Disclaimer: Again I do not own anything.

Chapter 4

Sam decided a visit to the Rivercourt was in order, she needed some place to think, clear her head. Usually Melissa would walk home with Sam and hang out for a while but Sam told her she wanted to be alone. Mel was slightly hurt at this but let her best friend be alone but Melissa wasn't stupid she knew something was up, besides the shin incident. When Sam had told her she hade made captain Melissa was shocked that Sam was not as happy as she thought she'd be. Melissa thought she would drop a quick text to the person who would know best when it comes to Sam – Brooke.

'Hey. Hope your okay? Sam's done to the Rivercourt to think, dunno how long for. Something's seriously up with her. I don't know if you know cause she certainly won't tell me. She just needs her Mom :) hope things work out okay B. Davis. Xx'

Melissa pressed send and hoped it was for the best.

Sam sat on the bench and looked onto the river. iPod was on and Sam could finally sit and relax. Sam looked down at the cut on her hand, she sighed as she slowly rubbed her finger down the scar.

"What the hell am I gonna do. Sam you're an idiot. Brooke loves you. You are safe there. Why can't you just tell her you fucking coward. You can't lose her. I can't lose my Mom. My god she's my Mom, my Mom 'I will never leave you or stop loving you' that's what she told you Sam you idiot!"

"Do you not think it's kinda unhealthy to speak to yourself?" A raspy voice came from behind her.

"Holy Mother Mary Of God, you just about gave me a heart attack Brooke! Wait what are you doing here? How'd you know I was…Melissa, I hate that kid…but in a good way."

Brooke sat next to Sam on the bench. Sam rested her head on Brookes shoulder. They sat in silence just watching the river move downstream until Sam broke the silence.

"You do know I love you right? I didn't mean to be a bitch this morning. I just, I just…there's so much swimming about up there" Sam pointed to her head. "And I hate it, you know. It's just eating away at me and killing my life, ruining everything, ruining this" Brooke just let Sam speak. "And I love this; you and me, its all I ever wanted. I want to tell you everything but I just can't find the words. I put it all to the back of my head and I just forgot about it all but the smallest thing brought it all back, my stupidity brought it all to the surface and I don't want to put it to the back of my mind for it all to happen all over again. I need to get it all out but I just can't. Its like it's all locked up." Brooke held her daughter close knowing that she was hurting.

"I'm not going anywhere sweetie so you don't need to rush into anything. Just tell me when you are ready. I'm proud of you for telling me what you just said; I know it took a lot for you to let me in. I'll always be here to listen." Sam acknowledged her with a nod. "Oh and yes I know you love me and I love you too, I always will, no matter what."

Sam snuggled into Brooke holding her tightly. A small smile crept on her face; this was it, her jackpot.

But little did Sam know there was a set of eyes watching her intently from the bushes behind them. He was standing holding a picture of Sam but her face was scratched out. He watched as the two girls walked to Brooke's car and he never took his eyes off them until they were out of sight.

When Sam got home she went straight to the bathroom to take a shower. Sam stood with the water cascading down her body. She stood in her own little world, the best feeling ever. After a good half hour soaking she eventually decided to get out and get changed. She looked at her reflection 'Damb that shins nasty!'

When Sam emerged Brooke was in the kitchen cooking a pizza. Sam sat on the barstool just watching Brooke busy about. Brooke was startled by Sam's appearance.

"Jesus kid, give a girl a heart attack!" Brooke stood with her hand to her chest.

"Now you know how I feel!" Brooke feigned shock.

"Well maybe if you didn't play you music so loud you would have heard the car pull up and hear me walking over bit no you didn't, did you?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "My music was not loud. You wanna hear loud…" Sam stood up and walked over to the stereo and hovered her hand over the volume.

"You wouldn't dare. Don't you dare Samantha!" Sam turned the volume round to full.

"What's that? I can't hear you!" Brooke ran towards Sam and started chasing her around the house this came to a stop when Sam stumbled over the breakfast stool flat on her face.

"SAM!" Brooke turned the stereo off and headed over to her daughter. "Hey are you okay?"

Sam sat up and laughed. "Ah the look on your face, priceless by the way" Brookes face was still full of concern seeing Sam was not okay. She knew Sam was just using humour to cover her pain, not physical but mental. "Oh come on I'll get worse tackles on the pitch, I'm fine honest" She stumbled to her feet and hobbled to the couch.

"Oh yeah, then why are you limping?"

'Oh shit!' Sam thought fast. "Em just stubbed my toe you know!" Brooke gave her a quizzical look but returned to the kitchen to remove the half burnt pizza from the oven. She knew something was up but she wasn't going to push it.

"Dinners ready." Sam got up and remembered to walk normally. "See I'm fine". Sam smiled. Brooke could only smile back in the hope that her girl really was all right.

Brooke was relaxed on her couch while Sam was in her bedroom working on her homework. Brooke was flicking through her phone when she received a text. It read 'Hey. What happened? Where was my little visitor today? Is everything okay?' Brooke did love her best friend. She replied 'Hey Sawyer. Everything's fine. We had a little heart to heart. Were almost at a breakthrough. She hasn't told me anything but were good. I'm sorry I never got back to you earlier, been hectic. Are you good? X'

Brooke lay her head back down and waited for a reply. To her surprise when she got one it wasn't from Peyton.

'Hey. Put your hand down the side of the couch.' Brooke was confused.

