Author: Restive Nature
Disclaimer: Neither show represented in this fiction belongs to me. Dark Angel is the product of Cameron/Eglee and Fox, whereas Supernatural is the product of Kripke and The CW. No profits are made from this fiction and it is intended for private enjoyment only.
Rating: PG-13- NC-17
Genre: Crossover
Type: Romance
Pairing: Max/ Gueverra/ Sam Winchester
Summary: What if... Max had been having a different dream?
Spoilers/ Time line: This starts when Max is thirteen and going into heat for the very first time.
Feedback: Always welcome!
Distribution: Ask first please.
A/N: This story, while being in the same universe as When It Changes, does not actually occur within that storyline. This fiction is just an off-shoot of what might have happened.
Chapter Twenty-two
A Waiting Game
Turning the other way, he glanced at the clock. Eleven thirty at night and there just seemed to be no chance that he was going to sleep any time soon. Pushing the cover down to his waist, Sam finished the removal process by kicking at them like a child preparing for an ear shattering temper tantrum. Once the covers had been kicked down to the floor, Sam contemplated his tiny fit of pique. It did absolutely nothing to make him feel better. With a groan, he rolled over and sat up, swinging his bare feet to the floor.
He got up from the bed and made his way through the dark to the bedroom door. But being upright did nothing to improve his mood. He moved through the hallway, listening to the howling September wind. He stepped into the study and flicked on the light. But, caught up on his schoolwork, there was nothing of interest in there. With a disgusted noise, he flipped off the light and wandered through the house again.
He flipped open numerous cupboards, staring at the contents with the various snack foods within, but nothing tempted him. It was the same with the contents of the refrigerator. Finally, desperate, he grabbed a bottle of beer and headed for the living room. He fell into the sofa, more than he actually sat, and grabbed up the remote to turn the television on. Opening the bottle, he took a large swig and began flicking through the channels. But like everything else in the empty house, this too just did not hold his interest.
‘Call her!’ his mind urged but Sam resolutely continued flipping from one station to another. He had promised himself… He took another swig of beer and then let his head fall back as he stared vacantly at the television screen. Trying to settle himself, he took several long, deep breaths and then swore mentally. God, it was like he could smell her, as if she were right there next to him and he frowned. Why couldn’t he…
‘Call her!’ his mind insisted urgently and Sam slammed the remote down beside himself. No, he wasn’t going to. Tilting his head back slightly, he felt finally the irregular bumps from the afghan that had been folded and laid across the back of the sofa. Without realizing it, his free hand stole up and fingered the edge of it as the memories of many nights of snuggling with her under this blanket, the one that she’d made especially for him, watching movies… talking, laughing… loving. It all played through his mind and with a groan, Sam realized that her scent still lingered in the yarn.
Taking another drink, Sam yanked the afghan down and let it fall across his lap and stomach. His fingers toyed with the edges as he stared at some show that was barely interesting and couldn’t be followed since he’d just started watching in the middle of it. He pressed the bottle of beer to his forehead, looking for the last lingering chill to cool him externally, since it wasn’t working to quench that fire inside.
‘Call her! Call her! CALL HER!’ his mind chanted. He drained the bottle of its contents and let the bottle dangle from his fingers. He pulled the blanket close, almost snuggling it. It took him a few moments to realize what he was doing and when he did, he felt slightly disgusted with himself. Pushing the blanket away, he heaved himself to his feet and headed back to the kitchen. He dropped the empty bottle in the trash can and opened up the refrigerator for another. He twisted off the cap and tossed it on the counter, listening to the tinny clatter echo around the room as he gulped down the brew. After it was more than half gone, Sam finally shut the refrigerator door. He didn’t feel like sitting in front of the television. So he leaned back against the counter opposite the large appliance.
The phone seemed to beckon to him and after a few minutes of mental struggle, he finally gave in and yanked the cordless from its base. He dialed with his thumb and put the phone up to his ear and took a quick sip of beer. She answered after the third ring, slightly out of breath.
“Sam?”
Sam chewed on his lower lip for a moment and then took a deep breath. “Hey Max,” he greeted softly. “Um… I know that uh… I said I wouldn’t call, but… um!”
“Uh huh,” she agreed, her voice a little higher pitched than normal. “What’d you need?’
“Oh, uh, it’s nothing really,” Sam swallowed. How could he tell her under the circumstances that he was missing her desperately. After all, he had been the one to insist that she go. “Is everything okay?” he asked instead.
“Not really,” she answered vaguely.
“Is there a… problem?” he tried again, his eyebrows furrowing together.
“It’s nothing!” she snapped, surprising Sam, but then she seemed immediately contrite. “I’m sorry Sam. It’s just not a good time for me right now. I really just didn’t expect this tonight. It’s too soon and I-!”
“Max,” Sam whispered, concerned. “Can’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“I can’t,” she blurted out. “I’m sorry. I just… this is really hard for me.” Sam felt his gut clench, not understanding.
“Max, if there’s anything I can do…”
“Oh Sam,” she sighed. “God, I don’t know…”
“You’re kinda scaring me here Max,” Sam muttered.
“I’m sorry,” she responded almost automatically, her voice rising again. “Um, maybe there is something,” she told him softly.
At those words, he straightened up, listening intently. When she finished her instructions, she hung up on him. Startled and puzzled, Sam set his beer down and, carrying the phone with him, headed to the bedroom to carry out her directions. When he finally had found what she had wanted him to find, it took several long minutes and a lot of puzzling and searching his mind and memories before the last barrier crumbled to dust. Sitting down on the bed, he switched on the phone and hit the redial button. She picked up immediately.
“Yeah?”
“Max?” Sam spoke in a low deep tone. “Come home.”
“Are you sure?” she questioned softly.
“Yeah baby,” he smiled widely. “I’m sure.”
*****
He met her at the door, in truth, had been pacing the hallway since he’d last hung up the phone. She slipped into the house and pressed herself back against the door after she’d shut it. Sam was a scant foot away from her as he stared down at her, his eyes drinking in her luminescent beauty.
“So?” he asked quietly, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed rapidly, almost panting.
“Yeah,” she answered just as quietly. Her face held a diverse mix of emotions that Sam had trouble reading.
“So,” he tried again, inching closer to her, smiling faintly. “This is what you couldn’t tell me?” She nodded helplessly, her eyes fixed on him. “Why not?” he whispered and Max frowned, her eyes darkening.
