A/N: Sorry for the long delay…..too much work and not enough time to feed the muse. She's being a bitch and hiding from me. She peeked out at me today, but not for this story. She's churning something completely different. I'm trying to get her back on track.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Four days later, a frustrated Carly was running out of patience. She hasn't been able to track Jason down, and he hasn't been answering his cell, nor has he returned any of her numerous voice mails. "Damn him!" she swore, "Where the hell is he?"

"Who are you talking about, Carly?" Jax asked, walking into her office at the MetroCourt.

"Jason. I've been trying for days to get ahold of him. I need to talk to him. He's not answering his cell phone and he hasn't called me, not even once to let me know he's okay," she told her fiancé. "No one has seen Elizabeth, either. I'm just hoping he's not with her! I can't talk any sense into him, if I can't find him, or get him to return my calls."

"Well, love, maybe you should take that as a sign that he's where he wants to be, and he's not interested in your opinion on his personal life," the Australian replied blandly, knowing that his statement would go in one ear, and right back out of the other. It irked him that she was completely absorbed in Jason and who else was involved in Jason's life, especially his love life. He wished he could get her to see reason, and that, as much as he didn't like what the man did for a living, said man deserved to make his own decisions and do whatever would make himself happy.

"No, that's not it. I know, I feel, that wherever Jason is, that goody, goody, muffin face is with him. She's talking in his ear, telling him that in order to claim her bastard children, he's going to have to turn his back on his real family, me and the boys, especially Michael," she stated with venom. "She's going to make him choose, that little bitch!"

"Wow! That's a really high opinion you have of your 'best friend', Carly," Jax sighed.

Snapping her eyes up to her fiancé's, she asks wildly, "What? What the hell are you talking about Jax? What the fuck does that mean? I have the highest opinion in the world of Jason."

"Then don't you think you should let him come to his own decisions, about his own life, as opposed to believing that Jason can be told what to do? Maybe if you really had such a high opinion of him, you would stop treating him like a brain damaged idiot that doesn't know his own mind."

"I do NOT treat him like that! I'm his 'best friend', and I know that if he spends too much time around the muffin face, he's going to start changing to accommodate her wishes. It's always about what she wants, never about what Jason needs."

"And, pray tell, what is it that you think Jason needs?" he asks snidely.

"His family. His true family. Not that lying, gold-digging bitch. I swear, she's probably telling him that this baby is his so that she doesn't have to go back to her drug addict husband. I mean, why wouldn't she lie about who her baby's father is, given the choice?"

"Maybe because Elizabeth has more integrity than to lie about something so important. Not to mention, a secret like that would be bound to come out sooner or later, someone would figure it out, or she would end up telling the truth because it's not in her to lie like that."

"Oh, yes, I did seem to forget, you are a part of the Elizabeth Spencer fan club. She is still married to my cousin," she said with disdain, although it was hard to distinguish if the disdain was for the woman herself or his fiancé's cousin.

"She's divorcing your cousin," he stated quietly.

"Yeah, well, we'll see about that. She has made it quite the habit over the years of saying one thing, then running right back to Lucky Spencer. Every time she has done that, she has trampled all over Jason's heart. I'm not going to sit back and let that happen again. I'm not going to wait for Jason to fall in love with this child, only for her to have that bitch snatch it away when she realizes that his life is still full of the same danger that it had a few years ago. She couldn't handle it then, and she can't handle it now. I'm just going to make sure she doesn't have a chance to sink her claws into him again," the obnoxious woman vowed vehemently.

"I'm just warning you, Carly. I don't think you want to get in the middle of this one. I think that if you truly are Jason's 'best friend', like you always claim you are, you will just stand beside Jason and support whatever decision that he makes. Even if you don't like it, or don't agree with it. It's what he does for you," the quiet Aussie replied. "You know what, you do what you want to do. You are going to anyway. Just don't hurt Elizabeth or her children, okay?"

Turning around, Jax left Carly's office and decided to head home. He didn't think he'd be able to concentrate. He was too angry at his soon-to-be wife. He knew she wouldn't leave well enough alone. He really wished she would put half as much energy into their relationship as she does with Jason and whatever was going on in Jason's life.