A/N: Not sure where I'm going with this one yet. Got a few ideas brewing, but the spirit of the season just took hold. Jason's back story is what we all know up until he and Robin broke up. I may switch things up from there. Sam's back story is pretty much the same. Just mixed it up a bit. Biggest change is Sam hasn't slept with anyone in Port Charles yet which means there was never a baby Lila.
Summary: Slightly different twist on how Sam McCall came to Port Charles, met her family and managed to never give up hope for the holidays.
Hope For The Holidays [NC-17]
1.
Sam allowed the warmth of the buttered rum latte to seep into her small gloved hands as she tentatively sipped the hot nectar. She sat quietly at her favorite bench on the pier, taking in all of the holiday goodness and loving the hustle and bustle of town folk as they passed with arms full of packages. They all seemed so cheerful wishing one another, and her, happy holidays before strolling along.
The early November air was crisp with a definite hint of winter, but the bitter wind had died down now and the sun shone brightly today. She closed her eyes for a moment to just enjoy the golden rays on her face. It wasn't Christmas yet. Thanksgiving hadn't even passed, but she knew the town's halls would soon be decked and couldn't wait to see it.
She loved the way the waterfront and historic downtown were adorned with garland and holly, and street lights held Christmas wreaths with large red bows housing candles in the middle. There was a parade of lights that boats in all of the marinas participated in each year, and the park with its lighted trees and gazebo was a true winter wonderland at night, especially when it snowed. Perhaps her favorite of all was the tree lighting ceremony. It was held in the town square each year at dusk on black Friday with carolers dressed as if they'd just walked straight out of a Dicken's novel.
This was her third year back and she hoped it was charmed. Kelly's diner had become her traditional first stop after pulling in to port. She loved their coffee and the friendly vibe, and comfort food was a great way to start off what was always an anxious return. The town, Port Charles, she couldn't really call it home yet, though it was the place her new-found family called home and she had hope one day it might feel that way to her as well. If any place on land could feel like home, any place without her brother, she had faith the cozy little town nestled by the sea could be it.
The holidays had always done that to her since she was a little girl, filled her with hope that maybe just maybe that year would be the year she spent in a place that felt like home with a real family. She'd never had that, a home or a family, not in the traditional sense anyway and certainly not in the Norman Rockwell sense either. Her home as an adult had been on her boat with only the sea to keep her company.
She'd run her own salvaging company for years and traveled the globe several times over on the scrapheap she'd managed to con, swindle and save to repair. She'd won the ship in a back room poker game on the coast of Brazil during a trip to Carnival at the age of 19 with a fake ID that said 21 and had been salvaging every since.
She credited her father with teaching her how to hot wire a car, count cards, pick a lock, crack any safe and run every short and long con in the book with success. Her father had even been the one to teach her about navigating on the water and how to dive the year they worked as crew for a smuggler in the Caribbean while lying low from a deal gone wrong in the states. The rest, like running a successful business and shooting various guns with an expert's aim, she credited to herself along with a few other dangerous skills she'd picked up from various lovers along the way.
To say her childhood had been unconventional was an epic understatement. She was born to a sheltered sixteen year old girl from a powerful and wealthy family, now known to her as Alexis Davis, who'd been forced by her controlling father to give the baby, her, up at birth. Alexis had fallen in love, at least that was her story, with Cody McCall who was the son of the head principal at her boarding school. Seems Alexis had a thing for devilishly charming bad boys even way back then and, going by the fathers of her two little sisters, Sam felt safe to say it hadn't been a mere passing phase.
According to Cody, when Alexis went missing he'd broken into his father's office and learned her transcripts had been forwarded to a private tutor. He decided to find her. She'd left without any explanation and, although Cody never admitted it to Sam, she always believed he must have loved Alexis too. Why else would he have left everything he knew behind to find her?
What he found instead was not Alexis, but a trail of papers that led him to a baby girl, his baby girl. He was shocked and then outraged when he learned Alexis gave up their child for adoption without ever telling him he was a father. She'd taken his choice and his child away and that was something Cody could never forgive. He stopped his search for Alexis that day and never mentioned her by name to Sam.
