Chapter Two: 'Round About Midnight
~Round about midnight
In the quiet, quiet room of my mind
Well lonely, lonely, lonely
A lonely feeling
That I'm feeling for you baby
all the time ~
a penthouse
Carly drew her knees up to her chest, pulling the over-sized men's t-shirt she wore up over them. Her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, she turned her head, resting her chin on her knees, to watch the moon out of the penthouse window. The t-shirt still smelled of him, a combination of imported brandy and expensive aftershave. Mostly, that pissed her off. But, there was a little part of her, an insidious, creepy little part of her, that only washed the shirt as much as was absolutely necessary, that insisted she sleep in it every night. She hated that part of herself.
She turned as she heard a step on the stair, and her head lifted. "Hey you," Carly said, softly, to the man on the stair. She scooted over on the couch, patting the cushion beside her.
He ignored her offer, just stood staring down at her for a long moment, running fingers through his shoulder length hair. "What're you doing, Caroline?"
She shrugged, sitting up straight, unhooking her knees from the t-shirt. "Couldn't sleep. I was watching the moon. You've got a great view, Todd."
"Uh-huh," he said, descending the rest of the way down the stairs, not bothering to look out the window. Settling in the armchair across from the couch, Todd Manning slung one leg over the arm, regarding Carly shrewdly. "That's my line. I'm the guy who can't sleep; you're the one who sleeps 'til three, four in the afternoon. What gives?"
Carly tossed the square throw pillow at him; Todd caught it deftly. "God, you are so freakin' suspicious, Todd. I'm awake, I couldn't sleep. I'm not up to anything; I was just thinking."
Todd shivered dramatically, clutching the pillow. "God help us all."
Carly stuck her tongue out at the other man. "Shut up," she said, without heat. After a comfortable silence, she looked over at him. "Are the kids asleep?"
"Yeah," Todd shifted slightly. "Starr made Michael sleep upside down on the end of her bed." He shook his head. "Don't ask. They're both breathing, so whatever. It's good."
Carly laughed. "Your kid is -- man. She reminds me of myself, actually. Which means you are in for a world of trouble, cousin mine. Hey," she jerked her chin, "in case I forget to say it later, thanks. For letting me and Michael crash for a while."
Todd shrugged, uncomfortable. "You're family."
"Not really," Carly looked at him. "Virginia's not really my mom, you know."
"So what? Peter's not really my dad," Todd retorted.
"Thank GOD." Carly grimaced. "I always hated him." She started to laugh, quietly. "Remember when I spit in his face and called him a worthless son-of-a-bitch who deserved to be cut up for shark bait? One of my finer hours, if I do say so myself."
"Wasn't bad," Todd agreed. "'Course, we never came back to Pensacola after that summer."
"Yeah. I really missed you, my partner in crime." Her lips twisted into a half-smile. "You know, I had all these plans, how I was gonna leave Florida and come up to Chicago and find you. But then," she shrugged, "my plans never quite work out the way I mean 'em to. Time I finally got out of Florida, the family I went lookin' for was of a really different sort."
Todd was quiet a moment. "I did get back to Florida," he said, looking over at her. "Got married down in Key West, actually."
"To Blair??" Carly asked, lifting her eyebrows.
Todd held up a single finger, lifting an eyebrow of his own. "The first time," he explained.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot. You and Miss High-and-Mighty are on marriage number three." Carly made a face. "Shouldn't that tell you somethin', Todd?"
"Yeah," he tossed the pillow back at her. "Third time's the charm."
"Uh-huh," her voice was doubtful; Carly and Blair had had a complete case of pure and total chemical dislike from the instant they met. She half-turned away from him, facing the windows again. The moon had risen even further as they'd talked. Carly couldn't see it any more, just the white light bathing everything, turning the city and it's buildings to pearl-like iridescence. "I'm going home, Todd," she said, softly, avoiding his gaze.
Todd shifted again, sitting up sharply. He caught her eyes, holding them with his raptor's gaze. "What the hell for?" he demanded, angrily. "C'mon, Caroline, don't tell me you're going back to this asshole ex-husband of yours and offer your back up for him to wipe his feet on a few more times!"
