a fanfic by SonnyandAlexisGal
Chapter Five
“Sonny?” she calls softly.
She sits up, her eyes searching her immediate surroundings for some sign of him. But she sees only darkness. And the silence is deafening.
Alexis reaches down to the foot of the bed and pulls Sonny’s robe to her. She puts an arm through each sleeve and then swings her legs around. She ties the sash around her waist as she stands.
She walks to the bedroom door and pulls it open. When she steps outside, she can hear the faint strains of music coming from downstairs. She follows her ear through the dark hallway outside of Sonny’s bedroom to the top of the stairs. She slowly takes first one step and then another down the stairs.
The living room is also dark, except for the rays of moonlight streaming in through the window. She breathes a sigh of relief when she spots Sonny on the sofa, a nearly empty glass in one hand, staring off into the darkness.
“Are you alright?” Alexis asks.
Her voice brings Sonny’s mind back to the here and now.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” he says quietly. “Is the music too loud?”
“No,” Alexis answers as she walks over to the sofa. “I just got lonely, I guess…”
“Sorry,” he says. “I got…a lot of stuff on my mind. I didn’t mean to wake you…”
“Sonny,” Alexis begins as she sits beside him, “…it isn’t your fault. What happened to Ryan…is not your fault.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he dismisses. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Don’t do that,” Alexis insists. “Don’t change the subject…Talk about it, Sonny…”
“Talk about what?” he asks. “How somebody else is dead because they were in the wrong place, at the wrong time when this somebody decided to come after me? What’s to talk about?”
“Sonny…”
“Look,” he interrupts. “You’re right. I don’t wanna talk about any of this right now. So…what did you think of the crib?”
“What did I think of the crib?” she repeats, hesitantly – knowing how many much more important things are being left unsaid. “Well,” she relents, “I think that it’s lovely. I also recognize that the crib or, more accurately, the purchase of the crib is your not-terribly-subtle attempt to maneuver me into doing what it is that you want me to do.”
“Is that right? And what would that be?”
“Moving in here with you,” Alexis says. “You are rather predictable, you know – not nearly as cagey as you’d like to think…”
“I see.”
“I’m happy that you do.”
Sonny laughs; the sound of his laughter reassures Alexis – a little.
“Well,” he begins, “it makes sense. I mean, you’re livin’ next door but you’re here with me almost every night…”
“But I need that apartment.”
“For what?”
“For the times when I can’t stand you.”
“Yeah but that doesn’t happen all that often anymore…right?”
“I plead the fifth…”
“Uh huh,” he says. “It still makes sense, though. What’s the sense of you livin’ next door and payin’ me rent when you can just…move in here?”
“But you like having your own space.”
“Yeah but I also like havin’ you near me, too…”
“Well, I’m near you all the time. I live next door to you…”
“You know what I mean. And now there’s a baby comin’…”
“I have an idea,” Alexis says. “Let’s take things one step at a time…and see where they lead us.”
“Okay but you know I’m not gonna drop it, Alexis,” Sonny says. “I’m a very patient man. I’m also pretty resourceful. I mean, I always manage to…figure out a way of…gettin’ what I want. You know what I’m sayin’?”
“And I’m not easily swayed so we’ll have to see about that. Now,” she begins as she takes the glass out of his hand and stands, “it’s the middle of the night.” She walks to the bar and puts the glass down. “You need to get some rest. We both do.”
Sonny shrugs and stands.
“Whatever you say…”
Alexis holds her hand out to him. He walks over to where she’s standing, takes her hand, and offers no resistance as she leads him up the stairs.
As he holds onto her hand, feeling how tiny it is, his mind continues to race.
Everything’s good with us now, Alexis, Sonny’s mind tells him. And we got a baby comin’…I'm not gonna let anybody take this away from us. I swear it…
___________________________________________________________________
Phil Lundine kisses his wife’s cheek before she leaves him and his associate, Victor alone in the den of their New York City apartment on this bright morning. He watches the door as it closes behind her.
“So,” he begins in an impatient voice, “tell me what went wrong.”
The associate begins to squirm; Lundine has never been known for his understanding nature.
