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Title: Just Between Friends
Author: speedy
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Expecting her second child and caught up in a mafia war, Carly Corinthos has a secret that will change the lives of everyone she knows.
Disclaimer: I'm not the Rat, so obviously the characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them for awhile.
Notes: Just moving this over from my now defunct website. This veers off canon right before the panic room fiasco in 2003.
Chapter 5
Carly and Frisco dropped their bags by the sofa as soon as they entered Courtney's loft. "Nice place," he commented.
"I don't like this," she griped.
He broke out laughing, collapsing on the sofa. "I bet you don't."
She glared at him irritably, her hands on her hips. A maiming was definitely in order. "I'm glad you find this so amusing."
"You're going to be living in the apartment of someone you hate, sleeping in the bed where she got it on with your man…"
"Oh shut up!" she yelled, picking up a pillow and throwing it at him.
He grinned smugly. "You're jealous," he said, clearly enjoying her discomfort.
"I am not!" she shot back defensively.
He got up and moved closer to her, getting in her face. "You're so jealous you can't even see straight."
"Mac Scorpio," she said, smirking.
All the amusement disappeared from his face. "Low blow, Carly," he growled.
"Right on target if you ask me."
"It's hardly the same," he said, turning away from her momentarily. "A man you never really had versus the man who married my wife and is raising my children."
"I had Jason."
"No, you fucked him behind his girlfriend's back."
"I did not!"
"Was he or was he not dating Robin while you two were fucking?"
"He loved me!" she insisted.
"Then why was he still with her?" he asked, knowing that was a question Carly never had an answer for. This was an argument they'd had several times before and that question always effectively ended the discussion, usually with Carly furiously slamming a door.
"He did dump her," she reminded him weakly.
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, after she told AJ about the kid."
"Hey, she had no business telling him that!"
"You and Jason made it her business when you asked her to keep your secret. If you didn't want AJ to know, you should've never told her." Frisco sat down on the arm of the sofa. "Face it, Carly. You never had him."
She crossed her arms and pouted. "Jason loved me," she repeated softly.
Frisco sighed, looking sympathetically at her. "Some love. He was too chicken to ever do anything about it." Carly knew very well where he laid the blame for that situation and it wasn't totally with her. Jason was one of his least favorite people. Frisco got up, grabbing his bag, and headed towards the bedroom area. "I'm putting my clothes away."
"I don't like this," she grumbled again.
"So go somewhere else. This is much nicer than that roach motel we were in."
"You picked that place out," she reminded him.
"That was before you blew my cover," he reminded her. She walked over to the bed, lightly touching a pillow. "Besides," he said, putting the few clothes he had in drawers, "I don't want my daughters near that area."
"Like your daughters are actually going to come over," she scoffed. The words were no more out of her mouth before she regretted them.
Frisco glared at her. "What does that mean?" he snapped.
"You told me yourself," she said softly. "Maxie hates you. Georgie doesn't know you." She shrugged and crossed her arms. "You'll be gone before they forgive you. This will all be over and you'll be on some new mission in god knows where."
He shook his head resentfully. "Everyone thinks they know me, thinks they know what I'm going to do and why I'm going to do it."
Carly looked down guiltily. She hadn't actually meant to hurt him, but even she had to admit it was below the belt. "Look," she said softly, "I'm in a different position than everyone else. I've been with you for almost two years now. I've seen things with you I never thought I'd ever see, even with Sonny. I know what your reasons are for staying away. Cesar Faison isn't going to do humanity a favor and kick the bucket any time soon and that's the only way you're going to be free to come home. You'll be out of here as soon as you can, just as you've always done." He stayed silent. He didn't look quite as mad, but she could see the pain in his eyes. She hesitantly touched his arm, trying to comfort him. Then maybe he wouldn't kill her. "Frisco, I didn't mean to hurt you."
Frisco just shrugged her off, all emotion suddenly disappearing from his face. "I'm not hurt."
Yeah, right, she thought, but chose to keep that to herself. "I'm still hungry."
He collapsed on the bed and smirked. "So go to the store and buy some food, then you can make me dinner, woman!"
Carly's jaw dropped. The nerve of him… "You… You…" she stammered, not able to put her anger into words. She spotted the pillow next to him. She grabbed it and hit him as hard as she could. Considering it was a pillow in her hands, it wasn't much of a blow.
He rolled away from her, laughing so hard he fell off the bed.
