So, I started writing this with plans to skip right over the graphic stuff, but then I ended up writing it after all... so the M is for a very good reason, and if that squicks you I've added helpful little asterisks: (*****) to signal the beginning and end of what you may not care to read. It's very obvious what happens between the markers, so you won't miss any plot if you skip that section. Without it, the story's probably T, but still with good reason. If people discussing threesomes squicks you, I advise you to just read a different story altogether. ^_-

I was going to write a straight-up Sam/Annie story, but I couldn't get this idea out of my head. If people like it, I'll add to it. If I get bored, I may add to it anyway, whether you like it or not! *clears throat* So anyway, here it is:

Nine Tenths of the Law
(Chapter One?)

Sam had been nervous all week, wondering how on earth to begin the conversation he knew he had to have with Annie. They were in her flat when he finally buckled down his resolve.

I've got to tell her now. Tonight. No, as soon as possible.

She had cleared the supper dishes away and brought over two plates of blueberry crumble that looked fantastic.

"Do you want tea with dessert?" she asked.

"Er... yes. Thanks."

The kettle had been keeping warm on the stove, so it didn't take long to bring the water to a boil again. Annie brought the kettle to the table and brewed a pot of tea.

"Something on your mind, Sam? You've been so quiet."

"Well, there is, yeah." He swallowed. "See, I was visiting this friend... well, this bloke I know, and his wife. Haven't known them all that long, really. Met them after coming to Manchester." He was already talking too much. Just get it over. "Anyway... I stopped in for dinner one day and they somehow got talking about... er, sexual experimentation."

Annie's eyes widened, but she seemed more interested than shocked. "Really? What sort of experimentation?"

Sam could feel himself getting a little warm. He hoped he wasn't blushing. "Trying it with other partners..."

"Like that party we went to undercover?"

"Well, sort of. That and... threesomes. And whether it was better to add another girl or another bloke."

Annie seemed to be fighting a smile now as she poured out the tea. "Well... what did they decide?"

"The husband thinks it's better to add a girl; the wife would rather add another bloke."

"That's to be expected, innit?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"And have they tried this?"

Sam cleared his throat. "Um... well, they've apparently been talking about it. Since my friend's the one more keen on the idea, his wife says they've got to try it with another bloke first. Then if that goes well, she might try it with another girl."

"Hm." She wasn't fighting the smile anymore or trying to hide her interest at all. "And what's the husband think of that?"

"He's willing to try, if they can find a bloke he knows a bit and trusts... but that's not easy with him. He wants to keep all this a secret for obvious reasons. He can't go asking just anyone."

Annie nodded. "That could be dangerous. Ask the wrong person and suddenly you'll be a pervert to everyone you meet."

"Exactly. He's not willing to sacrifice his reputation for the sake of his curiosity."

"What about you... are you curious about this, too?"

Sam looked away and knew that his hesitation was the same as a confirmation. "Well, I mean, everyone thinks about it at some point, don't they?"

"S'pose they do." She sipped her tea thoughtfully. "They asked you, didn't they? To be the trial run?"

Well, there it was. No more beating about the bush. He looked at the table. "Yeah."

"What did you say?"

He glanced at her and then away. "I said: 'I have a beautiful fiance whom I love very much... and I can't even consider anything of the sort without discussing it with her.' They weren't too keen on that, but I swore I wouldn't give any names, and that you'd be just as discreet as I will."

"And do you want to do it?"

"I dunno..." He ate a bite of dessert and toyed with his fork, turning it over deftly with his fingers. "I certainly want nothing to do with it if it's something you don't want me doing."

"What if I was fine with it?"

"Mm..." His face wasn't hot, so he was pretty sure he wasn't blushing, but he had begun to sweat a little. "I'm not sure. I mean, you're certainly all I need. I don't want anyone else. But I'm not sure he'll be able to find someone else, you know?"

"Mhm."

"And... I can't pretend I'm not at all curious."

"Do you like her? The wife, I mean."

"Sure. I like her fine."

"And your friend... if you did this, do you think there'd be much going on between you two—or would it all be with her?"

"I've really no idea. But I think it'd probably be more with her. I dunno." He cut off another bite of crumble but didn't eat it until the silence was becoming uncomfortable.

"Here's an idea," Annie said at last. "If I were to allow you out on loan, I'd at least want to meet this other woman first. So... how about if we have her to dinner one night, and if we all get on well, she can stay over with us. Then I'll get an idea of what that's going to be like and whether or not I have any reason to be jealous."

Sam nearly choked on his tea. "You mean... stay over with us... as in—"

"Yes. Of course, I don't want anyone havin' you before I do, so I think we'd better have a trial run of our own."

Wait. Wait, what?! Things were suddenly getting out of hand. Since the beginning of their relationship, Sam had always tried to be a gentleman, particularly since there seemed to be so few of them in this decade. He and Annie had gotten quite intimate, and she'd never objected to any of it, but he'd tried to gauge her very carefully to avoid overstepping his boundaries. Now she had thrown the rules out the window.

