Song That Saved My Life - Unfinished (Read 2,197 times)

[fluffysmom]

Great chapter! Welcome back! I look forward to reading more of the story.

[Kpatch]

I'm also glad you're back and continuing this story. Great chapter. I loved getting some insight into Sami and Belle's characters. Looking forward to more of this story.

[feelinway2damngood]

Gonna make you like the way they lie
Better than the truth
They'll tell you everything
You wanted someone else to say
They're gonna break your heart, yeah

From what I've seen
You're just one more hand me down
Cause no one's tried to give you
What you need
So lay all your troubles down
I am with you now

Somebody ought to take you in
Try to make you love again
Try to make you like the way they feel
When they're under your skin

You'll start to wonder
If you're ever gonna make it by
You'll start to think
You were born blind

From what I've seen
You're just one more hand me down
Cause no one's tried to give you
What you need
So lay all your troubles down
I am with you now

Insider trading. Stock market fraud. Ongoing investigation. Criminal charges. The words beat through Nicole’s head like a drum. She would never forget last week when her parents called her into the living room to discuss The Situation. Up until eight days ago, her life had been ideal. Her parents were never in her business and she got all the quality time she wanted with the family credit card. Life was perfect…and then it wasn’t. Her parents called her and her brother, Brandon, into the living room and explained The Situation. Her father, in all his wisdom, had been involved in what he called “insider trading,” which was just a nice way of saying he’d known when to play the stock market and when not to. If he had kept the knowledge to himself instead of sharing it with his buddies, they never would have had to go through this. Her mother wouldn’t be considering a career for the first time in her marriage, the district attorney wouldn’t be itching to put her father away, and Nicole wouldn’t be stuck taking the bus.

She blew her heavy bangs out of her eyes as she realized the mistake she had made. She stared at where the bus should have been but wasn’t. This was all Mrs. McDonald’s fault. If she hadn’t kept Nicole after to discuss the upcoming biology assignment, Nicole would have made it to the bus station on time instead of standing on an empty street corner like a homeless person. She could have found a payphone and called her parents but she had used what little change she found in the bottom of her purse for a soda. She stared down at her outfit. The black skirt and stretchy white top were poor choices for a ten-mile trek through town, not to mention the sandaled heels she had picked out just this morning. Her mother had mentioned selling the majority of her clothes, but that was where Nicole drew the line. Take away her jewelry, her credit card privileges, even her hopes of getting the Aston Martin Vantage she had always wanted, but she would NOT give up her clothes. She had an impeccable style and she refused to walk around in second-hand knockoffs. Didn’t her parents understand how important her image was to her? How could they have done this to her? How could her father have been so stupid? At the moment, she was strongly considering disowning him altogether.

“Nicole?” She tried to keep the look of mortification from her face when she turned and faced Brady. As usual, he looked so good she felt her breath hitch in her throat. And all he was wearing was a pair of faded jeans and a t-shirt. His blond hair was still slick from football practice, but the exercise must not have alleviated his mood because he looked as angry as a rhino with a thorn in its backside.

“Hey.” Nicole murmured, smoothing out invisible wrinkles in her skirt with her clammy hands. She could put off the walk home for a few minutes, she surmised. It’s not like she was looking forward to it anyway. By the time that walk was over, she doubted she’d be able to feel any of her toes.

“What are you doing here?” His question flustered her, but she couldn’t let him see it. Despite the fact that a lot of good people took the bus, admitting she was now one of those people wasn’t something she felt she could do.

“I could ask you the same question.” Nicole fired back, her cucumber eyes narrowed in defense. She didn’t have to report to him. As Salem High’s up-and-coming football star, he barely acknowledged her presence at all, probably didn’t even remember that they had been friends since her third-grade year. Once he reached high school, he stopped calling her, stopped walking home from school with her. As far as he was concerned, she didn’t exist, so why should she have to explain anything to him? Knowing her frustration with him was probably just the result of what was going on in her family life didn’t cool her temper any.

“Have you seen Eric?” he asked instead and she stared back at him strangely. Was Eric missing? She thought he had given up on ever getting out of Salem after four years of failed attempts, but maybe she was wrong. Sami certainly hadn’t mentioned Eric on their trips to the mall, but then, why would she? It’s not like Nicole went around telling her friends about Brandon.

“Eric? No. Why?” Nicole watched Brady’s expression fall and hated that she had disappointed him. Though they were in the same grade, she saw Eric about as often as she saw Brady, which was next to never.

“The little son of a bitch has disappeared again.” Brady ground out, his jaw set in frustration. She waited for him to drag his hand through his thick blond hair as she had seen him do a million times before. Damn this attraction, she mused silently. It stuck at the most inconvenient times. She didn’t want him to ask her any more questions. Not even Sami knew about The Situation and she would damned if Brady found out. She wouldn’t be able to stand the look of pity in his stormy-gray eyes.

