Carly pushed a large palm plant closer to the wicker bench, but when she wiped the back of her hand across her forehead, she winced. She had almost forgotten about the gash over her eye as she prepared to take Madeline’s portrait. Almost forgotten about nearly drowning. Almost forgotten that she owed her life to a stranger with the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen in her life.

"Carly, darling? Are we too early?" Christina’s voice carried in the small storefront studio. Sonny had often joked that Carly’s part-time portrait business was more of a hobby than a functional business. She knew that the money she made from her photography didn’t nearly cover the rent, even though she had managed to find space in an older, run-down part of Port Charles. She really didn’t spend that much time in the studio since she preferred to photograph children in natural settings. And although it was equipped with a small darkroom, Carly preferred developing her pictures in the facilities Sonny had agreed to have installed in their home.

Carly wiped her hands on a rag and walked towards the reception area. She parted the curtains to find Christina and her daughter sitting patiently on some chairs near the window. "I’m sorry, Christina. I just got here myself about 30 minutes ago and I needed to go through the mail before I set up for Madeline’s portrait." She smiled at the toddler, who was bouncing impatiently on her chair. "Are you ready to smile and be pretty for me, sweetie?"

"Now??" Madeline almost jumped out of her skin with excitement and when she turned to her mother, Christina nodded her approval. "Yeah! I’m ready, Miss Caroline!" Madeline bounded out of the chair and raced through the curtains past Carly before she could draw a breath.

"Now, Madeline," Christina called after her enthusiastic daughter, "don’t forget what I told you about behaving for Miss Caroline." Christina followed Carly through the curtains to the photographic studio itself. She placed a hand on Carly’s arm to show her solicitude. "We had a long talk this morning after I saw the newspapers – Madeline was just beside herself when she thought that you might not be able to take her portrait."

Madeline had already assumed a pose on the wicker bench. As Carly adjusted one of the lights shining on her subject, Madeline looked up at her with wide eyes. "Are your boo-boos all better now, Miss Caroline?"

Carly smiled and cupped the child’s chin. "My forehead still hurts a little, sweetie, but not enough to keep me from taking pictures of my favorite model." Her hand lingered on the soft skin under Madeline’s jaw. It reminded Carly of how much she had wanted children with Sonny – and how hard he must have secretly laughed at her, knowing the entire time that their efforts would come to naught thanks to his vasectomy. Carly felt her rage building again as she recalled how every month, he would act sympathetic but then tell her it was probably something "female" that was preventing them from conceiving.

Christina’s voice pulled Carly from her dismal thoughts. "You know, my dear, I was rather shocked when Alexis told me that you still wanted to go ahead with our session this afternoon." Carly came to stand behind a large camera and started fiddling with the lens setting. "The morning newspaper didn’t give a lot of details about your accident……." Christina let the statement trail deliberately, and when Carly looked up at her, she could see morbid curiosity written all over the blonde’s face.

"Let’s just say that my car had some mechanical problems, and I was very fortunate to come out of it with just a bad gash over my eye and a minor concussion." She pointed at Madeline and the girl moved her foot to the right. Carly squeezed a hand-held device, releasing the camera’s shutter to take the picture. She went to Madeline to align her for the next pose. "They insisted on keeping me in the hospital overnight for observation, but I was fine this morning."

Christina shook her head, clucking her tongue. "My goodness – it seems like the only luck you’ve had lately has been *bad* luck, Carly. First poor Sonny passing, and now this……" She sniffed and then opened her purse to take out a white lace handkerchief and dab at the corners of her eyes. "Brian and I still can’t believe that your dear husband is gone." She gestured dramatically with the hankie as Carly moved to straighten Madeline’s dress in a new pose. "Why, I was just telling Brian yesterday that it was just a dreadful shame, for such a handsome, charming, vital man as Sonny to have died at such a young age……a man with such a bright future ahead of him."

Carly stopped short and looked over her shoulder at Christina with a frown. "You were talking to Brian? About Sonny?" Christina nodded silently, dabbing at her eyes again as Carly came down to stand next to the camera and pick up her remote control again. "I wasn’t aware that Brian even knew Sonny."

