So I forgot to mention the little blurb about the billionaire scene being from Risk, but i bet a few people caught that. Also, a small blurb referencing Consequences. I remember in the episode Don saying the drug bust was six months ago -- 3x08 aired in October so the bust would've been in April. And if anyone reading this watches GH or has done so in the past, you may recognize what I'm referencing... personally, I think the writers made THE worst mistake in killing jesse off... now maxie is a total bitch lol.
Chapter 17- Of Love And Loss
March 30th, 2006.
At first, the idea of staying at the Tri-Delta house while his apartment building was fumigated appealing to Danny – Kim had gotten him to fix a few loose ends and had also gotten him in bed a few times, much to the chagrin of Paige and the girls in the house she was friends with – but now a dark cloud had settled over the house.
All because of a stupid soap opera on SoapNet.
General Hospital – Danny had gotten a few glimpse of it. Mobsters, a casino owner who still acted like a rolling stone, and the Top 5 Couple List taped onto a kitchen cabinet, each couple numbered by favoritism.
1. Jesse Beaudry and Maxie Jones
2. Jasper "Jax" Jacks and Carly Corinthos
3. Luke Spencer and Tracy Quartermaine
4. Lorenzo Alcazar and Sky Quartermaine
5. Ric Lansing and Alexis Davis
It was ten pm and all the girls were crowded around the TV, waiting with baited breath.
"What's going on?" said Danny.
"Jesse's gonna die, I know it!" a freshman squealed melodramatically. "He was shot in the head!"
"Maxie's gonna freak out!" said another girl.
"Paige, come join us!" said Stacy.
Danny noticed that Paige was sitting on a barstool in the kitchen with a textbook propped open, wanting her friends to think she was distracted. She wasn't all cool and collected either – something was up.
"C'mon Paige – pretty please?" said Amanda.
"All right, you guilted me into it," said Paige. "I read the spoiler sites, so don't expect me to be shocked."
Danny watched Paige join her friends, so he decided to get some shut-eye – but then Cindy called him so he wound up talking to her upstairs in the room he shared with Kim.
************************************************************************
On General Hospital:
"SHOOTER! GET ON THE GROUND NOW!" Detective Lucky Spencer yelled.
The people attending the carnival ducked for cover, the assassin dressed as a clown shooting at his target. Lucky's partner, Detective Jesse Beaudry, got shot in the head while shooting at the bogus clown. Maxie turned her head and looked to see Jesse on the ground…
All the girls were pretty freaked out – one girl in particular…
The assassin ran, Lucky shot him.
"Jesse? Jesse?!" said Maxie.
She went over to him and put her hands on his head – they came away bloody.
"OH MY GOD! JESSE!" Maxie screamed. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
The girls watched as several people ran over – two of the characters started CPR on Jesse.
"Fuck," Paige muttered. "Fuck fuck fuck."
"Shut up," a freshman hissed.
"You wanna stay in this house, you'll show some respect," Rhonda whispered.
"Please, you need to let me hold his hand so he knows that I'm here!" said Maxie. "HE NEEDS TO KNOW THAT I'M HERE!!!"
Danny came downstairs at that exact moment.
"Whose shoutin'?" said Danny.
"TV," said a senior.
"Oh," said Danny.
He got paged and left the house. Paige felt sick watching Maxie lose it on the TV, knowing one day it could be her.
The paramedics arrived and took Jesse to GH. Maxie followed them into the ER they took Jesse into. Soon after Dr. Patrick Drake and Dr. Robin Scorpio were talking about who Jesse's next of kin was.
The girls knew from watching prior episodes that Maxie was all Jesse had. A scene that came up where Maxie was visiting the unconscious Jesse and telling him to hang on so they could go to Chicago had everyone in tears.
Monica Quartermaine led Maxie outside.
"I need to know his next of kin," said Monica.
"I'm all he has," said Maxie.
