Chapter Two
"Will get up! Santa came!"
Will rolled over, pulling his comforter over his head. "Five more minutes. Just five more minutes."
"But Will, Santa came! We want to open our stockings!"
Will groaned as reality set in. It didn't matter that it was only 5:30 in the morning. The twins were up and they weren't about to let him get another moment's sleep, not on Christmas morning. Reluctantly he opened his eyes, and peered down at his siblings. Smiling sweetly, and each clad in the new red pyjamas they'd received from Aunt Maggie the night before, they were an angelic picture of Christmas perfection.
"Okay." He conceded, "but first we're going to make breakfast in bed for Dad."
Allie and Johnny looked at each other and then back at their brother. "Okay. Can we make him pancakes? Daddy likes pancakes."
"Sure."
"Shh." Allie hissed at a giggling Johnny as they both followed behind Will, who was carrying the breakfast tray towards Lucas' bedroom. Her grip tightened on the bottle of maple syrup she'd been tasked to carry as she scolded her twin. "Will told us to be quiet. It's supposed to be a surprise for Daddy."
Will suppressed the urge to laugh out loud. There was very little chance that the breakfast they'd spent the last half hour preparing was going to be a surprise to Lucas. Despite his reminders to keep the noise level down, the twins had been, well, the twins. Allie, on her own, was a calm and relatively quiet child, but Johnny was never silent, and whenever they were together, the volume increased exponentially. Will knew it didn't matter if Lucas had heard them; he knew his dad, not wanting to disappoint the twins, would act totally surprised.
They reached the door to the master suite at the end of the hall. Will shifted the tray to one arm and turned the handle on the door. He motioned for the twins to go inside and then followed. As the three of them simultaneously yelled "Merry Christmas" Will nearly dropped the breakfast tray in shock. Lucas wasn't awake yet, nor was he alone. Wrapped in his dad's arms was none other than his mother.
"What the hell?" He cried out, waking both Sami and Lucas and startling the twins.
"Will?" Sami answered in confusion, still half-asleep.
"Mommy!" Johnny and Allie yelled excitedly as they ran towards the bed.
"Whoa. Whoa there guys." Lucas cautioned just managing to rescue the bottle of syrup from Allie's hands as she climbed up onto the bed alongside her twin.
"Mommy, Santa came!"
Lucas took one look at Sami's red-rimmed eyes and knew that she wasn't quite ready to face the excitement of Christmas morning. He reached out and snagged a child in each arm, hugging them close. "Hey guys. Breakfast looks delicious, but there's just one problem. You only made enough for me. So how about you both go back downstairs with Will and make your mom some pancakes too."
"And then can we open our stockings and presents?"
"Yes."
"Yay!" They called out in unison and amicably slid off the bed, running to rejoin their big brother.
Lucas could see the million questions swirling in his son's eyes as Will herded the twins out into the hallway. "Take your time son. I'll come down to get your mom's breakfast in awhile."
"Okay." Will said tentatively.
As soon as the bedroom door clicked shut, Sami started to cry. "I was hoping it was all a nightmare, but it really happened didn't it? She's gone."
Lucas nodded, pulling her into a hug. "I'm so sorry Sami."
"What am I going to tell Will and the twins?"
"Why don't you let me worry about that, okay?" He soothed, brushing his lips across her forehead and holding her close. "You stay in bed as long as you need. I'll keep the kids occupied."
"Thank you." Sami tilted her head and looked into his warm brown eyes. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Well, god-willing, you'll never have to find out. Okay? Now get some rest."
Sami nodded, pulling the comforter up. She stopped. "Omigod, I just realized where I am."
"What?"
"This is the bed you shared with Chloe isn't it?"
Lucas suppressed a chuckle at the look of consternation on her face. "Nah, that one's in Nathan's room. I arranged for the master suite to be totally redone while I was in rehab. New carpet, new bed, new bedding, new paint. The works."
"Thank god."
Lucas laughed, relieved. "You're going to be okay Sami."
"I don't know about that. It hurts so much Lucas."