“It’s embarrassing Sam,” she whispered. “This is the one thing in my life that I can’t control, or pretend is normal. It just shows what a… freak I really am.”
“Really?” he murmured, as he lowered his head to just centimeters away from her face. “Because I think it’s pretty amazing.”
“How can you say that?” she swallowed, her back arching off the door, as if she were magnetically drawn to him. Sam braced his hands against the door on either side of her as he nuzzled at her hair.
“Because being able to make love with you is the single most precious gift in my life. And when it happens this intensely, it feels like our love has become a living entity that just grows stronger each time. And right now, I feel like I could fill an ocean with the love I have for you.”
“Oh Sam,” she sighed, a tear escaping form her eye to roll slowly down her cheek until Sam’s lips broke its path, kissing it away.
“So what do you say Max?” he asked gently. “Do I get to share this with you?”
“Yes please Sam,” she whispered as her hands stole up to frame his face. His hands slid down the door to capture her waist, pressing the length of his body against hers, letting her feel the proof of his desire. Feelings that had been building all night.
She groaned softly as she tugged his face down to hers. He met her lips eagerly, his body demanding to taste. Their lips parted in the same moment, their tongues coming together to clash. Sam lifted her, not breaking contact and her legs wrapped around his waist in a secure hold. Pressing her back against the door as his hands skimmed under her thighs, Sam breathed in again her scent. It emanated from every pore of her being and he was happily drowning in it.
With her legs cradling his body, her short skirt had bunched up quite a ways. Pushing it a little more out of the way, Sam let her slide down his body a short way, although he didn’t stop kissing her. They moaned together as she came to rest at his erection, the friction between them fueling their bodies. Her thighs tightened around his waist, desperate to have him closer.
Sam moved one hand to pull at the blouse she was wearing, uncaring of the buttons. As she realized his intent, she slipped one hand between them to swiftly undo the buttons. She pulled the fabric out of his way, letting it slide some down her shoulders. Sam broke their kiss to press his lips against the silky flesh of her breasts, fully rounded about the black bustier she wore. He took advantage as she arched her back, swiftly finding the zipper at the back of her skirt, pulling down the tab.
His hips jerked against her repetitively, demanding more of the heat rolling off her in waves. She whispered his name as she writhed against him, caught between the door and his body. Determined to pleasure her fully before he would seek his own release. Sam reached behind him to push gently at her knee. Max let loose of him and slid slowly back to the floor, making him gasp as she let her body drag downward over his erection. Sam lost no time once her feet hit the floor, her knee high boots making a soft set of thumps. Max shook her arms once and the blouse fell the rest of the way from her arms. Her hips came away from the door as Sam pushed the bunched up material of her skirt over her hips, to join the blouse at their feet.
He returned his lips to her breast, sipping at her skin and then through the satin of her underwear as his fingers caught the high straps of the matching panties she wore. Sinking to his knees, Sam continued letting his lips and teeth roam across the material pulled tautly over her body even as he pulled her panties slowly down her legs. He was assaulted by a fresh wave of desire as her intoxicating scent washed over him. Grinning with anticipation as Max automatically stepped out of her underwear, Sam pressed a kiss to the intimate center of his woman, pleased as she gasped.
“Oh God Sam!”
He pushed at one thigh, swinging it over his shoulder as his tongue suddenly darted between her folds, tasting and teasing. He could hear her panting as his teeth found her nub and he nibbled at it while gently working a finger into her opening, her body already so wet and primed for him, for this. He stroked her slowly as his tongue swept up and down her folds.
“Sam, baby, please,” she whimpered as her body trembled. He felt her fingers skim along his cheeks and he felt her trying to pull away. He held her tightly, shaking his head ‘no’ as he pressed another finger into her. There was no way he was letting her go now. “Sam… I can’t…”
Encouraged by her moans, her fingers tangled in his hair, the shakiness of her legs, Sam continued to push his fingers along and inside her, feeling her passage tightening around them. When she began to keen softly, her head thumping against the door, he pulled his hand away, replacing it with his mouth. He laved at her opening, his thumbs spreading her apart. He gloried in the taste of her, her fingers grasping convulsively as he continued to nuzzle her body.
Finally, as the tremors began to abate, Sam pulled away enough to look up at her and she seemed dazed, her skin flushed, her eyes shut. Sam pressed a gentle kiss to her stomach, holding her hips, absurdly pleased with what he’d just done. A low chuckle escaped his throat and her eyes snapped open with a predatory gleam in them. Before he could react, he found himself flat on his back. Max had straddled his waist, rubbing herself along his cock as she captured his lips. Sam shivered as his cock throbbed painfully.
Sam wedged his hands between them, pushing his pajama pants out of the way. Max lifted herself up a scant few inches to let him get that small annoyance out of the way. When he’d kicked off the pants, she lowered herself to him once more. Sam wrapped his hands around her back, his fingers searching out the seemingly endless hooks that kept the bustier together. His frustrated grunt turned into a groan as Max guided the head of his cock just barely into her opening. Sam’s hips jerked reflexively, pushing further into her and Max’s lips curved into a playful smile. She leaned over him again, her teeth nipping under his jaw as she slid her body fully onto him, sheathing his erection in her warm pliant possession.
“Yeah baby,” he hissed, pushing up into her. She moved slowly over him, rocking back and forth on her hands and knees, sliding him in and out. He met her fully at each of her backwards strokes that filled her completely, his hands pushing at her hips. But she refused the rushing pace he was searching for. Catching his mouth, Max squeezed her vaginal muscles as she moved upwards, making him gasp and his eyes nearly cross.
“More?” she pulled her lips away enough to whisper.
“God yes!” he panted out as she relaxed her muscles and pressed down again. She repeated this several times as Sam’s fingers tugged on the bottom of her bustier. Finally it gave enough as she stretched above, that her breasts fell free. Sam pressed the rounded globes of flesh together, letting her nipples rub slowly along his skin as she moved so tantalizingly slow over him. Max moaned low in her throat and after a few more long thrusts, pushed herself up off his chest. With her knees still braced on either side of him, she flicked her hips forward.
