Chapter 16

Sitting at the dining table, Alexis was carefully and meticulously reviewing, analyzing and checking off her reasons for severing Sonny from the life of privilege he spent so many years building. As ridiculous as the idea seemed she was trying hard to find a reason, an excuse, anything that could help absolve him of his many crimes against humanity. But no matter how hard she tried, how much she wanted to believe he was more than he proved himself to be... there were two unrelenting facts that couldn't be ignored. Sonny preyed on the less fortunate and destroyed people's lives without a second thought. She shuddered thinking about how he dealt with his own family, his son... a boy who was already learning how to manipulate people and circumstances to suit his own needs. A boy who was learning that love was nothing more than a tool to hold people captive behind a fortress of demands, rules and cold ruthlessness.

"I will not let him do to Kristina what he has already begun to do to his own son. And just maybe without him as a role model, Michael will learn a new way of dealing with the complexities of life without Sonny around to lead him further into that world of hate and domination he loves so much."

With her jaw firmly set, Alexis rose from the table and took a final look around her apartment. Everything was in place and ready for her altercation with Sonny. The surveillance cameras were in place, all of her most treasured keepsakes put away out of the reach of school boy temper tantrums and the reason for what she was about to do graced her coffee table in the form of a framed photo of Kristina and herself. She chose this particular photo because she wanted the image of herself and Kristina to be the last image Sonny was subjected to before being handcuffed and escorted to jail. For the rest of his life, he would know what his life of bitterness and crime cost him and when he thought of his daughter he would also see her mother and know that his first born would remain safe in the care of a woman who proved her love by doing everything she could to protect their daughter; including taking her away from a man who would have eventually destroyed her life.

Closing her eyes, she bowed her head as the weight of remorse fell upon her. A knock on her door startled her out of her reverie and looking down at her watch she frowned. It was too early for Sonny. She walked quickly to the door and opened it to find Dara waiting impatiently.

"What's wrong, Dara?"

"Relax, Alexis. There's nothing wrong. Everything is ready to go and everyone is in place. But a certain someone was worried about you and met me as I was coming up the walk. He asked me to give you this before Sonny arrived."

Glancing down, her eyes misted as a smile spread across her face when she saw to the photo Dara was offering to her. He continued to surprise her in the most unexpected ways and it amazed her that somehow he always knew when she needed a lift in her spirit. She reached and took the photo from a smiling Dara who spoke low and conspiratorially. "He asked me to tell you to put it in your pocket and if things got tough remember you have a fan club waiting for you."

Alexis raised the photo of Ric and Kristina to get a better look as laughter burst from her at the sight of Ric kneeling beside her daughter his arms wrapped around her as Kristina hugged his neck tightly. Both so covered in mud their stark white teeth seemed to fill the photo. Her laughter stilled as she felt Dara's hand grasp her wrist and turn it over.

"Looks like he left you a message."

She read his hastily scribbled message. "I couldn't resist. This is one of those moments that should be shared and held onto for a lifetime. The only thing missing is you.

She unconsciously placed his glossy mud-covered face against her heart and breathed deeply. "He's not making it easy for me to ignore what's going on in my heart."

Peering up at Alexis, Dara saw the reluctant fear in her eyes and smiled sympathetically. "I don't think I'd want to, Alexis. He's trying to help you get through today the only way he can. This is not the action of a man who is selfish, or motivated by hate. He asked me to tell you that if things get tough, just hang onto that picture and know that they are hanging on to you. Alexis, that man is in love with you whether you want to admit it to yourself or not."

"Dara, there is just so much about this whole thing that could go wrong. Do you not remember the man who blew into town not so long ago and began to wreak havoc with peoples lives all in the name of destroying his brother."

"I remember him, but my question to you is why bring that man up now? Are you trying to push Ric as far away as you can emotionally so he won't be able to work his way into your heart? I don't believe that the man who brought that picture here is the same man who arrived in this town."

She couldn't argue with Dara; she was right. "No, he's not the same man. And I don't know how to react to that."

"Of course you don't. Why would you? When was the last time any man did something for you that was totally about you without any thought to himself?"

Dara was getting extremely too close to the thoughts she herself had been analyzing so much lately. And now was not the time for this conversation to continue. She needed time to refocus herself on her meeting with Sonny.

