Far Away

Disclaimer: I do not own Days of our Lives or any of their characters.

Far Away
Chapter 11

She reached out to push away from his touch, soft touches like that would be her undoing. She didn't deserve his kindness, she had taken those little things for granted for far too long. He reached for her hand the second she placed it on his chest to remove herself from him when he paused momentarily, turning her hand over to examine it more closely.

"Why are you still wearing our wedding rings?" he asked, not quite believing that she still had them on and even further mystifying him was the fact that she did not have that damnable necklace she had worn for months on end that had held the rings Lucas had given her.

She jerked her hand back, completely taken off balance by his question. Then she looked to his hand seeing he still wore his wedding band too. "I could ask you the same thing EJ. You are still wearing your wedding band, so what gives?"

"I asked you first," he countered sounding more like a schoolboy on a playground than a grown man who had the power to make her go weak in the knees whenever they kissed.

"I don't know," she answered honestly, sounding more confused than ever.

"Maybe we should take them off," he suggested even though it was the last thing he really wanted to do. He hadn't taken off his wedding band since the day Samantha had placed it on his finger the day they were married. "We could save them for Johnny to give to his fiancé one day. Hopefully he will have better luck than we had with them."

The look on her face when he suggested they remove their wedding rings broke his heart. She looked crestfallen and defeated, something he never wanted her to be especially because of something he said, but he had said it and there was no taking it back now.

She wouldn't cry she told herself as she reached to pull the wedding rings off from her ring finger on her left hand, "Here you go," she said as she tugged to get them off, but they wouldn't budge. "Damn it," she muttered under her breath, turning away from him struggling to take the rings off, but they held firmly in place.

"Samantha," EJ began and touched her shoulders only to have her shrug him off from her.

"Don't worry, I'll get them off," she took off in the direction of the bathroom, desperate to rid herself of them if EJ didn't want her to wear his rings anymore. She was such a fool to hope for something more from him.

"Samantha, come on I didn't mean it the way it sounded," EJ followed her into the bathroom where she was frantically applying soap to her finger trying to ease the rings off to no avail.

"I know exactly what you meant, don't try to make it all better now," Sami jerked again, but it was no use. She decided to turn on the water maybe that would help.

"Samantha, please stop it," EJ urged as she turned the water on full blast, pushing her hand under the stream only to have him try to remove her hand from under the faucet.

She had not anticipated him following her in there, she was already embarrassed and now he was making it worse and those damn rings weren't coming off no matter what she tried, frustrated she yanked her hand away causing the water to spurt out all over the both drenching them both completely with its spray.

"Now look at what you've done," Sami said no longer caring if he saw her crying or not, her hair and makeup were messed up, her shirt a wet sopping mess against her frame. So much for her resolve to be cool, calm and collected, she now was a complete and utter mess.

"I didn't mean to…" was all he got out before he was mesmerized by the sight of her. She was beautiful, wet, angry and upset, but beautiful all the same.

"You never mean to do you EJ?" she spat back out, wanting to hit him because she had such misplaced anger at herself that she didn't know what to do with it.

Her shirt was now completely transparent after the water had hit it, no disguising her white lacy bra that barely covered her breasts. EJ's shirt wasn't in much better condition, but at least he could rid himself of his whereas she was kind of at a loss for what to do next.

She shouldn't have worried because before she could think of what to do he pulled her to him, their gazes locked with one another and he pleaded, "Please quit fighting us, please Samantha I'm begging you."

Sami clutched his shoulders unable and unwilling to push him away, she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. Her heart soared with hope, he did still want her. He pressed his mouth against hers, and she opened up to him, responding with an urgency that surprised them both.

Far Away
Chapter 12

She moaned as her eyelids fluttered shut, one kiss lead to another as her grip on him tightened when he pressed her up against the wall. She could feel the flame of desire flicking up from deep within her as she reveled in the marvelous sensations of his kisses along with the feel of his hands roaming over her body.

