It had been a sleepless night for Jason but he awoke the next morning with reinforced determination. The MetroCourt suite was a temporary solution, he was determined that his home would be with Sam and Danny again so he had to find a way to work things out with his wife. He tossed for the hundredth time in the plush, King size bed and threw up his arms in frustration, opening his eyes and recalling the dream that had kept him between wake and sleep all night, the beautiful, haunting dream where he held Sam in his arms again. He was able to glean some hope from the fact that she hadn't slugged him when he'd held her close in the rain and had even allowed him to walk her to the car, but he knew when she'd insisted on leaving that she had been affected by their rain dance as much as he was, and it gave him a renewed hope. There was something about the purity and comfort of falling rain that had always been special for them, that's why he hadn't left it up to chance the night before but had used Maxie's connections to acquire a rain machine from a photoshoot, to aide in the cause. It was worth every penny, he thought as he gave up trying to sleep and got out of bed, tossing the Down comforter aside and planting his feet on the floor. He would've paid any money for the few minutes of paradise he'd gotten to spend with his wife in his arms, in the rain. When their dance ended of course she'd noticed and questioned the fixated area of the rainstorm under a cloudless, starry night, so he'd come clean about the machine, and surprisingly she didn't get mad, instead, he would've sworn that there was the briefest, slightest upturn of the corner of her mouth.
Jason walked over to the balcony doors to look down on the town somberly and he prayed that the grayness he saw outside in that moment would not determine the course of that day, then deciding that he would change it if it did, he headed to the shower. He would take his sons to breakfast while he strategized his next move to get his life back.
Jason's first stop was the penthouse. He'd gotten Sam's okay just before she drove away from the field the night before, so when he knocked on the door at eight a.m. he knew they were expecting him. He couldn't stop the nerves from forming as he waited and prayed that she was in a welcoming mood. The smile on his face was immediate when the door swung open to reveal his little golden haired boy, and the pure joy that hit his heart every time Danny greeted him was instantaneous. His baby boy's smile could blot out the sun. He had Sam's smile.
"Hi Daddy!" Danny immediately held his arms out for the hoist he knew was coming.
"Hi buddy!" Jason's responding smile was ear to ear as he swept his son up and hugged him close. "Ready to go?" Danny bobbed his blonde head and Jason ruffled it in return as he looked over at the radiance seated at the dining table, a cup of coffee kissing her lips. "Good morning." Lucky fucking cup!
Sam had watched the exchange between father and son and it warmed her heart every time she witnessed them together. Danny was completely unaware of Sam's feelings about Jason's previous treatment of him, her sweet little man had no reservations whatsoever about his father and Sam was determined to keep it that way. To his credit, Jason had gotten better at making time for their son, had made a point of seeing him daily, no matter how briefly, and called him every night before bed. They even had weekly excursions that both were very hush, hush about. The growing bond between them was beautiful to watch, something Sam had always wanted for Danny and she was glad to see Jason making more of an effort. "Good morning."
Danny wasted no time listing his menu choices for Jason, then looking over to his mother he asked, "will you come, Momma? You can have chocolate pancakes too."
Sam smiled at her baby's innocence. "Not today, baby. Momma has to work but you and Daddy have fun, okay?"
Danny bobbed his head at her.
"Hey, Danny, how about we go pickup Jake and his brothers and we have a pancake showdown, how does that sound? Think you can eat more pancakes than Aiden?"
Danny smiled wide, "yaw, let's go Daddy."
Jason put him back on his feet and sent him to get his coat before he moved closer to the table. "Good morning," he said softly, admiring the pretty picture in yoga pants and tank before him. He remembered when his t-shirts were her favorite nightwear and they had never looked better than when she wore them.
She was still watching him. "You said that already."
He smiled shyly at her, "yeah, well, it's good enough to bear repeating." She looked away to the laptop before her and he stepped closer to see that she was checking emails. "Did you send it yet?"
