A/N: Hi! Just to be clear, the story in Part A is part A only and continues there always. Same for part B, they are totally separate universes. However, I don't know which part is for which couple. It's probably going to be a few more chapters before that is clear, so please bear with me….

PART A

"Did you kiss him back?" Jason just barely whispered.

Brenda paused. "What?"

"Did you kiss him back?" Jason repeated. "What did you do when he kissed you?"

"I told him I didn't want him to! What else would I have done?! Pulled him into bed with me?! God, this entire town thinks that I live and breathe Sonny Corinthos! Well, for your information I haven't been with that man in 10 years!" Brenda laughed. "You know of all people I would think at least you would know better."

"Yeah, I do know better Brenda. Sonny nearly broke you when he left you and even then you still love him. I look at you and I see it. Everyone does. It's the same with Sonny. It's so obvious it's a wonder the two of you can't pull it together" Jason looked at Brenda as her eyes filled with tears….

Brenda looked away from Jason and took a deep breath. "I don't think I want to discuss this with you anymore"

Jason could tell immediately how angry she was. That was one of the unique qualities about Brenda. When she felt something it was tangible, it was all around you. "I'm sorry…no, you know what? I'm not sorry. I'm going to be honest with you Brenda, just like always. You don't act like you're over him. Instead of standing up to him or staying away from him you always end up right next to him, with him again!"

"I'm not with him!"

"Yeah, well you have a funny way of showing it"

"You know what? Get out Jason!"

"Truth hurts, doesn't it Brenda?"

"You want to know what the truth is? I won't deny that I will always love Sonny. I will never be over him because he was my first love. And you never get over someone you went through hell with. Our relationship was full of ups and downs, things I will always regret and many that I can never fully recover from. But in the end, I will always care about what happens to him. That's the truth" Brenda sighed and leaned back against the pillows on the couch.

"Are you still in love with him?" Jason held his breath.

Brenda closed her eyes for a moment "I don't know. I'm not even sure I'm willing to find out. It's so hard to think about all of this right now. It seems like Eric was here yesterday and I have to keep reminding myself that he's not coming back. There are days that Isabella seems to forget too"

"You're right. I shouldn't be harassing you about Sonny. Now I really am sorry. You know you can count on me right?"

"Jason, that's one of the few things I'm still certain of"

Jason opened his arms to her and she settled against his chest, their arms wrapped around each other. They sat there for a long time and while Brenda tried to calm herself down, so did Jason. It felt good to be that close to her and he didn't know if he could be the friend that Brenda needed instead of the more that he wanted.

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PART B

When Sonny arrived at Brenda's house he noticed Jason's bike parked in the driveway. Looks like I'm just in time to interrupt he thought with some satisfaction.

He peeked in the window and saw the two of them sitting on the couch going through pictures. Well at least it looks innocent.

Brenda got up to answer the door and smiled when she saw who it was.

"Hi, you're just in time for pictures"

"Really?" Sonny grinned, Brenda always looked beautiful in pictures.

"You know I need to get going" Jason said.

"Are you sure? Can't you stay a little longer" Brenda walked up to him and pouted.

Jason laughed "Brenda, you can show me the pictures later. I promise I'll come back"

"Fine, but I won't forget how you left in the middle of pictures" Brenda teased touching his chest.

Sonny cringed at the sight of intimacy. This is really going a lot further than I thought. But I just can't imagine Brenda has already moved on.

Sonny sat down as Jason left and Brenda walked over to the stairs. "Isabella, come and see who's here!"

Brenda sat down next to Sonny and he hesitated before he spoke. "Is something going on with you and Jason?"

"What do you mean?...Wait, whoa, what do you think is going on?"

"Nothing… well, I don't know. Both of you have been acting so differently and I really don't know what to make of it"

"If you're asking if we're seeing each other, No!" Brenda laughed.

Sonny smiled slightly relieved. "Then what is it with you two? I've never seen Jason like this before"

"Come to think of it, neither have I. People always tell me I make them act strangely" Brenda smiled at Sonny.

"Well, there's just something about you" he smiled back, dimples flaring.

Just then Isabella came bounding down the stairs. "Uncle Sonny!"

"Hey sweetheart! Your mom and I were just about to look at some pictures" Sonny picked her up and took her over to the couch, sitting her on his lap.

Brenda picked up the photo album again and Sonny got his first look at Eric.

"Its Daddy!"

"Yeah, it is" Brenda said quietly.

"I miss Daddy" Isabella responded.

Brenda pulled her onto her lap. "I know sweetheart, I do too. But you remember what I told you about Daddy, right?"

"He went to a happy place, but he still misses us" Isabella replied still staring at the picture.

"Yeah, and we'll always have our memories and each other. Okay?"

"Uhuh. I still miss Daddy."

"I know baby"

"I'm going to play with my dolls" and with that Isabella disappeared upstairs.

Brenda sighed "I shouldn't have done that. I wanted to remind her of her dad so she wouldn't forget what he looked like and how he acted, but I think it did nothing but upset her"

"You had good intentions Brenda. She does need to see the pictures, that way she will always remember her father and won't feel like she missed out as much"

Brenda nodded. "I was thinking of putting up a few on the mantel, so they're always around us"

"I think it's a good idea. Do you want to talk? You obviously still miss him. Maybe it would help to get some of it off your chest"

"Some days it's really easy, but on others, I just wish he would come back. Isabella needs him and its so unfair for her to lose her father. I never had a good father like Eric was and I was so happy thinking my daughter would get something that I didn't get. But now she's lost him"

"At least she had him for a little while. If you help her remember her father she will continue to love him and feel his presence in her life"

Brenda nodded. "I know you're right, but I still feel such a sense of loss. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way. I was supposed to be happy with him for the rest of my life. He wasn't supposed to die!" Brenda started to sob and Sonny pulled her close and held her.

"I'm glad that you were at least happy for a little while"

Brenda pulled away and smiled slightly. "He was wonderful. When I first moved to town his aunt introduced us. She was part of the welcoming committee. Can you believe I actually lived somewhere that had a welcoming committee?!" Brenda giggled a little. "I remember he just smiled at me and I felt so comfortable with him. He asked me out that day and I told him no. It had literally been a month since the wedding and I just wanted to be alone…but he waited and he called and he visited and he kept asking me…I finally gave in" Brenda smiled at the memory of Eric showing up at her door once a week bearing flowers. "He was always one of those romantics. Calling all the time and leaving me notes at work. He managed to talk me into marriage even when that was the last thing I wanted. When I was pregnant he would just wait on me hand and foot. He was an angel. Just what I needed, not what I deserved" Brenda's voice trailed off.

"Why would you think you don't deserve it? You deserve the best Brenda, you always have. I'm glad he was good to you, that you were happy."

"I really was happy. Happier than I had been for a long time before that" Brenda smiled a little at Sonny. "Thanks for listening. It did feel good to talk about him."

"You know that I'm always here for you, for anything you need"

Brenda smiled again and they sat in a comfortable silence for a long time, Brenda staring into space, Sonny staring at Brenda. He was realizing all over again how unfair it would be to think about a relationship with her at the moment. He would just have to be patient and be there for her until she was ready.