Lucas carefully closed the door to Sami's apartment and sighed. She was so damn stubborn, but he couldn't even be angry because of it. All that he felt was overwhelming sadness. She was completely justified in being afraid, he would just have to prove her wrong. He entered his apartment without registering the fact that the door was unlocked.
Will sat on the couch quietly staring at the small frame in his hands. He had come home from his sleepover early because he still didn't like leaving his dad alone, but he hadn't exactly gotten to look for him yet. The closed desk drawer had been calling to him and he couldn't resist.
Will knew what was hidden under a bunch of old papers in that drawer. The drawer he had put off limits to himself. It always caught his eyes as he passed it, but today the summons from it seemed stronger than ever. Knowing it was useless to deny himself, Will dug out the old photograph and sank down on the couch.
When the door opened, he shoved it under the couch cushions faster than he could say, "I didn't do anything." He heard rather than saw his dad enter muttering incoherently to himself. Will swallowed nervously, hoping against hope that Lucas would only say a quick good morning so that he could put the picture back into its hiding place, "Hey, Dad."
"Will. What're you doing here?"
To his dismay, Will watched as his father came over to sit down beside him. Right on top of the picture. Worse yet, he had the I-have-something-to-tell-you face.
"I didn't feel like staying at Josh's all day."
Will couldn't stop staring as his dad began to sit down, as if in slow motion. The closer he came to the cushion, the more danger the picture was in. He couldn't explain it, but at the moment he felt nonsensical panic. If Lucas sat down, it would be crushed and with it Will felt as if he would loose his only link.
"No!" he moved swiftly, pulling out the photo before Lucas could sit down completely, "You're going to break it."
Lucas observed in confusion as Will practically shoved him out of the way to dive under the couch cushions for an unidentified object. Apparently he found what he was looking for because he sat up cradling a square something against his chest and sent his father an accusing glare.
"I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't know it was there."
Forgetting his defensive posture for a moment, Will deflated. Unfortunately, he forgot that he didn't want his dad to see the picture within the frame until he saw Lucas's eyes grow sad.
Lucas's heart broke a little more as he finally saw what his son had been hiding. It was their camping photo from February 2004. The three of them were smiling with all the hope they had for the future. Sami looked beautiful.
"Will…"
"I just miss her sometimes," he cut in defensively. He tried to sound brave, but Lucas could hear the tears in his voice, "I can't forgive her, but I miss her."
Gently Lucas took the frame from Will and put it on the coffee table, then faced his son.
"There's something I need to tell you. Remember how I was going to have dinner with Grandma Kate last night?"
"Yeah," Will felt the strangest stirring of hope start to build at the unrestrained anger in his voice.
"Well, she was on the phone when I got there and I overheard part of her conversation. Your mom wasn't lying, Will. Kate drugged Sami and Brandon, then set it up so that I would find them."
"You mean…"
"She was telling the truth."
………………………………...
Sami sighed as she sank down onto the couch. As soon as Lucas had left she'd gotten dressed, but couldn't get any food down her throat. She should probably have started getting ready for work. It sucked working on a Saturday.
Usually she loved her job, a few hours of mindless tasks and she was exhausted enough to only partially remember her dreams in the morning. After Kate had fired her, Sami had found a job at a small boutique that not many of the main families of Salem frequented. She and the ownergot along famously; it was probably the best job she'd ever had.
Today she didn't feel like going in at all. Sami knew she wouldn't be able to hide behind her menial duties for long and thoughts of Lucas would inevitably invade her mind. Lucas and Will were always in her thoughts, but now the distraction would be even worse. Giving him up was almost worse than loosing him.
She rested her head against the back of couch and closed her eyes, remembering the incredible sensation of being with Lucas again. Making love with him was always phenomenal, but last night had been better than ever.
"Mom," the faint whisper lifted her spirits more than anyone or anything ever could.
"Will," her boy was just as handsome as ever. He stood in the doorway with tears in his eyes. She barely noticed his proud father standing behind him before Will launched himself into her embrace.
"I'm so sorry, Mom," he buried his face in her neck and cried like he hadn't cried in years. Nothing was more comforting than being hugged by his mother. She was warm and safe, but above all else she was his mother and that was the most soothing fact of all, "I should've believed you."
Sami ever so gently squished his body closer and cradled his head. His brown hair was soft and downy; he hadn't even put gel in to prepare for the day. She savored the moment, the moment when her little boy was finally back in her arms, "Shhh, baby, none of that matters now. I'm just sorry you had to go through it."
Lucas moved further inside and closed the door. He almost felt as if he was intruding on a private reunion, but he wouldn't have missed it for the world. It was what he lived for, seeing Sami and Will as happy as they could possibly be. Right now, the three of them were happier than they had been in months.
Slowly Sami pulled back to look at her beautiful boy's face. He was actually crying, no holding back because he was twelve years old and therefore too old for such things as crying. The raw vulnerability on his face almost took her breath away. Tenderly she wiped away his tears with the pads of her thumbs, "Everything's going to be alright."
Will looked at her with complete trust in his eyes and confidence he was far from feeling in his voice, "Things are going to go back to normal now, right? I mean, you and Dad are going to get back together, so we can start planning the wedding again? Right?"
"Oh, sweetie," she couldn't do it. She couldn't say no and break his heart all over again. It was bad enough breaking her own with the knowledge of her decision. Instead she decided on a vague answer, "It's not quite that simple."
Refusing to accept something so ambiguous, Will didn't stop questioning, "What do you mean? You are getting back together, aren't you?"
Lucas met her eyes across the room, silently daring her to tell their son exactly what she had told him earlier that morning. Daring her to say it and actually mean it. He knew she couldn't.
"I just meant we have a lot of things to work out first. Lets not think about that right now."
"Okay," Will answered hesitantly.
He wasn't sure he liked the sound of her voice. She sounded reluctant, too reluctant. He could think about his parents' relationship later, right now he just wanted them to spend some family time together like they used to.
"Do you think, maybe, the three of us could do something? Maybe spend the day together?"
"I'd love that, little man, but I have to work today. In fact, I should be going soon," the disappointment in the room was almost tangible, "Tell you what, I get off at six. You can wait for me here and then we'll spend some time together."
Will met her squarely in the eyes, "All three of us?"
"Yeah, Sami, all three of us?"
He knew she couldn't miss the challenge in his eyes.
"Of course."
Spending the evening with Lucas wouldn't sway her decision. No chance.
