Chapter 18
Lucky still couldn't believe it, he just couldn't wrap his mind around Sam being gone, and not gone like she moved away or went on vacation and in a couple of weeks he would see her again, no, she was gone for good, a place where he wouldn't be able to follow, well not now anyway, it wasn't his time. Reaching the front doors of Wyndemere, a thought suddenly froze his hand from reaching the door knob: he will never see her again. He swallowed thickly at the lump in his throat and held back the tears that were misting his eyes. He will never see her again. Never see her around town, never see her at Kelly's and tell her all about Cam and Jakes latest antics, never see her smile, laugh…. He wiped the lone tear that escaped, he was never going to talk to her again, his friend. He had loved her once, thought that she was his second chance at love from being so bad hurt from Elizabeth's lies and betrayal. He thought he found someone that finally understood him, finally understood the man that he was and accepted him despite all his mistakes and faults. She accepted him without question and instead of accepting the woman that she was, the fighter that she was, the adrenaline junkie, the PI, he broke up with her and went back to the woman that cheated on him with his own brother. That was the best quality that Sam had, she would never cheat, loyal to a fault and would have your back no matter what.
After their breakup, they had remained friends, there were no hard feelings, no sense of betrayal or hurt, guess that showed you just how little their relationship had actually meant. He had accepted her going back to Jason, told her to make sure she knew what she was doing and to be careful. Pausing, he took a breath to release the painful knot that suddenly gripped his heart, wiped the moisture from his face, and closed his eyes. He missed her already, God only knows what Alexis and her sisters will feel when Sonny tells them. Nikolas had just flown back from Greece this morning, after spending hours this morning going over the events of the other night and to assure him that Jason had paid to cover any damages done to his study, Lucky had left to meet up with Jason. And now, opening the door to Wyndemere, Lucky had to go into the dark mansion and tell his brother that his cousin was….. gone.
Nikolas was sitting at his desk on the phone with a manager from one of his international companies situated in Greece. Having lived there, he spoke the language fluently and would often visit whenever he had the chance. Spencer had enjoyed their vacation and was sad to see that it had to end, having arrived back to Port Charles that morning, he was thankful that he had mentioned missing his horses where he was with Winnifred now in the stables. He was a bit surprised to see his brother again, after their chat earlier about the recent events, no matter what, it was always welcome. He held up his finger signaling to his brother that he would be just another moment, without actually getting a good look at him. After hanging up, he stood from his chair and walked around the desk to properly greet his brother, their relationship was still strained from his affair with Lucky's fiancé, but he hoped beyond hope that one day they would get passed it all. Suddenly stopping short, Nikolas took a really good look at Lucky and suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, his eyes were red with a gleam of moisture and looked sad, his shoulders hunched over, his posture stiff as if he was controlling himself, something was wrong. "Lucky? What happened?"
Lucky wasn't sure where to begin or how to even start. Over the years, since finding out that Sam was a Cassadine, her and Nikolas both worked hard to build a relationship between them. It was strained for a while but they picked up right away and built a strong bond, they are…. no, were cousins, family. "Uhm…" Lucky had to clear his throat as he tried to hold back his emotions, it was still all too fresh. "Th… there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?" Nikolas demanded, the look in Lucky's eyes was only adding to his heightened state of panic. "Is it the boys? Alexis? What happened?"
"You might want to sit down…."
"I don't need to sit! Just tell me what the hell happened?" He was losing patience and he hoped that Lucky would just stop beating around the bush and tell him already. "Lucky!"
Deciding to just go for it since he couldn't think of a better way, Lucky started. "It's Sam, she's… uh… she's gone."
For a second, Nikolas was relieved to hear that it wasn't about something bad happening to his nephews but then his forehead creased as confusion took over. This was about Sam. What did he mean that she was gone? "Where did she go? Did she say when she was coming back, because this doesn't sound like her, she wouldn't just leave her mom and her sisters?"
"She's not coming back…"
It came out as a whisper but Nikolas heard it, rage suddenly set in. "Did Jason do something to make her leave? What the hell did he do?!"
Wiping his face with his shaking hands, Lucky realized he wasn't doing this right. It was time to change tactics, to be more direct but he couldn't say the words, he still couldn't believe it. He cleared his voice and spoke louder. "There was an accident." He started with that and wait for that small bit of info settle into his brother's face. As he saw Nikolas' eyes widen at the news, he continued. "There was a plane crash, and… and Sam was on it." He paused for a moment at seeing Nikolas stumble back and grab the end of the bar edge. "It blew up right after takeoff…"
"No." Nikolas shook his head, refusing to believe that another person he loved was taken from him. How much more could he take? "No. You're wrong." Seeing Lucky's devastated form, Nikolas couldn't do anything but accept what he was hearing was true. Tears clouded his dark brown eyes, his breathing short as his lungs seized and his heart ached. "How can she be gone? Oh God, what about Alexis? Molly? Kristina? Do they know?"
Lucky shook his head. "Sonny is telling them now…."
"Sonny?" Nikolas' voice hardened at the name. "What the hell does Sonny have to do with this? Wait…" He held up his hand, straightening out his posture and eyes hard. "Are telling me that this was some kind of mob hit? One of Sonny and Jason's enemies?" He demanded answers.
