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The Triumph Of AJ Quartermaine
Mama Comes to Call
Bobbie, Lucas and Jerry arrive. Bobbie is carrying a Wal-Mart bag with the items Carly requested in it: curtain and clothes hangers. Jerry carries a large pizza and Lucas carries a present for his nephew. Bobbie knocks on the door but no one answers. She knocks again. Hearing the music from inside she opens the door. "Hello?" No answer.
God, I feel like hell tonight
Tears of rage I cannot fight
I'd be the last to help you understand
Are you strong enough to be my man?
Nothing's true and nothing's right
So let me be alone tonight
You can't change the way I am
Are you strong enough to be my man?
Lie to me
I promise I'll believe
Lie to me
But please don't leave
Following the music she opens the study door and sees Carly and AJ dancing slow and close.
I have a face I cannot show
I make the rules up as I go
It's try and love me if you can
Are you man enough to be my man?
When I've shown you that I just don't care
When I'm throwing punches in the air
When I'm broken down and cannot stand
Will you be strong enough to be my man?
Lie to me
I promise I'll believe
Lie to me
But please don't leave
Bobbie takes in the scene before her. Michael is playing quietly in his playpen. AJ and Carly are preoccupied with each other. Carly appears comfortable with AJ's hands on her. And I told Jason that Carly loved him. Bobbie gripes internally. What the hell is going on? "Well Daughter, you find a theme song for your life?" Carly springs back from AJ.
"Mama."
"I knocked but it seems like you were too caught up in dancing to hear the door."
"Bobbie," Jerry warns with his tone before going on to Carly and AJ. "Well you two, three, sure kicked up quite a fuss. Pizza and explanations anyone?"
"I want to play with Michael! I want him to see my present." Lucas demands "I'm not hungry."
"Lucas, since Jerry brought pizza we should probably eat while it's hot. I think we have something that you can drink in the kitchen." Carly looks over to AJ questioningly who nods. "Although I have no idea where anything is right now. We've kind of been avoiding the rest of the house." Carly shrugs helplessly.
"Why don't you show me the rest of the house anyway, Caroline?" Bobbie insists. "Lucas prefers his pizza half cold so there is no hurry on the pizza."
Carly looks pleadingly at AJ knowing that the interrogation is to come. Jerry catches the glance and nips the possible interference in the bud. "AJ, where is the kitchen in this place. I swear my hand's about to burn on this thing. We can get things dished while the ladies do their own dishing." AJ shrugs in a you're on your own fashion.
Carly mutters to AJ. "I'll get you for this. You know I will."
"Oh I think my time is coming as well." AJ replies in low tones. "United front, remember?"
"Easier said than done around my mother." Carly follows Bobbie out of the room like a woman walking to her own execution.
"So where is the kitchen in this place?" Jerry reminds AJ that he's there. Setting the baby monitor automatically AJ leads Jerry to the kitchen. Jerry slides the pizza box onto the counter. "Well if everything I've heard about you is true I'm betting this is a dry house."
AJ nods. "I can offer you some coffee, juice, a bottled water?" Jerry helps himself to a bottled water from the stocked fridge.
"You do realize that if you hurt Bobbie's daughter I'm going to have to hurt you?" Jerry takes a sip after his matter of fact statement.
AJ is shocked for a moment. "Where the hell were you when Carly was living with my brother?"
"Trying to get out of the doghouse with Bobbie, besides she likes Morgan. You on the other hand..." Jerry shrugs. "Bobbie finding out that huge changes were in the works while watching a Knicks game was not a great way to start."
AJ winces. "I didn't know that Bobbie was a fan."
"She's not, but Lucas is."
"What do you know?" AJ asks resignedly. Jerry fills him in on the news thus far. AJ leans up against the counter. "So Bobbie is feeling betrayed by Carly again." AJ sums up Jerry's recitation.
"'Bout right. So what are you going to do about it?"
"I had to get Carly away from Jason. He has too much influence with her. Over the week I've heard things that have put the hair up on the back of my neck. I'm sure that you are aware of some of the stuff that Carly has pulled on me?" Jerry nods. "Whatever Carly did, it was always gutsy, shortsighted maybe, but creative and ... strong, you know? She stood up for herself, for what she wanted."
Jerry listens to what AJ is saying as well as what he's not. "And now?"
AJ shakes his head. "Ever since Michael was born she has deferred to Jason. She claimed that Jason was the father of Michael before he was born because she was afraid I was going to go for sole custody but after he was born she's had no input on Michael's upbringing." AJ takes a breath considering his words then continuing. "She hasn't made a single decision where Michael is concerned, not his name...nothing. Jason has called all the shots including how much time she got to spend with Michael. Even the agreement we hammered out in New York is all about protecting Jason's access to Michael."
"And you're going to change all that?" Jerry lifts a brow in disbelief.
"I don't think I'd be exaggerating much in saying Carly has spent more time with Michael in the last week than she has in the last year. All in all I think we spent 6 hours without Michael with us: the basketball game and a trip to the opera last night. Carly isn't afraid of Michael anymore."
"And if you have worked this miracle how are you going to stop her from going back to Morgan now?" Jerry probes.
"I told her I wouldn't interfere with Jason having visitation with Michael if she stayed the hell away from Jason." Jerry stares at AJ. There is a long pause in the conversation before AJ continues. "It was never my intention to interfere with Bobbie's relationship with Carly or Michael. I like Bobbie."
"You've known for how long that Michael was your son?" Jerry queries.
