| Subject: Entropy Chapter 17 |
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Becca
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Date Posted: 19:20:09 10/24/02 Thu
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HeyBecca
's message, "Entropy" on 19:23:01 02/10/02 Sun
Entropy 17—Mistakes
“You can tell me the world is round and I’ll prove to you it¹s square. You can keep your feet on the ground, but I’ll be walking on air.”
--“Hole In My Pocket” by Sheryl Crow
Emily stood outside Elizabeth and Lucky’s room, staring at the door in shock. Her life, as it turned out, was nothing like it had been two weeks earlier. She was pregnant and had the man of her dreams proposing. But she turned him down. She turned him down so harshly that she stormed away.
And now she was staring at her best girlfriend’s hotel room unsure how to verbalize what was going on.
“Liz!” she called out, knocking on the door.
After a few moments Emily could hear Elizabeth moving in the room.
“Em? What’s wrong?” she asked groggily.
“Are you alright?” Emily asked. Elizabeth was pale, her eyes bloodshot, she didn’t look good.
“Do I look like hell? Lucky said I looked like hell,” Elizabeth muttered tiredly. “I think it is jet lag.”
“Jet lag? Since when does jet lag make you look sick?” Emily asked. She followed Elizabeth into the room. “You should really get some rest.”
“That’s what I was doing.”
“Oh,” Emily smiled guiltily. “I’m sorry, but, Liz, I need my best friend.”
Elizabeth shook her head in an attempt to get the fog from her mind. “I’m always here for you, Em.”
“I have something kind of, well, shocking to tell you,” Emily began. She was pacing in front of the bed, which was making Elizabeth sort of dizzy. “I’m pregnant.”
Elizabeth looked up at Emily, her eyes wide with shock.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
Covering her mouth with her hand, Elizabeth gasped. “Who’s the father? Nikolas?”
“Of course, he’s the only one I’ve been with in forever. It gets better though. I told him tonight and you wouldn’t believe what he did.”
“Propose?”
“How’d you guess?”
Elizabeth shrugged, “He is a Cassadine, and they are kind of old fashioned. It’s a fairly reasonable line of thinking.”
“What am I going to do?” Emily asked, panicked.
“I don’t know … marry him? Isn’t that what you’ve wanted since we were teenagers?” Elizabeth questioned. She sat down on the bed, suddenly feeling unsteady.
“When I was fifteen, sure. But we’re adults now, and Nikolas and I aren’t exactly in that kind of place in our relationship. Before we left New York things kind of exploded,” Emily explained. “And I don’t . . . I don’t want to get married, right now. Gosh, he wanted to get married tonight, Liz, this evening, in Las Vegas. That’s not what I dreamed of when I was a teenager.”
Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully. “You want the baby?” Emily nodded a faint smile on her face. “Then, you’ll figure it out. And, Em, you’ll have me by your side the entire time.”
“Aunt Liz?” Emily cracked a smile. “How can our lives get any crazier?”
“I don’t think they can.”
**
Zander nervously held his hand inches from the door of Carly and Jax’s suite. He called a meeting of “the gang” to discuss what he learned from Nicole about the party and Colin Lynn. He didn’t know how useful it was, but it was important, he supposed, to make sure everything was out in the open.
“You know, your hand must make contact with the door for anyone to hear you?” Jax asked with a chuckle as he walked down the hall, a bucket of ice under his arm.
“I was just . . . thinking,” Zander muttered. “What’s with the ice?”
Jax shrugged as he slid the key into the lock, “Something about Sly wanting ice. I’m not entirely positive. I just found it was easier to go get ice than deal with the tension.”
“Tension?”
“You the spent the night with a starlet, you have no idea the stuff that has gone down since,” Jax said with a laugh. They walked into the suite, Jax handing the bucket of ice to Sly. “Go to town.”
Sly chuckled, dropping a few cubes into his glass.
“You really are a pampered actor, aren’t you?” Lucky asked, teasing his cousin.
“What, I’m a man of integrity. I’m supposed to drink a warm Coke?” Sly muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Ok, if everyone is here,” Carly said with a yawn.
She was sitting on the couch in the suite’s living room, leaning tiredly against the arm. Lucky sat next to her with Elizabeth leaning against the other arm. Emily sat in one of the armchairs with Nikolas standing behind it, a picture of tension. Gia was on the opposite chair, holding Steven’s hand as he leaned against her chair. Alison sat on the floor, leaning against the door that led to the bedroom. She glared at Zander the second he walked into the room. Maxie sat on the floor next to Alison, with V sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch. Sly and Jax stood by the mini bar, with Zander practically in the center of the room.
