Title: In the Midst of It All
Author: Nicky
Rating: PG

Summary: Finding love, faith, devotion, and a new direction when all hope seems lost. This story is set late November/early December of 2006.

Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. They're currently being abused by the yahoos at ABC. I'm just trying to let them have a little fun.

Author Notes: Written December 2006 – March 2007.

Warning: This story is not at all Liz friendly. So if you're a fan, either steer clear, or don't give me any grief.

In the Midst of it All
Chapter 1

When Love Isn't Enough

The knock on the door scares her. She wishes it was Jason, but she knows it isn't. He's still a fugitive on the run. And besides, he wouldn't knock on his own door.

"Lucky," she says with some surprise when she opens it. "What can I do for you?"

"Sam," he nods in greeting. "Can I come in?"

"I'm not sure I should be talking to you without my lawyer."

"This doesn't have anything to do with your case," he assures her. "I just have some questions about where Jason is."

"No offense, but that has EVERYTHING to do with my case," she tells him, but she decides to let him into the penthouse anyway. "He's trying to find the guy who can prove that I was set up with that bogus flash drive."

"Are you still maintaining that the DA is trying to frame you?" Lucky asks skeptically. "Why would he do that, Sam?"

She gets up to go get a glass of water, drinking it slowly to try to figure out what to tell him . . . or not. But she decides he needs to know everything to realize how sick and twisted Ric has become.

"Can you swear to me that this is off the record? We're kind of family, Lucky, with your brother being my cousin and all. Can you do me this one favor and keep what we say just between us?"

"Okay, Sam," he agrees. "For right now. But if you tell me where Jason is, then . . ."

"I don't know where he is. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. This has nothing to do with where Jason is or what he's doing. Not directly, anyway. This has to do with why you shouldn't trust Ric."

"And why shouldn't I trust him?"

She takes a deep breath and she tells him. She tells him about how she slept with him, how Jason saw and how Ric has been trying to get back at the both of them ever since.

"But you and Jason are together now," Lucky says, trying to process the shocking events. "He forgave you for betraying him? He walked in on you sleeping with another man and he can live with that? How?"

"That part of the story is irrelevant," she says, taking another gulp of water.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. It's just . . . well, your story gives me hope that maybe one day Elizabeth and I can work out our differences. Maybe one day, I can get her to forgive me. Although, it would help if she would even speak to me," he says sadly.

"Maybe she just needs time," Sam offers, though she's sure all the time won't help Lucky. Not with Elizabeth, anyway. Not if Lucky isn't who she wants. But Sam realizes that it's not for her to tell.

"Can I ask you something?" He looks uncomfortable all of a sudden and Sam has the sinking feeling she's not going to like what he has to say.

"Do I have to answer?" she replies glibly, trying to inject some levity into the situation.

"Do you ever get the feeling that Jason has feelings for Elizabeth?"

She sighs. She hates it when she's right.

"He tells me they're friends, that they've been friends for a long time. I believe him."

She pretends to busy herself with something else to avoid his cop stare as it probes her for the truth.

"Yeah, friends," he sighs. "He's the only friend she has that she'll risk her life and freedom for. You know she almost went to jail this summer when she assisted on that illegal surgery of yours. And she refused to let me get her out. And years ago, when she used to paint at her studio she . . . the studio."

Sam catches the knowing look in his eyes and starts to worry.

"She lied to me. She flat out lied to me," he says more to himself than to Sam. "She's been hiding him at her studio this whole time, hasn't she?"

"I haven't seen him there," Sam bends the truth. "I promise you."

"The night he was shot, she came into Kelly's with what looked like blood on her dress. She's been helping him this whole time. No wonder we couldn't find him."

"Lucky, don't jump to any conclusion, especially when your heart is involved. You don't know . . . "

"You're right. I don't know. But I know a way to find out. Can I borrow your phone?"

Without waiting on her to answer, he picks it up and dials the studio. Normally, when he calls at times he knows she's there, he gets the machine. But this time, it's picked up on the first ring.

"Jason?" she answers anxiously. "Is that you? Where are you?"

Trying to contain his temper is hard. But now is not the time to lose it. Not when his suspicions have just been verified and he still has a fugitive to find. He'll have to deal with his wife's lies later.

"No. It's Lucky," he says after a long silence. "But I think it's interesting to note that you'd take Jason Morgan's phone call over your own husband's."

"What are you doing calling from Jason's?"

'How do you know where I'm calling from?' Lucky wants to ask, but doesn't. The answer to that question is obvious.

"I'm here talking to Sam. And I think now, it's time I talk to you."

"Oh no," she gasps. "You know, don't you? She told you, didn't she?"

"Sam has helped open my eyes to a few things. Just meet me at Kelly's in 20 minutes," he says, before brusquely hanging up the phone.

"You knew she helped him, didn't you?" he asks, turning to Sam.

"Lucky, I . . ." She just shrugs. Even though this conversation is supposedly off the record, she still doesn't want to answer anything incriminating. "I don't know what to tell you."

