A/N: Hey guys! I am so excited for you guys to see what I have coming. I've written through almost chapter 20 and the things that are happening have me SO excited. I really hope you guys love it as much as I do.

As always, thank you for all of the incredible reviews. It means so much to me, and as you can see, it keeps me writing and posting every few days. So please keep reviewing and supporting this story. I appreciate you all SO MUCH!

Okay, here we go! Happy reading!

Jen

buttercup0303

Chapter 15

"Damn it." Jace cursed, watching Sam run out of the room as if the hounds of hell were after her. He wanted to go outside and throttle whoever had dropped something outside his door, shattering the close moment between him and Sam.

Sighing, he rubbed his hands over his face. He couldn't deny he was disappointed, but he was angrier with himself than anything else.

If he could just control his reaction to Sam, things would have been fine. He knew she was afraid of this connection between them, and the stronger it grew, the more afraid she seemed to get. But she also didn't seem to be able to stay away from him, which thrilled him. Picking up the box of bacon, he bounced it a bit in his hands.

If he hadn't already discovered he loved bacon, he would have loved it now. Because despite Sam's reaction, he didn't regret that moment between them in the slightest. Laughing with her, teasing her, even that little bit of wrestling; it had all felt right.

...

Sam ran out of the room and down the corridor. She didn't give a passing glance towards the nurse picking up the tray of medical tools she'd tossed on the ground. She definitely didn't notice the satisfied smirk as Liz piled the tools back on top of the tray, picked it up, and walked away.

Sam spotted a door leading to the stairs and shoved it open. Stopping inside the stairwell, she dropped down onto the bottom step of the stairs heading to the next floor up.

What the hell had she been thinking? She'd almost kissed Jace! A man who could have a wife and kids out there somewhere! A man who was vulnerable and struggling to deal with horrible circumstances! What was wrong with her?

She sighed and dropped her head to her knees. She couldn't keep lying to herself. He wasn't just a friend to her. She cared about him. She was attracted to him and he was obviously attracted to her.

He wasn't the first man she'd been attracted to after Jason had passed away. She'd dated Silas Clay briefly. She'd even thought she'd been in love with him. But the entire time they'd been together, it had felt wrong, like a betrayal to Jason. She'd had to fight guilt every time he touched her, kissed her, slept with her. And so when Silas' crazy wife showed up in Port Charles, Sam had jumped on the excuse to end things. After some time apart, she'd realized that she hadn't loved Silas. Not the way he'd needed her to.

Then there was that brief period with Patrick. They'd been growing closer, becoming friends, and it had seemed like more was a possibility. But after a trip to Crichton Clarke to investigate Nina, Patrick pulled away. And she'd been grateful.

The second she'd stepped onto the grounds of Crichton Clarke, her stomach had leapt with nerves. For a moment, it had almost felt like joy. But that hadn't made any sense, so she'd dismissed it as nerves. But by the time they left the medical facility, Sam had felt a sense of loss she couldn't explain. It had made one thing abundantly clear to her, though. Jason was still first and foremost in her heart.

And then she'd met Jace, and everything changed. The connection she felt to him was overwhelmingly strong. When his hands touched hers, it was like a thrill of familiarity shot through her. It felt as if her body was attuned to his. And somehow, instead of feeling guilty, she'd begun to feel free. As if Jason would somehow approve of Jace.

She wasn't given to fanciful thoughts, and she'd never thought about it before. But sometimes she thought that Jason's spirit had been reborn inside Jace. Reincarnation wasn't an impossibility, right? She immediately felt foolish even wondering. Next thing she knew, she'd be going to Olivia Falconeri for a palm reading.

Jace wasn't Jason. She knew that. Yes, there were similarities; but there were differences too. Jace was more talkative, freer with his feelings, and more playful than Jason had been. And the more she got to know him, the more she liked him for exactly who he was.

So why had she panicked when she'd realized how close she'd come to kissing him? Sighing, Sam pulled herself up.

...

Sam's purse sat on the bed beside her jacket. She had to come back, didn't she? Jace wondered, still sitting on the sofa.

He reached down carefully, trying to pick up the napkins and wrappers that had fallen when Sam had thrown her self at him. He winced at the slight pull in his ribs. Suddenly, small hands popped into his line of sight, helping him gather the napkins. He raised his eyes and met Sam's.

"You came back." He said before he could stop himself.

"Always." She said simply, as she finished picking up the napkins. She stuffed them into the bag, along with the wrappers, and stood up. She walked over to the garbage and dropped it inside before walking back over. She sat down beside him, careful not to touch him this time.

"I'm sorry I ran out of here like that." She said quietly.

