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The Triumph Of AJ Quartermaine
Mama Knows Best...
Too darn early the next morning, AJ raps softly on Carly's door before entering. She is lying face down snuggled in covers with the pillow half over her head to block out any noise. Sitting on the bed next to her, "Carly..." AJ says softly.
"I'm sleeping; go away." Carly mumbles.
"I'm going to that meeting with Tracy; I'll be back in a few hours. I'll leave the baby monitor here by your bed."
"Have fun storming the castle." Carly quips turning over but not opening her eyes.
"Remember our agreement, no sneaky stuff while I'm gone; we've only got two more days of vacation." Leaning over AJ brushes a soft kiss on Carly's forehead and leaves. Carly's eyes pop open as she hears the door shut.
The penthouse--
Bobbie arrives before Johnny does and starts pounding on the door. Jason who hasn't been sleeping lets Bobbie in.
"Where is she? Where is my daughter, Jason." Bobbie demands without so much as a howdydo as she charges into the penthouse.
Jason rubs his forehead; the headache from the night before has returned in full force. "She is somewhere in New York City with AJ."
"And my grandson?"
"With Carly."
"How did this happen? I take Lucas away for a couple of weeks to the diabetes clinic-- my first night back I see Carly on the Television for goodness sake with a guy she can't stand and you say that my grandson is with her and you have no idea where either of them are?!" Bobbie starts to wind up in the finest Spencer style.
"AJ snatched Carly and Michael from his doctor's appointment about 5 days ago."
"And you didn't call me? Have you called the police?"
"It's all legal, Bobbie. AJ has a court order giving him temporary custody of Michael. He served it when I wasn't around. Leticia said that AJ gave Carly the option of going with him and the baby or staying here waiting for the hearing without Michael. She went with the baby."
"My daughter is a grown woman, you mean to tell me that she hasn't called you? I don't believe that. Carly might be oblivious to most things but when it comes to you, Jason...."
"AJ let her call once but before she could say where she was he took the phone from her."
"Oh please, they were at Madison Square Garden there must be about a million phones around there. That's it; I'm calling the police." Bobbie goes to the phone.
Sonny calls from the stairs. "And tell them what, Bobbie? That your daughter is being forced to go to Knicks games?"
"Sonny?! When did you get back?"
"About a week before all hell broke loose. Can I get you some coffee, Bobbie-- perhaps a latte? I don't think the espresso machine has been used since I last visited Jason."
"That would be lovely but don't think that you're going to distract me. Has Robin gone to class already?" Bobbie looks around the penthouse as she removes her coat and drops her purse.
"Robin went back to Paris the day after she told AJ that he was Michael's biological father." Jason states flatly.
Bobbie sags to the couch overwhelmed with information overload. She tries to talk a couple of times before words finally come out. "Sonny, add a shot of bourbon to that coffee; this is going to take awhile. Jason, I think I don't want to know what kind of mess my daughter has created now."
Jason begins to explain what has been going on for the last year. Bobbie is shocked into silence. Sonny returns with the fortified lattes complete with whip cream and a chocolate covered espresso bean on top. Settling in, he hears the story again, listening as if for the first time discarding everything Robin had told him in the past. Bobbie sips the latte and then as it cools drains the cup when the more confusing elements come to light. She hands the empty coffee cup back to Sonny. "Skip the coffee this time, Sonny. So lets get this straight. Carly got drunk, cheated on Tony with AJ, got pregnant, hid that AJ could be the father until it all blew up in her face and then suckered you into covering her lying posterior. And I thought her not telling me that she was my daughter was her longest con-- I guess I have to get in line behind AJ as the biggest fool."
"Only now it's coming out that AJ wasn't fooled at all. Somehow he read Carly back when she was in the hospital after having Michael. He ordered the blood tests back then and has just been waiting for the right minute to spring this whole thing." Sonny replies while handing Bobbie the coffee cup this time with a straight bourbon double shot.
"What are you going to do, Jason? Sorry, I can't imagine you taking this without a fight. And I still don't understand why Carly hasn't called you."
"We've been trying to find Carly and AJ in NYC, but it's been impossible. AJ has been planning this for too long and hasn't left any tracks. He hasn't used a credit card yet-- must be using cash or travelers checks for everything. I know that AJ told Carly he'd take sole custody of Michael if she didn't give him this week. Nothing I could say was going to impact on that and AJ didn't give me the chance anyway." Jason admits.
"Going to a Knicks game? Doesn't seem as if he's trying to hide!"
"Bobbie, that was a pretty safe thing to do. Carly knows that Jason doesn't normally watch television and even then how would anyone be expected to find them among the twenty odd thousand people at the game." Sonny reminds Bobbie practically. "The best chance to find them will be when AJ comes back to Port Charles."
"Even I could find them then." Bobbie scoffs. "Just drive over to Q central...."
