At the Spencer's
Luke, Laura, Lucky, Em and Lulu are in the living room. Lucky and Em are playing with Lulu as Luke and Laura watch. "Hey princess, wanna stay for dinner?", Luke asks Emily. Emily turns and looks at Luke slyly. "Who's cookin'?", she asks with a grin as Laura laughs. "Now Emily, are you insulting my cookin'?", Luke says with a grin. Emily laughs at him as he gives her a hurt puppy expression. "You call dialing out for Chinese cooking? I'll stay anyway to make sure you don't cramp your finger dialing.", she says with a grin. Teasing Luke Spencer always made her happy. She hated the way he was when Lucky was missing. It was like watching your own father self-destruct before your eyes.
"Don't worry Em, you're safe. Mom made Dad swear that he wouldn't go in the kitchen unless she was with him.", Lucky says smiling. Laura laughs as she gets up and heads for the kitchen to prepare the dinner. "How does chili sound?", Laura calls out from the kitchen. She gets a chorus of "Yes!" from the living room. Emily gets up and heads for the phone. "I gotta call home and tell everyone that I'll be here for dinner, not that anyone would care.", Emily says to herself. Luke and Lucky frown behind her back. Luke notices that she's walking funny. "Darlin', you okay? You're walkin' kinda funny.", Luke says, worry in his voice. Emily stops dead in her tracks and turns around nervously.
"Oh its all right, gym class has been brutal. I think my teacher has it in for me.", Emily says brightly. A little too brightly. Luke and Lucky frown at her. "What, are they preparing you for war now?", Luke asks with a smile. Emily just smiles and turns around to pick up the phone. After a few rings, someone picks up the line. "Quartermaine residence.", the voice says. Emily smiles into the receiver. "Hey Reginald! Could you tell my parents that I'm having dinner with the Spencers?", she asks hopefully. "Sure, no problem, but Cook is gonna be mad at you!", Reginald says. "Should I pick you up later?", he asks. Emily turns and gets Lucky's attention. "Hey Lucky, can you take me home later?", Emily asks with a hopeful grin. "No problem", Lucky says while playing with Lulu. "Lucky's gonna take me home later. Thanks anyway. Later.", Emily says hanging up the phone. So started the beginning of a fun night.
"Lucky! I can't believe you ate so much chili! I'm surprised you can stand!", Emily says as they head down a path on the Quartermaine Estate. Lucky just shrugs. "The chili was good. It reminds me of the chili you said your mom used to make.", he says. Emily smiles at the memory of her late mother's special chili. "Yeah, it did.", she says. They rest of the walk to Emily's front door is spent in comfortable silence. "Well, this is my stop. I'll see you tomorrow Lucky. Call me when you get home.", Emily says as she hugs him good-bye. "Sure thing Em. Bye.", Lucky says as he watches her open her fornt door.
Emily quietly walks up the steps and goes to her bedroom and closes the door softly. Her room is bathed in moon-light but its still dark in some places. As Emily sheds her jacket and her shoes, she trips over a broken figurine and her happy smile falters. *Lucky gave that to me* As Emily leans down to pick up the ceramic clown, she pulls back in pain, reminding her of all she wished to forget. She pulls back and the tears begin to fall, all that she kept at bay all day.
Emily winces as she pulls her black turtleneck over her head. Harsh moonlight illuminates the many bruises that cover her chest, torso and arms. She avoids looking at herself as she begins to take her hair out of its ponytail, but a harsh voice stops her dead.
"Where the hell have you been all day Em? I missed you, did you miss me?", the voice asks. Emily begins to cry in earnest now. Her nightly torment has begun.
Chapter 3
The harsh light of day shined on Emily's as she squinted at the Sun. She leaned over and stared at her alarm clock. The glowing numbers seem to mock her. Sighing, Emily turns over and winces. Fresh bruises are visible on her arms, chest and legs as she moves from under the covers. Another day in the sad life of Emily Bowen-Quartermaine has begun.
