Author's Note: Wow, this whole review thing is working out awesome (and you know I love you, Allie, so hush :-P )! Hmm, maybe I should up it to 15 reviews per chapter since you are all so amazing! LOL (Plus, I really wanna know what you guys think about this chapter and what's coming up next :-P ) Just an FYI, I am going to be out of town for a few days but depending on how many reviews I get, I'll post as quickly as I can when I get back. I promise!

ENJOY!
~JP

True North
By Jaclyn Parker

"Put yourself in a state of mind where you say to yourself, 'Here is an opportunity for you to celebrate like never before, my own power, my own ability to get myself to do whatever is necessary'."
~Anthony Robbins
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Dressed in a red and white hibiscus printed maternity shirt with white capri's, Carly looked incredibly happy and healthy as she put the last load of cups in the sink filled with soapy water. She glanced up and grinned when she saw Sage, Natalie, and Faith run past screaming with laughter as Mattie, Parker, and J.J. chased after them with water guns.

The happy sounds caused her to reflect back on another family barbeque that had ended up in a food fight. It was funny how even though she and Jack had been going through a divorce back then, somehow it all seemed so much simpler than the situation they were in now.

"Is everything okay?"

Carly's head shot up and turned to see Emma standing just inside the doorway to the kitchen, holding a stack of used paper plates that had been forgotten.

"What? Oh yeah, fine." Carly said, fighting the urge to fidget and place her hands on her protruding stomach.

While she and Emma had never been close, Carly respected the Snyder family matriarch and oddly enough found it almost as hard keeping the paternity of her baby from Emma as it was from Jack. She supposed it was because somewhere, deep inside, Carly was still that young woman who Jack had brought home long ago that wanted Emma's approval and acceptance.

"Are you sure? You looked a little…lost." Emma said, moving to throw the plates in her hand into the large trash bag hanging off of the center island.

Carly held back the bite of hysterical laughter that threatened to pop out of her throat and instead just shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. I was just thinking how nice it was for everyone to be able to come today. I'm still a little surprised that Meg and Paul didn't bring Eliza over for the barbeque." Carly said, reaching into the sink for another dish to wash and looking puzzled when she somehow came back up with one of Ethan's small plastic dinosaurs.

"Since they came here for Memorial Day, Barbara demanded they have their own party at Fairwinds today." Emma said, coming over to join Carly by the sink. She offered to wash but Carly waved her off and Emma resigned herself to drying the things that sat in the dish rack. "I think she even managed to get Craig to bring Johnny over too, which has been an impossible feat since the day he somehow managed to obtain temporary custody."

Carly sighed and shook her head, pausing a moment to think about the poor child who had only recently been torn away from everything he'd ever known and thrust into a world with people he didn't remember. Ironically, it was very similar to the situation that was looming over Mattie's head.

"Are he and Dusty still threatening to kill each other every five minutes?" Carly asked and felt Emma sigh.

"From what I hear, yes. Dusty is determined to get Johnny back and Craig won't let the boy anywhere near him. I think Barbara told Meg and Paul that Craig employed a nanny with a teaching degree so that Johnny can be homeschooled in case Dusty tries to take him at the school."

"Wow, Craig must be really afraid of losing him." Carly said and Emma snorted.

"Afraid or obsessed?"

Carly didn't answer, only shrugged while staring at the soapy water with a frown. While she was out in L.A., she had only gotten second hand information from Lily about the goings on in Oakdale and really couldn't judge the situation either way.

Carly knew that she would never be able to forgive Craig Montgomery for some of the things he had done to her and her family in a million years. An image of Rosanna lying in a coma so far away flashed though her mind and made her grip the sink as a wave of anguish washed over her. But she pulled herself together quickly in case Emma noticed something was wrong and started asking questions about something that Carly really wasn't in a strong enough emotional state of mind to answer.

And yet, bringing herself back to the topic at hand, Carly also recognized that once upon a time she had also seen the best of Craig in the way that he truly loved his son Bryant and daughter Lucy. It had torn him up when he had lost Bryant and as a result, Craig had developed a tendency to hold onto the children he had left with an iron clad grip. Unfortunately, when you hold on to something that tight, you run the risk of it breaking all together. It had happened with Lucy and Carly was hoping with everything she had, for Johnny's sake, that it wouldn't happen with that little boy.

