Heart's Desire-19

by: Cristina

Cassie and Jax are sitting on the sofa in the living room, watching the waves crashing on the beach below. Cassie is still a little uneasy after her grandmother's visit. She has been in Jax's arms for almost an hour. She is in his lap, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Cass? What did she say to you after I left? I mean, you don't have to divulge any family secrets, but you seem upset."

Cassie smiles and strokes the hair at the nape of his neck. "I'm not upset, I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Well ... I don't know how you're going to take this, but Grandmother actually approves of you."

Jax raises his eyebrows. "Should I be insulted," he asks jokingly.

Cassie hits him playfully. "No. I was just thinking how strange it is that she and I actually agree on the right man for me to love. Well, she probably wouldn't approve of my actually loving you."

"Why not?"

"Because, that means you have a hold on me. I'm sure she would prefer it for you to be panting after me and for me to tolerate your presence because of your power and money."

Jax smiles. "If it makes her feel better, you can tell her that I am panting after you."

Cassie kisses him. "Yes, well, I'm panting after you, too."

Jax trails his finger from her collarbone down her chest until he reaches the medallion resting between her breasts. "And this? Should I be worried about you killing me in my sleep? I mean, Luke Spencer would probably tell me to put garlic over the bed."

Cassie laughs and nuzzles her head under his chin. "Probably. You have nothing to worry about. Grandmother just wants to remind me of my family responsibilities. I suspect, this medallion has to do with you. She could see that I'm in love with you. And no doubt she plans to use it against me. Grandmother just wants me to remember that I'm a Cassadine, first and formost."

Jax nods and kisses her. She places a soft trail of kisses along his jaw before the roar of a jet engine interrupts their private moment. Cassie gets off Jax's lap. "What now?"

They walk onto the deck and watch as one of the Cassadine jets lands on the airstrip. Cassie watches the door open and is shocked at the identity of the visiter. "It's AJ."

Jax puts his arm around her. "What is he doing here?"

Cassie shakes her head. "I guess we'll find out. It must be important if Stefan let him come here."

AJ slowly makes his way over to them. Cassie hugs him, truly glad to see her friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Aren't you glad to see me?"

Cassie smiles as she leans against Jax. "Of course I am."

AJ notices the closeness between them. Obviously things were going well. And Cassie looked fabulous, despite the fact that she is on the run from the police. He notices something odd, though. "Um, Cass? What is that around your neck?"

Cassie picks up the medallion and smiles. "Grandmother paid us a visit. She was about due to return it." She sees that Jax is confused, so she fills him in. "Every couple years, I give this back to her, and every couple years, she returns is. It's just an endless cycle of my repudiating the family name."

Jax nods. "Why don't we go inside? Then you can fill us in on why you're here," he tells AJ.

The three of them sit on the large sofas. AJ relates to them Emily's version of what happened that night and his suspicion that Sonny was behind the hit on Dorman. Cassie shakes her head. "So, Sonny made some sort of deal with Dorman's supplier to take over the heroin distribution. What about Emily? Would Sonny really involve her in this?"

Jax interjects here. "No. I think Sonny heard you tear into Dorman at Luke's. He must have realized that there was a conflict between the two of you. So, he had Dorman followed, and when Emily showed up, Sonny realized he had a way to lure you to the murder scene."

AJ leans back on the couch. "I can't believe that Jason is going along with this. I know he's different, but I thought he at least cared about Emily. To use her this way..."

Cassie sits next to AJ and hugs him. "Hey, it's not your fault. I honestly believe that everything happens for a reason. You need to stop blaming yourself about Jason's accident."

AJ nods, and they all hear a crash behind them. They all turn to see Carly Roberts standing on the deck, trying to look inconspicuous. AJ and Jax dash outside and bring her in.

"What the hell are you doing here," AJ asks her.

Carly hadn't meant for this to happen. She simply wanted to make sure that AJ was okay. When she'd hid on the plane, Carly had no idea that she would end up with Jax and his girlfriend on this deserted island. "Umm ... it's kind of a long story."

