CHAPTER TWO

“I PUT MICHAEL to bed upstairs.” Sonny announced as he came back downstairs. “So, you want to tell me what this is all about.”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said.” Carly replied. “You know the little conversation we had when I dropped by here the other day about what you want and don’t want for our child.”

“What about it?” He asked her warily.

“It’s the same thing I want for Michael.” She announced. “The question is, just where does Michael fit into your grand scheme of things.” She added. “You said you don’t want your child being treated as second best. Well, I don’t want that for Michael, either.”

“I would never treat Michael as second best.” Sonny declared passionately. “I would love Michael just as much as I would the child we created together. I was raised by a man who treated me like I was second best because I was another man’s child. I would never treat Michael like that.”

“I believe you.” Carly assured him. “That just leaves one very big problem. You and I don’t get along. What do you propose we do about that?”

“Learn to get along.” Sonny countered baldly. “I grew up in a war zone, and I won’t raise a child like that. If this has any hopes of working, you and I would have to learn to get along.”

“Any ideas where we should start.” She ran the tip of her tongue slowly over her lips, already having a few ideas of her own.

“There is one area you and I get along together perfectly.” His eyes began to smolder as he turned his sexuality on full-blast. “The baby we’re going to have is more than proof of that.”

“That’s just exactly what I was thinking.” She pressed her body up against his, responding to his sexuality with a bolt of her own. “Not only are we alike, it seems we think alike, as well.” She slipped her hands inside his shirt and began to fondle his chest.

“We have to start some where if we’re going to make this thing work.” He lowered his mouth to hers. “This is as good a place as any.”

“The first time you kissed me.” Carly said as their lips were scant inches from touching. “You made my mouth burn. I’m kind of curious if you can do it, again.”

“Oh, little girl,” Sonny smiled. “By the time I’m finished, I can promise you your mouth won’t be the only thing that I make burn.” Then his lips finally touched hers as he gave her a hot carnal kiss. Their mouths devoured each other hungrily and their tongues dueled for domination. When they both finally came up for air a few moments later, they were both breathless. “You don’t have to do this, you know.” He began to nibble at her earlobe, as Carly groaned in pleasure. “I know you had to force yourself to have sex with AJ. But you don’t have to do that with me.”

“We both had to force ourselves to have sex with someone we hated.“ Carly replied, as she ran her fingernail down the zipper of Sonny‘s trousers, driving him wild. “Me with AJ and you with Hannah. But, baby, as good as we both are.” Her smile was purely sexual. “We can’t fake this.” Then she pulled his face down to hers and returned the hot kiss he’d just given her.

After that it was a repeat of the first time they were together. A frenzy to get each other’s clothes off so they could feel their skin against each other. The sounds of buttons popping, zippers breaking and material ripping filled the air as they quickly stripped each other. No thought of anything but giving into the wild animal lust they felt for each other filled their heads and flooded their senses. They bumped into walls, knocked over tables and broke lamps as they made their way up the stairs to Sonny’s bedroom and fell naked into his bed, never once ending the hungry, passionate kiss that was consuming the both of them.

STEFAN ENTERED HIS bedroom to find Laura lounging on his bed in a very seductive pose wearing a very seductive black negligee’ that exposed a great deal of her breasts and thighs. “Laura, what are you doing here?”

“Stefan, I think you know.” She purred.

“Laura, this is so unexpected.” Stefan replied, a bit taken aback. “When I’ve suggested this in the past you’ve been very stand-offish.”

“Stefan, I hate to admit this.” She sighed. “Even though we became lovers, I was still holding out for Luke. I just couldn’t let him completely go or believe it was truly over between us, but now that I’ve seen him with Felicia I finally realize it’s time to let him go and fully embrace my new life with you.”

“Lasha, you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to hear that.” He replied.

“Then prove it, Stefan.” She held out her arms to him. “Come to me, Stefan, and make love to me all night long.”

He removed his coat and began unbuttoning his shirt as he joined her on the bed. “Oh Lasha, this is like a dream come true for me.”

“Me too, Stefan.” She arched her neck as he began to trail kisses down it. “Me too.” Her hands went to his trousers as she began to pull down his fly.

