The sun shone brightly in the sky, indicating that it was a beautiful day in Salem. It was one of those normal typical Saturday mornings where everyone in the world seemed happy. Families were spending the day at the park where the children ran around flying their kites and the elderly walked around holding hands. Over on one side, where the parking lot was, a blonde woman stepped out of her car and took a deep breath of fresh air. There was a slight pang in her heart as she leaned against her car door and watched all the happy people spending time with their loved ones.

It had only been five years since she had left Salem, but those five years had seemed like a lifetime. Five years for her to evaluate her life. Five years for her to go through life changing experiences. Five years for her to change herself completely and experience new things. Samantha Brady had been away from Salem for five years and within those fives years the pain that had been consuming her entire life had long faded. It had taken a long time for Sami to let go of her bitterness and anger and it had been hard – but she had been able to do it.

And now, she was back in Salem, ready to make things right again and to prove to everyone that she was a good person and could make it on her own.

"So, this is Salem, huh?" Sami turned to her left as her friend and business partner Amber Binchy, came up beside her. The short redheaded woman observed the scene in front of her and there was a moment of silence before the redhead spoke again. "It's kind of… small."

"What did you expect?" Sami asked. "Salem may be a small city, but trust me; it has a lot of drama."

"No kidding," Amber looked skeptical. "Drama in a place like this? This city looks like it's a place where nothing ever happens."

"Believe me, this place is full of drama," Sami assured her friend. "And most of the drama usually involves me."

Before Amber could respond, another car pulled into the parking and parked right next to Sami's car. Almost immediately, a female brunette jumped from the vehicle and headed straight over to where Sami and Amber were standing. "God, we're finally here," she complained. "This place is a dump! Remind me why we're here again? How can we expect our stuff to sell in a place like this? We should've franchised in a bigger city!"

"Now now Marian," came a male voice. A tall man exited out of the driver's seat of the second car and walked over to where the three females stood. "Remember what you promised us? You said you would give this place a chance."

"Bite me, EJ!" Marian retorted. "We've been driving for hours and I haven't eaten anything since this morning. Not to mention I was stuck all those hours in the car with you and your annoying country music! I'm allowed to be cranky!"

EJ Wells rolled his eyes at his cousin. "You wound me," he said in a mock voice.

Sami laughed. "Alright, let's go get some food you guys. What do you feel like eating? Italian? Mexican? Chinese?"

"Hmmmm," Amber bit her lip. "Actually, I feel like having a burger."

"Ooooh, I second that!" Marian perked up. "And can we make sure we get some coffee afterwards? I SO need a caffeine fix."

EJ nodded. "I could go for a steak, actually."

Sami rolled her eyes. "Come on, I know a great place."

xxx

After her weddings to both Lucas and Austin had failed, Sami had packed up her belongs and had moved to Chicago, Illinois to begin a new life. The whole fiasco with Brandon had blown up in her face (like she had feared it would), causing Lucas to call off the wedding – which in turn had caused her son to hate her and that meant that Kate Roberts (her most hated enemy) had won. Sami still claimed that she had been drugged and set up though. What made things worse, was that Austin and Carrie had come back to town and within a short amount of time, Lucas had fallen in love with her half -sister (again) and the two had gotten married – leaving Sami with no hope that she would ever get Lucas back. With that dying hope, Sami had set her eyes on Austin once more, and sure enough, months later – they were planning their own wedding.

And of course, there was no way Kate Roberts would ever allow another one of her sons to be involved with Sami Brady. And it wasn't like Sami really wanted to marry Austin again anyway – her dreams of being with her former love had long ago died. She wasn't the least surprised when her wedding to Austin didn't happen and found that she didn't really care – she and Austin Reed weren't meant to be together anyway.

But Sami had long since let go her hatred towards Kate Roberts. She had finally realized that after years of scheming and plotting for revenge, only time had been wasted. With the help of her new found friends, Sami had been able to change into the person that she always knew she could be – kind, caring and with a good heart. Thanks to EJ, Amber, and Marian and a few other friends that were part of their group – a new Sami Brady had emerged. Not to say, of course, that she and Kate Roberts would ever be friends – hell hadn't frozen over yet. Sami just simply didn't have the energy to care about her anymore but that didn't mean she couldn't be civil if occasion called for it.

