Here - Chapter 2
Wednesday, 19-Jan-00 18:08:32

152.163.206.213 writes:
Here - Chapter 2

"I would never hurt my son, AJ," Carly spits out, "You know that!"

His face is stony and he studies her as if she is a complete stranger, "Do I?"

She blinks and bites her lip, trying to think her way through this.

He leads them both out into the hallway, leaving the confused little boy staring after his parents.

AJ continues, at ease with a sudden feeling of power, "I don't know, Carly. You abandoned him once, when he was born. You left your child with a known criminal. You lied about paternity. You shot a man in cold blood, in front of a crowded courtroom full of witnesses. You spend time in an institution for the criminally insane. You get out despite your counsellor's recommendation. Then you come to me and tell me that the man you left our son with is an abuser you need protection from." He can see that she is desperate. He can see that something has happened to make her even more unstable than she normally is. "After all of that, I really have no idea whether you would hurt Michael or not."

She takes a deep breath and throws her hands in the air. Her world is spinning out of control. Too fast. Too sharply. Too skewed. "Fine," she tries to sound calm. "Okay. I'll just - we'll just stay here. Like prisoners, AJ. Is that what you want??"

He stares at her, the shadow of a smile playing on his lips, "No. That's not what I want at all."

She rolls her eyes, "Well, we're never going to be the 'happy couple' you have planned! Never!"

He shakes his head slowly, "I don't want that either."

She tilts her head at him, confused and angry, "Then what do you want, AJ?"

He remains silent for a moment, relishing the words he says next. Then he announces, "I want you out of here."

She is shaky now. She knows what comes next, but she does not want to believe it. She blusters, "That's what I'm trying to do, AJ! But you just won't let me!!"

"I want you out of here. I want out of this farce of a marriage. You're leaving. You are not going to make that little boy have to get used to living somewhere else when he's just feeling safe here! And there's no way you're taking my son to Jason, Carly."

A flash of pain and sadness crosses her face and she replies under her breath, "I'm not going to Jason..."

AJ shrugs, "I don't care where you go, Carly. Michael's staying here. You're not."

She hisses, moving closer to him, putting her finger into his chest, "You can not keep me away from my son!"

His eyes soften and he sounds almost reasonable, "Carly, I won't keep you away from Michael. You see, unlike you, I wouldn't cut my son off from one of his parents. You can see him anytime you like. Every day if you want. I don't care. But you're not going to live here as my wife. Not anymore."

She stares at him in disbelief, "You're kicking me out?"

He nods.

Her eyes light up, "I will take everything you've got if you divorce me, AJ! No prenuptial agreement, remember?"

Shrugging, he states, "Who said anything about a divorce, Carly? I'll get an annulment. I should have no problem proving that you went into this marriage under false pretenses. Believe me, I can make sure you don't get one penny. You're certifiable, Carly. And I can prove it."

She takes a step back, for once, at a loss for words.

He raises a brow at her, "Do you really think I'm that stupid, Carly? You never had any intention of making this marriage work!"

She tries to deny the charge, teary-eyed, "No, no! That is not true! I did want to make this work! At first, no, but later, I tried! I did try, AJ!"

"Who do you think a judge would believe, Carly? Me? Or you?"

At that moment, every awful, terrible thing she has ever thought about herself hits her hard and fast. Of course no one will believe me...I'm a liar...

***************

Sonny sits alone in the penthouse, his mind swirling in its own kind of hell. Drinks do not help ease the pain. Yelling at Johnny does not help to ease the pain.

When Johnny announces Jason's arrival, Sonny is almost unable to gather himself enough to stand up. He has no idea what to do with his hands, so he makes himself another drink. "Come in," he calls casually over his shoulder.

Jason walks in, leaning a bit to the side from his injury. He does not say anything, he simply stands in the doorway.

Sonny takes a deep breath, then turns to look at his best friend. Sonny can see by the hurt in Jason's eyes that the younger man is looking for an explanation. Looking for a logical reason. Looking for something Sonny can not provide.

"What?" Sonny says gruffly. Push him away.

