Chapter 21

Finally, E.J. gave into the moment and clutched the back of her head with his right hand wishing he could touch every last strand of golden hair on her head while his left hand reached out for her right one and found it.

Instinctively he clung to her wishing they could stay like that forever. He wished he could stay with Samantha in that bed forever.

But he knew they couldn't.

Sami knew that as well, but she just couldn't stop herself from clinging to him tighter and tighter. She needed this. A moment of peace in her chaotic life to just be held and feel safe for once. For the first time since E.J. held her like this so many times last summer.

It's not that she forgot that E.J. had been manipulating her then to get her to trust him and that many of those embraces were a result of his schemes. It's that in that moment when she really thought about it she realized so much of herself in them, she understood them, she had lived them, the way that she had always fought so hard and so many times fought dirty to get what she wanted, the man that she wanted, whatever the cost.

And she had been fighting for so long - fighting for Austin, fighting for Will, fighting against Lucas, fighting against her family, fighting against E.J. - fighting so hard for so long she realized that she had forgotten what it was like to love. Or perhaps, she thought, she never knew what it was to love.

A small part of her felt some guilt in his embrace. As she rested her weary head upon E.J.'s chest it was filled with fleeting thoughts about her vows to Lucas. But she was so tired. Tired of fighting E.J. Tired of fighting her feelings. So, so tired.

She looked up at E.J. and he gave her a wink and a wry smile. He tenderly brushed the bangs out of her face and held her chin.

"You need to relax, Samantha," E.J. said. "Let me do something for you."

"What do you have in mind?" Sami flirtatiously asked.

"It's a surprise. Just give me a minute," E.J. said getting up from the bed.

One more wink from him and Sami had a grin a mile wide spread across her face. She let out a sigh as she anticipated just what E.J. had in store for her and watched him walk away.

As she laid there waiting for E.J. to return she took in a deep breath and noticed an intoxicating fragrance was suddenly filling the air.

She blinked only to open her eyes to find E.J. standing over her wearing nothing but a white towel, much like he looked that first day they met, the day so much had changed for her and for them. If only she knew then what she knew now she would do so much differently.

But E.J.'s words swept her out of her thoughts.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Ready?" Sami asked. "For what?"

"For this!" E.J. said as he reached down and scooped her up off the bed.

Sami giggled appreciatively.

E.J. carried her to the other side of the room sweeping away the curtain to reveal a tub filled with a sparkling freesia-scented bubble bath surrounded by candles. He put her down and the look of surprise and excitement she gave when she saw what he had done for her lit up his face with contentment and pride.

He put his hand on her face and pulled her into his gaze.

"Oh, E.J." Sami said. "This is so lovely, I don't know how I can..."

E.J. stopped her by pressing his right index finger over her lips.

"I do," he said as his towel dropped to floor and he leaned in for a kiss.

Sami at first bobbed her head a little bit to avoid his lips but like before she realized she was tired of fighting and she finally gave in to a kiss more intense and passionate than any she had ever felt.

All her worries, all her troubles melted away in his arms and as she came up for air she ran her fingers through E.J.'s hair and closed her eyes to say, "I love you."

Yet E.J. was gone when her eyes opened. In a panic and feeling the sweat ringing around her neck she rolled over in the bed but found E.J. was not in the bed. He was no longer even in the room.

She heaved a sigh of immediate relief and sat up in the bed before a more long-term concern crept into her mind.

"Oh, this isn't good," Sami said to herself. "This isn't good at all."

Chapter 22

Lucas paused for a moment before walking over to the Titan receptionist to ask for his sister.

Sure, the pitch to the shareholders had gone well and he would get to keep his job at Mythic Communications, but that didn't assuage the shame he felt returning to Titan for the first time since Victor Kirakis fired him.

He only realized then how much he missed his old job at Titan. He missed not feeling like a lapdog for his mother or E.J. Wells or Tony Dimera, even if he had to admit at Titan he did hold a similar role there for Victor. The difference is that Victor never made him feel like a flunky or a loser... at least until he refused to help him in his quest to get Claire back for Phillip.

"Dammit," he muttered under his breath.

Even if it would have meant helping Victor and his brother take Sami's sister's baby away from her, if he could have done things over again he would have done as Victor ordered, he thought.

He sighed as he stepped up to the counter.

