Author's Notes: Thank you for the great reviews butterflygirl and silverwolf! There is a little angst towards the end of this chapter and there will be a bit more before the story concludes, but there will be a happy ending for Jack and Samantha. Reviews are very much appreciated and encourage me to write more chapters and more skewed romances.

Part 43

Age: 34 Years 7 Months

"What are you thinking about?" Samantha asked as she stretched in Jack's arms.

For the last several hours they'd been making love until they had collapsed from exhaustion and briefly dozed. As they roused, they clung tightly as though afraid if they let go it would turn out to be a dream. When Jack's face shifted to an odd expression of displeasure and then amusement, Samantha wanted to know what was going on in his head.

"Just remembered that there's a dead body that I need to dispose of," Jack sighed. Then laughed, "Probably the most pathetic person I ever killed and now the only one I regret killing."

Samantha smiled and told him, "Personally I'd love to ask you to wait, but professionally I think I'm going to have to vote for disposing of the body before too much longer."

"I'm so glad you already have forensic knowledge. It's going to be so much more fun creating with you than it ever was with Sharon. No matter how many times I would-" Jack trailed off as he noticed Samantha scowling. "Now Samantha, I won't push you to kill right away but-"

"Not that," she snapped. When he looked confused, she clarified, "It was the mention of Sharon that bothered me."

"I never slept with her."

"But you thought about it," Samantha countered. After he averted his eyes, she pressed, "Well?"

At last Jack confessed, "Yes. When I made her over in your image I had every intention of doing so, but I couldn't go through with it."

"I'm so glad I shot her!" Samantha declared.

Amused by her display of jealousy, Jack teased, "This coming from the woman who spent several years married to Tom Waters."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "Jack if I'd had any idea you were alive, I would have never-"

"Shh," Jack hushed her. Kissing her cheek, he said, "I didn't like it but I can understand. I think the worst for me was Coop. When I followed you to the movies and knew you were going to sleep with him, it was unbearable. It took every bit of strength I had not to break his neck and carry you out of there that night."

"I wish you had."

"You weren't ready then Samantha," Jack told her, leaning to grab a cigarette from the nightstand. As he lit it he continued, "You weren't ready to listen to me or accept my gifts to you."

"No, I probably wouldn't have," she agreed reluctantly as she snatched his cigarette and stole puff.

Watching the smoke curl, Samantha thought about her life when she was dating Coop. At the time she was trying desperately to maintain an illusion of the woman her friends wanted her to be. But Jack had seen through her pretense and tried to persuade her to be who she really was. After the incident at Robin Poole's, Jack had sent a psychological profile of her. When Samantha read it, she'd flushed with embarrassment as she read Jack's words, laying her soul bare. Her coworkers dismissed the profile as being crazy, but it had remained etched on her mind. Jack had always seen her for who she really was, they really were the same, she realized.

Passing Jack back his cigarette, Samantha inquired, "What did you do while we were apart? Besides stalk me, that is."

"Well that did consume a great deal of my time," Jack admitted. "When I wasn't following you around Atlanta or establishing Ed Boast in Otis, I was in Memphis with Konstantine and Sofia."

Samantha smiled at the memory of the old couple and asked, "Do they still own the motel and restaurant?"

"Oh yes, I haven't been there much. Usually I would try to see them away from the For Seasons, it was too painful to be there. Although according to Momma, I have a habit of showing up drunk and passing out on occasion."

Listening to Jack, Samantha's eyes misted. She hated that he'd suffered so much. Although it had hurt terribly believing he was dead, she'd never for one moment believed he didn't love her. Samantha couldn't imagine how hard that must have been on Jack. Silently she cursed Jack's Father and hoped he was rotting in hell. Both of them suffered by being torn apart and all for money which meant nothing to either of them. Unable to help herself, Samantha started to sob.

"Hey," Jack said softly, stamping his cigarette out in the ashtray. Pulling her tightly against him, he murmured, "What is it? Samantha, what's wrong?"

Burying her face against his chest she gave a muffled response through her sobs.

Unable to understand her, Jack gently pulled her chin up and prompted, "Talk to me."

"I'm just so sorry. Sorry for what that damned letter put you through. For what your parents did to us. It hurts so damned much, imagining you alone and hurting for all this time!" Samantha cried.

Jack stroked her back and her hair crooning wordlessly to comfort her. Although their reunion was a time of great joy, it was also a time of great sorrow. In time they would heal each other's pain, Jack thought, but it would definitely take some time. Two decades of pain couldn't be healed in a single day, but just holding his Samantha was balm to his soul.

"I wasn't completely alone," Jack comforted. "When I came back to the States, I had Momma and Poppa in Memphis. They helped me get through some of the worst of the pain."

"They must hate me," Samantha sighed as she dried her eyes on the sheet.

"Actually Sofia is the one who convinced me you cared and that I should pursue you. On her advice I hired detectives to track you down and not to give up on us."

"Do they know about-"

"Heavens no. I have been very careful not to let anything slip. Momma and Poppa have no idea that I'm Jack-Of-All-Trades."

"I'm glad, it would probably upset them needlessly."

"When we get remarried, we'll do it in Memphis and you can see them," Jack suggested. Then quipped in Sofia's accent, "They would be thrilled to see we did not have on the sad faces."

At that Samantha laughed as she remembered sweet motherly Sofia and her advice which got them through the start of their marriage. If it weren't for their hostess, they might not still be in love. Their wedding night had been so disastrous. A smile crossed her face as she decided their second wedding night would be far more enjoyable and less dramatic. Maybe they could stay at in the same room, she thought nostalgically.

Jack kissed her and stood up. As he pulled on clothes, he answered the quizzical expression on her face, "I doubt Isaac is getting any fresher."

Although she understood the necessity, Samantha groaned, "Why can't they have curbside pick up for dead bodies? They could make a special bin like they do for the recyclables."

"That would be handy," Jack laughed. "But the roses will need to be fed, but I think Isaac will take a nice swim in the Ohio River instead."

"The Ohio River?"

"That's right we never did get around to where we are. This place is in Cincinnati near the orphanage. Say maybe later we could go to the cemetery, I'd like to see my grave," Jack grinned as he finished dressing.

"Oh," Samantha answered weakly.

Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Samantha thought. She'd been so happy to find Jack alive that she had forgotten about- He would have to know, he had a right to know. Jack would hate her! When she found out he was alive, she was so overjoyed that everything else fell away. In Jack's arms, her secret fell to the side as she felt alive and happy for the first time in so long. One beautiful afternoon and in another hour or so it would come to a halt!

Moving back to the bed he kissed her again and joked, "And I think we'd better see about some condoms or have Dr. Trades write you a prescription for some birth control pills. At the rate we're going we'll have a little cheeto eater on the way before the week's out otherwise."

As Jack walked out of the faux apartment Samantha ran to the small but functional bathroom in the apartment and threw up. Splashing water on her face, she stared at herself in the mirror, but all she could see were Jack's eyes. Stumbling back into the room, she grabbed her clothes and dressed mechanically.

God, please let him kill me the moment I tell him, Samantha prayed. She couldn't face seeing the love in his eyes turn to hatred. While it wasn't entirely her fault, she should have known better than to trust his Mother. And her Father's betrayal had- Oh God Daddy how could you do that? As happy as she was Jack was still alive, Samantha wished she wasn't.

Silently, Samantha sat on the couch and waited for Jack...