Special thanks to Sparxx27, Misha, Liasonfan1 and jhart for all your wonderful words of encouragement. I'm glad that you guys are really enjoying my story. Well here it is, the awaited Carly confrontation! She's not as fired up as some of you would have liked but keep in mind that though Carly sometimes says and does too much, all she really wants is Jason's happiness. Well keep the reviews coming and tell me what you think of Carly's reaction and my Cliffhanger Friday!

Disclaimer: Don't own them but I wish I did.

Chapter 10

At the sound of the other woman's voice Elizabeth closed her eyes tight, wishing with all her might that the woman would simply disappear if she wished hard enough. She would release her light hold on Jason and they would both ease apart from one another. One glance at Carly and Elizabeth knew that the following moments were not going to be pretty ones. Carly had never liked Elizabeth and that feeling was extremely mutual, but both women had exchanged certain moments when they could agree on something and even be on the same side, except for one big subject…Jason. Carly had never approved nor understood the connection between Jason and Elizabeth and neither felt inclined to try and explain it.

"Aren't you supposed to be, oh I don't know, with your husband? Or did you forget you had one? That seems a bit unlikely coming from the Purity Princess but I've learned you just never can expect anything out of you." Carly sneered at Elizabeth and threw her purse on the table making it clear she wasn't going anywhere without an explanation. Jason tried to issue a warning to Carly before this got too far out of hand but it seemed Elizabeth had taken some exception to Carly's words and honestly he didn't blame her, even he did but he also knew that Elizabeth and stress right now just wasn't a very good combination which was why when Elizabeth moved forward to confront Carly he took her arm and pulled her back up against him hoping to end the fight before it started. Elizabeth wouldn't be swayed though and despite Jason's comforting arm around her stomach and his chest pressed against her back she spoke.

"You know I am sick and tired of you barging into places and casting stones you shouldn't be casting. If I remember correctly, aren't you the first person in town to go running too when it comes to advice on cheating? I mean you've forgotten you were married plenty of times, oh but I guess its just something in your DNA, apparently all you Spencer's suffer from it. Lucky's the one that forgot he was married, but you should know that, after all aren't you the one that told me about Lucky and Maxie in the first place?" She was panting with furry and wanted nothing more than to slap that smug look right off Carly's face but the band of Jason's arm wouldn't let her. Instead he shot a glance to Carly, something in his eyes must have told Carly to keep her mouth shut because she simply rolled her eyes, gave a huff and turned her back to them. Jason wasted little time in helping Elizabeth out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Cam was sitting at the couch coloring perfectly unaware of the tension coming out of the Kitchen in waves. Jason made Elizabeth look at her son and bent to whisper in her ear, his warm breath fanning her neck causing a shiver of awareness to pass through her, even despite the anger still pumping through her veins.

"Cam doesn't need to see his mother in a fight with a stranger and we both know its not good for either you or the baby. I know what she said was wrong and you have every right to defend yourself, but not here and not now. I'll talk to Carly, explain things to her the best I can, in the meantime why don't you take a seat with Cam and let him calm you down." And Jason knew it would. He'd seen Elizabeth upset plenty of times but he knew the instant her little boy was near a calmness would come over her and for awhile she'd be able to forget some of the things Carly said.

"Just…keep her away from me Jase, I can't handle her on top of everything else." Already she sounded calmer, just looking at Cam and having his arms about her, his voice whispering in her ear. How many times had those arms and that voice been her sanctuary and her reason? Elizabeth thought that she would be able to find that in Lucky's arms and in some ways she did. No matter how much she was hurt with Lucky right now, she wouldn't belittle the love that they'd had. When it was good, it was incredible but when it went bad, it left a huge sting. She'd loved him with all she had, placed all her hopes and dreams in him and some of them he'd made come true. It was just, no matter what was going on in her life, who she was with, Jason had this way of making everything that seemed so difficult, into something so simple. He knew the easiest way to calm her and make the cloud of furry leave those sapphire eyes of hers and every day she grew more and more grateful to him.

Feeling her relax in his arms and hearing her inhaled breath Jason slowly brought his arms from around her, allowing his hands to rest momentarily on her shoulders giving her a reassuring squeeze before releasing her to walk over to the couch. Jason sighed and ran a hand over his face, not in the mood to handle the hellcat in the kitchen but knowing for Elizabeth's safety he'd have to. Giving one last look to the mother and child coloring on the couch he turned and made his way back into the kitchen. Upon opening the door Carly turned towards him and was ready to shout her acquisitions and complaints but Jason held up a hand and shook his head with a pained expression.

"Not now Carly. We've been through hell the last two days and I'm not in the mood to explain everything now." She didn't even give him time to finish.

"Jason what is Elizabeth even doing here? Your supposed to be making it work with Sam, I highly doubt she'd appreciate you moving in your ex girlfriend and her kid. And why is she here anyway? I mean yea I get why she's leaving Lucky, I don't like Muffin Face, but she does deserve better than Lucky right now, though I'll be on my deathbed before I admit that to her, but Jason she has family and friends she can go to, instead of imposing on you."

Jason sighed and this time ran both his hands over his face trying to erase some of the tension there but it didn't relieve any so he just dropped them back to his hips and looked at the woman who for so many years had been his best friend. He loved Carly and knew that despite her hateful words to Elizabeth, she was just concerned about him. He appreciated it, he did but sometimes Carly was just too much. She liked to think that she could run his life better than he could and maybe there were times she was right but not now, and never when it came to Elizabeth. He knew the only way for her to go away was to tell her everything but how could he put into words all that had happened, when he wasn't even so sure of the events himself.

