A/N: Here's another update! I loved writing that JaceSamiel scene. It just made me so happy, and Danny was so damn cute. I'm so glad so many of you enjoyed it. :) Anyways, in this chapter, we get a little Davis Girls, and a then, unfortunately, a Liz run-in. I always end up writing her overboard whorish and bitchy because I can't stand her lol. I never mean to, it just ends up that way. So for those of you that aren't Liz haters, my bad lol. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

I do have a question I wanted to pose to my followers here, since I already did it on TH. I'm getting to a point in my writing where I need to make a decision about where I want this story to go (I'm on chapter 15). So what I want to know is what do you prefer? A shorter, faster paced story? Or a more drawn out, in depth story, similar to No Easy Choice?

Please let me know in your reviews so I can either keep going the way I am, or start picking up the pace. Thanks! As always, please continue to review. And if you haven't already, please follow/fave.

Happy Reading!

Jen

buttercup0303

Chapter 9

The next morning after Sam dropped Danny off at the daycare, Sam headed to her mother's house. She knocked on the door and waited for an answer. Suddenly the door was yanked open and Kristina was squeezing out, pushing Sam backwards.

"Thank God you're here! Mom has been asking about the damn pamphlet all morning. Have you thought about what you're going to do to distract her?" Kristina was out of breath by the time she got everything out.

Sam grabbed Kristina's shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"Krissy, breathe. We're just going to be super casual about it. Come on."

With a reassuring smile, Sam opened the door and walked in, holding Krissy's hand. Alexis looked up from her paper and beamed.

"Well, isn't this a wonderful surprise. I get to eat breakfast with two of my beautiful daughters."

Sam walked over and leaned over for a kiss on the cheek from her mother. She plopped down beside her and snatched a bite of bacon from her plate.

"Heathen." Alexis muttered, moving her plate out of Sam's reach. She looked over her shoulder at Kristina, who was fidgeting behind her.

"Sweetie, do me a favor and grab a plate for your sister before she eats all my bacon."

Once they were settled at the table eating breakfast, Sam looked at Kristina meaningfully.

"So, Krissy, how's things going with...um, what was her name?"

Kristina looked confused, but at Sam's pointed stare, quickly recovered.

"Uh, Jessica?"

"Right, Jessica. How is she dealing with accepting her sexuality?"

Alexis' head popped up over her newspaper, her attention caught.

Kristina tried to look casual, failing miserably. Sam rolled her eyes at Kristina's awful ability to hide things. She knew it meant Krissy wasn't great at lying, which was a good thing and all, but not so helpful when actually trying to hide something.

"She's um, not sure how to tell her family."

"Did you give her those pamphlets I picked up while I was at the hospital visiting Jace? I kind of brought the issue up with Dr. Collins and he thought they might be helpful."

Kristina beamed suddenly.

"Not yet!" She replied, a bit too loudly. Alexis stared at her and Kristina cleared her throat.

"I mean, I haven't seen her yet. She's super busy right now, so I'm going to hold on to them until she has a chance to hang. So, I'll have them. Just for a bit, though."

Sam cut her off before she ruined any progress Sam made covering for her.

"Mom, do you think I can pack up some of this food? I wanted to drop a real meal off for Jace. He's been eating that terrible hospital food and I thought it would be nice to eat something that didn't taste like the bottom of a shoe." Sam grinned.

Alexis lowered her paper.

"Sweetheart, I don't understand. Why are you still visiting him?"

Sam sighed, having already had this discussion with both of her parents already.

"He's my friend, Mom. He doesn't have anyone else."

Alexis leaned forward.

'But what if he's dangerous? He could be a rapist or a murderer or a gigolo."

Sam and Kristina burst out laughing.

"Mom, seriously? A gigolo? Run into many gigolos, do you?" Kristina teased. Alexis glared at her.

"Mom, he's not a criminal. Dante ran his prints in the hopes that they'd get a hit and identify him, but nothing came up." It was still a bit difficult for Sam to think about, so she hurried past it.

"Besides, Danny likes him too, and my son is an excellent judge of character."

