"Damn!" Carly Tenney exclaimed as she furiously pressed the button to end her cell phone call. "This is just great, just perfect, just what I needed to end a really lousy trip! Why is it when all I want to do is get home to my little boy, I get caught up in an ice storm, and end up not in Chicago, or at least somewhere in the relative vicinity of Oakdale, but instead in this little excuse for a city in New York, what is it? Port Charles? And with no available flights, anywhere…of all the rotten luck…" Carly picked up her bag, held it while she checked to make sure her coat was buttoned up tightly, and swung the bag over her shoulder. She walked down the street, looking for any signs of a nice, comfortable place where she might be able to rest for a little while, maybe even get a bite to eat, before she tried haggling with the airlines again. Carly couldn't see much of anything at first-most of the town seemed to be closed up for the night-but the lights of the Port Charles Hotel stood out like a sore thumb against the rest of the cityscape, and Carly was certain she'd find a moment's peace inside. She crossed the street and headed straight for the hotel's front door. A well-dressed doorman stood nearby and smiled at Carly as she went to reach for the door handle. "Here, ma'am, let me take care of that for you."

"Thank you," Carly said as she returned a smile to the doorman. As she walked into the lobby, she gazed at the finery of the establishment and an impressed look came over her face. "Well now, this little town does have some taste after all," she remarked as she made her way through the lobby and into the foyer of the Port Charles Grill. She removed her coat and took a seat at the bar, immediately catching the attention of the bartender as she was setting down her scarf.

"Good evening," he said with a smile, "what can I get for you?"

"Yes, please, I'll have a glass of red wi…no, make that a beer; on tap, whatever you've got." Carly looked up at the ceiling for a second and her mind traveled to another place in time…Montana, the night she and Jack danced together for the first time, and the beginning of the best thing she'd ever known in her life. "Oh, Carly, you have to stop this! You can't keep going back there, back to a place you will never be again…"

"I'm sorry, did you say something to me?" the bartender asked.

"What…oh, no, I was just talking to myself. It's just, sort of a habit I have, thanks," Carly answered, taking the glass of beer from the bartender and then putting it to her lips. She wiped the foam from her face and set the glass down on the bar. Knowing full well that thinking about Jack was only going to break her heart even more, Carly decided to focus her attention on something that still made a difference to someone else's life, something she could still hold onto when the nights were lonely: being a mother. She held the photograph in her hands and looked at it with the kind of love only a mother could possibly feel…

"He's adorable."

"What?" Carly turned around and her eyes fell upon the face of a gorgeous woman with long blonde hair, who was impeccably dressed, right down to her designer knee-high boots.

"The little boy in the photo, he's absolutely precious," the woman said as she sat down right next to Carly. "Is he your son?"

"Uh, yeah, Parker…he just turned two years old."

"Yeah, I have a son too; he just celebrated his third birthday. My name's Carly, Carly Corinthos…well, actually, my name is Caroline, but nobody calls me that, except for my husband when he really wants my attention, or wants me to get real mad at him," Carly C. said with a laugh, extending her hand to Carly T. Carly T. took it and the two women shook hands. "Hi, I'm Carly too, Carly Tenney. It's not short for anything; it's just Carly. Nice to meet you."

"You too. Say, you aren't from around here, are you? I mean, I know a lot of people in this town, and I think I'd remember seeing your face around…"

"No, no, I'm not. I'm from Illinois, Oakdale, actually. I was in New York City trying to make a business deal, and I was on my home to my son when my plans got shifted, and I wound up in Port Charles, waiting for a plane to Oakdale, or Chicago, or just somewhere closer to home."

"Yeah, I know what it's like to want to be home, you know, with the people you love, but not being able to…for whatever reason. Hey, I've got a great idea! Why don't you come with me to my home, to wait until you can get a flight back to Illinois? It's really nice, and warm, and my husband will be home soon; he's a fantastic cook-on the control freak side, but nevertheless amazing in the kitchen, and he could make us all a great meal and we could relax and get to know each other better. Besides, it's much better than spending your evening in this place."

Carly T. looked at her companion with a quizzical look. "What do you mean? It looks fine to me."

"Yeah, if you like drunken stupors, or lessons in family practice gone wrong. The Port Charles Hotel is run by the family of my maniacal ex, and I don't exactly get a warm fuzzy feeling every time I step in the place. In fact, I could think of just about every other place I'd rather be than here."

"Oh, yeah, I guess I wouldn't want to hang around either if I were you. All right, Carly Corinthos, you got yourself a deal. A home-cooked meal and some stimulating adult conversation is an offer I just can't pass up."

"Great! Come on, we'll go get Johnny, and he can drive us to the penthouse. Hey," Carly C. said to the bartender, who came over to her immediately, "put Ms. Tenney's drink on Sonny's tab."

"You got it, Mrs. Corinthos," the bartender answered, without hesitation, and then he walked to the other side of the bar. Carly T.'s face lit up with a "Well, would you look at that-this woman is somebody!" look, and she grabbed her coat. Carly C. called out, "Johnny! Johnny!" and within a minute a handsome man appeared, picking up Carly T.'s bag as soon as he saw it on the floor. "You ready to leave?" he asked.

"I was ready a long time ago, Johnny. I'd like you to meet someone-this is my new friend, Carly, Carly Tenney. Carly, Johnny, driver, and bodyguard, extraordinaire."

"It's very nice to meet you," Carly T. said.

"Likewise, Ms. Tenney. Wow, another Carly, huh? Sonny is going to love that…"

"Yeah, well, Johnny, Sonny doesn't pay you to make judgments on his wife's acquaintances. Now, can we please go, before this place gets even less appealing than it already is?" Carly C. turned and walked out of the restaurant, and Carly T., with Johnny holding up the rear, followed. Carly T. wasn't quite sure what she was in for with her new friend, but she liked her attitude and her spunk, and it was definitely going to be more exciting than anything Oakdale could offer…