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The Triumph Of AJ Quartermaine
Chapter Fifty Three
Hello Port Charles.
Monday night late, late, late. Darn near tuesday. Carly is doing a last minute search of the hotel room for anything that she might have left behind. "I should have brought a spare suitcase. I knew I was going shopping."
"Honey, I was just amazed that you pulled it together as fast as you did. What was it 30 minutes to pack and get on the plane?" AJ takes some of Carly's things that are laying on the bed waiting to be packed and stuffs them in his suitcase.
"Are you sure that we're going to make the custody hearing? Maybe we should have left earlier?" Carly worries.
"The pilot had to sleep sometime." AJ reminds. "Jerry is flying back with us... if we were cutting it too close he would have flown back by himself."
"Jerry was having too much fun meeting with all those ministers: Minister of Finance, Minister of Economic Growth, Minister of Foreign Affairs. I think that with J&J all he got to do was find out their dirty laundry and then leave the meetings with the muckymucks to Jax. Which doesn't seem fair. Jerry did all the work and Jax got his face on the front page of the paper."
"I think that Jerry likes being a little anonymous. Did he find anything for you to invest in over there?"
"Like I would. Nope, He might have found a couple but Michael's and my money is staying out of Jakarta. You have finally found something that I'm not willing to risk."
"And I think that the ministers could tell how you were feeling. Made my negotiating position easier. They could tell that you were whispering in my ear to tell them all to take a flying f'."
"They owed you." Carly zips up her bulging suitcase with skilled ease.
"Yeah, but I don't think they are used to someone telling them to go ahead and nationalize the "G-damn oilrigs" that it wouldn't do them a bit of good if there was no way for them to get the oil out without our "skilled personnel" and get it to market without our shipping contacts. And the reminder of how much our people had spent in a 24 hour period in Darwin that could have been spent in Jakarta...Baby, I think that you had them on the ropes." AJ laughs at the memory.
"I know how to play good cop/bad cop." Carly reminds. "Even if I hadn't spent time around Taggert and Garcia because of Jason; I watched Miami Vice growing up. Jerry was practically over the moon getting to play the good guy."
"You looking forward to going back to Port Charles?"
"I can't wait to get back to Michael but the custody hearing isn't going to be fun. I'm really looking forward to seeing your grandfather. And checking to see if Lorraine has checked in with any dirt on Dr Evans."
"Lorraine." AJ winces.
"Hey I know that you and Jason don't like her but she can get the job done. And there isn't anything left she can blackmail me over. In fact you know who she hooked up with at one point? Tony!" Carly sits on the bed thinking for a second. "I wonder if there was something that she found out about him... something that could help Mama."
"Carly-- no. Please no." AJ takes Carly's face in his hands. "One of these days Lucas is going to be able to read the transcript of this thing and the last thing he needs to know is what sexual perversions his father is into. Let's just leave it at the criminal behavior. Come on. This is the reason why we had our judge seal the records on Michael."
"Okay, I know you're right." Carly turns her head and kisses the palm of AJ's hand. Then rising she grabs her purse and bag. "But Tony better mind his P&Q's as well. He starts dragging Mama through the dirt and the gloves are coming off." Carly shrugs. "He can say what he wants about me. It just makes him look like the pitiful slug he is but Mama is off limits."
"My father will probably be sitting on Tony's side of the court room." AJ gathers his bag as well and grabs the laptop.
"What-- because Tony helped him detox? That's bull. Tony was leaning on your parents trying to get concessions to get back on the pretty side of the street over at GH. Alan could have detoxed anywhere. He'd hit bottem and was ready to get clean; Tony had nothing to do with that-- other than using it for his own benefit. I bet that bitch, Felicia, will be sitting over on his side too. She seems to like kidnappers."
"Well she's been kidnapped/stalked often enough. Maybe it's some Stockholm syndrome thing." AJ says absently not seeing Carly's eyes light as an idea occurs. The two of them leave the room and meet Jerry out in the hallway.
"Ready to get this show on the road?" Jerry asks.
"Yeah, I think we've got everything." AJ replies.
"Carly?"
"How long is our layover in Hawaii?"
"About 40 minutes just long enough to refuel." AJ states.
"What are you thinking?" Jerry asks ready to wince.
"I think that Mama and Lila would like an orchid lei if we can find a stand open."
Jerry breathes a little easier. "There is a stand always open at the airport. I know the lady that runs it."
"Oh you do, do you?" Carly quirks a brow. "Exactly how well do you know her?"
"Never you mind, little girl." Jerry shakes his head and laughs.
Meanwhile back in Port Charles at the Queen of Angels.
