Late summer storms had settled over Port Charles. During the day Sam was fine with watching the rain and listening to the rumbling thunder, but at night it freaked her out. The storm had come up suddenly in the middle of the night and a rather strong clap of thunder shook the walls, causing Sam to bolt from her sleep. A flash of lightening lit up the room, casting an eerie light over everything, and causing Sam's breathing and heart rate to pick up. It took several seconds for the girl to realize where she was, and to calm down enough to fight the urge to bolt from the room. She looked over at her sleeping aunt just as another rumble of thunder shook the room, causing her to whimper.
Sam was feeling scared and hated feeling scared. She sat up and curled herself into a tight ball against her headboard. Another round of lightening and thunder caused her to yelp as her body jerked from the surprise of it. She looked over at Kristina again and for a second thought about crawling into bed with her. Then she realized that it wasn't Kristina she wanted comfort from. Slipping out of bed Sam tiptoed out of her bedroom and quietly made her way down the hall to her mother's room. The door was closed and Sam just stood there in front of it for a long time. She didn't like being scared, she was uncomfortable with this new draw towards Alexis, and she was afraid that Alexis would reject her somehow.
It was another really loud clap of thunder that finally drove Sam to turn the doorknob and carefully push the door open. She crept inside and after her eyes adjusted to the light level she saw Alexis asleep in her bed. Sam tiptoed over to the large bed, her bean plush turtle tucked in a death grip under her arm, and very carefully climbed into her mother's bed. She laid perfectly still on her back looking up at ceiling, and was already starting to feel a little better, but then another flash of lightening and roar of thunder made her jump and yelp.
"Sam?" Alexis' sleepy voice whispered.
Sam flinched at the sudden sound of her mother's voice in the stillness of her darken bedroom. "Sorry." She whispered as she moved to get out of the bed.
Alexis reached over before Sam could get up and pulled her close. Her eyes widened in the dark as she felt the girl's whole body tremble. "It's ok baby." She said soothingly as she cuddled Sam close. "Thunderstorms use to scare me too when I was little, and I use to climb into bed and snuggle with my Mama too."
Sam let Alexis wrap her arm around her and slowly began to relax as she snuggled into the woman. It kind of shocked Sam, the way she fit so perfectly into her mother's embrace. It was as if Alexis was the perfect place for Sam to tuck herself away and hide from the scary things in the world. She flinched a few times as the storm raged on, but she slowly accepted Alexis' comfort and was soon fast asleep.
Alexis held her baby girl as she slept. She couldn't keep the smile off her face or the tears from her eyes as she held her little one close. It was still so amazing to her to think that her life had taken this turn. She was holding her baby in her arms again. It felt so wonderful, so right, and she knew that this tiny little dark haired girl owned her heart completely. Leaning down Alexis placed a careful kiss on Sam's temple and then settled in to go back to sleep herself.
They were both so soundly sleeping that neither of them heard Jax come in, nor did they notice the flash from the camera. He didn't even mind being displaced from Alexis' bed because the looks on his girls' faces as they slept snuggled together was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. If Alexis had ever wanted to repay him for finding her family, seeing them like this was payment in full.
When Alexis woke up she smiled and watched Sam sleep. She didn't want to wake her little girl, so she just laid there until she felt Sam start to stir. Her smile brightened when those beautiful brown eyes fluttered open. "Good morning my love."
Sam looked confused for a moment before the night before came back to her, then she looked embarrassed and blushed. "Good morning."
The blush made Alexis reach out and caress her daughter's face. "It's alright baby. You can come sleep with me whenever you want. It's ok to want to snuggle up with your mama. There's no reason to be embarrassed."
"I shouldn't be scared of storms." Sam said softly. She snuggled close to Alexis and reached up to play with a strand of her mother's hair. "I'm to big for that."
"Even grown ups have fears, Sammie." Alexis reassured. "There's nothing wrong with that. Fear can sometimes be a good thing."
Sam narrowed her eyes as she looked up into her mother's matching eyes. "How is being scared of a storm a good thing?"
"It led to us snuggling." Alexis said with a bright smile. "It broke a burrier between us."
Sam looked down. "I'm sorry."
Alexis lifted her daughter's chin up. "There's no need to be sorry baby. We're working this out in our own time."