Jax ushers her over to the couch. "Well, we have plenty of time for you to explain."

Carly takes a deep breath. "Okay. I was at Luke's yesterday, just after you left, AJ. And, I heard Sonny and Jason talking."

Cassie leans forward, interested. "About what?"

"Well, Sonny was telling Jason not to worry about AJ investigating, because he wouldn't be able to tie Sonny to the murder. Then he said something about their contact in ... Caracas ... making sure of that. Then, Sonny said that you deserved to go to jail, because you're a Cassadine."

Cassie laughs to herself. "Figures."

Jax nods. "That's very useful, Carly, but that still doesn't explain what you're doing here."

Carly swallows. "Well ... AJ, after you left, Sonny said something about having you taken care of, if you got to close to the truth. I just wanted to warn you, but it never seemed like the right time."

"You were following me."

"Sort of..."

Cassie can see that Carly is drowning fast, and decides to take pity on her fellow female. "What difference does it make why she ended up here. The point is, she got us some very valuable information. And I really appreciate it. Since Emily didn't kill Dorman, we have to find a way to prove that I didn't either." Cassie holds her hand out to Carly. "I'm Cassie."

Carly smiles. She didn't expect to be welcomed by one of Bobbie's new relatives. "Carly."

Cassie nods. "Okay. So, guys, what are we going to do with this information?"

"You can tell your cousin," AJ suggests.

"Please. AJ, you know me better than that. I think a quick trip to Venezuela is in order, don't you?"

Jax doesn't like the sound of this. "Cassie, I think I know what you are planning, and it doesn't sound like the best idea."

Cassie moves next to Jax. "Do you want to spend the rest of our lives hiding from the police? I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Sonny tracks us down here and forcibly brings us back to Port Charles. And now that I know he deliberately framed me for Dorman's murder ... let's just say, no one gets away with that. All I'm proposing is that we go to Caracas, track down this Diaz person and see what we can get out of him."

AJ knows where she is heading. "Are you nuts? Look, Cass, I understand that you want to prove your innocence, but I don't think tracking down a drug lord is the best way to go about it."

"I agree," Jax says.

Cassie slides her hand along Jax's arm. "We'll be perfectly safe. I just want us to get our lives back to normal. It would mean a lot to me." She rests her head on his shoulder and softly kisses his neck.

Jax shakes his head in amazement. He turns to AJ. "Can you believe this? She's trying to seduce me into going along with this half-baked scheme."

Carly and AJ can't help laughing, but Cassie isn't about to give up. She jumps up and walks over to the windows. "Fine. First of all, Jax, this idea is completely baked. What else can we do? If any of you can give me a better way to go about gathering evidence, I'm up for it." They are all silent. "Great. So, it's settled."

Jax laughs. "It is not settled."

"Well, I'm not going to just sit here, doing nothing. I've wallowed in this long enough."

Jax walks over to her and takes her hand. "I know. Cassie, I promise, we are going to straighten this mess out."

"Does that mean you'll come to Venezuela with me? If you say no, I'll just go by myself, and you know that I can do it."

Jax takes a deep breath. "What did I do to deserve this? Fine, we'll go. But if I think it's too dangerous, we stop."

Cassie smiles and kisses him. "Thank you."

AJ says, "And I'm coming with you." Cassie starts to object, but AJ continues. "It's because of my family that you are in this mess. And I have a vested interest in who killed Dorman. That man causes my family nothing but grief." He smiles. "Besides, I want to help you, Cass."

"Okay."

Jax turns his attention to Carly. "Well, I think we need to get you back to Port Charles."

But she has something else in mind. "Why? I could help you guys."

AJ looks at her. "Why? You barely know us. And Cassie and Jax are fugitives. No, I think it's best for you to go back to Port Charles."

Cassie senses that Carly really wants to stay with them. "Maybe we should let her come."

"Are you crazy," Jax and AJ ask in unison.

"Whoa, stereo. I am not crazy. I was just thinking that Carly has all of this information. What if Sonny finds out about it? He might try to kill her or force her to tell him where we are. It's much safer for all of us if Carly just comes with us."

