6.
"Morgan." Jason answered.
"We've got a problem." Sonny told him.
"What's up?" He shifted his phone to his left ear and turned down the volume as Elizabeth watched him with a curious brow from the passenger seat.
"It's the new tenant. He's a cop!" Sonny was ticked. His man hadn't flagged the background check until after the final documents had been signed, sealed and delivered.
"I thought Stan checked him out?" Jason did not need this today.
He already felt bad after Sam totally dismissed him at the diner and now a headache had formed from the failed lunch attempt with Michael, Emily and Elizabeth and the argument that ensued. She was now giving him the silent treatment. He was just thankful she didn't realize just how much of a punishment that wasn't for him. No talking? No problem.
"Yeah, well, Stan said it was clean so I went ahead and had Diane finalize the lease agreement. Then first thing this morning I get a call. Stan said something about it just didn't sit right with him. Said the guy seemed a little too clean, so he did some digging and he still came up clean, but it gnawed at him so he kept at it." Sonny rubbed his temple as he sat back down at his desk.
"And?" Jason waited.
"And he's a cop, Jason. What do you mean, and?" Sonny was in a foul mood. His wife was still barely talking to him. He'd kept Jason's secret from Carly against his better judgment and just as he'd feared it had come back to bite him in the ass thanks to Jason's new fiancee. After two weeks of reasoning, apologizing and ,hell, begging he was fresh out of patience, for anyone.
Sonny took a deep breath. He didn't need to add to the tension between him and his enforcer. "Well, technically, he's not a cop. He's an independent contractor as a security consultant. Wanna take a guess who his first and only client is?"
Fucking "Wonderful." Jason withheld the expletive from the little ears in the backseat.
"There's nothing Diane can do to get out of it?" Jason really wasn't in the mood to go muscle some guy out of Sonny's old penthouse. Then again, he thought, it might help release some of the tension that had been building since last August.
"Nothing immediate and this guy's too dangerous to keep around." Sonny held the phone against his shoulder as he popped two aspirin and drank from his water bottle.
"What do you mean?" Jason's enforcer mode kicked in at the mention of danger.
"First off, he's been contracted to recruit and train a SWAT team for the PCPD." Sonny sighed.
"How the hell did we miss that?" Jason wanted to know forgetting little ears and nosy ones too. Forget that they'd almost missed the guy, they had informants inside the department who were paid well. They shouldn't just be hearing about the plans for a SWAT team now.
"My thoughts exactly. Guess I need to have a little talk with our people. As for the background check, Stan swears whoever cleaned him up was good, real good. Turns out he's former Delta Force." Jason groaned at that news.
The day just kept getting better and better. Delta Force was an elite group of highly trained soldiers whose primary tasks were counter-terrorism, direct action and national intervention operations. They'd also been known to handle all kinds of covert missions including rescuing hostages and raids.
"So how do you want to handle it?" Jason had no fear tangling with someone highly trained in close quarter combat, but he wasn't looking forward to it.
"Try to reason with him first. I don't know, tell him some family emergency came up and we're going to need the place. Offer to reimburse him for his trouble and see if he goes for it. If not, that's a good indication he may be interested in that particular penthouse for more than just a nice place to live. So... do what you gotta do." Jason knew what that meant.
"I'll take care of it. Is he there now?" Jason gave a thoughtful stare in his rear view to his nephew in the back.
"I talked to Diane this morning, but his agent had already picked up the keys and final docs. She did say the agent mentioned meeting him at the penthouse around two."
Jason looked at his watch. It was almost 2pm now. "On my way." He told him and hung up.
xxxxx
Elizabeth was fuming by the time she'd reached the penthouse with Jason. If she hadn't forgotten her phone at his place earlier, she would have just had Emily drop her off at home to change before her shift. Might do him a little good, she thought, to make him feel bad for not believing her over Michael, defending Sam's career choices to her and practically ignoring her at lunch from the moment they walked in and he laid eyes on that lying con.
Jason offered to have one of his guards drop her cell off to her later, but she didn't trust them not to snoop and she didn't need anyone checking her phone logs and reporting what they found back to Jason. She hadn't spoken a word the entire ride back to his home and it only infuriated her more that it hadn't seemed to affect Jason in the least.
