A/N: Part 2! This first oneshot is two parts; the others are generally shorter. I am adding in character from The Pacific as well, because since I found out that the guy who played Sledge was the kid in Jurassic Park (Tim) I can't stop laughing and calling him a 'stale cinnamon roll.' He is a perfect little budgie.
This is done purely for fun; I mean absolutely no offense by any of it! I hope no one is offended. I have nothing but the utmost respect for these men.
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Part 2: Not So Lonely
Sam self-consciously ran a hand over her shirt, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles as she headed into the bar.
She'd agreed to meet Frannie, the girls, and whatever boys from Easy Company that decided to show up at eight p.m. at the Currahee Bar & Grill just off base. It was a usual hangout for soldiers, especially Easy Company, and Sam hadn't really been there too many times. Every time she went, she always got hit on by some drunk dude who didn't know when to quit (although generally, it was a pretty nice place). So, dressed in dark jeans, a black shirt, and a pair of brown, knee high boots, Sam liked to think that she looked 'dressed to kill,' when in reality she was probably 'dressed to maim,' or 'dressed to give a stern talking to.'
Now she was regretting her decision to come out to the bar and have a good time. Her stomach was in knots at the idea of running into Eugene again; his weird behavior throughout the day hadn't made her uncomfortable so much as it had made her curious, but his intense stare was really starting to throw her off her game. It made her toes curl in a pleasant way she'd never felt before, and that made her nervous.
As she stepped through the door, she was greeted with the usual bar-like atmosphere; men in uniform were lounging around the place, and a lot of women, mostly nurses from either the base hospital or the one Sam worked at outside of town, gravitated to them. Her eyes roved over the unfamiliar faces until she spotted a hand waving frantically at her from the back of the bar. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sam recognized Frannie and Bill, and quickly made a beeline for them.
The couple was surrounded by more members of Easy Company, and a few gals from work, who looked like they were getting somewhat bored of all the drinking; Sam couldn't blame them. The men sometimes forget to entertain the ladies in favor of the legendary tasting beer the bar was famous for serving.
"Hey," she greeted, tucking a stray strand of red hair behind her ear as Frannie made room for her to slide into the booth. The men from Easy who had come out for the night were situated round the booth, and had dragged over more tables and chairs to add to the haphazard solider pile. Sam raised a brow at one of them—George Luz, if she remembered correctly, and she did—who grinned and winked at her like some sort of 1940's playboy.
"I'm so glad you could come out tonight, Sam!" Frannie cried, hugging the woman around the neck. Sam fidgeted slightly, but hugged her back; no one could deny Frannie anything. She was too sweet and adorable. When the receptionist leaned in to whisper to her, though, Sam almost bolted out of her seat. "You knoooow, Eugene came out tonight too. He never goes out with us. But I think he was hoping you'd come; he was looking for you earlier." She motioned to the bar where a familiar head of hair was turned away from her, ordering something from the bartender. A redheaded man was next to him, laughing at whatever the quiet Cajun had mumbled.
Sam immediately felt her cheeks light up with embarrassment. "Um…okay. Look, Frannie, I appreciate whatever you're trying to do, but please just-"
She was cut off by another person sliding into the booth, squishing her against Frannie, and she jerked her head to see a brightly grinning man she was unfamiliar with. He passed her a beer without question, and Sam caught it easily as it slid across the table. Her bewildered look must have been enough for the man to realize that she was confused at his gift.
"Name's Frank Perconte. Nice to meetcha. I've never seen you around here once before. You a friend of Bill and Frannie?"
Sam's mouth worked silently for a second, her eyes traitorously darting to Eugene, who still had his back to her, before they shot back to Frank. "Um…Yeah, I am," she admitted, taking a sip of the beer to avoid having to say anything else.
"I knew it! You got that…" He gestured vaguely, as if looking for the right word. "Nurse-y quality about ya. You work at the hospital with Frannie, right?"
"I do," Sam agreed with a nod. She was already regretting her decision to join Frannie and the boys; really, she should have just gone home, drank a glass of wine, watched some cheesy romance movie that would make her cry, and go to bed. Now she'd have to deal with men and women and smoke and beer, and she was sure that, by the end of the night, she would either punch, smack, or kick someone for getting too fresh.
