Stefan cleared his throat and began. "I do not think that I can explain my
reasons in such a short amount of time..."
Carly tapped her watch. "Tick-tock, Dad, you're wasting time."
Stefan resisted the urge to frown at her. The nerve of her to put a time
limit on him. He rubbed his temple. "What is it that you want to know
exactly?"
"I want to know when you knew I was your daughter. Or at least could be."
Carly said through clenched teeth. She had had a lot of time to think about
this on the ride over to the island and she didn't like what she came up
with.
This was the question he looked the least forward to answering. He knew her
reaction would not be good at all. He cleared his throat again and Carly
saw it as a delaying tactic. She jumped up from her seat. "Just answer the
damn question! Was it all my life? Was it when I first came to Port
Charles? When?"
Stefan spoke quietly. "I have known, " He paused and looked down at the
floor, "all your life."
Carly gaped at him. He had known all this time? He had known and he had
done nothing? I should have known. What did I expect? The tears began to
well up in Carly's eyes and she walked around the desk, her back to his.
She bit back the tears.
"So you knew and you didn't care until some other guy decided he was my
father, right? And you just couldn't have that, you couldn't have some
other guy come around and say he's my father. That's the only reason you
decided to *now* claim the daughter you never wanted."
Stefan turned and looked at her back. Carly was hunched over. He reached
over and touched her shoulder. "I have—"
She shrugged away from Stefan and finally turned around to face him. Stefan
could tell that she was trying hard to hide the hurt he had caused with his
admission.
She laughed bitterly. "You know what? It's no big deal. I decided a long
time ago that I wasn't the father sort of person. I don't do the father
thing well. Me and a father just don't click. I accept that. So I don't
need this. I don't need you and I don't need this Victor guy. I don't need
a father. I've done fine without one."
Carly started for the door but Stefan's urgent voice stopped her. "Carly,
wait please." He couldn't let her leave his office thinking he didn't care
about her.
"What? I won't say a thing to anyone if you're worried about that. You
never had a daughter and you never will, you're off the hook." Carly said.
"Don't worry."
"If you permit me to, I would like to explain my actions." Stefan said.
What would it hurt to listen to his reasons? Who was she fooling, she
already knew it could hurt a lot. To hear why he would just leave her with
the Bensons. After all these years she could finally understand what drove
Bobbie to put her up for adoption but Stefan…he's a Cassadine for goodness'
sake! Rich and powerful as he is, he could have saved her. That is if he
wanted to.
She flopped down in the chair she had vacated. "Alright, explain away."
"Where do I start?" Stefan said more to himself than to her.
"How about at the beginning." She suggested sarcastically.
He nodded. "Fine. I assume Barbara has already told you the…"
"She told me about the 'party'." Carly grimaced. "Go on."
Stefan breathed a sigh of relief at not having to explain how he met her
mother. "Afterwards…I was regretful about how my family had treated Barbara
and I began to worry about her. So I had her watched."
"You had her watched?" Carly asked incredulously. "You just sat back and
watched the life she lived and did nothing?"
"You do not comprehend the circumstances I was under at the time. I was
still a youth and had no real power in my family. My family was very
powerful and very controlling."
Carly rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You were keeping tabs on Bobbie…"
He resumed his tale. "I was informed of her pregnancy and since I had been
kept aware of her activities I knew that either myself or Victor could be
the father of her baby."
"And this is when you decided to ignore my existence?" She interjected
sharply.
He frowned. "No that is not how it happened. I would have brought Barbara
to Greece if I could have but my family—"
Carly jumped out of her chair again. "Could have, would have, should have
but didn't. Okay, you didn't do anything all right. And stop blaming it on
your 'family'. You make them out to be all-powerful. They can't be that
bad."
"You do not know my family…your family." Stefan said deadly serious. He
stared into her eyes. "You do not know what they were capable of. Ask
Alexis about how my mother, your grandmother, killed her mother. Ask how
she described in detail how she slit her throat. There is no way to know
how they would have reacted to me bringing illegitimate child home."
Carly stared back into his eyes. "Look stop with the scare tactics alright?
Okay so you had a big bad evil family would have eliminated a teen-age
prostitute and her trick baby. Right, like they would have cared. Finish
the story already."
"As I was saying I was prepared to at least provide for you and your mother
until I learned that she was having you adopted. I did not step in stop the
proceedings because I believed it was the right thing to do. The Bensons
seemed to be good people." Stefan told her.
"You thought the Bensons were good people?" Carly asked dumbfounded. She
held back the hysterical laughter that was bubbling up in her. "You
actually thought this?"
Stefan nodded. "Yes, I did. I had them watched the first few years of your
life and they seemed like a perfectly good couple. They treated you well."
