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The Triumph Of AJ Quartermaine
Chapter Seventy One
Powderkeg
Jason comes out of his chair. "You son of a bitch! That's it, Carly and Michael are out of here."
"SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!" Jerry roars. He looks over at AJ with a mildly ticked expression on his face. Jason sits back down his glare at AJ intensified. "Carly isn't going anywhere. This is her home now. Where she feels safe."
"Butt out, Jacks This has nothing to do with you." Sonny snarls.
"Oh pot and kettle there." Jax quips. As everyone glares at him, Jax throws up his hands.
AJ meets Jason's gaze straight on. "Carly isn't going anywhere. Think about it, Jase. She didn't tell you what was going on in Ferncliffe, she didn't tell you once she was out. She didn't do anything about it when she was living with you and Robin at that little cottage in the woods, the penthouse, or the brownstone. The ONLY time she started dealing with it is NOW, HERE in this house-- HER HOUSE."
"She was looking for a ticket out of here, that's why she went after Evans. Carly knew that this would come out." Jason grinds out between clenched teeth.
"Actually I didn't..." Carly says quietly from the doorway. "or at least I hoped it wouldn't." Carly walks over to the kitchen table but doesn't sit down. She's changed out of the caftan and bare feet into slacks and a sweater. Carly notices her hands are shaking so she crosses them in front of her. "Reminding you of the release agreement was a risk I had to take in order to take down Evans. Do you really want to take me to court on this, Jason? I think I could beat it. You're were the one afterall that moved me out of the penthouse and into the brownstone. And You signed off on the custody agreement for Michael with full knowledge that I'd be living here." Carly reminds Jason.
"Damnit Carly!" Jason demands impatiently.
Carly shakes her head. "I am staying right here. This is MY house. This is where I get MY mail. This is where I CHOOSE who I see-- Not Evans, and not you."
"Don't you dare compare me to that bastard." Jason says both insulted and hurt.
"Then quit trying to run my life."
Jason laughs. "Run your life? What about him?" Jason points at AJ. "I'm not the one that forced you to stop seeing me in order to retain custody of Michael."
Jerry stares at AJ and sees the truth in his face. "You, little pissant, I asked you back in Darwin what you had on Carly. This is it, isn't it?"
"Not exactly, Jerry." Carly says. "My access to Michael was never in question."
"No, but Jason's was, so Junyer used your concern for Jason remaining in Michael's life as his way to keep you on a leash."
"Are you calling me a bitch?" Carly's eyes go wide and her smile takes on an evil twist.
"Um boss, you really aren't helping yourself here." Johnny mutters softly.
"Not at all, I'm just saying AJ used it to jerk your chain..." Sonny attempts to clarify but there is something about his tone that just rubs Carly the wrong way.
Deepening her accent, and placing a hand on her hip, Carly drawls and flips her hair back, "Where I come from only wallets and dogs are kept on a chain."
Johnny looks longingly under the table. It was all going to hit the fan now. At this point his mother would have been slicing and dicing on the boss. Carly's eyes were getting all crazy again. AJ and Jerry were both furious. Jason's jaw had dropped at Sonny's words and Carly's reaction. Jax was watching the whole thing like he was at Wimbledon seemingly clueless to the trouble about to erupt. Jerry comes over the table at Sonny grabbing him by the throat and rearing back to let go with the right cross. Johnny pops to his feet and reaches inside his jacket. Carly grabs Jerry from behind throwing his aim at Sonny's blockhead off.
"NO." Jerry allows himself to be tugged back to his chair. Carly points at Johnny. "Don't you dare have that thing around me right now." Johnny nods and makes sure there is plenty of distance between him, his sidearm and Carly. "And you... YOU SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU PIG!"
"Listen to what I'm saying, little girl, this isn't your fault, I understand where you were coming from now." Sonny protests straightening his jacket.
"No, you listen, you patronizing pig, SHUT THE HELL UP!"
"Sonny, just shut the hell up." Bobbie says flatly from the doorway. "Carly, Michael is asking for some giraffe and I have no idea where it is. Could you take care of that?"
"Mama!"
"Carly, your son wants you." Bobbie reiterates. Carly stalks from the room glaring at Sonny over her shoulder as she leaves. "You are all Idiots." Bobbie lectures. "Will you all just sit down and think for a moment and then tell me what Carly just did?"
"I know this may be out of line and everything...." Johnny says hesitantly in the pause that follows. "But weren't we suppose to be talking about Dr. Evans?"
"Damn-- she's good." Jax crows. "I'd never really seen her in action, I mean other than that little sneaky trick of me catching her and Jason in Robin's bed-- this was amazing."
"Shut up, Jax." Jerry mutters furious at himself that he'd been suckered into Carly's slight of hand.
"Evans, Evans, Evans." AJ mutters trying to get himself back on topic. "The rest can wait. What are we going to do about Evans."
"Why do you have to do anything about Evans?" Bobbie asks.
"Bobbie, I think that you should sit down." Jerry stands offering Bobbie his chair.
"Wait a darn minute here." Bobbie hesitates even as she takes the chair. "The only time you tell me to sit down is when you are about to tell me that Carly did something stupid that got her in trouble again. What has she done now?"
"Well actually, Ms. Spencer, Carly did pretty good this time." Johnny nods approvingly. "As far as set ups are concerned I've never seen better. The mark walked right into it. The only thing that she could have done better was not standing around to watch."
"You're really not being a help, Johnny." Jason growls. "Carly didn't do anything wrong. Someone messed with her and he's going to pay."
