The Rise of Caroline Spencer-Chapter 5
***********************
Carly saw the limo before she saw anything else. Johnny was standing
outside of it.
And, Carly could see, sitting on Bobbie’s stoop, was Jason.
Carly walked right past him, up the stairs and put the key in the lock.
Before she could turn it, Jason covered her hand with his.
" Carly."
" I have no intentions of being cold, so, if you wanna talk, come in."
Jason follows her into the living room.
" Bobbie told me to tell you that she was going to bed."
" So, you’ve seen Michael?"
" Yep. He was up around 10:40. We talked a little and then he went to
sleep."
" Good for Michael."
" You could have told me that you were coming here."
" There would have been a time that you would have known that."
" You’re right."
" So...you read Michael his story....is there anything else?"
" Yeah. Come home, Carly."
" Home? You must be mistaken. I don’t have a home."
" Sure you do. Don’t play with me, Carly."
Carly’s eyes turn wild. She puts a finger right in the middle of Jason’s
chest.
" NO. Don’t YOU play with me. You can’t just show up, and say that
Michael’s asleep for the night. And tell me to come home, like I’m some
dog that didn’t pass that last class at obedience school."
" What do you want?"
" If you have to ask that, there’s the door, Jason. Obviously you need
to think some more."
" I’m not in the mood for games."
" What a coincidence. Neither am I." Carly walks into the kitchen and
begins to put up the dishes in the dishwasher. After a few moments,
Jason walks into the kitchen.
" You and Sonny don’t like one another."
Silence from Carly.
" What am I supposed to do about that? Tell him to like you?"
More silence from Carly.
" He doesn’t have to talk about you like that, I guess. I would never
let anyone around Michael who talked about me like that. You deserved
better. Sorry, I didn’t see that."
Carly puts down the plate and turns to look at Jason.
" It’s not just my home. Or Michael’s home. It’s your home too, Carly. I
guess I was trying to do the same thing that I did when I forced you and
Robin to live together under the same roof. It was good for me, but, not
good for either one of you. You both hated it."
" Tell me something that I don’t know, Jason. You’re repeating the
obvious to me."
" Ok. You can come home. Because, you have the right to be respected
there. If Sonny and I have to discuss business, we’ll do it elsewhere.
I’ll make sure that the Penthouse is decorated with the stuff you picked
out, so that we you come back, we’ll go into our own home. Sonny and I
won’t do business at our place. And, I’ll try to get Sonny to realize
that I don’t want him dogging you ."
" Good game, Jason. But, why this change of heart?"
" Because, I could see that I hurt you, Carly. You weren’t mad at me so
much as you were hurt. And, I never wanted to hurt you."
" Well, you did."
" I just said I did."
Carly laughs. " Ok. I guess we shouldn’t be extending this Hallmark
moment."
" Huh?"
" Joke, Jase.....So, where do you see us going from here?"
" You and Michael will come home in a few days, after all the furniture
is delivered."
" Sorry, Jase. But, no dice."
**********************************************
" What did you say?"
" I said, Michael and I are staying put?"
" Carly, what the hell are you trying to pull?"
" I’m not trying to PULL anything Jason. Things have changed. We’ve
changed."
" Why?"
" Because, I’ve been thinking.."
" Now, I know we’re in trouble.", Jason deadpans. Carly hits him in the
chest.
" Sit down."
Jason and Carly face one another on the couch.
" Jason, we’re in trouble. A whole lot of trouble."
" Yeah. I know."
" No. I don’t think you quite understand what’s happening here. The Q’s,
for the first time, have an IN, Jason. That have an IN to Michael. And,
if we don’t work on things, Michael will be taken from both of us."
" Carly, I know what the Quartermaines are all about. I know what
they’re trying to do."
" Good. Then, for once, you can’t be in charge. The two of us have to
share this equally."
" What do you mean by equally?"
" I mean, both of us have to fight with everything we’ve got, but, for
now, we have to do it separately."
" I don’t get it."
