Title: You Are What You Read
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They all belong to whoever they belong to. I just like to play with my favorites every now and then. I'll give them back as soon as I am finished.
Summary: AU - What happens when Sonny discovers that someone in Port Charles has been writing some very steamy romance novels. Starring him!
AN: I started this a LONG while ago, so by now this is very AU …especially with what they have done to Skye's character. : ( So just forget about recent storylines AND the whole Sonny and Emily pairing…siblings with the same man is a little too disturbing for me! Thanks to those who are still reading…I am determined to finished this one!!
Chapter 3: And Then There Were Six
"We've got something to tell you Skye."
Looking around the room at her closest friends, Skye was immediately puzzled and concerned with the expressions they all wore. Clutching the keys she still held in her hand to her chest, she worried that something horrible had happened.
"What's wrong?" she asked, taking a few steps closer to the group of women. "Is everyone ok? Was someone hurt?" Hurrying to her sister's side she continued, "Emily, is the baby ok?"
"Oh, Skye!" Alexis quickly exclaimed while jumping to her feet, worried by the conclusion Skye had rushed to. "Everyone's fine!"
Looking to her sister for reassurance, Skye was greeted with excessive nods and words of assurance from Emily and the others.
"You scared me half to death!" Skye cried, leaning down to give her younger sister a quick hug before walking back to her door, which she had left ajar. Closing it properly and throwing her keys down beside Carly and Alexis' purse's, she made her way back towards her friends. "I think I almost had a heart attack," she sighed, resting herself on the armrest beside Emily.
"I'm so sorry," Carly apologized. "I did not mean for you to jump to that."
"Well what else would I do?" Skye replied. "You all look as though the world is about to end."
"No, nothing that serious," Sam reassured.
"Well…somewhat serious," Elizabeth disagreed.
"How serious are we talking here?" Skye asked looking around the room.
"It's really not that bad," Sam spoke.
"Just…sort of a situation," Alexis started nervously. "One you…we," she corrected. "One we didn't plan on."
"Well it was always a possibility," Carly responded looking towards Alexis. "Just one we never wanted to happen."
"I'm very confused," Skye spoke shaking her head. "Just tell me."
"Well," Carly started hesitantly. "Remember when I moved last month."
"Yeah," Skye replied with a smile. "I did help you unpack, Carly."
"Well, it's just that," Carly continued timidly. "I thought I misplaced it in the move and that it was just packed in one of the boxes I hadn't gotten the chance to open. But, upon further inspection…I realized that…I had left it behind at Sonny's."
"What are we talking about here?"
"One of your books, Skye," Alexis jumped in.
"What?" Skye asked with disbelief. "I don't think I heard that right."
"No," Elizabeth grimaced. "You did."
"But…but that's not possible," Skye stammered, jumping from her seat and wide eyed. "Because you said you didn't have any of them at the house, Carly." She finished, pointing at the blonde with an accusing finger.
"I didn't...at first," Carly finished weakly. "But I always hid them!" She added quickly before Skye could reply. "I…I just hid one too well."
"Well, get it back!" Skye exclaimed hysterically. "If Sonny finds it, I'll die!" she cried out as she began to pace in circles.
The rustling sound Emily's take out bags as she lowered them from her lap to the ground sounded as loud as thunder in the now exceedingly quite room. Walking towards her sister, she put a soft hand onto the red head's shoulder, stopping her pacing and urging her to look up.
"Skye," she began softly.
"No." Skye shook her head, "This isn't happening. This is just a nightmare. You are all figments of my imagination. I am going to wake up any second."
"Don't make us pinch you sweetie," Alexis replied softly with a sad smile.
"You got it back right?" Skye asked Carly, raising her head timidly. "Please, tell me you got it back?"
"I'm so sorry Skye," Carly responded, walking towards her troubled friend. "He found it before I got the chance to even look for it."
"He found it! Oh God," she spoke with a tremble.
"He doesn't know you wrote it Skye," Elizabeth reassured.
