Author's Notes: We're heading towards the end, just hang in there. I promise Jack and Samantha will punish the evil parents and have a happy ending. Reviews are greatly appreciated and inspire me to update faster.

Part 48

Age: 34 Years 7 Months

Although Jack had expected something along the lines of their greeting, Samantha had not and she screamed as Jack was cuffed roughly by Bailey and Grant. Despite the fact he didn't resist arrest, the pair of agents proceeded to work Jack over in front of his wife. Grace and George restrained Samantha as she screamed epithets at her former boss and friend. Pushing her way in carefully, Rachel tried to stop Bailey as he hit Jack again and again as Grant held him upright to be Malone's punching bag.

"It's all right," Jack offered her a wry and bloodied smile. Shooting Malone a contemptuous expression, Jack taunted, "Not like a man his age could take me in a fair fight."

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Bailey yelled and drew his hand back to hit Jack again.

Just as Bailey drew back his fist, Samantha broke loose from George and Grace. Pushing her way between the arguing men, she caught the punch, Malone had intended for her husband. Up until that moment, Jack had not resisted or fought physically, but as Samantha fell from the impact of Bailey's fist, he became enraged. His hands were restrained in handcuffs, but he brought his foot up swiftly, kicking Bailey hard in the groin. His action brought more agents running and he was rapidly thrown face down on the ground.

It was worth it, Jack decided as he caught a glimpse of his wife's face which was already bruising from the impact of Malone's fist. No on hurt his Samantha. They could take their anger out on him, but not on her. Malone may not have anticipated what Samantha did, but he would see to it that her former boss paid dearly none the less. He had killed people for less.

After a moment, Jack was hauled to his feet with guns trained on him as Bailey walked to Sam and demanded, "Sam? Are you okay?"

"No thanks to you," Samantha snapped angrily.

"Where have you been? We know he kidnapped you and that he's the real Jack," Bailey told her, pointing at Jack.

Although she wanted to yell at Bailey, she gave the answer Jack instructed her to give on their way from his lawyers. Calmly she replied, "I've been with my husband. Anything else you have to ask will have to be in the presence of our attorney."

"Husband?" the shocked question echoed among the members of the VCTF.

Offering a wicked smile, Jack responded, "That's correct. Samantha is now Mrs. Newquay."

"Mother fucker," Grant sighed.

"In that case Sam, I'm afraid we're going to have to have you accompany us to interrogation and we'll bring you a phone to call your lawyer," Bailey informed her.

Bailey, Grant and Rachel, with several agents trailing behind them guided the pair away from the VCTF offices and to the interrogation rooms. Although no one had cuffed Samantha, her position was made very clear by the no-nonsense look she was being given. Several times on the way to the interrogation rooms, Grant stumbled intentionally, slamming Jack into the wall.

When she saw they were being taken into separate room, Samantha admonished, "If you take so much as one more swing at my husband, you'll have a lawsuit that could drain the entire US Treasury department."

Worriedly, Rachel suggested, "Bailey, why don't you talk to Sam and I'll talk to Jack."

After Bailey reluctantly agreed, he followed Sam into the first interrogation room and placed his cellphone in front of her. He said nothing as she punched in the number. As she spoke, he watched her sadly she was so hostile towards him. Had Jack brainwashed her? Surely Sam hadn't willingly married the man!

"The legal staff if on the way."

"Staff?"

"My husband had arranged before our coming here for a complete legal staff. When we heard the news, we were quite distraught and wished to clear up my supposed disappearance."

"Sam, you were kidnapped!" Bailey exclaimed.

An amused smile tugged at Samantha's lips as she countered, "Was I?"

"Sam I know you've been through hell, but you're safe now," Bailey told her and moved to hug her.

Pulling away and running her hand over her bruised cheek and eye, Samantha replied, "I think I felt safer before I came back here."

"Sam you know I'd never-"

Ignoring him, Samantha pretended to examine her nails as he droned on and she thought worriedly about Jack. Jack had promised her that everything would be okay and that this would be the right thing to do, but seeing him hit had been very upsetting and she hated to think what was happening to him out of her sight. As much as she loved him, she'd wondered what would happen if she ever had to decide between the life of her former friends and Jack. When Bailey was hitting Jack, Samantha knew once and for all, they meant nothing, Jack was everything to her.

"So you're Jack?" Rachel inquired in the other room.

With an innocuous expression, Jack responded, "My middle name is Jackson."

"But you are Jack-Of-All-Trades," she prompted.

"Am I?" he asked in a bored voice. "I thought that was Donald Lucas."

"Lucas is dead, but you know that already," Rachel pushed.

Nodding Jack agreed, "Indeed I heard on the radio that he had taken his life."

"Must have thought you were real clever masquerading as a sheriff in Otis," Grant interjected.

"I wasn't masquerading, as you put it. Edwin Boast is a genuine legal alias and I was elected to the post of sheriff in Otis."

"Now why would a man with your wealth do that?" Rachel queried.

"Because he's a compassionate man who wishes to help people," his lawyer said as he entered. "Branton just finished the press conference and Taylor is with your wife in the other room."

"Thank you-"

"Erikson," the attorney supplied as he sat his briefcase down on the table and began to open. Withdrawing a camera, he began to snap photos of Jack.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" John demanded.

"Simply documenting for the lawsuit which I will file after assisting my client clear up this misunderstanding. Our client and his lovely wife had stopped into our office scarcely two hours ago and were unscathed. Clearly the injuries my client and his wife have received were incurred after their arrival here."

"He was resisting," Grant complained.

"If you're through playing policeman, perhaps you would care to tell me what my client is being charged with."

Jack watched with amusement as George opened the door and grabbed John and Rachel from the room. Just before that, George had gotten Bailey and was dragging them all to the command center.

"Damn it, what could possibly be so important, that we had to stop our interrogations," Bailey demanded.

"Have a look," George informed him and brought up on the large screen, the press conference Jack's head attorney had just given.

On the screen, Branton stood before a large crowd of reporters in a hotel conference room:

Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, I have called a press conference to inform

you that Dr. Samantha Waters has been located. Dr. Waters is alive and well.

Earlier, FBI Agent Bailey Malone implied that her disappearance was foul play

and that she had been kidnapped. Dr. Waters was in fact with her fiancé and now

husband, financier Albert Newquay. At the time of Mrs. Newquay's alleged disappearance, Agent Malone was arrested for driving under the influence.

Mrs. Newquay had no idea she was considered missing and upon hearing a news report to that effect, was quite distressed. Albert and Samantha put their

honeymoon on hold to clear up this misunderstanding, created by Agent Malone

for reasons that he alone could explain. There were in fact a couple drops of

blood in my clients' vehicle which both will attest to the fact that it was during a consensual act of passion. Regarding the more outrageous reports that have

recently surfaced implying Mr. Newquay is Jack-Of-All-Trades, a simple bloodtest will reveal that the blood found when Jack-Of-All-Trades was shot was in fact Donald Lucas and could not belong to Dr. Waters' husband...

Holding his temples, Bailey cursed as the phone rang and a voice yelled at him on the other end. In the interrogation rooms, Jack and Samantha passed messages of love back and forth through their attorneys.

In Memphis as the news conference flickered on the television screen, Konstantine looked at Sofia and said, "I believe we are needing to visit the children in Atlanta."

Sofia nodded in agreement...