Maps

Summary: Jackson (Chase Coleman) and Sam (Steven Strait) were happy together until one argument left Sam standing out in the rain watching Jackson's headlights disappear into the night. Two years later Jackson returns to town in hopes he can repair his relationship with Sam but is anything as simple as it seems?

chapter one . say anything

I still remember that night as clear as day. It was raining. Mentally scoff right? How cliche. But any who it was raining which isn't that surprising seeing as we lived in Forks, Washington the rainiest state in the whole of the United States of America. Excuse my slight over exaggeration but yeah as I said it was raining. It had been raining all day so I had been cooped up in my boyfriend's house all day.

It had been my home since my parents had died in a freak car accident when I was seventeen years old. I had always imagined moving in with my boyfriend back then. I had originally planned it out that we'd moved in together when I graduated the following summer but fate didn't respect my plans and with no family left in Forks I didn't have many options.

Sam didn't mind though. That's my boyfriend. Samuel Levi Uley. He was already living alone since he was five years older than me. We had started dating secretly when I was sixteen and he was twenty-one. Call it what you want but we were in love. Though most of you may say I was a crazy, love-struck teenager. Trust me I heard it all before. But anyways, Sam was already living by himself and took me in with open arms. That was that on the matter. I lived there happily for four years before that night.

As I said I was cooped up Sam's house, due to the fact it had been raining all day, but today was different. Normally I would of been cleaning or cooking for myself and Sam but today I just sat on the foot of the stairs with my suitcases by the door.

I had probably packed and unpacked them at least seventeen times since Sam had left for work that morning. Each time I packed them the little voice in my head reminded me of everything I was giving up if I went through with my plans of leaving him. It reminded me that we had five years, five happy years under our belt and it shouldn't be thrown away over something so stupid.

Though the reason I left wasn't stupid to me at the time.

So every time I packed my bags I would reconsider and unpack before I reminded myself of why I was doing it in the first place. It took me nearly most of the day to finally to bring myself to carry those bags to the foot of the stairs. I don't even know how long I spent crawled up against our bedroom door at the top of the stairs, crying my eyes out. All I do know by the time I had managed to bring myself to carry the suitcases to the foot of the stairs, my tears had dried and I felt numb.

And there I sat. The neck of my black t-shirt was soaked with tears and my cheeks felt uncomfortably dry. I kept wiping my sweaty palms on my dark denim jeans as I waited for him to enter the front door. Probably with her in tow.

Time disappeared around me as I waited. All I could concentrate on was was the beat of my heart and how I could hear it in my ears as he quickly pumped blood around my system. The pace quickened as the anger boiled through my veins. I was ready to explode and I guess it was apparent in my facial expression because as soon as Sam stepped through the door with her in tow, he put his hands up in defence.

"Baby are you okay?" He asked as I stood up, glaring at her. Sam looked at me and then the suitcases before quickly turning to her. "Emily I think you should go." Emily. That was her name. She was my friend's cousin who had just moved to town a few months ago. She wasn't anything special in my eyes. She was pretty of course, they always are. She had long raven black wavy hair, big brown eyes and long legs. But her personality was as boring as watching paint dry. I couldn't understand what everyone saw in her. Everyone loved her and she loved all the attention. Especially when Sam gave it to her. I didn't take a blind man to see she was in love with him and that meant she hated me. She didn't bother to find it unless Sam was around.

Sam thought she was amazing. They became fast friends so that meant she was always coming around the house to have dinners, watch movies, take Sam shopping for clothes. In a way she was slowly trying to replace me but of course only I could see it. All my friends thought I was going crazy. But I wasn't. I just saw through her games and after I saw Emily and Sam kissing on the porch two nights ago I'd finally had enough.

"No Emily stay!" I shouted as I through my hands in the air. "Stay and just take my place. I know you've been wanting to get me out of the way ever since you moved to town so stay!" I felt my eyes burning with tears.

Emily looked at Sam, pretending to looked shocked. "Jackson I don't know what you're talking about. I thought we were friends?"

I scoffed. "Oh please? Cut the act."

Sam shook his head at me. "Jacks calm down okay. There's nothing going on with me and Emily. I promise." I felt my heart stop as he lied. I gripped the front of my shirt and stepped back. The tears dipping from my face.

"You.." I stuttered. "You.. You liar."

Sam took a step towards me. "Baby I'm not lying."

I wiped my face with my hands and took a deep breathe. "I can't." I shook my head, more tears following in the footsteps of the ones I had just wiped away. "I can't." I sobbed.

