Jason Morgan and Alexis Davis, canon

September 2010

Instant Addiction

Part 27

Jason spotted Carly sitting on her couch in her living room, on Friday afternoon, and he walked right into her house without knocking. That was something he rarely would ever do unless he was extremely worried or really ticked off.

Today he was a little of both. "What did you do?" He threw up one hand.

She looked up from her magazine. "Shh. M.J is asleep."

He walked closer and hissed "Why did you go see Alexis today?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Unbelievable. I don't ever want Gino to be my gaurd again. I thought he knew better than to rat me out to you."

"Carly."

"What?"

He gave her a look, telling her to start talking.

She sighed. "We just had a little girl talk."

"You don't chat with Alexis. Not even about the kids. So what did you do? What did you do, Carly?"

"Why does it always have to be that I did something, Jase? Maybe all I did was make things better."

"Are you gonna keep-" he asked.

"Geez."

"Hiding this from me or just-"

"I swear I'm going to make Gino sorry he opened his mouth. And I'm having Max talk to him. Really drive the point home."

"Tell me what went down. Are you....? You're okay with me and her....right?"

She looked into his eyes for a long moment. Jason sat down on the couch next to her. The moment lingered. He stared straight ahead. She watched him, seeing the weariness he wore on his features once again. That look she was almost positive Alexis took away for good...and now it was back. And that was breaking Carly's heart to see.

Carly touched Jason's arm. "Were you wrong about her?"

He turned and looked at Carly. He shook his head, just slightly, no.

She smiled softly. "So lets figure this out, okay?" She leaned close to him and whispered "Lets not lose out again."

If only Jax could see them now...but maybe Jax wouldn't know what he was seeing...but Carly and Jason knew. Their eyes held.

Jason whispered, with Carly a mere inch from him, "Don't worry about it."

"Of course I worry. I love you."

He moved back. "I'll figure it out."

"Well....what went down? Are you guys fighting already?"

After a long silent moment, Jason said "Sam's coming home today."

"So?! That's the same excuse Alexis used. I mean...okay, sure...Sam will not be doing cart wheels. Who would? But so what? Sam really has no room to talk...she was in bed with Sonny, right? And Ric. Jax. All Alexis' men. Sam will get over this."

"Yeah, I think Sam will be okay with it in time. But it won't matter by then because Alexis will shut down on me the second Sam gets upset."

"It's a delicate situation...I get that. Sam's the kid so when she acted out and screwed around she had an excuse of being young and dumb- like I was with Tony. And Alexis is the mom so she isn't supposed to have excuses like that anymore. Its no one fault this happened though. Alexis did not set out to hurt Sam. No one saw this coming. I didn't see this coming, Jase! Did you?"

Her question asked: Did you keep this all from me again?

"No."

"Okay then. So it was just one of those things....I mean, it happens. Out of nowhere. Remember?"

He gave her a small grin. His words were gentle, as they both thought about Jake's, when he said "Carly, you got to leave Alexis alone, okay? She's stressed out these days and she don't need you going to hunt her down to tell her what to do."

"Well you wouldn't tell me why you were so worked up earlier so I had to do something."

"I know you want to help but don't. You can't help."

"I won't watch you just give up again."

His jaw tensed.

Carly lifted his arm and scooted close to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and put her arm around his waist. A full minute passed of her just comforting him. It grew emotional as he let down his walls for her.

She whispered "Jase, if there was ever going to be a time you were going to really fight....make this be the time, okay?"

Carly had done things like this before. She sent Jason to Sam on the night that he caught Sam with Ric. She had wanted Jason to pour his heart out to Sam and save their love.

And this time she wanted Jason to take a stand for Alexis...not let her easily slip away...and not say things like Its her choice and I can't tell her what to do. Of course that was all true but he could yell and he could cry and he could tell her that two weeks just wasn't enough.

He wanted a life with her.

Carly, as his best friend and the woman who loved him longest, pushed past her own feelings and did what she knew he needed. She had his back.

They stayed on the couch together for another forty minutes, with her head on his shoulder. Every minute or so one of them would say something, sometimes things that didn't require anything to be said back. Mainly she was just putting him back together.

Finally the kids came in from school and the moment was broken. Maggie Jay started wailing upstairs and it was time for Carly to be a Mom again.

But whenever Jason needed her to be that other half of him...she'd come running to do that...even if that meant pushing him toward another woman. There were times she hated him falling for someone else. It depended on the woman and on how Jason talked about that woman.

Sometimes he was sure the woman was right for him- like with Liz- when she was all wrong. Sometimes he really wanted it to matter- like with Courtney- but, in the end, it didn't matter enough to keep trying. Sometime he cared- Brenda- but he wasn't able to break down his walls. Sometimes he gave almost all of himself- Sam- but he couldn't go that last inch.

Looking at him the night he told her that he was with Alexis, Carly had saw that Jason was finally past a lot of the fears and pain that held him back before. This time he was choosing life and love.

