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The Triumph Of AJ Quartermaine
True Colors
Tuesday Morning at Happy Family House--
AJ comes downstairs with Michael. He sees a light under the door of the study. His brow furrows and walking over he opens the door and peeks in. Carly sits in sweats before his computer. Her hair is a messy pile on top of her head anchored with one of his good pens. AJ looks at his watch in confusion. "A sight I thought I'd never see. Carly, what in the hell are you doing up?"
"Working." Carly leans back in the chair her arms reach up in a catlike stretch. The sweat shirt exposes her naval as it rides up. Carly hunches her shoulders in another stretch and rotates her head around (not like the exorcist, get it out of your head) working out the final kinks. Pulling her shirt back down she sighs. "And don't swear in front of Michael, it's bad enough that I do it. You've been handling everything. I thought I'd try to help out."
"Help out... how?" A brief moment of terror runs up AJ's spine.
"Oh don't get your boxers in a twist. You'll like this." Carly gathers some papers together. "There is someone in the Ethics office that doesn't like Evans either. He forwarded me a list of names that had filed complaints before-- even the ones that were called unfounded and swept under the carpet. I did a name search on the net of the people and sent out a request for more info. I finally connected with someone over in London. We got to chatting; so I haven't been to bed yet. I also remembered the names of some of the patients and got in touch with their families too via email. There has actually been a few replies. I'm following up with letters today to the ones that don't have computer access. My own personal Deep Throat has also pointed me at a possible padding in the contract that Ferncliffe has with the state. This guy is in deep sh... dodo." Carly rises from the desk and crossing the room takes Michael from AJ. She starts babbling to him as she nuzzles on his neck. Carly walks from the study carrying the baby. Looking over her shoulder she looks at AJ. "Aren't you coming?"
"Where?"
"Kitchen. I need coffee desperately. And I think Mister Man could use some breakfast."
AJ follows in Carly's wake. "I didn't know that you knew anything about computers?"
"How did you think I got into the nurses program? Come on, AJ. Carly died when she was sixteen she hadn't finished high school yet. And she was cra... cruddy at school to begin with. I had to break into the GH computer and change all the information on the transcript." Carly sets Michael in his high chair and spills some cheerios on the clean tray table while she goes over to the counter to start coffee first and then Michael's breakfast. "I'm going to make Michael a scrambled egg. You want some too?"
"Sure. What else don't I know about you, Carly Caroline Spencer- Benson- Roberts?" AJ is awed by the way that Carly's mind thinks yet again. Never, never again was he going to be on the barrel end with this woman. Her lies were creative enough but this, this was amazing. She'd locked on Evans as a target and like a heat seeking missile she was going to blow him out of the water. "For instance I thought that you couldn't cook?"
"It's an egg, AJ. Most people can scramble an egg; some can even boil, fry or poach them."
"But that dinner you put together for Keisha when you forgot to turn on the oven...?"
Carly shrugs. "Everyone has an off day. There I was-- trying to have a dinner party, my first with Tony, get Keisha drunk, dump her in your waiting arms; something had to get lost in the shuffle and it happened to be turning on the dam... darn oven. Am I ever going to get over this swearing thing? Michael is going to sound like a sailor by the time he is two. Besides, at least Jason could help in the kitchen... or he used to when I was still living with Tony."
"What?"
"Yeah, before Jason moved into the penthouse fulltime; he used to help Sonny cook sometimes. If Jason weren't a damn fine motorcycle mechanic, coffee importer, mob boss; he could always work as a prep cook."
"Hey, I'm learning. I didn't burn dinner last night." AJ reminds plaintively.
"I'm just teasing although that reminds me. We need to make some cookies later." Carly bites her lip furrowing her brow trying to remember the recipe.
"Cookies?"
"Yeah, for Cook as a thank you for the casserole. My Mama, Virginia, said that you never returned a dish empty. What is Cook's name anyway?"
AJ looks stymied. "You know, I have absolutely no idea. Grandmother hired her years ago. She's just always been-- Cook."
Carly puts a plate of bacon, eggs and hash browns with perfectly browned toast before AJ and a single scrambled egg with a slice of toast before Michael. "I figured you for a hash brown rather than a grits man?"
"Never had grits." AJ takes a bite then groans. "Oh this is good."
"Oh ye of little faith. And grits are okay but would I be giving up my status as a southern woman if I said they were way down on my list?" Carly exaggerates a southern drawl. She sits opposite of AJ and within arms reach of Michael to try to eat her breakfast. "Don't you normally read the paper at breakfast? Are you going to have to walk down to the gates to get it?"
"One of the neat features of the house. Kind of like a drive through at the bank. There is a chute for the mail and newspapers. Guess the guy that built it planned for the winters." AJ rises from the table and goes to the front door. Opening a small box he pulls out the days paper. On his way back he pours himself and Carly some coffee. He juggles the full coffee cups and the newspaper until he is seated again. "So what else did you do last night?"
"I got hold of that broker that Jerry suggested and moved some of the money around so Edward can't find it. I thought that if I can take the money and Ferncliffe away from Edward like you said then he can't use me. But what about you? How is he going to come after you?"
"He'll sic Ned on me and threaten to pull away the CEO if I should happen to get it. Send me off to some foreign country to negotiate some BS contract." AJ takes a sip of his coffee and then polishes off the last of his breakfast. He takes over helping Michael so that Carly can finish her breakfast in peace.