“Boss,” the dark-haired Victor begins, “everything went off like clockwork. Our guy got in and did what he was supposed to do without being seen. Our friend in Port Charles was on his way somewhere but he did something different. He’s usually in the car when it’s started but, for some reason, that didn’t happen this time…”
“Damn it!” Lundine exclaims. “Corinthos must be the luckiest man alive! That lunatic Roscoe couldn’t get the job done his way – got himself killed instead…”
“Roscoe took the scenic route. Kidnapping his lawyer or girlfriend or whatever she is took things too far away from the objective. He should have just taken care of Corinthos directly…”
“Well, this wasn’t scenic,” Lundine points out. “And they missed again…”
“Boss, it wasn’t anybody’s fault…”
“I don’t want to hear excuses!” Lundine insists. “I’m paying for results. Corinthos has had this coming ever since he killed Joe Scully. Scully and I went way, way back – back to the old neighborhood on the west side. He did everything for Corinthos – took him in, looked out for him, took care of that no-good wife-beating stepfather of his, put him in touch with people who helped him move up in The Organization…How did Corinthos thank him? With a bullet…I owe it to Joe to make sure Corinthos pays.”
“But the other bosses don’t agree. They said so again last night…”
“I don’t care what the other bosses say!” Lundine shouts. “I want him dealt with!”
“Well, unfortunately we tipped our hand and so now Corinthos is on guard. He’ll be harder to get to now…but there’s always a way. Nothing’s impossible. As a matter of fact, we’re already looking into something else,” Victor says. “We’ll get him, boss. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried,” Lundine says, coldly. “But you had better be – if you fail me again.”
Victor looks at Lundine and knows that he means what he’s saying.
“Yes, Boss…”
“Now get out of here,” Lundine says. “Oh and I don’t reward incompetence. See to it that those who didn’t get the job done are also taken care of.”
“Mr. Lundine…”
“That’s all, Victor,” he dismisses.
Victor takes a deep breath and resigns himself to the inevitable.
“Whatever you say, Mr. Lundine,” he says.
___________________________________________________________________
Alexis opens the door and steps out of Sonny’s apartment, fully dressed in her navy blue pinstripe suit and navy blue pumps, carrying her attaché case.
Sonny follows.
“I should be in court all day today,” Alexis says as she walks to the elevator, where Francis is waiting. She presses the button.
“Good,” Sonny says. “Francis is comin’ with you on my orders so don’t give him a hard time.”
“Alright,” Alexis relents. “I won’t…Who’ll be with you?”
“Max is on his way up,” Sonny answers. “Don’t worry about me.”
Alexis shrugs.
“Can’t help it,” she says. “I like to worry. It keeps my mind exercised…”
Sonny pulls her close and gently kisses her lips.
“I’m okay,” he insists. “Find somethin’ else to worry about.
“That’s easier said than done.”
“I know…”
The elevator door opens at that moment. Out of it steps first Benny and then Max.
“Oh,” Alexis begins as cheerfully as she can manage under the circumstances, “good morning, Benny. Max…”
“Good morning, Alexis,” Benny says.
“Miss Davis,” Max nods.
Francis steps into the elevator and holds the doors open.
Alexis looks at Sonny; their eyes connect.
“All of a sudden I’m feeling as if I shouldn’t go,” she says.
Sonny turns to Benny and Max.
“Wait inside, guys,” he instructs and watches as they walk to his apartment and inside. “You don’t have to worry about me, Alexis. I’ll be fine.”
“I know but…”
“Listen,” Sonny interrupts, “you go to court – take care of your business. I’ll take care of mine and…I’ll have a hot dinner waitin’ for you when you get back. Deal?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“No,” he answers with a shake of his head. He smiles as he embraces her. “Stop worryin’. I’ll be here when you get back. You can’t get rid of me that easily…”
Alexis takes a deep breath before forcing herself to leave the safety of his arms. Reluctantly she steps into the elevator.
“I’m holding you to that,” she says.
“I know,” Sonny says, quietly.
Francis lets go of the elevator door and pushes the button for the lobby. The fear in Alexis’ eyes is clearly visible to Sonny as the doors close.
Sonny turns and walks into his apartment.
“Okay,” he begins, closing the door behind him, “we gotta do somethin’ about Lundine – once and for all.”
Benny and Max watch as he walks to the bar, takes the stopper out of a decanter filled with an amber liquid, and pours some into a glass. He takes a large gulp of his drink as he walks to the sofa and sits.
“I’m listenin’,” Sonny announces. “Whatcha got?”