So when Jason excused himself to take care of some business at the penthouse across the hall only minutes after walking through the door, Elizabeth decided to make full use out of her time alone with Michael. She stood with her arms crossed staring down the little eight year old terror. Children needed boundaries and it was clear that kid had none. He walked all over the grownups in his life and they all seemed to be blinded to that fact by his little freckle-faced charms. Well, it ended here. She would not allow the brat to get between her and the man she'd dreamed of having for so long, not when everything she wanted was so close.
"I know what you did, you know. I saw your reflection in the glass of a picture at Kelly's, laughing. You spilled that drink on me on purpose." Elizabeth stalked closer to the boy, delighting in his growing discomfort.
"I don't know what you're talking about. It was an accident like I said and uncle Jason and aunt Emily believe me." Michael held his ground. She was a phony fake and she could be lying about seeing him laughing.
"You think you've got everyone fooled, but I see through your little innocent act and when I'm done so will Jason and Emily. Your crocodile tears may have won this little argument today, but trust me Michael your life will go a lot easier if you learn to accept that I'm Jason's family now. In fact, the more trouble you make the more I'll feel the need to persuade him to tell your parents the only thing they can do to help you is send you off to military school somewhere far away." Elizabeth smirked as Micheal's eyes grew big.
"No way!" Michael shouted. "Uncle Jason would never send me away. He loves me more than anything!" Michael declared hotly.
Elizabeth shrugged. "Fine, don't believe me. See what happens. After all, Emily is my best and dearest friend. We trust each other with everything. She'll believe me when I cry to her and tell her how awful I feel that you obviously hate me so much and tried to hurt me and the baby because you're jealous. Emily will feel the need to tell her big brother all about it. He'll want to do whatever he can to make things better. Jason is going to be my husband and the father of my child. We'll have our own family. Our baby and I will be his number one priority from now on. He'll always love you Michael, he'll just love us more and he'll believe us over you too."
"You don't deserve uncle Jason! You're a phony fake and a liar and you made uncle Jason lie. He never lied to me before you messed everything up!" Michael gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowed with hatred for her.
Elizabeth's eyes widened at being called a liar then narrowed as she smirked. "You see? Jason already loves me and this baby more than anyone. He put our needs first, even if that meant lying to everyone he says he cares about. You'd be a smart boy to understand that, Michael, and not pull any more stunts like today. I don't think you'd like his decision if you tried to make him choose between you and his real family."
Michael sat quiet. His little chest huffing and puffing; he was so worked up. He didn't want to believe his uncle Jason would ever choose that wicked witch over him, but Jason did lie for her and he never lied. Maybe she was right.
"Fine." He replied, his little shoulders slumped. He felt defeated.
Elizabeth's cheerful demeanor kicked in over her clear win. "You'll see, Micheal. This really is all for the best. Now we can all be one big happy family. I just need your word that you'll be respectful from now on and nicer. No more stunts. Deal?"
Michael wasn't making any deals with that devil. He crossed his fingers secretly behind his back. "Deal."
Her phone rang signaling the end of one conversation and beginning of another. Elizabeth looked at the caller ID and debated whether to answer. It was risky, but she hadn't heard his voice in so long and it was just so hard to stay mad at him. She missed him. "Hello?"
"It's good to hear your voice too." She smiled softly hearing her name on his lips.
She blushed slightly noticing Micheal's inquisitive gaze upon her as she spoke.
"Now really isn't a good time." She began, but second guessed her choice. "How about tonight after my shift?"
Michael forced a yawn. "I'm kind of tired. I think I'm going to lay down and watch TV until uncle Jason comes back.
He got up and headed for the stairs.
L!z covered her cell as she spoke. "Okay sweetie, rest well. I'm so glad we could work all of this out."
Elizabeth had to pat herself on the back. She was right. Michael was a bright little boy, brighter than his family gave him credit for and all he'd needed was someone to lay out the ground rules to him in no uncertain terms.
She looked around Jason's empty living room and up toward the landing on the stairs to find herself alone. "I've missed you. What about her? No. We had a little fight, so Jason won't suspect a thing if tell him I don't need a ride home tonight. I love you too."
Elizabeth finished her call and closed her phone shut as Michael pulled back around the corner and shook his head with a frown. He knew she was a liar and uncle Jason couldn't trust her! Now, all he had to do was find a way to prove it. He had to be more careful though. If Lizzie Liar caught him, she might actually talk uncle Jason into convincing his parents he needed to go away. He made his way to the guest room while his brain began to hatch a plan to save his uncle from marrying the wicked witch.
xxxxx
It was probably for the best that the real estate agent was still there when Jason showed up because when the man Sam had her legs wrapped around the night before answered the door of his boss's old penthouse Jason's initial response was to just shoot him. End of negotiations right there. He had his silencer, so Elizabeth and Michael wouldn't hear a thing. He'd just close and lock the door back and wait until after nightfall to have his crew clean up the mess.
