Part II
Two weeks later
"Well, well, well, Caroline! You've finally graced my pride and joy with your presence," Luke called from behind the bar of Luke's. Carly snorted as she made her way to the stools in front of him. It had taken awhile for all the stiffness to recede and the bruises to fade a little bit, but Carly had not let it or anything else hold her down.
"Pride and joy my…" Carly started.
"Oh look, you've brought your thug with you!" Luke interrupted when he saw Jason walk in the doors. Carly rolled her eyes.
"He's not my thug and he has a name. Manners would require you to use it - but wait - you don't have any. Manners, that is… or a brain," Carly said as Jason sat down next to her. Luke put a hand over his heart.
"Your barbs wound me, Caroline," he said, putting on a fake pout. Carly rolled her eyes.
"Whatever Uncle Luke," she said, drawing out the 'uncle' for Luke's benefit.
"May I ask why you've come here? I figure the sooner I get you talking, the sooner I don't have to look at you," he said, wiping a glass with a towel. Carly frowned.
"Actually, I came to ask a favor," she said, looking over at Jason. He nodded in support. Luke laughed loudly as he put the glass down and looked at his blond barracuda of a niece.
"And what, pray tell, can good old Uncky Luke do for poor wittle Caroline?" he asked as if he were talking to a second grader. Carly cleared her throat, uncomfortable, as she shifted in her seat.
"Well, I kind of need a … job. It's just to get me started," she added quickly at the end. Luke just looked at her for a few seconds before standing straight from leaning on the bar.
"And I can help … how?" he asked.
"Well, I was hoping maybe I could help you out here. I can bartend - and I'm pretty good with numbers, I could do the books. I can't cook very well - but I've heard that's a Spencer trait ," she said.
"However do you come by that? I'm a great cook," Luke said.
"Luke, you burn cereal … and you don't have to cook it," Bobbie's voice said just as Jason choked out a 'bull shit'.
"Barbara Jean! Of all the turncoats, I never expected you! And that time in Texas was just a fluke. It was hot out," Luke said, looking at his little sister as she walked up to the bar. Bobbie shook her head.
"Well, are you going to answer Carly's request?" she asked. Luke looked back at Carly again.
"Why can't you hire her at Kelly's?" he asked. Bobbie shrugged her shoulders.
"I will if she asks me. Carly came to you first," she said. Uncharacteristically touched by his sister's comment, he relented.
"Fine. I need a bartender for the weekend. Claude's taking some God-forsaken vacation. If you handle it okay, then I'll hire you – but not permanently," he said gruffly. Carly smiled as she stood up.
"What time do you want me here?" she asked. Luke waved a hand at her as he poured himself a shot of tequila.
"Come at four tomorrow. I'll give you a quick lesson on how things work before things get heavy," he said before taking his drink. Carly nodded.
"Great," she said. She turned to go but then turned back to Luke. "Can I ask why you're helping me out?" Luke shrugged.
"Caroline, you're family. Spencers stick together. You've had a rough time of it lately and, well, I don't hate you… much," he said. Carly's eyes watered at his words. Luke didn't hate her… much. What was the world coming to? It was the kindest thing the man had ever said to her and she didn't know what to say back. A tear found its way out of the corner of her eye and she reached up to wipe it away before turning and running out of the bar. Bobbie, Jason and Luke all watched with different expressions. Luke's held confusion, Bobbie's held concern and Jason's held understanding.
"What the hell was that all about?" Luke bellowed as Jason turned back to the bar and leaned his elbows on the clean surface.
"I should go check on her," Bobbie said.
"She'll be fine, Bobbie," was all Jason said. The Spencer siblings both looked at Jason.
"Okay - you are the resident Carly expert. What just happened? Why was she so upset? What did I say?" Luke asked. Jason just looked at him for a second, much to Luke's annoyance.
"Well - you just told her you didn't hate her. Which means you care - which, ultimately, means you accept her as a part of your family. You not only caught her off guard, but you just made what she's been working so hard for the past few years become a reality, not just a dream," he explained, the expression on his face never changing. Bobbie nodded and wiped a tear from her eye.
"That's right. All she's ever really wanted was a family," she said with a smile. Jason nodded as he took a drink of the beer Luke placed in front of him.
"Well, I honestly don't know what's more shocking. The fact that you understand that freak of nature more than any human being possibly will - or that you just pieced together more sentences than I've ever heard come out of your mouth," Luke said with a smirk in Jason's direction. Bobbie slapped her brother's arm.
"Could you maybe tone down the sarcasm?" she asked. Luke grinned again.
"Naaaaah. That would make it too easy on everybody," he said. Bobbie rolled her eyes.
"Cause Lord knows it's a trial just to put up with you when you're not saying anything," she said.
"You know you love your brother, lil' sis," Luke said with a wink at Bobbie.
"Yep. Just like you know you love your niece," she shot back.
"Yeah, well - somebody, somewhere is having a heart attack for me just thinking that I might," Luke said shaking his head.
"Well, I should probably head home. Lucas is coming home from his friend's house in a few hours. He'll want dinner," she said.
"At least one Spencer was spared the cooking curse," Jason said. Luke chuckled as Bobbie smiled and rubbed Jason's shoulder.
"You're welcome to join us, Jason. Carly's bringing Michael over later…" she said.
