Bayley steps out onto the porch of her bed and breakfast and breathes in deeply. The only thing that could make this better would be snow. They're two weeks away from Christmas and they still haven't had their first snowfall. But at least the rooms are full; well, mostly. There's one still open currently, but luckily for her that'll change today. The final guest will finally be here.

When she'd gotten the call from a company in Ireland about one of their photographers coming here to Mirman Grove, Iowa, she had thought it was a joke. She quickly realized it wasn't. Apparently they'd seen pictures of the area and wanted to come see it for themselves. She just hopes it isn't like the last time someone from out of town wanted to come see it for themselves. That ended badly when they found out it was all for a story about how the town is still functioning. That broke Bayley's heart.

She's about to turn and head back inside when she sees a familiar car pulling up the drive. She hadn't expected to see him for another week. She walks off the porch when she sees the driver door open. "Sami!" she cries as she runs toward him.

Sami barely has time to turn to catch her. He laughs as Bayley wraps her legs around him. "I take it you're happy to see me?" he asks.

Bayley takes a step back and beams at him. "Of course I am. What are you doing here? I didn't think you would be here for another week."

Sami nods as they walk to the back for his bags. "That was the original plan. But then I got a call from an old friend that he's coming here for a few weeks. So I figured I'd come out early."

"I don't have any rooms open until next week."

"And you won't let your own best friend stay with you?"

She beams. "Of course I will. I just didn't think you'd want to."

"I think I can handle a week in the attic." He follows Bayley up the stairs to her small place on the top floor.

"Why is your friend coming here?"

"Something for work." Sami shrugs when Bayley glances back at him. "We didn't get into it much. Figured we would when he got here. But do you think you'd be up to giving him a tour? He mentioned wanting to have one."

"Yeah, I can do that." She watches Sami set his bags down before she hugs him from behind. "I'm so glad you're here."

Sami chuckles as he turns and wraps his arms around her. "Me too." He kisses the top of her head. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. I need to head back down. Work is calling my name. Make yourself at home."

He nods. "I think I might grab a quick shower."

"Go ahead."

"I'll see you in a little bit."

Bayley sits down at the front desk and opens the laptop. She's glad she was able to talk her family into updating the system here so everything could be on the computer. It definitely helped when she took over the bed and breakfast. She hadn't thought she was ready for that big step, but her parents insisted that she was. Of course they hadn't forced her to take over. They offered her the chance. She told them that she would give it a try if they really thought she could do it. It's not been just over a year. Her parents gave her free reign over the place.

There was much she changed, but there were a few things. The first thing was updating everything to the computer. When she was a little girl, she always imagined each room having a name rather than a number. With the help of her parents as well as Sami, she came up with names for each of the six rooms. Along with the names came updates to the rooms themselves. Her parents supported her every move.

When the bell on the door rings signifying that someone has opened it, Bayley looks up. She chews on her bottom lip as she watches a dark haired man steps inside. She stands when he approaches the desk. "Good morning," she says. "Welcome to Rose Bed and Breakfast."

The man smiles as he rests his forearms on the desk. "Thank you," he says.

Bayley barely manages to hold her gasp back. This is the man from Ireland and she can't seem to stop staring at him. She takes a deep breath. "What can I help you with?"

"I'm checking in. Finn Balor."

She nods. "Of course, Mr. Balor, we've been expecting you." She turns to grab the key for his room, only to trip over her feet.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Finn asks.

Why did this have to happen now? She grabs the key and turns back toward Finn. "I'm fine, Mr. Balor, thank you."

"Call me Finn. And you are?"

"Bayley. Bayley Martinez." She blushes as she hands him the key. "You'll be staying in our Love in the Mist room." Her blush doesn't diminish after telling him the room. "It's up the stairs to the left at the end of the hall."

"Sounds good."

Bayley grabs their book for people to sign in. "If I could just have you sign this."

"Of course."

She watches as he signs, hating herself for acting like a giddy teenage girl. Grow up, Bayley. She takes the book from him. "You're all set. If you have any questions, feel free to find me. I stay up on the third floor. That's my apartment, so you can always come up to see me up there if you can't find me down here." Why did she say that? She doesn't tell anyone that. So why Finn?

Finn nods. "Okay, thank you. I'll just go grab my things and then head up."

"Do you need help?"

"No, I've got it."

Bayley watches Finn walk outside again. "What is wrong with you, Bayley?"

