FINALLY ~ CHAPTER TWO

Carly stepped off the elevator at Harbor View towers and frowned. Johnny was not standing at his usual post outside Sonny's door. She felt a moment's disapointment over not getting to flirt with him then worry about why he wasn't there.

She fought the urge to go pound on Sonny's door and demand to know what he's done with Johnny. Instead she walked over to Jason's door and inserted her key into the lock. She felt the deadbolt open with her key but the door didnt budge. Now Carly knew something was up. Jason never locked the latch.

"Jase! Open up its Carly!" she said as she hit the door with a closed fist. She turned around with a scowl when there was no answer. She heard rustling inside. "Jason Morgan, I swear to God if you have a cocktail waitress in there - "

The door opened suddenly to reveal a stony faced Johnny. "Hello Mrs Quartermine."

Carly crossed her arms under her breasts and squinted her eyes at the guard.

"Carly." He said as his eyes softened and he smiled at her.

"That's better." She said defiantly as she pushed past him into the penthouse. She looked around for Jason and was startled when she noticed he was sitting calmly on the couch with a motorcycle magazine in his hand. He looked up at her with his eyes only.

"Hey." He said in that nonchalant way that irritated the hell out of Carly.

"Hey yourself." She replied as she walked in an pulled off her coat to reveal a blue silk pajama set. She threw her coat on the couch then walked over and opened the closet by the entrance and slammed the door shut. As she was making her way to the glass windows that led to the balcony, Jason set his magazine down.

"What are you doing?"

She opened the double glass doors and leaned outside then slammed them shut as well. "I'm looking for the tacky waitress or some other brand of tramp you were screwing before I showed up."

Jason tried to restrain his laughter as she walked past him. He stood up and grabbed her wrist before she started walking up the stairs to continue her search. "I thought you were the town tramp, Carly." He smiled teasingly at her.

Carly saw the twinkle in his eyes and laughed. "Well I've kinda left the position open when I moved up in the world and I thought maybe, just maybe, somebody else had decided to fill in."

Jason smiled. "Carly, I already told you that I learned my lesson."

"Oh after you tried to get in good with a waitress at Luke's?"

"No after I picked up this girl at Jake's a few years ago." His expression was still serious but she could hear the laughter in his voice.

She punched him in the arm. "Shut up."

She pulled free of his hand and dropped on the couch. "So...my offer still stands you know." She picked up the magazine and began thumbing through it.

"Which one? You make alot."

She looked up at him briefly and could have sworn he was leering at her. But then again, this was Jason. "And you dont make any."

"Okay, I'll bite. Which generous offer that you think will change my life are you referring to?"

"You know. Me testifying in court about when I burned your tax records."

Jason chuckled. "And...?"

"And spent all your money...."

"That part is true."

Carly glared at him. "And so is the part about me being crazy. A legal fact that AJ throws in my face every chance he gets."

Jason could hear the hurt in her voice "Carly, why dont we get to the point? Why are you here?"

"I thought you'd never ask." She smiled at him. "Just to tell you that...I'll do anything to help Jason. You know that, dont you?"

Jason looked down. "Carly, I know you think you can fix this mess with Hannah. But you cant. The only person who can make decisions here is Sonny."

"Well that's not very damn comforting. Sonny is not the person you think he is. He's lost it, man."

"Lost what exactly? I know Sonny a hell of alot better than you do. I am grateful to you for finding out about Hannah, really I am. But you just because you were right about her doesnt mean you're right about Sonny." Defiance was in his voice and his need to protect Sonny.

"You didnt see him they way I saw him. You didnt see him when he was ranting and raving like a lunatic. You didnt see him when he cut his hand and claimed that it was Lily's blood. You were off in God knows where getting a tan and forgetting about the people here you needed you!" Carly was close to screaming at this point. She was angry, frustrated, and scared. She understood the danger. Why couldnt Jason?

Jason could feel his temper flaring. He knew his next words would hurt her. But he said them anyway. "I am not denying that Sonny was bad off that day. But it's not like you've never overreacted to something before Carly."

"Oh so now I'm being irrational, huh? Well why dont you call Dr Evans and have me committed for being concerned about you?"