"Barbara is on Dusty's side, isn't she?" Carly asked, jumping back into the conversation and starting to wash the dishes again as if she hadn't been silent for almost a good five minutes.

"Well you know Barbara." Emma said, wondering where Carly's mind had drifted to a moment ago, but wisely not pressing the issue. "She's on her own side as usual, but overall yes I think that she'd prefer Dusty had custody. If only because she and Craig butt head so horribly and he restricts her access to Johnny so much as it is."

"I hope that Janet went to Fairwinds with them today, if only to keep Craig back from causing a scene in front of Johnny and Eliza." Carly said and Emma froze in mid-action of drying of a plate. Carly noticed but kept going with the dishes, choosing to ignore it. Emma seemed to snap out of her stupor and took the now clean dish that Carly was offering to her to dry.

"I'm sure she did." Emma said slowly after clearing her throat. "Especially since Liberty went away to her friend Mindy's parent's lake house for the weekend."

"Oh yeah, Brad mentioned that during dinner didn't he?" Carly said, nodding as she vaguely remembered him saying something of that nature. "It was nice that he and Katie showed up for a little while before heading to do the pre-fireworks segment for WOAK at the high school."

"Well, ever since that last doctor's appointment when they found out that she is actually further along in the pregnancy than the doctors thought, Katie is supposed to already be on maternity leave. But she's proving to be a little stubborn when it comes to that. In fact, she said she's going to work right up until she feels contractions." Emma said, smiling with fondness.

"Much to Brad's panic." Carly said, chuckling as she remembered Brad following his very pregnant wife around the entire time as if waiting for the baby to just drop out at any moment.

"You know it's funny? I still can't believe that there's not more of a difference between you two. You guys are what…about two whole months apart?" Emma said, eyeing Carly's stomach.

Carly made a noncommittal noise in her throat while she unconsciously placed a hand on her abdomen. She wondered how funny Emma would really think it was if she knew that she and Katie were more likely only a few weeks apart, if that.

"I wonder if Sage, Faith, and Natalie gave Katie the same 'we'll babysit for a discount price' speech they gave me earlier." Carly said, deftly changing the subject.

As if talking about them had conjured them up, the three girls of discussion ran inside of the screened porch to where the tables of food had been set up. They each grabbed a cup of lemonade and downed it in two long gulps. Looking up to see Carly watching them from the window, they all waved before tossing the empty paper cups into the trash by the table. Then they were off and running back outside, careful to avoid the grill that was being cooled down and put away by Holden and Jack.

"I am happy that Sage and the girls decided to come home to celebrate the holiday with us instead of staying up at camp." Carly said, brushing a piece of her bangs off of her forehead and rolling her eyes as she felt the trail of soap suds she left behind.

"Well, once Sage knew you all were coming back to Oakdale I don't think you could have kept her away. And naturally my granddaughters wanted to be with their cousins and family too." Emma said, shrugging and to Carly's surprise she reached up to gently wipe the soap suds off of Carly's face with a paper towel.

"Hmm, I'm glad everyone is here. It's providing just the distraction that we need right now. Especially for Lee and Matte." Carly said, turning from the now empty sink and wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

"How are they holding up?' Emma asked, genuinely concerned.

"Okay, for now. They're trying to keep up their brave faces." Carly said, moving away from her to lean on top of the island and giving a soft smile. "Parker hasn't left Mattie's side for more than two minutes; he's so worried about her."

"Hmm, well, I noticed Molly hasn't been too far from Lee either." Emma said and Carly jerked upright. She looked at the older woman who merely looked back with a calm and questioning gaze. "Why do you suppose that is?"

Carly narrowed her eyes and cautiously licked her lips. "I don't…"

"Actually, I've been wondering that too. Along with a few other things."

Jack's voice startled them both and they turned around see him standing next to the refrigerator. He leaned against its side with his arms crossed over his chest and Carly knew by his stance and unyielding expression that he wasn't going to budge until he got some answers.

Carly opened and closed her mouth a couple times, trying to gather her thoughts. The screen door opened again and Lily and Holden walk in, causing Carly to roll her eyes.

