Unbroken Season 1

Chapter 24 I Knew I Loved You Part I

“… Love’s more than a four-letter word… it’s everything that they say is real…”

Letting her feet steal silently down the hall to the bedroom that she now shared with her lover, Sam thought about the conversation that she’d just had with her sister Sarah. The small exchange that was spoken now weighed heavily on her mind. God, what if Sarah’s right?

The conversation quickly passed through Sam’s mind as she tried to analyze it for all that it was worth.

“You know Mom’s gonna have a bird when she finds out you’re getting married,” Sarah said confidently. “She’ll have a whole flock if you get pregnant.”

Sam remembered the weird face that Sarah made when she saw Sam’s own shocked face, and then asked in her child’s voice. “Mom couldn’t do anything… could she?”

“Could she?” Sam muttered, wondering the same as her sister, only this time, under her breath as she turned into the doorway of the master bedroom.

The blonde paused there for a moment and gazed at the dozing form on the bed with a recent issue of Modern Drummer draped across her chest. A smile spread from one side of her face to the other as Sam remembered how Brooke had tried to make Sarah feel at home when they had found her on their porch. “God, I knew I loved you… even before I met you,” Sam whispered as she remembered hearing part of their conversation.

“So are you mad at me… for crashing in on your New Years?” Sarah’s voice was monotone, almost as if she were waiting for a scolding.

“No, why would you think that?” Brooke’s concern showed through. “Worried, yes. Angry, no.” The tone of her voice was encouraging to say the least.

“I don’t know. I thought that maybe you and Sam…” Sarah paused, taking in a breath. “Well… maybe you wouldn’t want anyone around.”

The deep timber of Brooke’s voice brought a smile to Sam’s face as she remembered it. “Uh… it’s okay, Sarah. We need to worry about you now. What were you doing on the porch? How did you get here?”

“I… I ran away.” Sarah started hesitantly. “I hitched a ride after I told my parents that I was staying with a friend.”

“Ran away?” Brooke paused for only a second before dropping the question altogether. “Well, you’re here and safe. Right now, I’d say that’s all that matters. How about I get the fireplace going and we start getting you warmed up on the outside while Sam’s making you that cup of tea?”

“Yeah,” Sarah responded, sounding amazed. “You know something, Brooke? I wish I had you for a parent.”

“I’ll remember to tell Chastity you said that,” Brooke smirked.

“Chastity?” Sarah paused for a moment and looked around the room. “I don’t see any kid’s stuff.”

The look on her sister’s face was a mixture of both joy and shock all at the same time as Sam remembered entering the living room with the cup of hot tea.

“Sam… are you…”

Frozen in time, Sam’s mind brought back Sarah’s words from moments earlier. “You know, Mom’s gonna have a bird when she finds out you’re getting married. She’ll have a whole flock if you get pregnant.” The words spun round and round in her head like some cheap sound byte in a horror movie.

Sam acted on her sudden need to be close to the woman that she loved as she crossed the room. Crawling into the bed with the woman seemed like a good idea. As she tried to get the thoughts out of her head, Sam laid there, staring up at the ceiling.

“Brooke…” the soft voice called out. Sam turned her head to see the dark-haired woman next to her still asleep. The blonde bit her lip tentatively. Finally, deciding that her need for comfort was legitimate, Sam gave her slumbering lover a gentle nudge and called her name again. “Brooke.”

“Hmm…” the sleepy murmuring slowly started as Brooke began to stir. “Hey, Baby…” the half-asleep woman uttered as she tossed the magazine to the floor and then curled herself around Sam’s body.

“Hey… are you sure you want to have a family?” Sam stared up at the ceiling as she waited for the answer.

“Hmm…What?” Brooke settled in wrapping a strong arm around Sam’s waist.

“Family…” the blonde looked over at her lover. “You really want one, don’t you?”

“I already have you…” she tightened her hold on Sam, “…and Mario.” Brooke chuckled as she felt the dog jump up on the foot of the bed and curl up around their feet.

“Yeah, I know, but I was talking more like the pitter-patter of little feet and I don’t mean of the four-legged kind.” Sam gave a weak smile as she looked down to the ball of fur on the bed. “Good dog, Mario.”

“I would love for you and I to have our own family… I mean if that’s what we both want. Why do you ask?”

There was nothing but silence as Sam held back her thoughts.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Brooke said, still half asleep. “Have you been thinking more about it?”

“I don’t know… I just have this God awful feeling that she’ll try to do something to get to any child that I have.”

“Who?”

“My mother, who else?” Sam smirked.

“Sam…” Brooke sat up in bed and pulled her lover into her arms. “You know that I would never let her harm you or our child, don’t you?”

The young woman swallowed hard. “I know that. I’m just being foolish, I guess.”

“Never, Darlin’.” Brooke kissed blonde hair as she nuzzled into Sam’s head. “Besides, you can have my baby,” Brooke smirked. “That way she really would have no say in it at all.”

“Your baby?” Sam looked up into Brooke’s face. “Now that would really put her in a tizzy for sure,” the young woman chuckled.

“Yep, you can have my baby, then Randi and Terri wouldn’t think you were being left out of having a…” Brooke used her fingers to make quotation marks in the air, “…Gordon baby.”

“Well, you’re a little lacking in that specialty equipment but if you say so…” Sam trailed off in a chuckle, then reached up to give Brooke a quick kiss. “Let’s sleep on that thought, okay?”

“What thought?” Brooke grinned. “You having my baby? You know, she’d really be a part of both of us then.”

“Sure, what else would I be dreaming of?”

Brooke let her gaze drift around the room. “Oh, I dunno… a wedding maybe?” Brooke leaned in and kissed Sam behind her ear, then whispered, “I can’t believe you’re going to marry me.”

The young woman looked down at the ring on her finger and smiled. “Yeah, and without a second thought too. I’d marry you right now if you wanted me to, Hon.”

“You know what?” Brooke cleared her throat as she drew lazy circles on Sam’s leg. “I was thinking… I kind of have a surprise for you.” The dark-haired woman wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

“Brooke!” Sam reached over and gave her lover’s wandering hand a little tap. “Sarah is right down the hall.”

Pulling her hand back, Brooke continued. “I made us reservations for that ski trip we were talking about.”

Green eyes sparkled with excitement. “Yeah, and…?” Sam giggled as she felt the warm kisses being placed on her throat.

“I made us reservations for Wednesday through Sunday. I thought it would be nice with just you to keep me warm in that snowy winter weather.”

