I hope you enjoy! Someone new arrives in town.

"We should do something before they come back," Dara said, as she rested her head in his lap and accepted another grape from Sonny.

"Like?" Sonny asked, feeding her a strawberry.

"I brought some contracts with me."

"No work talk or you'll ruin my picnic."

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Corinthos. Your picnic in the living room is lovely. A great idea."

"I'm a brilliant man."

"And modest, too," she commented as he bent over to catch the strawberry juice running down her lips.

He captured her mouth, slowly his tongue parted her lips, and took the kiss to a whole new level. Dara's hands buried themselves in his hair and pulled him closer as his hands roamed all over her body. But that wasn't quite enough for her; she wanted to feel him on top of her. His body flushed against hers.

"Sonny- -," she moaned, as the doorbell rang.

Sonny's kisses slowed down.

"Ignore it," she begged, enticing him with more wet kisses.

But the doorbell continued to ring.

"I can't. It must be someone we know or Max wouldn't have let them this close," he reminded her.

"Damn, when did this house become Grand Central Station?"

Chuckling he gave her a lingering kiss before helping her up. After straightening their clothes, he helped Dara fold their picnic blanket and take the remaining food to the kitchen. He ran to the front door to stop the continuous ringing; he was going to murder who ever had his or her finger on the doorbell.

"I didn't believe it when Robbie told me. My lawyer and my ex-fiancée," Brenda exclaimed, walking into the house. "Hi, Sonny, Dara," she greeted them.

"Brenda, where the hell have you been?" Sonny demanded.

"Didn't Dara tell you? I was getting my life in order."

"And once again left someone else to take care of our son."

"Figured that one out, huh? I thought I had more time."

"Seven years weren't enough. You thought you'd wait till he graduated from college."

Brenda sighed. "I didn't come here to argue with you. I came to see my son and take him home."

"And where is that exactly because it's not with you?" he questioned angrily.

"I'm sorry that I thought Stone would be better off and safer staying with Dara than with the Cerrullos or with me, especially if his mommy had another breakdown. But that's right, you wouldn't know about my first one because you were too busy enjoying the good life in Puerto Rico, or wherever the hell you were, while he grew inside me and I was praying that I would regain my sanity in order to raise him. And by the time he was born you had me so convinced he would be in danger being with me that I sacrificed being with him every night so he could be safe and grow up without guards. The steps I took ensured Alcazar never got his hands on my angel."

"None of that would have happened if Stone had been with his father."

"Right. So if you had known I was pregnant then I could've gotten to go on the run with you or you would have stayed here. Oh, just what I wanted to hear, you didn't want me but you would have wanted our baby," she yelled.

"That's not what I meant," Sonny countered, frustrated.

"Oh, so you wanted me to leave him with you so he could have had a series of step-mothers, each one worse than the next, which culminated in the grand finale of the super whore, worst mother of the year Caroline Benson. No thanks- -"

"Enough," Dara commanded, walking over to Brenda. "How are you? Good to see you," she said, hugging the petite woman. During the trial and their preparations, Dara got to know the real Brenda Barrett. She found a woman who was intelligent, funny, fiercely loyal and had a great deal of strength, behind her pretty façade.

"Dara, hello. When I left Stone with you, I had no clue you would end up with Sonny. Are you happy with him?"

"Who says I'm with him?"

Brenda looked at her with disbelief. "Your top pants' button is still unbuttoned and it took you fifteen minutes to answer the door," the brunette finished, pointing to the button.

Sonny shook his head, as Dara turned and buttoned her pants.

"Did you get my message?" Dara inquired.

"No. Jason told me it was safe for us to come home so we hopped on the first plane."

"We?" Sonny asked.

"Yes," Brenda answered, opening the door and motioning for someone to come in.

"Justus?" Sonny and Dara said in unison.

"Sonny. Dara. Rob was right," Justus said.

"That's right so you owe her dinner at Luke's," Brenda reminded him.

"And me a shopping spree at Wyndemere's," a dark haired teenager said, walking into the house and closing the door.

Sonny and Dara watched the exchange in silence.

"Let's get out of the hallway," Dara advised, ushering Brenda, Justus, and the teenager to the living room.

"Brenda, what's going on?" Sonny asked, getting directly to the point. "Where have you been?"

"California."

"California?" he questioned.

"I wanted to stay in the States to be close in case Stone needed me, plus Alcazar didn't have any ties on the west coast and that's where Justus was staying."

"Why Justus?" He had to get his head around this craziness that was Brenda.

"Justus was the only person I figured no one would suspect I'd be with, plus he had ties to you, the Quartermaines, and Luke. I knew at least one of those people would help him, help me, help us, if we needed it."

Sonny's eyes fell on the teenager. She looked vaguely familiar.

"I'm Sage. Luis Alcazar's neglected daughter banished to boarding schools until it was time to trot me out for some special occasions," the young girl said, answering his unasked question.

