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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 2
"But I'm hungry," Carly whined to Frisco. They were standing near the docks, outside of Kelly's, arguing as usual. He had practically dragged her back to Port Charles, ordering her to pack as soon as they'd hit town. Once they'd cleared out of the apartment, he'd reluctantly agreed to stop and eat before they left. If he was going to make her leave again, she was going to stop by Kelly's once more, on the off chance her mother or brother might be there. She wanted to see her family one last time.
"There's too much chance of us being recognized here," he reminded her, as he had so many times since returning to the town they both called home.
"I think it might be too late for that," she told him quietly.
He stopped and turned to face her, looking very serious. "Why?"
"I think Jason and Sonny might have recognized you in Atlantic City," she said sheepishly.
He pushed his hair back aggravatedly. "Great. That's just great, Carly."
"I'm sorry! How many times do I have to say it?"
"Until I don't want to kill you anymore!"
She crossed her arms insolently. "Then I'm just going stop saying it, 'cause you've wanted to kill me since you met me."
"You have yet to give me a reason not to!"
"Robin, Andrew! What are you doing here?" Courtney asked surprised from behind Carly. Both cringed internally at hearing her voice. Neither wanted to deal with Courtney. Especially when she excitedly hugged them both.
He'd kill her, but Carly said the only thing that came to mind. "Andy's family is here," she answered, smiling. "Shouldn't you and Jason be on your honeymoon?" she asked, trying to hold back her disapproval.
"We don't leave for another couple days," Courtney told them, her excitement glaringly obvious. "I just stopped by to get my paycheck."
A young man came out of the diner, his face brightening as he saw the bubbly blonde. Frisco recognized him immediately and froze. Lucas.
"Oh Courtney, thank god you're here! We are so busy and Penny called in sick..." the young man said, relieved, but stopped when he noticed Frisco with Carly and Courtney. "Uncle Frisco?" he asked uncertainly.
The agent shot Carly a nasty look before smiling at his nephew. "Hey Lucas. It's good to see you again."
"Yeah, it's been a long time. Dad'll be excited that you're in town. He really misses you." Lucas glanced at Courtney. "Sorry, Courtney. This is my uncle, Frisco Jones," he said, gesturing to his uncle. He turned to Frisco. "This is Courtney Matthews, she's one of our waitresses."
"We've already met, actually," Frisco told him.
"Yeah," Courtney agreed. "By the way, my last name Morgan now."
The teen smiled, touching her arm. "Mom said something about you getting married in Atlantic City. Congratulations."
"Thanks, Lucas, but some congratulations are in order for your uncle, too," she said, nodding to Frisco and Carly.
He glanced between them. "Really?"
Frisco smiled uneasily. "Uh, yeah. This is my new wife Robin," he said, pulling Carly to him.
Lucas looked suspiciously at her for a moment. "Nice to meet you, Robin," he finally said, sounding anything but happy.
"Have you seen the girls around, by any chance?" Frisco asked apprehensively.
"I think they went shopping. They should be around later," the young man answered. He turned and looked back inside. "I should be getting back to work. It's just me in there right now, until Mom gets off duty. Dad's working today, if you want to stop by and let him know you're here."
"Thanks. If you happen to see Maxie and Georgie, can you let them know I'd like to see them, if they've got time for their old man?"
"Sure. Later," Lucas said, going back to work.
"I thought you said your name was Andrew," Courtney said, obviously suspicious of him.
"It is. Frisco's a nickname I used to have a while back, but it's what everyone around here knows me as."
"So you're Maxie and Georgie's father? The one that's supposed to be off saving the world?"
"Yep, that's me."
She nodded and smiled politely. "Well, I better get my paycheck and get back to Jason."
"Get an early start on that honeymoon," he said, somewhat teasingly. He turned to Carly. "Why don't we head over to the hospital, babe? You can meet the big pain in the ass."
Carly gasped in mock offense. "I thought I was your big pain in the ass," she said disappointedly.
"Oh you are, but he had the title first." Frisco began to move Carly away from Kelly's, waving at Courtney. "Catch you later, Courtney."
"Hey, maybe we can get together for dinner sometime?" the blonde suggested. "The four of us, maybe Sonny and Carly too?"
"Uh, sounds good," he answered unsurely, glancing at Carly.
"Great! Where are you staying?"
"We're kinda between places right now. Not sure if we're going to stay in Port Charles. I guess it depends on how busy the girls are."
"We have a loft that's empty at the moment. You can stay there if you want," she offered. "I'm sure it would be okay with Jason."
"That's a nice offer, Courtney," Carly said, smiling insincerely, "but you don't have to go to all that trouble..."
Courtney cut her off. "It's no trouble. I insist."
