Carly stood outside Jason's room again. It had been a week since she'd been released, and she stopped by at least once a day to see how Jason was. After he'd awoken he drifted in and out for the rest of that day and most of the next, but he was a little more coherent now. People kept coming by to see him and she wondered if they noticed the tightness around his eyes. Did they realize how uncomfortable they were making him? How confused he was? Did they care? Her mother told her that Jason was having memory problems, but that he'd asked for her by name more then once. She wondered why?

"You can go in." Bobbie told her with a warm smile. "But only for a little while. He still needs his rest."

Carly nodded. She walked into Jason's room and tried to give him her best warm smile. She could see the tension melt away as she came closer. "Hey."

"Hey." Jason replied. He eyed her casted wrist and felt a wash of guilt. "How are you feeling?"

"A little sore." Carly admitted. "Pain pills are wonderful things. How are you feeling?"

Jason's eyes pinched as he sighed deeply. "I don't know."

Carly saw the tension come back. "Well that's ok. You don't have to know."

"I don't?" Jason asked as he looked at her. "They all think I should."

"What the hell do they know?" Carly asked. "What their tests and stuff tell them? Its your body, your head, if you don't know then you don't know."

The corner of his lips twitched up a little. The two teens were quiet for a little while. It was a comforting quiet. She didn't elicit the same response that others did. With her he could just be quiet. After several minutes he said, "I can't remember stuff."

"Your brain bounced around inside your skull like a penny in jar." She replied with a soft chuckle. "I'm surprised you didn't wake up quacking like a duck or something." He smiled, which made her smile. "My Mom says that it was all swollen and stuff and you had something like a bad bruise on a part of it. Its getting better, it might just take a little more time before it's completely better. You're alive, breathing, talking, eating, doing all the important human stuff, so there's no rush, right?"

"They all want it rushed." Jason replied, his smile quickly fading. "They want me to be like I was."

"Yeah, well, people in hell want ice water." Carly replied with a smirk.

Outside the room Bobbie and Monica watched. It amazed both of them how Carly seemed to be the only person who didn't set Jason off. She was also one of the few he remembered. Carly, Lila, Emily, and Robin, where the only one's he knew, the only one's he remembered. It hurt Monica, but she was hoping that as his brain healed his memory would come back.

"She relaxes him." Monica said with a gentle shake of her head.

"I don't think there's any pressure when it comes to her." Bobbie explained. "They barely knew each other so there's no expectations."

Monica nodded. "You're probably right. I just wish he'd smile for me like that."

Sam was reclining on the couch reading a comic book when there was a knock on the door. She looked up and then over towards the stairs to see if her mom was going to come down. When she didn't see Alexis instantly she jumped off the couch and went to the door. She pushed the desk chair over so she could see out the peephole. There was a man with dark hair standing on the other side. "Hi Mr. Ashton."

Ned couldn't help but smile. "Hi Sam. You going to open the door?"

"I'm not suppose to." Sam replied.

"Is your mom home?" Ned asked, feeling silly having this conversation trough the door.

"Maybe." Sam answered. "What do you want with her?"

He smiled at her again. "I'd like to speak with her."

Sam eyed the man carefully. It wasn't that she disliked him or anything, she didn't really know him, but he had been in her mother's life once in a way that only Jax should be in her life. "What do you want to talk to her about?"

"It's personal." Ned replied. "May I come in?"

Sam was reluctant but she moved the chair and opened the door. "Personal how?"

"It's grown up stuff." Ned told her as he came into the penthouse.

The girl closed the door and walked over to stand in front of him. She sized him up as she crossed her arms over her chest. "She's with Jax."

"I know." Ned said with a growing smile.

"She loves Jax." Sam told him, as she looked him right in the eyes.

"I know." Ned replied.

She looked him up and down again and then said, "Hands off."

Ned held up his hands. "We're just friends, I promise."

She glared at him for a moment before she nodded. "No one likes a home wrecker." She warned him before going to the stairs. "MOM! Mr. Ashton is here!"

When Alexis came downstairs she was surprised to see Ned, but she was more surprised to see the way Sam was looking at him. "Everything alright down here?"

Ned was trying hard not to laugh. "Everything's fine."

Sam huffed at him.

Alexis looked confused. "Sam, why don't you take your comic book upstairs, please." She watched as Sam continued to glare at Ned. "Now, Sam."

"Ok." Sam finally replied. She gathered up her comics and headed upstairs as she was told. She paused on the landing and looked at Ned. She used two fingers to point to her eyes and then point at Ned; she was letting him know she was watching him.

