Step by Step Epilogue

AJ Quartermaine was about to go medieval on his children. It was hard enough to control the noise on a normal day, but with the excitement of their extended family in town for a visit, the Quartermaine-Webber children were riding a wave of exuberant energy that was probably going to kill him.

With the lack of a bullhorn or a Civil Defense siren, he was reduced to letting loose with a wail of a whistle.

The sudden explosion of sound stopped the action on a dime. Sixteen year-old Madison was grateful for the respite and she managed to yank little Lila's dress down the rest of the way and quickly make a bow of the ties before the little one realized what was happening. Some of her hair had wrung free of her braids, but Lila looked adorable no matter what. It was part of her charm that the impish little child could wrestle her brothers in the mud and still charm everyone with a smile.

AJ nailed the twins with a look that promised mayhem and pointed to the couch. "Get your jackets on and sit!" Steven and Jason gave each other one last playful shove and walked over to the couch.

And, little Ward looked up at his father from the coffee table with a grin. Reaching into his pocket, AJ took out his handkerchief with one hand and scooped his youngest son off the floor with a playful growl. "What have you done to yourself, young man?"

Even with the colors scrawled across his face, Edward the Second was unrepentant as he held out his hands for his father to see. Each palm was a different masterpiece of vibrant color, eliciting a groan from his father.

"Okay, i know that groan!"

The assembled menagerie turned toward the stairs to watch as Elizabeth Quartermaine-Webber make her entrance. She put her second earring on and started her walk down the stairs.

With a quick glance she took in the lay of the land. Giving an approving glance to her neatly dressed brood she made her way over to AJ and gave him a mischievous grin. "What's going on here?"

Ward swiveled his head around and gave his mother a gap-toothed grin. His open hands were a second behind. "Hands!"

Elizabeth's practiced calm was tested at the sight of his palms. "Oh my, little man. You've been drawing again, haven't you?"

She leaned in to gave Ward a kiss and then continued on to his father. The twins on the couch groaned and made kissing noises, earning them a glare from their father. "Just wait until you're older…"

"Yeah, right…" "Ewww… no way."

Elizabeth smiled at her husband and took the handkerchief from his hand and touched part of the starched white square to her tongue. She quickly cleaned his face. "That will have to do until we get to the museum. Otherwise we'll be late." Before moving away from her husband she rose up on the toes of her Michael Kors heels and waited for AJ to lean down for a kiss. She didn't have to wait long, but the simple peck she was expecting ended up a long gentle exploration that was only broken apart by an exasperated, "MOM!"

Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth turned and addressed her youngest daughter. "Lila!" Her dark head bobbing, the little girl seemed to vibrate with energy. "You ready to go, sweetie?"

"Yes!"

AJ set Ward on his feet, but he took the boy's hand before he could run back to his colors. He offered his wife his other arm and watched the other children file toward the door under Madison's watchful eye.

When Elizabeth and her family entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. The children had managed to keep themselves clean and neat and well behaved through the barrage of photographers and reporters lining the red carpet. The one moment that she had separated from her family was for an interview with the Director of the Met and some of the big news outlets.

Once they were inside she had the opportunity to greet a number of familiar faces. Monica and Alan were the first to make their way across the room, but Elizabeth had a sneaking suspicion that it was more to see the children than anything else.

Her guess was played out when Monica took Ward from AJ and Alan took Lila's hand before Elizabeth and AJ moved on to greet more of the guests.

Jason and Steven were wrangled by Emily, who slung one arm around each of them and pressed loud kisses to their cheeks after she'd given Elizabeth a congratulatory hug. While the boys were trying to extricate themselves from her grasp, but still maintain their gentlemanly behavior, Emily gave her brother and sister-in-law a wink and tilted her head toward the side entrance of the gallery. Elizabeth moved first, leaving AJ to follow behind her as she was swept into Jason's waiting arms.

"You look great!" She giggled as he gave her a mock glare.

"That's supposed to be my line." Jason kept an arm around Elizabeth as he offered a hand to his brother.

AJ shook his hand and then drew his wife into an embrace. He met Jason's amused gaze over Elizabeth's head. "Nice to see you, brother."

