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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 21
"I'm glad he was able to help you out. Sounds like it worked out real well," Carly said, smiling as they entered the loft.
"Yeah, for the most part." Jason hesitated. "I want to thank you, too. Courtney told me how you were really there for Carly today. She said you were a real rock."
She wasn't sure what to say. "I just happened to be there when it all started," she said, shrugging.
"She also said you've been the strong one during all of this. She appreciates it."
"She told me," Carly replied, turning and taking a few steps along the back of the sofa. Facing away from him, she rolled her eyes and sighed softly. Even talking about Blondie annoyed her. "Several times."
"Well, I appreciate your help with that spy program on the laptop as well."
Carly stopped in her tracks. Spy program? How did he know what was wrong with that computer? Could Frisco have told him? No, he wouldn't have. Both of their minds would have been on the task at hand, which was finding Sonny. Frisco hadn't taken more than a moment to tell her when he'd called about the Alcazar files the second time, no way would he have said anything to Jason.
Which only left one possibility - Jason knew what the problem was when he gave the laptop to her.
With her back to him, he couldn't see the confusion on her face. "No problem," she replied, unsure.
"I figured you'd be able to trace it back to Alcazar, with all the resources Frisco has access to with the WSB."
Carly's heart dropped as the realization set in. Jason had used her. He had lied to her and she'd missed it. She was just the wife of Frisco Jones, WSB agent. He had used her. She turned around, fuming. She glared at him. "Next time you want something from my husband, ask him yourself."
"Robin..."
"Do not go through me to get to him," she told him coldly.
Jason didn't bother to deny it. "Fine. I need to get to the hospital. Thanks again for taking care of Courtney and Carly."
Carly just watched him leave. Her heart was breaking. She'd thought maybe there was something still there, a part of him that knew it was her. Obviously she was wrong. He didn't care about her any more than he cared about anyone else. She was just another stranger, somebody he could manipulate and use.
She'd allowed her herself to hope, and again she was the one who ended up hurting.
Frisco slipped through the side entrance of the Port Charles police station. There had always been something funky with that lock. Most of the force had been oblivious to it luckily, since it wasn't a widely used door. It only led into a hallway going leading to non-investigative offices. Not anywhere near the evidence room or the holding cells, no place that could be used for a breakout or contaminating evidence, or even the squad room. The doors going to those areas were secure. Robert always said he was going to get that lock fixed, but it never seemed to make it into the limited budget.
Some things never change.
He stormed down the hallways, the heavy duffle in hand, passing by officers and detectives. He ignored their orders to stop, even those that recognized him. His mind was on one thing, getting to the commissioner's office.
Mac's secretary tried to stop him. He ignored her as well and shoved open the door to Mac's office. He was barely through the door when he tossed the heavy duffle bag of guns on the desk, pushing files and other items off onto the floor.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Frisco?" Mac shouted.
Mac had not been alone. Another man, presumably a detective by the lack of uniform, stood nearby, slack jawed. He looked shocked. "I think this can wait a bit, Mac," he said making his way to the door.
Neither Mac nor Frisco looked at him, instead keeping their eyes locked on the other. They remained tensely silent until the door clicked closed.
Mac spoke first. "Who do you think you are, coming in..."
"No, who do you think you are," Frisco shouted, "keeping secrets from me about my kids!"
"Secrets?"
Mac didn't look like he knew exactly what Frisco was talking about, but he didn't look surprised either. Obviously this wasn't the only secret that Frisco hadn't been let in on, something that enraged him further. "Why the hell did I have to hear about Maxie's overdose from Jason Morgan, of all people!"
"She's fine," Mac replied, annoyed.
"Fine? She almost died!"
"What do you care, huh?" he shot back. "You weren't here."
"I had a right to know, Scorpio."
"You have no rights as far as I'm concerned."
"Like it or not, I'm their father."
"You gave up the right to call yourself that when you walked out and never came back. I'm the only father they've ever known."
"Keep telling yourself that, buddy. Keep deluding yourself like you have with this job. At least Robert never sold out to the mob." The words were out of Frisco's before he could stop himself, not that he really wanted to. He was pissed off, more than he'd been in a very long time, and Mac Scorpio was going to get the full force of it.
Anger crossed Mac's face. Frisco stepped forward. "Think I wouldn't find out?" he said, taunting him. "Think nobody would think twice about you going to Corinthos over those drugs? Let me tell you something, the WSB already had a case against Alcazar and you just ruined it."
