Chapter 2
"How's Maxie doing?" Nikolas asked as his butler Alfred led his cousin into a lavishly furnished living room within Wyndemere.
Sam sat down in a chair across from him and sighed. "About the same as you when you came to see me in Manhattan," she replied.
"Sorry I didn't tell you about Georgie," he said, looking down in regret. "I wanted you to come because you wanted to, not because you felt you had to."
"And you thought that if I knew about Georgie's death on top of Emily's I would come to Port Charles because of what, guilt?" Sam asked.
"No, I thought you'd come to be here for the people that are grieving for the people that have died out of a sense of duty," Nikolas replied.
"That's ridiculous," Sam declared, rolling her eyes.
"Is it?" Nikolas asked. "You came here to be here for me because of Emily, didn't you?"
"That's different," Sam said defensively.
"Why?"
"Because you asked me to come," Sam said, pointing an accusing finger at him. "It was your idea, not mine."
"Why did you leave in the first place?" Nikolas asked, dredging up the subject once again.
When Sam was still deciding whether or not she would come back to town, Nikolas had asked her why she had left town to begin with many times and each time he would get the same answer.
"Leave it alone," she replied, glaring at him warningly.
"You said you would tell me if you came back," Nikolas reminded her.
"You really don't want to know, trust me," Sam said.
"Yes I do," Nikolas insisted.
"Then I don't want you to know." And she shook her head stubbornly.
"Sam, you gave me your word," Nikolas replied.
"My word has never been worth anything before," Sam argued, looking around the room to distract her self. "Just ask anyone in this damn town and they'll tell you that."
"Just tell me. I won't judge you," Nikolas promised and he could tell that he believed it to be true.
"I'm not worried about that," Sam admitted and looked up at him, knowing that there were probably tears in her eyes.
"Then what's the problem?" Nikolas asked.
"I don't want you to hate me."
Nikolas looked at her in confusion. "Sam, I don't hate you now and nothing you have to say would change that," he said.
"You're wrong. There are things that I have done that are unforgivable," Sam said.
"I am your cousin," Nikolas reminded her. As if that meant anything. "I already know about Jake's kidnapping and I'm still here. I understand how broken you were then. I don't think you resent Jake so much that you would have kept your mouth shut forever. What could be so bad that I would turn on you?"
"You asked for this," Sam said and began to tell him about that day in the park with Elizabeth, Cameron and Jake and the gunmen she had hired to scare her straight.
After she had finished telling the story, explaining her reasons for hiring the men at the time, she straightened her posture and stiffened her muscles as if steeling herself to whatever words were about to come out of her cousin's mouth. She knew that she could take whatever he had to say to or about her. Thanks to Jason.
Nikolas leaned forward and looked at her meaningfully. "At least you realize that what you did was wrong now," he said.
Sam blinked several times and had the urge to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "Of course I do," she said.
"That's good," Nikolas said.
"That's all you have to say to me?" she asked in disbelief.
"Would you prefer it if said I never wanted to see you again?" Nikolas asked.
"I would understand." Sam kept her eyes on the ground as she spoke, shielding herself from his gaze. If he was about to rip into her, she wouldn't let him see how much it would really hurt her.
Nikolas shook his head. "I think you've had enough people turn their backs on you in the past. I'm not going to do the same thing."
Sam felt tears sting her eyes. That was the first time someone had ever promised to stand by her in spite of every horrible thing she had done. Jason's promise no longer counted, since he had lied to her and gone back on that very promise.
"Why?" she asked.
"Everyone does bad things, Sam. Everyone. But not everybody regrets them and you obviously do."
Sam began to nod at his explanation but something still bothered her about it. It didn't make any sense that Nikolas, a father himself, would just instantly forgive her for hiring men to attack a woman in the park in front of her children just to prove a point.
Unless, Sam began to think to herself as she studied Nikolas' face closely. "You already knew," she said.
Nikolas nodded in admittance. "I overheard Sonny and Jason talking about it once at Metro Court," he said.
"When?" Sam asked.
"Not long after it happened. Sonny was asking what they were going to do about you and Jason assured him that he had already dealt with you," Nikolas replied.
Sam winced as she recalled how Jason had "dealt" with her.
