Corinthos Household-
Carly hadn't returned from upstairs since she stormed to the second story of the house looking to get away from the person that she perceived as the step-son from hell. Sonny wanted to do something to bring them closer together, but he had learned long ago that forcing Carly into doing anything would be the first way to keep her from doing whatever it was that needed to be done. Carly was very much like Sonny in that respect, neither of them enjoyed being pushed into doing anything. So far, from his observations, Sonny concluded that Damian was more than a little bit like that himself.
"How long should I give her, dad?" He asked.
"Whom? Maxie?"
Damian gave a slight nod of his head in confirmation, "I want her to deal with the problems that she's having. I don't want to smother her if she needs time to be alone. I remember how it felt when people just assumed that you needed someone to be there with you when all you really needed was to be alone and cope in your own way. My grandparents tried to do that with me when my mom died. I don't exactly know if Maxie's feeling like that, but I'm not about to take the chance of throwing myself into something that I shouldn't be involved in."
"I'm about the last person you should ask when it comes to something like that, Damian. I don't know Maxie all that well, and it seems like that would be something that you'd need to get advice from someone who did know her. You could try calling Georgie. Or, if you're really desperate, Mac."
"I'd sooner crawl through a mile of glass with nothing but a pair of boxers on than ask any favors from Mac," Damian was being somewhat sarcastic. He would ask for a lot more than boxers, after all.
"He's been giving you a hard time, hasn't he?"
"What made it obvious?" Damian inquired. "It was the venomously filled spiteful comment, wasn't it?"
"I would have known even without the comment," Sonny said. "Mac's always been like that when it comes to those girls. He loves them so much, even though they aren't really his. I can relate. It makes me respect him, and I try not to give cops my respect as much as possible."
"I respect and appreciate his role in Maxie's life. Georgie's too for that matter. I just wish that he was a little less... intense when it came to unjustly hating me. I get enough of that when I come home and get berated by Carly for doing something that upset her. Usually it involves breathing of some kind." Damian smirked at his own comment, again noting that they could be really close if they could get past the fact that they just did not like each other at all.
"You want the problem eliminated?"
"You're offering to off Mac for me? I'd almost be able to appreciate the offer if I wasn't so repulsed by the fact that you made it."
"I wasn't being entirely serious," Sonny poured himself a glass of water.
"Who are you trying to convince?" Damian asked.
"Mac is one of the few cops on that entire force that isn't crooked, Damian. There are plenty of times that he'll help try and bring me down, but he won't go out of his way to fabricate evidence against me just because the higher ups, which would be Ric and Scott, want it. I try and keep the 'good' cops alive as long as I can."
"And that would be the only reason for you to keep him alive? Because he just happens to be one of the better policemen on the force? It doesn't bother you at all that you would be bringing someone to their death just to keep your empire going?"
Sonny was silent for a moment. "Regardless of how often I do it, I don't like having to kill people. I try and make sure that it is done as little as possible, and only then to keep the people that I care about... that I have pledged to protect... safe. If it comes down to me or one of my enemies dying, you can be damned sure that I'm going to find a way to make it certain that I'm the one who comes out on top. I'm never going to just step down and leave my wife a widow and let my kids live without their father. Sometimes it does bother me, what I do, but it's the life that I have decided that I want and that's usually enough to keep me sane."
"What if it's not the life that other people want for you?"
"I can't live my life by anyone else's rules, son. I'm not the type of person that can take orders. Look at what happened the last time I did..."
"I happened," Damian muttered. "Was that what broke you? Was what happened between you and my mother the thing that made you realize that you couldn't stand around and be anyone's lap dog? Did that give you some sort of epiphany where you decided that you would find a way to make your own destiny?"
"It was one of the things... yeah," Sonny admitted. "But it wasn't the only thing."
"What else was there?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Sonny said.
"I thought we agreed to not keep any secrets from each other."
"I'm not keeping a secret from you, Damian. I just do not want to talk about what I had to do in order to get out of Scully's thrall. The things that he made me do... just recalling what I'll let myself remember is too much for me. I know you wouldn't be able to hear them."
