A/N: Yay! I'm so glad you all had such a positive reaction to the last chapter (and a half :p ). It was really fun to write, though super stressful. I wanted to make it perfect and for Jason to be more romantic than ever. This chapter isn't as long as some of the last ones, but I hope you enjoy it. :)
Jen
Sam woke up slowly, blinking against the morning sun pouring through the windows. She shoved her hair out of her face and stretched languidly. She became acutely aware of the soreness between her thighs, and smiled with cat-like satisfaction.
"Hard to believe I could forget a sight like that."
Sam turned her head to look at Jason, who leaned in the doorway admiring the view with a self-satisfied grin. Blushing, Sam pulled the sheet up to cover her nakedness, sticking her tongue out at him.
"I know, right? What's your deal?" She teased. Jason grinned and walked over to the bed, a pair of sweatpants hanging low on his hips. He held out a steaming mug of coffee, which Sam took gratefully.
She breathed in the delicious scent of Corinthos Coffee and took a careful sip. Tilting her head back, she moaned.
"Mmmm. That's so good. Thank you." She looked back down and her eyes widened at the heat in Jason's eyes. He took the mug from her and set it aside on the nightstand.
"You can finish that later." He said softly, crawling on the bed and over her. She looked up at him, already breathless with anticipation. Jason ran his hand down her body slowly, pulling the sheet down with it. His eyes roamed over her lazily before drifting back to hers.
"You're mine now, Sam." The statement was surprisingly possessive and Sam couldn't deny the thrill that rushed through her.
"Prove it." She challenged him…
By the time they finally made it out of bed, Sam was more than a little achy, but in the most incredible way. She gathered her clothes and dressed slowly, careful of her still healing side. She glanced at the clock on the dresser again and cringed. It was already late afternoon.
Jason sat in the bed, arms crossed behind him and watched her.
"Do you really have to go?"
Sam looked over her shoulder with a grin as she slipped on her dress. Or what was left of it, anyway. She grabbed Jason's shirt from the night before and put it on, tying it at the waist.
"You know I do. I have to pick up Danny. He's been away from home too often lately. I want him to settle back into his routine."
She held her ripped lingerie in her hand and held it up.
"You owe me a new set. They were one of my favorites." She teased before dropping it in the waste bin in the bathroom.
Jason's eyes widened.
"You're going…" He trailed off as Sam nodded slowly.
"Commando? Mhmm." She admitted wickedly. Jason sat up and looked at her intrigued. She backed away, shaking her head and pointed her finger at him.
"No, Jason. I have to go. Jason, no!" She squealed, spinning around and fleeing the room when Jason just licked his lips and slowly crawled out of the bed. He laughed when she ran and gave chase.
He caught her on the stairs, wrapping his arms around her waist and spinning her around, her feet off the floor.
She was laughing when he captured her mouth with his. He was lowering her to the stairs when there was a knock on the door.
Jason dropped his head on her chest with a groan. Sam laughed and pushed him off her, ignoring the twinge in her side. She went to open the door and her mouth dropped in happy surprise.
"Spinelli!" Sam moved forward and hugged Spinelli, who returned her hug a bit too exuberantly. With another pull on her side, Sam had to bite back a cry of pain. Her face paled a bit and she pulled back carefully.
"How wonderfully surprising it is to find you here." Spinelli said, pleased to see that Jason and Sam were so obviously reconnecting. He studied Sam and noticed her color.
"Fair Samantha, are you quite alright? You look a bit pale. Is it your wound?" Spinelli had been told about her injury shortly after they left the Italy. Jason bounded up at his words and studied Sam. She smiled to hide her discomfort.
"I'm fine, I'm just tired." She said, avoiding Jason's eyes. Jason frowned as he watched her. He'd been careless this morning, thinking of his own pleasures instead of her safety.
"That's not completely true. Sam is still healing. Sam, come lay down for a bit. You need to rest. I should've been more careful." He was already beating himself up for his recklessness.
Sam went over to him and kissed him softly on the lips. Spinelli looked on with a wide smile.
"Stop. I'm fine. I have to get our son. I promise, I will rest as soon as I get home." She smiled softly.
Jason shook his head.
"I should at least come with you to help you." He said, worried about the pain he could see in her eyes.
She shook her head quickly.
"It's not necessary. Besides, I'll probably stay at my mom's for a bit before we leave, and my dad can help me get Danny in the car when I leave." She insisted. Jason agreed reluctantly.
They kissed goodbye, and with a kiss on the cheek for Spinelli, Sam left. Outside the door, she leaned against the hallway door and took a deep breath. She held a hand against her throbbing side and closed her eyes against the pain.
She pushed away from the wall.
