Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

AN: I'm back. I hope you guys are still reading this.

Chapter Ten:

The next six days were filled with all kinds of fun. Ryan and Seth kidnapped the twins several times, taking them to all the teenage hang-outs, leaving Sam and Jason with the younger children. Jason conceded to not only Disneyland, but to Knott's Berry Farm, Sea World, Six Flags and Universal Studios. The trip to Sea World was an overnighter, seeing as they had to head down to San Diego from Newport Beach. Sam could not help watching her husband interact with their children.

At Disneyland, his Daddy's Girls wanted Princess dresses. Jason had only smiled, doling out the cash for a Cinderella dress for Ivory and a Snow White dress for Querida, while Montana got to deck himself all out as Peter Pan. The twins were more than happy with baseball caps, Carl's with Dopey and Emma's with Goofy. Jason could be heard to mutter, as he paid for them, that the character choices were appropriate. Carl and Emma had only ganged up on him, the three laughing happily.

At Knott's Berry Farm, Sam shipped a whole crate of spreads -blackberry jam, strawberry jam, orange marmalade, grape jam- back to their penthouse, while the children went on every ride they were allowed. Universal Studios was more of a bonding thing for Jason and the twins, the three leaving Sam with the younger ones all day. Six Flags had been a day for the two adults, the twins and their cousins, Ryan and Seth, with the youngest three left in Newport with Kirsten.

The night before they left for Sea World, Kirsten was throwing a party at her house for the investors of the Newport Group. As guests, Kirsten wanted Jason and his family to attend so that she could introduce them around. Sam took Carl and the girls shopping for suitable clothing, and then came home to find her husband adamant about not going. "Jason!" she scolded, appearing in the pool house.

"I hate parties! Sam, I hate Newport parties more than I hate Quartermaine parties!" he argued.

"Kirsten's your cousin. And she wants you to be there. Please? It was very kind of her to offer her house to us. The least we can do is attend her party. "

Jason sighed, nodding. "Can I at least wear my jeans?"

"Jason! It's a party! That means you get dressed up."

"No! I changed my mind, no. I'm not going."

Carl leaned back against the doorframe. "If I have to dress up and go, Jason, you have to dress up and go."

Jason glared at his daughter, getting a roguish smirk for his trouble. "Oh really, and what are you wearing?"

"A pair of nice slacks and a dress shirt. I refused to wear a dress if I didn't have to."

Jason turned to look at Sam. "I hate getting dressed up."

"I know, Jason. But honestly, it's just a pair of slacks, a button-down, and a suit coat. It's not going to kill you. I won't even make you wear a tie."

Jason glowered, before plopping down onto the bed in a sulk. Carl chuckled, "I totally commiserate, Jason. Trust me."

Jason smiled slightly. "How did you react to Sam grabbing dresses off the rack?"

Emma smirked, "I think the reaction was something along the lines of 'Oh hell no!' or something to that effect."

Jason shrugged, before standing and holding out his arms. "All right, beauty queen, do your worst."

Sam grinned, lunging into her husband's arms and kissing him lightly. "I love you, you know."

"I know. I love you too. The things I do for you," he teased, his eyes sparkling with love and admiration for her.

Sam giggled and ran for the bags she'd dropped on the floor. She grabbed out a pair of black slacks and matching sport coat, before tossing the pants at him. "Go change into those pants. I want to make sure they fit. I have two other sizes in case I guessed wrong."

Jason grumbled good-naturedly, before disappearing into the bathroom. Sam turned to the twins, giving them both a mock-scowl. "And what are the two of you still doing here? Go on! Shoo!"

They both laughed, before dashing from the pool house and into the main house. They were still laughing together as they encountered Seth and Summer making out in front of Seth's room, Seth backed against the wall by an obviously in-control Summer. Carl chuckled and shielded her eyes with her hand, joking, "Get a room!"

Emma only laughed, following his sister into their room. The two dressed and came out to find Jason in the kitchen, fidgeting at the cuffs of his jacket. "Looking good, Daddy-o," Carl teased, coming over and brushing imaginary lint off his shoulders.

Jason glared at her. "Push it further, Carl, and see how long you're grounded."

Carl laughed, "Sorry Jason. You okay?"