"Uh, hi, I'm here to see Billie Reed," Lucas said.

"And you are?" the receptionist asked with an incredulous glance that surprised Lucas.

"Her brother."

The receptionist laughed.

"You're definitely not Phillip Kiriakis," she said eyeing his J.C. Penney suit with skepticism. "Definitely not in that getup."

"I'm aware that I'm not Phillip Kiriakis," Lucas said fidgeting with his shirt collar defensively. "Just tell her her other brother is here."

"Oh, are you Austin Reed?" the receptionist asked with excitement. "I thought you lived in Europe? Oh, she's told me so much about you... but you look kinda different than the pictures in her office."

"No, dammit, I'm not Austin," Lucas said slamming his fist on the counter. "I'm LUCAS ROBERTS! I used to WORK here!"

"Oh, I see," she said with pity. "It's too bad you don't still work here. I'll call for Ms. Reed, right now."

But just as the receptionist put the phone to her ear Billie came out to the lobby to greet him.

"Lucas!" Billie said excitedly. "So nice to see you! I just have to show you my new office!"

Lucas put on a half-hearted show of enthusiasm about her sister's unlikely sudden success as they walked back to her office, but Billie was too oblivious to notice her brother's jealousy.

"So here it is, bro," Billie said as she paraded around the office. "I am the new president of Countess Wilhelmina. Titan is bringing back the brand and they are letting me spearhead the whole thing. Except this time it's not just cosmetics... it's fashion... it's accessories... it's everything I've ever wanted. Oh it's just SO great to be back working here again! To really get back to my roots, you know. I wish I had never given it up."

"Yeah, Billie, that's great," Lucas said flatly. "I can see you're really excited about this opportunity. But what about Century Cell and everything you put into your security system? I mean when did Titan even decide to restart Countess Wilhemina? It certainly wasn't something that was even in the idea stages six months ago and here they've already got you working on the relaunch?"

"Well, for that I have Century Cell to thank, actually," Billie said.

"I don't understand."

"Well you know how mad I was at Phillip for using my security equipment to spy on Bo and Hope?" Billie asked.

"Yeah?"

"Well Bo and Hope were even angrier with Phillip when he got back from Tinda Lao," Billie said. "But Victor and I reached an agreement where I told Bo that I was wrong when I talked to him before. It wasn't Phillip but E.J. and E.J. alone who was responsible for bugging their house."

"And Victor's end of the agreement was this?"

"You betcha," Billie said proudly. "I decided to put up my Century Cell shares as seed money while Titan provides backing for the whole thing and now I get a shot to finally really make something for myself without relying on Bo, or Mom, or E.J. for help."

Lucas nodded then looked down. A printed e-mail on Billie's desk caught his eye.

"Oh no, Billie," Lucas said. "Not you, too?"

"Not me, too, what?" Billie said squinting at her brother's strange mood swing.

"This," Lucas said picking up the piece of paper and waving it at her furiously. "After you're finally free of that bastard E.J. Wells now you're going to work for Tony Dimera?"

"What?" Billie was confused.

"This e-mail address. ADIMERA. Antony Dimera," Lucas said. "What is it with these Dimeras? It's bad enough that they all seem to get in mom's pants but why do they have to go after you at the same time?"

"Whoa. Hold up," Billie said. "Last I heard Tony was in jail so I don't know what you're talking about. And this ADIMERA isn't Antony Dimera. It's Anna Dimera. You know, Carrie's mom?"

"Oh yeah, Carrie's mom, the fashion designer," Lucas said. "Well, why are you talking to her?"

"Because SHE is going to be working for Countess Wilhelmina," Billie explained. "I don't know why she wanted to leave behind all that glitz and glamour in London, but when I was calling around everywhere in the industry trying to find someone to head up the company's new fashion division, she said she wanted to come back to Salem and so I decided to hire her right away."

"I see," Lucas said.

"Now that that's settled, what's up with you?" Billie asked.

"So Mom didn't tell you?"

"No. She didn't. Are YOU going to tell me what's bugging you?"

"Well I think it would be a shorter conversation if I told you what's NOT bugging me," Lucas said sinking into a chair. "Sami's gone. She actually left me a note on our honeymoon that she was leaving me for E.J. and that she knew even when she married me that baby was his and the whole time had just been hoping I'd find out her secrets and I'd leave her like always so she wouldn't have to feel ashamed of hooking up with E.J."