The eye witness was the only thing that saved his life. He caught sight of the tall slender woman in the fitted business suit watching him intently. She was probably curious to see who his first visitor could be already.
"May I help you?" Coop asked the ass-hat in front of him.
Jason's face remained expressionless. "My friend is your landlord. I live across the hall. He asked me to stop by."
Coop stood aside and motioned for him to enter. He closed the door and waited to hear what the visitor had to say.
Jason took a deep breath. He didn't want to talk to the guy and he sure as hell didn't want to ask him for any favors, but this was business. "Mr. Corinthos received word just this morning that his sister is in immediate need of a place to stay. My boss offered for her to stay with his family, but she insists she won't be a burden and really needs some privacy right now to sort things out."
"I thought you said he was your friend?" Coop eyed him.
"He's both. As I was saying, his sister needs a place and this..." Jason looked side to side around the living room. "Is really the only home he considers safe enough for her unless it's with him. Mr. Corinthos is willing to compensate you for your trouble if you agree to find another apartment, today." Jason hoped he said yes, because he wasn't going to beg and as much as he wanted to shoot him he knew he couldn't. This Coop guy obviously meant something to Sam. He wouldn't take anything more away from her, or keep that kind of lie between them.
The agent felt a need to step in at that point. "I'm very sorry for Mr. Corinthos' family dilemma, but Mr. Barrett you do understand you are under no obligation to vacate the premises?"
Coop smiled kindly at the woman and nodded. Mac had warned him Corinthos' would eventually learn about his relationship with the PCPD, but thought he'd have more time to ensconce himself and maybe learn enough to aide him in his real reason for coming to Port Charles. He hadn't even shown up for his first day at PCPD yet. Corinthos' men were good.
He wondered just how much they'd uncovered of his background. Considering the cautious vigilance Mr. Morgan eyed him with today he would guess they knew he was former special forces for the Army and if they knew that, then Mr. Corinthos' men were very very good at what they did.
"Thank you, Hilary, but I'd hate to cause Mr. Corinthos any unnecessary worries when he's obviously so concerned for his sister." Coop smiled at Jason when he released the breath he held and nodded. The next part would be so much fun. "Please tell Mr. Corinthos I appreciate his offer of compensation, but only request a refund and also to cover the costs of my agent's time and trouble. I'm sure Sam's offer to stay with her as long as I need is still open. I'll just pick up dinner and head on over there. She can never say no when I come bearing Szechuan string beans and scallops in hot garlic sauce."
For a second, Jason's mask almost fell revealing the green-eyed monster beneath. The bastard knew her favorite Chinese food dishes? No way in hell! No way in hell was that cop lover moving in with Sam. Not if he could help it. He breathed deep and clenched his fists at his sides as his trigger fingers twitched. He really wished he could shoot him now, again. He stood silent for another minute. Finally, Coop made moves to hand him the keys when Jason spoke.
He held his hand up to reject them. "Forget it. You know, you're obviously someone important to Sam and she is a sister of Mr. Corinthos' daughter so Sam is like family to us too. I'm sure Mr. Corinthos wouldn't feel right putting you out of a place you wanted and that is rightfully yours. Courtney can stay with me until we find another suitable place for her to live."
Coop nodded and thanked him for reconsidering while doing his best not to smile. He had a feeling Mr. Morgan would see it his way. Jason left the penthouse without another word, or bothering to shut the door. What was it Sonny always said about Ric? Keep your friends and family close and keep your enemies even closer? It was a logic Sonny would have no choice to have thrown back at him because there was no way in hell Jason would allow that man to live in such close quarters with the woman he loved.
xxxxx
Sam sat quietly on her cousin's sofa, not realizing she was hugging herself for comfort until Nik's outstretched hand appeared before her and she pulled her hand from her side to accept the double old-fashioned full of scotch. She gave him a brave smile and sipped at it absently, not sure what she was feeling at the moment. She'd planned to make the town feel like home with her sisters, Jason, Alexis and her cousin and within twenty four hours she'd lost her future with Jason and now, possibly, her mother.
