Chapters 113 & 114
Chapter 113: Daydream Believer
Benny leans back in his chair in front of the computer. He takes a moment to reflect on the events of the last few days as his computer chugs away on the search he just commanded it to do. He smiles as his mind wanders to the time he's spent with Carly.... no, Caroline. What an incredible combination of sexy allure, childlike innocence, and gritty determination. The more he saw the more he wanted to see. And today she had amazed him further when she had initiated a conversation about their 'relationship'....
"There you go again," Carly says, laughing through her tears. "Ready to hold my hand."
Benny shrugs modestly. "All I did was knock on your door with bagels and coffee in hand. As for holding your hand, I'd do that for any friend in need."
Carly brushes away her tears and grabs a bagel out of the bag, taking a bite out of it and turning to face him. "Is that what we are? Just friends?" She asks with genuine curiosity. "I mean, with what happened last night.. the kiss... almost sleeping together. I'm just not sure where we stand."
Benny snags a bagel himself and munches on it between sips of coffee. "Depends on what you want me to be. I'm comfortable with letting you set the pace... friends, lovers, something in between. Seems to me, you haven't had much experience with having a successful romantic relationship."
Carly chews her bagel thoughtfully. "Actually the whole idea is terrifying. What if you end up hating me like everyone else? I'm not sure I want to take that risk. Right now we seem to be getting along great as friends."
"In other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I understand where you're coming from," Benny answers matter of factly. "And if that's what you want, then that's how it'll be." He lifts her chin to meet his eyes. "But I want you to know I'm very attracted to you... AND it's more than pure physical attraction. It's your way your mind works, the mixture of moxie and innocence... gets me every time."
Carly blushes under his scrutiny, but grabs his hand for a reassuring connection. "Thanks... Like I said last night, I can't remember the last time anyone has cared enough to ask me what I wanted." She leans over to kiss him tentatively on the lips, as if to confirm the spark they felt last night is real.
Benny cradles her head with the hand that Carly isn't holding, gradually deepening the kiss to allow her time to adjust or pull back before being overwhelmed. The kiss is a promise of respect and friendship and of the hope they could be more than friends.
The restraint and consideration he shows for her feelings does as much to break through her fears as the mutual passion they feel for each other. With great reluctance, Carly breaks the kiss. "Wow." She leans her forehead against his and with great effort clears her muddled thoughts.
Benny strokes the side of her face softly. "My thoughts exactly. Maybe I should go so you have some time alone to think..."
"NO. I know what I want." She cups his cheek with her free hand. "I want you, but I want to take it slow... to be sure we're doing the right thing. Sort of one date at a time."
"Mmmm, A very wise way of approaching the issue," Benny says as he kisses her on the temple. "So where and when is our next date, Caroline?"
Benny's pleasant reverie is disturbed by a knock on the door. Thinking it's Carly, Benny opens it without looking through the peep hole. He realizes the mistake immediately when he finds Keesha on his doorstep.
"Hello, Mr Baird," Keesha begins politely, immediately noticing the expensive computer system in his room. "I just had a few follow up questions on the stabbing last week. Do you have some time?"
Benny blocks her view of his apartment with his body. "I'll meet you downstairs in about five minutes."
At Sonny's country farmhouse, the living room.
"You can't do this!" Alexis exclaims impotently as Sonny searches her pockets with his bodyguards standing by. Wordlessly Sonny removes the contents.. including her revolver, cell phone, and pager, handing all of it over one of the bodyguards. "Give those back to me, you have no right to take them! You won't get away with this, Sonny! I'll have you up on kidnapping charges before you can--" Her words are cut off at the shock of him thoroughly frisking her.
"I can do it, and I AM." Sonny replies mildly as he pats down her legs, ordering her to take off her shoes. When she refuses, he takes them forcibly with the assistance of a bodyguard. "We need some time alone to sort out some unfinished business. Joseph, you can go. Tell the men to fan out. No one gets on or off the property until I say so. I want some privacy with Ms Davis."
"Take me back to town this instant! If you think your Neanderthal display will impress me, you're sorely mistake--" Her tirade ends abruptly when Sonny's lips meet hers in a plundering all-consuming kiss.
Alexis, her defenses devastated by the effect of his passionate assault, makes a valiant attempt to push him away, but instead finds herself crushed in his arms. His kiss destroys the last of her resistance by suddenly becoming sweet, loving, and intensely erotic. With a whimper she surrenders to the growing passion by winding her arms around his neck and kissing him back hungrily, like a woman starved. Sonny breaks his hold on her mouth to trail kisses down her neck. "Yes... that's it, Baby. It's been too long..." he purrs against her skin and then places soft kisses along the base of her neck.
