Ch. 23

After a couple of mindless hours channel surfing, Valerie was looking forward to the long soak in the spa tub that she had been promising herself for weeks now. In preparation she stripped down in her bedroom and wrapped herself in a fluffy cotton terry robe before making her way to the bathroom. Once again she admired Sonny's taste as she gazed around the bathroom—such opulence, she thought with a smile. "Our Sonny Corinthos is quite the narcissist," she murmured aloud, taking in the mirrored walls to her left and right. The cream on gold with red accents color scheme almost seemed artistic, and she wondered if he had personally chosen the colors or if someone had chosen for him. Either way, the effect was stunning and she appreciated the elegant setting. She turned on the taps to the huge tub, eventually adding her favorite Laura Mercier Crème Brûlée Honey Bath to the water. There were various candles of varying sizes strategically placed around the room and she was beginning to light them when she thought she heard a sound. Val opened the bathroom door and listened. It sounded like a knock on the front door. Turning the taps off, she made her way out of the room and down the stairs. Sure enough, someone was at the door.

When Val answered the knock, she was surprised to see Dante's mother, Olivia, standing there. "Hey, Valerie, you remember me, don't you, Dante's Ma? I was hopin' to get a chance to talk to you, if you have a minute." The treat of the long-anticipated bubble bath evaporated before her eyes as she opened the door wider, saying, "Of course I remember you. Please, come in. If you're looking for Dante, though, he's not here."

Olivia frowned as she entered the room. "Why would I expect to find him here? He's with Rocco back at the loft right now. No, I came to speak to you."

"I see. Well-" Val gestured toward the couch, adding, "We can have a seat here and you can tell me what's on your mind. I was going to have a glass of wine; would you like one, too?"

"This isn't exactly a social call, Valerie. I think I'll skip the wine," Olivia said with a bit of a bite in her voice.

"Ok. Would you like to make it one?" Valerie asked her.

"Whadda you mean?"

"Well, you obviously have something on your mind that you want to discuss with me, since you came all this way. 'Discuss' being the operative word. I don't mind sitting down with you to talk about whatever it is that brought you out here. If you came here to get on my case about how I'm a home-wrecking tramp, I'd just as soon not indulge you. Now I was going to have a glass of Pinot Noir, which I can promise you is the best owing to Sonny's excellent taste in wines. I'm asking you if you would like to share a glass with me," Valerie finished, giving Olivia a polite smile as she waited for an answer.

"When you put it that way, sure, I'll have a glass. Thank you," Olivia replied as she slightly shook her head. Valerie walked over to the china cabinet to get the glasses and to try to settle her nerves. She had been looking forward to relaxing and instead it seemed she was going to do the exact opposite. Mentally gearing up for battle, she returned to Olivia with the glasses and a bottle of Chardonnay Pinot Noir, which she had opened earlier before preparing her bath. She poured a measure of the wine into the glasses and then handed one to Olivia, saying," Enjoy. Sonny's wine collection is one of the best features of this place." Val took a sip and then turned to Olivia. "So, give it to me straight. What's up?"

Olivia stared at Val and then scratched her head in slight puzzlement before remarking with a laugh, "You aren't exactly behavin' like I thought you would—you're throwin' me off my game, here."

"What exactly were you expecting?"

"A little more defiance, a bit more fire. I figured you'd be pissed as hell that I had the nerve to show up here."

"Well, since we're going to have a nice, civil discussion, there's no need to be defiant, is there? You have some concerns, some things you need to say. Go ahead and say them."

"I'll jump right in, then. What exactly are you doin' here?"

"You mean existentially? As in, what is my purpose for being?" She laughed and then went on, "I'm sorry. I can be smart-mouthed sometimes—it's a failing of mine. What am I doing here in Sonny's penthouse or what am I doing in Port Charles?"

"Both, actually. You bein' here has caused a lot of problems for my kids, Valerie, problems I want fixed. I don't think they can be, though, as long as you're in town. So I'm wonderin', why did you stay?"

"Ok, that's a fair question. It's hard to answer, though, because it's an emotional subject for me. When I lost my mother, my world was rocked to the core. She and I were each other's strength, you see, and without her—well, let's just say I'm not feeling very strong without her. I thought maybe in Port Charles I wouldn't have the constant reminders of what I don't have any more because of her death. I don't want to forget her—I could never forget her, but I wanted to be somewhere where the memories of her aren't as deep. Where I don't look at every restaurant, every shopping mall, every park as the place where we did this or that. I'd also hoped to get to know my family a bit, and I'm doing that, too."

"Well you know your cousin Lulu doesn't want you here, though, right? And now that this situation has come up with you and Dante, she really wants you to go back home. Can you blame her? Havin' you here ended up bein' a disaster for her marriage."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, I really am. Lulu doesn't want me here, but Carly does. Sonny does. Dante does. And according to him, his brothers want to meet me, too. So I'm sorry for Lulu, too, but her feelings aren't the only ones that count. I understand that you see her as a daughter, one whose feelings you need to protect but how she feels about me isn't really my concern."

"That's kinda harsh, isn't it? When you're the one who blew up her marriage?"