" Well, get this...Sonny’s right. I’m a lying tramp who also happens to
be an ex-psycho patient. You’re a gangster, but, not really a gangster,
because you don’t even have the power anymore that might have been some
help in this situation. You’re a maybe wanna-be mobster..all the
liabilities, none of the plusses.
And, then, there are the Q’s...dysfunctional they might be. They’ve got
boatloads of money and power and a love jones for our little boy. They
aren’t going away. And, I’m going to be blunt with you Jason, we are in
no shape to defeat them...right now."
" Right now?"
" Yeah. Right now. But, I think it can be done, if the two of us decide
to work together on this."
" In order for us to be together, we have to BE together, Carly."
" Not now, Jason."
" Carly, spell it out."
" Ok. Jason, the Q’s are like the Kennedys: they aren’t going anywhere.
When you WERE a mob boss, and they thought Michael was yours, did that
slow them down? Hell no. You weren’t missing 24 hours in that plane
crash before they went and got Michael and didn’t even bother to tell
Bobbie about it. They had no qualms about putting Justus in jail. THAT
little instance tells me all I need to know about the Q’s. And, that we
are in for a fight. A mighty one, Jason. But, it’s winnable. If, we take
our time to fight."
" You’re telling me stuff that I know, Carly. Tell me why you aren’t
coming home."
" I’m not coming home, because we have to fight this thing on both
flanks. Both of us, chipping away at the Q’s is better than us together,
being one big sitting duck for them to lob their bombs at us. Together,
we are a painful losing team, Jason. We have too many flaws between us
to be effective. But, apart, those flaws weaken and the Q’s have two
opponents to defeat.
So, are you ready to listen?"
" Shoot."
" I’m going to stay here with Michael. To the Q’s, it will look as if
I’m losing faith in you. Which will make them believe that I am willing
to bend to their will. Despite having biology on his side, AJ doesn’t
have anything else. He’s a losing drunk and that hasn’t changed. He
doesn’t even have a blood test confirming paternity. He doesn’t have his
name on any documents saying it. Hell, he hasn’t even gotten an
admission from me that he’s Michael’s biological father. Bottom line, he
doesn’t have squat but DNA. You have been Michael’s father. From the
moment he was born, you have taken care of him. You have loved him,
sheltered him. You saved his life, and it only got better from then on.
Because of my own failings, you can honestly place yourself as THE one c
onstant in Michael’s life. Now, the only person that I’ve confessed the
truth to about Michael is Bobbie, and she won’t say anything. Have you?"
" I danced around it where Emily was concerned."
" Good. Keep dancing."
" Carly, you told me that AJ’s threatened you with Pferncliff. I was
there the day that you bodyslammed him."
" Yes. True. But, bottom line is......he won’t."
" Why?"
" Because, overall, I can still tell that AJ has a thing for me."
" Carly, don’t you think you’re overestimating your charms?"
" No, Jason. I think you underestimate AJ’s weaknesses..which will work
out well for us."
" If you say so."
" Do I tell you how to run the mob?"
" Well, I do remember a certain strike.."
Carly hits him.." Well, that was an anomaly, Jase. Fact remains, I know
which way is up where AJ’s concerned. He’s a weakling. Nothing too
offensive about him, but, he’s a weakling. Which, works out for us very
well. AJ isn’t the problem where Michael is concerned."
" The old man.", Jason says coldly.
" You bet your ass the old man is THE problem. HE is the enemy, Jason.
And, HE is the one we have to take down. "
" And, your plan is...."
" STALL. Jason, before Robin opened up her yap and blabbed, we could get
away with the Q’s not having anything to do with Michael. But, the cat’s
out of the bag, and we have to be logical about it. They are going to
have some say in how Michael grows up. We can’t avoid that anymore. What
we can do is limit the amount of time that Michael has to spend with
them, and that will only happen IF I retain joint if not full custody of
Michael. AJ will either get half custody or liberal visitation rights.
The one thing that can NOT happen is AJ getting full custody of Michael.
