Risk

Chapter L

Cut Loose

****Warning! Warning! Foodie Chapter Alert!****

Carly comes racing into the suite and right past Nikolas and Stavros not noticing them in the midst of their rather heavy conversation. She comes racing back out moments later and heads straight for the door.

"Caroline."

"Oh... hey!" Carly sees them for the first time. She walks over to Nikolas and grabbing him by both ears gives him a quick smacking kiss on the mouth. "Gia's a genius. Everything is going great. You're going to love the pictures." Releasing Nikolas she crosses to Stavros. She wraps an arm around his waist and tilts her head up to look at his face. "You doing okay?"

Stavros swallows a chuckle but can't hold back the grin. "I don't have to ask you how you're doing. You're glowing."

"I ran back from the shoot." Carly admits. "Gia said something that got me brainstorming. We'll probably only be about another hour... two max."

"Nikolas and I will make reservations for dinner then." Stavros suggests.

"Someplace casual okay? Otherwise it's going to be three or four hours by the time Gia and I get ready. Someplace that isn't going to freak when they see Michael coming."

"Michael can go anywhere he wishes." Stavros says arrogantly.

"Yes, but you're the one that goes for the seven course meals. He falls asleep into the third. Someplace casual." Carly emphasizes. "Where we can cut loose." She turns to Nikolas. "You know what I'm talking about. Don't let him get out of hand." Then turning back to Stavros she rises up on her toes and gives him a quick kiss that even in that brief electrical moment sends a shiver up her spine.

Stavros cups her face with one hand. "And tonight you will tell me all about your day."

Carly grins. "Sure. If that's how you want to spend tonight." She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"Go. And keep the cell phone with you." Stavros orders.

Carly shakes her head and digging thru her purse hands off the cell phone. "Nope, you're stuck with it now. We'll be in Lucky's cottage. You can ring me there." She kisses him again and then reluctantly steps back. "See you later." Carly runs back out the door as swiftly as she entered.

Nik shakes his head. "Is she always like that?"

"No, sometimes she gets excited." Stavros grins at his son and they both start laughing.

"Think about what I said, Father. A clean slate."

"I will consider it."

Carly arrives at Lucky's cottage/suite. It isn't the best that the Four Season's offers but it's the next best thing. Lucky is at his computer downloading pictures from the digital. The makeup artist to be is standing over his shoulder and exclaiming as the pictures come up. Gia is collapsed on the bed. From the looks of it, she'd sat down at the foot of the bed and then just fallen back her arms stretched out. "Come on, you slackers! We aren't done yet!" Carly demands.

"If you don't feed me... I'm going to start munching on those brand new ferrigamos you're so pleased with." Lucky retorts.

"Leave my shoes out of this. Nik and Stavros are making dinner arrangements; I told them a couple of hours. If you can't wait until then call roomservice or something." Carly reaches into her purse and pulls out a bottle of crystals. "But until dinner we're going to be working on this."

"What the hell is that?" Gia leans up on the bed resting on her elbows her braids falling back to brush the bedspread.

"Foaming bath crystals." Carly says proudly displaying the bottle like one of the gals on the Price is Right. "The finest bath salts made at the Dead Sea. And the latest product in the new Deception bath line."

"Deception doesn't have a bath line." Lucky shakes his head.

"They do now." Carly counters. She goes into the bathroom and flips on all the lights. "Oh yeah this will work. This will be great. Lucky, come tell me what kind of lighting are you going to need in here?"

"If you think I'm going to strip to my skin and have Lucky take pictures of me-- you are high." Gia protests. "My mother would lock me up. And no autograph of Marvin Hagler would get me out of what Marcus would have to say."

"They are foaming bath crystals." Carly calls from the bathroom. "Bubble bath. You'll have your assets covered. Wear a swim suit or something just lose the straps."

"Hello?! Winter? Didn't actually pack a swimsuit!"

Carly comes out of the bathroom. "Will you stop being such a.... This was all your idea."

"My idea?"

"Yeah, you're the one that said you wanted to soak in a hot tub for an hour. I'm just making it happen."

"Company during the soak wasn't what I had in mind." Gia retorts.

"Will you just come here please?" Carly demands from the bathroom doorway.

Gia groans and grimaces as she drags herself off the bed. "Carly... no way in hell." She walks into the bathroom which is huge. And most of it is tub. Carly has already turned on the water full blast and hot-- the steam is rising and the scented salts are foaming up a bubbly layer on top. Gia groans.

"You won't even know Lucky is here. Just get in relax and soak. Close your eyes and let all the stress from today melt away. He won't see anything. Hell go in in your underwear. The bubbles will do the rest." Carly tempts.

