The car ride home had been a quiet one. Dominik had driven, with Danté fuming silently in the passenger seat, directing his intense gaze to the passing streets as Dominik calmly steered the Jaguar towards their vast estates in the wealthier section of Port Charles. For some reason, in the quiet, Dominik began to think of his Father.
Despite his thug persona and lifestyle, Francis Vitali had been a devoted and loving Father and had no desires for his family to grow up in the blue collar life he had known as a child and young man. His two sons would never experience the same things he had and in his efforts, he struggled to distance them from anything resembling the path he had chosen for himself. The Vitali Estates was a luxurious lot, reputed to be one of the most sought after compounds on the East Coast with its amazing features. Protected by a fierce security force whom discreetly patrolled the grounds round the clock, an additional measure was the 12 foot wall that enclosed the entire property completely, save for the gate located at the front of the secluded home. Few cameras were necessary and although the security measures seemed unbeatable and airtight, Francis had known that the reputation behind his name and of the men who followed him would ensure that even the most ruthless and brazen of men wouldn't dare enter Vitali Estates unannounced.
For the few that were allowed access to the home, were given the privilege of seeing the central focus and its surroundings up close. Much of the lot was greenery, either in the form of lush gardens on the East end of the home or the perfectly manicured lawns that occupied the North end, save for the driveway that led up to the home. On the Western side was the multi-vehicle garage that held the limousines and expensive cars that the family used.
The home itself was picturesque at first glance, classical, dignified and calm like an old Victorian mansion, proper, well kept and organized but an entirely different personality seemed to permeate from within.
Turmoil.
Since their father's death years earlier, Dominik and Danté had danced around the issues that divided them, attempting to co-exist for the sake of their ailing Mother, but it hadn't always been like that. When they were younger, Francis and Theresa had made it clear to their sons, neither were to follow in their Father's footsteps and they had been happy during those times. From the start, however, it seemed that Danté was destined for the same life that eventually consumed his Father. His troubles in school and minor infractions with the local police worried his parents, but it was Dominik who was forever rushing to aid his younger brother.
It was his job as the eldest, protect the family no matter what. Do what has to be done, the family will deal with the problem.
And Danté had always been a problem. The pattern of the family's behavior surrounding Danté was a familiar one. Danté would get into serious trouble, Dominik would initially attempt to smooth things over, Francis and Theresa would become involved, punish Danté and things would calm down.
For awhile.
But the cycle would continue and grow, and Danté's crimes seemed to radiate a serious, threatening tone. Once Francis had died, Danté's choice in life cemented, and so was Dominik's.
''Home sweet home,'' Danté murmured quietly as the Jaguar pulled to a stop in front of the house. Dominik silently moved the stick into park and turned the car off. Neither moved, each waiting for something from the other. Danté anticipated a blunt scolding from his older brother. Dominik waited for Danté's impatient outburst of defense.
''Well?'' Dominik asked, his voice unusually subdued. His eyes drifted to his driver side window, his gaze focussing on the stars, feeling suddenly very afraid of what happened at the Grille. Danté couldn't have good fortune on his side for much longer, something would go wrong eventually.
''Well what?'' Danté retorted automatically feeling his defense mechanisms kick in, but he couldn't hide the half-hearted attempt at his usual obnoxious self from his tone. He screwed up, even he knew that.
''Well, what happened? What did you want to see me for?'' Dominik asked. ''Before you were goaded into that fight with Corinthos.''
Danté felt himself getting annoyed, but bit back the urge to be smart with his brother. Something was off with Dominik tonight. ''You cut off my funds to the company. I need that money.''
Dominik sighed. ''You didn't earn it, and I'm not having you fund your war with company money Danté!'' he said, his voice growing tight.
''That company is in both of our names! I own a piece, you had no right to cut me off without warning me!'' Danté yelled, throwing open his car door and slamming it behind him as he stalked towards the house.
Quickly following him, Dominik called after him. ''Danté! Don't you realize what could happen if the Feds found out you were using company money to outfit your illegal business dealings!''
Jogging up the steps to the front door, Danté paused, taking a deep breath before turning to face his brother. ''You didn't tell me first. I gotta find out from Vincent that the funds are frozen? My right hand man? That my own brother doesn't respect me enough to tell me up front? Don't you realize what could happen if that leaked out to the wrong people Dominik?''
In the dark, Dominik may not have been able to see the fear on his brother's face, but he heard it clearly in the evening's crisp air. His heart churned, instinctively, wanting to protect his younger brother from all that was prepared to devour him whole. ''You can't tell me this Danté,'' he said, trying to keep his tone neutral.
