It was the coldest day Port Charles had seen in years. The whole town was covered in a blanket of white and the snow continued to fall. Sonny Corinthos sat at his desk in his office on the top floor of the Corinthos/Morgan Warehouse. He sat over the end of year coffee invoices, when a knock came from his door.

“Yeah,” he said not looking up from his desk.”

“Umm, Mr. Corinthos…it’s Christmas Eve… and I was wondering if I could get off early?”

“Hit men and mob bosses still work on Christmas Eve Johnny! That means body guards do too!” Sonny said still looking down at his paperwork.

“Yes, but my wife was really hoping I could be home to carve the turkey and chat with the in-laws. And I really wanted to see the kids prepare for Santa before they went to bed.”

Sonny finally looked up from his desk. “Santa’s not real Johnny!”

“I know that sir, but my children don’t,” Johnny reasoned.

“Oh Bah Humbug! That’s just another lie we tell to children! Plus Johnny wives, kids, heck family, they’re all overrated. Now get back to your post!”

“Yes sir, sorry to have disturbed you,” a disappointed Johnny said as he closed the door.

“Ugh! It’s so hard to find good help, who has their priorities straight!”

The night wore on and Sonny thought it was time to call it a night! He needed a drink badly and wanted to head home and get lost in his liquor. He walked to the door and summoned his bodyguard, “Johnny! We’re done here, you’re free to go!”

“Johnny looked at his watch, he still had 20 minutes till the kids went to bed. If he hurried he could see them put cookies out for Santa and help them say their prayers. “Thank you Mr. Corinthos! And have a Merry Christmas!” Johnny said, thrilled to be getting out early.

“Ugh! Bah Humbug!!!” Sonny mumbled.

Sonny stepped off the elevator and headed toward his empty penthouse. The moment he entered the lonely home he shrugged out of his jacket and made his way over to the bar. Several drinks later, Sonny could barely keep his eyes open. He didn’t want to go to sleep, sleep meant dreams, dreams meant his family, and family meant pain. He couldn’t help it any longer, so he headed up the stairs to get ready for bed. Once dressed in his appropriate attire he slipped into bed and fell into a restless sleep.

“Michael…Michael…” a soft voice called.

Sonny stirred in his bed. He heard the voice, but didn’t think anything of it. Voices from the past were a regular occurrence.

“Michael…”

The voice was really getting on his nerves; it reminded him of his mother trying to wake him up for school as a kid. He opened his eyes, “God! What does it take to get a good night’s sleep!” His eyes focused on the image before him. When he was able to make it out, he sat straight up. “Jesus! I must have drank more than I thought!”

“Michael, do not use the Lord’s name in vain!”

“Mama?” he said in disbelief.

“Yes Michael, I’m here, your Mama’s here.”

“How?”

“Michael tonight is a very important night for you. I am here to help you take a long look at your life and decide if the path you are on is the one you really want to continue on. Michael, many mistakes have been done to you and you have made many yourself. Tonight you will have the chance to change all that.”

“I-I don’t understand.”

“Tonight, you will be visited by three ghosts, the ghost of Christmas Past, the ghost of Christmas Present, and the ghost of Christmas Future. Each ghost will visit you on the hour, when the bell tolls. You will have an hour with each ghost and at the end of the three hours, you will have to make a decision about how you want to spend the rest of your life.” Bell tolls “The journey begins now Michael. I am your ghost of Christmas Past.”

Adella took Sonny’s hand and helped him out of bed. “Where are we going?” Sonny asked his mother.

“To where it all began…Benson Hurst.”

The next thing Sonny knew he was standing in the living room of their old apartment in Benson Hurst. “What…how did?”

“Shh, my child. Don’t ask questions just watch.”

