Chapter Text
Disclaimer: they don't belong to me, but to Corday &co. Sony and NBC in something like that order. But I'm not going to and I'm not looking to make any profit from this work of fan fiction. So pls don't sue me, it would be an enormous joke. Rating if any, PG-13,
nothing you won't see or hear on network tv.
a)
if you recognize the characters in this work of fiction they belong to Ken Corday, Sony and NBC in something like that order. I don't own them, and am not making any profit from this work of fiction.
b)
This is an alternative fiction, with some basic similarities and some major differences to what is aired on Days of Our Lives. For those who haven't read 'One Voice' by this author, the main differences are in the parentage of the 'Geminis', which remains Marlena Evans and Tony Dimera, and the motives of several characters, mostly for the good.
c)
Some elements of this story may involve or have characters discussing consensual sexual relations between adults. For that reason, the rating on this story should be PG-17. If you find such concepts or content not to your liking, or you are under 18 years of age, please,
read no further.
And great thanx to Ali and Bryan, whose work for the past many years has inspired us all.
One Voice: #1 in the Loyal Heart's Days of Our Lives songfics series
by Rielle
"One Voice" recorded by Barry Manilow
Just One Voice,
Singing in the darkness,
All it takes is One Voice,
Singing so they hear what's on your mind,
And when you look around you'll find
There's more than One Voice,
Singing in the darkness,
Joining with your One Voice,
Each and every note another octave,
Hands are joined and fears unlocked,
If only One Voice would start it on its own,
We need just One Voice facing the unknown,
And that One Voice would never be alone
It takes that One Voice.
Ba ba ba da da da da,
Ba ba ba ba ba ba da da da,
Ba ba ba ba ba,
It takes that One Voice.
Just One Voice
Singing in the darkness,
All it takes is One Voice,
Shout it out and let it ring.
Just One Voice,
It takes that One Voice,
And everyone will sing!
Part One
It was always the same, night after night, she woke up terrified. But the substance of her dream faded, while the fear stayed behind, choking her, paralyzing her. All Sami knew, as she woke once more in the now familiar hospital room was that she'd dreamt again; and that the dream was about something she feared more than anything real in her life. It was something so frightening, her waking mind refused to keep so much as a hint. It was something that threatened her in a way she could neither escape nor describe.
Gasping for breath, fighting her natural tendency to hyperventilate, Sami opened her eyes and, even though the room was dark, she clearly saw the dark haired, dark eyed young man keeping his nightly vigil there. But more than his constant presence, a matter Sami couldn't explain to herself and wouldn't ask Lucas about, Sami was confused by her first reaction to seeing Lucas there, again tonight. Sami felt something so much like relief at his company here, in the middle of the night that she wondered if something was wrong with her mind, after all.
Her mother and all the other doctors had reassured Sami a dozen times, at least, that she was lucky. She could have woken up paralyzed after the injuries she suffered. She could have sustained severe brain damage, due to the loss of blood. She could have died, Marlena finally admitted, her hazel eyes wide with remnants of her own fear and pain.
But even as she woke from another nightmare, Sami knew it wasn't fear of an end of her own life that sent a freezing sensation down her spine. The danger in her fading dream wasn't to her. That much she knew for certain. What she didn't know on waking was who in her life was being threatened. And that made it all the worse.
Once again, as he watched and waited, Sami woke sobbing uncontrollably, her wide blue eyes round with fear and red with weeping. And after weeks of this torment for both of them, Lucas knew he wouldn't get an answer to the questions ringing in his thoughts. Not knowing the answers for both of them was making him half crazy with frustration.
What's going on in your dreams, or, I'd better say, your nightmares, Sami? What in the world could make you so afraid? *
"Sami Brady you're the bravest, maybe not always the brightest, but hands-down the bravest woman I know. You've faced down everyone from Tony Dimera to Victor Kyriakis, and worse, my mother! And I know you wouldn't be flattered if I told you that bravest woman I know title used to go to my Mom!" Grimacing, Lucas realized he'd spoken aloud in the all too quiet hospital room.
Sami blinked and stared at him for a moment, as if trying to remember how he was, and what he was talking about. But she said nothing aloud. She couldn't. Sami still couldn't say, and wouldn't write down for him what scared her so badly it threw off the sedation she was given only a few hours before. Instead she held her arms out towards Lucas, even though her left arm still had a iv attached, like a shy, but more frightened than shy little girl.
Shaking his head, Lucas wondered at the strange image of Sami Brady reaching out to him, to Lucas Roberts, her long time foe and long ago friend. But as he'd been doing again and again in the past few weeks, Lucas set that confusion aside and pulled the young woman into a hug. As gently as if she were their son, Will, Lucas let his one time lover hold onto him as if she were drowning.
Sami had been waking up this way everytime Lucas had stayed past visiting hours. But a gentle hug seemed to be all Sami wanted or needed when she woke up this way. Lucas was guessing this because she said nothing at all, and made no move to reach for and write on the white board on her bed table. Instead, Sami snuggled against his chest as if he were Roman, or Eric or Sean, Sr., none of whom would be glad to see Sami literally leaning on Lucas Roberts. *Has this been happening every night? * he wondered.
"Sami, have you been having nightmares every night?" Lucas asked her. "Or has it only happened when I come in after hours? I'd hate to think I was *that* scary a guy." he said, reaching for a little humor to ease the situation.
Now, Sami pulled away and seemed to be examining his features for mockery or sarcasm. Finally, looking satisfied, she shook her head, and bit her lower lip. Still not even looking for the white board, she mouthed a one word question. Lucas shook his head no, understanding after weeks of sessions like this one, that she was asking about their son.
