Do not own General Hospital or any of the characters.

So this will be the 2nd last chapter of this story. I am capping it off at 70 chapters.

Enjoy!

The Flame of Franco

Slipping Away...

A week had passed.

A long week of answering question after question. Being continuously asked the same thing.

"Was she okay?"

"How was she feeling?"

Sam was just happy to be home at the Penthouse. Away from the hospital. Away from the doctors. Away from the questions.

She felt like tuning out the world and falling asleep for a hundred of years. Like Sleeping Beauty. If only fairy tales were true, though. But she knew that they weren't. She had long ago figured out that one.

Jason watched her was a steady eye as she curled into her self onto the sofa. It was like she was trying to disappear, he thought to himself as he placed the keys and cell phone onto the surface of the desk. They had just gotten back home from the hospital. It should had been a happy occasion. Franco was dead. They could finally move on with their lives. But that didn't seem to be the case.

Sam was due in court in the morning. She had been charged with second-degree murder for Franco's death. Alexis, who was her lawyer was telling her that she would do everything in her power to see that Sam walked free. Anyone in Sam's situation would have done the same.

Jason hated that this was happening to Sam. She had been through enough. It was Michael all over again. He just hoped that Sam would be more lucky then Michael had. He couldn't see another person he loved go off to jail because of him and his lifestyle. He had suggested to run away. This hadn't been the first murder charge that Sam was facing. She had been arrested back in 2007, for shooting Diego and they had run for it then. But Sam didn't have the heart to do it now. She was tired of running away from her problems.

But in all honestly, she didn't care. She was tired of caring. She had killed Franco. And she wasn't sorry. That bastard in her opinion had deserved to die.

"Do you want anything?" asked Jason in a soft voice as he came further into the room.

Sam turned her head and looked over at him. She studied him for a long moment. Debating what she wanted. There had been a time when all she wanted was him and a baby. But now she wasn't sure. It seemed like she couldn't make up her mind if she could do this anymore.

She loved Jason. But she was tired of living like this. In fear. Franco wouldn't be the last psychopath that crossed paths with Jason. Whenever, one disappeared, a new one would just show up. She knew she had accepted his lifestyle all those years back and she still did. But the mob business was a different thing then these freaks that went after Jason. There had been Manny. Then Jerry. Then Franco. It wouldn't be long, until another one showed up.

They both knew it.

And she knew, Jason would protect her. He always did. Or tired to at least. But sometimes they were smarter then he was. Franco had been, in away. He had known just how to push Jason's buttons.

Sam knew she wasn't cut out for a cookie-cutter life like Elizabeth. But there came a point in everyone's life when they questioned everything about it. And that was what Sam was doing now.

Sam loved Jason. And she wanted to be with him. She just couldn't seem to move passed the recent events of everything. That Franco and Jason had been brothers. She still couldn't believe it.

Jason hadn't been really unfazed by it. He had been upset when she had told him what Franco had said and had seen the video footage from the church. But he didn't really give a fuck. He wanted to move passed it. For Sam's sake, he couldn't make it a big deal. It didn't matter where he came from originally. The only thing that matter now was Him and Sam and building their lives together. He was just afraid that would be taken away from him too. He was scared shitless that Sam would lose her case and be sent to prison for life for pulling the trigger on the bastard.

"I just...I just want you to hold me," she whispered, her voice filling with sudden emotion. She hadn't anyone to touch her since the incident. But at the moment, that was all she wanted. She wanted to feel protected.

Jason, continued to stare one at Sam for a moment before nodding his head in reply. He then took the seat beside her on the couch and pulled her towards him. Wrapping his arms around her small frame.

Sam immediately melted into Jason. Her cheek rested against his chest as she wrapped her own arm around his waist.

Sam carefully took the time to do her make-up, which wasn't much. Alexis had told her to keep it as natural as possible. The less she wore, the better. However, Sam found she needed to put something on her face. Especially with the dark circles that accompanied her eyes, nowadays. She put on foundation and cover up. She had skipped her usually step of dark eyeliner and just did a quick brush of mascara on her top eye lashes. She wore a light pink blush on her cheeks and a nude lipstick.

She let out a small sigh as she took a step back and looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look like herself, she thought. But she no longer recognized herself most times, nowadays. She still felt like a stranger to the person she had become since Franco.

