Part I
Lucas and Sami's plan is starting to work. Austin and Carrie are both having doubts that they will ever be together. Carrie depends on Mike's friendship more and more and Austin sees how close they are becoming. He begins to believe that Sami may not ever recover her memory and starts thinking about how unfair the whole situation is to Carrie. He and Carrie manage to get some time alone together. Lucas and Sami both know what Austin is thinking so they don't do anything to interfere but they are standing by eavesdropping just in case something goes wrong. Austin tells Carrie what he is feeling.
"Carrie, I'm glad we've finally got some time alone. We really need to talk", Austin says. He can't bring himself to look directly into her eyes. He knows that she will be hurt by what he has to say.
"I'm glad too Austin. It's so hard to find time together. How did you get away from Sami?", Carrie asks. She was so happy to be alone with Austin but she was afraid that Sami was going to do something to ruin it again.
"Sami thinks I'm at mom's. She took Will over to the pub to visit with your grandparents." Austin says, starting to have second thoughts. Maybe he wasn't doing the right thing. He could see the love in Carrie's eyes and he knew that he was going to hurt her, again. No, he thought to himself. I'm hurting her more if I don't do this.
Carrie sees Austin's hesitation. She can tell he's upset about something. "Austin, what's wrong? Is it Sami?", she asks pensively.
"Well, Sami is a part of it but it has more to do with me. I just don't know how to say this", Austin looks at the ceiling, trying to form the words in his mind.
"What is it Austin? You know you can tell me anything. I love you", Carrie says beginning to worry. This was starting to look bad. She hadn't seen Austin this upset since Sami's accident.
"We have to face the facts Carrie. It doesn't look like Sami's ever going to get her memory back", Austin paused, hoping Carrie would understand.
"But Mike says she's getting better. She's even starting to walk again. It won't be too much longer Austin, we have to be positive. When Sami gets her memory back, you can get the annullment and we can get married", Carrie said trying to think positive herself. She didn't like the direction this conversation was taking.
"I don't know Carrie. The last memory she had was of Marlena and John's affair. She hasn't remembered anything since then. I think it's time we start preparing for the fact that she probably won't get her memory back. I read somewhere that people can block their memories. Sami doesn't want to remember anymore bad memories. You and I both know that most of her memories are bad because she knew I didn't love her and was getting the annullment. Maybe her subconscious is blocking those memories. Maybe she'll block them forever", Austin paused again. He had known this would be hard but it was so much worse than he'd imagined.
"Well, maybe your right. So what do you want to do about it? Do you think it's time to end this charade? Maybe we should just tell Sami the truth. Dad's death sparked the memory of Marlena and John, maybe if we tell her the truth it will help her remember", Carrie said hopefully.
Austin closed his eyes. He wasn't sure what to say to that. He couldn't abandon Sami until she was well. It was his fault that she lost her memory and couldn't walk. He couldn't be like Curtis and walk out on her.
Sami and Lucas are on the fire escape listening. They talk in whispers so Carrie and Austin won't hear them.
"You do realize this could backfire on us", Sami says accusingly to Lucas. "Letting Carrie and Austin have this evening together could be disastrous. What if he changes his mind and decides she's right? What do we do then?"
"We've got it covered Sami", Lucas says confidently. "If it looks like Austin won't go through with it, you go back to the apartment and call him to come get you and Will at the pub because your back is hurting".
"And what do I tell him when grandma and grandpa tell him I wasn't there?", Sami says. "I told him I was going to visit too. How am I supposed to explain why I wasn't there?" She was beginning to regret letting Lucas talk her into this. What if Austin agreed with Carrie's idea? He might leave her. He couldn't leave her yet. She needed time for him to realize that he did love her.
Lucas rolled his eyes. "Look, I've thought of that. You left Will with Shawn and Caroline so you could buy Austin a present. You wanted to surprise him", Lucas pulls a small box out of his pocket and opens it. Inside is an expensive looking watch. "I told you that I thought of everything. I even had it engraved".
Sami looked at the watch. Engraved on the back was "To my one true love" with her and Austins initials. "Lucas, it's beautiful", she says quietly. "But it looks so expensive. I couldn't afford something like that".