"Not yet!" Skye countered, throwing her hands up. "But he will!"
"You don't know that," Emily added.
"No," Carly began, correcting her pregnant friend. "He's pretty determined to figure it out."
"I have to move to China!" Skye exclaimed.
"You are not moving," Alexis countered firmly.
"How will I face him?"
"We'll figure it out Skye," Elizabeth reassured.
"I should never have even written them," Skye sighed with regret, walking away from the group and slumping into the chair Emily had abandoned. "I'm such a fool."
What had she been thinking? She should have just let her feelings stay buried deep inside, never to be released! Never one to listen to the tiny voice of reason, she instead made one of the worst decisions in her life by not only writing the damn stories, but having them published.
The first moment she'd seen Sonny all those years ago, Skye had been struck with an instant attraction. He was tall, dark, handsome, and powerful…her greatest weaknesses.
She spoke not a word of this to no one of course! She might be crazy, but she wasn't certifiable! Besides, any ideas of ever acting on her sentiments had been quickly disbanded with her friendship with AJ and then her relationship with Jax.
Try as she might though, Skye could never get him out of her head.
Sonny's battles with AJ and her own arguments and confrontations with him only caused some of the strongest fantasies Skye had ever had. There had been nights she had woken drenched in sweat and her breathing slightly impaired. Jax had been woken by her behavior on numerous occasions, always confident he had been the cause of her arousal and she never had the heart to correct him. Not even when he had broken her own heart, leaving her and their marriage behind for Brenda.
Ever the alcoholic, she fell back into her old life style quite easily for some time, sheltering her heart and self from harms way. But the fantasies of Sonny refused to relinquish. Soon liquor no longer clouded her dreams from them and she was forced to find a new outlet for her inner conflicts.
Skye had entered the quiet Main Street book store, one rainy night many months ago, in need of shelter from the heavy downpour outdoors. Though she had been greeted warmly from the older couple behind the register, Skye had immediately dodged their view and disappeared down one of the many isles of books. Content with the solitude and calmness the shop presented, she wandered the isles aimlessly. Reading the titles of books she had always wished to have read or those she hadn't since her youth. Lost in her thoughts, she only broke free as the bell over the store's entrance signaled the arrival of another customer.
"Mr. Corinthos!" the elderly gentleman greeted and Skye had immediately frozen. Taking care to stay hidden and move quietly, she tiptoed into one of the rows furthest from where Sonny was chatting pleasantly with the couple.
'Good, cooking books,' She thought to herself with a sigh of relief. 'He'll never come down this isle.'
"The book you requested last week has come in!" she heard the older man cheerfully inform the object of her desires. "And it has the best recipe for Arancini I've ever seen published!"
"Excellent," Sonny replied. "I could open my own restaurant with all the wonderful cook books you find me," he added with a chuckle.
'He cooks!' Skye had thought with amazement before suddenly realizing that they would be heading for her hiding place any moment. As quickly and quietly as possible, she made her way through the network of isles, toward the back corner of the shop and prayed it was only one book on Sonny's list. Listening to their mumbled words, she released a breath of triumph as she heard him move to the counter and begin to make his purchase.
She dared not move even a single inch of her body until the bell over the front door indicated her freedom. Closing her eyes with relief once he'd gone, she let her head fall back against the shelves of books, mentally exhausted.
"Dear, are you all right?" the elderly woman asked, coming to her side.
"Yes," Skye replied slowly as she opened her eyes to speak to the woman. "I'm fine."
"Having a little trouble making a decision?" she teased with a smile. "I'm a sucker for these stories myself, but don't let Mr. Williams know."
"I won't," Skye smiled back, pretending to know what isle she had been hiding in.
"Want me to show you my favorite?" the older woman asked with excitement, then without even waiting for a reply she dug her fingers into the shelf by Skye's elbow.
Moving aside to get out of her way, Skye discreetly looked over Mrs. Williams' gray curls to read the sign above the entrance of the isle.
