 FINALLY ~ CHAPTER THREE
The water was so hot the steam was
filtering underneath the door of the bathroom. She turned the notch all the way
to hot and stepped in the shower. She had to clench her teeth to keep from
screaming from the way it burned her skin. She needed to feel cleansed. Purged.
Punished.
I know the rub of knowing what is right
I know the pain
of swallowing a lie
I have to face the mirror every day
Hannah
could not get back to sleep last night after the call she made to Larkin. She
laid awake staring at the rise and fall of Sonny's breath. The thought of him
lying there beside her completely unaware of her betrayal was pure torture. He
was so vunerable while he was asleep. Lying there and leaving her capable of
harming in so many ways but never believing that she would. Never even
suspecting that as he slept there dreaming of the life they were planning on
spending together she was downstairs planning his destruction. She was about to
destroy the man she loved and for that there could be no redemption. No amount
of suffering she would endure would ever make her clean again. She was tainted
by betrayal forever.
Sonny Corinthos checked his watch again. He was waiting for
Jason to meet him at the Warehouse but he was getting impatient. Jason was never
late and today was no exception but Sonny was feeling nervous nonetheless.
He knew that behind all the hurt and the rage he felt towards Hannah
right now he still loved her. She had filled an emptiness that had been there
since he had left for Puerto Rico. Since the day he left Brenda standing alone
at the altar. Hannah had made him smile. And Sonny wasnt ready to let that go.
He believed that Hannah loved him. He had heard her inform Larkin of the
meeting tonight and he had called Moreno this morning and changed the meeting to
Pier 28. Hannah's men would wait for them and leave when they never showed up.
However Moreno's men would get spotted on their way back as they passed through
pier 22. At least he hoped. It was something that he was betting everything on.
Maybe Mike had passed on his gambling streak afterall. Sonny shook his head
slightly as he remembered Carly's pleas to cut Hannah out of his life. Carly was
convinced that Hannah would turn Jason in and he would go to prison. The sheer
conviction in Carly's pleas made him that much more convinced that he was right.
After all, when was the last time Carly made a good choice?
Naked I
came into this world, naked I'll leave someday
Faultless I came into this
world, How will I leave this day
"Hey." Jason had walked in the
office and quietly shut the door behind him.
Sonny noticed that Jason
looked a little on edge. Well as much on edge as Jason ever looked. "Moreno
asked for a meeting."
Jason cocked an eyebrow. "What did you tell him?"
"I set a meeting for 11 tonight on Pier 28. I want you to go." Sonny
said this casually. As if their enemy set up personal meetings on the docks
everyday.
"Wait. Sonny you were arrested two months ago for RICO. You
have an undercover FBI agent living with you." The disbelief was evident in
Jason's tone.
The disbelief came across as disrespect to Sonny. He was
more than aware that Jason had been internally questioning him for awhile.
Pointing out mistakes. Telling him not to let Hannah distract him. Then finding
out the truth about him being fooled by her. It had started when Jason returned
from the island and only escalated from there. Sonny knew that Jason wasnt the
only one who had lost condfidence in him. He had noticed a shift in Benny as
well. He knew he never had to question Jason's loyalty but he wondered if
Jason's loyalty might cause him to do something in the name of protecting him.
"You questioning my orders Jason?"
"Never. Just wondering how you can
ensure that Hannah doesnt know about the meeting."
"Because I'm sure she
doesnt. You trust me, dont you?"
"Always." Jason lied.
Roy Dilucca looked over both shoulders then turned into an
alleyway. He walked slowly then he knocked on a sidedoor on one of the rundown
buildings he was walking between. "Dilucca. Crimson Clover."
The door
opened slowly to reveal FBI Agent John Larkin. Larkin gestured Roy into the
building and then made a quick glance around to make sure no one had seen Roy
enter. The shut the door and turned around to face Dilucca.
The FBI had
come to Port Charles earlier that year when Hannah Scott had taken her first
field assignment. First time undercover assignments are usually less complicated
or lengthly as an organized crime bust. But Sonny Corinthos was a small time
crime lord and his organization seemed like it would be fairly simple to
infiltrate. Hannah had undergone a complete makeover to achieve as much of a
resemblance to Sonny's former fiance, Brenda Barrett, as possible. The likeness
was already strong. Larkin knew for a fact that Hannah's resemblance to Barrett
had been the only reason she was given this assignment.
Larkin resented
Hannah in many ways. She had gotten a dream bust the first time out because of a
coincidence. He had worked long and hard to get an opportunity like that but all
he had ever gotten was the unenviable job as field contact. He took a small
amount of pleasure in the fact that Hannah had botched the assignment a few
times. Her personal attachment to Corinthos had been a major roadblock but now
they had the best chance of arresting him. If Hannah's lead wasnt cold.
