"Blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada," Skye muttered. Who in the world wrote these contracts up? Skye uncapped her black pen and hurriedly signed her name on the bottom of the page.
In a short matter of hours, Rinoa's official welcoming party to the Quartermaine family was about to begin. The party was to take place at the Port Charles Hotel, and, whether or not she, Skye, would be allowed attend the party, Skye was unsure. AJ had given her the heads up that Zander had informed the Quartermaines of Skye's decision to ally herself with Roscoe. And the family had been, to say the very least, unhappy with her choice.
Skye sighed. She had given up on the Quartermaines. She had told herself that. She had sworn to herself that the Quartermaines meant nothing to her. They had treated her like nothing, and she would reciprocate in kind. The only one that mattered, the only person whose opinion meant anything to her, was AJ.
And AJ hadn't condemned her for her decision. He had voiced his doubt, but he hadn't given her contempt. He would probably confront her later, when they were face-to-face, but, for now, he would trust her. He was the only one who had ever trusted her.
And why? Was it because he knew that she was not to be trusted, and so she never had the chance to betray him? Kind of like the situation she was in with Roscoe right now. Roscoe would never have a chance to betray her because he never had her trust to begin with.
Skye picked up the contract she had just signed and placed it in her "OUT" tray. The secretary would send the proper copies to each involved party, and then the secretary would file it away.
"Well, might as well go see how hot the waters are," Skye mumbled to herself. She opened her drawer and took her purse out. She grabbed the coat that she had carelessly thrown onto the back of her leather chair and now draped it on her forearm.
"Closing shop already?" an Aussie accented voice drawled out. "What, was it a slow day?"
Inwardly, Skye groaned. From the serious look on Jax's face, despite his carefree banter, it was obvious that he had been informed of her recent alliance with Sorel's people. She had known that a confrontation between the two would eventually come about, but she hadn't been hoping that it'd come later than sooner.
Well, I guess it's time I proved that I don't give a damn.
*******
General Hospital…"Rinoa," Courtney gasped. "Sonny? Are you kidding me?"
"What?" Rinoa retorted defensively. "So he's your brother. I get that. But, Courtney, whether or not you're his sister, you've got to admit the guy's pretty hot."
"Eww, no!" Courtney exclaimed. Her face wrinkled in disgust. She just couldn't imagine Sonny in that way, no matter what Rinoa said.
"He's got the cutest smile," Rinoa gushed. "It sends shivers up my spine when he smiles at me."
"Rinoa, please, please, please," Courtney begged, "tell me you are not falling for my brother."
"Of course not," Rinoa chuckled. But it wouldn't hurt to have you think I had a weak spot for both you and your brother. "I just think he's got a great smile, Courtney. He's totally not my taste, anyway."
"Thank God," Courtney sighed with relief. Not only would it be awkward considering how Sonny felt about AJ and Skye, but it would also be weird, to say the very least, for two siblings to date another pair of siblings.
"But that's what tonight's party is for," Rinoa said cheerfully, interrupting Courtney's thoughts. "My official pseudo-Quartermaine acceptance. Everyone who's anyone in Port Charles is invited, and I'm sure to meet someone I like, right?" And you'll be my confidante and we'll become better and better friends until the day I set you up for the fall.
"Sure," Courtney smiled. "I'm sure you'll meet someone terrific."
*******
Quartermaine estate…"I knew from the very first day she set foot in this house that Skye was nothing but trouble," Monica ranted. "She tried to sic Sonny on us, and, when that failed, she turned to Jax and he stole ELQ from us."
"Not that you did anything to stop it," Edward interrupted bitterly.
"And it's not like he didn't return the company to a family member," AJ said sarcastically. "Oops, my bad. He did give it back- he gave it to grandmother."
"It doesn't matter what Jax chose to do," Monica snapped. "What matters is that, from the very first day Skye came to Port Charles, she has done nothing but try to ruin the family. She went to Sonny, then she went to Jax, and now she went to Sorel. Sonny was bad enough. He took Jason from us. But he did not hunt Emily down like some kind of animal."
"No, Sonny only hunted me," AJ said angrily. "But I guess that's okay because I must have asked for it."
"AJ, you cannot possibly be on Skye's side," Monica cried out. "She's working with the people who destroyed Emily's life."
