Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. The powers that be at General Hospital do. They just don't use them very well. There are some original characters in here as well.
Feedback: Is greatly appreciated. If you like it tell me why, if you don't, please tell me what you don't like. It's how I learn.
Author's notes: A lot of the characters on GH will be in this fic, if you don't see them right away give me time. I like fic's with a lot of characters in them, so that is how I write them.
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What If…
Chapter 11
~L&B~
Emily hesitated outside of L&B she hated to disturb him at work, she knew she had been doing that a lot lately, but she had to talk to him and she really couldn't handle Gia right now. Emily pushed the door open, walked in and down the stairs scanning the empty room.
Sighing Emily walked to the couch and sat down, maybe it was for the best, she had been relying on Nikolas a lot lately. She didn't want to depend on him too much it seems whenever she did that to someone she lost them. Her mother, the Q's though they loved her, they didn't take the time to really get to know her a lot of the time, Matt, Elizabeth, Jason because he wasn't going to stay and Lucky. Lucky was her oldest friend, yet ever since the explosion he had changed so much, that sometimes it was hard for her to recognize him, much less talk to him.
So that left Nikolas, she knew that Gia hated the fact they spent so much time together, for that matter so did Zander, but they had been friends for so long, it was natural that the two remaining four musketeers would be close. But she couldn't keep running to Nikolas either, Emily decided, getting to her feet and moving back to the door. She was reaching for the door handle when it opened on it's own and Nikolas entered the building. His face broke out into a smile when he saw Emily.
"Hey Em, were you waiting long?" He asked shrugging out of his coat and moving over to the desk, to drop off his case, before heading to the couch.
Emily stood there on the stairs torn, a part of her wanted to stay the other part was screaming at her to leave, while she could. Her feelings for Nikolas had always been extreme, she had, had a huge crush on him from the time she had met him. He had considered her a friend at most, and during some really awful moments a surrogate sister. Then when she had been on drugs, she knew she had kissed him, and he had rebuffed, her gently of course, but even as high as she was, it had still hurt. She thought he had moved just into friend mode, and then they had gotten closer during the whole Tom Baker blackmail mess, and her crush had returned stronger than ever. Catching him with Katherine Bell on her birthday did a pretty good job of opening her eyes though. Since then she considered him a friend, first she had Juan, then Zander and he had Gia now. But lately it seemed like her feelings for him were changing yet again, and she couldn't help but think that it was going to lead to disaster for her once again. She wished he would move back into just a friend mode, she really needed to talk to him, especially now.
"Emily." Nikolas said, walking back to her and holding out his hand.
She shrugged and took his hand, only to drop it immediately when a shudder ran through her at the contact. Get a grip, she ordered herself, as she moved past him, giving him a wide berth, this is Nikolas, before collapsing on the couch. "Sorry Nikolas it's been a strange day."
Nikolas followed her and sat down on the table in front of her, "I know." He said studying her, "Are you okay?"
"Yes." She said shrugging out of her coat, so she wouldn't have to look him in the eye.
Nikolas reached out, took her hand and tugged on it until she focused on him, "You can talk to me Emily." He said softly his eyes searching hers, "Please talk to me."
"Not about this." She answered softly and so quickly that he barely heard her.
"Emily, please talk to me. I will just sit here and listen, please tell me what is going on." He said picking up her other hand, keeping both wrapped inside of his, leaning towards her.
She studied him and thought about it, maybe she could tell him, he already knew all the other bad things about her and liked her anyway, maybe he would understand this too, "I was stupid Nikolas," she began only to stop as the phone rang.
He groaned and bowed his head, she was finally willing to talk to him and the blasted phone rings. He got up to answer the phone, keeping his eyes on her, he could already see her building a wall between them again, with a sigh he picked up the receiver, "L&B."
~Jakes~
"You know if they use pool cues, the blonde will murder your Rory, she's got a much longer reach." Gus told Jake while he studied the women at the pool table.
Jake glanced at Gus, "Yeah, but my moneys still on Rory, she's tricky, and I bet if she had to, she would have pretty good aim if she had to use those balls on the table."
"That's true." Gus nodded turning back to the show.
Carly stared at Rory in shock; no one had spoken to her like that in years. No one really even challenged her anymore. Sonny and her argued and yelled a lot, and Jason listened to her and reeled her in before she got to crazy, but no one had attacked her at this level in years. Well except for A.J. but he didn't count, the fact that he was alive was enough for her to hate him. The way Rory was talking to her now, cutting through all the bullshit and challenging her anyway, reminded her of the real Carly Roberts her late friend. Carly shifted uncomfortable with that realization and quickly went on the attack, "I am not playing around with you little girl."
"Oh and what does it look like I am doing? Playing who wants to be a millionaire? Trust me Blondie you would not be my phone a friend. I'm just trying to set some facts on the table, so the light bulb will go on in your head and you will finally see the truth," Rory retorted laying the pool cue on the table between them.
"Oh and what facts would those be shorty?" Carly asked with a sneer.
"Well three come to mind off the top of my head, One, you can bitch, scheme, moan or groan all you want, but I am not going anywhere unless it is with Jason or he tells me to go," Rory paused and walked around the front of the table to look at Carly then, by the anger visible in Carly's eyes she knew Carly had heard her.
