Do not own General Hospital or any of the characters.
The Flame of Franco
Rising from Ashes...
Jason stared at Sam in disbelief. This was not the first time she had thought Franco had been in the room. There had been times when she had sensed that the artist was still present from her dreams. But with Franco's message from earlier and with knowing that the artist had an art opening just mere hours ago in town. He was more inclined to believe Sam.
That Franco had indeed broken into the Penthouse.
"Please Jase, believe me. He was here," begged Sam, "right there...at the edge of the bed." She was looking from Jason and back towards the edge of the bed.
"Stone Cold," spoke Spinelli as he appeared in the darken bedroom. He had heard the scream and had come to make sure everything was alright. Maxie was close behind him.
"What's going on?" asked Maxie with worry as she appeared beside Spinelli in the door frame.
Jason threw a dirty look at them before throwing off the covers of the bed. He was going go see for himself if Franco had truly been here. He didn't bothered to get dressed as he pushed passed Maxie and Spinelli and headed downstairs in only his boxer briefs.
"Stone Cold, what is happening?" asked Spinelli again as he followed the enforcer down the stairs and into the darken living room. The room was eerie silent as the two men stood there. Spinelli was looking at Jason, waiting for an answer. Jason, however was ignoring the younger man as he looked around the room.
Everything was as he had left it before he had headed off to bed with Sam, only an hour ago. His breathing was heavy as he tried to process what had just happened. He wanted to believe that Sam was right, that Franco had been here. But it just didn't make sense to him. The lobby had doormen on it 24/7. They would had surely had stopped the artist from coming up here. And he would surely had heard someone breaking into his own home.
His blue eyes continued to scan the room, falling on the two monkey whine-ups sitting on the desk. He then looked towards the front door and began to move towards it.
It's then when he saw it. The door was ajar.
"Damn it!" swore Jason underneath his breathe. Running a hand through his hair, he flipped on the lights.
"What is it?" asked Spinelli taking a timid step towards where Jason stood.
"It's Franco!" cried out Jason as he stepped passed Spinelli and began to pace in front of the fire place.
"He was here!?" cried Spinelli, in realization as he looked at the ajar door and back at Jason.
"That bastard broke into my home and stood over my bed as I slept!" his voice was dripping with rage. He was speaking more to himself then to Spinelli. Franco had just upped his game. He had just made it personal. He was hating himself for allowing this to happen. He should had put guards on the door the moment Spinelli had told him about the artist's show. He hadn't been thinking.
Franco had never made his presence known in his own home before. Franco in the past had always worked slowly, building up the game he was playing with mind tricks and such until he showed his face.
Jason had thought he had time.
Once again though he had misread Franco.
"You are not going into work," spoke Jason towards Sam as he came down the stairs to see her about to leave with Spinelli to the office.
Sam's brown eyes darkened at this. "Jason, I just can't sit here and do nothing! I am tired of being afraid. I need to get out and not think about that bastard!" her voice was calm but firm. She knew that Jason was worried. She was too. But she just couldn't stop her life. She had already done that for months already. She missed working and being on the job with Spinelli. She had been working for over a month now or so. She just didn't want to stop just because Franco was back in town. Even know, deep down in side she was scared shitless at what the artist had in mind.
Especially after what had happened last night.
However, she wasn't going to tell Jason that. "Plus, I won't be alone. Spinelli will be with me the whole time and their is the guard," she pointed out as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder and continued to stare down her fiancé.
Jason studied her gaze for a second. He wanted to agree with her and let her leave. But a part of him didn't. He wanted her by his side. He wanted to keep his eye on her.
The couple continued to stare at each other before Jason let her go. "Fine," he spoke as he reached out towards her and pulled her close to him. "But please be careful."
Sam's face softened at this as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I will Jason," she promised. She hated Franco just as much as he did. The couple then shared a kiss goodbye, before Sam left the Penthouse with Spinelli and one of the numerous guards that Jason had gotten to guard not only the Penthouse but to everyone else who was close to him. He wasn't taking any chances this time.
The office was silent as both Spinelli and Sam were buried in their work. The business had been going well and was striving. It still surprised Sam at times how many cheating spouse cases continued to come through the door of McCall and Jackal. It was those cases that continued to keep the business going.
Both her and Spinelli were working different cases at the moment to keep up with the heavy work load they had before them.
Sam was always happy for the much needed distraction that work gave her. She was still shaken up from last night. But as she typed away on her computer, Franco was the last thing on her mind. Her focus was on her case having to do with a important member of the Port Charles community who was being accused of having an affaire with her boss.
Leaning back in his chair, Spinelli let out a yawn. They had been working all morning and he was in need of a break. "The Jackal doesn't know about Faire Samantha but I could use a much needed break. Would you like to accompany me to Kelly's?" asked Spinelli towards his partner in crime.
Sam looked up from her computer screen and over at Spinelli. "I'm okay for now," she replied, giving the younger man a smile.
"Are you sure?" asked The Jackal towards Sam. He knew Stone Cold wouldn't want him to leave her. "Maybe I should stay then."
"Spinelli, go! I will be fine," she explained to him. She knew Spinelli feared if he left her that the worse would happen but she could handle herself. "The guard is outside the door and there is another one outside the building. I am in safe hands!"
Spinelli still didn't look convinced at this as he continue to stare at Sam. He knew the place was being guarded and she would be perfectly safe here alone while he walked the short distance to Kelly's and back. However he still felt uneasy leaving her.
