AN: Oh I forgot to mention in the first chapter, Jax isn't in Africa, and I'm really sorry if the movement and everything other than the dialogue is wrong, I just tuned into GH at the epidemic and the website I get the transcripts from only does the dialogue so I'm shooting blind here, give me a break, just a tiny one, other than that criticize away.

My Vietnam
Chapter 6

Sam looked up and said aloud, "What the hell?" She stood up and walked back to Alexis's."Sam!" Yelled Kristina smiling, Sam smiled back at her and then bent down to her mother who was sitting at a table with her children and Ric and said, "Can I talk to you for a minute please?"

Alexis nodded smiling, "Of course."

Sam brought her away from Molly and Ric and said, "Why did you lie to me?"

Alexis looked surprised and asked, "You remember?"

Sam shrugged, "A bit, I remember being in a jail and faking suicide to get out, how did that happen exactly?"

Alexis decided to cover instead of the truth, "You ran away from home after your father and I had a fight. The police found you and held you, or tried to hold you, until we came down but you escaped"

"You and Ric had a fight? What about?"

"Ric is your stepfather, remember I told you about how we found each other again?"

Sam thought back then nodded, "Yeah, I do."

Alexis smiled, "But that was a long time ago. Listen, we're all playing cards, would you like to join us?"

Kristina looked up, "Come on Sam!"

Sam shrugged, "Alright, what can it hurt." She took her seat next to Kristina and Ric and picked up her cards.

She started playing and ended up winning, she smiled but Ric, being Ric, was a sore loser and said, "Come on Sam, how did you win?"

"Listen, I know you were in the lead but I won, get over it." She explained and turned to go.

Ric continued, "You must have cheated."
Sam turned to respond but instead grabbed her head and winced as another old memory erupted:

Sam laughed and reached for the pile of money, "Come to mama!"
The man she was playing with stopped her after she stood up by grabbing her arm, "Not so fast. You know how to cheat. Let's see what else you know."
Sam shrugged, " See, don't gamble if you can't afford to lose."
Jax walked up to the two, " Let the lady go."

Sam looked around wildly, barely aware that she had been moved over to sit on the couch when the memory continued:

The man looked at him, "Or what?"
Jax shrugged, " Or I will have to intervene."
The man moved to hit him, " Well, intervene this!"
Jax got there first, then to Sam, "You ok?"
Sam looked at him angrily, "What the hell do you think you're doing? That game was just getting good."
Jax looked surprised, " My apologies, but I assumed you needed help."
Sam shrugged, "Big mistake to assume anything where I'm concerned."

Sam took in a breath and tried to catch it as someone handed her a drink of water. She took it slowly and looked around trying to remember the face, "Jax." She said softly.

"Who?" Asked Alexis.

Sam looked up and shook her head, "I've got to go." She stood up and ran out before anyone could stop her.

Sam ended up at Kelly's and fell onto her knees trying to catch her breath as the pounding in her head started to subside, then it flamed up again and she winced before she heard, "Sam?" She looked up and saw the man from her memory, Jax.

Sam stopped Jax from leaving, "But if you're interested in a game of five-card draw –"
Jax interrupted, "I don't play with strangers."
Sam held out her hand, "I'm sam."
Jax took it, " Is that short for "samantha"?"
"Just sam."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, "just sam." I'm jax. Let's play."

Sam watched him as he helped her up and watched as his lips moved but nothing came out.

Sam thought, "Let's keep it interesting. Double or nothing."
Jax shrugged, "I already have your boat. What else do you have?"
Sam thought quickly again, "Something better. I want you to cut the deck. High card wins. If
that's me, I get my boat back."
Jax seemed interested, "What if I get the high card?"
"You get me all night long."

Sam looked up and tried to play it off and said, "What? I'm sorry I have this terrible headache, what were you saying?"

"Are you alright?" He repeated.

Sam nodded slowly, "Yes, um, how would you like to sit and chat with me for a bit."

Jax thought then nodded, "Sure why not." Sam smiled a bit as they walked inside.

They sat at a table and Sam ordered a coffee and Mike said, "As always, but how would you like that?"

Sam shrugged not knowing what she liked, "The usual."

Mike smiled, "You always take it differently."

Sam thought then said, "Oh…right. You know I think I'll just have a Pepsi instead." Mike laughed then walked away.

Jax looked at her then asked, "Okay Sam, what's going on?"

Sam looked surprised then asked, "What do you mean?"

