The Story of Us ~* May *~     Part I Brownstone: Walking into the Brownstone, Lucas is still thinking about school and the possibility of sneaking out to Balor later. He's so lost in thought that he trips over the suitcase at the bottom of the stairs. "Mom?" "Lucas! I've been trying to call you since you got out of school! Where have you been?" Lucas smacks his forehead. "Sorry. I had to turn off my phone for French class. Ms. Dupres confiscates anything that rings, beeps or buzzes in her class. I must have forgotten to turn it back on. What's going on?" "Baby, I need to leave town for a while." Looking closely at his mother Lucas can see tight lines around her mouth and eyes. Her eyes are red and swollen from crying. "What happened?" He puts an arm around her shoulder, noticing for the first time how fragile she really is. "It's Luke. He's been in a car accident. A really bad accident in Geneva." "How bad?" Lucas feels sick. Luke's always been larger than life. Less of an uncle and more like legend - invincible. "Bad. He's broken both legs and the doctors don't know about his spinal cord. They're saying it's too soon to tell if he'll walk again." "Shit. Does Lucky know?" "He's coming with me." Bobbie nods squeezing Lucas extra hard. "Listen sweetie I need you to stay with Carly and Jason until I get back." Seeing Lucas' inevitable rebellion, Bobbie heads it off. "I know you're old enough to take care of yourself but it would make me feel better if you weren't alone. . . please Lucas. . ." "It's all right Mom. I'm not going to fight. I was going to ask you what you need me to do." "Thank you baby." Bobbie brushed his cheek with her fingers. "I packed a couple of week's worth of clothes for you but I need you to pack any of your books, CDs, anything else you want to take. We don't have much time." "I'm on it." Kissing the top of Bobbie's head Lucas takes the steps two at a time up to his room. Looking around the pigsty he likes to call home, Lucas mentally composes a list of the essentials. He grabs first the carrying case of 200 CDs, his portable disc player and a handful of batteries. Next he pulls some of the books he'll need for classes off the shelves over his desk and packs up the used laptop his dad gave him for Christmas. He also grabs the mini recorder he uses to tape class lectures on and a box of fresh tapes. Peering into the duffle bag on the bed, Lucas replaces the new tennis shoes for his old favorites and adds a handful of shirts and pants from the back of his closet where he keeps his clubbing clothes. Hearing Lucky's voice down the stairs, Lucas cinches up his duffle bag and book bag, pausing at his desk to grab money from the top drawer and a box from the back of the bottom drawer. "Lucas?" "Comin!" Lucas greets Lucky with a hug and a slap on the back. "Be careful." "You got it." Lucky pulls grabs Lucas' duffle bag and slings it over his shoulder. "Let's get going. I'm going to follow you and your mom up to Carly's and then give your mom a ride to the airport." "I'll leave the keys to my car with you honey so you can get yourself to school and back from Carly's." Bobbie adds as they hustle out the door. "Don't worry Mom. I'll come by after school and water your plants and bring in the paper and the mail. And don't worry Mom. You know Uncle Luke is indestructible." "I hope so. I really hope so." Bobbie blows a worried breath between her lips. "All right. I guess that's it. Let's go." 1825 Falling Waters Drive: "Thank you so much for this Carly. I owe you." Bobbie watches as Lucas carries his bags upstairs, following Mrs. Landsbury. "Come on. Don't be stupid. Lucas can stay here as long as you need him to. I wish you could wait. Jason could get you the ELQ jet." "Flying coach never killed anybody." Bobbie pats Carly's cheek. "I'll be fine. Now about your brother. . ." "I promise I'll feed him and water him and walk him every day." Carly replies in a sing song voice, earning a laugh from Bobbie. "That's about it. His curfew's midnight. He knows it. He'll test it. He's a Spencer after all he can't help it. He knows what to do for his diabetes, you won't have to worry about it. And Mrs. Landsbury remembers his diet so that's taken care of. He has to leave here about 6:30 so he can be to his first class at seven." "I thought school started at eight?" "There's a new program that offers some science and math classes an hour early for students who need to get an extra class in or want the extra credits. He's going to have my car so he won't be bugging you for rides all the time. And remind him to call his father on Sunday." "Where is Tony?" "Atlanta for a Neurosurgery symposium. He's one of the keynote speakers this year." Lucas comes back down the stairs and Bobbie hugs and kisses both her children. "All right. Lucky's waiting in the car so I'll keep it brief. Goodbye. I love you. Take care of yourselves and each other." "You too." Once the door closes, Carly touches Lucas' arm. "Come on. I'll help you unpack." "You don't have to Carly. I know you're still working on that presentation for Lucy. I don't want to be in your way. I know you and Jason have a whole system down. I can work around it." Carly links her arm through Lucas', walking with him to the guest room. "That's true. We do have a system and it works. And a big part of that is 'no bullshit." Walking into the room, Carly sits down on the edge of the bed and begins pulling clothes out of Lucas' duffle bag, separating them into neat piles. "So - and I'm not saying you should, but if you're going to stay out past curfew," When Lucas starts to interrupt Carly cuts him off. "Don't act indignant it only makes you look guiltier. As I was saying. IF you're going to be out past curfew you need to call here and you need to *tell* me. If you're not home and you haven't called me - I'm going to send Jason out looking for your butt at exactly 12:01." She smoothes a hand over a soft t-shirt absently. "And I promise he won't be in the best mood once he finds you." "I can live with that." "Good. Mrs. Landsbury can't wait to have another mouth to feed. You would think me, Jason, the kids and the guys would be enough." "Nah, Mrs. Landsbury's not happy unless she can cook enough to feed an army. When Mom was married to Stefan she swears she gained twenty pounds from scones alone." Lucas took the piles of clothes off the bed and began placing them in the antique dresser. "So besides taking in you poor homeless brother, what are you doing today?" Carly sighs, her fingers playing with the strap of Lucas' duffle. "Parent/Teacher conferences tonight at Michael's school." "Is Sonny going to be there?" "You bet." "Why? I mean, can't he go one night and you go another?" "It's not that bad." Carly insists while her expression says otherwise. "I thought you just said this house was a bullshit free zone." "Okay. It sucks." "Then tell Mini-Mob to stay away." Lucas closes the dresser drawers and moves to unpack his books and laptop on the roll top desk. "It's not Sonny's fault." Lucas feigns a cough. 