Chapter ELEVEN
"What do you mean the real Big Wizard?" asked Chris, looking put out, "I'm he, I'm the big enchilada, the top guy , the-"
"No you're not," Sami interrupted him determinedly, "It's someone else – isn't it?"
Chris opened his mouth and looked like he was going to keep on denying it but then closed it again and looked a little sheepish.
"Oh alright clever little kitten," he admitted, "I'm not the Big Wizard, I'm not even the medium sized one."
"Oh!" Chloe gasped, "I don't believe it!"
"The real Big Wizard is too busy to be seeing all of these people all the time so he just delegates a little," said Chris with an apologetic shrug, "That's how big business works."
He looked at Sami curiously.
"What gave me away?" asked Chris, wrinkling his nose, "Was it the pants – Dante said they were too much but I just wouldn't listen."
"If anything they were too little," said Chloe with a grimace.
"She's right," agreed Nicole readily, "Sew up that crotch or at least put on some underwear next time."
"The underwear might be a good idea," said Chris thoughtfully, "You should see the chaffing I get."
"Pass," said Nicole flatly.
"All I want to see is the Big Wizard," said Sami desperately, "The real Big Wizard!"
"I think that can be arranged," said a deep and interestingly accented voice from the top of the stairs.
"Is that the real Big Wizard?" asked Stephanie, "I'm getting confused now."
Sami looked up at to the top of the stairs and wondered if the weirdness was ever going to end.
"Hugh Jackman," said Sami in disbelief, "The Big Wizard is Hugh Jackman?"
"Hey check it out," said Nicole looking the long legged and buff actor up and down in appreciation, "The Big Wizard has an ass that you could crack acorns on – nice."
"And that's not all little lady," said Hugh Jackman, giving her a cheeky wink, "The Big part of my title just isn't just honorary if you know what I mean."
"Good to know," said Nicole, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
"Wait a minute," said Sami, holding up her hand and shaking her head, "Just wait a cotton pickin' moment here. You're telling me the Big Wizard is Hugh Jackman? Hugh Jackman the Australian actor? What the hell is that all about?"
"That is about you watching the movie "Australia" last night," said Hugh with a big smile, "And you practically wearing out the DVD over the bucket scene part."
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Sami sniffed, trying not to look embarrassed.
"I'm talking about this," said Hugh, clicking his fingers and suddenly a big screen fell from the sky and an image of Sami watching the DVD in her room came up.
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Sami blushed bright red as she, along with the rest of the population of the Emerald Kingdom watched her rewind and play that part over and over again.
"It had a scratch on the DVD," said Sami hastily, her cheeks flaming
"I've got a scratch in my DVD right now too after watching that," said Nicole throatily, sending Hugh a sexy look, "Care to buff it out Big Wizard?"
"Put it back in your pants Nicole," said Sami in annoyance before Hugh could answer her.
"I'm not the one getting RSI in her rewind finger," said Nicole with a smirk.
"Now ladies," said James suddenly reappearing in a puff of smoke, "Play nicely together eh?"
"Oh now he turns up," said Sami in exasperation, "Where were you when it was raining flying monkeys huh?"
"You had Gavin," said James with a little shrug, "I knew you'd all be fine."
"A little heads up about the squirrel pee and Kenny would have been nice to know," said Sami in aggravation.
"The Samantha Brady I know enjoys adventures," said James with a boyish smile but Sami wasn't so amused.
"You may not be EJ but you're just as annoying as he is," Sami snapped.
"It's part of our charm," said James with a lop sided grin.
"Trust me," said Sami dourly, "It really isn't."
The trouble was though that even as she said that her heart was pattering away madly at being smiled at by this man. Stupid heart she chastised it in annoyance.
"So wait," said Stephanie, still very confused, "You're the Big Wizard now?"
"No," said James with a patient smile, "Hugh is."
"Right," said Stephanie slowly, "So you're the one I have to ask about getting a brain."
"Not before time either," said Chloe in exasperation, "I don't even know how she is remembering to suck in her own drool with that brain capacity."
"I'm the one you need to talk to," agreed Hugh agreeably.
Sami however knew how this story went. She hurried up the stairs to get to where James and Hugh were standing together.
"Alright, alright," said Sami impatiently, "We all know the drill. Stephanie always had a brain, Nicole always had a heart and Chloe always had courage. Blah, blah, blah. Now can we just skip through to the part where you send me home already please?"
"Impatient little dickens isn't she?" noted James to Hugh with an indulgent smile.
"I'm not impatient I just want to get home now !" Sami bit out, "Like I said, we know that the others already have what they need and have had it all along so just send me home and this will all be over."
"Actually no they don't," said Hugh with that charming smile of his.
"What?" asked Sami in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"What Hugh means is that Stephanie really does need a brain, Nicole absolutely needs a heart and Chloe needs some courage," said James evenly before sending Chloe a quick wink, "And that duct tape of course."
"And here they are," announced Hugh, walking down the stairs and pulling three little boxes out of his coat jacket.
"A brain for you Stephanie," he said, handing the young girl the first box, "Use it wisely and use it often."
"Oh thank you!" beamed Stephanie, "I shall think like I have never thunk before."
"Well that last sentence could do with a little attention first up," said Nicole dryly.
"And for you Nicole," said Hugh handing her a box now, "Your heart, be kind to it and be sure of who you give it to."
Nicole gave a bit of a grimace and took the gift, holding it to her chest.
