Howdy all! Well, I've been a fanfiction writer for a couple of years now, but this is my very first Days of Our Lives Fic! I've been watching the show for awhile now and finally decided to try something new in writing a fanfic for a different show.
The idea for this story hit me way back when Sami was on her way to the church to marry Austin and somehow she and EJ were stuck in an abandoned house. I thought the way they were interacting was just too cute! Austin and Sami are not my idea of a good couple and neither are Lucas and Carrie! I'm a faithful Lumi shipper and have been for a few years now! Although, I do think that the chemistry between Sami and EJ is fabulous. And I just hate the way the storyline on Days is going right now – why did the writers make EJ a Dimera?! I loved it way better when everyone thought he was the good guy.
So once my idea hit me, I'm left wondering what would happen if EJ had come into Sami's life in a different way? What if Sami could truly become the person she was meant to be without any secrets and lies? And would Sami and Lucas ever get their happily ever after? (And yes, this will be a LUMI fic!)
So, I decided to pursue this idea. I'd appreciate any comments or constructive criticism. This story takes place after Carrie and Lucas got married and before Austin and Sami tried to get married again. I hope you guys like it! Please review.
Note: I do not own the characters of Days of Our Lives. This fic is for entertainment purposes only.
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Summary: She was sick and tired of being alone. She was done being bitter and hated. She knew she could be a better person. And that's why she left Salem. She was determined to change.
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Exactly forty days after her disastrous wedding to Austin had failed; Samantha Brady sat looking through her window toward the quiet streets of Salem. It was cold and dark; the sky had been angry for a week, and the rain made gentle tapping sounds against the window. Around her, sat boxes and boxes, all taped up and ready to be donated to the Salvation Army. A single suitcase and a duffle bag sat by the door, just waiting for her to pick them up and leave.
Sami sighed as she moved away from the window, walking around her now empty apartment. She felt tears come to her eyes as she walked around the tiny space, her left hand touching the walls as she walked. It was going to be hard to leave a place that had she had called home for many years. A place that was filled with memories, some that were good, other memories that were bad but it was going to be hard to leave nonetheless.
Her life was a mess. Her son hated her so much that he couldn't even stand to look at her. Will was her pride and joy and it was going to hurt to leave him behind. Sami knew that Will would understand why she was leaving – she needed to change herself. She needed (and wanted) to become a better person but she had to do it away from Salem. Away from anyone and everyone who thought of her as the manipulative bitch.
As much as she hated to admit it, Sami didn't have anyone left. She was alone and she hated it. Hated the word, hated how it sounded and hated how she was always associated with it. She hated loneliness and the feeling of being unloved and unaccepted. She did everything she could to avoid being alone and in the end it seemed she would always end up back at square one, having no one to depend on but herself.
Well no more.
The blonde woman glanced at the papers lying on her kitchen counter. A one way ticket to Chicago. It had been the first flight she had been able to book out of Salem. Next to the papers, sat three envelopes, each addressed to different people. She had no idea when the envelopes would be discovered but she hoped it would be soon, perhaps in a few days or maybe even first thing in the morning.
Sami reached for her plane ticket and then crossed the room, towards her belongings. She picked up her duffle bag, slinging it over her shoulder and reached for her suitcase. Opening the door to her apartment, she cast one last glance around her former home. Blinking back tears, Sami turned away and headed out the door, dragging her suitcase behind her. In the hallway, Sami stood still for a moment, casting a longing glance at the apartment across from hers. She gave a large sniffle and bit her lip, still refusing to let the tears fall.
As she sat in the cab ignoring the driver's curious glances, the tears that she had been desperate to hold back slid their way down her cheeks. Glancing out the window at the dark sky, she watched buildings and houses fly by, her heart breaking a little more every second.
Please be happy, she prayed as she thought of Will and Lucas, Austin and Carrie and even her parents.
We'll meet again someday, when I'm a better person. Until then, please God, let them be happy.
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Sami clutched her bag tightly as she boarded the plane. For a second, she was tempted to turn around and run back to the apartment and forget the idea of leaving Salem had ever existed. But she didn't run. Her legs continued to move forward, through the tunnel and towards her seat on the plane. She placed her duffle bag in the overhead compartment and took her seat by the window. The next few minutes passed in a haze. Someone sat next to her, though she paid no attention and stared out the window as the flight attendant gave the usual 'take off' speech and the pilot introduced himself. Sami was not aware of anything until she felt the rumble of the plane as it lifted off the ground.
For what seemed to be the hundredth time that night, Sami began to sob silently. I really did it, she thought. I managed to leave Salem without anyone knowing.
And then the question that had been pushed to the back of her mind came out in full force.
What am I going to do now?
Sami had always been a great planner. With all her years of scheming, she had to have been a great planner. But this was the one time exception. This time she had no idea what she was going to do once her plane landed.
"Excuse me, miss? I don't mean to be nosy, but are you alright?"
Startled, Sami turned to her right and looked at the man sitting next to her. He stared at her with a look of concern on his face. Sami's first thought was that he was a handsome man, probably Australian or British from the sound of his voice and even though he was sitting, she could tell he was a very tall person.
She turned away from him and looked toward the window once more. "I'm fine," she replied, not wanting to talk.
"But you look so sad. Do you want to talk about it? I'm a pretty good listener, you know."
"I said I was fine!" she snapped.
The man next to her held his hands in front of him. "Whoa," he chuckled. "No need to bite my head off."
