Hi all, I recently realized it had been a year since I updated this one. I'm so sorry it took so long. I've always intended to complete it and I've always known where I was going with this one. Replies are appreciated. I hope you enjoy.
Without Hate – Chapter 20
Carly opened the door of the Penthouse she shared with Alexis. Everything was quiet. At first the silence scared her. Then, she realized that her greatest wishes might have come true. She grinned as she wondered if Alexis and Sonny spent the night together. Actually, she first grinned as she looked at the huge diamond engagement ring on her left hand, then she wondered about Alexis and Sonny. She was going to be Mrs. Jason Morgan and she couldn't wait to tell Alexis. "Alexis?"
Suddenly, Carly felt lighter than air. Her plan was beginning to work. Alexis would be moving next door with Sonny. Their kids would play together. If she was lucky, Alexis would have a girl and her daughter would marry Michael.
She sank into the sofa with the biggest smile on her face. Then she heard the knock at the door. On the other side of the door, she found the love of her life holding her infant son.
She gave him a big kiss on the cheek and then kissed the top of Michael's head. "Jase, do you hear that?"
All Jason heard was quiet. "Hear what?"
"Oh nothing, just the silence that proves my plan worked." Jason gave her a quizzical look, which was nothing new. She didn't wait for him to ask any follow-up questions. "Alexis isn't here, which means she spent the night with Sonny, which means she'll practically be living with him soon."
"You got all that from an empty apartment?" Jason lifted Michael in the air and smiled at the baby's display of four teeth as he laughed.
"Jase, you gotta trust me when I tell you they're a done deal."
No sooner than Carly spoke, Alexis's voice could be heard through the door. "Don't touch me, Sonny."
"You're overreacting." Sonny reasoned.
"Really? I expected to spend the night making love to you. Instead, I end up spending the night waiting for you to be released from the PCPD." As they entered the Penthouse, Alexis tried to close the door on Sonny; he stopped it from closing and entered anyway. Alexis still wore her fancy evening dress and Sonny was still in his tuxedo, although it was clear he'd had a rough night.
"We could have been out hours ago if you had used your fancy law degree to have me released. It is what I pay you for after all."
"If you remember correctly, I quit last night right after you punched Ned."
"You punched Ned?" Carly asked. From the look on both Sonny and Alexis's faces, they hadn't realized either she or Jason were in the apartment. "Cool. Ned's a jerk."
Alexis simply glared at Carly, while Sonny, unfortunately, smirked at her comment. "Oh, you think that's funny? Maybe you and Carly should be together since she thinks hitting people is 'cool.'" She turned to Jason, "It's a good thing you're in the picture or Sonny may have found his soulmate."
"Me and Carly being together is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Sonny shook his head. Apparently, Alexis was so angry that she'd lost her mind.
Once more Carly interrupted, "Besides, Jase and me just got engaged. "
"Congratulations." Sonny and Alexis both offered in deadpanned voices. Alexis softened a bit and she took Carly's hand and looked at the ostentatious ring. "It's beautiful Carly. Jason knows exactly how to make you happy."
Sonny dropped his head at Alexis's comment. He wanted to make her happy, too. In fact, he'd thought of nothing else for the last several months.
Something about Alexis's voice made Carly sad. In her mind, Carly vowed to hold Alexis's hand through whatever it took to get Alexis over her anger with Sonny, even if she didn't think he did anything wrong. Jason knew whatever happened between Sonny and Alexis needed to be worked out. And it needed to be done without he or Carly being present.
"Carly, we should go."
"No, I'm not leaving Alexis."
Alexis touched Carly's hand. "Carly, I'm fine. I think I want to be alone for a little while."
"Fine." Carly nodded then gave her a hug before she pulled Jason out of the door. Alexis watched as Sonny remained behind. She grew irritated as she watched him lock the door behind Carly and Jason.
"Sonny, I said I wanted to be alone."
"Not until you hear me out."
"You don't get to decide when you leave. This is my apartment."
