Kelly's

"What?" Sonny's harsh whisper erased the reverberation Carly's words had made in the empty diner. He moved around the counter, his eyes burning into hers. "What did you just say?"

Carly closed her eyes; she hadn't intended to make this revelation now, if ever. The words had -- slipped out, and now there was no taking them back. She was oddly surprised by how little she even wanted to try. She opened her eyes. "I'm pregnant," Carly said simply; next move was his.

"Is it mine?" Sonny's words tore out of him, as he reached out to the counter, gripping it so tightly his knuckles shone white, every atom of his being focused on the next words out of Carly's mouth.

Carly nodded, her hand falling inadvertently to her stomach, her fingers splaying lightly across her abdomen. She stood up to face him, his coat falling off her shoulders unnoticed as she did so. "Yeah, this baby's ours," Carly said, using the word 'ours' deliberately. "AJ and I don't -- sleep together anymore; you're it, Sonny. You win the 'Daddy' sweepstakes."

Sonny reached out with a trembling hand, covering Carly's against her stomach. He let out a long, shaky breath, then dropped to his knees in one quick motion, pressing his head lightly against her stomach, his arms encircling her waist.

Carly's eyes darted back and forth; of all the possible reactions, this was the last one she'd expected from Sonny. "Don't touch me," she said finally, her voice holding little heat. "I don't want you to touch me," Carly said, her actions belaying her words as she reached down tentatively to stroke his hair lightly.

I won't dance, how could I?
I won't dance, merci beau coup
I know that music leads the way to romance, so if I hold you in my arms
I won't dance

Sonny laughed lightly, his voice sounding more free than Carly'd ever heard it, as he rocked back on his heels looking up at her. "It's too late for that, Carly, way past too late." His face sobered as he looked at her, and his voice dropped back down to a whisper, unshed tears shining in his eyes. "Thank you," Sonny whispered.

"Thank you?" Carly parroted, sinking down to the floor to face him, her legs growing unsteady at this night's lightening sequence of events. "That's the last thing I expected you to say, Sonny. Thank you for what?"

"For being the mother-to-be of my child," he said, his dark eyes catching hers. "You know that when my wife died, she was pregnant. I never thought -- I never thought I'd have another chance to be a father," Sonny continued, his voice near to breaking. He reached out, touching Carly's face gently with his forefinger. "Thank you for that."

When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle
Specially when you do the Continental, but this feeling isn't purely mental
For heaven rest us, I'm not asbestos, and that's why I won't dance, why should I?

Luke groaned as Alexis' mouth parted under his; he tore his body away from hers with great effort. "Alexis," he said, his breathing coming harsh and fast, "we can't--" He broke off, his eyes softening as he looked at her lost, pain-filled eyes. "What do you want from me?" Luke asked her gently.

Alexis felt the distance where Luke's arms had been a second before like an almost physical pain; it took her long moments to turn her brain back on after switching it to 'automatic' the second Luke's lips had covered hers. She considered his question, looking up at him as she finally answered. "Escape," Alexis said, truthfully.

"Yeah," Luke said, letting out a long breath. He ran his hand through his hair, taking a step away from her towards the bar, wordlessly refilling both their empty glasses abandoned on the counter. He handed her vodka back to her, draining his scotch before continuing. "That's what I thought. Baby," Luke tucked a loose strand of Alexis' hair behind her ear, regretfully, "much as I'd like some of that myself, it ain't gonna happen. I just got off that roller-coaster ride, looking for escape in someone's arms. All we ended up doin' was hurting more in the long run, and hurtin' each other. I don't want to hurt you. Natasha," Luke used that name deliberately, "Helena killed your mother, and she did it why you watched. And, that's hell, one of the worst kinds of hell I can imagine. But, it happened; you can't run from it. Change your name all you want, Princess; it's still gonna be there waiting for you. 'Cause here's the thing about running from yourself: no matter how far you run, there you are."

Alexis' hands balled into fists, her nails digging into her palms. As Luke's words washed over her, however, her hands slowly relaxed, and she reached out for the glass he offered her, sipping it more slowly than she had the other, numerous shots she'd downed earlier. She, too, let out a breath, much shakier than his. "What am I supposed to do, Luke?" Alexis demanded, looking at him. "If you've got all the answers, answer me that one."

