a fanfic by SonnyandAlexisGal
Chapter Two
As the names and addresses on the envelopes fly by, her mind drifts back to what she said to Sonny just moments before. She is precisely right. It is time for her to move. Between Kristina's constant badgering about her feelings for Sonny and the obviously deepening relationship between Kristina and Ned, things have become almost unbearable at home. If she walks in on them with their mouths wrapped around each other one more time, she refuses to be responsible for the consequences. Of course, there are more appropriate ways to deal with one's anger, as she has told Sonny time and time again. Still, just once, she'd like to ram Ned Ashton's head into a brick wall!
Suddenly back into the top spot on Alexis’ list of things to fret about pops the name of Sonny Corinthos, the town mobster. Heaven only knows how many sides there are to the man. There's the machismo that’s thick enough to cut with a knife. There's gentle soul that cannot trust because of years of abuse and betrayal. There's the protector of women and the career criminal. Yet, over and above everything else, there is the only man to have ever truly understood Alexis Davis.
Alexis lets out a long, deep sigh as she thinks about Sonny. She drops the mail back onto the desk and drifts into the living room. Sonny respects her opinion and solicits it often. He listens when she has something to say and he never makes her feel as if she doesn't matter. Invisible. There's that awful word again.
Stefan used to protect her -- way back when she was invisible. Being a Cassadine was nightmarish for those unsuited to it and she was definitely unsuited to it. Add to that the fact that she was Mikos Cassadine’s illegitimate daughter and Helena’s constant wrath was assured. Stefan used to be there for her just as she was there for him and they got each other through. Since then, though, she has basically been on her own. That is, until Sonny pushed his way into her life. When she babbles, he reminds her to breathe. When she hyperventilates, he hands her a paper bag. When she cries, he reaches out and holds her until the tears stop. When she has survived one of the most traumatic schemes to ever spring from the mind of the psychotic Helena Cassadine, he whisks her away to Puerto Rico and treats her like a princess for a night. And when she tells him of her deepest, most private fears, she knows that he will carry her words to his grave.
Most of all, Sonny lets Alexis be Alexis. He never tries to change her into someone other than the neurotic mess that she is. He just accepts her as is. She has a place in his life, he tells her. He doesn't want to lose her. And she knows that she trusts him more than she has ever trusted another human being. Theirs is a situation that’s full of growth potential.
Only now, thanks to dear Kristina, Sonny thinks that his best friend is also in love with him.
"Oh, my God," she mutters to herself and tries to shake it out of her head. How humiliating! For weeks now, Sonny has been picking her brain, trying to find out how she actually does feel about him. He has sent her boxes of gardenias. He has talked about going back to Puerto Rico with her.
"He must think that I'm totally pathetic! What the hell was Kristina thinking?"
"Alexis?" Kristina says as she descends the stairs. "I didn't hear you come in."
Not exactly the person that she wants to see at this moment.
"You must have been engrossed in...whatever you were doing," Alexis dismisses.
"Well," Kristina begins, "I just want you to know that I think that Ned is absolutely wrong about what he said to you about not being the gatekeeper anymore and not helping with A.J. And I told him so!"
"Thank you for the support, Kristina."
"Is something wrong?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because...you seem distracted."
"Well, if you must know," Alexis begins, "I was just thinking about the fact that...I've decided to move."
"Great!" Kristina says. "We can go back to the original plan and move into Wyndemere with Nikolas and Gia."
"Wait a minute, Kristina. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I said that I've decided to move. I never said that I was moving to Wyndemere..."
"Oh," Kristina said. "I just assumed..."
"Yes, I can see that. Unfortunately, your assumption was incorrect. Again...”
"Alexis, you're still angry with me for what I said to Sonny, aren't you?"
"Of course I am!” she blurts. “Why on earth wouldn't I be?"
"It slipped out..."
"It slipped out," Alexis repeats. "Something that I never told you to be the truth just slipped out...in front of Sonny, of all people - my principal client and my good friend. And Ned, apparently - my former fiance. Tell me, Kristina. Who else did your little slip happen in front of?"
"N-no one else," she lies.
Alexis studies her for a moment.
"Why don't I like the way you said that? Exactly who else have you shared your little delusion with?"
"No one else...Honest."
"Kristina," Alexis calmly says, "you might as well tell me now. Believe me, I couldn't possibly be any angrier with you than I am right now."
"Wanna bet?" Kristina mutters.
"What did you say?"
Kristina takes a deep breath.
"Zander."
Alexis is incredulous.
"Zander?" she exclaims. "My God, Kristina. You told Zander that I'm in love with Sonny?"
"Well, not exactly. We just got to talking and I asked him what Sonny was really like and…"
"Wait a minute," Alexis interrupts. "I know this one. It just slipped out, right?"
"Alexis, I was trying to protect you."
"From what, Kristina? I am a big girl and I can take care of myself. Evidently you don't think so. Instead of trusting me to take care of myself and live my own life, you've spent the better part of the last several weeks sticking your nose into things which do not concern you!"
"I just put it out in the open," she insists. "You love Sonny. No matter what you say."
"You see that? You see that?" Alexis says. "That right there. No matter what you say, Alexis. No matter what you feel, Alexis. No matter what you want, Alexis. I know what's best for you, Alexis. Honestly, Kristina. You, Jax, and Ned must share the same brain..."
"I was only trying to help..."
"Well, you didn't help and I don't know how you could possibly have imagined that you would. I'll tell you what you have done, though. You've made me look like a fool in front of a young man of whom I'm very fond…And you've made it impossible for me to continue to represent Sonny as his attorney."
"Sonny asked you to quit as his attorney?"
"Of course not. But now with him and...Besides, I can't bear the idea of what he must think of me now...I've lost credibility in his eyes, Kristina. How can he think of me as a competent attorney when you've painted a picture of me as some dewy-eyed schoolgirl with a crush on him?"
"He doesn't think that."
"How do you know, Kristina?" Alexis demands. "You don't know..." Alexis paces and calms herself. "Getting back to the point of all of this, yes, I have decided to move. However...I don't think that we should move in together...”
"What are you saying?"
"What I'm saying is that...in your zeal to protect me from Sonny Corinthos, The Bogeyman -- you went behind my back...and manipulated my life. You’ve opened my life...to outside eyes and I find that unbearable...You and Ned are getting closer and closer...Maybe you should move back into the gatehouse with him.”
“Alexis,” Kristina begins, “I moved in here with you...because I thought that we could use the time to get to know each other...”
“You are my little sister, Kristina,” Alexis reassures. “I love you -- no matter how angry with you I am right now. But...you and Ned have become very close and well...frankly, I'm sick of it being thrown in my face in my own home!” She takes a deep breath and blows it back out. “There. I've said it. Now, if you don‘t mind, I‘ve got a horrible headache and I think I‘ll try to get some sleep...”
Alexis starts up the staircase.
“I’m sorry that we’ve made you feel this way...”
Alexis stops and turns to face her.
She smiles.
“I know,” she says, softly. “But I still think that it’ll be better this way...Goodnight, Kristina.” Kristina watches as Alexis disappears up the stairs.
“Goodnight,” she says.