Adult Literature
'Oh, great!' she inwardly moaned, quickly turning back and smiling as the woman handed her a paperback.
"He's a sea caption and she a lady pirate!" she squealed with enthusiasm. "It's on sale too!"
"I don't…" Skye began, trying to find the most polite way to turn down the written porn from a woman old enough to be her grandmother.
"Not a fan of the sea huh?" she spoke with a knowing nod. "There's also a good one about a salesman and a—"
"Actually," Skye interrupted, hoping her cheeks weren't flushed with embarrassment. Willing to do just about anything for this moment to end, she led the woman to believe she had been persuaded. "This one sounds fine."
"Warmed up to it eh?" she giggled her reply, in a way that was most disturbing to Skye, and led the way to the register.
"Find everything alright miss?" Mr. Williams asked with a smile as they approached.
"Don't crowd her Dan!" his wife snapped, pushing him away from the counter with a quick wink to Skye. "She's buying something, so you just get back to stocking the Oprah Book Club section!"
"I was just being friendly Margaret," he responded before walking away. "Silly book club," he mumbled as he disappeared down an isle.
"He was none the wiser dear," she whispered as she took Skye's money.
"Thank you," She replied, counting the seconds before she could run from the store.
"Enjoy!" Mrs. Williams smiled, clasping her hands together over her chest with excitement once she had handed Skye the small paper bag, her purchase safely hidden inside.
"Good night," Skye replied, quickly moving to the door. As Skye left the building, not caring that the storm hadn't slowed one bit, she heard the beginning of the Williams' conversation and grimaced.
"So, what'd she buy?"
"None of your business Dan."
"Margaret, you better not be pushing those illicit stories of yours onto the customers again!"
"It's none of your business Dan!"
Once Skye was home and safe from Mrs. Williams, she buried her face into one of the couch pillows and laughed at how sad her life was.
It was an hour or so later, done with her first two drinks of the night, that curiosity finally bit her and she reached under the sofa for her hidden purchase. Giggling at the title, A Captain's Delight, and its cover image, she opened the book and began to read. Becoming somewhat engrossed with the story, she only rolled her eyes at the author's attempts to write love scenes between the rugged Captain Grant and the strong willed heroine, Pirate Mary.
'Oh, I could write better than this,' Skye had thought to herself with a laugh.
Daring herself with a challenge she put down her glass of vodka, then the book beside it and went to start up her laptop.
The blank white page of Microsoft Word starred back at her for some time, waiting for her to make a move. With fingers frozen above the waiting keys, it wasn't until a clap of thunder roared and Sonny's face flashed in her thoughts, that she wrote her first words.
The Sun After the Storm
By Antoinette Heart
"Why the hell not!" she thought out loud, instead of reconsidering the stories title and her pen name. Antoinette was her real name, even though not many knew since she chooses to instead go by her middle and Heart seemed very logical considering her motivations.
The sound of the entering keys echoed through the room as a story began to form and she became lost in her fantasy. Half way through her twelfth page of text, Skye paused and leaned back in her chair.
Was she really doing this?
Was she really writing one of her most secretive and guarded thoughts into a…what? A book? An image of Mrs. Williams trying to sell her story to another female customer floated into her head and caused her grin. Could she really do this? Have her fantasies displayed on a shelf mere isles from where Sonny himself was reading books on Italian cuisine?
She grinned even wider.
Either the vodka she'd drunk earlier had permanently clouded her judgment, or the rebelliousness of actually going through it was becoming slightly appealing.
'Besides, I can't see Sonny Corinthos browsing through the Adult Literature section,' Skye had thought to herself, 'Especially with Mrs. Williams around!'
And so it began.
The Sun After the Storm was completed and revised to Skye's satisfaction within a month's time. She wrote ideas about the story absentmindedly on post-it notes while at work at ELQ and typed till her fingers were numb once she got home in the evening. So immersed in this daily routine, it had been a week into the book before she even noticed her glass of vodka, from the first night she had begun to write her book, was still sitting on her coffee table…untouched.