Alexis stared in horror.

"You've brought my grandson around him?"

Sam rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Mom. And I was there the whole time. And guess what? He didn't' try to kidnap him once."

Alexis threw up her hands.

"Fine, fine. Act like I'm paranoid. But he could have killed people for a living and you're just going to accept him into your life?"

"Why not? Jason did it and Sam accepted him."

"Hey!" Sam threw a piece of bacon at Kristina, who ducked and laughed.

"Kidding, kidding. But seriously, it's true."

Sam couldn't argue with her, so instead she reached over and stole her last piece of bacon.

"Hey!" Kristina cried sadly, staring at her baconless plate. Sam shrugged one shoulder and crunched loudly on the bacon, staring balefully at Kristina.

Kristina sighed mournfully.

"That was really good bacon."

Sam looked at a grinning Alexis.

"It is really good bacon. Actually, everything was really good. You definitely didn't cook it. Where did it come from?"

Alexis dropped her paper and leaned back with a frown.

"Hey! I could have made that. You don't know that."

"Yeah, we do." Sam and Kristina said at the same time, grinning at each other.

Alexis sighed and then laughed.

"Fine. Your father sent it over from the Metro Court."

Sam raised a brow.

"He's not giving up, is he?"

Alexis pursed her lips.

"Apparently not."

Sam stood up and kissed Alexis on the forehead.

"Stay strong, Mom."

Unable to resist the urge to visit Jace before work, Sam made a plate for Jace and detoured to the hospital. She picked up coffee from Kelly's, and was having trouble juggling it all. She stopped near the nursing station to get a better grip on everything when two nurses walked past, talking in hushed voices that still carried.

"She's been here every day since he was brought in."

"It's kind of pathetic though, don't you think? I mean she doesn't even know him. She has to troll hospitals for dates now?" The nurse laughed nastily. Sam stiffened as she recognized Elizabeth Webber's voice.

The other nurse was quiet for a moment. The woman who Sam now realized was Sabrina spoke again, hesitatingly.

"I don't know. I think what Sam's doing is really kind. He doesn't have anyone. And besides, you should see them together. It's really romantic."

Liz sneered.

"Please. You're too sweet to say what you really think, Sabrina. I've been on duty and brought in his medication a few times and I saw his chart. With the injuries he suffered, he's probably grotesque under all those bandages."

Having heard enough, Sam strode forward.

"Not as grotesque as you, Elizabeth. What kind of person says those things about someone who went through what he went through? God, if I didn't already know what a hateful bitch you were, this would have confirmed it." Sam sneered before breezing past. She had to stop herself from throwing her scalding coffee in that idiot's face.

Liz stood there and stared, embarrassed at being caught and almost ashamed of her cruel words. But it wasn't long before she shook it off.

"What's her problem?" Liz said with a forced laugh. Sabrina looked at her for a moment and shook her head.

"She was right. You're not a very nice person." Sabrina walked away; proud of her self for finally admitting what she'd privately began to think.

Liz stared after her in shock.

"Sabrina!"

When the other woman kept walking, Liz looked around to find a few other nurses, including Epiphany, staring at her, shaking their heads in disgust. Damn that Sam, Elizabeth thought furiously. She ruined everything.

…

A woman's laughter echoed through the air and Jace felt himself smile in reaction. He looked up at her…but her face was a blur. He squinted to try and make out who she was but she started to pull away.

"No! Don't go!" Jace called out, reaching for her. But it was too late. He stared in horror as she faded away into mist, the scenery around her going dark. He was alone.

Jace woke up with a start, sweating. He glanced around frantically, looking for the woman in his dream. Who was she to him? Was she even real?

He cursed, frustrated, as even the memory of the dream seemed to be fading away. He tried desperately to hold onto it, but it was gone. Just the echo of a woman's laugh sounded in his mind.

"Damn it!"

"Jace?"

He looked up quickly. Sam stood in the doorway, holding a bag and coffee, watching him with concern.

"Are you okay? What's wrong? Are you in pain?" She asked quickly, hurrying to his side, setting everything down. She didn't wait for an answer but started to turn.

