A/N: I have reached the murky middle of this story. I know where I want the story to end up but am having problems getting there. Hopefully within the next couple of chapters I can get more traction on this and get it to the end. I am not happy with this chapter but I was unsure what to do with it to make it better so I thought I would just plow though and get to the next chapter. Chapter 11 is almost done so hopefully I will have it posted this weekend as well.
Chapter 10
"Now what did you say again?" Alexis asked with her mouth still hanging open.
"Do I really have to repeat it?" Sam asked her mother. She latched on to her mother's arms and stared straight in her eyes before continuing. "It was hard enough to tell you the first time. Just know that you can't tell anyone and I mean anyone." She continued emphatically.
"We are still trying to get the people responsible for all of this and if the obvious people find out then we can forget it. They will disappear and we will continue to look over our shoulders until they decide to strike again. Apparently this guy is just as bad as the Cassadines and Faison at resurrecting themselves."
Sam thought she sounded crazy as she sat with her mother through the afternoon telling her the story of the happenings of the last several months. It was just crazy really.
"There are other serious consequences if others find out." Sam continued lecturing her mother on the importance of absolute secrecy. "A.J. will not only not be safe from the people behind this but can you imagine how Carly and Sonny will start to treat him. Even though they should both be kissing his ass after what they did to him."
She looked at her mother more closely. "Are you alright? I don't think you have ever been this speechless for this long before."
"I don't know if I'm alright or not." Alexis answered with shock still in her voice and on her face. "I think I am going to need a little bit to regroup."
Alexis took a deep breath. "Now," She began. "The part that I can do anything about is the legal aspects of the situation."
Alexis was just shaking her head as she pulled her tablet out of her bag. "I think this is going to take so much time I might have to bill you for this one."
"Was that a joke?" Sam said with surprise.
"Kind of?" Alexis shrugged as she looked back down at her tablet. "I am about 100% sure there is no precedent with these circumstances. I think the court will want to treat these marriages and divorces like someone tried to commit fraud without there being any penalty for the fraud."
"But the fraud was done to all three of us!" Sam insisted.
"I am just saying," Alexis continued. "That you were never legally married to Jason and your child is not his child. Depending on what happened to him will depend on how we need to proceed. What are you doing about moving from the penthouse?"
"The movers are there now moving us out into the house that Drew bought." Sam answered.
"Where is Drew on paying 'Jason' for the money he used for Aurora Media?"
"Drew told me that he was able to pay him back." Sam continued as Alexis looked at her in disbelief. "Drew found out he had some investment accounts that he started years ago and they just sat there during the time after he was kidnapped and they were substantial. So he paid back 'Jason' and bought the house with it."
"Ok," Alexis said nodding her head. "That is good. So whether we are dealing with Jason or Jason's estate most of the money will have been repaid already. You guys would probably be ordered to do that anyway even though you are not at fault."
"I had already resigned myself to that scenario." Sam admitted. "I am fine with it. I had already made plans on moving from the penthouse before this was discovered."
"This started with me just questioning if he was Jason." Sam told her mother. "I never in a million years expected this."
"Unfortunately," Alexis said. "When dealing with the Cassadines and Faison we really have to expect the unexpected. Our imaginations and our moral codes limit our abilities to be prepared for the fall out of their schemes."
"We really have to find out where this rejuvenator facility is." Sam said as she began thinking out loud. "I want to know how it works and more importantly how long it takes to work. Think of the possibilities."
"What are you thinking, honey?" Alexis asked as she rubbed Sam on the back.
"This sounds like the technology that Helena used to bring Stavros back and what they used on Drew while he was at Creighton Clark." Sam told her. "Could Nicholas or even Morgan be out there somewhere believing they are someone else and we are all here still grieving for them?"
"It makes my head hurt thinking about it?" Alexis admitted. "Lets just get through one thing at a time. You and Drew are going to be in limbo until this is over and you two can reveal what is going on. I will prepare paperwork to move forward as soon as that happens. Just to be prepared for any and all contingencies I want you to take as much money from your settlements from both divorces and put in a trust. This is just in case you need to pay that money back since you were never legally married to Jason. Even though it is through no fault of your own you might be ordered to pay the money back."
"I would rather pay the money back anyway when this is over." Sam told her mother. "I just feel stupid; plan and simple. The con got conned. I should have known."
"Drew is worried that I feel violated in some way." Sam said. "Maybe I do. I think I am too numb to decide how I feel. I just know none of this is his fault. We are all three collateral damage to someone's big plot to overtake the government and use it to have power."
"Don't be in a rush to decide on what to do about Drew." Alexis told her. "I will research about what this situation means to your marriage after we get through this other mess."
"I'm sorry to dump all this on you." Sam apologized with sorrow. "You have your own stuff you are dealing with, especially with Christina."
