A/N – Thanks for the comments! I'm glad you like the characterizations.

Chapter 5

The next day, Carly visited Amelia at the studio.

Amelia isn't shocked to see her. "How can I help you?"

"You can tell me how to destroy Sam."

Amelia smirked. "And why would I do that?" It's nice to know that her hatred for the tramp is shared.

"Because you seem to have a chip on your shoulder regarding her."

"If I do, that's my business and I'll deal with it as I see fit."

"Well, that is disappointing. I'll find out on my own, but you could save me the trouble and just admit what she did now."

"Can't you just be satisfied knowing I'm letting her hang herself?"

Carly shook her in. "No, because I want to be the one to burn her world to the ground."

"Well, we can't always get what we want."

Carly isn't happy but she can tell from Amelia's posture that she won't budge. "Fine, when?"

"It will probably be in a few weeks."

"Public?"

"Yes."

"Good. Make sure it hurts, but if you need any help, you know where to find me." She'll give her two weeks, but if she doesn't come through, all bets are off.

When Carly shut the door behind her, Amelia chuckled. Oh, how she wishes she could hear Jason's reaction to Sam's self-righteousness.

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Liz is surprised to see Emily at the door. "Hey."

"Hi," she said before moving into the living room."

They both had been very busy. Nikolas had some kind of drama with the business, so their schedules hadn't crossed in several days.

"Sorry I didn't call, but I just ran into Lucky. What is going on?"

Liz sighed. "It started because he chose to arrest Jason after your brother brought Jake back. We argued and it just went from there. Emily, I just can't do it anymore."

"I thought you were doing fine." She had been shocked to find out that Liz wanted a divorce, and she could tell that Lucky was too.

"Honestly, I've wanted to strangle him since Jake got kidnapped and he blamed me. He never believes in me. And I'm so sick of it. I just—I'm not in love with him, Emily."

"Wow. Is this about Jason?"

Liz sighed. "God, Emily. I don't even know where to start."

"I'm confused. Isn't Jason with Sam?" While she has been distracted by some Nikolas drama, she didn't think she had missed that much.

"Things are strained between them. I need to tell you something, but please don't repeat it. It will come out after the trial."

Emily grasped Liz's hands. "You can tell me anything. I know I've been preoccupied, but I'm listening."

Liz took a deep breath. "The night I saw Lucky with Maxie, I didn't know where to go and what to do and I ended up at Jason's place."

Emily gulped.

"We made love and the Enduro condoms helped create Jake."

"Holy shit."

"Jake is your nephew."

"What the hell?" She can barely wrap her mind around it.

Liz sighed. "I told Jason in the elevator at the Metro Court, and then I asked him to give up Jake."

"What!"

Emily is stunned. While she knows that Liz had been under a lot of pressure, she never would have thought she'd ask her brother to do something like that.

"I know. He said no at first but then Sam found out she couldn't have kids and I was worried about Lucky sliding back into drugs because he only agreed to rehab after he found out about Jake. I was running scared. Everyone was telling me to forgive Lucky. No one cared about what I wanted or all the things Lucky had made me endure."

Emily looked down. She had to admit that her focus had been on Lucky and as a result, Liz made mistakes she couldn't take back. "I'm sorry."

"I get it. I do understand why everyone wanted us together, but decisions were made for the wrong reasons. God, Emily, hurting Lucky was the last thing I wanted, but I know he's suffering right now. I told him the truth and he wants to stay together, but I just can't do it. Staying with him would be the easy thing to do but not the right one."

Emily sighed, "So, your mind is made up?"

"Yes. For once, I'm going to do what is right for me, and fight for what I want."

"Well, I'm not going to take sides because you both have hurt each other. I don't agree with what you did, but I also understand the pressure you were under. My brother—I don't understand him at all. He has always loved kids."

"It tore him apart every time he saw Jake, but he was so scared he couldn't protect us. Everything he did was out of love, but I just need to convince him that we're safer with him than apart. It's going to come out because I'm tired of lying and hiding something I'm not ashamed of."

"What do you need from me?"

"I may need a shoulder to cry on or some support. Just tell me how you feel. Don't sugarcoat it."

"I can do that." They hugged. "I hate keeping secrets from Nikolas though."

"I'm sure Lucky will tell him. I hope he doesn't hate me."

"I think he may never understand you and Jason, but he loves you. I'll help him understand."

"Thank you."

