RED – Jason & Samantha

Inspirational Song: Never Be Same – RED

Chapter 8

They were all gathered in the living room Alexis was seated in the middle of the couch with Molly and Kristina on either side of her as both girls held on the their mother while she stroked Molly's hair who was crying into her shoulder and rubbed Kristina's back who seemed to be in some sort of shock as she stirred blankly at nothing in front of her. Lucas was in the chair place next to the fire place his shoulders shaking as he sobbed with his head in his hands, his father Julian resting on the back of the chair he was in as he tried to comfort his son by keeping one of his hands on his upper back.

"Danny's asleep." Jason informed after he cleared away some of the soreness in his throat causing everyone to look his way as he took the last chair available in living room opposite of Lucas and Julian.

"How is he?" Kristina asked scooting forward to sit up straight as she whipped at her already chapped eyes. She watched with concern as Jason shrugged his shoulder and hung his head as he rubbed at the tension in his neck. None of this was fair; Jason and Sam were just beginning to find each other again. She had seen that spark they'd always last night when she'd come to pick up Danny and now her sister was gone.

"I don't think he really understands. He asked me if it would be a long time before she came back like I did… I told him… I told she couldn't come back like did. He asked me why…. And I…."

"Well then Danny understands about as much as I do because I would like to know why too. I want to know why my sister's life is over." Lucas exploded as he shoved his father's hand off of him and glared at both men.

"Lucas is right….which one of you is responsible for our sister becoming the static of the Port Charles Mob wars?" Molly lashed out as standing to her feet and pointed accusingly between Jason and Julian.

"Molly please…" Alexis began to plead with her.

"No Alexis it's okay." Jason agreeing with both Molly and Lucas, it was simply the truth. Regardless if it was said it out loud or not each and every person in this room and soon the rest of this town would know that Sam had died because she had a part of their lives. It did not matter to Jason if the message had been meant for him or for Julian, the price that was paid was too high and he was going to make damn sure that whoever was responsible was paid back tenfold.

Julian looked up to lock eyes with his daughter's husband as the vision of Sam's small broken and bloody body being zipped into the black body bag flashed in his mind. As usual, Molly was right; Sam had been someone's attempt to get either his or Jason's undivided attention, which they had successfully done. He will burn this town to the ground if he has to in order to find the bastards that did this to his baby girl and he was fairly certain Jason wouldn't be far behind him. "Honestly Molly, we don't know but it doesn't really matter."

"I've been out of the organization for more than a year now, it doesn't make since that they would wait this long test me. As for Jason…" Julian stood running his hand over his face and though his hair in irritation as he continued. His decision was made. He knew this could cost him the love of his life, but his baby girl… their baby girl…. Her death, no her murder was unacceptable, she would be avenged. "Jason has no memories of who HE was much less, who Sam had been to him so why they would try to use Sam to send him some kind of message it makes absolutely no sense."

"I've been replaying every single connection I can think of and I agree on both accounts. You've been out to long and everyone knows I had no memories. No matter how many times I go over it… I can't figure out a motive." Jason stated his eyes never leaving Julian's a silent understanding taking place between them as Sam's father nodded.

"I'm sorry Alexis I hope you can forgive me." Julian knew she wasn't going to like this but he'd just made an agreement with Jason and they would see this through until he knew every single detail of how and why his daughter had been taken from them.

"I don't understand." Alexis wondered looking at her soon-to-be husband in confusion.

"I've contacted several old partners earlier. I put the word out that anyone with any information as to who was hired or why they were hired for the murder of our daughter would be rewarded. I've also taken the liberty to talk to a few associates who will be suppling guard duty for Danny, you girls and the house 24/7 until everything is taken care of." He confessed his voice filled with an angry conviction that threatened to overtake him, something that hadn't happened since his father had been alive. The only difference was he knew this time there would be no guilt that would follow.

"What do you mean taken care of?" She questioned him again knowing full well what he meant this time. He had promised her though; he had promised her that he would never go back to that life.

"Do you know she had cut's on her hands and arm's; that our little girl fought for her life. She had been in bed sleeping. They came in and stabbed my baby girl to death and then straightened the room and placed her on that bed with white rose pedals like she was some kind of trophy. DO NOT ASK ME TO CHOOSE BETWEEN OUR FUTURE AND MY DAUGHTER!" Julian knew he had crossed the line the second he'd finished. He had snapped and he couldn't take the words back. The devastation written on Molly, Kristina and Lucas's faces was enough but the horror of realization that marred Alexis's lovely face was more than he could bear. Sinking down to seat on the fireplace ledge behind him he too broke.

Jason's whole body was tense as he watched Alexis walk over to Julian lowing herself in front of him and holding him for all they were worth. Kristina and Molly were being held by Lucas and he was seething. He could see her as Julian spoke; he could see her sleeping peacefully in their bed, her hair splayed out behind her as she lay on her left side facing where he should have been lying next to her. She was not a heavy sleeper, she never had been, he was sure she heard them come in. She had known they were going to kill her, she had fought them. They had come into his home, they had taken away his son's mother, they had taken away the one person that his returned memories would mean the most to, the one person he now couldn't envision his life without. And he hadn't been there…. Again.