Danté tilted his head, taken aback, ''I can't tell you what?''
''About this world that you seem to be getting deeper and deeper involved with. I can't take it.''
Danté stared hard at the shape that was his brother, shoulders slumped, almost defeated. ''It's my world Dominik. I feel in control, like I fit in somewhere and I don't mean like I've been crying for help all these years. I love my life Dominik. I love the money, the power, the respect. I love Tori and with Vincent at my side, I feel invincible.''
Dominik clenched his hands tightly into fists. ''What if you aren't?'' he asked quietly.
Danté chilled as he felt the wind pick up momentarily. ''I don't think about the things that I might not be. I can't afford to.'' His voice was cold as his teeth chattered, feeling an eerie sensation come over him.
Dominik took a few steps up towards Danté. ''You sound like Father when you talk like that. Remember the fights he and Mama used to get into about the business?'' Danté nodded his expression somber. He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, his eyes cast downwards. ''We thought he was the strongest, bravest man in the world but we didn't understand why when he said those things, Mama would start to cry like someone had died.''
Dominik hand grasped the side of his brother's neck. ''I understand why she cried Danté, I understand now when I hear you talk the way he did,'' he said, his voice trembled growing high pitched with tense emotion.
Danté swallowed hard. This was always hard, quashing Dominik's fears and Danté had never been very good at it. His expression hardened as his gaze met his brother's. ''I understand too, I always did. But I can't stop. I won't stop,'' he said, his tone matching his gaze. Watching his brother's eyes fall tore at Danté deeply, but maybe now, Dominik would begin to respect his wishes. ''And you will stay out of it,'' he said firmly.
Dominik's eyes lit up, clearly surprised by Danté's command. He opened his mouth to protest but Danté shook his head. ''No, I won't hear it Dominik, for once in your life and mine, you will do as I ask.''
Dominik's heart was in his throat, his roar of outrage on the verge of being unleashed when the front door tentatively opened and the maid emerged, the warm light from inside cutting through the darkness and settled on the two men standing on the front steps. ''I-I'm so sorry to intrude, but Mr. Vincent Tyson is here Master Danté. He insisted it was of the utmost importance to see you this late.''
Danté pulled from Dominik's grasp. ''Is he in the study?'' he demanded, his usual self emerging as he leered at the maid. She nodded and quickly headed back inside, thoroughly terrified.
Danté turned back to Dominik. ''Are we finished here?''
Dominik remained stubbornly silent. Danté bristled. ''Are. We. Done?'' he repeated more tightly.
''Yes.'' Dominik's dark eyes rose and met Danté's. Danté gave a short nod before heading inside. Dominik slowly followed, his hand gripping the door handle firmly, his expression taking on one of determination.
''Never. We are never done Danté.''
*******************
Sonny's PH
''Don't say anything Jason, I don't need that right now,'' Sonny said as he marched over to the wet bar to pour himself a drink. His nerves were still frazzled, partially from his run in with Danté Vitali, but mostly because of Dara. Unsure of what he put into the glass, he gulped the harsh liquor down in one gulp, letting it burn his throat, but it couldn't compare to the torch deep within him for the woman that had so much power over him.
Jason stood near the front door, watching his friend closely. It was obvious Sonny was still caught up in what happened at the Grille with Dara. ''Okay,'' he said easily.
Sensing Jason's eyes on him, Sonny's clenched stance relaxed, ''Jason, I'm not going to do anything crazy tonight okay? You can go home,'' he said turning to face his friend.
Jason bit back the urge to remark on what happened at the Grille, instead choosing to trust Sonny. ''Okay,'' he said again, this time, his voice sounding more reassured than he was. Sonny offered an easy smile. ''I'm going, I'll see you in the morning okay?'' Jason held up his hands in mock defeat before turning and leaving.
Sonny poured himself another drink and headed towards the terrace near the dining table. The night was growing colder but Sonny seemed disaffected by it. Thoughts of Dara warmed him.