Hannah had fed him a lead on a shipment at pier 17 two weeks ago that
had ended up in them busting Anthony Moreno's people. Moreno was even more
insignifigant to the FBI than Corinthos and no doubt just lead to Corinthos
tightening up some more. But then again maybe it hadnt...
"Our agent on
Corinthos fed us a lead last night. After the last bit of unreliable information
we got we want to make sure this one is correct." Larkin held out a piece of
paper to Roy.
Roy looked down at the paper then back up at Larkin. He
shook his head. "No way, Larkin. I got Jerry Jacks for you. I'm done."
"You're done when we say you're done, DiLucca." Larkin was wearing a
cocky grin.
People want to own you
Pretty words and pretty smiles
"The bust on Jacks was it. Then I'm a free man now. Besides I can't
work on Corinthos. I'm too close to the mark."
"All the better to bring
him down."
"Look. You guys got me in a town where people know me. I'm
using my real name for Christ's sake. Luke Spencer, a personal friend of mine,
happens to be former partners with Sonny Corinthos. No way Larkin. Not this
time."
"Would you like to go back to Pentonville? I bet you'd miss that
busty redhead you've been making nice to." Larkin smirked.
Roy's eyes
narrowed at Larkin's mention of Bobbie. "You leave her out of this. You guys
already arrested her finace during the middle of their wedding ceremony. Havent
you tortured her enough?"
Larkin smiled devilishly. "So the mighty Roy
Dilucca has a weak spot I see. I think we did Miss Spencer a favor. We stopped
her from marrying a criminal. That makes what? The second time we've done that?
Maybe Miss Spencer has a weak spot too? Bad boys. I guess it runs in the
family."
Roy flinched this time. Larkin knew he and Bobbie had been
engaged. He wondered how much of this assignment was more of the FBI's mind
games. "What are you talking about?"
No one's really trusted
Take
an inch, take a mile
"Miss Spencer's daughter. The blonde. A sassy
little thing. Takes after her mother I guess."
Roy paused for a second.
He had met Bobbie's daughter Carly once at Kelly's and then seen her at Bobbie's
wedding. The only thing he knew about her was that she was married to one of the
Quartermaines. He could understand Larkin knowing about Bobbie and using her as
a threat. But Carly? "You leave Carly out of this too."
"Oh Carly has
already elected to throw herself smack in the middle of this. She follows me
around. She even offered me a nice chunk of money to leave town. She's become a
real liability to the investigation on Corinthos. I'd hate for her to become too
much of one." The lightness of Larkin's tone betrayed the threat he was making.
Roy glared at Larkin for a moment. Then snatched the paper from his
hand. "I'll look into it." With that he left the warehouse to avoid the smug
grin that he knew was spreading across Larkin's face.
Dignity in
living is written on my heart
I can't negotiate it
And that's the
hardest part
Bobbie heard the knocking at the door of the Brownstone. "I'm
coming!" She was shocked when she opened the door and Roy was standing there.
"Roy. What are you doing here?"
"Hey Bobbie. I just dropped by to see
how you're holding up." He stuffed his hands in his jacket pocket and looked up
at her.
"Oh of course. Come in." Bobbie gestured him into the living
room. Her emotions had been in turmoil since the night she had spotted Roy on
the docks. The first man she ever loved coming back into her life after twenty
years of believing he was dead.
"Jerry makes bail tomorrow." She said
this matter of factly and took a seat on the couch.
Roy remained
standing. He hated pumping Bobbie like this but it was necessary to find out
Carly's connection to Sonny and to keep her safe from Larkin. "Well I'm sure you
have all the support you need. I was just you know..."
I know the rub
of knowing what is right
I know the pain of swallowing a lie
Bobbie squinted at him. "Twenty years or not. I can still remember
that look you get when youre trying to say something I dont want to hear."
At that Roy chuckled softly and finally took a seat.
"Come on
Roy. Spill it." Bobbie's voice was insistant and almost scolding.
"Well..." he rubbed his mouth with the palm of his hand. "You know I've
been working at the Corinthos-Morgan coffee warehouse, right?"
Bobbie
nodded in confusion. What did that have to do with anything? "Is this about my
wedding present? Because just because the wedding went to hell doesnt mean your
promise can be broken." She laughed.
"No. No. You asked me not to go
back to the life and I havent. It's just I saw someone up there, you know at the
warehouse, the other day and it worried me."
"Who?"
"Your
daughter. Carly."
Bobbie threw her head back and put her hand to her
heart. She leaned back and laughed hysterically. She felt relief after Roy's
somber demeanor had scared her into thinking it was something serious.
Now it was Roy's turn to be confused. "What's so funny?"
"Well
it's just that Carly being up at the Corinthos-Morgan Warehouse isnt much of a
shock to anyone. Especially me."
"Oh. So she works there?" Roy asked.
Bobbie broke into another fit of giggles. And tried to stop when she saw
the genuine confusion and bewilderment on Roy's face.
