Some Things Never Change

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Some Things Never Change; ficlet, PG-13
Topic Started: Sunday Aug 2 2009, 01:59 PM (411 Views)
MonaLisa	Sunday Aug 2 2009, 01:59 PM Post #1
Lumi Masters Posts: 2,007 Group: Managers Member #119 Joined: March 24, 2006	This little ficlet came about after reading the spoilers for the next two weeks (even if I did mess with the timeline a bit). So while there's nothing major revealed in here, anyone who absolutely doesn't want to be spoiled should hold off on reading this until mid-August. Sami, Lucas, and all other Days characters belong to Corday and NBC, not to me. I'm just borrowing them, and I'm not making any money off them. Some Things Never Change He knew the moment she came into the bar. He didn’t see her, and it wasn’t due to the chimes of the front door opening, because that could’ve been anyone; it was a knowing that came from deep in his bones. After everything they’d been through, how could he not know she was there? When she didn’t approach him right away, he shifted in his chair just enough to catch sight of her out of the corner of his eye. She was making a call on her cell phone. It was a short call, and soon she had flipped the phone closed and was headed for his table. Lucas went back to staring at the drink in front of him. Sami pulled out the chair opposite his and sat down. Without waiting for her to speak, Lucas gave her what he assumed she was there for. “I didn’t do it.” Then he grimaced as he realized his words could be taken more than one way. “Didn’t get drunk? Yeah, I can see that.” Ah. So at least one person wasn’t wondering if he’d had anything to do with his wife’s poisoning. But then maybe Sami didn’t even know he’d been questioned. “You want me to call someone for you?” “You mean besides whoever you called as soon as you walked in the door?” He snorted. “I guess you gotta report that you found the alcoholic in a bar, huh?” “I called Will,” she said quietly, and he felt embarrassment heat his face. “He was worried about you.” “Probably worried that I was drinking.” God, he was such a failure. What kind of man needed his teenage son to watch over him? “After all, it’s what I do.” “But you didn’t.” She reached out to cover his hand with hers, pulling it away from the glass. “You didn’t take a drink.” “This time.” “It still counts, Lucas. It counts.” She squeezed his fingers. “You didn’t say whether you wanted me to call someone.” “Like who?” he scoffed. “Like Maggie?” He snatched his hand from hers and closed it tightly around his drink again. “Maggie and I… are not on speaking terms at the moment.” Maybe in time that would change. Maggie and he had been through a lot, too, so maybe he’d be able to forgive her for betraying him. Maybe. He’d managed to stun Sami with his words. “You’re not?” she asked, eyes wide. “What happened? You and Maggie had a fight?” ”She lied to me,” he muttered, staring down at the vodka, swirling it around in the glass. ”She knew what was going on and didn’t tell me.” A sudden, horrifying possibility occurred to him, and he lifted his head to stare at Sami. “Did you know about Daniel and Chloe?” She winced. “I just found out. I’m sorry, Lucas.” He laughed abruptly, no humor in the sound, and shook his head. At least he wasn't the last one to find out, it seemed. “You deserve so much better than that slut,” Sami continued. “Oh, no, no,” Lucas said airily. “I’m not supposed to think she’s a slut. I’m supposed to be grateful that she married me despite her feelings for Dr. Do-his-patients, and impressed that they didn’t actually have sex while she was married to me, and feel sorry for the poor lovers who were cruelly torn apart by some kind of vow to God Chloe made. According to Daniel, that is. And Maggie seems to agree with him.” “Maggie said that?!?” “Well, not in those words, but that was the impression I got.” “Bullshit.” Sami sat back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. “She cheated on you. I don’t care how much they try to justify it to make it look pretty, she betrayed you. End of story.” “Finally, someone who see things my way. Let’s toast to Chloe the Slut!” He raised his glass. “Following in the proud tradition of Lucas Roberts Horton’s wives!” “Oh, shut up! You’re not going to drink that, and you know it, so let’s just get you out of here.” “I’m not going home,” he informed her. “I’m not going back to the house I bought when I thought I was finally going to have the kind of family I always wanted, with a wife who truly loved me and nobody else. And the kids, of course.” He frowned. “Aren’t the