"I know that," AJ said, a hard determined look on his face. "And I also know how it feels to feel as if the entire world has turned its back on you."
"Skye turned her back on us first," Monica growled.
"I'm not going to argue that," AJ muttered. "All I'm going to say is that I refuse to turn my back on Skye. I refuse to pretend she doesn't exist. I refuse to stop being her friend. She's had my back for the past few months, regardless of what I did. And I'm going to return the favor."
*******
Sonny's penthouse…"Alexis, are you going to the party tonight?" Sonny asked slowly. "The party the Quartermaines are throwing for Rinoa?"
"The one at the hotel? Yes, of course," Alexis answered. "The Quartermaines invited all the Cassadines, even those who refuse to take the name of Cassadine."
"You have a date?" Sonny asked, his trademark dimpled smile appearing.
"Uh, no," Alexis replied. "But don't think that means I'm going to take you along as my date."
"What? Why not?" Sonny asked innocently, his palms held up innocently. "It's not like… you know, I would attack AJ or something."
"But you weren't invited, and for very valid reasons," Alexis pointed out. "Tonight's party is to honor Rinoa's homecoming, and I don't want to take the spotlight away from her."
"But, you know, what if I had been invited?" Sonny persisted.
"You were not invited," Alexis shook her head. "So there's no point in discussing the case."
"But what if I was?"
"But you weren't."
"If I was?"
"But you weren't."
Sonny laughed. He and Alexis could do this all day unless one of them took the initiative to end it. Sonny walked towards his desk drawer. He opened the top drawer and withdrew the invitation he had received. He handed it to Alexis. "Now, as I was saying, if I were invited, which you can see I was, would you be my date?"
Alexis examined the card in her hand. "This is impossible. The Quartermaines would never invite you to the party."
"But they did."
"This is AJ's work, isn't it?" Alexis frowned. "Sonny, don't fall into AJ's trap. Don't let him tempt you into doing something you'll regret. Stay away from the party, and trust me to take care of things."
"AJ didn't invite me to the party. None of the Quartermaines did," Sonny informed Alexis.
"So who did?"
"Rinoa did."
"Rinoa?" Alexis echoed. "As in the guest of honor herself? As in Monica's daughter and AJ's sister?"
Sonny nodded, his smile once again appearing. "Is that such a surprise?"
"Since when did the two of you become such good friends?" Alexis asked suspiciously. "Was it the other night at the Grille?"
"Well, yeah. You know, Rinoa isn't so bad. She, uh, listens. And she said she understood what it meant to want to protect your younger sister. And then she came by the other day and personally invited me to the party," Sonny told Alexis, all the while smiling.
"And you didn't seduce her?"
"Alexis, you know me. I don't… play like that."
"And you didn't threaten her?" Alexis asked for verification.
"Of course not," Sonny answered, the smile never leaving his face. "So, what do you say, Alexis? Will you be my date to the party?"
The smile was contagious, and, before long, Alexis was smiling along with her employer.
*******
General Hospital…"I know him," Rinoa whispered to Courtney. "That guy's some kind of prince, right?" He's more than a prince. He's my little brother.
"That's Nikolas Cassadine," Courtney said wearily. "He's the fiancé of the woman framing me for the hit and run."
"He is?" Rinoa feigned surprise. "Is he involved with the court case, too?"
"Probably," Courtney nodded. Courtney gestured her arms. "His family funds many of the activities at the hospital, so he's often here checking on hospital management."
"I've never met a real prince before," Rinoa told Courtney, a hint of excitement in her voice. But the excitement was not at the thought of meeting real live royalty, but in meeting, for the first time, her little brother. After all, I am a princess in my own right, as I am the true heir to the Cassadine fortune.
"So go introduce yourself," Courtney urged Rinoa. "Who knows? Maybe he'll fall for you and that lying fiancée of his will finally get exactly what she deserves."
This isn't something I would expect from the innocent and pure Courtney.
"Maybe I will," Rinoa said with a grin. I've been wanting to get to know my little brother, anyway. Having a mask to cover my true intentions wouldn't hurt any.
*******
ELQ Office…"So what can I do for you, Mr. Jacks?" Skye said with forced cheerfulness. "What kind of business have you brought to ELQ?"
"What do you think you're doing?" Jax asked as gently as he could.
