Author's note: Another long-as-hell chapter. And just for the record, I wasn't around when Jason got into the accident and lost his memory, or for the years afterward. I started watching around the Sonny-Carly-Sam-Lorenzo triangle/mess, so if I've made any mistakes, that's why. And if you could show me any vid clips from around that time, I'd really appreciate it.

Sam was pacing. Pacing so fast, in fact, that Jason felt like he was at a tennis match. "Sam, you need to stop pacing, I'm getting dizzy," he said at last.

She stopped pacing, and glared at him. "Don't tell me not to pace. I'll pace if I want to. You've completely upended my life, I think I deserve the right to pace!"

"Sam, it's not that big a deal--"

"Hah!"

"It isn't," he insisted. "We get up there, you know, it doesn't have to be a big deal. We can do it in front of a justice of the peace, down at City Hall--"

"There will be no it!" Sam insisted. "Because we are not getting married!"

Jason stared at her. "What's the big deal? You're carrying my child, you've already moved in, so the next logical step is--"

"Do not say the word 'marriage'," Sam snapped. "There are plenty of unwed mothers, and you know what? I'm going to be one of them, no matter what you say."

"Sam--"

"I'm going to bed," she declared. "And in the morning, you will have come to your senses and realized what a horrible idea this is." She went up the stairs, and Jason followed her.

"Sam, why are you so against this?" he demanded, trotting up the stairs after her.

Once she'd reached the top of the stairs, Sam turned around to face him. "Jason, I like you. Aside from the mob thing, you seem like a pretty good guy, and we might even work out. You know, in a weird, opposites attract kind of way."

"Then what's the problem?"

Sam threw up her hands. "Where do I start? Maybe with the fact that I don't love you, or--or that you're still in love with your ex-wife? Or, how about the fact that we still don't know each other all that well? Jason, a wary trust and--and a pregnancy doesn't equal a good marriage!"

"Sam, we want to give this child a stable home life, right?" Jason asked.

"Yes, but—"

"And that means that all three of us have the same last name," Jason said, glad he was finally able to finish a sentence. Around her, it was quickly becoming a rare occurrence.

"Fine, then. Change your last name to McCall and we'll be just fine," Sam said sarcastically. "God! What is with this chauvinistic tradition that the baby has to have the last name of the father? And even if he or she does have your last name, that doesn't mean I have to!'

"Sam—"

She shook her head violently. "No! Jason, absolutely not!"

Jason held up his hands, exhausted. "Okay. Okay."

Sam stared at him warily. "No more marriage talk?"

He shrugged. "If it upsets you that much, then no."

"Oh." Sam shuffled her feet. "Um, Jason, it's nothing personal, it's just--I have issues with marriage."

Jason was a little intrigued, and asked, "Yeah, like what?"

She shrugged. "Well...you know, every girl fantasies about their 'dream wedding'. My dad used to, uh, mock me, though. Said, "Sammie, no man's ever gonna trust you enough to marry you, so get those dreams of white dresses out of your head.' "

"He was an asshole," Jason said quietly, but with conviction.

"Yeah, he was. But he was also right." Sam met Jason's gaze squarely. "But I still dream about it sometimes, you know? I dream about wearing the most beautiful wedding gown in the world, and getting married in a great church to the man I love." She paused. "Jason, I've had to give up a lot of my ideals...but that won't be one of them. If I can't get married to a man that I'm in love with, then I won't get married."

Jason sighed. "Okay then. We won't get married." He walked away to his own bedroom. "Night, Sam."

"Are you mad?" she asked after him.

He turned around. "No," he reassured her. In reality, what he felt was...relieved. Despite wanting to do the right thing...Jason was nowhere near ready to walk down the aisle again.

When Lucky walked into Kelly's a few days after the benefit, he was surprised and pleased to see Sam McCall perusing a newspaper at the table. "Hey," he said as he waked up to her. "This seat taken?"

She looked up and gave him a big smile. "Hey. No, it's not taken. Take a seat."

He sat down, with the vague feeling of doing something underhanded. Lucky had no clue why...after all, he was just sitting down at a table with a person he wanted to befriend.

A person who was pregnant with the child of Jason Morgan.

Lucky shook these thoughts off. It was fine. After all, he was best friends with Emily, who was Jason's sister. There wasn't going to be a problem. "So, what are you doing?" he asked.

She held up the paper. "Looking through the classifieds. I need a job."

Lucky raised his eyebrows. "Why do you want a job?'

Sam shrugged. 'I'm bored. Jason's gone most of the day on...business," she said, making air quotes around the last word, causing Lucky to snort in amusement. "—and I have no intention of lying around the apartment for the rest of the pregnancy, never mind the rest of my life. Or however long I stay with Jason."