Sam nodded her agreement and the snuggled closer to her mother. She rested her head on Alexis' chest and listened to the sound of her heartbeat as she took in her scent. Alexis had been hugging her, kissing her, and just generally making sure there was physical contact between the two of them. Sam had been a little standoffish; she'd let Alexis offer contact but never returned it until now. She really liked this cuddling thing. Sam was completely content to just stay in this moment. Which is why she gave her aunt one hell of a glare when she knocked and opened the bedroom door.
"Are you two getting up anytime soon?" Kristina said with a bright smile. "If you're not I'm eating breakfast without you."
Alexis hugged her daughter as she said, "We're getting up." She placed a kiss on Sam's head before telling her, "We need to eat baby. We're meeting Bobbie and Carly at rehearsal."
Sam would have protested but the thought of going in to rehearse their number for the Nurses' Ball had triggered her excitement. When Carly told her that Bobbie thought they should do something, Sam was leery. She'd been taught to lay low, to not draw attention to herself, performing in front of a room full of strangers went against her nature. Dr. Baldwin said that that wasn't really her nature but a learned behavior. She'd said it might help Sam discover her true nature to try new things like this. Sam agreed to do it but only if Alexis did it with her. It took a lot of persuasion from her, Jax, and Kristina, even Carly and Bobbie, but Alexis finally caved in.
"Ok." Sam replied. She smiled when Alexis gave her a squeeze before finally letting her go. She climbed out of her mother's bed and left the room.
Kristina was grinning. "I wondered where she was when I woke up."
"The storm scared her." Alexis told her sister as she got up and grabbed her robe. "She crawled into be with me around one."
"You two looked so happy." Kristina said brightly. "Even Jax didn't have the heart to disturb you."
"Jax was here?" Alexis asked.
Kristina nodded. "He said he'd call you later. He got a phone call and had to go deal with something unexpected."
Alexis smiled as she wondered what his was up too. "I'm going to grab a shower before you two brats suck up all the hot water. Make sure Sam eats more then Vegemite and toast."
"Sure thing." Kristina said with a laugh.
She couldn't believe she was doing this. Alexis had never thought about doing a number for the Nurses' Ball before, she'd never wanted too. She was more then content sitting at the Cassadine table watching the acts and making a private donation. How on earth had Sam talked her into this? She wasn't a singer; she hadn't inherited that gene from her mother, not like Kristina had, and now apparently Sam had. She was on the clumsy side so she wasn't much of a dancer, though she did have to suffer through dance lessons as a child. Alexis sighed. She didn't think knowing the Russian waltz was going to help her this time. There was no way anyone could doubt, after this, that Alexis Davis would do absolutely anything for her daughter.
"You're doing great Alexis." Bobbie encouraged after the rehearsal was over. "And you two girls are amazing!"
That Alexis could agree with. "You two are naturals."
"It's fun." Carly said with a smile after downing half a bottle of water. "I've never done anything like this before."
Bobbie put her arm around Carly and smiled. "You're picking up the steps quickly and you have such a lovely voice. You and Sam are going to steal the whole show."
Sam beamed at that. "I think it's going to be great. I won't even complain about having to wear a dress."
Bobbie chuckled at that.
Alexis laughed as she pulled Sam close to her side, then she groaned. "I'm going to be sore for the rest of life."
Jax had left her a message to meet him at the Grill at the Port Charles hotel for lunch and to bring Sam and Kristina, so she and Sam headed back to the penthouse to shower, change, and grab Krissy. When they arrived at the Grill she spotted Jax with ease, and so did Sam. The girl ran to him, more then ready to tell him all about their morning.
"Hey Sammie!" Jax greeted as he scooped the little girl up into his arms. "How'd it go today?"
"Alexis didn't fall at all, not even once!" Sam reported proudly. "And she only stepped on my feet twice!"
Jax laughed. "She's learning!"
Sam nodded and giggled, while her mother rolled her eyes and groaned.
"Oh Jax!" Came a sudden voice from behind Alexis and Kristina. "She's absolutely adorable!"
Alexis' smile brightened as she turned to see an older couple joining them. "John, Lady Jane!" She greeted her former and still beloved in-laws.
Lady Jane hugged Alexis tightly. "Hello my darling."
"It's good to see you again Alexis." John Jacks beamed as he hugged her as well.
"We've come to meet your angels." Jane told her as she let the younger woman go.
