Title: Blood, Love, and Honor: The Ties That Bind
Authors: Tamara and Girlfearless
Disclaimer: We don't own it, never will, wish we did!!
Distribution: Fanfiction.net Others: Want. Ask. Take. Have.
Rating: PG-13 for now may go up later.
A/N: This story is being written by two people, so if you want to say anything please just go ahead and click on that pretty little review button at the bottom. We decided not to put our e-mail addresses on here, seeing as how it may get confusing. Thanx.
Feedback: I think we both would appreciate it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Miss. Luciano, I'm sorry to interrupt, but you have an hour before your supposed to meet with your father. You may want to be getting ready." Emily looked up at the man standing over her and smiled gratefully before getting up and leaving the gym that her father added to the grounds of their estate. He had been on edge all week and it finally seeped into her life causing her to run for so long that by the time she was done she could taste the copperish hint of blood in her dry throat.
Emily stepped out of the shower and into her bedroom where she noticed a white pants suit put out on the bed for her, tonight was definitely a business meeting, her father wouldn't think about trying to choose her clothes for her on any other occasion. She dressed quickly, but made sure that she was perfectly put together, from the subdued hair and make up, to strappy heels that she had learned to walk considerably well in. Just because she was in a business full of men didn't mean she had to sacrifice her own fashion sense and dress like them. She took one last look in the mirror before venturing into the lions den. Perfect, she thought before walking out of her room and making her way to her fathers study.
"You're late," she heard someone say behind her, and before she could react they had her around the waist and turned her in their arms. For a split second she considered slamming her knee into her assailants groin, but before she could, she notice a familiar grip on her body and laughed out loud.
"You know Taylor one of these days your going to do that and I'm gonna kick your ass for it," she said as she held on and allowed him to swing her into the air. He was the only person she got to act this way with, to everyone else she was the tough as nails mob princess and heir to the Luciano empire, so she held onto these chances whenever they came around.
"Yeah, right kiddo. First of all you couldn't kick my ass if your life depended on it, and second of all don't you have people to handle that for you?"
"Fine, I'll get one of them to do it," she quipped before becoming serious and wondering what he was doing there. Her father tried not to involve Taylor in the more unsanitary part of the family business unless he had to, the fact that he was coming to a 'business' meeting meant something was definitely wrong. "Do you know what's going on? Who all is here tonight?"
"I got not idea what's going on tonight, kiddo. And as far as I know this is just a family meeting, there were no conspicuous black limos outside when I pulled up."
"Family," she asked completely confused. "They why did he lay out this suit, he only does that when he's in an all work no play kind of mood, and he's only in one of those when there is business to be handled."
"I didn't say there wasn't business, I said I thought it was just the family tonight. There's a difference," he said cryptically as he held open the door to her fathers study for her.
"Do you know what's going on," Emily asked her brother as she stepped through the door behind Taylor.
"I have no idea, I just got a call this morning saying that dad wanted a meeting, I assumed that it was business, but no one else is here," Antonio Luciano responded as he stood up and gave his sister a hug and a kiss on the cheek and pulled her chair out for her.
"Well as Taylor so graciously pointed out, it doesn't have to involve other people to be about business."
"That would explain your presence," Antonio responded as he looked as his cousin and proceeded to give him a hug also. "So where's the bit—umm your sister?"
"Out with one of her 'friends,' she bitched and complained about not being able to come to the meeting, especially since it's about family."
"You tell her Joey didn't get to come either," Antonio asked smiling at his wife's nickname, guys names for girls, he used to hate the idea until he met her, and then he realized how much it suited some women to a T.
"Yeah she made some sort of argument about Joey marrying into it, after the first couple of sentences I just ignored her. I always do when she…"
"Mr. Luciano will be in, in a minute," Taylor, Antonio, and Emily all whipped around in their seats to the sound of the voice coming from the door, Emily could see Antonio begin to reach for his gun before he realized it was just the maid Mrs. Sanchez. None of them even had a chance to respond before she vanished back out the door.
"How the hell does she do that," Emily asked as she sat back in her seat. "I mean ever since we were kids, when dad needed us he just sent her and she always knew. How is that?"
"Secret service," Taylor said only half joking. "I'm pretty sure she worked for them back before she became a maid, you know that's the only government enforcement agency worth shit."
"You know once when I was about ten I was convinced that she was a ghost, so I reached up to touch her. And at that time I was still pretty short so I ended up hitting her ass, she swung around and backhanded me so quick I thought my head was gonna fall off," Antonio said and noticed the strange look on his sister and cousin's face. He just raised his shoulders as if he had no idea why they were looking at him as if he'd grown a third head.
"You'd think that would have taught the boy, but to this day his still smacking women on their asses and thinking it's a term of endearment," Vincent Luciano said from the door way. When the three of them turned around as started to get up he just waved his hand to tell them there was no need and walked around to the other side of his desk. "Speaking of women having to deal with you, how it that beautiful wife of yours doing?"