"Sam what do you…"

"Shut up and go with it!" Brooke did as she was told. She reached down and found a piece of paper. She then received another text. 'Read it.'

She replied 'You don't say knucklehead!' She unfolded the paper which read-

"I'm Samantha Walker and I am 9 years old. I promise myself that the day I hit mu jackpot I'm going to put this piece of paper down the back of the couch in the house that I call home. That's when I know that I'm going to be safe. The day when I realise I've got a home."

Brooke was in complete and utter awe. How could a nine year old write something so meaningful? No nine year old should have to go through that no child should full stop.

'You have got a home and as long as you are with me you're safe. I'll never let any one hurt you'

"What the hell am I doing telling my daughter this over text?" Brooke leapt to her feet and pretty much sprinted to Sam's room and nearly broke the door off the hinges.

"You have got a home and as long as you are…"

"…withme you're safe. I'll never let any one hurt you? Yeah I know I got the text."

"Come here kido" Brooke jumped on Sam's bed and gave her a big squeeze.

"And I'm not going to leave you. I know you need me just as much as I need you. I love you Mom."

Brooke could hardly keep the tears back. "What's this? My Sammy's letting her walls down!" Brooke nudged her daughters shoulder.

"Get used to it, I'm turning over a new leaf." Brooke laughed; she was looking forward to these moments of bonding. "Can we just sit here like this for a while?"

"Of course honey."

After ten minutes Sam broke the silence "I was 9 when it happened. The scar, I was nine." Sam took a deep breath. "You can do this, stop being a coward." Brooke just rubbed circles on Sam's back.

"It's oaky I'm here."

Sam sat up straight and started fidgeting with her hoody tiers.

"I was living with this family, The Deans. They were nice enough. The Mom, Sandra and the Dad, Mark. It was all good until Mark lost his job, he started drinking heavily and he became quite violent. Just with Sandra to start with but she just left, disappeared, so I turned into his punch bag."

Brooke tensed at this; she hated the thought of someone laying their hands on Sam. "I came home from school one day ran up to my room" The next bit came in a bit of a rush. "I didn't know what to do Brooke he was so strong I didn't even know what I'd done he called me a stupid bitch he smashed the bottle he took the glass and just cut me down my arm I couldn't stop him Brooke. I couldn't stop him." Sam broke down in Brookes arms, sobbing. Brooke was the same, she was inconsolable. He hurt Sam, he has to pay.

"He never, you know, touched you in that kind of way?" Brooke was scared to ask, scared of the answer but she had to know.

"No. God no. Never, nobody has." They sat comforting each other for a good few minutes.

"He's dead. He killed himself. That's the only reason I got out of there. It was a month after he cut me. It was only a month after that that he killed himself. I only have four scars, one each week I was with him. This one here" Sam tightened her bottom lip and pointed at the white scar. "He chased me and tripped me up, I fell into a chair and bust my lip open, it bled for hours." Sam bit her lip as if to erase it.

"Oh my god honey, if I knew I would never have chased you earlier, that must have brought back so many memories, I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine. This is why I'm telling you, so we can do things without being reminded of him." Brooke nodded but Sam wasn't convinced. "Hey listen to me. You have not hurt me in anyway at all. Yeah? How were you to know, so don't sit there feeling bad. That's like letting him win!"

"You don't have to tell me but where are the other scars?" Sam contemplated but decided it was for the best, no more secrets.

"That one there on my hand, that was from an iron. He made me do the ironing but apparently I did it wrong so he held it on my hand." Tears started to roll down Sam's face. Brooke took a hold of Sam's hand and kissed where the scar was, she knew she couldn't make it disappear but it made her feel better.

"I can't decide whether this one was the worst or not." Sam bent forward and raised her hoody to reveal a horizontal scar across her lower back. "I fell asleep on the couch one afternoon and he obviously didn't like that so to wake me up he took the metal fire prodder and heated it over the fire…"

"Oh god Sam no, please tell me he didn't…"

"…I woke up screaming, I couldn't move, he had me pinned down. He held it there until it was cold. I was numb, I didn't even notice he had taken it off until I saw him walk away. The next day I found him at the bottom of the stairs, he obviously fell down them when he was drunk. I can't remember much after that. I went back into care and he was gone."

Brooke couldn't believe that Sam had gone through so much. Brooke was crying but Sam wasn't, it was like she was being controlled by hatred and anger. Her fists were clutched tight and she just stared straight ahead.

"Sam, sweetie, speak to me, its okay now, he can't touch you he's gone and I'm here now." Brooke enveloped Sam into a hug which Sam took gratefully.

"Thank you for listening, I've never told anyone that before but you know it feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Hopefully I can get on with my life now. And its thanks to you Brooke Penelope Davis aka kick ass mom!" Brooke had to laugh at that. She thought it would be impossible to laugh after what she'd just been told. Maybe Sam was right life can go on now.

"It's getting late and you've got school tomorrow. You've had a hectic day you should get some sleep." Brooke yawned "And so should you by the looks of things!" Brooke kissed Sam on the top of her head.

"I'm so proud of you Samantha. You have no idea. Goodnight and if you need anything just give me a shout."

"Thanks mom and I will do."

Brooke headed off to her own bed and the minute her head hut the pillow her phone vibrated next to her.

'I Love You Mom X'

Brooke simply replied

'I Love You Too X'

Hope you enjoyed. Appologising in advance for the spelling errors.

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