“Hmm…that’s five days… are we going to ski the whole time?”

“Well, not the whole time…” Brooke pulled back, giving Sam a devilish look. “I have a few surprises in store for you.”

“Hmm… I like surprises.” Sam’s train of thought stopped as Sarah entered her mind. “Brooke, you remember, we still have Sarah…”

“Not to worry, Darlin’,” Brooke kissed her temple. “Your Dad said that he’d even come stay here at the house with Sarah for a few days. It will give them a chance to work out some of the problems.”

“Well, thank you again for being the one to make that call to my parents tonight. I’m not so sure that Mother wouldn’t have just slammed the phone down when she heard my voice on the other end.”

“You’re welcome, Darlin’. You know that I’d do anything for you. Besides, they’d better get used to me, ’cause I intend on sticking around in their daughter’s life for a long time.” Brooke gave a little wink to the blonde. “You know, your dad is really looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday when he comes.”

“And how’s he going to pull that one off with my mother?”

“He said something about an out of town trip. I really don’t know.” Brooke feigned any knowledge of Samuel’s plans.

The young woman turned her head to gaze into Brooke’s face. “Hmm… and just what do you have planned, Brooke… that you’re involving my father in?” Sam saw the woman’s eyes widen at the same time that she heard the exaggerated intake of breath. “Wait. Hold it right there. I don’t want to know.” The blonde chuckled, “If you can get my mother to agree to let me come home for a few hours on Christmas, I can hardly imagine what you’re up to now. I saw how chummy you two were when you picked me up.”

“Hey, he asked if Sarah being here would spoil any plans we had for tonight and I told him no.” Brooke stated boldly, and then as she continued on, her voice started rambling just like her thoughts. “Then we got to talking about some other things and I told him about the ski trip. I mean… the weather’s supposed to be nasty here this weekend. I figured that way, instead of being cooped up with cabin fever here, we could actually make a vacation out of it, sort of.”

Green eyes stared at Brooke as Sam slowly shook her head. “Hmm… why do I think that there’s more to this?”

“Because you know me. You know I care about the people that I love. See, I even convinced you that you love me and want to marry me.” The dark-haired woman winked at her lover. “I’m a miracle worker,” she beamed proudly.

“That you are Honey.” Sam leaned in to snatch a kiss. “Now, let’s give that miracle of yours a rest. What do you say we get some sleep?”

“Sleep?” Brooke glanced over at the alarm clock on the nightstand. “Sam, Darlin’…” her head turned quickly back to the blonde. “It’s almost Midnight on New Year’s and you wanna sleep? You mean there’s no way I can convince you to stay awake for a bit?

“Well, since you put it that way…” Sam let the words come out slowly as if she had given it much thought, “…and we do have to start the year out right.” The thoughtful expression on the young woman’s face turned into one of sheer love as she closed the gap between them, melting into another kiss.

“Mmm…” Brooke sneaked a peek at the time on the clock. “Happy New Year, Sam,” she whispered, then resumed their kiss letting it move on to the more passionate side.

As the kiss ended Sam felt dazed, yet invigorated all at the same time. She came off the kiss and let her forehead rest against Brooke’s. “Happy New Year, Hon. That was a nice way to start this year together.”

“I agree.” Brooke took in a deep breath. “Anything else I can do for you, my love?” The older woman smirked, “You know, that doesn’t involve any chocolate syrup at the moment?” Brooke let the smile flash across her face. “Like you said, Sarah is just down the hall.”

Sam pulled her head back from her lover’s brow and wiggled her eyebrows as she gave the most rakish grin she could muster. “Need you ask?”

The risqué laugh started deep within Brooke’s chest, then rumbled out into the air. “Care to keep up our techniques on making a baby?”

“Well, you know what they say, Brooke… whatever you do during the first hour of the New Year, you’ll do the whole year through.”

“Oh, yeah?” Brooke sounded surprised, then smiled with delight. “Well, then, it sounds like one Gordon baby on the way to me.”

The sound of bacon sizzling in the pan was the background music for the couple engaged in a kiss as the toaster punctuated the melody with a timely sound, popping the golden brown slices out of its inferno. Sam took in a breath as she looked over to the food, trying hard to keep a watchful eye on it as Brooke teased her with soft kisses and whispers meant for only her ears.

“Brooke,” Sam giggled as her ear was being nibbled on, “Stop it. I’m not having my sister think that I can’t cook. We are not burning breakfast again this morning.” The young woman turned her head from the distraction when she caught sight of her sister standing in the doorway. “Hey, Sarah. Did you get enough sleep last night?

Brooke turned to greet her future sister-in-law. “Hey, kiddo. How’d you sleep after that big day of shopping with your sister?” The dark-haired woman let a lazy smile come to her face, then slipped into a kiss to Sam as she waited for a reply.

Sarah tried to focus while she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Oh, hi,” she groaned, “‘morning.” She stifled a yawn. “You know, you guys have some god awful noises in this house. They nearly kept me up all night.” The girl quickly brought her hand to her mouth as she yawned again.

The dark-haired woman coughed nervously after thinking about the previous night. “Noises…you say?”

“Yeah, that’s the second night in a row now.” Sarah watched as her sister shot a quick glance to Brooke. The teen hastily quelled the satisfied smile that came to her face.

“Ah… it must have been that wind last night. You know, with the snow… I guess you’re just not used to that kind of howling with the houses so far apart out here.” Sam tried to busy herself with the food on the stove, so that the blush that she felt coming was hidden from her sister’s view.

“Uh-huh… Okay, Sis. I mean, you should know.” Sarah shuffled over to the table and sat down as Brooke moved away from Sam, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Nonchalantly, the young girl fingered the glass of juice at her place setting, then picked it up, taking a sip. “By the way, Sam…” Sarah sipped at the juice again. “When did you become so religious?”

“Religious?” Sam turned to look at her sister, then stole a glance at Brooke. The furrows in her brow grew deeper as she racked her brain trying to think of what her sister was referring to. Suddenly a thought came to her, causing her face to lose its color. Stunned by her sister’s inferred reason for her sleepless night, Sam could do nothing but mouth out the very words that the girl was referring to. “Oh God.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought I heard you calling out. ‘Oh God,’ exactly.”

Sarah enjoyed the fast rise of red that traveled up her sister’s neck and overtook Sam’s face in seconds. “I figured that you must have found some kind of religious inspiration… or something.”

