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The Triumph Of AJ Quartermaine
Presents
Jason makes his way over to Bobbie where Jerry already is standing trying to get his ire under control. "Tell Carly Robin's gone."
"I know; Jerry just told me. What about Jax? Jerry won't say anything about him." Bobbie's hands flutter around Jerry's arm.
"Don't talk around me like I wasn't here, woman." Jerry growls.
"Jax is fine." The door to the study opens and Jax comes into the living room. He looks around but can't get his brother to look at him. Instead Jerry is standing by Bobbie and Jason. Even as he watches AJ moves over to Jerry. Then Lucas comes over to tell Jerry something that Miss Lila had shown him. Jax shrugs decides that he's worn out his welcome. He goes to the front door where Carly is waiting for him with his coat.
"I apologize. It wasn't my intention to ruin your party or to distress your mother."
"You know I may not have Jason's lie detector skills but I have trouble swallowing that one. I do want to thank you for leaving by the front door however. That way Taggert and the Judge can see that you left without a scratch or bruise on you. When you're luck finally turns, I don't want the cops coming after Jerry or Jason because you're an idiot." Carly slams Jax' coat into his chest. "You were just hanging on the fringes of my shit list; hurt Jerry again and you'll be number one with a bullet. You may not appreciate him, but we do." Carly opens the door for Jax and catches Emily and Reggie just as they are about to knock.
"You got that psychic thing going on, Carly?" Emily jokes looking back and forth between Carly and Jax.
"Nah, I leave that to Lucy Coe. That's too weird even for me. Come on in. It's cold outside." Emily and Reggie enter passing Jax with a questioning glance. Jax steps onto the front porch and the door is shut firmly behind him.
"Definitely cold inside." Jax mutters to himself as he bundles into his coat and goes to his car.
"Y'all head into the living room. I need to check on something with Cook. I'll be right back in." Carly says with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. Carly turns sharply and quickly goes into the kitchen.
"I think that we missed something." Emily says curiously.
"I think I'm glad we missed something." Reggie takes Emily's coat and hangs it in the closet with the rest. "It was a good thing that we stopped to get film."
"I think you're right. We'll find out what happened soon enough."
Meanwhile inside the kitchen Carly is pacing. "I can't believe that bitch had the nerve to show up here. And Jerry's brother brought her! Gawd Poor Jerry. I snapped at Jason. The party is ruined. The Judge is here! What must he think of all of us?"
"Oh snap out of it!" Cook demands. "Don't you dare turn on the waterworks or the party will be ruined for sure. You get back in there and tell them that the buffet table is open and to get it while it's hot. While everyone is chowing down on my excellent food you have them all open the gifts you brought home. Then after everyone is done ohhing and ahhing over the goodies we'll have champagne and cake. Make a few toasts and kick their asses all out of here. Then you can cry if you still feel like it."
Carly straightens and stops in her tracks and Cook's words batter over her. "Right. Get it while it's hot-- lose it later. I can do that." Carly strides out the kitchen door with a smile pasted on her face. She walks into the living room. "Cooks informed me that y'all better get it while it's hot. Em and Reggie, you're timing was perfect." Carly walks over to Reggie and says softly. "Look-- we had a problem here earlier and Johnny had to leave. Do you know anything about carving a prime rib?"
"I know a little something about everything. It's my job description." Reggie rises and fusses with his vest for a minute before going into the dining room to begin carving the prime rib up. The rest of the party sort of meanders into the dining room to fill their plates. Miss Lila continues to play with Michael having sent young Lucas to fill a plate for her.
Carly grabs AJ's hand. "Could you make up a plate for Michael too? I need to talk to Luke for a second."
"Sure." AJ squeezes Carly's hand. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Cook and I made a deal. I get through the party and then I lose it. I guess we should have informed you since you'll be the one cleaning up the mess."
"The house or you, Baby." AJ asks softly.
"Both. As soon as everyone gets seated, we'll hand out the presents okay?"