If Christina was rattled, she certainly didn’t show it. "Well of course he did, my dear. Brian met Sonny when they both played racquetball at the Media Club in Manhattan. Granted, they didn’t always see eye to eye....." Carly turned back to the camera and tried to concentrate on capturing Madeline’s winsome smile on film, but Christina went on. "Brian had taken me along on a business trip. We all had dinner that evening at Chez Louis together. Didn’t Sonny tell you?"

Carly smiled brightly at Madeline, trying to coax a similar smile out of the toddler. She snapped the picture and then went to adjust a light one more time. "Sonny never talked much about his business trips. He was always just so happy to be home, and I never asked him……." There was an awkward silence as Carly turned back towards Christina, but then Madeline broke the tension.

"I hafta go potty, Miss Caroline……" Madeline turned huge, panic-stricken eyes to her mother. "Can I go potty now, mommy?"

To add to the uproar, the phone chose that moment to start ringing off the hook. "Of course, Madeline," Carly answered. "You can go use the Ladies’ Room right through there," she pointed. "I think we’re just about finished for the day anyway."

As Christina followed her daughter towards the facilities, Carly ran for the phone in the front of the studio. She picked up the receiver and was about to gasp the name of her studio when she frowned. "Alexis? Is that you?"

The loud sounds of a screaming infant could easily be heard in the background. "Gee…..how’d ya guess it was me?"

"Is Bree sick?" Even after all she had been through since learning of Sonny’s duplicity, Carly couldn’t suppress her innate love for children.

"I don’t think it’s anything serious -- probably just another new tooth," Alexis answered. "She’s running a very low grade temperature and is just fussy as all get out. But I don’t think we would be very good company for videos and popcorn tonight like we planned."

Carly sighed. "You know, Alexis, maybe this happened for a reason. I’m really still pretty tired after all I went through yesterday. Maybe a quiet evening and a long soak in a bubble bath is a better idea." She paused as the bell of her shop tinkled again but didn’t look up. "You sure you can handle Sabrina alone?"

"I promise not to panic, Dr. Corinthos," Alexis giggled. "If I start getting those hysterical parent feelings, I’ll give you a call."

"OK. I’ll check with you tomorrow morning." Carly hung up the phone and finally looked up to see who her newest customer was. "I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I was just getting ready to close......."

"That’s quite alright." Jax stood in the waning light, leaning against the door jamb. His arms were crossed across his chest and he was giving her a smile that could have melted concrete. His low-slung pale blue denim jeans hugged his thighs like a second skin, and a matching denim jacket hung open, allowing the black T-shirt underneath to show. "I really wasn’t looking to have my picture taken anyway."

Carly was still reeling to see her persistent rescuer again when Christina came through the curtains from the back. "I’m sorry, Carly, but Madeline decided to try to take a bath in your sink when she went to the bathroom." Carly turned away from Jax towards the child, who had completely soaked the crinoline skirt of her candy-pink dress. Christina was practically apoplectic but Carly just waved a hand at her and crouched down to Madeline, who had obviously been crying.

"That’s OK, Christina. I think I had enough good shots already -- we were just about finished for the day." She tapped Madeline on the nose. "Now why don’t you take your mommy home so I can get busy developing those beautiful pictures of my favorite model!" She reached up to the counter to grab a lollipop and handed it to the sniffling child.

"Thanks, Miss Caroline!!" She looked up at her mother, but Christina was too busy sizing up Jax to notice. "Can I have the sucker now, mommy?"

Christina waved a hand indulgently at her daughter. "Certainly, darling." She walked towards Jax, her hips swaying slightly as she did. "Carly dear, you haven’t introduced me to your newest discovery."

"Discovery?" Carly barely managed to squeak out the word as Jax’s eyes twinkled in merriment.

The blonde woman stood directly in front of Jax and gently grasped his chin in her fingers, turning his head to the side. "Well, with these good looks, it would be an absolute *crime* if he wasn’t a model!" She let go of Jax’s chin and he turned back to face her. "So, is he here for those publicity photos......what do they call them?" She lowered her voice an octave and purred lewdly at Jax. ".......HEAD shots?"