“I… I… It’s a new…” Sam’s eyes darted from her sister to her lover. “Brooke what is that called that you were teaching…” she glanced over to see that the words caught Brooke by surprise in mid-swallow, causing her to spew coffee all over the floor. “Damn you,” Sam muttered under her breath, then trailed off. “You would hear everything.”

The tall woman wiped at her mouth with one hand as she set the cup down on the counter. “Sorry, I… I… I’ll go get a towel and clean that up.” Brooke shot a glance at her lover. “And no, it wasn’t ‘damn you’ that you were saying last night,” Brooke smirked as she passed the blonde, making a quick exit from the room.

Startled, Sam tried to regroup as she faced her sister alone. “Chant…” the blonde’s eyes grew bigger with an idea, and she quickly jumped into it, thinking as she went. “That’s what it was, Sarah. It was a chant to ah… ah… get me to… relax and… and ah…”

“To Brooke?” Sarah cast a doubtful look at her sister. “The way you were calling out her name?” The young girl shook her head. “I don’t know, Sis. You would have thought she was the patron saint of orgasms the way you were carrying on last night.”

Sam felt her legs growing weaker and braced herself with a stiff arm, leaning onto the counter. “Oh God,” the blonde hid her face in her hands, mortified by her own sister’s perspective on the situation.

The young girl let go with a toothy grin as she relished in her sister’s embarrassment. “Sam… I’m seventeen now. I may not be a legal adult but I’m not stupid either. I know that you and Brooke are getting closer… more intimate, now that you’re engaged.”

The only thing that Sam could do was shake her head in disbelief. Slowly, she was able to bring a hand down from her face and cast as innocent a look as she could muster. Sam gave a faint smile as she tried to move the conversation to a less embarrassing topic. “Speaking of you being seventeen now, you know I sent you a card for your birthday in November. I guess Mom didn’t let you have it.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Sarah took another drink of her juice. “Yeah, I figured that you did. She was kind of bent out of shape after the mail came that day.” The young girl’s eyes followed Brooke as she came back into the room and went to work to clean up her mess.

“So, are you done humiliating your big sister?” Sam asked Sarah as she kept her attention on Brooke.

Brooke stood up with the coffee stained towel in her hand. As she turned to put it on the counter, her gaze caught Sam’s and she began to turn red. The tall woman picked up her cup again and walked over to the table where Sarah was sitting, making sure to keep her eyes darting anywhere but at the young girl. “Ah… sorry. I don’t know what came over me there.” Brooke raised the cup to her lips.

“That depends, Sis.” Sarah teased her future sister-in-law, reacting like the statement was directed to her.

Sam’s gaze moved to Sarah. “Depends on what?” She watched as the young girl smiled coyly at the dark-haired woman drinking coffee across the table from her.

“Is she really that good?” Sarah glanced over to Sam, seeing the shocked look on her face. Both sisters locked gazes for only a second or two before their attention was drawn to the sounds coming from the woman in question as she choked on her coffee, once again.

Sam saw the wide-eyed stunned look on Brooke’s face. As she moved closer to her, Brooke’s color was coming back to her skin and starting to turn rapidly into a blush. “Hmm…” Sam stood next to her lover, giving her a little pat on the back. “Yeah, she’s that good.” Sam heard the dark-haired woman’s gasp for breath, then she leaned in toward her and teased, “Your turn to blush now,” the blonde smiled as she used Brooke’s favorite term of endearment, “Darlin’.”

Half covering her mouth as she made a little coughing noise, Brooke looked over to her half full cup of coffee and grabbed it as she got up from the chair. Shooting a dirty look at her lover, she went to the sink and poured the coffee down the drain. “You’re evil,” she teased Sam with a smirk.

“Oh… and I thought I was a temptress.” Sam quickly came back as she gave her most sultry smile when she caught Brooke’s eye.

“And you, Brooke, are obviously God.” Sarah smiled mischievously at the tall woman whose gaze slowly turned to her.

“Sarah!” Sam said in shock.

“You,” Brooke pointed a finger at the young girl, then fought to keep the smile from her face. “You are definitely related to your sister.”

“Why, thank you.” Sarah rose from her chair and bowed, flashing a huge smile in her sister’s direction. “Come on, Mario.” She looked to the dog as he got up from under the table. “Let’s go watch for my dad to come.”

Brooke stood there dumbfounded at Sarah’s ability to fit right into the household after being there little more than a day.

Sam held in the laughter that wanted to come out and sauntered slowly over to her tall lover. “Guess I might be pretty good at it…” the blonde played with the buttons on Brooke’s shirt, “…when I get around to it, too.”

Almost in unison, the dark eyebrow arched on the woman’s forehead as she focused her attention on the sassy young blonde in front of her. “Temptress?”

The look was returned as Sam cocked her head to a side, looking up at the taller woman. “Sound proof walls, huh? My ass.” Sam held the look as long as she could before losing it to laughter as Brooke stuttered out her words.

“I… I told you… that… that… the studio was sound… sound proof.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that we’re leaving today or we’d be sleeping for sure in the recording studio with my Dad staying here tonight.” Sam threw a cautionary gaze to her lover. “Maybe we should think about getting that master bedroom soundproofed if we intend on raising a family in this house.” Sam reached up and kissed Brooke on the lips then batted her eyelashes seductively as she started to back away from the woman.

“I’ll show you a temptress.” Brooke reached out and caught Sam’s arm, tugging her back toward her. “Come here, little girl,” Brooke teased with a throaty growl as she drew her tongue across her lips.

The blonde’s green eyes grew bigger, seeing the seductively playful side of her lover starting to surface. “Oh God, no.” Sam found herself being pulled in to Brooke’s body while long arms began to wrap around her torso. “Not with Daddy coming.” Before she knew it, the drummer’s large hands were caressing her buttocks and Sam could feel herself being lifted off the floor and into the waiting lips that were poised and ready for a kiss.

The dark-haired woman ended the kiss after a few seconds, feeling the tension in Sam’s body. Letting the young woman speak, Brooke slowly and deliberately nipped at her lover’s lips, planting kisses on her cheeks and throat in between Sam’s words.

“Brooke,” Sam felt the tug at her lips. “What are…” the soft, butterfly kisses that were being lavished on her cheek started to distract her, “…are you doing?” Feeling the resolve in her body start to fade, Sam called out for help. “Sarah…” her body began to melt under the barrage of tender ministrations that Brooke was so involved in. “Where are…” Sam’s body relaxed as she turned from recipient of kisses to willing participant, giving a few of her own, “…you?”

Sam could feel the corners of Brooke’s mouth turn up into a smile as she laid a kiss directly on the tall woman’s lips. “Hmm… now I could get into this.”