"Two, you don't have to like me, you don't even have to be nice to me," Rory broke off and began to pace again, gesturing with her hands, "in fact I think it's better that you aren't nice to me. I mean I rarely meet a person who can keep up with me, at least partially, in the insult hurling division and I would hate to lose that. Right now the only person who comes close is Jason and he doesn't insult, he just, just…" She broke off then and paused by Carly, trying to think of the best way to describe Jason.
"He just listens, and then when you think he is fully on your side, or he has fallen asleep with his eyes open, he opens his mouth and let's out this perfect zinger that cuts everything you had spent the last 10 minutes telling him to shreds; because it cuts through all the crap to the truth, and you feel like such and idiot," Carly finished for her leaning against the pool table.
Rory leaned back against the pool table beside her, "I really hate it when he does that. That damn memory of his, and the way he sees everything, you can't get away with anything with him. That really sucks sometimes."
"Tell me about it and then you have to talk and talk, digging yourself in deeper and deeper, because he just sits there and stares at you with those eyes," Carly thought as she crossed her arms in front of her, "Hell even if you do try to lie, he sees through you before you close your mouth," she finished on a disgusted sigh.
"I know, sometimes I just want to hit him," Rory agreed feeling at ease with Carly as they discussed Jason's most annoying habits.
Both women were silent then, each remembering their individual run-ins with Jason's personality quirks.
Rory shifted suddenly, what the hell was that? It was almost like they were getting along.
Carly pushed away from the table, that was weird, "You said there were three facts, what's the third?" she asked sharply.
Rory sighed in relief, grateful that Carly wasn't going to mention the twilight zone effect of the last couple of minutes, "Oh I thought that was obvious even for you Carly," Rory answered sweetly.
Carly turned on her with a glare, and to think for a moment she had actually liked the little tramp.
"I play pool, a hell of a lot better than you," Rory said with a cheeky smile.
"You do not, you just had a lucky shot. Besides the only way you were in position for that shot was because you were trying to distract me. That was not a real game." Carly retorted.
"Oh please Blondie, I took it easy on you and I still cleaned your clock."
"How the hell do you think that shorty? It seems to me there is only one stripe on the table, so you must not know the meaning of that saying, sweetie." Carly said moving back to the table.
Rory grinned, "Well sweetie, I told you we would play slop rules, but no you didn't want that. But you see I have the need to be challenged, and quite frankly you didn't look like you would present a challenge, and I hated to just take your money."
"As if you could." Carly interrupted.
Rory went on as if Carly had never spoken, "So I set a challenge for myself."
"Is there a point to this nonsense or are you just rambling to make your quota of words for the day?"
"Well I decided to play left handed." Rory replied looking Carly in the eye, "Only the thing is, I'm not left-handed, in fact that is only the 5th complete game I have ever played left handed. See other times I started to do that in a game, I always had to shift back to my right hand when they started to challenge me, well that didn't happen in this case." She grinned recklessly, when Carly began to glower at her again, what the hell she though let's twist the knife a little. "So sweetie, you really should accept your weaknesses, it helps you from looking like such an ass." She finished and took a step back from the table to study Carly, waiting for the explosion, man this was fun.
An ass, the words echoed through Carly's mind, she let out a little noise like a scream, she walked up to Rory it was time to end this once and for all.
~L&B~
By the time Nikolas had gotten off the phone, Emily had moved to a chair and was flipping through a magazine; he knew that any opportunity to finish their conversation had been lost. "Sorry about that, you were saying Emily?" He asked crossing to sit on the couch, it was worth a shot.
"Nothing really, I just came here to talk to you about Lucky, I saw him earlier in the park."
He sighed in disappointment knowing she was lying, "How was he?"
"Good and bad." She replied slowly, "Nikolas wait until you see him, it's like he's back from wherever he has been these last two years. He walks different, he talks different, he carries himself differently, if it wasn't for that stupid blonde dye job in his hair, you would swear that you were talking to the real Lucky Spencer; not the robot we have been dealing with recently. It seems like I have my oldest friend back, and I should be ecstatic and on one level I am, but…" She trailed off.
"But?" He prompted, though he knew what she was going to say.
"The only reason that he is back with us is because he is convinced that Rory is Elizabeth and she is going to return to him."
"I had hoped that he might have forgotten that part of last night." He said rubbing his hand over his eyes. He missed his brother all the time, and would give anything to have him back, but not this, not when it was obvious that nothing but pain could come out of this new found belief.
"No he is convinced that Rory is Elizabeth and that all he has to do is to make her remember." She ran her hand through her hair and she shook her head looking at Nikolas, "It was so great to talk to him, I didn't know how much I had missed him, until I saw him today with that familiar spark in his eyes." She paused again, "But I know my brother, and I spent some time with Rory myself this morning, she doesn't act like Elizabeth, actually she reminds me a lot of…." She stopped and looked at Nikolas, "Lizzie."
"I know, I hadn't heard her say my name in that tone of voice for quite a while, it was strange," He agreed.
