Ch. 35

On the way back to the penthouse, Dante was mentally reviewing his conversation with Lulu. Her abrupt change in attitude had him concerned. He felt bad for thinking it, but he didn't trust her and he felt that she might have been trying to catch him off guard with her sudden agreement about Rocco. He had Sonny in his corner, true, but Lulu had Nikolas and the Cassadines were crazy. A call to Joe Stewart was in order, he thought, just in case. If nothing else, he needed advice on what to do if Lulu did try to take him to court over Rocco's custody. He really, really hoped she wasn't planning on ambushing him by pretending to give in about Val and then doing an end run around him. She was in for a rude awakening if that was her plan. In the past, he had always ended up giving in to whatever she wanted but those days were over. He was going to have to come up with some "plans" of his own…

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Val was waiting for Dante to come back to the penthouse when she received a text from Jordan. "Anna's back in town! A few of us r getting 2gethr 4 GDO. Come with. Tag back when u get this." Smiling, she called her friend, asking, "What's all this, then? What's the plan?" "We're looking at going out to lunch and a movie. It's just a few of us from the precinct getting together to celebrate Anna's return to town. And we're bored, so we thought we'd turn it into a girls' day out. What do you think? Are you in?" "It sounds like fun—I'm in. What's the movie?"

"We haven't decided. So far, it's between The Longest Ride and Far from the Madding Crowd. I'm leaning toward Longest Ride because I'm an Alan Alda fan, but I'm mostly in it for the mindless entertainment."

"Cool. Where's lunch? Should I dress up or be casual?"

"Casual. Mac Scorpio is Anna's family so she wants to go to The Outback. She wasn't here when they had their grand re-opening. We figured matinee first and then late lunch and drinks at the restaurant."

"That works. Dante and I went to the re-opening—I liked the place a lot. What's the time frame?"

"An hour, hour and a half-ish?"

"That's doable. I'm looking forward to it."

"Are you sure you don't need to check with Dante before agreeing to come?"

"Are you trying to be funny? Dante's not here, anyway, so he won't care—he's dealing with baby mama drama. Hmm. Now that I think about it, I've got something in mind for him… It'll be good to get out and do something with the girls for a change."

"Ok—Cinemark Ten. See you there." "See you." They hung up and Val got to work. She had a lot to accomplish in a short time…

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Dante had just arrived at the penthouse and was shrugging out of his light jacket when Val descended the staircase. Head to toe, she was dressed in black and his heart skipped a beat when he took in the skinny jeans, the cashmere turtleneck and the knee high boots she was wearing. He stood and stared at her as she paused for effect on the last stair. "You see something you like, JM?" she asked him, smiling at the expression on his face.

"I see a lot I like, Angel. You're gorgeous, but you already know that. JM?" Val hesitated for a moment and then explained, "I'm not good at endearments—you might have noticed that. You call me 'baby' or 'Angel'; I thought you should have a name, too. So I thought of JM, which stands for 'Just Mine'. 'Honey' and 'Sweetie' don't seem to work for me but JM, Just Mine—it's perfect." "It's unique. I like it. You called me that last night, didn't you?" "Yeah, I did. It came to me and I liked it." "Just don't turn it into 'Jim' or anything, ok?"

"Wouldn't fit. JM or Just Mine—that's who you are."

"That works. Now where are you headed looking so fine? And smelling so—mmm—delicious? Come over here, let me get a deeper whiff… Whoa. What is that?"

"It's called 'Arpege'. You really like it?"

"I love it. If you didn't look so put together with your hair all up and everything, I'd show you how much I love it. What's the occasion, though?"

"Jordan called. Anna's back in town so a few of us are going to have a girls' day out, complete with matinee and lunch. I'm looking forward to talking with the famous Anna Devane. It should be an interesting day."

"So you're taking off? Maybe I should have gone to the loft, then, instead of coming back here, since you're leaving me all alone…"

"No, you did the right thing. And you won't be alone for long. In a little while, you're going to have some company. The Yankees will be on the tube soon, and a food delivery will be arriving soon, too. You'll have plenty to take your mind off of your loneliness without me. And when I get back, we can talk about how your meeting with Lulu went this morning."

"Sounds like a plan. Just curious," he went on as she picked up her car keys and prepared to leave, "You've got on black from bottom to top there. What about underneath? What's that looking like?"