"I know baby, but it will get better. I promise. Now go back to sleep and I'll go entertain the rugrats."
Lucas took a deep breath before pushing open the door to the kitchen. He knew that Will would be itching to bombard him with questions, and he was prepared to answer some of them, but not with the twins listening.
"Daddy!" Allie grinned as soon as she saw him. "We just finished making Mommy's pancakes."
"Where is Mommy?" Johnny asked, looking behind Lucas.
Lucas knelt down to the twins' level. "Mommy's not feeling very well this morning, so I'll tell you what, how about if I eat her pancakes as well as mine?"
Allie giggled. "That's a lot of pancakes Daddy."
"I'm up to the challenge. Now how about you two go get your stockings and bring them back. It's time to see what Santa brought you."
"Yay!" They chimed in chorus.
"Lay it on me Will." Lucas said as soon as they'd left the room. "I know you're dying to ask."
"You mean finding my parents snuggled in bed together Christmas morning wasn't my gift from Santa?"
"Will—"
"And what about Sydney? Is the other half of my present making my baby half-sister by Mom's rapist disappear into thin air? I've searched the house Dad. She's not here, and hell would freeze over before Mom would let her out of her sight. What the hell is going on?"
"I don't even know where to begin."
"Okay, how about you start with how Mom ended up in your bed? You two didn't reconcile did you?"
Lucas couldn't help but wince at the way Will's words were tinged with a little bit of hope. Despite being almost an adult, deep inside was still the little boy who wanted nothing more than to have his parents be together. "It wasn't like that. Your mom was really upset last night. It's because of Sydney."
The blood drained from Will's face. "She's not—"
"No. No. No." Lucas corrected him immediately. "It's not like Grace. Sydney's fine. She's just not your mom's daughter."
"What?"
"There was a mix-up. When the FBI lab tested Sydney's DNA they thought they were testing it against your mom's, but in reality, they were testing it against Nicole's. Sydney is Nicole's daughter."
"Oh god."
"Yeah. Needless to say, your mom is devastated. She arrived here just as I was locking up last night. She was distraught and only managed to tell me that Sydney had been taken away before collapsing in my arms. I carried her to my bedroom so that the twins wouldn't hear, and then I called your grandpa Roman to find out what happened. Apparently Rafe grabbed the wrong toothbrush for the DNA test. Sydney was Nicole and EJ's baby all along. Roman and a social worker took Sydney away from Sami last night."
"Christmas Eve? Grandpa actually took her away on Christmas Eve? That's kind of cruel."
Lucas bit his tongue. As far as he was concerned, it was par for the course for his former father-in-law. It often seemed like Roman was willing to bend the rules for anyone except Sami.
"Where's Rafe? Shouldn't he be the one comforting Mom?"
Lucas shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure. I haven't had the chance to talk to your mom much yet. She was too distraught last night."
"It's funny how Mom always runs to you. It doesn't matter who else she's involved with, when the chips are down, you're the only one she wants to be with."
"Don't even go there right now Will."
"I'm just saying it so that it's out there. I love you and I love Mom, and there's nothing in the world that would make me happier than you two being together again, but at the same time, the thought terrifies me. Every time I think you have it right, you guys do something to totally screw it up."
"Will—"
"I can handle that. But please don't do that to Allie. It's not fair. I've lived my entire life stuck in the middle of you two. It hasn't been easy and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially someone as sweet and sensitive as Allie."
"Will, your mom and I have always been and will always be, best friends first. Beyond that, I'm not going to speculate, especially now. But what we do in the future, wherever our relationship goes, it's our decision, not yours."
"But—"
Before Will could finish, the twins rushed back into the kitchen. "Time to open stockings!"
"And Daddy, you still have to eat all of the pancakes." Allie said as she grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen table.