Nik took a gulp of his drink and sat next to his cousin. He'd excused himself to make an important call once Alexis left, but he'd ended the call a few moments ago and Sam had yet to say a word. He was worried about her. "It's tough isn't it?"
"What?" She said still focused on some distant part of the room.
"Keeping up that brave face when all you really feel is uncertainty." Nik admitted.
Sam turned and looked at him then really looked at him. He was every bit as terrified as she felt. She wanted to reassure him. "We just have to set our minds to winning. After all, we're too stubborn and too competitive to let a little thing like cancer take her from us."
Nik gave a sad smile. His eyes teared up and so did hers at seeing his. She looked away before they could fall.
"You're right." He nodded, his voice too filled with emotion to say more.
Sam sighed and leaned back against the cushions. Nik put his arm around her shoulder and she rested her head against him for comfort. They sat like that a while longer, sipping their drinks, each lost in their own separate thoughts of how to hold their family together.
Nik was the first to break the silence, brought to words by anger at the thought of Ric's screwed up set of priorities. "I can't believe he was actually going to let Viola drop her off like it was nothing more than an annual physical."
Sam shook her head. "What is wrong with him?"
Nik scoffed. "He doesn't deserve her that's for damn sure. I mean few men ever do deserve a truly good woman like Alexis, or you." Sam smiled warmly at his compliment. "Lord knows I sure as hell don't deserve Emily, but I try. Every day we're together I do everything in my power to be the kind of man she deserves. It seems Ric would rather put his energies toward furthering his career."
He took another gulp and Sam frowned. "What do you mean you don't deserve Emily, Nik? You're one of the best men I know, one of the best I've ever met."
It was Nik's turn to smile slightly, but he shook his head. "Truthfully, I don't know if I'll ever deserve a love as good as hers."
Sam turned sideways on the sofa drawing her legs under her to talk to him face to face. "Does this have anything to do with why you haven't already asked her to marry you?"
Nik looked at her guiltily then looked back to the last sip swirling in the bottom of his glass and nodded.
"Nik, that's ridiculous. Emily would accept your ring in a heartbeat. She's dying to be your wife!" Sam declared.
"That's the problem. Making her my wife just might be the death of her." Nik confessed.
Sam's face twisted in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Nik sighed. He'd kept that worry bottled up for years and he needed to get it off his chest. "You remember when I first told you of my grandmother, Helena?"
Sam nodded as a chill ran up her spine at the mention of the woman who'd slit Sam's own grandmother's throat in front of her mother when Alexis was just a small child.
"Has anyone ever mentioned she's tried to kill Emily?" Nik swallowed hard at the memories.
Sam's face filled with concern. "No." She shook her head.
Nik nodded. "Not just once. She's threatened her several times."
"Why? Why would anyone ever want to hurt Emily?" Sam guessed the woman must really just be insane. It was the only explanation, other than pure evil.
"It's a long story, but in short the Cassadine's never really got along with the Quartermaine's or the Spencer's for that matter. Grandmother is determined to prevent a Quartermaine from ever tainting the Cassadine bloodline as she puts it. When I say determined, I mean she'll stop at nothing including murder. Marrying Emily would be like painting an even bigger target on her back for Helena."
Nik finished off his drink and rose to get another. Sam was silent for a moment, taking in the full depth of her truly dysfunctional family. Suddenly something her good friend told her the night before registered and she shared that truth with Nikolas. "You need to tell Emily, Nik. She has a right to know and make her own decision about her relationship with you. How can she make an informed decision, if she doesn't have all the information?"
Nikolas sighed. "I know."
He'd known that for quite some time, but knowing and finding a way to do it were two different things. What if she chose to leave him because he refused to make her his wife or have children with her? He'd been a selfish bastard, but he loved her and he couldn't let her go. Even worse, and what he knew to be the more likely outcomes of the two, Emily would wear him down once she knew.
He was powerless to resist her and Nikolas knew Emily would convince him in her fiercely loving way that he was foolish and their love was worth the risk. His heart clenched when he thought of it because nothing was worth the risk of losing her forever and yet he knew by keeping that lie and another more recent lie between them he was risking just that. Emily might leave him when she found out, but at least she would still be alive.
"I know I don't know Emily as well as you, but I think I know her well enough to guess she would never allow fear to run her life. She'd fight for you, Nik, because she loves you that much. You need to fight for her too." Sam urged with a tender softness.
Nik's brows furrowed and a smile crossed his face as he bit his bottom lip. "How is it you can be so wise and yet so daft at the same time?"
