Chapter 6

Jason sits back after pouring over the financials for the past four months. He noticed a few things he didn't notice the first time around, then again, he has more that two decades more experience now.

He'll arrange a meeting with Bernie for the next week to sort it out.

For now, his focus is on Carly.

He phoned Filipo at just after sunrise. After his time with Michael, he eased his sore body onto the couch and after another while of realizing exactly how real and final this situation is, he finally did some breathing exercises, cleared his mind, and fell asleep.

He didn't sleep long and upon waking still had the dream memory he had, fresh in his mind.

It was a mundane memory about a situation he had to deal with for Sonny.

He cannot help but wonder if he will be having random memories every night or if it's just a side effect of the first night literally stuck in a different time. Unfortunately, they never had a chance to look into the effects of the memory jumps that Valentin was referring to.

Once he got hold of Filipo he explained about booking the flight for Carly, and that he needs to know where she is staying in case, he needs to get hold of her in the case of an emergency with his son.

His son.

It has become extremely easy for the words to just slip off his tongue. The fact that he would always love Michael as if he was his own, that the young man still seeks him out for guidance in life and the fact that he would die to protect him, has cemented it in his mind. Even before the accidental time travel, he had to watch his words when it came to Michael. No-one would have understood if he called him his son. And sometimes, it hurt when Michael spoke of Sonny as his dad. In those times he reminded himself how miserably he had failed to keep his promise to keep him safe. Getting shot and the coma, going to jail, being raped, those are the worst of it, but if he stayed and fought for his family instead of choosing to let them go to not cause him further pain due to the fights between all the adults in his life, perhaps the worst things would not have happened. And now, he has the chance to make that right.

All he could do now was impatiently trying to occupy his mind with numbers in order to wait out the time it will take Filipo to find Carly and give him feedback.

There's a knock on the door, then Rinaldo poking his head in the door.

"You have a visitor."

Jason quirks an eyebrow in question.

"It's a safe one."

Jason frowns. Could it be Bobby? He is very sure he remembers her coming over later.

Robin steps into the room.

Jason tenses.

Rinaldo closes the door.

He hates lying in general, but he has a distinct feeling that he would have to get used to this tickling sensation at the back of his neck. It's not like he can walk around proclaiming to the world that he's from the future. His actual inability to lie will mean a lot of play on words, phrasing things out of long forgotten memories and a lot of intellectual maneuvering on his part. And this will likely be his life for the foreseeable future.

He stands up, sighs and scratches his cheek. Then walks closer to Robin, waiting for her to start what could only be a confrontation.

"Hi." She says, smiles. The smile doesn't touch her eye.

"Hi." He answers, waiting, trying not to do his signature stone cold rest face.

Robin sighs, then awkwardly starts.

"Jason… I…Your lying to me, I don't know how… I know the… accident… makes it so you can't, but… You don't break promises. And you promised you wouldn't sleep with Carly… again."

Jason takes a beat, choosing his words carefully.

"Robin… Michael is my son. That is not a lie."

When she doesn't answer, stares at him, trying to read his face, his eyes, he realizes he will have to say more.

"I'm sorry. That's not what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth." He pauses, thinking back on a long-forgotten conversation with Carly in the Quartermain garden when he thought he was protecting Michael from all the tension and fighting, "And despite the best of intentions, I do break promises."

Robin is staring at him. This is comfortable. Staring, not speaking, that he can handle, but he is already squaring up to face the next question that can leave him without a plausible answer.

Tears are starting to form in her eyes. He hates being the reason, but counts it as a victory.

She looks down, then around him, then back at him.

"Why?"

Jason is momentarily confused. Why did he supposedly father a child? Or why does he break promises?

"Why what?" he asks, gently, allowing the confusion to show.

"Why did you sleep with her?" the question comes out in a strangled cry, then she continues, "I can count Jason, things were still good between us then, almost… magical."

Jason tries to think back to that time, to try an establish exactly when Carly would have gotten pregnant.

It's the night Emily overdosed. He was at the Quartermain's, AJ had just announced to the world that he was driving the night of the accident, he had given AJ his key to his room at Jake's and that's when Carly went looking for him after her fight with Dr. Jones and found AJ instead.

He was preoccupied with Dorman at that time. Robin was at Yale. Yes, during her visits, things were going well. Not much in material there for him to his train of thought, a small smile plays around his mouth as he realizes, he has definitely been spending way too much time with Carly over the years.

Robin frowns, looking hurt. He loses the small smile.

Focus Jason. Why did you sleep with Carly when you actually did sleep with Carly?

