Chapter 27
Nikolas and Lucky have just come from visiting Lulu, and they are now on their way to pick up the girls.
"So, we are headed for the Port Charles Hotel, right?" Nik asked.
"Yeah, since Elizabeth couldn¹t pick her up, I told Em to meet
us over there." Lucky explained, "The
Quartermaines don¹t want Em hanging out with Elizabeth any more
than they won¹t her hanging out with me.
Apparently, she¹s guilty by association, no doubt because
of the little scene that took place the last time I
was over there."
Nikolas chuckled as he remembered their last trip to the Quartermaines¹.
"I still can¹t believe you did that.
If Emily¹s family didn¹t hate you before, they certainly
do now." Nik said with a smile.
"Oh, and I so wanted them to like me." Lucky replied sarcastically.
Meanwhile at Scully¹sŠ..
Scully was in the middle of adjusting her petticoat when the doorbell rang.
"Damn! He¹s early." She swore, as she abandoned her task and headed for the door.
Mulder stood on the other side of the door, nervously waiting.
He was a little uneasy about letting Scully
choose the costumes. <What had she picked?> he
wondered.
Just then, Scully opened the door, wearing a 19th century, floor-length,
red dress. It had a snug-fitting
bodice, and the skirt flared out at the waist. She wore a matching
lacey shawl wrapped around her
shoulders, and she had a red fan that she held over the lower part
of her face, so that only her eyes were
visible. Her hair was swept up with little red curls hanging
down at the nap of her neck.
Scully batted her eyes coyly. "Why, Rhett, darling, I¹m
so glad you could join me." She said in deep
southern accent.
Mulder smiled as he realized what his costume was to be.
"I must say Scarlet, you do look ravishing in that
little red number. Might you have an equally dashing suit for
your darling husband to wear?" Mulder
inquired, in an equally deep southern drawl.
"Why certainly, just step right over here." Scully said, as she moved aside to let him in.
At the PenthouseŠ
"Carly, I know I asked you to pick out something for me, but did you
have to get us matching costumes?
Robin¹s coming to the party after she gets out of her lab,
and she¹s already mad at me. I don¹t think she¹s
going to like us dressing like a couple." Jason said.
"Would you believe that these were the last two costumes that they had?" she returned, sheepishly.
Jason gave her a Œyeah right¹ look before he said. "Well, never mind, it¹s too late to exchange it now."
"You have to admit, it is a nice costume." Carly prodded.
"Yeah, I like it. I don¹t look too ridiculous." Jason admitted. "Who did you say these people were again?"
"Ah, we¹re the title characters from the movie ŒGrease¹, Danny and Sandy." She supplied.
"Okay, just so I know what to tell people when they ask." He said as they headed for the door.
Meanwhile at WyndamereŠ
The Quartermaines are on their way to the party. They have just
arrived at the launch, where a man in a
dark hooded robe is using a sickle to usher they into the boat.
"Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen. I am the Grim Reaper, I¹ll
be your launch pilot for tonight." He said in a
supernatural voice.
"Does anyone else find it ominous that Death is our escort across the bay?" Alan asked.
"Oh, Lord! I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes." Edward responded.
"That¹s enough to scare anyone." Ned quipped.
"Don¹t tell me you¹re having second thoughts now, Edward."
Monica said, "It was your dumb idea to
attend this party."
"Well, excuse me for wanting to have a little fun for a change."
Edward shot back. "Besides, I think we
should keep an eyes on that willful granddaughter of mine. I¹m
beginning to think that her seeing that
Cassidine boy is not such a good idea."
Ned rolled his eyes. "Well, Edward, who exactly should Emily
hang out with? According to you, Jason¹s
too dangerous, Lucky¹s too unstable, her new found friend Elizabeth
isn¹t living the right Œlifestyle¹,
whatever that means, and now Nikolas is a bad influence."
Ned said in disgust. "Who¹s left? Annabel?"
Just then they arrived at the island.
"We¹ve come to the end of our journey folks. I hope you enjoyed
the ride." The Reaper said as he
ushered them out. "If you¹ll just follow Satan through
the graveyard, he¹ll show you the rest of the way."
"Oh, my!" Lila said, as they were lead up the path.
The mist that usually surrounded the island had settled low to the ground.
This made the fake tombstones,
set up on either side of the path, seem all the more eerie.
As they grew closer to the house, the music within became audible, ŒCelebration¹
sung by Kool & The
Gang.
woo-hooh (It¹s a Celebration)
woo-hooh (It¹s a Celebration)
Celebrate good times come on (Let¹s celebrate)
Celebrate good times come on (Let¹s celebrate)
There¹s a party going on right here
A celebration that¹ll last throughout the years
So bring your good times and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you
Come on now
Celebration Let¹s all celebrate and have a good time
Celebration We gonna celebrate and have a good time
The Quartermaine clan arrived at the main entrance where the doorman
took their invitations, and proceeded
to announce them.