" 'What do I mean?' I mean that you're acting strangely, you never turn coffee down."

Sam shrugged, "I just need a little bit of caffeine, not too much."

Jax nodded then asked, "How are you?"

Sam looked up and thanked Mike as he brought her the Pepsi she ordered then said to Jax, "I actually got into a car accident a few days ago."

"Was it bad, I mean you seem alright."

Sam nodded, "Yeah, just some things from my past are a bit blurry, I got hit against the window pretty hard, can you just clear up some things for me?"

Jax nodded, "Sure, yeah, of course."

Sam cleared her throat, "Well um, when we first met, it was over you trying to help me right?"

Jax laughed, "Oh yeah, it didn't really work out for me though, as I remember you chewed me out for it."

Sam nodded smiling, "Yeah, and after, I bet my boat-"

"The Lazarus, a piece of junk."

"Right, and I lost so you got it and then I bet me so…what happened again?" She asked and saw him go a bit red as a small memory flashed through her head and she winced:

Jax looked at his card, "Beatable. How lucky do you feel?"
Sam smirked, "You talk too much."
Jax watched as she cut the deck then saw she had the lower car, "I'm at the plaza, room 243.
Unless, of course, there's something else you'd like to wager?"
Sam sighed, "A bet's a bet. I'll be there."

Sam looked at him and said, "Pig."

Jax looked very shocked and very confused, "What?"

Sam snapped out of it, "That's what I thought about you when you won."

Jax laughed, "Yeah, it was a while ago, and if you remember I didn't do anything anyway."

Sam nodded, "Right, right." She looked away and winced remembering what happened afterwards:

Sam sighed, "All right, what do you want to know?"
Jax shrugged, " Well, for starters, where are you from?"
"All over. Next question."
"Ok. Family -- you have any family? A husband?"
"No, I'm a free agent."
Jax smirked, "Not much for company, huh?"
"Listen, the only opinion I respect is my own. And now that you've heard my autobiography, are we going to do this or what?"

Sam looked up when she heard her name, "What?"

Jax looked at her concerned, "That's the second time today that this has happened, I'm taking you back to your home." Sam nodded tiredly and let Jax lead her out of the restaurant and into his car. He drove her to 'her' home and looked at the clock and saw it was pretty late. He looked over and saw Sam was asleep and turned back to the road shaking his head and muttered, "Women."

Meanwhile, as Sam slept, she dreamt:

Sam sighed, "Come on, is there a problem?"
Jax shook his head, "You don't want to do this."
"What? A deal's a deal."
"Well, you know what? Actually, this isn't the prize that I had in mind."
Sam shrugged, "Come on, what do you want me to say? I need my boat back."
Jax nodded, "We keep coming back to that."
Sam sighed, "Come on, it's how I make my living. The lazarus has a rudder that sticks and an engine that's held together with fish line and bubblegum. But you know what? It's gotten me from where I was to where I am, and it'll take me wherever the hell I need to go next."
Jax handed her the keys, "She's all yours."

Sam tossed in her sleep as another memory flashed before her eyes of her talking to Jax:

"Great. Then you can listen to me while I say something for the last time. I was wrong to deliberately delay you from getting the cards to your father. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sry, I'm sorry. That's probably what it's going to read on my gravestone -- "here lies sam, still sorry." But my remorse doesn't mean I'm going to stand by and let some snake profit from the dead man's hand."

Jax looked over at her when he heard her mumble, 'dead man's hand' and thought back and sighed thinking of how his father had died.

Jax shrugged, "I understand tracy. She is greedy and treacherous and a vindictive snob. But at least she doesn't pretend to be otherwise."
Sam nodded as Jax turned away, "Uh-huh, oh. I get it -- unlike me, right?"
Jax turned back to her, "That's right. Yeah, see, tracy I can respect on some level, while you, on the other hand, were the biggest mistake I ever made."
Sam shook her head, "The mistake was mine. I let sympathy for you distract me from my goal. I want the cards, I intend to get them. If that means wrecking you and Tracy in the meantime, so be it."

Jax turned into the driveway of the penthouses as Sam's eye furrowed together in sleep:

Sam walked into Sonny's penthouse, "Mr. Corinthos? I'm Sam McCall."
Sonny shrugged, "Ok. That supposed to mean something to me?
"Not yet. But I think we can do business."

Sam's eyes snapped open as Jax turned the engine off and she turned to look at where they were confused and Jax said, "Well here we are, I'm sure Jason will take care of you."