The Story of Us ~* May *~     May Part III   Penthouse: This time when Dara approaches the familiar door, Max actually puts his hand on her arm. "Ms. Jensen. . ." "I thought we already went through this Max. You can call me Dara. And I'm going in." "You really don't want to do that." Max pleads. "Why don't you come back tomorrow?" "Why?" Dara's question is answered by a loud crash against the penthouse door that makes her jump. "What the hell is going on in there?" The crash is followed by another and another and another. "It sounds like World War II." "It's been a rough night. Now will you please go home?" "Sonny's in there throwing things? You've got to be kidding me." Dara brushes past Max and nudges open the door a crack. "Goddamn it Max I told you to GO HOME!" Sonny roars from behind the door. "Please! Sonny! You're scaring me! Please calm down!" Dara can hear Courtney's voice in the penthouse as well and she opens the door wider. "Courtney are you all right? Sonny what is going on in here? I can hear you all the way out in the hall." Hearing a crunching sound Dara looks too at the pile of broken glass she's stepped in. "What did Waterford ever do to you?" "Get out!" Realizing that she's not going to get anywhere with Sonny, Dara turns her attention to his sister. "Courtney? What's going on?" "I'm sorry Dara. Sonny's just -" "Don't you apologize for me!" "Sonny, please I was trying to. . ." Courtney begins only to trail off helplessly under the force of Sonny's glower. "He's right. You shouldn't have to apologize because your brother is behaving like an ass." She takes the broom from Courtney's hands and nudges the other woman to the door. "I'd like to speak to your brother alone if I could?" Without waiting for Courtney's answer Dara ushers her into the hall and closes the door. She turns to face Sonny. "Now do you want to tell me what's going on?" "If that whore thinks that she can just give my kids to another man she's got another thing coming! She doesn't want to be my wife? The hell with her! She's dead to me! But take my sons again? I'll kill her first! She's nothing but a lying, scheming tramp!" Dara rides out the tirade without flinching until Sonny's run out of breath. Once he's finished, she leans the broom against the wall, removes her coat and hangs it on the rack by the door. "Are you quite finished? I think maybe you should spend less time on the docks Sonny. You've got a foul mouth." "No one asked you to come here. If you don't like the way I talk get out!" "I take it parent/teacher conferences at Michael's school didn't go well?" "Michael thinks of JASON as his father! How do you think it went? My kids spend more time with Jason than they do me! Carly's brainwashing them and if I let her she's going to let Morgan grow up without knowing me!" "You and Carly have a custody agreement Sonny. She can't keep you from seeing your children." Dara replies patiently. "I thought once she was home - " "You thought you'd be a family again." Dara finishes. "And tonight you saw that's not going to happen. You're angry and that makes sense, but this. . ." She waves her hand around to indicate the damages to the living room. "This doesn't make sense." She reaches for the broom. Sonny runs his fingers through his hair. "Don't cut yourself." Dara's voice softens for an instant before turning harsh. "I'm sorry. But right now I'm more concerned about a 40 year old man standing in a dark penthouse throwing things and screaming at the top of his lungs. You're a grown man Sonny. Things didn't turn out the way you wanted. Deal with it and clean up your own damn mess. I am *not* your wife and I'm damned sure not your mother." She tosses the broom at Sonny's feet before taking a seat on the sofa. "And I've had a particularly lousy day myself thanks for asking." Slowly Sonny picks up the broom and moves to the door. "Yeah? Why?" "Sometimes I get the feeling my grandmother was right. I'm just not cut out for law." Sinking back into the cushions Dara rubbed her temples. "I've got a couple of kids pro bono. Pretty good kids, no records, decent grades pretty much on their own while their mother is in and out of lock up. Started at PC High a few months ago and they made friends with a few really rotten little brats from the nice part of town who convinced them that joy riding in the principal's car is a *tradition* for new students." Sonny sweeps all the broken glass into a pile and begins to systematically sweep it into a dust pan. "I can see where this is going already." "You got it. My clients are on their way to juvie and their 'friends' got 25 hours of community service." "They don't have anyone who can take them?" "No one who wants them." Dara shrugs. "So I've got two good kids about to get locked up and there's really nothing that I can do about it. And of course the DA's office isn't about to cut me any slack." "How old are they?" "Fifteen and seventeen. If Scott Baldwin gets his way the seventeen year old will get tried as an adult." "What is it with you and Baldwin anyway?" Sonny dumps the glass in the waste basket. "Everyone hates him but you seem to hate him more than most people." "Scott's the reason I left the DA's office. At least the main reason I left." Dara's stomach growls loudly causing her to flush under Sonny's intense scrutiny. "What?" "When's the last time you ate?" "Just -" Dara pauses. "Well it couldn't have been more. . ." "Come on." He crooks his finger at her. "How does salmon sound?" "Like fish." Sonny pauses. "You don't like fish?" "I love it. I never cook it for myself though." Dara pulls herself off the sofa. "I can't wait." ELQ: Jason knocks perfunctorily on Justus' office door and walks in. "Hey." Justus waves him in, his ear to the phone and his fingers tapping out an impatient beat on the desk top in front of him. "I don't care what your schedule looks like for this week. Just get it done Ric. Unless you'd rather have Faith walk?" Justus nods curtly and hangs up the phone. "DA Lansing." "You know you can't trust him right?" "I trust his survival instincts. He doesn't want Faith out any more than I do. Besides, I've handed him a sure thing. All he has to do is present the affidavits I provided and have Faith show up. She'll get committed and I'll either get 30 days of working my butt off or I'll get to work my butt off for 90 days." "How is Skye?" "She's still out. I asked the nurse to call me when she wakes up." Justus toyed absently with the pen between his fingers. "I just came in to get a few things and to make sure Ric's got the ball rolling. I'm going back to the hospital soon." "Of course you are son. You know, this is the kind of dedication ELQ's been lacking for a long time." Edward walks into the office without bothering to knock. "You could learn a lot from your cousin young man. Justus here had a family emergency last night, but he's here today long enough to take care of business but no longer before going back to Skye's bedside. That's balance. That's business. That's family." "What do you want Edward?" Jason asks already making an escape plan. "I wanted to offer my help to Justus. I went by the hospital to visit Skye but a very presumptuous young man told me she wasn't receiving any visitors." Edward cast a sideways glance at Jason. "I assume it was one of your thugs?" "Jason provided a guard for Skye until she's back on her feet." Justus answers. "The psych ward is just a few floors up from Skye's room. I'm not taking any chances." "Well I just wanted to let you know that if she needs anything - you just don't hesitate to ask. Understand?" Jason's eyes narrow. "Why are you so interested in Skye all of a sudden? I thought you were always saying how she's not really family?" "Aren't I entitled to see the error of my ways? That girl is just as much a part of this family as any of you. Maybe even more so because she chose us." He wags a finger at Justus. "Now don't you be foolish like Ned and let her slip away. And keep me posted on this Faith situation. I expect updates young man. I have your cell phone number and I'm not afraid to use it." "I know that for a fact." Justus eyes Edward who is looking at him beneficently. "What does he really want?" Jason asks. "He's using being nice to me and Skye as a way to stick it to Ned and Tracy. The better he treats me the more threatened Ned gets, and the nicer he is to Skye the further off into la-la land Tracy gets." "Now-" "Got it." "Anyway I