"Almost Lover" – Fine Frenzy

Chapter 9

Tony called to give Stephano the news, Samantha's car was run off the road and the body found was mistaken for hers thanks to a friend at the morgue. Stephano just laughed as he heard the news, knowing it was only a matter of time before he would tell Ej and he would have his son back again. All Stephano wanted was for Ej to be the heir to the Dimera legacy, but all Ej wanted was Samantha back in his life.

"Good, I will tell Ej. Be ready for us to return to Salem , we both know there will be no stopping him when he heard of her untimely death." He said and hung up to go see his son. Ej was as usual, starring off into space, looking pathetic as Stephano walked into the room unnoticed. He did feel bad for his son, knowing that this conversation would not go well between them.

YOUR FINGERTIPES ACROSS MY SKIN,

THE PALM TREES SWAYING IN THE WIND

IMAGES

YOU SANG ME SPANISH LULLABIES,

THE SWEETEST SADNESS IN YOUR EYES

CLEVER TRICK

"Father please, I really am not in the mood to argue. Just leave me alone today." He said and Stephano just ignored him and sat in the chair on the other side of the room.

"I'm afraid I have something you need to hear. Tony just called with news from Salem , its Samantha." He said and at the sound of her name Ej's ears perked up and he looked over at his father, getting up and walking to the other side of the desk. A smile crossing his face for the first time in over a year.

"What? Did she leave me a message? Does she want me to come back?"

I'D NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU UNHAPPY,

I THOUGHT YOU'D WANT THE SAME FOR ME

"I'm sorry, but it's bad news. There was an accident, her car was run off the road and she didn't make it. She's dead Elvis." Stephano said, not trying to make it easy on him at all. Just matter of factly telling him she was dead and there was no use holding out for hope anymore.

GOODBYE MY ALMOST LOVER

GOODBYE MY HOPELESS DREAM

I'M TRYING NOT TO THINK ABOUT YOU

CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME BE?

SO LONG MY LUCKLESS ROMANCE

MY BACK IS TURNED ON YOU

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN YOU'D BRING ME HEARTACHE,

ALMOST LOVERS ALWAYS DO

"No, she can't be dead. She would fight to live, she would never give up without a fight and I would know. I would know if she was dead." He said and felt his knees go weak as he went to fall, using the desk to brace himself he knew what he had to do. "You're lying, I'm going back to Salem to find her, I will find her. She needs me and I can feel that." He finished and then took off for his car, nearly running someone over as he peeled tire out of the lot and to the airport.

Once at the airport, Ej called Tony, hoping against hope that it was a lie, she was alive and he could go to her and try once again to convince her to let him come home. However, Tony just reiterated what Stephano said and he was feeling the death encircle him all over again. He just had this feeling that she wasn't dead, that she was just waiting for him, out there somewhere holding out for her hero.

WE WALKED ALONG A CROWDED STREET

YOU TOOK MY HAND AND DANCED WITH ME

IMAGES

AND WHEN YOU LEFT YOU KISSED MY LIPS

YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULD NEVER

EVER FORGET THESE IMAGES, NO

As Ej sat in the bar drinking, he heard the call for the plane and almost didn't want to go. He wanted nothing more then to live in denial, believe she just didn't love him anymore. Somehow that notion was the only thing saving him right now, hurt he could deal with, even dying, but not death. Especially not this way, it just wasn't fair to her and he would make someone pay for it.

"Samantha, look at what I've done to you. I left to give you space and now you're gone. This is my fault, I always drove, I could have saved you." He said as he realized the reality of things as he found an article online via his phone about the murder and let the reality sink in. As he poured himself into his seat on the plane, he felt his heart break all over again. The day he left, the days together, all their memories came rushing to him and it took everything he had to stop himself from falling to pieces on the plane.

I'D NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU UNHAPPY

I THOUGHT YOU'D WANT THE SAME FOR ME

GOODBYE MY ALMOST LOVER

GOODBYE MY HOPELESS DREAM

I'M TRYING NOT TO THINK ABOUT YOU

CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME BE?

SO LONG MY LUCKLESS ROMANCE

MY BACK IS TURNED ON YOU

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN YOU'D BRING ME HEARTACHE,

ALMOST LOVERS ALWAYS DO

"Ej, wake up, come on now. You have to get to work sometimes. Come on, you're already late enough." She said as she tried waking him up like usual. Ej never wanted to leave when he had spent the night with Samantha. Work just never seemed as important as holding her all day and making love to her all over again.

"No, I'm not going in today, come here." He would tell her and pull her back to bed and into his arms. She would always protest at first but it would falter and they would spend the day locked in her bedroom. Now that was just a memory, just a reminder of what he so foolishly gave up. A memory without a future! Samantha would always be a phantom from his past that would always haunt him, asleep or awake.

I CANNOT GO TO THE OCEAN

I CANNOT DRIVE THE STREETS AT NIGHT

I CANNOT WAKE UP IN THE MORNING

WITHOUT YOU ON MY MIND

SO YOU'RE GONE AND I'M HAUNTED

AND I'LL BET YOU ARE JUST FINE,

DID I MAKE IT THAT EASY

TO WALK IN AND OUT

OF MY LIFE?

While Ej was on the plane ride over, he spent the entire 15 hours reliving all their times together, from this first meeting in the hall to the night he left and gave her his heart on paper for her to read and threw away. But he could care less about that now, he would do anything to bring her back now.

GOODBYE MY ALMOST LOVER

GOODBYE MY HOPELESS DREAM

I'M TRYING NOT TO THINK ABOUT YOU

CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME BE?

SO LONG MY LUCKLESS ROMANCE

MY BACK IS TURNED ON YOU

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN YOU'D BRING ME HEARTACHE,

ALMOST LOVERS ALWAYS DO