CRIMSON DREAMS - 2/3
CHAPTER 2
Johnny stood at his post outside of penthouse two. He was worried about Ms Davis. He liked her. She was good people. She treated him with respect and she was always kind. She often invited him into her penthouse, to have a bite to eat or watch a movie with her sister, or just to get him to sit down for a little while. He always declined. It was his job to protect her. He didn't want anything to interfere with that. Sonny would never forgive him if he let his guard down and something terrible happened. He wouldn't forgive himself. But something had happened. And it seemed that Kristina had done the damage.
The door to penthouse four opened and Sonny motioned him inside. "Did Kristina give you any trouble?" Sonny whispered.
Johnny looked over at the couch and spied a sleeping Alexis. "She tried to come over but I persuaded her that it would be better if she didn't."
"Good!" Sonny put his hand on Johnny's shoulder. "I'm going to have a talk with Kristina. I want you to sit with Alexis until I come back." He started out the door. "Johnny?"
"Yes sir?"
"Come get me if anything happens."
"Will do sir."
Kristina was still pacing the floor. She wanted to see Alexis. She tried to go to Sonny's but Johnny stood blocking the doorway.
"Johnny, let me by." She placed her hands on his chest and pushed.
"I can't let you do that Miss." His voice was calm, kind even, but he didn't move an inch.
"Please, my sister needs me!"
"I'm sorry Ms Cassadine, but I think you have it backwards."
"What?"
"Ms Davis doesn't need you. You need her. You need your big sister to tell you everything is okay. That whatever you did to cause this is forgiven. But she can't help you right now. Right now she needs help. Mr. Corinthos is helping her."
"You don't understand. Alexis is in pain . . . "
"Mr. Corinthos understands pain. He'll know what to do. You can help by leaving them alone for now."
Kristina backed up and closed the door. Was Johnny right? Had she caused Alexis fall into darkness? They were talking about Sonny, about love, about Alexis' first love. Alexis' demeanor changed at the mention of her first love. Sadness settled around her. It was a tangible burden that weighed on her. She had whispered something, a name? "He died." That's all she would say. Then she had walked out to the balcony.
"Oh God! I did cause this! I don't know exactly what I did, but I did something to cause my sister pain, horrible, mind shattering pain." Kristina stopped pacing and headed toward the door. "I have got to try to fix it!"
As Kristina reached for the doorknob, the door opened and she was eye to eye with Sonny Corinthos.
"We need to talk." Sonny strode into the room. "I need to know what happened."
"I need to see my sister!" Kristina moved toward the door. Sonny caught her by the arm.
"Alexis is sleeping. She needs to rest. Don't disturb her."
"Is she okay? What happened?"
"That's what I'd like to know. What did you dredge up?"
"What are you talking about? I don't know what happened. I told you everything I know when I came and got you. Do you know what happened to my sister on the balcony?"
"Alexis had a flashback."
"A flashback? Alexis has flashbacks?"
"She hasn't had one in almost a year. Something had to trigger it. What did you do?"
"Why didn't she tell me she has flashbacks? She should have told me. I could have helped her."
"I don't think you could have helped her, Kristina." Sonny was trying to control his temper.
"How do you know? I could have. We could have talked it through . . . "
"Kristina, you didn't help her tonight. Something you did or said triggered this. I need to know what it was. Tell me what happened."
She was uncharacteristically quiet. They had been talking about loving Sonny. Alexis made it absolutely clear that she was never again to talk to Sonny about that subject.
Kristina told Sonny that Alexis was in love with him, before Alexis had a chance to say it out loud to herself. But that wasn't it. Alexis was mad at her for that, but she didn't go catatonic, so her love life with Sonny wasn't the cause. They had talked of danger. Alexis had talked of love . . . Her first love had died. Alexis didn't want to share. Should Kristina respect that or should she tell Sonny everything that happened. She needed to talk to her sister.
"I don't know."