“Could you now?” Brooke’s husky throated reply came amid a slathering of soft kisses.

Gasping for air the blonde nodded her head. “Yeah, just as soon as Daddy gets here and we’re gone.” Sam could feel the rush from her surging emotions as Brooke carried her to the counter and sat her on it. Pulling back from the latest bevy of stimulating kisses, Sam leveled a heavy lidded gaze at her love. “How long is that flight to New England?”

The tall woman cocked her head to the side and nuzzled into Sam’s neck, kissing it softly on her most sensitive spot. “Don’t know. Don’t care.” Brooke kissed Sam again as her hands began to roam across the young woman’s body. “Besides, your Dad won’t mind. He said that I could give you all the extra special attention that I thought was necessary.”

“Oh… ah…” Sam rolled her eyes at the sensations her body was having. “How…” she paused to enjoy a particularly intense stimulation as Brooke’s thumbs grazed over her nipples. “Oh God…” Sam whispered in a breathy voice. “Don’t even bother telling me.”

“Sam?”

“Yeah…”

“Shut up and kiss me.” Brooke groaned as their two sets of lips converged, leading the way to a most delicate dance of dueling tongues.

Mario was the first to announce the presence of a visitor when he went running off to the door and stood up on his hind legs, looking out the window. He turned his head to show bright blue eyes as he let out a loud bark, “Arf!”

Seeing the car pulling up the driveway, the husky pawed at the window, giving another little bark as he pushed off and landed on the floor. Prancing with anticipation at the door for a second or two, the dog took off into the living room and over to where Sarah sat listening to music with her headphones on her ears.

The young girl never budged. She was unaware of the animal’s barking. After several sharp barks, Mario resorted to jumping up and landing with his front paws directly into Sarah’s lap.

Startled by the husky with its tongue hanging out, staring her in the face, and punctuating the air with sharp sounding barks, Sarah pulled the headphones off and moved her portable CD player from the couch onto the end table.

“What’s up, fella?” Sarah watched as the dog gave up a muffled “Woof” then got down on the floor with all four paws and took off toward the front door. “I guess that means you want me to follow you,” the girl smiled as she got up from the couch and followed the animal.

Mimicking the actions of the household pet, Sarah looked out the side window when she got to the door. Her excitement grew seeing the familiar car in the driveway and her father heading for the porch. “Daddy,” she muttered under her breath.

She reached for the doorknob and yelled over her shoulder. “Sam, Daddy’s here.” Before the man was on the porch, Sarah had opened the door and bounded out into his arms.

“Hey, Munchkin.” Samuel wrapped his daughter in a big hug. “I was worried about you.” He smiled, feeling his youngest daughter’s kiss on his cheek.

“I’m sorry, Dad. I just really missed Sam.” Sarah sighed as she let her arms drop to her sides. “I’m sorry that I lied to you and Mom about being at Jamie’s. I… I just wanted to see Sam and… well…” She looked up into her father’s eyes. “I really wanted to meet Brooke. Dad, she’s so cool. She didn’t even yell at me for showing up on New Year’s Eve.”

Samuel stepped back and appraised his daughter. “Hmm… you look like the same girl I knew last year…” he rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. “So when did a few days make you so much older?”

“Maybe because Brooke doesn’t treat me like a kid.” Sarah shrugged, then grabbed her father’s hand and pulled him into the house. “Come on in, Dad. Brooke said that you were going to stay with me.”

“Hey, maybe while we’re here we can think of something that would prove to Mom how cool she really is.” Samuel smiled as he entered the doorway.

Sarah turned to face her father as she continued walking backwards. “Come on, Dad.” She noticed his gaze roaming from her and spoke a little louder to get his attention. “Dad… Move Mario.” She looked down at the dog as it waltzed around, sniffing the air and hesitantly edging closer to the newcomer. “He’s not going to hurt us, Mario. Sarah turned her attention from the dog to her father for only a brief second before she let out with a yell. “SAM… BROOKE… My dad’s here.”

Flashing her father a wide grin as she closed the door, Sarah motioned for him to come along with her as she headed toward the kitchen. “I’m sure that they haven’t… ah… finished the dishes yet.”

The young girl tugged at her father’s hand as she led him through the house and into the hallway right outside the door to the kitchen.

The sound of a familiar bark quickened Brooke’s heart as she came away from the last kiss with a ragged breath. “Time…” she sucked in a mouthful of air, “…time to behave?” Blue eyes looked deeply into Sam’s eyes, hoping that she was wrong.

Regrouping her thoughts, Sam nodded her head. “Time to behave.” She took in a deep breath and let it out as she brought her hand to her mouth and kissed a single finger, then placed it across her lover’s lips. “Later Hon,” she winked. “I’ll give you all that you need later.” Sam turned away from the tall woman as she straightened her clothing.

“Sam…” Brooke parted her lips and let her tongue glide along them, making a pained looking face when she came to one particular area.

“Yeah?” Sam looked over her shoulder to see Brooke wiping her mouth on her hand.

“Did you have to bite my lip so hard?” Brooke drew her hand away from her face and looked at it. “It’s bleeding, Baby.” The dark-haired woman stuck out her lower lip in a pout, showing off the trickle of blood that was escaping her lower lip.

“Oh… Hon, sorry.” Sam heard Mario’s barks and the sound of the front door closing, then rolled her eyes. “I can see it now, between C.C. and my sister Sarah, I’m gonna die of embarrassment.”

“Hey, what does that have to do with you biting my lip?”

“I guess I got a little carried away.” Sam stepped closer to her lover. “Come here, let me kiss it and make it better.”

Brooke’s whole demeanor changed from pouting to one of excited anticipation as she welcomed her girl back into her arms. “Okay,” she smiled, and then captured Sam’s lips with her own.

With one foot off the ground, Sam felt the rush of blood going to her head once again as her strong lover’s arms held her tightly. It wasn’t long before the throbbing descended from her head to her lower regions, that she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat behind her.

Sam twisted in Brooke’s arms until she was able to get a view of the door with one eye. The sight of her father and sister standing in the doorway brought all of her muscles to attention as she immediately started to tense up. Ending the kiss rather abruptly, Sam raised one hand from Brooke’s shoulder and gave a little wave to their audience. “Oh… uhm…” She felt the heat of a blush searing toward her head as the level degree of redness in her face intensified. “Hi, Daddy.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” the sound came from the man shaking his head in the doorway. Samuel watched as his daughter turned and slid down the length of Brooke’s tall form until both of her feet were on the ground. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you that old expression?”

