Saturday

"Sam, do you have any idea how worried I was last night?" Brooke asked. She sat across the kitchen table from Sam. She wasn't mad at the teen. She knew she was at least partially to blame for not giving Sam a chance to explain the shoplifting incident. Brooke had been worried more than anything else.

"Why?" Sam asked. She'd left a note saying she wasn't coming back. She didn't understand why Brooke would be worried. Brooke stared at her with raised eyebrows. "I left a note."

"Sam, you can't just leave a note telling me you're leaving. This is your home now. You can't just leave," Brooke said in an exasperate tone.

"I thought you were going to kick me out. You were so pissed," Sam said defensively.

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not going to ask you to leave, you knucklehead?" Brooke asked. Her tone was light and teasing, but she really wanted to know the answer. She didn't know how many more ways she could tell Sam that this was their home now. She needed Sam to understand that.

"You say that, but actions speak louder than words. You wouldn't even talk to me," Sam said quietly.

Brooke sighed. She wished she could take it back and handle the shoplifting incident differently, but she knew she couldn't. "I'm sorry. I can't promise I won't get mad, but I can promise you that no matter how mad I get, I will never ask you to leave. OK?" Sam nodded, but didn't say anything. "OK, Sam?"

Sam looked up and made eye contact. "OK," she said quietly.

"No more running off," Brooke said sternly.

Sam nodded. "OK."

"Do you know what could have happened if I hadn't gotten there when I did?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah," Sam said sheepishly. She'd had a really bad feeling about X's friend, and X had been passed out. She knew things could have been much worse.

"You're fourteen years old! You were drinking. Your boyfriend was passed out drunk," Brooke scolded.

"I'm sorry," Sam mumbled.

"No more hanging out at Jack's house. His brother is not a good role model," Brooke said in a disapproving tone.

Sam smirked a little. She knew Brooke was putting it mildly. X was a creep. "OK." She waited until she was sure their talk was over to bring up Julian. "So, you and Julian?"

"Julian and I, what?" Brooke asked with raised eyebrows. "Julian and I spent the whole night looking for you, Young Lady."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Do you like him?"

Brooke didn't know the answer to that herself, and she sure as hell wasn't going to tell Sam. "He's Peyton's ex, Sam."

"Isn't Peyton marrying your ex?" Sam retorted.

"That's not the point," Brooke said quickly, though Sam had a point. If Brooke did like Julian, Peyton couldn't possibly have a problem with them dating when she was marrying Luke.

"I think you should design the wardrobe for Ravens," Sam said.

"Who asked you?" Brooke retorted.

Sam ignored her and continued, "If you work with him, you can get to know him better."

Again, Sam had a point. Brooke could work with him and decide if she wanted to give him a chance or not. "When did you get so smart?" She asked with a smile.

Brooke called Julian and told him she would design the wardrobe for Ravens. They agreed to meet for dinner and discuss details that night. Sam offered to babysit.

"How's Sam doing?" Julian asked.

Brooke was surprised and touched that the first thing out of his mouth showed his concern for Sam. He genuinely seemed to care about her. "OK. She's going through a really hard time. Her mom died. She was placed in a really bad foster home. She doesn't believe that I won't ask her to leave."

"Did you see the way she looked at you when we found her last night?" Julian asked.

"No," Brooke replied. Her expression was curious. She'd been so relieved to find Sam in one piece that she hadn't really paid attention to Sam's expression.

Julian smiled slightly. "She looked at you like she knew everything was going to be OK now that you were there. She trusts you."

Brooke smiled. She hoped Julian was right. "I just don't know how to make her believe I won't kick her out. I've told her over and over again, and she just can't get it through her thick head."

"Are you going to adopt her?" Julian asked curiously.

"I've thought about it. I want to make it official with her and her brother, but I think it's too soon. I don't want them to feel like I'm trying to replace their mom," Brooke explained.

"No one can replace their mom, but no one can bring her back either. Having someone is better than having no one. Maybe if you make it official, Sam will believe you're not going to give up on her," Julian said.

"You like kids a lot," Brooke observed with a smile.

"Depends on the kid," Julian said with a smirk. "I was an only child. I always wanted brothers and sisters. I want a big family."

"I was an only child, too. My parents ignored me. I hate being alone. I think I've always just wanted a family. That's why I decided to foster a child," Brooke said.

"I wish my dad would ignore me," Julian commented. "I work for him, which wouldn't be nearly as bad if he believed in me."

Brooke laughed. "I work with my mother. I think she's called me stupid more times than she's told me she loves me."