That will NOT happen. Which is why I had to move out of the Penthouse. I
had to make myself viable in the eyes of the court.
So, for now, you keep Alexis Davis as your lawyer. You proceed with your
case and your desire to stay in Michael’s life. You become the biggest
annoyance when it comes to Edward and AJ. If they bring one court order,
you bring another. You keep it going and going for as long as possible.
If there’s anything that I’ve learned about the law, it’s that if you
find a smart enough attorney, there are ways to keep things going
forever. And, just when they bring in the final court order for the
blood test, you admit that AJ is Michael’s biological father."
" Why?"
" Because, it will prove that you will admit the truth, in order to
spare Michael any kind of pain. It will look good. And, after the dog
and pony show keeps going on, with you fighting AJ, you will make him
prime plucking for me."
" Carly, what has your mind thought up?"
" Doing what I gotta do, Jase. That reminds me..you still have the key
to the apartment above Jake’s?"
" Yeah."
" Give it to me." Jason takes the key off his ring and hands it to her.
" What are you going to do?"
" You don’t wanna know."
" Fine. But, you’ll tell me eventually."
" You’re a big boy, Jase. Put the pieces together."
Jason gives Carly a disgusted look.
" Whatever. Jason, you MUST and I mean MUST keep your nose clean
throughout all of this. You have no choice. They can’t be able to
connect anything to you. I can string AJ along for awhile while we
gather ammunition against the real target.."
" Edward."
" Yep. Edward."
" Carly, I don’t think much of the old man, but, stupid, he isn’t. How
are we supposed to defeat him?"
" I’m still formulating the plan about that. But, in the meantime, I
can’t have you coming over to see Michael."
" Excuse me?"
" Not in the way you’ve been doing it Jason. No limo. No Johnny. No
front door. You can see Michael, but, you have to call first. And, come
through the back door. I’m not going to tell the Q’s that I’ve banned
you from seeing Michael, but, we don’t want any of the reminders from
you, stating the obvious.
I’m getting myself an attorney tomorrow."
" Why?"
" Because, I have to do this for myself, Jason. I can’t have Michael’s
custody be dependent on AJ’s OR your good will. I want my own legal
claim to him. I need that. Plus, it’s part of that divided front that I
talked about."
" Carly, I don’t like it."
" You don’t have to like it, Jason. That’s the way it’s gonna be."
" Can’t change your mind?"
" Nope. "
" Carly..."
" Yeah."
" I love Michael."
" I know Jase. I know that. I know how he changed your life. I know that
I bum rushed you into it. I know that Bobbie’s right..I set you up to be
in a position where the person who’s loved Michael the most has no
rights legally to him. I also know you’re scared, and that’s OK too.
Jason, I gotta fight this my way. Most times, hell 99% of the time, I’m
willing to do what you say is best, cause I trust you. But, THIS time? I
gotta fly solo, my friend. I have to do the plan as I see it. I’m in the
fight of my life. All my life I’ve been running...running and until
recently, I didn’t know what I was running for. I’m running for THIS.."
Carly waves her arms around and points around the room.
" I’ve been running to have this, Jason. A place where I can sit and
talk with you. A place where my son can play. A place where I can worry
about us being interrupted by my brother and cousins..A brother and
cousins? Me? But, most of all, I’ve been fighting for a place where I
could feel like I had a home. Someone who didn’t care about me being
there. For me to buy hideous things..and you to tell me about it. What
I’ve been running for is to have a home. I have one now, Jason...you, me
and Michael. I can do my own thing. Make my own decisions and love who I
want. I like that feeling Jason. And no one, not Sonny, AJ or Edward is
going to take it away from me. Not anymore.
I’m staking my claim on my life, Jason. I love it. It’s mine. And,
whoever thinks they’ll get in the way of it, is in for the surprise of
their lives."
" Damn."
Carly laughed. " What?"
" You sounded like that guy in the movies. You know the one. Human on
the outside, machine on the inside. Guy has a square head and a thick
accent."