Courtney was looking so pathetically hopeful, it made Carly wonder if the girl had any friends outside of Jason. The girl had just offered up her apartment to virtual strangers, after all. Carly couldn't tell Blondie no, no matter how much she wanted to. "Well, thank you," she replied, wondering where her sudden attack of conscience was coming from.
"I'll leave the keys with Sonny and Carly. They live across the hall from us. Harborview Towers, Penthouse 4."
Frisco extended his hand, smiling. "Thanks. We'll stop by later today. Enjoy your new husband."
Carly couldn't take any more of this. She grabbed his arm, pulling him away. "It was good to see you again, Courtney," she lied.
"Bye!" the blonde called as Frisco and Carly left.
"You are not dragging me to the hospital, mister!" Carly growled through gritted teeth, still smiling.
"Oh yes I am! You've already blown my cover, babe," he retorted. "Now I get to explain to my kids why Daddy got married and didn't tell them about it first. Better yet, I get to explain that to Felicia!"
"What about Tony?"
"It's payback for him eloping with you and not telling me until long after."
"We didn't go through with it," she pointed out, stopping and letting go of him.
"Not the point. He didn't tell me that you two were going to get married until after his breakdown."
She faced him, crossing her arms. "He doesn't like me, you know."
"I don't like you!" Frisco snapped, grabbing her by the arm and starting to drag her in the direction of the hospital. "But for some godforsaken reason I'm stuck with you!"
"Well, I don't like you either!"
"Then maybe you should've come up with a better plan than eloping in front of your man, your clone, your ex-husband and, what did you call her... Oh yeah, Pollyanna."
Carly yanked her arm out of his grip. "Oh shut up!"
"You first, Robin."
She glared at him, nostrils flaring and chest heaving in anger. Without a word, she turned on her heel and marched away from him. Frisco didn't follow her, deciding instead to go break the news to his brother.
Carly walked aimlessly around her former home, but found herself wandering in the direction of Luke's Place. A drink sounded real good to her at the moment. There was no one better than Frisco Jones to incite a drinking problem.
Standing outside, she took a good look at the place. It looked the same as before, maybe a little more aged and as unique as always. Just like Luke, she remembered fondly.
It was funny. She never got along with her uncle. They'd pretty much tolerated the other for her mother's sake, but left on their own, they did not like each other. She never thought she'd miss him, but she did. She'd actually missed every thing about him. His crass personality, his cynicism toward everything except his family, his loyalty, even his annoying sense of humor.
She held her breath as she entered the club. The place was crowded, just as she liked it. It was easier to hide in a crowd, she was less noticeable. The music blaring through the club was definitely not Luke's blues music. As she made her way to a free table, she spotted her cousin's blonde spikey hair through the crowd at the bar. Lucky was talking to Emily Quartermaine, bouncing his head to the beat. Luke must've left him in charge, since Lucky never spent too much time at the club. Not that as of two years ago anyway.
She slipped into a seat, removing the denim jacket she was wearing. Almost immediately a waitress set a drink in front of her.
"I didn't order this," Carly said, stopping her.
"It's from the gentleman over there," she replied, pointing to a middle aged man sitting a few tables away before leaving to take care of the other tables.
Carly recognized the man immediately. He was a vice-president at ELQ and a very married one at that, not to mention totally unattractive in every way possible. She smiled politely and turned away quickly, not wanting to give him any incentive to come over. She'd met him a few times while she was married to AJ. A complete slimeball.
She turned her focus back to Lucky and Emily. The young woman wasn't one of her favorite people, but she had at one point grown fairly close to her cousin. He looked happy enough, laughing and joking with his friend. Same ol' Lucky, she thought.
"Hey beautiful," the man had bought her a drink said, standing over her. "Mind if I sit down?"
"Yes, actually I do. Thank you for the drink, but save yourself the effort. This isn't going to get you anywhere with me."
"Ah, come on, baby," he tried again, sitting in the chair next to her. He reached out to grasp her hand. "I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement."
She leaned closer to him. "No," she said firmly, yanking her hand away from his. "Now get up and go back to your table or I'll shoot your balls off."
His usual smug grin disappeared as her words sunk in. Silently, he did as she requested. She shook her head as he retreated. "Scumbag," she mumbled to herself.
"Want me to get you another drink?"
Carly looked up to see Luke standing over her. "Excuse me?"
He sat down across from her, resting his arms on the table. "I saw you turning away that poor schmuck, thought maybe you'd want to get rid of the drink, too." He slid the glass away slowly, being sure to touch only the cocktail napkin underneath. "Might be infected with his cooties."
She couldn't help laughing. The joke wasn't really that funny, but it was just what she needed at the moment. A good corny joke from her uncle.
Luke leaned in, lowering his voice. "So, what can I get you, Caroline?"