"Carly doesnt work
anywhere, Roy. She's a Quartermaine. And working is beneath them unless they're
a high paid Surgeon or the President of a company that nobody, Edward
Quartermaine included, knows what the hell does." Bobbie managed to get out
between laughs.
"So what then Bobbie? She likes coffee alot? She was
giving Sonny Jehovah's Witness brochures? I'm running out of ideas here." Roy
was now laughing too in spite of himself.
"God, Roy. It's a long story."
"Does it have a Cliff Notes version?"
Bobbie tried to keep from
giggling. She hadnt relaxed this much since Jerry's arrest. Poor Roy. He had
come here out of true concern for her daughter. And now she was acting like a
mad woman. God, she wondered, how do you explain the long and complicated
relationship that Carly and Jason share? "Well...a few years ago Carly was in a
relationship with a much older man." My husband. But she decided to leave that
part out. "She became pregnant and shortly before she was due. This older man
decided that Carly wasnt a fit enough mother for his child so he broke up with
her and filed for sole custody of the child."
"Bobbie, what does this
have to do...?"He stopped short when Bobbie gave him a "you asked" look and he
threw his hands up in defeat.
"Carly was terrified that her child would
be taken away from her so she told him that the baby wasnt his. She told him
that Jason Morgan was the father."
Roy was shocked. So shocked that he
sat there silent waiting for this news to sink in. This was worse than he
imagined. Morgan was the father of Bobbie's only grandchild. A man Larkin was
pressuring him into bringing down. "So Jason Morgan and Carly have a kid
together?"
"Well yes and no." She smiled ruefully and sighed. "There was
no way that Jason could have been the baby's father. But he agreed to lie and
say he was. And eventually that lie became the truth because Jason was the best
father to that little boy that I had ever seen."
"But I've never heard
Jason mention a kid or seen any pictures in his office."
"Like I said
the baby wasn't really Jason's biologically. It was AJ Quartermaine's. When AJ
found out he filed for custody. Jason was granted joint custody but he gave it
up when he started to worry that Michael was being hurt by the arrangement."
"But if Jason was a wonderful father why would he think that releasing
his custody rights would help the kid?"
"Well Jason hated AJ for taking
away Michael and Carly and the fighting between he and AJ was not a good
influence for such a small child. So now AJ is Carly's husband and Michael's
father."
"Then if she's married to AJ now and Jason doesnt see Michael
then why would she be visiting Jason at the warehouse?"
"Because she
loves him. Carly married AJ with the hopes of getting Michael back. She never
loved AJ and even though I've lectured her time and again to try to love him.
She can't." Bobbie looked down at her hands then wiped the tear collecting in
her eye. Why were she and Carly so cursed when it came to love? To give
themselves completely to men only to have their hearts broken? "You cant control
love. Love just is. And Carly has given her heart and soul to Jason and no
marriage license can change that."
Roy looked down at his own hands. God
this was a mess. "Does he love her? Jason. Does he love your daughter?"
Bobbie smiled sadly. "You know he came by to see me after Jerry was
arrested. Jason has such a good heart. He's like a son to me. How can you not
love someone who's done some much for your family? I asked him the same
question. If he loved Carly. He didnt answer the question directly but I could
see it in his eyes. I could see the way they softened when I said her name. The
way they brightened when I told him they should build a life together. And
although Jason's never been easy to read. I've seen that look before..."
Roy fought back the tears of pain and regret as he realized she was
talking about him. Twenty years of pain and regret. "So Jason Morgan is in love
with your daughter and he's the only father your grandson Michael has ever
known." Roy made this a statement not a question. He felt an almost unbearable
sorrow at having to go against the man that loved Bobbie's daughter and
grandson.
I have to face the mirror every day
Naked I came into
this world, naked I'll leave someday
Faultless I came into this world, how
will I leave this day
"Roy. What is this all about? Why are you so
interested in Jason and Carly?" Bobbie could see the look of conficting emotions
as they passed through Roy's eyes.
"I was just worried when I saw Carly
at the warehouse. That's it. Speaking of the warehouse I better get going." Roy
stood abruptly before Bobbie questioned him further and he was forced to lie to
her again.
"Well okay. Thanks for stopping by." Bobbie stood up and
followed Roy to the door. "Take care okay."
"You too." Their eyes locked
as Roy stood on the front porch. Everytime they looked in each other's eyes all
of the might have beens always passed between them. He began to walk away.
"Roy! Wait." Bobbie's voice made him turn and look. There was concern
and sadness on her face. "If you ever need to tell me anything...."
Roy
closed his eyes briefly and let the words hang there. He felt like he was
drowning and she had thrown him a rope. But he didnt grab onto it. "I know." And
with that he walked away.
I'm giving into these choices
And
giving into my needs
I'm giving into these voices
And giving into my
greed
Lyrics: Amy Grant, Naked
back to finally
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