(One Month Later)

Emily was sitting in her room looking out the window. Sonny was on his way to take Michael and Morgan over to see Bobbie for a few hours. She smiled as she watched the boys run around while Sonny chased them to get them into the car. She went over and sat down at her desk to write a new entry in her journal.

"Dear Diary,

This past month has been such a blur. Sonny and the boys have made me feel so alive. I was wondering if I'd really ever feel safe again, and I finally do. I feel like I'm with family when I'm here. Today is the day I'm going to tell Sonny about the rape. I just hope that he doesn't see me differently when I tell him. I don't think I could take that. I'll write more later and let you know how it goes. Until next time, chow."

Emily locked her diary and set it down on top of the desk. She went downstairs and made herself some hot chocolate to try and ease her nerves. She wasn't quite sure how Sonny was going to take this whole thing, but she knew that she needed him to know.

"When did he become so important to me? When did his opinion of me seem to matter so much? Lately when he's around me I feel nervous, but in a good way. Every time I look in his eyes, I see the woman I want to be. I really hope he takes this information well. I don't know what I'd do if he made me leave him and the boys."

Emily sat down next to the fireplace with her hot chocolate, trying to steady herself. "You know you can't put this off any longer. You have to tell him everything, no matter what. If you're going to be living with the man and his children, you owe him nothing less." Emily closed her eyes and awaited Sonny's return.

When Sonny's car pulled into the driveway, his cell phone rang. "Yes?"

"Mr. Corinthos, this is Johnny. The Five Families have called a meeting for tonight. I thought you should know."

"I can't attend tonight Johnny. I've got something else that really requires my attention tonight. I want you to come here to stand watch out front, and I'll send Max in my place. The Five Families know that they can trust him to know what I'd want should there be any decisions that need to be made." Sonny hung up the phone. "Max, as soon as Johnny gets here, I need you to go attend a meeting with the Five Families. I have something really important I have to do here tonight, and I need you to be there in my place."

"You can count on me Mr. Corinthos. I'll be there."

Max and Sonny both walked into the house. "From the moment I walk through this door, until I say otherwise, I don't want to be disturbed for any reason that doesn't involve an emergency with the boys. Pass that along to Johnny when he gets here." Max nodded and Sonny walked through the door into the main living room. Emily was sitting by the fireplace and got up when she heard him come through the door. Sonny took off his coat and hung it up. He smiled at Emily and said, "I'm all yours."

For a brief moment Emily's mind took that statement someplace she had no right to. She blushed slightly and then asked Sonny to join her over at the fireplace. Sonny took the other chair next to the fireplace as Emily sat back down in the chair she had been in when he came in. She sat there quietly for a minute and then she started.

"Do you remember a man named Connor who looked almost exactly like Nikolas?"

"I do remember him. I haven't seen him around for quite a while."

"Nobody will ever see him again Sonny. Not after what happened."

"Do you really want to tell me this? You know you don't have to."

"But I need to tell you. You need to know because there's something I'm going to ask of you after you know what happened."

"Alright, then please continue."

Emily nodded and chewed her bottom lip for a moment before continuing her story.

"The night that Nikolas was being killed in prison, Connor raped me. He came after me and I ran into the basement. I locked the door and hid under the stairs. He broke down the door and found me, and then he h..h.. held me down." Emily paused for a second, trying to compose herself. "After it was all over, he fell asleep. While he was sleeping, I set the cottage on fire and watched it burn to the ground. I wanted to make sure he never got out."

Emily started to cry quietly. The more Sonny thought about what that man had done, the angrier he got. "I know there's nothing I can say that would mean anything right now Emily. I'm glad that you told me. It explains a lot. You said there was something you were going to ask of me. What is it? What can I do?"

"Nobody knows I was raped. If anybody ever found out that I killed Connor, I'd probably wind up in jail. I was hoping that you'd help me get rid of any trace of the cottage so nobody can ever discover what happened there. It's out in a remote area, so I'm sure nobody even knows that it was burnt to the ground."

"I'll get somebody on that right away, I just need an address. I'm glad that you felt like you could trust me enough to tell me this. I know it must have been hard on you."

He could tell Emily was crying a bit harder now. He got up and stood in front of her. "I don't know if you'd be comfortable with this, but if you'd like me to hold you for a few minutes, I would do that for you."

Without saying a word, Emily stood up and let Sonny hug her. They stood like that for a few minutes until she had calmed down. Emily looked up at Sonny, her eyes swollen from the crying. "You're not disappointed in me are you? I'm sure you probably never expected me to have killed somebody."

"There's nothing you could ever do that would make me be disappointed in you. If anything, I'm impressed by the strength you've shown to survive something like that. I just wish I had been there to protect you."

"It's nobody's fault but Connor's. Thanks for listening to me and agreeing to help me out."

"Anytime Emily. I want you to know that I'll always be there to help you no matter what."

Sonny and Emily sat down next to the fireplace in silence for a while, letting everything set in. After a few minutes, Emily crept over to Sonny and sought comfort in his arms.