This originally started off as an idea from challenge nine, take two characters and make them siblings... but as usual, what was supposed to be a one shot took on a life of its own....

CHAPTER ONE

"This is crazy." Sam said to the woman she'd thought was her mother. "Even with what you've found out, it's all there in black and white but I still feel like this is some crazy nightmare, and I still keep hoping I'll wake up. Even with the proof in front of me in black and white," and here she shook the manila envelope she was clutching in both hands, "... I still can't believe it."

They were sitting in Alexis' car, the both of them trying to get up the nerve to get out, walk up to the house before them and knock on the door.

Samantha McCall didn't know if she could do it. She didn't know if she could willingly take the steps that would make her world spin out of her control - again. She stared out of the car window, up at the brownstone's windows where the lights glowing from within told her that somebody was home, but not being sure of her welcome, she hesitated.

"I can't believe it either, sweetheart." Alexis was saying. "But it doesn't matter...because I'm not going anywhere… not if you don't want me to."

"Of course I don't want you to go anywhere. I don't think I could do this if you weren't here with me." Sam turned to look at Alexis, only to see her own concern and apprehension reflected back at her, no matter how hard Alexis tried to hide it.

Once upon a time Sam knew that she wouldn't have noticed it; once upon a time, Samantha McCall would have only been concerned with what this news flash meant to her and how it would affect her life. And if she could profit from it. And nothing else would have mattered as much as that. But in the here and now, after a long, long time, Samantha McCall had turned a corner in her life. She could feel it, from somewhere deep inside of her, that Alexis Davis was worried that she'd lose her. Somewhere, somehow, without knowing exactly when it had happened, Samantha McCall had grown up.

Inwardly though, a part of her shrugged at that thought... Sam guessed that almost getting killed by a crazed vengeful serial killer will open up your eyes to a lot of things.

But the fact that Alexis was worried… not relieved… but still wanted to be there for her, was here for her, well, that was a miracle in itself. That after what they'd discovered, she had decided to still stand by her side...well, Sam still marveled at that, along with the crazy karma that had brought her here.

"You're sure about this?" Sam said nervously.

Alexis reached out and touched the large manila envelope clutched in Sam's hands. "We both read the results - and they were undeniable."

"I know." Sam said for what must have been the hundredth time, "I just can't believe it."

"Neither can I." Alexis said. She felt more than a little bit sad. With all of Sam's faults - and Alexis knew that they were legion - Alexis had still tried her best to be a mother to a grown woman who she knew who's main fault was that she was looking for the unconditional love that every little girl looks for. And when she doesn't get it, Alexis knew, she keeps looking for the rest of her life until she does. Sometimes with disastrous results.

Alexis knew that, because Alexis had lived it. Maybe not with the extremes that Sam had reached, but there was an alikeness that was there nevertheless. They may not share DNA, but there was something that bound them together in spite of everything. And that was the little girl inside them, still looking for that unconditional love. Alexis had found it in her girls. And she had tried to share that with Sam.

Given Sam's background and history - which was all too known to too many people in Port Charles - no one would believe it, but Alexis had seen a lot of herself in Sam - especially the truth about that little statement; although no one would ever believe that one if she ever tried to explain it. Probably not even Samantha herself, she thought with a little smile. Maybe one day she would; Alexis hoped she would be there for it. "I'm not going anywhere Sam. Not ever."

Sam turned to her, and Alexis saw the question in her eyes, even while Sam bit back the words that had sprang to her lips.

It was ridiculous, Sam told herself - she was not a little girl - she had never been a little girl - and she wasn't going to start acting like one now.

"Not ever." Alexis repeated. She smiled and answered her unspoken question. "I promise."

Sam felt the sting of tears in her eyes and blinked, surprised at her reaction. Considering at one time how much she'd sworn she hated this woman, Sam was surprised at herself to find out how much Alexis really did care...no, loved her. Alexis had tried so hard to be a mother to her... Sam hadn't seen that until it was almost too late.

And now they both knew that she wasn't.