He shook his head. "I don't even have most of the answers, much less all of 'em. I don't know, baby; I don't know what you're supposed to do next." Luke lifted his glass towards the window. "Ride out the storm, I guess."

Alexis followed his gaze, watching the winter storm dance past the windows for a long, endless moment. "I can do that," she said finally, not looking away from the window. "Will you -- would you just stay here with me? 'Til the storm calms down?" Alexis asked, determined neither to turn around and look at him or consider the consequences of what she was asking. Her eyes closed in relief as she felt Luke's arms encircling her protectively from behind.

"I can do that," Luke said softly, both of them knowing that this time it wasn't a desperate passion that led them into each other's arms, but simply the need for comfort, on a stormy night. There was momentary regret, on both their parts. Both for what had happened -- and maybe a little for what hadn't.

"Thanks," Alexis said softly, leaning back against him. They both stood quietly, watching the storm wage it's battle, knowing that like all storms -- it would pass. And, that they'd be able to wait it out. Together.

I won't dance, merci beau coup
I know that music leads the way to romance, so if I hold you in my arms
I won't dance
I won't dance

Carly sighed, leaning back against the counter at Kelly's. "I played this out a million times in my head, you finding out about this baby," she said. "I never expected -- gratitude. Or gentleness. Sonny," she looked at him, her face still slightly guarded, "it isn't like we're some happy little family; this is so complicated I don't even know what to think much less what to do next."

Sonny shook his head, dismissing her words as trifles. It was like with Carly's words 'I'm pregnant' Sonny's whole world had shifted on it's axis, and when the dust had settled, everything had changed. His priorities, his judgements, everything. "We'll figure it out," he said, his dimples flashing briefly. "All the rest, the past -- it doesn't matter. All that matters is this baby." He reached out to lay his hand gently on her stomach again, then looked up at her in alarm. "Carly, you fell! The baby--"

She shook her head quickly, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it lightly. "No, no, it's okay; I'm okay. I thought about that too, at first, but I feel on my knees, not my stomach. I think the baby's okay," Carly reassured him. Even in the midst of everything else, Carly was very aware of their bare skin touching, palm to palm. She swallowed hard; that electricity that had been awakened between them the night their baby was conceived wasn't something that had an 'off' switch.

"You're not, though," Sonny said, standing up, and reaching down a hand to help her rise. "You're soaked, and that can't be good for the baby. You've gotta get warm, Carly."

Carly indicated the stairs with a nod of her head. "There's a spare bedroom upstairs; I know where Bobbie keeps the key. I think there's some blankets and stuff up there. Look," she met Sonny's eyes, "we're both stuck here, tonight. And, we've got -- some things to figure out. And, like you said, I should get warm. We can -- camp out upstairs."

I won't dance, don't ask me,
I won't dance, don't ask me
I won't dance madame with you
My heart won't let my feet do things that they want to do

Sonny returned Carly's gaze, his pulse beginning to speed up. His defenses against this woman, which had dealt a serious blow that night three months ago, had fallen totally the second she'd said she was pregnant. And, even now, despite all the things he was feeling, he could feel desire starting to burn through his veins. As he watched Carly bite her lip, he knew that he wasn't the only one remembering the way her mouth had tasted under his, the way their bodies had danced underneath silk sheets. "Are you sure?" Sonny asked, his voice low. "You want to go upstairs, with me?"

Carly knew what he was asking, just like she knew that this time, it had nothing to do with proving anything or forgetting anything. This time, it was about two people who wanted each other, and who had, it seemed, against all odds, something to celebrate. "Yeah," she answered, taking a single swaying step towards him. "I'm sure."

You know what, you're lovely
you know what, you're so lovely
And you know what you do to me
I'm like an ocean wave that's bumped on the shore
I feel so absolutely stumped on the floor
When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle

Sonny's lips met Carly's, she tilted her head under his slightly, their kiss not desperate or needy, but gentle, almost even -- sweet. Carly lifted a hand to his cheek, cupping it gently as Sonny's arm fell to the small of her back, pressing her body closer to his. After a long moment, they both broke away, and after a wordless glance, Sonny swung Carly up into his arms, heading for the stairs. She was right; they had everything to work out and it wasn't going to be easy. It was going to be complicated as hell. But, as Sonny took the first step up the stairs, and Carly smiled up at him, pulling his head back down to her, both of them knew that it was going to be okay. Everything was going to be, finally, very, very much okay.