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The Triumph Of AJ Quartermaine
Chapter Fifty Two
Party in Progress.
Carly lifts a bottle of Heineken tapping the bottle with a spoon to get everyones attention in the assembled group. "Here is to the people that saved ELQ Jakarta to fight another day!" A cheer rises as she takes a quick swig of the beer and sits back down next to AJ who joins the toast with a quick swig of ginger ale. "Thank goodness ELQ is a somewhat progressive company-- I was having nightmares about me being the only girl here with 30 guys."
"A nightmare huh?" AJ laughs.
"I'm not saying I don't like being the center of attention but that would be PUSHING it just a tad, don't you think?" Carly laughs then play grimaces. She looks around. "Where is Jerry?"
"He figured it was finally getting late enough to be able to call Bobbie." AJ glances down at his watch. "I should probably be calling home as well."
"Well call Jason first and let him know when we're going to be home. When are we going home?"
"Late tomorrow I'd think or early the next day. We need to find out who is going to be in power over in Jakarta. If this thing keeps exploding or we can't deal with who comes to power then we'll have to get the oil rig crews out of there." AJ rubs the back of his neck tiredly.
"Well you know what Jerry found out? ELQ tankers haul over half of the oil out of Jakarta. Let those suckers mess with ya. The new government won't last as long as the last one!" Carly gets a vengeful glint in her eye. "And Jason and Sonny are the exclusive importers of Sumatran coffee for the northeast. It's in the bag or the barrel depending on how you look at it. It's Sunday night here-- that makes it Saturday morning back in Port Charles." Carly calculates getting better at figuring things out as the trip had progressed. She looks around her. "You know what this place needs? Some music." Carly rises and heads over to the bar to find the DJ.
Jerry makes his way through the groups of people back to the table where AJ is sitting talking to some of the personnel. "Everything is fine back in PC-- at least on the Brownstone front." He announces. There is a tension between the two men that is obvious despite the forced cheerful tones they are taking with each other.
"Good, I need to call Jason and check on Michael; then horrors of horrors, I'll have to call Grandfather and fill him in."
"Where's Carly?" Jerry asks glancing around. The speakers set up around the room start putting out an easy rock beat. "Well that answers that question. But if they start playing ABBA I'm out of here. Some of the other companies personnel are wandering around the hotel." Jerry picks up his Heineken bottle. "Including these poor blokes."
"I'll invite them in. The more the merrier." AJ rises from his seat. Making his way out to the lobby. He sees a few faces familiar from the business mags. Shaking hands with them he commiserates on the sorry situation that they find themselves in. He invites them to the party. Then excuses himself to the bank of phones. Settling in he takes a deep breath and dials Jason's number. "Hey bro."
"About time you called. Where is Carly?"
"Carly's fine. She was fine the whole time. Jerry had someone met the plane with an update of the situation. She only saw the airport of Jakarta and not much of it. How is Michael?"
"Missing his mother." Jason says tersely.
"We should be back in a day... two at the latest."
"Bobbie's custody hearing."
"Right. No way Carly will be stuck here when her Mom is going through hell back at home. Especially if we can give her some moral support."
"Dr Jones," Jason sneers, "subpoened me. So I'll be there too."
"What an idiot." AJ laughs. "Listen since I'm on site over here and hopefully will get to talk to the government yahoos or what passes for them on Monday do you want me to find out about your coffee? Carly says that you have the exclusive contract for the northeast."
"Whatever; its not your business. Look, Michael is fine. Why don't you put Carly on the phone?"
"Carly's hosting a party for the survivors right now and can't get to the phone. I'll see you in a couple of days." AJ hangs up the phone. Then with another sigh he makes the call he has been dreading and calls the mansion. Edward picks up on the first ring. "Grandfather."
"Where are you?" Edward roars. AJ holds the phone away from his ear.
"Darwin. We're kind of in a holding pattern here waiting for things to shake out."
"What is that racket in the background?" AJ closes the door to the phone booth.
