Author's Note: Thanks to Sara, IlovetowriteSMP, for being my beta.
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In the Nick of Time
Jason Morgan hated a lot of things that people he cared about thought were important. However, there was nothing Jason Morgan hated more than getting dressed up. Today was no exception… even if it was his wedding day. He had proposed and been convinced that getting married was the right thing for him and Sam. After all, Maxie said so and she was Sam's closest friend. He would never admit it, but he held a soft spot for the mouthy blonde spitfire. Mostly because she reminded him of another gorgeous, mouthy blonde spitfire.
As he thought of his best friend, Carly, he fiddled with his tie and wondered if he'd chosen the right suit and tie. He was pretty sure the shirt was good because Carly had bought it for him. But he had told Maxie to get him the suit & tie because he wasn't sure if Carly would be comfortable helping with the wedding. He knew if he askedshe would, regardless of her objections, but it just hadn't seemed fair.
He whipped off his tie and threw it, before punching the wall. "Dammit!"
Jason heard a knock at the door, and immediately rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Spinelli! I told you to meet me at the church!"
"Jason?" her voice called through the door.
He closed his eyes and rushed to open the door. When he saw her there wearing her best encouraging smile and garment bags over her arm, everything inside him relaxed. "You're not wearing that shirt with that suit, are you?" she asked scrunching her nose.
Jason laughed for the first time since waking up that morning and pulled Carly into his arms. "Thank you," he whispered.
"Always," she sighed in returned. "Besides, you didn't really think you could just get rid of me, did you?"
"Never really wanted to," he said with a smile pulling back to look at her.
"Good," she replied with an even brighter smile. "Cuz you never will. Now, Maxie wouldn't tell me which suit she chose for you so I brought a back-up and couple of shirts."
When Jason just raised an eyebrow and smirked knowingly, Carly pouted and sighed, "What? You and I both know no one dresses you better than I do. Maxie may have excellent taste, but I know you and I know what looks right on you."
"Carly, you're not even dressed," he smirked. "How do you plan to get us both ready in time."
"I thought I was uninvited," she whispered sadly.
"I'm sorry," he responded. "I didn't mean it. Any of it. I guess I let the nerves get to me. Thank you for being here."
Fighting tears, Carly nodded. "There is nowhere else I'd rather be than by your side. Besides, I knew you'd change your mind. SO I brought my dress options as well," she retorted happily. "And you can help me decide what to wear to our—your wedding. Now strip down, as fantastic as that suit is on you, I have something way better."
She leaned over to begin opening a garment bag. Jason just stood watching her in amusement. "Chop, chop, Jason! We don't have all day!" she snapped, as she pulled the suit she had chosen free. "Unless you've changed you mind. And don't give me any lip about you of all people being modest. Not like I haven't seen it all before. And if you must get married, why should I be deprived of being the last single girl to see you as a single man? I mean I was the first after all."
"Carly…"
"What?! I was!" she exclaimed. "Now strip, Jase. Unless you want us to be late. I do still have to get dressed after all."
Jason shook his head and sighed as he undressed. He knew Carly watched him while pretending to sort through the shirts and ties she'd chosen. When he was down to his underwear, he asked, "What now?"
He caught the glazed look and the heat filling the depths of her eyes and had to look away to distract himself from his reaction. He picked up the pants from the suit she had bought him and pulled them on quickly.
"Those are a perfect fit," she pronounced raspily. "Now add that deep blue shirt and I'll decide on the tie once I'm done dressing."
Before Jason could say another word, she had pulled the tie on her wrap dress revealing her tight body covered in a few scraps of black lace and a garter belt. As the dress hit the floor, so did his jaw. He had made himself forget how incredibly beautiful she was. She bent over the bed and opened another garment bag while he tried not to react to the vision in front of him.
"I'm trying to be good here, Jase," she told him as she pulled two dresses free. "So you have to tell me what I should wear. It would be rude to outshine the bride, so I need you to help me decide which of these dresses say, 'Single & ready to mingle' without being too showy. If it were anyone else she was marrying, I wouldn't hesitate to pull out the big guns, but out of respect for you, I'm trying."