Cody McCall was barely eighteen without a clue as to what the hell to do with a baby, but it was his child and his responsibility. Sam guessed all the years of his mother's good upbringing must have weighed heavily on him in the moment he first found her. According to Cody, Sam already had his mother's eyes and Cody had always said the minute he fell into those chocolate baby browns of hers, he was a goner. The next thing he knew he'd charmed a lady lawyer into taking on his custody case pro-bono and won. He'd chosen to name her Samantha Marie after his mother who died of cancer when he was fourteen.
Cody managed to hold down a legitimate job as a building superintendent where they lived for the first three years of Sam's life, but eventually the lure of adventure called to him. He began small time at first while still holding down his day job, but as his skill increased so did his daring. By the time Sam was six years old she could run a con smoother than a baby's behind. She was a natural and, just like Cody, everyone that ever fell victim to those chocolate baby brown's was a goner.
They never stayed in one place for long. Cody was always afraid the game would catch up to them, but they did have a long circuit they repeated winding across the continental US from one coast to the other and every hot spot in between. The motel rooms and little apartments never really felt like home, but over time Sam learned to find a small amount of comfort in the predictable rhythm of her unpredictable life.
There was even one brief moment in time Sam thought she might actually have the family she always hoped for. Her father married a showgirl on a stint in Vegas that had him totally enamored. Her name was Evelyn and while the woman never really took Sam into her heart as most step-mother's would Sam didn't really care. She could handle being tolerated, especially if it meant being part of a family and finally having the brother she'd always wanted.
Danny was a few years older than Sam and, though it was rarely mentioned, it was obvious he had a developmental disorder. Sam didn't care. Danny was sweet and loving and someone to play with and finally be a kid with and she loved him from the first moment they met. Danny loved her too and soon it was as if they'd always been brother and sister.
It came as a crushing blow to both children five years later when Evelyn decided she'd had enough of Cody's empty promises of hitting it big and took off for parts unknown. She took Danny with her while leaving Sam behind with her father. It was something Sam had a hard time understanding. Of course, it wasn't as if Cody had ever taken the time to try. He and Sam came home late one night from a long day of hustling to find the apartment empty; no Danny, no Evelyn and no note. Cody took a look around, let out a deep sigh and looked Sam in the eyes before telling her. "Well kid, guess it's just you and me again."
And that was it. He never mentioned them again, but Sam often wondered if he thought of them as much as she did. To her, she and Danny were brother and sister and it didn't matter that they weren't blood related. She couldn't have loved him more or felt closer to him and then he was just gone, snatched away from her and there was nothing she could do. She was eleven years old at the time, but she promised herself one day she would find him again if only to explain why she'd disappeared from his life without so much as a goodbye hug.
Her life got darker after Danny left. Cody gambled all the time and lost as much money as they pulled in from their scams. They were barely surviving and Sam had been forced to scare more than one bookie's thug away from their doorstep when her father was too drunk to run. A twelve year old little bit of a girl wasn't something most thugs were naturally afraid of until she'd pulled the gun and they felt the lead in their foot.
By the time she was fifteen she'd had enough and by the time she was sixteen she'd saved enough. She left her father with a parting letter wishing him well after he'd passed out once again in another drunken stupor. Sam loved her father and knew he loved her too in his own way, but she was tired of living that life. She wanted a real home and a real family and she had a promise to keep. So, at sixteen years of age, she set out with only a couple of high quality fake ID's and a thousand dollars to her name to track down the last person that had ever made her feel normal, her big brother, Danny.
It took her a year to find him and when she did Sam was appalled to learn Danny's living situation had been even worse than hers. She'd watched them for a while. At first it was out of uncertainty over how to approach Evelyn, but after a couple of weeks she began to get a clear picture of the horror that had become Danny's life.
Evelyn remarried a small town businessman and had become a raging alcoholic with a vicious streak a mile wide. She kept Danny locked in their basement as if she were ashamed to be the mother of a now adult son with a learning disability. Evelyn and her new husband were neglectful and Sam suspected even abusive to Danny at times by the way he flinched whenever she made quick movements around him. Danny shut down whenever Sam tried to ask him about the time between when he lost her and she found him again.