don't have time to play right now Edward. I'm going back to the hospital." Justus buttons his jacket as he stands. He turns to Jason. "I'm not going to be in for the next few days. If you need me beep me." "Beep? You have a beeper? Why don't I have your beeper number?" Edward whips out a pen and paper from his front pocket. "What is it?" "Goodbye Edward." Walking out of his office, Justus heads for the elevators only to meet with Ned and Jax. He nods curtly to them both, hoping against hope that they are there to bother Jason and that he'll be able to escape unscathed. "Justus! You're the person we were hoping to find. Do you have a minute?" Damn. No such luck. "Actually Ned? No. I'm on my way to my car right now." "Then we'll walk with you." Jax insists holding open the elevator door. "This won't take much time." "First." Ned presses the button for the lobby. "How is Skye doing? I called the hospital for an update but they wouldn't give one over the phone. Not even to family." "Good. I don't want them giving out any information about Skye over the phone. If the family wants to know how she is they can show up and ask in person. She's better by the way. They should be letting her out either later today or tomorrow morning." "That's good news." "And the armed security?" Jax leans against the back of the elevator his arms folded over his chest. "Is that really necessary? I went to see Skye only to be informed by Mr. Knight that I am not on the approved list of visitors." "In case you didn't notice Jax, Faith Roscoe tried to kill Skye yesterday. And it wasn't the first time. Now tell me, don't you think that's worth a little extra security? Now why don't you tell me what the two of you want? Because I don't feel all that comfortable standing around talking about Skye with her ex-husband and her ex-lover." "We're here to make you a generous offer for ELQ." "Then this is a case of mistaken identity. Because as you're both well aware I don't own ELQ. Jason and Carly do." "And that is what we want to fix." Ned replies stepping off the elevator directly behind Justus. "Can't you see how wrong it is for ELQ to be outside of the family? I think it's taken ten years off Grandfather's life." Justus comes to an abrupt halt. "You've got to be kidding me? The old man is having the time of his life. He's got you and Tracy dancing like a couple of puppets on strings. He's got Jason involved with the family again whether he likes it or not. And the best part is that ELQ isn't in your mother's hands. I'd say Edward's batting one thousand." "We're serious about this offer Justus." Jax adds. "We all know that you were the one behind Jason's takeover. If you were to help is in regaining control of the company I would make it most lucrative for you." "Technically I was just the muscle behind Jason's takeover. Carly was the brains. And I appreciate the offer guys, but I'm not interested. The current arrangement is profitable for everyone involved and most importantly it suits me personally. So, I'm afraid I have to decline no matter how generously you want to compensate me. Now if you'll excuse me I have somewhere to be." 1825 Falling Waters Drive: "Michael! Come on! You're going to be late!" Carly leans on the banister and calls up the stairs for Michael before turning to Mrs. Landsbury. "Being chronically late must be genetic." "Mama I can't find my other shoe!" "I'll go and offer my assistance." Mrs. Landsbury pats Carly's arm on her way up the stairs. The doorbell rings and Carly opens it. "Yes?" "Carly Corinthos?" "That's me." "You've been served." The man thrust legal papers into Carly's hands and turned and left. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Carly tears them open. "Hey, whatcha got there? Jason's Visa bill?" Lucas comes out of the kitchen biting into an apple. Instead of answering, Carly hands over the papers with shaking hands and sinks onto the bottom step. "Fucking son of a bitch!" The words explode out of Lucas' mouth. "Is he out of his mind? Does he really think you're just going to hand the boys over to him without a fight? Jason'll kill him first." Lucas drops the papers on the side table and sits down beside Carly, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Come on. Sonny's just blowing smoke. There isn't a judge in the world who would give him custody." "Lucas - what if..." "No. No what ifs. He's trying to scare you into doing something stupid that he can use against you or he's trying to scare you into going back to him. Michael and Morgan aren't going anywhere." "Michael has a birthday party..." Carly bites her lower lip. "How about I take them over to the Brownstone for the day instead?" Lucas offers. "We can pick up some movies and just hang out while you and Jason figure out your next move." Hearing footsteps Carly turns to find Michael looking worried. "Mama?" "Baby, how would you like to hang out with Lucas and Morgan today?" "Yeah Michael, a real guys day. Just you, me and the drool king. I'll even let you play Grand Theft Auto." Lucas coaxes. "Are you okay Mama? Do you have a headache?" "No baby." Carly scoops Michael into her arms. "I'm fine. It's just some not very fun adult stuff." "Call Jason." "Like mother like son." Carly presses a kiss to his forehead. "I will call Jason. Promise. So don't you worry about anything. I'm just fine baby. You go and have a good time with your brother." Carly motioned for Lucas to come closer, and when he does she plants a smacking kiss on his cheek. "You're the best. Make sure you take Francis with you okay?" "Carly..." "I mean it Lucas. I don't want Michael and Morgan unguarded for even a second. I turned my back once and that was all it took for Michael to be *gone*." Carly claps her hands over her mouth at the pained look on Lucas' face. "Lucas! I am *so* sorry..." "It's all right." Lucas brushes off the apology. "I know what you meant." "Me and my big mouth. Someday I'm going to figure out how to pry my foot out of it." "Yeah, if you ever figure that out that's the day you won't be a Spencer anymore." Lucas scoffs. He swats Michael on the butt. "Come on shorty. Let's get Morgan packed up and ready to roll." General Hospital: "Justus?" "Morning gorgeous." Justus' thumb traces a path across Skye's cheek. "Wha-?" Skye's head falls back on the pillow, a tear slipping out of the corner of her eye. "Faith." "That's right." Justus brushes away the tear and replaces it with a kiss. "Faith did this. But she's never going to do it again." "You know? I... I don't remember everything but I remember trying to tell Jax." "Jax is an idiot. I know you didn't do this Skye. You didn't fall baby. You were pushed." Climbing into the hospital bed, Justus settles Skye against his chest and rests his chin on the top of her head. "I can't tell you how scared I was when Carly called." His arms tighten briefly. "You gave everyone a scare. You stopped breathing." "I don't remember much but Faith and I were in Luke's office and then all of a sudden she had two of her guys holding me and she was pouring vodka down my throat. I tried... I wanted to... I tried not to drink. This is the first time - since Jax and I were married that my life is *good* again. I mean, really good. The casino is a success and it's because of me. And you..." Skye's fingers rest over Justus' chest. "We're good." Justus catches her hand and kisses her fingertips. "We're great. And we're going to stay that way." When the tears come, Justus simply replaces them all with kisses until the flood is over. "It could happen you know. The day I fall off the wagon again. It's happened before." "I don't know what it's like to be an alcoholic Skye. I can't understand everything. But one thing I do know, something I understand very well is living one day at a time. Nothing is guaranteed. We live day to day doing the best we can and that's all we can do. Now, how do you feel about taking a little trip?" "A trip?" Skye narrows her eyes. "What do you have in mind?" "Something out of Port Charles. Just for a few days. The casino can get along without you for a week." "And what about Jason and Carly? Aren't you afraid that if we leave Jason will have to kill the Quartermaines?" "Jason's a big boy. He can fend for himself for a few days. Besides if that doesn't work he can always sic Carly on them." Skye bites her lower lip. "But what about Faith? I hate to leave Claude in charge with her out there..." Justus places a finger over