Unbroken Season 1

Chapter 23 On New Year’s Eve

“… I buy you flowers, I buy you rings… Everything is all for you, you’re what I’m all about…”

The soft shadows of late afternoon were becoming more evident as Brooke pulled up in front of her family home, just before 4:00 PM on New Year’s Eve. Throwing the gear shift into park, the dark-haired woman turned off the ignition, and then looked over at Sam before leaning in and kissing the young woman softly upon her lips. There were no words to express the peace that Brooke had felt since exchanging presents on Christmas, knowing that her beloved Sam was here to stay.

“Ready, Sweetheart?” Brooke asked gently as she pulled back and looked into the warm green of Sam’s eyes.

Nodding slightly, Sam smiled and kissed Brooke once more. “I am now.”

Brooke stepped out of the SUV, grasping her jacket tighter around her as she shut her door. Making her way around the Sequoia to Sam’s door, she pulled it open, then offered a hand to the younger woman and helped her out of the truck. Together, they made their way up the driveway to the front door with Brooke’s arm wrapped around Sam’s shoulders.

Without giving them a chance to announce their presence the door opened, revealing C.C. on the other side. “Hey, Sis. What took you so long? Dinner’s just about ready.” The brunette let her taller sister and Sam enter the house, while she lingered at the doorstep and looked both ways up and down the street as if searching for something. Seeing nothing to hold her interest, C.C. shrugged her shoulders and went back inside.

“What are you looking for C.C.?” Brooke asked as she removed Sam’s coat and hung it behind the door.

“Oh I don’t know… maybe an armed guard or something,” C.C. replied as she looked intently at Sam’s hands, craning for a better view.

Puzzled by her sister’s strange behavior, Brooke questioned her. “What are you looking at her hands for?”

“I was just wondering where her gloves were.” C.C. made a childish face at her musician sister as she rolled her eyes, then smiled sweetly when she looked over at her ex-roommate. “Hi, Sam… I see you’re still in one piece after living with the wild rocker here.”

Sam smiled as she nuzzled into Brooke’s shoulder. “Hey, C.C. It’s good to see you, too.” The blonde raised her head and spoke softly into Brooke’s ear. “Wild rocker, huh? When are you going to show me that side of you?”

It was Brooke’s turn to roll her eyes at her youngest sibling before she felt Sam wrap both arms around her waist. “Where’s Mom and Dad?” Brooke looked into the living room, then down the hallway.

“In the kitchen, where else?” C.C. said with a smirk.

Brooke grinned as she removed her jacket, then proceeded to drape it over C.C.’s head. The older sibling grabbed Sam’s hand and began to pull her in the direction of the kitchen. “Shall we?”

Sam’s soft laughter could be heard as C.C. hung up the leather jacket. “You know, Baby… that wasn’t a very nice thing to do to C.C.,” Sam commented as she pulled back on Brooke’s hand. “What’s the hurry, Hon?”

“Ehh… don’t worry about it. She’s used to it.” Brooke waved her hand in her sister’s direction as she stopped short and turned toward the blonde. “And… Sam,” Brooke began to nuzzle behind the young woman’s ear before kissing Sam on her cheek. “I’m in no hurry. You wanna go upstairs and act like juvenile delinquents?” Brooke asked with a mischievous glint in her blue eyes.

“You mean, you want to go jump on the beds?” Sam eyed Brooke suspiciously before she busted out in soft laughter. “Really, Brooke… I thought you were more mature than that.”

The tall woman smiled before replying. “Who said anything about jumping on the beds?” Brooke wiggled her eyebrows. “But hey… I’ll try almost anything once.” She watched as Sam began to giggle before she kissed her, then whispered, “Think again, Darlin.”

Sam’s small hands tugged at her lover as the blonde pulled the dark-haired woman into the shadows of the hallway. There, what first began as a playful kiss, deepened until both parties involved lost all touch with the surrounding world.