'Bullshit.' "It's not his fault I'm uncomfortable. Sonny's abided by the agreement we both signed. He picks up Michael from school every other Friday and spends the weekend with him and picks up Morgan for church and the zoo. They love him and he's a good father. It's just hard because I know he still loves me, or at least he still thinks of me as his wife. . ." "But you don't." "Not really since I came out of the coma. It's like - I don't know. I *know* he's my husband. But I can't really connect with the part of me that loved him. Not anymore." "You loved him Carly. Probably more than anyone ever has. And you loved him through more crap than anyone ever would. But it's done now. I wish you'd stop beating yourself up over it." "Hey! How did you get so smart? You don't even have a girlfriend!" "Yeah, well actually. Thing is, I'm not like you Carly. I don't need to stick my head in the oven to know it's hot." "And you call yourself a Spencer? Pfft." Lucas comes to sit beside Carly. "Do you think Luke's going to be all right?" Carly's fingers brush through Lucas' hair. "I don't know. It sounded pretty bad when Mama described it. But you know Luke's too damn mean to die. He'll probably outlive everyone." "I know you don't like him. . ." "That's not true." Carly shrugs. "He hates me because of what I did to Bobbie when I first got here. I get it. Cause if someone ever hurt you that bad I'd want to kill 'em too. That's just how it is with brothers and sisters. I can give you all the crap I want to, but the minute someone else starts in on you. . ." She punched a fist into her palm. "They're dead meat. Luke and I won't ever like each other. But I don't care about that. Mama wants him to get better, and you want him to get better so I do too." Haunted Star: "What are you doing here Faith? This is Luke's office." "Not anymore. I've decided that Spencer's had more than enough time to get his ass back here and run the casino properly. He had his chance and he's blown it. Now I'm moving in and taking over." "Like hell you are. I just heard from Bobbie. Luke was in a car accident. He'll be home as soon as he recovers so you can just keep your grubby little mitts off his office, his profits and his casino." "I don't care if Spencer lives or dies. Don't you get it yet Princess? Luke Spencer is so utterly irrelevant to this casino that I'm getting bored just talking about him. Now, let me tell you the way things are going to work from now on." Faith snaps her fingers in front of Skye's face. "Listen up sugar. I've decided I don't want to share the profits, so as of right now you only get what I feel like giving." "You can't do that. Justus got a court order." "And you think a court order is going to stop me? I don't work in the system. I'm above it. I take what I want and I keep what I take." "Wait just a damn minute, if you think. . ." Skye's head rocks with he force of Faith's slap. "The time for you to talk is over." Two of Faith's men grab Skye, holding her between them. "Now is the time for you to listen. Your role as 'partner' is over. Be grateful I let it go on as long as I did. But as of right now you work for me." Faith pets Skye's cheek. "Don't worry though, you'll still get to wear all your pretty clothes and greet the guests. You're what we like to call window dressing." "Are you delusional? I would never work for some two bit tramp like you." Faith grips Skye's chin in her hand viciously. "You can work for me one of two ways Princess. Either you can be the hostess of my casino or fresh meat in one of my South American brothels. You're a little old, but I don't think anyone will mind. Red heads are a scarce commodity." "You're sick. And unlike you I'm not a whore." "Then all you have to do is tell me you'll accept the new arrangement. Everything is mine and you'll behave. Greet the guests do as I tell you to and nothing bad will happen to you. You have my promise." "And your word is worth *what*?" Faith heaves a mock sigh. "Oh Skye. I was sort of hoping that we could work together on this. I mean the casino is such a perfect front for everything I do in Port Charles. You can laundry money through a casino, you can move drugs through a casino, hell- clean out a few of the storerooms and you can run girls through the casino. This place is going to make me rich beyond my wildest dreams and here I am being generous enough to let you be a part of it. You ought to be grateful." "Right. You want to turn Luke's casino into some sort of floating whorehouse with me as what? The madam? And you expect me to be grateful? Faith you're not only crazy you're a moron." "Then I guess that's a 'no'?" Faith snaps her fingers and is handed a bottle of vodka. "That's too bad precious. I was hoping we could work things out. . ." Watching Faith unscrew the top, Skye panics. "What are you going to do with that?" "Well I can't exactly have you walking around telling anyone about my plans. And for some reason I think people might notice if you turned up missing. So I think a little fall off the wagon is in order don't you? Cause who's going to believe a pathetic drunk?" Grabbing Skye by the back of the hair, Faith yanks her head back with one hand while tilting the bottle up to her lips. "Open up." Keeping her mouth clamped shut, Skye tries shaking her head. "Hold her nose closed." Faith instructs. "Come on Princess. It's just us girls here. I won't tell. Have a little drink. Can't you just taste it? Feels so good going down. You've been the poster child for AA. Don't you deserve a little something?" Out of air, Skye grasps for breath and Faith stuffs the bottle into her mouth, pouring the vodka directly down her throat ignoring Skye's gag reflex and her efforts to spit it out. Once the bottle is empty, Faith produces another. "Wasn't that good sweetie? If you thought the first one was fun, wait till you finish off another. . ." 