Walking out on the verandah, she gave a quick glance around and almost missed him. But there he was sitting in the dark, nursing a drink, and staring out into the starless night. She took a seat across from him and stared out into the night too.
"When Mike left I hated him with all the passion a seven-year-old boy could muster and when Deke revealed his true nature my hatred for Mike knew no bounds. But when Mike came here looking for me, part of me was excited my dad had come back and was looking for me, but a larger part of me was pissed that he left in the first place. Every time I saw him and he tried to apologize, all I could remember was everything my mom and I went through at Deke's hands."
Dara moved her seat behind his, wrapped her arms around him, and laid her head on his shoulder. She felt him tense up instantly. He wasn't used to sharing his pain with others. She gently yet firmly began to massage his neck and back, and slowly he loosened up a bit.
"Then I think of Kristina and how Alexis was going to let her go through her whole life thinking Ned was her father and maybe one day tell Kristina the truth. In Carly's eyes when she was being honest and open, I could see the pain of losing her father. I don't want that for Michael. I don't want him one day to turn to me with a look of disgust, anger, disappointment, hurt, and ask, 'Why? Why did I keep him for AJ, yet thought Carly was a good influence? Why didn't I let him get to know his grandparents, great grandparents, cousins? Why?'" Sonny paused and took a swig of his drink. He reached beside himself and put a tape recorder on the table along with some tapes. "I remembered what you said and asked as I listened to these tapes. An addict is an addict is an addict. Whether you're addicted to drugs, booze, food, gambling, power. You're still an addict. And I wonder if I'm trying to stop Michael from living with the fear that I have every time Mike isn't acting like himself. I instantly wonder if he's gone back to gambling."
She lightly kissed his neck.
"How can I forgive one addict, but can't forgive another? Because Mike's gambling and leaving killed my mother's spirit just as surely as Deke killed her body. How is that any different from AJ except Jason is still alive?"
Dara held him tighter.
"AJ's changed. The tapes prove it, but Carly unfortunately hasn't," he admitted, fiddling around with the tape recorder. "Yet time after time, I forgive her, Jason forgives her, and Bobbie forgives her. And who suffers? The kids because she never learns. She just dumps them on Leticia and is off to her next scrape that she'll need bailing out of. Do I want Michael and Nia to think that marriage is for marrying whoever will help you out of the jam you're in at the time? Or that you can always rely on someone else to get you out of trouble of your own making? Or that you can lie yourself out of every situation or if that fails blame someone else because it's never your fault?" Sonny ran his fingers through his disheveled hair. "AJ is coming by tomorrow. If he screws- -"
"He won't. And if he feels like he's getting in over his head, we'll be here, so will his sponsor, and his family. We'll protect Michael," she reassured him.
He nodded and they sat in silence continuing to stare out in the night.
Hearing the doorbell ring, Dara ran to the front door and was surprised to see Robin Scorpio standing on Sonny's doorstep.
"Robin, how are you? Come in," she said, hugging Mac's niece.
"Good. How are you?" Robin asked in return.
"I'm good."
Dara wondered what Robin was doing here.
"Robin?" Sonny questioned in disbelief, walking down the stairs.
"Yeah, it's me, Sonny," she confirmed.
He opened his arms and Robin walked into them.
"I'm so sorry, Sonny," she whispered.
"No, hermanita, it's me who's sorry."
"I've missed you so much. I love you."
"I love and missed you too," he said, stepping away from her and looking into her eyes. "I promise never to let anyone or thing separate us again."
"I promise the same."
"What are you doing here?"
"She's here for me, actually," AJ said, stepping into the hallway.
Robin walked over to AJ and kissed him on the lips.
Sonny and Dara shared a puzzled look.
"Sonny, Dara, meet Dr. Robin Scorpio-Quartermaine."
"Congratulations," Dara said.
"How did this- -" Sonny asked.
"I went to Paris to regroup. I called the only person I knew who lived there and it started from there. Sometimes you can find out how much you have in common with someone when you meet each other outside of your comfort zones."
Sonny and Dara both gave each other covert glances and smiled.
"I have drinks out on the verandah, if you'd follow me," Sonny said, leading the group away from the front entrance.
"Dara, aren't you coming?" AJ questioned.
"This is concerning- -"
"You're a part of Sonny's life so it concerns you, too."
Dara had been afraid of how people would react to her relationship with Sonny so it warmed her heart to know someone supported them, particularly someone who wasn't a fan of Sonny.
Dara and AJ walked outside together. After refreshments had been given, Sonny began.
"I called you here to discuss Michael," Sonny started.
"Did Carly not agree to give you primary custody of Michael?" AJ asked concerned.
"No, I haven't even talked to her about it yet. But she'll agree. After listening to the tapes you got, no judge in his or her right mind would allow Carly even supervised visits. Michael is your biological child AJ and after some consideration and what your cousin, Ned, and Alexis tried to pull with me and Kristina, I thought it was time that you and Michael should know each other."
Sonny reached for Dara's hand and clasped it.
"You're giving me visitation rights?" AJ inquired stunned.
"No, Michael should live with you," Sonny informed him.
AJ looked at Robin, then Dara, as if searching for confirmation that he was hearing Sonny correctly. Then finally his gaze rested on Sonny. "What's the catch?"