"Thanks for the offer, Bobbie, but I've got some business things to straighten out later tonight," he said. Bobbie nodded.
"Another time then. Don't be a stranger, okay?" she said. Jason nodded as the redhead gave him a hug.
"Bye, little sister," Luke said.
"Talk to you later, Luke," she said as she walked out. Luke watched Jason for a few seconds before shaking his head.
"What my sister and her delinquent daughter see in you, I'll never know," he said.
"It's the charm. I have a deep, untapped well of it…" Jason replied, taking another sip of his beer. Luke laughed.
"You are just full of the jokes tonight, aren't you?" he asked. Jason shrugged.
"What can I say? It's a talent," he said. Luke shook his head.
"So this is what a light-hearted Jason Morgan looks like," Luke said, noting the subtle change in the man's demeanor. Jason Morgan was always known for his seemingly emotionless state, his ruthless 'business' dealings, and his cut and dry lifestyle. The man was never known to smile, laugh or joke around.
"Carly's alive and healthy… Michael is pretty much out of the Quartermaine clutches for good. I guess you can say that makes me 'light-hearted'," Jason said.
"It's good to see you back again and helping her out," Luke said, still putting away his glass stash.
"Well, she's going through a rough spot right now. She needs all the friends she can get," Jason said. Luke raised an eyebrow at the word 'friends'. It was no secret that darling Caroline would give her right arm to be a permanent fixture in Jason's life. And with all that Jason's done for her in the past, it was no secret to everyone else on what Carly meant to Jason.
"Yeah - a divorce will do that to you. Now, I don't get the whole job thing. She has the club. Why would she want to work here?" Luke asked. Jason sighed as he ran a hand over his face.
"Jax handed over the management position to Skye," he said. Luke slammed the glass he was putting away down on the counter.
"Why the hell would he do that!? That woman is nothing but a redheaded viper dressed up in Quartermaine airs…" he bellowed. Jason nodded in agreement at the description of his stepsister.
"He used the fact that Carly was gone for weeks against her and asked her to resign. Something got his pants in a twist – I think it may have been the rumors that she was going to try and buy him out after the divorce. It made him a little bitter, I guess. She couldn't contest his decision since he holds the mortgage for Club 101," he said.
"I thought Jax was her friend! And that club was her life's work! He knows that! She put blood and sweat into that thing to make sure it was a success, and he just tore that out from under her!" Luke yelled.
"I know that, Luke. I've got Alexis looking at things. Carly'll get her club back, even if I have to buy it to do it," Jason said, wincing at the mention of Alexis. Luke was fuming.
"If you need help, you've got mine," he told the younger man.
"Thanks, Luke. I don't plan on breaking Jax's kneecaps just yet, but I appreciate your offer," Jason said with a hint of a smirk.
"Well, that wasn't what I had in mind - but that scenario is looking better and better," Luke said, rubbing his chin. Jason laughed, taking Luke off guard.
"Man! I've got to get used to this 'new' you," Luke joked. Jason smirked outright as he finished his drink and set the empty bottle down.
"Maybe it's not new," he replied.
"God forbid! If it were new, then maybe that would be the sign of the apocalypse…" Luke grumbled.
"I should probably get going," Jason said.
"Yeah, yeah. Sonny's blown the whistle. So, when are you going to tell my niece you love her?" Luke asked nonchalantly. Jason head snapped around to look at Luke.
"Luke…" he started before the older man waved him off.
"Don't bother denying it, Morgan. I know it, you know it, I know you know it, and you know I know you know it. The question is: what are you going to do about it?"
"It's difficult right now. She's in the middle of divorcing Sonny, and she loved him. It's going to be hard on her. I don't need to be in between them making things harder. When things quiet down again …" Jason tried to reason before Luke barked out a laugh.
"Quiet?! When have things ever been quiet around Caroline? Sure she loved Corinthos… but not like she loved – loves - you. It's in the girl's eyes every time she looks at you. You know why she married him. It was because you wanted her to. You know why she tried to be happy. It was because you wanted her to. You know why she tried to build a life - a family - with Corinthos. It was because she thought you wanted her to. You left, Morgan. There was nothing else for her to do. You didn't give her a choice. So, now, you're back and your friend fucked up royally… now she's on her own again. She's always loved you - and we all know that when Caroline loves, it's forever. The questions is, are you going to be there to help her piece her life back together knowing that if you ask, she'd go to the ends of the earth to be with you? Or are you going to stand back, being miserable in love with her and her being miserable in love with you, and let another Corinthos into her life? Another man to use her, disrespect her, and tear her apart again?" Luke asked. It took Jason a few seconds to get used to this tirade – others would call it advice – on love coming from the one and only Luke Spencer. But when he did, Jason listened to what the man was saying…
Carly's house
Carly sat in the chair looking out the back window. It was one of her favorite places to sit, especially on a clear night. The moon was gorgeous and if a person really looked, they could catch some of the constellations. It was a quiet night since Michael insisted that he stay over at Grandma Bobbie's for the night. Carly chuckled to herself as she stood up. If her little boy didn't hero worship his Uncle Lucas the way he did, Carly would begin to wonder if her baby was growing up on her and finding his mother 'un-cool'. Finding her way over to the stereo system, she flipped through some of her CD's. Picking no specific one in particular, she took it out and put it in the player. Pushing play, she walked back over to the window as the strains of music filled the house. Instead of sitting back down, she leaned against the windowsill and hugged herself.