"And you want this job again because...?"
"I've got something to prove to myself. The company has fallen on hard times before. Grandmother once had to refinance the company using a family secret pickle recipe to fill the coffers after Grandfather ran it into the ground. Grandfather is good at what he does, don't get me wrong, but he is from another generation and he's forgotten what it's like to get his hands dirty."
"Not that I think that you've ever gotten your hands dirty, AJ, but I remember exactly what Edward was like at the dock party. I may have shut down the docks but he was the one that shut down the city when he ticked off the other unions in the press. What about Ned or Justus?"
"Ned is good, and I'll never repeat that 'cause I hate his guts. Believe me the feeling is mutual on that one. He was raised by a barracuda and the only interpersonal skills he has is to tear down his opponents; I've been on the receiving end once too often." AJ shakes his head. "I have no idea what went wrong with Justus. Why he threw in with Jason is a mystery and why after Jason got out why did he stay with Moreno?"
"I think I can help there. Justus killed Damian Smith." Carly takes another bite allowing the morsel of information to sink in.
"What!"
"Yeah, Edward knew and covered for him. I overheard Jason and Justus talking once. That's why he flaked on the council seat. He no longer felt worthy. And Ned pulled some kind of stunt with him. I didn't hear all the details on that. But he started feeling like Edward's lackeyboy. A position that you know all about since you've been filling it for the last year. Jason was Justus's ticket out of the Quartermaine jungle. I was in Ferncliffe so I don't know why Justus and Jason broke ties but I bet it was all that bitch, Robin's fault."
AJ muses. "So Grandfather helped cover up a murder."
Carly shrugs. "Everyone knows about it. Uncle Luke..." Carly grimaces in disgust. "...found the proof but it wasn't enough for Mac Scorpio to prove anything in court. Besides when I was researching the top families in this burg there were all kinds of rumors about other deaths that happened around your family that could never be proven. Damian Smith is just the latest."
"But I didn't know about Damian Smith! I was Justus's campaign manager for goodness sake. I took over his seat when Justus bowed out. Then blew everything when I started drinking again."
"So after I finish with Evans do you want me to take Ned out of the picture?" Carly sips her coffee.
"Gees woman, you are like an assassin. Just moving on to the next target." AJ is dismayed at Carly's casual attitude.
Carly shrugs. "If you don't want me to-- fine. I can just hold to our agreement. Ned will never badmouth you in front of Michael. Do you want to help me make some cookies? Or do you have to prep for tomorrow?" Carly changes the subject abruptly.
"Carly, I appreciate your help; I really do. I'm just shocked, okay? I mean I've been in your sights before. Know what it's like to feel hunted."
Carly slams down a dish in the sink turning around to snarl at AJ. "I thought that you said that the laundry cart was a closed issue now? Are you going to throw that up at me every time we don't agree? I was protecting myself and my baby back then. I wanted my baby to have a family, a safe loving home with both of his parents. Nothing has changed-- do you understand? Nothing. Wait... one thing has. You are part of the equation-- if you still want to be. Tony didn't want to include me and I cut him out in a heartbeat but you know everything that I did to protect that relationship. Idiot I am; I'd probably still be trying if Tony hadn't shown his true colors when he tried to blindside me with sole custody on the same day, the very same day...."
"...As I did." AJ nods head in regretful memory. "Carly, I was thinking out loud. I hadn't really considered what it would be like to be a single parent. All I knew was that you had betrayed me and I wanted to strike back. I wouldn't have done it."
"You were with Keisha then. You would have done it or at least tried." Carly states flatly staring out the window over the sink into the frozen backyard. "No one is ever going to cut me out of Michael's life and anyone that tries is going to be sorry. You tried, Tony tried, Robin tried, Evans tried and he'll pay dearly for that. I don't play games where my son's family is concerned. That means I'll take care of myself, Michael, Jason and you. The rest of them can go to hell."
AJ rises from the table and coming up behind Carly starts to rub her back in a soothing motion. "Calm down, Baby; your Spencer is showing. Give you a cigar and I swear I was talking to Luke." AJ jokes.
"No need to get nasty." Carly laughs the tension leaving her. "Luke may hate my guts, but he's right about some things. Just 'cause you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you. What are you going to do today, AJ?"
"I think I'm going to talk to my father. Make sure that I have his vote tomorrow. I'd like to take Michael with me; I called the clinic first to make sure that Tony isn't there. What about you?"
"I think I'm going to take some cookies to Cook and return her dish. Edward has some information from Evans that I want, at least a copy of that affidavit. It sounds like she is the one that knows what is going on in that house."
"Or Reggie. But his loyalty is totally with Grandmother, protecting her."
"I saw that New Years Eve at that inane Bachelor's auction that Katherine Bell set up."
"You have no idea how much I wish that you would have drawn my name that night. Alexis was an interesting date but she is solidly in Ned's camp and she's played me before for him." AJ turns Carly around so that she is leaning against the counter and his hands are either side of her for balance as he leans in closer to her. "I think I've proven over this last year that this family is my priority: you, me and our son. If ELQ starts to become a problem then I'll drop it, Carly; I know that there're other things I can do. I may have something to prove to myself but it won't be worth messing up what we can have here. I'm not Ned. I'm not going to walk on my family to keep the business." AJ states earnestly
"Get the CEO first, just to prove to yourself that you can do it. Whatever you want after that is fine with me; I'm aces at making things work."
"I've noticed."