"Sorry to say," Alexis said. "But your situation gives me a distraction. It helps me stay out of her business while I wait impatiently for her to come to me to talk about what is wrong."
"She isn't really talking to me either," Sam admitted. "She is too determined to push me and P6 together."
After Alexis gives her a questioning look she adds, "Well he isn't Jason and when I am with someone that knows he isn't I'm not calling him that but I can't really call him A.J either. I just think it's easier to call him P6."
"Anyway," Sam continued. "I need to go check on the movers progress before I go pick up Danny and Scout."
"I have another question," Sam stopped before reaching the door. "Can we go ahead and get Danny's birth certificate and name changed?"
"I will discretely look into it." Alexis answered as she opened the door for her. "It may have to wait until this is over but we may be able to do it quietly."
They kissed each other on the cheek as Sam walked out the door.
The Coming Weeks
It didn't take long through the month of October for the secret to weigh heavy on everyone.
Drew's attention was taken with dealing with finding out Oscar has had a brain tumor that was inoperable. Kim had kept the secret from both of them. He didn't understand how Kim had turned into a person that keeps so many secrets.
He loved Oscar but he was keeping secrets from him as well including the secret that he wasn't his father. He didn't confront Kim about that yet. He figured trying to get her to tell Oscar about the brain tumor was enough to deal with.
Of course, like most secrets, Oscar found out about the tumor from someone else besides his parents. He resented them for it and wouldn't talk to either of them. He was distancing himself from everyone that cared about him, even Jocelyn.
It was probably hardest on Monica especially when A.J. came to see how she was doing knowing that Oscar was in for a life or death battle and not talk to him like he was A.J. She rewrote the history of her own cancer battle to help her feel closer to her son. She hated this situation but she knew it was the best way to keep him safe. She knew she could trust Drew to keep A.J. safe now and when the whole truth was revealed.
Monica had contacted Ellie to find out if she would ever have A.J. back. She was hopeful. She didn't understand all the details that the neurologist told her but the procedure had been done before so it was relatively safe and it had worked. From what she understood, instead of taking A.J.'s memories out and replacing them with Jason's, A.J.'s memories were suppressed with Jason's. Ellie was working on getting the software ready to get Jason's memories out then A.J.'s memories should just surface.
Unfortunately, Sam let herself get dragged into the battle between DA Dawson and Sonny. She had the ulterior motive of wanting to find out what she had planned and how she was still planning on using Drew to do it. In the back of her mind she knew P6 and Sonny were not telling her the whole truth of the situation but the case was giving her a distraction so she didn't have to think about the situation that Drew and herself found themselves.
Drew and Sam were avoiding each other to avoid any conversations about it. Unfortunately with the other things going on in their lives it became easy to do. Sam found herself pitying A.J. He wasn't allowed to be himself because he had his brother's memories stuck in his head. It was a situation not unlike Drew's situation until last year.
On a positive note, Dante had found out that Lulu had taken the job with Peter to keep an eye on him. She was worried that Peter seemed to have a growing obsession with Maxie and baby James. Then while discussing Peter with Maxie, Maxie confessed she was just pretending to let Peter in to see if he would stumble somehow and she could find out what he is up too. Maxie and Nina had been conspiring together in the scheme.
Sam used the secure server that Chuck had set up to communicate all their findings. She knew that Drew would get the communications as well. They avoided talking about any of it anytime he came over to pick up Scout. It hurt both of them that Danny didn't always go with him at the same time. They both longed for the day that this case was resolved so they could tell Danny that Drew was in fact his biological father. They just hoped that it wasn't too confusing for Danny.
It was the week before Halloween when Drew stopped by their home to see Scout. Danny was in his new room still trying to arrange his toys the way he wanted them.
Their home wasn't too far from Alexis' house. Drew had made security modifications that Chuck had suggested. There were hidden cameras and coded and handprint access to get in the doors. Sam had convinced him it was over kill to have a retina scanner to get into the house.
Drew was sitting on the floor playing with Scout when Sam came in from the kitchen, bringing him a bottle of water. He was helping her build a castle with her blocks.
"I'm sorry I have been avoiding you Sam," Drew apologized to her. He looked at her sadly. "I have had no luck in trying to convince Oscar to take part in this study to help shrink the tumor. He is so angry with Kim and I. I am going to try to talk him into seeing Ellie. I talked Kim into letting me send his CT scans to her. I think Ellie may be able to talk Oscar into at least trying. She may have some insights on the latest research that will allow surgery in the near future."
"It's all right," Sam looked at him sadly as she sat down on the couch looking down at them. "I think we both needed some time apart to try to process the situation. I still don't know what I am doing half the time. I am getting a little impatient with this situation. Peter hasn't made a move toward P6. We are no closer to finding out what they have planned for him than we were when this started."
