No you aren't imaging things, yes this is an update! It's the final chapter before the epilogue, which will be very short and posted most likely in the next couple of days. This story has come to an end. It took forever to write this because to be honest I haven't watched the show in years! I'm kinda shocked I was able to pull this together. I'm sorry it took forever. I really am. If it wasn't for the last review I got where I was basically told I sucked I don't know what would've happened. But that reviewer was right, I do kinda suck. But I hope this makes up for it. I did give these characters a ending and can be very happy with it.
I truly hope I still have some readers out there that are following this. I hope you all liked this update. This story is not at all what I originally planned on when I started it. It originally was supposed to be a oneshot! Thank you to those who read this.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, never have and never will.
Once again Sam found herself waking up in a hospital bed, this time with all her memories intact, including the ones from the struggle down by the docks and her landing in the water. Her memories frustratingly end with the image of Jerry Jax swimming towards her in the water. Meaning she got away somehow, trying to remember was making her head hurt worse. Sam was getting really sick of waking up in hospitals.
"Jason we might as well rent a wing of the hospital for as often as we find ourselves here." Sam says with a groan, struggling to see clearly in the dark hospital room. All she can see is an outline of him sitting over by the window. "What are you doing all the way over there and in the dark?" Sam asks confused. Normally she and Jason would sit right at the bedside, holding each other's hand waiting for them to wake up… it was their thing. "Jason…?" Sam says when she still doesn't get a response.
"Sorry Sweet Sam, but Morgan is otherwise detained."
Sam recognized that voice now, 24 hours ago she wouldn't have, but now she knows that's the voice of a crazy man. A murderer. That's the voice of Jerry Jax. "What the hell are you doing here?" Sam asks her voice going cold and stiff. Her hand quick in its search of the call button.
"If you're looking for the emergency button let me stop you now. I removed it from your bed before you woke. Figuring your first reaction would be to call for help." Jerry says standing now and walking towards the bed.
"And you wouldn't want that now would you." Sam says keeping her voice level, even while her mind was running through and turning down various exit routes. "Harder to get away with murder when there are witnesses."
"Oh Sam what thoughts must be running through that head of yours?" He chuckles and flips on the light next to her bed. "If I wanted you dead why would I wait for you to wake, hmm? Wouldn't it have been much simpler to kill you in your sleep and avoid the theatrics and the struggle?"
"I don't know. You're the killer, you tell me." Sam says resigned to the fact that even though she wasn't all that injured, she still was sore and Jerry had a good 100 pounds on her, at least. Her only option was to keep Jerry talking in hopes that someone would show up…where was Jason anyways?
Jerry couldn't help but chuckle again. "You know Sweet Sam, I can see what Morgan sees in you. You have a fire about you…feisty almost, but the word doesn't quite seem right. I'm half in love with you myself."
"Flattered. Truly." Sam says with sarcasm and disdain. "Now could you please tell me what you're doing here if not to kill me? And where is Jason? What have you done with him?"
"I'm watching over you of course, for protection..." Jerry says as if it were obvious, but Sam interrupts him.
"Protecting me?!" Sam practically shouts, making her head throb. She glares at Jerry, blaming him for that too. "You don't honestly expect me to believe that? After you've tried killing me countless times? For a man who is supposed to be smart you obviously are very stupid."
"Now now Samantha, isn't such name calling beneath us?"
"You tell me…asshole." Sam adds almost as an afterthought, but the longer she sat there talking to Jerry the more she felt she was missing something. First, why wasn't Jason here when she woke up? How did Jerry get into her room, wouldn't they have protection on her with him still on the loose? And finally, why did Jerry seem so relaxed and friendly almost, when the last she knew he was a psycho madman out to kill her?
Unless she and Jason had been wrong all along and Jerry hadn't been trying to kill her.
"Claudia was the one behind everything that's happened since I got to Port Charles, isn't she?" The smile Jerry gave her let Sam know she was on the right track. "Still makes you a psychotic killing asshole." Sam grumbles, still not comfortable with the fact she was alone with him.
Again Jerry chuckles. "I'll let that go considering I did make a few attempts on your life, easily avoidable if Morgan was paying any attention at all." Jerry says sitting down in the chair by the bed, the one Jason would normally be in. "To be fair I wasn't looking forward to actually harming you, you simply were caught in the crossfire of Claudia's and my unfinished business."
"How comforting." Sam murmurs rolling her eyes. "Am I safe now, or should I seriously look into renting a wing of this hospital for my future stays? Are you and Claudia about done screwing with my life?"