Things were so crazy. She didn't know what to do. Scott Baldwin had called her earlier telling her that Sonny had attempted to put a stop on the divorce papers. After a full ten minute rant on Carly's part, Scott had assured her that no matter how much money Sonny flashed around, there was no way he could rescind the papers without Carly's approval. Carly's response to Scott's following question? No fucking way. If Sonny thought that Carly was going to stay married to him, then he had another thing coming. Now, all she had to do was wait for the finalized papers - and she could hardly wait.
It was hard for her to swallow that she'd failed at her second marriage - not that there should have been a first one… or a second one for that matter. Why? Why hadn't she trusted Jason in the beginning? Why couldn't she just let him work things out so that they could have been together - Jason, her and Michael - as a family? But no, she had to plan… she had to try to fix things herself. When was she going to learn that she couldn't fix things herself, no matter how much she tried? She just got herself into deeper messes. And that was why the Quartermaines were constantly after Michael. That was why everyone in Port Chuck hated her. It was why she'd 'betrayed' Sonny to the Feds… it was why she and Jason weren't together. That was probably the hardest of all to swallow. It was her fault that Jason left - it was her fault that he didn't love her. He was right when he's said before he'd left that she'd ruin him. Because, if she were honest with herself, she would. She couldn't even keep from ruining herself! Laying her forehead in her hand, she sighed. There was nothing she could do about the past. She had to move on. She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear the knock on the door, or the door open.
He heard the music, but no one was answering. Worried, he tried the door. He was even more worried when the door opened easily.
"Carly?" he called out. No answer. He followed the music to the back room. The door was slightly ajar, so he knocked as he stepped through it. Jason stopped and stood in the doorway, watching Carly from across the room. She seemed to be in her own little world. Shutting the door behind him, he crossed the room quietly. Her eyes were closed, and she looked to be in pain. Not physical… emotional. He gently touched her shoulder, and somehow knowing that it was Jason, she curled into him, letting his arms encircle her. Jason sighed as he brought a hand up to caress the back of her head as she leaned against his shoulder. It was a well known position to both of them… a comforting one as well. Carly's arms tightened around his waist as she shifted her head so that her cheek rested against the cool leather of his jacket. She willed the tears to not fall as the lyrics of the soft, sad love song playing started to hit her.
He could tell she was fighting tears. He always knew things like that. It was part of their connection. Loosening his hold on her, he used one of his hands and tipped her chin up. He smiled gently at her as he leaned his forehead against hers. Yet another familiar, comforting position they'd often found themselves in before. Her hands automatically found their way around his neck, then down to caress his cheeks, then to touch his chin. Jason's hands came up so he could run his thumbs over her cheeks. He could kiss her. They were close enough where just one slight move would allow their lips to touch. He wanted to… part of him even needed to. But he knew he couldn't. It would lead to a conversation that neither one of them was ready for. And right now, all he wanted to do was hold her and be near her. No, the kiss would have to wait. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the contact.
"Jase?" her voice called to him. Blue eyes met as he looked at her. Carly smiled almost shyly up at him. He didn't even have to ask.
"Thank you," was all she said. He let out a quick breath as she leaned up and kissed his cheek. The song ended as she stepped back from him and went to turn the stereo off. Silence fell over the house as she made her way back to where Jason was looking out the window. She took her place next to him. After a few seconds, he reached over and took her hand. The movement didn't surprise Carly - but it made her heart jump a bit. Any contact with him made her heart do somersaults. She looked over at him as he raised her hand and kissed her knuckles.
"Talk to me, Carly," was all he said, looking at her. She sighed as she gently took her hand out of his and hugged herself.
"About what, Jason?" she asked as she looked out the window.
"About what's wrong, or what you're feeling. You need to talk about it," he said, stepping closer to her. She chuckled softly.
"Dr. Jason giving advice on the sorrows of the mind. You do remember that I'm officially crazy, right?" she asked, a fine eyebrow arching. Jason smiled as he shook his head at the point Carly liked to make.
"What's wrong, Carly?" he asked again, his face sobering.
"It's just that things are so … My life is so … The thing is, I can't even explain it. I should be happy that I'm alive, that my son is healthy, my best friend is back, my mother and I have the relationship I've always wanted, I have a job, a great house… used to have a great car," she ended on a chuckle. Jason reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"But?" he asked. Carly sighed as she stepped forward and leaned her cheek against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her.
"But, the man I thought I loved loves me back… even though he slept with his lawyer. What a great retainer bonus. Michael needs to resolve to himself somehow that his mommy failed him yet again and that Uncle Sonny won't ever be Daddy. Everyone in Port Chuck, for the most part, still hates my guts even thought I've tried so hard to change. I still have the Quartermaines hanging over my shoulder at every turn … and … well…" she rambled off before thinking. I'm still in love with my best friend.
"Well, what?" Jason asked. Carly shrugged.
"Nothing," she said. "I guess I couldn't think of anything else to say."
"Carly, things don't have to be so hard. Sonny does love you. I'm sure you could work things out if you wanted," Jason said, the words feeling like sawdust in his mouth as he played devil's advocate yet again. Carly leaned back to look up at him.