Jason, Sonny, Michael and Emily have arrived for services. Mike meets them there. Jason drops Michael off at the daycare with Johnny standing watch while the rest of them go inside. Emily drops the kneeling bar down from the pew in front of her and kneels down resting her folded hands on the back of the pew.
"What are you asking for now?" Jason asks in a whisper. "I didn't kill AJ; I didn't even touch him."
"I already thanked Him for that. That Carly doesn't kill Grandfather when she gets home." Emily whispers not opening her eyes. "You didn't hear the threats that she made over the phone. She is ticked. Not that Grandfather might not deserve to be throttled and skinned alive but Carly in jail wouldn't be good for Michael. Also that she doesn't shoot Dr Jones again in court." Jason takes up a position next to Emily and adds his prayers, in his own unique way.
"Now that is a sight I thought I'd never see. What's got Jason praying?" Mike asks Sonny.
"If I were to guess the only thing that he'd ask for divine help with."
"Carly." Mike sighs. "She brings more people to faith."
"I guess that's one way of putting it." Sonny shrugs.
The Brownstone.
Bobbie is the in the midst of heavy duty cleaning. Jerry and Carly were on their way home. The custody hearing was in two days. Lucas was cleaning out his room as well collecting toys that he hadn't played with for awhile for the kids down in the GH pediatrics wing. Lucas didn't mind giving up some of his toys. He'd spent enough time in the hospital to know that they would find new friends. Besides Carly was sure to bring him back something great from Australia. Jerry too. Besides hiding out in his room was better than getting in Mom's way right now. When she was on a cleaning jag goodness knows what she'd have him do. It wasn't fair that he was the shortest person in the family. He always got stuck scrubbing baseboards. He anticipates when Michael will be old enough to take over that chore.
"Lucas? What are you doing up there?" Bobbie calls up the stairs.
"Almost done, Mom." Lucas grimaces.
"You did change out of your church clothes before you started straightening your room didn't you?" Bobbie winces already guessing the answer to that one.
Lucas looks down at his slacks and formerly white shirt. "Whoops. Sorry Mom. But the box for the pediatric unit is done."
"Okay, well get cleaned up we're supposed to meet Felicia, Georgie and Maxie for brunch at the Outback. We can drop the box off on the way back."
Queen of Angels.
The service is over. Emily is taking communion while Sonny and Jason wait in the day care area. Johnny has gone to get the car. Mike has already left to open up the Recovery room for Lunch. "What's got you worried?" Sonny asks quietly watching Emily to see when she approached.
"Emily brought up something. You think that Carly would shoot Dr Jones again? Nah. She wouldn't be that out of control." Jason says quickly.
"That's what you thought before. She should stay out of courtrooms." Sonny answers noncommitally. "Everyone down at the courthouse knows her, or more accurately, of her. Nobody will be as stupid as Taggart letting her get his piece away from him. And after what happened last time the city finally broke down and put up some metal detectors on the builiding."
"Taggart has been suspended." Jason throws out.
"For what?"
"That arrest on Edward. The arrest will probably stick depending on Carly but Edward already has been protesting his treatment and threatening to cut off money to the city. The mayor is in politician mode 'cause this has turned into a huge press case. As soon as Veronica Bowles made the connection between the house that was broken into and the officer whose gun was stolen by the same civilian and used in an assault..."
Sonny laughs. "Poor Taggert."
"So you guys want to go out to brunch? I already got clearence from Cook to stay out." Emily asks Sonny and Jason cheerfully having dumped all her problems in the lap of a higher power. "Anywhere but the Grille, okay? That place is a hotbed of Quartermaine spies. How about the Outback?"
"Cook?" Sonny asks wanting to find out more information about the woman as Johnny had been uncharacteristically tight lipped about his "Ma" since his outburst when she made the news.
"Mom doesn't care if I spend time with Jason and Michael but I need to clear missing meals with Cook. She thinks that I'm going to go anorexic or something living at the mansion and taking up modeling."
"Why does it matter what she thinks?" Sonny asks curiously.
"You've never met Cook have you?" Emily shakes her head. "Nobody messes with Cook not even Grandfather. She and Carly got tight real fast-- like this." Emily twines two fingers together. "Carly wants to know how Cook always gets her way with Grandfather. She has been bribing Cook with recipes to get information out of the mansion. Cook knows everything about everybody. She's Grandmother's eyes and ears."
"Including us?" Jason says softly to Sonny.
"Maybe." Sonny says thoughtfully. "Brunch sounds good, Emily. How does Cook get her way with Edward?" He escorts her to the waiting car with Jason and Michael following along.