 |
||
The Triumph Of AJ Quartermaine
Chapter Ninety Two
THE TERRACE gets a workout.
Edward makes his way over the bride and claims the next dance. JD stands aside graciously and asks Rita to dance with "her old man." Nik Cassadine offers Emily his hand and they go out on the dance floor but only for a few moments before heading out onto the terrace. "You looked beautiful up there. And am always struck anew when I hear you sing. First at the Nurses ball and then again today."
"Ned makes me sound good." Emily replies. "I take it you're not mad at me anymore?"
"I don't think I was mad at you then." Nik concentrates on the memory. "It was kind of embarassing. I'd never been fired before."
"You kind of got caught in the crossfire there." Emily admits sitting down at one of the iron framed patio tables out of the way in the far corner of the terrace. The wedding theme had extended out to the terrace with flowers and candles on the table. "It wasn't personal; it was to get Katherine out of power at Deception."
"I warned Katherine that being so... overt about our... friendship would cause her problems with the company. I just couldn't believe that you masterminded it. I've underestimated you." Nik takes a seat within reach of Emily.
"I don't think of myself as masterminding it." Emily admits. "AJ and Carly got the ball rolling. AJ by getting Kitty off the ELQ board and then Carly 'cause she was lusting after the spa. It was mostly luck that she found that Meth lab above the deception spa. I just saw an opportunity."
Nik laughs. "And used it to your advantage. And you didn't even have Stefan Cassadine coaching you from birth. It's his motto. That put you in a strong minority shareholder position. Coming to Katherine's planning session for the board meeting was a brilliant stroke."
"That was Ned. If Carly would have had her way, that whole thing would have come out at the board meeting and let the chips fall where they may. Ned realized that I had "insider info" and kept my stock purchases under the amount that would have had me having to declare with the Security Exchange Commission. Instead he bought some, and Jax must have picked up on something going on...maybe it was just the stock activity and he bought in too. Since it all happened about the time that he could start trading again. Carly got the spa dirt cheap."
"Because Katherine finally realized that Deception was at risk with the stock prices falling and she had to buy back to get the stock stabilized." Nik remembers.
"Yeah, Katherine still owns a lot of Deception but now the coalition is pulling her strings. Her relationship with you was a risk to the investment and the lever that the coalition used to control her." Emily shrugs.
Nik asks curiously. "What does your grandfather think of all this?"
Emily rolls her eyes. "THAT'S the worst part. Now all of a sudden he's reading the business pages to me and has, I SWEAR, a briefcase full of college prospectus, or is it prospecti?, from the various business schools. He's making noises like he wants me to have a piece of ELQ since I'm a "sensible girl" with a "good head on my shoulders."" Emily shudders. "I don't want to have control of anything really, you know, just a piece of a lot of different things. Carly's been teaching me...."
Nik's jaw drops. "You're taking business advice from Carly Quartermaine?"
"Well not exactly, she's being tutored in business but she never seems to quite get it until she has to explain it to someone else. So she explains it to me. We're both in the same boat. Neither one of us can have all our eggs in one basket, in fact for the most part, we can't even tell anyone-- including each other-- where we've stashed the baskets because if Grandfather found out he'd use the information to control us or at least try to."
"It all sounds so convoluted."
"Well it is Carly."
"Ah yes-- Spencer."
"To the core. And now a Quartermaine too. I think we should all be afraid, very afraid." Emily grins.
Inside at the Reception, Carly is making a round of the tables avoiding the ones where there is no one that she likes, or likes her. She settles in momentarily at the table where Lucas and Rita are sitting. They are arguing over an upcoming riding competition despite not being in the same level of competition. Carly sits down to mediate a little or fan the flames if she starts getting bored.
"Well since school has been out I've been down at the riding academy every day." Lucas brags. "I'll be moving up from beginner soon and then we'll see."
Rita bites her lip and glares at the brat. She knows that he has been getting good. It wasn't fair. Her father had been "structuring" her time ever since she ditched to find out about Johnny. And she'd been hung up with the wedding planning. Sure, it was going to be great to have a step mother MOST of the time, but it had really been cutting into her riding time. Carly reads the signs and knows that Rita is about to cut Lucas down to size and intervenes. "Rita, did you have anything special that you wanted to pick up from your house? I talked to your dad and he's okay with you staying with AJ and me at the house while he and Cook are on their honeymoon. Now that I have the pole barn built up on the property over the spa, I'll be able to spend more time riding. And I might be getting a horse of my own soon. AJ's grandfather has been making noises about buying me a horse for awhile now. Course I'm up to my ears with the spa, the house and everything and since Lucas already has Thunder I was wondering if maybe you wanted to help me with the horse?"
"Do you mean it? REALLY?!" Rita is elated.
"Well sure. I would never had been able to win all those blue ribbons when I was a kid if a good friend of mine hadn't been willing to let me ride her horse. I can't think of a better way of honoring her than to do the same thing for someone else."
"You won't be sorry." Rita promises.
"I know, I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure. It's a lot of work though. And it will take up a lot of your time."