Jason threw his hands up in the air. "Time and time again you've proven how good your concern is. How many times Carly? How many times do you have to worry something to the point that you dont even remember what you were worrying about in the first place?"

"Okay. Great Jason, just great. Let me get this straight. You would rather I sit at home in the Quartermaine mansion and polish my jewelry than be here with you and try to figure out a way to fix this?"

"The Quartermaine mansion was your choice, Carly. So was the jewelry."

"Which I did for you. For you and Michael. The two of you are all I have. And I know you think that I dont have an unselfish bone in my body but you're wrong. Jason. You're dead wrong. As much as I dont want to see you go down because of Hannah, I dont want to see Sonny go down either. You know, as crazy as he was that day. As cruel and as insane I knew it came from a good place. And Johnny. You think I wanna see him trade in his expensive ties for a blue jumpsuit? Or Benny? You think I want him to spend his retirement making license plates? If that is what you want for Sonny and for Johnny and for Benny and for yourself. Then fine. I will go home to my self induced prison and raise our son alone. If that's what you want."

She was right. Jason knew she was. Sonny was taking too big of a risk. Jason was willing to take the risk when it involved himself but he realized how far the repurcussions would reach. To everyone he cared about. Sonny. Carly. Michael. Johnny. Benny. Hell, maybe even Luke. And all the men who had trusted Jason and Sonny. The nameless and faceless organization men who had families to feed. All these people's futures were hanging on how Jason handled this. As much as it pained him to admit it, Sonny was in no condition to handle this. That left only him. But Jason knew better than to let Carly know his plan. That would be putting her and his plan at risk.

"Dont do this to yourself, Jase. Dont hurt yourself to go along with his crazy plan to stay with Hannah and try to destroy her."

"Like I stayed with you during your plan to marry AJ and destroy him?" Jason leaned in and looked at Carly. At first she wouldnt bring her eyes up to meet his but when she did he could see the tears that had collected in them. He leaned forward and wiped one away from the corner of her eye gently. "Carly, I...I know this is hard for you. But I have to be loyal to Sonny. No matter what. Even when he's doing something I dont agree with. Just like I've done for you."

Carly dipped her head and he moved his hand away. "Oh really. Well I guess you better give up your share in the business then. Just like you gave up Michael. And I guess you should tell Sonny that you dont wanna see him anymore. Just like you did to me." There was hurt and anger in her voice that she wanted Jason to feel. She wanted him to know how much it hurt her when he was willing to put Sonny before her and Michael. How angry it made her that he would standby Sonny and not them.

all my instincts, they return
and the grand facade, so soon will burn
without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside

"I never meant to hurt you Carly. Or Michael. You know that. Giving him up and breaking it off with you was the hardest thing Ive ever done but sometimes when you...care about someone you have to let them go to keep from hurting them."

in your eyes
the light the heat

Carly looked up slowly until their eyes met. "Are you talking about me....or Michael?"

"Both."

in your eyes
I am complete

Carly paused. She didnt know whether to smile or cry. "Jason, I just want you to be safe. Okay? I want you to be okay. Remember when I promised to bring Michael home to you?" She waited for him to nod. "Well I plan on keeping that promise. And I can't do that if you're not here." She choked out the words.

in your eyes
I see the doorway to a thousand churches
in your eyes
the resolution of all the fruitless searches

"Shhhh...Carly." He took both sides of her face into his hands. And leaned into her til their foreheads touched. He stroked her hair gently.

Carly was caught between the pleasure of his touch and the fear of losing it. "Jason...I..." She stopped when he put a gentle finger to her lips.

love, I don't like to see so much pain
so much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away

"Promise me something, Carly." His mouth was so close to hers that she could feel his warm breath.

"Anything, Jase." She whispered it so softly she barely heard herself.

I get so tired of working so hard for our survival
I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive

"Promise me, there will be no more plans." He said this into her ear in a tone that was both tender and firm at the same time.

Carly looked into his eyes. There was something there she had never seen before. Something that she didnt recognize. She felt their breaths mingling and their eyes were locked together. "I promise...."

in your eyes....the light the heat
in your eyes...I am complete
in your eyes....I see the doorway to a thousand churches
in your eyes...the resolution of all the fruitless searches
I want to touch the light...the heat I see in your eyes




Lyrics: In Your Eyes by Peter Gabirel

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