Strolling into the park and relieving Leticia of her duties, Sonny enjoyed the warm sun beaming down on him. He watched Michael play on the jungle gym with a blonde girl and a strawberry blonde. His eyes quickly moved over to Morgan who was half-playing in the sand with a little girl about his age and half-watching an enthusiastic brunette mom making designs in the sand.

He closed his eyes and exhaled. This was the life. His businesses were going well. Neither Mike nor Carly was driving him crazy. And now he was spending a lazy afternoon in the park with his sons, who were healthy and happy. He had come along way from the man who first came to town looking to gain more power and in his subconscious, to find a woman to share his life with. Well, he had gained the power and created a family, even if it wasn’t with the woman he thought it would be with--

A cry interrupted his musing. He instantly zeroed in on the noise and saw the brunette holding and rocking Morgan. He ran over to the sandbox and arrived at the same moment Michael did.

“It’s okay, you just scared yourself,” the woman crooned to Morgan as she rubbed his back. Two things hit Sonny instantly. One, Morgan was giving his fake cry which meant he was perfectly fine, just milking the holding, crooning, and rubs for all their worth. And secondly, he knew that voice and to be honest he had felt a strange vibe- -

“Aunt Brenda,” Michael exclaimed, taking the words right out of Sonny’s mouth.

“Hi, Michael,” she greeted.

“What happened to Morgan?” he asked.

Sonny remained silent. He couldn’t believe how natural and comfortable she looked holding his son.

“Oh nothing, he just stood too quickly and fell on his bottom, scaring himself. Right, Morgan?” she said, trying hard to contain the shock that she was holding and had been playing with Sonny and Carly’s son. The eyes, the eyes. She knew they looked familiar, as was the tingling in the back of her neck that had alerted her to Sonny’s presence.

“Do you want me to take him, Brenda?” Sonny asked.

Startled, she jumped and spun around to find Sonny standing behind her. She looked into his eyes. How could she have not recognized the eyes that had haunted her dreams for so many years?

“No, he’s fine,” she said about the toddler who was happily playing with a loose strand of hair from her ponytail. Patting Morgan on the butt, she sat him in the sandbox to continue playing.

Brenda stepped out of the box and stood next to Sonny, as Michael seeing his brother was okay ran back to the jungle gym.

“You know he was faking it?” Sonny inquired.

“No, not at first, but I quickly caught on.” She smiled. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. And yourself?”

“Great!”

He smiled at her response.

“I’m alive, healthy. It’s a beautiful day and I’m home,” she grinned.

“Feels good to be back?” he questioned.

“It feels great!”

“Great is the word of the day, is it?”

Brenda nodded and giggled.

“You’re in a peculiar mood,” he commented.

She shook her head.

“Nope. You’re just meeting the new and therapy approved, no crazed arms dealer chasing after, nor dying from a dreadful disease Brenda.”

Sonny took a moment to study Brenda, to really study her. She wasn’t the same weary, frightened, yet excited woman whom he glimpsed for a few seconds on the stairs of St. Timothy’s. Nor was she the worn, tired, and disillusioned woman, he left in the bed sleeping at the safe house. There was a light in her eyes that he hadn’t seen since he, Stone, Robin, and she were all together in love and a family. Although this light seemed to have an extra indescribable zeal to it. It was a look he recognized, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out from where. The answer was just beyond his reach.

He shook his head. Maybe the answer would come later. Quietly, he followed Brenda to the bench. They sat in peaceful silence and watched the kids play.

“So what brought you to the park this fine day?”

“I came- -“

“Brennie, I’m thirsty,” an accented voice said, interrupting Brenda’s response.

“Nola, was I talking?” Brenda asked the blonde Sonny had seen playing with Michael.

“Yes,” she said softly.

“Then what do you say?”

“Excuse me.”

Brenda nodded. “Okay, let’s do this again.”

“Excuse me, Brennie.”

“Yes?”

“I’m thirsty.”

Brenda looked at her watch. “It’s snack time. Round up the troops, Nola.”

Nola ran off to gather the kids.

Sonny laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Brenda asked, as she spread out a blanket on the grass.

“You. You were trying to teach her manners, yet you forgot to introduce me,” Sonny replied.

“I’m sorry. I forgot you were there,” she laughed.

Laughter erupted from Sonny. If there was one thing that always remained true about their convoluted, tortured, angst-ridden relationship was that neither could ever ignore nor forget the other. At times it was a blessing and other times a curse. And sometimes, it was bit of both.

Holding Morgan’s hand, Michael plopped down on the blanket next to his dad.

“Brennie, we invited our friend, Michael, to have snacks with us,” Nola announced helping Glory to sit down.