"I'll be fine. I'll take my pain meds at my mom's house and just stay there for a while." She told herself before moving carefully to the elevator.
Inside, Jason stared at the closed door for a few minutes after Sam left, uneasy. Spinelli grinned at him. Jason looked back at him and rolled his eyes.
"Stop. You want a beer?" He asked, moving to the kitchen. Spinelli held up the bag containing his favorite drink and snack, sheepishly.
"Uh, actually, I came prepared. See, I came to bring Georgie to see her mother for the holidays, since Maximista couldn't make it. And well, Ellie booked a conference while we're here so I'm a bit at loose ends. I was hoping we might spend an afternoon together, catching up, so to speak." Spinelli smiled cheerfully.
Jason paused, looking back at Spinelli's hopeful face. Sighing, he nodded.
"Okay."
It actually wasn't as bad as Jason had feared. Spinelli, though definitely a bit odd, was uncannily intuitive and surprisingly easy to talk to.
Jason leaned back on his couch and looked over at Spinelli with a grin before lifting the bottle of beer in cheers. Spinelli lifted his orange fizzy before sipping it. He grabbed a handful of BBQ chips and offered some to Jason. Jason shook his head with a laugh.
"Tell me, Resurrected One, what happens with the epic love story of Jason and Sam now? JaSam, if you will?" Spinelli asked curiously.
Jason chuckled and shrugged.
"That's up to Sam. I know what I want but I'm not sure she's ready for that yet."
Spinelli nodded sagely.
"Having only had some memories of her return to you, do you think that's enough to enter back into a full fledge relationship with Fair Samantha?"
Jason leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. He turned his head towards his friend and nodded slowly.
"Even without the memories of our past, what I know about her now is enough make me want to be with her. I mean, how could I not? She's honest, she's brave, she's beautiful, she's easy-going…she gets me." He didn't even realize he was smiling by the time finished, his eyes soft.
Spinelli jaw dropped and he started pointing his finger at Jason.
"You-you-you remembered that! You've said that before! You're-you're remembering, aren't you?" Spinelli sputtered in excitement, bouncing up and down on his seat.
Jason's brow furrowed and he tried to remember saying that. Suddenly, a memory slid right into place.
Jason sat in the armchair facing Spinelli. He hated talking about his feelings, but this? It was easy.
"You know, it's funny. Sam was, uh, a little worried that I still might like Brenda because she didn't know our marriage was an arrangement. But Sam is... is better than Brenda in every way possible. You know? She's strong, she's beautiful, she's capable, she's-she's easygoing. And she gets me."
Jason glanced up at Spinelli, who was smiling goofily at him. Jason shook his head in annoyance.
"What is your problem?"
Spinelli grinned and shrugged.
"Nothing. It's... it's just nice to see you getting in touch with your feelings about fair Samantha. It's very sweet-"
Jason shifted uncomfortably.
"Whatever. You found anything yet?"
Spinelli let him brush it off, knowing it flustered Stone Cold to talk about his emotions.
"Actually, yes, I have a link that could be very useful to us in finding Brenda's location, but my laptop can't break the encryption code." He stood up with his laptop in hand.
"But not to fear. The newly enhanced data beast at the P.I. office will have no trouble with this. I'll call you as soon as I find something."
Jason walked Spinelli out. Turning towards the stairs he was surprised to see Sam watching him with damp, touched eyes.
"Those were some of the nicest things you've ever said about me." She said in a watery voice as Jason smiled up at her with love.
Jason blinked up at Spinelli before he started laughing.
"You're right. I have said almost that exact same thing before. And I meant it just as much then as I do now."
Spinelli beamed at him before his eyes widened.
"Oh my goodness! Jason, if you remember saying that then you remember saying that to me! You remember me! You remember me!" He crowed bouncing forward to hug Jason.
Jason leaned back in horror, one hand held up to fend Spinelli off.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop right there. None of that." He said forcefully enough for Spinelli to stop trying to get to him and just beam at him happily.
"Geez. Yeah, I remembered you too." Jason shook his head at Spinelli's over exuberance. He'd grown to think of the kid as a good friend but damned if he wasn't a bit like a puppy. Awkward, yappy, and overly affectionate, but a true and loyal companion described Spinelli perfectly.
Jason chuckled at his comparison and just accepted Spinelli's behavior as one of his many odd but endearing quirks. He was lucky to have the kid in his corner.
Just then the phone rang. Jason leaned over to pick up.
"Alexis, hi." Jason was quiet as he listened. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed and he leaned forward in concern.
"Danny's still there? Is Sam still resting?" He listened before he stood up quickly, shooting a concerned look at Spinelli.
"What do you mean Sam never showed up?"