"You deserved that, you jerk!" she said, throwing the pillow at him again.
Frisco glanced at the clock again. He'd practically been watching the thing for some time, waiting for the time when he thought the girls might be home for dinner.
"Why don't you just go over there?" Carly asked, moving around the loft, trying to hide every trace of Courtney as she could. She didn't need any more reminders of Pollyanna sitting around.
"It's too early."
"Maybe Felicia will be there. I know you want to see her," she said teasingly.
"No, I don't," he grumbled.
She looked at him, grinning deviously. "Liar," she said, narrowing her eyes. "You call out her name in your sleep."
Frisco rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Do not."
"Do too."
"Okay, so I want to see her," he admitted halfheartedly. "I still can't have her."
"She's divorced, you know."
"And I'm married."
"It's not a real marriage, Frisco."
"If it was, I'd have to kill myself," he muttered under his breath, but not quiet enough that Carly couldn't hear him.
"Thanks," she said, rolling her eyes.
"I still can't have her," he told her. "This has to look real, Carly."
"If you go now, you'll get to see her and you can find out when the girls are supposed to be home. That's better than just sitting around here and wondering while you annoy me. That clock's not going to move any faster by staring at it, you know."
Carly watched him fidget anxiously, sighing. She wasn't used to seeing him so... off. He was nervous, really nervous. She could see how frightening this was for him, especially when he couldn't explain his absence yet. He'd spent years trying to build this emotional brick wall around his heart, trying to keep everything out, including his own family, and now it was all crumbling down in the face of a situation he hadn't prepared for. All because she couldn't let go of Jason. She couldn't help feeling a little guilty.
She walked over to the sofa and sat next to him, resting her elbows on her knees, the same as him. "Want me to go with you?" she asked softly, glancing at him and playing with her cheap wedding ring.
He thought for a moment, looking at her. "No," he replied, shaking his head. "I think it would be better if I did this on my own."
"Sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure," he answered, sounding anything but sure. He stood up and walked to the door. He turned back to Carly, his hand on the doorknob. "Wish me luck."
"You'll be fine, Frisco," she assured him, smiling.
"Thanks," Frisco said, unconvinced, as he walked out the door, no idea what he could be walking into.
Chapter 7
Author: speedy
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Expecting her second child and caught up in a mafia war, Carly Corinthos has a secret that will change the lives of everyone she knows.
Disclaimer: I'm not the Rat, so obviously the characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them for awhile.
Notes: Just moving this over from my now defunct website. This veers off canon right before the panic room fiasco in 2003.
Chapter 5
Carly and Frisco dropped their bags by the sofa as soon as they entered Courtney's loft. "Nice place," he commented.
"I don't like this," she griped.
He broke out laughing, collapsing on the sofa. "I bet you don't."
She glared at him irritably, her hands on her hips. A maiming was definitely in order. "I'm glad you find this so amusing."
"You're going to be living in the apartment of someone you hate, sleeping in the bed where she got it on with your man…"
"Oh shut up!" she yelled, picking up a pillow and throwing it at him.
He grinned smugly. "You're jealous," he said, clearly enjoying her discomfort.
"I am not!" she shot back defensively.
He got up and moved closer to her, getting in her face. "You're so jealous you can't even see straight."
"Mac Scorpio," she said, smirking.
All the amusement disappeared from his face. "Low blow, Carly," he growled.
"Right on target if you ask me."
"It's hardly the same," he said, turning away from her momentarily. "A man you never really had versus the man who married my wife and is raising my children."
"I had Jason."
"No, you fucked him behind his girlfriend's back."
"I did not!"
"Was he or was he not dating Robin while you two were fucking?"
"He loved me!" she insisted.
"Then why was he still with her?" he asked, knowing that was a question Carly never had an answer for. This was an argument they'd had several times before and that question always effectively ended the discussion, usually with Carly furiously slamming a door.
"He did dump her," she reminded him weakly.
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, after she told AJ about the kid."
"Hey, she had no business telling him that!"
"You and Jason made it her business when you asked her to keep your secret. If you didn't want AJ to know, you should've never told her." Frisco sat down on the arm of the sofa. "Face it, Carly. You never had him."
She crossed her arms and pouted. "Jason loved me," she repeated softly.
Frisco sighed, looking sympathetically at her. "Some love. He was too chicken to ever do anything about it." Carly knew very well where he laid the blame for that situation and it wasn't totally with her. Jason was one of his least favorite people. Frisco got up, grabbing his bag, and headed towards the bedroom area. "I'm putting my clothes away."