"Talking to yourself again?" Sami asks as he walks over.

"Why am I such a dork?" She drops her forehead against Sami's chest. "I'm so stupid."

"What happened?" Sami pulls her into a hug.

"I just made a fool out of myself."

"I'm sure you didn't." He kisses the top of her head. "What happened?"

"I just fumbled everything with one of the guest. I even tripped over my feet. Who does that?"

"And if you're acting like this…" Sami smiles. "He must be cute, huh?"

"Sami…"

"You need to relax. You are amazing and anyone would be lucky to have you."

"You're only saying that so I don't start crying." She pushes him back.

"That's not true and you know it." He kisses her forehead. "Can I go grab something to drink?"

"Of course." She watches him walk through to the kitchen. She wishes she could be confident in herself, but she never has been; especially after the way Seth treated her. The bell rings again and she looks to see Finn walking back in.

Finn looks over and flashes a smile. "You said to the left?" he asks.

"Yes," she answers with a small smile. She watches as he walks upstairs.

Bayley walks back to the desk that evening. She smiles at Sami who's sitting there looking through the guest list. "You could just ask me where your friend is at," she says.

"That would be the easy thing to do," Sami responds.

Bayley sits down and watches him. "Do I get to meet this friend? I mean, obviously I did at some point to check him in. But officially."

"Let's go right now." Sami grabs her hand and pulls her to her feet again. "Come on."

Bayley laughs as she lets Sami pull her up the stairs. Her smile fades when she sees the door they stop in front of, Love in the Mist. Sami knocks on the door. This can't be his friend, could it? It would make sense, because Finn is here for work. Bayley chews on her bottom lip. Maybe this isn't a good idea. The door opens to reveal a shirtless Finn.

"Sami!" Finn exclaims. He hugs the slightly taller man.

"Finn!" Sami laughs as he hugs Finn back. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has been." Finn steps back and smiles widely.

"I wanted to introduce you to my best friend. I know you've technically met, but not as my best friend." Sami pulls Bayley up beside him. "This is her, Bayley Martinez."

Finn smiles at her. "Bayley, it's a pleasure. I've heard a lot about you."

Bayley shakes his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Sami laughs a little. "She's a bit shy."

"No problem," Finn says. "Come in."

Bayley glares at Sami as she passes him. She stays to the side as Sami closes the door. "I hope we didn't interrupt anything."

"No. I just grabbed a quick shower." He grabs a shirt from the bed. "Sami said you own this place?"

Bayley nods a little as she watches Finn pull his shirt on. "Um… yeah." She clears her throat. "It's actually been in my family for a long time. The house belonged to my great-grandparents. It was my grandparents who opened it as a bed and breakfast. They passed it on to my parents who passed it to me." She shrugs. "It hasn't changed much over the years."

"Who came up with the room names?"

"I did. I changed that soon after I took over." She can't help but smile a little at the amazement on Finn's face."

"That's great. I wish I could do something like this. But I would fail miserably." He chuckles. "So, Sami, where are you staying? I know you mentioned you didn't have a room until next week."

Sami nods and gestures to Bayley. "Up in the attic with her. I'll get the couch for a week."

"Not my fault," Bayley says with a smile. "Anyways, I should get back to work. I have a few things left to do for the day."

"You work too much." Sami kisses her forehead.

"Maybe, but someone has to." She gives Finn a quick wave before walking out of the room. Truth is the work she had could wait, but mostly she just wanted to get away from Finn.


Finn pulls up to the bed and breakfast and lets out a heavy breath. While he would love to be home for Christmas, he's the only one without a family to spend it with. So here he is in Mirman, Iowa for work. He grabs the file beside him to double check that this is the place he's supposed to be. Rose Bed and Breakfast. This is definitely it. Normally he wouldn't stay at a place like this, but this was the only place available. It doesn't look like what he expected, which is actually good.

He climbs out of the car and makes his way up to the porch. He can't help but smile. This is definitely not what he expected when he heard bed and breakfast. He had figured it would be overly decorated, but this isn't; at least so far. He steps inside and takes a look around. He makes his way toward the desk to his right where he spots a dark haired woman.

"Good morning," she says. "Welcome to Rose Bed and Breakfast."

Finn smiles as he rests his forearms on the desk. "Thank you," he says. He doesn't miss the look on her face, but he isn't sure what it says exactly.

"What can I help you with?"

"I'm checking in. Finn Balor."

She nods. "Of course, Mr. Balor, we've been expecting you."

