Adventures in the Land Down Under (Read 10,864 times)

[André DiMera]

Chapter 18

HOTEL – BELFAST – FLASHBACK
TAYLOR: I cannot believe that we are going through this again!
Taylor and Quinn stood in a hotel room, arguing.
TAYLOR: I just cannot believe that you are putting me through this again! Putting us through this!
QUINN: Look, it's not like I can just leave, okay?
TAYLOR: I know! You've explained it a hundred times! I thought when we left Salem that you were done in the business!
QUINN: Here's the thing, love: once you're in the business, you never leave. You can't. They make sure you can't.
TAYLOR: Who is this “they” that you keep referring to?
QUINN: My boss.
TAYLOR: I thought you were the boss. Isn't that what you said? Didn't you once say that you were the Heisenberg of the pimp world?
QUINN: It was an exaggeration! Yes, I'm high up. But, there's always someone higher. And with my status and the quality of the work I do, there's no way that the boss will let me have a clean cut. Like I said, once you're in the business, you're in for life. There's no escape.
TAYLOR: You know what you have to do, then.
Quinn shook his head.
QUINN: No. I'm not doing that.
TAYLOR: It's not like it'd be your first.
QUINN: Actually, it would. I might be a criminal, but I'm not that criminal.
TAYLOR: Well, you'll have to be. If your boss won't let you have a clean cut, if he won't let you out, then you'll have to. I don't want us to be in danger anymore, Quinn. I don't want our child to be in danger.
QUINN: He – or she – won't be.
TAYLOR: You can't gaurentee that.
QUINN: Yes, I can. I would do anything to protect my family!
TAYLOR: Even murder?
QUINN: If they tried anything, yes. But, they haven't. And they won't. I know these guys. They're not like that.
TAYLOR: Well, I'm not gonna wait around for something to happen to one of us! If you're not gonna man up and take care of this problem...
Taylor grabbed her purse and pulled out a gun.
TAYLOR: Then, I will.
QUINN: What the hell are you doing, Taylor?
TAYLOR: I'm taking care of this family. Something you seem to be incapable of doing.

CAR – ULURU, NORTHERN TERRITORY, AUSTRALIA
NICOLE: Quinn?
Quinn sat up. He and Nicole had swapped seats an hour or two ago. He had been asleep in the passenger seat.
QUINN: Yeah? What? What's happened?
NICOLE: We're here. At the hotel.
QUINN: Right. Of course.
Quinn rubbed his eyes.
QUINN: Well, let's check our bags and then go see Uluru.

[heroicmuse]

Wow! Great flashback. I wonder what exactly happened.

[Kpatch]

So Taylor was having Quinn's baby, or already had it? Wow. I wasn't expecting that twist. Something bad happened to Taylor and Nicole has no idea.

[fluffysmom]

Very intriguing flashback. I wonder if Taylor is dead.

[André DiMera]

Chapter 19

DESERT GARDENS HOTEL
Quinn was unpacking. His phone buzzed. He picked it up.
QUINN: Hello?
Pause.
QUINN: Look, I can't talk right now.
Pause.
QUINN: I'm on my way to a family thing.
Pause.
QUINN: Will you stop worrying? No one's gonna know!
Pause.
QUINN: I better be getting good money for this.
Pause.
QUINN: Look, I've gotta go. I'll speak to ya later.
There's a knock at the door.
QUINN: Yeah, bye.
Quinn hung up the phone. The knock came again.
QUINN: Just a mo'.
Quinn hastily shoved clothes into a dresser drawer. He then opened the door to reveal Mia.
MIA: Ready to go?
QUINN: Yeah. Yeah, just putting stuff away.
MIA: Cool.
QUINN: So, um, where's your mum?
MIA: She's coming. She had to put stuff away.
QUINN: Right, yeah.
Nicole walked over.
NICOLE: Well, got that taken care of. You two ready?
QUINN: Definitely. Yeah. Let's go.
Quinn, Nicole and Mia walked out.

ULURU
The car pulled up to a massive sandstone structure. A park ranger walked up. They paid to get in and the ranger left. There was a small parking lot nearby. The car parked and the three got out. Click here to see a picture of Uluru.
QUINN: Well, here we are.
MIA: This is it?
QUINN: Yep! This is Uluru!
MIA: I thought it was called Ayers Rock.
QUINN: Same thing. Ayers Rock is the Anglicized name of Uluru.
MIA: It's gorgeous!
NICOLE: Come on, let's take a closer look.
The three walked up to the rock.
MIA: How big is this thing?
QUINN: Well, it has a circumference of about 9.4 kilometers.
MIA: Wow!
NICOLE: This is beautiful!
QUINN: Oh, just wait until sunset.
MIA: Why? What happens at sunset?
QUINN: You'll see.

[fluffysmom]

I wonder what Quinn's phone call was about.

I like seeing Australia through Nicole and Mia's eyes.

[heroicmuse]

I'm worried about what Quinn may need to do to Nicole or Mia because of whatever is going on.

[Kpatch]

I'm suddenly concerned that Quinn is going to force Nicole or Mia to turn tricks. Now I don't trust him.

[André DiMera]

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Please note that this chapter has some mild language in it. If you are very easily offended or have young children in the room, I suggest skipping over the end of the flashback portion of this chapter. Read at your own risk.

Chapter 20

ULURU
The three walked around the rock for a while.
MIA: What did you mean by “wait until sunset”?
QUINN: You'll see.
Soon enough, it was sunset. The three had gotten back to where they'd started. As the sun began to set, the rock slowly changed colors. It went from being its natural sandy red to being a slightly lighter red. It then changed to yellow. Then purple, then deep red.
NICOLE: Wow!
MIA: This is beautiful.
The three smiled as they watched the setting sun off the rock.