"The thing is, I don't want to work things out. I said it before… I thought I loved Sonny in the forever, till-death-do-us-part way. But I guess I just convinced myself I did. He and I are too alike in some areas and too different in others. We have no middle ground. We destroy others before we destroy ourselves, and that's why we couldn't work," she said. Jason nodded almost imperceptibly as Luke's words were coming out in Carly's voice.
"But Carly…"
"Sonny and I are done, Jason. There's no going back. I can't wait around for him to forgive me, because it may never come. And if it does, you know I'll do something stupid like I always do and he'll throw me out and then go sleep with his dentist…" Carly said bitterly. "To think that I used to be the one that got hurt and went to find someone to sleep with." After she said that, she immediately winced as she thought of Zander. That had been stupid of her. She'd just been trying to find another Jason. Jason read the look on her face.
"Zander is your friend, Carly. And he knows that. If he's a good friend, Carly, maybe you should go talk to him. I know that him hurting is hurting you." Carly sighed.
"I know Zander is my friend. And I'm sorry for sticking him in the middle of everything. Once things get figured out a little more, I'll find the courage to go make things right with him. I just have other things right now that are more important," Carly said. Jason nodded.
"I hear that Sonny tried to put a stop on the divorce papers," Jason said as led the two of them over to the couch. He sat down, and Carly curled herself into one of the corners.
"Yeah, he did. And I really don't care. There's nothing left for us. It's funny, you know?" she asked. Jason smiled.
"What's funny?" he asked. Carly looked at him.
"These past few years, he's forgiven Brenda over and over and over for wearing that wire. He's wished her back so many times that I lost count. No matter how much I tried, I could never live up to her ghost," Carly said. Just like I could never live up to Robin's saintly ghost.
"Carly, maybe Sonny's learned his lesson this time. He lost Brenda and never got the chance to make it work with her – to forgive her. He almost lost you and now he has that chance he never thought he would ever have," Jason tried to support his other best friend. Carly shook her head.
"No, Jason. He can forgive me all he wants. But this is over. You and I both know that with the crap I pull, Sonny and I would be right back in the thick of things, at each other's throats. I can't live like that - Michael can't live like that. It's better that this ends now," she said. Jason reached over and pulled her to his side. She leaned her head on his shoulder with a sigh.
"Tell me something, Jason," she muttered. Jason nodded his head for her to continue. "Sonny's forgiveness costs our marriage, our love, my sanity…" Jason kept silent, but nodded once in understanding. Carly's head rose from where it lay and her sad brown eyes met his blue ones.
"What's my forgiveness worth?" At her words, Jason's mind went to Alexis and Sonny, to the endless black hole that Sonny had kept Carly in for months concerning their marriage. Jason couldn't think of a response to her heartfelt, if not heartbreaking, question. When Jason remained silent, Carly let her head drop back to his shoulder, resigned.
A pair of interested eyes watched as a little redheaded boy made his way into the house along side a young woman. Those same eyes became even more interested when they saw Jason Morgan emerge from the door ten minutes later. The mobster embraced the young boy and kissed Carly's cheek, almost lingeringly, before leaving. The man standing in the dark, behind the bushes, smirked. An interesting turn of events. He took out a phone and dialed a number.
"I thought you said that she was married to Corinthos," he said without preamble when the other person picked up.
"She is… but they're divorcing," the voice answered.
"What about Morgan?" he asked.
"They're good friends," was the answer.
"Good. The divorce causes problems, but at least with Morgan, there's still a connection. We'll have to alter our plans, but not abandon them altogether. In fact, this may work out better," he said into the phone before hanging up.
The next day
"Sonny?" Carly timidly asked as she opened the penthouse door. She looked around the room to find it empty. "Sonny, are you here?"
"Carly …" Sonny greeted as he walked down the stairs. She looked up at him with a small smile.
"Hi," she said. Sonny watched her warily.
"What are you doing here, Carly?" he asked. The two hadn't seen each other since the confrontation at the hospital.
"Well, Johnny let me in and … well, I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted at the hospital. Well, no, not apologize, I guess. Just explain," she said. Sonny let out a breath as he found his way to the couch and sat down.
"Okay, explain," he said, opening his arms wide to show her she had his attention. Carly nodded as she sat on the edge of the nearest chair.
"I was angry, Sonny. For the most part, I still am. You say you want to work things out, but to be totally honest, I don't. Not anymore … not after everything," she said, resigned to her decision. Sonny was silent, but he didn't look angry. Finally, he looked at her.
"What do you want to do, Carly?" he asked. Carly stood up and went to sit next to him. She took his hand in hers and looked at him earnestly.
"Sonny, we started this marriage hating each other. I don't want to end it the same way. I love you, I really do. I don't want you to think that I don't, but when we're together, we do nothing but make each other miserable. I can love you and not be married to you. I'm going to ask you if you can do the same thing," she said. Sonny squeezed her hand before looking up at her. His free hand came up to touch her cheek.
"I thought I lost you Carly. I thought I lost you and you would never know just how much I do love you," he said. Carly smiled and placed her free hand over his.
