Interlude 3- Banned
"Carly, I know you did it. Just admit it already." Sonny leaned over the
table; his feet planted firmly apart, his hands on the table, and stared
into her eyes.
Carly stared back, unflinchingly. She was proud of herself for not backing
down. They'd been going on about this for a half-hour and she had yet to
buckle under his pressure.
She said slowly, dragging out each syllable. "I have no idea what you're
talking about. I didn't do anything."
Frustrated by her refusal to come clean, Sonny slammed his hand down on the
table. Carly jumped slightly at the sound.
He said. "Come on, Carly. Who do you think you're fooling? I know you.
Confess and things will be a lot easier. I'd even help you."
Carly folded her arms. "Ha!" She wasn't a fool. He wouldn't help her. He'd
make her do everything herself. She wasn't going to admit anything.
Sonny narrowed his eyes and said softly, "Don't make me call Bobbie. She'll
get the truth out of you."
She eyed him. "You wouldn't…Over something like this…You're bluffing!"
"Try me." Sonny said coldly.
"God!" Carly threw her hands up in exasperation. "You are the most
frustrating, annoying…okay, okay, yes, I went into the kitchen, 'your
kitchen'."
Sonny folded his arms and smiled smugly. He knew he would get the truth
from her eventually. "You went in and you made a mess."
"I *cooked*." Carly corrected.
"Is that what you call it?" Sonny raised an eyebrow. "I call it destroying
my kitchen."
Carly bit her lip and played with her fingers. She lied. "I cleaned up…a
little bit."
"Go in there, there are things still all over the place."
"I cleaned the pans!" She said in self-defense. "And I wasn't sure where to
put them exactly since *someone* made the kitchen off-limits." She sneered.
"What kind of guy are you? You're the only man who doesn't want women in
the kitchen."
"I have a system." Sonny explained tightly.
"Oh a system." Carly rolled her eyes. "Right, right. And what do you call
it again?"
"The 'Carly doesn't touch anything and we stay happily married' system."
Sonny smirked. "And you still didn't tell me why the kitchen looks like
such a mess but when I came home you and Michael were eating take-out
chinese food."
"I was just trying to make Michael a snack." Carly began. "I was originally
going to give him one of those frozen pizzas that I like but then I heard
*your* voice in the back of my head telling me he needed something more
nutritious than that."
"Right, blame it all on me." Sonny said with a small smile.
"Well it is all your fault." She grumbled. "Anyway, I decided to make one
of those egg white omelets you make. Only I had a little trouble separating
the egg white from the yolk. I used to be really good at it in Home Ec."
"You took Home Ec?" Sonny said in shock.
Carly scowled at him. "I took it but I didn't really pay much attention
except for the egg separating thing. So after a few disastrous attempts I
decided to make him a regular omelet with cheese and ham."
"Did he eat it?" Sonny asked in concern. He wondered if he should have
Johnny run out and get Alka Seltzer for the child.
"Yes." Carly snapped. "But he didn't like it."
Sonny hid his smile. He thought back to the mess in the kitchen. He wanted
to whimper at the memory of his poor kitchen. Pans stacked everywhere.
Melted cheese on the counter. A burnt smell that wouldn't go away. And she
got something on one of his favorite aprons.
"You didn't stop there did you? What is that on my apron?" He demanded.
Carly rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to get stuff on the apron! Michael
wanted spaghetti after the omelet incident. So that's a little of the
sauce."
"You made your own sauce?" Sonny said suspiciously.
"I had Johnny run to the store while the noodles cooked." Carly admitted.
"And um, I went to help Michael out here when the sauce was heating so some
of it started to pop up in the air. That's what got on the apron and all
over the stove and…Johnny managed to get most of it off the ceiling."
"What?" Sonny ran into the kitchen. Carly trailed behind him. He stared up
at the ceiling. Sure enough there was traces of sauce on his ceiling, his
former, pristine white ceiling. That explained the strange look Johnny gave
him when he came home.
"I had no idea it could *do* that." Carly said amazed. Seeing the
devastated look on his face Carly said gently, "Johnny's going to get a
crew in here and have the whole thing cleaned up in an hour. We were kind
of hoping you'd come home late tonight so you wouldn't notice."
Sonny placed his hands on his hips, bent his head, and slowly took a
breath. He took several more before looking at her. He whispered. "What did
you do next?"