Walking back to him she whispered in his ear, "I'll show you when I come home. I'll tell you this much. It's all black, it's all lace, and it's barely there. Let your imagination run wild." She bit his earlobe and then giggled. She started to walk away when he tugged her back. "I'll try not to smudge your lipstick but you've gotta give me a hug and a kiss before you go." "Walk me to the door, then. And I don't like smudging, so a peck is all you get until I get home." When they walked to the door, Dante pursed his lips for the promised peck so he was shocked when in one motion, she pushed him against the door and holding his head in her hands, took his lips with hers. When he gasped in surprise, she slid her tongue into his mouth and purposefully kissed him deeply. He was dazed when just as abruptly as she had kissed him, she pushed him away, saying, "Just to let you know-this stuff doesn't smudge."

He gave a short laugh and shook his head, replying, "You are a trip, you know that?"

"Gotta keep you off balance sometimes, Just Mine. Predictable can be boring, you know? See you later—gotta go. Enjoy your company." With that, Val sashayed out of the penthouse and with an over the shoulder wink, disappeared into the elevator.

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Shaking his head again, Dante closed the door and moved over to the couch to wait for the promised arrivals, whoever they were. He was in for a wild ride with this woman, he thought happily. And he looked forward to every second of it.

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When the doorbell rang and Dante answered it, he wasn't too surprised to see his brothers on the other side but when he saw his father, grandfather and uncle, his eyes widened and he stood back to let everyone in. "I'm assuming you guys are the company Val was talking about?"

"Yep," Morgan told him, adding, "The game's on, you've got a big screen here, plenty of room and a well-stocked bar," he finished, heading toward it.

"Take it easy, Morgan," his father told him, "Pace yourself." "I can handle my liquor, Dad." Sonny and Morgan stared at one another before Morgan amended, "Ok, most of the time. I'll be a good boy. Geesh."

Sonny gazed around the room after everyone sat down and Dante turned on the television to find the game. "She hasn't made very many changes around here, Dante. What's up with that?" "She didn't feel like she should, Sonny. She's still thinking of herself as a tenant. Up in the bedroom is where she let her personality come through the most. We've kind of made that room our own. And speaking of changes, what was the big idea with your little furniture delivery?"

Ric and Morgan spoke at the same time. "Furniture delivery?" "What furniture delivery, Dad?"

"Yeah, tell 'em, DAD." Sonny shrugged his shoulders and replied, "What's the big deal? So I had some baby stuff delivered—maybe I did it for Avery, ever think of that?" "Nice try, Sonny. No sale, though. Try again."

"Look, I might not live here but this is still one of my properties. So if the buildin' manager tells me that my son is spendin' a lot of time here, I do what I can to make that time more comfortable. If that means makin' things more comfortable for my grandson, well, I can do that, too. You don't like it?"

"I do now. At first, I thought Val had set everything up-" "You didn't give her a hard time over it, did you?" Dante nodded, but before he could speak, Sonny exclaimed, "What'd you go and do that for, Dante? Poor kid. If I'd have known it was gonna be a problem, I'd've told you about it first…" "You're wasting your pity on that 'poor kid,' Sonny. She set me straight quick, fast and in a hurry. When she gets riled up, she doesn't play." "Hmph. Serves you right, gettin' on her case like that." Looking incredulously at his father, Dante paused and then noted, "I guess she could've always called you for back up. Sounds like she's got a champion in you, Sonny." "I like her. I like her a lot, kid. Think she's a keeper, that's all, so treat her right." Dante was about to reply when the doorbell rang again. Val had called in a huge order from Tony Pepperoni's and the guys were ready for the feast. Ric rose from his seat to help Dante bring the food in and they set everything up on the dining table. "Thanks, Ric," Dante said, "Appreciate the assist." "No problem," Ric replied, "I'm grateful for the invite. You don't have an issue with me being here?" "Well, technically this is Sonny's place, but if he's willing to try to bury the hatchet with you, I don't have the right to keep the animosity going. We don't have that kind of history. Yet."

Passing around the wings and pizza slices, Michael mumbled around a mouthful, "Yeah, I've gotta agree with Sonny-Val's a keeper, all right, Dante. Can't believe she ordered all this! And cannoli, too! When you see her, tell her I'm in love!" "Yeah, you only love her because she bought you food! My reasons for loving her aren't that shallow!" Everyone's attention was momentarily diverted from the game and the food as all eyes fell on Dante. "What?" he asked, and then he realized what he had said. "Ok, ok, show's over," he told them, further saying, "Just watch the game." Sonny and Mike exchanged knowing glances and Sonny nodded as if to say, "See, I told you so."