Lucky smiled. "I'll let you know if I hear anything...oh, wait. There was an opening at L&B Records for a receptionist. Mostly filing and answering the phone..."

"Really?" Sam asked eagerly.

"Yeah," he said. "My friend Elizabeth was interested...but the pay and benefits weren't so great, so she opted for the hospital instead."

"That's not a problem," Sam said. She ruffled through the paper. "Here it is—wonder how I missed it. Got a pen?"

Lucky reached into his inside pocket and handed her a ballpoint. She circled the ad, then put the paper aside. "So, how are things with you?"

Lucky sighed. "Not so great."

"Why, what's wrong?"

He groaned. "There was a major case—we cut a few corners we shouldn't have, and it ended up nearly costing us the conviction."

Sam winced. "Ouch. You said almost—"

"Yeah, the DA managed to fix things, and he's probably going to win the case. Didn't stop him from chewing us out though," Lucky added, wincing as he remembered the way Ric Lansing had raged at them. The worst part, they hadn't been able to defend themselves. They'd screwed up, plain and simple.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Lucky dragged himself out of his reverie. 'Sure."

Sam fiddled with her nails. "Did—did you hear anything about Jason's family? I mean, how they reacted to me?"

Lucky shook his head. "No, I didn't. I can ask Emily for you—"

"No, that's okay," Sam said. "I was just wondering."

"Well, if you go to the interview for L&B, you'll probably find out yourself. The owner, Ned Ashton, is Jason's cousin."

"Oh God."

"No, don't worry about it," he reassured her. "He's a cool guy."

"You sure?" Sam asked, clearly worried.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Lucky insisted.

Sam bit her lip. "I am pretty bored, you know, sitting around the penthouse all day. It's a beautiful apartment, don't get me wrong, and he even has TiVo, but lying around the house all day just isn't my style. I need something to do."

"So go," Lucky told her. "It's just an interview." Then he grinned mischeviously. "Besides, if Ned pisses you off, you can just stand up on top of your chair and chew him out."

Sam laughed at that. "Okay, that was a one-time thing--"

"Really? Damn," Lucky said, pretending to be disappointed. "I was hoping I could sic you on my bosses, get them to lighten my caseload..."

"Hey, hey! It was hormones, all right? Temporary insanity!"

"I don't know why you're so embarrassed about the whole thing," Lucky said. "If I had been the one to actually tell Jason Morgan off, you can bet I'd be bragging about it to everyone I know."

"Jason would break your kneecaps if you did," Sam pointed out.

Lucky wondered if she realized that that might actually happen. But he smiled nonetheless. "Then I'd just brag from a wheelchair then."

She smiled again. "You know what? I'm going to interview for that job. Yeah, why not?"

"Ahem," a male voice said as two hands landed on Sam's shoulders. Sam jumped, then twisted around to see who it was.

Sonny grinned down at her. "Hello, Sam."

"Sonny," Sam responded, casually shifting so that Sonny would drop his hands. Lucky glared at him, and when he was this close to actually saying something, Sonny finally removed his hands. Lucky forced himself to relax. Only a little. "What are you doing here?" Sam asked, giving Lucky a warning look.

"Just here to talk to Mike," he replied. "What about you?"

"Having lunch," Sam said.

Sonny looked over at Lucky for the first time. "You can leave now."

Lucky bristled at the casual dismissal. Before he could respond, however, Sam said, "No, he can't, because he hasn't ordered his lunch yet."

Sonny raised an eyebrow. "Is there a reason why he has to order it here?"

"My aunt owns the place," Lucky interjected, his voice cool. "I have lunch here all the time." He locked his gaze with the older man's, daring Sonny to make a big deal out of this.

"You don't eat lunch with her all the time," Sonny pointed out.

"Hello? I'm right here," Sam interrupted. Both of them looked at her. "Not that it is any of your business, Sonny, but I've having lunch with Jason because I want him to."

"He's a cop," Sonny said flatly, as if he was saying "he's a murderer" or "he's a crime lord". Oh, wait. That was Sonny, not him. If that was what Lucky did, Sonny would be buying him lunch.

"So what?" Sam asked, throwing her hands up.

Lucky grinned at him. "My profession isn't a problem for any law-abiding citizen. And as you and your high-priced lawyers like to scream to anyone who'll listen, you are nothing if not a law-abiding citizen. Isn't that right, Sonny?" Yeah, it had to be admitted that Lucky was deliberately trying to provoke him.

And from the glare Sonny was giving him in response, Lucky had succeeded. "Yeah, that's exactly right."