"I'm an adult, I'm old enough."
"But you're not bad enough," Sonny said. "You're too morally righteous to even accept or comprehend what I once did. Please, don't ask me about it. I don't ask very much of you when it comes to accepting what I do, but just accept that some things I can't talk about with anyone... anyone at all."
"Will you come to me if you decide that you can talk about them?" Damian asked. "I'm more resilient than you think I am."
"And I'm less than you think I am."
Damian smiled softly, "You better start shaping back into the cold-faced Sonny Corinthos that people know and loathe. If they see you like this... they might start thinking that you actually have feelings."
"I do have feelings," Sonny said coyly.
"I know that, you know that, and the people that really know you well enough know that, but you don't like letting people outside of your very limited circle in on such dirty little secrets, do you?"
"I think I liked you more when you didn't examine my life on an hourly basis," Sonny took another drink of his water, although the urge to get something stronger was great.
"Did you like it more when I just called you 'Sonny' instead of 'dad?'"
Sonny slumped his shoulders, "You've made your point."
"But you haven't given me an answer," Damian informed his father. "I want you to know that you can come to me when you need someone to talk to, dad. The only way we're going to forge a strong relationship is if we know that we can rely on one another to help each other when it's needed. I know I can rely on you. I just need to know that you think that you can rely on me."
"If I ever need someone to help me battle my personal demons, you'll be at the top of my list. Just don't run into a corner and curl up into a ball."
The door opened as Jason walked inside the penthouse. He never needed to knock. It was more than being a member of the family. Jason just always had a reason for coming into the home. He almost never exchanged the pleasantries himself. It wasn't part of his character. Damian looked over his shoulder, "Morning, Uncle Jason."
It had been about a week since Damian had bequeathed Jason with the title, but Jason still found it to be a little strange. He never let it show, though. Jason Morgan almost never let anything show. "Morning," Jason said blankly.
Damian wouldn't go into asking Jason anything else. Jason was a man of little words and much action. He only went into very uncommon rants when he felt that the situation was extremely dire. Damian didn't mind, he felt closer to Jason because of their extended conversation after the incident with Faith. Of course, when Jason tended to come around it meant that he and Sonny needed to talk about something... and it was more than likely something that Damian wanted nothing of. "I should start studying for one of my tests," Damian headed towards his room. "If you need me, just holler."
Sonny waited until he heard the door close. Even with the door closed, he talked lower than he normally would. He could talk at normal voice level and not have Michael hear if Michael were upstairs, but Damian was much closer since his room was on the bottom floor. Anything that happened in Sonny's life was not always something that he wanted any of his children involved in. When it came to the business, that was almost always the case. "You got some information for me?"
Jason nodded, "We've got a shipment coming in later tonight. It's the shipment that you ordered a few days ago. You want to be there to make sure everything runs smoothly?"
"Do you need me there?"
Jason didn't really need Sonny around him to do anything anymore. There was a time, directly after the accident, when he needed Sonny to act as something of a mentor to him and show him how to stay out of trouble. But Sonny had taught Jason everything that Jason needed to know. He'd never come out and say that he didn't need Sonny, but that was the truth. Simply because he didn't need Sonny did not mean that he found Sonny to be a burden, although on some level that was also true. Jason wanted Sonny to stay out of the business after the incident with Carly and the bullet. He thought that Sonny would stay out for good. Of course, he hadn't anticipated having to deal with the adjustment that came with discovering that Sonny had an illegitimate child that no one knew about. "No, I don't."
"Do you think I should be there?"
"Sonny, the people that you got this shipment from know not to even think about double crossing you."
"Still, I should be there to remind them not to try anything. I'll be there with the rest of you later tonight."
"How are you going to explain that to your son?" Jason asked. "He's never actually been around here when you go and check up on a shipment."
"He knows what I do now, Jason. He's a smart boy, he'll understand where I went."
Jason turned away, "I'll make sure everything keeps on running smoothly."
"If anything changes, you know how to contact me." Sonny watched as Jason left the house, the door closing behind him.
