A/N: Thank you all for the amazing feedback on this story! I love reading your comments so keep them coming!
I think I got a little lost in my JaSam world and moved away from the original purpose of this one, which was to drag Liz for her heartless actions against the Morgans. I get all these ideas and next thing you know I'm taking off somewhere that has nothing to do with her, and while I love that, the next couple chapters will be backing up a bit to the original agenda for this story - making the selfish bitch hurt the way she hurt JaSamiel! Let's do this!
Two weeks after the wonderful short trip to Mexico, the ladies had settled back into the routine of their busy lives but found the time to get together once per week for some chow, some tequila and some always spicy, girl talk. Tonight they chose to meet Carly at the MetroCourt bar where she promised to join them after work and break out the shots of silver on the house.
Sam had just sat down to wait for the others when Elizabeth Webber sat in the seat opposite her, "I need to talk to you!"
Sam looked at the woman incredulously - she had purposely avoided her since she found out she was trying to make people believe that Sam had pushed her down a flight of stairs. Not wanting to end up in jail for strangling her Sam had purposely looked the other way every time she saw her, but she wasn't about to get up and leave her own table because of the wretched thing.
"I'm only going to ask you once to leave!" Sam glared at her hotly, trying in earnest to retrieve her calm from minutes before.
"I'm not trying to start anything, I just want to ask you to back off trying to crucify me for something I didn't do." She leant across the table and tried to put on a pleading, innocent face for Sam's benefit.
"I have nothing to do with you and you really want to have nothing to do with me!" Sam tried to warn her.
"You turned the tapes from an innocent conversation with Nicholas over to the police and now my life is in complete chaos because of you. Why are you doing this to me and my boys, Sam? Haven't you hurt Jakey enough for one lifetime?"
Sam laid her arms on the table and clasped her hands in front of her. "You're just a damn broken record, you know that? Try spinning another tune other than me watching Jake get kidnapped, and when you do move your stale ass into this decade, find something else that you can throw at me."
"It doesn't matter what decade we're in Sam, the fact remains that you put my child in danger and because of your actions he's had upheaval after upheaval in his life. When are you going to forgive him for being Jason's first son?"
"First of all, let's get something straight - I love that little boy! He is a part of Jason and he's an innocent kid. Second of all, you need to stop acting like you're any kind of a mother! If you'd been paying attention to your baby like any sane, responsible woman would have Maureen couldn't have come up and stood there looking at him and then just make off with him without you hearing a damn thing! You're a horrible, horrible mother and a worse human being who repeatedly put your children in danger because you care more about who you're banging than making sure they're being watched. Your kids' lives are in upheaval because you're a negligent, irresponsible excuse for a woman who doesn't have time to see them playing with matches or wandering out of the house in the dark to get run over in the street, because you're too busy running after dick that don't want you or agonizing over your tenth DNA test to find the father of your kid! I will not apologize to you for the hundredth time for something that happened a hundred years ago, and I don't care if you hate me forever because bitch, I hate you too!"
Sam watched her words sink in and sting the horrid woman as she kept giving it to her, "Nothing that happens between you and me has anything to do with Jake or Cam and Aiden - yeah, Cam and Aiden - remember them? You act like Jake is your only child because he's all you have to hold over Jason's head! Poor Cam and Aiden get pawned off on Gram so much its like they've ceased to exist. Those three adorable little boys have done nothing except be born to a lecher for a mother. They are completely innocent and I pray to God that their fathers will remove them from your undeserving clutches very soon!" Her voice softened when she recalled the incident from years before that still haunted her, "I love Jake and so does Jason! I was in a bad place when I didn't stop Maureen from taking him but I've more than tried to make it up to Jake and to you, but lady I am done trying!"
Sam sat back in her chair only to leap forward again, "And stop acting like I prevented Jake from having Jason as a father - you did that you selfish worm! He was good enough to bed in the dark but not good enough to have on your arm, now all of a sudden you have virtue! I accepted a long time ago that fate saw fit to have you give Jason a son at a time when I couldn't, but that same fate later gave Jason back to me and not you! Despite every effort you've made to trap him, that same fate made him love me and not you, so screw you, you faithless bitch - you're not a damn thing to me!"
"Sam, please - Jason is threatening my life over a misunderstanding - I don't need you encouraging him to take my son too. Why can't you just back off and leave me alone? You've won - you got Jason to leave me! Why can't you just drop this outrageous vendetta to send me to jail?"
Sam had lost all patience with the conversation and just wanted her gone from her sight. "I didn't try to take Jason away from you - you lost him because you've never known how to keep him! You don't keep a man like Jason Morgan with lies and deceit and games, but you wouldn't know a damn thing about that because that's the only way you live! You might as well get ready for the orange jumpsuit honey, because the State of New York has a very strong case against you and I hope they fry your ass!"