"Is that better? Carly threw a party for the staff that stuck it out to the end. I just invited some of the other brass from the other companies to it."
"Networking-- good good. WAIT a minute what were you thinking taking Carly with you on ELQ business?" Edward demands.
"I was thinking that you'd be trying to make time with my girl while I was gone. And I wasn't wrong, was I? Although the rumor mills is flying about you having a cookie on the side." AJ teases.
"You never mind that. You need to get back here and deal with the mess." Edward grimaces and then rubs his back since sleeping on the couch for the last few days was not doing his old back any good. And he could swear that his lumbago was about to flare up. That evil woman was causing havoc in his life and Lila was taking her side.
"Na, I think I'll stick around here for another day or two. Catch up on my sleep. Carly still hasn't been shopping. And there is a bunch of networking to do, like you said. Guess you'll have to clean up your own mess back there. Talk to you later." AJ terminates the call to Edward quickly. He walks away from the phone booth that starts ringing insistently behind him. Making his way back to the the party he comes up behind Carly who is chatting up the guests. He runs a hand up her back. Carly looks over her shoulder and laughs. "If you'll excuse us, I think that this lady owes me a dance."
"Now hold it right there, big guy... I think it was you that owed me a dance?" Carly teases with a hand to his chest.
"Guess I'll just have to pay up." Taking Carly's hand he leads her out on the dance floor.
"You know one thing that I can say for you-- you can dance." Carly compliments AJ.
"Guess boarding school was good for something."
Carly allows herself to be drawn in closer and brushes her hand against the nape of AJ's neck. "Now this may be a stupid question... But I thought it was an all boys school?"
The Mansion.
Edward slams down the phone. "That ingrate."
"Well?" Monica asks
"He's in Darwin and partying his fool head off with Carly."
"She's getting him drunk!"
"I didn't say that." Edward mutters. He goes over to the breakfast buffet and dishes up some croissants and fruit.
"Hello family!" Emily enters cheerfully. "Great picture of you in the Herald, Grandfather. 'Course the police ID placard in front of you was kind of distracting but you had that whole glower thing down."
"What's so good about it? Are those reporters still down at the gates?" Edward tries to change the subject.
"Yep, they're persistent." Emily says with glee. "Reggie turning the hose on them didn't seem to phase them at all."
Monica rolls her eyes. "What do you have planned for today, Sweetheart?"
"Well lets see. Carly and I were suppose to be having a driving lessons but I guess her being out of the country gives her an excuse. Reg said he'd drive me to that. Then I thought I'd go over to Nik Cassadine's new place. He's having trouble picking out a bed..."
"MONICA!!!" Edward roars his face turning purple. Emily grabs a croissant from the buffet and leaves going to the one safe place in the house that she was sure that neither Edward nor Monica would follow her-- the kitchen.
"What's got the old coot's boxers in a bunch now?" Cook asks looking up for her crossword.
" Told him what I was planning for the day." Cook looks at Emily with a quirked brow until she continues. "Just a driving lesson and then helping Nikolas Cassadine pick out furniture for his new place."
"What kind of furniture, Missy?" Cook asks suspiciously.
"A bed." Emily says softly concentrating on her breakfast.
"I don't think so. Ladies don't go over to men's sinbins. And they definitely don't pick out their beds."
Emily's voice takes on a whine. "But..."
"No buts." Cook states firmly.
"Lucky and Liz will be there!"
"Oh great-- an adolescent orgy. What is your mother thinking? Let me guess next you'll be introducing that socially arrested russian to the fine art of spin the bottle, post office and Truth or Dare." Cook shakes her head. "You know exactly where that boy has been. And he's not being anywhere near you until he has complete physical."
"But Cook..."
"No Buts. Unless Reggie is with you, you are not going."
"But Cook..." Emily pleads knowing that she is going to be horribley embarassed by Reg.
"Or I could go with you. Help the poor boy set up his kitchen." Cook suggests as an alternative.
"No, no that won't be necessary, Reggie can go with me-- that's fine." Emily starts backpedaling fast.