How many nights had she woken up just like this, covered in sweat, clothes clung to her? Was there ever going to be reprieve? Had she not suffered enough? Sam wasn't quite sure what made her question the continuing existence of the nightmares, but she was getting tired, no pun intended, of waking up with little breath and no sense of security. She pushed the blankets down and away from her stiff body and considered her options. She could reach under the bed and waste a bottle of Cognac. The clock next to the bed proved that she had plenty of hours to feel sorry for herself and curse the gods for the life they had left her with. Or, she thought dejectedly, she could go downstairs and do something really stupid.

She fell against the bed in a spread-eagle position just to think. The memory of his lips pressing into hers forced its way to the front of her brain and she didn't even pretend to be displeased. She was plenty of other things too like frustrated and scared and unsure of herself. It had been so long since she had felt attraction it caught her by surprise. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel the sensations starting at her lips and traveling all the way down to her toes. He hadn't rushed the kisses, hadn't tried to impress her with how strong or skillful he was, and maybe that was why she was lost now. Had it been a knee-jerk reaction to kiss her back or was it something he had wanted to do?

No matter how old she got, she thought to herself, high school was never truly over. Of course high school for her had been a little different, what with a baby and all, but it still had its claws and sharp teeth. She had still graduated feeling less than adequate compared to the other big-breasted girls with their shiny nails and provocative clothing.

This was stupid. She shouldn't be thinking about this at all. That drink was looking more and more attractive by the second. She wondered how he would react if she climbed in beside him. There was no denying how much she wanted to. Sam leapt from the bed, telling herself she had a plan, and pulled open her top two drawers. For as long as she could remember it had been the same boring nightwear of long t-shirt and leggings, but she knew she owned other things. Digging through the mess of clothing, she pulled out a lavender gown with spaghetti straps and sequins. The outfit, as well as the ideas it provoked, made her feel giddy and she decided that just trying it on wouldn't hurt anyone.

The nightgown slid over her head and fell against her like butter. She stared at herself in the mirror and thought that the messy hair look would work for this particular night. The door to her bedroom opened and it took her getting down the stairs before she noticed she was moving at all. Harper lie on the couch in a long t-shirt and a pair of plaid boxers, soot colored blanket thrown haphazardly across his midsection. Her footsteps were silent against the carpeted living room and she stopped just before reaching the couch. If she let herself do this, there was no going back. She would be giving a lot up to satisfy her ravenous curiosity. The con category was quickly stacking up, but she ignored it and crossed the breath of space between them to drop an innocent kiss against his lips.

It was no longer than a minute, but the slight pleasure against his lips was enough to rouse Harper from his sleep. Casting one eye open, he was surprised to see Sam hovering directly above him. This put his dream of winning the Super Bowl to shame. Rising up on one elbow, he ran his hand through his sleep-tousled hair. "See something you like Gorgeous?"

"Uh huh." Sam answered noncommittally and kissed him again, this time lingering for a little longer than was polite.

Sitting up fully, he winked at her as his arms went to pull her closer to him. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he smiled slowly. "Came to your senses did you?" he drawled softly, stopping his lips just before they could touch hers.

"I came to something." Sam smiled, curling her hands around his neck. "Are you going to kiss me or talk me to death?" she teased.

Rhetorical questions never deserved an answer, Harper reasoned. The miniscule gap between them ended when he fused their lips together, kneading his fingers through the strands of her hair, tilting her head back just enough to allow him to deepen this kiss the slightest hint. With the length of time she had made him wait, this was something he wanted to relish in.

"You know what I'm thinking?" Sam asked quietly, tracing his lips with her tongue.

"Do share."

Instead of answering him, she brought her hands down his chest and caught the ends of his shirt giving him a quick kiss before easing it up.

"I like the way you think." He ran his hands down her arms and stopped at her waist. He squeezed her tender flesh through the nightgown, enjoying the feel of her quick intake of breath at his action. Dropping a kiss just below her ear, he leaned forward and whispered, "Any more thoughts you want to share?"

Sam gave him a sideways look. "I'll let you know." As his lips circled her neck, she swept her hands down his back, holding him closer and carefully placing her knees on either side of his waist.

"I thought this was against your rules. What changed your mind?" He murmured in-between kisses. Slipping his lips down to her collarbone, he delicately pushed one of the thin straps down the length of her arm.

"Since they are my rules, I think it's okay if I change them." Sam explained, sighing against his mouth.