When she turns toward the rack of keys, he sees her trip. "Whoa, are you okay?" Finn asks.

"I'm fine, Mr. Balor, thank you."

"Call me Finn. And you are?"

"Bayley. Bayley Martinez. You'll be staying in our Love in the Mist room. It's up the stairs to the left at the end of the hall."

He notices the redness now on her cheeks, the color deepening after telling him the name of the room. "Sounds good."

"If I could just have you sign this."

"Of course." He signs where she had gestured before sliding the book back toward her.

She takes the book from him. "You're all set. If you have any questions, feel free to find me. I stay up on the third floor. That's my apartment, so you can always come up to see me up there if you can't find me down here."

Finn nods. "Okay, thank you. I'll just go grab my things and then head up."

"Do you need help?"

"No, I've got it." He smiles before walking back outside. He has to wonder if she tells everyone that she stays in the apartment on the third floor. It doesn't seem like it would be a smart thing, but then again this is his first time here.

Finn grabs his bags and makes his way back inside. He glances over at the desk to find Bayley sitting once again. He smiles when she looks over. "You said to the left?" he asks.

"Yes," she answers.

Finn nods before walking up the stairs. He finds the door and smiles at the sign on the wall with the name of the room. He steps into the room, closing the door behind him. The room is simple, but perfect. It's lightly decorated, but done tastefully. He sets his things to the side.

"What a day," he mutters. He strips down to his boxers and crawls into bed. It hadn't been his plan to begin with, but he's exhausted.

Finn is stepping out of the bathroom when there's a knock on his door. He throws a quick look over to the clock before stepping over to open the door. "Sami!" he exclaims. He hugs the slightly taller man.

"Finn!" Sami laughs as he hugs Finn back. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has been." Finn steps back and smiles widely. He can see Bayley standing behind Sami.

"I wanted to introduce you to my best friend. I know you've technically met, but not as my best friend." Sami pulls Bayley up beside him. "This is her, Bayley Martinez."

Finn smiles at her. "Bayley, it's a pleasure. I've heard a lot about you."

Bayley shakes his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Sami laughs a little. "She's a bit shy."

"No problem," Finn says. "Come in." He steps back into the room to let them in.

"I hope we didn't interrupt anything," Bayley says.

"No. I just grabbed a quick shower." He grabs his shirt from the bed. "Sami said you own this place?" He pulls the shirt on as he watches Bayley.

"Um… yeah." She clears her throat. "It's actually been in my family for a long time. The house belonged to my great-grandparents. It was my grandparents who opened it as a bed and breakfast. They passed it on to my parents who passed it to me." She shrugs. "It hasn't changed much over the years."

"Who came up with the room names?"

"I did. I changed that soon after I took over."

"That's great. I wish I could do something like this. But I would fail miserably." He chuckles. "So, Sami, where are you staying? I know you mentioned you didn't have a room until next week."

Sami nods and gestures to Bayley. "Up in the attic with her. I'll get the couch for a week."

"Not my fault," Bayley says with a smile. "Anyways, I should get back to work. I have a few things left to do for the day."

"You work too much." Sami kisses her forehead.

"Maybe, but someone has to." She gives Finn a quick wave before walking out of the room.

Finn watches the door close behind her before looking at Sami. "She seemed to want to get out of here quickly," he says.

Sami smirks. "She's a bit shy, especially after making a fool of herself in front of someone. Well, she told me she made a fool out of herself in front of you." He shrugs.

Finn frowns. "She did? What'd she do?"

"Apparently tripped over her own feet."

"Ah…" He nods as he gestures to the chairs. "Wanna sit?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Tell her that she doesn't need to worry. I was more worried that she injured herself."

"She'll get over it. Oh, and I did talk to her earlier. She's willing to show you around. So just talk to her about whatever you're looking for."

Finn nods. "Great. I just hope she doesn't think she has to avoid me."

"No, she'll be fine. Seriously, don't worry about her."


Bayley walks out of her bedroom to find Sami sitting watching TV. "Morning," she says. She smiles when he looks over. "I'm surprised you're up."

Sami smiles back. "Morning. I slept really well. Your sofa bed is comfy."

"I'm glad." She sits down beside him. "Do you know what Finn had planned? You had mentioned showing him around. But is there a certain spot he wants to see or anything like that?"

"I'm not sure. You'll have to ask him about that. You don't have to be afraid of him. I know you tripped in front of him, but he won't make fun of you for it. At least not until you make fun of yourself for it."