There is a little boy, sitting on the floor with paper and crayons surrounding him. The little boy looks up thinking, then scribbles on the paper. Sonny walks over to the boy and looks over his shoulder and reads what the boy has written:

Sonny remembered that letter. He continued to watch the boy read over his letter making sure all the i’s were dotted and t’s crossed. Suddenly a door slammed and both Sonny and the little boy jumped. The boy began to furiously pick up the paper and crayons on the floor.

Sonny went down to the floor to help the boy clean up his mess, but his mother stopped him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “You can’t change the past Michael.” Sonny looked at his mother and then back to the little boy.

Sonny did the same. His mother walked over to him and took him in her arms. She hated seeing her son in pain. Sonny looked up at his mother crying, “I don’t want to do this anymore. I want to go back to bed.”

“Michael, this is for the best.”

“How? How is this for the best?” he yelled.

“Yes, it’s painful now, but in the long run, it will be worth it. I promise you.”

Sonny nodded stood up taking his mother’s hand. Suddenly they were back at the penthouse, but it was different. It didn’t feel the same. It felt like home, like it did when Carly and Michael were there. Then he saw them, his wife and son along with himself coming through the door laughing. Following them is a big fresh cut Christmas tree being carried in.

Sonny laughed watching the scene unfold. Carly had the most incredible imagination. She would come up with these stories that would have everyone laughing. She claimed they were true, but some of them were so far-fetched, but then again with his wife, who knows what she could have gotten herself into.

Sonny looked at Carly’s face. She was so happy. It took so little to make her happy, why couldn’t he give it to her? He hadn’t seen her happy in such a long time. He had almost forgot what she looked like happy. She was so beautiful, but when she was smiling and laughing her whole face lit up.

“So much for that!” Sonny said.

“Michael, it’s not too late! You can still keep that promise you made to Carly.”

“How? Look at me, look at us! We are a lost cause!”

“No, no, you look. You were happy once and you can be again!”

“No too much has happened between us!”

“Ok, I hoped that we wouldn’t need to go to our next stop, but it looks like we have to.”

“Where are we-” Before Sonny could finish his question, he found himself outside. It was snowing. He looked around. They were outside the Police Station.

“Why are we here? It’s freezing outside!” he said pulling his jacket tighter. Then he saw them.

“You almost died that night, but you couldn’t, not without telling your wife that you love her. You almost died a few more times after that, and each time Carly was there by your side, fighting for you,” his mother said.

“She’s a hell of a fighter…when she has something to fight for,” Sonny responded.

“She has you. It’s always been you. Even when she betrayed you, she was fighting for you and you’re family!”

“Well, she should have known better. How could she go to the cops? She knew I would never forgive her for that!” Sonny said getting angry.

“What would you have liked her to do Michael? Sit back and watch her family die? Carly’s not like me; she fights to protect her family. Sometimes she fights dirty, but there is no way she would let anyone hurt her family. I wish I was more like her.”

Sonny looked at his mother. He loved her, but she was right, she never did fight for him like Carly did. Carly would do anything to protect her children, that was one of the things that he first fell in love with about her. Sonny was pulled out of his thoughts by his mother’s voice.

“We have to head back now its almost time. I want you to think really hard about what you saw tonight. Is punishing Carly really worth spending your life alone and is it really right for you to punish her when, you are as much to blame?” With that, is mother was gone.

“Mama wait!” he said as he sat up in his bed. He looked around; he was back in his room at the penthouse. “It was all a dream,” he sighed and turned over to go back to sleep.

Bell Tolls

“Sonny…Sonny…” a voice called. Sonny stirred. “Sonny…”

Sonny heard the voice. “Oh not again,” he said pulling a pillow over his head.

The voice giggled and pulled the pillow off his head. “Sonny!”

Sonny looked at the vision before him. “Lily? What are you doing here?”

“Don’t tell me you have forgotten already? You know it really is true, whatever a mother says goes in one ear and out the other.”

“No, but that wasn’t real, it was a dream!”

“It was very much real!”

“So, you’re my ghost of Christmas Present?”

“Yes, and we better get going. It’s getting late.” She took his hand and helped him out of bed.

