Somebody Told Me … Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to.
Alexis was the one with common sense. Logic, rationality, good sense were her bread and butter. Sonny on the other hand, let chance, fate, providence dictate his life. He had faith in himself, his decisions, his life. I wonder if it should have been the other way round.
They had received the best news in the last couple of months. Kristina was able to go home on the condition that she has regular rehab sessions, which was readily accepted by everyone. She was on the slow road to recovery. Alexis was beside herself that Kristina would be back home safe where she belonged. She wouldn't be able to climb the stairs to her room yet, so, Alexis was making arrangements by setting up a room on the lower level of the house. Likewise, Sonny was making arrangements by posting guards around the house despite Kristina's insistence otherwise. Kristina still refused to see Sonny or talk to him. Surprisingly, Alexis was inclined to agree with Sonny at this moment. Dante too, reassured Kristina that he would be at the house. Michael and Morgan had practically moved in.
Georgie was busy negotiating and tracking down her boss, who was willing to come to Sonny. Georgie had called in Dante for support. Sonny, Alexis and Sam were also summoned to Alexis's house, while Michael, Morgan and Molly kept Kristina company in the hospital.
They waited patiently for Georgie to make an entrance with her elusive boss and what an entrance it was.
"Sonny, may I present my boss, John (Ioannes) O'Brien,"
"Johnny?" Alexis and Sonny said in unison.
"You know this guy?" Dante asked, feeling left out. Sam was getting used to seeing new faces around town, who were actually old faces that everyone knew.
"He was Sonny's bodyguard" Alexis replied still shocked to see Johnny in her living room. He had aged well.
"And then he double crossed me," Sonny added. "Georgie, I will not do business with people I don't trust,"
"Ms Davis, a pleasure as always. You look well," Johnny smiled as he took Alexis' hand in his, ignoring the dirty looks from Sonny. He always thought she was beautiful and it was always drove Sonny crazy.
"Alexis, please," she reminded him, automatically.
"So, how is Kristina recovering?"
"Very well. Her doctor says she could be home in a few days," Alexis replied slowly getting over the shock of seeing Johnny in her house. .
"That's very good news," he beamed at Alexis and then turned his attention to Sonny, "Mr. Corinthos. For the record, I didn't double cross you…it was the only way I could have saved you then and even now, this is the only way I can save you. I made a deal on your behalf. I went legit and now, you are going to help us get the head of TPTB.
"I will do no such thing. With you" Sonny added emphatically.
"Mr. Corinthos, you don't have a choice in the matter."
"I can't believe you betrayed me,"
"Sonny! I was your most loyal bodyguard and you didn't believe me. You didn't fight for me. You were so quick to believe, Sonny."
"Where have you been all this time, Johnny?" Alexis asked.
"Believe it or not, Ms Davis, I have been in Russia all this time working for your family. I was…"
"You have been working for the Cassadines? Why in God's name? Do they have anything on you? Because if they do, actually they can't, Nikolas, my girls and I are the only living Cassadines with any sort of power, so, who are you working for and why? And are you sure they are Cassadines? Because many people just hide behind the Cassadine name, you know…"Alexis was rambling.
"Ms Davis, if I may interrupt," Johnny said suppressing a smile, "I was actually contacted by your brother Stefan."
"When?"
"It doesn't matter. He asked me to look out for you and in turn, he promised me a way out of the mob and a chance at a normal life. It helped that my mother is originally from Greece. He trusted me and my father worked for your family for many years. When you and Sonny got together and Kristina was born, he asked me to protect you, especially with everything that had happened." He was referring to Alexis' sister.
"Why would I need his protection?"
"After what happened with your first daughter, Sam, with the Cassadines and her adoption and supposed death, Stefan took extreme measures to protect the members of his family especially you and your daughters. And Nikolas, of course. He knew you were shying away from the Cassadines and then you got involved with Corinthos, the mob, Ric Lansing. He was afraid for your children. He assigned personnel to each of your children. Kristina and Molly. And recently Sam, when he found out that she was indeed alive.