"It didn't cost that much. It has some small flaws in the casing. They're not noticeable but it still decreases the value so I was able to buy it for a cheaper price. I even have the receipt", Lucas says, giving her the box and the receipt. "I don't think we have anything to worry about though. Look at Austin. He isn't going to change his mind", Lucas was confident his plan would work.
"Well, it is a good plan. I'm just worried about letting them spend time together. We have to be very careful here Lucas. We've worked too hard for this to backfire on us now", Sami said. She knew she could make Austin fall in love with her but she had to get Carrie out of the picture for good.
Lucas looked in through the window. "Shh. I wanna hear what they're saying. We have to listen carefully so we know if Austin is going to change his mind".
Austin gathered his thoughts. He knew he was doing the right thing. "Carrie, you know how much I love you and how much I hate what this situation with Sami has done to us, don't you?"
"Of course I do. I love you too and I hate this situation as much as you do. But you didn't answer my question. Do you think it's time for us to tell Sami the truth?", Carrie was really getting worried now. Austin looked so upset.
"No. I don't think that telling her the truth would help. Unless it made her remember, I don't think she would believe us. She already thought that we were having an affair once. She might think we made up that story just so we could be together without guilt", Austin said.
"Well, then what do you want to do. You're right. We have to do something if we're going to ever be together", Carrie was trying to keep the subject on them being together.
"Carrie, I don't know how to say this to you. I love you so much but I'm being so unfair to you and I'm hurting you. I can't spend any time with you because of Sami. I couldn't be there for you when your dad died. I haven't been there for you at all. I couldn't even be with you when you had the accident on the pier", Austin paused and then went on. "Carrie, it's not fair for you to put your life on hold because of my situation with Sami. I want you to forget about me and get on with your life", Austin said before Carrie could interrupt him.
Carrie felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She had never expected this. "You're breaking up with me? After everything we've been through? But we love each other. If you just give up then Sami has won and everything we've been through just means nothing".
"Carrie, I can't keep doing this to you", Austin knew he was hurting her but he also knew that she would get over this. I was better to end it now than to let it drag on. "You deserve to be happy, to love someone who can be with you and be there for you. I can't do that because of Sami. She's already won because I can't walk out on her. She's won because of me, because I hit her with my car".
"Austin, don't do this. I know this situation is hard on us but we can get through this. Mike is very confident that Sami will get her memory back", Carrie said fighting back the tears. She had to find a way to change his mind.
Austin sighed. He had made it this far, now he just had to finish it. He was doing this because he loved Carrie. "Carrie, maybe you and Mike should get together. You have a history together, you come from similar backgrounds and you're already very close. I've seen that".
"Mike and I are just friends. He's trying to help us get together. He has been so supportive of us. There's nothing going on with me and Mike", Carrie lost her battle and her tears were flowing freely. "Austin, you can't do this. Don't throw our love away".
"Carrie, if I don't let you move on, eventually you'll hate me because I can't walk out on Sami. If I do that then I'm no better than Curtis. I'm doing this because I love you and I want you to be happy. I don't want to cause you any more pain", Austin knew he had hurt Carrie. Her tears were killing him but he knew what he was doing was right.
"So you're just going to give up and stay married to Sami", Carrie said through the tears. Sami smiled out on the fire escape. She knew she had won. It was only a matter of time before Austin would love her.
"Yes. I don't know what else to do. No matter what I do somebody loses. If I don't let you go then you'll just keep getting hurt by me. I'm not truly being fair to Sami because I can never love her but I have a responsibility to her now. She thinks we're in love and maybe someday she'll get her memory back and I can go on with my life but right now I don't see that happening anytime soon. All I know is that I can't keep hurting you like this so I have to let you go", Austin's heart was breaking. He had to leave before he changed his mind.
"Austin, please don't do this. You haven't thought this through. You can't pretend to love Sami forever. What are you going to do when she wants to make love? You're wrong about this. This isn't the solution", Carrie knew she wasn't convincing him but she had to try.
Austin knew Carrie had a point. "I don't know how I'll handle it but I won't sleep with Sami again. I'll never make that mistake again. I'll figure out something but I have to be there for her and Will. I guess that's my punishment. I'm trapped in a loveless marriage but it would be wrong for me to let you suffer because of it. Move on with your life Carrie. Find somebody better than me who can make you happy", Austin got up and walked to the door. "Carrie, I will always love you. Maybe someday we can be together but we can't be together now. I'm so sorry. I never wanted it to be this way".
