I woke up, feeling a strong arm wrapped around my waist, and, even if I hadn't remembered the night before, I'd know it was Jason's. That was one arm I'd always remember the feel of. It felt so right. It felt as though he hadn't been gone. I wanted to snuggle into him, like I had so many times before, but couldn't. I tried to pull away, only to feel his grasp tighten around me. I looked up and saw the amused grin on his face, knowing he was awake. I hit his hard chest playfully.
"Jason Morgan!" I teased, trying to pull away once again to have him pull me right back against his hard chest.
"Please, Sam. I just want to pretend, for five minutes, that I was never gone" he practically begged. I could hear the sincerity and sadness in his voice. On top of that, hearing Jason Morgan beg wasn't something you heard often. I decided to give in, figuring nothing bad could happen from letting the love of my life, my husband, hold me for a few minutes
We had both lost track of time, forgetting about the planned five minutes and laying there together, relishing the feeling of each other's arms. It felt so right, so good, so natural to have his strong arm wrapped around me once again. Like he had said, it felt like the past ten years had never happened and they were all a nightmare, like he had never been gone. However, our personal little bubble was popped when Danny came into the room. I instantly pulled away from Jason, even though nothing was going on. Danny was used to seeing me either, downstairs making toast - which I had finally learnt to do, after years of burning it - or laying in bed, asleep or awake, in my fleece PJs. Even when I had a boyfriend, only one or two of them had made it into my bedroom, me home, my son's home and the door was locked.
"It's okay, mom" he said, smiling at me, then turning his gaze to Jason. "and dad" Once again, like every other time, my heart melted at one simple word. Dad.
I quickly looked over at the clock and realized it was already almost nine, much later than the usual seven thirty Danny and I got up at. I sighed and turned to him and smiled.
"Sorry. I guess I slept in" I told him, still smiling before looking up at Jason quickly. He was looking back down at me. Caught, he quickly looked away and at our son across the room.
"It's okay. You needed it" he said. I winced at that, knowing Jason would want to know what he meant. I could practically feel his questioning gaze on me. Then, somehow, I felt his gaze off of me. I looked up to see him looking at Danny. He wouldn't, I thought.
"Danny? Why does your mom need sleep?" he asked, concerned for me.
I looked over at my. She was blushing and clearly didn't want me to say anything. I loved with her to death. She was my everything, but I already liked my dad and, honestly, liked seeing his mom so embarrassed.
"She doesn't sleep well. She has a lot of nightmares, about you" I explained to my father. If I knew anything about the man that came into my life it was that he cared for - no, make that loved my mother. He wasn't asking to hurt her, or get mad at her. I knew that it was because he was concerned. That was obvious, even to a ten year old who'd known him for less than twenty-four hours. I smiled as he confirmed my thoughts, looking down at my mom with the most concerned look I'd ever seen. My mom shot me a worried and jokingly angry look, causing me to laugh.
"Daniel Edward Morgan! I have the power to punish you" she threatened. My eyes widened at her mock threat. After years of growing up with my mom, I knew she was always joking when she threatened me.
"But mom..." I dragged out the word, knowing it would always get her to give in. "I thought you wanted me to have a good relationship with my dad" I played the one nerve I knew I could use to my advantage. Just like I expected, her jaw dropped. I could see my dad trying to hold back a chuckle, just like me.
"Fine" she dragged it out much like I had moments before. I smiled, and I saw my dad smile too. So far, I hadn't seen much of the cold hard man people had told me he was. I could see him giving me a thumbs up and then my mom playfully slapped him. Watching them, I would never guess they had been apart for ten years. Never. Just like my mom had told me so many times, he was the love of her life, her soulmate, and that bond would never be broken. I was ten and even I could see that.
My play date with Georgie wasn't until that afternoon. I really liked Georgie. She was my best friend, and really funny. She always called people these weird names, like my mom was Fair Samantha and my dad was Stone Cold and I was Mini-Stone Cold. Her dad called people the same names. My mom said he always had. I had always loved my nickname. Her dad always talked about how I would be fearless and strong, just like my dad. He had told me about my dad's adventures, but I'm positive he never actually sat chained to a chair while a hundred people shot at him and he still killed every one of them. That had always seemed a bit extravagant to me. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone that story, but I'd have to ask my dad about it. I'd always been curious, like my mom.
Speaking of my mom, she was about to leave and I was sure my dad was a little nervous. So much for fearless Stone Cold. I was determined to ease his nerves, like I had for my mom for years. I sat on the couch, watching tv, when I felt my mom's familiar, soft lips brush the top of my head softly. She said goodbye and then left, leaving my dad and I alone for the first time since he returned, less than twenty-four hours before. For some reason, like my mom obviously had, I felt a connection to my dad, as if he had never left. I felt like, once we got to know each other better, my dad, my mom and I would finally be the family I had always wanted. I had always kept that dream a secret, hoping my mom wouldn't feel bad, but I knew she did. Suddenly, the silence in the room was bothering me. I had never been one to talk with anyone but my mom, which I apparently got from my dad too, but I needed to talk to him, to get to know him, and to have him get to know me.
