Scene ~ Jason's PH Jason is standing by the lighted fireplace with his arms crossed. He looks at a framed picture of the three of them - him, Carly, and Michael.
A loud, insistent knocking begins at the door. He starts for the door, quickening his steps when the knocking becomes even more insistent.
Jason opens the door wider for her to enter, and Carly shuffles inside with that hideous coloured coat over her shoulders.
"Why- Why aren't you at the wedding?" he askes.
She shakes her head as she comes further inside. Jason shuts the door, and they face each other.
"I begged her. I mean, I really- I asked her not to marry the guy. I told her not to marry the guy. She wouldn't listen to me. So I tried to be a good daughter. And just go along with it, you know? But I shoulda listened to my instincts." She takes off her coat.
"Carly, just tell me what happened."
"Jerry just got arrested by the FBI at the altar." She tosses the coat onto the desk. "In front of everybody that Bobbie loves."
Jason's face looks remorseful. "I'm sorry."
Carly runs her hands through her hair. "Lucas was totally freaking out. God forbid Michael ever sees anything like that. And I wanted to do something, but..."
Jason looks away, off to the side.
"They were literally just shoving people around. And Bobbie was standing there... looking so beautiful in her dress... It must be a big mistake, right? I mean, I don't like Jerry. But..."
Jason looks at her, his expression pained and his eyebrows knotted.
"He swears he's innocent. And I don't think he's-"
"He's not." he interrupts. "He's not - innocent."
"What?" she questions softly.
Jason sighs and leans his forehead into his hand. After a second, he looks at her again. "Jerry's been laundering money for Moreno."
Carly exhales a disbelieving breath. "You knew?"
"Yes." He looks down, away from her eyes and moves past her.
Carly's face is hurt, confused. "And you didn't say anything?" She turns to look at him.
He won't look at her.
She takes a few small steps toward where he's standing. "Moreno's your worse enemy. You were gonna let my mother marry a guy who works for him?"
He shifts on his feet, and turns a little more toward her. "Yes." And he looks at her.
"Why?" She almost whispers the question. She stares at him, so hurt and unbelieving that he would do this. "Jason, why? How could you do something like that?"
* * * * *
"How long?" She takes a few more steps to him.
He's still not looking at her, standing with his hands on his hips.
"How long have you known that Jerry was - laundering money?"
"Awhile." Then he looks at her.
"What does that mean - awhile?"
"Carly, Carly. It means awhile."
"So all those times when I sat there and told you that I didn't trust him - you knew."
"Yes."
"Okay. And we- we- We watched Moreno's people get busted in that little room!"
"Yes, I knew then." he confesses.
"And- And you came, right before Bobbie's wedding!" she exclaimes in disbelief.
"I told you that I was glad you warned her. Right?"
"Jason, you looked my mother in the eyes, gave her some stupid china, and told her you wanted her to be happy?"
"I do want Bobbie to be happy."
"But the whole time, you knew Jerry was working for Moreno! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I gave Sonny my word."
"What does Sonny have to do with my mother, Jason? My mother- She loves you, man. She loves you. She believes in you to a point where she testified against me - for you!"
"I know that."
He holds out his hands in surrender. "Why didn't you tell her then?"
"I just told you why!"
"None of this woulda happened if you woulda just-"
"Carly, I gave my word!" Both his hands are crossed over his heart in sincerity.
"Oh, that's great, Jason! I love that!"
He turns when she starts to yell and walks to the couch.
"You gave your word!" She takes a few steps after him. "You ruined my mother's life - because you gave your word?"
He looks down and scratches his eyebrow with his thumb.
"Bobbie wouldn't do that to you." She points at him. "Never." She pauses. "Neither would I."
Jason faces her and holds out his arms. "You can't- You can't have it both ways."
"What are you-? What?"
"I kept your secret, about Michael." One hand is placed over his heart, the other gesturing emphatically. "That hurt Bobbie, it hurt Michael. It hurt a lot of other people."
"Yeah, but it's not even the same thing."
"Why- Why isn't it? Because it helped you?"
"So what?"
"So you can't pick and choose."
Her face changes a little, as it hits her what he means - and she realizes that he's right.
"I keep my word whether it helps you or not."
Carly looks away, silent for a moment. Then she looks at him again, and her voice is very quiet, "You don't trust me at all, do ya?"
Jason frowns, as if wondering where she got that from.
She nods a little. "You coulda told me."
He glances away, shifting on his feet. "I wanted to tell you."
He turns and walks to the coffee table, and takes a seat on it. He leans forward with his elbows on his knees, and covers his face with his hands.
Carly follows. "We coulda figured somethin' out." she points out. She drops down onto the couch, opposite him. She stares at him sadly.
He lifts his head, his hands clasped in front of him. "When- When I bought that china... I kept thinkin' what to do... What to say, what- what not to say... So many things were goin' through my mind. Nothin'- Nothin' what making any sense to me. I wanted to stop the wedding."
She nods. "I really wish you had."
"Nobody has been nicer to me than Bobbie. She deserved to know the truth." He bends his head down, taking a long pause. "And I didn't tell her. Now, if that- (stop stuttering, Jason! Please!) If that's wrong... Then what happened to Bobbie is my fault." He looks at her. "I'm sorry."
Carly starts to shake her head. "No."
"I'm so- I'm sorry." He drops his head into his hands again.
"No." She leans forward, close to him, and takes his hands. "No, no, no, no. You know what?"