“You know…” C.C. walked past them towards the living room, only pausing long enough to comment. “They do make rooms for what you guys are doing. How about going and finding one?”

The brunette watched as her sister’s hand moved slowly off of Sam’s shoulder. It reached out in her direction; only to be turned in such a way that the drummer’s middle finger flipped upward making her real thoughts on the matter known. “Yeah, right… you’ve got the idea.” C.C. laughed and continued on towards the living room where the rest of her siblings and in-laws had gathered.

Breathless, Brooke pulled out of their kiss after C.C. walked away. Looking intently into the shadowed features of her young lover, she caught her breath and whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Sam smiled coyly as she stole a glance toward the kitchen and gave her lover a tug. “Come on… I want to check out your mother’s refrigerator. Maybe she has some chocolate syrup she can lend us.” Sam looked over her shoulder to see that the tall woman had liked that idea and was following her eagerly.

“Hi, Mom,” Brooke took the lead once inside the kitchen as she walked over to her mother, snatching up a small piece of ham from the platter and popping it into her mouth. The tall woman leaned in to drop a tender kiss on her mother’s cheek.

The matriarch of the family smacked the hand of her daughter as it hovered above the platter for another offering. She then scolded the musician. “Now, Brooke, stop that. You’ll spoil your dinner.” Mable turned towards the blonde at Brooke’s side and gave her a smile. “Hello, Sam. I’m so glad you could come.” She turned to her husband, who was sitting at the small table drinking a cup of coffee as he looked over the newspaper. “Henry, look who’s here.”

The crisp sound of newspaper being shaken then folded could be heard as Henry put his paper on the table and walked over to the two younger women. “Hey, it’s my favorite daughter…” the man placed an arm around Sam’s shoulder and winked at her, then added, “…and Brooke.”

Muttering under her breath, Brooke hopped up to sit on the counter near her mother. “Favorite daughter, huh?” Brooke adjusted her hands under her legs to keep from getting in her mother’s way. “Well, she wouldn’t be your favorite daughter if I told you what she wanted to do with me right now.” Brooke teased her parents. “Mom, do you have any chocolate syrup?” The drummer looked over to see Sam’s eyes grow to the size of snare drums as Brooke wiggled her eyebrows in the blonde’s direction.

Choosing to ignore the teasing, Sam stood on her tiptoes and placed a small kiss on Henry’s cheek then came out with a cheery greeting. “Hi, Dad.”

Henry squeezed his arm around Sam’s shoulder and looked down at the young woman who had captured his daughter’s heart. “You doing okay, Sweetheart? You keeping this one in line for me?” Henry motioned with his head in Brooke’s direction.

“I don’t think I have any,” Mable put her knife down and started opening up a cupboard or two to look. “Is chocolate syrup some kind of dietary requirement that the two of you have now?”

“Yes…er, no… I mean…” Sam became flustered as she turned to Brooke’s father. “Yes, I am, Dad and no to the dietary requirement. I can always have my dessert without.” Sam winked over at Brooke in the hopes that her mother didn’t see it.

There was a fraction of a moment of silence before Brooke eagerly piped in, “Yeah, but it’s so much more interesting with it.” Seeing the quick exchange of glances on her parent’s part, Brooke waited for their knowing smile before turning her lecherous grin toward her lover.

Trying to regain her composure, Mable tried her hand at small talk. “So, Sam… your aunt and cousin won’t be joining us today?”

“No, Ma’am. They both had to work at the hospital today. I think that Peter has something planned for Crystal when she’s through with work.” Sam shrugged, “So, it’s just me and the six feet of trouble sitting on your counter.” Sam saw the raised eyebrow coming to Mable’s face as she looked over at her daughter. “Is there anything that we can do to help, Mom?”

Mable looked first at her daughter and then at her husband, a pleasant smile on her face. “No… not at the moment. Why don’t you young ones go socialize with the rest of the family in the living room?”

