A/N: I love all of the comments and votes! They always make me smile and grin! Always make me eager to continue this story. Thank you all, so much! ️
Samantha Pond woke up with a pounding headache and a serious case of dry mouth. She blinked up at a bright white light, she closed her eyes to block the light. Sam moved and let out a low groan. "You should stay down, Dame." Sam growled at the nickname, squinting her eyes at a frowning James. When did he get to Japan?
"Fuck." She hissed, "What happened?"
"Language, Miss Pond." A weathered voice chimed. Sam looked over a spotted the short, grey haired woman behind James. U.A.'s nurse, Recovery Girl. "You were extremely foolish, today. You didn't take your medication on time and payed, dearly for it." Recovery Girl scolded and moved over to her bed, inspecting her patient.
"Yeah, I know." Sam groaned. "I'm a consecutive, destructive idiot that won't recognize her weaknesses."
"That much is true." James chimed.
"My classes." Sam mumbled, forcing herself to sit up.
"I took care of them." James waved her off and pushed Sam back down on the bed. "Recovery Girl called me and Tim ported me over to finish your classes for the rest of today. I was working on a case, today."
"Yeah." Sam breathed.
"You're lucky that Greene was an old intern of Recovery Girl and she had the medication on hand." James tsked, grey eyes imploring at Sam. "Damnit, Sam." James breathed, his weight dropped back in a visitor's chair. The slim man leaned forward and shoulders slumping as if the weight of the world rested upon his shoulders alone. Sam looked away, ashamed of bringing more trouble on her friend.
Recovery Girl moved away with an annoyed hum. "Lily has been having difficulty with your illness for years, now." She muttered, shuffling over to her file to copy the information gathered. "I'll admit, the sickness has stumped me as well."
"That's fine." Sam waved off her concern and curiosity. "I've been living with it since I was a kid, I'm used to it."
"You shouldn't need to be." James sighed, wearily. Sam reached out to hold his hand, Sam knew he was tired of the same old argument. James wouldn't change his view on her ease with her sickness and neither would she. "I'm glad that you're alright."
"I can't imagine what the other teachers think of me." Sam groaned as she thought about her new colleagues. "The Ripper case reopening, taking a lot of my time and then fainting in the quad."
"Worried, more than anything." James hummed, his thumb drew soft circles in her hand in a brotherly fashion. "I'm sorry for ruining your first week." Sam mumbled a soft, 'don't worry about it' under her breath.
"That much is true." Recovery Girl agreed. "Hizashi and Shouta brought you in, both were worried for you."
"Damn it all to hell." Sam whispered, guilt gnawed at her consciousness. How could she make this first, stressful week up to the teachers of U.A.?
"Language, Miss Pond."
"Sorry." Sam muttered, not feeling too sorry for her mouth. An idea struck the weapon heroine. "James, lemme see my phone."
Calculating grey eyes peered at her and James' hand tightened around Sam's before pulling away to reach into his suit jacket's pocket. "Why?" James asked as he passed over the sparkling red device.
Sam pulled it free and opened messages on James' contact, not looking up to her friend. Sam's eyes darted to the time, damn. School was already dismissed for the day. She started to type up a list of ingredients for dinner and a dessert. Sam could do steak and salad, fairly quickly. A quickly prepared dinner could allow Sam more time to spend on the desserts. "I need you to go to the grocery store for me."
"Again, why?" James repeated.
"I'm going to make dinner for the teachers as an apology." Sam announced with a twinge of annoyance at the questions from James. Sam frowned into her screen as her fingers flew across the keyboard.
"Why?"
Sam sent the message to James, then opening a group message to all of the teachers and typed out her address. Along with a vague message to meet her there for dinner. She sent the message and looked up to James. "What?"
"Why should I?" James inquired. "I already miss a day of work." He pointed out with a frown, glaring at his own phone. James' face softened a little at the screen.
