Here - Chapter 9

"Carly! Where have you been??" Bobbie asks as Carly walks through the front door of the brownstone.

Bobbie checks her watch. It is nearly four in the morning. Bobbie had left her shift early because she had been so consumed with worry over her daughter's whereabouts.

Carly looks at her mother as if not understanding her words at first. Then her expression changes to one of disbelief. I really don't think you want to know where I was, Bobbie...

Bobbie takes a step toward her wayward daughter, "We were so scared! We didn't know if anything had happened to you!"

Carly raises a brow and laughs, "Um, excuse me, but did I just go back in time to 1986 or something?"

Bobbie puts a hand on her hip and scolds, "This is not funny, Carly!"

"You're damn right it's not funny," Carly snaps. "I am a grown woman, Bobbie. I didn't know there was a curfew attached to this place. And I think you gave up your rights to whine about my late hours when you gave me away..."

Bobbie crosses her arms over her chest in frustration with Carly's attitude, "We had no idea how to reach you, Carly! What if something had happened to Michael and we needed to get in touch with you?"

Despite recognizing the truth in Bobbie's words and the possible problems her absence could have caused, Carly remains outwardly defiant. She waves her mother off, shrugging out of her jacket, "Well, nothing happened to Michael, right? And who is this 'we' anyway??"

Bobbie sighs, "'We' consists of me, Luke, and AJ."

Carly lets out a loud, incredulous laugh, "Luke and AJ were worried about me??"

"It's not funny, Carly!" Bobbie repeats more forcefully. Then she adds, "We were ready to call the police...."

Carly rolls her eyes, "Sorry, Mama. But even the cops give people 24 hours to show up. I know I wasn't gone that long."

Bobbie softens a bit, noting that the stern mother approach is not working. She says gently, "Carly, I just don't want anything to happen to you. I know you've been in a lot of pain since Jason left...I'm just afraid you'll do something you'll regret later."

Looking her mother in the eye for a second, Carly considers the older woman's words. Then Carly shakes her head and sweeps by Bobbie, announcing with honest conviction, "I'm done with regrets, Mama."

With sad eyes, Bobbie watches Carly retreat to her room. She is not sure whether Carly's last pronouncement is a good thing...or a disaster waiting to happen.

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

One week later -

"I can't stress enough how important it is that you meet with these people, Sonny," Benny insists.

Sonny's eyes slide to Benny, "Why? We already have a deal with them, don't we? Why do I need to talk to them in person?"

Benny swallows, finding it difficult to brooch the subject again with his boss, "Sonny, like I said before, these guys, they don't know you. And they're the type that like to look into a man's eyes to judge him."

Sonny sighs and checks his watch. He does not like to capitulate to anyone. He does not feel he should have to. He is the one in charge. He is the one who should be calling meetings and questioning people's loyalties.

Benny watches Sonny carefully. The younger man appears to be more himself the last week. More like the Sonny before Brenda. At last, Sonny seems to be coming out of the fog. For Benny, this is very good news.

Thinking for a moment, Sonny rubs his face with a hand, then says, "You call them and set something up. They can choose the place, but," he looks into Benny's eyes, "you make certain they get that it's me calling the meeting. That I'm doing this to check them out. I don't know them either. Jason knew them."

Benny nods quickly, enthusiastic about moving things along - finally, "All right. Not a problem. I'm sure this is all going to work out fine."

Sonny dismisses his business manager with a curt nod.

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

"WHAT?!" Carly rails at AJ.

AJ puts his hands up to calm her down. Then he puts a finger to his lips, "Shhhh!" He motions to the closed bedroom door of their son and says in a hushed yell, "Michael just went down for his nap, remember??"

She closes her eyes, spins on her heel, and heads for the steps, knowing that AJ will follow her downstairs to continue the conversation. He does.

Once they are in the foyer, Carly turns to him again, her finger in his chest, her eyes suspicious brown stones, "Explain this one to me again, AJ??"

