Chapter 6

"Sonny, Johnny here. We need you to come back to the tower, now. We'll wait for you in your penthouse. Hurry."

Sonny listened to Johnny and heard something in his voice he had never heard before. This was not a Johnny he was familiar with. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew he needed to get there and fast. Johnny was not talking like a bodyguard. Johnny had taken charge and was summoning Sonny for help. The fact that Johnny would find the nerve to 'summon' him at all was enough to alert Sonny that something was seriously wrong.

"I'm on my way. Should be there in ten."

Johnny turned from the phone and took in the sight of his sisters sitting together on the sofa. He saw the hesitation in Alexis' eyes when she heard his call to Sonny and her final acceptance of the inevitable as he hung up the phone. Looking at Kristina, he saw her faith in him reflected in her somber eyes. He prayed and hoped he wouldn't let them down.

"Ok, for now we are going over to Sonny's penthouse. I want to put a little space between Helena and where she last saw the two of you. Once Sonny gets here and we have a chance to fill him in, then we'll decide what the next course of action should be. I also need to call a couple of the boys to stand watch."

As they walked over to Sonny's and settled down to wait, Alexis spoke to Johnny. "Johnny, we need to call the police and let them know what's going on."

"I'm not ready to make that call, Alexis. I don't want them getting in the way and costing me one of you in their inept attempt to 'fix' things."

"I understand your concern and while I tend to agree with you, we also need to think about protecting our own actions. In case anything should happen to Helena or anyone she has enlisted in her vendetta against us, we need to protect ourselves from any appearance of guilt or voluntary involvement with them."

"I see your point. But, I still think we need to wait."

"Ok, I'll table it... for now. Kristina, would you mind putting something together for lunch? Since I am so lacking in the art of cooking, it would be healthier for all of us if I just stayed away from the kitchen."

"Are you sure you're not just trying to get rid of me?" Kristina eyed Alexis suspiciously and turned to Johnny for his reaction.

"Kristina, if we let Alexis in that kitchen, there won't be any reason to protect ourselves from Helena, her cooking will kill us all first." Johnny ducked just in time to keep a pillow from clocking him upside the head.

"Looks like you guys are having fun. What's up?"

Johnny and Alexis didn't hear Sonny come in and it unnerved them. They needed to be more aware of their surroundings and knowing that they each harbored the same thought, with a nod of their head agreed it was time to put their mind and body into a higher level of consciousness. They needed to be more aware of every move, every sound, and every word around them; leaving nothing to chance.

"Sonny." Alexis turned back toward him and quickly went to him. She put her arms around him and held him tightly as his arms enfolded her. She held on to him pulling him as close to her as she could, drawing strength from him.

By gauging the feel of her arms around him, Sonny sensed her need of him. He put his arms around her and held her securely. He looked at Johnny and saw in him what he heard in his voice over the phone. Johnny was on edge, shifting from one foot to the other anxiously waiting. Sonny's respect for Johnny had grown immensely over the past few days. Without asking permission or hesitating in his determination, Johnny simply promoted himself outside the realm of bodyguard to a position of leadership. It was up to Sonny to either accept it or disengage him from service. For Sonny, the decision wasn't a hard one. Johnny had proved himself on more than one occasion to be loyal and trustworthy and the fact that his sister held such an enormous piece of him, well, that didn't hurt Johnny's case either.

"Sonny, thanks for coming so quickly." Johnny sat down and waited for Alexis to draw from Sonny what she needed and then rejoin him.

Slowly, regretfully, Alexis lowered her arms and took one of his hands to lead him over to the sofa. As she sat down she guided him down with her to sit as close to her as possible and looked deep into his eyes still needing to lean on his strength. Sonny drew in a quick breath at the torment he saw in her.

"Ok, guys. I can see we've got something serious going on here. Which one of you is going to let me in on it? Alexis?"

"No, Sonny. I don't want Alexis to have to say it again. I'll tell you what is going on. I called you because we; Kristina, Alexis and myself, are going to need your help and possibly every influence you have in the underworld."

"The Cassadine's?"

"Right. Helena paid a visit to Alexis this morning and while she was here she threatened Kristina."

Sonny became instantly incensed, he looked at Alexis and realized she wasn't with them. She was off somewhere in her past and it scared him. Her eyes were void of any recognition of where she was or who she was with.

"Alexis? Hey. Honey... Alexis?" Sonny began slowly rubbing her back with one hand as he laid the palm of his other hand on her cheek. "Alexis... come on honey. Everything's gonna be just fine. I'm right here."

Her vision had tunneled and all she could see were two hands holding her wrists twisting them painfully. Voices were echoing in her head. 'Ah, Natasha, why must you fight me so. You cannot win. ...You cannot win ...You cannot win.'