"Rest assured any future dealings we have will be strictly friendly…"
"Not on your life." Sam quickly interjects before Jerry can continue.
"You say that now Sweet Sam, but I assure you I can be quite a good friend when needed."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Please do." Jerry says leaning back in the chair. "And I of course can't speak for Claudia, I'm sure she will be out for your blood. But I don't think you will have anything to worry about there. Morgan and his dutiful pet Mr. Spinelli are busily working with your mother and Diane to put that woman behind bars for the rest of her natural life." Jerry says noting the surprise flash in Sam's eyes. "A life that will be quite short if your Precious Morgan has anything to say about it."
"Jason is working with my mother?" Sam asks first but shakes her head. "The police have Claudia in custody? How? I thought she got away."
"She tried, but like I told her numerous times. She was no match for your Morgan."
"So if Jason took down Claudia at the docks. But how did I get out of the water?" Sam asks trying to piece everything together images fuzzily coming to her mind. "You…I saw you in the water before I passed out!" Sam says almost accusingly.
"Don't sound so upset Sweet Sam. I saved your life after all." Jerry says amused.
"Not to sound ungrateful, but why? I get you weren't actually trying to kill me apparently, which I still find doubtful, but to actually go out of your way to save me…careful Jerry but I might actually think you care." And that would just be creepy Sam thought silently to herself. She didn't want Jerry Jax on her side almost as much as she didn't want him coming after her.
"I don't…or didn't anyways. It's like I said, I find I like you Samantha, more than I thought I would. Makes me glad I didn't kill you." Jerry says looking at his watch and just knowing his time here was coming to an end. Can't stay in one place too long, even with Morgan's protection.
"Then why?"
"By helping Morgan save you I gained something precious to a man like me."
"What could Jason have possibly given you that convinced you to help him?"
"My life and his word that he and the Corinthos organization would protect it."
"What!" Sam asks jerking up in bed in outrage. "Jason would never do that, not after everything you have done. Sonny wouldn't allow it. Jason wouldn't…he wouldn't put the whole organization at risk like that, not for anything."
Jerry was surprised and intrigued by Sam's reaction, it spoke volumes about the relationship between her and Morgan. "I can assure you he did and I won't be forgetting that." Jerry said and decided to throw Morgan a bone. "You clearly don't understand how much you mean to him Samantha, quite a lot if I'm not mistaken."
Sam just stared at Jerry, trying to read somewhere in his face the trick, the lie, the joke…something that she could pull from his words to take away the meaning in them and the fact they made her feel warm inside. But there wasn't anything there, could still be a trick, but Sam felt he wasn't trying to play right now. It made Sam even more uneasy, because this Jerry she could see herself actually getting along with. Which just seemed sick and wrong on so many levels. Jerry was an evil, cold, psychotic man. He killed people, innocent people. He was a terrorist. He was a threat.
Wasn't he?
Sam's tired, injured head couldn't take anymore of the heavy thinking and she just shook her head to clear those thoughts. She wasn't going to think about it anymore. If Jason had offered Jerry protection he must know what he's doing, she wasn't going to question him. Or Jerry. Not when she was alive and Claudia was going away. "So what are you still doing here if Claudia is no longer a problem?"
"I wouldn't have pegged you as someone to stand vigil at a bedside. Especially for a woman who has caused you so much trouble."
"For all the trouble you may have caused, your rescue gave me my protection…for that alone I would want to thank you." Jerry says standing when he hears the noise outside in the hall. They weren't going to be alone much longer. "And to say…" Jerry hesitates, the words stuck in his throat. "I won't apologize Sam, not only because you won't believe me, but because I won't believe me." He says with a small smirk. "Just know that you won't have to look over your shoulder worrying I'm going to be there. You, your family…even Morgan…you have nothing to worry about from me anymore."
"Well that's good to hear considering I've offered you my protection." Jason says closing the door behind him and instantly coming to Sam's bedside and leaning down to kiss first her forehead and then a longer one on her lips. Effectively ignoring Jerry for the moment until Jason stands back up and turns to look at him, only after assuring himself Sam was alright. "I'm surprised you stuck around this long Jerry."
"Well when you pull a woman as precious as Sweet Sam here out of the water, can you blame me for wanting to stick around to be sure I didn't screw it up somehow?"
