Chapter 4

Sam pulled the car into the garage, and Yvette was out and hurrying to the back door before he had it turned off. He chuckled and shook his head. For all her pretenses to the contrary, he knew she'd been worried about leaving Samuel overnight. He pulled their small bag from the back of the vehicle and entered the house. Water ran in the bathroom upstairs and he heard Yvette's voice as she chattered away to Samuel. They met on the landing half way up to the second floor.

"Well it looks like he made it through okay," Sam responded with a small smile.

"Your dad is in the shower. He was waiting until we got back, didn't want to leave Samuel unattended." She smiled and her eyes sparkled. "It sounds like everything went off without a hitch. They took Samuel to the zoo, believe it or not, and they played with him until it was his bed time."

"And after that?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

Yvette blushed. "He didn't tell me that. He said it was on a need to know basis, and I didn't need to know."

Sam laughed. "Well, frankly, I'm not going to dwell on it. The place is like we left it, Samuel is happy, and we're...we're terrific." He kissed her on the steps until she teetered on the edge of the step. The water turned off, and Sam abruptly broke the contact, blushing a little. "I, uh, better get this stuff upstairs."

"Right. Samuel is ready for some lunch. I'll put on some soup for us."

They turned sideways and brushed against each other as they passed on their way up and down the staircase. Sam watched her descend, absently wondering when his dad left and if it would coincide with Samuel's nap. He himself was off because Michael and Fiona were busy doing intelligence gathering on their man, and he intended to take full advantage of the time.

At the top of the stairs he ran into Samuel as he emerged from the bathroom, running a towel over his wet hair. In his retirement he let it grow a little longer than regulation, just enough to develop some curls at the back. Just like Sam's, which reminded him that he needed a trim.

"Hey, Son!" He grinned warmly. "How'd your date with Yvette go?"

"It was great, Dad."

"And nobody worried about Maddie and me?"

Sam made a dismissive gesture. "Are you kidding? We were having too much fun to worry about you two crazy kids!" He glanced around quickly, leaned closer, and asked, "How did your date go? You didn't do anything that might cause Mike to want to kill you, did you?"

Samuel threw his head back and laughed. "If Michael wants to get mad at anyone, it should be his mom. Wooohee, that girl is a firecracker, Son! I practically had to beat her off!"

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Seems the woman has something for a man in uniform. Or formerly in uniform."

"Yeah, I think there's something to that." He briefly thought about Virgil who, despite Maddie's attraction to him, stayed away because of Michael's unspoken threats. "So, anyway, you did what I said, right? You didn't take advantage of her..."

"Sammy, despite my baser instincts, we behaved ourselves. But I can't promise anything on the second date. That's all I've got to say about that."

Cringing, Sam dropped the suitcase on their bed and covered his ears briefly. "Please, I'd rather not know. Just mark my words that if you hurt her, it's between you and Michael Westen. That's not a fight you wanna pick, Dad. Trust me."

The landline phone rang, and on the second jingle, Yvette picked it up. A few moments later, her footsteps trotted up the stairs. She held Samuel against her hip and balanced the cordless phone in the other hand. "Looks like I just interrupted something. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. What's up, darlin'," Samuel asked as he resumed working on his hair.

"Maddie's on the phone. She wants to invite us all to a barbecue at her place on Saturday. Doesn't that sound great?"

"Perfect! I don't have to work that day. We'll be there!"

"Ask her if we should bring anything," Sam added as he glanced warily at his dad. Somehow, he had the feeling that his father already knew about this invitation and had his schedule planned out to be free on that day.

"Just ourselves, Samuel, and your dad. I already asked." Yvette's eyes crinkled when she smiled. Into the phone, she spoke. "Yeah, we'll be there, Maddie. At two? Okay, sounds good." Her voice trailed away as she returned to the lower level.

Sam narrowed his eyes and a crafty look crossed his face. "Looks like the tactical expert is up to something."

"Just gives me a chance to spend time with Maddie, in front of Michael, so he sees that I'm not the bogeyman he thinks I am."

"Smart move, Dad. Good job." He gave his father a formal salute, Commander to Commander, and went downstairs to spend some quality time with his son. He admired his father's skills, and he wondered if maybe he might be an asset to the team someday. If nothing else, they could use his talents of keen observation to keep an eye on things at Carlito's. Maybe when things warmed up between Michael and his dad, Sam would suggest it.