"Spinelli! I know you are hungry! Just go! I will be fine. I will even lock the door behind you just to be on the safe side," cried out Sam, trying to convince the young man to go get some lunch for himself.
Spinelli continued to look at Sam for a moment longer before deciding to go get something to eat. He hadn't eaten anything all day and was starving. His usual stash of bbq chips and orange soda, he kept in the office was low. "Okay, the jackal will go. But I promise Faire Samantha that I will return in mere minutes!"
"Well that was fast," spoke Sam as she continued to type away on her computer, not bothering to look up as she heard the office door open and close. "Was Kelly's not busy?" Spinelli had left ten minutes ago. She hadn't been expecting him back so soon.
"I wouldn't know," spoke Franco as he stepped into the small office space and smiled at Sam.
Sam immediately stopped what she as doing and looked up to meet the artist's eye. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked as she pushed back her chair and quickly got to her feet. Her hand immediately reaching for the gun, she had hidden in the waist band on her jeans.
"Oh Sammy, I thought you would be happy to see me," spoke Franco as he moved further into the room. Mischief sparkled in his eyes as he continue to look at her. "Oh you don't need to bring that out!" He let out a sign as his eyes fell on the gun.
Sam was now holding the gun out in front of her, aiming it at Franco's chest. "GET THE HELL OUT OR I WILL SHOOT!" she cried, her voice shaking with fear. She didn't know how he had gotten passed the guards and didn't want to find out. She just wanted him out.
"Why does everyone want to shoot me?" asked Franco as the smile disappeared from his face and his eyes darkened slightly. "But Sammy, you wouldn't want to do that. Shooting me would ruin all the fun. Don't you remember all the fun we had last time?" His eyes gleamed as he took a step towards her.
"You are a sicko!" she cried at him. Her body was shaking with fear as she continued to hold the gun at Franco.
"Everyone keeps on telling me that. But I don't get why," spoke Franco, "I keep on telling you, I am no different from Jason. Who people seem to love. Why not me too? We are from the same cloth," continued to explain the artist. He was only a mere feet or two away from where Sam was cornered.
"You are nothing like Jason," spoke Sam. She was trying to keep her voice steady but was finding it difficult as she continued to look on at the artist. She prayed that Spinelli would come back soon and rescue her. She didn't know how long she could keep up with this before breaking down. "Jason would never have done what you did."
"Oh Sammy how you would like to think that...For you don't know what I know," spoke Franco in a sing a song voice. His eyes were gleaming with mischief as he continue to stare at her. His face was twisted in a smile.
Sam could sense he had something up his sleeve but she couldn't place exactly what it was. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as sweat ran down her back. She could feel him on her. She could feel his touch as she watched as his eyes roamed down her body. "GET THE FUCK OUT!" she screamed at the top of her lungs in hope someone would hear her this time.
Franco sighed at this. "Fine, Fine I will leave," spoke the artist, "But do tell Jason I say hi and that I will make it easy on him." And with that Franco turned on his heel and left the office.
Sam immediately dropped the gun onto the desk as she reached for her cell phone. She wasn't one to involve the police but she didn't care at that moment. She needed someone's help.
"Sam, tell me what happened?" asked Lucky to his former girlfriend. They were outside the building. Sam was seated at her on a bench, while Lucky kneeled down in front of her. His voice was gentle and calm as he spoke to her.
"I thought he was Spinelli," she replied. Her voice was shaking as she looked into Lucky's eyes. "I thought he was Spinelli coming back from lunch," she repeated as she hunched herself over and began to rock back and forth, holding herself. "I didn't see him come in. I don't know how he did...there were guards outside the door...the door was locked."
Lucky nodded his head slowly in understanding. He didn't have the heart to tell Sam that the guards had been found dead in the hallway. Somehow Franco had killed them without her hearing it. He hated how much pain she was in as she continued to murmur to herself. She was in shock.
He was too. Over the years of being a detective he had dealt with his share of crazies but Franco was something else. He had never seen someone so obsessed with someone like Franco was for Jason.
He knew he had to get Sam's statement but he knew she wasn't in the right mind frame to do so at the moment. She needed help. Standing up, he reached for his cell phone. He already had his men processing the hallway and the office. He wasn't calling for backup. He knew there was one person that could get through to her and it was Jason. He assumed that the mobster had already heard what had happened from Spinelli, who had arrived shortly after Lucky had at the office. But he had to make the call himself.
Lucky let out a sigh as the call went straight to voice mail. He hoped that Jason was on his way as he turned to look over at Sam once again. She looked so lost, he thought to himself as he lowered his phone and placed it back into his pocket of his jeans. Taking a deep breath, he walked back towards her and tried once again to get her full statement.
After finishing telling her statement to Lucky, Jason arrived. He had gotten Lucky's message and had also received a phone call from a very panicked sounding Spinelli.
Guilt wrenched through her body as she locked eyes with him. She knew he had been right. She should had never gone into work today. She should had stayed home with him. But instead she had put her pride first. "I'm sorry," she mumbled as she felt his arms wrap around her.
"Shhhh," he whispered into her hair. He was cradling her like a small child. She didn't have to apologize. It wasn't her fault. If any one was too blame, it was him. He should had come to work with her. He should had known that Franco would make an appearance. This was on him, not her.
Jason was seated beside her on the bench as he continued to hold her close to him. He never wanted to let her go.
Thanks for reading and please leave a review!
Julie