I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter! I should have written this clarification the last time, since trivial inaccuracies seriously bug me: The Belgian embassy and other nations' embassies are in Rabat, not Casablanca. There is a consulate office in Casablanca, but that's not going to be a big center of diplomatic relations, definitely not enough to force mandatory overtime for Winifred when one of the world's most important diplomats comes to town. I just really wanted the end of the story to take place in Casablanca. Also, it is true there is no extradition treaty between Morocco and the United States, but that doesn't make Morocco a safe haven for US fugitives by any means. There's no direct service between Rabat and Milan either. So, I'm taking some creative licensing with those details, even if my friends at State would judge me.
"Ms. Jones will be wearing the latest from Maha Chang… uh huh, that's great. I'll let Ms. Howard know. Super. Buh bye!" Lulu cut off her cell phone and gave Maxie a big fake smile and in a sing-song voice exclaimed, "I hate being nice to these flakes!"
"Ugh, imagine spending an entire evening with them in really uncomfortable shoes. But at least the clothes are fabulous even if the company is dreadful," Maxie said, disinterestedly flipping through a rival fashion magazine, while lounging in a patio chair.
"Thanks," Johnny shot her a dirty look and handed both Maxie and Lulu glasses of red wine.
"Not you," she rolled her eyes at him. Maxie took a sip from the glass of cabernet sauvignon. "Mmm, this is really good wine."
"It should be, it's a 1978 Antinori Solaia," Johnny commented, stepping back onto the patio with a plate of fruit.
"That means nothing to me," Maxie closed her eyes beneath her fashionable sunglasses and reclined back.
"It's a $500 bottle of wine," he replied, knowing Maxie would understand "expensive" even if she didn't understand the quality.
"Seriously?" Lulu stared into her own glass with sudden disapproval.
"Don't worry about it, there's plenty more where that came from. Remind me to show you the wine cellar later," Johnny sat down and poured himself a glass.
"So, any sign of Spinelli?" Lulu asked.
"Not yet, but we have people waiting at the airport to look out for him," he replied, swirling the wine around his glass and letting it breathe.
"What if he sees one of them and gets spooked?" Maxie asked, suddenly concerned.
"That won't happen. The people we've got are actual airport employees, not suits. It won't be a problem," Johnny replied, pulling out his ringing cell phone.
"Ciao? Paolo, grazie per denominare," Johnny replied, leaving the patio and returning indoors. "Ho bisogno di un favore…"
"Maxie, are you going to be okay?" Lulu asked, taking another sip of the wine, trying to remember to savor the taste.
"Yeah, Lulu, I'm fine. I'm just a little overwhelmed by all of the possibilities," Maxie sighed.
"What possibilities?"
"Why hasn't he come home on his own, Lulu? Or at least contacted us? The warrant was rescinded two months ago. Surely his stalker geek traveling companion is aware of that," she spat.
"I don't know what to tell you. But I know how much Spinelli cares about you, and how much it must have hurt him to leave."
"Then why did he do it? And why did he take Winifred with him of all people? Did he think I wouldn't go with him? Or did he just want her there instead?"
"I don't know, Maxie. Maybe he didn't want to ruin your life by asking you to become a fugitive, which is exactly what you would have been, at least until the charges got dropped against Spinelli. You would have left your family, your friends and your career. Surely he didn't want that for you."
"But I would have done it. I wouldn't have even thought twice about it."
"And I'm sure that's why he didn't tell you he was leaving. I don't know how Winifred ended up going with him, but maybe she was the one who told him to run and said she would go with him. Only Spinelli can answer these questions, Maxie."
"That's why I have to find him. I have to know. Since he left Port Charles, I've just felt so lost. Like part of me just went missing," Maxie said quietly.
"Did he know you're in love with him?" Lulu asked pointedly.
"What? I… but I'm not…" Maxie stammered, flushing suddenly. "I couldn't be. I mean, he is, was… is my best friend… I don't know."
Lulu sighed. "Be honest with yourself, you're in love with him."