"Yeah, but I own it."
"Get out, now!" Alexis felt her face redden. No one could infuriate her like this man.
"Look, 'Lexis, I'm sorry. I know I overreacted, but when Ned started telling you how you were ruining your life by being with me and how Jax was never going to let me raise your child, I flipped."
"I know. I was there."
After the ballet, Sonny and Alexis ran into Ned in the lobby of the hotel, while Sonny was requesting a room. Ned told the desk clerk "the Port Charles Hotel did not serve clientele like Sonny Corinthos." Alexis appealed to Sonny's sensible side. He almost walked away, until Ned pulled Alexis aside and started telling her how Jax would take away her baby before Jax let Sonny raise it. Sonny and Ned began to argue and before Sonny could stop himself, he punched him. And Ned was all too happy to call the police.
She knew his intent was chivalrous, still in her world people simply didn't use their fists to solve issues. Besides, she knew Jax wasn't as much of a threat as Ned thought. Thanks to Alexis's legal maneuvering, Sonny had never been convicted of anything. In fact, he'd never even been on trial. Ironically, in trying to protect his family, Jax was the one who'd been convicted of RICO charges. Based on that alone, she knew there would be no clear-cut path to custody if there was a fight. Besides, Jax was her best friend and she expected them to work things out amicably.
Alexis moved to the sofa and Sony followed. "Sonny, I don't need you to fight my battles. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"But I want to take care of you…and the baby."
"I know." She touched his face. "And I love you for wanting to. I just don't want you to do anything that gives Jax or Ned or anyone else any reason to tell me we shouldn't be together."
"Got it. But…"
"But what?"
"Did you just say you loved me?"
Alexis smiled. "Oh you caught that."
"Yeah. I'm a little surprised." Alexis played her emotions even closer to the vest than he did. He'd told her how he felt earlier and afterward, she'd still she hadn't responded that she felt the same way.
"Surprised?"
"Yeah, you didn't say anything when I told you how I felt in the car."
"I was planning on showing you when we got to the hotel. But no, you had to go and have yourself sent to lockup." She toyed with his collar.
Sonny's voice graveled, "So show me now."
"Are you sure you don't have someone else to fight?"
"Yeah. I'm sure…about a lot of things."
Alexis leaned in and kissed him slowly at first. Then their kisses intensified. After what couldn't have been more than a few seconds, Sonny was out of his jacket and his shirt. He pulled away from her and took a deep breath. "Are you sure?"
"Ab…" she kissed his mouth. "So," then she kissed his ear. "Lutely," then she began to assault his neck.
Sonny smiled as he enjoyed the sensations she was causing throughout. "Then I think we better go upstairs."
Alexis nibbled at his ear before she whispered, "Going upstairs will take longer than I'm willing to wait."
Back at Penthouse four, Carly was pacing a line on the floor. "I gotta find a way to get them back together, Jase."
"You've done enough already. When are you going to get that your plans don't work?"
"Jase, other than you, Alexis is my best friend. I have to help her."
"So be her friend, but stop messing with her life."
"But she was so mad. That vein on the side of her neck was bulging. I know her. She's going to say something to Sonny that she's going to regret."
"Carly, stay out of it." Jason was about to say more when the phone rang. It was Benny calling about a problem with a shipment. He moved out of Carly's earshot. Carly decided to make the most of the momentary absence of Jason's lecturing about the uselessness of her plans to go check on Alexis.
"Hello," Carly called out. As she entered the Penthouse, she caught an eyeful of a mostly naked Sonny and Alexis barely camouflaged by the throw that had been on the arm of the sofa. Sonny and Alexis did their best to cover themselves.
Carly laughed at the redness that engulfed Alexis's cheeks. "Hey, don't stop on my account, but Alexis, we are so going sofa shopping tonight." She closed the door and immediately let out a squeal.
Though Alexis was mortified by the interruption, she chuckled at Carly's squeal. "I'm so embarrassed, but we just made Carly really happy."