"I really think they are playing with us." Drew responded. "They are letting P6 become more deeply involved in Sonny and Carly's life. I think P6 sleeping with Carly is part of the plan. This will drive a wedge between the three of them and make them vulnerable. Anybody that goes after Sonny wants access to the docks. These people are after any opportunity to make more money and consolidate more power. I think Shaw is really the only one left other than Peter. I don't know what Peter's motivation is but Shaw wants revenge on Chuck, Sarah and anyone that has ever been on their team. Then there is the motive of power and money."
"We really need to find out how Peter and Shaw are communicating." Sam suggested.
"I think Robert is trying to figure that out." Drew said. "I think Lulu or Maxie have more opportunities to find that out though."
"I really hate that either one of them are involved." Sam sighed. "They both have two children and they are right in the lions den when they are around him."
"You are also the mother of two children." Drew pointed out.
"Do you feel like I am in danger being around your brother?" She asked him. She bent down to pick Scout up. "You think about that while I go put her down for her nap."
"I don't think you are in any danger from A.J." Drew said to Sam as he heard her come back down the stairs. He had finished putting the blocks back in their box. "I just worry that one of these times you are with him, Shaw or Peter are going to show their hand."
"I think he will protect me." Sam insisted.
"I think he will try." Drew admitted. "But the problem is that deep down he is not Jason. He is A.J. Will he have the instincts to save you? He is probably programmed in some way. We can't forget that. Ellie didn't find a chip in his brain but that doesn't mean that they do not have other ways of controlling him. He is not going to have the motivation to fight off any orders he might get to hurt you."
"I admit I didn't think about that." Sam started biting her lower lip as she looked up at him. She couldn't help looking at him hungrily. "Dreeww.." She desperately wanted to change the subject and she wanted to feel close to him again.
"No, Sam" He interrupted as he got up from the couch to move away from her. "I am going to leave right now. If I get any closer to you right now we will start something that Danny might walk in on."
"We can go into the office and lock the door." Sam suggested seductively. "Besides, he fell asleep in his room. I looked in on him when I laid Scout down."
"Come on Sam," Drew put his hands up as if to fend her off. "Don't we need to handle Shaw and Peter first. Then we have to find a way to deal with what happened to us. I want to concentrate on finding Jason."
That statement had the effect of ice water on Sam. "Fine." She said through her gritted teeth. "You seem to have more of a problem with it than I do."
"I want you to have time to deal with what happened to us before we move forward with our marriage." Drew insisted. "I want you to be 100% sure you want to continue with our marriage. Look at what happened before. We went forward before you were ready and you were confused about your feelings. I want you to have the time to work out your feelings. I don't want us to rush again."
"Fine," Sam said with a huff. "For being married for seven years we haven't had much time together. Maybe we should get an appointment with Kevin to deal with these issues."
"Maybe we should." Drew said as he went to leave. "I love you," He said to her as he blew her a kiss. It was the closest he was going to get to her. He felt empty inside as he left her and his children. He knew that he was probably too preoccupied with trying to not repeat any past mistakes that he was making a bunch of new ones.
Halloween
Through that next week, while Drew was trying to convince Oscar to go see his friend Ellie, Sam was helping Spinelli search DA Dawson's mother's house. They found a stash of what looked like love letters that were written by Scully and not her husband.
After finding the letters Sam met P6 at the penthouse and she was glad that she had left most of the furniture. She wasn't ready to let him know she and the kids had moved. Before she knew it they were reading the love letters to each other. She was taken in a little by some of the words. She looked at P6 and tried to figure out exactly when Jason had been exchanged with Drew and how many times over the years.
It didn't help looking at P6 face and reliving memories over the years and trying to figure out if those memoires were of her and Jason or of her and Drew. She was getting a headache again just thinking about it. She had wanted Drew to make love to her so they could both forget about it for at least a little while.
She admitted to herself that while she was impatient for them to apprehend Shaw and Peter she wanted to put off dealing with having Jason and Drew be interchangeable over the years. How could she not tell the difference? Looking back she guessed she had seen a difference but not enough to question it.
She was worried at first when Danny told her that he wanted to dress up like P6 for Halloween. Danny seemed to be getting more comfortable with him but she was worried about him getting too attached. They were not going to be able to keep this secret for much longer because of the kids. Danny and Jake were being more accepting of him.
She sat him down before getting the outfit ready to ask him why.
"Because Lila said it would make him feel better?" Danny answered her nonchalantly.
"Lila who?" Sam asked with astonishment.
"My sister." Danny answered matter of fact. "She visits me in my dreams."
A/N: Yes, those of you that read Jason's Twin I am plagiarizing myself. I just like the idea of Lila's ghost visiting Danny. If you did not read Jason's Twin I explain the reasons for the visits from Lila with Danny in the next chapter. There may be a full reconciliation between Sam and Drew by the end of the next chapter but no promises because I haven't written it yet. They still have much to work out.