"What is this? An intervention?" She asked frustrated and starting to feel slightly claustrophobic.

Lily looked around the kitchen and then slid over to stand by Carly. She wrapped one arm around her and rested her chin on Carly's left shoulder.

"Nope. When I saw Emma come in here with trash and not return, I remembered that you were in here too and wanted to make sure there was no undue stress being placed on you. You know, she can be pretty determined and meddlesome when she wants to be." Lily said, giving her mother-in-law a fond but firm look.

Emma didn't say anything, just turned made an exasperated noise and then turned to raise her eyebrows at Holden. "You come in here to protect Carly from me too?"

"Uh, I'm just an innocent bystander. I'm here cause my wife said there were brownies." Holden said, pointing a finger at Lily who made a face at him.

"Coward." She muttered, even though her tone was decidedly playful.

"Well now that she has a support system, maybe she can answer a question." Jack said, his frustration and impatience clear in his voice causing any levity in the room to dissipate quickly. "What exactly is going on between you, Lee, and Molly?"

Carly swallowed hard and looking around, she saw that even her so called supporters, Lily and Holden, were staring at her in curiosity. Frowning, she finally just shrugged.

"Yes, it's true. Lee and I aren't together. And yes he is, in fact, dating Molly. They have been together for some time now." Carly said and she could feel everyone's confusion, especially when they all glanced to her stomach. If Carly hadn't felt as if she was going to be sick at any moment, she would have laughed at the looks on their faces.

"Carly, I don't understand." Holden said, the first one to speak up.

"Honey, what about the baby?" Lily asked, her eyes searching Carly's face.

Having known the truth about the paternity since the beginning but wanting what was best for her friend's health, Lily had played along with Lee as the baby's father. Now she couldn't help but ask the question to keep up appearances, even though Carly could tell there was an underlying subtly to the inquiry.

Sending a small furtive look to Jack, Carly's breath caught in her throat. There had been something in his expression when she caught his eye that had her heart leaping in her chest. Maybe now was the perfect time to tell him…tell them all…the truth. The baby was healthy and Carly felt that she was probably strong enough to handle the immediate backlash.

Lee and Molly would support her and she knew that Lily wouldn't be far behind. Holden's reaction didn't really matter to her, to be honest, other than the fact that it would be nice to have someone else on her side when it came out around town. Emma would be stunned at first but Carly was pretty sure she would just chalk it up to another idiotic decision in the life of Carly Tenney and then gush about a new Snyder baby.

And Jack…well…for once she had no idea how he would react, but again the look on his face told her that maybe all wasn't lost.

But before she could say a word, she heard Parker and Mattie call out to the other kids that they were going to refill the water guns with the hose. A sudden rational thought entered her brain and chilled her to the bone.

If she told them all now, what would that mean for Mattie's custody trial? Even though it wasn't the overall truth, Lee would be portrayed as someone who had helped her lie and cover up medical information. Chris Turner's lawyer would have a field day and with the odds already stacked against Lee's winning, she knew she couldn't contribute to taking that girl away from her home.

Besides, John Richardson, the lawyer representing Lee, had told them that the trial would most likely be settled by next weekend due to the fact that they were on the court docket for every day next week. What was one more week if it helped keep Mattie where she belonged?

Carly took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Lee and I will always be close because of the baby, but we just don't love each other that way. He's happy with Molly and I am thrilled for them."

"Carly, that's absurd!" Jack exploded and she frowned. "He can't just abandon you and date your cousin! Not now!"

"Jack, please calm down. It's okay, really. Everything is going to be fine, you'll see." Carly said and something in her voice made him stop. Yet before he could say anything the door opened again and everyone turned to look.

Molly was looking back over her shoulder at Lee and they were both laughing at something that Lee had said when they entered the kitchen and stopped short at the sight before them. Taking in the scene and the openly confused and slightly hostile looks on certain faces, they both frowned.

"Whoa." Lee said and instinctively took a step back.

"What's going on?" Molly asked, looking around the room with wide blue eyes.

"You son of a…" Jack growled and started to move towards Lee but Carly quickly cut him off.

"Jack, stop it!" Carly said and both Lee and Molly's eyes shot to her for an explanation. "It's okay guys. I, uh, I told them the truth.