Jax’s eyes flared momentarily at the double entendre but then he returned to his relaxed pose. Carly cut him off before he could answer. "He’s just a business associate of Sonny’s, Christina. He came in yesterday from New York to pay his respects." Carly gave Jax a pointed look as their eyes met. "And now that he’s done that, I’m sure he’ll be leaving."

The sparks that flew between Jax and Carly’s eyes were almost visible. Christina looked back and forth between them, but then Madeline ran to her mother and pulled on her dress. "Mom-my ......can we go home now? I’m booooooored."

"Certainly, darling, in a minute...." Christina didn’t even look at Madeline, who had managed to get most of her sucker all over her face. She turned back to Jax and moved closer. "So....you’re from New York......" She tapped him playfully on the chest with her finger. "Will you be staying long in Port Charles, Mr. ......"

Jax straightened up and extended his hand. "Jacks, Jasper Jacks." He shook Christina’s hand but his eyes were drawn back to Carly. "And I really haven’t decided yet how long I’ll be staying."

Jax had to bite his tongue as he remembered his words to Sean – that he would only stop by to express his condolences and thanks to Carly. {Right – just say thanks and split. Say, "Thanks – I can see now since I got your dead husband’s corneas" and then hit the road? I don’t think so. Especially not when she almost drowned yesterday. Something’s not right here…….I can feel it.}

Christina frowned slightly when she saw Jax’s eyes flit towards Carly and linger before returning to her. She straightened her weskit-style jacket, making sure it draped her ample cleavage seductively, in an attempt to get 100% of Jax’s attention. But then Madeline pulled on her mother’s skirt again, whining loudly. "MOMMMMMYYYYYY!!!"

Christina finally looked down at her daughter and exploded. "Madeline! What did you do with that sucker??!!" She started brushing the crinoline skirt, briskly trying to rub away some of the sticky candy stain. "Don’t you know that candy is meant to be eaten, not WORN?? Good Lord, you’ve gotten it all over your good dress from Grandmother Powell!" Madeline’s lower lip emerged and started to quiver as huge tears rolled down her cheeks.

Christina barely even looked up at Carly as they left the shop. "I’ll call you tomorrow about those portraits, Carly." The door slammed shut behind them as Jax and Carly could still hear Christina scolding her daughter, whose crying had erupted into full-fledged screaming.

Jax finally turned back and walked slowly over to Carly. "Interesting lady." He continued to stare into her eyes. "This town seems to have more than its share of interesting ladies." A glass display case was the only thing separating the two of them.

"Mr. Jacks, I really……"

Jax held up a silencing finger. "I told you – my friends call me Jax."

Carly sighed but didn’t crack a smile. "Mr. Jacks," she deliberately intoned, but then when he gave her a boyish smile and a lock of his hair fell across his forehead, she found her resolve to be seriously fading. "What are you doing here?"

He turned away from her, strolling casually around the reception area. "Well, after I managed to get some sleep, I called the hospital to find out how you were."

"And obviously that became a moot question after you found out they released me."

{Just because I raised holy h*ll until I found out where you had gone? Just because I was worried that something else awful had happened to you? Just because I’ve got this totally illogical feeling that I need to protect you?}

Jax turned back to her. "Good assumption." Then he walked back towards her slowly. "But I’ve always been the kind of guy who likes to check things out for himself -- I’m from Missouri so you’ve got to show me, if you know what I mean."

Carly held her hands out to the sides, pivoting slowly. "Well, as you can see FOR YOURSELF," she replied, putting extra emphasis on the words, "I’m just fine. No ill effects from yesterday’s adventure." Now it was her turn to lean forward. "Although, with that accent, mate, I seriously doubt you’re a Midwesterner." Jax smiled in concession as Carly pointed a finger at him. "And I still don’t know how you found out where I work."

An air of superiority graced Jax’s face as he returned to face her over the counter. "They have these wonderful inventions now, Carly. They’re called phone books." His nose was about 10 inches from hers but she refused to give in on his stare-down. "I looked up your phone number but when there was no answer at your house, I drove by." He didn’t dare tell her that he already knew where she lived.

Carly grabbed at the edge of the counter. "You went to my house!!"