“Fuck yes!” Sam grunted. “Ride me babe!” He watched her as she continued the short motion, her pace quickening. She pulled his hands from her waist to her breasts for him to roll her nipples between his fingers. Her head arched back as she panted as well. “Babe, please…”
She complied without words, changing the angle, thrusting down upon him, only to lift herself to do so again and again. “Sam!” she cried out again. “I’m gonna come babe. I need…”
“Yes, yes,” he chanted, feeling the orgasm building and swelling, not only his but hers as well. He could feel her passage quivering, clenching his cock and he yanked her hips forward in small, short jerks. He could not say if the rippling jolts he felt along his cock were his or hers as she collapsed, boneless on top of him. Both were shaking with the strength of the passion that was slowly ebbing away, to be replaced with the familiar deep glow of contentment. Sam blinked a few times and then slowly exhaled.
“Wow!” he whispered.
“Yeah,” Max concurred softly. “That was…”
Sam pressed a kid on her forehead before whispering, “amazing.”
Max tilted her head up to look at him, smiling shyly. “It was, wasn’t it?”
“God, I love you,” he grinned, cradling the back of her neck with one hand while the other caressed the small of her back.
“Mmm, I love you too, so much,” Max sighed contentedly.
“There is just one thing though,” Sam grunted, grinning as Max turned startled, suddenly worried eyes up to him.
“What?” she whispered.
“Ow!” he muttered and she looked panicked.
“Oh, baby, did I-?”
“Not you,” he laughed, “The floor.” Max looked confused for just a second and then laughed as well.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she announced loftily.
“Of course you don’t,” Sam scoffed. “Somehow, you always manage to come out on top in these little escapades.”
Max giggled and pressed a kiss to his chest. “Can you blame me for liking you as a bed? You are so darn comfortable!”
“And you make an excellent blanket, what with that sweet heat,” Sam chuckled and Max sputtered at the double entendre. Sam pursed his lips contemplatively then and then said, “except now that I think about it, my ass is freezing.”
Max shook her head, dropped another kiss on his lips and carefully climbed off of him. She held out her hand to pull him up. Once that was accomplished, she made short work of removing her bustier and the boots that still adorned her feet. Sam pulled his pajama pants back on, admiring her curves as she bent over to pick up the rest of her discarded clothes.
“You know,” he muttered, “given the circumstances, I’m glad I broke the rules and called you tonight.”
“So am I,” Max sighed. “Although, for your information, that whole ‘no men’ rule that Kara had for her bachelorette party was such a crock.”
“Really?” Sam quirked an eye at that as he followed her to the bedroom.
“Mm hmm,” Max nodded as she threw her clothes into the laundry basket and then moved over to the dresser to find a night shirt. “Kara was on the phone with Tristan when I got there.”
“Checking up on her?” he grinned.
“Complaining,” Max corrected. “His friends took him to a strip club.” Sam shook his head in wonderment.
“Uh oh,” he murmured. “Was she upset?”
“Not really,” Max shrugged as she picked up the blanket from the floor and gave him a small questioning look.
“Uh, couldn’t sleep,” he muttered, flushing a little as he remembered his earlier fit. Of course, he now had a much better understanding of why he’d been in such an agitated state. He moved the Cat Care book off of the bed, wondering if his body had been unconsciously responding to her period of pheromone release even without her around, because they’d been together long enough to be that attuned to each other. As he set the book on the nightstand, Sam reminded himself to ask her about that later.
“Well that was just the beginning,” Max continued as Sam helped her to spread the light comforter over the bed again, giving the corners short jerks to straighten it out. It didn’t matter overly much, as they were going to bed and it would get moved around. “I mean, Janet’s husband called because their kid was refusing to eat his dinner. Dana’s boyfriend called because he couldn’t find the remote. Really, pretty much every attached woman got some sort of check-up.”
“Even you,” Sam grinned as he climbed under the covers.
“Yeah, well, at least you didn’t show up with a pizza and pretend to have the wrong address for delivery,” Max scoffed. Sam guffawed at that.
“Well,” he sputtered, “that ought to teach you women a lesson,” he chuckled.
“Yup,” Max agreed as she slid in as well, turning on her side to regard him. “Don’t ever let men know when you plan on getting drunk and don’t ever let Kara’s mom plan a bachelorette party.”
“Well, I was going to point out how hopeless we are without you, but what did Mrs. Wilson do?” Sam asked, grinning.
“She hired a stripper, even though Kara told her not to,” Max rolled her eyes. “And don’t even go there.”
“Go where?” Sam asked, though his face had darkened just a little.
“Don’t go getting jealous,” Max chuckled, rubbing one hand over his chest.
“Why would I be jealous?” Sam grunted as he shifted a little closer to her. “Just because I happen to have the most gorgeous girlfriend in the world… was he hitting on you?” he demanded suddenly.
Max rolled her eyes again and grunted. “Just a little,” she sighed faintly. “But you know, it was understandable, what with the amount of pheromones I was giving off tonight.”
Sam scowled a moment and then reached for her. “Is that why you were so upset tonight when I called you?”
Max shook her head in the negative and then shrugged. “Not really, no. It was…” she sighed again, moving into his embrace and he moved one hand to caress her hip above the cover. “When he got there, I was all flushed and I thought it was just from the drinking and the dancing. But he started um, trying to follow me around. So I ducked into the bathroom and Kara’s mom came to check on me, teasing me about being such a guy magnet. And I told her that I’d much rather have you chasing me around all night.”
Sam grinned at that. “Really?” he chuckled. Max smiled and nudged his shoulder playfully.
“Well, that’s when I realized that I was in heat. And then you called me.”
“And you said something about not expecting this so soon,” Sam managed to recall from their earlier conversation. Max nodded sheepishly.
“I thought I had another month or so.”
“Is it that predictable?” Sam wondered aloud and Max shook her head again in the negative.
“It’s about two to three times a year, depending on different things,” she informed him and he nodded. “Well, the thing is Sam,” she continued softly, “I had promised myself that I’d… figure out a way to tell you about it. Before it actually happened again.”
“So you were panicking?” Sam surmised.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “Weird, I know. Since we’ve already been through it several times.” Sam’s grin widened.
“Well,” he muttered, “I guess I can see why it might upset you. Nobody likes being out of control, especially over their own body. But you know,” he drawled, “ we ordinary humans go through this as well. I mean obviously not to the extent you do, but there have been times…” he trailed off, a slightly horrified look creeping over his face.
“What?” Max asked quietly.
“Okay, that’s a disturbing thought,” he groaned.
“What?” Max repeated. Sam shook his head.
