a fanfic by SonnyandAlexisGal
Chapter One
She walks to the desk and sorts through the folders there as she thinks. Sonny has been preoccupied lately, Alexis remembers. He has his people searching all over for Courtney and AJ but no one has able to catch up with them. The longer it takes to locate them, the more frustrated Sonny becomes.
And moody.
She neatly arranges the folders in her briefcase on the chair. Sonny’s moods don’t bother Alexis. She has seen them before and they don’t frighten her. Nothing about him really does – with the possible exception of how deep her feelings for him have become. She remembers the night a few weeks earlier when Sonny virtually announced to all of Port Charles that his relationship with her had transformed into something very personal. She had wanted to keep their new relationship quiet and he had reluctantly complied. But something on that particular night made him want to take it public. And, as it turned out, she wasn’t sorry that he did. But since then, Ned has had almost nothing to say to her. And even Jax hasn’t been as relentless about Sonny as he had been. They must think I’m hopeless, she tells herself.
And I guess they’re right…
And Sonny’s dealings with Carly have been a bit strained as well. Oh well, Alexis thinks. At least she hasn’t threatened to take Michael away from him – not yet at any rate.
Everything on the desk has been put into Alexis’ briefcase where it belongs except for the renegotiated vendor contract left on the desk in front of her. She has reviewed it and made several recommendations for changes in terms, which are clearly indicated on the contract. She wants to leave the contract for Sonny to review before she goes to court. She picks up the contract and her keys and opens the door to her apartment.
Renaldo is standing at his usual post outside of Alexis’ apartment. That’s where he has been positioned ever since Sonny heard that Helena Cassadine was on the loose again.
“Good morning,” Alexis says.
“Miss Davis,” Renaldo responds.
She briskly walks across the hall to Sonny’s, passing Renaldo on the way. Seeing him there soothes her – even though she’s tired of being guarded. She’s tired of being afraid of Helena and just wants to live her life and take her chances. Of course, Sonny wouldn’t hear of it and so there Renaldo stands.
Sonny’s apartment is unguarded since he is not at home. Alexis uses the key that Sonny gave her and unlocks the door. She steps into the apartment and over to the desk. She places the contract on the desk, opens the draw, grabs a pen and a sheet of note paper, and scribbles a note, telling him that she left the contract for him to review.
She puts the pen down on the desk and turns toward the door. Before she can take a step in that direction, a well-dressed man appears in the doorway. It takes Alexis no more than a moment to recognize the man in front of her.
It is Roscoe.
“Good morning, Miss Davis,” he says.
Alexis’ heart starts to pound at the memory of what Sonny told her about the man standing in front of her – how he once worked for Joseph Sorel, how his trademark is the violent way that he does business, how if she were ever to see him – even across the street – she was to get as far away from him as possible and call Sonny immediately.
And now here he stands – in Sonny’s doorway.
She glances past him quickly, looking for Renaldo.
“Good morning,” she manages. “Mr. Roscoe, isn’t it?”
“Why yes,” he says. “I’m flattered that you remember.”
“Mr. Corinthos should be back at any moment,” she lies. “Shall I give him a message for you?”
“Actually,” he says as he steps into the apartment and closes the door behind him, “I thought that I’d deliver the message myself…”
Alexis tenses.
“I see. Well, I have to be going,” she says as she moves toward the door. “Got a date in court…”
“I’d appreciate it,” he says as he stands in her path, “if you would keep me company…”
Alexis steps back.
“Sonny will be back at any minute…”
“You know, that’s funny because I’ve been watching him for some time now and I happen to know that he’s all the way on the other side of town with Benny – looking for his sister and AJ Quartermaine, I believe…That should take awhile, don’t you think?”
“What do you want?”
“To tell the truth, Miss Davis…what I want is to kill your client. You know, when I was here last time, Mr. Corinthos had a couple of his boys try to…take me for a little ride, you know. Lucky for me I’m smarter than they were…and smarter than the one out in the hall…” He sees the concern in Alexis’ eyes. “Don’t worry, Miss Davis. He’ll recover – sooner or later…Anyway, I kind of went to see that ex-wife of his in her new club. She wasn’t very friendly…”
“Can’t imagine why not…”
“Neither could I. All I did was offer her a simple business arrangement.”
“Protection?”
“Well, I like to think of it as insurance…Anyway, Zander Smith showed up. You know him, don’t you? Oh, that’s right. Of course you know him. You defended him once, didn’t you? Well, he got a little roughed up during the negotiations and your Mr. Corinthos didn’t like that, either…I was gonna come back to Port Charles to pay another visit to the ex. But then I started noticing how much time Corinthos spends with you…and how there’s a lot more between you than just client and lawyer…And it suddenly came to me that maybe the way to get to Mr. Sonny Corinthos…is through his lovely attorney…”
“This really isn’t a good idea,” Alexis says.
“On the contrary…You know, you’re a very attractive woman, Miss Davis. That’s why I approached you at the No Name that night. I thought that maybe we could get to know each other. You should have taken me up on my offer. It could have been very lucrative for us both…”
“I’m already rather well paid, Mr. Roscoe. Haven’t you heard?” she asks, looking past him to the front door.
“Good attorneys usually are,” Roscoe says. “Too bad, though. You chose him. You ended up on the wrong side and I’m afraid that it’s gonna cost you…”
Alexis quickly tries to make it past him to the door.
Roscoe steps into her path before she can open it.
He smiles.
“Please don’t do that again,” he says, calmly. “I don’t want to hurt you, Miss Davis…but I will. Sit please.”
