A/N: Hey guys. Thank you all so much for the kind words and reviews. It means so much to me. I'm exhausted and have to get up in 4 hours for work, so I'll keep this short. There's kind of a surprising development in this chapter, that may seem to have come from nowhere or come too fast, but it's leading to something. Promise! Please keep reviewing!

Happy reading!

Jen

buttercup0303

Chapter 27

The sound of the door closing behind him was deafening in the silence. Jace turned around and met her stunned eyes and gave a rueful shake of his head.

"I don't want to hurt her but I can't make promises to her that I don't know if I can keep." He explained.

"What does that mean? What are you going to do?"

Jace shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I'm going to find out who I am for sure. The pictures, the ID, even the memories; none of it feels right. It doesn't quite fit. But if I'm really married, I need to honor that."

She was silent, and just stared up at him, hurt still shimmering in her eyes. A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek unnoticed by her. But Jace saw it and stepped forward quickly, cupping her face, rubbing the tear off her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"But it doesn't change how I feel about you, Sam. From the moment I woke up in the hospital up until now, you've been my constant. I fell in love with you, Sam. I can't pretend I don't feel what I feel."

Sam stared up at him, her heart aching as she gently reached up and pulled his hands from her face. She took a step back and crossed her arms over her chest, protectively.

"Jace, we can't. If there's even a chance that you're married, I can't be with you. I could never be the kind of woman who could find my own happiness at the expense of another's."

Jace felt the stab of rejection mingled with admiration for Sam. He knew how much this hurt her and the fact that she would rather suffer than make another suffer just made him love her more.

"Sam, even if I am married, I don't remember her or our life together. I don't feel whatever it is that I used to feel for her anymore. I can't be who she wants me to be and I don't want to be. I like who I am now, who I've become. As much as I want to find my old life again, I don't know if that's who I am anymore."

Sam shook her head sorrowfully.

"It doesn't matter. You owe it to yourself and to Hayden to at least try. If I found out Jason was alive without his memories of me, I would be devastated, but I would never stop fighting to make him remember our love. And I know he would never want me to, because our love was that strong. Jace, you're an incredible man and I know how much you value your word. So how can you do anything less for Hayden?"

Jace watched her with budding resentment and hurt. Didn't she care about him at all? Could she really just push her towards Hayden so easily?

"It's that easy for you to push me towards another woman? How can you stand there and calmly tell me to give my marriage- a marriage I can't even remember!- a chance? Or was I just fooling myself? Did I ever mean anything to you at all?"

Sam stared at him in stunned disbelief. Her emotions already in turmoil, quickly morphed into rage as she stomped forward and shoved him back a step.

"You think this is easy for me?! You think I want to see you reunite with your wife and fall back in love with her? This is killing me!" She cried out angrily, tears spilling down her cheeks as she shoved a stunned Jace again. He stumbled back a step and stared at Sam.

She tossed her hair out of her face and held her hands against her chest.

"From the moment I found you, there was something between us, something real and deep and lasting. And no matter how many times I told myself that I was being insane, or how many people in my life questioned me, I couldn't stay away. It didn't matter that it didn't make sense. It didn't matter that I didn't you and that you don't remember who you are." Sam shook her head, her voice dropping to just above a whisper.

"It doesn't matter that we've only known each other for a couple of months. All that matters is that you're a part of me. Forever."

Jace's eyes filled, his heart racing in his chest as he stared at Sam, his heart both broken and full.

"Sam…" He started, taking a step forward but stopped when she scrambled back, her hands held in front of her.

"Don't! You think I don't care about you? Are you blind? I've been with you from the beginning, every step of the way. How could you not know how I feel about you? Damn it, Jace. I'm in love with you, you idiot!"

And before he knew what he was doing, Jace was striding forward, yanking Sam into his arms, and crushing his mouth down on hers.

She met him passion for passion, their kiss a frenzy of desire, longing, and need. And then it was something else. Something soft, sweet, and achingly beautiful. Jace's lips moved gently over Sam's, learning every curve of her lips, nibbling at their plump fullness, tangling softly with her tongue. He pulled away for a moment, so they could catch their breath, before sinking back into the kiss.

