HOTLINE
Chapter 2

Sami was cranky.

It was 10:30 on a Saturday morning and she was sitting in her basement office sorting through files. She tried to stop herself from cursing John and Kate every fifteen seconds but was having little success with that. Even though she had just started, Kate had given her more work than any human being could reasonably handle. But she was not going to let that bitch get the best of her. Sami figured if she worked hard and maybe made some allies in the office, she could use it to her advantage down the road. Besides, if she could make Kate and John look like fools for badmouthing her, all the better. You never knew what was going to happen in Salem and she might as well be prepared.

Sami let out a big yawn as she threw another file on top of the ever-growing pile spilling off of her desk. She was exhausted this morning. If she hadn't set her alarm, she probably would have slept in until noon. She had no business staying up as late as she did last night. Of course, this line of thinking brought her back to her other obsession for the morningLucas.

What in world was going on with her and Lucas?

She recalled the last time she had actually seen him in person. She was trying to get through the door to Basic Black while carrying an armload of files and papers the head shrew had sent her to pick up. Needless to say, she was having a hard time maneuvering inside. She had finally gotten herself through the door with one last struggled shove but she lost her balance. However, instead of ending up on the ground buried in papers, she had found herself caught in the strong arms of some good and very well-built samaritan. After he steadied her and she had regained her balance and control over the huge load of papers in her arms, she looked up to thank whoever it was that saved her.

"Thanks so much, I" She stopped cold when, to her dismay, her gaze met the smirking face of Lucas Roberts.

The heartfelt thanks she had prepared disappeared from her lips as she saw him standing there with his arms crossed and eyebrow raised expectantly, probably waiting for her to drop down and grovel at his feet with gratitude. Well, there wasn't a snowball's chance in Hell for that.

Sami straightened herself up as best she could and shot an icy glare his wayalthough not as frosty as her usual, less than friendly greetings. "Don't look so pleased with yourself, Lucas. You make a useful door stop as usual. Now if you'll get out of my way, I've got work to do." She stomped off towards the elevator still struggling with the files and praying that she wouldn't drop them in front of him. She thought that if she had to see his gloating smirk one more time, she just might punch him in the face. Even if he had been nice to her after her accident, he was still a first class jerk and she didn't know how she ever put up with him.

Back in the present, Sami sighed and glanced at her clock again. Only 10:37 and she still had a ton of work to do. Plus, thinking about Lucas like that just made her more irritated with him. She was so tired, mostly due to her late night phone call with him. Their conversation had only lasted for about 20 minutes but if you counted the energy she had expended waiting for him to come home so she could tell him about Will and add that to the hours it took for her to fall asleep for thinking about him, it added up to a whole lot of wasted time. Now she was paying the price for it. In fact, that's all obsessing over Lucas amounted toa big, fat, useless waste of time. Sami was determined to get Lucas off of her mind and clung to that idea.

But if that were really true, she wouldn't have waited for him last night or said all those things to him either.

Sami shook her head in denial. She had had enough of that kind of thinking. She turned to the pile of papers in front of her and began working again. With a sigh of frustration, she tried to wipe all thoughts of Lucas from her mind.

But try as she might, five minutes later, she was still pondering how bizarre her developing relationship with Lucas was. She couldn't believe that she had actually said the things she said to him. It was not like her to be so candid and with Lucas of all people. Truth be told, she hadn't actually put ALL of her cards on the table. There was a lot she had been feeling over the past couple of months that she wouldn't dream of telling himlike her steamy fantasies of them together and some of the more intimate reasons behind their late-night sleepovers. She'd be lying if she said it wasn't having an effect on herthat Lucas wasn't having an effect on her. Hell, she couldn't even understand it herself, much less explain it to someone else. Sami threw her head down on the desk, resting her forehead on top of her crossed arms. It was useless trying to get Lucas off of her mind.

It was at times like these that she missed having a best friend. She really needed someone to talk to about what was going on with her these days. Was it just hormones from the accident or maybe some kind of residual psychic trauma? Talking to her mother was out of the question since all she ever did was judge her anyway. It seemed like Eric distanced himself from everything that happened with his family including his own twin sometimes. Belle, likewise, was always too preoccupied with her own teenage drama to really care about what was going on with her own sister. She knew she had done her fair share of damage to some of her relationships but over the years, she'd been lucky enough to have had a few good friends. Jamie had been a really good friend before she had to move away. And of course, once upon a time, Lucas had been her good friend too. The best of friends actually. It always comes back to Lucas.

Everything was so complicated now and judging from that phone call last night, it wasn't just her feeling these things anymore. Maybe he too missed what they used to have, even if only a little bit. Everybody had to start somewhere.

