A/N: Sorry this chapter took a while, but I'm back now.

BTW, anyone out there a fan of the movie Zootopia? I just got started reading this amazing fic called "In The Days That Followed" by ayziks. The story picks up right where the film leaves off and the author goes to so many interesting directions with this one; I'm floored. I didn't see any familiar faces in the comments, so I thought you guys might like to hear about this one.

Okay, enough pimping other peoples' work - on with my stuff ;-)

enjoy


Sam was uncharacteristically somber and quiet the whole ride home. Carly drove and through her peripheral vision caught the fleeting glimpse of her wife and best friend lose all life in her face. She wasn't an idiot and she hated when people condescended her as such. Something was weighing on Sam and damned if she would open up about it.

"You gonna talk or what?" the brunette broke the silence.

Sam didn't answer. She just leaned her head against the closed passenger window, miles away.

"Sam!" Carly insisted.

"What?" she sighed in return.

"Are you going to tell me what's bothering you already?"

Sam rubbed her arms, classic defensive body language.

"I've just been thinking about the adoption thing. I'm just worried."

"Worried about what? The paperwork?"

"No," Sam sighed.

"Then what then?"

Sam sunk into her chair, putting her feet up on the dashboard.

"That whole thing the lady mentioned about the background checks for both of us."

Carly shook her head "So what are you afraid of..." her eyes widened. "oh..."

"Uh-huh."

"Well...um...you shouldn't have anything to worry about."

Carly's pep talk came out more like a question.

Sam gave her a look.

"What makes you say that?"

"You never made it worse than Juvy. That means every time you...uh...broke the law..."

"I never broke the law!" Sam protested, crossing her arms. "I just pulled pranks that happened to be felonies."

Carly smirked.

"The point is that you likely were always a minor when you ran afoul with the police. Or the fire department. Or the coast guard."

"That was self-defense! I will fight you on that."

Stopping at a red light, Carly leaned over to her wife and smiled with clenched teeth.

"THE POINT IS...you were a minor all that time. You basically hung up all that crap when you were young."

Sam unfolded the makeup mirror in the visor and checked her face.

"Sorry," Carly chuckled. "Younger"

Sam put up the visor and felt a little embarrassed over that weak moment of vanity.

"I'm no lawyer but what I do know is that if you were under 18 and didn't get convicted and sent to regular prison; then anything you did was expunged from your record."

"You think so?" Sam asked.

"Look at it this way; if you were a felon on the radar, don't you think getting a public school teaching job would've been difficult?"

Sam didn't think of that, honestly.

"Good point," she mused.

The light turned green and they were off. Just a few more blocks and they were home.

"So..." Carly began. "Feel better?"

"A little," Sam made a small smile.

Carly rubbed Sam's thigh. "How about now?"

Sam shivered as goosebumps sprang up all over her.

"Uh...keep doing that."

Carly smiled broadly, contented.


The pair returned to the apartment, mentally exhausted. They were craving for something to break up the boredom of that morning.

"So what did you feel like doing?" asked Carly.

"I dunno," Sam shrugged.

There was a lot to take in with this adoption process. Neither one of them was looking forward to filling out this Tolkien-sized application. They needed a break before beginning all of this stuff.

"Alright," Carly pointed. "I made a decision!"

"What?"

"We need a vacation."

Sam raised an eyebrow "Oh?"

Carly nodded "Yeah! I mean we haven't gone on a trip together since getting married, right? Don't couples go on trips?"

"Mmm," Sam folded her arms, laying on the couch. "It would be nice to get away for a while. Ever since going back to work, that's all we've been doing. And on the weekends, we sort of just sat around and did whatever because we were so beat."

"I love living here with you," Carly earnestly admitted. "But cabin fever is setting in, you know?"

Sam nodded.

"So, where to?"

Carly walked out of the room and came back with a globe that she held onto since grade school. She slammed the thing on the coffee table and sat beside Sam.

"Choose," said the brunette.

"Where?" Sam chuckled.

"Anywhere but here," Carly replied, taking Sam's hand into hers.

The blonde traced the globe with her fingers, making it turn slowly until she settled on the southern hemisphere.

"There!" she grinned.

"Really?" Carly asked. "New Zealand?"

Sam gave her a look "They say its beautiful over there and the people are friendly. And I've also heard that one in every five people work for Peter Jackson."

Carly guffawed at the (probably not) exaggerated claim.

"Yeah, but that's like 15 hours by plane."

Sam's eyes widened, "Oh. Then how about...Australia?"

Carly sighed "That's even longer!"

