A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for all the great feedback from the last chapter! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. We're really starting to pick up the pace now so things are about to come to a head in a major way and I hope you all enjoy it. Warning, it's gonna be rough before it's smooth, soo...brace yourselves! lol

Let's jump right to it. And please, keep leaving me reviews! I felt more inspired than ever lately, mostly because you are all so supportive. Thank you!

And heads up...there may or not be some NC-17 smutty smut thrown smack dab in the middle of the chapter *there is. there definitely is*. If it makes you uncomfortable, please feel free to skip right on over it, but make sure to keep reading afterwards. BIG stuff goes down after sexy time.

Happy reading!

Jen

buttercup0303

Patrick stood in the hallway outside Sam's door. He didn't know what he was going to say. Or even how he was going to say it. He knew one thing, though. There was a good chance he was about to lose his best friend. He didn't know if Sam could ever forgive him for letting her lose all this time with Jason.

He paced back and forth gathering his nerve. Finally, he took a deep breath and stopped in front of her door. He had just lifted his hand to knock when he heard the whoosh of the elevator doors opening.

He looked back and froze in shock as two huge men stepped out of the elevator and looked straight at him.

"Dr. Drake, we're going to need you to come with us. Mrs. Cassadine would like a word." The slightly smaller thug said, his voice deep and cultured.

Patrick stared at them in confusion and growing panic. How had Helena known?

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" He said in a hard voice, widening his stance, prepared to fight. Suddenly, blinding pain radiated from his temple and he staggered forward. Dizzy, his vision blurred, he struggled to stay on his feet. He lifted his hand sluggishly, touching his head lightly and was somewhat puzzled to find his head was wet. Pulling his hand away, he stared at the crimson staining his fingers. His legs giving out, he dropped to his knees, before darkness claimed him and he was toppling over onto his side.

Without hesitation, the larger of Helena's thugs bent down and tossed him over his shoulder. He turned to make his way down the stairwell, where the third henchmen, who had attacked Patrick from behind, had come from.

Sam was jogging down the stairs, when she thought she heard the ding of the elevator from out in the hall. Grinning, she changed direction from the kitchen, and swung the front door open.

"Patrick!" She exclaimed happily only to pause in confusion. No one was there.

"Hmm. Maybe he's running late."

Shaking her head, Sam turned to walk back inside but stopped, something small glinting in the light. She turned to look and tilted her head. She bent down to get a better look and froze. It was a drop of blood. Reaching out with a steady hand, but racing heart, she touched the spot and her finger came away wet. It was fresh.

Her senses going razor sharp, she stood swiftly, and spun around and ran into the apartment. Yanking open the drawer, Sam pulled out her lockbox, quickly pressed her fingerprint against it and waited for it to click. Pulling out a lethal looking blade, she locked the box, and dropped it back in the drawer.

She didn't hesitate, going back into the hall and pressing the elevator button. The door opened but the car was empty. Moving fast, she ran to the stairwell and leaned over the railing just in time to see the door swing shut way down on the first floor.

Her instincts screaming, Sam practically flew down the stairs, but when she got to the garage, all she saw were tail lights, as a car sped past her and out of the garage.

A brief flash of the night she'd seen tail lights gleaming in the dark outside of Sonny's compound went through her head.

"Damn it!"

She turned and ran back up the stairs and had just pushed open the stairwell door when Jace's voice traveled to her.

"Damn it! Sam! Where are you?"

Sam rushed into the hall to see a worried Jace standing in the doorway, glancing anxiously around.

His eyes went hard when he saw the blade in her hand.

"Sam, what the hell? You went downstairs to grab juice for Danny and you didn't come back. I come to check on you, the front door's wide open, there's blood on the floor out here, and you've got a goddamn dagger in your hand. What the hell is going on? Are you hurt? Did someone try to hurt you?"

Sam heard the fear and worry beneath the furious tone of voice and sliding the dagger smoothly into the waistband of her sweats, she walked forward and into his arms.

"I'm okay. I promise. I'm sorry I worried you."

Jace's arms wrapped around her automatically, but he stayed alert as his eyes scanned the empty hallway.

"Where's Danny?" She asked, glancing past him.

"He fell asleep after I got him his juice. That's why I didn't come outside. I couldn't leave him but you were just gone. Sam…" His voice trailed off as he stared down at her. Seeing that blood in the hallway, and Sam's disappearance. He'd never felt more helpless in his life. He couldn't imagine his world without Sam or Danny in it.

Sam saw the look of despair cross his face and cupped his face, kissing him softly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm okay, I promise."

