She didn't listen when they said he was dead. She didn't listen when they said her search was futile. Samantha Morgan knew her soulmate and she knew that he was hurt, but that he was out there fighting…because only God alone could keep him from coming home to her. So she made it her job to find him…just like he would do for her.

Characters in this story belong to General Hospital and their creators. This is a mere retelling of events that I prefer to have happened this way. Jason didn't die, Nicholas didn't go Cassadine mad, and there was no ridiculous undead, already dead plot point child or pairing that would never happen. This is Jason's shooting, JaSam style.

Chapter 1

It had been twenty four-hours since her life took its latest spiral down the crapper. Twenty-four of the longest hours of her life had passed and Samantha Morgan was on a mission. Her husband was missing and just like he would for her, she was moving heaven and earth to find him. Not caring that everybody from Sonny, who'd brought her the horrible news, to the Search and Rescue team who gave up and turned into Search and Recovery instead, tried to tell her he was dead, she would turn the entire town over looking for him. They were convinced that he couldn't have survived and she should give him up for dead, but she knew better. She knew that shot or not, Jason Morgan was a force of nature and there was no feat he wouldn't overcome to get back home to her and Danny. They could say whatever they wanted - they didn't know her dragon the way she did, and she would be his beacon home.

Just hours earlier they had been the happiest they had been in the longest time. Her son whom they had presumed died after birth was discovered alive and well with another mother, a horrible trick played on them by a horrible woman, and her devoted husband had brought her precious cargo back home to her, only to end up missing just hours later. The happy, committed couple were in the middle of celebrating being a family with their son finally, when he received the SOS from Bernie, and wonders of wonders, Jason Morgan wanted to forego work and stay home with them instead. It was only at her letting him know that she didn't expect him to change for her and that it was okay for him to continue to be himself that he had left to help his friend.

Now, twenty-four hours after they had informed her that her beloved had been shot in the back and kicked into the ice cold harbor like garbage, hours after she'd swum the dark waters herself searching nonstop for her man during dive after fruitless dive, Samantha Morgan was back at the pier, waiting to meet a contact who had some vital information that could point her in the right direction. She knew she had company before she even saw him.

"Trev, thanks for meeting me." She turned to face him as he rounded the corner, his hoodie pulled low to shield him from discovery should anyone be watching.

"Sam. Let's make this quick, okay? I really don't wanna be involved in this."

"You're not - as far as I'm concerned you were never here. Now, whatchya got for me?"

Looking around them furtively, the man kept his head low as he repaid a debt. "You were right - there was another vessel out there last night - but, Sam these people don't play around. You really don't want to go digging in their backyard if you don't have to!"

She didn't want to get impatient with him but her husband was hurt and likely somebody's captive. She would not waste precious time that she should be using to get to him.

"Who are we talking about here, Trev? Who may have my husband?"

"I don't know that they have anybody, okay? But they were the only ones seen out there at that time last night."

"Who?" That came out a little snappier than she was going for but her patience was running thin.

"The Cassadines. My friend said the only other boat in the area last night was one belonging to them and he can't be sure but he thinks he saw them fish something out of the water."

Sam's heart leapt in her chest. This was the first solid lead she'd had that Jason was out there somewhere. "C'mon Trev - you have to give me more than that…did they fish someone out or not?"

His hands were stuffed in his pockets as he kept looking around them and she knew he was ready to bolt.

"It was dark, he said he couldn't see much - I gotta go, Sam. I really don't want to be mixed up in this."

"Okay, okay, just give me a name - I'll talk to him myself."

He was shaking his head rapidly as he backed away from her, "Naw, naw I can't do that. He didn't even want to talk to me about it in the first place."

Sam advanced on him with her hands up and palms out as she pleaded gently, "I'm not gonna involve him Trev, but he may remember more than he realizes and my husband's life could depend on this so I will talk to him - I'll keep you guys out of it - I promise."

"He's not gonna talk to you, Sam I'm telling you."

"Let me worry about that - who is this guy?"

She was losing her patience again so she reached for the wad of cash in her pocket and counted out two grand, watching the hunger cross his face as he watched her. She held the money out to him and held fast when he reached for it. "Who is he and where do I find him?"

Minutes later she was approaching the fishing boat when she saw they were gearing up to head out for the night. The Longshoreman she was looking for was one of several helping to load the gear and knowing he wouldn't want to be seen talking to her, Sam hung back impatiently while they loaded the last of it. Watching his movements keenly, she jumped on the chance to follow from the shadows when he headed away from the pier. Head held down from the brisk evening wind, the burly man tucked his jacket up around his neck and moved towards his car.

Falling in line alongside him, Sam introduced herself. "I'm a friend of Trev's and we need to talk. Just keep walking, nobody's paying attention but I need to know more about what you saw last night, and before you say nothing and all that random bullshit that's gonna waste both our time, there's a couple gees riding on it right now and more if your info pans out and I find my husband."

To the man's credit he didn't break stride nor turn to look at her, "Lady, I already told Trev I'm not involved in this so I got nothing to say to you."

"Like I said, I don't have time to barter or argue, so five grand right here and another five when I find my husband. You live around here so you know damn well the Morgans and Corinthos are people of their word. On the other hand, you also know that if you make me have to keep asking it could get pretty damn ugly pretty damn fast!"

They'd reached the man's car and he turned his head then to look over at Sam, his eyes panicked at the mention of trouble. Sam wasn't trying to threaten him but she wasn't about to pussyfoot around with Jason's life in the balance.

"Nobody will hurt you - just give me some info and I'll be gone." She eased the money from her pocked and patted it against her leg as she eyed the man.

He must've read the seriousness on her face because he hurried out, "I don't know anymore than I already told Trev. It was dark, I couldn't see anything - I don't know anything more!"

"Did they or didn't they fish something out of the water?"

"They did. It took three of them too, so it was something big, but I couldn't see what it was."

"Which direction did they go?"

"Over towards Spoon Island, and they were in a mighty hurry for a boat that had been cutting lazily through the water just before that."

Sam needed to be sure this wasn't a useless lead. "I'll gladly pay for information to save my husband's life but if this is a story you cocked up for kicks, you won't see our friends coming, you know that right?"

The man fidgeted nervously but kept eye contact as he replied, "It's no story. I don't want no trouble with Jason Morgan or Sonny Corinthos - I don't want no trouble with nobody!"

"What was the name of the boat?"

"Aristocrat I. It's around here all the time."

Sam recognized the name as one belonging to the Cassadines and she started to believe there was something to the man's story afterall. She handed him the cash. "I'll be in touch." She was sure to make her words sound both like a promise and a threat and by the look on his face she knew that he understood. He nodded his head before scurrying into his car and hurrying away from the scene. Sam did the same, she had a boat to catch.