"Sweet. So, uh, you ever consider datin' a soldier before?"
Sam rolled her eyes; that was right on cue. Before she could answer, someone reached out and smacked Frank on the back of the head, and Sam glanced up to see a man who she recognized as Joe Toye standing just at the edge of the booth behind Frank. Cursing, the Italian man beside her rubbed the back of his head, glaring up at Joe, who smiled grimly.
"Lay off," Joe growled. "She don't need you botherin' her, Frank. Why don't you go pick up on someone at the bar? Maybe you'll get lucky."
Grumbling under his breath about being smacked around by a superior officer, Frank slid out of the booth and tromped off. Joe didn't take his seat, but he did lean against the side of the booth and grin sharply at Sam. "Hey there, Sam," he greeted, and she smiled back.
Sam had met Joe more than once when he'd tagged along with Bill to come see Frannie (it was often Toye and Luz who did so, eager to be fawned over and doted on by the other nurses, who thought they were the bee's knees). Sam liked the man; he was quiet. Nothing wasted in word or deed, and he was a genuinely nice person. He might seem intimidating (when you were that tall, and you scowled that much, it was hard not to), but in reality, he was just a big squishy teddy bear. Well, to her at least. She imagined that anyone who messed with Joe wouldn't be calling him a 'teddy bear' anytime soon.
"Hey Joe, how's it goin'?"
"It's goin', for the most part. How about you?"
Sam grinned, glad to have someone to talk to who wasn't a giggling girl or a man that wanted to hit on her. She decided she might as well stick close to Joe (and probably Luz too, since he was pretty dependable and familiar) so she wouldn't have any trouble tonight.
"I've had a hell of a day, Joe," she muttered, taking another sip of her beer. "It's just been so weird."
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"That her?"
Babe nudged Eugene to turn around, indicating the red-haired woman who had slid into the booth next to Frannie. When Eugene caught sight of her, he felt like all the wind had been knocked out of him. He'd only ever seen her in scrubs, but good God damn did she look amazing in those knee high boots and that low cut shirt. He was suddenly aware of all the male attention she would probably be garnering, especially when he saw Perconte slide into the booth beside her and hand her a drink.
"Yep," Gene muttered, taking a sip of his beer to keep himself from striding over and pulling his fellow solider out of his seat.
"Jesus Christ, Gene. You are one lucky son of a bitch."
Gene was inclined to agree with Heffron; to him, Sam was the most beautiful woman in the world, but he'd be damned if she knew it. She looked so small and uncomfortable, sitting hunched over with her fingers tapping impatiently on her beer. He watched Toye save her from Perconte, silently sending the man a prayer of thanks, and sighed.
Babe nudged him lightly with his shoulder. "I'm real sorry, man. This must be hell." He paused, before he added: "So, she really said your words, but you didn't say hers?"
Babe, Bill, Joe Toye, George Luz and a few others in the company had been apprised of his situation by none other than Frannie. Of course she told Bill, who told just about everybody-fucking-else, and now everyone knew; even Frank, though it hadn't stopped him from flirting. He didn't mean anything by it, Gene knew. It was just how he was.
Gene shrugged. "S'what it looks like," he admitted, shoulders sagging slightly. "I just don't understand it. She said my words; she didn't even know it! She just…she just walked off. Like it never happened." He groaned, letting his head drop into his free hand. "The hell am I 'sposed to do, Heffron?"
"Okay," Babe began. "First of all, it's 'Babe.' And second of all, why don't you just go and talk to her, Gene? What could it hurt? Ask her about herself; maybe you can find out what the fuck happened after she said your words. For all you know, you said hers but she just has one hell of a poker face."
Gene shook his head. "I dunno, Heffron…"
"It's 'Babe,' ya lovesick idiot." And Gene yelped and nearly spilled his beer as Heffron grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the company, towards Sam. Eugene tried very hard to break away (okay, maybe he made a feeble attempt that would've had even him laughing at how pathetic it was), and took a deep breath as they made it over to the table to a chorus of "'Ey! Doc, Babe, welcome back!" from the boys.
Gene smiled timidly; he wasn't really used to social interaction, and even before this, he didn't get out all that much. But here he was, beer in hand, standing next to Joe Toye (who had subtly moved away from Sam and was nudging him to stand beside her) and feeling incredibly uncomfortable. He mentally groaned when Sam lifted her eyes—they were the bluest things he'd ever seen—and smiled at him in a way that made his stomach do summersaults.