"More reason to do it?" Sam suggested, curious as to why James didn't want to stay. "Please? Or the fact that you had failed to notify me of the new copycat kill? Dinner for the teachers and you? If you don't want too, I can do it." Sam hummed, annoyance flashed
"No, Sam." James mumbled, sullenly. He sighed and tucked his phone back away in his dark grey suit. "I'll do it, I was just curious as to why."
Sam nodded, puzzled at his antics but fished out a key on her key chain and passed it over to James. "Beware of Sasha." Sam hummed and dragged her feet over the bed, trying to pull herself to her feet.
James rolled his eyes as he stood. "She loves me." James' hand enclosed around Sam's arm as she slid out of bed. Sam stumbled, light headed. Bile rising to her mouth. His hand kept her steady and up right, tethering her. "You good to be moving around, Sam?"
"Fine, just blood rushing to my head." Sam lied, watching the hand pull away. Sam hated being sick but most of all, she hated sympathy when she was sick. "How long has it been since the injection, Recovery Girl?"
A wrinkled hand passed her, two venom green colored pills and a glass of water. "Long enough." Recovery Girl chimed her answer. "Take those and you can leave."
Sam tossed the pills and threw back the water, throwing away the plastic glass. "Thank you." She mumbled and moved to the door, "I'll see you at my apartment." Sam fled the room, quickly without looking back. She looked around the hall and moved to her classroom to collect her belongings and papers to grade. Sam locked her room and left for her apartment. A apartment that needed to be presentable before her coworkers arrived for dinner.
Sam hummed, a happy little tune as she cooked dinner. She had scratched the idea of steak with a salad and decided on chicken parmigiana with a light potato soup and salad. Sam came to the chicken conclusion after she settled on making tiramisu for desert. Her signature dish. Everyone at new Scotland Yard knew and loved her tiramisu. Sam's chicken parmigiana wasn't as good as the tiramisu but it was homemade and delicious. Sam had to call James and tell him he change and that caused James to complain and grumble when she called but he did so anyway because Sam's tiramisu was his kryptonite.
A large, furry silver and white object brushed against her legs as Sam stood by the stove. Sam laughed at her pet. "Sasha, I already gave you, your treats and you're not suppose to be in the kitchen. You know that."
The husky whined, ignoring Sam's scold. Sasha looked up at Sam with wide blue eyes and nudged Sam's bare leg with a large, wet nose. Sam cringed away with a giggle. "You are pitiful, dog." James laughed, looking down at Sasha. As if James called Sasha by name, the husky turned and trotted up to James to beg for scraps from the detective with a wagging tail.
James had insisted on staying for dinner after Sam decided on tiramisu. Sam didn't make tiramisu everyday, only did so when requested to on birthdays or holidays. So, when James told his fiancé of this. Tim said he would join them, later for desert. James sat at the peninsula of the kitchen, waiting on dinner and drinking a cup of tea. The chicken was ready for the fryer, Sam was waiting until her colleague to arrived before she cooked the breaded, mozzarella stuffed chicken.
"So, why didn't you tell me about the second copycat kill?" Sam asked, staring down at her boiling pot of noddles. Her voice was steely as her own blades.
Sam peered behind her, watching James take a long sip from his cup of Earl Grey. Her best friend didn't seem flustered at her accusation but she could see the anger burning in his eyes. "I was waiting." James answered, glaring down at his blue mug. "I know you have a lot on your plate and I didn't want to burden that knowledge when you were teaching." A hand reached down and scratched Sasha's head, the husky seemed to know that she was needed at James' side and remained still as she was petted.
Sam's gaze softened at his concern. James forced himself into a older brother role for Sam, just as Fred and William had done, already in her life. They cared for her own well being because they wanted too and Sam couldn't find it in herself to fight that. "Next time, let me decide what I can and can't handle. Okay?" Sam asked, softly.
James looked up, a darkness lurking behind his shining, bright blue eyes. "Alright." He whispered. "We are going to get Jack. Okay, Sammy?"
