A/N. I'm back with another Sam-centric fic that accidentally turned into a Davis Girls story with an unintentional kind of ensemble POV that I started months ago. I haven't actually really watched in months, but I hear they finally brought the Valentin arc back, though from what I can see, he's really not what I imagined. WARNING: This is a SAMTRICK romance story. JaSam will NOT be endgame.
For purposes of this story, I've made quite a few changes from the show that might need some explaining: Sam and Jake were only just good friends (no weird almost moments between them), and Sam accepted Jason's death long ago (with help from Silas); Robin really is away doing her doctor thing; Nathan is without a doubt a Cassidine; Brad and Lucas already got married (Rosalee, who?); Kristina is sans-Parker; Sabrina is not pregnant and didn't sleep with Carlos, and the AJ Quartermaine Memorial Clinic is just getting established and Sabrina works there and Michael runs it (it was funded by the hospital); Dante never slept with Valerie; Lulu doesn't know about Dillon's crush but Maxie and Dante do; Carlos didn't shoot Sonny because he stayed dead when Anna shot him, Michael kept custody of little AJ (because who in their right mind?). Additional info may be included further along or should be easy to figure out, but let me know if you have any questions. The rating may also change in the future.
Okay, I hope you're still with me.
Lyrics and title from The Script
Word Count: 1,731
Set in mid October 2015
Part 1: This is Love
-1-
This is why we do it
This is worth the pain...
This is what I'm left with.
They're both the man I love. Both fathers of my children. Friends, lovers, history, heartache. Family. Betrayal. Comfort. Fear. Obligation. It's all there. This is the reality I'm now facing.
Patrick has been my saving grace these past couple of years. But then, so has Jason. Except, of course, he doesn't remember that. He doesn't remember being my savior, or my destruction. Devoting his heart to me, or ripping mine to shreds. Promises of love or death. He's not my Jason anymore, not really.
All of the things I loved about him are still there at the core, still the man I married. And when he lost everything but his instincts, he chose her. Again. Their connection was obvious to everyone. Hell, I even rooted for them to be together. If he was still my Jason, I would know it. She knew.
She knew. Our sons' father was right here the entire time, and she said nothing. I honestly can't decide whose betrayal hurts worse: hers, or Nikolas's.
He loves his family. I can practically hear the arrogant 'cousin' dripping from his throat like acid when I confront him. I know I should go to Jake—Jason first, but I'm angry, and I am both Cassadine and Jerome at heart, so naturally I'm on a warpath. I hope Elizabeth is there with him, so I can tear Nik a new one and shove it down her throat. Two birds.
Waiting for the ferry to arrive, I try to calm myself. What are you even doing? Go home.
Home. To Danny and Emma. And Patrick. How would I even explain this to him? He'd be understanding, of course, having been in my shoes before. A part of me is afraid that he'll understand so well that he'll let me go, because he's been through this before. He'll try to talk us out of our family, the four of us. Five.
The nausea that hits me has less to do with the new life growing here and more with the guilt I feel for not telling Patrick the moment I found out. My new brother-in-law gave the news over the phone, since I was too excited—and not above threatening Brad—to forgo waiting for my doctor to tell me the results. He congratulated me and told me that Patrick was indeed still at the hospital. I was almost out the door when my phone rang again and an unexpected voice stopped me in my tracks.
Had that really only been a few hours ago? Was it only this morning that I was on my way to give Patrick the news in person because I couldn't wait? Did my ex-boyfriend really just call me out of the blue and blow my world apart?
Lucky spoke with a façade I knew too well before I told him to cut the bull and get right to the chase. And I didn't believe him. I thought about the man I'd gotten to know over the year, my friend. There was no way. But when he told me that Nikolas and Elizabeth knew, somehow it all started to click for me. How stupid I must have been, to only realize after Lucky told me that, of course, Jake was Jason. I'd brushed the similarities under the rug before, chalking it up to my own pathetic desperation to find pieces of Jason wherever I could. But it was so obvious now.
Lucky had known for months. And damn him, he made it hard to assault him with my full wrath, especially over the phone. I don't know what happened to him since he'd been away, but it was obvious that it had broken him. He said that he couldn't bring himself to tell me when he'd last been in town because he was battling his own demons. "Friends always," I'd reminded him accusingly. His guilt was sincere but I wasn't in a forgiving kind of mood. He tried to explain, claiming to be looking out for his sons. "What about my son?" Didn't Danny warrant the same consideration? He went silent, not that I gave him much of a chance to defend himself. I don't even know how long I yelled at him, over his excuses and explanations of intentions to make things rights. Nikolas had told him that I was happy in the life I'd created with Patrick. I swear, I nearly fell to my knees thinking of him, of what my next move should be. Lucky apologized again, and I threw my phone at a wall instead of tapping a button to hang up on him.
