Midnight Alley

Carly (the Tamara Braun version) and Lorenzo are another one of my favorite GH couples. I always wanted to write a fic about them and finally have an idea that might be interesting to explore. I hope I can do them justice cause they were amazing!

Chapter One

Early February 2012

"You never should have come here, Tomas," Todd said in a low, menacing voice. "I am going to fucking pulverize you."

He crossed his arms across his chest. "You and what army, Todd?" He asked with a smirk. Todd may well have gotten to him before but never, ever again.

"This army," Todd said as three huge, burly men clad all in black leather stepped out of the shadows. "Come on, boys, do you worst."

Todd then sauntered out of the mouth of the alley, leaving him to his fate.

He fought hard against his attackers – truthfully, gave as good as he got but in the end, good was not quite good enough. He was broken and bleeding like a sieve when they finally left him. He tried to limp out of the alley but in the end, it was impossible. He made it halfway down the long expanse of darkness before he lost consciousness.

XoXoXo

She had come to the docks tonight to clear her mind. This situation with Johnny was boiling over and worse, so was the one with AJ. She had nowhere she could go to escape all of it so she had come to look out over the water and dream for a moment that she was very far from the madness.

She had only been there for two minutes or so when she heard a scuffling sound nearby and a loud groan. She immediately tensed up and considered running the other way. It was nearing midnight; nothing good ever happened at this time, but yet, when had she ever run from anything but her own happiness? Curiosity may very well kill the cat but she wasn't going to just walk away, especially as the moaning became louder in her ears. Possibly it was just a cat in heat but then she didn't think so.

Some unseen force drew her forward and she moved towards the mouth of the alleyway behind the harbor master's office.

She should have been afraid, maybe, but in that moment, she wasn't. Just tense, very tense. Her shoulders ached from the tension, making her rigid.

"Who is there?" She asked as she came to a stop there and peered through the darkness. At first she saw no one but then a dark shadow moved on the ground. The shape of a man appeared before her eyes, clearly trying to pull himself up to his feet. But he weaved and faltered and then fell back into a row of metal trash cans.

"Are you hurt?" Dumb question. Why was she even trying to talk to this guy? It could be some kind of trap. But she kept on with it. "Hello?" She said when there was no reply. She kept squinting but it was impossible to make out their face and she didn't dare move closer to them. "Okay, fine, have it your way. I'm calling the cops."

She started to open her purse and withdraw her phone. Her finger hovered over the 9 before she heard a voice she would swear came straight from the past say, "Don't do that."

"Excuse me?" She said. "No one tells me what to do and –" She broke off for a moment, trying to catch her breath. "Okay, do I know you?"

No reply.

"I repeat, do I know you?" She asked.

"I am pretty sure you have no idea who I am."

She felt the breath completely leave her now. She knew that voice. It took her a long moment to compose herself before she could move forward. She wondered if she had a death wish; she had to, but yet she couldn't stop herself. The voice was too damn familiar to her and she didn't feel threatened by them - at least not as much as she should.

"I haven't forgotten your voice," Carly said and came to a stop in front of him. Even in the near-blackness, she could make out familiar brown eyes and a bloodied but knowing smirk. "Lorenzo? Is that you?"

He stared up at her and shook his head before looking away for a moment. "No, no, I am not whoever you think I am."

"You are too," Carly practically shouted. "I would know that face anywhere."

"It's dark."

"I recognized your voice and even in the dark, I can see you're him." So why wasn't she running the other way? If this was Lorenzo, she should be running to Sonny to have him killed all over again. But it couldn't be Lorenzo. Jason had killed him. He had killed him dead. But then again, the dead were popping up all over Port Charles these days. AJ was a prime example of the fact that the not-so-good could not be kept down.

"They say everyone has a twin," the man said.

"You do. Luis."

"Huh?"

"Don't play dense with me, Lorenzo! And yes you are Lorenzo. I am going to call Sonny right now and have your ass hauled off and –"

"What does this Sonny guy have to do with anything?"

"Sonny. Sonny Corinthos?"

"Uh huh …"

"Everyone knows who he is," Carly spat. "He's in the news all the time. You'd have to be deaf and blind not to have heard of him."

"Yeah well I haven't heard of him. So if you'll excuse me, I need some peace to figure out what to do next. I mean, I certainly can't count on you to take care of me, can I? You're no nurse."

"Actually I am a physical therapist," Carly blurted out. "At least I was practically in another lifetime. I worked at the hospital anyway. I don't even know why I'm telling you this!"

"Maybe you want to help me," the man suggested.

"Oh please. I wouldn't help you if you paid me a billion dollars."

"Why are you still standing around here then?" He asked. "You can just keep walking the other way, can't you?"

"I could but not until I have some answers."

He groaned and then coughed loudly. "I don't feel much like talking anymore. I think I just spit up some blood."

"Who did this to you, Lorenzo? Was it Sonny? No, no he wouldn't have left you alive so who?"

"I'm not this Lorenzo guy, okay?"