Her mind began to chant those three words over and over. The next thing she knew her skin was on fire and she heard a blood-curdling scream and jerked backward.

Johnny and Sonny saw her face contort with pain and fear gripped their hearts as they tried to bring her back to them. Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably.

Johnny knew this kind of fear and the toll it took on one's body. He had seen it in himself. He knew what Alexis was seeing and there was only one way to bring her out of it that he knew of. Pushing Sonny aside he picked up Alexis and headed upstairs with Sonny close on his heels. When he got to the bathroom, he leaned her against the wall as he turned on the shower.

Adjusting the temperature of the water so as not to shock her too much, he lifted her into his arms and stepped into the shower with her as he motioned Sonny to stand behind her to protect her in case he lost control of her. As he set her down he felt her body jerk once and still, then he felt her jerk again and saw her arms quickly raise to defend herself against the one holding her.

Alexis was unaware of Johnny and Sonny, all she saw was Stavros holding her down and then the first touch of fire as Helena methodically fixed a lit cigarette to her young skin. Screaming in agony, she felt the fire strike her the second time and third and just as she began to completely lose consciousness she felt a coldness begin to wash over her. She tried to turn so she could put her arms closer to the cold. It would take the fire away. She had to put the fire out. If she could only turn around, but her arms were being held down; someone was holding her down. She renewed her fight all the more strongly unaware of who was now holding her.

"Lexie. Lexie. It's me, Johnny. I've got you and there is no fire. Lexie, the fire is gone. Come on, Lexie. Wake up little one, wake up."

Ceasing her struggle as she heard a far away voice, she stood silently waiting to hear, waiting to see if he would come save her.

"Lexie. Wake up, little one. I'm here and the fire is gone. Open your eyes now. Look at me."

"Johnny?" He was here; he had come for her. "Johnny, the fire, is it really gone?"

"Yes, little one. It's gone. You're here with me and you're safe."

Holding her close, Johnny reached back to turn off the flow of water and reached for a towel. Wrapping her securely, he picked her up and walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom and set her back on her feet and began to dry her hair with the towel taking great care not to touch her arms.

Becoming fully aware of her surroundings once again, Alexis allowed Johnny to continue his care of her. She needed time to pull herself together.

"Johnny, it was just like on the roof. I was here, then I wasn't. Only this time, 'they' had me and wouldn't let me go. Johnny I can't do this anymore. I have to be strong. I can't zone out every time things get a little too hairy for me to deal with. I won't let her get to me. I won't."

"Shh... Lexie. I'm here now. She's not going to get to us again. She's an old woman with a lot of hate. Hate cannot win over love. You know that. Remember, we stand together. And Sonny's with us. This time we win."

Alexis caught sight of Sonny standing in the bathroom doorway with tears running down his face and turned her head away from him, hiding against Johnny's shoulder. She was so ashamed that he saw her fears so exposed. She couldn't look him in the eye, couldn't bear to see the look in his eyes at her weakness.

Sonny looked at Johnny and silently told him to give them some time alone. He walked slowly over to her and placed his hands on her arms and turned her around. He put his finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him so she could see his smile, his acceptance of her. When he was satisfied he picked her up in his arms and held her close. He needed to have her full attention. It was imperative that she understand she was no longer alone. So many of her dreams and nightmares consistently told her time and time again that she was worthless and alone. On a level of understanding she was unaware of she had begun to believe it and her mind was rebelling against the help she was being offered. She was beginning to shut down and he needed to help her stop.

Walking to the sofa in his room Sonny sat down keeping her in his arms and settled her comfortably in his lap. He laid her head on his shoulder and began to speak very softly and lovingly to her. He told her how much he loved her. He told her how much she had changed his life, what it meant to him to have her in his life. As he softly spoke comforting words to her he felt her sobs begin and wrapped his arms around her tighter and let her cry. She cried for the child she was; for the mother who was taken from her. She cried for Johnny, and what he lost in his life. She cried for Kristina, jealous of her because she was the only one born of Mikkos and Kristin who had come out whole. And she cried for Sonny; because he knew her pain, he had experienced abuse as a child just as she once did.

Sonny let her cry without trying to stop her. Strength was born from pain and grief. She would be a stronger woman when they went back downstairs. He did know her pain. He knew what she was feeling as she lay huddled in his arms. In holding her he knew that this was how he would help her. In sharing her pain, they were creating a deeper bond. It was a bond that would never be broken; one that would weather the storms of their life together. He would give her the freedom she needed to be herself. What she could not show the world, he would allow and encourage when they were alone. He felt her arms go around him and she moved her head so that her face lay against his neck. As he felt her breath pass rhythmically across his skin he felt the tension gradually leave her body and knew that she would soon be ready to face the world again. Words were not needed. He gave; she accepted. They were two who had now become one.