Chapter 11

Jason rushed into Audrey's house, where Elizabeth was lying on the couch, her feet propped up and her hand covering her eyes. She looked to be in pain, and Jason rushed to her side.

"Jason…"

"How you feeling?"

"Better," she admitted with a nod. "But I'd like to go to the hospital and check everything out…make sure the baby's ok."

"Sure," he said softly. "Come on. I'll help you out. It's kind've slick out there."

"Ok. Ah, we have to bring Cam. Gram's at work, and there's nobody to watch him." Jason nodded.

"Ok. I'll go get him. In his room?" She nodded, and Jason hurried up the stairs, two at a time, and he found Cameron playing on the floor with the Chuggin' Charlie he'd gotten him for Christmas.

"Jason!" Cam said with a big grin, running over to hug Jason's leg.

"Hey, Buddy." Jason lifted the boy into his arms. "You want to come with me and your mommy? We have to go to the hospital."

"Baby's coming?"

"No, no, it's not time yet. We just need to make sure the baby's growing ok in your mommy's tummy."

"Oh," Cameron said with a nod, as if he knew exactly what was going on. "Ok, Jason." Jason held onto the boy and hurried down the stairs, where Elizabeth was standing by the door and waiting for them. She had one hand on her belly and the other firmly on the doorknob.

"Jason, I think we need to hurry," she urged. Sensing the fear in her voice, Jason's heart began to beat faster, and he helped her and Cam with their coats before escorting them out to the car and toward General Hospital.


Lucky escorted Sam into Kelly's, where it was nice and warm, since the snow was beginning to come down in sheets now. Sam had wanted to go someplace else, because she and just been here with Jason, but she didn't say anything. It was nice of him to stay with her to give her someone to talk to.

"Take a seat, and I'll get us a couple coffees," Lucky offered. Sam nodded her thanks, and Lucky started up to the counter to ask Georgie for the order. When he came back to the table with both cups, he smiled, handing her one.

"Thanks," she whispered, taking a sip of the hot coffee and letting it warm her entire body. "It's good."

"Maybe caffeinated wasn't the best choice, hmm?" he asked. "You look like you need to relax."

"I'm ok. I guess I just got a little emotional."

"You're entitled. If you want an honest opinion, I think Jason's an idiot."

"What?"

"You lost your mother, and you buried her today, Sam. He should be with you."

"Elizabeth needed him. The baby…"

"You realize it's going to be a tug of war between you and Elizabeth for Jason for the rest of your lives. That baby has a pull on him, so who's going to win every time?" Sam looked away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No. No," she said shaking her head. "Jason loves me. I know that. But he made a choice, and now he's going to be a father. I can't compete with Elizabeth, because she can give him something I can't. But he says he loves me, Lucky. He said he wants to spend the rest of his life with me."

"I'm sure he means it. But what's going to happen when you're on your honeymoon, and the kid gets a fever, and he comes running? Do you really want to be second best in his life?" Sam squirmed a little bit.

"I don't think…I don't think you know well enough to ask me that question."

"I didn't mean to cross the line, Sam. I just…"

"Well, you did," she snapped. "Look, I appreciate the gesture, but I have to go." She stood up, taking one last sip of her nearly full cup. "Thanks for the coffee." With that, she turned and fled the diner as quickly as she'd come in.


Carly sat beside Sonny in the limo, shivering in her coat. Sonny noticed that she was shaking, and he turned up the heat. Carly smiled thankfully at him, and she continued to stare out the window. Sitting next to her, Sonny could barely contain his desire for her. Her long, slender legs looked silky smooth. She wasn't wearing hose, which made him want to slide his hand along her smooth skin and place soft kisses there. He wanted to make her melt for him.