"Hey, Eugene. Glad to see you out and about." Her gaze subtly raked over him, and he felt his cheeks flush.
"Hey yo'self, Samantha. It's good to see you…uh…outside of work?" God, he was so bad at this. He'd never had any practice talking to women, and he was so damn awkward. He tried to think of something to say, anything to break the ice and keep her interested, but came up empty. He heard a 'tsk' from his left, and suddenly, Babe was leaning over the back of the booth between Frannie and Sam, eagerly reaching out to shake Sam's hand.
"Hi there!" he greeted, charming as always and Gene cursed himself for not being as smooth. "I'm Edward Heffron. Everyone calls me Babe." He jerked a thumb at Gene. "Except this idiot, who can't seem to get it through his thick skull that I prefer my nickname to my real name."
Gene watched Sam giggle softly, taking Heffron's offered hand and giving it a shake. It was nothing like the awkward handshake he'd given her that morning; the one that had gone on way too long to be comfortable.
"So listen, Sam," Babe whispered, leaning forward. "I know this is gonna sound weird, but Gene there is a really good dancer. But unfortunately, he's a little shy. He told me he'd like to ask you, but I don't think he's gonna get the nerve to do it. Why don't you ask him to dance? I'm sure he'd love it."
Gene didn't hear what Babe said to her, but suddenly Sam was looking straight at him, one brow raised and a curious look on her face. He felt his cheeks heat up, and was about to stutter out a question when she suddenly grinned at him and all the breath and thought left his body. He struggled to answer her when she finally asked:
"Hey, Gene, wanna dance?"
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The dancing wasn't as awkward as Sam imagined it was going to be.
After Babe had whispered in her ear, she'd thrown caution to the wind and decided what the hell; she hadn't had any real fun in a long time, and maybe there was a chance Eugene was interested in her and she could get a couple of nice nights out of a short relationship. Not that she used people for sex, but sometimes a girl had needs, and her self-imposed exile from the dating world made it hard to fulfill those needs.
Besides, Gene was cute, and incredibly hot in his uniform; she felt almost giddy as he tentatively offered her his arm and they made their way onto the dance floor. She didn't date soldiers (as a rule; it just made more room for heartbreak and potential breakups if they got transferred), but maybe she'd make an exception. And heck, maybe Eugene didn't have words either, and she might've found a possible match to spend her 'not-destined-for-anyone-days-of-endless-loneliness' with.
Gene gently took her hand, and she felt his other one curl around her waist. He pulled her close, but kept a respectable distance between them as they swayed to the song—it was some catchy old time tune that she was sure had been popular in the 1940's—and Sam decided that this was actually pretty nice.
Until he started asking her questions, of course.
"So, uh…about today," Gene started, hedging slightly and sounding unsure. Sam rose a curious brow, urging him to continue with a look. "I know it ain't none of my business but…uh…when we shook hands this morning…did anything seem a little…strange to you?"
"You mean besides the fact that you shook my hand for like, five minutes?" Sam asked, confused by the question.
"Uh, yeah."
His blush was adorable, but Sam was more concerned about the oddness of his questions. "No, Eugene. Nothing seemed amiss. Or weird. Except your greeting me twice like some sort of forgetful robot. But I'll let it slide. First impressions aren't always everything. Besides, I had a granola bar hanging out of my mouth, so I'm sure I didn't make the best impression either."
"No, no! You were perfect!" he said hurriedly, and Sam gave a start. "I mean…no, you're not perfect, wait…I mean, you're perfect and I'm…" He sighed. "I'm an idiot…your impression was good. I, uh, I was really glad to finally get to meet you."
"Sure," Same replied, now feeling as though maybe she shouldn't have asked him to dance. Or come out to the bar. But damn it if he wasn't super cute, getting all flustered. Still, this was getting odd. "So…what was all the staring about today at the hospital? It was…er…kinda…creepy." She winced; she hadn't meant to admit that, but he had been creeping on her, and the way he looked at her was so intense that it made her wonder what he was seeing. "I mean, not that you're creepy. I just…You never even looked at me before today. So what was up?"