“Where are we going?” Then Sonny found himself walking up the path to Carly’s house. Lily brings him over to the window, so he can get a better look. “What are we doing here?”

“Shh, just watch.”

Sonny saw the pain in her eyes and knew he put it there. “I always make her cry,” he said solemnly.

“You also make her smile Sonny!”

“Not lately.”

Sonny’s attention is returned to what is going inside the house.

“That’s not true!” Sonny yells from outside the house.

“I could never hate her,” Sonny said sadly.

“I know Sonny. I saw first hand how much you loved her and Michael. Last year, you could have stayed with us. You could have remained in a place with no fear, no loss or pain, with the children you have longed for, but you chose to go back to Carly and Michael. Don’t waste the second chance you were given.”

Then they heard a rustling behind them and they looked to see Mike coming up pathway, with a dozen presents in his arms.

“I destroyed my family!” Sonny said.

“No Sonny, there were many outside factors that contributed to the break-up of your family, you both made mistakes, but only you have the power to fix it.

They stood there watching through the window for a little while longer. Sonny watched as Carly, Mike, and Bobbie all tried to cheer Michael up, but he just sat their quietly not taking an interest in any of the presents his grandparents bought him.

“Sonny we have to get back,” Lily said.

“Ok.”

“Remember, you beat death for Carly on more than one occasion. God is telling you that Carly and you are meant to be together. Don’t play with God’s intentions Sonny!”

The next thing Sonny knew, he was back in his bed. He rolled over to go back to sleep, anticipating his next visit.

“Sonny…Sonny get your butt out of bed!”

Sonny rolled over ad looked at his ghost of Christmas Future. “I can’t believe this! What did they find every tortured woman from my past and bring them here?”

“Hey, Sonny this is your life!”

“So this means you’re really dead then, you didn’t wash up on some beach?”

“It appears that way.”

“You should pay Jax a visit, he spent months looking for you!”

“Look Sonny, I’m not here so you can rag on Jax, we have a job to do. I’m supposed to convince you to make peace with Carly, which is a challenge alone considering I can’t stand the woman! I don’t have time to hash out your pissing contest with Jax!”

“Brenda?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you happy, you know on the other side?”

“Yes Sonny, I live a charmed life, now let’s go!” she said grabbing his hand.

“We didn’t go very far,” he said when he noticed they were downstairs in the living room. It was darker though. Furniture and broken glass were everywhere. Then he saw himself, only older. He was sitting in the corner with a drink in his hands and emptiness in his eyes. Suddenly, he throws the glass across the room and whispers, “Carly!”

“What happened?” Sonny asked.

“You happened!”

“But why? What made me do this?”

“Oh dammit! I think I went to far ahead! Looks like we have to go back a few years. What? Look Sonny I haven’t been doing this as long as your mother and Lily! Sometimes I make a few mistakes so kill me! Oh wait! Been there, done that! Now let’s go! I’m on a schedule!”

They were back at Carly’s cottage, but all the Christmas decorations were gone.

“Where are all the decorations?”

“It’s month into the future Sonny! The decorations are probably in the attic somewhere!”

“Oh!”

“Why is he acting like this?” Sonny asked.

“Maybe because you messed with his head. That’s what happens when you leave people, believe me I know!”

Sonny looked at Brenda. “Brenda I’m sorry.”

“What’s done is done! You can’t change the past, but you can change the future,” she said looking at Michael sitting at his desk.

Sonny walked over to the boy and read what he was writing.

Sonny laughed at the boy’s logic.

“Sonny it’s not funny!” Brenda told him.

“What? I think it’s cute!”

“Just watch!”

“Michael! Watch out!” he yelled as he ran towards the boy. He went to push him out of the way, but he ran right through him.

“Michael!” he cried as he ran over to his son. “Michael, buddy! Open your eyes! Please!” he sobbed over the lifeless body.

“Sonny come on we have to go! Come on!” she said pulling him off Michael.

