"The Long & Winding Road" by MeRulz@aol.comB: I know. I will tonight, after dinner. S: If you need me at all, just call. B: I will. I love you, sweetie! S: I love you, too, baby. (Brenda walks out the door of Luke’s and heads to the penthouse. Meanwhile, Sonny heads for the docks where he was scheduled to meet Luke and Jason) S: So, let’s talk business. I’m getting concerned over....What’s that noise?? L: It sounds like a hurt animal. J: It’s coming from behind those crates! (Sonny approaches the crates cautiously, and peers down. He is shocked at the sight- a little girl, dressed in rags and covered in mud, sitting there crying pitifully. He moves the crates and bends down to her level. Jason and Luke are shocked as well.) S: Hey there little girl, why are you hiding behind these crates? Girl: I was going to jump into the water, but I heard voices and hid back here. S (shocked): You were going to kill yourself? (The girl nods her head) S: Why? Girl: Because I didn’t want my mommy and daddy to beat me anymore. (Immediately recognizing where the little girl is coming from, Sonny lifts her up and hugs her, sending a look of concern in Jason and Luke’s direction) S: Shhhh....It’s okay now, your mother and father are never going to touch you again. Let’s go to my house and get you cleaned up, and then I want you to meet my friend Mac Scorpio. (Sonny walks off the dock, and Jason and Luke follow) (Back at the penthouse) S: How would you like a big bubble bath? Girl: Okay (smiles weakly) S: Great! Now, which Winnie The Pooh character bubble bath would you like (Holding the girl on one hip and opening a closet).... I’ve got Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Pooh, Kanga..... (Jason and Luke stifle laughs and Sonny sends them a warning glance) Girl: Tigger!! S: Tigger it is then. (Lifting the bottle and walking towards the bathroom, he abruptly turns to Jason and Luke) Jason, could you go out and buy her some new clothes? Here’s her shirt so you can tell the size (Hands Jason the girl’s shirt). And Luke.... call Mac for me? L+J: Sure S: Thanks (Walks into the bathroom with the little girl) (Luke picks up the phone and dials Mac. Jason tries hopelessly to figure out which number is the size) J: Hey Luke, which one’s the size? L: I don’t know, I don’t shop in the little girls’ department. Go ask Katherine. (Jason runs across the hall) J: Katherine.... how do you tell what size this shirt is? The label has 100 million numbers on it! K: Let me see (He hands her the shirt). Size 6. J: Thanks (He grabs the shirt from her hands and runs out the door). K (talking to herself): What would Jason be doing with a little girl’s shirt? (Jason bought a new outfit- he has surprisingly good taste- and is waiting outside the bathroom. Sonny opens the door and Jason hands him the outfit. A minute or so later Sonny opens the door again) S: Now presenting... (The little girl walks out timidly and Jason and Luke clap and whistle for her. She smiles) S: What is your name, anyway?? Girl: Lily S (glazed look in his eyes): That’s a wonderful name. L: Thank you (The doorbell rings. Luke answers and Mac walks in) M: Okay, where’s this.... (sees Lily) Oh, hello! L: Hi! S: Mac is going to talk to you for a little while about your parents. L (bursting into tears): No, please don’t make me go back! You promised!! S (lifting her): Shhh, sweetie, he’s not going to take you back. He’s going to make sure they stay away from you. Now sit right here on my lap, okay? (She nods her head. Mac questions her about what her parents were like and Sonny cringes as she describes her life to be just like his childhood, only BOTH her parents beat her) M: Okay, Lily, how about you come with me and you can stay at the station until we find your parents and get them in court. L: I want to stay here with Sonny and Jason and Luke!! S (putting on a pout): Pleaaaaasssssssseeeee?????? M (laughing): She can stay here, Sonny, but you have a responsibility to her. S: Can I talk to you for a sec, alone? M: Sure S: Lily, sit with Jason, okay? I’ve got to ask Mac something. (Jason looks surprised as Lily climbs on his lap, but melts when she smiles at him) S (whispering): Mac, I want to adopt her. M: Are you kidding? Sonny Corinthos, mob boss, adopts little girl after knowing her for 5 minutes? S: It’s been 