Forty minutes passed in the bathtub, Sam getting out only when the water felt cold and had lost all appeal. She administered lotion, taking as leisurely a time as she could - moisturizing was important - brushed her hair until her arm got tired, then sighed, knowing she had far exceeded what could pass as a reasonable amount of time spent in the bathroom when you really wanted to get back to your lover.

Patrick had knocked once after she'd been in there for ten minutes, but hadn't raised another peep since then, and she realized why, when she emerged from her fortress to find him fast asleep beneath the sheets, where he'd fallen asleep waiting. His bare body and the lit candles on both nightstands told of his intentions that had been made clear earlier, but the pang of guilt that ran through her wasn't enough to make Sam want to wake him. Instead, she threw on a pair of sweats and exited the room quietly after blowing out the candles.

"You need to stop this - before you ruin a perfectly good thing!"

She admonished herself quietly as she paced the living room, sleep the farthest thing from her mind. Stopping to look at her reflection in the mirror near the door, Sam saw what she was afraid of. The woman looking back was not a woman anxious to marry Patrick Drake in two days.

Getting an idea, she pulled on her leather jacket, scribbled a quick note telling Patrick where she'd gone, and grabbed her keys. Twenty minutes later she was standing outside her old apartment, resurfacing memories of a time when her independence was so fulfilling, swimming before her eyes. Sam let herself in and headed straight for the bedroom closet. The place was usually rented but sat empty since her last tenant had gotten married and moved into her new husband's home. They'd stored her wedding dress there to keep it from Patrick's prying eyes.

As she pulled it from the closet, Sam thought it was a perfect idea…if she put the dress on and spend some time remembering how they got here and where they wanted to go together, she would also remember why this was a good thing for them all. She needed desperately to reconnect to a time when marrying Patrick was her heart's desire.

Donning the shimmering white silk, she moved to the floor length mirror to see her reflection, unprepared for the troubling, instead of comforting, thoughts evoked by her image. No, no no! It was having the exact opposite effect of what she'd hoped!

Frustrated at herself, Sam ran from the bedroom to the terrace - she couldn't breathe - all of a sudden, she couldn't get air through her lungs.

"Sam?"

Whirling suddenly at the unexpected voice, Sam convulsed harder as the breath was further wrung from her body.

"Sam!"

Jason ran to her, alarmed at the convulsions and the panic strewn across her face. She was having difficulty breathing.

"Sam!" He grabbed her just before she hit the ground, pulling her into his arms and coaxing so she would take in air. "Breathe, Sam…breathe." He dropped his face directly in front of her, taking deep breaths in demonstration for her to follow. "Breathe…yes, like that. Breathe."

The relief washed him when she started inhaling deeply, her chest, her very ample, heaving chest, rising and falling rapidly, then calming as her breathing regulated. Telling himself he was only focused on her chest for one reason, Jason forced other thoughts to the back of his mind, as he held her, meeting her eyes again as he still demonstrated for her.

After what had felt like an eternity, her voice broke through and her arms pushed against him. "You can let go now, I'm fine."

She wasn't really. He'd robbed her of the very breath he was telling her to take, and she damn well near passed out from lack of oxygen when he appeared before her. "What are you doing here, Jason?"

He wasn't sure. He'd left Elizabeth, telling her he wanted a bottle of champagne to toast to her tonight, and seeing that they didn't keep liquor in the house, he offered to make a quick run and come right back. That was almost an hour ago. Something, something unknown, had led him to this apartment building, to this apartment instead. Jason thought of a few minutes earlier when he'd been standing outside the front door, uncertain why he was there but unable to disobey the push that bade him to try the knob after his unanswered knock, and find the door opened. The same force had drawn him inside, and almost instantly, out to the balcony. Imagine his surprise when he saw Sam there, his panic when she started convulsing.

"Why are you here?" She had repeated the question, bringing him from his reverie to find her looking annoyed and irritated. That was the only way she seemed to look at him lately.

"I don't know." He looked behind him to the living room, then back to the hot tub with unlit candles all around. "What is this place?"

Sam looked at him curiously. She didn't understand…why was he there? What made him come…and tonight, of all nights? Why now? "You don't know?"

He shook his head, waiting for her to fill the blanks for him, the moment seeming unreal, but very familiar too. "Who's apartment is this?"

"Mine."

It was hers. He'd been there before. He'd been here, on this balcony, in this spot, looking at her in that…no, not that wedding dress…she was wearing a completely different, stunning wedding dress. The perfect wedding dress.

"You…you look…AMAZING!"

The words echoed in his head and poured out through his mouth, and for a moment, Jason thought she was about to convulse again and faint too this time. Her face had gone completely ashen and she grabbed hold of her belly as though it hurt.

"Sam!" He stepped quickly to her but she just as quickly stopped him with an upsweeping palm. "Are you okay?"

She backed away from him, as though from his slap, holding her belly still and bending over at the middle, leaning up against the railing as though for needed support.

"No - no, I'm not!" She took a deep breath, then looked at him with so much pain all over and through her. "What are you doing? Is this fun for you?"

