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SOULMATES "Damn." Kate slammed the phone down hard on the receiver. The news she had just received definitely complicated things. Carrie and Mike embracing at the Horton House, declaring their love to each other, the thought made her sick. Kate had known that this would happen, and now it was up to her to make sure that it didn't go any further than an illicit embrace and a passionate kiss. Kate never once thought that Mike would act to take Carrie away from Austin. He was too much of a self-sacrificing moron to do something like that. But there was a connection between Carrie and Mike that Kate knew was unbreakable, and that would lead them back into each other's arms, whether it happened in a week or a year. Even Carrie's marriage to Austin would not be enough to keep them apart. That was why Kate had brought in Franco. She wanted to be informed immediately when the two lovebirds reunited so she could put a plan into action that would keep them separated. She actually was surprised that they had stayed away from each other this long. Kate paced around the room. Losing Carrie would destroy Austin. While she would do anything to insure the happiness of her children, Kate was especially determined that Mike Horton would never find happiness with Carrie. Mike was the son of Laura Horton, and Kate hated Laura. She knew that Laura had been encouraging Mike to act on his feelings for Carrie and this added fuel to Kate's determination that Mike would never have Carrie Brady. It was time to call in some favors and put the first phase of her plan into action. Kate picked up the phone again and dialed a number. Mike was not the weak link in this chain, Kate thought to herself. She had threatened him a year ago with no result. No, the weak link was Carrie. Poor girl, Kate laughed to herself, she would know what had hit her when her dear mother-in-law got done with her. "Hello?" a voice answered the other end of the line. "Hello Dr. Harris, this is Kate Roberts, " Kate said sweetly into the receiver. This will work out perfectly, she thought to herself as she explained what she wanted done, and Dr. Harris would cooperate in her plan to destroy Mike Horton if he valued his career. A few minutes later Kate hung up the phone. She looked at her watch. Good, she thought, I have just enough time to put the second part of my plan into action. ***** As Carrie got closer to the apartment, her apprehension grew. She did not like what she was about to do. In all honesty, she wanted to run away from everything, but she knew she couldn't. She'd made so many wrong decisions and now she needed to do right thing for both herself and for Austin. She knew Austin loved her, but it wasn't fair for him to be married to someone who didn't love him back. It was time to let him go so he could find the kind of love she had found with Mike. Mike. Carrie pictured him in her head. She still couldn't believe what had happened in the last few hours. When she remembered it, it was all in slow motion, like everything had happened underwater. Carrie had dreamed so long of holding Mike in her arms and that he loved her as much as she loved him that it was hard to pull the dream out of the realm of unreality. It still felt somehow surreal, almost bizarre, like the last year of her life had been joke and she'd finally found the punch line. Carrie knew it would settle in eventually, after she was free of Austin and she and Mike could start their lives together. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Kate in the hallway until she ran into her. "Hi Kate," Carrie smiled at her. She liked Kate, but she had never fully trusted her crafty mother-in-law. Especially since Kate had supported Sami during her marriage to Austin. "Hello Carrie, working late again?" Kate asked. Her voice was innocent, but her lips curled into a half smile, then dropped into a hard angry straight line. "Um, yeah, I had to go over some items on the budget for The Horton House. It took me a while." Carrie answered her back. Kate stood in the hall with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes coldly staring at Carrie, unblinking, so still they almost reminded her of snakes' eyes. Carrie felt a chill pass through her. She had never seen Kate like this before. Something was very wrong. "You seem to have a genuine concern for children," Kate continued, her voice still sounding innocent, but ice-cold "but I think it's more than that Carrie. I think it has something to do with Mike Horton. Am I right, Carrie?" Carrie sucked in her breath. She was not ready to deal with this, and especially from her mother-in-law. She stood there, looking at Kate for a minute and then answered slowly. "Mike is supervising the doctors at the Horton House, if that is what you mean." Carrie started walking down the hall. "Other than that, I, I don't really know what you're talking about, Kate." She said as she pushed her way past Kate. She couldn't deal with this right now. Once she told Austin she no longer wanted to be married to him, then might be able to deal with Kate, but not now. "Oh, I think you do know, Carrie." Kate sneered, "You and Mike were together at the Horton House tonight." Carrie stopped with her back to Kate. She felt sweat start to form on her forehead and all of the sudden she felt hot, so hot she thought she might suffocate. The hallway seemed to stretch on forever. "Of course we were there," she stammered, "Mike has been working on the budget with me." "Don't lie to me," Kate hissed. "I don't mean you were working together. I mean you were together, kissing each other." Kate had been watching her with Mike tonight. The realization hit Carrie hard. She felt angry and violated all at once. Carrie's fists were clenched and she was shaking as she whipped around to face Kate. "I can't believe you've been spying on me. You have no right." "Excuse me?" Kate interrupted Carrie with a short, sarcastic laugh. "I have every right as long as it concerns my son's happiness. I will not let you hurt him, Carrie." "Your son's happiness?" Carrie laughed. "How happy will he be with someone who doesn't love him? He would be better off with Sami. At least she can give him what I cannot." There was a long pause and Kate and Carrie stared at each other. The