It had been a week since the wedding and Julian and Alexis were due back today. Sam and Jason had invited them both as well at Monica to their house that night for dinner. They told them that they with school starting soon the kids wanted to spend as much time with them as they could. Sam and Danny were setting the table while Jason and Lila were putting the finishing touches on dinner. "Ok buddy not you can put the forks and the spoons on the other side of the plates." Sam told her son. "Ok, mommy." He replies, going about putting the silverware in place. As he puts the last spoon down the doorbell rings and Danny runs out of the dining room to go and answer it. Sam runs after her son and catches up to him just as he opens the door revealing Monica on the other side. "Grandma!" Danny yells and jumps into her waiting arms. "Hello my big boy!" Monica says laughing. "Are you hungry, grandma?" Danny asks. "You bet I am." She tells him. "Good. Come on. Daddy and Lila are making dinner." He gets down and heads off into the kitchen.
Monica walks over and greets the young woman that has become a daughter to her over the past ten years. "How have you been, sweetie?" she asks giving her a hug.
"I'm doing great. How about you? How was your first day back as Chief of Staff?" Sam asks retuning her hug.
"Oh, it was great. Crazy but a good crazy. Just like riding a bike." The share a laugh as the walk into the kitchen. Monica goes over and says hello to her granddaughter and then then her son. The doorbell rings again and this time when Danny takes off to answer it Jason follows him.
Sam, Lila and Monica are putting the food out on the dining room table as Jason walks back in followed by Julian and Alexis. Julian is carrying Danny as Alexis heads straight for Lila. They all exchange greetings and then sit down to eat. Monica and Alexis discuss getting back the jobs that they previously held as Julian, Jason and Sam talk about how the shop is coming along. After dinner they all head out to the backyard and sit in the lounge chairs overlooking the big yard that Lila and Danny are playing tag in. Julian and Jason are drinking beers and Alexis and Monica each have a glass of wine. "Honey, did you want a glass? I can go and get it for you?" Alexis tells her daughter.
"No mom that's ok. I don't want one." Sam say smiling at her. Alexis and Monica share a look and then both narrow their eyes at Sam. Sam's smile gets bigger and she says "What?" "Don't you what me." Alexis says "Are you..?" Sam looks over at Jason, who is smiling from ear to ear. She then looks back at both of her mothers and nods her head.
Monica and Alexis both let out a loud shriek as they jump out of their chairs and attack Sam in hers. "Are you serious?" Monica asks.
"Yeah. We found out a week before the wedding. We didn't want to say anything because we didn't want to take attention away from you and we wanted to wait until you guys got back from the honeymoon so we could tell you all together." Sam explained.
"Tell us what?" Julian asked, completely confused. "Are you dense?" Alexis asks her new husband. "You daughter is pregnant!" Alexis squeals giving her daughter another hug.
"Seriously?" Julian asks, looking at Jason. Jason nods his head and Julian shakes his hand. "Congratulations." "Thanks." Julian goes and pries his daughter out from under two excited grandmothers and gives her a hug. "Congratulations, baby." "Thanks, dad." The night goes on as the grandparent ask question after question.
The next morning Sam is at the shop when Hayden comes running in 15 minutes late. "I know! I'm so late and I am so sorry. I got…preoccupied this morning." Hayden say as she heads to the back of the shop to put her stuff in her locker.
Sam follows her, laughing. "It's ok, Hayden. You were only late by a few minutes. But…" Sam says, trailing off. "But…what?" Hayden asks. "What had you preoccupied this morning?" Sam asks her with a knowing smile on her face.
Hayden walks over to the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of water. "So how did your mom and dad like their honeymoon?" "Oh, no you don't. Come on, spill. Why were you late?" Hayden looks over at her friend and feels a blush start to form on her cheeks because of the way Sam is looking at her. "I had a date with Lucky last night." She explains, walking back into the front of the shop. "And?" Sam eggs her on. "And…it didn't end when the meal did, ok?" Sam jumps up and down clapping her hands. "Yay! I am so happy for you. Sam grabs her arm and pulls her over to the couch that is in the waiting area of the shop.
"Spill. How was it?" Sam ask. Hayden laughs at her and says "Didn't you and Lucky use to date? I'm sure you already know the answer to that particular question."
"Yeah but Jason is so amazing that he tends to make all my former boyfriends look bad. No offence." Hayden laughs again and says "None taken." She gets quiet and says "That what it is like with Lucky. I mean I have been with my fair share of men but after him, it's like they all went away."