"I know you do, Sonny. And if the past month has taught me anything at all, it taught me to appreciate all of the people that do care about me. Sonny, if we stay married, you will end up hating me and I will end up hating you. I do things that drive you crazy, and your lack of understanding drives me crazy. You deserve someone that can make you happy … that can understand you, help you, and live with you the way you are. We both wanted each other to change too much without having to change ourselves," Carly said, her eyes watering as she watched Sonny nod sadly.
"You deserve someone like … Alexis," Carly continued, swallowing the lump in her throat at the mention of the lawyer. Sonny looked over at her and noted the sincerity etched on her face. She was being serious, not trying to rub it in his face. He stood up and she followed, her hand still held in his as they walked to the door. She was about to let go when Sonny tightened his grip and pulled her close. He cupped her face and gently kissed her, only making it more passionate when her arms wrapped loosely around his waist. They both knew… this was their last kiss as husband and wife. It was full of the love and respect that they both wished they could have redeemed while living together, sleeping together… being together. They pulled back, their foreheads resting against each other. Carly smiled as she finally stood back from him.
"It will be okay, Sonny," she said honestly before turning to open the door. As she opened the door, she looked back to find him smiling – truly smiling – at her.
"Yeah, it will be," he agreed. She grinned back.
"I'll bring Michael by occasionally. He'll want to see his Uncle Sonny," she said. And then, she left.
"No, no, no, Caroline! You have to build it! You don't just spit the Guinness in a glass, darlin'," Luke said. Carly rolled her eyes.
"For God's sake, Luke! It's a damn Guinness! I don't drink the fancy stuff and chances are most of your exclusive clientele won't either," Carly said as she pointed to the lone scary man sitting at the bar. He had a total of five teeth. "It's beer. If they want it, they'll drink it." Luke rolled his eyes.
"May the good Lord help us if a tour bus of Irish natives come a-Riverdancing in," he said hopping over to her in a grotesque imitation of a jig. Carly glared at him as she slammed a glass of whiskey down in front of him and continued to pour herself one.
"Here's to a beautiful, harmonious, peaceful working relationship," she said sarcastically as she knocked her glass into his and downed the alcohol in one drink. Luke followed her lead at a slower pace, looking at her out of the corner of his eye warily.
"Beautiful, harmonious, peaceful… what a load of… well, at least you can't mess up a whiskey," he said as he set the empty glass down on the bar.
The past few hours had been relatively uneventful. The dinner hour had come and gone, the regulars were starting to arrive, and Tommy Toothless still sat at the end of the bar guzzling down alcohol like he had no liver.
"Hey stranger," a voice called Carly out of her reverie. She looked up to see Jason pulling a stool up to the bar. She smiled warmly and pulled out a bottle of his favorite beer.
"Hey! What are you doing here?" she asked as she set the bottle in front of him. He grinned.
"I thought I would stop by and see if I could weasel a free beer from the bartender," he said before he took a drink. Carly just huffed.
"That didn't take much weaseling," she commented. He just grinned again.
"Well, well... What a surprise to see you here Morgan," Luke said, obviously not surprised.
"Luke," Jason greeted. The three chatted amiably for a few minutes, but Carly drew herself up when Sonny walked in the door. He held an envelope in his hand and his eyes searched out Jason.
"Caroline, I think table six needs your assistance," Luke told his niece when he noticed the look on his former associate's face. Carly picked up a pencil and muttered something about stupid, narcissistic, white-haired bar owners. Jason and Luke both watched her walk away before they turned to Sonny.
"What's up, Skipper?" Luke asked. Sonny's eyebrow rose as he unfolded the envelope he held and dumped out a pile of pictures.
"These came with my mail. I think we may have a problem," he said as the other two men picked up a photo. They were all of Carly – and they were all of Carly while she was at home. She was being watched. There were some of her with Michael, some of her downstairs by herself – but most of them were taken through her bedroom window – while she was sleeping. Luke let out a string of curse words both in English and another language. Jason's eyes had gone ice cold and Sonny had to keep his hand from shaking as he held one of the pictures in front of him.
"This is sick," Luke said as he quickly took all of the pictures on the counter and stuffed them back into the envelope. He reached out and none-too-gently snatched back the photos Sonny and Jason were holding and put them back as well. He set the envelope behind the bar and out of sight. Setting a glass in front of Sonny, Luke poured the man a brandy. And not being a picky man, he poured himself a hard-hitting bourbon.
"Cheers to all the sickos and whack jobs out there," he muttered as he raised his glass and then downed it.
"Where do you think this came from?" Jason asked his boss, trying hard not to think about how vulnerable Carly was in that house by herself. Sonny shrugged his shoulders as he took a drink from his complementary alcohol.
"No clue. This is obviously a warning. Against what? I have no idea," Sonny said. All thoughts were interrupted as Carly made her way back to where they stood.
"Anything else, oh Exalted One?" Carly asked, her eyes locking on Luke's. The man shifted uncomfortably
"Uhhh … maybe you should go check on Mikey, Caroline," Luke said, looking between Sonny and Jason. Carly huffed.
"Michael is fine. He's with Bobbie over at Kelly's until I finish here," she said. All three men looked over at her.
"Good, your finished," Luke said. Carly made a face.
"I thought my shift was until eleven. That's in another two hours," she said as she picked up a bar rag. Her agitation at the tone of the conversation came across clearly as she scrubbed the countertop.
"It wasn't a request, Carly," Sonny said. Carly threw the rag down and crossed her arms as she let out a humorless laugh.
