The Story of Us ~* May *~   Part V    Part V Kelly's: "We need to do something about the waterfront." Ned ignores the social niceties he knows Jason hates and moves directly to the point. "Good morning Ned." Carly greets him with a fake smile. "Would you like some coffee?" "No thank you." Ned brushes aside Carly as an annoyance. Opportunities to have a face to face conversation with Jason were few and far between. Normally he was hidden from the family either by the fortress-like house on the river or his personal army or the armed pit bull he calls a 'secretary'. Without waiting for an invitation to sit down he knows is unlikely Ned pulls out a chair and sits down at the diner table across from Jason. "ELQ has a chance to make a killing on the docks." Lifting her coffee cup to signal Penny, Carly laughs. "They won't be the first." When Penny approaches Jason holds out his cup. "The docks have never been profitable for ELQ. The property is in too many pieces. It's divided between Sonny's operation, ELQ and that leasing company Pride - Phillips." "Not to mention the fact that people get beaten, shot at, kidnapped or blown up on the docks. A lot." Carly stirs sugar into her coffee feeding two addictions, caffeine and sugar, at once. "It tends to not make families want to spend their Sundays down there. Go figure." "That's what I'm talking about." Ned presses on. "Pride - Phillips may be receptive to a buy out." "Why now when they've said 'no' for the last five years?" "The late owner's wife Mrs. Phillips is sort of an 'eccentric'. She wanted to keep the docks for some romantic reason - anyway she's just been declared incompetent after she tried to have her dog stuffed. . ." "Huh? I thought a lot of people did that." Carly interrupts. "It might be creepy but I didn't think it was illegal. . ." Ned shrugged. "I guess it's not a good idea if the dog is still alive. Anyway - all her shares are going to go to her son. I've talked to him and I know for a fact that he doesn't want to be stuck in Port Charles with running the old family business." "And what about Rocky Pride?" Jason grimaces. "I offered to buy her shares in the company twice. The first time she said 'no thanks', the second time she tried to push me out a third story window." "Excuse me?" Carly blinked. "She did *what*?" "She said she doesn't like to repeat herself." Jason nodded at Ned. "If you want to deal with her on behalf of ELQ feel free. Write up a fair proposal and have it on my desk before you make the offer. But you might want to wear a parachute when you go to her office." He sipped his coffee. "Shouldn't Justus do it?" Ned asks quickly. "Justus has a full plate." Carly points out. "Besides -" She adds with a toothy grin. "Justus is too valuable to be cannon fodder." "Thanks a hell of a lot." Reaching out to Jason's plate Carly grabs a piece of toast as she stands. "Okay - this was fun and all but I have to get going. Mrs. Landsbury's got interviews lined up for the rest of the morning. Jase, you sure you don't want to sit in?" She rolls her eyes at the expression on Jason's face. "Didn't think so. Later." She presses a lingering kiss on his lips before sticking the toast between her teeth and pulling on her jacket. At the door Carly stops and adjusts Stephen's tie. "Remember if anything happens - the safest place for you to be is in front of the bullet that gets him cause otherwise you have to deal with me." Ned glanced at Stephan after Carly had left. "Nice. Does Carly always threaten you?" Stephen's expression closed off immediately and smoothed the front of his tie. "That wasn't a threat. It was a reminder." He added with a smirk. "You know, since we're all chatty, would you mind keeping your mother from pawing me? Otherwise ELQ is going to have the mother, pardon the pun, of all sexual harassment suits." Central Park: Walking into the penthouse Skye can't keep her jaw from gaping slightly. She was accustomed to money and the privileges that came with great wealth but even by those standards the Quartermaine penthouse was opulent. Beside her Justus let out a low pitched whistle. 'Whatta dump." Surprised Skye couldn't help but laugh. "We should have just stayed at the Holiday Inn." Stepping further into the foyer, Skye sets down her purse on the round antique inlaid table in the center of the round entryway. "I'm trying to picture growing up here like Alan and Tracy did as kids. It's more like museum than a home." Even as she speaks her eyes take in every detail from the ornate moldings to the intricate pattern of the parquet floors. Justus shudders. "Please don't. The image of Tracy as a child is disturbing." Taking Skye's hand he pulled her through the open doors leading to the living room. On the far side of the room are floor to ceiling 15' tall windows and a set of double doors leading out to a terrace and an unparalleled view of Central Park. "Damn." Skye tilted her chin up to study Justus' frown. "What?" "I'm going to have to thank Edward." "You can't fool me you know, you love that old man." "Against my better judgment. Just when I think I've had enough of him a little voice in the back of my head reminds me that Granny Mae must have seen something good in him to love him the way she did. So I'm stuck trying to find that same good in