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The Quintessential Q
Chapter Thirty Eight
Three Alarm
Em arrives at Kelly's first. She has time to get out of her jacket and order a basket of fries to tide her over from the non lunch she'd had at the school. Liz strolls over with the fries and the videotape. "Your order." Liz says in her best waitress tones before giving it up and sliding into the chair across from Emily. "You are going to love the tape. It is so perfect."
"I hope Carly thinks so. That's who the tape is for. Submarining Katherine was for me but the tape was for Carly. So she'll leave Ned alone." Emily looks over Liz's shoulder and sees Nikolas just opening the door. She quickly drops the tape in her bag. "There is Nikolas." Liz makes a motion like zipping her lip but can't hold back the grin. She stands up and greets Nikolas. "Anything I can get ya?"
Nikolas looks at the fries and soft drink before Emily. "Another soda and an extra plate."
"Get your own, buddy. I didn't have lunch today. I'm functioning on Caffeine only." Emily jokes even as she is not.
Nikolas remembers the horror of the PC cafeteria and changes his mind. "Elizabeth, why don't you have Tammy make a couple of specials. I believe the fries are going to end up being an appetizer only." As Elizabeth nods and makes a note on the order pad starting to walk away Nik calls out. "Have you talked to Lucky today?"
Liz doesn't look up just calls out. "Course. He'll be stopping by in about 17 minutes when he finishes up his last class."
"I only talked to Lucky once while I was grounded." Emily confides leaning in. "And then he was bitchin' mightily about the IRS and the stocks. Is he okay? Has he forgiven you yet?"
Nikolas shakes his head. "Forgiven me might be a stretch. I think he is still planning some payback." Nikolas glances up at Liz to thank her for the soda and misses Emily's blanching at the phrase payback. She is composed again by the time he continues. "I think he is okay or will be once the fly-by-night scammers quit calling him. The news leaked out somehow."
"Fifty year old stocks will do that. I would have thought it would have been claiming the stocks rather than the investment stuff."
"Alexis is keeping track of that." Nikolas nods. "Your restriction is what I wanted to talk to you about."
"I didn't do it, no one saw me, no one can prove anything." Emily replies from habit then bites her tongue.
"What?" Nikolas looks confused. "I just wanted to let you know I tried to call you."
"I didn't get any messages." Emily says blankly. Nikolas reaches down and puts a gift wrapped package on the table.
"And I figured out why." Nikolas sighs. "I think your grandfather has resorted to more than a shotgun filled with buckshot."
"What is this?" Emily shakes the package.
"Open it and find out."
Emily tears open the gift wrap. "A cell phone? Nik, you shouldn't have!"
"It's more for my peace of mind. Since your grandfather is blocking my calls evidently from not only the Q main line but from your personal line too." Nikolas explains.
"That old goat. And we were getting along so well." Emily reminds herself to not get Grandfather the cookies she was planning on picking up for him.
"I know you've taken to locking up your diary after Edward used it to find out where Carly and AJ were living... this was just the next step in securing your communications."
"I really appreciate this. But I am going to talk to Grandfather or worse Grandmother about this." Emily rises and going around the table leans over to kiss Nikolas on the cheek in thanks for the gift. Nikolas turns his head so that their lips meet. The casual kiss deepens.
"Whoa. Glad I left the onions off." Liz interrupts. "But these are almost as hot as you two." Emily and Nik part and take a second to remember where they are. Emily collapses in a nearby chair not bothering to go back to her seat across from Nikolas. Liz slides the chiliburgers in front of Nikolas and Emily. "Bon appétit."
Nikolas looks down at the plate. "What is this?"
Emily laughs. "This is a chiliburger. It's an open face hamburger slathered with Ruby's chili smothered in cheese normally topped with onions. You don't get the total effect without the onions." Emily coos already salivating and stomach rumbling. She puts an embarrassed hand to her stomach. "Sorry."
Nik laughs. "Eat." He pokes experimentally at the chiliburger with his fork watching Emily as she takes a bite of hers. "My father warned me about chili."
"It's the perfect dish on a cold fall afternoon." Emily pauses between bites. "Try it." Nikolas takes an experimental bite and a quick sip of his soft drink. He is amazed the way Emily is tucking away into the three alarm chiliburger without so much as a flinch.
"Wimp." Emily teases then relents. "I was raised in Arizona remember? I grew up with jalapenos, habaneras. My mom, Paige, never met a pepper she didn't like. I have a cast iron stomach."
Nik takes another bite and exhales. "You'd have to; but it's good... really." He takes another bite. Emily looks over at Liz. Liz grins and goes back into the kitchen. She returns with an ice cold glass of milk.
"Try this. It'll help." Liz says kindly. "Water just activates the peppers. Milk neutralizes them." Nik takes the glass gratefully and damning appearances chugs it down. Lucky comes in from the cold unwrapping his scarf and taking in the table of his friends. He is just in time to see Nikolas setting the empty milk glass down on the table.
Pulling up a chair, Lucky is unable to resist. "Wimp."
"Lucky, that isn't fair. I could tell stories...." Emily protests.
"But you won't." Lucky interrupts. "Because we are such good pals. And I would have a few stories of my own to tell."
Nikolas slides his chiliburger over to Lucky who starts chowing down just as Nik knew he would. "Now I heard something about Katherine being the reason for you being on restriction but nobody will give me the details." Lucky focuses on the chiliburger.
Liz who had been walking toward the table to greet Lucky turns a quick 180. "I think I heard the oven timer." Liz beats a quick retreat.
Emily sighs and pushes away the rest of her chiliburger. "Have you been using that Blockbuster card?"