"So Luke's your lackey now? How did that come about, Sonny?" she asked. Jason took her arm, and she whipped it out of his grip.
"I'll walk Carly over to Kelly's, then I'll be back," Jason said before taking Carly's arm again. She looked up at him with a frown before whipping her arm out again.
"No one's walking me anywhere," she said stubbornly.
"Carly …" Sonny started, his temper rising.
"No, Sonny! If this has anything to do with Michael, I have every right to be here and know what's going on with my son. Didn't we learn our lesson the last time, Sonny, about what happens when you leave me out of the loop?" she asked sarcastically. Luke winced at Carly's reference to the Fed incident.
"This isn't about Michael, Carly!" Sonny bellowed, causing Carly to take a step back, into Jason. His arm went around her to steady her. "Now, go to Kelly's where Bobbie and Michael are. We have things to do here, and you shouldn't be here." Carly had to give him credit. Sonny had reined in his temper enough to make the last part sound like he was actually really concerned about her.
"Fine. Whatever," she said, turning around and sidestepping Jason to find the door. She made it barely ten feet outside when a hand grabbed her arm.
"Carly …" Jason's voice said.
"God damn it! What is it with the men in my life and their fascination with ordering me around?!" she cried as she continued walking. Jason pulled her back and she landed flush against his body. "I'm going to Kelly's. Why don't you let me go? I'm listening, okay? I'm following your orders like a little dog. What more do you want?" she asked softly, looking down at the ground.
"I'm walking you to Kelly's. And then I'm going to make sure that you, Michael, and Bobbie get back to the Brownstone all right," he said. Carly looked up at him and caught a worried look in his eyes before he masked it over. She reached up and touched his cheek.
"What's going on, Jason?" she asked, her anger abating. He looked up and around at their surroundings. When he looked back down at her after a few moments of silence, she was smiling softly at him. She nodded her head almost imperceptibly in understanding.
"Well… are you going to walk with me?" she asked. He nodded as they continued on. They walked shoulder to shoulder, in complete silence.
"Carly…" Jason started softly after a few blocks.
"I know, Jason. I know. You can't tell me anything for my own …" she stopped suddenly. Jason looked over at her as they continued walking.
"What's wrong?" he whispered. She inched a bit closer to Jason.
"Someone's following us," she said. He took her hand and pulled her closer to him.
"How?" he asked. She didn't even bother to misunderstand.
"I saw his reflection in the window of the store we just walked by," she said. Jason nodded.
"Pretend like we didn't see him," was all he said.
"He's been following us since Luke's, I saw him… I just didn't catch on until now," she said, mentally berating herself for not being more aware. It was the same thing Jason had going through his head as well. They continued walking as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Jason stiffened next to Carly, causing her to grip his hand tighter.
"What?" she whispered. He leaned over to kiss the side of her head.
"There's more than one. They're trying to stay out of sight about 20 yards back," he whispered against her hair. She nodded.
"What are we going to do?" she asked. Jason took her hand and wrapped it around his waist. Her eyes went wide as she felt his gun tucked near the small of his back.
"Feel that?" he asked. Carly nodded.
"I can't make any sudden movements toward it, otherwise they'll know I'm armed. We're going to cut a few blocks behind Kelly's. The back door is only a few feet into the alley. We'll separate, you take the gun, and I'll continue on towards the front to make sure they follow me. Just slip your hand around me and under my coat when we separate. You'll be able to pick up the gun without them noticing," he said. Carly's eyes went wide.
"What about you?" she asked worriedly. He hugged her closer.
"Don't worry about me. When they follow me, get inside quickly. Get Bobbie, Michael, Elizabeth and Jess into the back room. You guys stay there until I come and get you. Call Sonny, and he and Johnny will be over as soon as the coast is clear," he explained. Carly nodded. They neared the alley. Before they separated, Carly smoothly brought her arms around Jason, and then tugged his arms around her waist as she slipped the gun into the waist of her pants. To any passerby, it would look like the two of them were sharing an embrace. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jason on the cheek before stepping back.
"Be careful, Jason. We'll wait in the back for you," she said. Jason nodded, his eyes still peeled on her.
"Shoot if you have to, Carly," he said quietly as he watched her enter the building.
"Momma!" Carly cried as she ran into the restaurant. "Momma!"
"Goodness, Carly. You're yelling like there's a fire somewhere. Calm down," Bobbie said with a grin as she walked back into the kitchen. The look on Carly's face sobered Bobbie quickly.
"Get Michael, Momma. I'll get Elizabeth and Jess. We need to go to the back," she said hurriedly as she went up to the front. Bobbie followed and picked up a happy Michael.
"Mommy!" he cried when he saw Carly. She paused for a second as she ran a loving hand over his cheek. Then, seeing Jess and Elizabeth, she called out to them.
"Jess …" she paused heavily before acknowledging the other girl. "… Liz. We need to get in the back." Jess, the nighttime waitress, looked at her curiously. Liz just gave her a dirty look.
"Yeah, sure Carly. Whatever you say, Carly," Liz said sarcastically as Jess and Bobbie started to head into the back. Pissed beyond belief, Carly whipped out the gun like a pro and aimed it at Liz. The younger girl looked at Carly shock before she sneered.
