Chapters 109 & 110
Chapter 109 Risky Business
Alexis ushers in a sleek, professional woman with short dark, gamine cut hair. "You must be Jan Landers. Jason said you would be dropping by."
"It's nice to finally meet you again," Jan extends her hand for a shake.
Alexis gives her a quizzical look but returns the handshake, noting the firm but not overpowering grip. "We've met?"
Jan smiles warmly. "A little over a year ago, when my husband and I first transferred from Atlantic City. There's no reason for you to remember. We just met in passing." She becomes wistful. "I remember thinking you were one very classy lady. Of course, anyone Sonny married would have to be classy."
"Of course I met you through Sonny, that makes sense." Alexis invites her to sit down. "As Jason probably told you, he wants me to have a bodyguard but I don't ."
Jan doesn't look surprised. "I imagine you find bodyguards confining. Jason told me you have a newborn son-- Stone, isn't it? Jason's face just melts when he talks about him. I love kids; any opportunity to see one is not a wasted trip."
"I'm sorry that Jason wasted your time like this. Sure." Alexis gets up and invites Jan along. "Come see Stone; he should be getting up right about now."
Jan follows Alexis to the nursery, and just as Alexis had predicted, Stone is just waking.. his little eyes are half open and his fingers curl into a little fist that brushes against his cheek in a random fashion. Alexis coos at him from above, not wanting to ruin the gorgeous picture he makes.
Jan's eyes soften immediately at seeing Stone. "Ohhh, he's so adorable! How can you stand to leave him for a moment? Can I pick him up?" Alexis nods. "Hi there, Stone," Jan coos. "Aren't you the most precious thing? I'm Jan, and I knew your daddy, yes I did. And I can already tell you're going to break hearts just like your daddy did. Yes you are, little guy."
Jan looks up at Alexis apologetically. "Sorry, I'm a little bit of a sap when it comes to kids. One of the reasons George, my husband, and I were happy to take Sonny's job offer was there would be less separations than in our last job. We both want kids eventually and it wasn't going to happen where we were before." She shakes her head. "I love Port Charles, it will be a great place to raise children but..."
"It can be pretty lonely if you don't know anyone," Alexis finishes for her.
"Exactly," Jan says with a nod. "I'm not the retiring type who sits around waiting for the old man to come home. At least not yet. I'm used to being out there getting things done."
"I hope you don't mind my asking, but what were you doing before?" Alexis quizzes her.
"Well, the thing on my resume that made Jason think of me is my personal security work," Jan explains. " Licensed chauffeur with training in evasive tactics, small arms sharpshooter, some martial arts. You aren't the first person who didn't want to have security even when prudence might dictate otherwise."
Alexis stiffens at this complete stranger having the gall to judge her decisions. "You don't pull any punches, do you?"
"No, And with the center of your universe at stake... would you want me to?"
Alexis bristles further at implication that she's not taking her son's safety seriously. "You have no right to come in here and pass judgment on the decisions I'm making for my son! You have no idea what I've been through, how I feel and why I've made the decisions I've made!"
"No, I'm not passing judgment, I'm pointing out the facts.. facts that others might be too gutless or kind to tell you right now." Jan takes a deep breath and continues. "I understand where you are. George and I are in a dangerous business-- full of countless risks. I've thought about how I'd react if anything happened to him. It isn't pretty. I think I'd want to die too. But that's not an option you can take. You have your husband's son to raise and protect-- a piece of him. I think it would be a crying shame if Sonny died in vain."
Visibly shaking with fury, Alexis takes Stone out of Jan's arms. "I think it is time for you to leave," Her voice brittle.
Jan nods matter of factly, obviously not upset or surprised by Alexis fury. "I think I said what I came to say. And deep down you know I'm right and when you start thinking again, you will agree to security. You don't strike me as a stupid woman. I know it probably won't be me because of what I just said. I'll find my way out, but you might want to lock up after me."
"He wasn't supposed to die at all!" Alexis says in a pained whisper after Jan leaves. "I planned it perfectly so that he would have no choice but to hate me. And then he was supposed to be safe."
