It was December, and the Cassadines were throwing a party. They were celebrating not just the holidays, but the beginning of a new era in their family’s history, as well. An era filled not with hate and evil, but one of love and all the good things the season, and life, had to offer. They had spared no expense in turning Wyndemere from a gloomy gothic mansion into a winter wonderland. It was strung with lights, tasteful, yet festive decorations were everywhere, the champagne flowed freely, caviar and other delicacies were in abundance, and a jazz trio played holiday music for the expensively clothed couples swirling on the dance floor. All in all, it was a feast for the eyes and other senses; and everyone there, even the most jaded of the wealthy guests, admitted as much. Sonny agreed with them as well, though for an entirely different reason. There was only one thing he had feasted on since arriving, and that was the sight of Alexis, standing across the room.

She looked stunning in a black velvet gown that was much like the woman wearing it, classy and elegant, yet at the same time deliciously sexy. The color and neckline may have been modest, but he knew there was another side to Alexis as well. Their night in Puerto Rico had shown him that. He was glad to notice that she had left her hair down, the delicate strands resting against her neck, touching her face as he longed to do. It wasn’t just her physical appearance that took his breath away; it was the sight of her, surrounded by her family. She had endured so much to arrive at this moment, and seeing her, enveloped in the glow of their love, filled his heart with joy, as he offered up a simple prayer of thanks.

He wanted to go and talk to her. Normally that would have been enough to propel him across the room, but things weren’t normal anymore, and he didn’t understand it. Ever since their time in Puerto Rico, he had found himself feeling clumsy around her, unsure of himself and the things he was feeling. As much as he wanted to extend their relationship further, he would not do so at the expense of their friendship. His own needs would not overrule, or jeopardize, the only relationship that seemed to make sense to them, and them alone. So, for now, he stood, waiting- and wanting.

It must have the mistletoe,

The lazy fire, the falling snow.

The magic in the frosty air,

That feeling, everywhere.

Alexis had just finished laughing at something Nikolas said when she saw Sonny enter the room. Immediately, her cheeks became flushed, and her heartbeat quickened. She had been waiting for him all night, praying that he would accept her invitation. Sonny had answered a lot of her prayers lately, she mused. He had helped her to let out a lifetime of fear, anger, and pain the night she had trashed her pent house. He had also forced her to lighten up in Puerto Rico, and the memory of their time together, and being held in his arms as they danced, still filled her with a warm glow.

She wanted so desperately to go to him now, but somehow she suddenly felt shy and awkward. Something had changed between them in Puerto Rico, and while they both had felt it, they weren’t quite sure how to deal with it. Not yet. Their relationship had been one of friendship until now, and she didn’t want to destroy something so precious to them both. So for now, she too, stood waiting and wanting.

It could have been the pretty lights

That glistened in the silent night

It may be the just stars so bright,

That shined above you.

Kristina was standing off to one side, unable, once again, to comprehend what she was seeing. Her sister, Alexis Davis, one the most respected and feared criminal lawyers in the country, and Sonny Corinthos, one of the most feared criminals in the country, were behaving like a couple of inept, lovesick teenagers. They had been like this ever since returning from Puerto Rico. Kristina had questioned Alexis repeatedly about her trip with Sonny to the tropics, but Alexis had only fixed her with an unreadable expression and told her that they had a pleasant time. She didn’t think anything had happened physically, but emotionally, she knew there had been a major shift.

It wasn’t just the looks they were always stealing at one another. They could barely speak two words to the other without stuttering, and they never looked at one another anymore. Their eyes were always looking anywhere else. Kristina figured Sonny probably knew the exact amount of floor tiles in Alexis’ penthouse by now; he spent so much time looking at the ground.

Well, she, for one, had had enough. Not only was she tired of her sister planting herself in front of the living room’s picture window, staring out at the city, she wanted her to be happy, and clearly Sonny Corinthos made her happy. Before Puerto Rico, she had seen a light in her sister’s eyes and enjoyed what could only be described as banter between two friends who shared a quick wit and obvious affection for one another. Now, she was subjected to half uttered phrases and paper bags all over the place. Enough was enough. Jax might think Sonny was totally wrong for Alexis, but Jax also thought he could single handedly save the world, so what did he know? As for Ned, well, Ned was thinking with his heart, and that was understandable. Kristina only cared about her sisters’ happiness, so she was going to do something about that, now. She would do what she could here, but if she had to resort to clichés, she would, so she placed a quick call to Johnny and asked him for a favor. It was time to get to work. She was tired of watching them, waiting and wanting.

