Willpower

by Medea3

My very first fan fiction. Sami causes trouble, and her past comes back to haunt her- and Belle. To save her sister, Sami relives much of her past. Including the part involving one Lucas Roberts. Written/set 2000. Complete.

Willpower: A Sami and Lucas Story
Part One of Six: Nicole's Twin Troubles
February 4, 2000

Disclaimer: Ken Corday owns Salem and its inhabitants. The actors own themselves, except for Belle and Will, who are minors. "Beauty and the Beast," which is breifly referred to, is owned by the all-mighty Disney.

Note: This story was written and set in February 2000. Many of the characters (particularly those in Belle's generation) have changed considerably since then and may seem out-of-character now.

Samantha Gene Brady was bored. Just bored. There was no other word that could be used to describe the situation. She paged disinterestedly through the magazine that lay open on the coffee table. Borrrr-iiiing. She smiled briefly as she recalled that that had been one of Eric's favorite words when they were children. Sami had always been the more passionate and impulsive of the twins, so she had seldom been able to pull herself far enough out of her own feelings to realize that she was not being properly entertained. Besides, she had been blessed with a brother and sister and many cousins to play with, and she had had school and softball and so many other things to occupy her thoughts.


Then she had grown up. For most people growing up was a gradual process, but in her opinion it had not been so for the Brady Twins. Their growing up had taken place in two abrupt jerks: the day they had been told that John Black had lied about being their father, and the day that John had realized he could not give up their mother as easily as he had given up his children. "That isn't fair! " a voice in the back of her head screamed. Her feelings about the man who had raised her had softened in the past year or so, and she had to admit that being on friendly terms with her stepfather and her mother had made her life much more pleasant. She knew perfectly well, and had always known perfectly well, that John had truly believed he was Roman Brady, husband of Marlena Evans and father of Carrie, Sami, and Eric. But the shock she had felt on the day he had told her the truth had never left her. Then she and Eric had summarily been shipped off to Colorado, out of the way of their assorted parents. Eventually, she had run away from school, and just over a month after returning to Salem, she had witnessed her mother and John's little "indiscretion" on the conference table at Titan. Despite her best efforts, her family had been destroyed when her father learned the truth about the parentage of Sami's new (half) sister Belle. Sami had then embarked on an adolescence filled with schemes, rapes, trials, and homes made with various friends or relatives, or, in more than one unfortunate incidence, a step away from the street.


At least it hadn't been boring.


She laughed aloud. So, Sami, you'd rather try to kidnap your sister again than sit here in the beautiful guest house of a beautiful mansion with servants waiting on you and with nothing to do yourself until your son comes home from school? Probably not, and just as well. Belle was a bit too big to kidnap these days. However, she would have preferred to go back in time to some point in between those extremes. When Will had been an infant, there had been so much to do. He had been with her all day, every day, not off at school, and besides, she had been running Austin's household. Cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry. It seemed mundane, but these were things that one dreamed of being able to do when one spent one's childhood being bounced between relatives while one's parents were kidnapped and tortured by a madman.


Sami's reflections were broken when she heard someone enter the Kiriakis Mansion's guest house. "Austin?" she called hopefully.


"Now, Samantha, if he's not living with you so he can properly 'date' you, (at this point Sami could just hear the sneer in the speaker's voice) he probably also isn't going to just walk into your house without knocking." Brandon Walker strolled into view. "You look beautiful, as always."


Sami ignored the compliment. At one point she had craved compliments from anyone and everyone, in an insane effort to compete with her ex-model older sister Carrie, but for years now no one's opinion had mattered but Austin's. "Austin is also polite enough to realize that it's rude to enter someone else's house without asking," she replied.


"Samantha." Brandon tilted his head and smiled at her. The expression of mock hurt would have been disarming on anyone else, but on Brandon it was slightly disturbing. He had beautiful brown eyes-- in one weak moment, she had even told him so-- but they seemed to mask some kind of unpleasant secret. Brandon claimed that he wanted to be her friend, even more than her friend, but he was always unwilling to tell her anything about his childhood or his life before his arrival in Salem. If Sami hadn't met Nicole and Taylor before Brandon's appearance, he probably would never have told her of his sisters' existence. Nicole was one more reason not to trust Brandon. She had agreed to marry Sami's twin brother, Eric, but then she had turned around and married Lucas Roberts, of all people. And she hadn't even had the decency to tell Eric about it first! That marriage was a joke. It had probably been some sort of business proposition. Lucas' marriage had helped him gain custody of Will. Everything would have been easier if Will had been Austin's child instead of that of his obnoxious little brother.


"Samantha," Brandon repeated. Who else called her "Samantha" almost exclusively? There had been Franco, of course, although his accent had made it sound more like "Samanda." He had tried to marry her because he had needed a green card. She was glad that he was dead, and she shuddered ever so slightly at how evil she felt. "Maybe his calling me by my full name is a tip-off that this guy is a manipulator," she thought. Still, Lucas was a manipulator and he called her "Sami." Of course, he also called her Spami, Scami, You Slut, and various other unpleasant nicknames.


"What can I do for you, Brandon?" she finally answered the man standing before her.


"Oh, I'm so glad you asked, Samantha. You can help me have some fun this morning."


"Don't you ever work?" she inquired.


"I'm on afternoons this week, which is good for the two of us since Will is at school in the mornings. We're both free at the same time."


"Free to do what?"


"Anything we want, Samantha. We're young, healthy, living for free at a great mansion with a swimming pool and tennis courts-"


"Which are covered with snow this time of year."


"So what do you want to do instead?"


"I want to wait for Will to come home from school."


Brandon rolled his eyes. "And what do you want to do while you wait? Walk to Salem
Place and look at the new sleds in the hardware store? I believe you promised one to Will."


"You're telling me you want to come sled-shopping with me?"


"Well, I consider it my obligation. I work in pediatrics, you know. I have to make sure you pick out a nice, sturdy, safe model for Will. Besides, I could give you a ride home after you buy it. You wouldn't let your son ride on a sled you haven't tested." He gave her his best winning smile. She finally returned it, and got ready to leave with him, as she had known she would as soon as she heard his voice. But there was no reason to let him know that.


Their morning passed quickly, in large part because Sami decided not to try to force Brandon to tell her more about his life and family, particularly Nicole, and Brandon decided not to tell Sami yet again that her relationship with Austin was headed nowhere. The fact that Brandon thought their relationship was headed nowhere just proved that he had not been around to see the beginning of their relationship. Finally, Austin did not see Sami as a child. Finally, he was over his obsession with Carrie. He kissed her almost every day and said that he wanted a future with her and Will.


Brandon, of course, made good on his promise to pull her home on the new sled. At the top of a hill she vaguely recalled sledding down with Eric and Carrie years ago, he stopped. "I'm tired," he announced, although he didn't look it. Brandon was a boxer and his athletic body seemed to be in peak condition. He sat next to her on the sled and they began to talk, more easily than they had ever spoken before. Sami gave in to the feeling of the moment and told Brandon her stories about sledding with her brother and sister, although she had intended to tell him as little as she could until she learned more about him.


Brandon smiled. "Actually, Nicky and Taylor and I did almost the same thing. It's surprising. I don't have that many happy memories of my childhood. But I guess you don't, either."


"Oh, they're there. I just don't always remember to look for them." And it's easier to have happy memories when Carrie isn't around, she opted not to add.


"Now, that is a very good attitude to have, Samantha."


"So why don't you try it?"


"Well, it's not easy when the bad parts are still so close to you. I mean, I don't think you were so eager to think about your childhood when the sister that you hated was still in town." Apparently she hadn't HAD to make the remark about Carrie.


"But you don't hate Nicole." Although I do, she managed not to say.


"No, not at all. I was actually much closer to her than to Taylor, since Taylor is so young. And so, well, good. Nicky and I were the troublemakers. But Nicky is still suffering from some of the things that happened when we were kids, and it hurts me to watch her."


"Why is she suffering? She's rich, and that seems to be all she cares about."


"Well, you know what they say. You marry for money and you pay for it for the rest of your life."


Sami's eyes, which she hadn't realized she'd closed, flew open. Marry for money! That was the closest thing to an admission she'd heard. Lucas seemed convinced that Nicole did love him, though. Had her former partner in crime fallen so far that he was being manipulated by that fool Nicole? "I guess Nicole is in kind of a tough situation," she said, hoping it didn't sound too fake.


"You would know. You've tangled with Kate enough times yourself, or so I've heard."


"You heard right, I'm sure."


Brandon looked more relaxed than Sami had ever seen him. "I wish Kate would leave her alone. That's why she's drinking so much. Oh, Nicky shouldn't have taken Kate's money, but once Kate offered, she shouldn't have tried to add so many catches." He suddenly seemed to realize what he was saying, and Sami's long-ago-developed ability to hide her true feelings served her well. Sympathy, sympathy, sympathy.


"I really am sorry, Brandon. Sorry you had a miserable childhood. Sorry your empathy is hurting you." She touched his cheek, barely realizing how intimate the gesture was. His dark eyes looked more troubled, but more beautiful, than ever before. And when he kissed her, she didn't pull away. In fact, she kissed him back and even enjoyed it. It was an innocent, first kiss. But she couldn't kiss someone other than Austin! That would make her as bad as Carrie. Mumbling an apology, she jumped up and headed toward the house. Brandon caught up to her in a few swift leaps, dragging the sled behind him.


"I'm sorry, Samantha . . . but you did kiss me back."


"I know, but let's not talk about it right now, okay? I'm confused." Confused about how she would prove that Kate was the one who had paid Nicole to marry Lucas. Luckily, she had a resident of Kate's house walking right beside her. She was sure Brandon wouldn't mind their having lunch together in the mansion before he went to work. And if she happened to find some of Kate's financial records well they were at it, so much the better.


This had been a GOOD morning.

***********

This had been a BAD morning.


Eric Brady was unlucky in love. He had been slow to begin dating, although he had always had female friends. That probably came from growing up three sisters. Well, two, anyway, since Belle had been born when he was not only already into his teens but living a time zone or so away. He hadn't gotten to know her until recently, but they were making up for lost time.


She was a happy, bubbly, sweet girl, although she sometimes had trouble discerning the location of the line between her business and other peoples' business. She was a gossip with a few delusions about her own importance, but her intentions were invariably good. It was amazing how different his three sisters were.


Carrie, the oldest, had been somewhat rebellious, had certainly done things that would never occur to Belle, but at the bottom of everything she always was responsible. Carrie could be counted on to do the right thing every time, while consequences didn't always occur to Belle, unless she was lecturing someone else.


Then there was Sami. Eric's twin was the most complex of the three sisters. Sami was clever, sometimes coldly calculating, but her scheming nature seemed to grow from a deep insecurity present in neither Carrie nor Belle. Carrie had been a professional model as a teenager, Belle was sure to be a prom queen, but Sami was a stereotypical middle sibling who had an amazing ability to step into potentially dangerous situations. Some people said she deserved them, but Eric knew that she had at least as many positive characteristics as negatives. Until age fifteen, the two had been inseparable, and Sami would have done anything for him. She always, always knew when he needed help and she always, always gave it to him. He returned the favor, of course. He was still shaken by the events of the previous summer, when Sami had nearly been executed for the murder of her fiance, Franco Kelly. That had been one time when he had had no ability to help Sami whatsoever. She had said good-bye to him, and exacted a promise from him that he be at peace. "When we were little, and one of us was in trouble, the other one would always know and come running to help. Even when I'm gone, Eric, I'm still gonna know!" Tears stung his eyes. She had actually died from the lethal injection that day. His mother and Mike Horton had managed to resuscitate her when word of Roberto's confession had ordered the execution stopped. The thought of losing his twin overshadowed any feelings of disgust he might have had for her various plots to hurt Carrie.


Nicole had more than once accused him of not being able to forgive shortcomings in anyone but Sami. Well, Sami hadn't managed to accept one man's engagement ring and marry another almost the next day yet. If Eric couldn't forgive Nicole, though, why couldn't he stop thinking about her? He was dating Greta Von Amburg, a beautiful woman by anyone's standards. In addition to beauty, she was funny and fun to be with, and, importantly, she was not a compulsive liar. She had no secret past; she couldn't, since she had spent the early years of her adulthood living in a Louisiana swamp. Uncle Bo had mentioned something about her fighting alligators down there. Eric wondered if there was a tactful way to ask someone about something like that. He was extremely curious, but it seemed rude to question someone about years she had spent fleeing from civilization and covering her face in mud to hide scars inflicted by some bizarre plot of Stefano DiMera's. A life ruled by fear of Stefano. Been there, done that.


Still, Greta's purchase of Nicole's old apartment had put a crimp in Eric's relationship with the shy young woman. Eric simply could not go into that place without thinking of the time he spent with Nicole. And now, things had gotten much, much worse.


Eric had met Greta at the Blue Note the night before. Nicole had shown up, too. She always managed to appear when he was out with Greta; he wondered if she did it on purpose. She had drunkenly demanded that he dance with her, and he had acquiesced, after a nod from Greta, only to prevent a scene.


When her body was pressed uncomfortably close to his, she had suddenly seemed considerably less out of control. He doubted that she had had more than one drink, and when he told her so, she told him that he simply didn't appreciate the extreme positive effects he had on her. Then she had begun to whisper reminders of times they had spent together, specifically times they had spent together in bed. When he began to push her away, she had held on tight and told him that her unhappy situation was his fault. He had ruined her for other men, and not just in bed. She was so lonely. She wished they could go back to California, where they had done a memorable photo shoot together. He had rescued her from her dreary life as a waitress, and then abandoned her.


And only because she had married one of his least favorite people in the world! He and Greta had gone to her new home, and he had apologized for Nicole. But as he did so, he recalled the fun they had had working and playing together. He thought of the white picket fenced house he had thought they would raise a family in. Greta, the daughter of a European princess, certainly would have no interest in such. A penthouse like the one his Mom and John lived in was probably more her style. Greta often surprised him, though, and last night he had been surprised when she kissed him. Naturally, he had kissed her back. And called her Nicole. Said he loved Nicole, actually.


Needless to say, that relationship was on the rocks.


His cell phone rang, thankfully distracting him.


"Hi, Eric."


"Sami, what's up?"


"Never mind, what's wrong?"


"Why would anything be wrong?"


"I don't know, but I can hear it in your voice."


"How do you DO that?"


"Probably the same way you do it with me."


"Touche."


"So?"


"I don't want to talk about it."


"Well, that's just tough, 'cause you're gonna."


"Sami . . ."


"Is it anyone we're related to? John?"


"Of course not. You know I'd tell you."


"You were awfully slow about telling me that our mother and our alleged aunt were shot at Uncle Bo's wedding last month."


"I said I was sorry. And Mom wasn't hurt at all, you know."


"I know. So is it Greta?"


"Sami-"


"That's a yes. So you guys are having problems?"


"There is no 'us guys.'"


"What did you do?"


"What makes you think I did something?"


"You wouldn't sound this bad if it wasn't your fault."


"Look- okay, fine. We were kissing. A little more than kissing. And I called her Nicole."


"Eric! Why?"


"I don't KNOW! I just couldn't stop thinking about her. I know she's bad for me, I know she's married, but after she came up to me in the Blue Note last night, I remembered how much fun we had when we were together."


"What were you getting from your relationship with Nicole that you aren't getting from your relationship with Greta?"


There was dead silence on Eric's end of the line and Sami considered the way she had phrased her last question.


"Eric . . ."


"I know, Sami. I thought I was better than this, too."


"You are, I know you are. Isn't there anything else that bothers you about her?"


"Other than the fact that she said she'd marry me and married Lucas instead, and as a result he got custody of my only nephew?"


"Isn't it better that she showed her true colors before you married her or, God forbid, had a child?" Sami cringed when she thought of the man who had fathered her only son.


"Just stop. I've heard it all before from you and Mom and Dad and Carrie and everyone else who knows what happened. I understand intellectually, but I still can't get my feelings to agree with my head."


"So why was she at the Blue Note last night? Following you?"


"Probably. She cried and said she was unhappy and lonely without me, and she seemed like the same person we rescued from that waitressing job."


"Not our finest moment," Sami grumbled.


"Look, Sami, I know you hate her and you have a right to, but I loved her and she hurt me and I want to know why! I could get past this if I knew for sure why she hurt me like that."


"Then we'll find out."


"No. You will not go back to snooping and blackmailing."


"And you will not throw away a great relationship with someone who might actually be good enough for you over trailer park trash!"


Eric didn't reply, so Sami pressed on.


"Could you come to the Kiriakis Mansion for dinner tonight?"


