A/N: Hey guys! You have all been SO supportive and I truly appreciate it. After the last chapter, the response to my question about the pace for the show actually changed a bit and the results were more split. So I guess I will just see where the story takes me and try my hardest to keep up this pace so that if it does run long, at least its updated regularly. :p Compromises baby!

I'm so glad you're seeing their bond and connection. Pretty soon, they're going to start admitting that something is going on. I'm picking up the pace a bit, and will time jump a little through his recovery because honestly, I want him up and around and all in Sam's personal bubble. :D

And to the review about making Liz one-dimensional, you are totally right. Even as I wrote it I admitted to myself that Liz isn't THAT much of a bitch. At least not towards her patients. But I couldn't make myself care enough to write her true to character. My dislike of her is so great that when I'm writing, I just naturally make her the bitchiest bitch and the sluttiest slut I can think of. It's terrible but tbh I'm okay with that LOL :p

We've seen Jace and Sam together, but now we're going to take a look at them when they're apart. Sam is still struggling with Jason's "death", and Jace has to build a new life for himself until his memories return. Let's see how they deal with those issues.

As always, thank you for the incredible reviews! Keep them coming, I read each and every one of them, and they honestly push me to be better, write more, and post often. If you haven't already, please fave/follow. Thanks!

Happy reading!

Jen

buttercup0303

Chapter 11

The anniversary of Jason's death passed quietly. Sam took Danny to visit Monica while she made her way to the Quartermaine crypt. She stood in front of Jason's plaque and stared.

"Hi, Jason." She said softly, running her hands over the engraving of his name. Tears slipped unnoticed down her face as grief pressed down on her.

"God, I miss you so much. Everyone keeps telling me it gets better but it hasn't. And I don't think it ever will. How can it? You were such a huge part of my life. I don't know how to live in a world where you don't exist." Her voice broke and she cleared her throat, wiping away her tears.

"But I know I have to. I can't keep walking around like a zombie. I need to live, for me, for you, and for our son." She smiled as she crouched in front of his placard.

"You know, Danny is so much like you. No, Jason, he is exactly like you. You would be so thrilled to see him. He is brave and loyal and funny. He's the best of us. And I tell him every day about his daddy and what an amazing person you were. Our son knows you, Jason. And he loves you. Just like I always will. Forever." Sam straightened and wiped the last of her tears away. She turned away and walked to the entrance of the crypt. She looked back at the plaque.

"Goodbye, Jason." She whispered, before heading back to the main house.

She joined Monica and Michael for a short lunch so they could share stories about Jason with Danny. Sam's entire being ached, and she found that all she wanted was to be home with her son. So that's what she did. She ate quickly and made her excuses. After saying goodbye to Michael and Monica, she and Danny headed home.

When they got to the penthouse, Sam watched Danny run ahead and drop down by his toys. She closed the door and leaned back against it for a moment, closing her eyes. Pushing through the pain, Sam shoved away from the door and went to join her son on the floor.

After a simple meal where Danny chattered pretty much non-stop, they curled up in bed and watched cartoons together. Danny didn't usually sleep in Sam's bed, but she just couldn't bear sleeping in that bed alone tonight.

Danny had just fallen asleep when there was a knock on the door downstairs. Sam climbed out of bed and went downstairs to open the door.

Sonny and Carly stood there, somber expressions on their faces.

"Hey Sam." Sonny said with a sad smile. Carly didn't say anything, just moved to hug Sam. Sam held on tightly, grateful that Carly & Sonny had seemed to know that she needed them tonight.

"I'm glad you're here." Sam admitted, pulling back and looking at Carly and Sonny.

"I told you she needed us." Carly smirked, slapping the back of her hand against Sonny's arm.

Sonny grinned, dimples winking.

"Yeah, my wife knows everything about everything."

Carly shot Sonny an exasperated look.

"Your ex-wife. I'm marrying Franco in a week, remember?" Carly snapped, holding up her hand with the engagement ring.

"We'll see." Sonny said, shoving his hands in his pockets and staring at a fidgeting Carly, who blushed and looked away.

"Guys, please." Sam said with a sigh. Carly had recently confided in Sam that she'd slept with Sonny. But she insisted it didn't mean anything and she still loved Franco. Sam had her doubts but she just didn't have the energy to deal with it today of all days.

Carly immediately looked contrite, an expression you didn't often see on her face.

"I'm sorry, Sam. Tonight is supposed to be about honoring Jason."

Sonny nodded.

"That's right." Sonny held up a bottle of Sam and Jason's favorite tequila and Sam let out a surprised laugh.

"Thank you, both of you."

