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The Triumph Of AJ Quartermaine
Chapter Thirty Three
What AJ Knows
The Penthouse after Carly has raced to the elevator.
"Well since she left I guess this means she's sticking with AJ?" Sonny inquires.
"We didn't talk about it." Jason replies absently rebuckling his belt.
Sonny shakes his head. "Please tell me you didn't just walk in and start having sex with her?"
"No, we talked. Carly wants to stay in PC now. Says she wants a NORMAL life."
"Good luck. Carly wouldn't know normal if it bit her in the tail and the Q's.... Course our life isn't exactly father knows best either." Jason looks at Sonny curiously. "It's a tv show, nevermind. What did she want?"
"Her stuff."
"And that's it? You guys talked about *her stuff*." Sonny probes.
"No, she kept asking me what I wanted."
"And then you started having sex?" Jason just shrugs. "What DO you want, Jason?"
"Why do people keep asking me that?"
Across town in record time, Carly slams the door of the Happy Family house. Her clothing is straight, she'd taken the time in in the car to make sure. The driver had seen her flying out of the Harbor View Towers with her suitcases in hand and met her at the curb with the engine running. Gunning it like a getaway car, he had pulled away just as Carly had hopped in the backseat after shoving in the suitcases. There were certain advantages to everyone *knowing* about Jason. Sagging against the door, Carly had to wonder if the driver thought she was on the run from the mob. Carly shudders knowing what comes next. IF she didn't tell AJ first, Jason surely would. 'I learned my lesson with Robin.' she thinks. Grimacing Carly hollars, "AJ!!"
AJ pops out of the study. "Yeah?"
"I did something stupid-- well I didn't think it was stupid to start but it sure turned out that way. Don't worry I didn't shoot anyone..." Carly motormouths dropping to a mutter at the last. "...although Sonny Corinthos crossed my mind."
AJ takes in the luggage at Carly's feet. "You went to the penthouse and let me guess you ran into Jason?"
"I didn't mean to run into Jason." Carly replies defensively. "I checked the landing; Johnny wasn't there. Nobody was watching the door. I thought they were gone! Evidently Jason was over at Sonny's and he caught me as I was leaving! Johnny was driving Emily home." Carly shakes her head. "I thought I did everything right. I even called first; I checked the landing. I thought sure that he wasn't home."
"Does he know about our agreement?"
Carly shakes her head again. "No, it never came up."
"Did he hurt you?" AJ walks over to Carly taking her her appearence. While her clothes are meticulous her shirt is buttoned to the collar something, that Carly never did, and her lipstick was worn off; her hair rumpled and an earring missing.
"NO, no way. I told you what happened before was an accident. I even brush against something wrong, I bruise." Carly shrugs.
"Do you feel like you violated our agreement?" AJ asks flatly.
Carly winces. "Technically, maybe but not really. I didn't contact Jason while we were in New York, and the agreement doesn't go into effect until Wednesday right? It might be a good thing, AJ, I mean he knows I'm sticking here in PC and I'm supporting the agreement on Wednesday in court." AJ reaches beside Carly and automatically closes the gates to the house on the control panel by the door and sets the exterior alarms. "I don't think that he is going to come here, AJ."
"I've had enough company for today. I have to wonder who's going to turn up next? NED?" AJ shudders. "Half the faxes that came in were for you."
Carly perks up. "Really? That's like getting mail right? Oh man. I've been in Port Charles for like what three, four, years the only mail I ever got was for Occupant. 'Course. Virginia, didn't know where I was living and she would have been the only one to contact me when I wasn't in Ferncliffe and at Ferncliffe that bastard, Evans, was holding my mail."
"Well everyone knows how to get hold of you now. Jerry, some broker, Hassan sent a list of estate sales all up and down the eastern seaboard and Canada. And someone from the medical ethics office?" AJ asks curiously as the last was a surprise to him.