“Ok, Captain Courageous, spill,” Carly demanded.
Zander shot her an amused look before clearing his throat to speak.
“Well, my source . . .”
“Your source?” Elizabeth blurted out. “Yeah, whatever.”
Lucky glanced at her, placing his hand on her knee. “Elizabeth,” he whispered. “Are you ok?”
She looked up at him, blinking a few times, “What? Yeah, I’m just tired.” Lucky motioned for Zander to continue.
“Anyway, my source—Nicole, you all know who I’m talking about,” Zander said hastily. “Anyway, this party isn’t strictly for our benefit. There are tons of actors and musicians and other celebrities hear in Vegas for it. Turns out Colin is sort of a, I don’t know, party person. He throws these super secret, under the radar parties. The press somehow never finds out, and all the celebs can go and do things they couldn’t do if they had the threat of the paparazzi watching them. This is one of those parties.”
“How come I’ve never been invited to one of these things when it wasn’t a set-up to get me killed?” Sly asked. He looked around the room, realizing it probably wasn’t the best thing to ask. “And what it does this information have to do with us?”
“I’m not really sure, but from what I’ve been told there are a few rules. One, no weapons. We can’t go armed. Weapons can cause violence, which brings the authorities and the media, which will end Colin’s parties. I don’t want to go in there unarmed, but we may have to,” Zander explained. “Two, no cell phones. Again, some pissed off guest could call the media and the jig will be up. We’ll be going in unarmed and without any link to the outside world.”
“That doesn’t sound exactly…what’s the word? Safe,” Jax complained. “Do either of our WSB agents have a contingency plan? Like, calling for back up? I’m not going into that party and I’m not letting Carly go into that party blind. I’m not risking our future because of some family war.”
“Listen, Jax,” Lucky stood up defensively. “I admire and respect your desire to keep my cousin safe. And I’m glad she has you watching her back. But we aren’t just doing this because of a family war. There is a real, innocent victim’s life at stake. You have to protect Carly, good, but we have to do this. We have to save Sarah and we have to end this. You’re not just along for a ride, Jax; you’ve been part of this for a long time. You were there when Stavros was killed. Weren’t you? I may have been a prisoner then, still, but I know what the score is. This is your game too, Jax, and if you’re going to be with Carly, this is your war.”
Jax stepped back, a sign of admitting defeat. He knew he was treading on sensitive turf. He could see it in the younger man’s eyes. If he pushed and made Lucky get any further into Cassadine/Spencer history everyone would regret it. So, even though he didn’t think going to the party was the way to do everything, Jax bit his tongue.
“Wait,” Carly said, standing up next to Lucky. “There is only one WSB agent here.”
“Thanks for noticing,” V said with a smile before realizing what Carly meant. “Wait, I’m the only agent here.”
Carly smirked. “Yeah, where is your partner and where is my partner?”
“I haven’t seen Jason since we got here,” V mused. “You?”
“Nat and Jason were going over to New York, New York, but I haven’t seen or heard from them since,” Carly explained. Reluctantly she looked down at a practically vacant Elizabeth. “Liz, have you seen Jason?”
“It doesn’t matter—none of it matters,” Elizabeth muttered.
Carly looked at Lucky, “Dude, what’s with her?”
“Sleep deprivation,” Lucky said, though he didn’t believe it. Something was wrong with Elizabeth. She was acting out, erratic, and then swinging to violently quiet, almost non-responsive. Sleep deprivation and stress didn’t use cause this sort of reaction.
He sat down next to her, touching her face softly. “Elizabeth, angel, look at me. What’s wrong?”
“I can’t take it, Lucky, it’s just too much,” she said, on the verge of tears.
“I’m taking her back to our room,” Lucky declared.
Emily jumped up and moved to his side, “Let me, Lucky. I know you want to be there for her, but you’d be a better help figuring out what we’re going to do than me, anyway. Plus, I know my best friend. Maybe I can get through to her.”
“I—I don’t know,” Lucky muttered.
Emily touched his arm, “Trust me, please.”
“She’s right, Lucky. We need you here, she needs you here,” Sly urged. “Come on, man, let Em handle it.”
Lucky reluctantly backed away as Emily took Elizabeth’s hand and led her out of the suite. He collapsed onto the couch. Sly sat down next to him.
“What’s the plan?” he asked.
“To be honest, I don’t know,” Lucky sighed.
