Page One: When The Past Comes Knocking

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Trudging his way into his penthouse, Jason Morgan drops into his desk chair, exhausted beyond belief. Running a weary hand down his face, he shuts his eyes as he lets out a long drawn-out sigh, praying that nothing more will require his attention that day because he wasn't sure how much more he could take. As if an answer from the pits of hell, his front door slams open, a clearly irate Carly Corinthos standing in its wake.

"You're rambling," he mutters tiredly, slowly rising to his feet to meet her head-on.

"Ugh, I know, I know," Carly grumbles, clenching her fists at her sides before giving her arms a slight jerk to get her frustrations under control. "He's just so infuriating!"

"I'm sure it's mutual," he replies knowingly. "What happened this time?"

"That...that MONSTER threw out all my pizza bites!" Carly snaps, the anger flooding her once again as the words escape her lips. "It was bad enough when he started forcing me to drink that green contraption he calls a smoothie, but this...THIS...I can't take it anymore, Jason. I can't!"

"Breathe," he says, gently taking her hands in his, getting her to focus, voicing what she already knows is coming next. "Count to ten."

"Seriously?" she looks at him in disbelief, rolling her eyes when he simply eyes her firmly. "Fine...fine. Out loud or in my head?"

"Whichever."

"This won't always work, you know?" Carly throws out before letting out a grumbled sigh and shutting her eyes, voicing the numbers aloud. "One. He's still infuriating. Two...what kind of monster throws out perfectly good pizza bi..."

"Carly."

"Two. Three. Four." she enunciates each number, focusing on her breathing while she counts, knowing he wasn't going to play into her little jabs. "Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten."

"Better?"

"Yeah," Carly sighs, smiling softly as she opens her eyes to meet his. "Thanks."

"Say it."

"He's infuriating, but he loves me," Carly says with love. "And I love him. I know."

"Good," Jason says before releasing her hands and pulling open the door. "Now go back."

"You sure you can't..."

"No," Jason states firmly, knowing exactly where that train of thought was headed. Though he may not connect the dots as others do, he knows Carly well enough to know where that sentence was heading. "Now go."

"I thought you loved me," she pouted, even though she knows full well that he wouldn't budge on it. "I just need a fridge to store my junk food. It's not like you even use yours."

"Cody," Jason directs his attention to the guard at his door. "Make sure Mrs. Corinthos gets back to her penthouse unharmed."

"Of course," Cody replies, silently gesturing for her to exit the penthouse.

"Fine, I'm going," Carly accepts his answer. "I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight?" Jason asks hesitantly, knowing he didn't want the answer.

"The charity event at the Quartermaine estate," Carly rolls her eyes at the look on his face. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"Remind me," Jason says plainly.

"Lila's annual charity event for Lila's Kids," Carly reminds him. "You promised you'd make an appearance, however brief it may be, she's been looking forward to it for months."

"Right," Jason sighs. "See you tonight."

Shaking his head at the amusement on her face, Jason shuts the door before making his way upstairs to his bedroom, desperate for some sleep. With only three hours to spare, he's going to have to get to sleep quickly if he's going to get the most out of it. Deciding that he could milk more time if he showers beforehand, he makes a beeline to the shower to wash up before dropping onto his bed and claiming whatever sleep he can manage.

"Hey, man, you sure you're up for this?" Sonny questions Jason when he walks over to them in the garage. "It was a rough day..."

"I promised," Jason gives as his reason. "I won't stay long."

"Okay," Sonny accepts, noting the not-so-subtle glare being aimed his way by way of his wife. "Just a heads up, Robin's going to be there."

"I didn't know she was back in town," Jason voices as he internally groans, knowing this night just couldn't get any worse.

"Landed this afternoon," Sonny explains. "I would have told you sooner if I knew."

"They've been over for ages," Carly points out, gesturing for the guard to open the door to the limousine. "Let's get going, shall we? Wouldn't want to be the last to arrive, after all."

"Right," Sonny accepts. "You riding with us?"

"No," Jason declines. "I'm taking my bike."

"Honestly, Jase," Carly sighs. "To an event like this?"

"I'll see you guys there," Jason replies simply, clasping Sonny's shoulder with one hand. "Thanks for the heads up."

With a single nod, he makes his way to his bike, straddling it and taking off once the couple was safely inside their limo. Though he prefers to show up ahead of the crowd, Jason couldn't help taking the scenic route to the Quartermaine estate, needing the open road to clear his head before he comes into contact with his ex-girlfriend. The estate may be one of the biggest in town, but it wasn't nearly big enough to prevent seeing her from happening.

"Don't look now but you've been spotted," Carly says to her husband as they walk into the event after being formally announced. "How you stay friends with her after everything..."

"History runs deep," Sonny gives as his explanation just before Robin Scorpio reaches them, prompting him to don his infamous dimpled grin. "Robin."

"Sonny," Robins smiles brightly before hugging him in greeting, extending a less than warm greeting to his wife. "Carly...congrats on the pregnancy. You both must be so happy."

"We are," Carly says pointedly, knowing it was a jab, but she really is happy. "Thanks."

"So, Lila mentioned Jason would be coming tonight," Robin says offhandedly, but Carly wasn't fooled in the least. "I know she's looking forward to seeing him."

