The breakfast table is set to her liking as Robin takes the seat
at the
head of the table. Brenda, Alexis and Dara are in deep
conversation as
Emily emerges down the stairs gloomily. Robin frowns at her.
"What's the
matter, Em?"
Emily ignores her as she takes a seat next to Brenda. "Are
you still up
to taking me for that drive today?"
"Sure Em, where do you want to go?" Brenda asks, her
concern obvious.
"I don't care." Em replies as Graciella places a plate
of Eggs Benedict
in front of her. Emily chuckles angrily. "How appropriate."
Jason joins them at the table, taking a seat next to Robin.
"What's for
breakfast?"
Emily snaps angrily. "Whatever Robin decided on, I've lost
my appetite,
Brenda, let me know when you're ready." Tossing her napkin
down, Emily
leaves as Brenda shoots a glare at Robin.
"What's with Emily?" Jason asks, as he digs into his
breakfast.
Alexis rolls her eyes as Dara excuses her self from the table.
"I'm not
to hungry either, and I have plenty to do today, Alexis, remember
we
have to meet V for lunch today."
"I was just leaving, I needed to discuss a case with you
anyway." They
make their exit, leaving Brenda, Robin and Jason at the table.
"You know how teenagers are Jason, she's probably just in a
bad mood.
Maybe she misses her family." Robin offers helpfully.
"We are her family." Jason responds.
"Jase, we can't pretend to be her parents. Emily needs Alan
and Monica,
when was the last time she even called them?"
"I don't know, the last time she wanted too. Robin, Em has
been happy
here, why would she want to go back to Alan and Monica's?"
"Because they're her parents, Jason."
"She doesn't want to go back." Brenda replies, finally
breaking her
silence.
"Brenda, Emily may say that she doesn't, but it's pretty
obvious that
she misses them." Robin folds her arms across her chest as
she makes eye
contact with Brenda. "She's been moping around here all last
night."
"Maybe it has something to do with Carly, Michael and Liz
being gone?
Don't use the condescending tone with me, Robin. I'm not Jason, I
won't
tolerate it. You pushed Carly out, which is why you are so smugly
sitting in her chair right now."
Jason glares at Brenda. "This subject is closed."
"The hell it is." Brenda retorts. "You may allow
Robin to pull you
around by the short hairs, but the rest of us don't work that way.
I
care about you, Robin, but quite frankly, you make me sick these
days.
Your smug little-- 'I know what's best for you act' is a little
to close
to Jax. Why the hell do you think I left him?"
"You left Jax because Sonny drove you crazy." Robin
tosses out angrily,
before looking apologetic. "I'm sorry Brenda, I didn't mean
that."
Brenda laughs as she stares at her little sister. "Sure you
did, I've
noticed that about you. When you get ticked off, your true
feelings come
out, well lay it on me, kiddo, tell me how you really feel? You
arrived
here and you didn't like the arrangement. Jason was doing just
fine
without you and you couldn't stand that could you? So many women
living
under Jason's roof, Carly running the show, so you did everything
possible to make the place the way you want it."
Jason rises from the table, clearly annoyed. "I'm leaving,
if you two
want to argue about this, be my guest, but keep Carly out of it."
Brenda looks at him open mouthed. "Excuse me, but did you
actually just
defend Carly? I think hell just froze over. To bad you didn't
while she
was around to appreciate it."
"Shut you mouth, Brenda. I don't ask for much, but respect
is something
I demand. You will respect my orders to not discuss my
relationship with
Carly or Robin, it's not your business."
Robin smiles smugly at Jason's turned back. Her facial expression
quickly turns to depair as his eyes meet hers. "It's okay,
Jason, I can
handle Brenda. We obviously have some issues to discuss."
Jason leaves as Brenda claps her hands. "Bravo, that was a
great
performance. Now cut the crap and let's get to the heart of the
matter,
you want all of us out of here so that you can go back to
controlling
Jason without interruption."
"No, Brenda, let's get to the heart of the matter, you want
Jason
because he reminds you of Sonny. The same reason you sleep with
Rinaldo,
the danger excites you."
"You know nothing about me and Rinaldo." Brenda replies
angrily. "And
for Jason? Not in this lifetime, Yeah, I respect him, but he
wouldn't
touch me with a ten foot pole, cause in his eyes I'm Sonny's
woman."
"Which is why you're ticked." Robin pounces.