1825 Falling Waters Drive: "The doctors Quartermaine have arrived." Mrs. Landsbury announces, causing Justus to look up from the papers spread across the coffee table in the den. "Doctors plural?" "Yes. Dr. Alan Quartermaine and Dr. Monica Quartermaine." Mrs. Landsbury frowns. "Is there a problem?" "Not really, I thought Jason was only expecting Alan. Show them both in please." "Justus. We weren't expecting to see you here." Alan remarks as he and Monica walk into the den. "Jason asked me to sit in with you while you go over hospital business. I think he's trying to convince me to take over as hospital counsel once Lee Baldwin retires." Justus turns his attention to Monica. "I didn't know you were coming Monica." "I am the assistant chief of staff. I have every right to sit in on any decisions about the hospital." Monica's reply is stiff and rehearsed. "Just couldn't resist hmm?" Justus motions. "Sit. Morgan just woke up so Jason went to take care of him." "And Michael?" Ah ha. Justus sees the real reason behind Monica's sudden desire to visit. "You just missed Michael by about twenty minutes Monica. He's at a friend's house." "Oh." "Why don't you make yourselves comfortable? I'm sure Mrs. Landsbury will be bringing some tea in a minute." Justus nods to the sofa across from him. Alan takes a seat on the sofa. "This really is quite the house. I didn't get a chance to see much of it last time I was here." "It's more like a fortress. You know that guard at the gates that let us in was armed? I thought Jason was out of the mob." Monica says sharply. "Jason doesn't have anything to do with Sonny's business anymore Monica. But that doesn't make him the most popular person. And the guards aren't just here for Jason. They're to protect Carly and the boys too." "By all means. Let's protect Carly. What I want to know is who is going to protect the rest of the world from Carly?" Justus sets back on the sofa with a sigh. "Monica? Can I give you some friendly advice? Trashing Carly isn't going to get you anywhere with Jason except very politely shown the door. This is Carly's house. And Carly's company. And Carly's hospital. If it weren't for Carly Jason would be content to fix bikes in a shop somewhere *other* than Port Charles." Hearing Jason's boots in the foyer, Justus looks up. "Hey there Morgan. What's the matter little guy? You decide you didn't want to miss all the action after all?" Jason's expression shows little surprise at seeing Monica. He walks over to the sofa and sits down with Morgan tucked against his side. "I know we were going to meet at the hospital, but Morgan's not feeling great and I didn't want to leave him." "It's not a problem. Really." Alan reassures Jason. "I've brought the latest quarterly figures from the accounting office." He presents a thick folder. "Actually, they're better than I thought they'd be." Jason accepts the figures and glances at the bottom line before passing them over to Justus with a wince. There was a very good reason Alan had gone into medicine over business. Jason doubted that he could balance his own checkbook, much less manage a multimillion dollar business like the hospital. "The staff cuts and layoffs haven't been working, and they won't work. You can't increase business by cutting service. It doesn't work that way." "A hospital isn't a normal business. You can't just apply the same business model to General Hospital that you're using on ELQ." When Mrs. Landsbury enters with a tea tray she sets it on the coffee table, stopping only to give Morgan a sippy cup filled with juice. "Will that be all?" She prompts Jason. "Yes." "Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more of the house." Monica interrupts. "That is if you don't mind Jason." Jason inclines his head slightly knowing that giving in is the only possible option and trusting Mrs. Landsbury to know not to take Monica any further than the first floor. "Very well. We'll begin with the kitchen." Mrs. Landsbury waits for Monica to join her in the doorway before continuing. Alan shrugs. "There was no stopping her. I figured this would be easier than having her storm the castle when you weren't looking with Father in tow." "It's fine." Jason dismisses. "If Carly were home it would be a problem." "How is Carly doing?" Alan pours a cup of tea for himself and adds a spoonful of honey. "You've read her records." Jason's words aren't a question, they're statement. "Yes I did." Alan answers mildly. "Carly got excellent care when she was shot. In fact there's no doubt in my mind that if Tony hadn't operated it's very likely Carly wouldn't have woken up. But I honored your request and transferred her case to the chief neurologist at Mercy Dr. Regina Hall. She'll contact Carly for a consultation as soon as her schedule clears." "Thanks." Jason turns his attention back to the reports in front of them eventually placing Morgan directly in his lap as the little boy alternated between sipping juice and sucking his thumb. For the last few weeks Morgan had become Jason's shadow. Carly said that Jason was Morgan's favorite teddy bear and the baby wanted him first thing in the morning and last thing at night and always in between. But unlike his older brother Morgan had no patience for travel books so more often than not Jason ended up reading Morgan a book Carly bought him a couple of years ago that Jason had never gotten around to reading &endash; 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'. Every time Carly caught him reading it to Morgan she laughed, Jason didn't get it but if it kept Morgan happy and made Carly laugh he'd do it. As they continued trying to dig the hospital out of the financial hole it was in, Jason was grateful for the comfortable working rhythm he and Justus had developed at ELQ. It wasn't only because Justus managed to act as a buffer between him and the rest of the Quartermaines, but Justus often caught things before they had time to develop into serious problems. The different department heads felt comfortable going to Justus and that suited Jason fine. The last thing he wanted was to be caught up in the politics of middlemen. After a while Mrs. Landsbury appeared beside Jason and cleared her throat expectantly. "What?" "If you don't mind Sir I thought I would take young Morgan up for his bath." The housekeeper looked down at the small watch on a chain that hung around her neck. "It is that time and you know how important our schedules are." Jason's teeth clenched, she always sounded like she was scolding him. But he finally relented and let Mrs. Landsbury pick Morgan up. Seeing Jason's temper shortening more by the minute, Alan began gathering up some of the new figures and stuffing papers into folders. "I think we've about got it now anyway. Why not call it a day? I'll get these numbers a little more presentable and submit them to the board." Alan rose to