"You have so much on your plate right now Maxie… are you sure there isn't anyone else?" said Monica.
"I can handle it – he'd want me to," said Maxie.
"I need to know if he's an organ donor," said Monica.
Paige threw up a little in her mouth.
"Are you okay?" said Rhonda.
"I'm fine – just need some juice," said Paige.
She made a beeline for the kitchen and poured a glass of cranberry juice then went back to the TV room.
"He can't die… I love him," said Maxie.
Paige felt the tears go down her face and knew they wouldn't stop.
March 31st, 2006.
Ten pm and all the Tri-Deltas grouped around the TV, waiting to see what Jesse's fate would be.
Jesse was taken up to surgery.
"Well this is ridiculous," said Maxie. "Here I am worried about a guy I haven't even known a year."
"Sometimes love happens that way," said Georgie Jones, Maxie's sister. "One day you have no idea they exist, and the next you can't remember life without them."
Love. Paige had learned a lot about love in her relationship with Don. She knew that it wasn't an emotion that could be suppressed like anger or happiness, and everything described in the famous poem in 1 Corinthians by Apostle Paul, something that all Christians and Destiny Child fans were familiar with, was true about love.
Patrick and Robin came out of the operating room, their faces grim.
"Oh shit," said Rhonda.
"It's bad, isn't it?" said Maxie. "He's gone…"
"I'm sorrier than you know," said Patrick.
The girls watched Maxie cry. They started crying themselves.
"Brain-dead," said a freshman. "He won't even know she's saying good-bye 'cuz he ain't even there anymore."
Paige left the room and went upstairs. She couldn't watch anymore.
April 1st, 2006.
"And I said 'great – now where's the rest of it?' And he said 'I dunno'," said Don.
"Probably his stomach," said Paige.
They laughed, eating dinner at Giovanni's.
"I'm never letting Scagnetti near your cooking again," said Don. "Learned my lesson of doing that the hard way."
Paige leaned over and gave Don a kiss.
"Mmm… what was that for?" said Don.
"I love you, do I need a reason?" said Paige.
"And I love you too," said Don. "We need to talk though."
"About what?" said Paige.
"There's going to be a drug bust in Brooklyn Friday night – I'm heading it," said Don.
Paige almost dropped her fork. A bunch of what-ifs went through her mind – she shut them out just as quickly. She was Paige Anderson, the college student who didn't get rattled easily and wasn't about to let a TV show, a soap opera no less, rattle her.
"Just be careful, okay?" said Paige. "I love you."
"I'll do my best," said Don. "No matter what happens, even if the worst should happen either Friday or some other day, I love you too."
They drove back to the sorority house and made out – the amorous mood disappeared just as quickly when the couple figured out who was moaning upstairs. Don, not needing to hear his best friend doing the deed, decided it best to call it a night and he left – but not before the couple got the shock of their lives.
Danny came downstairs and someone followed in his shirt – but it wasn't Kim.
It was Rhonda.
April 7th, 2006.
Friday came quickly. As Paige was trying to distract herself, the doorbell rang. It was Raquel – and she had a diamond ring on the third finger of her left hand.
"Oh my god!" said Paige. "When? When?!"
"Saturday!" said Raquel. "I got an appointment at Kleinfeld Bridal, the cab is still here, you need to get ready at all?"
"I'm good – let's go," said Paige.
************************************************************************
When they got there, Paige saw Raquel's sister, mother, best friend, and Connie.
"Did he get you that charm bracelet?" said Raquel.
Paige nodded.
"It's your day today, we can talk about my life some other time," said Paige.
She was glad Raquel had whisked her off. Not only would her mind be in a better place, but she was glad that her opinion meant something. Paige idolized both aunt Trina and Raquel. While their lives were very different, they represented what Paige wanted in the long run for her own future – to be successful and have it all, whatever that "all" would be to her. Soon the bridal consultant came and Raquel started talking about what she wanted in a dress. After several rounds of trying on dresses, everyone finally agreed on a strapless a-line by Ian Stuart. When everyone left, Raquel and Paige pared off from the others.