Gene shrugged, his eyes darting everywhere but her face, not eager to meet her gaze. Sam found that a little odd, but made no mention of it. He seemed to want to ignore her question, so she decided that, for the moment, she'd let it drop. It wasn't important; if he did it again, she might confront him (no one creepy stared at Sam Branigan two days in a row and got away with it, thank you). She was content to sway and dance with him, enjoying the closeness of another body that she hadn't let herself enjoy for a long, long time.
Finally, comfortable with him, she scooted closer, and felt him stiffen against her. Her eyes darted up to his blushing face, and she wondered if she'd pushed a little too far for the soft-spoken doctor-in-training, when his arm suddenly tightened on her back and he was holding her softly to his chest, bodies flush against one another as they swayed to the music. She squeaked in surprise, eyes wide as she gazed up at him, wondering what he was thinking.
Gene was now meeting her eyes, blow for blow, and the intense look from earlier in the day was back. Sam felt butterflies flutter in her stomach as he inched closer, face merely inches from her own. She waited with baited breath, eagerly anticipating what was coming next, when Eugene suddenly spoke, breath fanning over her lips.
"Do you have a Soulmate?"
That…was not what she was expecting.
Sam blanched, her face falling slightly as she stared at him. His look was so earnest, so honest and pleading that it broke her heart. She should have known that none of this would be 'no-strings-attached.' She'd heard that question before, and it usually was followed up with 'Neither do I, so why don't we date for a while and have some fun?' Sam was not about to set herself up for that bullshit again, and she quickly stepped away from Eugene, ignoring the hurt that flashed across his face. If he'd left the 's' word out of things, she could've probably enjoyed herself, but nothing good ever came of playing around with that.
"Sorry, Gene. I-I don't think this is a good idea." She scratched her head, shrugging one shoulder. "I don't have a Soulmate. I can't have a Soulmate. So, uh, it's best if we just drop it." She glanced around hurriedly, anywhere but at Gene, and took another step back just to be sure. "Um…I'm just gonna head home. See you at work on Monday!"
Before he could call her back and before her resolve could weaken, Sam darted around Eugene and out the door, missing the way his face crumpled with pain. She needed to get out of there, needed to leave as soon as possible before she threw caution to the wind for a few days of fun. She didn't need a lifetime of heartache just because she was stupid and lonely.
She heard feet running after her and walked faster, before a hand gently grabbed her shoulder, making her pause.
"Sam?"
It was Frannie, and Sam knew the woman had probably watched the whole exchange. She stopped mid-stride, already digging for her car keys in her purse, eager to get going. "Sorry, Fran. I didn't mean to be a wet blanket. I just need to get home; I'm really tired and I've had a long day. This scene isn't for me, anyway."
"Sam, I saw you and Gene on the dance floor. You two looked so wonderful together; why don't you give him a chance? I mean…I mean if you could?" Frannie pleaded, eyes darting back to the door of the bar where Bill, Joe Toye, Babe and Luz stood, watching quietly. Sam didn't notice the men, too focused on getting the hell out of there.
"No, Frannie," she replied, shaking her head and still digging. "I can't."
"But why, Sam? You could give him a chance! I saw the way you two looked at each other. Why do you have to be alone? Is it because your Soulmate-"
"I don't have a fucking Soulmate, Frannie!" Sam shouted, fingers stilling in her purse. She felt angry tears welling in her eyes, and cursed herself and the stupid, stupid universe for screwing everything up in one easy second. "I don't have any fucking words! I'm 'wordless!' I'm blank! There is no one out there meant for me, and I'm not fucking meant for anyone else! So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home, get insanely drunk, and try to forget how much the God damned universe fucking hates me, okay?!"
Without waiting for a response, Sam took off towards her car, jumping in and taking off before Frannie could stop her. She needed to get home.
She needed to drink until she couldn't remember who 'Eugene Fucking Roe' was anymore.
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Frannie stared at the place Sam had been moments before, mouth open and eyes wide.
She heard Joe, George, Babe and Bill crunch over the gravel behind her, and felt Bill gently reach out to pull her against his side. "Jesus fucking Christ," Babe murmured, running a hand through his hair. "I mean, I figured something was wrong when Gene didn't say her words back to her but…but that? I was not anticipating that."