"I don't know what I am. I think I was falling in love with him before he left. I was so jealous when Winifred showed up, and then him getting arrested by the FBI, and I almost lost him in the hospital fire. I think we were getting there, I don't know. The day he left, when he was acting all weird and I knew something was wrong, he kissed me. It just left me stunned. I mean, we've kissed several times, hell, we've even had sex twice, but, Lulu, it was overwhelming. I haven't felt that way in… well, I don't know if I've ever felt that way. Maybe you're right, maybe I do love him. But there's part of me that can't forgive him for leaving, that is so hurt and angry, I don't know if I love him now."
"Hopefully you'll figure that out when we catch up with him."
Maxie nodded, staring into her wine glass. She decided a change of subject was in order. "Lulu, what about you and Johnny. How are things going?"
"What do you mean?"
"There's been so much tension between you lately. And you've been spending all that time with Ethan…"
"You think I'm going to leave Johnny for Ethan the way I left Logan for Johnny," Lulu replied defensively.
"Not exactly. I mean, you wouldn't have broken up with Logan in the first place if I hadn't slept with him. But maybe your attraction to Ethan is a result of other kinds of problems with Johnny."
"I'm not attracted to Ethan!" Lulu stammered.
"Please. Who isn't attracted to Ethan?" Maxie rolled her eyes. "And he's exactly the bad boy danger dude you go for. He's practically a clone of your father."
"That's really unnecessary," Lulu looked disgusted.
"Seriously, Lulu. Since Johnny gave up the mob life for you, he's boring you. He makes his living going out on dates with me for Crimson. You've been skating on thin ice for months."
"That's not true. Johnny and I are fine. And I'm definitely not jealous of you. Johnny would never sleep with you." Lulu crossed her arms and scowled at Maxie.
Maxie laughed, knowing all too well. "You're right about that. But since you've neutered him, you don't want him like you used to. Just admit it. You've been thinking about Ethan."
Lulu sighed. "I don't want to be with Ethan. I want to be with Johnny. And it's not like Johnny has completely given up the mob or his family. Look where we are. His uncle's estate. He's using mob connections to track down Spinelli. And he's still very close to his psycho sister. And, and, I did not neuter him!"
"Whatever, but it's not as exciting as it used to be, is it? You and Johnny against the world. You know how you love the drama."
"Maxie…" Lulu warned.
"Okay, okay. I'm just saying, Johnny is a really great guy. And if you don't want to be with him, you should just be honest. And if you do want to be with him, which you should, because he's incredible, then don't let him feel insecure about Ethan. Johnny loves you, Lulu. He faced murder charges for you, he went on the run with you, he left his family for you. Not every guy will sacrifice everything just to be with you. You won't find a better guy than Johnny."
They could again hear Johnny's voice on his cell phone, "Grazie per il vostro aiuto. Sono nel vostro debito. Ciao."
"What's going on?" Lulu asked.
"That was my contact at the airport. Spinelli is in Milan."
* * *
Winifred Leeds was spending the afternoon translating documents for the upcoming meetings with the Belgian Deputy Chief of Mission. She had been distracted thinking how strange Spinelli had been acting the past week. He had been very depressed, and then suddenly, he was calm and more pleasant company than he'd been in weeks. Perhaps he was starting to come to terms with their new life. She knew eventually he would. She was working on finding him a job. If he started to become invested in their new life, perhaps he would begin to settle. And perhaps he would finally forget Maximista and concentrate his affections on her instead.
Winifred was using a coworker's office while an electrician repaired the wiring in hers. Her coworker was a Belgian national, and exactly the kind of girl she disliked. She was much like Maximista. Vain and shallow, more concerned with fashion than with matters of substance like cyberspace and quantum physics. In fact, she even read that ridiculous magazine Maximista worked for -- Crimson. Since she couldn't risk raising any questions about why a Canadian nerd with no style was reading fashion gossip on the internet, she took the opportunity to check on things with Maxie Jones on a computer where it wouldn't raise any red flags. She hoped she would find something she could take back to Spinelli, like "Maxie Jones engaged to Johnny Zacchara" or something else equally damning. Evidence that his fair Maximista didn't love him, had forgotten all about him, and that he should move on: with her.
