Chapter 20

Sonny flipped over the last of the strawberry pancakes onto a plate as Michael helped him with all of the preparations for breakfast.

Michael turned to him and said, "Oh Dad, Uncle Jason told me that he was on his way over for breakfast as soon as he had an early meeting with Ric."

Sonny nodded and said, "I asked Jason to help us with the case for divorce against Carly. The quicker she is out of our lives the better."

Michael nodded and said, "I agree. Kristina was going to make some fresh juice while Zander went down to the corner store to get some donuts. He told me that forasmuch as he loved your breakfasts, you were always lacking in sugar."

Sonny laughed and said, "So tell me how your mother is really."

Michael shook his head and said, "She's depressed Dad. She'll eat because I force her too but I don't know how much more of this she can take before she breaks."

Alexis eased out of bed leaving her sleeping children in the bed and reached for the robe on her door. It was eerily quiet in this house and she didn't like it. She never thought that she would need noise to be able to sleep but it provided some comfort for her. She opened the bedroom door and walked outside to see her sister and fiancée sitting on the couch gently flipping through the television channels.

"I didn't know you guys were here. Michael didn't wake me."

Zander walked over to Alexis and kissed her gently on the cheek "Kristina and I didn't want to wake you but we were coming over to see if you wanted to go to breakfast. We knew how much you must've been missing your family. However, when we arrived we were shocked to see your entire entourage here."

Alexis smiled to herself and said, "Wait my entire entourage? Does that mean that Sonny's here too?"

Sonny leaned against the kitchen door and said, "Of course that means I'm here. Where else would I be than with my wife?"

Alexis spun around in shock and quickly as she could reminiscent of the fact that she was pregnant with twins, ran into his arms and kissed him lovingly.

"Jason, you have to help me."

Jason laughed as he retrieved his coat on his way out "Carly, I don't have time for you now or for that matter anytime. Why don't you run to whoever was protecting you for these past 5 years for help?"

Carly rolled her eyes "Are you going to hold my past against me Jase? Not you too! Look, all I'm asking for here is a fair shot. I want a valid chance to win back my husband and my sons. Why is that so hard for everybody to understand?"

Jason pushed the button on the elevator while meeting her eyes "That's not hard at all to understand. What is has to do with the fact that you've come home after being missing for 5 years with no humility. You assume Sonny will run back to you. You assume that Michael and Morgan will want to be by your side. You haven't given anyone a chance to process the fact that you are even still alive. And Carly that was your first mistake, your second mistake was underestimating the love that Sonny has for Alexis."

Sonny sighed in happiness. These were the moments of his life that he wanted to remember in his old age, his children sitting around the table with family as they partook of a breakfast together.

Alexis turned to Morgan and said, "So tell me have you given any thought to how you want to celebrate your honorable mention for academics?"

Morgan shrugged his shoulders noncommittally and said, "Mom, with everything that's happened, celebration is the last thing on my mind."

Alexis reached her hand across the table and took Morgan's. "You deserve recognition for what you've accomplished. It doesn't matter if Carly has returned from the dead or not. Your father and I are proud of you and we want to help you celebrate your triumph."

Sonny nodded in agreement "You're mother is right Morgan. We need to celebrate."

Kristina smiled and said, "Well, I have an idea. Seeing as how you still need to celebrate my achievement for sports, we can combine the two celebrations with a huge party."

A Couple of Hours Later

Morgan, Kristina and Sonny walked back into the house with smiles on their faces. They had spent the morning in the company of their real family. Carly sat in the middle of the room with her arms crossed tapping her foot.

Kristina smiled and said, "What Carly you didn't get our note?"

Carly rolled her eyes at Kristina and said, "Why don't you go upstairs or better yet go live with your mother?"

Sonny turned to his daughter and said, "Morgan, take your sister upstairs. She doesn't need to hear this."

After they were safely upstairs he turned to Carly and said, "Okay, we are playing this game your way. You moved into my house uninvited and I haven't said a word. You had my marriage to Alexis annulled, again no word. I however, will not tolerate you disrespecting my children. You will never mistreat my children again do you hear me? If you can't be kind and courteous to Kristina, then don't speak to her at all or better yet, leave."