his feet and cupped his hand around Monica's elbow helping/pulling her up along with him. "I just can't tell you how good it is to have you back home Jason." Monica began. "I wish you would come by the house sometime. Maybe bring Michael with you?" Jason is saved from answering such a loaded question by the ringing of his cell. "Yeah?" "Jason? Is Justus with you? Put him on." General Hospital: "Hi. I'm here picking up some of my records. My name is Carly Corinthos. Alan Quartermaine said they'd be ready?" Carly lays a hand on the nurse's station. As much as she hated getting up early, she had to admit that she got a lot more done now that she was waking up before ten. She'd gone through a laundry list of errands in almost no time leaving her with a chance to run home, have a swim and a shower and still be ready for Michael's open house at six. "Carly." Turning towards the elevator bank, Carly can feel the ground slide out from under her feet. "Lorenzo." "I knew you were back but no one's seen you." Lorenzo steps forward. "I've been worried about you. My people looked all over the globe. Europe, Africa, South America. Anywhere that Morgan might have taken you and the children." He touches Carly's face. "I can't believe you're really here." "What are you doing here? What's wrong?" The questions slip out before Carly can stop herself. Months away and all it took was a single touch to start blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. "Nothing's wrong. One of my men saw you come here alone. I've been waiting for an opportunity to speak to you for weeks. Haven't you missed me?" Carly swallows around the lump in her throat. 'Haven't you missed me?' It's a ridiculous question. It's like asking an amputee if they miss their lost limb. She couldn't understand it, and she knew damn well she'd never be able to explain it but she'd missed Lorenzo Alcazar. "Carly? What is it? Come here. You should sit down. You look like you're going to faint." Lorenzo guided Carly into one of the chairs in the waiting room. "Are you sick? Is that why you're here?" Sitting on the edge of the chair beside Carly, Lorenzo strokes Carly's hair back from her face. "Do you want me to call a doctor?" The elevator doors open and Ethan steps out carrying a bag of chips. "Sorry Carly the cafeteria's all out of corndogs but they had those barbeque chips you like. . ." Seeing Lorenzo, he unbuttons his jacket and walks over. "Carly? Is there a problem?" "Why don't you mind your own business?" Lorenzo snaps. Carly sees Ethan move and holds out her hand effectively stopping him in his tracks. "I'm fine. Really. It's okay. I just felt a little weird for a minute." She looks to Lorenzo. "Could you get me a cup of water?" "Of course." Once he's moved to the other side of the corridor, Carly turns back to Ethan who's jaw works silently. "I'm fine." "It's your call Carly." Ethan replies calmly. "I'll tell him to go." She starts to stand up. "If he won't listen to me, you can tell him." Ethan offers Carly his hand and pulls her to her feet. "You know I was all state in shot put in high school. . . can I throw him out the window?" That earns him a smile from Carly. "I don't think throwing guys who bug me out windows was in your job description." She starts to walk over to Lorenzo leaving Ethan to mutter under his breath. "I don't know what job description *SHE* read. . .probably the Reader's Digest Abridged Guide to Personal Security. . ." Carly turns to shoot him a nasty glare and mouth the words 'bite me'. "Hey! I need some help here!" Jax hurries to the Nurse's Station with a semiconscious Skye cradled in his arms. The nurse on duty comes out from behind the desk and snaps her fingers at an orderly to bring a wheel chair. "What happened?" "Alcohol. I'm not sure how much she drank- but she was unconscious when I found her and she was barely breathing." The nurse cuts her eyes and Jax. "You shouldn't have moved her." Turning to the orderly she instructs him to call the E.R and let them know they'd be bringing in a patient. "She's been in and out of consciousness since I found her." Jax places Skye's limp body into the wheelchair. "I didn't know what to do." "Jasss. . . I din't do it. . ." When Skye finally speaks her words are slurred almost beyond recognition. "Fait. . ." No sooner are the words out of Skye's mouth than she lapses back into unconsciousness. The nurse leans in and listens for Skye's breathing, then places her fingers on the pulse in her neck. "She's not breathing! Call Dr. Yager!" She efficiently rolls Skye out of the wheelchair and onto her back on the floor and after checking Skye's airway begins CPR. By the time the doctor arrives, Carly's already dug her cell phone out of her purse and hits the first button on her speed dial. "Jason? Is Justus with you? Put him on." While Carly talks to Jason, Ethan moves in on Lorenzo standing aggressively in the other man's personal space. "You need to leave now." "What's your problem?" "Me? I don't have a problem. Even though that little bastard you've got working for you first tried to buy me off for information about Carly and Jason and their security system, then when that didn't work he tried blackmailing me into it." Ethan's green eyes glint like marbles. "I was wondering if I could get some prints of the photographs he sent to Jason when I told him to go to hell. Jason wasn't all that impressed with the shots of Anthony, but I really think the photographer got my good side." "I don't know what you're talking about." "Listen friend. I'm doing you the biggest favor of your life here. Because if you're here when Jason shows up the only way you'll leave this hospital is feet first." "Jason? Kill me? He couldn't when he worked for Sonny. What makes you think he's going to do it now?" "Don't make the mistake of thinking that dealing with Jason is the same as dealing with Sonny. Sonny's a businessman who likes to talk big to prove he's tough. Jason doesn't talk and he doesn't have anything to prove." He shrugs. "But hey, it's your funeral. Just try not to bleed on my shoes okay?" "I'm not going anywhere until Carly asks me to." Lorenzo responds smugly. "Then you need to go. I'm asking you to." Carly interrupts. "You need to leave." "Carly. Don't do this. You're divorcing Sonny. You don't have to pretend that you don't love me anymore. We can be together. I know that's what you want. Just- come with me. Right now come with me and you'll never have to worry about another thing again as long as you live." Carly sighs. "I don't have anything to worry about right now except you getting out of