"Well, goddamn!" Sam threw up her hands. "Just take me out of the continental US!"

"Fine," Carly shook her head. Eyeing Seattle on the globe, she gazed westward and saw the familiar smattering of islands. "How about Hawaii?"

"I said out of the country," Sam pouted.

"You said continental US. As you can see, we can't drive there."

"Have you ever been there?" Sam asked.

"No. Almost with dad but then mom got sick."

Sam nodded, "Oh."

"And you?"

"Me neither," Sam replied.

Carly opened up her laptop which was already situated on the coffee table (its usual spot when charging). She began Googling Hawaii while Sam snuggled beside her, chin planted on her shoulder. The brunette really loved it when she did that. She could tell this vacation would do wonders for them.

"Whoa," said Sam, taking in all of the gorgeous pictures. The sandy beaches, palm trees and blue waters was nothing alien to them being from the west coast. They've gone to the beach before. But this was different; it was all presented in a way that was astoundingly new. It looked pristine, paradise.

Her favorite pictures showed the sun setting, orange light making silhouettes of the trees and cliffs.

"This looks amazing," Carly said.

Sam pointed "Book it!"


Carly hadn't taken any vacation time really since she started this job. A sick day here and there but pretty much kept her nose at the grindstone. So she got a strange look from the office when she put in for her week off. The general vibe she got from her co-workers was that it was about time she treated herself to something fun and not be all business.

A couple of people gave her knowing looks that Hawaii can be a very romantic place. News of her marriage to Sam traveled eventually and they even had a little celebration in the conference room, congratulating her. Vicki, a woman who works with Carly a lot, remarked it was kind of neat how the lifelong friends and former co-stars on the Internet were now a bonafide couple.

Meanwhile, Sam arranged for substitute teacher Spencer Shay to handle her art class.

"This guy," she cheerily told her class. "Is the one who taught me everything I know. So now you know who to blame."

It was going to be an adjustment but Sam was confident that her students were going to love Spencer. He always made art fun and he learned over the years to not be so stiff in the instruction aspect. Carly was nervous because she remembered him teaching her and it not going over well. But Sam assured her that when he helped tutor her during college, he couldn't have been more patient and rewarding with what he knew.

Now that the ladies had their affairs in order, they were packed and on their way to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. They were at an advantage because going from the west coast to the nearest island meant they were not going to be laid over somewhere else before reaching their final destination. The boarding and other preliminaries before takeoff were all standard and uneventful. Carly was leafing through the Sky Mall magazine while Sam was still working on her Cinnabon.

The fuselage wasn't terribly small like some planes but it was still an enclosed space. Carly gripped Sam's hand tightly as they were about to take flight. Now she understood why spending the better part of a day in the air wasn't appealing to her wife.

"Hey," Sam smiled. "It will be okay."

Carly was still tense but returned the smile.

"I'm glad you're here with me."

"Then I'll never leave."

Carly blushed and turned her head, trying to hide how much she was grinning like a fool.

She had to admit; having Sam beside her made her feel like she could surmount any obstacle.

As the plane rolled and began picking up speed, Sam could feel Carly's hand gripping even tighter than before which she didn't think was possible. It wouldn't be long now until they departed from the earth. Suddenly, Sam had an idea and turned Carly's head to face her own and kissed her. They both closed their eyes, only hearing the sound of the engines whirring. Carly was a little less nervous; the sinking feeling of flying was now competing with Sam's lips and tongue. And losing.

Before she knew it, they were airborne. Once the plane was level, Sam broke the kiss, leaving a stunned Carly with quivering lips.

"Better?" Sam asked.

"Best. Kiss. Ever."

The blonde leaned in, touching foreheads with her love.

"Now you know how it feels every time you kiss me."

Now Carly's face was as red as the seats on the plane.

"I love you, Sam Puckett."

"And I love you, Carly Shay."


They landed in the mid afternoon and went straight to the hotel.

It was a ten-story white building overlooking the beach, where the waves were coming through with a vengeance. It certainly made the surfers happy. What initially hit Carly and Sam upon exiting the airport was the air. It wasn't your usual saltiness that came from being near the water. Neither one of them could put their finger on what it was but they decided that this was distinctly Hawaii.

They decided to properly unpack later and instead just change into their swimsuits and hit the sand.

Carly had on a black two piece that was very simple but hugged her body in the right ways, as far as Sam was concerned.

Speaking of Sam; she had on a dark green two piece with a special top that gave a little extra support. She remarked how she didn't need "the girls" to go rogue if a wave crashed on them.