"Married," Antonio quipped. "And to your son, so don't even think about it old man. Find a woman of your own."
"I'm working on it," he replied under his breath. Only Emily heard him and she began to wonder what he was up to. He hadn't stayed with another woman since her mother, she wasn't stupid, she knew there were other women, but none of them were there longer than a night maybe two. And usually he slipped out with them in the morning, probably for her and her brother's benefit, even though it was totally unnecessary.
"What's going on here dad? You call us together, for business no less, and invite Taylor. What makes you think you just get to…"
"I just get to what?" He asked, his temper raising somewhat. "What makes me think I get to call for the presence of people who are not only my family, but also my employees; or what makes me think I get to do so without asking your permission. You forget young lady I'm still alive, and I haven't retired yet so therefore I still run this family."
"I know Papa," she whispered regretfully, she was completely ashamed that she had just talked to her father like that, and the fact that he had reprimanded her in front of Antonio and Taylor. "You have to understand though, for a week you have been acting very odd, and I'm worried. I just want to know what's happening."
"I know little one," he responded sitting down and looking them all three in the eyes before starting. "I have something the three if you need to know, but first I want to explain why I asked only you here. This is about business, I didn't lie to you, but it's also about family and I didn't want anyone else to be involved, which is also why I went ahead and called Taylor. Now I know you don't usually like being involved and the less 'legit' parts of the business and I respect that, actually I encourage it, someone in the family needs to stay clean and your sister just doesn't seem to care who or what she hurts with her actions so counting on her to do so it out of the question…"
"I know Uncle Vincent, I'm really sorry for her behavior," Taylor said apologetically.
"There is no need for you to apologize for her son, she is family and the fact that you haven't yet washed your hands of her is completely respectable. But back to the problem at hand, I'm going to tell you all why I called this meeting and this one time and one time only you have my permission to defy me. Taylor obviously you always have that right, though you have yet to exercise it, but Toni and Emily, for the first time since I gave you the choice of getting involved in this business, I'm giving you a chance to say no. If you want it I expect you to take it."
"We won't," Antonio, said automatically voicing his opinion and allowing his loyalty to show, Taylor's agreement came not far behind and when Emily didn't answer he smiled secretly to himself. Always the stubborn one, he thought as he looked at her, the perfect copy of her mother, except for the fact that Emily had developed a little more coldness at and earlier age. Something he would be forever sorry for.
"And you little one," he asked already knowing how she would answer, it was the way any good businessman—or woman apparently, would answer.
"I thought we were supposed to decide after we heard what you had to say," she replied coolly, know he was testing her a fully ready and able to stand up to the challenge.
"Fair enough," he said as he shook his head. "I'll get straight to the point then, the Sokolov's have apparently made their way to Port Charles, New York and we are going there to take them down."
"Why now," Emily asked automatically, it wasn't that she didn't have some interest in the idea, but since she was seventeen and matter her little—okay big mistake came up, her father had been against going after them unless they had more support…Unless they had more support, of course. "Who?"
"Who what," Antonio asked completely confused as to where that question came from.
" A friend of Luke Spencer's," Vincent replied, ignoring his son's question and knowing that he and Taylor would soon catch one. "Luke says he's very trust worthy and I've heard around that he's very honorable, like the don's used to be, back before the young, greedy men took over. His name is Sonny Corinthos."
Emily nodded she had heard the name before, and decided instantly that she was going along with whatever her father had planned, not that she wouldn't have anyway. She had never before disobeyed her father and starting now wasn't in the cards, but with someone as powerful as they were on their side, taking down the Sokolov's would be considerable easier. She looked to her father to continue on, maybe get some background, but she noticed the look on his face that said he wasn't done with the surprise. "What else is there," Emily asked and by this point Taylor and Antonio had caught up to the previous question and just by looking at Vincent's eyes knew that this one also needed to be asked.
"There's something you should know," he said bracing for what he knew was to come. Taylor would take it well, he took everything well. Antonio would be angry at being lied to, but would quickly understand. It was Emily that was the problem, if she stayed angry for too long it would easily seep over into business, and with this much of his family at stake Vincent wasn't about to take chance. "Before I met your mother, there was another woman, Bobbie Spencer. We thought we were in love—we were in love, but my father didn't think she would be suitable and at that time I was still young enough not to argue with him, so I broke up with her, but not in time. She was pregnant, we decided that since there was no way for us to be together at the time no one should know I was the father, I didn't want her in danger. She was a…prostitute for a while and she could use that as a cover for who the father was. A couple of months later I was introduced to your mother, we were quickly engaged and married and then Antonio was born. But there is something you must understand I always loved your mother with all of my heart, there was never a time when I didn't want her completely."
"And your other child," Antonio asked for the first time in his life too stunned to be angry. "Is it—I mean did she have a boy or a girl?"
