Chapter 6:

As Sam drove them to her place, Bridget sat in the passenger seat. A smile was now firmly fixed on her face. Her eyes had lost their sadness. The wrinkles that had seemed to crease her forehead were gone. She was rather pleased with today's outcome.

She spared a glance at Sam as she drove. Her thoughts were centered on the fact that this might actually work out. She thought back to earlier today. She saw Sam's heart light up when Hope woke up. Sam still loved the little girl. She had been right to bring Hope.

Facing forward, Bridget let her mind roam to other things. She needed the money, but it wasn't for what she had told Sam. Sam could never find out the truth. In her mind, pictures of Bryan flashed through her head. She smiled at the memory of their plans. Sighing, she shook herself out of her inner thoughts.

Sam glanced over at the girl. Then she glanced into the rearview mirror smiling at the little girl she saw sitting in her backseat. Sam could hardly believe Fate had brought Hope back into her life. She must be doing something right to be able to see her again.

With a smile for the child, Sam again looked at Bridget. Sam shook her head slightly. What in the world was Bridget thinking coming here. She had nowhere to stay. She had no money. As Sam had found out, she didn't even have a car seat for Hope. Sighing herself, Sam also shook herself from her inner thoughts.

Bridget, hearing Sam's own sigh, chewed her bottom lip. She was feeling the silence. It seemed so heavy in the space of the little car. Turning around slightly, she looked at her daughter sitting in the backseat. Hope had once again lapsed into sleep. With a light laugh, she turned again to face forward. She decided to break the silence.

"So what happened to you and Jason?"

The question caught Sam by surprise. She wasn't sure how to answer. In fact, she wasn't exactly sure what happened to her and Jason some days. There wasn't a definite reason. There were several.

"A lot."

That was the only answer she felt safe giving. She couldn't really explain that another child had caused a rift between the two lovers. She couldn't explain the struggle to tackle and overcome the trust issues. She couldn't explain anything because she wasn't sure she understood it all.

Pulling into the lot of her apartment complex, Sam turned off the car. Bridget watched as she sat there. She wasn't sure she should ask more. She could see that, whatever had happened, it was painful for Sam. She looked down at her hands.

"Well we are here. Let's get Sleeping Beauty upstairs."

Bridget smiled. It seemed the subject was dropped. She unbuckled and got out of the car. Sam had placed Hope behind the driver's seat. So, Bridget walked around and opened the door. Sam was out of the car as well. Their hands met at the handle. Both looked at each other.

"May I?"

Bridget's smile was genuine as she nodded. She continued to smile as she saw Sam gently unbuckle the sleeping child. Hope's eyes briefly opened as Sam jostled her a little to pick her up into her arms. However, the child instantly fell back asleep as Sam held her close. Her face snuggled deeply into Sam's neck.

The look of pure joy on Sam's face gave Bridget pause. She thought back to the day Sam and Jason gave Hope back. Courtney had been triumphant. Bridget, herself, had felt like she had won a prize. Sam and Jason had been crushed. Sam had looked like she would never forgive any of them. Bridget wondered if that's what caused her and Jason to separate.

"Was losing Hope what ended you and Jason? Did Courtney get him back?"

"Uh…"

Sam once again was caught off guard by the question. It stopped her in her tracks as she was about to open the door so they could go inside the lobby. She shook her head as if she hadn't heard Bridget right. Did she just say what I think she said, Sam thought.

"What?"

The question came out with kind of a laugh. Sam turned to her and tilted her head in askance. Her mind kept trying to wrap itself around what she had just heard. She thought she just heard that Courtney had wanted Jason back, so she pushed for Hope to be given back to Bridget.

"You know, Courtney, the blonde lady who helped me. Did she get Jason back? She said that you would never forgive him for losing Hope. Was she right?"

The flippant tone in Bridget's voice set Sam's teeth on edge. Her eyes narrowed. She started to speak, but clamped her mouth shut against speaking ill of the dead. Instead she turned to the door and opened it. Holding it open, she shifted the child in her arms and motioned for Bridget to enter the lobby.

"Sam?"

Bridget had seen the anger in Sam's eyes. She had obviously hit a soft spot. Maybe I was right, she thought. Courtney had told Bridget she could have her baby back. She had told her that she would be a great mom, and life would be perfect. She had lied. Life wasn't perfect.

Deciding she better answer or be asked again and again, Sam gritted her teeth and led the way to the mailboxes. They would have this discussion and then she would never think of it again. At least I hope, Sam thought.

"No."

"No?"

Sam sighed. She was going have to explain she could see. They had stopped. Sam had wanted to check the mail. However now, she just wanted to close her eyes and be alone and unquestioned for a bit. Turning to Bridget, she indicated which box was hers and held out the key. She sighed as Bridget looked at her still wanting and answer. Deciding to answer, Sam looked down at Hope.