“Hello?” Carly said into the phone, answering it on the second ring. “Yes? What? Nooooo! Ok, I’ll be right there—how much? No, no, I can pay. I’ll be right there.”
“What was that?” Nikolas asked curiously.
Carly smiled nervously. “Uh, it was nothing.”
Jax eyed her carefully, “Caroline?”
“Don’t worry about me, I have a little errand to run. Lucky, can you come with me?” Carly asked through gritted teeth.
“But . . . I’m supposed to come up with a plan,” Lucky said. Carly gave him a look, a look that was a secret language between them. A look he came to always connect with bailing a certain mutual friend of theirs out of trouble. “Maybe I should go with you.”
“That would be good,” Carly rushed to grab her purse. “We’ll be back in about two hours—think of a plan while we’re gone. We won’t hold it against you. Got to go—Lucky!”
“Coming,” Lucky said, quickly following behind his cousin. He chased after Carly who was already to the elevators. “Carly, slow down.”
“Talk while we walk.”
Lucky rolled his eyes and stepped into the elevator. “What happened to Nat that we couldn’t tell everyone else?”
“Natalie and Jason were arrested early this morning after causing a scene at . . . how do I say it? They kind of…well, they began to…they fought at the White Wedding Chapel. They are now in jail.”
Lucky held up a hand and tried to speak.
“At a loss for words?” Carly asked nervously. “These two are so going to owe me.”
Lucky’s eyes wide, “Owe you? They are far, far beyond owing anyone. They’ve obviously lost their—their minds. Oh no, wait.”
“What?” Carly asked.
“If they were at the . . . they’re married and in jail, huh?” Carly nodded. “I don’t know who to kill first. I thought Jason was logical, the opposite of impulsive. And Nat, please, Carly, remind me again when she stopped hating Morgan’s guts?”
“Sorry, Lucky, can’t do that. I’m still trying to figure out what they did to get them thrown in jail,” Carly explained as they began to make their way through the casino to the exit.
“Gosh, what a way to spend your honeymoon night—in jail,” Lucky cracked.
**
Elizabeth sat in the Bellagio’s café, the Petrossian Bar. Emily had taken her down there in an attempt to get her mind cleared and keep her focused. The idea came to the young lawyer when Elizabeth simply wouldn’t sit down or even attempts to try to rest.
So Elizabeth sat, sipping a cup of green tea, and waiting for Emily to return from the rest room. She wondered if Emily suddenly feeling ill was really morning sickness or a case of Emily convincing herself she had morning sickness. Either way, it gave Elizabeth a moment of calm, of quiet.
For the last day, Elizabeth felt like everything had been turned up a few notches. It was like she could hear every conversation in the casino, and yet not focus in on what anyone said. Plus, she was having a distinct difficulty getting her vision to focus as well. Her outburst in the meeting came mainly from frustration, but a sudden lack of control. She just wanted this all over so she could admit something was wrong and see a doctor. But she couldn’t. Not until they found Sarah. Not until this was all over.
“Excuse me, excuse me,” Elizabeth could hear someone saying, but she wasn’t too sure if it was being said to her.
She finally looked up from her tea, finding a man standing in front of her. Her eyes were playing tricks on her again because she couldn’t make out any detail on the man’s face.
“Yes?” she said, a mask of seriousness covering her utter confusion.
Colin looked at the helpless woman and smiled. The drug he had slipped her worked perfectly. He knew it was dangerous making contact with her before the party, but he couldn’t resist having a little bit of fun. Not to mention, he saw Lucky leave and knew that she wouldn’t have her little bulldog protecting her.
“What can I do for you?” she asked indignantly.
“I’m sorry, I thought you were someone I knew,” he lied, trying to not laugh. “But since I can see that you’re not, do you have a light?”
“Excuse me?” Elizabeth muttered, wishing Emily would return soon.
“My lighter has just died on me. A match, lighter, anything?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she muttered, reaching into the pocket of her jean jacket and pulling out a Mirage matchbook that she had snatched the night before. “Help yourself.”
“Thank you much,” he said smoothly, masking his Irish brogue. A few moments later he handed the matchbook back to her, placing it in her hand so she had it. “Thank you again, miss.”
“It was just a match,” she told him. Elizabeth blinked, desperate to get her eyes to focus on the stranger. She closed her eyes tightly, and counted to three, when she opened her vision was a little clearer, but the man was gone. “Damn,” she muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Emily asked, returning to the table.
“Someone . . . nothing, you know, I’m crazy,” she groaned with a casual smile.
