Disclaimer: I do not own General Hospital. I just write fanfics for amusement, not profit. Hope you all enjoy.

Summary: In 2006, after the fight on the docks when it comes out Elizabeth may be pregnant with Jason's child, Sam comes to apologize to Elizabeth for the harsh words exchanged. They have a surprising heartfelt conversation that changes their views of each, and more importantly, helps them take charge of their lives.

Pairings: Endgame Liason, mentions of Jasam, mentions of LnL2

Timeline: This is after they found out the condoms were faulty, and that there is a chance that Jason is Elizabeth's baby daddy. Sam got catty with Elizabeth at the docks, and after Jason breaks it up, Elizabeth admits she understood Sam's point of view and didn't blame her for her anger.

Inspiration: My thoughts were what if Sam had taken time to cool off, away from everyone fueling the flames of drama, and saw Elizabeth's point of view, too. Then Sam searches out Elizabeth, and you'll have to read what happens.


Seeing Your Truth

By ThroughtheMirrorDarkly


Sam had been harsh, and perhaps, a bit unfair on the docks to Elizabeth.

It had taken her walking away from the situation, and letting the flames of hurt, and anger simmer, to be able to see that. She had just wanted to lash out, to somehow rid herself of the feelings that were pulling her apart from the inside, and when she saw Elizabeth, the darker side of her found it's target. A cruel, vindictive person wasn't what she ever wanted to be, but it's how she was raised. Her adoptive father taught her to attack when someone treaded on your territory, so the moment she found out that Elizabeth might be having Jason's baby, all her animal instincts kicked in. It didn't help that she knew the chances of her having a child had been cut dramatically by the shooting, and while she had gotten past the night of the blackout, this just brought it all rushing back.

But as her temper cooled, a kernel of regret began to blossom in her chest. She knew that Elizabeth's life hadn't been easy, with Lucky popping pills and cheating. She knew the other woman had been through a roll coaster much like herself, but the difference was, Elizabeth still managed to be kind. Yes, she held her own against Sam, but had never crossed a line like Sam had done by implying if Lucky's drug habits were Elizabeth's fault.

And Elizabeth, before the disaster that everything had spiraled into, had been one of the few people in this town that didn't look down their nose at her. When she first showed up, sleeping with both Jax and Sonny, then ended up with Jason while pregnant with Sonny's baby, Elizabeth had been compassionate towards her. Had even encouraged her, and treated her like a normal person, not something the cat dragged in. Part of Sam had wanted to foster a friendship with Elizabeth, but even then, she saw the connection between the nurse and Jason. Jason had reassured Sam that the past was in the past, and she had believed him, so maybe that's what made her so damn angry.

His reassurances meant nothing. The night of the blackout he had given into a piece of him that harbored love for Elizabeth, and now that it was out, it couldn't be put to the back of her mind. Before she had felt secure that he had chosen her, that he felt brave enough to be with her, and no one else, but that illusion was shattered after she had taken that bullet. He shoved her away, made her feel like nothing, and then she had made a mistake that sent him into the arms of the one woman that Sam had always felt could steal him away if she so much showed interest. It was after her anger, she realized the cracks in her and Jason's relationship hadn't been because of Elizabeth or the baby. They had been there way before then, and that was a bitter pill to swallow.

Swallowing her pride, Sam raised her gaze and looked at the nurse who stood at the hub. Elizabeth looked ran down, tired and exhausted, feeling the weight of her actions. A few days ago, Sam would have felt a sense of satisfaction, but now she felt hollow. Emptied out, except her mind. Her mind was filled with questions that plagued her, and no matter how painful it would be, she needed to ask them to put them out her head.

She waited until Elizabeth had went on break, and followed the other woman down the hall. When she was certain they were alone, Sam dared to call out. "Elizabeth," she said, and watched the other woman cringe. She didn't blame her. She was sure that the other woman was getting nasty comments left and right, from Carly and Lulu. She was probably resigning herself to another attack, and that nagging guilt feeling stabbed Sam in her gut. "Wait."