"Why in the world would I want to do that? Nicole, Lucas, Brandon, Kate, Victor . . ." Sami could hear the face her brother was making.


"And Austin and me!" Eric could hear his twin's pleading eyes.


"Okay, I'll be there."

**********


Sami wrestled with her conscience, such as it was. It didn't tell her that she had been wrong to cook lunch for Brandon as an excuse to get the cook out of the mansion and free run of the rooms where she knew Kate kept her records. It didn't tell her that she had been wrong to sort through her tax returns and check books. The five million dollar- FIVE MILLION DOLLAR- check written to Nicole that had been cashed the day she married Lucas was most interesting. So were the records that showed consultations with that sleazy lawyer, Gregory Charmain, around the same time, and her knowledge that Nicole had repeatedly turned Lucas down cold when he had tried to take her from Eric prior to the sudden marriage. So was the evidence that Kate had run a background check on Miss Walker. Sami had her proof.


She had gradually stopped blackmailing Kate Roberts. The woman no longer had anything she wanted. Sami had never even bothered to tell anyone that Kate had been a prostitute who slept her way to the to of the business world. Nicole, though, had access to Lucas, who had custody of Will. A few conversations with her almost-sister-in-law would do wonders for her attitude toward the little boy. She might get her hands on some of that money, as well. She had not worked since the murder of Franco Kelly, not that she had to.


However, blackmail was only useful as long as the information was kept a secret. Lucas would almost certainly divorce Nicole when he realized that his Mommy had bought his trophy wife for him, but could she take the chance that he would not? Could she take the chance that a messy divorce would not be enough to loosen Lucas' grip on Will's custody? Blackmailing Nicole into convincing Lucas to give up Will would be much more fun and much safer.


This was where her conscience appeared. She was positive that knowing the details about Lucas' marriage to Nicole would help Eric move on with Greta. She had sworn when she had expected to die for Franco's murder that she would help Eric find peace. This was her twin, someone who understood her, who knew why she went insane during the course of that bizarre love triangle between her parents and John. Eric hadn't been any less upset, but he didn't display his feelings the way Sami did. He was more subtle. While Sami came home and lashed out at her parents, Eric isolated himself in Colorado. She knew that while she had been experimenting with kidnapping procedures and date rape drugs, he had been flirting with the law as well. Little things. It had started out with shoplifting for a rush or vandalizing property for payment. She thought, but could not prove, that he had done errands for a drug dealer or two. He had never been caught. How could someone with that face do anything even slightly wrong? But he had begun to get in over his head, and when a junior high school friend of theirs had framed him for date raping some girl named Amy, he had been disillusioned and nervous enough to come home to Salem.


Eric had spent a good portion of his time since returning to Salem helping Sami with her problems. He had supported Austin when he took her on the run with Will. He had chased strippers around the country to get them to testify about Franco's violent tendencies. She could not, would not, pass up an opportunity to help Eric. He was going to get a show with his dinner. Kate wouldn't appreciate her inviting him, though. It would be best to blame his presence on Nicole.


That much was easily done. Nicole seemed to believe that Eric was there to see her. Lucas was upset about that, of course, and he instantly began to tell Eric about the joys of married life. Sami would wipe that smirk off his face.


"Nicole and I just haven't moved out of the mansion yet because we're having so much fun together that we haven't had time to contact our builders about our own house," Lucas was saying.


"Yeah, fun," a slightly drunken Nicole agreed dutifully.


"I'm glad you're having fun, Nicole," Sami agreed sweetly. Everyone stared at her. She looked guileless and she knew it.


"Thank you," Nicole said.


"See?" asked Austin somewhat preachily. "You can all get along." Sami was surprised to find herself annoyed with Austin.


"I just realized that it would be a good idea to get along with Nicole. After all, she has five million dollars and she has to spend it somewhere." Nicole, Brandon, and Kate paled. Eric drew in his breath sharply. Lucas looked annoyed. Austin looked confused. Victor was unreadable as always, and Victor and Kate's teenage son Philip just looked interested. Sami pulled a photocopy of her evidence from her pocket. "Isn't it funny how Nicole cashed a five million dollar check from Kate on the day she married Lucas? That's some wedding present, Kate. Very generous."


"Well, anything for my daughter-in-law," said Kate, quite lamely.


"I'm pretty sure you didn't give five million dollars to my sister Carrie when she married Austin, though," said Sami. "Then, maybe you should have. She might have stayed with him instead of running off with Mike Horton. But Carrie really isn't into marrying for money."


"Neither is Nicole!" interrupted Lucas sharply. "We love each other!"


"Funny, that isn't what Brandon said to me earlier today! He said that Kate paid Nicole to marry Lucas, and that he wished she'd just leave her and her money alone."


"Brandon! I can't believe you told that tramp the truth!" cried Nicole.


"No one knew it was the truth until you confirmed it, Nicky," said Brandon tightly, as he watched his sweet living arrangements vanish before his eyes.


"And there you have it!" Sami was almost shouting in her glee. "Eric, Nicole loved you, but she loved Lucas' money more. Lucas, you didn't beat Eric out of anything, your Mommy just bought you a wife and you were too dumb to realize it."


"That's not true!" yelled Lucas. His cheeks were flaming, and it was perfectly obvious to all concerned that he did not believe what he was saying. He lunged for Sami, but Eric and Austin protected her, somewhat begrudgingly.


"STOP IT!" When Victor Kiriakis spoke, everyone listened. When he shouted, everyone froze. "My house has been a circus long enough. Nicole, you have not lived up to your end of the bargain. Get out before I throw you out, and take your brother with you. Samantha, I would treat you much more harshly but I'm glad to be rid of Nicole and I know that neither my son Bo nor my daughter Isabella would approve of my dealing with you as you deserve to be dealt with. So you will leave the premises within the hour as well. Do you understand?"

"Lucas is my husband!" cried Nicole.

"Not for long," whispered Lucas. "And don't worry, Victor, I'll leave too."

Victor's face softened almost imperceptibly. He thought that Lucas was spoiled, yes, but he rather liked him anyway, and he was sorry that Kate had set him up to be hurt.

Sami felt an odd twinge while watching Lucas, and quickly turned to Austin and Eric. "I told you the marriage was a sham," she said, avoiding Brandon's accusing gaze.

"And you couldn't find a better way to prove it than THIS?" asked Austin.

"You just called me over here to embarrass everyone?" added Eric. "Sami, grow up." And with that, he left, and Sami wondered just where she was going to sleep that night. She headed for the guest house to collect her things, and her son.

She wasn't bored anymore.


Willpower: A Sami and Lucas Story
Part Two of Six: Family Ties
February 5, 2000

Lucas had no idea what to do. He would have thought that he would have developed some standard way of dealing with this type of situation, since he had been in many before, but no. He was painfully aware of looking like a complete idiot. Damn Sami. She always seemed to be the source of this. He recalled that hot August day in 1996. He and Sami had finally been successful in breaking up Austin and Carrie for good, or so it seemed. Austin was going to take a trip with Sami, and they had the blessing of Austin's and Lucas' mother. But as they were leaving, Kate had asked Sami, quite sweetly, if she had remembered to pack enough drugs for her trip? Lucas had felt his stomach sink as he realized that his mother was aware of the trump card of the game they had been playing for how long at that point? Two or three years?


He had been on the scheming end then, or so he had thought. He'd been sold out right along with Sami by Nurse Lynn Burke and Sami's friend Jamie Caldwell. They never should have gotten involved with Lynn. She'd blackmailed them right along. Jamie had just wanted the best for Sami and Carrie. Sami had managed to forgive her quite quickly, probably because she had desperately needed a friend with Carrie, Austin, and Lucas all furious with her. Yes, Lucas had been mad, too. Jamie had described how, on the previous New Year's Eve, Sami had made sure Lucas and Carrie were nearly unconscious and put them in bed together. Lucas had been sure Carrie had joined him of her own free will after realizing that Austin had not come to find her at midnight and did not want her. The real reason, of course, that Austin had not come for Carrie was that Sami had reset all of the clocks in his apartment and Lucas' always-brilliant older brother had not noticed the difference. At any rate, Lucas had been shocked to learn that Sami had manipulated him, too. So much for honor among thieves. So much for being the one person Sami trusted enough not to control. "You did that to me? And to Carrie?" His voice had sounded the same as it had sounded a few moments ago when he had promised to divorce Nicole.

Of course, he and Sami had joined forces again soon enough. They were fine partners in crime. And when Sami faked amnesia to the entire town except Lucas, he began to trust her again. But, as he learned the second time it seemed that Sami had almost captured Austin, while Sami hadn't lied to him about her mental state, she had lied to him about something much more important. William Robert Reed. Whose name should have been William Roberts. How could she fail to tell him that he had a child? She knew firsthand, they both knew firsthand, what it was like to realize that the man whom you had thought was your father was a fake. Sometimes Lucas still could not believe that he was a member of Salem's first family, the Hortons. But he was. Grandson of Tom and Alice, son of Bill, half brother of Mike and Jennifer, uncle of Jeremy and Abby.

Now he knew that he was nothing to Sami Brady. He was not her friend, not the one person she would not lie to, as he had once fancied himself. Sami lied about him as well; the story about his hitting Will had been made up out of whole cloth, and she knew it. She hadn't lied to him this time, though. She had given him the truth as brutally as she could. She had humiliated him again. Why? Why couldn't she forgive him for fathering Will?

He could not dwell on that now, though. Sami, Eric, Brandon, and Nicole had already left the dining room. Philip was gawking and probably wondering how he could make money off of the situation. Austin was giving him an expression of what Lucas was sure was false sympathy. Austin loved watching Lucas get his comeuppance and Lucas knew it. His mother and Victor were the problems. Victor looked far too compassionate for a sometime crime lord. It made Lucas feel pathetic. Kate was obviously waiting for Lucas to make the first move, so he did.

"Well, if that's it, I'll go get some of my things. I'll take care of the rest when I get settled." Even in his anger, he knew that he couldn't move out of what had been his residence since his arrival in Salem after graduating from military school in one night.

"Baby, no, you don't have to go," said Kate, grabbing his arm.

"Yes, I do," he replied, getting away from her as unobtrusively as he could. He decided against running up the stairs, but his deliberate pace made it quite easy for his mother to follow him. He heard Victor sharply order Philip not to follow. The kid apparently hadn't had enough of a show, but he obviously feared his father. Perhaps Lucas had been better off growing up without a male influence-- a specific male influence, at any rate, since that military academy had certainly exposed him to many stereotypical displays of adult male behavior.

He began to pack a duffel bag as his mother entered his room.

"Baby, where are you going?"

"Probably a hotel." The only other option was the Horton Center, and Lucas was aware that he seldom showed interest in the Horton family except when he wanted their help. It gave him a terrible image, and one he meant to correct. Well, he'd have time now that he wasn't a married man or involved with his mother's family or with the Brady family.

"Lucas, can't you say more than one word to me?"

"What do you want me to say? 'Thanks for buying me a trophy wife?'"

"She was the only woman you wanted, Lucas, and you had to get custody of your son. And you were perfectly happy with the situation until that witch Sami--"

"Told the truth?" He was surprised at how calm he felt. Maybe somewhere, in the far reaches of his psyche, he had known that this was coming.

"For once in her miserable life."

"I'm not gonna defend Sami, but I'm starting to think that you act a lot like her."

"I understand that you're upset, but how can you say that?"

"She lies. You lie."

"I only did it because I love you." Kate regretted her word choice as soon as the words had left her mouth.

"Now WHERE have I heard that before?" Lucas' laugh sounded ever so slightly hysterical.

"Baby--"

"I am NOT your baby. I'm an adult. You have no right to run my life, or tell me what to do or think. I should have left your house a long time ago. Mom, really, if you love me so much you'll understand that. But if you love me, can't I just ask--" here he looked at her for the first time since she'd entered the room-- "why didn't you love me enough to tell me the truth?"

"Because I was afraid of losing you. I was afraid you'd lose Will. I knew you'd be mad, and I'd rather have you happy."

"That gives you no right to manipulate me. And it insults me when you say you'd lose me. Did you lose me when you told me about Austin and Billie? Did you lose me when I found out who my father was? Did you lose me when you ruined my plans to get Carrie?"

"Carrie didn't love you."

"Neither does Nicole! If I had a right to know about the one, why not the other?"


"Lucas, it was an entirely different situation."


Lucas wasn't listening. "Of course, you never did trust me enough to tell me what Sami had on you a few years ago. It wasn't just that you hired Franco to chase Hope so Bo would go back to Billie, I'm sure. I guess that should have tipped me off as to how you treat your children. You tried to strip Billie of her self respect just so she could have Bo, and you've done the same to me. Did you actually tell Billie to do anything she could to get Bo into bed so she could have his baby and hang onto him?"


"I did, and I don't regret it! If Georgia had lived, Bo would be with Billie right now. And since when to you have such a great respect for Billie?" She vividly recalled Lucas begging her to keep Billie out of Countess Wilhelmina, the company Billie herself had founded. He'd even given her a "her-or-me" ultimatum.


"I don't know. I guess she grew on me." He was surprised to find that it was true. Of his four adult half siblings, the only one he didn't have some degree of affection for was the one still in Salem.


"I'm glad, Lucas. I love all four of my children equally. I used to have nightmares about choosing between you. Billie and Austin had such an awful childhood, and I was worried they'd never accept me. It seemed like Philip grew up with his nanny while I wasn't looking. But you, it was just you and me for so many years. I'm glad you're staying."


"Oh, I'm not staying." He could see how she would be confused. He marveled again at how deceptively calm he sounded. Grabbing his bag, he trotted down the stairs. "Have a nice night, Victor, Philip."


"Lucas? You're just gonna leave like that?" Philip was not subtle. Philip wanted a show, and he obviously had been quite disappointed when he hadn't heard screaming from upstairs.


"Looks that way." He pulled on his jacket, fumbled for his car keys, and was gone. He was glad he had avoided Nicole.

*********


Sami was not faring much better in the guest house. She was startled to realize how many possessions she had accumulated, and of course most of Will's things were there as well. A knock sounded on the door just as she was dragging out a suitcase. "Come in," she called, unwilling to pull herself away from her task. She would not have bothered to leave if it had been Kate who had ordered her out; she would simply have pulled out one of her photos of Kate resplendent in prostitute costume. She was not up to crossing Victor Kiriakis, however. The gossip around town said that he had had a house blown up because a bookie had taken bets from that little brat Philip and then had him beaten up when he couldn't pay. And she knew for a fact that he was using less than legal means to help Uncle Bo and her father and John track down the whereabouts of Aunt Hope and Stefano DiMera.


She straightened up as Austin entered. "What's up, Austin?" Had he managed to talk Kate and Victor into letting her stay? Or was he here to tell her how Nicole was just acting out because she had suffered through a rotten childhood as he and his saintly sister Billie had?


"Sami, I, um, have something to ask you." That did not sound promising. His hesitation made it obvious that he expected her to say no.


"Well, ask away. But you don't mind if I keep working, do you? I don't have too long to get out of here, and I'd hate to forget something that Will needs." That should get his sympathy up.


"Well, that's what I was asking about. I think you should let Will stay. I mean, he's used to living here, and with me."


"Austin, I know Will loves you, but he needs his mother. Why should he stay with you while I can take care of him?"


"It's not forever. Don't worry, Lucas already left. I think he checked into a hotel."


"So you're suggesting that a child caught in the middle of an ugly custody battle stay with neither of his parents." Good. Twist the knife by reminding him that Lucas is Will's father. The best he can hope for is stepfather.


Austin was adopting the lecturing look he had used on her quite frequently when he and Carrie were very much in love and she was just the teenage little sister. "Sami, since when have you wanted Will anywhere near his natural father? Lucas hit him, you know."


"Okay, you're right, Austin. But Will does belong with me."

"He does. But where are you taking him and how are you going to take him there?"

"I'll call you when we get there." Situations like this always reminded Sami of being nine months pregnant with Will and hearing Austin tell her that he would not allow her to stay with him and Carrie. So she had broken into the house her mother had once shared with her father without telling anyone where she was. She had gone back to the bedroom she had stormed out of on her way to the Pub during the aftermath of her mother's affair with John and passed out after going into labor. She shuddered to think of what would have happened had not oh-so-perfect Carrie figured out where she had gone and seen the candles she had lit glowing in the windows. Austin had taken much better care of her after that. But now he could separate her from Will, and he cared little what happened to her as long as he had her son.


"That's not a good answer. You have no money and no car." And he wasn't offering her any of his. This did not look good. Sami was no longer scheming to capture Austin's love, but she wasn't above a little creative maneuvering, which was not the same thing.