"Samantha." Alexis scolded. She was utterly clueless but she knew something had happened. Sam had this particular look about her. "Now." Once they were alone and she was sure Sam wasn't listening she turned to Ned who was laughing. "What did I miss?"

It took a moment for Ned to stop laughing. "I don't know what was better. Her defending your honor or marking Jax's territory." At the looked Alexis gave him he explained, "She was just making sure I knew you were with Jax and that you were happy." Her look shifted to one of amusement and a little motherly anger. "She was protecting her family. She's a lot like you Alexis, and not just in looks."

Alexis smiled at that and then said, "She shouldn't have been rude." She paused a moment before asking, "What are you doing here Ned?"

"I wanted to apologize." Ned replied. "I shouldn't have put you or Carly in the position I did."

"You were doing what comes naturally to you." Alexis said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I can understand that. It's part of being a gatekeeper. But sometimes we have to step aside and let things happen the right way."

"AJ's pretty shaken up over all of this." Ned told her. "I think maybe he's finally learning."

"He should be shaken up." Alexis replied. "He nearly killed his brother." She paused a moment before asking, "What did Justice work out for him?" Ned looked at her with a touch of shock in his eyes. "Like Edward would let him go to jail."

"Court ordered in house rehab." Ned answered. "Five years probation starts when he gets out."

Alexis shook her head and sighed. "I suppose that's something."

Ned looked a little angry. "You think he should have gone to prison?"

"I think rehab is only going to work if he wants it too." Alexis replied honestly.

Alexis and Ned talked for a few more minutes before he left to head back to the hospital. She sighed softly at the mess AJ had created and hoped the boy could get it together before something else happened. Shaking off those thoughts Alexis went to the bottom of the stairs. "Samantha, come down here please."

"Yeah Mom?" Sam said as she bounced down the stairs.

"We need to chat." Alexis said as she sat on the couch and patted the place beside her. She waited until Sam was sitting next to her before asking, "Care to explain your rude behavior with Mr. Ashton?"

Sam shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure he knew what was what."

"Samantha, though I appreciate your concern, my adult relationships are none of your business." Alexis scolded gently.

"You almost married him." Sam said with a frown, her dark eyes pinched with a hint of disgust.

"I did." Alexis said with a nod. "Once upon a time I loved him."

"But you love Jax." Sam pointed out.

Alexis nodded. "I do love, Jax, very much. Which is why I didn't marry, Ned."

"Well, men like him have money lined skulls. They're thick." Sam said with a soft sigh. "I just wanted him to know that you love Jax. I didn't want him to make Jax go away."

"Oh baby." Alexis said as she pulled Sam close. "Sweetheart, Jax isn't going to go anywhere. No matter what happens between Jax and I, he will always be in your life."

"How do you know that?" Sam asked as she looked up into her mother's eyes.

"Because I know Jax." Alexis answered without doubt. "And I know he loves you very much and will always be in your life."

Sam was quiet a moment as she thought about what her mom was saying and then finally nodded. "I'm glad we have Jax."

"So am I." Alexis gave her daughter a warm smile before turning serious again. "Samantha, I want you to feel like you can express yourself, but I don't want you to be rude about it. You need to learn to be more tactful."

"Ok." Sam said with a nod. "But I wasn't that rude. It's not like I kicked him or anything."

Alexis gave her daughter a look. "That would be ill advised my daughter."

Sam gave her mother a sheepish smirk. "Yeah, I figured as much."

After talking to Sam Alexis decided to call Jax and let him know how Sam was feeling. She could tell, even over the phone, how touched he was over the little girl's affection. They agreed that it would be a good idea if Jax spent some one on one time with Sam, and he'd start by taking her out to dinner.

Sam was wearing a lovely gray dress that she kind of liked, and it looked really cute on her as she walked into the PC Grill with her hand in Jax's. She felt so grown up and special as Jax told the man he had a reservation for a table for two. She giggled when Jax pulled out her chair for her and then scooted her under once she was sat down. Jax ordered sparkling grape juice and Sam got to drink it out of a champagne flute. After dinner they went ice-skating and walked through the park with hot chocolate. By the time Jax brought her home she was sound asleep in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, and her tiny hand clutched around a small bouquet of flowers. After Alexis changed her little girl into her nightclothes, she and Jax tucked the girl. Jax watched for a moment as Sam slept with a smile on her face; a smile much like the one her mother was wearing as Alexis pulled him out of the room and towards her own