"Dara, I don't know how all of this is going to eventually play out, what I do know is that I can't think about it anymore right now. I have to be prepared to meet Sonny. What I have to do in the next hour is going to require a castration of my emotional ties to a man that once made a difference in my life. I need some time to get organized mentally."

"I understand, Alexis." Looking down at her watch and checking the time, Dara stepped back out into the hallway. "You have twenty minutes. And don't worry, Lucky and his buddy are already in place and we'll be here if things get nasty." Seeing the apprehension on Alexis' face, Dara reached out and took hold of Alexis' hand. "Hey, it's going to be alright. Just keep it short and sweet. When you're ready for us to come in, just send me the signal and I'll be here instantaneously."

Squeezing Dara's hand, Alexis smiled thankfully. "I'm glad you're here, Dara. I'm glad we could do this together. Now don't worry, I'll be fine." Turning away she closed the door behind her and set about preparing herself to face Sonny. Looking down at the picture in her hand she placed it carefully in the back pocket of her jeans mindful of its edges and pressed it close against her body smiling as the feeling of being alone in her fight was chased away by two smiling muddy faces.

The twenty minutes passed all too quickly and Alexis stood slowly as she heard his knock on the door. She knew it was Sonny this time. She recognized his definitive staccato knock. How many times had she heard it over the years? How many times had her heart jumped at its sound? Now she faced it with dread. It was time. Time to deliberately and finally take him completely out of her life and the life of her daughter. Her heart ached with what she was about to do to a man who once meant the world to her. Who once held her future in his hands! She reached behind her and slid her hand into the back pocket of her jeans and felt the comfort of a single picture. She closed her eyes briefly and whispered from her heart... "I'm sorry Kristina for taking your father from you. And I'm sorry for taking your brother away from you, Ric. I only hope that you both don't eventually hate me for what I am about to do." With that Alexis walked to the door, took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob. Swinging open the door she met his icy gaze and stepped back lifting her hand to invite him in, closing the door as he sauntered past her as though he owned the place.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Sonny. Could I interest you in a drink or something?"

"I don't have a lot of time here, Alexis. The only reason I came at all was your cryptic reference to our time in Puerto Rico together. I can only assume that you're ready to forget the past couple of years and come crawling back to me for a job?"

If there were any remaining doubts of whether she could pull off her agenda against Sonny Corinthos, they melted away with his insolent cruelty.

"I have a job, Sonny. A job I intend to do to the very best of my ability." She watched him stride arrogantly toward her fireplace and turn back to stare at her with unveiled hostility.

"So I was right. You are going to use your new position as ADA to try and take me down."

"I'm not going to try anything, Sonny."

'Semantics', she thought to herself. How could you try to do something if the outcome was already a foregone conclusion? She watched him slide his hands into his pockets and rock back and forth on his heels as though he were in complete command of the situation. She pitied him in that moment.

"So what's this all about, Alexis? You have your attorney set up a meeting that you could have set up yourself. Why? What are you up to?"

She moved to stand behind the sofa so that there was a barrier between them and answered his question as honestly as she could without giving too much away too soon. "I doubt very seriously if you would have come, Sonny. Your track record over the past couple of years hasn't been that great."

"What are you talking about?" His eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled the few times Alexis had called for help and he refused. He snorted derisively. "You walked away... you made it your business to start defaming my character all over Port Charles and then when you get yourself into a bit of a jam, you call your good buddy Sonny to pull you out of whatever mess you got yourself into. I didn't feel inclined to set myself up again for one of your neurotic fits."

Feeling her anger rise, Alexis forced herself to calm down. It wouldn't do either of them any good to rehash the past. It was over.

"Raking through our past will only serve to irritate us both and further cement your hatred of me. Why don't we just get down to the reason I called?"

"Fine."

Walking around her sofa she invited him to sit and when he chose the most strategically offensive seat he could find she sat across from him knowing it was only a matter of time now and his attitude of superiority would be sorely tested and found lacking. Breathing deeply she began.

"The second trial I faced as a defense counselor in Port Charles was defending Tony Jones against kidnapping charges. I'm sure you remember it since the child in question was Michael. Something occurred during that trial that you might find interesting."

Alexis reached toward the coffee table and picked up the same file she presented to Dara during that trial to force the result she needed. Leaning further toward Sonny she offered it to him and waited for him to open it. When his eyes finally met hers once more, she felt his anger emanating toward her.

"So you know Dara worked for me once. What of it?"

