To sveta, my lone reviewer, thank you! Do you read all my fics on here or does it just seem like it?
Here's Chapter Five. Enjoy!
Chapter Five
One month later
"Michael, get down here! The photographer's here!" called Carly up the stairs.
Michael groaned as he came down the stairs dressed in a navy blue suit. "Mom! Why do I have to wear this?"
"Because, it is a formal family picture! Even Morgan is wearing a suit. Now get in here!" Carly told her son.
Michael walked over and sat on the couch right next to his cousin Lucky. Lucky smiled down at the nine year old and gave his cousin a squeeze. He was glad that he was home.
The plan, thankfully, had worked well. The only casualties were Helena and Faith. The women had shot each other at the very end, as Helena was about to take Carly's life. Faith had come in and shot at Helena for betraying her. Helena had gone down, but not before aiming and hitting Faith's black heart.
Carly smiled at the gathering before her before she stepped into the scene. The patriarch and matriarch of the family, Bobbie and Luke, stood behind the couch. On the couch and on small benches in front sat Lucky, Lance, Leah, Nadia, Nadia's fiancé Jonathan Steele, Natalia, Natalia's husband Michael, Nikolas, Emily, Lulu, Liz, Michael, Sonny, Ric, and Alexis. Kristina sat in Alexis's lap while Sonny held Morgan and Liz held Cameron.
At that moment, Lucas rushed into the room and sat on the arm of the couch, while Carly moved her son and sat down with Michael on her lap. The photographer moved them around, making sure the couples were in the right spots before he took the very first Spencer/Cassadine family picture.
From behind the photographer, Steven and Sami smiled. They were both happy that the Spencer family was whole, or as whole as they could be without Laura, Tony, and John.
Carly had forced her biological father out of her life weeks before. She didn't like his tactics and he didn't seem to care. Even Steven had cut ties with Durant.
Tony was not only forced out of Lucas's life, but he was also forced out of Port Charles after they had discovered that he had been harboring Helena and was working for her again. He had been suspended from GH and was told to leave town. He tried to explain his reasons, but Lucas and Bobbie wouldn't hear it. They told him to leave before Luke could kill him for lying about Lucky's condition and he listened.
Laura still had not recovered from her catatonic state even though she was no longer being drugged by Helena. But her doctors figured that Helena's drugs had already done too much damage. They all were still very shocked to find out that Laura's catatonia was brought about because Helena was constantly drugging her. The doctors said she would've recovered if Helena's drugs hadn't been administered to her.
After the big family picture was taken, each portion of the family was gathered for separate small family pictures. Bobbie's portion went first, with Bobbie in the middle with Carly to one side and Lucas on the other, with Michael in Carly's lap and Morgan in Bobbie's arms. Sonny sat beside his wife.
Luke and his extended family went next, with Nikolas, Nadia, Natalia, along with Emily, Michael, and Jonathan to his right, and Lucky, Lance, Leah, Liz and Cameron to his left.
The small family of Ric, Alexis, and Kristina went next. Kristina sat in between her mother and stepfather. Kristina smiled widely as she tried not to laugh at a face that Sami was making at her.
Once they were done, the photographer left and the celebration began. The party they had planned to have once Helena had met her maker. Sami and Steven were included in the celebration because they had helped develop the plan that had ultimately brought Helena to her end.
"To the end of Helena, Faith, and the Spencer/Cassadine War, may the darkness of their past never affect us again," Lucky said in toast.
"To the end!" Everyone exclaimed as glasses clinked together.
Sami took a sip of her wine as Steven came up beside her. "Sami, you did well in this. Your plan worked."
"Yeah, and it will be the last scheme I ever come up with unless someone needs my help. Here in Port Charles, I'm changing my ways. Starting over again. Never again will I betray the ones I love," Sami said with conviction.
A song began to play at that moment and Steven reached for her glass. "Would you like to dance?"
"I would love to," Sami said, allowing Steven to take her glass.
Steven sat the glasses on a table and took Sami's hand and they walked to the portion of the floor that had been cleared for dancing and they began to dance to a song that said everything Sami wanted her new life to be.
One with the earth, with the sky
One with everything in life
Where are the dreams that we once had?
This is the time to bring them back.
What were the promises caught on the tips of our tongues?
Do we forget or forgive?
There's a whole other life waiting to be lived when...
One day we're brave enough
To talk with Conviction of the Heart.
And down your streets I've walked alone,
As if my feet were not my own
Such is the path I chose, doors I have opened and closed
I'm tired of living this life,
Fooling myself, believing we're right, when...
I've never given love
With any Conviction of the Heart
One with the earth, with the sky
One with everything in life
I believe we'll survive
If we only try...
How long must we all wait to change
This world bound in chains that we live in
To know what it is to forgive,
And be forgiven?
It's been too many years of taking now.
Isn't it time to stop somehow?
Air that's too angry to breathe, water our children can't drink
You've heard it hundreds of times
You say you're aware, believe, and you care, but...
Do you care enough
Where's your Conviction of the Heart?
One with the earth, with the sky
One with everything in life
I believe it will start
With conviction of the heart
One with the earth, with the sky
One with everything in life
I believe it will start
With conviction of the heart
(Conviction of the heart by Kenny Loggins)
Lucas was beginning to feel desperate. He wanted to find out where Sami had gone so he could ask her for another chance and explain what had happened that night, about the fact that Kate had set her up, not wanting her as her daughter in law.
He had decided to search through Sami's things in her apartment and had grabbed his copy of the key and headed across the hall. He unlocked the door and was shocked to find only the furniture that was originally in the apartment sitting there. None of Sami's things were to be seen.
Lucas ran down the hall to the super's apartment and banged on his door. The super opened the door angrily. "What?"
"Where are Sami Brady's things? I just went into her apartment and none of it was there," Lucas said.
The super looked at him, recognizing him as Sami's former fiancé. "Miss Brady had her things placed in storage and told me to rent out the apartment. She said she would not be coming back. And if you have a key, I need it now."
Lucas handed him the key before heading back to his apartment and collapsing on the couch. He couldn't believe it. She wasn't coming back. Sami had to come back home. She just had to.
Thank god Will isn't here, Lucas thought. He was spending the day with Abby once they both got out of school. He isn't here to see me fall apart.
Lucas fell over on the couch and began to sob. How could I do this to Sami? How could I push her away like this? I love her!
Lucas continued to cry as the sun started to set in Salem. His heart was breaking in two at what he had been told. Come home, Sami, please! I love you!