Sam's jaw dropped in shock. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Nik's chuckle turned into a full blown laugh as he watched Sam try not to smile at him. "It means, pot, meet kettle."
Sam shifted on the couch suddenly uncomfortable with where the conversation had turned. She shifted around with her back to the cushions. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, you can't con me, Sam, I know you too well now." Nik teased.
"You think so?" Sam turned back to him with a devilish grin and a mischievous glint of challenge clear in her amber eyes.
Nik laughed again. "Yes and nice try, but I won't let you change the subject that easily either."
Sam frowned. Damn. He did know her too well, she thought.
"Look, no lectures, okay? I just think you could benefit from the same advice you've given me. I know you love him." Sam had her poker face on now admitting nothing so Nik filled in the blanks. "I have to admit I didn't believe Emily at first. She told me that first year after the New Year's Eve party she'd seen sparks between you and her brother, but I thought she was just another woman in love that couldn't help see romance wherever she looked."
Sam was surprised by that admission. Emily had never mentioned anything to her, but she had always seemed very supportive of her friendship with Jason.
"After seeing you there for him day in and day out last year when he almost died and then again when we all believed Michael had been killed I finally got it. I saw what Emily knew from the moment she first saw you two together. You two were meant for each other, and you've fallen in love with each other." Nik said it out loud and hearing those words, that they were in love with each other, nearly broke her heart all over again. Jason couldn't possibly be in love with her like she'd hoped.
She looked down and swallowed her pain. "He isn't in love with me, Nik. He's marrying someone else, the mother of his child."
Sam could barely get the words out without choking on them and Nik wanted to pummel Emily's brother for being such a fool. "He doesn't love Elizabeth either. At least not the way you should love the woman you're about to marry."
Nik wasn't sure why he was telling her. The idea of his cousin getting herself mixed up in Jason's dangerous lifestyle scared the hell out of him, but he couldn't take that pain in her eyes. If revealing the truth took that pain away for even one moment, it was worth it. She was right. Neither Emily, or Sam could make informed decisions about the men they loved without all the information.
"What makes you think he isn't in love with her?" Sam really wanted to know, because Jason's lasts words to her were ringing clear in her ears once again.
She's not the woman I love or want to marry!
"He hasn't told me directly, but I've spent enough time around them to see it first hand. He doesn't look at her like a man in love, the way he looks at you." Nik told her confidently.
"Jason made his choice." Sam didn't have the strength to deny she was in love with him.
Nik nodded. "He did, but if you knew Jason you would know he didn't feel he had one."
"What are you saying, that Jason's only marrying Elizabeth because of the baby?"
Nik sipped his second scotch. "I believe he cares for Elizabeth as a friend and if there was no baby, there would be no wedding. Call it chivalrous, or honorable; old-fashioned, or asinine; but he believes two parents should raise their child together under one roof. It's something he was denied as a child and I have a feeling it's why he feels so strongly about giving that to his own."
"I'm still not convinced he's only marrying her for the sake of the baby, but I completely understand why he would want to give that to his son or daughter. I could never do anything that might break up an innocent child's family." Sam admitted, brokenly.
Nik shook his head softly. "Like I said, few men ever really deserve a truly good woman like you. I still think you owe him the truth though, Sam."
Sam cringed and Nik could tell she'd taken about as much as she could take today. "I'll make you a deal." He offered.
Sam narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What kind of deal?"
"You come clean with Jason before his wedding and I'll do the same with Emily." He wagered.
Sam shook her stubborn little head. "No deal."
She got up to place her empty glass over on the bar. It was getting awfully late and suddenly she felt like she could sleep for days.
"Come on, Sam. I know you and if you let him marry her without telling him you'll always live with that regret." Nik doubted she'd admit it, but he knew it was true.
"Better to live with that regret than the regret of ruining an innocent baby's family before it even gets a chance to enjoy it." Sam countered.
Nik shook his head. "That's just it. I'm afraid that is exactly what Jason is too stubborn to see. One day, and I'd bet that day comes a lot sooner than later, probably when he sees you moving on with your life without him, he's going to regret his decision. He'll grow to resent Elizabeth and his life with her because it isn't a life with you and that child will suffer as a result of it. Jason does love you, Sam. I've come to believe he loves you very much and yes, he should be fighting for you just like I should be fighting for Emily, like I know she would fight for me, but fear can seriously impede your judgment. Trust me, I know. Jason should have told you about Elizabeth months ago. I think he didn't out of fear of losing you. He shouldn't be marrying another woman when he's in love with someone else, but again I believe fear of failing his child pushed him into this poor choice as well. The most amazing thing about a love that is as true as what I have with Emily and what I think you may have with Jason is that when one falters the other is there to take on the fight and keep one another, and your love, standing strong. Jason made a mistake, Sam, but if you really do love him, truly love him, you need to help him fight, fight his fear."