Briefly she flipped through her coworker's bookmarks. She picked one of the blogs and skimmed it. Pictures of Maxie Jones and Johnny Zacchara at a chic party in Manhattan, pictures of Maxie modeling some silly dress and ridiculous looking shoes and sporting hair that she knew couldn't possibly be hers, hair didn't grow that quickly in six months, it was a scientific impossibility… and an entry dated September 22 about Maxie and Johnny attending a fashion gala in Milan tonight. September 22 was the fall equinox, the day Spinelli disappeared before dinner and didn't come back until late that night. She checked the time of the posting and quickly did the time zone math. He certainly could have read the post that evening he disappeared.
Her stomach suddenly sank. He really was in Rabat this weekend, wasn't he? He'd called her two hours ago, asking how her day was going. Asking her again if she wanted to meet him. That must mean he wasn't going to Milan, if he wanted her to spend the weekend with him. But certainly he knew she had to work; in fact, he'd known for weeks that Secretary Clinton's visit meant a long weekend of work for her with no possibility of getting away on an excursion…
She quickly did a travel search and discovered there was a direct flight from Rabat to Milan. She called the Rabat airport, and using her diplomatic credentials, she verified that he had indeed left for Milan. She sank her head into her hands. He was going to find Maxie. And when he did, he was going to realize that the federal charges against him had been dropped long ago. She was already too late to stop him.
* * *
Lulu sat on a bench in the Piazza della Scala, enjoying the night air and the buzzing of the busy Italian city around her. Johnny and Maxie were at the gala, no doubt drinking expensive champagne and having their pictures taken a thousand times. She had to admit they looked great together. Even still, she wasn't often jealous anymore. She knew they weren't sleeping together, and she trusted Johnny. She was never quite sure if she trusted Maxie, but she knew she had changed in the past year. The tragedy of Georgie's and Cooper's deaths, her job at Crimson, and Spinelli's friendship had created a Maxie Jones that suddenly cared about her life and her future. She wasn't the same self-destructive Maxie that suffered from such survivor's guilt, making damn sure she didn't live up to the gift of life their cousin BJ had given her. This Maxie was as loyal and supportive as she was flaky and rude, and had been a really good friend to her. She was even a decent roommate and coworker.
She knew she owed most of it to Spinelli. He had been there to pick up the pieces of Maxie's life after Diego Alcazar's murderous rampage. He had gotten her through the ordeal of Logan's death, and continuously saved Maxie from herself. Although Lulu had believed that Maxie was just using Spinelli and would break his heart, she had never believed that Maxie would be the one left broken-hearted.
"Blonde One?" a voice behind her startled her.
"Oh my God. Spinelli!" Lulu gasped, running into his arms. "Where have you been?"
"The Jackal has been living in exile in the charming but uncomfortably warm city of Casablanca. How fares the Original Blond One?"
"Oh, Spinelli, we've been so worried about you! We've been trying to find you for months! Why haven't you contacted us? Why haven't you come home?"
"The Jackal couldn't risk being apprehended by the Federal Ones, I'd hoped you would understand," Spinelli replied sadly.
"But, Spinelli, the charges were dropped months ago!" Lulu gasped.
"What do you mean, dropped?" He stared at her, uncomprehending.
"Dropped, Spinelli, as in you're free and clear. The evidence against you disappeared."
"Disappeared? How…?"
"Sam and Jason, Spinelli. They broke at least a dozen laws by stealing the evidence the FBI had against you. That left Raynor with nothing on you, and Diane Miller fought down a really tough federal judge to get that warrant rescinded. Winifred doesn't even have a warrant out for her arrest. She's obviously been fired from the FBI, but there aren't any charges pending, at least not yet. Sam and Jason took off for Sonny's island after the charges were dropped to avoid any more investigation. Raynor's still trying to figure out what the hell happened, he suspects Sam and Jason, but he can't prove it. He even had them arrested when you disappeared for aiding and abetting, but Alexis got the charges dropped because there was no warrant for your arrest at the time you disappeared. He threatened to have Maxie arrested too…"
"Oh no, was fair Maximista…?"
