CHAPTER 20


Slipping in the back door of the Charles Street
Foundation, Carly snuck up to AJ's office and walked
in like she owned the place. "AJ, you've been
avoiding me lately. How can you ever hope to get your
son back if we don't talk?" she questioned the
back of AJ's chair.

"I don't know, Carly," Robin said, spinning
around to face her old nemesis, "why don't you
tell me?"

Carly gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Robin reached across AJ's desk and turned a frame
around showing Carly their wedding picture. "I'm
waiting for my husband."

Carly laughed. "AJ married you? I don't believe
it. What? Have you turned into Keesha Ward 2.0?
You, too, will sleep your way through the Quartermaine
men."

Robin immediately stood up and got in Carly's face.
Before Carly knew it, she had been slapped across her
right cheek. In shock, Carly screamed and covered her
cheek with her hands. Robin then slapped her other
cheek. "The first was for me, the second one for
Keesha. Just in case it wasn't clear, you aren't
dealing with the same woman from before. She was a
peacekeeper, tried to be gentle. I've learned now
that sometimes to keep peace you have to break a few
heads."

"You- -"

"Watch what you say before you get knocked on your
butt."

"Little girl, you're no match for me."

Robin laughed. "That's funny cause I'm not the
one with two handprints on my cheeks."

"Listen, you little- -"

"Carly, what are you doing here?" AJ asked,
strolling into his office, purposely ignoring the
tension as he wrapped his arm around his wife. "And
just for your information, my wife is off limits to
you."

"Your wife?"

"Yes, my wife, did I stutter," he replied.

"Ugh! Save me from the St. Robin fan club. What?
Are you now the president of it?"

"No, your latest ex-husband, Sonny, is."

Carly shook her head. "I can't believe I even
tried to help you. Once again, you've lived up to
your reputation of being a loser, choosing a woman
over your son, your own flesh and blood."

"Carly, don't turn this around and pretend like
I'm choosing Robin over Michael," he sighed. He
had to try and make her understand for Michael's
sake. "Have you entertained the idea that you and
Sonny ending is a good thing and now you can find
someone who wants to love you for you? You don't
have to change to be someone you're not. You and
Sonny could share custody of Michael and Nia- -"

"Virginia! Her name is Virginia. And have you
taken up smoking crack besides scotch?!" Carly
asked.

"The love of my life is Jason. He left Miss Goody
Two Shoes, here," Carly started, throwing dangerous
glares at Robin, "for Michael and me. He's the
only man to ever completely accept me."

"And you show your love and devotion by sleeping
with his best friend? I wonder why he's never
returned your feelings?" Robin questioned.

AJ threw a silencing glance to his wife.

"That was an accident," Carly explained.

"Yeah, I know how clothes accidentally fly off."

"Robin," AJ reprimanded.

"He understood. He understands," Carly replied.

"You were a piece on the side to Jason to begin
with. And now you're his friend's ex. He
doesn't want or like sloppy seconds, you whore- -"

"Well you took mine with AJ," Carly fired back.

Robin growled and went for Carly. AJ grabbed his wife
before she and Carly could reach each other.

"AJ was only with you for Michael's sake."

"Oh, is that why he was dying to share my bed?"

"He was trying to make the marriage work for your
son's sake. He was going to sacrifice himself, but
you wouldn't be familiar with that concept. And
Jason only helped you cause he felt sorry for you."

"That's a lie," Carly screamed.

"You show up on his door step looking like a drowned
rat, what could he do except let you in- -"

Carly raced towards Robin. AJ stayed her off and
covered his wife's mouth with his hand.

"Carly, when we were neighbors, we were friends. I
thought you were a great woman. Funny, smart, an all
around great person to hang out with. I miss her and
I would love for Michael to get to know her," AJ
stated simply, telling the truth but also hoping to
calm her temper.

"Well, you're not Michael's father so who cares
what you want. In fact you're less than nothing to
him. Jason is the only and best father he's ever
had," Carly shouted then stormed out of the office,
slamming the door as she left.

