CHAPTER TWELVE
Carly
was like a little girl with a new toy. In a way, Sonny guessed that the club
was a new toy for her. Anything that kept her occupied and out of trouble was a
good thing, he supposed. And Carly with to much time on her hands was always
trouble.
She'd spotted him as
soon as he'd come into the room and had rushed forward to greet him …it was an easy thing to let her take him by the
hand, chattering excitedly as she showed him all the club had to offer. The dining
area off the lounge on one end, and the glassed in sunroom lounge on the other.
All her clumsy attempts at double entendres and suggestive remarks he let go,
deliberately pretending not to understand the meaning behind her suggestions
and ever increasingly obvious offers.
He thought he'd saw a
glimpse of Alexis as they moved around the edges of the crowds, but he couldn't
be sure, and Carly made a point of her determination to keep his attention on
her. The tour ended at the far end of the bar, where Carly ordered two glasses
of champagne. Sonny accepted it and made a toast. "To a job well done, Carly."
They touched glasses.
"When
I put my mind to something, I make it work." Carly said. She moved closer to
him, close enough so that he could smell her perfume. It was one he'd bought
for her the second time he'd married her. He'd liked it well enough at the
time...it was expensive, and Sonny had known the price and fancy brand name
alone would appeal to Carly, never mind the scent. But she'd laid it on a
little too thick tonight and the scent was overpowering. "Just like you Sonny,
I make it work, and I make it mine." She paused and then leaned up against him
boldly. "Sometimes it takes a little time, but one of the things you taught me
was to have patience. 'All good things comes to those who wait.'" she quoted
one of his own favorite sayings at him.
Sonny looked at her, unsure how to react. What was
she thinking? What was he doing here? Maybe it was the fact that they still had
their son to consider. Sonny would never walk away from Michael. His son would
never know the pain of losing him. There was a part of him that still longed
for the family they once were. There were still nights when he'd awaken,
thinking he heard the sound of his son's laughter. The happy sounds of their
family at meals or on trips to the park. They echoed through the now-lonely
spaces of his penthouse, mocking him with all that he once had.
But
Carly was volatile, and while he was doing his best to wean her away from him,
the cost of making a clean break might be his son. That's why he'd encouraged
her in the idea of the club, even if Jasper Jax was her financial backer. It kept Carly occupied, and in Port
Charles. Without it, without him, she might decide in a fit of spite to take
Michael and disappear. And he wasn't going to allow that to happen.
But he'd had enough of Carly's ramblings for the moment. There had to be a way to get her off of him, if only for a little while. He needed a break…the combination of her going on and on about everything and anything, the effort of disregarding her unsubtle remarks, and the overpowering aroma of her over-utilized perfume had produced the shadow of a headache somewhere at the edges of his mind, waiting to be born.
The angels smiled on him. Jax was looking
around the club, obviously searching for something, and as his eyes fell upon
Carly, he began gesturing, trying to get her attention. He deliberately ignored
Sonny, which was fine with him. Sonny touched Carly's arm, trying to keep a
grimace from his face as she grabbed hold of his hand, showing no inclination
of letting go. "Your partner looks like he needs you for something, Carly."
Sonny said, untangling himself from her grip.
Carly
pouted, something she thought was charming. Her red red lips smiled up at him.
"Well, I just take care of him, then I'll come back and take care of you." She
blew him a kiss before moving away. "And that's a promise."
"And
that's a relief." Sonny murmured quietly as she disappeared into the crowd. He
set the champagne flute down on the bar counter and gestured to the bartender.
"Get me brandy. Neat – and make it a double."
***
A
flicker of movement from the corner of her eye, a flash of black hair…. There
were other men there, Alexis thought to herself, with the same coloring that
Sonny had. Other men in sleek dark suits….she was not going to spend
half the evening looking to see just when Sonny made an entrance. She forced
her gaze onto the dance floor, turning her eyes determinedly away from the
entrance. In the mass of people on the dance floor, she picked out a long silky
fall of bright auburn. As she watched, the song ended and Kristina and Ned
began to make their way through the crowd back to their table.