“That sounds good,” Brooke hopped off the counter, “to me.” She closed in fast on Sam, picking her up in a bear hug that caused the younger woman to wrap her legs around Brooke’s waist. “Trouble, huh?” The dark-haired woman nuzzled into her lover’s neck playfully. “I’ll show you trouble. Come on, Cupcake… let’s go pretend to be sociable.”

Sam began to laugh as the warm breath tickled her neck. “Brooke, I can walk. Honest, I…” The young woman’s attempt at protest was cut off when Brooke’s lips claimed hers. With her ankles now locked behind the taller woman’s waist, Sam leaned back slightly, gazing into crystal blue eyes. “Well, when you put it that way…”

Amazed at the playfulness and lighthearted antics of his second oldest daughter, Henry watched as Brooke carefully walked out of the kitchen with Sam. Letting the smile come to his face as he walked over to Mable, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and placed a kiss on her cheek. “You know… I have never seen our daughter this happy. Sam is a wonderful girl.”

Mable smiled as she leaned into his kiss then gave him one of her own. “That is your daughter, Henry. I’m laying claim to Sam. She sure has done a wonder of good for Brooke. Don’t you think?”

The man nodded his head in agreement. “Yes she has. Brooke’s been like a completely different person over the last week since Sam moved in with her.”

Mable placed the knife she had been using in the sink before turning around in her husband’s embrace. “I remember when we first moved in together after the wedding.” She smiled up at Henry and winked.

“So do I. Nine months and three days later, Randi was born.” His smile grew bigger as he looked down at his wife with pride. “It does feel good to know that Brooke has found someone… especially someone like Sam. That girl is definitely a treasure.”

“You’re right,” Mable sighed. “But, Henry…” she grabbed his arm and pointed a cautionary finger in his direction, “I wouldn’t be marking off those days on the calendar just yet. I think they’ll need a little bit more than beginner’s luck to start a family of their own.” The matriarch patted his stomach and winked.

LINE BREAK

Dinnertime found the entire Gordon family seated around the dining room table. During the course of the meal, Brooke was more than eager to lose herself in happy thoughts as she watched the love of her life become so animated in the discussion with her father. Henry seemed to take special interest in the young blonde, as he and Mother both tried to make her feel more welcomed than ever at the gathering.

By the time the dinner was drawing near an end, all eyes seemed to travel to Brooke as the woman became oblivious to the people around her. Trying to break the spell that Sam held on her sister, Randi called out her name in conversation. “Brooke, did you…” Randi watched as Brooke’s gaze never wavered from the young blonde. Leaning toward her husband, Randi whispered, and then motioned to pass it down the line and around the table, giving a quick glance and point at her mesmerized sibling. “Brian, go on,” she urged him as she tapped at his shoulder.

Brian nodded out of duty to his wife, then complied with her wishes, repeating the message as he had been told, complete with the emphatic urging at the end. One by one the family members passed the message down the table until it came to rest on C.C.’s shoulders to do the deed that was started a table length and a half ago.

Pausing for a moment, C.C. politely nodded her head, then looked over to Randi as she put down her fork and leveled a sharp, pointed elbow to Brooke’s ribs.

Annoyed by the disturbance, Brooke looked over at C.C., wondering why she had been hit. “What?”

While everyone watching giggled, C.C. pointed across the table to Randi as she explained, “She wants you, Oh, Self-Entertained One.”

“Hmm…? What’s up?” Brooke asked, looking as though she had just woken up from a most pleasant dream.

C.C. rolled her eyes, and then looked directly at Brooke. “Randi… she asked you a question, Doofus.”

“Oh… sorry,” Brooke blushed as she focused her attention on her older sister. “Yes, Randi?”

“Well… now that you’re up…” Randi began. “Whatever happened to that twelve days of Christmas theme?”

