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The Triumph Of AJ Quartermaine
Gathering Allies
The Clinic--
AJ enters with Michael and sees Alan working with a patient. He takes a seat and removes Michael's heavy coat now that they are indoors. Alan sees AJ waiting and flashes him a quick five minutes hand signal. AJ nods and Alan goes back to his patient. As soon as Alan finishes up he comes over to AJ and coos to Michael.
"I haven't seen this little guy in such a long time." Alan mourns. "But I see that everything went according to your plan?"
"Sort of, but I tell you, Dad. I don't know where to go from here. I know what I want. At least I think I do."
Alan sits down next to AJ and settles Michael into his lap, playing grandpa for the first time sober enough to enjoy it. "You didn't sound so hesitant the last time we talked. What's happened?"
"I've been living with Carly." AJ laughs. "Dad, she is amazing, and scary."
"Scary-- how?" Alan asks suspiciously.
"I'd forgotten how focused she can be. How dangerous."
"Son, I'm not getting a good feeling here; I think that you need to just spit out what you have to say."
"Dad, just whatever you do when you meet Carly please, please, be nice to her. Mother has already gotten on Carly's bad side and Carly can be vicious when she is crossed or feels betrayed. You should be okay; other than participating in the Michael kidnapping on Emily's birthday she can't really hold anything against you. She understands addiction because of me-- you might say she understands it too well because she studies... knows the people that she is dealing with."
"Like she did with Bobbie, Like she did with Tony."
"She figures out what they want to see and gives it to them. That's how she got through Ferncliffe she gave the shrink there want he wanted to see. But her mask started slipping this morning. It's all about Michael. Anyone that messes with Michael or her relationship with Michael and she'll destroy them."
"Like she did with Tony." Alan reiterates. "AJ, I don't like this. Not at all. You are living with a nutcase. Perhaps she got out of Ferncliffe too soon."
"But don't you see-- Ferncliffe is the proof of the lengths she will go to. Dad, she faked a psychotic break that fooled everyone. She fooled me. The only person that she didn't fool was Jason. Rather than being separated from her son possibly for years she did what she had to do to get back to him as soon as possible under incredible stress. She's not crazy. I swear when I heard her talking this morning it was like listening to Luke Spencer. Family is everything to her. Everything. She is not switching fathers for her son; which had been my plan-- cut Jason out totally. She is adding one--me. The first thing she did when she got back was to bind Emily to her. Emily was blossoming around her that in itself was scary to watch. Building her up making her responsible for Michael religious upbringing, making her responsible for how Jason and I get along. Supporting her in a stance against Edward. Hell Dad, they were ganging up on me. I'm afraid to tell her that I want something-- that I want anything."
"Why? Are you afraid that she'll use it against you?"
"No, that she'll get it for me by whatever means. Carly doesn't have boundaries that she won't cross. She knows I want to be voted in as CEO on Thursday. This morning she offered to take down Ned for me." AJ snaps his fingers. "Like that. Casual. Like it would be the easiest thing in the world for her. And it would be. I've see what she is doing to take down Dr. Evans at Ferncliffe, that man is going to regret for the rest of his life that he ever withheld Jason's letters about Michael from her, that for six months she didn't get to see her son. She is never going to forgive him. And now he's working with Grandfather to try to put her back in Ferncliffe I worry about Grandfather too."
"Father is what?"
"Oh he is holding it in reserve. But with his goal to get Michael under the mansion roof any way possible if Grandfather tries to take Carly away from her son again... I don't know what will happen. I do know that the shallow, easily led, money-grubbing facade she shows to Edward will fall away and he won't know what hit him. That's why I want you to be so careful. Carly has a mother. She had two-- Bobbie and Virginia. But she's never had a father. I think that Grandfather knew that and played it in a way but now she feels like he has betrayed her. You could be a father figure to Carly. If you were, then there is nothing that she wouldn't do for you as long as it didn't interfere with her relationship with Michael. Dad, I'm telling you treat Carly like she is the perfect daughter and she will be. Mom treats her like a demon from hell and that is just what Carly gives her back."
"AJ, are you sure that she shouldn't be in some kind of counseling-- for impulse control or something?"
"Hell No. Dad, if Carly ever masters control she is going to take over the world. Our only shot to keep any kind of leverage or balance with her is her insane impulses. Dad, if she ever learned control she could annihilate Aunt Tracy. Carly believes that going back to Ferncliffe would make her crazy and she'd never get out. I think that she is more dangerous now than when she went in because she learned patience."
"Tell me again why you want to live with this woman, AJ."
"Because she is great, Dad. She sees me. We went to a furniture store in New York and were looking at beds and she tells the clerk that the bed we were looking at didn't suit me and told the clerk exactly what I'd like and she was right. She nailed it; vocalizing something that I'd never even thought about. I asked her how she knew. She told me that she'd seen my apartment and shrugged like everyone would know and it was obvious."
Alan smiles sadly. "It's a heady feeling, isn't it? What is going to happen tomorrow?"
"We go to court. Carly is going to support the agreement."
"The one that cuts Jason out?" Alan inquires remembering the prior conversation with AJ.
"No, the one that Carly and I made up together. Michael will keep Jason's last name, be raised Catholic, and stay with Jason every weekend."
"Well Son, I'm glad you felt you could compromise. I know it isn't your primary concern but it will make things easier for the family."
"Dad, the family isn't going to know about it, at least not from me. I'm going to ask the judge to seal the deal. I know it sounds cold but my priority right now has to be Carly and Michael. How the rest of the family deals with this is irrelevant. Carly, Michael and I are a family and I want to make them the priority for the rest of my life."
At the backdoor of the Mansion there is a soft knock just loud enough to get Cook's attention. She goes to the backdoor to see the young blonde that she recognizes from the pictures in her new Album.
"Well, well Ms. Benson. I think that you have the wrong door." Cook smirks.
"I think I have precisely the right door." Carly hands Cook the covered casserole dish that is filled with still warm white chocolate chip pecan cookies. "And I have a question. Do you like being called Cook? Or is there something else I could call you that you'd be more comfortable with? AJ didn't know your name. I think he's curious now."
"Cook by name and Cook by trade. Cook is fine." Cook takes off the cover and the aroma of the cookies fill the room. "These smell good."
"My mother, Virginia's secret welcome wagon recipe. Thank you for the casserole. It was delicious and with the directions you sent even AJ couldn't screw it up." Carly enters the kitchen taking off her coat and gloves. "You should try one they taste better than they smell."
Cook tries one and barely suppresses the automatic moan at the explosion of chocolate flavor in her mouth-- the way to most women's hearts. Her eyes narrow. "I want the recipe."
"I told you-- it's a family secret." Carly's eyes also narrow but her voice indicates there is room for negotiation.
"What do you want?" Cook asks bluntly.
"A line of communication into this house." Carly replies equally blunt.
"You already have Miss Emily." Cook parries
"I already know that Emily is kept much in the dark around here; she's told me about her last two birthdays. I don't like getting blindsided by old goats with delusions of a dynasty-- especially one starring my son."
"You want a snitch. That ain't me, girlie" Cook sets the cookies down pushing them reluctantly away.
"Snitch is such an ugly word. I want a spy; I think that is you. You don't want Edward running the show anymore than I do but what Edward does is actually irrelevant to me. He has teamed up with a man that I'm going to destroy for messing with me and my son."
"Dr. Evans."
"I knew I came to the right place." Carly takes a seat at the kitchen table without waiting for an invitation.
"I've got some hot water on, you want some tea?"
"I love tea."