“That was very nice of you,” Brenda commented. “Sonny and Morgan, I would like you to meet Nola,” Brenda gestured to the cute blonde. “Katie,” she said gesturing to the strawberry blonde he had seen earlier. “Glory,” she said, pointing to the adorable brown-haired toddler sitting next to Katie. “And this is Robbie,” she finished as Robbie crawled into her lap.

“Mama,” Robbie said, patting Brenda’s cheek.

Brenda kissed her youngest daughter on the forehead. “This is Mr. Corinthos, Michael and Morgan’s father.”

“Hi,” Sonny said, trying desperately to figure out who the other three girls were to Brenda.

“Hello,” they replied tentatively and in unison.

As Brenda handed out snacks and drinks from her bag of goodies, Sonny studied Robbie. He smiled at his little sister’s namesake, who rested her head contently on her mother’s shoulder. She smiled happily as she stared off past Sonny at some unseen sight.

He looked from her to Morgan, who was messily munching on an animal cracker, back to her. The nose and the shape of her face were definitely Brenda’s, but the mouth and forehead weren’t. Were they Candyboy’s? With practiced ease, he grabbed a napkin and wiped Morgan’s hands and mouth and then went back to his investigation.

She didn’t look like Jax and God forgive him, but he looked to see if she favored the Q’s. He didn’t want to think that his best friend and the woman he- - he had once loved would have slept together, but look at him and Carly. Brought together by one night of passion and a pregnancy. But he really hoped that wasn’t the case because he wouldn’t be nearly as forgiving as Jason was of him. He would hate to kill his best friend, brother, and most trusted employee and partner.

“Sonny, do you want your son’s left over cookies?” Brenda asked, holding the box out to him.

He nodded and said a quick thanks.

Continuing to clean up the children’s mess, Brenda watched the kids with one eye and Sonny with the other. He was acting strange or maybe life with Carly had made him silent cause of her incessant mindless chatter and interference.

Sonny gathered his thoughts and decided it was better to know than not. “Brenda, who are these girls to you?” he questioned, abruptly penetrating the silence.

Ah, she thought, he had been trying to figure out the family dynamics. Brenda let out a deep sigh. She could do this. “Nola and Katie are my baby sisters.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“What? Your reports on Robin and me left Nola and Katie out?” she asked, half-serious, half-joking.

He shook his head. “I don’t have one. We’re friends and friends trust each other so I thought I would ask you instead,” he answered.

Brenda nodded. This new, trusting and mature Sonny would take some getting used to.

“I’ve changed, too,” he said, as if reading her mind.

“I was adopted by Anna Devane and Tad Martin.” She knew he knew who Anna was, but Tad probably not. “Tad is Anna’s husband,” she added.

A glimpse of surprise showed on his face, but Sonny quickly masked it.

“Which makes those two,” she said, tilting her head to the swings where the girls and Michael were playing, ”my new little sisters.”

“And the other two?” he inquired.

“My daughters,” she said simply.

Sonny looked from the preschool-looking brunette pushing cars with Morgan to the sleeping toddler situated between him and Brenda. He calculated ages and looked at Glory. Brenda had to have had her before she came to Port Charles, making Glory, Alcazar’s daughter.

The anger that coursed through his body was fierce and instantaneous. He pinched the bridge of his nose and counted backwards, slowly, from ten. Turning, he focused his truth seeking gaze on Brenda and asked with amazing calmness, “And their father?”

The question was still a blow to her even though he knew it was coming. She had been preparing for it, but still.

“Glory’s father is not a subject I want to discuss and Robbie’s father- -“

“Gabey! Gabey!” Glory shouted at the top of her lungs and ran towards Gabriel.

Brenda saw Max quickly approaching and reaching for his weapon. “It’s cool, Max. He’s family,” she assured the bodyguard.

Max looked to Sonny for directions and after a shake of his boss’ head, he returned to his spot.

Picking up Robbie, Brenda stood up.

“More family?”

“Wait until you meet the whole Martin-Devane-Scorpio-Chandler-Barrett family en masse,” she laughed.

“And he is?” Sonny asked, nodding towards Gabriel.

Smoothing her daughter’s hair, she answered, “Technically he’s our uncle, but to limit the confused stares I just say he’s my brother.”

Sonny looked from Gabriel to Brenda and gave her a questioning look.

“I know,” she chuckled.

She walked towards her brother and the kids who had him down on the grass tickling him. Brenda paused for a moment and then walked back to Sonny. She kissed Robbie’s cheek and held her out to him.

Sonny gladly accepted the bundle of joy.

“And yes, Sonny, Robin-Lois Scorpio Barrett is your daughter.”

Leaving him speechless, Brenda went to rescue Gabriel.