"So where are you taking us?" Sami asks.

"Taking you? Why you're already here?" Tony laughs.

"What?"

"Welcome to Maison Blanche, Samantha." E.J. says.

A look of horror sweeps across Sami's face.

"Did you say Maison Blanche?" Sami asks is disbelief. "The place where Stefano kept my mother and John and Hope hostage all those years ago? I thought that place burned to the ground!"

"Oh, it did," Tony assures her. "But I think you're well aware of how us Dimeras always seem to find a way to rise from the ashes. Didn't my brother teach you about that?"

Tony flashes a wicked grin. E.J. is not amused.

"Obviously this isn't the original Maison Blanche, but after the other one burned to the ground Father picked this place up and renovated it to look as much like the original as possible, with a few modifications of course, as you'll now soon find out. You should have seen the house before the flood and wind ravaged it. Well, enough reminiscing. Into the fireplace you go. Chop chop." Tony still holding his gun, motions for them to move.

"Huh?" Sami asks.

"Go ahead. Show her E.J." Tony sneers.

Sami furrows her brow in confusion and E.J. winces as he pulls the lever opening up the fireplace to reveal a secret passage. He takes her hand and they go inside while Tony places Sami's note on the desk and admires himself and his plan.

"I'm so sorry for this, Samantha," E.J. says as they head into the mysterious room. "I promise I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Sami stares at E.J. fearfully but says nothing.

Tony hears rustling upstairs and tells them they need to get a move on. He follows them into the secret passage and we see the fireplace slide back into place.

Just seconds later Lucas is back at the top of the stairs.

"Sami? Sami?!" Lucas calls before muttering to himself. "Where the hell are you?"

Lucas walks down the stairs. He walks through the living room and past the copy of Gone With The Wind left out lying on the coffee table. He doesn't notice it's been moved from the shelf. He walks into the kitchen but quickly comes back out.

"Sami, where are you?" Lucas wonders as he turns around the room until his eyes spy the note Tony has left for him.

He pauses for a moment as if he is not sure whether he wants to read it then walks forward.

He picks up the note and reads aloud:

Dear Lucas, I am so sorry that I am unable to tell you this in person but there is something that you must know, something that means that we can never be together.

"Sami, no. What have you done?"

Lucas, it was wrong of me to keep the fact that E.J. and I were together the night this baby was conceived a secret from you all this time. I really thought you would leave me if you knew and that is why I waited all those months and until after the wedding to tell you. But you see, when the truth came out and you did stand by me, I was actually disappointed.

"How can she say this, now, after all we've been through?"

You see, I wanted you to leave me so that I would finally be free to be with E.J. without feeling like I was letting down you and Will and all of my family. But I can't keep lying to myself or to this baby, which I have known all along was E.J.'s and not yours.

"How can you be so heartless, Sami? String both of us along this way, marry me when you know the child isn't mine and then run off with him?" Lucas sobs.

Please understand that I didn't want to hurt you and even though I know that you and Will can never forgive me for this, know that I love you both. Just not enough for me to stay in this marriage when I can't give you the kind of love you deserve and when I can't deny my true feelings for E.J. Wells. Good bye. Love, Sami

"Love? Love, Sami? You don't know what the meaning of the word is." Lucas says before crumpling the note in his fist.

"That's it. I can't take it anymore. I've tried to put on a brave face. Tried to let her assure me nothing was wrong. I tried to be trusting. I gave everything of myself. I apologized and asked for her forgiveness. I gave her the perfect wedding she always wanted. I got my mom to stay out of our lives. And... And she still does this?" Lucas breaks down for a minute and then he turns to rage sliding everything on the desk onto the floor. "THAT B1TCH!"

Lucas pauses for a moment to look around the room and stops to think.

"Dammit. I need a drink," he says. Lucas grabs his coat and car keys and heads out the front door.

For more of this story go to:

http://z9.invisionfree.com/ejami_fans/inde...c=4762&st=0