him." Justus' teeth flashed. "Some days it's easier than others to find it." The phone on the desk in the living room rang and Justus rolled his eyes. "I'll give you two guesses who that is and the first doesn't count." "Speak of the old devil." Skye let go of Justus' hand and crossed the room, her feet sinking into the plush rug. "Hello? Quartermaine House of Hotcakes. This is Darlene how may I help you?" Edward harrumphed on the other end of the line. "You must be feeling better already if you're back to your mouthy ways." Skye cocked one hip against the desk and crossed her arm below her breasts. "Edward the penthouse is lovely. Thank you." Listening carefully Skye would almost swear that she heard Edward smiling. "Yes, well don't the two of you get too comfortable there in New York. You've got a home right here in Port Charles. I just wanted to make sure you were there." Edward's voice took on a sly quality. "Skye? I don't suppose I could steal a few minutes of Justus' time?" Skye's lips curved into a smile. "Edward? Grandfather?" "Yes my dear?" "You suppose right. Justus isn't doing any business today." She caught Justus' gaze across the room and rolled her eyes. "That's why some people would call this a vacation. I know you remember what they look like." Edward spluttered. "Now see here!" "Goodbye Edward." As soon as Skye replaces the receiver in its cradle the phone rings again. Skye picks it up, not bothering to listen. "Grandfather - every time you call I'm going to add another week to our vacation. At the rate you dial Justus and I won't be back until we're your age. . ." *CLICK* After Edward hung up fast enough to set a new world's record, Skye turned to Justus. "So, what surprises do you have up your sleeve?" "A good magician never reveals his secrets." He winked. "Besides I don't keep my really *good* secrets up my sleeve." "Oh? Now that's a challenge if I've ever heard one." Port Charles Hotel: ELQ Offices: "You can't be serious." Stephen stood up from behind the reception desk making no attempt to conceal his sidearm, the sight of which made Alcazar's men twitch. "I wish to speak with Mr. Morgan." Lorenzo answered without missing a beat. "If you will check you will find that I'm his 4:30." Stephen feigned checking the date on his calendar. "Funny, I didn't think it was already the 12th of never." Lorenzo gave a thin smile at the guard's attitude. "I am currently a majority stockholder in Phillips Inc. Any dealings Morgan has with Phillips will be done through me. I'm sure once you explain the situation Jason will be happy to hear what I have to say." "Well so long as you're sure. . ." Stephen motioned to the waiting area. "Have a seat, but don't get too comfortable." "Just tell Jason I'm here." Stephen walked into Jason's office and closed the door behind him. "Alcazar's waiting outside for a 4:30 appointment." Jason looked up from a stack of personnel files. "Alcazar?" "Says he's the majority shareholder in Pride Inc. I'm guessing he wants in on the docks project. You want me to kick him out?" Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. "He'll just come back. Send him in, but call Ned and Jax. Tell them if they're so interested in the docks that they'd better get in here in the next fifteen minutes. This is *their* pet project not mine." "Got it." Stephen turned on his heel and opened the door motioning Alcazar in and effectively cutting his guards off as they tried to follow their boss into Jason's office. "Eh. Eh. Eh. You two can wait here. Chances are Jason won't kill him." Once he's sure the others won't rush in, Stephen once again takes his seat at the front desk, muttering under his breath. "Chances aren't that *good* that he won't kill him. . .but what the hell? You pays your money and you takes your chances." ** Jason barely acknowledges Alcazar when he walks into the office. "What do you want?" "A share of the new docks renovation projects that ELQ is spearheading this summer. As a partner in Pride Phillips I think -" Jason waved off the rest of Lorenzo's speech. "I'm not interested in what you think. If you want to talk about the docks project you need to talk with Ned because he and Jax are going to be the ones making it happen. They should be here soon and you can give them your ideas." Jason fixed Lorenzo with a hard glare. "And if you were wondering this isn't going to work." "What?" "Trying to get to Carly. You think if you bait me enough I'll do something and Carly will try to come to your rescue like she did in the panic room. She won't." Lorenzo hefted a silver paperweight from Jason's desk. "You think. But you don't know do you? Carly's feelings for me run deeper than a man like you would ever understand." "Probably." "You're just like Corinthos. You think you can keep her locked away and that'll change how she feels. But you can't be watching 24 hours a day. One day you'll wake up and Carly will be gone. She's just biding her time with you." "I don't 'keep' Carly anywhere she doesn't want to be. She can go if she wants or kick me out if she wants." Jason leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the desk. "But it hasn't happened and if it does? It won't be today." There's a short rap on the door before Ned and Jax poke their heads in. They both pull up short at the