"I'm not going back to Sonny, Todd! I'm going back to Port Charles!" Carly leaned forward. "It's my home. God," she paused, "I never thought I'd say that. But, it's true. I have a mother there, a brother. A life, pathetic as it is. And, I'm not gonna let Sonny Corinthos take that away from me."
Todd was silent a moment, watching his cousin. She had landed on his doorstep, four months prior, her son in tow, and there had been this look in her eyes. It had been desperate and small and so unlike his memories of his feisty cousin that he'd almost slammed the door in her face before he realized who she was. He'd do a lot never to see that in her eyes again. Caroline was one of the only good parts of his miserable excuse for a childhood, and he intended to keep it that way. "Want me to go with you and torture him a little? Or a lot?"
Carly laughed and shook her head. "I'm perfectly capable of doing that on my own, thanks. Besides, your pregnant wife would just love that one." She paused, cocked her head sideways. "Ooohh. On second thought...." Todd looked vaguely alarmed, and she laughed again. "Just kiddin'. You gotta lighten up, cuz."
"People keep saying that to me. I never can figure that one out. I'm a funny guy," he protested, "a regular goddamn comedian."
Carly laughed, a third time, as she knew she was intended to and stood up. She stretched lightly, then jerked her chin towards the stairs. "I'm gonna go up and rescue Michael from Starr." She paused on the first step, and turned back to look at him. "I love you, you know."
"Yeah, well," Todd shrugged, then grinned suddenly. "There's no accountin' for taste."
~Round about midnight
I get that feelin' that good old feelin'
I need that feelin', I want that feelin'
Bring it back
Take away the midnight
The lonely, lonely, midnight~
honeymoon suite at the PC Hotel
The minute they closed the door behind them, and not a second before, AJ and Gia let out huge sighs of relief. Gia sank down on the edge of the bed, reaching up to pull her veil from her hair, wincing as it got caught on a strand of hair. She let it drop from her fingers silently, not looking at her brand-new husband.
Said brand-new husband stalked over to the mini-bar, pulling out a seltzer water and chugging it down like it was cheap scotch, and he'd been at sea for many months. Finally, he turned to his wife. "Want something?" AJ gestured towards the bar. "Just because I'm not imbibing doesn't mean you don't have to. I wouldn't blame you. It was a hell of a day."
"Orange juice is fine," Gia said, rolling her shoulders to try and release some of the tension. "Nothing stronger 'cause.." she trailed off, and her hand drifted down to her stomach.
"Oh yeah," he let out a sharp bark of laughter as he placed a couple ice cubes in a glass and topped it off with juice. He handed it to her. "Guess I forgot, for a sec."
Gia lifted an eyebrow. "Wish I could," she muttered. "Not really," she hastened to add as he looked at her oddly. "It's just all I've been thinking about for what feels like forever."
AJ nodded in understanding, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I know what you mean. When I found out I was a father -- well, your whole world shifts. Things you thought were important," he made a letting-go gesture with his hand, "poof. And other things, things you never thought of before, they become the only things that matter."
"Yeah, I kinda noticed," Gia said, sarcastically. "Remember today? The church, the ceremony, the priest? Me in the veil? Something about a vow or two? I got married today because I'm pregnant, AJ. This baby is the reason for our wedding."
"Half the reason," AJ amended, quietly, sitting down beside her on the edge of the white canopied bed.
She looked at him, sitting beside her. "Half the reason," Gia echoed. She glanced around the room, decorated in frilly excess. Tasteful frilly excess, but still. She wrinkled her nose. "So, how long is this, um, honeymoon of ours supposed to last?"
"Three days." Gia groaned, and AJ flashed her a quick grin. "Be grateful; my parents wanted to send us to Niagara Falls."
She grimaced. "Guess I should be grateful for small favors." Gia reached up, fumbling with the clasp of her dress. After a moment, she dropped her hands with a frustrated sigh and turned her back to him. "Would you mind?" she asked.
AJ worked the clasp, then loosened the zipper, careful not to pull it down too far. "There." He watched her as she stood up, holding the back of the dress closed. "You tired?"