kids supposed to be with you?” “I asked Will to take Allie over to Grandma’s, and they’re staying the night. I didn’t know how long it would take me to track you down.” “Well, you found me. You can go home to your boyfriend now.” He saw the way her face closed up, and was instantly alert. “What’s the matter, trouble in paradise?” “Paradise lost.” Huh. So it was over – for now, anyway. With Sami involved, ‘over’ never seemed to last very long. “I’m sorry.” A skeptical look crossed her face. “No, really. I am. Want me to beat up Raffles for you?” “Sure, that’s going to help.” She sighed. “Nah, I’ll talk him out of it. It’s what I do,” she added sarcastically. “What a sad pair we are, huh?” This time it was Lucas who reached out to take Sami’s hand. “Wanna tell me about it?” “No. I don’t know. Maybe.” Another sigh. “I found out he’d been engaged once, and his fiancée died on their wedding day. He hadn’t told me, wouldn’t talk about it. So naturally, I tried to find out more.” “Naturally,” he agreed. “He found out I’d been asking around, and blew up like a volcano. Said I had no right. I tried to point out that he knew all about my past, but he said just because I volunteered to tell him about it didn’t mean he had to reciprocate.” “Oh, I suppose it doesn’t. Unless he happened to want an equal relationship built on trust.” He paused, debated whether to ask, then threw caution aside. “Does he really know all about your past?” “Well, most of it.” She fidgeted when he looked at her. “He knows about any bad stuff I’ve done. That’s what’s always tripped me up before, so I figured I should try starting with a clean slate this time.” He’d thought they had a clean slate once. Well, he’d thought so more than once, but… No point in going there. “But I didn’t come here to burden you with all my troubles. Let’s get out of here.” “And go where?” He did not want to go home. No way was he going to sit in that empty house surrounded by all the dreams that had, once again, come crashing down because the woman he’d planned to spend the rest of his life with had chosen another man over him. He probably should go to the hospital to see if there was any news about Chloe’s condition, but… If he laid eyes on her right now, he’d probably lose it and start yelling and calling her names, coma or no coma, and that would probably make Hope want to question him again. Not his idea of a fun time. “Let’s go for a walk.” Sami hesitated, then shrugged. “Sure. Why not. Let me just text Will to let him know what’s up.” She pulled out her phone again, muttered about bad reception, and headed outside. Lucas paid for his untouched drink before he joined her. He pulled in a deep breath, wondering where to go. The docks were definitely out. The park, maybe? He really should be thinking about where he was going to spend the night. No, that would have to wait until his head cleared a bit. One thing at a time. They walked slowly along the quiet street, both content to stay silent. It was as if something inside him had relaxed a little just from being near her, from hearing her put the blame for his failed marriage on Chloe and not him, from knowing that she hadn’t covered for his wife and her lover. There were some things you could always count on Sami for. Even when it seemed like you couldn’t count on anybody else. The setting sun filled the park with shadows, turning it into a completely different place than during the day. Trees loomed threateningly, shrubs gave the impression of moving when you weren’t looking directly at them, and despite the sounds of traffic close by, there was a feel of wilderness to it. It suited his mood, this shady, fickle place where nothing was as it seemed. The old familiar bench they sat down on seemed different, too. How many times had they come here? Ever since they were teenagers, with Sami chasing after Austin while he wanted Carrie. Then with Will as a toddler, still plotting. Running into each other during their enemy days, sneering and taunting. Family picnics after they had found their way together. But somehow, it was different tonight. And wasn’t it odd that even though neither of them had actually said it out loud, they had both known that this was where they’d go? “Lucas?” He turned his head to look at her, enjoying the deeper color that the fading light gave to her hair. “Yeah?” “That thing you said before. About your wives.” “And how they always betray me and screw me over?” Damn. Just as he’d managed to not think about that for a few minutes. “How they never love me enough, and there’s always someone else they’d rather be with?” “Well, I grant you