Sami tapped her pen against the table nervously. Now that she thought about it, it's not like she had really revealed anything to Lucas except that she wanted him to be a part of Will's life. That wasn't so bad actually. He sounded like he'd been pleased to hear her say thata little surprised too, but definitely pleased. It felt good knowing that she made him feel like that. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to have him in her life again and remembering Lucas' reaction brought a smile to her face. But that smile turned into a devious grin as an idea popped into her head.

Wouldn't it be something if they could learn to trust each other like in the old days?

She picked up her phone and searched until she found the number she was looking for. As the phone was ringing, she thought to herself that Lucas was really going to get a kick out of this.

"Hi, this is Samantha Brady...I know, I know, but I have a favor to ask, if you wouldn't mind."


Lucas rolled out of bed clad only in his dark blue boxers, scratching and stretching as he made his way to the bathroom. He glanced at the clock in the hallway and noted that it was already noon. Thankfully, it was Saturday and there wasn't much on the business side of things he needed to do for work. He had finished up a lot of things last night which left his weekend a little more free than usual.

It seemed that lately his life pretty much revolved around his work for Tony. With Will at camp, he didn't have to worry about getting him up and ready for school or planning fun things to do on the weekendsomething he missed terribly. He reasoned that this was the time he needed to focus on his career so he could make a stable life for him and his son. Everything would have to take a backburner to that for the time being. He got to see his family fairly often and that was enough variety for him. So after he had gotten off the phone with Sami last night, he had stayed and finished up all of his paperwork in anticipation of his semi-free weekend. Unfortunately, now he didn't know what to do with all of his extra time.

The thought of Sami brought an unexpected smile to his face. She sure was full of surprises. He could say one thing about their relationshipyou never knew what was going to happen from moment to moment. Lucas admitted to himself that he was a bit distracted by their impromptu conversation the night before but he wrote it off to the surprise of hearing all of those civil things coming from her mouth.

He stepped into the hot shower and immediately rinsed his hair and slicked it back. The hot water felt great running down his face and beating against his back. Starting off with a hot shower was becoming something of a habit. He found that a hot shower was a great way for him to relieve some of the stress of his days working for Tony.

He found his thoughts straying back to Sami and the playful way she had ribbed him the night before. Another brilliant smile sprung to his face but this time he immediately quashed it. Appreciating their civil relationship was one thing but thinking about playful Sami while he was in the shower was quite another. Especially when his mind instantly conjured up just how luscious she looked the last time he had seen her.

He had been leaving the Basic Black building having dropped off his mother after a lunch date. He caught Samiliterallyas she was coming into the building. She had been carrying an armload of stuff and he had helped her get through the door. When she fell into his arms, he couldn't help but appreciate the feel of her soft body and how she fit perfectly in his hands. He could see a wisp of cleavage over the papers she was carrying and tried not to let his gaze linger lest he receive the sharpest of rebukesarmload of papers or not. He had to admit that since he'd known her, she'd always been able to fill out a dress in the best possible way. Still, ever the glutton for punishment, he couldn't suppress an amused smirk over their encounter.

She had been hardly enthusiastic in her thanks but at least she wasn't hurling venomous insults either. As she walked away in a huff, he again noticed how great she looked in her pink silk wrap dress and high heels. You could see every delicious curve and he was a man after all, even if the thought of actually spending any time with her tended to make his spleen bleed spontaneously. He knew he should have been irritated with her but he just chuckled as she boarded the elevator still struggling with her load.

Lucas shook his head in disgust with himself. The previous evening had been nice but he needed to stop dwelling on it. It was late, they were both tired and maybe feeling a little sentimental. Sure Sami had been unusually kind but he didn't want to get carried away because she decided to be a decent human being for once. Lucas felt his usual disdain for Sami return and instantly felt better. She had lured him into being a little sappy but never again. He could get along with her for the sake of their son but he was fooling himself if he thought they actually had a crack at a decent relationship. Their time for being friends had passed.

Lucas stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his body. By the time he was dressed and ready to grab a bite to eat, he had convinced himself that the night before had all been an anomaly. The more he thought about it, the more he thought that Sami probably had badmouthed him to that Fred Woodbridgeor was it Woodburn...

Damn Sami and her stupid disruptions. He calculated that he had wasted a good 20 minutes thinking about her this morning and almost anything having to do with Sami outside of their son was nothing but a big waste of time.

"It's Fred Woodbridge," Lucas said definitively. "Stupid Sami, trying to confuse me. And now she's got me talking to myself." He opened his fridge but his eyes were distracted by the blinking light on his cell phone sitting on the counter. He closed the door and picked up his phone thinking that he must have been out like a light if he hadn't heard the phone ring.

"Hello, Mr. Roberts, This is Fred Woodbridge from Will's camp." The friendly camp counselor sounded just as easy-going as the first time Lucas had met him 2 years ago. Lucas smiled as he heard the sound of kids shouting with excitement in the background knowing one of those kids could be his son having a blast with his camp friends.

