Disclaimer: I don't own Profiler.  I'm in no way connected to the show.

Author's Note: I am so sorry this took so long.  I've been extremely busy.  I won't go into that though, though, because you probably do not want to hear it.  Well, yes, if you were wondering, that whole thing with the woman asking if everything was set up, or something like that, was Sam and Bailey.  The story's almost finished, I am getting there.  I hope you enjoy.  (P.S.: The next part shouldn't take to long, I have most of it written.  I just need to type it out.  One day I felt like writing the next part of the story so I did.)

Will You Take Care Of Me?

"You knew didn't you?"

            Bailey looked up from the file, "What?"

            "I said that you knew."

            "Knew what?"

            "That she was alive.  That Sam is alive."  I glare at Bailey waiting for him to answer me.  How could he keep this from me?  What, did he just forget to tell me?

            "Yes, I did."

            "Why didn't you tell me?" I ask with hurt in my voice.

            "I couldn't.  I had my reasons."

            "Really, what were they?"  The words come out harsher than I meant them to be.

            Bailey winces, and I regret taking this out on him.  "John, I think it would be best for Sam to tell you.  She wanted to, but you really hurt her yesterday, and she might not be so confident to tell you everything.  Just try talking to her.  I know it's hard, but you got to try."

I let out a sigh.  How can I talk to her?  Part of me wants to, but yet the other part of me is screaming no.  The pathetic thing is I'm actually afraid to talk to her.  I can face psycho killers, but I can't face the woman I love.  Against my fear I say, "Fine, I'll try."

"Good, she's waiting for you in your office."

Somehow I manage to walk.  I feel like a doll being controlled by its owner, making me move to my office.  My hand slowly reaches for the door handle when I reach the door.  I open it to find Sam sleeping silently on the couch.  I softly close the door behind me, yet she still wakes up.  She sits up and stares at me.

"Sam."  The words come out with no emotion.

"John."  I see tears form in her eyes.  "I'm so sorry.  I'm so sorry."  She starts to cry softly.

"Sam, don't cry."  I get no response.  "Sam."  I walk over and put my arms around Sam.  I pull her close to embrace her.  It felt so right to hold her in my arms.  Oh, how I missed her.  I just wish time could stay like this.  I wish there was no problems that have to be worked out.  I just want everything to be okay between us right now.  I don't want to go through the pain of working this out.  I just want to hold her. 

I let the time pass by, not speaking, afraid of what might happen if I do.  Afraid of making the slightest movement and braking this perfect moment.  I gather up courage to shatter the silence.  "What happened?  Why?"

She looks at me with her gorgeous eyes.  "This isn't the best place."

"Let's go to the house.  Don't worry; we have a while before Chloe and Angel are back from the movie.  We can talk there."

She nods slightly.  Our eyes meet.  I see sadness, regret, pain, guilt, horror, happiness, hesitation.  I see everything, every emotion, in her eyes.  And at that very moment I realized there was a reason Sam did what she did.

~*~*~*~

            We rode in the car in silence.  When we reached the house I opened the door for her.  Her hand found her way into mine; reminding me of the many times Chloe had done it.  As we walked into the house, Sam let go of my hand.  She walked forward, examining the room.

            "Not much has changed around here."

            "Yeah, we decided to keep it this way.  We saw nothing wrong with it so there really was no reason to change it."

            "Chloe's playground is taken down."

            "She sort of out grew it."

            "I figured."

            "Would you like something to drink?"

            "I'm fine."

            "Would you like to sit down?"

            "Okay."

            We slowly made our way to the couch.  She turned and faced me.  "So I guess you'd like to hear what happened now."

            "Yeah.  That would be nice."

            "I was going to tell you the long story, but the short version sounds better right now."

            "I'd like to hear the long one."

            "I don't think I can right now."

            Even though I want to hear the long version, I tell her that I understand.  I have to admit, I don't understand, though. 

"There are details I will fill in later.  I just don't think I can say them yet.  I need some more time to think things through.  Everything was planned.  I knew exactly what I was going to say to you…I mean to everyone, but the moment I arrived everything changed.  Well anyways, I'll begin now.                   

"Jack was really starting to get to me, but I tried my best not to let it bother me.  I was handling everything okay, but that's when it happened.  Jack sent me a long message and a bunch of pictures concerning a certain person, which I'd rather not tell who this person was.  But the point is, I panicked.  I wasn't gonna let Jack hurt me anymore.  I wasn't going to let that person died.  I went to Bailey about the package and asked him to keep it secret.  I told him that I had a plan.  I decided that the only way to get rid of Jack was for me to die.  Of course I wasn't going to really die.  Even if I wanted to, Bailey wouldn't allow that to happen.                                                                                               

"That's when the planning began.  The project was pretty much top secret.  We only let the people we needed for it to work know what was going on.  Very few people were involved.  We had the 'killer', who was a undercover cop that got caught undercover.  He was involved in a plan to bring down a big crime group, but like I said, he got caught.  They were out to kill him then.  He had to go hiding.  Faking his death also would get him out of his situation.  The mob would think he was dead, and he would have a new identity.  We had as few of doctors and nurses as possible to pull the deaths off.  We couldn't have any other people ruining the plan because they found out we were not dead.  We picked some of the best hospital staff to help us.  Then we needed some police officers and detectives.  We had a police officer playing the security guard, and he would act as the first on the scene and declare me dead on the spot.  We also had one detective, one forensic scientist, one photographer, and one witness to the 'killing.'  They acted as proof that we were dead.