"No, which is why I respect him, even if the fact of the
matter remains
that I am nobody's woman, except my own. I learned a lot in that
hospital, and the biggest lesson was I've never been my own
person. I
changed myself to suit whatever relationship I was in. Well,
hasta la
vista to that way of life, because it'll never happen again. I'm
sure
not going to change myself to suit your needs, little sister."
"You're deluded. You're wearing some kind of medieval slave
bracelets
with Rinaldo's initials on them, but yeah, you're your own woman."
Robin
rolls her eyes as Brenda cocks an eyebrow at her.
"Yeah, I wear these. I care about Rinaldo, and he cares
about me. I
honor his wishes, but he doesn't try and change me to suit his
needs.
The rules are simple, do as he says or leave. I accept that, I
embrace
it. I have a structure in my life that was my choice and I'm
happy. He
doesn't care if I sleep with other men, I could care less if he
sleeps
with Dara every night of the week, because when push comes to
shove,
he's there for ME. We may have a dysfunctional relationship, but
at
least we're based on honesty, which is more than I can say for
you and
Jason. Who's really deluded, Robin? You hate Jason's career, you
hate
the choices he makes, you try to mold him into the perfect man
that you
so desire, how long will it be before he's shacked up at the Q
mansion
serving tea to Lila? You don't love Jason Morgan, you love Jason
Quartermaine, you don't even KNOW Jason Morgan." Brenda
turns on her
heel and walks away. "OK, little sister, you get to have
your wish
fulfilled, cause I'm leaving this train wreck."
In the renegade penthouse, Brenda finds Rinaldo and Dara talking
as
Alexis fixes a snack in the kitchen. "I'm out of here."
She pronounces
as she makes her way into her room.
Rinaldo follows as does Dara and Alexis. "What do you mean?
You're
leaving?" He asks, watching her toss her things into a bag.
"I'm not living by Robin's stupid little rules; I'm sure as
hell not
going to bite my tongue for as long as Carly did. Robin can take
her
advice and good intentions and kiss my ass. You coming or
staying?" She
asks, without bothering to look up.
"Coming, let me talk to Jason first." Rinaldo replies
before walking out
the door.
"Can you hand me my make up case?" She asks, as Dara
hands it to her.
"Thanks, here take this." She passes her the lipstick
that she used the
night of the set up on Moreno. "It looked better on you
anyway. I've
grown closer to you guys, as twisted as that sounds, than I ever
was to
Julia or my dad. I don't really want lose touch with ya. Even if
you
both can be overbearing and opinionated. I just got to break out
of this
place before I go nuts..." She giggles softly before adding,
"...again."
Dara smiles at her with a new respect. "I hear ya
girlfriend, we
probably won't be far behind you."
Alexis replies cryptically. "Speak for yourself, some of us
still need
his protection."
Brenda meets her worried gaze and replies honestly. "Be
careful, Lex.
Robin doesn't like sharing her home with other women, she
practically
tried to ship Emily off to the Q's today." Remembering
Emily, Brenda
sighs. "How am I going to tell her that I'm leaving too?"
Alexis smiles as she embraces Brenda. "Leave Emily to me, I
will see to
her needs. Take care of yourself now."
Dara nods as she gives her a quick hug too. "If we're
supposed to be
like sisters now, I guess that makes you the annoying brat, so
stay the
hell out of trouble."
"Yeah, whatever, you nag." Brenda teases as Emily walks
into the room,
her eyes filled with tears as she sees the suitcases.
"Not you too!" She replies before sinking to the floor
in tears. Brenda
rushes over and wraps her arm around her.
"Em, I'll visit, I promise." She assures her, but Emily
shakes her head.
"No, Robin keeps driving people away, everything was cool
until she
arrived, and now look at us.. what's left of us."
"Baby, it was never going to be a permanent thing, ya know.
I have to
move out on my own sometime. The original plan was for me to
totally
disappear but thanks to you guys I don't feel like I have to that
anymore. And yeah, you're right it's going to take a hell of a
lot for
me to step foot next door but that doesn't mean that I'm not
going to
see you."
"You wouldn't be leaving if it weren't for her! I'm not a
stupid little
kid ya know, I can see what's happening. She wants us out of
here, and
won't stop until we're all gone!"
The car ride to the farm house is silent as Liz watches Carly
stare out
the window sadly, every once in awhile a silent tear escaping.