"I… just… couldn't help myself, even though I knew it was wrong." Well, that's true. He knew in a way that it was wrong, otherwise he wouldn't have kept it a secret, even though he was barely out of the coma and could not always understand what is appropriate. His impulse control wasn't yet what he had built it up to over the years.

"You just…" Robin starts, shocked, then stops when her watch starts beeping. She looks down, swallows, sighs.

"I… I have to take my protocol. I'll… um, I'll be in the kitchen. I need water."

Jason watches her walk off, handbag in hand. He is sure she feels the same relief to get out of the room as he feels watching her go.

He is startled as the door opens.

He looks up.

Carly.

She looks stunned, scared and he knows. She's early. She must be his Carly. Then a little thread of fear creeps in. He must be sure.

"How was your trip from Valentin's island?"

Carly's shoulders sags in relief then she smiles, brilliantly.

"A few decades long." She quips.

He can't help the smile that plays on his lips, his vision blurring with unshed tears.

They both just stare at each other for a second, relief washing over them like an ocean wave. And then she regains the use of her legs, runs to him, as his arms open automatically to catch her as she flings her arms around his neck.

"Oh, God, I was so miserable and so scared." Carly is crying.

"I thought I would never see you again." He counters, melting into her with relief. "I missed you."

She pulls back to look into his eyes, just to confirm again to herself. This is her Jason. This is his eyes. She feels the same way she did the moment she ran into his arms that first time after he came back, when they thought he had died. And now, here they are, stuck in their own past, with no way of returning to their lives.

"Jase, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." She's crying, drowning in how deep she messed up, again.

Jason cups her face in his hands, wipes her tears with his thumbs, smiling as he looks into her eyes. His Carly's eyes.

"No, it's not. This wasn't part of the plan." He doesn't want to begin to think what would have happened if Wiley ended up in the current field. "All you wanted was to keep the kid safe."

He can't stop touching her, the fear that had been stalking him like a predator, giving way to an overwhelming joy. Carly can't stop smiling at him, grateful that he is standing here, in front of her, in the same time, not lost in some never ending darkness, and somehow, as usual, not angry at how momentously she managed to screw them both over.

"I love you so much!" She exclaims as she throws her arms around him again.

He can't help but hug her close with his hand on the back of her head, drawing back for just a second to plant a kiss on her temple then pull her back in.

"I love you too."

He's grateful he does not have to face the endless questions that had been haunting him since he arrived.

"Well, I guess I got my answer."

They both tense as Robin's voice rings out loudly around them.

Carly starts pulling back, but Jason steadies his grip on the back of her head, halting her progress for a second.

"Be gentle, she just found out I'm Michael's father." He whispers, urgently, before he releases her, as she pulls back their eyes connect, communicating their unspoken understanding. – Nothing about AJ.

"Robin." Carly addresses her, "I didn't know you were here."

"Clearly." Robin folds her arms.

"I see through you Carly. First Dr. Jones, now Jason. Do you even care about the lives you destroy?"

Jason can see Carly gearing up for the fight, knowing it won't end well, and if she speaks before she thinks…

"Robin, you're angry with me, don't take it out on Carly."

"You're such a man Jason! Trust me now when I tell you. She will hurt you. A year from now it will be another guy, or a one night stand, and Michael will be left with you."

"I will never abandon my son!" Carly calls out in indignation.

"Never Carly? You already did. You walk in here and throw yourself at Jason like you never left. You haven't even asked about your son."

"Because I just got here, and I know he's fine. He's with Jason." Carly states, like it should be obvious, "Don't blame me if you didn't have what it takes to keep him."

Jason sighs in relief. Good, she's in full Carly mode, completely convinced herself of the situation she wants Robin to believe. He should step in at some point because when her mouth runs away with her, she can be quite hurtful.

"What Carly? Like sex?" Robin asks, hurt clouding her eyes.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Carly starts, Jason sighs in relief, she's not going that route, for now, "There's a hell of a lot more to Jason and me."

Jason steps forward, clearly Carly is going into future Carly mode. Young Carly would have harped on about the amazing sex.

"He loves me for me, faults and all!" Carly declares.

"Love? You don't know the meaning of love, if you did, you wouldn't have broken up Bobby's marriage, then once you got her husband, cheated on him with Jason and you wouldn't be here screaming at me. You would be upstairs with your son, remember him?"

Robin is now screaming.

Jason decides to step in. No-one can say anything about Carly as a mother. He should know. He has been there, seen her raising her children. He knows she would walk through hell for her kids.

