Hi Everybody!
With the exceptions of the snippets we've been getting of AlanMoni from TIIC, we have been going through a major drought. Hopefully, this will help. It's a continuation of my AlanMoni series. This chapter is called "Revelations" Here is Part 1. Part 2 will be up soon. Enjoy and please let me know if it's good or it sucks. Thanks.
Chelle
REVELATIONS PART 1
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AJ's color dropped to an ashen shade as he stood in shock. "How can this be? How do you know?"
Alan and Monica flanked their son as Robin gave him a sheet of paper. After reading it, he silently gave it to his father as he turned and walked back into the hospital room. The Drs. Quartermaine read the sheet in shock. After a moment of silent confirmation from Robin, Alan turned to Monica.
"My god, Monica. All these years……"
"That bitch" Monica said with restrained anger
AJ reached the bed and looked down at the patient, the only sound coming from the beep of the heart monitor and other machines connected to her. He sat on the nearby chair and took her hand. A lonely tear ran down his face. He wiped it away, but it was a futile battle as more came to the surface. After he was drained dry, he looked to the pale figure in the bed.
"I'm so sorry…..I didn't know"
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THREE MONTHS EARLIER
Port Charles settled down to what resembled "normal" after Vince Larrick's reign of terror in November and December.
Christmas was a melancholy time for the Quartermaines, who were still grieving for Skye, killed a few weeks earlier in a car bomb meant for Emily. They were also depressed over the fact that it was the first holiday as a family that would not be in the mansion, which was waiting for reconstruction in the west wing from the fire until spring. Alan and Monica were living in her penthouse, while AJ and Lila moved into an apartment in Bobbie's brownstone. Tracy, Luke, Lulu, and the rest of the family were living at Wyndemere. Nikolas, Emily, and Spencer remained at the gatehouse since there was no damage. The somber time was lightened during the family gathering at Wyndemere when Lucky and Elizabeth announced Christmas Day that she was pregnant. All the Quartermaines, including Alan and Monica, were overjoyed by a new member to their extended family.
Rae attended the festivities at Monica's invitation. Monica still had her misgivings about Skye's mother, but she understood the loss of a child and put her feelings of jealousy aside for Lila's sake. Monica had deep feelings of empathy for people who didn't have any family of their own. Its emptiness was a feeling she knew well and wished on no one, not even a woman from Alan's past.
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NEW YEARS EVE, ALAN & MONICA'S PENTHOUSE
Monica was upstairs in the bedroom getting ready for the ELQ party while waiting for Alan to come home from the hospital. Persephone was sitting on the bed with an expectant look on her face. Monica smiled as she scratched her cat behind the ear, earning a content purr in return.
"Persephone, you are so spoiled, but I can't help but love you" She said to the cat. After a few minutes, she undressed, put on her robe, and then went into the bathroom to start her shower.
Ten minutes later, Alan came into the bedroom exhausted from the craziness of the hospital. He walked up the stairs to the master bedroom, only to be greeted by a steely stare by Persephone as she sat on Alan's pillow.
He returned the stare with another one in return. "That's my pillow! Get over yourself, feline. Contrary to what you think, I'm more important than you"
When he heard the shower from the bathroom, he got a smile on his face as he hurriedly stripped off his Armani suit, finishing with a flourish by tossing his trousers on the bed next to the cat. He grabbed his robe and walked into the bathroom.
When he entered the bathroom, he saw Monica through the frosted glass and felt stirrings. She was almost 58 years old and had aged slightly, but he only saw the woman he lusted over when he walked off of the elevator at GH over 30 years ago. With a smile on his face, he headed over for the shower, knocked, and opened the shower door. "Want some company, Beautiful?" Alan asked with a grin.
Monica got a big smile on her face. Alan was 63 years old, had silver in his hair, and put on weight since they got married, but all she saw was the sexy man she married more than three decades earlier.
Alan didn't need a response as he entered the shower and closed the door. Giggles were soon taken over by moans and excess steam in the bathroom.
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Two hours later, the party was in full swing at Wyndemere. Edward was in conversation with Ned and Lois, who were rolling their eyes with his blustering about business. Dillon, Brooke, and Georgie were talking to Jason and Sam.
At the punchbowl, Elizabeth and Emily were comparing their expanding girths and giggling. Elizabeth, while only eight weeks pregnant, was already showing. Emily was only starting to show even through she was pregnant with twins.
Across the room, Nikolas and Lucky were watching their wives and laughing their heads off. Luke walked over to the men. "What's so funny, boys?"
Nikolas contained himself. "Our wives. They're sitting over there, checking out each other's stomachs. It's such a girl thing"
Luke nodded. "Very true. But remember lads, this is also a time of when women are very….mercurial….to say the least. Be careful what you laugh at, because when their egos are bruised…" Luke laughed his sneaky laugh. "…you boys will be toast"
After Luke walked away, Nikolas and Lucky laughed until they looked over to their spouses. Both women had cross looks on their faces with daggers in their eyes directed at them. "God, I hate it when your dad is right" Nikolas said before they walked over to assuage their wives.