"Am I? I'll admit, I had a part, but the real damage, in my opinion, was done by them. Lulu lied to Dante, which set this whole thing in motion. And contrary to what you might think, I didn't tie him down and force myself on him. He wanted me and I'll admit I wanted him back."

"And that makes it ok?"

"No it doesn't. We were both hurting that night. We did something that was wrong, but oh, so human. We were hurting and we reached out to each other. There wasn't any real thought or intent except to find some kind of comfort, to ease the ache. Haven't you ever done something unwise because of the pain you were in, something you thought better of later?" Olivia turned away as she was reminded of her drunken night with Julian. Yes, she knew what it was like to do something stupid because of pain. She didn't want to empathize with Valerie, though, because doing that felt like a betrayal of Lulu. She brushed those feelings aside and countered, "Ok, I've done things I shouldn't have done because I was in pain, but that didn't excuse what I did. It doesn't excuse what you did, either. What I was really wantin', what I was really hopin' was that you would see how your bein' here was disruptin' my kids' lives and keepin' them from gettin' back on track with each other. I thought that if you could just leave Dante alone-" The ringing doorbell interrupted Olivia mid-sentence. Val, shaking her head, rose from the couch to answer the door.

"Ohh, Angel," Dante said as he entered the room and caught Valerie in a tight hug, adding, "I needed to see you so I came, I rang the bell, and here you are. Wearing a robe, no less. What else are you wearing under there, or not wearing?" he asked, pulling at the lapels of her robe and peeking inside. She pinched his side hard and it finally registered that she had been being stiff and resistant ever since she had opened the door. "What?" he wondered. "I think she's tryin' to tell you that she's got company," Olivia said, standing up with her arms crossed and an angry expression on her face.

"Ma? What the hell are you doing here?" Dante inquired in embarrassment. Belatedly, he released the lapels of Val's robe and stepped away from her.

"What am I doin' here? What the hell are you doin' here, and grabbin' at her like that? Is that how it is between you two that you can be pawin' her in the doorway where anyone can see? I came over here to talk some sense into her but I guess it's you I need to be talkin' to, after all!"

"Wait a minute. Talk some sense into her? Whadda you mean? You've been over here hasslin' her all night? What's goin' on, Ma?"

"I was hopin' to talk her into leavin' so you and Lulu could have a chance to fix your marriage without her interferin'!"

"This isn't your business! And you don't have the right to come over here botherin' Val-"

"It's ok, Dante-" Valerie began saying but she was quickly cut off.

"No, it's far from ok! And I don't appreciate it! You're stickin' your nose in where it doesn't belong, Ma! I thought we already talked about this-"

"Valerie, could you give us some privacy?" Olivia requested.

"Sure, no problem," Val replied, picking up her wine glass and walking toward the stairs.

"Wait just a damned minute! You're not gonna come in here and start orderin' her around in her own house-"

"IT'S NOT HER HOUSE, IT'S SONNY'S HOUSE!" At that, Val decided her only choice for peace was to leave the room. "Look," she said, "You two obviously need to talk—I don't need to be here for this. It's ok, Dante," she told him when he would have protested. Turning to Olivia she said, "I can't say it's been a pleasure but it's good to have seen you again." Leaving the room she went back up the stairs and into the bathroom where she emptied the tub and began refilling it with warm water. She could still hear them shouting so she turned on the mini stereo in the room, drowning out their raised voices. She picked up her wine and then slid into the tub gratefully once it was full. She was going to relax if it killed her.

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Dante was angry as he looked incredulously at his mother. Wasn't it enough, he thought to himself, that he'd already had one run in with Lulu? All he wanted was some comfort and some peace, which was why he had come over to Val's, only to find his mother doing what she did best. Aloud, he snapped, "I shouldn't be surprised, but I am! I thought we already talked about all this when you came bargin' into the loft last week! What the hell makes you think you have the right to be here doin' this?"

"You show me some respect, Dante-"

"Respect? Why should I? YOU'RE NOT RESPECTIN' ME, ARE YOU? You want respect, you gotta give respect!"

"Meanin' what?"

"Meanin' I'm a grown ass man, that's what, not some little kid that you have to chase behind! This is none of your business, Ma! What is with you? Why are you always stickin' your nose in where it doesn't belong?"

"Where it doesn't belong? I care about you! And Lulu! I don't wanna see you two makin' the biggest mistake of your lives! What's so wrong with me tryin' to stop that if I can?"

"Because you can't, Ma, that's why! It's over between Lulu and me, ok? Let it go. Stop tryin' to fix what can't be fixed!"

"Why can't it be fixed? Because of Miss Thing upstairs?"

"Because I'm done with it. Lulu's done with it. That's why."

"That's not what she told me, Dante!"

"Oh, really? What'd she tell you, then?"

"She said you're the one pushin' her away! She wanted to try, to see a counselor, and you said 'no' and had her served with papers!"

"There's irony for you," Dante said, laughing derisively, "because she just told me she wished she didn't even have to see me or deal with me. So she's either lyin' to you, or she's lyin' to me. Either way, she's lyin', which is part of the reason we got in this mess in the first place! And I don't care which, ok? It doesn't matter anymore!"

