Chapter 2: Enemy in the family

"Ok Nate I'm gonna be right here if you want to go play on the slide for a little while." said Jason with his four year old daughter Nate stopping by a picnic table in the park. "Just stay where I can see you."

"Alright daddy," said Nate happily running over to the jungle gym.

"That's my girl." said Jason to himself as he watched her having as much fun as was possible. He still almost couldn't believe that the smiling and laughing little girl was his daughter. Jason's feeling of true happiness vanished immediately stiffened the minute a familiar man approached the table. "What are you doing here Ric?"

"I could ask you the same question Jason; this isn't exactly one of your usual haunts." said Ric looking around. "Oh I get it that little girl your focusing on is another niece of mine right? Sonny got himself yet another poor unsuspecting daughter."

"Daddy, daddy did you see me?" asked Nate running up to Jason's arms before he had a chance to respond. "Did you see me when I went down the slide?"

"I sure did." said Jason ignoring Ric completely. "I know that's your favorite."

"Daddy well, well; what do we have here?" said Ric surprised. "You're this girl's father? What's your name?"

"Nate Morgan. Who are you?" asked Nate looking at Ric. "Are you a friend of my daddy's?"

"I haven't seen your daddy in a long, long time." said Ric looking from Nate to Jason. "Jason aren't you gonna tell your daughter who I am."

"This is your Aunt Molly's dad Ric, he moved away a long time ago." said Jason getting down to Nate's eye level trying to find the right way to explain this to a three year old. "You know I have an idea would you like to go and play with Josslyn?"

"Yeah I can see her and Auntie Carly." said Nate clapping. "I wanna go play with Joss."

"Tell you what go play on the swings for a little bit and I'll call Carly and see they're free." said Jason not wanting his daughter near Ric any longer. "Give me five minutes and we can head over alright."

"Well I guess congratulations are in order Jason. You've gone from glorified babysitter to actual father." said Ric when Nate was once again out of earshot. "I gather from you calling Molly aunt that Sam is her mother."

"Go anywhere near her again and you won't live to regret it." said Jason his eyes filled with hatred. "You never answered my question; why the hell are you back here Ric?"

"I came to pay Molly a visit as well as Kristina and try one more time to make amends with Sonny." said Ric. "It's almost funny you telling me to stay away from your daughter when you're my daughters brother-in-law."

"If Nate so much as stubs her toe when you're around I'll make you answer for it." said Jason remembering why he came to hate Ric Lansing so much. "You threaten my daughter or my wife and I promise it will be the end of you."

"What are you going to do Jason shoot me, rip my heart of with your bare hands?" asked Ric scoffing unwisely at the threats of his impending death. "You would have to eventually explain to Molly that the man you killed was her father."

"By they find what's left of you there won't be enough to call a man." snarled Jason. "As for Molly she will finally see what you really are."

"You try to turn my daughter against me and I would have to get even." smirked Ric. "I'd feel the need to tell Molly that I had sex with her sister which you saw and that's why you hate me so much."

"Do anything to hurt Sam or Nate it will back fire ten times harder on you." said Jason knowing what both sides stood to lose if Ric decided to follow through on the seemingly loaded threat. "Consider this your only warning Ric, stay away from my family."

~ 15 minutes later at Carly's home~

"You girls have fun I'll be talking to aunt Carly in the living room." said Jason as Nate and Josslyn were busy playing dolls in her room and he and Carly walked out. "Thanks for letting us come by and I think you should know something."

"Jason your scaring me." said Carly as they walked into the living room. "Come on tell me what's going on; did something happen?"

"I think you should sit down." said Jason and to his relief Carly followed the request. "Ok, I don't know quite how to tell you this after the things he's done to you but Ric lancing is back in town."

"What do you mean?" asked Carly shocked. "Why? How do you know that?"

"I talked to him when we were at the park." said Jason analyzing the encounter in his head. "I was watching Nate on the slide and Ric showed up."