Skye's lips. "Faith isn't going to be a problem. Not now, and hopefully not for a long time." "Justus..." "Trust me?" "I do." "Then it's settled. As soon as Alan says you can leave we'll head out." Reluctantly Justus climbs out of the bed, leaning over to steal a deep, sweet kiss. "But for that to happen I have to take care of a few things first. Trust me to pack for you?" "Well I'm trusting you with my life and my virtue. I suppose I can trust you with my unmentionables." Pausing at the door, Justus winks. "You won't be needing them." Walking out into the hall, Justus' cell phone is already ringing. "Yeah?" "Justus. I'm glad I caught you. I've managed to arrange for Faith to have her day in court. "When?" "In about two hours. I thought you might want to be there." Ric's voice is smug. "You have no idea how much. When's the transport coming to pick her up?" "About an hour. "Fine. I'll see you in court. Do yourself a favor Ric, don't blow this." Justus hangs up and turns to the guard sitting across from Skye's door reading a book. "Knight?" "Yeah?" "Until I get back no one gets in to see Skye unless it's her father. I don't care who they say they are." "Got it." Walking past the elevator, Justus opts to take the stairs up to the seventh floor psychiatric ward. He's not about to let Faith go into court able to defend herself. He reaches her room with a minimum of trouble, simply telling the nurse on duty that he is her attorney. When the door is opened, Justus is surprised to find Faith lounging on her bed one leg crossed over the other and swinging back and forth while she flicks through a magazine. He would have guessed she'd be climbing the walls. "Well hello counselor." Faith practically purrs when she sees him in the doorway. "I knew you'd come for me. I have to say Justus, you've gotten a lot kinkier than I remember." Faith rises to her feet and prowls across the room coming to stand in front of him, her hands stroking his chest. She tilts her head to one side. "And you know what?" "What Faith?" "I kinda like it." She runs her fingers through her hair. "I bet that pasty princess doesn't like the same games we used to play." "Look at me Faith. Do I look like a man with any complaints? But I have to tell you. Seeing you locked away like a dog? It *does* give me a pleasant sensation. Sort of a warm fuzzy feeling." "Well enjoy it while it lasts Justus because it's not going to last long. My people are going to get me out. The security in this hospital is feeble at best." "I'll be sure to pass along your critique to the family. I'm sure Jason will appreciate it." Justus answers smoothly. "Of course I don't remember ever saying that you'd be staying here. I'm sure that you'll find the security at Ferncliff more to your liking." Faith froze. "You sick BASTARD!" Faith's hand shot up and slapped Justus across the face, putting all her weight behind it. "You know, you're probably not going to convince anyone you're not a threat if you don't stop hitting people." Justus rubs his jaw. "This isn't the middle ages. They don't just check people randomly into mental hospitals." "Random? Oh Faith..." Justus tsked in mock pity. "Poor deluded, unstable Faith. I've been worried about your increasingly violent tendencies for some time now. And apparently so have Ned, Edward, Elizabeth and Ric Lansing. You don't know how lucky you are to have so many people who are rooting for you to get the help you so richly deserve." Faith swung at Justus again, only to have him grab her wrists and secure them with one hand behind her back. "But don't you worry about a single thing Faith. I'm going to take care of your business for you for the next three months. And by the time you get out of Ferncliff you won't have a single thing left... to worry about." Reaching into his front pocket, Justus pulls out a syringe and uncaps it with one hand. "What the hell is that?" "This is what's going to make sure that you put on a good performance for the judge. But don't worry Faith. I'm not cruel. This stuff won't kill you. But you'll probably have one hell of a hangover in the morning. But on the bright side you can rest your aching head on one of Ferncliff's nice padded walls. Won't that be nice?" "Excuse me, Mr. Ward? We need to move Ms. Roscoe. The transport to the courthouse has arrived." An orderly walks into Faith's room and Faith begins to struggle. "No! You can't do this! He drugged me! He's drugged me! He's trying to make me look insane!" The orderly shook his head. "Don't worry Mr. Ward. She's been saying that ever since she was brought in. Once they get her to Ferncliff the doctors will be able to do more for her." Justus releases Faith and steps back, allowing the orderly to put Faith into restraints. "I certainly hope so. For *her* sake." As Faith continues to put up a fight, the orderly begins pulling her backwards through the doorway. When he calls out into the hall for help, Justus blows a discreet kiss. "Goodbye Faith." 1825 Falling Waters Drive: "Carly?" Jason bursts through the front door of the mansion, nearly colliding with Mrs. Landsbury. "Where is she?" "Ms. Caroline is in the master bedroom." Mrs. Landsbury replies stiffly. "I don't believe she is feeling well. I just delivered a pot of tea and a cool cloth for her forehead. It would be best to avoid excess noise..." "She's got a migraine?" "Not at the moment. But I do believe one could be easily triggered by either shouting or the slamming of doors." Mrs. Landsbury answers. "Michael and Morgan are with Lucas at the Brownstone. Lucas asked me to tell you to call him when you wish them to return." Jason is halfway up the steps before all of the words are out of the housekeeper's mouth. She annoys the hell out of him using fifty words when five will do just fine, but she makes Carly's life easier so he can put up with it. Reaching their bedroom, Jason opens the door quietly. "Carly?" The curtains are drawn and the only light comes from a small Tiffany lamp on the night table. Carly is curled up in the center of the bed with a tea tray beside her. "Hey." "What's wrong?" Seeing the legal papers, Jason picks them up and reads them before tossing them off to the side. "You know he's not going to win right?" "I've tried Jase. I have tried being reasonable with him. I've tried making this custody thing work for the boys and it's been working. Michael and Morgan love Sonny they're happy to be with him. I thought it was all going to work out." Carly rolls her tea cup back and forth between her hands. "But Sonny's not going to let that happen. He can't stand it that I'm with you and he really can't stand it that the boys are happy with us." "That's Sonny's problem Carly. It's not ours." "He's made it ours! Don't you get it Jason? If Sonny goes to court with this we could lose them! We could lose everything!" Leaning forward, Jason cups Carly's face in his hands. "Hey. When you needed to get out of Port Charles you trusted me to go with you. You trusted me to take care of things. And when you wanted to come back, you trusted me to make it right and we came back. You've got to trust me again Carly." "I trust you. But I don't trust Sonny. He'll take the boys Jason. He'll take them just to spite me and he won't think twice about it. And if he gets them to his island we'll never see them again." Carly's voice turns flinty. "I'm not going to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder for Sonny. He's not going to get his hands on my boys. You have to take care of it Jason. Because if you don't I will." Jason's jaw worked tightly. "Have I ever let anyone or any thing keep you from your kids? I know you're scared Carly. I know you want to fight something. But don't threaten me. You don't have to. I will do whatever it takes for Michael and Morgan safe and happy." There is a fine wire of tension running between the two of them until Carly breaks it. "I'm sorry Jason." She rests her forehead against his. "It's just that everything has been going okay. All of this. And now there's Sonny hanging over our heads and I don't want to lose our family." "You won't." Jason reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone, dialing Justus' number. "I'm calling Justus and he can tell us what our next move should be."     