"I'll get a doctor." She promised but was stopped short when he grabbed her hand.

"Sam, I'm fine. I don't need the doctor." Jace said, his voice rough with sleep.

Sam searched his eyes.

"Jace, what happened? Why were you so upset when I got here?"

Jace let go of her hand and looked away.

"It was nothing. Just let it go." His voice was hard now, almost cold.

Sam stared him, unexpectedly hurt at his withdrawal. She stood slowly.

"Okay. Um, well I better be going. Have to get to work." She muttered before she turned and started towards the door, biting her lip.

"Sam, wait! I'm sorry. Don't go. Please." Jace called after her, his voice softer. He studied her back, regretful over his behavior. She stood there, her body stiff, undecided.

"Sam, please. I'm sorry. I had a dream that I thought might have been a memory. But when I woke up, I couldn't hold on to it. I was frustrated. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

Sam turned to look at Jace, her heart breaking for him. She walked back over and sat down, still a bit stiff.

"It's okay. I understand how that could be frustrating. Do you remember anything at all?" She asked, hesitantly.

Jace shook his head.

"No. Wait, that's not true. I remember a woman's laugh. But I can't see her. I don't know who she is."

Sam told herself that what she was feeling was disappointment for her friend. She wasn't jealous. Was she? No. That was ridiculous. And still, she couldn't help but ask. She had to know.

"Your wife?" She asked, not meeting his eyes.

Jace watched her, wondering if the idea of him being married was as distasteful to her as it was to him. He didn't know why, but the thought of being tied to another woman wasn't appealing. He caught his own thoughts and tried to shut them down.

They barely knew each other. He was recovering from a near fatal accident and had no memory. He shouldn't be hoping he's not married because that would mean that there could never be more between him and Sam than there was right now. God, they didn't even know each other.

"I don't know. Wouldn't I know? How could I possibly forget my wife?"

Sam leaned forward.

"Actually, it's not that hard to believe. My husband had a TBI, uh, a traumatic brain injury, and it caused him to lose his memory. He passed out one day and when he woke up, he didn't know who I was."

Jace definitely couldn't imagine anyone forgetting Sam.

"But he eventually remembered you?"

Sam smiled.

"Yeah. But it was a while before he finally got his memories back."

Jace considered this.

"And what happened between you two in the meantime? You just waited for him?"

Sam's smile went soft.

"I would have waited for him forever. But I didn't have to. Even with his memory gone, Jason and I fell in love all over again. We were together basically the entire time. We just built a new life together."

"That's incredible." Something smelled incredible and Jace found his eyes drifting to the side.

"So, uh, what's in the bag?"

Sam laughed and reached over.

"Sorry! I forgot. Actually, it's for you. I figured you might have better success figuring out what you like if you had some actual edible food." She held out the bag and Jace grabbed it quickly.

He grinned at her as he reached in and pulled out the plate. Sam reached over and uncovered it, helping set it on his tray since his other arm was still in the cast.

Jace immediately dug in, closing his eyes and moaning as the the flavors hit his tastebuds.

"Mmph. So good." He said, shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth. He bit the bacon next and groaned again, leaning his head back.

Sam covered her mouth, trying to hide her grin as she watched him devour the food.

Jace looked over at her and grinned.

"You're amazing. This is amazing. I love bacon. And not like, puppy love. This is serious, ever-lasting, I've found my perfect match kind of love." Jace said, taking another bite.

"It is really good bacon." Sam agreed with a smile, her eyes dropping to his plate, eyeing his bacon.

Jace swallowed and laughed. He held out his plate.

"Would you like a piece?" He offered.

Sam stared at his bacon and then looked at him.

"I shouldn't. You're really enjoying it, and I already ate." She bit her lip and glanced down at his bacon again.

Jace bit back another laugh and grabbed a piece of bacon, waving it under Sam's nose.

"Take the bacon. Eat the bacon. You know you want the bacon." Jace crooned hypnotically.