“Lasha, you’re wild for me.” Stefan groaned with pleasure. “You’ve never been like this before.”

“That’s because this is the first time I’ve been totally free of Luke.” She pulled him down to her. “Your spell did the truck, darling.”

Stefan’s eyes popped wide open in shock. “What did you say?” He put some space between them and looked down in her face.

“Stefan, darling, what’s the matter.” She asked in confusion.

“You said spell.” He spat. “You said my spell did the trick.”

“Stefan, we’re about to make love.” She returned. “What does is matter what I said.”

“Laura would know nothing about me casting spells.” He declared, as he ran his finger down her cheek. “Cold cream. I should have known it. Mother, how could you!”

“I’m surprised it took you so long to figure it out.” Helena smirked. “The day will never come when your precious Lasha tells you what you want to hear.”

Stefan wiped his hand across his mouth in distaste. “Oh, Mother, have you no shame?” He asked, the realized in horror. “My god, you touched me.”

“It wasn’t the first time.” She tossed back. “I had to touch you when you needed your diapers changed as a baby. Who do you think changed them.”

“Not you.” He retorted. “You’ve never changed a diaper in your life.” He headed to the bathroom to rinse his mouth out with mouthwash. “My lips will never be the same.”

“I don’t see why you’re carrying on so.” Helena called to him. “It’s not the first time you’ve had your tongue stuck down the throat of a female relative.” She added. “You had no problem swapping spit with Katherine Bell when you thought she was your sister, Natasha, remember.”

“But she wasn’t.” Stefan spat as he returned to the bedroom.

“But you didn’t know that at the time, did you.” Helena threw back at him.

“Don’t think I don’t know why you did this, Mother.” He told her. “I know you came here for my sperm and I also know what you planned to do with it once you got it, but it isn’t going to work.” He added with triumph. “I told Alexis all about your nefarious plan and by the end of this night she’ll be carrying Ned Ashton’s child.”

“We’ll see about that.” She declared just before disappearing in a puff of smoke.”

ALEXIS STALLED COMING out of the bathroom and joining Ned in the bedroom. She had a decision to make. She either had to trick Ned into getting her pregnant which went against everything inside of her, or risk Helena finding a way of impregnating her with Stefan’s sperm which was unthinkable. Given that choice there was really one choice to pick. Alexis picked up her birth control pills and promptly through them into the trash. “I’m sorry about this Ned, but I have no choice.”

Out in their bedroom, Ned was pacing the floor like a caged tiger facing a similar dilemma. He didn’t want to trick Alexis into getting pregnant, but he couldn’t allow AJ to become ruler of the Quartermaine family. That position belonged to him. It was his birthright. After all, he was the only Quartermaine grandchild that was a full-blooded witch. So being ruler of the Quartermaine family was his birthright.

Who was he kidding. Ned had already decided to get Alexis pregnant this night. Why else would he have substituted her birth control pills with placebos. What he was doing was trying to justify what he was about to do. He pointed out to himself all the good reasons he had for getting Alexis pregnant without her knowledge.

Both he and Alexis had a phobia about making a commitment to each other. If there was a baby involved, it would force them both to do what they truly wanted to do. If Alexis found out the truth about him...that he was a full-blooded witch...she wouldn’t leave him if they had a child together. And by having a child, he and Alexis would eventually rule the Quartermaine clan once his grandfather and grandmother were gone. He and Alexis were much more suited to lead the family into the new century than AJ and Carly. So when he thought about all that he was able to convince himself what he was about to do was really a good thing.

Ned turned to Alexis as he heard her coming out of the bathroom. “I was wondering what was taking you so long?”

“I was just trying to make myself look beautiful for you.” She replied as she went into his arms.

“You do that just by breathing.” He kissed her. “You know, Alexis, I think is going to be the beginning of a whole new phase of our relationship.”

“I feel exactly the same way.” She replied. “Let’s go to bed. First one there gets to be on top.”

CARLY WAS SPRAWLED on top of Sonny trying to catch her breath. They were laying amongst the tangled sheets on Sonny’s bed. “So, it wasn’t a fluke, after all.”