“And you care because?” Nicole couldn’t help asking. Let him think she was callous. He had only included her in this conversation because he had stumbled upon her presence. Otherwise, he would have continued his search for his little brother without ever involving her.

“Did I kick your puppy or something?” Brady wanted to know. Nicole felt her cheeks flame and looked away before he could see. His mood was so unpredictable; one minute he was angry and the next he was teasing her.

“I just have a lot on my mind.” Nicole said by way of explanation. She hoped he wouldn’t pry, but then, this was Brady. Of course he would. She had just opened the door for him to do so. Stupid.

“Does any of that have to do with why you’re waiting for the bus?” Brady asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. Nicole shut her eyes, wishing this moment away with all her might. It hadn’t worked when she was five and it probably wouldn’t work now, but she felt she had to try. “Nicole?”

“When was the last time you talked to him?” She hoped he would pick up on her hesitation to talk about her own life and allow her to redirect the conversation.

Brady watched the walls slide up around Nicole and kept himself from sighing. She was so damn proud, he thought grimly. She wasn’t about to admit anything to him and he knew he shouldn’t have expected otherwise. It wasn’t like they were friends anymore and she had proven, on more than one occasion, that she didn’t trust him.

“This morning at breakfast. I wouldn’t even worry except I called the house and Belle said she hasn’t seen him.”

“He’s just being Eric.” Nicole assured him. “I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually.” Why should he worry about where his brother was? He certainly hadn’t shown interest in anyone but himself for a long time. She wondered if caring about someone else for the first time in at least a year had jarred him out of his everyday existence.

“I don’t want to wait for him to turn up.” Brady shot back and Nicole’s eyes turned to green icicles.

“Well sometimes you have to wait. Get over it.” Nicole headed for the exit, deciding she would rather walk home than continue this conversation. Every moment spent with Brady was one more moment she wished they were still in each other’s lives. To her utter disbelief, she noticed Brady had followed her. She started to turn her back on him, but his hand was on her shoulder and she barely made it halfway around. His grip on her arm more than proved that he didn’t want to be dismissed. He and Sami were a lot alike. If they thought their situation was important, then damn it everybody around them better think so!

“I have to find him.” Brady insisted forcefully. “And if you’re not going to help me, then I guess I just have to accept that.”

His words struck the wrong cord in Nicole and she shrugged away from him touch. “You want my help? The big bad Brady Black can’t do something himself? What a letdown.”

His gray eyes turned almost-black but she didn’t seem put off by his anger. If he wasn’t mistaken, she seemed to welcome it. “This doesn’t have anything to do with Eric, does it? You’re mad at me, aren’t you?”

“No. This has nothing to do with that.”

“Then what does it have to do with?”

“We’re not friends anymore, Brady. You made sure of that.”

“I didn’t--”

“And don’t worry. If I see Eric, I’ll make sure he goes home.” Maybe it was the words she carefully chose or maybe it was because this was the second time she had tried to blow him off, but Brady looked incensed.

“You’re just a conniving little bitch aren’t you.”

“Better than a two-cent sellout.”

“A sellout? How exactly am I a sellout?”

“You used to be larger than life itself. Now you just do what everyone tells you to. You don’t even play football the same way. It’s a chore for you now. What happened to you?”

“I got a life.” Brady’s explanation sounded inadequate even to his ears.

“You sure did. You lost all your real friends and replaced them with other robots. Congratulations. The whole town loves you. All you had to do was lose both your parents.”

“You shut up about that!” Brady ordered, wagging an accusatory finger at her. “I didn’t use their deaths to improve my social standing. And, hell, you’re one to talk. Look at the way you dress. What, you couldn’t find a skirt shorter than that one?”

Nicole glared at him through unshed tears. “It’s about a mile longer than the one your flavor of the week was wearing today.”

“You’re jealous.”

“Oh don’t even. I’d have to care to be jealous.” Nicole reminded him, unable to back down when her pride was on the line.

Brady smiled at her smugly. “That’s it, isn’t it?” Just to prove his theory, he took a large step forward, ignoring the warning look she kept throwing at him. He knew it was all an act anyway. She was terrified to let anyone close enough to see the real person underneath the fancy clothes. “You might think I’m a selfish asshole, but you want me all the same.”

“You’re delusional. Your self-importance is nauseating.” She didn’t appreciate how close he was standing, but she wouldn’t scurry away like a coward. He reached out and slowly followed the descent of her slender throat with his index finger, the caress so gentle and so slow she had trouble swallowing. He didn’t do anything else, just repeated the motion until her skin felt scorched from his steady touch.

She instantly regretted the low-cut stretchy blouse when she saw his eyes fasten on her chest, but knew she wouldn’t stop him. Her own powerlessness surprised and annoyed her. Why should Brady Black have this affect on her? She had meant what she said when she called him a sellout. There were times when she barely recognized the boy she had met on the playground, but damn him, he was also right about none of that mattering right now.