Skye hadn't even realized she'd been waking up in the mornings to no hangover.
Having finally found her rock to lean on, she didn't hesitant pouring her remaining bottles of liquor down the drain. Now, whenever she was rundown or struggling through her days and about to head to a bar, she wrote instead. The occasional AA meeting was necessary, but it rarely came to that.
Skye was back on the wagon and determined to stay there this time.
Publishing the book had been easier than Skye expected. She acquired a P.O. Box in Long Branch, the next town over from Port Charles, so that her return address when she mailed her manuscript wouldn't be from her true name and home. Then she made the easy decision to go with the local publishing house. After all, it had been Mrs. Williams who started the process and if any financial success came of this, Skye wanted the small business to receive a portion of it.
A letter from Port Charles Publishing arrived five days later and they gladly wished to publish her work. Skye was somewhat relieved seeing the signature at the bottom of the letter was not Mrs. Williams, but a Mr. Greene, one of their partners. Even though she owed so much to the elderly woman, the image of Mrs. William proof reading her manuscript and girlishly giggling had been haunting her.
Then, hired an editor and only communicating with them by post and by phone, Skye completed the few rewrites that were asked of her, approved the cover art (she was very particular with this stage), and finally submitted her dedication page, which read…
For
Mrs. Williams, who sold me the book
that motivated me to write
&
For the man of my dreams
The book, ironically, was released to stores the same day her divorce with Jax had been finalized and she celebrated the day with a sad smile and a Ginger Ale on the rocks. Her life as Mrs. Jasper Jax finally behind her, Skye desperately clung to the identity of Antoinette Heart with all the strength she had left.
It eventually got easier living without Jax, the surprising success of her book taking her mind off many troubles.
Fan mail poured in quickly and Skye had even received a letter from Mrs. Williams. The elderly woman wrote to thank her for the dedication in the beginning of the book and thanked her immensely for choosing their tiny publishing house which their son-in-law, Mr. Greene, ran for them. She also asked to take Skye out to lunch so she could thank her in person.
Expressing the need to stay anonymous in her letter of reply, Skye gently turned her down. To compensate though, she promised she would always be a loyal customer and if she ever wrote another book, Port Charles Publishers would be the first to sell it.
For once everything was right in her world.
Financially gold, still not drinking, and even growing closer to the Quartermaines, Skye was happier than ever before.
Her new friendship with her sister Emily was another reason for her recent happiness. AJ had always been the only exception to a relationship with a sibling. Not even in contact with the family she had left behind in Pine Valley, Skye had always hoped to be close to one of her sisters.
With almost no effort on her part, Emily had forgiven Skye of all her past wrongdoings, a trait Skye cherished and envied, and soon Skye had the relationship she had always wished for.
She should have known this peaceful existence couldn't last for long.
It was on one seeming pleasant day that Skye's anonymous career as the author of the #1 selling romance novel, came to a crashing halt.
Having moved back into the Quartermain mansion the previous month, Skye was comforted with the familiarity the loud and hectic atmosphere the household offered. It was an immense transformation from the quiet and isolated existence she had begun to be accustomed to.
Hidden away in Skye's bedroom, she and Emily had just finished a Cary Grant movie and were chatting idly, enjoying an afternoon in each other's company. As the shouting downstairs began to settle somewhat, Skye braved the mission of refilling their popcorn bowl and left the room on her tip toes.
While she was gone Emily decided to quickly check her email on her sister's computer and with a roll of the mouse, Skye's screen saver of swimming goldfish materialized into an open Word document. Not wanting to invade Skye's personal space, Emily was about to abandon her choice to go on the computer when a word on the screen jumped out at her.
Sonny
Unable to stop her curiosity, Emily continued to stare at the typed story in front of her, becoming quite shocked by what she was reading.
"I think Monica is trying to evict Alan again," Skye laughed as she returned. Upon seeing her sisters shocked and guilty expression, she froze in her spot.