“Ooh… Ooh! I know!” C.C. chimed in and began to happily sing at the table. “The first day after Christmas, my true love and I had a fight… and so I chopped the pear tree down and burned it just for spite… And with a single cartridge, I shot that frickin’ partridge…”

Her song was stopped abruptly by a mock smack to the back of her head originating from Brooke’s powerful arm. “Not that theme, Smart-aleck…”

“Yes, Cjersti…” Mable said, calling her youngest by her given name as she started to clear the table. “Where on Earth did you ever learn that dreadful tune?”

The table grew silent as several pairs of eyes slowly shifted toward Brooke. Seeing the gathered attention coming her way, Brooke brought her hand to her mouth and coughed rather dryly as she pretended not to have heard the question. “Randi was talking about Sam’s Christmas presents… That twelve days of Christmas theme.”

“Yeah… what did you get, Sam?” Terri chimed in and asked Sam as the young blonde turned a questioning eye to her lover.

“Yeah… come on, Brooke. We’re all family. Well… almost all,” Rick corrected as he winked at Sam.

Sam smiled pleasantly as she answered, “I’ll let her tell you.”

Brooke’s eyes lit up like the previous week’s Christmas tree as she began naming Sam’s gifts. “Let’s see… she got twelve keys.” All eyes around the table were on Brooke as she continued. “Eleven long stem red roses… ten chocolate covered strawberries… nine cans of Hershey’s syrup…” Brooke looked over to see if Sam would be able to contain the blush that crossed her fair features with the mention of chocolate syrup. Pleased that the making of a slight blush was already creeping up her lover’s neck, Brooke smiled as she opened her mouth to continue.

“Only nine of those?” Rick seemed surprised. “Why, if that were Terri, it would have to have been… Ooomph!” The man’s eyes bugged out with the blow of his pregnant wife’s elbow to his midsection.

“Don’t interrupt her, Dear,” Terri smiled sweetly at her husband. “Go on, Brooke… please.”

Brooke laughed at her sister’s less than ladylike interruption, and then turned to look into Sam’s eyes as she continued. “Eight uhm…” the woman swallowed audibly as she searched for the right words, “…articles of clothing… for lack of a better term…”

“Lack of material would be more appropriate,” C.C. teased.

Brooke rolled her eyes before continuing, “Seven days of undivided attention… six scented candles…”

“FIVE GOLD RINGS!” C.C. burst into song with a slightly off-key rendition of the familiar song.

Sam shook her head and laughed, “How did I know that was coming?” She looked down to C.C. and mouthed “Thanks”, then looked to the woman beside her. “Go on, Babe, you can finish.” She pulled Brooke’s face down to hers and placed a soft kiss on the older woman’s cheek.

“Thanks, Darlin.” Brooke winked at Sam, before casting an arched eyebrow in C.C.’s direction. “Now, where was I? Oh yeah…” she turned her gaze back to Sam. “Oh, yeah… the four hours of dancing the other night… three bottles of wine… two loving family members, her father and sister, and me in a bare tree,” Brooke finished with a mischievous glint in her blue eyes.

“No star, Anti Bwooke?” a small voice was heard over the laughter around the table.

“What, Sweetpea?” Brooke asked as she picked up her niece, who had made her way out of her father’s lap and over to her favorite aunt.

“You didn’t give her a star?” Julie asked.

“Actually, I uhm… I…” there was a faint smile pulling at the corners of Brooke’s mouth when a solution came to her mind. “I gave her a chocolate star,” the woman muttered as she tugged on her ear while she answered, her gaze settling on no one in particular.

Julie made a face as she thought about the answer given to her. “Otay. Dat sounds good enuff.”

There was a soft chuckle across the table from Randi and Brian as they enjoyed the fact that even their three-year old could cause Brooke to stutter from embarrassment.

