Chapter EIGHT

EJ did up the buttons on his double breasted suit and his hands went to his tie, straightening it even though it didn't need. He glanced at his watch and then leant back on the edge of his desk, folding his arms in front of himself as he kept his unblinking gaze on the door to his new office. He held that pose for a few seconds and then had to stand up, straighten his tie again and then went back to perching on the edge of the desk, his eyes still on the door as his leg jiggled away nervously.

He'd rented the office space three days after seeing Sami in the subway. He'd tried ringing the temp agency and booking Sami that day to work as his secretary, figuring that would be the easiest way to get in contact with her but was told she was still under Hughson's employ until the end of the week. Then there had been the small problem of having no office. The Adele Neuberman Temp Agency was not in the habit of sending their girls to strange men's hotel rooms so EJ had to quickly find some office space to rent. That being done he was promised that Miss Betty Jones would be showing up to work first thing Monday morning. It had been a full seven days since he'd seen Sami in the subway and EJ was a bundle of nerves knowing he was at last going to get to spend some proper time with her. Not that this would be their first meeting since they'd been apart of course, he simply didn't have the strength to stay away from her completely in that time.

oooOOOOooo

EJ loitered in the courthouse hallway and tried not to look like that was what he was doing. He sat down on one of the benches and pulled out some paperwork and pretended he was perusing them. He looked up repeatedly though as people passed by and felt his frustration grow. After being informed that he wouldn't be able to have Miss Betty Jones until the following Monday EJ knew he had to do something to at least see Sami again. He knew Hughson had more cases that day and would be at the courthouse and EJ was pinning his hopes that Sami would be accompanying him again. His own court case had run over and EJ was concerned that he might have missed Sami seeing as it was getting so late in the afternoon. If this shameless ploy to 'accidentally' run into her failed EJ already had a backup plan though. He was going to go to Hughson's office on the pretext of considering his job offer and then he would just have to run into Sami that way.

The trouble with that plan was that he would probably have to wait until tomorrow to do that and EJ was hanging by a thread as it was with his voracious need to see Sami again. It felt like a life time since he'd been near her and to wait even a single second more was beginning to feel like a living death to him. EJ was beginning to think that he had missed her when down the hallway a little bit Sami suddenly appeared from behind one of the closed doors. She had an armful of paperwork and files and was heading directly towards him, head down and intent on reorganising her load a little more comfortably. EJ's heart skipped a beat at seeing her, a tidal wave of relief crashing over him. He'd been so sure that it was Samantha he'd seen in the subway and Eunice curious tale had all but quashed any lingering doubts but the last little reserve EJ had been holding onto evaporated on seeing Sami now.

EJ stood up, uncertain of how exactly he was going to introduce himself but knowing he needed to speak to her now. That problem was taken care of for EJ when somebody jostled Sami as she was walking along and caused her to drop all of her files, the paperwork spilling out all over the floor as people began to step over it on the way to where they were going. EJ hastily shoved his paperwork back into his briefcase and rushed over to help Sami who was on her knees now, trying desperately to collect up all the loose sheets of paper before more were trodden on.

"Here let me help," he offered her, crouching down in the busy hallway beside Sami.

Sami looked up in surprise at the offer and then she did a kind of double take when she looked at him which made EJ's breath hitch in his throat but then she just gave him a flustered smile.

"Thanks," she said and looked a little embarrassed as they both began to gather up the papers, "I'm such a klutz."

"No you're not," said EJ quickly, remembering her saying the exact same thing when that young test pilot had bumped into her, "The other person wasn't looking where they were going."

Sami smiled at him then and for the first time in eight months EJ was able to see Sami's face light up and he had to choke back the tears from the almost overwhelming wave of emotion. It was like he'd been in a cold dark room all this time and just walked out into the sunshine. He looked down quickly and started organising the paperwork in his hands, not wanting Sami to think she was dealing with some blubbering lunatic as she obviously didn't recognise him. He'd neatened up the pile of papers in his hands and looked up.

"There you go," he said with a smile, "Sorry but I think they are hopelessly out of order."

Betty made a rueful face.

"I think you're right," she nodded with a bit of a laugh and took the offered papers as they both straightened up, "I guess I'm not going home just yet."

Betty added them to her pile and looked up at the man standing in front of her.

"I know you," she blurted out and then turned bright red at her ill thought out words.

"You do?" asked EJ, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice, his eye brows rising expectantly.

"I mean I've seen you before," she retracted hastily, still blushing, "At the subway yesterday… you wouldn't have noticed me…"

"I did," said EJ quickly and then tried to make it seem more casual, "I saw you too."

"Oh," said Betty, looking surprised by this information, "I wouldn't have thought you did."

"You saw me," he pointed out reasonably and knew he was grinning like an idiot but couldn't seem to do anything else.

"Yes but you're…" Betty bit her tongue, catching herself just in time.

