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Lorenzo walked slowly into his apartment as he took off his suit jacket. He turned on the light and caught a retreating figure out of the corner of his eye before it disappeared into the back. Lorenzo smirked as he made his way towards the bar to pour himself a scotch. He twirled the drink as he sat himself down on the couch he hadn't seen in months.
"You can come out now, Dillon," he said before he downed the contents of the glass in one swallow. He heard the shuffling of discomfited feet and smiled to himself as the young man entered the room.
"Mr. – Mr. Alcazar. You're home," Dillon remarked as he stood off to the side of the couch. Lorenzo merely looked at him for a second.
"Yes, I'm home. Now, I will refrain from asking the obvious question in hopes that you will tell me on your own," he said, leaning forward to place the empty glass on the coffee table. He sat back and looked at the stammering boy expectantly.
"Well – I – We – Jason, Luke and I – we were trying to find you. We knew that Sonny had you and we – we were trying to figure out where. Jason narrowed it down to here in PC, but we needed documentation on all of the possible places you would have been held," he said. Lorenzo nodded.
"Okay, you were looking through my paperwork to find my holdings. I understand that, and it was a smart move. What I don't understand is why Morgan and Spencer would involve you. I understand you're Morgan's cousin," Lorenzo said. Dillon squirmed only slightly under the other man's scrutiny.
"Well, yeah, but – but – It isn't out of the ordinary for me to come here since I've already done stuff for you. If Jason tried to come here, while you were missing, it would have been a little suspicious – especially to Sonny," he said. Lorenzo nodded.
"Again, smart move," he commented. Dillon almost beamed in pride, but then a thought struck him.
"Did – did – uh – Jason find you?" he asked. Lorenzo smiled at the thought.
"No, actually. Morgan did not find me. I was released," he answered. Dillon scratched the back of his head in confusion.
"Released? Why?' he asked, only realizing how insensitive his question was after he'd said it. Lorenzo smiled at the boy's wince, but sobered quickly.
"Because they finished what they'd set out to accomplish," he said.
"Yeah? And what was that? Besides giving you those nasty bruises, of course," he said. The teenager noticed the slightly faraway, pained look come over the older man's face so he let the question slide for the moment as Lorenzo stayed silent.
"Hey! Since they released you, did they release Mrs. Corinthos as well?" Dillon continued unknowingly. This time Lorenzo became more visibly upset. He stood up and walked to the window. Dillon had never seen Lorenzo Alcazar so disconcerted and immediately knew it was bad.
"She's dead," Lorenzo spit out before the boy could ask another question. "They killed her." When he turned, Lorenzo was greeted with a picture of complete shock. When the boy found his tongue again he stammered yet again.
"Oh … oh my God. Do Jason and Luke know that?" he asked.
"At this point, I really don't care what Morgan and Spencer know or don't know," Lorenzo said, bitterness lacing his voice. He walked past the coffee table, picked up his glass, and went to the bar to refill it. Dillon watched wordlessly as Lorenzo finished off another glass of scotch.
"I don't really know what to say. In fact, I've never really known what to say in situations like these," Dillon commented, more to himself than anything. Lorenzo closed his eyes and let the false warmth of the alcohol seep into his body. Dillon stood, watching the international crime lord deal with his emotions internally. All the teenager could do was stay silent and wait to see if the man needed anything. For the next few minutes the penthouse was completely silent. Lorenzo had retreated into himself and was barely aware of Dillon's presence after a while. When the first knock came on the door it startled both men. Lorenzo's eyes focused on Dillon, as if realizing that he was still there.
"Would you mind, Dillon?" he asked. Dillon smiled as he got up. Lorenzo's voice stopped Dillon's hand on the doorknob.
"It's probably Faith. I don't want to see anyone right now … including her. So if you could tell them to leave," he said as he walked back towards the window. The teen nodded.
Dillon opened the door and stopped Lorenzo's chosen words when he saw who was outside. There, alive and well, stood Carly Corinthos flanked by Jason and Luke. Luke was sporting a healthy beginning to a black eye and had a hold of his glaring niece's arm. Dillon looked back to Lorenzo, who'd just turned around and was now staring at the woman he'd thought dead. Luke pushed Carly into the penthouse.
"Here ya go, Alcazar. Have a little hellcat, compliments of me," he said, pushing his niece farther into the apartment and then stepping back so she wouldn't hit him again. Carly turned her head for a split second to narrow her eyes at her uncle, but immediately turned back to Lorenzo.
"I think, maybe, we should leave you two alone," Dillon said, pointing to the door, but still leaning against the desk watching. The love and the need radiating from both Lorenzo and Carly was the stuff from which movies were made.
"Call me when you're ready to be escorted to your mother's, darlin'," Luke drawled as he set a bag down just inside the door and motioned for Jason to follow him out. Dillon noticed that neither Carly nor Lorenzo seemed to hear the other man. It was as if they were frozen, staring at each other, and not minding a bit. Finally, Lorenzo looked over to where Dillon was observing.
