Pg13
Cradling a glass of her favorite chardonnay in one hand, Carolyn listens as Steven fills her in on all he's learned since returning to town, intrigued by the kind of person he says the youngest has grown into. She knew it from the moment she laid eyes on her, one look in those blue eyes and Carolyn knew the kind of person she could aspire to be. Though her feelings have not changed in the slightest, she finds that she's thankful the woman was able to build a life of her own outside of this family.
"Will you and father ever be honest with Sarah?" Steven questions as their desserts are set down in front of them. "She's well past the age of being coddled."
"You're preaching to the choir," Carolyn sighs, taking a sip of her wine before setting it down. "Your father, on the other hand, still insists on coddling her like a child out of the womb."
"Doesn't seem like a healthy decision to me," Steven comments. "But what do I know."
"It isn't but your father can't seem to accept that Sarah is well into adulthood," Carolyn explains. "For some reason, all he can see is the ailing infant she once was. Trying to open his eyes to the reality of the situation is like trying to get Sarah to do the same...useless."
"I can do it for you, if you'd like," Steven offers. "Someone has to open her eyes sooner or later. If your obligation to father prevents you from doing it, I'll gladly take that responsibility off your shoulders."
"We aren't quite in need of that just yet but I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Carolyn replies after some thought, thoroughly tempted to let him do just that. "We'll wait and see just how far your father's willing to go for now."
"If you say so," Steven accepts. "Though I still can't grasp how she can be so oblivious to the truth still."
"Enough of this, we're only bound to run around in circles on this topic," Carolyn voices, knowing exactly where this thought process will take them. "Tell me more about what your grandmother had to say."
She'd be lying if she were to say that she was surprised by her mother-in-law's adamant defense of Elizabeth. Where she stood, she never saw a problem with Steve and Audrey building a relationship with Elizabeth, but - like all things in those first twenty years of marriage - it was her husband's decision and it was his parents, after all. With all said and done, she's profusely looking forward to his decades worth of work going up in flames when he finds out that his own mother found a way around him to build something with his unacknowledged youngest.
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Hugging his arm to her body, Elizabeth walks with Jason through her newly acquired house, both deciding that it wouldn't be so bad to start building their future apart from the business and - more importantly - apart from Sonny and Carly. With the security in question, they have Johnny and Cody running the perimeter while they look through the house. Though the security system is pretty high-end for normal households, Jason'll feel more secure if they had their own security team install a more extensive system.
"Johnny?" Elizabeth questions when he gets a message on his phone.
"Yeah," he confirms. "He says it won't take much to fix the perimeter wall. With a few tweaks, it should be strong enough to maintain security."
"That's good."
"If all goes to plan, we should be able to move in next week," Jason comments as they make their way into the master bedroom. "If you're okay with it, I'll work with an interior designer to get the place ready for us."
"You sure?" Elizabeth looks at him curiously. "That's usually my thing."
"I know, but you have more than enough on your plate," he points out. "I don't mind handling this for us."
"Yeah, okay," Elizabeth smiles softly, fitting herself into his arms. "I can't wait to see what you do with the place."
She knows what she said to her grandmother was technically true, neither of them is ready for the whole white picket fence spiel, but that didn't stop her from imagining what that would look like. In all honesty, she's somewhat afraid of that life, seeing the kind of people that brought her into this world, though she knows that it won't be the same because she's nothing like them and neither is Jason.
Still, both coming from complicated family backgrounds, the idea of building a family together has always had them nervous, unsure of what that would truly be like that for them. This isn't that, though, this is merely them stepping out of the connectivity between them and the Corinthos duo. A way for them to solidify the boundaries that have been crossed one too many times. And, who knows, maybe it could lead to bigger steps, but that's for another time. Another day. Another discussion.
"I was thinking that, once we're moved in, we should host one of the weekend barbecues," Elizabeth voices as they walk out to his bike. "It could be like a housewarming party of sorts."
"If that's what you want, I'll make it happen," Jason assures just as the guys join them. "Isn't that right, Johnny?"
"Don't know what you're talking about but sure," Johnny shrugs. "I'm down for whatever."
"I was just telling Jason that we should host the weekend barbecue next week as sort of a housewarming party," Elizabeth explains. "It would mean a lot to me."