Sam was a little tense as she watched these strangers with her mother. The lady kept smiling at her and for the oddest reason she wanted to smile back. Alexis had slowly started introducing her to people, but Sam was leery of all of them at first. The only person she'd been at ease with instantly had been Mrs. Quartermain. Alexis had taken her over to meet the elderly woman, and they'd had tea together in her rose garden. Lila had been sweet and made Sam feel comfortable and welcome.
"Yes." John agreed. "Jax has told us all about them and we couldn't wait to come and meet them."
"Alexis?" Sam said uneasily from Jax's arms.
Alexis walked over and put her hand on Sam's back. "It's alright baby. These are Jax's parents. John and Lady Jane Jacks, this is my daughter Samantha, and the grinning redhead is my sister Kristina."
Jax set Sam on her feet as his parents came over.
"You're Jax's parents?" Sam asked, a little wide eyed.
"That we are young one." John said with a bright smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Kristina said as she was greeted with hugs.
"Aren't you simply stunning." Jane said, as she looked Kristina over. Then she looked at Sam and gushed. "Oh Alexis, darling, she looks just like you! Look at those eyes!" She smiled at Sam. "You my dear are simply beautiful. It's a pleasure to meet you, both of you. Jax has spoken so fondly of you and we simply had to come and see for ourselves the two angels who've made our darling Alexis so happy."
"It's nice to meet you too." Sam said as she tried to figure these people out. They were really perky, really happy, and in a way reminded her of Jax.
"So who's ready for lunch?" Jax asked with a bright smile. He knew how easily overwhelmed Sam could get so he wanted to let things calm down a bit; by things he meant his parents. He shared a look with Alexis that said his parents just kind of showed up, which of course was their habit. Alexis gave him a smile that let him know that having them there meant a lot to her.
The six of them settled in at their table and spent their whole lunch talking and catching up. It was no secret that John and Lady Jane adored Alexis and thought she was the perfect woman for their youngest son. Watching her with Sam only endeared her more to them, because now they were positively sure she was the perfect woman to be the mother of their grandchildren. They also fell instantly in love with Sam and found Kristina as delightful as her sister.
After lunch was finished John asked, "Who's ready for presents?"
"John." Alexis said with a loving smile and gentle shake of her head. "You two didn't have to…"
"Of course we did!" Jane cut in. She took Alexis' hand in her own and squeezed it. "Despite everything that happened in the past you're still a Jacks and that precious child is as much our granddaughter as you are our daughter, which also makes you're sister family as well."
"That's settled then." John said as he stood and held out his hand to Sam. "Come on Sammie-girl. Lets go see how many trinkets it takes before your Mum starts fussing at us."
Sam looked first at Jax and then to Alexis who gave her a slight nod. Sam smiled as she took the older man's hand. "Did you really teach Jax about boats?" She asked as the little group moved their fun to the Jacks' suite.
"I did." John answered. "He tells me you have quite the interest in all things nautical."
Sam gave him a bright smile and a nod. "Stefan, he's Alexis' creepy brother, promised to teach me to sail, and Jax takes me out on his boat all the time."
"I suppose you're a bit of a swimmer as well?" John asked.
"I love to swim!" Sam answered excitedly. "The water makes Alexis nervous, but I love it."
John beamed at the girl. "Then you just have to come and stay with me and Lady Jane. You'll simply love Australia. It's a giant island with lots of beautiful places to swim and sail."
Sam smiled. "Jax already promised. Alexis said maybe over winter break because it'll be warm there while it's cold and snowing here."
It was like Christmas in July for everyone. Sam hadn't been the only one to get gifts; John and Jane had brought gifts for Alexis and Kristina as well. Sam, despite liking John and Jane, was feeling very overwhelmed but managed to make it through the afternoon with Alexis' constant reassurances. Sam simply wasn't use to people caring and being kind. She had figured that Alexis and Kristina had taken her in so easily because they had too, she was Alexis' daughter, but these people had no reason to treat her so well. Sure Jax was with Alexis, and ok he adored her, but why these people? Sam was very slowly starting to realize that people weren't the way Cody had told her they were.
After rehearsal Bobbie and Carly made their way to Kelly's for lunch. They were sitting at a table talking about how things had gone in rehearsal. As they ate and their conversation shifted to other topics, the ease of the conversation stayed. They were actually laughing and having a good time together. There was less of a wall between them now, but there was still a barrier. Bobbie knew it would take a little more time, but they were on the right path to rebuilding their relationship.
"Are you serious?" Carly asked before popping a French fry into her mouth.