Sonny just let her pull him away. Then Suddenly they were in a cemetery. It was a beautiful, clear day. A crowd of people watched as the small casket was lowered into the ground. There were so many people there, the Quartermaines, the Spencers, Jax, Alexis, Zander, Roy, Melissa, Leticia, Mike, Bobbie, Jason and so many others that Sonny didn’t recognize. He figured they must be people Carly worked with. Then he saw her. She could hardly stand; she wouldn’t be if Jason and Bobbie weren’t at her sides supporting her. She sobbed uncontrollably as Bobbie whispered calming words into her ear. It wasn’t helping though; it was only making her cry harder.

“Why?” was all Sonny could say.

“Sonny there is one more stop to make. Let’s go.”

They were back at Carly’s cottage, in her upstairs bathroom. Carly looked at herself in the mirror. She hated herself. Her baby was gone and he wasn’t coming back. What was she supposed to do now, she didn’t have Sonny and now she didn’t have Michael. She was all alone. She had no reason to go on. She opened the cabinet and grabbed the bottle of aspirin. She went to open it, but her hands were shaking. She couldn’t get the cap open; she began to furiously struggle with it, tears streaming down her face. She through the bottle down, crying hysterically. She looked to where the bottle landed and noticed that it was open. She picked up as many pills as she could and started to swallow them one by one, one after another.

“What is she doing? Stop her!” Sonny yelled. He tried to grab the pills out of her hand, but once again he went right through her. “Carly! Stop! Listen, you don’t need to do this!”

“She can’t hear you Sonny!”

“Then stop her! Why are you just standing there do something!” he yelled.

“I don’t have the power to do that, only you do,” she told him.

“I’m trying, but she won’t stop. How do I make her stop?” he said as he watched her body go weak, then collapse to the floor. “It’s too late!”

“No Sonny, it’s not too late! This hasn’t happened yet! This is the future! Make it so it’s not!”

“How do I do that?”

“You have to make it so there is no reason for any of this to happen. Make it so Michael doesn’t feel the need to runaway and Carly doesn’t feel like there is no reason to go on! Save them Sonny, save yourself!”

“I will I promise you!”

“Ok then let’s head back!”

“Ok!” Sonny said eager to fix everything he had done.

Bell tolls

Sonny’s eyes fluttered open. He looked around, then it all came rushing back to him. What his mother, Lily, and Brenda had said, what he had seen on his journeys with them. He jumped out of bed and threw on his coat. He had to see Carly, but first he had a few errands to do. He went to the phone to call Johnny, but then thought better of it and decided to let him spend time with his family.

Ding Dong! Carly was just finishing up cleaning the kitchen, when she heard the doorbell ring. “Who the hell would be here after midnight on Christmas Eve?” she said as she walked to the door. She opened the door and Santa was standing on her welcome mat, literally! “Umm, can I help you?” she asked.

Santa leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear, “Merry Christmas little girl!”

She felt the shiver run through her body, that she knew only Sonny could cause. She pulled back from him and looked into his eyes. “Merry Christmas Santa!” she said with a smile.

“I have a bag of presents here for a very good little boy. I heard he lived here?”

“He does!”

“Oh well, I also have a little something for his mother!”

“Oh?”

“Yes,” he said pulling out a long jewelry box and handing it to her. “Open it!” he whispered.

She smiled up at him, then began to tear the paper off. She opened the box and a ruby bracelet appeared. “Oh my God! It’s gorgeous! I don’t now how to thank you Santa!”

“Oh I think I know away!”

Carly looked up at him and broke onto a fit of laughter. There was Sonny in a Santa suit, holding a mistletoe over his head. She stepped up on her tippy toes and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

“I think you can do better than that!” he said as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her towards him, kissing her full on the mouth. He urged her mouth open with his tongue and relished in the taste of her. It had been too long, way to long, but he was home now and he promised he would never be separated from his family again.