Joy- I guess I'm just dense like that in the ways of the relationships.
Perhaps it was predestined that any relationship involving anyone with
Corinthos blood would play out in such a fashion. I enjoy throwing those
little subtle curve balls that don't really go anywhere. Damian and Maxie's
relationship is going to be as strong as it ever was, but for how long?
You're right about Maxie keeping him grounded, but how much good will it do
in the end? See, cryptic. Yay.
We choose to see Sonny the way that he is often portrayed, yes, but I've always enjoyed watching (and writing) the innermost thoughts of the mobster king. Sonny's so dynamic, but a lot of times they don't focus on his dynamics they just focus on what he does. You're absolutely right, though. Once we get past Sonny's preconceptions of this cold hearted mob god, we can see that he's just human and he has very many human traits, like worrying about his brood.
Story-
Corinthos Household.
Why did he feel bad? Why did he feel guilty? He had done what she requested. She wanted to see him, and he gave her what she wanted. He wanted to see her as well. He needed to see that she didn't think that he did anything wrong, because he knew that he didn't. If he couldn't prove that to Maxie then there was really no reason to continue with his desire to maintain his innocence. If she thought he was guilty, then that was all that mattered. She should have been able to see that he was innocent. Thankfully, she did. All of the people that he cared about knew that he didn't do it. Even Ric knew, which was astonishing since everyone was always spending so much time badmouthing Ric and making him seem like he had no sort of sympathy towards anyone or anything at all. Damian had given him the chance that his father would never give him. Courtney, Jason, Carly, they'd never give him that chance either. They had their reasons for being so mistrusting of Ric, but Sonny and Ric were united by the blood of his grandmother, a woman that he had never met and would never meet. He wondered what she was like. Would he have such a strong connection to her if she were in his life? Would he be able to depend on Adella like he was able to depend on Victoria? Would she have been there for him whenever he needed it, unconditionally? He didn't know, and not knowing something like that actually made him very sad. He wanted to know his family. It pained him somewhat growing up knowing that he hadn't even met his father. Now that he had, it pained him knowing that he would never meet his grandmother. To some people it seemed entirely trivial, but to Damian it was something deeply personal. Would Adella believe that her grandson was innocent, even if she didn't know for certain? Would she even support her son's life? Damian knew that she had thrown Sonny out after he had finally reached the breaking point when it came to the abuse that he got at the hands of his step-father. He knew that she wasn't exactly the most stable person. She took Mike's leaving her very harshly and that set off the reaction that continued until her death. She might not have been as accepting of Sonny and his ways as Mike was. In fact, she might have disowned her child if she knew what he had done and what he continued to do. Sonny would have been destroyed if he had known that he lost his mother's love. Maybe it was a good thing that she was gone. Damian would have liked to at least meet her, though.
It was quiet in the house, much too quiet. Even if Michael was taking a nap, something should have been happening. He was deep in thought at first, but now he was alert of his surroundings and there was nothing that he could hear. Did something happen? Did Sonny try to solve the problems that Damian was having by himself? Did he get himself hurt? Why didn't he get a call? His phone was on the whole time, wasn't it?
He checked his cell phone which showed that he had not missed any calls. That only made him more worried. What was going on?
There were sounds coming from the top floor. Faint sounds, someone was walking down the stairs. Was it Leticia? Damian looked and saw Carly standing at the bottom of the stairs. She was wearing a deep blue dress that wasn't too fancy, but it was still incredibly eloquent and looked good on her. She looked like she could be one of the nicest people on the planet. Damian knew better. "You're home?"
"I live here," Carly said. She was sad. She was hoping that it was Sonny that came home, not his son. She had gotten her long moment of relaxation, and now she wanted to spend some time with her husband, with her family. A family that didn't include his bastard child.
"So do I, by your invitation, I might add."
"Don't remind me."
Damian ignored her apathy. "Where is everyone?"
"I sent them out so that I could have some time to just relax. You weren't here, I would have had the house to myself for the first time in a long time."
"Carly... if you really want some alone time with dad I can take Michael and Morgan to the apartment for the night. Its right above Kelly's, so getting dinner and breakfast wouldn't be a problem."
"I wouldn't leave my children with you," Carly stated, not even thanking him for the offer, just flat out refusing to take it seriously.
"Why do I even try?" Damian asked, throwing his hands up in mock defeat.
"I don't know, you tell me."
