Patrick heard the voice and squeezed his eyes shut…Courtney turned around slowly having heard your name.
"OH MY GOD COURTNEY" the woman repeated.
Liz had come out and Patrick saw her grab the woman and thrust her into their room.
Patrick and Courtney followed in right behind them.
"Ow, what the heck Liz" she told her checking her arm for bruises.
"Carly, shut up" Liz answered back in a tone that made Carly roll her eyes but shut up.
When the door slammed Carly turned to the blond woman but spoke to Patrick.
"What the hell is going on?" she asked perching her hands on her hips.
When the three stayed silent she approached Courtney, "Okay seriously tell me what is going on here" she told her angrily.
Courtney started to cry out of frustration, "I don't know what's going on…I don't even know you" she said before rushing off to the bedroom.
Liz turned and ran after her and Patrick grabbed her arm before she could follow.
"Sit down; we need to talk" he told her.
She scowled at him before he spoke, "As you know; I have been working in Spain with head injury patients."
She rolled her eyes again and tried to interrupt, but he stopped her.
"Can't you just listen for five seconds, I swear you have ADD or something" he told her making her smile peak out.
"I had this patient flown in from Greece. She was a young woman who had no memory…but she had a child..." he trailed off.
Carly put her hand over her mouth and then gently whispered, "Courtney?"
Patrick nodded, "I didn't know; until I saw a picture of her that Liz had…a picture at Liz and Lucky's wedding…when I freaked out I told her…and then she went and met Courtney…she told her all about her life here, and her son…We figured it was time for her to come home…but Carly; she doesn't remember anything from her life before."
"Except his brown eyes" they heard coming from the doorway.
"Oh sweetie" Carly exclaimed emotions bubbling over as she went to hug her.
Courtney smiled sadly, "your name is?" she asked.
Carly let out a light chuckle in between her tears, "I am Carly…we were best friends."
Courtney nodded, "Liz told me about you; you were married to my brother…Sonny?" she asked.
"Three times" Carly said laughing.
Courtney laughed; "Wow so we both have been married three times, huh?" she asked trying to keep the conversation light.
"Well, sweetie you have been married three times, I have been married, um" she said counting on her fingers.
"Six" she answered after a moment.
Courtney blinked and Carly rambled again, "once to AJ Quartermaine, you were married to him also, three times to your brother, once to Lorenzo Alcazar, and once to Jax" she answered.
Courtney remembered that name and the piece of the story that Liz had relayed, "wait, you are married to the man who kept my child from his father, and you helped him" she said getting angry.
Carly sighed, "yep, not one of my finest moments…mine or Jax's" she told her softly looking down.
Courtney didn't know why, but she couldn't seem to stay mad.
She nodded and Courtney suddenly got a plan, "oh we got to call Nikolas now, have you seen your son…oh Mattie is so cute!" the woman exclaimed.
Courtney's eyes welled up with tears, "do you see him?" she asked just above a whisper.
"Who Matthew, all the time…I begged Nikolas after, and at first he was rightfully mad, but later he realized that you would want him to see his cousins" she told her.
"Okay so when are we going to see Nikolas?" she asked, and everyone in the room came quiet.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" she wondered looking at their grim faces.
"Never" Courtney answered running back to the room.
Liz filled Carly in on what had happened; seeing Maxie moving in…how Courtney had overheard. Carly stayed quiet for a long moment.
"I have a plan" she announced.
Liz groaned and Carly turned to her swiftly, "WHAT?"
"Oh please; like Jason hasn't told me about your infamous plans" Liz said crossing her arms.
Carly made a mental note to chastise Jason when she saw him.
"Well this is a good one; I will be back in an hour" she told the duo.
"Is that the last of it?" Maxie asked as Nikolas put the box down in the room.
"Thankfully yes, and I have brownies from Kelly's to celebrate" he said smiling.
She came and wrapped herself in his arms, "I am so happy" she told him smiling and leaning into his chest.
He closed his eyes, "me too" he said as believably as he could muster.
