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Part 38

Age: 34 Years 7 Months

When Jack left her alone Samantha began to look over the apartment. Half heatedly she hit the wall to try and get the attention of the neighbors. Something about the space seemed off. The art deco inspired furniture wasn't how she'd envisioned Jack living and she found one photo of herself as a little girl and no other photos. In her mind, Jack would be living surrounded by photos of her and would have antique furnishings.

Distracted Samantha dropped the photo and the frame broke. She took the photo of herself and looked at it. As she looked at the photo, her mind flashed on the e-mail she had gotten from the real Jack around when Lucas had sent the VCTF on a wild goose chase to Otis, California. The lines from the Poe poem, Is all that we see or seem,

But a dream within a dream? Was that all this was a dream within a dream? There had to be some meaning to the photo.

Samantha concealed the picture when Jack returned with a tape recorder for her to record a message for Chloe that he would play over the phone. Both of them knew she was only going through the motions by making the recording for Chloe. Although she was trying to focus on her training, Samantha knew how dangerously close to slipping over the edge she was. Her attraction to him was undeniable but she couldn't surrender, could she? As Jack left the apartment, she dashed behind him and slid the photo in the door to prevent it from closing and locking.

After waiting a couple moments, Samantha went out the door and down the hall of the apartment building. Running to the end of the hall, she discovered the apartment was nothing more than a set, like in a movie. They were in a huge warehouse with enormous speakers taller than herself producing the sounds of a bustling city and lights surrounding the pseudo building to create the illusion of sunshine. Suddenly the sound became deafening for a moment, then there was complete silence.

Watching Samantha on a monitor in a concealed room with the light and sound board, Jack spoke over the speakers to her. Shutting most of the lights off he declared, "Let there be night!"

Samantha looked around in the darkness and suddenly the lights came up with a few sounds of morning as Jack continued, "And let there be day."

Looking around for where Jacks was concealed Samantha searched vainly as Jack told her in a seductive tone, "I expected you to try to escape. But what you see as freedom is in reality imprisonment. You'll come to recognize that Samantha. I know you will."

For several moments she stood uncertainly when he came up behind her and touched the back of her neck, causing her to jump.

"Jack!" Samantha cried out in surprise. Crossing her arms in front of her, she tried to conceal that in addition to startling her, his touch had aroused her.

"Let's go back to the apartment, shall we?" Jack asked and offered her his arm.

Ignoring his offer she stood stubbornly and he had to almost drag her back to the apartment. As they walked he murmured, "While what looks like freedom is in reality imprisonment, the reverse is true as well Samantha. What may seem like imprisonment is in reality freedom."

Sitting inside the apartment Jack tried to cajole her, "You've never been afraid of anything Samantha. Why be afraid of your own liberation?"

Because I'm not afraid of you and I should be. Surrendering to you would be so easy and it's so wrong. If I give into you, then I give up everything in my life. Part of me wants this so damn much it scares me because I remember how badly it hurt that last time I let someone in so far. If I were to take a single step towards you, there would be no turning back, Samantha thought as she looked at him.

Aloud she snapped, "Well if you're not afraid of it then why keep me locked up?"

Slightly frustrated, Jack answered, "You're focusing on the physical and that is so limiting." Gently he added, "I've invested my life in you Samantha."

"Yes," she agreed reluctantly. "And you know everything about my life. Enough to make Donald Lucas a credible surrogate."

"It was a labor of love."

Love. Yes he really did love her, she realized. And worse still part of her loved him back. However, whatever her feelings were she couldn't do this. Jack lead her to the doors of the place telling her they were going to go and kill the woman who had taught her and Donald Lucas in Sunday school. When he fumbled with his keys, she knew the woman was already dead and worse still she realized, she didn't care.

When they returned to the apartment, Samantha snapped waspishly, "What makes you think I could ever care about you?"

"We have a lot in common, he replied.

Sitting down in a chair, Samantha mocked, "We have a lot in common. Right."

Looking at an original Picasso he had hanging in the fake apartment Jack told her, "We bother have an appreciation for the arts, we bore easily and don't suffer fools gladly."

Trying to erect a barrier between them she taunted, "That's what we share."

"For starters."

Desperate to keep an emotional distance from him, she said, "You have no appreciation for the value of human life with the conspicuous exception of your own."

Turning around and moving towards her Jack paused and purred, "Oh Samantha, I am so happy you said that!" Kneeling down in front of her chair, he took her hands and murmured proudly, "You are so close to understanding what this is really about."

As he looked up at her and held her hands, Samantha felt a charge of electricity between them. Desire snaked through her body and she struggled to maintain a facade of indifference. She wanted to lean forward and kiss him, to feel his hands on her body and have him take her on the bed that was a few feet away. But she couldn't give in, loving and losing one Jack had been hard enough, she couldn't bear to lose two. Surrender would be so sweet, but it was entirely out of the question.

"Don't you think you should tell me your name?" Samantha queried with a forced air of casualness.

Jack opened his mouth to answer her when his pager went off. Taking the pager and checking it he responded, "Ah, timing is everything. That's the delivery I've been expecting since we got here."

As Jack left, Samantha argued with herself. Would it be so bad to give in? It would feel so good. No you can't!

You still hurt from losing your husband Jack, do you really want to risk your heart again. Twenty years later and you're still emotionally messed up from losing him, the pain isn't worth trying again. This is Jack-Of-All-Trades! He's a killer.

But I nearly killed Billy. I don't allow myself to think about it but I know I ruined his life. He deserved it and I-

No Sam.

I enjoyed it!

Killing is wrong, hurting people is wrong. Your parents taught you-

My parents taught me nothing. Least of all that bastard I call a Father. After what he-

No don't think of it.

No I won't think of it. It hurts too damned much, Samantha decided firmly. It was the one point she never struggled with. She was determined not to allow herself to think about it. Even as thoughts of her Father tried to force themselves around the edges of her mind, Samantha brought her ring out from under her shirt and looked at it. The one tie she had left to her Jack. Kissing the ring, she concealed it under her shirt. No matter what, Jack-Of-All-Trades would never take her wedding ring from her, whatever he would become to her in the time to come, her greatest love would always be her first husband...