*~* A cool breeze woke Sonny from his deep slumber. Shivering, he attempted to pull the comforters tighter around him, but his wandering hand found none. He opened his eyes sleepily and turned to Dara, finding her gone too. His eyes snapped open, filled with concern as he took a quick glance around the room when another gust of cool morning air swept into the room. He turned to the bedroom terrace, the source of the cool air evident in the slightly ajar door. Grasping the top sheet from the bed, Sonny wrapped it around his waist and headed out onto the bedroom terrace. Relief replaced worry as he saw her standing by the terrace furniture. She was clothed by one of the missing comforters from Sonny's bed, securing it just above her bosom and she seemed entranced by the dawn that was just creeping over the horizon, the morning sky now tinged with a welcoming orange glow. For a moment, Sonny simply drank in the sight of Dara, at peace and so incredibly radiant. ''Hey,'' he said quietly, almost a whisper. She turned towards him, a shy smile on her face. ''Morning,'' she replied before turning her eyes back to the view, ''isn't it beautiful out here? So quiet, so breathtaking,'' she said, her voice filled with awe.
Sonny took a step towards her. ''I would say the same for you too,'' he said, his awe matching her own. Dara turned back, her smile deepening, as she accepted his complement. Noticing his paltry clothes in the chill, she frowned slightly, ''aren't you cold with just that on?''
Sonny grinned slightly, ''yeah, but it's okay, I'd rather be cold than see you shiver like I am.''
''I can share, I don't mind.''
Dara motioned for Sonny to come over to her and once near her, she pulled back the comforter, to welcome him into her protective cocoon. Sonny grasped the part of the comforter that Dara gave him and wrapped it around them both. Dara let out a shriek as warm skin touched frigid skin.
''Damn, you are freezing,'' she declared with a shiver, although secretly she wasn't complaining.
''It'll just take a minute for me to be toasty warm,'' he teased. ''So, do you normally watch the sun rise?''
''Never, I just woke up this morning and decided it was time for me to see this. Have you?''
Sonny shook his head, ''I always wanted to but, I never wanted to do it alone. I figured this was something you shared with another person.''
Dara's cheeks reddened, ''oh,'' she said feeling slightly embarrassed at his statement.
''No-no, I don't mean it like that,'' he affirmed, pressing a soft kiss against her shoulder blade, feeling himself thaw out as he drew closer to her. In response, Dara nestled with him, her stomach tingling as Sonny dropped the top sheet to the ground and wrapped his arm around her waist feeling the smooth skin against the inside of his hand. Dara laced her fingers with Sonny's and sighed. ''This is so nice,'' she observed with another sigh as Sonny pulled her even closer, molding her to him, wanting to feel her like this. Blissfully, he placed another soft kiss along the side of her neck. ''This is better than nice,'' he said, finding his voice suddenly husky. ''Thank you.''
''For what?''
''For being here, with me.''
Dara turned to face Sonny, the disruption startling him. Her kind eyes searched his, her hands lifting to gently cup his face. ''You don't need to thank me,'' she insisted quietly.
''No, I do,'' Sonny replied, ''when I'm here with you, everything just has more meaning to it. Like this,'' he nodded towards the sunrise. ''You have something in you that I need, that I want, that makes me feel like nothing else matters except whether or not you're a part of it.'' *~*
Sonny's fingers gently touched his lips, still feeling Dara's fierce kiss on them after his revelation. Her gentle laugh, the blush that crept into her cheeks when he swept her into his lap and sat in the wicker chair, cuddling with her as they watched Port Charles greet a brand new day. The serenity that she brought him, that she gave him.
And how hollow his life seemed without her in it.
Sonny turned and headed back into the house and picked up the phone. After a moment's hesitation, he carefully dialed.
******
Dara's apartment
Dara frowned as she closed the cupboard door. Where the hell had she put it? Swiveling to face the other side of the small kitchen, her face tightened with deep thought as she bent down and opened another cupboard. Nope. No blue cookbook, she noted as she perused through the assortment of books and scraps of paper. She suddenly paused as she came across a small beige box. Dara picked it up, knowing instantly what was inside it. The missing cookbook forgotten, she wandered over to the kitchen table and sat. Opening the box, she carefully grabbed the pictures that were nestled inside.
Immediately, Dara chuckled at the first. Sonny making a face, anything to make Dara laugh when she'd snapped the picture. There were plenty more, the ones she and Sonny had taken late one evening with her camera. Nothing smutty, but as Dara slowly looked one over, then another, a gentle smile formed on her face. Laughing, smiling, holding each other and plenty of them kissing. An entire roll was devoted to the mini food fight they'd shared in the middle of the night, but none of the shower the two shared following their little battle, Dara mused to herself, feeling the blush form on her face at the memory.
So wrapped up in the pictures, Dara barely heard the ringing of her phone. She was halfway across the room when the answering machine picked it up. Dara waited, presuming that it was Marcus calling to apologize about skipping out on their dinner.