"Tell me what happened." Jace said, but his voice was calmer now as he rubbed his hands down her back.

"Do you remember I told you last night that Patrick texted me to let me know he was stopping by this morning?"

Jace nodded.

"Well, he's late. Like thirty minutes late, which isn't like him at all. So when I heard the elevator ding, I assumed it was him but when I opened the door no one was there. That's when I spotted the blood. And I don't know, Jace. My instincts took over. I grabbed the blade and when down the stairs. I saw the door to the parking garage close but when I got there, it was empty except for the black towns car that sped past me. Jace, I don't know. All I know is something went down here and Patrick isn't here and he's never late. I don't feel good about this."

Jace nodded, trusting Sam's instincts.

"Okay. What do you want to do?"

Grateful he seemed to not only believe her, but understand her cause for concern, Sam smiled briefly.

"I'm going to call Patrick." She decided, jogging over to where her phone charged and dialing Patrick. It went straight to voicemail.

"Patrick, it's Sam. Where are you? Call me so I know you're okay." The anxious expression was still on her face when she hung up.

"Maybe I'm overreacting. There's no reason to believe something happened to him. Who would want to hurt Patrick?" Sam said, trying to convince herself as much as Jace.

A small cry from upstairs had her jumping to her feet.

"Danny." She said, Patrick temporarily forgotten as she jumped up and ran up the stairs. Jace followed behind, his mind working furiously.

...

"Monica, I'm not sure. Danny is just barely getting over that flu and he's still not acting like himself. I kind of want to keep him close to me." Sam held the phone to her ear as she put a load of laundry in the washer.

"Sam, I'm the Chief of Staff at one of the most prestigious hospitals on the East Coast. I think I can handle a little flu." Monica teased.

Sam hesitated, sticking her head out to look at where Danny sat in Jace's lap, watching Aladdin for the 4th time. She smiled a little. Jace never complained. In fact, he seemed to enjoy the movie as much as Danny, at times even singing along with the movie.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. It just doesn't feel like an ordinary flu."

"Then all the more reason to let me pick him up. I can give him my own exam, make sure all is right in the world with my precious grandson. Please? I miss him terribly. Even Tracy's been asking for him. And Michael has a boy's night planned for them tonight."

Sam couldn't say no in the face of the obvious love Monica and the rest of the Quartermaines had for Danny. Sighing, Sam gave in.

"Alright. You can take Danny, but just for tonight. I made an appointment for him on Thursday."

Monica sighed.

"I was hoping to have him until Thursday. You're coming over for dinner anyways, aren't you? It is Thanksgiving, after all." Monica said coaxingly.

Sam shook her head and laughed.

"Sorry, Monica. But Danny has to go to this appointment. But we'll definitely be there on Thursday."

Monica sighed heavily again.

"Well, alright then. If you're sure." She said, doing her best to make her voice sad and heavy.

Sam laughed again.

"I'm sure, Monica."

Drat. It hadn't worked.

"Alright, well I'm on my way. If I only get him for one day, I want as much time as I can get." She said, her voice now upbeat and excited, having accepted defeat.

Sam carried the basket of clothes into the room and sat beside Jace and Danny. Jace glanced over at her.

"What was that about?"

"Monica is coming by to pick up Danny."

Jace's brow furrowed.

"Are you sure? He's still not really himself. Maybe he should just stay home." Jace worried. Sam smiled softly and leaned forward to press a gentle kiss on his lips. He looked at her with surprise.

"What was that for?" He asked appreciatively.

"For thinking like a parent. For loving my son as much as you do."

Jace grinned, glancing down at Danny.

"Hey, the kid makes it easy."

Sam grinned and then glanced down at her phone, her face clouding over. Jace smoothed a hand down her hair.

"Still no word on Patrick?"

Sam bit her lip, shaking her head.

"It's been three days, Jace. I should have trusted my instincts. I shouldn't have stopped looking for him. Emma is with Anna, but she's already lost her mom. She can't lose her father too."

Jace squeezed her hand.

"You're being too hard on yourself. There wasn't anything you could have done. You don't know what happened to Patrick. Stop blaming yourself for something you had no control over."

Sam glanced at him and he could see the tears sparkling in her eyes.

"I just...I'm scared. He's my best friend, Jace. I can't lose him like I lost Jason."

Understanding, Jace pulled her closer and held her for a moment, despite the twinge the mention of Jason caused. Jason was like a shadow hanging over them, leaving Jace struggling with an insecurity he couldn't get rid of.