"I can't believe you'd suggest this, Austin. You made yourself a fugitive last year so I could stay with Will, and now you think that the few miles between here and the center of town are too much of an obstacle. What changed?"


"Well, for one thing, you hadn't done anything wrong then." Not the answer she'd been hoping for.


"What do you mean?"


"Sami, you've caused major problems for Nicole. She's already so troubled. You don't seem to have helped my Mom's relationship with Victor, either. You apparently betrayed Brandon's confidence. You embarrassed Lucas just for fun." Since when did Austin care about Lucas' feelings?


"Lies should be exposed." Like hers were. If she couldn't get away with anything, why should that amateur?


"You don't need to kick people when they're down, Sami. Now, is Will staying or isn't he?"


Sami was saved by the slamming of a car door outside the guest house. "Please, let that be anyone but Lucas," she prayed to whatever God watched over people who destroyed fake family dinners for what they thought were good reasons.


"Sami? Are you in there?"



"Mom?" Sami hoped she hadn't come over to lecture her. She'd gotten enough of that from Austin and Victor. But how could her mother have already discovered what had happened? Sami opened the door and her mother entered.

"Hi, Sweetie. Hello, Austin."

"Hi, Marlena."

"Hi, Mom. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Don't tell her anything she doesn't need to know. And don't just come out and say "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just had an interesting evening. John was talking to your father and your Uncle Bo about finding Hope and I went along to the Pub with them. Belle had some of her friends over to study and I get the feeling she wanted me out of the way." Marlena smiled. "Well, not too long ago Eric came in. He was looking for Greta and he thought she might be helping with John's and Bo's plans to go to France."

Sami was briefly distracted from the matter at hand. "Why is JOHN going?"

Marlena grimaced. "That's a long story and I'm much more interested in where YOU'RE going right now." So Eric had given their parents, or at least one of them, a blow-by-blow description of the day's events.

"I don't know." Years of practice kept the blush from showing.

"Well, it doesn't look like you have very long to decide."

Sami was annoyed. "Do you have a suggestion?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I know of a lovely penthouse that takes in borders like you, no questions asked."

"Of course they don't ask questions. They already know everything." Sami hugged her mother. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Where's Will?"

"Asleep in there." She quickly walked into the next room and carefully picked up her sleeping son. "Austin," she whispered. "Will and I will be staying at the Penthouse. Bye."

She walked out the door, smirking.

Her mother, the deus ex machina.

**********


Lucas slammed his fist into the steering wheel. Calm down, he reminded himself. He did not want to see his license suspended again. It seemed that he had just gotten it back, and at some point no cheap tricks on Gregory Charmain's part would prevent the suspension's becoming permanent.

In his haste to leave the mansion, he had forgotten his wallet. He made it to the hotel's check-in counter before realizing his error. The receptionist actually knew him and asked if the room was to be put on the Titan account. Now he felt that he should have done so. Let his mother pay for it. If she had five million dollars lying around with which to bribe someone to be his wife, she had the lousy few hundred he needed right now. But he couldn't take help of any kind from his mother any more. He had obviously let this go on for far too long.

"I was still a teenager when I fell in love with Carrie Brady. But she loved Austin, who just happened to be my long-lost-but-not-missed half-brother. So Mom got in the way of my plans to make Carrie fall for me. She told Carrie over and over that it was Austin she really loved. Then there was Nicole. She loved Eric, but she liked me, and she chose me. But she didn't. Mom paid her! My own mother thinks that no one could ever love me." Lucas abruptly ended his monologue. Talking to himself was not going to help matters. His vision blurred with unshed tears, and he eased the car off the road. He didn't know where he was going, anyway.

Sex. Where had that word come from? He remembered a night at Tuscany when he'd been drunk, although he'd refused to admit it, and he'd demanded that Sami dance with him. She'd said no. "What, I'm good enough to have sex with, but I'm not good enough to dance with?" Apparently so. And to Nicole, he was good enough to have sex with but not good enough to love. He'd never had problems getting anyone to have sex with him. He especially relished the memories of the time he'd spent in the dressing room of that rock singer. Cherish. Of course, a wide-eyed fifteen-year-old had gotten a good view of that when her sister's boyfriend snuck her backstage for an autograph. Damn Sami again! Why did she always show up in his thoughts?

They'd met formally later that evening. His mother had just offered her a summer internship at Titan-- imagine that happening now!-- and asked her to wait for him to arrive. She hadn't recognized him at first, since he was by then dressed in his school uniform, but he remembered the expression on her face when she put two and two together and made four. They'd become fast friends, anyway. She was someone who seemed to prefer him with his clothes on, though. She was always teasing him to wear that uniform, and calling him "General" when he did. He'd escorted her to a dance here and there, and she'd come to his eighteenth birthday party. They'd been friends.

They had had sex eventually. Will was the proof of that. And then she had come to her opinion that it was not something she wanted anyone to know about. She'd sworn she'd have him arrested for statutory rape if he told anyone, especially Austin, what had happened. Lucas snickered. Weren't women the ones who were supposed to feel that they had been used for sex?

His ridiculous train of thought under control, he started his car again, and headed for Titan. He'd sleep in his office tonight. He wanted to be free of his mother's influence, but he couldn't bring himself to give up that job. Or that office. Unlike Austin, he truly had a head for business and he enjoyed it thoroughly. No one as young as he was ever got a position like his without some nepotism. He was actually glad that Victor was back, and the company would be running more smoothly. Not that he liked Vivian Alamain, who had nearly killed his mother by causing a plane crash, but she seemed much more inclined to running Titan instead of using its assets to enhance the lives of her children, and he had preferred working at Titan when she was in charge. Thanks to his and Sami's blackmail schemes, she never threatened to fire him because she disliked his mother as she did Austin and Billie. He was confident that he could perform to Victor's standards.

So. Lose Nicole. Keep the office at Titan. Lose the Mansion. What to do about his relationship with his mother? He ran to her for help more than fifteen-year-old Philip did. They were always on the same side. No, not always, there was that business of Carrie, but the time they had spent covering up the truth about Franco's murder had helped them rediscover the us-against-the-world mentality they'd had when he was a child. The family that plays together, stays together, after all. "That isn't funny!" he reprimanded himself.

Nothing was funny. He'd burned any bridges he might have had with Austin. He couldn't talk to his mother, or Nicole, or Brandon, or anyone. He was completely alone. And for reasons he couldn't remember just now, he must have deserved it.

He realized that he recognized the car just in front of him. It belonged to Marlena Evans Black, none other than the mother of one Samantha Brady. Was Sami with her? Was Will? Not having any pressing commitments, he followed them at a discreet distance, which was quite large since a sports car with vanity plates was easy to spot, and Sami knew what it looked like.

They were obviously heading for the Penthouse. A blonde head caught his eye as her car drove past the building's front entrance. Belle, obviously. She shrugged at something Marlena said to her and he could almost see her grin from a block away. No wonder his little half-brother and most of Salem High School was so hung up on that girl. He briefly saw Sami lean out the window before Belle jumped into the back seat, carefully. So Will was there. What a happy little family. It made him sick.

He turned around and resumed his course for Titan.

*********


"Belle! It's cold out! What are you doing out here at all, let alone without a coat?" Marlena demanded.

Belle shrugged. "I saw your car coming from the window and I came out to meet you. Is that so awful?" She smiled winningly and reached for the car door.

"Be careful of Will," said Sami.

Belle dropped her voice. "What are you two doing here?"

"Get in the car, Belle. Put the window up, Sami."

"Yes, Ma'am," the sisters replied in unison. Marlena rolled her eyes.

"Now, Belle, why did you feel the need to meet me?"

"Oh, I wanted to ask you something. It's good that Sami's here, since it hasn't been as long since she's been a teenager."

"Thank you, Belle."

"Well, it's true. Mimi and Chloe were both studying with me tonight, and I know Mimi's supposed to be my best friend, but she kept telling Chloe that . . ."

By the time Belle had finished her long-winded recitation of the evening's events, Will was safely in the guest room of Marlena's penthouse and the three women were sitting in the living room with hot chocolate. "So when is Daddy coming home and why is Sami here?"

"Your Daddy will be home in a couple of hours and you'll have to ask Sami why she's here."

"Did Victor kick you out?" Belle had never met a question she deemed too callously phrased.

"That's the short version."

"How long are you staying?"

"I don't know."

"Can I hear the long version of why you aren't at the Kiriakis Mansion?"

"Don't you have any homework that you didn't get done while you were refereeing the Great Mimi-Chloe Fight of 2000?"

"I can do it later."

"You should do it now," Marlena put in.

"Oh, I get it. You want to get me out of the way so you can lecture Sami about whatever it is she did." Belle scrambled upstairs before Marlena could admonish her, calling over her shoulder, "I bet ERIC will tell me!"

Sami rolled her eyes. "He probably will."

"She will find out eventually, but don't be too hard on Eric. There's a big difference between spreading gossip around Salem and telling your mother that your twin sister might not have anywhere to sleep tonight."

"Oh, I know. I'm not upset about the gossip. It will mostly be about Nicole and Lucas and Kate, not me. I'm not mad at Eric, either, but I wish he wasn't mad at me."

"I don't think he's very mad at you. He appreciates your intentions, but he was embarrassed by your methods. As you should have been."

"So Belle was right. You are going to lecture me. What happened to 'no questions asked?'"

Marlena's discomfort was palpable, and Sami felt a flash of guilt. She realized that her voice had taken on the defensive but reproaching tone it had always carried during the almost five years she had spent refusing to have any kind of relationship with her mother. "Sami, you were the one who began this conversation. I sent Belle upstairs so you wouldn't have to talk about it."

Sami sighed. "I'm sorry, Mom. It's still sort of a reflex sometimes. And I want to talk to you. I want to know why making a scene at dinner is a major offense."

"Well, when combined with snooping through someone's private records while you're a guest in her house, it isn't really considered the most polite thing to do."

"Why should I be polite to a woman who paid my brother's fiancee to marry her son so he could get custody of my son? And a woman who also framed me for murdering my own fiance?"

"I hate what she did to Eric. I hate what she used Franco to do to Bo and Hope and you, although I realize, as I hope you do, that there is no evidence that she had anything to do with Franco's murder or your framing. And I hate that Lucas as custody of your son--"

"I sense a 'but' coming."

"But he is Lucas' son, too."

"Unfortunately."

"Well, you can't choose your children's' father after they're born."

"I was seventeen! And we were friends at the time."

"I understand. I'm not judging you. But, for Will's sake, don't you think it would be better if you got to be friends again? Or if you managed not to create schemes designed specifically to hurt Lucas?"

The expression on her son's father's face as she had made her announcement flashed before her eyes. "It wasn't designed to hurt Lucas. It was designed to hurt Nicole because she hurt Eric. And I don't care if it did hurt Lucas, because I will never be friends with him again, never! He put me in jail and on death row!"

"Did you or your father or your brother or Austin or Billie ever find any proof of that?"

"No. But he confessed! Who else was there? Who else had a motive? And don't tell me it was the mob, because that's just ridiculous!"

"You honestly believe that this man, for whom you once cared rather deeply, is capable of that?"

"Well, no. Not on his own. But Kate twists him around until he doesn't know which way is up. And he is capable of some pretty terrible things. You know all of my *horrible schemes* you used to commiserate with Carrie about? He helped me with every one. I just took the fall."

"That's in the past, Sami. Sometimes you have to let go of these things, especially if your children's' happiness is at risk." She took a deep breath. She was perilously close to lecturing Sami, who had not taken well to lectures as a child, let alone as a grown woman. Now she was going to bring up the incident that had caused the rift between them in the first place. "When you were about Belle's age, didn't you wish that your father would get past his anger at me and stay in your life?"

Sami's eyes went cold. "Daddy had a right to be angry with you. I have a right to be angry with Lucas."

"That's true. But did your Daddy have a right to leave you and your brother and sister along with me?" Sami did not take well to criticism of Roman. This was dangerous territory.

"No," Sami whispered. Marlena was shocked. She had expected an argument.

"Do you have a right to prevent your son from knowing his father?"

"I'm protecting him."

"From what? Lucas isn't drinking. Nicole won't be around anymore." Sami was surprisingly unresponsive. "Look, Sweetie Girl, I didn't want to drag out your bad memories, but I can't stand to watch you make what might be a mistake. I just want you to think this through."

"I will, Mom." Now go away, was the clear unspoken message.

"Goodnight, Sami. I'll be upstairs if you want me. If you go to bed before John comes home, don't throw the bolt. It can't be unlocked from outside."

"Okay. Um, thanks for letting me stay here."

"You're my daughter. You and Will are always welcome here." And Marlena ascended the stairs. Sami's sweet expression turned to a sneer behind her back.

"You know, the only reason I didn't tell you off during that speech about how Daddy abandoned us and Lucas should be allowed to hit Will is because I really don't feel like moving again tonight." She briefly considered throwing the bolt, just for fun, but she wasn't annoyed with John.

She resumed her monologue. "But Lucas DIDN'T hit Will. I have to keep the truth and the lies straight, or I'll be in real trouble. Why did I ever sleep with him?" If she had it to do over, though, she'd sleep with him again. That one night stand had produced Will, the best thing in her life. She wondered if it even qualified as a one night stand, or "sleeping" together. No bed had been involved. No relationship. She remembered that night well. She had been so exhausted, so miserable. It had been less than a month since she'd shot Alan Harris in self-defense. The men who didn't torment her about it seemed oddly turned on. Austin didn't even care; he was wrapped up in Carrie. The two of them had made her look like a liar, and let Alan get away with rape. But Lucas, putting his drinking skills to good use for once, had gotten Alan's confession, and he'd come to tell her. She'd been so touched that someone, anyone cared about her at all. A kiss had become more.

This was not something she cared to think about. The Penthouse felt strange. She had never lived here and was not used to it, or the noises it made. It really sounded like someone was outside that door. She peeked out, then opened the door.

"What are YOU doing here?"

"Samantha. Is that any way to greet someone whose life you have ruined within the past several hours?"

"I've hardly ruined your life. All I did was get you kicked out of the Kiriakis Mansion, and you have a job. You can manage to afford an apartment."

"An apartment on one hand. A mansion full of servants on the other. It's an easy choice to me."

"Well, then, I hope you enjoyed the mansion while it lasted."

"I did. So did Nicky. You know, I don't like it when people deliberately hurt my siblings any more than you do."

"Sorry, Brandon, but she made the first move."

"Apology accepted." Sami hadn't really been aware she'd made one. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"No."

"Then you'll give me a goodnight kiss to seal your gracious apology?" Without waiting for a reply, he pulled her close to him for the kiss. It was much more violent than the one they had shared that morning, and she pushed him away with difficulty. She did not need this on top of being reminded of her rape. "Samantha. You're supposed to kiss me back."

"I don't want to kiss you back. I don't want to be kissed by you. I do want you to go away."

"What's wrong? I thought we had a breakthrough connection this morning."

"It was one kiss. And I'm sorry about it. I'm committed to Austin."

"So that's it? You use me to trick my sister out of the best thing that ever happened to her, and then you never want to see me again?"

"I don't mind seeing you. I've told you, I'd like to be your friend. But I'm involved with Austin, and you know it."

"AUSTIN DOESN'T WANT YOU!"

"Brandon! My son, my mother, and my little sister and brother are all right inside. Keep your voice down."

"I'm sorry, Samantha, but you've led me on and used me. And since when do you have a little brother?"

"He's my stepbrother, actually. A year older than Belle. He's a typical teenager; he's hardly ever home and when he is he locks himself in his room. I'm not sure I've seen him since the wedding."

Brandon smiled, and looked like her friend again. "What's his name?"

"Brady."

"What?"

"I told you, we're step-siblings. John named him after my family. His name is Brady Victor Black. He's Belle's brother on her father's side and I'm her sister on her mother's side."

Brandon groaned. "I need a chart."

"There are more than a few of them floating around. Everyone needs a chart when they first meet us." She paused. "I'm sorry to cut this conversation short, but I need to get back inside."

"Can't you just tell me exactly how many brothers and sisters you have? I'm dying of curiosity." He smiled again.

