I'm home! Hols were great, glad to be back (it started with an incident known as the Great Molestation of 2011. Work it out). Read and review!

Rhyleigh xoxox


Sammy wiped her eyes, watching as Noah and Allie spent their final days together. "Stupid chick flicks... no life ever turns out like that".

She was in the same position she had been since Bailey went back to her father's house on Boxing Day, Ben and Melissa coming to pick her up and check on her status. the two girls had spent the rest of Christmas Day tucked into Sammy's bed, eating popcorn and watching movies, Bailey snuggling up to her mother, slightly unsure why she was so upset. Sammy was not going to pour her heart out to a six year old, but the little girl provided the comfort she so badly needed.

Three days later, she had left the bed only to go to the bathroom- she was wallowing, and the phone call she received from Rachel told her exactly that.

But the ringing phone snapped her out of her reverie- especially when Nathan's name flashed on the screen. with a grumble, she held the phone to her ear, answering only because Bailey was at his house.

"Bailey better be drowning", Sammy snapped down the phone, "You have no right to call me, Nathan".

"Mama!" Bailey said indignantly. "That's a terrible thing to say!"

"Bailey?"

"Hi Mama", her little girl sang, sounding almost angelic.

"Baby, what's going on? Why do you have Daddy's phone?"

"I stole it!" Bailey giggled. "I'm real sneaky, just like Uncle Jake says".

Sammy closed her eyes, picturing her daughter sneaking into the room, black paint smeared on her cheeks. "Yes, honey, I'm very proud of your ninja like abilities, but why did you steal Daddy's phone?"

"B'coz Daddy's no fun anymore", her daughter declared. "He's sad all the time, and he doesn't even eat his Froot Loops!"

"Where is everyone else?"

"Aunty Mel and Uncle Ben went to the beach with Logan and Aunty Retta and Uncle Carbo went shopping. I dunno where Crazy Charlie is, and Grandma and Grandpa aren't home". Bailey sighed heavily. "Mama, I wanna go home".

"Baby, I don't think that's a good idea", Sammy said uneasily. "There are only a few more days until the wedding, and Daddy will be even sadder if you come with me".

"But Daddy didn't even read me my story last night!" Bailey cried indignantly. "Uncle Ben did!"

"Is Daddy asleep now?" Sammy wanted to know. She thought it would be easier to steal back her daughter without her ex husband and the psycho fiancée waiting for her.

"Yep. On the lounge. I poked him with my pencils and everything". Bailey sounded proud of herself and Sammy couldn't help but chuckle, the image playing out in her head rather amusing.

"Alright, baby, get your bag ready, I'll come and get you. and Bailey? whatever you do, don't wake Daddy. I'll leave him a note, telling him where you are".

"Thank you, Mama".


Sammy knocked softly on the door of the house, hoping her daughter had her ears peeled for the knock, like Sammy had instructed her. And it wasn't long before she heard the patter of tiny feet and the voice that was her daughter's.

"Who is it?" Bailey said quietly.

"It's me, baby", Sammy said softly. "It's Mama".

"Tell me something only my mama would know", Bailey said confidently.

"You poke people with pencils and eat too many Froot Loops", Sammy said, a small smile playing at her face. the door swung open and Bailey beamed up at her mother.

"Hi Mama!"

"Hi baby", Sammy cooed, embracing the little girl in a hug. "Alright, I've just got to leave a note for Daddy, and then we'll go home, alright?"

"'Kay", Bailey nodded, latching onto her mother's hand.

"Sammy!" Charlie said in surprise. "I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow!"

Sammy groaned inwardly, feeling her blood pressure rise at the sound of her voice.

"Surprise", she grumbled. "Look, Charlie, just tell Nathan I've come to get Bailey-"

"I don't really think that's appropriate", Charlie contradicted. "I mean, with the wedding being so close, I don't think Bailey should leave".

Sammy took a deep breath, resisting the urge to slap her once more, Bailey squeezing her hand encouragingly. "Well, since she is my kid, you know-"

"Our kid, Sammy". Charlie smiled sweetly. "After the wedding, we're family".

"Baby, can you go and play in your room for a minute?" Sammy said to her daughter, and Bailey sighed, clearly wanting to watch the showdown.

"Alright, Mama... but you better come and get me before you go!"

"Okay", Sammy promised, as the little girl skipped away. Glaring at the other woman, she felt no need to hold back. "One, you have a lot of nerve to speak to me like that. Bailey is my daughter and will never, ever be yours. Two, you will never be part of my family, and three? If you weren't pregnant-"

Charlie's perfectly plastered smile had dropped off her face, glaring at the brunette. "Sammy, don't think I'm not onto you. Nathan isn't leaving me for you, get on with life and move on".

"Yes, because I trapped Nathan into a relationship with a child". Sammy and Charlie were only inches away from each other, glaring into the other's eyes with ferocity Sammy had never seen.

"Are you that desperate you've resorted to making up lies?"

"I don't know, are you that desperate to get a man you've resorted to getting pregnant?"