sight of Lorenzo. "Jason?" "Alcazar's here about the docks project. You two are in charge of it. You deal with him." Jason says dismissively. "You can use Justus' office if you need to." "What are you talking about? I don't have any intention of doing business with this arms dealer." Jax's voice raised. "That wasn't in any of our plans." "Then you should make better plans." Jason returns to his own work. "You two brought Pride Phillips in on this and he's got control of half the company. You can get me a copy of your report in the morning. First thing." He added for Jax's benefit. He watched as Stephen ushered the three of them out of his office closing the door tightly behind them. Jason rubbed his forehead wearily. He never thought he would miss meeting with the five families but compared to ELQ politics and Quartermaine family politics he was longing for the good old days when everyone just wanted to shoot him in the head. Reaching past the picture of Carly, Michael and Morgan on the corner of his desk Jason picked up the phone and dialed. Carly's cell rang four times before she came on the line. "WHAT? Suddenly grateful not to be home, Jason leans back in his chair again. "Hey." Carly's voice takes on a slightly less murderous tone. "Jason. Sorry." "Tough interviews?" "You have no idea. We've seen about fifty already and none of them are worth a damn. The last one was so old she must have been Jesus' nanny." "Is Leticia still there?" "Thankfully YES or else I would have opened fire about two hours ago." Carly heaved a dramatic sigh. "And I've already tried begging Leticia to stay. Begging. Bribing. Whining. Threatening. Cajoling. Did I mention bribing?" "Yeah." "Good because I tried that one twice." "Carly she's due any day now." "In case you weren't sure Jase this is *not* a good time to be logical with me." "Let the housekeeper do the interviews." "Mrs. Landsbury. Her name is Mrs. Landsbury." "Whatever. Let her narrow down the applications and then you can pick who you like from those." From Carly's heaving sigh Jason knows immediately it's a good time to shut the hell up and let Carly do what she wants. "I'm gonna try and get out of here early tonight you gonna feel up to a pool game?" "At Jake's?" For once Carly's tone is distinctly unenthused. "I was thinking at home." Jason answered. "We could have an early dinner with the boys and get them in bed. . ." When Carly speaks next her tone is considerably lighter. "Meet you in the kitchen in - say two hours?" "All right." Jason hangs up the phone and attacks the piles of paperwork with a renewed interest. New York: The deep tones of the front bell snaps Skye out of her meditation and she moves from the penthouse's sun room to the foyer. She rolled her shoulders as she padded barefoot across the marble floor. Meditating hadn't been something she'd ever done before but Lady Jane had sent her several books on it a few months ago and with everything that happened with Faith Skye felt inclined to give it a try. She spent some time each morning in quiet contemplation. It helped being able to get herself centered before facing her day. Ever since she and Justus had arrived at the Central Park penthouse Skye felt at home in a way she didn't quite know how to explain. Reaching the door, Skye opened it to find a delivery man on the other side. "Skye Quartermaine?" "Depending on the day, yes." Skye answers ruefully. She still wasn't sure on the legalities of having more last names than Liz Taylor so she tended to answer to Chandler, Jacks, Quartermaine or any combination of the three. The delivery guy looked at her confused for a minute before shrugging it off. "Sign here." Skye scrawled her name at the bottom of the sheet and returned the clipboard to the delivery guy. "Here you go." He reached down and handed Skye a bouquet of exotic looking flowers. "Thank you." Clutching the orchids to her chest, Skye nudged the door closed with her foot and set the bouquet down on the foyer table. Hearing Justus' footsteps, Skye turns towards him, a smile on her face. "Justus they're incredible." "What's incredible?" Emerging from the library Justus came to a stop in front of Skye. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss into the curve of her neck. "They are incredible." He replied slowly after catching sight of the distinctive flowers. "And you deserve them but I'm afraid I can't take the credit for them." Unconsciously Skye leaned into Justus' embrace, savoring his warmth and the solid build of his chest. "Then who? Edward?" Spotting the single card among the beautiful blossoms, Justus plucked it out and handed it over watching Skye's confused expression as she read it. "Sincere wishes for your recovery. . ." She read. "And there's not signature. Just a 'P'." She ran her fingers over the stylized crest at the top of the card. "And a dragon?" "He always was excessive." Justus took the card from Skye and glanced at it. "These really are beautiful. What are you going to do with them? Plant them at the lake house?" "I could ask Lila if she has room in her greenhouse for them." Tilting her head she looked up at Justus curiously. "Who are they from?" "And old - client of mine. His name is Pendragon." Justus' finger reached out and brushed a delicate petal. "You can't just go to