POSSESSION :: CHAPTER EIGHT

Carly slammed the door to the Penthouse as hard as she could as she stormed over to the wet bar. "I cannot take one more day of this!" She picked up the decanter and poured herself a drink.

Sonny and Jason were sitting on the couch reviewing shipping reports when she had come in. Jason fought his automatic instinct to get up and go to her. He knew that Carly would need to yell for a few minutes to let it all out and then she'd be fine. But that wasn't his place anymore. He looked over at Sonny and raised his eyebrows. Sonny rolled his eyes in response.

Carly took a long drink from her glass and then slammed it down on the counter. She turned and eyed Sonny angrily. "This is all YOUR fault." She said pointing her finger in his direction.

"You wanna run that by me again? You come storming in here slamming things and embarrassing me in front of Jason and you want to stand there and tell me it's my fault?" Sonny's voice was angry.

"Why honey, that's exactly what I'm telling you." Carly walked so that she was right in front of him. "And how dare you imply that I am humiliating you in front of Jason. In case you haven't figured out now, Jason loves me. He is my best friend and he would never judge me."

Sonny looked down at Jason he couldn't tell what was going through his mind. And he sure as hell had no idea what was going through Carly's. He ran his hand over his mouth. "Okay Okay. I shouldn't have said that. So why don't you tell me what it is that has you all riled up at me."

Jason sat there and watched silently. He couldn't understand how Sonny could not know Carly better than this. Why hadn't Sonny figured out that Carly gets mad, she yells, then she cries and tells you how sorry she is. Why didn't Sonny understand that all he had to do was be patient and let her anger run it's course? Did Sonny even know her at all? After all this time how could he still not understand her?

Carly looked at Jason briefly. She saw the concern and the confusion in his eyes. She looked back at her husband. "Laura is what has gotten me all riled up. Laura and little Lizzie lip gloss and their ridiculous ad campaign that couldn't sell makeup to Bozo the clown!"

"What the hell does that have to do with me?" Sonny asked her. He looked at Jason for reassurance.

"Everything Sonny. It has everything to do with you because you bought me this business." She put her hands on her hips. "You only gave me 49% of Deception and now Laura has the power to railroad me which she uses every chance she gets."

"Carly I explained to you that I did that to keep some kind of control over my investment."

"No you didn't. You did it so you could keep control of me. So you could have this little one percent to dangle over my head every time it suits your fancy." She yelled back at him.

Sonny let out a loud breath. "I figured out a long time ago that given too much rope you have the tendency to hang yourself. I'm trying to prevent that from happening here."

Jason felt the sudden desire to punch Sonny in the face. How could he sit there and insult her when all she needs and wanted was encouragement? Carly was a giant mass of insecurity and Jason knew that. He understood that she wants Sonny to back her up against Laura, to take her side, to understand why she's angry. Why couldn't he do that for her?

Carly shook her head bitterly. "You gave me Deception because I told you I wanted a career. But you bought it and gave another woman a larger portion than you gave me. So basically you just tied my hands. It's like you don't even care what I think or what I want. You just gave me the company to shut me up about it but not enough of it so that I could actually ever do anything with it." She reached up and wiped a tear that was collecting in the corner of her eye.

Sonny stood up from the couch. His voice was close to yelling now. He was so frustrated with her. Not just for this but because this was the most attention she had paid to him since Jason got back."That's right I gave you Deception and I paid for it. But all you can do is stand here and throw a tantrum because things aren't going your way!"

"That's enough!!" Jason yelled. He stood up and turned to Sonny. "I am not going to stand here and listen to you talk to her that way."

Carly's eyes went wide with shock. She was sure Jason was going to start lecturing her any minute that Sonny was right. She laughed inwardly when she realized that after everything he had done for her it still amazed her how Jason was always on her side. He had never let her down before, why did she always expect him to?

"Come on, Jase." Sonny held up his hands in front of him. "This is between me and Carly, it doesn't have anything to do with you."

Jason stared at him hard. "If it has to do with Carly then it has to do with me." He stated matter of factly.

Sonny rolled his eyes. "There's no reason for you to get all protective over Carly against me Jason. People who are married fight. It happens."

Carly watched them silently. She felt a tiny part of her overjoyed at Jason's defense of her. But she wondered if she was wrong to be taking his side against her husband's, even if Jason was on her side.

