When Cassadines Fall

Damn Ricky

Sunday mid-morning

Maddy is already back from checking in with the half of the kiosks that are open on Sunday. Standing in Nik's study she stares out at the back yard. The kids had kept the area around the house clear of snow but it was mounding up big time. Maddy hugs her arms to her and bites her lip. "Damn Ricky." She shakes her head. Ever since she'd talked to him, his words had been gnawing at her. "What are you doing, Maddy? What are you doing?"

It's one of those very rare times when she is actually alone in the house. Lesley is at the hospital. Lucky and Liz are over at her grandmother's house. Nik had left a note that he was off to take care of Sheba. It's just her and Cinnamon kicking in the study. Cinnamon is snoring on a mat by the fire. Maddy turns from the view and goes over to Nik's desk. She pulls out her organizer and goes back to before she'd moved to Wyndemere Lite. Flipping through the pages, she sees all she has accomplished. And everything she hasn't. "Damn Ricky." There are a lot of things in the organizer she wasn't getting paid for-- like doing Luke's laundry. She was only suppose to be cooking one night a week, okay, maybe two-- Ha! Deadlines coming up for applying to schools that were getting close... Material she hadn't even looked at.

Maddy reaches into her satchel and pulls out the college prospective materials: Xavier and Tulane down in New Orleans. University of Michigan and Yale where Aunt Dara had gone. Howard and Georgetown in Washington DC. Maddy groans as she looks at one of the prospectus. Cornell wanted their stuff back by January first and that was their second deadline. She'd already missed the first one where most of the freshman class was picked from. "Damn Ricky." Port Charles University prospective draws her gaze. Maddy bites her lip. Was she considering PCU because she wanted to go there? Or just 'cause it was there? Sure it would make everything so easy. No packing up and moving. "I hate moving." Maddy mutters. She might be good at it, didn't mean she liked it. "I'm going to have to move anyway... it's just a matter of how many times. Move out of Nik's? Move to college? Maddy exhales. "Okay. Here is the deal, Reynolds. If you decide on an out of town college then see if Nik minds if you stay until it's time to leave. If you decide on PCU then start looking for your own place." One decision down... sorta.

That decision made Maddy pulls out the financial aide forms she'd picked up before she'd left the high school. She couldn't file until after she did her taxes for the year but it would at least give her an idea. Maddy scans through the form quickly. "Oh Screw. Thank you, Daddy!" Maddy mutters sarcastically. Need based aide is out. She might have qualified on her own for some... since the shopping business was kinda under the table and all she had were the kiosks. Well those and the house down in New Orleans. But between the insurance money and the damn trust... neither of which she wanted to lay a finger on-- she was ineligible for everything else.

"Scholarships." Maddy boots up Nik's computer and starts doing a net search for money. Cinnamon comes over and nudges her. Maddy pats the dog absently. Cinnamon nudges her again more insistently. "Okay, okay! Do you want outside?" Cinnamon starts an impatient hop. Maddy gets up and walking to the kitchen lets the dog out. Refilling her coffee, she realizes she needs some stuff from her room and goes down in the basement.

Cinnamon greets Nik at his car. Nik climbs out of the jag and pets the dog. Cinnamon bounds away to complete her business and meets Nik by the back door. Nik walks in shedding his coat and boots. He sniffs his shirt... eau de cheval. Stripping off his shirt he uses it to wipe the dog's feet. It's already trashed anyway. He was going to have to do laundry today. Should have done it last night while they'd been doing Luke's. Nik starts heading toward his room. Cinnamon instead of staying in the kitchen as she normally does pads along with him until she nears the study and breaks off. She pushes the slightly ajar door open wider and goes over by the fire. "Maddy?" Nik asks curiously as he leans into the Study. The room is empty but there is a fire built and the computer is on. He goes over to his desk and glances over the materials. His eyes go wide and then he looks over to the computer screen.

"What's up?" Maddy asks from the door.

"I was wondering where you were... Cinnamon wanted back in."

"Right. I'll just clear out of here. Get out of your hair."

"There is no need for you to do that." Nik protests. "I need to go up and take a shower anyway. College applications?"

"Yeah, Ricky reminded me I've been letting it slide. I have to get them done... the sooner the better. I need the stuff back from the schools in order to make plans." Maddy comes over to the desk and sits back down.

"Well I'll leave you to it." Nik backs off. He leaves the study shutting the door behind him. "Damn Ricky."

Vicki collapses on the cool tile of the bathroom floor. "ack." Her stomach heaves again barely staying down not that there was anything more to bring up. She pulls herself up and rinses her mouth out and then grabs her tooth brush. She looks up in the mirror and then looks away. She looks like hell. Stiffening her spine she looks again refusing to look away from the messy sweat stained hair and the raccoon eyes. "It's your own damn fault. It's called binge drinking you stupid..." She'd gone out to the clubs the night before. The excuse this time was it the last weekend before dead week and finals before the holiday. Turning on the shower as hot as possible, she strips out of her clothes and climbs in. She leans against the shower wall letting the water pound on the back of her neck and shoulders.

One of her sorority sisters comes into the bathroom carrying a two large glasses. One filled with tomato juice the other with ice water. "Vic-- I left the fixer-up for you on the counter. We're all going to Porter's for brunch. You want us to wait?"

Vicki grimaces. "Nah. Go on ahead. I'll see you later." As if she would step foot in that place.

"Hon, last night was the bomb! I can't wait until finals are over so we can really cut loose. See ya later!"

"Yeah, Later." Using both hands to push off of the wall, Vicki steps back into the direct spray of the shower.

About twenty minutes later she walks back to her room. Her head is wrapped turban style in towel and she is wearing a terry robe. Over one arm is the party dress she'd worn the night before and passed out in. In the other hand she carries the glass of tomato juice. She absently pushes the door open.