"Oh, that's it-"

"I'm gonna-"

"Sammy!" Nathan said in surprise, standing in the doorway, yawning sleepily.

It was then Sammy realised how loud the two had become, hoping and praying that Bailey hadn't heard.

"I was just leaving". Sammy grabbed her bag and attempted to make a quick exit towards the door.

"Sam-"

"You heard her, she was just leaving", Charlie interrupted.

"Leave, Charlie!" Nathan snapped, startling Sammy at how angry his tone was.

"Well, I'll just go to my parents' for the night, then", Charlie huffed, heading towards the door, ignoring small smirk on Sammy's face.

"Nathan-"

"Leave". Nathan pointed towards the door once more and she slammed it upon leaving. Taking a deep breath, he led Sammy into the lounge room, where he plopped back down on the lounge. "Look, I know you don't want to have a thing to do with me, but I want to explain this to you. I owe you that much, Sam".

Sammy just glared, absolutely fuming.

"Just hear me out, and I promise you won't have to hear from me again, if you don't want to".

She could tell his expression was genuine, and she could see the genuine hurt etched in his eyes. She so desperately wanted to hate him, like she had claimed to, to remember all the misery and the nights she spent crying herself to sleep, but the pounding love in her chest overtook all emotions.

"Fine", she mumbled, joining him on the lounge, making sure there was a good distance between the two of them- they both knew what could happen if they got too close.

"Sam, I am so, so sorry for keeping this from you, and sneaking around. I never meant to hurt you, and knowing that I did just kills me. if I could take all this back, I would in a second. I was trying to tell you, but every time I did I kept getting interrupted, and Charlie telling you herself was downright low, and believe me, I threatened the wedding in front of the entire household. She went off in a sulk and no one saw her for the rest of the night- we weren't complaining, either. I am so sorry you had to find out that way- I'm sorrier than you'll ever know".

He was only inches away from her, getting closer as the words spilled from his mouth.

"You humiliated me in front of everyone, Nathan", Sammy said coldly. "You broke my heart in front of our entire family".

"I know, Sam-"

"I don't think you do! You made me look like a complete idiot, throwing myself at you and then the two of us kissing at the bridal shop, the whole time you knowing that you had a baby on the way! You just kept leading me on!"

"I wasn't leading you on!"

"That is crap!"

Nathan sighed, frustrated, as he tried to tell the brunette the truth, while she interrupted him the whole time.

"Look, I know what I did was horrible-"

"Yes it was".

"And hiding the truth from you was cruel-"

"Yep".

"The two of us kissing in the change room that day, that was completely inappropriate-"

"Yes it was".

"But out of everything I lied about, I never once lied about loving you".

"Ye- wait, what?" Sammy's eyes widened dramatically.

"Sammy, I never once lied about how I feel about you. I love you, I always have, and I always will".

At that moment, Sammy wished she had an off button for her heart, as it thudded in her chest, loud enough for the neighbours to hear.

"Why are you doing this?" Sammy whispered, blinking furiously to deter the tears building in her eyes.

"Because she's pregnant, Sam".

"You didn't stay with me!" she reminded him. "When I was pregnant with Bailey, and when she was born! You didn't stay!"

"Sam, we were different", Nathan tried to explain. "We were so young when we were married; things were never easy for us! The only good thing that came out of our marriage was Bailey, you know? We were going to get separated, whether or not Bailey came along. You had made that perfectly clear to me- we tried to make it work, but it just didn't! I couldn't trap you, Sam; you were so full of dreams! I didn't want to ruin your life, Sammy, or Bailey's- she was just a baby!"

"We tried! And you didn't ruin my life- but you are now. you're ruining my life by marrying her". Sammy stared, ignoring the lone tear that trailed down her cheek.

"Sam, I can't do what I did to Bailey to another kid. it isn't fair. Bailey's perfect, but her life isn't". he shook his head in disgust. "I can't shuffle another kid around like I do to Bailey".

"Nathan, you don't even love her!" Sammy cried. "Do you?"

Nathan stumbled over his words, trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't dig himself into a deeper hole.

"That pause, right there", Sammy accused. "There's your answer. Nathan, I am begging you, please, please don't do this. Don't throw your life away".

"I've never loved anyone more than I love you", he mumbled. "But I just can't hurt anyone else, Sam".

"Except yourself", she said innocently. "Because that's who you're going to hurt if you go ahead with this".

Nathan squeezed his eyes shut.

"Nathan, please don't marry her just for the baby", she said, staring at him and he opened his eyes, looking into her deep green orbs. "There are other options, but if you go ahead with this, you throw them all away".

"Did you mean what you said the other day?" Nathan whispered. "When you said that I was the biggest mistake you made, your biggest regret? When you said that Bailey was the only good thing that came out of our marriage?"

Sammy tried not to laugh. "How can I, when I can barely stay mad at you?" she wanted to know.

"Do you hate me, Sam?"

"No". Sammy shook her head firmly, her eyes meeting his once more. "Do you love me, Nathan?"

"Yes". He pulled her closer, drawing her in for a kiss.