1/2 an hour, but it seems like forever. I had the same childhood, and I know what she’s going through. I want to make sure she’s happy. M: Okay, as soon as the judge waives parental rights at the trial, you can stand up and request an adoption. S: I will (Meanwhile, at Jax’s penthouse, Brenda chickens out and goes to sleep without telling Jax the truth. She decides to tell him on Saturday. Today is Tuesday) (Thursday morning, at the trial. The judge has heard both sides of the story and has reached his decision) Judge: This was probably the easiest decision I have ever had to make. Lily’s parents are waived of all parental rights, and the girl will be put up for adoption. S (standing up): I’d like to adopt her. Judge: Well then, Mr.....Corinthos, isn’t it? If there are no objections by the jury, you are granted full parental rights. Unless, of course, Lily doesn’t want you to become her father. L: I do, I do, I do (She is very excited- I would be too if Sonny adopted me!) J: By the power invested in me by the state of New York, I now pronouce you father and daughter. (Sonny hugs Lily and everyone walks out of the courtroom. You can see how happy they both are. Sonny looks at his watch and lets out a yelp) S: Oh, god. I am late for a meeting. This is a wonderful way to start off being a father. Jason, could you take Lily for a little while? J: Sure, I was heading over to the Quartermaines- I’m sure they won’t mind. S: Thanks a lot! (kisses Lily’s head) See you later, sweetie! (The scene fades out. Just for your reference, Lily’s parents were both alcoholics and Lily is deathly afraid of glasses of wine, beer, or anything else with alcohol in it for that matter) (At the Quartermaines) J: Sorry I brought her without calling first, but my cell phone isn’t working. M (looking around): Brought who, Jason?? J: Li... (looks to his side- she’s not there) Aaarghhh! Be right back. (He walks out the door and emerges a few seconds later holding Lily by the hand) J: This is Lily. Lily, these are the Quartermaines...Monica, Alan, Lila, Alan, and Ned. M: Hello, Lily! (Jason nudges Lily. She skips forward happily and shakes Monica’s hand. She then turns to Alan and looks shocked) L: What are you drinking? A: Champagne L: AHHHHHHHHHH! Uncle Jason, save me, save me, the bad man’s going to hit me, WAHH! (Alan and the rest of the Q clan look astonished as Lily runs into Jason’s arms and screams) L: WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! J: Shhhhhh, shhhhhh. He’s not a bad man, I promise. He’s my..my father. (Q clan gets teary- eyed at that statement). Remember what Daddy told you? Some people drink little bits of alcohol and they’re fine. It’s only a LOT that makes them crazed. L: Okay Ja.... DADDY!!! (She jumps down into Sonny’s outstretched arms. The Q clan is beyond shocked to discover who her father is) L: Take me home, please, Daddy. S: What happened Jason? J: Alan was drinking champagne. S (stifling a giggle): Sorry about this. I’m going to take her back now. (Jason turns to follow Sonny) S: Ugh, Jason, I think you’d better stay here and explain. J: Okay (Jason explains to the Quartermaines about Lily and they see Sonny in a whole new light) (Back at Sonny’s Penthouse) S: Whew, I’m beat! L: It’s only 2:00 in the afternoon! S: Let’s take a nap, sweetie (Sonny literally collapses on the bed) (hours later....) L: Daddy, wake up. I want dinner! S (rolling over): Nooooo. Grooaaaaan. Zzzzzzzzzz. L: Daddy! (crying in frustration) (Sonny does not wake up. His forehead is read and he’s shivering. Lily runs over to his address book but can’t read any of the names. She ingeniously looks in the photo album he had shown her and finds a picture of Brenda, whom Sonny had introduced her to at Luke’s. She looks at the caption, “Brenda.” Matching the name with the one in the phone book, she dials the number next to her name) B: Hello? L: Is this Brenda? B: Yes. Who is this? L: This is Lily. I need help. (frantic) My daddy won’t wake up and I need to eat dinner!! B (paranoid): Okay, Lily. Wait right there and don’t open the door for ANYONE except me. I’ll be there in a few minutes. (Brenda rushes out the door. A few seconds later she’s knocking on the penthouse door) B: Hi, sweetie. Where is he? L: In his bed (Leads Brenda to him). (Brenda runs to his side and shakes