"Yeah, but there's no way I could sleep. I'm just gonna get out of this thing, change into something a little less -- bridal," Gia ended, looking down at her dress with a mixture of expressions, none of them particularly pleasant. She grabbed a tote bag from the corner and headed into the bathroom to emerge a few moments later in men's tailored silk pajamas, a matching robe tightly belted over the ensemble.
AJ looked up as his wife reentered the room; he had removed both jacket and tie and found a pack of cards from somewhere. He held them up. "Gin rummy?" he asked.
Gia smiled, the first sincere grin he'd seen on her face all day. She settled, cross-legged, across from him on the big bed, pulling her long hair back in a loose braid. She took the cards from him. "I'm dealing. And, you are so going down, Quartermaine." She split the deck, shuffling expertly and started to deal. Suddenly, she paused, lifting her head to look at him. "You know, I gotta tell you, AJ, when I was a kid dreaming of my wedding day, playing cards was not exactly the image that came to mind."
AJ took lifted his hand, arranging it expertly. "Yeah, but you married me. This is what I DO on my wedding nights."
Gia's brow furrowed. "You mean you and Carly..." She trailed off as he nodded. "Okay, whatever. Last thing I wanna know is any details about your marriage to Carly." She finished dealing and lifted her own hand, determinedly.
"Gia," AJ let his own cards drop, "you aren't having second thoughts about this, are you?"
"No," Gia said, then looked at him, repeating it with more force, "no. No second thoughts, no doubts." Her gaze was steady and calm. "Full speed ahead."
~Bring back the feeling
Oh baby, bring back the feeling
Take away the midnight
Oh, I just don't want to be alone no more, no more
No more lonely midnights
No more lonely nights~*
the Q mansion
Skye turned, silver sandals hanging from one hand, gritting her teeth as she tried to ease the front door soundlessly closed. As it was just about home, the heavy door slipped from her grasp and closed with a loud groan. Skye froze, wincing in anticipation of the uproar. When nothing came, she let out her held breath and slowly turned around. Coming face to face with Edward Quartermaine, hands crossed against his chest, glowering at her. She dropped the shoes with a clatter, uttering a muffled curse under her breath.
"Well, well, well," Edward's eyebrows were drawn into a sharp 'V' across his forehead. "Just where have you been, young lady?" He glanced at the tall, stately grandfather clock. "It's nearly midnight!"
Skye crossed her own arms, unconsciously mimicking her grandfather's posture. "That's none of your business, Edward. Now," she started to brush past him, "if you'll excuse me, it's late, as you've pointed out. And, I'm tired, so--"
"It most certainly is my business as long as you're sleeping underneath this roof!" he blustered, catching at her arm. "Now, what was more important than your brother's wedding reception, hmm?"
"I was at the wedding, Edward," Skye protested, hand on her hip. "I sat there in the church with the family like a good little girl. But, that was about all I could stomach of 'family togetherness' for one day. So I bailed, found something better to do with my time," Skye smirked.
Edward leaned forward, sniffing obviously. "Have you been out drinking, young lady?"
Skye's eyes widened, then narrowed again. "You may be somewhere upwards of a hundred years old but don't think that'll stop me from clocking you one if you ask me that question again," she said, her voice dangerously low. "You neither know me well enough nor care for me deeply enough to pry into that particular arena of my life. EVER."
Edward took a step back. "Skye, I didn't mean to --" He paused, clasping his hands together. His scowl melted into a wide smile. "Now, let's just put this little incident behind us, my dear. Whatever the reason for your late arrival, you're home now. That's what matters."
"Home?" Skye laughed, gesturing at the manor. "This isn't my home, Edward. I sleep here, and I eat here, and never once have I felt welcome here. 'Home is where the heart is', right? This place is just -- convenient. It doesn't have anything to do with my heart." She blinked, hard, then turned and stalked off, her back very straight as she ascended the stairs.
Edward watched her go, then sighed, very deeply, suddenly looking everyone of his years. "It will, my dear," he said, softly, into the darkness. "God willing, it will. It must."