What am I going to do? Ripping Nikolas and Elizabeth apart and unraveling their world like they did mine is a nice plan for the short term. But what then? How do I tell Jake—Jason that he's really my husband and Danny's father? How do I tell Patrick that, surprise, we have another thing in common with the whole not-dead spouse thing?
I should call him. I would if I still had my phone, but impulsive pretty much describes ninety percent of my actions. Pregnant, fuming, and alone.
Never a good combination.
Brad grinned at the text that just came in.
Come home soon husband. What good is a day off just spent in bed?
Before he could add his own salacious response, he received the addendum.
*ALONE.
And then another.
Although, I guess I could be naughty by myself in bed.
Or in the shower.
Or anywhere else you can picture me.
The last text came with an actual picture attached. Lucas lying in bed, naked as far as Brad could tell.
"God, he's perfect," the lab tech muttered.
"You've got that, 'inappropriate message' look on your face, so I'm going to assume you're talking to Dr. Jones?"
Brad guiltily slipped his cell in the pocket of his lab coat.
"Ahem. Newlyweds."
Patrick shook his head with a laugh. "No need to apologize. I'm glad me and Sam aren't as obvious as you two."
"Please. You still get that stupid grin on your face every time her name comes up. Speaking of which, did she catch up with you?"
Checking his schedule on the computer at the nurses' station, Patrick's brows creased. "Um, no," he said distractedly before giving Brad his attention. "Was she looking for me?"
"Yeah, a while ago. She said she was on her way here to see you."
"And she called you to say she was coming here to see me?" Patrick asked skeptically.
Having to think on his feet or risk pissing off Sam by telling her secret, Brad kept it pretty vague.
"We...talk from time to time. You know, I am married to her brother. She just mentioned that she might stop in to see you."
"Hm. Well I haven't seen or heard from her since this morning. I'll call her in a few on my break."
Sam was deliberate in her verbal assaults. She always had been, and Lucky had felt the full brunt of it today, even over the phone. He told her that part of his reasoning for keeping this secret had been that his children would still have a father when he left. Nikolas had said that to him all those months ago, and Lucky was almost fully believing it when Sam cut him down.
"If you wanted your sons to have a father you would get over yourself and your daddy issues and be there for them instead of hiding from your responsibilities with drugs or booze or whatever you've been self-medicating with lately!"
But there was no more escaping for him. He hadn't gone back to pills, and the alcohol and adrenaline he'd usually used to help him forget his life had long since lost their euphoric effect.
He owed it to so many people to stop pretending, starting with his kids. He'd been so afraid of turning out like his own father that he just gave up. Weekly calls were enough to keep up the illusion of being a parent, but he hadn't been a part of their lives for years. So he was coming back home.
He could have waited to tell Sam until he got back to Port Charles. But he took the coward's way out. He had an idea of how the fallout would destroy Elizabeth's life, which meant his sons would pay the price as well. He definitely hadn't warned her or Nikolas that he told Sam. He basically threw them into the lion's den, a comparison he was sure wasn't too far off from what they would be facing. It wasn't just Sam; they'd be under attack from the whole town. Lucky was deserving of their vitriol too. He was no better than his brother or Elizabeth, his reasons no less selfish or cowardly.
Tightening his grip on the backpack that he kept filled with the barest of necessities, he boarded the dubious-looking boat and settled for the rocky journey home.
"Hello," Alexis answered her phone sharply. Work was driving her ragged. She was her own boss, for the most part. She shouldn't have to deal with these kinds of problems.
"Alexis." Patrick got the feeling he called at a bad time. "Sorry to disturb you—"
"Oh, no. I welcome the distraction. How are you Patrick?"
"Um, a little worried actually. I'm sure it's nothing, but I haven't been able to get a hold of Sam, and Danny's preschool just called. She was supposed to pick him up a half hour ago and take him to Elizabeth's for a play date with little Jake. I would go but I'm supposed to be prepping for surgery in about five minutes."
"Say no more, I'm on my way. And I'm sure Sam just lost track of time on a case or something."
"Yeah."
They knew that they were lying to each other. Danny was Sam's number one priority, and she would have at least called someone if she wouldn't be able to pick him up.
"And Alexis, you have a spare key to our place, right?"
"Want me to stop by after I drop Danny off?"
"I'd really appreciate it."
"Don't worry. I'll have Sam get in touch with you first thing."
"Thank you, Alexis. I have to get going."
"Okay. I'll see you."
"Bye."
A/N: okay so that was the setup. I hope you guys liked it. let me know what you think so far. ~Ashley
