Hi Everyone, I know it's been a while. I really wanted the graduation and party to be part of this chapter, but I feel like I'm at a good stopping point. So the graduation will be in the next chapter. Please review. Thanks!
After they heard the explosion, both Jason and Sam knew Michael was probably responsible. Anthony had pushed him to attack and now the entire Corinthos organization was in danger.
"Jason, what are you going to do?" Sam asked expecting him to react, but she was surprised.
"Right now, nothing. I can't risk having you or Danni hurt and staying out on the boat gives me an alibi,"
"You know the cops try and pin everything on you, but what about Michael? He's in over his head," Sam pleaded.
"I warned Michael. I can't drop everything and go protect him as much as I would like to. I tried that in the past, and look where we are," he said.
Sam was shocked. She knew Jason cared about Michael, but this was different. He didn't want to risk losing what he had with her and their girls. She walked over and he pulled her into a hug as she braced her arms on his shoulders and her head fit comfortably below his chin.
"Sam, I love you and Danni and Bree. I'm always going to protect you and our girls. When Michael was little, I vowed to always protect him and the decisions I made for his life were on me, but this time Michael's choices brought this on and that's on him," Jason explained as he stroked Sam's cheek and gently kissed her shoulder.
"Mommy, Daddy," they heard Danni yelling and went running down to where she had been sleeping. Jason got there first and found his little girl sitting up with tears filling her eyes.
"We're right here," Jason said as he sat down beside her and pulled her onto his lap.
"Hey baby girl, are you okay?" Sam said as she walked over and knelt down.
"Mommy I heard a loud noise and then I woke up and couldn't find you or Daddy. What was that noise?"
Jason looked deep into Danni's eyes. "Honey that noise was some kind of explosion on a building in Port Charles, the building is now on fire," he explained.
"Why did it explode?" Danni asked amazing Jason at how well her little mind could comprehend what was happening around her.
"We're not sure," Sam said. She didn't want Danni to ask more questions, especially since neither she nor Jason knew exactly what had happened.
"But we know one thing. You and Mommy and I are safe on the boat and we're going to stay here until it's time to go back just like we planned," Jason explained as he kissed Danni's forehead and pulled her little body closer to his. "I'll tell you what, you stay here with Mommy while I try and make some phone calls to see what happened,"
"Okay Daddy," she said as she reached out for Sam to hold her. Sam held Danni in her arms and started swaying back and forth while she was talking to her. She wanted to stay in the lower part of the boat, so Danni couldn't see the chaos in town.
"You're such a brave little girl, you know that. Your Daddy and I want to give you and Bree everything we can. We want you to grow up to be strong and brave and to make good choices. We also want you to be happy," Sam explained.
"I know Mommy," Danni said simply.
"Do you? Because sometimes when kids grow up, they think they know better than their parents. Promise me something."
"Anything," Danni said.
"That you'll always remember how special you are and how much Daddy and I love you. And that you'll listen to us,"
"Always mommy," Danni said innocently.
"That's why I love you," Sam said as she started tickling and kissing her little girl all over causing Danni to giggle.
"What's going on in here?" Jason asked walking in to join them as he smiled.
"Mommy is tickling me," Danni said between giggles.
"I guess I've been caught," Sam admitted. "I should probably turn autopilot off and get us back to the dock. We have a big day tomorrow."
"Can I come with you?" Danni asked.
Sam looked to Jason wondering what their daughter might see if she went with Sam. Jason nodded and the couple exchanged glances that indicated it was ok for Danni to go with Sam. "I'd like that very much," Sam said as she put her heavy 4 year old down and held out her hand for Danni to walk with her. Sam really wanted to know what Jason had discovered from his phone calls, but knew they couldn't discuss it in front of Danni.
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Dante arrived to the scene of the warehouse fire the same time as Lucky Spencer and he feared that his little brother was responsible. He knew that if his suspicions were right, Lucky would be one of the only detectives who may look the other way.
"Appears someone placed a bomb in Johnny's warehouse," Dante stated the obvious.
"Yes, but no one was inside. Whoever did this knew when the men unloading cargo would be gone for the day," Lucky explained.
"Which means they didn't want to hurt anyone, but they wanted to send a message that they could hurt someone," Dante added.
"You're exactly right. I noticed Jason Morgan's boat is gone, but Jason wouldn't do this," Lucky said.
"No, Jason's been gone far too long and he's only here for a few days. I ran into him at Shadybrook, causing trouble is not on his agenda," Dante explained.
"Then, do you think it was another family?" Lucky asked unsure of what to think.
"I think another family wouldn't have anything to prove, but"
"Michael would," Lucky finished. "Dante you've got to find your brother and get him out of this business or our entire town is going to be subjected to a mob war."
"Well detectives, what do we have here?" Johnny asked as he came upon the fire which was almost out.