"You and Carly can argue all you want, Sonny. That's not my business. But I refuse to listen to you belittle her feelings like this." Jason cast a glance in Carly's direction and could see the look of gratitude on her face, which only encouraged him. "She came in here looking for your support. She wants you to try to understand her. But you won't even take the time to listen to her. You just get mad and yell at her. That's not what Carly needs."

"Don't tell me what my wife needs!" Sonny yelled. He tried to push back the anger and the jealousy that Jason's words were causing. "Who the hell do you think you are, Jason?"

"Let me tell you who I am. I am the man that stood by Carly when no one else would give her the time of day. I'm the one who she trusted to take care of Michael when everyone in this town wanted to take him away from her. I am the one who stood by her no matter what she did to me or anyone else. That's who I am, Sonny. And if you can't deal with it, I don't care. Because no marriage license can change the history that Carly and I have. And just because you married her doesn't mean you own her."

Carly felt like she had been hit by a train. Why would Jason do this? Was it possible that after all this time he still loved her? Was is it possible that all the hurt they had caused each other hand't changed his feelings for?

Sonny glared at Jason. "I never denied that you and Carly have a history, Jason. Hell, it's like the huge elephant standing in the room every time we're all together. But that's what it is, it's history. So don't think you have any say in what happens between Carly and I now."

"Carly is a grown woman, Sonny. She doesn't need me to speak for her or make decisions for her. That's not even something I would want to do. But I don't think it's right for you to use Deception as a way to control her. That company should be there to make Carly happy, but thanks to you it's only making her miserable." Jason's tone had softened. He didn't want to cause complications for Carly by making Sonny angry with her over him. All Jason wanted was for her to be happy.

Sonny shook his head angrily. "I'm not going to stand here and listen to this shit." He turned away from Jason and without even glancing at Carly he left the Penthouse.

Jason watched him go and then turned to Carly. "You okay?" He asked gently.

Carly nodded at him, her eyes still full of tears. "You didn't have to do that, you know. Take my side like that."

Jason sighed and walked over to her. Her took her face into his hands and stared down into her eyes. "I wanted to."

His tenderness only cause more tears to well up. She could see the emotion in his eyes and it scared her. She had assumed before that Jason only wanted her body. Could it be possible that he wanted all of her? "Why?" She asked softly.

He brushed away her tears with his thumb. "Because you needed me to." He rested his forehead against hers. He felt the wall of anger and hurt he had built up start to crack a little. But he knew he couldn't let it fall. Sonny would be back and they would make up and where would that leave him? "I can't stand to see anybody yelling at you. Anyone trying to hurt you."

Carly smiled tearfully at him and pulled her face back from his so she could look at him. "But you yell at me all the time."

Jason laughed. "Yeah but you always deserve it when I do it."

She laughed with him. "That's probably true." She pulled away from him gently and turned so her back was facing him. "How mad do you think he is?"

Jason flinched. He didn't understand why she would be worried about Sonny after the things he had said to her. "Pretty mad. But he'll get over it." He tried to keep his voice clear of all the emotions he was feeling. He wasn't sure what had caused him to go against Sonny like he just had. He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He leaned his head so that his face was resting against her blonde hair. "Why do you always do this to me?" He whispered softly into her hair.

She turned around slowly and their faces were only inches away from each other. "Do what?" She asked quietly. She realized how much she wanted him to kiss her. He hadn't before when they were making love. Jason hadn't kissed her since that night in his old penthouse after Bobbie's wedding.

He took her face in his hands. "I can't even explain it. You make me do things I would never even consider doing normally. You drive me crazy, Carly." His words stood there between them and he remembered saying them to her so long ago. The night he had kissed her.

Carly laughed at the memory and felt her eyes start to brim with fresh tears. She thought back to that night and answered him the same way she had then. "I don't mean to drive you crazy."

"Yes you do." He smiled at her softly and looked into her eyes. He felt himself being drawn in by her again. That powerful force that had always drawn him to her. He had always been able to control every aspect of his emotions. But not for her. Carly was the one thing he couldn't control. And he didn't want to. He started to pull her mouth to his. Their breath had just begun to mingle when he heard a knock on the door and he pulled back as quickly as he could.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Both of them wanting to go back to a moment ago when all that existed in the world was just the two of them. Carly smiled at him sheepishly. "Yeah?" She yelled towards the door still staring at Jason.