Alexis sits on her penthouse sofa, the picture of calm serenity. Inwardly however, she is nervous wreck waiting for Sonny and the impending explosion. By now, Sonny would have heard all the dirty details from Jason. Soon it would be all over and Sonny would be safe. Nothing else mattered. Then she could go back to New York and carry on the empty life she was accustomed to, insulated from romantic entanglements.
The knock on the door signals the game to begin. Squaring her shoulders, she answers the door with a bright smile and a look of surprise. "Sonny! This is a pleasant surprise, we weren't supposed to meet until later." Her face falls when she sees the murderous look on his face. "What's wrong? Something happen?"
Sonny strides into her penthouse without an invitation. "You have some explaining to do. I want some answers now!"
Playing the act, Alexis gives him a look of innocence. "Answers? Answers to what?"
"Does a company by the name of Olympia Initiatives Inc ring a bell for you?" Sonny spits out.
Alexis moves to the window to look over the city, her back to him. "I have no idea what you're getting at and I don't appreciate the tone you're using, Sonny. Either ask me a direct question or drop the inquisition altogether. I'm not Brenda, you can't treat me like dirt and expect me to stick around for it."
"Just like a lawyer and a Cassadine, can't answer a simple yes or no question. Instead you go on the offensive." Sonny shakes his head in exasperation. "I know for a fact that Cassadine Inc uses Olympic Initiatives Inc as a holding company for new acquisitions. Are you denying that you know about it?"
"Cassadine Inc has numerous holdings all over the world," Alexis answers drily as she turns to face him. "If you know for a fact that the Cassadines own this company, then why are you asking me if I know anything about it? What game are you playing?"
Sonny advances on her, his eyes frighteningly dark. "I think the more appropriate question, is what game are you and Cousin Stefan playing with me?"
Alexis doesn't back away from Sonny, despite his attempt to intimidate her. "Why don't you stop dancing around and get to the point, Sonny! I'm growing weary of this cat and mouse game."
"Fine, I'll spell it out for you. Olympic Initiatives moved in on a company I was in the process of acquiring... Smithfield Oil Exploration Company. Outbid me by less than 1%." Sonny pauses before saying, "And you knew. You knew about my plans to buy it."
Alexis looks him right in the eyes. "What do you want from me? To deny that I used the information you carelessly left around for me to find? To fall on my hands and knees and beg you to forgive me and put all the blame on Stefan?" She watches with grim satisfaction as he pales, her betrayal hitting home. She forces herself to drive the knife deeper, to ignore her heart breaking. There would be time to cry later. "You'll be waiting until hell freezes over and Luke and Stefan are bosom buddies. Face it, you've been played for a fool... again."
Sonny's devastation is plain. He has the look of a lost boy, practically in tears as he forces the words out between his quivering lips. "You're lying. You wouldn't betray me like this. Not you."
Alexis pushes the rising bile back down her throat as she drops her cruelest bomb. "The only reason I've been sleeping with you is because Stefan wanted me to get information." The laugh she forces out is harsh. "That's not to say you weren't a good lay, but really, did you think someone like me would be interested in a common thug for more than about five minutes? You knew it wasn't serious from the beginning."
Sonny sees red. Not only had she betrayed him she didn't seem to regret it one bit. He grabs her roughly and shakes her. "There are words for women like you!" He bites out in a deadly whisper, his eyes dark and cold with rage. "You will pay for betraying me!"
Alexis winces at his bruising grip. For the first time since meeting Sonny, she was truly afraid. She'd pushed him too far, been too successful. "Let go of me now, Sonny! Or do you enjoy hurting women?"
Her words are like ice cold water on his burning rage and he thrusts her away forcefully. Losing her balance, she bangs up against the wall. Sonny looks at her with disgust, using words to inflict harm instead of his hands. "You make me sick, Alexis. Whore is too kind a word. Tell me, how many times has Stefan sold your body for a little information?"
"You've outlived your usefulness; get out while you still have some pride left." Leaning on the wall to brace herself, Alexis uses all her energy to keep from losing her cool. Only a few more minutes, she warns herself.