"Anything that gets me out of KP is okay with me. And riding is the BEST. You're the BEST!" Rita exclaims. Her raised voice and sudden hug draws attention from the next table over. Viki rises and makes her way over to the "kiddie table".
"Rita Regina, you are making a spectacle of yourself. But why should I be surprised?" Viki sniffs. "Considering with whom you are associating."
Carly's eyes narrow. This was going to be too easy. Down girl; it's a wedding and a public place. But there was something about Viki that just but the hair up on the back of her neck. They'd been at a number of the same functions especially with the wedding being planned; it wasn't until she checked the guest book that it had finally come to her exactly why she found Viki to be such a pain in the rear. "Rita and Lucas, why don't you check in with Miss Lila, see if she needs anything." Rita and Lucas look at each other and then at Carly and Viki and make a quick strategic retreat. "I really think that it's time that you and I cleared the air. You have your choice-- here or on the terrace. It makes no difference to me." Carly smiles a saccrahine smile that doesn't reach her eyes.
Viki shrugs again. "Whatever." She makes her way to the terrace doors with Carly right behind her. Jerry studies the girl with Carly and grimaces suddenly. He spins Bobbie off the dance floor right next to the AJ.
"I finally remember where I remember the Judge's oldest daughter from." Jerry informs AJ. AJ looks at Jerry blankly. "Wasn't she that sheila that stuffed her phone number in your pocket back at Cape Cod?"
AJ looks at Jerry and Bobbie with dawning awareness and horror. "Where is Carly?"
"I just saw her follow Viki out to the terrace."
"Oh HELL." AJ blanches. "Excuse me."
Out on the terrace, Carly has gone on the offensive. Her focus is totally on Viki and she doesn't even see Emily and Nik in the corner of the terrace. "I'd like to know exactly what bug you have up your butt. I've had to put up with your sour disposition ever since Cook agreed to marry JD."
"It really is none of your business." Viki sniffs again and says disparengingly. "It's unfortunately a family matter."
"Well you can deal with me or you can deal with your new step mama and brother. But I bet you figure that they'll cut you more slack, and you're right. Cook has too much respect for your father to call you on your crap. They're in love-- deal with it, little girl. Your baby sister has shown more class than you."
"What would you know about class? I see no reason to pretend that I'm happy about this. But I guess you gold digging bitches stick together." Viki attempts to draw first blood.
Carly tips her head back and roars with laughter. "Is that the best you can do?"
Over in the corner, Emily winces and whispers to Nik. "Oh sh*t, it's going to hit the fan now."
"What's wrong, little Viki with a heart over the I? Does looking at me remind you of someone you know? And I'm not talking about Cook. You and I have too much in common for you to be looking down your little surgerically inhanced nose at me. You think because you stick your phone number in strange men's pockets on tennis courts rather than meeting them in bars makes you better than me? You weren't sticking your phone number in the poolboy's pocket, as far as I know, but in the pocket of the richest guy there-- a guy that is, was, and will be-- very taken. I know you as well as I know myself, you little tramp. You come near AJ again and there won't be enough of you left to mop up." Carly's finger pokes right into Viki's chest as she gets more and more into her face. "Cook can more than protect herself and if you're too stupid to realize it then you haven't done your research, but I'm really getting fed up with the way you constantly put down Rita. She's a damn good kid, better than both of us combined. Let me give you a clue, she's the one person that could get you kicked out of the will. And I'll do it-- you put your airs on around her, mess with her self-esteem and I'll go straight to the Judge. Then you can find out if you can do as well as Cook and I did without your little trust fund, baby."
"Don't you dare threaten me, or tell me how to treat MY sister." Viki snarls back at Carly. "I know exactly what this is about and Rita is just an excuse."
"Oh yeah, she is and a damn good one." Carly admits calmly. "If I can protect Rita and mess you up at the same time, that's killing two birds with one stone, or is that too plebian a concept for an elitest like you? Messing with Rita will get you kicked out of the will, messing with MY family is your boney butt's ticket right back to that overpaid hack you call a plastic surgeon to repair the damage I'll do when I stomp on your face."
"If you're feeling insecure about hanging on to a man that is not my problem. Do you think you invented sex? If that's all you have to hang on to AJ then you have nothing. You have nothing IN common with him-- you're just common. A Quartermaine needs a woman that can be an asset to him; not an ex-mental patient, bastard daughter of a whore using the oldest trick in the book to snare a man."
"Oh you have been doing your research on me at least, haven't you?" Carly smiles a wolfish grin baring her teeth and scenting the blood soon to be all over the patio. Screw the wedding; this bitch had it coming. "Do you think you're saying anything that I haven't already heard from my mother-in-law at least a million times? I may have to put up with it from her but I don't have to put up with it from you: insult my mother, my son and my man and you are going to pay-- pay dearly." Carly pulls back a hand ready to strike and it is grabbed from behind. AJ intervenes.
"Honey, I've got your coat right here. We should probably get home. The babysitter goes on overtime in about half an hour. Rita is already waiting in the car."