"If you think that I am wrong about the danger and you're willing to risk Elizabeth's life to be with your son," Sam began and she once again placed her drink in her other hand, "Or have one-- or both of them-- shot in your arms, then just say so, Jason. I will march down to her right now and tell her I set that whole thing up." Jason didn't respond but she could tell by the way his chest was heaving that he was struggling to keep his anger under control and even though it should have, it didn't stop her from saying what she needed to say. "You know as well as I do-- you said it yourself," she took a deep breath and counted on her fingers. "Elizabeth and Jake- and don't forget Cameron- will Jason narrowed his eyes at her. "You stood by while Jake was kidnapped," he began and his eyes grew darker with each passing moment. "You hired two men to threaten Elizabeth at gunpoint while her children watched. What is Sam breathed out a sigh as she tried to gather her thoughts to reply but he kept on going. "You want revenge?" he bit out angrily. "If you want to be angry at somebody, you get angry at me," he thumped his chest for emphasis. "You leave Elizabeth…" "Jason, I gave up everything to be with you!" Sam exclaimed desperately. "I was shot because of you. I cannot have kids because of you and then you go and have one with Elizabeth?" "You stay away from Elizabeth," he said, pointing at her like he was disciplining a child. "Don't go near her children or her again," he warned. "What, are you threatening me?" Sam asked in horror. Jason looked at her and that was when she noticed it. The hate burning in his eyes was so painful to her that she didn't think he could hurt her more. Then he walked a few feet closer to her, closing the distance between them and leaned forward threateningly. "If you hurt them again in any way, I will kill you," his voice was dangerously low and his eyes had darkened so much, she could swear they were black and she shuddered in fear.
That was it. That had been the final nail in her coffin.
Hearing the man that had loved her and protected her for three years threaten to kill her and actually mean it had persuaded her to leave Port Charles.
She knew to some people, it seemed like a rash decision for her to make. When she first came to Port Charles, she was the only person she had but things had changed.
She had family and by deciding to leave, she was leaving behind her mother, her sisters and her cousin.
They were what tied her to the city, her reasons to call Port Charles home but Sam had realized that if she had stayed, she would be faced with seeing Jason every day, having to see that look of hate in his eyes and she couldn't bear that no matter how strong she claimed to be.
Nikolas had been studying his cousin's face the entire time she had been in her daze and his eyes grew wide with alarm when he saw the flicker of terror pass through her eyes. It had been small, lasted maybe a second but it had been there.
"What did Jason do to you?" he demanded to know.
Sam came back to reality at Nikolas' angry voice. "What do you mean?" she asked dumbly.
"Sam, what did Jason do when he found out about the men in the park?" he asked.
"He confronted me," Sam said, downplaying her former lover's reaction.
"Don't lie to me," Nikolas said. "I can see it in your eyes. He did something that scared you and I want to know what it was."
"He didn't hurt me if that's what you're asking," Sam said.
"It's not," Nikolas said, not interested in changing the subject the way Sam seemed to be.
"You have to understand how he was feeling at the time," Sam began to say.
"No, I don't. I just need to know what he did. And you don't have to defend him anymore," Nikolas said.
"I'm not defending him. I'm trying to explain," Sam said.
"Well, don't. You're not his girlfriend anymore. You don't owe him anything," Nikolas said.
"He was mad at me for putting Elizabeth and her kids in danger. He felt betrayed when he thought that I was trying to hurt his son and when the people he cares about are threatened, he does whatever he can to protect them," Sam said.
"What, like drive people out of town? Because that's what happened, isn't it?" Nikolas' voice rose in anger at Jason. He had suspected that Jason had played a part in Sam's rather sudden exit and now having his suspicion confirmed, he was angry as hell that someone had driven his cousin out of town.
"Whatever Jason did, whatever he said, that's the reason you left, right?"
Sam nodded reluctantly. "Yes," she said.
"Did he pay you to leave?" Nikolas asked.
Sam narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "No, he didn't! And even if he offered to, I wouldn't take his money to save my life!" she shouted.
"I finally found my family. There is no amount of money in the world that would make me leave them."
"Then what did he do?" Nikolas yelled back.
"He said he'd kill me!" Sam snapped without thinking.