His words find their way past the passion-induced fog in her brain, registering just as he begins to unbutton her blouse. Realizing in a panic what she stands to lose, she forcefully pushes him away. "NO!" Quickly straightening her clothes, she takes a deep breath to regain some of her composure. "You had no right assaulting me like that! Do you want to add more charges to the kidnapping? Take me home now and we can forget the whole thing ever happened."
Sonny looks at the ground shakes his head ruefully. "You aren't going anywhere until we settle a few things, Alexis. As for 'assaulting' you, that's ridiculous. Another minute of that 'assault' and you would have been pulling off my clothes. You wanted me just as much as I wanted you."
Alexis fights the rising blush as she strikes back, trying to scare him into releasing her. "Just because you appeal to me on a sexual level doesn't mean anything. You know that Stefan will be looking for me when I don't show up for the hospital meeting. And make no mistake, Stefan knows about this place and it's only a matter of time before he finds me here. Then you'll be going to jail for a long long time."
Sonny locks his eyes on hers, forcing her to look at him while he walks toward her in a predatory way, his voice is soft and dangerous. Her eyes widen and she backs away from him with every step he takes toward her. "Alexis, baby. I planned this VERY carefully. I know you were on your way to the airport for a long vacation, to get some much needed rest and relaxation. I happened to overhear your cousin urging you to go away, encouraging you to leave your cell phone at home. That he wouldn't expect you back for WEEKS. And I also know that you arranged for all your cases to be transferred because you plan to leave town at the end of the month..."
The dance around the room continues as Sonny speaks, Alexis furtively trying to maintain the distance between them, Sonny penning her in slowly, methodically. With every move she makes, his is a countermove that closes her in. "So, you see. No one is going to be looking for you. No one." By the time he's finished he has her backed up against the wall. He lazily plants his hands on either side of her. "So maybe it's just how you say between us, that I was merely a way to get information for your cousin and a pleasant diversion for you. Even so, we both know the sex was good... so maybe you won't be rested by the end of this interlude, but I promise you'll be relaxed."
Alexis turns her head away before Sonny can kiss her lips. "I realize you think your bad boy routine is charming, but I'm not charmed. I don't consider kidnapping foreplay and I find your bullying tiresome. Now LET ME GO!"
Sonny's lips are so close to her face, her hair moves when he whispers. "That's not how you were acting just a few minutes ago. A few minutes ago you were practically devouring me. A word of advice, Sweetheart..." He pauses to plant a small kiss at base of her neck, prompting Alexis to close her eyes at the sweetness of it. Her reaction causes him to grin smugly. "Provoking me only makes me want to kiss and touch you more. And judging from recent experience, you'd have a hard time resisting."
Once Sonny makes his point he releases her. He rubs his hands together to warm them and says, "This place is cold, how about a fire?" Without waiting for an answer he turns his back to her and starts loading the wood into the fireplace.
Alexis leans against the wall, feeling both relieved and disappointed by his sudden withdrawal. This was not going the way she planned. Sonny was supposed to hate her, turn away from her and never look back. Why? Why was this happening?
Alexis seriously considers making a run for it, but quickly comes to the conclusion it would be futile. No doubt about it, Sonny had planned this well. No shoes meant her feet would give out before she could even make it to the road if by some miracle she could elude him and his bodyguards. No, the only choice was to stay here and wait Sonny out. But judging from the last ten minutes, she didn't stand a chance there either. When Sonny was determined, he could be very patient and relentless. And he was right about another thing, when he touched her, all rational thought left. She reacted to him on a primal level, and on that level she couldn't lie to him. It was only a matter of time before she told him everything. All she could hope for was to stall him long enough...
"You going to just stand there like a statue?" Sonny asks as he warms his hands by the fire. "You're practically shivering from the cold. I promise I won't bite, scout's honor."
Alexis rolls her eyes but walks forward. "You weren't ever a boy scout." She takes a seat in front of the fire, taking refuge from his probing eyes by looking into the flames.
Sonny lets them lapse into silence for several minutes. He stares into the fire with her and begins to speak. "You know, the first time someone almost killed me was when I was eight years old. My stepfather, Deke. You remember I told you about him."
"I remember," Alexis answers softly, looking into his face.
"I don't think he intended to kill me, but he wouldn't have cried if he had. And now..." Sonny pauses to poke at the fire, letting his words have their effect. "Now there's always someone coming to town thinking they are faster and smarter than me.. and the only way they can make a name for themselves is to take out Sonny Corinthos."
"Why are you telling me this?" Alexis asks.