"I wanted to make sure you hadn’t passed out in the bathtub or something." Jax gave her a naughty smile as he leaned even closer. "If you don’t recall, I did a pretty effective job of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation yesterday. I had to make sure you didn’t need me to give a repeat performance." Carly gasped softly but Jax went on. "I guess your neighbor across the street got suspicious about me because she came over and told me that you had gone to the studio this afternoon."

"So you took it upon yourself to follow me here to see for yourself? That old "Missouri thing" rearing its ugly head again?" Carly folded her arms but a hint of a smile teased at her lips.

Jax never got a chance to answer her as the phone rang, causing both of them to jump slightly. "Excuse me," Carly said, and then turned to pick up the phone on the third ring. "Portraits by Caroline, may I help you?"

"Mrs. Corinthos -- Ned Ashton here." Carly grimaced, but then smiled and held up a finger and pointed at the phone. Jax waved at her to continue the conversation, so she turned away from Jax to face the wall. "Did I call at a bad time?"

"Not at all, Ned. What can I do for you?"

Carly was almost afraid to ask the question. Ned Ashton was CEO of a huge corporate conglomerate, ELQ, that was based in Port Charles. One of their subsidiaries was a pharmaceutical firm called Terracon Pharmaceuticals. Ned and Sonny became business associates when Terracon acquired the contract to distribute Thin’n Trim.

Sonny said that Thin ‘n Trim was going to be the hottest discovery to hit weight-conscious Americans since the invention of the latex girdle. Somehow, he had happened upon a chemistry whiz – a young professor who had just begun his tenure at a local university – who had discovered a dietary supplement that both curbed appetite and metabolized fats more effectively. Adding to its appeal, it had virtually no side effects and a pleasant taste that hinted at chocolate. Sonny immediately took the young man under his wing and it took only one presentation to the members of the ELQ Board to have dollar signs dancing in their eyes. Terracon would distribute the supplement through millions of prescriptions written by amazed physicians.

"Soooo......how have you been?" Carly could tell that Ned was beating around the bush. After meeting him at several functions with Sonny, she knew that he was about as subtle as a Mack truck.

"I’ve been better, Ned, but I have a feeling that you didn’t call to discuss my health." Carly suddenly frowned. "Besides ..... I thought you would be up to your eyeballs by now planning the media blitz for Thin ‘n Trim’s debut."

"Actually, Carly -- that’s the reason I’m calling." Ned paused and Carly heard him clear his throat uncomfortably. "I’m sure that you remember that we postponed the kickoff campaign for Thin ‘n Trim when Sonny passed away....."

"I’m aware of that, Ned. I appreciated your sensitivity."

"Well, the fact is that we had set a new target date of November 1. But the other day when the legal eagles were going through the paperwork, they discovered that something rather.......crucial......was missing." Carly didn’t respond so Ned continued. "We don’t seem to have a copy of the licensing agreement between ELQ and your late husband giving Terracon the exclusive rights to Thin ‘n Trim."

"Well, that’s ridiculous!" Carly was suddenly filled with righteous indignation. "I’m sure that one of your secretaries must have just misfiled it! You know that Sonny would never have......."

"Actually, Carly," Ned interrupted, "I’m afraid that I don’t *know* anymore." He paused again as Carly’s face started to lose color. "The latest buzz on the street is that Allied Petrochemicals has exclusive rights to Thin ‘n Trim."

Carly tried to keep her voice level, but she gripped the receiver of the phone so tightly her ring started to cut into the adjacent finger. "I’ve never heard of Allied Petrochemicals."

"They’re one of our biggest competitors, Carly." Ned sighed. "My man tells me that Damian Smith was overheard bragging at the health club the other day. He claimed that Allied will be introducing a revolutionary diet product sometime around the end of October. Something that sounded almost identical to Thin ‘n Trim." Carly swallowed hard. "Do you recall ever hearing Sonny mention someone named Damian Smith?"

"No. Sonny never mentioned anyone by that name, Ned." {Of course, he never mentioned the minor detail of having a vasectomy either. Especially not when he was blaming me for our failure to conceive.} Carly suddenly remembered another person Sonny had never mentioned -- the very blonde, very memorable Jasper Jacks -- and turned back around to face him. But Jax was busy inspecting some of her photographs and then Carly’s attention was drawn back to the phone.

