Chapter 6

Jason ran down the stairs at the constant knocking wondering to himself since when his place had become Grand Central Station. It seemed like everyone in Port Charles had come to him lately with their problems, and most of them revolved around Brenda. He was a friend trying to protect her, not her babysitter, or more recently with her drama with Sonny, her relationship counselor. Opening the door, Jason was immediately tempted to slam it in the woman's face. "Suzanne." He practically growled out, annoyed with just merely her presence in his life.

"Jason. Is Brenda here?" She asked walking into the place as if she owned it holding what looked like a garment bag. "I'm here to drop this dress off to Brenda for the fundraiser tonight."

He could already feel the headache coming on. "I already told Brenda that we're not going to the party." Seeing her about to argue, Jason continued on louder to make sure that she heard him clearly. "It's too dangerous for her to go, the Balkan already tried to get her the last time she was in public and if I hadn't shown up, he would've succeeded. She stays here."

"NO!" Jason groaned out and turned to see the bane of his existence storm down the stairs heading straight for him. "Jason! It's a fundraiser and I need to be there, I'm supposed to be there, people are counting on me."

"You're not going!" He walked away, heading towards the kitchen, hoping to get away from her and try to regain some of his control that was slipping. He was tempted to slap the shit out of her but he needed to calm down. Where was Sam when he needed her? She always managed to calm him down with just a look, a touch, hell, just her presence did the trick. Just thinking about her made him feel better. Until….. Brenda grabbed his arm and jumped in front of him. "Jason! This fundraiser is to help exploited children, and they need to see me there, there will be so much press. If I'm not there… then it won't bring in the money that we are hoping for."

When he pulled his arm free from her grasp, she noticed his resolve weakening, following him around the couch she continued head strong. "Jason, I swear to you, I wouldn't go otherwise, but I need to be there, just think about how much money we won't raise if I'm not there."

This time Suzanne spoke up. "The press specifically asked for her, if she doesn't show up, then they will all pull out along with Cartulo and their many rich associates taking their pocket books with them. Just think of the children that we won't be saving. Do you really want that on your head?"

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Lucky walked along the docks preparing to become his alter ego, Ronan O'Rielly while waiting for one of Balkan's men to arrive. Since he joined Interpol, he has been thrown into one mess after another, going to Ireland to take Ronan's place, attacked by a man who wanted to kill him, meeting Siobhan who he wasn't sure if he trusted yet, and having being in constant contact with Balkan's men. He thought this mission was simple, not easy, just simple: infiltrate the Balkan's organization and bring him down. What he hadn't counted on: the Balkan was stuck on getting Brenda Barrett. That was something Lucky couldn't do. Not only was she under Jason's protection, but as a cop, how was he supposed to put Brenda into that kind of danger. He needed to find another way and he knew just the man to help him. If him and Jason can work together on this, they would be able to get to the Balkan and bring him in.

Hearing someone walk down the stairs, Lucky turned to see the man he was supposed to meet, Kale, the Balkan's favorite guard. "What took you so long?" Lucky spoke with the Irish accent.

"Never mind that. Did you find a way to get passed Morgan?" Kale's Russian tone hard and cold.

"No, it's not that easy. What does the Balkan want from the girl anyways?" Lucky was hoping to find out, the only thing he had been told was to kidnap Brenda, but not the reason why.

"That's non of our concern. There's an event at the Metro Court tonight, she should be there. I need you to create a distraction and get Morgan out of the way so that I can get to her."

Not liking this plan, but figured it was a way to talk to Jason to warn him, Lucky asked on. "How will I know when?"

"I'll be dressed as a waiter. Just make sure that Morgan is nowhere near her and when you distract him, I'll grab her and go out the kitchen entrance. Got it? The Balkan is getting impatient and it's never good to keep the man waiting." Kale finished and walked back the way he came.

Lucky stood for a moment to think of what to do next, it would be too late to wait to talk to Jason tonight, he would have to go over there now so that they could make a plan.

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Sam finally had been able to make it to Jason's a little after one in the afternoon. She was stuck in the office making sure that her and Aidan kept an eye on Lisa. She felt a pang in her heart for her friends. Robin was being stalked by Patrick's ex girlfriend who wanted to destroy her life and most likely kill her, and Aidan, whom she now considered a friend, was beside himself trying to protect his cousin. She felt bad leaving him at the office, but she couldn't wait to get to Jason so that they could make their plans for that evening. Everyone in Port Charles would be at the fundraiser, Spinelli would be with Maxie, Brenda with Sonny at his own place along with a billion guards, but her and Jason would be staying the night, alone, together…. Finally alone.

