Author's Note: Sorry that the last chapter was so short but I certainly made up for it in this chapter. It's a lot longer than my chapters usually are. I had no idea it was getting so long. I'm trying to wrap this story up so there should only be a couple more chapters to come.
The minute Brady had overheard Brandon talking to Nicole and asking her where he could find Sami, Brady had decided to follow him to see what he was going to do. This was partly because he wasn't on speaking terms with a lot of people, including Nicole, his dad, his grandfather, Chloe, Jan, Shawn, Lucas, Sami, Belle and probably a lot of others and was very bored. He was also following Brandon because he almost hoped that Brandon would end up coming between Lucas and Sami. If Brandon stole Sami away from Lucas, then that would leave a sad, vulnerable Lucas out in the open for Brady. Brady would comfort him and eventually, just like Chloe, Lucas would come around and realize how he really felt.
And he says I'm not his friend, Brady scoffed inwardly, Who is he trying to fool? I'm probably his best friend. Who else would go through this much trouble to get him to fall in love with them?
Brady watched Brandon take hold of Sami's arm, then whirl her around from his place behind the bushes. Sami looked up at Brandon, her eyes wide.
"Brandon." Sami stated in a semi-flat voice, removing his hand from her arm, "I didn't expect to see you. What are you doing back in Salem?"
"Looking for you." Brandon said and Brady could almost hear the smile in his voice. Sami, on the other hand, was not even making an effort to return the smile, Brady noted. Damn you, go off with muscle man so I can have you boyfriend. You know you want it. Brady urged Sami silently, "I was wondering if we could talk." Brandon added.
"Sure." Sami replied uneasily, "So talk."
Brandon looked from side to side, as if checking to see if anyone else was around, "Well, why don't we take a walk? You know, this could take while, considering we have so much to catch up on."
And why don't you do this 'catching up' in a happy little bedroom, so I can tell Lucas all about it, Brady thought, creeping along in the bushes, following them. As they walked, Brandon seemed to be trying to keep up a conversation but Sami didn't seem very enthusiastic. After about five minutes, both people lapsed into silence, They're boring. No wonder Brandon left her. After a few more minutes of walking in silence, Sami stopped abruptly.
"Well, it was nice talking to you." Sami said without putting very much feeling into her words, "But I have other things to do, so I guess I should leave now." she tried to turn to leave but Brandon stopped her.
"You can't leave yet." Brandon's voice verged on desperation, "There's still a lot left that we need to talk about. Just let me walk you back to... your apartment? That is where you need to go, right?" when Sami didn't respond and continued to stare hard at him, Brandon squirmed with discomfort, "Please, Sami? It shouldn't take that long."
What shouldn't take long? Brady wondered evilly, still sending silent messages to Sami, Hey, didn't he just say it would take a long time? Come on, Sami, this guy is full of horseshit but listen to him anyway. It will be better for everyone in the end. Especially me.
"Fine." Sami's shoulders dropped reluctantly and she fell into step with Brandon again, "But this better not take long. I honestly can't figure out what we could possibly have to say to each other."
Who says Brandon wants to talk? Brady grinned, Nope, he has other plans in store for you. Plans that will make Lucas run into my big, strong arms for comfort. I hope.
On the way back to Sami's apartment building, Brandon still tried to talk to Sami but Sami was still very cold to him, only giving him one or two word answers. They returned to Sami's apartment building and Brandon gently took hold of Sami's wrist.
"Can we stop by my car for a second? I knew I would be meeting you here, so I left my car in the parking lot. I have something for you." Brady snickered to himself, wondering just what Brandon had for Sami in his car. He followed the two of them down to the parking lot. They stopped beside one of the cars which was parked in the corner of the parking lot. Brady ducked behind the car closest to Brandon's so he could continue spying on Sami and Brandon.
Sami leaned against the side of Brandon's car and flipped her hair over her shoulder impatiently, "Can you hurry up? I really don't feel like dealing with you right now."
Suddenly, as if Sami had hit a nerve, Brandon changed his entire demeanor. Brady could see his back stiffen and he watched Brandon push Sami against the car roughly.
"So, I'm half of the size of Lucas?" Brandon growled angrily, his right hand encircling Sami's wrist tightly, "I don't measure up at all?"
Brady vaguely remembered Sami throwing out insults about Brandon on the Sharon Osbourne Show, although after seeing Nicole, he hadn't paid that much attention. But he still knew that Brandon had to be talking about the Sharon Osbourne Show. Sami looked shocked and confused for a moment, then a smile of realization lit up her face.
"Oh, right, I forgot I had even said that about you. You know, it's that easy with you, out of sight, out of mind." Sami chuckled maliciously, "Well, it's not like you have a right to be upset. Both of us know it's true, even if everyone else thought I was saying it out of spite."
How the hell would Brandon know how big Lucas is? Brady wondered, Is there something they're not telling me? What, so Brandon's good enough for Lucas but I'm not? That bastard!