"I can't believe you are trying to talk me into this." Gia whines.

Carly goes over and scoops some of the froth off of the top of the rapidly filling tub blowing it into the air. "You know you want to."

"Get out. I'll let you know when I'm ready." Gia sighs.

"You're the best."

"And you're a pain in my ass!" Gia shoves Carly out the door and shuts it behind her. "How in the hell do I let her talk me into this stuff? Supergluing Laura on the roof. Telling her Lucky and Liz were here. And now this. My mother is going to freak." Even as she is complaining, Gia strips down to her underwear. She ties her hair up in an untidy knot on the top of her head. And then thinking about it strips out of her bra too. Easing first one toe in the steaming water she sighs and goes for it climbing into the tub and sliding down with a relieved sigh. oh damn this feels so good.

Carly pounds on the door. "Are you in?"

"Yeah, whatever." Gia closes her eyes and slides down in the tub resting her head against the padded end. With one foot extended she turns off the water with her toes.

Outside the bathroom. "Nik is going to kill me." Lucky shakes his head.

"You're a pro. Act like it." Carly demands. Then holds her finger to her lips to shush Lucky. She eases the door open. Going into the bathroom she hops up on the vanity.

Lucky comes into the bathroom knowing he is going to be a dead man. Why couldn't Carly have hired a female photographer? Damn! It hits him. Carly's vision. This is going to sell a hell of a lot of bathsalts. He sees the bottle sitting on the vanity next to Carly and grabbing it he sets it on the lip of the tub and then finding the right angle kneeling on the floor starts snapping pictures.
He doesn't give Gia any directions but instead allows things to unfold. He rapidly goes thru one roll of film and then another. Moving silently for different angles. Gia keeps her eyes closed ignoring him. Her hand comes up from the lip of the tub to brush her hair back off her forehead. One foot comes up and turns on the water again as the tub cools. After about 30 minutes, Carly pokes him with one of her maligned Ferrigamos to get his attention. She tilts her head in the direction of the door. Lucky nods and leaves. Carly follows him out and then closes the door behind her. "I hope she doesn't fall asleep in the tub." Lucky quips.

"We'll knock about the time we have to leave for dinner." Carly replies absently. "How soon can you have the pictures done?"

"I want to develop them myself. Don't want these ending up all over." Lucky replies. "Back in Port Charles would be best-- at the Deception lab."

Carly winces. "Damn."

"That doesn't work for you does it." Lucky realizes.

"No. I can't go to back home right now. Quartermaine problems. I'll work on it." Carly shrugs. She goes over to the phone and dials her suite. "We're winding up here. Anytime guys."

"I think I'll just do room service." Lucky suggests after Carly hangs up. "You guys go out."

"But I want to celebrate." Carly demands.

"Me and Stavros... I don't think so." Lucky shakes his head. "You guys go. I'll work on things here. I'll make a few phone calls and see if I can find a photo lab."

"I know a photo lab. I get some of the pictures?" The makeup artist who'd been kicking back and watching television while she waited for everyone to finish so she could get her photos from the computer. "My little brother is a custodian at the university. He has keys to everything. He can get you into their lab."

Carly and Lucky look at each other. Lucky nods. "Yeah, that'll work. Come on. I'll give you a lift home. Lock up when you leave." Lucky tells Carly. Lucky leaves with the makeup artist and all his rolls of film from the outdoor shoot and the stuff he'd taken in the bath as well.

Carly uses the time while she is waiting to go thru the images on the computer. "This is so working." She starts her preliminary sort. "Hot, hot, hot!" At the knock on the door she goes over and opens it for Michael, Stavros and Nikolas.

"Where is Gia?" Nikolas looks around the room. "And Lucky." He adds as an afterthought.

"Lucky took the makeup artist home. He bagged on dinner so it's just us. Gia is soaking in the tub. She's probably getting pruney by now." Carly goes over to the bathroom door and knocks on it. "Gia? The guys are here and ready to go out to dinner."

"Right. Give me a sec." Gia calls thru the door.

"Mama, show me what you did today." Michael demands. He is already standing by the computer.

"You got it, Mr Man." Carly goes back over to the computer and sits down. She pulls Michael up in her lap and starts the slide show from the start. Nikolas and Stavros pull up chairs next to them. "Which one do you think is best?" Carly asks her son.

