Disclaimer: Beware of Spoilers for Season 4. In addition, these characters do not belong to me, nor does the whole Sam/Jim storyline as it stands now. All that belongs to me is the dialogue of what I think —might— happen. Also, some plot points in this story belong to me seeing how this was started on Friday after 'Pieces of You' (even though it was posted on the 9th) and even though I have no idea how the whole Jim/Sam plot is going to work out, this story is my idea. Plus, this is my first piece of Ghost Whisperer Fan Fiction so please be kind.

Melinda's world is changed. She learns that not all that was lost is gone forever. And while Sam is dealing with the pieces of his old life they both have to come to grips with what they know and what they believe if they have any hope of moving forward.

Chapter Seven: Changing Dynamics.

"Becca?" Sam asked as soon as he heard the door opening. "That you?"

"Of course it's me," she replied as she placed the box down in the front hall of their apartment. "Who did you think it was?" she asked as she came face to face with him.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know, but when my girlfriend disappears…."

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "I had to get the last of your stuff," she stated stiffly walking past Sam into the kitchen to get herself a glass of water. "Didn't know that that was a crime."

"You went into Grandview?" Sam asked his eyes lighting up with curiosity. "Did you—did you talk to Melinda? Is she alright? Was she worried about me? Did she—"

"Oh knock it off Sam," Rebecca exclaimed, cutting her boyfriend off. "Every day—well almost every day since you came back into my life all you've talked about is Melinda. How she was so kind and gentle and how even though she seems a bit loopy when you last saw her she seemed so sincere and how you can't get her heartbroken face out of your memory…blah…blah…blah…."

Sam's shouldered slumped forward. "I know, I'm sorry—just tell me that she's alright and I won't mention her ever again."

Rebecca smirked. "Oh well she seemed just fine."

"Really?" Sam asked a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Oh yeah," Rebecca assured with a laugh. "She seemed to be so fine that I decided to play a little joke on her. She was asking about you, naturally—and I told her that…oh what were my exact words—oh yes, I told her that my fiancée was too far busy to consider her at all."

"Fiancée?" Sam asked feeling as though his feet had been kicked out from under him. "You told her that I was your fiancée?"

Rebecca smiled. "I did."

"Why would you do something like that?"

"Well I saw the ring under your socks Sam," Rebecca pointed out with a sarcastic roll of her eyes. "I mean honestly, that wasn't the best place to leave it and well I decided that you wouldn't mind if I wore it today, collateral in case that little nosy bitch decided to try anything funny…anyways when I told her she tried to play the sympathy card on me by suddenly gripping her stomach and falling to the ground…"

"…she what?" Sam asked a horrible worried feeling entering him. "What happened?"

"I just told you." Rebecca stated. "She fell to the ground clutching her stomach and—"

"Oh god," Sam whispered as he did the mental math in his head. "Oh god. Oh god."

"What is it?" Rebecca asked watching as Sam stood up, grabbed his keys from their customary place on the kitchen counter before making his way for the door. "Where are you going?"

"To Melinda." Sam answered. "I have to see her."

"What?" exclaimed Rebecca. "Why?"

"Because she's nearly three months pregnant…"

And with that, Sam was gone and Rebecca figured that he would be back.

---

Sam wasn't paying attention to anyone on the road, nor to the speed that he was travelling at. All he knew was that he had to get back to Grandview as soon as possible. He had to make sure that Melinda was alright. The thought of her collapsing to the ground, the thought of her losing her baby—the last connection that she had of her husband…it made his blood run cold. He knew that even if she was a cooky person, even if she did have the ridiculous notion that he was somehow the reincarnation of her dead husband, she had been a friend to him. No matter her ulterior motives, if she had any for she only told him when he pressed for an answer—no matter her motives she had been kind to him. Melinda Gordon had given him a place to stay, someone to talk to without judgment…and now she could be in danger. The thought of Melinda in danger made Sam's heart constrict.

I can't let it end the way it did, he thought to himself as he raced into town heading straight for the hospital. I can't…I have to do something…I have to be there… have to do something….

---

"How could this have happened?" Delia asked facing Eli and Rick while her son sat stoically in one of the hospital chairs. "What were you thinking letting her talk to that woman?"

Rick winced at the anger in Delia's voice. "I didn't know who she was. Melinda never gave me a description on who this woman was. You know I'm sorry, but Melinda was out of the car before I could do anything."

Delia sighed and placed her hands to her face. "This is horrible. Absolutely horrible—first she loses Jim and then she loses him again, and now she might lose her baby…"

"She might lose her baby?"

Delia turned around and saw Sam standing there.

"Delia, she might lose the baby?"

"What are you doing here?" Eli asked feeling braver than he really was. "If it wasn't for your psycho fiancée Melinda might not be in this mess."

"I'm sorry. I had no idea that Becca—Rebecca was coming here to get some of my stuff," Sam stated as he walked into the little semi-circle that the group had formed. "And she's not my fiancée?"

"She's not?" asked Rick, putting two and two together to get that the man who was standing in front of him was Jim reincarnated.

"No," Sam replied facing Rick. "She's not my fiancée Rick—now—"

"Wait a minute,"

"Hold on a sec,"

"What?"

