Okay Guys here we go Thanksgiving Part 2. We go to a new household, new people, new situations. bear with me on this I am not as familiar with a couple of the characters but I still want to try to grab the essence of them. Enjoy.

It had been a long time since Bobbie Spencer had had family over for Thanksgiving or any holiday for that matter so when Carly asked if it would be alright to bring a few people over for a family Thanksgiving it was a huge surprise. It was a bigger surprise when Bobby answered the door to Find Carly, Jocelyn, Michael and two people she hadn't yet met. They were Starr and Todd Manning. Todd was evidently seeing Carly and his daughter Starr was dating Michael. And so she knew that is was going to be a interesting evening. And so it was.

The group had settled in to have hors d'oeuvres and cocktails before dinner. the conversation was lively the tension between father and daughter was there but dimmed due to the spirit of Thanksgiving. The small group retired to the dinner table and the conversation continued. Bobbie was having a wonderful time Todd was interesting and amusing. The stories that he told of his hometown of Llanview. In all honesty, it sounded like a strange place to live but then so was Port Charles.

Dinner wrapped up and everyone went out on the front stoop to enjoy each other's company and Bobbie stayed behind to do the dishes. Michael surprised her with an offer to help. He shooed Starr out the door with his mom and followed Bobbie to the kitchen.

"I need to ask you some questions," He started "and I don't think you are going to like them" Bobbie smiled at him.

"You can ask me anything you want Michael. I am always here for you . You know that. You're my grandson and I love you."

Michael smiled at that and helped carry some dishes over to the sink. He took a deep breath. He didn't know who to ask about this. Bobbie had always been straight with him about everything. He needed to know the truth. He had been afraid to ask him mom fearing the truth. "It's about my father"

"Sonny?" Bobbie asked stilling a little. The two stood side by side at the sink Bobbie washing and Michael drying. "No about AJ"

Bobbie took a deep breath, "okay"

"I need to know the truth. If what AJ told me about my mom and dad is true. I need to talk to someone who is honest with me. I can't ask my mom."

"Okay, Michael," she said "What do you want to know?"

"Can you tell me about what happened when I was conceived?" Me asked a little quietly.

Bobbie sighed remembering vividly the events that transpired to end her marriage "Well, back then your mother and did not get along. She was having an affair with my husband."

"Tony Jones."

She nodded, "Yes. At any rate. We did not get along. And Carly did some things that would shock you."

Bobbie explained to him what happened with Tony and Carly and the affair that ended her marriage. She didn't sugarcoat the truth she just told him openly and honestly the things that were done from Carly drugging AJ to Sonny hanging him on a meat hook to sign his rights away. She confessed that she wasn't supposed to know but Carly had told her everything that was going on. She went into detail about Robin telling AJ that he was Michael's father. She even told her about the horrible things AJ did in retaliation or to get custody of Michael. She admitted that AJ had gone too far but that he had indeed been pushed. Not that it excused what he did but some people would do anything when desperate, including Carly.

Bobbie talked for a long time answering questions when Michael asked clarifying things for him if he was confused.

"So AJ didn't know I existed until a year after I was born?"

"No, he didn't, Sweety. At that point unfortunately, you became more of a bargaining chip to everyone. Not that they didn't love you very much. In fact, I'd say you were very loved. Everyone wanted to raise you. Everyone wanted you to be part of their lives. And everyone went too far. There were mistakes made on both sides. Sonny had more power more clout and the mob behind him and AJ didn't have much support from the Quartermaines they were all taking Jason's side. Except for Edward, of course. He wanted the next heir of the Quartermaines to be raised as a Quartermaine. He was a wonderful man but he had this idea of a dynasty."

"But my mom," Michael began, "She did those things? She lied about who my father was she actually made AJ believe he had fallen off the wagon?"

"Yes, I did" Michael turned around to see Carly standing in the doorway.

"I'm gonna go check on Todd and Starr." Bobbie patted Michael on the shoulder and quietly left the room.

Carly gestured to the small kitchen table and sat down with Michael.

"I did all those things." Carly began. "I was young and stupid and I did those things. I was a different person. I was desperate and at the time it seemed like my only option." Carly had tears in her eyes as she told Michael the truth about what did had done.

"So this whole feud, the back and forth, the whole thing started because of you." It wasn't a question. Michael was angry and confused and so very hurt. "You did this to him; drugged him; called his parents. You did all that. So that he wouldn't know he was my father."

"Yes. It's a complicated situation. I was angry and stupid and selfish. I asked Jason to lie about being your father and he did. For the first year of your life the only father you knew was Jason. And he loved you."

"But AJ," Michael started. "AJ never had a chance. You never let him have a chance. I grew up hating him for what he did to me, Morgan and Kristina. I believed you and Dad when you told me that AJ was a bad person."