the corner florist and buy these you know, they cost a small fortune. He grows his own." "And why is he sending me expensive flowers?" "Because I asked for his help with Faith." Justus answered his expression closing off. "And he's the one who will make sure that Faith's entire organization is dismantled piece by piece while she's locked up in Ferncliff." Skye's fingers played over Justus' tense jaw before cupping his cheek and bringing his mouth down for a kiss. "He sounds like a very powerful friend to have." Giving into the kiss, Justus relaxed almost imperceptibly. "Let's just say I'd rather have him on my side than against me." "This is one of those stories you're going to tell me later isn't it?" "Probably." Justus offered a half grin. "Now. I'm done with work for the morning. And you're through meditating for the morning. . ." He pulled Skye closer, nuzzling her cheek with his lips. "Whatever will we do to occupy the rest of our waking hours?" Feeling her spine liquefy along with the rest of her bones, Skye ran her hands up and down Justus' arms. "I don't know." She let out a soft purr as Justus' talented hands rubbed the small of her back. "Umm. . . pinochle? Cribbage?" Justus snapped his fingers. "Damn. I didn't think to pack a deck of cards. We'll just have to find some other way to entertain ourselves." "Give me a minute. I might be having an idea." Skye wriggled provocatively. "Another minute of that and I'll be having more than an idea." Justus answered with a chuckle just as Skye's cell phone began to ring. "Ignore it. It's Edward." "I can't. It could be Claude with a problem at the casino." Skye sighed regretfully as she reached for the phone. "Unless that boat is on fire tell Claude he's fired." Justus refused to relinquish his hold on Skye and continued to nibble along her neck as she answered. "Hello?" Instantly her posture stiffened and tense lines formed around her eyes and mouth. "Hi Daddy." Half turning in Justus' arms, Skye mouths one word that speaks volumes. 'Adam'. "Wait. Wait a minute. You're in Port Charles? Since when?" Justus can feel the tension in Skye escalate with every word. "Adam I wouldn't have left town if I'd known you were coming. . ." She bit her lip. "Why didn't I call you when I was in the hospital? Because I've been in the hospital more than once since I've been in Port Charles and you've never come before. What's so different now?" Skye takes a calming breath and tries again. "Well I'm sorry you made the trip for nothing but I can't come back to town right now." Suddenly she begins shaking her head vehemently. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'm sorry Adam but now is *not* a good time for a visit. How about Christmas?" Justus doesn't need to strain to hear the other end of the conversation as Adam Chandler's voice increases in volume. "CHRISTMAS? Skye it's MAY! I need to see you. Now I went by the Port Charles Hotel and I spoke with that no account ex-husband of yours and he told me that no one knew where you were. One of those Quartermaine boys just whisked you off into thin air! Well you need to come back right this minute. We have family business to discuss!" Justus felt Skye's temper reach the end of its rope even before she gritted out her next words. "WHAT? What family business is so important that you made an unplanned trip out to Port Charles after all this time? You couldn't be bothered to come and see me on my wedding day. You couldn't have cared less when I was on trial for murdering Luis Alcazar. You didn't care when I nearly froze to death in the park two Christmas' ago. So all this tells me that you want something Adam. Spit it out!" "Your brother is in trouble. I need your help Skye. I need you to come home. The expression on Skye's face at Adam's words told Justus everything he needed to know. Gently he pried the phone from Skye's hand and held it up to his own ear. "Mr. Chandler?" "Who is this? Put my daughter back on the line this minute! "My name is Justus Ward and to answer your question, no, Skye won't be going back to Pine Valley any time soon. She's recovering Mr. Chandler in case you haven't heard from an attempt on her life. And until she's feeling 100% better she's not going anywhere." Justus's thumb traced the soft skin behind Skye's ear. "You don't tell me what my daughter will and won't do! Put Skye back on the line right now! I won't tell you again." "And I won't tell you again. Don't call us Mr. Chandler. We'll call you." Justus turned the phone off and led Skye into the library, pulling her down onto the sofa beside him. "This is so stupid." Skye rubbed a hand over her eyes. "What is?" "Me. Almost forty years old and that man. . . he can still make me feel like I'm 16. For a second there I let myself think that Adam came to see me because he was worried about me. But that wasn't it. That's never it. I could practically hear the wheels in his head turning. He's got some dirty work and he wants me to do it. I should have known it would be about J.R. or Hayley. Or Colby. One of his children." "You know what we need?" "I've tried therapy." "I was going to say 'unlisted numbers'. Trust me, compared to the others in our families we're the sane ones." Tilting her head back, Skye looked deeply into Justus' eyes. "Don't reassure me."         