This time he was choosing to lay his heart wide open. And he was doing it all for Alexis.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tell me I'm not the insane one around here," Alexis said, as she walked into Jax's office. "Okay, maybe insane was the wrong word to use, considering my family history. Nearly all Cassadines have a gene that is primed to mutate into insanity at any moment. Sane today, gone tomorrow. But, as of right now, I don't feel I'm being unreasonable or irrational to want to put the needs of my child before my own. Am I?....Oh, am I interrupting your work?"

Jax said into his phone "I'll take that under advisement and get back to you by the close of business. Have a good afternoon." He hung up. Standing up from behind his desk he said "This is about Jason, right?"

Alexis' gave him a guilty look. Her hands flew around as she spoke. "I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you about him before but...I know how you feel about your wife being close to him and so I knew you wouldn't like hearing that your best person is now close to the same alleged mafia enforcer...who are we kidding? Alleged was a gift. He is a mobbed up hit man and that's the cold hard truth. And, if I really was sane, I would not be happy to share my home and life with a criminal like Jason...but.." her voice got softer "he's a good dad. Did you know that? And he's really very thoughtful and caring and sensitive. And he knows how to have fun. Who would ever think I'd like riding motorcycles or shooting pool? But I do. Still, right is right, and its only right that I do not hurt my daughter when we are..finally...close after a lifetime of being separated and then enemies and then just related but not close...now we are close. We're close, Jax. I can't lose my daughter. You understand, right?"

He walked over to her and gently touched her arm. "I don't think Sam would ever let you lose her. No matter what happens."

"Really?"

"Would I lie to you?"

Alexis shook her head no. "But-!"

"She values the bond you two have grown."

"I know. But-"

"She knows you're a great mom and she really admires you. She loves you- unconditionally."

"But no child wants to hear that their mother is now dating their ex. I'm sorry but that is reality and I can't live in delusions like some people who....we know...you're married to. I can't be all 'Only what I want to matter, matters.' Because that isn't hardly true. Sam has every right to be really angry about this. If anything...I should have waited till she came home before further pursuing anything with Jason. That would have shown I respected her desires and her place in my life. But I didn't! Instead I've gone and fallen for the same man she used to want to marry. Am I the worst mother on earth?"

"Of course not. You're an amazing mom and, deep down, you know that. Now, this thing with Jason, that baffles me. I was the happiest guy in town when Sonny married Gia-"

Alexis rolled her eyes but smiled, slightly.

Jax went on "Seriously, why do you think I went to his wedding with Kate that time? Not because I like the guy. That's for sure. And not because Kate was a work associate. It was because I wanted to see with my own eyes that he was married to someone other than you. That you would never fall into a trap of thinking he is a good, honorable man who you can build a life with-"

"Please don't put down Sonny right now. I have too much going on this week to be mad at you too. Besides you know I can't stand it when we fight."

"All I'm saying is, I thought we dodged this, proverbial, bullet when Sonny got married again. I didn't even think you'd look twice at Jason. But you have. Now that you have....tell me....what is it that makes you want a man like him? Just because he's fun? There has to be more. Tell me what else you see in him that you can't find in a doctor or lawyer or janitor or....anyone. I know lots of single men I could set you up with. Tell me why it has to be Jason."

"Does it matter anymore? I don't believe that Sam will be able to live with this."

"Give her some credit. She's matured in ways that we never expected. Hasn't she?"

"She really has!"

"Exactly. She's a good sister to the girls, and a good partner to Spinelli, and she's going to be a good wife to Matt. Why shouldn't you believe that when she looks in your eyes and see how badly you want her blessing...she won't jump at the chance to give it? That's the Sam I know."

"Aw," Alexis said, hugging Jax. "You are such a good best person!"

"And you are a fantastic mom. But even fantastic moms get to date. I just wish it was someone else."

"I say that about you and your choice in a wife every day," Alexis said, with a smile on her lips as she kept hugging Jax.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, Alexis was sitting at a table in the dining room of The Metro Court, waiting on Sam to show up for dinner. Sam was already late. Alexis was sipping a glass of wine and reading over a case file.

Her cell buzzed. She looked at the screen and let out a short breath. "Hello."

"Do you have time to talk?" Jason asked.

"I have a few minutes. How are you?"

There was a long silence. "I don't want to make anything harder on you. But before you talk to Sam I just want you to know that we have nothing to be ashamed about or apologize for."

"Hopefully she sees it that way too."

"You'd...walk away from me?"

Alexis had already told him she would but his voice showed how much he wanted that to not be true.

She let out a shuddering breath. "I wouldn't want to. I wouldn't be happy about it."

"You'll make your choice and I'll respect that choice. I will never make you feel guilty about what you decide. Just understand...." Jason cleared his throat. "I make love to you. When we're together....I'm falling in love with you...a little more...every time I see you. And if I had it my way....no other man would ever touch you again."

"Jason-" she said, breathlessly, as she heard him hang up. "Jason? Jason?"

The phone buzzed again. The screen read: General Hospital.

Like any mother would feel, her heart jumped into her throat. "This is Alexis Davis speaking."

"Alexis, this is Patrick," he sounded like he could barely get the words out. "There was an accident...on the expressway...when Matt and Sam were coming home. They were airlifted here. You need to get here as soon as you can."

Her hand covered her mouth. No! Not my baby girl, she thought. Not my baby....oh my God, Samantha.