He ducked his head and pressed his lips to the side of her neck, his breath washing over her trembling skin. Chuckling, he said, “Your pulse is beating pretty hard. Are you sure you aren’t affected?”

Two could play at this game, Nicole thought triumphantly. She grabbed his head with both hands and crushed their lips together. God help her, it was just the way she had always imagined it. His lips were somehow soft and firm at the same time. There was no tentative meeting of their lips; they kissed each other like they had been doing so for years. He dug his fingers into her scalp, tilting her head to deepen the kiss, and she met his demands with a few of her own. Her lips parted under the persuasion of his tongue and she felt her body sink into his. His arms banded around her body, but he couldn’t seem to get her close enough. He pulled her between his legs and held her there, catching her little sighs of delight in his mouth as he deepened the kiss a few degrees. He couldn’t hold back a groan when Nicole’s hands slid up under his shirt to stroke his bare chest and abdomen.

What had started out as simply curiosity was quickly spinning out of control, Brady realized. Kissing her was madness; touching her only made the agony of wanting her that much worse. He couldn’t remember wanting a girl this badly before, but God he wanted Nicole and if he weren’t careful he would have her right here. That thought floored him. Tearing his lips away from her startled mouth, he grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands out from under his shirt. She stumbled back a few steps and he was all at once relieved and disappointed to have her out of his reach.

He struggled with what to say, watching Nicole’s confusion turn to hurt. The emerald eyes filled with unbridled passion were turning colder by the second and he knew he had better say something fast. Her nipples were pressing hard against the front of her shirt and he fought the urge to reach out and touch them. Based on the look she wore, it would be a long time before she let him anywhere near her again. He couldn’t think of a way to fix this. The right words just weren’t there.

“I need to go home.” Nicole finally said, her words surprising him. She glanced behind him in resignation, as if preparing herself for something unpleasant.

“I’ll take you.”

*****

Eric had just completed another pointless day of eighth grade when the idea came to him to visit the harbor. He hadn‘t been here since right after the funeral when Bo found him curled up fast asleep. This place used to be magical for him. Every day after school, he and his mother would sit here and talk while they watched the boats come into port. Their conversations hadn’t even revolved around school, but had included everything. He had been sitting on this dock when he decided he wanted to buy a boat and sail around the globe. He had been here when Abe came to find him to tell him about the car accident.

“You mind?” An angry snarl came from directly under his bench and Eric almost jumped out of his skin. Very slowly, he bent in half and poked his head under the bench, coming face-to-face with a raven-headed boy he hadn’t seen before. The boy’s raven hair was greasy and unkempt, as were his torn jeans and short-sleeved button-down shirt. He wore no shoes. Eric was startled to realize the boy looked to be his age.

“Sorry.” Eric quickly apologized, feeling incredibly uncertain. His age or not, the boy looked bigger and meaner than he. If he wanted to rob him, Eric had no doubt the task would be ridiculously easy.

“You stepped on my hand.” The boy said in exasperation, though he wore a half-smile. “It woke me up.”

“You mean you were sleeping under there?” Eric’s neck hurt from the awkward position he was holding it, so he hopped down from the bench and sat down in front of the boy.

“What did you think I was doing? Stalking you? Relax Rolex. I’m no thief.” The boy promised in a matter-of-fact tone. Eric wasn’t sure why, but he believed him.

“Do you need some help getting home?” Eric hadn’t ever met a homeless person before and he had a hard time grasping that someone his own age could have suffered such a terrible fate.

“I don’t have a home.” The boy countered with a shake of his head. “Not anymore.”

“I know what you mean.” Eric replied, staring down at his shoes.

The boy laughed heartily. “Somehow I doubt that, Rolex. You don’t exactly look underfed.”

“Why do you keep calling me Rolex?” Eric demanded irritably. He didn’t like this stranger making assumptions about him. The boy nodded toward the watch Eric wore. It was a shabby affair of what had once been a beautiful watch, but it was still a Rolex. “It’s my dad’s.” When he offered no further explanation, the boy huffed impatiently.

“And he just lets you wear it.”

“He doesn’t have much of a choice.” Eric said, deadpan. “He’s dead.” He waited to see pity in the boy’s eyes, but was surprised when his expression didn’t change.

“My dad’s dead too. It doesn’t ever get any easier.” His words made Eric’s shoulders suddenly feel very heavy, as if he carried an invisible weight there. “I could sugarcoat it for you if you want, but somehow I don’t think you want that.”

“No.” Eric agreed. “I have enough people who do that all the time.”

“You’re lucky.” The boy said after a moment. “To have people who care about you.”

This close, Eric could see holes starting to wear away the front of the boy’s shirt. Winter wasn’t too far off and he hated to think of how the boy would survive in such inadequate clothing. “I guess.”

“You are. When I left, no one even noticed I was gone.” The boy’s cinnamon eyes were harsh as he spoke the words. It was clear he was still angry with the family he had had.