Sam smiled as James proclaimed this. So full of conviction and determination. "Okay." Sam agreed and turned back to the stove. Sam lowered the temperature on the sauce and pasta and moved to prepare her tiramisu. The soup was warming on the back burner. All Sam had left is the chicken and dessert. The door bell rang, sending Sasha into a barking frenzy. "Sasha! James? Can you get that?"
"Can I?" He retorted, sarcastically but stood up, moving to the door. Sasha bounded forward, barking.
"Sarcasm doesn't suit you." Sam called to James with a roll of burgundy eyes.
"I suit sarcasm." Sam made a face at the childish, illogical response from James and continued to cook. "Welcome to castle of Dame Pond."
"James!" Sam growled out at the nickname, placing the tiramisu dish in the fridge. "I'm going to hit you with the whisk! Sasha! Get back over here!"
"Dame?" A feminine, sultry voice chimed, Nemuri. Sam could hear the approaching footsteps at the entry. Sam looked over to see Hizashi, Nemuri and Shouta at the entrance of her kitchen. James held Sasha by her collar to prevent her from attacking the teacher with slobber. He could barely keep her in front of him. It looked as if Sasha couldn't decide if the teachers were friends or foes to Sam and James.
Another teacher stood by the three, she was tall. Taller than the lanky figure of James. The woman had mystic hair that seemed to change colors as it moved, from space blue to a vibrant green to a rich purple but what struck Sam about her, wasn't her hair. Rather, what struck Sam was her eyes, that sang with a sea foam teal. Same color as Asami's. Sam vaguely recognized the woman as Asami's sister. Shimizu Tsubaki. Sam stared, startled and jolted herself back to cooking. "Hello." Sam muttered.
Throughout the first week of school, Sam and Tsubaki had been playing dodge. Whenever one saw the other, the other would find somewhere else to be. Teacher's lounge, parking lot, quad. Neither woman seemed to want to meet, a mutual avoidance of each. It has worked surprisingly well for both parties, until now.
"You didn't know? Sammy was knighted, several years ago." James chimed, a sharp gleam in his eyes. Sam sighed in defeat, shooting a glare at her best friend.
"Knighted, how curious." Shouta hummed, a strong hint of amusement lit his baritone voice. His friends, however weren't as merciful with the knowledge. Sam shot the three, the dirtiest look she could muster but that didn't even phased the trio.
Hizashi laughed, his voice could barely contain his glee at the new found information. "This opens up so many avenues to tease you, Dame Sammy."
"Quit it." Sam grumbled, turning back to the meal. She could feel her ears burn red like they would burn off her head. "I didn't want to be a knight to begin with."
"No?" Nemuri asked, bending down to let the huffing Husky to sniff her hand. The raven haired heroine smiled as Sasha nuzzled into her hands, accepting Nemuri.
"No." Sam growled. "All of it was a political play by the Queen after the attack... I didn't deserve knighthood, Asami did."
Five pair of eyes watched the weapon heroine standing at the stove with mixed, unsure expressions. "How are you feeling, Sam?" Shouta asked, changing the subject. "Recovery Girl refused to say anything when we brought you in."
Sam shot the erasure hero, a grateful smile. "I'm good, thank you." She grinned at him. "I'm making you all dinner, as an apology for this week. I know I have been troublesome but I promise, this was a one time thing. I will try not to add anything to your plates."
"You haven't been any trouble!" Hizashi and Nemuri chimed, waving Sam off.
"Good."
"Oi-!" They shouted at Shouta's bluntness, even James eyed the man, darkly. "How can Sam control what happens?"
"She can control how she reacts."
"He's right. I have gotten too involved with the Ripper case, over the years." Sam agreed, softly. "That's why I'm making dinner for you all, as an apology."
"It might be because you're harder on yourself than anyone else." James muttered under his breath, the detective gained a few curious glances from the teachers.
"What was that?" Sam asked with a frown.
"Nothing, Sammy. Your tiramisu is fantastic as always." James corrected, sucking on his finger that had been covered by mascarpone.
"James!" Sam scolded but a satisfied blush dusted her cheeks. She waved her whisk at him and James wisely retreated to his counter. "Would you like anything to drink, we have a pot on the stove and pop and beer in he fridge?"