AJ let go of Robin.

"Why did you do that? She can't get away with
saying that crap anymore. I refuse to let her- -"

He embraced his wife tightly. "Rob, she's
Michael's mother, and now that Michael will be
living with us off and on, we need to find a way to
deal with her so every meeting won't end like
this."

"I know, baby, and I'm sorry. But if she says
hurtful, untrue things about you, I will put her in
her place," Robin informed her husband.

He hugged his wife and buried his face in her hair.
********************************************************

Carly knocked once while opening the front door of
Jason's penthouse. Keesha walked into the living
room from the kitchen, thinking it was Jason.

"What are you doing here?" they asked
simultaneously with a mutual amount of disgust and
loathing in their voices.

"I live here so what are you doing walking into my
house?"

Carly laughed. "Jason doesn't like you. Hell, he
can't even stand you. So tell me what you're
really doing here before I have you kicked out? Are
you still pretending to be Courtney's friend so you
can hang around Jason, like a little lost puppy
dog?"

Keesha was about to tell Carly about herself, but she
stopped herself. She'd been in such a good mood she
wasn't going to let this heifer ruin that.
"Either tell me what you want or I'll have Francis
escort you out."

"Do you know who I am?"

"The former wife of Sonny. Emphasis on the word
former, which means no longer current. So start
talking."

"Listen, missy, just because Courtney is gone for a
minute doesn't mean you can start setting up house
here. Jason doesn't want AJ's left overs- -"

"Carly, that's enough," Jason told her, walking
through the front door. Thank goodness Francis had
the presence of mind to call him as soon as they saw
Carly's car enter the building. "What do you
want?"

"Jase, what is she doing here?" she asked,
pointing to Keesha.

"She lives here. Now what do you want?" he
repeated, not allowing her to change the subject.

"Sonny is trying to take Michael and Virginia away
from me. You have to stop him."

It crossed Keesha's mind to give the two of them
some privacy but she decided against it. Carly
didn't deserve that much respect.

"Carly, he isn't taking them. You will be sharing
custody. You will have them one week, he'll have
them the next. You switch off on holidays. He's
buying you a house, close enough for Michael to ride
to your house when he's staying with Sonny."

"What am I suppose to do without my kids? How could
he do this to me?" she cried and fell into Jason's
arms.

He stiffly comforted her. "It'll be okay."

Keesha rolled her eyes.

"Jason, please help me."

"Carly there's nothing to help you with."

"Help me keep my kids. I can't even change
Virginia's formula without asking Sonny's
permission."

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Do you want Sonny's latest tramp taking care of
Michael and Virginia? The next Brenda look alike?"

"Carly, you know that Sonny is not going to let just
anyone around the kids."

"Do you even care about me and the kids? Cause
you're not acting like it."

"Carly, this is emotional blackmail. It may work on
Bobbie and whoever else you pull this on, but don't
pull it on me," Jason paused, making sure she
understood how serious he was, "You're
overreacting Sonny is not going to do anything to hurt
the kids or you never would have been with him all
this time. So go back to Bobbie's, calm down, and
get some sleep."

"I thought I could count on you, but I guess I can
only count on myself," she countered angrily,
rushing out of Jason's penthouse.

"Carly," he called to her from the doorway.

She paused.

"I am here for you, but please, please don't do
anything stupid."

Carly kept walking.

"She's going to do something stupid," Keesha
warned him, as he closed the door.

"Probably so, but with the way her mind works I
can't begin to imagine what stunt she might pull.
*******************************************************

"Sleep tight, Troy. With the dosage I gave you,
you'll only be out for a day; and by the time you
find something to cover your naked body and find your
way out of these woods, the kids and I will be settled
in our new home."

Carly patted her unconscious guard's cheek and left.

"Mommy, where are we going?" Michael asked, as she
started the engine and drove down the unpaved path.

"On an adventure, Mr. Man, on an adventure."