"You should have fired those people you had watching us cause they sure
didn't give you the real story. There is a reason I turned out the way I
did. Did you know what happened in that house?" Carly answered her own
question. "Of course not or else I would be Carly Cassadine by now. But
then again you might not have cared at all."
Stefan tried to soothe her. "I have no idea what you are talking about. If
I were aware of something bad happening to you I would have not left you
with them. I would have come for you no matter what."
She snorted. "Yeah right. How long was we watched? Did you know when Frank
ran out on Virginia and me and left us hanging on by a thread?"
"I was aware of that."
"And still nothing from you!" Carly couldn't believe this. "Wasn't I worth
you sending over a little cash to help us out? We didn't need much, just a
little help."
"I thought it would best if I stayed out of your life and not confused
things. By then I already had a few other obligations to take care of. I
was left to raise Nikolas after his father was killed and his mother had
left us."
"Yeah and taking care of another kid would have been too much. I know how
you Cassadines have to count every penny and make them stretch." Carly
sneered. She folded her arms and walked around the room "Okay let's fast
forward a few years. To when I came to Port Charles. Why didn't you say
anything?"
"What was I to say? You had spent your whole life believing that the
Bensons were your real family and how was I to know that you were aware of
the truth?" Stefan said calmly. Meanwhile Carly seemed to grow agitated.
"You sat back and watched me mess up my mother's family and didn't say a
word because you thought I would turn around and take my anger out on
you?" Carly guessed. "You shouldn't have worried so much…Dad. My problem
was with Mama and not you. I never thought about having a real father cause
like I said father's are too much trouble."
"I did not say anything because I thought it was in everyone's best
interests that you not know. I am not sure that I am your father and I did
not want to bring up Barbara's horrible past."
"Guess what, I'm walking talking reminder of that past, okay. Every time
she looks at me she's looking dead at her past. So I think she could have
handled you dropping this bomb on her. She's withstood everything I've
thrown at her."
"Upsetting you was not what I set out to do. I assumed you were better off
not knowing."
"Well you know what they say about assuming." Carly cocked her eyebrow. She
shook her head. "I thought this was going to help but it didn't. I should
go. I have to get back to my family."
"I would like for us to take a paternity test to show that I am your
father." Stefan said quietly.
"Why? So some test says you're my father. What are you going to do after
that? Continue to ignore me?"
"I want to get to know you better. You and Michael. I regret not doing that
in the past."
"Right and what if I turn out to not be your daughter? What then?"
"I would still like to get to know you. You will still be family. It is
past time for you to be acknowledged as such."
"I don't know about acknowledging you. I have to think about taking the
test." She opened the study door and ran smack into Layla. "Sorry." She
mumbled.
"No, no it was my fault." Layla said as she dusted off her dark blue suit.
After leaving Melinda alone to do her own thing she had called up Stefan
and suggested dinner. He had readily accepted. "Steffie, darling, am I
early?"
Carly couldn't hold back her laughter. "Steffie?" She giggled. "Oh that is
rich. I have to tell Luke about that. Steffie!"
Layla cocked her head and smile politely at Carly. "Who is this…person?"
Stefan cleared his throat. "This is Carly Spencer."
"Long lost Cassadine. Could be a cousin, could be a daughter. You never
know." Carly smiled falsely and stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you."
Layla shook it, as she looked her up and down. So this was Luke Spencer's
niece. After her two run-ins with Spencer she had decided to she needed to
know as much about the guy as possible. She had gone through his file and
read all about his escapades and his family life. "I'm Layla."
"Layla, hi." Carly looked over her shoulder at Stefan. "Is she about to
become my new stepmother? Cause I was really holding onto the belief that
you and Mama would get back together."
Layla arched her eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"Don't worry about it. I was just messing around with dear old Dad. I have
to go now. I have a little boy to take care of. Because that's what parents
do you know, they take care of their children." Carly sent a pointed look
in Stefan's direction before leaving.
"Should I even ask what that was?" Layla said.
Stefan rubbed the back of his neck. "I would rather you wouldn't. We were
going to have dinner?"
Layla nodded. "Correct. You didn't forget did you?"
Stefan shook his head. "No, I just had some other things on my mind. Have
Mrs. Landsbury take you to the table. I need to make a phone call."
Layla nodded and walked out. Stefan closed the door behind her and quickly
dialed up a number. "I need some information about the childhood of
Caroline Benson. Yes, the same one. I need to know about her early years.
Up until Frank Benson left her and her mother. I also want to know where
Benson went."