"Oh Lucas, that's horrible."

"Well, I thought so too. That's why I caught the first plane I could back to Salem,: Lucas said. "But talking to Roman about things made me see that there's a good chance E.J. kidnapped her and maybe she still loves me and this is just another one of the Dimeras' sick games, you know?"

Lucas stood up from the chair and started pacing around the office.

"Anyway, I was wondering if you could let Will stay with you for a few more days," Lucas said. "I'm heading down to New Orleans to help Roman look for clues tomorrow and I'm not sure when we'll be back."

"Sure, bro. Anything you need just let me know." Billie said patting his shoulder. "I just wish there was some way we could get that damn family out our lives once and for all."

"Funny you should say that," Lucas said. "Because even though E.J. has vanished and I finally no longer have to put up with him at work, Tony came back to town today."

"He did?"

"Yeah," Lucas said. "Apparently his lawyers got him off on appeal. Some technicality or something. And he's already got his paws all over Mom and now HE is going to be my boss. Again."

Billie felt bad for Lucas as she saw him throw up his hands as if in defeat, but she knew there was nothing she could do to make him feel better. He would have to find a way to make his life better on his own. The way she did.

Chapter 23

All Sami's worries, all her troubles melted away in E.J.'s arms she ran her fingers through E.J.'s hair and closed her eyes to say, "I love you."

Yet E.J. was gone when Sami's eyes opened. In a panic and feeling the sweat ringing around her neck she rolled over in the bed but found E.J. was not in the bed. He was no longer even in the room.

She heaved a sigh of immediate relief and sat up in the bed before a more long-term concern crept into her mind.

"Oh, this isn't good," Sami said to herself. "This isn't good at all."

Sami wondered where these dreams were coming from. She loved Lucas, she thought. She loved being with Lucas and that's why she married him. Or at least loved the simplicity of being with him.

With Lucas if there was a problem there wasn't a lie or a bedroom trick that she couldn't pull to cover it up. But E.J...

He always knew what she was up to because he was usually up to something, too. She couldn't hide her lies, her schemes, herself from him the way she could everyone else. She could fool her family, but never him. So what if it that meant it was almost impossible for her to get their acceptance and E.J. cared for her unconditionally? What did a Dimera's love and respect mean anyway?

And Will. Will wanted so badly for his mom and dad to be together. As Sami looked around the room she suddenly remembered where she was. Maison Blanche. The horrible house that had ripped her family apart and forever ruined any chance of her mother and father getting back together.

"I am NOT going to be like my mother," Sami resolved. "I am NOT going to be like my sisters. I am going to hold true to my vows and make sure I raise my baby with my baby's father."

Just then she felt a stab in her stomach. It was a pang of hunger but reminded her she would now have to think of more than just Will when considering her children's feelings.

Sami was sure that hunger pang meant she slept through lunch, but she wondered how late it was. She wondered where E.J. went. And if he would be back. Then she scolded herself for worrying about him so much.

"Oh what am I going to do?" she said. "That's it. I can't think of that right now, I'll think of it tomorrow."

Sami looked around the room trying to find something to do. She picked up a few of the boxes and coughed from the dust their moving had stirred. She set them back down and then walked back toward the bed sending the globe into a rapid spin on her way there.

But instead of sitting down on the bed as she originally intended, she chose to kneel at the foot of the Jacobean four-poster bed. Something was calling her to open the rich brown trunk that matched it.

To her surprise, the trunk wasn't even locked. She slowly lifted the lid to find a collection of books, papers and faded pictures.

Even though she knew none of the people whose photographs and personal messages she handled, she couldn't resist poring over them.

Once she had finished reading the handful of letters that weren't in Italian and had stared at all the pictures so intently they were burned in her mind, she turned to the small leather bound books.

Sami wondered what sort of book would be kept that had no title and no author noted on the outside. Then she began leafing through the pages and got her answer. She leafed through the pages of the book without much care until she stopped on a page about a quarter through the book and made sure to read every last word on the page.

"Stefano, how could you?" she said slamming the book back shut.

Chapter 24

Roman paused at the door of John's hospital room trying to think just how he should break the news to Marlena that once again just when their family seemed to have a tiny sliver of happiness -- Sami finally getting the wedding she always wanted -- the Dimeras swept in to turn their lives upside down.

