Author's Note:

Thank you for the feedback. I love everyone's guesses and ideas... I just want to ask you to trust me, I know there is way too much Sam in this story. But I assure you there's a method to my madness. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

5 Sins of the Father

Classes started smoothly at Harborview Elementary School, K-1 homeroom. For Jen Olsen the group of kids seemed fairly manageable. With the exception of a hot rivalry that had ensued between the Webber boy and the Morgan girl. They had stayed far from each other most of the time but once or twice the teacher had to break off a rather hotly engaged nickname battle. They seem as if they could go on forever. Today things started out nice and quiet. Her class was going smooth.

"A family is made up by a Mom, a Dad, and their kids."

Cameron frowned and raced his hand.

"Yes, Cameron."

"That's not right Miss Olsen. My family it's just me and my mom."

"What a dork." Lila said in a hush tone that everyone could hear.

The teacher spoke before Cameron could respond. "That only means that your dad is…" How could she explain that sometimes dads went to heaven without making him feel sad? "Every family is different, Cameron."

"My mom and I, we are a family."

"Are you stupid? She just said that a fambly is a mom, a dad and the kids… something's missing in yours." Lila added.

"My dad is not around because he died, I don't even remember him. So stop saying that pinky!"

"Who are you calling pinky, bogger head?"

"That's enough!" Jen said interfered before another battle began. "If a single insult comes out of your mouth's again you'll both be sent to time out."

"But…"

Cameron tried to speak but was interrupted by the teacher again. "I said no buts' young man."

Lila raised her hand. The teacher called her name. "Yes Lila."

"I have a real fambly. My mommy, my daddy, my uncle Sonic, my untie Carly and Mickey, Morgan and Kristina. We are all a fambly."

"You say family, Lila. And it's very nice that you have a big family." She turned and found Cameron deep in thought. "Cameron has a family too. His family is just different and smaller."

The brown hair boy perked up at that and added. "I do have a big family. I have my uncle Lucky, my Uncle Nickolas and Auntie Em and little Paige."

Lila stood up in a rage. "Na ha… Untie Emmie, uncle Nickiii and Paige are mine!"

Cam's face turned red and stood as well. "They are not."

"They are too."

And so began another round of name calling and bickering once again. Jen expelled a breath and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long day.

His arms surrounded her in a protective cocoon. Kissing her on the forehead he watched as her chest rose and fell with every breath she took. Her chest was now significantly smaller than it used to be three years ago, her skin as soft as ever…

His fingers grazed her collarbone and her neck with tenderness… People didn't know her, they didn't give her a chance, didn't take the time to understand her. People could hardly see past her façade: tough, conniving, and superficial… When in reality she was just a lonely little girl in need of somebody to love her.

Lucky never thought he would be the one to actually reach Sam McCall. After all they had started as a simple affair. One drunken night at Jake's, hot sweaty, raw animal sex had turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him. And he knew he didn't completely deserve it, because he had done his fair share of misdeeds. He was sure that he was part responsible for Elizabeth's reluctance to find a good man to trust and love completely, tough he was also sure that Morgan, Lansing and Zander had their own parts in that too.

Turning his musings back to the woman in his arms, he sighed heavily, while his hand caressed her hair. Now it was cut in a short bob and it was starting to thin in places, and still no one was the wiser. Her life was slowly drifting away, and he was powerless to stop it.

He didn't expect to fall in love, but then he couldn't really help it. Sam came crashing into his life full of anger, hurt and an empty heart. She thought having her daughter would fill that void. That making a life with Jason Morgan was what she needed to finally have what she had been craving, a family. But instead the lies about her daughter's real father, the dangers of the mob life and the golden cage they created for her were slowly killing her inside.

That was how he found her that faithful night at Jake's and before he knew it he had found the woman that was almost his perfect match. Only to end up losing her… the mere thought of her not being in his life scared him so much, and yet he couldn't tell her how he felt. He had to be strong for her… for them.

"What are you thinking so loudly about?" Her voice was still groggy with sleep.

"About you." He said his hand still caressing her hair. "About us and the night we met."

Sam smiled, her eyes still closed. "I still can't remember much."

"I do. You were so beautiful… and so angry. Seductive and alluring."

