A/N: I loved writing this, except for the end, because I usually don't leave stuff open like that... But the way I originally wrote it, it sucked. And now you get to decide whether Sam came home or not! Oh, and Jackie is Sam and Annie's little daughter. End of author's note.
I couldn't believe it when they told me, and I'm not sure I do now, even though it's been a year. Sam couldn't be dead. Why would he be? His body was never found, there's every chance he could be alive. And until I see him in a coffin, I believe he is.
Annie sat on the floor, playing with Jackie. It was a rainy Sunday afternoon, and they were making hats out of newspaper. Jackie insisted they make one for daddy as well, and then paint them all. The little girl made hers very colourful and was putting it on her head when Annie told her she'd have to let it dry first, unless she wanted green hair. They could bake something while they waited.
Before Sam's death, Annie and Jackie had sat in the kitchen every day, looking out the window, waiting for him to come home from work. Annie thought about it as she mixed the dough. Since then, things had changed. She had returned to work and put Jackie in daycare. Gene, Chris and Ray had moved to London. But today, just for a moment, she could pretend Sam was coming home.
"Daddy! Daddy! We're making muffins! And look, that blue hat's yours!"