"AJ was never a saint. Yes, Sonny may have done things that were wrong"

"He hung him from a meat hook. He used his own addiction against him"

"Yes. There were mistakes made. But you, you Michael? You were always loved Sonny loves you very much. So does Jason and so do I"

"I know, Mom." Michael stood up from the table "I need to think. I need to talk to Dad. I need to talk to AJ. This is all just too much."

"Michael, you have always been so important to me. And I am not asking you to forgive me for the things I did, just that you understand where I was coming from." She stood as she was talking and wrapped her arms around Michael.

"I do, Mom, I do," He stepped away from her. "That's part of the problem" He walked out of the kitchen into the living room. He hugged Bobbie goodnight, shook Todd's hand, helped Starr on with her coat. And left to go back to his apartment. Throughout that time Carly sat in the kitchen tears running unchecked down her cheeks. She had sat down and cried. Cried for the things she had done and for the person that she was. She wished she could go back and shake the girl she had been. To tell her not to do those horrible things but she couldn't she had made her bed and had to lie in it. She had grown into a better person. She knew that. She learned from her mistakes she had paid for them as well. She had lost Jax and been taken for a ride by Johnny. But she was stronger than she had ever been but at the moment she felt weak and broken. And that was how Todd found her.

Todd Manning, the perpetrator of his own heinous past, someone else who had made mistakes and learned from them, sat down beside her and did the one thing she really needed. He put his arms around her and let her cry. When she was finished, she looked at Todd and he helped her up. Bobbie wanted to watch Jocelyn for the night so Carly said goodbye to her mother and her daughter and apologized for the drama. Bobbie reminded her that Michael would come around and that she was a better person now. They said I love yous and goodbyes. Todd drove Carly straight to his rooms at the Metro Court.

Michael and Starr entered his apartment and took their coats off. Sitting on the couch they sat side by side Michael holding dearly to Starr's hand. She squeezed back, "Michael tell me." She said. "Tell me so I can help you."

He looked deep into her beautiful eyes. Tears filled his own. He couldn't tell her not yet. It was too fresh the wound too deep. The lies, the betrayal the way they had all hurt each other and him and his siblings, It cut him hard. He didn't know what to think. He couldn't tell Starr. She was amazing. She was like a bright light that came into his life when he needed it the most. She grounded him. He knew he was falling hard for her. He couldn't imagine not having her in his life. She was fun. She enjoyed life. She had lost so much and yet she stayed positive.

Starr looked back at Michael and saw the pain in his eyes. She knew she couldn't help him until he was ready. He had been so strong for her. When she was falling apart, he stood beside her. He helped her when she had no one. When she had lost Hope and Cole who were innocent bystanders in a twisted plot of revenge by a deranged lunatic. She couldn't believe how very lucky she was. She rested her head against his shoulder knowing that what he needed most was someone to be there.

Michael tightened his arm around Starr's shoulder grateful for this wonderful woman who had saved him from himself. He had been in a downward spiral after Abby had been killed. Things in his life had always been crazy and he now knew that his parents had done terrible things, horrible things and that didn't excuse what AJ did, but it made him question why AJ did them. He rested his chin on top of her head thankful that he had her in his life.

Todd and Carly sat facing each other on the couch in his suite at the Metro Court sipping a wonderful red wine. She emotionally drained. Was what she had done so many years ago so wrong? Todd had an answer when she was comfortable enough to ask him that very question.

"Look as someone who has done terrible things in the past myself, trust me it doesn't make you a bad person now. Look at me I'm a helluva guy, now. But back when I was a college kid. I did something so wrong. Everyone hated me. And I deserved it. But I was a different person then. The things I did? They changed me. They made me step back and look at myself. And I am a pretty handsome guy" Carly laughed at that.

"So what was it?" she asked quietly. "What was it you did?"

"That's a story for another time." He said shaking off the questions about his past. "You may hate me after you know and I am not ready for you to hate me." He scooted closer to her on the couch. "Tonight" He said with a flourish putting his arm around her. "Tonight we drink this semi decent Cabernet and we act like everything is alright with the world"

Carly looked up into his beautiful eyes. "But everything isn't alright! It's so far from arlig-umf" Todd stopped her with his finger to her lips and kept it there even after she had stopped talking. She tried again and his finger stayed there while he shushed her.

"I said we are going to act like everything is alright with the world." He leaned down and replaced his finger with his lips. "You do know how to act, right?" He kissed her then. Gently at first then more playful, tugging the wine from her hand and setting on the table behind her. Their kissing became more aggressive as they sank into the couch together, forgetting the rest of the world for that one moment in time.