"I'm so sorry, Skye," Emily quickly apologized, standing from the desk and moving away. "I just wanted to check my email. I didn't mean to…" she trailed off, unable to continue.
"Oh no," Skye groaned, face reddening with embarrassment, before closing her door and thumping her head back against it.
"I'm so sorry," Emily repeated, feeling so horrible for her sister's distress.
"I…" Skye began to offer an excuse, finding it extremely difficult. "No one was ever meant to find out."
"Skye, I feel so—"
"You don't think I'm some horrible pervert do you?" Skye interrupted with a worried expression.
"No!" Emily responded immediately. "Of course I don't think that."
"But you think it hopeless right?" She added walking to her bed and slumping down on its end.
"Is it about who I think it is?" Emily asked cautiously, lowering herself beside Skye.
"If you thought Sonny Corinthos, then you thought correct," she spoke with remorse.
"It's just…I thought you hated him?"
"Hate and attraction are two very different things," she began. "But I haven't hated him in a long time."
Cautiously, Skye opened up to her younger sister and explained as much as she could without getting too embarrassed. Emily's heart immediately went out to Skye as she told her story, understanding how much she cared for Sonny.
Once she had sworn Emily to secrecy, Skye calmed a bit. Looking at the brighter side of the situation, she now had someone she didn't have to hide from and could confide freely with.
The calmness Skye had momentarily felt ended when the one someone who knew, turned into five more someone's.
The next to learn of Skye's little secret was Elizabeth Webber.
Ever the supporter, Emily had purchased The Sun After the Storm (its sequel, The Rising Sun, already on it's was towards publication) without Skye's knowledge. Reading it one afternoon while the house was empty, she had become so engrossed in the tale, she failed to hear Alice answering the front door and directing Elizabeth to her room.
Surprised by her friend's sudden appearance, Emily's feeble attempt to hide the book behind a stack of medical journals failed miserably.
She was in the midst of trying to convince Elizabeth that, even though the likeness was remarkable, the man on the cover of the book was not Sonny Corinthos when Skye entered.
"Hi Elizabeth," she had greeted before noticing what object Elizabeth was trying to wrestle from her sister's grasp.
"Emily!" she whispered harshly before quickly slamming the door behind her. "You promised!"
"No, Skye! It's not what you think!" She tried to quickly let her know that Elizabeth had no idea who the author was. "We were just—"
"Having a laugh at my expense!" Skye quickly accused. "I trusted you. Now the entire town is going to know I write sex stories about Sonny Corinthos!"
When Elizabeth's hands fell loosely to her lap and her jaw dropped to her chest, Skye could have sworn the girl's eyes grew three sizes larger.
"Skye," Emily spoke with a fretful expression. "I never told her."
"Then…I?" Skye started, unable to finish. As Emily and Elizabeth both shook their heads with affirmation, Skye groaned.
Once she apologized to Emily for jumping to the wrong conclusion she begged Elizabeth for her confidentiality. After the younger girl gave her word, Skye was forced to retell her tale and was thankful for Elizabeth's sympathy towards her circumstances.
Not having many friends, Skye spent most of her free time with her sister Emily. Eager to change that fact, Emily quickly included Elizabeth on their girl's nights, trips to the city, and their weekly lunches at Kelly's.
Moved by Skye's hidden affection for a man she thought would never give her a second glance, Elizabeth began to see her friend's sister in a very new light and it wasn't long before she herself considered Skye a friend.
It was a week or so after the third book by Antoinette Heart hit the shelves of book stores across the country, when Skye's misfortune struck again.
Alexis Davis had just poured herself a glass of wine and was eagerly opening the package Fed-Ex had just delivered. With her daughter's out for the day with Uncle Nicholas, she was looking forward to a long bath and a good book. Tuesdays With Morrie, an Oprah book club selection she had yet to read, had just arrived and she was impatient to start it. Digging through the Styrofoam peanuts, she smiled with triumph as her fingers grasped the books spine and she was finally able to pull it from the box.
An expression of confusion immediately replaced her smile as she set eyes on the book in her hands.
