Jacks house
Carly pushed the front door closed with her hip, letting her briefcase fall to her feet wearily. She lay the books full of proofs on the side table in their foyer, and then straightened up, a puzzled look on her face. Something was wrong; it was ... quiet. "Hello?" she called, taking a step forward. "Okay, is this my house?"
She rounded the corner, slipping off her heels. "Jessa? Michael? Jax?" Carly paused in the middle of her darkened living room. "Anyone?" When there was no response, she gave a slight weary shrug and collapsed back on the couch, kicking her shoes off as she fell. One arm lifted, and Carly covered her face with the crook of her elbow as a long sigh escaped from her lips.
The end of the couch shifted; Carly neither moved nor opened her eyes. First one foot, then the other was lifted to rest in a lap, and slowly fingers began to rotate firmly against the balls of Carly's feet, digging in in a gentle, deep arc. She moaned in ecstasy. "I don't care who you are or what you want; you can have it. As long as you don't. Ever. Stop."
A low chuckle sounded, and she felt lips press against the curve of her ankle. "And if the price I demanded was a night of mad, passionate love?" questioned a male voice.
Carly's lips curved upwards, and she reached up, expertly finding a shirt collar and twining her fingers in it as she drew lips towards hers. "Take me, lover," she growled against his lips. "Just don't expect me to, you know, move or anything."
Jax laughed and kissed his wife thoroughly, provoking the movement she had forsaken, then slid his body beside hers as he continued massaging -- moving his ministrations to her neck. "Long day?" he murmured, his lips caressing her earlobe.
"The longest." She opened her eyes, leaning back against him. "Jax? Where are my children?"
"Sold them to the highest bidder." Carly pinched his thigh, and he yelped in laughter. "Okay, okay. Michael's with his father, and Jessa's with your mother for the night. I thought that my wife," Jax pressed a kiss on the curve where neck met shoulder blade, "could do with an uninterrupted evening."
Carly's hand rose to touch his cheek lightly with her palm. "How do you do that?" she asked. "How do you know what I need and find a way to give it to me, every time?"
"I have my ways," he murmured, continuing both the massage and the kisses. "I had a feeling today might be a long one."
Carly stilled suddenly in her husband's arms. "Jax." She turned to face him. "Is this about Sonny?" He didn't answer, but she read the response in his blue, bluest eyes. "Baby," her other hand rose, cupping his face between her palms, "he's nothing to us. He doesn't matter in our lives no matter where he is or what's happening to him. I spent less than half of a second thinking about him today, swear to god."
Jax was silent as he sought and found his own kind of answer in the planes of her face and the darkness of her eyes. Then, he lifted his head, meeting the tilt of hers in a kiss that was more reassurance than anything else. He drew her towards him, resting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I have a Corinthos-sized blind spot." Jax drew in a breath and let it out again, pulling Carly back down into his arms, his chin nestled over her shoulder. "So, tell me about your day."
"Jax--"
"No, Carly, it's okay. I don't want-- We don't need to talk about this. My mistake, that's all," he stroked her hair gently, his eyes determinedly bright. "Just ... tell me about your day."
She was silent a long moment; the fabric of her marriage to Jasper Jacks was total disclosure. When they had fallen in love, it had been less a fall and more a deliberate leap, eyes open, path clear. It was unlike any love she had ever known; there was light at the core of her relationship with her husband rather than darkness, and it meant everything to the both of them that it stay that way. And, Carly knew that Sonny Corinthos and the things she knew about him that Jax didn't had the potential to break what they had.
She sighed, troubled, then dismissed the thought for now. It really had been a hell of a day, and Jax ... she could read her husband. Last thing he wanted now was this conversation. And, selfishly, the last thing she wanted ever was this conversation. Settling back in his arms, Carly spoke. "Bad thing first -- my winter shoot was totally ruined. I've been scrambling around all damn day trying to figure out a way to reshoot on time. It was that new photographer, the one I didn't want to hire?" Jax nodded in recognition. "Anyway, Rita and I were up to our ears in that all day. And, good thing, Gia's home. She stopped by the office."