"What?"
"Why do you try, Damian?" Carly asked. "Why do you keep on trying to place yourself in this family?"
"Because I have a place in it for myself," Damian said. "I'm Sonny's child."
"He wouldn't have even had you... he didn't want to have you."
"You don't think I know that?" Damian asked. "You don't think that I know that being around my father is a constant reminder of his past and how I'm the product of him doing something that he never wanted to do but didn't have a choice in?" Damian walked up to Carly, "Dad was pretty much raped that night, Carly. He didn't want to have sex with my mother, but he did because he was forced to, unwillingly. I know how much he hates being helpless."
"Why do you stay around if you know that you're hurting him?"
"Because he thinks that I blame him for what happened, and because he thinks that I blame him for that he blames himself for it as well. He needs to realize that I don't blame him for anything that happened on that night. I don't blame him for not being around me when I was growing up. I don't blame him for any of my problems that happened before I came here. I just wanted to know who I was, and in order to find that out I needed to find out who he was."
"You know now, you can leave."
Damian shook his head, "I can't just leave, Carly. You might not have much of a problem leaving the people that you care about on a whim, but I've got a little more at stake than that."
"Don't you dare judge me."
"Don't judge me, Carly!" Damian almost shouted. "You've been doing that since the day we met, and you haven't stopped. I was mean to you at first because I didn't want to have any part with this either, but I realized that I belong to this family and that sadly includes you. I've tried to be nice to you, Carly. I've tried to be as accepting towards your animosity as I can be, but you know what, I'm tired of being the one that just takes your constant abuse and belittling."
"I don't want you here."
"I'm staying."
Carly sighed, "I know."
"We can either tear each other to shreds and hurt the people that we both care about, which happens to include your children, your husband, and your best friends, or we can actually find some way to exist together."
"I've never been good at compromise."
"Carly... can I ask you something?"
"What?"
Damian gazed at her, "Why do you hate me? At first I thought it was because you thought I wasn't really dad's son, but you know that I am. I could even see that you were just doing your motherly instincts and trying to keep me from hurting your sons, which I would never do and you know that. Why can't you just accept me for who I am?"
"You take too much away from me, Damian."
"What do I take from you, Carly? You have everything that you could ever want."
"You don't take anything away from me in that way," Carly said. "You're taking my family."
Damian shook his head, "I'm not."
"They're not depending on me anymore," Carly sat on the bottom step. "Michael worships you and wants nothing more than to be worthy in your eyes. Sonny's confiding in you the way that he used to confide in me. You helped Jason after he was shot and you've connected with Courtney in a way that no one has except for me. Everything that I hold dear in my life, you're somehow managing to ruin."
Damian was actually shocked. Carly was showing him a legit reason for her animosity. She wanted to cling onto what she had, because it was so precious to her. She didn't want it to become a memory of the past. She didn't want to lose that. Damian knew what that was like. When his mother died he didn't want to believe that he would have to wake up without her face being there to greet him. He wanted to keep the status quo for as long as he could, even if he knew that it wasn't something he could do. "Would it help if I told you I was sorry?"
Carly laughed, "Yeah, it would really help."
"I'm being serious."
Carly still snickered, "Sure you are."
"Carly... I know how you're feeling."
"Don't compare yourself to me, kid."
"I do. I know how it feels to have everything around you shattered by one event. I know how hard it seems to adjust to that, and I'm sorry for causing that to happen to you."
"You couldn't know what I'm going through," Carly said, still in disbelief.
"I lost my mother, remember? I had a period in my life where everything seemed like I had started over again. Without her, I had nothing. I know how it feels to have everything you've ever thought you knew compromised."
"Why couldn't you stay away?"
"You know why," Damian told her as he sat next to her. "You came back to Port Charles when you found out that Bobbie was your mother. You know what it's like to find out something about yourself and needing to know what it is."
"I came back here to destroy my mother for leaving me. You didn't come here to do the same for Sonny."
"See, you admit that I don't have any dark motive. Carly, they still love you. All of them. You're always going to be Michael and Morgan's mother. They're going to come to you before they come to me on a whole lot of things. You're always going to be Sonny's wife. He's always going to confide in you more because you're his equal, you're not his child. Jason's always going to trust you more than anyone else, the same for Courtney. You're always going to be a fixture in their life, and in mine, too. Regardless of how much I try and tell myself otherwise."