Whatever
qualms she might have had regarding her newfound sister and her ex-fiancée, she
had to admit that the two of them looked very happy together. As improbable as
it was, she was happy for the both of them.
Kristina was laughing as Ned handed her into her chair. She reached for
her champagne flute and drained its contents.
"I give up…no mas!" She said,
laughing at Ned's outstretched hand and shaking her head. "I need a moment to
just breathe."
Ned smiled down at her. "I thought your intentions were…and I quote: "To dance
the night away?"
"I did…but I never said it would be
non-stop."
Ned turned to Alexis. "While your beautiful sister catches her breath, perhaps
you'd care to hit the floor?"
Alexis hesitated, but Kristina urged her on. "You're not going to sit here all
night. Go on…Go!" She shooed them towards the dance floors, her eyes alight
with laughter.
Half reluctantly, she took Ned's hand.
He drew her to her feet and they moved off into the crowd. Finding a clear
spot, they began to dance. The crowd on the dance floor forced them together,
but after an awkward few moments, Alexis was happy – and more to the point –
relieved -- to find that she felt
nothing more than an old comfortableness dancing with Ned. She dared a look up
at him to see the same relief in his eyes. They both smiled.
"I'm glad we can be friends too." Ned
said.
"Me too, especially since it's obvious
that you can still read me all too well." Alexis dared a full grin this time
and was rewarded by one of his own. Her hand came up to rest easily on his
shoulder, while his hand came up and rested lightly on her waist.
"As a
friend, I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you?" Ned said, after a
moment. Alexis hesitated, then nodded.
Ned came straight to the point. "Do you
know anything about Sonny's plans as far as AJ and Courtney are concerned? For
whatever reason, and I'm not going to ask, you're the only person that has any
influence on Sonny these days.
"Before you answer, I want you to know,
that I want to find AJ as badly as you want to find Courtney. I don't have much
use for him most of the time, but he's my cousin. I don't want him hurt… or
worse…No Alexis…" Ned said as she opened her mouth to speak. He cut her off
before she could say a word. "I know you're first instinct is to protect Sonny.
I got that. But the truth of it is, you can't guarantee AJ's safety. This is
his sister we're talking about. I remember how Sonny was back when Carly was
carrying his child. Sonny is a fanatic about family. And now AJ is using his
baby sister and Sonny knows it."
Alexis saw
her chance. "AJ is not only using her, he's rubbing Sonny's nose in the fact."
"Exactly. And it's not the brightest or
most subtle thing that my cousin has ever done. No one can predict Sonny's
actions, especially if he finds them first, and in a worse case scenario."
Alexis didn't want to think
about worse case scenarios…. And she couldn't argue with Ned's logic, either.
"I've got men looking for them." Ned
said. "We both know that Sonny does too. I'm not asking you to betray any confidences…
but I am asking you that you please help me. If I find AJ and Courtney first,
will you come with me while I try to talk some sense into AJ? Maybe you can
talk to Courtney at the same time…make her see what her actions are going to
push Sonny to."
The music had changed while they were talking. Over Ned's shoulder, Alexis saw
her nephew now dancing with Kristina. Catching her eye, he smiled at her and
the couple began to make their way over to them. Ned caught her glance and
turned to see Nikolas and Kristina headed in their direction. "Looks like my
date is about to reclaim me." He said lightly.
"And high time she did." Alexis said. Her expression sobered. "I meant what I
said, Ned. I am happy for the two of you. As strange as that may sound."
"It's not strange at all.. It's who you
are and one of things I loved…love about you. But about what we were talking
about…I am sorry to press but…." Ned's voice trailed off.
"I understand perfectly… one gatekeeper
to another." Alexis sighed. "It never seems to get easier, does it? I'll do
what I can."