**I promise. **

Even though the family connection they thought they'd shared had in reality never existed, Alexis meant it - she wasn't going to leave her, Alexis hadn't walked away and had made it clear that she wasn't going to stop loving her. So those two little words meant so much to Sam; she would have never thought they would mean so very, very much. But until Alexis had spoken them, she had no idea that those words would mattered at all.

But they did; so when Alexis smiled at her again, the smile, along with the look in her eyes gave Sam the courage to face whatever was going to happen when she dropped this bombshell into these peoples' lives. Sam was surprised that for once, she actually cared. She guessed that growing up will do that to a person. It makes them care.

"They're expecting us. "So, let's do this." Alexis opened her car door and got out.

"They may be expecting us, but they're not expecting this." Sam got out of the car and came around to the side where Alexis stood waiting. "But you're right, there's no point in putting this off." Her eyes went up to the brownstone before them and they were troubled. Sam had faced a lot of scarier things in her life, but all of a sudden, the cold she felt had nothing to do with the weather. "It's not that I'm expecting a welcome wagon or anything…"

Alexis reached out and squeezed her hand. "Stop looking for the worst."

"I can't help it; my whole life, I keep getting the worst. Every time I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel, it turns out to be the headlights of a train crashing into my life and destroying it." Life had taught her that. And in spite of everything, no matter what she tried to believe, old habits died hard.

"Hey, you got me, and what am I, chopped liver?" Alexis knew that it was a weak joke, but she was determined to try and help Sam any way she could to get through this. And if that meant setting herself up to tell bad jokes, well then, so be it.

Sam had to smile in spite of all the emotions jangling through her insides. Doubt, fears, indecisions... they faded away for a moment. "You know what I mean. I spent my whole life not being wanted…I… I don't know if I can go through that again. It hurts too much, and you know what happens when I get hurt. It isn't pretty for anyone involved." She looked at Alexis for a moment before her eyes dropped. "You know that firsthand."

"I know."

They both did.

"I don't want to do that anymore. I don't want to be that person anymore. But I don't know if I can change."

When Sam was hurt, she lashed out unthinkingly at the closest thing to her. And Alexis had been the recipient of one of her self-destructive rages and the consequences of it had cost Alexis her marriage. Not that it had been built on the most solid of foundations, but Sam and Ric, two wounded souls, had looked for the wrong kind of comfort in all the wrong places - and she'd had the misfortune to have seen it happen. That was a wound that Alexis would probably never ever really heal, but Alexis, a Gatekeeper always and forever, could put her own pain aside for another's sake.

"We can't change what happened, Sam… but we can try and move forward." Alexis told her. "That's what's happening here. We're moving forward. You're moving forward, claiming your life. And you can choose what you're going to do with it."

"I hope so." Sam said, her voice sounding tiny in her ears.

"Have a little faith in yourself." Alexis told her. "I do."

"I know you do." Sam paused and took a deep breath. "I don't know why, but you really do. And no matter how tonight turns out, I just want to thank you for being there for me. Not just for this, but for everything. With the way I treated you when I first discovered that you were my mother, I know a lot of people would have turned their backs on me a long time ago. Even now, with knowing what you know, after everything I've done, you're still here..." her voice still held more than a trace of amazement at that fact.

"And I always will be." Alexis said. She watched as Sam took another deep breath and tossed her hair back.

"I get that. After all this time, I finally get that." Sam's chin lifted slightly and a part of her old bravado came back. "Let's do this."

Together they walked up the stairs to the front door. Alexis moved to knock, but Sam stopped her. "No, from here on out, this is all on me. I'm glad you're here, I really am, Alexis. But this is something I am going to have to do myself."

"However you want to play this is fine with me. I'm here for you - however you need me."

"Just the fact that you're here is enough." Sam told her truthfully. She took a long look at the mourning wreath of white roses that hung on the door, knowing why they were there and it made her hesitate one lat time. For a moment, she doubted herself once more, thinking about the timing of her news. But there was something inside of her that made this news something she couldn't hold inside a moment longer. In the face of loss after loss after loss, this was something that couldn't wait. She knew that there would never be a good time. So now was as good as time as any to do what she had to do.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. As footsteps approached, Alexis reached out her hand. Sam's own hand met her halfway.