She knew his flippant remark was his way of keeping his temper under control so it wouldn't make him vulnerable.

"When I took over as counsel for you, I thought it prudent to keep an eye on Dara. So, that's what I've done over the past few years." His silence was deafening... she continued. "She's been kept very busy on behalf of your interests." Reaching down she picked up the final copy of all the documents she diligently collected over the years. Rather than hand it directly to him she placed it on the coffee table in front of him and sat back slightly to wait for his response preparing for the inevitable tirade. Their eyes met over the file and held; his full of defiance, bitterness and rage; hers full of regret and determination. She watched him slowly reach down and pick it up. He began to leaf through it casually as though it were just another coffee contract. She knew his anger was quickly morphing into something he couldn't contain. The tremble of the pages in his hand was proof enough. When he was through, he threw the file back on the table mindless of the knick-knacks and didn't blink once when the file swept them all to the floor and followed to land on top of them, documents flying everywhere.

"What do you want, ADA Davis? You want to make a deal or something? Is that why I'm here rather than sitting in a cell down at the PCPD?"

She wasn't ready to reveal her reason yet. She wanted to know just how malicious her daughter's father actually was; how much she herself had been taken in by his schoolboy charm and masterfully manipulative ways. "How long do you intend to keep Jared Jensen a prisoner in your coffee fields?"

The dark of his eyes flickered just once. If they had not been so close at one time, Alexis would have missed it.

"I don't know anyone by that name." He replied.

"Would you remember if I asked whether it was you or one of your henchmen who actually put a bullet into Ty Jensen's head one night and tossed him into the water off Pier 52?"

She rose defensively as he stood abruptly and paced back to stand in front of the fireplace trying to calm the rage that was beginning to overtake him. His cold measured words held little effect on her as her own anger rose at the cold cruel seditious arrogance of the man in front of her.

"So you've been talking to Dara. Too bad there's no proof to tie me to that little act of retaliation."

"No, but we do have proof of you kidnapping his brother and forcing Dara to work off his debt to you for the past ten years against her will. And not only can we prove your guilt of those two crimes, but I am also in possession of every file, every contract, every phone call Dara ever made on your behalf."

"So I'll ask again... what do you want from me to make all this go away?"

There was no doubt how he felt toward her in that moment. The last time she saw the look he was leveling at her was on the island of St. Sophia the night he caught AJ in bed with his newly discovered sister. Deep, dark, insidious hate!

Giving herself time to settle the fear threatening to overwhelm her, Alexis turned and walked back around the sofa to again place a barrier between them. She needed a second to make sure she could answer him without her voice breaking.

"There's nothing you can give or do for me to make this go away, Sonny. I want you off the streets. I want you shut down so you can no longer destroy people's lives. I want you to know what it feels like to be locked behind impenetrable walls. I want your sons to have a chance to live a normal life. I want to know that I will never have to see another unfortunate victim raped by our justice system because you found a way to manipulate yourself free of a conviction. And I want to know for sure that my daughter will never be sacrificed because of your inability to see just how poisoned with bitterness and hate you really are."

His face full of black rage, she saw him take a menacing step toward her and she lifted her hand and pointed toward her bookcase. "Be careful, Sonny. You're being filmed. I don't think you want to add a charge of assault to the list."

His eyes followed to where her finger pointed and found the camera. "Why you b..." He stopped as an idea suddenly struck him.

"Ric is behind this. You're doing his dirty work for him. He wasn't man enough to face me himself so he's hiding behind his current mistress and a camera like the coward he's always been."

Hearing Ric's name come out of Sonny's mouth brought her emotions too close to the edge. Her hand slowly found its way into her back pocket where she touched the photo holding the smiles of both her daughter and Ric. She felt her rising anger melt when she realized it would only be a little while longer and she could wrap them in her arms knowing they would both be safe for the rest of their lives. Sonny's silence drew her eyes back to him.

He was staring at a photo of Kristina on the bookshelf next to the camera and he finally turned back to her...

"What do I have to do with your daughter?" he asked contemptuously as her previous words linking him somehow with her daughter finally sank in.
It was time... she couldn't prolong the inevitable any longer. She nodded her head toward the coffee table. "There's a manila envelope on the table. I think you'll find its contents of a personal interest to you."