~*~*~
Carly paused before stepping out of the elevator. This was going to be hard
she could tell. She was more anxious about telling Sonny that she was
leaving then she had been when she went to confront Stefan. She nodded at
Johnny, who was wearing a silly smile on his face. He opened the door for
her and Carly was shocked at the image that lay before her.
The penthouse was dark; the only light coming from candles scattered
throughout the room. A small dinner was set up on the dining table and
music played softly in the background. Carly groaned as she recognized the
song. "No, it can't be."
I, I'm so in love with you
Whatever you want to do
Is all right with me
'Cause you make me feel so brand new
And I want to spend my life with you
"It is." Sonny stated confidently from the top of the stairs. He strolled
down the stairs. He looked at his watch. "You are very late. I was afraid I
was going to have to reheat dinner. And you know how much I hate reheated
my food."
Carly licked her lips. "Sonny, we have to talk."
"No we don't." Sonny quickly dodged her answer. He already knew what she
was going to say and he wasn't going to give her a chance to. "We have to
eat before the food gets cold. Don't worry about Michael, he's with Bobbie
and Jerry so it's just the two of us."
He took her by the arm and started to lead her to the table but she stopped
him. "No, I don't want to eat, I'm not hungry."
"You want to dance then? Fine." Sonny took her into his arms and he slowly
began to rock her to the beat of the music.
"We have to talk." Carly insisted as she let herself dance with him.
"No." Sonny denied again.
"This song…why did you have to play this song?" Carly asked softly.
"Because…" Sonny leaned back and cupped her face in his hands. He stroked
his thumb across her lips. "Because…"
Sonny's mind flashbacked to that night: It was just a few months after
their first kiss on the couch. Their relationship had changed dramatically
after that. They still had fights but now there was more. They were nicer
to each other, Carly would make an effort to not antagonize Sonny, and
Sonny would show up with gifts or do something silly just to make her
smile. Things were different now.
It was late and Sonny had just put Michael down to sleep when he noticed
that one song was being played over and over. The music was blasting from
Carly's room. Curious, he went over to see what was happening. His heart
stopped at what he saw.
Since, since we've been together
Loving you forever
Is what I need
Let me be the one you come running to
I'll never be untrue
Carly was in her room singing loudly to the song as she threw clothes into
an open suitcase that sat in an armchair. He leaned against the door and
tried to sound nonchalant. "Al Green? Sounds like your taste is improving."
Carly dropped the shirt she had been folding. "Sonny."
"Could you, ah, could you turn that down? I know Michael is a sound sleeper
but this might wake him up." Sonny requested while scratching behind his
ear.
"Uh, sorry, I wasn't thinking. This song always puts me in a good mood."
Carly went over to her radio and turned down the music. She grabbed up the
shirt she'd dropped and carefully refolded it. She avoided looking at
Sonny.
"Mind if I ask what you're doing?" Sonny said causally.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Carly snapped. She placed the shirt in
the suitcase and turned to get another.
"It looks like your packing."
"Ding! Ding! You are correct!" Carly said sarcastically. "Your prize is me
leaving."
"Where are you going?" Sonny asked quietly.
"Bobbie has an empty apartment at the Brownstone and Michael and I are
going to live there." Carly stated matter-of-factly. "It's where I should
have gone in the beginning. Michael and I should have never come here. This
was wrong."
Sonny finally stepped into the room. "I want you to stay here. Why are you
leaving?"
"What is with the Twenty Questions?" Carly exploded. "Michael and I are
leaving. End of story."
"I said I want you to stay here." Sonny stated. He moved towards her.
"And I'm not going to! I shouldn't be here. This was a stupid idea. It was
okay for a few days but it's time to face reality and I can't do it here
with you." Carly backed up as he advanced on her.
"I don't think it's such a stupid idea. You're being here, it…"
"I shouldn't have come." She insisted. "What have done here? Hide from
reality; argue with you…kiss you. Is that the way the rest of my life's
going to be?"
"Are you trying to say you don't like living here?" Sonny finally caught up
to her.
Carly shook her head. "That's not it, I actually love it here. But the
thing is…I'm stuck in this limbo. All we do is fight and kiss, kiss and
fight. I can't tell if you like me half the time and I need more than
this."
"Oh, I like you." Sonny murmured. "When you say you need more what do you
mean?"
"I don't know!" Carly whispered furiously and trembled. "I need to get out
of this penthouse. I need to go out there and get my life back. I can't do
that here, I need more than this."
Sonny pushed her hair out of her face and stroked her cheek softly. "You
can have a life here."
"Why do you want me to stay here so badly? Michael and I just in the way."
She wondered.
Sonny shrugged. " I don't know why. I just like having you here and I don't
want you to go. I…I would miss you if you left."