Carly could feel his eyes roaming over her body, and if it had been a few days ago, she would have screamed at him and told him to cut it out, because Jax was her one and only, and nobody else had the right to look at her that way. But now, after everything that had happened over the past couple of days, she enjoyed the attention, and the fact that it was coming from Sonny felt even better. She had wanted him all along, but she'd felt an obligation to Jax. But the longer he was gone, the longer she'd realized that Sonny would never have left her like this. Hell, if it had been him, she'd have wanted to go along, he would have forbid her, and then they'd have had a wild night of sex, in which she would convince him that he'd miss her too much if they were apart, and then she'd go with him. But, she hadn't felt inclined to go with Jax. She hadn't even expected he'd be gone this long.

"What're you thinking about?" Sonny asked, as the limo continued on toward the No-Name. When she didn't answer, he answered for her. "Let me guess. Jax." He looked out his own window, but she looked at him.

"Actually, I was." When she didn't him move, she felt the need to explain.

"I was just thinking about how stupid I was to believe I could be happy with him."

"Funny," he commented. "I was just thinking about how stupid I was to let you go." Carly's eyes met his, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

"You shouldn't say that, Sonny."

"I shouldn't?"

"No."

"You know why, Sonny! This isn't supposed to be happening. I'm not supposed to feel this way about you."

"How do you feel?" he asked, unable to resist flashing his dimples. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Would you stop? Please, for just one minute?"

"I didn't hear you complaining before."

"I wasn't thinking straight. This isn't supposed to happen between us again, Sonny."

"But what if it is?"

"You know I just broke things off with Jax. I'd like to not think about anything else until I tell him it's over."

"You talked to Jane. I'm sure she got the point when you talked to her."

"I'd like to tell him for myself, Sonny." Sonny sighed. He was going to do things right. Damn it, why did that thought have to enter his mind right now?

"Well, at least then he'd know for himself. It'd be over for good."

"You're loving this, aren't you?"

"I'd lie if I didn't say I was thrilled it's over between you two."

"Yeah, so you can swoop in and turn on the charm and expect me to go to bed with you."

"You said it, not me," he teased. Carly sighed with feigned disgust. She couldn't deny the fact that this excited her. They used to argue worse than this and end up in bed an hour later. The passion was what drove them, and it was good. It was always good.

"Sonny," she warned, "I don't know why I agreed to this. I don't know why I'm going here with you tonight."

"I do."

"Oh, you do? Why then?" Sonny leaned close to her, and she could feel his breath against her cheek.

"Because you know it's only a matter of time before you admit to yourself that we belong together, and you're using tonight to try to find a way to convince yourself that you're wrong." Not moving away from him, Carly's eyes focused on his lips, remembering the feel of them, the taste. She licked her lips obliviously.

"You don't know how I feel," she pointed out in a husky whisper.

"Sure I do," he whispered, his hand softly caressing her knee, sending sparks throughout her entire body. "You feel like letting go of the past and getting on with the future. You feel like giving us another chance, because you know that when we're together, it's the most powerful feeling in the world."

"Until you try to control me," she retorted, still not moving, as Sonny inched further toward her.

"I don't want to control you, Caroline. I want to protect you, and I might seem controlling, because I want to keep you safe…close to me."

"I can take care of myself."

"I know, but I can't help worrying about you."

"You don't have to," she whispered, softly stroking his cheek. Her gaze had grown softer, but the fire was still there.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," he whispered. "I can't promise it won't happen again, but I can promise that I'll never stop loving you. I'll do whatever's in my power to keep you and the kids safe. But I can't promise that I won't seem controlling. If I lose control, I lose myself, and I lose you. I can't lose you, Carly. Not again. It's Hell without you."

"Sonny," she whispered, as his hand moved away from her knee and stroked her soft cheek.

"You might want to fight it forever, but I'll never give up. I love you too much to let you go again. It'll be better, Carly, I swear to you. And if it's not, I'll sign the divorce papers myself. I just want to try again. I want to give our children the family they deserve."

"I don't know if I can do this, Sonny. I don't know if I'm strong enough."

"Hey, hey, listen," he said, "you're the strongest woman in the world, Caroline. I don't want to hurt you. I don't mean to hurt you. If we start to tear each other apart again…I won't let it happen. We'll let go before then." He honestly wasn't even sure if letting go was possible. Neither was she.

