Chapter 4

Samantha melted against the gentle assault of Jack's lips. In mere moments he made the world fall away and nothing else matter as he plundered her mouth with sensual abandon. Righteous outrage and fear burned underneath demanding lips as he held her tightly. Unaware of anything but a riot of sensation, Samantha began to kiss him back and press her body against his. Intense desire that had long laid dormant within her came screaming to the surface. Jack pulled his mouth away, satisfied by Samantha's response. Whether she was ready to admit it or not, she was his and always had been.

"I swear Samantha I will not harm you and will return you safely to your front door first thing in the morning."

Reality slowly seeped back as the veil of lust pulled away gently from Samantha. Though she knew she needed to focus and be alert, her body protested the loss of his warmth and firm body against hers. She needed to focus on Chloe, right now her daughter's life depended on her. Sam wasn't letting her daughter down.

"All right Jack. I'll call on the condition you return my gun and no more funny business," she informed him primly.

He shrugged as he told her, "As to your weapon you may have it, though it will do no good, I took the liberty of removing the bullets. I don't fancy being shot by you again. And as for kissing, you seemed to be a willing participant Samantha."

A blush stole across her face and Sam stammered, "I'm cold can we go in already."

Quietly Jack walked towards the cabin without looking back as if he didn't doubt for one moment Sam would follow. As they entered, he sat down his leather bag and pulled out Sam's gun and wordlessly handed it to her along with her handbag. She stuffed the gun into it's holder in her purse and fished around for her cell phone. Before dialing home, she looked at Jack expectantly, but he had busied himself lighting a fire in the hearth of the large sitting room.

"Angel, it's Sam," she spoke into the phone and then listened. "No, I'm not match, but there maybe someone from her father's side..."

For several moments, Sam listened and made murmured responses, "Angel, the reason I'm calling you up is I wondered if you could pick Chloe up from school today and watch her tonight."

As Angel asked questions, Sam concocted an excuse, "The doctor put me in contact with several families who have gone through what we're going through. I'm meeting several of them this afternoon and-"

She trailed off unable to think of how to explain her overnight absence. She was saved as Jack scrawled quickly on a piece of paper and held it up. It said 'Carruthers Leukemia Benefit in Philadelphia.'

"Angel, I'm going to the Carruthers Leukemia Benefit in Philadelphia with a couple of families so I can meet some people and learn more to help Chloe," she lied smoothly with Jack's aid.

"Yea I'm going to stay in a hotel in Philly. Not sure which one yet, I'll see what's available. Jack? No I honestly don't think I'll have to worry about Jack. I'm pretty sure he won't know where I am. Give my love to Chloe, if I get in before she goes to bed I'll call her, otherwise give her my love. Uh-huh, bye," Sam shut her cell off and put it back in her purse.

"Carruthers Leukemia Benefit? Is that even a real event?" Sam asked Jack as he wobbled the paper up in his leather clad hands and threw it away.

"Carruthers is one of the aliases I've used before and we're talking about our daughter. Seemed as good an excuse as any,"he shrugged carelessly moving into the kitchen area and starting a pot of coffee. "If you're worried Sam, I can log into the VCTF's computer system and create an electronic trail for an alibi for you."

Sam shook her head and sunk down on the sofa in front of the fireplace. She stared numbly into the flames. The last two days had been two much for her, between Chloe and Jack it was more than one woman could bear. Her baby was the love child of the most vicious serial killer in modern history and know she had to convince said killer to help save their child. Tears silently coursed down Samantha's cheeks as emotion knotted in her throat.

Watching Sam cry up close was a new experience for Jack. He had watched her cry from afar on numerous occasions. Usually he felt anger at whoever caused the tears and found a way to eliminate them, but this was an unseen enemy and there was nothing and no one for him to fight. Cautiously he removed his gloves, walked to the sofa and sat beside her. First Jack put an arm around her, then when Sam didn't push him away he gathered her in his arms and held her close. Gentle tears changed to great hiccupping sobs as Samantha buried her face in Jack's chest. Cradling his beloved Samantha to his heart, Jack slowly rocked back and forth murmuring wordlessly in a soothing tone.

Minutes later as her sobbing subsided, Sam opened her eyes and looked up at Jack. Tears sparkling in her now red eyes and her nose now red and running, she was still the most beautiful sight Jack had ever beheld. He shifted slowly and reached into his back pocket and pulled out a french linen handkerchief. Sam accepted his offering and blew her nose in the rose scented fabric. She'd intended to blow softly, but instead her nose trumpeted loudly. Jack burst out laughing and kissed her forehead.

"Not funny you jerk," she muttered.

Jack scowled down at his formerly pristine shirt that now had most of Samantha's eyemakeup on it and said, "You're right it's not that was a $200 shirt."

For a moment Samantha stared in disbelief and then realized he was teasing. She tried to look offended and he tried to look upset, both failed miserably and wound up laughing until they both had tears running from their eyes. Jack reluctantly pulled away from Samantha and started stripping his ruined shirt off. Then he went into the kitchenette and poured two mugs of steaming coffee and dashed cream into each. Jack handed one to Samantha who was feeling disconcerted by the expanse of smooth muscular chest before her.

Desperate to say something before he noticed her staring, she uttered, "You didn't used to take your coffee that way."

"I started drinking it the same way you drank yours so I could be closer to you."

"Jack, I don't know what you hope to accomplish with this little get together, but it's not going to bring us closer or make me stop trying to capture you."

Jack remained silent and studied her and a flurry of questions welled from Sam's mouth, "Where were you? Why didn't you tell me you weren't dead? Why did you kill Tom and Coop?"

A bitter smile played about Jack's cruel lips as he sighed, "I was in hell Samantha, initially because of Tom's stupidity, reprieved by the mercy of God and then cast back in by you."