"Yeah, I contacted them earlier." Carly bites her lip. "I want to find out if anyone had ever filed a complaint against Evans. But I didn't think I'd get a reply. Those things are so confidential, and they really protect their own. It's not like a better business bureau for shrinks."
"Why don't you put your stuff away and then we'll have dinner. There is a casserole thing that I can heat up in the microwave."
Carly drops her bags again and straightens. "Casserole thing? Microwave? What happened while I was gone?"
AJ laughs. "Cook was very grateful for the photo album and the picture of Michael. She had a driver deliver dinner with EXPLICIT directions on how to reheat it. I think I can figure it out."
"I have got to meet this woman. If she has Edward running scared she's got something about her I want to learn."
The Mansion.
Edward peeks in the kitchen door and looking furtively around sees that Cook isn't there although dinner was perking away nicely on the restaurant style stove. He steals over to the fridge to get a little snack until the damn woman got dinner ready. Edward roars when he sees the cute framed picture of Michael on the fridge. Cook races in from the backdoor where she had been taking out some trash.
"What are you doing in HERE?!" She roars right back.
"WOMAN! What are you doing with a picture of my great-grandson on the refridgerator? Where did you get it?" Edward blusters with both greed and envy.
"What are you doing in MY kitchen, GET out now or I swear your dinner is going to Annabelle and I'll serve you up her kibble with a garnish."
"You can't threaten me, you harridan! This is my house; I pay your salary! Where did you get that PICTURE!"
"You can't threaten me, you old goat. It's my KITCHEN and Mrs. Monica's house! And you don't pay me squat. Mrs Lila pays me as if I would work for YOU." Cook picks up a butcher knife from the cutting board. "Now get out before I slice those greedy little fingers off at a nub! OUT! OUT!"
Edward retreats rapidly. Going out to the foyer he hollars up the stairs. "LILA!!! REGINALD!!!"
In the front room Lila winces at Edward's raised voice while Reggie just rolls his eyes. With a sigh he rises from the seat next to Lila's chair and goes to the door. "You bellowed, Mr Q?"
"I want that woman FIRED. She came at me with a butcher knife." Edward blusters.
"Oh Dear." Lila murmurs. "Darling, did you disturb her when she was cooking again? Edward, you know how tempermental she is. Reginald...."
"I'll take care of it, Mrs. Q." Reggie strides to the kitchen his grin growing as he nears the door. Cautiously, he peeks in waving a white hankerchief from his pocket. "Is the coast clear?"
"Don't be an idiot. Get in here." Cook waves a spatula from where she stands by the stove checking on dinner.
"You knew he couldn't resist." Reggie teases. He reaches for a canape but is not surprised when Cook smacks his hand.
"That man is so predictable and so are you.. So did Mrs L have anything to say about Miss Emily ditching school today?"
"To not let it happen too often. Did you know that Miss Emily wants a motorcycle?"
"A donor cycle? I don't think so. I'll disabuse her of that one but fast."
"Jason got her that leather jacket and helmet for her birthday." Reggie reminds.
"And you think I like that boy riding a cycle either?" Cook shrugs. "But he is a grown man, as if he'd listen to me. At least he has the sense left to not take Michael on the blasted thing."
"He's planning on getting a sidecar come summer." Reggie drops the info into the conversation.
Cooks takes a deep breath as red creeps up her face. "Don't bait me, boy; you have to sleep sometime. So when is AJ going to bring Carly and Michael to the house."
"I heard Thursday for the boardmeeting. He's up to something."
"He's been up to something for the past year. Just that nobody noticed." Cook remarks calmly. "Now get out of here so I can get this supper ready sometime before midnight."
Reggie walks back to the front room and sees that Lila is alone. "Where is Mr Q?"
"I sent him upstairs to get me a shawl. Well is Cook okay."
"Yeah, she's calm now but I have to wonder sometimes if it was smart to hire somebody out of the state pen for a cook, Mrs L."
"Dear, everyone deserves a second chance; and I'm afraid our reputation for staff has been irretrievabely tarnished in Port Charles."