Sami sighed. She'd give him the least detailed version possible. "Okay. My Dad was married to a woman named Anna. He thought she had died and became involved with my mother. Then it turned out that not only was Anna alive, she had a daughter. Carrie. Carrie and my Mom got pretty close, and Mom and Dad married and had twins. That's Eric and me. Then Dad died and Stefano sent John to Salem, brainwashed into believing that he was the resurrection of my father. John married Mom, and then Mom died and John got engaged to a woman named Isabella. Then Mom and my real Dad came back to life and got back together, so John and Isabella married and had Brady. Isabella had cancer, though, and she died. She really *is* dead," Sami assured Brandon as he got a strange look on his face. "Stefano couldn't have had anything to do with that one. Mom and John had an affair that produced Belle, and Dad left Mom over it. Mom married John. So I have a twin brother, a younger stepbrother, an older half-sister on one side, and a younger half-sister on the other side. Five kids counting me. And you've kept me out here long enough."

"Well, let's try again, then. A goodnight kiss."

"I said no! I like you, but not in that way. We will never have that kind of relationship."

Brandon sneered at her. "Whatever you want."

"Well, that's what I want." She closed the door.

"Oh, Samantha, you've tangled with the wrong family this time," Brandon Walker whispered as he stalked off towards his hotel.

Willpower: A Sami and Lucas Story
Part Three of Six: Vengeance Planned
February 6, 2000


Nicole Walker Roberts shouted in frustration as the fringe of her blouse caught on the lock of the bathroom door of her hotel room. Ripping the fabric apart instead of untangling it, she walked into the main room of her *fabulous* new living space and threw herself across one of the double beds. The door to the room next door stood open; that was Brandon's room. She wondered when her brother would come "home." She wanted to talk to him, and hoped that his conversation with Eric's bitch of a sister had gone badly. She couldn't believe that those two were related, let alone twins.

Sure, she and Sami had almost been friends once. She had been willing to be Sami's maid of honor at Sami's wedding to Franco, "The Italian Stallion," as her soon-to-be-ex-husband had liked to call him. It was odd how much of an interest Lucas had taken in Sami's love life. He hadn't wanted her around Franco, he didn't want her around Austin, and he wouldn't want her around Brandon, either. Lucas' hatred of Franco had been based on more than his interest in Sami, though; Lucas had had something to do with Franco's death. Nicole had dutifully helped him cover it up. Lucas had been ready to tell Roman Brady whatever it was that he knew, so Nicole had faked a fall down the Kiriakis Mansion stairs to give him time to regain his bearings. It had only seemed fair; Lucas had hidden the vital information that Kate's private investigator had turned up on her. Lucas was a nice guy for the most part, but he was going to be hard to deal with now that he had had his little feelings hurt.

Perhaps he would let her keep the money. She had told him from the beginning that she was marrying him for security and to help him get custody of the little brat, Will. Will was without a doubt the most annoying, clingy, whiny little boy she had ever met. She had not told Eric of her suspicions regarding his role in Franco's death, when a little information that would help his precious Sami might have sent Eric running back to her arms. The relationship between those two was just sick. She couldn't imagine coming running every time Brandon or Taylor whimpered. Especially not Taylor. She was almost as whiny as Will and almost as preachy as Austin. Nicole despised all weak things. She had grown up with a weak mother, and look what it had cost her!

And Sami, despite her tough exterior, was weak. Imagine chasing one man from age fifteen to age twenty-two! Imagine spending your adolescence trying to reunite your estranged parents so you could live in a little house with a white picket fence! Brandon had reported that she had gone home to her mother and stepfather and little sister, of all things. They did live in lavish style in a penthouse apartment, and that was at least something.

The Brady Twins and their bizarre obsession with having two kids and a dog could wait. The money was the important thing, she reminded herself. Even if Lucas did want her to just take it and leave him alone, Kate and Victor might disagree. Kate she could handle, but something told her Victor wouldn't be above having her drug out and shot so Lucas could inherit the money. She'd better get the divorce quickly, if that was what Lucas wanted, and publicly write a will leaving the money to Brandon. The best case scenario seemed to be convincing Lucas to remain married to her, but how would she know that that wasn't part of a plot to have her killed and take the money? No, he wouldn't plot with Kate and Victor after they had helped humiliate him. But was there any chance he'd forgive her and not them?

Where *was* Brandon?

As if in answer to her question, a key turned in the lock next door.

"Nicky?"

"I'm in here."

"You look awful."

She ignored that. "Did you see *Samantha*?"

"Yes, I did." Brandon was tight lipped. It couldn't have gone well. Good.

"Well? Did she kick you out on your butt?"

"Pretty much." Brandon almost sounded depressed. She rolled over to look at him.

"Brandon, you really can do better than her."

"Yeah? Tell me who. Tell me where to find this girl who's better than Samantha who wants me is. Besides, even if I could do better, I wouldn't want to. Do you want to do better than Eric?"

"It's not the same thing."

"How? They're twins. Same background. A lot of the same values."

"Values?! This is what you-- oh, never mind. They are twins, but they are NOT very alike."

"No, they aren't. Eric is the most boring, sensible, predictable man I've ever met, and Samantha is vibrant and passionate, and . . ."

"Not yours."

"No."

She smirked. "So you won't mind when a few troubles befall her to repay her for helping us lose the best thing that ever happened to us?"

"I've never been against a few troubles befalling someone at an opportune moment. You know that, Nicky. But I won't let you do something to Samantha that we'll both regret later."

"But something that could allow you to, say, comfort her as her knight in shining armor after she suffers would be okay?"

"It could be."

"It will have to be. I've been a busy girl while you were out mooning after Sami."

If Brandon's complexion had been as fair as Nicole's, she would have been able to see him pale. "What have you done, Nicky?"

"How much do you know about the history of my husband and Miss Samantha Brady?"

"Not much. They've known each other since they were teenagers. They had a one night stand, and their friendship fell apart when she realized that Will was his son and lied about it."

"Do you know how they met?"

"No."

"He was having sex with a singer in her dressing room and she came backstage to get an autograph and walked in on them."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Nothing, I just think it's funny." She laughed. Her brother didn't.

"So, what in Samantha and Lucas' past have you decided to use against her?"

"Lucas went to military school."

"She'll be shocked. That does explain his posture, though."

"She knows he went to military school. He had a friend there."

"Does she know about the friend?"

"Why, yes, she does. Do you know how?"

"We wouldn't be having this conversation if I did."

"She lost her virginity to him."

"So? Is she still hung up on the guy?"

Nicole snorted. "I wouldn't think so. She lost her virginity to him when he raped her."

"Did he go to jail?"

"No. The tabloids had a field day with her and the jury deadlocked. She blamed her sister Carrie; that's apparently when she started hating her."

"What did Carrie have to do with it? No, never mind, tell me what happened to this guy-- what's his name?"

"Alan Harris. I guess your Samantha was a pretty sweet piece, because when his trial was over he came back for more. He held Sami at gunpoint, and she went after the gun. She shot him."

"Killed him?"

"Nope. Just shot him. Wanna know where?"

"Why not?" Nicole dropped her gaze to the area between her brother's thighs. "Oh my God!" Brandon sat up abruptly. "A man who treats women that way deserves something like that, but still . . ."

"Well, you can commiserate with Alan when you meet him tomorrow morning!"

"What?!"

"He really wasn't hard to track down."

"He's probably bent on revenge--"

"Oh, he is--"

"And Samantha could be in real danger."

"He'll probably just rape her again."

"How?!"

"Surgeons can really do wonders these days. You should have seen the guy who did the cosmetic surgery on Philip Kiriakis' head. But even if the surgeons couldn't help him, there's more than one way to skin a cat."

"Nicky, this is gross."

"Since when are you such a Puritan?"

"I don't mean that. I mean hiring a rapist to chase someone."

"She should be grateful. By my count, she's slept with four men and he came the closest to actually wanting her. Franco wanted a green card; Austin was drugged out; and Lucas was horny and drunk. Alan really did want Carrie, but Sami was probably a more adequate substitute for him than for Austin or Lucas."

"Why were all of these men so obsessed with Carrie?"

"I'm not sure. She is nice, though." Nicole briefly remembered a happier time, when Austin and Carrie had had a dinner party for her and Eric.

"Earth to Nicole."

"Sorry. Anyway, apparently between the rape and the trial he did catch Carrie and tied both her and Sami up in his apartment. I kind of tuned out while Lucas was telling me that part of the story, though."

"This man sounds like a sociopath."

"He is."

"And you want him to come here."

"Don't complain. You'll be right there to comfort Sami."

"If Austin doesn't do it first."

"He didn't the last time."

"He had Carrie then."

"He thinks he still does. He doesn't want Sami. He wants to believe that he can turn her into a Carrie clone. Every time she shows her real, *charming* personality, he turns away from her."

"So when is he coming?"

"Like I said, tomorrow morning." She looked at the egregiously expensive watch that hung loosely from her wrist. "Later *this* morning."

**********

Calling Lucas was not Sami's idea of a fun thing to do the first thing in the morning, or at any other time of day. She picked up the phone and set it back down in its cradle, wondering if there was anything else that she could possibly convince herself absolutely had to be done before she spoke to her son's father.

Waking up in the Penthouse had not been a bad thing. It had been a bit busy after having the entire Kiriakis Mansion guest house to herself, but she hadn't minded. It reminded her of the more pleasant parts of her childhood. Besides, she had made a point of waking up early so that she, and not her mother, would be the one to prepare breakfast. Her mother's ability to have trouble making even cold cereal and coffee was the stuff of legends. Belle seemed to have inherited this amazing talent. Brady, oddly enough, had come down and helped her set the table, and Eric had come over with a bag of bagels in tow. A real family breakfast. Mom and John had been thrilled, and when Belle had suggested that she and Brady take the morning off from school so the moment could last longer, her parents had almost looked tempted.

Sadly for Belle, and more so for Brady, who cared less for classes than did his sister, the two had been packed off to school after all, as had Will, and Eric had left after assuring Sami that all was well with his relationship with Greta, as well as his relationship with his twin. Marlena was at the hospital, and John was off doing whatever it was that he did.

Sami picked up the receiver again, holding onto the phone book with her other hand, as she had already established that his cell phone was not turned on.

"Hello, Salem Plaza."

"Hi, do you have a Lucas Roberts staying with you?"

"Let me check for you . . . no, we don't. When would he have checked in?"

"Sometime last night."

"I'll look again. No, I'm sorry, miss."

"No problem. Thank you anyway."

The process was the same with every hotel in Salem; she called even the ones she knew that preppy, conceited Lucas would not be caught dead in. She had heard him tell Victor he was moving out. His mother had a disgustingly strong influence on him, though. Could she have changed his mind?

This was a call she really didn't want to make.

"Hello, Kiriakis Mansion."

"Hello, Henderson. Is Lucas there?" She didn't identify herself. She didn't have to. It was a shame Belle was at school; she probably would have been willing to make the call for Sami under the guise of wanting to speak to her classmate, Philip.

"Master Lucas has moved out, and I must say that you have a lot of nerve for asking." True enough. Sami had seldom been accused of lacking nerve.

"Do you know where he is?"

"If I did, Miss Brady, I would not tell you."

"Henderson, I realize that you don't like me, but Lucas and I share a son. I can't not talk to him."

"You've never wanted to share that child with him before."

"I don't WANT to do it now--"

"Was there anything else, Miss Brady?"

"No. Thank you, Henderson."

That had been unpleasant, but she was glad that Lucas had stood up to Kate. Where was he? Her heart sank as a possibility occurred to her. This could be even less fun than speaking to Henderson. She dialed again.

"Horton Center."

"Hi, Mrs. Horton. This is Samantha Brady."

"Oh, hello, Sami." That was almost an admission that Lucas wasn't there. If he had been, and she had suspected that his problems had involved Sami-- when didn't they?-- Alice Horton would have been chewing her out by now. Mrs. Horton did not especially like Sami, but she liked her parents and siblings and extended family. In fact, they shared an extended family thanks to the marriages of Bo and Hope and now Carrie and Mike. Mrs. Horton would almost certainly be perfectly willing to start liking Sami herself again if she ever mended her ways and started acting like Carrie or Belle. She might as well ask after Lucas anyway.

"Do you happen to know where Lucas is?"

"No, I don't, dear. Is there a problem with Will?"

"Not in particular. It's just Lucas' day to see him and I can't track him down."

"Well, I'm certainly glad that the two of you have decided to be more civil about sharing your son." Was there a hint of a challenge there?

"It really is what's best for Will, and that's all I want." Damn. She'd almost meant that. Her mother had gotten inside her head very nicely last night. Shrinks.

"Well, have you called his office at Titan? I know he likes to go in early sometimes."

"Thank you, I'll try that next. Good-bye, Mrs. Horton."

"Good-bye, Sami."

Sami richly doubted that Lucas was at work. Titan was Victor's company, and Kate's to a certain extent, and he was at least as mad at them as he was at Sami right now. "I hope he hasn't started drinking again," she thought. "What? I don't care about him. Well, of course I do. I can't keep Will away from him forever, not that I'm trying to for the moment, and I don't want Will spending time with a drunk. I'm concerned about Will, NOT Lucas." She might as well call Titan. She knew the number and Lucas' extension by heart from the old days, when they had been friends.

On the third ring, a groggy voice answered the phone. "Lucas Roberts."

"Lucas, it's Sami."

His voice lost all grogginess. "What are you doing, calling me?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted to see Will today."

"Well, it's nice of you to offer, considering that I have full custody."

"Believe me, I know that. But you don't know where your son IS at the moment."

"I know where you both are. You're at the Penthouse." After all that had happened, he was gloating? After following her home? Forget about this be nice stuff.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you'd had enough time to spy on me. I know you're busy, what with the mansion to move out of, your wife to divorce-"

"You know what, Sami, you just shut up! After that stunt you pulled last night, you're never going to see my son again!"

"He is my son, too, and I won't let you take him! Besides, you have a lot less leverage now that you're getting a divorce. Or are you going to stay married to a woman that everyone knows your mother BOUGHT for you?"

"My relationship with Nicole is none of your business!"

"It concerns my son, so it concerns me."

"You aren't concerned with Will. If you were you wouldn't have gotten yourself and his stepmother thrown out of a mansion where he was living quite happily with both of his parents and even his precious Uncle Austin."

"Don't say I'm not concerned with Will! I wouldn't have called you if I didn't care about him."

"You called me because you, YOU, wanted to gloat!"

"Have I gloated?"

"Let me see: 'Besides, you have a lot less leverage now that you're getting a divorce. Or are you going to stay married to a woman that everyone knows your mother BOUGHT for you?' Did I get the exact quote?"

Not only did you get the exact quote, but you did a decent imitation of me, thought Sami. "I only said that after you acted like I called you up because I *wanted* to."

"Fine. Since you've suddenly decided that you should be less of a selfish bitch than usual, you can bring Will to me when I get some more of my stuff out of the Mansion this afternoon." Like my damn credit cards.

"I didn't mean you could keep him overnight. Where are you staying?"

"In a hotel. A nice suite. It's no worse an environment for Will than the Penthouse."

"First of all, it is worse because not only is it somewhere he's never stayed before and it doesn't have his Aunt Belle and his Uncle Brady to play with him, but because you're lying! You didn't stay in a hotel last night."

"Oh? Then where DID I stay?"

"I don't know. But I called every hotel in Salem and I know you weren't in any of them under your own name."

"Oh, you called *every* hotel in Salem? You must have *really* wanted to talk to me. I'm *flattered*."

"Look, I wanted to do what was best for Will, but I'm sorry now. Are you happy?"

"Well, no, actually, I'm not Sami. My son's mother is going to make it almost impossible for me to see him. I'm getting a divorce. I don't know where I'm going to be living next week. And if you must know, I slept in my office last night because I left my credit cards in the Mansion, and for reasons I think you can figure out if you try REALLY hard, I didn't want to go back for them. Does THAT make YOU happy?"

No, of course not- "YES, it DOES make me happy. You are a child abuser and a drunk and a killer, and you deserve everything you get!"

"Sami, you know I did not hit Will. You personally made that up! You know I've stopped drinking, and if last night didn't make me start again, I don't know what will. And you have NO proof that I had anything to do with Franco's murder."

"You confessed!"

"Because *I* actually want my son to have two parents! The same reason I saved you when that helicopter crashed."

"All right, fine, Lucas, I will see you this afternoon."

"Oh, I'm looking forward to it."

"Not half as much as I am."

They slammed the receivers down in unison.

*********


Sami had the oddest feeling that she was being followed. It had been a common feeling for her in the year or so following her rape, but she had become much more secure after having a child and maturing herself. She held Will's hand more tightly.

"Mommy, you're hurting me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Honey. Can I pick you up?"

"No! I wanna walk!"

"We're almost to the hospital. How about I just carry you that far?"

"No!"

"I'm sorry, Will, but I don't think it's safe for you to walk on this street." Or me, either. She picked him up over his childish protestations and walked as fast as she could to the front door of the hospital. She breathed a sigh of relief when she was inside the elevator.