Sam continued to stare at her self for a second longer before heading back into the bedroom. She still had to get dressed. Her outfit was hanging on the back of the closet door. Alexis had chosen it for her to wear to court. She was told not to wear anything too flashy or too revealing. They wanted to win the juries sympathy.

It was a black pant suit, the one she had warn all those months ago at Josslyne's christening. Underneath she was to wear, a pale pink blouse. On her feet she was to swop her usual high heeled booties for a pair of black low heeled shoes. Those she was borrowing from Kristina.

Once she was dressed, she made her way downstairs, where Jason was waiting for her. He was seated on the couch, he looked up as she entered the room. She tried to smile at him but failed to do so. She was suddenly nervous. She knew that the odds of winning the case where in her favour. That she had killed Franco in self-defiance and that the jury would side with her. Or so everyone kept on telling her. But she wasn't so sure. Yes, Franco had been coming towards her when she had pulled the trigger.

But she didn't feel like she had been really defending herself. She had just wanted to shut up the artist from talking about her like he had been. She had been tired of hearing his voice.

That was all.

"You look beautiful," stated Jason in a whisper as he stood up and reached out for her hand. Leaning down, he kissed her cheek. He knew that she was scared. He was too. But he couldn't allow for Sam to see that. He had to remain strong for her.

Sam didn't say anything at this. She quickly glanced up at Jason before being pulled to his chest. She found her body clinging to him. This would always be her safe haven, his arms wrapped protectively around her.

She couldn't help but wonder if this would be the last time she would be experiencing it before getting hailed off to prison. Tears stung her eyes at this but she quickly blinked them away. She had cried enough over the pass week. She needed to find her strength. Today was going to be a tough day. It would be a day, when her faith would be forever decided for her by a butch of strangers. When, independent Sam McCall, had to rely on her peers to decided if she was a free woman or not.

She hated this. She hated depending on people. But she knew she had no chose. She had made her bed, she now had to lay in it.

She was the reason Franco was dead. And now she to wait to see if she would be paying for it the rest of her life or not.

Just then Spinelli came into the room from the kitchen. The usually chipper computer hacker wore a grim look on his face.

The couple broke immediately a part as he approached them.

"Fair Samantha," he stated in a quiet voice as Sam turned around slowly to face him.

Her eyes locked with his. Neither spoke another word to each other as Spinelli threw his arms around his partner in crime. He had no real words of couragement for his friend at the moment. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was really goodbye.

Sam hugged the younger man back. She didn't need him to say anything. Just his support on this day was enough for her. She placed a kiss on Spinelli's cheek before pulling a part.

It was time to go to court.

"All rise please!"

Everyone in the courtroom, rose to their feet at this as the judge entered. The trial was about to begin. It was Samantha McCall against the people.

Sam was glad that she had Alexis, defending her. She knew that her mother would do everything in her power as both a mother and lawyer to make sure that they won the case and Sam got all charge against her dropped.

"It's going to be okay," whispered Alexis suddenly into Sam's ear, reaching out and taking her hand and giving it a brief squeeze. Sam just looked over at her for a second before nodding her head in reply. She hoped so. She couldn't stand the thought of going to jail.

She had been locked up before in prison. But she usually found a way either to escape or such. But this time, if she did get sent away. There would be no real way of escaping. She would be going to Max security for life. She could always attempt an escape and live the rest of her life on the run. But she didn't know if she want to do that either. She wanted to live freely. She was tired of running from her problems.

Sam let out a sigh as she then leaned back in her chair and watched as witness after witness was called to the stand to testify.

Sam had plead not guilty to the charges against her. But she still wanted to take the stand herself and tell her story. The jury already knew she had been attacked multiple times by Franco. But they had yet to hear from her. All it was facts and information. They needed her word, Alexis had said. The jury needed to hear it all from her point of view. To put a voice to the picture, in away.

Sam was already having a hard enough time keeping it together now as she listened to the other's talk. She didn't know how she would be able to retell it all from the beginning. From New Year's Eve to now. The last couple months of her own personal hell. She didn't know if she could do it. It still hurt to just to think about it, now. She much rather just keep it all locked away deep inside of her. And not have to think or talk about it ever again. She just wanted to move on from it all.

But life was never that easy.