DESERT GARDENS HOTEL
That night, all three went to bed early. Quinn was having a rather restless night. He was dreaming of what had brought him to this point. The secret that Nicole could never know.

HOTEL – BELFAST – FLASHBACK
TAYLOR: If you're not gonna man up and take care of this problem...
Taylor grabbed her purse and pulled out a gun.
TAYLOR: Then I will.
QUINN: What the hell are you doing, Taylor?
TAYLOR: I'm taking care of this family. Something you seem to be incapable of doing.
QUINN: How dare you? How dare you stand there and say...?
TAYLOR: Am I wrong?
QUINN: Well...
TAYLOR: How many times have I had to ask you to get out of the business? How many times have you told me that you would after you finish this one little project? How many times do you expect me to fall for the same old scam over and over again?
QUINN: Look, it'll be different this time! I swear!
TAYLOR: You're right, it will. Because I'm going to handle things this time. Now, give me your phone.
QUINN: Put the gun down, first.
TAYLOR: Give me the phone.
QUINN: Look, just settle down. We can talk about this. Just put the gun down, and I'll be glad to give it to you.
TAYLOR: Give me the phone.
Taylor walked over and tried to go into Quinn's pocket. Quinn tried to stop her and grab the gun at the same time. It soon turned into a tussle. At one point, something went horribly wrong. The gun went off. It was in Quinn's hand, as was the phone. Taylor had blood running down her dress. She dropped to the floor.
QUINN: Oh $*!+.
Quinn dialed his phone.
QUINN: Yeah, it's me. I'm gonna need some help.
Pause.
QUINN: I have to get rid of a body.

[heroicmuse]

Wow! Now that I did not expect. Omg. Great twist André DiMera! Keep these chapters coming!

[fluffysmom]

Wow! I suspected she might die but not that way.

[Kpatch]

Eeesh. I wonder if it was an on-purpose accident. Quinn sure knew who to call to take care of it right away.

Thanks again for the travelogue. I will probably never go to Australia except via this story.

[André DiMera]

Chapter 21

HOTEL – BELFAST – FLASHBACK
There was a knock at the door.
QUINN: Who is it?
MAN (VO): Who do you think?
Quinn opened the door. Nicholas Alamain walked in.
QUINN: Glad you could come, Nick. How're you going?
NICHOLAS: Fine. Yes, well, let's skip the pleasantries for now. I don't want to be in this situation any longer than I absolutely have to. Now, where's the body?
QUINN: Right through here.
Quinn showed Nicholas inside the hotel room and led him over to Taylor's lifeless body. Nicholas knelt on the ground.
NICHOLAS: This is Taylor Raines, isn't it?
QUINN: Taylor Walker, actually. Raines was a pseudonym she used when she first came to Salem to avoid being detected as Nicole Walker's sister.
NICHOLAS: Understandable. How long ago was it?
QUINN: That she first came to Salem? Oh, I'd say about 1998. She was only there for a few weeks, though. Came back for a lot longer time in 2011.
NICHOLAS: No. I mean how long ago did she get shot?
QUINN: About an hour ago. You got here quicker than I expected.
NICHOLAS: I was in the neighborhood.
Nicholas stood to face Quinn.
NICHOLAS: Tell me the whole story.
QUINN: I thought you said we needed to get this done quickly.
NICHOLAS: I did. So, give me the Soap Digest version.
QUINN; Don't you mean the Reader's Digest version?
NICHOLAS: That's what I said.
QUINN: Taylor found out about me being in the business. She got upset. I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't have any of it.
NICHOLAS: So, you shot her?
QUINN: No! Let me finish!
NICHOLAS: Go on.
QUINN: So, she pulls out a gun and says she's gonna take care of the problem. I tried to stop her. Things became physical. I was just trying to take the gun from her, and it went off.
NICHOLAS: Hm.
Nicholas thought for a moment.
QUINN: So, now what?
NICHOLAS: Now, we get rid of the body.
QUINN: Just how do you plan to do that?
Nicholas smiled and patted Quinn on the back.
NICHOLAS: Do you really want to know? After all, having Aunt Vivian bring me up has taught me a few things.
QUINN: I suppose it would, yeah.
NICHOLAS: Get the sheets from the bed.
Quinn stripped the bed of sheets. He and Nicholas wrapped Taylor's body in the sheets. Nicholas had taken the laundry cart and stuffed the body in there.
NICHOLAS: Don't worry about the body. I'll take care of it from here.
QUINN: Thanks, Nick.
Nicholas and Quinn shook hands.
NICHOLAS: No problem. What are cousins for, right?
Nicholas left and nonchalantly pushed the laundry cart down the hall.

DESERT GARDENS HOTEL – ULURU, NORTHERN TERRITORY, AUSTRALIA
Quinn woke up and sat up. He got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. He splashed water in his face a few times and took a deep breath. He dried his face off. He went back in the other room where his bed was, and was surprised to see someone sitting there.
TAYLOR: Hi there.

[heroicmuse]

Whoa! Great twist André DiMera! That seriously shocked me. LOL Can't wait to see what happens next!

[Kpatch]

LOL at the Soap Digest version.

Great idea to bring Nicholas in, being that they're all related through Vivian. So I wonder if Nicholas is the kingpin.

I don't think Taylor is actually there. I think Quinn is just imagining it's her.