The Sun Over Her Horizon?
"What the…?" Alexis muttered, before filling up with irritation over the book store's error.
'There goes my day of relaxation,' she'd thought to herself, now determined to leave for the book store immediately to rectify their blunder.
It was as she put the book down to retrieve her coat, when she suddenly took an interest in the man on the illustrated cover. He had a remarkable likeness to…
"No!" she exclaimed, knocking over her glass of wine as she snatched up the book. Stuttering unintelligibly, Alexis hurriedly thumbed through the pages of the paperback and nearly fainted as she read.
Someone had written a romance novel about Sonny Corinthos!
Alexis couldn't believe it and when she had looked through the entire book, the last page brought another shock.
Also by Antoinette Heart…
The Sun After the Storm
&
The Rising Sun
With a new incentive to reach the book store, Alexis hurried into town. Once she arrived at the book store, discreetly as possible, she made her way into the Adult Literature isle and searched for Antoinette Heart's other published worksFinding them and quickly coming to the conclusion that they too were about her former client, she came to a horrible conclusion.
People might think she had written them!
How was she to defend herself and tell them who actually had if she didn't even know?
Formulating a plan, she turned to the front of the book and checked the publisher. Discovering she needn't go far to question them, Alexis made her way to the counter and quickly asked to speak with the owner of Port Charles Publications.
Mr. Williams had been very alarmed to find out one of their authors, and most popular one to boot, was guilty of plagiarism. Alexis introduced herself, with a firm handshake, as the lawyer of the individual who Ms. Heart had blatantly stolen all her material from. She proceeded to request a copy of Ms. Heart's contact information, so that she could present her with the legal documentation involved in such a lawsuit.
Mr. William's graciously obliged and quickly found the information Alexis had asked for. Hiding her disappointment at only having a P.O. Box to run with, she thanked him for his time and assured him that her client did not hold his business liable in any way.
What she'd done was wrong, Alexis knew this, but lawyers had gotten away with far worse in this town and she wasn't about to take the blame once the books were read by someone else.
Who knew how many customers had received The Sun Over Her Horizon instead of their Oprah book club selection?
Hurrying to her car, with every intention of speeding to Long Branch, Alexis was nearly knocked to the pavement as a woman lost her balance and crashed into her.
"I'm sorry, my heel broke," the woman offered before looking up to see who she had crashed into. "Oh, it's just you." she added sarcastically once noticing Alexis.
"Nice to see you too Carly," Alexis rolled her eyes as she responded.
"Why don't you watch where you going?" Carly snapped.
"You crashed into me!" Alexis countered.
"It didn't crash," Carly growled. "My heel broke and when I paused to try and fix it, you ran into me!"
"Oh, I don't have time for this," she huffed, pushing past the blonde and heading to her parked car.
"You forgot your book genius," Carly called after her, spotting it on the sidewalk at her feet.
Alexis froze in horror. She hadn't even realized it had fallen from her purse! Turning back towards Carly and cringing at her expression, Alexis realized she had already seen the front cover.
"I can't believe it!" Carly laughed, looking back and forth between the book she held and Alexis. "I didn't think you had it in you, Alexis," she teased, flipping through the pages. "Does Sonny know that you're still pining away for him?"
"I'm not pining for Sonny!" Alexis hastily responded, trying to snatch the book back.
"Doesn't look like that to me," Carly grinned, holding the cover up and dancing it in front of her.
"I didn't write it!" Alexis protested before mumbling, "I knew this would happen."
"You didn't answer me, does Sonny know?"
"I didn't write it!" she voiced more sternly. "For your information I am on my way to find out who actually did!"
"Seriously?" Carly asked with a raised brow.
"Yes!"
"Oh, I'm so coming with you," Carly grinned in response.
After nearly twenty minutes of arguing, Alexis was unable to persuade Carly to mind her own business and the two piled into her car and headed towards the Long Branch post office.
"Isn't this awkward for you?" Alexis finally asked, breaking the awkward silence of the car. "You're married to Sonny." She was met with silence for a moment, before Carly turned away from the window and responded.
