Thank you to everyone who has replied so far...you have been more than generous to my first time Fanfic!!! I have to say I could get used to this...your replies are great motivation (LOL)
Chapter Three Niagara Falls
It had been late morning when Carly and Michael had left Port Charles on the first bus out of town. They rode for most of the day; just going where the bus took them for Carly had no clear destination in mind. They got off just as the sun was setting and Carly checked them into a Holiday Inn, which she had chosen only because of it's close proximity to the bus station. She put Michael to bed right away and crawled in beside him hoping that sleep would come quickly.
It was hunger that brought her unwillingly back to life the next day. They had not paused for food the day before; save to grab Michael a sandwich, so by morning Carly's stomach had begun to register loud protests.
After breakfast, they returned to their room and Carly decided to read Michael his favorite book, hoping it would ease the transition to his new surroundings. Within minutes Michael, still exhausted from their journey the day before, fell fast asleep in her lap.
As the silence drifted over her…so too did the feelings of sadness and grief. Since she had moved into the Penthouse, she had brought Sonny nothing but herself. She had been nothing but herself with him, she had opened her soul to him as well as her body, and after a while had trusted him to see her whole and cherish her frailties. She had feared opening up like that but for those few perfect days, she thought it had been worth it.
Weeks Earlier – The Island
"Oh God, Sonny" Carly gasped as they fell back together on the lounge, her head falling naturally to rest on his chest.
There was no response from her partner, save the gentle sigh of his breathing. After a moment, though, she felt a sort of subterranean vibration, which she could only interpret as amusement. She raised her head and looked at him with her eyebrow raised in question.
He chuckled softly, "Not quite Carly, but thank you for thinking so highly of me."
"Ha!" Carly retorted as she smacked him on the chest with her fist. "For a good Catholic boy, you sure have a sinfully huge ego! I was here to, you know?"
"Believe me…I know," he whispered in a raspy tone as he brushed her hair away from her eyes and pulled her into a tighter embrace, each movement sending shivers down her spine. They remained that way for some time. Not talking, not making love, just breathing the same air and enjoying the feel of their arms around one another.
"Sonny," Carly said at last, running her hand across his chest. "I don't think I've ever felt quite so…" she trailed off as she searched for the right words to explain the incredible feelings she was experiencing.
He rolled on his side, shifting his weight so as not to hurt her, and lifted himself so that they were face to face. "Me neither," he said, leaning in to place a lingering kiss on her lips, which were still tingling from their earlier lovemaking. "It's not just the sex, is it?"
He drew back a little, his dark, passionate eyes looking down at her. "No," she said, reaching out to pull him back to her. "It isn't…but…"
He smiled down at her, his eyes flashing wickedly in the dark night, "But…it doesn't hurt, right?" His dimples flashed as he leaned in for another searing kiss, "Well Miss Benson…care to try again?"
The tears slid once more, hot and wet down her cheeks, as she mourned for what they had had and for what she had become, with him.
He had said he needed her because of what they had shared, the hopes they had, the loss, he understood how I felt and he understood me. It was the first time in her life that Carly had felt truly needed. As she stared out the window to the street below, she knew she would never feel it again.
A car backfiring across the street snapped her out of her reverie. She shook her head as if the action would rid her of all thoughts of Sonny. She had to move on, she knew that much. It was the only possible way to prove to herself that she wasn't what he had said she was…
"Well, Mr. Man," Carly whispered to Michael who was sleeping peacefully in her lap, "I don't think there's any way around it, your Momma's gonna have to get a job."
Being careful not to wake her son, Carly opened the newspaper she had purchased earlier and turned to the want ads. This shouldn't be too difficult…there must be plenty of people out there just waiting with bated breath to hire someone with absolutely NO experience. Tears began to fill her eyes once more as her determination began to fail her again. Maybe she had done the wrong thing, there way no way she could really do this, she should have stayed in Port Charles. For what? a voice shouted bitterly in her head.
"For WHAT?" she asked the empty room.
Michael squirmed in her lap, bringing her back to reality once more. She looked down at her son, so peaceful and innocent in his slumber. Carly gathered him close in her arms, placing a kiss on his forehead to comfort and calm him.
"Everything's gonna be okay, Michael, your Momma promises she'll do anything to make sure of that." Glancing back down at the ads in front of her, she sighed and resigned herself to the tedious task ahead.
The Penthouse
Sonny stared down at the letter in front of him…his face a mask concealing his emotions. He stood for several minutes just reading and re-reading the letter.
His mind was racing a mile a minute. Slow down, concentrate. He had to find her…and soon. Had she meant what she said in the letter? Could he afford not to believe what was right in front of him, what had been right in front of him from the beginning?
"DAMMIT Carly!" he shouted, startling Bobbie, "why did you have to start running again?"