Sonny was losing patience. Kristina did have insight. She was absolutely right about Alexis. She had fallen into darkness. The problem was, Kristina wielded that insight like an ax, causing damage everywhere. She had somehow cut Alexis open tonight.
He drew in a deep breath. "Kristina, have you ever seen someone you love die?" He stared straight ahead, his mind drawn back to the images of his wife's death. Lily was smiling at him, one hand waving, the other touching their unborn child, then the explosion. "Have them ripped from you violently?"
Kristina stared at Sonny. His expression screamed pain. He wasn't talking about Alexis. This was something personal, something that happened to him. 'Mr. Corinthos understands pain' that's what Johnny had said. She made her decision. The events of the night spewed out.
"She talked about Jax and the helicopter crash, about Chloe and our mother. She said she brought risk to everyone around her. She was upset about that, but that wasn't the big upset. The big upset was something different. I'm not really sure what it was. She wouldn't talk about it. She never wants to talk about the important stuff. She got so sad, Sonny. You could see it weigh her down. All this sadness just came over her and I swear I saw her stagger from the weight of it. But she wouldn't talk about it . . . "
"Kristina!' Sonny was exasperated, trying to follow her train of thought hurt. She was so young, much younger than her years. He was constantly amazed that such a young soul could be a Cassadine.
"What!"
"What were you talking about just before she got sad?"
"She said she had been in love three times and I asked her about her first love. But she didn't want to talk about it. I just wanted to talk over old times, old loves you know . . . "
"What did Alexis say?"
"He died."
"That's all."
"No." She looked down. Now Kristina began to hug herself. Sonny had seen Alexis assume that same posture earlier in the evening. The way they each reacted to anguish, it must be genetic.
"What else?"
"She started to cry and she said . . . " Kristina's own eyes were clouding. Her face mirrored Alexis' expressions earlier in the day. "She said 'Love is difficult for me and it never turns out well'." Kristina looked up at him. "Sonny I think she's afraid to love again."
CHAPTER 2
Johnny stood at his post outside of penthouse two. He was worried about Ms Davis. He liked her. She was good people. She treated him with respect and she was always kind. She often invited him into her penthouse, to have a bite to eat or watch a movie with her sister, or just to get him to sit down for a little while. He always declined. It was his job to protect her. He didn't want anything to interfere with that. Sonny would never forgive him if he let his guard down and something terrible happened. He wouldn't forgive himself. But something had happened. And it seemed that Kristina had done the damage.
The door to penthouse four opened and Sonny motioned him inside. "Did Kristina give you any trouble?" Sonny whispered.
Johnny looked over at the couch and spied a sleeping Alexis. "She tried to come over but I persuaded her that it would be better if she didn't."
"Good!" Sonny put his hand on Johnny's shoulder. "I'm going to have a talk with Kristina. I want you to sit with Alexis until I come back." He started out the door. "Johnny?"
"Yes sir?"
"Come get me if anything happens."
"Will do sir."
Kristina was still pacing the floor. She wanted to see Alexis. She tried to go to Sonny's but Johnny stood blocking the doorway.
"Johnny, let me by." She placed her hands on his chest and pushed.
"I can't let you do that Miss." His voice was calm, kind even, but he didn't move an inch.
"Please, my sister needs me!"
"I'm sorry Ms Cassadine, but I think you have it backwards."
"What?"
"Ms Davis doesn't need you. You need her. You need your big sister to tell you everything is okay. That whatever you did to cause this is forgiven. But she can't help you right now. Right now she needs help. Mr. Corinthos is helping her."
"You don't understand. Alexis is in pain . . . "
"Mr. Corinthos understands pain. He'll know what to do. You can help by leaving them alone for now."
Kristina backed up and closed the door. Was Johnny right? Had she caused Alexis fall into darkness? They were talking about Sonny, about love, about Alexis' first love. Alexis' demeanor changed at the mention of her first love. Sadness settled around her. It was a tangible burden that weighed on her. She had whispered something, a name? "He died." That's all she would say. Then she had walked out to the balcony.
