"Well, he can't stand you either," Alexis quipped in response to Sonny's comment about not being able to stand Lorenzo.
"Do you think this is funny?" Sonny responded.
"Of course not," Alexis said, "But has it ever occurred to you to reevaluate how you interact with Kellie. You've been trying the same thing over and over since you found out she was your daughter. It obviously doesn't work."
"I'm her father and she has no respect for me," Sonny said, "She rebels against any advice or concern I have to offer. What I'm supposed to do with that."
"Advice or concern?" Alexis asked, "Or you expected Kellie to do something simply because you said so? Do you listen when she disagrees or doesn't feel like you're protecting her best interests?"
"Sure, I listen," Sonny said, "I can't help it if she doesn't like what I have to say."
"And why do you think Kellie doesn't like what you have to say?" Alexis replied.
"I don't know," Sonny said, "She seems to think I'm telling her to be someone or something she's not. But I'm really just trying to get her to understand that her preconceptions aren't always right or let me handle any dangers to her?"
"Preconceptions or how she feels?" Alexis asked.
"Okay how she feels," Sonny reluctantly admitted.
"So tell me this," Alexis said, "How is it that you can for the most part accept how Kristina feels about things, but not Kellie."
"Kellie and Kristina are two different people," Sonny said, "Kellie's never given me the chance to parent her."
"Parent her the way you think she needs to be parented," Alexis asked, "Or parent Kellie the way she needs to be parented? Because as you said, Kellie and Kristina are two different people. One of the biggest differences, I think you forget is while you were around for Kristina while she was growing up, that wasn't the case with Kellie. Kellie was an adult when you found out about her."
"Because her mother disappeared without telling me she was pregnant," Sonny said, "nor did she tell Kellie except in a letter that was given to her when she gained her emancipation status."
"While Kellie's biological mother's choices weren't your fault," Alexis said, "Your choice to pretend those choices absolve you of any mistakes you have made in regards to Kellie since you met her, are your fault. Specifically, how highhanded you tend to be with her when the two of you disagree.
"I'm just trying to get my daughter to do what's best for her," Sonny exclaimed.
"Sometimes it's more like you kind of treat like she's five years old," Alexis said, "Instead of the adult she's always been or acknowledge the reality of her past experiences. You can't gloss over any of that."
"I'm her father. I should be able make up for how bad her childhood was," Sonny said.
"But you can't," Alexis said, "No one can. Nor can you change the fact that Kellie is who she is today because of the instincts and behaviors she had to learn to survive, to grow up in that. If you want any chance at relationship with Kellie that doesn't involve you arguing, you finally have to accept that and what those instincts behaviors mean when she feels threatened by your business, her enemies, or even some of your decisions as it seems. She didn't have a normal or even stable childhood. Even Kristina and Molly figured that out when they were teenagers."
Sonny let out a long exhale.
"That is a lot to have to consider," Sonny said as if maybe something Alexis said was starting to sink though he was reluctant to admit it.
"I would hope it's more than worth considering," Alexis said, "If you really want to fix your relationship with Kellie. It will take time, a lot of time."
"Time I don't have now that," Sonny started to say and then stopped.
"Time you don't have now that what?" Alexis asked.
"I'm not going to say it," Sonny said, "Because I really would be a jerk then."
"Is there some way in which you can say it that you're not a jerk?" Alexis asked.
"It's just," Sonny shrugged, "Charles is back now. I saw Kellie's reaction when she found out. When she saw Charles. No hesitation, just welcomed him back with open arms. When I came back and she saw me…well she ran out of the building."
"You'd lost your memory," Alexis said, "Had no idea who she or anyone else here was. Of course, the reaction will be different."
"But Kellie's always had a great relationship with Charles," Sonny said, "She's obviously going to want to rebuild that. I can't help but wonder if there's even room for me in her life, maybe there never was."
"So that's what this is about," Alexis replied, "You're jealous."
"No, it's not that," Sonny protested, "It's just seeing her reaction to Charles being alive and thinking about how hard she took his death, it just hit how much I missed with Kellie that's he was able to there for her instead and it just.."
"Sonny, you're jealous," Alexis said again, "And you're going to have work that out on your own."
"Come on, Alexis," Sonny said, "You know me and…"
"Exactly, I do know you," Alexis said, "Again you know I'm right. You're not wrong Charles has been there for Kellie when no one was else was able to. He was there for her when she was a teenager, probably got her through high school in addition to setting her up to live on her own. I think he helped her as much as he could when Ethan originally stalked and later kidnapped her among other things. At least until she faked her death to try to get away from Ethan and probably protect Tyler and Charles from him."
"It's not just that thought," Sonny said, "He had all that time in California with her when she and Tyler were raising their family."
"Do you remember why Kellie ended up in California away from Port Charles?" Alexis asked.
"Ric offered Tyler a job out there," Sonny replied.
"But what happened before that," Alexis replied, "Michael was shot and in a coma. Kellie left town and her husband to go God knows where. Lorenzo was the only one who knew where she was until Tyler finally decided to fight for her and their marriage. The next thing we know, she's had some sort of mental breakdown after spending years not really with dealing her childhood, the rape, her miscarriage, her tumultuous relationship with you in addition to running your business."
"So you're blaming me for my daughter's breakdown," Sonny responded.
"No, what I'm saying is there were a lot of factors in it," Alexis said, "But your relationship with her was so bad that no one told you where she was or that she'd even been shot in South America until they thought she wouldn't survive the resulting infection. There's got to be some part of you that wonders what you could have done differently so that wouldn't have been the case."
"Sometimes, maybe," Sonny said, "I just don't know what to do differently. She's so stubborn."
"Geez, I wonder where she gets that from," Alexis responded, "But Kellie and Tyler went to California because being in Port Charles and around you wasn't good for Kellie at the time unfortunately. Kellie had a lot to work through and as much as you hate to admit it you weren't helping her. Yes, Charles was there for her when his son, her husband was diagnosed with Leukemia and died from it. Until we found out his biological father was Max and Milo's dad, Kellie and her kids were the only family I think he had left. He wanted to be close to family and that includes Kellie regardless of how things are between you and her."
"I know that she wasn't in a good place," Sonny said, "I just figured we would have been able to work all this out."
"But you have to be willing to make changes and compromises," Alexis said, seeing the waiter bring food to Kristina's table, "Otherwise you'll continue the cycle of disappointing her every time Kellie thinks maybe things are different with you. Now if you'll excuse I am going to check on our daughter. Just promise me you'll think about what I said."