Taking advantage of her answer, Harper captured her lips with his own, tracing her lower lip with his tongue. Feeling her lips part, he slipped his tongue into the cavern, exploring her taste of mint and chocolate. Tilting her back toward the couch, he swept the other strap of her gown down her arm before pressing her into the cushions.

Sam moaned at the sensation of his fingers teasing just below her breasts and lazily met the deliberate demands of his tongue. With the cushions at her back, she felt sweat pop up on her skin and returned to the task of taking his shirt out of the equation. Inch by precious inch, she tugged the barrier over his head and tossed it to the floor swiping her hands down his chest to learn every contour of his body.

Oxygen demanded he pull back from her. Silently cursing the need to breathe, he kept his hands busy, slowly and deliberately exploring her curves through the thin barrier of her nightgown. His fingers itched to pull it off of her body completely, but his brain commanded he keep the pace slow. This was something he wanted to remember and appreciate. "You are a living, breathing fantasy," he gasped, watching her squirm under the calculated motions of his hands before moving his lips to her neck.

Sam expected to see him wearing an arrogant expression, but it was just the opposite. His eyes were bright and glossy as if he was mesmerized by her and she couldn't help but gulp in fascination. Her lungs bellowed as she tried to take in enough oxygen between their frenzied kisses. She worried if she closed her eyes this would all be a dream. "God, so are you." She managed weakly.

"Look at me." He urged, pushing her chin toward him. Her brown eyes met his blue ones briefly before darting away quickly. "Samantha. Look at me."

"I...I am looking at you." Sam defended in a shaky voice.

"No. No you're not." Harper said slowly as he started to sit back on the couch. She hadn't really looked at him since she woke him up.

"I am." Sam pushed the straps of her nightgown back in place and glared at him. Why did he have to question this?

"Why did you come down here tonight?" He wondered. Something drove her to break every rule she had ever set for the both of them. Harper never denied he wanted to break every single one of them, but he wanted her to want it. And want it as badly as he did. If tonight was about something else....

"Why does that matter?" Sam reached for the blanket he had abandoned and wrapped it around her, feeling especially vulnerable.

"It does."

She had two options yet again. Either she could lie and keep her pride intact or she could tell the truth and have to deal with the pity in his eyes. "I had a nightmare."

Of course. Harper felt his shoulders sag at her admission. He should have realized it was another nightmare. This one must have been particularly awful for her to come and seek out his company or even admit it to him. He knew her code well. Admission led to weakness and weakness led to mistakes. Seeing her sitting there, the blanket being used as a shield against judgment, he felt himself sigh. He leaned back against the cushions, an arm outstretched towards her. "Come here."

"Why?" Sam asked quietly.

"Must you question everything? Just come here Samantha."

"I don't want your pity."

"This isn't about pity. Trust me. The last thing you make me feel is pity." Seeing her still hesitate, he decided to take matters in own hands. Reaching out, he pulled her to his chest. "There."

Comfort warmed her from the inside out when his arms closed around her and she didn't even try to fight the tears. He held her though them, rocking her, and she buried her face into his neck, hoping some of his strength would seep into her bones.

Kissing the top of her head, he gently angled them both so that they were lying face-to-face. Using his feet and a single hand, he managed to pull the blanket over them both. "You'll survive." He whispered into her hair. "You'll beat this."

*****

"I still don't understand why all this moving has to happen today." Elizabeth grumbled from her spot in the chair. Gracie sat contentedly in her bounce seat, trying to figure out what exactly she could use her hand for besides sticking it directly into her mouth. Her brother sat across from her on the couch. His stated reason for coming over was to help get things together for Grams return to her own home; however he had spent the last fifteen minutes playing with Jake.

"I'm sure Grams wants to be settled." Steven explained as he made funny faces at Jake.

"Still there is no need to rush." Elizabeth pouted crossing her arms in front of her. "You barely got back and already you and Grams are racing out of here like she was given an eviction notice."

"El...Elizabeth that's not true." Audrey protested. "It's t...time is all."

"You knew this was just going to be temporary." Lucky pointed out gently, more than a little afraid of setting off a wave of tears. "And the doctors agree its a good thing that Audrey feels up to being back home."

"Doctors." Elizabeth grumbled. "What do they know?"

"S...some...nothing." Audrey joked, smiling.

"We're doing this to hurt anyone." Steven assured Elizabeth, reaching out and tucking a piece of chestnut curl behind her left ear.