Not entirely the truth, but damn it, throwing that in Mac's face felt good.
Mac smirked. "Alcazar's dead."
"Not Lorenzo." Frisco watched as the smirk disappeared. "You could have come to me, Mac. You could have gone to Anna or Sean. You didn't have to go to the mob," he snarled. He took another step closer to the Aussie, his eyes narrowing. "And you know what, you shouldn't have. You think Sonny isn't going to use this against you, you better have another think coming. You sold out the last shred of dignity this department had. And you took Robert's good name with it."
"Don't you dare bring my brother into this," Mac growled.
"Why not? He'd be ashamed of what this department's become and you damn well know it. He was a good cop and he knew how to get the job done right. Obviously, you still think like the hired thug you used to be."
Frisco prepared for the rage that was surely coming, but Scott interrupted before Mac could respond.
"What do you got for us, Jones?" he said, rubbing his hands together, oblivious to the tension in the room. "I believe you and Morgan promised me an Alcazar on a silver platter."
Mac looked at Scott in confusion. He apparently knew nothing about this. It was Frisco's turn to smirk. Score one for Baldwin.
The agent sighed frustratedly as he stepped back. He'd been waiting for this. "He got away."
"How'd that happen?"
"The warehouse had a secret entrance to the catacombs that wasn't on the plans. He snuck out during the shooting." He gestured to the bag. "I brought you a conciliation prize. Should keep forensics busy for awhile."
Scott opened it and sneered. "I gave up a good case against Jason Morgan for a bunch of guns? This was hardly worth getting off my ass for!"
"You want it or not, Baldwin?"
The district attorney seemed to mull it over. "Fine," he sighed. "And maybe your buddies at the WSB won't save this Alcazar."
"Believe me, the WSB does not, nor has ever wanted, to save any Alcazar."
"Right," Scott scoffed. He looked between the other two men. "You two can get back to your lover's quarrel now."
Frisco glared at Mac. "I've said all I wanted to say."
He walked out, without another word. As he stormed back down the hallway, he heard Baldwin's steps behind him and a smashing sound coming from the office. He heard Baldwin calling his name. Screw it, he was going home.
Carly was curled up on the bed, wiping away a stray tear. How could Jason do this to her? How could he just use someone like that? It was all about Frisco. She was a nobody in Port Charles once again.
The front door slammed hard, startling her. The long string of curses that followed meant only one thing. Frisco was home.
She walked into the living room, her arms crossed. He looked absolutely enraged, something she'd never seen. It was almost scary how angry he was. The lower half of one pant leg, starting from a hole about 3 inches below his knee, was streaked with red, along with a few shoe prints on the floor behind him.
"Did you get shot?" she asked, unintentionally sounding annoyed.
"Don't start with me, Carly," he snapped.
"Well, excuse me for caring about your well being!"
"Oh shut up!"
"Fine! I'll just ignore the blood you're tracking all over the floor!"
Frisco looked down at the faintly bloody prints from the leg that was bleeding. He ran a hand through his hair frustratedly. "Damn it."
"Do you need to go to the hospital? Should I call Tony? I can't believe Jason just let you walk out like that..."
"It's just a graze, it's nothing."
"Nothing? Gushing blood is nothing?"
"It is not gushing! Now, drop it!"
Carly was taken back by his harsh tone. "God, what is your problem? You did your job. Sonny's back in one piece."
"Alcazar got away."
"It's not the first time! You don't usually take my head off for it! It's not like you had to spend the day playing nurse to Charlotte!"
"No, I just had to deal with you and Felicia's idiot exes! Nobody tells me anything, everyone just treats me like I don't exist..."
"And that's my fault somehow?" Carly asked sarcastically, almost shouting. "I had to put up with being Charlotte's verbal punching bag and Blondie's shrink! Plus, I had to watch that lying bitch playing 'Mommy' to my kid!"
Her voice got louder as she spoke. Frisco matched it and knocked it up a notch.
"I had to find out about my kid's life from a hit man! Stuff I should've been told!"
"That hit man used me! Me, his best friend, like I was some stranger off the street!"
"You are some stranger off the street!"
"That doesn't excuse him for using me to get to you!"
"Well, your dumbass ex-husband wasn't even thankful that I risked my life for him!"
"Your dumbass brother hit on me!"
"Tony's a lying ass!"
"I already knew that!"