"Wow… you were a knockout in that dress," said Paige.
"I was wondering if you would like to be a bridesmaid," said Raquel. "Bryce told me to ask you, but I would've done it anyway."
"Of course I'll do it," said Paige. "Did Casey opt out?"
Casey was Bryce's sister and a total tomboy.
"Yeah," said Raquel. "I told her she could've worn a pantsuit, but apparently Connie was gonna make her wear a dress so she opted out – and I know you, any excuse to dress up. Like in that photo you showed me with you and your boyfriend."
Paige smiled, thinking of how just a little over five months ago she had grabbed Don and kissed him for all it was worth right there on the steps of the Tri-Delta house. Now she was deeply in love with him and hoped nothing terrible would happen today.
"So are you going to bring him with you?" said Raquel.
"Definitely," said Paige.
They talked a bit more about the impending nuptials at PinkBerry, a restaurant that served frozen yogurt and was the place for anyone on a diet that had a sweet tooth. When they stepped outside it was nightfall – Paige turned her phone on. She got a phone call a few minutes later. She grinned when she saw Don's name on the caller ID.
"Take it, I got all the time in the world," said Raquel.
Paige answered her phone.
"Hey," said Don. "The raid's over, the guy's in custody. Everything went okay – I'm okay."
"I'm glad," said Paige.
"I'll be able to get outta here in a couple hours – wanna do dinner?" said Don.
"Definitely," said Paige. "I got stuff to tell you."
They said their good-byes and hung up.
************************************************************************
Don led Paige into Giovanni's later that night. Paige knew he was in a good mood, so things must have gone as smoothly as he had put it when he called her. They ordered dinner and talked.
"Black cocaine? I never heard of that," said Paige. "How is that even made?"
"Couldn't tell ya," said Don. "Danny saw you running into a bridal salon."
Paige immediately busted up laughing at the thought of Danny near Kleinfeld Bridal.
"Okay, I remember seeing a hot dog stand over there, maybe that's where he was," said Paige. "I told you about my godfather and his girlfriend Raquel… well, they're engaged and she showed up at the sorority house and whisked me off to be judge and jury along with a few others at her dress appointment. She also asked me to be a bridesmaid."
Don could tell Paige was trying to hide her excitement.
"Hey, don't hide your excitement on my account," said Don. "When's the wedding?"
"First week of October," said Paige. "I'll probably get an invite in a few months along with the rest of my family – she was going on and on about it being a black-tie affair. Would you like to be my date?"
"It'd be an honor," said Don.
He hated weddings, but he loved Paige and the thought of spending a weekend with her without the dread of being called out on a case sounded fun – from what she had said about all the major people involved, everyone he would be encountering was cool and not likely to smother him with questions, so it wouldn't be the overwhelming flash mob of relatives like back in his teens when he had attended literally every single wedding in his childhood neighborhood of Astoria.
************************************************************************
If a fly was on the wall of Don's apartment, it would see the various clothes strewn in a trail that led to the bedroom. Two pairs of shoes, two pairs of pants, a button-down shirt, a camisole, boxers, a bra, and panties.
M RATING!
Paige let out a sigh as Don planted a kiss between the valley of her breasts, followed by a series of kisses leading back up to her mouth. She moaned – he had been teasing her with his long, thick member ever since he slipped it inside her and knew doing just that would make him come.
************************************************************************
Don heard Paige let out that sexy moan of hers and knew it wouldn't be long until he lost all control. The phone – his landline – rang. Just as Don was about to cum, the caller left a message.
"Hi sweetheart," said Caroline Flack.
M-RATING OVER!
Don wasn't too happy – while he knew his mother had been worried about him, finishing up what he had started had proven impossible after her voice had come over the answering machine.
"Sorry," said Don.
