The Songbird Trilogy Book 1 Something To Remember Chapter 2: Part II, a days of our lives fanfic

Something To Remember – Part II

CHAPTER 14

Sami awoke at dawn to the sound of stertorous snoring and slowly became aware of the crushing weight of the naked male body on top of her. She gingerly pushed him off of her and onto the other side of the bed. He muttered something incoherent and rolled over, facing away from her. She smiled into the darkness and got up quietly from the bed, stretching her aching muscles. Tony certainly had stamina and he had kept her busy most of the night. She walked over to the window and peeked out through the curtains at the slowly lightening sky. She would have to get him up and out of there soon. She didn't want to take the chance on anyone, especially Will or Lucas, coming across him leaving her apartment so early in the morning. She went into the bathroom and stepped into the shower, the water hitting her face in a warm blast felt good, as she washed away the night before.

Sami walked back into the bedroom to find Tony sitting up in bed. She smiled at him and jumped onto the bed, sliding across it to kiss him. "Good morning." She said cheerfully. "Good morning to you!" he said returning her kiss with a quick one of his own. "Did you sleep well?" she asked him. "Mmm hmm, like the dead." He answered. "I know." Sami said with a teasing grin "I heard you." "Oh really!" he said one eyebrow shooting up as he reached for her. She halfheartedly tried to pull away, but wound up straddling him anyway. "Tony I just showered!" she giggled as he caught her by the wrists, holding her there. "So take another one with me after." He said releasing her wrists and pulling her head down to kiss him. She broke from the kiss and pushed herself up. "Sorry, love," she said "but playtime's over and I have to get you out of here soon." He groaned in disappointment as she got off of him and readjusted her robe. "I'm serious Tony. I don't want you running into Will here." He looked at her a moment before asking "Is it Will that you're afraid of seeing me here, or Lucas?" Sami returned his direct stare with one of her own. "Honestly," she said "It's both. It wouldn't do either of us any good for Lucas to be in our business." "Is that the only reason?" he asked her suspicion now creeping into his tone. "Yes." She said, "Of course it is. Now get up out of bed." She smiled at him, taking his hands and pulling him to his feet and pushing him towards the bathroom. "And go take a shower, it'll be light soon." "Oh alright" he groaned, turning around to giver her a quick kiss. "Sure you don't wanna join me?" he asked her smiling mischievously "Go!" she said pointing towards the bathroom door. He sighed and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Sami flopped back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "Shit!" she muttered to herself. What the hell was that about, she thought? Was Tony suddenly suspicious of her and Lucas? She thought back to Ops' words earlier about getting out of this if it got too hot for her to handle. But no, she couldn't do that. Not now, not after she had finally gotten close to Tony. She would just have to find a way to alleviate any suspicions he might have about her and Lucas. She sighed as she realized that it might mean having to hurt Lucas, which was the last thing she wanted. But if it kept him safe, it would be worth it. Even if it meant she would lose the connection they had slowly been building since the night that Brandon had left her. She closed her eyes and thought back to that night all those months ago.

CHAPTER 15

Several months earlier

She had been sitting in her apartment sobbing over Brandon's betrayal and his subsequent departure. The phone had been ringing for what seemed like an hour but she couldn't bring herself to pick it up. Suddenly the door had opened and Lucas walked in. "You know," he said angrily. "If you're not dead in here, you ANSWER THE PHONE!" He stood there and glared at her and she burst into tears all over again. She was too upset to even attack Lucas in that moment, all she wanted to do was die. Lucas gave a frustrated sigh and walked over to where she sat on the floor. He plopped down onto the rug beside her and put his arms around her. "Dammit, I'm sorry," he said " but everyone thought you'd hurt yourself or something stupid like that!" Sami hiccupped and leaned against him. "I'm not that stupid." She said quietly "Yeah right, tell me another one." He said sarcastically. She pushed away from him and glared at him angrily. "Well if I'm so stupid why don't you just leave?" She said furiously, getting up from the floor and marching into her bedroom. He followed her in and she turned around directing a look that could kill in his direction. "Get out Lucas!" she yelled at him. "I'm not in the mood for any of your shit tonight!" Lucas leaned against the doorframe and looked at her. He realized that she was really in pain, and he hated seeing her that way. He also realized that Sami in pain meant that she was capable of anything, including hurting herself and he couldn't let that happen, Will would never forgive him. He wasn't all that sure that he would forgive himself. He'd get nowhere pitying her, he thought. No, what this situation called for was tough love. "I'd love to get out of here!" He said, "But unfortunately I've made a promise to our son, to make sure you're alright tonight and I intend to keep it. So you, my dear, are stuck with me tonight, whether you like it or not." Sami stared at him dumbfounded and then the sparks of anger flared up in her eyes and she marched over to him. "I said GET OUT!" she shouted up into his face, pushing him out of the doorway. "Forget it Sami." He said, "I'm not leaving." She went to slap him but he caught her hand in mid air. They stared at each other a long hard minute and then suddenly the fight seemed to go out of Sami. One tear slid down her cheek as she stared into his eyes, followed by another and another until she had begun to shake sobbing. He let go of her wrist and put his arms around her. She didn't fight him, instead she leaned into him, grateful for the support. She suddenly felt so weak and she thought if he let go of her, she'd just sink into the floor and disappear. He led her to the bed, saying nothing and they both lay down on the mattress. She pressed her face into his shoulder, her sobs wracking her body. He held her like that for a long time until finally her sobs subsided and her breathing evened as she fell into a deep slumber in his arms. She sighed and snuggled closer to him and he looked down at her peaceful countenance. It amazed him how young and vulnerable she looked in sleep, just like his Sami of long ago. He sighed and closed his eyes drifting off into sleep, still holding her close.