Henry and Mable gathered a handful of dishes, then scurried off to the kitchen while everyone else discussed Sam’s presents. Moments later, Henry returned with a chilled bottle of champagne. Taking his time, he began to make his way around the table, filling everyone’s glass with the exception of Terri’s.

“What’s this for, Dad?” Sam asked curiously as her glass was filled.

Henry smiled at the ease with which Sam entered into their family. “It’s New Year’s Eve, Sam. We have to have champagne on New Year’s Eve.” He continued to his wife’s glass, then filled his own, smiling at Mable when she entered the room with a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne for her grandchildren’s glasses, as well as Terri’s.

“Is someone going to be giving a toast?” Sam looked over to Brooke, giving her a wink, and elbowing her playfully.

“Actually, I thought I’d give her a break this year.” Henry sat the nearly empty bottle down on the table. “This year it’s up to…” He watched as C.C. looked up, her eyes pleading, hoping she would finally be allowed to do a toast now that she was of legal age to drink. Henry let his eyes roam over the dinner guests until he scanned his eyes right past C.C. and over to his two son-in-laws. “…Brian and Rick.”

C.C. tried not to look as disappointed as she felt when she looked down to her lap. Quietly, she spoke, “I guess you have to be twenty-one for a few years, huh Dad?”

Noticing the genuine pout on C.C.’s face, Henry added, “… And C.C.”

Brown eyes looked up into a matching pair as C.C.’s face broke out in a huge grin. “Really?” She jumped up from her chair, bumping into Kevin on her way up. “You mean I finally get to be a part of the adult activity?”

Henry smiled at his youngest daughter’s enthusiasm. “Sure, no telling what those two troublemakers would come up with on their own.” He stole a glance in his sons-in-laws’ direction, then turned to address the entire gathering. “Actually, why don’t we move this into the living room? There’s more room in there and it’s much cozier by the fireplace on this cold evening.”

Everyone agreed and started to move away from the table. Brooke stood up and held a hand out for Sam to take as the small blonde rose. “I’ve got these, Sweetheart,” Brooke motioned to the two champagne glasses in her hands.

“Thanks, Hon.” Sam reached up and kissed Brooke softly on her lips. “I really like your family’s traditions.”

Brooke smiled as she motioned for Sam to walk ahead of her. Making their way into the living room, they could see that Brooke’s father was already positioning Brian, C.C. and Rick in front of the fireplace.

Fearing that they may have to stand, Brooke handed Sam her glass while everyone got settled only to have it handed right back to her when Julie tugged on Sam. With the small child now securely held in Sam’s arms, Brooke sat both of their glasses down on the nearby end table.

Randi followed her daughter over to Sam and Brooke and stood behind her sister. She watched as David sat between his grandmother and Aunt Terri on the couch while Kevin stayed with her, hugging her leg. Leaning in toward her sister, Randi whispered rather loudly, “You know, you left out the one that C.C. screeched through. What did you give Sam for the number five? You’ve got me curious.”

“Yeah, Aunt Brooke. You left out the five,” Kevin added as he looked at his hand and held up the appropriate number of fingers.”

Brooke looked down and ruffled the boy’s dark blonde hair. “Your Aunt C.C. had it right, Kevin. Sam got five gold rings. Somebody gonna start this toast?”

“Yes, gentlemen… and lady. Who’s going to start?” Mable asked as she looked from one son-in-law to the other, eyeing her daughter as well.

“Not C.C., since you just said the word ‘lady’,” Terri added with a grin.

“Hardy-har-har,” C.C. replied as she rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue.

Brian looked around at his family. “I guess I’ll start.”

Sam furrowed her brow as she tried to recall receiving five gold rings when Brian cleared his throat.

“To a year of good health, family and love…”

“Well, that’s the three of us but what about C.C.?” Randi chuckled looking to both Brooke and Terri.

“Okay, Rick… you’re on,” Brian nodded his head towards his brother-in-law.