Sonny, who had been walking towards the door, turns abruptly at her dismissal. He'd leave when he was good and ready. Not before. He wasn't done with her yet. Striding over to her he pins her against the wall she's leaning on by putting his hands on either side of her. Unable to resist, she raises her head to look him in the eye. All she sees is hatred. Then she hears the pure venom in his voice as he says, "I haven't gotten my money's worth yet..." Before she can react he captures her mouth in a brutal kiss. There is no gentleness in it, no love, nothing but hatred and desire to humiliate her. And it works, she feels like the tramp he called her.
Sonny breaks the kiss as quickly as he started it, and in a blink of an eye he is gone, leaving her bereft and devastated. Her facade crumbles as soon as the door slams to her penthouse. Alexis slides down the wall in a puddle of tears.
Chapter 110 Paying the Piper
Benny and Carly sit at a table drinking beer and sharing a basket of cheese fries before their main entrees arrive. Carly gives Benny a grateful smile. "Thanks for getting me out of the diner, Benny. I feel better already."
Benny shrugs casually. "Don't mention it. I needed a break from the computer myself."
Carly dips a cheese fry in ketchup thoughtfully. "I've been giving your idea for a delivery business some serious thought..."
Benny stops her with a good natured scolding. "Uh uh! Now remember your own rule! No diner talk."
Carly gives him a sheepish grin. "Oh right.. so what are we going to talk about?"
"How about telling me all about Carly Roberts?" Benny says as a suggestion. "Including how you got the name."
"It's a long depressing story, one you really don't want to know." Carly stirs her drink as she pauses to reflect. "The first being that my real name isn't really Carly Roberts, it's Caroline Benson."
Benny looks confused. "Caroline Benson? But you're a Spencer right?"
"By birth. But Bobbie gave me up for adoption," Carly explains. "Let's just say when I first came to town I hurt a lot of people. I lied and and I schemed and I ended up losing practically everything and everyone that mattered to me, except AR, thank God. But being AR's mother has changed my life. Now I want to be the best person I can be for him, so he'll be proud to have me as his mother. But people like Keesha and Monica refuse to see that. And most of the time, their holier than thou attitudes don't bother me, but today..." Carly's voice trails off as she realizes that she doesn't know why it mattered today. Unless... Benny's opinion mattered.
"But today?" Benny prompts, wanting very much to know.
Carly lets the silence stretch as she sorts out what this new information means to her. Benny is her friend. How long had it been since she had made a genuine friend ? One that wasn't family?
"Carly?" Benny touches her arm to get her attention. "You still in there somewhere?"
Carly blushes a little. "Sorry. Didn't mean to space out like that, I was just thinking about how long it's been since I've made a new friend. That's why I got so upset today. I guess I'm afraid you'll listen to Keesha and Monica about me and turn tail and run. Heck, maybe that'd be the best thing for you."
"Is that what you want?" Benny asks, guessing the answer.
Carly shakes her head. "No, not at all. I wouldn't have made it through the last couple days without you. I would have packed up the diner and put it on the market." She reaches across the table to squeeze his hand. "It's nice to have someone to talk to. Someone who isn't wondering what my next scheme is."
Benny holds onto her hand. "Glad to hear you want me around, because I have no intention of being anywhere else."
Jason and Lucky saunter up to the table. "Hey Carly. What's up?" Lucky quips.
Carly takes one glance at Jason's serious face and gets up. "Benny, would you mind if I go in back and visit with my cousin? We have some catching up to do. See ya later, Jason."
Jason takes the seat she offers. "Thanks, Carly."
Jason watches Benny stare after Carly. "How's she holding up?"
"I'm not sure. One minute, she's fighting like a tiger to hold on to what she has. The next, she's ready to give up." Benny stops the conversation abruptly to pass a small envelope to Jason. "Landers wanted me to give you a copy of what I dug up."
Jason pockets it. "Thanks."
"So what's the story between you and Carly? I get the impression that except for her family and you, she's basically a pariah in this town. That true?"
"Carly and I are good friends. She understands if she lies to me I'll know and I won't put up with it. She's helped me out of a few jams and we understand each other." Jason shrugs. "She got herself in a huge mess a couple years ago right before AR was born. So yeah, she's sort of a pariah. Kinda sad, she has a good heart; just real screwed up."
"Any advice?"
Having noticed Jan Landers walking through the door, Jason gets up from the table. "Don't back her into a corner. If you accept her as she is, you shouldn't have any problems. I'll catch you later."