"Oh my god I thought we saw the last of him years ago." said Carly noticing horror in her best friends eyes. "I can tell from that look he saw Nate."

"Before she ran back up to me he thought she was Sonny's." said Jason quietly. "He started with vague threats when he found out Nate's my daughter."

"Well I can't really blame him for the dig about Sonny." said Carly rolling her eyes. "Ric is a lot of things Jason but he's smart enough to know if he even tries to threaten Nate you'll kill him like you've wanted to do for years."

"Can you watch Nate for a little while?" asked Jason standing up. "I need to tell Sam what happened and I need to tell her face to face."

"Sure don't worry she's safe here." said Carly. "You go to Sam; while you're at it figure out a plan to get that cockroach to crawl back under his rock."

"Thanks Carly."

~20 minutes later at McCall and Jackal PI~

"Gracious greetings Stone Cold," said Spinelli looking up from his computer when Jason opened the office door. "Is Little Lady Natasha with you; Fair Samantha told me you were engaged today in father and daughter quality time?"

"We were but something unexpected came up." said Jason anxious that Sam wasn't there. "Is Sam out on surveillance for a case?"

"Indeed Stone Cold's beloved wife is investigating cooperate fraud." said Spinelli. "She does have her cell phone if the matter you wish to discuss is urgent."

"Hey I didn't call a bring-your-husband-to-work day." said Sam walking in before Jason could say anything. "I thought you were gonna have a daddy and Nate Day; where is she?"

"Took her over to Carly's." said Jason preparing for a wave of anger. "Ric is back in Port Charles."

"What?" asked Sam completely horrified. "Where did you hear that?"

"Darth Lansing has returned." said Spinelli. "And doom to us all is fast impending."

"I talked to him." said Jason cautiously. "When I was at the park with Nate."

"Ric saw our daughter?" asked Sam all color drained from her face. "Jason he hates you as much as he hates me and we both know that he would use Nate in a heartbeat if it meant hurting either one of us."

"I know you're scared, that's exactly how I felt when he walked up." said Jason trying to reassure his wife that everything would be ok. "I told him if he even thought about coming after Nate or you he wouldn't live to through it.

"Of course he probably threw threats right back at you." said Sam throwing her hands up in the air. "Alright we shouldn't freak out; one thing at a time. What is Ric doing back in Port Charles?"

"He claims he's here to visit his daughter." said Jason eyebrows raised. "Ric being Ric we'll have to wait and see if that's true, did Molly say anything to you about him coming back to town?"

"No not a word, oh my god Molly when she finds out what kind of man Ric really is it's gonna break her heart." said Sam thinking of her sister being disillusioned about her father. "I mean she knows that's he's not around but she has no idea what sick twisted things he's capable of."

"She is going to see it for herself eventually." said Jason sighing; he had come to really care about Molly and it was saddening to know how hurt she would be by the revelation of the real Ric. "I made sure he knew that I would kill him if he even thought about threatening you or Nate."

"That should buy us time if this is just a visit." said Sam as Jason wrapped his arms around her. "I don't know how long that will keep him away if he's staying in town. Jason with everything he's done to both of us we have so much more to lose now that we have Nate."

"Hey Ric couldn't make us turn against each other back then and he can't now." said Jason knowing Sam was scared. "Come on let's go get Nate then just the three of us be home together."

"Ok your right Ric or no Ric there's not anything that can break up this family." said Sam grateful for having such a calming husband. "Hey Spinelli can lock up for me?"

"Of course Fair Samantha." said Spinelli patting his loyal friend on the back. "Enjoy a quiet afternoon of spending time with your husband and the precious one."

"Thanks Spinelli you're the best." said Sam. "I'll give Nate a kiss from her favorite surrogate uncle."

~2 hour later at Kelly's~

"Momma can we have desert?" asked Nate when the three of them had finished dinner. "Please, please can we?"

