Note: SORRY! I added the chapter yesterday to the upload, but I didn't add it to the story. So, today, two chapters. Again, so sorry!

Story-

Corinthos Household-

Sonny wouldn't likely admit it, but he did have a very nice time on New Years Eve. He did love to be with the people who he cared about, alone, just talking about things that they sometimes forgot. Sonny knew full well that it was because of him that his family could never have the type of happiness that they deserved. He could shower them with all the gifts that his money could buy, but in the end it wouldn't matter. The one thing that Sonny couldn't give them was the one thing that they should have been able to get regardless of who they were related to: safety. He couldn't grant them the assurance that they would make it to the end of the day. While it was true that such things could never be certain, Sonny knew that there was even less of a chance for him. Every night he thanked God for giving him and his family just another day together, knowing that each day meant they were one day closer to everything ending. He didn't want that, but it was one of the few things that was beyond the power of Sonny Corinthos to permit.

The crime lord sat on the couch, which had yet to be moved back to the usual location, and reflected on his life. The mistakes that he had made, the great times that he had with his friends and with his family. All in all, Sonny had plenty of regrets, but deep down he knew that his life was good, despite everything that was thrown at him. He hadn't been beat down yet, and that was something that most people in his position couldn't claim. Sonny was far too stubborn to just play dead. Too stubborn and too proud.

"Daddy?"

Sonny's brown eyes looked towards the top of the stairs. Michael was still too short to be seen over the banister, but that would change in a few years. The boy was growing up, and Sonny wasn't sure what that would bring. He'd never raised a teenager before, but he knew what it was like to be one. There were things that Sonny could do in order to prevent Michael's formative teenage years from being like his, but ultimately no matter who the person was they usually went though the same things, the crisis of identity, the need to break away. Sonny was going to lose his little boy.

"You're always up before I wake up," Michael made his way down the stairs. "Even though you go to bed a lot later than I do."

"One of us needs to be up before you do in case you have something that you need, buddy. And since your mother hates getting up in the morning, I get to be the one." Sonny didn't want to tell Michael the complete truth, the truth being that he couldn't sleep that long because he would be haunted by his dreams. Dreams of Lily, of the child that they lost, and now of that night where Damian was conceived. They were just some of the nightmares that would plague Sonny for the rest of his life. Of course, Sonny did not show his torment, especially not to the boy. Instead he grinned, "I don't mind, I like being alone with you, even if it's just for a little while."

Michael made his way over to the couch and sat next to his father. How he idolized Sonny. Some worried about what type of a person that Sonny Corinthos really was, but Michael was not among them. He knew that Sonny was a good man, but he also knew that his father was not without his flaws. Everyone had something that they were bad at. People couldn't be perfect. Sonny was the closet thing to perfection that Michael needed. "I like spending time with you, too…"

Sonny kissed the boy on the forehead, knowing full well that the time was dwindling when Michael wanted to spend time with him. At most, Sonny had about three years left to him, and he would make the most of that time. "You know how much of an honor it is for me to be your father, don't you?"

"You're the best dad in the whole world, I wouldn't want anyone else…"

"Thanks, buddy."

Michael leaned against his father's shoulder. He was still tired, but his mind was as active as ever. "How do you think it was for Damian?"

Sonny wasn't sure what Michael was asking. "How was what for him?"

"Growing up. He didn't have a daddy, right?"

"No," Sonny's response was filled with the remorse that came with the realization that he had managed to skip out on being a father to one of his children for such a long period of time. "Damian didn't have a dad."

"So who did he go to when he needed someone like I need you?"

"He has his grandfather. Elias would do anything for Damian, he still would. Your big brother is lucky that he had someone like that in his life growing up, someone who could tell him what to do and how to be the great person that he is." In truth, Elias was probably a better person to be around growing up than Sonny could ever be, but Sonny knew that he and his oldest child loved each other.

"I just think about what would happen if I didn't have you," Michael's mind was always thinking about the what ifs, just like any other child. "I don't want to think about things like that, but I can't help it."

"You don't have to worry about it, buddy. I'm here for you, and I'm here for Morgan and Damian, too. I'm going to be here for as long as I can and even when I'm not you're going to do the right thing, because you have a good heart and you would never do something to hurt another person."

"When I'm a dad I want to be just like you."