In the far corner the club, Gina and Nikolas sit at a table holding hands. "This was a great idea, Nikolas. I'm glad you insisted." Gina leans over to brush her lips against his.
The kiss was much too brief in Nikolas' opinion. "Hmmm, well I am pleased you could tear yourself away from your studies. We have hardly had any time together since we've been back."
Gina looks mildly troubled. "You know it's because I'm trying to catch up on school work after our extended honeymoon. You said you understood."
Nikolas strokes her hands absently. "And for the most part I do. I know getting into med school is important to you. I just miss my bride." When a slow soulful song begins, Nikolas pulls her to her feet. "Dance with me."
"There is nothing I'd like more." Once enveloped in his arms, Gina closes her eyes, lulled by the sound of the music and the feel of her husband. "We should do this more often. Just you and me, alone on a date."
"I will make sure of that." Feeling his wife finally relax in his arms gives Nikolas profound satisfaction. This is how it should be. If all they had to face was busy schedules, he could handle it. He would just make sure they had time alone like this to reconnect.
Gina squeezes him around the waist, the love she has for him welling up. "I love you, Mr Cassadine."
"I love you too, Mrs Cassadine," He replies while kissing her on the temple. "Always and forever."
"Mrs Cassadine..... I wonder when I'll get used to being called that."
They dance in silence until the song ends, then they return to their seats and dig into the entrees which have just arrived. "I'm a little worried about my uncle," Nikolas says between bites. "Didn't he seem distracted to you earlier?"
Gina considers his question. "I don't know Stefan very well yet, but he was definitely off his game tonight. Usually he makes a concerted effort to put me at ease. Not tonight."
"I wonder if it has anything to do with my mother leaving on a trip so suddenly." Nikolas chews thoughtfully. "You know, the more I think about it, I'm sure she has something to do with it."
Meanwhile, across the club, Benny asks Carly for a dance which she eagerly accepts. "This was a excellent idea. It's been too long since I've been out dancing," she gushes.
"I don't imagine being a mother to AR, running the diner and being a nurse leaves you much time for anything else," Benny comments. "I'm not sure how you do it."
"Sometimes I don't know how I do it either," Carly admits. "But having both Bobbie and Tony chipping in really helps. Not to mention of few great friends."
The song ends and a slow song begins. Instead of leading her back to the table, Benny pulls her closer for a slow dance. Carly doesn't object. Instead she allows herself the rare luxury of leaning on him.
Benny sniffs her hair suspiciously. "I can't believe it. You smoke cigars?!"
Carly blushes a deep shade of pink and pulls away slightly. "Well, not really..."
Benny looks amazed. "You either do or you don't."
Carly searches his face for any sign of disapproval and is relieved to find nothing but amazement there. "My Uncle Luke got me started. He didn't mean to.. anyway, I occasionally sneak one when I'm around Lucky. It's a family thing."
Benny laughs and pulls her close again. "Nothing you do should surprise me. The more I learn, the more I realize i don't know anything about you. But you aren't boring, that's for sure."
"Should I take that as a compliment?" Carly asks.
"The best kind," He murmurs into her hair. "I'm looking forward to discovering the many facets of Caroline."
Carly stiffens slightly in surprise at the use of her real name. "No one calls me Caroline.. Uncle Luke used to..."
"I like Caroline; it suits you. Do you mind if I call you that?"
"No, I don't mind," Carly says, surprised that she actually means it. "And as for your comment earlier about not really knowing me, you couldn't be more wrong. I think you know me better than just about anyone, if only because you've taken the time to listen. And you don't judge. You have no idea how free I feel when I'm with you. I wish I'd met you when I first came to Port Charles. Maybe everything would have turned out differently."
The music stops, but Benny continues to hold her. "I'm not sorry. I think we met at just the right time..." He stares intently into her eyes, showing her for the first time how attracted to her he really is. His lips graze hers lightly and her lips part at shocking realization that he wants her.
Before she regains her senses enough to react, the moment is gone and he's leading her back to the table. "Benny, I--"
But her words are cut off by the arrival of their dinners. Benny grins casually, as if nothing unusual had happened. "Now THIS is a hamburger!" He quips, taking a huge bite.