"Dad?" I asked, turning to look at him.
He looked up at me and smiled. I motioned for him to sit and he obliged, despite him being my father. I smiled at him, trying to comfort his obvious nerves.
"Yeah, Buddy?" he asked me. I shrugged, unsure of what to say.
"I just wanted to talk, get to each other, you know?" I said and saw him loosen up a bit. "I always hear I get a lot from you" I added, hoping to initiate a conversation.
"Like what?" he asked, sounding intrigued. I smiled, knowing it was working. It had always worked on my mom and, though I knew they were very different, I figured it was worth a shot with my dad too. He smiled too.
"Aunt Maxie says I got your good looks. Uncle Spinelli says I got your Stone Cold persona, which I haven't seen yet. Grandma Alexis says I got your knack for danger. Grandma Monica says I got your brain from before your accident" I explained. I saw his eyes widen as I mentioned the accident. I didn't know much about it and was hoping to get some info as our relationship progressed, if it did as I had hoped. "Uncle Sonny says I'm fearless, just like you, but that's not true"
"What's not true?" he asked and I smiled, getting the response I wanted.
"That we're fearless. You were nervous about being here, and I think you are about going to Georgie's later" he nodded. "And I'm certainly not" I added, my gaze dropping to my lap.
"You get that from your mom" he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice, somehow. I looked up at his briskly, curiously. "The way you look at your lap when you're nervous. She always does that" he said, smiling sweetly. I could see the love for my mom in his eyes and it made my heart leap, knowing it was possible for me to have a family. "What are you scared of?" he asked, going back to the original topic.
I swallowed hard. I knew this would either make him feel horrible, or happy, or both. I looked up at him. At ten years old, my biggest fear was much for complex than that of most kids my age. It certainly wasn't spiders or snakes and definitely not the latest math test or science one - which was my favorite class.
"Buddy?" he asked. I already enjoyed that nickname he had for me. I could see the sincerity in his eyes and decided that, no matter his reaction, it was best to tell him.
"For the longest time, my biggest fear was having to call another man dad" I admitted softly.
It was true. I had grown up around my mom's boyfriends, in a way. Most of the time, it was just the two of us. That was when she would tell me all the stories about their life together. Then, she'd try a relationship with someone new, or an ex, and she'd convince herself she had moved on, only to back out. When she was with another man, I'd sneak downstairs at night and pick up the picture of just me and him, when I was a baby, and promise he'd always be my dad, no matter who my mom was with. DNA aside, based on the stories I was told by everyone, he treated my mom much better than any of her boyfriends since. It was obvious that her face would light up when she told me about him, unlike when she mentioned any of her boyfriends. And I'd never forget the few times she tried to take off her ring. That was when the nightmares would get really bad. It was usually back on within days. She could never do it, because she loved him and he had loved her like no one else ever had, or would. That's what made Jason Morgan my dad, forever.
Still looking at him, I could see various things swimming in his eyes. Guilt was the prominent one, followed by a hint of happiness, and anger, and pain. I found it strange how well I could read him, already. I figured it was because my eyes practically mirrored his, like so many people had told me so many times.
"You... You were?" he broke my thoughts. I could hear all the same emotions in his voice as I had seen in his eyes. I nodded.
"You would always be my dad, even if you hadn't come back from the dead" I said, serious. He continued to look into my eyes, and I felt that father/son connection I had literally dreamed of, for years. "Dad?"
"Yeah, Buddy?" he asked. I swallowed hard, again? Who knew talking to your dad could be so easy but so hard?
"Where were you?" I asked, knowing he knew what I meant.
He had been away my entire life, except for the four months when I was with the wrong mom and the two days we had together when I was a baby. No one could blame me for being curious, even though he had miraculously come back. I could practically see him thinking of how to explain, and I wasn't surprised. I had come to the realization year before that things in Port Charles were never, ever simple.
"You know what jail is, Danny?" he asked me.
"Yeah" Of course I knew what jail once. Almost everyone in my hometown had either been, was a cop or had been on trial. Yup, I knew what that was too. "Uncle Spinelli told me you were in there once" I instantly saw confusion, and fear, flicker through his eyes so I decided to clarify. "To protect Michael" I added with a smile. If there was something I respected my dad for, besides loving my mom so unconditionally, it was that. How many people would've got themselves sent to jail to protect their nephew? Not many. He nodded. "Is that where you were?" he nodded again. I sighed. I really hoped he didn't do anything bad, like the things Spinelli had told me about, and the things Uncle Sonny supposedly does with Shawn. "What did you do?" I asked, curiosity, ,fear and sadness all evident in my voice, to me at least.
"I didn't do anything" he said. The gaze I shot him must've showed how confused I was, 'cause he continued. "Someone put me in jail for something I didn't do" I nodded.
