For the past ten years, Jason had watched as Carly danced the same dance each time she was frightened. More than once, he had had to talk her back from the ledge when one of her plans hadn't worked out. She would convince herself that she could pull herself out of the depths of a bottomless abyss if things would just work in her favor. However, life was not usually forgiving, and Carly had unfortunately been blessed with a streak of bad luck longer than Jason's wrap sheet. Still, in the midst of the chaos, she had always managed to find her way out. The smartest thing she had ever done was choose Jason Morgan as her own personal guardian angel. Few people could trust that someone would always be there to catch them, but that very knowledge was what allowed Carly to leap so blindly. As she stood outside the wrought iron gate clutching Jason's hand, she knew that this was just another small leap in a very long fall. She had been falling in love with Jason over and over again for over a decade.
"Is there any way he will just accept this and be happy for us?" Carly asked, her voice small as she peered up at the dark mansion. She had been married to Sonny three times, but she had never managed to get used to the muted environment he had chosen. She was bright and sunny, preferring bold primary colors and airy pastels to his dark charcoals and numbing neutrals. Once upon a time, she had considered his taste elegant and sophisticated; now, she only found it boring. She liked to live life on the edge, taking risks even in interior design. Telling Sonny about her reignited relationship with Jason was definitely one of those risks.
Beside her, Jason squeezed her hand and searched for the right words to reassure her. Like Carly, he knew that it was unlikely that his boss and best friend would take the news well. Long after the divorce, he had viewed Carly as his alone as if she was a possession that could be owned or taken away. Jason had argued with Sonny more than once about how he treated Carly. Most people in Sonny's life simply accepted everything that he did, enabling him to be terribly selfish and close-minded. Only Jason and Carly dared to ever question him. Tonight, they would show the man just how far they were willing to go. This had the potential to shatter the very fragile reverie Sonny had built around himself.
"Trust me, I wish that there was a way that we didn't have to tell him because we both know that he isn't going to like what we have to tell him anymore than Elizabeth and Jax," Jason sighed. The fact was that he was going to take it worse, viewing it as a sign of betrayal between his best friend and the woman that he truly loved. Despite his relationship with Kate, everyone in Port Charles knew that Sonny still carried a torch for Carly. "But like Elizabeth and Jax, it doesn't really matter what he says. He doesn't get a say in it anymore than they do. I stepped aside once to do what was best for him. It's his turn to be selfless."
"Sonny is many things, but I don't think that selfless is one of them," Carly snorted. "The only people he has ever really been even generous with are his children. Knowing that Michael and Morgan are okay with this is really the only weapon I have in my arsenal. He's going to question your loyalty. Are you prepared for the potential fallout?"
Reaching over, he spun Carly around so that she was facing him. He could see unshed tears dwelling in her eyes as she bit her bottom lip, trying so hard not to cry. She was scared – not for herself but for him. He had to make her see what was so clear to him. "Carly, you are worth this," he promised. "Sonny has been many things to me, but he has never been what you are to me. You're my best friend, you're my insides. When I got shot last year, it was you and the boys that went through my head. I didn't think about Sonny. I thought about how I had to survive to be there for you."
His insides – she was what was in his heart and had been for a long time. Thinking about his words reminded Carly that she had always come first with him. Sure, he couldn't always talk to her about business or explain exactly what he was thinking, but Jason had built his life around her. "Let's get this over with," she declared aloud. "I want to go home to our boys."
With a wry smile, Jason punched the code into the keypad and waited for the private gate to swing open. Suited guards acknowledged their superior with a simple nod as Jason led Carly into the foyer of Greystone. He could hear Sonny's voice from the living room. When a reply failed to come, he guessed that he was on the telephone, likely with Kate. She had run off to New York again in some power move to exercise her independence. Like Elizabeth, she didn't belong in this world. She would never be able to withstand the dangers that surrounded Sonny.
Jason paused outside the door to listen to the conversation, but Carly pushed forward. She had always been the type to storm into a room, manners be damned. With her hand resting on her hip, she tapped her toe impatiently from the doorway while she waited for him to hang up the phone. Sonny turned to look at her, slightly angry that she had showed up without calling. A moment later, Jason appeared behind her, resting his hand on her shoulder. It was the smallest gesture, but to Sonny, it spoke volumes. "Kate, I'll have to call you back," he said into the telephone. "Something just came up."
Striding across the floor in her Italian stilettos, Carly perched on the edge of the overstuffed sofa and crossed her legs. When she thought about how many women Sonny had probably bedded on the couch that she had picked out when he had moved into the mansion, it sickened her. He could move on as many times as he wanted, but Sonny had always expected her to remain faithful to the memory of their marriage. In his twisted mind, her relationship with Jason would be viewed as infidelity.
"Would you like a drink?" Sonny asked no one in particular as he poured himself a tumbler of single-malt scotch. When he had first started taking the medication for his bipolar disorder, Jason and Emily had hidden all the alcohol in the house from him. They hadn't understood what a comforting friend the liquor was when the darkness came. It was like a bottle of scotch was his only friend. He could count on it to always be there. No one else had ever been able to live up to such high expectations. "Whatever you came to tell me must be big if you're both here. You might as well just tell me so that we can get it over."