"I like her though." She said, "As long as I don't have to look at her that much." Nikolas smiled then and Emily had to wrench her mind back onto the conversation before she could continue. "It's just that I am afraid that once he realizes it is not her, we are going to lose him again and if that happens we may not get him back." She finished on a sigh and leaned back against the chair.
"I know, I don't know how to get through to him, I'm afraid if I push to hard he will cut me out of his life like he has his parents." He shrugged, "So I just keep picking him up, and hoping he'll snap out of it."
"Me too. God isn't this depressing, I just wanted to give you the heads up on Lucky." Emily said slipping on her coat.
"Thanks, do you know where Lucky was going?" Nikolas asked rising with her.
"Unfortunately yes, Jason and Rory went by on his motorcycle and Lucky went after them, I think they were heading to Kellys, I hope he doesn't start another fight."
"Me too." He grimaced moving his sore shoulder slightly, "I don't think I could take it."
Emily grinned, "Oh what happened Nikolas are you a little sore today?"
"No." He said immediately, locking his back into ramrod straight position.
"Oh poor prince," She teased, "Did you get a royal boo boo on your…"
"Emily!"
"No? Where does it hurt then?" She asked while she playfully began to check him for injuries, "Oh I know it was your ego, watch out those ego blows can be fatal" she said with a laugh.
Nikolas grabbed her hands off of his sore shoulder and twisted a laughing Emily into him, by bringing her hands to rest behind her back, her body made contact with his and the laughter died immediately.
She stared up into his warm dark eyes, that were just inches from her face and wondered what it would be like to kiss him when she wasn't high, or it wasn't part of a trick.
All he would have to do was to lean forward and he would finally be able to kiss her sweetness, like he had longed to do for so long now.
Who made the first move was unclear, but their mouths were inches from each other when a crash sounded from the back room. The two sprang apart quickly, he let her go so suddenly she fell back into the chair.
"Emily, I didn't know you were here," Ned Ashton said walking into the room, oblivious to the tension in it.
"Uhhm, yeah, I came by to see Nikolas, and I have to go now," Emily answered quickly getting to her feet, to cross to her cousin, looking everywhere but at Nikolas. "Bye Ned," she said giving her cousin a hug, before moving towards the door.
"Emily." Nikolas said watching her from the same place by the chair.
"Bye Nikolas, I'll talk to you soon, I have to meet Zander now." Emily said desperately not looking at him, she opened the door and walked out, she finally took a deep breath and leaned on the door.
What in the heck was that? She wondered trying to control her still racing heart, for a minute it had seemed like Nikolas was going to kiss her.
"No." She shook her head, I must have imagined it, he was being nice and I misread the entire situation. I mean he let go of me so fast I fell, he didn't want to kiss me, she thought pushing off the door to walk away. Besides he has Gia, and she is "Beautiful." She said with a groan, what would he see in me? She wondered to herself walking towards the bus stop.
"Nothing." She answered herself. Besides she had Zander didn't she? She was in love with Zander, so it would have been a colossal mistake if they had kissed. So let it go, she ordered herself, but she couldn't seem to stop herself from looking back at L&B as she walked away.
Nikolas stared after Emily long after she had closed the door, Ned's words nothing but a buzzing hum in his ears. Where had that come from, he wondered, the sudden intense desire to kiss her. The need had come out of nowhere, he thought looking down at the chair, and the scarf she had left behind in her haste to get away.
Well not nowhere he admitted walking past an openly staring Ned to sit as his desk with a sigh, it was time for the truth, he had thought about kissing Emily before, and a lot more frequently lately.
"Well that has just got to stop!" Nikolas said out loud suddenly to a clueless Ned, who threw up his hands and went back into the backroom.
She is my best friend and I am not going to wreck that friendship for anything, besides he had Gia in his life. Gia was an amazing, wonderful, beautiful woman, why would he even look at another woman. He wouldn't, he had everything already, Nikolas thought staring at her scarf.
~Jakes~
"What did you call me?" Carly asked staring down at Rory.
Damn'it did the woman have to be so tall, Rory thought with a curse, and of course she has to wear high heels too, "I think you heard me, unless all those chemicals on your head fried your brain," Rory knew it was a petty slam but she hated that Carly had the height advantage on her.
Carly's hand dropped to the table and closed over the lone stripe on the table, as she considered her options. She could just hit Rory and end this ridiculous conversation once and for all. She had to admit the thought was tempting. She focused on Rory whose expression had changed to a mocking smile, as if she knew what she was considering and was daring her to do it.
Carly relaxed her hand, letting go of the ball, she would be damned if she resorted to a physical attack first. She crossed her arms over her chest and studied that now wary Rory with a smile, "Well you make awfully big claims, for a little pipsqueak who looks like she is still in high school. Are you even old enough to be in here shorty?"
Rory's eyes sparked at that, her brain tried to step in then be calm she ordered herself, she is trying to provoke you to regain the edge, don't blow it, "Well we can't all be glamazons who are pushing 30," so much for staying in control.
"30." Carly sputtered, "30! God you are as stupid as you look." She stopped then that nagging feeling coming back to her, "And just who in the hell do you look like anyway?"