They held hands while walking to the beach. They left their rings back in the room, locked in the wall safe. The last thing they needed was to lose them in the water. So, they had to rely on proximity to let others know that they were taken.

"I'm gonna have my work cut out with you," Carly mused.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Trying to keep boys and girls away from my wifey."

Sam shook her head "Stop."

"What?" Carly chuckled. "Come one; you're blonde, beautiful, busty and have a cute butt."

She yawned and stretched "Yeah, I guess I am the total package. But I hit the lottery myself, too."

Carly rolled her eyes "Sure."

"Seriously," Sam insisted. "You're cuter than hell."

The brunette just gave her a look. "Like what?"

"Like what?" Sam parroted. "Okay..." her eyes then settled on Carly's smile. "...there, right there!"

"What?" Carly asked.

"Your smile is the greatest thing ever. It accentuates your perfect cheeks. Every time you smile, I just want to grab them. It's kind of like the Joker."

Carly made a hurt look and punched Sam in the shoulder, albeit in a soft way. To this day, she is not a fighter by any means.

"Thanks a lot!"

"No, I meant it as a compliment" Sam backtracked. "Really."

"Oh, yes" Carly now folded her arms, standing in front of her wife. "Being compared to the clown prince of crime is soooo endearing."

Sam bit her lip, fully realizing her blunder. Pointing out somebody's laugh lines and prominent cheeks, even as a positive, is still a dangerous field full of landmines.

"I'm sorry," she nervously chuckled. "I only meant that when you smile, your whole face becomes dominated by that smile. You're the kind of happy face that can light up a room."

Carly pouted and bobbed her head.

"Okay, that's better."

Sam offered her hand to hold. Carly let her sweat for a couple seconds and happily took it.


They found a good spot on the sand and took in some sun. And after a while, when they had enough of the heat; they would run headlong to the azure waves. Then when they had their fill of splashing around and goofing on each other; Carly and Sam retreated back to the beach to dry and tan some more. And so the process repeats, as they've always done it.

A welcome change was their more than friendly dynamic between each other. Sam liked how Carly's hand felt when helping her with her sunblock. The brunette walked a fine line between rubbing with lotion and giving a back massage, which frustrated Sam to no end (in that good way).

As the sun set and more than half the tourists departed, Sam and Carly felt it time to leave the beach but was certain to return in the morning.

They walked a couple of miles beyond the resort, taking in the local color. There were performers, mostly musicians, and lots of things that smelled amazing to eat. After asking around, Sam caught wind of where they held authentic luaus. A number of these luaus geared toward ignorant tourists were homogenized and patronizing. You had to look for the real thing and the real natives were happy to lead people in the right direction. Unfortunately, they missed the last bus for that evening's festivities, so they made an arrangement to go tomorrow night with a surfer-looking guy named Kurt.

Feeling hungry, Carly spotted an outdoor cafe overlooking the island.

Everything smelled amazing; Sam spent the better part of fifteen minutes figuring out what she wanted to order. It didn't help that the entire menu was in local speak. She couldn't differentiate between "aku" or "tombo" or what. Their waitress smiled and kindly walked Sam through the selections and she settled on "ahi" which was a yellowfin tuna. It was simmered and served with grilled vegetables and a mango salsa.

Carly confidently ordered "tako." It wasn't until she completely finished her plate and remarked how delicious it was that Sam discovered she ordered octopus. Carly's eyes widened at the revelation. When the check came, Sam looked at it and smirked.

"I'll bet I know where the ink for that came from."

"Shut up!" said Carly.


They stuck around until it was well dark. It was a really lovely view and strains of the ukulele music with a lone female singer could be heard from a distance.

"This really was a good idea," Sam said, holding Carly's hand.

"Yeah, it was" she grinned in return.

Sam watched the moonlight dancing in the ripples of the ocean, thinking. Then she couldn't help but look at Carly.

"What?" Carly asked.

"Nothing," she replied. "Just in love is all."

"Awww."

The brunette pulled her in close and kissed her tenderly.

"Hey Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Um...I think...uh..."

Sam smiled, playing with Carly's hair.

"Yes?"

"I think I'm ready."

"To get back to the hotel?"

Carly nodded.

"Okay," Sam sighed. "We can go; you're probably tired."

"I didn't say I was tired," Carly said.

The blonde looked at her wife confused. It was a warm smile and very seductive eyes that something clicked in her head.

"Oh," remarked Sam. "You're sure?"

Carly looked Sam up and down. She then took her hand and began walking with strong purpose.

"Yes!"

Sam knew better than to ask the woman twice and went with it.