“Huh. If guys react to the pheromones you give off when you’re… in heat,” he glanced quickly at her face to see if she would take offense at his using the terminology, but she nodded patiently, “well, how did Dad and Dean handle it?” Max stared at him, shocked for a moment and then began to laugh.
“What?” it was Sam’s turn to demand. “It’s a legitimate question. One second around you like this and I’m about out of my mind. You weren’t even here tonight and I felt like I was going to explode just because I could smell your perfume on the afghan!” Max’s eyes widened, but the giggling didn’t abate. “Is it so wrong for me to wonder-!”
“No, no,” Max got out through the laughter. “It’s just that, well, it wasn’t that bad. See, when I went into heat around them, well, I’m sure you can guess Dean’s reaction. Go out, find a girl and get laid at the earliest possible moment. He never ever looked at me like… well any thoughts like that were automatically excluded, because he most definitely thinks of me as a sister. And well, you know, you guys thought that it was just that time of the month.”
Sam ducked his head, smiling himself over the major assumptions they’d all made in regards to Max. “I don’t think they ever connected anything back to me being the source,” she continued. “And as for Dad…”
“He probably ignored it completely,” Sam snorted ruefully, but Max shook her head, her eyes softening.
“Not really,” she sighed as she recalled certain incidents. “This one time, well, he um, noticed this woman.”
“Really?” Sam murmured softly.
“Yeah,” Max nodded. “I mean, she looked nice, kind of stacked. And he just stared at her for a moment, while she was walking away. And then he gave this like… shudder. And then he went and got drunk.”
“Oh wow,” Sam murmured softly.
“Yeah,” Max agreed. It tugged at their heartstrings that John could feel guilty for even looking at another woman after all this time. Sam mused on the similarities between he and his father at that moment. It wasn’t something he did often.
“This is what happened, that incident at the gym?” he blurted out suddenly. “Isn’t it?” Max looked startled and then ducked her head. Sam reached for her immediately, feeling chagrined. “I’m not mad about it sweetheart,” he murmured to her as he pulled her closer, molding their bodies together. His lips skimmed over her hair as he rubbed consolingly at one shoulder. “I was just putting things together in my head… out loud.”
“No, I know,” Max whispered. “It’s just, I was pretty pissed at myself for going out when I knew better by then.”
“Yeah, I suppose,” Sam agreed and then pulled his head upwards so that he was looking down at her. “But you know, even though it was a crappy thing for you, you kind of did the female population a huge favor.”
Max blinked up at him and then began to laugh softly once more. “I guess I did.”
Sam smiled encouragingly. “So, any other incidents I should know about?”
“Well,” Max drawled, “there was the closet incident.”
“The closet…” Sam repeated quietly, trying to remember what that might have been about. “Wait, do you mean when Dean called and told me about how somehow you got locked in a closet and you were so mad that someone had gotten the drop on you, that you spent several hours kicking the door until it finally splintered apart?” Max’s lip quirked. “That’s just what you told Dean, isn’t it?”
“Uh huh,” she grinned. “Actually, I locked myself in the closet. Um… figured I wouldn’t get into any trouble that way.”
“So what changed your mind?”
“I forgot my cell phone on the table,” she admitted with a faint blush. “And you were supposed to be calling me. And then the phone rang and I uh, just kind of, blasted the door right off the hinges.”
“Oh man,” Sam chuckled. “That is just, wow. So who was it on the phone?”
“It was Dad,” Max grimaced, “wondering if I was done riding around on my bike and ready to finally get some work done.” There was silence for a few minutes and Sam’s thoughts turned serious again.
“Can I ask you something?” he questioned softly, her head tucked under his chin. “I mean, you don’t have to answer. I mean, I won’t get upset if the answer is yes.”
“Just ask me Sam,” Max prodded, chuckling, rubbing her cheek across his chest. She had a vague idea and was already framing her reply.
“Well,” he began slowly, “when you go into heat, do you ever, um, find yourself… attracted to other guys?” he finished the last quickly. Max pushed away from him and he flinched before realizing that she was simply rearranging herself. She leaned across his chest, folding her arms together and then resting her chin on those hands.
“Sam?” she smiled down at him and he gave her the fullest attention. “Do you remember that day a lo-o-ong time ago? You guys were all ready to go, but I was still asleep and you came in and woke me up?”
“We thought you were sick,” Sam mused. “That it was, uh and well, now I’m starting to wonder…”
“Yeah,” Max smiled. “That was the first time I had gone into heat, though I didn’t understand exactly what was going on at that point. But well, you had just woken me up from a very erotic dream starring… you!”
Sam’s eyebrows rose. “Max! You were thirteen!” She grinned and shrugged.
“So? I had excellent taste, even back then,” she sassed. “The point is Sam, that ever since that first time, it has always and only ever been you.” The corners of his mouth spread into a wide, pleased grin.
“See,” he whispered. “this is why this is so amazing. Why you’re amazing.” And with that compliment, he pulled her close to show her just how deeply and truly he meant that.
*****
“… was just fabulous,” Max was enthusing. “Kara looked gorgeous and poor Tris was stuttering through everything.” Jess laughed as she listened to her friend’s description of Tristan and Kara’s wedding. The first that either Max or Sam had attended.
“What’d Sam think of it?” Jess wondered.
“Don’t know,” Max answered honestly. “He didn’t know many of the people there. Except for Zack and his date.”
“Zack? How did he end up there?” Jess puzzled.
“He and Tristan knew each other from where they used to work. Got to be pretty good friends, I guess.”
“Well that was nice that he had someone to talk to,” Jess sighed. “Anything else spectacular happen?”
“Really nice midnight cruise around the lake,” Max chuckled. “Plenty of champagne and only one fool went overboard.” She heard her friend’s gasp and knew she’d have to explain that, but before she could, she heard someone on the porch and said quickly, “hang on Jess.”
She heard her friend’s agreement as she headed to the front door. When she opened it, she saw the mail lady heading down the steps. She called her thanks, which was returned with a jaunty wave and then gathered up the small amount of mail and headed back inside.
“Sorry, had to get the mail,” she muttered once she returned the phone to her head. “Sam’s still waiting on his LSAT scores.”
“They’re still not in?” Jess asked with surprise as Max flipped through the bills.
“Nope,” she sighed, setting the pile on the kitchen counter. “Still not and its really starting to bug him.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, he wakes up at night in a cold sweat,” Max confided.