Carly laughed and clapped her hands "That's rich coming from you. You who couldn't even insure that my kids didn't grow to hate me are putting restrictions on me? I don't think so; it's time for ground rules Sonny."

Chapter 21

Sonny sat down in the chair across from Carly. "Okay, talk. What ground rules do you want to put down? We need to be nice to one another in public but in private the hate is shown to all?"

Carly looked at Sonny with a pleading voice, "I have tried, and tried with you and my sons. But no one is listening to me. Alexis is now out of the house, I want it to stay that way. I want us to work on being a family again."

Sonny laughed and said, "My wife is pregnant. Did you suddenly forget that fact? Or maybe you just conveniently chose to forget that I already have a family with Alexis. Either way I'm not leaving her side."

Carly grimaced and said, "You don't have to rub in the fact that she's pregnant to me. I know believe me I know. Why can't we just work on the two of us and forget about all of the other outside distractions."

Sonny stood up practically yelling, "You call my children an outside distraction?"

Carly flinched at the anger in his voice "Distraction was the wrong word. I want us to have a chance to work on you and me and our sons. By the way I didn't notice Michael come in with you guys, where is he?"

Jason sat down with Michael at the penthouse and said, "So how are things Michael?"

Michael shrugged his shoulders, "You missed breakfast. Dad made plenty, if you want leftovers let me know. The microwave is only a minute away."

Jason smiled grateful for the offer "I'm fine but Ric came by to see me. Something about helping out with divorce case that your father is doing. He wants me to find where Carly was for the last five years."

Michael sighed with disgust "So once again Carly is the center of attention. No one cares where she has been; the only thing that matters is getting her out of lives for good. Whatever you can do to get Carly out of our lives as soon as possible would be greatly appreciated."

Alexis sat on the bed with Alicia as she was helping her organize the photo albums. "You're a special person, you know that right Alicia?"

Alicia looked at Mrs. Corinthos in shock "What are you talking about?"

Alexis smiled and said, "You are sitting here with your boyfriend's mother helping her sort out photo albums. Why are you not out there with him doing fun things that youngsters do?"

Alicia smiled beatifically and said, "You are someone who is different from every other woman I've known. You took 2 children who weren't yours and made them forget that they ever had a mother. You made a mobster turn straight and have kept that family single handedly together. As corny as it sounds, I admire you so much Alexis and I only wish that when I'm you age that I'm have as wonderful as you are. Now enough with the compliments, what do you say we get back to these photo albums huh?"

"He's gone Carly. He preferred to be with his mother than see how you ruined his family."

Carly stood up in shock "My son, my firstborn decided to abandon me to go protect Saint Alexis?"

Sonny shook his head and said, "Your son was raised right. He has respect and love for the person who never left his side and never put him beneath any man. Your son loves Alexis and you can't stand it can you? You want her to disappear almost as much as I want you gone. It's laughable really."

Carly grimaced, "Where is he?"

Sonny shrugged and said, "I'm not a liberty to say. Michael is guarding his mother with his life and the last person in the world, he wants around her is you."

Carly stood up and said, "What will it take Sonny? What can I do to show you that I'm sorry for the things I've done? I want it all back and I'm willing to fight. I'm trying to change here, why can't you meet me halfway?"

"So Mom did you have fun with Alicia?"

Alexis looked at her son with a question her eyes "Why did you want her to stay with me? She is a wonderful girl and I'm happy that you're dating her but she should be spending time with you and not me. Just because you have me under lock & key here doesn't mean you have to provide me with entertainment. I can do alone all by myself."

Michael put an arm around his Mom's shoulder and sat next to her on the bed. "It's love Mom. Its love that keeps me here with you and love that keeps all of us here with you. No one and I repeat no one is forcing us to be with you. We enjoy it and we love being with you."

Alexis smiled and snuggled into Michael's shoulder "I love you son. Thanks for being here with me; I don't know what I would do without you or my family."