Meanwhile
The rest of the Quartermaine clan are assembled in the family room eating breakfast. On a Saturday. You'd think with all the fighting they did, they'd want to stay away from each other whenever possible, but no one can say "No" to Lila Quartermaine. She looks around the table as Carly walks in the room, with Michael on her hip. "Goodmorning dear. How are you this morning?", Lila asks as Carly places Michael in his playpen. Carly smiles at the Quartermaine matriarch. "I'm fine Lila. You?", Carly asks with a genuine smile. She always liked Lila. She was probably the only Quartermaine that actually liked her, except Jason, but he wasn't one of them anymore.
While this goes on AJ barely glances at his wife and child as he gets up from the table and heads for the door. "AJ, where are you going?", Lila asks. AJ turns around and smiles. "I have to go to the office, Grandmother. ELQ business.", he says as he walks away. Edward beams at his little protege. "That's my boy AJ, got business on the brain unlike Ned, that leather pants wearing......", Edward trails off. Suddenly, Lila notices something. "Where's Emily? Didn't she wake up yet? She's supposed to meet Lucky today.", Lila says , worriedly. Alan and Monica roll their eyes. "She meets Lucky everyday.", they say in unison which got Edward going again. "I don't know why you let my granddaughter anywhere near that....", Edward didn't get to finish his train of thought as Lila interrupted him. "Oh, hush up Edward! Lucky Spencer is a dear young man. Carly, would you be a dear and go see if she's awake yet?", Lila asks.
Carly sighs. She and Emily didn't get along, but Lila was the one asking. "Sure thing. I left one of Michael's toys upstairs. Carly leaves the room and climbs the stairs, headed for her son's room. Then she hears a pipe running in the distance. *Maybe that's her. I'll just tell her Lila wants her and leave.* Carly heads toward Emily's room and turns the knob on her door. Emily's bed is unmade and you can see the door ajar that leads to her private bathroom. *Her room looks like a hurricane hit it*. Carly steps over the rubble and pushes the door into the bathroom. What she sees made her wish she hadn't.
Emily is standing in front of the mirror in a tank top and shorts, all her bruises visible to the naked eye. So captivated by her distorted reflection, she doesn't know that anyone is watching her until she hears a gasp. She jerks around to see Carly staring at her, mouth covered, disbelief evident on her face. "What the hell happened to you?", Carly asks, afraid of the answer she might get. Carly and Emily may not get along, but that couldn't come into play for this. Emily was beaten so bad that she was sure something had to be sprained or broken.
Emily closed her eyes and cursed herself for not locking the door. "Nothing happened Carly. Don't you know how to knock? I had a rough day in gym yesterday. Go away!", she says angrily. Carly just shakes her head, dismissing everything Emily just said. "That's a lie Emily. What happened to you?", she ask again, forcefully. That really pissed Emily off. "How do you know I'm lying Carly? What, are you spying on me. I told you. I got roughed up in gym. Now get out!", Emily says, slamming the door in Carly's face. Carly is stunned as she stares blankly at the door in her face. She snaps out of it then turns around, stumbling over the stuff in her way. She blindly makes her way downstairs and heads for the door. Lila's voice halts her. "Carly dear, are you all right? Is Emily awake?", Lila asks concerned.
Carly turns and stares Lila blankly, then snaps out of her stupor. "Oh, I'm fine. Emily is taking a bath. I just remembered something that I had to do. Excuse me.", Carly says already opening the front door. *Jason will know how to fix this. He has to.*
Chapter 4
Carly Quartermaine made her way towards the docks, hardly knowing where she was going. Her thoughts whirled in her head like angry bees in a hive. "What the hell is going on with Emily?", Carly thinks to herself. They never got along, but the underlying hopelessness in Emily's eyes struck a chord in her. Carly looked up to find herself in front of Corinthos/Morgan Distributors.
