Title: Twenty Eight Years
Author: Willow
Summary: Sam has just found out about his father's affair.
Episode: Pre season 2, 'Somebody's Going To Emergency, Somebody's Going To Jail'.
Characters: Sam and Josh
Rating: PG (to be safe for language)
Disclaimer: Not mine now and probably never will be.

Sam hung up the phone and stared out of the window at the darkness. How the hell could this happen? How did he miss this? Twenty eight years for God's sake! How could his father have done that to them? Part of him wanted to get on a plane and fly home, the rest of him never wanted to go there again. He'd never felt so betrayed.

"Sam," a voice from the door interrupted his thoughts. "What's up?"

Sam turned and looked at Josh. "You want to go and get a drink?" he asked quietly.

"Okay," Josh replied, watching Sam curiously. "But it's 1.30."

"I don't care. I just want to get drunk and forget about the lying, cheating, bastard," Sam replied angrily.

"Sorry? Who are we talking about?" Josh asked as he followed Sam out of the office.

"No one. Do you have any beer at home?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. What the hell's happened?"

"I told you, nothing. Forget about it. Let's just get drunk."

Josh was still on his first beer, having decided that he should probably stay sober. Sam was on his forth, but he still hadn't told Josh what had happened. He was been switching between brooding silence and angry rants at nothing in particular, but Josh was as confused now as two hours ago.

"Sam, what's happened?" Josh asked again.

Sam leant back in the chair and stared at Josh. "You miss your dad?"

"Yeah," Josh answered.

"Did he ever do anything that made you want to hit him?"

"Sometimes."

Sam wasn't expecting that answer, he sat forward and asked, "Like what?"

"Getting drunk and staying out for two days at a stretch."

"When did he do that?" Sam asked in a shocked voice. That didn't sound like the Noah Lyman he'd known.

"Long time ago." Josh remembered that Sam didn't know. "My dad was an alcoholic. He quit drinking when I was at college, but before that......"

"I didn't know." Sam was silent for a minute, wondering how to respond to that. "My father's been having an affair."

"I'm sorry," Josh replied. Although he didn't like Sam's father, he knew that Sam idealized him. "When'd you find out?"

"I'd just come off the phone to my mom when you walked in." Sam opened another beer. "Twenty eight years, Josh. He's been keeping another woman in a condo in Santa Monica since I was a kid. All those Christmases and Thanksgivings when he had to work. The only thing he was working on was her. The bastard!" Sam shouted. He had an overwhelming urge to hit something or throw something. He stood up and walked to the window, trying to calm down.

Josh watched Sam. He wanted to help him, but was at a complete loss what to say or do.

Sam turned back from the window. "I always wanted to be like him you know. I wanted to be partner in a law firm. I only went into law because of him," he continued, studying his beer bottle. "Is that why you did law, 'cos your dad was a lawyer?"

Josh shook his head. "No. I always wanted to work in politics."

"Wish I'd had my own ambitions. You follow someone else's and where does it get you. Nowhere but betrayal. I hated law you know. All that studying, complete waste of time."

"Now you're talking crap." Josh ignored Sam's glare. "You may have gone into law because of your father, you may even have joined Gage..... whoever, because it's what he expected. But you don't hate law. When I first met you, you loved it. Now you're following your own career path. You're your own man Sam, not your father's."

"I suppose." Sam sat back down. "Did your dad like that you went into politics?"

"Yeah, I think so. He didn't always like who I was working for, he wasn't too impressed when I joined Hoynes staff," Josh smiled. "Didn't yours approve?"

"You know he didn't," Sam said, standing again and walking to the kitchen. "Hey you're out of beer. I'll go to the store."

"It's 3am, don't you think you've had enough?"

"What are you, my mother!" Sam was angry again. "If I want more beer I'll get them," he said. "You've never liked my father have you?"

"What?" Josh asked. "I've only met him twice."

"And you didn't like him." Sam sat down was quiet for a few minutes. "Yeah I know. It was him didn't like you."

Josh smiled at the memory. "Too sarcastic, cocky and arrogant for my own good. I believe that's what he said."

"Yeah, that was about it," Sam smiled.

"He wasn't far wrong," Josh grinned. "You want to stay here tonight?"

"Yeah, thanks. I can't go home, not now, not after what he's done," Sam said and lay down on the couch.

"Why?" Josh asked.

"'Cos he paid the bond on the apartment, and my trust fund pays toward the rent. I thought you knew that."

"Trust fund?" Josh laughed. "I did wonder how you afforded to live there. You can't leave your home because of him."

"You just don't want me living here."

"True," Josh grinned, before he went to fetch some bedding.

"Josh."

"Yeah?"

"Will you tell Leo?"

"Leo?" Josh asked as he dropped the bedding on Sam. "Why?"

"Cos he should probably know that I may not be at my best for a while."

"Okay, if you're sure. Get some sleep I'll see you in the morning."

"Night Josh, thanks for listening. Sorry for yelling at you."

"Don't worry about it," Josh smiled. "Goodnight."

END