CHAPTER 25

As they stepped into the restaurant, AJ looked around the room. As expected, Luke was there with Tracy. However, it seemed as though Dante and Lulu had also joined them. Then he turned and saw Anna with Duke off to the other side. Still gazing, he noticed Nikolas Cassadine with the doctor who had announced she was having Patrick Drake's child at the Nurses' Ball. And, he noted with some amusement that all eight pairs of eyes were on them almost immediately. "Well, seems we have a full house here tonight," he commented to Carly, as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Shall we?"

She smiled at him as her arm snaked around him. However, while his hand remained on the small of her back, her hand made its way further south. His reaction was not one of surprise, as it could give the game away, but he returned the smile. He led her to their table and pulled the chair out for her, with her back to the rest of the room, before sitting down himself, his view that of those present. "Two glasses of sparkling apple cider, please, for myself and the lady," he requested, and the waiter scurried off.

Carly peered up at him. Her expression was unreadable for a minute. Then, through a stilted smile, she said in a low voice, "Don't overplay it."

"Unlike you with the ass grab?" he retorted pleasantly to her.

"Oh, sorry, about that," she said to him in a tone that indicated she didn't really mean it.

"Hey, feel free, if you really want to. You did want to put in a show. Just remember, what is good for the goose is just as good for the gander," he reminded her. Then he looked around. "What do you think the majority of the people we know in this room are thinking?"

Carly gazed around the room, taking in her patrons for the evening. She caught Luke and Tracy's glances. "They're thinking when the brawl is going to begin." Noting Anna, she added, "Anna's got her phone out and ready, should it break out." She saw Nikolas' expression, turned away from his date and fixed on AJ. She pointed to the Cassadine Prince. "Wasn't he involved with Elizabeth and trying to get you away from her?"

AJ nodded. "Yeah, he was," AJ confirmed. "And yet he's not with her."

"And I think he may be regretting it now," she said.

The drinks were brought to them and they were perusing the menu when AJ notice Lulu coming over to them with her husband. When she reached the table, he smiled at her politely. "Hello Lulu, Dante."

Carly looked up and greeted her cousin. "Hey, Lulu, Dante. How are the two of you doing?"

"We're fine. I just saw you over here and I forgot to congratulate you. Aunt Bobbie told that you and…AJ are expecting," Lulu said with a forced cheerfulness. She turned to AJ. "You must be excited."

"Yes, we are, thank you," AJ replied to her.

"And how is everything going with Maxie and the surrogacy? It's getting close to her due date, right?" Carly asked her cousin.

"It should be another week or two," Dante answered. "And there is no room left in the loft with all the baby stuff we've gotten."

"And they grow so fast, I don't think most of it will be around for that long," Lulu said. "Do you know what you're having? We know it's a girl."

"Not yet. Carly is weighing the pros and cons of finding out," AJ said.

"I do think I'll want to know beforehand," Carly replied. "But not until Joss is back from visiting with Jax. She's already taken a strong role with the baby and I don't want to think how she'd be if we found out without her present."

"Well, when the time comes, if it's a girl and you want any of the paraphernalia, don't hesitate to ask," Dante said. "Trust me; you'd be doing us a favor."

Carly laughed at that. "Don't worry; I'm sure we'll be taking you up on that."

"I just can't believe we're going to be going through motherhood together," Lulu remarked as she hugged her cousin. "It feels like just yesterday, you were helping me through…"

"I know what you mean. And if you need any help or advice, just ask. This is my fourth, so it a breeze for me," Carly responded, the embrace broken. Lulu turned, took Dante's hand and they left the restaurant.

AJ turned to Carly. "Man, Lulu's going to be a mother. And Maxie's the surrogate," he said in amazement. "I still remember when Maxie needed the heart transplant."

"That's right," Carly remembered. "And it was…?"

"BJ's," he replied, his voice getting stuck in his throat.

Carly paused. She had never known her adopted sister, but she felt awful for using her to try and achieve her own ends. "You know, when Tony died, I went to apologize for what I did to her and Tony. She said that Tony never really recovered from her death."

"He spiraled out, even more so after you told him it wasn't his child, but that was a rough time all around," AJ told her. "It was in the aftermath of the transplant that Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and the whole family went through that. Then, Paige and Emily came to live with us, Paige died and Mom and Dad adopted Emily. But it all came to a head with the accident."