"Then there isn't a problem if I have lunch with Sam then, is there?"

Sonny's glare intensified as both Sam and Lucky looked at him innocently. Finally, since there was nothing he could really do, he walked out of the diner without saying another word.

Sam watched him go, then turned to Lucky, looking very pleased. "I'm impressed."

He shrugged. "Sonny Corinthos has a huge ego in need of deflation. I'm glad to be able to do the deflating on occasion." But Sonny's brief visit had reminded Lucky of the reality of the situation."Sam--listen, that's probably going to happen a lot."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," she replied promptly.

Lucky didn't want to spell it out for her, but he didn't have any other options. She had to understand this. "Sam, I'm a cop. Jason and Sonny? They don't like cops. And if we continue to do this--"

"Do what?" Sam's voice was defensive. "Have lunch?"

"If we keep hanging out together," Lucky continued in a steady voice, "--then they probably aren't going to approve. In fact, they definitely won't approve."

"Who cares if they approve?" Sam demanded, clearly irritated by this point. Not so much at Lucky, but at the maddening situation. "I certainly don't care, do you?"

"Sam, if I wanted their approval, I sure as hell wouldn't be a cop." He swallowed. "But that doesn't mean they'll aprrove of us being friends. In fact, they'll probably insist that I'm trying to get close to you as a way to get information on them."

"Are you?" Sam asked bluntly.

Lucky refused to let himself be hurt by the question. She had a right to ask. "No, I'm not."

"I believe you," she said quietly, then smiled. "You'd be wasting your time anyway. Jason doesn't tell me anything about what he does."

"And I believe you," Lucky said. "But all of that isn't going to make a difference to either Sonny or Jason."

Sam folded her hands on the table and looked at him intently. "I don't live my life by Jason's rules. I make my own friends, and I trust my instincts. And right now, my instincts say that you're all right."

"Same here," Lucky said with a smile of relief. "Now, I'm starving, so I'm going to order some food. What are you going to have?"

Ned walked into Lois's office to find her casually chatting with--whoa. Sam McCall. The girl from the benefit. "What's going on here?"

Sam turned around and her eyes widened. "Hello, Mr. Ashton," she responded, sounding a little bit nervous.

Lois beamed at him. "Sam's here interviewing for the receptionist job."

Under normal circumstances, Ned would be thrilled. The ad had been in the newspaper for weeks, but since L&B Records couldn't afford to pay well, no one had taken the job.

But then, these weren't normal circumstances. Sam was pregnant with Jason's child. Alan had managed to confirm that by finding the paternity test done at General Hospital.

And according to the private investigators Edward had hired, she was also a con artist by profession.

None of the Quartermaines were sure of what to do. This could be a scam, or worse, it could turn into another Carly-Michael situation. And now she wanted a job here?

It could be a scam.

Or an opportunity for Alan and Monica to get to know at least one of their grandkids.

"Why are you here, really?" Ned asked.

"I'm here to interview for the job," Sam said calmly.

"Sure you are," he said skeptically. "If you're just here to help Jason and Sonny screw my family over again--"

"Ned, she's willing to take the job. Don't push it!" Lois ordered him.

Ned ignored her. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here because I need a job," Sam responded, her voice shaking just the tiniest bit.

He raised an eyebrow. "I have a pretty good idea of how much Jason makes. Trust me, you don't need a job."

"Fine then," she said, rolling her eyes. "I want a job. I need something to do other than watching the Lifetime Channel all day and keeping track of my folic intake. This seemed like a good place to start."

There was a very long pause. She seemed sincere..."You know the pay sucks, right?" he asked finally.

"Yeah, I know," Sam said. "But like you said, I don't need the money."

He sighed. It was worth a shot. "Can you start on Monday?"

Sam grinned, clearly relieved. "Yeah. Totally." She glanced at her watch. "I'm sorry, but I have to go--I have a checkup at the hospital." She stood up and looked at him. "And thanks for the job."

"No problem," Ned said. "See you on Monday."

Once Sam had left, Lois stood up, folding her arms. "Okay, what was that all about?"

Ned sighed. "Sam's pregnant with Jason's child. And she also happens to be a con artist."

His ex-wife's mouth fell open. "Oh. That would explain the third degree you gave her." She frowned. "But then--if you don't trust her, then why offer her the job?"

"Hey, did you see those lyrics for BrookLynn's new song?" he asked, changing the subject.

Lois didn't let it go. "I know you, Ned, and you didn't do this for some noble reason or out of empathy. You have an angle, and as your business partner, I demand to be let in on it."

"We need a receptionist," Ned said innocently. "One who doesn't mind the crappy pay and little benefits..."