Tears spilling down her cheeks, breathless from the intensity of the kiss, Sam reluctantly pulled away. Jace watched her quietly, every part of him yearning to pull her back into his arms but loving her enough to give her the space she needed. And still, he didn't want to hear the words he knew she would say next.

"Jace, we can't." She whispered sadly.

And there they were. The words he'd known were coming but somehow still slammed into him with the force of a sledgehammer.

Because she was right. They couldn't do this. Not if there was a chance that he was married.

"I know."

Sam quickly wiped her tears and took a deep breath. She aimed a trembling smile at him.

"I know I have your heart, but she has your past. If there's ever going to be a chance for us, you need to figure out who you were. And I'll do what I can to verify her story."

Jace nodded.

"I know you're right. I just...I don't want to lose you." He admitted softly. Sam stepped forward and laid her hand against his cheek.

"You won't. I'm not going anywhere." She promised softly, smiling when he grabbed her hand and turned his face into it, pressing a soft kiss in the palm of her hand.

Reluctantly, Jace stepped away and turned towards the front door. Sam watched him go, her body crying out for him. He opened the door and stepped through before looking back at her, his face stoic, but his eyes full of emotion.

"I love you, Sam."

He didn't wait for an answer. He pulled the door closed and with heavy steps, he walked towards his penthouse.

Inside Sam's penthouse, she stared at the closed door through eyes blurred with tears.

"I love you too." She whispered softly. Feeling as fragile as glass, she lowered herself to the couch and gave into the tears that had been relentlessly coming since the moment she heard Hayden refer to herself as Jace's wife.

After a few minutes, Sam took a bracing breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. Determination lit her eyes and she leaned forward and snatched her phone from the coffee table. Dialing quickly, she held the phone to her ear and listened to it ring.

"Spinelli, it's me. I need your help."

…

Jace pushed open the door to his penthouse and was surprised to see Hayden was sitting on his sofa, legs crossed, looking down at her phone.

"You're still here." He said softly.

She looked up at him, and though he'd been expecting it, he was still a bit shocked to see the fury brimming in her eyes.

"Of course I am. You're my husband, even if you've forgotten it and don't seem to give a damn. Did you enjoy screwing your slut?" She asked nastily, her voice breaking, revealing her hurt for just a brief moment.

"Be careful. I understand I hurt you, but don't ever insult Sam in front of me again." He said, deadly serious.

Hayden stared at him in defiance, before suddenly crumpling into tears.

"How could you do that to me? How could you look me right in my eye, and then turn around and disappear into that apartment with her? I'm your wife!" She cried out.

Jace sat beside her and reached out to grab her hand. Squeezing it slightly, he waited until she looked at him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. And I didn't sleep with Sam. She's not like that. She would never be with me as long as there was a chance that I was married. We just talked."

Hayden stared at him, struggling with her guilt. She could see how much this was hurting him, and even though she didn't know him, he seemed like a kind person. But her sister needed her and she was more important to her than these strangers.

"How noble of her." She said sarcastically.

"Please try to understand that I don't remember you or our life together. All I know is my life from the moment I opened my eyes until now. My first memory is of a beautiful little blonde boy, who turned out to be Sam's son. And the next memory is of Sam. Nearly every memory I have has Sam in it."

Jace hesitated, unsure at what point honesty just turned into pain.

"I'm in love with her. I'm sorry if that hurts you, but it's the truth. And if I know anything about myself, it's that I'm not a liar. I won't pretend I feel something for you that I don't, or hide how I feel now."

Hayden stared at him, surprised by the sting of rejection she felt. It's not like she knew him or like he meant anything to her. But no woman wanted to hear that a man wasn't even the slightest bit interested in her. Frustrated with herself, Hayden forced herself to keep playing the role of desperate wife.

"Jace, if you just tried, just spent a little bit of time with me, maybe those feelings would come back. You only think you're in love with Sam because she's the only woman you've been around and she's done so much for you." She insisted carefully.

Jace shook his head.

