Hey everyone here's the next part. Hope you enjoy!

It had been almost two weeks since Jason and Maxie's relationship had come to the light. Two weeks since they had spent the night together, two weeks since Jason had opened his mouth and invited Maxie and her belongings to move in. And that had been the last time he had spent substantial time with his girlfriend. Yes he had seen her in passing, but she had always come up with some excuse why she had to leave, or Sonny would call about a raid on the warehouse. They had become a regular occurrence since Jason had spoken to Mac.

Today Jason intended on getting some answers on why Maxie was avoiding him. He knew from their last phone conversation that they had closed the latest issue of Crimson the night before so today's agenda was just research for the next issue; meaning that Maxie couldn't be too busy.

"Maxie." Jason said walking into the Crimson offices. Lulu's desk was vacant and Maxie kept typing away as Jason moving to sit next to her. Pulling Lulu's rolling chair over towards the desk. "We need to talk."

"I'm super busy right now Jase, can it wait?" She said keeping her eyes focused on the computer screen.

Fed up with her avoidance Jason grabbed the arm of her chair pulling her away from the keyboard and towards him. "What is wrong with you?"

"Me? Nothing, nothing is wrong Jason, except the fact that I'm super busy with work." Maxie said pointing to the stack of files on her desk before trying to move back towards her desk. "Kate promoted me to junior editor, and I have a lot to do to keep this magazine at the level and stature that it has."

"You've been avoiding me for two weeks now Maxie. Clearly something has happened? Is this because I invited you to move in with me?" When Maxie didn't respond, Jason cupped her chin forcing her gaze to meet his. "Talk to me Max; yell at me, do whatever you want but you're going to start talking to me."

Maxie just tried to pull away from Jason's touch and move back to her computer but Jason wasn't having any of it. Instead of letting her move away Jason pulled her out of the chair and into his arms before throwing her over his shoulder, moving towards the elevator.

"Jason put me down! This is ridiculous!" Maxie ranted.

Jason just waited for the elevator doors to shut before setting her down on the floor keeping his arm securely wrapped around her middle so she couldn't flee. "You are going to calm down, and talk to me like an adult Maxie. You are far too old to give the silent treatment, or throw a tantrum."

Crossing her arms across her chest Maxie waited until they had reached the basement underground level of the parking garage. "If you think I'm getting on that bike dressed like this you've got another thing coming."

"I have a car." Jason said walking her towards a black sedan with tinted windows. Maxie quickly shrugged off Jason's grip and made her way to the passenger side while Jason got into the driver's side.

"Where are we going?" Maxie asked after they had been on the road for a few minutes.

"Where else?"

~*~

Once safely inside the cocoon of the boxcar Jason waited for Maxie to explain.

"If you're expecting some huge revelation Jason, keep dreaming. I have nothing to say to you."

"So that's it? After we tell everyone, your dad Spinelli, Carly, Sonny, you're just done?" Jason asked confused. "Is this just some game you're playing, because Maxie I don't play games."

"Jason, I guess this is just who I am." Maxie began throwing her hands up, "You knew that going in. You spent enough time with me when I was friends with Spinelli. You know what I'm like."

"Don't do that; don't belittle the progress you've made in the last few years. Maxie I remember you when you were that spoiled brat busting into my office to fight with me about Coop, or when you did everything in your ability to rub your affair in Elizabeth's face. Maxie you're not that person anymore; you haven't been for a long time now. You're scared, you're just like Carly. When you get scared you start doing crazy things. So just talk to me."

Maxie paced back and forth across the small boxcar, "I don't think I'm ready to move in with you." Maxie finally blurted out after a few minutes of pacing. She was nowhere near ready for that.

"Okay, is that it?" Jason asked as if it were nothing.

"That it? Jason you asked me to move in with you? That's a huge step, one that I've never taken before in any of my relationships. I know that you've lived with all these girls Jase, but I'm not ready for that."

Jason moved from the bed to stand in front of her, "Maxie," he said softly, placing his hands along her bare arms. "I know that this relationship isn't like the others. I'm not trying to make it that. I know I can't make you into or force you to do anything Maxie, I wouldn't even try. What I would like is for you to talk to me. Really talk to me."

"I'm not used to this Jason. People taking my feelings and what I want into consideration. You're risking so much to be with me, and I want to be what you want me to be I just—"

"Maxie," Jason said a little more firmly stopping her ramblings. "I don't want you to be what I want. That came out wrong. You are what I want; you don't have to be or pretend to be something for me to be with you. I'm not going anywhere." He whispered before pulling her into a hug.

"Things were so much easier when it was just you and me sneaking around this boxcar. Why did we have to screw it up and tell everyone else?" Maxie tried to joke.