"Ned Ashton--"

"LIke it or not, Lois, those are my reasons for offering Sam the job," Ned insisted, then smiled wickedly. "And if it happens to piss Jason off? Well, I consider that to be a bonus."

Lois smiled for a moment, then tilted her head. "I don't get it. I thought you didn't have a problem with Jason."

"I don't, for the most part." Ned swallowed. "But--affter my grandmother died...we really thought...he might come back. Not--not completely, but that he'd at least make an effort. Instead, he went back to working for Sonny as--as if nothing had happened. And then, he doesn't even tell us that he's going to be a father?" He shook his head. "I see it as a win-win situation. We can watch this girl, figure her out, and if things go well..."

"You get another addition to the family," Lois finished. "Sneaky, Ned. Very sneaky."

"A well-intentioned sneaky, though," Ned added. "Now, seriously. Where are the new lyrics?"

"You did what?" Jason asked, furrowing his forehead.

Sam remained calm as she grabbed her clothes. The thin hospital gown didn't protect her from the draft in the room, and she couldn't wait to get back into her street clothes. "I got a job. At L&B Records."

Jason blinked. "What for?"

She rolled her eyes. "Because I want to do more than sit around the apartment all day, Jason."

He gave her a wary look. "Okay, Sam, this isn't an attempt to make enough money so you can run off again, is it?"

Sam looked at him. "You're never going to really get over that, are you?" she asked.

"Honestly? No."

Sam rolled her eyes again. "Fine, Jason. I'm trying to earn enough money so that Coleman and I can run off with your child to Chile and teach him or her to become a sheep-herder." When he didn't say anything, Sam added impatiently, "That was a joke, Jason."

"I know." He shrugged. "If you really want to do this--"

"I do," Sam said quickly.

"Then fine," Jason looked down at his feet. "Why are you eating lunch with Lucky Spencer?"

Sam threw up her hands. "Oh, here we go--"

"He's a cop--"

"If I hear that one more time, Jason, I swear--" Sam was really getting angry by this point. "We just went through this with Coleman, remember? You acted like a Neanderthal, and I told you that if you ever tried anything like that again, that I would walk. So don't try it."

He held out his hands. "I'm just telling you to be careful. That's all."

Sam leaned back against the pillows, saying quietly, "I'm not an idiot, you know. Besides, it's not like I know anything to tell."

Jason nodded. "True."

Just then, Dr. Meadows came in. "I'm afraid there's a problem," she said somberly.

Sam's heart turned to ice. "What? What's wrong?"

Dr. Meadows held out her hands. "Nothing that can't be fixed...Sam, you have what's known as an incompetant cervix. It's too weak to stay closed for the length of your pregnancy."

"Okay, that--that doesn't sound good," Jason said quietly, his eyes wide and almost frantic.

"Untreated, it can lead to a preterm birth and the possible loss of the child--" the doctor continued.

"Then fix it," Jason said quickly.

"Surgery is what's usually done here. After the surgery, everything will be as good as new, and you can carry to term, no problems. It's a minor procedure, and everything should go well."

Sam allowed herself to breathe again. "So--a few sutures, and I'm fine."

"Yup. When would you like to--"

"Now," Sam bursted out. "Now works for me."

Jason agreed. "Yeah, absolutely."

Dr. Meadows smiled at them. "I'll see what I can do."

Alan had almost walked in the door twice. The first time, he'd been two steps away from the door before turning back. The second time, his hand had actually made it to the doorknob. But he'd turned back then too.

Not that he had any reason to be afraid to go into that room. He was the Chief of Staff. She was carrying his grandchild and had just had surgery. He had every right to go in there.

Except for the fact that Jason had made it painfully clear, so many times, that Alan had no rights. No right to be worried, to care. No right to give advice, to concern himself with his son's concerns. No right to be a father to him.

And no right to walk into that hospital room. No right to be a grandfather.

At that thought, it was as if something snapped inside his head. Alan squared his shoulders, walked purposefully to the door, opened the door, ready to drag his son, kicking and screaming, to a place where he was safe, so he could beat it into Jason's stubborn head what was best for him--

--but when he opened the door, he just found Sam there, a magazine in her hands, staring at him with surprise.

"Hello," Alan said awkwardly. "I'm Alan--Jason's father--"

"I know," Sam replied, still looking surprised.

"I heard the surgery went well."

She looked even more surprised at this. "You checked up on me?" No outrage in her voice however, which he took to be a good sign.

With more confidence than he felt, Alan replied, "You're carrying my grandchild and I'm the Chief of Staff. Of course I checked with the surgeon."