"It's Friday—tonight will do, won't it?"

Oh god, oh god... I didn't count on this. It wasn't that he wasn't thrilled, but he wasn't prepared, either. "Er... I suppose... but I dunno how they'll feel about this idea, you know. We should probably wait until I've had a chance to—"

"Don't worry. They're not the only reason I want to do this. Even if they don't agree..." She looked over at him with a light blush of her own. "Just thinkin' about you with someone else... makes me want to sort of stake my claim, you know?"

Sam chuckled nervously. "Well... possession is nine tenths of the law. Um... it's just that we'll have to be careful. I haven't got... any..."

"Oh, that's all right. I've kept some by, just in case."

"...You have?" He smiled. Well, well, well. Probably could have done this months ago.

"My mum told me, 'If you don't put some up while you're sure you don't need them, you might get caught without when you do need them.'"

"Your mum's very wise."

She tilted her head to the side and smiled back at him. "I know. Now, let's finish dessert, and then you can do the washing up while I take a shower."

"I should probably take one too," Sam muttered, very conscientious of how much he'd been sweating during the conversation.

"Just set the dishes on towels to dry, and I'll put them away while you get yours."

It was hard to appreciate how good the dessert was, since it wasn't at the forefront of Sam's mind. In fact, all his senses seemed to have been dulled by the brilliance of his imagination as it anticipated what was waiting for him. Still, he remembered to tell her how nice the crumble had been before she left the room.

He was done with the washing up before she returned in a dressing gown to tell him the bathroom was all his. Instead of his own bathrobe (I'll have to keep one over here from now on) he tied a towel around his waist when he was done, and draped another over his shoulders, using it to massage the damp hair at the back of his neck.

She was sitting on her bed waiting for him with a couple of condoms ready on the bedside table. Her hair was still wet, especially at the ends, and it was separated into dark ringlets that caressed her chin and neck, contrasting with her pale skin.

She pulled the towel off his shoulders almost as soon as he sat beside her and he kissed her gently, twining his fingers through her hair's sleek wetness that had been calling to him. This wasn't his first time, and he doubted that it was Annie's, but he found himself wishing that it were.

I've never loved anyone like this. If I'd known there was someone like her waiting for me, I'd never have bothered with anyone else. "I love you, Annie," he whispered by her ear. I wish knew I was her first—that no one else had gotten to touch her but me. As Annie had said, he now felt a desire to stake his claim.

(*****)

She slid her hands over his chest, stroking through the sparse hair there, her fingertips brushing over his nipples and making him breathe a little faster. He kissed her again, slipping his tongue out to touch her lips and then to meet her tongue. He moved his hands down her neck and softly pulled the dressing gown away. He rested his right hand over her heart; it was beating faster than he'd ever felt it beat before. He felt her hand pressing against his chest, too, mimicking his action.

He pulled back to smile at her and she had such a happy look on her face that he couldn't look away.

"Love you," she said.

He was grinning now, and it made him feel silly, so he pulled her closer to hide his face against her neck. He moved his hand down to cup her breast and she sighed. He'd gotten nearly this far before—upstairs, outside, the other guys would say, but never upstairs, inside. He kissed her neck as he moved his hand slowly, savoring each little sigh and moan. One of her hands was raking through his hair; the other came to rest over his hand, encouraging him. When he rolled her nipple between his fingertips, she ducked down to kiss him hard, pushing her tongue into his mouth and breathing heavily through her nose.

He was pretty sure that was about when they fell back onto the bed; everything was a bit of a blur afterwards. He untied the belt of her robe and pulled the sides of it away from her. My god, she's so beautiful. Her skin smelled so clean and felt so warm against his. As they deepened their kiss, her breasts rubbed against his chest and he felt his erection hardening and beginning to chafe against the towel he was still wearing. A moment later, Annie pulled the second towel away and he could feel the smoothness of her thigh against him.

"Annie," he gasped.

She loosened her hold on him. "Okay?"

"Yeah... you still sure about this?"

She grinned. "More than ever."

He rolled away and retrieved a condom from the table. He knew she was watching him put it on and it made him nervous, but he managed to keep outwardly calm. After all, it's not like she hasn't seen me naked before, he reasoned grimly.

As soon as he was ready she pulled him back into her embrace. She had gotten her arms out of the robe and all he felt now was the softness of her skin. He moved one hand down her side, over her hip and thigh, curving over to the inside. Her every touch encouraged him onward and the moment his fingers slipped inside her he felt a generous slickness waiting for him. He laid kisses on her chest as she rubbed his shoulder and ran her nails over his scalp, tugging at his hair now and again. He pressed his lips to her nipple and then caressed it with his tongue.

"Oh, Sam," she gasped. She moved her hands to his side and neck, pulling him against her.

He took that as his signal to position himself between her legs, gently tugging one to the side for easier entry. He slipped inside slowly, smothering her moan in another kiss. He moved forward a fraction of an inch more, then pulled back slightly before going deeper. He lifted his head, panting. "Everything all right?"