171
Carly hadn't returned from upstairs since she stormed to the second story of the house looking to get away from the person that she perceived as the step-son from hell. Sonny wanted to do something to bring them closer together, but he had learned long ago that forcing Carly into doing anything would be the first way to keep her from doing whatever it was that needed to be done. Carly was very much like Sonny in that respect, neither of them enjoyed being pushed into doing anything. So far, from his observations, Sonny concluded that Damian was more than a little bit like that himself.
"How long should I give her, dad?" He asked.
"Whom? Maxie?"
Damian gave a slight nod of his head in confirmation, "I want her to deal with the problems that she's having. I don't want to smother her if she needs time to be alone. I remember how it felt when people just assumed that you needed someone to be there with you when all you really needed was to be alone and cope in your own way. My grandparents tried to do that with me when my mom died. I don't exactly know if Maxie's feeling like that, but I'm not about to take the chance of throwing myself into something that I shouldn't be involved in."
"I'm about the last person you should ask when it comes to something like that, Damian. I don't know Maxie all that well, and it seems like that would be something that you'd need to get advice from someone who did know her. You could try calling Georgie. Or, if you're really desperate, Mac."
"I'd sooner crawl through a mile of glass with nothing but a pair of boxers on than ask any favors from Mac," Damian was being somewhat sarcastic. He would ask for a lot more than boxers, after all.
"He's been giving you a hard time, hasn't he?"
"What made it obvious?" Damian inquired. "It was the venomously filled spiteful comment, wasn't it?"
"I would have known even without the comment," Sonny said. "Mac's always been like that when it comes to those girls. He loves them so much, even though they aren't really his. I can relate. It makes me respect him, and I try not to give cops my respect as much as possible."
"I respect and appreciate his role in Maxie's life. Georgie's too for that matter. I just wish that he was a little less... intense when it came to unjustly hating me. I get enough of that when I come home and get berated by Carly for doing something that upset her. Usually it involves breathing of some kind." Damian smirked at his own comment, again noting that they could be really close if they could get past the fact that they just did not like each other at all.
"You want the problem eliminated?"
"You're offering to off Mac for me? I'd almost be able to appreciate the offer if I wasn't so repulsed by the fact that you made it."
"I wasn't being entirely serious," Sonny poured himself a glass of water.
"Who are you trying to convince?" Damian asked.
"Mac is one of the few cops on that entire force that isn't crooked, Damian. There are plenty of times that he'll help try and bring me down, but he won't go out of his way to fabricate evidence against me just because the higher ups, which would be Ric and Scott, want it. I try and keep the 'good' cops alive as long as I can."
"And that would be the only reason for you to keep him alive? Because he just happens to be one of the better policemen on the force? It doesn't bother you at all that you would be bringing someone to their death just to keep your empire going?"
Sonny was silent for a moment. "Regardless of how often I do it, I don't like having to kill people. I try and make sure that it is done as little as possible, and only then to keep the people that I care about... that I have pledged to protect... safe. If it comes down to me or one of my enemies dying, you can be damned sure that I'm going to find a way to make it certain that I'm the one who comes out on top. I'm never going to just step down and leave my wife a widow and let my kids live without their father. Sometimes it does bother me, what I do, but it's the life that I have decided that I want and that's usually enough to keep me sane."
"What if it's not the life that other people want for you?"
"I can't live my life by anyone else's rules, son. I'm not the type of person that can take orders. Look at what happened the last time I did..."
"I happened," Damian muttered. "Was that what broke you? Was what happened between you and my mother the thing that made you realize that you couldn't stand around and be anyone's lap dog? Did that give you some sort of epiphany where you decided that you would find a way to make your own destiny?"
"It was one of the things... yeah," Sonny admitted. "But it wasn't the only thing."
"What else was there?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Sonny said.
"I thought we agreed to not keep any secrets from each other."
"I'm not keeping a secret from you, Damian. I just do not want to talk about what I had to do in order to get out of Scully's thrall. The things that he made me do... just recalling what I'll let myself remember is too much for me. I know you wouldn't be able to hear them."
