Chapter Six: Be It Ever So Humble....
couple days later Alexis strode into the PCPD, slamming her briefcase down on Taggert's desk. "I want to see my client," she demanded, her eyes flashing. "Now. And, if there's been any hint of inappropriate behavior, Lieutenant, you had better believe--"
"I know, I know," Taggert said, lifting his hands wearily. "You'll sue the department, and Mac, and me. I know the drill. Don't worry, Counselor, did it all by the book; when it comes to your client," he stepped out from behind the desk and started to walk to a holding room, motioning her to follow, "I always do." He opened the door for her, and slipped away, making sure to turn on the recording devices before he left. It wasn't likely they'd turn up anything, but with this guy, you never knew.
Alexis stopped short just inside the room, and turned to the door. "Lieutenant," she started to call, but the door had already closed behind him. She pulled out a chair at the table, but didn't sit. "What are you doing here?" Alexis demanded. "I got a call from my client, saying he'd been picked up for--" A disgusted look crossed Alexis' face. "Oh, don't tell me; you were the one fighting with Scott in the middle of Kelly's. During the noon rush. When all the cops drop in. Lovely."
Luke leaned back in his chair, hands folded behind his head. He grinned lazily at her, despite the reddening spot on his jawline and the torn collar of his shirt. "Aww, Natasha. I thought I was your client. This mean we don't have, you know," his grin became slyly familiar, "that special bond, anymore?"
"The only 'special bond' we have, Luke, is the one where I don't kill you because I'm trying to keep my body count down this month. Besides," Alexis picked up her briefcase where she had lain it down, "it would make Helena happy, and no one wants to go and do that. Now, where is my client? The one who's actually paying me to be here?" she demanded.
Luke scowled. "Why'd you have to go and ruin a perfectly civil conversation by bringing Baldwin into it?" he asked, dropping his hands to his side. As Alexis advanced on him with a particularly murderous glare, Luke gestured quickly toward the door. "Took the walking Pincushion out a little while ago. Somethin' about not not planning on turning the holding room into a warzone, blah, blah, blah. You know, when Baldie out there starts talkin', it just goes in one ear and..." Luke gestured towards his other ear, unconcernedly.
"Which is exactly why you keep ending up in this room," Alexis snapped. "Only this time, it's without me." She turned on her heel and started to walk out when the door opened, and a very confused Taggert walked in, followed by Scott Baldwin.
"Excuse me, Ms. Davis, but Mr. Baldwin here," Taggert gestured at Scott, "says your his attorney. I figured I'd better check with you, and see what was going on."
Alexis looked at Scott, takin in his black eye and split lip, and sighed. "Yes, Mr. Baldwin is my client. A fact you should have checked before bringing me into talk with Mr. Spencer, a huge violation of my client's rights." She held up a hand as Taggert started to interrupt. "However, we can overlook that, and clear up this whole thing right now." Alexis opened her briefcase, pulling out her glasses case and slipping her glasses on as she reached for the paperwork the desk clerk had handed her earlier. She flipped through it quickly, and looked at Taggert. "Neither Mr. Spencer or Mr. Baldwin will be pressing any charges," both men spoke up; Alexis ignored them. "We can make this whole thing go away, and save the taxpayers from paying for a ridiculous exercise in runaway male testosterone, if you'll drop the second set of charges. My client will plead guilty to a secondary charge of disturbing the peace, and pay the $50 fine, since he threw the first punch in an establishment Mr. Spencer owns."
"Alexis, just hold on a minute!" Scott growled, looking at her. "I didn't call you down here so I could plead guilty to anything!" He dropped his glare at her quelling look, and took a step back. "Fine," Scottie looked at Luke, jerking his chin in his direction, "but I'm this close to charging him with--"
"Nothing." Alexis looked significantly at Scott. "Don't be an idiot, Scott." She shared another long look with him, then turned to Taggert. "Can we sign the paperwork now, Lieutenant?"
Taggert looked like he was about to protest, then threw up his hands shaking his head. "Fine by me, Counselor. You know, these two'd probably be doing us a favor if they went ahead and finished the job next time they decide to beat the living hell, 'scuse me," he glanced apologetically at Alexis, "out of each other. I'll have someone bring in the paperwork, soon as it's finished." He left, his quick steps showing his eagerness to drop this whole situation he obviously felt wasn't worth his time in the first place.
Alexis waited until the door had closed, then turned to Luke, pointing at the door. "You. Out. I want to talk to my client alone. Go annoy the cops or something. Play with Officer Rick."
"Fine by me," Luke stood up, sauntering past Scott, elaborately careful not even to look at the other man. "Last thing I want is to be sharin' his air." Luke walked up to Alexis, bending his head intimately towards her neck, whispering in her ear. "I'll be your conflict of interest anytime, baby," before walking out the door.