Carrie ran after him. "Austin, give me tonight. Please, just stay with me for a while. We'll talk about this again tomorrow. You have to think about this more. You can't just give up on us", Carrie grabbed Austin and kissed him. "Please, just stay a little while".
Austin groaned and gave in. He carried her to the bedroom. He knew he would regret this but he couldn't stop himself. He wanted to have one last night with Carrie.
Back in Austin's apartment Lucas was gloating over the success of his plan. "I told you it would work. Austin has let Carrie go. Now I can move in". They had returned to the apartment when they saw Austin getting ready to leave Carrie's apartment.
Sami wasn't as happy as Lucas. She had won a bittersweet victory. Austin was hers but he didn't love her. He felt obligated to her. His words kept going through her head. He though of her as his punishment. "Lucas, we'd better go pick up Will before Austin gets back", she said trying not to think about what Austin had said.
"What's the matter? We won! Carrie and Austin have broken up for good. Now I just have to win Carrie away from Mike. That's the easy part. And you already have Austin", Lucas didn't understand Sami's attitude.
"Lucas, you heard what Austin said. He feels responsible to me, I'm his punishment. How can you expect me to be happy?", Sami was too upset.
"Sami, you said yourself that you could make Austin love you once Carrie was out of the picture. Stop worrying. All you have to do is remain the sweet, lovable person you've been since the accident. As long as you don't become mean and nasty again Austin will fall in love with you", Lucas couldn't let Sami get doubts now. Not when they were so close to getting what they wanted.
Sami thought about it. "You're right. I will be the best wife and mother in the whole world. Austin will fall in love with me. He'll get over Carrie", she said with confidence.
Neither of them realized that Austin and Carrie were sharing one last night of passion. Carrie hoped that it would convince Austin that their love was strong enough for them to get through this. Sami and Lucas left to go pick up Will before Austin got back.
Carrie fell asleep in Austin's arms. She knew that this was the way it should be. She had to find a way to convince him that they were meant to be together. She had to find a way to help Sami get her memory back.
As soon as he was sure Carrie was asleep, Austin got out of the bed quietly and got dressed. He leaned over and kissed Carrie. He knew this would be the last time they would be together. As he left the apartment he turned back and said, "I'll always love you Carre".
Carrie woke up the next morning to find Austin gone. She prayed that he would change his mind and hoped that what they had shared last night would convince him. She got up and went to take a shower. In the kitchen she found a note from Austin.
Carrie,
I'm sorry that I've hurt you again but I know that this is the best way right now. You deserve the chance to move on with your life. I'm trapped for now and I just can't give you the kind of happiness you deserve. I hope that one day you will understand and be able to forgive me. I'll always love you.
Austin
She felt the tears welling up inside. Nothing had changed. She had to find a way to convince him that they could be together. If only Marlena were here, she thought, Marlena would know what to do. She decided that it was best to just go on to work. Maybe being active would help. She headed for the shower to start getting ready.
Sami woke up alone. She went in the living room and saw Austin on the couch. He was still going to pretend to be sleeping with her. She could still hear his words in her head. He felt a responsibility to her and nothing more. She was his punishment. She had to figure out how to make him love her as much as she loved him. She got back into bed and pretended to sleep. A few minutes later Austin got into the bed. She rolled over and snuggled up against him, still pretending to sleep. She wanted to show him how wonderful it could be but she didn't want to rush things. She knew it would take some time for him to get over Carrie. Well, she had all the time in the world now.
Austin barely noticed Sami's arm around him. He was thinking about how hurt Carrie had been. He knew he was doing the right thing but he hated to see the hurt in her eyes. He hoped he was right about Mike and that he would be able to make Carrie happy. After a few minutes the alarm went off and he got up.
"Austin? Why don't we just sleep in today?", Sami asked. She had to keep pretending that she didn't remember anything and thought they were happily married. "Will isn't awake yet. Let's take advantage of it".