here. Now." Ethan notes the fine furrows in Carly's brow and the tense set of her jaw. "Window?" "I'll leave. But only because I don't ever want to cause you any pain." Lorenzo's fingers brush over Carly's cheek. "But promise me you'll call me if you ever need anything. If you ever want anything. All you have to do is tell me when and where. I'm not leaving until you promise me." "How about if I just promise to kick your ass? Will that do?" Grabbing Lorenzo by the arm Ethan forcibly marches him to an elevator and shoves him in, reaching around the corner to press the down button before the elevator doors shut. He walks back over to Carly and wipes his hands. "Hmm. Not quite a window- but oddly enough it was almost as satisfying." He pulls the bag of chips out of his pocket, opens it and offers her one. "Chip?" May Part II General Hospital Emergency Room: Carly and Ethan are sitting in the plastic chairs in the E.R waiting area when Alan, Justus and Jason come through the doors. Alan immediately talks to the duty nurse and walks past Jax into the exam room Skye is in. Justus approaches them with a grim expression. "How is she?" "They just pumped her stomach." Carly brushes potato chip crumbs off her hands and stands up. "They said they wanted to make sure that no more alcohol got into her bloodstream." "How did she get here?" "Jax brought her." Carly adds. "She came around before she stopped breathing and she mumbled something about Faith. . . I don't know what it means. . ." Jax walks over and interrupts their conversation. "Did you know Skye was drinking again?" He demands getting obnoxiously close to Justus who stands his ground. "She's not." Justus' answer is as tense as his posture. "Thanks for bringing her in. You can leave now." "If she's not drinking then why did I find her passed out in the middle of her office on the Haunted Star surrounded by vodka bottles? She's drinking again and you being in denial isn't going to help her get any better." "I. Told. You. Skye. Is. Not. Drinking." Justus visibly works to control his temper. "What about Faith?" "What about her? Faith wasn't on the boat when I got there." "She did this. It's not just something Faith would do, it's something she would enjoy." Justus remarks mostly to himself but Jason picks up on it. "Why?" "Faith's been trying to get in on the casino since it opened. Luke's out of town - now he's even more out of the picture until he recuperates, *if* he recuperates. Faith wants Skye out of the way so she has full control of the casino. I got a temporary injunction barring her from doing business." Justus rubs a hand over his face. "I knew it wouldn't stop Faith I just wanted to slow her up until I could get something more permanent. I should have seen this coming." Alan emerges from the exam room. "She's stable for the moment but she's attached to a dialysis machine." He shakes his head sadly. "How can she do this to herself? She could have died and this isn't the first time. One of these days I know it will be too late and we'll lose her." Justus looks Alan in the eye and speaks quietly. "Skye didn't do this Alan. Someone else did it *to* her. Faith Roscoe wanted to destroy Skye's credibility and make everyone think she was drinking again. I should have seen it coming and I should have stopped it." Reaching for his cell phone, Justus finishes. "But I can damn well make sure she never gets another chance." He pauses. "Will you stay with her? In case she wakes up?" "Of course." Alan nods. Jason pulls Justus aside. "What do you need?" "I need your guys to find Faith and keep her until I'm ready to deal with her." Justus' expression hardened to stone. "Whatever it is. I want in." Jax interrupts. "Skye was my wife. She means a great deal to me and I want to make certain Faith never gets another chance to hurt her." Justus barely restrains himself from rolling his eyes and settles instead for a cursory shake of the head. "No. And do yourself a favor Jax - don't get in my way." He moves towards the sliding doors, pausing only long enough to toss over his shoulder. "Jason, I'll be in touch." Jason returns to Carly's side, and ignoring Jax's presence speaks to Ethan. "Call Knight. Tell him his vacation's over and he needs to get here now. I want someone watching Skye until Faith's been dealt with." Ethan sighs. "Francis hates it when you rearrange things." "I'll tell him myself when we get home." Jason looks to Carly. "And we should get home if you still want to go to Michael's parent teacher conference tonight." "Want is such a strong word. . ." Carly runs fingers through her hair. "But we need to go." Ethan digs out the keys to the car and tosses them to Jason. "Parked out front. I'll wait for Knight to show up and take his truck back to the house." Queen of Angels Primary School: "Hey Max." Carly greets Max as she and Stephen approach the school doors. Turning, she addresses Stephen. "Why don't you keep Max company out here? I don't think we need the first grade room looking like the Gaza strip." "Are you sure you'll be all right? What if Jason doesn't make it?" "If Jason doesn't make it you're going to be putting on a wet suit to retrieve pieces of him from the Charles River." Carly replies sweetly. "He knows better than to skip out on this." "All right. You got it?" Stephen pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket and offers one to Max. "Yes Mother. I have it." Carly pats her own coat pocket. "I still think Francis should have rigged it to scream 'Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!'." "Hardy. Har. Har." Stephen lights up. "I'll make sure to send Jason in when he gets here." He watches as Carly walks into the school through the double doors and into Michael's classroom. He leans back against the bricks and inhales deeply. "Don't tell me you're letting Carly *carry a gun*?" Max's voice is incredulous. Stephen gives him his best 'you've got to be shitting me' look. "Panic button. Francis rigged it for her." "Damn. She should have had one months ago. Would have saved everyone a lot of hell." Max stares at Stephen's cigarette covetously. "Can I bum one?" "I thought you quit." "I quit every year New Year's and I start back up every spring. It's tradition." Stephen hands over a cigarette and his lighter. "The button's louder than a mo-fo. Sounds like a tornado siren. Best part? It's voice activated." "No shit? Is that one of his own designs or did he 'borrow' it from Uncle Sam?" "Nah. The base is from a car alarm. The rest I think he stole from a James Bond movie." He studies Max quietly for a moment. "So when are you going