"I have never seen one." Sam asked.
"Stefan Cassadine is very meticulous and discreet in his methods. And thank you for the compliment Samantha. We have been able to keep ourselves under the radar for a very long time. But,"
"So, what happened the night of Kristina's attack?" Sonny interrupted.
"Stefan Cassadine is dead. Why do you speak of him in the present? He has been dead for a few years now," Alexis asked thinking of the absurdity of this entire scenario.
"Ms Davis, that is between you and your brother. Ms Davis, Stefan Cassadine is a complicated man, as you very well know, despite everything that has happened in his name. Everything happens for a reason and everything he has done has a reason. "
"What are you saying, Johnny?" Alexis wouldn't be surprised if her brother was alive. Over the years, many of her so called dead relatives had been reborn. Why would Stefan be an exception?
"All I am asking you is to trust me and get Sonny to trust me as well. This is very important."
"You are asking a lot, Johnny, why don't you answer Sonny's question first? What happened to Kristina and what does that have to do with TPTB, WSB, CAB, ABC or whatever other string of letters there are?" Alexis asked, slightly annoyed.
"Nothing," Johnny was hedging.
"Johnny, I think we are already too deep in this, why don't you just start from the beginning? We need all the facts before we proceed. Our daughter was brutally attacked and we want justice. We have a family and you want us to put that on the line for something that we do not fully know or understand at the moment."
"I believe it was a coincidence."
"Okay, Kristina was attacked by Warren Bauer's son and when he found out; he took his son and escaped the United States."
"We knew that much," Dante spoke for the first time.
"Where was Kristina's "bodyguard"?" Sonny asked Johnny haughtily.
Johnny looked ashamed of his slip up, "Her bodyguard was otherwise engaged, so, we had a guy on her that was a rookie and he took his eye of the ball." He added firmly, "He has been taken care of."
"What is the TPTB?" Sam asked.
Georgie stepped in and answered the question, "The CBA and TPTB are one and the same organization. They go by different names in different countries. It's highly decentralized. It is led by an unknown figure. We only know him by Azug. He has very few people at the top who know him. Most of his mercenaries don't even know what he looks like. His main goal is power and the control of power."
"So, why is he interested in me?" Sonny asked.
"Your territory is an access point for the Eastern seaboard. If he gets access to it, it will be an untapped market for him, drugs, arms and whatever else he needs to move. He is very active in Europe and now he wants to enter the U.S.," Georgie answered.
"At this point, we are not 100% sure why he has come after you particularly because there are other access points for the Eastern seaboard," Johnny answered.
"But you have a few ideas?" Alexis asked.
Johnny smiled at Alexis. She was astute. "Yes, we do and at this point, the connection seems to be you"
Kristina's Room:
"Give him a chance," Michael pleaded.
"Why? Everything he has done to anybody ends in disaster." Kristina retorted.
"He is a mobster. He threatens people for a living and does God knows what else to them."
They had been having this conversation about Sonny for the last half hour, seemingly repeating the same thing over and over. Kristina refused to hear anything in Sonny's defense while Michael insisted.
"Michael, I saw him threaten Claudia. He sent Max and Milo after Keifer…" Kristina reasoned.
"Kristina, hate Dad as much as you want, but do not blame him for what Keifer did. He won't be able to take it. Dad would never do that to anyone. He is just so freaked out about what happened." Michael implored.
"I can't help how I feel."
"Since you have been in this hospital, he and Alexis have not left your side. Their sole purpose was making sure you would wake up and that you were taken care of. Dante and Sam helped out with Morgan and Molly. Kristina, Dad was broken up about what happened to you…"
"I don't blame him for Keifer, but I can't deal with what he was doing to Claudia. It isn't normal and claiming that it is, is uh uh crap. He threatened her Michael…why are you defending him? Why, Michael?" Kristina demanded to know.