"No, she was never arrested, Mac wouldn't let it happen. Maxie was forthcoming too, she stood down Raynor and told him if she'd had any idea you were leaving, she would have been on that plane with you."
"She would have?" He inquired softly.
"Of course she would have, Spinelli." Lulu sighed. It wasn't her place to tell him why, but was it best to keep Maxie's feelings a secret?
"How is Maximista?" He asked, suddenly uncomfortable.
"She's fine, but she's been worried sick. We all were. We looked for you for months, and we almost caught up with you in Florence. Did you know we were on your trail?"
"No, the Jackal knew he was being followed, but assumed it was the Federal Ones or perhaps Interpol."
"I figured as much. Spinelli, do you have any idea how much you hurt Maxie when you left?"
"It was not the Jackal's intent…"
"Of course not, but it was still the result. You know how Maxie feels about the people in her life abandoning her. Losing BJ, Jesse, Cooper, and Georgie. And then her mom ditching her. The life just drained from her, Spinelli. But she never gave up on you."
"The Jackal has thought of Maximista every waking moment, even in his dreams."
"So there's nothing going on with you and Winifred?"
"The Priestess? No, of course not. She has been a most faithful companion, but she could not take Maximista's place in the Jackal's heart."
"Then you need to tell Maxie that. The only thing worse than you leaving, was leaving with Winifred. Why did you take her with you? What were you thinking?"
"It was not the Jackal's choice to involve the Priestess. After obtaining a fake passport, I boarded the plane to discover the Priestess was on board and intended to accompany the Jackal in his exile. She refused to leave and the Jackal had no choice but to travel with her. She was quite useful, she speaks foreign languages and has an in-depth knowledge of international travel regulations…"
"And it broke Maxie's heart."
"The Jackal cannot describe how much pain that causes him."
Lulu couldn't hold back any longer. "She loves you, Spinelli. She can't even admit it to herself, but she does. You have to make this right with her. You have to fix this and you have to come home."
"The Jackal has been most homesick."
"And we've missed you, terribly, Spinelli," Lulu hugged him tightly.
He pulled away and took her by the hand. "Come, Blonde One, the gala will not end for at least another hour. Allow the Jackal to buy you a gelato and you can provide an update on you and the Mob Prince. Hopefully they have Nectar of the Gods."
* * *
Maxie and Johnny returned to the gated estate in his family's limo.
They were laughing as they busted through the door, Maxie barefoot as she carried her very fashionable but very uncomfortable strappy sandals.
"Did you see the look on his face when the waiter referred to her as his daughter? Oh my God, I could have died!" Maxie squealed.
"Hey, when old men choose to make fools of themselves, what did he expect?" Johnny quickly shed his jacket and tie, then called for Lulu.
"I'm on the patio," she called back.
"Hey, Lulu, you should have seen who Feddy brought to the gala, he…" she stopped and gasped. "Oh my God."
"Funny, that was my response too," Lulu smiled, as Spinelli stepped tentatively out of the shadow.
With Maxie frozen in place, Johnny stepped forward and gave him a manly shove. "Thank God, Spinelli. You have any idea how hard we worked tracking you down?"
"The Jackal, believing he was still wanted by the Federal Ones, made sure his movements were untraceable."
"Well, it's good to have you back, Buddy. Uh, Lulu, you want to help me get out of this monkey suit? I don't want to rip any buttons off like I did the last one, or Kate will have my ass."
"Sure. Spinelli, good night," Lulu squeezed his arm and left the patio after Johnny.
Spinelli hesitated, for once at a loss of words. "Maximista, I…"
Maxie stood in silence for a moment before slapping him across the face.