Rick took a deep breath and stuck out his chin. “To the memory of days past and the hope of more to come.” He put on his most debonair smile, then turned to C.C., rolling his hand to indicate her moment in the spotlight. The brunette stepped forward, rubbing her hands together nervously. She opened her mouth to speak and was startled when it wasn’t her voice that she heard.

“Wait a minute, Brooke. You haven’t given me five gold rings,” Sam pointed out as she shifted Julie from one hip to the other as the toddler looked down to Sam’s belly.

“Yes, I did.” Brooke answered, matter-of-factly.

Sam thought about it and shook her head in the negative. “No… no you haven’t. Count them down for me. The first one was the gold key ring, right?”

Brooke nodded her head as she wrapped a hand around Sam’s shoulder. “Yep. There was the gold key ring. The roses had a gold ribbon tied around them. There was a gold ring around the one Christmas can of Hershey’s syrup… on the lid…”

“You’re counting that, huh?” Sam asked as Julie began to wiggle out of her arms. Sam placed the child on the floor while Julie continued to play and talk to Sam’s stomach. “Okay, what else?” Sam asked as she absent-mindedly ran a hand through Julie’s hair.

“The gold elastic thingy around the candles.” Brooke started to look nervous as Julie began pulling on her sleeve to get her attention.

“Now, that’s really stretching it a bit, don’t you think, Brooke?” Terri chuckled.

“No, of course not. Okay, Chase… you can finish your toast now.” Brooke pleaded with her eyes as she leaned over to see what Julie wanted.

Sam watched, still slightly confused as Brooke listened to Julie’s whisper and then placed her ear against Sam’s stomach. “Brooke… that’s only four. What’s number five?”

“Ahh forget it, Sam. It’s probably stupid anyway.” C.C. interrupted Sam’s interrogation and cleared her throat. “To the hope that rings true to all that have love in their hearts. May the last year be only a promise of what’s to come. Happy New Year.” C.C. raised her glass to toast everyone as the familiar salutation was said in return.

Sam looked down to her lover and to Julie who were now whispering and giggling. “What’re you two conspiring about now?”

“Nuffin, Sam. Aunt Bwooke had ta ask da baby sumfin and she said ‘yes’.”

Sam smiled at Julie as Brooke stood back up. “Oh, yeah?” Sam looked up into Brooke’s eyes. “And what am I in this conspiracy?”

Brooke grinned. “You… are the topic of our conversation.” Brooke replied as C.C. walked over to toast her sister and former roommate.

Sam noticed C.C. and reached for her glass, sitting on the end table. “Happy New Year, C.C.”

“Happy New Year… Sis,” C.C. answered as she grinned and winked at Sam.

Sam smiled and absent-mindedly brought the glass to her lips as she started to take a drink of the bubbly liquid. Hearing a strange noise, Sam pulled the glass from her lips and stared into it. “Julie, did you drop one of your play rings down in here?” Sam looked at the sparkling piece of jewelry sinking to the bottom of her glass.

“No… Aunt Bwooke did. Da baby said it was okay.” Julie answered innocently.

Sam looked over to Brooke who seemed to be sweating by this point. “Brooke, that’s not funny. I could have swallowed that.”

Brooke’s eyes grew to twice their normal size as she grabbed her lover’s glass. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t.” Brooke reached in and grabbed the 1.32-carat diamond ring, wiping it off carefully on her shirt before holding it up for Sam to see. “It probably would have hurt if you swallowed this.”

Sam looked back and forth between the ring and Brooke. “That’s not a play ring, is it?”

Brooke closed her eyes and shook her head, slightly. “No, it’s not a play ring.” There was a moment of silence before a well-tuned snippet of a song came floating off of Brooke’s lips as she waited for some kind of reaction from Sam. “Five Gold Rings…”

“I… ah… what… ah… Brooke, I don’t understand,” Sam managed to stutter out as she searched Brooke’s face for answers.