Our first Christmas

More than we’d be dreaming of

But since Saint Nicholas

Had his fingers crossed, that we would fall in love.

Sonny stood watching as Stefan led his sister onto the dance floor. He felt his pulse quicken as he remembered dancing with her in Puerto Rico. Other than a couple of consoling hugs he had given her, that dance had been the first time he had held her in his arms, and he had been surprised to find that he liked the way it felt. He liked the way she looked at him, shyly and unsure of herself , not quite able to believe what they were doing. He understood because he felt the same way; he was just able to hide it better. Alexis wore her emotions on her face, in her eyes; he had spent enough time losing himself in them to know.

“Excuse me Sonny”, he was snapped out of his reverie as Kristina tapped him on the shoulder. She was a funny kid, always nosing into other people’s business, but Alexis was clearly crazy about her sister, and so Sonny was trying to be patient; besides, her nosiness was basically harmless. “I was wondering if you’d like to dance”, she asked. As he started to politely decline, she jumped in. ”It’s just that I don’t know a lot of people here besides you, Nikolas, and Stefan. Since Nikolas is off somewhere with Gia, and Stefan is dancing with Alexis, I thought maybe you and I could dance and get to know each other better. For Alexis,” she added purposefully, knowing he would take the bait.

“Sure, why not” he agreed, leading her onto the floor. As they began to dance, she started talking incessantly, knowing full well that he wasn’t paying a bit of attention to her. He only occasionally acknowledged her, by way of a nod or an “uh huh”. He wasn’t trying to be rude; he just couldn’t take his eyes off Alexis, swaying on the dance floor. Kristina watched Stefan and Alexis, dancing ever closer to her and Sonny, and when they were finally a few feet away, she snapped her fingers as if struck by a sudden thought. “Stefan, there is something I have been meaning to ask you all night,” as she suddenly broke from Sonny. “I hate to leave you out here on the dance floor by yourself though Sonny.” She grabbed Alexis by the arm and practically shoved her into Sonny’s arms. “Alexis, why don’t you dance with Sonny while I talk to my brother”, and with that she dragged Stefan away. “What the hell are you doing”, Stefan hissed as she tore through the crowded dance floor, pulling him right along with her. “Trying to give my sister what she wants, since she’s too afraid to go and get it herself”, Kristina answered honestly. They reached the edge of the dance floor and Kristina stopped and turned around, waiting to see what would happen. ”Kristina, if you are trying to play matchmaker for Alexis and that-“Stefan was interrupted by Kristina shushing him.” “This is ludicrous and I won’t be a party to it”, Stefan growled out as he stomped away. Kristina paid him little attention as she waited to see what would happen on the dance floor.

It could have been the holiday

The mid-night ride, upon the sleigh

The country side, all dressed in white

That crazy snowball fight

Sonny and Alexis stood on the dance floor, not quite knowing what to do or say. Finally Alexis cleared her throat, “well, I’d say we have two options. Option A: we stand here and get mowed down like a couple of bowling pins. Option B:” she lifted her eyes to his face, “we can dance.” Wearing her heart on her face, she whispered hesitantly, “pick one”. After days of avoiding her beautiful eyes, Sonny locked his gaze with hers. “ I pick B”, he said softly, as he took her hand in his and placed the other on the small of her back, drawing her near. Alexis felt like she had been holding her breath since they returned from Puerto Rico, and as she allowed herself to be drawn into his embrace, the air escaped from her lungs. They moved together effortlessly, as they had in Puerto Rico, and soon she allowed her head to rest on his shoulder.

Sonny closed his eyes as he felt a familiar peace drift over him, a peace that he only felt with Alexis. There was so much he wanted to say to her, and he wanted to say it now. Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth and started to speak softly in her ear. “Alexis, I –, “ “Excuse me, mind if I cut in?” They both opened their eyes to see Ned standing before them, holding out his arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristina stood at the edge of the dance floor, trying to gauge her sister’s reaction to Ned’s intrusion of the dance she had been sharing with Sonny. If she thought for one second that Alexis wanted to dance with Ned, she would stay where she was and not interfere, but she could tell that Alexis had no desire to dance with anyone but Sonny. She also knew that her sister didn’t want to hurt him though either. She made a snap decision and walked briskly to where the three of them stood, an uncomfortable silence permeating the air around them.