Carly bit her bottom lip. Sonny gently tugged it free from her teeth with
his thumb. "Don't do that." He said softly.
"Do you really want me to stay?" Carly whispered unsure.
He took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. "We wouldn't even
be having this conversation if I didn't."
She looked down at the floor. "I don't know if I should…"
Sonny leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. "Stay." He whispered
hoarsely. He kissed her again, this time more forcefully. He backed up
against the bed. When the back of her knees hit the bed she fell back. "At
least stay the night."
Let's, let's stay together
Lovin' you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad
Carly closed her eyes tightly and rested her head on his shoulder. She bit
her bottom lip as memories of that night washed over her. She had stayed
that night and the night after that and the night after that. While the
song had repeated over and over, they had made love. Sonny had made a point
of playing it whenever there was a special occasion. To this day Carly
couldn't hear the song without thinking about Sonny and that night.
"You don't play fair." She whispered.
"No, I don't." Sonny stated matter-of-factly. He trailed his hands down
her back leaving a path of tingles. "I play to win. You're not leaving me
again, Carly. Stay with me."
"Sonny, please…"
"Stay with me." He repeated. "I love you."
"I can't. Sonny, this was nice for a few days but it's not real life."
Carly dropped her arms and stepped back.
"This is real. Damn it Carly!" Sonny exploded. He was tired of this game.
He was tired of going back and forth about this. He grasped her by the
shoulders and held her away from him. His eyes bore into hers. "You love
me, I love you, You don't love Garcia. So you stay with me and you forget
about him. It's as simple as that."
"It's not that simple!" Carly cried. "Just like when I was going to leave
all those years ago, I still don't belong here. I've moved on with my life
and it's time you did too."
"Are you trying to say you don't love me?" Sonny asked skeptically. Carly
stayed quiet and looked away. He shook her gently. "Answer me."
She sighed. "You know I would be lying if I said I didn't love you."
Sonny's eyes glittered triumphantly. Carly tried to put a stop to his joy.
"But, *but*, I—"
He cut her off by taking her into his arms again. "No buts, Carly. You just
admitted that you still love me and there's no way in hell I'm going to let
you leave after that."
She shook her head and tried to protest. "But—"
Sonny silenced her by kissing her hard. When he finally came up for air,
he gazed down at her with passion filled eyes. He repeated those words from
long ago.
"Stay." He licked at her lips and murmured. "At least the night."
Carly felt her knees go week as she knew she couldn't resist him. Not now,
probably not ever. She was hopeless. She trailed her fingers behind his ear
knowing that he loved having that spot touch. She smiled seductively as she
watched him shiver slightly. He cocked his eyebrow as he waited for her
answer.
"Yes." She finally said before kissing him deeply.
Why, why some people break up
Then turn around and make up
I just can't see
You'd never do that to me (would you, baby)
Staying around you is all I see
(Here's what I want us to do)
Let's, we oughta stay together
Loving you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
~*~*~
The Next Morning
Sonny rolled over and reached for Carly. He frowned when he realized that
the space beside him was empty. He was surprised to see that she was
already out of bed. Carly, an early riser. Who would have thought it? He
scratched his chest lazily and grinned broadly. Things were certainly
changing. Carly was back in his arms like she should have been long ago.
And know she was getting up before noon.
He wondered where she was. She could be in the bathroom getting the shower
ready for him but he didn't hear the shower running. Maybe she was in the
kitchen trying to make breakfast? His poor kitchen. He could only wonder
about the state of his kitchen after she was through with it. He chuckled
about the memory of when she tried to make him a gourmet meal. He ended up
banning her from the kitchen for at least a week. She hadn't minded though.
Sonny threw back the covers and decided to go in search of her. "Carly?"
His voice echoed loudly. His stomach turned as he noticed how quiet it was
in the penthouse. He grabbed his robe and slipped it on. He belted it as he
strode out of his room.
"Carly? Carly!" He called again, his voice urgent and worried. "Not again."
He murmured as he got a sick feeling. "She couldn't have done it again. Not
after last night."
He walked quickly through the penthouse searching for her. He came back to
his room and finally noticed the sheet of paper propped up against his
mirror. He reached for it with trembling hands. He didn't want to read it,
he could already tell what it said. But he couldn't help it and he read it
anyway.
"Sonny, I'm sorry but you know this can't work out. Michael and I are going
home. To Alex. Where we belong. I'm sorry, I really am. Last night was a
mistake and it should just be considered a goodbye. This is the way it has
to be. Carly."
Sonny crumpled the paper in his hands. He laughed bitterly. "At least this
time she said she was sorry."