Carly saw the shadow cross his face. In the past several weeks, she had noticed it whenever Jason was mention or alluded to. "You know, we really are a pair," she chuckled. When he gave her a quizzed look, she explained. "We both did a lot of damage to our families. Some of it intentional," she raised her hand and did a little wave, "some of it not."

"And we've caused trouble within our own 'family'," he said, tilting his head towards Carly. "So, what are you saying? We should be together to contain the damage between the two of us?"

"That's not possible," Tracy's voice could be heard as she came to the table. "because the two of you are incapable of containment. You'll turn on each other and then suck everyone around you as you go down!"

"Spanky," Luke chided as she sidled up next to her. "Let the love birds be by themselves."

"Lovebirds?" Tracy blurted out, aghast. "You're buying this crock? Come on, I know she's never had you this snookered."

"Well, my eyes tell me that these two seem to be trying for a little romance. Who am I to argue with that?"

"Thank you, Luke," Carly said, a nasty smile on her face.

"Even if I think Junior here's got a screw loose for even giving it a second's thought," Luke added to get a dig in on Carly.

"Come on, Junior, you know this will end badly," a new voice told him. AJ saw, coming off the elevator, was his cousin Ned. "But the good news is, when it all falls apart, like we all know it will, there will be plenty of people there to make sure ELQ is looked after."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Ned. Thank god ELQ was never in danger due to the whims of your marital status," he snidely retorted back.

Carly couldn't help but giggle at that. Then, she looked to Tracy. "I'm surprised your even allowed anywhere near the boardroom, what with your connection to a known conman," she said, pointing to Luke.

"Caroline, you wound me!"

"Save it, Luke. You still have a pricy bill coming due," Carly told him.

"Now, I thought we'd agreed-"

"You know what, Luke, the lady says you owe her money, in my book, it means pay up," AJ called out, having had enough of the squabbling. "And as for you, Tracy, Ned, ELQ is in its fittest shape since Grandfather's death. In fact, one of our stockholders complimented me on the direction I've taken the company and the windfall it's meant to him."

"What fool would even think that?" Tracy question harshly.

"That would be me, Tracy," an Australian accent spoke up. They all turned and saw Jasper Jacks arrive with his daughter in his arms. "I think Edward would be very proud of the job AJ has done under what I am sure are difficult circumstances."

He put Joss down and she hopped into the seat between AJ and Carly. "We wanted to surprise you, Mommy! Are you surprised?"

Carly's face lit up. "Of course I love this surprise! I have missed you so much," she said to her daughter."

"And what about you, Uncle AJ? Did you miss me?"

"How could I not? We are so happy you're back so soon," AJ said. "In fact, now that your back, we can go ask Uncle Lucas if the baby is a boy or a girl!" Joss' face lit up at that statement.

"I do apologies for dropping in without warning, but I have to take care of some business in Zurich, so I figured I'd use Port Charles as a stopover before going there," Jax said as Luke and his relations faded into the background.

"It's no problem," AJ said. "We were just having a date night."

Jax couldn't contain the amusement on his face. "A date night, eh? I'm guessing things are still going well, then."

"Yes," Carly said, a smile on her face that looked damn close to genuine, "It's been going very well."

"So, does that mean you and Uncle AJ are going to be getting married?" Joss asked, catching everyone off.

Jax saw the look of shock on AJ and Carly's faces at the little girl's inquiry. "You know what, we are going to leave you with your date night and I will drop Josslyn off at your house tomorrow morning," he said to them. "Say goodnight to Mommy and Uncle AJ."

She obliged, then took her father's hand and left.

The discussion with Luke, Tracy and Ned, Jax's arrival and Josslyn's question had obviously caused a stir in the restaurant, but when their dinner arrived, the place had gone back to its normal level of buzz. Yet it had caused an uncomfortable feeling to settle around the table that AJ and Carly occupied. They ate most of the dinner in silence, as if the mischievous spell they were trying for had been broken. As they were finishing up, though, AJ looked at Carly and she returned it. He reached out and touched her hand, trying to soothe the riled nerves he too had from the evening's events. Dinner complete, he got up and pulled the chair out for her, holding his hand out and helping her up. Then, he held out his arm and she took it, leaving the room to many stares. The quiet exit had seemingly been more dramatic than their over the top entrance.