"Mark, set up, Evans... You ARE talking about DR. Evans. Carly's shrink? The one at Ferncliffe? What a blowhard with delusions of godhood. I mean I've worked with a more than a few doctors that thought that they should be worshipped like deities but he took the cake." Bobbie shrugs.
"Don't think that Evans has to worry about that any more." AJ interjects cheerfully.
"Nah, his concern is more about dropping the soap." Sonny confirms.
"He's in jail?" Bobbie looks to Jerry for answers.
"Yeah, it was on the news. The only think that we know for sure that Carly set up was him cheating on his wife." Jerry winces as he realizes that is not going to go over well with Bobbie and that he probably should have started with the felony charges.
"But the criminal charges where evidently good enough for Taggart, and Carly sicced the IRS on the guy too." AJ rushes to skim over Carly setting up a married man again.
"Criminal charges, IRS, destroying his family. Sounds like over kill to me." Bobbie looks around at the grim faces and is starting to realizes that there is no way that all these guys would be in one room at one time. "It's overkill right?"
Jerry shrugs. "Don't know, love. The only two people that know, Taggart and your daughter, aren't talking."
"That's not exactly true. There is someone else that would know." Sonny muses rubbing the side of his face. "And I think that I could... persuade him to talk."
"Right you walk into the PCPD and Taggart will keep you." Jerry considers that thought for a minute rocking back in his chair. "What am I saying... GO FOR IT!"
The Quartermaine Mansion.
Edward sits at the kitchen table and contemplates that half eaten pie in front of him. Coffee would have been nice but he didn't know where Cook kept the coffee pot. Reggie had already retired for the evening and Sally had gone home to her family. The house was silent and pressing down on him. Monica was off on a date with Alan. Edward snorts. A date-- at their age. Emily was off with that blasted Cassadine. And Lila was still not speaking with him. IF she found out what had happened today, he'd have to pack his bags and move to the Port Charles Hotel. How was he suppose to know that Evans was such a felon? It had seemed like a good idea at the time. A little leverage and he would have his great grandson under his roof where he belonged. Edward stares at the picture of Michael with AJ and Carly. He'd taken Cook's picture ot the Happy Family off the fridge and had placed it on the table. Reaching down with absent care he forks another bite of the dutch apple pie into his mouth. He doesn't hear the back door open and is startled when there is the thud of bags hitting the floor.
"What in the hell are you doing in my kitchen?" Cook asks tiredly rubbing the back of her neck. She'd been next to a screaming kid the whole way home and now this.
"You going to make coffee?" Edward turns back to the pie.
Cook snatches the pie tin away from Edward. "Did you eat this whole thing? You're going to throw your whole diet off."
"Diet be damned. Why don't you just kill me now." Edward snatches the pie tin back and defiantly forks another mouthful of pie.
"It's no fun if you know it's coming." Cook quips but grows concerned at Edward's lack of spunk. Something serious was getting the old man down. "Is Miss Lila okay?"
"My wife is perfection. And not likely to put up with me much longer." Edward droops in the midst of his self pity.
"What did you do now?" Cook sighs and going over to the coffee maker starts preparing coffee. Looking over at Edward and the clock she decides that decaf is the way to go.
"I aligned myself with Dr Evans, Carly's doctor at Ferncliffe. I was just looking for a little leverage so that she would bring Michael to live here. " Edward perks up momentarily. "You don't seem surprised."
"Nothing you do surprises me, Old man. But that had to be one of the worst kept secrets in this house. Everyone knew. Carly knew."
"Well it's worthless now. Evans has been arrested. He's already tried to call here to get bail money since his wife isn't speaking to him."
"You give him the money?" Cook contemplates the near boiling coffee before her, reaching for it with care.
"HELL NO." Edward flares. "I thought I was dealing with a competent professional. Not some quack that has been skimming funds and looking the other way while patients were being abused. I didn't know. But AJ won't hear it and I know that Carly won't. I'm doomed. I'll never see my great grandson."
"Oh please, cut the drama." Cook pours Edward a cup of coffee and sets it in front of him. Then blows on hers gently as she takes the seat across from him.
"You could help me. You and Carly get along, goodness knows why." Edward pleads.
"Cause we both have an interest in not letting you have your way. You got yourself into this mess; you'll have to get yourself out. She might forgive you by the time Michael's kindergarten Christmas pageant comes along."
"You're a hard woman but a handsome one." Edward laments. "If Lila leaves me..."
"Oh PLEASE, get that thought right out of your head, you old goat. And I'm going to quit soaking the raisins in rum for that pie. I swear you're sotted." Cook looks at Edward carefully.
"I didn't want to come home after work." Edward says glumly. "I stopped at the club. So how was New York?"
"Crowded. Annoying. And the chef that I went to see was an idiot-- he was drunk too-- most of the time. Almost set the display kitchen on fire once and nearly poisoned some stupid volunteer who was sampling his speciality." Cook sneers.
"You take notes on that recipe?"
"Sure. And the next time you invite Katherine Bell to stay here, I'll use it on both of you." Cook promises
"Why did you go? Even I know that you have no use for those posers." Edward asks curiously.
"I needed a break." Cook says flatly holding her own counsel.
"Does it have anything to do with a Judge Porter that keeps calling here?"
"Oh hell. I'm going to bed. I suggest you do the same. You make a mess of my kitchen and I'll scoop out the shriveled pieces of your heart with a melonballer-- tomorrow; I'm too tired tonight."