Carly twisted her hands together. "Both Johnny and I decided that spaghetti
was not a good idea. I went with something simple this time…or so I
thought."
Sonny clenched his fists. "What happened?"
Carly licked her lips. "I made him a grilled cheese sandwich."
"What…happened?" Sonny said slowly.
"AJ happened, that's what. He came over. We got into an argument and the
sandwich burned. That's why it kind of smells in here."
Sonny narrowed his eyes. "What did you do with the pan?"
"It's soaking in the sink." Carly pointed. "I didn't want to do anything
wrong and scour it and then have you flip out or something."
"You didn't want to do anything wrong to the pan…" Sonny repeated softly.
"The pan…" He raised his gaze upward and stared at his ceiling.
"After that Johnny handed me the chinese menu and we ordered take-out.
Michael really likes sweet-and-sour chicken. We saved you some…" Carly
looked at him hopefully. "So, are you mad?"
"Why did you lie about it?" He asked.
"Because I knew you'd be mad. You're made aren't you? I knew you'd be mad.
Look, I'm not the best cook and I'm not super anal about cleaning up the
kitchen like you but today was a total fluke! It'll never happen again."
"You got that right." Sonny marched over to her and cupped her face between
his hands. "You are banned from this kitchen. You are never to set foot in
here again without my supervision."
"Sonny, you can't treat me like a child!" Carly snapped. "I'll come in this
kitchen whenever I want."
"No." Sonny said simply. He kissed her hard then pulled back. He repeated
himself. "*No*."
He turned and strode out of the kitchen, thinking that he needed to have
Johnny get a locksmith over to the penthouse. He was going to lock up the
kitchen. He remembered the ceiling, shook his head, and took a steadying
breath. Deadbolts, he was going have deadbolts placed on the door.
In the kitchen Carly stood with her hands on her hips, glaring angrily at
the door Sonny just went through. "You can't do this to me Sonny. Sonny!
Can you hear me? Sonny?"
She frowned. He wasn't going to keep her out of the kitchen. How would she
sneak her frozen pizza when he wasn't home? How was she going to make it up
to him? She smiled as the idea hit her. She'd surprise him with a home
cooked meal to prove that she knew her way around a kitchen. Smiling
broadly, she went off to find the cookbooks.
"Carly, I know you did it. Just admit it already." Sonny leaned over the
table; his feet planted firmly apart, his hands on the table, and stared
into her eyes.
Carly stared back, unflinchingly. She was proud of herself for not backing
down. They'd been going on about this for a half-hour and she had yet to
buckle under his pressure.
She said slowly, dragging out each syllable. "I have no idea what you're
talking about. I didn't do anything."
Frustrated by her refusal to come clean, Sonny slammed his hand down on the
table. Carly jumped slightly at the sound.
He said. "Come on, Carly. Who do you think you're fooling? I know you.
Confess and things will be a lot easier. I'd even help you."
Carly folded her arms. "Ha!" She wasn't a fool. He wouldn't help her. He'd
make her do everything herself. She wasn't going to admit anything.
Sonny narrowed his eyes and said softly, "Don't make me call Bobbie. She'll
get the truth out of you."
She eyed him. "You wouldn't…Over something like this…You're bluffing!"
"Try me." Sonny said coldly.
"God!" Carly threw her hands up in exasperation. "You are the most
frustrating, annoying…okay, okay, yes, I went into the kitchen, 'your
kitchen'."
Sonny folded his arms and smiled smugly. He knew he would get the truth
from her eventually. "You went in and you made a mess."
"I *cooked*." Carly corrected.
"Is that what you call it?" Sonny raised an eyebrow. "I call it destroying
my kitchen."
Carly bit her lip and played with her fingers. She lied. "I cleaned up…a
little bit."
"Go in there, there are things still all over the place."
"I cleaned the pans!" She said in self-defense. "And I wasn't sure where to
put them exactly since *someone* made the kitchen off-limits." She sneered.
"What kind of guy are you? You're the only man who doesn't want women in
the kitchen."
"I have a system." Sonny explained tightly.
"Oh a system." Carly rolled her eyes. "Right, right. And what do you call
it again?"
"The 'Carly doesn't touch anything and we stay happily married' system."
Sonny smirked. "And you still didn't tell me why the kitchen looks like
such a mess but when I came home you and Michael were eating take-out
chinese food."