"What makes you say that?"
Damian smirked, "Because we're family." He meant it. Through the good and the bad, that's what they were. She'd never be his mother. He'd never be her son, but they couldn't get past the bonds that did tie them together.
We choose to see Sonny the way that he is often portrayed, yes, but I've always enjoyed watching (and writing) the innermost thoughts of the mobster king. Sonny's so dynamic, but a lot of times they don't focus on his dynamics they just focus on what he does. You're absolutely right, though. Once we get past Sonny's preconceptions of this cold hearted mob god, we can see that he's just human and he has very many human traits, like worrying about his brood.
Story-
Corinthos Household.
Why did he feel bad? Why did he feel guilty? He had done what she requested. She wanted to see him, and he gave her what she wanted. He wanted to see her as well. He needed to see that she didn't think that he did anything wrong, because he knew that he didn't. If he couldn't prove that to Maxie then there was really no reason to continue with his desire to maintain his innocence. If she thought he was guilty, then that was all that mattered. She should have been able to see that he was innocent. Thankfully, she did. All of the people that he cared about knew that he didn't do it. Even Ric knew, which was astonishing since everyone was always spending so much time badmouthing Ric and making him seem like he had no sort of sympathy towards anyone or anything at all. Damian had given him the chance that his father would never give him. Courtney, Jason, Carly, they'd never give him that chance either. They had their reasons for being so mistrusting of Ric, but Sonny and Ric were united by the blood of his grandmother, a woman that he had never met and would never meet. He wondered what she was like. Would he have such a strong connection to her if she were in his life? Would he be able to depend on Adella like he was able to depend on Victoria? Would she have been there for him whenever he needed it, unconditionally? He didn't know, and not knowing something like that actually made him very sad. He wanted to know his family. It pained him somewhat growing up knowing that he hadn't even met his father. Now that he had, it pained him knowing that he would never meet his grandmother. To some people it seemed entirely trivial, but to Damian it was something deeply personal. Would Adella believe that her grandson was innocent, even if she didn't know for certain? Would she even support her son's life? Damian knew that she had thrown Sonny out after he had finally reached the breaking point when it came to the abuse that he got at the hands of his step-father. He knew that she wasn't exactly the most stable person. She took Mike's leaving her very harshly and that set off the reaction that continued until her death. She might not have been as accepting of Sonny and his ways as Mike was. In fact, she might have disowned her child if she knew what he had done and what he continued to do. Sonny would have been destroyed if he had known that he lost his mother's love. Maybe it was a good thing that she was gone. Damian would have liked to at least meet her, though.
It was quiet in the house, much too quiet. Even if Michael was taking a nap, something should have been happening. He was deep in thought at first, but now he was alert of his surroundings and there was nothing that he could hear. Did something happen? Did Sonny try to solve the problems that Damian was having by himself? Did he get himself hurt? Why didn't he get a call? His phone was on the whole time, wasn't it?
He checked his cell phone which showed that he had not missed any calls. That only made him more worried. What was going on?
There were sounds coming from the top floor. Faint sounds, someone was walking down the stairs. Was it Leticia? Damian looked and saw Carly standing at the bottom of the stairs. She was wearing a deep blue dress that wasn't too fancy, but it was still incredibly eloquent and looked good on her. She looked like she could be one of the nicest people on the planet. Damian knew better. "You're home?"
"I live here," Carly said. She was sad. She was hoping that it was Sonny that came home, not his son. She had gotten her long moment of relaxation, and now she wanted to spend some time with her husband, with her family. A family that didn't include his bastard child.
"So do I, by your invitation, I might add."
"Don't remind me."
Damian ignored her apathy. "Where is everyone?"
"I sent them out so that I could have some time to just relax. You weren't here, I would have had the house to myself for the first time in a long time."
"Carly... if you really want some alone time with dad I can take Michael and Morgan to the apartment for the night. Its right above Kelly's, so getting dinner and breakfast wouldn't be a problem."
"I wouldn't leave my children with you," Carly stated, not even thanking him for the offer, just flat out refusing to take it seriously.
"Why do I even try?" Damian asked, throwing his hands up in mock defeat.
"I don't know, you tell me."
"What?"
"Why do you try, Damian?" Carly asked. "Why do you keep on trying to place yourself in this family?"
"Because I have a place in it for myself," Damian said. "I'm Sonny's child."