"DADDY!" he heard the little boy yell bounding up the stairs.
"Yes sir" he said making Matthew laugh.
"Auntie Carly is here, and wants to know if I can go have dinner with her, Mikey, and Morgan?" he asked.
Nikolas smiled; in the months after he got Matthew back he wouldn't allow Carly or the boys to see him…but he softened on the anniversary of his and Courtney's first kiss…and he invited Carly over. The woman was grateful, to say the least…and her and Nikolas had struck an interesting friendship…even after she married Jax; he had buried the hate for the man, and let Carly still be in Matthew's life.
"Well let's go see Auntie Carly, buddy" he said throwing his son over his shoulder.
Maxie followed them downstairs, where the enigmatic blond was waiting.
"Well hello little guy, did you ask your daddy?" she exclaimed bubbling over.
Matthew nodded and she looked at Nikolas and smiled brightly until she saw Maxie.
"Hey" she nodded to the girl.
"Hello" Maxie said politely felling awkward.
"Okay little guy be good for Auntie Carly, okay?" he said kissing his son on the forehead.
"Thanks daddy, bye-bye Maxie!" the little boy said waving.
"Can I have ice cream" the little boy asked sitting down at the table.
"Of course sweetie; once we eat dinner, you can have a big chocolate sundae, how does that sound?"
"YAY!" he exclaimed clapping his hands.
He looked up at her, and in a flash her heart broke and soared at the same time seeing those bright blue eyes.
As they sat at the table Jax brought Michael and Morgan in and had questions in his eyes seeing Carly's face, but he stayed quiet.
Patrick walked with Liz, Courtney and Morgan to the lone table Carly had set up on the terrace. She was right; it was away from prying eyes, and it looked just like a normal family get together. Then he saw the view. It opened right onto a small dining room…and a certain get together in that dining room.
"Look Court" Patrick said letting her sit at the end.
Tears instantly came into her eyes, "that's him" she said looking at the small animated boy who sat on the red-headed boys lap.
"Yep, and those are your nephews, Michael is the older one, and Morgan" Liz pointed out.
"Morgan…that name sounds familiar" she said gazing at them.
Carly prolonged dinner as long as she could, but soon after dessert little Matthew's eyes were drooping.
"Ready to go home buddy?" she asked.
The boy nodded his head before lying on Michael's shoulder.
"Okay Hon, let me go to the bathroom, okay?" she said walking towards the bathroom and then bee-lining to the terrace.
"Hey" she said as Courtney came and hugged her.
"Thank you" the younger woman said in tears.
Carly simply nodded afraid she would cry too.
Jax strapped the little boy into the car and went around to Carly's door.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Huh?" she asked feigning innocence.
"Caroline Benson Quartermaine Corinthos Alcazar Jacks don't play coy with me" he said joking with her.
She rolled her eyes, he did that to bug her…"I will tell you later" she said trying to leave.
"Promise?" he asked his blue eyes boring holes into her.
She sighed, "Yes" and drove away.
Jason was supposed to meet her at the launch to pick up Matthew.
She carried the little boy in her arms and saw not only Jason but Alexis too. She let out an inward groan.
"Well good to see you too Carly" Alexis said smiling.
The two women had tried to be friendly ever since Carly's marriage to Jax.
Carly gave a tight lipped smile and handed the boy over to Jason. She needed to talk to him; needed to figure this out.
"Jase, I need to talk to you" she said in the tone that made Jason weary.
Alexis nodded and noticed Matthew's eyes opening.
"Hey buddy, you want to look through the view finders over there out to the house while Aunt Carly and Uncle Jason talk for a second?"
"Okay" the little boy said skipping.
When Alexis got to the viewers she remembered she had no quarter and walked over in the middle of the conversation as Carly spoke again.
"I am telling you Jason, Courtney is alive and well right here in Port Charles"
A/N: Sorry, this is moving slow…but that is how I want it to be…I promise it will get a little faster paced later…Hope you enjoyed, and I enjoy feedback; so leave me a little message if ya did!