"Hey Jase?! You here?", Carly calls out. All she gets are blank stares from some of the workers and an angry mobster. Sonny Corinthos walked out of his private office, Renaldo behind him (Yes, he's still alive in my universe.) to see her yelling at the top of her lungs. "What the hell is the matter with you Carly? Quartermaine's driving you crazy already?", Sonny says with an evil grin. Sometimes he couldn't believe how nuts she was. He sometimes wonders if Jason was right to get her out of Fernclif in the first place. For all the trouble she was, he should have just left her there. Carly barely glances at Sonny and looks past him to Renaldo.
"Renaldo, is Jason here?", she asks, more calm than she felt. Renaldo glances at her with a blank expression on his face, but can't answer before Sonny speaks. "Obviously, he's not here. If he was, he'd have shut you up already. What's got you in a tizzy anyway?", he asks, not really caring. AJ probably bought her a smaller diamond than she wanted or something. Carly was in no mood for their usual arguing. "Damn it Sonny! Where is he?!", she yells. "I need to talk to him NOW!"
By this time, everyone in the warehouse was watching the blond yell at their boss with interest. Sonny noticed their stares and dragged her by the arm into his office and slammed the door, Renaldo standing guard. "What do you need Jason for? Haven't you screwed his life up enough? What fraud are you perpetrating now?", he asks angrily. "God Sonny, this isn't about me!", she says, in no mood for a 'Carly is bad' lecture. Sonny just smiles and leans back in his chair, amused. It was always about Carly, no matter what she said. "Who is it about then?", he asks, deciding to amuse her. Carly just says one word. "Emily"
This grabs Sonny's attention better than anything else she could have ever said. Sonny loved Emily just almost as much as her brother did, which was a lot. Jason may be quiet, but when he was around Emily, you could see the love shine in his eyes. No one messed with her. No one. Sonny leaned forward in his chair to face Carly, eye to eye. "If you know what's good for you, you'll leave Emily Quartermaine out of whatever plan you've got in that crazy head of yours.", he says, all trace of amusement gone from his voice. "Jason does not take kindly to anyone threatening his sister, even you. He may look over your daring schemes and even get you out of some, but if you hurt Emily in any way, I'd hate to be there when he snaps", Sonny says coldly. Carly just sighs. "I know Sonny. That's why I need to see him. I told you, its not about me", she says quietly getting up to leave. "Look, I know you hate me, but if he comes here, tell him I gotta see him.", Carly says as she walks out the door.
Sonny motions for Renaldo to come into his office. "Yeah Boss.", Renaldo says. He heard the yelling from outside and whatever Carly's planning is falling down around her ears. It has to be for her to use Emily Quartermaine's name. "Get Jason on the phone. Tell him to stay at his penthouse. I have to see him.", Sonny says as he watches Carly walk down the dock from his window. "Tell him that Carly is up to something."
Lucky and Emily are walking through the park. Its nice and warm outside, but Emily is dressed like she's waiting for a blizzard. Lucky notices this and comments on it. "Hey, are you okay Em? You're dressed like you're freezing. Should I take you home?", Lucky asks, concerned about her. "NO!...I mean its okay Lucky. I just think I'm getting a cold that's all. I just dressed like this to protect me from getting a bad one.", Emily says with a hopeful smile. Lucky nods, but is still worried. *Something is not right with this picture*
As they walk, they see Carly walking in the distance and Emily freezes in her tracks. *Damn. I hope Lucky doesn't see her. Too late* When Lucky came back, he and Carly formed a tentative relationship, which was slowly blossoming. "Hey Carly. What's up?", he asks. He knows that she and Emily don't get along but he liked her anyway. She had that Spencer Spirit. Carly walks up to them and studies them warily. Lucky looks at her smiling, but Emily is concentrating on her shoe laces. "Hey Lucky, Can I talk to Emily alone for a second?", Carly asks. Lucky just shrugs. "I'll go get us some snow cones over there.", Lucky says, motioning to the vendor in the distance. "No cat fights ladies.", he says as he strolls away.