"Clearly she's not the only one," Carly says before Sonny has a chance to stop her. "Tell me, little Scorpio, just why did you decide to make a surprise appearance?"

"No reason," Robin says with that sickening sweet smile she wears so well, feigning innocence where Carly knows none exists. "Anyway, I'm part of the greeting committee, so, I should get back to it. I'll see you guys later, though, okay?"

Narrowing her eyes on Robin as she walks off, Carly had to hand it to the brunette, she sure knows how to play her little part well. Allowing her husband's hand at the small of her back to bring her back to her present, smiling softly as his lips place a gentle kiss upon her cheek, she lets him guide her through the event to their seats. Whatever conniving plan that brunette has up her sleeve will just have to sit on the backburner for now.

"Emily," Jason voices softly when he arrives at the estate and finds his sister leaning against the front door.

"Jason," she says with a bright smile, pushing away from the door to walk into his open arms. "I heard you were making an appearance. I'm glad to see they weren't just pulling my leg."

"Were you waiting for me?"

"Please, I know better than to do that," Emily scoffs amusingly, pulling away to meet his gaze. "I'm waiting on a friend. She'll be here soon."

"Ah," he replies with understanding, realizing that made more sense than for her to have been waiting for him at the door. "Need company?"

"That's okay," Emily shakes her head. "Grandmother's been waiting for you to arrive. I'll be okay, really."

"Okay," Jason says gently, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on her temple. "I'll see you later then."

"Yes, you will," Emily smiles brightly. "Love you."

"Love you," he says lovingly before pulling open the door. "You look beautiful, you know."

"I know," Emily replies with a smirk. "You don't look so bad yourself."

Sharing a knowing smile, Emily waits long enough for him to walk into the estate before moving to lean against the door, thankful to find that his life didn't prevent him from showing up tonight. Though they have been on the outskirts of each other's lives, she's thankful to find that he's still doing well. The sad truth of life is the distance a busy schedule can create, but the distance never lasts once they are facing each other. Something she's truly thankful for.

"Jason, my dear, I'm so glad you could make it," Lila Quartermaine greets him when he approaches her. "Forgive me for saying so, but you look absolutely exhausted."

"It's been a long day," he gives as an explanation. "I'm okay."

"Still, I appreciate you keeping your word, but you have to know your well-being means more to me than your presence," Lila scolds gently. "If at any moment you feel you need to leave, do so, I'll understand."

"I know," he smiles gently. "You look beautiful, Grandmother."

"Nice change in topic," Lila says pointedly before allowing the change in topic. "And thank you, dear, I had this dress specially made for tonight. Speaking of which, have you seen that sister of yours?"

"Which one?" Jason counters with a slight smirk though he knows exactly which sister she's referring to.

"The youngest, of course," Lila replies, knowing he was merely teasing her now. "She went wandering off just after opening remarks."

"She's waiting at the front door," Jason informs her. "Something about waiting on a friend."

"Ah, that's right, I had forgotten she was arriving today," Lila shakes her head. "I'm surprised she hasn't snuck away to pick her up from the airport herself."

"Do I know this friend?"

"Doubtful," Lila replies honestly. "She left town while you were still in the coma. Quite honestly, I'm not sure who's arrival she was most excited for, yours or her friend's."

"Must be some friend."

"I believe so," Lila smiles softly. "As lovely as this is, I have to make my rounds, do come find me if you're going to leave, won't you?"

"Of course," Jason assures. "Good luck encouraging people's generosity."

"It's what I do best," Lila says with a slight smirk. "Do try to have fun."

"For you...I'll try."

Knowing it was the best he could offer, his grandmother smiles knowingly before making her way around the room, giving him the opening to look for Sonny and Carly. Sticking to the outer parts of the event, he tries to keep his presence inconspicuous, though he should have known that it wasn't even an option. All it really took was him walking through the door for all eyes to be on him. Making it to his grandmother without interference was about the only miracle he could really expect.

"Jason," his name on her lips sends a wave of frustration through him, swearing she knows what she's doing and doing it on purpose to get under his skin. "Long time."

"Not long enough," he mutters before he can stop himself, finding a sense of satisfaction at the falter in her demeanor.

"Oh, don't be like that," Robin smiles softly, reaching out to touch his arm, causing him to physically recoil from her grasp. "It's been years, Jason, can't you move past what happened already?"

"I moved past it," he counters, seeing something in her eyes that puts him on edge. "Doesn't mean I'll forget."

"And here I thought we could start fresh..."

"You thought wrong," Jason states, needing to get away from her before he does something he'll regret. "Excuse me."

Not waiting for her to respond in any way shape or form, Jason brushes past her in the direction of his friends, not at all sure what she expected to accomplish tonight but refusing to give her even an inch. He could see the curiosity on Carly's face but - thankfully - even she knows when to push and when to leave things be. Though if they were anywhere else, he isn't certain she'd be so inclined to just leave him be, small miracles, he supposes.

"Finally!" Emily exclaims when her friend steps out of the taxi, barely giving her friend enough time to brace herself before throwing herself into her arms. "I thought you'd never get here!"

"I've missed you, too, Quartermaine," her friend replies with a soft smile as she holds her close. "What do you say we go make this event a party?"

"Like you even have to ask," Emily smirks, pulling away to meet her gaze. "Let's do it."