Ribbons

'Where are you?'

Sami knew that talking to herself wasn't a good sign, but she didn't care. Where the hell was Lucas? She'd called him half an hour ago. He should have been here by now. He would calm her down. He would know what to do.

Looking at the clock, Sami paced around the room, her impatience and irritation growing with every step until she was half out of her mind. This needed to be taken care of right now. Finally, there was a knock on the door. Sami flung it open.

'What took you so long?'

Without waiting for an answer, she dragged Lucas inside and closed the door. When she turned around again, he had taken off his shirt.

'What are you doing?' Sami exclaimed, exasperated. Lucas grinned. That big, smug, toothpaste commercial grin of his.

'You have a tendency to rip open my shirts. And that's really hot, but I like this shirt,' Lucas explained, barely concealing his amusement. Sami rolled her eyes. They had absolutely no time for his nonsense.

'I asked you here to talk about Will,' she forged ahead, ignoring his insinuation.

'What about Will?'

'He, eh, he...' Sami stammered. Lucas grinned again.

'Am I distracting you?' he asked. He tried to look innocent and Sami almost smiled, but managed to keep a straight face.

'Put your shirt back on,' she demanded.

'Are you sure?'

'Yeah, pretty sure,' Sami mocked. He shrugged and pulled his shirt over his head. This, incidentally, highlighted all of his muscles. Sami blinked and shook her head.

'So, what about Will?'

'Dammit, you made me forget. Something with Sonny... Oh, wait! I've got it.'

Lucas sighed.

'No, you wait, Sami. Will doesn't want us interfering with his life. Whatever's going on with Sonny, he can work that out on his own.'

'But...'

'Save it. Whatever scheme it is you've hatched now; count me out. And I advise you to keep out of it too.'

Sami crossed her arms and scowled. Foot stamping was not far behind.

'You look like an angry two year old. An adorable one, but still,' Lucas remarked. Sami's scowl turned into a pout and then a reluctant smile. He is right, Sami thought. Will was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Their son was an intelligent and compassionate young man. And Sonny? Sonny loved Will. Her smile broadened as she realised that Lucas had succeeded in talking her down. For approximately the millionth time, he had prevented her from doing something stupid.

'Lucas?'

Out of the blue, Sami felt shy. Sort of a weird emotion. She wasn't used to not knowing what to do. She usually had a plan up her sleeve. Plus, this was Lucas. Whether he was her lover, her friend or her enemy she'd never shied away from telling him exactly what was on her mind, regardless of how unpleasant or flat out insulting it might have been.

In his company, she could be horrible. She could be her worst self. He accepted that side of her, even if he didn't like it very much. More importantly, though, alone with him, she could allow herself to be vulnerable. She could be fragile and insecure; because she knew that he would never use that against her.

It would have been an epiphany of epic proportions if she hadn't known this already. For as long as she could remember, Lucas had alternatively been her shoulder to cry on and her sparring partner when she wanted to fight, which she did – often and viciously. He had performed numerous roles, sometimes complaining, but always being everything she needed.

'Thank you,' she said. It didn't sound like her. Thanking people wasn't a thing she did a lot. That's probably why Lucas seemed surprised.

'You're basically perfect,' Sami added. That was more like her, because it was admitted grudgingly. It almost sounded as if it was meant as a criticism. Like, fuck you for being so perfect, Lucas.

'Well, you are too,' Lucas responded. He spoke hesitantly, looking confused. Sami didn't even bother to hide her incredulity.

'Right,' she scoffed, loudly and dismissively. He reacted by taking her hands.

'Hey! You are. Yeah, you march to the beat of a different drummer than everyone else, but I admire that about you. You make your own kind of music. It's what makes you you. It's why I love you.'

'Really?' Sami whispered. Lucas raised her chin and peered into her eyes.

'How many times do I have to tell you? You're it, Sami. Always have been and always will be.'

She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him. His mouth was so familiar. Like coming home. Quickly, their kisses grew more passionate. Sami tugged at his hair and clutched at his back. Her hands roamed around his body until they reached his throat. Suddenly, Sami stopped and backed away, leaving Lucas out of breath and dazed.

'What's wrong?' he gasped. Wow, it was like a habit. One she hadn't been aware of before, though Lucas clearly had. She had been this close to tearing his shirt off.

'I was about to... Your shirt...'

'Go ahead.'

'Are you sure?' Sami teased.

'Only because I love you so much.'

Lucas held out his arms, inviting her to do what she wanted. They smiled at each other.

'Rip it,' he tempted. He looked like a present Sami couldn't wait to unwrap. And it didn't matter how fond he was of that shirt: it was going to pieces.

The end.