"He wouldn't have even had you... he didn't want to have you."
"You don't think I know that?" Damian asked. "You don't think that I know that being around my father is a constant reminder of his past and how I'm the product of him doing something that he never wanted to do but didn't have a choice in?" Damian walked up to Carly, "Dad was pretty much raped that night, Carly. He didn't want to have sex with my mother, but he did because he was forced to, unwillingly. I know how much he hates being helpless."
"Why do you stay around if you know that you're hurting him?"
"Because he thinks that I blame him for what happened, and because he thinks that I blame him for that he blames himself for it as well. He needs to realize that I don't blame him for anything that happened on that night. I don't blame him for not being around me when I was growing up. I don't blame him for any of my problems that happened before I came here. I just wanted to know who I was, and in order to find that out I needed to find out who he was."
"You know now, you can leave."
Damian shook his head, "I can't just leave, Carly. You might not have much of a problem leaving the people that you care about on a whim, but I've got a little more at stake than that."
"Don't you dare judge me."
"Don't judge me, Carly!" Damian almost shouted. "You've been doing that since the day we met, and you haven't stopped. I was mean to you at first because I didn't want to have any part with this either, but I realized that I belong to this family and that sadly includes you. I've tried to be nice to you, Carly. I've tried to be as accepting towards your animosity as I can be, but you know what, I'm tired of being the one that just takes your constant abuse and belittling."
"I don't want you here."
"I'm staying."
Carly sighed, "I know."
"We can either tear each other to shreds and hurt the people that we both care about, which happens to include your children, your husband, and your best friends, or we can actually find some way to exist together."
"I've never been good at compromise."
"Carly... can I ask you something?"
"What?"
Damian gazed at her, "Why do you hate me? At first I thought it was because you thought I wasn't really dad's son, but you know that I am. I could even see that you were just doing your motherly instincts and trying to keep me from hurting your sons, which I would never do and you know that. Why can't you just accept me for who I am?"
"You take too much away from me, Damian."
"What do I take from you, Carly? You have everything that you could ever want."
"You don't take anything away from me in that way," Carly said. "You're taking my family."
Damian shook his head, "I'm not."
"They're not depending on me anymore," Carly sat on the bottom step. "Michael worships you and wants nothing more than to be worthy in your eyes. Sonny's confiding in you the way that he used to confide in me. You helped Jason after he was shot and you've connected with Courtney in a way that no one has except for me. Everything that I hold dear in my life, you're somehow managing to ruin."
Damian was actually shocked. Carly was showing him a legit reason for her animosity. She wanted to cling onto what she had, because it was so precious to her. She didn't want it to become a memory of the past. She didn't want to lose that. Damian knew what that was like. When his mother died he didn't want to believe that he would have to wake up without her face being there to greet him. He wanted to keep the status quo for as long as he could, even if he knew that it wasn't something he could do. "Would it help if I told you I was sorry?"
Carly laughed, "Yeah, it would really help."
"I'm being serious."
Carly still snickered, "Sure you are."
"Carly... I know how you're feeling."
"Don't compare yourself to me, kid."
"I do. I know how it feels to have everything around you shattered by one event. I know how hard it seems to adjust to that, and I'm sorry for causing that to happen to you."
"You couldn't know what I'm going through," Carly said, still in disbelief.
"I lost my mother, remember? I had a period in my life where everything seemed like I had started over again. Without her, I had nothing. I know how it feels to have everything you've ever thought you knew compromised."
"Why couldn't you stay away?"
"You know why," Damian told her as he sat next to her. "You came back to Port Charles when you found out that Bobbie was your mother. You know what it's like to find out something about yourself and needing to know what it is."
"I came back here to destroy my mother for leaving me. You didn't come here to do the same for Sonny."
"See, you admit that I don't have any dark motive. Carly, they still love you. All of them. You're always going to be Michael and Morgan's mother. They're going to come to you before they come to me on a whole lot of things. You're always going to be Sonny's wife. He's always going to confide in you more because you're his equal, you're not his child. Jason's always going to trust you more than anyone else, the same for Courtney. You're always going to be a fixture in their life, and in mine, too. Regardless of how much I try and tell myself otherwise."
"What makes you say that?"
Damian smirked, "Because we're family." He meant it. Through the good and the bad, that's what they were. She'd never be his mother. He'd never be her son, but they couldn't get past the bonds that did tie them together.