First off, I am so completely, totally, absolutely (and every other word) sorry it has taken me soooo long to update. For the first time since I started writing this story, I was stuck with no idea where to go. I never thought it would take me three months to finish a chapter when it took me basically less than three months to write everything before. It seems like every time I sat down to write with an idea, as soon as I opened Word I completely lost my train of thought and couldn't get it back. So many of you have asked when I'm going to update, or begged me not to stop with the last chapter, and I assure you that has not been my plan at all. I've got an idea for the next chapter and I've started to find my inspiration again, so hopefully it won't take me another three months to update again. I hope you guys like this chapter, and I hope you review all though it wouldn't surprise me if nobody did since I've made you all wait so long!!

The four friends soon found themselves loaded down with homework as the spring semester got underway. Barely a week in, and Mikaela already had a paper to write. What was she thinking taking a creative writing class? At least it was relatively easy compared to having to write a research paper over a topic she cared nothing about. Sam had to work that night, so she had decided to get a head start on it and thankfully she was just about through with it. Christian and Leo had gone to the bar with a couple of their friends, but Mikaela declined their invitation since she still wasn't ready to go out to a bar without Sam and be surrounded by a bunch of drunken, horny men. Not after what happened with Justin a few short weeks before.

"Hey baby, what're you doing?" Mikaela was so concentrated on her paper she hadn't even heard Sam come in.

"Creative writing paper," He kissed the top of her head and she turned to look at him. "What are you doing home so early?"

"It's 9:30," He looked at her funny. "Early shift, remember?"

"It's already that late?" Mikaela asked in shock. "Wow, I didn't even realize."

"Where are Leo and Christian?"

"They went to the Circus Room with Andy, Balie, Rachael, Colton, and some other people."

"You didn't go with them?"

"I didn't wanna go without you," She shrugged her shoulders as if it didn't matter.

"'Kaela baby, you could have gone. I wouldn't have cared if you went to the bar without me," Sam said completely missing the real reason why his girlfriend stayed home.

"No, it wasn't that," Mikaela moved from the desk chair to the spot next to him on the edge of the bed. "I didn't wanna be around all those drunk men."

"Well, do you wanna go?" He asked intently. "If you want to, we can go. I won't leave your side the whole time."

"It'd be nice to see everyone and hang out, but I know you're probably tired since you just got off work. We don't have to."

"No, it's okay," Sam put his fingers on her jaw and slowly turned her face to look at him and softly kissed her. "We don't have class until tomorrow afternoon. Let's go hang out with everyone."

"Then come on, Sammy. We need to take a shower," Mikaela smiled mischievously before pulling him to the bathroom.

Sounds of laughter and affectionate teasing could be heard over the running of the water. She hadn't made the suggestion to shower together out of a sexual nature but more to save time than anything. Of course with Sam being Sam, there was only so much of a naked Mikaela with water sluicing over her body before he couldn't take it any longer and had her pinned up against the wall with her legs wrapped his waist.

"God, Sam, it's like you're 15 again," Mikaela laughed a while later after she'd caught her breath.

"I didn't see you complaining," Sam smirked as he helped her regain her balance.

"Cocky jackass," She rolled her eyes.

Not much longer after that, the water began to turn cold. Sam turned it off and handed each of them a towel to dry off. Mikaela wrapped a towel around her wet hair before disappearing into their bedroom to find a tank top and shorts to change into while she got ready. Sam, knowing it would take his fiancé three times as long to get ready, threw on boxers and a pair of sweats and rolled the desk chair to the bathroom doorway so he could watch her get ready. It always amazed him the lengths she went to in order to make herself look good when he thought she was gorgeous even without it all, but that's not to say he didn't appreciate all her hard work.

It used to make Mikaela uncomfortable when Sam would watch her get ready, but she had long since gotten used to it. She finally realized it was just him wanting to be around her, one of those cute little things she loved so much about him. His eyes never left her as she started to blow dry her hair. They were both quiet while she dried it and then began to style it. Mikaela put some kind of hair product--Sam had no idea exactly what it was--in her hair, and then used her hands to get it exactly how she wanted it. When she was satisfied with the way it looked, she turned to look at Sam for his opinion.