"So, you that insecure you need to take out the competition?" she asked. Carly didn't even want to think on that one.
"You can't compete with me, little girl. Now - you can either go in the back, like a good puppy, or I can leave you here for some mob goons to take care of should they want to cause trouble here. Take either of those options, or I can save them the annoyance and shoot you right now," Carly said. Finally taking in Carly's seriousness, Liz huffed and followed Bobbie, Michael and Jess into the back room.
"What's going on, Carly?" Bobbie asked, hugging Michael closer to her.
"Some goons were following me and Jason as we came over here – no body will tell me what kind of trouble they're looking for," she said, pulling out her cell phone to call Sonny, Johnny and reinforcements. It took her a second to control her shaking hands. She had to work to keep up her bravado. Pulling the gun on Elizabeth had almost kicked it out of her. She hated guns – almost as much as she hated cars.
"You left Jason out there to fend for himself?" Liz asked incredulously.
"Like I had a choice?" Carly sneered. "Besides, I know Jason can take care of himself. He's been doing this forever. But, if you don't have any faith in him, please - be my guest. Go help him," she continued, indicating the back door. Elizabeth looked hesitantly at the door, then crossed her arms and leaned back against the counter.
"That's what I thought," Carly said before she filled Sonny in on what was happening.
Jason made his way around the corner to the front of Kelly's. He let out a sigh of relief when he heard the men follow him and not Carly. He walked quickly towards the docks, hoping that he'd have enough back up at the warehouse to get rid of these guys. He turned the corner and stopped short when a larger man stepped into his path.
"Mr. Morgan…" the man said with a humorless smile. He drew a gun. "… how are you today?"
Twenty minutes later
Carly took Michael to the back in order to get him his wanted glass of water. After finishing, she picked him up and walked back into the dining area where Johnny and Sonny were waiting.
"Is Jason back yet?" she asked. Both men shook their heads. Gnawing on her lower lip, Carly watched the door.
"Don't worry, Carly. Francis and Reynaldo went after him. If anything happened, they'll get him," Johnny reassured. She smiled warmly at him.
"I know, Johnny. Thanks," she said, setting Michael down on a chair. Sighing, she walked back to find her mother.
"Momma?" she asked as she walked into the back room. She stopped suddenly when she saw Jason holding a sobbing Elizabeth in a close hug.
" … I was so worried about you! I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you!" the little twit said. Carly's heart dropped into her feet. Closing her eyes, she counted to ten.
"Jason! Oh my God, Jason, you're bleeding!" Elizabeth cried. Opening her eyes wide in shock, Carly looked at Jason as he leaned on Liz's shoulders for support. The wounded man dropped to his knees as his eyes locked with Carly's. She rushed to his side and peeled his jacket away to see a dark stain spreading slowly on his lower right side. Carly took the nearest towel and pressed it to the wound. Jason let out a small sound of pain, almost inaudible. With a quick, concerned look at the man she loved, Carly slid her hand around his waist. A slight feeling of relief came over her as she felt the telltale signs of an exit wound. Looking around, she felt a panic when she didn't see Francis or Reynaldo around. Carly sprung to her feet and sprinted back into the restaurant, she cried to Sonny and Johnny.
"Help! We've got to help Jason! He's been hurt!" Sonny and Johnny ran immediately back to the stock room. Carly still stood near the counter and watched as Johnny hauled Jason out of the small room and towards Kelly's front door. She continued to watch silently as little Elizabeth Webber clung to the wounded man - and the wounded man clung to her. Sonny followed the trio as he called in for help on his cell phone. Once Jason was loaded into the limo and the vehicle had sped off, Kelly's was completely silent.
"Carly?" Bobbie asked as she emerged. She was spattered with blood here and there from when she had helped to staunch Jason's blood flow. "Carly." Carly turned at her mother's voice to see her kneeling in front of a yawning Michael.
"Mamma…" Carly said, crouching down in front of Michael as well. "Is it okay if Michael and I stay at your place tonight? It's closer, and Mr. Man here is tired." Bobbie looked at her daughter, completely surprised that she had not immediately taken off after Jason.
A few days later
Carly walked up to the penthouse door and smiled at Johnny. He smiled back.
"How's he doing, Johnny?" she asked.
"He's doing a lot better. The doctor said he needs to take it easy for the next week, but everything looks to be healing nicely," he said. Carly smiled softly before nodding her head towards the door.
"Is he taking visitors?" she asked, causing Johnny to smile.
"I think he was expecting you a bit earlier, Ms. Spencer," he said as he opened the door. Carly smiled her thanks to the guard as she shifted the burden she was carrying from one arm to the other and made her way into the apartment. She was about to sit down in the empty living room when Jason entered, putting on a t-shirt slowly – hampered by his injury. He looked up at her when he realized he wasn't alone.
"Carly …" he said in greeting. Carly looked a little flustered.
"I'm sorry. Johnny didn't announce me," she explained. Jason shook his head with a smile.
"It's okay … he knows your revolving door policy," he said. Carly didn't return the smile but looked down at what she was holding.
"Ummm, Momma got this cleaned up and patched as best as she could for you," she said as she handed him his leather jacket. Jason took it and looked at it.
"I was wondering where this went," he said as he touched the patch covering the bullet hole in the back. Carly cleared her throat before explaining.