"Someone put a bomb in your warehouse. Didn't harm anyone, but I'm not sure about the contents," Dante explained.
"Johnny, do you know of anyone who would want to cause you harm?" Lucky asked.
"I can think of several," Johnny answered. "I'm pissed, but not as much as my father is going to be."
"We're going to make sure that whoever is responsible is brought to justice," Dante explained.
"Right, but you have no leads. Thanks once again to the magnificent PCPD," Johnny said as he walked into what was left of his warehouse.
X X X X X X X X X X X
By this point, the sun was starting to set and Jason and Sam had enjoyed a fabulous afternoon with their daughter, but they knew it was time to get back to reality. As they docked the boat and gathered their things, they could see Johnny's warehouse near the dock. It wasn't completely destroyed. Jason could tell that no one had been inside and that some shipments may have been lost, but the damage was minimal. He was concerned about Michael, but after the way Michael had spoken to him he wouldn't run to him, he couldn't and that was making it difficult for Jason. Michael knew where to find him.
Sam followed Jason off the boat holding a sleeping Danni in her arms and two of their bags. She noticed Jason standing there staring off at the warehouse and she knew exactly what he was thinking. She walked up behind him, but her hands were too full to even touch him. "Hey, if you want to go to Michael, I can take her home," she offered.
Jason turned back to see he had left his wife holding their stuff and their daughter. "I'm so sorry, let me take that," he said grabbing the bags.
"It's ok, I can tell your mind is preoccupied," Sam gestured.
As they walked back toward their cars, they met Lucky.
"Hey Jason," he said, "This is standard, but do you care to tell me what you were doing this afternoon when someone set off a bomb in Johnny Zacharra's warehouse?"
"I was spending a day on the water with my family," Jason said simply.
"Thanks Jason, I'll note it in the record. We shouldn't need you for anything," Lucky said.
"Thanks," Jason said.
"How's your new little one?" Lucky asked.
"She's doing great. She's tiny, but growing," Sam said.
"We hated to leave her, but this one had graduation and we didn't want to miss that either," Jason said.
"Aiden is very excited about graduation too," Lucky said, "He's been singing those songs for weeks all over the house, driving Elizabeth, the other boys and I crazy."
"You're living with Elizabeth?" Sam asked. "Sorry that's probably none of my business," she added.
"No, it's fine. You've been away. Elizabeth and I are back together. We wanted to give all 3 of the boys both parents under one roof," Lucky explained. Tears started to fill Jason's eyes as he began to think about Jake.
"Well, I hope you two can make it work," Sam said as she exchanged glances with Jason. Sam wasn't sure how he'd feel about the words that were about to come out of her mouth, but she thought maybe it would be for the best. "You know, before all the craziness of my high risk pregnancy, Elizabeth had agreed to get our kids together for a play date. We had even discussed Jake spending some time with Danni. Tomorrow after graduation, we're having a party at our house. We missed Danni's birthday, so we're celebrating graduation and her birthday. Jason and I would love it if you, Elizabeth, and the boys could make it," Sam said breathing a sigh of relief that Jason hadn't objected yet.
"I'll check with Elizabeth, but the boys would love that. I know Aiden loves Danni. I really need to get back to work," Lucky answered as he walked away.
When Lucky had walked away, Sam looked at Jason and bit her bottom lip. "Okay, babe, I'm really sorry to just throw that out there, but I could tell how much it hurt to hear Lucky talk about Jake and I thought maybe if we took some baby steps, Elizabeth would warm up to having Jake spend some time with us. Don't be mad," she said.
"Sam, I know what you're trying to do and it's ok, it really is. I mean, we've got the Quartermaines, Carly, Maxie, Spinelli, your family, why not invite Lucky and Elizabeth. The more, the crazier," he said as he walked toward their cars and she followed.
Jason met the guards back at the car and helped Sam get Danni buckled in. He kissed her on the lips. She could tell that Jason's mind was still elsewhere and she knew he was going to have to leave her. "I'll be home very soon," he said.
"Be careful. I love you," she said.
"I love you too," he answered.
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
When Sam got home, she found Maxie sitting on her couch.
"Sam, where have you been?" Maxie asked.
Sam put her finger to her lip and pointed to Danni, who hadn't woken up the entire car ride home or when Sam pulled her out of her booster seat. "Just a minute," Sam said as she walked upstairs and changed Danni into her pajamas and tucked her in bed successfully not waking her. When she walked out in the hall, she saw Maxie standing there, obviously upset at her, though she had no idea why. "Maxie, don't get your panties in a wad. Jason and I took Danni out on his boat today and we stayed on the water a little longer than expected,"
"Sam, I don't know how I'm supposed to get a party together without your input," the blonde fretted. "Wait a minute, you and Jason aren't into parties. I should have just planned."