Half-scared to answer, Sam elbowed her lover and leaned back to whisper to the woman who was still plying her neck with kisses. “Honey, my Dad’s here.”

Samuel placed his hand over his youngest daughter’s ears and whispered out rather hoarsely, “I believe it’s, ‘get a room’.”

Sam ran her hand nervously through her short blonde hair. “Well, no one has said anything like that today. That seems to be C.C.’s job when she’s around.” The young woman looked up to her father’s face and saw the grin that was waiting for her. Relieved, she took in a deep breath.

“See, Sam, I told you that your dad wouldn’t mind.” Brooke felt the bony end of an elbow come sharply against her midsection. “Ow! What was that for?”

The blonde smiled sweetly at her father, then leaned back into Brooke. Speaking out of the side of her mouth, Sam gave her the reason. “For all the embarrassment that I’m going to die from.”

Sensing his daughter’s embarrassment, Samuel strode over to her and engulfed her in a loving embrace. “You’re not gonna die, Sweetie.”

“How can you be so sure?” Sam pouted, keeping her body stiff.

“Come on, Sam…” he pulled back and looked her in the eye. “It’s not like you never saw your mother and I kiss at home.” He saw her body ease and pulled her in tightly to kiss the top of her head. “And from the look on your face, I’m sure that Brooke has to be better at it than we are.” He stuck his head out to the side and winked at Brooke, watching as the shades of red came quickly, passing from one hued tone to the next in the tall woman’s face.

Leaning back on the counter with her elbow, Brooke turned to hide her face in her hand. “Oh God,” she groaned.

Sarah stood at the doorway, taking in the whole scene, until Brooke’s exasperated comment invoked her to speak. “Oh, no. Not you, too!”

Brooke sank back into her seat as she watched her lover unbuckle the seat belt. Riding in the jet was old hat to the CEO but she was enjoying it this time even more with the blonde by her side. The smugness of a smile graced her face as she thought about what the rest of their lives were going to be like. Together… from here on in, that’s what it is going to be for us. Reaching out, she wrapped her fingers around Sam’s hand and relished in the warmth that filled her with dreams of years to come.

Stirring from the make believe world she’d conjured up in her head, Brooke tuned back to reality with the sound of Sam’s voice. “Hmm…” Brooke opened her eyes and turned to her lover.

“I said,” Sam started again. “That was so nice of you to let Daddy and Sarah have the house for a few days while we’re gone.”

“Yeah,” Brooke nodded, “it’ll give them some time together away from your mother. It will be good for them.” She looked over to Sam to see the gentle nod of affirmation as the blonde gazed out the window of the plane.

The silence lasted for a short time before Sam turned back to the woman next to her. “So, how long is it going to take us to get to this winter hideaway that you know about?”

Looking out the window to see nothing but clouds passing her by, Brooke’s face took on a very thoughtful expression. “Well, I’d say by looks of the clouds…” Brooke hesitated for a moment, and then winked at her astute companion. “Not much longer. Johnnie’s a damn good pilot. She’ll have us there in the next couple of hours, if even that long.”

Sam let a teasing little laugh come out around her smile. “Great, so what do you want to do until then?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Do you have any ideas?”

“Hmm… let me see. We could… wax your skis, check your binding. Ah… maybe work on that lip balm?”

“Lip balm?” Brooke arched an eyebrow as Sam reached into her pocket and pulled out a stick of Chap Stick, causing a smile to come to the woman’s face. “Yeah, that’s it.”

“Care to share?” Sam offered the stick to her.

“Sure, after you.” Brooke watched diligently as Sam applied the moisturizer to her lips, letting a lazy smile come to her face.

When Sam was done, she closed the tube and held it out for Brooke, only to pull it back when she reached for it. “Ah, Ah, Ah… there’s a better way to do that.”

Brooke’s smile grew bigger as she leaned into her lover and kissed the freshly moisturized lips with her own. “You mean like that?”

“Exactly,” Sam murmured, then changed the angle of her head to make sure Brooke’s lips were fully covered.

Rubbing her lips together as she came off the kiss, Brooke sat back in her chair. “You know what I was thinking?” She saw the subtle shake of her lover’s head. “Why don’t we do some shopping when we get there?”

“Shopping?” Sam blinked in utter amazement. “You want to shop?”

“Yep,” Brooke nodded. “And I know what I’m shopping for.”

“Okay, I’m game, but what are we shopping for?”

Blue eyes dazzled with excitement as she waited for the suspense to build. “Wedding rings, what do you think?”

Green eyes gazed into blue for what seemed an eternity.

“What?” Brooke finally asked.

“Brooke, we just got engaged on Monday evening.”

“Yeah… and?” The dark-haired woman rested her elbow on the arm of the chair, and then let her chin lay on her hand as she leaned in to play with Sam’s cheek.

“Oh God, I think that I’m in love with one totally crazy woman.” Sam rolled her eyes. “We can’t get married, per se, Brooke.”

“Why not?” Brooke pulled back and stared unwaveringly. “I happen to know of a state or two where it’s legal for same sex marriages to be preformed.”

“Legal…” Sam’s voice trailed off. “Brooke Gordon, is that what this trip is all about?” The blonde’s eyes grew bigger. “We’re eloping, aren’t we?” Green eyes looked aimlessly at the tall woman when she thought about the heartbreak it would cause to her lover’s family. “Brooke… your mother’s not going to be happy about that.”

“Uh… not really.” Brooke tried to hold back the grin.

“Are you sure?” Sam eyed her lover suspiciously.

Running through the definition of the word elope in her head first, Brooke confidently nodded her head. “Yes, we’re definitely not eloping.” The tall woman waited for a moment then cleared her throat. “Just so you know Sam, same sex marriages are legal in Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts and you don’t have to be a resident of the state.”

“So we are…” Sam sat back in her seat with a huge smile on her face as she glanced over to her lover, “…aren’t we?”

“Sam, we’re not eloping.”

“Okay, then what are we doing?” Sam sat up in her seat and turned to look at Brooke.

“We’re taking a vacation in a state that just so happens to perform legal same sex marriages.” Brooke sat forward and kissed Sam on the lips briefly. “I just mentioned it to keep our options open, that’s all.”

“Open, huh?” Sam looked out the window as she settled back into her seat. “Why do I think this is an open and shut case?”

“Sam… I just want us to have a nice trip. We don’t…” Brooke gulped rather audibly as she pushed herself back into her chair, “…have to talk about the wedding anymore if you don’t want.” Brooke looked down at her lap.