She sounded disgusted by him, rendering him even more confused. Why would she ask that? Had anything about him lately looked like fun?

"Is it, for you? Is anything about this craziness fun for anyone?"

He hadn't meant to snap at her but this wasn't making any sense! She was standing there looking beautiful in a wedding dress, yet his mind was seeing her in another. But when? How many times had he heard how they'd gotten married in jeans - so when was she in the most beautiful dress, striking this beautiful picture of the most radiant bride he'd ever seen? His damn damaged mind had him straddling the lines of insanity and reality, and it was making him crazy!

Sam looked at him frustratedly pacing in front of her and for the first time in a while she felt empathy for his state of confusion. It was hard on her, seeing the man she'd loved so much have no recollection of anything about them and not wanting to, but as hard as it was for her, she realized how it had to be doubly hard for him. She had the memories to fit the outcome of their lives, when all he had were questions and confusing bits and pieces. Leaning back fully against the terrace railing, she asked, "How did you end up here?"

Her soft voice penetrated to calm him too, bringing his pacing to slow as he looked towards her, his shoulders going up in a shrug before he shoved his hands in the front pockets of his dress pants.

"I don't know. Something led me here. It was the strangest pull, all the way to the front door of the apartment. I knocked, then tried the door, and the same pull led me to walk out here." He shrugged again, "I wish I could tell you why."

Sam looked at him for a silent minute, his rugged features appeared strained beneath the frustration, his eyes looked tired and restless, like he hadn't been sleeping. She remembered when all she wanted was to take care of him.

"You came here the night before our wedding. I was out here, in my dress…" she smiled at the memory, despite the pain it also conjured, "…you weren't supposed to see me."

That night was so magical for her…she was on the verge of becoming his and he hers, and despite the strains she felt from the wedding plans that were taking them over, she had never been as excited as she was, on her way to begin forever with him. She just had to try on the dress she'd start that journey in, to fully picture herself next to him, taking that treasured first step.

"But I was going to see you anyway."

Another long, silent minute passed between them, snippets from that night playing in both their minds, leaving each with their own feeling of longing. That's what his answer was that night too.

"You looked so beautiful." His whisper was soft and sweet.

When she found herself blushing, Sam cleared her throat, "You probably shouldn't go around entering strange apartments you don't know…and especially not at night. You might pickup another bullet in that already riddled body of yours."

He heard her attempt to change the subject even as he noticed the pink tinge that crept up her cheek. He was making her uncomfortable.

"And you probably shouldn't be roaming around empty ones…alone…with the door unlocked…looking like that."

That hadn't worked. He thought he would make her smile with return banter but instead, she grew more uncomfortable, her brown eyes growing darker by the minute.

"I'm sorry - I don't mean…it's just that I've been getting these flashbacks and they're…"

"They're what?" Her breath caught with anticipation. Was he remembering?

"Confusing. Out of sync." The frustration had returned to send an hand raking through short hair and his feet moving towards the edge. "It's never a full memory - just disjointed pieces that leave more questions than they answer."

Sam lowered her eyes to hide the disappointment. "Must suck." She meant that. It can't be easy to have bits of images running through your mind, feeling like you're on the cusp of a revelation, only to lose it at the last second. It would drive her mad.

"Damn right, it does!"

She sat at the patio table and indicated the chair across from her. "Tell me what you've been remembering and I'll fill in what I can."

Her soft offer caught him off guard, but he didn't hesitate to take the chair she offered, grateful for any help that would put some of the confusion into context. He hadn't been able to talk to Elizabeth about them, unwilling mostly, since Sam seemed to be prominent throughout, and he was well aware of how jealous Elizabeth was of his former relationship with her.

"Are you sure? I haven't exactly been your favorite person lately."

"You still aren't, so sit before I change my mind."

He remembered how easy it had been to talk to Sam when she befriended Jake Doe. She was so easygoing and unassuming - it was refreshing to have someone nonjudgemental and open, uncontrolling to talk to - even after he'd put her in danger more than once - she'd still given him the benefit of the doubt and called him friend. He missed that easy way that they'd had together.

"Why is that? I mean, I know you're angry about my choice, but I thought for sure we'd stay friends."

She looked at him sadly. "I'm not angry about your choice to divorce me and marry Elizabeth. You're in love with her - I get that. What pisses me off is your refusal to learn anything about your life. The way you just dismissed who you were, who we all were…it's disrespectful and it's a slap to the wonderful man my husband was. I respect your choice to move on and create a new life for yourself, but the way you've been dismissive and insulting to the one we led makes me want to punch you half the time."

His raised brows brought an unwilling smile to her face. "I'm serious - you make me want to punch you!"

Faking backing up with his palms out, Jason brought a much needed lightness to the moment, broadening her beautiful smile that engaged one of his own. He lowered his arms to the table and looked at her earnestly.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I haven't handled this very well, I know that. Guess it's been harder than I realized, not having anything to fall back on - no road map to follow. I didn't mean to insult your relationship - our relationship. I know from what you've told me that it was very special and one of a kind. It's just confusing not knowing what to do and what will please everybody. I just seem to go about everything all wrong."