"What did you call me?"

"What did you call him?"

"He called him by his name," Ned stated speaking up while the adults exploded. Delia had noticed right away, followed by Eli. Rick caught on and then Delia repeated the question which Ned answered. "Sam called Doctor Payne by his first name."

"But that's impossible," Rick stated, shaking his head in disbelief even though he knew that belief was something that never ceased to surprise him. "I don't even know who this guy is."

"Oh yes you do," Delia stated softly as she turned to Sam. "He's an old soul in a new body."

---

"Melinda?" Sam asked as he walked into the darkened room. "Melinda?"

There was no response. Melinda was out cold. "She's resting peacefully," is what the doctor said but Sam wasn't convinced. He wouldn't be sure unless he talked to Melinda himself. He had to talk to her. Delia, Eli, Rick and even Ned had spend an hour trying to get him to remember but he couldn't. Not that he believed that he was Jim but the mere fact that he felt so connected to Melinda gave his reasoning something to think about.

"Melinda?" he asked again softly sitting at the edge of his bedside. "Mel?"

"Mel," asked a voice in Sam's memory. "can you hear me? Don't leave me…don't leave me,"

Sam shook his head. "That was odd," he muttered to himself.

---

"You see that," Eli stated as he pointed to Sam who was shaking his head.

"What about it?" asked Delia as they peered through the window.

"That was a memory,"

"A latent memory," Rick corrected.

"Well what does that mean?" Delia asked again.

"That means that he's remembering," Ned answered joining his mother. "He's remembering who he really is…"

---

"Mel?" Sam stated again as he took Melinda's good, IV free hand into his own.

"Mel?" asked the voice again, only this time it was more frantic. "Mel?"

"What the…" Sam whispered looking around but there was no one around.

"Get me a BBF and an airway now!" the voice cried out.

"That voice is familiar," Sam muttered to himself as the memory played out.

"You're alright, you're okay…."

And suddenly, he wasn't just hearing the memory—he was reliving it. He knew that it was a year after the Grandview plane crash and the city had been planning a memorial service. Melinda had come and had hit her head hard while trying to save five children with extraordinary gifts. He knew that he was losing her—but that couldn't happen. He was doing everything that he could and when the five kids gathered around Mel, he didn't question it. They each placed their hands on her, and all Jim could do was watch. As far as he was concerned, his wife was dead—but he had een a lot of strange stuff and he thought that maybe "Mel…" he replied as she coughed. "Can you hear me?"

"Mel?" he asked again in present day. "Mel can you hear me?"

There was no response and he was at a loss.

"Oh god Melinda," he stated his eyes filling with tears as he looked at her pale form. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he held her hand tighter. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea…if I had known that by coming back to you it would turn my brain into swiss cheese…oh I wish that you had told me everything from the start…." He paused and leaned even closer to give her a soft kiss on the lips. "Please Mel," he pleaded quietly. "Please come back to me. I risked everything to come back to you. You owe me."

"Jim?" Melinda asked in a sleepy voice. "Jim is that you?"

"Yes love," he replied in a soft voice, wincing at the unnatural sound of it. "It's me."

"Oh Jim," Melinda mumbled as though she was still half asleep. "I had the most horrible dream. You got shot and died and you tried to come back to me but your memory was erased and Eli…Eli said that it was usually permanent….and then you left me again…" in her half-awake sleep Melinda screwed up her face. "…it broke my heart."

"It was a dream Mel," he assured. "It was just a dream…"

"No," Melinda countered as she became more awake. "No it wasn't a dream…" and with that she opened her eyes, only to gaze into the ones that belonged to Sam. "Sam?" she asked in a soft startled voice as she tried to sit up. "Uh—you're back."

The man before her smiled. "Of course I came back Mel, I wasn't about to leave you. I love you. We still have a long journey to take together."

Melinda looked at Sam quizzically for a couple of minutes before she figured it out. The man before her wasn't Sam—it wasn't the amnesiac man whom she had been worrying about for the last month and a half. The man before her was Jim. Her Jim.

Author's Note: Well guys, I hate to say it but this is the last chapter until the new year. Between work and Christmas I won't have time to write. There's three chapters left but I need to write them. I hope that you all have a happy holidays and that you will be waiting for the next chapter. At least I left you with a happy cliffhanger. Thank you all again for your wonderful reiviews, I would love to know what you thought of this chapter. Did you think that Jim's soul remembering was realistic? When I was planning this story I knew that I wanted Jim to remember but I wanted it to have to do just with Melinda....and while this isn't coming up in the story I figure that the reason why Jim remembered Rick is because I always sensed that there would be a little tension between Rick and Jim over Melidna because let's face it---if Jim had NEVER been in the picture and Melinda had been single from the beginning of the show, she and Rick would make a great couple---but that's beside the point. Amnesia is a funny thing and who knows why he remembered what he did. I hope you guys liked it enough to leave a reivew because I love knowing what you guys think.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Blessed Yule, Merry Mid-Winter, Happy Hannakah, Happy Kwanza....or whatever it is that you celebrate at this time. I'll see you in the new year.