Part VI 1825 Falling Waters Drive: After the tenth potential nanny Carly's thin patience was already faded. By the time they reached the fiftieth she was ready to throw hand grenades. After sensing Carly's darkening mood Mrs. Landsbury prepared a light tea with an assortment of snacks, insisting that Miss Caroline and Mrs. Jennings dine out on the back balcony complete with fresh flowers and crisp white linens. By the time they were done Carly felt more like committing assault and less like planning several murders. She flopped back against the sofa and cast a baleful look at Ethan. "How many are left?" "Ten." Ethan peered out the library doors. "No wait. Make that eleven." Carly covered her face with her hands. "We're never going to finish this. At least not before Morgan graduates from college. I'll die here on this couch of old age and they'll have to drag my body out of here. . ." "I bet I can narrow it down for you." Ethan's dark eyes twinkled wickedly. "Get rid of at least half of them." "How?" "Leticia who cares *how* so long as it works?" Carly placed a hand on Leticia's arm. "Unless you want to be here all night let him." "Just give me a minute." Whistling, Ethan walked out onto the back terrace, pulled out his 9mm and calmly fired five shots in the air. A few screams could be heard along with the front door opening and slamming and the squeal of tires in the driveway. Mrs. Landsbury emerged from the kitchen and caught the guard as he was re-holstering his weapon. "In the future I would appreciate some warning before you begin your firearms demonstration. I'm quite afraid all of the noise has made my soufflé fall." Once Mrs. Landsbury turned on her heel and returned to the kitchen Carly and Leticia burst out in giggles. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to piss off the cook?" Carly asked as Ethan closed the terrace doors. "If I were you I'd hire someone to taste my food." Ethan crossed the library to the foyer, peeking out. "It worked didn't it? There's just one left." He crooked his finger. "Your turn." Carly worked on regaining her composure. It had been hard at first, getting used to the nonstop presence of their security but things were never boring with them around. At the penthouse they were more like fixtures and less like part of the family. A young woman in her mid twenties walked into the library holding her resume. "Hi." Carly accepted the resume and gestured to the 'hot seat'. "Mary Bishop?" "Yes." She held out her hand and shook Carly's. The first thing Carly noticed was how firm the other woman's handshake was in spite of her thin fingers and small hands. "Thanks for waiting. The agency was only supposed to set up a few interviews today but instead we got just about everyone." Carly skimmed the resume and passed it on to Leticia who took a more thorough look. "I'm Carly Spencer and this is Leticia Juarez-Jennings. I've asked Leticia to sit in on these interviews with me because she's been my oldest son Michael's nanny since he was born so she knows what I'm looking for in a nanny. Also, if you have any questions she's the woman to ask because she knows what this job is better than anyone." Where Carly's expression and manner was efficient and businesslike Leticia smiled warmly automatically playing the 'good' cop to Carly's 'bad' and trying to set the interviewee at ease. "It's a pleasure to meet you." After the pleasantries were exchanged and Mary was settled in with a cup of tea, Carly took the floor. "For the last few months I've been a stay at home mom. But this summer I'm going to be going back to work full time and I need someone to stay with my boys - Michael is six and Morgan is almost a year old. Michael's just getting out of school at Queen of Angels so he'll be home most days except Thursdays when he has soccer practice." "The agency said that the position was for a live in nanny?" "Yes. Mrs. Landsbury can show you the living quarters after we finish the interview." Carly answered. "Will that be a problem with your husband or boyfriend?" "My husband was killed in Iraq a year ago." Mary answered matter of fact. "I'm sorry." "It's all right. Connor was with the United States military. I always knew there would be a chance he might not come home." Mary shook her head. "Actually that's part of the reason I wanted to answer the ad. For the last year I've been settling Connor's affairs and my own. I've moved into Connor's grandfather's cabin on Loon Lake. But now that I'm settled in it's been hard to keep busy. So when I saw your ad I thought it would suit me. My eventual goal is to become an elementary school teacher." "Your resume says that you've had experience in daycare?" "Yes. Two years ago Connor and I lived on base and I helped out with the daycare three days a week. It didn't pay much but I really enjoyed spending time with the children. I included all of my letters of recommendation." Mary said. "Along with everyday taking care of the boys you'd also be expected to act as supervision for their visits with their father." Carly pointed out. "He and I are in the middle of a divorce and custody fight. Until just recently he's had the boys on the weekends but that's about to change. Sonny's going to be coming here once a week and spending two hours here at the