"I was just trying to make Michael a snack." Carly began. "I was originally
going to give him one of those frozen pizzas that I like but then I heard
*your* voice in the back of my head telling me he needed something more
nutritious than that."
"Right, blame it all on me." Sonny said with a small smile.
"Well it is all your fault." She grumbled. "Anyway, I decided to make one
of those egg white omelets you make. Only I had a little trouble separating
the egg white from the yolk. I used to be really good at it in Home Ec."
"You took Home Ec?" Sonny said in shock.
Carly scowled at him. "I took it but I didn't really pay much attention
except for the egg separating thing. So after a few disastrous attempts I
decided to make him a regular omelet with cheese and ham."
"Did he eat it?" Sonny asked in concern. He wondered if he should have
Johnny run out and get Alka Seltzer for the child.
"Yes." Carly snapped. "But he didn't like it."
Sonny hid his smile. He thought back to the mess in the kitchen. He wanted
to whimper at the memory of his poor kitchen. Pans stacked everywhere.
Melted cheese on the counter. A burnt smell that wouldn't go away. And she
got something on one of his favorite aprons.
"You didn't stop there did you? What is that on my apron?" He demanded.
Carly rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to get stuff on the apron! Michael
wanted spaghetti after the omelet incident. So that's a little of the
sauce."
"You made your own sauce?" Sonny said suspiciously.
"I had Johnny run to the store while the noodles cooked." Carly admitted.
"And um, I went to help Michael out here when the sauce was heating so some
of it started to pop up in the air. That's what got on the apron and all
over the stove and…Johnny managed to get most of it off the ceiling."
"What?" Sonny ran into the kitchen. Carly trailed behind him. He stared up
at the ceiling. Sure enough there was traces of sauce on his ceiling, his
former, pristine white ceiling. That explained the strange look Johnny gave
him when he came home.
"I had no idea it could *do* that." Carly said amazed. Seeing the
devastated look on his face Carly said gently, "Johnny's going to get a
crew in here and have the whole thing cleaned up in an hour. We were kind
of hoping you'd come home late tonight so you wouldn't notice."
Sonny placed his hands on his hips, bent his head, and slowly took a
breath. He took several more before looking at her. He whispered. "What did
you do next?"
Carly twisted her hands together. "Both Johnny and I decided that spaghetti
was not a good idea. I went with something simple this time…or so I
thought."
Sonny clenched his fists. "What happened?"
Carly licked her lips. "I made him a grilled cheese sandwich."
"What…happened?" Sonny said slowly.
"AJ happened, that's what. He came over. We got into an argument and the
sandwich burned. That's why it kind of smells in here."
Sonny narrowed his eyes. "What did you do with the pan?"
"It's soaking in the sink." Carly pointed. "I didn't want to do anything
wrong and scour it and then have you flip out or something."
"You didn't want to do anything wrong to the pan…" Sonny repeated softly.
"The pan…" He raised his gaze upward and stared at his ceiling.
"After that Johnny handed me the chinese menu and we ordered take-out.
Michael really likes sweet-and-sour chicken. We saved you some…" Carly
looked at him hopefully. "So, are you mad?"
"Why did you lie about it?" He asked.
"Because I knew you'd be mad. You're made aren't you? I knew you'd be mad.
Look, I'm not the best cook and I'm not super anal about cleaning up the
kitchen like you but today was a total fluke! It'll never happen again."
"You got that right." Sonny marched over to her and cupped her face between
his hands. "You are banned from this kitchen. You are never to set foot in
here again without my supervision."
"Sonny, you can't treat me like a child!" Carly snapped. "I'll come in this
kitchen whenever I want."
"No." Sonny said simply. He kissed her hard then pulled back. He repeated
himself. "*No*."
He turned and strode out of the kitchen, thinking that he needed to have
Johnny get a locksmith over to the penthouse. He was going to lock up the
kitchen. He remembered the ceiling, shook his head, and took a steadying
breath. Deadbolts, he was going have deadbolts placed on the door.
In the kitchen Carly stood with her hands on her hips, glaring angrily at
the door Sonny just went through. "You can't do this to me Sonny. Sonny!
Can you hear me? Sonny?"
She frowned. He wasn't going to keep her out of the kitchen. How would she
sneak her frozen pizza when he wasn't home? How was she going to make it up
to him? She smiled as the idea hit her. She'd surprise him with a home
cooked meal to prove that she knew her way around a kitchen. Smiling
broadly, she went off to find the cookbooks.