"Don't sit there and judge me, Sam! You and Jason have done unconscionable things and you're not in jail, so why do I need to go for something I didn't even do? Jason is a murderer and you're a thief, and I don't see anybody putting you in prison so what gives you the right to judge me?"
Sam's smile was dry and unfriendly, "So wait - now that you can't have him back in your bed no matter how many crocodile tears you cry - now he's a murderer? Now that he doesn't want you and can't stand the sight of you - now your moral compass comes out to label and judge him? Where was that righteous indignation when you were planning to marry my husband with me in the front row? Where was your moral self righteousness when you were sleeping with your amnesiac married friend, purposely allowing him to commit adultery, knowing damn well that's not his style and he wouldn't thank you for it? Guess what, Elizabeth - both Jason and I are living in the now - feel free to join us at anytime!" Then she had another thought, "No wait, I take that back - you do spend a little time in the present…presently Jason wants nothing to do with you because you're a liar and a coward and a snake who can't get a man without lies and tricks, much less keep one! You're nothing but a fucking pretender and you're not worth any of our time so bitch be gone!" Sam was so mad she'd grabbed her water glass and emptied its contents in the nurse's face. She was just about to throw the glass at her too when she felt someone grab her hand.
"Easy there, tiger." They both looked up to see the owner of smiling green eyes with a firm hold on Sam, even after he used one hand to remove the glass and place it harmlessly back on the table. Still holding onto Sam, he addressed Elizabeth who was sitting there with her mouth agape, hands up in the air, "You might want to go dry that off - something tells me there's a lot more spitfire where that came from!"
Sam yanked her arm from his hold and addressed him cooly, not taking her eyes off the fuming wet nurse, "Simeon, this doesn't concern you!"
"YOU BITCH!" Elizabeth was livid as she rose from the table but she should have headed out like Simeon suggested. As soon as she sputtered the slur Sam leaped up and slapped her mightily across the face.
"You want bitch - I'll give you your bitch!" The anger and frustration she'd been trying to reign in unleashed itself to tumble the table that separated them out of her way and she was rushing the nurse in the next second, but the bitch was quick - in that same second she was backing away from Sam, rapid making her way towards the exit.
Simeon grabbed Sam around the waist and tried again to calm her down, "She's obviously no match for you - I can't let you kill the weak." He tried to make light so she would stop trying to break free.
Holding her stinging cheek and glaring daggers at Sam, Elizabeth hurriedly left the curious bar. Sam watched her leave then pushed Simeon's hands from her waist just as Carly was walking up. "You can get off me now!" She was so angry that he stopped her from kicking the bitch's ass! "You really should mind your own business - what the hell are you doing here anyway?"
"Yea, I'd like to know that too," Carly added then looked at Sam, "You okay? My barmaid just came to get me about a ruckus in here. I show up just in time to see mousey fleeing with her tail between her legs and you looking like you're ready to go a few rounds - whad I miss?"
Sam sat at the table that a staff member had just righted and took a deep breath, "Nothing - but I sure could use that drink now."
Carly looked at her and was about to press for details but decided to grab the bottle first. She returned to find Simeon taking a seat next to Sam. "You're not from Port Charles - what're you doing here?" She asked.
He took his eyes off Sam to grin up at Carly who poured Sam a drink before she sat down and poured herself one too.
"No, I live a town over…this is just a lucky coincidence." He had that same harmless smile that Carly wasn't impressed by in Mexico and it wasn't working for her at home either.
"How so?" She pressed, clearly letting him know that she noticed that he hadn't explained his presence in her hotel. The man seemed harmless enough but something about him set her sensors off and Carly prided herself on her instincts. She knew it could just be that she felt protective because he was clearly honing in on Sam, and Carly wanted badly for her friends to work things out and get back on track. She knew firsthand how they felt about each other, and it was only a matter of time before they both remembered too. She didn't want anything getting in the way when they did.
"I'm here for tonight only - early business meeting in this hotel. Stopped in to grab a drink just in time to see Sammy Slugger getting ready for a match - thought I'd say hello and save a life." The broad smile was on his face again as he stared at Sam who was quietly sipping her drink and listening to the two disinterestedly.
Carly was momentarily side-tracked as she turned back to Sam, "Yeah what was that about? What'd the slut want this time?" She was sorry that she had been stuck upstairs dealing with a demanding guest when there was Webber ass kicking to dish out.
Sam brushed off the incident with a small wave of her hand, "Just more of her same ole everyday bullshit. I don't want to talk about her - where are the girls?"
"Running behind, as usual - they'll be here in a few."
"Oh, good - the whole gang's coming! Mind if I join you ladies for the evening? I don't know anyone in Port Charles and you'd be saving me from a lonely meal at the bar, drowning in my scotch." Simeon had no intention of leaving when he'd found Sam again.