"We took it off of you at Kelly's and left it there. We didn't think anything of it until the morning waitress called the next morning saying she'd found it and wanted to know what had happened." Jason nodded. He knew there was something bothering Carly and he needed to find a way to get her to talk about it. She was being unusually closed-mouthed with him.
"Tell Bobbie thanks," he said. Carly watched him for a second. The past few days had allowed her to do a lot of thinking. She'd come to a lot of conclusions, and now, she needed to share them.
"Jason … we need to talk," she said as she turned away from him. Jason didn't like the sound of that as he sat slowly down on the couch.
"Okay. About what, Carly?" he asked. Carly turned back to him, her arms hugging herself. About us.
"About things," she hedged. Jason smiled crookedly at Carly's delaying tactic.
"What things?" Carly looked straight at him.
"You and me things," she said. Jason didn't know what to say. He had no clue where she was heading with this conversation.
"What about you and me?" was all he could think of to ask. Carly bit her bottom lip, conveying her uncertainty.
"Why did you come back, Jason?" she asked. Jason was floored. Of all the questions for her to ask, that was not the one he expected. It took a second for his shock to wear off.
"I came back for you, Carly," he said. Carly shook her head.
"Why did you stay away?" she asked. Jason frowned.
"What?" he asked in confusion. Carly's eyes met his.
"I know why you left, Jason. But why did you stay away? If you came back for me now…" she started, but stopped, unsure of how to finish the question. Jason thought for a second as her question rolled around in his mind. He knew why he left. But he never really thought about why he stayed away.
"Was it for you, or for me?" Carly asked, as if reading his mind. Jason looked up at her. He knew what she was asking. Did he stay away to guard his feelings, or hers? Did he stay away to protect himself, or her? He looked back down at his hands and answered as honestly as he could.
"I don't know, Carly."
"I do," Carly said, causing him to look up at her again. The sad look on her face told him a lot of things. Things that weren't good. "You stayed away because we were best friends. You stayed away to save yourself from having to be hurt by me again. And you stayed away to save me the hurt of loving you. The best way to preserve our friendship was to leave it where it stood."
"Carly…" he started, but Carly held up her hand, stopping him. Silence fell as she turned to the windows. No! Jason's mind screamed. This isn't going right. She's got it all wrong!
"The other night, I was so afraid that you would die. And then I saw you with Elizabeth and it was a whole other fear that I felt …" she said. Jason sighed.
"There is nothing going on with me and Elizabeth. There never was," he said, rubbing a hand over his face. Carly looked at him over her shoulder.
"That's not the point," she said, even though there was still a little doubt left in her eyes. Jason shook his head.
"It's always the point, Carly. Why don't you trust me?" he asked, his eyes pleading with hers.
"I do trust you, Jason. I trust you more than anyone in this world. I trust you with everything … everything but my heart," she said, not seeing the look of pain on his face as she turned her head to look out the window again. "You know what they all said when you left, Jason? They said that I betrayed you. What I did was a betrayal. I was the one that caused you enough pain to make you leave. Well, we both know that's not true." Jason held his breath as she turned completely around to face him. There were tears in her eyes, but she valiantly held them back. He knew she wouldn't cry. Not now. After everything, she wouldn't use tears against him and he knew it.
"Carly," he said softly. She continued on as if she hadn't heard him.
"We both know that I never meant enough to you to betray you. I never meant enough in order for there to be a betrayal. There was nothing to betray. We had a friendship at best, Jason. That's all you would let there be because that was all you wanted. I understand that now. Go figure it took me to almost die and you to almost die for me to finally figure that out," she said, bringing a hand up to her forehead. She gave a short, half-hysterical laugh as she turned back to the window again.
"When I saw you with Elizabeth back at Kelly's, it brought back the other night. It brought back everything Sonny had said to me. That I wasn't good enough for you and that you were in love with Elizabeth. And tonight, Jason, I didn't feel the pain. I just felt the loss. I felt like I had lost the only purely good thing in my life, other than Michael. I lost our friendship, because we can't be friends, Jason. I can't stand by, like before, and watch you be happy with all the other little twits that will come and go. I don't know what your feelings are for little Lizzie, but at least I know Sonny was half right back then. I'll never be good enough for you, I'll never be what you need …" she said. Jason had heard enough. He walked up behind her and gently took her shoulders to turn her to him. He cupped her face with his hands and leaned in to kiss her. After a second, his hands slipped to her waist and pulled her closer to him. When the surprise had worn off, Carly let her arms snake around his neck and was careful not to press against his still healing side. Jason pushed aside the panic her earlier words had triggered and tried to put everything he felt into that kiss, but he knew that he would have to say the words. He knew that he needed to say them, and he knew Carly needed to hear them. He pulled back and watched Carly's eyes focus on him again.
"I love you, Carly," he said simply. He let the words sink in for a few moments before he reached up and touched her cheek. "I love you, and I need you. I can't erase our history and rewrite it, no matter how much I want to. There is nothing that I can say to make everything that has happened between us in the past all right again." He stopped as Carly's hand came up and touched his hand where it lay on her cheek.
"Yes, there is something you can say, Jase. And you just said it," she said, biting her lip as she fought tears once again.
AN: I plan on this being continued... I just need to get my head wrapped around the plot a little better and I promise I'll get back to this. Sorry for the wait...