Michael,
oblivious to his mother's sadness, sleeps in his car seat. Johnny
pulls
into the driveway and brings the car to a stop. Helping the
ladies out
of the car, he begins picking up their bags as Carly, carrying a
sleeping Michael, and Liz close behind her, climb the steps into
their
new home.
Liz stops dead in her tracks as her eyes fall on the man wearing
a "Kiss
the Cook" apron, who stands dumbfounded by the doorway.
Undaunted Carly
hands him the sleeping baby, and quips, "Meet your
namesake... Michael." Dropping the diaper bag off her
shoulder onto the
floor, she peers into the kitchen and breathes in the sweet aroma
of
marinara. "Lasagna? Great, I'm starved. Liz, set up in one
of the
bedrooms,I don't care which one. Then come back in here for
dinner."
"You don't seem surprised to find me here." Sonny
cradles Michael in his
arms and hides a smile as an open mouthed Liz backs down the
hallway to
the bedrooms.
Carly shakes her head. "Naa, you seem more shocked to find
ME here. It's
about time Michael spent some quality time with his namesake
anyway. You
don't mind sharing the house with us, right?" Easing into
the couch, she
props her feet up on the coffee table, already making herself at
home.
"Why didn't you tell Jason you were here?"
Taking a seat in the recliner, he shrugs his shoulders. "I
almost did,
until I saw Brenda walking into the penthouse. I didn't want to
complicate things further with her. She's had it pretty rough
since I
left."
"After you dumped her," Carly points out bluntly.
"Brenda's okay,
though. A hell of a lot different than who she used to be, but it
works
for her. How long have you been here?"
"Long enough to have seen and heard things. Jason has
himself a real
harem going on over there." Sonny's amused pride is
unmistakable.
"Well, we'll see how long that lasts with Buttercup pulling
him around
by the short hairs." Carly smiles at him mockingly. "Oh
sorry, you're
friends with her. Guess I'll have to tiptoe around here as well."
Cocking a brow at her, Sonny tilts his head curiously. "From
what I've
figured out, Jason is taking responsibility for Michael, has a
complicated relationship with you, and still loves Robin...
right?"
"And people say I'm blunt. Jason is Michael's father, plain
and simple
end of story. Our relationship was working fine until the
Sorbonne
princess of sainthood decided to renew her claim. I never wanted
to
compete with her. Jason and I are friends and we raise our son
together.
She's the one who's threatened by it, not me."
"Right, it's just peachy with you that he's in love with
her," Sonny
comments, obviously not buying it in the least. "This isn't
any of my
business, but Robin is like my little sister."
"You're right, but we're going to be living together so you
may as well
know why. Although you may not like my version of it. Yes, I
hated the
fact that she has this sick kinda hold on him. He may feel it's
love,
but it's freaking similar to my relationship with Tony."
"Ah, Dr Jones."
Carly nods. "Right, it was this sicko, almost father/daughter
thing. I
mean, he said he loved me, but that was a total crock. He loved
the
image of me being who he wanted me to be. Some plastic, perfect
doctor's
wife. Robin controls Jason, and the bitch gets off on it. It's
that
simple, she treats him like a child, 'Jason do this, wear this,
eat
this.' It's gross. Jason isn't some idiotic rag doll with no
common
sense."
"Wait a second, One-- she's not a bitch, and Two-- their
relationship
isn't as cut and dry as you make it out to be! You say that Jason
isn't
an idiot, then why would he be in a relationship with some
control
freak, as you just described her?" Sonny questions angrily.
"Jason doesn't see what's right in front of his face where
Robin's
concerned. I don't try and control him, and neither did you.
That's why
he respects you, because you've never tried to manage him the way
the
Q's tried . You trust the man he is, and don't treat him like
some half
wit or shattered image of Jason Quartermaine." She laughs.
"Heck, I
didn't even know he was AJ's brother at first. I had no idea he
was
Monica's son, that he'd been in a accident. I just thought he was
this incredibly gorgeous, sexy, honest guy. It wasn't until way
down the
line that he told me everything. If he hadn't, I wouldn't have
ever
guessed he was brain damaged, hell I just thought he was a little
cold
and rude."
"That's probably why he respects you then, at least part of
the reason.
You never came into a relationship pitying him about his accident."