"I can't blame you," said Paige. "I got a pretty funny story – wanna hear it?"
"Tell me," said Don.
"No offense but your dad's an ass," said Paige. "He lectured at my Intro to Sociology class and I thought it would be fun. It wasn't. He came in his dress blues and puffed his chest out all over the place and acted like a complete jerk."
"I'll bet you had something to say about it," said Don.
"You're right about that – and my friends decided in not-so-subtle ways to prove they weren't listening to his speech," said Paige. "Now they have a nickname for him as well."
FLASHBACK
"So his dad is speaking here today?" said Rhonda.
"Yeah – it'll be fun," said Paige.
"I thought you weren't too fond of him," said Stacy.
"Stacy, Paige is trying to be the bigger person – and if I recall his dig wasn't aimed at her," said Amanda.
"I'd rather not rehash – let's go sit with the guys," said Paige.
They found the guys and sat with them. Ian, Galen, and Amelia were right behind the group of seven. They talked as other classmates filed in. The professor announced Flack Senior and he walked in as the professor left. Paige had expected him to wear something smart – instead he was wearing his dress blues, which she wouldn't have minded except they were obviously didn't fit and he was puffing out his chest even more than Kanye West had at that year's Grammy Awards.
"If I could arrest you all right now, I would – that filthy rap music as polluted all your brains," said Flack Senior.
Paige felt the anger radiating off her friends as well as herself.
"Can we screw with his head yet?" Abs hissed.
"Wait until I give the say-so," Paige whispered.
"With all due respect, that's stereotyping," said Paige.
"And how would you know that missy?" said Flack Senior.
The entire class let in a harsh breath – Paige was no one's "missy". The man was going to get a verbal lashing for the record books.
"I'm no one's missy!" said Paige.
"Women shouldn't speak unless they're spoken too," said Flack Senior.
"Don did say you were old-school – he wasn't kidding," said Paige.
"Ooh, burn!" several students said.
Flack Senior was about to open his mouth when Paige began speaking again.
"I'm not finished, sexist pig!" said Paige. "For starters, it's 2006, not 1956. And you're not NYPD anymore – we're all allowed to reminisce, but I'm sick of your song! So you're the great NYPD legend – fuck it! Some legend you are, saying that rap music makes us criminals and that women are only to be looked at! So how about you quit blowing smoke and show some respect? And if you can't respect any of us here today, at least show some to your own son – showing him up like that when he introduced me was low! And if you can't even respect the man I love, then go fuck yourself."
The entire class clapped. Paige sat down. A video was shown about Flack Senior's career in the NYPD. Amanda and Matt gave each other massages, Stacy read the sex article in the new issue of Cosmo, Zac and Abs listened to their iPods, and Paige and Rhonda watched The Green Mile on Paige's laptop. When they got to the part with the practice execution, Rhonda quoted the guy with the food cart, Toot-Toot.
"Yeah! I want a fried chicken dinner with gravy on the taters, I want to shit in your hat, and I got to have Mae West sit on my face, because I am one horny motherfucker!" said Rhonda.
Paige laughed uncontrollably.
"I'm fryin'! Fryin'! I'm a done tom turkey!" Rhonda quoted.
"Clouseau is fat," said Zac.
After the video was over class was dismissed, Zac and the guys calling Flack Senior "Inspector Clouseau."
END FLASHBACK
Don was laughing so hard tears were coming out of his eyes.
"He definitely underestimated you," said Don.
"He tried apologizing later too," said Paige. "I think he only did it 'cuz I slashed his ego in public."
"At least he learned his lesson the hard way – now he won't do it again," said Don. "If he does I'll kick his ass – no one should talk to you like that."
"I love you Donnie," said Paige.
And that's it for now... the length of chapters until the prologue will be bewteen 5 and 10, that much i know. so it won't be long. And I got nominated for Best Reviewer, so please be kind and vote for me -- it was my only nom!