"No sweat, I'll rope the big guy in and we'll handle everything," Johnny says without hesitation. "You guys focus on getting your place settled and leave everything to us."
"You sure there's nothing I can help with?" Elizabeth questions, not at all expecting him to take on the whole thing.
"Not a thing," Johnny assures. "You both have enough to worry about."
"Thanks," Elizabeth smiles. "I appreciate it."
"Family's family, right?" Johnny says with a shrug. "Come on, kid, let's leave these two to their business. We've got a lot to work out."
Saying their goodbyes, the two guys head off while Jason and Elizabeth straddle his bike to take off on a nice long ride. They were making their way up the winding road when a particular car caught her attention, her eyes locking with her birth mother's for a split second as they passed each other, her head instinctively looking back at the car as it continued on its path. Unbeknownst to her, Carolyn made the same instinctive movement, staring out the back windshield at Elizabeth as she fades from view.
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There wasn't much that ever affected Carolyn in a way that had her questioning her core beliefs. She's a woman that has lived by her own rules and only compromised in places that wouldn't affect her overall desires in a profound way. So, why, after all these years is this affecting her now? It made no sense. Is it her biology betraying her or is it something deeper? She is as she has always been, so why? Why?
Removing her earrings, and placing them on the bedside table, she lets out a heavy sigh, deciding that a nice long warm bath just may be the ticket to clear her mind of the thoughts that plague her. Sliding into the bathtub, she relaxes against the porcelain, allowing the heat to penetrate her aching body and put her in a state of relaxation.
"Did you have a good dinner with our son?" Jeff voices from the doorway of the bathroom, not walking any further than that.
"I did," she replies simply, not bothering to open her eyes. "How was your strategy meeting with Sarah?"
"As well as you'd imagine," he admits. "I'll be meeting with my mother in the morning to discuss things."
"Am I to be in attendance at this meeting?"
"That would be why I'm here," Jeff replies. "Yes."
"Sure," she says with a slight shrug. "It's been quite some time since I've seen Audrey in person. Should be quite an entertaining meeting of minds."
"Why do you say that?" he questions, his eyes narrowing as he tries to decipher her little remark.
"Oh, no reason," she replies, hiding the smirk on her face, truly looking forward to breakfast with her mother-in-law. "If that's all, I'd like to enjoy the last of my bath in peace."
Lingering for a moment longer, Jeff lets out an exasperated sigh before leaving her to her bath, deciding that he'll shower in the morning and retires to bed. He wasn't at all sure what he expected when he approached her about having breakfast with his mother, but he certainly didn't expect her to so readily accept his invitation. Noting his wife's reaction, his confidence in meeting with his mother slowly starts to waver, almost making him want to cancel it altogether.
Her bath running cold, Carolyn drains the bath before rinsing off and sliding into her robe, being sure to set out her outfit for the following day before calling it a night. She isn't sure what awaits her at the breakfast with her mother-in-law but she finds solace knowing that her husband was in for a rude awakening. Whatever comes of this breakfast, she'll adapt as she always has and move forward with the knowledge she gains from it. As easy or hard a pill it is to swallow.
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Morning brought with it much of the usual in the Corinthos penthouse, that was until after Carly stood in her robe before an empty closet, not a single one of her designer dresses hanging from their hangers. What kind of sick joke was this? Anger flooding her as her anxiety rises, Carly rushes over to her second walk-in closet, finding it just as empty as the first. What the hell was this?!
"SONNY!" she exclaims, her blood boiling as he steps through the door. "Where are my clothes?!"
"What are you talking about?" he counters in confusion, not understanding what she's on about at all. "They're in your closet."
"Oh, really?" she growls, gesturing for him to look into the closet. "Tell me, Sonny, does it look like there's anything in my closet?!"
"Dammit," Sonny sighs.
"What. Happened. To. My. Clothes?"
"I'll give you two guesses but you'll probably only need one," Sonny replies. "I'm going back downstairs to my cooking."
"He...he didn't...he wouldn't," Carly mutters to herself as his words sink in. "He'd never go that far!"
"Looks like he did," Sonny counters before leaving the room.
Snatching her cell phone from the charger, she repeatedly calls Jason's cell phone, her anger growing to new heights when it simply goes to voicemail each time. Cursing him, she tosses her cell phone to the side, disgusted that she has to resort to her less-than-ideal clothes for the day. Grabbing the least disgusting outfit she can manage, Carly gets dressed before storming over to Jason's penthouse, having more than a few choice words to say to him.