Let's, we oughta stay together
Loving you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
*Song credit* Al Green, "Let's Stay Together"
reasons in such a short amount of time..."
Carly tapped her watch. "Tick-tock, Dad, you're wasting time."
Stefan resisted the urge to frown at her. The nerve of her to put a time
limit on him. He rubbed his temple. "What is it that you want to know
exactly?"
"I want to know when you knew I was your daughter. Or at least could be."
Carly said through clenched teeth. She had had a lot of time to think about
this on the ride over to the island and she didn't like what she came up
with.
This was the question he looked the least forward to answering. He knew her
reaction would not be good at all. He cleared his throat again and Carly
saw it as a delaying tactic. She jumped up from her seat. "Just answer the
damn question! Was it all my life? Was it when I first came to Port
Charles? When?"
Stefan spoke quietly. "I have known, " He paused and looked down at the
floor, "all your life."
Carly gaped at him. He had known all this time? He had known and he had
done nothing? I should have known. What did I expect? The tears began to
well up in Carly's eyes and she walked around the desk, her back to his.
She bit back the tears.
"So you knew and you didn't care until some other guy decided he was my
father, right? And you just couldn't have that, you couldn't have some
other guy come around and say he's my father. That's the only reason you
decided to *now* claim the daughter you never wanted."
Stefan turned and looked at her back. Carly was hunched over. He reached
over and touched her shoulder. "I have—"
She shrugged away from Stefan and finally turned around to face him. Stefan
could tell that she was trying hard to hide the hurt he had caused with his
admission.
She laughed bitterly. "You know what? It's no big deal. I decided a long
time ago that I wasn't the father sort of person. I don't do the father
thing well. Me and a father just don't click. I accept that. So I don't
need this. I don't need you and I don't need this Victor guy. I don't need
a father. I've done fine without one."
Carly started for the door but Stefan's urgent voice stopped her. "Carly,
wait please." He couldn't let her leave his office thinking he didn't care
about her.
"What? I won't say a thing to anyone if you're worried about that. You
never had a daughter and you never will, you're off the hook." Carly said.
"Don't worry."
"If you permit me to, I would like to explain my actions." Stefan said.
What would it hurt to listen to his reasons? Who was she fooling, she
already knew it could hurt a lot. To hear why he would just leave her with
the Bensons. After all these years she could finally understand what drove
Bobbie to put her up for adoption but Stefan…he's a Cassadine for goodness'
sake! Rich and powerful as he is, he could have saved her. That is if he
wanted to.
She flopped down in the chair she had vacated. "Alright, explain away."
"Where do I start?" Stefan said more to himself than to her.
"How about at the beginning." She suggested sarcastically.
He nodded. "Fine. I assume Barbara has already told you the…"
"She told me about the 'party'." Carly grimaced. "Go on."
Stefan breathed a sigh of relief at not having to explain how he met her
mother. "Afterwards…I was regretful about how my family had treated Barbara
and I began to worry about her. So I had her watched."
"You had her watched?" Carly asked incredulously. "You just sat back and
watched the life she lived and did nothing?"
"You do not comprehend the circumstances I was under at the time. I was
still a youth and had no real power in my family. My family was very
powerful and very controlling."
Carly rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You were keeping tabs on Bobbie…"
He resumed his tale. "I was informed of her pregnancy and since I had been
kept aware of her activities I knew that either myself or Victor could be
the father of her baby."
"And this is when you decided to ignore my existence?" She interjected
sharply.
He frowned. "No that is not how it happened. I would have brought Barbara
to Greece if I could have but my family—"
Carly jumped out of her chair again. "Could have, would have, should have
but didn't. Okay, you didn't do anything all right. And stop blaming it on
your 'family'. You make them out to be all-powerful. They can't be that
bad."
"You do not know my family…your family." Stefan said deadly serious. He
stared into her eyes. "You do not know what they were capable of. Ask
Alexis about how my mother, your grandmother, killed her mother. Ask how
she described in detail how she slit her throat. There is no way to know
how they would have reacted to me bringing illegitimate child home."
Carly stared back into his eyes. "Look stop with the scare tactics alright?
Okay so you had a big bad evil family would have eliminated a teen-age
prostitute and her trick baby. Right, like they would have cared. Finish
the story already."
"As I was saying I was prepared to at least provide for you and your mother
until I learned that she was having you adopted. I did not step in stop the
proceedings because I believed it was the right thing to do. The Bensons
seemed to be good people." Stefan told her.
"You thought the Bensons were good people?" Carly asked dumbfounded. She
held back the hysterical laughter that was bubbling up in her. "You
actually thought this?"
Stefan nodded. "Yes, I did. I had them watched the first few years of your
life and they seemed like a perfectly good couple. They treated you well."