Meanwhile on a private jet on the tarmac at the Port Charles Airport. "Have the cars brought around." Jason growls. He rubs his head impatiently. The headache had come on at the first sniffle from Liz. He'd been about ready to lock her in the back cabin with Luke if only to get her to shut the hell up. He'd had minimal involvement in the intervention and thus Liz had been trying to play his sympathies for the last eight hours. It had felt like eighty.

"Jason."

"What?!" Jason snaps then looks up. Penny is standing there with her hands up in an I surrender stance. "Sorry."

"I just wanted to tell you I had a really great time. I can't believe everything that was packed into... two days? It was amazing. Feel free to tell me to grab my passport anytime." Penny glances down at her watch. "Of course I'm totally turned around time wise. I think I have it right. See you tomorrow for breakfast at Kelly's?"

"Yeah, I'll see you then." Jason nods. Penny starts gathering her luggage aka shopping bags from some of the best fashion houses, shoe stores in Milan. "Penny..."

Penny looks over at him. "Yeah?"

"You should travel more. You seem to have an affinity for it."

"You have no idea what you've started." Penny grins. She walks to the front of the plane where the attendant has opened the door and let down the stairs. A blast of New York winter hits her as she steps down the stairs and into the car waiting at the end.

As soon as she is in the next car pulls up. This one has two people in it. Johnny and another of Jason's men are driving Luke's classic cadillac which had once been a nice pepto pink but is now a metallic candy apple red. Johnny and the soldier take the stairs up into the plane at a run. "Hey boss."

"About time you got back." Jason growls. "Hope you enjoyed your vacation."

"Yeah, Maria sends her regards." Johnny grins. His face is tanned and relaxed in comparison to all the others who have been exposed to the harsh winter... and the dramas of Port Charles.

"We'll talk." Jason says flatly. "But not now. Luke is back there."

Johnny nods to the other man. The other man and Max go back into the back cabin and pick up a tied up Luke. Luke also has a tape over his mouth but it doesn't stop him from muttering and making silent threats toward Jason as he is carried out of the plane and stuffed into the trunk of his own car. The other man gets behind the wheel of the car and starts driving in the direction of Luke's club.

"Jason, please just let me explain. It was all a misunderstanding. I didn't know. Bobbie fired me before I could make it right. And things got out of hand from there. I didn't mean for all this..."

"Max." Jason says over Elizabeth's shoulder. Max is back from dropping Luke in the trunk of the car. "Take Miss Webber home."

Max grimaces and then forces his face to look blank. He'd been there every mile of the flight back and had a matching headache to Jason's. "Miss Webber."

"Jason, please." Liz pleads tearfully for his attention, his understanding.

"Miss Webber. Your car is waiting." Max takes her arm. "If you miss it you'll be making your own way back to Kelly's." Max threatens. He tugs her in the direction of the stairs bending over and grabbing her bag with his other hand.

"Interesting trip?" Johnny quirks a brow.

Jason glares at him. "Take me back to the penthouse and then bring me up to speed on anything that's happened in the last two days. And after that you can tell me about Puerto Rico."

Johnny nods. Jason grabs his own overnight bag. Johnny takes the lead down the stairs his body blocking any potential snipers. Nobody had really known that Jason would be getting back today but that didn't mean that there hadn't been a leak somewhere. Better safe than sorry. Johnny opens the door for Jason and then comes around the car and gets in the drivers seat of the still running car. "Well first things first." Johnny says cheerfully. "Alexis Davis is moved out of the penthouse."

"Alexis?"

"Or rather her stuff is out of there. Her sister put the keys in my hands today after the cleaning crew finished up."

"Good." Jason nods. "Benny has been working on getting me a replacement attorney since I took over for Sonny. He's been in touch with the bosses in the city looking for somebody who is ready to make a change. What else?"

"One of Max's snitches down on Courtland street came thru with some info."

"Put the city on lockdown." Jason orders. At Johnny's quick glance at him away from the road. "I get the feeling that Carly and Michael maybe even Cassadine are going to be in Port Charles by the end of the week. We're going to have our hands full with that drama without adding to it."

"Kid's growing like a weed." Johnny comments. "Saw him down in Puerto Rico." Johnny grins. "He's hard to miss with that red hair."

"You in charge here?"

Roy looks up from the bar to the grim faced man in a custom suit. one of Corinthos goons. "Who is asking?"

"Close enough." The guy holds out a set of keys that have fuzzy dice on them. "You might want to check the trunk. It's a little cold out there."

Roy grabs the keys in a smooth motion recognizing the keys as belonging to Luke's caddy. "What the hell?"

"Have a nice day." The goon steps back and disappears before Roy can come around the bar and ask any questions.