May Part IV Quartermaine Mansion: "What do you want?" Tracy snarls as soon as Justus walks into the library. "Seeing your smiling face is enough for me." Justus answers cheerfully. "Where's Edward?" "Why do you want to know? It's no use. You can play up to him all you want but he's never going to name you the sole beneficiary." "Oh-kay. Tracy, hasn't anyone warned you about dipping into the sherry before noon?" "Don't play innocent with me! You know Father is rewriting his will. Lee Baldwin was here just this morning. And I don't care what you think but if he names you I'll fight it with everything I have." "Tracy, believe it or not I don't care either way. I had no idea Edward was changing his will. He and I haven't discussed it." "That's because it's a recent decision." Edward announces as he walks into the library and pours himself a glass of water. "It just came to me the other night, Lila and I discussed it and she's in favor of it as well." "What was wrong with your old will?" Justus asks partly to irritate Tracy and partly out of curiosity. "The old will divided everything. The money. The estate. The company. Really it divided the entire family. There was nothing to hold the family together. So I've decided that I'm going to leave everything to one of my grandchildren. Of course there will be provisions for *all* of my children and grandchildren, but essentially it will make one person the head of the family." Justus snorts. "So your plan is to bring the family together in probate court? They say the family that litigates together stays together." "See Daddy? Justus can't possibly grasp how important this is. You can't be serious about wanting to leave him with anything..." "Tracy! Hush! I will not discuss this with you for another second." Edward waves Tracy off. "Now Justus, you didn't just come by here to be insulted by that no good daughter of mine. What brings you by?" "I wanted to let you know I'm going to be out of touch for the next few days. I'm taking Skye out of town while this business with Faith is going on." "Good idea. Do you have someplace in mind?" Edward asks after a minute. "Because I think I know just the place." "I think we'll figure something out." "Daddy, don't let them drag you into their little incestuous melodrama." Tracy snarks from the sofa. "By all means Justus take your drunken guttersnipe and run off into the sunset. Feel free to stay away." She snaps her fingers. "I know the perfect vacation spot for Skye. How about two weeks on Skid Row? I'm sure she'll feel right at home down there with the other drunks and whores..." "Tracy!" Lila's voice is unusually strident as she maneuvers her wheelchair into the library. "I want you to apologize to Justus this instant and then I don't want to see you again until dinner. By then you'll hopefully have your mouth under better control. Do I make myself clear?" "Mother..." "Don't you try and get out of this young lady. You will apologize to Justus at once or you can pack your bags and leave my house forever. I won't tolerate that sort of language about any member of this family." "She's NOT a member of the family! When are you all going to wake up and realize that Gretel Rae's bastard has no place here!" "Tracy this is your last chance." Edward snarls. "You've already upset my wife. Now apologize before I toss you out on your rear." Eyes flashing furiously and fists clenched Tracy turns to face Justus, pure venom dripping from every precisely enunciated word. "Justus, I don't know what came over me. I apologize most sincerely for calling Skye a drunken whore." "It's quite all right Tracy." Justus takes Tracy's hand between his own and pats it sympathetically. "I understand how very difficult it must be for you to have to sit by on the sidelines while all these 'outsiders' earn the trust and respect in such a short time that you've failed to gain in the last fifty years. I'd be frustrated too." Tracy snatches her hand out of Justus' grip and whirls around. "If you'll excuse me Mother, Daddy." "Yes. Yes. Go. Get out." Lila sighs once the library doors are slammed behind Tracy. "I truly don't know what will become of that girl. I am so sorry Justus. Now, tell me, how is Skye?" "Much better." Justus forces himself to release the tension that always comes with any encounter with Tracy. He'd always found it curious that someone so utterly devoid of any noticeable human emotion could have come from someone as full of love and compassion as Lila. "He's going to take her away for a few days and I was just thinking that the penthouse might be nice." Edward interjects rubbing his hands together. "Just the thing for a little get away." "Penthouse?" "Oh that's a marvelous idea Edward. Why don't you ring Richard and have him make the arrangements?" Lila smiles at Justus. "You'll love it. It was our first home of our own. We bought when I was expecting Tracy - we lived there for years until Alan was in his teens. We hardly get into the city any more and the place has just been sitting empty. It'll be nice to have Quartermaines there again, even if only for a weekend. It has the most beautiful views of Central Park. You can be a part of the city or totally hidden away. It's up to you and Skye." "It sounds lovely. Thank you Lila." "Just take care of Skye won't you?" "I will." Ned comes up behind Tracy and taps her on the shoulder. "Mother? What are you doing?" Tracy jumps before whirling on Ned. "Are you blind? What does it look like I'm doing?" "Eavesdropping." Ned replies calmly. "So let me rephrase it. Why are you eavesdropping Tracy?" "I'll have you know I'm trying to protect our future! Yours, mine and your brother's as well! You know that your grandfather is reevaluating his will and that vulture in there is going to hover over Daddy until he dies." "Which vulture? In a family like this one you have to be more specific." "Justus." Tracy stomps her foot when Ned rolls his eyes. "Daddy is lapping up all the attention. It's disgusting. And what have you been doing? Nothing! You're doing nothing to keep your grandfather from signing everything over to that - outsider! First you let AJ robs us blind, then you let that brain damaged killer take over ELQ and now you're just rolling over while Justus Ward finishes this family off! Have I taught you NOTHING about family? Or are you out of your mind?" "Mother. What you know about family wouldn't fill a thimble." "I mean it Ned. It's one thing for you to throw your life away wearing leather pants and yodeling at the top of your lungs but how you can sit by while Justus Ward steals your grandparents blind and robs Dillon's place in this family right out from underneath him... well it's just beyond me!" "Dillon's PLACE in this family is as your son, my brother and that of a 17 year old boy. Those things are hard enough to deal with without you going off every ten seconds about how he's supposed to inherit everything. Dillon's not you. He doesn't care about the money or the power. Dillon wants to be the next Quentin Tarrentino or John Hughes or Coppola. Not Bill Gates. Just leave him alone." Tracy waves Ned off. "Dillon *is* a boy. He doesn't know WHAT he wants. He should at least have the option to head ELQ. But instead he's being forced out by all of Daddy and Alan's bastards." "You know Tracy... if you ever showed half as much concern for DILLON as you do for Grandfather's money Grandfather might consider making you his heir. But you never have. You didn't show any concern for Dillon when you kidnapped him and dragged him off to God only knows where. You didn't show concern for him when you exposed him to your life in the mob. You damn well didn't show concern for him when you dragged him back here and ABANDONED him with Grandfather in the hopes that giving him another one of your kids would make up for all you've done. You never learn Mother. You just never learn." "Now wait just one minute!" "He's right Tracy." Edward emerges from the library. "Ned is right. You don't ever learn. And that is why I will never make you my heir. Why on earth would I put this family's well being in your hands? You couldn't be trusted to raise your own sons with care." Edward shakes his head sadly. "They would have been better off raised by wolves. Wolves wouldn't have abandoned them." "Daddy... don't say that! You don't mean it. And you don't mean it about making Justus your heir. He's not one of us. He never was and he never will be. Why won't you see that?" "No," Edward rubbed his hands together. "Justus isn't one of us. Which is why he's exactly what this family needs. I have plans for this family and unless you want to be out on your ear you won't meddle in them. Do I make my self clear?" "But..." "Do. I. Make. My. Self. Clear?" Tracy's teeth ground. "Yes Daddy. I wouldn't dream of interfering." Park: "You've been pretty quiet today shorty. Wanna tell me about it?" Lucas sat beside Michael on the swings, dragging his feet in the dirt. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Francis with Morgan on the merry go round. "My mom and dad are fighting." Michael answers solemnly. "I didn't think they'd fight any more after we went to live with uncle Jason." Michael leans against the swing chain twisting idly from side to side. "I know Daddy wants me to live with him all the time instead of with Mama and Jason." Lucas debates briefly what to say. "Do you know I didn't always live with the mom I have now?" "You didn't always live with Grandma?" Michael's twisting slows. "Nope. I had a biological mother just like AJ is your biological father. When she died Bobbie wanted me to come and live with her. And my aunt Tiffany wanted me to go and live with her. Everyone was fighting all the time and I didn't know what I was supposed to do because I loved them both." "I hate it when Mama and Daddy fight. Mama's not supposed to be upset. She needs me. I help take care of Morgan and I - " Lucas cringes inside remembering how often he'd felt torn as a little boy. Gently he stops Michael's swing and turns his nephew towards him. "You know what I figured out? You don't have to make this okay Michael. You're not the grown up. It's not your fault your mom and dad fight and you're not the one that has to fix it. You don't have to take sides and you don't have to take care of your mom. Your mom can take care of herself. And if she needs help she's got Jason. And your dad can take care of himself. And no matter what they fight about, or how much they fight there's one thing that's always the same... they all love you and Morgan. So try not to worry so much. It's going to be okay." "Daddy!" Michael flew off the swings and ran across the playground into Sonny's waiting arms. "Hey Michael. Boy have I missed you." Sonny hugged Michael close. "What are you doing out here so late? Hmm?" "Me and Morgan are having a boys day with Lucas. I got to play Grand Theft Auto and everything!" "Yeah? Maybe next weekend you can show me how to play." "Really? We don't have that game." "Well, you never know. Maybe next weekend we'll have it." "Awesome! I'm gonna go and get Morgan so he can say hi!" Michael wriggles free and runs off towards the merry go round. Sonny nods to Lucas. "Hey Lucas. How's your uncle doing?" "Luke's hanging in there. He's strong." Lucas replies curtly. "Well it's great of you to be hanging out with the boys. Guy like you, I bet you have better things you could be doing on the weekend." Lucas snorts. "You don't really think I'm going to fall for that and let you take them home with you tonight do you? Carly's the one that got shot in the head Sonny. Not me." "Hey!" Sonny holds up his hands to placate Lucas. "I wasn't gonna ask you anything like that." "Good. Because your little bombshell today doesn't exactly inspire trust." Lucas shoves his hands in his pockets. "That's between me and Carly. It's nobody else's business." "You're wrong. It's everybody who loves Carly or Michael or Morgan's business." Lucas watches as Michael and Francis gather up Morgan's stuff from the park bench and make their way across the park. "I haven't said anything to you before. Because I always thought that if Carly loved you then that was her prerogative and I shouldn't say anything. But I'm gonna say it now. I didn't know Stone Cates. So I don't really care if you were good to him or not. And I'm not all that impressed by you shelling out a couple of million every year at the Nurse's Ball. So the only thing I can judge you by is how you've treated my sister." "Don't bring Stone into this. He's got no place ..." "Yes. He does. Because any time anyone says what an asshole you are, someone brings up the fact that you loved this kid like a brother and you treated him well. Big. Hairy. Deal. So what? You felt human compassion. That doesn't qualify you for sainthood and it doesn't give you a free pass to dump on everyone else. Neither does a crappy childhood." "You're out of line. You don't know anything about me and Carly." Sonny's jaw clenched as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I probably am out of line, it's not the first time and it won't be the last time. I just want you to know something. Tonight when I get home I'm going to pick up the phone and call my uncle Sean. He'll probably still be at the WSB headquarters finishing up some paperwork before going home to aunt Tiff and little Anna. We haven't had much chance to get caught up lately and I think now is as good a time as any. So I'm going to tell him what's been going on in my life. Then I'm going to tell him all about Carly. And all about Jason and Michael and Morgan. Once I'm done telling him how good my sister is to me. And how my life wouldn't be the same without her I'm going to ask Sean to look after Carly and her family. So that if anything *weird* happens to Carly or to Jason, you know, like they stub their toe, get a hangnail, die in a fiery hail of bullets, or wind up with cement shoes, Uncle Sean's going to have an investment in finding the person responsible. Same's true if Michael goes off to school one day and just *vanishes*. If something like that happened then I bet by the time Sean's done with them, the person responsible will wish they were dead." "I would never hurt Carly or do anything to hurt Michael or Morgan. Carly is the one that took my sons out of Port Charles. She didn't so much as warn me. I'm not going to spend another four months wondering where my boys are. That's what the custody suit is all about. Me knowing where my kids are." "Sonny." Francis nods curtly as he approaches holding Morgan. "Daddy do you want to play on the swings?" Michael asks hopefully. "I'd..." "Your dad wants to Michael. But it's getting late and we have to get Morgan home in time for his bath. You know how your mom gets when things aren't on time." Michael nods seriously. "Okay." He looks up to Sonny. "Lucas is right. We gotta get Morgan home." He hugs his father around the waist. "Love you Daddy." "Love you too Michael. be a good boy and I'll see you boys real soon." Michael got Morgan settled in his stroller and began to push Morgan down the path towards the parked car leaving Lucas and Francis to follow behind. "What were you and Sonny talking about?" Francis asked after a moment, breaking the silence that had surrounded them for most of the day. "Nothing." "If he said something to you. . ." "Look." Lucas snapped sharply. "You worry about Carly and the kids. I don't need a keeper. I wanted Sonny to know that he can't just do whatever the hell he wants. Not to my sister. If something happens to Carly he's not going to get away with it." "He won't get away with anything." "Yeah? Because from where I'm standing it looks like he shot her in the head and got away with it. Everyone's so determined not to put Sonny in prison because the poor little mob boss is scared of small spaces. Boo. Freakin'. Hoo. He shot her and no one did anything about it. So if I have to go to my uncle Sean and make sure HE does something about Sonny then I will." Francis grabbed Lucas' arm in a tight grip. "Stay out of the middle of this. There's already a shit storm brewing, in case you haven't noticed, and the last thing they need is you bringing the Goddamned WSB into it." Lucas jerked away. "No I'm not going to stay out of this. As long as Sonny fucks with my family I'm going to make sure someone fucks with him." As they got closer to Michael, Lucas opened the limo door and helped his nephew in and got Morgan into his car seat. "That's the Spencer way." "What's the Spencer way?" Michael asked curiously as Lucas and Francis climbed into the back. Lucas reached over and fastened Michael's seat belt. "We take care of each other. Always." He met Francis' gaze evenly. "No matter what it takes." 