They looked at each other and smiled nervously, both realizing the absurdity of the exchange. A competition of whose last couple days were worse wasn't going to go anywhere.
"Tony really hit on you?" Frisco asked, calmer, but the tone of his voice hadn't changed. It was quite clear to anyone with two brain cells that he was pissed off.
"At the hospital. He actually asked me out. The old 'getting to know each other' routine."
"Why can't the dork stay away from my women?"
"I'm not the first?"
"Nope. Tania was."
"BJ's mother Tania? Saint Tania that could do no wrong?"
Frisco nodded. "She was my girlfriend until he breezed into town and he zeroed in on her," he grumbled. "I won't even mention his little crush on Felicia."
She shuddered. "Tony is such a slimeball."
"No, he's not. He's just like Dad."
As if that was an answer. "I'll have to take your word for it." She hesitated. "How did Lorenzo Alcazar get involved with this? Was it revenge for what went down with Luis?"
"No, it was business. Sonny and Jason interrupted a shipment of his drugs, by Mac's request."
"Mac Scorpio?" she asked in confusion. "When did he start work with Sonny and Jason? He's hated them as long as I've known him."
Carly could see the immediate change in Frisco's emotions. The anger was replaced by fear and a very deep pain. He collapsed on the sofa, his head in his hands. "Maxie almost died," he told her, his voice cracking and tears in his eyes.
She kneeled in front of him and wrapped her arms around him. She could understand how he felt, being a parent herself. She felt his arms go around her and squeeze her tightly - so tight she almost couldn't breath - as he broke down. It was strange being the strong one. Usually she was the emotional one, always crying about something. But nearly losing a kid would do that to even the toughest guy. She knew how much Frisco loved his daughters, this had to be killing him.
He pulled away, absently wiping his cheeks. "How Maxie get into to this?" Carly asked, moving next to him on the sofa. She left one arm draped over his shoulders.
"She overdosed on XTC. Just a bad batch, according to Jason. Mac apparently pushed him into a wall and ordered him and Sonny to track the source the drugs she took."
It all made sense now. He was angry because he'd heard about it from Jason and not from Felicia. "And the source was Lorenzo Alcazar."
"Oh, guess who her treating doctor was?" he asked, the anger returning. "My perfect brother!"
She knew Tony was slime, but that had to hurt. She knew from her time with Tony that the brothers had been close once and since returning to Port Charles, she could see how much Tony's opinion meant to Frisco. "I'm sorry," she said, giving him a halfhearted smile. "But look on the bright side, it means she's better now."
"That's not the point!"
"I know. They should've told you." She paused, watching Frisco bottle his emotions up again. "Was that the loose end you were tying up?"
He looked at her, confused. "Huh?"
"Jason told me you were tying up a loose end, that's why you didn't go back to the penthouse with them."
"I had to make a stop at the PCPD."
Carly inhaled sharply. "Mac."
"It was supposed to be Baldwin, but I let loose on Mac." He let out a bitter laugh. "He said he didn't tell me because I left and he's their father now."
"Mac Scorpio doesn't matter. He's just setting himself up for a fall if he really believes that. You're their father. You had a right to know about Maxie."
"Obviously we're the only that think that."
"We're the only ones who don't think Charlotte is Miss Good And Perfect, either."
"So your past few days were as wonderful as mine?" he asked miserably.
"Not quite. But I did find out something about Ric Lansing."
"Oh?"
"Charlotte was telling the truth. He did rape her."
"How'd you find this out?"
"At the hospital..."
"Hospital?"
"Charlotte started cramping and had to go to the ER. Guess who had to go with her." Carly rolled her eyes. "I tried to call you, like twenty times. Anyway, I overheard Courtney arguing with Ric. Apparently he drugged her, raped her, and now this kid might be his."
"How does this information affect us?"
His tone was kind of dismissive. She frowned. "I don't know, but he really creeped me out. Reminded me of Ted Bundy." She shuddered at the thought of Ric and leaned back on the sofa. "You know, Liz was a rape victim," she thought aloud. "She would never be within fifty feet of this guy if she knew."
"You going to tell her?"
"That would require spending time with her."
"You're supposed to be her friend."
"No, my alter ego Robin is. Not me."
"You could tell Luke."
She sighed. It was another option, but not one she liked any better. She really did feel bad Liz was stuck with the creep, as much as it pained her to admit it. "What do you really know about Lansing?" she asked, directing the conversation away from Liz.