"Mikaela, you know I think you look amazing no matter what," She gave him a look saying that wasn't what she wanted to hear so he continued. "But it looks good. I love your hair like that."

"Thanks baby," Mikaela smiled sweetly and walked over to his chair and gave him a quick kiss. "Now I gotta figure out what to wear."

Sam's eyes followed the back of her figure as she sauntered to their closet in search of the perfect outfit. Mikaela flipped through her clothes, occasionally pulling a shirt out and holding it up to her chest and checking it out in the mirror. After the fifth or sixth time, Sam shook his head smiling before walking over to her and pulled an outfit out.

"Wear this," He said. Mikaela looked at him in surprise before holding it up in front of the mirror.

"How is it that I go through six shirts without finding one I like and yet you reach in and pull out the perfect outfit," She wondered still staring at the faded tight holy jeans and the low cut red long sleeved shirt that had a rhinestone circular design.

"Baby, the only person that spends more time looking at you than you is me," Sam smirked when she rolled her eyes. "Besides, I've seen you in everything you own. I know what looks good."

Mikaela dressed up in the clothes Sam picked out before going back to the bathroom to put on her make up. Halfway through, he decided it was time for him to get ready. At their closet, he pulled out his own pair of jeans and a tight fitting American Eagle t-shirt. The same boots he had worn to his grandparents' at Christmas were grabbed from the bottom of their closet and thrown on to complete the look. Mikaela was just about done when he went to their bathroom to put some gel in his hair and style it the way he knew she liked it.

At the bar they quickly found all of their friends at their usual table on the back wall. The Circus Room was a little hole in the wall bar they frequented often. Most of the time the bartenders had no problem serving them alcohol without an ID, but it just depended on how busy it was.

"I was hoping you two would show up!" Christian exclaimed when she saw the couple. "Wow, Mik, you look great!"

"Thanks Chris. You look hot too," The two friends hugged before everyone scooted over to make room for the two new chairs Sam pulled up.

Colton and Tyler were playing pool against some guys Mikaela had never seen before. Those two were so friendly they probably just saw the guys after getting to the bar and randomly struck up a conversation with them. That's just how they were. It wouldn't surprise anyone if the new guys seamlessly fell into their group of friends. Andy and Balie were out on the small dance floor dancing to some top 40 song. Everyone else--Tate, Reaghan, Carrie, Leo, Christian, and a few others--were sitting around the table. Reaghan introduced them to the friends she had brought with her. Brandon had an almost intimidating air about him, but at the same time it was easy to see he was one of the sweetest guys in the world. Mikaela had to admit that he was very attractive with his gorgeous grayish blue eyes and his short cropped mohawk. Then there was Erin, a cheerleader, who was very nice. Mikaela initially thought she seemed stuck up, but was quickly proven wrong. She watched as Sam couldn't help but check her out and then give her a guilty grin when he realized he'd been caught.

"Sam, you're such a pig," She teased and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek to let him know she wasn't really mad at him.

"Baby, she couldn't hold a candle to you," He insisted.

"He's right, you know," Tate spoke up from next to them.

"Aww, thanks Tater, you're so sweet," Mikaela leaned the opposite way and kissed his cheek too.

"Back off my woman," Sam joked, but knew the other man wasn't a threat. If there was one man, aside from Leo, Sam trusted with Mikaela, it was Tate.

"Don't worry, Witwicky, your woman is too high maintenance for me," Tate quipped and ducked out of the way of Mikaela's slap.

"Hey!" She cried indignantly and tried to slap at him again.

Sam just rolled his eyes and turned the other direction to talk to Leo and Brandon. They were arguing over the playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles the weekend before. Leo, being from Texas, couldn't help but gloat about his beloved Cowboys defeating their hated rivals and knocking them out of the playoffs. Sam didn't care either way since he was from California but he wasn't courageous, or stupid, enough to brag about the Cowboys beating the Eagles in Philadelphia. He didn't have the desire to get his ass kicked or die an early death.

"Baby, come dance with me," Mikaela didn't give him a chance to answer as she took his hand and dragged him to the dance floor. Their bodies melted together as they both moved to the beat of the song blaring out over the speakers.

"You know every man in here wants to beat my ass right now," Sam breathed into her ear.