It broke her heart to see him scared of her, but eventually an opportunity presented itself during one of her secret visits to him and she managed to convince Danny to run away with her. Unfortunately, the life they dreamed of with their happily ever after was cut short before it ever really began.
After running from Evelyn, Sam used her connections to purchase forged documents changing Danny's last name to McCall at his request. She moved them to New York, but found it difficult to work a regular job that paid enough for her to live and care properly for him. So, she did what she had to do to support them. She conned rich millionaires out of their money with a sweet investment scam she had going until she had enough to send Danny to a good school that specialized in students with special needs like his.
The only problem was the school was in Hawaii and, with Sam running her cons in New York, it made it difficult for her to see him as much as she'd wanted. The next thing she knew she was in over her head, but fortunately ended up acquitted of all charges. The court ruled she'd shot her millionaire boyfriend in self-defense before he beat her to death, but the publicity was enough to drive her out of New York.
Sam took a page out of her father's book and headed south of the border until things cooled down. She scammed her way on down the South American coast line just in time for Carnival. That was where she'd won her boat and finally been able to make a living putting skills other than conning and thieving to use. An old-timer befriended her and agreed to show her the ropes and before she knew it she was actually running her own salvage operation.
The jobs were never enough to make her a millionaire, but Sam kept hoping one of those days she'd come across a wreck and really strike it rich. It wasn't so much about the money as it was just finally being able to have that life she and Danny always talked about, a life in a real home where they could put down roots together like a real family instead of her having to cross the seven seas just to keep them afloat. At least it was honest, well mostly honest, work that kept her mostly out of trouble and she'd grown to love the adrenaline rush of the score and freedom of the open sea.
She visited Danny as often as possible and even tried to keep her salvage operations based in the Pacific so she was closer to him, but the one time she'd always insisted on being with her brother was during the holidays and his birthday. Those seven years with him in her life again and the five years before had been the best she'd ever known.
He was her brother for half of her life, but in February of 2004 Danny died from a flu virus that wreaked havoc on his compromised immune system. They never got that home they dreamed of owning together. Sam was already on her way to him for his birthday when she got word. She made it to his bedside just before he passed. He'd told her he was glad he was going to heaven before her because that meant he could still be her big brother and watch out for her in heaven. His final wish was for Sam to let the setting sun carry his ashes out to sea on their favorite beach near his school in Oahu.
Sam felt guilty three years later that she still hadn't fulfilled his last request of her, but she still wasn't ready to let him go. She kept his urn with her on her boat and prayed to one day find the strength to allow his earthly remains to be at rest.
After losing Danny, Sam's hope of ever having that family slowly slipped away. She focused on the job and remained at sea as much as possible, only coming in to port when necessary. Family and a home had become a hurtful concept and Sam no longer wanted any part of it. So, nine months later in early November, when she received an urgent message from a private investigator explaining her long lost mother wanted to meet, Sam didn't even bother to return the message.
The next thing she knew a helicopter was hovering above her ship requesting permission to board. Turned out her mother had sent her billionaire playboy friend to plead her case for her. Sam still wasn't interested, but after hearing a little girl's life was at stake she'd given the man five minutes to state his case before blowing holes in his chopper with her sawed-off shotgun.
Jasper Jacks explained her mother had another daughter, Kristina, who was in dire need of a bone marrow transplant. Kristina's second birthday was days away, but without a match she wouldn't live to celebrate it. Sam was torn. On one hand she couldn't fathom allowing a little girl to die when she might be able to prevent it, but on the other were emotions that raged a bloody war.
How dare her mother toss her aside all those years ago only to come looking for her when she needed something for her other daughter, the daughter she decided was good enough to keep? How dare she send that jerk to demand she get on his helicopter with him and have the nerve to authorize him to pay her whatever amount of money she wanted if she still refused? Sam hadn't even met her mother yet and she already felt better off having never known her.
Before she could even process everything the tall blond asshole told her and give him an answer he'd threatened to buy up every bit of debt she had and squeeze her until she was bankrupt if she didn't return with him and help out her own flesh and blood. She'd never felt so insulted in her life and coming from an experienced con-artist like her that was really saying something.