She rolls her eyes but can't hide her smile. "Thanks for that. I should head down to make sure things are getting started."

"You have a great crew, Bayley. You know that, right?"

"I know." She smiles at him. "I know I do. But I'm still in charge, so I have to make sure."

He nods. "As long as you know."

"You coming down for breakfast?"

"Eventually. I'm waiting to hear from Finn."

"Okay. I'll see you whenever you get down then."

Bayley walks through the dining room, smiling and greeting everyone as she passes. She walks to the kitchen where she finds her kitchen staff preparing breakfasts. "Good morning," she says.

"Morning, Boss," Colin says with a bright smile.

Bayley rolls her eyes but smiles as she does. "How's everything going in here?"

"Everything is great. Nothing to worry about."

"Good. Let me know if there's anything I can help with." She pours herself a cup of coffee. "And don't forget to make plates for yourselves."

"And you," Enzo says as he walks past her. "I'll bring yours out when it's ready."

Bayley nods. She'd argued with Enzo that she didn't need them to fix her breakfast, but they'd insisted. So after a while she'd stopped arguing with them. On a very rare occasion had she told them not to bother making her a plate. However, there was a reason behind it normally. "Thank you, Enzo."

Bayley is walking to the front desk when she sees Sami and Finn walking down the stairs. She takes a seat and watches as they walk over to her.

"Are you eating?" Sami asks.

"They're making me something," she answers. "They always do."

"Good."

She looks at Finn and smiles. "I hope you slept well."

Finn nods. "I did, thank you."

"Great. Enjoy your breakfast."

"You should join us."

She's surprised by Finn's comment but smiles again. "I have a few things to do here, but I will as soon as I finish."

"Good."

Bayley watches as he and Sami walk into the dining room. She finally turns her attention to the paperwork in front of her. She has to get this finished before she can think about doing anything else. It doesn't take her long to finish. She's standing up when she sees Enzo walking out of the kitchen. She smiles as she meets him in the middle of the dining room.

"Please tell me you are going to actually sit and enjoy breakfast," Enzo says.

"I am," Bayley responds. "I'm going to sit with Sami."

"Good." He hands her the plate. "Enjoy."

Bayley walks over and sits down beside Sami. "Have you guys put your order in?"

Sami nods. "Yeah. Should be coming out any minute." He looks at Bayley's plate. "That looks really good."

"It is. You won't be disappointed."

"I never am." He looks across the table at Finn. "There are some great cooks here. You'll love it."

Finn nods. "Looks like everyone agrees." He smiles at Bayley. "You have yourself a great place here."

Bayley returns the smile. "Thank you."

"Sami said that he talked to you about showing me around?"

Bayley nods. "Yeah. That's not a problem. Just let me know if there's something you want to see. Place isn't huge, but I know it's for your job. So if they're looking for something specific let me know. I wish we had some snow. But I'm sure you prefer it this way."

Finn laughs softly. "For the first day out I'm glad it's like this. But I hope I can see some snow before I leave."

"We're supposed to get some this weekend. Of course they said that last weekend too. We have yet to have anything."

"You sound disappointed."

"I am." Bayley smiles. "I love the snow. But probably good that it hasn't yet for your sake."


Finn walks downstairs mid-morning and over to the desk. He finds Bayley standing in the dining room talking with one of the other guests. She looks over and motions for him to hold on. Finn nods and sets his camera bag down so he can pull his coat on. He can't help but watch Bayley as he buttons his coat.

"Sorry about that," Bayley says walking over.

"No problem," Finn responds. "Everything okay?"

"Yes, they just had a question about the house." She smiles at Finn as she grabs her coat from the chair. "Are you ready?"

Finn nods. "I am." He smiles at her. "Thank you again for doing this."

"No problem. I don't mind at all. I love being able to show Mirman Grove to people who've never been here."

He grabs his bag again before they walk outside. "And you don't mind that we stop so I can take pictures, right?"

"Not at all." She motions for him to follow her. "I'll take you to our main street."

As they start to walk, Finn pulls his camera out so he can be ready when he sees something. "You were born here, right?" he asks.

"Yes. Born and raised." She looks at him. "I love it here."

"The little bit I've seen it looks amazing." Finn watches her for a moment. "Did you ever think about leaving?"

"When I was little. Like every little kid I'm sure. I had these big dreams. I was gonna be somebody. Turns out I didn't need to leave to be somebody."