"Don't apologize, Sam. Just tell me what's going on?"

Sam nodded, determined to be honest.

"I wanted to kiss you. And that scared the hell out of me. I have a lot of baggage, Jace. And so do you, even if you can't remember where you left it." She smiled a little.

Jace grinned softly.

"I wanted to kiss you too. But you're right. We both have things we need to figure out before we fully explore this thing between us. So maybe it's best if we cool it for now."

Sam sighed, relieved he understood but disappointed at the same time.

"Exactly."

"Okay. As long as it's a 'for now' and not a 'forever'." He said, watching her.

Sam smiled softly and nodded.

"For now." She answered and he smiled.

Relief bubbled up in both of them as they passed that hurdle.

Eager to keep things on an even keel, Jace searched for something to talk about.

"So my physical therapist hates me."

Sam laughed at the unexpected change of subject.

"Really? Why?"

After a few minutes of talk about his therapist and his progress with therapy leading up to his transition into using a walker, they found themselves falling into another uncomfortable silence. Jace found himself looking for something to talk about again.

"You told me on the phone last night that you might have a lead on who ran me over. Tell me."

Sam's eyes opened wide. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten again.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I forgot. Yes, I may have a lead. I went to the crash site and while I was investigating, I noticed a hunting stand in the copse of trees just east of where I found you."

Jace looked blank.

"Okay." He drew out the word, not sure where she was going with this.

Sam laughed a little and launched into her story, explaining about the camera, meeting Samuel, and his promise to review the camera feeds.

Jace shook his disbelief.

"This is unbelievable. It took you one day to find a lead and the cops have had a month and come up with nothing. You're incredible."

Sam blushed slightly and laughed.

"It was kind of a fluke. The light hit the camera lens at the exact moment I looked up. And Samuel is going to be a big help." She smiled remembering the friendly southern man.

"Sam, he could have been a maniac. You have to be more careful." Jace was sick to his stomach picturing Sam at the mercy of some sick freak, alone in the woods.

"Samuel was harmless. He was a kind, decent old man. I mean, he had to be at least sixty. Actually, I really liked him. Besides, I never go on investigations unarmed. I was safe."

Jace raised a brow.

"Oh really?"

Sam grinned.

"Yep. Safety first."

"Okay, good. Well, you strike me as someone who can take care of yourself."

"That's right, I am. So stop worrying."

"Well, I don't know about that, but I'll try." He joked.

Sam grinned at him. A beep from her phone had her glancing at the screen.

"I'm sorry, but I need to get going. My business partner is in town today and I promised I'd pick him up from the airport."

Jace nodded, disappointed to see her go.

"Alright. Thanks for breakfast."

Sam reached out and squeezed his hand.

"You're welcome. By the way, congratulations on your progress with physical therapy, Jace. I'm so happy for you. Before you know it, you'll be out of here."

"Thanks, Sam." He smiled as she stood and pulled on her jacket.

"You're welcome. Bye, Jace."

He sat perfectly still as she suddenly leaned down close to him. But then she was straightening and walking away from him, leaving him confused. She stopped at the door and waved the small Styrofoam container he hadn't seen her grab.

"My bacon." With a grin she walked out the door, leaving Jace shaking his head and laughing.

"Bye, Sam."

...

Sam stood in the airport, waiting impatiently in the thick crowd of people, searching for Spinelli.

"Fair Samantha!"

Sam heard Spinelli's distinct voice call through the crowd and spun towards the sound. Spotting Spinelli pushing through the crowd, little Georgie gripping his hand, toddling beside him, Sam rushed forward.

"Spinelli! I'm so happy to see you!" She squealed, throwing her arms around him in a big hug.

"And I, you, my dearest friend." He replied emotionally, holding on hard. Sam pulled back and looked at him questioningly. Something was off. Deciding to wait until they were alone, she dropped to her haunches in front of Georgie.

"And how is my beautiful little Georgie-pie?" She asked with a big smile. Georgie grinned and threw herself in Sam's arms.

Picking her up, Sam cuddled her close.

The beautiful 14-month old was looking around and Sam knew exactly who she was looking for.

"Danny is at his grandma's house, but he'll be home tomorrow and you can play then." Sam told her with a smile.

Spinelli, Ellie, and Georgie had come back east for every major holiday since Jason's death, staying with Sam each time. Danny and Georgie were basically family. The only other child Danny was as close to was Rocco Falconeri, who was just a year younger than Danny, like Georgie.

Sam glanced at Spinelli, who watched them with a grin.

"Ellie's not joining you this time?" Spinelli's grin faded and he shook his head quickly.