"You should have fired those people you had watching us cause they sure
didn't give you the real story. There is a reason I turned out the way I
did. Did you know what happened in that house?" Carly answered her own
question. "Of course not or else I would be Carly Cassadine by now. But
then again you might not have cared at all."
Stefan tried to soothe her. "I have no idea what you are talking about. If
I were aware of something bad happening to you I would have not left you
with them. I would have come for you no matter what."
She snorted. "Yeah right. How long was we watched? Did you know when Frank
ran out on Virginia and me and left us hanging on by a thread?"
"I was aware of that."
"And still nothing from you!" Carly couldn't believe this. "Wasn't I worth
you sending over a little cash to help us out? We didn't need much, just a
little help."
"I thought it would best if I stayed out of your life and not confused
things. By then I already had a few other obligations to take care of. I
was left to raise Nikolas after his father was killed and his mother had
left us."
"Yeah and taking care of another kid would have been too much. I know how
you Cassadines have to count every penny and make them stretch." Carly
sneered. She folded her arms and walked around the room "Okay let's fast
forward a few years. To when I came to Port Charles. Why didn't you say
anything?"
"What was I to say? You had spent your whole life believing that the
Bensons were your real family and how was I to know that you were aware of
the truth?" Stefan said calmly. Meanwhile Carly seemed to grow agitated.
"You sat back and watched me mess up my mother's family and didn't say a
word because you thought I would turn around and take my anger out on
you?" Carly guessed. "You shouldn't have worried so much…Dad. My problem
was with Mama and not you. I never thought about having a real father cause
like I said father's are too much trouble."
"I did not say anything because I thought it was in everyone's best
interests that you not know. I am not sure that I am your father and I did
not want to bring up Barbara's horrible past."
"Guess what, I'm walking talking reminder of that past, okay. Every time
she looks at me she's looking dead at her past. So I think she could have
handled you dropping this bomb on her. She's withstood everything I've
thrown at her."
"Upsetting you was not what I set out to do. I assumed you were better off
not knowing."
"Well you know what they say about assuming." Carly cocked her eyebrow. She
shook her head. "I thought this was going to help but it didn't. I should
go. I have to get back to my family."
"I would like for us to take a paternity test to show that I am your
father." Stefan said quietly.
"Why? So some test says you're my father. What are you going to do after
that? Continue to ignore me?"
"I want to get to know you better. You and Michael. I regret not doing that
in the past."
"Right and what if I turn out to not be your daughter? What then?"
"I would still like to get to know you. You will still be family. It is
past time for you to be acknowledged as such."
"I don't know about acknowledging you. I have to think about taking the
test." She opened the study door and ran smack into Layla. "Sorry." She
mumbled.
"No, no it was my fault." Layla said as she dusted off her dark blue suit.
After leaving Melinda alone to do her own thing she had called up Stefan
and suggested dinner. He had readily accepted. "Steffie, darling, am I
early?"
Carly couldn't hold back her laughter. "Steffie?" She giggled. "Oh that is
rich. I have to tell Luke about that. Steffie!"
Layla cocked her head and smile politely at Carly. "Who is this…person?"
Stefan cleared his throat. "This is Carly Spencer."
"Long lost Cassadine. Could be a cousin, could be a daughter. You never
know." Carly smiled falsely and stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you."
Layla shook it, as she looked her up and down. So this was Luke Spencer's
niece. After her two run-ins with Spencer she had decided to she needed to
know as much about the guy as possible. She had gone through his file and
read all about his escapades and his family life. "I'm Layla."
"Layla, hi." Carly looked over her shoulder at Stefan. "Is she about to
become my new stepmother? Cause I was really holding onto the belief that
you and Mama would get back together."
Layla arched her eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"Don't worry about it. I was just messing around with dear old Dad. I have
to go now. I have a little boy to take care of. Because that's what parents
do you know, they take care of their children." Carly sent a pointed look
in Stefan's direction before leaving.
"Should I even ask what that was?" Layla said.
Stefan rubbed the back of his neck. "I would rather you wouldn't. We were
going to have dinner?"
Layla nodded. "Correct. You didn't forget did you?"
Stefan shook his head. "No, I just had some other things on my mind. Have
Mrs. Landsbury take you to the table. I need to make a phone call."
Layla nodded and walked out. Stefan closed the door behind her and quickly
dialed up a number. "I need some information about the childhood of
Caroline Benson. Yes, the same one. I need to know about her early years.
Up until Frank Benson left her and her mother. I also want to know where
Benson went."