Announcer: Now arriving are Mr. & Mrs. Edward and Lila Quartermaine
dressed as Uncle Sam and
Mother Theresa, respectively. Mr. & Mrs. Alan and Monica
Quartermaine dressed as Sir Lancelot and
Queen Guinivere, and Mr. Ned Aston as Zorro.
The sound of Alan¹s armor nearly drowned out the doorman¹s amplified voice.
"Why did you have to wear that ridiculous costume, Alan. I can
barely hear myself think." Monica scolded.
"Not to mention the fact that it¹s inappropriate, Guinivere
was married to King Arthur not Sir Lancelot."
"Well, you could hardly fell to remember that I¹ve been in Arthur¹s
position before, and I¹d much rather be
Lancelot this time around, if it¹s all the same to you."
Alan returned nastily.
Celebrate good times come on! (It¹s a celebration)
Celebrate good times come on! (Let¹s celebrate)
"Well, you guys can argue all you like but I, for one, am going to mingle."
Ned announced as he headed for
the dance floor, which was only sparsely occupied.
He immediately spotted Justus and Dara, who were dressed as Samson and Delilah.
"Fancy meeting you here." He said.
"Hello, Ned. I believe you¹ve met Dara." Justus said, in introduction.
"Nice seeing you, again." Dara directed at Ned.
Justus glanced around. "Where¹s the rest of the Clan?
Don¹t tell me you finally had them surgically
removed from your hip?" he quipped.
"Touche¹." Ned returned. "Listen, have
you seen Emily, I was planning on stealing a dance with her before
the rest of the family descends on her like so many wolves."
"Actually, I don¹t think she¹s here yet." Justus
said. "I heard Mr. Cassidine say that his nephew wasn¹t
here yet, and I assume since Nikolas is her date than Emily isn¹t
here either."
"Thanks anyway." Ned said as he departed.
It¹s a celebration!
Celebrate good times, come on.
Ned made his way over to the table, which blocked the side entrance,
where a man dressed as Count
Dracula was serving punch from a witch¹s caldron that obviously
contained dry ice. Along the way, he
spotted V, whose costume was in a similar genre as his own.
"Hello again, V." he said.
"Hi, Mr. Aston." She replied in a friendly voice.
"V, I have asked you repeatedly to call me Ned. Why is it that
you persist in this rigid formality of yours?"
Ned asked her good-naturedly.
"Sorry, Mr. AsŠ uh Ned. Just habit I guess." She replied.
"Say, I¹m just curious, but have you noticed that all the servants
in this place are dressed up as the undead?"
Ned asked, "The Grim Reaper, Satan, the mommy at
the door, and now Dracula?"
"I think it¹s cool, a theme within a theme." she returned playfully.
Just then their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of more guests.
Announcer: Now arriving is Dr. Dana Scully escort by Mr. Fox Mulder,
and they are dressed as Rhett and
Scarlet Butler from the classic movie ŒGone with the Wind¹.
"Fox?" V repeated, questioningly. "Geez, no
wonder he goes by Mulder."
Elsewhere on the islandŠ..
"Luke?"
"Yeah, babe." he replied
"Don¹t you think we should make a formal entrance before we start
snooping around in the shadows?"
Laura asked.
"Oh, don¹t worry, we¹re going to make a grand appearance,
but right now I just want to drop off the
equipment and take a quick look around." He told her.
They then continued around the back in search of the secret entrance.
"I wonder if the boys have made it yet?" Laura pondered aloud.
MeanwhileŠ..
"Don¹t forget your gun, Em." Lucky warned, as he helped Elizabeth out of the boat.
"I have mine right here." Emily replied, holding up her
30¹s style machine gun. "Nikolas, that must be
yours."
"Oh, yeah, thanks." Nik replied as he reached over to retrieve the forgotten firearm.
As Satan escorted the foursome through the graveyard, faint music could
be heard coming for the house,
ŒThriller¹ sung by Michael Jackson.
It¹s close to midnight and something evil¹s lurking in the
dark
Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes,
You¹re paralyzed
ŒCause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one¹s gonna save you from the beast about to strike
You know it¹s thriller, thriller night
You¹re fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonightŠ..
Chapter 28
When I speak of Justus, I am envisioning the old Justus, just so you
know.
Stephan ascends the main staircase, and instructs the D.J. to lower
the music momentarily, as he is about to
announce that the banquet hall is open. He is dressed in a very
formal black suit complete with top hat, tails,
cape, and white gloves, although it is the half-face, white mask that
he wears which defines his character as
the Phantom of the Opera.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please excuse me for interrupting the festivities,
but I just want to inform everyone
that the games as well as the buffet table are now open. Feel
free to come to the banquet hall at your
leisure." He stately formally.
The DJ immediately resumed the music, as Stephan began to step down.
ŒCause this is thriller, thriller night
There ain¹t no second chance against the thing with forty eyes
You know it¹s thriller, thriller night
You¹re fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonightŠ
Just then the foursome arrived at the door.