It was a compliment, but it wasn't exactly the best thing to say. Michael didn't know everything about Sonny. He was a good father, or so he liked to tell himself, but that didn't mean that he was infallible. "When you become a father, and you had better wait for a long time before you do become one, you'll do everything that you can to be a good dad, that's all you can do. Nobody knows how to be a perfect dad, we just learn as we go along. When you were younger I was nervous. I'd never really been a father to anyone before, and I didn't really have the best examples on how to do things, but I'd like to think that I managed to do pretty well despite those disadvantages."

"Uncle Jason was like that, too…"

"What?"

"He was telling me about how when I was a baby and he was my dad that he didn't know how to do anything. He would be afraid of what would happen when I would cry or when I would need something to eat. It's funny because I didn't know that Uncle Jason didn't know how to do something. He's good at everything."

"Yeah… Jason's good at everything. Except Dancing."

"Dancing?"

Sonny chuckled, "Don't worry about it."

"Why do you two always get to have some fun without me?" Carly was holding Morgan as she came down the stairs, still dressed in her nightgown. "Sometimes I wish that I had a daughter so I would have some girl time."

"Girl time?" Michael made a face, "Yuck…"

"What have you been filling my child's mind with, Sonny? Have you been turning him against the female gender?"

"Kid has a mind of his own, Carly."

"Mommy, does Uncle Jason dance well?"

"Uncle Jason can dance… let's leave it at that." She still managed to get a chuckle out of the way that he looked when he was trying to dance with her. That reason alone was worth having a second party the next year. "Happy New Year, Michael."

"Happy New Year, Mommy. You too, daddy."

"We saved you some cake, just like we promised." Sonny's culinary talents truly knew no bounds.

"Can I have it?"

"Why don't we save it for a little later, Mr. Man?" Carly suggested. "You need a good breakfast first, you can have some after that, I promise."

The door opened and Damian walked in. He saw his family, all eyes were on him. "Morning…"

"Damian!" Michael rushed off the couch and towards his brother.

Before he had a chance to even blink he felt a vice grip on his leg as his little brother continued to squeeze, "Don't cut off the circulation…"

"Huh?"

"Nothing." He smiled. "Michael… sorry about yesterday. I know I said I would be here with you last night…"

"Daddy told me that you couldn't get on the plane because of all the snow. I know it isn't your fault. I'm just glad that you're here now."

He ran his hand through Michael's already messed up hair. Bed hair was not kind to people. "So am I."

"Did you have fun?" Carly asked. "I remember my first visit to New York… I couldn't stop looking around, everything seemed so different, even the McDonalds."

"I don't want to go back… too many people."

"Just be happy you live here," Sonny stood up and walked towards them. "Come on, buddy, we'll make you something to eat for breakfast. Damian, you want something?"

"No, I'm not hungry."

"Carly?"

She shook her head, "I'll just grab some fruit or something a little later. I should feed Morgan in a few minutes anyway."

Sonny and Michael walked away into the kitchen. It was then that Damian realized he was all alone with Carly. Morgan was there, but the baby was too young to really be a factor in the whole situation that was there. A situation that Carly herself wasn't even aware of.

"But you did have fun, right?" She continued with her train of thought. "I mean, even though you don't want to go back…"

"It was all right."

"Maxie must have loved it."

"What makes you think that?"

"A college student with a rich boyfriend going to the big city for the first time?" Carly scoffed. "Come on, Damian, some things are just obvious…"

"I did have to pull her away from Tiffany's…"

"Ah, the blue box…"

"You scare me sometimes, Carly, you know that?"

"I scare lots of people quite frequently. It's my special talent…"

"Aside from shopping?"

"That's not special, that is my god given right as a member of the female gender." Carly felt something at the bottom of her foot. "Damian… could you hold him for a second?"

"Sure…" he still wasn't comfortable with holding Morgan, but she did say for a second, he would even give her a minute, but nothing more than that. "Hey, kid." He refused to be one of those people who was reduced to baby talk, there were some limits that even he would not lower himself to.

Carly finished scratching the itch that had made her relinquish her hold on her child. "You never did say why you needed to go. I mean you've been here for so long already it just seemed weird that you would go to New York on New Years Eve out of the blue. That's the kind of thing that you would plan for months in advance."

He tried to keep his face from showing her just how uncomfortable he was with the question. Bobbie would hate him forever if he told Carly that he went because she wanted him to find Carly's father. "I just wanted to do something special with Maxie for New Years Eve…"

"Did you make a resolution?"

"I don't do things like that."

"I do. I made it my resolution to find my real dad…" It was one that Carly would make sure she managed to keep.