Sami's words aggravated Brandon further and leaned down closer to her, "And you definitely did not fake orgasm, you lying whore."
"Actually, I did. But that's not such a big deal considering you faked everything else in our relationship. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let me go."
"I don't think so." Brandon responded in a dangerously low voice, "You made me look like a completely incompetent moron in front of millions of people and I'm not just going to stand by and take it."
"It looks like you're going to have to." Sami shot back, kicking him hard in the shin. He winced but didn't loosen his hold on her. She struggled against Brandon but his grip was firm and unshakable.
"Oh, no, I won't." his voice taunted her, "I'm going to take you off somewhere private and we'll see if you really do fake orgasm."
Sami's eyes were round with outrage, "I know you're stronger than me. I'm not stupid. But if you get near me with that thing, I will bite it off."
Brandon threw his head back and laughed, "Talk about a fabulous pick-up line. Did Lucas teach you to be aggressive like that? Too bad he's queer with your step-brother, Brady or whatever."
If only, Brady sighed wistfully.
"Fuck off, Brandon. Just leave me the hell alone. Because, you know what, I'm sick of you. I'm tired of getting caught up in the love triangle between you and yourself. That's the only person you truly care about so why don't you just go marry yourself and let me be with the man who treats me good and cares about me?" Brady watched Brandon shove Sami violently against the back of the car. After hearing the sharp banging sound of Sami's head connecting with the car, Brady saw Sami go limp and her eyes close.
Quickly, Brady considered his choices in this situation. Let Brandon take Sami away and do things that could ultimately destroy Lucas and Sami's relationship and put Sami thought hell, or do Lucas a favour and get Sami away from Brandon immediately. Poor Lucas, Brady couldn't resist thinking, He would be so angry if he knew what Brandon was doing to Sami. And he would be so crushed if he found out that Brandon had succeeded. Not to mention the fact that he'd hate me forever if he found out I let Brandon get away with this without even trying to stop him. Brady knew he couldn't do that to Lucas, even if it meant that Brady would end up saving Lucas and Sami's relationship. Despite his intense attraction to Lucas, he did want Lucas to be happy. And maybe underneath all the jealousy and resentment he felt towards her, Brady wanted Sami to be happy too.
Brady watched Brandon drag Sami around to the passenger's side of his car and Brady looked around frantically for some item of... protection. Because Brandon was big and muscly and creepy and Brady didn't want to sacrifice himself too much, it was Sami he was trying to save, after all. He noticed a metal pipe lying a few feet away from him and sighed with relief. Thank God for the happy old metal pipe, Brady thought, crawling towards the pipe. He got to his feet and crept up behind Brandon. Closing his eyes, he brought down the pipe over the back of Brandon's head. Brandon and Sami were both unconscious now and Brady turned to Sami. He tried shaking her awake but she didn't react. Sighing, he picked her up and carried her out of the parking lot, wondering which apartment was Sami's. But thankfully, before he could try and figure that out, a car pulled into the parking lot. Lucas and Will both jumped out of the car upon seeing Sami and Brady, their faces contorted with fear.
"What happened to my mom? Is she okay? What are you doing to her?" Will demanded, his voice high and accusing.
"N-nothing. It wasn't my fault." Brady hastily defended himself against Will's perusing glare. Who does this kid think he is? I don't swing that way. Well, I do but not with people like Sami. Brady thought to himself, handing Sami over to Lucas, "Here, take her."
"What is going on? How did this happen?" Lucas asked, hugging Sami tightly against his chest.
"Can we talk about it once we get to your apartment or something?" Brady questioned, not wanting to tell the whole story in front of Will.
"You want to go up to my apartment." Lucas looked at him nervously, "I think we should, you know, go to Sami's instead."
He gives me no joy, Brady's inner voice whined but Brady made sure to silence it. He didn't want to see Lucas' apartment that badly anyway. Brady followed Lucas up to Sami's apartment, which Lucas let himself into once they reached it. Will went into his bedroom to unpack his suitcases and Lucas set Sami down on the couch carefully before directing his attention at Brady.
"What happened?" Lucas repeated.
"Brandon was a little upset at her for making fun of him on some talk show, so he decided he wanted to attack her." Brady stated bluntly, "And I followed Brandon and stopped him before he could do anything to her." Brady threw Lucas a winning smile.
"Brandon did what? Where is he?" Lucas got to his feat, his eyes flickering with rage.
"I knocked him out." Brady explained, "He's in the parking lot." when Lucas tried to move past Brady towards the door, Brady grabbed his arm, "I think he'll be there for a while, there's no hurry. Don't leave me alone with Sami."
"Right." Lucas didn't sound much calmer but he turned back to Sami.
"Oh, and you're welcome." Brady mumbled sarcastically, hurt that Lucas hadn't even taken the time to thank him.
"Sorry, Brady. I do appreciate you saving Sami, I don't know what I would have done if Brandon had..." Lucas' jaw clenched and he didn't finish the sentence, "I guess I was a little distracted but thank you."
