Authors Notes: Thank you everyone who has given me feedback. Please
continue to give me comments. Once again, I would like to say a special
thanks to my beta reader and general sounding board.
Disclaimer: General Hospital and all it's characters belong to ABC, Disney, etc.
In the Best Interests of the Child
Chapter 9: Safety
It was his first time here. What struck Sonny most was the place felt more like a fortress then a home. Even his penthouse with its guards and bullet proof glass never felt like this. Everything about the Cassidine residence screamed of castle settled in for a siege.
As he stood just outside the kitchen doorway he noticed that even the residents seemed to be just as ready for an attack as the house.
Michael and Alexis were surrounded. They were sitting at a long kitchen table with Kristina and Gia seated on either side of them. Nicholas and Ned were standing directly behind them. The forced smiles on the women's faces as they talked to his son and the plate of cookies on the table did nothing to hide the fact that Alexis and Michael were under guard.
It should have comforted Sonny to see that these people who didn't like him were willing to step up and protect his family. However, it just underscored the fact that he had failed. That the Cassidines, and even Ashton, had been able to provide Alexis and Michael a safety that he hadn't.
You go take care of your family. I will take care of everything else.
He had failed. It was only thanks to Alexis that he still had Michael left at all. She was taking care of everything.
No! He didn't have time for this. He forced his guilt down for the moment, put what he hoped was a relaxed expression on his face, and stepped into the room.
Michael was the first to notice his entrance. Kristina nearly toppled her chair over getting out of Michael's way as the little boy raced for Sonny. Even though Michael had been becoming too much of a 'big boy' recently to want hugs, Sonny clutched his son to him and Michael didn't protest.
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Alexis watched the reunion. For just a second she wished she could be Michael. Wished that she could trust someone else to hug her enough to make all the bad things go away.
Kristina broke her train of thought. "Why don't we go up to the parlor?" she whispered.
Alexis pushed her self-pitying thoughts away and nodded her agreement. Nicholas pulled back her chair and took her arm as they followed Ned, Kristina, and Gia to the doorway.
"Alexis," Sonny softly called just as she reached the door.
"I will talk to you before you go," she reassured him. Sonny nodded and returned his full attention to Michael.
Nicholas was tense as they walked down the hall in silence. Finally, he broke, "Are you going to quit now?"
"No," she answered.
"Why?" he pressed.
"He is a friend," she explained.
"That will be a great comfort at your funeral," Nicholas returned in an eerie mimic of Stephan at his most coolly formal.
"I am fine and perfectly capable of making my own decisions," Alexis rebutted.
Nicholas finally turned to face her, forcing them to come to a halt. "It is not only your decisions any more," he stated quietly. "I want to meet my cousin."
Alexis didn't know what to say. She couldn't say that she hadn't had the same fear. However, it wasn't as simple as Nicholas wanted it to be. Sonny was her friend and her daughter's father.
After a minute of silence Nicholas turned away and continued on to the parlor alone.
Alexis watched Nicholas walk away. He wasn't wrong. Her decisions were not just about her anymore. All of her plans had been carefully constructed around her daughter's well being, but what if her plans were wrong.
No! She couldn't do this now. She had to stay in control. She had a plan for the next few hours. She needed to talk, to give the police her statement, then get them to delay taking Michael's statement, then she needed to reassure Sonny, then she needed to re-schedule all her missed appointment, and then she needed to check up on Carly.
"We have a plan," she reassured her daughter and herself.
Alexis straightened her spine and followed her nephew. She turned into the hall just outside the parlor just in time to see Ned disconnect his phone call with a look of pained resignation.
"More trouble with your latest discovery?" she asked with a smile. Kristina had spent many a night lately regaling Alexis with stories of L&Bs new problem child.
Ned carefully masked his face and studied her for a moment. Finally, he shook his head and said, "No, more trouble with the old coot."
Alexis instantly went on guard. "Edward," she stated flatly.
"After today can you blame him?" he asked.
"After today Michael needs to be with people he knows," Alexis returned.
"He needs to be safe," Ned argued.
"Do you believe AJ is a safe option?" she countered.
Ned just smiled grimly. "Michael deserves better then to be in the middle of any of this."
"He has a family he loves and who loves him," Alexis said quietly. "That is more then a lot of us got."
"Love doesn't stop bullets," Ned pointed out.
"What stops Edward?" she asked.
Ned sighed, "I wish there was a third option."
Alexis smiled grimly, "Technically we are up to option six or seven."
Ned returned her smile. "I better go," he said.
Alexis nodded.
He studied her for a moment and she wondered what he was thinking. There had been a time when she would have known.
Finally he pulled her into a hug. "Please take care of yourself," he whispered in her ear. Then he left.