"Sami! There you are! Oh, thank you for bringing it! I really didn't want to listen to Dr. Wesley complain about how I forgot my uniform!" was Belle's enthusiastic greeting when Sami stepped off the elevator and handed her a bag of pink-and-white monstrosity.

"You're lucky you called when you did. I just had enough time to drop this off before meeting Lucas at the Kiriakis Mansion."

Belle made a face. "Why?"

Sami motioned toward Will, who was listening adamantly. Belle knew better than to badmouth her nephew's father in front of him. Of course, he probably heard plenty of things about his mother from his Grandma Kate.

To her credit, Belle was contrite. "Well, can you wait for a second while I change into this or do you have to go right away?"

"I have about ten minutes before the bus we're taking leaves."

"Good."

Belle ran off to change into her candy striper's uniform, and Will ran to play with some toys sitting in the corner of the deserted waiting room.

"Stay where I can see you, Will."

"Okay, Mommy."

"Okay, Mommy." Belle echoed as she returned with a grin, clad in pink and white stripes.

"So, did you have a good day at school?"

"Pretty good. Shawn's still really far behind after missing all that time after the wedding."

Sami always had to bite back a grin when Belle talked about Shawn-Douglas Brady. Her little sister was obviously hung up on her little cousin. "You might be a redneck if . . . stop that!" she thought. "Belle and Shawn are NOT blood relatives, and she couldn't do better than him. Besides, if he ever breaks her heart, Eric and Brady and I know where to find him and kick his butt."

"Hi, Belle! Hi, Sami." Belle's friend Mimi arrived and dragged her off to tell her some new bit of gossip, so Sami went to sit by her son, although her eyes remained on Belle and Mimi. It was like looking into the past. She remembered candy striping with her friend Jamie Caldwell. They must have looked just like that, right down to the hair. She and Belle had both inherited long, straight, golden hair from their mother, while Mimi and Jamie both had short, dark curls. She and Jamie had had the advantage in chiefs of staff to work under, though. Poor Belle didn't even remember Tom Horton.

Poor Belle! Sami loved her sister, but was not in the habit of feeling sorry for her. In fact, she more often felt jealous of her. Belle wasn't going to punctuate her hospital volunteering career by breaking into the records to change blood types. Belle wasn't ever going to lose that precious buddy-buddy relationship she shared with her mother, because Marlena was never going to ask her to lie about an affair, because Belle's mother LOVED Belle's father. "That should be me!" But Belle didn't have Tom Horton for a boss or Jamie Caldwell for a best friend. At the moment, she actually looked pretty disgusted with whatever Mimi was saying. That friendship was obviously on its last legs.

Sami hadn't spoken to Jamie for years, and she missed her. They had kept in touch for a while after Jamie left for college, but eventually the calls and letters had petered out. Jamie had been a true friend. She had never deserted Sami through all of her schemes, and had done her best to remain loyal to Sami while also maintaining something of a friendship with Carrie. Who else could brag of doing that? Besides Eric. It was a shame Eric and Jamie had never met. They would have made a cute couple, and he could have taken Jamie's mind off of Lucas. Sami never could understand why Jamie had had such a complete crush on Lucas, but she did appreciate that Jamie had not held her one night stand with him against her.

Lucas. She had to go meet him soon.

"Samantha."

Just the person she wanted to deal with.

"Brandon."

"Belle told me you were going to the Mansion to talk to Lucas."

"Drop off Will, actually."

"Well, I'm going over there to pick up some of my things. Want a ride?"

"I didn't know you had a car."

"I don't, but I've called a cab."

The offer was tempting. She did not want to drag Will onto another public bus. The one they'd caught to get from the Penthouse to the hospital had been plenty. "What's the catch, Brandon?"

"Why would there be a catch? I just like to spend time in the company of beautiful women."

"Well, I wouldn't want you to believe that I was leading you on and using you because I shared a cab with you."

"Samantha, can't we get past that? I want us to be friends. You never know when you might need a friend. You might be the one feeling as alone as Lucas probably does right now soon." He turned quickly to Will. "Will, you don't want to get on another bus, do you?"

"No!" said Will emphatically.

"You'd much rather come in a fun cab with your Mommy and me, right?"

"Yes!"

Brandon looked innocently at Sami.

"That wasn't fair," she grumbled.

*********


Kate was at her wit's end. She and Victor had had another fight over Philip that morning. She had not worked her way up from nothing to watch her youngest child be forced to polish silver to pay off his credit card bills. Yes, he had to learn responsibility, but Victor seemed determine to make him miserable while he learned. It hurt her to see Philip afraid of his father. She had had enough of that watching Austin and Billie cringe away from Curtis. And they had suffered through so many years with him when she'd believed them dead.

Then, there was her fourth child, the one who was really bothering her, if she was to be honest with herself. All she had ever wanted was Lucas' happiness, and if it cost her five million dollars and forced her to put up with that blonde bimbo and her violent brother, so be it. Now Lucas was furious with her. She knew he'd been at Titan that day. He'd apparently even spoken to Victor at some length, but only about business, which Victor felt was as things should be.

Victor had changed since the strokes. One of the things that had attracted her to him had been his willingness to do anything for his children and grandchildren. Now, he was always ready to reprimand her for focusing on her children. She was finding herself more and more drawn to young Nicholas Alamain, and lord help them when Victor found out about that!

Now, she had to deal with the knowledge that Nicole was upstairs packing more of her ridiculous wardrobe and Lucas was coming over to pick up his own clothes, as well as Will. That meant Sami would be here, and Austin and Brandon would be likely to turn up as well.

Just then, Nicole flounced down the stairs.

"Kate, have some of the servants help me with my bags."

"You do not give me orders, Nicole. You had better get used to doing your own work, because you'll be losing your job at Titan. And you'll be returning whatever's left of the five million dollars."

"No I won't. I earned that money."

"You allowed Sami to find out why you married Lucas and tell him about it!"

"*I* did? You were the one who left those records lying around."

"She said it herself. We could have fancied it a wedding present if you and your idiot brother hadn't been so eager to confirm her suspicions!"

"Kate, you have no right to call anyone an idiot. Your fiance is disgusted with the way you ran his company while he was sick, none of your children like you, not that I can blame them since the first two you left with an abusive father and the next one you basically told 'no one will ever love you unless I buy them for you,' and I hate to think what you have in mind for Philip!"

"Nicole, do not talk to my mother like that." So Austin was there.

"Why? Everything I said was the truth, Preacher Boy."

"Nicole, I realize you're upset--"

"Yes, you realize everything, don't you."

"Austin, Baby, don't try to reason with her."

"Mom, how can you look at her and not see Billie six or eight years ago?"

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Billie hated you six or eight years ago? I didn't know that! Wait, yes I did! You stole her company and called her a slut and a drug addict, and she was understandably mad at you for not be strong enough to rescue her from the father who beat and raped her! You're a great person, aren't you, Kate! And then--"

"Nicole."

Three heads turned in unison to look at Lucas. He let them look. He had worked hard to keep his exhaustion and humiliation from showing, and done a decent job of it. He spoke again.

"Nicole. Go get whatever you came here to get. And write down the number of wherever you're staying so we can straighten out the legal things. Okay?"

"Um, okay." Her demand for help from the servants forgotten, Nicole ascended the stairs, proverbial tail tucked between her legs.

"Thank you, Lucas," sighed Kate.

"Yeah, that was nicely done," added Austin.

Lucas said nothing, so Kate broke the silence.

"Baby, I'm glad you aren't mad at me any more."

Was she going to say this every time she saw him? "Mom, I am furious with you. Just because I am going to deal with Nicole like an *adult* and just because I am not going to allow her to berate you, does not mean I condone what you did. You humiliated me and I don't think you're even sorry."

"I am sorry, Baby."

"I wish you wouldn't call me that. I'm not a baby. Neither are Austin or Billie or even Philip. But it wouldn't be right to treat a real baby like that, either. If Philip had had trouble making friends in kindergarten, would you have stood on the playground and handed out twenty dollar bills to his classmates?"

"Lucas, all right. But you have to understand that I am sorry!"

"If you were sorry, you wouldn't do it again. But I know you will. First you were more excited about Austin's relationship with Carrie than either of them was. Then you told Billie to throw herself at Bo when she knew he didn't want her. Then you bought me a wife, as Sami so nicely phrased it. What will you do when Philip tells you that he loves Belle Black but she only ever looks at Shawn-Douglas Brady?"

"Is that true?" asked Kate before she could stop herself. She was spared the second part of her son's lecture when her grandson entered, unfortunately with both his mother and Brandon Walker.

"Uncle Austin!" cried Will. Austin scooped him up.

"Hey, Big Guy. Did you go to school today?"

"Yeah, we drew pictures!"

"Well, that's great. I can't wait to see them some time." He glanced nervously at Lucas. "Maybe you can show your Daddy today."

"Okay," Will agreed amicably as he was passed to his father's arms.

Everything was reasonably calm. For about five seconds. Then Nicole re-entered and saw Sami. She charged at her, screaming a garbled string of expletives, and was barely restrained by her brother.

"Nicky, you don't want to do this."

"Yes I do."

"Sure she does," grinned Sami from her position of safety. "She has to hit me. Everyone knows she's unarmed in a battle of wits."

Nicole struggled against Brandon's strong arms, and hollered something about how she wasn't the only one with a past that could haunt her that Sami couldn't quite make out, and Austin grabbed Sami by the shoulder. "We need to talk." He led her outside, to an area of relative privacy.

"Sami," he began slowly.

"Yes, Austin?"

"You do not have to insult Nicole. She's had a hard time, and now some of it's thanks to you."

"So? She's the one who took money to marry your brother. Don't you think he had a right to know?"

"Don't give me that, Sami. You don't care about Lucas. I'm starting to think you don't care about anyone but yourself."

"I care about you, Austin. I care about Will. I care about my brother, whose heart Nicole broke!"

"I know, I know. But Nicole needs help, not punishment. She was so sweet when Carrie and I used to spend time with Eric and her."

"Well, I'm not Carrie."

"You should try to be more like her. We'd get along better if you did."

At that moment, after seven years, something clicked inside Sami Brady's titanium skull.

"I can't be like Carrie. I've already spent too much of my life trying to be like Carrie. I'm not Carrie. I am who I am, and that's who you have to love. I'll support you in whatever you do in any way I can. I'll be the best mother in the world to Will. I'll never break your heart. But I can't be Carrie."

"Sami, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. And I do like you for you, but I can't--"

"Sami's getting dumped! Sami's getting dumped!"

Lucas' sing-song made a bad moment worse.

"Lucas, go away! This has nothing to do with you," said Austin.

"But if you're going to finish dumping her, I'd like to watch."

"I'm not dumping her. We're breaking up."

"Oh, you're dumping her. She's been chasing you for seven years! That's almost a full third of her life. If you're breaking up, it isn't a mutual decision."

"Yes, it is, Lucas," put in Sami. "If I was willing to turn myself into Carrie, we'd still be together. I'm not, so I guess we aren't?"

Austin nodded, and turned to leave. He was probably looking for Will.

"Where is Will?"

"With Mom. So how's single life?"

"You tell me."

"I'm not divorced yet."

"When?"

"What do you care? Wanna watch?"

"Well, you just watched Austin and me break up."

"But that was so much more interesting, considering how long you've been throwing yourself at him."

"You were just as bad with Carrie and Nicole."

"I was not. I didn't do half the things you did."

"No, you just THOUGHT of half of them and let me do the dirty work."

"Well, you deserved to, after all the trouble I had keeping you in line!"

"Keeping me in line?!"

"Sure. Austin doesn't want you, so you become bulimic and put your health in danger. Austin rejects you, so you run away to Seattle and I have to blackmail Vivian into tracking you down and sending copies of Bella with Carrie on the cover up there to get you back. Eric shows up and you're so afraid he'll know you're lying to half the town that you CUT yourself to make him 'feel your pain!'"

"Oh, Lucas, not everything you've done would be chalked up to the completely emotionally stable, either. Faking medical emergencies at the Green Mountain Lodge? Pulling the fire alarm?"

"Beating yourself up and having Carrie thrown in jail for it? And the all-time topper, drugging Austin's wine and having sex with him? Face it, you're just worse than me."

"No one ever had to be paid to marry me."

"Just blackmailed, or offered a green card. Face it, no one will ever love you for you!"

"I could say the same about you. And I think I will. No one will ever love you for you, and your mother agrees with me!"

"Your mother would agree with me if she weren't so afraid that any little thing might make you spit at her for another five years. Oh, that's another good one. Emotionally blackmailing your mother into giving you Lynn's blackmail money, no questions asked."

"You spent a lot more money on the whole thing than I ever did!"

"I *have* a lot more money than you. Means nothing to me."

"Whatever, Lucas. It's the only thing that means anything to you. Remember how you tried-- and failed-- to impress Carrie by donating all that money to the hospital? Remember how you tried-- and failed-- to steal Nicole from Eric by buying her jewelry? Although I guess in Nicole's case you just didn't go high enough."

"Why do you care so much about my relationships, anyway? And don't say it's about Will, because he wasn't even born when most of the stuff with Carrie happened."

"I could ask you the same question! Why did you have to interrupt my dates with Franco? Trick my father into walking in on us in bed? Lock us in the closet in Titan?"

"I was just trying to make sure that you and the Italian Stallion had all the privacy you needed! I was being nice."

"Seems more like JEALOUS to me!"

"Jealous of what?"

"Of my ability to have a relationship! I finally got Austin. You never got anything but friendship with Carrie. Or anyone else that you couldn't buy, or have Mommy buy."

"Sami, go to hell."

"I'll see you there."

"Speaking of seeing you, I can't take Will to kindergarten tomorrow morning because of a meeting. If you want, I'll bring him back to the Penthouse for bed."

"Oh, I get to see you again today? Great!"

"Fine, I'll have the nanny--"

"No, bring him home." She paused. Desperate time called for desperate measures. "Please."

"Well, maybe it won't be so bad in hell, seeing as it just froze over."

"I'll see you tonight."

"Unfortunately."

Sami left the Kiriakis grounds as quickly as she could. She was relieved to note that she no longer felt like she was being followed.

Willpower: A Sami and Lucas Story
Part Four of Six: Vengeance Gone Wrong
February 7, 2000

"Bye, Belle."

"Bye, Mimi."

Belle Black waved good-bye to her best friend and headed for her mother's office. Hopefully she was still at work and could give Belle a ride home. They hadn't really discussed arrangements that morning; everything had been so exciting with Eric, Sami, and Will at home.

She wasn't in the mood to wait for the crowded elevator after spending the whole afternoon with nurses and patients, so she slipped into the always-deserted staircase.

No one heard her muffled scream.

"Well, Isabella, you've grown since the last time I was in town."

*********

Sami let herself into the Penthouse without knocking, and collapsed onto the couch.

"Belle?" came her mother's voice.

"No, it's Sami. Sorry."

"Have you heard from your sister at all today?"

"Yeah, she called here from school when she was on her way to the hospital. She wanted me to bring her uniform over, and I did."

"So what time did you see her?"

"About three thirty. Why?"

"It's almost eight now. She usually leaves the hospital at about the same time I do. And she's always been good about calling me when she goes somewhere else. She knows why John and I worry about these things."

"Maybe she just forgot this time. Mimi probably dragged her off to Dot Com and they didn't realize how late it had gotten."

"I hope you're right, but this still doesn't feel good somehow." She turned toward the stairs. "John!" He appeared within a few seconds.

"Hi, Sami. Have you seen Belle?"

"We've been through this. Not since three-thirty. John, I'm really worried about her now."

"So am I, Doc, but kids do do this sometimes."

"Not Belle."

"Fine, we'll call Mimi's parents, and Bo, and the Wesleys, and Victor, and see if Mimi or Shawn or Chloe or Philip knows what's up."

"Thank you, John. That would make me feel much better."

********

Another hour established that no one had seen Belle since she and Mimi had parted at the hospital at five thirty. Abe Carver had been called, even though everyone knew that fewer than four hours unaccounted for did not qualify a fifteen-year-old as a kidnapping victim. Still, no one had seen Stefano DiMera since before Christmas, and how could he not be interested in the daughter of his greatest enemy and the woman with whom he had been obsessed for years? Besides, Isabella Beatrice Black was an heiress. She had had more money at birth than most people would see in their whole lives, although her fortune did not come close to that of her brother Brady, the only heir to the Toscano fortune, who was also set to inherit big chunks of the Kiriakis and Alamian fortunes.