"It's over between us," she said with a sad smile.
"But," Alexis began with a confused frown. "You guys seemed fine."
"It's for the boys," Carly spoke. "We don't want to say anything until the holidays are over."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Carly quickly responded, puzzled as to why it was so easy to talk normally to Alexis after all the years of tormenting each other. "We are still friends, but I only love him as the father of my sons now. I don't know when it happened, but we kind of figured it out at the same time."
Carly turned back to the passing scenery, worried Alexis would begin to mock her for her openness. She didn't know what had come over her. Of all the people in the world to confide in, she had picked a woman she rarely got a long with.
"If you'd like," Alexis started, taking her eyes from the road for a small second to look her in the eyes. "I can file the papers quietly whenever you guys are ready."
"Thank you," Carly replied after a moment with sincerity. For the rest of the car ride they talked friendly, laughing about the books, and taking turns guessing Antoinette Heart's identity.
Not once did they argue.
Once they arrived at the post office, Carly impatiently waited outside as Alexis worked her lawyer magic on the unfortunate soul working inside. Telling the clerk the same story Mr. Williams had heard, Alexis was presented with the information she had requested after only ten minutes of intimidation.
"Who is it?" Carly rushed to her side once she saw Alexis leave the building. Huddled together, they each gasped in shock as Alexis unfolded the document.
Skye had been enjoying a late lunch with Emily and Elizabeth in her new penthouse when they had been interrupted by sudden banging on the front door.
"Who is that?" Elizabeth said, frowning at the sudden noise.
"I have no idea," Skye responded, making her way around the stacks of boxes they hadn't unpacked yet, to answer the door.
"You've got some nerve!" Carly quickly shouted, pointing an accusing finger towards Skye as she pushed her way into the apartment.
"Excuse me?" Skye responded with an enraged expression. "You can't just barge in here and start shouting at me for no apparent reason!"
"What's going on?" Emily asked Alexis and Carly as she and Elizabeth went to stand beside Skye.
"Your sister is writing trashy romance novels about my husband!"
"Carly," Alexis rolled her eyes; it was only an hour ago she had agreed to be their divorce attorney.
"Well, we're still married at the moment," she huffed at Alexis' remark before thrusting The Sun Over Her Horizon into Skye's hands. "What do you have to say about this?"
"Not again," Skye whimpered, lowering her head in shame. Taking pity on her, Emily and Elizabeth quickly ushered everyone to the living room and tried to convince the two curious women that Skye had genuine feelings for Sonny and had never wished for anyone to discover what the four of them now knew about Skye. It took the entire night to convince the two women but in the end they both reluctantly agreed to keep her secret.
In all honesty, Carly had expected to eventually use her newfound knowledge about Skye as leverage or a possible blackmail tool. She'd been very reluctant to believe that Skye's feelings were sincere. All outward appearances she portrayed toward Sonny had always conveyed the opposite of what she wrote.
It wasn't until one night, a week or two after she'd learned about Skye's secret, that Carly finally trusted and believed her.
Skye had shown up at her hotel one evening, urgently needing to talk with her in private. Reluctantly Carly had shown her to her office and silently prepared herself for the battle she was sure was coming. As soon as the office door was shut and she was certain of their privacy, Skye began fretfully pacing and talking faster than Alexis before a nervous breakdown. From what Carly could decipher, Skye had over heard Ric and another detective on the docks planning a raid on one of Sonny's warehouses.
"Ric said he has an informant inside," Skye exclaimed with worry, "And that he is about to get the evidence they need to put Sonny in prison!"
"Shit," Carly responded in shock, running her shaking hands through her hair. "This is bad."
"You have to get this information to Sonny!" Skye cried out fearfully. "I didn't hear the informant's name, but Ric said he's been working for Sonny for a short period of time. That has to narrow it down."
"Skye, he's never going to believe this from you," Carly responded.