Chapter 4
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 2
"But I'm hungry," Carly whined to Frisco. They were standing near the docks, outside of Kelly's, arguing as usual. He had practically dragged her back to Port Charles, ordering her to pack as soon as they'd hit town. Once they'd cleared out of the apartment, he'd reluctantly agreed to stop and eat before they left. If he was going to make her leave again, she was going to stop by Kelly's once more, on the off chance her mother or brother might be there. She wanted to see her family one last time.
"There's too much chance of us being recognized here," he reminded her, as he had so many times since returning to the town they both called home.
"I think it might be too late for that," she told him quietly.
He stopped and turned to face her, looking very serious. "Why?"
"I think Jason and Sonny might have recognized you in Atlantic City," she said sheepishly.
He pushed his hair back aggravatedly. "Great. That's just great, Carly."
"I'm sorry! How many times do I have to say it?"
"Until I don't want to kill you anymore!"
She crossed her arms insolently. "Then I'm just going stop saying it, 'cause you've wanted to kill me since you met me."
"You have yet to give me a reason not to!"
"Robin, Andrew! What are you doing here?" Courtney asked surprised from behind Carly. Both cringed internally at hearing her voice. Neither wanted to deal with Courtney. Especially when she excitedly hugged them both.
He'd kill her, but Carly said the only thing that came to mind. "Andy's family is here," she answered, smiling. "Shouldn't you and Jason be on your honeymoon?" she asked, trying to hold back her disapproval.
"We don't leave for another couple days," Courtney told them, her excitement glaringly obvious. "I just stopped by to get my paycheck."
A young man came out of the diner, his face brightening as he saw the bubbly blonde. Frisco recognized him immediately and froze. Lucas.
"Oh Courtney, thank god you're here! We are so busy and Penny called in sick..." the young man said, relieved, but stopped when he noticed Frisco with Carly and Courtney. "Uncle Frisco?" he asked uncertainly.
The agent shot Carly a nasty look before smiling at his nephew. "Hey Lucas. It's good to see you again."
"Yeah, it's been a long time. Dad'll be excited that you're in town. He really misses you." Lucas glanced at Courtney. "Sorry, Courtney. This is my uncle, Frisco Jones," he said, gesturing to his uncle. He turned to Frisco. "This is Courtney Matthews, she's one of our waitresses."
"We've already met, actually," Frisco told him.
"Yeah," Courtney agreed. "By the way, my last name Morgan now."
The teen smiled, touching her arm. "Mom said something about you getting married in Atlantic City. Congratulations."
"Thanks, Lucas, but some congratulations are in order for your uncle, too," she said, nodding to Frisco and Carly.
He glanced between them. "Really?"
Frisco smiled uneasily. "Uh, yeah. This is my new wife Robin," he said, pulling Carly to him.
Lucas looked suspiciously at her for a moment. "Nice to meet you, Robin," he finally said, sounding anything but happy.
"Have you seen the girls around, by any chance?" Frisco asked apprehensively.
"I think they went shopping. They should be around later," the young man answered. He turned and looked back inside. "I should be getting back to work. It's just me in there right now, until Mom gets off duty. Dad's working today, if you want to stop by and let him know you're here."
"Thanks. If you happen to see Maxie and Georgie, can you let them know I'd like to see them, if they've got time for their old man?"
"Sure. Later," Lucas said, going back to work.
"I thought you said your name was Andrew," Courtney said, obviously suspicious of him.
"It is. Frisco's a nickname I used to have a while back, but it's what everyone around here knows me as."
"So you're Maxie and Georgie's father? The one that's supposed to be off saving the world?"
"Yep, that's me."
She nodded and smiled politely. "Well, I better get my paycheck and get back to Jason."
"Get an early start on that honeymoon," he said, somewhat teasingly. He turned to Carly. "Why don't we head over to the hospital, babe? You can meet the big pain in the ass."
Carly gasped in mock offense. "I thought I was your big pain in the ass," she said disappointedly.
"Oh you are, but he had the title first." Frisco began to move Carly away from Kelly's, waving at Courtney. "Catch you later, Courtney."
"Hey, maybe we can get together for dinner sometime?" the blonde suggested. "The four of us, maybe Sonny and Carly too?"
"Uh, sounds good," he answered unsurely, glancing at Carly.
"Great! Where are you staying?"
"We're kinda between places right now. Not sure if we're going to stay in Port Charles. I guess it depends on how busy the girls are."
"We have a loft that's empty at the moment. You can stay there if you want," she offered. "I'm sure it would be okay with Jason."
"That's a nice offer, Courtney," Carly said, smiling insincerely, "but you don't have to go to all that trouble..."
Courtney cut her off. "It's no trouble. I insist."