Carly takes a deep breath and her eyes narrow. She grabs AJ's left hand and raises it so the light hits the gold band. "You see this, bitch? It means that he's taken. And like I said, I know you as well as I know myself-- you try to put your foot in any door of mine and I'll break if off and shove it up your ass. Consider this your only warning; troll other waters."
"Carly, come on. Remember this is a wedding-- no scenes. Let's go." AJ strings his arm around Carly's waist attempting to lead her off the terrace totally ignoring Viki.
Carly shrugs off AJ's arm. "Fine, but this isn't finished. You're making a mistake, AJ. Until I kick her ass she is going to keep sniffing around."
"Why? I didn't even recognize who she was until Jerry reminded me. She has nothing that I want and you should know that by now. Come on, Carly; lets go home."
Carly plants a lingering kiss on AJ initially to prove something to Viki and then forgets all about Viki as AJ proves something to her instead. She draws back breathlessly. "Yeah, lets go home." Carly strings her arm around AJ's waist and walks away from the terrace not looking back.
Viki is still flushed with fury and embarassment. Fury at Carly and embarassment that she hadn't been remembered by AJ. The embarassment is compounded by the sound of a clearing throat at the edge of the terrace. Emily breaks the strained silence. "Ouch. Welcome to the club-- people steamrollered by Carly. It's not really an exclusive club. They seem to take on new members all the time." Emily quips trying to break the tension not mentioning that she'd worked with Carly on a the last member, the unlamented Katherine Bell. Sometimes being polite had a hypocritical feel to it, she muses.
Viki recognizes the couple half in darkness lit only by candles: Emily Bowen Quartermaine and Nikolas Cassadine. She takes a deep breath and puts on a pretty smile not knowing how much they have overheard.
"How embarassing, I suppose we should all be grateful that she didn't make that scene in the wedding and ruin the party. Some people right?" Viki shrugs delicately and makes her way back inside.
"Some people is right." Emily sighs and shudders. "She doesn't know how close of a call she just had. I hope that AJ can calm Carly down. I'd hate for Carly to strain her relationship with the Judge. What a witch."
"Who-- Carly?"
"No. I'm with Carly on this one. How did such a nice guy like the judge end up with a witch of a daughter like her? Be careful, Nik. With AJ out of the running she might start trolling in Cassadine waters."
"So you think that AJ is out of reach?"
"Oh yeah, I might have thought that she stood a chance a year ago. But AJ's changed alot since he found out Michael was his son. Everything in the last year and a half has been to build and guard his family. You don't really know what it is like to live in this house. He knows what he has; he is as invested, more invested, as Carly is in having a home and a family. AJ and Carly are a united front on just about everything-- and scary too how solid they are considering the way they came together. I spend alot of time over at their house. Both of them are constantly on guard with each other to not ask for anything."
"You're going to have to explain that." Nik asks totally confused.
"Whatever one wants the other one gets. AJ wanted to be CEO of ELQ; Carly helped him get it. Grandfather threw AJ in the fire when he sent him to Indonesia. Carly was right there with the fire hose guarding his back. Carly has always dreamed of a home of her own. AJ got it for her. Carly was afraid of Michael, something I didn't realize, but AJ did. He forced her to be comfortable with their son. They have a balance. And balance is something that NEITHER of them had alone. I'm closer to AJ than I ever have in the past. I admit it-- Jason was my favorite brother. Carly changed that. I can't say that Jason is my favorite anymore. I love my brothers and am involved with BOTH of them now. Carly and AJ are ...symbiotic." Emily gets flustered not feeling like she is describing it right, explaining it right. "It's not like Lucky and Liz; it's not romantic, mushy, otherworldly or anything like that. I'm not explaining this right." Emily pauses biting her lip trying to find the right words to convey exactly what connects AJ and Carly. "Carly and AJ are very much of THIS world. They've planned, schemed, screwed and been screwed over by others and by each other in the past. Their life is messy, complicated, and confusing. It's never going to be a romance novel for them with declarations of feelings and flowery phrases both of them have been burned too many times for that. It's a GUT thing for them. Do you know what I mean?"
"Yeah, I think I do." Nik grows pensive. He'd already gone past the point of Lucky and Liz who'd been graced to find each other out of the gate: his family history, his relationships with women. Any woman that hoped to have a future with him had better be prepared for messy, complicated, confusing and dangerous as well. Nik looks at Emily and sees her again for the first time. The girl, no woman, that had engineered the take down of Deception, who'd gotten him fired and at the same time extracated him from Katherine's arms, the voice of an angel. Her life was already messy, complicated and confusing. How could it be anything else living in this house? Yet there was a core of purity, faith and innocence to her that was so appealing. Nik reaches out with his hand and brushes it along Emily's jaw. She looks at him quizzingly.
"Nikolas...?"
"Emily, it's time to go inside. Ma is getting ready to throw the bouquet. She sent me to look for you." Johnny glares at the man touching his boss' sister. Johnny holds out his hand to Emily and she rises taking it.
"Wow. I didn't realize it was getting so late." Emily looks over her shoulder at a stunned Nik. "Are you coming in?"
Nik shakes his head clearing it. "Yeah. I'll be right there."