Emily stares at Carly warily, but goes to the benches to sit with her. Carly sits next to Emily and watches as Emily tries not to look at her. "Look, it doesn't take a genius to know that you don't like me and I accept that Emily. I know you lied to me.", Carly says. Emily glares at Carly, ready to yell at her, but Carly motions for her to keep quiet. "Listen if you don't tell me what's really on then I'm gonna have to tell your brother.", Carly says, laying all her cards on the table. Emily looks at her with naked fear in her eyes, letting her mask drop for a second. "Please Carly, leave it alone. Nothing is wrong don't tell my brother anything. There's nothing to tell.", Emily says imploringly. Carly is visibly shaken by the fear in Emily's voice and doesn't notice anyone walking up to them until Lucky is right in front of them, staring at them oddly.
"What's the matter with you two?", he asks, holding three snow cones in his hands. "Here Carly, I got you a snow cone. Its grape.", Lucky says handing it to her. Carly blindly takes it from Lucky and murmurs a 'thank you' as she stares at Emily, who is studiously avoiding her gaze. Lucky notices this. "What's the matter Em?", Lucky asks. Emily looks up at him with a bright smile. "Oh, I was just asking Carly not to, um, redo Michael's room. He really loves those little airplanes.", Emily says with a small laugh. Lucky looks at Emily, clearly not believing her. Carly just narrows her eyes and gets up.
"Thanks for the snow cone Lucky, I gotta get back to the mansion.", Carly says, lying to him. "See ya later Emily.", Carly says, her eyes letting Emily know that the conversation wasn't over. Her nerves were becoming frazzled. She needed a drink. They part ways, Carly headed for Luke's, Lucky and Em headed for the swings. Emily stared at Carly as she faded into the distance. Lucky notices that and continues to worry. "You know you can tell me anything, right Em?", Lucky asks, trying to get her attention. Emily turns to face him and pastes a bright smile on her face. "Yeah, I know. There's nothing to tell.", Emily says, dragging him over to the swings. "Let's play."
Luke Spencer is behind the bar at his club, looking over the books as Claude reads a newspaper. Its early in the day, so he is surprised when he hears someone walk through the door. He's even more surprised when he sees who it is. "Why Caroline, what brings you here?", Luke asks with a smile. He loved getting under that girl's skin. It was too easy some time. Carly rolls her eyes, not in the mood. "Cool it uncleLuke. I need a drink.", she says, Clearly pissed off. Luke stares at her. "If you're gonna have an attitude like that, go somewhere else.", he says. "You sound like your husband when he was still a lush"
Carly, clearly not in the mood for any kind arguing, let it slide. Even though she hated AJ, she would defend him in public to keep up the charade. "Have you seen Jason lately? I really need to talk to him.", she says. Luke smiles at her.*So that is why she's here* Luke pours her a drink as she sits up at the bar. "Hey Claude, did you check the newest shipment of booze?", he asks. Claude, knowing he wants to annoy his niece in private, leaves to go to the storeroom in the back. "Thanks man.", Luke says. Carly swallows the drink in one gulp amazing Luke.*I don't even know why I care about her. She hates my guts*
Luke looks at her as she motions for another drink. Then another and another. In no time at all, shn' her.", Carly says.
Luke snaps to attention. "I don't think I heard you right. Did you say someone was beating Emily? Emily Quartermaine?", Luke asks forcefully. This snaps Carly out of her liquor induced stupor like a bucket and she realizes what she just said. Carly pales visibly as Luke looks at her with anger in his eyes. "Oh my God. Uh, no I didn't say that. I gotta go", Carly says rushing out of the club, leaving a confused Luke in her wake. Then it made sense.
The turtlenecks and sweaters in eighty degree weather. The look she had in her eyes when she thought no one was looking at her. Her too bright smiles when asked about her health. "Someone is beating Emily Quartermaine.", Luke says to himself, with tears in his eyes.
End chaper 4