Elizabeth sighed, and turned around. "Look, Sam, I don't want to fight again. I get that this is…an uncomfortable situation, but none of can change what happened," the nurse said, tiredly. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and looked at the other woman hoping that this wouldn't dissolve into another spat. "We all have to deal with the consequences of that night, and our choices. None of us are blameless, but I'm not going to be everyone's punching bag."

"No, no, I'm not here to do that. I promise," Sam said, earnestly. "I just wanted…to apologize for attacking you the other day. I know you didn't go to Jason intended on getting pregnant. I know that you used protection, and it was faulty, and that was beyond anyone's control."

Elizabeth softened, realizing Sam was genuine in her intent. "Well, to be fair if the roles had been reversed, I would be pretty upset and hurt, too," she said, quietly.

"Yes, but instead of laying blame where it needed to be laid, I took it out on you and that's not alright," Sam said, with a heavy sigh. "Jason is the one that owes me an explanation, not you. It's just…just hard to be angry at him, and to face the fact that our relationship was not as steady or solid as I thought it was. The only people to blame for that is Jason and I."

"It was a perfect storm, Sam," Elizabeth said. The two of them took a seat of the bench, and she fiddled with the cap of her water bottle. "If Lucky hadn't been addicted to pills, or cheating, I would have never went to Jason. If Jason hadn't pushed you away, and made you feel alone, you would have never gotten drunk enough to make that mistake."

"And Jason would never have seen it," Sam said, softly. "God, I still can't believe I sunk as low as to sleep with my mother's husband on her living room floor."

"Sam, you were hurting and drunk," Elizabeth said, compassionately.

"It was a mistake," Sam replied.

"And what's wrong with that? We are human. We make mistakes, and we fall down," Elizabeth said, with a light chuckle. "God knows that I've made so many mistakes over the years, and the number of times I have fallen down can't be counted on one hand alone. The important thing is that we own up to them, and try to do better."

Sam found the guilt she held for that night and what she did, ease upward ever so slightly. "We've all made a mess of our lives. All in one night, didn't we?"

"It was a long time coming I think," Elizabeth said, gently. "It just came to a head that night."

Sam gnawed on her lower lip, and ran her fingers through her hair. "Can you…can you tell me why you went to Jason that night? Why not Emily or Nicolas? I just…I just think if I understand, then I can start to figure out where to go from there. I don't want to be controlled by my anger," said the dark haired woman, the bags of exhausted more pronounced underneath her eyes. Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes searched Elizabeth's face.

Elizabeth hesitated, but nodded. "It was because…Jason listens. Not just pretends to listen, either. He really listens to me, and gives me good advice. Emily and Nicolas…they are my friends, but they are there for Lucky first," she admitted, painfully. Her jaw trembled, and her heart broken at the thought. It was the first time she acknowledged it outloud. "They always push me back towards Lucky. Make me feel like I owe Lucky, instead of telling me to do what's best for Cameron and myself."

"And Jason did that," Sam said, softly.

"Yes," Elizabeth nodded. "He was the only one on my side. So when my life fell apart, it was my first instinct to go to him because I knew he'd give me unbiased advice. What followed…" She sighed, heavily. "It wasn't planned. We were both hurting, and needed something to hold onto."

Sam swallowed, harshly. It was hard to hear this, and it hurt so much more than she thought, but the anger didn't come back. Instead, she found herself understanding better than she thought she could. "Do you love him? Jason, I mean?" She needed to ask.

Elizabeth held the bottle with a knuckle white grip. "A part of me will always love Jason, but am I in love with suddenly because of that night? No, but that night helped me realize that I wasn't in love with Lucky, anymore," she answered, honestly. "Could I fall for Jason? Sure, if things were different, but there is too much chaos right now. He has unresolved relationship with you, and I…I don't want to throw myself into another relationship when I'm closing the chapter on Lucky and I."

Sam felt a little better, but not a whole lot. Elizabeth acknowledging that Sam and Jason had stuff still left unresolved, made Sam think hard on her relationship with Jason. They had come into each other's lives unexpectedly, and had dislike each other in the beginning. After the loss of Lila, she had threw herself into being this ride and die chick that could handle Jason's world. Except there was a part of her that wanted a family, and in the mob world, having a family was just not possible.