**
Carly and Lucky walked into the Las Vegas police station, looking to bail Jason and Natalie out of jail.
“Excuse me, we’re here to bail out Jason Morgan and Natalie Mason,” Carly said to one of the officers.
“You must mean the newlyweds,” the officer chuckled. “I have to go find their paperwork—are you willing to pay the fine?”
Carly looked at Lucky and rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’ll pay the fine. Can we go visit them while you get the paperwork?”
“Yeah, sure,” the officer turned around and waved another cop over. “Take these two back to see the newlyweds, will ya?”
“Oh, them?” the cop asked with a laugh. He turned to Carly and Lucky, “Are you sure you want to see them? They’re a little loose in the head, if you know what I mean.”
“Yes, we wan to see them,” Carly said, a silent Lucky chuckling.
“Follow me,” the cop motioned as he took them back to the holding cells. “They’re a wild pair.”
Lucky shook his head. “Officer, what exactly did they do to get thrown in jail over night?”
“Let them tell you,” the officer said with a wink. “The girl, especially, likes to tell the story.”
Carly and Lucky exchanged worried glances. The officer led them into the area where the holding cell was and motioned to the end, where Natalie and Jason were being held—in separate cells.
“We had to separate them—for their own good,” the officer explained.
Lucky and Carly walked down to the cell, finding Jason in one cell, sleeping, and Natalie in the cell across from his, wide-awake.
“Finally!” she yelled. “Wake up, ass hole, the Calvary’s here.”
“You really do make a blushing bride, Nat,” Carly smirked.
Jason stirred awake, falling off the small cot when he saw Lucky standing by his cell, laughing.
“Story time, Morgan,” Lucky said.
Jason only stared.
“Nat, speak now or find a new way out of jail,” Lucky said, smiling at Carly.
“But!”
Carly shook her head, looking at Natalie disapprovingly. “I want to know how this happened, Nat. Speak.”
Natalie reached through the bars and pulled Carly close to her. “Caroline, don’t make me tell this story with Lucky here.”
“What?” Carly rasped.
“I just . . . this only makes me look bad, even if it is the Ass Hole’s fault,” Natalie grumbled. “But I don’t want . . . please.”
Carly shook her head, “I can’t save you this time, Nat.”
“Fine,” Natalie muttered. She smiled across at Jason. She flashed him a dimpled smile before clearing he throat to speak. “It all started when Jason and I went over to the New York, New York to work. By the process of elimination we ended up paired together, it was not something I wanted. Anyway, we’re there, working, looking for clues, and hoping to see that Colin bastard. One thing leads to another and we’re arguing. Well, even though it is obvious we hate each other there is also some bizarre sexual tension between us. Our conversation gets a little heated and before we know it we’re getting a room and having sex. It reminded me of the way you described the sex you two had when you first met—raw, uninhibited, explosive,” Natalie explained.
“Natalie!” Carly yelled, her mouth hanging open in shock. “That was in confidence.”
“And something I did not want to hear,” Lucky muttered, do his best not to make eye contact with anyone.
“Ok, ok,” Carly waved her hands in front of her. “Enough with the sex. I want to know how you two A, ended up getting married, and B, thrown in jail.”
Natalie rolled her eyes. “I was getting there,” she pushed her dark hair off her face and sighed. “By the time the sex was over we had realized what a mistake it was. This wasn’t a case of love masking itself as hate. It was hate as hate. So, we started to sample the mini bar. Ok, so we drank everything in the mini bar—and Jason ate the 15 dollar chocolate bar.”
“I had to get the Natalie taste out of my mouth,” Jason snipped, speaking for the first time since Carly and Lucky arrived.
“Shut up, Ass Hole.”
Lucky leaned towards Carly and whispered, “I beginning to get how they got thrown in jail.”
“As I said, we were drinking. A lot. Once we were flat on our asses drunk we decided to go down to the casino. We got bored in New York, New York and decided to go across the street to MGM,” Natalie said, clearly a case of self—and Jason—loathing going on. “Once we were there, I don’t know how, but we ended up at the Forever Grand Wedding Chapel. I barely remember the ceremony, though I think there is a tape somewhere, and . . . well, we’re married. That’s true. How did we get arrested? Jason said something right after the ceremony, I decked him, he charged me, his gun fell out, and I decked him again. And, here we are, in jail for fighting in public.”
Lucky gently rubbed at his eye and sniffed, “That’s a beautiful story guys. I only hope my wedding is that perfect.”
“Shut up, Spencer,” Jason hissed.