"We'll find him, Sam." Jace promised her, determined to help her any way he could. He may not be a fan of Drake, but it was obvious he was important to Sam, so it was important to him to help her.

Danny clapped Jace on the lap suddenly, pointing at the TV.

"Fwend like me!" Danny said excitedly, though his voice was a bit hoarse. Jace grinned at him and started singing "Friend Like Me" along with Danny. Sam laughed and joined in, thrilled to see her son looking more animated than he had in days.

Just as the movie was ending, there was a knock at the door. Sam was sitting down with a sleeping Danny's head in her lap.

"Don't worry, I'll get it." Jace said quickly, climbing to his feet and making his way over to the door. He swung open the door and smiled down at Dr. Quartermaine.

"Sam, I- oh. It's you, Mr. Smith. Hello." The bright smile on Monica's face dimmed as she spotted Jace. She looked between him and Sam and seemed to put on a polite face.

"Sorry, I was just surprised to see you here, Mr. Smith." She said, smiling weakly. What was it about this young man that made her feel like crying?

"I understand. It's nice to see you again, Dr. Quartermaine. And please, call me Jace." Jace said kindly.

Sam smiled at her in greeting.

"Hi, Monica. Jace has been helping me take care of Danny the last few days. He always seems to make Danny feel better." She glanced at Jace, and for a moment, it was like her heart was in her eyes.

It gave Monica a small pang to see Sam look at this man the way she used to look at Jason. But she wanted Sam to be happy, and truth be told, Jace Smith seemed like a very kind person.

Monica smiled at him more warmly this time.

"Well, then I have to thank you. Anyone who helps make my grandson happy, makes me happy."

Jace chuckled and nodded.

"No thanks necessary. He's an incredible little boy. He's got me wrapped around his little finger." Jace admitted without preamble.

Monica grinned.

"Well, I definitely know how that feels." She paused, before taking a deep breath and speaking before she changed her mind.

"Jace, we're having Thanksgiving at my house this Thursday. You're more than welcome to join us. I know you don't have any memory of your life before now, but if you'd like, you can make new memories with us."

Jace was surprised but touched. He hadn't thought about it, but the truth was he had felt the loss of his memory more than ever lately. The holidays were a time for family, and he couldn't remember his.

"Thank you, Dr. Quartermaine. That's very kind of you."

Monica smiled before turning to Sam, who had stood with Danny in her arms. Monica reached out eagerly and pulled Danny into her arms. He slept straight through the transfer, which made Sam frown. Monica saw and patted Sam's arm.

"Don't worry, Sam. I'm going to give him a thorough check-up at the house. I'd better get going."

"Here, let me give you a hand." Jace offered quickly. He grabbed Danny's overnight bags.

Monica smiled her thanks, and hefted Danny up to get a better grip.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to carry him to your car?" Jace offered quickly. Danny was just three years old, but he was healthy and big for his age.

Monica nodded gratefully and let Jace pull Danny into his arms.

"Thank you, Jace." She turned to Sam and pulled her into a warm hug. "Try not to worry too much. The doctor that saw him said it's just a flu and I'm sure she's right."

Sam nodded against Monica's shoulder before pulling away and moving to Jace's side. She brushed Danny's hair away from his forehead, pressing a soft kiss on his forehead.

Monica left, Jace, carrying Danny and his bag, trailed behind her.

Sam stared after them for a moment. She just couldn't shake this feeling of dread she had. Forcing herself to push it aside, Sam thought about Jace. He'd been incredible the last few days. He'd helped her with Danny, he'd supported her and comforted her as she worried about Patrick. She was so grateful to have him in her life. She just wanted to show him how much.

A thought occurred to her and Sam spun on the spot and jogged upstairs. She lit candles around the room and changed into a lacy lingerie. She lay down on the bed on her side, waiting for Jace.

Jace came back inside and closed the door behind him. Looking around for Sam, his brow furrowed when he didn't see her. Moving through the downstairs rooms and finding them empty, he took the stairs two at a time. Pushing open the bedroom door, he grinned as he took in the candles lit throughout the room, and the incredibly sexy nightie Sam wore. What made him smile even more was the fact that Sam had fallen asleep waiting for him.

He debated going home but finally just admitted to himself that even if she was asleep, he was happy just being near Sam. He toed off his boots and climbed into bed behind her. He grinned again in pure satisfaction when Sam immediately turned and rolled into his arms, snuggling against him. Wrapping his arms around her, he closed his eyes and let himself drift off.