"But she's not. I've met other women in town, beautiful and kind, but I never once looked at them the way I look at Sam. There's something between us that's undefinable. When we're not together it's like a part of me is missing that is only full when she's back with me. I don't know how to explain it."

Hayden felt a sudden burst of envy as Jace spoke of the connection he had with Sam. What wouldn't she give to find a love like that. The kind of love that lasted beyond death, the sort of love where it's not just your hearts connected, but your souls. It also made her sad for both Jace and Sam. They didn't even realize that they were rediscovering their own love for each other right now.

"Snap out of it, Hayden." She whispered furiously to herself, struggling to let go of her guilt and do what she needed to do for her sister.

"What?" Jace asked curiously. Hayden glanced up at him in panic, but he didn't seem to have heard her.

"Nothing. I'm just trying to figure out what to do. Jace, we were so happy together. But I can't force you to remember our time together either. I'm just as confused as you are."

Jace nodded in understanding. He walked to the window and looked out at the dreary sky, a light drizzling now falling.

"Listen, Sam is verifying your story. Once she does, we'll know what our next step is."

Hayden paled and looked away. She had to talk to Helena.

"Alright, well you have my card. Find me at the Metro Court once you realize I'm telling the truth. We can take it from there." She said quickly, pulling on her jacket and beating a hasty retreat, leaving a suspicious Jace staring after her.

"Why are you suddenly in such a rush, Hayden? What are you really up to?" He wondered, before grabbing the leather coat by the door, and rushing after her.

He took the stairs, arriving in the lobby just as she was pushing through the doors and outside. Moving silently, Jace followed her outside, keeping a decent distance between them.

His suspicions rose when she strode briskly past the turn leading towards the Metro Court. At one point, Hayden paused and looked behind her, but Jace moved lightening fast, ducking into a nearby alley.

By the time he poked his head out, she was gone.

"Damn it!" He cursed, searching for her. And then he spotted her through a break in the crowd. He broke into a run until he was at a reasonable distance again, slowing down and blending with the crowd. It wasn't easy to do, as he was a tall, muscular man, and he seemed to tower over most of the crowd.

Finally, he watched as Hayden turned onto the pier and disappeared around the corner. Easing around it, he watched her climb into a small boat, that immediately took off, carrying her towards a distant island, with what looked like...a castle!

"There's castles in Port Charles?" He wondered aloud in amused shock.

"Tell me about it. You never get used to it, I tell you what. But my wife's brother lives in that castle. He's a frickin' prince, if you can believe that."

Jace turned and was surprised to see Detective Falconeri grinning up at him. Jace nodded politely, unable to shake the uneasy feeling he always seemed to get around law enforcement. Huh. Maybe he should've asked Hayden what he did for a living before all this.

"Detective."

Dante grinned.

"Call me, Dante. After all, our paths are bound to cross, what with you working with my little bro."

Jace looked at Dante with surprise.

"I keep forgetting that you and Michael are related. Same father, right?"

Dante laughed shortly.

"Yeah. My mom sure as hell isn't Carly, thank God for that." He joked. Jace stiffened.

"You'd be lucky if she was." He said shortly.

Dante raised his brows and nodded.

"Hey, no argument here. No one can ever say Carly doesn't love her kids. But she and my Ma? Two very different types of mothers. That's all I'm sayin'."

Jace shrugged and looked away, watching the boat get smaller and smaller, waiting for Dante to take the hint and leave. He didn't. Instead, he widened his stance, crossing his arms across his broad chest and followed his gaze.

"Is there a reason you're watching Ms. Barnes over there with such interest?"

Jace's eyes snapped to Dante's quickly.

"You know Hayden?"

Dante looked at him with interest, his curiosity sparked.

"Not personally, no. But when a beautiful, loud citizen storms into your police department throwing a fit, you notice her. I was curious, so I took a look at her paperwork. Why? How do you know her?"

"She claims I'm her husband."

Dante's brows rose high, before a speculative look crossed his face.

"Now, see, that's very interesting. Because I remember the night she came into town very clearly, because that's the night I ran your prints and came up with nothing. She didn't seem too worried about a missing husband at the time. She definitely didn't report one to us."