“Hey, who said that I didn’t want one?” Sam seemed to be on the offensive.

“Well… I don’t know… I guess I just realized that you never really told me what you want exactly.”

The blonde looked over to her dark-haired lover and took her hand. “I want you, Brooke, for the rest of my life and I’ll take that any way that I can.”

Hearing Sam’s words brought a huge grin to Brooke’s face. “I love you, Sam.”

“I love you, Brooke.” The young woman leaned into place a kiss on her lover’s cheek, then sat back, looking out the window of the plane. After a few moments, and acting as nonchalantly as possible, Sam turned to the woman next to her. “So, is Saturday good for you?”

“Saturday? Good for what?”

Sam tried to hold back the smile that wanted to overtake her face. “Well, for our wedding, of course.” Having said it she turned to face Brooke, showing her a twinkling set of green eyes. “You don’t think that after going all this way, I’m coming back without one, do you?”

“Sam… I… how did you…” Brooke couldn’t decide what she needed to know first. “I…” leaning in, Brooke gave up and smiled, then kissed Sam delicately, “Saturday will be perfect, Darlin’.”

Brooke listened at the door for the sound of water running before taking the cell phone from the nightstand where she’d laid it when they arrived Wednesday afternoon. Okay Brooke, you know that she’ll be in there for at least ten minutes, let’s make this a quick one. Punching in the direct dial to her office, she waited for Peter to pick up the phone. She looked at her watch to confirm that he would be in the office.

“Brownstone Records, Peter Butler here. How may I help you?”

God, he’s only on the job a month and he sounds like a pro. She quickly cleared her mind and hurried on to her agenda, keeping her voice as soft as she could. “So, Petey, you all ready for the big trip?”

“Hey, Brooke.” The man’s voice sounded surprised. “What’s up? I thought you were on vacation.” He paused for a second. “Trip? She agreed to it, eh?”

“Yeah, she did.” Brooke’s voice beamed with pride. “So remember, you’ll have to pick up Crystal and Aunt Sandy before you head out to the plane. Mom, Dad and the rest of the family are picking up Sam’s father, sister and Mario at the house at noon and then they’ll meet you at the plane. Is… uh… is Ida coming? I invited her yesterday.”

“Could I stop her?” Peter proclaimed. “She’s happier than a lark knowing that you’re tying the knot.”

“Cool.” Brooke thought about her motherly employee only for a moment knowing that she had to press on. “So you’ll pick up Aunt Sandy and Crystal?”

“Brooke, I’ll have the plane ready and waiting for everyone. Yes, I’ll get Crystal and her Mom.” Peter paused for a moment, and then asked, “It’s only Sam’s father and sister, right?”

“Yeah, they’ll meet you at the airfield at 12:30 for take off by 1 p.m.”

“Whewie! Now that’s a relief. I’m not sure that Sam’s mother would be such a good thing at the wedding. I mean, she’s not exactly a fan of either of your teams in this sport, Brooke.”

“Tell me about it.” Brooke rolled her eyes as she heard the water stop running in the shower. “Hey, Petey, I’d better go. Sam’s getting out of the shower. Thanks for taking care of all the loose ends for me. I’ll see you around three this afternoon.”

“Good luck, Brooke. I won’t let you down.”

“Great… now if I could just get these damn butterflies out of my stomach, I’d be fine.” Brooke gave a little chuckle. “Hey, you remember Johnnie, the pilot, right?” Brooke asked nervously.

“You with butterflies? Yeah, right.” Peter coughed, “Remember Johnnie? Oh yeah, I remember her. Who could forget that hot pilot?”

“Hey, you’d better watch it there, Pal, you’re practically spoken for, yourself,” Brooke teased her long time friend. “I’ll see you around three then. Have a good flight.”

“Right, see ya later, Boss.”

The tall woman terminated the call, then quickly set the phone down on the nightstand again as she heard the bathroom door open.

Seeing the phone still within Brooke’s fingers, Sam finished drying her hair with the towel. “So, who was that, Hon?”

Brooke glanced down at the phone. “Oh, that… I was ah… just checking in with Peter.” She moved away from the bed and stood behind the small blonde, appreciating her reflection in the mirror. “You ready for this?”

“Ready for what?”

The tall woman wrapped her arms around Sam and pulled her back toward the bed. Turning around as they fell backward onto the mattress, Brooke tossed the wet towel aside. “Your last day as a single woman.” Brooke winked, then kissed her on the neck.

“Hmm… if I remember correctly,” Sam chuckled at the tickling sensation that Brooke’s touch invoked, “…it’s your last day too.” She reached up to rub her furrowed brow. “So what do you want to do, go dig up some snow bunnies?”

“Hmm… I dunno. We could…” the older woman paused, “…then again,” she paused a second time before continuing on. “If you go put on your ski clothes, I’ll already have the hottest snow bunny around.”

As if on cue, Sam jumped off the bed and dashed for the closet. “Look out snow. You’re gonna melt when you see this one.” Sam pulled her suit from the closet and held it up to her body. “Now, is that really fair to all these ski lodges around?”

Brooke smiled at the young woman’s enthusiasm. “Who cares? I refuse to share you, so who cares about fair?” The dark-haired woman reached over to the nightstand and pulled out the box they had purchased just the day before.

“You can’t stop looking at them, can you?” Sam asked, already knowing the answer.

“No, I can’t.” Brooke looked up at Sam like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“Good, cause neither can I.” Sam quickly hung up the ski clothes and dove onto the bed. “Let me see,” the blonde wiggled closer for a better view.

The dazzle of gold caught Brooke’s eye as she tilted the box for her lover to see. “I just can’t wait to see them side by side once they’re on our fingers.” Both women stared down at the gold bands as Brooke laced her fingers with Sam’s.

“I know,” Sam said barely above a whisper. “Me, either.” She turned her head and kissed the taller woman’s cheek. “Well, come on my hot, not so little, snow bunny. There’s still time for a few runs down that slope.”

Brooke took one last look at the rings before closing the box. “Your wish, is my command.”

Dusting the snow off her clothing, Sam rounded the hallway to their room. “I can’t believe that you didn’t fall.” She looked back to her tall companion who had all the equipment in her hands. “Not even once?” Sam pleaded as she searched her pocket for the room key.

“Well,” Brooke took several long strides to get ahead of the blonde, then leaned against the doorway to their room. “I did fall for you, Darlin’.” She pushed off the wall and leaned in to kiss the young woman before Sam could get the door open.