…

Jace shifted restlessly in his sleep, his hips thrusting up automatically. A shiver of pleasure ran over him and his eyes fluttered open only to roll into the back of his head as another jolt of ecstasy rolled through him.

Groaning, he looked down to see the top of Sam's head as she bobbed up and down, pulling his thick shaft deep into her mouth, her tongue laving the vein on the underside of his member.

"Sam. Fuck. Sam, what are you doing?"

Sam glanced up through her silky curtain of hair and the smoky look in her eyes made him harden even more.

"Shhh. Let me show you how much you mean to me." She whispered against him, purposefully vibrating against him, sending him bucking.

Unable to stop himself, Jace reached down and pulled Sam up to him. Capturing her mouth with his own, he used his hands to grip her hips and position her over him. Sam moved eagerly, gripping his thick staff between her hands and guiding him towards her drenched warmth.

"I need to be inside you, Sam. Now!" With his final word, he slammed Sam down onto him, thrusting up at the same time. He already felt seconds from coming, and reached down to play with her clit, flicking and rubbing it with his thumb.

Sam rose over him, her hips lifting and swirling over him, riding him slow and taking him deep. She leaned back until she was astride him, and cupped her heavy, full breasts in her hands, plucking at her own nipples.

The sight of Sam pleasuring herself drew him crazy. Jace's fingers dug into her hip as he thrust up into her in hard, fast strokes. Sam began to whimper, meeting him thrust for thrust. Her cries grew louder and louder as he moved inside her, hitting her g-spot with ease.

Suddenly, he was flipping her onto her back, never pulling out of her. He pushed up to his knees, grabbed her ankles and placed both legs on either side of his head. Sam squealed in ecstasy as this angle brought him deeper than ever. He starting pumping inside her hot, wet cavity with powerful, deep thrusts. Working his hips, he plunged inside of her, making her his in every way that mattered.

"Jace, please! Oh God! Please, Jace! I'm gonna cum!" She cried, desperate to reach the peak that he was pushing her towards. Jace was lost in pleasure, his only focus taking Sam to the edge of passion and then pushing her over. He pulled Sam up until she was straddling his hips, their chests flush against each other.

"I love you. I love you so damn much." He whispered. "Now cum for me. Cum for me, Sam!" He demanded roughly, using his hands to make her bounce on his lap. Sam was screaming with each penetration, her nerves ends raw and tingling. Jace's jaw clenched as he got closer and closer to exploding inside her.

Pulling her closer, he changed his rhythm and started grinding up against her. The friction of the base of his hard member sliding against her swollen, sensitive bud was too much, and with a loud, earthy scream, Sam exploded, her vaginal walls milking his length, pushing him over the edge with her. They shuddered in each other's arms as she convulsed in his arms. As his cum gushed inside of her in hot bursts, Sam threw her head back and moaned, a second, intense orgasm rolled through her until she was weak and spent.

They collapsed on the bed beside each other, their limbs tangled, glistening with sweat, chests heaving as they gasped for breath. Sam looked up into Jace's eyes and grinned. Jace grinned back at her, pulling her into his arms and wrapping himself around her completely.

Nestled in her lover's arms, Sam was powerless against the wave of love and comfort that smoothed over her. They lay like that in silence for countless minutes. Sam finally sat up, pulling her hair up and shoving it into a messy, loose top-knot.

"I'm starving. Feed me." She demanded, grinning down at him. Jace chuckled and nodded.

"Fine. But then we're getting back in this bed. I'm not done with you."

Sam raised a brow.

"Who said I was done with you anyway? I was just hoping we could explore the house." She said with a wink, pushing to her feet. She got out of bed, wearing nothing but the skin she was born in, and strolled out of the room, her hips swinging.

Practically drooling, Jace couldn't take his eyes off her as she disappeared around the corner.

"What the hell am I waiting for?" He asked himself before jumping up out of bed and running after her.

They made quick work out of the BLTs he made them. Sam had barely placed her plate on the table before Jace was dragging her to the couch and bending her over the arm.

She opened her mouth to tease him but all that came out was a drawn out moan as Jace slipped inside her from behind.

…

A few hours later, they had finally gotten dressed and were were lying on the couch together, watching Penelope. Sam's head was on Jace's chest, her hand resting on his stomach. He played lazily with her hair, wondering what he'd done in his previous life to be this lucky. His phone beeped and he stretched his arm up to grab it from the table behind them.

His shirt rose higher on his stomach and Sam lifted her head to admire his tightly muscled abs. Her eyes drifting over his torso, she froze when they fell on a raised, ragged scar on his stomach.