"The things I do for that woman. I hope she appreciates this."

"Oh, I do," came her voice, low and sultry from the doorway.

Jason and the twins turned to look at her, Jason staring at the beauty standing there. "My God," he muttered, coming closer to her.

Sam wore a black lace-up corset, adorned with crimson laces, over a scarlet and black Spanish-style skirt. The hem was asymmetrical, one side dragging on the ground while the other was pulled up over her knee and tied there with a ruby red rosette. Spiked, strappy heels wrapped up her ankles, the black the perfect foil for her darkly tanned skin. Her hair had been pulled back with an antique Spanish comb, a red rose behind her ear drawing attention to her stunningly made up eyes and ruby lips. Long earrings dangled seductively from her lobes, the bobs at the end brushing over her shoulders. "What do you think?" she asked, the tone of her voice filled with the promise of late-night entertainment.

Jason's arms snaked around her waist, pulling her taut against his body. Her long-lashed eyes looked up at him seductively, the golden flecks in the mascara bringing out the honeyed-amber of her eyes. "You are a vision. My god, what did I do to deserve you?" he asked, one finger running carefully down her cheek over where her bruise was, carefully hidden by makeup.

"I ask myself the same question," Sam replied, her eyes slipping closed as the two exchanged a tender kiss.

And for once, neither of the twins made a fuss, only rolling their eyes at the PDA and turning their backs to give the newlyweds some privacy. Finally, Carl couldn't stand it anymore. "Are you two done?"

Jason broke away for only a moment, his eyes locked on Sam's as he murmured, "Carl, go find someone else to annoy."

Carl and Emma exchanged amused glances, before moving out of the kitchen. As they passed Kirsten on her way into the kitchen, Emma reached out and touched her arm with a shake of his head. "I wouldn't go in there, if I were you."

"Why not?"

"Trust us," Carl rejoined, before leaving the woman behind.

Kirsten moved toward the door, smiling at the sight of them there. Though they weren't kissing anymore, it was obviously an intimate moment. Jason's good arm was around her waist, holding her tightly to him, as his other hand stroked tenderly over her cheek. Their eyes were locked on each other and it appeared as though nothing short of an earth-shattering occurrence would separate the two. Kirsten stopped and then backed out, careful not to make any noise that could disturb the two lovebirds. A smile adorned her lips at the happiness in her cousin's eyes.

Later that night, Sam was standing with Carl and Ryan, watching the two interact. They bickered, teased, argued and joked with each other, all in the space of about a minute. Sam hid her smile behind her wineglass, eyes searching through the crowd for the elusive form of her husband. Kirsten had dragged him away and Sam had not seen him since. She found him in what looked to be an agonizing conversation between Seth, Sandy and Seth's girlfriend, Summer Roberts. Taking another sip of her wine, she excused herself from the company of both teenagers and slipped into the crowd. Adopting a slightly drunk persona, she stumbled over to Jason and threw herself into his arms. Jason grabbed her around the waist, sounding concerned, "Sam?"

She giggled drunkenly, her eyes locked on Jason's. She knew that Jason would be able to see right through her con, but she was hoping that no one else would. Jason's lips curved into a sly smile. Her eyes were completely sober, despite her flawless acting skills. Playing along, he cupped her face in his hands and asked fondly, "Did you imbibe a bit too much champagne, my lovely bride?"

"No!" she insisted, sounding horrified. "I promised, Jason. No more champagne." When she gave a very convincing hiccup, Jason nearly lost it. Sam continued, undeterred. "Though Kirsten's taste in Merlot is exquisite."

Jason's thumb stroked gently against her cheek. "All right, love, I think it's time to get you into bed."

Her eyes flared and Sam practically purred, "Only if you're with me."

Jason smiled gently and scooped her up into his arms. "Well, someone's gotta keep you outta too much trouble."

Sam giggled again, laying her head on his shoulder. Jason excused himself briskly from his companions, before striding away. Emma approached his sister, speaking loud enough for only her and Ryan to hear. "Anyone else think that Sam deserves an Oscar for that performance?"

The two twins clinked glasses in agreement with each other, before Carl giggled girlishly into her soda glass. Ryan cocked an eyebrow, watching her quizzically as he took a sip of his Sprite. Carl noticed the look and shook her head. "It's nothing, Ryan. That escape, however, was nicely played. On both sides."

