"Goodbye My Friend" – Linda Ronstadt

Chapter 10

As Salem prepared for Sami's funeral, the town was a buzz with the story of what happened. No one quite knew what really happened that night, only that she was run off the road a short distance from her apartment. There were no witnesses and her "body" was left unrecognizable and dental records confirmed the id. As Sami's family piled into the church, it was a shocking sight to see so many of her ex-husbands all in the front row to pay their respects.

OH WE NEVER KNOW WHERE LIFE WILL TAKE US

I KNOW IT'S JUST A RIDE ON THE WHEEL.

AND WE NEVER KNOW WHEN DEATH WILL SHAKE UP

AND WE WONDER HOW IT WILL FEEL.

"Samantha was truly her own person. She never would let anything get in the way of what she wanted and I guess I always admired that about her. I never thought I would be here, saying goodbye to a women I walked out on years ago, but when I heard what happened I knew it was where I belonged." Brandon said and walked up to the coffin, placing a hang on it as he finished. "Samantha I have missed you and I think a part of me will always love you. I just wish I had the chance to tell you I forgave you a long time ago for what happened and what you did."

SO GOODBYE MY FRIEND

I KNOW I'LL NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN

BUT THE TIME TOGETHER THROUGH ALL THE YEARS

WILL TAKE AWAY THESE TEARS

Austin was the next to talk and his speech was different. It wasn't the heart felt one of Brandon, but he wasn't being rude either. He came out of respect for the family he married into when he and Carrie finally got their fairy tale ending.

"Me and Sami have been through a lot over the years, some good and some bad. But regardless, she helped me build my company to what it is and for that I will always be grateful. No matter what scheme she was planning, or hiding from being uncovered, she was always a loving and caring person. She just didn't exactly know how to show that without doing some things that were questionable." He said and didn't even go to her coffin, just went back and sat next to Carrie who was trying not to cry.

"Me and Sami before we were anything were friends and that friendship seemed to faultier as we gave into anger we had for our past. But no matter what we put each other through, or how we felt for one another, we loved our son more than anything. You can say whatever you want about Sami, but she was a good mother and she loved Will more than anything. He was the most important thing to her and I wish I had seen that before now. Maybe then we could have been there to save her from something that was malicious and unfair." Lucas said and Will came up to join him, pulling strength from his father as he said goodbye to his mother.

ITS OK NOW…

GOODBYE MY FRIEND

"I spent most of my life confused at who my family was and which guy my mom would stay with. But I always knew she loved me, I just wish I had the chance to tell her I love her. To tell her that she was a great mom when she wasn't trying too hard and that I'm going to miss her. You only get one mom and I just wish I had the chance to have the kind of relationship I always wanted." He paused and Lucas hugged him and the two returned to their seats, only to have Marlena rise to speak.

"Thank you all for coming, I know my daughter doesn't have the best reputation around here and has done some things I wish I could forget, but she was still my daughter. It just means a lot to me that so many people would come here to say things about her and how much she was loved, even if it was in each of our own special way. Sami, I will miss you." She said and kissed the coffin, saying goodbye to her daughter for the last time. Hope got up to speak and so did Caroline, but the last was Roman and he didn't have the best words for her. He was still upset over what Sami did to Carrie and just wasn't sure how to let go when his daughter wasn't there to hash it out, but John came up and made sure his words were not in vain.

"Sami Gene and I had a unique relationship. I loved her unconditionally and she hated the mere sight of me, but I was really hoping to change that before I died and I guess she beat me to it. I thought I was getting to her but I guess I should have tried harder. Guess she finally got the last word. Whatever any of you thinks I'm really going to miss her, she sure as hell made life interesting." He said and before he made it to his seat Ej came busting through the doors, headed for the front of the church. Marlena went to grab him but Belle stopped her.

I SEE A LOT OF THINGS THAT MAKE ME CRAZY

AND I GUESS I HELD ON TO YOU

I COULD OF RUN AWAY AND LEFT

WELL, MAYBE…

BUT IT WASN'T TIME WE BOTH KNEW

"He belongs here just as much as anyone else, more so for the fact Sami loved him." She said and John followed his daughter's eyes and returned to his pew.

"I know I am not welcome here by any of you but she would want me here. I don't care what she said to me at the end or how much she told me she hated me, she loved me and that is enough to deal with everything that you are putting me through now. I loved her more than anything and left to give her the space that she wanted and needed, but look at what it's done. I always drove her and if I was still here then this wouldn't have happened, I would be in here darling instead of you." He said as he put his hand over the coffin and stared at the cold mahogany.

"Darling I promise you, I will find out who did this to you and they will pay for it, you didn't deserve this. No matter what you've done in your past you don't deserve this. Your death will not be for nothing!" He said and went back to the front of the church, tears now brimming in his eyes. "Sorry to interrupt, but I had to be here for her. No matter what you think of me, she was the best thing to ever come into my life and I was too foolish to realize it then. But I do now and I will always treasure her. The memories we made will always be the best I ever had. I'm sorry for your loss." He said and headed out, heading to his car but breaking down before he ever got there. Belle had come out after him and found him in the garden, sitting on a bench trying his best to hold back the tears he knew were inevitable.

SO GOODBYE MY FRIEND

I KNOW I'LL NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN

BUT THE LOVE YOU GAVE ME THROUGH ALL THE YEARS

WILL TAKE AWAY THESE TEARS

"Ej, if you loved her so much, then why didn't you come back when she called?"

"What? She never called me, I called Mythic everyday to see if she left me a message and they always said she didn't. Tony told me she was seeing someone else…" Ej froze as he said it, only now realizing what was going on. "They never told me she called. Everyone kept telling me to forget her and to leave it alone, that she didn't love me anymore."

"Ej she came after you, the day you left the letter. The night you left, she went to the airport. She was coming after you but it was too late. She said she got there just as you were taking off and felt it was a sign that she waited too long, it was too late!"

ITS NOW…

GOODBYE MY FRIEND

"Belle it was never too late. All she had to do was call me and I would have came home to her. I would have dropped everything and my father knew it. He knew that I would have given everything up if she asked me too, there was no way I would pass up a chance at forgiveness from your sister. She was my everything."

"I guess it's too late. She died trying to find you."

"What do you mean?"

"That night, she was headed to the mansion, she said she was going to force Tony to tell her where you were, she was adamant that it would be the last night she spent alone. But, she never made it, she died before she ever got the chance." Belle said and then wished she wouldn't have, she could see the guilt building up in Ej and knew there was no stopping it now. He was a loss cause without Sami, without his moral compass helping him see the light, not the darkness of the Dimera Empire.

LIFE'S SO FRAGILE AND LOVE'S SO PURE

WE CAN'T HOLD ON BUT WE TRY

WE WATCH HOW QUICKLY IT DISAPPEARS

AND WE NEVER KNOW WHY

Ej left the service and headed to the mansion to confront Tony. He wanted to know the truth about why he never got Samantha's messages. He may have just said goodbye to Samantha, but he was not going to say goodbye without making his brother pay for what he did. On the trip he went to the pier and sat on the bench where they tangoed, unable to go home yet.

BUT I'M OK NOW

GOODBYE MY FRIEND

I CAN GO NOW

GOODBYE MY FRIEND

"Darling if I could I would switch places with you in a heartbeat and let you see that I never meant to hurt you. More then anything I just wanted to protect you, not let you see what I really was, what my family was. I'm just sorry I never got that chance. Goodbye my darling, goodbye my friend!" He said and threw a coin into the water, making a wish that he could change destiny and bring Samantha back to him.