"Whatever do you mean?" Skye asked innocently. "I'm just doing my job, Mr. Jacks. I'm doing my job as CEO of ELQ, which, you ought to know because you put me here."
"I'm not talking about ELQ," Jax said impatiently. "I'm talking about what Zander told me. I'm talking about what you're doing with scum like Roscoe."
The minute Jax mentioned Zander's name, Skye started chuckling. It was partly out of nervousness, but it was also part of her scheme to buy some time as her mind raced from one idea to the other.
"Well?"
"If you wanted to talk about Roscoe, who's a part of my personal life, and not a part of my business life, Mr. Jacks," Skye said with forced politeness, "then I recommend you seek me out during my personal time, and not during business hours."
"But aren't you leaving the office?" Jax persisted.
"Yes, I am," Skye said, irritated. "In fact, I'm leaving right now to meet with Roscoe. Would you like to come along so that I can personally introduce the two of you?"
"Not really."
"Then," Skye said with a flourish, waving her right hand, "I suggest you drop this conversation because I have no intention in continuing it with you."
Jax frowned. He and Skye were going to have this conversation, whether or not she wanted it. If it weren't now, then it would have to be later. "If we can't talk about it now, then when can we talk about it?" Jax demanded.
"Any time when it's not business hours, and when I'm not busy," Skye retorted. "If you want, you can check with my secretary and see when those times might be."
Jax frowned. "That won't be necessary." Jax ran his hand through his spiked hair. "You are attending the party for Rinoa tonight, aren't you?"
"As long as my family doesn't throw me out," Skye said wryly. "Then, yes, I will be there. Can I expect to see you there, also, Mr. Jacks?"
"And are you taking Roscoe with you?"
"No. Believe it or not, I do have some sense of propriety," Skye said stiffly.
Jax smiled down at Skye. "Well, then, Miss Chandler Quartermaine, I hope we can continue this conversation later during the party."
He's the only one that can say my name like that and send shivers down my back.
"Perhaps," Skye said vaguely. "Shall we go?"
*******
General Hospital…"Miss Lockhart," Nikolas bowed his head slightly. "It's an honor to meet you."
"Yeah, sure," Rinoa chuckled. "A prince is telling me, a nobody, that he's honored to meet me? Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Oh my God… he looks so much like father. It's like looking into a mirror that shows the past. I can't believe I'm finally talking to him… after all this time.
"Well, your mother and Dr. Quartermaine run this hospital," Nikolas said politely. "And they're quite skilled at it."
He's so handsome, so much like my father. Damn Laura Spencer! Why couldn't Nikolas be raised with me? Why couldn't you leave Nikolas with his father?
"Did you receive an invitation to the party tonight?" Rinoa asked nervously. Don't lay it on too thick, Rinoa. Keep this charade much longer and he really will think I'm some sort of giggling twit.
"Of course," Nikolas smiled. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
And some day, I'll tell everyone that I'm a Cassadine and we'll have another party, but this one to celebrate the family that I do love.
Oh, look at Courtney. She's getting a kick out of this. Does she really think I'm in love with Nikolas? Does she hope I'll steal Nikolas from Gia and cause Gia more problem so that Gia's mind won't be focused on the court trial?
"What's so funny?" Nikolas asked. He glanced behind him, but saw nothing peculiar.
"Oh, it's just my friend," Rinoa covered. "She, uh, thought I'd make a total fool out of myself if I'd, uh, walk up to you and strike up a conversation. And, uh, I think she's right so far."
"Hey, I might be a Cassadine prince," Nikolas acknowledged, "but I was, still am, just a normal person just like you and everyone else."
You're more like me than you know, little brother.
*******
Port Charles airport…"How serious is this?" Rae Cummings asked Alan. He had called her earlier in the week, insisting vehemently that she come over to Port Charles to talk to their daughter.
"I'm very worried about Skye," Alan said, despair evident in his voice. "I'm at my wit's end on what to do with her."
"Does she know who this Roscoe character is, Alan?" Rae asked gently, praying for the best. "Maybe Skye had no idea who she was getting involved with."
"She does," Alan said darkly. "Zander swears that Skye knows exactly who Roscoe was, but she accepted his deal regardless."
Rae sighed. Her daughter's life was always filled with misguided decisions.