"Baby you can't wait?" Sam asked me as he tried to reach out and touch me. I quickly moved away from his hand and stared at him with wide eyes. "I can't be with you anymore." I said before grabbing my bags. Sam rushed towards me, trying to block me from my suitcases. "What? Jacks no." He said as he tried to get me to look in his eyes.

I grabbed my suitcases from around his legs and stood with in each hand. I stood up straight and chocked back a breathe as I looked at him. "Goodbye Samuel."

Once the words rolled off my tongue I stormed past the pair and ran towards my car. Sam was hot on my heals within seconds. "You're not serious Jackson! We can work his out." He pleaded as I put the bags in the boot of my car. I kept my head low not wanting to see his pleading eyes. That I couldn't handle. I slammed the boot door down and tried to make my way to the driver seat door but Sam stood in front of me.

I refused to meet his eyes as he held my face in his hands. "Jackson I love you. I always have. She means nothing compared to you. Nothing baby please don't leave me." He begged. I gingerly looked up at him through my tear filled eyes. By now we were both soaked and his normally spiked black hair was now hanging around his forehead. The water dripped down his beautiful features and I couldn't help myself. I reached up and put my hand at the back of his neck, pulling our lips together. The kiss was filled with desperation on his part. The desperate need for me to stay but I knew where it came from. He knew he had made a mistake and he was desperate to make it right.

As I pulled away I placed our foreheads together and let out a deep breathe. I closed my eyes and moved my hands to his, gently removing them from my face. I lifted my head and watched as he did the same. Tears where now mixing with the rain that also poured down his face. "I love you." I whispered. "But I can't stay."

Sam sobbed as I stepped away from him and opened the car door. He moved no move to stop me but watched me as I began to peel out of the driveway. As I got onto the main road I tried my hardest not to look in my rearview mirror but I couldn't help myself. I was throwing away five years of my life. Five years of happiness, laughter, love.. It was all getting thrown to the wind as I drove further away.

As I looked in the rearview mirror I watched as Sam walked into the middle of the road, watching my car get further and further away. His hands were placed behind his hand and his college hoody was so wet it clung to his body. He looked completely broken. Just like I felt.

It had been two years since that night, almost to the day. Every night since then I went to bed with the image of Sam standing in the middle of the road, completely heart broken, in my head and it didn't matter how many times I slept around or got into a new relationship nothing would erase him from my mind. I even moved to the other side of the United states and settled in a small town in Savannah. I started over. Well at least I tried to.

I got a job in a auto-shop, brought a house, made friends. I did everything I was meant to. Had a boyfriend or two. Had a one night stand or two. I tried to make up for the carefree lifestyle I missed out on when I was with Sam but nothing I did filled the hole that was now in my heart.

I held out for two years before making up the decision to go back. To maybe, somehow rebuild everything I'd thrown away that night. It wasn't an easy decision to come to I'll tell you that. It took a lot of beer and tequila shots with my closest friend, Caroline before we both came to the conclusion that this was the only logical thing to do.

And even as I drove through each state line I still felt torn. One half of me wanted Sam; the life we had, the love we shared. But another part of me feared that when I got into town I'd find out that Sam was married with kids and living this completely different life without me. Granted it had only been two years but a lot could of happened in two years.

It was around 9 o clock in the morning when I arrived at my parents old home. Sam and I decided against selling it incase I ever wanted to live somewhere else when I came of age. I had contemplated moving into the house the night I left but I knew seeing Sam around town would of been worse that not seeing him at all but I still kept the property. It was a nice three bedroom house in a nice location by the woods and it had been my family home. I had grew up in that house, my parents had made it our home and whenever I thought about selling it I couldn't. There were too many happy memories embedded in the walls.

I looked up at the house for a moment before picking up my suitcases from the boot of my car. I had moved all my belongs from Savannah earlier that week. Leaving the furniture since I knew my parents furniture hadn't been moved. All my belongs were in boxes in the hallway liked I had instructed and the furniture covers had been lifted, letting the furniture breathe for this first time in six years.

I took in the homely smell as I placed by bags on the floor. I wrapped my grey turtle neck sweater around myself as I looked at myself in the mirror where my mother had applied her lipstick so many times before.

I pictured myself six years ago. The last time I stood at this mirror. I was skinner. I had a tall but slim body. Kinda of like a swimmer's build. My blonde hair was short and spiked up and I dressed in baggy t-shirts and oversized hoodies. I couldn't imagine what Sam had saw in me. I was a goofy kid with a massive crush on an him. If that had been me I would of thought 'aw cute' not 'I want to spend the rest of my life with this goofy kid'.