Brady smiled again, "Do I get a reward?" Brady asked, his eyes fixated on Lucas' mouth. Lucas yanked his arm away from Brady and held up his arms in protest.
"Step away from the merchandise." Lucas snapped, "I'm not giving you a reward that has... anything to do with me. I think Sami has some candy in her pantry somewhere. Go eat some of that, that can be your reward."
"Candy?" Brady repeated with defeat, "I have once again, been harshly rejected."
Lucas ignored Brady and was shaking Sami, trying to wake her up. His hands parted the hair covering the back of Sami's head and Lucas checked for any bleeding. After thoroughly checking the back of Sami's head, Lucas looked up at Brady.
"She's not bleeding. How hard did he hit her?"
"He slammed her head against the back of the car but I don't think he did it that hard. Just hard enough to knock her out. I think he had other things on his mind." Brady answered, still upset at Lucas for not giving him a decent reward. Brady didn't want candy, there was only one kind of candy Brady was interested in and that happened to be Lucas.
Lucas nodded shortly and went back to shaking Sami. After a few more minutes, Sami opened her eyes and peered up at Lucas in confusion. Lucas helped her into a sitting position and Sami rubbed the back of her head.
"Where did Brandon go?" Sami asked groggily. Lucas cleared his throat and looked over at Brady.
"He's outside. I saved you." Brady informed her, still pouting., "But I don't know why I bothered, for all the good it did me. Candy." Brady scoffed under his breath. Then he had an idea and looked up at Lucas, "If I beat up Brandon, can I have a reward?"
"Sure, you have fun with that." Lucas said. Brady didn't seem to notice the sarcasm and nodded happily. He left the apartment, allowing Sami and Lucas to have some time alone with each other. Sami shifted uncomfortably on the couch and lowered her eyes away from Lucas'.
"I didn't think Brandon would actually try something like that." Sami mumbled, "I mean, I knew he might have been a little mad but I didn't actually think that he would-"
"Sh, Sami, don't worry about it." Lucas soothed her, pulling her into his arms and rubbing her slow, comforting circles on her back with his palm, "Don't worry about him anymore. Once I get through with him, he'll never even think about touching you again." the way Lucas' voice hardened when he mentioned Brandon made Sami sure that Lucas was going to live up to what he had said.
"Thank you." Sami said in a small voice, not knowing what else to say after walking out of Jennifer's home so abruptly. But she didn't need to say anything because Lucas spoke for her.
"Sami..." Lucas began, his voice trailing off as he took hold of one of hands nervously, "I think we need to talk. You seem to be really upset lately and I can't figure out why. I don't want to lose you but I don't know what you want from me anymore."
"I don't know what's wrong with me. I've been really confused about... us." Sami finished, relieved that she was finally talking to Lucas and addressing her fears, "I didn't know what you wanted to do after the publicity campaign ended. Now, I'm afraid that-" Sami felt her throat tighten and she barely managed to choke out the rest of the sentence, "That you want what we have to end because the publicity campaign has."
Lucas stared at her in horror, "Sami, no!" he softened his voice and stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb, "I do love you. It's not a game, it just... is." Lucas finished simply, "And I don't want anything between us to end. I told you I wanted to marry you and I meant it."
A contented smile broke out across Sami's face and her face reddened slightly, "I love you too, Lucas. I can't believe I went all those days without just talking to you about it."
"I can't believe it either. Idiot." Lucas added, although it sounded more like a term of an endearment than an insult. He lowered his head to kiss the tip of her nose before moving down to brush against her mouth with his lips. He then deepened the kiss, his tongue finding her lips and he coaxed them open, nibbling on her bottom lip lightly as his tongue skimmed the roof of her mouth. They continued to kiss each other deeply until the loud coughing sounds coming from the door to Sami's apartment caused them to break free of their kiss. Jan, Shawn and Will were all smirking at Lucas and Sami.
"You were obviously too busy to hear them knocking, so I had to let them in." Will explained, grinning at his parents, "But that's okay because now I know that grandma Kate is completely wrong and that you do love each other."
Sami laughed, still slightly breathless, "That's right, Will. We do."
Jan interrupted the conversation, "Wow, that's so sweet, I think I'm going to cry." she turned to give Will a tiny smile, "Hey, do you mind if we talk to your mom and dad alone for a minute?" Will nodded and left the room, then Jan grinned at Lucas and Sami.
"You two are so great. I knew you'd work things out." Jan said, coming over to sit next to Sami on the couch, "And now, there is only one more thing we need to do and Shawn and I need your help."
"With what?" Lucas asked, looking at Jan guardedly.
"Nicole's been really sad since we got back to Salem. She should be happy, since she's finally divorcing old man Kiriakas and everything but she's not because of Brady. So, we all have to work together and make Brady like girls again. And since he is currently in love with Lucas, we figured that you two would be the best people to help us succeed." Jan smiled broadly as she proceeded to fill Lucas and Sami in on her plan.