The morning was cold and damp and Sam really didn't want to take his morning run in this weather. He also knew that if he skipped even one day, he would start to skip more, and he simply couldn't do that. Sure, he knew he could always run on the treadmill at the station, but that wasn't the same. Sam had really grown to enjoy the morning run and the time to himself. It was always loud and lively at work. There wasn't really any time to himself, to think about the day ahead nor the night past. He enjoyed spending time with his team, but there was still something to be said for having that time in the morning with no distractions.
With a sigh, Sam punched the right buttons on his iPod to get it playing the mix he liked to listen to when he ran and stuffed the device in his pocket before pulling on the gloves that would keep his hands warm during the exercise. He stepped outside and his body involuntarily shivered as the cold morning air hit what skin was exposed. After making sure the door was locked, Sam walked to the sidewalk by the street before picking up the pace to a nice, steady jog.
As he turned the first corner, a familiar song began its fast-paced drum beat and Sam couldn't help but smile. Just the night before, the song had taken on a whole new meaning for him. The dance club Natalie had dragged him and Jules to was definitely not the kind of place the pair frequented. They had agreed to go only because Nat had bugged them both until they had grown weary of her begging and nagging and had given in. The night hadn't been a total waste, though. A few drinks into the evening, Sam had allowed Jules to drag him to the dance floor. The song now streaming through the ear buds in his ears had started just as they had found an open space on the overly crowded dance floor. In spite of the fact that Sam felt like he had two left feet, Jules had somehow managed to lead him through a very close, very sensual dance that had left them both breathless – in more ways than one.
Sam had left Natalie his keys and he and Julianna crawled into a cab moments later. By the time they arrived at his place, they were all over each other. While there had always been an underlying spark of passion between them, their relationship had always been more on the subdued side of things. Jules taking matters into her own hands, so to speak, had been a big turn on for Sam, and needless to say, neither of the two had gotten much sleep before Sam's alarm had gone off. He'd thought once about ignoring it, knowing that it would go off again in an hour, but again – if he missed even one morning of running, he'd have to fight to get it back. So, with a kiss and sweet love note on the pillow beside her, Sam had crawled out of bed and dressed for the run.
The song playing in his ears rotated to the next and for a second, Sam felt a twinge of loss. He liked the memories that had flooded his mind at the previous song. He also could see himself turning around and heading right back home if he heard that song – and the memories that came with it – again.
Despite the chill in the air, Sam had worked up a decent enough sweat by the time he jogged back up the walkway to his front door almost forty-five minutes later. The run had been good, and he'd been glad he'd decided not to skip it. Letting himself back in the house, his sense of smell was immediately assaulted with the heavenly scent of waffles and bacon. His stomach growled rather loudly as he stood by the door and stripped out of the gloves and coat he'd worn on the run. He toed off the running shoes that now had a nice layer of cold, wet mud left by the previous day's rainfall. With a smile and a twinkle in his blue eyes, Sam followed his nose to the kitchen.
"If you tell me there's fresh squeezed orange juice, too, you're moving in!" he exclaimed with a grin. The subject of Jules living with him had come up a time or two, but so far, the subject had been changed every time he'd mentioned it. Sam would have been more than happy to have her move in. He knew that he loved her and he was ready to take that next step. Jules was still hesitant, and though it bothered Sam sometimes, he was willing to wait for her. She was more than worth it.
"It's not fresh squeezed, but there is a new bottle in the fridge. Extra pulp." She looked back at him over her shoulder in a suggestive way, as if telling him that extra pulp was some sort of sexual comment.
Sam's grin grew into a full blown, toothy smile and he crossed the kitchen in just a few quick steps. Moving up behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. "Sounds like heaven to me!"
Making sure to move back just enough to keep them both free of the chance of being splattered by the grease in the bacon pan, Jules turned her head enough that she could press a quick kiss against his lips. Her hand not holding the spatula rubbed against his arms wrapped around her middle. "You need a shower first," she quipped. "Then breakfast. Then work. Remember, Spike wants to show off his new toy before shift starts."
Sam nodded even as his chin dropped and his lips pressed a kiss against her exposed skin where her neck and shoulder blended together. "Yeah, I remember. Something he added to Babycakes, wasn't it? I'm telling you, if Nat doesn't give in and start seeing him again, he's going to marry that stupid robot."
Julianna let out an uncharacteristically girly giggle. Sam was right, though. Spike spent way too much time with his toys and not nearly enough getting himself out there in the world. Natalie had been the first girl he'd dated in as long as Jules could remember, and it had been sad when the two had decided to go their separate ways. They both still clearly liked each other, and that made the whole thing even worse. Spike asked about Sam's sister all the time, and Natalie asked about her brother's teammate just as often. If the two would only talk to each other, they'd be back together in no time and most likely making lots of babies.
Sam gave Jules' shoulder one last nibble before finally dropping his arms and rushing out of the kitchen to the bathroom. A fast shower, a warm breakfast, and a ten minute make out session with Jules later, Sam and Jules both piled into his truck and headed towards the station. Having been cleared by the chief himself to continue their relationship, Jules no longer felt the need to drop Sam off five blocks from the station and make him walk the rest of the way in. While there had been a certain naughty excitement to carrying on a taboo relationship, it was refreshing to not have to hide everything from their teammates and superiors.
Sam had changed into his uniform quickly enough and shut his street clothes away inside his locker. He checked the time on his watch and though there was still a bit of time before the actual start of shift, he headed out of the locker room and into the bull pen.
As Sam moved past the central desk, he gave Winnie a smile and greeted her with a quick "Good morning." Winnie raised a hand to stop his progression through the room and looked up at him.
"Hey Sam! You have a visitor. She didn't want to wait in here, so I set her up in the break room with some coffee. She seemed pretty adamant that she needed to see you as soon as possible."
Sam gave Winnie a confused look. Who would be there to see him that wouldn't be comfortable waiting for him here at the desk with Winnie? Nat was really the only person that was a constant in his life, but she wouldn't have needed the privacy of the break room, would she? Were things between her and Spike really that bad that she couldn't even say hello to the man if he passed her as she waited for Sam? Whoever it was that waited for him, Sam gave Winnie a nod and an offer of thanks before turning and heading towards the small room. There were a few tables scattered around the room, a fridge for storing bits of food and snacks for the teams, and a very large, very overworked coffee pot. Sam was curious about the mysterious visitor waiting for him, and his mind whirred has he tried to think of who might possibly be in that room. Nothing could have prepared him for the face he saw sitting at the table, staring blankly at the cell phone in her hand, even though enough time had passed that the phone's screen had gone black and locked itself from view.
"Pops?" he asked in shock. "What are you doing here?"
The dark haired beauty raised ice blue eyes that were immediately glassy with moisture that was on the verge of spilling over onto her cheeks. "Good to see you, too, Braddock."