house with Michael and Morgan. You'll have to stay with them to whole time. Sonny can't be left alone with them." Out of the corner of her eye, Carly caught Ethan's meaningful look. "But that's something that we'll go over with you in more depth if you're hired." When they finished Carly had Mrs. Landsbury take Mary on a quick tour of the house while she and Leticia finished talking. "Well? What did you think?" Carly demanded as soon as the library doors were closed again leaving her, Ethan and Leticia. "I like her very much." Leticia answered. "She comes with excellent recommendations from her last two employers and she's working on a degree in primary education. I don't think you could have found any one better." "Francis is going to want to run a thorough background check if you hire her." Ethan perched in the arm of the sofa. "I thought the hiring agency took care of that?" Leticia frowned. "They did one Francis is just. . ." "Go ahead. Say it." Looking at Carly Ethan said simply. "Francis is just a little on the compulsive side." "A little?" Carly nudged Leticia with her foot. "He's being diplomatic. Anyway I think I like her too. And the fact she wasn't scared off is a big plus." "It's so sad, the way she lost her husband so young." Leticia's expression was sympathetic. "I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to Reginald." Leticia reached for her jacket and slowly pushed herself to her feet. "Well you don't have to worry about that. Reggie's so excited about you and the baby he's not going anywhere anytime soon." Carly squeezed Leticia's hand. "Thanks for doing this. Do you need a ride to the Quartermaines?" "Yes. Please." "Ethan would you take care of that? I'm going to find Mary and let her know the job is hers if she wants it." Carly stood up and helped pull Leticia out of the couch that was so soft it seemed to have devoured the pregnant woman. After letting Mary know she could move in as soon as she could pack, Carly walked her to her car and started making plans for her night in with Jason. Briefly she wondered if she wasn't getting old when a night in sounded like more fun than a night on the town. But then, she doubted that she and Jason would be playing Parcheesi. Friday night and Lucas couldn't get out of the house fast enough. He was pretty sure that he hadn't actually mowed Michael down coming down the stairs but then he hadn't really stopped long enough to check. As much as he loved being 'Cool Uncle Lucas' it wasn't as much fun when Michael had access to him day and night. He was more used to hanging out for a few hours then handing Michael back to Carly. Sliding behind the wheel of Bobbie's Jeep, Lucas digs through his stash of CDs before pulling out a mix of his own creation. "You headed out?" Lucas was so involved in playing with the stereo system that he totally missed Carly walking over to the driver's side window. "Hey! Yeah. I'm gonna meet Guy." "You look good." Carly's fingers smoothed one of Lucas' sleeves. "You're just saying that." Carly grinned. "Probably. Have fun but don't do anything I wouldn't do." Turning the key in the ignition, Lucas waited until Carly stepped back from the Jeep before replying smartly. "If I ever figure out anything that you wouldn't do I'll be sure to avoid it!" "Brat!" "Harpy!" Lucas waves to Ethan on his way out through the gates of the compound and speeds down the road to the center of town where Guy lives with his grandparents. Once he's on the right street he immediately turns his stereo off. Most of the people in the neighborhood are retirees and the last time he'd gone through with the bass vibrating there'd been three complaints to the police department. Mac had brushed them off for the most part but it certainly wasn't the kind of attention Lucas needed to be bringing on himself - or by extension Carly. Pulling up in front of the house, Lucas can't help but laugh. Guy is standing on the porch studiously pretending not to be smoking. "Hey kid. Wanna ride?" Lucas offers. "Only if you promise to do unspeakable things to my body." Guy carefully stubbed out his cigarette and climbed into the Jeep his hands already fiddling with the knobs on the stereo. "You wish. Besides I thought you were saving yourself for whatshisname? Where'd you meet him anyway?" "Ian's his name. Remember that lecture I tried to get you to go with me to at the college? With Professor Parker?" "Give me a break Guy. There aren't enough hours in the day for me to handle my own course load as it is without having extra credit homework for Gay 101." Once they were out on the open road Guy turned the stereo up to a more respectable decibel. "Maybe not, but you gotta admit the oral exams are fun." Guy dodged Lucas' punch. "Anyway Ian is Professor Parker's T.A." "And let me guess - your eyes met across a crowded lecture hall and it was love at first sight." Lucas laughed. "You know me. I'm a big supporter of higher education. It's not like all of us can basically live in our own harem of hot men." "I do not live in a harem." "Yeah? Have you looked around? Does the name Francis ring any bells? Or anything else for that matter?" Lucas sighed. There was just no point in talking about Francis. Carly's head of security avoided him like the plague ever since he moved in. It was becoming