"What…uh….what truth is that exactly, Luv?" Lee asked, his eyes darting to Jack who still looked ready to tear him apart.

"You know. The truth about how even though you'll be around to help me with the baby that you and I aren't together and that you're actually with Molly now. That you've been with Molly for a while and I'm completely okay with it because we are better off as friends." Carly rambled quickly.

She looked between the two of them with her eyes conveying what she hoped was a clear message of "don't mess this up".

"Oh, right, that truth." Molly said and then gave an honestly sheepish look. "I guess we weren't exactly keeping a low profile today, huh?"

"Not exactly." Jack said, his voice still resonating with annoyance.

"Okay, look." Emma said suddenly, bringing everyone's attention away from the fight that Jack was obviously itching to have with Lee and Molly. "Today isn't about Carly or Lee or Molly. This is about making sure that those kids, especially Mattie, see that we as the adults are strong and confident that everything is going to be okay. And if it isn't then we can at least all bury the hatchet for one day and give that young girl out there a memory to last her until she can come back to us. Agreed?"

As she looked around everyone looked properly contrite as they mumbled under their breaths.

"I said, agreed?" Emma repeated, her voice causing no room for argument and they all raised their voices as they gave their own version of the word yes as answer. "Good. Now I think it's time to get dessert out before we go meet Paul and Meg for fireworks."

Lee and Molly were the first ones out the door, openly holding hands this time even though Jack was still giving them the evil eye.

Lily moved next, giving Carly a mini-hug around the shoulders before shooing her husband towards the door. She saw Emma hesitate when neither Carly nor Jack looked like they were following and Lily grabbed her by the hand.

"Let's go, Mom." Lily said, pulling with her. "You can help me wrangle the kids together."

When the screen door snapped shut, the silence between Carly and Jack filled the air. It didn't last long before Jack cut it with a sigh.

"How long?" He asked and she tilted her head in confusion.

"I don't know what you…"

"How long since you and Lee broke up?" Jack clarified. Carly bit her lip, trying to come up with answer. "Was it before the fashion show?"

Since they technically hadn't ever really been a couple in the first place Carly felt she was honestly answering when she said, "Yes."

"Was it before Mother's Day? Before you even went out to L.A. in the first place?" Jack continued.

"Jack, please, it doesn't matter when. Lee and I aren't together but we're still as close as we ever were." Carly said, shrugging slightly as she again phrased her words carefully.

"Carly, how can you say that? The man is dating your cousin, for God's sake!" Jack said, sweeping an arm out in the direction of the backyard where everyone was. "How long did it take for that to happen, by the way? Did they at least wait until you were broken up to start seeing each other?"

"Knock it off, Jack." Carl said, her annoyance growing at his unwarranted attack on Lee and Molly. Granted, he didn't know the whole story but she couldn't just sit back while he said things like that. "Molly and Lee would never do that to me. In fact, I saw this coming a while before they did and the only thing that surprised me is how long it took for the two of them to get their acts together."

Jack saw that his accusations were distressing her and, while he didn't agree with her defending the two of them, that was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Carly, I just…I'm worried about you. About both of you." Jack said, gesturing to her stomach, and Carly's face immediately softened.

"Thanks, Jack. We're fine…both of us." She said quietly and self-consciously smoothed her shirt over her abdomen.

Jack slowly walked forward until he was only a couple feet away from her. He glanced at her stomach and his hands curled at his sides.

"Can I…? I mean, would you mind if I…?" Jack asked, looking into her eyes and she frowned a moment before realization spread across her face. Silently she reached out to take his hands and then placed them against her hard stomach.

They stood like that for a couple minutes, not speaking, just absorbing the moment until a sudden movement disturbed both of them.

"Hey, she kicked me!" Jack said, his eyes widening and letting out a laugh. "Why is it that every time you're pregnant, the kid decides that I'm the one to practice karate on?"

"I don't know. But she has been pretty quiet all day, until now." Carly said, laughing along with him although it was a desperate attempt to mask the internal battle not to cry.

"Yeah, well, not anymore. I think you've got a World Cup champion on your hands." Jack said and a second kick echoed in the spot underneath where his other hand lay, causing him to laugh again.