She had been going to say drop dead gorgeous but figured she'd made enough of a fool of herself in front of this man as it was. Betty had caught a quick glimpse of this man in the subway yesterday and for some bizarre reason she hadn't been able to get the image of him out of her head ever since. There had just been something about him that caused her pulse to quicken every time she imagined his face. Betty had seen handsome men before but none that had impacted her so profoundly and after only a split second of seeing him. She'd been distracted all day and then to have him suddenly standing in front of her was a little unsettling for Betty to say the least. It made her blush to think what he would make of her wayward thoughts.

"… you're very tall," she finished off with a nervous smile, "You are hard to miss."

"I guess I am," said EJ, feeling his heart sink a little at that.

He'd had a fleeting moment of hope that Sami might have recognised him on some level but that didn't appear to be the case.

"And you talk with that accent," Betty continued on, knowing that she was blithering now.

"You could tell by looking at me in the subway that I have an accent?" EJ teased her gently, a smile coming to his lips.

"Ah no," said Betty quickly, blushing an even brighter shade of red and cursing herself for making such an idiot of herself in front of this clearly classy guy but when she'd heard him speak just then it was all she could do not to swoon at his feet.

EJ watched the blush creep over Sami's face and had a near violent need to kiss the rapidly pinking flesh. It reminded him of the times in the beginning with their love making that Sami would blush at some of his suggestions and ideas. To this day seeing Sami blush, no matter where they were or what they were doing, still got him instantly hard. EJ's hands curled into fists as he fought with every fibre of his being not to touch her.

"MISS JONES!"

The sound of Hughson's voice bellowing down the corridor saved both of them from further torment as Betty grimaced.

"That's my boss," she said hurriedly, "I'd better go."

Betty gave him a shy little smile then as she moved past him.

"Thanks," she mumbled up at him and then she was scurrying down the corridor to where he could see Hughson waiting impatiently for her.

EJ slumped against the wall as Sami disappeared from his sight and drew in a shaky breath of air. She was real and this wasn't a dream. His Samantha was alive and fate had granted him another second chance with her.

oooOOOOooo

EJ had been so disappointed when Sami hadn't recognised him when they'd talked. He'd been almost certain that once they were face to face she couldn't help but remember him but it hadn't been that way at all. EJ knew he was out of depths with this one and was at odds to know what to do about the situation. It was complicated and the last thing he wanted to do was upset Sami's recovery any way. He'd sought out advice from one of the top brain surgeons in New York to find out what he should do. EJ had given a 'what if' scenario to Dr Bregner and he'd given his opinion with the information he had. Dr Bregner had told EJ that cases like this were very tricky and it was almost impossible to predict what the final outcome might be. Sami might remember him on sight or slowly have her memories returned or they may be gone permanently.

What EJ really wanted to know was that if Sami didn't remember him should he tell her about her past himself. Dr Bregner did not think that was a good idea however. The brain, he informed EJ, was a delicate thing - too much information suddenly when it wasn't ready to process it could cause permanent damage to a person suffering from amnesia. It was just too difficult to know exactly what would happen if EJ did tell Sami the truth, particularly such a grim one. EJ had come away from the doctors having decided that he wouldn't tell Sami the truth but rather wait and see if she would remember him as they spent time together. Whilst EJ was somewhat frustrated by that scenario it did help with another concern of his. Basically there was a real fear on EJ's behalf that if he was to tell Sami what had happened and she still didn't remember him or how they'd felt about one another that she would be horrified and want nothing to do with him. He knew he had to re-establish that connection between them so that when the truth came out and if Sami still had no memories she wouldn't run for the hills.

EJ had gotten her to fall in love with him once and he was sure he could do it again.

No matter what had happened they were still the same people and Sami could go by any name she chose but it was still his Samantha underneath it all and it would only be a matter of time before their love would be renewed. He'd felt it in the corridor, that same pull towards one another and he could see that Sami had felt it too. It had given him hope that it wouldn't be long before they were moving back towards one another again. That was why he'd employed Sami for the next two weeks. The temp agency didn't usually book their girls out for longer than that but EJ had a plan for that when the time came. Right now he was just focused on getting their first proper meeting over and done with. He knew Sami had no idea that he was going to be her new employer and he had to make it seem like a co-incidence. EJ hated the idea of deceiving her in any way but it seemed the only way right then.

He stood up again, rubbing his sweaty hands on his trousers and walked over to the door. He opened it and his head out peeked, looking down the corridor. There was a ding of the elevator down the end of the corridor signalling that someone was on their way up. EJ quickly shut the door and stepped away, his heart leaping up into his throat. It had to be Sami because no other offices were rented out on this floor yet. EJ straightened his clothes yet again and ran a distracted hand through his hair. His stomach was churning violently as his nerves were stretched to almost breaking.