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While Dante and the guys were watching the Yankees beat the White Sox, Val and the girls were discussing the movie they had just watched over lunch at The Outback. "I've got to say, Scott Eastwood is one very good looking man," Anna was observing. "Agreed," Val said, "Though I think Ira's and Ruth's story made the movie. Eastwood is some serious eye candy." "I've always been partial to Alan Alda, myself," Jordan told them, shocking all but Val into momentary silence. "I know you're not choosing Alan Alda over Scott Eastwood?" queried Ellen Rogers, a detective with the PCPD.

"Looks wise, maybe not. Acting wise, all day, every day. I've had a mad crush on Alan Alda since the M*A*S*H days. I loved those old reruns when I was a kid—Hawkeye was my man." "Hawkeye, who had nothing at all to do with this movie," Anna remarked with a smirk. "Ugh, did I say he did? All I'm saying is that's where my Alda love came from."

Val cupped her hands into a mini megaphone and intoned, "Commissioner Ashford, step away from the past. Come into the new millennium with your hands up." Everyone at the table laughed except Jordan who said, "Girl, that's some messed up crap." "I'm just saying…" Val returned with a grin. She went on to add, "Luke and Sophia were cute and all but I think Ira and Ruth's love was much more grounded-" "Says the new love expert," Jordan broke in. "Ooh, touché," Anna remarked. "Ok, you got that one. Ouch, by the way," Val told Jordan.

Ellen nudged Davia Winters, another detective who had rounded out their entourage, under the table with her foot. Taking her cue, Davia asked Val, "So how did you manage it, Val, by the way?"

"Manage it?"

"Bagging Dante Falconeri. He and his wife have this love story for the ages and then you come along and suddenly, it's Flame City." Jordan jumped in with, "Huh uh, Dav, don't even try to go there-" Val held up her hand to silence her. "No, Jordan, it's ok. Flame City, huh? Not exactly the way it happened, Davia. And I can't even say that I 'bagged him,' even though we are together. We're really just two people who found each other when we were hurting and ended up deciding to try to make a go of things after his marriage imploded. I don't know, though. Maybe that 'great love' you thought you saw was only window dressing. And contrary to what everyone believes, I didn't break them up or target Dante-"

"Hey, I was just curious. No offense meant. You know how we like a good gossip at the shop…"

"Well, I don't know why anyone's still interested but if they are, you can tell them with my permission what I just said. And don't forget to add that a man who doesn't want to be 'bagged' can't be. If you know anything about Dante, you know he doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do."

"You're right—let's drop it. I shouldn't have said anything. We were having a perfectly pleasant afternoon until I opened my mouth. I'm sorry." "I can tell you I appreciate the straight up approach more than being talked about behind my back, so thanks for that, anyway. But yeah, there's gotta be a more interesting topic of conversation than my relationship with Dante." "So let's find it, shall we? Anna, what do you think of the new Outback?" asked Jordan, deliberately changing the subject.

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When Valerie returned home later that evening, she was ashamed to say she was relieved to find the party had ended and Dante was alone. She gave him a half smile that didn't quite reach her eyes when she saw him sitting on the couch, watching game highlights. His welcoming smile fell when he noticed her expression. Sighing, he rose and walked over to her, kissed her cheek and then pulled her into a tight hug. "You look like you could use this, so even though I had planned to get on your case for coming home so late without leaving me a message, I'm not gonna now. What's wrong?"

"I went for a drive and ended up at the lake. I just sat there for a while, thinking. I don't really want to talk about it, though. Distract me. How was your party? Did your Yankees win?" "For the moment, you slide. Yes, my Yankees won—Severino was on point. Chicago only got one run. Thanks, by the way, for getting the guys here and for all that food! I don't even want to know how much that set you back. And there's not much left of it, either, so I hope you weren't looking for leftovers."

"I meant for you all to enjoy it—I was hoping there wouldn't be too much left. And you're welcome. I called Sonny and he rallied the troops, I guess. Who showed up?"

"My brothers, Sonny and Mike, and my uncle Ric. He was a surprise. He's actually a pretty funny guy. Dry witted as hell. We had a good time. Oh, yeah, and I'm supposed to tell you that Michael loves you."

"I don't think Sabrina will be happy to hear that." "It was strictly from the gut, literally. You fed him from one of his favorite pizza joints and remembered to add cannoli. He was in hog heaven. How was your movie?"