Man not now, Rory thought desperately, got to get her off track, "Well they senility is the first problem for the mature person. And no Carly we have never met."
"Hey beautiful, can I buy you a drink?" a man's voice interrupted what would have been a blistering retort from Carly.
Both women turned to glare at the newcomer, a man in his 40's who was obviously drunk.
Carly sized him up and dismissed him in an instant, "Rory your date's here," she said sweetly.
"Bite me." Rory retorted.
"Where?" The drunk asked, he didn't care which woman he got he just knew he was going to get lucky with one of them.
"Oh Barry it's you I didn't recognize you with your clothes on," Rory began then with a dazzling smile for the drunk.
"Barry whose…" he trailed off as he tried to think, "Right I'm Barry."
"Good this saves me a phone call, I got those test results back, and it is confirmed as Herpes Simplex 3, you best get yourself over to the clinic and get tested. Once you have it for sure, we can play again, only this time Barry you need to bring the sheep."
"Test……Herpes……..sh-sheep?" The drunk gave a start then, "You know I really got to go," He said backing away from Rory.
"Barry don't lose my number now," Rory called after him, she watched him run into the doorframe in his haste to get away from her.
"Was it something I said?" Rory asked turning back to Carly.
Carly laughed she couldn't help it, my god this woman was crazier than she was. "I don't want to like you," she said when she caught her breath.
"Damn'it" Rory cried, "You can't like me, I won't allow it." and before Carly had a chance to respond Rory was off and running.
"What is it with this bassackwards town? Most of the people I have met here seem to think I am the second coming of some perfect princess, a freaking ghost, and now there's you." She paused in her pacing to glare at Carly, "You are the one person I knew I was going to have a problem with, and now you say you like me, jeez." She started pacing again, "Well I won't have it. I have been looking forward to fighting with you, so just snap out of it. No more bad dye jobs for you it is effecting your brain."
"I didn't say I liked you, I said I didn't want to like you," Carly interrupted, "Trust me I'm sure that won't happen, you are such an insane little twit, I couldn't like you."
"Good, that's better."
"Wait a minute, what ghost are you talking about?" Carly asked then.
"Figure it out Carly, the way your thought processes work it should only take you about 5 years or so," Rory answered swiftly, she was not going to mention the whole Webber thing, with Carly, to much ammunition.
"What the hell does Jason see in you? Your nothing but a wasp tongued viper."
"And you are nothing but a wanna be blonde, demolition crew and he's kept you around for how long now? Anyway do not bring Jason into this, this is between you and me Blondie."
"What do you mean?" Carly asked, trying to follow this chick was a killer. Man and people accuse me of talking too much.
"I mean if you have a problem with me, take it up with me. Don't go running to Jason about it, batting your big brown eyes up at him, and saying please save me from the wicked witch," Rory imitated Carly's words to a tee including the annoying sing song voice she had originally used.
"Witch."
"Exactly, that's what you need to do, Carly confront me, leave Jason out of it," Rory replied nodding her head, deliberately misreading Carly's latest outburst.
"I don't like you." Carly began.
"Good I got enough friends."
"Jesus shorty do you have an off switch?" Carly asked glaring at her, "But I won't say anything to Jason yet. But I will be watching you."
"I had no doubt about that Carly."
"If you hurt him in anyway," Carly began moving until she stood toe to toe with Rory, "You won't know what hit you." She threatened just as Jason, Sonny and Johnny walked into the bar. "You understand me shorty?"
"Crystal clear, Blondie, crystal. I got no problem with that as long as you understand one thing as well," Rory paused and when she continued her voice was low and strong, all amusement gone, "If you try to wreck him again, I will destroy you." Rory said holding up her hand to stop Jason and the other's approach, "Do you understand that Carly?"
Carly stared at her hard, "Crystal." She said with a sneer and a warning, "This isn't over, not by a long shot."
"Why Carly I would be disappointed if you thought it was," Rory retorted smiling recklessly at her before turning to face the men.
"Hey baby." Carly said with a smile walking over to Sonny to hug him, "What brings you here? Slumming?"
Rory smiled at Carly's words, before looking up at Jason who had moved beside her, "You're here early."
"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.
"Of course she's okay, and I'm fine too, jeez Jason what did you expect pool cues at 10 paces," Carly called out.
Rory snorted when she heard Carly use her own words, she quickly schooled her features before picking up the thread that Carly tossed and went on the attack, "What you were expecting to see a bloodbath? Sorry Carly here just had her nails done, and I hate to give the house a part of the take."
Jason sighed she wasn't going to tell him.
Rory's eyes flicked over to the others, "Hey Mr. Johnny, long time no see," she said her eyes locked on his waiting.
"Good to see you again…Rory," Johnny murmured, noticing Carly's jerk of reaction to that, he quickly stepped back to the bar, he didn't get paid enough to get in between Carly and Rory.
"Chicken," Rory called after him as if she had read his mind, the humor evident in her voice, and the smile on her face, the humor died when she looked at Sonny. "Sonny," she said coolly, bringing the temperature in the room several degrees.