"A girl, her name is Caroline Leigh, they call her Carly. She's twenty-eight and lives in Port Charles. I've checked up on her all of her life, it's been tough for her at times, but she's done well with herself, and Luke has made a great surrogate father."
"He would," Emily said absently. "I remember him from mom's funeral, he seemed…entertaining, but I don't remember a sister. Did mom know? Does Carly know? God, how could you leave your own child?"
"Yes, your mother knew, we had no lies. No, Caroline doesn't know, and I don't know baby. I was young and stupid and by the time I realized what I had done it was too late."
"Too late," she questioned annoyed. "If it was too late then, what is it now? I assume your going to Port Charles with us, and that you are going to tell her, so what do you expect to get from this?"
"Nothing," he replied quietly and made Emily almost want to back down, he looked too tired to have this argument. "I just though maybe the three of you would like to get to know her. Emily, it's been a while since you've had another female around, with the exception of Adrianna whom I don't want you to be like. And now Joey, but I think you still need that blood connection. Taylor and Toni, I know how much you love Emily and have been protective of her and I would like for Caroline to have the same opportunity."
"And what if…What if she doesn't want that connection," Antonio asked voicing everyone's concerns. "What if she sees us as the enemy? Are we just supposed to accept that, losing another person we are connected too, did you think about any of these things over the years? Would you even have told us, if we didn't have to deal with Sonny Corinthos and Luke Spencer?"
Emily looked over at her brother and knew in that moment that they had no choice but to agree with what their father wanted, he had been right about one thing at least, Carly definitely deserved to know Antonio. To most people he was cold and ruthless, but if any of them could see him now, or see him with his daughter, or even Joey for that matter, they would have to understand. He was what most women wanted and needed the men in their lives to be. And Taylor, wonderful Taylor, who still held onto and loved his sister no matter how much he know it was a lost cause. He would give this family—his family everything and never once wonder what he got out of it. Lastly there was her father, the man until a moment ago she believed could do no wrong, even though she knew who and what he was. Even though she knew how he and his father had gained the empire she now stood to inherit.
"It doesn't matter," she said her resolve suddenly strengthening. "We have to make her see that we are going to do right be there this time, that we aren't the enemy and she deserves what this family has to give just as much, maybe even more than the rest of us do. This—going to Port Charles is about family, it's personal, which means it has to be handled in that way. We can't screw up and make a mistake we have to have a united front or the Sokolov's will take not only our family down, but also the Spencer's and Corinthos' and I won't have us being the reason they fall."
"Emily's right," Taylor said as he slowly slid his hand from the arm of his chair to the arm of hers and held onto her hand. "We have to stand together."
"Yeah. I agree," Toni said as he repeated Taylor had already done, taking a hold of Emily's other hand.
"Good," Vincent whispered to himself more than anyone else. "We leave tomorrow to go to Port Charles. Taylor I need you to make sure that Adrianna understands that she has no choice and she must come with us. Toni, you have a choice to make, I would like Joey to come with is, it will probably be easiest for her to talk with Carly, and I don't think she would let you go alone anyway. I know you two don't keep secrets so tell her whatever you see fit to; also, you need to decide if you want Charlie to come with us. I love my granddaughter and don't want her hurt, but I'm not sure how much I would trust her to be here without us."
"No, I want her with me," Toni said for the first time in his life almost regretting coming into this business. When he started in this business he wasn't planning on ever getting married, he'd seen how his father handled his moms death and didn't want to ever have to go through that, but here he was, married with a beautiful little girl and scared for the first time in his life of loosing a woman who wasn't related to him by blood.
"I agree," Emily said interrupting her brother's train of thought. "Both of them should be with us, and anyway Charlie will love Luke, they are about the same age emotionally anyway."
Everyone in the room laughed at the joke and Vincent stood up and straightened his jacket to signal that business was over. As Toni, Taylor and Emily were about to leave he stopped them with one last thought. "I would have told you. I mean I had planned on telling you about Carly; it's just that since your mother's death the timing has never been good. I—I'm sorry."
"We know papa," Emily said as she walked over and gave her father a hug and then left with her brother and Taylor.
"God, please don't let me loose them. I know I made the choice to let them into this business, but don't take them away from me now, not because of my sins. Toni never really had a choice, I love the boy, but he's been good at one things his whole life, protecting his little sister. And he is going to be great at it when I'm gone. And Taylor has lost so much and only gained an annoyance that he can't seem to wash his hands of, he has been incredibly loyal to me, to this family, to my daughter who seems to inspire it in everyone. My sweet little girl, who is nowhere near as sweet as she could be, she's been through a lot and lost more. Don't let this end bad for her. Please, God, if this turns out bad, let it be for me. Let me suffer, not those that I love. Keep Emily, Toni, Taylor, Joey, Charlie, Carly and even Adrianna safe. I know that you don't like revenge, buy my life calls for me do to this, for them to do this, for once let us win without taking something more important away."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~