As soon as he left, Scott moved explosively across the room, waving his hands in front of his face. He whirled around to shoot a particularly annoyed look at Alexis. "I don't want to hear it, Davis! The guy kidnaps my wife and daughter, and you expect me just to sit back and wait?!" Scott slammed his hands down on the table and shook his head sharply. "No. No, that is not acceptable, Davis. And, the last thing I need right now, from you, is a lecture!"
"Tough for you, Baldwin!" Alexis snapped back, quick as lightning, her own eyes flashing. "You're the one who came to me, remember? You hired me; then let me do my job! Don't tie my hands like this, ever again, or I will walk." Alexis spoke grimly. "I got Luke to admit that he knows where Lucy and Christina are last time we spoke, and you picking a fight with him is a huge step in exactly the opposite of the direction in which we were trying to go, and don't even try and give me excuses, you hot-tempered idiot!"
A knock on the door interrupted Alexis' tirade, and both attorneys swung towards the door, snapping, "What?" in unison.
The door opened slowly, and a laughing V stepped in, scanned Scott quickly with her eyes, and turned to Alexis. "I think my price just went up," she said, reaching out and handing Alexis the paperwork Marcus had begged her to take in when she showed up asking for Alexis Davis and/or Scott Baldwin.
"V!" Alexis felt her fury drop off of her like a weight when she saw her friends' face. She took two strides forward, hugging her hard. "You take this job and deal with him," she murmured in V's ear, "there's no price on earth I won't pay."
V pulled back to study Scott. "He doesn't look so bad. Kind of dirty, but that's not so bad. I can handle dirty." She looked at him a moment longer, then turned back to Alexis. "What's with his hair?"
Scott spoke up before Alexis could respond. "He is right here," Scott barked. He looked at V, his eyes narrowing. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Why are you here? And," he looked back and forth between her and Alexis, "there is nothing wrong with my hair. Why do people keep saying that?"
Ignoring the last, V stepped forward with a quick smile. "Hi, I'm V Ardanowski." V reached out her hand, and when he didn't take automatically take it, she looked at him with pity on her face. "This is the part where you shake my hand and say your name," she enunciated slowly and clearly, as if speaking to a three year old.
Alexis moved up beside V, pure delight on her face as she watched V handle Scott. "Baldwin, V; V, Scott Baldwin. Since you," she turned to Scott, "can't manage to take my advice, I've hired a trouble-shooter, so to speak. I'm calling her your baby-sitter; you can call her whatever you want -- personal aide, bodyguard, I don't care. But, here's the deal," she leaned towards Scott, folding her arms across her chest, "you don't so much as sneeze without V by your side to fix it if you drop a tissue on the wrong side of the street, or I drop this case. And, leave you on your own to deal with Luke Spencer. Something you've proven to be remarkably adept at."
Scott stared at Alexis, then V, for once in his life, speech-less. "What if I don't like her?" he asked finally, his voice plaintive.
"Don't worry, Mr. Baldwin," V said brightly. "Everyone likes me. Sooner or later." Her smile widened as Scott made a 'hrumph' noise, and V favored him with a calming gaze. "We're going to get along just fine."
Morgans' PH
Jason stopped still as he walked into the penthouse. A slow grin spread across his face, as he looked down, watching a faded jeans clad bottom wiggle slightly, its owner's head lost somewhere underneath the couch.
"Found it!" Carly announced triumphantly, emerging with a somewhat dusty stuffed giraffe in her hand. Her hand flew to her mouth as she saw a man standing where there had been empty space a moment before. "Jason!" she exclaimed, as she saw her husband, and promptly threw the giraffe at his head. "Learn to make some noise when you come into a room. Slam a door or something. You scared me!"
Jason picked up the giraffe and sat down on the couch, reaching down and pulling Carly up beside him, half on and half off his lap. "Michael forget this?" he asked, looking at Carly, a tentative smile still on his face; Carly seemed suddenly more alive than she had in months. It was -- a welcome change.
"Yep. He's spending the night with Lucas, you know," Jason nodded. "Bobbie called about five minutes ago; my kid, apparently, refuses to go to sleep without his giraffe. Stubborn," Carly shook her head in mock dismay. "Wonder where he gets that from?" She grinned, and rolled her eyes. "I told her I'd send it over when Johnny goes off shift. He's goin' to the Brownstone to pick up Gia, anyway. Which means," she leaned forward, kissing Jason slowly, lingeringly on the lips, "we have the whole apartment to ourselves." Her arms wound about his neck.
"Carly--" Jason's words were cut off by another long kiss, and one of Carly's hands drifted to his shirt, unbuttoning the top button. Jason returned her kiss enthusiastically, then, reluctantly, disentangled himself from her arms, holding her hands gently but firmly by her sides. "Carly," he looked at her. "Baby, I want this, you know I do, but--" He shook his head, not knowing exactly how to continue.
