserably. But Carly and Courtney were two very different people. Then there was a third possibility, one that made Sonny fume. By marrying Courtney, AJ was now Michael's "uncle." Michael was getting more shrewd as he grew, and would wonder why he was allowed to see Aunt Courtney, but not Uncle AJ. AJ was probably banking on that.

The pilot announced over the loudspeaker that the jet would be experiencing some turbulence. Sonny made sure his seatbelt was fastened. The jet started to shake, and even dipped a couple of times. Sonny was used to it, and his mind started to wander again. What would Courtney do now that she had loyalties to both men? The jet jolted one last time, the hardest so far, and Sonny saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He looked to his left, and saw a colorful ball roll into view. It took a moment to register that it was one of Mocha's toys. He hadn't noticed it before now, the cat must have batted it into some hidden spot. When the pilot announced that there would be no more turbulence, Sonny unfastened his seatbelt and picked up the ball. He knealed down to look where it had rolled from, and saw two more toys – a cloth mouse filled with catnip and a little feather doodad. He retrieved the items, and put them in his briefcase.

In the limo on the way home, Sonny contemplated his behavior towards Skye. He winced as he realized that he had made love to her and then thrown her out of his house. Not very gentlemanly, even if he had been furious. He thought about the cat toys. He looked up and saw that he had just passed by her street. He asked the limo driver to turn around and go back. The limo driver kept his mouth shut, but grumbled to himself that just once he'd like to see his boss try a u-turn in a limousine. The vehicle pulled up to Skye's townhouse. Sonny was pleased to see lights on in her house – hoping that meant she was home. Getting the toys out of his briefcase, he bounded up the stairs. He rang her doorbell. After a long pause, she appeared in the window. When she saw it was him, he could tell that she was debating whether to let him in. Eventually she opened the door. He could see that her eyes were red-rimmed, and knew that she had been crying. "What do you want?" She demanded, her voice raw. He held up the cat toys. "I found these on the jet, and figured I would return them to you." She stared at the toys, and her face crumpled in anguish. She turned on her heel and fled to the living room, sobbing. Alarmed, Sonny followed her, closing the door behind him.

She threw herself on the couch, her face hidden in her arms. "What happened?" She lifted a tear-stained face to him. "Mocha's gone!" she wailed. His eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean?" She shook her head, stifling a sob. "The cleaning lady left the back door open, and Mocha ran out. I've looked for him everywhere. He's gone, my baby is gone!" Sonny sat down and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine. Cats have good instincts. He'll find his way home, and until he does, he can take care of himself." She shook her head wildly and picked up the brochure on cats. She stabbed at one of the paragraphs. "Cats who live outdoors lead much shorter lives than indoor ones. Mocha could get run over by a car or eat something poisonous or get attacked by a p…p..predator!" More tears coursed down her cheeks. Sonny shook his head. "Hey, you don't give him enough credit. You should have seen him on my jet. He adapted real quickly to a new environment. Didn't seem bothered by the jet noises or turbulence. He's a real trooper." She didn't say anything, just continued to cry. When she wasn't looking, Sonny reached into his pocket and pressed the button on his cell phone that triggered the ringer. Skye looked up at the sound. Sonny pulled out the cell. "I'll just pop into the kitchen to answer this." She shrugged indifferently and grabbed a tissue to blow her nose.

Sonny went into the kitchen and dialed a number. Glancing into the living room to make sure she was preoccupied, he spoke softly to the person on the other end. "Hey Zander, its Sonny. You know that new kid, Tony, we just hired? The cocky one who's out to prove himself? Tell him I got a job for him, and I need to him to come see me pronto. I'm over at Skye Chandler- Quartermaine's house. Have him wait in the limo for me to come out. He's not to come to the door. Got it?" As he hung up, he noticed that there were several photos of Mocha on the refrigerator. He took one off and put it in his pocket. Then he went back into the living room. There were several crumpled tissues on the coffee table, and Skye seemed more composed now. He sat down. "Look, I didn't just come over to return the toys. I wanted to apologize for yelling at you the other day. I was legitimately hurt and angry that Courtney went behind my back like that. Because you knew about it and didn't tell me, I took it out on you. I may not like the fact that you are loyal to your brother, but I understand it. We may be on opposite sides of this conflict, but I just wanted you to know that I…I do respect you. It shows strength of character to stand by your loyalties." She stared at him in surprise. Before she could say anything, he stood up and left.

When Sonny got to his limo, he saw that Tony was sitting in the back seat. Pleased at his promptness, Sonny climbed in beside him. He pulled out the picture of Mocha. "I have a top secret assignment for you. Ms. Chandler- Quartermaine is a very special friend of mine, and her cat is missing. I want you to find him, and return him to her, unharmed." He emphasized the last word and handed Tony the picture. Tony stared at his boss in disbelief. "You want me to find a cat?" Sonny's face was set in stone. "There are traps you can buy which are not harmful to animals. Ask the humane society what they recommend. This cat is wary of strangers, so proceed with caution. If you succeed, I'll know that I can trust you with more responsibility. Do you understand?" Tony was obviously insulted, but nodded. Sonny tilted his head towards the door. "Good, now get to work. And remember, Ms. Chandler-Quartermaine isn't to know how she got her cat back." Tony exited the vehicle and slammed the door. Sonny chuckled to himself. That should teach the kid a little humility.

The next evening, Skye was in her living room, trying unsuccessfully to get some paperwork done. She heard the doorbell ring, and went to answer it. Seeing no-one through the glass, she frowned and started to turn back to the living room. She paused when she heard a rattling noise and what sounded faintly like a…a meow. She lunged for the door and flung it open. Sitting on her doorstep was a cage, and inside was a very pissed, but very alive Mocha. She cried out in relief and grabbed the cage. She saw that it was some sort of humane trap. He had squeezed inside the opening, but was unable to exit. She unlatched the cage door and pulled him out. She hugged him to her, tears streaming down her face. After a short while he meowed and squirmed out of her arms. She let him go and he bounded to the top perch in his cat tree. He stared down at her, then proceeded to groom himself. She laughed and flopped down on her sofa. She decided that animal control must have trapped him, and then seeing his ID tag had returned him to her. But she wondered why the person had taken off without saying anything. She shrugged. It didn't matter. She had her baby back.