"Things didn't work as planned when Jack sent a message to me which Bailey got.  Jack threatened the same person again for reasons I cannot tell you right now.  He was planning to kill y…that person soon.  We had to change the plan to take place that night.  The night just so happened to be the night we were meeting for dinner.  It was sudden, and I wasn't expecting it.  I really didn't want it to happen like that, but it had to.  Things were set up, and we followed through with the plan.

"Obviously things worked out.  No one knew that I was alive or that it was just a plan except Bailey, about thirteen others, and I.  We pulled it off.  I had a new identity also.  We set everything up.  I had a birth certificate, credit cards, a house; I had everything.  I also had a past.  My identity was just like it was a real person and had been born and lived a full life.  I loved in Hawaii and was a family photographer.  I had a small business, nothing to gain attention.  I couldn't have my cover blown over a mistake about my character or being shown on TV or in pictures.  I didn't really have a choice in anything about my new life except my name.  I went my Elizabeth Samantha G…I'd rather not say my last name right now.  I led a small life there in a small town.  I never contacted anyone from my real life, and no one contacted me.  It wasn't 'till Jack was captured that I heard from someone from Samantha Water's life.  Bailey called me and set up my trip home.  We cleared Elizabeth from all her attachments in Hawaii.  She moved away to another state and was not sure of where the exact location she was going to live in was.  She promised to contact some people later with the location.  She boarded the plane, and that is where her life ended.  Elizabeth turned into Samantha.  And here I am.  That's what happened."

Sam looked up at me.  I was speechless.  "Whoa."

"Yeah, I know.  It's pretty complicated.  I just don't know how to tell everyone else.  Do you think they'll forgive me, John?  Do you think you'll forgive me?"

"I don't see how any body could stay mad at you, Sam"

She smiled at me.  "You really are amazing.  After all I did to you, you still forgive me.  You act as if I was only gone for a day and we are just telling each other what happened.  You still are one of my best friends even after all I put you through.  I am so lucky to have you.  I don't deserve it."

"If anything, I don't deserve you.  You lost so much, you deserve the best.  I will never stay mad at you.  You will always be my best friend, no matter what."  I paused to let out a smirk.  "Just don't you ever dare do a thing like this again."

"Ahh, there's the John I know and love; he always has to get his sarcastic remark in."  Sam let out a small laugh.

"Come here you, give me a hug.  I missed you so much."  We rocked back in forth in each other's arms with smiles on our faces.

Laughing could be heard.  Sam and I glanced at the door.  It flew open.

"And then he said…" Chloe never finished her sentence because she burst out laughing with Angel.

"That was a very funny movie, Chloe.  I'm glad you picked it out."

"Dad we're back!  Oh, there you are.  Hey, dad."  The smile vanished off her face.  "M-mom?"

"Sam?!?" Angel shouted.

"Hey, you two."  Sam looked at me for help, not knowing what to say.  I squeezed her hand.

Tears streamed down Chloe's face.  She put her hand over her mouth and ran to her room.  Her door slamming echoed throughout the house. 

"I should go talk to her," Sam stated.

"No, Sam, let me do this.  I got it."

"Okay."

I stood up and approached Chloe's room.  I glanced back to look at Sam.  I heard an 'Oh my, God.  Sam.  I can't believe it.'  Angel and Sam stood in an embrace.  I knocked lightly on Chloe's door.

"Go away," she cried out.  I opened the door.  Chloe lay on the bed with her face buried I her pillow.  She sat up in her bed and hugged her pillow.  "You don't listen very good."

"So I've been told."  I was awarded a small giggle from Chloe.  She looked so much like her mother.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just found out not to long ago, and I promised that I'd let her tell you.  Everything's going to be okay now.  We've got your mother back."

~*~*~*~

     After having a long talk with Chloe I came back out to the living room.  I saw Sam halfway asleep on the couch.  "I think it's time to go to sleep."

"Uh huh," Sam mumbled.  She stood up.  "Where am I sleeping?"

"Your room."

"Then where are you sleeping if Angel's in your room, Chloe's sleeping in her room, and I'm sleeping in my room?  Wait a minute, I still have a room?"

"Yep."  We walked into her room.

"Wow, it looks almost the same as when I left except it was messier."

"Yeah, I just put all your stuff away a few days ago.  It took a while for me to be able to do it.  Good night, Sam."

She shook her head.  "Don't leave me.  Stay here.  I don't want to be alone.  I missed being in your arms."

I looked at her.  She looked so tired that it looked as if she would fall asleep standing up.  "Okay.  Do you need pajamas?"

"Yeah."

I walked out of the room and returned with a big tee shirt of mine.  "Is this okay?"

"That's great.  Thank you.  Can we go to sleep now?"

"Yeah, yeah we can."  I smiled.  Everything was going to be okay between us.  We were back to normal. 

I held her in my arms as she drifted off to sleep.  She was so beautiful.  I brushed a piece of blonde hair from her face.  I just wanted to watch her, but I eventually fell asleep.  That night was one of the best I've had since she went away.  Not once did I wake up.  I know that sleep was not because I was tired.  I slept because I was with Sam.