Lasting only a few seconds, the kiss ended in a flurry of soft nips as Sam tried to concentrate on what she was doing, only to be distracted time and again by her playful lover.

“Brooke, keep this up and you’ll be begging me to get this door open.” Sam giggled as she felt the wetness between her legs beginning to grow a little more with each kiss that was placed on her neck. “God, Brooke.” Sam rolled her eyes as she fought to concentrate on opening the door. “You keep doing that and this snow bunny is going to melt into a puddle right here in the hall.”

“So…” Brooke gave her another kiss then whispered into Sam’s ear. “You’re up for the challenge, then?”

Sam waited until the guests getting off the elevator passed them. “Yes,” she shook her head. “I mean, no, not in the hallway here.” The blonde looked around as she placed a hand on her lover’s chest, keeping her from coming close again. “Brooke, it’s almost three-thirty. Do we really have time for this right now? I’ve got to get a shower and get changed before dinner at five. Remember, you made those plans for us.”

Brooke leaned back against the wall. “Yeah, I remember those plans, and then some.” The dark-haired woman winked at her lover as a rakish smile settled on her face.

Green eyes watched in utter amazement as she felt her body scream to be held in her lover’s arms. The promise of passion that Brooke could give with one of those smiles was enough to make her heart beat faster than Sam ever thought was possible. “Oh God, I want you so bad.” Sam moaned as she took in a breath, then wrapped her fingers around the taller woman’s ski jacket, pulling Brooke toward her as she pushed open the door.

Locked in a kiss, Sam dropped her hand from the doorknob as she felt the waves of sensations from the kiss running through her body. Out of nowhere, she felt something new. “What the…” she looked down to her hand. “Mario! What are you doing here?”

Brooke watched the prancing animal as his excitement grew with Sam’s attention. His soft whimpers stopped only when the blonde reached down to pet him as she dropped to one knee and let the husky greet her as he wanted to, landing a few kisses of his own.

“Surprised?” Brooke smiled as Sam turned to look at her with questions in her eyes. “I figured that we might need a ring bearer for tomorrow.”

“But how… no, who?” Sam looked up at Brooke. “He didn’t fly by himself, Brooke, did he?”

“Nope,” Brooke entered their room and put the equipment down. “I told you I had a few surprises for you.” The tall woman stripped off her jacket and gloves. “Come on, give me your coat. I’ve got another surprise for you.” She held out her hand and accepted the outer clothing that Sam handed her. Tossing them on the bed, Brooke headed out the door and pulled it shut. “Come on, follow me.”

Sam grabbed onto Brooke’s hand as she passed her. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” Brooke smiled broadly as she glanced back to her lover.

“You just love planning surprises, don’t you?” Sam took a couple of fast steps to keep up with her long-legged friend.

“No, I just love watching your face when you get them.” Brooke stopped at the entranceway to the common room on their floor and gave her lover a wink, then motioned to the door with her head.

“You wait, Brooke. One of these days, I’ll be watching your face when you get a surprise that you were never expecting.” Sam braced herself with a deep breath, then opened the door.

“Surprise!” The collective gathering yelled their greeting as the blonde entered the room. The young woman’s mouth was agape as she surveyed the people in the room.

“Surprised, Darlin’?” Brooke leaned her head down onto Sam’s shoulder and gave her pale cheek a gentle kiss.

“Brooke, how did they… when did they…” Sam turned to look her lover in the eye. “You had this planned all along, didn’t you?”

“Well…” Brooke’s voice squeaked out like a teenager’s during puberty as she stepped back, looking down to her boot as she played with the carpeting. “I thought you’d like to have everyone here, so I had the jet bring them up. I figured that we’d need a few witnesses.”

“MOM? C.C.?” Sam looked over to them suspiciously. “Were you the ones coordinating all this?”

There was a murmur of chuckles as Peter pushed to the front of the group. “Ah… Sam… I’d be the one taking that blame.” He held a finger up in the air. “Well, me and Ida, here.”

“Ida?” Sam looked at Brooke puzzled. “Who’s Ida?”

“Ah, sorry. I forgot she answers the phones with her last name. Sam, this is my most valuable employee at Brownstone… well,” she winked at Ida, “that is until you start on Monday.”

Sam looked over to the woman who was giving her a little wave. “Hello.”

“Hi, Sam. I bet you recognize my voice, now that you hear it.”

“Yeah…” Sam’s eyes lit up. “You’re the one I always get when she leaves her cell phone behind.”

“Yep, that would be me.” Ida smiled back.

“Yeah,” Brian agreed. “I hear that will be your job now, Sam.” He wrapped his arm around Randi and gave her a squeeze as C.C. stepped around the gathered family in front of them.

“Girl,” C.C. clapped Sam on the shoulder, “I cannot believe that you’re actually marrying my sister.” The brunette gave her ex-roommate a hug, then looked over to Brooke as she pulled back. “I guess I can’t say that the ‘L’ in your name stands for Long-standing-lonely-one anymore, huh?”

“Guess not, C.C.”

“We could always make that ‘L’ into Lovey-dovey.” Rick chimed in, joking, as all eyes turned to him. The room grew silent. “What… you don’t think it fits…” his eyes went around the room, and then settled on his wife. “Terri, come on. Don’t you think it fits with that 12 days of Christmas theme and all?”

Terri thought for a moment. “Sure…” she nodded her head until Rick looked away, then shook it vigorously. “No, I’m not giving her that name; I know what she’s capable of.” Terri looked over to her sister Brooke. “She can be just good old ‘Loran’ to me.” Terri winked and joined in with the group’s laughter.

“Well, we named her and Loran was what we picked.” Mable spoke up as she nudged her husband.

“Yes, that you did, Mable. If I remember correctly I was leaning toward Henrietta myself.”

“Shoosh!” The matriarch tried to act serious, even though everyone around her was rolling with laughter. “You just wanted a boy to name after you.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with Henrietta? That’s my Mom’s middle name.” Crystal spoke up, drawing the attention to her mother. “Tell them.”

“Well…” Sandy looked around at the waiting faces. “It’s on my driver’s license. If you want, I’ll show it to you.” She fumbled with her purse as Henry walked up to her.

“I knew I liked you the first time I met you.” Henry reached out and gave the older woman a hug. “Shhhh! Don’t tell my wife.” He winked at the woman, and then looked over at Mable.

“Anyone know a good lawyer,” Mable called out through her laughter.

Randi stepped forward, wrapping her arm around her mother’s shoulders. “Now, would that be for a crime of passion or divorce?” She chuckled, knowing that it was all in jest.