Jason shakes his head. "AJ has bought a house somewhere here in Port Charles according to Emily. We have someone at the courthouse doing a search on all the residential property transfers but so far nothing in AJ's name. Now Benny's searching for anything hinky but that means going over every transaction. AJ and Carly will be back in contact by the time we find out where the house is."
Bobbie rises unsteadily to her feet. "I need to go home. Damn it where is my brother when I need him? He'd know what to do. I have to think."
Sonny takes in Bobbie's fumbling for her coat and purse. "Bobbie, Johnny will drive you home. This has been a shock and you really shouldn't be driving right now. I hope you'll let Jason know if Carly should call you." Sonny helps Bobbie to the door directing Johnny to escort Bobbie back to the Brownstone then comes back to the living room where Jason has sunk into a silent funk.
The brownstone about fifteen minutes later. Johnny escorts Bobbie to her door. His gentlemanly arm serving more than a token purpose. The bourbon has hit and Bobbie is lit.
"Let me get the door for you." Johnny pleads as Bobbie fumbles for the key.
Bobbie snorts and growing impatient leans on the doorbell. Jerry opens the door in a moment taking in the scene before him. He quickly smothers a smirk and then grows concerned. "Bloody hell, woman, it's ten am."
"Oh just lay off. If you had a daughter like mine you'd drink too!" Bobbie replies defensively pushing Jerry out of the way as she enters the brownstone. The hiccup spoils her grand entrance. Jerry glares at Johnny and then slams the door in his face. He follows Bobbie into the living room where Bobbie has already collapsed on the couch. "Ah hell, when did I become such a lightweight?" Bobbie mutters to herself. "When I was sixteen I could've killed a fifth of bourbon and still made them feel like they were god's gift." Fumbling for her buttons she struggles to get out of her coat. Jerry brushes her hands away taking over the task.
"So what did Morgan have to say for himself?" Jerry inquires.
"Nuthin' much. Did I tell you that Sonny was back?" Bobbie sighs. "Damn he looks fine that whole tormented thing is really working for him." Bobbie looks up at Jerry. "Not as fine as you, of course, you're the best, lover." Reaching up to Jerry's neck she pulls him to her pressing kisses to his throat at his open collar and starting to open the buttons of his shirt, then pauses. "Lucas got off to school, right?"
"Luv, you have two choices right now-- coffee or cold shower." Jerry replies sternly brushing Bobbie's hands away firmly. "And yes, Lucas caught the bus; I put him on it myself."
"You're no fun." Bobbie looks at Jerry with a well practiced sultry glance. Her eyes have a greedy quality as she looks over Jerry.
"Knock if off, Barbara Jean, You aren't going to get out from telling me what happened." Jerry leads Bobbie into the dining room and plops her into a dining room chair. "Coffee it is. Don't move." Jerry goes to the kitchen and pours a quick cup of coffee for Bobbie. When he comes back he notices that she has her head down on the table. "Bobbie?"
"She did it to me again. When will I ever learn? I drove that girl through a snow storm... we trudged through snowdrifts up to my ass so that she could bond with Michael and how does she pay me back? More lies" Bobbie straightens in the chair and runs her hand distractedly through her hair brushing it away from her face. Jerry takes the seat across from Bobbie. "Jason isn't Michael's father-- strike that, he isn't Michael's biological father. He wasn't even in the running. I thought that Carly hated AJ-- well evidently that's a new development. She liked him well enough once upon a time to nail him in a drunken stupor."
"Where is Michael?" Jerry asks quietly.
"With his father. AJ got a court order and took Michael. Jason looks like hell and Carly is having the time of her life in NYC."
"To the victor go the spoils." Jerry muses.
"Excuse me?" Bobbie asks bewildered.
"You did your job, mum. She bonded with Michael. AJ has the baby so Carly is with Michael. The question is does she want to be? AJ must have tied the custody up tight ... or at least convinced Carly that he's got it sewn up."
"Was AJ here while I was gone?"
"Yeah, he took Carly out one day; told her she needed a break from moving back into the penthouse. Carly seemed fine after the visit. He's dropped by steadily since she moved to the brownstone-- brought her a stereo one time, some CD's another, offered to take her out to brunch. Never seemed to want to see Michael. Just Carly. And she was always energized after seeing him."
"Carly's got the Spencer sparring gene. You can't fight with Jason. He would just blow Carly off when she started getting snippy or leave. And she was always afraid to really tick him off because she is in love with him and was afraid that he'd leave her." Bobbie says. "I still can't believe that she lied to me AGAIN."
"Honey, I don't think this one was ever supposed to come out. Maybe if you had connected before Michael was born..." Jerry shrugs. "As one liar assessing another, I'd say that your little girl believed this one by the time you and she got on speaking terms. Why would she tell you something when she doesn't believe it herself? I think that she was just as blindsided as everyone else."
"She's just quicker on her feet when it comes to protecting her interests." Bobbie shakes her head bitterly. "Mark my words, she'll make this work somehow."