Sam smiles and say "I am so happy for you guys. Lucky is a really great guy and I just know you will be happy together. Just be careful ok?" Sam says getting up from the couch. "You don't what to end up like me. At least not any time soon."
Hayden looks at Sam with a confused expression on her face and Sam puts her hand on her stomach and rubs it. Hayden's eyes go big and she says "Are you serious? You are pregnant?" Sam nods her head and its Hayden's turn to get excited as she jumps up and hugs her friend. "Congratulations!" "Thanks. We are really happy about it." Where is Jason? Is he in the garage?" "No, he had a meeting this morning with Sonny about the coffee business. But he should be here within the hour."
"So everything is taken care of. The shipment should be here tomorrow by noon." Sonny tells Jason. He and Jason were sitting in Sonny's living room wrapping up their meeting for their coffee company. "Are you still using pier 52?" Jason ask. He knows that he has to get over it but he hated the idea of going back to the place where he was taken away from his family for more than two years. But he would do it if necessary. "No. I haven't used that pier since the night all of that happened. The coffee shipments were moved to pier 7." Jason nods his head, grateful that his friend had made the change. "Jason, there is something we need to talk about." Sonny says in a serious voice. Jason looks over at him and asks "What?" "AJ."
Jason closes his eyes and sighs. "Sonny…" "No, Jason. This needs to be talked about. Not for my sake but for yours. I hid it with Michael and I don't want to do that with you."
"Sonny, I'm not mad that you killed him. I'm mad that it hurt Michael. I'm mad that you didn't stop and think about the consequences of it. You knew Michael was wanting to get to know him. Why did you do it?" Jason asks. "You hated Ava just as much as anyone else in this town so why did you protect her?"
Sonny sighs and says "When I walked in I didn't see Ava. I saw Connie. A few days before it happened I walked into this living room and saw AJ choking Connie because of the story she published in the paper about Kiki not being Franco's. I was able to get him out of there before her really hurt her. But I was so pissed! When I walked into Connie's office that night and saw her lying in a pool of her own blood, I just lost it. Before she died she spelled out the initials AJ in her own blood. My mind went back to the day that I saw him chocking her and it all fit. Not to mention he was on the security tapes and Ava wasn't.
"What was I supposed to think? Did you think before you decided that I was guilty when Sam was shot? No. all you saw was the love of your life lying in a hospital bed, not sure if she was going to make it. And if I hadn't come and talked to you, you know you would have killed me because it was Sam. you didn't care about facts or right and wrong. Connie may not be the love of my life but I did live her a whole hell of a lot. She literally died in my arms, Jason. When I walked in the room and saw AJ and Ava I just snapped. Since Connie had died I hadn't taken my meds and my mind was just not all there. But that is on me. I chose not to take them so when I had Ava in my ear egging me on, I don't have anyone to fault but myself." Sonny takes a deep breath, "I wish that I could take it back, Jason. I really do. If I had been on my meds I know that I wouldn't have done it but I can't take it back. Not matter how much I want to. I know that you and AJ weren't close but I am so sorry that I took any chance of a truce between you away."
Jason looks that the man standing across from him. The man that helped him when no one else would. The man that became more of a brother to him that AJ ever was. "I know that you regret it Sonny. To be honest I'm not sure I would have ever forgiven him for what he had done. He didn't even come back until after I had disappeared and that says a lot to me. I'm not sure I would have wanted to get to know him. But for my mom's sake and for Michael I would have tried to keep the peace. Michael is an adult so he had every right to want to get to know the man but considering that Michael wasn't enough for him to stay sober long says that he hadn't changed all that much. I'm just sorry that Michael is hurting and it could have been prevented."
"Could it have been?" Michael says from the doorway.
"Michael. What are you doing here?" Sonny asks.
"I came to see my sister." He answers, never taking his eyes off of Jason. "How long have you been standing there?" Jason asks him. "Long enough. Do you really feel that way?" Michael asks in an accusing tone.
