"So, Andrew walks in, half-naked and Ben starts too freaked out. Before I could explain that Drew's my cousin, Ben starts to rant and rave and Drew looks like he's thinking ' this guy's a lunatic'…" Chelsea broke into giggles.
"Your cousins sound like fun. Did Jeanne really take her top off in the club?" Abby asked.
Chelsea merely grinned mischievously as her cell phone rang. "Hello?"
"Would you like to go to dinner with Brady and me?" Victor asked.
"Sure. I'm just hanging out with Abby."
"Bring her along. Around seven?" Victor asked.
"Fine. Bye, Grandpa," Chelsea hung up the phone, "Want to have dinner with my grandpa?"
"O.k. Is he really depressed?" Abby asked.
"He's missing Maggie. Grandpa and Aunt Maggie. I never saw that coming," Chelsea shook her head.
"No one did and now apparently it's over because—"Abby trailed off when Chloe walked into kitchen.
"I was wondering if you wanted to order pizza," Chloe said.
"Actually we just made dinner plans with my grandfather," Chelsea said.
"Victor?" Chloe asked.
"Better Victor than Stefano," Abby quipped.
"Stefano doesn't count. And he and Grandma Kate belong together in some weird way," Chelsea said.
"Well, have fun with Victor. I know he hates me," Chloe sighed.
"A good reason not to break bread with him," Abby said.
"We could bake cookies. I know Grandpa Victor's really missing Maggie and cookies might help," Chelsea said.
"Let's get though dinner first," Abby said.
"Victor, why are you darkening my doorstep?" Julie asked as she opened the door.
"It's Bo and Hope's house. And I wanted to see Ciara," Victor said.
"Victor, I haven't heard from Maggie," Julie said, rolling her eyes.
"She called me last night."
"Oh." Julie looked surprised. "Is she all right?"
"She…she said she wasn't ready to come home yet," Victor said.
"Give her time. Victor, she told me once that you were the greatest surprise in her life. Mickey was supposed to be her one great love and then you happen. She loves you," Julie said.
"She wants me to be better," Victor said.
"And you get annoyed at her saintly qualities. Have you ever consider that the very thing in Maggie that needs to take in strays is the same thing that attracts her to you? Maggie needs to save people. It's what makes Maggie Maggie and for the past five minutes you've complained to me that your girlfriend left town," Julie said.
"My girlfriend did leave town! "
"And you gave her an ultimatum, so technically she wasn't your girlfriend when she left town," Julie said.
Victor threw up his hands. "Julie! Maggie left. She doesn't want to be with me."
"Oh, Victor, the fact she called you didn't tell you anything? She didn't call me, or Jen or the girls to check on the house. She called her ex-boyfriend to have a talk about fighting with him. Maggie wants you," Julie said.
"She has a funny way of showing it. I don't even know where she is," Victor said.
"Really? She didn't run off to Paris. I would trace the call. She probably still is in the U.S.," Julie said.
"You mean…."
"Victor, home is where the heart is. Maggie isn't home so where would her heart be?" Julie asked.
"She's in Nashville, or she had the girls meet her someplace. Julie, she would kill me if I just show up," Victor said.
"Victor, if she didn't kill you after Vivian, you're probably o.k. now," Julie said.
"But why wouldn't she just come home? Why would she run?"
"Maggie…" Julie paused. "She's expected to be the good one, the stable one and you mess with that. The Hortons aren't that good at staying out of trouble."
"Melissa would be thrilled if I showed up there," Victor groaned.
"Melissa understands that her mom loves you. She's….adjusting to the idea," Julie said.
"I need to meet Chelsea and Abby. But I'll talk to you later," Victor said.
"Of course."
"So my China markets class is going well….Grandpa? Are you listening?" Chelsea asked.
"I'm sorry, honey, what?" Victor asked.
"My dear cousin was waxing poetic about Chinese markets, an image I never thought I would live to see," Brady smirked.
"I was just thinking about something," Victor said.
"Or someone," Chelsea said.
"Shall we poke the elephant?" Brady asked. Chelsea smirked.
"I want to know how in the world you ended up dating Maggie Horton," Chelsea said.
"She's a beautiful woman with a good heart. Why wouldn't I date her?"
"She's your age, single and a good woman," Brady said.
"So for those reasons alone, she doesn't seem your type," Chelsea said.
Abby chuckled.
"My ungrateful brats of grandchildren. What do you think, Abigail?"
"It's a weird combination but Aunt Maggie seemed so happy these last months," Abby said.
"Mmmm." Victor took a sip of his drink. Chelsea grinned at him.
"You know where Maggie is! Why aren't you on the Titan jet?"
"Just because I know where she is doesn't mean she invited me to join her for a vacation. I figured out her location after Julie said something. If I show up, uninvited, she might resent me," Victor said.
"If you can't go to her, can you call her?" Abby asked.
"There are weird unspoken boundaries. I don't know. Right now, I'm letting Maggie call the shots."
"Do you love her?" Chelsea asked.
"Very much."
"Then why not show up as a romantic gesture?" Chelsea asked.
"Ah, because I know Maggie. Maggie would see me showing up as an invasion of her family life. So I'll wait for her to call."
"You have the weirdest relationship," Abby commented.
Victor merely shrugged. It was a thought.