Somehow she felt her shirt open up, the wet clingy material rolling off her body with more ease than she anticipated and dropping to the floor alongside EJ's shirt in which she had ripped more than a few buttons off of in the process of trying to get nearer to him, to feel his muscled torso underneath her hands.

She whimpered as she felt him lift her off from the floor, her body sliding up against the wall as her fingernails started a crazy zigzag pattern on his back. She instantly wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him closer as she felt his erection against the juncture of her pants, a barrier she desperately wished she was rid of at the moment.

So lost in the heated moment of passion, that she didn't immediately notice the slight hesitation from EJ until he stopped kissing her completely causing her to open her eyes to look into those eyes that displayed so many emotions. He carefully put her down away from him so that he could talk to her instead of letting their emotions get the best of them and they ended up doing something they both might regret later on.

"EJ, what is wrong?" Sami asked, carefully touching her hand to his face after she regained her balance even if she was still shaking from head to toe with unslaked lust for him. "I thought you wanted this, wanted us…"

"You deserve better than a bit of rough and tumble from me," EJ said in a quiet tone, one that didn't have the dark sensual quality she had heard from him when he requested for her to quit fighting against them.

She cast a confused look in his direction, "Rough and tumble?"

"Sorry, sometimes I forget you don't know all the idioms I use," he began to explain to her. "Rough and tumble is like taking advantage of you, just to use you for you know…"

"Sex?" she asked fully starting to realize that EJ thought more of her than just a quick coupling no matter how badly either one of them might want it to happen.

"Yes, I want more from you than that," EJ said softly, reaching out to her as he gently touched her face, tracing the outline of her profile from where he stood, "more than what you can apparently give to me."

She just needed to say the words, that she loved him, but it was so much easier to hide behind lies than the truth, it always had been that way for her ever since she was a teenager and old habits died hard. So she did what she did best, turn the situation around and lie her head off, "But of course you can take whatever you want from Nicole with no problem."

"Samantha, Nicole has nothing to do with this," EJ began as Sami cut him off before he could finish his sentence to her.

"Please I know all about you and Nicole. You were practically ready to screw her the night I came to Chez Rouge to pick you up before you would probably be arrested for public drunkenness."

"Samantha I can assure nothing is going on with Nicole and me," EJ ran a hand through his hair, frustrated that Samantha would think he would sleep with Nicole, but not with her. Couldn't she see that he wanted it to be real between them? He was trying to take the high road and Samantha just thought the worse instead, she always did when it came to him and his motives.

"Tell me another lie," Sami crossed her arms defensively not realizing it only made her look even more enticing to EJ since she was only wearing her bra, her top still discarded on the floor beside her feet. "I'm sure you jumped her bones as soon as you left the mansion. No wonder you didn't even have the decency to tell me and the twin's goodbye."

"Decency, that is rich coming from you, I'm betting as soon as you realized I had left that you ran to Lucas' room begging for him to make love to you."

"I did no such thing; I'm not sleeping with Lucas!"

"Now who is the bigger liar?" EJ asked rolling his eyes at her, no way was he going to believe that Sami and Lucas weren't back together now that he was out of the picture.

They looked at each other thinking the worst of one another while pointing their fingers at each other saying simultaneously, "You are!"

Far Away
Chapter 13

She shook her head at him; not believing he had the audacity to roll his eyes at her, when it came to lying EJ had the market cornered. She could give him a list of all the things he had lied to her about and she was ready to begin spouting them off one by one when he leaned down to pick up their shirts from the floor.

He held hers in his hand for a minute, almost as if debating on whether or not to give it back to her when she wrenched it away from his hand. "I don't even know why I came by here tonight. Obviously this was a mistake!"

"You're big on making mistakes, aren't you?" EJ asked not even bothering to put his shirt back on. What was the use? Most of the buttons were ripped off anyway. He threw the shirt back to the floor, ready to turn and walk away from her. She just didn't get it, he was crazy in love with her and she still couldn't see it or rather refused to see it.