When Sami had awoken the next morning, Lucas had been gone. And yet somehow she knew that he had held her while she slept. She had still smelled him on her and it had been oddly comforting. They never mentioned that night again, but they had both seemed to acknowledge the uneasy truce that existed between them, that is until he'd caught her kissing Tony. Now, as before, things between them were strained and tense and she hated it. But she knew that there was nothing she could do about it. The ISA was convinced that Tony was behind these murders and Sami had sworn to help them and to protect her family, and that included Lucas. Her reverie was broken by Tony's re-emergence into the room. He'd at least wrapped a towel around his waist, she thought gratefully, suddenly feeling a bit shy and vulnerable. He smiled at her and walked over to her. He chucked his finger under chin tilting it up so that she had to look at him. "God, but you're beautiful!" he said leaning down to kiss her. She let him but didn't really have the heart to return the kiss. He straightened and frowned at her. "Something wrong?" he asked. She shook her head and gave him a tired smile. "No, I'm just a bit tired I guess." She said. "Alright, I know when I'm being kicked out." He said with a self-mocking laugh. "You know that's not what I meant." She said laughing. She leaned back and watched him as he got dressed. "What's that?" she said skimming a finger over a long faded scar on his abdomen. He glanced down distractedly. "Oh that's nothing." He said putting on his pants and reaching for his shirt. "Just a scar from having my appendix taken out." "Oh." She said. " I didn't notice that earlier. Eric had that done when we were little. I remember I wanted to stay at the hospital with him, but they wouldn't let me. I cried worse than he did. "Mmm." Was all he said, pulling his shirt over his head. "Well it looks like that's it." He said looking at her. "Unless of course…" He let his sentence trail off with a grin at her. She smiled and got up off the bed, walking over to him and putting her arms around his neck. "Well, you know if you want a longer morning with me, maybe next time we should do this at your house." She said pressing her body lightly against his. "Mmm, you mean next time as in tonight?" he whispered, softly stroking her face. "Because I don't intend to spend another night without you in my bed." He kissed her hungrily and she moaned into his mouth. She broke the kiss and smiled up at him. "Time for you to go." She said to him. He sighed and allowed her to lead him to the door. He opened it and turned to her, pressing her against the open doorway. "So I'll see you tonight?" he asked her, leaning into her. "Yes." She answered simply. He kissed her again, and she was lost in it, never noticing the door across the hall slowly opening as Lucas came out to get his paper. He watched them for a moment, anger and betrayal creeping into his mind before quietly shutting his door again.

CHAPTER 16

Sami sat at one of the tables in the club, as the band went over its music. She put her chin in her hand and looked around her. Her eyes sought out Lucas as they always did and she saw him in the corner talking with Tony. She sighed unhappily and watched them, wishing she could hear what they were saying. She had managed to place a bug in Tony's office here with little difficulty, only to find that Tony rarely conducted his meetings in his office. She had also spent three nights at the Dimera Mansion in the past couple of weeks, but hadn't planted any bugs there yet. She was hopeful though, that tonight she might be able to plant a bug or two in the mansion. Ops had given her a sleeping powder for Tony's drink, so that he would sleep soundly throughout the night, with no side effects. While he was dead asleep she planned on maneuvering around the house and placing the tiny listening devices around. Tony seemed to like holding his meetings in the living room, so she would start there. She only hoped that Bart was a sound sleeper as well, but if he or anyone else discovered her, she would be able to handle it. She wasn't sure how, but somehow the problem of Lucas had seemingly taken care of itself. Ever since her debut two weeks earlier, Lucas had avoided her like the plague and anytime they had come into contact with one another he had seemed angry and distant, at times being downright nasty to her. It hurt her, but she knew it was probably for the best. Tony no longer asked questions about her and Lucas' relationship, in fact he seemed very pleased at the animosity between the two, so Sami played it up to the hilt. But still, she wondered what she had done to earn his apparent hatred this time. Tony and Lucas stood up as they finished their meeting and Tony made his way over to her. "Sorry that took so long, darling. Where would you like to have lunch?" As he led her away, her eyes met Lucas' and she winced at the anger she saw there.

Sami and Tony walked into Tuscany and Maggie greeted them pleasantly enough, although she eyed Sami disapprovingly. She knew of course, as did everyone in Salem, that Sami was the new singer at The Echelon Club as well as being Tony's latest flame. She blushed at Maggie's rude stares and looked away as they were led to their table. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw her father and Kate seated at another table in the restaurant. Tony looked back at her concerned, until he saw where her gaze was directed. "Would you like to go elsewhere?" he asked her. Sami hesitated before making up her mind. "No." she said "There's no point. We'll just run into someone else who disapproves. Let's just eat here." They sat down and Sami's eyes met her father's across the room. She felt her heart plummet at the disappointment she read there and looked down at her menu. She couldn't concentrate on her menu though, not when she could feel her father's heated glare boring into her skull. She wasn't surprised, they had already had a heated argument about Tony. In fact she had argued with everyone in her family over her newest job and boyfriend. Her grandparents had practically disowned her, John had tried to reason with her, was still trying in fact, as was Belle, and her mother hadn't spoken to her since their fight at Echelon. Her father's reaction was what had hurt her the most though. After arguing with him over Tony for the better part of an hour, her father had finally lost his temper and said that she had to choose between her family and Tony. She had told him that she was not going to give into ultimatums, and he had informed her that in his eyes she had just made her choice. Her heart still constricted as his words to her that day echoed through her mind, "You've made your choice Sami, you are no longer a part of this family." he'd said and turned his back on her. She hadn't tried to go after him, she knew when her father had made up his mind and she could only hope that when this was all over he would understand and forgive her.

"Oh, it can't get much better than this." Tony said grimly. Samantha turned to see her Mother and John walk into the room and over to join Roman and Kate at their table. Her mother hardly spared her a glance, but John did, although the look he gave her was hard to read. "Maybe we should go." She said to Tony as Marlena and John reached her father's table. John turned around to stare at the pair and Tony smiled victoriously at his brother, before turning back to Sami. "No." he said to her. "I refuse to allow your family to ruin our meal. In fact," he said leaning towards her and taking her hand, " I think if they insist on looking, we should give them something to look at!" He slipped his hand behind her head and kissed her hard, before she could stop him.