Amid the sound of laughter, Brooke glanced over to her young lover. The sad look that she saw there almost broke her heart. Bringing her arm up to wrap around Sam’s shoulders, Brooke called her name out softly. “Sam?” She waited a moment than asked her question. “What’s wrong, Darlin’?”

“Your family is so… so different than mine.” Sam gave her shoulders a shrug. “I… ah… I thought that maybe…” her words became inaudible as the beginnings of self-pity slowly entered her mind.

“Baby, what would make tomorrow perfect for you?” Blue eyes watched her intently as Brooke pulled her hand away and started to rub Sam’s back. With the blonde’s eyes cast to the floor, Brooke gave a little glance to the doorway as she stepped in front of her lover. “Tell me, Sam and I’ll try to get it for you.”

Catching a tear as it came to her cheek, Sam sniffed, trying to hold the rest at bay. “I guess I always dreamed that maybe my dad would give me away or at least that Sarah would…” Sam stopped short when she felt strong hands resting on her shoulders.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Princess.” Samuel leaned in and gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek.

Green eyes stared into Brooke’s eyes. “Daddy,” the word escaped her mouth in a breathy whisper. Sam watched as Brooke motioned for her to turn around. “DADDY!” She shrieked as she spun around, tears rolling freely down her cheeks. “I can’t believe this…” She turned in her father’s arms to look back at Brooke. “God I love her,” she muttered under her breath as she watched her lover fade into the crowd of people who were appreciating the joyful reunion.

“Oh, I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.” Samuel kissed his eldest daughter on the cheek again. “And I definitely wouldn’t let you get married without giving you away.” He drew their faces together and rested one forehead against the other.

Mable looked down to her watch. “Well, say your good-bye’s ladies.” The matriarch stepped out of the crowd, making sure that both Brooke and Sam heard her. “Brooke,” she pointed a finger in her daughter’s direction. “You’re going with your father and Samuel’s group.” The feisty woman turned now to Sam. “And you, Sam, are coming with us.” Mable motioned to the group of women separating away from the men.

“But MOM…” Brooke straightened up to protest as both of her father’s hands wrapped around her upper arm.

“Hush, I’ll have none of that whining, Brooke.” She smiled back at the women around her. “Randi and Terry will tell you that it’s bad luck on the night before your wedding to see each other.” Mable raised an eyebrow in challenge to her much taller daughter. “Besides, we’ve got some fun planned for Sam.” She hid the smile on her face, hearing the chuckles coming from the women behind her.

“Brooke,” Sam glanced over to her lover, “Did you plan this?”

The dark-haired woman shook her head, “No… definitely no.” Brooke looked at the men converging on her.

“Come on, Brooke.” Henry winked at his daughter. “We’ve got a special time planned just as well for you.” He looked around to all the testosterone filled bodies and smiled. “Don’t we boys?”

“Mom… you just said night… by my watch it’s still early.” Brooke held her arm up and tapped on the crystal of the timepiece. “It’s not even dinner time yet.” Brooke looked at her mother’s stern face. “Okay, but I’m not going anywhere without having at least five minutes alone with my girl.” The drummer crossed the room and stood next to Sam, with her arms crossed over her chest and determination set in her blue eyes.

Mable stood transfixed for a standoff with piercing eyes. Mother and daughter alike stood motionless for what seemed to be several long moments until the entrance of a small blonde caught the matriarch’s eye. “Five minutes, Brooke. I’m counting.”

“Oh, no…” the young girl moaned, “I don’t think that we can handle sitting through a five minute revival.”

“Sarah,” Sam recognized the voice behind her immediately, surprised by the appearance of her sister. She turned to see Sarah making her way through the group.

“Hey, Sam, are you afraid you won’t be able to say your prayers without her tonight, or what?” Sarah asked with a giggle.

C.C.’s eyes opened wider as she nudged the sisters around her. “Oh, I like that kid. She has potential.”

“Come on… Mom said to give them five minutes.” Randi looked C.C. in the eye. “It’s only fair. C.C., remember, you’ll be getting the same treatment one day.”

That was the only distraction that Brooke needed. With all eyes on her siblings, she grabbed Sam’s hand and hurried her out into the hall and down to their room. Shooing her young lover into the room, Brooke quickly closed the door and locked it, before turning and leaning into it.

“Brooke, I think they’re serious out there.” The sound of many feet scurrying down the hall could be heard as Sam stood amused at her lover’s antics. She watched as the dark-haired woman dashed across the room and looked out the window. “What are you doing?”

“What do you say we escape out the window?” She looked down to the ground below and changed her mind. “I guess not, since we’re on the upper floor.” She sighed, then looked over at the small bathroom. “We could always lock ourselves in there,” Brooke motioned with her head as she pulled Sam up against her body and kissed her on the lips.

The blonde returned the kiss willingly as they listened to the sound of knocking and voices coming from outside their door. “I’d say that all of our relatives and friends outside will lynch us if we do.” Sam giggled, seeing the look of dismay on Brooke’s face. “Come on, its only one night, Brooke. Look at it this way; we’ve got the whole rest of our lives together after this.”

“Well… we’ve got less than five minutes, Darlin’.” Brooke sighed as her eyes searched Sam’s face. “Were you surprised?”

“Very… very surprised,” Sam laughed. “And I see that you were surprised also by this little fiasco for the night, huh?” She watched as Brooke turned a little shy that her own plans were outsmarted. “Thanks, Hon,” Sam reached up and planted a kiss on her lover’s lips.

“You’re welcome, Baby. I just wanted it to be extra special for you.” Brooke looked down to Sam’s hand in her own and smiled, as her gaze leveled off into seas of green. “I don’t want you to ever forget tomorrow, or the fact that I love you.”

“Well, it is special to me, too.” Sam smiled shyly, “Thanks, Brooke. And you can believe me that I won’t ever forget it. I know that I won’t.”

Outside, the door-muffled voices clambered together until one strong one rung out loud and clear. “Peter Butler give me that key you used to let the dog in with.”

The two lovers clung desperately together, hoping for more time. “I guess our time is just about up for tonight, Darlin’.” Brooke tightened her hold on Sam and nuzzled into her neck.

“I guess you didn’t plan on this backfiring on you with that key, huh?” The blonde watched as the woman wrapped around her shook her head.

“Kiss me, Brooke, before you have to go.” Sam’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Always, Sam.” Brooke answered her back without hesitation, and then kissed the young woman again. “Always.”