She struggled to get back into her wet shirt, watching him begin to walk down the hall away from her, well he wasn't going to get in the last word, she was fast on his heels even though she had to hurry, his steps far outdistanced her by a long shot. Finally she caught up with him, grabbing for his arm to spin him around to face her, "What is that supposed to mean that I'm big on making mistakes?"

"Wasn't that what our night together was, one huge colossal mistake?"

"I never said that," she began to argue with him. "Where are you coming up with such a crazy idea?"

"Crazy idea, eh? Please Samantha, you couldn't get away from me fast enough as soon as Lucas came into the room. Why you practically left tread marks on the bedroom floor flying out after him," EJ recalled with a hint of bitterness laced in his tone.

"Lucas was hurt seeing us like that together…"

"So you think I wasn't hurt having to watch you chase after him like some lovesick puppy dog that night and for weeks on end afterward? I mean my god, we finally connected that night and then for you to…"

"I didn't know Lucas was coming back home," Sami said throwing up her hands in the air. "What did you expect me to do EJ? I couldn't be that callous toward Lucas, he didn't deserve to walk in and see us…"

"Maybe I expected for you to admit that night it was something beyond sex," EJ interrupted her before she could finish her sentence although he highly doubted she would have said they were making love. "In your mind you can treat me any old way you please. My feelings be damned because of course Lucas always comes first with you. I was just convenient for you, something to do while you were pining away for your one true love, the man who has belittled you and called you an outright whore for sleeping with me. Yes, I can see why you'd rather be with a man like that instead of me!"

"EJ, I didn't mean for you to think your feelings didn't matter," she said regretfully as she tried to place her hand back on his forearm, but he shook it off instantly not wanting her to touch him, it hurt too much to be close to her and not be able to show her how much he cared for her while she continually made allowances for Lucas.

"Funny, I seem to recall you saying sometimes a girl just wants to have fun. Wasn't it just a physical release for you? Sometimes sex is just sex isn't it?" EJ fired off a round of questions to her so quickly that it took her a moment to fully digest what he was saying.

He was using her words against her, twisting them up so they were barely recognizable to her or so she thought until she looked into his eyes, ones that looked so hurt and betrayed by her actions.

"EJ, it was more than sex," she began only to have him shake his head sadly at her.

"You've done nothing but avoid me ever since that night beyond coming to pick me up from Chez Rouge and if Nicole hadn't of been there with me you would have had someone else come pick me up," EJ started to turn away again then stopped himself. "Was it so terrible you couldn't even spare me a few minutes of your precious time alone? Was that why you tried so damn hard to go out of your way to be sure we wouldn't have to discuss what happened between us that night?"

"No, it was wonderful," Sami said quietly, looking down at the floor as if trying to memorize the exact number of tiles there were in the pattern of the flooring. She was afraid to look into his eyes while she made her admission to him.

"If it was so wonderful why can't you even look me in the eye?" He asked taking his fingers and brushing the side of her face while she continued to look downward.

She felt the tears come and wasn't surprised when her vision blurred and she saw one hit the floor, god she was so afraid if she started to cry she'd make a puddle on the floor with her tears. She didn't speak; the words were clogged in her throat which was already tightened when she started to cry.

He hated to see her cry, hated to be the one who made her cry, but damn it she had to face up to her feelings, one way or another she had to be honest with herself, and he knew deep down inside that he needed to be completely honest with her too.

He pulled her into his arms, as she cried her body shaking as he held her, "Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry."

She wrapped her arms around him, not wanting to let go, he was her lifeline, the one who pulled her into shore when the waves were rocky. She had missed him so much and it was comforting to have him hold her in his arms. She finally found her voice as she managed to look up at him with her tear streaked face, "Can we go somewhere EJ? I just can't go home without you. It's not home if you aren't there with me and the twins."

He never imagined she would utter those words, her admission making him think that they might end up having a chance together after all. "Let me get you something dry to wear and then we will go. I have a place in mind you might like to see."

