Zander spent the next twenty minutes giving Sonny a run down on his past, how he'd fled his adoptive parent's home in Florida. Sonny sat silently listening to the young man that had battled his way through life, much in the way he and Alexis had during their brief but tenuous childhood.

"They set that fire Sonny, they left me there to die… and when they found I'd survived it… they… they accused me of starting it, I was going to be sent away… so I ran, I ran as far as I could."

Sonny nodded, " I admit I knew some of this already, I had Benny check you out when you came to town."

"You believe me don't you… you don't think I set that fire do you?"

"What does my opinion matter? As long as you know… that's really all that matters."

"No your opinion does matter, I messed up bad Sonny, I screwed up a lot of things… I need to know that you still believe in me."

"I see it like this Zander, we both did our share of screwing up… and as far as me believing in you… I still don't get why it matters, but for what it's worth, I do."

Zander was momentarily taken back, clearing his throat he leaned in on his elbows, " can you tell me anything about my Father?"

Sonny leaned back in his chair, reaching up to scratch his chin, " did ya ever think about asking him?"

"Sonny…I'm not even sure I want him to know."

"No…No… not like that," Sonny stood up and walked toward the bar, " you're going to be working for him right?"

"Thanks to you I am," Zander said, then hesitated, " but, I'm not sure…"

"You don't want to risk the possibility of him figuring it out?"

"Yeah, I mean come on, he's got enough on his plate, than to realize he's got a missing link to his family tree."

Sonny might've laughed if it weren't so true; Jake was in for more than one surprise, " So, how do you want to play this?"

"Right now all I want to know is if my Father ever knew I existed."

"And if he did?"

"I can't think about that right now…until I have the answer, I just don't know how I feel."

The elevator doors slid open; Johnny walked down the stairs and approached them, extending a note toward Sonny, "Alexis left you a message." He glanced over to Zander as Sonny read it, "Hey, kid."

Zander stood deathly still, realizing he hadn't spoken he cleared his note nervously, "Hey, Johnny."

"You okay?" Johnny asked, noticing the uncomfortable stance the younger man had taken upon his arrival.

Sonny folded the note and interrupted, "Johnny, can you do me a favor and take these contracts over to your brother?" reaching over, he plucked them off the bar, " this is the deed to the warehouse, everything should be in order."

Johnny was still watching Zander, before he finally took the contracts, " yes, sir."

Zander watched as Johnny left as the elevator doors close, he left out a long breath, " I choked."

"You keep that up and you won't need my help."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize, it's not my secret."

"Speaking of secrets… do you mind keeping this between us?"

"In other words you don't want Alexis to know."

"Is that going to be a problem?"

"Only if she finds out."

Zander smiled, and then sobered, "Look Sonny, tell me if I'm asking to much, I don't want to screw things up between you two."

"If I thought this would hurt Alexis in anyway, I'd say forget it… but this is your life we're talking about, what your asking me to do has no affect on Alexis whatsoever."

"Thank you Sonny, this means a lot to me."

"Don't thank me until I've done something."

"You've done plenty…"Zander replied, glancing at his watch he looked back up, " I should be going… remind Alexis that I'll see her tomorrow at Kelly's."

"Will do…and Zander here's a suggestion, while I'm searching for the answers your looking for… why don't you take the time to get to know Jake."

"I'll think about it, "Zander said, as heentered the elevator," you know I envy your daughter."

"Envy?"

"Yeah, with you as a Father and Alexis as a Mother, there won't be a day that passes she won't know she's loved."

"Hey, Zander?"

"Yeah?" Zander said, moving his head to see Sonny as the doors began to slide shut.

"You were our kid first."

Quartermaine Study

Carly's eyes narrowed, hands on hips she rolled her head back to the side, " you know what, this is a private conversation, so why don't you do us all a favor and disappear for another four years!"

Brenda grinned, walking up beside Jason, " I hate to tell you this, but there was nothing private about that conversation, I think NASA could pick up your frequency."

"You ready to go?" Jason asked.

"We're not finished by a long shot Jason, "Carly demanded, "I'm sure Brenda can go steal someone else's man while we're finishing our conversation."

"It's amazing, I'd nearly forgotten what you were like… but it all came flashing back to me in the rose garden, your just as much a viper as you ever were."

"Jealous much?"

"And exactly what do you have that I'd be jealous of?"

"Well for starters, I married the man who left you at the altar, I was a partner in Deception with my Husbands encouragement, I'm basically living the life you dreamed."

"My dream and your reality come nowhere close to one another," Brenda said, glancing toward Jason and then back to Carly, " sounds to me that you were trying to live the life I had… and you failed at it miserably."

"He married me, he wouldn't marry you."

"Because he loved me enough to let me go, " Brenda replied, she almost felt sorry for her, almost being the operative word.

"That's because your weak, just like that witch Alexis… you're not a fighter like I am, I don't give up on something I want."

"Your right Carly, I'm not like you, I don't hang onto a man who doesn't want me anymore."

"Sonny will never stop wanting me, he couldn't get enough of me."

"Sure your every mans dream, a real life blow up doll."

"YOU BITCH!" Carly lunged, her hands extended in an effort to get around Brenda's neck, Jason blocked her path, and grabbed Carly's flailing arms, " let me at her Jase, she deserves a smack down."

"Calm down, Carly, "Jason shouted, all the while shielding Brenda from his friends tantrum.