Everyone began to gather around the two when Brooke got down on one knee in front of Sam. She reached up and nervously took Sam’s hand in hers. “Sam… I uhm…” Her heart was racing and her mouth began to go dry. Brooke closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before continuing to do what had haunted her thoughts and dreams for weeks now. “I can’t imagine being without you for even a day. The more time we spend together, the more I love you…”

Sam’s eyes began to water as Brooke started to sing softly to her.

“Will you be there beside me if the world falls apart? And will all of our moments remain in your heart? Will you be there to guide me all the way through? I wonder will you… Walk by my side and follow my dreams? And bear with my pride as strong as it seems? Will you be there tomorrow? Will you be there beside me as time goes on by and be there to hold me whenever I cry? Will you be there to guide me all the way through? I wonder will you… Walk by my side and follow my dreams? And bear with my pride as strong as it seems? Will you be there tomorrow?”

Watching the fountain of tears falling down Sam’s cheeks, Brooke began to speak to her again. “I don’t care what people think or what they say. All I know is that I need to have you in my life, like I need air to breathe. I want to do right by you and I’ve tried to in everyway I could possibly think of. So, I’ve asked Aunt Sandy and your father for permission and well… I kind of asked Chastity too…” Brooke added with a shy grin.

Sam continued to stare into Brooke’s eyes as she felt her heart beat pick up speed, barely able to choke out, “You have… what?”

“I asked Chastity if it would be alright if I asked her mom to marry me…” Brooke took a breath in and pressed on. “Sam, she said ‘yes’.”

The blonde was speechless. Sam was afraid her ears were deceiving her until Brooke spoke again.

“Sam… will you marry me?” Brooke held the ring poised, ready to slide it onto Sam’s finger, as she gazed into green eyes for an answer.

Feeling the love in the words as they reverberated in her ears, Sam couldn’t help but close her eyes to savor the most precious moment of her life. She opened her eyes and looked down at the gold band as Brooke hesitantly waited to slide it onto her finger. Slowly, the lump in her throat eased, although she was still tongue-tied for words. Sam didn’t trust herself to speak, so she nodded at Brooke as the tears continued to roll down her flushed cheeks. Lifting her eyes to Brooke’s, she found her voice. “You bet your twelve days of Christmas, I will.”

Without looking down, Sam could feel the ring slip into place on her finger as dazzling blue eyes stared lovingly at her. Sam reached out and wrapped her arms around Brooke, pulling the crying woman in close to her heart. “Yes, Brooke… yes,” Sam whispered as she leaned over far enough to kiss Brooke on top of her dark head.

Brooke stood up and applause erupted throughout the room when she melted into a kiss with the blonde. “I love you, Sam.” Brooke whispered, breaking their kiss just long enough to whisper those words.

“I love you, Brooke. Thank you. It’s the best present ever.”

Brooke pulled away far enough to wipe the tears from Sam’s tear-stained cheeks. “No, Darlin… you are.”

Sam looked down to the ring on her finger, seeing the round diamond sticking out in the center surrounded by two smaller diamonds on each of its two sides. Filled with love, Sam looked back up into Brooke’s eyes. “We both are.”

Sam continued looking at the ring for the majority of the drive home. When she wasn’t in awe of the gem on her finger, she was in awe of the woman beside her.

Watching Sam closely as they came to a stop at a traffic light, Brooke reached over for her hand. Before Brooke could even register what she was doing, she had brought Sam’s hand up to her lips and kissed the back of it tenderly.

“I guess I’ll have to be more careful with who I let kiss my hand now,” Sam commented as she winked at Brooke. “I still can’t believe you did that.”

Brooke let her eyes gaze over to Sam. “Why?”

“Why? I could name a dozen reasons why, Brooke. You haven’t even known me that long…”

Brooke cut her off before she could finish. “Sam, you wouldn’t even believe me if I told you when I bought it.” The light turned green and Brooke put the Sequoia in motion once again towards home.