Lucky wore slightly snug-fitting jeans that were rolled up at the bottom,
a tight-fitting white T-shirt, a black
leather jacket with the collar flipped up, a small earring in his left
ear, and his hair had a wild tousled look to
it. Lizzie B. was clothed in a black ankle-length poodle skirt
with a red poodle sewn on the lower right-hand
side, a matching v-necked, short sleeved sweater with a ŒL¹ on
the shoulder, a red neck scarf, and a pair of
bobbie-soxer shoes. Her hair was tied back in a pony-tail with
a black scarf.
Meanwhile, Nikolas and Emily were standing in front, back to back, holding
up twin 30s¹ style machine
guns. Nikolas wore a 30¹ style, black, pin-striped suit
with matching black shoes, and a very dapper early
twentieth-century hat tilted low in the front. Emily sported
a knee length fitted skirt with a deep split up the
side, a V-necked, brown shirt with mid-length sleeves, a matching neck
scarf, and a cream colored French
beret on her head. Her hair hung long, curling under at the ends.
Announcer: Now arriving, Master Nikolas Cassidine and his partner
in crime Ms. Emily Quartermaine, as
one Americas most infamous real-life couples, Bonnie Parker & Clyde
Barrows. Arriving along with them
is an equally famous duo, we have Mr. Lucky Spencer and Ms. Elizabeth
Webber as the 50s¹ era movie
stars, James Dean and Natalie Wood as they appeared in the classic
movie ŒRebel without a Cause¹.
At this announcement, Stephan lost his footing on the last step, and
stumbled slightly. After recovering, he
immediately beckoned to his nephew.
Nikolas went to speak to his uncle while the others scoped out the main room.
"Oh, look Em. It¹s a good thing you baled on that superhero
idea. That red-head over there has on the
exact same Wonder Woman costume that you tried on." Elizabeth
said as she pointed over to where Ned
was standing.
"Man, that was close." Em said as she spotted Ned and V.
" Listen, I¹m gonna go over and say hi. I¹ll be
right back.
"Okay." Lizzie B said.
Just then, someone tapped into Lucky and Elizabeth¹ s frequency.
Earpiece: "Glad you made it, why don¹t you and Lizzie
B. go cover the banquet hall, the games just
opened. And take Nikolas and Emily with you." Mulder
instructed.
Both Lizzie B. and Lucky looked around, they spotted Mulder and Scully
on the dance floor, across the
room. Lizzie B. answered discreetly into her mouthpiece,
which she¹d had sewn into the ŒL¹ on her
sweater.
"Sure thing, Boss," and with that her and Lucky headed for the banquet hall.
Meanwhile Š.
"Nikolas, do you really think that it is wise to consort with the Spencers,
even Lucky? I am right in assuming
that you extending him an invitation to attend the party?"
Stephan inquired.
"Uncle, Lucky and I have come to an understanding. He is my brother,
and I intend to treat him as such.
And contrary to what you think, he feels the same way."
Nikolas said as he walked off, then turned to add,
"Oh, and you might as well know, I invited his parents, too."
"NO! I must draw the line somewhere. I will tolerate Lucky,
but I will not have that uncouth
father of his prowling about our home hurling insults, and creating
a scene in front of our guests." Stephan
said sternly.
Just then Nik, and Emily too, began to pick up the same message that
Lizzie B. and Lucky received a few
moments earlier.
"Nikolas, did you hear what I said?" Stephan asked.
Distracted, Nik tried to come up with a good reason for Luke¹s
presence. "Yes, Uncle but remember why
we are really hosting this party. Agent Scully and Detective
Mulder added a lot of names to my list, one of
which was Luke Spencers¹. Apparently, this vendetta that
Luke Spencer has against us has made him a
suspect, too. I think we should at least tolerate his presence
until we know certain who killed Katherine and
Alexis." Nikolas lied smoothly.
Again, someone tapped into his frequency.
Earpiece: "Paging Master Nikki, your presence is urgently
requested in the banquet hall. Where the heck
are you, Man!!" Lucky said.
"Nikolas? Is there something wrong? You seem distracted." Stephan asked as he gave him an odd look.
"No, I just need to check on some things in the banquet hall, I am co-hosting
this party, after all. Please
excuse me, Uncle." Nikolas told him as he hastily departed.
ElsewhereŠ.
Edward, Alan, and Monica were on the dance floor when Emily arrived.
"Did you see who Emily arrived with?" Edward asked annoyingly.
"What¹s it going to take for that girl to
realize that hanging out with those types of people will cause nothing
but trouble."
"Oh, and what type is that Edward?" Monica asked angrily.
"You know, those degenerate types. Now that we¹re finally
rid of that Cassidine cast off at ELQ, I think
we should send the younger one packing as well. Must I explain
everything to you people in graphic detail."
Edward dismissed flippantly.
"God, I can¹t believe I didn¹t see this sooner.
This over-protectiveness you have suddenly developed
toward Emily has more to do with your best interest than hers.
You wanted Emily with Nikolas for security
reasons, just in case Alexis ever stepped out of line at ELQ, right?