Jax's eyebrows lifted in surprise. He had been on Carly's side of enough phone conversations with Gia to piece together most of the story by now. "With her--"
Carly nodded. "With Jack. She's planning on introducing him to his father."
"So is this the part where the Spencer wagons begin to circle?" Jax questioned.
Carly groaned in response, turning around to bury her head in his chest. "God, don't say it out loud! Let me live in Denial-ville for one more night. You know how many different kinds of hell Gia's gonna bring down on me?"
Jax kissed her nose. "Lucky's not going to blame you, honey." Carly snorted in disbelief. "And, if he is, we'll worry about it tomorrow. Tonight -- no Lucky, no Spencers, no Gia. You and me, Carly, that's it." Jax punctuated his words with his hands, one palm moving in a long, sensual line against his wife's side, the other tangling in her silky blonde hair.
Carly lifted her head from his chest, finding the sweet hollow at the base of his throat and tasting it with her tongue. "You and me," she purred. Carly wiggled and turned until she was sitting astride him, straddling his hips. "And didn't someone say something about mad, passionate love?"
Jax grinned and slid his free hand up her back slowly, linking it with the other against the back of her neck as he drew her down to him, arching his lips to meet hers. He could feel his wife's breath against his lips when a sharp knock sounded at the door, and they stilled. Jax groaned, and started to sit up.
Carly placed a hand in the middle of his chest. "No, you stay. Hold that thought, and I'll be right back," she smiled wickedly. "It's probably the contracts for the new winter shoot." She slid down, buttoning her shirt as she padded to the front door. Opening it, she looked at the delivery guy. "What?"
He pushed his glasses back with one forefinger and looked at the list in his hand. "Carly Jacks?" he questioned. She nodded, and he handed her an envelope. "You've been served."
"What?" Carly called, but he had already backed away and was loping for his car. She slit the envelope open with a fingernail, her eyes narrowed. They narrowed further as she read the contents; she made a small noise deep in her throat. Carly lifted a bloodless face to her husband's as he stepped around the corner. She held up the document. "A subpoena. To give my deposition in the matter of The State of New York vs. Sonny Corinthos."
Alexis' PH
"Tilt your arm up a little, baby. Now, make sure you hold it still. There you go." Gia took a step back with a smile, making sure she was still within catching distance if need be. Her smile widened as she watched her son carefully cradling his small cousin in his arms. "Don't let your hand slip off his head, Jackie; babies need to have someone hold their heads until their necks get strong enough to do it on their own."
Jack adjusted carefully, one palm cupping the baby's head gently. He grinned up at his mother. "He's really, truly, for real my cousin?" he asked for the umpteenth time. "What's his name?"
Gia laughed, and grinned at the other occupant of the room. "Better ask Uncle Marcus that one." She elbowed her brother in the side as he stood up, tossing an arm around her shoulders.
"His mama and I are still figuring out what his name should be," Marcus offered, placing a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "I'll let you know as soon as we figure it out."
"I could help!" Jack's eyes brightened. "I know lots and lots and lots of names!"
"I might take you up on that one, buddy. But for now," Marcus crouched in front of Jack, gently transferring the baby into his arms, "I'm going to put the baby down; it's his bedtime." He headed for the baby's bedroom. "Be right back."
Jack sprang out of the armchair, moving to his mother's side. "Not my bedtime. I get to stay up way later than this right, Mama? I'm not a baby!"
Gia glanced at the clock on the mantel. "I don't know, lovey; you've had a really long day what with playing with Jessa, then hanging out with Uncle Marcus and your cousin this afternoon ..." She looked at her son's stubborn face and sat on the couch, gathering him in her arms. "How 'bout this? How 'bout you go back and get your jammies on and brush your teeth and set up the bed the way you like it and then I'll read you a story," she paused for breath, blowing out her cheeks and making Jack giggle, "and THEN and only then, it'll be bedtime? Deal?" Gia held out her palm face up.
Jack considered a long moment, then slapped her hand 'five'. "Deal. Can I kiss the baby 'night?"