"I used to think I had the world at my black boot covered feet. I felt like I could conquer anything."

"You could conquer the world if you set your mind on it. You have a strong will and perseverance."

"Still I can't change the one thing that I want the most." Sam said with regret.

"Sam…"

She interrupted him, by standing up and turning to meet his eyes. "I'm going to tell him tonight."

"What?" He asked surprised.

"I'm going to tell Jason about us, and about my illness. Time is slipping away Lucky, and I want to spend my last days being free. Loving you, having a family with you and my daughter."

Still skeptical, he added. "Are you sure?"

"I'm certain." She took his hands in hers and their fingers together. "This is what I want. You are what I want. I'm just so sorry that I was too afraid to take a chance before I…"

Her voice broke and tears started to fall. Lucky sat up and brought his arms around her. Sam's head rested on his chin and then moved to rest on his forehead.

His ands came to clasp her face and he whispered softly. "I love you, you know that right?" She could only move her head in acceptance.

Elizabeth came down the stairs to find the small kitchen table set for two. She looked over at her son as he carefully filled two glasses of water. She took in the furrow forehead and the way he bit his lower lip in concentration.

After picking him up from school, he had been quiet, too quiet. She had given him his space, but this surely was a sign of something bothering him. Now all she had to do was get to the bottom of it.

"What's all this baby?" She asked once he put down the glasses.

"A date. We have stuff to talk about."

"What kind of stuff?" She asked while she served dinner.

"Grown up stuff."

Elizabeth turned around to look at him. But he added, "We eat first, okay?"

She did as he asked. And placed each plate in front of them. Five minutes later they were eating in complete silence. She stole several glances at Cameron.

Elizabeth saw so much of herself in him it was scary… From the top of his curly brown hair, his big expressive eyes, his white doughy skin… But then there was so much of his father in him. His nose, the color of his eyes, the small dimple on his chin and most of all his stubbornness… They had molded together to form her little angel.

"How was school today?"

He didn't answer and his little brow came farther down. So whatever was on his mind had to do with school, she mused.

"Cam, did something happen at school?"

His silence was telling. Maybe it had to do with Lila Morgan, Sam and Jason's little girl. They began on bad terms and their war had escalated in the last couple of weeks. When she thought he wasn't going to speak a word, Cam dropped the fork and lifted his gaze toward her.

"I want you to tell me about my daddy Zander."

His voice was strong and determined. Elizabeth coughed when the water she was drinking went down the wrong way because of the surprise at his announcement.

"Excuse me. What… Where did this come from?"

"You've only told me he was in heaven, but I want to know more stuff. I don't really remember him, you know."

Elizabeth's heart broke at his earnest request. "You don't remember him, because he went to heaven before you were born. You were still in mommy's tummy."

"That's why I want to know. Was he a policeman, a sailor, a paintor or a teacher? Did he like to play baseball? Do I look like him? Where did you get marry? Why don't I have a family with brothers and sisters? Does my daddy love me?"

Elizabeth sat frozen at her place as Cameron's questions poured out of him. His eyes were big and serious. A thousand more questions swirling around in his mind.

"Did you finish your meal?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to answer all of your questions, Cameron. So if you are finished eating we'll go out to the back porch."

She stood from the table feeling proud of herself as she managed to conceal her trembling hands and weak knees. She asked Cam to wait for her while she went to get something from her bedroom. Minutes later, she walked out to the porch and sat next to her son on the swing. She was holding a wooden box in her lap.

"What's that?"

"Inside of this box I have everything I want you to know about your dad. Everything I have left of him."

Slowly she opened the lid and took out a picture of Zander. It was worn around the edges. She held it out in front of Cameron. "This is your father Alexander Smith. We called him Zander for short."

The eyes of her son were big and shiny at the sight of his father. Her own eyes became glittery with unshed tears. This was the first time Cameron met his father.

"Zander and I met because of your Aunt Emily."

She paused trying to remember the speech she had practiced all of this years for her son. She wasn't going to lie, but she couldn't tell her son the whole truth either. He was just too young to understand her mistakes.

"Your Aunt Emily and your father were very good friends… So, your dad and I, we became good friends also."

"And that's how you fell in love with him?"