“Poor guy,” Jess commiserated. “Sometimes he’s too serious, you know.”
“Mm, not really,” Max disagreed, though she was smiling. She knew what Jess meant. “Sam just really likes to get these things planned out.”
“Well, they’ll get there when they get there,” Jess decided. “Anyways, the other reason I was calling you,” she continued, “was to ask what you guys are doing on Saturday night.”
“I have to work,” Max explained. “Why?”
“Oh, I just thought you guys might like to hang out with Caden and I. Its our three month anniversary.”
“Oh that’s right,” Max chuckled. “But why would you want to double date?”
“Well, I’m trying not to make a big deal out of it.”
“But it is a big deal, right?” Max laughed.
“Yeah, but guys don’t think it is,” Jess muttered.
“He will if you do something he likes,” Max pointed out.
“Oh yay, great,” Jess groaned. “Order pizza, watch a game and have sex. Yeah, what a thrill.” Max laughed again, but had an idea.
“Why don’t you do that? I mean, I know you’re not a huge sports fan. But why don’t you take him to a game?”
“Oh, like I could get tickets to anything, this close to the weekend,” Jess scoffed.
“Give me a day or so,” Max instructed. “I’ll see what I can come up with. He likes any sport, right?”
“Just the manly ones,” Jess snorted. “So no figure skating, gymnastics, synchronized swimming and most definitely not curling!” They laughed together and then said their farewells. As Max hung up, she heard movement on the front porch again, but before she could check, Sam came in.
“Hey,” he greeted breathlessly. “Mail come yet?”
“Hey yourself,” Max leaned against the hallway wall. “Yes it did and no, there were no results.”
Sam frowned as he dropped his bag to the floor. “I wonder what’s taking so long.”
“No idea,” Max shrugged and pushed herself away from the wall. “Did you want some lunch?”
“I guess,” Sam sighed as he followed her into the kitchen. “What are we having?”
*****
Max nestled into the sofa, her knees pulled up and her feet slightly under her as she studied the papers she’d printed off form an on-line article from a medical journal. She had a cup of hot cocoa sitting on the coffee table before her. She was so engrossed in the article that she barely noticed Sam as he came out of the bedroom.
“Hey,” he said softly, yawning as he entered the living room. “Wondered where you went.”
Max glanced up. “Hey, how come you’re awake?”
Sam grinned as he lowered himself to the sofa. “You know I can’t sleep without you.”
“I’m sorry babe,” Max rubbed at his shoulder. “I didn’t want to keep you up while I was reading.”
“I don’t mind,” Sam assured her as he moved to lay down. Max moved her feet and arm so that he could rest his head in her lap. “What’re you reading?”
“An article that Jess told me about,” she related, her eyes still rapidly skimming the material. “Someone mentioned it in her anatomy class.”
“What’s it about?” Sam asked on another yawn.
“It’s a preliminary report from a team of doctors working in Japan,” Max told him quietly. “Geneticists.”
Sam’s eyes popped back open with startling rapidity. “Anything promising?” he asked quietly, having made the connection between the article and Max’s interest immediately.
Max smiled down softly at him. “Maybe,” she half shrugged. “It looks like they’re fussing with genes and getting some results. They’re working on a baby born addicted to crack and stuff.”
“Really?” Sam murmured. “Sounds interesting.” Max nodded. “So maybe some good news sooner than we thought,” he spoke, trying to be moderately pleased, but not too excited. After all, it was just a preliminary report.
“I’m not going to get my hopes up yet,” Max sighed. “I mean, I haven’t seen anything about side effects or long term stability,” she explained.
“But you said it was a preliminary report paper, right?” Sam pointed out. “So just keep track of the project and you never know.”
Max nodded as she lowered her head, touching her lips to his. He closed his eyes again and Max pulled the afghan from the back of the couch, settling it over him as best she could with one hand. Sam smiled drowsily, amazed at how she always seemed to know just what he needed.
*****
Sam woke suddenly, his eyes snapping open only to be assaulted by a harsh glare. His breathing was labored, his body drenched with sweat as he tried desperately to orient his mind.
“Sam?” Max’s concerned voice floated over to him. “Sweetie? You okay?”
Sam turned his head, blinking against the light from her lamp, the book she’d been reading laying open across her stomach.
“Yeah,” he answered gruffly, his voice quiet and thick.
“You sure?” she whispered, turning on her side, book forgotten. “This is the third night in a row now.”
“I’m fine,” he assured her hastily. “It’s just stress.”
“Mm,” she frowned. Sam pushed the cover off of his chest, his body overheating. He rubbed one hand over his face, pushing the damp strand of hair off his forehead.
“Well, you know,” Max whispered and he felt the bed shift slightly as she moved. “I happen to know a great stress reliever.”
“And what’s that?” he whispered back, rubbing his eyes with finger and thumb.
“Roll over and I’ll give you a back rub,” she instructed. Sam opened his eyes to see her looming over him and before he knew it, he’d panicked and reversed their positions, holding her securely under him as she stared up at him in surprise. But before he could apologize, she began to laugh. “Or sex is good as well,” she teased.
“Very good,” Sam agreed, relieved not to have to explain the sudden, desperate fear that had engulfed him in that moment.
*****
Sam heard the front door slam shut and glanced at his watch. Just after five in the evening. He frowned as he stood up from the desk. Max was scheduled to work until seven, covering partly for Kara while she was on her honeymoon. He heard something else slam shut in the kitchen and wondered what on earth was happening as he headed that way.
“Max?” he called and heard something resembling a grunt. As he turned into the kitchen, he saw her, standing at the counter, cupboard doors open as her eyes searched through the shelves.
“Hey,” he greeted as his eyes fell to the counter where he’d left the mail. Only one envelope had been touched. The others sat in a pile.
“Uh huh,” Max returned, distracted by whatever it was she was searching for. Not finding it, she turned and yanked open the dishwasher. That door was slammed shut in short order.
“You okay?” Sam asked, bemused by this puzzling behavior.
“Fine,” she answered shortly.
‘Okay,” Sam drawled under his breath as she began yanking dishes out of the cupboard and setting them heavily on the counter. “So the mail came today,” he began.
“Like it generally does every day but Sunday,” Max scoffed.
She turned to the refrigerator and pulled that door open. Sam wrinkled his nose as Max drew out a carton of eggs and slammed the door shut again. She pushed the opened letter out of the way and laid the carton on the counter. She reached back for the bowl she’d found and set it beside the stove. And then she proceeded to begin breaking egg after egg into the bowl.