Now, she had a wonderful career and friends that she knew she could always count on to be on her side. EJ Wells, always the voice of reason – he was the peacemaker of the group and could crack funny jokes at all the right moments. Marian Wells, the brunette with a brash personality and the one that Sami admired most. Marian was outspoken, sarcastic and often voiced her opinion whether people wanted to hear it or not. Amber Binchy, a redhead with a feisty personality to match. She was energetic and fun-loving and these three people were exactly what Sami needed after her painful break up with Lucas five years ago.

She now was a fashion designer of all things.

Packing up and leaving Salem had been the hardest thing she ever had to do, but Sami was glad she had done it. Though it had been hard to leave Will and to give up on the hope of Lucas ever coming back to her, she knew she just had to get away from Salem and all the people living there. She just couldn't take or deal with the criticism and negativity any longer. She had booked the first flight out of Salem, which had been to Chicago and it had been on the plane ride there that she met EJ Wells.

It was a strange twist of fate that her seat had ended next to EJ's. And it was a stroke of coincidence that she had blurted her whole life story to this perfect stranger (all the while sobbing and sniffing) before she even knew his name. EJ, being the kind man he was, had listened patiently to her story before introducing himself and offering her a place to stay at his friends' apartment.

Enter Marian and Amber.

And the rest was history and a rare friendship that Sami had never known before had formed. Amber and Marian had taken a quick liking to Sami and the feeling had been mutual. It was through her new friends that helped Sami finally start living her life without schemes and lies and all around it made her a better person.

Though she lost all contact with everyone in Salem, there was still one person she was talking too. It was only a couple of months after she had left that Will had begun speaking to her again. Their relationship was still somewhat rocky but it was beginning to go back to the way it used to be. Even though Will never witnessed his mother's changing personality, he sensed it through her letters, emails and phone calls. It was a relationship that seemed to be going strong again through the years.

Sami was looking forward to connecting with her son again.

"So, this guy comes up to me and just goes 'Hey, I'm Joe and I mix a perfect martini.' Seriously guys, it was the worst blind date ever," Marian was saying as she ate a piece of her steak and rolled her eyes. Her voice brought Sami back toward the conversation that her friends were having. Marian was telling them about her blind date that had happened a week ago. "I was totally staring at him like he was about to grow an extra set of ears or something. I want a boyfriend, not a psychopath."

"Hey, what's wrong with making the perfect martini?" Amber challenged. "I took a class on learning how to make the Perfect Martini in New York, remember? Maybe this guy took a class too!"

"Is that the first thing you have to say about yourself, though?" EJ asked, siding with Marian, his accent coming out slowly. "He just introduces himself and says he makes the perfect martini. The fact that he makes the Perfect Martini is the most important thing about him?"

"Sami, what do you think?" Marian looked at her. "Is this guy a freak or what?"

Sami considered her friend's situation and decided to side with Amber. "Maybe he was trying to be different," she suggested as she took a bite of her salad. "He was probably trying to show that he was a fun-loving guy."

"Oh please," EJ rolled his eyes at Sami's answer. He sighed dramatically. "If a girl ever came up to me and said, 'Hi, nice to meet you. I make acid in my garage,' I'd take it as a hint and a half to run the other way."

They all laughed for a moment before Amber perked up. "Hey, check it out, three hotties at the entrance. Damn, are they yummy."

Sami looked to where her friends were looking, while EJ rolled his eyes. Then the blood drained from her face. "Oh my god," she whispered.

"Sami? Are you okay? You look pale all of a sudden," EJ's voice sounded concerned, which caused Amber and Marian to look at her.

Sami ignored all of the questions that were being thrown at her and focused on the three males that had just entered The Brady Pub. Three faces that she hadn't seen in a long time and the one face that she had really missed in particular. Lucas Roberts was looking better than she had ever seen him and suddenly Sami realized just how much they had both changed. She didn't know Lucas anymore, but that didn't stop her from still loving him. She looked at his companions and saw that he was with Phillip and Rex. They too, looked well and healthy, Sami noted.

The three brothers hadn't noticed her – and that was how she wanted it to stay. She wasn't ready for a confrontation just yet.

"Are you alright?" Marian asked, as Sami turned back to them.

"Do you guys remember how I told you about my ex-fiance?" she asked.

"The one where he thought you were sleeping with your ex-boyfriend?" Amber replied. "The love of your life?"

