This week on General Hospital, a couple at a crossroads threatens to turn Port Charles inside out! When Sonny takes drastic action to separate A.J. and Courtney, Alexis is forced to give him an ultimatum: Either he plays by the rules, or he finds himself alone! Can she save A.J.- and, in a way, protect Sonny himself?

"I don't think that Alexis has ever wanted to reach out to Sonny more," says headwriter Megan McTavish. "This relationship is definitely going somewhere."

R.I.P., A.J.?

As the week begins, A.J. is horrified when archenemy Sonny graciously welcomes him into the family. Is his foe giving him the proverbial kiss of death? A.J. wonders. As a matter of fact, yes! In private, Sonny sets in motion a plan to rub out his rival!

Meanwhile, Alexis notices an improvement in Sonny's mood. when she brings up her observation to him, however, he avoids any mention of A.J. - and what comes next! Alone, he fills a suitcase with cash, then hands off to his assassins with instructions on how they should carry out the hit on A.J. When Alexis happens upon the scene, she easily puts together the pieces and concludes that- jeepers! - the mobster is about to commit murder!

"Unacceptable, intolerable, unattractive. Any feeling of being in love in nonexistent at that moment," says Nancy Lee Grahn, who plays Alexis. "There is just a myriad of negative responses to that [realization]. There is nothing about Sonny doing that that would appeal to her.

"It's a moral and ethical issue," she continues. "It's about, The world doesn't revolve around Sonny. You have to grow up. You don't get to do whatever you want whenever you want.' Maybe no one's ever said that to him."

Adds McTavish: "The more importanat thing she says is that whatever Sonny does, he can carry. He's carried a lot of pain and guilt all these years. But what is he asking Courtney to carry? Alexis can point that out to him. Because it is something that affects Courtney, that she will have to carry, that may give Sonny pause."

Alexis Sees The Light!

If anyone can talk some sense into Sonny it's Alexis. "There's a great deal of affection and - dare I say?- love between them," concedes McTavish. "it is based on a trust and respect that he has for her.

"Throughout this whole A.J. and Courtney thing," she continues, "although Carly has played a part that Sonny has valued, there is a way that Alexis can speak with him that no one else can, because of her position of trust."

For her part, Alexis tries to think of Sonny only in terms that will allow her to continue to place her faith in him. "That way' about him is the problem," suggests Grahn. "Should he not have 'that way' about him, there may be an understanding there. Alexis pretty much likes everything about him but that. She doesn't really know what he does. But presented to her where she can't [look away], that's a deal breaker."

However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel - if only Sonny will move toward it. "If Sonny [calls off the hit], if he chooses better," sugest Grahn, "I think Alexis would have trouble walking away from him in every way."

It's Decision Time For Sonny!

In trying to talk Sonny out of a murder that not only would put him behind bars, but would destroy the very bond with his half sister that he seeks to safeguard, Alexis reaches a new plateau in their relationship. "Her last words as his lawyer," reveals Grahn, "are,' [Kill A.J.] and I'm no longer your lawyer or your friend.'

"But," she adds "if they connect in the most intimate possible way, it doesn't necessarily mean they've made an agreement about anything. That means that they found themselves caught up in a moment that they couldn't get out of."

Will these two people who are determined to never lose control actually do just that? It seems inevitable. "They are probably not in control at this point. That's where the guards get let down," syas Grahn. "Desire is not necessarily thought out and premeditated and considered a good idea when you fulfill it. It could be something that isn't good for you at all.

"But this is a moment where the two of them aren't thinking they're acting," she concludes. "And that comes out of passion. When you're talking about life-and-death situations, this is a passionate conversation between the two of them. It can't get more passionate than this."

Adds McTavish with intriguing emphasis: "In a moment of really serious and heavy emotional closeness, what other kind of closeness can ensue?"