"Yes." Jason answers honestly. "You have every right to be mad that he was taken away from you without really getting to know him. But you have no right what's so ever to expect all of his wrong doings to be forgotten by us. You are holding this over Sonny's head but you did not know the man that he was. We did. He is the reason that I am standing in this room with no memory of my childhood. I have no memories of my mother or my father from when I was younger. None of grandfather or grandmother either. But because you wanted to get to know him, I just supposed to forget all of that, huh? I'm just supposed to get over the fact that he faked your death and kidnapped you? You think he did that because he loved you and wanted you with him? It was to get back at me, your mom and Sonny for taking you away." Jason says in a stern voice. "And then he waits until after I am presumed dead to come back and face the music? You think that's just a coincidence? He could have come back at any point in time but he waits until he knows I am out of the way. And you fall for his every word, hook, line and sinker. Yeah, Michael he was trying to change. But the second things didn't go his way he was right back in that bottle. And you were not enough for him to stay sober." Jason glares at his nephew. "You have a right to be mad but do not ever again think that me, your mother and the man that raised you and loves you, don't have that same right. You want Sonny to pay for his crimes but what did AJ par for? Did he pay for kidnapping you and faking you death or any of the other crimes he committed? Trying to be a good man for a couple of months does not make up for all the horrible things he did over his life. Not to me."
Michael is a little shocked to hear his uncle say this. He figured that Jason would be upset that Sonny killed his brother. "Michael, do you really think that AJ would have been a better man had he been in your life from the start? He finally had you back and it didn't keep him from falling back into old patterns! You're pissed that he was taken away, I get that. But don't gloss over the hurt that man caused to justify being mad."
Michael stares at the man that raised him for the first year of his life and was hit with the reality of his words. "I know that AJ was not the best man but he was still my father just like Alan was yours."
"And when Alan was killed I was pissed that I didn't have enough time to make up for all that we had lost, just like you. But I had to come to terms that I couldn't change that. Because I was so hurt I was vulnerable to Liz and I lost Sam. You are so mad that you are letting it take over your life. We are out of the business but that doesn't mean there aren't still people out there that would love to see us dead. This man," Jason points to Sonny, "the one that raised you and loved you when he didn't have to, could be gone tomorrow. Are you going to be sorry that you had the chance to make things right and didn't take it?"
For the first time since stepping through the front door, Michael looked at the man that he had called dad all of his life. Michael knew that Sonny was sorry and that he regretted what he did but because he was so angry he never let it sink in. Until now. For the first time Michael could see himself forgiving Sonny. He never asked Michael to forget it ever happened, he just wanted a chance to make things right. And Michael was finally ready to give him that chance. "I will never be able to forget what you did and I know that you are not asking me to. But I am ready start forgiving you. I can't keep going on the way I have. It needs to be slow, but I am willing to try." Michael says. Sonny lets out the breath that he was holding and says "Thank you."
Just then the front door opens and Carly walks in with Avery. "Michael! What are you doing here?" She asks when she sees her oldest son.
"I came by to see this little one." Michael says, playing with Avery's hand. "And to talk to Sonny." Carly looks between the three men in the room and can feel that everything is going to be ok. "Well, here you go. I think she missed her big brother." Carly says, handing the baby off to her oldest son. "Did you get the paper work?" Sonny asked.
"Yep. Alexis said all we have to do is sign the papers and it will be finalized in 3 to 6 months." Carly explains with a smile. "What will be finalized?" Jason asks his friends. "Carly is going to adopt Avery." Sonny says wrapping his arms around his fiancé.
"Wow. Really? Congratulations but why do you have to wait so long?" he asked. "Well, the judge wanted to give any other family members ample time to come forward and contest the adoption."
"Do you think Kiki..?" Michael starts to ask. "No we already talked to her. She is fine with it as long as we don't try to keep her out of Avery's life, which we would never do anyway." Carly explains.
"Congratulations, mom." Michael says, smiling at her. "Thanks, honey."
"Well I better get going. I have to get to the shop and check on Sam." Jason says. "Why? Is everything with Aunt Sam?" Michael asks in a worried tone. Jason smiles at him and says "Yeah she is fine. Actually better than fine. Sam is pregnant."
Carly gasps and says "Are you serious? You guys are having another baby?" Jason laughs and says "Yes, Carly. Sam and I are having another baby." Carly runs over hugs her best friend. "I am so happy for you guys. How far along is she? Do you guys know what it is yet?" she asks.
"She is about 9 week and we don't know yet but Sam thinks it is a girl." "Yes!" Carly exclaims. "You gotta love that mother's intuition. It's rarely ever wrong. Oh, I'm so happy for you!" She hugs him again.
"Thanks, Carly." "Congratulations, man." Sonny says giving him a hug followed by Michael doing the same. "How is Aunt Sam doing?" he asks. "She doing well. So far she hasn't been sick so pray that it stays that way." He says his goodbyes and leaved for the shop.