1825 Falling Waters Drive: "All right. Let's get down to business." Justus walks through the library doors already talking. "I went ahead and filed a temporary change in your custody agreement with Sonny. I didn't think you'd want Sonny picking the boys up for weekends any time soon. Judge Macaffey is likely to go along with it given the fact Sonny had a jet and his own island. If you agree to it Sonny will still be allowed visitation with the boys, only he'll have to do it here and it will have to be supervised." "Can he really do this Justus? Can Sonny take my kids?" "Not if you play this right." Justus unbuttons his jacket and sits down on the ottoman across from Carly and Jason. "My plan is to hit Sonny hard and fast. No recovery time. The hearing on Sonny's petition for custody is in six weeks. Until then I'm going to bury Sonny with so much paperwork he's going to think he's in a blizzard." "I don't want to rely on fancy paper tricks. These are my kids we're talking about. Sonny's not going to let the court stop him..." "Listen Carly I can't help you if you're going to panic every time Sonny files a motion. This isn't a sprint, it's a marathon." "What do you need?" "I need to know how far you're willing to go. If you're going to be tying my hands every time I turn around..." Justus gives Jason a pointed look. "Then I have to know now." "What do you have in mind?" Justus lays out the ideas he's been rolling around in his head since Jason called him a few hours ago. Seeing the shell shocked look on Carly's face, Justus takes a step back, places his hand over hers. "I'm not saying that it will go that far I'm just giving you worst case scenarios. And if there's something that you feel very strongly against - well then, we'll find something else." "And you think that will work?" "I'm not going to lie and tell you it's a sure thing. Nothing's a sure thing. But there are a whole lot of reasons for Sonny to stop this before it goes to court. He has more to lose than just custody of the boys." He stands. "All you have to do is hang on. Don't let Sonny goad you or bait you into an argument. Keep everything nice and civilized on the surface." "I will if he will." Justus groans. "We're screwed." He pulls out a piece of paper. "This is a number where I can be reached for the next week or so." "You're not taking your cell phone?" "And have my vacation interrupted every time Edward gets a whim? I think not." Justus rubs his hand over his face with a rueful smile. "Have I thanked you for that lately Jason?" "No." "Good." Justus' demeanor turns serious again. "There's something else I want you both to think about. I know that Sonny's suffered more than one breakdown. If this gets as ugly as I believe it will you two need to decide if you're willing to testify that Sonny is unstable." Seeing the look exchanged between Carly and Jason, Justus sighs. "I'm not saying that's necessarily the route we'll take but it's an option." "It won't do any good." Carly pulls her legs up beneath her and wraps her arms around her knees. "Sonny's never been treated for it. Not when he had the first breakdown not any time since. And most people haven't seen him like that. Jason and I made sure no one knew about them." "Everyone knows that Sonny's got a volatile temper. His breakdowns may not be documented but people have seen him lose it in public more than once. If the two of you testify to him being unstable I may be able to get a judge agree to having a psychological profile required for everyone involved." At Carly's incredulous snort, Justus pauses. "What?" "You really think that a psychological pissing contest is going to help me KEEP my boys? Remember, Sonny might be crazy but I'm the one that's got the papers to prove it." "Not according to Dr. Lewis. Didn't you say that when you were considering checking yourself into Shadybrook that he tried to talk you out of it?" Justus pulled out a few papers. "What exactly did he say to you?" "He said that I was being extreme. Just because I was having *feelings* for another man didn't mean that I was crazy. He said that going to Shadybrook would be a waste of time. And that any mood swings or problems concentrating was probably because of the bullet and the coma." Carly takes her lower lip between her teeth. "But that doesn't mean Sonny's not going to drag out the fact I was in Ferncliff..." "You had a breakdown as a result of Michael being kidnapped Carly and you received treatment for it. The court can't use that against you." At Carly's doubtful expression Justus expelled a tired breath. "Carly look around you." He instructed simply. "Look at the life you and Jason are building for Michael and Morgan. They have a real home to live in not some lifeless penthouse in the middle of a war zone. Michael's a happy, well adjusted *smart* kid. You aren't going to have a hard time getting a judge to see that this life is healthier for two little boys than being locked up behind six inches of bulletproof glass." "I don't want to lose my boys." "Then it's settled. You do your job and keep Michael and Morgan safe and happy and I'll do my job to shut Sonny down. I know the timing sucks but I'm going to be out of town for a while. That doesn't mean I'm going to be out of touch. You know how to reach me and I'll be setting some legal hoops for Sonny to jump through from where I am." He started to stand up. "Remember what I said - this isn't a sprint. It's going to take time to get motions and counter motions and evaluations and court dates and everything filed and re-filed. Don't get twitchy every time Sonny makes a move." Post-crisis exercise is quickly becoming one of Lucas' routines. The physical exertion makes it easy to collect his thoughts and put them in some sort of order. Only a couple of weeks into staying with Carly and Jason and Lucas already knows the value of a good routine. Routines are very big with Carly and Jason and Lucas has fallen in line easily. His consists of 6am breakfasts with Carly at the kitchen table, just the two of them before Carly starts waking up the rest of the house and before Lucas leaves for school. While normally classes don't start until eight, his school offers a handful of early bird classes for students wanting an extra study period in the middle of the day, or needing the extra credits. Lucas fell more into the first category than the second. He preferred to get the grunt schoolwork out of the way first thing in the morning and leave the more enjoyable classes until later in the day. Credits aren't really a problem- he'd already heard from NYU and PCU his top two choices and theoretically he could have blown off his last semester as a senior but the added classes helped keep his study skills honed for next fall. After breakfast he's got classes from 7-11 then a two hour break, the same time as Guy. They usually spend it at Kelly's catching up on homework, coffee and most of all gossip from Penny. Then back to class for a couple of hours of fine arts electives, home for a swim, some play station with Michael, peek a boo with Morgan, working at the kitchen table while Carly hammers away at her sales pitch for Deception until dinner. Exhausted, Lucas approaches the stables, planning on resting before heading back to the house. He'd spent an hour finishing his homework, called Guy to apologize for bailing on him for the afternoon. Then started out for a walk. The night is cool and crisp and perfectly clear allowing him to see millions upon millions of stars. As much as he loves Carly and her kids, as grateful as he is to have someplace to stay, Lucas is even more grateful to get out from the suddenly oppressive atmosphere in the house. Sonny's news had gone off just the way he'd planned it to like a hand grenade at a church picnic. Maximum blast. Maximum carnage. Dickhead. And it's not like he's naive enough to think that the little 'talk' he gave Sonny in the park means anything to him. He knows Sonny thinks he's just a mouthy kid with nothing to back up his threats and what Lucas hates most is that he's right. It pisses him off to be stuck on the platform watching as a train bears down on his sister and not being able to pull her off the tracks. And with that thought Lucas knows that he's finally done it. He's finally become his mother. There weren't enough fingers on enough hands in the world to count the number of times he'd heard their mother say something similar about Carly. It seemed like Carly was doomed to spend her life on the railroad tracks and the cost of loving her was having to sit by and watch. The whole things is depressing and sad and makes Lucas' heart hurt just thinking about it. Walking into the stable Lucas is struck by how warm it is. The stalls are all cleaned out with the doors open, not