"I'm an adult, I'm old enough."
"But you're not bad enough," Sonny said. "You're too morally righteous to even accept or comprehend what I once did. Please, don't ask me about it. I don't ask very much of you when it comes to accepting what I do, but just accept that some things I can't talk about with anyone... anyone at all."
"Will you come to me if you decide that you can talk about them?" Damian asked. "I'm more resilient than you think I am."
"And I'm less than you think I am."
Damian smiled softly, "You better start shaping back into the cold-faced Sonny Corinthos that people know and loathe. If they see you like this... they might start thinking that you actually have feelings."
"I do have feelings," Sonny said coyly.
"I know that, you know that, and the people that really know you well enough know that, but you don't like letting people outside of your very limited circle in on such dirty little secrets, do you?"
"I think I liked you more when you didn't examine my life on an hourly basis," Sonny took another drink of his water, although the urge to get something stronger was great.
"Did you like it more when I just called you 'Sonny' instead of 'dad?'"
Sonny slumped his shoulders, "You've made your point."
"But you haven't given me an answer," Damian informed his father. "I want you to know that you can come to me when you need someone to talk to, dad. The only way we're going to forge a strong relationship is if we know that we can rely on one another to help each other when it's needed. I know I can rely on you. I just need to know that you think that you can rely on me."
"If I ever need someone to help me battle my personal demons, you'll be at the top of my list. Just don't run into a corner and curl up into a ball."
The door opened as Jason walked inside the penthouse. He never needed to knock. It was more than being a member of the family. Jason just always had a reason for coming into the home. He almost never exchanged the pleasantries himself. It wasn't part of his character. Damian looked over his shoulder, "Morning, Uncle Jason."
It had been about a week since Damian had bequeathed Jason with the title, but Jason still found it to be a little strange. He never let it show, though. Jason Morgan almost never let anything show. "Morning," Jason said blankly.
Damian wouldn't go into asking Jason anything else. Jason was a man of little words and much action. He only went into very uncommon rants when he felt that the situation was extremely dire. Damian didn't mind, he felt closer to Jason because of their extended conversation after the incident with Faith. Of course, when Jason tended to come around it meant that he and Sonny needed to talk about something... and it was more than likely something that Damian wanted nothing of. "I should start studying for one of my tests," Damian headed towards his room. "If you need me, just holler."
Sonny waited until he heard the door close. Even with the door closed, he talked lower than he normally would. He could talk at normal voice level and not have Michael hear if Michael were upstairs, but Damian was much closer since his room was on the bottom floor. Anything that happened in Sonny's life was not always something that he wanted any of his children involved in. When it came to the business, that was almost always the case. "You got some information for me?"
Jason nodded, "We've got a shipment coming in later tonight. It's the shipment that you ordered a few days ago. You want to be there to make sure everything runs smoothly?"
"Do you need me there?"
Jason didn't really need Sonny around him to do anything anymore. There was a time, directly after the accident, when he needed Sonny to act as something of a mentor to him and show him how to stay out of trouble. But Sonny had taught Jason everything that Jason needed to know. He'd never come out and say that he didn't need Sonny, but that was the truth. Simply because he didn't need Sonny did not mean that he found Sonny to be a burden, although on some level that was also true. Jason wanted Sonny to stay out of the business after the incident with Carly and the bullet. He thought that Sonny would stay out for good. Of course, he hadn't anticipated having to deal with the adjustment that came with discovering that Sonny had an illegitimate child that no one knew about. "No, I don't."
"Do you think I should be there?"
"Sonny, the people that you got this shipment from know not to even think about double crossing you."
"Still, I should be there to remind them not to try anything. I'll be there with the rest of you later tonight."
"How are you going to explain that to your son?" Jason asked. "He's never actually been around here when you go and check up on a shipment."
"He knows what I do now, Jason. He's a smart boy, he'll understand where I went."
Jason turned away, "I'll make sure everything keeps on running smoothly."
"If anything changes, you know how to contact me." Sonny watched as Jason left the house, the door closing behind him.
171