"Why didn't you come out sooner?" I asked. Suddenly, my reasons had changed from easing his nerves to simply wanting to know.
"The people there, none of them spoke English, so no one could help me" he explained.
I nodded, suddenly even more intrigued by my father's life for the past ten years. I sat up straighter, crossing my legs like we did during assemblies at school. I turned towards him, sitting sideways on the couch. I had definitely inherited my mom's need for knowledge and love for investigating. I wanted to know what was really going on, why people didn't speak English, why he was sent to prison. Because, to me, something sounded fishy about my dad's story. I didn't think he was lying, I thought someone was behind his disappearance, and I wanted to know who. I needed to know who had kept my dad from me for ten years.
"You remind me of your mom when you do that" he pointed out, and it was true. Whenever something sounded fishy, my mom perked up and sat up straight, putting her knees underneath her. I had always loved it when she did that, and only recently noticed I was the same way. "You like to investigate?" I nodded. "So something sounds off to you too?" I nodded again. It was obvious. I mean, a ten year old could tell that didn't sound right. It sounded to me like someone wanted him gone, and when they found out killing him didn't work, they needed to keep him away from Port Charles, away from me. It had to be someone with enough power, either with threats or with money, to control a whole foreign prison. The only person I could come up with was the person that shot him in the first place, Cesar Faison.
See? I wasn't kidding when I decided I had inherited my mom's love and talent in investigating.
I would need to talk to my mom, or Spinelli about that later, but I kinda wanted to bond with my dad for the little while we had left before my mom got home. I smiled as I sat back down the way I normally did, one leg hanging off the couch and the other on it, still facing my dad.
"Are you coming to Georgie's later?" I asked. He looked thoughtful for a second before speaking with the smile I was told didn't exist by everyone, but my mom of course.
"Do you want me to?" he asked. I smiled. He was making an effort. He wanted to make me happy. He wanted to bond with me. I nodded.
"You'll like Georgie. She's cool" I said. "She's funny. She calls you Stone Cold, like her dad. She likes computers, like her dad. She likes investigating. We play PI all the time" I said, smiling. "She likes to talk, sometimes" he chuckled softly. "And she's pretty" I added, picturing Georgie with her long blonde hair, usually braided to the side, her bluish-green eyes and her cute little skirts, which she says her mom says are 'in', whatever that means.
"Do you have a crush on her?" asked my dad and my eyes widened and felt a slight blush rise on my cheeks. I quickly regained my composure.
"No. Girls have cooties" I said, trying to stay straight faced. I turned to see him smiling, almost laughing. "What?!"
"You do" he said. I rolled my eyes.
"Why do you think that?" I asked and watched as his cheeks turned a light pink. I never imagined the big, bad Jason Morgan I had heard about blushing.
"Because... I used to respond like that when people would ask me about your mom" he admitted and I gasped. My dad really was smitten for my mom. "But don't tell her"
"Your secrets safe with me" I said honestly.
"So is yours" he said, just as my mom walked it with a bag of groceries.
"What secret?" she asked.
"Nothing" we answered in sync and watched as she went into the kitchen, smiling at each other when she left the room.
Sam pulled up at the house I assumed was Spinelli and Maxie's. It was nice, very Maxie like. The rather large house had a garden out front full of flowers. It had a white trellis fence surrounding it. The walls were covered in light brown stucco with dark brown details, also stucco. There were dark blue, fake shutters beside every window. Overall, it was a nice house, for Maxie and Spinelli. For me? Not so much. She opened her door but turned back to me. Danny quickly got out of the back seat, but she didn't follow.
"You sure?" she asked me and I smiled at her concern. I nodded.
"Yeah. Spinelli... and Maxie, I guess... were good friends to me" I answered honestly. "And Danny wants me here" I added the reason for my final decision. She smiled.
"I knew you would make a good father" she said softly. "He's already got you wrapped around his finger"
I shrugged. "I love him, already" I admitted softly.
She leaned over and kissed my cheek softly. "I can tell" she said as she pulled away. "If you want to leave early, just say the word and I'll get you out of there. I know they can be crazy" I chuckled knowingly.
We both got out of the car and headed towards the open door. I had to hold back a laugh when I saw Maxie standing there, jaw dropped. Clearly, she was shocked to see me come back from the dead, not that I was surprised. She was standing in the doorway, just standing, staring in awe.
"You're... You're... You're alive?!" she managed to stutter out. I could hear footsteps in the background.
"Who's alive? Maximista?" asked Spinelli's familiar voice. Maxie raised a hand. She looked more shocked than Sam, or Danny or everyone else that knew so far.
"Ja- Ja- Ja- son..." she said.
"Stop acting like you've seen a ghost" teased Sam. I chuckled lightly at the irony. In a way, she truly was seeing a ghost, I guess. Spinelli then appeared next to her and I noticed the wedding bands on their fingers. I could hear Georgie and Danny giggling in the background.
"Stone Cold?"