"Look, I know your think your helping me but you're not okay? Elizabeth is here because I want her here. She was planning on living with her Grandmother but I convinced her to move her and here." He held up his hand again when she tried to interrupt. "I'm only going to explain things to you if you shut up and listen Carly. I'm not getting back together with Sam. I tried okay, but every time I look at her, think about her I see him with his hands all over her and I get disgusted and furious all over again. I told her we could try again and we did but I just can't get over it. We both hurt each other too deeply this time and there is other…things in the way now even if I wanted to get back with her, which I don't."

Jason moved past Carly and to the stove to stir the sauce and then turn off the stove, the food now ready to be prepared. Jason needed something for his hands to do. Thinking about Sam hurt, but thinking about Sam and Ric, that just hurt like hell. Things with Elizabeth were complicated to be sure and the feelings he felt for her were real and genuine, but that didn't mean that his feelings for Sam weren't either. He loved Sam, he'd planned on spending the rest of his life with her and even when he was pushing her away something in the back of his mind always imagined them somehow finding their way back to each other. That wasn't possible now but that didn't take the pain away. Opening a cabinet he pulled down three plates and began to serve the spaghetti, he would have forgotten Carly was even there but she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Jase, I know your angry and hurt and I don't blame you one bit, but you love Sam. You were going to marry her, which has to count for something. I'm not blind either, I know there's something going on between you and muffin, but please don't let whatever that is ruin a good thing you got with Sam. It will take some time to wipe that memory away and make the sting of it stop but one day it will." She lowered her chin to rest on his shoulder and Jason sighed and shook his head. Maybe those words would have been true if Elizabeth hadn't come to him that night. If she hadn't allowed him to touch her and all those wants and desires from the past hadn't resurfaced in both of them but they had and she did and now she was pregnant with his child. Oh he knew that Elizabeth would gladly raise this baby on her own, allowing him to see it whenever he wanted and be with Sam, but he couldn't do that, not to her, the baby or himself.

"I don't have a future with Sam anymore Carly and that's something we both have to get used to. I can't be with someone just because you believe it's the right thing for me. Yes I love Sam but sometimes that's just not enough. But you're wrong about something, even if I don't start something with Elizabeth, I do have a future with her. Carly, Elizabeth's pregnant, and the baby's mine." He waited for shouts, anger, threats, warnings but none of that came. He was a bit surprised when she moved herself away from him and went to the table to gather her purse. Jason turned and watched her with cautious ice blue eyes; he didn't trust a quite Carly. She made her way to the kitchen entrance only to pause and turn to look at him with the tiniest hint of a smile on her lips.

"Congratulations Jason, you more than anyone deserve to be a father, I just hope you don't come to regret this later. Whatever you're feeling with Elizabeth with pass in time because your just both hurt and looking for comfort. Trust me I know all about that and I can't judge either of you, but what you have with Sam, that's real Jason, that lasts."

With that she turned and left Jason alone in the kitchen, leaning against the sink and thinking over her words. He knew that there was some truth to Carly's words. Elizabeth and him had gone down that long road before. Her looking for comfort, coming to him, both of them feeling that there's a chance and then it never goes anywhere but hurt. Yet despite they're past experiences, Jason knew that this time, this time was different. He knew that if he didn't take this chance to have something real with Elizabeth; that would be his regret, not breaking it off with Sam. Taking in a breath and slowly releasing it he turned and gathered the plates of food carefully before heading back towards the Living room.

Elizabeth looked up from the picture she was currently coloring to find Carly standing at the door and looking dead at her. Elizabeth felt a moment of panic; she couldn't fight with Carly now, not in front of her son. Her eyes moved from the woman to her son and Carly seemed to understand her worry and surprised Elizabeth by shaking her head before speaking quietly so she wouldn't alert Cam who was studiously coloring a picture of his favorite animal.

"I don't like you, you don't like me but I can get along with you if I have to for Jason's sake, but if you hurt him again Elizabeth so help me god…" she trailed off on her threat knowing Elizabeth would get the picture clearly. Normally Elizabeth would have jumped to her own defense but this time she couldn't. Carly was right, she'd hurt Jason before, numerous times in fact but this time, this time was different. So she just gave a nod of her head and watched as Carly turned to leave only to be surprised again when as she opened the door she paused and spoke over her shoulder.

"For what its worth, I'm sorry that Lucky did that too you." And without waiting for Elizabeth to comment she was gone.

Jason had just entered the kitchen to hear the last comment and watched as Elizabeth turned back to her son and fought back tears he knew already sparkled her lashes. He'd thought a lot about what all this might mean for the both of them, about a future he might have with her, but the truth was, right now they were both too hurt to begin anything. He didn't want to push either of them into something that they weren't ready for. Before she could fully succumb to her tears he moved forward and announced that dinner was served. Cam jumped up and began to clear the coffee table of his coloring books and crayons so Jason would have a place to put the plates. Elizabeth, eager to have something to do to distract herself, lifted one of the plates from his hands and sat it in front of Cam. Noticing he couldn't have gathered the silverware plus the drinks she moved off to the kitchen to help with that.

She was to the entrance of the kitchen when a wave of dizziness over came her and had her grabbing a hold of the wall to keep from falling. One hand resting on her baby she willed the spinning world to stop its crazy ride but it didn't listen and soon she felt herself becoming weak and then the world began to fade to black. The last thing she heard was Jason's yell of her name and the feel of his arms catching her before she could hit the floor and the sound of two children's laughter.