"Because she was behind my shooting," Michael yelled. Noticing Kristina's stunned expression, he lowered his voice, "I am not defending what he did, but I understand…because if I was to see Keifer right now, I don't know what I would do to him."
Morgan and Molly were back from their tour of the hospital that Michael insisted they take so that he could talk to Kristina.
"So, everything okay? Why are you guys so serious?" Morgan asked.
"Everything is fine."
"Huh huh," Molly said entirely unconvinced.
"So, Kristina, what's up with you and Uncle Sonny?" Molly asked.
"Nothing."
"Then, how come you don't see him at all or he never comes in your room?" Molly continued her questioning. Kristina looked uncomfortable and Morgan came to her rescue, "Leave it, Molly, Alexis said not to talk about it."
"What? I was just curious…"
"Can we talk about something else, please? Morgan tried changing the subject. "Do you remember anything we said to you Kristina while you were in the coma?"
"What?"
"We all took turns sitting with you and talking to you. I talked to you about school and my play. I think Mom told you stories about when you were a kid."
"I talked to you about my baseball. Don't you remember?" Morgan asked.
"Kristina!"
Lakehouse:
"Me?" Alexis asked, confused.
"Well not so much. Azug seems to have a lot of connections in Greece and Russia like your family, Alexis. He is not a Cassadine, but most of his movements are documented in the Mediterranean and Russia. It could be Sonny as well. It's not so much what you do or who you are but…" Johnny was having a hard time explaining this.
"I am not following," Dante interjected
"Okay, A little background, most of the guys in our organization who have fought against TPTB and Azug have sort of always gravitated to Port Charles."
"Who?" Sam asked.
"There have been attacks in Port Charles before, most recently the hostage crisis at the MetroCourt."
"Robert Scorpio, Mac, my parents, Frisco, Felicia," Georgie replied.
"I thought Mac was your father" Dante asked.
"He was my step dad." Georgie replied calmly.
"Your parents were spies," Dante asked surprised.
"Lorenzo Alcazar," Johnny continued.
"Alcazar was with the WSB," Sonny asked surprised.
"Not at first, but later. His brother, however, worked for TPTB," Johnny added.
"Jerry Jacks?" Sam asked.
"I can't speak to that at the moment, Samantha. So, Azug has turned his attention to Port Charles and you, Sonny. Most of what he does has no rhyme or reason. He is crazy like Anthony Zaccharra, but he has a lot more power and money. "
"So, where does Kristina fit in?" Alexis asked
"She doesn't, but her attack put the spotlight on Warren Bauer, who has been moving up with the TPTB very quickly. Since he comes from an established family, those ties will be helpful to Azug."
"Where is this Azug?" Sonny asked.
"We don't know yet"
"How is selling about business to you going to stop Azug or whatever the hell his name is?"
"It's another barrier he has to cross. We are very efficient at our job. We are also mounting assaults on his various connections."
"That's fine. Ivanov promised me Keifer Bauer, if I sell the property to him. Can you give me this guarantee?"
"The Bauers won't come back to the States. Thanks to Alexis, he will be arrested as soon as he steps on American soil. They are safer in Europe at least from the authorities. If we put the pressure on TPTB and make them believe it is because of the Bauers, Azug will take them out, if he is threatened in any way. Everyone is expendable in his eyes."
"How is that going to happen?"
"We have an informant placed at some higher levels within Azug's team."
"The attack on your warehouses proves he is getting impatient. Before Ivanov, Bauer was sent to Port Charles to stake the area and get the lay of the land."
"So, Keifer befriended Kristina because of Sonny's business?" Alexis demanded. Sonny was shaken by the question and waited in horror for Johnny's answer. Once he heard Johnny's answer, he breathed a sigh of relief, not realizing he was holding his breath.
"We don't believe so. Bauer was merely there to report. He was not to have any contact with Sonny's business; that was not his job. Everyone in TPTB has a specific job. Ivanov doesn't know that Bauer was there in that capacity, at least not before Kristina's attack."