Chapter 9

The Line Had Been Drawn

A/N: Okay so this chapter was so Not easy. I think I wrote and re- started it at least six or seven times. My trash can next to my desk is filled with sheets of paper of different scenarios. I wanted this scene to show the pain, anger and betrayal obviously, but I also wanted to show the growth of the two characters. I hope I finally nailed it on this try. Enjoy!

It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning as Elizabeth was trying to pick up the house. Her boys were playing outside and getting along as well as she could see. Elizabeth left the front door wide open, so that every time she was in the room, she could keep an eye out. Maybe she was a little paranoid, every five minutes she would poke her head outside to keep checking on them. Smiling when she heard them laughing, Elizabeth moved towards the kitchen to put the dishtowels away.

Outside the three boys were taking turns going down the slide when Carly pulled in the driveway. They stood quietly as they eyed the woman who they knew disliked their mother.

"Hey boys, is your mom around?"

Before Cameron could answer, Jake pushed himself in front of his two brothers and crossed his arms. "Mom's inside," he said with no emotion.

Carly tried not to get emotional as she stared at little Jake. He was so much like his father in that moment that it was hard not to smile. "Do you think I could go in and talk to your mom?"

"Sure you can Mrs. Jax" Cameron said cheerfully.

"Cam, you stay here with Aiden and I will go in with Mrs. Jax" Jake left no room for negotiation as he started heading for the house. Carly followed as Jake led her inside.

"MOM!" He called out

"Hey baby, what's going…?" Elizabeth walked out from the kitchen wringing her hands on a towel when she saw her son with Carly.

"Mrs. Jax is here to see you." Jake said as he crossed over to stand next to her.

"Hello Elizabeth" the usual loud mouthed blonde spoke very quietly.

Turning to her son, Elizabeth told Jake "you can go back outside honey."

"Are you sure?"

Smiling down at him she nodded, "yes, it's okay." Satisfied, Jake hugged his mom and walked back outside without giving Carly a second glance. Carly had to hand it to the kid, he was a mini-Jason with his stone cold face.

"I have nothing to say to you Carly, so you can just leave." Elizabeth was less than civil now that her son wasn't in the room.

"Then you can just listen..Carly started but as she watched Elizabeth cross her arms in front of her, she realized that this was going to be anything but easy.

"I got your text Carly, and I thought I made it clear by not responding that I wasn't interested in talking to you."

"Well maybe I have a few things to say to you, did you ever think of that?" Carly tossed her purse on to the couch and threw her hands on her hip. "This conversation is long overdue so let's start at the beginning."

"Hurricane Carly wants to give me a history lesson? Are you fucking kidding me?" Elizabeth swore.

"Look, I am trying to be adults here and actually have a conversation with you."

"An adult? Really Carly? When have you ever acted like an adult?" Elizabeth laughed out loud which only pissed off the blonde even more.

"Listen to me you sanctimonious little bitch, just because you're upset about God knows what, doesn't mean you can take it out on me."

"There's Carly...always thinking about how everything affects her, it's like you haven't changed at all."

"The same could be said about you. You don't learn from your mistakes do you Lizzie. You lie until you get what you want."

"You're one to talk Caroline, you lie like you breathe! Didn't you come into Port Charles to destroy your mother? Seduced Tony with lies just so you could break up her marriage because you were mad at her for giving you up."

"You don't know anything about that. So I would quit if I were you." Carly said menacingly. She hated when people threw her past mistakes in her face. How the hell did Elizabeth know any of that? That happened before she even came to town?

"I'm just getting started. You lied to everyone about who the father of Michael was. You even convinced Jason to lie and say he was the father. Yet you berate me for letting Lucky do the same thing with Jake?

"The difference is that AJ was a dangerous influence back then."

"Are you saying Jason wasn't?" Elizabeth shot back

"How dare you, you know that Jason loves kids and is great with them. He would never allow for them to get hurt and he would do anything and everything to make sure they wouldn't!"

"I have never ONCE questioned Jason's love for my kids or anyone else's for that matter. That was never the problem."

"Oh right, the problem was and still is that you are scared of this life and never wanted to be a part of it. So YOU walked away from Jason all those years ago."

"I didn't leave because I was afraid and couldn't handle it, despite what you all think!"

"Then what was it? Hmm?"

"I didn't like being lied to. I got that secrets were a part of this business but I expected more from Jason."

"See, that right there is why you and Jason would never work!" Carly threw her hands up as she stalked towards Elizabeth. "You wanted to change Jason. You Never could accept what he did for a living. You hated the fact that he worked for Sonny and was friends with me. You concocted this idea in your head of who Jason was and when he didn't live up to your fantasy, then you cut him out of your life."

"Sit down Carly! It's time to tell you a story." Elizabeth pushed against the blonde as she turned to sit on the couch. Holding her hand out, Elizabeth waited as Carly eyed her with a glare and sat down across from her. If Carly deemed to come to her house and throw her history and past mistakes in her face, then fine.