a challenge to see just how fast he could make Francis disappear. Mean but sort of entertaining in a vaguely frustrating way. The last thing he wanted was to embrace the cliché of lust/love at first sight but that first night was something that was deeply imbedded in Lucas' brain. "There's nothing going on between me and Francis." "I know. I know. God save us all from good men with common decency." Guy scowled. "Bastard. So since there's nothing going on with you and Francis there's no reason for you not to meet Ian's friend Mark who, by an amazing coincidence just happens to be coming to the club with Ian tonight." Lucas pulled into Balor's parking lot and briefly considered turning the Jeep around and leaving but his social options were pretty sadly limited. It was either hanging out with Guy and his new friends or finding out where Maxie and her crew were going to be for the night and the last thing he wanted to do was baby sit Maxie and her loser boyfriend. "Fine. But if I get bored I'm out of here." "I knew you wouldn't let me down." Guy climbed out of the Jeep and waited for Lucas already lighting a cigarette. "You'll have a good time. I guarantee it." "Right." "You're too wound. You need to relax." Guy slung his arm over Lucas' shoulders. "Living with Carly is enough to make anyone squirrelly." Lucas agreed with a short laugh. "Even when it's not her fault. I'm pretty sure I heard a gun shot when I was getting ready. I don't even bother to *ask* any more." Guy waved at the bouncer as they made their way through the line out in front of the club. they both had fake ID's but the unspoken rule was that anyone could come in and dance so long as they didn't cause any trouble and Lucas had no intention of causing anyone any trouble. 1825 Falling Waters Drive: "You're late." Carly swung one leg back and forth while rolling a bottle of beer between her palms. "I was starting to think I was getting stood up. Like maybe you got a better offer or something." "I hate that office." Jason replied. He pretended not to notice the amount of Carly's skin exposed by her very tiny dress. Rising to the challenge, Carly leaned over, pressing her cleavage against Jason's arm as he came up to the bar. "Poor baby. Anything I can do to make it all better?" Jason plucked her beer off the bar in front of her and took a long drink. He never broke eye contact. "I'll let you know." "You do that. So - your rack or mine?" Carly nodded towards the pool table. "I like yours." Jason deadpanned before moving behind the bar for another beer. "I bet my day was worse than yours." Carly put a little extra swing in her hips as she crossed the grown up play room to the pool table. "E.L.Q." Leaning over the table she gathered the balls. "Yah-huh. You're not fooling anybody here Jase. And I bet you at least got to fire people and take over companies and make V.P's wet their pants. . ." "That only happened the one time." Jason interrupted. "Right in the middle of a staff meeting." He shrugged before getting out from behind the bar to select a pool cue. "He should have done a better job." He cocked his head. "You sure you want Deception? Anderson's job is open." "Ha!" Carly racked the balls with precise movements. "I don't think so. I'm not putting up with Lucy Coe for nothing. Deception's mine." She looked at him from under her lashes. "Besides, I don't think I feel like working *under* you. Least not tonight." Jason lined up his first shot, sending the balls scattering across the felt. "But, since the offices are in the same building I just might be able to fit you in for a nooner or two." "Yeah?" Carly slid her hand down Jason's back as he bent over the pool table and lightly caressed his ass. "Could do." "Your office or mine?" "Mine of course. I wouldn't want to miss any calls just because I was taking lunch." "What about my calls?" "That's just the price you'll have to pay." Carly's fingers slipped further down making Jason jump and miss his shot. He sent her a dirty look. "Carly. . ." "Oops! My turn!" She flashed a megawatt smile in return. Bemused, Jason stepped aside. "You know, I think it should be my office. If I leave ELQ for an hour - it could just go under." Carly rolled her eyes. "An hour? Kinda defeats the whole purpose of the idea of a 'quickie' doesn't it?" "Not if we eat lunch after." Jason watched Carly closely, telling himself all the while he was making sure she wasn't cheating, any more than usual, and not really looking down the top of her dress. "My office." "Nope. But - it is your shot." "We should play for it." "But you always win." Jason looked over his shoulder as he set up the next shot. "Then I guess you'd better distract me huh?" "I'll see what I can do." Balor: "Thanks for coming with me, Lucas," Guy said as they grabbed a table near the dance floor which was packed with gyrating bodies. Guy checked his watch. "Ian said he'd be here a little after nine with a friend of his." Lucas searched the dance floor for a familiar face. His heart sped up at a familiar black short cropped head of hair, but when the man turned, he realized it wasn't Francis. Just as well, he didn't need another lecture. As if he couldn't take care of himself. A shadow fell across their table and Lucas looked up at the pair of guys standing there, each