Chloe, Carrie and Nicole. But I hope you weren’t including me when you said that.” Lucas closed his eyes, took a deep breath. “Let’s not go there, Sami.” “You’re not serious! I didn’t cheat on you. I didn’t choose someone else over you. I loved you, and only wanted you. You’re the one who left me!” “Who divorced who, Sami?” “I had to do it to save my family! And it was only supposed to be temporary, you know that. But rather than trust me, you decided to go try to kill a man and get yourself thrown in jail. Leaving me all alone.” “We’re talking about trust now?” He jumped to his feet, unable to look at her. “How about you not trusting me to keep you and the kids safe. No, you decided only EJ could do that. Never mind that it was he and his father who were the threat to begin with! Never mind that he raped you, threatened your family, brainwashed Steve, stole John’s kidney… No, suddenly you trusted him to keep everyone safe.” “Stefano was the real danger, and he was dying. All I had to do was stall for time until he was dead, and then I would be back with you in a heartbeat!” She was behind him, grabbing his arm to turn him around to face her. “Right. For one thing, Stefano doesn’t look very dead to me. For another, I was supposed to take it on faith that the man who raped you and forced you into marriage would just quietly let you go when you said so? Yeah, because he had such a stellar track record of respecting your wishes.” “You trying to kill him certainly didn’t help! Because of you, I had to fawn over him and pretend to be falling for him, because Stefano decided it was the only thing that would give him the will to live. I was running myself ragged, trying to satisfy Stefano that I was doing everything to keep EJ alive, and spending some time with the twins, and Will, and you.” “I noticed. I was the one who had to pick up the slack, remember? Who was feeding the twins, putting them to bed, changing their diapers? Me. Who had to deal with Will when he started acting out and drinking? Me.” “Because of a situation you created in the first place!” “You created the situation when you decided to divorce me to marry your rapist!” “You didn’t trust me!” “Yeah, I wonder why? Look how long it took you to fall into bed with him!” “It would never have happened if you’d been there! I was lonely!” “Oh, poor Sami. So lonely that she jumped into bed with the man who raped her and destroyed her family.” He snorted. “Give it up, Sami. You had a thing for him, or it would never have happened. And if you had a thing for him, then I was right not to trust you, wasn’t I?” “I did not have a thing for him!” she shouted angrily, shoving him back with both hands. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!” “I know you. You don’t have sex with someone unless you fancy yourself in love with them.” “It wasn’t like that,” she said, suddenly sounding unbearably tired. “It wasn’t… I wasn’t in love with him, Lucas. I was never in love with him. I was confused, and lonely, and scared. Scared of being alone. You pushed me away, told me to move on. You were going to be in jail for years. I could see this endless, lonely future stretching out ahead of me, sitting around waiting for you to get out of jail, never knowing if you would even still want me when you did get out. What if telling me to move on was just a cover, and you’d really decided you didn’t want to be with me any more? You’d asked me to tell the court it was my fault you’d shot EJ. What if you really thought that, blamed me for you being in jail, hated me for it? I was terrified. I felt so alone, and was always so tired. Raising twins is no picnic, you know. But whenever I was at my lowest, there he was, helping out with the twins, giving me compliments, telling me I was beautiful and that he wanted me in his life. It was all I had to cling to. I didn’t love him, but he kept telling me he loved me, and I… It was what I needed to hear someone say, and I guess that made me vulnerable.” “So he played on your vulnerability and insecurities, is that what you’re saying?” He wanted to yell that it wasn’t good enough – but, dammit, he couldn’t stay mad at her when she sounded like that. He just couldn’t. “I wanted to believe that there was someone who loved me. It’s really that simple. Because of that weakness, I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I might have called it the biggest mistake, except… Except that it gave me Grace. And as much as losing her hurt,” she pressed a hand against her mouth to cover a sob, “I wouldn’t give up the time I had with her for anything.” The tears were streaming down