Now that she¹s dead, Nikolas falls into
the same Œsupposedly¹ degenerate grouping as Lucky and that Webber
girl. Why do I continue to listen to
you, every time I do I end up regretting it." Monica finished,
exasperated.
"Don¹t blame me for your folly." Edward returned callously.
"Well, this is one folly that can be easily remedied. As of right
now, Emily can see whomever she likes."
Monica said heatedly. She then stormed off towards
the banquet hall, dragging her bewildered,
armor-clad husband behind her.
"Move it, Alan!" she flung over her shoulder.
ElsewhereŠ.
"Everything looks fine for now. Let¹s just leave the equipment
by the cave entrance." Luke ordered,
"We¹ll get it later. Right now, I think it¹s
time we paid the ŒPrince of Darkness¹ a little visit."
"Luke, darling, you do realized that YOU are dressed as Lucifer, don¹t you?" Laura reminded him
"Yeah, but the difference is, I only dressed like The archfiend ONCE
a year. Can Stiffy say the same?"
Luke quipped.
With that Luke and Laura began to make their way back around to the
main path. Once there, they ran into
some old friends in the graveyard.
Banquet hallŠ
Lucky and Lizzie B. were playing ŒPin the Tail on the Donkey¹.
Elizabeth was blind-folded while Lucky,
Amy, and Mike stood back and gave her helpful directions. Amy
wore outrageously revealing, grossly
mismatched clothes that were the very essence of tacky, so of course
she was a Spice Girl, specifically
ŒBaby¹. Mike, on the other hand, came dressed as yet another
Arthurian character, Merlin the Magician.
Meanwhile, Nik and Em were on the other side of the room engaged in
a game of chess. Near the entrance,
Mac and Felecia were taking their turn at the ŒRing Toss¹ booth.
They wore matching his and her,
leopard-skined outfits. Mac¹s Tarzan costume consisted only
of a leopard-skinned loincloth, while Feleica¹s
ŒJane¹ was an off the shoulder, toga-like number that ended mid-thigh.
A loud clanking sound announced Alan¹s arrival a minute before he appeared.
"Monica, slow down. I can only move so fast in this get-up." Alan pleaded.
"And whose fault is that, Alan?" Monica returned, then glanced around the room. "Where¹s Emily?"
When Monica finally spotted Emily, her and Alan headed over to where she and Nikolas were seated.
"Em, can I speak to you for a minute, please?" Monica asked.
"If this is about Lucky or Elizabeth, save it. I already know
what you think on that subject, and no amount of
persuasion will ever make me turn on either of them." Emily
informed her mother.
"Well, actually Em, it is about Lucky and Elizabeth, but I think you
will want to hear this." Monica returned.
"What?" she snapped.
"Your father and I have decided that keeping you from your friends was
a bad idea. Actually, it was
originally your grandfather¹s idea, although your father and I
did go along with it." Her mother informed her.
"Why am I not surprised?" Em said sarcastically.
"Look, I know you¹re angry about this, but all I can do is apologize
and lift the restrictions now. I can¹t
change the past, Em." Monica pleaded.
"What about you, dad?" Emily asked.
"I agree with your mother, of course." Alan said, with a winded smile.
At this point, Nikolas cut in, "I don¹t mean to intrude
but the way I see it, Emily is not the only person to
whom you owe an apology." he prompted, looking over at
his brother.
"You¹re right of course, but I don¹t think that¹s a good
idea right now. Why don¹t you tell him, Em, I don¹t
want to push my Œluck¹, so to speak." Monica said.
"Cool." Em replied.
Sensing that they had been dismissed, Alan and Monica moved away from
the chess table and headed for
the buffet table in the back corner of the room.
Emily on the other hand was very excited. "Nikolas, did
you hear that? I can see Lucky and Lizzie B
whenever I want." She said, happily.
"That¹s great, Em." Nikolas said smiling at her joy.
Just then, Lucky tapped into their frequency.
Earpiece: "What was that all about, Em?" Lucky asked.
"Oh, my parents just wanted to let me know that they no longer object
to me hanging out with you and Lizzie
B., that¹s all." Em said, feigning non-chalance.
Earpiece: "That¹s great, Em." Lizzie B. said, "What changed their minds?"
"Who cares, as long as I get to see my friends whenever I want." Em replied.
Earpiece: "Emily¹s right, why look a gift horse in the mouth." Lucky said.
"Gift horse?" Nikolas asked, perplexed.
Earpiece: "Never mind. The point isŠ.. "
Their conversation was cut short by a loud commotion coming from the main room.
Earpiece: "Sounds like Dad¹s here." Lucky said,
smiling broadly.
Chapter 29
In the main roomŠ..
A hush fell over the room as everyone turned to see the new guests that
had arrived. Undaunted, the
announcer began to identify the new arrivals, but he was interrupted
by Luke.
"Uh, sorry my good man, but that won¹t be necessary, I brought
my own." Luke informed him devilishly, as
he held up his bull horn.
"May I have your attention ladies and gentleman. Yes, that¹s
right, everyone look this way." Luke said,
pausing for effect. "For those of you that need reminding,
my name is Lucas Lorenzo Spencer the first.