Sonny rises from his seat, hands the baby over to Carly and
smiles. "I
have no problems with you staying here, and there's no need to
tiptoe
around my feelings. Just don't feel the need to preach the gospel
on why
you hate Robin to me. I love Robin, but I'm a firm believer in
everyone
has the right to like and dislike whomever they choose. Just know
I
don't totally agree, or disagree, with your assessment of her.
Now...
I'm going to check on dinner."
...............................
Alexis swallows the growing lump in her throat as she walks
through
Jason's office door. "Jason, I need to talk to you."
"Whatever it is, take it up with Carly." The words
leave his mouth
before it registers what he's said. Meeting her anxious gaze, he
replies
coolly, "Something I can help you with?"
"I hope so, but I'm afraid I'm about to cross some major
boundary lines
here," Alexis admits as she takes a seat.
"Then why cross them?"
"Because I won't feel safe until I do." Alexis chooses
her words
carefully as she shifts under Jason's intense gaze. This won't be
easy.
"Ever since I've come to live here, I have felt safe. Even
when we were
fighting against Moreno's attacks, I felt safe. Until now."
"What's changed?" He asks, closing his file and giving
her his full
attention. It wasn't like Alexis to be so fidgety. In fact, she
hadn't
been since the first night at the club. "Helena make contact
or
something?"
"No, nothing like that, at least not yet. Jason, may I be
honest with
you?" She asks, already knowing his answer. Honesty was what
Jason
respected most in people, she could only pray he'd respect what
truths
she was about to lay at his feet.
"Lay it on the line, Alexis." He answers, sitting back
in his chair.
"Before Robin came to live in the penthouse, I felt safe.
Everything ran
smoothly, I knew where I stood with you and everyone else."
Jason interrupts her. "I won't listen to another Robin bitch
fest. I've
had my fill of it."
"Fine, then tell me where I can go and still be protected."
Her words
are short and to the point, and immediately grab his attention.
"Continue with what you were saying," He replies
evenly, his eyes boring
into her.
"We may not have all gotten along like one big happy family,
but
everyone respected each other's reasons for being here. We were
all on
sinking ships and you were our lifeboat. I put my life in your
hands, as
did the rest of the occupants of this place, and we did it
without
reserve." Taking a deep breath, she manages to continue.
"I know you
love Robin, it's obvious her well being is your top concern, so
what I
need to know is where does my well being rank with you?"
"You are under my protection, Alexis. Nothing will change
that."
"Until she decides that I need to leave too," Alexis
counters. "Look
around you, Jason. People are abandoning ship, taking their
chances out
in the cold, harsh water. I can't afford to do that; the sharks
in my
water will eat me alive. I turned to you because I couldn't sleep
at
night, because I was so overwhelmed with fear. Since coming here,
I have
been sleeping through the night, safe and sound, content with the
responsibilities you've bestowed upon me. You have given me more
freedom
and trust than any member of my family ever dreamed of. To lose
it
scares me." Alexis places her hands on top of his own.
"It didn't take
her long to free you of your son. How long will it be before I'm
out
too?"
At the mention of Michael, Jason recoils from her touch, but her
words
hit home. "Carly left because she doesn't like Robin."
"You can't be this blind, Jason. Carly left because you
wouldn't allow
her to defend herself with Robin. She had to walk on eggshells
and bite
her tongue and be uncomfortable in her own home. The home that
she made
for you, me and everyone you dropped in her lap, I might add. She
hates
Keesha, but allowed her to live here without packing up her
things and
moving on. You have this jaded image of Carly. You see her as
tough as
nails, able to handle anything thrown at her just brushing it off
and
moving on to the next crisis."
"Carly handles things," Jason points out. "She
doesn't need me the way
Robin does."
"She doesn't? That's news to me. Carly needed you to stick
up for her,
to defend her from Robin's line of fire. You see things in black
and
white, Jason. But life is full of shades of gray."
"Could you please talk in regular sentences instead of all
these
comparisons?" He asks angrily.
"Fine, you see Robin as weak and defenseless, as this little
angel who
needs your protection, and Carly as this tower of strength who
never
needs you." Alexis takes a deep breath, then continues.
"Jason, Carly is
the one who accepts you for who you are. She knows you, she loves
you,
and she would do anything for you, no questions asked. Robin
spouts her
love of you, and then dresses you in Armani suits and chooses
which
knife you should cut your steak with. Can't you see that one
adores you
for who you are and the other wants you to be someone else? Robin
is
driving everyone that you care about away from you. How long will
it be
before your sister bails out of here too?"