"Why that son of a bitch!" Roman exclaimed, jumping up and starting over to Sami's table. John stopped him and said, "Let it go, Roman. He's just doing it to get to us, and your going over there, will only make things worse. "I'm gonna kill him, John, I swear to you." Roman growled. "Just relax, man!" John said quietly, "There will be a time and place for that, but not now and not here. Dimera's got Sami under his control right now, but we will get her back." "And If I'm right about my hunch," John thought to himself, "then everything is not as it appears." He got Roman to sit back down and both parties managed to ignore each other throughout the remainder of lunch.

CHAPTER 17

Sami turned over in bed and carefully reached over to check Tony's pulse. It beat steadily and his breathing seemed even. "Tony?" she said quietly. "Tony" she said a bit louder this time shaking him lightly. He continued to sleep on and she breathed a sigh of relief. She slipped quietly from the bed and pulled on her robe. With a last glance at the sleeping figure in the bed, she opened the door to bedroom and crept out, quietly closing it behind her.

She made her way carefully down the stairs to the first floor and slipped into the living room. She took a bug from her robe's pocket and place it inside a lamp. She went around the room placing the bugs in different corners and hoping that she was doing it right. Then she went from room to room, finally stopping at Tony's office. She crept in and quietly closed the door behind her. She walked over to the desk and turned on the light, and then stuck not one but two different bugs under the desk in different spots. Ops had told her to do this, in case one bug was discovered. People rarely placed more than one bug in a room or piece of furniture. She picked the lock on the desk and began to look through the files. Most of them were just standard business dealings, until she came to the one marked Marlena. Inside were clippings of newspaper articles that had mentioned her mother at various social events over the last few years, as well as several pictures. She gasped as she came to one picture of her mother that looked as though it had been slashed with a razor in anger, several times. She found a few more pictures in similar condition, when she heard footsteps outside the door. She quickly placed the file back inside the drawer and closed it, ducking under the desk. She pressed herself against the wood and tried not to breathe. The door to the office opened and someone walked in and across the room. And then she heard it, humming. Bart! She thought, as the humming continued and she heard the clink of the brandy decanter that Tony kept in the office. She was hard pressed not to giggle at the thought that Tony's bumbling assistant was sneaking Brandy from Tony's private stash. Boy, would Tony ever have his head if he found out. She heard Bart's footsteps moving closer and almost gasped as she saw his slippers standing almost right in front of where she was hidden.

CHAPTER 18

Sami pressed herself even deeper into the crevice beneath the desk, where she was hiding as Bart came to stand directly in front of her. "Ahh" she heard Bart say as he put the glass down on the desk and sat down in Tony's chair. She heard a newspaper rattling and she silently cursed him, wishing that he would get up and leave. The space was cramped and her body was beginning to hurt in the fetal position that she had scrunched herself up into. She closed her eyes in silent prayer. And suddenly she heard the door to the office open and close. She opened her eyes and the legs that had been there a few moments before were gone. She listened intently to the room, but heard nothing but her own pounding heart. She decided to wait a while before creeping out from under the desk.. She slowly peeked out from behind the massive oak structure and breathed a huge sigh of relief to find that the room was empty. She used the pick to relock the desk drawer that she had been snooping in and quietly crept from the room and back up the stairs to Tony's bedroom. She stole into the room very quietly, and began to take off her robe. "Oh fuck!" she screamed as the light beside Tony suddenly came on to reveal him lying in bed wide-awake and watching her. She clutched at her heart, panting. "Tony what the hell are you trying to do, give me a heart attack!" She gasped at him. "Where the hell have you been?" he asked angrily. She gulped and tried to keep the panic in her from rising. "I…I couldn't sleep." She stammered. "So I went down to the kitchen to get a glass of warm milk." "For half an hour?" He asked her, accusation in his tone. "I told you, I couldn't sleep, so I stayed down there and read a magazine for a while." She answered. "Tony, what's wrong?" she asked him. He eyed her suspiciously for a moment before saying irritably, "Nothing, it's late, get back into bed!" She got under the covers and turned on her side, away from him, not wanting him to see the fear in her face. He pressed himself against her back and locked an arm around her waist. She could feel his heated breath on her ear as he whispered to her. "I'm sorry, but I got worried when I woke up and you weren't here. It's not safe to wonder the house alone at night, you might get lost." "Okay Tony, I'm sorry." She said to him, unable to keep her voice from shaking. "It's alright." He said kissing her ear. "Let's just get some sleep." She closed her eyes but found it difficult to fall asleep for some time.

CHAPTER 19

Sami ran down the tunnel leading to her meeting place with Ops. She knew she was late, but she'd had a hard time getting away from Tony today. He'd been acting very possessive since he'd caught her sneaking back into the room a week ago, insisting that she spend any free time she had with him. And he was sending hard looks the way of anyone who even spoke to her at work. It was making the staff in the club uncomfortable and her as well. Even the guys in the band were being standoffish with her, and she finally took her saxophonist Leon aside and asked him what was going on.

"Look Sami, we all really like you, but it's been made clear to us and to everyone else here that you are off limits." He told her, looking around nervously. "Off limits?" she said incredulously. "Says who?" "Look hon, I got a family to support and I don't need to get in the middle of any domestic squabble you and the boss have, but let's just say that Mr. Dimera has made it clear that you're his property and that anyone who even looks at you the wrong way, let alone talks to you…." His sentence hung there, but he didn't need to finish it, she knew what he meant. "Thanks for being honest with Lee." Sami said quietly. "I'm sorry Sami, like I said we all really like you but, well you know." He said going to pat her on the back, but thinking better of it he dropped his hand. "Yeah," she said looking over to where Tony had stood speaking with Bart, "I know." Since then Sami had been very conscious of all of her actions, including not going to see Ops. It seemed that now Tony was quite serious about his possession of her and the last thing she wanted, was to be responsible for was anyone getting hurt because of her.