"That's it, Robin. You need to leave."

"Why? You cheated on me, with that." She waves in the general direction of Carly, "and you actually think you love her?! I heard you! I can't stand by and watch her destroy you."

"That's not really up to you. Now, this is our home, you are a guest, and if you can't treat Michael's mother with respect, you are not welcome."

Robin just stares at him, then glowers at Carly who is clearly enjoying Jason's show of support if the smirk on her face is any indication.

"Fine." Robin answers, doing a quick inventory to make sure she has everything, before walking to the door. "But don't say I didn't warn you, Jason. I really do want you to be happy. I don't want you to get hurt."

She opens the door and looks back at him, not ready to leave, clearly hoping he will call her back so they can sort all this out.

Jason patiently waits for her to go.

"Okay, you can leave now." Carly shoos her with her hand.

As the door closes behind Robin, they both sigh in relief.

"Why didn't you tell me she was here?" Carly asks.

Jason shrugs.

"I forgot."

"You forgot Robin is here?!"

Jason shrugs again.

"I was happy to see you." The way he emphasizes the word 'you' tells her exactly what he means.

Carly smiles then throws her arms around him again in a hug, Robin forgotten.

"I know what you mean. I was so scared I'll pitch up here and young-you would be here and I would have to tell him all the sordid details of the future just to get him to believe me 'cause lying would be totally impossible and...and what if you got stuck in that black nothingness and I would never see you again, and you would never be able to get out ever and Oh! God! I messed up so bad this time Jason! How do you not hate me?!"

Jason pushes her away a bit.

"Just take a deep breath and count to ten." He smiles at her.

When she calms down a bit, she repeats the question.

"We are stuck, Jase, in 1998. How can you not hate me?"

"Carly, there is no way you could have known this would happen. We weren't even supposed to be traveling. Besides, the only thing worst than getting stuck here is getting stuck here without you."

Carly sniffs and hugs him again, before pulling away.

"Michael?" she tilts her head as she asks.

Jason smiles.

"I can't believe he was ever this small." He states as he turns, Carly on his heels to head upstairs.

There is a look of awe on Carly's face as she cradles Michael to her, sitting on the chair next to the crib. They had sent Leaticia off to run an errand so they can have the time to discuss their current situation in peace.

Jason is sitting on the floor, his back against the wall next to the door, watching her.

"I can't believe he was ever this… tiny." Jason repeats his earlier statement.

"You're telling me!" Carly looks up, "You know it was still weeks from now before I came back, I never saw him, held him, at this age… and at the hospital… I was so overwhelmed that… it's a bit of a blur." She looks down at Michael again, a tear running down her cheek as she smiles at him.

"I missed out on so much." She looks up at him, and their eyes connect. "I have a chance to make it right, make things up to him."

"We both do." Jason answers, then after a pause continues. "That's why… knowing what Robin will do with the knowledge, the whole mess with you marrying AJ… I just couldn't tell her the truth." He shrugs, "Besides, I can't fake a relationship, it's better that she knows that door is closed."

Carly doesn't know how to respond to that. In a way it's sad that they are rewriting history, on the other hand, just like when you live your life the first time around, you are hoping that your choices will lead to better outcomes in the future, with the benefit of some hindsight.

"We have a lot to do." Carly sighs.

"Speaking of…" Jason sounds tense, looks up at Jason somewhat alarmed.

"What?"

"Bobby is due to come over later. That was arranged before we got here. You need to tell her the truth."

Jason can see the situation settling on Carly as a look of fear masks her features. Carly can be as badass as anyone in mob situation or fighting for her kids, but twenty-some years on, rejection still scares the hell out of her.

"I'm not saying it will go over better this time, but… it will be sooner, and you know she'll forgive you eventually. Bobby… Our Bobby, loves you the same way you love Michael and Joss and Donna."

He knows he had gotten through to her as resolve settles on her features.

"You're right. I'll have to bite the bullet and come clean." Carly's mind wonders back to the memory jumps and settles on the first one.

"We need to tell my mom, I mean, Virginia about Michael, maybe, visit her or arrange accommodation here in Port Charles or…" she trails off, still unsure, but knowing that this time she will make it up to the woman who raised her, give her the daughter she wanted so bad and never really got before she died.

They both start as the doorbell chimes through the penthouse.

Jason gets up, leans over and squeezes her shoulder.

"We'll figure it out. That's probably Bobby, timing seems right. Do you want me with you…"

Carly shakes her head.

"I do my best grovelling in private." She tries to joke.

Jason smiles at her reassuringly before heading downstairs.