"Jason?"

He didn't know how long they'd been talking, much less what they had been talking about but judging by the ridged tone of Alexis's voice that had drug him back from the memory of how fragile, tiny and still Sam had been in his arms. It had been just like holding Lyla all those years ago, he hadn't wanted to let her go either.

"Look I know that I maybe pushing here, that you don't remember your past with Sonny but if anything, anything thing at all stood out we need to know. Details even the smallest ones can be the most important in crimes like these." Alexis seemed to almost be grilling him as the lawyer side of her kicked in her tone hard as if he were one of her witnesses on the stand in court.

"I…" he began when Nickolas words on the phone floated back to him. "Well you can't say I didn't try. However, it's time for you to truly understand what the name Cassadine means. Remember you have no one to blame but yourself for what happens next." Sam was his family, someone he claimed to loved, he would never do this her or Alexis…. would he?

Uncharted Island – 20 miles from Cassadine Island

Her head was killing her, sweet Jesus what had she drunk last night she thought doing her best to try and piece together the fragments in her head. After attempting to shift in order to pull her herself up into a sitting position her body ached with pain, she must have been out of it for a while, she didn't even remember drinking. Reaching up with her hand she rubbed at the tension pounding away behind her eyes and hissed at the pain that shot up he neck when she tried to lift herself up again.

"Sam, take it easy okay, you move to much too soon and you will get sick. Trust me on this, I puked for almost two hours because I forced myself to sit up."

Sam cracked open her eyes trying to confirm who the familiar voice belonged to. "Lucky?"

"Yeah, it me." He validated placing his hand gently on her face as he softly ran his thumb across her eyebrow knowing it would cause her to close her eyes. "And I'm not going anywhere okay so don't push yourself." He repeated unable to keep the small smirk off his face. The petite brunette woman lying in front of him was the most fierce and stubborn of all the female race he'd ever had the joy of knowing.

"Where am I? I can't seem to remember anything; everything is so jumbled together." Sam questioned as she tried to make sense of her fuzzy blended thoughts and struggled to keep her eyes open as Lucky rubbed her eyebrow somewhat relieving the unbelievable pain in her head.

"Yes please keep trying to open your eyes because pushing yourself to remember and keep your eyes open is exactly what I meant when I told you take it easy." Lucky chuckled as he guided a stray strand of her hair out of her face. He should have knew better, she was never one to take advice even when they had been a couple, so really why would she take his advice now.

"My head just won't stop pounding." Sam stated only reassuring Lucky that she was in fact being stubborn as he just pointed out.

"Well that would be because you were injected with a rather large dose of drugs to help jumble your thoughts and keep you sedated for your transport. So, like I've said for the third time now it's best not to PUSH yourself, you need to let sleep this off." Lucky reiterated his smile ever present on his face as he pulled the cover up under her chin.

"Fine, just tell me Danny's okay and I'll quit fighting it." Sam finally relented letting her eyes close shut as more questions invaded causing her head and stomach to swirl. She turned to lay on her side facing Lucky in hopes of getting comfortable and stop the sudden wave of nausea that hit her.

"Danny's fine Sam, he's with Jason." Lucky assured her as his voice faulted a little, he knew how devastated she was going to be when she learned of everything that was happening and that Danny the light of her life was now more than half a world away from her. Everyone here had loved ones that they missed immensely, tortured by the video system that was set up in the living room that was constantly playing the footage of their friends and family back in Port Charles all day, every day did not help. Still, with Sam here now there was a hope that this could all be over soon if only he and Nickolas could figure out what it was exactly that Helena was trying to accomplish. "The Treatments" that all that compounds residents were being given, hadn't seemed to alter them in any way or at least that any of them had come to notice, this would all be so much easier if they had some kind of knowledge of the battle field before going into war. Tucking Sam now that he could see her breathing was even and steady Lucky rubbed his face and sifted back to the recliner next to her bed leaning back and letting his own eye fall shut so that he too would be well rested for when Sam woke up.

A/N: Hello to all who have been following this story. I would just like to take a moment to say thank you for sticking with me, I know it can be a while in between updates but as a single mom who always seems to be working there are months where I just don't seem to have the time to sit down and write. I also would like to say a special THANK YOU to all of you who have been leaving reviews you are the ones who keep this story going and give me reason to continue to try and find time for putting down all the lovely messed up plots in my head, lol. Also when I write Lucky please know that I see the Greg Vaugh version of Lucky…. And yes I was also a Lucky and Sam fan when Jason was being STUPID all those years ago…PLEASE keep in mind that this is a JASAM fanfiction because SPOILER ALERT there may just be some angst between Lucky and Jason…. I kind of think Jason deserves it after all he put Sam through with Elizabeth. With that said I hope you enjoy what it to come! Thank you again.