AJ was talking to Lulu and Spinelli when Keesha and Regan arrived at the party. Regan looked warily around the room. Keesha, who had her arm around her shoulder, gave her an affectionate squeeze. A moment later, Lulu, Spinelli, and AJ came over to the twosome.
"Hello, Girl Detective….Master of Final Fantasy XI" Spinelli said
"Hi, guys" Regan said. She looked to Spinelli and Lulu, the only two people she felt comfortable with besides AJ and Keesha. She put her brave front up again to cover her quivering insides. "So, Spin, when are we going to have that Final Fantasy marathon? I want to kick your butt again!"
Spinelli looked to the girl. "Well, my worthy opponent, I have it upstairs, if you want --"
"Hold it, you two!" Lulu said, coming between them. "This is a boring, stuffy Quartermaine party. If I have to suffer, then so do you" She grabbed them both by the arms and dragged them into the party.
AJ and Keesha, who were laughing, finally calmed down their laughter. He looked to his girlfriend. "You look smashing tonight, Detective Ward"
Keesha looked to AJ. "You don't look so bad, yourself, Mr. Quartermaine"
AJ held out his arm for Keesha. "So, shall we go enjoy the boring, stuffy Quartermaine party?" AJ said jokingly
Keesha laughed again before she took his arm. "Yes, sir, we shall" she responded before they walked into the ballroom.
Rae was talking to Gail and Audrey, but was watching Alan and Monica, who were laughing while in conversation with a newlywed Bobbie and Noah on the other side of the room. A moment later, she saw Alan sneakily caress his wife's bottom and goose it before he walked over to talk to a newly arrived Patrick and Robin.
She felt her insides start to burn as she lamented to herself all that she had lost. Her daughter…John…the respect of Alan after her lies regarding Skye's parentage were revealed. Rae had a thriving national radio talk show that she recently relocated to nearby New York, but it all meant nothing if she didn't have love. She lost her only child. Yes, she was open to being in her granddaughter's life, but her main influences were going to be the Quartermaines, not her. Why did her past have to come and ruin her life? Why did Monica get to have it all and she wind up with nothing?
Suddenly, Rae heard Audrey's voice calling her. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Audrey looked at her with concern. "I was asking you how is your talk show going now that you moved it to New York? Is it working out with you being closer to Lila?"
"Yes, and I should have done it a long time ago. I was too far away from my daughter, and I was unable to make amends, but it's not too late to be part of my granddaughter's life"
"Yes" Gail said. "I think Lila is lucky to have AJ being part of her life, too. He's going to be such a good dad to her"
Rae bit her tongue as she sipped her champagne. Across the room, Alan and Monica were standing close and giggling. She watched when Alan whispered something into Monica's ear before she left the room and walked up the staircase. Five minutes later, Alan also left the room in the same direction of his wife.
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TWO MONTHS LATER
Monica was updating charts in her office when her phone rang. She walked to the phone and answered it. "Monica Quartermaine" When she heard who was on the other line, she was surprised, but happy. "Jeff, how are you?"
Monica listened, but then her happiness faded to shock, then fear. "Are you all right?….Oh god, Jeff…..I'm so sorry….when is the surgery scheduled?…..Patrick Drake is the best neurosurgeon on our staff…..I'll have Leo as a cardio consult. Have you told Elizabeth and Sarah yet?…What about Rick?.….Fine…Do they know about what happened?…..Jeff, the girls won't hear it from me…..If you need anything, anything at all, let me know, okay…..I'll talk with you next week. Bye"
Monica hung up the phone and exhaled. When she looked up, she saw Rae standing at the door.
"I'm sorry, Monica. I was about to knock. I wasn't disturbing you, was I?"
It took everything Monica had not to throw her phone at her. Rae was becoming more and more of a nuisance. "No, Rae. What can I do for you?"
Rae wrung her hands together before she sat down and sniffled. "I'm just having a hard time right now. I have some items from Skye's estate I'm sure Alan would like to go through. Do you know where I might find him?"
Monica had to bite her tongue before she replied. "If he is not in his office, then I'm not sure then, Rae. Perhaps you should check with Margaret, his secretary"
Rae sat as if processing what she just heard before a tear came down her cheek. "I'm sorry. I'm just grateful that Alan has been there for me"
Monica felt her patience over the last couple of months ebbing closer to the quick. "Well Rae, I'm glad WE'VE been there for you" Monica hid a smile from her face before she continued. "I hate to cut and run, but I have patients to look in on. Alan and I have plans later tonight"
Rae felt rage burning within her again. "Well, of course Monica. Thank you for your time" She walked out the door and around the corner.
"So Monica's ex-husband is coming to town……could be interesting and to my advantage" She said to herself.
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"A.J., I want to adopt Regan"
AJ turned to his girlfriend as they were sitting in his office on the couch. "Keesha, are you serious?"
Keesha looked to AJ. "Yes"
"How long have you been thinking about this?"