Exasperated, AJ tries to soothe his now never-was-wife. "Listen," he begins calmly, "it's only for a week. We'll be back in a week!"

Her eyes widen in anger and disbelief, "Only a week?? You're taking my baby out of town for a week and you're just now telling me! And I'm just supposed to be okay with this??"

"First of all," he says, his own anger growing at her attitude, "he's not just your baby. He's my son too! Secondly, this is not something I've been planning behind your back. This just came up and I'm telling you right now!"

She crosses her arms over her chest, so angry she can feel herself starting to cry. She hates that she cries when she is upset. She feels that her tears make her seem weaker than she actually is. She sniffs hard and attempts to put a rein on her emotions. "So," she says, running a hand through her hair, "you're taking our son to Philadelphia for a week?"

He nods, "Yes."

She goes on tentatively, "So, this trip...it's, um, business?"

He shakes his head, "No."

She blinks slowly, feeling the wind knocked out of her. She asks without asking, "You're taking our son to visit Keesha...?"

"Yes, Carly," AJ replies flatly.

She rolls her eyes, "And this just 'came up?' You expect me to believe that??"

"It's the truth," he says simply.

Carly does not know what to say. She is stunned to suddenly find herself completely powerless when it comes to her own son. No money. No say. She realizes painfully that she can not control what AJ does. She can not control where he takes Michael. She can not control what Michael eats every day. She can't even control who Michael's friends are.

What am I supposed to do??

When she looks into AJ's puppy-dog eyes, so full of pity and empathy and understanding toward her, she realizes that AJ believes he is doing her a favor by even telling her about his plans.

"So, AJ," her voice is shaky, the thoughts rambling through her mind not letting her form a cohesive chain of conversation, "what is this trip about anyway? Are you planning to patch things up with her??"

He sighs, then shrugs evenly, "Honestly, Carly? I don't know whether Keesha and I will be able to salvage anything..."

She smirks, salvage??? She shakes her head and takes a deep breath, placing her hand on her hip and wetting her lips, "And why do you need to take Michael with you on this romantic... what do I call it? A tryst??"

He remains calm and serious, unaffected by her words because he knows that she is just lashing out at him. "Because Michael and I are a package deal, Carly." He can not help but smirk at her now, rubbing his chin with a hand, "Weren't you the one who came up with that little catch-phrase??"

She narrows her eyes at him, a sneer on her lips as she voices her real fear hidden with spite, "So, what? You're taking Michael to meet his new stepmommy? Is that it??"

He sighs again, tired of pointlessly arguing with Carly, "Yes, Carly. That's it. Keesha and I are going to get married. Even though we haven't seen each other in over a year." He waves her away, "Please, Carly. Get a grip."

She will not let it die, the tears are close to the surface, "But it could happen though, right??"

"Of course it could happen, Carly! Anything could happen! But it's not a possibility right now. It's not going to happen on this trip!"

Carly wipes a tear away with an angry fist. Ever since before Michael was born, Carly's biggest fear was losing him. She'd gone to Jason to keep him. She'd lied, cheated, and stolen to keep him. And now, when she has actually stopped lying and manipulating, when she is actually trying to do the right thing, she feels as if she is going to lose him anyway.

The harsh truth hits Carly hard: someday, some other woman would be raising her son. The other woman may or may not be Keesha, but Carly knows that AJ will not remain single forever.

"Listen," he begins again, changing his tone, trying to get the discussion to a friendlier plane, "I've been thinking that, since I'm taking Michael out of town for a week and you won't get to see him, maybe you'd like to take him for a week...?"

Her eyes brighten at his proposal, but just as quickly they become sad again. She snaps, "Take him where, AJ? Unlike you, I don't have a big house. I have one room. I don't have Latecia to watch him for me when I go to wait tables..." Her voice trails off, "How can I keep him for a week?" How can I keep him at all??? she wonders to herself with the rush of a sob.

