~@~@ Complicated Ch. 20

I Disclaim

~~~

Juan checked his watch, as he headed toward Sonny's penthouse. He had three hours before he had to meet Edward at the Grille for lunch, to 'talk over old times'. What a laugh, the old man never liked him, had even tried to have him deported, til the old goat realized that Puerto Rico was part of the U.S. No, the only thing Edward wanted to discuss with him was ridding Emily of her newest charity case. " Don't think that way, be positive."

He stopped on the docks, and looked out onto the water, trying to do as he told himself, but it was useless. There was not a doubt in his mind that the new guy in Emily's life was trouble of some kind, they always were, hell even he was a runaway pickpocket when they met. Emily was a diehard optimists, she looked at a clouds, and saw rainbows. Juan smiled at his thought of her, a true diamond in the rough, she had no idea how great she really was, and how much he had missed her, their short emails and yearly birthday cards just weren't enough.

" What the Hell are you doing back?"

Juan turned toward the angry question, and shook his head sadly at the sight. Zander Smith, god how he hated that guy, it was just because he moved in on Emily, it was … well everything about him. His hair, his clothes, his non-existent personality, he still couldn't actually see what Emily had ever seen in him. She had said, that he and Zander were a lot alike, but he thought it was a line. " Zander, good to see you, out on parole?"

" I asked you a question?"

" And I ignored, you see it's none of your business why I'm here." Juan looked past, and gave a small smile to the women. " Hello Elizabeth."

" Juan." Her voice held no emotion, but he knew she was hiding her dislike, she like most people in town never like him, but that was fine with him. Elizabeth Webber was in his opinion, a 'fair weather friend', he couldn't remember her ever helping Emily, expect for the occasion with Dead Ted fiasco, and even then he suspected she was only helping to get close to Lucky.

" It's a pleasure to see you again." Juan noticed how, Zander took a predatory step toward her, and became intrigued. " I don't remember you liking Zander, strange that you'd be spending time with him."

 "Things have changed, since you were last here Santiago."  Zander's face tightened, and he put an arm around Liz's shoulders, daring the other man to speak.

" Oh my." The puzzle snapped together in his head, causing Juan to laugh out loud." You two, oh man, her ex and her best friend, well not her best friend, that was always Lucky, but still this must have been tough for her to swallow, I bet she didn't speak to you for weeks after you told her." The pair looked away, and the other man laughed again even louder then the first time." You're kidding, you didn't tell her, you let her find out on her own?" " That's a mistake, Emily doesn't do lies well, and omission is the biggest lie in her book, I bet she hates both of you know, right?"

" That's not true." Elizabeth sputtered, but Juan cut her off with a look.

" Please, I know you liked to believe that I didn't know Emily at all, but I do know her well enough to know that something's are just beyond scared to her, and love is one of them, when you abuse her love she cuts ya dead, like you never existed in her life."

" Like she did to you, after you constantly cheated on her."

Rolling his eyes, he chuckled to himself." Okay, one it wasn't constantly, I don't want to sound like Ross, but we were on a break so the girl on the couch didn't count, and two Emily forgave me a long time ago, and in fact…" Juan stopped when he heard the faint ringing of his cell phone, he gave quickly turned it on, and smiled at the couple." Hey Em, I was just thinking about you." He listened intently, enjoying the look of pain on Zander's face as he did so. " Well, because I'm standing on the docks where we first kissed getting misty eyed." " I think to get that information, you're going to have to buy me breakfast?" " Great meet you there in twenty." He hung up the phone, and let a blinding smile slide across his face." Well, it's been fun catching up, I'd invite you to breakfast, but…Hell who I'm kidding I don't like either one of you people." That said, he gave the stunned pair a nod, and headed off toward Kelley's.

~~~

" I don't even know why I'm meeting you." Taggert looked at the other man with barely contained disgust.

" Because, you know that no matter what goes down between us, I'm better then what's trying to move in here."

Marcus rubbed his head, and glared. " Only slightly."

" Slightly?" The other man's laugh was mirthless." This guy been here for sneaking around for four months, and the crime rate has doubled, and neither you and PCPD nor myself and Jason can handle this on our own. " " Besides what are you upset about, it's not like you won't try to use this against me later on, and I'm expecting it, so once we get rid of this guy you can go back to harassing me."

" I'm holding you to that, now what do you know about this boat thing?"

" I know that the most dangerous thing on board was an antique musket, and that everything was fine, when they stopped at the Port Authority, which means…"

" That whoever killed them either snuck on when the boat was docked, or was already part of the original crew and was a rat."

" They got on during when they docked, I talked to my man, he eight men, and we got eight men in the morgue."

" And I don't suppose I can get the name of this man?"