Alexis takes measured steps to the sofa and sits, feeling her heart pound more and more with each step.
“Thank you,” he says. “You know, I’ve been watching you and Mr. Corinthos for several weeks now. I didn’t think that you were lovers when I saw you together at the No Name that night. I’m usually pretty intuitive where that sort of thing is concerned. Must be a relatively new development…”
“What do you want from me?”
“From you? Nothing at all. Corinthos is the one I want. I want to get his attention. You are a means to an end, Miss Davis.”
“And once you’ve got his attention? Then what?”
He shrugs.
“That’s entirely up to Mr. Corinthos.” He walks to the door and opens it. “Shall we?”
Alexis stands slowly and walks to him.
“And remember something, Miss Davis,” Roscoe begins. “I would prefer not to have to harm you in any way…but I will kill you in a split second if you try to get away. Do we understand each other?”
Alexis nods.
“Good,” he says.
Alexis walks past him into the hallway. Roscoe closes Sonny’s door behind him and follows.
_______________________________________________________
“I don’t want Courtney frightened,” Sonny instructs into the telephone. “When you find Courtney and AJ Quartermaine, you are to remove her and bring her back to Port Charles. And I want you to hold Quartermaine…I’ll want to see him myself…Well, then get on it.”
Sonny hangs up the telephone and there is a quick knock on the door.
Johnny swings open the door.
“Miss Davis’ sister,” he announces.
Sonny rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath.
“Let her in,” he says with an exhale.
Kristina walks in past Johnny.
“Have you seen Alexis?” she asks.
“Uh…no,” Sonny answers. “She had a case in court today, I think. She said that it’d be a long day…”
“Yes but it’s after eight. Alexis is generally back home by now.”
“Maybe things ran a little late,” he says. “Maybe she went out for a drink with her client or somebody else she knows.”
Kristina shakes her head no.
“I don’t know…”
“Look Kristina, I’m a little busy right now…”
“I’m worried, Sonny,” she interrupts. “I just walked in and there are several messages on the machine from a man who says that he’s one of her clients – somebody Burke -- and he’s asking where Alexis is and why she’s not in court…And her briefcase is still in the chair…”
That gets his full attention.
“She left without her briefcase?”
“See? I’m not crazy. Something’s wrong…”
“There’s probably a simple explanation,” he reassures. He places a hand on her back and slowly guides her toward the door. “I’ll track her down and have her call you. Okay?”
“I have a really bad feeling…”
“I know that you’re worried. We’ll…find out what’s going on. Just sit tight, okay?”
Kristina takes a deep breath.
“I’ll try,” she says. “Ask her to call me…”
“I will,” Sonny says as he opens the door. “Stay calm.”
She nods as she walks out of the apartment.
Sonny stands in the doorway and silently watches Kristina walk to the apartment next door, open the door, and step inside.
“I want you to do something,” he quietly orders Johnny as she closes the door. “I need you to go downstairs to the garage to check for Miss Davis’ car.”
“But nobody else is here…”
“I’ll be fine,” Sonny insists. “Just do it.”
Johnny nods and rushes to the elevator.
Sonny quickly walks back into his apartment and picks up the telephone. He dials a number and waits.
“Come on, come on…Benny? It’s me. I want you to get some people out looking for Alexis. Ask around if anybody has seen her or Renaldo. Find out where she is and get back to me. Call me on my cell…It’s important, Benny…”
He hangs up the telephone.
He moves away from the phone and begins to pace, forcing himself to take his own advice and to wait patiently until he hears something one way or the other.
But he doesn’t like the feeling that is slowly overtaking him – the instinct that Kristina is right.
Something is very wrong.
Alexis clearly told him yesterday that she had a date in judge’s chambers today, followed by jury selection in another case. He wasn’t really listening – he hasn’t really been listening to much of anything lately -- but the fact that she had a busy day ahead of her registered.
So did the idea that they would be spending some time together later that night.
For some reason that he can’t quite put his finger on, they hadn’t been together the night before and feeling her in bed next to him at night has quickly become one of the things that he looks forward to the most.
They hadn’t argued. Sonny thinks that it is more likely that Alexis was simply too frustrated to stay with him last night. Since this thing with Courtney and AJ, he hasn’t been the easiest person to be around. He has been even more difficult and argumentative than usual and he knows it. Alexis can usually handle his moods but she was pretty tired herself the day before.
Where is Alexis, he wonders. It’s not like her to miss appointments or to leave home without her briefcase.
Or disappear without a word or a note to anyone.
Alexis Davis is nothing if not a creature of habit. Whatever she does, she does the same way every time. It’s one of the things that he finds so soothing about her.
And she would never leave for court without her meticulously arranged attaché.
And where the hell is Renaldo?
Jax did say that Helena Cassadine had gotten away from the PCPD and that’s why Sonny had Renaldo guarding Alexis. He doesn’t want to think that she’s the reason for Alexis not being seen.
Kristina is right, he admits to himself.
Just then Johnny walks into the apartment.
Sonny stops pacing and looks at him.
“Well?” he asks.
“Her car is gone,” Johnny announces.
“Damn it!” Sonny mutters.
Just then, the telephone rings.
Sonny quickly picks up the receiver.
“Yeah?” he answers anxiously. “Yeah, Benny? What? They’re where? Look, I don’t have time for that right now. I need to find Alexis…Yeah, I know what I told you but this is what I’m telling you…You just let me know the minute you got something. Got it?”
He hangs up the phone and resumes pacing, his apprehension level rising steadily.
“Alexis,” he begins, “where the hell are you?”