Sami felt her defensive attitude melt away and she slumped back into her seat. "I'm sorry. It's been a rough couple of months. I wasn't trying to be bitch."
"We've all been through hard times," the man sympathized. "Are you sure you don't need a listening ear?"
Sami sighed. "I'm sad to be leaving home, that's all."
"Then why are you leaving?"
"I had too," she whispered. "I have to prove to my family that I can become a better person. I want them to be proud of me."
"And you're moving to Chicago to become a better person?" The man sounded very curious.
Despite the overwhelming sadness she felt, Sami gave a soft chuckle. "It was the first available flight out of Salem."
"How very spontaneous of you."
"I've done so many stupid things, made so many bad choices – I just had to get away, you know? A new start. A chance to become a different person. I'm so tired of always being the disappointment and being blamed and alone."
The man smiled. "And you think you can become a better person in Chicago?"
She shrugged. "Believe me, I can't get any worse. At least this way, if I screw up, no one is around to see it."
The man chuckled and then extended his hand. "I'm EJ, by the way. EJ Wells."
"Sami Brady," she replied, extending her hand to shake his. "Thanks for listening to me."
"No problem," EJ replied easily. "Now that we're friends, how about I offer you a place to stay once we land?"
"What?" She stared at him incredulously. "EJ, you hardly know me! I can't accept your offer." Privately, Sami was a little wary of the man next to her. He seemed nice but she wasn't stupid enough to trust him completely. What if something bad happened?
"Look, I know we don't know each other, but Sami Brady, I think we're going to become good friends," EJ stated. "I swear to you that I am not some psychopath that's ready to kill you. I'm just offering you a place to stay when we land."
"I couldn't possibly intrude," Sami declined politely. She still didn't feel very comfortable about a complete stranger offering her a place to stay.
"It wouldn't be intruding if I offered, now would it? Besides, it wouldn't be just us, you know," EJ smiled. "I live with my best friends. And believe me, they won't mind if you stay with us. In fact, you can meet them once we land! They'll insist that you come with us, trust me."
Unable to come up with an argument, Sami felt her energy drained out of her. She sighed and leaned back into her seat, closing her eyes as she did so. Despite her doubt, something inside of her told her that EJ's offer was sincere. "Thanks EJ," she murmured quietly. "You don't know me, but you're giving me a chance anyway. It means a lot, thank you."
EJ chuckled. "It's no problem. And let me reassure you again, I am not a psychopath. You can trust me and my friends, I promise."
For the first time that night, the blonde woman felt a genuine smile come to her face. "We'll see," she replied. "We'll see…"
I can't trust anyone that easily anymore.
xxx
"That was a long plane ride," Sami sighed, as she and EJ walked along the tunnel that would lead them into the Chicago Airport. "I know it was only a couple of hours, but it felt like forever."
"Probably because we sat the whole time," EJ replied. "When you're an active person, sitting still is hard."
"At least I've learned to do something new," Sami said. "Sudoku is actually a pretty fun game when you know the rules."
"You must have been a deprived person," the man next to her responded. "I always do crossword puzzles – "
"EJ WELLS!"
Simultaneously, Sami and EJ turned to see two women rushing towards them. One of them was a brunette and was turning heads from male admirers as she walked past. Dressed in a business suit and her hair done to perfection, the woman stopped in front of them with a look of exasperation on her face. The other woman, a red head, was dressed similarly but had a much friendlier expression.
Grinning, EJ dropped his bag and held out his arms to the two women. "Hey ladies, miss me?"
"What a retarded question," the brunette flipped her hair and threw herself into his arms. "No," she rolled her eyes, her sarcastic tone was evident. "We didn't miss you at all. That's why we're here, picking you up from the airport when we could've left you to take a cab."
"That's Marian's way of saying 'yes, we missed you'," the red headed woman cut in as she leaned forward to give a hug to EJ.
"Ladies, I've missed you too," EJ said, pulling back. He then gestured towards Sami, who had been hanging back, watching the scene unfolding before her. She felt nervous as the two women shifted their attention onto her. "I'd like you ladies to meet Samantha Brady – Sami for short. Sami, this is my cousin Marian Wells," he pointed towards the brunette woman. "And the red head here, is Amber Binchy."
"It's nice to meet you," both Amber and Marian said at the same time.
"It's nice to meet you too," Sami responded meekly.
"To make a long story short," EJ said, "Sami is going to stay with us for awhile. She knows no one in Chicago and has no place to stay. Her trip was rather… unplanned and she needs our help. So I offered a room at our place, alright?"
"Of course," Amber replied, casting Sami a friendly look. She tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. "Any friend of EJ's is a friend of ours. You can stay as long as you like."
"Thank you," Sami said, gratefully as Marian gave her a reassuring smile.
EJ grinned and clapped his hands together. "Now that everything is all settled, why don't we all head home? I'm starving!"
"You're always hungry," Amber teased, as the four of them headed towards the baggage claim.
"What's your point?" EJ shrugged his shoulders as Sami became lost in her thoughts.
Her life was about to change drastically, but somehow Sami knew it was going to be a good thing for once. Like so many times before, she swore that this time it would be different – that she would finally start living life as an honest woman and she had a feeling this time it would stick. No Kate Roberts, Lucas or Carrie or even Austin around to distract her. She would prove it to those that loved her that she could change.
She was determined to change.
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