"We were wondering if perhaps Sonny had kept a copy of the licensing agreement on his home computer, Carly. Or possibly in a filing cabinet somewhere around the house." Ned sounded desperate.

"Sonny works......." Carly gritted her teeth and then amended her statement. ".......used to work frequently on the computer at home, Ned, but then he transferred most of those documents to separate disks."

"We’ve gone through the disks you sent me shortly after his funeral, Carly. It’s not on any of them." She heard Ned take a deep breath. "Would you mind checking through his desk again? For any disk you might have missed?"

"Not at all, Ned. It’s the least I can do." Carly’s smile was grim. "I’ll get back to you just as quickly as possible."

"Thanks, Carly. I really appreciate your help on this. Please give me a call if there’s anything you need in the meantime." Carly nodded her head silently as she hung up the phone. {How about a new life? One without lying husbands, and suspicious cops, and.......}

"Problems?"

{......and handsome men who want to act like white knights, when everybody knows white knights died with the dinosaurs.}

Carly turned back to Jax with a smile. "No. Just a few things I needed to clear up with another of my husband’s former business associates."

Jax tried to hide his peaking curiosity. {Things she needs to clear up. So maybe Sonny’s business life wasn’t as clean as it looks on paper. Maybe one of those "business associates" didn’t like the deal Sonny had cut and decided to end their relationship. Permanently.} He realized that he wouldn’t be leaving Port Charles quite yet. But when he looked back at Carly, she was packing up her briefcase in a distracted manner. "I’m sorry." The sound of Jax’s voice made her look up. "I’ve delayed you when probably all you want to do is go home and forget yesterday ever happened."

"A quiet evening at home does sound rather heavenly to me right now, Mr. Jacks." Carly snapped the briefcase shut, and then turned to switch off the lights in the studio behind her. But when she returned to the reception area, Jax was still standing there. "Look, Mr. Jacks," she repeated, "if you did have some kind of business problems with my husband, I can give you the name of my attorney….."

{An attorney. So problems with her husband’s business associates aren’t new?} "No…." Jax held up his hands and reached out to her as she went to the light switch for the reception area. "Really, I just wanted to spend a little time with you before I left Port Charles……" Jax flashed her his most endearing smile. "……and I thought we had that name thing settled. It’s Jax, remember?"

His charm wasn’t working. "Mr. Jacks, are you suggesting that we go out on a …… a date?" Carly’s voice was almost as icy as the Port Charles River. "For being one of Sonny’s business associates, his memory certainly seems to have faded pretty quickly from your mind."

Jax ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. "I’m sorry…..I didn’t mean it that way at all. I just……well, I thought we could get together and talk about Sonny a little……it might help with your grieving, you know." Carly stared down at her feet and blushed a little. "Maybe over dinner tomorrow night?"

"I’m ……I’m afraid that would be impossible, Mr……" Carly paused as Jax held up a finger and smiled at her again. "……Jax," she sighed in surrender. "The Port Charles Fall Festival starts tomorrow, and I agreed to have a small portrait booth there. I’ll be tied up all afternoon and evening."

"Then that leaves breakfast," Jax smiled triumphantly. Carly walked towards the door of the shop and Jax had no choice but to follow. He caught her by the arm at the door. "If you’re going to have such a hectic afternoon, it only seems right that you should eat a hearty breakfast."

"And if I promise you that I can get my OWN healthy breakfast?" There was just a hint of a smile on her lips.

Jax sighed. "Then I would be forced to drag out that old Chinese proverb about what happens when someone saves your life……"

Carly grimaced. "I was hoping that you weren’t aware of that one." She looked down at her watch and then back up into Jax’s hopeful eyes. "All right…..how about a compromise?" She opened the front door of her shop and ushered Jax into the portal. "The Port Charles Hotel serves an excellent brunch. We could meet there around 11, and I could still make the Festival on time."

Jax tapped his forehead in salute to Carly as he moved onto the sidewalk. "I’ll look forward to it, Carly." She closed the door behind her and locked it securely. When she turned back to the street, she saw Jax pulling away from the curb in his Explorer. He gave her another smile that sent shivers down her spine.