As she watched him go Alexis wrapped her arms around herself. "I told you you would like him," she reminded her daughter.
Disclaimer: General Hospital and all it's characters belong to ABC, Disney, etc.
In the Best Interests of the Child
Chapter 9: Safety
It was his first time here. What struck Sonny most was the place felt more like a fortress then a home. Even his penthouse with its guards and bullet proof glass never felt like this. Everything about the Cassidine residence screamed of castle settled in for a siege.
As he stood just outside the kitchen doorway he noticed that even the residents seemed to be just as ready for an attack as the house.
Michael and Alexis were surrounded. They were sitting at a long kitchen table with Kristina and Gia seated on either side of them. Nicholas and Ned were standing directly behind them. The forced smiles on the women's faces as they talked to his son and the plate of cookies on the table did nothing to hide the fact that Alexis and Michael were under guard.
It should have comforted Sonny to see that these people who didn't like him were willing to step up and protect his family. However, it just underscored the fact that he had failed. That the Cassidines, and even Ashton, had been able to provide Alexis and Michael a safety that he hadn't.
You go take care of your family. I will take care of everything else.
He had failed. It was only thanks to Alexis that he still had Michael left at all. She was taking care of everything.
No! He didn't have time for this. He forced his guilt down for the moment, put what he hoped was a relaxed expression on his face, and stepped into the room.
Michael was the first to notice his entrance. Kristina nearly toppled her chair over getting out of Michael's way as the little boy raced for Sonny. Even though Michael had been becoming too much of a 'big boy' recently to want hugs, Sonny clutched his son to him and Michael didn't protest.
************************************************************************
Alexis watched the reunion. For just a second she wished she could be Michael. Wished that she could trust someone else to hug her enough to make all the bad things go away.
Kristina broke her train of thought. "Why don't we go up to the parlor?" she whispered.
Alexis pushed her self-pitying thoughts away and nodded her agreement. Nicholas pulled back her chair and took her arm as they followed Ned, Kristina, and Gia to the doorway.
"Alexis," Sonny softly called just as she reached the door.
"I will talk to you before you go," she reassured him. Sonny nodded and returned his full attention to Michael.
Nicholas was tense as they walked down the hall in silence. Finally, he broke, "Are you going to quit now?"
"No," she answered.
"Why?" he pressed.
"He is a friend," she explained.
"That will be a great comfort at your funeral," Nicholas returned in an eerie mimic of Stephan at his most coolly formal.
"I am fine and perfectly capable of making my own decisions," Alexis rebutted.
Nicholas finally turned to face her, forcing them to come to a halt. "It is not only your decisions any more," he stated quietly. "I want to meet my cousin."
Alexis didn't know what to say. She couldn't say that she hadn't had the same fear. However, it wasn't as simple as Nicholas wanted it to be. Sonny was her friend and her daughter's father.
After a minute of silence Nicholas turned away and continued on to the parlor alone.
Alexis watched Nicholas walk away. He wasn't wrong. Her decisions were not just about her anymore. All of her plans had been carefully constructed around her daughter's well being, but what if her plans were wrong.
No! She couldn't do this now. She had to stay in control. She had a plan for the next few hours. She needed to talk, to give the police her statement, then get them to delay taking Michael's statement, then she needed to reassure Sonny, then she needed to re-schedule all her missed appointment, and then she needed to check up on Carly.
"We have a plan," she reassured her daughter and herself.
Alexis straightened her spine and followed her nephew. She turned into the hall just outside the parlor just in time to see Ned disconnect his phone call with a look of pained resignation.
"More trouble with your latest discovery?" she asked with a smile. Kristina had spent many a night lately regaling Alexis with stories of L&Bs new problem child.
Ned carefully masked his face and studied her for a moment. Finally, he shook his head and said, "No, more trouble with the old coot."
Alexis instantly went on guard. "Edward," she stated flatly.
"After today can you blame him?" he asked.
"After today Michael needs to be with people he knows," Alexis returned.
"He needs to be safe," Ned argued.
"Do you believe AJ is a safe option?" she countered.
Ned just smiled grimly. "Michael deserves better then to be in the middle of any of this."
"He has a family he loves and who loves him," Alexis said quietly. "That is more then a lot of us got."
"Love doesn't stop bullets," Ned pointed out.
"What stops Edward?" she asked.
Ned sighed, "I wish there was a third option."
Alexis smiled grimly, "Technically we are up to option six or seven."
Ned returned her smile. "I better go," he said.
Alexis nodded.
He studied her for a moment and she wondered what he was thinking. There had been a time when she would have known.
Finally he pulled her into a hug. "Please take care of yourself," he whispered in her ear. Then he left.
As she watched him go Alexis wrapped her arms around herself. "I told you you would like him," she reminded her daughter.