Jace was replying to a text on his phone when he felt Sam's hand on his bare skin. He put the phone aside and grinned down at her.

"Jace, where did you get this?" Sam's hand was tracing a scar on his abdomen. She didn't look up at him but her voice was shaking.

Jace glanced down and looked at the scar she was touching.

"I don't know. I had it when I woke up. I assumed it was from the accident."

Sam shook her head quickly.

"No, this is from a bullet."

Jace's brows raised in surprise as he looked at the scar again.

"Are you sure?"

Sam nodded quickly, looking up at him. He was shocked to see how pale her face was.

"Yes. Jason had a scar exactly like this, in this exact spot. How is that possible?"

And then all the pieces clicked together for him and he was stunned by how badly it hurt. He yanked his shirt down, her hand falling away as she looked at him in surprise. He sat up abruptly, and she moved quickly, sitting up and staring at him.

"Damn it, Sam! This again? Is that why you're here with me? Why you've gone out of your way to be there for me? Not because you cared about me, about who I am? But because somewhere in your delusional mind, you still believe I'm Jason?"

He stood up and backed away from her, hurt and anger warring inside him as everything he'd come to depend on shattered around him.

Sam's eyes widened and she shook her head, jumping to her feet.

"No! Jace, no! I didn't- I don't." She sighed in frustration, shoving her hair behind her ears.

"That's not it. I'm here for you, because I care about you. About who you are now. I love you! It's just that there are so many things, so many similarities between you and Jason. I keep losing my balance, that's all."

"I'm not Jason! And I'm not going to be a stand-in for your dead husband!" He shouted, ignoring the way she flinched at his words.

"That's not what I want." She said, her voice breaking.

"So you're telling me you don't wish it was Jason standing in front of you right now?" He shot back, hoping desperately she would tell him he was wrong.

Sam couldn't answer, shaking her head as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"That's not fair."

Jace let out a humorless laugh, his hurt a visceral, wrenching pain inside him. He stepped further away from her.

"That's what I thought. I have to go."

Sam jumped forward, grabbing his arm.

"Jace, wait! Stop, please. Why are you doing this? Where is this coming from?" She cried, confused about how this had gone so suddenly wrong. Had Jace thought she only loved him because he reminded her of Jason this entire time? He'd never shown even an inkling of that insecurity.

Jace shook her arm off and stepped away from her. Sam stared at him in hurt surprise.

"Barely a day had passed after I woke up that you admitted to thinking I was Jason. You said all the right things afterwards, but I could hear the disappointment in your voice, see it in your eyes. And as we got to know each other and I started to fall in love with you, I prayed that you would look at me and just see me."

He laughed mirthlessly and shook his head, running his hands through his hair.

"And idiot that I am, I thought you had finally accepted that I wasn't Jason. I thought you loved me for who I am. But you don't. You still love Jason. Your heart will always belong to Jason and you will always look for him in me." His voice was quiet and defeated now. He wasn't losing her, though. She'd never been his to lose. He knew that now.

"You knew!" Sam cried out defensively, refusing to apologize for the love she had for her husband. He was gone, but you never let go of that love. You just learned to live without it and moved on.

"You knew how I felt about Jason. I never hid that. But I moved on, and I let myself fall in love with you. Do you have any idea how hard that was for me? How terrifying? Loving Jason doesn't mean I don't love you."

Sam stepped forward, her hands clasped together, desperate to make him understand.

"Jace, I noticed similarities. That's all. I knew Jason's body better than I knew my own and when I saw that scar, it was like I recognized it. And it-it-it just threw me, okay?"

She watched him, praying that he understood.

Jace shook his head slowly, hurt making him irrational, and Sam watched him, her entire body shaking as fear shot through her. She was going to lose him, wasn't she?

"No. It's not okay. Because I finally see what you've been showing me from the day we met. You will never look at me, and not wonder or wish that I were Jason. I will never be enough for you. Not while you're still living in the past, clinging to the memory of your dead husband; a man who chose violence and his friends over you every time given the option."

Sam gasped at the cruelty of his words, taking a step back from him. Jace steeled himself against the urge to pull her into his arms and comfort her from the hurt he'd just caused.

"I've got to go. Goodbye, Sam."

Sam watched him storm out of the penthouse through watery eyes, flinching when the door slammed behind him.

"Don't go." She whispered too late before covering her face. Stumbling to the side, she sank to down to the bottom step of the stairs slowly, giving in to the sobs rising to the surface.