"Played?" Ryan asked, before pointing out delicately, "Sam was drunk."

"No she wasn't. She was trying to rescue Jason from the party and procured herself a reward in the process," Emma laughed. "Sam was a con artist before she met Jason. And that was the perfect con. It was simple, but effective."

At that moment, Jason was disappearing into the pool house with a suddenly stone-cold sober Sam in the cradle of his arms. As he shut and locked the doors, Sam dashed about to close the blinds. When they were alone and shielded from prying eyes, Sam folded her hands behind her back and leaned against the wall. Her head cocked to the side and Jason could see the mischief in her eyes. "Hola señor," she teased, her voice husky and sexy, and her accent flawless.

Jason smiled at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Señora," he replied, with a tiny bow of his head.

Turning a quick circle, Sam looked back at him over her shoulder. "Well, how do you like my dress?"

"It's gorgeous on you," he confessed, before his voice lowered into a deep, sexy whisper that he knew drove Sam to distraction, "but it'd be better off."

Sam and Jason lunged at each other as Sam murmured, "You read my mind."

Jason's fingers were nimble on the laces of her corset as Sam's fingers worked on the buttons of his shirt. Shoving the jacket to the floor, she wrenched his shirt from his slacks before discarding that as well. Jason's lips captured hers as her fingers trailed down his chest and over his belly, her nails applying just enough pressure to drive him nuts. Her corset followed his shirt and jacket to the floor, before being chased by his belt, her hair-comb and both of their shoes. Walking her backwards to the bed, his fingers trailed up her bared thigh, before his free hand fumbled with the zipper at the side.

Her skirt flounced to the floor, seconds before he gently shoved her sprawling across the king-sized bed. "Thank you," Jason murmured, working on the fastenings of his slacks, before climbing onto the bed next to her.

"For what?" Sam asked quietly, her right hand reaching up to tangle itself in his hair.

"Rescuing me from Seth's unceasing chatter. Well, from the party, period."

"Well, it was mostly selfish, I promise. I've been wanting to get you naked since I walked into the kitchen this evening."

Jason's fingers danced over his wife's flesh as he whispered against her lips. "I know the feeling."

Sam raised her arms above her head, gripping the bottom of the headboard in a decidedly submissive motion, a playful spark dancing like mischief in her eyes. "Take me, Jason. I'm yours."

Jason couldn't resist the urge to ravage the pliant form of his wife, leaning forward to capture her mouth. Later that night, Jason and Sam laid in their bed, listening to the sound of mindless chatter outside the pool house on the patio. Sam's head rested on Jason's bad shoulder, her fingers dancing lazily over the scars across both his chest and shoulder, as well as down his good, right arm. The arm she cuddled under was lying carefully across her back, his fingers playing with the long, silky tresses of her hair. "Are you happy, Sam?" came his quiet question in the dark.

Her head tilted back and her chocolate eyes glittered up at him, even through the gloom. "Of course I'm happy, Jason. I have you. Carl and Emma. Our children. A home. I couldn't be happier." Going up onto her elbow, she looked deeply into his eyes. "Why?"

Jason's eyes were troubled as he asked her, "If I asked you to leave and to take our children with you, for your own safety, would you go?"

"Depends."

Jason's voice was surprised as he asked, "On what?"

"I will never leave you, Jason. NEVER! And I don't want to hear about it again. However, if you felt the children and I were in danger, I'd take them to Wyndemere to stay with Emily and Nikolas, before returning promptly to your side. I love you, Jason. And loving you means standing by you. Regardless of circumstances and disregarding the cost."

Jason nodded against her head. "I'm sorry, Sam. I really don't want you to leave. I'm just worried about Vera Cruz."

"So am I. But we'll face whatever comes together. Get some sleep. We have to go to Sea World tomorrow, with three very rambunctious children, and it's been a long day. Okay?"

Jason sighed, closing his eyes. Right before he fell asleep, he felt Sam press a kiss to the skin over his heart and heard her whisper, "I told you, you wouldn't regret it."

Jason allowed a sleepy smile before drifting off. Sam snuggled close, and followed only minutes later.