"Not exactly…." Lucky started, wanting to explain at seeing the anger in the other man's eyes.
"What do you mean 'not exactly'?" At Lucky's pause, Nikolas blew up. "Just tell me the whole story! NOW!"
Taking a deep breath, Lucky went on and explained the situation, having already informed him about the recent events leading up to the chase at Wyndemere, he picked up when Sam found Jason and Brenda drugged. He didn't know all of the facts, Jason only told him what he needed to know, and now he was explaining the same to Nikolas. He told him about Aidan kidnapping Sam, about how he was working for the Balkan now, how he showed up with Sam bound to exchange her for Brenda. "….Sonny grabbed Brenda too soon, Sam wasn't even that far, so the Balkan yelled for his men to grab her. We tried to get to her, but his men opened fire and we were right in the middle of an all out war. Jason broke free and made a run for her but some guy grabbed her from behind and carried her onto the plane. It took off and it… it blew up." Lucky took a deep breath, kicking himself internally, wishing there was something else they could've done. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
"Where is she now? Where…" Nikolas took a deep breath, having a hard time getting this out. "Where is her… body?"
"It's at the hospital morgue. They're preparing her, she was… 90% of her body was burned. I'm sorry." Seeing Nikolas stand up and head for the door, Lucky immediately followed. "Where are you going, they're not going to let you see her body that way."
"I'm not going to the hospital. I'm going to my aunt's." He turned back and glared at Lucky, hatred burning in his heart, fire reaching inferno in his eyes. "I'll be DAMNED if I let Sonny anywhere near my family again!"
******************************************
Walking up to the lake house, Sonny was feeling a mixture of emotions. After leaving the airstrip, he had his men drop Brenda off at his house so that he could tell his old friend that she lost her oldest daughter. Having known both Sam and Alexis, even intimately at one time, and having fathered children with both, he was constant orbit in their lives. He knew that their relationship was almost nonexistent when they first met, knew they were forcing their mother and daughter connection, and he knew when they jumped over the hurdle and actually became a real family. Alexis loved Sam, not at first, but now you wouldn't be able to mistake the gleam and pride shining in her eyes at her eldest. Her sisters looked up to her, loved her and considered her a role model, Molly wanted to become a PI just like her big sister, and Kristina, his daughter always looked to Sam as if she hung the moon and stars. Even though Sam tried to steer Kristina in a different direction, his daughter wanted to be just like her. Sam was everything to them and now he had to tell them that they lost her, lost her because he jumped the gun.
He felt relieved that Brenda was safe, but the pain and guilt was eating at him at what that cost them. Alexis lost her daughter, Molly and Kristina lost their sister, Jason lost the love of his life and he lost a friend. His next thought just added to the heartache he was already feeling, in Heaven, Sam is finally holding the baby girl that they had lost. "Please forgive me Lila." He whispered out, choking back the pain. Knocking on the lake house, he took a deep breath to compose himself. He owed it to Alexis to tell her what happened, she was the mother of his child. As she opened the door and greeted him with a confused but sincere smile, he stepped in. "Hi."
"Hi Sonny." She looked towards the back rooms where her daughters were currently getting ready for bed, she was a little confused at the timing of his visit. Glancing back to him, for some unexplained reason Alexis dreaded what he was going to say. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Where are the girls?" He questioned not wanting Molly and Kristina to hear the news of their big sister from him, he would let Alexis handle that one.
"In their rooms." She was short, seeing him acting weird was making her nervous. "Why? For God's sake Sonny just tell me. What is it? Is it Sam?" She heard the high pitch in her voice at the mention of something happening to her oldest daughter. For some reason, and Alexis had no idea why, but danger was always attracted to Sam.
He was never the type to prolong the inevitable, he was always rip-the-band-aid-off-fast kind of guy, but seeing his friend in front of him with worried eyes gave him a moment's pause, he could already hear the hysteria in her voice and he hadn't even told her anything yet, Alexis was extremely protective of her babies, all three of them. "There was an explosion…" He started but immediately regretted the words, that was how her sister Kristina died all those years ago in Alcazar's warehouse. He could see her face suddenly pale as she looked at him wide eyed, taking steps back, stumbling over her own feet as her legs hit the end of the couch, her hand flew to her chest as if her heart was suddenly in pain. "She was kidnapped by the Balkan, they forced her into their plane and when it took off, it exploded. I'm sorry Alexis…."