AJ disagrees. "No, I think your uncle's jet should just take her back to PC."

Cassie smiles. "Well, the jet is gone. It left as soon as you got off the plane. Uncle didn't want to risk our being seen by the crew. So, we'll have to fly back to the mainland ourselves."

Jax doesn't have a problem with this. "Fine, let's go."

Cassie turns him around to face out the window. "I don't think that's going to happen for a while. Do you see the sky."

"Oh, great."

Carly doesn't understand what they are getting at. "What's wrong?"

AJ turns to face her. "If you wanted excitement, you've got it. We're about to be smack in the middle of a hurricaine."

**********

A couple hours later, the storm is begining to pick up. The sky is turning dark and the wind is blowing. Cassie comes out of the kitchen with a tray of hot chocolate. She sits down next to Carly and hands her a steaming mug. Cassie takes one for herself and leans back on the couch.

"I want to thank you for the information about Sonny. I mean, you don't know me at all ... I really do appreciate it."

Carly nods. "Well ... I just didn't want anything to happen to AJ."

Cassie smiles. "Exactly what is going on between the two of you?" She can see that Carly is uneasy about discussing this. "Don't worry, he's upstairs with Jax, making sure that all of the windows are secure. This is just between us."

Carly hesitates for a moment before starting. "There's nothing between us. AJ just helped me one time when I was really down. And I wanted to return the favor."

Cassie nods. "Okay, you can tell me the rest of the story later."

AJ and Jax come downstairs. AJ sits on the chair next to Carly's side of the sofa and Jax sits across from them. "We checked everything upstairs. Judging by the weather outside, we're in for quite a storm."

Carly looks over at AJ. "I'm sorry that I followed you here. I was only trying to help."

He smiles. "It's okay."

Suddenly, there is a huge crash of thunder and the lights go out. Cassie scrambles across the room, into a slightly confused Jax's lap.

AJ starts laughing. "Here we go."

Cassie glares at AJ. "Put a sock in it."

"Ohh, cranky already. It's going to be a long night."

Jax and Carly don't understand the exchange going on between AJ and Cassie. Jax clears his throat and looks down at Cassie, who is huddled against his chest. "What's the problem here?"

AJ smiles. "I guess Cassie didn't tell you about her big phobia --

thunderstorms."

"It's not funny, AJ," she shoots back.

"Are you kidding, it's hilarious. You've grown up with the Cassadines, you've gotten in the middle of political wars all over the world. But that doesn't scare you. It takes a little bit of thunder."

Cassie slides out of Jax's lap and onto the couch next to him. "I'm fine. You know, maybe this would be less traumatic for me if you wouldn't make fun of my fears."

AJ stops laughing. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking back to that time I went skiing with you and Jason and there was that huge storm. You were practically climbing the walls."

"I'm so glad that my fear amuses you. But, I'm fine now."

There is another huge crash of thunder and Cassie jumps back into Jax's lap, burrying her head against his neck. AJ can't help it and starts laughing again. Carly smiles and tells him to stop. "Cassie, I'm sure that this storm is going to pass us quickly."

Cassie remains in Jax's lap, but turns around to face Carly and AJ. She leans against Jax's strong frame and he wraps his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly. "Do you really think so?"

Carly nods her head. "Yes. I grew up in Florida, so I've seen a lot of storms. This one really isn't that bad."

Cassie stands up, slightly reassured. "Thanks, Carly. I'm going to light some candles, so we don't have to sit here in the dark." She walks into the kitchen in search of matches.

Jax looks over at Carly. "Thanks for saying that to her. I had no idea she was so afraid of thunder."

AJ nods. "She doesn't like to talk about it. I think it goes back to her childhood here on the island. I can't imagine her family was very comforting."

Cassie walks back into the living room and starts lighting candles. AJ and Jax can both tell that she's putting on a brave face that isn't really there. She's lighting a wall sconce near the windows when the thunder crashes again. She drops the matches, and is in a panic, when Jax rushes over to her. He sits down on the white chaise lounge near the windows and pulls her into his lap.