"Okay," she nodded her head and brushed back the tears with her hand wondering exactly where EJ was going to take her. She knew one thing for certain she was ready to tell him the truth, all of it…

Far Away
Chapter 14

Luckily EJ had some clothes in the closet of his office, he kept a few things there in case he needed something else to wear to court because he never wanted to appear in front of a judge looking rumpled or unprepared. He took out two long sleeved shirts, handing Sami a light blue one and he another white one. She took the shirt, turned around shyly and buttoned it, and then rolled up the sleeves that were far too long for her arms. It literally hung on her petite frame until she unbuttoned a few of the bottom buttons and twisted the ends into a tight knot at her midsection.

EJ smiled watching her dress; Samantha was such a mix of contradictions that sometimes he had a difficult time keeping up with what she would do next. He had missed being around her this past week and apparently she had missed him too, badly enough to come to his work to talk to him.

Maybe all she had needed was some time to be apart from him, for her to see they really did belong together he mused to himself until he heard her clear her throat, "EJ aren't you going to get dressed?"

He shook his head, trying to get his attention back to the matter at hand, he had told her he wanted to take her some place and once again he'd was getting sidetracked hoping and praying they could have some kind of future together. "Yes, sorry I got a bit distracted." He didn't turn from her while he dressed and she didn't avert her eyes either watching him deftly fastened the row of buttons upon his shirt and then tuck it into his dress pants.

He looked around his office, there was still a massive amount of work needed to be done, but right now being with Samantha was the most important thing. He'd catch up later, coming back to the office after they returned thinking work had been his saving grace. He hadn't slept well ever since he had left the mansion anyway and he didn't dare tell her that he had used his office this past week when he had finally dropped off to restless bouts of sleep most times slumped over at his desk in the wee hours of the mornings only to awaken with his heart saddened wishing he was back home with her and the twins.

"Will we be long?" she asked, still with no real clue as to where EJ wanted to take her.

"I guess that depends on you and what you think of where we go," EJ replied cryptically.

"I'll call mom," Sami located her pocketbook and took out her cell phone, hitting speed dial to connect with her mother. She walked over to the far side of EJ's office as she spoke to her, asking her if she didn't mind watching them longer since she still wasn't finished with what she needed to take care of when she went out tonight. After a few minutes with her speaking softly on the phone, she ended the call and walked back over to him.

"Ready to go?" he asked when she returned to his side.

"Where are we going again?" Sami asked not being able to stand not knowing.

"I didn't say," EJ smiled opening the door for her as they left his office. She waited while he took out his key to lock the front door behind them.

"Mickey gave you a key to the building?"

"Guess he thought it would be better than having to come out here all hours of the night to lock up," EJ went to the passenger side of his sports car to open up the door for her.

Once again Sami was reminded of how well EJ treated her, he always opened doors for her making her feel special, she said thank you to him and settled into his car. She liked his car thinking it had been a while since they had ridden together in it. There wasn't much room for escape in his vehicle, they were in close quarters when he got in and shut the door.

"So your mum is looking after Allie and Johnny?" EJ asked after pulling out into traffic, glad it wasn't as congested on the road now with the evening wearing on, he didn't want to get aggravated driving and wanted to focus on being with Samantha instead. He had hoped Lucas wasn't with the twins. He knew he shouldn't feel that way especially since he was the one to move out of the mansion, but tonight he planned on being completely honest with Samantha about everything and he needed to be honest with himself also. He didn't want Lucas to be there for the children, he did and now he was going to make the next few hours count because his entire future was riding upon it.

"She is," Sami answered, looking over at EJ sensing he wanted to say more to her, but he was being very contemplative tonight.

"I've missed them terribly," EJ said softly, not taking his eyes off the road, it wouldn't be good to reveal how badly he missed them all, until he was able to show Samantha what he was thinking about doing for the children.

"They have missed you too," Sami said wanting to add that she had missed him also, but she refrained from saying so.

"Are they the only ones who have missed me?" He knew he was fishing, but he wanted to know if Samantha had missed him half as badly as he had missed her.