Sam was speechless. She wiped at the corners of her eyes and simply nodded once.
Nik smiled softly at his cousin, feeling her pain to his very depths as her pain was his own. "So then we have a deal? You'll be honest with Jason about how you really feel before he marries Elizabeth and I'll do the same with Emily?"
Sam nodded again and spoke in a near whisper. "Deal."
Sam took his drink from him and finished it. Nik huffed with a slight smile, opting to change the subject. "So about what Alexis said before about the holidays..."
Sam set the empty glass on the end table. "I want to do the holidays up even bigger this year to make the memories even more special. We should create a list of experiences to share as a family."
Nik nodded adamantly. "I agree. We should get together soon to plan it all out. I'll fill Emily in on everything that's going on and maybe you could feel Alexis out for a few ideas on how she'd like to celebrate this year."
"Sounds good, I think we should definitely involve Alexis in the planning. It'll help keep her focused on the positive, but I'd love for us to come up with a few surprises for her and the girls too." Sam suggested.
"I think you're right. We can discuss our plans with her further tomorrow." Nik agreed.
"Speaking of plans for tomorrow, I better get going. I have a few things I want to get ready before Kristina's sleep over and I invited Michael this morning as well, so I guess I better call Carly to make sure it's alright." Sam stood to go.
Nik stood and gave Sam a hug. "Carly, good luck with that."
"She's not so bad... sometimes." Sam shrugged with a smile.
Nik shook his head. "If you say so. Listen, I'm on my way to the Quartermaine's to see Emily, may I offer you a ride to the marina?"
"Sure, that would be good." Sam nodded as they grabbed their coats and made their way down to the launch.
xxxxx
Sam spent all of ten minutes alone aboard her boat before deciding to leave again. She attempted to busy herself by making a list of supplies for the short trip she planned for Michael and Krissy, but that only took a few minutes and then she was once again alone with only thoughts of her mother and Jason for company. She thought of giving Coop a call. She was curious to see his new place, but she felt all talked out. It would have to wait for another day. She just wanted to keep busy and there was plenty of work waiting for her at her new office, so she hopped on her bike and headed there instead.
Coop's SUV had been loaded down with all of the new equipment, office supplies and accessories Sam purchased to make the place feel more established. He'd helped carry them up in the freight elevator before they left for lunch, but she'd been too hungry to bother taking anything out of its boxes or bags so she did that now.
Although the kitchenette and bathroom appeared spotless, Sam gave them a thorough cleaning of her own as well. She plugged the new microwave in and centered it in the small niche between the cabinets above the counter-top. She unpacked her new coffee maker and set it up next to the bagel toaster. She washed the new four piece serving set of dinnerware and silverware in the sink near the now stocked fridge and laid them out to dry on a dish towel.
She continued about those mundane tasks, happy for the distraction. There was something oddly comforting in filling the new stapler with staples, organizing the drawer caddy full of pens and supplies, filling the file cabinets with hanging folders and hooking up the new phones among other little odd jobs. There were so many larger things beyond her control. It felt good to establish order in her own little world even in such a tiny little way.
When she'd finished almost everything, she decided to take a break and give Carly a call. Her first few encounters with Carly had been... rough. The woman definitely had a talent for being rude, though she'd never been cruel to her like Sam knew she was capable of after witnessing a run in with her and Jason's ex-girlfriend, Robin. Carly had been vicious and Sam had wondered what in the hell Robin had ever done to piss her off so bad. She kind of understood once Jason filled her in, but she couldn't help feel a little bad for Robin too.
Sam quickly learned Carly was extremely territorial when it came to those she loved, especially Jason and Sonny. She marked her territory, so to speak, and Sam did her best to keep the peace without allowing Carly to bully her out of Jason's life. Carly tried at first, but after Sam had seen Jason through his illness she'd backed off just a bit and after the kidnapping everything seemed to change overnight.
Sam wasn't really sure if Carly finally accepted her in Jason's life, or if she was just still too affected by grieving for her son. At any rate, while they weren't friends, they weren't enemies either and Sam was thankful for it. She needed some peace in her life and Hurricane Carly was a force she was glad not to have directed against her anymore.