so much as a bale of hay for him to sit on. Reaching the end of the stalls he finds what is obviously an office. A bank of monitors lines one wall, there's a baker's rack with a coffee maker and a microwave tucked in what looked like a closet with the doors taken off, desk in the middle of it all piled with papers and various mechanical bits and pieces. On the far side of the room is just what Lucas didn't know he was looking for. On the sofa with an arm draped over his eyes, Francis is sleeping. Quietly, Lucas pushes open the office door and steps inside, unsure of exactly what he's doing. He's one step into the room before Francis speaks. "You always walk into a barn uninvited? What? Were you raised in a house for god' sake?" Lucas laughs. "How long have you been waiting to use that line?" "Since I moved in." Francis removes his arm from his eyes and swings his feet to the floor. "What are you doing here?" "Out for a walk. I wasn't expecting to find anyone out here. Don't you guys work out of the carriage house?" Lucas walks through the office towards the monitors. "Can you see everything with these?" "The grounds, the windows and all the entryways." Francis answers. "And it's one of the perks of being your own boss. You get the good stalls to sleep in and your own office." "What about time off? You haven't been at Balor lately." "I don't exactly work nine to five." Francis answers watching as the kid proceeds to make himself perfectly at home behind his own desk. "And I thought you were only there because of the drinks." Lucas ducks his head slightly. "Yeah. That was a lot easier to admit than the truth. Like if I just didn't say it it wasn't real." He gives a self depreciating smile. "But nothing's ever that easy." Deciding to let him off the hook, Francis nods. "No, it's not. So what are you really doing out here?" "Carly's set to go off any minute now." Lucas answers bluntly. "I'd rather not be around to be sacrificed on the alter of a Spencer woman's temper." Lucas flashes his dimples. "That's what you guys get paid for." Lucas begins moving into Francis' personal space as he talks. "So what else do you do back here where no one can see you?" Francis picked a beer up from beside the sofa and took a long drink obviously weighing his answer. "That's a loaded question." Lucas took another step, pried the bottle of beer from Francis' fingers and lifted it to his own lips. He finished it off with one swallow and laid his hand on the front of Francis' shirt just skimming over the soft material. "I bet the answer'd be loaded too." And for a brief second Lucas sees the same look that had come over Francis the first night they'd met - it wasn't a look Lucas was familiar with but one he recognized instinctively - hunger. And then it was gone concealed again behind the cool dark shutters of his eyes and Francis is back to being torn between amusement and annoyance. He retrieved the now empty bottle and turned to place it on the side table before facing Lucas again. "I think there's enough going on with your sister without setting off any more explosions don't you?" Lucas frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but changes his mind at the last minute. "Right." His expression clearly disbelieving. As the silence grew, Lucas sighed. "You don't have to be this way you know. It's not like I'm going to jump you if you relax a little bit. The whole day we were with Michael you hardly said anything." "No one can ever accuse you of beating around the bush." Francis replied after a minute. "Honestly kid? Around you I feel like a limping wildebeest on the savannah. You've got it in your head that something's got to happen here and I can't seem to convince you it's not going to." Ignoring Lucas' defensive body language Francis reached for a second bottle of beer hitting the cap against the edge of his desk. "So I'm going to tell you again, you're about fifteen years and a whole lifetime too young for me." He took a deep drink and rubbed a hand over his mouth when he was finished. "You're tempting. I won't deny it. But that's the nice thing about getting older - time gives you a little perspective and that translates into common sense. No matter how tempting you might be I'm not going to do anything about it." Suddenly Lucas' posture relaxed his entire body seemingly boneless leaving him with quicksilver movements. One arm pressed across Francis' collarbone and taking advantage of his surprise, five big steps had the older man pressed against the office wall. Francis reached up to knock Lucas' hands away only to have Lucas' fingers tighten in his hair just this side of painful as he pulled Francis into another kiss. This time Francis doesn't bother with the niceties. If Lucas was feeling up to playing in the major leagues who was he to stop him? As Lucas' body ground against his Francis' teeth nipped sharply at Lucas' bottom lip before devouring his mouth in an angry and passionate kiss filled with weeks of pent-up irritation and frustration. He grabbed the sides of Lucas' face between fingers of steel and twisted so that Lucas' back slammed up against the wall. He deliberately let one rock hard thigh slip between Lucas' legs and the contact sent Lucas arching towards him like a moth to a flame. The kiss went on and on until Lucas jerked against Francis' hold and gasped for breath. Completely pinned by Francis' immovable body and his demanding lips Lucas decided that breathing was really overrated. When Francis is satisfied that Lucas' mouth isn't going anywhere his hands are free. One lands tightly on the back of Lucas' neck - fingers carding through his hair and squeezing the soft flesh there. The other moved relentlessly down his throat to his chest over his heaving stomach. Reaching into his waistband Francis tugged Lucas' shirt up and ran his fingers over the sparse trail of hair just below his belly button. Lucas let out a strangled moan and thrust forward giving Francis free reign with his body just so long as he didn't. . .stop. Son of a bitch! Feeling Francis' hands withdraw Lucas opened sex-drugged eyes and glared at Francis. "What the hell is your problem?" "I shouldn't have done that." Francis scrubbed his hands over his face and met Lucas glare for glare. "And why in the hell did you let me?" Lucas snapped angrily. "Why do you think? I wanted it. That's why I let you. That's why I kissed you that first night. That's why I've done everything but wear a sign that says 'Take me' for the last two weeks. I *know* what I want. What I don't know is if you're really this dumb or if you're just a prick tease!" Taking more than a few steps back, Francis works to recover his senses. "Get out. Get out and for the love of God stay out. Do yourself and my sanity a favor and find someone your own age to torture. But whatever the hell you do don't come back here and don't come around me." "So what? Was that supposed to teach me some kind of lesson? Because if it was I've gotta tell ya' - giving me exactly what I want? It's not the best way to get rid of me." Lucas turned on his heel. "But I'll go. Not because I believe any of this 'I'm too old for you' bull but because you're being an asshole." Once the office door slams shut Francis resists the urge to lock it but just barely. Library: "No. I understand that. . ." Carly's voice trails off. "No. Really. It's not that I don't appreciate the opportunity. . ." She falls silent again listening to the nonstop babble on the other end of the line. "But Lucy. . ." Sighing she gives up on trying to finish a sentence, instead walks around the room picking up Michael and Morgan's loose toys and depositing them in their individual toy boxes all the while making the occasional grunt to let Lucy know that she was still listening. Idly she can't help but wonder if anyone ever thought of registering Lucy Coe's mouth as a lethal weapon. The more Lucy talked the more Carly had the urge to kill someone. "Right. Of course I'll be happy to help with the Nurse's Ball." Carly grinds out between clenched teeth. It's for Deception. She reminds herself. Another month of humoring Lucy and she'll have Deception all to herself. No Laura and her ugly all white office space. No Face of Deception contest or Liz Webber's poor man's Audrey Hepburn imitation. She's already got campaigns planned for the fall and winter as well as ideas on redecorating the entire office space. Her old office will make a nice