“Alexis, I’m really sorry to do this, but I’m not feeling well at all. Do you think we could go home,” she asked apologetically.

Alexis looked as though she had just been given a reprieve and quickly agreed. “Just tell me where my car keys are and we’ll go.”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? I ended up riding with Nikolas and Gia”. She looked at Alexis with guilt and remorse plastered all over her face, though she had planned the faux pas all along, when Alexis had volunteered to go early with Stefan to oversee the decorating of the “doom tomb” as Kristina had dubbed Wyndemere.

“Kristina”, Alexis reproached her. “How are supposed to get home? We’ll never get a cab at this hour”.

“Well, maybe-Sonny, could we grab a ride from you,” she asked innocently, as though the thought had just struck her. She was also trying to end the testosterone-fueled staring match that was taking place between Sonny and Ned. “Sonny!” she loudly repeated.

“Yeah, I’ll be happy to give you a ride,” he answered, finally breaking eye contact with Ned. His hand, however, never broke contact with the small of Alexis’ back.

“I’ll just bet you would,” Ned replied bitterly. He knew now that whatever had been between him and Alexis was over. She now looked at Sonny the way she had once looked at him, and even though it broke his heart, he knew he had to let her go. “Alexis, Kristina, thank you,” though he addressed them both, his eyes never left Alexis’ face. “It was a great party…..while it lasted.” And with that, he was gone.

Sonny stood at her side, regarding her silently. If he thought for a second that she still had feelings for Ned, he would walk away in a second, but she didn’t look sad; she pensive. “You ready to go?,” he asked in her ear, causing her to jump.

She turned and looked at him, her eyes clear and shining, a soft smile of understanding gracing her mouth. She knew what he was asking, without asking. “I’m ready”.

It could have been the steeple bell

That wrapped us up within its’ spell

It only took one kiss to know

It must have been the mistletoe The three of them chatted amiably on the limo ride home, though Kristina noticed that as they got closer to the penthouse, Sonny and Alexis both grew quieter, nervous again. The looks out the window grew more frequent, the silences more pronounced, and Kristina was really starting to get a headache, trying to keep the conversation going by herself. Finally, she snorted in disgust, muttered something indistinguishable under her breath, and gave up. Johnny better have come through, she thought to herself. As they stepped off the elevator, she looked at Johnny with an upturned eyebrow. He gave her a sly thumbs-up, and she grinned widely at him. She and Alexis started towards their penthouse, but Alexis paused as she saw Sonny heading for his own. “Aren’t you going to come in? I-uh, I had a “, she paused, “a Christmas gift for you.” Again, her heart was on her face and Sonny quickly reassured her.

“I had something I wanted to get first, before I came over.” He looked her in the eye, to make sure she understood.

A smile full of dimples told him that she did. “Well, in that case, take your time.” With that, she turned and led Kristina into the penthouse. A few minutes later, Sonny walked across the hall, a small, gaily wrapped present in his hand. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but before he could do so, the door was pulled open and Kristina was pulling him into the room. Alexis stood before the Christmas tree, a large flat box in her hand. The sight of her, with the tree lights as a backdrop, caused him to stop in his tracks, wanting so badly to kiss her right then and there.

They stood there, regarding each other silently, and before the insanity started again, Kristina stepped forward. “So, Sonny, what’s that you’ve got there?” nodding her head in the direction of the present in his hand.

“Alexis, Merry Christmas”, he said simply, as he held out the gift. She took it from him with one hand, as she held out his present with the other. “You too”, she said sincerely. Both just stood, gazing at one another, unable to break eye contact, as though trying make up for all the days of not seeing themselves reflected in the other. Kristina knew she should leave and give them their privacy, but she was dying to know what was in the boxes. Alexis had refused to reveal what she had gotten Sonny, saying that only he would understand.

“So, are we gonna start tearing some paper here or what?”, she asked, finally snapping them out of their trance. “Who’s going to go first? Do we need to draw straws?”

“Alexis, please, go ahead,” he set his present down, waiting for her to open hers, hoping he hadn’t gotten too personal and that it wouldn’t scare her away.