"I know, right?" George muttered, looking as shocked as Frannie felt.
Suddenly though, it all clicked into place, and Frannie squealed excitedly, grabbing Bill around the neck. He looked incredibly confused, and maybe a little frightened for her sanity.
"Fran, what-?"
"Don't you get it, Bill? Gene couldn't say her words back to her because she doesn't have words, but she said his words! That means they really are Soulmates! There's no one down the line to come sweeping her off her feet and away from Gene; they can be together now without having to worry about it!"
"Holy shit!" George cried, his grin threatening to overrun his face. "That's right! Gene is definitely her Soulmate, but she just didn't have words for him to say! Oh my God, we have to tell him!"
Babe was smiling like that cat that caught the canary. "What the hell are we waiting for? Let's go tell Gene!"
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Gene stared angrily at the beer on the table, swirling the dark amber liquid around in his glass with a morose expression.
The men around him could most certainly tell something was up; many of them knew about his issue, so he knew they were leaving him alone on purpose. Not a single one of them hadn't seen that little spectacle out on the dance floor. Gene didn't care what they thought, though; the only thing that mattered was the fact that his Soulmate had just run out on him and shattered his heart in the same breath.
He would have to find a way to get over her, but even as he thought it, he knew it would be impossible. Maybe he could dedicate his life to helping her, making her life easier. Once he became a doctor, maybe he could help her become head nurse or something or…His thoughts trailed away as a sigh escaped his lips.
He really had no fucking idea what to do.
"Gene!"
Gene was nearly tackled into the booth as Babe slammed into him, Bill, George, Joe and Frannie close behind. They all had giddy, excited looks on their faces, and Gene hated them for it, and then hated himself for thinking such terrible thoughts about people he considered friends. "What?" he demanded, trying very hard not to sound as annoyed as he felt.
"Listen, Gene…We have something to tell you."
The more the people around him talked, the more his eyes widened, and suddenly everything clicked into place. He hadn't said Sam's words because she didn't have any, but she had said his. She was tied to no one, and he was tied to her. That meant that they could be together! Well, maybe the universe didn't hate him as much as he thought! He just…had to convince her that what he'd just discovered was true first. "Hold on," he said quietly, pausing his friends mid-chatter. "So she won't let herself be with someone 'cuz she's afraid they'll leave her for their Soulmate…and she just told you that?"
"She sort of yelled it, really," Frannie admitted, looking sheepish. "She said she was…going to go get drunk at home."
Gene stood up from the bar suddenly determined and held his hand out to Babe for the keys to his truck. "Keys. Frannie, where does she live?" The receptionist looked surprised, but smiled eagerly as she rattled off an address. Gene was only minimally familiar with the area, but he would spend all damn night looking for her home if he had to. "Good." He glanced at Babe. "I'm borrowin' your truck." The red head shrugged and agreed, knowing he could get a ride from any of the other guys easily.
"Fine, Gene." He gave the medic a shrug, grin wide. "Go get 'er, tiger!"
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Sam didn't know if she had enough wine in her house to get drunk enough to forget that night, but she sure as hell was gonna try and find out.
Cuddled up on her couch, bowl of cheetohs in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, she turned off the lights and flipped on the cheesy Soulmate romance she was planning on watching earlier in the day.
She was halfway through her third cup of wine and feeling pleasantly tingly, when the doorbell suddenly rang and her head snapped up to stare at the door. Okay…it was what, eleven o'clock at night? Who would be ringing her doorbell at this time of night?
Setting down her wine and placing the bowl on the low table in front of her. Sam uncurled herself from her blanket and tip-toed to the door. She always kept a bat right beside the door in case whoever was outside was someone she wasn't fond of, and she hefted it into her hands and lifted it into the 'ready' position, before reaching out and swinging the door inward and open.
"Gene?!" she gasped, faltering and nearly dropping the bat as the sheepish looking medic waved awkwardly at her from the other side of the door. "What…" She blinked, before quickly hiding the bat behind her back and clearing her throat. "Ehm, what are you doing here?"
"Can we…talk?" he asked softly, and had he not looked so much like an actual kicked puppy, Sam would have said no. Instead, she grudgingly moved aside so he could come in, keeping the bat in her hands just in case; if things went south, she might need to knock herself out to save her from doing something stupid.
