Hi everyone! Didn't take too long to write this one. Just re-read it about a gazillion times. Like I said, the updates might come slower once college starts up Monday but I'll try my best. Thanks for the feedback!

Song is "Everything" by Buckcherry (JMO, but I find it much more effective if you listen to the songs while reading lolol. It makes you see/feel/whatever the pace of the scenes better)

Late that same night, Lucas was still at Kate's.

"Lucas, I really do believe that this would be best," Kate was saying. "Best for you, your marriage, and for the baby!"

He nodded, deep in thought. "I know. I know. This would convince me, once and for all. It's just…Sami refuses to do it!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Well, then make her do it!"

Lucas stared at her intensely for a second or two. "You're right."

Back at Sami and Lucas' apartment, Sami was standing out in the hall with the letter to EJ in her hand. She knew he wasn't home because she'd heard him go out earlier. Anyway, she wasn't sure what to do with it.

Glancing back and forth from the envelope to his door, Sami sighed and eventually just pushed it through the space between the door and the floorboards, hoping for the best. He could either come find her tomorrow night or ignore it. Sami prayed for the first choice.

After re-entering her own apartment, she went in to check on the twins.

'Sleeping like angels,' she thought with relief. Her eyes lingered for a moment longer on Colleen, thinking of Lucas and Kate. She then switched her gaze over to a picture of herself and Lucas from their wedding. Then she thought of the letter she'd written to EJ again.

Without realizing it, Sami was overcome by tears. Feeling the emptiness of her home around her, she climbed into bed to sob the night away.

Buried way beneath the sheets, I think she's having a melt down.
Finding it hard to fall asleep, she won't let anyone help her.
The look on her face, A waste of time.
She won't let go, Gonna roll the dice.
Losing her grace, Starts to cry.
I feel her pain when I look in her eyes.

In the Brady pub Bo, Hope, Roman, and EJ sat a table towards the back. There weren't any other customers this late at night.

"So, EJ…" Roman started. "I hear your father's "taken a turn for the worse" again."

EJ raised his eyebrows. "Yes, that's what I've heard. Seems if the man lets out a mere cough and he's taken a turn for the worse," he replied, making them laugh.

"What if this is it, though?" Bo asked. "What if he really, truly croaks this time?"

"Yeah," Hope chimed in. "What happens? Do you and Tony inherit everything?"

"Actually, Tony's made it clear he wants absolutely nothing to do with Father or anything concerning him so, yes, I would inherit it all," EJ said off-handedly with a shrug. "Andre's locked up, Benji's gone, Lexie's in the same boat as Tony…Anyway, I'd get the mansion, Rolf, the houses all over the world…" He trailed off, looking as if he could care less.

Roman looked about ready to say something when his text message beep went off.

"Ah, he11," he muttered. "Bo, we've got an issue. Un-cooperating graffiti vandal. Let's go."

All four stood up to leave when Hope spoke up. "Actually, EJ, I wanted to talk to you about something. You think you could hang around for a little?"

A tad surprised, he agreed.

I wanna be, I want everything.
I want everything.

The two of them sat back down. EJ looked expectantly at Hope.

After a few seconds of silence, he prompted, "…You…wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yes," Hope nodded. She took a breath and decided to just come out with it. "I was just wondering…have you spoken to Sami recently?"

He wasn't expecting that. All the times he'd been with Roman, John, or…any of them…Samantha had never come up in conversation.

"No…" EJ started slowly. "No, I haven't. Why, why do you ask?"

Hope took on an innocent look. "No reason! Just…I've noticed she's looked at little…lost recently. I thought maybe you knew something?"

EJ thought back to the other day when he'd seen Lucas and Sami inside the pub. He remembered thinking to himself that it looked like something wasn't quite right with her. He also remembered seeing her afterwards, pushing the twins in their stroller around the block, looking…well, like Hope had said – lost. And confused. And upset. Utterly lonely. It hurt – it crucified him to see her like that. But he had promised himself he wouldn't pry. He had to distance himself.

Somewhere she is on the streets trying to make things better,
Praying to God and breathing deep.
Gotta break this long obsession.
The look on her face, A waste of time.
She won't let go, Gonna roll the dice.
Losing her grace, Starts to cry.
I feel her pain when I look in her eyes.

"I know nothing," EJ replied quietly.

Hope noticed he wasn't quite looking her in the eye. She knew that he knew something was wrong. What she didn't know was why he wasn't with Sami now. Instead, he was hanging out inside the Brady pub with…a group of Brady's. Why wasn't he trying to get her to open up so he could make things better?

EJ always made things better. Everyone could see it from the time he and Sami first met. She was a different person around him. She glowed.

As if reading her thoughts EJ said very, very quietly, "I don't talk much with Samantha at all anymore. Very rarely, in fact."

Hope sighed. "EJ. She's not herself. You know how Sami is. She doesn't go around whining about her problems. She keeps it all inside. If anyone could get it out of her, though, it's you."

I wanna be, I want everything.
I want everything.
I wanna be, I want everything.
I want everything.

If I had everything would I still wanna be alive?
Oh wanna be high.
If I had everything would I still wanna be alive?
Oh wanna be high.

A little while later, EJ returned home from the pub. All the while back he'd been thinking about what Hope had said. She was right, of course. EJ knew that if he asked her, Samantha would spill all of her troubles out to him.

He thought back to the summer they'd first met. Even when they'd barely known each other, all he had to do was ask and she'd reveal all. She'd collapse into his arms, cry her heart out, and he'd fix everything.

The thing was…EJ wasn't sure how much more he could handle of that. How much more he could take of Samantha crying on his shoulder only to run back to Lucas when he dried her tears.

Unlocking his apartment door, he stepped inside. Immediately his eyes lit upon a square of white against his floor. Curious, he bent to pick it up.

It had his name on it. Nothing else. No return address, nothing. Obviously, someone had slipped it under his door.

He sat down and pulled out the paper inside and started to read; his heart beating ever faster and his eyes growing ever wider with each line.

Now and then she talks to me
And sometimes writes me letters.
The look on her face, A waste of time.
She won't let go, Gonna roll the dice.
Losing her grace, Starts to cry.
I feel her pain when I look in her eyes.

I wanna be, I want everything.
I want everything.
You know I wanna be, Yeah, I want everything.
I wanted everything, everything.

When he neared the end of the letter, EJ noticed she had crossed something out. Looking closer, he just made out "Sami" underneath the scribble of black ink.

And just under that, it was signed "Samantha."

He blinked rapidly a few times, hardly believing the words written in black and white right in front of him. He let out a small laugh of disbelief and glanced at his door as if seeing Sami's apartment through it.

Your eyes, never close your eyes
And open up your mind,
Oh, and baby you can have everything, everything.

For a brief moment EJ wondered if this was some sort of joke. But then he thought better of it. This was Samantha. For all the evil, cruel things she'd done in her life…EJ knew she had changed. And he also knew, deep down, that she would never pull something like that on him.

He knew this was for real.


Your eyes, never close your eyes
And open up your mind,

It was too late to go to her now. But tomorrow night…he'd definitely speak with her tomorrow night. Shawn and Belle were having their engagement party at Chez Rouge. He and Tony were invited. Obviously, Sami would be there.

Tomorrow night it was, then.

Oh, and baby you can have everything