Bobbie nodded and laughed as she wiped her mouth on a napkin. "I'm serious. Monica and I had been fighting for weeks and I was getting tired of it, and I missed my best friend, so I went over to see her and we ended up in her kitchen. I was trying to fix things between us, she was being stubborn, we ended up in a fight and the next thing I know she's flinging banana cream pie at me." Bobbie paused to laugh at the memory. "I flicked a fork full at her and the next thing I know we're in an all out food fight."
Carly was laughing so hard it hurt. She'd meet Monica and the image of her and her mother covered in pie was just unbelievable. When she could breathe again she asked, "Did you two make up?"
"Yes, we did." Bobbie said with a smile. "We forgave each other and ended up stronger for it. Then we spent a month avoiding Cook at all costs."
"Cook?" Carly asked.
"The Quartermain's cook." Bobbie explained. "She's very, um, well, intimidating."
"You're scared of her?" Carly asked with a slight bit of shock.
Bobbie laughed. "Everyone's scared of her." The redhead shook her head and then pointed a fry at her daughter. "You'll see, you'll meet her soon enough."
"I will?" Carly asked, her blue eyes a little wide.
"Of course you will." Bobbie replied. "I have dinner with them at least once a month. You'll adore Lila."
Carly suddenly because uncomfortable at the thought of having dinner with the Quartermain's if that meant being near AJ. A small part of her was drawn to him; it was the part that always landed her in really hot water. A bigger part of her wanted to take Alexis' advice and steer clear of him. The rest of her just wasn't sure.
"Carly?" Bobbie asked with a frown when she noticed her daughter's sudden shift. "What is it?"
The girl tucked her hair behind her ears as she looked down at the table. She was quiet for a moment and then said, "It's nothing. I'm fine."
"No, something about what I said bothered you." Bobbie said as she reached across the table and titled Carly's head up. "What was it?"
"It's nothing." Carly lied. "I just, I don't know, I just don't want to embarrass you or anything. Those people mean something to you and I don't want them to think less of you because of me."
Bobbie knew that it was more then that but she decided that this issue needed addressed right now. "Carly, look at me." She waited until she and the teen were eye to eye. "Nothing about you could ever be an embarrassment to me. People around here know that I came from nothing, that I had a difficult childhood and adolescence, and some, like Monica, know some of the finer details." She reached out and put her hand over the one Carly had on the table. "Sweetheart, no one in this town has the right to judge anyone else, though unfortunately many do. But honey, you can't let that get to you, what they think of me doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what we think of each other, and I happen to think you're amazing."
That got a little crooked smile from Carly. "I kinda think you're ok too."
After they left Kelly's Bobbie decided to push a little more. "What else bothers you about having dinner at the Quartermains?"
"What?" Carly asked as she looked over at Bobbie as they walked to the car.
Bobbie gave her a reassuring look before repeating, "What else bothers you about the Quartermains?" She paused a moment. She'd had time to think since Carly first reacted and she thought she might have an idea. "Is it AJ?"
Carly narrowed her eyes as she demanded, "Did Alexis tell you about him?"
That got a frown from Bobbie. "No, Alexis hasn't mentioned him to me. What happened?"
"Oh." Carly said, suddenly feeling guilty over the mean thoughts she was having about Alexis. Then she was kind of impressed that Alexis hadn't told, maybe she could trust the other woman if she ever needed to talk to someone?
"Carly." Bobbie said gently but firmly. "What happened with AJ?"
Carly sighed. "He showed up at the park that day I spent with Sam. He was kind of making me feel uncomfortable and Alexis chased him off."
It was Bobbie's turn to sigh. "He's such a troubled young man. Carly, I think it would be best if you stayed away from him."
"Alexis said the same thing." Carly informed her mother.
"I know there's a part of you that wants to ignore what we're saying because you're fifteen and ignoring good advice is hardwired into your brain." Bobbie began, and then smirked at the eye roll she got from Carly. "But, I want you to pay attention to your own instincts. You're feeling uncomfortable around him for a reason."
"I guess." Carly replied.
Bobbie took Carly's hand and squeezed it. "If he comes near you again I want you to tell me, ok?"
Carly shrugged. "Sure, ok."
"Today was a really good day." Bobbie told her. "Thank you for talking to me."
Carly gave her mother a smile. She'd kind of liked talking to Bobbie. It had felt good, natural, and a part of her knew she could trust Bobbie. It was really nice to know she had someone if she needed her.