Keesha got up, stood by the window, and turned to him. "Since Ward House burned down. After almost losing her and you, I started doing a lot of thinking. I realized that I don't want to be her foster parent. I want to be her mom"
"Have you talked to her about this?"
"Not yet. She's starting to open up a bit to me, and you, but she is still so reserved. I don't want to scare her off. How was it with your parents and Emily?"
AJ smiled. "Dad and Em clicked immediately. Mom and Em had some difficulties in the beginning, but with time and a lot of patience from Mom, their relationship became a close one. Paige's memory was a big hurdle, but I think in the end it was what brought them together"
Keesha smiled. "I remember when she came here. She was so young, carrying the burdens she carried on her shoulders with her mother dying and adjusting to the insanity of the Quartermaine household"
AJ sat back remembering. "Em didn't have it easy, but she helped make our family better. Eventually it came full circle with her and Nikolas. She told me yesterday adopting Spencer was one of the greatest gifts she could have received" He thought for a minute. "Keesha, you do realize that to adopt Regan, you will have to track down her parents"
Keesha shuddered for a moment as she was brought back to reality. "But when I ask her about her parents, she just….closes off. She still won't talk about them, but I know whatever happened with them cut her deeply. I want to protect her, but I'm just afraid they are going to come back and take her away from me"
AJ looked to her with gentle eyes. "What are you going to do, Honey?"
Keesha pondered for a moment. "I don't know yet. What am I supposed to do?"
AJ walked over to Keesha, who met him in a hug. "Don't push her, Honey. She's still in recovery. When she's ready, we will be there for her. No matter what her legal status, she a part of our life"
Keesha turned to AJ. "Our life….I think I like that, Mr. Quartermaine"
"I like that, too Ms. Ward. But we have to tread carefully with Regan. She's still vulnerable. Her drug abuse was only her solution to cope with whatever she was running away from. We have to take it one day at a time"
"I know" Keesha said, but to herself, she resolved to find Regan's parents.
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A couple of hours later, Alan and Monica were relaxing at home, watching a movie on television.
"This is so nice, Sweetheart" Monica said as she was cuddled up with her head on Alan's shoulder. "I've barely seen you this week. I missed you"
"Me too. I've almost forgotten what you looked like!" Alan said with a laugh before he got playfully slapped by Monica.
"You better not, Alan Quartermaine." She said before the phone rang. A second later, the Caller ID on the TV screen read Metro Court. Monica got a sinking feeling in her stomach.
Alan answered the phone. "Hello?......Hi, Rae…how are you?.....What's wrong?" He exhaled. "I know Rae…..I understand……"
Monica rolled her eyes as Alan continued to talk to Rae. "Are you going to be all right?.......Okay, I'm on my way"
Monica exasperation turned to anger at Alan's last statement. When he hung up the phone, he turned to his wife. "I'm going to see Rae for a while. She has some papers from Skye's estate that she needs help going through and it's upsetting to her"
Monica erupted. "Alan, I understand you want to be there for her, but she's a grown woman for God's sake. You don't need to run to her every time she has a sniffle!"
"Monica, our daughter died in December. She has no one to turn to. What am I supposed to do, just leave her to twist in the wind?" Alan responded as he got up to get his coat.
"Damn it, Alan. Can't she take care of herself for once?" Monica was silent for a second, but then she voiced her thoughts. "Are you having an affair with her?"
Alan turned to her with a look of anger. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response! You've lost a child, Monica. Of all the people in this world, you understand the pain Rae is going through. You had the Quartermaines and friends. Rae has no one. Someone has to offer her a shoulder. It's the least I can do after what I put her through when I left her all those years ago"
"Alan, she let you think Skye was your child, and it took your sister blackmailing Skye for Rae to confess that she wasn't your daughter. Rae is not a child…..she's a former fake shrink. Can't she use the crap she distills on her listeners to cope?"
Alan shook his head is exasperation. "Monica, I can't believe your selfishness. Maybe while I'm gone, you can find your empathy again. I'll be home in a few hours" He slammed the door as he left.
Monica threw the pillow in anger, narrowing missing Persephone as she was sleeping on the chair. "Damn it"
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TWO HOURS LATER
Bobbie and Monica had a late dinner at Mario's and were back at the penthouse discussing Alan over a bottle of wine. "Monica, you know Alan loves you" Bobbie said
Monica held back a tear before she took a drink. "I know, Bobbie…..but Rae is always whining to Alan. He feels responsible for her, so he goes running whenever she calls. I remember how it was when Dawn died, so I'm trying to be understanding, but I'm starting to get tired of her. She taking advantage of the situation"
Bobbie took her friend's hand. "Monica, why do I get the feeling there's more to this than mere annoyance"
Monica hesitated. She couldn't look at her friend in the eye. "Bobbie, I'm just so afraid that……"
"What, Monica?" Bobbie gently prodded
The tears that Monica was holding back finally fell. "I'm afraid that after all we've been through, I'm going to lose him"
"Oh, Monica" Bobbie said as she gave Monica a hug.
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