"Hmm, maybe." Carly said, blinking back tears as she thought to herself, 'Or maybe she just knows her daddy's touch.'

This went on for a few more moments, with Jack moving his hands gently into different positions on her stomach and the baby somehow instinctively finding them and giving him tiny kicks.

As uncomfortable as the little game between the two of them was becoming for Carly, she took one look at the wonder and amusement on Jack's face and knew that she wouldn't have stopped it even if she was in real pain.

Thankfully, just before it got to that point, the baby stopped kicking, having apparently grown bored or just exhausted herself and fallen back asleep.

Shaking his head, Jack looked into Carly's face, his eyes filled with something that she couldn't begin to describe. She placed her hands over top of his and frowned, trying to figure out the expression on his face.

"Jack, are you okay?"

Jack's hands dropped to his sides again and he shuffled on his feet before speaking softly.

"Carly, why didn't you tell me sooner? About you and Lee?" He asked and she looked up at him sadly.

Placing a hand on his cheek, she gave him a small smile. "Oh Jack, everything got so complicated so quickly. I just…I couldn't."

She could see by his face that her answer wasn't adequate and she didn't blame him. However, instead of continuing, she found herself asking him a question right back.

"Be honest, Jack. After the night of my fashion show and the way things ended between us, would you have believed me…or even cared?"

Jack blinked and struggled to answer, only to find that he didn't have one. At least not one that he wanted to admit aloud. But to his surprise, instead of getting angry at his silence, Carly just smiled softly.

"You forget, G-man, that I know you better than anyone ever will. Maybe even better than you know yourself." She said, shaking her head.

When she did a lock of her sleek straightened blonde hair fell to lay against her cheek and Jack's fingers itched to reach out and brush it away like he had always done. But she beat him to it, removing her hand from his cheek to tuck it back behind her ear again. Jack realized that his cheek felt decidedly cold now, without her touch, and he forced himself to try and refocus even when all that he truly wanted was for her to touch him again.

Suddenly emboldened by the emotions flashing in of Jack's eyes, Carly rose up onto her tiptoes to press a soft but brief kiss to his mouth. Before he could really react she settled back down, looked up into his startled gaze and chuckled quietly as she ran her thumb across his slightly parted lips.

"Everything's going to be okay, Jack. You'll see. Just a little while longer and then it's all going to work out the way it's supposed to."

Jack frowned at her cryptic words and suddenly feeling decidedly uncomfortable with their closeness, took a step away from her. But instead of looking offended, Carly just raised an eyebrow and smiled mysteriously at him. Then without saying another word, she gracefully moved around him to slip outside and join everyone else.

Jack watched her go, his mind racing. How in the world had he had stayed to confront her only to end up kissing her.? It boggled his mind that, after all these years, she still managed to leave him standing alone in a room with his mouth agape after her.

But after a moment he realized that she had also left him with something else that he hadn't had in a long time.

Hope.

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On the next chapter of True North:
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"That's not true!" Molly said, jumping to her feet.

All eyes swung to the brunette who was now standing in the middle of the public gallery, glaring daggers at the attorney badgering Lee.

Molly recognized her mistake the second she stood up, but she couldn't just sit there and let that man torpedo Lee like that. She knew that she had to help him but for the life of her, as she shifted on her feet nervously, she realized that she didn't have a clue as to how.

Not a moment later the judge gave her the opportunity she was looking for as he banged the gavel for attention and pointed a finger at her, his face stern.

"Who are you, young lady, and why are you disrupting this court?"

Molly froze, her mind going a million miles per hour as she tried to think of something to say; anything to say. When the idea came into her head, Molly knew it was insane and hesitated until she glanced down the row to where Carly sat. She was looking at her, with one eyebrow perfectly arched in expectation. That special bond they had was working full steam, because by the surprised yet resigned expression on her cousin's face she seemed to somehow know exactly what Molly was about to do. Carly gave a nearly imperceptible nod of encouragement and gathering a deep breath Molly smiled reassuringly at her before lifting her chin proudly.

"My name is Molly Conlan, your Honor."

Judge Miller made a face that clearly stated for her to elaborate and Molly briefly threw a look in Lee's direction before refocusing on the judge.

"I'm Dr. Reynold's fiancée."

TBC