"Busy?" Sam leaned forward, her forearms pressed flat against the counter. If she were any shorter, she wouldn't have been able to see over the top of the counter. As it were, she could just barely keep her line of sight up without craning her neck all the way back.

"Jason's not here, Sam, and he has no reason to be here. School." AJ Quartermaine groaned and turned away from her. "So, unless you're here to see Grandfather, you should probably leave. Besides, I don't think he and Ned would assume you're our kind of clientelle."

Sam's eyes narrowed, then slowly opened. "Okay, AJ, I see how it is. Not that I can blame you or anything. I guess I've been pretty shitty to you."

"Ya think?" He turned back around and thrust his right hand through fine, blonde hair. "I'm getting really tired of being your consolation prize, you know that? Between you and Brenda, I've finally gotten it. It's not just my house where I'm second best. I get it, so could you stop rubbing it in?"

Sam took a step back and blinked rapidly. Robin had told her just about the same thing about AJ since he and Sam first dated in high school, but Sam had never actually heard him complain about it. He would usually just stand off by himself and give spiteful looks to his little brother, or mutter under his breath. Sam supposed that he had at least one person he confided in, probably Lila, but she was pretty sure that she, herself, wasn't anywhere near confidante where AJ were concerned.

"Whoa, now, hold on a minute." Sam held her hands up in defense. "Did I say anything at all about Jason?" Granted, she was planning to ask if he'd seen him, but she wasn't about to do that, now. "I thought we were friends, AJ. Can't I stop by and say hi to a friend?"

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying." AJ stepped to the side and flipped up the opening to the desk. He walked around the counter, then leaned against it. "I'm tired of convenient friends, too."

"Jesus, AJ, what's up your butt?" Sam sighed and folded her arms. She switched her weight to the right and found herself leaning against the counter. "I'm bored, and unlike the rest of the people we graduated with, I didn't go to college. So, I'm bored."

"So, you visit me at work because you're bored. Wonderful." He rolled his eyes. "You know, you could try finding a job. I hear that works wonders for boredom."

"And what kind of job do you think I'm really cut out for, huh, AJ? I mean, we all know I just barely made it through high school. I'm not exactly qualified to do all that much, and Karen already took my wonderfully waiting job at Kelly's. I swear, Ruby just gave her that job so I couldn't have it."

"Ruby gave her the job because she was here first, and she's dependable. You? Not so much."

"Oh, and you're oh so dependable? Come on, AJ. The only reason you have a job is because you're a Quartermaine. You didn't wanna go to PCU, and Edward gave you a perfect out. Time for you to move up in ELQ. So, don't give me that line about dependability 'cause you, my friend, are not dependable at all."

"Thanks, friend," AJ said sarcastically. "I'm really glad I have a friend like you. And I know you came here looking for Jason. I already told you where he was, so why don't you go and find him? Leave me out of whatever you two start up this time. I've got enough problems."

"Aw, what's the matter, AJ? You wanna talk about it?" He looked at her with cynical eyes and she asked, "What? I said we're friends, and this is what friends do. We talk."

"Uh huh. And they ask for stuff. You want something, Sam, I know it."

"Now, what makes you think that? I can't just be your friend?"

"Like I said, friends are convenient, and usually with you, we're friends when it's convenient. Now, whatever you want is going to fall into one of three categories. Money, sex, or other. So, come on, Sam. Which is it?"

Her mouth opened wide with shock. Not that he was wrong, necessarily, but because he was so blunt about it. Sam was starting to wonder if all the time AJ had been forced to spend with his cousin, Ned, was actually a good idea. She liked AJ a lot better when he wasn't so combustible. Or maybe she was giving Ned's influence too much credit, and AJ was just drinking again. Either was completely possible, and one wasn't more probable than the other.

"Are you drinking again, AJ?" If he could be blunt, then so could she. "Because if you are, I think you really need to talk to somebody about that."

"Jesus, Sam, first you come here denying you're looking for Jason when I know you are, and now you accuse me of drinking. Yeah, you're really endearing yourself to me, Sam."

"I'm just askin', because you know as well as I do that you're not usually this blunt and just… rude." She sighed. "This is about Jason and Keesha, isn't it?" If it wasn't Ned, and it wasn't alcohol, then that left only one thing. "I swear, I don't see what it is that you Quartermaines think is so great about her. And now, you're being all shitty to me, why. Because you want Keesha and you can't have her. Sounds like a repeat of high school to me."

"It's not about to be a repeat, though, because I'm not going to sleep with you to make my brother and his latest girl wonder jealous again. Didn't work last time, and I really don't feel like getting involved with that kind of thing again."

"Why do you always think the worst of me, AJ? I mean, I come here in friendship…"

"And there it is again, so pick a category. Money, sex, or other, because I've got work to do, Sam, and I'm not being paid to have this conversation with you."

"Ya know, AJ, you're the one that's brought up sex and money, not me." Sam sighed. "But, if you're offering money, I'll take some. Or a job. You do have hiring power here, ya know. Wouldn't it be great working together? Come on, AJ. You know you've missed me."

"Like a stay in rehab," he muttered with a groan. "So, it's money you're after. And you're looking for Jason… because you know he'll give it to you?"

"I'm not looking for Jason!" Again, so maybe she'd started off that way, but now… AJ had turned it into almost a battle. She was going to get something else out of this visit, something other than Jason, just because AJ was being obstinate. Sam took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. When she was calm, she said, "How do you know I'm not here for all three?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, we were hot together, AJ. Remember the jacuzzi in the middle of winter?" She winked and then laughed as AJ started to blush. "Now, that's the AJ Quartermaine I'm used to." She grinned. "And well, money's always good, and I do need a job. Uncle Mac's this close to cutting me off completely if I don't start doing something on my own. So there's your sex, and your money."

"What about other?"

"Well…" Sam smirked as she stood up straight and closed the distance between her and AJ. She reached out and played with his tie for a second, before flattening it against his chest. She kept her palm pressed against him and said, "I haven't figured that part out yet, but if it's necessary, I'm sure I can think of something else."

AJ looked down at her and his breath was shallow. She was so much shorter than him that his neck ached slightly with the bend. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "You're gonna drive me to drink, you know that?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe not. If I do, it'll be a long time coming, though. And really, AJ, you gotta admit it wasn't that bad being with me before. When we were good, we were really good. And when we were bad…" She clenched his tie in her fist and jerked him down towards her with enough force he stumbled. "We were even better." And she kissed him.