"I can't Sami. I have a lot of work to do. Just because I'm working at home doesn't mean I can slack off. I have deadlines to meet. I'm a little behind right now and I need to catch up", he didn't want to be mean to Sami but the last thing he wanted to do right now was lay in the bed with her. He didn't want her to get any ideas. Carrie had been right about her eventually wanting to make love. He had to figure out how he was going to handle that. He could never do that again. He had to find a valid reason not to so Sami wouldn't get suspicious.
Sami knew that Austin didn't have that much work to do. It hurt that he couldn't even pretend to want to get back in the bed with her but she knew it was just a matter of time. She had decided to let him know she was making progress with her walking. Being in the wheelchair was too much trouble. As long as he didn't know she had got her memory back things would be fine. Besides, once she had her full mobility back it would be harder for him to come up with an excuse not to make love with her. She stood up and said, "Austin, I want to try to take a few steps. Would you help me?"
"Sami, I don't know if you should be doing that. Maybe you should wait until you get to the hospital where they have all the proper equipment".
"I just want to try Austin. Just help me to the wheelchair, OK?"
Austin helped Sami to her wheelchair. She was only able to take a few steps but it felt wonderful. She knew she would be out of that chair soon. As soon as she was dressed and in her chair he started working. Maybe she had been wrong. It did seem like he had a lot to do.
Austin sent an email to Kate. He told her that he had let Carrie go and asked her to give him lots of work to keep him busy. He needed to stay busy. If he had a lot of work then he wouldn't have to spend much time alone with Sami. He was going to pour all of his energy into his work to take his mind off Carrie.
Lucas could tell that Carrie had been crying when she came into the office. "Carrie, are you alright?"
"I'll be fine. I've just got some thinking to do. She wasn't going to tell Lucas about Austin. He might get the wrong idea and try to go after her again. She would never make that mistake again. She had let Lucas into her life twice on the rebound from Austin and both times she had discovered how deceitful he could be. It was better to just stay friends with him.
"Ok, but if you need to talk I'm her for you", Lucas knew why Carrie was upset but he wasn't going to push her. He had to make her realize that she could trust him again. She could never know his part in Austin's decision. Now that Austin had let her go she would be free to love him. He just had to time everything perfectly. It was too soon to move in. Austin would realize what he was up to. Austin had to think that Carrie was moving on with Mike.
Carrie tried to keep her mind on work but she wasn't getting much done. She was glad when she got a message to come to Kate's office. Maybe Kate could help her. She headed for Kate's office with Lucas watching. He had a worried look on his face. If his mom broke down and told Carrie the truth everthing would be over. He followed Carrie, hoping he could do some damage control.
Kate was reading Austin's message again when Carrie arrived. She just couldn't believe that he had done it. "Oh Carrie, are you alright? Austin told me what happened".
"Kate, can't you talk some sense into him? I tried but he just kept telling me that his situation wasn't fair to me", Carrie broke down crying again.
"Honey, I've already tried. He told me what he was planning a few days ago. I thought I had talked him out of it. He's not thinking rationally. He's so afraid of turning out like Curtis".
"Austin is nothing like Curtis. I tried to tell him that it didn't matter about Sami. I thought that maybe we should tell her the truth and just end this whole charade but he said it wouldn't help. He won't leave her while she's in this condition".
Kate was torn. She knew that she should just tell Austin and Carrie that Sami had got her memory back but if she did then she would lose everything that mattered to her. She had to find a way to help them without arousing Sami's suspicions. She and Sami had each other backed into a wall. Either way it played out they would both lose because if Sami revealed what she knew about Kate she would also reveal her recovery. But if Sami felt threatened she would do it. Suddenly, she had an idea. She wasn't sure how to pull it off but it just might work. "Carrie, I'll talk to Austin again. I'm not sure if it will do any good but I'll try. Don't give up on him. He's not thinking clearly right now".
"I know Kate. I love him so much. I have to find a way to show him that we can get through this".
"Well, I'll let you get back to work. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you and I'll do whatever I can to help".
"Thank you so much Kate. I don't know what Austin and I would do without you", she hugged Kate and went back to her office.
Kate sat down and began planning. She had to find a way to get Austin and Carrie together without Lucas and Sami interfering. She knew how to handle Lucas but Sami was a problem. If she could only figure out a way to do this without Sami realizing it was her idea. Finally she thought of a way. She made some phone calls to board members and stock holders. She wrote everything down and double checked to make sure she had covered all the angles. If she could pull this off Sami would never know what hit her. When she was positive it could work she burned her notes. She wasn't going to make the mistake of leaving things like this lying around again. When she was ready she sent for Lucas.