him gently. He wakes up for a second) S: Brenda? Uh, I’m hallucinating. Zzzzzzzzz (falls back asleep) B: Sonny, wake up. Please!! (No response from Sonny. Brenda runs to the bathroom after feeling his forehead and wets a washcloth. She puts it on his forehead and kisses his cheek. She goes into the kitchen with Lily and makes grilled cheese- even she can’t mess that up. Sonny moans and they both run back into his room. Brenda finds some chicken soup in the freezer, warms it up, and feeds it to him. She stays all night and in the morning Sonny is much better. He thanks her for coming and Brenda leaves hurriedly, realizing Jax doesn’t know where she is) (At the penthouse) J: Where the h*ll have you been? B: I was...uh, arrr, umm,..... I was at Sonny’s. His daughter called me and said he wasn’t waking up so I had to go help her and he was very sick so I stayed until he felt better. J: Go to bed! B: Fine!! (The next day things weren’t terribly cordial between Jerx and Brenda. That night Brenda snuck into the bathroom and took a home pregnancy test. It was positive! She ran to GH and got an immediate appointment with Dr. Neuman. The day of conception was March 7th--the caves! And it was twins!! Ecstatic, Brenda ran back to the penthouse with Jax. She decided to tell him the next day about her and Sonny, so she and Sonny would be free to raise their baby together. But when she got back she was met with Jax, a knife, a rope, and a pregnancy test.... which Jax was tossing in the air!!!!) (Back at Sonny’s penthouse) L: Brenda’s very nice! Jason: Yes, she is S: I can second that!!! (Knock at the door) S: Who could be coming here at this hour (goes to answer the door). (Jax appears, holding a gun at Sonny with one hand and a beaten, tied-up Brenda in the other. Jax throws Brenda up against the wall and puts a knife to her neck. He says he’s going to kill her and Sonny’s going to watch. Jax spies Lily) J: I’ve got a good idea. How about I kill her, too? S: RUN LILY, RUN!!!!! (She runs as fast as she can but Jax is too quick. He grabs her and now has Brenda and Lily both. Sonny cannot believe this is happening to him on the 1 year anniversary of Lily’s (the other one) death. Lucky for him, Nikolas was at Kat’s across the hall and heard the commotion. Tai chi comes in handy, and one quick blow knocked Jerx unconscious. Sonny ran to grab Lily, and gave her to Jason. One look at Brenda and Sonny cringed. She was cut up very badly. He gently untied her and pulled the tape off her mouth. She sobbed hysterically and he just held her. Once she had calmed down a little he grabbed a cool washcloth and washed all of her cuts and scrapes) S: Why did Jax do this to you? He’s in a lot of trouble. B: I’m pregnant with twins, Sonny. Your twins. S (eyes glistening): My twins? B: Uh-huh S: We better get you to GH so they can check you over. C’mon (he lifts her and carries her outside) Jason, bring Lily too, just in case. (At the hospital) Doctor: Well, Brenda, you had a real nasty cut on your shoulder that needed some stitches, but other than that, you’re fine. S: And the babies? Doctor: All’s well (Brenda and Sonny hug) ( 3 months later, taking on both sides of a closed door) S: I’ve waited for this day a long time. B: So have I. Only one more hour until we are officially Mr. and Mrs. Corinthos!! S: See you in an hour! (The wedding is large and glamorous. First Robin and Jason walk down, then Lois and Mike, and Lucy and Luke. Lucky and Emily go next, then Lucas as the ringbearer and Lily the flowergirl. Ned escorts Brenda down the aisle, and the wedding goes perfectly. The Beatles song “The Long and Winding Road” plays as they repeat their vows, remembering all that’s happened to them to get there. Lily goes with Mike as Brenda and Sonny head to Puerto Rico for their honeymoon. They have just returned) S: Brenda, I just found out Rivera is alive!! I’ve got to fake my death to entrap him. I may not be here for when the babies are born, but Jason swears he will protect you, and the babies, and Lily. Trust me. B (sobbing): If you must, Sonny, but come back soon!!! S (kissing her cheek): I will, Brenda. Never forget me. I’ll be back someday. Good-bye (tears are streaming down his face. He runs out of the room) What’s left to happen is up to TPTB, but please Maurice, COME BACK SOON!!!! |