Chapter 4
"Okay, obviously no need to introduce you two. Why am I not feeling the love?" Evangeline asked sensing the heat of John’s displeasure with RJ.
RJ looked at Van and asked "Why are you in Llanview and what brought you to the police station? Nothing serious, I hope."
"Long story short: John’s my husband and this is now our home. And if you’re here that means there must be at least one great restaurant in town, a cool jazz place and a hot dance club. I’m encouraged to see Randall James calls Llanview home; at least I’m assured nights of listening and eating pleasure at your establishments. Am I right? And why are you at the police station?"
"Indeed, I do own two hot spots in town and I’m co-owner of a great gallery. I know you love art. My, oh, ‘special friend’ is an Assistant District Attorney; surely your hubby’s mentioned Nora Buchanan to you? Yet he didn’t mention me in the same sentence with her, I’m crushed. Why is that McBain?"
Van saw the blood jumping under John’s skin at the pulse point near his jaw line. It was one of her secret ways of knowing what her husband was feeling when he didn’t want to tell her. "RJ, why don’t you and Nora join me for a meal? I guess it’s too late to call it lunch but I didn’t have much of a chance to speak with Nora when I met her a little while ago. You can give me a quick tour of the town on our way to and from your restaurant." She turned to John and asked "Can you join us, love?"
John was definitely not happy with her and this turn of events but before he responded RJ planted a quick kiss on Evangeline’s cheek saying, "Great idea, yes! I’m sure Nora can get away I spoke to her earlier and she mentioned she’d be hard-pressed to have lunch at a decent hour. I’ll go get her and we’ll be right back."
John watched RJ walk away and turned to Van, "So. There’s someone in town you know, you have good memories of RJ from….?"
"Um-hmm." Van beamed, then dampened down her glow, "Aaah, my time with Jason Morgan, Jas, Sonny Corinthos and RJ had some, uh, business dealings back in the day. We all rolled together, it was when I first met Alexis and the Cassadines before any of us knew we were family."
"As I recall you were wild and partied very hard with Jason and his…crew."
"Oh, John, everyone’s past that moment in our lives. It was great while we did it but I’m not interested in recreating or really even revisiting in any significant way any moments in my life which don’t include you." Evangeline watched as his eyes lost some of their wariness and the happiness returned in shades of cobalt blue. Out of the corner of her eye she saw RJ returning with Nora, "Will you come with us?"
"I can’t, really, but you’ll be fine with Nora." John turned and greeted Nora and suggested that they all go in the Rolls instead of RJ’s or Nora’s car. As they climbed into the back seat Van pulled him aside, "Don’t worry." She said kissing his lips lightly.
"No. No worries ever now that we’re back in the same zip code again." John brushed loose tendrils from her face and longed to really kiss her, he contented himself knowing he would kiss her very thoroughly later when he saw her again. He helped her into the car, watched it pull away then he headed back to work.
"So, you’re married…and to John McBain, how is that even possible in the rational world?" RJ asked. He and Nora were sitting close together across from Evangeline as the car silently sped them away from the police station.
"So, you’re with your bro’s ex, and she’s now an ADA. How is that even possible in the rational world?" said Van, tossing his words right back at him.
"John’s a great guy, RJ. I know you don’t want to believe it but he is. I suspect he and Evangeline feel lucky to have found one another." Nora had placed a placating hand on RJ’s leg and Van watched the contact mellow RJ right away.
"Ok, I guess I meant how is it that the media didn’t jump all over your news? It appears you didn’t get married yesterday or last week but have been chained, oh, sorry, blissfully wed for more than a bit." Nora slapped RJ lightly on the arm and cast a "we’ll talk later" look his way.
"Obviously we kept it ultra private. Between Jason, my Cassadine connections and my own clout I’ve cowered any reporter who might have had even an inkling about major changes in my personal life." Van shrugged and laid her sunglasses on the car’s seat,
"We agreed that our marriage was only about us and should be between us, not shared with the world. And of course, at the time John wasn’t just FBI he was undercover a lot. No way would I allow our relationship, much less marriage, leak out and put him in danger."
Evangeline settled back in her seat with a happy sigh, "In a way the secrecy has made it a fabulously endless honeymoon. Meeting up in exotic locales, in private honeymoon suites, black-sand beaches, always alone together." her smile broadened, "I have no complaints about keeping this from our sorta nearest and dearest."
RJ’s eyebrows were up, "McBain knows about your time with Jason?"