“You’re not going to tell me it was after that first movie, are you?” Sam teased her lover and smiled when she noticed that Brooke made no attempt to release her hand.

“I bought it the last night Peter and I were in New Jersey… the night before I came home.”

Sam was quiet for a moment as she considered the time that Brooke spoke of. “But… I… we… we hadn’t even made love yet.”

“Sam, I didn’t need to make love with you to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Loving you is the most wonderful feeling… everything else is just icing on the cake, so to speak.”

“Or the chocolate syrup on the dessert,” Sam added her own analogy as she shot a rakish grin in Brooke’s direction.

“Yeah, Baby. Something like that.” Brooke winked over at Sam as she turned off the main road and started down the long stretch to their home.

“Well… that does take a load off my mind,” Sam commented.

Brooke furrowed her brow in confusion. “Load off? Why?”

“Well, it means that sex isn’t what this whole relationship is about, that’s all.” Sam glanced at her lover, hoping that she was enjoying the tease.

“Of course it’s not, Sam. I wasn’t always the sex-crazed monster you share a bed with now.” Brooke couldn’t help but tease the younger woman. “That was your doing, Darlin.” Brooke slowed down enough to be able to reach over and plant a kiss on Sam’s cheek. She felt her hand squeezed in response by the blonde.

“You know what? I’ve been thinking…” Brooke broke the comfortable silence that had settled between them. “You still have another week before you start at Brownstone. Why don’t we go somewhere for a few days?” Brooke glanced over at Sam to gauge her reaction to the suggestion.

Interested green eyes looked over at the driver. “What… just run off and not tell anyone?” Sam smiled as she whispered softly, “So… where were you thinking of taking me?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Let’s go up to New England or something. We could hide out in a room with it all cold and snowy outside, lay in front of a fireplace at a bed and breakfast somewhere. What do you say?”

“Hmmm… sounds very romantic to me. Do you think we could start that tonight… at least in our minds? I happen to know of a very special container of Hershey’s syrup with your name written all over it. Well… at least I bet I could write your name with it.” Sam slid closer to Brooke as they neared the house.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Sam.”

“Well then, I say ‘yes’. What other answer could I give you tonight but ‘yes’?” Sam practically lost her train of thought as they parked the truck in front of the house and leaned into a kiss that became very passionate to both women. After a long enticing moment, Sam pulled away for air when she noticed the shadow of someone standing on the porch. “Brooke, someone’s on the porch. Are you expecting anyone?”

Brooke furrowed her brows as she shut off the ignition. “No, I’m not. Stay here in the truck and lock the doors.”

Sam could tell by the look of determination on Brooke’s face that there would be no argument. “Okay. But if it’s James, you get right back in here.”

Brooke nodded her head in agreement as she stepped out of the truck and made her way, cautiously, towards the porch. Even with the porch light on, she couldn’t tell who the person was standing in the shadows cast by the columns on the porch. “Can I help you?”

“Brooke? Is my sister with you?” a small voice asked, shaking slightly from the cold.

“Sarah?” Brooke asked in disbelief.

“Yeah… it’s me. I need my sister.”

“Sam,” Brooke called out over her shoulder. “You’d better get out of the truck and come here.” Kicking the duffel bag at Sarah’s feet as she tried to get closer, Brooke took off her jacket and wrapped it around the teen’s shoulders.

Sam got out and walked slowly up to the porch, her eyes growing in surprise upon seeing her sister. The blonde threw open her arms and took the smaller body into them in a hug, then quickly pulled back. “Sarah? What the…”

Sarah simply shrugged her shoulders. “I… uh… need a place to crash for a while. You see, I kind of ran away from home.”

Brooke and Sam looked back and forth to each other and then to Sarah. The young girl broke the deafening silence with three small words. “Happy New Year?” she said with a tentative smile as she held up the business card that Brooke had given her father.