“What’re you doing?” Sam asked finally, wondering what, aside from an omelet, that she planned on making for dinner that had anything with that amount of eggs in it.
“What does it look like?” she snapped as she grabbed another egg. Sam blinked in surprise. Obviously something was bothering her normally placid self and by the cessation of motion, Max must have realized that whatever was bothering her had nothing to do with Sam. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, leaning her hip against the counter. “It’s just turned into a really crappy day.”
“Oh?” Sam asked, thought he had already figured that out. “What happened?”
“Well,” Max sighed, crossing her arms as she regarded him. “Do you remember when Kara wanted to talk to me at the wedding, privately?” Sam nodded. He’d figured that it must have something to do with work. “Well, it turned out that Tristan had a job offer. New York locale,” she explained. “And he took it. So Kara told me that she had just given Hanover her resignation.”
Sam nodded again. That made sense. What newlywed couple would want to be separated?
“The other thing she told me was that she was recommending me to take her place as assistant manager.” Sam’s eyes grew wide.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked with a grin, but Max’s face remained stony.
“She asked me not to mention it, since Hanover was the one who had to make the decision,” Max explained. “And to be honest, without your school stuff up in the air, I wasn’t sure about it.”
“Okay,” Sam nodded. That was fair. If he were to attend somewhere else for law school, it would necessitate a move to elsewhere. And he no more wanted to be separated from Max, than Tristan did from Kara.
“But then I figured,” Max continued, “that the experience would look good on my resume. And if we moved, it wouldn’t be until December, or January.” Sam settled himself in a little more as he listened to her narrative. “So Hanover told me that he wanted to talk to me today, just before he left.”
“About a promotion?” Sam asked and Max laughed derisively.
“Yeah, just not my promotion.” Sam’s eyebrows furrowed. Max sighed. “He called me into the office to inform me that he was promoting Rita to assistant manager.”
“Rita?” Sam echoed in surprise.
“I know!” Max squawked. “I mean, she only works the afternoon shift. I’ve had experience with every shift. She has no clue how to do the ordering. She’s never done the banking and her till is always off!”
“I know,” Sam soothed, but Max was too annoyed to allow him to calm her down.
“I mean,” she snorted. “I foiled three robbers and Rita gets a promotion!”
“Well, did you ask why-!”
“Of course I asked why!” Max scowled. “And you know what that little jerk told me? It’s company policy to offer the promotion based on seniority!”
“Oh,” Sam frowned, mulling that over. “Well, if it’s the policy-!”
“A week Sam!” Max growled and turned back to break more eggs into the bowl. “She’s been there for one whole fucking week longer than me! And that policy is a crock of shit! There’s nothing, nothing in the franchise manuals, which I’ve read cover to cover, about ranking for promotion.”
Sam pulled Max away from the counter and the last few defenseless eggs and engulfed her in a hug. He hadn’t realized until that moment just how much Max wanted to be recognized for the hard work she put in. How this was something in her life that he really had nothing to do with and how she wanted to succeed at it, to be equal with him in their relationship.
“I’m sorry babe,” he murmured and after a moment’s pause, he chuckled. “But you know, maybe Rita will mess up badly enough that Hanover will be forced to replace her. Given her track record, you might be assistant manager yet.”
But Max was shaking her head. “Rita could load that store up with TNT and blow it sky high and she would never see one ounce of trouble for it,” Max scoffed, leaning her forehead against his chest.
“Really?” Sam asked, puzzled. Max leaned back in his arms and lifted her gaze to meet his.
“That’s the sort of thing that happens,” Max explained quietly, “when you screw the boss and then threaten to tell his wife and or file a sexual harassment suit.”
“They’re-!” Sam choked out.
“That’s why she got the promotion?” Max nodded tiredly. “And I honestly think that he’s more afraid of Polly finding out that a lawsuit,” she murmured. “That’s why Andrew quit. He found out about it.”
It was Sam’s turn to scowl. Sure, it wasn’t something he condoned, but quitting a good job over it… and apparently Max could read these thoughts of his easily.
“Andrew’s father screwed around,” Max informed him sadly. “When his mom found out about it, she downed a lethal amount of gin and pills while Drew was at school. He was the one that found her.”
“Oh my God,” Sam swallowed heavily. Now that would definitely explain Andrew’s behavior.
Max sighed again. “But you know, even if Rita were to disappear, I still wouldn’t get the promotion.”
“Why not?” Sam asked gently, though his eyes darkened. He was hoping that Max wasn’t so upset by this as to have been running herself down.
“I quit,” she stated simply. “Right then and there.”
“Oh wow,” Sam breathed out, gently rubbing her back. He wasn’t sure what to say, given what he'd just been thinking about Drew walking out of work all those months ago.
“I’m sorry,” Max apologized with a small sniffle. “But it was just too much. I actually felt… sick, being around those two. I couldn’t stay.”
“And I wouldn’t want you to,” Sam readily assured her, hugging her tightly, decision indtantly made, understanding that it was her choice to make and live with.
“But you know what really got me?” Max swallowed and Sam waited. “As I was leaving, Rita was on the phone, probably one of her skanky little friends, telling them that she’d finally gotten rid of the ‘self-righteous bitch’,” Max relayed.
Sam’s arms tightened around her convulsively for a moment before he forced himself to relax. His eyes strayed around the kitchen as he slowly counted to ten. But it wasn’t enough. He'd always had a problem with his temper whenever even the hint of someone denigrating his girlfriend came up. With slow deliberation, he reached one hand out to the counter, closed the lid on the carton of eggs and then brought his fist down upon it. There was a satisfying crunch and a small chuckle from Max.
“Better than nothing, right?” she asked. Sam wrinkled his nose.
“I suppose,” he sighed. “Replacing a dozen eggs is cheaper than being fined for assault.”
“Exactly my thinking,” Max muttered. “Though the dishes were in serious trouble when I first got home.”
“Didn’t want to clean up that big a mess, huh?”
She shook her head and sighed. “I could really use some cheering up right now,’ she told him. Sam grinned and released on arm from around her again.
“I think I’ve got something,” he told her quietly. He reached over to the counter where it lay, and picked up the sheet of paper that she’d totally ignored. He shook it straight, which caught her attention. She turned to regard it, quickly realizing what it must be, her eyes searching for the information laid out there.
