Sonny is helping Alexis up off the floor.
Sonny: Hey, hey, hey. Whoa, whoa. Okay, okay -- take your time. Take your time.
Alexis: (sitting down on the edge of the couch) All right.
Sonny: Keep your head down.
Alexis: (moaning) Oh.
Sonny: (pushing her head down) Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Alexis: (face buried in her hands) Oh, I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe
I did that.
Sonny: Getting married makes people nervous.
Alexis: (sits up a little straighter, still has her hands on her face)
You weren't nervous.
Sonny: Sure I was.
Alexis: (sighs) You didn't pass out.
Sonny: Well, looking at a jail sentence helped.
Alexis: So, what are you saying? I should rob a bank?
Sonny: In your shape, no.
Alexis: (hands still half on her face, looks at him) Quit trying to cheer
me up.
Sonny: Why don't I go unpack the cappuccino machine? (stands, walking towards
the kitchen)
Alexis: Oh, great. You're offering to make me coffee? (slides back to sit
on the couch) Now you really think I'm desperate.
Sonny: (shrugs) I make coffee all the time. What are you talking about?
Alexis: You know, I don't want you to misunderstand because I love Ned with all
my heart.
Sonny: I believe you.
Alexis: (leaning against the arm of the couch, hands on either side of her
face) It's just -- what if this marriage is a huge mistake.
She continues looking at him briefly, then covers her face with her hands,
sighing.
{Next Scene}
Alexis sits on the couch, slowly sipping coffee. Sonny is pouring himself
a cup from the cappuccino machine that sits on her desk.
Sonny: (pointing to her cup) That's a new blend we're trying out. What
do you think?
Alexis: Is it legal?
Sonny shakes his head, smiling.
Alexis: Then it's good. Thank you. And thank you for unearthing the cappuccino
machine.
Sonny: (takes a few steps toward her) How long had it been sitting in
the box?
Alexis: (glances carefully at him) Ned gave it to me as a housewarming
gift if that gives you any idea.
Sonny: Do you ever even walk past the kitchen? (takes a seat next to her)
Alexis: Sometimes.
Sonny: (half-sighs) Oh.
Alexis: (looks at him, defensive) You think I'd be a terrible wife, don't
you? You don't think I should marry Ned at all.
Sonny: Did I ever say don't marry Ned?
Alexis: (defending herself) I am not a domestic person. If it
weren't for Graciela and the Port Charles Grille, I would starve to death in a filthy apartment. (stands up and walks
over toward the cappuccino machine) I didn't even know that cappuccino makes espresso.
Sonny: Cappuccino is espresso with milk foam.
Alexis: (shrugs) You see, a good wife would know that.
She walks over and sets her cup on the desk.
Sonny: Maybe you're overthinking all this.
Alexis: You think? I don't know -- (shrugs) maybe that's a possibility.
Sonny: I know. I did the same thing.
Alexis: I know. I was there. It was billable.
Sonny: (stands, walking over to her) But in the end, it didn't matter
because I did what I had to do.
Alexis: (sarcastically) Gee, that's romantic.
Sonny: Your marriage could work out. That's all I'm saying.
Alexis: See, now I know why Carly ran up the stairs.
Sonny: We got through the wedding. You can, too.
Alexis: I can get through root canal. That doesn't mean that I want to. (walks
away from him)
Sonny: (turns to follow her, frustrated) What's the problem?
Alexis: The aisle, the dress, the veil. It just -- seems so -- sacrificial.
Sonny: No wonder you passed out.
Alexis: (quietly) I'll be walking away from myself.
Sonny: Well, if you don't want to do it, don't do it.
Alexis: That's your answer? "If you don't want to do it, don't do it?"
Sonny looks at her, mouth open like he wants to say something, but she continues.
Alexis: What kind of answer is that? (waving him off) See, you just don't
get this at all, and that's because you're a man. I'm sorry, (shrugs, holding up her hands in defense) I say that
with due respect, but it's a -- there's a difference between a man and a woman here. (points at him) You just walk
down the aisle. You stand there. You don't have to change your name.
She walks away, over to the couch and picks up a pillow.
Sonny: You told me that Ned didn't want you to take his name.
Alexis: I -- am not changing my name. (lays down on the couch, closing her
eyes)
Sonny: Okay, see, now you lost me. (sits down on the other couch)
Alexis: (waving him off) You don't get this at all.
Sonny: Does Ned?
Alexis: (defensively) I don't think Ned needs to know about this.
Sonny: I'm just asking.
Alexis: (opens her eyes) Because he'll think that I don't want to marry
him.
Sonny: (tiredly) Where would he get that idea?
Alexis: Ned wants to be married. He likes being married. He's done it five times.