Unlocking the door with the key that Jason had given her, she walked in and smiled brightly at seeing Jason sitting on the couch. He immediately got up to greet her as she threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, I missed you so much…"

"I missed you too, but Sam…" He tried to talk but she silenced him a kiss. A deep tongue thrusting kiss that made him loose all train of thought, not being able to focus on anything but her mouth on his.

Pulling back, Sam didn't give him a chance to talk. "I can't wait for tonight, it'll just be me and you here alone. I thought that maybe we can go for a bike ride, I know it's a little chilly out but that's ok cuz we can just keep each other warm. And then we can come back and hang out, order some food and watch old black and white movies…"

"Sam…" He finally got his focus back when he was freed from her soul searing kiss.

"I know, I know you hate those movies, so ok we don't have to watch them, we can just hang out and be together and talk, or make love…." Sam was cut off by Brenda coming down the stairs.

"Jason! The tailor should be in here in ten minutes to get your tuxedo fitted right for the party tonight... Oh, sorry, didn't know you had company." Brenda looked up to find Sam standing there frozen, not really looking at her and not really looking at Jason, just staring off to the side. Brenda just hoped that she was alright.

Sam couldn't believe what she was hearing, couldn't comprehend the words. Since when the FUCK did Jason go to parties? She could tell by the silence and worry that was coming off in waves from Jason, the tension and anger rolled off her so much that she was practically choking in it. He was going to the party when just yesterday he had told her that they would be spending the night together. Now he was going to the party with Brenda. That didn't really make her mad, Sam was secure in her relationship and she knew how Jason felt about her and what he felt about Brenda. She also knew that Brenda was in love with Sonny and he returned those feelings. But what hurt the most, almost like a knife to the heart was that he didn't tell her. Backing away from him without really looking at his face, she pushed his arms away as they tried to reach for her, Sam kept her rage in check and her voice distant and emotionless as she spoke without lifting her head up. "You're going to the party with Brenda." It wasn't a question, it was a fact. When she heard him call her name, "Sam…" and reach out for her again, she immediately jerked out of reach. "Don't bother!" She sneered at him as she kept backing away. She won't run away like a coward, not anymore.

"Sam… wait!"

Sam ignored his calls as she made it to the door. Before she walked out, she heard Brenda's voice. "Listen Sam, Jason wasn't going, I made him go, it's for the children…. That's all, I swear."

Sam wasn't mad at her, wasn't threatened or intimated by her, Brenda was insignificant in this issue. As soon as Jason realized he was going to the party, he should've called her, he should've told her, he should've invited her along. But he chose to remain silent, chose not to make an issue about it. Did he really think that she would've fought with him over it? "Don't…" She didn't want to hear any more excuses, certainly not from Jason's ex wife. "I really hope everything works out for the party tonight." With that, she ignored Jason's calls as she heard him walk towards the door. Choosing to forgo taking the elevator and waiting for it while Jason was there with his many excuses, she ran down the stairs hoping that he wouldn't come after her. He wouldn't, Sam knew he wouldn't, he couldn't leave Brenda unprotected.

How could he not tell her? Did he really think that she was that insecure that she couldn't handle it? Maybe it wasn't that complicated, it never was with Jason. Maybe it was just plain and simple… stupidity. He wouldn't lie to her, not anymore, Brenda probably forced him to go knowing that Jason wouldn't let down the children that would benefit from tonight's earnings. She probably dropped it on him the last minute and he needed time to prepare the guards and the security. Choosing to accept that excuse instead of the one that said that she was so insignificant in his life that he forgot about her, Sam had only one goal in mind: She was going to the fundraiser and she needed a date, fast.

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How could he forget to tell her? Jason slapped his forehead as he paced up in his bedroom, back and forth, back and forth, he walked so much that he made a pathway in the carpet. He was honestly so preoccupied about getting security in place that he hadn't thought about calling her. Why? Would it have taken so long to make a quick 5 second phone call? He knew she would've understood, he knew that she wouldn't have care, she probably would've come along with them. Instead, he had hurt her, oh God, she probably thought that he didn't want her to go, when the truth was, HE didn't want to go. Picking up the phone, Jason knew that he was going to get her voice mail but decided to call her anyways, he would just leave her a message.