Sam looked at his eyes to gauge his response to her next words, "just did. She's gonna need comforting before the day's out so you might want to keep your phone on."
Jason knew what she was doing and he knew it was his job to make sure that she understood. It was his fault that she doubted him in the first place. "She needs a lawyer, not me. There's nothing I can do for her and I'll be too busy trying to make this okay for my sons and the rest of my family that her actions affected…she's not my concern."
Twenty minutes later Jason rang the doorbell at Elizabeth's house and waited, turning back to wave at Danny in the truck, who waved and smiled back at him. Elizabeth was more than a little shocked to see him but she tried not to look hopeful. Any lingering hopes were dashed when he got right to the point. "Hi. Are the boys up yet, I wanted to take them to breakfast?"
Her eyes popped open wide. "Excuse me?"
He repeated his question. "Are the boys up?"
She drew her sweater closer around to hug her body. "They just got up but why would I allow them to go anywhere with you?"
It was his turn to be surprised. It hadn't even occurred to him that she might say no. "Danny and I are going to Kelly's for pancakes and we'd like the boys to join us." He spoke slowly as if trying to make a child understand.
"My boys aren't going anywhere with the child of the woman who's trying to ruin my life, and you should've thought about seeing your son when you sided with her against me."
Jason rubbed his hand across his face in frustration. "I'm not going to stand here and argue with you about any of this. My son wants to have breakfast with his brother - why is there a problem with that? For God's sakes, Elizabeth, it's only pancakes!"
"I told you he's not going anywhere!"
His frustration with her was mounting. "I'm not rehashing any of this with you right now. Where is my son?" He turned and checked on Danny again, who had his head down so Jason knew he was playing with his handheld video game. He leaned in the doorway and shouted, "Jake, hey come down here a minute?"
"Do you have any idea what I went through last night? I've been a nervous wreck waiting for the police to knock on my door because the tramp that you got knocked up can't mind her own damn business. She probably enjoyed that didn't she - you two sat around all night laughing it up while your son's mother is worried sick over something that isn't even my fault. How can you let her do this to me, Jason?"
Jason took a long, deep breath before he responded. "Elizabeth, Sam was no drunken one night stand that I knocked up, she was my wife when she got pregnant with our child! You're here sweating bullets because you covered up for your accomplice who tried to kill an innocent woman so you could have your own selfish way - you did that, not Sam - you! If I were you, I'd worry more about Jake seeing police cuff and cart you off to jail for attempted murder. Worry more about that than whether or not you will allow my son to spend time with me." He dropped his voice as he heard running steps on the stairs behind her, "keep pushing me, Elizabeth, like I don't still have Diane on retainer."
"Dad!"
"Hey buddy? How're you?" He hugged Jake's shoulders as Jake hugged him around the waist. "Have you and your brothers had breakfast yet?"
"Naw, we just woke up. Did you come to make us your famous pancakes?"
"Better than that! Look who's in the car…what say we all go to Kelly's for pancakes?"
Jake stuck his head outside and when he saw his little brother he smiled. "Cool, let me grab Cam and Aiden!" He ran back upstairs and Jason was left to face a fuming Elizabeth.
"I don't think I need to remind you that you have no legal parental rights to my son, Jason. I don't have to let you see him if I don't want to, and I said no to this little outing."
"That was true before I thought my son had died, back when I allowed myself to be talked out of his life. But thank you for the reminder Elizabeth, because I assure you that by the time you get out of jail that will no longer be the case." He turned his back on her, "tell the boys Danny and I are waiting in the car."
Elizabeth got shaky. Jail? So Sam had gone ahead with her plans to turn them over to the police? When she had made it through the night without a visit from the PCPD, Elizabeth had begun to breathe, hoping that the woman had changed her mind and seen reason, or even that Nicholas had done something to stop her, had done anything to stop her. She turned away from the cold air and closed the front door. What was she going to do? What would she tell her boys, tell her grandmother? How would she explain any of this? She drew a shaky hand through her hair and sat down on the couch. Think, Elizabeth, think! You're smart, your resourceful…you fooled them all for months…you can come up with something to get out of this.