They spent the next few hours talking about Jason and laughing about the past. Sam ended up serving whiskey instead, saving the tequila for another time. Too many memories were attached to that particular drink.

After Sonny and Carly left, Sam looked around the quiet living room. She walked over to the bar and picked up the bottle of tequila. She carried it over to the table, set down a shot glass, and grabbed the dominoes case.

She poured a shot and quickly knocked it back, wincing as it burned down her throat. It had been a while since she'd had tequila.

"To you, Jason." She whispered softly, before playing a solitaire game of dominoes, playing for both her self and Jason. But after her third shot of tequila Sam shoved the dominoes away, feeling pathetic and melancholy.

She went upstairs, crawling in bed beside Danny. Finally the ache in her heart eased a bit as she stared at the little boy who was her permanent connection to Jason. Instead of focusing on what she'd lost, she needed to focus on what she had left. She smiled at her little boy and pressing a kiss to his head, she let herself drift to sleep.

The next morning found Sam dragging herself out of bed. She glanced down at Danny's sleeping face and smiled softly. There it was; her reason for getting up every day. Pressing a kiss to his soft cheek, she got up and headed to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, teeth brushed, and fresh from a shower, Sam piled her still wet hair on top of her head with a clip. She glanced at the empty bed and heard the TV downstairs. She dressed quickly in jeans and a t-shirt and padded barefoot downstairs.

She was surprised to see Molly sitting on the couch with Danny.

"Hey, Molly. When did you get here?"

Molly looked over and grinned guiltily.

"Last night, actually. I used my key to let myself in. You and Danny were sleeping so I didn't want to wake you up."

Sam frowned. She didn't have a problem with Molly letting her self in. She was surprised she hadn't woken up, though.

"Is everything okay?"

Molly nodded, shrugging. But Sam could see she was upset about something. She looked pointedly at Molly, who sighed.

"I got into a fight with Krissy. And I was upset about it so I picked a fight with TJ. And I didn't want to be home so I came here."

Sam moved over and sat in the chair next to the couch.

"Why did you and Krissy fight?"

Molly's face went stubborn.

"Because she's being an idiot and I told her. Mom wouldn't care if she has s-e-x with boys or girls or both." She said carefully, glancing at Danny.

Sam sighed.

"We know that, Molly. And I think deep down, Kristina knows it too. But she can't see it because she's so scared and so confused her self. She needs to deal with this in her own way and in her own time."

Molly sighed.

"I know. You're right, Sam. And usually I'm the peacekeeper. But Krissy is lying constantly and dragging me into her lies and I hate it. I don't like lying to Mom."

Sam reached out and grabbed Molly's hand.

"I know, baby. I'm a little more flexible on the lying part. I'll talk to Kristina, tell her if she needs backup, use me and leave you out of it." She grinned at Molly, squeezing her hand.

Molly laughed and squeezed back. Her face dropped again though.

"TJ called me out on being so hard on Krissy. Which, I pointed out is highly hypocritical since he's constantly judging and bitching out his mom."

"Molly." Sam chastised her.

Molly looked a bit shamefaced but then shook her head stubbornly.

"Okay, that was a low blow but it doesn't make it any less true. He comes down on his mom every time one of her lies comes out, and he's right to. But I don't sit there and judge him for it. I'm supportive and loving and then I gently steer him back towards his mom. Because that's what a good girlfriend does. He should do the same for me."

Sam sighed.

"You guys will work it out. You and TJ are an amazing couple. Not everyone is lucky enough to find love and keep it. Cherish it." She smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"That's not the only reason I came." Molly admitted, watching her big sister carefully.

"Oh yeah?"

"I know yesterday was hard for you. I thought you could use some company."

Sam wasn't surprised that Molly had worried about her. Of all her family, Molly was the most intuitive and nurturing.

"Yesterday was hard. Today's...well, today's hard too. But actually, I was thinking I just need a distraction, you know? Get my mind off of it. And there's this new case I want to work on. I was going to take Danny to daycare, but if you could take him for me, I can get started."

Molly smiled and nodded.

"Of course. Actually, there's this amazing new exhibit at the museum. If it's okay with you, I'll keep Danny with me and we'll have a little day date."

"Yay! Day day!" Danny yelled suddenly, clapping his hands together happily.

Sam and Molly burst into laughter and Sam nodded at Molly. She packed a bag for Danny while Molly got him dressed. Sam offered to make breakfast first but Molly quickly declined, opting to take him to Kelly's instead.