Jax leans back against the cusions, holding her in his arms. He strokes her hair, trying to absorb her fear. "It's okay. Nothing is going to hurt you."

AJ smiles. He can feel the love radiating off the two of them. And he knows that Jax will protect Cassie and help her through this. AJ looks over at Carly and notices that she seems really upset about something.

"Are you okay?"

She nods. "I'm fine. I was just ... he loves her so much. I know that I don't know them very well, but it's so obvious. Just by looking at them, I can tell that they would do anything for each other."

"And that makes you sad?"

Carly shakes her head. "No. I was just thinking that I don't have anyone who loves me that much."

"What about Tony? I know you had kind of an ... unusual start, but doesn't

he love you?"

Carly can't even look at him. "No. We broke up a few weeks ago."

"I'm sorry."

Carly nods. "It's okay. I just get a little sad sometimes. Especially seeing how much Jax loves her. Sorry."

"It's okay."

Jax and Cassie walk across the room. "I think we should all go to sleep. There's no point in sitting here in the dark. We can leave for Venezela tomorrow morning once the storm clears. There are plenty of guest rooms, you guys can take your pick."

**********

That night, Carly sits on the bed in one of the guest rooms, wondering what she is getting herself into. She still can't believe that she was here on the Cassadine island. Carly wonders if Cassie will mention this to Bobbie. That wouldn't go over very well.

Thoughtfully, Carly touches her abdomen. She knows that she has to tell AJ about the baby. But how could she. He doesn't even remember that they slept together. Carly takes a deep breath. How on earth did she get into this mess? Oh well, she'll figure out something. She lays down and tries to get some sleep.

**********

Cassie sits on the edge of the bed, still a bit jittery, wearing her white satin nightshirt. Jax comes out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a pair of emerald green satin boxers. Not wanting to interrupt Cassie's reverie, he peels back the comforter and slips under the covers, leaning back against the headboard. Cassie turns around and smiles at him. There is another crash of thunder and she quickly makes her way into his arms. Jax holds her tight and kisses the top of her head.

"Jax, you think I'm silly don't you?"

He smiles and kisses her again. "No. Actually, it's good to know that there is something you fear. I was begining to wonder. Besides, it's kindof ... cute and endearing."

Cassie laughs. "Gee, thanks. I should have known. You men always want a frightened woman to protect."

"Fine. Should I stay in a separate room, so you can brave this thunderstorm alone?"

He moves as if to leave the room, and Cassie wraps his arms around his neck and holds him tightly to her. Jax sits back down and she crawls into his lap. "Don't go. I need you, Jax."

"And you do hate to need anything."

Cassie smiles and kisses him lovingly. "I don't hate needing you. It scares me a little, that I need you so much. But I love you. And I feel safe in your arms."

Jax caresses her face and returns her kiss. There is another crash of thunder. Jax can feel her shudder and he wraps his arms around her tightly. His lips find hers again, and he drinks in her sweetness.

Cassie rests her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for being so jittery. I just hate thunder. Even when I was little, I hated it. I used to run into Uncle's room and jump onto his bed. And he would take me back to my room and tell me not to be scared. But I was anyway. And he would tell me stories and sit with me until I fell back asleep."

"Stefan did that?"

Cassie nods. "Yes. Until Laura left. He wasn't the same person after that."

There is another clap of thunder. Cassie jumps and Jax takes her in his arms. He tilts her face up, so that he is looking into her eyes. Jax slowly lowers his mouth to hers. Jax's kiss begins slow and loving. Gradually, it becomes deeper and hotter. Confused, Cassie pulls away from him and places one of her hands behind his neck.

"What are you doing?"

Jax smiles and kisses her neck and behind her ear. "I'm just trying to help you have some more positive memories to associate with thunderstorms."

She laughs and moves closer to Jax, outlining his lips with the tip of her tongue. They are joined in a passionate kiss. Cassie lays back on the bed and Jax follows, easing himself on top of her. They begin to make love, as the storm rages outside ...

...to be continued...

Goto Next Part 20