Yes, you heard me right, the one and only Luke Spencer has decided
to grace Doom Island with his
presence. Here, beside me is my beautiful wife Laura, but,
of course, tonight she¹ll be going under an
assumed name. I believe Mother Nature is to be her alias, isn¹t
that right darlin¹?" Luke said as he leaned
over and gave his wife a quick kiss on the lips.
Stephan was livid at this display, but his only outward indication was
the ominous lift of his one visible
eyebrow.
"Oh, and before I forget, let me acquaint everyone with the rest of
my party. I invited a few extra guests,
hope you don¹t mind." he directed at Stephan, as he
stepped aside. "On the left here, we have, Mr. Jason
Morgan and my lovely niece Ms. Caroline Bensen, dressed asŠ well, I
not sure myself, but you have to
admit they do look great, don¹t they? Ah, and last but not
least, we haveŠ.drum roll pleaseŠ."
There was a collective gasp, as the last twosome became visible.
"That¹s right, you guessed it, Mr. Michael Corinthos Jr. and his
lovely wife, the recently deceased Ms.
Brenda BarrettŠerr, Corinthos." Luke announced humorously,
then he looked toward the D.J. "Music
would be nice! Something funky, I think."
Joseph nodded, and immediately chose the perfect song to fit the occasion,
ŒGangsta¹s Paradise¹
performed by Coolio.
Noticing the irony of the song, Luke quickly turned to Jason, who explained.
"Ah, Joseph, sort of has a
cryptic sense of humor. It comes with the territory, he used
to DJ for a local radio station."
Carly wore a mischievous smile, a look that was mirrored in Sonny¹s
dimpled grin as he and Brenda moved
toward the dance floor. Jason and Carly discreetly made their
way to the parapet, while Luke headed
straight for Stephan.
As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I take a look at my life and realize there¹s nuthin¹ leftŠ..
"I love what you¹ve done with the place." Luke told
Stephan flippantly. "The graveyard out front is
especially becoming."
"Were it not for my nephew¹s insistence, I would have you, Mr.
Morgan, and the rest of your villainous
cohorts removed from these premises. However, since Nikolas seems
to be in an especially tolerant mood
tonight, I will over look your brutish behavior." Stephan
informed him, then added dangerously,
"Temporarily."
You better watch how you¹re talking, and where you¹re walking
Or you and your homies might be lined in chalkŠ.
ElsewhereŠ..
"Well, Scully, what do you think of the music?" Mulder asked,
with just a hint of a smile. "I think it¹s
quiteŠunique myself."
"I think it¹s time to change shifts, Mulder." Scully replied refusing to engage in his antics.
Been spending most their lives, living in the gangsta¹s paradise
Been spending most their lives, living in the gangsta¹s paradise
Keep spending most our lives, living in the gangsta¹s paradise
Keep spending most our lives, living in the gangsta¹s paradise
Mulder took Scully¹s hand and lead her off the dance floor. On their way, they ran into Sonny and Brenda.
"I suppose you¹re the emergency back-up that Jason mentioned?" Mulder inquired curiously.
Sonny gave him a once over before he answered. "Yeah, I
guess you could say that. You the detective?"
he asked.
"Yeah, my name is Mulder, and this is my partner Dana Scarl,Šerr Scully." Mulder returned.
"Oh, I get it. You two are Scarlet O¹Hara and Rhett what¹s
his name from that movie, uhŠuhŠŒGone with
the Wind¹, right?" Brenda said, then directed at Scully,
"Great concept, but however do you dance in that
dress?"
"Actually, I don¹t, I¹ve been winging it so far."
Scully admitted, "I¹m not up to date on any of the modern
dances, which is one of the reasons we¹re sitting this one out."
"Maybe, we can get together sometime, and I could teach you some of
the newer dance trends." Brenda
said as her and Sonny began to move away.
"That would be nice." Scully replied sincerely.
Mulder took this opportunity to ask a question that had been on his
mind during the foursome¹s entire
conversation.
"Listen, don¹t take this the wrong way, but who are you supposed
to be? I get that your wife is Jeannie, but
you don¹t look like Major Nelson to me." he directed
at Sonny, indicating Brenda¹s costume.
Sonny chuckles lightly at this, before replying in a suave voice,
"My name is Bond,Š.James Bond."
In the banquet hallŠ.
Laura has just entered, and she is looking around for her sons.
"What¹d I tell you! There¹s mom, and where ever mom is, rest assured dad¹s close behind." Lucky said.
"It¹s time to rotate, anyway." Lizzie B. said, glancing at her watch. "Let¹s go."
Her and Lucky headed for the door.
"Hey, mom." Lucky said, as him and Lizzie B. reached the entrance.
"Hi, Lucky, I¹m so glad that you and Lizzie B. made it safely."
Laura replied, then took notice of their
costumes. "Let me guess, James Dean, right?"
"Yeah." Lucky responded
"And you areŠ." She prompted Elizabeth.