"Sure sweet heart." said Sam then looking to the window had to think quickly. "Uh hey Mike could you take Nate in the back and have her help fix the biggest sundae this town's ever seen?"

"Sure," said Mike understanding the need to distract the child. "Come on Nate."

"Good thinking." said Jason as Ric approached the table. "No reason to put her in the middle."

"No need to scatter on my account." said Ric with his signature self satisfied smirk. "I'm sorry am I interrupting?"

"Uh yeah you are." said Sam glaring. "What the hell do you want Ric?"

"Why the hostility Sam?" asked Ric. "I see you sent your daughter away before I got a chance to say anything to her."

"Not another word." said Jason menacingly. "Get out of here while you still have the chance."

"All these years some things never change." said Ric. "Speaking of which, here's a question for you Jason, are you even sure that little girl is yours; I mean given of course who her mother is?"

"You Bastard." said Sam as her clenched fist made contact with Ric's stomach causing him to hunch over in pain. "Stay away from my daughter."

"Hey heads up guys?" asked Mike walked out with Nate following him her shirt covered in chocolate syrup. "Everything ok out here?"

"Daddy what happened?" asked Nate looking from Ric to Jason. "Is he ok?"

"Oh yeah Ric just isn't feeling good tonight. His stomach is hurting him." said Jason crouching down to examine the stained shirt. "Do you want to tell me how this happened?"

"Sorry Jason that's my bad." said Mike. "I turned my back and she got her hands on the syrup bottle."

"Ok let's go home and get you cleaned up sweetie." said Sam taking Nate's hand. "It's almost time for all good little girls to go to bed."

"I'll be right behind you." said Jason as Sam and Nate walked out. "Now you know Sam isn't about to let you anywhere near our daughter. Keep in mind if I don't put an end to you she will."

"Dad I missed you." said Molly walking in and hugging her Ric. "Hey Jason, look who it is."

"Yeah it's nice that he's here to see you Molly." said Jason resisting the urge to pummel Ric in front of his seventeen year old daughter. How he was using Molly and manipulating her sickened Jason. "How long are you in town for Ric?"

"About a week I wanted to be here for your birthday sweetheart." said Ric. "I might even be able to stay a little longer."

"Oh Good it's at the house tomorrow afternoon." said Molly. "You Sam and Nate are going to be there right?"

"We wouldn't miss it for the world." said Jason; it did matter if he hated the sight of Ric he refused to be yet another disappointment in his sister-in-laws life. "Have to get going Sam and Nate are waiting for me."

~ 1 hour later in the regrettably girly pink room ~

"Sleep tight sweetheart." said Sam walking in with a glass of water after Jason got her into bed. "Just close your eyes and drift off to sleep, tomorrow is aunt Molly's birthday."

"Can you sing 'in the Jungle?" asked Nate nestling in her pillow, ever since she was a baby that was her favorite song. "Please momma."

"Ok just one verse though." said Sam smiling at her daughter.

Hush my darling, don't fear my darling

The lion sleeps tonight

Hush my darling, don't fear my darling

The lion sleeps tonight

"Works every time, she's out like a light." said Jason gazing at the little girl he proudly called his own. "We made a pretty great kid."

"Yes we did, didn't we?" said Sam wrapped in her husband's arms. "How did we get so lucky?"

"Well for me it started when I got you back in my life." said Jason kissing the top of Sam's head. "Now we have each other, our daughter and the rest of our lives to spend however we want."

"Momma Daddy shush." said Nate. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Sorry Nate." said Jason leaning down to kiss his daughter good night. "I love you."

"I love you daddy."


A/N Now Ric knows not to mess with JaSam's kid and they will protect his own daughter from him if they have to. Next time the regretablly pink room finally gets a makeover when Nate is about ten; will the person who made that room pink object? As always thanks for for reading hope you enjoyed and please review with any ideas.