"I know." Elizabeth sighed, smacking his hand away. Here she was the mother of two and her brother was treating her the same way he had when she was six. "It's just...it will just be different is all." She chewed on her lip and kept one eye carefully on Lucky. No she hadn't mentioned Cameron's continued absence outright, but the elephant was still in the room. Grams' return home would be just one more reminder that there was someone missing. The continued parade of therapists, although lessened in the past few weeks, disguised, at least a little of, the decidedly lower activity level in the house.

He knew exactly what she was referring to and Lucky was doing his best to keep from breaking down yet again over it. Concentrating on Gracie's attempt to grab at his finger, he tried to block out the sound of Cameron's voice when he talked to him yesterday over the phone. Cameron's questions about when he was coming home and if his siblings still remembered him would be impossible to forget. Audrey's leaving would make it just that much harder to ignore, but Lucky was trying to stay positive, as his mother had begged him to do. Audrey's going home was a good thing. Cameron would be coming home as soon as Dara got the trial date set. "We'll survive." He managed to say calmly. "And I'm not going to stand in the way of progress."

Nodding her head in agreement, Audrey turned towards her grandson. It wouldnt' do anyone any good to continue down this line of conversation. There was nothing they could do right now until the trial. She had already told Ms. Jensen she would gladly testify on Lucky's behalf if necessary. "St...Steven, you really sh...shouldn't play favorites with the twins."

"I would never!" Steven countered, putting Jake in Lucky's arms before swooping down and picking up Gracie.

"Really Steven, you'll give her a complex. Make her feel second best and all that jazz." Elizabeth laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

"Lucky, should we start loading stuff in the truck? Elizabeth said you borrowed your dad's, right?" Steven asked.

"What's the matter Steven? Can't take a joke?" Elizabeth teased.

"Nope. You've cut me to the core." Steven rolled his eyes and rocked Gracie carefully.

"Give her here." Elizabeth held out her hands for her daughter. "You'll probably actually move the boxes instead of making Lucky do all the work if I hold her."

Lucky arched his eyebrow and was about to make a joke, when the knock at the door startled them all. "I'll get it." He announced making his way to his feet. "With my luck, it's Dad wanting to know why I haven't covered his precious truck just in case a bird flies by."

The laughter in his voice died the second he opened the door. "Dara." Lucky managed, barely keeping the shock at seeing her standing on his front porch out of his voice. As long as he and Cameron had lived here, he could count on his hands the number of times Dara had come by. Why was she here, he couldn't help but wonder.

"Lucky." It took years of practice to keep her voice calm. The list Diane Miller had messengered over to her office had shaken her in a way that few things had in her law career. It wasn't impossible to counteract, but it was going to prove she was worth the hefty retainer Lucky paid her. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah. Sure. Sorry." Lucky stood to the side to usher Dara inside. "I don't think you ever met Elizabeth's grandmother Audrey. And this is her brother Steven. He just got back from Paris. And this is your official first meeting of Jake and Gracie I think, right?"

"Hey Lucky? Mind if I hold Jake?" Steven couldn't help but worry Lucky might drop the baby if he didn't take him away quick. The poor guy looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Yeah. Here." Lucky handed Jake over to Steven, keeping one eye carefully on Dara.

"Would you care for some tea?" Audrey offered Dara quietly.

"Thank you but no." Dara smiled, although it was clearly strained. "I'm sorry for interrupting and coming to your house like this, but I needed to talk to you right away." She shook her head at the motion Steven made to indicate she should take a seat. This wasn't going to be easy, but it was probably best if she stood. "I received the final list of witnesses the Grimes are calling today."

"That's good right?" Elizabeth offered, holding onto Lucky's hand tightly, trying to offer her support. "It's one step closer to getting the case heard and Cameron back home. right?"

"Ordinarily I would agree with you Elizabeth." Dara began.

"But…" Lucky interrupted. "There's a but coming isn't there?"

"Yes." Dara looked at her long time client and wished there was some other way to do this. Some way to keep it out of court and just return Cameron back home with no mud flinging or accusations. But that looked like it was shot to hell. "The Grimes have added three witness to their original list."

"Three?" Audrey questioned, her mind starting to realize what the lawyer was trying to tell them.

"Yes. Jeff Webber. Elaine Webber. Sarah Webber." Dara met Elizabeth's stunned eyes. "Your family is testifying for the Grimes. And from what I can tell, they volunteered to help."

Previews:

"I'll be back later. Don't scare off the nurses." Ric managed softly. "They are just doing their jobs."

"Well you've done yours. Go on back to Port Charles."

"I will when the time is right."