~*~*~
Carly paused before stepping out of the elevator. This was going to be hard
she could tell. She was more anxious about telling Sonny that she was
leaving then she had been when she went to confront Stefan. She nodded at
Johnny, who was wearing a silly smile on his face. He opened the door for
her and Carly was shocked at the image that lay before her.
The penthouse was dark; the only light coming from candles scattered
throughout the room. A small dinner was set up on the dining table and
music played softly in the background. Carly groaned as she recognized the
song. "No, it can't be."
I, I'm so in love with you
Whatever you want to do
Is all right with me
'Cause you make me feel so brand new
And I want to spend my life with you
"It is." Sonny stated confidently from the top of the stairs. He strolled
down the stairs. He looked at his watch. "You are very late. I was afraid I
was going to have to reheat dinner. And you know how much I hate reheated
my food."
Carly licked her lips. "Sonny, we have to talk."
"No we don't." Sonny quickly dodged her answer. He already knew what she
was going to say and he wasn't going to give her a chance to. "We have to
eat before the food gets cold. Don't worry about Michael, he's with Bobbie
and Jerry so it's just the two of us."
He took her by the arm and started to lead her to the table but she stopped
him. "No, I don't want to eat, I'm not hungry."
"You want to dance then? Fine." Sonny took her into his arms and he slowly
began to rock her to the beat of the music.
"We have to talk." Carly insisted as she let herself dance with him.
"No." Sonny denied again.
"This song…why did you have to play this song?" Carly asked softly.
"Because…" Sonny leaned back and cupped her face in his hands. He stroked
his thumb across her lips. "Because…"
Sonny's mind flashbacked to that night: It was just a few months after
their first kiss on the couch. Their relationship had changed dramatically
after that. They still had fights but now there was more. They were nicer
to each other, Carly would make an effort to not antagonize Sonny, and
Sonny would show up with gifts or do something silly just to make her
smile. Things were different now.
It was late and Sonny had just put Michael down to sleep when he noticed
that one song was being played over and over. The music was blasting from
Carly's room. Curious, he went over to see what was happening. His heart
stopped at what he saw.
Since, since we've been together
Loving you forever
Is what I need
Let me be the one you come running to
I'll never be untrue
Carly was in her room singing loudly to the song as she threw clothes into
an open suitcase that sat in an armchair. He leaned against the door and
tried to sound nonchalant. "Al Green? Sounds like your taste is improving."
Carly dropped the shirt she had been folding. "Sonny."
"Could you, ah, could you turn that down? I know Michael is a sound sleeper
but this might wake him up." Sonny requested while scratching behind his
ear.
"Uh, sorry, I wasn't thinking. This song always puts me in a good mood."
Carly went over to her radio and turned down the music. She grabbed up the
shirt she'd dropped and carefully refolded it. She avoided looking at
Sonny.
"Mind if I ask what you're doing?" Sonny said causally.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Carly snapped. She placed the shirt in
the suitcase and turned to get another.
"It looks like your packing."
"Ding! Ding! You are correct!" Carly said sarcastically. "Your prize is me
leaving."
"Where are you going?" Sonny asked quietly.
"Bobbie has an empty apartment at the Brownstone and Michael and I are
going to live there." Carly stated matter-of-factly. "It's where I should
have gone in the beginning. Michael and I should have never come here. This
was wrong."
Sonny finally stepped into the room. "I want you to stay here. Why are you
leaving?"
"What is with the Twenty Questions?" Carly exploded. "Michael and I are
leaving. End of story."
"I said I want you to stay here." Sonny stated. He moved towards her.
"And I'm not going to! I shouldn't be here. This was a stupid idea. It was
okay for a few days but it's time to face reality and I can't do it here
with you." Carly backed up as he advanced on her.
"I don't think it's such a stupid idea. You're being here, it…"
"I shouldn't have come." She insisted. "What have done here? Hide from
reality; argue with you…kiss you. Is that the way the rest of my life's
going to be?"
"Are you trying to say you don't like living here?" Sonny finally caught up
to her.
Carly shook her head. "That's not it, I actually love it here. But the
thing is…I'm stuck in this limbo. All we do is fight and kiss, kiss and
fight. I can't tell if you like me half the time and I need more than
this."
"Oh, I like you." Sonny murmured. "When you say you need more what do you
mean?"
"I don't know!" Carly whispered furiously and trembled. "I need to get out
of this penthouse. I need to go out there and get my life back. I can't do
that here, I need more than this."
Sonny pushed her hair out of her face and stroked her cheek softly. "You
can have a life here."
"Why do you want me to stay here so badly? Michael and I just in the way."
She wondered.
Sonny shrugged. " I don't know why. I just like having you here and I don't
want you to go. I…I would miss you if you left."