Lucky sneered at Jason. “Or what? You getting out of here depends on me, right now. So, buddy, shut the hell up.”
“Do you two realize how irresponsible you’ve been?” Carly asked, suddenly the picture of seriousness. “We’re not in Las Vegas for a vacation. This isn’t a leisure trip. This is life and death. There is a psycho out there who has already kidnapped one person, that we know of, and has wounded a friend of ours. And if that isn’t bad enough, he’s having a party tomorrow night where I’m sure his intent is to kill us all. Plus, he’s working, most likely, for Helena Cassadine. But no, you two don’t care. It doesn’t matter to you guys, does it?”
“Carly--.” Jason tried, but she simply glared at him.
“Once we get you two out of here, I don’t want to see you two even looking at each other. Understood? We are going to get through this hell, and every single one of us is going to be alive when it is over. The only way that will happen is if we work together and nothing unexpected, on our parts, happens. So if that means keeping you two idiots separated, that is what must happen,” Carly explained, trying to stay calm but getting upset.
Lucky stepped towards her, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. She looked at Lucky before leaving, looking to place bail, pay the fine, and get her friends out of jail.
“We’re still married, though,” Natalie said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“That won’t be a problem. I’m sure Emily can get it annulled,” Lucky explained. “But until then, I’d do what Carly says. We all know that we don’t want to see her get really mad. Don’t we?”
**
Nikolas sat in the Allegro Jazz Bar, nursing a vodka martini. He didn’t know what he was going to do. His grandmother had to be behind this. So, once again, she was destroying his life. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the woman he loved was carrying his child yet he had driven he away. Nikolas was lost, confused, and angry.
Just once, he wanted something in his life to go right. He fought so long and so hard for happiness, but it was always slippery, he could never hold it for too long. And now it was slipping away again.
“Nikolas.”
Maybe not.
He looked up, meeting Emily’s warm eyes. “Em, I’m so glad you’re here.”
“I’m not marrying you,” she said before taking a seat next to him at the bar.
He nodded. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have . . . I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. But I want you to know that I’ll be there for you, no matter what, through this pregnancy. This is our child, I’ll do right by you and her.”
“Her?” Emily asked with a whisper. “I thought for sure you’d want a boy.”
Nikolas shook his head. “No, I have always wanted a little girl to spoil. A little Cassadine Princess.”
Emily tensed up at the mention of his family legacy.
“Nikolas . . . I just wanted to tell you that even if we aren’t together, you’ll be part of our child’s life.”
“I think we should try, Emily,” Nikolas insisted. “I think we should make an effort to be together. We’re good together, we fit, we always have.”
Emily smiled fondly, “I know, and I do care for you, but . . . I need time. I can’t do this, not now . . .”
A sudden rush of emotions hitting her, Emily rushed away from the bar and ran into a brick wall that resembled Sly.
“Hey, girlfriend, why are you crying?” he asked, holding her. “What’s wrong?”
“God, Sly, everything,” she said through tears. “I’m pregnant, and Nikolas wants us to be together but . . . I’m just not sure. What if . . .what if he only wants us to be together because I’m pregnant?”
“Whoa,” Sly said softly. “Got to give me a second, I didn’t know you were pregnant.”
Emily stepped away from Sly, a guilty smile on her face. “Surprise.”
Sly nodded, the news-sinking in. “Congratulations, my dear.”
“Thanks,” she sighed heavily. “But my life is a mess right now. I shouldn’t be bringing a child into it. I want this baby, though, I do. But I don’t know if I can handle it.”
“Hey, hey, I don’t want any of that. Listen to me, Em, whatever goes down between you and the Prince, just know that I’ve got your back,” Sly said softly, pulling his friend into a hug. “This pregnancy, we’ll get through it together.”
**
V, who had gone to the restroom and was looking for Sly, who was waiting for her, found him hugging Emily. She smiled, amazed at how grown-up Emily now was.
She stepped forward and heard Sly give Emily words of encouragement . . . because she was pregnant. And the way he said it, it sounded like he was the father.
Suddenly V felt like she had been punched in the stomach as she felt an emotion she hadn’t felt in a long time. Jealousy.
“Hey, V,” Jax called out as he stepped off the elevator and came across his old friend. She turned to look at him. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I think I have,” she muttered.
“Want to talk about it?” Jax offered. “Carly is still out with Lucky, and I’m lonely. Join me for a drink?”
V glanced back at Sly and Emily and then back at Jax. “I’d love to,” she said with a smile, taking his arm. “I can use a friend.”
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