her face, and there was no way Lucas could possibly have done anything but what he did: pull her into his arms and try to comfort her. “Ssshh. Don’t cry. Please don’t cry. You know I can’t stand it when you do that.” “I can’t… can’t help it,” she sobbed. “I miss her so much!” “I know. Ssshh. I know.” “She was the sweetest, most beautiful little girl…” “Yeah, she was.” He tried a smile, fighting back his own tears. “Even though she didn’t look at all like you, she still managed to be the most beautiful little girl I’ve ever seen. Well, next to Allie.” “She was just as beautiful as Allie,” Sami insisted between sobs. “Okay, okay. We’ll call it a draw.” He stroked her hair, rocking her slightly. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” She burrowed deeper into the crook of his neck, and he pressed a kiss to her temple. “You’re going through a lot, too.” Her voice was muffled, and her warm breath tickled at the open neck of his shirt. “I don’t blame you for losing your temper.” “Shouldn’t take it out on the only one who’s on my side, though.” “Only one?” She pulled back slightly so she could meet his eyes. “I find that hard to believe.” “Everybody seemed more interested in proclaiming that Daniel couldn’t possibly be behind it, because he just loves Chloe so much.” Anger and resentment burned inside him. What about him, dammit? Why was everyone more concerned with Daniel? ”Victor was defending him. Hope wanted me to prove that I was out of town so she could be sure I didn’t do it. Even Maggie…” He cut himself off. “What about Kate?” Sami had managed to scrub most of the tears off her cheeks, and started to finger-comb her tousled hair. “Oh. Mom.” Lucas ran a hand through his own hair, wishing she hadn’t brought it up. “She says it’s obvious Daniel did it. But she’s not exactly impartial. And, well… Daniel keeps saying she’s the one who poisoned Chloe and is framing him.” Sami bit her lip, looked down at the ground, then looked back up at him. “Do you believe that?” she asked in a remarkably neutral tone. “I don’t want to.” He stared up at the sky, so he wouldn’t have to look at her. A streak of clouds darkened the sky above them, but to either side of it stars shone brightly. “It’s… It’s Mom.” With no need for words, the past hovered between them. They both knew what Kate was capable of. “Do you think…” “Don’t ask me that, Lucas. I’m not the right person to answer that.” “I’d say you were exactly the right person. Who better?” “Someone who could be objective? You know I can’t.” Her hand came to rest between his shoulder blades. “She’s Will and Allie’s grandmother. She’s your mother.” “There’s…” He coughed into his hand. Not a sob, a cough. “She’s been through a lot lately. I’ve read about cancer survivors who suffered from PTSD. Maybe…” “Maybe,” she agreed softly. “But you don’t have to figure that out tonight. You should get some rest. You’ve flown halfway around the world and back, you’ve come home to find your wife in a coma, and you’ve been told that she was cheating on you. It’s okay if you can’t solve all the world’s problems right now.” “Solve the world’s problems? I’d probably just make them worse.” He struggled to smile at her. “I guess I’ll get a room at the Salem Inn. There’s no way I could face that house tonight.” She tilted her head to one side, watching him, then nodded to herself. “How about my place?” “Your place?” He covered his face with his hands, not sure how to react. “Sami…” “The kids are with Grandma Caroline, remember. It’s just you and me. And before you jump to conclusions, I’m not offering sex, just a place to sleep. ” She grinned. “I’ll even make you breakfast in the morning.” “No, no, that’s okay,” he said quickly. “I’ll take care of breakfast. It’s the least I can do.” “Coward.” “I prefer to think of it as self-preservation. But really, if you’re offering me a bed for the night, the least I can do in return is make you breakfast.” “Yeah, that’s not at all transparent. But sure, I’ll accept that as a fair exchange. Come on, let’s go home.” She threaded her arm through his, and led him out of the darkened park. The photo of Grace held pride of place on the shelf. Lucas found himself irresistibly pulled to it, reaching out to brush one finger down the side of the frame. Such an adorably cute little girl. Sami’s little girl. He’d held her, cuddled her close and soothed her when she was crying. And now she was gone, forever. If it broke his heart, how much worse must it be for Sami? She’d come up beside him, and watched the photo with him, her eyes filled with tears. He wrapped one arm gently around her shoulders. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to the funeral.” “I told you not to.” “Yeah, well, it was stupid of me to listen. I should’ve come anyway. You needed your friends.” And he’d wanted to be there. “I never would’ve agreed not to come if you hadn’t sounded so distraught when you asked me.” “I was distraught.” Sami sighed. “I’m not sure I could’ve handled it if you’d been there. It was… I wasn’t exactly rational. I blamed myself for her death. I… I told you my baby died. And then she did. And I felt like if I hadn’t said that, if I hadn’t made up that story, maybe it wouldn’t have happened.” She swiped away tears, but they were immediately replaced by others. “Looking at you only reminded me of saying that to you, reminded me of how when I found out I was pregnant I didn’t want to have another baby with EJ, and now I didn’t have her anymore, and… It was like I’d caused her to die. As if I wished her dead, and it happened.” “Oh, Sami.” He pulled her fully into his arms, pressing his face into her hair. “It wasn’t your fault. You loved her, you loved her so much, and she knew that. Everybody knew that.” “I know it wasn’t my fault. But she was mine, my baby, and I couldn’t save her. You’re supposed to keep your children safe.” “And everything you did was done to keep her safe. It was done out of love.” A sudden, horrible suspicion crossed his mind. ”Did anybody try to tell you it was your fault?” She shivered. “Only EJ. He was furious that I’d kept her from him, and he said he’d take Johnny away from me to make sure nothing happened to him, because I was unfit to be a mother.” Red-hot anger surged through Lucas, and he clenched his teeth, vowing to make EJ eat those words. ”But everyone else was so kind,” Sami continued. “Even Nicole!” “Nicole? Kind?” “She was. She let me see Johnny when she wasn’t supposed to, and she was so sorry about Grace. Her daughter’s the same age, you know, so I guess she felt a connection.” Sami swallowed. “That made me feel so bad. I resented the fact that she still had Sydney when my Grace was gone. Not that I wanted her baby to die, of course, but if it had been a choice between the two of them… It was just so unfair.” “I understand. Nothing else compares to your own child.” He rubbed his cheek against her hair. “You know I’d do anything for our kids.” “I know.” “And that includes Johnny.” She looked up at him, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. “All through the pregnancy, I thought of him as mine. I felt him kick. I watched him be born, and I held him when he was not even a minute old. We chose his name together. I fed him, bathed him, rocked him to sleep, sang to him… In a way, I’ll always think of him as mine.” And it hurt, deep in his soul, every time he had to refer to the boy as EJ’s son. He should’ve been mine. Sami raised her head to brush her lips against his. “Thank you for telling me that.” Letting go of her, he cleared his throat. “You should get some sleep.” “So should you.” “Will’s not going to be upset that I sleep in his room without express permission, is he?” “If it was someone else, he might, but probably not you.” She hesitated, biting her lip. “Actually, I… Oh, never mind.” “What?” She shook her head. “Oh, come on, Sami. Tell me.” “I was just going to ask if you’d mind sharing my bed.” At his stare, she rushed on, “I’m not hitting on you, Lucas! But I… I kinda don’t want to be alone. And I don’t think you do, either. We’ve shared a bed platonically before.” “We’ve shared a bed without having sex before. I’m not sure platonically is the right word. We tend to wake up…” He gestured vaguely. “Well, it’s not like Chloe has any room to complain if you were to accidentally kiss another woman in your sleep. But I don’t think it’ll come to that. We’re friends now, right?” “Right. We’re friends.” Well, they were, but they’d also been friends when she’d spent the night at the Horton cabin, and that hadn’t seemed to stop them. He was about to say he’d sleep in Will’s room – until he looked into her blue tear-filled eyes, and realized he’d do anything she asked of him. “Sure. As long as you’ve changed the sheets since Riff-Raff last slept in that bed.” She snorted, tossed her head, and headed for the bedroom. “In case you’ve forgotten,” she called over her shoulder, “sheets are one of my indulgences. At least 400 thread count, and always clean.” With a smile on his face, he trailed after her, loosening his tie. “And you won’t hog the covers?” “If you snore, I’ll poke you until you stop.” “Well, it’s good to know some things never change.” Edited by MonaLisa, Sunday Aug 2 2009, 02:02 PM.