to accept Francis' offer and come work for Jason?" Max releases a ring of smoke with a satisfied sigh. "I'm not." He leans against the door way so that he and Stephen are framing the entrance like a pair of book ends. "You and Francis and the others, you're freelance. There's no obligation there. You come, do a job and when you're done you go. It's different with me. Sonny brought me up from the neighborhood." "Don't give me that crap Max. Sonny Corinthos didn't bring you anywhere. Rinaldo did. Sonny took Rinaldo in and Rinaldo just happened to be smart enough to bring you with him. You miss Rinaldo? That's cool. Just don't delude yourself about what you owe Corinthos." Stephen adds heatedly. "And make sure you don't end up like Rinaldo did." Max doesn't say anything for a while, then settles for. "What does Jason need me for anyway? He's 'legitimate'." "He is legitimate." Max scoffs. "It's just a phase. He'll grow out of it. You forget I've seen Jason legitimate before." "Yeah, but he's a Quartermaine now and you know how that bunch are. He's got me answering phones at the office and fending off that touchy aunt of his." Stephen shudders. "She's worse than anything I saw in the service." "If you're trying to talk me into something you're going about it the wrong way. Getting groped by Tracy Quartermaine isn't my idea of a job perk." "Tell me about it." House: "Come on Faith. You have an appointment." Justus shakes Faith awake. "Wha-?" Faith rolls her eyes. "I should have known it was you. What's the matter lover? Red just not doing it for you anymore?" She twines an arm around Justus' neck. "Blondes really are more fun." "You're sickening." "God this really is about that spoiled princess isn't it? Is it my fault Skye can't handle her liquor?" "You went too far Faith. You always go too far but no one's ever been able to stop you." Justus yanks Faith off the cot in the panic room by her arm. "But I can." "I just love it when you get all forceful." Justus' smile is a grotesque mockery. "Then you're just going to love this." He thrusts a bottle into her hand. "Drink or I'll pour it down your throat." Faith chuckles. "Is this supposed to scare me? Make me think you're going to poison me? You forget lover, I know you. You don't have what it takes." "It's not poison. I'm not like you Faith. And some time you should ask me about Damian Smith." Lifting the bottle to her lips, Faith gulps it down quickly, makes a smacking sound with her lips when she finishes and tosses the bottle over her shoulder with her free hand. "Got any more?" "You won't need it." Justus propels Faith out of the panic room and through the front door. "By the time we get to the hospital the drug will have taken effect." Faith's smile slips. "What drug?" "Nothing that will kill you. Besides, you're going to the hospital. You can tell someone how I drugged you. In fact, I think you need to tell everyone how I drugged you. Especially Dr. Lewis." "What's this about?" Faith begins to struggle in Justus' hold. "This is about pay back Faith. This is about you never having a chance to hurt anyone again. This is about Skye. And this is about to be over." Justus shoves Faith into the back of the car and locks the doors. He pulls his cell phone out and dials. "Pendragon." "I need you to put in the call to your judge." "You have her contained?" "I'm on my way now to the hospital with her. I gave her the drug you recommended. I want this done as soon as possible." "I'll make the call. Justus, you do realize that tonight you've effectively ruined your chances of joining the church?" "I would have made a lousy monk anyway. Make the call and I'll be in contact once she's been taken care of." Queen of Angels: "Mrs. Corinthos. It's so nice to see you again." Sister Maria a tall, thin woman in her late sixties greets Carly at the classroom door. "I can't tell you how pleased we are to have Michael back in our class. I was just telling your husband what wonderful strides Michael's made with his reading." She waves Carly further into the room. "He's really been working hard on it." Carly smiles. "Every night he helps read to his baby brother." "That's what I like to hear. It's so much easier for a child when the entire family is involved with their education." Sister Maria continues. "I was happy when Michael's Aunt Courtney arrived. Oftentimes it's difficult getting one family member to attend conferences much less *three*. Michael is indeed a lucky little boy." Carly does a double take. "Courtney?" "Yes, Michael's aunt. She came with his father." "Michael is very loved." Carly hopes her smile isn't as transparent as it feels. "If you'll excuse me I need to keep everyone moving in the right direction. I want all the parents to see the displays the children have set up and I see a few parents haven't read any of the signs." Sister Maria guides Carly to one side with a firm hand on Carly's wrist, moving her to stand between Sonny and Courtney. "There you are. Each child's work is marked with a different color star. Michael's stars are green." She informs the trio before moving off to direct more parents. "Carly." Sonny greets Carly easily while Courtney remains silent. "You're here alone?" "I left Stephen out front with Max. I didn't want this place turning into a battle ground. Did you just get here?" Sonny lifts a Styrofoam cup of coffee. "Long enough ago to want to make a donation of a couple hundred pounds of coffee out of the warehouse." Surprised, Carly chuckles. "That bad huh?" "Coffee this bad should be a sin." Courtney clears her throat and hands Sonny one of Michael's pictures and passes the other to Carly. "The kids were supposed to draw pictures of their families. Michael drew two. He's twice as talented as everyone else." Carly lets out the breath she'd been holding since hearing Courtney was there. The last thing she wanted was for them to fight because there really isn't anything to say. Jason's married to Courtney but in Carly's bed. Definitely not a safe topic for Michael's parent/teacher conferences. "They're wonderful." She agrees feeling a hand on the small of her back Carly knows Jason's finally gotten her 'You'd better get your ass over here' vibes off the cosmic wave length. "You made it." "I know. I was taking care of things for Justus." Jason answers ignoring Sonny completely. "Michael do this?" "Yep. He's a regular Picasso. I wonder if Sister Maria will let us take these home? I'd like to put it up in Morgan's room." "How is Morgan? You said on the phone Sunday that he wasn't feeling good." Sonny asks following both Carly and Jason's lead