"It was good. I don't know if it makes my 'Best' list but if it came on Netflix or something one night, I wouldn't pass it by. And I was right—Anna is amazing. Some of the things she's done just boggle my mind. You've done undercover work so you might not be too impressed, but living the life of a spy, going on all those missions… I can't even imagine it. My life seems kind of pale compared to hers."

"Which is why you don't compare. Her path is not yours. Hell, you were gone for a couple of hours more than I expected you to be and I was trying to stay calm. I can't even imagine you being somewhere across the world doing something dangerous. That was the life she and Scorpio chose, I guess, and I don't mean to sound like a Neanderthal or anything, but I'm glad I don't have to deal with that."

"So if I told you I was playing around with the idea of becoming a cop with the thought of eventually going undercover, what would you say?"

"I'd say 'Angel, please tell me you're messing with my head right now,' probably. That's not why you needed to go to the lake and think, is it? Because I'll try really hard to be supportive and not be sexist if it was, but I really, REALLY don't want to think of you going undercover doing some dangerous assignment."

"It's ok for you but not for me?"

"Ok, listen. That was a long time ago for me. Almost seems like a lifetime ago, now. I was young, rash, full of myself and thinking I was invincible. Two or three hospital stays later, I'm not so reckless anymore. It has less to do with thinking you incapable of pulling it off and more to do with me not wanting to risk you."

"That's ok, then. Because I said I was playing around with the idea, not that I was full on planning to go for it. But if I decide to, I'd like to know that I'd have your support." Dante looked at Val for a moment before making a decision, asking, "Tell me. Did you happen to look up into the sky at all while you were out?"

"Not really. I was kind of stuck in my own head. Why?" "Before I tell you why, I need to know what's wrong. You were all happy before you left earlier. What happened to change things?" "It's not a big deal but we were all sitting around talking crap, razzing each other, having fun. Then Davia—you know her, right?" "'Long on mouth, short on manners' Davia? Yeah, I know her. What'd she say?" "The movie was about relationships, so of course, somehow, ours came up. She was wondering how I managed to 'bag' you when you were so in love with your wife. People looking in from the outside would think I went after you, I suppose. That I deliberately targeted you. I didn't, though. I hate having people think that's what I did. And I could tell them a million times that's not what happened, but they'll never believe it."

"Then why do you care? I don't. Come on, Angel. Come outside on the terrace with me for a bit." He held his hand out to her and with a small sigh, she put her hand in his. He guided her out onto the terrace and told her, "Now, look up." Val gasped and frowned as she took in the blood red moon, asking, "How did I not even notice that on the way home?" "I didn't even think you knew about it since you didn't mention anything. Did you know there would be an eclipse tonight?" "Someone mentioned it earlier in the week but I guess I forgot all about it. It's eerie, isn't it? It's awesome."

"It's beautiful, is what it is. A rare combination. A full moon, a harvest moon, a super moon, and a total eclipse—this one moon has it all. Get a good look at it—we might not see it again in our lifetimes. If we're blessed enough to see it again, we'll be much older than we are now. That's us, Angel. A rare combination where everything had to align perfectly in order for us to be what we are now. I'm grateful that I'm sharing this moon with you on this night, this maybe once in a lifetime night. I reached out to you when I was hurt and you reached back to me. We've been holding onto each other ever since. I don't care what other people say about how or why we're together. I love you, Valerie. I love you because of your smile, because of your grace, because of your heart. And because you don't put up with my crap. When you think of us, think of this moon, ok? Things had to go down the way they did in order for us to be where we are now. And I hope if we do get a chance to see it again, we're still together when it comes."

Leaning forward, Val kissed away the tear Dante didn't even know was sliding down his cheek as her own eyes flooded. She hugged him tightly and he wrapped his arms around her in return. They rocked each other and then, finally able to find her voice, Val whispered, "That was beautiful, Dante. What you said—it was just beautiful. And I am gonna just be grateful from now on, and not care what other people say or think. I love you. We love each other. We're very fortunate, very blessed, and very lucky. We took something that could have been a negative and turned it into a positive thing. You're right. We had to go through what we went through to end up together, here and now. I can't imagine not being able to do this-"

"Do what?"

"Hold you. Love you. Be loved by you. Just because we can." She turned in his arms and they stood there, staring up at the moon. Sighing again, Dante pulled Val closer to himself and murmured, "What a perfect night."

"You know what would make it even more perfect?"

"What, Angel?"

"If you say 'yes' when I ask you to move in with me."

"Are you askin'?"

"I'm asking."

"Then I'm sayin' 'yes'."

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