"Okay Elizabeth, I'll bite, what do you have to tell me that I don't already know?" Carly patronized.

"Will you just shut the hell up and listen for once. You are in my house after all, so please show me some respect at least in that!"

Carly wanted to retort but she bit her tongue instead. Elizabeth was infuriating her but for the sake of the kids outside, she would listen...for now.

"Carly, I did not walk out on Jason because I couldn't handle his life. Back then, I was constantly in it, if you remember correctly. I found Jason shot and bleeding in the snow. I was threatened by Sorel twice including him putting a bomb in my studio. I was locked in a crypt with Zander. I moved into the penthouse because Alcazar was after Zander."

"Right, not because you wanted too."

"No I didn't want too, but Jason said it was best for everyone so I went a long with it. I trusted his advice and his opinion. Even back then"

"If that was the case, then why didn't you two stay together?" Carly asked sarcastically

"Ill tell you the same thing I told him. "I didn't want to be the second person. I wanted to be the first. I told him that he was always going to be Sonny's enforcer so he and I could never work"

"You selfish bitch, no wonder,"

"I told Jason a few days before that" Elizabeth interrupted, her voice as cold as ice, "that it didn't matter what he did out there. What mattered was how he treated me. I knew that there was parts of his business that he probably couldn't share with me, but I cared about Sonny too Carly and I thought that I deserved to know, but you and more importantly Sonny had to come first."

"Is that what this is about? Have you really been holding on to this for all these years? Jason lied to you about Sonny's death. It happened! Move on already." Carly demanded as she got off the couch and started pacing. "You can't hold Jason responsible for what happened in the past. That's not fair! The way you yelled at him in the hospital was uncalled for and downright vindictive."

Elizabeth stood up and faced her. "You still don't get it. I'm not mad at Jason for one specific incident, what I am mad about is that he violated my trust and respect. He took the two aspects of our friendship and relationship and threw them back in my face. Repeatedly.

"It's clear you never deserved it in the first place."

SMACK

Carly grabbed at her cheek from where Elizabeth had just left a hand print on her face. Fuming Carly reached out to smack Elizabeth back. When her palm connected with Elizabeth's face, the brunette actually growled, grabbed Carly's arm and shoved her back so she was sitting down on the chair.

"Never ever touch me again!" Elizabeth threatened as Carly tried to get her arms free of Elizabeth's hold. When the hell did the little girl get so strong? How the heck did the conversation get so out of hand?

"Alright, fine but get your hands off me!"

Elizabeth let go of Carly, and sighed. "Carly, let me ask you a question. Why do you love Sonny? Why do you keep covering for him, taking him back when he hurts you or your children?

"That's none of your business!"

"It is it because you two are actually friends and partners? Is it because you know that Sonny respects and trusts you? How about the fact that Sonny puts you and the kids first ahead of everything and anyone? Doesn't that matter to you?"

"Of course it matters, it's why Sonny and I work. You can't have a relationship based on lies. You can't have a relationship with out mutual respect and trust" Carly scoffed as she thought about her relationship with Sonny.

Elizabeth cocked her eyebrow and waited until what Carly said dawned on herself.

"Shit." Was all the blonde said as she rubbed her temples.

"Get it now?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

"Still Elizabeth, if you really loved him...why didn't you let him be in Jake's life? Why did you keep him from him?

"Carly, when Jake was born I was with Lucky and he was with Sam. It was one night. We were both upset...alcohol was involved. It just happened. It wasn't supposed to have any consequences. When he found out that there was a possibility that I could be pregnant, he offered to marry me to support me."

"You said no though,"

"Of course I did, what kind of marriage would that have been. Loveless and a marriage of convenience? Besides we would have been hurting a lot of people."

"Okay that I get somewhat, but what about after you had the paternity test?" Carly's eyebrows shot up in respect for what Elizabeth had just said.

"You mean the one you and everyone else kept badgering me about? Where you would show up while I was at work and constantly criticize, berate and harass me while I was working?"

"I admit I didn't handle that very well."

"Carly if it had been you in that situation and I did half the things you had done, what would you have done or said to me?"

"I see your point." Carly really did, if that had been her in the situation. She would have screamed at Elizabeth to back off and get out of her business. "You could have still told Jason the truth about him being Jake's father!"

"Before or after Sonny had jumped to conclusions and said it was for the best? Before or after you ran to Jason to tell him the good news before I could? When would I have told Jason the truth? Why should I have when everyone wanted Jake to be Lucky's?

Carly thought back on that time and realized that she probably didn't help that situation at all. She was so angry at Liz for having her best friends baby. Not because she thought Elizabeth was a bad mom, but because it meant that Elizabeth would have been linked to Jason forever and remembering what she told Jason in the metro -court. She sighed. She probably wasn't the best version of herself then.