Across town Sam Morgan was about to have a full day. After Danny left with Jason she got ready and went into the office only to find her prince of a cousin waiting there for her, arrogantly lounging outside the locked door. Sam looked past him as she unlocked the door and entered her office, sending it whipping back behind her. He caught it just before it could slam in his face, following her inside as though invited.
"Now, cousin, there's no reason for us not to be civil to each other, even though you're trying to ruin my life with your little stunt from yesterday."
Sam sat behind her desk and pulled out her laptop, flipping on the desktop as well. "You can get the hell out, Nicholas…I was done with you yesterday."
He took a seat across from her as he continued, "okay, you and Hayden have had your little revenge. Consider Elizabeth and I duly chastised and punished, now, where's that recording? I know you haven't given it to the police because I would've heard something by now, so where is it?"
Sam looked over at him angrily. "You think you and Elizabeth have paid enough for what you did?" She leant forward in her seat, "you self-important son-of-a-bitch, you kept my husband from me so that you could feed your good friend Elizabeth's sick obsession with him! You kept my son from his father for money, and you think I'm anywhere near done with you? You think a busted lip and leaving you to sweat through the night is payment enough for what you did? Get the fuck out of my office, Nicholas!"
He shifted in the chair, looking her in the eye. "Sam, this has gone far enough. You should be thanking me for keeping Jason away from you and Danny. He's done nothing but hurt you from day one, he was no good for you and he was only going to hurt you again. You and Danny were better off without him!"
"YOU DON'T GET TO DECIDE THAT! You don't know the first thing about me and Jason and you sure as hell don't get to decide anything about my life! Neither you nor Elizabeth get to decide that my child shouldn't know his father, how dare you!" She'd smack the shit out of him if she was closer. "When Jax and Carly tried to keep your baby away from you, how did you like it? How would you like it now?" Sam saw when her point hit him square in the face. "If some arrogant dick decided that you have no right to be Spencer's father, how would you feel? What gave you the right to decide mine or Danny's future?"
"Being the head of the Cassadine household, that's what! It's my responsibility to look out for the members of my family, Sam, and that includes you and Danny. Jason is a hired killer - I don't know why you've never been able to see him for who he really is. He was no good for you!"
Anger propelled Sam from her chair, causing her to storm around the desk to face the prince head on as he responded by getting to his feet. "That hired killer has more integrity and honor in him than you ever will, cousin! Jason might have done unsavory things in the past to save the people he loved but his heart is huge and giving, and do you know where Danny and I live - right in the middle of it! Jason was my husband, he was the father of my child and we missed him everyday - you had no right to keep him away from us. Nobody asked you to and I sure as hell will never thank you for it!"
"You should be thanking me!" Nicholas was fed up with her ingratitude. You should be thanking me that I tried to keep you safe, tried to give your son a better father!"
"Oh, lets be real here, cousin…you didn't keep Jason's identity quiet for Danny and me, you didn't even keep it quiet for your saint Elizabeth…you kept what you knew so you could hold on to ELQ!" She watched the truth appear in his eyes and continued, "Jason resurfacing would've put a huge damper in your plans and you knew you'd never be able to convince him to sell you his shares - you did all of this for the almighty dollar and your greedy little ass knows it!"
Nicholas exploded. "Damn right I did it for the money! I am solely responsible for the Cassadine fortune! I have lived a certain way and my son has become accustomed to living a royal lifestyle. He will not be subjected to anything less because of Helena and Victor's grand expensive waste of the Cassadine coffers - not while there's breath left in my body!"
Sam looked at her cousin with pity and disbelief. "Listen to yourself, Nicholas. Do you think that you're doing Spencer any favors by teaching him that money is more important than anything else? More important than family, than honesty, than human life?" She started to circle him, "you seriously think I would ever allow you to influence my son with any of that poison?"