Frisco shrugged. "Not a whole lot. Mostly just his history with the Alcazars. I'll take another look at his file tomorrow, see what I can dig up." He paused thoughtfully. "With him here, Lorenzo's appearance can't be a coincidence."
The topic Carly had dreaded since Blondie had showed up on their doorstep crying. She was so close to Michael, she was able to see him, talk to him... She couldn't bear to go on the run again. Not now. "Frisco, how does Alcazar showing up here, kidnapping Sonny... affect us?" she asked softly, uncertainty in her voice. "Are we going to take off again?"
He thought for a moment before answering. "No," he said decidedly. "We need to figure out what he's up to first." He hesitated before speaking again. "I think it might be a good idea to put some distance between us and Corinthos and Morgan, to be safe."
"No!" she cried, caught off guard by his suggestion. "As long as we're close to them, I can see Michael!"
"I understand, Carly, I really do. But Lorenzo's still a potential threat. He just attacked your ex-husband, who I'm sure is going to retaliate. We can't get caught up in the middle of a mob war. It could blow the whole op."
"Frisco, we're talking about my son!"
"I'm talking about your life, Carly."
"How the hell would you feel if I said you couldn't see Maxie and Georgie?"
"I've already been there and done that. I've stayed away when I thought I had to and I'd do it again."
You look like my mommy. Michael's words reverberated in her head. Mommy left for a little while and when she came back, she was different.
No, she couldn't be separated from her son again. Not when he might be beginning to recognize her. "So, I'm just supposed to shut up as you take my baby away?" She cringed internally at the desperateness of her voice.
He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Think of it this way," he said calmly, "I'm trying to get you home to him. For good. But at the moment, that's going to require distancing ourselves from Sonny."
Carly considered telling him about her conversation with Michael, about his "old Mommy" comments, but decided against it. Frisco wouldn't change his mind, she knew that. He rarely did when it came to business. She wasn't in much of a position to argue with him, either. He was the professional and she needed his help to end this stupid mess with Charlotte.
"I don't like this," she replied, reluctantly agreeing.
"Well, I didn't ask you to like it."
"Oh, shut up."
"You first."
Chapter 23
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 21
"I'm glad he was able to help you out. Sounds like it worked out real well," Carly said, smiling as they entered the loft.
"Yeah, for the most part." Jason hesitated. "I want to thank you, too. Courtney told me how you were really there for Carly today. She said you were a real rock."
She wasn't sure what to say. "I just happened to be there when it all started," she said, shrugging.
"She also said you've been the strong one during all of this. She appreciates it."
"She told me," Carly replied, turning and taking a few steps along the back of the sofa. Facing away from him, she rolled her eyes and sighed softly. Even talking about Blondie annoyed her. "Several times."
"Well, I appreciate your help with that spy program on the laptop as well."
Carly stopped in her tracks. Spy program? How did he know what was wrong with that computer? Could Frisco have told him? No, he wouldn't have. Both of their minds would have been on the task at hand, which was finding Sonny. Frisco hadn't taken more than a moment to tell her when he'd called about the Alcazar files the second time, no way would he have said anything to Jason.
Which only left one possibility - Jason knew what the problem was when he gave the laptop to her.
With her back to him, he couldn't see the confusion on her face. "No problem," she replied, unsure.
"I figured you'd be able to trace it back to Alcazar, with all the resources Frisco has access to with the WSB."
Carly's heart dropped as the realization set in. Jason had used her. He had lied to her and she'd missed it. She was just the wife of Frisco Jones, WSB agent. He had used her. She turned around, fuming. She glared at him. "Next time you want something from my husband, ask him yourself."
"Robin..."
"Do not go through me to get to him," she told him coldly.
Jason didn't bother to deny it. "Fine. I need to get to the hospital. Thanks again for taking care of Courtney and Carly."
Carly just watched him leave. Her heart was breaking. She'd thought maybe there was something still there, a part of him that knew it was her. Obviously she was wrong. He didn't care about her any more than he cared about anyone else. She was just another stranger, somebody he could manipulate and use.
She'd allowed her herself to hope, and again she was the one who ended up hurting.
Frisco slipped through the side entrance of the Port Charles police station. There had always been something funky with that lock. Most of the force had been oblivious to it luckily, since it wasn't a widely used door. It only led into a hallway going leading to non-investigative offices. Not anywhere near the evidence room or the holding cells, no place that could be used for a breakout or contaminating evidence, or even the squad room. The doors going to those areas were secure. Robert always said he was going to get that lock fixed, but it never seemed to make it into the limited budget.