dim light threw shadows onto Kate's face, making her expression hard to read. Carrie took a gulp of air, steadied herself, and continued, with nothing to lose, the words spilled out of her mouth. "You see, Kate, I love Mike. I mean really love him, like I've never known I could love somebody. More than I love Austin, or maybe different than the love I feel for Austin. Austin was my first love, and he'll always have a place in my heart because of that, but what I feel for Mike is stronger, more mature, more solid." Carrie prayed that Kate would understand what she was saying. "I know you want your son to be happy, but would he be happy with someone who is always thinking about another man? Whose heart belongs to someone else? It may seem selfish of me to walk in that apartment and tell Austin that it is over, that our marriage is based on a lie that I told in front of God and my family, that I never should have married him in the first place. But what it really does is set him free to find the kind of love he deserves. To find a love like I have found with Mike." Carrie stopped for a minute. Kate was standing in the same spot, her eyes unblinking and mouth tight. Her face had hardened into a glare that felt like it was boring down into Carrie's soul. "Please try to understand, Kate, I can't go on living a lie. I've been doing that ever since I married Austin. I know it will hurt him, but I am going to tell him." Silence fell between them as Kate silently considered Carrie. After what felt like a long time to Carrie, Kate finally spoke. "You know Carrie, I have some very important friends in very important places." Carrie wasn't sure what this had to do with her and Austin. "One of those places," Kate continued, "is the hospital. You do know that I am on the hospital board, don't you?" she asked with feigned innocence. Carrie nodded. She had noticed Kate becoming more and more involved in the hospital in the last year. She hadn't thought much of it. Why was Kate telling her this? "You see, Carrie, I have worked hard for the last year to develop some, let's call them 'relationships' on the board, and I've done some big favors for some of the board members. And I've done all of this in case of one thing. That Mike Horton became a threat to my son's happiness." Kate was pacing across the hall now, almost like she was giving a lecture. Carrie shook her head, "I don't understand Kate. What does this have to do with Austin? What does this have to do with what we are discussing?" Where was Kate going with this, Carrie thought to herself, what did the hospital have to do with Mike, or her relationship with Austin? "You see Carrie," Kate continued "the time has come for me to call in some of those favors. I've arranged for an unfortunate accident, a perhaps-deadly mix-up, to happen tomorrow. Nothing that will actually endanger somebody, but enough that a certain doctor's reputation will be destroyed." Carrie shook her head and her mouth hung open in shock. This had to be a dream. That was the only explanation for what Kate was saying to her. But it wasn't a dream. Her mother-in-law was standing in front of her threatening her. She was amazed at how badly she had misjudged her. Carrie couldn't find any words but could only stare at Kate in amazement as she continued outlining her devious plan. "Oh, there will be an investigative board, for sure. I will make sure of that by being the most fervent supporter of an investigation on the board. And they may find nothing wrong was done, but I promise you that Mike Horton's reputation will have been dragged through the mud, and he will have a hard time practicing medicine anywhere, except Zimbabwe. Do you fancy a life in Africa, Carrie?" Kate sneered at her. "You bitch," Carrie hissed back at Kate. "Medicine is Mike's life. How could you even consider doing that to him? You are evil." Kate tossed her head back and laughed heartily at Carrie's comment. "Evil? I don't think so. You sanctimonious Brady's are so intent on blaming everything on 'evil', some faceless, nameless force you can't control. No, I am not evil. I am simply determined to see my son happy and very used to getting my way." Kate stepped closer to Carrie and continued talking in a low voice. "It's up to you now, Carrie. Walk into that apartment and destroy my son, but do it knowing that I will take an ounce of blood out of your beloved Mike for every ounce that you take from Austin." Kate paused for a moment, then continued; "I'm prepared to insure Mike's career as a doctor is ended immediately. Surely you are willing to sacrifice you own happiness to spare Mike from pain?" With that final statement, Kate turned and walked away leaving Carrie shaking in the hall. She wanted to run to Mike, to tell him everything, but it was too late. If Carrie were to be gone much longer, Austin would start to get suspicious. He would start to ask questions and she wouldn't be able to conceal her feelings. Then Mike's career would be destroyed and it would be all her fault. She loved him so much. Kate knew exactly where to stick the knife in her back, didn't she? There had to be a better way to deal with this, but she couldn't do it tonight. Carrie's hand shook as she put it onto the doorknob and turned it to enter the apartment, but the shaking was nothing compared to the ache she felt deep in her heart. Tonight she would sleep and tomorrow she would figure out what to do. ***** Outside the building Kate paused in the crisp fall air. She loved this time of year. The leaves on the trees turned brilliant hues, oranges and yellows glowed during the day, and then at night the cool winds blew with a hint of the winter chill still to come. The leaves were like a deadly fever, hot and flushed, burning bright, then they withered and died, paper thin, lifeless husks coating the ground as the cold of winter set in. It was this bright facade of the season that she loved so much. The beautiful colors bore a false cheeriness; their forced brightness would soon give in to bare tree branches and cold ground. Kate laughed in the cool air, drawing it deep into her lungs and feeling the penetrating dampness. Her plan was going perfectly. Like the leaves on the trees, Mike and Carrie's love would soon fade into a winter-like death. Copyright © 1998, w3PG, inc. |