"The one and only Natalie Wood, his partner in crime in ŒRebel without a Cause¹." Lizzie B. supplied.
Just then Nikolas and Emily walked up.
"Hmmm, speaking of crime, what do you think of mine and Emily¹s costume?" Nikolas asked.
Laura immediately recognized them. "Bonnie and Clyde!
Oh, how cute. I wish I¹d have thought to bring
my camera, so I could¹ve taken a picture of everyone. You
guys picked such nice outfits, and this is the first
time that we¹ve all been together, almost like a family."
She finished sentimentally.
At this, Lucky rolled his eyes. "Only mom would think of
taking family pictures in the middle of a stake
out." he said.
Everyone chuckled at Lucky¹s comment.
"Listen, we¹d better get going, our shift just changed." Emily reminded them.
With that, the foursome took off for the main room.
On the ParapetŠ..
"Jase?"
"Yeah, Carly." He answered
"How long do we have to stay up here? I kind of wanted to enjoy
the party. I mean, it¹s not often that I get
invited to the social event of the season, I¹m no one¹s favorite
person." She said.
"I just want to check in with the outside crew, and make sure everything¹s
okay. It shouldn¹t take that long."
He said, then continued to talk into his mouthpiece.
After a minuteŠ "So, when is Robin getting here?" she asked feigning non-chalance.
"Well, her lab let out at 10:00, so she should be here in thirty minuets or so." Jason replied absently.
Again they lapsed into silence, but this time Jason was the one to break it.
"Why ?"
"Nothing, I justŠthought that maybe, just this once, we could spend
an evening without Robin popping up
out of nowhere, like some demented ŒJack in the Box¹."
Carly lamented.
Jason looked at her sternly for a moment before he broke into a grin. He was quickly joined by Carly.
When their laughter abated, she said, "Man, for a second there, I thought you were really mad at me."
"Naw, you and your sense of humor has sort of grown on me."
Jason admitted, "I stopped taking offense
a long time ago."
"Really?" She replied, suddenly becoming very serious.
"How DO you feel about me, Jason?" Carly asked, her heart
on her sleeve, "Am I just Michael¹s mother
or do you think maybeŠ.."
Jason stared at her, unsure of what to say.
You ask me if I love you, and I choke on my reply
I¹d rather hurt you honestly, than mislead you with a lie
And who am I to judge you, on what you say or do
I¹m only just beginning to see the real youŠ
"Carly, IŠ" he started.
Sometimes when we touch, the honest¹s too much
I have to close my eyes and hide
I want to hold you Œtil I die, Œtil we both break down and cry
I want to hold you, Œtil the fear in me subsidesŠ..
In the main roomŠ.
The instant Brenda and Sonny stepped onto the dance floor they were
mobbed by the Quartermaines, who
fired endless questions at them.
"Where the hell have you been?!!" Edward fairly yelled.
"What happened?" Ned asked sternly.
"Are you two really married?" Emily asked curiously.
"Why didn¹t you tell us you were alive?" Monica inquired indignantly.
"Are you alright, dear?" Lila asked sweetly.
"Whoa people, ŠOkay, okay!!! Everybody calm down, I¹ll explain
everything, just not right now, not
tonight. Okay?" Brenda said, trying to placate them,
"I promise I¹ll come by the estate tomorrow, and
you can hurl all the angry questions at me that you want.
But not tonight, okay?"
The Quartermaines reluctantly agreed, and the crowd begin to abate.
"I¹ll hold you to that!" Edward said, as he retreated.
DJ: Okay, folks it¹s time to get a little freaky, so everyone grab your favorite partner and let¹s get busyŠ..
Music begins to play, ŒFever¹ sung by Modonna.
Never know how much I love you
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that¹s so hard to bear
Brenda and Sonny are staring at one another passionately, while dancing very closely.
Listen to me baby, hear every word I say
No one can love you the way I do
ŒCause they don¹t know how to love you my way
Lucky dips Lizzie B. provocatively, taking a moment to kiss the tip of her nose.
You give me fever, when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night.
Nikolas and Emily are doing a fiery version of the tango.
Sun lights up the daytime
Moonlights up the night
My eyes light up when you call my name
ŒCause I know you gonna treat me right
Bless my soul I love you, take this heart away
Take these arms I¹ll never use
And just believe in what my lips say
Luke gives Laura a devilishly handsome look, as he pulls her on to the dance floor.
You give me fever, when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night.
The scene widens to a panoramic view. Mac and Felecia can
be seen trading kisses during their sexy romp
on the dance floor. Lizzie B. is mouthing the words to the song
as she looks longingly at Lucky. Ned
looked surprisingly relaxed as him and V danced gracefully to Madonna¹s
erotic tune.
Everybody¹s got the fever
That is something you should know
Fever isn¹t such a new scene
Fever started long ago
You give me fever, fever
You give me, you give me fever
Dara and Justus stare at one another hungrily as they swayed to the
music. Sonny is very affected by his
wife¹s closeness and stops dancing all together as he kisses passionately.