"Sage," Justus and Brenda reprimanded at the same time.

"What? It's the truth," she said, sort of defiantly.

"We talked about this," Brenda warned her.

"Right. Zip it." Sage zipped her lips shut and threw away the key.

Brenda took her hand and gave her a dazzling smile. "Thank you, baby."

"You're welcome, Mother."

"Ugh! I hate that. Do I look like your Aunt Tracy to you?"

Sage opened her mouth.

"Think before you answer that question."

Sage shook her head. "No, Mommy, not at all," Sage agreed with a smile.

Sonny and Dara stared at each other. It was like they were watching some bizarre family sitcom.

"Where's the squirt?" Sage questioned, looking around for Stone.

"Yes. How is Stone, Dara? I've missed him like crazy. Thank you for taking care of him by the way. I'll never thank you enough for that."

"He was a pure joy," Dara assured Stone's mother.

"What new and exciting- -"

"Uncle Sonny, Aunt Dara," the boy in question shouted, racing through the front door with Michael close at his heels. Upon seeing her son, Brenda ran to him and he launched himself into her arms. Wrapping her arms around her son, Brenda showered his face with kisses as she cried.

"Mommy has missed you so much. I love you so much, Stone."

"I missed you too, Mommy."

Wiping her tears, Brenda released her son to look at him. "You must have grown a foot since I last saw you."

Stone giggled. "No, Mommy, I haven't grown that much."

"Have you had fun with Aunt Dara?" his mother asked, staring into her baby's beautiful face.

"Yes, and Uncle Sonny, Michael, and Nia," he confirmed.

"Whose Nia?" Brenda asked.

Leticia walked in and handed the baby to Sonny.

As Sonny and Dara greeted the baby, Stone pointed to Nia.

"Okay," Brenda said, looking at Justus who had been quiet up to this point.

"Mommy, may I have a sister like Michael?"

"You want a sister?"

"Uh-huh and Aunt Dara told me to ask you about getting a sister or brother."

"She did, huh?"

Stone nodded.

"Well, let's see what Mommy can do about that. How would you like two sisters, a brother, and two daddies."

Stone's eyes widened the size of quarters.

"Yes," he replied eagerly.

Sitting in the middle of the floor, she pulled Stone on her lap. "Remember me telling you about your daddy."

Stone nodded, "And how you couldn't be together? But he loved us a lot even though we couldn't all be together."

"Yes, that's right. Well Uncle Sonny is the man, Mommy was talking about. Uncle Sonny is your father."

"So he can be with us now?"

"No, baby, not with us, but with you."

"Why not us?"

"Because although Mommy and Daddy loved each other a great deal long ago, we don't love each other the way Mommies and Daddies do that are together. But we both love you endlessly. And that man," Brenda said, pointing to Justus "is the man that Mommy is in love with and is married to. His name is Justus and he's your step-father."

"Hi," Stone said cheerfully.

"Hi, Stone. Your mommy told me a lot about you. It'll be great getting to know you," Justus told him.

Stone simply nodded.

"And next to Uncle Justus is your big sister, Sage."

"I have a big sister," Stone said in astonishment.

"You sure do, squirt," Sage replied, getting on the floor and opening her arms to him.

Stone ran into her arms and gave her big hug which Sage gladly returned. Stepping away from Sage, Stone repeated what he just learned. "That's my daddy," pointing to Sonny, "and Michael's daddy, and Nia's daddy, and Kristina's daddy too."

Sonny nodded.

Brenda looked bewildered. Wasn't Kristina Ned's daughter?

"So who's your daddy?" Stone asked innocently of Sage.

Nodding to Justus, she answered, "He's my Daddy."

A huge smile broke out on Justus' face. He reached out and ruffled Sage's hair.

Leaping away from Sage, Stone and Michael bounced around together, shouting, "We're brothers! We're brothers!" They bounced over to Sonny and he embraced them both.

"Daddy, can you make the clam sauce pasta for dinner tonight?" Stone requested

Sonny's heart melted at finally hearing his oldest son calling him dad. He squeezed both the boys a little tighter as his heart and mind came to grips with losing one son while gaining another. Well he hadn't lost Michael, he was just sharing him as he would with Stone. His gaze
landed on Dara's.

Dara saw the pain, sorrow and joy reflected in his eyes and with Nia in her arms, she reached over and joined the group hug.

"Daddy?" Stone said, waiting for his answer.

"Yes, we can have pasta with clam sauce."

"He's got great taste," Brenda commented.

"He got it honestly," Sonny replied.

"That he did," Brenda added, "that he did."

Hugging her daughter and leaning against her husband, Brenda stared into Sonny's eyes. How differently had their lives turned out? While love would always be between them and Stone an everlasting reminder of that, they had both moved on and had found the families they had always been searching for with other people. And they were both happier than they could even dream.