Once Molly had left with Danny, Sam wasted no time pulling on her boots. She needed a distraction and she had the perfect one in mind. She was going to figure out who had run over Jace. His image floated through her mind and she fought the urge to go see him. She was still too raw after the previous day, and having let herself believe, even for a moment, that Jace could have been Jason? She just couldn't deal with the emotional toll it would have on her. Even so, the need to see him was almost overwhelming. She glanced at Jason's photo on the mantel and looked away quickly, guilt suffusing her. Shaking her head and ignoring the pull towards Jace, she walked out the door.

...

Sam pulled over on the side of the road at the accident site. Grabbing her tools, she walked back and forth around the site looking for clues. She had finally given up the hope of finding anything when she looked up and the sun hit something that glinted.

There was something in the trees but what was it? She climbed over the guardrails and walked a little bit into the copse of trees, staring hard.

It was a hunting stand, high up in the trees. Sam squinted, her hand on her brow. What was that glint?

"Oh my god! It's a camera!" She gasped, hurrying towards the tree. She circled the tree, trying to decide how to climb up to the stand. There had to be a way in and out of that thing. Was there a way to identify whom it belonged to? What were the chances that it had caught the accident on camera?

Sam spent fifteen minutes looking for a way up the tree but whoever the hunter was had been careful. It looked like he had cut all the low-hanging branches to prevent anything from getting to his stand.

"Damn it."

The sound of branches cracking behind her had Sam whirling around, her hand automatically going to the small dagger she kept in a holster on her waist.

An older man, in flannel and jeans stood there, a shotgun held in his hands.

"Easy, darlin'. I don't mean you any harm. I was just responding to the alert I got that something was messing around my huntin' stand." His voice had a pleasant drawl that was a bit out of place in northern New York. He placed his shotgun against the tree to show he wasn't dangerous.

Sam watched him warily.

"How did you know I was here?"

He pointed up at the tree.

"You see that there camera? It's got motion-detection. When there's movement nearby, the camera turns on and sends an alert. I get it on my phone and can watch the feed from home, decide if it's worth trekking out here."

Sam's eyes widened.

"Does it only record a certain area or is it mobile?" She asked excitedly.

The old man furrowed his brow.

"Well, it's got to show me where all the critters are, don't it? When it detects motion, the camera follows the movement. It's limited, of course, but it's got a pretty wide range of motion. Why you so interested in this, darlin'?"

Sam smiled winsomely and held her hand out to him.

"Hi, I'm Sam."

The man laughed and shook his head. He gripped her hand in his callused one and shook it firmly.

"That is one dangerous smile, darlin'. Well, Sam, I'm Sam too. Samuel Bennett, if we're being proper."

Sam laughed and nodded.

"Samantha Morgan, if we're being proper." She replied with a smile.

"Well, lady Sam. What's your interest in my huntin' stand?"

"Well, hunter Sam, I'm a private investigator. I'm investigating a hit and run that occurred on the road just past those trees. And I'm wondering if it's possible your camera caught the accident?"

Samuel rubbed the scruff on his chin.

"Well, I certainly heard about that. Damn shame, too. Humans just ain't what they should be these days. As far as it capturing anything, well, I don't rightly know, darlin'. It would have had to detect motion here in these trees heading towards the road for the camera to face that direction. I'm afraid it's not likely."

Sam sighed heavily, disappointed.

"Damn it."

Samuel studied the little beauty standing in front of him. Something about her was just so damn sad. It was like whatever excitement that had put that light in her eyes had just been snuffed out. And the sadness that stayed in its place damn near broke his heart.

"But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take a look at the feed. I haven't viewed the feed in a little over a month now. Went back home to Texas to take care of my ailing mama. Just got back a couple of days ago. I was about to delete the feed when the alert came through, matter of fact."

Sam's head had shot up when he offered to look at the feed. Hope lit within her again.

"Samuel, that would be amazing."

Pleased to see that spark back in her eyes, Samuel nodded. "Alright, darling, do you have a way for me to get in touch with you once I go through it?"

Sam pulled out a business card and handed it to him.

"Well, I'll be damned. Itty bitty thing like you, you really are a private eye." He whistled and grinned at her.

Sam wasn't offended. In fact, there was something about Samuel that she just liked.

"Damn right. The best in the tri-state area, too."

Samuel laughed.

"I believe it. Well, I better get going. I'll be in touch."

Sam grinned and nodded.

"Of course. Thank you so much, Samuel. This could be the break I need to get my friend some answers."

She turned to walk back towards the road but stopped and turned back.

"Samuel?"

He looked up questioningly from the tree where he'd bent over to grab his shotgun.

"Yeah?"

"I hope your mother is okay now."

Samuel studied her, surprised at the sincerity in her voice. She meant what she said.