"Thanks!" Hizashi plucked out three beers and a pop out of the fridge, passing them out to his colleagues. "You got good stuff, Sammy!" Sam rolled her burgundy eyes and passed Hizashi, a bottle opener.
Sam set the chicken in to cook and then, washed her hands at the sink. "It's good to see you again, Sam." Tsubaki hummed, softly. "It was a pleasant surprise to see you on the roster for the school year. What has it been? A couple of years?"
"Seven." Sam answered. "It has been a while, Tsubaki." She agreed with the Shimizu woman, as she handed James the silverware to place around the table while she brought the plates around to set the table.
"How do you two know each other?" Hizashi asked, eyes flickered to both woman.
"She and my sister worked close together in London for several years. They worked a mission for the English monarchy that resulted in my sister's death, seven years ago." Tsubaki answered, coolly. The temperature of the room seemed to drop several degrees despite the hot stove and oven. "They received knighthood and Sam was hailed as London's one woman army." Sam winced at the bite of venom in Tsubaki's smooth voice.
"I don't chose what's shown to the greater population." Sam muttered. "The people who matter know what really happened, that's what should count... I've fought that fight with the queen since that day and lost everyday since. They won't change their stance, at the time they needed a symbol of strength. One that wasn't dead or wasn't a native. They used me without much choice on my end and continued to use that image. Asami wouldn't care because that was the kind of woman that she was. I care but I can't change that. Asami was family, Rin is family."
Tsubaki stared, wordlessly at Sam. The tension seemed to unwind out of her muscles. "I know, I understand." Sam nodded, satisfied with the results. That the stepping around the elephant in the rom was taken care of.
"Good. How is Rin? I haven't gotten to talk to her, properly yet." Sam asked and the rest of the teachers' sweat dropped at the sudden change of subject. Tsubaki followed through the change, talking about how Rin was settling back into Japan. Sam insisted that Tsubaki bring Rin and Kimiko over for dinner in the future. The weapon heroine retrieved the other dishes from the counter to place on the table. Tsubaki and Nemuri walked behind Sam. Each of the women picked two other plated dishes and followed Sam to table. The door bell rang, once more. Once again that sent Sasha into a barking frenzy, startling Nemuri. "Sasha! James?"
"I got it." James grumbled with a loud sigh, standing up to stalk over to the front door. "Hello. Welcome to hell, enjoy your stay."
"No tiramisu for you!" Sam called, smoothing a crinkle of the table cloth and straightened an offset silverware. "If this is hell, gluttons never get the satisfaction they crave!"
"Fine!" James called back. "Welcome to Tahiti, it's a magical place."
"I'll take it." Sam approved, her lips quirked up in a smirk.
"Hey, Sam. How are you feeling?"
Sam looked up to Toshinori and smiled, brightly at the frail man. "I'm grand." The rest of the teachers had arrived like a second wave. "Please, sit. It might be a bit of a squeeze if it's too tight, James can sit at the counter." The teachers slowly circled the table and sat.
"Oi~!" He growled. "I'm not going to be demoted back to kiddie table."
"Oh, please." Sam turned and snorted at her old flat mate. "You've been sitting there all afternoon. Plus, the only reason you were promoted in the first place was because you got engaged to Tim!"
James stared at her, eyes wide and jaw slack in disbelief. "I got promoted because I am marrying my way up?!" He gasped.
"Don't act too surprised." Sam tutted. "You're hardly mature."
"I am agog. I am aghast." James cried, holding his hand to his chest. "You know what? I want to sit at the kiddie table."
"Whatever, London's greatest detective. Sit down." Sam ordered, pulling a chair for herself and sitting at the table. James sat next to her with a grumble of 'bossy' and 'I did the salad'. "Alright, we have a potato soup, Caesar salad and chicken parmigiana. Also, tiramisu in the fridge for dessert. Please, dig in!" Sam grinned, proud of the feast she had prepared.