{Get over it, Carly. He’s handsome. He’s charming. He could sell air conditioners to Eskimos. Just like Sonny.}

*~*~*~*

Carly rolled over in bed and stared at the small clock. Considering the events of the past 36 hours, she should have been dead on her feet. She should have been out like a light by 10 o’clock.

But the clock read 1 AM, and sleep still eluded Carly. Ned’s words kept playing over and over in her head. She had been so blind about Sonny – thinking he was as decimated every month as she was that there was no baby. Could he have been deceiving her in other ways, too? And did that deception extend to his business associates, too? Business associates who would have been angry and resentful enough to want to kill him?

Carly couldn’t stand the not knowing any longer. She swept the sheets aside and turned on the lamp next to the bed. Since she had dutifully promised Ned to double check Sonny’s desk, she had done that shortly after she drove home in the rental car her insurance provided. Once again, she hadn’t found any of the papers that Ned was so desperate to locate. As she chewed her lip, she opened the door to Sonny’s closet in their bedroom. There was one other place she hadn’t told Ned about that the information could have been hidden -- a place that she had avoided after Sonny’s death. Avoided until tonight, that is.

She turned on the light inside the closet and dug deep behind Sonny’s winter coats. Carly tried to ignore the familiar scent that came from his clothing as she reached for a large metal box in a recessed area of the wall of the closet. Sonny had never exactly told Carly about his "strong box," although he hadn’t exactly forbidden her to look into it, either. The one time that Carly had mentioned it to him, Sonny had smiled and taken her into his arms.

"You know, babe," he had replied in a husky whisper, "the day we got married, I promised to love, honor, and respect you. We pledged our trust to each other, till death do us part." He had taken her chin between his fingers and tipped her face up to his. "Have I done something to make you lose faith in me? Have I lost your trust?"

Carly’s hands closed around the box as Sonny’s words came back to her. {How could you have been such a fool, Carly? To blindly believe that whatever Sonny told you was the truth, without even bothering to question it?} She carried the box to her bed after turning out the light in the closet. Her fingers were shaking as she opened the latch – Sonny had probably laughed out loud when he realized she was so naïve that he didn’t even need to lock the box.

Turning the box upside down, Carly dumped the contents onto the bed. There were some pictures, and she recognized some of the letters she had written to Sonny when they were courting. She set aside two bank books – both of them from Port Charles institutions. But her fingers started to tremble again as she picked up another small leather-bound article that appeared to be a passbook. Bound to it by rubberbands were computer disks. She slipped off the rubberbands and when she opened the passbook, she gasped out loud. There was a sizeable balance in the account, and the bank was based in Manhattan.

Carly’s mind was still spinning as she picked up another stack of papers. There were bank statements from all three banks, but then another small manila envelope slipped into her lap. She took a deep breath and opened the envelope to find a passport, airline ticket, and driver’s license.

Her gasp was audible when Carly opened the passport. She realized that passport photos were usually not very complimentary, but this was absurd. Sonny’s normally short, black hair was replaced by tousled red locks. He was sporting a moustache, and his usually intense brown eyes were almost obscured by thick, horn-rimmed glasses. Carly had to look twice at the photo, but after careful study, she recognized Sonny’s charismatic smile and dimples. When she looked at the driver’s license, she found the same red-haired man staring back at her as the one on the passport.

Carly held her breath as she opened the airline ticket. It was a one-way, first class reservation to Chile. Dated the day that Sonny had died. Her fingers flew to her lips as Carly read the name on the airline ticket. She dropped it into the stack, grabbing for the passport and driver’s license. All three were registered to the same red-haired man. The same man Carly had slept with, and loved, and trusted with all of her being. Not Sonny Corinthos, but obviously an alter ego – Michael Corbin.

It was too much. Carly had to face the fact that the man she thought she loved had lied to her the entire time. She really hadn’t known him at all. Giving in to the urge that she had been fighting for weeks, she lay across the bed and cried until there weren’t any more tears.

To be continued…..

Please note: Mike Corbin from GH, Sonny’s father, does not appear in this fanfic. Whenever reference is made to "Michael Corbin," it means the alias that Sonny used.