"Then don't tell him I gave you the information!" Skye practically shouted in response. "Tell him you heard it! That you saw Ric on the docks...he'll believe you Carly!"
That's exactly what Carly did and a week later, when Ric's men raided Sonny's warehouse on the south pier, they found only coffee beans and imported spices.
Forced to take the credit for Skye's discovery, Carly, in return, offered her friendship.
The fifth and final member of Skye's club of shame was Sam McCall.
Sam had entered the local book store only in need of purchasing a more recent TV guide. But while bringing her simple purchase to the counter she'd been pulled aside by the elderly woman who worked there and quickly advised against it. She told Sam that "a young girl, such as herself, shouldn't be polluting her mind with TV junk, but expanding her imagination with mature literature."
Pulled by the wrist to the older woman's "favorite section in the store", Sam had been forced to browse the section of Adult Literature and to purchase the newest novel from Mrs. Williams' favorite author, Antoinette Heart.
After almost swallowing her tongue, Sam raced to her mother's lake house and quickly showed her the cover of The Sun Over Her Horizon.
"Doesn't he look exactly like—" Sam had started with a laugh and an amazed expression, before becoming very confused by her mother's behavior. Alexis didn't look at all surprised by Sam's discovery. In fact she refused to look her daughter in the eye and nervously played with the corner of the couch cushion.
"Alexis," Sam began hesitantly. "Did you write this?"
Moments later Skye had received a frantic phone call from Alexis, begging her permission to let Sam in on her secret before her daughter was permanently scarred.
And then there where six.
Six women who had hardly had one thing in common now did and they could each never look at Sonny Corinthos again without picturing him with an exposed chest, disheveled hair, and a riding saddle in his arms.
The five other women formed a bond with Skye, promising her their secrecy, loyalty, trust and eventually their friendship. Skye had never had so many friends at once and it was a bit overwhelming in the beginning. It took some to time for her to fully trust each of them and to give a piece of herself in return.
Heartbreak bonded them closer as Alexis was diagnosed with breast cancer and was then blindsided with a malicious custody battle from her ex-husband, Ric Lansing. They urged her to be strong during the chemo treatments, stood by her throughout out the custody battle, and had cheered together when the judge pronounced that Alexis had won full custody of Molly.
It had been only two weeks since they'd all celebrated Alexis' cancer remission with a big party at Carly's hotel, when Skye's world came to a tragic halt.
The daughter that had been conceived during her brief liaison with Lorenzo Alcazar had been born a month premature, only surviving two days before her weak heart robbed Skye's chances of motherhood. The five women refused to leave her side. One of them accompanying her to the little cemetery when she didn't want to be alone, or holding her at night as she cried herself to sleep. Once the tears had slowed, they all forced Skye to get out of bed each morning and to eventually live on with her life for her daughter.
They all proved to be the truest of friends.
There for each other during the hardest of times, they could get through anything together and were ready to prove that again.
"Skye!" Carly exclaimed, braking her from her thoughts. "You are not a fool."
"I am in love with a man who has always and will always hate me," Skye responded, pulling her face from her palms to look at her friend kneeling in front of her. "If that's not foolish, then I don't know what is."
"He'd be in prison right now if it weren't for you Skye," Carly replied. "If he only knew the truth, he couldn't help but fall in love with you!"
"But I don't know if I'm ready for him to know the truth!"
"There's no going back now Skye," Emily spoke. "He's found one of the books."
"Yea," Sam added. "Maybe this is for the best."
"For the best?" Skye responded with a frown.
"It's not like you were any closer to admitting your feelings to him, Skye," Elizabeth added.
"But now I have no choice! He's going to hunt me down."
"But soon he'll read the other books and see just how much you care for him," Carly tried to reassure her. "And with our help, there is no way he won't fall in love with you along the way."
"Your help? Oh, no! There will be no scheming or matchmaking! Promise me, Carly!"
Standing behind Carly, Alexis suppressed her grin as the blonde inconspicuously crossed her fingers behind her back before replying.
"I promise Skye."
TBC