You give me fever, when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the nightŠŠ
In the banquet hallŠ
"I want the killer found and punished, the same as you, but I find it
highly objectionable that you have
subjected my house to this contemptible array of characters."
Stephan scolded, "Why wasn¹t I informed
of these, somewhat numerous, additions to the guest list?"
<You don¹t know the half of it!> Mulder replied
inwardly, while outwardly he replied, "Forgive me for
taking liberties with you hospitality, Mr. Cassidine, but in this sort
of an operation discretion was of extreme
importance."
"What my partner means, it that we are fairly certain that the murderer
is someone well known and well
trusted in this community. So, it was imparative that as few
people as possible know what¹s really going on
at the party. We didn¹t want to tip off the culprit."
Scully explained
That seemed to placate Stephan, although he was rather annoyed at being kept out of the loop.
"So, what did you make of the infamous Mr. And Mrs. Corinthos, Mulder?" Scully asked, curiously.
Mulder thought for a minute. "He and his wife seem oddly
matched. She strikes me as a femme fatale who
is very in touch with her inner child, while he on the other hand possesses
a quiet, dangerous strength. They
seem fiercely protective of each other, like their happiness was hard
won. They are always on guard against
anything that threatens it. Both of them have been unconsciously
searching for the other for a long time. He
watches over her like both a father and a lover, while she basks in
the light of his affection like a flower in the
sunlight." He said insightfully.
"You deduced all that from a simple conversation?" Scully asked incredulously.
"I read palms too." Mulder replied with a smile.
In the main roomŠ.
As the music died, the sexually tension in the air became readily apparent.
Just then there was a loud
disturbance at the entrance, followed by an array of clanging sounds.
When the cause of the disturbance finally appeared, there was a collective
gaspŠŠ
Chapter 30
All eyes were on the main entrance, as a midnight black stallion galloped
into the room. Lying length-wise
on the back of the animal was a middle-aged, dark-haired woman.
She wore nothing but a smile.
No one in the room uttered a word for a full minute, after which, Stephan was the first to react.
"Security!!!!" he shouted, as he went in search of a telephone.
"Oh, myŠ." Emily muttered.
"Sheba?" Nikolas said incredulously.
"Lucky!! Don¹t look." Lizzie B. said as she tried to cover his eyes with her hands.
"What, like there¹s something more interesting going on?"
Lucky returned humorously, as he dodged her
hands.
"Well, darlin¹, it looks like we¹ve been upstaged." Luke chuckled to his wife.
"Mom?!" Brenda exclaimed, as she rolled her eyes heaven-ward.
"That¹s your mother?" Emily directed at Brenda.
"Yeah, it¹s a long story." Brenda said distractedly,
as she reached over and tugged on her husband¹s coat,
"Quick, Sonny, let me have your jacket."
Sonny readily agreed, as he hid his amusement.
Just then the announcer made a belated introduction. "Ms.
Veronica Wielding Barrett, dressedŠerr
undressedŠ as Lady Godiva."
She¹s a Brick---house
She¹s mighty, mighty, just lettin¹ it all hang out
She¹s a Brick---house
The Lady¹s stacked and that¹s a fact,
Ain¹t holding nothing back.
"Mom!! Come down from there this instant. And
put this on." Brenda ordered, as she stood beside the
horse holding up Sonny¹s jacket.
"Brenda, honey, I told you to call me Ronnie, remember."
She reminded her daughter, "You¹re dating me,
sweetheart."
"Mom, you¹re completely nude in a room full of strangers and all
you¹re worrying about is how old people
think you are?" Brenda returned, incredulously.
"What else would I be worried about?" she asked, perplexed.
"Mom, please!! Cover yourself, before you get arrested again."
Brenda pleaded, handing her Sonny¹s
coat.
"Ah, but Brenda, it¹ll ruin my costume." Her mother pouted, playfully.
Brenda rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Mom, you¹re
not wearing a costume, that¹s the problem. Now,
get off that horse!!!"
"Okay, but only if you call me Ronnie." She bargained.
"Yes, yes, MomŠ err.. Ronnie whatever, just come down now!" Brenda replied in frustration.
She¹s a brick---house
She¹s the one, the only one,
Who¹s built like an amazon
Just as Veronica slide down off the bare-backed horse, Stephan re-entered the main room.
"Ladies and gentleman, please continue the festivities, I have taken
the liberty of contacting the authorities.
They should be here momentarily to remove our uninvited guest."
He announced, he then walked over to
where Brenda and her mother were standing.
"Is she with you?" he asked Brenda, indicating Veronica,
"Because, if so, I suggest you cover her before
the police arrive, otherwise I will have her removed."
"Yeah, she¹s my mothŠ. ErrŠ friend." Brenda admitted
sheepishly, as she draped the coat around her
mother, "Please, call off the dogs. She won¹t
cause anymore trouble, I promise."
"Isn¹t that right, Ronnie?" Brenda added tightly, as she glanced at her mother.