Carly bit her bottom lip. Sonny gently tugged it free from her teeth with
his thumb. "Don't do that." He said softly.
"Do you really want me to stay?" Carly whispered unsure.
He took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. "We wouldn't even
be having this conversation if I didn't."
She looked down at the floor. "I don't know if I should…"
Sonny leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. "Stay." He whispered
hoarsely. He kissed her again, this time more forcefully. He backed up
against the bed. When the back of her knees hit the bed she fell back. "At
least stay the night."
Let's, let's stay together
Lovin' you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad
Carly closed her eyes tightly and rested her head on his shoulder. She bit
her bottom lip as memories of that night washed over her. She had stayed
that night and the night after that and the night after that. While the
song had repeated over and over, they had made love. Sonny had made a point
of playing it whenever there was a special occasion. To this day Carly
couldn't hear the song without thinking about Sonny and that night.
"You don't play fair." She whispered.
"No, I don't." Sonny stated matter-of-factly. He trailed his hands down
her back leaving a path of tingles. "I play to win. You're not leaving me
again, Carly. Stay with me."
"Sonny, please…"
"Stay with me." He repeated. "I love you."
"I can't. Sonny, this was nice for a few days but it's not real life."
Carly dropped her arms and stepped back.
"This is real. Damn it Carly!" Sonny exploded. He was tired of this game.
He was tired of going back and forth about this. He grasped her by the
shoulders and held her away from him. His eyes bore into hers. "You love
me, I love you, You don't love Garcia. So you stay with me and you forget
about him. It's as simple as that."
"It's not that simple!" Carly cried. "Just like when I was going to leave
all those years ago, I still don't belong here. I've moved on with my life
and it's time you did too."
"Are you trying to say you don't love me?" Sonny asked skeptically. Carly
stayed quiet and looked away. He shook her gently. "Answer me."
She sighed. "You know I would be lying if I said I didn't love you."
Sonny's eyes glittered triumphantly. Carly tried to put a stop to his joy.
"But, *but*, I—"
He cut her off by taking her into his arms again. "No buts, Carly. You just
admitted that you still love me and there's no way in hell I'm going to let
you leave after that."
She shook her head and tried to protest. "But—"
Sonny silenced her by kissing her hard. When he finally came up for air,
he gazed down at her with passion filled eyes. He repeated those words from
long ago.
"Stay." He licked at her lips and murmured. "At least the night."
Carly felt her knees go week as she knew she couldn't resist him. Not now,
probably not ever. She was hopeless. She trailed her fingers behind his ear
knowing that he loved having that spot touch. She smiled seductively as she
watched him shiver slightly. He cocked his eyebrow as he waited for her
answer.
"Yes." She finally said before kissing him deeply.
Why, why some people break up
Then turn around and make up
I just can't see
You'd never do that to me (would you, baby)
Staying around you is all I see
(Here's what I want us to do)
Let's, we oughta stay together
Loving you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
~*~*~
The Next Morning
Sonny rolled over and reached for Carly. He frowned when he realized that
the space beside him was empty. He was surprised to see that she was
already out of bed. Carly, an early riser. Who would have thought it? He
scratched his chest lazily and grinned broadly. Things were certainly
changing. Carly was back in his arms like she should have been long ago.
And know she was getting up before noon.
He wondered where she was. She could be in the bathroom getting the shower
ready for him but he didn't hear the shower running. Maybe she was in the
kitchen trying to make breakfast? His poor kitchen. He could only wonder
about the state of his kitchen after she was through with it. He chuckled
about the memory of when she tried to make him a gourmet meal. He ended up
banning her from the kitchen for at least a week. She hadn't minded though.
Sonny threw back the covers and decided to go in search of her. "Carly?"
His voice echoed loudly. His stomach turned as he noticed how quiet it was
in the penthouse. He grabbed his robe and slipped it on. He belted it as he
strode out of his room.
"Carly? Carly!" He called again, his voice urgent and worried. "Not again."
He murmured as he got a sick feeling. "She couldn't have done it again. Not
after last night."
He walked quickly through the penthouse searching for her. He came back to
his room and finally noticed the sheet of paper propped up against his
mirror. He reached for it with trembling hands. He didn't want to read it,
he could already tell what it said. But he couldn't help it and he read it
anyway.
"Sonny, I'm sorry but you know this can't work out. Michael and I are going
home. To Alex. Where we belong. I'm sorry, I really am. Last night was a
mistake and it should just be considered a goodbye. This is the way it has
to be. Carly."
Sonny crumpled the paper in his hands. He laughed bitterly. "At least this
time she said she was sorry."
Let's, we oughta stay together
Loving you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
*Song credit* Al Green, "Let's Stay Together"