"Hello Victoria." JD says from next to his daughter's desk. At a glance he takes in the dress as well as the glass of tomato juice.

"Daddy?!"

"Rough evening?" JD says quietly.

"Saturday night. You know, a couple of the kids had a get together." Vicki shrugs.

JD comes over to his daughter and grabs her by the chin. He inventories the bloodshot eyes and other evidence of over indulgence. "Did you forget that I teach a few classes at this school? What I do for a living? Who I know?" Vicki looks at him questioningly unwilling to say anything that might incriminate her. "I remember college. Made some good friends back in the day, good contacts and had some good times. Some with alcohol some without." JD steps back. "Lt. Taggart is investigating a problem here on campus. As part of his investigation he is checking the local hangouts. The only reason you weren't arrested last night is because you are my daughter. Needless to say I chewed him out. You don't get a free pass because you are my daughter."

Vicki realizes she isn't going to slide out of this one. "I know I screwed up, Daddy. Believe me I paid for it this morning."

"Good." JD says sternly. "That way I won't have to go into the lecture about underage drinking, alcohol poisoning, other drugs, unsafe sex, date rape. You weren't driving were you?"

Vicki is grateful to be able to shake her head no on that one. "We took a cab."

JD nods reflectively. "I don't know if this..." He waves a hand around. "... is working out for you. I guess we'll see after finals."

"Daddy! That's not fair!"

"Oh but it is. Very fair. You are here first to get an education. If this isn't working out you can always move home."

"HOME!! That isn't my home! Not since you married that bitch!"

JD bites back his instinctive-- it will always be your home. Time might ease the situation eventually but right now Vicki at home would pretty much guarantee Cookie splitting and probably taking Rita with her. "Then an apartment off campus. Ricky is staying in a converted Victorian over on Mariners Way. I'm sure we could find something over there. Something more conducive to studying and just as close to school as this."

"That won't be necessary." Vicki says reining in with some effort. She takes a deep breath and blows it out through her nose. "It won't happen again, Daddy. I would never do anything to jeopardize my future. I know how important it is. I also know how much Mother wanted me to be a part of her sorority and make the kind of friends she did in college. I do appreciate the opportunities and advantages you've given me, Daddy. I know how lucky I am to have you. Things will be just fine."

"We'll see." JD agrees. "After Finals." While his voice is calm the implication is clear. JD walks over and gives Vicki a kiss on the forehead and then departs.

"Damn it." Vicki kicks out at a chair which hurts her more than the chair. "And Damn Ricky! Who the hell does he think he is?! If Daddy only knew." Vicki gets an evil glint. First that bitch with her self righteous son and now this. Being compared to her father's new pet project. "I'll fix them. I'll fix them all."

2pm

Ricky shows up at Porter's Restaurant. "Hey munchkin, your relief show yet?"

"Nah. She doesn't come in until 5pm. The waitresses will cover now that brunch is over. Just let me get my stuff. Cookie kicked Johnny out of the kitchen so he could buy Daddy's Christmas present. Frank will come in to relieve her."

"What's he getting?" Ricky follows Rita back into the kitchen looking around curiously.

"A pool table. Daddy kicks ass at pool. Cookie says that's the way he paid his way through school. It's how they met."

"Wow I would have never figured the Judge for a hustler." The Judge goes up a few points in Ricky's books.

"You should see when he and Carly get together... it's like watching ESPN or something. Calling shots and chalking the sticks."

"It's a cue. Pool cue."

"Oh okay." Rita grabs her jacket and sorting through a dish with her tips in it quickly stuffs them in her jacket pocket. "Cookie, Ricky is here to take me home."

Cookie growls in her direction and slams some plates up on the prep area. After she has completed her order she turns to Rita and Ricky wiping her hands on her apron. She grabs a 3x5 card from off of a clip on the prep area. "Here. You and your father will need to start dinner. If the Idiot shows up I'll be home in time to finish everything." Rita takes the card and nods at the clearly written directions. There is nothing on the card that she hadn't done elements of before. Cookie turns the focus on Ricky. "Drive safely." She says sweetly then picks up her favorite knife and the sharpening stone.

Ricky can't take his eyes off the knife. "Yeah, no problem."

Rita rolls her eyes and grabs Ricky's sleeve tugging him toward the back door. "Damn Ricky, you are so gullible. Like she'd really fillet you here with all those witnesses."
 

Lucky and Liz come into the house via the backdoor. Liz puts a Pyrex container on the counter. Lucky helps her off with her coat. "What's this?" Nik asks.

"Gram made apple crisp for us to bring home." Liz explains. "Has Maddy already started dinner?"

Nik looks at the calendar. "Not her night. She's in the study up to her ears in college applications."

Lucky pauses in hanging up the coats and looks over at Nik. "Oh?"

"Yeah. Evidently she ran into Ricky and he reminded her that she's been putting it on hold with everything else going on."

Liz looks back and forth between the guys. "PCU is on her list right?"

"Yes, along with schools from New York to New Orleans and Michigan to Washington DC. I didn't see one for Hawaii but I think I did see Oxford. The one for Timbuktu must still be in her backpack. "

"Oh." Liz says softly. She bites her lip. Going over to the fridge she checks Mrs. L's notes. "Lucky, it's your night. Mrs. Lansbury has you down for nachos."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Lucky nods in agreement. Liz goes into the living room to put her presents from her Grandmother under the tree. Lucky looks over at Nik. "Maddy's planning on jumping ship? I thought she got over that after Halloween." Nikolas shrugs and says nothing. "Damn Ricky. So have you decided... is he messing with your head or hers?"

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