He just nods and walks out the door. After a few moments, she follows. She may not be too fond of Liz, but she wants to at least warn her about what Lucky knows for sure and what he only suspects. If anything, she wants to make sure, for Jason's sake, the woman doesn't say anything stupid and incriminating about him.

With Lucky a few minutes ahead of her, Sam is relieved to run into Liz on the docks as she's on her way to Kelly's. She calls out to her and runs over to her, thankful to have gotten to her before Lucky did.

"You vindictive witch," Elizabeth screeches, launching herself at Sam and landing a stinging slap across her face before Sam realizes what's going on.

"What?" Sam asks, confused at the woman's accusations. "What is wrong with you?"

"You are! How could you do it, Sam? Are you that threatened by me? Did you have to ruin my marriage?"

Elizabeth jumps on her again, this time knocking Sam to the ground. Unwilling to hurt the pregnant woman, Sam doesn't do more than take defensive measures to protect herself from Elizabeth's blows. One move, however, catches Elizabeth in the nose, causing bright red blood to spurt across her face.

Elizabeth screams and starts to attack again, but this time she's stopped when Nikolas pulls her off of Sam.

"What's going on here?" Lucky demands to know, coming up behind his brother.

"Sam and her big mouth, that's what," Liz rages.

"Sam, how could you?" Nikolas asks her. "She's pregnant. Why are you fighting her like this?"

"Me? Are you kidding me? I didn't do anything!"

"Right. Only try to ruin my marriage by telling husband how I slept with Jason!" Liz yells. And that brings about a stunned silence from them all.

"What did you just say?" Lucky manages after a few moments. "You did what? You slept with him? With Jason? When? Why?"

Tears of horror flood down her face as she realizes what just happened.

"You said you already knew, that Sam told you."

"I thought you were talking about hiding Jason in your studio after he was shot. And I never said Sam told me anything. I put two and two together and figured it out myself."

"Sam and I will go and give the two of you some privacy," Nikolas offers. He grabs Sam's arm, but she snatches it away, a betrayed look on her face.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Nikolas. I thought we were family. But you were so quick to think the worst of me while protecting your precious Elizabeth."

"Sam, don't . . ."

"Just forget it," she says, walking off, but not far enough so she can't hear. She watches Nikolas walk off in the other direction while she hides where Elizabeth and Lucky can't see her. She wouldn't miss this conversation for the world.

"So," she hears Lucky say. "What does this mean for us? I cheated, so you cheated? Is that supposed to make us even or something? Or has this been going on with Jason for awhile?"

"How dare you accuse me of cheating on you. Lucky, you cheated on me. When I saw you in bed with Maxie yet again, when you chose her and drugs over me and our family, our marriage was over."

"So that gives you free reign to go sleep with Jason?"

"Jason and I did nothing wrong. He was there for me when I needed him."

"Nothing wrong? It was wrong of me to sleep with Maxie. I admit that, Elizabeth. But it's all right for you to sleep with Jason because I cheated first? Is that really the logic you're using here?"

"You have NO right to be mad at me," she screams at him. "You gave up any right to me the minute you laid down with another woman."

"So that's it? It's over? Just like that? What about our family? What about Cam and this ba- . . . "

The guilty look on her face says it all. And Sam can hardly contain her gasp of shock at the sudden realization that strikes both her and Lucky at the same time.

"This baby is Jason's, isn't it?"

Liz looks up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Lucky, I'm so sorry."

"You lied to me."

"I was trying to protect you," she claims. "When you found out I was pregnant, I didn't know who the father was. And when I got the test results, you were doing so well in rehab. I didn't want you to relapse."

"So you lied for my own good," he says, a mirthless chuckle on his lips. "That's a good one."

"It's the truth," she swears, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"No, the truth is that you lied to me. About sleeping with Jason. About this baby being Jason's. About hiding Jason. And probably a lot of other things I don't know about that have to do with Jason."

"Jason's my friend," she tries to explain.

"A friend that you're in love with."

Liz just looks down.

"Not going to deny it? No. I didn't think so," Lucky sighs. "I can't say I blame you, though. I wasn't much of a husband to you this summer."

"Lucky, I . . ."

"Don't say it. Just don't say anything unless you're telling me you're willing to give me another chance. A real chance. Not just your second choice because you can't have Jason."

She looks down again.

"Oh," he gasps, as if sucker punched. "I guess I can't blame you for wanting to be with your baby's father."

"Don't do this, Lucky," Elizabeth pleads. "Don't try to make me feel guilty for not wanting to stay in a marriage you wrecked."

"You're right," he shrugs. "I wrecked it all by myself. But it staying wrecked . . . I had some help with that part. You don't want to be married to me anymore. I understand that now. And I won't stand in your way."

Sam stays in her hiding spot until Lucky and Liz go their separate ways. Not knowing what else to do, she sinks onto a bench when her legs don't support her anymore. It's hardly shocking that Liz wants to be with Jason. But the news that she's having his baby . . . it's more than Sam knows how to deal with. She always suspected it, even though the woman denied it. But to know it for a fact is mind boggling. Now what is she going to do?

To be continued . . .