" Nice try, and no, you can't." " I got people asking questions, and I have no leads so far, but I be in touch when I get something."

" I'll be waiting with baited breath." Taggert said as he rolled his eyes, and walked away from the other man.

" Have a nice day, detective." Sonny said watching his temporary partner, walk back toward his squad car. If he and Taggert didn't stop this person soon, Port Charles was in for a world of hurt. 

~~~

Somewhere over New York

Angel waited impatiently as the phone rung, when her partner finally picked up, she didn't mince words." Be at the Caves in a hour, and make sure you're not followed." She hung, and looked out at the city below her, a small smile touching he lips in a few days, the entire city would be hers, and Emily Quartermaine would be dead. " It's going to a be a good week."

~~~

" Juan Santiago, it's been too long." Emily leaned down, and kissed his cheeked, before taking the seat in front of him.

" Emily, you look wow…" " I don't even know what to say."

 " 'Hi Emily' works for me."

" Hi Emily, you do really look great."

" So do you." And he did, the cute boy she once loved, had developed nicely into a handsome man," I hear congratulations are in order, up for three Latin Grammy's?"

" It's four, but there's no need to keep count." He said as he looked down hand and blew on his nails, buffing them on his leather duster. 

" Jerk, still conceited I see." Emily balled up a napkin and threw it at him.

" Hey." Juan held up his hands in mock surrender." A beautiful women once told me to believe in myself no matter what, I'm just doing like she told me."

" She was wrong."

" Nope, she was never wrong, too trusting maybe, but never wrong."

" Okay Juanito, tell me what's up?" She nodded at him, picking up on his tone; it was his ' I know better' tone that she hated when they were dating.

" I was invited by your grandfather." He chuckled, when she dropped her head to the table, and groaned out loud, scarring off the waitress that had been heading toward them." Yeah, that's what I thought, but he was so convincing, I didn't know you missed me so much, Em."

" He said that, that I mentioned missing you." Why hadn't she seen it before, her grandfather had been to accommodating, when she kicked him out the other day, barley even putting up a fight, and now she saw why. He had already worked up a back up plan. " Did he tell you anything else?"

" Nope, but trust me when I saw the Edward Quartermaine on my caller id, I knew he was plotting, and I knew I was your only hope."

" So, you dropped everything, and came to warn me."

" Well, not everything, Carmen is staying in the city."

" Juan, how are you suppose to steal me away when your wife is an hour away."

"  Hey, Carmen only wants to watch us get him, I told her some of my favorite Edward stories, and she thinks it would serve him right to be one upped." " Come to think of it, she could help, how about vicious love triangle, maybe a cat fight or…. Oh mud wrestling." Juan face took on a trans like stature, as if he could see the scene in his head.

" Pervert."

" Sorry, there are just some things that draw an automatic picture in your head, cat fight is one of them, if it makes you feel better you were winning."

" It doesn't, I can't believe Carmen fell for you, she seemed like such an intelligent woman." He shrugged his shoulders, and gave her his usual ' women can't help it' look. " I will however take you up on your offer, to get Grandfather, he know for three days, and his already manipulating, I told Jagger this would happen."

Juan head snapped up, and a smirk tugged at his lips." Jagger? He's names Jagger, no wonder Edward can't stand him, he doesn't even have a real name, what is he a porn star?"

" No, although he could do that too." She smiled when his smirk fell to be replaced by a look of disgust and embarrassment." He's a cop, in fact he's Taggert's partner."

" Oh please, like that makes him a better person, Taggert has questionable taste in people too, after all he took me in."  Juan leaned in closer, and motioned for his ex to do the same." I'm playing at Carly's new club, tomorrow night, you show up with 'Jagger', and we'll play it by ear."

" Perfect."

Juan stood, and pulled out her chair as she did the same, and leaned over to hug her, and kiss her cheek." I'm glad you're okay."

" Ditto." Emily looked past him, and granted a smile to the two blond men enter." Hey Guys."

Juan followed her gaze, and felt his jaw tense." Spencer, Eckert."

" Santiago." Sly and Lucky said giving the other man a condescending nod.

" I see you later Em." He dropped some money on the table, and kissed her cheek again, before pushing past the duo at the door.

Emily retook her sets, and shook her head, when Sly and Lucky sat down beside her she stared at them perplexed before asking about a situation the had plagued her. " You know they are about ten men in my life that I love dearly, and yet no of them can seem to stand the other's, will there ever be a time when you can all just get along?"

Sly and Lucky took no time at all in answering." No."

~~~

Coming Soon:

The Original Musketeers get together again.

Angels' partner is reveal.

An evil plan begins.

***Okay guys the story is starting to wind down, as always I will leave room for a sequel, but no guarantees.