"Thank you for your help, Dillon," he dismissed. Dillon shot up straight, causing Lorenzo to smirk lightly at him. Carly had moved closer to Lorenzo as Dillon scrambled for the door.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry," he said quickly. He would have blushed if he'd remembered to, but he didn't. It was far more important to focus on leaving quietly and not ruin the moment. As he closed the door – slowly, of course – he saw that the couple had finally found their way to each other's arms. With a smile, Dillon leaned back against the now-closed door. He couldn't wait to tell Georgie everything! Cary Grant finally had his woman.
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Carly wrapped one of her arms around the man in front of her as she stepped to him.
"Dillon had a few stars in his eyes, I think," she said softly as two hands came up to smooth over the skin of her face. Blue eyes watched her intently.
"I thought you were dead," he almost croaked out. Carly smiled gently as she hugged his waist tighter.
"It takes a little more than a psychotic ex-girlfriend to get rid of me," she joked. His arms finally wrapped around her and pulled her into an embrace.
"I heard the … the gunshot. Sonny … What happened?" he asked. Carly sighed, her cheek against the soft material of his tailored shirt.
"I don't know, honestly. One second I think Sonny is going to shoot me, the next he's making it so that everyone's convinced I'm dead and Max is carrying me to the car. The only explanation for it is that Sonny came to his senses," she said as she tried to forget the fear she felt at her husband holding a gun on her. She lifted her head to look up at him.
"I love you," she said simply. His eyes shone with amusement.
"Had to say it first, didn't you?" he teased before kissing her lightly, his heart lighter than it had ever been. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she molded herself to him when he pulled back.
"If you think you're getting away with that, you're sorely mistaken," she said as she rose on the balls of her feet and pressed her lips to his hungrily. Her heart jumped in satisfaction as his arms wrapped tightly around her and met her passion equally. Without breaking the kiss, Lorenzo leaned down and picked her up. She broke the kiss with a small laugh, her eyes meeting his.
"I love you," he said as one of her hands came up to touch his cheek. She smiled happily as he started walking towards his room.
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Do Not Disturb!
- Hey, I think it's been earned! -
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A phone ringing woke the two bodies on the bed. A slim arm reached across a bare chest to find the offending noise. When she realized that the phone wasn't hers, Carly rolled closer to the man next to her and pressed a small kiss on his lips.
"It's for you," she said, sleep heavy in her voice. One arm pulled her tighter to him as she curled her head on his shoulder and the other took the cell phone from her.
"What?" he asked into the phone – not quite as harshly as he usually did, but not happy either.
"What?!" he asked again, this time frustration finding purchase in his voice. Carly's head popped up at his tone.
"What do you mean she left?! Where?!" he asked, Carly suddenly very interested in Lorenzo's one-sided conversation. 'She' could only mean Sophie.
"Well, you'd better find her! Send someone to London. She may be there – and even if she isn't, then I'm sure there's information as to where she could be," he said.
"Of course I know it's 3:30 in the goddamn morning. You're the one that woke me up, remember? Well, I don't care how you do it. I pay you to do your job, so do it. I expect an update later today. And when I say 'later' I mean much later, understood?" with that, he hung up. Carly yawned as she laid her head back down on her human pillow.
"May I suggest you turn it off?" she asked causing him to chuckle.
"Of course you may suggest. I, of course, will take it under advisement," Lorenzo said as he did so, causing her to laugh quietly. After laying the phone down, he turned back to her, wrapping his arms around her. His hands played with hers for a moment before bringing her left one up for both of them to see.
"You're not wearing your ring," he commented lightly. Carly looked down at the bare finger he was caressing.
"I returned it," she said. "Sonny and I both came to a lot of hard conclusions. He's not going to fight this."
"I would do anything for you," he said softly as he gently pushed strands of her hair back from her face. "I know you love Sonny. If -" Carly stopped him.
"Yes, I love Sonny. A part of me always will. And he will in my life where Leigh is concerned. But we cannot go back. He and I will be lucky to have a friendship after everything," she said. Her arms hugged him closer as she laid her cheek on his chest. "I love you."
"I don't think I will ever tire of hearing that," he said with a smile. She raised her head, smiling back.
"Good, cuz I'll probably say it a lot," she responded, laying her head back down. Her yawn caused him to tighten his hold. Carly smiled, relishing being held by him. Sonny had always enjoyed his space in bed while they slept. It was comforting to know that she was needed even in sleep. With a happy sigh, she settled into the arms that held her.
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~*~ the next afternoon ~*~
" … it was like not even death could keep them apart," Dillon half sighed, half gushed as he sat at one of Kelly's tables. Georgie rolled her eyes before she grinned at her boyfriend's dramatics. A slight clearing of the throat caused the two teenagers to look up. There stood a grinning Carly Corinthos – or Spencer, considering the fortuitous turn of events.
"Such a romantic fool you are, Dillon," she said, her grin widening as Dillon blushed and looked away. Carly winked at Georgie before she leaned down closer to the girl.