"Blockbuster? What has that got to do with anything?" Nik asks.
"There is this movie called The Parent Trap. The original is better than the remake...." Emily delays.
"Enough cinema criticism." Lucky says around a mouthful of chiliburger. He wanted Emily to get this over with so he wouldn't have to guard his own tongue around his brother.
"I submarined Katherine."
"You submarined her." Nik repeats-- not getting it.
"Yeah, set her up, torpedoed her, made her life a living hell." Emily continues trying to get it all out of the way at one time.
"And you did this because?" Nik prompts hoping that Emily hadn't found out about the conception kit Lucky had told him about.
Emily takes a deep breath and then lies through her teeth well... half lies. "Because it was the only way to get Carly off of Ned's back on a semi-permanent basis."
Nik looks over at Lucky and then up at Liz who is standing behind the counter watching every move. "And you both knew about this?"
"Yeah, we helped." Lucky admits forthrightly. Liz just looks guilty. "Katherine might be a pal of yours but she's no pal o' mine."
"And Ned is?" Nik shakes his head. There is more to this. Nik's pager goes off. He looks down to see the number and it's the construction site.
"I thought you only wore that thing when you were at GH?" Emily asks curiously.
Nik looks over at Lucky who looks back at him. Secrets-- there were secrets all over the place. Nik knows there is more to the Katherine story and yet pushing it meant that the house project might come out before he intended. "I forgot to take it off."
"Do you want to use my brand new cell phone?" Emily offers.
"No, it can wait." Nikolas turns off the pager willing the subject to change.
"It's okay. I know that nobody was really expecting me to be off of restriction already."
Liz takes off her apron and takes the fourth seat finally on her break. "Actually nobody expected the restriction to last this long. Your folks really enforced it this time. I mean, Dr Alan going to the library with you? That's serious."
Emily shudders. "If it weren't for Grandfather I'd still be hearing about the latest developments in intestinal resectioning." She glances over at Nikolas.
"Then I guess we'll have to let him slide on putting the call block on your phone." Nikolas suggests. "Especially since you have a way around it now."
"And what Grandfather doesn't know won't hurt us." Emily agrees quoting the Quartermaine family motto.
The apartment over Johnny's restaurant. The water cuts off. Johnny steps from the spartan shower and grabs one of the white towels from the rack wrapping it around his lean hips; he sluices the water from his arms and chest and runs his fingers through his short hair combing it into shape. Walking over to the sink, he wipes away the condensation on the mirror and grimaces at his reflection. He loves the restaurant; it's been a lifelong dream. But the bitch of being a sole proprietor was never having a day off. Ma had been covering the dayshifts since there was no way she'd ever be a lady of leisure whatever the Judge had in mind. He had to cover the dinner shift which meant being downstairs in an hour. He'd spent the morning doing paperwork, laundry and had barely managed to get to the gym to get in a pickup handball game.
Johnny smoothes lather over his chiseled face. He reviews the status of his life as he shaves. He had the restaurant; it was doing well. He had a great if difficult relationship with his mother. The Judge didn't seem to be a bad guy. Rita was a pain in the ass but in a good way. Vicki was just a pain. Johnny winces and pays more attention to what he is doing. Life's great or would be-- if he could remember the last time he got laid. If he got laid maybe he would stop dreaming about Emily Quartermaine. Emily, on his couch getting peeled out of those skin tight leather pants to reveal the satin panties beneath them. Emily wearing nothing but those satin panties and that little tank top. Johnny winces again. If he didn't pay attention to what he was doing he'd end up slitting his own throat with a disposable razor. Johnny rinses off the razor and then his face patting it dry. The damage wasn't too bad. He'd done worse to himself. But he had to get her out of his head. Emily Quartermaine's trouble: his boss' sister, too rich, too headstrong, too beautiful and too damn young. "She's too young." Johnny says to the room at large trying to remind himself what a freaking pervert he was for even looking in her direction. Then Johnny mutters to himself. "But she doesn't kiss like she's too young." Putting on the working clothes that he'd laid out earlier Johnny's thoughts drift back.
This internal struggle had been going on since the night of his mother's wedding to the Judge. It's like when Emily caught that bouquet an alarm had gone off inside of him. He'd done things while working for Jason and Sonny. Things best left between him and God but never had he wanted to kill someone-- rend them end to end as he had when Cassadine had his hands all over Emily's smooth frame. If Emily hadn't have been waiting in the car he would have done it. He would have broken every bone in Cassadine's body starting with the hands that had touched her. "I'm losing it." Johnny mutters. "Don't think about it. Shove it out of your mind. You haven't seen her in a week. She didn't even come to Sunday brunch after church." At the time he'd been glad. Maybe she had gotten smart. Decided to put some distance between us. Last night she'd strolled into the restaurant like she owned it wearing those leather pants and the leather coat. And it had started all over again. He'd looked at her and known what she was thinking. Buttoning the oxford style white shirt, Johnny unzips his trousers and tucks it in. Sitting on the bed he puts on his shoes. When the phone rings he doesn't pick up. He had to be down in the kitchen soon. Everything else would have to wait; let the machine pick up.
Johnny, it's Emily. I hope you don't mind; your mother gave me this number. I just wanted to let you know that the kiosk project is a definite go. I found the perfect person to run them and she can have things going by tomorrow even. You and I need to get together to work out the details.... Well you aren't there. I'll stop by the restaurant tonight after I check in at Deception. You are still interested aren't you?
There is a long pause and then a hang up. Johnny goes over to the message machine and rewinds it a bit. You are still interested, aren't you? There is the sound of the machine working. You are still interested, aren't you? and again. You are still interested, aren't you?
"I'm going to hell."