The trial continued on for two days before it was Sam's turn to take the stand. She was the last witness to the stand. Everyone who had been involved with Franco, had already testified. There had been Jason, Spinelli, Carly, Maxie, Franco's mother, His art dealer, Lucky, Dante, Dr. Winters and many others. Except for Franco's mother. Every one had sided with Sam. Everyone stated that the deranged artist had deserved to die for not only his passed crimes but what he had put Sam through.

"Please state your name for the record," stated the judge as he looked down towards Sam.

"Samantha McCall," she spoke a clear, firm voice. She then went on to speak the oath, promising to tell the truth and nothing but before finally taking her seat at the stand. Alexis started to question her first before the defence did. Sam felt a little strange sitting there at the front of the court, while her mother questioned her. She found it even weirder that Alexis was addressing her as Ms. McCall and not as Sam or Honey or any other nickname she called her.

"Ms. McCall, the court has already heard from a numerous of witnesses over the pass couple of days in regards to your relationship with the deceased. However, we have yet to hear your point a view. Please start off with tell us how you first met the decease, Franco." Alexis was standing by the desk, her hazel eyes appearing over the rims of her glasses and to her daughter. Her voice was firm and business like. But there was also a softness about it. She knew how hard this was for Sam, reliving all the hell that Franco had put her through.

"I don't remember the exact date. It was in November sometime. November, 2009," her voice shook slightly as she tired to think back to when she first met Franco. "It was at the art gallery. Franco was having a show there. My friend Maxie had wanted me to go, it was a big deal or something. I agreed to go."

"Had you ever heard of the artist before then?" asked Alexis as she came to stand slightly in front of Sam.

"No," spoke Sam, shaking her head slightly. "I had never heard of Franco or is art until Maxie had told me about him. She had been working for Crimson, who was doing a spread of some sort of the artist. I don't really no. But I went to see what it was all about."

"Did Franco approach you at the gallery? How did you meet him?"

Sam was silent for a second as she thought back to that night. She had convinced Jason to go with her, that it would be a fun outing. Some culture to their lives. Franco hadn't really been interested in her. He had been interested in Jason. "He didn't approach me, per say. He was more interested in my fiancé, Jason at the time." Her eyes looked away from Alexis as this and locked on Jason.

He was frowning slightly as he looked back at her. He still felt guilty about that. If he had only just talked to Franco, instead of ignoring him then maybe things would had turned out differently. He wasn't sure. But he knew he could keep on focusing on what he should or shouldn't have done. He needed to move pass it all, just like Sam was trying to do.

"So you never spoke a word to Franco that night? Never showed an interest in his work?" asked Alexis, as she tried to set a picture of how crazy obsessed Franco had been with Jason, his twin.

"Yes, I knew spoke to him that night. I never showed him one interest. He was more concerned with Jason," replied Sam, turning her attention back onto her mother.

"When was the next time you saw Franco?"

"At my apartment, I believe on New Year's Eve. When he kidnapped me," her voice was low but steady still. She tried to remain focused on her mother. She couldn't go back there as memories of that night filled her mind. It had been snowing. She had been excited about Jason coming over and spending the night with him. Up to that point he had been obsessing over Franco and what the artist had wanted from him. It all made sense now but at the time. That was a whole other story.

"Can you describe what happened that night, when he showed up?" Alexis's voice was kind and gentle as she took a step towards the stand.

Sam closed her eyes briefly and let out a deep breathe. She knew this question was coming. Her mother had gone through all the questions with her before hand but it still made it hard. She tired not to think about that night and what it had lead to. "I had been waiting for Jason. I was out in my Jacuzzi at the time. Jason was suppose to come over and ring in the New Year with me," her voice trailed off for a moment as she tried to keep her emotions at bay. "I thought he was Jason. He just showed up out of nowhere on my patio..."

Alexis kept on questioning Sam until she couldn't take it anymore. She questioned about how she felt waking up in that abandoned warehouse in a glass box. She asked her what had happened during the long week she had been held hostage for. Sam had been barely able to make it through half the questions she was asked before she broke down. She knew she would be asked them but it didn't matter. It still brought up all those feeling she had tried to keep locked away.

Sam felt both emotionally and physically drained as she stepped through the threshold of the Penthouse. The trail was done for the day. It was now up to the jury to decide what her faith would be. However, she didn't want to think about what would happen in the next few days to her.

