"I don't know why I'm so nervous," Sam muttered as she pulled her dark hair back into a loose ponytail. Brushing a stray tendril from her glittering eyes, she meticulously painted her lips a frosty pink hue. "I don't think I've ever been so anxious in my life."

Kristina bounced over and tugged on the hem of her shirt. "Can I have some perfume?"

"Sure, sweetie," she obliged, kneeling beside her to spritz her outstretched wrist with the floral scent. Her younger sister smiled thankfully as she offered her arm for her mother to smell.

Alexis nodded approvingly and patted the young girl on the head. "It's perfectly normal to be like this. I mean, I left Ned at the altar and hitched a ride on a semi."

Sam laughed as she pictured her mother in a flowing white gown, surrounded by layers of tulle in the cab of a big rig. As she turned around, she looked at her mother questioningly. "Well, what do you think?"

"I think you're missing a few things," Alexis pointed out. "I know that you've chosen to forgo many of the traditions, but I think there is one that you can't overlook. A few of us got together to do the whole something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue thing."

"You shouldn't have," Sam sighed as Alexis retrieved a beautifully wrapped gift from her tote. Kristina held onto Molly's hand as they both toddled over to watch her open their present.

"This is the something new," Kristina told her proudly.

"But I have my ring, it's new," Sam countered, clutching the box in her hand.

"This is from the girls to you, Sam," Alexis explained. She knew that Sam would be unable to deny the gift if it was from her sisters. "Kristina picked it out especially from you. She even helped me wrap it."

"You did?" Sam bubbled as she grinned at her nodding sister. "Well, in that case, I guess I should probably see what it was." She opened the box to find a pair of teardrop diamond earrings. They glittered radiantly as she pressed them through her lobes. Inspecting them in her hand mirror, she couldn't help but get emotional. "Thank you so much," she cried, wrapping her arms around both of her sisters at once.

"Do you like them?"

"Are you kidding? I love them, Kristina."

"Yay!" she exclaimed, dancing in a circle around the bench where Sam sat. "Mommy has something else."

"Alexis…"

"This is something borrowed," Alexis assured her. "You have to give it back."

"Well, fine, since it's a loan, I guess I can accept it," she relented.

Tearing away the layers of creamy paper, Sam smiled with tears in her eyes as she opened a beautiful lace handkerchief. "This is beautiful."

"It's a family tradition," Alexis noted. "It's been passed down for many generations. My great-grandmother carried it on her wedding day, and so did my grandmother. My mother had it with her on the day that I was born, and I've carried it with me on several important occasions. It's seen a lot of miles and soaked up a lot of tears. I'd like you to have it with you today."

Fingering the fragile gently, she finally felt like a part of the family, like she had been fully accepted. "Thank you, Mom."

A sob caught in Alexis' throat as she embraced her eldest daughter. Those simple words were the best gift she could have ever been given. "I love you, Samantha."

"I love you, too," Sam managed through her tears. A knock on the door broke the moment, eliciting uncomfortable laughter from both adults. "Come in."

"Sorry, are we interrupting?" Emily asked as she and Lulu leaned against the doorway.

"Not at all," Alexis replied. "Actually, I'm going to go check on a few things downstairs. Come on girls; let's give your sister a minute alone. Sam, we'll be back in a bit."

"Okay," she nodded before her mother and sisters disappeared. "My makeup is a mess," she declared resolutely, a trail of mascara apparent on her cheek.

"Well, you might want to wait to fix it," Lulu giggled as she sat down next to her soon-to-be mother in law. "We're here with your something old gift."

"You guys didn't have to do anything for me."

"Yes, we did," Emily assured her. "You're joining a very elite group of Spencer-Cassadine women."

"I'm already sort of a Cassadine," Sam pointed out.

"Maybe, but this is a little different," Lulu retorted. "You're joining a group of very connected people. Nikolas, Lucky and I…we changed a lot about the way the Cassadine and Spencer families work. Emily came along, and she changed it even more. Then, Dillon came into the fold. And now, we are going to have you."

Emily slung her arm around Sam's shoulders. "I'm in love with one of these Cassadine-Spencers. Let me tell you, it can be ugly sometimes."

Sam laughed. "Tell me about it."

Lulu reached into her pocket and produced a small jewelry box. "This is for you."

Sam shook her head and grinned as she opened it. "Wow."

Emily helped her lift the stunning pendant from the case. "This diamond came from Laura's first engagement ring."

"Right after my mom got sick, Grandma Lesley was going through her jewelry box and came across it," Lulu explained. "She was trying to figure out which of us to give it to, but when she couldn't come up with an answer, she had it melted down and turned into three matching necklaces. She kept one for each of us."

"When I married Nikolas, Lulu gave me my necklace," Emily revealed, pulling out a matching pendant from beneath her silver slip dress.

Lulu followed Emily's action and showed her own necklace. "And now, we're giving you the third one. This necklace probably means more to me than anything in the entire world, and I hope that you will cherish it like we both do. This symbolizes everything that this family is."

Sam looked at Lulu and smiled softly. "Thank you."

"Laura would be pleased that it's you we are giving this to," Emily said. "Other than her, we're the only ones who know what it's like to truly love these guys. Luke, Nikolas, Lucky and Lulu were her entire life."

"And now, we're a part of yours," Lulu concluded.

The three girls exchanged hugs but were soon interrupted once again. "Sorry," Carly apologized as she entered the changing room.

"No problem," Lulu said. "We were just going. Dillon is supposed to be here by now, so I should go check on him."

"Yeah, I told Nikolas that we would be right back," Emily remarked as they excused themselves.