Sonny reached up and kissed her. “No, like you said passion like this can’t be faked.”

Carly rolled over on her back clutching the sheets to her breasts. “So, what’s our next move.”

“Getting you free of AJ and the Quartermaines.” Sonny announced. “Then you and I can get married.” He added. “No child of my will be born illegitimate or be legally AJ Quartermaines.”

“Just how do you intend to accomplish that fete.” Carly replied. “He refuses to give me a divorce. And nothing and no one will convince him otherwise.”

“You remember telling me how you overheard AJ paying off that guy who torched the coffee warehouse?” He asked.

“Of course.” Carly replied. “I thought about trying to use that to get myself free of AJ, but there’s no way I can prove what I overheard. It would be my word against his.”

“I think there’s a way we can use it.” Sonny told her. “It doesn’t matter that we can’t prove what AJ did, all the matters is he thinks we can.”

“You mean we’re going to con AJ into thinking we can prove he hired an arsonist.” Carly asked with glee.

“Exactly.” He flashed his dimples at her. “So what do you think?”

“I think it’s brilliant.” Carly climbed back on top of him. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t the one who thought of it. “ She settled herself more comfortably against his body, arousing him in the process. “Things are really going along well with us. I’ve already found two things I really, really like about you. Your brain and your body.”

“Just shut up and kiss me.” He pulled her down to him and began kissing her passionately.

FAISON SMIRKED AS HELENA entered. “Things not go quite as you planned.”

“Don’t gloat, Faison.” Helena snarled. “It’s not attractive. Stefan figured out what I was up to and I was unable to get a sample of his sperm. And now it’s too late.” She added. “You can feel it, can’t you.”

“Of course.” Faison replied. “Our kind can always feel when another of us has been conceived.” With that he vanished from the room.

“Yes.” Helena sighed unhappily. “Ned Ashton and Alexis have conceived a child, tonight.”

Edward popped into the room. “So, have you heard the good news?” Edward asked as he poured them both a glass of champagne. “My studly grandson Ned has gotten Alexis pregnant. I’ve beaten you, Helena. And as soon as I leave you, I’ll be off to cut the same deal with Damian Smith that you had.”

“I wouldn’t be so fast to claim victory if I were you, Edward.” Helena warned him. “While it’s true your blood will flow through Ned and Alexis’ child. Mine will flow through Sonny and Carly’s child.”

“What are you talking about.” Edward barked. “That’s impossible.”

“I know you’ve been keeping it a secret from Faison that he’s Ned’s father.” Helena revealed. “Well, I’ve been keeping a secret from Stefan, as well. He’s Carly’s father. So that makes us even.” She added. “This isn’t over with, Edward. This has only begun.”

“Your blood ties don’t matter in this matter.” Edward told her. “Because I have control over Sonny and Carly’s child.”

“You need to go home and get an update.” Helena threw back at him. “As we speak Sonny and Carly are in bed together doing what comes naturally to them both.” She smirked. “No, Edward, if this were a race, we’d be neck-in-neck. You haven’t even begun to win, yet.”

BILL ECKERT STOMPED into the Hell Raiser’s Club. Well, it’s too late. The witchchild has been conceived. The only thing is the parents are Ned Ashton and Alexis Davis. That puts the old man firmly into the game, and he’s just as bad as Helena is. Any second now he’ll be arriving to try and cut the same deal with Damian that Helena has.

“Relax.” Olivia Jerome advised. “There’s a big difference between conceiving a child, and having it born. Anna Devane conceived Duke Lavery’s child, and I caused her to lose it.”

“And I exploded in an car bomb.” Lily added. “Unborn baby and all.”

“So, we still having plenty of time to make sure one of those babies is never born.”

“I vote it be Sonny and Carly’s baby.” Lily piped up.

“It figures.” Olivia rolled her eyes in disgust. “We’ll decide later which child should never be born. But first we’ll have to take a lot of things into consideration before we choose. “

“Like what?” Bill wanted to know.

“I’m sure the last thing The Creator wants is for this vampire/witch-child to be born. If we go to him and cut a deal, we’ll let him decide which child will never be born.” She added. “And then we’ll take measures to make sure that child is never is no more.”