"What are friends for?" She is determined to be the friend she should have been all along.

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Jason stares at Sam as she sits across from him.

"How did you get in here?"

"Spinelli."

She has never seen him look so angry before which is telling. He's not even trying to hide it. "So, I guess you know that I watched Jake get kidnapped?"

Jason's expression got darker, but he didn't speak. He wants her to hang herself.

"Don't you want to know why?"

"I know why."

"No, I don't think you get it. You lied to me, the person you are supposed to love above all, and refused to share that you had a son with me."

"So, your answer was to punish a child and make everyone who cares about him suffer?"

"What about my suffering?"

"Seems like that's all you're concerned with."

Her eyes flashed with anger. "Well, someone has to be. I gave you so many chances to tell the truth and you didn't."

He has no idea how he was taken in by the vindictive bitch sitting across from him, but God he regrets every setting his eyes on her. "Why don't you be honest? You were mad because Elizabeth was having my child and you took it out on a baby."

"I was mad because you lied."

"I lied to fucking protect your feelings. Your life is one big ugly lie, but you look down on me when my heart was in the right place? I came to you the day she told me, and you said that you couldn't have kids and was so devastated that I felt guilty telling you, so I ended up agreeing to give him up partly because of your feelings."

"That's a cop-out, and you know it. Did it ever occur to you that maybe having Jake in our lives would help me cope?"

Jason shook his head. "Keep telling yourself that. You lied and then refused to even help find him. You were never going, to tell the truth. You were going to let some mentally unstable woman raise my son and probably stick it to Elizabeth for the rest of her life."

Sam threw up her hands. "And you were going to let a drug addict raise yours. You didn't even have the balls to do it and neither did your precious Elizabeth who can't handle this life."

"I'm not discussing her with you."

"Of course not. We can't taint Saint Elizabeth's image. It hurt me so much that you lied. That I had to suck down my feelings because you wouldn't come clean and then I just—I froze."

"Because you hated my son's existence. You were so bitter that you were glad that he was gone. You could have said something!"

She flinched because his voice had risen which he rarely does to her. "I shouldn't have had to, but that's not it at all. I can't have kids and it's your fault! I get to be mad, Jason."

He leaned forward. "You knew who you were with and the risks, but you chose to be with me anyway, wanting to be right in the thick of it. I'm sorry you got hurt, but you took that chance, and then when something bad happened, you used it to make me feel guilty."

"You should feel guilty. You didn't protect me."

"And now you know why I didn't want to take a chance with Jake's life. Funny how you say you can take care of yourself until something bad happens."

Sam blew out a breath. "You denied me a second chance."

"He was never yours."

"He could have been, but I took a bullet for you."

"You hate Jake's existence and then sit there acting like you wanted to play mommy? Why? Did you want to stick it to Elizabeth? All you've done is sit here blaming everyone else and not once have you apologized or taken any responsibility for your actions. I'm done, Sam. We're done, and when I get out, I'll decide how I'm going to deal with you."

She laughed. "You'll decide?"

He is so mad he could strangle her. "You heard me. Stay away from Elizabeth and her family or I will make sure you rot in jail." He may still do that or shut her down another way.

"Wow," she said before wiping away a tear. "I never thought you'd threaten me."

"I never thought you'd give me a reason to."

She stood. "I hate you so much. You'll be sorry for treating me this way."

"Is that a threat?"

His eyes are so lethal that words caught in her throat, causing her to pause before she angrily spat, "Yes."

He leaned closer for effect. "If something happens to Elizabeth or her children, it will be the last thing you do, and I will make it as painful as possible."

"You're really threatening to kill me?"

"Yes, I will kill you if you hurt them." In a way, it killed him that they were so damaged, that she had pushed him to say that, but mostly, he'll feel no regret if he must act on it.

Tears are flowing down her face. "I regret that I ever loved you and wasted so much of my time giving you everything I had. You didn't deserve it and couldn't even put me first. You didn't tell me to save me. You're just a fucking coward just like she is. Fuck both of you," she said before storming into the hallway.

Jason sighed heavily. He's glad that Sonny has guards on Elizabeth because he can't protect them himself. There is no way this will stay a secret, but hopefully, it will stay quiet until he can get out of jail and put better security in place.

