Author's Note One: Ah, a return to the PS fandom at last. I kinda of ignored it for awhile, but I've decided to make a mini return. If that makes sense.
Disclaimer: So...here's the thing: loved 'Run Away Home' to pieces, I did; but if it was mine...Sam and Jake would have totally kissed.
Author's Note Two: I've proof-read and proof-read this through and through, but mistakes you may still find. If the name of Jack presents itself to you, I apologise...just seems the he was on my mind. ) (If that really does happen, I meant Jake, mkay?)
It was midday on the Forster's family ranch, and the sun was shining. Hot, steamy, sweat-rolling-down-your-back kind of shining. But no one, with the exception of the horses, was outside to feel it. Aside from the whinnying of horses and the thundering of hooves, the ranch appeared deserted. Only one thing proved it wasn't:
People were singing. Off key, loud and really bad, but singing nonetheless.
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Sa-am. Happy birthday to you!"
The last word was more or less shouted, rather than actually sung, and Samantha Forster flinched.
"Guys…" She begged. "Stop. I am sixteen. You don't have to sing to me anymore. Really. In fact, you didn't even have to do any of this." With her arms, she gestured around the kitchen of her two-story ranch home. She sat at the table, surrounded by friends and family…. Or rather, friend and family. Her best friend, Jennifer Kenworthy, had been unable to come. Only Jake was there.
"Nonsense," Gram, Sam's grandmother, kissed the top of her head, causing her granddaughter to blush a deep shade of red. "You only turn sixteen once, sweet. Might as well celebrate it!"
"Are we ready for cake?" Sam's stepmother, Bryanna, asked, balancing Sam's two-year-old half-brother, Cody, on her hip.
"Cwake?" Cody repeated, squirming madly to reach the ground and rush to the table, because he knew that's were the cake would end up. Cody was a sucker for sugars.
"Please tell me it's Gram's lemon cake!" Sam said. Her stomach growled and she licked her lips.
"Exactly the way you like it, sweet," Gram replied, getting out plates and forks for everyone there. Other than Bryanna and Cody, her father was there, and her neighbor, Jake Ely.
"Then I say, yeah, we're ready for cake!"
"Cwake!" Cody wiggled in his mother's arms. "Cwake!"
"Was Jennifer excited to be going to summer camp, Sam?" Gram asked, as she cut the cake and served it to everyone.
"Oh yeah," Sam said, half in response to Gram's question, and half in delight and the piece of lemon cake that had just been set in front of her.
"It's science camp, eh?" Her father, Wyatt, asked.
Sam nodded, her mouth full of icing. Jen was spending the summer in California, in some kind of science camp, with a whole bunch of other math and science lovers. There they would do problems and exercises way over Sam's head for fun.
Sam shuddered at the thought. She wouldn't want to leave her home, the horses, and her family for the entire summer vacation, especially to attend some science camp. But, though Jen apologized for missing the party, she hadn't seemed entirely heartbroken when she'd been permitted to go to the camp she'd talked about all winter. Her family wasn't much better off than Sam's, so ordinarily she wouldn't have had the money to go. She'd managed, though…That's what happened when you were dating a millionaire's son.
With Jen gone, the only other person Sam even wanted to invite that wasn't related to her was her life-long best friend and almost, would-be, she-wished-he-was, boyfriend, Jake Ely.
Across the table, Sam caught Jake's eye and flashed him a smile, which he returned. His smile was white on his dark Shoshone face, and Sam's own grin grew wider. Two years ago, when she'd been fourteen, Jack had taken her hand in a more-than-friends way. She'd walked with him, and they'd held hands all night. In those two years, they'd hadn't done anything more than interlace fingers, and once, when Sam had successfully mounted Tempest, her four-year-old filly, for the first time, Jake had given her a quick, in-a-nanosecond peck on the cheek…. But that was it.
Sam's smile faltered a moment. How badly she wished he would go a little farther, and make her his official girlfriend! But that was what she got with shy and bashful Jake Ely. He was handsome, sure, and athletic, used to be a track-star, in fact. He could ride and handle horses like no one she'd ever –and probably would- see. But, other than Sam and a selected group of boys he'd kept in touch with after graduation, Jake Ely was a bit of an anti-social. It didn't bother her in the slightest; in fact, she was kind of the same way… If only he could learn to be more openwith her.
Maybe it was for the best, though, her head told her heart. Jake was only home for the summer, and then it was back to college for another year. His last year. If they ever did officially get together, it would only be for a few short months, because Jake would have to leave. Being with him would only make the parting harder than it already would be.