"And that's why you can maul Valerie in the hallway? Because you don't care and it doesn't matter? So you've decided to throw away your marriage and get somethin' goin' with her?"

"Yeah, Ma. That's exactly what I've decided. Now I'm tellin' you for what I hope will be the last time—butt out! You've got your own problems to sort out without tryin' to solve mine, especially when no one asked you!"

"What're you talkin' about?"

"Damiano, Ma. Damiano! Remember him? When are you gonna bring him home? When are you gonna tell his father that his son is alive? How're you gonna fix that, huh? Doesn't Julian have the right to know his kid isn't dead?"

"You been talkin' to your father about this?"

"Why?"

"Because he said the same thing."

"So Sonny knows about this? See what I'm sayin'? Who else is gonna find out about this and blow it out of the water before you have a chance to make it right? Every day that my little brother isn't here is a day he's growin' up without his parents, ever thought of that? I'm glad you kept me away from Sonny, I'm not gonna lie. But Damiano's somewhere without either of his parents, and it isn't right or fair. You need to be thinkin' about how you're gonna bring him home, not buttin' into my business! Fix your own life! Leave mine alone! And stay outta Val's face, you hear? I love you, Ma. I love you like crazy but I cut you out of my life once before and I'll do it again if I have to! Leave Val alone!"

"So now you're threatenin' me? First Sonny and now you. Sometimes you really are your father's son!"

"I'm not threatenin' you, I'm warnin' you. Bring Damiano home. Get that mess straightened out. Stop worryin' about my life and let me handle it." He walked over to her and grabbed her arm before pulling her to the door. He opened it and then turned her to face him. "Now, give me a hug," he said, laughing at the face she was making at him. He hugged her and she reluctantly hugged him back. "Go home, Ma," he went on, "Go home and figure out your own stuff. Concentrate on that, ok?" Dante pushed her out of the door and watched her walk to the elevator. He shook his head as he closed the door behind her.

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Valerie felt as though she was floating on a sea of warmth as she lay in the tub, almost completely submerged. Since she was resting her head on a bath pillow, she was so relaxed that she almost fell asleep, hovering between consciousness and unconsciousness. She opened one eye when she heard Dante enter the room. Sighing, she said, "I didn't hear any more shouting so I figured either you two had killed one another or you'd finally gotten her to leave. I don't see any blood—I guess she left, huh?"

"I can't apologize enough for her, Val. I love her, I really do, but sometimes I could just wring her neck! It's like she's made a career of butting into my business, with no sense of boundaries. It's irritating."

Valerie opened her eyes fully as she looked at him and said, "I'm gonna say this because I care about you, ok?"

"Ok."

"Your mom is annoying!" They laughed together but she added, "She's only like that because she cares for you. I would give anything to have my mom back annoying me. Even if she was giving me a hard time about you being here, or us being involved, or whatever. I'd take it in a heartbeat, just to hear her voice one more time. As irritating as she is, cherish her, Dante. You never know when she might be taken from you." He knelt on his knees by the side of the tub and he reached out, stroking her hair lightly. "You're right, as usual. I didn't think about it like that—all I could see was how obnoxious she could be sometimes. Thank you for setting me straight."

"Any time." She closed her eyes again and moved further down in the water.

"You look entirely too relaxed right now."

"Ohh, I am. I feel like I'm wrapped in a cocoon of warmth. It's heavenly. Are you jealous? You want to join me?"

"I thought about it but somehow, I don't think I could be in there, sliding against your slick, wet skin without taking you, and that's a violation of the rules. Plus you've earned the peace. You emerged unscathed with minimal damage from a title bout with Olivia Falconeri. You lasted the whole ten rounds—I'm proud of you."

"She loves you—I get it. She's doing what she thinks she has to to keep her family intact. I don't blame her."

"Just as long as she didn't get to you, turn you off me-"

"Mmm, not possible."

"No?"

"No." Dante leaned his face in close to hers and she smiled when she felt his breath on her lips. She extended her tongue, stroking a light caress at the corner of his mouth. He opened his mouth slightly as he moved closer, rubbing his lips against hers before finally kissing her gently. He drew back, reminding her, "I said you'd earned your peace, so I'm gonna leave you to it." He stood up and moved away from the tub. She looked at him again and asked, "Are you staying tonight?"

"Is that ok with you?"

"Of course."

"Then yeah, I'm staying. You enjoy yourself there, and when you're finished, I'll be waiting in the bedroom to give you a good night kiss. Do me a favor? Don't keep me waiting too long, ok? I want what I missed because of my Ma being here."

"Which is what?"

"The chance to hold you in my arms. I don't wanna fall asleep without you tonight." They held one another's gazes before she responded, "I don't want you to fall asleep without me, either. I won't be too much longer, I promise." "I'm holding you to that," he said as he walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom. "Whoo, that man," she thought, watching him walk away. Then she covered her face in her hands and let out a little squeal. She wasn't exactly sure that she could put a name to this feeling she was feeling, but she knew one thing—whatever it was, she wanted more of it.

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