"I don't think Lucas has missed you," she said trying to lighten the mood, she didn't want to confess that she hadn't been able to think of much else besides him ever since he had taken his things and left the mansion.

EJ laughed, she was good he had to give her that concessions dodging his questions with relative ease, "Well for the record, I haven't missed him one iota either."

"Rolf is upset, no one appreciates his homemade scones the way you do," Sami said recalling how much Rolf would go out of his way not to cook anything Lucas had requested even though he would still make EJ's favorites as if trying to aggravate Lucas.

"He does cook well," EJ remarked, "although I never would have guessed it seeing as how Rolf was such a different person when Stefano was around."

"Lots of people are different when Stefano is around," Sami said instantly wishing she could take it back when she saw EJ's features harden after she spoke it aloud.

"I guess you are inferring that I was different too when Father was around," EJ didn't want to argue with her, not again, but Samantha had to know he had turned his life around completely just for her and the children. He wasn't the same man who had come into Salem on a mission from his father. She had made him want to have a different life, now only if he could convince her to share her life with him it would be perfect.

She reached over to place a hand on his thigh, "EJ I know even if Stefano comes back, that won't change you or your feelings for the twins."

EJ slowed down the car, they were almost there as he entered into the nice subdivision, and he didn't speak until he reached the house and parked the car in the driveway. Then he said quietly, "It won't change my feelings for you either."

She felt a weird sense of déjà vu when he parked the car. She knew for sure she had been to this place before when she saw the house in the fading light of the day. What exactly they were doing here? She would ask him later though; right now she needed to know something else that was much more important. "What do you feel for me EJ?" she asked hoping he still loved her as much as before when she had taken him and his feelings for granted.

"Do you even have to ask?" He reached out to touch her face, staring at her with those amazing eyes of his, the ones she wanted to get lost in for the rest of her life. "Honestly I'd rather like to hear what you feel for me, I need to know Samantha."

She looked at him, hoping the words would form, she wanted to do this right for once in her life, but she was still scared to death to say the words that she had wanted to tell him for such a long time. It seemed like the longer she had put it off the harder it was to get them out.

He could see her struggling with herself, why did she make this so damned hard? All she had to do was say the words and he'd be there with her forever until he took his last breath on earth. He wanted to reach out and kiss her to reassure her it was all right, that she could tell him how she felt, he was scared too, these feelings he had for her had been growing with each passing day since he had first met her.

"Let's go inside," he suggested giving her a slight reprieve, somehow knowing once he showed her his vision for what he wanted in life with her and the twins that somehow, someway she would finally be able to tell him something. The not knowing was tearing him apart and he needed to know once and for all if they would have a future together or not.

Far Away
Chapter 15

Sami was surprised when EJ got out of the car and went around to her door to let her out also, she had expected him to push her to answer him, but instead he wanted her to see the house. It had been ages since the last time they had been here, almost two years ago according to her calculations.

So much had happened to them since that time, good and bad things, and the memories of them all starting crashing around her of their own volition. EJ was tied up into them all, sometimes the end result not being too good other times their moments together were things she kept close within her heart taking them out to examine when she was alone. She had thought a lot the past week, thinking of what her life might turn out to be like without EJ in the picture and it really wasn't something that made her happy with his absence.

He led her into the darkened house after reaching into his pocket to retrieve a key, a solitary one on a realtor's keychain.

"Why do you have a key to this house?" Sami asked thinking of how the last time they had happened upon it in a rainstorm and luckily it had been open.

"Well it's quite a funny thing actually," EJ began to explain. "I've been looking for a house to buy seeing as how staying at the mansion was no longer an option for me and after subletting my apartment to Steve and Kayla I knew I had to find something to live in and somehow staying at the Salem Inn held no appeal for me. I told Mickey of my dilemma and he called one of his friends in real estate and this house was among the first lot of one's she showed to me after I described what I was looking to buy."

"You're going to buy a house?" Sami asked longing to put in without me, but not being able to add that into her question without wanting to break down in tears again.