She stopped at the entrance to the cave and whistled, relieved when she heard Op's birdcall in response. "Sorry I'm late Ops!" She said entering the cave and walking over to him. You would not believe the time I had getting away and then I had to make sure I wasn't followed and…." "Umm, Sam," he started to say but she just went on "Anyway he's getting way too possessive of me." She said. "The guys at the club are actually afraid to talk to me now. Can you believe that?" "I can." A familiar voice behind her said. Sami's heart stopped at the words and she slowly turned around and looked up into the eyes of her stepfather.

CHAPTER 20

Sami gulped and stared up at her stepfather. "I'm sorry Sami, he got here a little while before you did." Ops said coming up to stand behind her. "I had to tell him everything." "So now you know." Sami said to John quietly. "So now I know." John answered, stepping around her. "And now it ends." "What?" Sami spun around, outraged. "Like hell it does." She yelled at him and grabbed his arm "Look John I've worked my ass off to get this far and I am not quitting now!" "God dammit Sami, this isn't a game!" he yelled back, losing his patience now. "This is serious business. Do you have any idea who you're playing with here? If Tony Dimera ever found out what you were up to he'd kill you without blinking an eye and I can't be responsible for that." "I'm not asking you to!" she countered as angry now as he was. "Look John, I knew what I was getting into when I signed on for this and I've made it this far, so why can't you trust me to see this through?" "She's got a point John." Ops said. "Shut up Ops!" John said "Nobody asked you and for that matter, who the hell do you think you are dragging my family into this? You're supposed to be my partner man. I'm supposed to be able to trust you." "Now look John…" Ops began. "Enough, both of you!" Sami screamed and both men turned to look at her. She turned to John. "Don't blame Ops, John. I could have said no or gotten out of this any time I wanted to and I didn't. Now, you can go to Uncle Shane and ask him to take me off of this case, but I'm warning you that if you do, I'll do this on my own anyway. I want to do this. I need to. Tony's threatening my family, my mother and he might be behind the assassinations of these agents. I can't just ignore that. The next agent that dies could be Ops, or Uncle Shane or you, and I couldn't live with myself if I knew that I could have stopped it and instead I turned away." John looked down at her and took her face in his hands, hardly able to believe that the little girl he'd raised was the woman standing stubbornly before him now. He felt a burst of pride at her impassioned speech. "This isn't your fight Samantha." He said quietly "Why not?" she said. "The Dimera's have damaged me as much as they have you. Stephano kidnapped me when I was a baby. He took both my parents from me and now Tony's trying to break up you and mom. Not to mention the fact that he tried to kill you. If it's not my fight then whose is it! Please don't stop me from doing this John. I can do this, I just need you trust me." John sighed and pulled her into a hug. She placed her head on his chest and suddenly felt a bit like the little girl he had raised. "Arrggh." He grunted and pushed her slowly away from him. She stared up at him and could see that he was struggling with the decision. Finally he looked at her and said. "If at any time you disobey one of my orders or you're put in danger you are off this case, do you understand me?" Her face broke into a huge grin and she threw her arms around his neck giving him a sound kiss on the cheek. "Yes, yes, yes! She shouted gleefully. "Oh thank you John, thank you. I promise I won't let you down." She spun around to hug Ops. "Alright, alright" John said and she and Ops both looked at him. "Since Ops only filled me in on the fact that you're working on this case, I think it's time you filled me in on the rest.

CHAPTER 21

Sami left the meeting feeling a renewed confidence that she was doing the right thing. After filling in John and Ops on the details of her nighttime excursion into Tony's office, they had both raised their eyebrows at what she had found. She had been afraid for a moment, that after telling John about her close call with Bart, that he might pull her off the case. But instead he had commended her on her quick thinking, although warning her not to take too many chances like that in the future. He had been puzzled by her mention of the slashed pictures of Marlena. It did seem like unusual behavior for the usually calm Count, and John had said that he might need to take extra measures to insure his wife's safety.

Sami arrived home and got off the elevator. She was looking for her keys in her bag when suddenly Lucas' door opened and he hurried over to her. "Lucas" she said in surprise. "What's up?" "We need to talk." He said grabbing her by the arm and pulling her towards his apartment. "Now." He pulled her inside and shut the door.

Meanwhile outside the apartment Bart was observing all of this and placed a call to his employer on his cell phone. "Yeah, it's me." He said. "She just got home, but Lucas came out and pulled her into his apartment. What do you want me to do?" "Just stay there and keep watch and call me when she comes out." Tony said on the other end. "You got it boss." Bart said and hung up, taking a position where he could hide in case the door suddenly opened again.

"Lucas, what the hell is this about?" Sami said huffily. But then she took a look at his face and grew concerned. "Is it Will? Did something happen" "No, no, Will's fine." He said, "Just sit down and shut up. I have something to say to you and I'm gonna get it out with you interrupting me." Sami raised her eyebrow at him, but she said nothing as she took a seat on the couch, giving him her full attention.

"Now look, I know that I've been nasty towards you lately and maybe I was wrong to be." He said. But it's really bothered me seeing you with Tony and I guess I took it out on you in the wrong way. See you and I, we were best friends once and then we weren't, not for a really long time. But lately, it's just seemed like maybe we were getting to be friends again and then you went and stupidly got involved with Tony Dimera!" "Now hold on a minute Lucas!" Sami said in outrage. "Just who the hell do you think you are passing judgment on me like that. You don't have such a great track record yourself." "Sami will you just shut up and let me say this please." Sami glared at him but shut up.