Sonny shook his head. "There's no catch. All I ask is that you allow him to see Nia and Stone, they're brothers now. And also that you allow him some to time to get to know you and Robin in his own time and not let the Quartermaines push."
AJ's laughter filled the room. He laughed so hard, tears leaked from his eyes.
Looking around the room, Sonny's eyes settled back on AJ. "Did I say something funny?"
Robin smiled and shook her head. "No, Sonny."
"No, you didn't. I went from being a father of none, to a father of three, now four, in the space of one day. I asked God to bless me with a family I didn't expect it all in one day."
Seeing the confusion on Sonny's and Dara's faces, Robin reached into her purse and handed Sonny a Polaroid. He and Dara looked at the picture of Robin, AJ, and three biracial kids.
"The pre-schooler in AJ's right arm is Robert Sean, after my dad and godfather. He's 3. In AJ's left arm is Duke Casey, after my other dad and a close family friend. He's 2. And the hair challenged baby in my arms is Anna Jaime, after my mom and her dad. She's 10 months. The adoption was finalized in Pine Valley this morning."
"Robin, that's great," Dara congratulated her.
"Honey, that's fantastic. You're going to be a great mother," Sonny stated. "Is the stress of having three kids affecting your health?"
"No, I'm fine. The cocktail is still working for me. We're just trying to find the right combo for Duke."
Sonny raised his eyebrow.
"Their birth mother was HIV positive. Jaime's tests have come back negative. But Duke is still testing positive."
"Robin, honey, are you going to be able to go through all of that again?"
"Yes," she said, nodding. "I cherish those last months with Stone taking care of him, spending time with him. I know he was at peace when he died, and I've seen a lot of families in my line of work that can't say the same about their loved ones." Taking AJ's hand into hers, she continued. "Tomorrow isn't promised to any of us, Sonny, so AJ convinced me that I need to take life one day at a time and enjoy it for all it's worth. And there's nothing I enjoy more than being Mrs. Quartermaine and the mother to the next generation of Quartermaines. And I have the added benefit to know that my dad, Duke, and Stone are watching over my babies."
"I can't wait to meet them," Sonny said with a smile.
"They can't wait to meet their Uncle Sonny."
"Sonny, do you think Robin and I can have a few minutes?" AJ asked.
"Sure. We'll be inside when you're ready."
Giving the couple some privacy, Sonny and Dara left AJ and Robin alone. As soon as they stepped inside the house, Dara wrapped her arms around Sonny and kissed him softly on the lips then slowly turned up the heat before stepping away from him slightly and resting her forehead against his shoulder.
"What was that for?"
"I just wanted you to know that I was proud of you. I know that wasn't easy."
"Thanks."
"It's good to know they'll be other kids in the house."
"Yeah, I can't believe my little sister is a mom. I wonder how Stone would feel about this, especially being married to AJ. Is it just me or is that odd?" he questioned as they walked into the living room.
"I think Stone would be happy that she's happy. And she's glowing. And it's super odd that those two got together, but I'm sure people will say the same thing about us."
"There's an us?" he asked, looking into her eyes.
"Isn't there?" she questioned, keeping his gaze, praying her fear wasn't so readily apparent.
Leaning forward and pulling her into his arms, he kissed her passionately. "There is no me without you."
"Regardless of what AJ says?"
"Regardless."
She sighed and laid her head on his chest as he stroked her hair. She was home. She had finally found her home in Sonny Corinthos.
"I love you, Dara Jensen."
"I love you, Michael Corinthos, Junior."
"Why are you saying it for the first time, when you can't show me how much you love me?"
"Anticipation is the spice of life," he smiled.
"I'll have to remember you said that," she grinned.
"Am I going to live to regret I said that?" he asked as he rained kisses down the side of her face and neck.
"Oh, yeah."
Sonny loved her. When was the last time she heard that. Was it Jack? Was Jack Forbes, the last man, besides Stone and Michael, that said, "I love you," to her? She and Justus never said those words to each other because they knew that their relationship was missing several key ingredients that would allow them to be together for the rest of their lives. Her relationship with Taggert had been one based entirely on honesty. And they both sensed, while they loved each other, they weren't in love with each other and never would be. And the years between Jack and the men of Port Charles were filled with forgettable men who never touched her soul or spirit. Sonny was the first. He touched her in ways that she never knew existed. If only they could block out the whole world and just love each other. But that wasn't going to be possible. Was this connection enough to with stand whatever fallout that would come? Well she was about to find out. And if this didn't work, she might as well call Ellen because she would give up on men all together.
Hearing footsteps, Sonny gave her one last lingering kiss on the side of her neck then lifted his head.
"Robin, AJ, please come have a seat."
AJ and Robin sat on the loveseat opposite of them.
"Sonny, we don't get along. We don't even like each other. I think for good reasons on both sides. But that's neither here nor there. My wife loves you, my kids are dying to finally meet their Uncle Sonny in person, and my son loves you so I'm willing to put that all aside. I, we," AJ corrected himself, asking Robin's forgiveness for his slip of the tongue, with his eyes; when she gave it, he continued, "don't think Michael will be happy if he leaves your house and comes to live with us. He doesn't know me, he doesn't remember Robin. And while our kids would help ease the transition, it wouldn't be fair or the right thing to do to Michael. So we thought it best for him to gradually spend time with us. At our house alone with just us, then with the kids. And then once he's comfortable, we can revisit the custody arrangement."