Sonny sighed, yes it looked like he had hurt her this morning, he wanted to apologize and explain, but he didn't know how Carly would react. It was strange though, his wife didn't really seem angry, more amused than angry, he couldn't help but wonder what Rory had done to her.
"Carly can I talk to you a minute?" Jason asked.
"Sure Jase." Carly said kissing Sonny's cheek before crossing over to a table on the far side of the room.
Jason kept his eyes on Rory, and when he saw her smile and nod, he gave her hand a quick squeeze before moving over to Carly.
Rory's smile faded when she found herself alone with Sonny, "Excuse me," she said brushing by him towards the bar, before he had a chance to open his mouth.
"Hey Jake can I get another soda? It's on my friend here," she said resting her hand on Gus's shoulder.
"What?" he asked.
"Well you were betting against me, big mistake, so the drink is on your dime." Rory pinched the man's cheek.
Gus colored but spoke anyway, "I still bet the blonde would have taken you."
"Lose a lot of money betting don't you?"
"Yes," Gus answered quickly before the double meaning of her words had sunk in. Both Jake and Johnny let out a laugh at that, Johnny's quickly died as Sonny approached the bar.
"Rory can I talk to you?" he asked.
"I'm listening." Rory answered from her perch at the bar, keeping her back to him.
Sonny groaned and pinched his nose hard with his fingers, "Please."
Rory sighed and picked up her drink and moved to a table, near the bar, she sat her eyes scanning the room, ignoring Sonny, "So talk."
"I owe you a couple of apologies, one for this morning and…"
"No problem." Rory said quickly cutting him off and began to rise.
"Sit Down!" Sonny said sharply, groaning again when he saw the glare Rory leveled at him as she kept rising, "Please let me finish." He tried again softening his words with a smile.
Rory shrugged and sat down, "I'm listening."
"I hurt you this morning and I'm sorry about that, I just wasn't prepared for the resemblance."
"Sonny you have met me before, so how could this so-called resemblance just pop-up now?"
"Rory we didn't meet under the best of circumstances, and you were in a disguise when I did." Sonny tried to explain.
"And how would you know?" Rory said quietly her eyes flicking over him, "You were to busy screaming at me to pay attention to how I looked."
"Well almost being executed tends to put someone in a foul mood, sorry," Sonny said flippantly, trying to lighten the mood, he failed miserably.
~Table~
"Are you okay Carly?" Jason asked sitting down.
"Yeah, what did you think your little girlfriend was going to take a piece out of me? As if she could."
"No I am asking if you're okay, I know I hurt you."
Her eyes locked on his and were brutally honest with him, "Yes you did Jason, and I'm just trying to figure out why you didn't tell me. I mean were you ever planning on telling me, or did I just not count with you?" She asked slowly.
"Of course I was going to tell you, you're my friend, my family, you know I would tell you." He replied rubbing his neck.
"Really when?" She asked looking at him and letting the hurt show in her eyes and face, "Am I really that bad that you felt the need to hide such an important part of your life from me?"
"No. You know you matter to me." He said sharply.
"Then why?" The words came out as a plea.
Sighing heavily Jason tried to explain, "First of all, I wasn't even in town when Rory and I got together, and we weren't speaking that much anyway."
"When was this?"
"Almost 11 months ago," Carly sucked in a breath at the reply, she still didn't think she liked the idea of Rory being with Jason for so long, while she didn't have a clue as to her existence.
"I didn't tell you at first, because it was between Rory and me, later, well Carly you have this need to know about and control some of the people I have in my life, Rory would have definitely been one of those persons." He shifted in his chair before continuing, "I didn't know how you would react, maybe I should have told you sooner, I just didn't want you to go off like you normally do."
"What do you mean?" Carly asked.
"If you knew about Rory last August, you would have had all this time to build up this image of who she was and what she was like, once you did that there would be no changing your mind. So instead I wanted you to meet Rory with no advance warning, so I could get an honest reaction from you." He said softly looking in her eyes, "Carly you know I'm right, if you had that much time to think about Rory, it would have been impossible for you ever to like her."
She squirmed, "You make me sound paranoid."
"You are." Jason said quickly "Carly you were in my room for what 2 minutes today and you jumped to the conclusion that I was with Robin. That I had went to Robin, only to hurt you. You know me better than that, but that was where your mind went."
"Jase, I wasn't prepared." She stopped when he just continued to silently stare at her and wait, "Okay so for a minute I applied my way of thinking to you, sorry." She finished with a disgusted sigh, why was it so hard to lie to him when he looked at her like that.
"So from then and until whatever time this started here with Rory, you had what a couple of hours to build an opinion about Rory, before you actually met her. I don't see any blood, you haven't started yelling at me that I am only dating her to punish you, your not screaming at me. Now can you honestly say that if I told you about Rory six months ago and you didn't meet her until today, that this would be the same result?" he knew he was pressing, but he also knew Carly, she had to have each step laid out explicitly before she would fully believe anything.
"Well," She started before turning to yell at Jake, "Anytime you want to bring some beers here, it would be nice. Man the service in this place sucks." She said to Jason, stalling, "But it has some pretty good memories, huh Jase?"
He knew she was stalling and said nothing, Jake set two bottles on the table and walked away.