hold two beers. To say they were good looking was putting it mildly. The blonde winked at him while the dark haired man, obviously Ian slid a beer toward Guy. "I'm glad you made it! This is my buddy, Mark. Is this your friend you're always talking about?" When Guy nodded, Ian flashed a grin towards Lucas and offered his free hand to shake. "Nice to meet you, Lucas." "You too." Lucas returned the firm handshake while Mark, the blonde took a seat next to him with the beer mugs. "Come on. Let's dance." Ian grabbed Guy by the belt loops of his jeans and started to pull him out on the floor. "We'll be back." Guy called over his shoulder to Lucas. "Don't disappear." As Lucas sipped his beer Mark put his elbows on the table and regarded the younger man. "So... Lucas. Tell me about yourself." ** "Hey. You paying attention over there junior? I'm about to wipe the floor with you. The least you could do is pretend to care." Stephen chalked the pool cue with a flick of the wrist and nudged Francis. "Where the hell is your head tonight? Hasn't been in the game." "I don't know what you're talking about..." Stephen lined up his shot and sunk one ball after the other. "Right. My mistake." He missed his next shot and moved aside to make room for Francis. He waited until Francis' cue was sliding between his fingers at the cue ball before choosing his next words for maximum impact. "Isn't Lucas a little young for you, old timer?" Francis is just *barely* able to keep the cue from ripping the felt. "What?" His head whips around to glare at Stephen. "I saw him when he came in with his friend." Stephen held out his hand. "By the way, you owe me $500." "How'd you know?" Francis grabs his beer from a nearby table and lifts it to his lips. "About Lucas? I didn't. But I've seen his friend in here more than once. It wasn't exactly a huge leap. What I didn't realize was that you were interested. I never pegged you for chicken hawk." Stephen laughs when Francis flips him off. "I'm not interested. The kid's got a crush. He'll get over it." Francis declares with a little more emphasis than he'd wanted. When Stephen doesn't comment, Francis looks over the rim of his beer to see Stephen leaning on his pool cue trying not to laugh himself to death. "What?" "Sorry." Stephen lies with a chuckle. "It's just that - well you know Lucas is related to Carly?" "So? That's just one more reason. . ." "No. You're missing it. From what I've seen Spencer's don't really do 'crushes'. They do the whole fall in head over heels and stay that way sort of thing." He ticked off names on his fingers. "There was Luke and Laura, Bobbie and Tony, Lucky and Elizabeth Webber, and my personal favorite - Carly and Jason." Francis ran his fingers through his hair. "And aside from Carly and Jason none of them are together now are they?" Stephen pursed his lips. "No. Now that you mention it they're not. So based on past indicators you should be free of Lucas in about. . . oh, three years tops." Groaning Francis takes another drink anticipating a *very* long night. ** Lucas couldn't believe what he was seeing on the dance floor tonight. The first night he'd been here he'd been too worried about being caught to really get into it. But he couldn't have missed this. Men in various states of undress were writhing and grinding to the beat of the music. There were a few couples who looked like they were about to do a live demonstration of some of the things he'd seen on some web sites. Lucas couldn't help but feel envious at the dancers' abandon, the lack shame or concern about how they looked. He wondered if he'd ever be that free or comfortable with his body. "Here you go," Mark said as he put a beer in front of Lucas. He glanced in the direction of Lucas's gaze. "Do you want to dance?" Lucas tore his eyes away from the dance floor to raise an eyebrow at the older man. No way was he gonna go out there and make a fool of himself. "Who me? Nah. I'm not in the mood." "You don't have to be self-conscious here. That's the point. Balor's yours, you just have to reach out and take it." Mark laid his hand warmly on Lucas' shoulder before sitting back down. Lucas downed half the beer without thinking. After that it started getting easier. Easier to talk to Mark without worrying about looking or sounding stupid. Easier to get up the courage to get out on the dance floor and easier to get lost in the music. Out on the floor Lucas finally felt like he was coming home the music was a part of him now, the flashing, rolling lights too. Nobody was looking at him like he was a freak. Nobody was wondering anything. Nobody expected him to be anything but there. For the first time in a long time he felt free and the freedom went to his head in a dizzying rush. He felt a warm hand on the back of his neck and he grinned up at his companion. "Hey." "Feels good, doesn't it?" Mark smiled lazily at him as his fingers toyed with the light blonde/brown locks. "Ready to have some real fun?" He gave a little tug and nudged Lucas' attention to the back room of the club. "Thought you'd never ask." Lucas turned in a smooth motion and nearly keeled over when he lost his balance. Whoa, maybe he'd had more to drink than he thought. "I've got you." Mark caught him easily around the waist and propelled him toward the back room.