"But, I haven't exactly been the most willing partner lately?" Carly finished, sliding one of her hands out of his grasp and touching his cheek lightly. "I know. I'm sorry, Jase; I just -- haven't been able to make myself want anything in a long time." She looked at him. "But this morning, I don't know, I just woke up, and it was like the blinders had fallen off. Maybe it's that Sonny's back, and I'm -- okay with that. Or maybe it's just that the sun was bright, Michael was laughing, and," she touched her stomach almost shyly, "I realized I was pregnant with my husband's baby. And, I was -- happy about it." She smiled slowly. "I know that I acted kinda crazy when I found out about the baby. I was scared. I'm still scared," Carly admitted, her smile dimming slightly. "But, I want this. I want this baby; I want your baby. Not to," she swallowed, and her voice dropped, "not to replace the baby I lost. Never that. But because this is a baby we made together, with love, in love; Jase, that's -- it's everything."
He reached up, stroking her hair, unable to speak for a long moment. This was it; Jason knew it. He was not a man gifted with many powers of recognition or timing, but even he knew that now was the time to tell her. That he couldn't be this baby's father. That it didn't matter. That he loved it and her, anyways. "Carly," Jason began, then hesitated. He looked into her eyes, seeing a fragile peace, a fragile happiness beginning to build, despite everything, and leaned forward, kissing her again, softly. "I love you," he whispered into her mouth.
"I know," Carly answered, her lips curving up into a smile. She responded wordlessly, as well, before easing out of his grasp and picking the giraffe out of his slack hand and standing up. "I'm gonna take this to Johnny; hold that thought." Carly grinned and blew him a kiss, straightening her shirt before slipping out of the door, not knowing that the minute she disappeared from sight, Jason's answering smile disappeared completely, as he dropped his head into his hands with a heart-felt groan.
Sonny's PH
"Wanna tell me about it?" Blair's voice murmured softly above Sonny's right shoulder, as one of her hands slid into view holding a brandy glass and the other started working at a knot in his shoulder.
Sonny took the glass, but didn't speak for a long moment, though he captured Blair's now empty hand, twining her fingers with his. "Can you do me a favor tomorrow?" he asked her, finally, not moving his eyes from the empty fireplace. "It's nothing illegal; I just need someone who won't be followed to deliver a message. It's not the cops I'm trying to avoid, don't worry," he explained further.
Blair's eyebrows lifted in curiosity, and she leaned forward, resting her chin against Sonny's shoulder. She didn't ask any questions; she knew enough of Sonny Corinthos by now to know questions weren't the way to actually get answers from him. "You know I will," she answered. "But," she paused, "that's not why you're sittin' here in the dark, staring at the fireplace, is it, Sonny?"
"Blair--" Sonny shook his head, impatiently, loosing her hand abruptly.
Blair stood up and moved around the couch, sitting beside him. "Sonny," she responded levelly. She reached out, taking his chin gently in her hands and turning his face towards her. "I've been there with you once; I'm not going back in that dark place again. We got each other out before. Let me do that for you again," she stroked his immobile cheek lightly.
"I'm not throwin' things, Blair; I'm not -- it's not like before. I'm just," he made an impatient motion with his hands, "there are things I need to think about."
"Things?" Blair questioned, a shrewd smile on her face. She leaned back against the arm of the couch. "I met her, you know. Your Carly."
"She's not 'my' Carly," Sonny snapped back, his eyes flashing darkly. "Not anymore." He shook his head once impatient with himself; he hadn't meant to add that last part. "I don't know why the hell I came back here!"
"Because it's your home," Blair interjected quietly. "And you were tired of runnin' from it. I know a thing or two about running, Sonny; sooner or later whatever you're running from catches up with you, no matter how far you run. At least here you can face it head on." She smiled slightly, the smile not reaching her eyes. "Turn on some lights, maybe you can even see it coming."
Sonny ran his hand over his jaw, letting out a breath. Suddenly his hand shot out, and the brandy glass flew across the room to crash into the fireplace. Instead of flinching, Blair reached out to take Sonny's hand in both of hers. He turned to look at her then. "Why'd you come with me?" he asked her, his voice rough.
Blair was silent a long moment. "Because you asked me to," she said finally, softly, her bright green eyes meeting his dark ones.
He met her gaze, not speaking for a very long space. In a quick motion, Sonny reached out, tangling his hands in her long blonde hair, pulling her to him almost roughly, his lips finding hers. Her lips parted under his as she sank back, Sonny following her.
Blair's hands pushed Sonny's shirt up impatiently as she returned his crushing kiss, matching his intensity and even taking it up a notch. She knew what he needed from her, and she chose to give it to him: oblivion. To forget. To lose himself in whatever shelter she could offer. And so, in his dark penthouse, Blair Daimler and Sonny Corinthos made their own kind of light against the darkness.
PCPD