"And Chloe," said Hugh with a sigh, "Courage for you my dear – courage to face who you truly are and to be honest – with yourself and those important in your life."
"Thank you," said Chloe quietly, accepting the offered gift.
Despite herself Sami couldn't help but be touched by the little ceremony and had to wonder if their real life counterparts would be having easier lives if something like this had happened to them.
"I'm glad you've all gotten what you needed," Sami said with a half smile, still at the top of the stairs with James, "I hope it makes you all happy – you all deserve it."
Nicole, Chloe and Stephanie looked at Sami and then at one another before huddling around and talking in low voices to one another.
"What are they saying?" asked Sami, looking at the little group curiously.
"You'll find out soon enough," said James, a small smile playing around his lips.
The group broke up then and all three of them walked up the stairs to where Sami was standing.
"We've been talking," said Stephanie, "And we decided something."
"What?" asked Sami, having no idea what was going on.
"We decided that you need these more than we do," said Stephanie earnestly.
"Oh," said Sami in surprise.
"You need a brain so you can make your mind up once and for all what it is you want and who you want to be Sami," said Stephanie, handing her the little box that Hugh had just given her.
Sami accepted it because she wasn't sure what else to say.
"And you need a heart," said Nicole, her lips twisting, "So you can give it away properly, once and for all to the right person."
Sami numbly took the offered gift from Nicole, unable to believe that this was happening.
"And you need courage Sami," said Chloe quietly, "More than any of us to face your fears and to be able to forgive those who have hurt you and learn to accept the people in your life for who they really are and not what you want them to be."
Sami took Chloe's offered gift, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"I-I don't know what to say," she said emotionally.
"Say you'll make good use of them," said Nicole with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Thank you," said Sami sincerely.
"And if you screw this up I'll kick your ass," finished Nicole.
"Well there goes the moment," said Sami wryly.
"I have a very small window of tolerance for being nice to you Sami and it is rapidly closing," said Nicole unapologetically, "Take what you can get and be thankful."
"Gavin and I just want you to be happy," said Stephanie earnestly.
"I don't have strong feelings one way or the other," said Chloe blithely.
"It's up to you now Samantha," said James in that throaty, lilting voice of his, "Kenny is dead. You don't have to do anything you don't want to anymore. You have your heart back now – look into it and find the courage to face what you've always known to be true. You just need to go home now."
"But-but I don't know how," said Sami, her bottom lip trembling, "I don't know where home is."
James walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder and smiled kindly down at her.
"Of course you do Samantha," he said softly before giving her a gentle push.
Sami took a step backwards to find nothing was behind her seeing she was on the top of the stairs. Her arms flailed wildly as she began to fall backwards. The last thing she saw was James handsome and bespectacled face as she toppled into darkness, his rich voice following after her.
"Home is where the heart is."
Sami let out a cry and sat bolt upright, the stark whiteness of her surrounds making her blink blindly for a moment.
"Samantha!" said a familiar voice urgently, "Samantha – oh thank God!"
"J-James?" she stammered uncertainly as she turned to look at the owner of the voice.
"No sweetheart," he said, deep concern clouding his face, "It's me EJ, lie back down, you've had a terrible bang on the head."
Sami let EJ lie her back down, unable to take her eyes off him.
"You're not wearing glasses," she said weakly, still confused about all that had just happened.
"You know I wear contacts darling," he chided her gently, "Just like you."
"Oh," said Sami quietly and then realised, "I'm home."
"Yes," said EJ squeezing her hand, "You're home Samantha."
"And you're here EJ," she whispered.
Home is where the heart is...
James' words came back to Sami.
"Yes I'm here Samantha," said EJ softly, "I'll always be here if you let me."
He looked away sharply then and seemed to be blinking away tears.
"Oh god Samantha I was so afraid," said EJ hoarsely, looking back at her with stricken eyes, "When you hit your head and didn't wake up I was terrified I'd lost you forever and I couldn't bear it."
Sami could see EJ's distress was real, could see the pain and fear written all over his face and knew he wasn't lying.
"I've had a terrible nightmare," said Sami shakily, "And I couldn't wake up from it."
"I know what you mean," said EJ painfully, "I've been living a nightmare ever since Lucas returned and I lost you and I still haven't woken from it."
Sami saw the sincerity and the regret that was etched deeply into EJ's handsome face.
"Kiss me," said Sami unevenly.
EJ looked at her in surprise.
"What?" he asked hoarsely.
"Kiss me EJ," she ordered him again, never taking her eyes from his.
"Samantha," said EJ, his face filling up with remorse and Sami could see he wanted to but wouldn't let himself, "There is something you have to know. Before you hit your head you overheard something terrible, something horrible that I've done."
"I remember," said Sami calmly.
"You-you do?" asked EJ in shock.
"Yes," said Sami without hesitation, "Now kiss me."
EJ looked at her in disbelief but certainly didn't need to be told again. He pressed his lips to hers and Sami immediately tasted his hunger and desperation for her. She could feel him trying to communicate his soul to her in that single kiss – urgently needing her like no one had ever done before. His kiss told Sami of EJ's love for her, his remorse and how much he wanted things to be different. When it finally ended they were both breathless. EJ looked at her wide eyed, panting slightly.
"Now go away," said Sami quietly and watched as EJ's face fall.
He straightened up and stood, looking down at her with broken eyes. Without a word EJ turned around and did as Sami had asked, leaving her to her thoughts.