nursery for Morgan on the days she wants to bring him to work with her. In spite of her flakiness Carly has to admit that Lucy would be more than a little helpful in setting up office. After Elton's wedding planning business went belly up Lucy hired him to work for Jacks Cosmetics only to have Elton and her own assistant Don nearly come to blows so Lucy was willing to throw in Elton's contract as part of the deal. Besides. How awful can the Nurse's Ball really be? Once she's off the phone, Carly sits on the edge of the coffee table, running her hand over one of Morgan's stuffed bunnies. As annoying as doing business with Lucy was it was a perfect distraction from the threat of the upcoming custody battle. It gave her something to do besides get 'twitchy' as Justus put it. So instead of hunting Sonny down and ripping him to shreds she's sitting in her library quietly trying not to lose her mind. The longer she sits the worse the urge to 'do' something, anything gets until she can feel herself seconds away from exploding. "Excuse me Miss Caroline?" Mrs. Landsbury appears in the doorway. "There's a call for you. Your mother." Snapping out of it, Carly looks up with a distracted smile. "Wha-? Oh. Okay. I'll take it in here. Thanks." Setting aside the stuffed bunny, Carly reaches for the phone. "Bobbie! Hi." "Hi sweetie." Bobbie's voice sounds tired even halfway across the world. "I'm sorry I haven't called before now but things have just been crazy ever since Lucky and I landed." "That's okay Mama. I figured you were busy." Carly curled one leg beneath her on the sofa. "So? How is he?" "Oh you know Luke. He's tougher than he looks. I think he's going to be all right. Some of the swelling around his spinal cord is starting to go down and one of his legs only has a hairline fracture. All in all it could have been worse. Much worse. He was lucky." Bobbie sighs. "Of course he doesn't see it that way just yet. It's been a full time job just to get him to stay put. Lucky and I have been taking turns at the hospital." "And of course Luke hasn't bothered to thank you for being there right?" Carly rolls her eyes so far back in her head she's pretty sure she can catch a glimpse of grey matter. "You should just leave him there." "I can't do that honey. We're all that Luke has. No matter how rotten a mood he's in he really does need us right now." "What he really needs is a kick in the ass." Carly snorts. "Was he at least happy to see Lucky?" The silence on the other end of the line tells Carly everything she needs to know. "Of course not because he's a jerk. Mama I don't know how you can defend a man who doesn't even love his own kids! I know he's your brother and everything but he has two healthy, normal, good kids and he treats them like crap. When's the last time he's seen Lu? Six months? A year ago? He's so *freakin'* lucky to have kids only he's too stupid to see it. Most people would do anything to be with their kids but oh no! Not Luke Spencer." Another silence on the other end of the line brings Carly's rant to an abrupt halt. "Sorry. I don't mean to lay it all on you. I just - I don't get it." "Caroline? Is there anything you'd like to tell me? And don't say 'nothing' because I know that little diatribe didn't just come out of thin air. Spill." Deflated, Carly sinks deeper into the sofa. "Sonny's filed for sole custody of the boys. He's taking me to court to take away my kids and I want to *kill* him and then there's Luke who couldn't care less about his kids." Carly tugged at the corner of one of the throw pillows. "Sonny's filed for custody? When did he get a death wish? And what are you going to do about it?" "Justus is taking care of the paperwork. He's filing to get Sonny's visitation changed until we can get to court. His visits will be here at the house and monitored just to make sure that he doesn't try and take my kids and leave the country." Carly gives a bitter laugh. "I guess this is what karma looks like." "Stop it. This isn't karma or anything like it Carly and you know it. It's Sonny being spiteful. What happened? I know something had to happen to set Sonny off. What was it?" Immediately on the defensive, Carly tensed up. "I didn't do anything. I've been keeping my side of the arrangement. Michael and Morgan were spending the weekends with Sonny and he's decided that's not enough." "Did I say YOU did anything? No. I asked what happened." The 'I'm on your side' is implied. "It was parent/teacher conferences." Carly rubbed her temples with her free hand. "And with me, Jason, Courtney and Sonny all there believe it or not things went from perfectly civilized straight to hell." Bobbie groans. "Oh Lord." "Michael had to make a family tree and he put Jason in half of the box for 'father'. Sonny saw it and he hit the roof. He thinks I'm trying to shut him out of Michael's life and replace him with Jason." "And Sonny being Sonny. . ." Bobbie's voice trailed off. "Honey - if you need me I can be on the first plane home." Carly swallowed around a sizable lump in her throat. "What about Luke?" "He's my big brother but you're my baby girl. Just tell me what you need me to do." Carly is silent for a minute before releasing a pent up breath. "No. It's okay. I'm not going to lose it or do something stupid. I promised Jason that I'd give Justus a chance to get this worked out before I do anything." Of course that didn't stop her from wanting to grab her kids and run. As if reading Carly's thoughts Bobbie answers. "I know how hard this is. I know you must just want to take Michael and Morgan far away again, someplace Sonny can't touch them. I would too if I were you. But I'm asking you not to. Not yet. Baby you've got a *good* life in Port Charles now. Don't let Sonny chase you out of your home. Not again. You're not the one that's wrong. Sonny is. Stay and fight it out." Carly's voice is small. "What if I lose Mama? What if I stay and I fight and I lose anyway and he takes my kids? What do I do then?" "That's not gonna happen Carly." "You don't know that. You can't promise that." "No. I can't. Nobody can predict the future but I'll tell you what? If the unthinkable happens and you lose? I'll pack your bags and your brother and I will be on the first flight to wherever you, Jason, Michael and Morgan wind up." Bobbie lets that sink in before continuing. "And remember - you were gone for three months and Sonny never even came close to finding you in South Carolina. He looked all over the world and didn't think to look in your old backyard. You can do this Carly. I know it. But not if you're just waiting for the other shoe to fall. You've got to hold it together." "So I guess taking a gun and shooting Sonny in open court is out of the question?" Carly can't help but snap. "Of course it is. If you're going to kill Sonny at least make sure there aren't any witnesses." Shocked, Carly can't help but laugh. "BOBBIE!" "What? I'm just sayin'. . ." There's a knock on Bobbie's hotel room door. "Damn. Carly I've got to go. It's my turn to sit with the beast." "Listen don't let Luke run you ragged Mama okay? If he gives you too much crap put a Brittany Spears CD in a boom box and turn it all the way up and leave it on. Either he'll kill himself or he'll get out his wheelchair and walk over there and turn it off himself. Either way, you win." "I'll hang in there if you will. And CALL me if you need me. Now, before I hang up how's your brother?" "Sneaky. Moody. Sullen. Obnoxious. Know-it-all." "So he's a typical 17 year old *and* a typical Spencer. That's good to know. Tell him to give me a call all right? Love you." "You too." Carly hung up the phone with some of the weight lifted off her shoulders and walked into the kitchen where she found Mrs. Landsbury working on dinner. Reaching the older woman, Carly surprised her with an impulsive little hug. "Thanks." Stunned, Mrs. Landsbury returned the hug with a puzzled look on her face. "May I ask what prompted this sudden expression of affection Miss Caroline?" "The phone didn't ring." Carly said by way of explanation reaching out to filch a cherry tomato from the salad bowl. "I beg your pardon?" "If Bobbie had called *me* the phone would have rung. But it didn't so that means someone must have called *her* and it wasn't me." "Ah." Mrs. Landsbury swatted at Carly's greedy fingers. "I do hope I didn't overstep my bounds Miss Caroline but in my experience there are situations that require a mother's touch."