WHURRRRRR! SCREECHH!
Sam slowly woke up, lifting his heavy head off his pillow, the train in front of his flat rudely awakening him. His eyes fluttered at the filtering light, adjusting to the brightness. He found himself clutching his pillow with both arms, lying on his stomach, his muscled back exposed with the sheets wrapped around his hips. He groaned, feeling groggy. Reluctantly, he smacked his palm against his digital clock, pulling it to his face as he squinted his eyes. It read 9:30 A.M. in bright boldfaced numbers. "Shit," he grumbled, throwing the covers back. Sam yanked himself out of bed, checking his cell phone on the file cabinet he kept as a nightstand. He had three missed calls and two voice mails from Alan.
He clicked voice mail, holding it to his ear. On the other end an irritated Alan spoke, "You're late, Sam. You should've been in your office by seven. It's eight. Your father slept in sometimes but you don't have that luxury yet. Or shouldn't. Just wake up, okay?"
Sam smirked to himself, clicking onto the next message.
"Alright, Sammy it's eight forty-five. Did you go drinking last night? Are you hungover? One night stand? Whatever it is, you can deal with it. You're CEO, young man. Wake up!"
He rolled his eyes this time. He muttered, "Does 'I'm tired' work as an excuse, old man?" Sam Flynn pursed his lips, glancing over at the couch. Quorra was gone but the pillow and blankets remained, folded neatly on one of the cushions. Sam furrowed his brows, ambling over the floor, looking for her with a dazed and confused expression. "Quorra?" He called softly, even checking the bathroom with no luck.
For just a split second, he started to panic. She had left. She was out exploring. Quorra could be absolutely anywhere. OH GOD. The train tracks! The bridge! The lake! He ran over to the keypad, all but punching in the numbers. The door creaked and scratched itself open but he couldn't care less at the horrific sound. Sam ran outside, halting at the water and calling out as loud as he could. "QUORRA!"
From the top of the storage container on his flat, a feminine voice that belonged to Quorra chirped, "Yes Sam?"
His heart almost collapsed in relief. Sam whipped himself around, a harsh premature winter wind blowing past his bare chest. He hardly noticed, puzzled as he stared up at Quorra who was perched on his 'roof'. "What the hell are you doing up there?"
She giggled, "I was watching the sunrise."
He fought the urge to unload on her, wanting so bad to chew her out for how worried she had him. Sam exhaled deeply, trying to calm himself. After a few seconds, he looked up at her again, "Um, don't ever do that again, okay?"
She frowned, turning her attention to him down below. "I can't ever watch the sunrise again?"
"No, that's not what I mean. If you're going to leave, stick a note on my forehead telling me where you are or something. You scared me to death." Sam sighed, searching around for some possible way he could join her. He stalked the premises, still hunting for an entrance. "..How did you get up there anyway?"
She smiled to herself, hugging the blanket around her shoulders, warm despite the nippy weather. "I just climbed up."
Sam frowned to himself, finally finding what she had meant. Sticking out the steel were old rusted nails and bolts that a petite woman such as Quorra could easily use as foot and hand holds. Just then, he noticed he was barefoot and wearing only his sleep pants. Sam realized that the only way he could get to her in that moment is if she came down. He felt like a damn babysitter. He squinted, trying to look at her hands. "Are you hurt? Those nails look pretty sharp."
Quorra shook her head, her angled inky hair moving with her, "Nope." She smiled up at the sun, her creamy pale skin almost glowing in the light. Her eyes were brighter, her whole being pleased. Sam smiled faintly, remembering how angelic she appeared when she was cheerful. Something about her jovial, innocent temperament eased his worries and made it impossible for Sam to be angry with her.
Sam chuckled, "Well, you heard me coming out of the house right?"
Quorra slightly cringed, remembering the door screaming all too well. "Yes."
"And I didn't wake up when you got—better yet, how did you even know the code?"
She smiled down at him, "I hacked into it, Sam."
Sam gawked slightly, "You hacked?"
Giggling and nodding, "Yes."
"But how? I spent hours securing that thing!"
She shrugged, smirking down at him, "Don't worry. I won't tell."
He sighed, laughing, "Um, well, I'm really late for work. Do you think you'll be alright here for the day? I've got food in the fridge for lunch."
She nodded, "Sure, Sam. Don't worry about me."
Sam cleared his throat, knowing that statement was easier said than done. "And when I come back I intend to fix that door for you," he winked.
Quorra laughed, "Thank you!"
He nodded, "Yeah, yeah. Just come down after awhile, okay? The sun's not gonna go anywhere." Sam pushed the main button on the garage, opening up the door so he could go inside. It shrieked ajar, letting him enter. Sam jogged into this bathroom, starting up a quick shower.
From above, Quorra kicked her feet together like a little girl, excited for another day. She watched the birds fly across the sky, sighing in serenity. She swallowed a little, thinking back on Sam's cry a few minutes ago. She had never heard such a degree of worry in his voice before. Even in The Grid, he was calm and collected. He handled everything with a somewhat level head. The only thing that seemed to inspire emotion in him is father. She thought it was slightly odd that simply leaving the flat to watch the sunrise worried him. Quorra remembered that he said to assume people were selfish. Did he think people would mean her harm? She frowned to herself, banishing the next thought that came to mind. It was too painful.
From inside, Sam grabbed his jacket and keys, wheeling out his Ducati. He glanced up at her, smiling, "I added more wood to the fire to keep you warm. Help yourself to the bookshelf. I know how you like to read."
Quorra beamed, delighted. "Oh thank you Sam!"
He laughed, "No problem. I'll bring home dinner. Like Chinese?"
"What?"
Sam chuckled, "Nevermind. You'll see. Be back this evening." He slipped on his jacket and straddled his bike, turning the keys in the ignition. Sam wasted no time, shooting off towards the Encom tower.
*Authors Note: Thank you all so much for all the alerts, favorites and reviews. Your loyalty to this story makes it that much more enjoyable to write!