Upstairs, Sami fitfully tried to sleep, but after 15 minutes of non-stop tossing and turning, resigned herself to being awake. Her eyes hurt and her head was throbbing. What she needed more than anything was something to dull the pain, though she knew that no drug could ease the ache in her heart. She sat up and spotted her purse lying on the ottoman at the end of the bed. She leaned forward and snagged it. She opened it and found the aspirin she always carried. Swallowing two of them, she wished it was something stronger, but it would have to do for now. Something else caught her eye in her purse. Her cellphone was flashing. She checked the call history. Rafe had called several times. Hitting the button for her voicemail, she allowed herself to believe that he was calling to tell her that there'd been a mistake; that the first test was right and Sydney was hers.
"Sami, I know you must be devastated. I'm devastated too, but we can get through this together. Please, just call me back so I know you're okay."
She pressed the button to turn off her phone and snapped it shut. She wasn't ready to deal with Rafe yet. Everything was too raw, too painful. Deep down, she knew that he had not meant to cause her any heartbreak, he would never hurt her intentionally, but that didn't change the result. Eventually she'd have to deal with him, but couldn't face him yet.
She wondered what she was supposed to do next. Hiding in bed wasn't going to change the fact that she'd lost a second daughter in less than a year. And it wouldn't change the fact that she still had one beautiful daughter and two wonderful sons downstairs, and it also wouldn't change the fact that she'd been more than a little neglectful towards all of them over the past year, especially the twins. She'd lost her chance with Grace and Sydney, but she still had Allie, Johnny and Will.
"Hi Mommy. Santa gave me a coloring book and new crayons in my stocking!" Johnny beamed as Sami walked through the kitchen door twenty minutes later.
"Me too!" Allie chimed in.
Lucas, who was finishing the last of the two breakfasts he'd promised to eat, felt a familiar yet somewhat unwelcome jolt as he looked at Sami. Freshly showered, she'd pulled her still-damp hair into a loose ponytail before donning a pair of black sweatpants and a white t-shirt, both obviously his. Seeing Sami dressed in his clothes had always turned him on, and it seemed that his body didn't care that they were divorced now or that it was hardly an appropriate time to be having lustful thoughts about his ex-wife. "I see you found something to wear. You always did look better in my clothes than I do."
Sami half-smiled. "I hope you don't mind. I didn't exactly pack to come here last night."
"It's fine. Will and I can stop by the townhouse and pick up some stuff for you later today, if you'd like. I assume you're not ready to go home yet."
Sami shook her head. "It's too empty there. Everywhere I look, I see Grace and Sydney. I can't stay there. But I don't have to stay here. I'm sure I could stay at the pub or something."
"Nonsense. The twins are here. It makes more sense for you to stay with them. Besides, there's plenty of room. You can use Johnny's room until we get one of the other guest rooms set up. He and Allie each have their own rooms, but inevitably sleep together in one or the other.
"It was kind of you to give him his own room considering he's not—"
"I consider him to be my son, regardless of what any DNA tests say. I want him to feel at home here."
"Well he certainly seems happy to be here."
"Yeah, he does."
"Has he said anything at all about EJ being gone?"
Lucas shook his head. "Not really. Only that he was happy to be with the daddy who likes to play with him."
Sami chuckled. "How do you think they're going to react to Sydney being gone?"
"They'll be okay Sami. They're young and resilient."
"What about Will?"
"What about me?" Will asked as he re-entered the room.
"Will, I'm so sorry—."
"What are you apologizing for Mom? This isn't your fault." Will corrected her as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry Mom. I don't know what else to say."
"It's okay." Sami soothed. "It is what it is, and we'll get through it together. "
"Yes we will." Lucas agreed.
"Daddy?"
"Yes Alibaba?"
"Can we open our presents now?"
"Yeah! We've been waiting for hours." Johnny agreed, causing Lucas and Sami to chuckle.
"I think that's a terrific idea guys. Lead the way."
"Are you sure you're up for this Sami?" Lucas asked as Will and the twins headed towards the living room.
"It's okay Lucas. The best medicine for my broken heart is those three in there."
"I'm glad you see that."
"Why wouldn't I?" Sami asked. At his raised brow, she replied. "Look, I know I've been guilty of ignoring Will and the twins a lot in the past year and a half, but no more. Grace is gone. Sydney is gone. They're all I have left and I don't intend to waste another moment."
"Good."