"Get out of my way!" Carly exclaims when Francis stands unmoving in front of Jason's door. "You work for my husband! You have no right standing in my way."
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"Do you hear me?!" Carly snarls. "Get out of my way! I want to see Jason now!"
"He's not home," Francis replies plainly, completely unphased by the woman in front of him. "And you're not welcome here."
"Wha...how dare you?!" Carly shouts. "I am Sonny's WIFE!"
"And I couldn't care less," Francis counters, looking past her to the guard at Sonny's door. "Ritchie, get a handle on your ward before I do."
"Who do you think you are referring to me...get your hands off of me!" Carly switches gears when Ritchie walks over to guide her back to Sonny's penthouse. "You both work for MY husband! You have no right handling me like this."
"We work for your husband, not you," Francis points out as Ritchie slowly inches Carly away from him. "Do yourself a favor and don't try this stunt again. I won't be so polite next time."
Through a slew of curses, Ritchie was finally able to get Carly away from Francis and back into Sonny's penthouse. Francis knows that it doesn't make Ritchie's job any easier, but that's not his place to make the man's job easier. His current position is as Jason and Elizabeth's door guard. His unofficial job is to prevent Carly from pulling any more crap while the couple is still living in the penthouse.
Once they get moved into their house where they'll have a whole security team managing their place, Francis will be relieved of this position, but that's then. For now, seeing as he's one of the two people not afraid to put the woman in her place, Johnny in charge of Elizabeth's personal security, Francis will maintain his position at the door for as long as it takes.
"What do you mean I'm no longer one of her clients?! I want to talk to Chloe NOW!" Carly yells into the phone. "I don't care what you have to say! I want to...HELLO?! SONNY! That freaking secretary hung up on me!"
"Breakfast is ready," Sonny says as he sets down the last dish. "Are you going to eat?"
"Are you hearing me?! Chloe's secretary won't put me through to her! She says that Chloe dropped me as a client! Can you believe that?" Carly rages. "How am I supposed to replace my wardrobe without a designer?!"
"There are other designers and shops filled with clothes that you could buy," Sonny reminds her. "Now, will you eat breakfast or not?"
"You are seriously no help at all! First, you let your workers treat me however they damn well please and now you refuse to help me solve my clothing crisis!" Carly throws her hands in the air. "Forget it! I'll deal with it my-damn-self! Don't bother waiting up for me! I'm going to spend this whole day making up for your lack of support! Mark my words, Sonny, you better figure your crap out because I don't deserve to be treated like this! You hear me?!"
Grabbing her things, Carly storms out of the penthouse and straight to the elevators, barking orders to her driver to take her to the diner. As angry as she may be, she'll need the fuel to get her through a whole day of pampering herself at Sonny's expense. For all the money he's worth, Sonny is seriously lacking as a husband in the ways that count. For him to allow this to happen to her, Carly would seriously rethink their marriage if not for the funding he supplies her.
"Hey," Sonny calls out to the two men in the hallway, his guard and Jason's. "Guys want breakfast?"
Ritchie and Francis eye each other before shrugging their shoulders and joining Sonny for breakfast. Though Sonny's not all that big on apologizing for Carly's behavior, sharing his table with his workers is as close as he gets to making up for his wife's whirlwind behavior. This morning is just one instance in a long line of instances that Sonny finds himself put off by the way his wife acts.
These men work for him and they do their jobs better than most. The last thing he needs is to lose loyal men to his wife's beratement of them. Thankfully, they are used to her, so, there's no imminent risk to his employment roster. I love my wife, Sonny reminds himself as they sit down for breakfast, at the end of the day, that's all that matters. Right?
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From the moment the doors opened, Jake's diner was packed to the brim with townspeople, making the opening day a smashing success. Jake had been nervous about making such a drastic change to her business, but the many compliments that have started pouring in about the atmosphere within the newly established diner have only proven to strengthen her resolve.
According to a lot of the patrons, the atmosphere within Kelly's hasn't been the same since Carly started throwing her weight around and they couldn't wait to make this their go-to spot now that they know for sure Carly won't have any weight there. Made abundantly clear by the huge banned sign out front. As long as she remains banned, Jake's diner and bar will have their patronage.