Her head had a lot of good points, but, like the rest of her family, her heart was too stubborn to listen. All she knew was that she wanted Jake to take the next step in their so-called relationship, and she was growing impatient.
She wouldn't push it, she decided. Let's just wait and see how today goes. She thought too herself, staring at Jake as they both shoveled another forkful of cake in their mouth. Wishes do come true on birthdays.
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Hours later, in the living room, Sam sat cross-legged on the floor, while Jake and her family settled themselves on the chair and couch, Bryanna holding Cody in her lap to keep him out of the wrapping paper. She opened the gift her father handed her first.
"From all of us," Wyatt said, gesturing to himself, Bryanna, Gram, and even little Cody. "It's not much, but…I think you'll like it."
"What is it?" Sam asked curiously, wondering what could be so important that all three members of her family had to give it to her together.
"Opwen it, silly sissy!" Cody burst out. "'Ou woo wike it, I pwomise! Mommy shwowed it to me, it's a bwank-"
Bryanna clapped a hand over Cody's mouth, and with her free hand gave a 'hurry up and open it!' gesture, complete with the proper facial expression.
Sam laughed, and she opened the bag and removed the tissue paper.
"Oh, thank you!" Sam said, getting up and hugging each member of her family individually. "I love it." She'd been eyeing the fleece blanket for months now, and she was shocked her father, Bryanna and Gram had all pitched in to get it for her, because she knew it was expensive. The blanket wouldn't be of use until November sometime, but Sam loved it anyway. It reminded her of Ace, her little bay mustang, and the Phantom, her young colt turned wild herd stallion, when they were together. The horse blanket featured a small bay gelding, that bore a striking resemblance to Ace, except for the absence of the white star on his forehead, and a taller, more finely built, silver stallion that towered above the bay, with authority and leadership. The sliver stallion on the blanket reminded Sam of the Phantom, and as she traced the magnificent horse's outline, she remembered the many times when he had looked just like that horse on the blanket.
She pushed thoughts of her horse aside with her blanket. "I really do love it," She said again, giving the blanket one more glance before taking the gift Jake handed her.
"There's more, but you can't wrap the rest," He said quietly, and a little slyly, but Sam didn't catch on. Her attention was caught at what lay in the bottom of the bag.
"Oh, Jake," She breathed quietly, "They're beautiful." She looked up at him, eyes twinkling and smile wide. "I absolutely adore them. I'll put them right on my nightstand."
Jake blushed at her intense gaze, and he rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort, though he couldn't keep the smile off his face. "You really like 'em?"
"I love them." Sam took the crystal horses all the way out of the bag, and held it up for the rest of the family to see.
"Those are might fine," Wyatt said in approval. "Take good care of them." Sam nodded in agreement as her grandmother spoke up.
"Oh my..." Gram's hand fluttered to her heart, and she whispered, "They're marvelous."
"Jake, wherever did you get them?" Bryanna asked, and in her awe, Cody climbed out of her lap and over to Sam.
"Pwetty." Cody whispered to Sam as he climbed up into her lap and traced the edges of the smaller, darker horse.
"They certainly are." Sam kissed the top of her brother's head and studied the horses closer. They were heavy in the palm of her hand, and the smaller of the two was made of dark, midnight black crystal. It was that of a young colt, stubby tail up as high it could go, one foreleg raised, head back and neighing in delight. The crystal was perfect, because it didn't have any white on it, anywhere. It was solid black.
"Blackie…" Sam mumbled. "He looks exactly like Blackie." Blackie had been the Phantom's name, when he was a colt, and still belonged to Sam.
As beautiful as the black colt was though, Sam loved the larger one more. It was made out of clear crystal that sparkled when the light hit it at angles, like a diamond. The carved horse was a site to see: Mane and tail blowing out in invisible wind, head raised, on the lookout for predators, all four legs straight and tense, ready to run at the slightest sign of danger. The clear stallion reminded Sam of a wooden horse Dallas, the ranch's foreman, had given her for her fourteenth birthday. In that wooden statue, Dallas had captured the Phantom in all his glory, but this one was at least twice as good. It looked like a miniature of her horse, a perfect replica.
"A man by campus carved 'em by hand. When I saw 'em, I couldn't help but think of your horse," Jake said, grinning from ear-to-ear. Anyone could tell he was glad that Sam liked his gifts.
"They're perfect," Sam assured him. She would have got up to give him a hug, but Gram started chattering off instructions.
