A Welcome Response

Alexis shifted Jade to her hip as she opened the mailbox outside the small cottage she now called home to collect the various sized envelopes the box contained. Tucking the mail under her free arm, she bent to lower her daughter to the ground and they slowly walked down the path beside her home to settle comfortably on an old wooden bench that looked out over a dazzling sunlit lake. Just past her third birthday, Jade was admittedly the very heart of her mother. The two of them were so in tune with each other that every breath they took seemed to match perfectly.

Alexis was mesmerized by her daughter and never knew it was possible to be so filled with love for another human being. Jade was her life. Everything she did was a direct result of her love for her daughter. She couldn't remember the last time she picked up a brief or a contract. Every waking thought was trained upon her daughter and her nights were filled with dreams of the two of them enjoying the simple pleasures of life together.

Looking down at Jade sitting beside her she noticed her a yawn and the telltale signs of a naptime coming on. Murmuring softly she gently guided her daughter's head onto her lap. It was such a beautiful day that she didn't want to go in yet and besides what could it hurt for her daughter to learn how peaceful it could be to fall asleep with the sounds of nature in her ears.

Gently moving the hair out of Jade's eyes and humming a soft lullaby she reached to pick up the mail she laid beside her while she tended to her child's needs. Holding the mail in one hand she tenderly stroked Jade's cheek with her other.

"Sleep my little one. Dream a dream for me. Awake to find a smile and hug, a little love from me to you."

Watching as her child's eyes close in sleep she looked up and let her own eyes caress the beautiful scenery that lay before her. She marveled at the sense of peace that invaded her heart and soul. Laughing gently as a couple of squirrels chased each other from tree to tree she refocused her attention on the mail in her hand and gave a cry of alarm as she noticed the envelope bearing 'his' handwriting.

Careful of her sleeping daughter, she quickly looked around for any intruders that might be close by. Softly with fear in her voice, she spoke to her child.

"Oh Jade, he has found us. What are we going to do now?"

From the moment she first learned of her daughter's existence, Alexis carried on conversations with her as though she were an adult. She knew her daughter could not understand what she said, but the simple act of including her daughter in every aspect of her life was calming. And just as it always had, talking to her daughter now settled her nerves enough to reason away her fears. Pulling the sweater from her shoulders she folded it and gently lifted her daughter's head moving out of the way enough to allow the sweater to become a pillow for her daughter.

"Sleep my little angel, I must see what your father wants and I don't want to disturb you. I will be right here beside you in case you awaken."

Hesitantly opening the letter, Alexis began to read:

Dear Alexis,

Please do not be alarmed. Yes, I have finally found you. I know you are probably concerned that I will appear any minute given you have no reason to think otherwise. But, let me assure you that as you are reading this letter, I am still in Port Charles. I will not invade your space until you allow me to. And I am hoping that by the time you finish reading this letter you will want to see me as much as I want to see you.

The letter you left with me when you decided to leave Port Charles changed my life. There have been many changes in my life since you left. I found him, Alexis. I found the man you fell in love with. He is here, inside of me and he is the one who rules my life now.

I must tell you what has occurred since you left. I know you are going to need proof, so I have sent along a few reference letters from some of your closest friends. I wish I could see your beautiful face when you see who they are from. There is one from Ned, Jax, Bobbie and even one from Taggert.

I sold the Harborview Tower and bought the little cottage from Nicholas. I renovated it and added a nursery on to the back. There is also a great little playground just out the back door. It is my hope that one day my daughter will be allowed to visit me.

I went through a couple of bad months after you left. I couldn't seem to leave the scotch alone. When I realized just what I put you through I kind of went nuts. Would you believe it was Ned that pulled me out of the darkness? I had always hated him. Partly because of what you went through with him, but mostly because I was just plain jealous of him. Why he finally helped me out, I still don't know for sure. I seem to remember him saying something about 'you finding something worthy to love in me'. If he only knew. You were the only one who found something in me worth fighting for. And you fought for me day after day. You never gave up on me. Even in your letter, you still had hope for me.

Ned came to see me a couple of months after you left. He and Jax along with Nicholas had exhausted all avenues in trying to find you. So Ned finally came to me for help. I was passed out on the sofa when he finally busted down my door. Did he always look at me with such disgust? He helped me sober up and we talked about you for a long time. I read parts of the letter you left me to him. He wouldn't believe me when I told him I didn't know where you were. He looked at me with such hatred. I think if I had ever seen a look like that in your eyes, I would have simply given up. I told him I would do everything in my power to locate you, but I would not disturb any peace you may have found. He does not know that I have found you yet. I cannot tell him without your consent.

I have been divorced now for almost 3 years. Each day I wake up alone and it is your face I long to see beside me. It is your arms I wish to lie within. It has taken me this long to completely bury the man you left 3 years ago. But, he is gone now. I cannot say that I live a peaceful life, because that will only come when you return home. But, I can promise you that I lead a safe life. I have no territory to protect anymore, I have nothing that anyone would deem valuable enough to take from me. I have sold all of the casinos. The only part of me that I find valuable enough to cling to now lives on the other side of the world.

I said it more times than I can remember and somehow the words seem empty now. I thought they meant the world when I said them to you that night, but they were just words then that filled the air. When I tell you now that 'I need you' I wish with all my heart that you could see just how rich and true those words are to me. They are filled with so much emotion and depth that just thinking them sometimes fills me with fear. I am afraid that I will never see you again, that I will never have the chance to look into your eyes and tell you that I love you with all of my heart. Alexis, please come home. Let me look into your beautiful eyes once more. Until then I remain

Forever yours,

Sonny

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He was sitting in the swing on the back porch of the cottage when she rounded the corner leading his daughter by the hand. Rising slowly he walked toward her and paused to see how she would greet him. Watching her with eyes fill with love he anxiously waited as she lifted his daughter into her arms.

"Jade, my little one, this is your father and the love of my life."

Never taking his eyes from hers, he quietly said the words she had waited what seemed a lifetime to hear.

"I love you, Alexis."