Chapter 11:

Somebody Told Me…Life is a Game that Must be Played

Sometimes all you want to do is crawl under a rock and forget about everything. Try as we may, we can never escape. There are always things that come back to haunt us. We think we will learn from our mistakes and sometimes we do and other times, we just hope.

"Hey Uncle Sonny, what are you doing here? Is Kristina awake? If she is, mom would have called. So, she isn't awake, but then who's with Kristina? Morgan is doing his homework, Michael is in his room, Dante is on his way here, Sam is on the phone with Spinelli and Mom is…" Molly rambled as she walked into the kitchen.

"With Kristina," Sonny replied reveling in how much Molly reminded him of Alexis. She was her daughter through and through.

After Molly had caught her breath, she asked, "So, Uncle Sonny, what are you doing here? Why aren't you with Kristina and mom?

"Well, I was going to stay over, but your mom told me to go home and have dinner with you guys, so here I am."

"She told you and you listened. That's a first!"

"Don't be a smarty-pants. I saw her reasoning and came to the conclusion that she was right," Sonny casually replied. What was he saying?

"In other words, you lost the argument," Molly replied cheekily.

"What argument? We do not have arguments. We discuss. So, how do you know we had an argument?" Sonny finally relented.

"Because it's you and mom and you always have "discussions" and you are both very stubborn, but mom always wins. So, what are you making for dinner?"

"Pasta with my famous marinara sauce, garlic bread and a green salad," Sonny replied proud of himself. It had been a long time since he was in the kitchen.

"What about dessert?" Morgan entered, eyeing all the groceries. It had been a while since they had had a home cooked meal, all they seemed to be eating lately was takeout and microwaveable food.

"New York style cheesecake"

"You made cheesecake?" Molly asked surprised. Her eyes were getting big as saucers.

"No, I got it delivered. I didn't have time. But I can make it."

"Uh-huh!"

"So, you guys wanna help with dinner?"

Two enthusiastic yeses later, Morgan, Molly and Sonny got started on dinner. They regaled Sonny with their stories of the last few days about breakfasts, school projects, friends, their time with Kristina and he taught them how to cut vegetables, when to take out the pasta, his secret ingredient in the famous sauce. Sonny had enjoyed this time with the kids. Maybe Alexis was right.

Dinner was a quiet affair; all feeling the absence of Alexis and Kristina. Molly and Morgan carried the conversation along with Sam. Dante seemed preoccupied and Michael was fairly quiet, taking in the scene before him, dinner at Alexis' with a family. Dante volunteered to take a plate to Alexis, but before he left, he spoke to Sam.

"So, I got the gory details about the Cassadines. Talk about intense and crazy."

"What did you find about Dmitry Ivanov?" she asked.

"How do you know about Dmitry Ivanov?" Sonny demanded to know. He had just been kicked out of the kitchen after Michael had insisted that he, Morgan and Molly would clean up. Sonny was to go get some sleep since those were Alexis' orders.

Dante and Sam were surprised to find Sonny barging into their conversation.

"How do you know Dmitry Ivanov?" Dante demanded settling his steely gaze on Sonny. Like father, like son.

"What are you guys up to? Why are you looking into Ivanov?" Sonny asked again.

"Can you both please get over it and tell me who Dmitry Ivanov is?" Sam cut in, trying to keep the conversation on track.

Sonny decided to speak first, "He came to me a few weeks asking me to sell my territory in Port Charles. He was offering me quite a lot of money for it. But, he seemed dangerous, works for CBA or something. They are very well connected in Europe, apparently. At least that's was Spinelli tells me."

"Why are we talking about this?" Sonny asked impatiently.

"Because Warren Bauer's name has come with TPTB, actually, that's the only place his name has come up," Sam answered.

"CBA is the Russian branch of the TPTB, from what I have gathered," Dante added.

"Why don't you ask Spinelli to look into it?"

"We have. He came up with nothing. All this info is from Dante's friend at the WSB"

"The WSB? That is weird."

"Why?"

"Because around the same time when Ivanov was offering to buy me out, there was a WSB agent who was sniffing around. According to the Spinelli, Ivanov works with a very dangerous Russian syndicate branch that wants to set up shop in the U.S.; he offered me a lot of money since we are in a strategic location…I know what you are thinking Sam. I thought about Helena too, but I have checked up on her. It doesn't look like she is involved, at least directly." Sonny explained.

"That's what my sources are saying as well. I take it you are not selling?" Sam inquired.

"That's good. I would like to get in touch with Gianna and ask her about this WSB agent," Dante answered for him.

"I don't think that's going to be possible, you see Bernie has already started negotiations…"Sonny started.

"Negotiations for what?" Sam asked, her mind already wandering to how they were going to get Keifer.

"I am getting out of the business and have decided to sell…"

"You are getting out?" Dante asked incredulously.

"What? When did this happen? " Sam asked equally shocked.

"A few days ago…I guess some things are more important" Sonny answered relived, finally able to tell someone.

"You can't just walk away…" Dante interrupted. He always wondered how his father got into the business and if he would ever be able to get out of it. He had to give him some credit for trying to change things. I guess seeing your children suffer may have changed that.

"My people are working on it…if I can hold on to my legitimate holdings and assure protection for my family, I can get out of it. Don't worry about it. But, where does Kristina fit into all of this?" Sonny asked.

"It might be just a coincidence, Keifer is a bastard and Bauer is working for the TPTB. They might have targeted Kristina since she is your daughter and Alexis' daughter, that's where the Cassadine angle comes in. They might have wanted to send you a message." Sam answered going into private investigator mode.

"I don't think you should sell it to this Ivanov guy. He is involved with CBA," Dante mused.