"Welll," Gia hesitated, "you can kiss him 'good morning', but let's let him sleep for tonight. Believe me, babies can be very, very noisy if they wake up when they don't want to."
Her son frowned, and she had to bite back a laugh as he looked, for all the world, like a thirty year old stock-broker going over his options. Suddenly, he smiled, and bounded up from the couch. "'Kay!" Jack sped off for the back guest bedroom, nearly plowing into Marcus as his uncle reentered the room.
"Careful!" Marcus called back, then turned with a laugh to his sister, shaking his head. "Damn, baby sister, he reminds me of you." He sat down beside her on the couch. "Runnin' all over the place with this boundless energy and damn the consequences."
"Marcus--"
"Gia," he copied, breaking into whatever she'd been about to say. He placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him. "You know how much I love you. But, you come back to this town with my nephew about to do what you're about to do, don't expect me not to have something to say about it."
Gia twisted out of her brother's grasp, her eyes flashing. "I don't need a lecture, Marcus. I get enough of them on a daily basis from Mother. And, you're not my daddy; you're my brother. So, can it."
"Yeah, I am your brother. And, I love you, and I've seen you climb out of hell these past few years. You want me to sit and watch while you put yourself back down there?!" Marcus demanded. He shook his head sharply. "Not going to happen, not in this world."
Gia regarded her brother, still-faced. She stood up when he was finished and began gathering her things. "Thanks for your hospitality; thank Alexis for me when she comes home." She thrust one arm into her coat. "Jack and I will stay--"
"Gia," Marcus grasped her wrist, "Gia. Don't do this. Don't run away again."
"I'm not! I'm not running, Marcus. I'm just not gonna stand here and argue about this either!" She glared at him. "Do you have any idea how hard this is for me? Just getting here, just coming to Port Charles took everything that I am. But I did it because ... because my son deserves a father. He deserves HIS father. And, I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you make this harder for me or my son. The very last thing Jack needs is to hear how bad an idea it is for him to know his daddy. My son will not hear that from you."
Marcus spread his hands wide. "Do you see him here? Am I raising my voice?" He sighed, and looked at her. "I don't want either of you hurt. And, watching you get tangled up with Lucky Spencer all over again..."
Gia laughed, her voice low and bitter. "Far too late for that, Marcus. I gave birth to his child. There's not much more tangled you can get than that."
"You can walk away." She shook her head impatiently. "Gia, the boy spent time in the crazy house."
"That was a really long time ago," she snapped out. "And, you know that wasn't his fault!"
"I'm not blaming him," Marcus' voice was gentle. "I'm not blaming anyone. I'm just sayin' ... what kind of a father can he be to that little boy in there?"
She was still a long moment before sinking back down beside him on the couch. Gia lifted her eyes to meet her brothers, her own filled with tears. "God, I wish you knew how many sleepless nights I've had asking myself that," she whispered. "Over and over again, Marcus, I've looked at my sweet little boy's face with," her voice cracked, "his father's blue eyes staring back at me, and I've tried to figure out exactly what kind of father Lucky Spencer would be." She looked down for a moment. "He's a good man, Marcus. He was kind to me when both of our lives were crumbling around us. And," she met his eyes again, "this is my decision. I've made it, and I'm sticking to it, and every single argument you pick with me only makes it that much harder. 'Cause you're not gonna change my mind, Marcus."
He smiled, suddenly. "When could I ever? Never knew a single person who could change Gia Campbell's mind once it was made up." Marcus drew her into his arms, hugging her hard.
"Now, I really wish I had a camera," Alexis laughed, closing the door softly behind her as she entered the apartment. "Gia," Gia slipped out of Marcus' arms and stood up, taking Alexis' extended hands, "it's good to see you." She leaned in, kissing the younger woman lightly on both cheeks. Alexis looked over Gia's shoulder with laughing eyes. "Is this family week or what?" she asked Marcus.
"Alexis' brother Stefan came back to town earlier this week," Marcus explained, neutrally, at Gia's questioning look.