When her sweet voice recording came through the phone, Jason sank down on his bed and apologized. "Sam, baby, I'm so sorry, I swear to you I just found out like an hour ago that I was going. I was so looking forward to being alone with you, I didn't want to go, but she gave me the children sob story and… It doesn't matter. All that matters is you. I love you Sam, and I was going to tell you, I was going to call you, I swear baby, I just got so caught up in making sure the security measures were set up and the guards in place. Please Sam, I…. I would still love it if you can go, if you don't want to go with me than it's fine, I'll meet you there, as long as I get to see your beautiful face. I love you, please call me." He hung up, hoping that it was good enough.

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Sam had a habit of forgetting where she placed her phone, she was about to pick it up and call the office but as she searched her pockets for it, she realized that she must have misplaced it. Where the hell did I put it? Figuring she probably left it at the office, she would just go to pick it up, she was on her way over there anyways.

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Looking down at the voicemail alert that popped up on Sam's phone, Aidan just stared at it, not knowing what to do. He peaked over at Spinelli to make sure that he wasn't watching, satisfied that he had his privacy, Aidan touched the touch screen and it illuminated. On the front it said "Missed Call: Jason" and with a voicemail attached to it. He wanted to delete it, wanting to erase Jason's call and voice from her phone, but he was blocked, her phone needed a pass code. Silencing it was easy, but he couldn't get access to her calls or messages. What is her password? He had no idea, not even the tiniest clue what it could be. But before he could think about it further, the door to the office burst open, revealing the gorgeous woman that had consumed him. She was looking right at him, fire sparking from her dark brown eyes, but she held her place by the door with it wide open.

"Do you have a date to the fundraiser tonight?" Was all she asked him.

He was so caught off guard, half shocked by the question and half afraid that she caught him messing with her phone to try to delete her call from Morgan, that he just looked at her dumbstruck. Why was she asking HIM about going to a party? Opening his mouth, he couldn't make his voice work, so he shook his head no.

"Good! You'll be my date to the party." With that she left and closed the door.

He was still shocked at what happened and also baffled, again the same question that echoed in his mind: why would she be asking him? Shouldn't she be with Morgan? Before he could contemplate the answer, the door burst open again and Samantha came barreling towards him. Leaning over so that he could see a hint of cleavage down her shirt, she reached over and grabbed her phone that was right in front of him. "Pick me up at 7!" She said as she whirled out again. Waiting a second to see if she was going to come back in, Aidan stared at the door. When he realized that she wasn't coming back, he looked over at Spinelli with a huge grin on his face.

"Did the Goddess just ask Aidan PI on a date?" Spinelli said looking up at him with wide eyes.

Clearing his throat, Aidan finally found his voice. "It appears so." Grabbing his things, he ran out the door anxious to get ready for tonight.

"What about Stone Cold?" Spinelli asked himself just as the phone rang. It was Stone Cold. What was he supposed to say? Deciding to keep his mouth shut, he picked up and prayed. Oh for the love of cybergod…

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Stepping off the elevator and running towards the office of Crimson, Sam saw Maxie sitting behind her desk on a phone call. Sam impatiently waved her hands in the young girls face to hurry the phone call up, she tapped her foot for good measure. She was in dire need of a dress and she needed the perfect dress. Jason was taking Brenda, she was taking Aidan. She knew that she missed a call from him and probably a voice message but she wasn't ready to listen to it, she was tempted to hit delete but decided to give him the chance to explain himself, but he had to do it in person. She hadn't planned on going, she knew that Aidan was going to go to make sure that Lisa didn't try anything while Robin and Patrick were there. So actually it worked out for the best, Brenda would raise money for the children, Jason would protect her, and her and Aidan would protect Robin and look out for Lisa. She just hoped that Jason wouldn't be too mad, she was hoping that he would be so jealous that he would grab her, throw her over his shoulder, take her back home and punish her for hours, with a spanking. As soon as Maxie hung up, Sam bombarded her. "I need a dress for the fundraiser tonight, a sexy one, a really really sexy one."