"You have absolutely no reason to be embarrassed. And you just made me really happy, too. I never pictured our first time together to be like that, but Wow!" He kissed her before he handed her his shirt.
"You thought about us, before?" She kissed his back. "What did you picture?"
Sonny smiled. "Rose petals on the bed, candles and satin sheets."
"Next time." She kissed him fully on the mouth before she began to button his shirt that she was now wearing.
"There's going to be a next time? I like the sound of that." Now, he kissed her. He began undoing the buttons that she'd just buttoned. Before he could completely erase her progress, there was a knock at the door. He sighed, "Hey, do you know a girl I can set up with Jason?"
"Why?" Alexis watched with amusement as he slipped on his trousers.
"Because I'm going to kill Carly." He kissed her before he headed to the door. He heard Alexis's giggles behind him. "What do you want, Carly?" He yelled just before he opened the door to find Jasper Jacks. His sudden annoyance disappeared as he saw who stood at his side.
"Sonny," Alexis called out as she saw him at the door, seemingly frozen. "Are you okay? Who is it?"
Sonny opened the door wider so Alexis could see. Alexis nearly fainted because in addition to her ex-husband, who was the father of her child, stood Brenda Barrett former love of both Sonny and Jax's lives. She was the surprise Jax mentioned on the phone. And what a surprise she was since she had been presumed dead.
Jax looked between Sonny and Alexis. He grew more incensed by the minute. Alexis was wearing Sonny's shirt and Sonny was only wearing his pants. It didn't take subtitles to figure out what he'd interrupted. "Alexis, what are you thinking?"
"Brenda?" Alexis was the first to acknowledge the woman's presence.
"Wow, I never expected to see you with Sonny." Brenda knew Sonny would be with someone, but she would have never thought it would be Alexis.
"You're alive?" Sonny asked, oblivious to the conversation around him. "How?"
"Don't worry about it Corinthos. Instead of asking questions, why don't you start explaining what you're doing with my wife?"
"Your wife?" Sonny was incensed. "From what I heard, Candyboy, your marriage was a fake. And the divorce was final before you ran off to Europe to chase one woman and before you came home with another."
Brenda watched in amazement at the way the men naturally fell into bickering. It was odd, though, because although she was usually the source of their contention, it now seemed to be Alexis.
"Sonny." Alexis took his hand. "Why don't you take Brenda across the hall, so Jax and I can talk?"
"I don't know how comfortable I feel about having Brenda leave with him." Jax replied before Sonny could.
"Jax, if it wasn't important I wouldn't ask."
Jax nodded in response. Given Alexis's most recent behavior, he wasn't sure what to think.
"I'll see you in a few?" She asked Sonny.
"Yeah, are you sure?" He studied Alexis's eyes for confirmation, though he already knew why she wanted him to leave. He watched as she nodded, then he whispered in her ear, "Get dressed before you talk to him."
She kissed Sonny's cheek and whispered, "I love you." Normally, she'd be irritated by his chauvinism. All she could do was smile given the fact that Jax previously seeing her in less was the reason she needed to speak to him in the first place.
"I'll be across the hall if you need me." Sonny kissed the top of Alexis's hand, which he'd been holding before ushering Brenda across the hall.
No sooner than she closed the door, Jax started in on her. "You're sleeping with Sonny? Alexis, have you lost your mind? Don't you know how dangerous he is?"
"Yes, almost as dangerous as the Cassadine family." She headed to her room and returned a few minutes later fully dressed in sweats and t-shirt. As she headed down the stairs from her room, she cut him off before he could get started. "I didn't ask you to stay so we could talk about Sonny and me."
"Then what would you like to talk about?"
"Us." Alexis took a deep breath as she prepared for the moment that she knew would change her life. "I'm pregnant, Jax. And the baby is yours."
"I'm going to be a father?" Jax's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Are you sure?" He waited until Alexis nodded before he swept her into his arms. He was going to be a father. When he arrived at her door, he'd planned on spending his life with Brenda, but in his heart he knew this changed everything.