"Not exactly. We were friends for a few years, but I was in love with someone else at the time."

"With uncle Lucky?"

"I loved your uncle Lucky a lot too… But when Zander came into my life I was in love with someone else." Her earlier encounter with Jason, his face, came barging into her thoughts.

"Then who was it?" Her curious son asked again.

Elizabeth's mind flashed back to that time, her rides with Jason, playing pool and sitting at the docks just talking to him. She couldn't think about that right now. "That's an entirely different story. You wanted to know about your dad didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Ok. So after a couple of years of being friends. Your daddy and I got to know each other better and started to spend some time together. One day I was really sad and feeling lonely and your dad found me. We connected and that night you were conceived."

"Consid? What does that mean?"

"Conceived. That means that we made you together and you started to grow inside of me. Zander and I cared about each other, but we weren't a family. He had other things going on with your grandfather…"

"The one who's named after me?"

She smiled at him. "Yes. Cameron Lewis, Zander's Dad. He was a doctor you know."

"And my dad? Was he a doctor too?" Cameron asked excitedly.

"No. Your dad was a businessman."

Cameron's little forehead frowned as he thought about what his mother said. Then he asked. "Which one?"

"What do you mean?"

"Which bizznezz?"

Elizabeth looked down at her son. Not really knowing what to say. She wasn't lying to him. Zander was in the business, the mob business, but she couldn't say that to her 5 years old son.

"Different kinds."

She placed a hand under her son's chin and lifted his head so he could see her eyes. "Cameron, your father didn't get to meet you. But I'm sure that if he did, he would have loved you."

She stared at the box in her hand and she looked inside. She found Zander's gold chain and Saint Michael the Archangel medal.

"What's that?"

"This was your father's. He used to wear this all the time, for protection."

"Does it have special powers?" Cameron asked in awe.

Elizabeth let out a little chuckle. "Not the way you think. This is Saint Michael the Archangel, he is known as The Protector. He is an Angel who watches over us and protects us from evil and danger. I was waiting for you to be a little older. But I think this is the right time for you to have it."

She turned her son and placed the chain on his neck. Then turned to look him in the eyes. "Saint Michael will be watching over you now. As I'm sure your father is doing also from someplace up there in heaven."

Cameron crawled over her and sat in her lap and they both watched the stars together for a while. The little boy was the one to break the silence first.

"I miss having a daddy, and a normal family with brothers and stuff. But I'm happy that I got to have you. You are a pretty awesome mom."

She let the tears fall at her sons confession. She kissed his curly hair and gave him a hug. She caressed his head with her cheeks and whispered. "You are a pretty awesome baby and I'm happy to have you too."

Jason walked into Sonny's penthouse and found the older man standing by the window looking down at the busy street below. He closed the door and placed a brown folder on the desk by the mini bar. He noticed there was a glass of bourbon served.

"That's for you."

Jason turned to find Sonny still looking out the window, taking a drink from his own glass.

"Thanks, but you know I don't like to drink heavy liquor when I'm going home to Lila." Jason declined. "Where are Carly and the boys?"

"They left for the Island. You just missed them."

Jason's brow furrowed. "You didn't tell me they were heading there. I would have told Sam and she could've taken Lila…"

"It wasn't planned."

It was then that Jason noticed Sonny's impassive stand and rigid back.

"What happened? Did you and Carly had a fight?"

"You could say that."

"Sonny what is going on? You feel strange, what happened?"

"Lila is about to turn 5 years old. I've missed most of her life until now. I've been in the sidelines, watching from afar…"

"It's what you decided…" Jason said, his blood rising with the underlying meaning of what he was hearing. "Where is this coming from?"

Sonny turned around, but still couldn't face his best friend. "I don't regret making that decision, we were smack in the middle of a war, and my marriage was tumbling down… I had no other choice. I knew it was the right thing to do."

"There's a 'but' there somewhere." Jason said his hands clenching at his side trying to look at his partner.

Sonny's lips twisted in a knowing smile and his dimples showed. "But… We worked hard to move away from the business. We made our life and work legitimate. Carly has realized that Sam and I, we were over before it started… I've made a decision. I want to come forth and claim my girl. I want to tell Lila that I'm her father."