"I hope I'm not calling too early but I just got off of the phone with Samantha and she said that you might be away on business. She gave me this number in case you weren't able to receive my other messages." Lucas frowned a bit, surprised by his mild irritation over Fred's reference to Sami by her first name. He'd have to ask her when she and Will's camp counselor had become so chummy.

"I wanted to let you know that due to some weather concerns, we will be busing our campers back three days earlier than expected. So they will be returning to the middle school on August 21st instead of August 24th. The campers are a little sad about coming home early probably because they don't want to start school," he chuckled. "But we want to make sure the kids are safe. If you have any questions please feel free to give me a ring anytime. I can assure you that Will is having a great time and even though he probably wouldn't tell you, he really misses you and Samantha. Have a good weekend, now. Bye."

Lucas didn't know what to make of this phone call. Sami had called Fred Woodbridge and asked him to fill Lucas in on news that she had already told him? Sami? The same woman who thrived on torturing him, especially when it came to their son? This was going to take some time to sink in.

Lucas stood there leaning against the kitchen counter pondering his earlier thoughts of Sami. Maybe she had been serious last night when she recognized that Will needed him in his life. Like he said before, Sami was full of surprises. The more he thought about it, the more it warmed his heart.

"Well, how about that," Lucas said out loud with a bemused grin.

On an impulse Lucas left his apartment and went over to Sami's place. He didn't know what he planned to say to her but he was sure he would figure it out. He just needed to see her so that he would know this was for real.

He knocked on her door and waited with pleasant anticipation for her to answer. The magnitude of his disappointment surprised him as the seconds stretched on and there was no Sami to answer the door. He knocked again, hoping that she was just having a slow day but with resignation, he knew she wasn't home. Whatever he was meant to say to her would have to wait.

He turned to go back to his apartment when Sami''s neighbor, Bruce, appeared at the elevator. His two chihuahuas were in tow so he had probably just returned from walking them. He was a new tenant so he wasn't as privy to the "intensity" of his and Sami's relationship but he definitely knew that something unconventional was going on with his two neighbors. Lucas waved at the older man and opened the door to his apartment.

"If you're looking for that one," Bruce said pointing at Sami's door, "I think she went to work or something." He turned the key in his lock and led the dogs inside.

"Excuse me?" Lucas asked as he walked closer to his neighbor's door.

Bruce turned around hanging his leashes on a peg by the door. "That girl that lives next door. I think she went to work this morning. I saw her leaving around 9:00."

Lucas didn't mean to be rude but he was curious why their neighbor knew so much about Sami's whereabouts. You could never be too careful these days. Salem was a very strange place and the next thing you know, a serial killer could be on the loose. "How do you know she went to work?" he asked trying to keep the suspicion out of his voice.

Bruce shrugged his shoulders and said, "I suppose I don't know for sure but it kinda tipped me off when we exchanged greetings and she said that she was off to work. I guess you can draw your own conclusions. You seem to know her a bit better," he said chuckling.

Lucas cracked a smile in response. It was nice to know that the old man had a sense of humor. "I'd say that's a pretty solid conclusion. Thanks for the info."

"No problem," Bruce answered. "She didn't look too happy about going so maybe she'd get a kick out of it if you distracted her for a bit," he said with a twinkle in his eye. Then he paused as if in deep thought. "Actually, given the two of you, maybe not. Have a nice day." He moved to close his door and Lucas waved a goodbye.

"You too," Lucas responded as the door shut. He went back to his own apartment and tried to decide what he should do. He felt kind of bad that she had to go into work on a Saturday. He had heard from him mother that things weren't exactly cordial between them and that relations were strained at best. It sounded like Sami did her work and kept as far away from his mother that she could get. The name of the game was semi-peaceful co-existence. Just like him, Sami was focusing on work while Will was at camp. He then remembered that she was still recuperating from her accident leading to another wave of sympathy for her.

Bruce had a point, Sami might not appreciate a phone call from him especially if she was already in a bad mood about being at work. But then again, after last night, maybe she would appreciate it. Either way, he'd done worse to piss her off so why not.

He grabbed his phone before he lost his nerve and dialed her number. After a few rings he was greeted by the voice of an unusually sedate Sami.

"Hello," she answered sounding somewhat distracted.

He almost lost his nerve but in the age of Caller ID, he knew he couldn't back out. "Hey Sami, it's Lucas." He felt like a 15 year old calling a cute girl for the first time. Well, this was the first time in a long time that he was calling like thisand she was pretty cute.

On the other end, Sami was shocked and surprised to hear Lucas' voice. She knew he would probably call but she was utterly unprepared for what to say to him. Plus, although she had been fighting against it, he had been on her mind all morning. What she couldn't deny was the rush of pleasure she felt at hearing his voice on the other side of her phone connection.

With a soft smile on her face she finally responded in an unexpectedly sultry voice. "Hi Lucas. I'm glad you called."