"That's right kind of you to ask, Samantha Morgan. My mama's stubborn as a mule and nuttier than squirrel poo. She ain't going nowhere 'til she's ready." He grinned as Sam burst out laughing.

"Good. Something tells me you take after her. Take care, Samuel."

With a wave, Sam made her way out of the trees and back to her car. Her spirits higher than they'd been in days, Sam drove carefully, looking for any other sign of cameras that could have caught the accident.

Spotting a couple of street cameras a few miles down from the accident, Sam pulled over and grabbed her phone.

"Spinelli, hi."

"Fair Samantha, what a lovely surprise? To what do I owe this immense pleasure?"

Sam smiled. Spinelli always made her feel better.

"I'm on a job and I could use your help. What would you think of coming East for a short visit?"

...

Jace placed one trembling foot in front of the other, his arms straining as he held his weight up. His muscles screaming, Jace took another torturous step.

"Excellent job, Mr. Smith. But it's time to stop." The overly cheerful physical therapist chirped, moving forward. It was the third time she'd suggested they stop for the day. Jace kept refusing. She was annoying the hell out of him and he was pretty sure that cheerful demeanor was beginning to sour towards him too.

Jace gritted his teeth and shook his head.

"I can keep going." He insisted, his arms starting to tremble.

"You don't want to wear yourself out." The therapist insisted, smiling through gritted teeth.

"I'm fine." He said again, moving slowly.

"You trying to kill yourself?"

Jace lifted his head to see Carly standing in the doorway of the physical therapy room.

The therapist ran forward, hands held up.

"Ma'am, you can't be in here." She called but Jace stopped her.

"She can stay."

The PT sighed, her jaw clenched, the slightest crack in her overly optimistic, cheerful facade.

"Fine. I'll be back in fifteen minutes and then we'll move on to breathing exercises." She snapped. "If you haven't killed yourself before then." She added under her breath, striding out.

"Can't wait." Jace shot back sarcastically before moving slowly towards his wheelchair.

Carly hurried forward and pushed it behind him, where he dropped, exhausted, into it. Carly glared out the door.

"What the hell is she doing? She should have made sure you were in the wheelchair before she left, the little twit." She muttered, pushing Jace's chair away from the bars.

Jace grinned, feeling better already.

"Oh yeah?"

Carly shrugged sheepishly.

"Yeah, well. I used to be a physical therapist a lifetime ago. Not a very good one, but still." She said dismissively.

Jace raised a brow.

"Used to? What do you do now?"

Carly laughed.

"I own a chain of luxury, five star hotels." She admitted wryly.

Jace's eyes opened in admiration.

"Wow. That's impressive. And a huge leap from physical therapy."

Carly laughed again.

"Yeah, well I don't like people enough to be good at physical therapy. And my ex-husband and I owned the hotel together, and when we divorced, we remained business partners. For a time, anyway."

Jace nodded.

"What are you doing here?"

Carly raised a brow.

"I thought you could use some company. I know Sam hasn't been by in a few days. So I volunteered."

Jace looked away. He had been wondering what happened to Sam. The last time they had spoken, she had announced her determination to find out who had run him over. She hadn't been back since.

He supposed it wasn't fair to expect her to visit him every day. But she had done exactly that since finding him in the streets, and then suddenly, a few days ago, she stopped coming. He supposed she had to get back to her real life eventually. And she didn't owe him anything, he told himself.

"Is, uh, is Sam okay?" He asked, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

Carly looked sad but she nodded.

"The anniversary of her husband's death was Wednesday. It's hit her hard. She's kind of buried herself in work and her son. But she was worried about you, so I told her I'd come see you."

Jace felt the hurt he hadn't even realized he felt ease when he heard that Sam had stayed away because she was grieving the husband she'd lost so tragically. She hadn't forgotten about him after all. In fact, even in the midst of her grief, she'd been worried about him. He smiled softly.

"Please let her know that I'm fine. And tell her I'm sorry that she's having a hard time right now. I'm here if she needs to talk." He ignored the knowing look in Carly's eyes when she smiled and nodded.

"I will. Or you could just tell her yourself." She grinned, holding out a business card. Jace took the card and glanced at it. He returned Carly's grin when he saw that it was one of Sam's business cards with her phone number listed.

Just then the doors opened and a tall, lanky man with greasy, brownish-blonde hair walked in.

"There you are, Carly."

A shadow crossed Carly's face as she pasted a smile on her face and turned to face the newcomer.

"Franco! Hi, sweetie. What are you doing here?" She walked over and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

Jace was staring at the stranger, shocked to feel him self becoming filled with rage and hatred. He didn't question the feelings coursing through him. They felt pure and righteous and the meaning was clear. This son of a bitch had to die.