“No one?” Eric asked, stupefied. He tried to imagine what would happen if he disappeared for days on end. How long would it take his family to realize he was gone? About five minutes. “Are you busy right now?”

“Well, I do have a standing appointment with a Dumpster.” The boy said, completely deadpan. When he saw the startled look Eric wore, he said, “Come on Rolex. Have a sense of humor.”

“My sister said I was born without one.” Eric answered honestly. He hesitated for a moment before he continued. “Do you want to come to dinner?”

“What is this?” The boy demanded, instantly suspicious.

“Nothing.”

“It sounds like charity to me.”

“It’s not.”

“Don’t do me any favors.” The boy warned him.

“If you knew my uncle’s cooking, you’d know it’s not a favor.”

“Alright. If it means that much to you Rolex--”

“Eric. Eric Brady.”

“Lucas Roberts.”

Author’s Notes: Credit for song lyrics goes to Matchbox Twenty for “Hand Me Down."

[Kpatch]

Fantastic chapter, FW2DG! What a surprising yet scintillating interaction between Nicole and Brady. Wow. Hot stuff.

And Lucas! What a wonderful surprise that was. Great story!

[fluffysmom]

Terrific chapter. I loved the Brady and Nicole scene. Yeah Lucas. I can't wait to read more.

[gapeach]

Yeah Lucas is here!!! Can't wait to read more... also can't wait until Sami meets Lucas for the first time in this story. Bet the sparks are gonna fly!!!

[sportsgirl]

WOW oh WOW.. what a chapter!! See Brady & Nicole do have the chemistry & sparks... and so so so happy to have Lucas join the story!

[feelinway2damngood]

There's always something
In the way
There's always something
Getting through
But it's not me
It's You

Sometimes ignorance
Rings true
But hope is not in
What I know
Not in me
It's in You

It's all I know

And I find peace
When I'm confused
I find hope when
I'm let down
Not in me
But in You

I hope to lose myself
For good
I hope to find it in the end
Not in me
It's You
It's all I know

The Pub was nearly bursting with customers, as it always was around lunchtime. Every time Sami looked up from behind the counter, she watched in awe as another customer managed to squeeze into the tiny family establishment. She glanced around anxiously for an empty table and decided she would have no choice but to seat them at the counter. Bumping her hip against the swinging door that separated the bar and the dining room, she greeted the party of four and ushered them to the bar, handing each a menu and selecting a white notepad from the front of her apron. Unaware of the pencil she kept behind her ear, she groped under the counter for a spare and waited to take her customers’ orders.

Just two months short of seventeenth birthday, she had surprised both Bo and Caroline when she asked if she could wait tables after school. Though he had promised her a car once she passed her driver’s test, she knew Bo couldn’t really afford to, so she figured this was the next best thing. She had already picked out the car she wanted, a vintage cobalt-blue Ford Eclipse. Just as soon as she could come up with enough to make the shop owner a deal, that car was as good as hers.

Something about making her own money gave Sami a sense of pride and accomplishment--at least it did most days. Her days began at six a.m. with shower, clothes, and school. A third of the day later, she was at the Pub where she put in six hours a day, five days a week. Like many before her, she was beginning to find her job a little tedious. She was always counting down to the end of the week when she could catch a race at the Speedway.

As far as she was concerned, she had loved cars since birth. She had spent every second of her early childhood sitting in the garage with her dad and Uncle Bo while they restored countless vintage cars. By the time she was nine, she was assisting with more than just oil changes. With cars, there was always a problem and a solution. Once the problem was solved, she moved onto the next project. Why couldn’t life be that simple? After her parents’ funeral, she had sought comfort in her Uncle Ray’s repair shop. She would have rather worked there after school, but the entire shop had collapsed after last year’s storm and her aunt and uncle didn’t have the funds to build it back up again. They had left Salem a few months later. The last postcard she got from them had been from Montana. She tried to imagine her mother’s twin sister and brother-in-law with a ranch and a dozen horses, but the picture never fit quite right.

“What’s good here?” Lucas Roberts asked in a tone that spoke volumes. She still remembered the first time she had met him three years ago. She had walked in on him while he was toweling off in her uncle’s bathroom. Bo had turned him in as a runaway and that was when she found out he was the son of Kate Roberts and some unknown man. Lucas had made it very clear to Sami, and everyone, that Curtis Reed was not his biological father, but refused to go into details.

“Nothing you’d like I’m sure.” Sami answered with a wave of her hand. The two guys Lucas had arrived with, Xander York and Frankie Nolan, chortled in response. Lucas only smiled broadly.

“On the contrary,” he replied with an arrogant wiggle of his eyebrows, “I see something I like already.”

“Is that right?” Mentally, Sami figured the total of dollars she had in her bank account and subtracted that total from the amount she needed to get her beloved car. “I don’t see Nicole anywhere.”