"No, Courtney did not get Jason back."

"So…"

Bridget got the mail and handed the keys back to Sam. She followed as Sam led the way to her loft. Once again Sam handed her the keys. Unlocking the door, they entered. It was comfy, but obviously not as luxurious as the penthouse Jason had. She was about to let the subject of Courtney and Jason drop when Sam spoke.

"So, she didn't get him back. In fact, Courtney died a few years ago. She had a little boy before she died though."

Sam saw the question in Bridget's eyes and was quick to respond.

"Not Jason's little boy… My cousin Nikolas's actually."

Her tone had changed when she spoke of Jason's son. Her face got remorseful. Bridget noticed. She didn't comment however. She just nodded and smiled. Turning around she shrugged her shoulders.

"So where can we put Hope?"

"I will put her in my room. Unfortunately there is only one bedroom. You and her can have it, and I will take the couch while you are here."

"No, you share the room with Hope. I will take the couch."

Sam shook her head and sighed. A small smile appeared on her face for the first time since the conversation had started. She began walking to the room, shifting Hope again. She cradled her and kissed her brow.

"We can discuss that as soon as I put her down."

Bridget smiled and sat on the couch as Sam disappeared into what she took to be the bedroom. She pulled out a cell phone out of her small purse and saw a missed call. Damn, she thought. As she heard Sam shut the bedroom door, she quickly put the cell back in her purse. She fixed the smile back onto her face.

"So, Sam, if Courtney didn't get Jason back, what happened?"

Sam sat down beside her and looked down at her hands. She once again pondered everything that went wrong with her and Jason. The list had seemed so long then, and it still did. However they were moving past most of it, and she was happy she could call him a friend.

"Like I said. 'a lot.' I don't even know where start."

"How about the beginning?"

A bitter laugh escaped Sam. Leaning back, she brought her hands up and rubbed her face. Sighing, she threw her arms out in front of her, only to clasp her hands and tuck them under her chin. Looking down at her lap, she chewed her lip for a second before speaking.

"How do you decide what's the beginning? How do you go this is exactly the moment that it all started going downhill?"

She unclasped her hands and clasped them again as she lowered them to her lap. She closed her eyes against the tears forming in them. She thought that she was over this, but she guessed this was one of those pains you just really never get over. You just move past it, she thought.

"I mean, is it the actual actions that are the cause? Or is it the events leading up to them? Or even something else, like the feelings behind everything?"

Bridget just listened. She had a feeling Sam hadn't talked about this to anyone. Her guess would be that Sam kept it all bottled up and suppressed. Bringing her feet up she sat Indian style, and waited until Sam had said all she needed to.

"Maybe it was my obsession to have a child of my own. Maybe it was the fact Jason's life is dangerous, and I immersed myself so deeply into it. Maybe it was any number of things. Maybe we lost the ability to trust each other completely. Maybe we just lost each other."

"Do you still love him?"

Knowing she shouldn't still be surprised by the things Bridget says or asks, Sam still was caught unaware. She had been so inside of her own thoughts; she had almost forgotten about her being there. With a sad smile and a sigh, Sam sat forward.

"Do I love him? I love him because what we were. You can't kill that kind of love. Am I in love with him? No. Too much has happened. Hell, Jason even threatened my life. I did even worse stuff to him."

For the second time that day, her mind went back to the day. There was so much anger and hurt in both of their actions. Still, even after all this time, she knew that was the end. Sam knew that some things heal with time, but that wound needed something more. Something she wasn't sure would ever be available.

"But you said you are friends."

"We are. We have both worked on that really hard and have come a long way."

Rising to her feet, Sam smiled a small smile. She paced over to the door and turned to Bridget, who was looking at her funny. She realized in that moment she wasn't used to telling people her plans, but with these two staying with her she needed to let them know where she would be.

"Oh. Sorry. I am going back to the office to finish up some stuff. There isn't food in the fridge, but there are a few take out menus on the table. Call and order something. You can put it on my account. They know me."

With a soft laugh at her own comments, Sam spun around and walked out the door. She knew what waited at the office could have held off until tomorrow, but she was running away. For the first time in a long time, Sam didn't want to face life head on. She wanted to get away. She wanted away from it all. With a sigh, she left.

As the door closed behind Sam, Bridget sat there for a moment. She knew Sam was running too. She would let her run though. She had more important things to deal with. Pulling the cell phone back out, she looked down at the number and pressed dial. It took a few moments for someone to answer.

"I will have it. It just may take more time."

The person on the other end spoke for a minute. Bridget listened. She smiled brightly into the phone. Her eyes sparkled, this time mischievously instead of with unshed tears.

"I love you too. Bye."