Jason maneuvered them back towards the bed and pulled Maxie into his body as they lay down. He had missed the feeling of Maxie being in his arms, in his bed and just being with her in the last two weeks. He would prefer to have her in his arms every night but if that wasn't something she was ready for he knew he would wait. He just might not be thrilled about it. Since Spinelli had moved out, the penthouse was strangely quiet, missing the light the hacker had been able to bring. Jason had rarely been there in the past two weeks, not wanting to subject himself to the quiet. It had been six years since he had lived alone, a constant stream of house guest from Brenda to Courtney, and then Sam to Spinelli.

"The only two people whose opinions in this relationship that matter to me are yours and mine. I would love for our friends and your father to be okay with this for your sake, but I don't care Maxie. I talked with Carly and Sonny, and surprisingly Carly is on board."

"I know, she invited us over for dinner last week. I told her you would get back to her so she might be mad." Maxie informed Jason. "She's scary Jason. Not only is she your best friend, but you used to have sex with Carly on a pretty regular rate if my Intel is correct."

"Who—"

"Robin, come on Jason she tells me things. Especially now that I've started seeing you. It's like she does it as a warning but I really feel she just wants me to know what I'm getting into. There is no you without Carly."

"So I can tell her yes then?" Jason asked leaving the question open ended.

Maxie turned burying her face in the crock of his neck, her warm breath hitting his neck. Maxie let out a small groan pouting her perfect lips so they lightly grazed his neck. "I have to go out of town this weekend. And this Wednesday I have a family dinner. Which Robin wanted me to invite you to, so my next question; what are you doing Wednesday night?"

"I'm not having dinner with your family Maxie." Jason said softly his hands circling her waist.

"You don't have to explain. I wouldn't go if I didn't have to." She said bringing her head back to rest on Jason's shoulder.

"They are still your family, and sometimes people fail us. Sometimes they hurt you more than they realize—"

"I don't need you to quote me. And I understand why you don't want to come. Mac will be there, or is supposed to be there. The man hasn't spoken to me in nearly 2 weeks but he's still my dad."

Jason waited for her to continue but when she didn't he just sat and enjoyed the feeling of her small frame pressed into his much larger one. It had been a while since they had lain together and right now Jason was enjoying the silence. Life had been hectic for the two in the last few weeks, between both of their jobs and Maxie's avoidance techniques it had been a while since they had just been in the same room together.

"Do you have to get back to work?" Jason asked remembering that he had literally pulled her out of work.

"Probably, I do have to go back there before the night is over. Someone pulled me away before I had a chance to grab my phone and purse, and keys. Jason I don't have my keys! What if it's already locked for the night? I could just flirt my way in but I'm trying to be respectful of this thing we have going on here." Maxie said instantly sitting up upon her revelation.

"Maxie, don't worry we'll get you back into the office. In fact we can leave now if you'd like?" Jason said before moving to sit up. Maxie quickly pushed his shoulder back into the mattress.

"I didn't say I wanted to leave now. I've got you all to myself right now. Who knows when the next time I'll get that opportunity?"

~*~

"I told you it would be locked!" Maxie said swatting Jason with her hand. Jason just ignored Maxie's anger and dug into his jacket pocket for his lock picking kit. Jason moved to put the pick in the lock when Maxie stopped her. "Wait, can I try?"

"Have you done this before?" Jason asked moving out of the way so Maxie could try.

"Nope, so I'm going to need you to talk me through this." Maxie said kneeling in front of the lock.

"Okay first you want to put the tension wrench in at the bottom, and then you're going to put the pick on top and slide it in until—"

"Okay Jason are you trying to seduce the lock or pick it?"

Jason stifled a laugh while waiting for her to do as he had told her. "Okay you're going to feel some resistance with the pins so adjust the pressure of the tension wrench until you feel yourself pass either 4 or 5 pins."

It took several attempts before Maxie was able to successfully open the locked door. It was well worth the 20 minute wait before the moment she realized she had done it she stood and jumped into Jason's waiting arms. "Can you believe it I just broke into my office?"

"Of course I can." Jason smiled setting her back on the ground. Making sure her heeled shoe feet were stable before releasing his hold. "Now grab your stuff so we can go home."

"Home?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"Look I don't expect us to have this issue resolved in one conversation. And I understand that you're not ready to move in. That's fine, but I was hoping that we could table that conversation for the night and go back to the penthouse, eat some dinner, get some sleep?"

"Spinelli?" Maxie asked wondering where he was staying these days.

"I asked Sam if she knew where he was staying, he has a room at the metro court indefinitely." Jason explained. "So Spinelli won't be at the penthouse."

"Okay. Then back to the penthouse. We could stop and get food on the way if you'd like. I'm feeling like something unhealthy?" Maxie said as she gathered up the photo's she needed to look over for the next issue. "Maybe like a big juicy burger, with lots of cheese and lots of bacon!" She exclaimed.

"So I'll make a call to Kelly's and have Mike make us some burgers to go?" Jason proposed.

"Sounds delicious! Make sure to include fries! If we're going for a heart attack we might as well go all out."

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