"Don't you let this one get away. Romantic fools are hard to come by – they're very rare. So hold on tight," Carly advised the girl and nodded approvingly when the teenager took her boyfriend's hand in hers.
"Just so you know, this is, like, the tenth time he's told me this," Georgie told Carly, causing the older woman to laugh.
"Yep, romantic fool. Who'da thunk it of a Quartermaine?" Carly asked rhetorically before grinning at the couple again and continuing on to the counter where her mother sat.
"Good morning, Momma," she said happily as she sat next to Bobbie. Bobbie turned to grin at her daughter.
"Carly, it's 2:00 in the afternoon!" she said. Carly sighed.
"I know," she said. Bobbie's grin widened.
"And you were supposed to be at my place last night," she said. Carly sighed again.
"I know." This time Bobbie laughed.
"Well, don't keep me in suspense, Carly," she said, leaning closer to her daughter. Carly looked thoughtfully at Bobbie.
"I don't think you're in suspense at all, Momma. I think you know," she said.
"Well, Lord help me if I would like a few details," Bobbie said with a laugh. Carly pretended to be shocked.
"Momma!" she said in mock aghast, a hand coming to her chest.
"Well, your Uncle Luke is a bit upset. He told you to call him," Bobbie said as she sipped from the coffee she had ordered. Carly shrugged.
"Luke's used to disappointment," she commented, causing Bobbie to laugh again.
"It's good to know that this whole situation hasn't changed anything between you two," she said. Carly's eyebrow raised as she took the water the waitress had given her.
"You expected it to?" she asked. Bobbie thought for a second.
"Well … no. I guess not," she admitted. Carly smiled after she took a drink.
"Luke and I … well, we have an unusual relationship. It works for us," she explained. Bobbie nodded.
"Unusual is a bit of an understatement," she added.
"Yeah, well – we love each other. It's just a tough love sort of thing," Carly said.
"The toughest, I guess," Bobbie said with a grin.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Carly grinned back. Bobbie's eyes focused on the door behind Carly, causing her to turn and look as well. Her heart fluttered a bit as Lorenzo's eyes locked on hers.
"Well, this looks serious," Bobbie commented softly to her daughter. Carly smiled.
"Oh, it is. Just not in the way you think," she said.
"What?" Bobbie asked. Carly put a hand on her stomach.
"Butterflies, Momma. Butterflies," she said as she watched him start towards her. It took Bobbie a second to fully understand, but when she saw the happy look on Carly's face she got it.
"That's when you know it's right, Carly," Bobbie whispered. Carly looked at her quickly with a smile before giving her attention fully to Lorenzo as he leaned in for a greeting kiss. He stepped back and looked at Bobbie.
"Would you mind terribly if I stole her for a moment?" he asked. "I'll bring her right back, my word on it." Bobbie made a shooing motion with her hands.
"By all means, please," she said. The two walked out of the restaurant, holding hands.
"See, Cary Grant," Bobbie heard Dillon say to Georgie as they watched the couple walk out. Bobbie couldn't hold the grin in as she picked up her coffee.
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"What's going on?" Carly asked as they stepped outside of Kelly's. Lorenzo turned to her.
"I have to go to South America tonight," he said before looking at his watch. "In about an hour, in fact."
"Oh? Why?" she asked.
"I have some things to finish up in person. A three-month absence will do that. I'll be back late tomorrow night," he said. Carly nodded.
"I'm going to talk to a lawyer tomorrow," she said. Lorenzo looked at her, worried.
"Will you be okay?" he asked. Carly laughed.
"I'll be fine. And don't worry, I won't talk to either Ric Lansing or Alexis Davis. Wow, wouldn't it be fun if I did?" she asked good-naturedly. Lorenzo frowned at the mention of Ric.
"I'll have some guards stay with you," he said. Carly rolled her eyes.
"Between you and Jason, I'm going to have a whole football team watching me," she said. Lorenzo watched her carefully, knowing that she didn't like guards following her around.
"If Morgan has guards on you, then I'll take mine with me," he said. Carly's answering smile was bright.
"Good! I'd feel better if they were with you anyway. You need more protection than I do," she said. Again, Lorenzo frowned.
"But with Sophie missing …" he started.
"Sophie will not be a problem, trust me. She'll have to go through Sonny, Jason and Luke to get to me. And believe me, she won't want to mess with me even is she manages to get that far," she said with a menacing look. Lorenzo chuckled.
"I do trust you. I know you can take care of yourself," he said. Carly grinned.
"Good, now tell me you love me and then you'd better go. Your guard back there keeps checking his watch every two seconds," she said. He grinned back before he leaned down to kiss her.
"I love you," he said after pulling back.
"Well, that's just dandy. Cuz I love you too," she quipped. He laughed before turning and making his way to the limo. With a light heart, Carly turned and went back to join her mother for lunch.
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** A/N – There. A little bit of light, happy fluff moments for all of us that were craving it. How'd y'all like it? More drama to come? You bet your tush there is! Stay tuned! **