Sonny had one, but Sam didn't want to be like Sonny. His kids were always targets, and Sonny himself ended up hurting them more than his actual enemies, even though he did love them the best he could. Sam didn't want that for her family, so part of her had always hoped that Jason would leave that life, eventually.

Only a bullet stole that possibility, and she couldn't have a family with anyone, let alone Jason. Maybe that's why it stung so bad that Jason might be having a baby with Elizabeth. He couldn't give that to Sam, even before the damage of the bullet could be done, but on a chance now had it with another woman. Add onto her insecurities, and all the other fractures that had been put to the back burner in light of the next crisis, Sam wondered how Jason and her had made it this far. It hurt to think, but what if they were settling? Because they were afraid to hope for something better, so they took what they got?

It didn't mean she loved Jason any less, but Sam had a feeling she needed to reevaluate her relationship with Jason, because she didn't want to start to rebuild only to crumble apart later when it would hurt more. If it was going to fall apart, she would make it a clean and swift cut, rather than an ugly, jagged slash later down the road. "Has the paternity test come back?" Sam asked.

"Tomorrow," Elizabeth whispered.

Sam nodded, knowing that the test could change all their lives, but that night had already set them on different paths. "It's none of my business," Sam said, slowly, "but who do you hope is the baby's father?"

Elizabeth paused, looking down. "I…" She looked back up at Sam, with apologetic look in her eyes. "I hope that it's Jason. Not because I want to be with Jason, but because my life with Lucky is over. We aren't those fifteen year old kids who believed true love conquers all, and all that's happened has made that painfully clear. If the baby is Jason, then it makes…"

"Closing the door on Lucky and your relationship easier," Sam finished, softly. "I understand."

"Yeah," Elizabeth sighed. "I wanted it to work, you know? Lucky and I, but part of me could always see the end? Part of me always knew Lucky felt he had to be the hero, but I wasn't the girl in the snow who needed to be saved anymore. I had grown, and learned to save myself, and Lucky could never see that. He also had issues that I was the breadwinner in the family, and it hurt his pride," she said, unburdening the thoughts that had been inside of her. "I sucked it up, and tried to push through all of it, especially when he was hurt, but what man puts his pride before his family? I know I am no saint, but I do what I have to for my family. It just kills me that our family wasn't enough for him."

Sam's throat bobbed. Sometimes, though she never liked to admit it, she could see the end of her relationship with Jason. Like they were living on borrowed time, until there wasn't a crisis, and then they had to face all the issues between them. Her insecurities, Jason's constant worry of danger, and while their lives were in sync when it came to danger, when it came to the everyday normal things, they were oceans apart. Maybe it was time to talk to Jason, and try to bridge that gap, and if not then maybe she needed to learn to let go. "For what it is worth, I know how it feels to be in abusive relationship," she recalled one of her ex-husbands. She intended to con him, and then found herself being beat, and throw around. "You have to do what you have to for yourself and your children. Lucky has to get better on his own, and for himself. No one can do that for him."

"Thank you, Sam," Elizabeth said, quietly.

Sam sat there, idle for another moment, and then drew in a deep breath. "Can I ask you something, and feel free to tell me no?" She said, looking at the nurse.

"Sure," Elizabeth allowed.

"Can…can I be there when you open your test results?" Sam asked.

Elizabeth stared, shocked. "Why?"

"Because I have a relationship to fix, or to move on from, and knowing if Jason is the baby's father is going to be a big part of that decision," Sam replied, honestly. "And I know how it feels to be on the end of a paternity scandal, and I know how scary that is. I know that we…we aren't exactly friends, but we are in this together whether we like or not. We might as well do the best we can here."

Elizabeth thought about it, and then nodded. "I wouldn't mind if you were there. I mean, this isn't my first paternity scandal," she admitted, with a sheepish expression. "But I don't…I don't want to be alone when I open those results. It is going to change so much, no matter who my baby's father is, and I don't have many people on my side right now, so thank you."

Sam smiled, thinly. "Well, I need to go have a discussion. If I put it off any longer than I will lose my nerve, and I have to do this," she said, steeling her resolve.

Elizabeth understood, and rose from the bench. "I guess, I'll see you later."

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "See you later."


RRs are appreciated! :D