Jace stared at him, his suspicions suddenly confirmed. He'd doubted her, but in the back of his mind he'd begun to wonder if she was telling the truth after all. But with what Dante was telling him, how could she be telling the truth? And why would she be going onto a private island if she'd never been to Port Charles before?

"She has to be lying about being my wife. But why? Why would she put me through this? Put Sam through this? Sam. I need to go tell Sam." He said suddenly, realizing the roadblock Hayden had put up was no longer there.

"Do you know why Ms. Barnes would lie about something like that?" Dante asked quickly, bringing Jace's focus back to him.

"No and that's what doesn't make sense about the whole thing. Why? What the hell does she have to gain?"

Dante stared over the water with a furrowed brow.

"I'd be interested in knowing that myself. But if her destination is Spoon Island, than you can bet it has something to do with the Cassadines." Dante speculated.

"The Cassadines?" Jace asked, unfamiliar with the name.

"Oh, sorry. Hard to remember not everyone knows who the Cassadines are." Dante apologized with a grin.

"Especially the ones who don't even know who they are." Jace added ruefully, making Dante chuckle a little.

"Damn, sorry, man. You know, my wife tells me I have a habit of sticking my foot in my mouth. She's never been wrong."

Jace grinned.

"Anyways, the Cassadines. Big, bad, rich, Greek family of psychos, although my wife will swear up and down her brother is the exception to the lot. If something goes wrong in your life, if a building blows up, a rare, deadly disease spreads over town, or hell, if the world freezes over, chances are the Cassadines are to blame." Dante summarized quickly but fairly accurately.

Jace nodded, taking in the information, though he dismissed the comment about the world freezing over as ridiculous.

"But what would they want with me? I'm no one."

Dante studied him with intelligent eyes.

"Nobody's no one, man. And it might feel like you're no one right now, but three months ago, you had a life, a name, a past. And just maybe that life, name, or past holds interest to the Cassadines."

Jace let out a string of curses and Dante raised a brow.

"And you said you saw Hayden back in October, around the time I woke up?"

Dante nodded.

"She was in town months ago and never even looked for me. How could she be my wife. She claimed that she filed a missing persons report, but you're saying she didn't."

Dante shrugged.

"Look, man. I don't know. All I know is she didn't file the report here in Port Charles. But she could have filed it somewhere else. I'll look into it for you." Dante offered.

Jace looked at him and nodded shortly. "I need to think." Jace burst out, turning abruptly and walking away.

Dante watched him, debating whether or not he should go after him. But deciding his wife liked his face exactly the way it was, he chose to let Jace Smith walk away. Dante's eyes drifted back to Cassadine Island.

"Alright, Hayden Barnes. Let's find out why you're really here." Grinning with the thrill of chasing a lead, Dante turned towards the PCPD, whistling as he walked.

...

Jace walked through the streets, his thoughts in turmoil. Hayden had to be lying. Nothing else made sense. He'd suspected it and so had Sam. But the question was why? What did Hayden gain from lying to him? And how did it tie back to these Cassadines? Jace stopped, a sudden thought sending an arc of pain through his chest. He wanted more than anything to run straight to Sam, pull her into his arms, and tell her that nothing stood in their way of being together anymore. But more than that, he wanted to keep her and Danny safe. And if these Cassadines were as dangerous as Dante had said they were, could he really drag Sam and Danny into that?

It wasn't even a choice for him. He'd do anything to protect Sam and Danny. Even if that meant giving them up. But she still needed to know the truth about Hayden. Hayden had stepped into his life 24 hours ago and ripped it all to shreds. And though it had only been a few hours since Sam had found out, it had hurt her deeply. If telling her eased that pain, then he wanted to do that for her. He was just grateful that it seemed to have resolved itself quickly.

Before he knew it, Jace was striding through the lobby of the Harborview Towers. And then he was in front of Sam's penthouse, knocking on the door. It swung open and Patrick stood in the doorframe, glaring at him.

"I'm only going to say this once. Stay the hell away from Sam."