MIDNIGHT, March 2007

"Hello?" he answered his phone.

"Hey there, Jase."

(Honey, why are you calling me

so late?


It's kinda hard to talk right now.


Honey, why are you crying?

Is everything okay?


I gotta whisper cause I can't be too loud) ( Hinder)

Jason sat in his living room, in the dark, staring at the burning fireplace. Before his cell rang, he had been thinking of her. His thoughts weren't any he would ever tell anyone else about. But he didn't feel guilty for having them, not anymore at least.

Hearing the way Carly's voice caught when she had said his name, Jason asked "What did he do this time?"

"Sonny spent all dinner talking about the past. And, of course, the kids were there so I had to smile and fight the urge to repeatedly stab him with my fork."

Jason chuckled, "You'll get your divorce soon, I promise."

"All his reminiscing just got me to thinking..." her words drifted off and he knew what memories were haunting her.

Jason glanced at the stairs, guiltily, hoping Sam was asleep.

He knew it was wrong, but he didn't want this conversation interrupted. He never thought he would have to convince Carly to marry Sonny for another time, and the knowledge that he did that was wearing on him, making him hate himself more and more each day, making him want to rescue her.

(Well, my girl's in the next room
Sometimes I wish she was you

I guess we never really moved on ) (Hinder)

"I need to get out of this house, Jason. Every corner of it is filled with regrets. All I can see is all I lost to love Sonny, to save Sonny, to try and make him happy. All I can see is what I will never have because I got involved with him."

"You make it sound like you never loved him. You know you did, Carly."

"You believe that if you need to."

"What does that mean?"

"Jase..."

(It's really good to hear your voice saying my name
It sounds so sweet


Coming from the lips of an angel
hearing those words it

makes me weak


And I

never wanna say goodbye


But girl

you make it hard to be faithful


with the lips of an angel ) (Hinder)

"It will be okay," he promised.

"You always say that!"

"Hey, don't get mad at me."

Carly asked, "Why not? You could have made everything different."

"No, I couldn't have. If I could have, believe me, I would have."

Carly sighed. "I want you to answer one question for me, Jase. Then I will stop bugging you."

"You're not bugging me."

"Ha."

"You're not." He smiled. "Ask your question."

"Do you ever dream about us? Do you see us in your dreams raising our kids together?"

Jason hung his head. Long moments passed.

Carly said, "That was unfair, I guess. I shouldn't make you suffer because I am."

"Yeah, I do. I dream about us," Jason answered.

"Me too. All the time."

(It's funny that you're calling me tonight
and yes I've dreamt of you too


Does he know you're talking to me?
Will it start a fight?


No I don't think she has a clue.

Well my girl's in the next room
Sometimes,

I wish she was you


I guess we never really moved on) ( Hinder)

"Will you come and take me out of here?' she asked "Tonight. Right now. I need you to come and get me, please. I just can't stand..."

"Carly."

"Yeah?"

There was only one answer he could give her, "You never have to ask me twice. I'm on my way."

JASON figured by the time he got to Greystone he would stop wanting her. It usually worked that way.

She would give him a secret look, or say his name a certain way, and he would want her more than his next breath. But then he would push it back, back, down so deep it would stay buried for a little while longer.

He used to be able to do that and he could not want her for a month, then it became a week, then a day, and now it was minute to minute.

The last thing that really affected how he thought of Carly was the day he forgave Sam for sleeping with Ric. In the moment he realized he could forgive Sam, and truly mean it, he saw he was possible to move past that kind of hurt.

It got his mind thinking about how he had forgiven Carly years ago but didn't admit to it completely to himself, because that would mean there was nothing stopping him from going back to her. Now that he couldn't hide from that truth, Carly stayed in his mind day and night.

And telling her to marry Sonny, even if it was a fake union only meant to keep him out of jail, had been torture for Jason.

Soon Carly would catch him looking at her, see the change in his eyes, and know what he was feeling now. Jason knew that.

Still he went to Greystone tonight, walked up the stairs, knocked and then entered her room.

Jason spotted her sitting on the edge of the bed, sliding black knee length boots on. Her smile at seeing him was so pure and full of joy that it made her look irresistible to him, he wanted to grab Carly right there and see if their kisses still set the world on fire.

He had no doubt they would.

Jason asked "Where do you want to go?"