	At my favorite site, Second Chances We celebrate all Lumi's glances Whether longing and sweet Or of passion and heat It's the greatest of all romances!


CanuckDaysfan	Monday Aug 3 2009, 12:53 AM Post #2
Keeper of the Clips Posts: 13,784 Group: Managers Member #1 Joined: November 22, 2005 Lucas & Sami are inevitable.	I love it!



Medea	Monday Aug 3 2009, 07:41 AM Post #3
Hibernating until Lumi return Posts: 6,157 Group: Managers Member #731 Joined: March 17, 2007 Lucas & Sami have been simply Lumi-nous since 1993	This reminded me of why I love Lumi! Quote: He knew the moment she came into the bar. He didn’t see her, and it wasn’t due to the chimes of the front door opening, because that could’ve been anyone; it was a knowing that came from deep in his bones. Of course it was. Quote: God, he was such a failure. What kind of man needed his teenage son to watch over him? Aw, Lucas. Not a failure... but that's been his and Will's dynamic for most of Will's life. Quote: “I’m not supposed to think she’s a slut. I’m supposed to be grateful that she married me despite her feelings for Dr. Do-his-patients, and impressed that they didn’t actually have sex while she was married to me, and feel sorry for the poor lovers who were cruelly torn apart by some kind of vow to God Chloe made. Yeah, I have trouble feeling how I'm supposed to feel about that, too! Great fight, with both of them having a point of view. You made Sami's sex with her rapist as sympathetic and in-character as it could possibly be, which is still not entirely sympathetic or in-character... but it's harder to be annoyed with her when she's in full "I don't cheat and I never condone it" mode. Quote: “No, no, that’s okay,” he said quickly. “I’ll take care of breakfast. It’s the least I can do.” Oh come on. It's not like she would make the salty French toast mistake TWICE! Quote: “In case you’ve forgotten,” she called over her shoulder, “sheets are one of my indulgences. At least 400 thread count, and always clean.” Yes, Lucas, you're supposed to know that! Wish the writers' grasp of Lumi history was as good as yours.
	Do you remember what she told him? She took her lover’s hand, and she said, “just because something is intangible doesn't mean that it's not real.” Lucas, no matter what happens, no matter what we’ve been through, no matter what I say, you will always be in my heart. -- Sami Brady, November 2007


generalscami	Friday Aug 7 2009, 02:47 PM Post #4
Lumi Senior Posts: 807 Group: All Access Lumi Member #62 Joined: March 22, 2006	I loved it... Wished it was longer!! Great job!!



shawubble	Friday Aug 7 2009, 09:17 PM Post #5
Lumi B.A. Posts: 1,503 Group: All Access Lumi Member #1,202 Joined: January 19, 2009	You are a genius. This is perfect. You should write for the show. I think it could not be any better if I had wished it.



Ultymecia	Sunday Aug 30 2009, 08:07 AM Post #6
Lumi Sophmore Posts: 109 Group: All Access Lumi Member #102 Joined: March 23, 2006	Great ficlet! Loved it.



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