"I mean what was so wrong with me having Jason's baby, or any baby for that matter?" Elizabeth almost cried as she got lost in her own thoughts of the last few days.

Carly swallowed and looked away quickly as the topic of why she had even come to see Elizabeth was brought to the forefront of the conversation. She wasn't quick enough because Elizabeth had already seen the look on her face. The tension was so thick, Carly knew she had to be careful in what she had said. She knew Elizabeth was vulnerable right now. It was if air from earlier was wiped of the anger and now replaced with pain.

"No" Elizabeth said quietly as her heart hammered loudly. Carly could see the panic behind the young woman's eyes as well as the fear. She reached out for Elizabeth hands but Elizabeth backed away slowly.

"Please tell me you don't know." Carly tried hard to not show any emotion on her face as the Elizabeth pleaded with her.

"Elizabeth"

"HOW? She yelled. Not loud enough for the boys to hear of course. "Did you go snooping through my medical files? Carly, how could you do this? Did you tell everyone? Sonny? Sam? What about Jas..."

Elizabeth froze as the idea that Carly could have told Jason that she miscarried their baby hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Did you run to Jason and tell him?"

"Elizabeth, no I didn't to any of it!" Carly tried to reason with her but she could see that Elizabeth had reached her ability for rational conversing.

"Then how?" Elizabeth demanded.

"I overheard Felix and Sabrina talking about your condition." She moved closer to Elizabeth as she could start to see her body shaking voluntarily.

"So you know that I can't ever have children. That's just fucking great! I bet you're thrilled about that." Elizabeth laughed even as the tears were starting to come down her face.

"Elizabeth of course not. I've been through that before. I know what it's like to feel like your body has failed you. I do know a little bit about what you're going through" Carly wasn't even going to attempt to say that she knew how it felt to find out you could never have a child again.

Seeing that Carly was being honest and sincere was more than Elizabeth could bear as she slipped down on her knees crying harder. "No Go Away!" She cried as Carly knelt down next to her and wrapped her arms around her. Elizabeth tried to push her away but Carly held strong, until Elizabeth just stopped fighting and cried hanging on to her. Carly could feel Elizabeth's pain. She was familiar with it. They could get back to their fighting later, right now Elizabeth needed to cry so Carly was quiet as she rubbed her hand down Elizabeth's back trying to offer words of comfort.

Feeling Elizabeth sag against her a few minutes later, Carly asked "You done?"

Making a pfft sound, Elizabeth shrugged. "I still hate you."

Carly smirked, "I still hate you too." She grabbed her arm and helped her stand up.

"So"

"So?"

They both laughed awkwardly. Where did they go from here?

"I'm sorry I hit you." Elizabeth said sincerely.

"I deserved it. I'm sorry too" Carly nodded.

"So what happens now?"

"Well we can continue to fight or we can just try and start from where we are now? I don't know about you but I'm kind of tired of fighting with you" Carly said as she ran her hands through her hair.

"Yeah, it's exhausting" Elizabeth agreed

"Frenemies?" Carly held out her hand smirking.

Elizabeth looked at her outstretched hand. Could it actually mean peace between the two. Did she really want that? Maybe it doesn't matter, maybe it's what she needed.

"Frenemies" Elizabeth shook it

Carly grabbed her purse, "I think I am going to go."

"Carly, are you going to tell Jason?" Elizabeth's voice strong once again stopped her.

"No and I can promise you I won't. It's not my secret to tell, but Elizabeth you do need to tell him. "

"I know."

"I'm not going to push this issue, but maybe after you have spoken to him, we can rehash some of our issues and put them finally behind us." Carly knew there was more to say between the two but right now wasn't the time.

"Why" If Elizabeth thought she was hearing things, she was mistaken. Carly was being sincere and the notion just surprised her.

"Honestly, because I am done trying to convince myself that I know Jason best. He's my friend and he loves you. No don't shake your head, he does Elizabeth. You're just too hurt to see it right now.

"I never thought I'd hear you say that."

"Don't get used to it Muffin-Face." Carly smirked as she started to walk out the door.

"Get out of my house Hurricane Carly" Elizabeth grinned.

Carly turned to Elizabeth and held up the middle finger as she smiled and walked towards her car. Past the three boys that were playing on the other side of the lawn far enough away that they hadn't heard anything. Elizabeth stared at her retreating back, grateful for that until Carly got in her car. The white flag had been waved. There was a wave of peace that had befallen the two women. Things were not going to get worse but maybe they could get better.

"Who would have thought?" Both women said aloud as they chuckled. It was the beginning for them, and quite possibly….. the end for everyone else.

A/N: Well? What did you think? Hopefully you all don't hate me. Oh and don't worry too much...like it say's it's just like I said. It's the beginning and the end! LOL. Okay R&R!