I was so saddened by the sudden death of Actress Briony McRoberts. She was an amazing and talented Lady and the world will be a sadder place without her in it. She will forever be remembered as Lady Laird Sam Hagen in Take The High Road. This little fic is dedicated to all fans of Briony and Sam Hagen, she'll never be forgotten xxx

Sam Hagen

Davey Sneddon walked up to the big house just after 9pm, he was checking the grounds when he saw the light on. Lady Laird Samantha Hagen was away on business in Glasgow and the MacDonald's were away on holiday so he began to get suspicious about who could be inside. He tried the door and it was unlocked, he stepped inside, his shotgun right by his side to scare off any intruders. He walked up the stairs to the sitting room and slowly opened the door, he was a little taken aback when he saw Sam sitting on the sofa, a large glass of wine in her hand.

"What the hell are you doing here, I thought we had intruders." He spoke, in his usual gruff tone.

"Go away David." She spoke, slurring her words just a little.

Normally he would have obliged and just left but something inside him kept him from leaving. He walked further into the room to see 2 empty bottles of wine on the floor. He watched her closely and could see she'd been crying, something that was rare for the tough no-nonsense woman.

"You're drunk." He stated.

"Oh 10 points to the game keeper."

"What do you think you're doing woman, look at you…you're a mess."

"Well who the hell asked you for your opinion, go home David."

"Oh yeah, like I'm gonna leave you in this state."

"I've managed perfectly well on my own this long, I don't need you as my knight in shining armour to come and rescue me."

"What is it with you, so bloody proud to ask for help."

"Well look who's talking, pot calling the kettle black there David."

He stood watching her and as tough as she liked to make herself out to be, the truth was she was a broken woman. He took a seat beside her and felt her tense beside her, he gave her a gentle nudge in her side.

"When are you gonna stop blaming yourself woman, it wasn't your fault."

She sat silently as Davey's voice suddenly became softer.

"How can I not blame myself, I brought him into my life…our lives."

"What Odell did, he did of his own back. You're not to blame for his crimes."

"He killed Gary MacDonald, he buried that poor boy in the woods and left him there to rot. What kind of man does that, how could anyone…"

"You didn't know what he was capable off."

"I should have listened to you in the beginning, you never trusted him from the moment you met him. I accused you of being jealous of him…I'm sorry David."

"You're right, I never trusted him…especially not with you. When I saw that bruise on your face, that whole walking into a door crap you tried to spin me. I knew right away he'd hit you and I wanted nothing more that to kill him for it."

"But you're not that type of man..are you."

"No, I knew it would only make things worse for you."

"He cheated on me David, he slept with Sarah, got her pregnant and killed her Husband. He did all that and he still said he did it because he loved me."

"He was covering his tracks, he left you to deal with the aftermath."

"The entire Village of Glendarroch blame me."

"No they don't, you'd be surprised at how many people have your back. Isobel, Sheila, Eric and Joanna…me."

"I don't deserve your loyalty David."

"You need someone, drinking yourself to death like this won't do you any good. You're better than that and besides, this Village need you."

"Needs my money you mean."

"Listen Sam, without you this Village wouldn't be what it is today. Sure your money helped but your cash isn't everything. Look at what you did for Isobel when she went through her depression, you were there to help her, got the Village Store back up and running for her…you even paid all her medical bills."

"How do you know about that."

"Isobel told me, she's been worried about you since they found Gary's body and she's worried about how you're handling Odell's death."

"I don't quite know how I should feel about Peter, I know I loved him but now I just wonder if it was all a dream. He was desperate to marry me David, it was just my money he was after wasn't it…never me."

"I'm sorry Sam."

"We'd known one another for so many years, I thought I knew him inside and out, turns out I knew nothing about at all…such a fool."

"Sam, you're not a fool. If you were really a fool, you'd have gone ahead and married him but you didn't, you kept putting it off because you knew….you knew deep down that something didn't feel right."

"I feel so alone David, I'm so sick of being strong."

"Then stop, let others in and help you. Let me help you, I love you Sam Hagen…I always have and I don't give a damn about your money. You're a special lady Sam, now I know I'm not exactly as handsome looking as Odell but I…"

"David don't, I don't ever want to hear Peter's name in the house ever again."

Davey moved closer to her and brought his arm around her and pulled her into him. They sat on the sofa, Sam's arm outstretched over Davey's chest for what seemed like hours when in fact it was only a few minutes. She looked up into his eyes and saw genuine concern in them, He leaned down and placed a soft but tender kiss to her lips.

"Sam, whatever happens from here on in, I'll be here with you okay. Your true Friends will always be there."

"Thank you David, thank you." She said, with tears in her eyes.

-the end.

I hope those reading liked this. I've been watching old episodes on YouTube and really love watching Briony act. My only regret is that Briony didn't have anyone to turn to when she really needed someone. Rest in Peace Briony, we'll love you forever and never forget what a true talent you were xxx