"Emily hasn't mentioned anything to me." Jason replies,
her words
piercing into him. "I know she seems depressed, but Robin
says she
misses Alan and Monica."
"Isn't that convenient? I mean, that way Em can move back
into the
mansion and there's one less girl. When will she tell you that my
presence here is bothersome to her? How long before I'm out of
here, Jason? I can't live like this. Not knowing my fate is a
Cassadine
curse bestowed onto me by that venomous demon of a stepmother,
who
coincidentally found ways to get rid of the other women in my
father's
life as well."
"You're comparing Robin to Helena?" Jason asks, stunned
at her
statement.
"If the broom fits..." Her voice trails off as she
pleads with him.
"Brenda and Rinaldo are leaving, where are they going?"
"You want to follow them?" He asks, already knowing the
answer. "That is
doable, I know of someone who can protect you as well as I can,
perhaps
better, though it might take some doing. Maybe Emily should go
for a
visit too."
"That would just leave you, Robin and Dara." She points
out.
"I know, but Emily is miserable here without Carly and
Michael and
Liz.." His voice trails off as he leaves the list unfinished.
"If I do
this, I need a promise from you."
"Anything."
"Keep me posted on how they are all doing."
She smiles and kisses him on the cheek. "You never had to
ask."
"Pack your things, I need to make a phone call and arrange
it." He
watches her leave and lets out a sigh. The home that Carly had
made for
him is quickly unraveling.
Sonny tenses as he hears a car door slam, turning to Carly, he
whispers.
"Who is it?"
Carly peers out the window and tries to decide between laughing
or
crying; this isn't going to be good. "Um, we have guests."
Sonny chuckles, thinking Jason has finally decided to pay a visit.
"The
more the merrier."
"You say that now." Carly mutters under breath.
Brenda bounds into the home, her eyes meet Sonny's shocked gaze
before
flashing a smile at Carly. "Honey, I'm home!" Carly
busts out laughing.
Sonny regains his composure and smiles seductively at her. "Brenda,
I
was wondering if you knew I was in town."
"Didn't... until now," She responds before turning her
attention back to
Carly. "So, where do Rinaldo and I stay?"
Rinaldo shifts uncomfortably under his former employer's gaze.
Things
couldn't get worse, could they?
"You and Rinaldo, eh? That's interesting." Sonny feels
his temperature
rise as he looks from Rinaldo to Brenda. "So, this is how
you repay me?
Sleeping with him?"
Brenda rolls her eyes dramatically. "Oh God, get over
yourself already!
You made a choice, I made a choice, we all made choices... yadda
yadda
yadda. I went a little nuts when you left, I got over it. Rinaldo
was
there, he was able, and bing bam boom, it just kinda worked out.
Sonny,
you should really move on with your life. You and me were a great
ride,
but it's over now." Turning on her heel, she walks down the
hall way to
her room.
Rinaldo starts to follow her, but Sonny reaches out and stops him.
"So,
you were just there to pick up the pieces?"
"Look, I don't want there to be problems here," Carly
interrupts, but
Rinaldo holds up his hand.
"It's okay, Carly. There won't be any problems. Sonny,
Brenda isn't the
person you remember. She's different now and she has moved on
with her
life." Rinaldo shrugs his shoulders. "I have no beef
with you, but I
won't allow you to stress her out. You left and she found some
way to
move on, now let her be."
Sonny throws his hands up in frustration. "Are you and Jax
reading from
the same script here? I am not going to bother her. I don't want
to hurt
her any more than I already have. She's different, I can see it
in the
eyes. I was just thrown for a loop, okay? Give me a break already."
"I better check on her." Rinaldo walks down the hall
and finds Brenda
sitting on the bed, hands in her lap, staring at the wall. "You
okay?"
"Yep, just a little shocked. You'd think Jason would have
told us he was
here." Laying back on the bed she chuckles. "But it
probably didn't
cross his mind, he's funny like that."
"I don't think Jason knew. I don't think Jason would have
surprised
Sonny like this."
Brenda sighs. "I can't believe you left with me."
"You asked me too." Rinaldo replies, joining her on the
bed. He wraps an
arm around her tiny waist and kisses her neck. "I've kinda
gotten used
to having you around."
"Right, because I belong to you, right?"