" The Terminator? BWA HA HA HA HA HA"
Carly throws the pillow at Jason and he responds. They get into a pillow
fight, hitting one another and Carly has the upperhand until Jason trips
her and she falls on the couch and he falls on top of her. Just for a
moment, Carly thinks that she sees something mutual when it comes to
Jason. But, the Borg persona comes right back up.
" Uh, Jason. You can get off me now."
" Oh. Ok. Sure."
" So, do you understand what’s going on here?"
" I think so. You and Michael are staying here. You want me to fight and
make The Quartermaines miserable. All the while, you’ll be working AJ,
but, never keeping your eye off the real target in all of this: Edward.
If we can beat the old man, Michael will be ours for the most part. But,
this will entail doing stuff that I don’t wanna know about. No limo and
Johnny when I come to see Michael and call first. Keep my nose clean.
And trust you."
" You nailed it. But, the last part is most important. Jason, you have
to trust me. If you don’t, then the Q’s will win. It’s like when I was
at Shadybrooke, and they worked on me..first Edward , then AJ. They
worked me to try and get me to not trust you. To lose faith. And, they
succeeded Jason. They made me not trust the only person in my life
whoever came through for me ALWAYS. THAT is how good they are. With me
here, they will visit you. Taunt you. They want you to doubt me, Jason.
They want you to make a mistake. You beat up AJ, they’ve got you. You
let your temper loose and go after them, they’ve got you. You doubt that
my ultimate goal is you, Me and Michael, and they’ve got you. When I let
them get me, I wound up in Pferncliff. But, that was only for a few
months. We’re talking about Michael’s LIFE Jason. THAT is the prize they
want from you. And, ONLY you can stop them.
You’ve also got to stop Sonny, Jason. I don’t care what else he knows
that you think is the gospel, but, Sonny Corinthos doesn’t know me,
Jason. ONLY you do. You listen to Sonny where I’m concerned...and we’re
sunk."
Carly grabs Jason’s hands.
" All that’s left here is YOU and ME. That’s it. And, they’re coming for
us. This once you have to have faith. Whatever that means to you, you
have to have it. I have it in you. You get it, Jason?"
" I get it."
Carly kisses his cheek. " It’ll be awhile, but, if we play this like
pros, we’ll have what we want. Do you believe me?"
" Yeah.......I’m going to go check on Michael..."
" You do that."
After Jason leaves, Carly walks over to the mantle and picks up one of
the few pictures that’s of the three of them. She’s holding it when the
phone rings.
" Hello?"
" Carly, hi, it’s AJ."
" It’s late, AJ. How did you know I was here?"
" I have my ways."
" I’m sure."
" Carly, now that you’ve moved away from Jason, is there any reason for
this level of hostility?"
" You still threatening to send me to Pferncliff?"
AJ sounds contrite. " I was wrong to do that, Carly."
" Excuse me?"
" I was wrong to threaten you like that."
" I see. And, I’m supposed to believe you.."
" Because, I’m Michael’s father."
" That has yet to be proven."
" It WILL be."
" So you say. AJ, I have to check on Michael, is there something that
you wanted?"
" I just wanted to know that now that you’re out from under Jason’s
thumb, that things could change."
" Change?"
" Yes. We don’t need to have this hostility."
" First smart thing you’ve said in nearly 2 years."
" So, when can I see my son?"
" You mean MY son? I don’t know when I’m going to be up for Michael to
have visitors."
" VISITORS! I’M HIS FATH.... Carly, when will you arrange a visit?"
" I’ll have to think about it."
" You know my lawyers can.."
" My, my....and I thought the hostility was going.."
" Fine, Carly. Call me when you’ve ‘thought’ about it. Bye."
" Bye."
Carly hangs up the phone and finds Jason standing there.
" AJ."
" Yep. Just like I said...just by moving out, he’s already backpeddling
on Pferncliff."
" Carly..."
" Jason...AJ’s not the problem. Edward is. We detain and derail him
while we focus on Edward, and everything will be fine."
" So you say."
" Yep. So I say."