He was so desperate for this to go well and for Sami to feel comfortable working for him. Plus EJ still had a small flicker of hope that more than a couple of minutes with him might be enough for Sami's memories to return. To have Sami look at him again with love in her eyes would be a dream come true for EJ but he figured he'd already had one miracle this week and that he shouldn't be greedy. He was just so damn happy that Samantha was still alive that all the other obstacles in their way seemed incredibly minor when weighed up against the permanent separation of death.

The wait for Sami to walk up the corridor was nerve wracking for EJ and he tried to get himself to calm down. He had so much nervous energy that he couldn't stand still and he began to pace back and forth, staring at the door and waiting for that knock that would signal the beginning of his and Sami's future once again. EJ tried to remind himself that her name was Betty now and that he'd have to be careful to call her that. It was going to be hard for him to remember but there was a lot at stake so he had to make sure he got it right.

The last thing he wanted to do at this stage was frighten Sami away. The knock came at last, making EJ jump even though he'd been expecting it. He bent over at the waist and put his hands on his knees, willing himself to calm down or else Sami was going to be greeted by the sight of a wide eyed madman. All he wanted to do was sweep Sami into his arms and kiss her and never let her leave his sight again and he was a little nervous that despite his best intentions that he wouldn't be able to control himself and do just that. Not exactly the way to put a traumatised young woman at ease he decided ruefully. EJ straightened up, sucked in a calming lungful of air and walked determinedly over to the door. He fixed what he hoped was a reassuring, non threatening smile to his face and opened the door. Betty looked up from where she'd been fiddling with her hand bag and her eyes went wide with surprise.

"Oh," she said, looking completely taken aback.

EJ's heart stopped beating in his chest for a painful moment to have Sami standing right there in front of him again. He gripped the door tightly with one hand to stop himself from dragging her into his arms and holding her close to his now erratically beating heart.

"Hello," he said and to his embarrassment his voice cracked like an adolescents over that simple greeting and he coughed to clear his throat.

"Hello," said EJ again quickly, trying to recover his composure, making sure there was a surprised look on his face, "Well isn't this a co-incidence - Miss Betty Jones I presume?"

"Y… yes," stammered Betty, still looking pretty shocked by this turn of events as she looked back at the man who had helped her that day in the corridor.

Truth be told she'd just been thinking about him, remembering those dark brown eyes and the way he'd smiled at her in the corridor. It had been such a brief encounter and Betty couldn't help but feel a little foolish to still be thinking about the stranger almost a week later but there had been something about him that she hadn't been able to stop thinking about. He was utterly gorgeous without question and that accented voice of his was incredible but even taking all that into account Betty had never had anyone impact on her like this man had. Of course that wasn't saying that much seeing as Betty only remembered the last eight months of her life but their encounter had stayed with her much longer than it should have so when he'd opened the door and she'd seen him standing there it was a real shock for Betty. It was as though she'd conjured him out of her imagination and she blushed to think that.

"Mr DiMera?" she asked hesitantly.

"That's right," he said and then there was that smile again, the one that lit up his whole face and include those chocolate eyes of his, "Please, won't you come in?"

Betty walked into the office, still a little shocked over this turn of events.

"Can I take your coat?"

She jumped a little as EJ asked the question from behind her, his lips by her ear.

"Ah sure," she mumbled and then felt his hands reach around from behind her and begin to slip the coat from her shoulders.

EJ closed his eyes and inhaled, breathing in the scent of her, his head swimming at being this close to Sami again. He forced himself to step away then, coat in hand as he went over to the coat stand and hung it up for her. Betty turned around, fiddling anxiously with her hand bag strap.

"Small world huh?" she asked him with a nervous smile.

Betty had fantasised about meeting up with this man again and that she'd have something witty and clever to say to him, impressing him no end. She didn't think that last statement was quite going to do the job somehow.

"Infinitely so," he agreed with a little chuckle, walking back over to where Sami was standing.

Betty bit her lip as EJ just stood there smiling at her and the silence between them grew. For his part EJ was so deliriously happy that Sami was standing in front of him that he was finding words unnecessary at that point, content to just stand there and stare at her. Betty however was beginning to grow a little uncomfortable with that, worried that he might be changing his mind about hiring her after the idiot she'd made of herself in front of him last week. Betty so hoped that wasn't it because the prospect of working this man for the next two weeks was making her heart beat an excited tattoo in her chest.

"So you've just moved in?" asked Betty looking around herself at the boxes and general disarray.

"Yes," said EJ, forcing himself to snap out of it and actually attempt conversation with her when he could have just stood there all day and stared at Sami.

He looked around himself and then gave Sami a rueful smile.

"It's a bit of a disaster site at the moment," he told her apologetically, "I'm sorry to drop you in it like this."

"That's okay," said Betty with a shy little smile, "I like to be busy and it's obvious you really need me."

"Miss Jones," said EJ simply, "You have no idea…"