Courtney was looking so pathetically hopeful, it made Carly wonder if the girl had any friends outside of Jason. The girl had just offered up her apartment to virtual strangers, after all. Carly couldn't tell Blondie no, no matter how much she wanted to. "Well, thank you," she replied, wondering where her sudden attack of conscience was coming from.
"I'll leave the keys with Sonny and Carly. They live across the hall from us. Harborview Towers, Penthouse 4."
Frisco extended his hand, smiling. "Thanks. We'll stop by later today. Enjoy your new husband."
Carly couldn't take any more of this. She grabbed his arm, pulling him away. "It was good to see you again, Courtney," she lied.
"Bye!" the blonde called as Frisco and Carly left.
"You are not dragging me to the hospital, mister!" Carly growled through gritted teeth, still smiling.
"Oh yes I am! You've already blown my cover, babe," he retorted. "Now I get to explain to my kids why Daddy got married and didn't tell them about it first. Better yet, I get to explain that to Felicia!"
"What about Tony?"
"It's payback for him eloping with you and not telling me until long after."
"We didn't go through with it," she pointed out, stopping and letting go of him.
"Not the point. He didn't tell me that you two were going to get married until after his breakdown."
She faced him, crossing her arms. "He doesn't like me, you know."
"I don't like you!" Frisco snapped, grabbing her by the arm and starting to drag her in the direction of the hospital. "But for some godforsaken reason I'm stuck with you!"
"Well, I don't like you either!"
"Then maybe you should've come up with a better plan than eloping in front of your man, your clone, your ex-husband and, what did you call her... Oh yeah, Pollyanna."
Carly yanked her arm out of his grip. "Oh shut up!"
"You first, Robin."
She glared at him, nostrils flaring and chest heaving in anger. Without a word, she turned on her heel and marched away from him. Frisco didn't follow her, deciding instead to go break the news to his brother.
Carly walked aimlessly around her former home, but found herself wandering in the direction of Luke's Place. A drink sounded real good to her at the moment. There was no one better than Frisco Jones to incite a drinking problem.
Standing outside, she took a good look at the place. It looked the same as before, maybe a little more aged and as unique as always. Just like Luke, she remembered fondly.
It was funny. She never got along with her uncle. They'd pretty much tolerated the other for her mother's sake, but left on their own, they did not like each other. She never thought she'd miss him, but she did. She'd actually missed every thing about him. His crass personality, his cynicism toward everything except his family, his loyalty, even his annoying sense of humor.
She held her breath as she entered the club. The place was crowded, just as she liked it. It was easier to hide in a crowd, she was less noticeable. The music blaring through the club was definitely not Luke's blues music. As she made her way to a free table, she spotted her cousin's blonde spikey hair through the crowd at the bar. Lucky was talking to Emily Quartermaine, bouncing his head to the beat. Luke must've left him in charge, since Lucky never spent too much time at the club. Not that as of two years ago anyway.
She slipped into a seat, removing the denim jacket she was wearing. Almost immediately a waitress set a drink in front of her.
"I didn't order this," Carly said, stopping her.
"It's from the gentleman over there," she replied, pointing to a middle aged man sitting a few tables away before leaving to take care of the other tables.
Carly recognized the man immediately. He was a vice-president at ELQ and a very married one at that, not to mention totally unattractive in every way possible. She smiled politely and turned away quickly, not wanting to give him any incentive to come over. She'd met him a few times while she was married to AJ. A complete slimeball.
She turned her focus back to Lucky and Emily. The young woman wasn't one of her favorite people, but she had at one point grown fairly close to her cousin. He looked happy enough, laughing and joking with his friend. Same ol' Lucky, she thought.
"Hey beautiful," the man had bought her a drink said, standing over her. "Mind if I sit down?"
"Yes, actually I do. Thank you for the drink, but save yourself the effort. This isn't going to get you anywhere with me."
"Ah, come on, baby," he tried again, sitting in the chair next to her. He reached out to grasp her hand. "I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement."
She leaned closer to him. "No," she said firmly, yanking her hand away from his. "Now get up and go back to your table or I'll shoot your balls off."
His usual smug grin disappeared as her words sunk in. Silently, he did as she requested. She shook her head as he retreated. "Scumbag," she mumbled to herself.
"Want me to get you another drink?"
Carly looked up to see Luke standing over her. "Excuse me?"
He sat down across from her, resting his arms on the table. "I saw you turning away that poor schmuck, thought maybe you'd want to get rid of the drink, too." He slid the glass away slowly, being sure to touch only the cocktail napkin underneath. "Might be infected with his cooties."
She couldn't help laughing. The joke wasn't really that funny, but it was just what she needed at the moment. A good corny joke from her uncle.
Luke leaned in, lowering his voice. "So, what can I get you, Caroline?"
Chapter 4
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