Carly grins back at him from across the table, deciding to go with the flow and just enjoy herself. "I can't believe you can dig into that with such gusto after polishing off that basket of cheese fries!"
Benny pats his lean stomach playfully. "Hey, I'm a growing boy and I worked up an appetite on the dance floor. Yo, Mike! Could we have two more beers?"
Looking eerily like Luke Spencer, a cigar-smoking Lucky leans himself back in a chair in the club's office and waits for Emily to pick up the phone. "Hey, Beautiful! What's shaking?"
Emily laughs at his greeting. "Hi, Handsome! If your voice was older and a little rougher, I'd swear it was your father calling me."
Lucky grins. "Thanks, I've been practicing. I'll probably be home later than I thought, are you going to be okay by yourself?"
"Sure. I've got Foster lying right here keeping my feet warm. I'll be fine." Emily leans back in her chair and puts down the pen she was writing with. "You know, you just called my apartment home."
"Yeah.. I did, didn't I?" Lucky scratches his head in bemusement. "Does that bother you?"
"Nope, I love it as a matter of fact." Emily smiles into the phone. "And I also love that you put some of your clothes in my hamper."
Emily's voice sounds rich and warm and welcoming, making Lucky want to leave the club even more. "I wish I could leave now, Em."
"I know, but you can't. The club needs you. And besides, I have homework to do anyway, which I wouldn't be getting done if you were here." Emily changes the subject. "By the way, how's it going between you and Mike?"
Lucky sighs a sigh of resignation. "On the good side, we haven't drawn any blood. But, we're not talking either. Basically I'm biding time till I'm old enough to own the club on my own."
"Not fun."
There's a knock on Lucky's door, and one of the waiters pokes his head in. "Lucky, we've got a problem in the kitchen...?"
Lucky rolls his eyes. "Okay, Joe, I'll be right there. Em, I gotta go. Will you wait up for me?"
"Don't I always?" Emily teases.
Alexis dries her eyes before answering the door to admit Jason. "Hi. Come on in."
Jason searches her face intently. "You've been crying."
"What else is new?" She throws her hands up in the air in exasperation. "I think may have the baby blues."
Jason follows her to the sofa. "Or maybe Jan touched a nerve."
"Already given you a full report, has she?" Alexis says bitterly.
"Just that she said some harsh things to you to get you thinking." Jason reaches over and takes her hand. "Bad memories?"
"I was just remembering how I tried to drive him away." Drawing her knees up into herself she continues softly. "Did he ever tell you how awful I was to him?"
"Yeah, eventually. After he calmed down and realized what you did didn't make sense."
A couple weeks after Sonny and Alexis break it off. Jason can almost see the gears churning inside Sonny's head as Sonny paces back and forth in his penthouse like a caged animal. "It doesn't fit, Jason."
"You're right, it doesn't," Jason agrees.
Sonny looks up at Jason, clearly surprised at the agreement. "Go on, Jason. I want to know why YOU think so."
"Well, for one... Cassadines as rule aren't this stupid.. or obvious. If you ask me, she wanted to be found out. She knew I was on the board of ELQ back in 1997 when Olympic Initiatives took the Jakarta division away from us, so she knew I'd recognize the name. She wanted you to find out."
Sonny nods as everything Jason points out confirms his own suspicions. "So what's her motivation? Jason, she was blatantly cruel. She said all the right things to get me to hate her. To turn away from her and not look back twice. But why?"
Jason shrugs. "Who knows why the Cassadines do anything. All I know is when I bumped into her at the hospital the other day, she was hiding something big. And she's been acting like that since the day you were shot."
"Damn, it's starting to make sense...." Sonny sinks into the sofa. "You should have seen how she was when she came to me in the hospital. She was terrified, Jason. And guilty, she looked guilty."
"You think she had something to do with the hit?" Jason asks.
"No, but I think she might have known who did..." Sonny rubs the flat of his palm on his forehead. "Of course...Stefan Cassadine, he's the link. I didn't think mob hits were his style..."
"You want me to look into it?" Jason offers.
Sonny goes to his desk to pick up the phone. "I need to check this out with Luke first. He's the Cassadine expert."
