Do not own General Hospital or any of the characters.

The Flame of Franco

Picking Up Ashes...

Sam was staring blankly outside the hospital window. She didn't hear Jason come into the room. She was seated in the lounge chair usually used by guests. She was suppose to be in bed. But she couldn't lye there any longer.

She was restless.

She couldn't sleep.

She couldn't eat.

She couldn't do anything it seemed anymore. She was too wrapped up into what Franco had told her. That the man she loved was related to this psychopath. No matter how hard she tried, all she saw was Franco when she looked at Jason. She had yet to tell him. She didn't know how to tell him.

It was the next morning. The police were coming soon to take her statement. She was afraid that she would be arrested for Franco's death. Everyone knew she shot him. Her finger prints were on the gun. His blood was on the dress she had been wearing. Lucky and Dante as seen her standing over the body. There was no other way around it.

Alexis, she knew would do anything in her power to drop the charges, if there was any. Her mom said she would get off on self-defiance. Sam wasn't hundred percent sure about this though. It hadn't been self-defiance. She had shot the bastard to shut him up.

There was nothing else to it.

Jason didn't say anything as he came towards her. He didn't know what to say to her. He hated how she had been the one to kill the bastard and now she had to deal with the fall out. He wished he had been the one to kill him. He wished he could take the blame for the artist's death. And not Sam. She didn't need to go through all this. She had enough to deal with.

He had failed her. Just like he had failed Michael. But he wasn't going to cover up the crime like he had with Michael. He was hoping that Alexis was right. That if she was charged, that she would get off on self-defiance.

"Lucky is on his way," spoke Jason towards her. He looked briefly at her before turning his attention to out the window too.

Neither said another word afterwards.

"How's she doing?" asked Lucky towards Jason. They were standing out side the hospital room.

"She is..." Jason's voice trailed off. He didn't know how to describe how Sam was doing. She wasn't herself. She barely talked. It was worse then last time, he thought to himself. She could barely look at him.

Lucky just nodded his head at this. He knew all to well what Sam had been through. He had seen the footage of what had taken place between her and Franco at the church. Franco had kept the camera running the whole time. The detective knew about them being brothers. He had been just as shocked as Sam. Never in a million years would he had believed that Franco and Jason were brothers, twins for that matter.

Lucky let out a sigh as he ran a hand through is long hair. He didn't know how to deal with this. He continued to look on at the mobster standing before him. He couldn't tell if Jason knew or not. He figured it was the later at how calm Jason was appearing before him.

"Well, I'm going to make this as quick as possible," spoke the detective as he continued to stare at Jason. "We already have footage of what went down at the church from the moment Franco put Sam there, to when we arrived. The psychopath had been taping the whole thing."

Jason was surprised to hear this. He didn't know about the tape or anything. His attention had been on the Sam and her well being. "That's bastard," he swore angrily under his breath.

"Yeah," agreed Lucky, "He provoked her enough that she shot him. It wasn't pretty I got to say but I want to let you know I am going to do everything in my power to see that Sam doesn't get charged with murder. She is the victim here, not Franco. "

Jason locked eyes with Lucky at this. There had been many times in the past that the two men had been on different sides of the law. But when it came down to the women in their lives that they shared, Sam and Elizabeth. They both had an understanding to protect them. "Thank you," replied Jason, nodding his head in gratitude.

"Hi Sam," greeted Lucky as he stepped into the room. They normally would have done her statement down at the station. But she was still under doctor's orders. Her mental state was vulnerable at the moment.

Sam looked up from her spot on the chair and over towards Lucky. Her brown eyes were blank of emotion as she continued to watch as the detective came into the room, and stopped short of where she sat.

Neither said a word as Lucky pulled out a tape recorder and placed it on the tray that was attached to the side of the bed. He continued to look on at her with concern as he took a seat on the bed.

"I know what you have been through Sam," spoke the detective softly, "But you need to work with me here. You are the victim here, not Franco. I want to help you." His hazel eyes burned into Sam's.

She was biting down on her lower lip. Her eyes suddenly filling with tears as she thought back to what had happened with Franco. She didn't know how much Lucky knew but she could sense he knew some.

"Tell me what happened on the night that Franco first took you from your mother's house," spoke the detective in a calm voice. He was talking to her like he would with Cam and Jake when he wanted to find out something. He was wearing his kid gloves with her. He didn't want to upset her.

Sam closed her eyes for a moment as she tired to look pass the fog that was her mind and back to that night. "I had just finished talking to Jason. I couldn't go home. I was too scared that Franco would be there..again. He had come through the window."

"He didn't have a gun or anything. It was just himself. He pulled me out of bed and towards the window. We were briefly interrupted by my mother but I stopped her from coming in. I didn't want her to be Franco's hostage too. He wanted me and he would get just me," Her voice was distant sounding as she told all this to Lucky.

"So, what happened next after you got your mother to leave?" asked Lucky after of moment of silence had passed.

"He smashed my head against the wall, he couldn't get me out through the window with me conscious," she stated. "I don't know what happened afterwards. The next thing I remember was waking up in the church, tied up to a column. " She looked away from Lucky at this. Her attention was once again drawn to the window.

The room once again filled with silence as Lucky continued to sit on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to continue with her story. He desperately wanted to ask her if she knew she was being video taped or anything. But decided against it. He didn't want to push her. Sam needed to tell things on her own time.

It took another two hours but Sam told Lucky everything that had happened in the church, with Franco's plans on marrying her. From drugging her and dressing her up as a bride, taking pictures of her. From telling her that Jason was his twin. How she had just wanted to shut him up.

"Thank you Sam," whispered Lucky as he leaned forward and took Sam's hand in his own. She wasn't looking at him but out the window again. "What you told me just now took bravery and will help your case. Any body in your position would had killed the bastard. And I will do everything in my power to make sure you are not charged for his death. "

The detective gave Sam's hand a squeeze before letting go and straightening his back. He then turned off of the tap recorder and placed it back into the pocket of his jacket. It was his time to leave. He knew he was losing her again. But before he left, there was something he needed to tell her. "We have it all on tape Sam. Luckily Franco was tapping you the whole time at the church. We have proof to back up what you just told me," he explained to her.

Sam turned and looked at him at this. She was surprised to hear this last piece of information. She hadn't known about the camera. She hadn't know that bastard had taped the whole thing. Tears immediately stung her eyes at this. She didn't know why she was suddenly crying over hearing that Franco had been taping her. She shouldn't really be surprised by this. Franco had taped her last time too. But all the same she couldn't help but feel violated. Even when he hadn't been there, he had been watching her every move.

"That jackass," she swore underneath her breath as she rough brushed the tears away from her eyes. Even from the dead, he was still managing to get to her.

Thanks for reading and leave a review!

Julie