I guess I should clarify Shawn and Jan's relationship. I figure they're together and they like each other. I don't know if it's love on Shawn's side, but he has feelings for Jan. He might know about his summer in the cage, I don't know, but they have had some fun in the cage since then. I don't plan on breaking them up, mostly because it doesn't really fit with the story. I really don't have an opinion on the Shawn-Jan-Belle-Philip thing.

"B-Brandon," she tried discreetly to back up as he advanced on her, looking creepier than usual, "w-what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to collect what's mine," he looked calm, but there was an underlying menace in his voice that made her blood run cold.

"What do you mean?"

She was no longer hiding her attempts to get away from him; unfortunately she had accidentally backed up into Lucas's car. Brandon didn't stop coming toward her until he could plant a hand on either side of her. She was effectively pinned in place, with nowhere to run. Sami had never liked feeling trapped, and this was no exception, it was absolutely terrifying.

………………………

Lucas was finally about to get on the elevator. He had been detained by an old colleague who"just had" to welcome him back to Titan Publishing and then they "just simply had" to go meet all the business men the guy had with him.

Under normal circumstances Sami would have understood, after an hour or so of moodiness, but a cold, moody Sami would not be so forgiving. The hand on his arm forced him to turn back around and it took all his strength not to groan when he saw the person, "Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I offered to bring Philip and Belle out to celebrate their engagement and work out all the details. There isn't much time left before their wedding, you know," yeah, he knew alright because that was the day when Sami was supposed to become his forever, luckily she didn't see him roll his eyes as she droned on, "What are you doing here without Sami?"

Kate smiled indulgently as her middle son gave her the explanation that she already knew. She had seen Sami go down to the parking lot, and then a few minutes later Brandon followed. She just needed to distract Lucas a little longer, then surely he would walk in on an intimate moment and she would finally be rid of the little bitch for good.

………………………..

"Celeste keeps predicting that we're going to be together, so why tempt fate," he leaned in closer and she felt the urge to gag at the sour smell of his breath mixed with his cheap cologne, "She said we'd be together by the end of the night, but I don't think I can wait that long."

Sami tried desperately to move away from him, but he held her firmly. He used one arm to hold her in place and the other to force her face to his. His lips hovered over hers and she moved her head to the side to avoid him. Painfully he held her chin, turning her to face him, and forced an angry, bruising kiss on her unwilling lips. Sami felt the tears stinging the back of her eyes as she tried to get away.

…………………….

Kate looked around the room, pretending to look at Philip and Belle dancing. She tried to force her voice to be casual as she turned back to Lucas who was not very subtle in his impatience to get away, "I don't see Brandon anywhere. I could have sworn I saw him earlier. I wonder where he went."

Lucas sighed in irritation, "He probably went to the bathroom. He could have gone to hell for all I care. I really have to go, Mom, Sami's waiting."

"Why are you so anxious to get to her? Do you think she might be with Brandon? I bet that whore is giving it up to him on top of your car right now."

"Sami is devoted to me, I'm not worried about Brandon. It's snowing outside and she's been waiting long enough. The parking garage creeps her out enough as it is."

Without waiting for a response her left her to get to Sami. He couldn't explain it, but this overwhelming feeling of dread kept pulling at all his senses. Without waiting for the elevator he took the stairs two at a time.

………………………

Sami pushed at his shoulders as hard as possible in another effort to get him off of her. She suddenly felt like a defenseless 16-year-old girl again. In a final frantic move, she brought her knee up with all her might into his groin and was rewarded with his angry cry and a sickening crunch. Brandon instinctively grabbed the injured area to protect himself from further attack.

Breathing deeply, Sami moved away from the car so that she couldn't be cornered again, freverently praying that Lucas came soon. Evidently, she didn't knee him as hard as she thought because Brandon recovered much too quickly for her taste, although his voice was now so high it might have been funny in an alternate situation.

"You bitch!" he moved closer and for a second she thought he might hit her, instead he grasped her shoulders in a death-lock, "You are going to be so sorry you did that."

"I've faced much worse than you, Brandon Walker," she managed to twist away from him for a second, "I can beat you, too. Lucas will be here any minute, he'll save me."