Some things never change.
He stormed down the hallways, the heavy duffle in hand, passing by officers and detectives. He ignored their orders to stop, even those that recognized him. His mind was on one thing, getting to the commissioner's office.
Mac's secretary tried to stop him. He ignored her as well and shoved open the door to Mac's office. He was barely through the door when he tossed the heavy duffle bag of guns on the desk, pushing files and other items off onto the floor.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Frisco?" Mac shouted.
Mac had not been alone. Another man, presumably a detective by the lack of uniform, stood nearby, slack jawed. He looked shocked. "I think this can wait a bit, Mac," he said making his way to the door.
Neither Mac nor Frisco looked at him, instead keeping their eyes locked on the other. They remained tensely silent until the door clicked closed.
Mac spoke first. "Who do you think you are, coming in..."
"No, who do you think you are," Frisco shouted, "keeping secrets from me about my kids!"
"Secrets?"
Mac didn't look like he knew exactly what Frisco was talking about, but he didn't look surprised either. Obviously this wasn't the only secret that Frisco hadn't been let in on, something that enraged him further. "Why the hell did I have to hear about Maxie's overdose from Jason Morgan, of all people!"
"She's fine," Mac replied, annoyed.
"Fine? She almost died!"
"What do you care, huh?" he shot back. "You weren't here."
"I had a right to know, Scorpio."
"You have no rights as far as I'm concerned."
"Like it or not, I'm their father."
"You gave up the right to call yourself that when you walked out and never came back. I'm the only father they've ever known."
"Keep telling yourself that, buddy. Keep deluding yourself like you have with this job. At least Robert never sold out to the mob." The words were out of Frisco's before he could stop himself, not that he really wanted to. He was pissed off, more than he'd been in a very long time, and Mac Scorpio was going to get the full force of it.
Anger crossed Mac's face. Frisco stepped forward. "Think I wouldn't find out?" he said, taunting him. "Think nobody would think twice about you going to Corinthos over those drugs? Let me tell you something, the WSB already had a case against Alcazar and you just ruined it."
Not entirely the truth, but damn it, throwing that in Mac's face felt good.
Mac smirked. "Alcazar's dead."
"Not Lorenzo." Frisco watched as the smirk disappeared. "You could have come to me, Mac. You could have gone to Anna or Sean. You didn't have to go to the mob," he snarled. He took another step closer to the Aussie, his eyes narrowing. "And you know what, you shouldn't have. You think Sonny isn't going to use this against you, you better have another think coming. You sold out the last shred of dignity this department had. And you took Robert's good name with it."
"Don't you dare bring my brother into this," Mac growled.
"Why not? He'd be ashamed of what this department's become and you damn well know it. He was a good cop and he knew how to get the job done right. Obviously, you still think like the hired thug you used to be."
Frisco prepared for the rage that was surely coming, but Scott interrupted before Mac could respond.
"What do you got for us, Jones?" he said, rubbing his hands together, oblivious to the tension in the room. "I believe you and Morgan promised me an Alcazar on a silver platter."
Mac looked at Scott in confusion. He apparently knew nothing about this. It was Frisco's turn to smirk. Score one for Baldwin.
The agent sighed frustratedly as he stepped back. He'd been waiting for this. "He got away."
"How'd that happen?"
"The warehouse had a secret entrance to the catacombs that wasn't on the plans. He snuck out during the shooting." He gestured to the bag. "I brought you a conciliation prize. Should keep forensics busy for awhile."
Scott opened it and sneered. "I gave up a good case against Jason Morgan for a bunch of guns? This was hardly worth getting off my ass for!"
"You want it or not, Baldwin?"
The district attorney seemed to mull it over. "Fine," he sighed. "And maybe your buddies at the WSB won't save this Alcazar."
"Believe me, the WSB does not, nor has ever wanted, to save any Alcazar."
"Right," Scott scoffed. He looked between the other two men. "You two can get back to your lover's quarrel now."
Frisco glared at Mac. "I've said all I wanted to say."
He walked out, without another word. As he stormed back down the hallway, he heard Baldwin's steps behind him and a smashing sound coming from the office. He heard Baldwin calling his name. Screw it, he was going home.