“174!” she shrieked, her head whipping around to regard her boyfriend again. “Oh Sam! That’s awesome!”
“I thought so,” he nodded, letting the paper fall back down to the counter as her arms tightened around him again. She tilted her head back, pressing a kiss against his collar bone.
“We should celebrate,” she murmured. “Feel like going out for dinner?”
“Uh, I don’t know,” Sam murmured, just the slightest bit distracted. “I mean, with neither of us working, things are going to get a little tight.”
“Oh, we’re not in dire straights yet,” Max chuckled throatily. “I mean, we have the savings account and well, you know how I said I quit?”
“Uh huh.”
“Well I did,” Max smiled, an impish twinkle in her eye. “But I told Hanover that I was leaving immediately, that I needed to go see, well I meant that I was coming home to see you. But, well, he took it differently.”
“What did he think?” Sam asked, slightly amused as well.
“Polly,” she said shortly, her voice wry. “So, um, he offered me three weeks severance, I don’t have to work my last two weeks and because I’ve been working full time to cover for Kara, that’s what my unemployment insurance will be based on, if I apply.”
“And all so you won’t tattle?”
“Yup,” Max nodded. “I’ve been bribed.” Sam chewed at the corner of his lip for a moment and Max grinned. “And I don’t feel all that bad about that.”
“You don’t,” he echoed, a little discomfited by that.
“Mm hmm,” Max grinned. “I suppose I might feel badly about it, being party to this really damaging secret. I mean, you know I would...” she trailed off as Sam nodded once. “But the thing is, honey? Polly already knows.”
“What!”
“Yeah,” Max snickered. “That’s one of the other things Kara warned me about.”
“Really?”
“Well, remember how the Hanover’s had that really big to-do about putting in more security cameras after this summer?” Sam nodded. “Well,” Max continued, “Polly finally got her own way. I’ve told you before that both their names are on the ownership papers, even though Polly stays home with the kids, right?”
“Yeah, you mentioned that,” Sam leaned back against the refrigerator, intrigued.
“Well, they put in the camera in the alley, another one out front and several more in the store and of course, in the office.”
“Well, they keep the safe there,” Sam shrugged one shoulder. “It makes sense.”
“Yeah, well apparently Bob-o didn’t really pay too much attention to the plans for placement. And then there was the fact that Polly didn’t tell him that there was another camera going into the office to cover it from more than one angle…”
“They were-!” Sam’s eyes widened. “In the office!” Max grinned and nodded. “And she found out and just…”
“Oh she was pissed off,” Max shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong honey. But Kara told me that Polly is building up quite a case against her husband. She confronted Kara about it, and Kara told her that she suspected it but had never actually caught them at anything. And then Polly told Kara that once she was ready and set the lawyers loose, she’d take over the store. She wanted to keep Kara, Luke and myself on, so we weren’t to worry about our jobs.”
“Oh my God,” Sam half sighed, half chuckled. “Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
“Because I didn’t have anything to do with it at the time,” Max explained easily. “You know I don’t like bringing the drama home with me. And I figured that if Polly knew, then she could deal with it as she saw fit.”
“But then they went and pulled this crap,” Sam frowned. “Maybe you should call Polly and let her know. I mean, with Kara gone…”
Max shook her head. “No, I actually think I was right in my first instinct. I should probably stay with something more flexible until we know for sure what your school stuff will be.”
“Okay,” Sam agreed. “So maybe its not all that bad after all.”
“I guess not,” Max wrinkled her nose. “So you know what? Let’s forget about this afternoon. I am in the mood to hop into the shower, get cleaned up, take you out to a nice dinner, maybe some slow dancing. And all the while, I will be wearing the slinkiest clothes I can get away with in public, getting you all hot and bothered, until you’re begging to take me home to bed. How does that sound?”
“A lot better if we could just skip to the end,” Sam groaned, reaching for her, but she ducked under his arm.
“Well, where would the fun be in that?”
His frustrated, grunted, “brat!” chased her down the hallway.
*****
“I wonder where she is?” Sam frowned as he glanced at the time.
“She’s only fifteen minutes late sweetie,” Jess grinned. “What was she doing this morning? More job hunting?” Sam nodded.
“Did she try down at the grocery store?” Alli asked as she cradled a mug of coffee between her hands. Sam nodded again.
“They’d already filled the position,” he explained.
“You know,” Dale chimed in, “maybe she should think about something else.”
“Like what?” Sam asked, not really interested, but being polite.
“She could give modeling a shot,” his friend grinned wolfishly. “Hell, I’d but anything she had to sell.”
“Yeah,” Chuck broke in, “but then Sam’d flunk out of school, for missing class so he could follow her around to make sure nobodies puttin’ the moves on his girl.”
“Exactly,” Sam grunted as he checked his watch again.
“I’d tell you to call her,” Jess chuckled, “but here she comes now.” She pointed out the window of the café that the friends had gathered in at Sam’s behest. His head perked up and he watched her progress. She seemed fairly happy as she entered the building, to be greeted with a chorus of enthusiastic greetings.
“Hey everyone!” she returned before turning to kiss Sam’s upturned face. She grinned and took the seat that he’d pulled out for her, removing her jacket as she did so. “Sorry, I’m late,” she went on,” but I got held up, getting…” she reached into her pocket and withdrew a small item, “this!”
“What’s that?” Sam asked as he reached out for what looked like an identification card, but Chuck was faster.
“You joined Morgan’s gym?” he asked of her and Max grinned.
“You could say that.”
“You got a job at Morgan’s Gym?” Alli surmised immediately and Max nodded. There was a chorus of congratulations, but Sam scooted a little closer to her, laying one arm across the back of her chair.
“A gym?” he asked softly. “Are you sure?”
“It’ll be fine,” Max assured him quietly.
“What?” Jess asked, being to Max’s immediate right, was privy to the whispered conversation. Max turned to regard their friend as the whole table fell to silence.
“It was nothing, really,” Max assured them. “Just some creep who wouldn’t leave me alone when I was working out.”
“You were seventeen and he put his hands on you,” Sam muttered darkly, scowling down at the table.
“And hopefully he learned a valuable lesson about the basic English language that day,” Max spoke teasingly.
“What happened?” Alli asked carefully.