He paced the room "Like I was saying. It's been driving me crazy that you're with Tony. That night, the night of your debut, I know that you brought him back to your place and I know that he spent the night. "How.." she started to say, but he held up his hand to stop her. "I saw him leaving the next morning. I came out to get my paper, you didn't see me but I saw the two of you, standing in your doorway and you kissing him. It wasn't too hard to figure out." "Oh Lucas" she whispered, her heart constricting at the pain she heard in his voice. "I'm not stupid. I mean I knew by the way you two were going, that it was only a matter of time before he got you into bed." She winced at his wording but said nothing. "I guess seeing it just really brought it home, ya know. Anyway, I closed the door and I guess that's when I started being so mean to you. I wanted to pretend that it didn't bother me. I tried to, but it did and it does. I guess the truth of it is that I'm jealous......because I'm in love with you." He looked at her, searching her face for some sort of reaction.

Sami sat in shock for a moment before slowly getting up and walking over to where he stood. She looked up at him and their eyes met. And then she slowly swung her hand out and smacked him in the face….hard!

Chapter 22 is rated NC-17 and is not intended for those under the age of 17

CHAPTER 22

"What the hell do you think you're doing" Sami screamed at Lucas as he staggered from her blow. "What am I doing?" he yelled back, holding his stinging cheek. "I'm not the one who just got slapped for saying I love you." "Well what the hell did you have to go and do that for?" She cried. "Gee I don't know, Sami, maybe because I DO!" he retorted. "Well just stop it, alright. Just stop it right now." She yelled back at him. Then she sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands. Lucas looked at her in confusion. He'd been so sure that telling her that he loved her would have brought a similar response from her. Instead he'd gotten slapped and now she was crying. "Aw geez Sami, don't cry. You know I hate when you cry." He said walking over to comfort her. But when she lifted her face to look up at him, there weren't tears in her only anger. "Who the hell do you think you are?" She said standing up and jabbing him in the chest with her finger to emphasize each word. "Who the hell do you think I am? Do you know who my boyfriend is?" She asked incredulously. "Do you have any idea what he would do to you and to me?" "I don't care about Tony Dimera and neither do you! He screamed back "Oh really." Sami said "And just what the hell makes you think that?" "This!" he said as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly.

Sami struggled against Lucas and pushed him away. "Wait a minute, wait a minute, this is crazy!" she said catching her breath. And then she grabbed his face and kissed him just as soundly as he had her. The kiss turned wild and intense. Their hands were everywhere and there bodies locked together as if they couldn't get close enough. Sami ripped open Lucas's shirt to touch his skin. They struggled to make it to the bedroom without breaking contact. A lamp crashed to the floor as they bumped into an end table in their haste to get to the bed. But neither one of them noticed as finally they made it into the bedroom and Sami shoved Lucas down onto the mattress, coming over him and straddling him. His hands fumbled with the buttons on her shirt and he finally just ripped it open. She laughed as his mouth found her breast. But her laughter quickly died as she threw her head back and moaned as his tongue circled her nipple and he sucked as eagerly as a babe. Her hands were in his hair pushing his face closer and she cried out in delight as he nipped at her tender skin. She moved her crotch over his, delighting in the sensations it was bringing to her to have contact with his hard manhood, even if it was through clothes. He wrenched himself up and reversed their positions so that she now lay under him. He kissed her throat, her breasts moving downwards towards her stomach and she arched her back upward to feel more. He discarded his shirt and his pants in a quick move and then went to work on hers, pulling off her jeans and flinging them into a corner. They were both naked now and for the first time since having started this wild lovemaking, Sami felt a little shy as he stared down at her in awe of her beauty. The shyness and uncertainty were quickly banished as he covered her body with his own. She cried out as he entered and he hushed her up, putting his lips to hers and kissing her hungrily. Her nails raked down his back, pulling him closer to her as he plunged into her again and again. He felt her tighten and her body seemed to explode around him, but still he didn't stop. He was determined to make this last and he rode her hard, daring her to match his tempo, which she did. She wrapped her long legs around his torso and pulled his mouth down to hers tasting him, savoring the feel of him inside of her. She was in heaven and she didn't want to come back down for anything. Then slowly she could feel the pressure building up inside of her. It mounted through her body, filling her arms and legs and finally exploding. Lucas couldn't wait anymore and the minute that he felt her body tighten was the same moment that he too lost control, as their passion washed over them both and they lay panting and sweaty, wrapped in each others arms.

CHAPTER 23

Lucas balanced himself on his arm and looked down at Sami, a smile slowly spreading on his face. "You know," he said "You didn't say it." "Mmm." Sami murmured. She gave a long stretch and opened her eyes to look up at him. "Say what?" she asked innocently. "You know what." Lucas said caressing one breast. "I said it, and now I want to hear you say it" "Mmm," she moaned. "Ok, ok, I'll say it…you were pretty good." "What?" Lucas gasped in mock outrage and jumped on top of her pinning her arms above her head. She laughed up at him. "Lucas stop it that tickles!" "I'm gonna do a lot more than tickle you if you don't say it right now woman!" he laughed "Promise?" she whispered huskily. He bent his head down to touch his lips to hers and she sighed as he kissed her. He withdrew his lips from hers and stared down into her beautiful eyes. "Oh Lucas." She sighed. "You shouldn't have to ask, you know I do." She said, he released her arms and she reached out to caress his face tenderly. "It would be nice to hear it." He said and began to get off of her, but she stopped him and turned his face back to hers. "Ok, I love you Lucas Roberts. I've loved you since I was fifteen years old and I'll always love you." Lucas looked down at her in shock. That last bit he hadn't been expecting. "Fifteen?" he asked "But what about Austin?" "That was obsession, not love." She said. "I love you and I always have. Only I didn't know it was love, because it was more than that and it wasn't just some stupid feeling in the pit of my stomach like everything else. It's you Lucas, it's always been you. She reached up and pulled his head down to hers. This time he didn't pull away but covered her body with his own and slowly made love to her again.