He eyed her suspiciously and slowly reached down to pick up the file. His eyes never left hers until the file was unclasped and the document in his hands. Looking down finally he read the title. "Lab Analysis - Complete: Document of Paternity" He let his eyes slowly drift down to find the mother's name and then further to find the father. His eyes reddened on contact and he lifted his head to stare at her as wave after wave of rage rolled over him. His legs began to tremble and his fist closed around the document his white knuckles almost the color of the paper he held. "You kept her from me... for two years you stole my daughter..." He took a step toward her then stopped... looking down again to make sure... to prove that he wasn't imagining it... he focused on his name once again. "I'm her father," he whispered. "She's mine". He looked back up to find Alexis and took another measured step toward her. "You took from me the only thing you could find that would hurt the most. You took my flesh and blood and lied to me. You stole my child... Why?"

She couldn't contain the chuckle of unbelief. "Why, Sonny? Surely you can't be that daft? Look at your life. Look at what you've done to your life. Do you honestly think that I would deliberately put my daughter's life in jeopardy by allowing you access to her?"

"YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO KEEP HER FROM ME. SHE'S MINE."

His screaming rage only calmed her more. He couldn't get to her this time. She was no longer fighting alone. Her voice calm and direct met his ears. "The only part of her that's yours is half her blood. That's not enough for me to forget the man you've turned out to be. I will not let you destroy her life the way you are destroying Michael's. Look at your son, Sonny. Look at what he is already learning from you! He's filled with anger and bitterness. He challenges every word out of your mouth now and he is constantly manipulating the people around him to try and gain control of a life he thinks he wants. You are not going to get close enough to my daughter to exact the same type of behavior and fear from her. I am not about to take a chance on you gaining partial custody and someday finding myself standing over a coffin because she was caught in the middle of one of your wars. I love her too much to allow you anywhere near her."

He couldn't control the rage within and turning he picked up the nearest thing he could find and threw it against the wall.

'One vase gone...' she thought dispassionately. She watched as he turned again and spied the contents of her mantle. 'Well, I wasn't too crazy about those things either.' He turned once more and finally caught sight of the framed photo on the coffee table. She watched as he reached down and picked it up. It was the photo of herself and Kristina. She took a step back as his eyes came up to meet hers once again. Her life meant nothing to him anymore. She could see it very clearly in his eyes. There were now two people in the world who wished her dead. His cold questioning voice met her ears once more.

"Why are you doing this, Alexis? Why are you really doing this? Do you really hate me so much? Is this all that's left of our friendship? We were close once. What did
I ever do to you to cause you to turn on me like this."

"This is not about you and I, Sonny. This is about loving and protecting my daughter."

"And what about her father. How will she ever know that he loves her? I'm damn sure she won't hear it from you."

Alexis sighed heavily before responding. "Sonny, I don't want my daughter to learn your way of loving. Love is not possessive. Love is not squashing the object of your desire under your thumb so they are unable to move, breathe, or live without restriction! Love is setting them free to be the person they were intended to be. Love is doing whatever you have to do to keep them safe no matter how distasteful or difficult."

"Like feigning insanity or dressing up like a man or stealing a man's daughter from him..." Sonny chided derisively

"I did what I had to in order to protect my daughter. But, I am not going to defend my actions to you. This is not about me. This is about Kristina."

"I'm sure it is." He taunted with a cruel malicious smile. "Only we're not really talking about my daughter now, are we? You still hold me responsible for your sister's death."

She felt the familiar queasiness settle in the pit of her stomach that occurred any time she was reminded of how her sister died. Forcing herself to remain calm she slipped her hand back into the pocket of her jeans to find the warmth of a glossy photo. Her anxiety abated a little as she denied his accusation.

"No, this is not about my sister. I am well aware that you were not cognizant of the bomb that killed her. This is not about anyone else except my daughter. This is about making sure that Kristina stays alive and safe for the rest of her life. This is about making sure that you do not have the chance to poison her like you've poisoned Michael with your inability to deal with the repercussions of your choices, the insanity of your own life. And finally this is about you finally paying for a lifetime of crime against humanity. Sonny... you've left a trail of death behind you... you've trampled, preyed upon and destroyed every life that ever got in your way all in the name of building an empire you could hide yourself behind. All because you were too busy wallowing in self-pity and anger and bitterness because of the way you were treated as a child. You refused to grow up and deal with it like a man. Well, the fate of your empire is in my hands now. And it's time for you to reap the benefits of a life you chose to use as a weapon. I not only have the documents I've personally procured over the past few years, but I have all of Dara's files as well. And until now, I wasn't entirely sure how involved I wanted to be in bringing about a conclusion to this whole mess. But, I'm tired of this... I'm tired of fighting you. I'm tired of being afraid of what you would do once you found out about my daughter."