"Corinthos Residence." Carly answered.
"Hi, Carly. It's Sam." She hoped she hadn't caught the woman in a bad mood. She sounded a bit put off.
"Sam? Hi. What's up?" Carly was suddenly very curious to know why Sam of all people would be calling her.
"Well, I ran into Michael this afternoon at Kelly's and I mentioned I bought a new boat. Michael was really excited to see it, so I was wondering if maybe I could borrow him for a short little weekend trip for him and Krissy."
"So, you're back in town? That's great. I'm glad Michael got a chance to see you today. He's really missed you. I don't think it would be a problem, but I need to run it past Sonny first. When did you want him?" Carly's diabolical mind began to run wild.
"I'm picking Kristina up tomorrow afternoon. I'd like to leave port by tomorrow evening and have them both home by Sunday afternoon." Sam was surprised Carly mentioned Michael missing her. She was usually reluctant to admit her son cared for anyone other than his parents, grandparents, siblings, and Jason.
"Alright. Let me give Sonny a call and I'll call you right back and let you know."
"Thanks, Carly. I really missed him too." Sam admitted softly.
Carly allowed herself to smile at Sam's heartfelt confession, but only because she knew Sam would never see it. "I'll talk with you soon, Sam. Bye."
"Goodbye." Sam said and hung up.
She was starting to get excited again about the little adventure with the kids. She'd planned the mini-trip the second night she owned the boat, but at that point it was with four passengers in mind; Krissy, Michael, Jason and herself. She wanted to enlist them as her new crew and teach them all about boating and instill the love of the sea in them as her father had for her and she had for Danny. She'd imagined already having confessed her feelings to Jason and him for her. They would exhaust Michael and Krissy during the day with one fun learning task after another and then tuck them in at night before Jason carried her off to their bed to make love. The memory stung and she shook her head clear of it with a sigh. Back to work, she told herself.
xxxxx
Jason just stood there speechless as his once beloved little nephew threw him under the bus with L!z. Speechless wasn't an unusual status for him admittedly, but this time he didn't even have words forming silently in his head.
"Really, uncle Jase, it's okay. You should take Elizabeth home and I'll go home with Max." Michael insisted.
Crap. Now what was he going to do?
He'd already said he didn't have time to drop both of them off before a meeting with Bernie and offered for Max to drop Elizabeth off while he took Michael back to Greystone Manor. He figured Elizabeth would want to talk about their argument earlier and he just wasn't in the mood to deal with it.
Now, here his nephew was switching it up on him and it wasn't like he could now say he'd take them both to avoid alone time with her. Damn. At least this proved one thing, Elizabeth was dead wrong when she accused Michael of acting out against her. If Michael didn't like her, there was no way he'd suggest Jason spend more time with her.
"Thank you Michael. Jason, you don't have a problem with that, do you?" Elizabeth wasn't sure what his hesitancy was about, but she didn't like it.
Jason sighed and pursed his lips to avoid frowning. "No, Elizabeth. It's fine. I'll just call Max up and then we'll go."
Elizabeth smiled inside. Yes, she thought, Michael was quickly learning just how things were going to be from now on. He was learning his place, behind her and the baby.
Michael smiled openly thinking if they only knew what he was really smiling about...
xxxxx
Carly smiled at a pleasantly surprised Milo with a "hey there" as she passed him to walk into her husband's office. After two weeks of refusing to listen to his excuses and not having the strength or desire to fight him, she was ready to talk. Actually, she was ready to make a deal.
Sonny looked up from the report in front of him with a smile upon seeing his wife. It was the first time she'd initiated any kind of interaction between them in weeks. He wasn't too sure whether he should be happy for the visit or preparing for battle. The look on her face suggested both.
"It's good to see you. You look good. What brings you by?" Sonny inquired.
It felt a little awkward to feel so nervous around his wife.
"I wasn't aware I needed a reason to visit my husband." Carly couldn't help throw a bit of animosity his way. She was mostly over the anger, but it still hurt that he and Jason hadn't trusted her with the truth. Even more so that Elizabeth Spencer was the one to break the news to her. She'd had to stand there emotionless, not daring to give the bitch the satisfaction of enjoying her pain, while the sorry excuse of a woman gloated about marrying her best friend and having his child.
"I'm glad to hear you still think of me that way." Sonny smiled flashing half his dimples.
