"Carly, I have made an appointment with Alexis for us to discuss what we can do legally, so the Quartermaines can't take the baby away from us." Jason told Carly as he walked into the penthouse the next day.

A look of panic came over her face. "We can't tell Alexis that you aren't the father! Only you and I will know the truth. I don't trust anyone else!"

Seeing her panic, he walked over and sat down next to her. Putting his hand soothingly on her arm, he reassured her, "We aren't going to tell Alexis the baby isn't mine, just that the Quartermaines are plotting to take the baby away. I promise you, I won't tell anyone. You know you can trust me, right?"

"Of course. You are the only one I trust. Promise me that you won't tell anyone, not even Sonny or Robin. Only the two of us can know." She could just imagine what Sonny and Robin would do with that information. They would use it to cause her maximum damage, even if it would hurt Jason.

Hearing the fear in her voice, the protective instinct he was beginning to expect when it came to Carly filled him again. He would do anything, promise anything, to take away her fear. Nodding, he told her, "I promise. I won't tell anyone else."

Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned her hand in his, holding it tightly. "I know I keep saying this, but thank you. I don't want you to ever think I don't trust you, I'm just so scared all of the time. I wish I could just hide in here, and keep everyone else away."

Jason put his arm around her, pulling her into his side. Carly put her head on his shoulder and linked her arm through his. "You don't have to keep thanking me. I'm happy to help. Honestly, it's nice having someone around."

Smiling up at him, she asked, "So, Alexis huh?"

With a soft smile down at her, he said, "Yeah."

"Okay. I'm in. And I will probably keep thanking you. I have never had anyone stand up for me and help me the way you do. I don't know what I would do without you."

Jason felt a powerful pull towards her. His desire for her had never really gone away, he had just pushed it down for Robin. But Robin was gone, and his attraction for Carly was growing stronger. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, saying,"I promise I will always help you."

Carly could feel her love for him overflowing. She had fallen for him before, but when he didn't return her feelings, she had forced herself to move on as best she could. Living here with him, sharing her life with him, was causing all those old feelings to surface, and every day they got stronger and stronger. When she felt his lips on her forehead and the earnestness of his promise, tears began slipping down her face. It was impossible to convince herself that what she felt for him wasn't love. It was a hopeless case.

A couple of hours later, they were sitting in Alexis's office. She asked Jason, "So, how can I help you?"

Knowing how much he hated to lie, Carly answered instead. "We need you to stop the Quartermaines from taking our baby away."

"Our?" Alexis asked in surprise, looking at Jason.

Jason just nodded as Carly said, "Yes, Jason is this baby's father."

"And Tony Jones?" Alexis asked suspiciously.

"There is a small chance the baby could be Tony's." Carly admitted.

"I assume if it is, you will need me to help you gain custody?" Alexis said as she gathered her composure and professionalism. She refused to get too caught up in the chaos that was Carly's life. However, Jason brought her a lot of business, and she couldn't afford to alienate him.

When Carly nodded, she continued, "Well, there are a few things you can do to make you look more favorable to the courts. You need to show that you have a stable home environment for the child. Carly, do you have a job?"

"No, should I get one?" Carly leaned forward, completely focused on everything Alexis was telling her.

"Not necessarily. Having a parent who stays home with the child, especially when up against someone with a schedule like Tony's, could actually be more favorable to the courts. Surgeons have little available time. However, Jason, you need to make sure your business appears all above board. You need to be able to produce legitimate business ventures for the courts. Assuming you two are going into court as a team…" she trailed off ,the question clear as she looked between them.

Carly turned unsure eyes to watch for Jason's reaction. When he nodded, she turned back to Alexis and said, "Yes. We are a team."

Jason reached over and took Carly's hand. Intertwining their fingers, Carly began to relax.

Alexis watched the interaction with interest. Continuing, she said, "If that is the case, as long as Jason can show the courts he is financially secure and can support the family, then it might be to your benefit, Carly, if you plan to stay home with the child at least until the custody battle is complete."

Nodding earnestly, Carly said, "I can do that."

"This brings up another matter. If you want the best chance for custody, it would look better if you were married."

Carly's eyes shot to Jason. He leaned forward and asked, "Married? Why?"

"The courts will see it as a more stable home environment. Marriage shows that both parents are willing to make a long term commitment for the sake of the child. Honestly, it will give you your greatest chance at winning against Tony and the Quartermaines."

Alexis paused a moment, then asked, "You said the Quartermaines would try to get custody as well. Why would they go after your child?"

Carly cringed a moment, then said, "I had a one night stand with AJ, and now he is convinced the baby is his. But the chances of that are not likely. I had far more of a relationship with Jason and Tony, and even with Tony we were having problems, so we didn't have much of a physical relationship. The highest probability is honestly Jason. And AJ is just bitter about everything, so he says that even if Jason is the father, they will try to take the baby away."

Alexis looked flabbergasted for a moment. "You mean when you got pregnant you were with Jason, Tony, and AJ?!"

Carly jutted her chin out in her best take-your-best-shot stance. "What can I say? Men find me irresistible. I'm guessing you have never had that problem."

Jason looked down and smiled at this, while Alexis looked slightly disgusted.

"So, is there anything else we should do?" Carly put down her pride and pushed forward. What Alexis thought of her didn't matter, as long as she would help her keep her son.