“Exactly.” Lucas said with a drawn out sigh. It was all Sami could do to keep from dragging him off the stool by his stiff shirt collar and shaking him like a rag doll. Her ex-therapist would have insisted she do her best to redirect these sporadic violent thoughts into something productive, like yoga.

“If you’re not going to order, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Sami informed him, watching his smile slip for just a second. Though the sight brought her great amusement, she kept her expression impassive.

“Some hospitality.” Lucas grumbled in response.

“Oh I don’t know,” Austin Reed’s voice spoke up from behind Lucas. “I think the fact that she hadn’t thrown you out on your ass is very hospitable.”

“Well, if it isn’t my big brother.” Lucas rolled his eyes in a show of boredom. Sami still had a tough time believing they were related when they were so different. Lucas was a player and Austin was the sweetest guy she had ever met. She figured she had chosen the better of the two.

“Maybe you should go find fun somewhere else.” Austin suggested, though it sounded more like an order.

“I’m having fun right here. Sami’s a great time.” The words were barely out of his mouth before he felt his teeth crunch together. He managed to keep himself from falling off the bar stool, but it took some effort. Beside him, Xander and Frankie sat in stunned silence.

“As I was saying…” Austin reminded him, nodding toward the exit. He waited for the trio to take off before he rubbed his swollen left hand.

“That was a stupid thing to do.” Sami assured him.

“Thanks.” Austin answered sardonically. “I don’t suppose you would toss me an ice pack.”

“I don’t suppose I would.” Despite her words, Sami disappeared into the kitchen to get a plastic baggy and a few ice cubes. When she returned, she found Austin sitting on a stool, trying to look tough even though she knew he was in agony. Shaking her head, she came around the bar and gingerly placed the baggy over Austin’s bleeding knuckles. “You didn’t have to do that. I can take care of myself.”

“No doubt, but I’ve never been one to share.” Austin pointed out, reaching for her hand and pulling her to stand between his legs. The kiss he gave her was very slow. By the time they pulled apart, Sami was a little breathless.

“Damn you.” She muttered, though she was smiling.

“What time do you get out of here?” His question was followed by a smirk Sami had come to love.

“Why?” Sami asked, curious as to what he might have planned. Though he would have liked to, she refused to let him put her on a pedestal. She didn’t care for carriage rides or flashy restaurants. Austin liked to tease that she only liked him for his car. That frosty-white Corvette was a big point in his favor, but she mostly liked the way she felt when he was around.

“A surprise.” Austin’s vague answer made Sami’s blue eyes narrow. He laughed and set down the ice pack, softly brushing her hair away from her face. “I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

Sami glanced up at the sound of the bell above the door chiming. Regretfully, she said, “I better get back to work.”

“Wouldn’t you rather make out with me?” Though it was a question, his words were filled with so much self-assurance Sami wondered, for the millionth time, how his ego was able to fit through the door.

“Why should I? You won’t even tell me what the surprise is.” Sami reminded him with a pout.

“Maybe you could wear me down.” Austin offered, sweeping his tongue across her lips.

“Nice try.” Sami commended him, forcing herself to take a step backwards. “I’ll see you at five.”

“That’s so far away. How about you let me know when your next break is and we can finish what was started.”

“My next break is at five.” Sami told him matter-of-factly.

Austin eventually stood up, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. “A kiss goodbye?”

“Don’t forget your ice pack.” Sami said instead, handing it over. It had mostly melted, but the chill it held would soothe Austin’s hand if nothing else.

************************************************************************

“Finally.” Jennifer said with feeling when she spotted Bo walk through the Salem Inn doors. He took a hesitant step toward her, no doubt confused about why she had asked him to meet her here.

“I lost track of time.” Bo confessed. Despite the hot summer day, he was dressed in his customary black t-shirt and weathered blue jean jacket.

“You’re here. That’s all that matters.” Jennifer assured him with a wide smile.

“What am I doing here, Jen? And what are you doing here?” Last time he had checked, she and Jack were doing great. He knew, just based on his own parents, how a couple could put on a front for the rest of the world, even when times were bleak.

“Always the detective.” Jennifer sighed, but her smile hadn’t disappeared. When she saw he wasn’t going to let it go, she explained, “Did you bring Shawn’s truck?”

“I told you I would, though making me drive that death trap…” He didn’t finish, but he didn’t have to. When his dad’s truck finally gave out, there would be no resuscitating it, a day that couldn’t come soon enough as far as Bo was concerned.

“Your car isn’t big enough.” Jennifer told him.

“Big enough for what? You still haven’t told me what I need the truck for.” Bo reminded her impatiently.

“Did I ever tell you about my cousin?” Jennifer countered effortlessly.

“Your cousin? No. What about him?” Bo inquired.

“Her.” Jennifer corrected quickly. “Well, anyway, she’s in town and I’ve convinced her to stay with me and Jack for a while. Unfortunately, Jack has to handle detention today and there’s no else to help us move her boxes to my house. So I was hoping you wouldn’t mind.”