"Yes. Yes," she said again, urgently, pulling his head back down.

He moved in a little at a time, gaining a little progress with each thrust until they were both breathing too hard to continue the kiss. He rested his head on her shoulder, breathing hot against her neck. He felt her hands everywhere, urging him to thrust deeper, faster.

"More... more, Sam."

It was as if her words were touching him, dragging pleasure out of him. He pressed forward until she gave a little yelp and he could go no further; then he pulled back and moved in again. Each time his penis was completely surrounded by her, he heard her gasp, felt her fingers clenching at him. As he struggled to increase his pace, knowing he was very close, he heard her whispering for him not to stop. I won't. Not until you want me to.

Her gasping was almost ragged now, but she was moving with him, lifting her hips every time he moved into her, helping him get as far as he could. Then he heard her voice almost whimpering as she clenched around him, gripping him around the waist with one arm and the neck with the other. Her whole body shuddered and he didn't try to hold back anymore, knowing she had reached her climax.

He realized that he was moaning, too, and panting as hard as she was. They were both coated with a thin layer of sweat, and they seemed to melt into each other as he lowered himself down onto her. He tried to keep some of his weight on his arms so he wouldn't suffocate her. Then, when he'd regained his breath a little, he gently pulled out of her and shifted onto his side.

(*****)

She kept her arm around his waist and pressed her face against his chest.

"Still okay?" he whispered.

She nodded.

They didn't talk for a few minutes after that, waiting for their breathing to return to normal. Then Annie lifted her face to kiss his chest.

Sam smiled down at her. "I think the law would agree—I'm all yours."

"I think so, too." She closed her eyes. "Well... I'm not eager to share something this nice, but I think I'm secure enough in my ownership now... you can tell your friend my idea. See if he's willing to let his wife stay over."

"Okay, I'll ask him. Dunno how that will go over, but it's worth a try."

"Well?" Gene demanded when he finally had a moment alone with Sam in his office. "Did you ask her?"

"Yeah," Sam said, licking his lips and looking a touch nervous.

"Finally! And?"

He gave a breathy little laugh. "It got me laid."

Gene's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Huh. Well done. First time?"

"...With her, yeah."

"'Bout time, then. How was it?"

Sam folded his arms. "That's going a bit far, Guv."

"All right, all right. But what did she say?"

"She doesn't want to loan me out without anythin' in it for her."

"Hm. Plucky bird. What's she want?"

"She wants you to loan us the missus first. If she gets on with her, then she won't mind me stayin' over at yours."

Gene was even more surprised at this news. "But... but we can't do that. I don't want Cartwright knowing it was me that asked you."

"She won't. She's never met the missus, has she? We'll give her a false name and she won't know the difference."

"Well... that's true, but... I don't like it, Tyler."

Sam gave him an ironic look. "Now you know what you're asking of Annie."

Gene didn't have anything clever to say to that. He sat on the edge of his desk, thinking it over. "Supposing I agree, and supposing the missus agrees—does that mean you're willing? To stay with us, I mean."

"I think so... I mean, I'm not without any apprehension, but I think I'm up for it. And if you agree to let her stay with us, that'll give me a chance to get over the shock of having a third person involved... and a chance to get over being shy of her, too. Win-win."

"Win-win for you," Gene corrected. "I'll have to spend a night by me onesy thinkin' about you lot havin' it on without me."

Sam shrugged. "That's what Annie will get if this all goes through. Take it or leave it."

"Right... well, I'll talk to the missus about it; see what she says."

"Okay." Sam turned away but Gene stopped him with a hand on his arm. He looked back.

"You're the only one I can trust with this, Sam."

"I know. Don't worry... I've no reason to tell anyone."

"Thank you."

Gene was about to let him go, but just then Ray came into the office. There was no alternative. Gene threw Sam against the wall. "And the next time you have a bright idea, tell it to your gaggle of fans down in the canteen!" he said menacingly. "What is it, Ray?"

He pretended to listen to what Ray was telling him, but really he was watching Sam in his peripheral vision, watching him tilt his head from side to side as if to make sure his neck still worked, watching him slip silently out of the room while rubbing his arm. He knew Sam understood and wouldn't hold it against him. Wouldn't expect an apology. Would never know how sorry he was. Gene had never had a best friend before, so he couldn't be expected to be good at it... but that was little consolation. At least this whole thing had gotten Sam in bed with his bride-to-be.

About time. About bloody time.

I'm sure there are probably some fans who agree with Gene... although I like it that Sam and Annie's relationship wasn't physical. I think it made it more intense because it was all about what they thought of each other, how they valued and respected each other, etc. But—now that they're officially together in this story, it's party time. xp If you enjoyed reading, please, please do leave a comment. Subscribe to the story so I know you want more. Tell me what you liked. You can even tell me what you didn't like if you're friendly about it. But if you were squicked just remember I gave you more than fair warning. ^_-