''Dara? It's me,'' came the soft voice and Dara quickly sat near the phone, pictures still in hand as she listened to his message. ''I know it's late, I'm sorry about that, I hope I'm not out of line by calling you. I just, I wanted to say again that I'm sorry, about the things I said to you that night. I know you probably still don't believe me, and that's okay, I'm patient and well, if I'm not patient, I'll learn to be.''
Dara smiled gently as she leaned forward to hear more.
''When I got home tonight, I started thinking about you. Do you remember that sunrise we watched together? That whole night was crazy, the pictures, the food fight and uh, the, uh clean up,'' Sonny's voice dropped slightly, before he cleared his throat and coughed.
Dara's hand covered her mouth as she giggled.
''Do you remember what I said to you that morning?'' His voice was hopeful, as if willing her to recollect the words he spoke to her.
Dara nodded, how on earth could she forget?
*~* ''When I'm here with you, everything just has more meaning to it. Like this,'' he nodded towards the sunrise. ''You have something in you that I need, that I want, that makes me feel like nothing else matters except whether or not you're a part of it.'' Dara's heart swelled with the joy she never dreamed she could ever truly experience. No man had ever spoken to her like this, revealing something so deep and intimate, with her.
For her.
Tears pricked her eyes and wordlessly, she leaned forward and captured his mouth in a searing kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck, feeling his arms encircle tightly around her waist, the comforter that had clothed them from the elements, now discarded on the floor. Mouths opened to welcome tongues as the two lovers slowly reexplored each other, taking their time, never rushing their intimacy. Finally after several minutes, Sonny broke the kiss and the two clutched each other, catching their breathes. After a few moments, Sonny retrieved the fallen comforter and wrapped it around Dara and himself. Dara could do nothing but clutch him tightly, feeling more at home than she had ever been in her entire life and realizing that she could not have spoken even if she wanted to. Sonny took a seat at the wicker chair, pulling Dara onto his lap. Dara let out a giggle and blushed, never removing her arms that were around his neck. Cuddling, their bodies pressed together, enveloped by something more than the comforter, they silently watched the sun come up. *~*
''I want you to know, that I would give anything to get back to that place I shared with you, or rather, you shared with me. Anything.''
Dara could only blink the tears that had been forming, feeling the ache that permeated from his voice.
''Anyway, I'll finish now, hoping that you don't think I'm some sort of freakish stalker, talking about stuff like that on an answering machine and I guess, uh, that's it. Goodnight Dara,'' he said, his voice almost a whisper.
Dara looked down at her hands, to the photo of them together. The one she had treasured the most when she first saw it. She remembered Sonny having difficulty setting the timer on the camera and finally gave up. Neither had realized that the timer went off much later that night, the camera capturing the image of the two sleeping peacefully in the bed. Dara nestled against his collarbone, one of Sonny's arms placed on the small of her back protectively, his other hand laced with hers, resting against his chest. The tranquility that radiated from the picture amazed them both when they viewed them together.
Dara slowly traced the outline of Sonny's content face.
The next thing she knew, she was dressed and out the door, rushing off into the late night for something she wanted back. Sonny's words had cut her deeply, but now, it seemed that Dara was choosing to let go of that hurt, to believe him when he apologized, and to forgive him for that night.
She was ready.
********************
Sonny's PH
Hanging up the phone, Sonny shook his head. ''Jesus Corinthos, why don't just spill your whole life story to the damn answering machine?'' he muttered to himself. Nevertheless, he hoped Dara would hear the message and give him another chance.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. ''Johnny, are you still here?'' he called to the door. When there was no response, Sonny opened the front door and almost immediately took a step back in shock.
''Now is that any way to greet an old friend?''
Sonny blinked. ''Tori?'' he croaked, still recovering from the shock of seeing her at his front door. He hadn't seen her in years, what was she doing here?
Tori gave him a sultry smile and sauntered into the Penthouse. ''Nice place,'' she observed the surroundings. Sonny shut the door behind him and turned. ''The place I'm in is better than this, but nothing quite has the flavour of a gorgeous Penthouse overlooking the city.''
''What-what are you doing here?'' Sonny asked, having found his voice.
Tori smiled warmly and strode towards Sonny purposefully, stopping mere inches from him. ''I have a proposal for you,'' she said simply.
Sonny frowned, ''what do you mean?''
''I mean, I have something of yours that I think you'd be very interested in keeping safe.''
''What?''
Tori's eyes flashed expectantly, and instinctively, Sonny felt his stomach drop. Nothing good could come from this.
''Your girlfriend.''