The romance movie was still playing in the background, and Sam quickly grabbed the clicker and turned it off, face flushed with embarrassment. She would have tried to hide the miserable meal of wine and cheetohs, but she was sure he'd already seen them, and quite frankly, she was planning to pick up where she left off as soon as he was gone.
Gene was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, so Sam skirted around him to face him, concerned by the look he was shooting her. "Gene? What do you need?" She suddenly backed up, brandishing the bat. "You aren't going to suddenly go Texas Chainsaw Massacre on me, are you?"
The corners of his lips quirked, and he shook his head. "No, no, nothin' like that. I just…" He took a deep breath, and seemed to come to terms with something. In the next instant, he'd reached down and pulled his pants just slightly down his right hip, where Sam knew his words were going to be.
Not expecting that in the least, Sam screeched, throwing her hands in the air. The bat fell to the floor with a loud clatter, and she quickly covered her eyes, shrieking: "What the fuck are you doing, Eugene!?"
She felt a gentle hand grab her own, and he tugged her hands away from her face. "No, Sam! Look! Just look at the words!"
"Gene, those are for your Soulmate! I can't! I can't look at them!"
With a sound of frustration, Gene whipped her hands from her eyes and shouted: "You are my Soulmate!"
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His breath was coming out in ragged gasps as he stood there in her living room, staring down at her shocked expression.
Her breathing quickened, and suddenly she was gasping for air, as though she was having some sort of attack. Alarmed, Eugene forgot about trying to show her the words and quickly clasped her hands in his, moving her towards the couch and gently sitting her down. "Breathe, chére," he murmured, running a hand over her hair; it was softer than it looked, and he had to make a concerted effort to focus on helping her calm down, almost too enthralled by being able to touch her and being near her. He whispered soothing nonsense words in French, and slowly, her breathing evened out as she lifted tentative, watery eyes to look at him.
"Don't say things like that," she whispered softly. "You have…you have no idea. Don't you dare ever say something like that to me!"
"I'll say it again, a thousand times if I have to. It's true," he murmured, taking her hands in his again and squeezing, holding tight when she would have pulled away. "Sam. You said my words. The day we met, you said 'em, clear as day. I ain't stupid or deaf. Just look." He pulled the edge of his pants down again, not concerned about anything but getting her to believe him, and he watched her eyes haltingly lower to the quicksilver words on his hip. He heard her gasp, felt her hands pull away from his, and he watched her steadily as her fingers reached out to touch him.
The second they made contact with his flesh, an electric shock shot straight up his spine, and he groaned, grabbing her hand and quickly pulling it away from his skin. Sam's eyes darted up to him quickly, fear and worry that she'd done something wrong etched into her face. "You're my Soulmate," Gene said again, squeezing her fingers. "You don't have words, Sam, I know that-" He watched her bite her lip, looking quickly away from him, but he reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "-But I do. An' you said them. You spoke my words, Sam. I never thought…I mean, I knew someone was out there for me, but I never 'magined it would be like this. And I almost missed you, all 'cause you were runnin' away from this. You thought no one could love you, no one was out there for you…'cuz you ain't got no words. But you're wrong, Sam."
He used the hold he had on her chin to gently pull her closer, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her against him. He felt her stiffen slightly, but then she melted against his body, arms locking themselves around his neck as he pulled her half into his lap. "You got words, Sam. They're my words. And they're your words now. And if I gotta spend the rest of our lives convincin' you of that, well…" His fingers danced along her jaw, lifting her face towards him, and he leaned in, capturing her lips with his own.
It was a feeling that was indescribable; he felt stars explode behind his eyes and in his stomach and everything seemed to tilt into place and feel right for the first time in his entire life. All of this time, he'd been without this, without her, and he had no idea how he'd survived that long.
This. This was what finding your Soulmate was supposed to feel like.
He heard her whimper softly as he deepened the kiss, felt her arms tighten around his neck as she molded herself to him; they fit perfectly, like two lost pieces of a puzzle. Slowly, Gene pulled away, a smile on his face as he stared down into Sam's hazy blue eyes, and he watched the answering grin tug at her own lips, before he leaned down and nipped them gently.
"…I don't mind spendin' the rest of my life tryin'."