No, no, no, no, no, this couldn't be happening, this couldn't be happening, not her daughter, not her eldest daughter, the one that she never got to see grow up, the one that she gave up for adoption, she missed her birthdays, missed her childhood, not her, not her daughter. "NO! NO! There's been some mistake… NO Sonny!" Her hands flew to her throat as if she couldn't breathe, her throat closed up on her, her lungs ceased to function, her heart was on the verge of exploding, not one of her daughters, the tears ran down unstoppable. "OH…. OH…. NOOO! Please…. Sonny…. Oh God, I can't breathe, I can't breathe…"
She was in the midst of panic attack and hyperventilating. Reaching to her side, he pulled her to sit on the couch and forced her to put her head between her legs. She looked like she was about to pass out and he had to do something to help her. "MOM!" He turned to hear Molly and Kristina run from their rooms, no doubt hearing their mother's sobs, and made their way over to their mother. "Uncle Sonny? What happened?" He didn't want to be the one to tell them about Sam but Alexis was in no shape to tell them. He held on to his friend tighter as she sobbed and struggled to breathe. "Dad?" Hearing Kristina's voice broke his heart, his eyes misting with unshed tears. He would shed them later, when he was alone, he would cry for what his friends and family had lost, Sam. "Listen girls, there's been an accident…"
"What accident?" "Who was hurt?" Both girls asked but as Sonny looked at Molly's wide eyes, he knew that she put the pieces together. Her soft innocent voice broke him more. "Is it Sam? Its Sam isn't? Isn't Uncle Sonny?"
Sniffing away the moisture, he looked at both of them and nodded. "I'm sorry girls…. Sam…. Sam…. she's gone…." Hearing their sobs and shouts of protest destroyed the man that he had become, he was no longer the strong mob boss, he was a weak man that let this happen, he can justify it all he wanted but he jumped the gun and ruined their plan, if he had only trusted Jason….. He let Alexis go as both girls wrapped their small bodies around their mother for comfort, all three strong beautiful woman were now vulnerable and utterly destroyed. Hearing the door slam open, Sonny jumped to his feet to confront the intruder, but when he looked into the eyes of Nikolas Cassadine, he held his ground. With the look on the younger man's face, Sonny knew that Lucky had already told him. Stepping forward, Sonny wanted to offer his condolences. "Nikolas, I'm really sorry….."
"Save it!" Nikolas gritted his teeth, seeing his family on the couch was breaking his heart but he was the man of the family and he had to be strong for them, for Sam. "You don't think I know why you're really here? You don't think I know that you wanted to be the one to tell Alexis and spin the story the way you see fit. You didn't want to tell her what I'm sure you conveniently left out." He stepped passed Sonny, making sure to bump his shoulder on the way to his aunt.
Stumbling a bit, Sonny made his way towards the door where Lucky was standing, almost as if on guard, looking at him with hatred. No doubt, Lucky told Nikolas that this was his fault. In a way it was, but could they really put all the blame on him for protecting Brenda? "Nikolas, look your hurt, but now's not the time…."
"FUCK YOU!" All that breeding and manners that he had growing up were suddenly thrown out the window. Hearing the three gasps behind him, he knew that they were shocked. "How could you do it? How the fuck could you show your face here again after what you did?!"
Alexis wasn't sure what was going on but she KNEW she wouldn't be able to take any more pain. She gently pushed her girls to hold on to one another. Her heart was shattering at hearing her daughter's cries as they sobbed in each other's arms, she could feel their loss but her heart was telling her differently. She loved all her daughters, Sam was the oldest and so she didn't need the nurturing attention she gave to the youngest two, but something was off, her heart was telling her that this wasn't real. She had a special place for each one of her girl's in her heart, and Sam's was still full. She made her way to her nephew whom was a second from lunging for the older man. "What are you talking about Nikolas?" She demanded as she furiously wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to compose herself.
"It was his fault! They had her, they almost had her. The Balkan wanted to switch Sam for Brenda, but they came up with a plan to save them both, we almost had her back but this BASTARD ruined it. It's all his fault!"
"Nikolas…" Sonny wanted to put a stop to his tirade before his daughter could hear, but seeing the sudden jerk of her head towards him, Sonny knew it was all over. He could see the pain in her eyes and it broke him.
"Is this true dad? Did you ruin their chances of saving Sam, of saving my… my sister?" Kristina tried to get the words out but they came out mumbled and hiccupped. She tried to wipe the tears away but they kept coming. Sam would've wanted her to be strong, strong for Molly. Seeing her father solemnly nod, gave her the strength to fight. "HOW COULD YOU? Sam was our sister….. I HATE YOU AND I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN!" Grabbing Molly, she pulled her sister to their mother's bedroom, collapsing on the bed, they held on to each other as they mourned their older sister's death.
Nikolas could see the man in front of him was in pain but he didn't give a damn. "It's like I always said, you kill all living things around you, everything you touch, you destroy. So get the fuck out of my aunt's house and if I see you here ever again, I will kill you."
Seeing Sonny slumped and retreating form, Alexis had her own words. Beware the Cassadine. "Sonny, wait…." She walked up to him, taking a look at his somber face, reared her arm back as far as it went and let it fly, punching Sonny and sending him staggering back. "I will destroy you!" She said through clenched teeth. "You've already taken away my sister and now... my…. my daughter." Taking a deep breath and flipping her hair out of her eyes, she looked dead on. "Until my last breath, I will make sure that you never see your daughter ever again. Now get the hell out of my house!" She didn't breathe, it seemed like, until she heard the door close behind Sonny and Lucky. Reaching out, she grabbed a hold of Nikolas' hand and led him to her girls. This was the last of their little family and they would hold to each other for dear life. Tomorrow she would figure out why she can still feel Sam's heart beating in her own.