"MY DAUGHTER, ALEXIS. MY DAUGHTER!"

She ignored his enraged outburst and continued. "All of the files that I have in my possession will be turned over to the FBI. Marcus Taggert is escorting Jared Jensen back to the states even as we speak and once he is returned we will have the proof we need of your involvement in his exile. I'm also sure that Dara will be available to testify to your blackmail of her time and expertise with the law as well." Alexis looked toward the camera and waved signaling to Dara and Lucky that she was finished.

Sonny watched her intently and when he realized what she was doing, made a run for the door pushing her violently to the floor as he passed her, then looked back down at her with eyes smoldering with revulsion. His cold deadly words chilled her to the bone. "You won't get away with this Alexis. I'll be back and I'll be coming for my daughter. And you better get your affairs in order. You should have killed me. Because I won't rest until you're only a vague memory to my daughter." He turned back toward the door and just as he reached it, it was thrown open and Lucky rushed in with his gun pulled and pointed at his chest as another officer stepped behind him with a weapon trained as well. He stopped cold. His eyes found Dara. "You'll go down with her the first chance I get. Your days are numbered."

"Yeah, Yeah." Dara chided him. Looking up at Lucky she nodded toward Sonny. "Cuff him and read him his rights, then get him out of here. Take the back stairs just in case there was more than one guard with him." She looked back at Sonny. "We took care of Max just after you entered the apartment." Finding Alexis using the back of the sofa to pull herself up from the floor, Dara reached to help. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. But, when you get to the station I want you to call Agent Ford. Give him your files and mine. Do what has to be done to turn this whole affair over to the FBI. I'm done with this... I want no more to do with it."

Understanding what Alexis was doing, Dara turned back to Sonny and stepped closer looking up into his eyes. She grinned triumphantly. "How does it feel, Mr. Corinthos? How does it feel to have your life ripped away from you? How does it feel to be facing a term of life in prison or quite possibly a death sentence? Look at my face you pompous ass... I hope it's one of the last faces you remember before your worthless soul leaves your body. And just think! It took a woman who at one time really cared about you to finally bring you down. In fact, she will probably live with this day for the rest of her life... not because she enjoyed it, but because she was forced to take an action against someone she once cared for very deeply. You did this, Sonny. You and you alone! But, I'm glad it's done and I hope you rot in hell for what you did to my brothers." Dara felt Alexis standing behind her and when she felt an arm gently fall to her waist and pull her back, she realized by the violent tremors in her body how out of control her emotions were. She allowed Alexis to take over and she stepped back but kept her eyes trained on Sonny. She wasn't about to let him get the chance to slip away.

Alexis gazed into his eyes once more and felt her heart betray her with unwanted compassion for him. But she succumbed to the feeling knowing that their past would always be a part of her. She would always remember the care he showed her, a care that was real and true. No one would ever be able to convince her otherwise.

"I wish things could have been different, Sonny. I wish that you could have seen the life that was out there just waiting for you to want it bad enough to claim it for yourself. A life of peace and love and children all safe and eager to share it with you without reason to fear or hide! Waiting for you to decide you wanted a family more than you wanted your power and money and respect. And I'm sorry for what this will do to Michael. But, maybe he will have a chance now to grow up as all little boys were intended." He was sullen... she could see in his eyes that he was already trying to put together a plan of escape. She sighed sadly and walked back to the coffee table. Bending down she retrieved the photo of herself and Kristina. Returning to stand in front of Sonny she started to put it in his pocket.

"Tear it down the middle." His words were cold... hard... his face granite. She did as he asked. She knew what he wanted. Dropping the half that contained her picture to the floor she placed the other half with his daughter's smiling face into his pocket. She couldn't explain it nor could she stop herself. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Good-bye, Sonny. Please take care of yourself." She turned away and left the room before anyone had the chance to see the tears coursing down her face. Dara would take care of the rest. Her part was done. She had accomplished her task the best way she knew how. Her daughter's father was now a ghost. Her friend... confidant... and protector... gone just as abruptly as he had entered her life. She lay down across her bed and let the tears fall.