Carly was curled up on the bed, wiping away a stray tear. How could Jason do this to her? How could he just use someone like that? It was all about Frisco. She was a nobody in Port Charles once again.
The front door slammed hard, startling her. The long string of curses that followed meant only one thing. Frisco was home.
She walked into the living room, her arms crossed. He looked absolutely enraged, something she'd never seen. It was almost scary how angry he was. The lower half of one pant leg, starting from a hole about 3 inches below his knee, was streaked with red, along with a few shoe prints on the floor behind him.
"Did you get shot?" she asked, unintentionally sounding annoyed.
"Don't start with me, Carly," he snapped.
"Well, excuse me for caring about your well being!"
"Oh shut up!"
"Fine! I'll just ignore the blood you're tracking all over the floor!"
Frisco looked down at the faintly bloody prints from the leg that was bleeding. He ran a hand through his hair frustratedly. "Damn it."
"Do you need to go to the hospital? Should I call Tony? I can't believe Jason just let you walk out like that..."
"It's just a graze, it's nothing."
"Nothing? Gushing blood is nothing?"
"It is not gushing! Now, drop it!"
Carly was taken back by his harsh tone. "God, what is your problem? You did your job. Sonny's back in one piece."
"Alcazar got away."
"It's not the first time! You don't usually take my head off for it! It's not like you had to spend the day playing nurse to Charlotte!"
"No, I just had to deal with you and Felicia's idiot exes! Nobody tells me anything, everyone just treats me like I don't exist..."
"And that's my fault somehow?" Carly asked sarcastically, almost shouting. "I had to put up with being Charlotte's verbal punching bag and Blondie's shrink! Plus, I had to watch that lying bitch playing 'Mommy' to my kid!"
Her voice got louder as she spoke. Frisco matched it and knocked it up a notch.
"I had to find out about my kid's life from a hit man! Stuff I should've been told!"
"That hit man used me! Me, his best friend, like I was some stranger off the street!"
"You are some stranger off the street!"
"That doesn't excuse him for using me to get to you!"
"Well, your dumbass ex-husband wasn't even thankful that I risked my life for him!"
"Your dumbass brother hit on me!"
"Tony's a lying ass!"
"I already knew that!"
They looked at each other and smiled nervously, both realizing the absurdity of the exchange. A competition of whose last couple days were worse wasn't going to go anywhere.
"Tony really hit on you?" Frisco asked, calmer, but the tone of his voice hadn't changed. It was quite clear to anyone with two brain cells that he was pissed off.
"At the hospital. He actually asked me out. The old 'getting to know each other' routine."
"Why can't the dork stay away from my women?"
"I'm not the first?"
"Nope. Tania was."
"BJ's mother Tania? Saint Tania that could do no wrong?"
Frisco nodded. "She was my girlfriend until he breezed into town and he zeroed in on her," he grumbled. "I won't even mention his little crush on Felicia."
She shuddered. "Tony is such a slimeball."
"No, he's not. He's just like Dad."
As if that was an answer. "I'll have to take your word for it." She hesitated. "How did Lorenzo Alcazar get involved with this? Was it revenge for what went down with Luis?"
"No, it was business. Sonny and Jason interrupted a shipment of his drugs, by Mac's request."
"Mac Scorpio?" she asked in confusion. "When did he start work with Sonny and Jason? He's hated them as long as I've known him."
Carly could see the immediate change in Frisco's emotions. The anger was replaced by fear and a very deep pain. He collapsed on the sofa, his head in his hands. "Maxie almost died," he told her, his voice cracking and tears in his eyes.
She kneeled in front of him and wrapped her arms around him. She could understand how he felt, being a parent herself. She felt his arms go around her and squeeze her tightly - so tight she almost couldn't breath - as he broke down. It was strange being the strong one. Usually she was the emotional one, always crying about something. But nearly losing a kid would do that to even the toughest guy. She knew how much Frisco loved his daughters, this had to be killing him.
He pulled away, absently wiping his cheeks. "How Maxie get into to this?" Carly asked, moving next to him on the sofa. She left one arm draped over his shoulders.
"She overdosed on XTC. Just a bad batch, according to Jason. Mac apparently pushed him into a wall and ordered him and Sonny to track the source the drugs she took."
It all made sense now. He was angry because he'd heard about it from Jason and not from Felicia. "And the source was Lorenzo Alcazar."