He decided he would try to be as direct about things as possible since blunt is the only way he knew how to be and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Marlena said sniffling.

"Marlena, you're crying," Roman said walking toward Marlena with concern as she sat next to John's bed holding his cold, limp hand and dropping it to wipe away her tears. "Is John... dead?"

Marlena gasped.

"Oh no, Roman. He's alive. He's just not able to show me he is," she said getting up from the chair because she couldn't handle looking at her husband any longer. "It's just how I get sometimes sitting here alone. When I start to wonder if he'll ever come out of this. If I should put him in that nursing home and stop waiting for him to come back to me."

"Listen, Doc," Roman said putting his hands on her shoulders. "You should do what your heart tells you to do about John. There's no wrong answer here. Your heart knows what's best."

"But I don't know what my heart wants," Marlena said sobbing, then self-consciously turned away from Roman realizing how strange that sounded being said in his arms.

"Well I don't know what to tell you about that, Doc," Roman sighed. "But I do have something else to tell you. Something you're not going to like."

"What do you have to tell me?" Marlena said as her tears stopped and fear gripped her face.

"It's Sami. It seems her honeymoon with Lucas was short-lived," Roman said.

"Oh no, did Lucas leave her AGAIN?" Marlena said throwing her hands up in the air. "You know, Roman, I tried to get her to tell Lucas the truth before the wedding. I tried to get her to see that THIS TIME she needed to go into her wedding vows with all her secrets out in the open..."

"No, Doc, it's not that. Sami did tell Lucas everything and they still went on their honeymoon," Roman explained. "It's just when they got to New Orleans Sami disappeared. Left Lucas a note saying she was running off with E.J. Wells and she was having his baby. She told him she wanted Lucas to leave her so she wouldn't feel guilty about being with him. She said she thought it would give her family, give us, a reason to accept her decision to spend her life with a Dimera."

"Oh no..." Marlena moaned covering her mouth with her hand.

"But I don't believe it, Doc. Not for a second. Something just ain't right," Roman said. "This whole thing. New Orleans. The Dimeras. It actually kind of reminds me of that trick Stefano pulled. With us."

Roman and Marlena shared a long painful stare as they contemplated Maison Blanche and how even though their marriage was already on shaky ground before that happened, they knew that was the final straw that ruined any chance of them staying together.

"Well, what does Lucas think?" Marlena asked desperate to think about something else.

"That's a good question," Roman said. "Lucas came back here to Salem after he found the note and was pretty upset with Sami, but I had a talk with him and now we're going to head down to New Orleans tomorrow to try to search the house they were working at to see if there's anything there we can use to track 'em down."

"How are you getting there? Do you want to use John's plane?" Marlena asked.

"Well now that you mention it... that was something we were hoping..."

"On one condition," Marlena interrupted. "You let me go with you."

Roman sighed. He worried about Marlena heading into this house and getting sucked back in to another one of the Dimera's schemes.

"Are you sure, Doc? What if E.J. is just helping his old man to use Sami as bait to lure us back there? Lure you there?" Roman said. "I'm not sure that's a good..."

"Roman, you know me," Marlena stopped him. "You know you aren't going to be able to talk me out of this. You also know that I can handle myself pretty well against Stefano. The Dimeras have been coming after me for a long time and they haven't beaten me yet. Like hell I'm going to let them win now."

"Well, all right," Roman said accepting but not liking the risks he knew Marlena was willing to take for her children. "See you tomorrow."

He sighed and started heading out then paused at the open doorway. He looked back at Marlena but she had already turned her attention back to John.

"I guess I should head back home now and start packing for New Orleans so I can help Roman and Lucas try to find Sami, but I'll be back to you just as soon as I can, John," Marlena said to herself as she caressed John's face. "Now I need to leave right now to take care of things and let the pilot know to get ready for our flight to the Big Easy..."

Marlena kissed John's forehead and got up to leave before turning back to look at him.

"Big Easy... ha!" Marlena said heading out. "This isn't going to be easy at all, is it?"

If Marlena had shut off the light of John's hospital room just one second later maybe she would have seen. Maybe she would have stopped as John's eyelashes started fluttering and his lips moved.

"Marlena," John murmured through labored speech that had guttural tone. "Marlena, doooooon't gooooooo."