Sam studied him, worriedly but just nodded.

"Okay, let's get home."

...

That night after getting Georgie settled for the night in the guestroom, Sam and Spinelli sat on the couch. Sam held a bottle of beer in her hand while Spinelli sipped from a bottle of Orange Fizz and munched on BBQ chips.

"Spinelli, what's going on?" Sam finally asked. Spinelli looked at her, his face easy to read.

"Ellie and I are no longer a couple." He said sadly.

Sam gasped and leaned forward, placing a hand on Spinelli's leg.

"Oh Spinelli, I'm so sorry! When did this happen and why? I always thought you were so perfect together?"

Spinelli shrugged.

"So did I. We officially ended it a few months ago."

Sam shook her head in disbelief.

"We talk every week. Why didn't you tell me?"

Spinelli shrugged.

"I just needed time to process it before I told anyone. Even my dearest friend." He smiled sadly.

"Of course. Do you mind telling me what happened? Why did you two break up?"

"Because I realized that I was still in love with Maximista."

Sam's eyes went wide and she hesitated before replying.

"Spinelli...you know she's dating someone, don't you? My cousin, Nathan West."

"Believe me, I am brutally aware of Maximista's attachment to the muscle-bound, unfairly god-like detective. However, I am still the one Maximista turns to when she is sad or stressed or angry. I have to believe that means something."

Sam sighed, worried about her friend's heart.

"I hope you're right, Spinelli."

Spinelli smiled bravely.

"Now, tell me about this Jace Smith fellow that has so captured your attention."

Sam bit her lip, wondering how much she wanted to share. Eventually, she settled on telling him the story of how she found Jace and wanted to help him solve his hit and run. She wasn't ready to tell anyone about the feelings she was developing for Jace.

"And you say you saw cameras on the nearby roads?" Spinelli was already pulling out his laptop.

Sam moved closer.

"Yeah, about a mile or two down. There's a couple of turn offs, but it's possible the driver was caught on the street cameras. Whoever it was, was driving a dark SUV. But I didn't see too much because they were driving so fast."

"Alright, let's see what I find then."

Sam left Spinelli alone while he worked. Her thoughts wandered to Jace and a flash of the moment they'd shared went through her mind.

Sam was pulling back, smiling down at Jace. But there was something in his eyes that made her freeze in place. Desire was burning in there so hot it scalded her. His hands had come up to grip her waist, holding her there, squeezing softly.

And suddenly, Sam had found her eyes dropping to his lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss him.

"Sam." Jace whispered softly. Without realizing it, Sam was leaning down slowly, her face hovering inches from his.

"Ouila!"

Sam was startled out of her reverie by Spinelli's triumphant cry. Her face heated up at the direction of her thoughts and she covered her hot cheeks with her hands.

"What did you find?"

"I managed to hack into the DOT's cameras and I've narrowed down the film to about thirty minutes before and after you found your Mr. Smith in the streets."

"He's not my anything." Sam said quickly. Spinelli looked at her, assessing, but didn't say anything.

"Right. As I was saying, I've got the film narrowed down to thirty minutes before and after you found Mr. Smith in the street. We just have to review it to see what cars traversed that stretch of road in that time frame. With the cameras so far from the accident, we won't see who hit him, but we will see who was traveling to and from that direction."

Sam smiled at Spinelli excitedly, clapping her hands on his shoulders.

"Spinelli, you're a genius! Let's see what we find."

They spent the next hour reviewing the tape, Sam jotting down the plates of every car that passed through. Luckily, it had been late, so the highway hadn't been very busy.

"Spinelli, wait!" Sam cried suddenly, spotting her car.

"That's my car! If we can scroll a little forward you'll see someone almost collide with me. I bet any money that whoever it was that almost hit me was racing away from where they had just hit Jace."

Spinelli scrolled forward carefully.

"There! Right there!" Sam exclaimed as a dark blue SUV nearly careened into her car, just before Sam jerked her car to the side to avoid it."

"Oh my. That driver almost killed you." Spinelli said, shaken at Sam's near miss.

Sam squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm fine, Spinelli. Is there any way to slow that down and maybe zoom in on the driver?"

Spinelli looked insulted.

"I am the Assassin of Cyber Space, the Jackal. I-."

"I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry." Sam cut him off quickly, laughing a little.

"Hmmph." Spinelli began fiddling with the laptop again, manipulating the video, zooming in and then running it through a program to clean up the image.

Before long, they had a clear picture of who had been driving that night and Sam felt a shudder of revulsion shiver down her spine automatically.

"Franco." She breathed in disbelief.