"Well, it was 'play the by rules' at the penthouse, I guess
we could
change them here." He brushes her silky hair away from her
face and
smiles. "If you want to change them?"
"I like them the way they are, thank you very much. It adds
some
structure to my life. So, will Dara be joining us here?" She
asks, with
a mischievous twinkle in her brown eyes.
"You want her too?" He teases, only to be hit over the
head with a stray
pillow.
"I'm not jealous of her, you know. I was just curious as to
how serious
you are about her?"
"She's fun, sexy, extremely intelligent and turns me on. But
I'm not the
love of her life, that position is already filled."
"Aww, so are you looking to be the love of somebody's life?"
Brenda
teases as she traces the curves of his face with her finger tips.
"Because, I don't think I'm ready to jump that deep into the
relationship pool yet."
"I like things the way they are now, Kitten. Why mess with
something
that works for us?"
"So... I could go sleep with Sonny and it wouldn't bother
you?" She
searches his face for some kind of reaction, but is met with only
a
bemused stare.
"That would be your choice, but considering the brush off
you gave him,
I'm not to worried about it." He teases, before lowering his
lips onto
hers.
Back in the living room, Carly watches quietly as Sonny silently
broods.
He senses her stare and sighs. "Yes, Carly?"
"Nothing, just watching you sulk over Brenda. It's actually
kind of
amusing, I mean I thought you were over her and all."
"You have no tact." He snaps.
"I'm a Spencer, go figure." She retorts. "Come on,
fess up, you still in
love with her?"
"No, but the fact that she's messing with one of my former
soldiers
doesn't make my day." Sonny sinks back into his chair and
props his feet
up. "Did you know she was coming?"
"I would have told you if I had." Carly replies. "I'm
not cruel. Jason
probably didn't think to call and warn us. Of course, he still
doesn't
know you're here."
"I wonder why she left?" He asks, but Brenda answers.
"Robin started reminding me a bit too much of Jax for my
taste."
Flopping down on the couch next to Carly, she grins. "Liz is
helping
Rinaldo unpack, think she's happy to see us?"
"Most definitely, too bad you didn't bring Emily,"
Carly remarks with a
note of sadness in her voice.
"It won't be long before she's here too." Giggling, she
winks at Sonny.
"You'll have your own little harem soon."
"Is Robin that bad?" Sonny asks, incredulous that her
own best friend
has left the penthouse because of her. Something is wrong with
this
picture.
"Okay, all I'm saying is, I care about her and all, but I
feel for
Jason. Being in a relationship with a control freak is not my
idea of a
happy day at the beach. Robin can't handle the idea of any woman
getting
close to Jason. Last I saw, she practically shipped Emily off to
the
Q's."
Carly rises from the couch, filled with rage. "I'll kill
that little
runt if she even thinks about messing with Em."
"Relax, situation has been handled, Emily's not going
anywhere. Jason is
so blind when it comes to Robin, hell he's blind when it comes to
women
anyway. But man, Robin is trying to turn him into Jason
Quartermaine.
She just doesn't get that Jason actually likes his life the way
it is
and enjoys his job." Brenda throws up her hands in
frustration. "But
hey, how can I convince her that loving a guy from the
organization will
only lead to heartache unless you can honestly accept his way of
life?"
Sonny shakes his head in disbelief. "She wouldn't listen to
you?"
"Nope, in fact she turned on me. She got this smug look on
her face and
started saying my wanting Jason for myself was the true problem
in our
friendship."
"Do you?" Sonny asks, before thinking.
"Bite me." Brenda snaps as Carly chuckles. "Even
if I wanted him, he
wouldn't touch me with a ten foot pole, I was yours."
"Anyway, that's not a big deal, I'm just worried about Emily
now." Carly
says as the phone rings. "Hello? Wait, stop right there,
you're talking
to the wrong person." She hands the phone to Sonny and then
motions to
Brenda to follow her out of the room.
Sonny watches Carly leave the room before answering. "Yeah."
"Sonny?!" Jason is thrown for a moment. "When did
you get there and why
didn't anyone tell me?"
"Good to hear your voice too, Jason," Sonny answers
with a smirk. "We've
been kind of busy around here, as you might guess. Brenda and
Rinaldo
just got here."
Jason winces. "Oh man. I can find them another place."
"Nah, don't bother. After a few tense moments, we've worked
it out. What
can I do for you?"