“You could have just said that.” Bo insisted wearily.

“I didn’t want you to think I was setting you up on another date.” Jennifer stated simply.

“The thought did cross my mind.” Bo admitted. “But you seem to have learned your lesson on that front.”

“Learned my lesson? Bo Brady, what do you have against being happy?” Jennifer wanted to know.

Bo tilted his head in confusion. “You know I love you Jen, but not everyone’s you and Jack, okay? I have four kids to think about.”

“Three.” Jennifer pointed out.

“Moving out doesn’t stop making Brady my responsibility.”

“He’s nineteen Bo. What happens when the rest of them move out? What will your excuse be then?” God help him, Jennifer had made him her new mission.

“It’s a good thing you’re not trying to set me up with your cousin.” Bo said again for good measure.

“Yes it is. God knows she’s been through enough. The last thing I’d want is to set her up with someone who’s already given up on happiness.”

“Don’t hold back there Jen. If you have an opinion about anything, you just let me know.”

“I’m sorry.” Jennifer whispered agitatedly. “I just love you.”

“I love you too.” Bo looked past her. “Now where are these boxes you need moved?”

“Upstairs. They’re throwing in the last bit right now.”

“They?”

“Yeah. Hope and her son, Shawn. He’s around Belle’s age I think.”

************************************************************************

Hope Davis was no one Bo was truly prepared to meet. When she shook his hand, he worried he might not let go. It was a strange reaction for him to have, especially around a woman. Despite Jen’s criticisms, he was by no means a monk. He dated regularly--or at least as regularly as a guy with four kids to raise. He wasn’t used to being awestruck by the opposite sex and the feeling was both unexpected and unwelcome. After introducing himself, he turned his back to her and began loading boxes into the truck, avoiding her as much as possible. An hour later, the four of them were packed into the truck. Bo was relieved when Jen, who must have picked up on his hesitation to be near her cousin, chose the front seat, leaving Hope behind her seat and Shawn behind his.

He only knew Shawn’s name because of Jennifer. Hope hadn’t offered it and the boy hadn’t said a word since he’d shown up. His dark cinnamon hair hung well past his ears and his nutmeg eyes were certainly inherited from his mother. Without his conscious approval, Bo’s mind began to wander. Afraid he’d stare at her if he depended on his rearview, he kept his eyes trained on the side mirrors.

He heard himself apologizing for the bumpy ride as the aging truck bounced and bucked along the otherwise stable highway. Not for the first time since climbing in, he wondered if the truck would survive the trip or if they’d have to push the stupid thing. Thankfully, Jack and Jennifer’s house was only a few more miles. His mother’s house was two blocks away from the Devereaux’s and there he could pick up his car.

“It beats walking.” Hope reasoned quietly, her eyes trained on the passing landscape. Her burnt-sienna hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail holder so he had no way to know how long it actually was. Something told him her hair would be soft. Agitatedly, he rubbed his hand against the rough denim of his jeans, trying to force his fingers to stop tingling.

“Not by much.” Shawn’s sardonic voice cut through the tension like a knife through a carrot and Bo cut his eyes to the teenager.

“Here we are.” Jennifer informed them cheerfully, barely waiting for Bo to force the truck into drive before she hopped out. Even knowing no one in their right mind would steal the truck, Bo took the keys from the ignition and dropped them into his pocket. The sound of doors slamming shut alerted J.J. to company and he rushed out to see what the commotion was all about. His hazel eyes went wide when he saw Shawn, who towered over him.

“What‘s going on Mama?” J.J. wanted to know, winding around his mother’s legs in the same frenzied motion he had perfected as a toddler.

“Cousin Hope and Shawn are staying with us for a little while. Remember? I told you last night.” She watched her sweet little son struggling to think back to the previous night when they had supposedly discussed having houseguests.

“Oh.” He said, clearly at a loss.

“Do you think you can help us get some of these boxes inside?”

“Yeah.” J.J. nodded, using a rear tire to boost himself into the back of the truck. When it looked like he might not make it, Shawn stepped behind him and tugged him into the bed by his belt loops. “Thanks.”

“No big deal.” He must have talked himself out, Bo thought, because Shawn said nothing else. He grabbed a few boxes and followed Jennifer into the house so he could see where they went. Since they had no spare rooms, the kids were forced to share a room, something Abby considered a terrible tragedy. Since she had known how tight the ride over would be, Jennifer had asked her mother to watch the kids while they went and picked up Hope and Shawn.

Bo’s pager buzzed against his belt buckle and he reached for it, squinting to see the tiny text.

“You should get your eyes checked.” Hope suggested helpfully and Bo was startled to realize she had snuck up on him without him even noticing. This mind-wandering habit was not something he was used to.

“Probably.” He conceded, clipping the pager onto his belt and scanning the driveway for Jennifer.