"Well, you sure know how to clear a room," Sam taunted.

"I just thought that I would come see how the bride is doing," Carly said as she hugged her friend. She couldn't believe that she was here to wish Sam, someone she had once hated so passionately, well in her marriage.

"The bride is nervous and overwhelmed."

"I have something for you."

"Oh, no, not you too."

Carly arched her eyebrow. "Yes, me too," she said. "I actually found this when I was going through some of Sonny's things. We had bought it one afternoon, and I guess I never got around to giving it to you. I thought that you might like to have it."

"What is it?" Sam asked, unsure of what the couple would have ever given her.

"Well, it was for Lila actually," Carly said. "Toward the end of your pregnancy, when I had finally accepted that this was a part of my life, we were out shopping. I saw this and knew that I had to get it for you."

Sam took the signature blue box from Carly and traced the familiar Tiffany insignia. Pulling away the satin white ribbon, she slowly lifted out a sterling silver rattle. "Oh, Carly."

"I thought maybe some day you would be able to tell your child that this was something they shared with their older sister."

"You have no idea how much this means to me."

Images of Michael and Morgan flashed in Carly's mind. "Yes, I do. You're a mother now, and I know exactly how much that means. And while I know today is about your marriage to Lucky, this baby is a part of that."

"There's an inscription," Sam realized aloud.

"Yes, Sonny picked it out," Carly answered. "I think it says everything."

"You were chosen to be loved," Sam read, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I miss him, you know?"

Carly looked at her feet gingerly. "Me too, but I know that he's still here. He's up there with Lila, Sam. He's helping her decide which baby to send to you and Lucky. That might sound crazy to some people, but I know it's true."

"Carly, thank you for being here," Sam said.

"Thank you for letting me."

Another knock brought another interruption. Sam threw her hands up in exasperation. "Who else could that be? Everyone has already been here."

"Not everyone," Elizabeth announced as she slipped into the room. "Carly, can we have a minute?"

Carly exchanged a look with Sam, who nodded in permission. "Sure. Sam, I'll see you down there."

Sam leaned over and hugged her friend. "Thanks again." Carly made a quick exit as Elizabeth perched herself on the edge of a rocking chair. "What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you before the ceremony," Elizabeth began. "I should have told you this before today, but I figure that it only matters that it gets said."

"Okay…"

"Sam, I'm giving you my family today. And if it were anyone else, I would be a lot more worried, but I know that you love Lucky and Cam. You're going to be my son's stepmother and an important person in his life. If something were to ever happen to me, you would be his mother."

"Don't say that. Nothing is going to happen to you."

"I certainly hope not, but I need to say this in case it does," Liz retorted. "If something does happen, I want you to be that person for him. I want you to love him like you love your own child. Don't ever let him feel afraid or unloved. Remind him of who he is and where he comes from. Let him know his mother and this baby. Let him know my grandmother."

"Of course I would," Sam vowed, looking down at her own stomach. "And if something happens to me, Elizabeth, help Lucky with our child. I'm not asking you to be with him, but if he's alone…be a mother figure to our baby. I don't want my child to grow up without someone like that. I did, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Either way, all of our children will be loved," Elizabeth proclaimed warmly. She reached out and squeezed Sam's hand. "I want you to know that I could not have picked a more perfect person for Lucky. I know that you will take care of each other."

"Thank you for making this easier. You could so easily hate me, to try to keep me out of Cameron's life. But you have somehow managed to welcome me into this beautiful world with somewhat open arms. I know that that hasn't been easy."

"It hasn't been," Liz agreed, "but it's the best thing for them both. Truly loving someone means that you care about them more than yourself. That's how I feel about both my son and Lucky. I've seen the way you look at them both. You feel the same way."

"I do," she promised.

"Then, I don't have anything to worry about. And now that we have that out of the way, I want to give you the final gift. I know that Kristina and Molly gave you something new, and Alexis gave you the borrowed gift. Emily and Lulu had the old present, and I have the something blue."

"This blue ribbon came from the baby gift Lucky bought when Cameron was born. I saved it pressed into the Bible he bought for Cam. I guess this my way of symbolically showing that I recognize your place in their lives. I thought maybe you could wear it in your hair."

Out of everything she had received that day, the ribbon probably meant the most. It was just a scrap of silk, but it was the weight of the world to her. "Will you help me?"

"I'd be happy to," Liz chirped as she stood up behind her. Wrapping it once around the hair and pulling it into a neat bow, Elizabeth smiled at Sam in the mirror. "Looks like you're ready."

"Almost."

Sam and Elizabeth whirled around to find Jason behind them. The man that shook up both their lives, that had helped to put them both in that moment. "Jason!" Sam exclaimed out of surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to wish you luck."

"I'll just leave you two alone."

"Thank you," Jason said politely.

Sam stood up to walk her to the door. They exchanged a heartfelt embrace and smiled at each other with understanding. No one else would ever understand like they did. As she shut the door, she turned and looked at him skeptically. "Well, this is it."

"You're really going to do this, aren't you?"

Sam shrugged. "I have to. I love him, Jase. The way that you love Carly, that's what Lucky means to me."

"I'm glad that you know that kind of love."

"We almost had it all, didn't we?"

Jason smiled, his blue eyes sparkling. "We did. I loved you very much, Sam. A part of me always will."

"I love you, too," she murmured. Not loved, but love. She would always love Jason, even though she wasn't in love with him and hadn't been for some time. He held her in his arms as she pulled back. Kissing him chastely on the lips, Sam smiled and covered her mouth. "It's time. I have to go."

"Good luck, Sam."

"I don't need luck, Jase. I have love."