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Ric grinned as he listened to the tape again. It should be enough to cast doubt on Jason's innocence. He perused his witness list. He hates to involve Elizabeth, but she may know more than she realizes, besides, it will piss off Jason and he hopes the man loses his temper and shows the jury how he really is. Since he found out that Jason and Sam are on the outs, he's hoping that she'll be willing to bury Jason. Hopefully, he'll finally get his revenge.

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Amelia smirked when Sam showed up at the studio. "Look who decided to show up for work."

"I'm not in the mood."

"Do I look like I care?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Are we shooting today?"

"No. We do have a meeting with the executives though."

"Great…"

"What's your problem now? Can't find another rich man to con?"

"Bite me."

Amelia moved closer. "I know all about you."

"You don't know shit."

"What will Jason do when he finds out? I hope he dumps you like the scum you are."

Sam's eyes narrowed. "We're not together anymore. I broke up with him."

Amelia laughed. "I don't believe that at all. He knows what you did to his child. You're lucky you're still breathing."

"He would never kill me because he loves me."

"Past tense maybe, but you and I both know you're just a bed warmer because he'd rather be with someone he can't have." Sam had gone on and on about Jason, but she wonders if Sam's version is true or not. He's a hard person to read.

"You're delusional."

She almost laughed at Sam's mortified expression. "Hit a nerve? You're nothing but a poor man's Elizabeth. That's an insult to her because clearly, she is more intelligent and doesn't lay on her back to get what she wants."

Sam's fists clenched at her sides. "Fuck you, Amelia. Thankfully, I am nothing like that manipulative, wishy-washy, coward, Saint Elizabeth, who is scared of her own shadow."

"Funny, I don't get that impression."

"She can't handle his life. I can. I had his back and accepted him."

"You opened your legs and batted your eyes. He was probably lonely. You lost a child and he felt sorry for you. A man like Jason doesn't need an adrenaline junkie for a partner. He needs something good he can come home to and forget about the darkness of his job. That is what Elizabeth can give him that you can't. She's about him, not his job. You're just trouble waiting to happen."

Sam moved closer. "You need to shut your damn mouth. You don't even know him."

"He's not that hard to figure out, and neither are you." Hell, aside from the danger, she certainly gets Jason's appeal. He's gorgeous and has always been nice to her.

"Fuck this. I'm out of here."

Amelia grinned as Sam strode out of the room, happy that she had struck a nerve. Sam is going to go down, and Amelia is going to enjoy every minute of her demise.

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Sam started to go into Kelly's but stopped when Elizabeth emerged.

"Well look who it is, the bitch that watched my son get kidnapped. I shouldn't be surprised that you'd still be sauntering around like nothing is amiss. One way or another, Scammy, I will take you down."

Carly had jumped up from her chair and moved closer, smiling at hearing Elizabeth's words.

Sam sighed. "I'm not in the mood for this."

"Do I look like I care?" It was everything Elizabeth could do not to strike the bitch.

"Oh, like you've never made a mistake?"

"I've made plenty, but none of them purposely endangered a child."

An angry expression clouded Sam's face. "If you and Jason hadn't lied, maybe I wouldn't have frozen."

"There were reasons for that, and you know it," Liz whispered, waiting until a man entered the diner before continuing. "You know how dangerous Jason's life is firsthand. My son would be a target."

"You hate that I can handle being in Jason's life and you can't."

Elizabeth laughed. "How exactly have you handled it well? You fell apart after getting shot and then slept with your stepfather. That's handling it? You act like a toddler who couldn't have their toy and slept with his enemy, then you used the fact you can't have children to guilt him. No one was trying to hurt you. We used protection. It's not our fault that it failed, and if you hadn't opened your legs to your mother's husband, that night would never have happened although it was at least ten years in the making. What's even more disturbing is how far you'll go to not take personal responsibility. It's always someone else's fault. I don't think the PCPD would care you froze."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me. I haven't made up my mind what I want. I'm sure Jason and I will discuss it."

"You don't have proof."

Liz grinned. "Keep believing that, Scammy."

"Stop calling me that."

"I feel dirty just talking to you. I might have to have Jason cleaned and disinfected when he gets out."

Sam went to strike her, but Carly was on her, grabbing her arm.

"Don't even think of it unless you have a death wish. Leave, Elizabeth."

Liz smirked. "Later, Scammy."

Carly laughed as she dropped Sam's arm.

"You must love this," Sam said angrily.

"Oh, I do because you deserved it and more, but I should smack you for making me admire Elizabeth of all people."