She held the first dress up in front of her. It was made of a clingy, sparkly red material, skinny straps, and stopped just at her knee. "Too much? I know I look great in red, but it could be considered too flashy," she explained.
Seemingly oblivious to his reaction to her near-nudity she tossed it aside, and picked up the other dress. It was a fitted, floor length black evening dress. "Now, I'm thinking this might be more appropriate color wise, but it's black and I can just hear people accusing me of dressing for a funeral because you're getting married," Carly rambled. "But it has this great thigh high slit that leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination."
She continued rambling as she turned back to bed to look at the two dresses side by side. Instead of hearing Carly's ramblings, images of touching and tasting her filled his head. As she went back and forth between dresses, Jason didn't hear anything except the snapping of his self-control as he grabbed Carly around her waist and pulled her to him.
"Jason!" she cried out in shock before turning to look at him.
Before she could say another word, he had pulled her into his arms and was kissing her savagely. Her shock caused her to hesitate for only a second before her arms wrapped around his neck returning his fervor. He lifted her so that her legs wrapped around him. He swept the bed off and laid her down. He followed her immediately, ripping the crotch of her panties free.
"Oh, god, Jase!" she screamed.
The door swept open and Maxie and Spinelli froze in shock at the sight before them. Clothes were strewn all over the room and the bed was a mess. On the pillow, there was a note addressed to Spinelli and one addressed to Sam.
Maxie grabbed them and tore open the one addressed to Spinelli. She began reading:
Spinelli, I am so sorry for what I'm about to ask of you. But I've realized that I can't go through with this. Marrying Sam. It would be wrong to give her false hope when I'm so completely in love with someone else. I realized today as I tried to get ready for the wedding, my thoughts were on one woman only, and it wasn't the woman I was marrying. I do love Sam, but it pales in comparison to the way I feel for the one I have always loved. It isn't fair to her or anyone else that I've denied us this long so it's time I correct my mistake. We're picking up the kids and we're going to elope. Her divorce will be final in a couple of days so it'll be done then. I would love it if you could be there. If you still were willing, I'm gonna need a best man. I'll call when we're all settled. Give Sam my letter and tell her I'm so sorry.
Jason
"The Maternal One's divorce has been final for some time so who could he be speaking of?" Spinelli queried. "Could it be that Stone Cold's first love and he have found their way back to each other?"
"Spinelli that would be Robin, and she's happy with Patrick," Maxie disagreed. "Besides, the letter says 'kids' and Robin only has one child: Emma. The only person I know of besides Liz with 'kids' plural that has ever had any kind of relationship with Jason is—No, that can't be right."
"Who does the Fair Maximista think it may be?" Spinelli queried.
"I was gonna say the only person I could think of who fits is Carly," she admitted.
"The Valkyrie?" Spinelli exclaimed. "But of course, Stone Cold told me that she had given him his first glimpse of fatherhood long ago, but they have been naught but the best of friends for over a decade."
"Well," Maxie chimed in picking up a tube of lipstick. "If I wasn't thinking it before I would be sure of it now. First, there are the clothes, and who else would bring Jason clothes for an event. Although, normally, I might be offended, she does seem to be particularly talented in dressing Jason. Ooh, that's the new Armani. I went with the Hugo Boss, but I see where she was going. And these dresses all scream, 'Look at me! I'm single and sexy!', which is one of Carly's trademarks when she's single. But this is how I know it's Carly. She is the only woman I know in this town besides myself, who could pull off this shade. Actually, it seems to be a mutual favorite."
Spinelli took the tube and read the color. "Spitfire," he read. "Fitting for two such bold and sparkling women, but—"
"Trust me, Spinelli," Maxie assured him. "The clues are all there. Jason eloped with Carly leaving us to break the news! How rude! Let's go! Sam is gonna need us now more than ever!"
While Spinelli and Maxie left in a hurry to warn Sam of her lost groom, Michael met Jason and Carly at the airport with Morgan and Josslyn. Together, they boarded a private jet for Florida… their future unclear in every way, but one: The Morgan family had finally reunited.
THE END