Jason heard the extra emphasis on the last word and held up his hands in mock surrender. "Still staking a claim, brother?"

Elizabeth smoothed her hand over her husband's heart, her nails trailing over the front of his shirt in a bid to sooth him.

As Jason watched, AJ gave him a triumphant grin.

Jason shook his head. "You'd think," he sighed, "that after five kids he'd know that I'm not a threat."

"Oh, I think he knows," Elizabeth gave her husband a little pinch in his side that had him laughing, "he just likes the caveman thing sometimes."

AJ's eyes darkened a bit and he lowered his voice. "You like the caveman thing sometimes…"

Elizabeth's gasp was more a giggle than outrage, but before she could give her husband and choice word or two, Madison was at her side. "Mom, a reporter from the New York Times wants a picture of you."

"Sure, honey," she took her eldest's hand and gave the brothers a look. "Behave."

Jason and AJ had the nerve to look confused until the two ladies walked away. AJ turned to his brother with a bright grin on his face and muttered under his breath. "Nice going, jerk."

Jason returned the smile and reached his hand into his jacket. "Speak for yourself, ass."

"Go ahead," AJ nodded at him, "pull a gun, my wife will kick your ass."

They stood there, challenging each other with their eyes… and then gave each other a back slapping hug. Jason looked over at Elizabeth who was smiling beautifully before one of her paintings as a news camera stepped in on the tails of the Times writer.

"She would kick my ass if I ruined her night." Jason grinned. "But she's managed to keep you around, so she might cut me some slack."

"She keeps me around because I worship the ground she walks on." AJ's words were playful, but his eyes spoke the truth of his words louder than his voice could. "I thank God everyday that she never stopped loving me."

Jason nodded and touched AJ's arm. "She's devoted you too." His voice was almost wistful, an emotion that AJ didn't usually associate with his brother. Over the years, Jason had been a constant visitor at their home, and a devoted uncle to their children,

It was hard to imagine how far the two brothers had come since the accident that took Jason Quartermaine and created Jason Morgan, but the two had made it work… with some help from Elizabeth and Emily.

Jason fidgeted a little, something he normally didn't do. Still, it brought to mind a long ago memory for AJ. "What's going on?"

Making sure that Elizabeth was occupied in the center of the room, Jason leaned closer to AJ. "I thought there's something you should know."

AJ heard the warning in Jason's voice and also checked to see where Elizabeth was. Obviously Jason didn't want her to hear the news. "Okay. Go."

A waiter came around with drinks and Jason waved them away. "Francis came to me the other day with some news. It seems that Carly is back in town." The news was painful for AJ. Years before, after a series of highly public affairs with two-bit criminals, Tony Jones divorced Carly and gave her money to literally 'get out.'

AJ waited for the rest of the news.

"It seems like she's picked up quite the habit." Jason didn't make AJ wait any longer "She's gone from cocaine to heroin and she's working down by the wharf."

The news was painful to hear. "And her daughter?"

Jason gave him a tentative smile. "Tony remarried. A nurse with a young child of her own. Together, they're happy, but we've warned Tony that Carly is back in town. Their daughter doesn't know that much about her biological mother, but she's doing well at PCU. Tony is worried that Carly will try to contact her and draw Melanie into her downward spiral."

"Are you-"

"I've got some of the warehouse guys keeping an eye out to see what Carly's up to."

"I wish," AJ sighed, "that things had gone better for her. I thought she did what she did to me to get help with her baby, but what she's done with her life since is horrible."

AJ left to go and wrangle the twins a few minutes later, but the conversation with Jason weighed heavily on his mind.

Elizabeth opened the door to their bedroom and waited for AJ to finish saying his goodnight to Lila. She watched as he exited the room and closed the door behind him. He managed to lift up his eyes to meet hers as he closed the distance between them.

He started to walk past her, but she stopped him with a her hand on his chest. "Okay, AJ Quartermaine, what's up?"

He struggled to force a smile on his lips. "Don't you mean, Quartermaine-Webber?"