Brooke and Julian continued comparing horror stories about their parents all night. They realized they had a lot in common. Flirting throughout dinner led to a goodnight kiss that left both of them wanting more.

Sam ended up watching Seth and Jamie. Haley and Nathan were going out to dinner. She took the boys to the river court. She watched as they played Horse.

"Hey." Sam looked up in surprise when she heard Jack's voice. "What happened last night?"

"I had a very eventful night after you passed out," Sam said with a smirk. "X's creepy friend was all over me." Jack's eyes clouded with concern. "Brooke got there before anything bad happened."

"I thought she was pissed at you?" Jack asked.

"Julian was at the grocery store. He saw everything. He told her I'm not a klepto. She apologized," Sam explained.

"That's good," Jack said.

Sam nodded. "Are you OK? You shouldn't have to live like that. X is a creep!"

"He's my brother. It's better than a foster home," Jack said quickly.

"Not all foster parents are these horrible people. Brooke's been really good to me," Sam argued.

"You've been in two foster homes. I've been in nine. You don't know what you're talking about," Jack said a little more harshly than he intended.

"Do you guys want to play?" Seth interrupted. He and Jamie looked up eagerly.

"Sure. Jack and you against Jamie and me?" Sam suggested.

Jamie and Seth were both really good. Sam was surprised at how much her brother had improved. Jack was OK. Sam was really bad. Jamie threw her the ball and she tried to make a basket, but missed the basket by a good ten feet. Jamie and Seth thought this was hilarious.

"You think that's funny?" Sam asked with her hands on her hips. Both boys nodded and continued cracking up. Sam started tickling Seth mercilessly, which only made him laugh harder.

"Fighting foul," Jamie said as he watched.

"We're on the same team," Sam reminded him.

They finished playing. Jamie and Sam won even though Sam was completely worthless.

"Sam, you're really bad," Seth said as they walked to the café to get dinner.

"Thanks a lot," Sam said, feigning hurt.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Seth asked with a smirk.

"I thought you two disappeared off the face of the planet," Diana said with a smile when she saw Sam and Seth enter the café. They both hugged her. "How are you doing?"

"A little better," Sam replied.

Diana took their order. Sam paid for everyone's dinner, including Jack's. She knew he wouldn't be eating if she didn't feed him. They stopped to get ice cream cones on the way home.

"Hey, where's my kid?" Haley asked with a smile.

"I just got home. I haven't seen them. Come in," Brooke replied. She looked in Sam's room and Seth's room. She was about to call Sam's cell when the teen walked through the door with Seth and Jamie in tow.

Haley laughed. "Hey Buddy, you have ice cream all over your face. Come here." She picked Jamie up and washed his face off in the kitchen.

"You are a mess," Sam agreed in a teasing tone.

"At least I can make a basket," Jamie retorted.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't hurt to have a coach for a dad," Sam said.

"Where's your dad?" Jamie asked curiously.

Haley and Brooke froze and exchanged a glance. They'd wondered the same thing, but knew better than to ask. Sam had never once mentioned their dad.

"I don't know," Sam replied. She honestly didn't know. Her dad left her and Rebecca when Rebecca was pregnant with Seth. He hadn't contacted Sam in over five years, and he'd never even met Seth.

"Is he lost?" Jamie asked.

"Sometimes people don't want to be found," Sam muttered.

"Thanks for watching him," Haley said. She ushered Jamie out before he could ask any more questions.

Brooke put Seth to bed and then went into Sam's room. "Sam, I want to talk to you." Sam nodded and sat up. Brooke sat down beside her. "Do you want to talk about your dad?"

"You're the one that wanted to talk," Sam pointed out with a hint of sarcasm.

Brooke sighed. She wanted Sam to open up, but she knew she couldn't force the teen to talk. "Yeah, I do. I've been giving this a lot of thought. I know you don't believe that this is your home now. I want to prove to you that I'm never going to ask you to leave. I want to make it official. I want to adopt you and Seth. What do you say?"

"Yeah," Sam said. She smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

Brooke looked into her eyes. "Sam?" She questioned.

"I want us to be a family. I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I also don't want to betray my mom. I don't know what to do," Sam admitted.

"Don't you think your mom would want you to have a family? Don't you think she would want you to be happy?" Brooke asked.

"I never thought about it like that. Yeah, I guess," Sam said. "Thanks, Brooke."

Brooke looked surprised. "You don't have to thank me. I want this. You and Seth mean so much to me. I love you, Samantha."

Sam surprised Brooke by hugging her. "I love you, too," she said quietly.