"Oh." Gia's response was quiet. "Look, Jack's waiting for me to read a story, so I'll let the two of you have some time. We'll catch up later tonight, okay Alexis?" Without waiting for a response, Gia ducked back into the hallway and upstairs.
Alexis watched her go, then turned to Marcus, slipping both arms around his waist. "Do I smell particularly unpleasant?" she asked him.
He drew her against him with a sigh. "She's just on edge. And, bringing your family into it..." Marcus shook his head. "Never gonna be a good thing for my sister, honey."
Alexis stiffened slightly, then relaxed. "I suppose it's only understandable." She moved out of his embrace, picking up one of the baby's blankets and folding it as she spoke. "You wouldn't believe my brother, though. This marriage of his," she shook her head, "it's like he's a different man."
"I don't know, 'Lexi." Marcus sat on the edge of the armchair, pulling her into his lap. "I'll take your word for it. Just don't go planning any family dinners anytime soon." He glanced upstairs. "Gia's got way more than enough on her plate as it is."
the new Cassadine mansion
"Stefan! Darling, move the frame a bit to the right." Anna stepped back, regarding the wall and the mirror her husband was adjusting critically. "Yes, absolutely perfect!" she clasped her hands together, moving in a slow circle to take in the room. "This whole room is absolutely perfect. And, I think tomorrow I'll start stripping the wallpaper from the bathroom, and then--"
Stefan stepped nimbly off the stepladder, and cut his wife's words off with a kiss. He perched on the edge of the bed they had just finished making and tugged her down beside him. "My love," he twined a strand of her long, dark hair around his finger as he spoke, "you know you do not have to do this yourself. Say the word and a cadre of workers will be at your disposal."
Anna wrinkled her nose. "I know, I know. And, sooner or later, I'm sure I'll take you up on it. But for now," she leaned in, kissing the tip of his nose lightly, "I'm really enjoying making this ridiculously large house into a home."
"Far be it from me to deprive you of anything that gives you pleasure." He let her hair loose and claimed her lips instead in a long, lingering kiss. "Anything whatsoever..."
Anna laughed low in her throat. "If I didn't know better, Mr. Cassadine, I'd say you were trying to seduce me."
"Mrs. Cassadine," he let his lips linger over the name with relish, "you know me far too well. But," Stefan's forefinger traced the line of her collarbone, "need I try?"
Anna reached up, grasping his finger. She lifted it to her mouth, nipping lightly, feeling the muscles in his arm clench. A languid smile grew across her lips, and she placed another kiss in the center of his palm. "Stefan?" she murmured, her tongue darting out to taste his wrist. "When do I get to meet your nephew?"
He froze, as she had known he would, and sat up. "Anna," Stefan began, "you know that nothing would please me more than for you and Nikolas to meet. It is," his hand rose in a fist against his chest as his voice dropped to a whisper, "very close to the dearest wish of my heart. But you know that the relationship between my nephew and I is -- complicated, to vastly understate an issue."
She rose to her knees and wrapped her arms around her husband from behind, her long fall of dark hair skimming his back. "I know, love, I do. I'm not pushing, truly. It's just that things with your sister went so well. Almost as well as you meeting my daughter." Anna rested her chin on his shoulder. "I have this fairy-tale fantasy of our families coming together, la-di-da. Is it really so impossible?"
His palm rose to rest against her cheek. "I fear it may be, my love. You know something of the history; you have lived something of it. And the Cassadines have been referred to 'a fairy tale from hell'." Stefan made a moue of disbelief. "Very occasionally, Luke Spencer has touched on a truth about my family."
Anna let out a small laugh, biting her lip. "Sorry, darling. But, that does sound so much like Luke." She loosened her arms and sat back on her heels. "I suppose I'll have to try being patient. I never was much good at that."
Her husband turned on the bed, drinking her in with his eyes. "Soon, I promise you. You shall meet Nikolas very soon. Now that you have met Alexis, it could hardly be else. And, he will love you," Stefan traced the line of her lips with his thumb. "How could he not?"
She let out a held breath. "I hope you're right. It matters, Stefan. Family matters. Especially now."