"Yes, of course, it was all so long ago—but John needed to know what my life has been. We have no real secrets from each other; at least nothing that could seriously mess with our relationship."
"What was he, your bodyguard?"
Rolling her eyes Van laughed, "No, not that clichéd. We met in the best, most time-honored way to ensure a man treats you right—his mother introduced us. She was singing backup on a few songs on that jazz cd I did, plus working with me on a movie soundtrack. Eve, John’s mom is a really good singer."
"Yes she is, RJ had her perform at his supper club, Capricorn."
"Really? I didn’t know that was your club; Eve mentioned the gig but somehow your name didn’t come up."
"That’s because even though I gave his mother work, your man just wants to sweat me."
"Tell us more," Nora prompted, "about you and John meeting."
"We were recording up in Victoria, BC because I was shooting a movie in Canada. John flew up to see her and came to pick her up after a session went especially late. Eve introduced us." RJ and Nora were both struck by the sparkle in Van’s eyes and warmth that came over her face as she remembered.
"One late night John showed up and before I knew it we all went out to dinner—everyone working the session. We found this great little place to eat, talk and blow some riffs. When John and I looked around we were alone and the wait staff was trying to close down, it was 7 a.m.!! He picked Eve up or dropped or her off for the next month and we would go out and have the longest cups of coffee. A few months later Eve was playing a club in San Francisco and I was staying at a place I have in the Bay area. I went to hear her and there was John. We left before the last set, walked the streets talking, laughing and ended up at my place and well…we never looked back."
"But he’s a former Fed, FBI, and he’s still in the serve and protect mode. Maybe he was just trying to get information on Jason and Sonny through you. Everyone knows Morgan still has a very soft spot in his heart for you."
"Pay attention RJ, his mother worked with me, I knew from the start what John’s job was and he was never assigned to Port Charles. When we got close I told him about Jason, how we got together, why we stayed together and that we’ll always be tight. Just as I’ll never betray John’s trust and spill his secret confidences; I’ll never betray Jason’s either. John knew from the beginning he had to accept that part of my life and not dwell on it if we wanted to have a future." Van shook her head and added, "Not that I would ever willingly allow John and Jason to breathe the same air space if I can possibly avoid it until the day we die."
"Well," shrugged RJ, "You’re nothing if not a creature of habit. Dare I say you’re getting predictable?"
"What?!! Predictable, me? How?"
"Van, they have the same initials! JM, and from what I’ve seen of John they’re both the same type of men totally still and quiet, icy, closed off." RJ started laughing, "I never had a chance with you, wrong initials. No, you really don’t want John, Jason and good Lord, Sonny, to ever have to mix and mingle."
"Realistically though, it can’t be avoided forever. Sonny and Alexis have a daughter and they’re working hard on getting together as a real couple so Kristina has a real family and home, with all the love and warmth Alexis and Sonny never had in their lives. Alexis is my half-sister, and our mutual step-monster wishes us both a long, tortuous and tormented ride to death’s door! John’s well aware of the threat Helena poses."
Shaking her head and hugging herself Van said "Enough gloom and doom tell me about you, RJ, you and Nora."
"You’ll get a laugh out of this because I’m a father, although Keri, my daughter is now deceased. But she left me Jamie, my granddaughter, and the light of my life along with Nora. Nora was married to Bo and they have a son, Matthew that Bo only recently found out was his. Long story, involves my gallery partner, Lindsey." Nora sneered at the mention of Lindsey and RJ took her hand, "I’m suing for custody of my granddaughter from that useless BOY, Antonio Vega and I’ll win even though Nora wants me to compromise. We are an American family."
"I’ll give you the back story while we eat," Nora said, "We’re just a little Peyton Place and you’ll need a chart to keep all the relationships clear in your mind. In a nutshell: when you and John throw a dinner party don’t sit RJ next to Antonio, or Bo and Eve, me next to Lindsey, Daniel, the DA, next to Asa, Bo or John, Rex and Jen next to Riley and Shannon, Cris next to John, Jessica near Antonio or her bother Kevin, Dorian near Viki, Kevin near Kelly—his ex-wife, Todd and Blair next to anybody, well the list goes on. I’ll draw a diagram while we munch!"
Eager to know more about the people and places John lived around and dealt with during the 20 months they were apart, Evangeline picked up the car phone telling the driver to step on it so they could get seated and she could dish with Nora and RJ. Van was sure between their two very different perspectives she would end up with a well-rounded overview of John’s life in Llanview.