Everyone jumped when Lucas arrived at the Penthouse with Will, although he had been expected. He and Sami walked upstairs together with their son, who was mostly asleep.

"Goodnight, Sweetheart."

"Goodnight, Buddy."

"G'night." Will's eyes closed.

"Wow, no demand for a story or a song or anything. He must be tired," remarked Sami.

"We had a lot of fun, but I'm not surprised he's tired. I'm tired too."

"Yeah, you look like hell."

"Why, thank you. Really, thank you. It's mostly your fault, as it always is. But now that I look at you, and at the great personal risk of turning into stone I might add, you don't look so great yourself."

"We think that madman took my sister."

"Which one?"

"Stefano."

"No, which *sister*." Sami's misinterpretation of his question had certainly been indicative of the childhood she had suffered through.

"Oh, Belle. The one you've never been in love with, so you don't have to pretend to be concerned."

"Sami, why do you insist on thinking of me as some kind of evil incarnate? Belle is a sweet girl, always has been. You think I'd be happy that she's been *kidnapped*?"

"Well, I distinctly remember you handing *our* son to Stefano DiMera just to watch me squirm."

"You didn't squirm. You just almost fainted. That was about the only time I've ever seen you lose your cool over nothing."

"It wasn't nothing. It's never nothing with him."

"Be that as it may, has anyone even seen him in months?"

"No."

"How long has Belle been missing?"

"Since this afternoon."

"Sami, don't you think you might all be over-reacting?"

"What happened to your little brother the last time your mom couldn't find him for a few hours? He got beat up by thugs and left bleeding in an alley! And there's something of a history of kidnapping in our family."

"Well, we know who took Belle the last time she was kidnapped."

"Yes, and she has a firm alibi, so don't start!"

"Sami, Abe and another cop are here and Mom and Dad want you to come downstairs." Brady looked like Sami felt.

"Thanks. Lucas, I think Will's out, if you wanna come down too."

"Just let me say goodbye to him."

"Suit yourself."

Once downstairs, Sami and Brady came face to face with a grim Abe Carver.

"Sami, you last saw Belle at three thirty?" He cut to the chase.

"And Brady?"

"I saw her at lunch at school. Around noon."

"Did either of you notice anything suspicious today? Anything at all? Gut feelings, even?" Gut feelings took on a lot of importance in the Brady-Black family. If you just *believed* for no good reason that you should take a walk on a fog-shrouded pier in the middle of the night or that an enormous avalanche had *not* killed your wife, then that was a good starting place.

"Everything was normal for me, but I don't see her that much at school. After school she's almost always volunteering at the hospital or something, and I had pre-season baseball meeting today."

"You didn't see any lurkers?"

"No."

"Sami, was anything odd going on when you spoke to Belle at the hospital?"

"No. I did feel like I was being followed on my way over, but that was all in my head."

"Sami, why didn't you mention that before?" demanded John.

"Like I said, it was all in my head. I don't know why I mentioned it this time."

"What makes you think it was all in your head?" put in Marlena in her best psychiatrist's voice.

"Well, you know what we were talking about last night, Mom." Sami grew more uncomfortable. "I was thinking about Alan Harris. Then, later last night, Brandon Walker came over here to talk to me, and he kissed me after I *told* him not to." Her voice rose to an indignant pitch. "So, that was sort of on my mind this afternoon."

"How did you get to the hospital?"

"We took the bus to the stop a couple of blocks away. I had a bag with some of Will's stuff and Belle's uniform over my shoulder, and he was walking next to me, holding my hand. I just felt like I was being watched. Thought I heard footsteps, thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye, that kind of thing. I picked Will up and got into the hospital as fast as I could, and I forgot about it for the rest of the day."

"Sami, I'm not entirely sure this has any connection to your sister, but have any threats been made against you in the past day or so? You did create a lot of fodder for the Salem gossip mill just last night."

"If you mean me, I haven't done anything to her. And my Mom and Victor are probably actually glad she did it."

"Lucas Roberts, didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to eavesdrop?" Sami was not pleased with herself for forgetting that he was still there.

Before Lucas could reply or Sami could be reprimanded, Abe spoke again. "I was thinking more along the lines of the Walkers." It was no secret that Abe was no fan of Brandon's, and everyone in the room loathed Nicole to various degrees.

"No," said Sami.

"Yes," said Lucas simultaneously.

"What?"

Lucas smirked. "Nicole threatened her this afternoon at the mansion. She came flying at her swearing a blue streak, and she said 'I'm not the only one with a past that can come back to haunt me.'"

"Is that what she said," stated Sami dryly.

"This has nothing to do with Belle," John said hastily, as much to stop the glaring fest between Sami and Lucas as to turn attention back to his missing daughter, about whom by now he was truly concerned. Lucas was now looking for a suitable way to leave the family of his worst enemy while they dealt with a crisis that he would not have wished on anyone. He stood up when John's cell phone rang, and was almost to the door when John gestured very clearly that he was to stay where he was.

"Bo, hang on. Abe's right here. Abraham." John tossed his former partner the phone when he looked up.

"John, Honey, what is it?" This from a concerned Marlena.

John did not want to tell her this. He did not want to tell this to anyone in the room. "That was Bo. He went down to the cop shop for a few minutes, and one of the other detectives grabbed him to tell him he'd seen someone they'd arrested about five or six years ago."

"Why?"

"Well, I think the guy's exact words were 'Isn't that the guy who kidnapped your nieces and raped the younger one?'"

Sami, who had been sitting on the edge of the couch, nearly fell off. "Oh my God . . ."

"Sami, Sweetie, you're right here. He can't come near you." Marlena grabbed her older daughter around the waist, and Sami slumped briefly, then sat back up.

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?" she screamed suddenly. Everyone stared at her, not that she cared. "THIS IS NICOLE'S REVENGE! AND I LED HIM RIGHT TO BELLE!" Sami wasn't in the habit of crying in front of people, especially Lucas Roberts, but this was one time when she had no choice.

Brady was not used to seeing his older sister react like this. Nothing seemed to shake Sami. He hadn't been old enough to remember the last time his family had had a crisis of this magnitude, and he admired the way Carrie, Eric, and Sami, as well as his parents, treated anything less than a death as nothing to be worried over. He tried to think of something to say that would calm her down.

"Sami, even if Nicole did send this guy after you, why would he punish you by snatching Belle? Nicole has nothing against Belle, and she wouldn't risk hurting her if she wanted Eric back."

Sami did not want to explain this to her teenage brother. Still, wasn't he about the age she had been when she'd met Alan? Her tear-stained blue eyes met Brady's desperate brown ones. "Nicole wouldn't tell him to go after Belle, but he wouldn't care what she wanted. He's a complete sociopath. He'd go after any woman when he was here last time, although he did prefer teenage blondes. And he twisted enough to want to have all three sisters, although he didn't quite get Carrie. And he'd do anything to hurt me even indirectly after what I did to him!"

"What YOU did to HIM? Sami, the way I heard this story, HE raped YOU!"

"And after he got away with it, thanks to Carrie, he came after me again, with a gun. And I shot him. And not in a place a guy likes to be shot!"

"I didn't think guys liked to be shot anywhe- oh! Then, if you shot him in the, um, balls, how can he do anything to Belle?"

"He'll find a way! I know he'll find a way. Oh God, he's got her tied up somewhere, he probably already did it, oh God!"

"Sami, calm down. I admit it does look like it's Alan that took Belle, but we need your help, and Lucas' help, since you were both involved with him last time he was here. it would help if we could talk to Austin and Carrie, too. I know Carrie's in Israel, but can we get Austin over here?" Abe was in charge.

"I already called him," said Lucas. "His cell phone is off and Henderson doesn't know where he is or when he'll get back to the mansion."

"Abraham, you must have statements from all of them from '94."

"Yeah, of course I do, although not on me. I'd rather just have Sami and Lucas refresh our memories about Alan's kidnapping of Carrie and Sami."

Sami and Lucas glanced at each other, for once without malice. Sami began.

"Alan had date raped me almost three months before. Carrie went with him to his apartment wearing a wire, to try to get him to confess. But he wanted her, she was the one he'd wanted when he raped me, and he tied her up. I was listening to the other end of the wire, and I heard noises I heard when I was in his apartment, so I realized where they were. I ran over there to stop him." Sami was obviously reliving the horrifying experience. "Of course, I couldn't stop him. He tied me up, too."

Lucas took over. "By that time, Austin and I were looking for Sami and Carrie. Alan was trying to steal a car; he had found the wire on Carrie and he knew someone would be looking for the two of them."

"He came back to the apartment," Sami picked up surprisingly easily. "We tricked him. We knocked him out, but he came to as we were getting to the door. Then Austin and Lucas came in on their white horses," she tried unsuccessfully to smile, "and the rest is history."

"Thank you." Abe had really just asked for the recitation to give himself a moment to plan his next move. He hoped it hadn't been too hard on Sami, or on Lucas for that matter. "John, Marlena, I want you to come to the station with me."

"I want to come, too," said Brady.

"No, I want you here if Belle calls or comes home," Marlena replied quickly.

"But Sami's here."

"I don't want her alone with just Will."

"I can stay, if that would help." Lucas wondered too late if he should have offered. They might really be trying to keep an obviously shaken Brady out of the way, and he knew that he was himself as much a lure for Alan as was Sami. He was the one who had finally tricked Alan into confessing the rape. And he was the one to blame for introducing Alan to this family the first time.

John glanced from Lucas to his son. "All right. Thank you, Lucas. Brady, get your coat." In seconds, Sami and Lucas were in the Penthouse alone, save their sleeping four-year-old. The clock ticked loudly.

Lucas needed to say something. Once, Sami had been the only person in the world with whom he could sit in silence and feel completely at ease. She had been his partner in crime, the one he was in cahoots with. Once, he had very nearly fallen for her. They had been spending time together day in and day out for years, and he had found more and more compliments rolling unconsciously off his tongue. Sami, your hair looks beautiful. Sami, your clothes look beautiful. Sami, *you* look beautiful. She never cared about his opinion, just Austin's, and maybe the knowledge that she hadn't been listening had made it easier for him to talk to her.

He hadn't only been impressed with her looks, either. He hadn't noticed her looks much when he'd met her, since he'd been so obsessed with Carrie, and Sami really had been a child. But he had noticed her fiery personality right away. At some points in time, he'd even told her so. You amaze me, Sami, he'd said once. You have your redeeming characteristics. Boy, did she ever. He remembered Brandon Walker mentioning these same things to him soon after he had married Nicole. Brandon had announced his plans to go after Sami, and it seemed he had made good on them. Lucas hadn't given it much thought, since Sami had never cared for anyone but Austin, but now that Sami claimed to be halfway over his big brother, he wondered if Brandon had a chance.

He hoped not. It didn't seem fair that Brandon could capture her attention when he couldn't. Another long ago conversation came to mind.

"Sami, we agreed that Austin has to catch Carrie with Mike."

"I know. I just feel so lonely when Austin's not around."

"Well, thank you, Sami, that does wonders for my ego."

Had she even apologized? He didn't think so.

Then, of course, she had found out that Will was his child and had failed to inform him of this fact. She had turned on him completely. The attraction had been stopped in its tracks, but he still craved her friendship.

They'd been so much alike. They'd both been caught in the shadows of perfect older half-siblings that everyone loved. Salem branded the also-rans, and they survived in a world with people who always knew what the right, self-sacrificing thing to do was and always did it by sharing a sardonic sense of humor and a frightening ability to manipulate their "superiors."

"Mommy? Daddy?"

"Will! What are you doing up?" they answered in unison, glad to have something to focus on.

"I had a bad dream. The rock tried to eat me. I tricked it, but I'm scared. And the house was on fire."

"It's over now, Buddy," Lucas said as his son climbed into his lap. "Did you want us to come back upstairs with you?"

"Yes. And I want a lullaby."

"I knew his falling asleep without one before was too good to be true," mumbled Sami. Lucas turned sharply toward her, but when he did he saw that she was smirking. So she still had a sense of humor, even if she no longer deigned to show it to him. He couldn't help but return the grin as he stood up with Will, who settled against his shoulder.

They put him back into his bed, and he bit his lip in an obvious effort to look less scared than he actually was.

"It's over, Will, we're here," said Sami softly. "What lullaby did you want?"

"From the movie?"

"Which movie, Little Man?"

"The one tonight."

Sami glanced at Lucas questioningly.

"Beauty and the Beast," he answered. She inhaled sharply. He looked down at Will. "I'm sorry, Buddy, neither one of us knows the words to that."

"No, it's okay, Lucas, I can do it." Sami half-lay down on top of the covers next to her son. She hummed softly. She did not want to do this in front of Lucas, but he was Will's father, and she had probably sung to Will in front of him back when they'd been friends. Besides, Lucas was basically there as her protection from Alan and from her own thoughts, and she had to admit that that was nice of him.

"Mommy?"

She giggled weakly. "Hold your horses, Little Man. I have to get ready." It was now or never. She sang as softly as she could and still expect her son to hear her words:

"There's something sweet, and almost kind
but he was *mean*, and he was coarse, and unrefined.
And now he's dear, and so unsure.
I wonder why I didn't see it there before.

"She glanced this way, I thought I saw
and when we touched, she didn't shudder at my paw.
No, it can't be. I'll just ignore.
But then, she's never looked at me that way before.

"New, and a bit alarming.
Who'd have ever thought that this could be?
True, that he's no Prince Charming,
but there's something in him that
I simply didn't see.

"Well, who'd have thought?
Well, bless my soul!
Well, who'd have known?
Well, who indeed!
And who'd have guessed they'd
come together on their own?
It's so peculiar, wait and see
a few days more.
There may be something there that wasn't there before."

Will was fast asleep. Sami kissed his forehead, and shoved her way past Lucas and back to the living room. Was she crying again? Lucas had seen Sami cry more today than he had in the past seven years, and he'd watched her deal with broken families and dead parents and exposure for schemes and rape and trials and extreme amounts of physical pain. Now that he thought about it, he had seen her cry, but this just wasn't the same. For one thing, why had the love song from a Disney cartoon made her cry? And how had she known the words, anyway? Maybe it was a girl thing. He followed her downstairs to see if he could find out.

"Sami? Was there a problem with my letting him watch that movie?"

She had her back to him. "Of course not."

"How did you know the words, anyway?"

"Well, it was my sister's favorite cartoon when she was little, for obvious reasons."

"Not obvious reasons to me."

"The heroine's name is Belle, you idiot! Didn't you watch it with Will?" Lucas decided not to mention that when Sami said "my sister" his mind still immediately went to Carrie. Belle had seemed more like a baby than a real person until very recently. He also decided that this might not be the best time to take offense to being called an idiot.

Against all odds, Sami seemed to be trying to keep things civil as well. "I'm sorry, Lucas. I guess I just learned to cry at the drop of a hat while I was on death row." Familiar waves of guilt washed over Lucas.

"I'm sorry, Sami."

"What for? You don't admit to having anything to do with Franco's murder."

"I'm sorry you had to sing a song that made you feel worse. I'm sorry your little sister is missing. And I'm certainly sorry that I was the one who introduced you to the psychopath who apparently did it."

She finally looked at him. She really was crying. "Lucas, of all the things I blame you for, that isn't one of them. I know you didn't know what Alan is. I know that you were the one who got rid of him last time. I do remember how we ended up with Will."

"Well, he's one good thing that came out of the mess that was our friendship."

"Mmm-hmm," she agreed. But her smile was brief.

"Why are you crying now?"

"Same thing. You know, I was just watching her today at the hospital, and she and Mimi looked just like Jamie and I used to. She has this wonderful relationship with Mom, too, and I thought 'that should have been me!' But I was wrong. NOW is when it should be me. I'm the one Alan wants revenge on. I'm the one Nicole wants revenge on. She was something that was untouched by all the crap that surrounds my family. Mom and John really, for years, built their lives around protecting her, and now it's ruined because of the games I've been playing. And all she is is my sister! What's gonna happen to Will? What's gonna happen to Will when someone I've crossed realizes the best way to hurt me would be to hurt him?"

"Oh, Sami." He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her instinctively. Either they had made serious progress in their relationship in the past few hours or she was just to exhausted to move, because she did not pull away. "Sami, I know how you feel. I've crossed a lot of people the way you have, and I do worry about what that will do to Will. But you do NOT have to worry about Alan. You NEVER did anything wrong with him. He deserved worse than he got. And even if you are partly to blame for this Nicole thing, you didn't make her jilt your brother or take that money. It's not your fault that Belle's in trouble."