"I¹ll be as quiet as a church mouse. You won¹t even know I¹m here." Veronica said, feigning innocence.
Stephan gave them one last parting glare as he turned and walked away.
Veronica smiled as she watched him retreat. "Ooooo, He¹s
cute. What¹s his name, or more importantly,
what¹s his number?" she inquired interestingly.
"Oh, no, not tonight, you don¹t." Brenda said noticing
that look in her mother¹s eyes, "Haven¹t you already
done enough for one night?"
"At least tell me if he¹s married or not." She said.
"Forget it, mother. The man¹s fiancée was murdered
just three months ago. I don¹t think he¹s in the mood
to date." Brenda informed her bluntly.
"I¹ll be the judge of that." Veronica returned as she departed in search of Stephan.
Sonny walked up behind his wife and pulled her into his arms from behind.
"Everything alright?" he said as
he planted a kiss on the nape of her neck.
"For now. But who knows when she¹ll take it into her head
to do something like this again." She said,
worriedly. "Argh! I just wish she¹d get
past this naked phase, already."
Sensing his wife¹s distress, Sonny turned her around, brought both
of her hands up to his lips and kissed
them softly. "Hey, don¹t take it so seriously, okay.
The shrink said that her condition was improving, right?"
"Yes, but I just worry about her, you know. I want her to be well." She told him.
"She will be. We just have to be patient, like the doctor said.
Okay?" Sonny said in a comforting voice.
He then pulled her into his arms.
Elsewhere Š..
Nikolas was in the process of leading his horse back to the stables.
"Come on, Girl. It¹s time to bed you
down for the night." He said soothingly as him and Emily
led her outside to the stables.
ElsewhereŠ
"I knew they weren¹t dead all along." Alan announced smugly to Monica, Ned, Edward, and Lila.
Monica looked at him in disbelief. "And how, exactly did you know that, Alan?" she asked.
"Elementary, my dear Watson. You see, the truth of the matter
is that no one really dies in Port Charles.
Half the town has been presumed dead at some point, Luke, Laura,
Scott, Lesley, Lucy." Alan explained,
smiling at his own ingenuity. "In fact, who¹s to say
that Katherine is actually dead. I mean, she survived
being poisoned and shot, how do we really know for sure that she won¹t
resurface?"
"Here¹s hoping." Ned said as he raised his drink in a mock toast.
"Don¹t join the police force just yet, Dear." Lila said sarcastically.
"What a ridiculous theory, Alan. How much of that punch did you have?" Edward said.
"Argh!!" Monica said, in comical frustration at her husband¹s
absurd comments.
Elsewhere Š.
Luke and Laura we still on the dance floor, in the main room.
During the controversy they had managed to
make their way over to the back of the staircase.
"Now that we¹ve made our entrance, it¹s time for us to discreetly
disappear." Luke said, as he opened a
small hatch. Him and Laura then disappeared through the opening.
The banquet hallŠŠ
"I wonder what¹s going on over there?" Mulder inquired.
"Our shift is about to end, so we¹ll know soon enough." Scully informed him.
Just then someone tapped into their frequency.
Earpiece: "Mulder, what¹s going on in there? The police just arrived." Jason asked.
"Wait a minute, what do you mean, the police? Isn¹t the Commissioner
already here?" Mulder returned,
puzzled.
Earpiece: "Lt. Targart and Garcia just pulled up on the
island, and they are heading towards the house.
Since they¹re not in costume, I assumed that someone called them.
So, like I said, what¹s going on?" Jason
asked.
"Mulder and I heard a loud commotion coming from the main room, but
no one contacted us, so we
assumed that it had been taken care of." Scully explained.
Earpiece: "Find out what¹s going on." Jason
ordered, not willing to take any chances, "Carly and I will
be
down as soon as I find a replacement to go up here." He
said, then switched off.
"Come on, Scully. Let¹s go see what¹s up."
Mulder said, as he and Scully headed for the main room.
Meanwhile across the bayŠ.
"Hurry up, Ari. I thought I¹d already explained to you the
importance of completing your duties quickly."
Helena snapped.
"Yes, Mame." Ari replied, as he disposed of the Grim Reaper¹s body.
"Now, is everything ready?" Helena asked him.
"Yes, Mame." He replied, as he climbed into the boat along with the others.
"Excellent. Everything is falling into place. By this time
next week, Stephan, Caroline, and that idiot
accomplice of mine will all be dead, and I shall be in Greece with
my darling grandson, all to myself." Helena
said, with an evil grinŠ.
Okay, facts you need to know, obviously Brenda and her mom are not dead.
In my story, Veronica did not
cause the car accident. It was just that, a car accident.
Neither Brenda nor her mother ever had a fatal,
mental illness, although Veronica has been diagnosed with an Obsessive-Compulsive
disorder, for which she
is seeing a therapist.
Brenda has been with Sonny since the accident, during which time they
rekindled their love affair and
subsequently got married.
Also, Mike has known about Sonny¹s whereabouts, as well as Brenda
and Veronica¹s existence, so he is
not surprised at their arrival.