Stefan's hand descended and came to rest against her stomach almost reverently. His lips soon followed. "This child, our child, shall have family, Anna. This I swear. And no one and nothing shall harm him."
"Or her," she smiled, her hands caressing his hair gently. "I know," Anna bent her head, kissing his forehead softly. "I know you'll try. We both will. And, we'll succeed." Her voice was fierce, a mama tiger protecting her cub. "There is, after all, no other option."
Alexis' PH
Gia slipped into bed beside her son, gathering him into the crook of her arm. She waited as he twisted and turned, finding the perfect story-time position. "Okay?" she asked him as he finally stilled. He nodded, thumb in mouth. "Okay, what's the story tonight? Your turn to pick."
"You know." Gia's brow furrowed, and Jack removed his thumb to prompt her with a sigh. "Mama, you know. The best story, the Daddy story."
Gia stroked her son's hair lightly. "Jackie--" She saw the set of his jaw. "Alright, alright. You know it as well as I do, lovey. You tell it this time."
Jack rolled on his back, twisting his small hand in Gia's shirt. "Okay. Once upon a time but not really long ago, there was a man. And, he wasn't a prince and he wasn't a king, he was just a man. Mama?" He tilted his face up. "How come not a prince?"
"To be a prince, your father has to be a prince. And, besides, princes," a shadow crossed his face, "they aren't always all they're cracked up to be. They have all these rules and things, and in this story, the man, he didn't much like rules."
Jack thought a minute, then his face smoothed. "Me neither. Anyway, he was my daddy, and he was special 'cause he had two magic powers. One magic power was his magic eyes, blue as the sky, just like me," he smiled a delighted grin at his mother, "and his magic eyes could make Mama happy even when she was sad." He looked up at Gia for approval, and she nodded, a tremulous smile on her lips.
Jack continued. "And the second magic power was his magic box. He could point the magic box at Mama, and it would make her more beautiful and more prettier and more special-er than anyone else, ever. And, Daddy pointed his box at Mama, and when his brother the prince made her cry, he looked at her with his eyes and made her happy again. And, he and Mama were so happy that you got me, in your belly, but it was a secret and Daddy didn't know yet." His hand tapped Gia's stomach. "And, then--" Jack frowned, and his thumb found his mouth again. "I don't wanna tell anymore, Mama. You tell the rest."
Gia sighed and slid further down, gathering Jack against her once more and snuggling tight. "There was only one problem," she went on, softly. "But, that problem was a big one. You see, there was a mean, evil, horrible witch, and it just so happened that more than anything else, that witch hated your Daddy's family. It wasn't his fault, you see, but nonetheless, that mean ol' witch wouldn't kiss and make-up." Gia looked at Jack, touching his cheek with a fingertip. "One day, the witch looked around, and she saw how happy your Daddy was. So, she did an awful thing. She cast a spell. And, that spell made your Daddy very sick and very sad."
Jack snuggled even tighter, and his eyes scrunched tight. She bent her head and let her lips graze against his temple as she stroked his back reassuringly, her voice barely a whisper. "Finally, your Uncle Marcus and a whole lot of other brave knights went after the evil witch, and after a long and dreadful battle, they caught her and took away all her powers. There was only one problem -- she hadn't taken the spell off your Daddy and no one knew how to make him better. And, Mama had to go away, with you in her belly, safe and sound, until your Daddy fought off the spell all on his own." She was silent a long moment, her son a sweet weight pressed against her side; Gia could tell by his slow heavy breathing he was almost asleep.
Carefully she disentangled herself from his grasp and perched on the edge of the bed, still stroking his back. "And, then you were born in the home I made for you," Gia continued, very softly, "and the moment I saw you, I knew -- your Daddy had given his magic gift to you, his magic smile that could make me laugh no matter what." She watched her son sleep, careful not to let the tears on her cheeks fall and disturb him. "I swore the second I saw you to protect you and keep you safe, always. And now it's time for you to meet your father, and I'm breaking the only spell I knew to keep you safe." She pressed her lips gently to his soft, sweet cheek. "I love you so much, Jackie. I only hope-- God, I only hope that's spell enough."