of ignoring the elephant in the living room and talking only of his sons. "He's starting to feel better and his fever's down already. He's been really fussy. You probably would have gotten more than a few glares during mass." While Sonny is working to ignore the elephant, Courtney can't seem to take her eyes off of Jason's hand on Carly's back her entire body tenses with the things she wishes they were alone to say when something catches her eye. "What's this?" "Oh." Sister Maria appears beside Courtney. "One of the children's grandfathers came in to talk to the class about family trees. Then the children had to draw one of their own. This was Michael's. He really seems to have a good grasp of family and extended family. You must be very proud of him." The sheet is a mimeographed page with a picture of a large tree with many branches and across the top of the page is written in Michael's careful block print 'My Family Tree'. Under mother he's written 'Carly' and Carly knows something is about to hit the fan when she sees the box for father. It's been neatly split in half with Sonny's name written on one side and Jason's on the other. "You are *not* his father." "We're not doing this now." Jason replies coldly. "In fact, we're not doing this at all." "Is that what you're telling Michael Carly? Are you telling him that Jason's his new father when I'm not around?" "Sonny. . ." Carly can hear the pleading note in her voice and she hates it. She hates the fact that she's always pleading with Sonny for something. For him to understand. For him to forgive. For him to let her in or let her go. "I don't tell Michael that. He knows you're his father but he loves Jason too. That's all he's saying here. He can love more than just you and me. He loves Jason and he loves Courtney. There's room for all of us." "Is that how you do it?" Courtney says quietly. "Is that how you can justify what you've done to your family? I know you're not the same anymore Carly. Jason told me that you're damaged but the Carly I know would never put her son in this position. She just wouldn't." "Carly, if you want to talk to Sister Maria you need to do it now because as soon as Stephen brings the car around we're out of here." Jason walks out to the entrance of the school. "What? So soon?" Stephen frowns. "Damn." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a $100 handing it over to Max. "You win." "Just get the car." "What's the problem Jason? Can't face your wife?" Sonny appears behind him. "You and Carly can shack up all you want but you're never going to be Michael or Morgan's father." Jason sees that Stephen is reluctant to leave. "Get the car. Now." "But. . ." "Sonny's not going to shoot me." Jason replied. "I'm not his wife." Carly stops in the ladies room to splash some cold water on her face and runs a cold paper towel over the back of her neck. She looks up when the door opens and closes locking softly with a click. "Courtney." "How could you Carly? I don't understand it. You were always my friend. My best friend. I trusted you more than anyone! You know how much I love Jason. You know I would do anything to be with him and you took him away from me." Courtney's eyes filled with tears. "We were like sisters." "I didn't take Jason away from you." Even as she says the words Carly knows they're not entirely true. "I never meant to hurt you." But she never really thought about Courtney. Not after that first night in Florida. She wouldn't let herself think about Jason's wife or the fact that she was once again screwing up Jason's entire life just because she couldn't take care of herself. "You made it so that Jason and I can't be together. That's hurting me. We can't be together because he won't leave you or the boys. It's not fair Carly and you know it." "I can't change anything Courtney. And I'm not making Jason stay anywhere he doesn't want to be." Carly walks to the door and unlocks it. "You know everyone warned me about you Carly. That I should never turn my back on you that you couldn't be trusted. That you were a lying, scheming slut but I never believed that. But here you are you've broken Sonny's heart, ripped Michael and Morgan away from their family and you've ruined Jason and my marriage." Carly's momentary lapse into pity is pushed aside by a flash of anger. "And all it took was one lousy bullet in the head. You're Morgan's godmother and Michael loves you so I'm going to say this once. Don't you ever talk to me about my marriage to your brother again. You have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't end your marriage, you did that when you walked out on Jason for being exactly what he always said he was. I may be a lying scheming slut but I'm not a deluded self righteous twit." General Hospital: "Alan?" Walking into the darkened hospital room, Justus carries a few papers in one hand and two cups of coffee, stacked right on top of one another in the other hand. "Justus." Alan rolls his shoulders. "I was wondering where you'd gotten to." "How is she?" "Better. Miracle of miracles there wasn't any permanent damage to her kidneys. The dialysis flushed just about everything out of her system." He eyes the coffee. "Is that for me?" "Yeah." Justus hands one of the coffees over as well as the papers. "I thought you should see these. Dr. Lewis has committed her to the seventh floor for a hold and Ric Lansing is filing with the Superior Court. The arraignment should be Monday if all goes well." Moving to the side of the hospital bed Justus carefully strokes Skye's cheek. "Involuntary commitment? You're having Faith Roscoe committed?" "She's a danger to everyone she comes in contact with. She did this to Skye and I'm not letting her get a second chance." Alan thinks that over for a moment, rubbing his hand over his face. "Even if this works, and that's a mighty fine *if*, it won't be permanent. They can't hold her for more than 30 days. What are you going to do when she gets out?" "It's what I'm going to do once she's in that counts." Justus replies never taking his eyes from Skye's face. "This is one of those times when I should just shut up and not ask any questions isn't it?" That brings a smile to Justus' face briefly. "Probably. Just trust me Alan. I want Skye safe and well and she'll never be either of those things so long as Faith has money and power. When I'm through with her she won't have either." Noting the possessive way Justus traced Skye's cheek with the back of his hand and most of all the cold, calculating glint in Justus' eyes, Alan's reassured and frightened. In all the years he's known Justus