Jason's eyes bore into his mentor, a man almost his father. He waits for Sonny to say something, but nothing but silence ensues. Finally, Jason asks quietly, "Can you tell me why, Sonny?"

Sonny shrugs and looks away, taking a swig of his drink, "She's a slut. She wanted it. I wanted it. What more is there to say? You're better off without her anyway, Jason. You deserve better."

Jason narrows his eyes, able to see that Sonny is not being truthful, but, somehow, not really caring anymore, "Better than what? Better than Carly? Better than you?"

"Hey," Sonny tries a carefree smile and another shrug, "whatever, Jason. Maybe better than both of us."

Tension eclipses all desire for either man to speak.

Jason wants more than anything for Sonny to make sense out of this situation for him. For Sonny to tell him anything that would make him understand.

At last, Jason holds out his hands in a helpless plea, "That's it?"

Sonny closes his eyes, still avoiding Jason's. He snaps angrily then, finally looking his protege hard in the face, "What the hell is wrong with you, Jason? It's a simple story! It happens every day. Maybe not to you, but to normal people! Sex, Jason! Sex! It's not that complicated!"

Jason watches Sonny, too far into his own pain to deal with Sonny's. He nods slowly at Sonny, accepting that Sonny has no desire to pull him back to his heart. Accepting that they are finished. That Sonny wants them to be finished.

Without looking back, Jason leaves the penthouse.

Leaving Sonny with exactly what Sonny feels he deserves: nothing.

*************

"Bobbie!"

"Carly!" Bobbie's eyes widen at her daughter's appearance. She is haggard, her eyes are red and swollen, "Carly! What is it??"

Instinctively, Bobbie reaches out and puts an arm around her daughter, pulling her into the foyer of the brownstone. "Come in! What happened??"

"I need - I need," Carly is unable to speak clearly. She is well-aware that she is blubbering, but this is her mother. She feels she can blubber all she needs to.

Bobbie leads her to the living room, helping her to sit on the sofa, growing more and more concerned. "What do you need? What happened??"

Carly swallows hard, "AJ. He kicked me out. He wouldn't let me take Michael! I had to leave him there!"

Bobbie's brow furls in confusion, "AJ kicked you out?? Why??"

Carly's eyes roam to the ceiling. How can I explain this one??? "I-I told him I was leaving him...and I was...but..."

"But what??" Bobbie urges.

Carly shakes her head, trying to pull herself out of the cyclone of emotions overwhelming her. "It doesn't matter, Bobbie. I don't have my son. I have no place to stay. I have no money. No clothes except what I'm wearing. That's where I am right now. It doesn't matter how I got here, does it??"

Bobbie closes her eyes and sighs, knowing that Carly must have really done something horrible to be left with so little. To end up at Bobbie's doorstep. She says, "I don't think I want to know anyway, do I?"

Carly meets her mother's eyes and shakes her head slowly, "Probably not..."

Bobbie takes a deep breath, "The police aren't going to bust down my door if I let you stay here, will they?"

"Um," Carly wipes her eyes, honestly considering the question, "I don't think so..."

"Well, then," Bobbie says somewhat reluctantly, "you can stay here."

Carly lets out a large sigh of relief. She is home.

"But Carly," Bobbie warns, "there are some conditions..."

Carly rolls her eyes and mutters, "Of course."

"Number one: You have to pay rent. Which leads to number two: You need to find a job."

"A job???" Carly looks at her mother as if the woman has been dropped in front of her from some other time. "How am I supposed to think about finding a job when my life has been ripped to shreds!!?? How???"

Bobbie narrows her eyes at her daughter, "Carly, you know I will help you in any way I can when it comes to Michael. I understand you feel like your life 'has been ripped to shreds.' But at some point, Carly, you've got to start asking yourself why your life is always in a shambles. Why are you always in the middle of a crisis? Who puts you there??"

Carly looks down at her hands.

"Besides, you have to eat, don't you? I love you, Carly, but I am not going to allow you to stay here, lounge around, and pay for you to come up with your next scheme. You're just going to have to do what millions of Americans do every day."

Carly stares at her mother incredulously.

Bobbie adds with a pat on the shoulder, "You're just going to have to suck it up, Carly. Suck it up and fix your life yourself."