She was tired of feeling scared. She just wanted to feel something other then pain and sorrow.

It was then she turned abruptly to face Jason, who was stripping off his suit jacket. His eyes met hers from across the room. They were filled with sudden concern and worry for her. His eyebrows were knitted together in puzzlement as she continued to stare at him "Sam," he whispered as he placed his jacket onto the desk and took a step towards her. He was worried about her. The trial had been hard on her, he knew that. He just desperately wanted to kiss the pain away from her.

Sam gave him a small smile as she came towards her. His one hand caressed the side of her face, tenderly while the other went to her waist. His blue eyes poured into her brown ones. They stared at each other for a long moment before Jason began to open his mouth to say something but before he could Sam had her arms wrapped around his neck and was pressing her mouth firmly to his. She didn't feel like talking. She was tired of talking. She just wanted to feel. She wanted to feel Jason inside of her the whole night. She wanted to make love.

The kiss took Jason by surprise but he soon found himself kissing her back. It was filled with raw passion and desire for one another. Their lips parted slightly, allowing their tongues to explore the depth of each other mouths. All the tension from the day seemed to melt away at that moment as their body continued to cling to one another. It was only about them. It was only about that moment as they continued to kiss with passion.

"Make love to me," whispered Sam into Jason's ear as she broke away breathlessly from the kiss and looked up at him with darkened eyes. She wanted him and badly.

Not needing to be told twice, Jason in one fluid moment picked up Sam and carried her upstairs to the bedroom.

It didn't take long before they were both undressed and on top of the bed. Jason kissed Sam tenderly as he towered over her. He knew that Sam wanted to go quickly but he wanted to saviour their time together. He wanted to show her that he loved her with every nerve in his body and that he would be there for her, no matter what.

He was hers forever.

Sam had tears in her eyes as she lay there and looked up at Jason as he moved over her. She didn't meant to cry but she couldn't help herself. She was not only nervous about what was to come but also happy. Despite everything that had happened, she was happy at this moment just being here with Jason.

"Baby," she moaned out suddenly as she felt Jason's finger on her centre and a warmth fill her then slid two fingers into her opening. Sam let out another cry as his fingers stroked her insides, soon finding her spot. "Cum for me," he whispered Jason into her ear. He wanted to see her lose control.

His eyes never left her face as he continued to push his fingers rapidly in and out of her. This went on for a moment or two longer before Sam was surrendering to his touch fully. Her orgasm was powerful as she lifted her hips slightly off of the surface of the bed and flexed them against Jason's hand.

She cried out as pleasure washed over her.

Jason watched her, as he pushed his hand into one last time before removing it.

The room was quiet except for the soft panting of Sam as she tried to regain her breathing. Looking up at him through half closed eyes, she smiled sheepishly at him.

"You are beautiful," he whispered as leaned forwarded and kissed the side of her neck.

She reached out and caressed the side of his face. Her eyes were filled with joy and devotion for him. Leaning forward, he captured his lips with her.

"I want you inside me," she murmured in between kisses. She wanted to once again to feel his love for her on her body.

Jason nodded his head nervously in reply as he broke away from the kiss and positioned himself between Sam's legs. She smiled a small smile up at him. She was just as nervous as he was as he slowly pushed into her. His hand rested on either side of her hips for leverage. He closed his eyes briefly as he pulled out and slowly back in again. He continue at this speed for a moment or two longer, letting Sam get use to the size of him.

Flexing the cheeks of his buttock, he slammed his full self into her. Sam's mouth formed an O shape at this sudden move. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing him further into her as he adjusted himself so that his bare chest rubbed up against hers. His hands were resting on either side of her neck as they began to move as one, hips thrusting against one another.

Their love making went on for a few moments longer before they both came.

Sam's fingers dug into Jason's shoulders as she cried out as pleasure once again washed through her. Jason pushed one last time into her before, collapsing onto her. His heart was racing as he tried to regain his breathing. Both were quiet for a moment as they lay their panting.

"I love you," whispered Sam.

"I love you," whispered back Jason as he leaned forward and capture her lips into a soft kiss.

And for once in that moment, they allowed themselves to slip away from everything and just be one.

Thanks for reading and please review!

Julie