"You will never be able to please everybody - the sooner you realize that the saner we'll all be." She felt another bout of empathy for what he was going through. He was stumbling around in the dark, much like the first time he'd lost his memory and it had taken every strength she'd had to fight his resistance then too. But back then, he was at least willing to give her the chance to help him through it.

"I guess you're right. But I need to start with my boys. I'm sorry again about Danny - you're right, I should've done better. That changes right now. As long as you mean it, I'll see my son every day. He's really a great kid, and I can't wait to get to know him better."

Sam shook her head and waved a finger at him. "You're really not so different, Jason Morgan. You always knew how to read someone's weakness and pick up on any vulnerability. Using my son…dirty, dirty trick."

He smiled lightly. "It's not a trick, I swear. Starting tomorrow, Danny and I will be spending a lot of time getting to know one another. Now, if you want to throw a few strolls down memory lane in with the deal - who am I to say no?"

Sam rose from the table. "You and I won't be strolling anywhere together. Danny has his final tux fitting at two, so just have him back by then." She gestured to the doorway when he turned to watch but refused to follow.

"You're kicking me out? What happened to your offer to fill in the gaping blanks for a friend?" His voice was teasing but his gut was hurt. He wasn't ready to leave her yet.

Sam gestured again and shook her head. "You and I were always friends first, but given our current circumstances, I don't think we should start this with me standing here in my wedding dress, going over the night before you and I got married. Let's just pick this up when I get back from my honeymoon."

He rose to his feet, a stab echoing through him at the mental picture of her frolicking the waves with Drake, like she did with him on their…honeymoon? He stopped in the spot as his mind showed him images of Sam falling off a surfboard, the panic he felt when she didn't resurface, when he knew instinctively he needed to dive for her.

Clearing his throat, he started walking again and allowed her to lead him to the front door. When she turned to glance back at him as her hand reached for the knob, he found he really wasn't ready to leave.

"Aren't you the least bit curious what else I remember?"

Sam paused then turned around fully to face him, watching the mischief dancing in his eyes. She had to admit that despite her gut telling her to kick him out, she really wasn't quite ready for him to leave either. Dangerous.

"Okay, fine…tell me. What else?"

"You don't have to get mad."

"I'm not mad."

"You sound mad." He saw the way her eyes narrowed and knew she really was getting mad now so he spat out, "I asked you to move in with me…you look very nice in purple."

Sam felt her knees soften when his words conjured her own memory of the day she felt jealous of Brenda Barrett and thought she needed to dress up to compete for her boyfriend's attention.

"That's what you said then too - that I looked nice."

"You did. You've always looked effortlessly beautiful in anything."

Her heart beat dramatically against her ribcage, deafening her ears. "How would you know - you don't remember half of what you've seen me in?"

He inclined his head with a smirk. "True, but I've known you for over a year now. You always look beautiful, Sam. Can't imagine that's not always been the case."

She was right the first time. This was dangerous. Clearing her throat, Sam opened the front door. "You should go home. I"m sure Elizabeth's worried."

Jason looked at his watch. Damn. Elizabeth. He'd been gone for two hours - she was probably calling the police by now. He exited the apartment then turned back to face her.

"I'll see you for breakfast." When she looked at him strange he added, "Danny? Come with us."

Sam shook her head in relief. "No, you guys should spend some time alone, and I have a million things to do tomorrow."

His disappointment was mixed with so much more, and Jason knew it was a good idea that he left. Voluptuous, intriguing, dynamic Sam Morgan in beautiful white silk, mixed with all the feelings running rampant in the few snippets he'd had of her, mingled with the new emotions she'd been unleashing within him…Carly's voice in his head telling him over and over and over, you're 'in love' with Samdangerious.

He left her there, turning at the end of the hall to catch one last look before she closed the door softly. Champagne forgotten and not needed, he raced home to find Elizabeth pacing the living room, and as she ran to him, before she could start with the anticipated twenty questions, he grabbed her up in his arms, clamped her mouth with his and tore up the stairs, where he pounded her until she fell fast asleep. When she'd gotten through purring like a kitten and snuggled beneath his arms, Jason laid wide awake, staring at the ceiling, seeing only warm, teasing, chestnut eyes, smiling knowingly at his shame. Those haunting, tempting, beautiful eyes saw what he knew - that Elizabeth had not been the one in bed with him tonight - she disappeared the minute he'd torn through the front door.

Sam snuggled into bed and up to Patrick's sleepy form, running a tongue along his ear while her hand snaked its way beneath the sheets to his naked readiness, the fire burning between her legs way too ferocious to allow sleep. He stirred and she sought his mouth hungrily, stroking him awake and erect, where he joined her ready, hungry. Climbing astride him, she worked him to a frenzy then rode him like a joc, dismounting only when he went limp with release and she'd ridden herself to victory. As she drew the covers up to her chin and settled in the arms that embraced her, she closed her eyes to the burning blue she'd been seeing all night long, ashamed that she could use the man she was going to marry this way, but unable to hide from the pleasure that had just wrecked her body - not from Patrick, since he wasn't who'd been in bed with her….he'd disappeared the minute she slid between those sheets.

DANGEROUS!