Chapter 18 Caroline stood in the elevator, thinking about her time with Shane that day. She had accomplished many things that day. She had confessed mostly everything to Shane about her life in Port Charles, and she had finally begun to realize that her picking Shane was the right thing to do. She stepped out of the elevator, and was greeted by Renaldo. “Hello Ms. Benson. Did you have a good day?” he asked pleasantly. Caroline grinned sheepishly. “Um, I'm sorry about us driving off. It had nothing to do with you, personally. I think it had to do with Jason, more than anything.” Renaldo laughed. Although he would never acknowledge it, he wasn't oblivious to the tension between Caroline, Shane and Jason. “Don't worry about it, just as long as you let me do my job next time. Good night, Ms. Benson.” “Caroline” she corrected him. “And, you have a good night yourself” she said, and went inside. Jason looked up as Caroline entered, and studied her. She looked content, but there was something clearly bothering her. “Hi. Are you okay? You look upset” he commented, getting up from the couch. Caroline took off her denim jacket and placed it on a chair. “I'm fine. Shane and I just got into a conversation about drunk drivers. Carly died because of a drunk driver, so it was very painful. Its been a long time since I talked about it. I forgot how much better I feel when I talk things out. With Shane especially, since we both basically went through the same thing.” Jason glanced at the court order, debating with himself whether or not he should tell Caroline right away about AJ's visit. Caroline obviously had an emotional day, and he didn't want to upset her further. “Where's Robin? Is she upstairs with my son?” Caroline asked wearily. “No, she had to baby-sit Maxie and Georgie, so she's spending the night at Mac's. I already put Michael to sleep, since he had skipped his nap today.” “Oh. Is he feeling all right?” “Yeah, he's fine. I guess he wasn't tired earlier. So how was your day?” “Great. We rode all morning, then had a picnic lunch and talked for the rest of the day. It was kind of like old times. We were just talking, thinking about nothing else. I missed that so much. Overall, it was a good day. I'm really happy that Shane's back in my life.” Jason looked away. He didn't want to hear about how great a guy Shane was. Although he was glad that Caroline was happy, he just didn't approve of the source. “So what did you do today? Just business?” Caroline asked, taking a seat on the couch. “A bit, not much” Jason replied. He glanced at the court order on his desk, then decided that Caroline had a right to know what was going on. “AJ came today. He served me with a court order for a paternity test.” Caroline looked at hi, shocked. “What? All ready? How the hell did he pull that off? Jason he can't! He can't do this! What happens if he…” she started to say frantically. “Caroline, don't worry” Jason interrupted. “Don't worry? Jason how can I not? If AJ find out the truth…” “He won't” Jason said, sitting down beside her. “As I said before, paternity tests can be fixed. We're not going to lose Michael. There is no way that I would ever let that happen. Trust me. You do, don't you?” Caroline sighed, and ran her fingers through her now tangled hair. “Of course I trust you. I'm just so worried… and don't tell me not to be. I'm just starting to start over my life, and now this!” she said, standing up. “I'm going to have a shower, then call Shane.” “Why? You just saw him a few minutes ago.” “I know. I just want to feel better. I told him everything about AJ. Shane would just try to reassure me, and help me get my mind off of everything.” “I can't do that?” Jason asked, looking hurt. Caroline looked into Jason's eyes, and was surprised at his reaction. Confusion and guilt swirled around inside her. She hadn't meant to imply that Jason wasn't good enough. She walked to him, and took his hand. “I didn't mean to say that you couldn't do that. I just didn't think that you would want to,” she said quickly, not really knowing what she was saying. “Why wouldn't I want to make you feel better?” Jason asked confused. “Don't you know how much you mean to me? I don't want you to be unhappy or upset.” “I know, I didn't mean it that way…” “How does he do it?” Jason interrupted quietly. “What?” Caroline responded. “How does Shane make you feel better?” Jason asked softly. He didn't usually try to be something he wasn't, but he wanted to know what Shane did. He wanted to be the one to make Caroline feel better. “Umm… I don't know. A lot of things I guess. Sometimes we would talk about something completely different, or he would just tell jokes. He always make me laugh, and to forget about my problems. Sometimes he would write me a love letter, and then read it to me. But, I guess we would mostly dance our problems away. Once I hear music, I guess I drift off into another world.” Caroline stopped, thinking that she sounded silly. She was supposed to be the