"Hey, you two," Jake voices when she gets to Elizabeth and Jason. "How's it going?"
"Good," Elizabeth replies. "We drove by the other diner on the way over and the place is practically a ghost town."
"I heard," Jake smirked. "Looks like Ruby's have a tough go at finding a replacement crew."
"Word on the street is that she's considering selling the place," Jason comments. "With the way it stands, I doubt she'll make much on the place now, though."
"She'll be lucky to get nickels on the dime," Jake agrees. "Anyway, I just wanted to check in with you guys before I head out. Gotta get in some sleep before the night shift, after all."
"Have a good sleep, Jake, you've definitely earned it," Elizabeth smiles. "I know I've said it a thousand times already, but thanks for having my back."
"Family's family," Jake replies simply. "See you kids later."
She never takes pride in a small business shutting down, her heart always going out to the underdog, but this was one instance that she's not too upset about a business being forced to shut its doors. Above all else, she's glad that it was her that they decided to discriminate against on Carly's words alone. She hates the think how many other people have been and would have been treated unfairly by those people. As much as her heart goes out to small local businesses, she holds no sympathy for them, knowing they made the bed that they must now lay in.
"Hey," Jason says gently when he notices Elizabeth's mind has started to wander. "Where's your head at?"
"My grandmother," she admits with a sigh. "She's meeting with my birth parents over breakfast. She wanted me to be aware since the meeting is about me."
"Did she say what's going to be discussed?"
"Something along the lines of wanting me gone on Sarah's behalf," Elizabeth says sadly, cursing the tears that start to well up in her eyes. "I hate that they still affect me like this. I mean, nothing that my grandmother said about their meeting surprises me. So, why does it still hurt that they'd travel all this way just to get rid of me?"
"I could always return the favor," Jason comments, smiling when the suggestion brings a soft smile to her lips, thankful that his little quips still bring out happiness in her. "I wouldn't get caught either."
"As much as I appreciate the offer, doing so would only make them seem more important than they actually are," Elizabeth declines his offer though she knows he only offered it to make her feel better. "Knowing their motive, though, only makes me wonder what Steven's motive is in offering a meet-up."
"He does seem to be the wild card," Jason agrees. "Maybe you should get your grandmother's advice on how to handle him."
"Maybe," she accepts before saying, "But somehow it feels like I should find my way on my own where he's concerned."
"If that's your instinct, I say go for it," Jason replies honestly. "I trust your instinct as much as my own. If that's the path you need to take, you know I'm here with you."
"I know," she says with love, reaching out to take his hand in hers. "My birth parents may want nothing to do with me, but that doesn't have to be the case with everyone. I mean, my grandmother is nothing like them and it seems as if my grandfather wasn't either. Who knows...Steven could be someone I can build something with...maybe."
There's so much about her birth family that's a complete mystery to her because she was never allowed to be part of their worlds. So much she wishes she could know in order to make an informed decision, but there was no rewriting the past. She has always been on the outside never being able to even look in from a distance. Each step must be taken with caution. That includes whatever will come of her and Steven. If anything comes of them at all. Caution. That's what she has to remember to have when it comes to her birth family. Caution.
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Jeff sat in stunned silence at his mother's adamant defense of a child that he had made sure both she and his father had nothing to do with. How could all his efforts to prevent a connection with her and the child go to hell so easily and so quickly? It made no sense. Though he had so much to say, the words failed him under his mother's angered glare. Something his wife clearly finds entertaining by the look on her face, making her statement last night come into perspective, she knew that his mother had made a connection with the child. More than likely something she learned through their son, who always seems to know everything about everything these days. Looks like he'll have to find another way to get the child out of this town or, if all else fails, maybe he'll just have to find a new city for his daughter to call home. Lord this was getting more complicated by the day.
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Author's Note: In case there was confusion on the last update, the start of the update was a flashback to the time when Emily's health was failing her and Sarah had her "moment" with Jason that led her to believe that she could have a future with him. Hope that helps. And I hope this update met your expectations. Let me know what you thought. Slowly it's being made obvious which Webber/Hardy stands with Elizabeth and which stands with Sarah. The score standing at Audrey with Elizabeth and Jeff with Sarah. Which side will Carolyn and Steven eventually fall on? Sarah? Elizabeth? Looks like we'll see soon enough. Thanks.