"Yeah," Sami nodded. "Well, guess what? He and his brothers just walked through those doors."

Her friends stared at her in shock. "No way," Marian remarked. "First day back in town and there's a possible run-in already? Your life is interesting." The brunette turned back to the three males. "Which one is your ex-fiance?"

"The one on the left with the dark hair," Sami replied, opening up her menu and holding it up to her face.

EJ chuckled and reached over to pat her shoulder. "That's it Sami," he drawled, his accent coming out slowly. There was an amused expression on his face. "That's right, just hide behind the menu – you're invisible now."

"Chicken," Marian snickered at her from across the table.

"Your ex-fiance is short," Amber stated as she observed Lucas from where she was sitting. "I would've pegged you as the type to go for a tall guy."

"You should go over and say hi," Marian added.

"No!" Sami hissed. "I'm not ready to face him yet."

"I thought the whole point of coming back to Salem was to show everyone how much you've changed," EJ pointed out. "You can't show them how much you've changed by hiding, you know."

"I know," Sami nodded. "But I didn't think I would see Lucas today. Can we please leave? Pretty please?"

She watched as her three friends exchanged glances. It was a couple of minutes before Marian put down her napkin and sighed. "Oh, what the hell. I'm done my meal anyway. Let's get out of here and say we go over our business plans to open our new shop?"

"Thank you, Marian!" Sami looked relieved. Both girls then turned to Amber and EJ, waiting for their reactions. Her redheaded friend gave a shrug. "Why not?" Amber smiled. "I wanted to discuss how our displays should be set up anyway."

"Count me in," EJ said, reaching for his wallet. "How about I go pay the bill and you three girls wait for me in the parking lot?"

"Oh EJ, you take such good care of us," Amber cooed as Sami flashed her friend a winning smile.

Marian snorted. "Sometimes I think you're too rich and famous, my dear cousin. I think we're becoming too used to the fact that you're always paying for our meals and letting us live with you – rent free."

"Just promise me you won't ditch me if I ever happen to become broke," EJ said. "And we'll call it even. You girls know I adore you."

"We love you too," Sami told him as the three of them began making their way out to the parking lot, thankfully avoiding a run-in with Lucas, Phillip and Rex. The blonde let out a relived sigh as she and her friends headed towards their parked vehicles. "That was close."

"You have got to stop being so scared," Amber scolded gently as they reached their cars. "How else are you going to show them what you're made of?"

"I can't face him yet," the blonde replied. "I don't know why I thought I was able to before. What the heck was I thinking?"

"Chill out, you're going to give yourself a headache," Marian stated bluntly. "Besides, what are you freaking out for? You've got an awesome job, you look absolutely gorgeous and you've got us. You know that we'll totally back you up, remember?"

"You make it sound like I'm in a gang or something," Sami muttered under her breath. But then she smiled, giving her friends a grateful look. "I really appreciate this, you guys. Thank you. Sometimes I forget I now have friends to defend me – it's a nice feeling, knowing that there are people who care about you."

Her two female friends grinned. "Don't be stupid," Marian said. "We'll always be on your side."

EJ walked up to them at that moment. "I've got a question for you, Sami," he addressed the blonde. "The restaurant we just ate at, your family is running it, right?"

"Yep," she replied. "That's the Brady Pub. Why?" A panicked look crossed her face. "Did someone see me?"

"Well, considering it's your family restaurant, it's more likely that someone would recognize you," EJ responded. "But no, I don't think anyone noticed. I saw family pictures on the wall and one of the little blonde girls was obviously you."

"Oh," Sami sighed. "Yeah. My grandpa Shawn likes to display pictures of my family around the pub. There's usually some embarrassing story behind it," she paused. "You're sure they didn't see me?"

"Would you relax?" Now Marian sounded annoyed. "You are worrying WAY too much! Think of all that you've accomplished in the last five years! So what if everyone hates you still? Who really cares? They don't know the real you. The only person you have to worry about now is you."

"And my son," Sami reminded her friend. "God, I can't believe he's sixteen now."

"Can't wait to meet the little tyke," Marian said. "Now let's get out of here."

And as her friends go into their perspective cars, Sami glanced back at the Brady Pub, admiring the restaurant. She grinned, her nervousness melting away as she pulled on her seat belt.

Life was definitely looking up.