Sam broke, and snatched the bacon from Jace's hand, with a sheepish grin.

"I just really like bacon." She said, before nibbling on it contentedly. They ate in silence, Jace offering Sam bites of eggs every now and then. She was hesitant at first, but eventually leaned forward and took a bite.

Jace stared as her lips closed around his fork, mesmerized.

He looked away and cleared his throat.

"So, um. Did you cook this?" He asked, his lips closing around the place hers had just been on his fork. It felt intimate somehow.

Sam burst out laughing, unaware of where Jace's thoughts were taking him.

"Hell no. I can't cook. At all. It's from the Metro Court Hotel. They have the best breakfasts. If I had cooked that, you'd be eating blackened eggs with a side of shells. Trust me, you're better off with that." She said with a laugh.

A sudden image of a woman running out of a kitchen holding a burning pan and cursing started to flash through his mind, but Jace's head began to pound. Struggling past the pain, Jace tried to grab onto the memory and let the picture form. He had a gnawing feeling that he was close to remembering something vital but it was just out of reach. Jace winced as another piercing pain stabbed through his head, and the memory slipped away.

Sam leaned forward, worried.

"Jace, I can tell you're in pain. Let me get the doctor." Sam insisted, standing.

"I don't…need…I'm fine." Jace grunted through teeth clenched in pain. Now that he wasn't straining for the memory, the pain was fading.

"Well, whether you need one or not, I'm here."

Sam turned towards the door and smiled when she saw Patrick standing there. She went to him and hugged him, pressing a kiss against his cheek.

When Patrick strolled forward, it was with one arm around Sam's waist and her arm around his. Jace stared at them and for the first time, he noticed how comfortable and close they were. It occurred to him that they could be involved and he had to stop himself from growling at Drake.

Patrick gestured to the doctor standing just inside the doorway, unnoticed until then.

"This is Dr. Avery. He's one of the best plastic surgeons on the Western Seaboard and he flew all the way across the country to perform the facial reconstruction on you, Mr. Smith. He's back for a follow-up and to remove the bandages."

Jace stiffened. What would he look like underneath all these bandages? Would he be permanently deformed? Was there massive scarring? He wasn't sure he was ready to find out. His hands clenched the blanket at his sides into fists.

Sam looked at Jace and noticed his hands balled into fists at his sides, the knuckles white. She realized with some surprise that he was nervous. She immediately moved away from Patrick and to Jace's side. She reached down and placed her hand over his and squeezed.

Jace looked up at her in surprise.

"Whatever you find out, it will be okay. I promise." Sam smiled at him, hoping she hadn't made a promise she couldn't keep.

Jace stared into her eyes, surprised that he felt stronger already. He nodded once and looked at the doctor.

Sam smiled to see he had taken comfort in her words and prepared to give him privacy.

"I'm going to wait outside during your exam. I'll be back when you're done." She said softly. Jace looked at her quickly.

"Don't. Stay, please." He requested, trying to keep the plea from his voice. He felt stronger, but it didn't mean he didn't want support right now. He had no one to be there for him and for some reason that he wasn't stupid enough to question, this incredible woman was willing to do just that.

Sam saw the nerves in his eyes and nodded. She glanced at Dr. Avery.

"Is that okay?"

Dr. Avery smiled kindly and nodded. He started his exam with Jace by going over all the injuries that Jace sustained to his face as a result of the hit and run. Sam listened to the doctor list all the injuries, horror-struck.

Jace was frozen, each injury the doctor listed confirming in his mind that he would never look normal. How could he after that much trauma?

"Luckily, most of the healing from those injuries occurred while you were comatose, so you avoided the painful recovery process for the most part. Now then, let's see my handiwork, shall we?" Dr. Avery said a bit too cheerfully for Sam's liking.

"I'm actually quite proud of the work myself. Didn't have much to work with, but I think I may have managed to get fairly close to your original appearance." Dr. Avery said genially as he carefully began to unravel the bandages from Jace's head.

Sam waited with bated breath, ready to provide comfort if needed. But instead, she found herself staring in stunned shock.

"Oh my God."