"Yes, it IS, Lucas. I led Alan right to her! She trusted me and I led a serial rapist and kidnapper right to her! She doesn't know that I kidnapped her when she was born, you know. No one ever told her. So she's always loved me. She's the one who does everything right and is adored by everyone who meets her, and I'm the bad apple of the Brady Barrel, but she almost worshipped me when she was a little girl and things haven't changed that much now that she's older. I'd wonder why, but I don't have to, because I used to have a big sister that I worshipped, too!"

"Sami, Belle will be fine. And your relationship with Carrie probably isn't beyond repair, if you decide you want to fix it."

She pulled out of his arms, to his regret. "I DON'T want to fix my relationship with Carrie. I know you're right, Carrie would let me be her nice little sister again, because she's Miss Perfect, same as Mom and same as Belle! Every woman in my family is PERFECT, except me. I just can't do it!"

There it was again. The reason Sami and Lucas had always understood each other. "Sami, I know about that, too, okay? I was an adult when I discovered I had these four older half-siblings, and the whole town, you included, was drooling over Austin. Billie started her own company after growing up on the street, Mike is a doctor and a damn good one, and Jennifer is as good a reporter as you've ever seen. But I'm not like any of them. And you aren't like your brothers or sisters. You're you. And I LIKE you."

"Gee, thanks for the pep talk, Dad."

"Don't get sarcastic on me now."

"Why? I thought you liked me. Well, I'm sarcastic."

"Sarcasm is great, when you're not aiming it at me." He smiled.

"Why is he acting so *nice*?" Sami thought to herself. Aloud, she said, "Listen, Lucas, it was nice of you to stay here for a while, but if you want to get back to wherever you're supposed to be, that's fine. I'm really okay and perfectly capable of handling the phones."

"Are you kicking me out?"

"No, but I didn't think you'd really want to stay here."

"Well, I do."

"Okay, then." She walked back across the room, then turned back to him. She held out her hand. "Truce?"

"Truce." Hadn't he been asking her for one for what seemed like forever? They shook on it, and fell back onto the couch, close enough that some of her long, golden ponytail touched his shoulder.

Suddenly, he jumped up again and ran into the bathroom, where he promptly threw up.

"Lucas? Are you okay?" There was a stupid question if there ever was one. She wondered if she should check on him. They weren't even friends anymore, but he'd been holding her while she cried within the last hour. Still, she wasn't quite ready to adopt the role of comforter, so she waited until she heard the water running to take a few steps toward his location. "Lucas?"

"I'm here. Um, sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

He came around the corner and she could see him. He looked worse than before, which was saying a lot. He had obviously washed his face, and he had done serious damage to his short, dark hair in the process. Sami started to giggle.

"Oh, I'm glad you think this is funny!" He was beginning to grow quite irritable. He hadn't felt well all day, but he had naturally attributed his discomfort to the sudden breakup of his marriage, his arguments with his mother, his arguments with his son's mother, and his guilt over his role in the disappearance of Belle Black. Now he wondered if there actually was some kind of physical problem looming in his immediate future. "Listen Sami, I've been nice to you all day, which you don't deserve considering your performance at dinner last night-"

"Lucas." She was using the tone of voice she usually reserved for Will, and occasionally Belle or Brady. She was still giggling, in the manner of the slightly hysterical. "It's just your hair." She stepped forward and gently smoothed it back into place. She paused with her hand on his forehead. "You're hot."

He grinned lecherously. This opportunity was too easy to pass up. "Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself, although I always liked you better with you hair down-- hey! You didn't have to hit me that hard."

"Don't be such a baby."

Their suddenly playful bickering was interrupted by the phone.

"Hello?"

"Sami. It's been a while since I've heard your voice."

"And not long enough since I've heard yours. Where is my sister?"

Lucas stiffened. Was she talking to Alan? Sami nodded yes in answer to his unspoken question. He moved in close to her, and she held the receiver slightly away from her ear so they could both hear.

"I heard that she moved to Israel with some doctor."

"Wrong sister."

"The baby?"

"She isn't a baby anymore, and you know it! Where is she?"

"You think I'm going to *tell* you? You always were a demanding bitch."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"You just said you did. I'll give you whatever you want, just don't hurt her!"

"It's a little late for you to be offering me whatever I want, isn't it? You destroyed my life! You stole my manhood! Whatever I do with this little girl, I won't enjoy it the way I deserve to, and it's YOUR FAULT!"

"Yes, it's MY fault! Don't punish her over me!"

"I'm not punishing her over you, I'm punishing you through her. You keep this line on until I tell you to hang up."

"Okay."

"Or else I'll kill her."

"Okay." Her originally strong voice had fallen to a whisper.

"Tell me you wanted me."

"What?"

"When we made love. Say you wanted me."

"I wanted you."

"Then why did you say you didn't in court?"

"I was talked into it."

"By?"

"Carrie."

He snorted. "Wrong."

"Well, who?"

"You did it yourself, because you're bad. The bad sister. Belle is much sweeter than you. She won't cry or scream, will you, Belle? Not before, during, or after? She's nodding, Sami. I've got her gagged. Should I let her say 'hi' to you? Here, Belle, when I take this off I want you to say 'hi' to your sister Sami. Nothing less, nothing more, or else the gag goes on tighter. Understand? She's nodding again, Sami. Okay, now."

"Sami? Hi, Sami." Belle's voice sounded raspy and frightened, but it was still unquestionably her distinctive voice. Lucas tightened his arm around Sami's waist, and she was grateful, although she could not remember when he'd put it there.

"Belle-Baby? Can you hear me?"

"Sami?"

"That's enough! Okay, she's gagged again, Sami. Does that worry you?"

"Of course, if you really have her."

"You just talked to her!"

"You could have her voice on a recording. You could have run it through a synthesizer to make it sound like her throat was dry."

"You think I'm that high-class, Sami? Did I have that kind of junk when I kidnapped you?"

"No, but you weren't being backed by Nicole Walker and her five million dollars then."

"By my count, it's been fewer than thirty-six hours since you crossed Mrs. Roberts." Lucas winced at hearing that name used for Nicole. "Has she had time to set me up that way, since I had to get here and find you and find a time to get Belle alone?"

Sami had no answer for that. "Then what do you want from me, Alan?"

"I never get tired of hearing that question asked. I told you. I want you to stay on the line so you can hear it when Belle and I start to play. I'm really ready to start, and so is she. I had to wait until I was sure you were alone. I didn't want all of your police relatives interrupting our fun. This is just for you, me, and Belle."

Inspiration struck. "Wouldn't it be more fun if I was actually there?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

"No, but I think you want revenge on me, and it would be a lot easier to get if I were there."

"Yes, I'll just give you the address to which you can send the police."

"You could leave her, if she's tied up. You could pick me up. Could I fight you last time when I came after you because you had Carrie?"

"No, but I'm not giving you a chance to involve the damn cops!"

"Look, I'll give you my cell phone number. If you have a cell, you can call me and we'll talk until we meet, so you'll know I'm not talking to the cops."

"You must be planning something, but that sounds almost fair. Okay. I'll take you up on that. What's the number?"

She glanced helplessly at Lucas, who, understanding, ran to pull his phone out of his coat pocket. He pointed at the numbers and she repeated them. "Five, one, five, six, eight, eight, three."

"Okay, hang up. Be ready to pick up the other phone in a few seconds."

They stood in silence, waiting for the phone to beep, which it did.

"Alan?"

"Good job, Sami. Are you leaving the Penthouse now?"

"My son is here. I have to get someone to come over here for him, or take him somewhere."

"I think you're stalling." Not for much longer, thought Sami, because she could see that across the room Lucas was already talking to Abe or John or *someone* who could get them all out of this.

"Well, what do you suggest I do?"

"Leave him."

"Leave my four-year-old alone? No!"

"Leave him with *Lucas Roberts.*"

"What?"

"Don't be cute, Sami. I know he's there with you, and I know that your son is his, too."

"We've got her, Alan," Lucas said loudly.

"Don't pretend that you're on my side! You were the one who told everyone I raped Sami!" Alan's voice rose.

"And I was wrong. Sami's a conniving little bitch. You know that she just ruined my marriage!" As Lucas spoke, his voice was angry, but he shook his head "no" and looked earnestly at Sami. She nodded. Actions spoke louder than words, and she had years of actions on which she could judge Lucas.

"Than you'll stay with the kid and let me have Sami?"

"You do whatever you want with her, Alan. I only hope you'll decide to take her far enough away that she won't be able to try to stop me from seeing *my* son again."

"I just might help you out. Okay, Sami, start walking."

"I'm at the apartment door. Where do you want me to go?"

"Down and out, of course." Sami took a deep breath and left. She had counted on Lucas following her, but she didn't want him here at Will's expense. She stood in front of the building.

"I'm right in front of-"

"I know." That voice hadn't come from the phone. A hand was on her neck and guiding her across the street. "You've gotten prettier since you were sixteen."

"You haven't." Alan idly kicked Lucas' flashy little car, which was parked nearby. "Are you taking me to Belle?"

"Give me the phone. And look natural. You're happy to be going out on a date with me."

"Whatever you say."

"That's exactly right."

If Sami had thought that spending time in silence with Lucas was bad, this was much, much worse. They walked for several blocks. In a circle.

"Alan, we just walked in a circle."

"I don't want you being followed. But we're here."

"We're almost back where we started."

"Now, how did you think I knew that Lucas was with you, or when your parents and the cops left?" They were entering the building directly across the street from the one which housed the Penthouse. Alan grabbed her wrist firmly, only to have it knocked away.

By Lucas.

"What are you doing here? Where's your precious kid?"

"He'll be fine for the few minutes it'll take me to dispose of you!"

"You wish!"

Punches were thrown, blows were exchanged, but Sami barely had a chance to worry, because Lucas was getting the upper hand easily. She just hoped that Alan wasn't carrying a gun. She suspected he wasn't, since he hadn't pointed it at her. Maybe he'd learned a lesson about the dangers of running around with illegal weapons.

Lucas had successfully pinned Alan against the wall when the red and blue reflecting lights of a police car caught the collective eye of the three.

"Go get them, Sami, I'm okay."

"I'll be right back."

She ran outside. "JOHN!"

"Samantha, what's going on?"

"They're in that building! Come on, hurry!" Neither her stepfather nor her mother nor the policemen had to be told twice. But when they ran inside, Lucas and Alan were gone. "I left them here," she said helplessly. "Lucas and Alan fought, and Lucas won. He was holding Alan against this wall thirty seconds ago."

"What about Belle?"

"He must have had her tied in one of the apartments upstairs."

"Seal the exits! We're going over every room in this place with a fine-toothed comb!" The ranking policeman's orders faded to the edge of Sami's consciousness as she followed her stepfather and mother upstairs.

"Go back down, Sami. You too, Doc."

"No. I'm the one whose been playing cat-and-mouse with him all evening. I'm the one who talked to Belle."

"I am NOT staying away from my daughter, and when did you talk to Belle?"

They were all moving together by this time, John having wisely decided against arguing with his wife and sometime daughter.

"When Alan called me, he took the gag off of her for a minute and had her say my name to prove she was there."

"BELLE!"

"She's gagged! She can't answer, Mom! LUCAS!"

No one answered, and the trio began to systematically bang on the doors of the mostly deserted apartments and rooms on the highest floor of the old building. They could hear the commotion being caused by the presence of the police below. Sami wrenched a doorknob, and to her surprise it opened, and she was pulled inside. Luckily, she had the presence of mind to scream, and John's fist connected very nicely with Alan's jaw. Light flooded the previously darkened room.

John left a now-unconscious Alan to the police and ran to his youngest child. "Belle? Oh my God, Belle." She was still tied, and began babbling incoherently as soon as her father pulled the gag from her mouth. Both of her parents were fussing over her, and it was obvious to Sami that she was at least physically fine.

"Sami?" One of the policemen beckoned her toward the far corner of the room. She recognized the man, although his name slipped her mind; he had been with the department since she was a little girl, and must have been a friend of her father's or John's. Probably both. She walked over to him. "Is this your friend Lucas?"

She very nearly answered "he isn't my friend," but decided that she did not want to sound like her fifteen-year-old sister did every time anyone mistook Shawn-Douglas Brady for her boyfriend. Besides, Lucas had been her friend that night, and why was he unconscious?

Willpower: A Sami and Lucas Story
Part Five of Six: Pain
February 9, 2000

Sami wandered around the hospital corridor, not sure what to do with herself. Belle had already been treated and released, and she was back home with her parents, Brady, and Will. A tiny fraction of her mind was still annoyed that Lucas had left Will alone when he'd come after her and Alan. He had been alone for all of fifteen minutes, and had stayed asleep, but still . . . the rest of her mind was worried about Lucas, and, of course, about Belle. But Belle was surrounded by a loving family at the moment, and no one was here for Lucas, which was why she had stayed at the hospital.

"Sami?"

"Dr. Wesley? Is Lucas all right?"

"Yes. It was a very routine appendectomy. Besides, we're especially careful with Hortons at this hospital."

"Still, I thought that something awful might have happened. He was in a very physical fight a few minutes before we found him unconscious. He must have still been holding Alan against the wall when he got sick, and Alan probably carried him upstairs to find some kind of bizarre way to punish him."

"Sounds like a nice guy, this Alan."

"Oh, you have no idea."

"Can I just ask you a couple of questions?"

"Sure. I mean, I don't know if I'll know the answers."

"Did you have any reason to suspect that this was coming? Did he? I realize you don't always get along, but since you were with him in the hours leading up to his attack-"

"Actually, he showed the classic warning signs-- nausea and fever, right?"

"Right. I almost forgot you were a doctor's kid."

"I'm sorry I didn't think of it at the time, not that we could have done much in the situation. You're sure he's okay now?"

"As if you CARE, you little witch! What have you done to my son to put him in the hospital?"

"Mrs. Roberts," Craig began, stepping between Sami and Kate, "your son had an attack of appendicitis and we removed his appendix. As these things go, it was quite routine, and he's resting comfortably. He'll make a full recovery; he'll potentially be up to talking in a few minutes, so I suggest that you calm down."

Kate continued to glare and flare her nostrils at Sami. "Why are there cops outside his room?"

"He was involved in the Belle Black kidnapping case and they want his statement. Oh, he has a couple of bruises from that fight, too, but it looks like he really came out on top before he got sick."

Kate nodded. "May I see him now?"

"Of course, but call me if he comes around and don't excite him." Kate moved toward the door, still glaring at Sami over her shoulder.

"And don't YOU try anything. I know that you're responsible for this, Sami!"

Sami rolled her eyes. Lucas had always had positive aspects to his personality, but Kate was another story.

"You're right, Kate. I did cause this, and I'll dot he same to you." She glared at her rival, trying to imitate the eerie stare her sister's friend Chloe seemed to have perfected. "Your heartbeat is getting slower . . . slower . . . slower . . . your heart is stopping . . ." Kate walked off without another word, but Sami noticed that hand had gone unconsciously to left side of her chest. Sami giggled, and saw that Craig looked amused, too.

Sami decided to get a drink in the cafeteria before returning to the Penthouse. She wasn't eager to go "home," since she had been the one who had caused the biggest crisis that had yet happened to her youngest sibling. Even if the incident had not been her fault, she would not have been eager to watch Belle deal with an all-to-familiar trauma. Still, if Belle hadn't yet decided that she hated Sami, she might be able to help. Besides, Will was still at the Penthouse, and he was always the bottom line.

She would stop by her son's father's room once more before leaving, though. She owed it to Will to see that Lucas was all right. Her family would probably ask after him, as well. Surprisingly, both Kate and the policemen had left the area. Craig must have ordered that Lucas be left alone to rest. But since when had Sami Brady listened to the orders handed out by hospital personnel?

"Lucas?" she whispered as she slipped inside the room.

"Sami? What are you doing here?"

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. They give you great drugs in this place."

"That's good."

There was a drawn out pause.

"Thank you for helping with my sister."

"You don't have to thank me for that. I was partly responsible."

"No, you weren't. It was all me, like it always is. If I hadn't exposed Nicole, Alan would have stayed beneath whatever rock he crawled under after we got through with him the last time." She paused. "I know you aren't gonna believe this is true, but I didn't hurt you on purpose last night. I doubt that that will make you feel any better, but I was only after Nicole because she hurt Eric."

Lucas looked at her with a hint of challenge in his eyes. "And?"

"And, and I'm sorry. You deserved better than that. But you deserved better than Nicole, too. You deserve someone who will really love you, and Will."

"I think you said it better this afternoon. No one is going to love me that way, Sami. I might have been better off not knowing about Nicole."