AJ becomes compassionate, understanding her concerns. His face is kind, "Well, maybe you could leave him here when you're at work. And Bobbie has plenty of room. Maybe she can set up a nursery in the brownstone somewhere." He starts to put a hand on her shoulder, but withdraws it when he sees her pull into herself. "All I'm saying is that we do have options here, Carly. It doesn't have to be all or nothing..."

She looks at him through reddened eyes, a bit more hopefully, but asks with trepidation, "Would you move to Philadelphia permanently if that's the only way Keesha would take you back?"

He is certain, "No. My job is here. My family is here." He looks pointedly at Carly, "Michael's family is here."

The relief she feels at his words is astounding.

If only she had met Jason and Michael on that island instead of starting 'the plan,' maybe they would all be together right now instead of blown apart...

If only she had not been so blinded by her need for Jason, perhaps she could have seen how reasonable AJ could be when they had first gotten married, maybe she really could have built a life with him and their son...

If only she had not drugged AJ when they were friends, destroying any conceivably friendly future between them in the process...

If only she had not slept with AJ in the first place...

She knows now that she has sabotaged herself and her son every step of the way.

She begins to wonder whether Sonny, of all people, is right about her.

Maybe she never really wanted Jason at all.

Constantly pushing herself on a man who, in her heart, she knew would never yield to her advances. Jason was safe for her. And when it seemed as if Jason might be bending, might actually be ready to be with her, she snaps him - and herself - in two by sleeping with the one person she knew Jason would never be able to get past.

Maybe, after all of this, all she really wanted was to self-destruct.

Congratulations, Carly...mission accomplished...

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

Sonny clears his throat and walks up to the nearly empty bar. Luke stands behind the bar, his back to Sonny, as he absently wipes down glasses and replacing them on the shelf. "Luke," Sonny says, uncertain how he will be greeted.

Luke turns his head and just looks at him, waiting. Then he says, "We're not open yet."

"I have some associates from out of town who would like to meet me here tonight. But I wanted to clear it with you first," Sonny explains flatly, clasping his hands in front of him and looking away.

"There are a hundred other places in Port Charles you could go tonight," Luke counters with suspicious eyes. "Why would your associates want to come here?"

Sonny shrugs, looking Luke in the eye now, "They've been here before. They feel comfortable here." He tries a smile and raises a hand, "They like the blues."

"He!!, man, I don't care," Luke goes back to wiping down glasses. "Your money's as green as the next criminal's. And I'm sure you're not going to bring any trouble with you..." His eyes snap to his ex-partner, "Right?"

Sonny's eyes narrow slightly and he gives a slow, calculated nod.

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

Carly is making fantastic tips this evening. Luke's is packed. A blues band from Chicago, ???, is playing live at the club as a favor to the owner. Even Carly admits to herself that she is impressed by her uncle's connections.

"Table 14 needs you," Claude calls over the crowded bar to Carly as he bends to fill a drink.

She nods, "I got it!" and puts her empty tray down, squeezing her arm through a couple of customers with a quick 'excuse me' and a smile to do so. Then she takes a deep breath, runs her hands through her hair, and takes the order pad out of the deep pockets on her apron, ready to phonily greet another tableful of condescending patrons.

She weaves through the crowd skillfully, dodging roving hands and returning distant flirtatious smiles. So used to serving people, she does not even look at the customers as she pulls the pen out from behind her ear. When she does look up, she is momentarily speechless by the illogical sight of Sonny, Benny, and some other obvious not-so-legit types seated at table 14.

"Carly!" Benny says loudly in confused, but pleasant, surprise, causing Sonny to look over his shoulder at her. He sees her, then looks away again.

She nervously looks at Benny, avoiding Sonny's eyes, "Benny. How are you doing?"

Benny stares at her, questions brimming in his eyes. He replies with hesitation, "I'm just fine...uh, how are you?"