"It's inevitable, Sonny. We always find a way to hurt each other without meaning to. I'm tired of hurting, Sonny." He leaned in closer, softly brushing his lips against hers. She trembled at his touch, but he felt her kiss him back. When he pulled back, he looked deep into her eyes.

"So am I. But I'm willing to try again if you are." Her eyes sparkled with fresh tears. This wouldn't be easy. Sometimes, it'd be downright Hell, but she couldn't deny that she didn't want to try again. She wanted someone who challenged her, and damn it, he did. He pushed her every day, and even when they were at their worst, she'd found a way to stay strong, especially when he'd needed her to be. They'd just gone too far the last time, but maybe it had been what they'd needed to open their eyes and find a way to be together under different circumstances.

His eyes searched hers for a response, but they had closed, and tears were falling. He kissed her cheek, tasting the salty sweetness of her tears, and finally, his lips found hers again, kissing them softly, slowly, letting her decide where they were going to go. She was scared, as her fingers softly caressed the sides of his neck and ran through his hair. She moaned, as she pressed her lips against him, feeling so good for once. She breathed shallowly, letting the kiss deepen, and she opened her mouth to him, feeling him trace his tongue along her bottom lip. She sucked on his lip, tasting him and moaning from deep within, as his hands moved into her hair and pulled her in closer.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer, as her back pressed into the locked door. He was moving over her, and having him so close felt so natural. She moaned softly, as his mouth moved to her neck, softly suckling the tender flesh there. She craned her neck, and she ran her hands over his muscular back, feeling his heart beating beneath the fabric of his coat. His mouth found hers again, and his tongue found hers, stroking it and urging her into a higher state of passion. Her breaths were growing quicker and shorter, and he was responding to her kisses in his own way, which she could clearly feel.

"You're amazing," he breathed against her lips, reveling in their moistness. He traced an invisible path from her lips to the spot behind her ear that he knew drove her crazy.

"Oh God," she groaned, as his tongue flicked out to trace around the rim of her ear. She closed her eyes tightly, and her nails dug into his back, as his hand began to make it's way up her thigh. "Sonny…" She was now lying flat against the seat, and he was over her, kissing her deeply, not wanting it to end. They were frantically grasping at one another, wanting to keep going but knowing they should probably stop.

"I need you," he breathed, as he pulled back to look into her tear-filled eyes. "Just tell me the words, and I'll stop." Her eyes bore into his, and she blinked, letting the tears slipped out. She couldn't speak. She couldn't stop.

"I need you," she whispered back, feeling the gap close between them again, as his lips closed over hers, kissing her with such intensity that she felt as if she was flying through the air with him. Her head was spinning, and she felt so good. "Mmmm….Sonny…" She arched her back, as his hand found the band of her panties, and she gasped, as his cool fingers tickled the warm flesh of her belly.

"I missed you," he moaned, as he pressed kisses to the hollow of her throat. She missed him too, but words were beyond her now, as he began to tease the sensitive flesh of her stomach. She wanted him to touch her. It had been way too long, and she needed him now.

But, just as she was about to call out to him, the limousine came to a halt, sending them both lurching forward a bit.

"Oh God," she breathed, as Sonny nearly fell onto the floorboard. They were holding onto one another now, and she felt slightly embarrassed, hoping Max hadn't heard what they'd been doing. But, then again, he'd probably heard worse from them before. She helped him up, and they sat up, straightening each other into a presentable state. Carly smiled sheepishly at him, her eyes still glazed with passion.

"We should um, eat something. Eat something. We'll…we'll figure the rest out later." She was still a little out of breath, and Sonny loved that about her.

"Yeah. You're probably right," he agreed. But, he couldn't resist one more kiss before they left the limo, and he made this one slow and sweet, wanting the taste to linger on her lips until they were alone again. "Until later then." Her eyes told him that later wouldn't come soon enough, and he helped her out of the limo and into the restaurant, eager to get this part of the night over with as quickly as possible.


Author's Note – Thanks for all of the support so far! Please keep the feedback coming! It definitely helps me out in the writing process! Ash