"No, Sami, Will's fine. He's just great. He was really bummed until earlier today, when the doctor said he could finally visit you. Will loves you like crazy, Sami. You have to know that by now.
He wanted to throw a party here and bring all kinds of junk food and balloons and stuff, but I'm not sure that'll be allowed. But he'll be here tomorrow right after school. Now, if you want time alone with him, I'll get someone else to bring ..." Again, Sami shook her head vigorously, no, making the long golden braid resting against her neck swing back and forth. Prodding her left index finger into Lucas' chest she mouthed another single syllable word. "You."
"Sure, Sami, I'll bring him. No problem. Try not to cry the whole darned time Will's here, though. You'll worry the kid frantic. And he's our kid so he's already ahead in the frantic department." Lucas joked. His second comedic effort was rewarded by a wan smile on Sami's lips.
Sami nodded and pointed at Lucas' wrist watch.
"We'll be here tomorrow. by 3:15 at the latest." Lucas told her. "I promise, Sami. And I've been mostly keeping my promises, lately. Well, pobody's nerfect. But if you're gonna be in any shape for this event, you're gonna have to catch some Zs, Ms. Brady."
Now the look of dread came back into her eyes and Sami shook her head fervently no. As Lucas started to stand up, she caught fiercely at his sleeve. Plainly, whatever her nightmare was, it wasn't banished yet.
"Ok, Sami, okay. I'm not going to make you sleep. You've got a line in for pain meds, though, if you need them. Believe me, I learned all there is to know about how those things work."
Sami's expression changed like lightning, from fright to something very like regret. She hung her head down, avoiding Lucas' eyes for a moment. Now she finally reached for the writing board and scrawled a message.
*Lucas* she wrote. * Will loves you, too. I was, I mean, I shouldn't *
*You were being a total ------- back then, Sami. And I ... deserved a lot of it, cos, if circumstances had been only a little different, Will could have been with me. And we both could have died in that damn fire!" Shaken by that thought, and somber for a moment, Lucas still couldn't help grinning at her chagrin.
"But I don't want to get into that right now," he answered. "If it weren't for Will, I wouldn't have made it back, in more ways than one. And if it weren't for you and me, back in the days, Will wouldn't have been there to pull me through. What I want to know
right now is why you're afraid to fall asleep. What kinda dreams are you having that scare you so badly?
C'mon, Sami, Will says I've gotten pretty good at chasing gremlins and spooks out from under his bed at night. Tell me, Sami, or if you won't tell me, tell your Mom, she's a shrink for heaven's sake!"
*I can't Sami wrote, after wiping the earlier message off the board. *Lucas, I can't*
"Then at least tell me why? Please. Sami. You're not sleeping through the nights as it is. And you can't get well if you can't rest. You have to talk ... I mean you have to tell someone what's going on, what's frightening you so badly. You'll make yourself sick. And w.......Will needs you, so you just can't get sick. Our son needs both of us, whether you ... whether we like it or not!" Lucas realized he'd started yelling, and backed off, as Sami pointed her marker back to the words she'd just written.
*I can't. Lucas, I can't* Sami wrote again.
"Why can't you?" Lucas insisted with a quieter tone of voice. "Sami, a couple of minutes ago you shook your head no, when I asked if I was the one scaring you. Was that another lie? Because if you're going to start that again, even in my favor, I really don't know ..."
Tapping on the board, Sami drew Lucas' attention back from his indignant speech. Nodding, looking almost happy, she wiped the white board clean again and wrote: *DAMN IT, LUCAS I CAN'T TELL YOU!*
"Sami, I know, I really do think I know that something's frightening you, badly." Lucas tried again. "And if it isn't me, which, by the way, I'm glad to know, then since I'm here, now, why don't you just try ... maybe I can help you figure this out. I'm pretty bright, really."
*You're pretty conceited.* Sami wrote, and held up for Will's father to see, using a word they both had heard plenty of in grade school.
Lucas almost laughed at the remark, but then shook his head. "Sami, I've got a good self esteem, these days, that's not the same thing. So cut out the school yard taunts and tell me..."
*I can't.* Sami scrawled after wiping the board clear again. *Lucas, I don't know!*
"You don't know ... you mean you don't remember what happens in your dreams?" Lucas asked.
Sami nodded, sighing with obvious relief at his understanding. Then she began to write again.* I WAKE UP AND ALL I KNOW IS SOMETHING AWFUL *
"Well, Sami, something awful did happen to you." Lucas interrupted, "You know that. And you should know by now that I wish it never did happen. Honestly. But you're getting ..."
*Not to me, Lucas!* Sami scrawled, and jabbed at the whiteboard for emphasis. *Not me! I don't know what!*
Tears started slipping down her cheeks again and Lucas wondered whether or not Sami would allow him to wipe them off. Deciding to take the middle road, instead, he offered Sami his handkerchief, not caring at the moment that it was the finest woven gray blue silk-linen, perfectly matching his tie, and Sami's wide blue eyes. In fact, even the knowledge that it had been a gift from his mother didn't worry Lucas at all, just now.
"Okay, Sami. Okay." Lucas tried to reassure her. "I understand. When I was getting better, every other night I'd dream about the fire ... only I kept seeing Will, laying beside me, hardly moving, hardly breathing ... and sometimes I'd see you like that, too. But when I woke up, scared out of my mind, I remembered that neither one of you were in the mansion that night. Thank God. Dreams don't make any literal kind of sense, you know."
Another pale imitation of her usual grin crossed Sami's face and she made room on the white board for another message: *I know. My mom's a shrink, for peets sake! *
end part 1