She made a mad dash for any escape route, but he was too fast and soon had her pinned against a stranger's car, "You shouldn't try to get away, Samantha. I was a professional boxer, don't put it past me to knock you out," Sami made another futile shot at escape, but he only let her get far enough away so that he could grab her from behind and cover her mouth with his hand, "We were meant to be together. I'm going to make it happen."

Unfortunately for Brandon, he was not experienced in the business that is kidnapping; therefore he did not cup his hand to avoid injury. Sami found the perfect angle and bit down on his hand, hard. With her mouth uncovered she yelled as loud as she could.

Lucas had been hurrying to his car when he heard her scream, then the parking garage and his actions turned into one big blur. A few feet away from his car Brandon was trying to drag Sami away like some deranged caveman, his Sami. Without thinking about his own safety he rushed to them as Sami kicked Brandon in the shin. The injured man yelped in pain and Sami broke away. Before he could try to capture her again Lucas had tackled him to the ground.

Brandon may have been the bigger man, so some would have labeled him the stronger of the pair, but his muscle was nothing in comparison to Lucas's muscle combined with his fury. The struggle lasted for several minutes, Lucas obviously coming out on top as he released all his anger onto Brandon. Anger for having Sami's attention for so long when deep down he had wanted it for himself. Anger for trying to take his place in their son's life, in her life. Anger for even daring to hurt Sami. Most of all, anger for trying to take away the love that he had craved for so long and finally earned.

Just as Brandon had rolled over on top of Lucas, getting in a few good blows himself, a shout came from nearby and someone he couldn't see pulled Brandon away. The next thing he saw was a gold more beautiful than the sun and soft hands delicately checking him for injuries.

…………………………..

Gingerly Lucas eased himself back onto the couch cushions. They had finally gotten back from the hospital where it was confirmed that he only had a few cuts and bruises, and would be very sore in the morning. Sami came to sit next to him, handing him some ice wrapped in a dishtowel for his head.

"That ex-husband of yours is a psychopath."

"I'm just glad Tek was there to arrest him, I hope we never have to see him again."

"Can't say I'm sorry to see him go. I've been hoping for it since he came back," he uncertainly looked at her for a second, "I was afraid you'd go back to him."

"Like I'd really do that, he obviously dangerous…and crazy."

"What if he wasn't?"

"I wouldn't even consider it for a minute."

Lucas smiled a little, but his strange mood was not alleviated. The realization that Brandon had come back to take Sami away from him was unnerving. If Brandon came back then Austin could, too! Would she really choose him over Austin, especially when she never had before?

Even as he opened his mouth to pose the question he didn't truly understand why he was asking or what kind of a reaction he would get. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know.

"What if Austin came back?"

Sami looked up in surprise. She hadn't thought of Austin in God knows how long. What would she do if he came back? She'd laugh in his face, that's what she'd do. She smiled slightly at his need for reassurance; it was really kind of cute.

"If Austin came back I'd slam the door in his face, but only after I told him how stupid I was to ever think I was in love with him. I've found a real man now."

Lucas out-right laughed at that, the image of Brandon trying to drag her away fading more and more by the minute. He was starting to get into this game.

"What if I suddenly went missing?"

Grinning, Sami recognized the subtle change from serious conversation to game and welcomed it by settling back on the cushions, "I'd search for you myself. No inept Salem PD for my future hubby, I'd get you home within a week."

"What if my mother had to move in with us because of her old age?"

"Your pushing it, but I'd give her the garage apartment, if we have one. Then we'd have to hire a nurse to take care of her, because there is no way I'm looking after her 24-7."

"What if I had to relocate to someplace cold, like Russia or Alaska?"

"I'd pack up my favorite sweaters and look forward to the snow."

"What if I had to move to a country where we couldn't understand a word they said?"

"We'll have to talk to each other for entertainment and buy a dictionary just incase."

"What if we had to live in a one room shack with no heat?"

"We'd use each other for warmth."

"What if I had to move to some hick town in the middle of nowhere, with no place to shop in sight?"

She smiled and held out her hand, all the fingers curled in, but the pinky extended, "Where you go, I go."

He reached out and hooked her pinky with his own, shaking it imperceptibly, "I'm going to hold you to that."

"I'd expect nothing less."