"I don't like this," she grumbled again.
"So go somewhere else. This is much nicer than that roach motel we were in."
"You picked that place out," she reminded him.
"That was before you blew my cover," he reminded her. She walked over to the bed, lightly touching a pillow. "Besides," he said, putting the few clothes he had in drawers, "I don't want my daughters near that area."
"Like your daughters are actually going to come over," she scoffed. The words were no more out of her mouth before she regretted them.
Frisco glared at her. "What does that mean?" he snapped.
"You told me yourself," she said softly. "Maxie hates you. Georgie doesn't know you." She shrugged and crossed her arms. "You'll be gone before they forgive you. This will all be over and you'll be on some new mission in god knows where."
He shook his head resentfully. "Everyone thinks they know me, thinks they know what I'm going to do and why I'm going to do it."
Carly looked down guiltily. She hadn't actually meant to hurt him, but even she had to admit it was below the belt. "Look," she said softly, "I'm in a different position than everyone else. I've been with you for almost two years now. I've seen things with you I never thought I'd ever see, even with Sonny. I know what your reasons are for staying away. Cesar Faison isn't going to do humanity a favor and kick the bucket any time soon and that's the only way you're going to be free to come home. You'll be out of here as soon as you can, just as you've always done." He stayed silent. He didn't look quite as mad, but she could see the pain in his eyes. She hesitantly touched his arm, trying to comfort him. Then maybe he wouldn't kill her. "Frisco, I didn't mean to hurt you."
Frisco just shrugged her off, all emotion suddenly disappearing from his face. "I'm not hurt."
Yeah, right, she thought, but chose to keep that to herself. "I'm still hungry."
He collapsed on the bed and smirked. "So go to the store and buy some food, then you can make me dinner, woman!"
Carly's jaw dropped. The nerve of him… "You… You…" she stammered, not able to put her anger into words. She spotted the pillow next to him. She grabbed it and hit him as hard as she could. Considering it was a pillow in her hands, it wasn't much of a blow.
He rolled away from her, laughing so hard he fell off the bed.
"You deserved that, you jerk!" she said, throwing the pillow at him again.
Frisco glanced at the clock again. He'd practically been watching the thing for some time, waiting for the time when he thought the girls might be home for dinner.
"Why don't you just go over there?" Carly asked, moving around the loft, trying to hide every trace of Courtney as she could. She didn't need any more reminders of Pollyanna sitting around.
"It's too early."
"Maybe Felicia will be there. I know you want to see her," she said teasingly.
"No, I don't," he grumbled.
She looked at him, grinning deviously. "Liar," she said, narrowing her eyes. "You call out her name in your sleep."
Frisco rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Do not."
"Do too."
"Okay, so I want to see her," he admitted halfheartedly. "I still can't have her."
"She's divorced, you know."
"And I'm married."
"It's not a real marriage, Frisco."
"If it was, I'd have to kill myself," he muttered under his breath, but not quiet enough that Carly couldn't hear him.
"Thanks," she said, rolling her eyes.
"I still can't have her," he told her. "This has to look real, Carly."
"If you go now, you'll get to see her and you can find out when the girls are supposed to be home. That's better than just sitting around here and wondering while you annoy me. That clock's not going to move any faster by staring at it, you know."
Carly watched him fidget anxiously, sighing. She wasn't used to seeing him so... off. He was nervous, really nervous. She could see how frightening this was for him, especially when he couldn't explain his absence yet. He'd spent years trying to build this emotional brick wall around his heart, trying to keep everything out, including his own family, and now it was all crumbling down in the face of a situation he hadn't prepared for. All because she couldn't let go of Jason. She couldn't help feeling a little guilty.
She walked over to the sofa and sat next to him, resting her elbows on her knees, the same as him. "Want me to go with you?" she asked softly, glancing at him and playing with her cheap wedding ring.
He thought for a moment, looking at her. "No," he replied, shaking his head. "I think it would be better if I did this on my own."
"Sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure," he answered, sounding anything but sure. He stood up and walked to the door. He turned back to Carly, his hand on the doorknob. "Wish me luck."
"You'll be fine, Frisco," she assured him, smiling.
"Thanks," Frisco said, unconvinced, as he walked out the door, no idea what he could be walking into.
Chapter 7
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