"Can you sit down for a minute?" Jason requested as he took his seat next to Carly. He wanted to hold her hand but decided against it out of respect for his friend. Instead, he sat as closely as he could to her, pressing the side of his body against her. The curves of her torso fit perfectly against the lines of his trunk. She was the half of his whole, and they were together as one in this. "Carly and I need to talk to you about something. She knows about Jake."
Sonny was quiet for a moment as he studied his ex-wife's face. He had always known that the news would tear her apart. Maybe that was why he had supported Jason's plea to keep it a secret. He didn't want to see the envy eat away at her in a way that it never would with him. In the years that they had been together, Sonny had had nearly all of Carly. He had her body, her trust, her faithfulness and her love. He even had her children. However, there was always something unattainable about her, a part that she reserved for only Jason. He had been jealous of that unbreakable connection that no one else seemed to be able to penetrate. "How are you doing with the news?"
"I was angry at first," she admitted with a shrug. "But now, I see why Jason did what he did. I don't like that he lied to me, but he was protecting his son. I would have done the same thing for Michael or Morgan. If it meant guaranteeing their safety, I'd walk away and lie to the people that I love most. I'm not even sure I could trust myself with that secret."
"I told him that he should take his place as Jake's father," Sonny told her. "I tried to convince him that we could find a way to make this work. It's worked for us with the boys."
"Jason had to do what he felt was best for his son. Every parent has to do what is best for their children," she retorted supportively. "For Jason, that meant keeping the paternity a secret. He agreed to go along with Elizabeth's lie because he loved his son. He thought he needed to respect her place as Jake's father. Now that he has chosen to take back the life he was given, he is going to be in that little boy's life. I'm going to be in his life. Jake is going to know Michael and Morgan. They already think of him as a little brother."
Darkness flashed in Sonny's eyes as he met Jason's unwavering gaze. "You told the boys?" he asked. "They couldn't possibly understand what is going on."
"They don't have to understand," Jason replied. "They don't need to get it to love Jake. Michael and Morgan were excited to know that I have a son. They were already talking about what books they could read to him."
"I'm sure they will see Jake whenever you are around here or whatever, but it's not like they are going to be around him a lot," Sonny attempted. He didn't understand why his sons would think they'd have an active part in the little boy's life. "I'm glad that they took it well. I guess I'm just a little surprised that you told them already. The secret is barely out, and it just seems to be moving a little quickly."
"My son was born in the spring and I've known for almost a year," Jason argued. "I'd say that this has moved too slowly. Of course I would tell them. I can't imagine raising Jake without the boys in his life. Michael and Morgan mean the world to me. You know that."
Raking his fingers through his dark hair, Sonny shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I know that you love the boys," he said. "I'm glad that you told Carly and the boys. I'm sure it will be nice for you to have them around to help with Jake."
"Actually, that's the other reason we're here," Carly piped up. "I'm going to be doing more than just helping with Jake. Jason is going to move into the cottage with me. That little boy deserves a family, and I want to include him in mine. We are going to raise him together."
Shock couldn't even begin to describe how Sonny felt at that moment. He had always known that Carly would eventually find her way back to Jason. It was only a matter of time before his friend figured out that he still loved Carly. He just didn't think that this would be what would bring them back together. If anything, he had believed it would push them further apart. He had seen lies much smaller than a child rip families apart. Lying about Kristina's paternity had ended their marriage. Instead, Carly had decided that she wanted to have a life with Jason.
"How could you do this to me?"
"I'm married to Jax," she said quietly. "He's the one I betrayed, not you."
"We both know that's a lie, Carly."
"Sonny," Jason warned. "You divorced Carly years ago. You moved on with Kate."
"You are supposed to be my best friend. How could you steal my family?"
White rage burned behind Carly's eyes. "I don't know, Sonny. Why don't you answer that question for yourself?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Jason snorted in disgust. "You took away my family first. I'm only reclaiming what is rightfully mine. I walked away from Carly and my son for you. I let you become a father to Michael. You had your chance, but you failed."
"So, that's what this is about? Revenge?"
"Only you would see it that way," Carly laughed humorlessly.
"What is it about then?"
"Love," she answered. "It's about love."
"Love?" Sonny scoffed. "Give me a break, Carly. You love a new man every year. It was Alcazar a few years ago and then Jax. Hell, you even claimed to love me more than once in there. This time it's Jason. What's next?"
"This time is different," she murmured quietly. "I'm actually in love with Jason."
"We're in love with each other," Jason confirmed. "I am going to be with Carly."
"Then, you have a very important choice to make. Carly or me?"
"How is that a choice?" Jason asked honestly.
"Sonny, stop it," Carly reprimanded. "You already know the answer. I know that you hate to lose, but you're not going to win this round."
He looked at her miserably. "I never lose."
Jason's blue eyes iced over as he stared at his boss. "You already did."