“Oh, this guy wouldn’t leave me alone, he made some rude suggestions and like Sam said, grabbed me,” Max explained airily. “So I broke his jaw.” There were stunned gasps all around.
“That was after she kicked him between the legs,” Sam added, his lips twitching as Dale and Chuck winced.
“Good for you,” Alli declared emphatically as Jess nodded her agreement. The waitress chose that moment to come take their orders, now that Max had arrived.
Once the woman was gone, Dale leaned forward, “so how’d you get the job? I didn’t even know they were looking.”
“They weren’t, yet,” Max chuckled. “I was down at the bakery and Mrs. Gutierrez was there, chatting with Lois,” she directed that comment to Sam and Jess. The widowed woman had lived in Sam’s apartment building and had moved out just a few months after Jess had moved in, taking over Sam’s old apartment. Both knew her well enough to say hi and chat about her grandchildren.
“Anyways, we got to talking about her daughter Margie, who is seven months pregnant.” There were nods of interest. “Apparently Margie’s doctor recommended that she go on maternity leave sooner rather than later. It wasn’t anything too serious, but being an aerobics instructor, she was on her feet quite a bit. So Margie was going to break the news to her boss, Steve Morgan, today.”
There were some laughs.
“So you high tailed your little butt right over there, didn’t you?” Chuck guffawed and Max nodded.
“I asked to see Steve and told him that I was interested in working there, as an aerobics instructor.”
“And what did he say?” Sam smiled fondly, leaning back in his seat.
“He laughed,” Max grinned. “Because Margie had just, and I do mean just, been in to tell him about having to move up her leave.”
“He must have been thanking his lucky stars,” Jess laughed.
“Well, he was actually pretty professional about it after that,” Max admitted. “My lack of experience was a big negative. But, not having to advertise was a plus. I guess he’s had trouble finding decent employees, which I capitalized on.”
“Oh?” Sam asked. “How so?”
“Well, he’s having to man the front desk and rotate other instructors through there since the secretary decided to stop showing up for work. I told him that if he had me covering just Margie’s two classes, I could man the desk the rest of the time. See, Margie also has a nutrition class with Nikki, who is a dietitian. Nikki’s going to do the class by herself.”
“Man, you’ve had a busy morning,” Jess chuckled.
“And that’s not all,’” Max continued, her eyes sparkling. “See, while we were talking, the subject of the creep came up. I told Steve all about it and I said it was too bad that some more places don’t teach self-defense classes.” Jess and Alli were nodding. “And Steve got all excited, because Mitch, another instructor, had the same idea, except that he needed someone well trained in martial arts to help him run it. So I met Mitch, gave them a little demonstration and voila!”
“You got the job!” Sam crowed.
“For a trial run, starting Monday,” Max cautioned. “at least for the aerobics. I’ll be running the desk and teaching an eight week self-defense program regardless, once Mitch and I get things figured out.”
“Oh, you’ll be great,” Sam assured her. “You know that.” They shared a secret look and smiled tenderly at one another.
“Oh, but I was up front about your school situation,” Max warned, suddenly recalling the other part of the interview. “But Steve figured that was okay, because if I don’t, for some reason, work out for teaching, it still gives him some breathing room.”
“Oh, well,” Sam pursed his lips, “as to that, I uh, heard some news about that today.” The group was quiet, aware that this was probably the reason why Sam had invited them out for lunch. “See, I got my interview, with Stanford and-!” Sam was cut off as Max threw her arms around his neck.
“Oh Sam! That’s wonderful!” she gasped out. “Why on earth didn’t you say something earlier?”
Sam shrugged, bemused. “Because you were so excited,” he stated simply and Max snorted delicately.
“My news was just a job. Sam, this is your career! Your dream!”
“No,” he grinned. “You’re the dream. Everything else is just a bonus.”
There sentimental noises from the girls and gagging noises from the guys, both of which were thoroughly ignored by the couple as they kissed. The food began arriving then and talk continued. Sam and Dale discussed the scholarship funds again. Dale noted that Sam had a good chance of securing another one. Max discussed her new class and the type of things that they should teach with the other girls. Jess and Alli were all for joining. Sam was pleased to hear that Max would be making more at the gym than she would have been, working full time at the store. She also would have gym privileges and a guest pass.
Sam watched her as she interacted with their friends. It didn’t seem to matter where the conversation was turned to, she was knowledgeable and engaging. And though he knew it was a byproduct of Manticore’s tinkering, her ability to process and track all of the different conversations going on around them was an amazing thing. But not nearly as wonderful as when she turned and flashed him a brief smile before turning back to what Dale was saying. And before he even realized that it was what he wanted, her hand had slipped into his. She didn’t even seem to be paying attention to him, but knew precisely what was on his mind.
It just seemed to cement the decision that he’d already made. When lunch was finally over, they paid for their meals and began to scatter in their various directions. Dale, like Sam, had another class that afternoon and Sam offered him a ride. At Max’s bike, she climbed on, but held her helmet in her lap.
“So, I’ll see you tonight?” she smiled up at Sam.
“I might be a little late,” Sam warned. “I have a couple of errands to run.”
“Anything I can do?” she asked.
“Nope,” Sam grinned. “Just have to stop at the dean’s office about the interview appointment, the bank… shouldn’t take too long.”
“Okay,” she nodded. “I’ll see you at home then.”
“Most definitely,” Sam murmured, dropping a lingering kiss to her lips. She grinned and winked at him, waved at Dale and headed off. Sam watched her until she was out of sight and then moved over to the car where Dale was waiting.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” the other man sighed, “you’re one hell of a lucky guy.”
“More than you know,” Sam agreed readily, as he unlocked the car doors.
He ended up mildly distracted for the rest of the afternoon. Class couldn’t hurry by soon enough for him . When it was finally over and the professor released them from their seats, Sam was out of there like a shot, not bothering conversing any with his class mates, like he usually did. He did stop in at the dean’s office as he said he would. Upon explaining why he was there, the secretary told him that she’d find an appointment compatible with his class schedule. She’d call him with the specifics, she promised. Sam left, in even more of a hurry to get to his next stop, never noticing a thing around him until he found the place he wanted. He entered the cool interior and made his way to the displays to the main counter and waited until someone was free to help him. It was a young woman, probably mid to late twenties.
“How can I help you today sir?” she asked politely.
“Hi,” Sam grinned and took a deep breath. “I’d like to look at your engagement rings, please.”
RTD23- The Calm Before The Storm
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