The Uncertainty

They went home without speaking a word. EJ carried the babies to their crib and watched them sleep for a while. He felt beaten again and he scolded himself for it. He had started to believe that Samantha could someday really forgive him and maybe want to be more than a friend to him. Now they were bound together by blood forever and they would always have to be part of each others lives because of these precious twins. Looking back, EJ couldn't understand how he could have ever thought of letting go of Dante and Sarah. They were his world.

"EJ?" Samantha sounded so uncertain as she called our his name.

"I'll be right there", he whispered and left the bedside unwillingly. Just thinking about all the things he still had to go through was paining him.

"What do you need Samantha?" She hesitated. Something held her back and she asked the other question on her mind:

"You said Steve helped. What did you mean by that?"

"Steve came by and saw the painting. He recognized it from the time he was a hospital orderly. After little persuasion he remembered the name of the patient, I'm about to leave and meet her daughter", EJ explained and picked up the bag he had packed.

"What do you mean by persuasion?" Samantha asked and took a step back though she felt like running to EJs arms and doing her utmost best to make him stay.

"We have a history together, a history I haven't told you about. During his missing years Steve was programmed and trained. He also taught me everything I need to know about combat and survival. We were a team at one time and we did few unspeakable actions but were also friends. It's a long and painful story I wanted to spare you from. I still can if you'll let me", EJ said with a silent plea in his look. Samantha nodded.

"Will you be back?" she asked.

"I promised I would. I intend to keep that promise", he said and walked to the door, "Bye." EJ walked out and shut the door behind him without giving a warm kiss to her. He didn't even smile or speak her name as a reassurance.

"Mum?"

"Will, honey. What's wrong?" Sami looked up. She was sitting on the couch in the middle of piles of used tissues.

"I'm fine. Granpa John just thought you might need company and brought me over though I was supposed to stay with him and Granma Marlena tonight."

"Oh, come here honey", Sami said and pulled Will into a tight embrace. She hugged him until he complained:

"Mum, I can't breathe."

"Sorry honey", Sami grabbed another tissue.

"Mum what's wrong?" Will asked and searched for a litter basket with his eyes. Sami shook her head:

"I shouldn't speak to you about this. Have you spoken to your father lately?" Will just shrugged:

"No. I haven't heard a word since I told him I'm gay. I can call John or someone else here if you don't want to talk to me. But mum, I just want you to be happy." Sami stared at her son who had just taken a huge leap from childhood to adulthood. She nodded to herself before resorting to bawling again:

"EJ left and I'm not sure if he's coming back!"

"Have you given him a reason to return?" Will asked and grabbed a stack of tissues and moved them to a litter basked he found.

"Dante and Sarah."

"Mum, I wasn't enough to bring you and dad back together, I doubt the twins are enough for him to return to you. EJ can still be a father to them without being with you", Will grabbed another stack and decided to wash his hands as soon as it was possible.

"EJ promised. He found out about Stefanos offer and he still promised to come back and marry me", Sami sobbed still.

"He's coming then. What's wrong?" Will asked.

"I don't want him to marry him because he promised. I want him to marry me because he wants to."

"Have you told him that?" Will asked and got up on his feet.

"Will, you are a genius."

EJ coughed and made sure his suit was in perfect order before knocking on the door. He didn't know what to expect. He was pretty sure that the daughter wouldn't know him or believe his story but he had to try. She might be his only hope in finding anything about his mother. The door was opened and he met this lovely woman in her late fifties. Her war smile died as she saw EJ.

"Santo?" EJ was just in time to catch her as she fainted.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you", EJ said as the woman came to.

"You look just like your father", the woman said.

"How do you know that?" EJ asked and helped her to stand up.

"I've seen pictures. I've seen lots of pictures of him", she said and touched EJs face gently, "Come on in EJ. We have a lot to talk about."

"Like what?" EJ hesitated to step in.

"Like I why I gave you up. I'm your mother EJ."

"Do you want some tea?" she asked and showed where EJ could sit.

"Who are you?", he asked and made her laugh.

"I thought that you that much since you found your way to here but I'll humour you. My name is Caterina McFadyen and about thirty years ago I became a private nurse to certain Santo DiMera."

"Who was Ann McFadyen then?" EJ interrupted her.

"She was my mother. How did you know that?" Caterina asked.

"That's how I found you. I have a painting that a friend of mine claimed to have seen when he was taking care of your mother? His name is Steve Johnson but you knew him as Nick Stockton", EJ explained and added then, "and the painting is called The Veiled Beauty."

"Oh Nick? He was irreplaceable during my mothers last days. You'll have to tell me all about him later but it can wait", Caterina said.

"And the painting? Who painted it? Who is in it?" EJ asked and sipped his tea which had miraculously appeared in front of him.

"It's me in the painting or should I say in the paintings. And as to who painted them, it was your father. Santo had a terminal illness but it didn't take all his strength until in the very end. He amused himself by painting things and people myself included. That's how I fell in love with him. That and his stories won me over", Caterina sat and gazed into the distance. EJ smiled. He had time to hear her story which would end the uncertainty in his life.