She gives him a small smile and nods, "Okay." Then she takes a deep breath, letting her eyes connect with every other man at the table - except for Sonny. The strangers are appraising her curiously. She wants to get away from the table as quickly as possible, "What can I get for you tonight?"

The three men with Sonny and Benny leer at her, then give each other knowing looks and chuckles. A younger man, his dark hair prematurely sprinkled with grey, winks at Carly and says, "What do you recommend?"

Sonny does not look at Carly at all as she answers the question, clearly flirting for her tips. He just watches his companions' reactions to her with steely, morbid curiosity.

After she walks away, she lets out a breath, wondering how she is going to drag herself through this night.

Benny nudges Sonny and asks in a whisper only Sonny can hear, "What's Carly Quartermaine doing waiting tables?"

Sonny shrugs and mutters, "Who cares?" Although he wonders the exact same thing himself.

Benny frowns and looks toward the bar where Carly is shouting their orders to an overworked Claude, "I wonder if Jason knows about this...?"

Sonny clears his throat and ignores Benny's query.

"You know her, Benny?" The younger man asks loudly over the din of the crowd, leaning forward toward the business manager and jerking his chin in Carly's direction.

Benny looks at Sonny first, then looks at their associate, "I know her a little."

"She married?" The man asks, then amends his question, "Forget that!" He laughs, "Is she available?"

Before thinking about it, Sonny hears himself answer in a harsher voice than is necessary, "No."

The three men and Benny look at Sonny in surprise at his clipped response.

Sonny clears his throat and says coldly, "Are we here to talk business?" He locks eyes with each of them in turn, "Or to try and get laid?"

"Maybe both," the younger man retorts, not liking what they have seen of Sonny Corinthos so far.

Sonny clasps his hands in front of him and utters in a friendly, yet menacing tone, "Well, I'm here to discuss business. You want to get laid, do it on your own time. Not mine."

The younger man, who is senior to the men on either side of him, clucks his tongue on the roof of his mouth and presses his lips together tightly. He does not appreciate being talked to like a child. He slides his eyes to Benny, "Maybe this was a bad idea, Benny."

Benny tries to make peace. He laughs nervously, "Come on now...I'm sure we all want to get business out of the way before pleasure...right?"

Sonny turns his head slightly and sniffs, allowing his eyes to wander around the room. His eyes momentarily rest on Carly, who is serving another table, and his mind flashes briefly to their last encounter. Then he turns back to the people at his table. He shrugs and puts up his hands, "If you want to go, go. I'm not keeping you here."

Benny closes his eyes and holds his breath.

Sonny knows that he is taking a risk by letting these men believe that he is willing to sever their relationship. He is bluffing. Jason did build the organization in a successful way during Sonny's absence. And Sonny does not want to lose any part of the network. But he also wants these men to know who is calling the shots now.

The younger man holds Sonny's eyes, trying to gauge whether Corinthos is serious. "If we leave, we're not coming back..."

Sonny shrugs again and says with a threat plainly in his voice, "You're right."

The man blinks. Then he tries an anxious smile, signalling to Sonny that the man believes that they need him more than he needs them. "We're willing to talk business."

Sonny knows he has won this one.

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

Carly spends the evening skirting Sonny's table. She remains courteous, but aloof. She saves all of her friendliness for strangers.

"Why don't you take a break?" Luke calls to her from the opposite side of the bar. As much as he hates to acknowledge it, Carly has been working hard for him. Especially tonight, with the full house.

"Fifteen minutes?" She asks hopefully.

"Ten," Luke yells back. Can't be too lenient with the help, he smiles to himself.

She sneers at Luke and takes off the apron. She calls, "Claude!" and tosses it to the manager/bartender. He catches it with one hand, no-look, and neatly stuffs it under the bar.

Carly walks toward the front door. She needs a rest from the cigarette smoke and liquor. And from Sonny.

Sonny, heading back to his table from the men's room, catches Carly's movement and quietly changes direction, following her outside.