"Alright then what is your name?" Carly asked disbelievingly. "Don't tell me you have amnesia."

"Actually I don't. I know exactly who I am and who did this to me."

Carly tapped her foot impatiently. "Well don't keep me waiting here."

He sighed as he struggled to pull himself to a sitting position. He was out of breath as his back finally settled against the wall of the shanty behind him. "Why do you want to know so bad? It's dangerous. The man who did this to me; he's very dangerous."

"I'm not afraid."

"You should be. There are people who would try to hurt a skinny little thing like you."

"Is that a threat?"

"Hardly, it's just a fact."

"Who did this?" Carly asked. She couldn't stop herself from wanting to know everything. She had never thought she would even hear Lorenzo's name mentioned again, much less see him – or someone who was identical to him right down to the thick beard he used to sport everywhere before she had insisted on shaving it clean off. Oh god, don't go there.

"Fine if you must know my name is Tomas."

"Tomas, uh huh …"

"You can choose to believe that or not. It's your choice. But the man who did this is a bastard and should be put down like a rabid dog."

"Okay we'll you're definitely reminding me of Lorenzo now. But who did this to you? Be honest."

"Why do you care anyway?"

"Because I'm curious, okay? I don't know how I can be talking to a man that looks exactly like my deceased ex-husband. Unless I'm dreaming… Yes, I've got to be dreaming."

"Wait, wait. This Lorenzo guy was your husband?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, so, what about it?"

"I am just surprised. People don't usually give a shit about their exes and –"

"And I don't! I really don't, okay? It's just, I need answers."

"You don't like to be left out of the loop." It wasn't a question.

"Hell no I don't. But that's beside the point. I really should call the cops or Sonny to come haul away your broken ass."

"So why don't you?"

Carly was caught off-guard. Why was she still talking to this man who looked like Lorenzo in every way? He was in a great amount of pain, she could tell, but normally she would have no problem turning the other way and not looking back. But she reasoned she needed and deserved answers.

"I need answers," she snapped out.

"You've asked most of the questions so far. It's my turn."

"No. Hell no. You know what? I don't know why I'm wasting my time with you. I am going to call Sonny and let him decide if you are who you say you are. You can go to hell."

Carly turned on her heel and started to walk back towards the entrance to the alley when she heard him call after her. "Did you love him?"

She hated herself for stopping in her tracks. "You mean Lorenzo?"

"Yeah."

She kept her back to him. "That's none of your business."

"You answer my question, I'll answer all of yours."

"Why do you want to know? You think if I admit I loved him that I won't turn you over to Sonny?"

"Why should I care about this Sonny guy?"

"You know why. He hates Lorenzo – well, you."

"For the last time, lady, I am not that Lorenzo guy."

"Sure, right."

"Fine don't answer my question but I'll answer yours. The man who did this to me? His name is Thomas Todd Manning."

Carly felt the blood go cold in her veins and she whirled around and glared at the Lorenzo lookalike. "No. You're lying. Todd is a lot of things –"

"A rapist, a murderer and last I heard, a baby napper."

"He wouldn't have done this."

"He got three goons to do it, technically."

"Why would he care about you?" Carly asked, crossing her arms over her chest in a protective gesture, as if it would keep her safe from the things she was feeling right now.

"Because he thinks I stole his woman."

"Blair?" Carly said. "Wait, wait. Your name is Tomas, you said?"

"Yes…"

"You can't be that Tomas. Todd knows my history well. I am sure he's seen Lorenzo's picture. He would have mentioned that Tomas looks exactly like my supposedly dead ex-husband."

"It's more likely that you don't know Todd as well as you think."

"He's the closest thing I have to a best friend now."

"Then I feel sorry for you because you're in for a world of pain."

Carly shook her head and started walking towards the mouth of the alley again. She paused though against her will and said, "I have more questions for you."

"I can answer them if you get me out of here."

"Where am I supposed to take you? The hospital?"

"No, Todd will just come after me there too. I need him to think I left town."

"Why?"

"He'll kill me and maybe I'm not ready to die yet."

Carly sighed and then finally nodded. "Fine, I'll get you out of here but you better tell me the truth about what's going on or I'll not only turn Todd lose on you but the cops and Sonny too."

The man calling himself Tomas nodded. "That sounds fair. I will tell you everything you want to know."

Carly sighed once more and then hurried to his side. "Can you stand now?"

"I can sure try," he said and started to climb slowly, achingly slowly, to his feet. She reached out when he wavered and grabbed his arm. He groaned in pain but all he said was, "You're strong for a flaca."

"Flaca?"

"A skinny person," Tomas explained.

"Can you walk by yourself?"

"I am not sure."

"Fine, just … Hook your arm around my neck but do not try anything funny or I'll make you sorry."

He smirked. "I have no doubt about that."

He then slowly slid his arm around her neck and she shivered involuntarily at his touch. It felt warm and too familiar. She pressed her arm around his back then and they began to inch out of the alley, together.