Carly sipped her wine as she waited for her dinner guest to arrive. She had waited for this moment for a while; she was excited. When his cologne hit her nose, she stood and received him. "Hello," she greeted.

"Why was I not surprised to get your call?" Jax took a seat in front of her after kissing her cheek. "So let me guess, you followed the kids? Where is Joss?"

"Joss is with Sam. She's fine, and yes, I followed the kids. Who did you follow, Brenda?"

"I've never followed her. I was here—"

"On business," Carly stopped him. "The thing is, I know you're supposed to be in Venice right now. Josslyn told me. So this little layover as you call it, was it a ploy to try and layover Brenda?"

"It was a last minute change," Jax sniped, and Carly laughed, taking another sip of her wine.

"I was married to you. You are aware that I know when a lie is falling out of your mouth."

"And I know when you're up to start something, Carly. Leave it alone. If I wanted Brenda, I would be with her right now."

"Black eye and all," Carly chuckled. "I know about your little run in at the airport. What did you do, Jax? Did you wait for her to show up or did you have people watching her to let you know when she left her suite?"

"I don't have people watching her. I am not out to bed Brenda."

"Good." Carly raised her glass. "Because I'd hate for you to get your feelings hurt again."

"I'd never let her hurt me like that again. And who says I wanted to see her?"

"The black eye you're sporting says you did. Listen I'm not here to lecture you. I gave up trying that years ago, but hear me. She's just as stuck on Sonny as she was before but she's fighting it. After a while, you might wear her down. She might even engage in a relationship with you. Hell, you could get married, and it might work if you stay right here, and Sonny never comes back to see her, but he's here now."

"What?" Jax's eyes bucked. "He's here? Why is he here? Why won't he just leave her alone? Hasn't he already ruined our lives enough? I was going to marry her, Carly. I was going to pledge my life to that woman after all these years, but she couldn't let him go."

"You were never going to marry her. It's impossible."

Carly laughed to herself, thinking about the news she had gotten hours before purchasing a ticket to Rome. She hadn't planned on coming until Avery shared the news of Sonny and Brenda's non divorce. She had been angry. Angry enough to kill. Now she found it comical.

Sonny and Brenda had both sworn they were done with one another, but she knew like most that it was simply untrue. Now this time it wasn't even their doing, but they were drawn back together. She had to admit it to herself that she had underestimated what she once thought was a mediocre love story. The truth was no matter how it was, Brenda and Sonny always came back. She once thought it was she and Sonny's mo, but she had come to feel that way about another. She'd never say it out loud. He was off limits.

"And why is that? I know you think no one can resist Corinthos, and maybe it's true in her instance, but one day catching one of his stray bullets might change her mind. We had a love just as strong as theirs. I tried to save her, but she has to want to save herself. When that happens maybe I'll still be around."

"You can't save her just like you couldn't save me. Women don't want saviors, we want men who love and value us. As for you trying to marry Brenda, that's all good and fine, but you would have to bypass the whole marriage thing to marry someone."

"Carly, our marriage has been resolved for years. You married Corinthos again for heaven's sake."

Carly found his words hilarious and laughed again. He was looking at her as if she had lost her mind, and she actually couldn't wait to share the news. His precious Brenda obviously hadn't gotten the chance. "Not you and me. Brenda and Sonny. She's still his wife."

Jax had picked up the glass of wine she ordered for him and took a gulp. "What?"

"They were never divorced. That means he and I were never married again."

"That's not funny, Carly."

"No, but I'll keep drinking until it is." Carly raised her glass in something resembling a toast and pulled it back when Jax didn't share her sentiments. "I still got a settlement, and I'm not giving it back. I deserve it after what I went through with him."

"How did he do this? So when we were engaged she was still his wife? I was making love to Sonny's wife?"

"You had no problem when the wife was me," Carly sniped. "I know I'm not her, but I am the mother of your child. I should get more of your respect."

"I respect you, Carly. I just... It's a lot. How did he pull this off? She said she sent him papers. How could he marry you knowing he still had a wife?"

"Sonny had no idea. Neither of them did." It pained Carly to come to Brenda's defense, but she had to be fair. Brenda seemed just as shocked as she was when she heard. "She was livid when the news was announced, and from what I hear, Sonny was surprised."