Ultimately, she'd decided there was really no other choice she could live with than to help the little girl if she could. She swallowed her bitter feelings toward her mother, contempt for her travel companion and, hardest of all, the fear she would come to love another sibling only to lose them like she'd lost her brother.
It turned out Sam was a match and had saved Kristina's life. There was even a moment, their very first meeting as mother and daughter in fact, that Sam thought maybe she'd misjudged her mother. The very first moment Alexis laid eyes on Sam near the hospital nurse's station she burst into tears and ran to her pulling her first born into a tight embrace as she thanked God over and over and sobbed into her shoulder.
Sam couldn't help it. When her mother hugged her and cried for her, Sam's walls crumbled. She hugged back and held on for dear life then the reality of her words sunk in. Alexis was thanking God that someone had been found that might save Kristina, not thanking God that she'd finally found Sam. That was how the remainder of the first year's visit played out, with Alexis completely focused on Kristina. Everything that had to do with Sam was really about how it affected Kristina. Telling Kristina about Sam, or not telling her, and a hundred different other decisions shattered any illusion Sam ever had about her mother actually wanting her for her.
It left Sam cold and standoffish with her mother. She'd had little to say to her cousin either who turned out to be some kind of royalty. Prince Nik, she adopted the name after noticing how much it irritated him, didn't seem to trust her much after running a background check on her and even warned her not to do anything to take advantage of Alexis while she was vulnerable. Her step-father had given a similar warning only she didn't like the way Ric looked at her when he talked to her. It made her feel like she needed a shower to scrub herself clean.
Her involvement with Kristina's biological father had been brief, but Sonny did make a point to thank Sam in person. Although, that thanks actually turned into being more about Alexis keeping his child away from him than really thanking the woman who saved his daughter's life. Sam couldn't resist pointing out how Alexis apparently made a habit of keeping her children away from their fathers which of course required her brief explanation to Sonny of how she'd been given up for adoption by Alexis only to be claimed by her biological father.
Something she said must have hit home with Sonny because after that he became very accommodating and offered to help her in any way he could. Sam turned him down as politely as possible. She didn't want compensation of any kind for doing what any decent human would have done. Sam also picked up on some serious jealous bitch vibes his wife threw her way, so she made sure to keep her distance. She really just wanted to get it all over with and get the hell away from those people. They were more drama than a con gone wrong.
Unfortunately, Sam developed a post-operative infection and was unable to return to her ship right away. Doctors agreed to discharge her on the condition she stay with family and be available for follow up appointments to monitor her recovery. She was certain those doctors had scammed her in some way. She wasn't comfortable staying with Ric and Alexis, so she'd ended up staying at Wyndemere just to silence the relentless nagging. She was just too weak to argue.
Although Sam had harsh feelings toward her mother, she couldn't help feel bonded to Kristina. It was impossible not to fall in love with that sweet girl. Kristina had Sam wrapped around her little finger in no time and she was the only reason she agreed to stay in touch with her mother. Sam was finally well enough to return to work after the New Year and Kristina had made Sam promise to return the following year in time for her birthday on November 19th. Little Krissy's excitement reminded her of how her brother had always been at the prospect of seeing Sam at the holidays and there was just no way she could deny Kristina her request. Kristina had made the same successful argument last year as well. So, here Sam was again preparing to visit her new family for the third year in a row.
The second year Sam stayed on her boat which was once again docked for another visit. Her baby sister, Molly, was only a week old when Sam arrived last year. That sweet baby girl was the closest thing to perfection Sam had ever held so close. Now, she had three reasons she hoped to call Port Charles home, Kristina, Molly and Jason.
She only met Jason twice during her first visit to Port Charles. They never really even spoke except for one brief exchange when he thanked her for helping Micheal's little sister. It was the only thanks she'd received that felt entirely genuine and not based in part or whole on some hidden agenda or issue separate from Sam.
Sam was an expert at keeping people out. It was one of the most important survival skills she'd ever learned, but from the very first moment Jason Morgan stared down at her with those killer baby blues Sam was a goner. No one had ever looked at her with such intensity, as if he saw straight down to her very soul. It was exhilarating and unnerving. She loved it, but she hated it too. It made her want to run for the nearest exit, yet she couldn't get enough.