"Guess who can't wait to see his Mommy?" Came Bobbie's voice from the door as she walked in holding Michael's hand.

Carly's disappointment quickly faded and she ran to greet her son. "Oh Mr Man!" She said happily as she thew her arms around him. "Mommy missed you so much." She sprinkled kisses on his head and his cheeks.

Jason was paralyzed. Michael had grown so much since the last time he had seen him. He realized that Michael was over three now. He had been away from him longer than he had been with him. And that broke his heart. He watched Michael's happiness at seeing his mother and it brought him some comfort to know that Michael wouldn't even know Carly if it wasn't for him. But it wasn't enough. Michael was their son. Her son. Sonny's son. And the thought of it broke Jason's heart all over again. To look at the two of them happily embracing and to realize that they were all he had ever wanted. And his life would never be complete without them.

Bobbie eyed Jason suspiciously. She was shocked to see him back in Port Charles and worried to find him here alone with Carly. She didn't want Jason upsetting the peace that Carly had found with Sonny. She looked down at felt reassured that Carly had seemed to forget about him when she brought Michael in.

"Did you have fun with Grandma? I bet you did." She smiled happily at him. Carly looked up at Bobbie. "Did he enjoy Disney world?"

Bobbie smiled. "So much he cried and cried when we left. But I have some great pictures I'm sure you and Sonny" she threw a glance in Jason's direction "will love to see."

Carly smiled at her mother and turned to look at Jason. She could see the hurt written all over his face and it broke her heart. She was going to make this right for Jason if it took the rest of her life to do it. She stood up and took Michael's hand. "Michael there's someone Mommy wants you to say hello to."

Jason saw her motion for him to come closer but he couldn't move. He saw Carly continuing to approach him and Michael looking at him curiously. Michael didn't know who he was. His son didn't recognize him and he felt a hard lump growing in his throat. Well this is what you wanted wasn't it?

Carly brought Michael right up to Jason and knelt down behind him. She wrapped her arms around her son reassuringly. "Michael this is someone who loves you very very much. Someone that used to take care of you when you were little." She looked up at Jason and silently asked him to move.

Jason knelt down in front of Michael and looked at him in wonder. He silently willed himself to speak but he knew his voice would crack with tears if he did. Michael was looking up at him and Jason searched his eyes for some recognition some acknowledgement, but didn't see any.

Carly smiled at him encouragingly. "Michael this is Mommy's best friend. This is Jason." She looked at Michael who was staring at Jason with almost the same expression as he was staring at Michael. She smiled sadly as she watched them together.

"Hey buddy." Jason managed to say quietly. His voice was full of emotion and he could almost feel tears begin to start in his eyes. "How are you?"

They sat there like that for what seemed to be an eternity. Then Michael suddenly pitched himself forward away from Carly and wrapped his arms around Jason's neck.

Jason almost fell back in surprise. He wrapped his arms around Michael and hugged him fiercely as tears began to fall down his cheeks.

Carly gasped in surprise. "Oh my God...Jason." She saw Jason's tears and felt her own on her face. Her heart felt as if it might explode from the sight of them. No moment in her life had every filled her with such complete happiness as she felt right then. Her family. The family she had fought for and dreamed of. After all they had been through, after all the pain, and the hurt, and the sadness they had come full circle. Jason had always been Michael's father in her heart, and now she realized that time had not erased that for her. Or Jason. Or Michael. She cried tears of joy. "Jason, he knows who you are." She said with amazement.

Jason pulled him tighter to him and felt Michael's arms tighten in response. "DaDa" Michael murmured against his neck. And Jason began to cry. He couldn't remember if he had ever cried before, he looked at Carly who was beaming at him. He opened his arms and pulled her to him. He felt as if he had just been given his life back and there were no words that could ever come close to describe the happiness he was feeling as he held them and they cried together.

Bobbie was every bit as amazed as they were and she wiped a tear from her eyes. She turned to leave and her eyes went wide with shock.

Sonny was standing there watching. With a look of hurt and anger every bit as powerful as the joy that was being felt at the other side of the room. He looked at Bobbie briefly and then left without saying a word.

back to possession