Finn nods. "As a little boy, I wanted to be a superhero. And then I figured out that the Joker was the villain and not the superhero."

Bayley laughs softly. "Were your boyhood dreams crushed?"

"For about twenty minutes. Then I moved on to the next thing." He shrugs.

"When did you turn to photography?"

"I was looking for something in our storage hall one day when I found my Mum's old camera. She told me she had forgotten all about it. So I took it and learned how to use it. I didn't think anything of it more than it was something of Mum's. I started taking pictures of anything and everything and realized it was my passion. I would have been nine or ten at the time."

They spend the rest of the morning walking around the town, stopping so Finn can take some photos. Bayley answers the questions he has and they talk about areas of the town. Bayley can't remember the last time she had a day like this; and they hadn't been gone long. They stop for lunch at the café, Finn insisting on paying.

Bayley looks at Finn as they walk outside again. "I have one more place that I think you'd really like," she says.

Finn smiles at her. "Lead the way."

"It's just outside of town, but still walkable. I used to call it my secret hideout. Of course, it never really was, because everyone knows this place. It just isn't a place many people go."

"Those are the best places though."

"They really are. Do you have a place like that back home?"

"I do. Best part is that it belongs to my family."

"That's even better." As they continue walking, she points out a few things. They stop a couple times for Finn to take pictures.

Finn can see an old building come into view. It should surprise him, but doesn't, when Bayley turns toward it. He smiles as they approach. "Reminds me of a couple places back home."

"Yeah? This is the old town mill." Bayley looks up at the building. "So like I said, everyone knows this place. Not many come out anymore." She shrugs. "I haven't been out her in a while, but it's a great place."

"We won't get in trouble for being here, right?"

"No. Like you said, best part is that it belongs to my family."

He smiles as he starts taking a few pictures. "Really?"

"Yes. When the mill closed down, my grandparents bought the land and building. Well, it was about twenty years after the mill closed."

Finn watches as Bayley starts moving toward the back of the building. He grins as he lifts his camera once again. He knows he probably shouldn't, but he can't stop himself from snapping a few pictures of her. "How much land is here?"

"Um… I don't remember. I usually just stay in this area when I'm here. But several acres."

He follows her around back and takes several more pictures of the building. "I can only imagine how amazing this looks with snow on it."

She smiles. "It's pretty amazing. I hope you'll get to see it like that."

"Fingers crossed." They spend several more minutes walking outside before heading inside. Finn is amazed at the fact that there are still many of the old machines still inside. "Wow."

"Amazing, huh?"

"I can't even find the right words."

Bayley beams at that. "That's what I like to hear."

Finn chuckles as he walks around the room. "Is it safe to go upstairs?"

"Yeah. There are a few spots that are weak, but overall it's still pretty good." She watches as he continues to walk around and take pictures.

"I can see why they wanted someone to come out here." He looks over at Bayley. "It's stunning." After a few more minutes, they make their way upstairs.

"The other side of the room is where the floor is the worst. That's where you have to really pay attention."

"Okay." He walks around, taking a few pictures as he does. "Do you guys have any plans for the place?"

"No. There had been talk of tearing the building down back before I was born, but it never went anywhere. I don't think it was ever in serious talks, just trying to figure out what to do. It's now a landmark, so unless it falls, it'll stay." She looks over to find him watching her. She knows she starts to blush but can't help herself.

"Okay, for my own personal collection, I want to get a picture with you." Finn walks over as he pulls his phone out of his pocket.

Bayley stares at him. "Okay."

"Just go with it." He wraps an arm around her shoulders as he lifts his phone to take a picture.

She slides her arm around him as she steps closer. She smiles again just before he takes the picture. Finn looks at her and winks.

"Thank you."

They spend a little while longer here before deciding to head back to Rose's. Bayley shoves her hands in her coat pockets as they begin their short journey back into town. As nervous as she had been about spending the day with Finn, she's the exact opposite with him now. She hasn't been this comfortable with any male outside of her family and Sami.

"So if I'm still here, I want you to take me to every place we went today on the first snowfall," Finn says. "I don't care what time of day it is. If either of us sees the snow, we go."

Bayley smiles up at him. "I can definitely do that."

"Great. And we're in agreement on the whenever it happens? Even if it is in the middle of the night?"

She nods. "I'm game if you are."

"I'm game."

Now they just need the snow.

THE END