She took a long drink from the bottle, feeling his eyes on her, damn why did he always make her act like a grown up and tell the truth, sometimes he was worse than Sonny. At least with Sonny she could distract him with an argument or a kiss, but Jason wouldn't be sidetracked. "All right," she said finally, "No I wouldn't have liked Rory if I had known about her before, Hell I've only known her a few hours and I don't think I like her now."
Jason smiled slightly and quickly took a pull off the bottle to hide it, he knew that while something had happened here between Rory and Carly, it wasn't as bad as he had feared. Carly had just confirmed it, I don't think I like her now. He would take that as a starting point anytime.
"So how did you and shorty meet anyway?" She asked, it was time to even the scales a little bit, Rory knew far to much about her, and she didn't know much about her, that just wouldn't do.
"We met," Jason answered briefly, knowing full well what Carly was up to.
"Jase." Carly whined.
~Table~
Rory glanced at Sonny then, "You said a couple of apologies what's the other one?"
"Well for Carly…" Sonny began.
"Wait a minute, why are you apologizing for Carly?" She interrupted her eyes locked on his.
"Well I know Carly and she can be pretty abusive when she feels threatened and you would definitely threaten her."
"So let me get this straight, you feel the need to apologize for your wife to anyone she has a conversation with?" She asked.
"No."
"If you did I think it's you who needs to apologize to your wife," Rory said with a glare.
"What?" He cried confused, it sounded as if Rory was defending Carly to him, that the hell was going on here.
"In fact if I was Carly I wouldn't accept your apology but I would smack you upside the head," She went on then, "You have no clue that happened here between Carly and I, but you automatically assume that Carly owes me an apology. Man I got to know Sonny what is like to be god?"
"Will you wait a minute and let me finish what I am saying before you jump all over me." He demanded leaning over the table towards her.
"Fine as long as we are clear on one point, when or if Carly ever owes me an apology it will come from her, not someone who considers himself the boss of her." She leaned over the table as well, "You've met me now Sonny, you still think that Carly was the only one who could start anything?"
He opened his mouth to reply, and then leaned back in his seat disgusted, how in the hell was he supposed to defend himself when everything she had just said was true. He rested his elbows on the chair and brought his fingers up to his chin to trace his jaw and studied her. She may look like Elizabeth Webber but she sure didn't act like the girl. Elizabeth was quiet, nice, soft-spoken, unless you saw her with Lucky, she always tried to fade in the background. Rory wouldn't know what the background looked like, he thought as he noticed her ignoring him again.
"Rory, I'm sorry, wait let me finish." He said quickly when she glared at him again, "A lot of people don't handle Carly very well, I'm sorry I put you in that category."
"Do you love her?"
"Yes," Sonny answered immediately.
"Do you want her to be like everyone else, nice, quiet, soft-spoken?"
"No." Again he answered without hesitation.
"Well it seems to me if you like the way she is, and don't want her to change, you ought to let her act like herself without giving her grief about it. If someone else has a problem with the way she acts, then that is their problem, not yours and not even hers." Rory said quietly taking a drink.
"A lot of people wouldn't see it that way."
"Well I hate to keep repeating myself, but I am not like a lot of people."
"No, you're not," Sonny said with a smile showcasing his dimples, man did Jason have his hands full with her.
She saw the dimples and weakened slightly, "Look Sonny, Carly is abrasive, but I knew that going in. I also had the advantage I knew about her, while she knows nothing about me. Some things were said that needed to be said, and some more things will be said, but it will be between us, not you or Jason, but between us."
"Okay I won't try to intervene, tell me does Jason ever win an argument with you?"
'He doesn't argue, he just sits there and lets me babble on, then he makes me laugh and the argument is over." She answered softly with a smile, her entire expression softening when she talked about Jason. Sonny noticed this and was pleased.
"Okay are we done now?" Rory asked.
"Rory I do want to say I am sorry I hurt you this morning, I just wasn't prepared to see you, if it's any consolation, although you may look like Elizabeth you sure don't act like her." He offered softly.
"Can we please not go there again?" Rory pleaded with a groan, "I am so sick of that girl's name."
"Okay, I do want to tell you thank you for saving my life in Puerto Rico, though, I didn't then did I?"
"No you were to busy yelling at me for being there, yelling at Jason because you thought he had involved me when he hadn't, yelling at us both even though you didn't have the whole story. Apparently you like jumping to conclusions, you do it so often." Rory answered keeping her eyes over his shoulder and on Jake at the bar.
He sighed, well he walked into that one, "Rory look at me please." When she did he went on, "I had been under a lot of stress and then things blew up in Puerto Rico. Jason and I were on our knees about to be shot, no executed, I was dealing with the thought of never seeing my family again, the knowledge that my arrogance was about to get my best friend, my brother killed," Sonny broke off and his eyes getting darker when he studied the table, he could still hear the gun being cocked and placed behind his ear, he could still taste the fear.
Rory kept quiet and just waited, something told her not to offer any comfort or platitudes but to wait for him to go on at his own pace.