Jason didn't necessarily trust Jerry, but the man had earned the benefit of the doubt. Besides Sam was alive, Claudia was behind bars for a very long time, and everyone was safe. And as much as he didn't like it, he owed it all in part to Jerry Jax.
No he didn't like that at all.
"Jerry you might want to make yourself scarce soon. I have Spinelli running interference with Sam's family and the police, but he will only keep them out of this hospital wing for so long. And my protection won't necessarily help you with them."
"Very true." Jerry says walking back to the windowsill and shrugging on his suit jacket. "Morgan it was a pleasure working with you and I appreciate all dealings with you in the future."
"There won't be Jerry." Jason says finally sitting down now at the chair next to Sam's bed, it was still warm which let Jason know Jerry had been using it before. Just another thing he was going to let go.
"Sure there won't." Jerry only smirks at Jason and then turns to look at Sam. "It really has been a pleasure Sweet Sam."
Sam just nods her head and gives him a brief wave and a smile. It wasn't until Jerry's hand was on the handle when Sam finally called out. "Jerry!" She waits until he turns back to look at her with that ever present smirk. "Thank you." Sam says and she only offers a smile once Jerry's smirk turns into one as well.
"You're welcome." Jerry says with a nod and then it seems before Sam can even blink Jerry was gone.
She looks back to see a look of confusion on Jason's face and she can only shrug. "He isn't as bad as I thought he was." Is all she can say in response.
Jason opened his mouth to argue, he really wanted to argue. But closed it instead and shook his head instead. "If you say so."
"I do." Sam smiles finally feeling like everything was right. Jason was there, the current threat was over, and thanks to Jerry she now knew how much she truly meant to him. "So are you going to tell me what happened with Claudia? Or do I have to hear it on the news?"
Sighing Jason leaned forward and got comfortable, grabbing hold of Sam's hand before he starts talking. "I'm sure you already know most of it, putting the pieces together and then whatever Jerry shared with you."
"I know that Claudia was the one behind the shooting that put Michael in the hospital, not Jerry. She, I'm assuming, has been trying to take down you and Sonny from the inside as his wife. Why I'm not sure, I don't think she even knows why for sure. The woman Jason was seriously insane. How Sonny ever thought marrying her would be a good idea I'll never understand." Sam adds and appreciates Jason's smile. "Anyways…fast forward to Michael and Kristina's running away, Claudia gets scared and looks at this as her chance to clean up her mess. Jerry gets pulled in somehow, not quite clear on how or why, but we all end up at that run down house where he and you get into a shootout where I lose my memories. We all come back here and Claudia is even more furious that her plans keep failing, not to mention I am now a threat. She proceeds to try and clean up her mess, which is only made harder because Jerry has followed us back and he too is screwing with us. Claudia takes matters into her own hands…literally…abducts me from the wedding reception and I'm assuming planned to take me out to water, shoot me, and sink me. Before sailing off into the sunset a free woman. Am I close?" Sam asks taking a deep breath and smiling brightly at Jason.
Amused Jason shakes his head. "You are. And your memories are back." He says thrilled leaning forward to kiss Sam. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here when you woke up. I didn't want to leave until I was sure Diane and Alexis had made it impossible for Claudia to get bail. And if everything Mac charged her with sticks, she won't see the outside of a cell ever. And if she does I'll be there to take care of her."
"We aren't going to have to worry about that though." Sam says feeling extremely positive. "Between my mother and Diane, and my memories we have enough against Claudia."
"Not to mention she tried to wreck Maxie's wedding day, something she won't be letting Mac forget any time soon." Jason adds. "He has more than enough reason to keep her behind bars himself."
"Maxie! The wedding reception! Jason, is everyone else alright? What happened?" Sam asks, having completely forgotten about the diversion that resulted in her kidnapping.
"Everyone is fine, you were the only one harmed. Maxie is furious of course, the fact that Elizabeth was…"
"Elizabeth?" Sam says cutting off Jason's words, feeling the first signs of unease again since first waking up and discovering Jerry. "What does she have to do with this?"
Jason doesn't even hesitate to tell Sam, knowing that the situation is taken care of and she deserves to know. "She drove her car into the reception hall, or tried to. She was the diversion Claudia used to get to you." Jason says staring into Sam's eyes and seeing the confusion dueling with disbelief.
"Elizabeth was working with Claudia?"
Jason only nods at first. "That was part of what took so long. Neither woman would talk at first until Mac put them in a room together and then they both started yelling at the other. From there it became easier to understand what was Claudia's doing and what was Jerry's."