"Works for me." AJ nods. "Go talk to Luke. He normally gets your dander up." AJ leaves to make up a plate for Michael. Carly walks over to Luke who is muttering to himself.
"Go ahead tell me how lacking my collection is." Carly demands.
"It's bones are okay, I guess. But gees Caroline, No Billy Holiday? No BB King? What were you thinking?"
"That the collection should be from this decade, hell this generation?" Carly quips.
"This is not funny. Collection implies collectibles, something worth listening to, something that will stand the test of time. You've got shlock here that you aren't going to be willing to admit you listened to in six months let alone in six years."
"Hey I thought you said it had some good bones." Carly protests. "Look just pick out something that will get this bunch of stiffs in a party mood, okay? I'm dying here and need a musical rescue."
"Right. Saw that earlier. Don't know what went wrong with that girl. Her parents would have fits if they knew how she turned out." Luke shakes his head. "You want a drink?"
"Please." Luke hands Carly his flask. Carly looks at it and takes a quick swig figuring that all of the alcohol would have killed the Luke cooties already. She hands it back and Luke takes a swig as well.
"I'll find something..." Luke says reassuringly and pats Carly on the shoulder "but you really should dump this bunch of stiffs and come down to the club."
"Why I think that's the sweetest thing that you've ever said to me." Carly clasps a hand to her chest in mock shock as she flutters her eyelashes.
Luke is momentarily distracted. "What the hell is this doing here? There is hope for you yet, Caroline." Luke pops in a cd and uptempo blues number fills the living room. "Who would have thought that you would have had any Eddy Clearwater."
There's a party at my house
We gonna rock'n'roll, we gonna play the blues,
so everybody's bringing long their dancing shoes.
There's a party at my house
Luke grabs Carly and starts dancing in the middle of the living room. Lila starts clapping Michael's hands along with the music. Bobbie and Jerry walk back in together and see Luke and Carly dancing.
"Is there ever an occasion that your daughter doesn't dance to?" Jerry asks curiously. He is startled by the answer that comes from behind him.
"No. There isn't." Jason replies then goes to sit next to Lila. He watches Luke and Carly closely. This could finally be his chance.
You bring Betty and you bring Sam,
you bring the guitar because we gonna have a jam.
There's a party at my house
Jerry takes Bobbie's plate from her and sets it in the window sill. And swings her into his arms. "Come on, luv. Can't be topped by your brother. Now I know that he might have killed disco. He proclaimed it long and loud at the nurses ball." Bobbie just laughs and lets Jerry drag her out onto the make do dance floor.
We play the blues from ten to four,
if you got up we have some more.
There's a party at my house
As the music ends, Luke makes his way back to the cd collection. He'd found one gem there had to be more. He's got blues fever. She had to have more. Carly laughs and shakes her head at Luke's frantic mutterings but the ice was broken and the party was just that again. A party. Carly gathers the first package and taking Michael from Lila hands it to her. Lucas has returned with Lila's dinner but he places it on the table next to her so that she can unwrap the package. Jerry murmurs and aside to AJ and they leave together. Lila is enthused when she sees what is inside. A collection of the Tenors at the Australian Opera house but also a cd of some Aboriginal music. "Sorry there is nothing from Jakarta, Lila." Carly apologies. "But I didn't have time to do any shopping before Jerry's man dragged me out of there. The only thing I saw was Darwin. Everything else was airports." Also in the box is some baklava from Darwin, some candied tropical fruits from Hawaii, and some Ghirardelli chocolates from San Francisco but the topper is a music box that plays the theme from The Sound of Music.
"Dear, how did you know?" Lila has Lucas wind the music box. "That is one of my all time favorite musicals?" AJ returns from the kitchen with his hands held behind his back.
"Aloha Grandmother." AJ strings the orchid lei over Lila's head and kisses her powdered cheek.
"AJ, it is beautiful." Lila lefts the lei to her nose and inhales the heady aroma of the orchids.
Carly gets another shopping bag and hands it to Emily. Emily ohhs and ahhs over the chocolates, and her music box, and the stuffed koala too but gives Carly a huge hug when she sees the real present--a large pink pearl set into a pin. "Carly, it's perfect."