A short while later, Sami peered over at the clock. "Shit!" she said popping out of bed and grabbing her clothes off the floor. "What's wrong?" Lucas asked admiring her trim backside as she bent over to pick up her jeans. "What are you doing Sami? Come back to bed." Sami sat down on the bed and pulled her jeans on. "Are you nuts, look at the time. I was supposed to meet Tony for dinner at the club half an hour ago. Damn, I'd better call him and tell him I'm gonna be late." "What?" Lucas said shooting up. "You've gotta be kidding me. You're not honestly going to dinner with him after what just happened between us are you?" Sami sighed and turned to look at him. "Lucas I have to." She said. "Despite what just happened here, he's still my boyfriend and I can't just blow him off." Lucas looked at her in disbelief as she pulled on her socks and shoes. She leaned over and kissed him softly. "I have to go." She got up and began to walk out the door, but he jumped up off the bed and blocked her path. "Forget about it." He said. "There is no way in hell that you are leaving here to go meet him." "Lucas move." She said, but he didn't budge. Instead he stood there, a mutinous glare in his eyes. "Look I don't have time to explain everything that's going on right now, but I will later. I promise." She said and tried to go around him, but again he blocked her path. "Like hell Sami." He said "You're not going anywhere. I know that something more is going on here and you're not leaving until you tell me what it is." "Are you crazy Lucas?" she asked him. "Have you completely lost your mind or did you just forget what Tony is capable of. If he ever found out what just happened between us he'd kill us both. Now I have to go. I will handle this, but you have to let me do it my way. "Your way?" Lucas asked exasperated "Forgive me, but your way is what usually gets us into trouble." She looked at him in shock and then the pain registered in her eyes. "Thanks." She said quietly "Thanks a lot." She brushed past him and walked out of the bedroom. "Stupid." Lucas said hitting his head with the palm of his hand. "Sami." He called after her, grabbing his own jeans and puling them on. He ran after her, but she was already on her way out slamming the door behind her. Sami ran out into to the hall and straight into the arms of the one person who shouldn't have been there at the moment. And at the same moment Lucas opened his door, wearing nothing but his jeans and yelling her name as she looked up at Tony in shock.

CHAPTER 24

"Tony!" Sami gasped in shock "What are you doing here?" "What am I doing here?" Tony said coldly. "I was looking for you. You were supposed to be at the club over a half an hour ago. But I think a better question, my love, is what are you doing here?" "It's my fault Tony." Lucas said. "I pulled Sami in here to talk about Will and we lost track of time. I'm sorry." "Really." Tony said. To talk about Will, again? My, my you two really do have a hard time with that son of yours, don't you? "Now hold on minute Tony." Lucas said "No you hold on Lucas!" Tony said cutting him off and walking towards him. "I find Samantha coming out of your apartment, with you chasing after her half dressed and you expect me to believe that you two were merely talking? Just what kind of a fool do you think I am?" "Obviously the kind that doesn't trust me." Sami said walking over to both of them angrily. "Lucas' shirt is off because we got into an argument and I threw my soda at him, so he had to take his shirt off. And we were arguing because Lucas enrolled Will in his old military academy, without my consent. Which, by the way Lucas," She said glaring at Lucas angrily, "you will un-enroll him in the morning or you'll find your sorry ass back in court! And as for you," She yelled turning angrily back to Tony who now backed away from the fury in her eyes. "The next time you'd like to know something, try asking me instead of jumping to ridiculous conclusions and accusing me! If you can't trust me, then you can't have me as your girlfriend! Now I am going inside and I am going to bed! Good Night!" And saying this she stalked inside her apartment and slammed the door.

Tony looked at her door, shock on his face and Lucas had to repress a smile before Tony turned back to look at him. "Has she always had that much of a temper?" Tony asked Lucas in bewilderment. "Yep." Lucas said. "Ever since we were kids. Look Tony, I know how it looked here tonight, but I swear to you that nothing is going on between Sami and me. She's with you and you're my boss. And even if you weren't, I would never disrespect you or her like that! But I think she's right. If you can't trust her, then maybe you shouldn't be with her." "Well, Lucas," Tony said "I thank you for your candidness, but if you want to keep your job, you'll keep your opinions about my love life to yourself and you'll stay the hell away from Sami!" "Sami is the mother of my son!" Lucas said. "Yes I know." Tony said, "And I think that up until now I've been quite patient with that excuse, each and every time I've seen you huddled up next to her. But that ends tonight. Let's get one thing straight here Lucas. You and Sami may have a child together, but she's mine now, and I intend to keep it that way." "Well no offense Tony," Lucas said nodding towards Sami's closed door, "but I'm not too sure that Sami sees it that way!" And with that Lucas stepped inside and closed his own door.