"Maxie, I told you to take care of decorations and invitations, but Jason and I would take care of the rest. It'll be fine," she said as she walked down the stairs to avoid waking her daughter.
"Fine, how is it supposed to be fine? Spinelli says that there's a mob war and well you know Jason is going to swoop down and step in,"
"Maxie, there was an attack- which Jason knows nothing about. He's not going to do anything unless we're threatened,"
"Well then that's good to know," the blonde was stunned and speechless for the first time. "You know Spinelli is taking orders from Michael now. I told him it was a bad idea. Spinelli is loyal to his Stonecold though, I think Jason could convince him otherwise," Maxie continued to ramble.
"Maxie, Jason and I have not had a chance to talk about this, so I really don't know what to say about whatever is going on. I do know that Jason has promised, more than once may I add, that he is here for the girls and I,"
"Well, it's about time. I guess Jason is turning into a squishy teddy bear,"
"Maxie, after going through what we are with Bree, it's just made Jason more aware of what's important," Sam said as they heard the door close and looked up to find Jason walking in the house.
Maxie watched as Sam's eyes met Jason's. She felt like a third wheel. "Well Sam, I think we're covered for tomorrow. I'll be by in the morning to decorate. I must be getting home to Spinelli," she said as she scurried away.
"Wait," Jason said in a voice that scared Maxie and caused her to turn around. "Tell Spinelli that he is in NO terms to have contact with or take orders from Michael. Kindly remind him he needs to keep things going at the PI agency if he knows what's good for him."
"I'll pass the message along. I'll see you tomorrow," Maxie said as she left.
Jason and Sam were left in their living room staring at one another. Jason seemed very distant and Sam just wanted to comfort him, but for the first time in a very long time, she didn't know how. Jason was the first to speak. "I don't know how this happened," he said with tears filling his eyes. "I don't know how that innocent little boy that I've loved as my own could try and take over this organization and start a mob war and I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it!" he yelled.
Sam walked over closing the distance between them. She reached up to touch his shoulder as she began rubbing it. "Jason, you couldn't have known. You have loved Michael since the day he was born and that's all that matters. He's gonna have to learn on his own," Sam said reassuringly.
"Did you know that Anthony is threatening Kristina and her unborn baby?" he asked.
Sam shook her head, even though she had speculated, she didn't know.
"Michael's trying to do what I would do. He's trying to protect his family," Jason explained. "he just lacks experience to do it well and refuses to listen to anyone."
"And that's what makes this dangerous," Sam interjected.
"Exactly." Jason said as he pulled Sam's arm and walked over to sit on the couch. He pulled her into his arms as they sat for a moment. "How's Danni?" he asked.
"She's out and I think she really has no idea what's going on around her," Sam explained.
"Good. She and Bree are the innocent ones in all of this. We have to protect them," he said.
"Jason, I need to check on Bree," Sam said as she pulled her phone out. He placed his hands over hers.
"I called. She's still doing fine. No major changes, but it seems she will be in your arms sometime next week," Jason explained as he ran his fingers through Sam's hair.
"That's the best news I've heard all day," Sam said with tear-filled eyes.
"Look, I talked to Johnny. He knows that I'm not involved in this. He also knows that we're going to protect Kristina from Anthony. He promised he'd leave us alone if we drop contact with Michael," Jason explained.
"Jason, that boy is like a son to you. What would Carly say if she found out you bargained with Johnny?"
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT CARLY! Sam, I CARE ABOUT YOU, DANNI AND BREE," Jason yelled causing Sam to see the rage in his eyes. "Johnny is going to try and talk with Michael and maybe it will help, but we aren't here to clean up the mob mess, we're here for Danni's graduation and party. Sam, our little girl has been through hell because of the choices that I made, it has to be about her tomorrow."
Sam just looked at Jason, knowing that he was feeling guilty for decisions he'd made that had affected their children and her. "Jas- you're a good man-" she started.
"Let me ask you something, why do you put up with it all? I mean, why did you wait and why do you keep letting me take you and our girls for granted,"
"I know you love me and I know you love Danni and Bree. You're loyal and loving and you're an amazing father. That's why I love you," she paused, "And you're pretty handsome, too. Jason, I know that what we have is special and rare and no matter what, we're in this together. Now for tonight, let's just focus on being happy about tomorrow and try and get some rest," she said.
"I'd like that a lot," he said as he scooped her up and carried her up the stairs.
As they lay in bed that night, Jason's mind was filled with flashbacks of Michael. He knew that Michael had made some bad choices. He felt Sam's touch on his shoulders and he was reminded of his two beautiful daughters and his loving wife. Jason knew from Sam's touch that he needed to be there for Sam and his girls. Michael was going to have to get himself out of this one. Jason laid there for what seemed like hours, he could hear Sam had fallen asleep. Without any other words, he leaned over and placed a soft kiss in Sam's hair as she slept, "I love you," he said.