"On a gut level? Since before he was born but I didn't have proof until he was about six months old. By that time Carly was locked up. I offered my help to Carly to get her out of Stonebrooke but the damage had already been done. She didn't trust me, only Jason-- I tried to break the trust force her to deal with me and it backfired big time. She ended up in Ferncliffe--I'd done just enough damage to her relationship with Jason but she still didn't trust me to help her. It about killed me seeing her there in Ferncliffe knowing that I'd help put her there and even more in Jason's camp, and the waiting."
"Waiting on what?" Jerry asks already suspecting the answer.
"Waiting for Carly to be out so I could get both of them free from Jason. Carly moving to the brownstone was the best thing that happened to me in a long time. Jason had blocked my efforts for the last year to see Carly and our son. But even the brownstone didn't last long. Jason couldn't stop from putting Carly right under his thumb again especially once Robin told me the truth."
"All this sound so altruistic-- you riding to the rescue of the emotionally battered little woman and the helpless child from the big bad mobster." Jerry sneers trying to provoke AJ into an unguarded response.
AJ shakes his head. "Selfish, pure and simple. It's my turn now. And I'm taking it. Jason had a year now I want mine. When all is said and done Carly will never have to rely on Jason again. Carly won't go back to Jason because if she does then I will sue for and win physical custody of Michael and she knows it."
Upstairs Carly is trying to avoid the upcoming conversation by babbling on about the trip to New York and the amenities of the house. "Enough, Caroline." Bobbie snaps. "Quit dancing around and tell me what the Hell is going on. How long were you planning on lying about Michael's father?"
Carly looks out a window. "It wasn't important." She answers quietly.
"Excuse me?! Not important? Where in the hell is your head? Nothing could have been more important! Look at the mess you've created! A year of lies!" Bobbie rages.
Carly shrugs. "It just kind of snowballed. Before Michael was born Jason agreed to say he was Michael's father.... not even that, just that he wouldn't deny it. How was I suppose to know that I'd crash and burn that Jason would end up being Michael's father? All I intended was to have Jason protect me until the baby was born and then I was going to get the hell out of dodge before Tony or the Q's could come after my son. You and I weren't on speaking terms; and I would have killed Virginia even sooner if she had any idea what I had done. When I got back from Florida it was like a miracle that I'd never seen before. Jason was Michael's father. The way he talked to Michael; the way he loved and cared for him. The sperm donor was irrelevant. I couldn't take Michael away from his daddy, from the only daddy he'd ever known."
"Looks like that is what you are doing now." Bobbie reminds Carly.
"No. Jason will never be cut out of Michael's life. I made sure of that. AJ promised Jason will get Michael every weekend, that Jason won't be shut out of anything that Michael does."
"Why?" Bobbie asks suspiciously. "He's got you on the ropes, why is he backing off? He could screw you and Jason over royally. You'd be lucky to see Michael before he turned 18!"
"Thanks a lot for your support, Mama." Carly rolls her eyes.
"Oh cut the bull, Caroline. You know you were holding a losing hand. What is AJ getting out of this deal?" Bobbie insists.
"A happy family." Carly replies. "I'm doing the best that I can here, Bobbie."
"Your best would have been to tell the truth a year ago." Bobbie retorts.
"Okay Mama," Carly throws her hands up. "You whip up your magic Guza time machine and I'll go back and change everything. I'll tell the truth and where will I be today? Begging AJ to be a part of my son's life. The Q's would have taken Michael from the hospital before I even woke up from nearly dying. I did the best I could!! Do you have anything to say about my life Now-- Today?!"
"I might if I had a clue of what is going on."
"It's real simple. AJ wants to know his son. He has temporary custody until we go to court. If I try to fight him in court then he will go for sole physical custody and Jason gets nothing. We used this week to hammer out a compromise. I know; I know... AJ had to define it for me. I get physical custody and Jason gets weekends-- Michael keeps Jason's name but AJ is on the birth certificate..."
"You get physical custody?" Bobbie interrupts "What about AJ?"
"AJ will sue me for physical custody if I move back in with Jason."
"So you and Michael are moving back to the Brownstone?" Bobbie questions.
Carly laughs briefly. "No. Michael and I will live in My house: not yours, Jason's, Sonny's or even the Q's. My house... this house with AJ."
"So he bought you with a house." Bobbie cuts coldly.
"Can't you be on my side just once? What was I suppose to do? Just let AJ walk away with our son? Leave Michael alone with a man who had spent an afternoon once with him?"
"Oh and it was such a hardship. I bet you stayed in a four star hotel, spent your time shopping and going out to dinner. Going to NBA games and I bet you even went to a play."
"It was the Opera and so what if I did? AJ has been planning this little vacation for a year."
"And you couldn't call Jason in that whole week."
"I did call Jason-- I told him exactly what was going on."
"Once! Carly, he's been going out of his mind!"
"And I haven't? Exactly what am I suppose to do for Jason, Mama? How much am I suppose to give up? I'm not his wife, his girlfriend, or even the thing that he screwed on the side anymore. I'm Michael's mother and that's it. If you asked Jason who his family was he'd say Michael, Sonny, Emily, Mike and You. I don't even make the cut. I'm done, Mama. If there's a problem with Michael then AJ and Jason can settle it. I've done all I can to protect Jason's rights with Michael."
"But Carly...."
"Will you make up your mind? You told me to quit chasing and trying to trap a man I can't have. Fine, Mama-- message received. My delusion about Jason and me ever being together is over. I'm not going to chase him, call him or run to him when I'm in trouble. We share Michael--Period." Carly turns away. "Now if you'll excuse me. I'm hungry and I'd like to spend some time with my son and my brother."
Bobbie watches as Carly walks away before saying to herself. "Who do you think you're foolin, little girl?"