Author's Note: Here's where I INITIALLY thought this story ENDED, but I was WRONG... it kept going for 3 more epilogues and so far one SOL! XD My muse can be VERY unexpected!

OXOXOXOXOXO
Toni

Story #6: I'd Rather

"I talked to Sam," Jason began feeling nervous around her for the first time in years.

Carly's response was to start picking up her clothes and toss them on the desk.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, well," he murmured clearing his throat and trying not to be obvious as his eyes kept being drawn to her freshly showered, nearly nude body. "It didn't go well."

"Oh, really," she replied just barely withholding her sarcasm. "How did you expect it to go?"

"Well, not quite the way it did," he answered honestly as he turned to watch her as she pulled clean clothes from the drawers. "Coleman lets you keep clothes here?"

"You were saying about your conversation with Sam?" she said refusing to let him change the subject. "How did you expect it to go?"

"I went there to tell her the truth," he explained. He took a deep breath. "And to ask for us to take a break from our relationship."

Carly froze unsure if she had heard right and of what to say or think even if she had. "Oh?" she squeaked feeling overwhelmed.

"Yeah. I realized that I needed some time to figure out how I felt and if I was ready for what that would mean for the rest of my life."

I thought sometime alone
was what we really needed
you said this time would hurt more than it helps
but I couldn't see that
I thought it was the end
of a beautiful story
and so I left the one I loved at home to be alone (alone)

And I tried to find
out if this one thing is true
that I'm nothing without you
I know better now
and I've had a change of heart

"That sounds like a reasonable idea to me," Carly responded trying to keep the hope from drowning her.

"Yeah, me too," he acknowledged nodding his head. Then he locked up and caught her with his deep blue gaze. "See, I fell in love with this girl and things went wrong, but she stayed my best friend."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he assented with a nod. "See, I figured that we could never work so I tried to move on with my life and convinced her to do the same."

"Uh-huh," she uttered clutching the shirt she held as if her very life depended on it.

"We both ended up falling in and out of love with other people," he continued. "But it never worked. I was married once, and about to get married again until I finally realized I was still in love with my best friend."

And then I met someone
and thought she could replace you
we got along just fine
we wasted time because she was not you
we had a lot of fun
though we knew we were faking
love was not impressed with our connection
they were all lies, all lies
so I'm here cause I found this one thing is true
that I'm nothing without you
I know better now
and I've had a change of heart

Everything inside Carly rioted. Jason loved her. He was IN love with HER.

Speechless, she continued to stare into his incredible cerulean gaze, holding her breath. Her eyes telegraphed a message she desperately needed him to heed: Please, don't take it back. Choose me.

"But I never got the chance to suggest we take a break," he continued into the tense silence.

"Yo-you didn't?" she managed. "Wh-why not?"

"Because she told me she could forgive me," he replied quietly, "on one condition."

"R-r-really," she said turning away and shivering as fear and hope battled within her. "Wh-wh-wha-wha-wha—"

"What was the condition?" he offered reading her mind. "Well, I was given an ultimatum: Either I recommit to her and completely cut you out of my life as my best friend or it was over between us."

Carly felt her whole body convulse and her knees become weak. Her hands gripped the dresser to keep from falling. She felt too overwhelmed to even cry. Feeling like her whole world depended on his answer, she swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to speak, "What did you choose?"

"What do I always choose when it's down to the wire?" he replied moving to stand behind her. He whispered his answer against her temple, "I chose you."

I'd rather have bad times with you,
than good times with someone else
I'd rather be beside you in a storm,
than safe and warm by myself
I'd rather have hard times together,
than to have it easy apart
I'd rather have the one who holds my heart
who holds my heart

She began to collapse and he caught her. "You did?"

"And I always will," he promised. "I realized when it came down to it, even after all this time, that while I could see my life without Sam in it, I still can't imagine my life without you. You drive me crazy, and you pull insane stunts. And you make the simplest things so, so difficult, but I can't live my life without you in it."

"Jase?" she whimpered the tears finally freed. She hesitated unsure what to do or say.

I can't blame you if you turn away from me, like I've done you,
I can only prove the things I say with time, please be mine,

"Listen to me, Carly," Jason said urgently. "I am so sorry I wasted so much time on fear, but if you trust me just one more time, I will never let you down again. I finally realized that every bad decision and mistake I've ever made was because I wasn't with you. It was because I kept trying to force myself to love and make a life with someone who wasn't you."

"So now you're saying you don't love Sam?" she asked so afraid and hopeful and confused.

"No," he answered. "I won't deny I'll always love her, just like you'll always Sonny and Jax, but we'll never love anyone else the way we love each other. That is if I haven't ruined my chances with you."

Carly's phone rang as she thought about that she had ever dreamed of being within her reach. She walked to the bed and picked up her phone.

"Shawn?" she answered recognizing the number. "Yeah, I know." She paused and turned to meet Jason's nervous, but love-filled gaze. "I'm sorry, but there's been a change of plans. I'm right where I need to be right now. Tell Mercedes we'll be by later."

A smile began filling his face as she spoke that corresponded with the joy filling hers. "Me and Jason. We're finally going to make it home." Jason began making his way to her side lust joining the love in his eyes. "Right. Uh-huh. I gotta go now. Bye."

She tossed the cell phone on the night table as Jason reached her side.

"Jase, I've been waiting for you since the day I set eyes on you. If I haven't given up on you yet, after everything, you're never getting rid of me."

"Do you promise?" he begged hoarsely.

"Til death do us part," she vowed as his mouth met hers in a kiss that left her feeling tipsy.

"And to think, I didn't even have to cop you a ring," he chuckled.

"Not yet, anyway," she grinned with a twinkle of cunning filling her eyes. "I think I earned a pretty spectacular and splashy proposal and wedding, don't you?"

"Ah, Carly," he groaned letting his forehead fall to hers.

"But if the proposal and the engagement ring are good enough, I might be persuaded to lighten up on the actual wedding," she giggled when he groaned again. "As long as it's very clear that it's you and me forever and ever, I could really care less, Jase. I just want to be your wife. I love you so much, Jason Morgan."

"And there is no one I'd rather be than your husband," Jason admitted. "I love you, too, Carly Roberts-Benson-Spencer, soon-to-be Morgan. I love you, too."

I'd rather have bad times with you (surely),
than good times with someone else (surely)
I'd rather be beside you in a storm (oh yeah),
than safe and warm by myself (all by myself)
I'd rather have hard times together,
than to have it easy apart (you know it)
I'd rather have the one who holds my heart
I'd rather have the one who holds my heart
I'd rather have the one who holds my heart
whoooo...who holds my heart
~I'd Rather, Luther Vandross