"Do whatever the hell you want, Sam, I'm done trying to save you from yourself, but you will give me that recording! I will not allow you to ruin my life because you're too immature to appreciate what I've done for you!"
Sam couldn't stop herself from shouting out her rage. "You gave my husband to another woman, like he was a salad bowl or a box of chocolates, you expect me to appreciate that? Then you tried to kill Hayden Barnes over money, you sick bastard."
He shouted back, "damn right I did, and you keep testing me and see what happens!"
Sam snapped her head back before moving into his face, "is that the best you got, Cousin?" She wasn't the least bit afraid of him and she'd be damned if she'd let him intimidate her.
Nicholas sighed and readjusted his jacket, simultaneously backing away from her. "This is getting us nowhere. If you refuse to be reasonable, I will be forced to handle this differently."
"How's that? You'll send someone to put a bullet in her head too?" Hayden had come in unnoticed. She sauntered over to Nicholas, "you do realize, Prince, that you just threatened Mrs. Morgan in front of a witness? A witness who you previously tried to have killed?"
Nicholas looked between the two women and shook his head as he turned and made his way to the door.
Sam stopped him before he exited. "By the way, Cousin," she paused to wait for him to turn back to face her, pointing above her head when he did, "previous trouble with break-ins prompted Spinelli to wire this office for sound and he placed cameras inside and out, so guess who's on tape, again, threatening a life, again?" She watched him look around the office before he gave her one last hateful glare, then turned and left without saying another word. "Have a nice day…and feel free never to come again!"
Hayden grinned at Sam and applauded as she said, "well played, Mrs. Morgan. I must say, you continue to impress me." Sam's response was to turn on the television, she didn't want to miss a single newscast about the upcoming arrests.
Two hours later Sam was settled in her seat and watching the news with Hayden strolling back and forth restlessly in front of the television when the door burst open and Maxie stormed in, "okay, let me have it!" Her messy-curly blonde bob danced as she moved her hands animatedly, coming to a stop in front of Sam's desk and looking at her friend almost apologetically. "I know you didn't want to be alone with him but come on, Sam, he's the love of your life and he was so pathetic and begging I couldn't say no. Okay, maybe he didn't beg, he's Jason Morgan, the man gives stoicism a new meaning, but he was very convincing, and you know you want your marriage back, so why keep being miserable when he's come back crawling on his hands and knees, begging for your forgiveness." Just then she noticed Hayden. "Who are you?" Without giving her a chance to answer she turned back to Sam, "Did you at least have a good time? How was it? Then again he did take you to a baseball field, who goes to a baseball field to be romantic?" She rolled her eyes, "Jason Morgan, that's who! I tried to talk him into a private dining room at the MetroCourt but nooo, he had to have his way. He's so damn stubborn, I don't know how you put up with him. You're not saying anything, Sam, please, will you just say something?"
Hayden closed her mouth that had fallen open and said, "how could she, you haven't come up for air since you walked in."
Maxie narrowed her eyes at her then turned back to Sam, "who is she?" Then as if forgetting the question again she moved on, "oh, come on Sam, you at least enjoyed the dinner, right? Carly had the squid flown in fresh from Massachusetts just for you and Jason spared no expense making it happen. What about the rain? Do you know how many favors I had to promise to get that machine pulled off an active set in New York to get here in time? I've never understood what you see in that silent brick - I mean the guy doesn't talk, he doesn't smile, he doesn't laugh…but he is beautiful…he's your guy and you love him forever, remember?" She actually paused long enough to sit down across from Sam, dropping her Louis Vuitton on top of the desk, heaving her legs to the chair next to her. Her arms went up in exasperation, "but if you've decided to hate him forever, then I'm right there with you on that too - you're my girl and if you hate him I hate him."
"How do you breathe through all that?" Hayden wanted to know.
Maxie turned back to her, "seriously, who are you?" Then she was up on her feet, instantly rushing towards the television that was on the wall behind Hayden. "Oh, my loving God, is that real?"