She'd decided Jason Morgan was dangerous for her and it had nothing to do with his alleged profession. Sam had never met a living soul with the ability to disarm her with just one look until Jason and she had no idea what in the hell to do about it. So, she kept her distance that first visit. The only other time they spoke was at a New Year's Eve party her cousin Nikolas hosted and insisted she attend. Apparently, Nikolas was dating Jason's sister and Jason had been guilted into making an appearance as well.
They exchanged a few brief words before dinner was served. He'd asked Sam how she was feeling and how long she planned to stay. She wanted to believe she'd seen a flash of disappointment in his eyes when she told him she was leaving the very next day, but she didn't know him well enough to be sure. She decided Jason Morgan would make an excellent poker player the way he kept all his tells in check.
The second year Sam hadn't really had a chance to pursue things too far with him either, even though that was almost the only thing she dreamed of doing after that first year's encounter. It hadn't been meant to be, she guessed. Jason was very ill. A brain aneurysm caused him to lose his memory and he was refusing to try an experimental treatment or have the surgery that may save his life. He refused to risk ending up in a vegetative state. It was a chance meeting on the docks one night on his way out of town that changed his mind.
Sam saw Jason looking out at the water and called out to him not knowing of his memory loss and, when he turned to face her, meeting Sam the previous year was the first real memory he had after losing them all. He decided to stay in town and for some reason he felt comfortable talking about things with her. Maybe it was because he barely knew her even before his memory loss and felt she could be more objective, or maybe it was because he felt that same indescribable force pulling them together that she had felt since her eyes first met his. Either way, she felt privileged to be one of the few he trusted. According to Emily, there were very few people her brother ever let in and since his memory loss Sam was the only one.
She'd hoped Jason might ask her out on a date before she arrived back in Port Charles and learned of his illness, but it turned out he was in no condition for anything other than friendship. So that's exactly what she gave him. Sam became his sounding board, but she also fought with him when he was stubborn and for him when he was unable to do it himself.
In the end, Jason went through with both Robin's experimental treatment that restored his memories of the previous ten years and finally the surgery that saved his life. She was by his side every step of the way. When she wasn't visiting her sisters, she was visiting Jason. Sam still remembered holding his hand at his bedside waiting for him to wake up from the surgery. He'd told his doctors the only way he'd agree to have the surgery is if Sam could be at his bedside when he woke up. She'd thought maybe that was a sign he might pursue things with her further, but he hadn't and before she knew it her vacation was up and she needed to get back to work. Besides, Jason needed time to recover.
A couple weeks later, Kristina was kidnapped and Sam was out of touch on a remote location off the coast of Australia. By the time Sam found out and made it back to Port Charles Kristina and Morgan had been found and brought back home, but not Michael. Jason shut everyone out, but Sam tried to be there for him as much as he would allow. Once again, Sam was the only one Jason let in. He shared his thoughts concerning the belief Michael was still alive. She encouraged him to follow his instincts. He did and, as a result, returned Michael home to his family.
Everything was right with the world again, but the kidnapping changed something in Sam. The fact that she'd been so out of touch and far from her family and Jason when they needed her was something she knew she couldn't allow to happen ever again. She almost hadn't made it to Danny before he died and maybe if she'd been around before he got sick he never would have caught the virus that killed him. Sam was determined not to let history repeat itself. She needed to be closer to the people she cared about. She also realized in helping Jason that her talents and skills were suited to a totally new career.
So, she made a few big changes in her life. She left Port Charles once Michael was home, but instead of returning to another salvaging job on the high seas Sam made port near New York City. She studied for her P.I. license and passed with flying colors. Her next goal was charming one of the best investigative firms in the city to hire her. She accomplished that task with very little trouble, but her biggest feat to date in her newly chosen profession had to be that after only six months of employment the big boss had agreed to let her use his license to open up her own agency there in Port Charles. Her boss said she was one of the most naturally gifted investigators he'd ever come across in his forty years in the business.
Sam sold her salvage ship the very next week and used part of the cash to purchase a smaller boat so she could still travel the open seas and live aboard if she chose. The rest of the money she'd used for start-up costs on her new firm, McCall Investigations, with a little left over in savings. The very best part was that she'd done it entirely on her own. Nobody had a clue she'd already leased her office space downtown and would be open for business in just a few days.