Alexis slowly and methodically began to remove the paper, unwilling to tear a shred of it. By the time she was done, Sonny and Kristina were casting one another exasperated looks. Finally, she finished and gulped as a jewelry box was revealed. With trembling hands, she opened the box to reveal a delicate gold necklace amongst the cotton folds. Lifting it up, she gasped. A small, intricate, golden gardenia was dangling from the end. “So you can feel like Cinderella; whenever you want”, he said softly. She raised her face to his, a tear in her eye. “It’s- I love it. I don’t know what to say.” He gazed at her tenderly “You don’t have to say a thing. You know that. I’m glad you like it.”

Kristina had no idea what that “Cinderella” remark meant, but it was clear that it meant something, and it meant something good, judging by the look on her sisters’ face. “Put it on”, Kristina prodded her sister.

Alexis tried to fasten the necklace, but her hands were shaking, and she couldn’t manage. “Here, let me,” Sonny stepped forward and took the necklace from her, relishing the brief contact with her fingers. “Turn around”. She did so, lifting her hair as she turned. For a long moment, Sonny stood, looking at her, his gaze caressing the slim line of her neck, the graceful curve of her back. Then, he brought the necklace around her, and fastened it. Alexis shuddered involuntarily at the feel of his hands on her skin, and his warm breath on her neck. “There, now let me see,” he said as he stepped back. She turned around and looked at him, waiting. “So?” He smiled at her. “Better than I remembered”

“Ok,” they both jumped. They had forgotten Kristina was in the room. “Now it’s Sonny’s turn”.

Our first Christmas, more than we’d be dreaming of

But since, Saint Nicholas

Must have known that kiss

Would lead to all of this

Sonny picked up the box that had driven Kristina crazy for days. He ripped the paper off with a flourish, and lifted the lid. Kristina craned her neck to see in the box and her mouth fell open, as she looked at Sonny, wondering if he was as confused as she was. It was clear from the look on his face that he wasn’t. He picked up the card that lay on top of three newspaper subscription cards and read what Alexis had written. “You’ll still never know who delivers them, but at least you’ll know who sent them.” Whatever she had written and whatever the gift meant seemed to have affected Sonny profoundly, because Kristina could swear that there was a tear in his eye. She knew that it was time for her to leave them alone. There was just one more thing she had to do.

“I’m beat. It’s time for me to turn in,”she raised her arms above her head and gave a fake yawn.

“Oh that’s right. Are you feeling better”, Alexis dragged her eyes away from Sonny as she regarded her Kristina with an air of sisterly concern.

“ Oh, I’m fine,” she assured Alexis cheerily.

Alexis looked at her with a quizzical look on her face. “But you said-“

“I said what I said to get you two out of there and get you here,” she emphasized the last word.

Now they were both looking at her in complete puzzlement. “Don’t know what I’m talking about? Let me spell it out for you. But first, look at the ceiling.” They both tilted their heads back and flushed simultaneously as they took in the little sprig of mistletoe, dangling over head. “That is why I wanted to get you here”, she told them. “If you don’t know what I mean, then you’re not as smart as you like to think you are.” With that, she turned and flounced up the stairs, but not before flipping the light switch, leaving them in darkness, save for the Christmas tree lights and the dancing flames of the fire.

Alexis was mortified and tried to make light of the situation. “My sister gets some crazy-“

“Alexis”, her name came out in a whisper as his hand rose to tenderly cup her cheek. The look on his face stole her breath. He lowered his face to hers until they were mere inches apart. “Merry Christmas”, then, as softly as the wings of a butterfly, his lips landed on hers. Alexis closed her eyes, as a warmth spread through her. It wasn’t lust, but something deeper. Sonny had been right. They did share a connection. One that went deeper than words, and this kiss only deepened and strengthened a love affair that had started long ago.

It was a couple of hours later. Kristina had just finished reading a new novel by her favorite author and couldn’t resist sneaking a peek downstairs. Quietly, she crept from her room and moved stealthily down the stairs, poking her neck around the corner. What she saw filled her with an indescribable joy. Sonny and Alexis were wrapped in one another’s arms, dancing in the tree lit room. She noticed something in Alexis’ hand. She wasn’t sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not. Nope, she was certain, it must have been the mistletoe.

It could have been the mistletoe

The lazy fire, the falling snow

The magic in the frosty air

That made me love you

On Christmas Eve, our wish came true

That night I fell in love with you

It only took one kiss to know

It must have been the mistletoe.