"I need something for when the twins come to visit," EJ explained, walking over in the darkened room and finding a candle to light. "Sorry the power isn't turned on. The owners haven't lived here in quite some time and their daughter is selling the house."

"I guess they haven't been here for at least two years or so huh?" she asked knowing he would remember them dancing here together while they waited out the thunderstorm and sudden downpour that fateful day so long ago.

"More like three I think that is what the realtor relayed to me," EJ supplied, bringing the candle closer to them, the shadows all around them as the light shined upon their faces from the glow of the candle.

"Did you ever find out their story?" she asked, curious even now over who might have lived here and what memories the house held within its walls.

"You know me, I had to know," EJ shrugged his shoulders and lead Sami over to the bay window, the light from the moon beginning to shine into the window as he encouraged her to sit with him on the floor, opting not to uncover the sofa from the white sheet that lay upon it.

"Are you going to tell me or not?" He knew how to hold back just enough information to make her want to know more, it made her want to pull him into a kiss even though she refrained herself from that impulsive action.

"I don't know," EJ replied, liking to tease her, they needed some laughter, there had been too much of the tears and recriminations between them ever since Lucas had come back into the picture. "I might need some kind of incentive."

"Such as?" she asked, thinking back to the last time they were here, EJ had been her best friend and suddenly it made her miss that aspect of their relationship as badly as being away from him. She hadn't only missed him being her husband; she missed him not being her best friend. Then again, maybe she had been holding back from restoring their friendship to the level that it used to be so she wouldn't get hurt.

"I could think of a few things I would like," he scooted up closer to her, but not close enough for them to kiss. "I guess I'll bide my time and see how things go."

"So you'll tell me anyway?" she was relentless in abating her curiosity if nothing else.

"Yes, but you owe me one," EJ said enjoying them just talking to one another. He liked talking to her, anything was better than them being apart. He didn't know if he could take it if she wanted to keep things as they were with them starting to build separate lives away from one another.

"We'll see about that," she gave him a look that suggested he would not have the upper hand with her and then started to laugh.

"I like to hear you laugh," EJ commented when she moved in closer to him this time, so close that she could lean on him and he took one arm and wrapped it around her waist while he sat against the draped couch.

"I like hearing you laugh too," Sami admitted with a sigh, "although we haven't had too much to laugh about lately."

"We could change all that, if you wanted to," EJ said wistfully, hoping she wanted to be here with him, they could have such a wonderful life together if she would only allow him into her heart.

"EJ are you going to buy this house?" She managed to change the subject while getting up the courage to ask him thinking how unfair fate would be to allow him to live here without her.

"I was thinking about it," he started to pull at wisps of her hair one piece at a time, wanting her hair down, she was so beautiful sitting here with him in the floor with the moonlight spilling into the house. He could imagine them spending their days and nights in this house. Surely it was meant to be that they live here together. Why else would the house still be empty unless it was waiting for the right family to come into it and fill it with the love it had seen in days gone by?

"You'd live here without me?" she asked in a voice that was so foreign from the tone she usually used with him, this one was almost like a little girl whose heart was on the verge of being broken.

"I have to have a place for the kids to come visit," he answered wishing he could say that no, he had no intentions of buying the house without her, but she had to want to be here with him, he couldn't force her into something she wasn't ready to do. He wouldn't ever again put her in a position where she felt like she had no choice. He was tired of playing games with her even if the thoughts of starting a new life without her broke his heart.

She was quiet for a few minutes after he spoke this last time, thinking to herself did she really want to be away from him anymore or was she ready to reveal her true heart to him? She felt him running his fingers through her hair, she loved it when he did that and thoughts of never being able to just sit and be with him like this was not a prospect she wanted to face in the years to come.

Slowly she turned around to face him, wanting to see his face when she told him what she had been keeping inside for so long and hoping she wasn't too late. She started to tell him she loved him, but then she blurted out instead. "EJ, please don't buy this house."