“She’s inside with the kids. Do you need me to get her?” Hope wondered, looking like she might just bolt inside at the first opportunity.

“No. I have to go. Can you tell her I’m sorry? I’ll move the truck to the street and come back to get it after this is taken care of.”

“I can move the truck.” Hope offered. “I mean, you’re in a hurry, right?”

“You mean you want to drive this truck?” Bo couldn’t keep the surprise from his voice.

Despite herself, Hope smiled. On such an angelic face, he was surprised to see such a sad smile. He wondered at the cause, but knew better than to come right out and ask. Whatever plagued her was none of his business and the sooner he got away from her the better. He reached into his pocket for the keys and handed them over. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all. I haven’t driven a truck since I was a teenager.”

“No? What do you normally drive?” Bo cursed his own curiosity. Why should it matter what she did or didn’t drive? Why wasn’t he hightailing it out of there?

“I don’t really drive. My husband--” Suddenly, she stopped talking and glanced down. “Well, he always did the driving back in Boise.”

The word husband was like a kick to the gut, but Bo’s expression gave nothing away. He should have guessed there was a husband out there somewhere. Why he hadn’t tagged along with his wife and son was just one more thing that wasn’t any of Bo’s business. Maybe he was away on business or maybe Hope just missed Jennifer, though something told him the second reason didn’t fit as well as the first. For one thing, Jennifer hadn’t mentioned Hope’s name until an hour ago and he had known her half his life. For another… If he was on a business trip, why hadn’t Hope just said so? Suddenly remembering his pager, Bo scrambled down the driveway without another word. He practically jogged to his mother’s house, trying to outrun his humiliation.

Author’s Notes: Credit for the song lyrics goes to Switchfoot’s “You.”

[Kpatch]

Great chapter, FW2DG! Love how you mixed things up a bit and had Bo and Hope meet for the first time after Hope had been married and had Shawn. Loved his reaction to her. This is a great ride you are taking us on. Thoroughly enjoying it. Thank you!

[fluffysmom]

Great chapter! I enjoyed Bo and Hope meeting for the first time and seeing more of Lucas. I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

[feelinway2damngood]

Look out, they're coming after us with big guns,
They're only gonna tell you all the bad things I've done
Even if the words they say aren't true they've won,
Now I'm left here dying in the sun

Oh...seems like I'm always on my own,
Seems like I'm never coming home
Seems like I'm always on my own...
All the stars and boulevards aren't close enough for you...

“This is a mistake.” Sami declared for the millionth time, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot as she waited for Bo to show up. He was the only one who would remedy this disaster, but that didn’t mean she was going to act grateful. Not when he was both the solution and the problem. Why couldn’t he just leave well enough alone? She knew he was protective of her, but this was getting out of hand. Would he have hauled Belle’s boyfriend to the police station to be fingerprinted? Okay…maybe he would.

“Be sure to thank your uncle for me.” Austin groused unhappily as he let the officer guide his hand from the ink to the paper. “He couldn’t just invite me to dinner to get to know me?” His anger was absolutely understandable, but Sami was out of ideas on how to respond. She was still horrified by the scene her uncle’s lackeys had caused when they interrupted her and Austin’s date and hauled him off. After arguing with the officers for ten minutes, she was allowed to come with them as long as she sat in the front seat. They either thought whatever Austin had was catching or, most likely, that Bo would ring their necks if he knew they had placed her in the backseat like a criminal. Almost an hour had passed since they had arrived here and she still didn’t know what the charge was, if there even was one. She wouldn’t put it past Bo to make one up.

“I’m so sorry.” Sami emphasized ever word, her blue eyes shining with unshed tears. “Bo will be here soon and he’ll straighten this out.” Her words sounded like a lie, but maybe they would provide some kind of comfort to Austin.

“Somehow I doubt it.” Austin said with an eye roll. At least they had taken the handcuffs off, she mentally argued. At least he hadn’t been walked to a cell. Standing in the middle of the police station was a major plus when you considered how much worse the situation could have been. Unfortunately, Austin was a glass-half-empty kind of guy and couldn’t see reason.

“Hey Sami.” Philip--the boy who used to break the windows of abandoned buildings and once dropped a firecracker into the principal’s private toilet--was a cop. Life was really that random. To make matters worse, this was the first time she had seen him since his and Brady’s graduation.

“Philip.” His name stuck in her throat like hard candy. Though it would be futile to lie, she desperately tried to concoct one to save herself from further embarrassment.

He leaned in so only she could hear him and said, “What are you in for? Still taking candy from the Five and Dime?” His joke might have struck her as funny--or ironic since he had been right beside her with his own pocketful of stolen candy--but his closeness was making it difficult to breathe.

“As if.” Her answer came out more Cher from Clueless than she had intended, but at least Philip had backed away from her. She refused to glance in Austin’s direction to see if he might be jealous, but she still wondered if he might be watching them.