"Oh God! I did cause this! I don't know exactly what I did, but I did something to cause my sister pain, horrible, mind shattering pain." Kristina stopped pacing and headed toward the door. "I have got to try to fix it!"
As Kristina reached for the doorknob, the door opened and she was eye to eye with Sonny Corinthos.
"We need to talk." Sonny strode into the room. "I need to know what happened."
"I need to see my sister!" Kristina moved toward the door. Sonny caught her by the arm.
"Alexis is sleeping. She needs to rest. Don't disturb her."
"Is she okay? What happened?"
"That's what I'd like to know. What did you dredge up?"
"What are you talking about? I don't know what happened. I told you everything I know when I came and got you. Do you know what happened to my sister on the balcony?"
"Alexis had a flashback."
"A flashback? Alexis has flashbacks?"
"She hasn't had one in almost a year. Something had to trigger it. What did you do?"
"Why didn't she tell me she has flashbacks? She should have told me. I could have helped her."
"I don't think you could have helped her, Kristina." Sonny was trying to control his temper.
"How do you know? I could have. We could have talked it through . . . "
"Kristina, you didn't help her tonight. Something you did or said triggered this. I need to know what it was. Tell me what happened."
She was uncharacteristically quiet. They had been talking about loving Sonny. Alexis made it absolutely clear that she was never again to talk to Sonny about that subject.
Kristina told Sonny that Alexis was in love with him, before Alexis had a chance to say it out loud to herself. But that wasn't it. Alexis was mad at her for that, but she didn't go catatonic, so her love life with Sonny wasn't the cause. They had talked of danger. Alexis had talked of love . . . Her first love had died. Alexis didn't want to share. Should Kristina respect that or should she tell Sonny everything that happened. She needed to talk to her sister.
"I don't know."
Sonny was losing patience. Kristina did have insight. She was absolutely right about Alexis. She had fallen into darkness. The problem was, Kristina wielded that insight like an ax, causing damage everywhere. She had somehow cut Alexis open tonight.
He drew in a deep breath. "Kristina, have you ever seen someone you love die?" He stared straight ahead, his mind drawn back to the images of his wife's death. Lily was smiling at him, one hand waving, the other touching their unborn child, then the explosion. "Have them ripped from you violently?"
Kristina stared at Sonny. His expression screamed pain. He wasn't talking about Alexis. This was something personal, something that happened to him. 'Mr. Corinthos understands pain' that's what Johnny had said. She made her decision. The events of the night spewed out.
"She talked about Jax and the helicopter crash, about Chloe and our mother. She said she brought risk to everyone around her. She was upset about that, but that wasn't the big upset. The big upset was something different. I'm not really sure what it was. She wouldn't talk about it. She never wants to talk about the important stuff. She got so sad, Sonny. You could see it weigh her down. All this sadness just came over her and I swear I saw her stagger from the weight of it. But she wouldn't talk about it . . . "
"Kristina!' Sonny was exasperated, trying to follow her train of thought hurt. She was so young, much younger than her years. He was constantly amazed that such a young soul could be a Cassadine.
"What!"
"What were you talking about just before she got sad?"
"She said she had been in love three times and I asked her about her first love. But she didn't want to talk about it. I just wanted to talk over old times, old loves you know . . . "
"What did Alexis say?"
"He died."
"That's all."
"No." She looked down. Now Kristina began to hug herself. Sonny had seen Alexis assume that same posture earlier in the evening. The way they each reacted to anguish, it must be genetic.
"What else?"
"She started to cry and she said . . . " Kristina's own eyes were clouding. Her face mirrored Alexis' expressions earlier in the day. "She said 'Love is difficult for me and it never turns out well'." Kristina looked up at him. "Sonny I think she's afraid to love again."