The Auction

Disclaimer: Characters and settings are the property of ABC/Disney and the writers/producers of General Hospital. No copyright infringement is intended.

Standing near the door, Milo had the best advantage point in the room. He was not on duty tonight, technology. He was however, was roped by Carly into doing a bachelor audition for charity. 'That woman is scary, Max was right. Sometimes it's just better to agree.' Checking out his competition, Milo was slightly surprised to see Spinelli standing awkwardly in the corner. Striding up to the computer geek, he nodded his head as a greeting.

"Hello, defender of the night," Spinelli greeted happy that someone was talking to him.

"Spinelli, I thought you and Maxie were a couple?" Milo questioned softly as he looked around. He was slightly disgusted to see Dante preening himself in a mirror, glancing over to the other side of the room; he noted that Sonny did the same.

"We are," Spinelli reassured Milo hastily. "But my fair Maximista wishes to buy my hand, while giving to charity." Fidgeting with his outfit, Spinelli looked at Milo then himself. "I, however look laughable."

"Don't tell Maxie or Lulu," Milo demanded as he grabbed Spinelli's arms and dragged him backwards. Looking around, Milo quickly fixed the vest that Spinelli was wearing. Making it snug, Milo fitted it to Spinelli's body. "There it fits you better, don't fidget with it."

"Thanks muscles," Spinelli laughed as he looked in one of the mirrors.

"Don't say a word," Milo hissed as he glared at Spinelli before he tugged on his vest.

"Are you afraid?" Spinelli asked as he noticed Milo's unsettled behavior.

"I dodge bullets for a living," Milo answered deadpan.

"But we're meat for the slaughter," Spinelli whispered. "I would be freaking out if my Maximista wasn't buying me. Do you have someone out there for you?" Seeing Milo's glare intensify, he grimaced.

"Don't worry about me. I'm more concerned that …. I hope the charity gets the amount of money they are hoping for," Milo covered as he walked away. He surveyed the room before him, noting the only several men looked comfortable in their farce of an outfit.

"Milo."

Squaring his shoulders, he looked towards his boss. He saw that Carly even roped him into the auction. 'She must be plotting something or its one of her plans.' He saw that Jason signaled for him to follow him. 'Maybe there is a mob emergency and I get to leave.'

"Where is Carly?" Jason demanded his blue eyes slightly cold.

"I don't know boss," Milo answered suddenly afraid. "Is there …"

"It's not business," Jason dismissed as he sighed.

"It's the outfits," Spinelli said unhelpfully. "I fear Stone Cold that they were not what Carly chose, but that of the Glacial One and Blaze."

"How did you find that out?" Milo wondered as he looked at the computer geek.

"My fair lady was rather upset when she saw the outfit this morning," Spinelli stated as he looked around. "Valkyrie is going to be rather upset. This is not the outfit that she had chosen."

"You have no idea," Jason grunted as he moved past both boys. Always keeping watch he moved throughout the crowd of singles until he came to the end of the backroom.

"And just where are you going?" Skye asked as she slithered up to him.

"Where is Carly?" Jason asked as he looked around the back room.

"Carly? Carly? Not Sam?" Skye mocked as she looked at him. "What happened to your latest girlfriend? Did she drop you like all the others?"

Turning his cold eyes onto her, Jason kept his face blank as Skye's paler became shallow. He silently counted to ten in his head; he knew that she would break long before he hit eight.

"Okay, all right I understand that you don't like the outfit. But come on, it's for a good cause," Skye pleaded as fear leaped into her eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat when Jason just continued to stare at her coldly. "I don't know where she is exactly, but she is here."

"Move," Jason demanded causing her to jump out of his way. Gracefully Jason stalked away only to stop at the curtain. Pulling it back, he was forced to blink his eyes when the flashes started. 'The things I let Carly talk me into, this is the last time I ever assist her with any charity auctions. I should have known that something was up when she played on my guilt for the Metro Court Hostage ruining her last event.'

Jumping down from the stage, Jason found that he couldn't pass the throng of woman unmolested. Once he was outside the ballroom, he found that he could breath just a bit better. Moving down the hallway, Jason easily found Carly's guard standing outside the woman's laboratory.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Katie's irritation voice grated on Jason's nerves. He could hear her approaching him from the side, but he refused to acknowledge her existence. "Did you hear me? What are you doing out here and not in the back?"

Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Jason looked at Carly's guard. Without any fan fare he handed over his gun and stepped back several feet. Checking the gun over, Jason nodded his head in approval.

"You can't hand a gun here," Katie hissed at him only to take several steps backwards when Jason looked at her. "Okay, you can have a gun here."

"I'm going to let Carly take you apart for changing the outfits that the guys are wearing," Jason stated as he tucked in the gun. "She so hates it when someone ruins her chance of seeing me in a tux."

"But…but… she'll understand," Katie floundered then flushed bright red when the guard snorted. "Sonny won't let her hurt me."

"Sonny can't stop her when she's livid," Jason calmly stressed as he glared at Katie. "Besides, he is going to be busy this weekend with whoever buys him." He watched as Katie's eyes widen in fear with a little calculation thrown in. 'Someone still has the hots for Sonny, too bad he's panting after Olivia.'

"Carly must be in the bathroom since there was a guard standing here before you showed up. Tell me Jason, do you ever get sick of being the last man on the totem pole?" Katie asked snidely as she slinked away from him.

Taking several deep breaths, Katie struggled to keep her composer. She quickly moved away from normally silent man. 'He has to be wrong. Carly will just have to understand...Carly understand, damn that fake red head! I can't believe she talked me into this.' In front of her she heard the wine vendor's delivery personnel arguing. Moving quickly she forced a smile onto her face. She caught words like aphrodisiac, to strong, potential for disaster and alcohol.

"Look, its wine so it's going to contain alcohol. If it is too strong, they don't have to drink it. And yes, wine can be an aphrodisiac," Katie snapped at the two men. "Stop pussyfooting around and get those bottles over to the pay table!" Glaring at them, she noticed the Skye standing around talking to one of the guest.

"Yes ma'm," one man answered with a nasty smirk on his face. Slapping the other man out of his stupor, the two men looked at each other before moving towards the banquet hall.

Releasing a disgusted breath, she headed towards the red head. Striding up to her, Katie turned her icy glare at Skye. "Carly knows we have changed the outfits of the men."

"My idea! Oh no, you don't get to dump your stupid idea on me," Skye sniped as she glared at Katie. "Jason has already talked to me and he knows that it wasn't my idea," she added with pleasure.

Meanwhile the two delivery men had just finished stock piling the last bottle of wine. With utmost hast they left the building. Climbing into their truck, they started to pull away.

"How do we monitor what happens?" one asked pulling out what looked like a medical chart. "The drug only has a shelf life of six months."

"The fallout will probably make the headlines," the other man answered. "Do you really think those high society gals will allow for wine not to be drunk?" Glancing at each other, both men burst out laughing. "The headlines will do part of our job for us."

~Jarly~

TBC