CHAPTER 25

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Sami shouted leaving her bedroom, where she'd just started getting ready for bed. Since her plans for the evening had obviously fallen through with the little scene that had played out in her hallway minutes earlier, she figured she might as well hit the hay. She was about to get undressed when she'd heard the insistent knocking on her door. She opened the door and was surprised to see Tony standing there. "What are you still doing here." She asked, still perturbed at the whole situation. "We need to talk." Tony said and walked past her into the apartment. "Oh by all means, come right in." She said sarcastically as she shut the door. "Cut the sarcasm Samantha, I'm not in the mood." Tony said angrily. "Well neither am I." She shouted at him. He walked towards her, but she stood her ground. She was not going to let him intimidate her. "I'm going to ask you only one more time and I want the truth! Is there anything going on between you and Lucas?" Sami rolled her eyes and snorted in exasperation. "Alright Tony, you've caught me!" She said melodramatically, "Yes Lucas and I are sleeping together. In fact we have been for years. In between all of the times that we've tried to kill each other or steal our son away from one another, we've secretly been lovers. See it was all a ruse to throw off the rest of you. We're really madly in love and…..uhn." Sami cried out as Tony pushed her roughly up against the door. "I told you to cut the sarcasm!" he growled, his hands gripping her arms and pinning her up against the door. Sami had never seen Tony this angry and it frightened her. "Tony," she choked out, "You're hurting me." "And you're hurting me Sami, every time I see you with him!" He said angrily. He let go of her arms but pushed his body up against hers to keep her from bolting. His hand pushed her hair out of her face and he stared into her eyes. Her heart was pounding and she wasn't sure what she should do. "Calm," she thought to herself, "I just have to stay calm. He won't hurt me." But she wasn't so sure that that was true any longer. "Tony." She said gently, looking up at him uncertainly, "What is it you want from me? I've given everything to you and you still won't trust me. Why?" "I can't lose you Sami, Tony said burying his face in her hair. I just can't." "Then you need to stop this jealousy over Lucas, and over everyone else as well." She said to him. "You have to start trusting me if you want me to be with you." "Can I trust you Sami?" He asked her. "Or are you just like all the rest?" Sami gulped. "You can trust me Tony!" She said to him "I won't betray you." He looked at her intently and moved his hands up and down her arms. She shivered at the look in his eyes. "You're right." He said quietly. "You won't betray me because I won't let you. You're not going to be alone with Lucas, not ever again." He let her go and stepped back, a satisfied look on his face, as though that simple statement settled everything. Something inside of Sami rebelled at his order. "I'm not steak! You can't just order me!" She yelled at him. He grabbed her and pulled her roughly against him. "Like hell I can't." he said and kissed her possessively "I own you Sami." He whispered to her, his hand gripped her hair yanking her head back so that she had to look at him, "Body and soul. And if you care about your son's father at all, you'll remember that. Do you understand me?" "Yes." Sami cried out, tears stinging her eyes. Tony smiled at her and seemed to transform instantly back into the charming gentleman she knew. "That's my girl." He said. He placed a kiss on her forehead, before releasing her. "Now," he said handing her her sweater. "where would like to go for dinner?"

CHAPTER 26

A couple of nights later, Sami stood backstage waiting for the band to cue up. Lucas walked towards her quickly, earning him a furious glance from Tony, which he ignored. "Are you crazy." Sami hissed at him seeing Tony's look, "Come over to the curtain." Lucas said to her. "There's something you've gotta see." She furrowed her brow at him in question, but got up and walked over to the curtain anyway. Lucas pulled the curtain back a little so that she could see the crowd of mostly men gathered to hear her sing. And then she gasped as she noticed not only her parents, but John and Kate seated at a table near the back. She drew back horrified as Lucas dropped the curtain back into place. "What are they doing there." She managed to choke out. "What's going on?" Tony asked, coming up to them. "Lucas you're supposed to be out on the floor keeping an eye on things. Not back here bothering Sami." "I know that." Lucas bit out, "But Sami's family is out there." Tony drew the curtain back himself for a look and then released it quickly and turned to back to Lucas. "Send over a bottle of our finest champagne, on the house." Lucas looked at him astonished. "Tony are sure?" he asked. "Just do it!' Tony said. "And see to it that Sami's family are well taken care of this evening. Give them anything they want." "Yes sir." Lucas said, and sparing a glance at Sami's ashen face he went out to the bar.

"Sami." Tony said taking her by the shoulders. She came out of her reverie and looked at him terrified. "I can't do this, Tony." She said. "I can't go out there and perform in front of them!" "Of course you can." He said, drawing her in to hold her closely and stroking her hair. "You are an amazing performer and tonight you'll prove that to them, once and for all. And then they'll never be able to say another word against you." He pulled back and looked down at her and said. "Or us" He kissed her lingeringly and deeply. When the kissed finally ended, he looked into her eyes and whispered. "I love you, Sami. And I believe that you can do anything. Which is why I know that you will go out there tonight and blow them away with that beautiful voice of yours." Sami looked up at him astonished. He'd never said those words to her before, and she didn't know what to say. So she did the only thing she could, she lied. "I love you too Tony." He smiled at her and hugged her close. She heard Lucas up on stage announcing her and Tony let go of her. "Knock em dead." He said to her smiling. She gave him a tremulous smile back and proceeded to head out to the microphone. She passed Lucas on her way and he squeezed her hand as she passed him. It was something so small, but it was enough. He'd just given her all the confidence she'd needed.

CHAPTER 27

Sami finished the second to last song, of her closing set. Her parents were still sitting at their table, but with the glaring lights it was nearly impossible to read their expressions. She could read Lucas' though. And at the moment it was angry as he glared at Tony, who was unaware of his protégé's hostility. She had to put an end to this she thought, or Lucas was gonna be in danger because of her. She turned around and walked over to whisper something to the band. When she was done she returned to the mike and said. "This is the last song of the evening and I want to make it special, so we're gonna flush the format a little and go with something new." She caught Lucas' eye before continuing. My last song tonight is by Steven Sondheim and because tonight has been so unforgettable, I feel it's appropriate. This is "Something To Remember" The music cued up and Sami looked out over the crowd and sang.

"Seems I've played the game for much too long
I let people buy my love and I
Never got to sing my songs for you.

I had all my bets laid all on you
Set your stakes too high, you're bound to lose.
In the game of love you pay your dues.

Say that happiness cannot be measured,
And a little pain can bring you all life's little pleasures.
What a joke.

I was not your woman, I was not your friend,
But you gave me something to remember.
No other man said love yourself
Nobody else can.
We weren't meant to be,
At least not in this lifetime,
But you gave me something to remember.
I hear you still say, "love yourself".

I had all my bets laid all on you
Set your stakes too high, you're bound to lose.
In the game of love I've paid my dues.

Guess I'm waiting for my place in your sun,
Wish I had the chance to know you and it wasn't stormy weather.
What a shame, who's to blame?

The crowd burst into applause and Sami took a bow. She glanced at Lucas' pained expression and walked off the stage with glistening in her eyes. She ran the last steps to the bathroom and locked herself in a stall to cry.