"That hit on me at the docks a few weeks ago wasn't unexpected. It's part of my business and I'm the prime target. I know it will happen again someday, and one of these times I won't be the last one standing. I try to minimize the risk by nipping things in the bud, or trying to figure where the challenge is coming from. I know that's not always possible, so that's why I have security. And all that seems to work because I'm still around."
"I know all that," Alexis argues. "But that doesn't have anything to do with us."
"That's what you'd like me to believe, but you changed after I got plugged on the docks." Sonny studies her face for subtle changes, nervousness, any sign of weakness. "You became more secretive around me, more frantic when we made love. Like it might be the last time. I chalked it up to fear of me getting killed. Meanwhile you were planning to break things off."
Alexis turns her head to stare at the fire. "That's because I got the information I needed."
Sonny acts as if he didn't hear her, instead getting up and saying, "Man, I'm starved..."
"Alexis? ALEXIS?!" Cassidy shakes Alexis out her memories. "Are you okay?"
Alexis looks up at Cassidy with a sad smile. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just daydreaming."
Chapter 114: Consider The Alternatives
Benny talks on his phone in his apartment. "Hey, Morgan, just checking in. I thought you should know Officer Quartermaine was snooping around the diner today... no, this time Carly wasn't the target, I was... She stopped by my apartment to ask some follow up questions to the stabbing and inadvertently got a glance at my fancy set up... exactly. She's wondering why a guy with very sophisticated, very expensive computer equipment lives in a one room apartment above Kelly's... Yeah, she's sharp and annoying. I don't think she bought my explanation, and I have to admit it sounded pretty lame." He pauses to listen to Jason's instructions. "Good point, she might suspect I work for you, but she has nothing but suspicions. I'll make sure to keep it that way. Any news from Landers? ... You want me to be there when he meets with you tomorrow?.. What time? Okay, I'll be there."
"Mom!" Emily exclaims when she sees her mother standing in her doorway. "What are you doing here?"
Monica stands just outside the room. "I've been trying to track you down for days. Haven't you gotten any of my messages? Mind if I come in?"
"Uh, sure. Come on in." Emily covers her nervousness with a bright smile. "As a matter of fact I did get your messages, I've just been so busy with school, work and..."
"And Lucky?" Monica points to a male t-shirt on the bed. "Looks like he's practically moved in here."
Emily gulps guiltily. "No, he's just been spending more time here lately. With all the trouble at the diner." She winces when she realizes the trap she just set for herself.
Monica swallows the urge to lecture her on Lucky, now is not the time. There are more important things for them to discuss, like Emily's safety for one. "Which brings me to why I'm here. Your father and I want you to move back home. It's not safe to live in this neighborhood anymore."
"No way," Emily says, shaking her head adamantly. "Between the extra security Jason's put on the place, Lucky and Foster protecting me, and Benny living right down the hall, I'm perfectly safe. And the reasons I left home haven't changed."
"Is this how you want to live? With armed guards? In a gang war zone? Please think, Emily. You've always had a good head on your shoulders. You know this isn't going to work," Monica implores her. "Please come home, I haven't slept a wink since I heard about the stabbing. Both your father and I lie awake at night worrying about you. Your Grandfather has insisted that your Grandmother not hear about the stabbing because he's afraid it will weaken her further."
Emily shakes her head more slowly this time. "I'm sorry, Mom. I can't move home and lose all the progress I've made. That's what my leaving home was all about.. Learning to take care of myself, even in potentially dangerous situations. I can't learn that at home, not with all of you around to smother me. I have to do this my way, make my own decisions, my own mistakes."
"What if we gave you more freedom?" Monica bargains. "Your father and I discussed this at length. We're willing to allow you to see Lucky if that's what you really want. There will be curfews and rules you'll have to follow, but they aren't unreasonable. We just want you to be safe, so we can sleep at night knowing our little girl is okay."
Emily is surprised and touched by her parents' change of heart, but she remains resolute. "A couple months ago, that might have been enough. But now that I've been living on my own, paying my own bills, earning my own wages, I can't go back to being your teenage daughter, even if I wanted to. And I don't want to. I like my freedom, I like having the responsibility. And I'm not giving any of it up."
"What if we got you an apartment in a safer part of town? We'll pay the rent until you can find a job to pay for it. That way you'll still have your freedom, but you'll be safe."
"If I let you do that then it wouldn't be my own place. I like my job, I like my apartment. I like working for Carly, she's a great boss and she gives me lots of responsibility. This life I have here, it's all my own," Emily explains. "I picked it, I made it successful. I know it's not what you want for me and I know you're worried sick, and I'm sorry about that. But I can't let it go. Not now. You'll have to learn to trust me to take care of myself."
"How can you work for Carly, knowing what she's done? She nothing but a two-bit tr..."