Lucas was sure his mom had decided to ruin everything. He was apprehensive as he walked into her office. "What did you want mom?"
"I have some wonderful news for you", Kate decided that it was best to pamper Lucas' ego in this situation. "We just got a major new account and I want you to handle it".
"Really? You're trusting me with a major account?", Lucas couldn't believe what he was hearing. Finally all his hard work was paying off.
"Of course I am", Kate smiled. Lucas was reacting exactly the way she had expected. "You are the best person for this job. Don't you want it? It really is a huge opportunity. If you are as successful with this as you have been with other accounts you will really make a name for yourself. It's a big step up the corporate ladder".
Lucas was thrilled. After the VP fiasco he didn't think his mom would ever give him another chance to prove himself. Finally, he had a chance to show her how much better than Austin he was. "Of course I want it! Give me all the details. What do I need to do? Where do I start?"
Kate laughed. At least she was making Lucas happy now. She knew that Carrie would never love him and he blamed her for that. If he knew what she was planning he would accuse her of trying to ruin his happiness. Hopefully by helping him with his career she could alleviate that. "Well, you start by going home and packing. You're booked on the next flight to London".
"London? Oh, so that's it. You're not sending me because I'm the best person for the job are you? You just want me to be away from Carrie, don't you?", Lucas was furious. He had thought his mom was finally coming around.
"Oh Lucas, that's not it at all. You are the best person for this job", Kate said. She really did believe that he was. "It wasn't my idea to send you to London. I tried to get them to come here but they can't. You have to go to them for the introductory meeting. I'll understand if you don't want to go. I'll just find someone else but I don't think anyone could handle this account as well as you", Kate went back to her desk and looked through her employee schedule. "Well, it looks like I'll have to give it to Austin. He's the only person available to leave on a trip right now. Well, he did ask me to give him some more work. I'll just call him. Well, I guess you can go back to your office Lucas. I'm sorry this didn't work out. Maybe next time", Kate turned back to her paperwork and let Lucas stew.
"Wait a minute", Lucas wasn't sure what had just happened. He had thought Kate was trying to get him out of the way but now he wasn't sure of anything. "What are you up to mom? First you offer me a huge account but tell me I'll have to leave the country to work on it. Then you say you're giving it to Austin?"
"I'm not up to anything Lucas. I wanted you to have this opportunity but you didn't seem to want to go. I'm not sure Austin is ready for this much responsibility but I'm sure he will be fine. Don't worry about it. Hopefully, we'll get more accounts like this for you to work on. Maybe they'll be more willing to come to you since you're not willing to go to them. I must say though, I am a bit disappointed. I thought you had better business sense than that".
"You can't give this account to Austin. I want it. I just thought you were trying to get rid of me because of Austin and Carrie's situation. I do want this. I'll go get ready to leave".
Kate handed him some folders. "If you're sure about this the accounts yours. You'll need this information. Oh I'm so proud of you. I just know you're going to do an excellent job", Kate knew she was right. Lucas was the best person for this job and it went perfectly with her plans. Hopefully, he wouldn't get hurt this time.
"Thanks mom. I'm glad you have enough faith in me to give me this opportunity. You know I could take Carrie with me. She'd be a great help", Lucas was afraid he had blown it but he did want Carrie's help. They worked well together.
"Well, you and Carrie do work well together but I'm afraid she already has an assignment to work on. Lucas, don't take this the wrong way but this is about your career, not an opportunity for you to try to get Carrie. I want you there focusing on this job. Ok?"
"Ok mom. You're right. Besides, Carrie will be here when I get back. I love you mom".
"I love you too. Now, go pack. I'll send over the travel arrangements and your itenerary as soon as they're ready", Kate smiled as Lucas left. She knew that this would make his career take off and that just might help him get over Carrie. She sat down at her desk and sent for Carrie again. Getting Lucas out of town had been the easy part. The next part of her plan was going to be much more difficult. She had to plan everything perfectly or she would be ruined.
Get your own Free Home Page