"Why do you do that?" Jax downed the rest of his wine.

"Do what?"

"Defend Corinthos at every turn. He's been nothing but a miserable part of both yours and Brenda's life, but you both defend him with every breath. You two might as well work out a schedule of who gets to marry him next. He seems to be the only one who gets the pleasure of stringing you both along."

"I always knew you were bitter, but wow."

"I'm not bitter," Jax argued. "I just hate to see—"

"You hate to see Sonny having something you don't. He's legally married to Brenda, he's been married to me, and you tried so many times to marry that girl, and it was never legal. So let me guess, you hate Jason too? You know he was married to her too."

"That was never real."

"Humph." Carly didn't know why, but before she could catch herself, the words flew from her lips, and she couldn't take them back. "Sure looked real when I left them today. You know Jason came here for her. He always comes for her. Sonny too. Your precious Brenda is in the hospital because they fought over her. She pushed Sonny away for Jason, but she's stuck on both."

"You're lying." Jax looked angry enough to kill.

"How about you call the people you have watching her and figure out if I'm lying or not. I'd never sit by her bedside otherwise. And who do you think asked me to after she sent Sonny packing?" The accusations were flowing out like water, but Carly had never felt more justified. Michael had filled her in on the things he said at the airport. Her first thought was to castrate him, but this had been much more fun. Placing thoughts about a fake romance between Brenda and Jason in his head was giving her satisfaction she hadn't expected.

Jax looked as if he was debating something for a few moments and then pulled his cell out, confirming her suspicions. He had to be some kind of fool to have people watching a woman who constantly chose another man over him. This whole elaborate scheme of his was a way of catching her at the airport. Obviously, the people he had weren't close enough to hear, but they had to see what she was doing. And that meant they should know about Jason's multiple trips here.

Jason didn't think Carly knew, but Sam had spilled the beans. She had this thing about Brenda she still hadn't shaken. Carly knew where their connection came from, and as much as she hated it, they had been friends over half their lives. He loved her.

After a few minutes on a call, Jax hung up and looked across the table at Carly, who was wearing her infamous smirk. "My info checked out?"

"How did he hurt her? She had a transfusion, right?"

"A transfusion of her husband's blood." Carly was bursting with joy when she saw the color drain from his face. "Sonny donated before he left and Jason and Robin are with her now."

"I have to go. I need to check on her." Jax stood, and Carly gripped his arm, pulling him down. "Let me go, Carly."

"I wouldn't do that. You're not welcome there. Jason might kill you, and besides, if you run into my son again, he might just carry through with his promises to bash in your face."

"It was a misunderstanding," Jax advised. "I just thought it was something it wasn't. I apologized."

"Apologies don't mean shit. You got in Michael's face, and I don't care what the reasoning was. Go near my son again and I'll kill you."

"Always the dramatic one, Carly. I loved Michael like one of my own children."

"You turned on him the minute you thought he had something you didn't." Carly took a deep breath and reached for her purse. "Stay away from him. Stay away from them all. As long as they're with her, she's off limits. I don't care what you do once they leave."

"If Jason is so devoted, why would he leave her here? He's with Sam."

"As I've stated before, Samantha McCall is a poor man's Brenda. They all fall over themselves for her." Carly didn't mean it. She and Sam were on good terms, but the win was staring her in the face right here. Who was she to walk away from it?

"Jason wouldn't do that. Not to his wife and kids."

"Jason Morgan wouldn't, but I don't know if you're familiar with Jason Q. He had a thing for Brenda. Always has. He'd do anything for her." Wrapping her hand around the object she was reaching for in her purse, Carly pressed the nozzle to Jax's knee and saw his eyes grow to the size of saucers. "You ever act as if you're going to do something to my son again and I will end you."

"Are you done, Carly?" Jax breathed out. He was trying to act tough, but she could tell he was shaken up.

"I'm just getting started," she warned and pushed her chair back after slipping her gun back into her purse. She had plans to hop the next flight home and was going to head to the airport. Something about Jax being here made her a little crazy, so she wanted to see him, lay down the law, and get back to Josslyn. She'd spoken to her earlier and let her know to keep her plans a secret. She wanted to see what Jax was up to first. Just as she assumed, Jax was still after Brenda. She thought to warn her, but did she really owe that woman anything?