CHEZ ROUGE:

Lucas started to speak but quickly shut his mouth to try choke back the emotion he felt.

"Lucas, it's OK," Kate told him. "I'll tell him."

"What is going on?" Roman asked as he was getting impatient. "Oh God, Is something wrong with Sami? The baby?"

"In a way, Roman... both. You see E.J. apparently tracked down Lucas and Sami to New Orleans. And she ran away with him," Kate said. "Because the baby she is carrying... is a Dimera."

Roman was shocked and shook his head in disgust for a few moments before collecting himself again.

"I don't believe it," Roman said. "I don't believe it for a second."

"It's true, Roman," Kate said. "Lucas, tell him."

Lucas still was too hurt to speak but the pain in his eyes let Roman know that Lucas agreed with his mother's assessment of the situation.

"Look, I know Sami's done some pretty horrible things to the three of us," Roman said looking at Lucas and Kate.

Tony cleared his throat.

Roman glared at him but continued, "I know she's done some pretty horrible things to ALL the people of Salem... but running away with E.J. just days after she married Lucas? It doesn't make any sense."

"Since when has there been any sense to the things that little witch does," Kate said.

"Hey!" Lucas and Roman said in unison.

"Oops, I slipped. Sorry," Kate said remembering herself as Tony quietly chuckled.

Roman glared at him then looked at Lucas.

"When were you gonna tell me this? Tell her family that she was gone?" Roman asked. "And how do you even know it's true? She told you that she was leaving you for this scum?"

"Not... exactly..." Lucas said.

"Well what is it then exactly, Lucas?" Roman asked.

"Well... she left me a note..." Lucas said as he reached into his suit coat pocket and handed it to Roman. "...and then she left me and she left Will and she left you and she left all her family for E.J. Wells."

Roman looked over the note and scanned it.

"This is all you got," Roman said scoffing. "You gave up on your wife because of a piece of paper? You really think she would abandon her wedding vows and run off with this bastard who shot her step-father, tortured her uncle and God knows what other horrible things he's done to her family? After she finally got the wedding she wanted all these years? How do you even know that Sami wrote this letter? I'm taking this down to the police station to get handwriting analysis done and check this piece of paper for fingerprints."

Tony eyed Roman nervously as he remembered handling the note with his bare hands when he forced Sami to write it back at Maison Blanche.

..........

AT MAISON BLANCHE:

"Oh no," E.J. said desperate to help Sami back toward the bed so she could lay down.

E.J. positioned the many pillows on the bed to allow her to lay back somewhat upright as he knelt beside her clutching her face.

"Sweetheart, just breathe with me," E.J. said breathing along with her and staring deeply in her teary blue eyes.

Sami complied and stared back at his face with wonder as she calmed down in his gaze. Here he remembered nothing of her, of them, yet somehow he was just as he was back in the hospital when she had these pains before.

The two breathed together for about fifteen seconds when the pains subsided and E.J. wiped her bangs out of her eyes soothingly.

"Are you sure you're OK now?" E.J. asked with a concerned look on his face.

"Yes, I'm all right," Sami said.

"Do you want me to get Lexie so she can check out you and the baby?" E.J. asked.

"No, I think I'm fine," Sami said then sighed.

E.J. smiled with relief.

"Well I'm glad you're all better now," E.J. said smiling and still caressing her face. "You put quite a scare in me just then. Now, at the risk of upsetting you all over again, Samantha, do you think you can tell me now what you were trying to tell me before?"

Sami went to tell him, but stopped herself before she said the words. She knew he wouldn't remember. The truth would only confuse him or make him think she was crazier than he already did.

"Oh, it can wait," Sami said trying to put what she had to say before out of her mind. "But could you do one thing for me?"

"Anything," E.J. grinned from ear to ear.

"Would you just hold me?" Sami asked longingly then blinked quickly surprised at herself for saying it.

Suddenly E.J.'s grin turned to a confusion as his lips quivered and he held his mouth agape while he stopped to think.

"Samantha, I'm not sure that's such a good..."

"Please?" Sami begged realizing it was what she really wanted.

"Well, I did say I would do anything for you, didn't I?" E.J. said with a nervous laugh.

E.J.'s pulse quickened as he gingerly climbed into bed with Sami. As soon as he had positioned himself comfortably laying on his back, Sami turned so that she could rest her head over his heart. E.J. self-consciously hoped she couldn't tell how much his heart was racing beneath her head while Sami reached with her left hand to wrap it around the right side of his long torso.

Finally E.J. gave into the moment and clutched the back of her head with his right hand wishing he could touch every last strand of golden hair on her head while his left hand reached out for her right one and found it.

Instinctively he clung to her wishing they could stay like that forever.

http://z9.invisionfree.com/ejami_fans/inde...4762&st=105