"Jason what about Cameron and Jake? What about Lucky?" Sam asks, her thoughts still stuck on Elizabeth and the family she had thrown away. And for what?
"It turns out Lucky had taken the boys and gone to the island to visit Nic. Lucky has already hired your mother to get custody of the kids. It shouldn't be too hard considering."
"But why Jason." Sam says still shaking her head. "Did she hate me that much?"
This was the hardest part for Jason, he still struggled with the fact that Elizabeth had this darkness hiding inside her and he never saw it. That he had lost all that time with Sam because of Elizabeth. "I don't know what to say Sam, I hardly recognized her once she started talking at the PCPD. All I know is she and Claudia both are never going to bother us again. I promise you that." Jason says leaning down and kissing her hand he was holding.
"I know Jason. I believe you." Sam says with another smile. Unwilling to allow Elizabeth or Claudia to hold any more power over her any more. They had lost and she had won. It felt good.
The two sat in a companionable silence for a minute before another thought entered Sam's mind. "Jason, about Jerry, did you really offer him your protection in return for his help saving me?"
"I did. I needed to if I had any chance of saving you."
"But Jason, what about the organization? What about Sonny? Jerry has a lot of enemies out there I'm sure. They're going to become yours now."
"The organization is going to be fine Sam. And Sonny and I have handled worse before. What I couldn't have handled was something happening to you. I couldn't lose you again Sam." Jason says his face serious his hand holding hers more firmly.
"You didn't Jason." Sam says just as serious and squeezing his hand back. "You won't." Sam shakes her head and has to blink back tears. "Jason you did something I never thought you would do. You put me before the organization, before Sonny. Do you know how much that means to me? Do you know how long I've waited for that?"
"I…Sam do you know how much I love you?"
Sam nods and can feel tears streaming down her face. "I think I truly do Jason. It's almost as much as I love you."
"Sam I know we haven't really discussed it and I know now isn't the best time, but I just wanted to let you know that once you're out of the hospital, if you decided you wanted to go back to Miami and your job there, I could…I would I mean…"
"Jason no." Sam says shaking her head quickly. "No I'm not going back to Miami. I can start an office here just as easily as go back to the one with Stephen, he probably would be thrilled to move here in fact. But more importantly Jason, my family is here. You are here. And I don't want to be anywhere else." Sam says with more tears.
Jason stands up and bends forward to kiss Sam and wipe away her tears. He is still standing there leaning his head down to hers when the door behind him opens and noise fills the room.
"Jason would you please give my daughter room to breathe." Alexis says, but without the normal malice. The second he moves out of the way Alexis takes his place to hug Sam herself, Kristina and Molly coming up right behind her. Then come in Maxie and Spinelli who take their place at the foot of Sam's bed. Next Diane shows up with a big vase of slower that Max was carrying. Michael and Morgan come in with Sonny pushing a very pregnant Carly in on a wheel chair. And finally Robin and Patrick come in to check up on Sam and decide to stay and visit.
The danger is finally over.
Everyone is talking over each other about everything. How crazy Claudia was and that apparently Carly knew it all along. (That caused both Sonny and Alexis to roll their eyes.) Maxie is discussing the wedding with the girls. Max and Sonny are discussing the repairs on Jason's penthouse. Between all the chaos and noise Sam and Jason sit mostly silent and holding hands.
"So does this mean you're staying?" Maxie finally asks, causing the room to go silent and all eyes turn to their joined hands.
Smiling shyly Sam nods her head causing Maxie, Molly, and Kristina to squeal. That starts another round of celebration until a loud shriek causes Jason to instantly reach for the gun at his side and rise looking towards Carly who made the noise.
"I think I'm in labor!" Carly says through another shriek, clenching her teeth and reaching back to grab on to Sonny's hand.
Robin and Patrick simply share a look before jumping to action. Robin grabbing the wheelchair from Sonny and Patrick grabbing her other hand. Together the four of them: Carly, Patrick, Robin, and a startled Sonny make quick work of getting out of there. Most everyone following behind them wanting to follow the excitement. Until finally the only ones left in the room are once again Jason and Sam.
"Are you sure you want to stay here?" Jason asks mostly in humor.
"Of course." Sam says smiling. "They're our family."
Ok so there you go. I will have a very VERY short epilogue posted in the next few days because I have a cute idea that popped in my head while I typed this and I think it would make a good ending for this. I will apologize again for losing this story for so long. But I am glad to say I did finish it.
I hope you all enjoyed!