Sam and Hayden looked up to see that she was gaping at Elizabeth Webber and Nicholas Cassadine being led into the PCPD in handcuffs, a marquee scrolling across the screen announcing their arrest for the attempted murder of Hayden Barnes. Maxie whipped around to Hayden when she saw the name, "that's it! That's who you are - you're Hayden Barnes!" Then whirling on Sam in the next instant she wanted to know, "why are you hanging out with the woman who Ric was paying to sleep with your husband?"
"Hey, hey, hey, I never slept with Jake!"
"Not from lack of trying so shut up about it." Sam watched the nurse trying to hide her face from the cameras and the prince holding onto his cool demeanor as he glared at the officers opening the door to lead them inside, and she felt nothing for either one of them in their predicament. She felt bad for Spencer and the nurse's boys, knowing that what they would be going through now would not be easy, but steeling her heart one more time she reminded herself that nothing she did led to their decisions to deceive, manipulate, and murder…they both knew they had impressionable children who needed them and that hadn't deterred them from moving to ruin other people's lives. It hadn't been enough to stop either of them. She turned the television off and went back to her case files.
"Did I just see that? Did I really just see Saint Elizabeth being led into the police station in handcuffs? Miss I'm better than everybody else, sleep with every man including my fiancee's brother and get away with every dirty, slimy thing I do because I have big doe eyes and a magically fertile vagina, just got arrested for attempted murder?" Maxie plopped back down in her chair with a thump. "Hell must've frozen over while I wasn't looking!"
Sam was working a case where one partner suspected the other of embezzlement and after tailing the mark for a week she'd found out he made frequent trips to Vermont for some unknown reason that were kept off the books. Her investigation uncovered that he was going to make the trip that weekend so she saw the chance to wrap up her sleuthing and present the findings to her client.
"Jason is finally free from the barracuda! Sam, you're not even listening to me!" Maxie never liked being ignored, not even for a moment.
"Maxie, I'm in the middle of a case, I don't have time to think about Jason." Who was she kidding, when was Jason Morgan ever far away from her mind in some thought or other? She was usually so in love with the man she couldn't think straight, or she was so furious at him that the outcome was the same. No matter the mood Jason put her in, the reaction was always pretty strong, too bad for him this time it was the latter. She looked at her friend and had an idea. "Wanna take a road trip?"
Maxie saw the file in her hand and shook her head. "First of all, that sounds like work, which means you'll be hanging out in some dive trailing some sleezeball with nothing that passes for manners. Second of all, you shouldn't be going anywhere right now when you should be concentrating on taking your life back. Besides, you know I'm practically running Crimson by myself these days, I hardly have time to breathe, much less go anywhere." She shoved a hand in one glove and grabbed her bag, "but call me when you want to do a real trip with massages and facials, I'll definitely make time for that!" She was breezing out the door in the next minute, "Luck!"
Sam could only chuckle at her friend and wave as she left. "Luck!"
"Is she always like that?"
Sam smiled again. People often misunderstood or misjudged Maxie Jones. "If you take Maxie too seriously you'll never like her, but then you'll be missing out on a great friend with a great heart. She's a lot smarter than people give her credit for."
Deciding to get on the road soon, Sam called Jason to tell him about her trip. He was supposed to have Danny for the weekend so she took the opportunity to put her plan into motion early. She knew her baby would enjoy the weekend with his father - who wouldn't love two days in a luxury suite at a five star hotel where not only your father but the owner who happens to be your doting aunt, would be tripping over themselves to pamper and spoil you?
After making arrangements with Jason and talking to Danny she got her gear together, snuck into the garage at the subject's place of business and put a tracker on his car. She waited in a diner on the outskirts of town where she would pickup his trail and after an hour she saw that he was on the move. It was barely dusk as she went out to her car and as she opened the door Sam sensed the presence come up behind her almost as soon as she felt the jarring pain to her head. The twilight evening got pitch black instantly as she succumbed to the beckoning darkness and her body fell back into waiting arms.