"Then just when I thought it was over, that I would never see my wife again, you come crashing through the wall of the warehouse in a beat up jeep, and quite literally saved our lives." Sonny smiled and continued, "When we got in the jeep you took us on a drive through the streets of Puerto Rico, the likes I have never seen, hell half the time I think you were only using 2 wheels instead of 4."
"At times I was."
"So when we finally lost Carlos's men, and you stopped to let us out, I went off on you and Jason. It's not an excuse, but I am sorry about it. But the truth is Rory you shouldn't have been there, it was business, my business, and you had no right to involve yourself," Sonny finished his face set in a hard line.
"Sonny I have no desire to get involved in your business, that was a one shot deal." She said leaning over the table to make a point, "But you need to know this, if there comes a time when I find out that Jason is going to be killed or hurt and I can stop it, there is no way in hell you will be able to stop me from being involved."
He nodded his respect for the young woman in front of him growing as he read her eyes and voice, it wasn't a threat or a promise, it was merely a statement of fact. "As long as we understand each other." He said, "But I do want to thank you for saving my life, I won't forget that." He said holding out his hand with a smile.
Rory looked at his hand for a minute, then grinned and took it, she held onto it and got to her feet, "You don't get it Sonny, I crashed through that wall and hit that person that was about to shoot you two, because of Jason. I was there to save Jason's life." She let go of his hand then and began to move past him, before pausing by his chair and looking down at him, "I hate to break it to you Sonny, but you were only an afterthought," she finished with a smile and then moved to the bar.
Sonny sat there a smile crossed his face as her words sunk in, the smile turned into a chuckle and then a laugh, well he had certainly been out in his place he shook his head trying to regain control, man he couldn't help but like her.
"What's so funny?' Carly asked when she came up to him, she could use a laugh just then, Jason had went into his stone face impression and had refused to give her any information about Rory.
"Nothing, you had to be there." Sonny said getting to his feet and slipping an arm around her waist, "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, I'm starving." She said kissing him lightly.
"I'll see you in the morning Jason." Sonny said watching Carly walk over to hug Jason.
"See you soon," Carly said with a smile.
"Tomorrow." He said to Sonny, "I'll be by to see Michael, I have something for him," he told Carly.
"Goodbye Rory, I'll talk to you later," Sonny said turning to Rory who was leaning against the bar watching them.
"Night Sonny." Her voice was considerably warmer than it had been, and the words had been spoken with a smile, Sonny considered that a victory.
Carly glanced at Rory but said nothing and moved towards the door.
Rory waited until they had almost reached it before she spoke "Hey Blondie you owe me $20 bucks."
Carly came to a halt and looked back at Rory who was holding out her hand with an expectant grin on her face, "Unless of course you are a welcher."
Carly shot her a fulminating look digging into her purse for the bill, before crossing to her, "This isn't over shorty." She warned thrusting the bill into Rory's hand, and turning away.
"Ding! That's round two," Rory called after her mockingly as Carly stormed from the bar leaving an amused Johnny and Sonny in her wake.
Rory laughed as she pushed off from the bar, "See I told you." She slapped Gus on the back.
"Maybe." Gus said, just maybe this little hellion could have taken the blonde, but still he kept his mouth shut.
~Limo~
Carly climbed into the limo fuming, that cocky little twit was not going to know what hit her the next time they saw each other.
Sonny studied her for a minute before giving into temptation, "So what did you think of Rory?"
She glared at him from under her eyelashes, "What could Jason or any man see in a loud, opinionated woman, who never shuts up, likes to make false accusations and jumps to conclusions?"
He coughed hard to mask the laugh her words evoked, didn't she know she was describing herself? He heard a choke from the front seat and saw the back of Johnny's head and shoulders shaking as he tried to smother the laughter as well. He quickly raised the smoky privacy window before Carly noticed.
"So I guess you don't like her then."
"She's strange, I need to see her with Jason before I make up my mind, but I am looking forward to seeing her again. What?" She asked noticing his look of surprise.
"I just figured you already would have told Jason what you thought."
"How? I was around the woman for what an hour? You need longer than that to make a judgment," Carly answered shifting in her seat, she wasn't going to let Sonny accuse her of making snap judgments too.
"Okay." He had no idea what had been done to his wife, but he kind of liked it.
She turned into him then, and began to nuzzle his ear and throat, "Sonny." she ran kisses along his jaw and ran her hand down his chest. "I've been thinking."
Her actions had already put Sonny on alert, and now her words sharpened it, what was she up to? "Hmmm?" he said running his hand through her soft hair.
Carly straddled him, and began to kiss him lightly, "Do you know what we need?" He shook his head, "I think we need to get a pool table in the penthouse." She said before kissing him deeply.
He pulled her away, "A pool table why? You can go to Jakes anytime you want to play."
She began kissing his jaw again, "This way will be handier, I won't have to leave to play," and I can practice all I want too before the rematch.
He knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help but reply "But you know when you come here, Rory will be here I'm sure she would be willing to give you some pointers." He said bracing for her attack by tightening his hold on her.
She reared back, "Sonny!" she yelled struggling to get off of him.
"Nope, you started this," he said bringing her to him to kiss her.