Brenda climbed over Jason's back and toward Carly, " still using Jason as your whipping boy, huh?"

AJ and Courtney stood in the doorway, arriving home from their trip, one had the look of mortification, the other wore an expression of devilish glee," Just like old times."

Jason glared across the room," Could you actually be useful for once and help?"

"Help?" AJ chuckled mischievously, " is my little brother actually asking for help from his no good lush of a brother?"

"Go drown yourself in a bottle of Vodka AJ and leave us alone!" Carly shouted, her attention momentarily taken away from Brenda.

"Nice coming from the harpy who doused him in alcohol because she got knocked up." Brenda shot back.

"Shut up, or I swear I'll shut you up myself."

"Try it!"

"I'll slap that smug little smile right off your face."

Courtney nudged AJ, "Help your brother."

"Why should I help him, he's never lifted a finger to help me since he took up with your brother."

"Please AJ, if not for your brother… do it for me?"

AJ glanced at his wife, a woman he'd married for all the wrong reasons nearlysix and a half months ago, and now he found himself head over heels in love with her, she made him feel stronger than he'd felt in ages.

Walking toward Carly, she waved a hand toward his head, he dodged it in the nick of time," Don't even think about it!" Carly screamed.

"I wouldn't dream of touching you, " AJ snickered, approaching Brenda, " as for you…you're a different story."

"Hey AJ, long time no see." Brenda said smiling, "this isn't exactly what I had in mind when I decided to pay the Quartermaine's a visit."

"Well you know something's never change… fighting amongst the Q's is a given… but since you're the only Q around, besides Courtney and I… why are the two of you here?" he said, pointing toward Carly and Jason.

"Go to hell." Carly spat.

AJ laughed, "With you in the room, I'm close enough."

"What's going on here?" Courtney asked, finally finding her voice.

"None of your business!"

"A few months ago you made it my business, you tried to get in my good graces when you found out Sonny was my brother, what happened you decided since I married AJ, I wasn't worth the fuss."

"Sounds about right," Brenda replied, approaching Courtney, " you know that night at the hospital everything happened so quickly, we never got a chance to be introduced… so your Sonny's sister… wow, the resemblance is uncanny."

Courtney made face, and then broke out in a grin, "yeah… well, what can I say?"

"I'm Brenda Barrett."

"I know… I was there remember?" Courtney teased, then winked, " the famous left hook, that can't be easily forgotten."

Carly was seething inside and out, " you can let me go Jason, I'm not going to do anything."

He released her after a moment, she shook herself off and straightened her shoulders, "you two will get what's coming to you."

"Carly, leave the petty threats at the door."

Carly turned toward Jason,"Tell, them Jason, tell them how much Sonny loves me, how much he fought for our family!"

Brenda shook her head, " yeah Jason, be a good little lapdog and tell us how she got her meat hooks from you to Sonny in such a short amount of time."

"You don't know anything about Sonny, Okay!" Carly said defensively.

"Honey, I wrote the book on Sonny Corinthos."

"He dumped you."

"Shut up!"

"ENOUGH!" Jason roared, reaching up he grabbed Carly's hand, " Carly calm down, and Brenda zip it!"

"I can't wait… I just can't wait till the day that you wipe that smug superior smile off Alexis' face, when Sonny dumps her for you."

"Unlike you Carly, I don't play those games… any fool can see that Sonny's in love with Alexis."

"He loves me."

"Maybe fool was the wrong word… get it through your head, it's over!"

"It'll never be over, he'll leave her, just like he did before… and he'll come back to me."

"I wouldn't count on it."

"I've had just about enough of you."

Courtney glanced around the room, "where's Michael?"

Jason shook his head, "he's in the other room; do you mind checking in on him?"

Courtney exited the room, as AJ approached Carly, " so let me get this straight, Sonny dumped you, Jax kicked your no good butt out of Club 101, and where do you turn up… at the Quartermaine's, scratching at the door begging to be let back in… the question is, which one of my deranged family members let you in."

"I don't beg for anything!" Carly shouted.

"Right, and I'm the family favorite." AJ retorted.

Jason was getting a headache, " I should go."

"We weren't finished with our conversation… no thanks to her." Carly spat, glaring at Brenda.

"Jason should be thanking me, if I'd waited any longer you might've actually sucked him back into the bloodsucking vortex you call your life."

"That's it! I'm going to tear you apart you little witch!" Carly lunged for Brenda, only to have Brenda come back at her… AJ was laughing, while Jason was dodging in between the females, finally having enough, he grabbed Brenda and put her over his shoulder.

AJ realizing Carly was about to slap Brenda, grabbed her by the arm and got slapped instead.

Jason faced Carly, "I'll come back later and we'll talk, okay?"

"No… No it's not okay, if you walk out that door Jase, then your choosing them over me."

"Carly." Jason started…

"Cut her loose Jason, she's not worth it." AJ said, only to be slapped again.

"Hey, Jason I'm getting a nosebleed up here."

"Pipe down will ya." Jason ordered.

"Jase…please." Carly cried, realizing she wasn't going to get her way, she sneered, " what is it, are you sleeping with this no good tramp or what?"

"What in blue blazes is going on in here?" Edward Quartermaine bellowed, entering the study.

"I'd like to know the answer to that myself."

Brenda's expression registered with a mixture of both shock and amusement shrugged her shoulders and grinned.