A/N: I hope you all liked how Jason told Sam how it was! Up next….. dun dun dunnnnnnn… the "best friend"! Tell me what you think! I find that I've become quite addicted to your responses – it's so cool that you all seem to be enjoying my story! And, as I'm sure you have figured out by now, I love leaving you with little cliffhangers. I hope that they make you want to come back to see what happens!

Chapter Twenty

Sam storms out of the penthouse just as Carly gets off the elevator and heads straight for him. 'What the hell? Who did I piss off today?' Jason was not ready to deal with Carly, but as usual, she doesn't really care what he wants.

"Jason!" she exclaims. "I'm so glad you're back. Why was Sam leaving, and why was she so upset? Don't tell me you two got into a fight about Ric again? You really need to forgive her, Jase."

"You just don't know when to quit, do you Carly?" Jason snarled at her. "What do you want, anyway?"

"Don't snap at me!" Carly fired back.

"Look Carly, I've had a very long day and I just had a difficult conversation with Sam. I'm not in the mood to deal with your problems, too. So just say whatever it is you have to say and go home."

"You know, you only ever get like this when you've been hanging around Elizabeth too much," Carly started in.

"Why don't you leave Elizabeth out of this?"

"Because, Jase, she's the one that's causing all of the problems between us. You always start defending her and leave me hanging in the wind."

"Ah, so you're pissed because I maybe missed a hangnail crisis. Jeez Carly, go talk to Jax about it, I don't care."

"See, that….that right there is what I'm talking about. Elizabeth gets herself knocked up and you go riding in with your white knight syndrome to come and rescue her. She is so damn good at playing the damsel in distress that you fall for it, every single time. And in the process, you ignore your family and friends."

"Another problem with Michael you need me to solve for you? Is that it Carly?" the mob enforcer asked, wondering when she would get to the point.

"Michael is doing just fine. But you would know that if you spent any amount of time with him," the blond barked at him. "He misses his Uncle Jason. You need to come over to the house and spend some time with him."

"What about Morgan?"

"What about Morgan?" she questioned.

"Well, apparently I need to come and visit Michael, but you obviously forgot that you have two children, Morgan being one of them."

"Damn it Jason, that's just a given. If you come over and spend time with Michael, Morgan will be there and you will get to see him."

"Look, I've got some things that I need to settle, but I will come over and visit the boys, okay? Is that all?"

"What the hell is going on with you Jason? You disappeared for days, I couldn't find you anywhere. And now you are acting like it's an inconvenience that I came by to see you."

"Carly, I told you, it's been a very long day. I'm tired and I just want to finish a few things, okay?"

"No, it's not okay," she told him, pushing him farther. She was really pissed at him ignoring her calls. "I tried calling you. You never picked up, all I got was your voice mail, and you didn't return any of my messages. What if I had really needed you? Did you even listen to your messages?"

"Some of them."

"What have you been doing? Sonny didn't tell me about any assignments that he'd sent you on. He said that you decided to take a few days off. Why?"

"Because I wanted to. I had a few personal things to take care of. And Sonny shouldn't be telling you anything about our business, you're not married to him anymore."

"What, like the muffin face? What did she do, come crying to you because she's upset that the baby turned out to be my cousin's? So what, boo-freakin-hoo! She married the loser, now she just needs to go back to him so she can keep wiping his nose for him!" Carly exclaimed.

"Carly, we're done. What I do or don't do to help out Elizabeth is not your concern."

"It is when you start ignoring your family. When you are pushing the woman that you love away. You need to go after Sam. Tell her that you forgive her and you're ready to move on. She is the one for you. What did I tell you about getting sucked back up in muffin's world? You can't do it, Jason, you just can't. She's gonna break your heart again, if you try to go down this road. I'm trying to stop you from making a mistake you will regret. You will never get Sam back if you go after Elizabeth. She won't forgive you for that. Just tell her you're sorry for sleeping with the muffin and that you forgive her for sleeping with Ric."

"Sam and I are through. I made that perfectly clear to her today. So, no, I won't be going after her. I am sorry that she is hurting, but I can't change what is."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just what it sounded like. Sam and I are done, we're not together anymore."

"You can't mean that Jason. You love her and she loves you. You two are perfect together. She gets this life that you lead. She fits in to your life."

"Sam is a danger junkie, that doesn't not mean that she gets or fits my life. It's not what I want."

"Of course that's what you want, it's what you need. Someone that's not going to complain about what you do, who you have to protect, or lie to protect, or when you have to do it. Sam understands that, besides, as much as I may hate it, you do love her."

"While there was a time that I did fall for Sam, with everything that has happened this year, I don't feel the same way anymore. She needs to move on and stop waiting for me to forgive her. I realized that it just wasn't going to happen."

Realization dawning on her, Carly asked, "When did you realize that it wasn't going to happen?"

"Since the night I saw her sleeping with her step-father. Yes, I tried to move past it and forgive her, and as much as I care about Sam, I just can't get past it."

"Are you sure it wasn't since you were shot and staying at the muffin's old studio?"

"Carly, how many times have I told you about what happened between me and Sam and that I couldn't forgive what she'd done? Why are you making such a big deal about this?"

"Because she, for some reason I don't understand, made you happy. And I don't want to see you go down a road you've already travelled and get your heart broken again. Not when the woman that you've spent the last couple of years with has made you happier than I've ever seen you before."

Snorting out loud, "Now that's a load of crap if I've ever heard it. Do you keep this stuff in your head to re-use over and over again? Because I could swear that you said almost the exact same thing about me and Courtney, too."

"Well, if Courtney were still alive, I'd be jumping up and down that you got rid of the trash you've been dating and push you to try to make up with her. But, since my best girl-friend is dead, I'm stuck with what I have to work with."

"Here's a thought, why don't you just stay out of my personal life, Carly?"

"No, Jase, I just want you to be happy. And, if you are with Sam, then you can't play the hero for every damsel in distress out there. It will keep you away from Elizabeth."

Shaking his head in wonder, "I really don't get what you have against Elizabeth. Besides, if I get hurt, that's my problem to deal with, not yours."

"No, it's not, Jason. Don't you get it? If you head down that road with that muffin faced, holier-than-thou Elizabeth Spencer, you are going to get hurt again. I won't have it!" Carly said, actually stomping her foot. "And you don't need to be playing daddy to her two little bastards!"

Jason Morgan, the most feared mob enforcer on the east coast, went deadly silent. Getting up from the couch, he walked back over to his penthouse door. Opening it, he looked at Carly, "Get out!" was all he said.