"I figured that you could pin it on a coat or a hat or something. It seemed fun." Carly hands Lucas his bag which he tears into with greed.
"Oh this is so cool!" Lucas exclaims putting on his new 49ers sweat shirt and the sharks' tooth necklace. Then he finds the feathered gourds at the bottom of the bag. "What are these?" He asks Carly.
"I don't know what they are called but check this out." Carly takes one and gives it a shake. "It's a Hawaiian musical instrument."
"Carly!" Bobbie protests even as she smiles and shakes her head. Bobbie looks behind her and sees the package marked with Jason's name. She hands it to him. Taggert who had been looking over Jason's shoulder bursts out laughing when Jason pulls out the first present.
"Jailhouse Java?! Oh that's perfect."
"It's a real company in San Francisco. I thought that maybe you and Sonny could distribute it for the North East until things settle down in Sumatra." Carly protests. Jason continues to look through the bag setting aside the Hazelnut Psycho Roast and the Hang 'em High Vanilla Crème blends to the collection of books that Carly had got him on Australia and Hawaii.
"Thanks Carly." Jason says ruefully and shakes his head.
AJ grabs the bag labeled for his father and hands it to Alan. "Carly thought that you might want to hang this down at the clinic."
Alan starts laughing as he pulls out the feathered witchdoctor's mask. "I don't know; some of my clients might think they are losing it when they get a load of this."
Carly pulls out the package for Luke. "I hope you can take a hint."
"Good Gawd!" Luke exclaims putting on his sunglasses. "Could you have gotten one a little louder?" He pulls out the Aloha shirt for all to see.
Carly whispers in her uncle's ear. "You've been wearing so much black lately someone might actually think you're a Cassadine or something."
"Bite your tongue, woman." AJ continues to distribute packages to the guests. Carly catches Taggert's eye. She hands Michael to Bobbie and tilts her head to Taggert indicating that he should make his way to the study. Jason sees the whole exchange everyone else is preoccupied with the gifts and food and doesn't see Carly and Taggert disappear for a moment.
Inside the study Taggert quietly closes the door. "So you got a present for me too?" He quips. "I didn't know that you cared."
Carly hands him a file of affidavits, emails, notes and a printed out statement. "This is everything that I have so far on Ferncliffe. The last statement is what happened to me while I was in their custody, my name isn't on it anywhere. I'll never testify to it. I'll never even say it aloud and don't ask me to. You know what would happen if Jason or AJ ever found out-- or you will once you read it."
"That bad, eh?" Taggert starts skimming the documents. His face grows grim.
"You may never be able to prove the patient abuses. Like I said earlier who believes a nut? And they count on that. But the other things, the financial things-- that should be enough to take down Ferncliffe and Dr. Evans. An old friend of mine started working there when AJ and I went out of the country. There may be more. Once it comes in I'll forward it to you."
"I want to talk to your source." Taggert demands.
"I'll let her know." Carly says flatly. "Now I think that you should leave. I really appreciate that you were going to testify for my mother. But I'd rather that we not be seen together especially if you decide to follow up on this."
"Oh I'll follow up." Taggert slaps the thick file against his rock hard thigh. "But how did you get this? I thought you were aphasic, catatonic or something."
"Or something. Did you really think that I'd allow myself to be locked up until Michael was graduating from High School?"
Taggert looks at her consideringly. "No, I don't think that you would."
"I'll come down to the station tomorrow about the charges on Edward. If I find anything else out I'll let you know." Carly crosses to the study door and opens it. Jason is right there. Taggert shrugs by Jason.
"I'll see you tomorrow then, Ms. Benson." Taggert nods and leaves.
"What did he want?" Jason demands.
"My help in getting out of the dog house." Carly says tersely trying to walk away from Jason. Jason grabs her arm as she tries to pass.
"You know that you can't trust him. He's a loose cannon."
"And some might say that it takes one to know one. I know what I'm doing. Now let go of my arm. I have guests."