She couldn't wait to surprise Kristina. Molly was still too young to understand and things were still a struggle with her mother, but Sam hoped the move would help them grow closer. If not for her sake, then for her sisters. She had no desire to get to know her mother's husband though. Ric still crept her out, but Sam and Nikolas had actually started to bond. She had a suspicion Emily had a lot to do with Nikolas opening up and making an earnest attempt to get to know her. Sam smiled to herself and made a mental note to find a very special Christmas gift to thank her.
The more she thought of her news and everyone's reaction, the more excited she was to make the announcement. She wondered how Jason would react. Would it make him happy? Would he even express it if it did? She considered calling him to let him know she was in town and asking if he wanted to maybe grab some coffee, but she chickened out.
It wasn't like he hadn't given her all his phone numbers before she left last time and it wasn't as though they hadn't had several conversations while she was away, but something about seeing him in person again, losing herself in those beautiful blue eyes, gave her butterflies. It made her heart race and her brain go fuzzy. He was fully recovered now, so there would be nothing stopping her from grabbing him by the collar of his sexy leather jacket and pulling him into a kiss she'd fantasized about since she met him. She wondered what his lips would feel and taste like crushed against hers. Would the kiss be soft and gentle or demanding and passionate? She hoped for all of the above. This is ridiculous she told herself! I'm an attractive single woman and he's a hot single guy. I should just call him already!
She was so lost in thought she didn't even notice the large shadow blocking out the sun until it spoke to her. "You're here."
Sam looked up to find the subject of her daydream standing before her. He stood tall, every inch of him firm. Her eyes betrayed her with a quick glance at his lower half. Well maybe not every inch just now, she mused. The blue denim of his jeans and fine cotton of his gray shirt strained over his muscular thighs and broad chest. Sam licked her lips and swallowed, thankful for the cup of coffee busying her hands. It prevented her from losing all control and pulling him into that kiss she craved. She decided to speak before her actions spoke for her. "You're alive."
Ugh, Sam! You're alive? Really, she chided herself? What the heck kind of greeting is that? How about hey, hi there, good to see you? Of course he's alive and well just like you left him last March. Her cheeks felt hot and she smiled as she bit the inside of her cheek.
"Um, what I mean to say is you're all better this year, not like last year when we met on the docks. You remember who I am this time and, well of course you remember. Not that I think I'm anything unforgettable or something, but I mean the surgery was a success and you made it through and you're all healed and, well, you're still here, alive, and it's good to see." Sam bit her lower lip to prevent embarrassing herself any further.
She wanted to crawl inside her coffee cup and drown in the buttered rum until the moment was forgotten in a drunken haze. Jason smiled at her and his eyes shined and she was glad she was sitting. She suddenly felt too weak to stand and those butterflies were back, full force.
"I am, thanks to you." Jason held her gaze. His smile softened and her heart sped up. "It's good to see you too, very good."
Sam took a sip of her coffee. Her mouth was suddenly dry. Thanks to her? What did that mean? "Thanks."
She felt a little stronger in the knees, so she took a risk and stood from her seat. She silently thanked her legs for not betraying her as her eyes had done a moment ago.
"So, when did you get in to town? Did you bring your ship? I didn't see the Lazarus in port this morning." Jason placed his hands in his pockets as he spoke and she wondered if he was trying to busy his hands for the same reason as her.
"Um, no. I mean, yeah." Sam shook her head then nodded. "I did bring my boat, but um... Actually, I have some news. I should have mentioned it sooner, but I wanted to wait so I could tell you in person." Sam willed her butterflies to settle and took another sip of the latte.
"Sounds important. It's good news, I hope." She wondered if Jason was aware that he now stood only inches from her.
She was aware. She was very, very aware. Had she moved closer, or had he? She couldn't be sure, but if it was her she didn't see him taking any steps back.
"It is. Well, at least I hope you'll think it is..." The announcement was more nerve-wracking than she'd thought it would be.
Why did she stress how she hoped he would think it was good news? She just gave herself away. Had her father taught her nothing? How did he do it? How was that man able to make her, Sam McCall con-woman extraordinaire, spill her guts and babble like an idiot in less time than it took her to pick a lock?
