Disclaimer - I do not own the series or characters of Sam & Cat. They are owned by Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon.

Author's Note - Hope you all enjoy this story~ ^.^

~Tangled Webs~

"What's the deal with you and this 'Sam' chick, Cat? I don't like it. You have this perfect stranger just move into your place, and you don't know a thing about her. She could have a prison record for all you know," Jade West exclaimed in extreme aggravation, as she sat in her bedroom chair with one leg draped over the arm of the chair.

Cat Valentine plucked nervously at a piece of non-existent lint on Jade's bed, where she'd been sitting ever since Jade had called and all but demanded she come over to 'talk'. So far though all Jade had done was yell at her, and Cat wasn't liking it...she wasn't liking it at all.

"But Jade, Sam is really cool. She helps me with all the babysitting, and she's...she's just really fun to be around...we have so many adventures together..." Cat trailed off softly, as she stared down intently at Jade's bed covers...she couldn't handle looking back up into Jade's intense stare.

Jade fought against the feelings that Cat's words brought up in her, as she whispered softly, "but Cat...you and I used to have adventures together all the time."

Cat finally raised her head, and allowed her chocolate-brown eyes to settle on Jade's intense green, as she replied, "but you and I stopped having adventures a long time ago, Jade. You chose Beck...you chose him...over me. And that's when our time...together...ended." Cat swallowed softly around the sudden lump in her throat, as she dropped her gaze back down to the bed.

Jade turned her head to the side, as she struggled to keep the tears that pricked at the corners of her eyes from being exposed to Cat. She had hurt her best friend...terribly...she'd broken Cat's heart...she knew that. And sometimes...during the darkest part of the night, when she was curled up in Beck's arms...she wondered if she'd made the right choice. If she'd chosen the right person. But that was all water under the bridge now. She couldn't go back...she wouldn't. She did love Beck...she just...loved Cat as well. And this whole 'Sam' business was stirring up feelings and emotions that were better off left buried.

"Whatever, Cat. I obviously can't talk to you right now, while you're so into this Sam chick. We'll talk another time," Jade said dismissively, as she kept her gaze turned away from Cat and placed firmly on her bedroom door.

Cat sucked in a small, hurt breath but nodded her head as she slowly rose to her feet. On her way out through Jade's bedroom door, she chanced a quick glance over at her best friend, which caused Jade to just as quickly avert her eyes.

"Okay...Jade...goodbye..." Cat whispered softly as she slowly exited Jade's room, quietly closing the door behind her.

Jade couldn't fight the feeling that Cat's 'goodbye' to her just then...had been essentially final...

~o~o~o~

Cat was crying.

It wasn't deep, heaving sobs one would expect from someone who'd just had their heart ripped out and broken...again. They were soft, brittle little gasps that broke Sam's heart when she heard them, as she stepped through the front door of the home she now shared with the softly-crying redhead.

"What happened?" the blond asked warily, as she slowly approached the crying girl on the couch, and sat down gingerly next to her.

Cat looked up from where she'd had her face buried against a couch cushion, quietly weeping. When she saw Sam sitting beside her, with warm care and affection shining through her eyes which she was obviously trying to hide, she launched herself into Sam's arms and clung tightly to the front of the blond's jacket.

"Hey, whoa whoa. Hold on there, partner," Sam said quickly, as she tried to figure out what to do with her hands, and finally decided on settling them lightly on Cat's petite waist.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Cat softly hiccuped into Sam's neck, causing the shirt Sam had on beneath her jacket to become damp with warm tears.

Sam swallowed lightly, as she allowed her arms to slip all the way around the crying redhead in her lap, and pull her more firmly against her body.

"Hey now, lil mama...shh shh...it's gonna be alright. It's gonna be okay...whatever happened...it's all gonna be okay," Sam whispered against the soft skin of Cat's temple, where her face was lightly pressed against, as she whispered soft assurances into the redhead's ear.

Sam didn't know what had happened...what had caused the girl in her arms such heartache. But she had a niggling suspicion as to what...or rather who had caused the pain. The thought of the person most likely to have made the girl in her arms to cry, caused Sam's jaw to clench and the arms she had wrapped around Cat's small waist, to tighten protectively. She wasn't really all that good with expressing her emotions, though the longer she was around Cat who displayed all her feelings all the time for the world to see, the more comfortable she'd grown with showing a little bit of her own carefully-guarded feelings.

Now was obviously one of the very few times she could more fully express her emotions...to express those carefully-hidden feelings for the redhead in her lap. Cat had been hurt...she was crying...which did all kinds of things to Sam's heart. She hated it when Cat cried. It made her want to fight every person and thing that had hurt the redhead. No one should ever be allowed to make Cat Valentine cry. And Sam made a silent vow to herself right then and there, that no one again ever would.

"Hey Cat...hey Red..." Sam said softly as she carefully...and tenderly...brushed her lips across Cat's forehead.

Cat let out a small sniffle as she pulled back slightly from Sam's embrace, and allowed her watery eyes to fix on the blond's face. She'd felt the light brush of Sam's lips against her forehead...could see the gentle look in Sam's blue-gray eyes...a look that she'd never seen directed at anyone else, as Sam usually did so much to keep her true feelings carefully hidden.

"Yes, Sam...?" Cat answered softly, as she slowly and carefully raised her hand, as one would raise their hand towards a deer or kitten they didn't want to scare off. She gently placed her hand against the side of Sam's face, and just barely held in the soft gasp that bubbled up to her lips, as Sam gently nuzzled her face against her palm.

Sam couldn't help herself. Having Cat this close, breathing in the sweet fragrance of sunflowers and lilacs that Cat always seemed to have floating around her, was playing havoc with Sam's emotions. She just couldn't help briefly closing her eyes, and pressing her face gently against the warm hand held so tenderly against her face. Then with a quick movement made without any real thought behind it, as she didn't want to change her mind before she actually did it...Sam placed her lips against the inside of Cat's palm, and lightly kissed it.

The soft gasp Cat had managed to swallow before, now finally slipped passed her lips at the gentle press of Sam's lips against her palm. It caused her breathing to quicken, and her eyes to dilate...and she began leaning slowly forward, so she could press her lips...right...against...Sam's...

BRRRRIINNNGGG!

The sudden, unexpected ring of Cat's cellphone caused both girl's to jump in fright...completely shattering the moment between them.

Cat quickly reached for her cellphone, which was sitting beside her on the couch. Her heart was simultaneously racing and pounding at the intense...moment...she and Sam had almost gotten to share. But when she saw who was calling her on her cell, it caused her to look back up into Sam's eyes, and whisper two words softly.

"It's Jade..."

AN - Hope you all enjoyed! Please review as your words are like biting into a warm, freshly-baked, red-velvet cupcake~ ;3