Jason looks up at her.
Carly smiles half a smile. "I am."
They stare into each other's eyes, hands joined between them.
* * * * *
They're still seated the same, but their hands aren't joined. Jason's hands are in front of him, and Carly's elbows are on her knees, her arms are kind of crossed in a way that makes her shoulders look really tiny.
She shrugs one shoulder. "I mean, I can't tear you up for- For doing the thing I respect the most about you. You keep your word. It's all I have to depend on."
"I wanted to tell you a lot of times."
"Musta been really hard for you."
"Look, Bobbie got hurt here. I didn't."
"But you have been." she says softly. "A lot." She pauses and nods, and glances away. Her voice is regretful, "By me, more than anyone. And it never matters. I mean, you always... You always keep my secrets." A small smile curves her lips. "And it makes me feel sort of..." She glances away and shrugs a little, before her eyes return to him. "Valuable. To you."
"Valuable?" He looks almost a tad confused. He speaks in the barest of a whisper, "You need me to say that you're valuable?"
She shrugs and looks down.
He tilts his head and leans forward to catch her eyes. "Because you know you are."
Carly gazes at him for a moment, smiling softly. Then she leans back and sighs, touching her forehead.
"When they arrested Jerry, Jason? All I could think about was that it could be you. And what would I do? What would I do - beat 'em up?" A tear starts to fall down her cheek. "Break into jail and get you out? Bribe somebody - anybody?" She folds her hands over her heart. "I would do anything."
"I know." He looks at her intently.
She covers her face with her hands and leans forward again, her elbows on her knees.
He leans his head down to try to meet her eyes. "I know that I can count on you."
Carly lifts her head and his eyes stay locked onto hers.
"Even though you drive me crazy."
"I don't mean to drive you crazy." she says, almost tearfully. Now there are tears on both her cheeks.
"Yes you do."
Carly shakes her head a little. "No."
Jason looks up from her lips to her eyes, then to her lips, her eyes, and her lips again. Then he leans forward and one of his hands goes to her neck. She leans forward a little as well, and their lips meet in a soft, tender kiss.
His other hand lifts to cup her cheek, his fingers tangle in her hair. One of her hands raises to touch his face, but instead finds his hand.
All the while, they kiss slowly, intimately, lips lingering on lips and savouring the feeling...
* * * * *
The entire next scene is completely silent, except for the music...
Carly and Jason are still locked in a kiss. His hand comes up to cup her cheek again. Her hands run over his thighs once, to his knees.
Jason is the first one to pull back, but he does so slowly.
His hand is still on her neck, in her hair. Her hands lift up to his shoulders and run down to his elbows. They open their eyes to look at each other, both in absolute wonder. Carly's hand slides down his arm, while his other hand remains on her neck.
Carly looks at him, completely speechless. She motions her finger through the air in front of his face, touching his nose. He closes his eyes as her hand moves in front of his face, but otherwise just stares at her. She closes her eyes as if she can't believe that just happened, and Jason's hand drops from her neck.
Carly leans forward with her elbows on her knees again, cupping her hands over her mouth as she stares up at him, in amazement and joy. She breathes a whisper of a laugh.
Jason just stares at her like he wants to kiss her again.
Her hands drop and she tilts her head as she smiles a beautiful smile at him, her face and her eyes and her smile shining with love.
* * * * *
Carly's hands are on the couch beside her, and Jason's hands are clasped in front of him.
"You kissed me! Can we agree on that?" She grins and puts her hands over her heart. "I mean, I didn't trap you. I didn't jump on you. I didn't even ask you. But you kissed me. Right?"
He pauses, nods, and answers somewhat... shyly? "Yes."
Carly raises her arms in victory. "Well, I'm pretty sure the world didn't just come to an end. I didn't hear any lin- lightening or earthquakes or thunder. And... The building's still standing. Are we both still alive?"
A flicker of a frown crosses his face, and he looks away. "Look, Carly. This- This doesn't mean that we-"
"No, Jason. I love you. You know? I'm in love with you. I always have been. And I... I know that you love me too. And you don't say, but I see it. The way you look at me... The way you smile at me even when I'm driving you crazy. Let me come home. Please, Jase. I wanna come home."
Jason looks as if he's about to answer, but then there's a brisk knock on the door.
Satan comes in without waiting for any kind of invitation. "I didn't realize you had company."
"Yeah, well he does." She gets up and starts around the couch. "Could you excuse us, please?"
Jason stands and puts a hand on her arm as he steps around her. "Ah, look, Carly. This- This is business." She looks at him. "Okay?" He puts a hand on her elbow to escort her to the door.
"But we have business..."
"It's okay. I'll- I'll walk you out. I'll walk you out."
As they pass Satan on the way to the door, Carly grabs onto Jason's arm possessively.
Jason opens the door, holding her coat in one hand. Carly turns back to him, standing in the frame. He glances back at Satan. Carly puts a hand on his arm to get his full attention.
She leans on the doorframe and speaks seriously. "Don't think, because you didn't answer my question? That I'm gonna forget about it."
He barely nods. "I know."
She smiles at him. "So you think about it. And I'll ask you again."
"It's not like I could stop ya." Said with a voice full of affection and a hint of a smile.
Carly touches her fingertips to her lips and waves goodbye once.
Then she takes her ugly-ass coloured coat from him and looks at him for a moment longer, smiling, and turns to leave.
Jason closes the door.