he's never known his nephew to resemble Edward in anyway but tonight in the dim light of the hospital with his jaw set and his manner resolute there is no mistaking Justus for anything but a true Quartermaine. "All I want is for Skye to be happy. She's been so disappointed since she's come to Port Charles. By the family and by Jax. I don't know how much more she can take." Alan looks down at Skye's sleeping figure. "She'll take as much as she can handle then she'll take a little bit more. She may not be a Quartermaine by blood but she's one by heart for damn sure." Edward announces from the doorway. "You can fret over the girl all you want Alan but she doesn't need coddling, she's not one of your weak willed off spring." "Father what are you doing here?" Alan makes a face. "You don't even like Skye." "Most days Alan I don't even like you." Edward snaps. "And I know everything that happens in this hospital. You'd do well to remember that." Edward's gruff words are belied by the soft touch to Skye's hand. "She'll live?" "She's going to be fine." Justus asserts. "And Faith? What are you going to do about that she-devil?" Edward demands. "She's been committed." Alan supplies. "What?" "Those affidavits I got from you and Ned about Faith's personality and her delusions of grandeur. . ." "But you took those months ago!" "They were insurance after I found out that Faith had Skye thrown overboard on the Haunted Star. I wanted to have some leverage to keep her from pulling another stunt. I should have seen this coming and put a stop to it." "So Faith is going to be sent to the loony bin. Good. That's where she belongs." "We don't know for sure that Faith will be committed father. There's still the matter of a hearing, right Justus?" "If you don't mind, I'd like to sit with Skye alone for a bit." Justus replies pulling up a stool to the bedside and taking a seat. "Justus - there will be a hearing won't there?" "You heard the boy, Alan. Let's leave Skye to her rest and Justus to his thoughts." Edward grabs Alan by the arm and marches him out of the room. Justus clasps Skye's hand between his own, brushing his lips over the tips of her fingers. "Alone at last. You know you had me worried there. But I shouldn't have been. You're stronger than anything Faith can throw at you." He rests his cheek on the cool metal rail of the bed. "Skye, there are things I've done, things I've set in motion. They go against everything I've tried to stand for in my life. But I won't sit here and lie to you and say I'm sorry for them. I'm not a righteous man like my father. I'm just a man. Flaws and all. I love you and I will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe." Jake's: "I can't believe the nerve. . ." Carly mutters as she chalks up her cue stick. "I mean it Jason where the hell does Sonny get off telling me who Michael can love and who he can't?" She lines up her shot and takes it hitting so hard the cue ball pops up in the air only to be caught in Jason's hand. "Carly, watch the table." "Why aren't you mad? I'm so furious I'd like to take this pool cue and shove it somewhere. . ." Placing the cue ball back on the table, Jason takes his own shot and then another and another. "Who says I'm not mad? I'm just not surprised. I knew this was going too well." Missing his next shot, Jason moves aside for Carly. "Sonny's mad that you're divorcing him. He's mad that Michael and Morgan are with you and he's mad that I see the boys more than he does." "He's lucky that I let him see them at all the spiteful little bastard!" Carly knocks two stripes in at once. "Then Courtney has the nerve to corner me in the girl's room and lecture me. ME! God Jason I wanted to stick her head in the toilet." "That's my fault." "You know, Jason, you've really got to get over this God complex of yours. It's starting to get annoying. Courtney being mad at me isn't your fault. It's mine. And the truth is I don't really blame her. But I'll be damned if I'm going to listen to someone lecture me about being married to Sonny. I was a good wife to him. Okay, so I might not have been June freakin' Cleaver but in case you haven't noticed he's not exactly Ward either." When another cue ball goes flying off the table and hits a biker in the back of the head, Jason plucks the cue from between Carly's fingers and pulls her towards the jukebox with one hand while reaching for a handful of change with the other. "How about we try dancing?" He puts the quarters in the jukebox and pulls Carly close, bringing her hand to rest over his heart as they begin to move slowly together. ;No one conceals me like No one reveals me like My lover No one can disconnect No one can resurrect like My lover; There's something about dancing with Carly that's unlike anything in the world. The only thing Jason can compare it to is going 100 down a freeway on his bike. There's an adrenaline rush that seeps into his entire body that energizes and relaxes at once. It's familiar. It's safe. It's wild. It's right and most of all it's home. ; My lover makes me weak Gives me breath to speak My lover takes me home Cools the rolling stone My lover's thorny kiss A reason to exist I wonder No one can saturate No one manipulates Like my lover ; He smiles at the feel of Carly's fingers curling around the back of his neck as she settles in against his chest, one of her thighs pressed between his legs. They're in perfect rhythm on the dance floor, just like they are in the bedroom. No matter how long it's been they never miss a step. Jason's body goes taut when Carly presses her lips to the hollow of his throat. He can tell she's smiling against his skin, knowing she's driving him crazy. He's starting to think that it's her favorite hobby. ; The sensuality It's immortality My lover My lover needs disease Bring me to my knees Reads me like a prayer Calls the spirits there Secretly inspires Strips me to desire I wonder I wonder ; He lets his hand slip further down Carly's back, turning the glide over her spine into one continuous caress from shoulders to the dip in her spine coming to rest at the top of her butt. Ducking his chin against her ticklish kisses, Jason gazes directly into Carly's eyes before leaning in for a serious kiss - something he's wanted to do for hours but there hasn't been a chance. Vaguely in the back of his mind he knows there's something to be said about addiction and genetics but unlike the rest of the Quartermaines Carly is his drug of choice. ; No one can visualize No one can make me rise They all dream of paradise But they'll never ever pay the price My lover my lover my lover ;