"I need a favor." Jason states simply. "Actually a
couple."
"Name it."
"What do you know about Alexis Davis?"
"I've met her, Cassadine chick right?"
"How much has Carly told you about the women in my life?"
Jason asks,
his eyes focused on a picture of Carly and Michael.
"Not much. You rescued her from some of her mistakes; you
gave Brenda a
way out from a life with Jax; and you took your sister in from
the
dysfunction that is known as Quartermaine."
"And you've met Elizabeth. She came to me asking me to stop
her
Grandmother from shipping her off to her parents in Bosnia. Dara
needed
assistance hiding out from Moreno, as you know. You sent V to me.
Robin
was nearly killed in a message meant to shake me up. And then
there's
Alexis. She had some family problems... to put it mildly. Luke,
Helena
and Stefan were pulling her in opposing directions to the point
that she
was jumping at her own shadow. Stefan and Helena were demanding
that she
pick a side, and either choice would have ended up with her dead.
So
Luke asked me to assist and now I'm asking you
to do the same."
"What do you want me to do exactly?"
"Take her in and protect her. She doesn't feel safe here
anymore and
you're the only person I trust to protect her. She misses Liz and
Carly
and I think she'll be happier with you." Jason turns the
photograph over
and asks softly. "How are Carly and Michael?"
"They're fine. Jason, I have a question."
"Yeah?"
"Why doesn't she feel safe at the penthouse anymore? Moreno
is dead."
Sonny takes a sip of his cola and listens as silence comes from
the
other end of the line.
After a moment, Jason answers coolly. "She has her reasons.
It's not
really my place to discuss. So, will you take her in?"
"Yeah, consider it done. By the way, what the hell happened
to Brenda?
She didn't even make eye contact with me when she first arrived."
"She did what you wanted her to do, she moved on."
Carly knocks on Brenda's door. "It's open." Brenda
calls out. Looking up
from her magazine she smiles. "What's up?"
Taking a seat on the edge of her bed, Carly blurts out bluntly.
"Are you
okay with being in the same room with Sonny?"
"Gee, Sonny, you sure look a lot like Carly. Flaring
nostrils and all."
Brenda teases, ducking a flying pillow "Sorry, it amused me."
"Seriously, I'm a little worried about you."
"I'm sane, no tripod within fifty feet." Brenda manages
a slight smile.
"So, admit it, you don't totally hate me."
Rolling her eyes in amusement, Carly replies. "Not totally.
You make me
want to beat the tar out of you sometimes, but you always come
through
for the family when we need you. So that makes you kind of like
that
bratty sister that I just can't get rid of."
"Awww, I don't totally hate you either, Carly. This bonding
stuff is
kind of cool."
"Want to go shopping?" Carly asks with a grin, watching
Brenda perk up.
"Don't tease me, it's not nice." Brenda warns.
"Let's go. I found this great flea market with some cool
Indian rugs and
antique pottery."
Outside, Rinaldo watches with amusement as Liz tries to coax a
frightened kitten from under the big green tractor. "Here,
Kitty, Kitty,
come on out and see your new pal Liz."
"Bored?" He asks, already knowing the answer.
"I miss Em." She admits as she hops on o the tractor.
"Can you teach me
to drive this?"
"Sure, but it will be the blind leading the blind."
Rinaldo says with a
laugh. "Ya know, now that you mention it, I'm kind of
missing Johnny."
His eyes twinkle with mischievousness.
Liz laughs at him. "You slay me."
"What?" He asks, looking wounded. "Johnny and I go
way back."
"I'm sorry, I forgot about the two of you spending time
together as
little boys. Holding up convenience stores with water pistols."
She
teases.
"They could never prove that." He replies defensively
before hauling her
easily over his shoulder. "Now, smart butt, what are you
going to do?"
Kicking and giggling, Liz begs him. "Let me down!!"
"Your wish is my command." He says as he reaches the
end of the dock. He
tosses her into the cool water.
Surfacing while fighting back laughter, Liz points a finger at
him.
"I'll get you for this."
"Nooo, let me." Johnny begs as suddenly appears on the
scene. He pushes
Rinaldo, jeans and all, into the lake.
Emily giggles as she waves at Liz. "Guess we aren't that
late after
all."
Liz grins at Rinaldo. "Thanks."
He shrugs before splashing water at her. "I didn't do it for
you, Runt.
I told you I missed Johnny."