"My, my, would you look at how late it is? Wyatt, take your son and keep him out of the way of Bryanna and me while we clean the kitchen. Sam, I want you to take your gifts up to your room, and be careful with those two horses, you hear?"
"Yes ma'am," Sam laughed, wrapping them up individually in different parts of the blanket.
"Jake," Gram turned to Jake, who was watching her with a smile, "Are you staying for dinner?"
Jake thought a moment. He loved Gram's cooking more than anything, and he wouldn't want to hurt Gram's feelings, but Sam was pretty sure Jake was ready to get on home, and spend some time with his half-trained, huge and clumsy, three-year-old coydog, Singer. Jake hadn't see much of him since he left for college.
"Let the boy go home," Wyatt chuckled, holding his squirming son in his arms. "We'll eat his portion of the meal."
Gram clucked her tongue but waved Jake on home. "Thanks for stopping by, Jake."
Jake nodded and reached for his Stetson hat on the coat hanger; catching Sam's eye, he nodded good-bye, and Sam waved back, gathering up the gifts and heading towards the stairs. She heard him say good-bye, just as she ran up the steps.
That was that, then. Her birthday was as good as over, and still her and Jake were stuck in the "just friends" section of their relationship.
As Sam positioned the two crystal horses the way she wanted them on her nightstand, she gave a little growl in frustration. Maybe she and Jake would never be, if the stubborn fool never made the first move.
Sam didn't want to be the one to do it, because Jake was not only the guy, but also she wanted Jake to be the one to tell her. It would mean so much more if he made the first move.
Sam shot a glance at the clock as she bounced down the stairs and skidded to a stop in the kitchen. 9:oo PM. Yep, her birthday was as good as over. Wishes may come true on birthdays, but not this birthday.
It was okay, though, Sam thought as she stared out in the almost pitch-darkness. At least she still had Jake, in some sense of the word.
"I'm gonna go out to the barn and see Ace and Tempest, alright?" Sam said, already shrugging on her coat on and grabbing her hat.
"Don't be too long, you hear?" Gram yelled, not looking up from the pot she was stirring.
But Sam didn't hear. She was already out the door, and jogging across the ranch yard. By now it was completely dark, and she didn't notice the truck in the driveway that didn't belong to her family, nor did she notice the figure that stood up from their spot leaning on it, and follow her across the ranch yard, hands in pockets.
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"Ace, hello, good boy," Sam trilled in somewhat of a singsong voice when her horse stuck his head out of his stall and snorted.
He raised his head and the hairs covering his eyes flopped back, revealing the white stair on his forehead. Sam went over to him, and when he slung his head over her shoulder, she kissed his cheek.
"Is that a horse's way of saying 'happy birthday'?" Sam asked when Ace nuzzled her cheek. He blew in her ear, and Sam rubbed the star on his forehead. "He's just a shy stubborn boy, isn't he, Ace?" She was talking about Jake. "He'll never extend our so-called relationship."
From the stall next to Ace's, Tempest let out a high-pitched whinny, agreeing with Sam. When Sam looked her way, she snorted and stomped a foreleg.
"I agree with you, pretty girl," Sam said, leaving Ace and going over to pat on Tempest awhile. "Boys are hopeless."
"Not entirely," Someone from behind Sam drawled. She jumped and her heart raced.
"Who-" Sam whirled around, anger and fear in her eyes. The fierce looked melted as soon as she recognized Jake.
"What was that? How long have you been there? Why aren't you at home?" To cover up her embarrassment, Sam babbled off pointless questions, grateful she'd never mentioned Jake by name, in case he had heard anything.
"Easy, cowgirl," Jake soothed, holding up his hands in a calming motion. He walked closer to her, closing the distance between them in a few short strides. "I didn't wanna go home just yet. I told you there was something more to your gift, didn't I?"
Vaguely, Sam remembered Jake saying something like that…She really should learn to listen to people when they talk.
"Well, yeah," Sam admitted.
"I've only been standing here a little while, wondering if I should go through with it…" Jake ran a hand through his dark Shoshone hair, and let out a sigh. "The truth is, I've been wanting to do something for a long time now…" Jake trailed off and looked her straight in the eye.
"Wha-" Sam never got enough time to finish the question, let alone the word, because suddenly Jake's mouthed covered her own, and both of his hands were on either side of her cheeks. His tongue flickered hesitantly across Sam's, and she opened her lips just a fraction of an inch, enough room for him to enter.
Sam's mind was spinning when Jake pulled away, and smiled down at her. He pulled her closer to him, and held her around the waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck after he kissed the top of her head.
"Happy birthday, Brat."