"Oh, guess who her treating doctor was?" he asked, the anger returning. "My perfect brother!"
She knew Tony was slime, but that had to hurt. She knew from her time with Tony that the brothers had been close once and since returning to Port Charles, she could see how much Tony's opinion meant to Frisco. "I'm sorry," she said, giving him a halfhearted smile. "But look on the bright side, it means she's better now."
"That's not the point!"
"I know. They should've told you." She paused, watching Frisco bottle his emotions up again. "Was that the loose end you were tying up?"
He looked at her, confused. "Huh?"
"Jason told me you were tying up a loose end, that's why you didn't go back to the penthouse with them."
"I had to make a stop at the PCPD."
Carly inhaled sharply. "Mac."
"It was supposed to be Baldwin, but I let loose on Mac." He let out a bitter laugh. "He said he didn't tell me because I left and he's their father now."
"Mac Scorpio doesn't matter. He's just setting himself up for a fall if he really believes that. You're their father. You had a right to know about Maxie."
"Obviously we're the only that think that."
"We're the only ones who don't think Charlotte is Miss Good And Perfect, either."
"So your past few days were as wonderful as mine?" he asked miserably.
"Not quite. But I did find out something about Ric Lansing."
"Oh?"
"Charlotte was telling the truth. He did rape her."
"How'd you find this out?"
"At the hospital..."
"Hospital?"
"Charlotte started cramping and had to go to the ER. Guess who had to go with her." Carly rolled her eyes. "I tried to call you, like twenty times. Anyway, I overheard Courtney arguing with Ric. Apparently he drugged her, raped her, and now this kid might be his."
"How does this information affect us?"
His tone was kind of dismissive. She frowned. "I don't know, but he really creeped me out. Reminded me of Ted Bundy." She shuddered at the thought of Ric and leaned back on the sofa. "You know, Liz was a rape victim," she thought aloud. "She would never be within fifty feet of this guy if she knew."
"You going to tell her?"
"That would require spending time with her."
"You're supposed to be her friend."
"No, my alter ego Robin is. Not me."
"You could tell Luke."
She sighed. It was another option, but not one she liked any better. She really did feel bad Liz was stuck with the creep, as much as it pained her to admit it. "What do you really know about Lansing?" she asked, directing the conversation away from Liz.
Frisco shrugged. "Not a whole lot. Mostly just his history with the Alcazars. I'll take another look at his file tomorrow, see what I can dig up." He paused thoughtfully. "With him here, Lorenzo's appearance can't be a coincidence."
The topic Carly had dreaded since Blondie had showed up on their doorstep crying. She was so close to Michael, she was able to see him, talk to him... She couldn't bear to go on the run again. Not now. "Frisco, how does Alcazar showing up here, kidnapping Sonny... affect us?" she asked softly, uncertainty in her voice. "Are we going to take off again?"
He thought for a moment before answering. "No," he said decidedly. "We need to figure out what he's up to first." He hesitated before speaking again. "I think it might be a good idea to put some distance between us and Corinthos and Morgan, to be safe."
"No!" she cried, caught off guard by his suggestion. "As long as we're close to them, I can see Michael!"
"I understand, Carly, I really do. But Lorenzo's still a potential threat. He just attacked your ex-husband, who I'm sure is going to retaliate. We can't get caught up in the middle of a mob war. It could blow the whole op."
"Frisco, we're talking about my son!"
"I'm talking about your life, Carly."
"How the hell would you feel if I said you couldn't see Maxie and Georgie?"
"I've already been there and done that. I've stayed away when I thought I had to and I'd do it again."
You look like my mommy. Michael's words reverberated in her head. Mommy left for a little while and when she came back, she was different.
No, she couldn't be separated from her son again. Not when he might be beginning to recognize her. "So, I'm just supposed to shut up as you take my baby away?" She cringed internally at the desperateness of her voice.
He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Think of it this way," he said calmly, "I'm trying to get you home to him. For good. But at the moment, that's going to require distancing ourselves from Sonny."
Carly considered telling him about her conversation with Michael, about his "old Mommy" comments, but decided against it. Frisco wouldn't change his mind, she knew that. He rarely did when it came to business. She wasn't in much of a position to argue with him, either. He was the professional and she needed his help to end this stupid mess with Charlotte.
"I don't like this," she replied, reluctantly agreeing.
"Well, I didn't ask you to like it."
"Oh, shut up."
"You first."
Chapter 23
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