Carly bit the inside of her cheek to prevent her smile and narrowed her eyes at him. Why is it so damn hard to stay mad at this man?
"I'm tired of this distance between us. I don't like it." Carly admitted.
"I don't like it either." Sonny stepped around his desk and approached her cautiously.
"You hurt me, Sonny, and it still hurts to know you weren't honest with me. When we got back together this last time we swore to each other there would be no more secrets. I've lived up to that promise these past two years. It's been hard, don't think it hasn't, but I haven't lied to you. Not once, directly or by omission. Yes, the truth hurt, but what hurt more was knowing you and Jason had this conversation and decided I couldn't be trusted with the truth. You and Jason, the two people I trust more than anyone in this world." She was getting it all out, everything she hadn't had the heart left to say when she found out a few weeks ago.
Sonny swallowed and nodded seriously. "I get that, I do, and I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry that I wasn't straight with you the way you've been with me, but I really felt like I owed it to Jason to let him come to you when he was ready. If I could change it now, I would. I'd keep talking to him until he realized you deserved to know the same as me."
Carly stood with her hands in the pockets of her black dress coat and studied his face carefully. She could see he meant it. She blinked her tears away and let out a little breath with a nod.
"Apology accepted. Now, would you like to know how you can make it up to me?" Carly's sly grin spread slowly across her lips.
"I can think of more than a few ways I'd love to make it up to you." Sonny grinned and stepped closer.
Carly ignored the way her heart sped up when he looked at her like that. "I'm serious Sonny. I'm willing to give you a pass this time, but only if you'll agree to help me with something."
He wasn't sure why, but he felt like the happy part was over and it was now time to prepare for battle. "Help with what?"
"Sam called. She's back in town and she's invited Kristina and Michael to spend the weekend with her on her new boat." Carly began to lay the groundwork.
"Sounds like fun. I'm sure they'll have a great time." Sonny was uncertain where this was headed, so he remained noncommittal.
"Yes, I'm sure they will. But, you know, they'd have an even better time if Jason was with them." Carly pointed out in her most innocent tone.
"If Sam wanted Jason to come, I'm sure she'd invite him." Sonny answered leaning back against his desk.
"No, she wouldn't." Carly exasperated. "I'm sure Alexis couldn't wait to tell Sam about Jason's engagement and the gold digger's meal ticket last night. She'll be too stubborn to admit her feelings now, and that's why we need to help them along. Jason loves her, Sonny. He's in love with her, he's just too brainwashed by that tramp and his confounded sense of honor to admit how he feels and go after who he really wants, who he really belongs with." Carly purred the last words as she sauntered up next to him and ran her fingers under the lapels of his suit jacket against his firm chest.
Sonny groaned. "Oh, Carly, no. N.O. Jason and Sam would not appreciate us meddling. They need to work this out on their own. It's not our business." He tried to stick to his guns.
Carly pouted. Admittedly she hadn't been in favor of letting Sam into her tightly woven inner circle when she showed up two years ago, but things were different now. "Jason will thank us once he's finally with a woman that loves him and appreciates him for him and doesn't want him to change. She's resilient, Sonny, and she's no saint. She can handle his life. Doesn't Jason deserve someone to make him as happy as I make you?"
Sonny grinned at Carly's total lack of shame and shook his head at her, but he had to admit his wife made a few good points. He'd never understand what Jason saw in Elizabeth Webber, Spencer or whatever the hell she went by these days. It wasn't as if she was an unattractive woman, but she would never fit into his world and Sonny had told him as much. It was a conversation between the two men that had put a small crack in the dam of their friendship.
Carly smiled devilishly and pulled the ace from her sleeve as she leaned to whisper in his ear. "Just say yes, Sonny. If you say yes, then I'll say yes, all... night... long."
She kissed on his neck just below his ear between the last three words and Sonny knew right then and there he would agree to anything. He hadn't been with his wife in way too long.
He pulled her lips to his and kissed her senseless before she finally pulled back to catch her breath. "So, do we have a deal?"
Sonny nodded, too wrapped up in his desire and love of his wife to argue. "Deal." He told her and pulled her back to deepen the kiss.
After a passionate round of lovemaking on his desk, Carly fixed her dress as Sonny pulled her into his lap. "So, what does this plan of yours have me doing exactly?"
Page 19 of 19 Created: 2011-02-07 Updated: 2014-11-08 Words: 7872 Characters: 41985