"No, that's not true! It's not true at ALL, Lucas. Remember my friend Jamie?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"She was head over heels in love with you, and she knew you. She watched you do the worst things you've ever done, and all she wanted was to be your friend, well, more than your friend, and help you feel better about losing Carrie." Lucas didn't look like he believed her.

"And she never mentioned this to me?"

"She mentioned it ALL THE TIME! You just weren't paying attention to her. Look, Lucas, I know how you feel. Anything anyone can say about you they can say ten times about me. And they have."

"Yes, but you do have guys hanging all over you now, Sami. I have to admit, you could have kept Austin if you'd wanted him. And then there's Brandon."

"You didn't hear-- no, I guess you wouldn't have."

"What?"

"Abe arrested Brandon tonight. He didn't get counseling like he promised. And apparently he was so distracted by the truth about Nicole's marriage coming out, when the cops went to get him he started babbling about how he wouldn't have agreed to let Nicole fly Alan into town if he'd known what he was. He thought that Alan would go after me, not Belle, and he'd be right there to comfort me." She snorted in disgust.

"Wow, it's great taste in boyfriends and girlfriends that you and I have, huh?"

"The best. I guess I shouldn't be talking to you about this when you're barely out of surgery, though."

"Oh, believe me, this is a lot better than the last time I was in the hospital." Waking up, terrified that he'd killed his son, not being allowed to see him, and knowing that he'd murdered Franco Kelly but quickly being put in a position of not being able to confess was not an experience he cared to repeat.

"I remember. You dodged the nurses and the doctors and the cops to sneak in and see Will."

"I was so scared that he was hurt and it was my fault."

"And I was scared that I would never see him again if I went to jail over Franco."

"I know. I almost told you--" he broke off suddenly.

"What? Almost told me what you knew that could have kept me from spending a year or so in prison and getting a lethal injection?"

"No! I mean, I almost told you--"

"Oh, save it! You know what, Lucas, I was really enjoying being on civil terms with you for the five hours or so it lasted, but--"

"What?"

"You know what?"

"No, I don't, but I think I'd like you to tell me."

"I want to make our truce permanent. I won't mention whatever it is that you know about that, and you don't mention that one lie that I actually got away with."

"Sami."

"That's MORE than fair."

"I was just going to say that I've been asking for a truce for years."

"Oh, okay, then."

"Is Belle all right? I mean, physically."

"Yeah. Barely even a scratch, but I don't think she'll be back in school for a week. She is lucky she had you on her side. You really were amazing when you fought Alan."

"Well, I learned more in school than how to wear that uniform you used to like so much."

She smiled at the memory, but he was losing his fight with exhaustion and he knew it.

"Good night, Sami."

"Good night, General."

Outside the room, an eavesdropping Kate was less than pleased. She had only caught the tail end of the conversation, but it had sounded far too civil for her liking. She was at least relieved that Lucas apparently hadn't decided to tell Sami everything about Franco's murder, but she did not want another son falling under the spell of Sami "Spider Woman" Brady. Austin had been bad enough, but she'd known it wouldn't last because he simply had not been over Carrie. Lucas, though, was ripe to fall, and fall hard. She'd seen signs of his feelings of friendship for Sami growing into something more years ago. When she had finally gotten off that awful fishing boat, she had seen them together and even hoped they were a couple.

Then she had found out what sweet young Sami had become over the years. She was still the best friend Lucas had and the chance that his feelings for her would grow stronger was still there. Her worst fears had been confirmed soon after Austin had run over Sami with his car and the little witch had done her the favor of dying. Lucas had sat by her bedside, much as she was sitting by his now, and begged her not to die. Austin had, too, out of a sense of guilt and responsibility, but Lucas' plea not to leave him alone had been what had wrenched her heart. How could Lucas say that he felt alone except when he was with Sami?

She had known, after framing Sami for the murder of Franco, that if Sami had given Lucas the time of day he would have confessed all to her. She had sent him out of town on the day she was to be executed, but he had found out and run back to Salem, had beaten on the glass of the execution chamber like a fool, screaming that he had been the one to shoot Franco. Some fast talking had gotten him out of his confession later, but she was fairly sure that none of the Bradys, particularly Roman, had believed their story.

As long as the story was unbelieved except by the legal system anyway, she knew what she had to do when Miss Brady came out of the room.

"Sami! Did you have a nice chat with my son?"

"Why, yes, I did, Kate. Thankfully Lucas did not inherit your conversational abilities, or lack thereof."

"Lucas has inherited many things from me, though. Loyalty, for example. You know, he would do anything for me. Even kill."

"How nice for you. Too bad he's barely speaking to you now."

"Actually, he's not speaking *for* me. You know, in business dealings, it's good to have a partner who is discreet. In other kinds of dealings, as well."

"What kinds would those be?"

"Oh, all kinds. Crime . . . revenge."

"I guess you would know about those."

"Oh, I do. So does he. Lucas would never turn on me, unlike some people. Franco turned on me. He tried to kill me, you know. He would have hit me right over the head. But Lucas, he wouldn't allow that to happen. I'll never be able to thank him enough. But, I've been remiss in my thanks to you. If you hadn't been waving your silly gun at Lucas earlier, he wouldn't have known where to find it so he could save me."

"Well, I can't say you're welcome, Kate."

"What?"

"I said, I can't say you're welcome, Kate."

"Don't you understand? It was LUCAS who killed your fiance the summer before last!"

"I already *knew* that, Kate. I've been saying that for years. It's blood under the bridge. And now, if you'll excuse me, I've been running all over town for almost twenty-four hours straight, and I'd like to go home."

Willpower: A Sami and Lucas Story
Part Six of Six: For Will
February 9, 2000

Sami Brady was happier than she had been for a long, long time. Almost two months had passed since the horrible two-day span that had begun with her "date" with Brandon and had ended with an early morning return to the Penthouse to find that her little sister had barely been phased by spending hours as the hostage of a psychopath and was in fact waiting up for HER.

Belle had still insisted that her big sister stay at home for a while, in case she needed sisterly advice. Her idea of sisterly advice was not "how to deal with being kidnapped, or having your parents kidnapped," but "which color skirt is going to make Shawn look at me as pretty and not as his almost-cousin?" That, thought Sami, was exactly as it should be.

Now, though, she was finally getting her own apartment. It was about time. She had had one for a while, but it had been a true dump, sought out by Lucas only to make Austin worry about Will's safety. And Will HAD been kidnapped by Sami's neighbor, Mary. Talk about being careful what you wished for.

Will, luckily, had no memories of that particular ordeal. He was a happy little boy, and today he was getting his fondest wish. He was going to get a home with both his father and his mother.

Sami was slightly apprehensive about having Lucas as a roommate. They had decided that it was high time they put their personal differences aside for Will's sake. Since neither one of them had any inclination (or permission) to move back to the Kiriakis Mansion, and neither one of them had a roommate lined up, the best solution seemed to be sharing an apartment. They had briefly toyed with the idea of simply living in the same building, or adjacent buildings, but Lucas refused to live anywhere, or allow Will to live anywhere, that would have fallen into Sami's budget range. He was still upset over the Mary Incident, as well. Marlena's penthouse and Greta's appallingly expensive living space had nothing on the new home Sami, Lucas, and Will had finally agreed upon.

"Living with Lucas won't be so bad," she reminded herself. They had enough room that they wouldn't have to see each other at all except when they put Will to bed or ate meals with him, if they so desired. Besides, when they had been scheming against Carrie and Austin-- that suddenly seemed like eons ago!-- Lucas practically had been living with her. He had visited her on his lunch hour, after work, before work, on weekends. They'd even occasionally managed to talk about things not named Carrie or Austin. She just hoped he didn't still ignore everyone else in the room when he was watching football. Not that she cared if he ignored HER of course. It wasn't football season, anyway, so she dropped that line of thought.

She was still amazed that they had ended up coming to this arrangement. When Kate had failed to get her to turn on Lucas by admitting to framing Sami for murder, she had gone to Sami's family. Marlena and Roman had been talking the Pub soon before the search party for Hope and Stefano left for Europe, when Kate had arrived.

"Hello, Roman. I see you've decided to use your formidable detective skills for something besides claiming that people you don't happen to like framed your daughter for murder."

"Now, Kate, I like you just fine. And I do believe that you know more about Franco's murder than you ever told. Lucas was about to crack at least half a dozen times before you came in and rescued him."

"He was *not* about to crack, Roman. He had nothing to crack over."

"Yes, I understand. And he just confessed to Franco's murder to save Sami, whom he hated. You've been telling me this for months. Did you just come over to tell me again?"

"Actually, I just wanted to see how you were all doing. Victor is so concerned about Bo, obviously, and I wanted to make sure all was well. Is that so bad?"

"Of course not, Kate," said Marlena soothingly.

"Thank you, Marlena. I'm glad to see that you're still a courteous person, unlike your demon of a daughter, who apparently got her social skills from her father."

"Kate, I don't mind your being here, but I would appreciate it if you did not insult Sami in my presence, or anywhere else for that matter."

"And while you're at it, Kate, I'd appreciate it if you stopped insulting me as well!" added Roman.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Roman. But it's hard to control myself around you, knowing how hard you tried to upset my son after that horrible accident with Will all those months ago."

"I was not trying to upset him, I was trying to find the truth."

"And you couldn't quite do it, could you?"

"Oh, you admit it, then?"

"What did I admit?"

"That you and Lucas didn't tell me everything you knew about Franco's murder."

"Why do you care? Sami's home and safe."

"She is, but she lost almost a year of her life that she'll never get back, and she nearly died in that execution chamber."

"Well, you didn't let her die. You got Roberto's confession."

"Not to mention another confession from Lucas. He's the one who deserved to be in that jail cell. Your son is a cold-blooded killer."

"Don't speak about my son that way! He only did it to save me!"

"What?" Kate smirked. She had as much as admitted the crime, and Roman Brady was not going to be allowing his little Peanut to spend time with Lucas now. Therefore, Lucas would not be able to convince himself he was in love that little piece of trash. Sami was no better than Nicole, and they knew how well his marriage to Nicole had worked out.

"What did you say, Kate?" asked Marlena dangerously.

"I said that Lucas would not kill in cold blood."
"And under what circumstances *would* he kill?"

"Well, hypothetically, of course, he would kill to save someone he loved."

"There was no 'hypothetically' about it, Kate. Franco threatened you, Lucas shot Franco and took off with Will, and you framed Sami to cover your son's tracks."

"And it only took you two years to figure that out, Roman. I'm so proud of you."

She was not able to continue goading Roman because Marlena slapped her across her face. Then she slapped her again, and might have continued had not Caroline come between them.

Roman, who just might have been reconsidering his "I can't hit a girl" standpoint, had gone off to see about re-opening the case. Kate denied everything on the record, and Roman and Marlena's statements were not going to stand up in court.

Kate's only error had been forgetting to inform Lucas, even after she had completed her work, of her plan. He had walked quite unsuspectingly into the Penthouse to drop off Will later that afternoon, and promptly had to duck a punch from Eric.

"What's wrong with you?!" he demanded, shifting Will to his other side, away from Eric.

"Uncle Eric? What did I do?" asked Will, sounding justifiably frightened.

"Go upstairs and put my nephew down, and then get back here," growled Eric.

"Uncle Eric, you can't hurt Daddy!"

"Did I hear Will?" asked Sami. She observed the anger on Eric's face, the fear on Will's, and the confusion mixed with fury on Lucas'. "Eric, what's going on?"

"Didn't you talk to Mom and Dad?"

"No, I haven't seen them all day, why?"

"I'll tell you after Will goes upstairs. Take him, Lucas, and then get back down here."

"Listen, Brady, you can't order me around!"

"General, do as he says, please," said Sami, trying to keep Will from growing any more upset then he already was.

"Mommy, Uncle Eric hit Daddy."

"It's okay, Honey. Uncle Eric won't hit Daddy."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise. So does Uncle Eric. Right, Uncle Eric?"

"Yeah, I promise. I won't hit your Daddy, Will. I'm sorry for scaring you, okay?"

"Okay." Will and Lucas went upstairs, and Sami's voice lost its sweet tone.

"Eric Roman Brady, WHAT is going on?"

"Mom and Dad ran into Kate at the Pub today, and do you know what she said? Do you know what she said? She said that Lucas shot Franco and she framed you, and then she rubbed their faces in it! Grandma had to pull Mom off her, and Dad's getting the case reopened right now."

"So? Eric, we've always known that they were the ones who did it."

"What are you talking about, Sami? She admitted it!"

"Good for her. Why were you terrifying my son?"

"I didn't mean to. But I'm going to hurt Lucas very badly as soon as he has the guts to show his face down here again!"

"No, you won't. You will not touch Lucas."

"And why not?"

"According to your story, Lucas killed Franco in self-defense and Kate framed me?"

"Yes."

"So Kate's the one we're mad at. Not Lucas."

"He knew the truth."

"It's over now."

"You lost a year. You almost lost your life! Sami, why aren't you upset?"

"I forgave Lucas, Eric, and I wish you would, too."

"You don't even want me to hit him a few times?"

"First, I believe you heard me promise my son that you wouldn't touch him, and second, you could never take Lucas in a fair fight."

"Watch."

"I will not. Look, Eric, we already knew what happened. If Kate confirmed it, fine. If not, fine. We don't have to hang on to this."

"Is this really what you want?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Thank you, Eric." Sami hugged her twin. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

"Is Daddy really trying to bring charges against both of them?"

"Yeah. If you want to try to stop him, you don't have much time."

"Okay. Thanks."

Sami called the police station and argued with her father, who hadn't had much of a chance of re-opening the case anyway. Her conversation with him was markedly similar to the one she had had with Eric. And in the end, she had her way, and her family remained supportive of her friendship with Lucas.

*********

"Mommy? Daddy? I can't sleep in my new room."

"Why not, Buddy? We have everything just like you wanted." Will shrugged. He had a determined pout on his face, and Lucas deemed it best not to mention just then how much he looked like his mother.

"Do you want me or your Mommy?"

"I want Mommy AND Daddy!"

"Well, Sami? Think we can handle spending a few more minutes in each other's company?"

"If it's for Will, I bet we can do it."

Will was a very stubborn child (neither Sami nor Lucas could figure out from where he had inherited this particular personality trait) and Sami and Lucas ended up spending more than a few minutes in his bedroom before he finally dropped off to sleep. They exited quietly, closing the door behind them.

"Sami, sometimes you are a remarkably patient person."

"So are you."

"Not usually, of course."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, when we were moving Will's toybox, if you could have moved at slightly less than the speed of light, the chest and I might not have hit the door jamb."

"Oh, sorry, if you hadn't--"

"Keep your voice down! Do you want to wake him up again?"

"You started this, Lucas, and if you think I'm going to just shut up--"

Seeing that there was no other sure way of keeping her from waking their son up, Lucas kissed her. Sami was shocked, but not too shocked to kiss him back. This was not like kissing Austin. That had so often been more about Carrie than about either of the. It was not like kissing Franco. Franco had been a good kisser by anyone's definition, she assumed, but there had been no emotional involvement on his part. This was incredible, but strange, because she was kissing *Lucas*, General, her best friend and worst enemy, the father of her child, her partner in crime, the one she was trying to get rid of, the clown, the jerk, her savior, Lucas. It ended too soon.

"Lucas? What was that?"

"Don't read too much into it. I only did it so you wouldn't wake our son. I did it for Will."

"For Will?"

"For Will."

"No other reason?"

"None."

"Well, I think Will would be upset."

"Why?"

"He wouldn't want his father to have the upper hand on his mother. He wants us to be on the same team, he wants us to be equal."

"So, what do you suggest?"

"I should kiss you, to make us even."

"For Will?"

"For Will."

"Okay, then."

Sami kissed Lucas. This kiss lasted longer than the first.

"Sami, do you think that Will might benefit from us going out to dinner tomorrow night while he's with Austin?"

"I think that, as good parents, we should spend some time together when he's not around."

"Good. I'm glad you agree with me."

"It had to happen sometime. Lucas?"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we should do that regularly."

"It would be good for Will."

"What if some day it seemed like it would be good for Will if we got married? And had a little sister for him? Not now, of course."

"Someday, he might need us to do that. You're right about that."

"Thank you. Do you think maybe we should kiss again? Just for practice?"

"Now that you mention it, I am kind of out of practice . . ."

And they lived happily ever after, except for when Stefano decided that he should keep bothering the Brady Family, and a random accident sent Lucas into a coma, and an evil look-alike tried to take over Sami's life, and they had to scheme together to keep their various enemies from stealing the company they founded, and other events of that sort occurred.

The End