Gathering herself together again, Alexis said, "We will know more when you get the paternity test results back. Until then, you need to project to the world a safe and stable environment. I will preemptively file custody papers for you and Jason. If you decide to get married, which again, I strongly urge you to do, please let me know, and I will fill in the paperwork accordingly."

Carly looked over at Jason, a question clear in her eyes. He simply told Alexis, "We will get back to you. Let us know when the paperwork is ready for us. Thank you."

Jason stood up and held out his hand to Carly, helping her when her pregnancy caused her to struggle standing up. He had a smirk on his face as he watched her ungracefully rise. At his look, she shot him a disgruntled look. When she was finally to her feet, he placed his hand on the small of her back leading her out of the room.

Getting into the car, Carly turned to look at Jason. "Okay, that was crazy. Don't worry. I'm not going to pressure you to marry me. Even I know that is asking far too much."

Calmly looking over at her, he said, "It's just a piece of paper, right? If it would help…"

She sat there simply staring at him for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak, but when the words wouldn't come, she shut it again.

"I don't think I have ever seen you speechless," Jason said with a smile.

"Are you seriously saying you will marry me? You would do that for us?" She looked at him in awe. Tears entered her eyes as she realized she was in love with this man. What she felt for him, made every other man she had convinced herself she loved pale in comparison. No one else had ever gone to bat for her the way he did. She had known that she loved him, but being in love with him was another level, and far more terrifying. No matter how amazing he was to her, she had learned the hard way with men in general, and this man in particular, that guys like him didn't pick girls like her. If she ever did get a chance with him, she was sure she would mess it up like she did before. However, all her logical reasons not to fall in love with him were proving pointless. How could she not fall in love with him? He was protecting her and protecting her baby. The double edged sword of loving him was that, though it meant the world to her, though she wanted nothing more than to marry this amazing man, she couldn't let him make that sacrifice. She loved him enough that she wanted him to be happy.

Seeing the rejection on her face, he leaned forward and took her hand in his when she just sat there staring at him. "Carly, this is the best chance for us to protect this baby. I want to do this for you."

Shaking her head, she told him, "I can't let you do that for me. That is asking too much."

"I'm offering, you aren't asking."

"What about Robin? What if she comes back and you are married to me? It definitely won't show us as being stable and safe if you are sneaking around to be with her. And I don't want to get in the way of you being happy, even though I am convinced she is all wrong for you." She started getting worked up. "But you deserve to be in love. You deserve…"

"Carly!" He practically yelled to stop her rambling. He felt an urgency to get her to agree. Though he wasn't ready to analyze why yet, getting Carly to agree to marry him felt like something he needed to do. It wasn't just about helping her at this point, it meant more than that to him. Addressing her main concern, he said, "Robin and I are over. With what she did, I could never trust her again. And with some space, I have realized that she never really wanted me. She was constantly trying to change me. I don't want that. So, that isn't a concern here. "

"Are you sure? It's not just a piece of paper. At least, it won't be for me. And as far as the courts are concerned, it can't be. We have to commit to it. No other relationships, and playing the happy couple in public. We have to act committed and in love if we want everyone to believe it is real. We both know I can lie with no problem, but that could be difficult for you." Carly desperately wanted to throw all caution to the wind, and just say she would marry this beautiful man. But she didn't want him to end up resenting her, or for this to somehow make her lose him for good.

Jason looked down thinking for a moment, then asked, "What would I have to do to make it look real?"

Gnawing on her bottom lip, she told him, "Some physical stuff. I mean, we already hold hands, so that won't be an issue. Maybe some kissing. I know you aren't big on public displays of affection, so we can play that one by ear. The main thing is that both of us have to commit to not having any other relationships. That will probably be difficult for us. We both so thoroughly enjoy sex, and this marriage would need to last for awhile. Do you think you can abstain for that long?"

Folding his hands together, he bent his head down to stare at them as he thought about what she had said. The problem was two-fold in his mind. First, could he go that long without sex? He had an iron-tight control over his body, so normally the answer would be yes. This brought up the other part of the issue: could he control his urges while living with Carly? If he was supposed to be touching her and maybe kissing her, could he keep that tight rein on his desire for her? He didn't worry about wanting to have sex with other women, they weren't the problem. But, Carly? That could be a problem. He so clearly remembered what it felt like to have sex with her. He remembered long nights twisted up with and buried inside her. And though she thought he felt none of those things anymore, he was constantly ignoring the tightening in his body and the mental pictures that popped in his head when she was near.

He looked at her pregnant belly, remembering the sonogram and the baby's heartbeat. He had felt an overpowering sense of awe and even love for the tiny person in that black and white image. He felt so protective of this baby already. Just as protective of the baby as he felt for Carly, maybe even more so because this baby was a part of Carly. With resolve, he looked up at Carly, who was looking out the window, and said, "Yes, I can do that. Can you?"

Her eyes shot back to his, widening in surprise. "For my baby? I would do anything. I will give up sex for the rest of my life if it means I get to be part of my son's life."

"So, are we doing this? Are we getting married?" He asked cautiously, ready to counter any of her arguments.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned her head back for a moment thinking. This would be best for the baby, and she meant it when she said she would do anything for this tiny life that was depending on her. Her love for her son overrode any misgivings. Looking back at Jason, with a smile, she said, "Yes. I'm in."

As soon as she said the words, she was overcome with a sense of joy. The idea of being Jason's wife was the sweetest reality she could imagine. Her face lit up as her heart began racing.

Jason brought her hand to his mouth, softly kissing her knuckles. "Good."