"But he might be our way in to find out more about Bauer and his connection to the TPTB. The CBA seems to be our only connection. We don't know anyone else who knows anything about this," Sam replied.

"I am not sure what needs to be done, Bernie has started looking into negotiating my exit from the … business," Sonny said.

"As much as I am all for you for going legitimate…you have to call Bernie and stop the negotiations or stall them, until I can speak with the WSB." Dante asked his father and without waiting for a reply, he left.

"I can't do that," Sonny whispered.

"So, does anyone know about this?" Sam asked Sonny.

"No, not yet. I have decided to keep under wraps until everything is settled."

"Why the change?"

"It was time. These last few days, I spent my time with my children, actually spent time with them and it felt good. It had been a long time. "

"They know you love them, Sonny. You are a good father."

"It's not good enough. I need to put them first. I need to fix all of this. Yeah, I know, I can't make Kristina wake up, but I can change my relationship with my children and the people I have hurt." Sonny replied thinking of the one person who meant the world to him and yet, he had hurt her the most.

"Have you told Alexis?"

"No. You know, Sam, I want to thank you for everything that you've done in the last couple of days. I know you and Dante have been picking up the slack with the kids and I am grateful for all that you have done. I am also sorry for all the grief I gave you when you were with Jason."

"Jason and I are no longer together, which might be for the best. It wasn't the same the second time around. We are different people…So, is Jason getting out too?"

"I don't know," he replied.

"I hope he does, so he can be a proper father to Jake. Everyone deserves that and just for the record, you are Kristina's father, Molly's uncle and will always be a part of their lives and in turn, mine. I hope we can get past all the stuff that has happened."

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What happened between you and my mother?"

"When?"

"Does it matter?"

"No, I guess not. It's the same thing all over. We just seem to be …"

"We are all done." Molly entered interrupting Sonny.

"Where's Dante?" asked Morgan.

Dante stood outside watching Alexis with Kristina. She as so calm, serene almost. He wanted to interrupt but instead he stood outside listening. He knew he was eavesdropping, but he couldn't help himself. Alexis was telling her a story of the day Kristina was born. How beautiful she was, how she beat the odds, how she was so happy to have another baby girl. A baby girl she would have the chance to raise and love with all her heart. She told her how she was named for her sister, Kristina. She told her how she scared she was keeping her away from her father, how scared she was someone would take her. She told her of the custody battle with Ned, of a butler named Dotson. She had laughed over that, so had he. She told her of the time she said her first word, the first time she sat up, the first time she stood up and some of the things she had missed. She apologized with a few tears for not being there and then she smiled again when she started telling her about her attempts to cook their first grown up breakfast. The mess they had made in the kitchen. She told her of her own mother, all the good memories she had of. Dante remembered what Nikolas had told him earlier about Helena killing Kristen in front of Alexis. How do you even walk away from something like that? He had seen enough death and violence on his job, but to see your own family. Maybe he was seeing it with his family. She talks about when Molly was born in a train wreck or something, how Kristina was a good big sister always looking out for Molly. She talked about how Sam came into their lives and how they became the Davis girls. She was smiling radiantly at her daughter. Dante couldn't help but in awe of this wonderful woman in front of him. He had seen Alexis in court a few times as a prosecutor and a defense lawyer and he knew she was force to be reckoned with, but many people didn't get a chance to glimpse the woman she was or even better the mother she was. He wondered how she and his father ever got together.

"Hey you. How long were you out there? Sorry I didn't see you," she had interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, not long. I just came to see you and bring you some food," he replied.

"Food?"

"Yeah, Sonny came by your house and made dinner. Molly and Morgan insisted that we all have dinner together. It seems only you and Kristina were missing. How is she doing?"

"Yeah, no change, but Patrick is optimistic and so am I," she replied. "I am glad you are here, maybe you can spend some time with Kristina."

"I was hoping to, you know, I was an only child for a long time. I always had lots of cousins but to have a sisters and brothers of my own is a nice feeling."

"Well, I hope you have a lifetime to get them know better," she replied thinking of her own sister and brother. "You know, Sonny may be a lot of things, but he makes the pasta I have ever had," she says as she digs into the plate Sonny has prepared.

"Yeah, it's not bad; Molly and Morgan helped him too"

"That's great! I heard you and Morgan have perfected the art of breakfast, at least according to Molly."

"I know my way around a kitchen."

"I'm sure you do, just like Sonny. That's a very good quality in a man."

"Not you too?"

"What?"

"My mom's been on my case about finding a good girl and getting married."

"I didn't say anything, anyways, my track record with marriage have been spotty at best. Listen to your mother, she is a smart woman."

"So are you. Maybe you just need to find the right man."

"It's not that easy," she replied with a sad look in her eyes. He had noticed.

"You sound like you already found someone," he hoped.

"Please don't start your matchmaking too. I've had enough with Molly and this one over here," she replied, pointing to Kristina, with a smile on her face.

"Who did she set you up with?" Dante playfully asked.

"Your boss"

"Mac?" Dante asked incredulously.

"Yeah"

"The police commissioner and the DA; crime fighting duo… It has a nice ring to it."

"Yeah, enough about me, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Have anyone?"

"No, not yet," he replied mysteriously. "I am working on it," he said acknowledging Alexis' confused look.

"Well, good luck, hope you have better luck than I do," Alexis said. She kissed Kristina's forehead and left with her dinner, while Dante stayed in with Kristina. In that time, she called her other two girls to wish them a good night and she made one last call to Sonny. They had talked about Michael. She gave him the heads up about their talk earlier and he had told her about his time with the kids. That's all they had talked about…the kids; it was the only safe topic now.

"Alexis, can I talk to you about Kristina's attack?" Dante had asked about an hour later.

"Did you find anything?" she asked eagerly.