I smiled at the thought. I then pictured myself the night I last was in Forks, the night I left Sam. I had bulked up since I was seventeen. I'd grown a bit too. I wasn't as tall as Sam who stood at 6 ft 3 but I was close at 6 ft. I had more of a football players build but again I wasn't as muscular as Sam who had been ripped since the first day I laid eyes on him. My hair had grown out and I used to save the sides and wear the top in a pony tail. My skin was still pale like it had been back when I was seventeen but I didn't were baggy clothes anymore. I wore clothes that fit my body properly. I was much hotter in my personal opinion.

And then I looked at myself now. There wasn't much change in two years except I was tanner from living in Savannah so long. I had grown out my facial hair so I looked more manly in a way and my hair was now at shoulder length and slightly wavy. I hadn't grown much since. And my eyes where still the same shade of brown.

I had often wondered what Sam had looked like now. This face was still fresh in my mind and on my Facebook page. I hadn't deleted all the memories that came with the end of our relationship. Nor had I deleted any of the pictures we had taken off my phone which Caroline said was me still holding on to the past which I guessed was true seeing I was now standing in the hallway of my childhood home in my hometown in the hopes of reconnecting with my ex-boyfriend/first love.

My thoughts wondered back to the night that lead to the master plan that had gotten me this far.

- Two weeks ago, Savannah -

It was probably just after midnight when Caroline arrived at my house with her hands full with shopping bags. It was clear to me that she had stopped off at our local 24 hour. She smiled as she walked into my kitchen and emptied the two plastic bags which consisted of two bottles of tequila, 3 lemons, salt, six bottles of beer and two bags of chips.

I leaned against the door frame as she totted around my kitchen as she located my shot glasses, kitchen knife and two bowels for the chips. "Planning on having a party are we Care?" I smiled.

She casually flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and grinned. "We're going to come up with a plan to get your long lost lover back."

I felt my heart skip a beat. "What?"

Caroline shot me a sad look and a small smile. "Its been two years of one night stands, failed relationships and you still haven't deleted those photos Jackson." I shrugged and pushed myself off the door. "That doesn't mean anything." I replied as I walked to the opposite side of the island.

Caroline sighed as she began to cut up one of the three lemons she had brought with her. "You're in denial Jackson."

I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed back at her. "I am not Caroline." She didn't look at me as she placed the chopped pieces of lemons to one side. "Yes you are Jackson Forbes. You're still in love with your long lost love."

I rolled my eyes. "He has a name you know."

"Yes I'm aware but I enjoy calling him your long lost love." She smiled. "I didn't lose him." I replied. "You're acting as if my life is an episode of the vampire diaries."

Caroline gasped. "Speaking of did you see the last episode?" She clapped her hands with a grin on her face. "I'm so glad Damon's back. Now that's a long lost love."

I rolled my eyes again. "Exactly why Sam isn't. I know where he is. I left him remember." It was Caroline's time to roll her eyes. "Yes I know. Which is why we're going to drink these tequila shots," she said as she passed one with a slice of lemon. "and drink these beers until we can think of the perfect plan in which when acted out properly leaves you happy in the arms of your one true love."

I quickly downed the shot she gave me, without the salt or lemon, and groaned. Completely ignoring Caroline exclaim the word 'hey' as she obviously wanted me to do the shot with her. "You're making my love life sound like some fairytale."

"Well I've gotta live my fairytales through someone and you're as good as it gets." She replied before downing her own shot of tequila.

I lent forward on the counter and sighed. "Well my life isn't some fairytale. If it was we wouldn't be having this conversation. I would already be living my happily ever after."

Caroline shot me another sad look as she pushed another tequila shot my way. "You just had a run in with your evil queen."

I laughed half heartedly at the reference referring to Emily Young. "More like evil bitch from the seventh circle of hell." I said bitterly as I went to down the shot Caroline had passed me mer moments ago.

Caroline smiled at me as she poured her second and my third tequila shot. "Well lets get to planning. A certain long lost love isn't going to wait forever." She said as we clinked our glasses together and downed the shots at the same time.

- Present time, Washington -

I couldn't remember how many tequila shots followed but we ended up with one empty tequila bottle, three empty beer bottles and two massive hangovers. In the end we had written down what Caroline called a fool proof plan which I decided to carry out. I had nothing else to lose.

TO BE CONTINUED

Jackson Forbes (23) portrayed by Chase Coleman

Samuel Uley (28) portrayed by Steven Strait

Helena Mattson (23) as Caroline Whitmore

Alice Greczyn (25) as Emily Young