quick- thinking, fast-talking, sharp-shooting girl. Not the type of person who loved love letters and dancing to soft music. She looked at Jason, and saw him smile. “I can dance” Jason said with a twinkle in his eyes. Caroline opened her mouth to say something, then immediately shut it. She had absolutely no idea what to say to him. She was shocked, but flattered that he wanted to dance with her. They had danced before, at Jake's, but that was different. Then, they had just wanted to get the other into bed. Now, Jason wanted to dance with her to make her feel better. She felt her stomach tighten. She wanted to dance with him, but she didn't know if she trusted herself. She thought about being in his arms, and couldn't resist. Caroline smiled back at him. “Okay”. Jason went over to the radio, and turned it on. As the music started to play, Caroline began to relax. The song was relatively fast, so they really couldn't get into that much trouble. Jason held out his hand, and tried to move to the music. The song was from the mid-eighties, and Caroline had to think back to how she used to dance to this. Jason, however, had more trouble getting into the beat, and looked at little lost. Synthesizers from the last decade were something new to him. “Obsession” (Think theme from Fashion Television) * You are an obsession I cannot sleep I am a possession upon you feet There is no balance, no equality Be still I will not accept defeat I will have you yes I will have you I will find a way and I will have you like a butterfly A wild butterfly I will collect you and capture you You are an obsession you're my obsession Who do you want me to be to make you sleep with me You are an obsession you're my obsession Who do you want me to be to make you sleep with me* Caroline got into the song, and surprised herself at how well she could move. It had been over a year since she had last danced. Jason, however, was having more trouble. Slow dancing he could do; anything else, and he was helpless. Caroline smirked at him, and raised her eyebrows, daring him to keep up with her. Jason grinned at her silent challenge, and started to move faster. * I feed you and drink you by day and by night I need you, I need you by sun and candlelight You protest you want to leave Stay there's no alternative Your face appears again I see the beauty there, but I see danger Stranger beware of circumstances in your dreams Your obsession is not what it seems* Caroline, daring Jason's dancing abilities, moved closer to him, and put her arms around his neck, still moving her hips to the music. Jason. Feeling more confident, put his arms around her waist, and moved in sync with her. * You are an obsession you're my obsession Who do you want me to be to make you sleep with me You are an obsession you're my obsession Who do you want me to be to make you sleep with me* Jason winked at her, just to let Caroline know that whatever she could do, he would try and do it better. Caroline realized that all Jason was doing was copying her moves, so she decided to test him. She winked back, and backed up away from him. She kept up with the rhythm, but made her moves more seductive and deliberate. Jason stared at her with his mouth open. “Damn, she sure can move”, he thought feeling a rush he hadn't felt in a long time. “Okay, Caroline. You know I can't do that; you win,” he said. Caroline threw back her head and laughed, but continued to dance. It had been a long time since Jason had looked at her that way, and she had missed it. * My fantasy has turned to madness And all my goodness has turned to badness My need to possess you has consumed my soul My life is trembling I have no control I will have you yes I will have you I will find a way and I will have you like a butterfly A wild butterfly I will collect you and capture you* Jason shook his head and smiled. He then moved closer to Caroline, and put his arms around her waist again. He held her tightly, forcing her to slow down. “I'm better at dancing this way,” he said softly as she placed his arms on his shoulders. Caroline suddenly felt all of the adrenaline slowly draining out of her, and found that she had trouble slowly swaying with Jason. She buried her face in Jason's shoulder, taking in his scent, without realizing what she was doing. Jason tightened his grip around her, and kissed her hair. Caroline looked up at Jason, and found him returning her intense gaze. As she looked in his eyes, she saw something that they often lacked. Fire. Passion. Sizzle. But all elements were there now. Their eyes locked, and even though she tried to, Caroline couldn't look away. Jason bent down, and kissed her. Hard. Caroline returned the kiss, and immediately felt a sharp tingle run through her. * You are an obsession you're my obsession Who do you want me to be to make you sleep with me You are an obsession you're my obsession Who do you want me to be to make you sleep with me* “Obsession” by Animotion from “The Language Of Attraction”.