CHAPTER 28

By the time Sami came out of the ladies room her parents had left. They hadn't even bothered to wait around to see her, and Sami didn't know whether to feel relieved or dismayed at the thought. The rest of the week everything seemed back to normal for Sami. Tony acted as though the scene at her apartment had never taken place. Lucas though was another story. She caught him at times looking at her, the expression on his face one of pain and anger. Since the night her parents had come to the club, they hadn't had a chance to be alone together to talk, which was for the best she decided. It was easier for her without a big confrontation. Tony now kept her close, even at some business meetings. That worked out fine for her ISA assignment, but was terrible for all the other aspects of her life. She missed Lucas terribly and had to constantly stop herself from going to him, knowing that when Tony wasn't with her, she was being watched. She hadn't been able to meet with Tek either and they had been using the communicator to speak. And then one day she got a call from Kate, asking her to come to Basic Black, that John needed to see her. She knew that Tony wouldn't forbid her to see her family, at least she thought she knew.

"I don't want you going, it's that simple." Tony said to Sami. "He's my stepfather Tony, I have to go." She said to him, trying to keep her temper. "Since when are you and John so close?" Tony asked, turning his back to her to look at some papers on his desk. "The last I remember you couldn't stand him." Sami bit back a sharp retort and took a deep calming breath. Then she decided to try a different tact. "Tony." She said huskily, coming up behind him and running her fingers through his hair. She massaged his scalp as she did so, knowing it relaxed him when she did that. She laid her head against his back and slipped her arm around his waist, pressing against his back. "I really want to see John. If he's asking to see me, maybe it means that he and mom have come around." She turned Tony around so that he was looking at her, and forced tears into her eyes. "Please Tony." She said, "I miss my family. If there's even the slightest chance for reconciliation, I need to know. Please let me go." Tony looked down at her and sighed deeply before saying, "Take Bart with you." Sami breathed a sigh of relief and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you." She whispered to him. He held her close for a moment before releasing her. She placed a quick kiss on his lips before turning to go, but he stopped her. "Sami." He said. She turned back to him and he placed a hand on her cheek. "You know I only do these things because I love you and I want to keep you safe?" "I know." she whispered He gave her a small smile. "Bart!" He called. The door opened and his flunky stepped inside. "Take Miss Brady over to Basic Black." "Sure thing boss." With one last smile at Tony, Sami left. She had to stop herself from skipping out the door.

CHAPTER 29

Sami walked into Basic Black, with Bart close at her heels. She stopped outside John's door and Bart nearly ran into her. "What are you doing?" She said, annoyed "I'm supposed to stay with you." Bart said. Sami rolled her eyes. "Not in there stupid. Go sit down and wait for me." She said pointing at some chairs on the other side of the room." Bart looked as though he might protest for a moment. But the look that Sami gave him was so black, that he thought better of it and skulked away to the corner chairs. She knocked on John's door before hearing him say "Come in." and quickly entered, closing the door behind her.

Sami nearly ran into John's arms, she was so relieved to see him. He hugged her and then looked down at her, seeing the toll the mission was taking on her reflected in her eyes.

"Hey, peanut". He said. "You look like hell, no offense. Are you ok?" "Yes." She said wearily taking a seat. "I'm just a bit tired." John face was etched with concern and she smiled at him reassuringly. "I'm fine really. I just haven't been sleeping very well lately."

"Well," John said. "All that is about to change. The agency has another moll working inside Dimera's organization who they think they can get to turn over on Tony. Once he gives his statement, Dimera will be arrested, probably after Victor's party for Phillip's birthday this weekend. Sami was shocked at this bit of news. "But we don't have enough proof against Tony yet, do we?" Sami asked jumping up. "It doesn't matter, the ISA is determined to get Tony off the streets now and they feel they have enough proof to do that. Two more agents were murdered last night by a car bomb and they're tired of the fatalities. It's over kiddo."

Sami looked at John dejectedly. "So all of this was for nothing." She said sadly "No!" John said grabbing her by her shoulders. "You did great! The evidence that you found in Tony's office is gonna be a big help to us at his trial, even if you didn't find the list of names of the agents he's murdered. This was not for nothing. You've done a great job and I'm very proud of you." Sami looked up at him disbelievingly and he hugged her tightly. "You should be relieved, sweetie. After Saturday night, you can get back to a normal life. And you can finally get together with Lucas!" John said to her. She pulled back and looked up at him in shock. "How did you know?" she asked him. "It was pretty easy for me to tell who that song was for the other night." He said winking at her. Sami blushed and then looked at him nervously. "You don't think anyone else noticed do you?" She asked. "If you're talking about Tony, no I don't think he noticed." John said "But I do think it's important to get you away from him, fast." Sami sighed and sat back down. "I just wish we had something more concrete on him." She said. "I hate the thought of him getting away with murder." "Tony's not gonna get away with anything." John said. "I promise you that. He will pay for his crimes, one way or another" She looked at him in surprise when she heard that, but wisely decided not to question his statement. She'd rather not know anything more than she already did. She noticed a file marked "Dimera, Anthony" lying on his desk. "What's this?" she asked him, pointing to the file. "Just standard info we've collected on Tony." He said "Hmm, mind if I take look see?" She asked "Go right ahead." John said

She picked up the file and began to skim through it. "Humph! Boring, and your info is wrong." She said putting down the file and getting up to leave. "Huh." John said "What info?" "Oh just the part in his physical description about having no visible scars. She said glancing at him. "He's got scar on his abdomen." "Really?" John asked. "Yeah." She said picking up her purse and glancing up at him. "He had his appendix removed when he was a child. Anyway, I've gotta get going before Bart comes busting in here to drag me back." She half laughed but stopped at the pensive look on John's face. "Hey, that was a joke!" She said. "I know he said. "Are you ok?" She asked him "Yeah, I'm fine." He said putting his hands on her shoulders. "Listen I want you to be especially careful around Tony the next couple of days." He said to her. "With everything coming to a close, I don't want anything to happen that might put you in the crossfire." "John don't worry," she said "Everything will be fine." She kissed him on the cheek and left the office.

John sat back down and picked up Tony's file. He opened it and stared at it broodingly. Then he picked up the phone and started to dial." "Yeah, Shane," he said looking down at the picture of Tony. "It's me. I need some information."