Elizabeth leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his chest, and drawing his taller frame flush against her body. She sighed a little, enjoying the strength that seemed to radiate from him, but it was the subtle thump of his heartbeat that worried her. "Please? Tell me?"

AJ put his hand out and braced it on the frame of the door, warring with himself. He wanted to lean down and silence her words with a kiss. He was sure he could coax his wife into bed and distract her with a long breathless night of love. Still, he knew she'd question him again in the morning and he just couldn't draw it out. "Jason had some news from Port Charles."

She leaned back against the frame, her eyes meeting his with patient love. "Okay."

He gave her a tentative smile and explained the situation. After he finished he gave her a little shrug. "That's it."

"That's not it." Elizabeth reached out and untied his robe and spread it open. She reached in and set her palms flat on his stomach. His stomach contracted at her touch.

"So it got me thinking." He watched her as she slowly moved her hands across the plane of his stomach, her delicate and talented fingertips playing over his muscles. "Carly is just like me."

Her hands stilled, and when her eyes met his again, she gave him a troubled look. "What?"

"She's addicted." He explained, but he knew he needed to go further to make himself understood. "She's addicted to drugs… sex…"

"She's addicted," Elizabeth corrected, "to attention." She wet her lips and continued on. "She needed to be the center of attention, she needed to have what she wanted… she needed so much more than anyone could ever give her. And you, AJ, you recognized your demons and you fought them down. Caly revels in them. She doesn't want to give them up. She needs more."

He looked down at his wife and lifted up a hand to play with the silky strap of her nightgown, twisting it in his fingers until it slipped from her shoulder and tickled her upper-arm.

"And I," he sighed, "have everything I could want. Right here." He slid his hands down her body and spread his hands over her hips, massaging the rounded swell of his wife's body. "Everything I've ever wanted. And more."

She lifted a hand and swept it over his temple, trailing her fingertips into his hair. "Everything, huh?"

He nodded and slid his hands around her body to fill his hands with her backside. "Five children and you still look amazing, baby."

Her lids lowered and she moaned slightly as his hands dug into her curves. "Well, glad to know you still think I'm good looking." She gasped as he pulled her closer, pressing their bodies together from their knees to their stomachs. "Wow." She felt the evidence that her husband was telling her the truth. He truly did find her attractive.

"Yeah… you still take my breath away, Elizabeth." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek and then nibbled his way down to her neck. He felt her gasp in a breath and he smiled against her skin. "You're everything to me."

"AJ?" Elizabeth struggled to put her hands between them and move AJ back a few inches. "Oh, AJ." She shuddered as he rocked against her. "Yes…"

She wound her arms around his neck and felt him lift her off her feet and move them toward their bed, closing the door behind them with his heel.

With a few frenzied movements, AJ removed their robes and his shirt before he reached for her gown. He had peeled the top down to her waist before he stopped.

Elizabeth felt the cessation of movement and opened her eyes. She expected to see her husband's hungry gaze, but instead she saw a bit of shock as well. AJ tilted his head to the side and swept his palm over her belly, first one way and then the other, finally coming to rest over her middle. "Sweetheart?"

"Mmmhmm?" She smiled and waited for him to put all the pieces together.

"When I was saying all that stuff about five children?"

Her smile deepened and she nodded. "Yes?"

He looked up at her as his hands slid the gown over her hips and let it hit the floor at their feet. "When were you going to tell me we had another one on the way?"

"Well," she hedged, "I was going to tell you when we got into bed, but we didn't get there yet."

Taking her in his arms, he lowered her to the bed and moved so he was lying down beside her. He smoothed his hand from her hip to her belly, caressing the swell of their child. "Well," he grinned at his lovely wife, "we're in bed." He gave her an expectant look.

"AJ?" Elizabeth's fingers feathered down his stomach to the waistband of his pants.

"Yes, Elizabe-" his voice caught in his throat with his breath as her fingertips lightly scored his skin just beneath his waistband.

She smiled at his reaction. Even after all of the years that they'd been together, AJ could still reduce her to a quivering mess with a touch.. a look… a word… it was nice to know she could do the same to him. "We're pregnant."

The rest of the night they were lost in each other's arms.