“Well, let me see if I can guess.” He was making this into a game, Sami realized in horror.

“Please don’t.” She begged him, but it was clear by his smile that he hadn’t heard her.

“You’re too young to work here.” For the first time since they’d met, she found herself hating Philip Kiriakis and wishing he would just go away and leave her alone. Who did he think he was, teasing her this way? Didn’t he have anything better to do? “Though you’d probably look a lot better in this uniform than I do.” Good God, he was flirting with her! Any other time, she might have smiled or blushed, but she couldn’t get over her shock. Philip had never given her more than a passing glance and now--NOW--he was flirting with her.

“I’m just waiting for my uncle. He should be here any time.” Sami heard herself say. She found her first bit of amusement when she noticed Philip’s gray eyes widen in alarm. He was only a deputy, after all, and Bo, as a Sergeant, had the power to make his life miserable if he, say, caught him hitting on his niece. She giggled at his immediate retreat.

*****

“I don’t want to hear another thing about it.” Bo ordered with an impatient wave of his hand. He had a small stack of papers in front of him and a pencil in his right hand as he set about looking over Belle and Eric’s homework. It was for this reason Sami always finished hers at school. If she made a mistake, she didn’t want to be double-graded on it.

“Well you’re going to!” Sami countered angrily, slamming her left hand against the desk so the papers flew everywhere.

“You’re getting a little old for these temper tantrums.” Bo reminded her disapprovingly as he reached down to restore the papers to working order. His calm demeanor only escalated Sami’s fury.

“This is not a temper tantrum! You had no right to have my boyfriend fingerprinted and then arrested!” With each word, she got more and more flustered. “It is none of your business who I date--”

“It is my business when the boy you’re dating happens to be under investigation for--”

“It’s lies!” Sami cut him before he could muster the cruel charges Austin was being brought up against.

Bo lifted his eyes to hers, his pleading, hers unyielding. “Sami, come on.”

“There’s no proof!” Sami insisted. She didn’t need to see the report to know Austin was innocent. This was just a way to keep them apart.

“He was picked out of the lineup.”

“Medium-build and dark hair describes almost every guy in this town.”

“His jacket was found at the scene.”

“It’s a letterman’s jacket. Plenty of other kids have them.”

Bo got up and rounded the desk, placing his hands on Sami’s shoulders. “Honey, I’m sorry, but it doesn’t look good for Austin.”

“I can’t believe you would go to this much trouble just to keep us apart.” Sami’s cruel words had the same effect as knife piercing through his skin, but he refused to let the emotion show in his face.

“I would do anything to keep you safe.” Bo argued fervently.

“Even planting evidence?” Sami knew she was crossing a line but she didn’t care. Why should she worry about how her words might hurt him when he was doing all he could to break her and Austin up?

“No.”

“Austin didn’t leave his coat here one night?”

“No.”

“You didn’t see that as a golden opportunity.”

“This is absurd.”

“Yes it is. My boyfriend’s being framed for a crime he didn’t commit.”

“Sami, I’m sorry, but he did.”

“No.”

“Mimi Lockhart is telling the truth.”

“I don’t care what you say.”

“He raped her.”

“No he didn’t! He didn’t do it, Uncle Bo! You’re wrong! You’ve got to be wrong!” Though she struggled against him, he still pulled her to him and held her tightly. He let her cry and kick out at him, fight him even as her legs began to give out and she had no choice but to let his arms support her weight.

“I’m not wrong, sweetheart.” He murmured against her golden hair. “I wish to God I was, but I’m not. I’m just thankful you weren’t his next victim.”

“Don’t say that, Uncle Bo.” Sami whimpered, looking as fragile as ever. “Please, don’t say that.”

“Alright. I won’t mention it again.” Bo vowed softly.

Author’s Notes: The credit for song lyrics goes to Augustana for “Stars and Boulevards.” I know it’s been forever and a day since I’ve updated and I’m SO sorry. I was on vacation and there were no computers in sight! As soon as the next chapter’s complete, I’ll post. Thanks for your patience.

[fluffysmom]

I'm so glad that you are back FW2DG. Thanks for updating the story. I look forward to reading more soon. I enjoyed the chapter.

[Kpatch]

Great update. Wow, really gripping stuff. Mimi and Austin. Sami and Philip (potentially). Interesting and offbeat pairings. I thought Philip was younger than Sami. How old are the kids supposed to be?

I'm glad you're back FW2DG. I'm looking forward to more of this saga. You are an incredibly talented writer!

[feelinway2damngood]

Aww, thank you! To answer your question, I've added a little age chart to keep it simple (as simple as anything with this many characters can be

Philip and Brady- 19
Sami, Eric, and Lucas-17
Nicole and Austin-18
Belle and Shawn-14

Is that everyone?

[Kpatch]

Thanks! That's really helpful. I didn't realize that Philip and Brady were both the same age and older than Sami, Lucas and Austin. That's flipped around from the show. Good info!