Carly tried to hold onto her anger, but the love inside of her swelled up instead and she kissed him back. But this wasn't over, she would get her pool table yet, was her last thought, when he pressed her against the seat.
~Jakes~
"Round 2?" Jason asked leaning against the pool table.
"Yep, and both rounds have been won by the challenger. So who were you here to check up on, me or Carly?" She asked crossing to him and stepping between his legs to wrap her arms around his neck.
"Carly of course." He said with a smile wrapping his arms around her and lowering his head for a quick kiss, "How many times have you told me that you can take care of yourself?"
She smiled up at him, "Liar." She pulled his head down for another kiss, the familiar spicy scent of his aftershave, infiltrated her system, causing it to go haywire. He moved to deepen the kiss, when his hands tightened on her, Rory turned her head to break the kiss. "Oh no Morgan you owe me food."
"You want to eat now?" Jason asked before lowering his head again and kissing her drawing her into him.
"Morgan." Rory began after a long minute, putting a hand on his chest to push him back slightly, "Your hands are on my butt."
"So they are." He said with a sly smile, leaving them there.
"Well Morgan, you really need to eat to keep up your stamina, after all Jason your not as young as you once were." She teased taking advantage of his surprised expression to slip from his hold and back up beyond his reach.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
She smiled sweetly at him pulling on her coat, "Well I was reminded today at how much younger I am than you, and I would hate for you to run out of energy before I am finished with you. Come on I'm driving."
He shook his head, knowing he had just been insulted, but he couldn't help but smile at her, "So were taking your car?"
"Nope, I got the keys so therefore I am driving," Rory chirped holding up his motorcycle keys, keys that should have been in his pocket.
"You know." Jason, said walking towards her, "One day you are going to do that to the wrong person then God help you."
"Too late, I'm already stuck with you."
"Wait that's my complaint, you started this you know, stealing…"
"Allegedly." She interrupted opening the door to Jakes to walk out, "One would think that you of all people would know the value of the word allegedly."
Jason sighed, "Your giving me a headache."
Her laughter echoed around the mostly empty parking lot, and brought a reluctant smile to his lips, "Hey that's my line, there you go trying to be funny again." She crossed to her car to get her helmet out of the trunk.
"Sorry, I'll have to work on that."
She started to retort, when a noise coming from the darkened alley caught her attention, she looked in the alley but it was too dark for her to see anything.
"Rory come on, they might run out of food, and then you'll really be hell to be around."
She shook her head, it was probably just Zeus, "Morgan you've been hanging around me too much, sarcasm, flippancy, jokes, those are my habits." She said climbing on the bike and pulling on her helmet. "You must be developing a sense of humor late in life."
"Sorry." He said with a smile climbing on the bike after her, "I guess it's time I dumped you then, I don't want any of your bad habits rubbing off on me."
"Try it Morgan, if the blonde couldn't get rid of me what makes you think you can?" Rory placed the key in the starter and moved her hand to the clutch.
"What make you think I want to?" Jason asked quietly his breath warm on her neck, as he used his legs to raise the bike, wrapping his arm around her waist, and placing his other hand on hers on the clutch. Rory was very grateful her strength seemed to have disappeared as soon as she heard his words.
"Are we going?"
Rory cursed softly under her breath and started the motorcycle, and put it in gear to get out of the parking lot. She was only half paying attention, the biggest part of her mind was back on the permanence that she could read from his words.
"Rory." Jason said sharply.
Ooops, have to pay attention, she focused on the bike and took off from the parking lot with a jerk, causing his hold to tighten on her, well that went well, she thought with a smile.
Lucky waited until he heard the roar of the motorcycle fade before moving to the head of the alley to look out. His insides were twisted in unfamiliar jealousy, when he witnessed the ease and the teasing banter of her relationship with Jason, a banter that used to exist between her and him.
Put it aside he told himself, now wasn't the time, he may not like his father very much, but Luke had taught him some valuable things. Know your enemy, make the playing field yours, always keep yourself one step ahead of your opponent, and to do that you needed knowledge. It was time for him to start acting instead of reacting. He looked at her car, and then the darkened second floor of Jakes. Where to begin?
He melted back into the alley when he heard a car pull into the lot, followed by another one. He moved to the back door, and let himself in the back of Jakes, by the back stairs, leading towards the tenant's rooms. He moved to the opening to the bar and risked a quick look, quickly pulling back when he saw Jake looking in his direction.
He waited until he heard a loud noise coming from the front of the bar, he risked another glance, and then hurried up the stairs when he saw her attention was diverted. He paused on the landing, listening for anyone on the floor, or coming up after him.
He quickly moved down towards the room that he knew Jason always used, he bent down to pick the single lock, and was inside the room in less than 15 seconds and was pissed. What the hell was Jason thinking? It was one thing to be careless when he was alone, but he had Elizabeth with him, he needed to be concerned with her safety. He knew he relied on his reputation to keep people away, but didn't he know that people made their own reputations by taking out someone like Jason. Wasn't he worried that Elizabeth could be caught in the crossfire?
Later he ordered himself, he didn't know how long they would be gone, and he needed to do what he had planned before they returned. He quickly pulled out a flashlight and got to work.