Only one more chapter after this one. Here's the lumi reunion, it's pretty sappy, but it's a soap opera.

He was afraid to move; afraid this was all some bittersweet dream. He watched her flaxen locks fan out behind her as she spun their son in circles. She didn't seem to care that he was almost twelve; he would bet Will didn't care either. She set their son down and Lucas finally got the chance to study her appearance thoroughly. Her hair was untamed and messy; her face was flushed from activity. There were smudges of soot on her forehead and cheeks. Dirt patches were on her frayed clothes. Her ocean blue eyes were filling with tears, and her teeth had captured the rosy bottom lip of her mouth. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He stood, uncertain what she would accept from him. Could he hug her, maybe even kiss her? Did she want him to? Finally, she flung herself into his arms. Lucas held onto her as tightly as he possibly could, determined never to let go again. His hands ran the length of her back in a slow caress. He couldn't seem to cease their movement until ultimately they tangled themselves in the strands of spun gold he had always admired. Sami was stroking the sensitive skin at the back of his neck, seemingly savoring the moment.

Somehow he found the strength to pull his face away from the intoxicating smell of her hair to look into her eyes. He kissed her waiting mouth. Her lips were so soft and warm underneath his; he couldn't stop himself and soon forgot they were in the presence of their young son, let alone anyone else. She was so responsive he couldn't hold back a groan, but an amused clearing of someone's throat stopped their rapidly progressing kiss. He looked down, grinning sheepishly at Will.

"Do you think we could take mom home now, Dad?"

"Uh, right, we should go," he turned to Sami, who was still wrapped in his arms "Mr. Mertz had to sell your apartment, but we put your stuff in storage. We'll talk at my place."

They went to his car, but he made sure to maintain a firm grasp on her hand at all times. The small family got to apartment 34 and settled on the couch to talk. Will and Lucas listened in appalled bewilderment as Sami told her side of the story, from wandering in the jungle to finding Isabella to the plane ride home. The boys told her about the changes in Salem society and how miserable they had been without her in the two months she had been gone. Since no one wanted the night to end, the three of them settled back and watched a movie cuddled together on the small couch. It was a little crowded for the three of them, but no one could bear to move away.

When it was hours past Will's bedtime Sami and Lucas looked down at the small body cuddled between them to see that their son was fast asleep. Lucas gently picked the boy up and brought him to his room. Sami turned down his covers and he was tucked into his bed. The two of them went back to living room. They were finally alone, but Lucas had no idea how to act. He wanted to take her into his arms and convince her to never leave them again. She looked as nervous as he felt, but spoke up first.

"I guess I'll have to stay here tonight, if you don't mind. Then tomorrow I should probably start looking for a new apartment."

"I want you to stay here tonight, I'd be happy if you'd stay here forever."

"Wouldn't that bother your little nurse." she spat bitterly.

"Who?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.

"You know, Manda."

Suddenly it clicked for him, but she was being ridiculous. He hadn't thought of Manda in months. It felt nice to know Sami was jealous over him, but the timing was very inconveinent. He had spent the night telling her how much he missed her. The way he had kissed her at the airport should have been enough for her to know how he felt. She hadn't even been home for a whole day, but she already doubted him.

"Why the hell did you have to bring her up? I haven't seen her since the day after the grand opening at Alice's. This is just like you, why won't you believe in me!" he yelled, all the while inwardly cringing at the fire his words brought to her eyes.

"Maybe because you said you loved me, then broke up with me over a misunderstanding. Maybe because you wouldn't even let me explain. Maybe because you didn't even wait a full day before fucking the first willing slut you could find!"

"I didn't sleep with her!"

"Right, you just brought her back to your apartment for ice cream." she responded sarcastically.

"Actually, we just talked." her unlady-like snort of disbelief led him to believe she wasn't exactly happy with that explanation, "I did not sleep with Manda, Sami. How could I possibly even think of it when I'm so in love with you."

She turned away from him, but not before he saw the internal conflict warring in her brain. Her eyes told him so much more than her words ever could.

"You couldn't possibly love me, Lucas. Look at all we've done to each other, it can't just be erased."

"Sami, I do love you. Tell me what I have to do, what I have to say to make you believe me. I love everything about you. I love the way your eyes are so expressive. I love how I can almost read your thoughts. I love how you bite your lip when you're nervous, just like you're doing right now. You may have your back to me, but I can still tell. I love how much you love our son. I love falling asleep with you in my arms and waking up to see you're still there, first thing in the morning. I even love fighting with you, just because it's you."

He turned Sami to face him, but she didn't meet his eyes. He wasn't sure if she was just feeling shy, but her continued silence was making him uneasy. He had laid out everything; his heart was naked in front of her now. Only a minute had passed, but it felt like an hour to him, maybe he had misread her before.

"Say something, please. Or maybe I don't want to hear what you have to say. Maybe you're just trying to find a way to tell me that I'm delusional and you don't love me at all."

Angrily he turned away from her, preparing to find the nearest bar.

"Lucas, don't go." she walked around to come in front of him. She threw her arms around his waist, blocking his path to the door. "I love you, too."

He pulled back, looking at her dubiously. Disbelief was etched in his handsome features, but he could feel the hope start to buoy up around his heart.

"I'm sorry I didn't respond right away. It's just that no one has ever loved me as completely as you do. I had to take a few minutes to bask in the moment. I love you so much. I love the little lock of hair that falls on your forehead when you're sleeping. I love that infuriating smirk that you can never hold back. I love that you take such good care of me, even when I don't think I'm worth all the effort. I love how patient you are with me, because I know I'm a lot to handle. I love that you love our son so much. I love falling asleep feeling safe in your arms and just being with you. I love fighting with you, too, because it makes me appreciate the times we make up." with a smile a mile wide he pulled her into another kiss. She breathlessly pulled away to add with a teasing smile, "Plus, you're kind of sexy when you're angry."

Lucas lifted her into his arms with a smirk, "You think I'm sexy, huh? I always knew you were checking me out."

He carried a giggling Sami the rest of the way to the bedroom.