"MOM!" Emily cuts her off with a warning. "Please, she's a friend of mine, I don't want to hear it. I know she's made some bad mistakes, but I think she's changed and she's been good to me since I moved in. And insulting her won't bring me home any faster."
Monica bites back an angry retort. She shakes her head sadly, she had really hoped to change Emily's mind. "You realize your father won't drop this?"
Emily shrugs apologetically. "I hope you can convince him to. Because it's fruitless, I'm not coming home. But I promise I'll stop by the house tomorrow and visit Grandmother. I'll even take her for a spin in my new car if she's up to it. But I won't be bullied back home. Not by you, not by Dad, not by anyone."
"He plans to take it to a judge, have you ordered home legally because you're a minor. I've tried to talk him out of it, but he's not listening to me any more than you are. Consider the alternatives, Emily. We're willing to compromise."
Emily lifts her chin defiantly. "I think you should consider the alternatives. If Dad tries to force me home, you'll both regret it. I'll run so far and so fast you won't be able to catch me, and with Lucky's help, you'll never be able to find me. Is that what you really want?"
Laura stands silently at the foot of Luke's grave. It has taken most of her courage to force herself to come here, to face the love of her life with the devastating news she has to tell him. "Hello, Luke. oh God, how I've missed you! I would give just about anything to have you here with me again."
Walking around the side of the grave with the snow crunching beneath her feet, she kneels near his head stone and brushes snow off it with a gloved hand. "I've been dreading this visit. Dreading telling you what I've done and what I'm about to do... I know you'd never forgive me." She bites her bottom lip as the tears stream down her face like a waterfall. "I've... I've betrayed you. One night a few months ago, I was very weak and very lonely, and I... I slept with Stefan. I know how wrong it was, but at the time it seemed so right, natural. And if it had been any other man, I might have been able to forgive myself, and believe you would forgive me too."
The tears blur her vision and she brushes them away halfheartedly. "It's worse than just sleeping with him, Luke. I'm.. I'm pregnant." Laura gives a short hysterical laugh. "Can you believe it? I slept with him ONE night and I'm pregnant... how you would hate me if you were alive." Laura touches her stomach, as if to soothe the fetus. "But it's not the baby's fault that it's mother made a thoughtless mistake. And now I have to do what's right for the new baby... and for Lulu."
Laura reaches out to touch the head stone again, running her fingers lovingly over the letters. "I guess I just have to come out and say it. I'm... I'm going to marry Stefan. You have to know I wouldn't be doing this if there was a better way. But a child needs a mother AND a father, needs the stability and security only a family can provide. I've tried to be the stable and secure force in Lulu's life this past year, but I haven't been enough, not even with a lot help from Lucky and Nikolas. And without my noticing, she's grown to rely on Stefan for that. And he truly adores her, I've seen it myself. He will be good for her, and for the new baby."
Laura shakes her head when she thinks of how Luke would react. "That's probably little comfort for you. But please know, I don't love him, Luke. I don't think I'll ever love anyone but you. If I thought I could ever fall in love again, I wouldn't marry him, even now. I know my decision will hurt Lucky deeply, he'll surely hate me for it. But I can't let his feelings and needs rule my life or overrule the needs of this baby and Lulu. He's a grown man, and Lulu and this baby need more than I alone can give. I have to think of their needs first. I can only pray that Lucky will forgive me in time. And I promise you he will always have a place in my life."
Laura rises to leave, touching the top of the headstone one last time to feel close to Luke. "I love you, Luke. Always and forever. You are my heart." With fresh tears streaming down her face, she turns her back and walks away.
Stefan paces the length the living room, his usual stoic facade gone, his hands visibly shaking as he rubs the back of his neck with nervous anticipation. Waiting for Laura's return to give him her answer is getting more difficult by the minute. He can't decide whether the long wait is a good sign or not, only that he'll surely go mad with waiting. For the first time in two decades of wanting her for himself, she is within his reach. What would he do if she turned him down? Could he survive it? Would he finally go insane, like his predecessors?
As if in response to his silent plea, Mrs Lansbury comes to the doorway. "Mr Cassadine? Mrs Spencer is here to see you." Stefan whirls abruptly, making eye contact with Laura who is standing behind Mrs Lansbury. "Lasha." He says in a hoarse whisper, helpless to hide his relief at seeing her.
Mrs Lansbury bows out silently, leaving them alone. Laura walks tentatively into the room, with her head held high and shoulders squared, her gaze unwavering. "Stefan."
Stefan forces a calm he doesn't feel. "Does your arrival mean you have come to a decision?"
Laura answers in a clear decisive voice. "Yes, I've made my decision. I will marry you."