Jason just smiled at her looking slightly confused, but before she could explain further her head turned to the slightly familiar sound of a nasally female voice calling out for...
"Jason, there you are! I thought we were supposed to meet up at Kelly's?" Elizabeth shifted the shopping bags in her hands as she made her way over to Jason and pulled him into a kiss.
Her Jason, her kiss, Sam fumed! What the hell was going on? Jason hadn't mentioned anything about dating anyone when they last spoke a few weeks ago.
"Sorry, uh, I just thought I'd get a little fresh air first." Jason looked to Elizabeth and then to Sam.
He swallowed hard. He could barely make eye contact with her. Sam was confused and pissed.
"Oh, I guess I can forgive you this time. I know how much you hate shopping and we must have looked in a hundred different jewelry stores and still haven't managed to find that perfect engagement ring yet. Oh but look, Jason! Look what I found for the baby!" Elizabeth pulled out the tiniest blue onesie Sam had ever seen with the words "Daddy Loves Me" in bold.
"I know we won't know for a few more weeks if it's a boy or girl, but little girls can wear blue too and I chose blue because I really hope he or she has your eyes..." Elizabeth paused noticing Jason wasn't looking at her at all as she spoke.
She followed her fiance's gaze to the petite brunette he wouldn't look away from and gave a smirk. Sam was convinced the woman must not know how to give a genuine smile, at least she'd never seen one from her.
"Oh. Hi there er, Samantha, isn't it?" Elizabeth greeted her.
"Sam!" Both Jason and Sam corrected Elizabeth in unison causing Jason to break his gaze on Sam for the first time to glance back at his apparent baby mama slash fiancee.
Elizabeth flashed another smile her way and Sam knew immediately from years of conning there was nothing sincere about it. She plastered as fake a smile as Elizabeth's on her own face and, as good as Sam was at faking it, she was sure her eyes were once again betraying her.
Jason, her Jason, had proposed to someone else, was having a baby with someone else. She couldn't breathe. She felt like she'd been kicked in the chest by an angry mule. Pretty apt description from where she stood, she thought. Sam had to get out of there before she burst into tears, slapped someone or both.
"Well, Sam, it's nice to see you again. Are you out shopping with your family too?" Elizabeth slipped her arms around Jason's bicep as she spoke.
Marking her territory, Sam gathered, and felt nauseated by both the sight and sounds of the woman. Why the hell wasn't Jason saying anything? Sam knew why, because he couldn't. It was true, all true, and he knew as well as her he had been an inconsiderate ass not to give her a heads up before she was blindsided like that. Hadn't they just had a four hour conversation three weeks ago? Yes, yes they had and not once had he mentioned oh hey, Sam, by the way I got this chick knocked up and I'm getting hitched. See how easy that was? One simple sentence.
Sam sighed internally. Only, it wasn't simple. Nothing about the way he looked at her right now, or the way they talked on the phone for hours about nothing and everything with an ease she'd never felt with anyone before made any of it simple or sensible. What the hell was going on? She had no idea, but she wasn't about to ask for details that woman was obviously dying to share.
She would not allow herself to lose it in front of them. Sam took a calming breath and found her voice. "Actually, I do need to get back to my family. They are the reason I'm here, after all."
Sam's smile strained as she looked from the damn nurse whose name she couldn't remember to Jason. "Congratulations Jason. I hope you'll be very happy."
With that Sam turned and rushed back up the stairs toward her bike and not a moment too soon as her smile faded and tears fell. She could faintly make out the nurse yelling thanks and she thought she heard Jason calling her name, but she wouldn't let herself listen to him. She closed herself off. Hope, she chuckled humorlessly. She told Jason she hoped he'd be happy, but that was a lie. She didn't hope for anything at all now. All the hope Sam managed to rebuild the last three years since her brother died slipped away with Elizabeth's words. She needed to get out of there. She needed to go for a long ride and try to clear her head before dinner with her family later, a family that she realized most painfully now would never include Jason Morgan.
Page 22 of 22 Created: 2010-12-18 Updated: 2014-11-07 Words: 6891 Characters: 36709