"Claude! Cover the bar!" Roy races out of the club and out into the cold not bothering to grab a coat. Luke's caddy is parked right there in front. Roy heads straight for the trunk and as he nears hears the kicking within. He inserts the key in the lock and pops open the trunk. Inside the trunk, Luke has worked half of the tape off of his mouth. Roy reaches in and rips it off the rest of the way.

Luke streaks the air with vulgarities and finishes with. "Son of a bitch! That hurt!"

Reaching into his back pocket, Roy pulls out a box cutter and starts working on the ropes figuring that is easier than trying to undo the knots. "What the hell? Where have you been, man? Laura has been frantic!"

"Just get me the hell out of here. I need to go get my gun." Luke struggles with the half sawed ropes.

Hearing the part about the gun, Roy steps back and slams the trunk lid back down and then sits down on top of it.

Max carries Liz's bag into Kelly's and then sets it down. Without a goodbye, he turns around and walks out.

Bobbie looks up from the books she is doing at the counter. "Elizabeth. How was Italy?"

"You know how Italy was! You daughter ruined everything!" Liz snarls.

Bobbie just lifts a brow and then goes back to the books. Liz picks up her bag and starts for the stairs to the rooms above the diner. "You don't live here anymore, Elizabeth. Your grandmother and I packed your stuff up and took it over to her house already."

"You had no right!" Liz turns on the stairs.

"Excuse me! I had every right and before you start trying to give me a ration you should be thanking me for not having the sheriff's office toss it all on the street. That is normally what happens when people are evicted. Do you want me to call Audrey to come pick you up?" Bobbie doesn't allow herself to be drawn into a fight with Elizabeth.

"No! I can take care of myself."

"Glad to hear it. Have a nice life." Bobbie turns the page on the ledger.

Liz waits for her to change her mind. To say it was all going to be okay but it isn't coming. Picking up her bag she leaves Kelly's and heads for her studio. She needs some thinking time. There was no way she was moving back to Audrey's. No way.

"Is she gone?" Penny comes out of the kitchen carrying a cup of coffee.

"Yep." Bobbie leans up against the counter resting her chin on her cupped hands. "So how was Italy?"

"Wonderful." Penny gushes. "I know it was only a couple of days... but I don't think I slept the whole time. Well I slept on the plane back. Gia took me shopping. And then we went with your daughter to a guy's house that makes the most amazing things out of glass." Penny stops in mid thought. "But there is something you aren't going to like. It's about your brother..."

"Luke?! What did Luke do?"

"It's more like what Carly did to Luke." Penny says with a grimace.

"How did you guys find this place?" Carly looks around the small restaurant that just screamed atmosphere. It was kinda dark in spots and a little smokey on the edges. Lots of wood. Lots of intense aromas that are making her stomach growl.

"My son asked one of the housekeepers." Stavros says wryly.

"You said casual." Nik reminds Carly defensively.

"Oh this is great! I love it." Carly checks everything out. The five of them are sitting in a booth. Carly and Stavros on one side with Michael sandwiched between them. Nik and Gia on the other side. She looks at the menu. "Oh this sounds good... it just rolls off the tongue... risotto con le rane. Sounds yummy. I want that."

Nik chokes on the sip of water he'd been taking. "I don't think so. I think you should let me or father order for you and Michael."

"But.."

"Carly, it's frogs." Nik blurts out.

"What?"

"Rane... it means frog. Rice with frogs."

"EWWWWW." Carly sticks out her tongue and makes a gagging noise that sets Michael into giggles.

Gia closes her menu that is totally in Italian with no english subtitles. "Well you proved that point. No frogs for me. Tried frog legs once... I don't care what anyone says... it doesn't taste like chicken."

A heavy set man dressed in a white shirt and black slacks covered with a white apron comes to the table. Stavros and Nikolas make the decisions for the table. Carly and Gia are comforted when they hear the words minestrone and later risotto. Both words they recognized but they still have some trepidation to the upcoming meal. When their waiter brings a toureen of minestrone soup and starts spooning out portions into bowls and passing them to the guests, Carly and Gia look at each other and nod. load up on the soup.

"Mama, what's wrong with frogs? I like frogs."

"Michael, they eat bugs."

"You like chicken... chickens eat bugs too. Kris says so." Michael adds to give it weight. His Tutor knew everything and what he didn't know he knew how to find. "Isn't that right, Stavros?" Michael goes for the final seal of authority.

"You are going to make a vegetarian of me yet." Carly sighs.

"What's veg-e-tar-ian?"

"Someone who doesn't eat meat."

"But you like meat."

"Only when I don't think about it."