Carly wasn't keen on the idea and Sam just shrugged her shoulders noncommittally when Carly asked with her eyes, so she let it go. "Suit yourself, it's just going to be a lot of boring girl talk. I'm pretty sure you'll take off running by the time dinner gets here."
They had just ordered dinner when Jason walked through the door and headed over to the bar. Sam watched him say something to the bartender who then handed him a takeout bag before he turned to head back out…which was when he spotted them. She watched him openly as he walked to the table - his sculpted physique had always been something so very yummy to look at and she had to admit that he just seemed to get better with age! She stopped herself when she realized she was biting her lower lip, but not before noticing that she'd been caught. They both knew what that look on her meant, having acted out her ensuing dirty thoughts many a times.
Sam took a well needed gulp from her drink and looked away from Jason to the table just as he came to stop by Carly, staring at Sam. "Hi."
Carly was the first to answer. "Jason, hi." She got up and hugged him, prodding "come sit with us - we just ordered dinner." She beamed at her best friend as she thanked goodness he'd shown up.
Jason held up the bag in his hand, "just got some takeout for the room." His face had started to Harden when he noticed Simeon, not missing how the man's body leaned towards Sam - a subtle territorial indication to anyone looking that he was there with her.
"Takeout? You have a menu in your room and the entire staff have instructions to give you anything you need - but you come down here instead of getting room service?"
"Different menu in the bar." He finally tore his eyes away from Sam and the idiot to look at his friend. "Why the hell do you have fig jam on hamburgers? That fufu menu in the rooms has nothing I can eat."
Sam smiled to herself when his statement reminded her how very simple and easy to please her husband was. With Jason Morgan, what you see is what you get and that was how he liked things and the people around him - straightforward and to the point. Food was for nourishing your body, for Jason it didn't need to be fancy or pretty - he couldn't care less about that stuff.
"You could order the burger without the fig jam." Sam couldn't help teasing him, his returned smirk-smile stabbing her heart with longing. He was so damn beautiful!
"Why is it on the burger in the first place?" He teased back.
Sam shrugged her shoulders, the smile traveling from her face to reach her heart. "You'd have to ask Miss Boojy Five Star over there."
Carly didn't miss the look between them, "You two are exactly alike! What's wrong with giving the menu a little class, huh?" she asked, feigning hurt indignation while reminding them how similar they were.
"Nothing - if that's what you call inedible crap on the menu in a five star hotel." They knew they'd pay later for teasing her but she made it way too easy. Sam laughed openly that time, her head moving back slightly, tossing her raven lochs over the back of the chair. God, she's beautiful, Jason thought as he watched her exposed neck and wished he could taste it right then. He'd gladly exchanged the meal in his hand for just one lick below her ear. Just then he noticed that the man sitting next to her hadn't missed the sight either and instantly Jason wanted to deck him. "Who're you?" He didn't try to be icy but nothing but a cold sound came out.
Carly was quick with the introduction as Sam seemed to realize how close he was sitting by her and moved slightly away from him. "This is Simeon - he's a guest here. He just stopped to say hello because we met him in Cabo and he saw us having dinner. He's leaving tomorrow. Only one night in town, isn't that right Simeon?"
Jason noticed Sam's distinct move away from the man, even if the besotted fool failed to. His wife was never one to play games and that guy was clearly not her type. Then again, he thought sadly, he'd foolishly gotten himself kicked out of the running so who's to say her taste hadn't changed. Right away Jason disliked him - even before he knew the man's name.
Simeon was smiling over at Sam as he answered Carly, "Well that was the original plan, but now…I might need to stick around for another day or two."
Carly got boisterous at the insinuation, "Hey! Romeo! Let me introduce my best friend here - Sam's husband, Jason Morgan!"
They all saw the smile drop instantly from his face and smiling green eyes turned to slivers of marble as he rose from the table to face Jason. "Jason Morgan? Mob enforcer Jason Morgan?" He seemed highly interested in the answer.
Jason sized up the loaded question that sounded like a challenge, not bothering to answer the man. It was Carly who added, "One and the same," trying to warn the poor fool before he got himself in deep shit.
Simeon looked from Jason down to where Sam sat watching them. "I'm sorry, Sam - I didn't realize you were married. You weren't wearing a ring or anything."
Sam pursed her lips in a frown as she said, "No harm, no foul Simeon." It was either that or ramble on about how she and Jason weren't married anymore but things were complicated between them since they were trying to work things out but the issues they faced were intimidating. That thought reminded her what the main issue between them was and how they had let it branch out into so many aspects of their relationship, and suddenly she wanted to kick the bitch's ass again.
"I guess I'll say goodnight then. See you around, Sam." He nodded in Carly and Jason's direction before taking off, whipping out his cell phone as he exited the bar. Out of sight of the trio, Simeon shot a quick glance back towards them before placing a discreet phonecall. "Guess who's back?"