Sam smiled at him. "That was really sweet of you. Thanks."

Alan was, to put it mildly, completely floored by her response. No outrage? No accusations of interference or manipulation? He'd been prepared for that, ready to do battle. But what he hadn't been prepared for was--acceptance. For her to be touched by his concern, instead of self-righteously angry about it. "Perfectly natural response," he muttered, casting about for a topic of conversation. "So, how do you like Port Charles?" Alan asked finally.

She paused before answering. "Hmm...not sure yet. I haven't really gotten my bearings yet. Everything's happened so fast."

"I know the feeling. Where's Jason?"

She shrugged. "Getting some coffee. He should be here pretty soon, in case you want to talk to him--"

But somehow, he didn't. Conversations with Jason always tended to follow the same tired, hurtful script, and Alan was suddenly in no mood to poke at old, unhealed wounds. "No, that's all right. I just came in to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine," she reassured. "So's the baby."

"Good, that's--good." He wanted to say more, but was at a loss to figure out exactly what. "Well, I'm sure I'll see you again." Across the street, perhaps, or at some fancy event, carefully guarded by Jason and Sonny and those bodyguards. But never up close. That wasn't how it worked.

"Bye," she murmered, as his back was turned. Alan's hand was on the doorknob again, ready to leave, when all of a sudden--

--he knew what he came in here for.

To give her a warning.

Alan turned around and met her eyes. "Sam?"

"Yes, Dr. Quartermaine?"

Alan looked down, trying to find the right wording for what he needed to tell her. "Jason--he spends his life in service of others." Like that midget mobster with that giant ego who'd waltzed into town and taken those Alan loved best. Not just Jason, but Michael too, and even AJ in a way. "And--he thinks he can protect the people he loves. But--a lot of that has to do with luck too, do you understand?"

Sam's face was somber now, tight. "Yeah. I understand."

His mouth was dry, but he continued anyway. "Jason doesn't get along with us. But if anything ever...ever goes wrong, I hope...that you'll consider turning to the Quartermaines. Despite Jason's feelings. Please, just keep that in mind."

As his hand turned the doorknob, Alan heard Sam's voice. "I will," she promised. And then, a very, very quiet--"Thanks."

It was all he could do.

But it wasn't enough.

Jason gave Sam a wary look as he helped her into the car. She was quiet now. Too quiet. And sure, it could be put down to exhaustion, but Jason, after knowing Sam for only a short time, could already tell that running a marathon on one leg wouldn't shut Sam up.

"You all right?" he asked gruffly as he got into the driver's seat.

"I'm fine," she said, looking down at her hands.

As he started the car, he almost missed her saying, "Your dad stopped by earlier."

Whoa. Where had that come from?

Trust a Quartermaine to throw everything off-kilter. "What did he want?" Jason asked, making sure his voice stayed even.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Sam shrug her shoulders slightly. "To see how I was doing." She paused, then asked The Question. That's how he saw it in his head, in capital letters. "So, exactly what went wrong with you and your family?"

It was a question Jason had been running up against for eight years. And to be perfectly honest--and Jason was always perfectly honest--he didn't have a clear-cut answer, not really. There were so many factors there--Sonny, his parents, Jason feeling like he was worthless, a stand-in until the real Jason Quartermaine returned. Feeling like nothing, like nobody. Seeing the pain in his family's eyes every time he failed a test that he hadn't even known he was taking. The anger that built up in him over time, the frustration that had only abated once he'd broken away from all of them, from Alan and Monica and Edward and AJ--all of the Quartermaines.

But he didn't know how to put it into words. He didn't know how to make her understand. But Jason had to try. "After the accident--I was nothing to the Quartermaines. I wasn't--a person in my own right, I was nothing but a reminder of this horrible loss that they had suffered. Sonny was the first person I'd met, other than my grandmother and Emily, who accepted me the way I was."

Sam nodded as if she understood, but then she said, "It's--it's been eight years, though. I'm not trying to judge, but--they're still your family, and it's obvious that they care about you. Why can't you forgive them yet?"

Jason's chest was tight. "Look, it's more complicated than that, okay? Can we drop this?"

She didn't push, for which he was grateful. "Okay."

Jason said it was complicated. But to Sam, it was so ridiculously simple that she was baffled by Jason's behavior. Jason's parents loved him, so he should forgive them. It was clear that Jason's father cared about him. Sam simply couldn't understand rejecting a parent who loved you. That love has been what she had craved all her life, and to see someone else rejecting what she longed for was just--so, so confusing.

Sam didn't understand. But maybe, somewhere down the line, after she'd gotten to know Jason better, she would understand his motivations, his reasons.

Or maybe not.