Sonny: What do you want?
Alexis: (slowly) I want -- to want to marry Ned. I want it to
be easy. I -- I don't want to have so much angst about it, and I don't want to be afraid that I'm going to disappear. (sits
up, turns to face Sonny)
Sonny: How would that work?
Alexis: I know exactly how that works, because I grew up with it. (shakes
her head) Invisible. Helena hated me, Stavros ignored me, and my own father (half-laughs) never acknowledged
that I existed. (holds up a finger) And you know what? No matter what happened, whether my name was Natasha Alexis
Davidovich or just "Hey you," I knew that the only person that I could depend on was me. (slowly) I created Alexis
Davis and I have learned to like her. And I don't want to -- (shrugs, looking for the right words) lose her. You
get this. (Sonny looks at her, confused) You had to do the same thing.
Sonny: I did?
Alexis: (moving to sit next to him) A little boy locked in a closet doesn't
become one of the most powerful businessman on the eastern seaboard without reinventing himself. Now how would you feel if
someone said you need to let go of Sonny Corinthos and just pretend that he never existed.
Sonny: Why would anybody ask me to do that?
Alexis: You see, that's just my point. They won't, because you're a man. And they're
not going to ever ask a man to change his name. (digressing) Unless, of course, it's the Witness Protection Program
and that's an entirely different issue altogether.
Sonny: (trying to keep her on track) Okay, for -- forget the Witness
Protection. You were just telling me why you don't want to get married.
Alexis: I do! I do want to get -- (trails off, frustrated)
Sonny: Wha --
Alexis: See, right now, Ned and I are two separate entities. Ned and Alexis. Alexis
and Ned.
Sonny: (nods) Mmm-hmm.
Alexis: But as soon as we get married, I promise you, no matter what my name is
legally, we will be referred to as The Ashton's. (spinning out scenarios) "The Ashton's are coming to dinner. The
Ashton's send their regrets. Merry Christmas, The Ashton's."
Sonny: So, why get married?
Alexis: It's -- (frustrated) not that simple!
She gets up and walks away.
Sonny: (watching her) Why doesn't that surprise me?
{Next Scene}
Alexis: I never thought that I would fall in love with anyone. So, you can imagine
I never thought I would get married.
Sonny: Sometimes you got to just dive in.
Alexis: I don't dive!
Sonny: Listen. When I was growing up, the Cerullo kids and I, right -- we used
to sneak out at night. They built this pool in my neighborhood and we used to kind of like slip through the fence --
Alexis: (interrupting) Oh, you see, I could never do that. I just don't
know how to slip through a fence and I've never been to Brooklyn.
Sonny looks at her for a moment, then continues.
Sonny: We'd get on the high dive, right? In the dark --
Alexis: (interrupting again) I would get caught!
Sonny again looks at her before continuing.
Sonny: We -- we would be on the high dive, right? You couldn't see the water down
there, okay, but I knew the cops were coming in three seconds and you know, I -- (sighs) part of me was screaming,
"Don't do it, don't do it," but I wanted that feeling, of going in the water, into nowhere, then, you know, swimming
to the surface, you know? Almost laughing so hard because I almost drowned. You get what I'm saying? So I dived. I had to.
Alexis: Which part of this terrifying little anecdote is supposed to cheer me
up?
Sonny: That's what getting married is like.
Alexis: (sarcastically) Oh, see, gee. I feel, oh, so much better now.
Thanks.
Sonny: You're welcome.
Alexis: (casually) I suppose Lois was in on this.
Sonny: Yeah, she used to race me to the high dive.
Alexis: (turns back to Sonny) You know, maybe Lois is the kind of girl
that Ned should marry.
Sonny: Oh, come on now! If you're going to be upset at, uh, you know -- because
of Ned's exes, then you shouldn't be doing this.
Alexis: So, you're saying I should bail.
Sonny: Well, I -- if you want to get married, get married. If you don't want to
get married, don't get married.
Alexis: (yelling) I do want to get married! How many times am
I supposed to say that to you? I just don't --
Sonny: Oh, whoa, okay. Whoa, hey, whoa, ho, ho, ho. Here, have some espresso.
(hands her a cup)
Alexis: Oh, great.
Sonny: Calm down. Take it easy.
Alexis: You know what? I think caffeine is really good for me right now. (drinks
the coffee in one gulp)
Sonny: And you know what else? I think you should mention some of this
to Ned.
Alexis: I love Ned with all my heart, and I can't imagine living my life with
anyone else. I just don't see why that means that I have to marry him.
She walks around Sonny over towards the desk. The door opens and Ned walks
in.
Ned: Honey, I'm home.