"Well, honey, if you're feeling intimidated by all these little boys," She leaned in close enough to his ear her lips touched it when she talked. "We could always go somewhere...alone."

"Mmm, as good as that sounds, I'd rather rub it in that they're just not good enough," At this Sam turned her so her back was against his chest and placed one hand on her hip and the other just under her breasts. "No matter when we leave, you're still going home with me."

"Did Sam Witwicky seriously just turn down sex?" Mikaela laughed and ground her ass against his crotch.

"Oh, no baby. I didn't turn it down, I'm just postponing it. By the time we leave, you're going to be begging me to take you right here," To prove his point he dipped his head to her neck and began to kiss and nip at it.

"Sam, you're playing with fire," Mikaela's words came out in a half moan, half breathy tone.

They danced for a while longer, Sam taking every opportunity to tease his fiancé. They stopped dancing only when their throats were completely dry from the exertion. They made their way back to the now half empty table. Most of their friends had begun to leave, citing morning classes as the reason for their early departure. Christian, Leo, Brandon and Tate were the only ones that remained; Leo and Brandon were still arguing about the football game. Christian gave Mikaela a relieved look when they sat down next to her.

"Thank God you're back!" Christian cried dramatically. "I'm so tired of hearing about that damned football game!"

"Aww poor Chris," Mikaela mocked.

The two girls went off on their own conversation about shoes and clothes and the latest gossip among their friends. This is how it usually was when they all went out together. Mikaela and Christian could spend hours gossiping, usually at the expense of forgetting their boys were sitting right next to them. Many times Leo or Sam had teased them about it, but neither girl ever noticed it because they were so focused on each other.

Sam kept catching bits and pieces of what Christian and Mikaela were saying, but he was trying to focus on what the guys were talking about. Normally he was just as easily intense when talking about football as Leo and Tate seemed to be, but frankly he didn't give a damn about the rivalry between the Cowboys and the Eagles. He placed his hand on his fiancé's knee and was surprised when she covered his hand with her own and laced their fingers together. It wasn't that the fact that she grabbed his hand under the table, but more that she'd even felt the gesture and had the presence of mind to return it while Christian was blabbing away about Reaghan and whatever guy she'd gone home with that night. Sam could remember several times when he or Leo had spent close to ten minutes trying to get the girls' attention when they were in their zone. Mikaela waited until Christian finished what she was saying before turning to give Sam a kiss on the cheek and whispered that she loved him. Her body turned so that she could lean against his side and his arm could wrap around her stomach.

It couldn't have been more than five minutes later that the DJ started playing the Cupid Shuffle and Mikaela and Christian immediately took off towards the dance floor. Sam smirked as he saw every man's eyes in the club follow the two. In the beginning it bothered him that so many men blatantly ogled his then-girlfriend, but got over it once he accepted that Mikaela was going to get stared at because she was drop dead gorgeous and she was still going home with him each night.

Leo nudged Sam a little ways through the song and nodded his head towards their other two friends. He couldn't help but laugh at the mesmerized look on Tate and Brandon's faces as they watched the dance floor. There was probably a good 30 girls dancing, but it was obvious their girls stole the show. They both just moved with a fluidity that very few people had.

Sam caught Mikaela's eye and saw the smirk on her face and the mischievous glint in her eye. He made his way out to the dance floor where she and Christian were and jumped right in behind her. The dance had become so routine for them they could move together and throw in their own moves. It almost made Mikaela a tease: she knew guys couldn't look away and she would almost encourage their attraction, but then she would have Sam join in to show them they had no chance. He loved that moment when everyone in the room realized they were a serious couple. Every time they walked into a club, it became an unspoken challenge for every single guy in the room to be the one to hook up with her and take her home. Both of them fed into it until they got a chance to make it obvious to everyone in the room who was really taking her home. They thought the ring on her finger might make it clear she wasn't interested, but that only seemed to raise the stakes.

"Wanna go home with me?" Sam teased as the song ended.

"Mm, I don't know if my fiancé would like that so much," Mikaela replied spinning around and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"He doesn't have to know," She rolled her eyes at his remark.

"Sorry honey, you don't even compare to him," At this Mikaela turned to walk away. Sam waited until he could barely reach her hand before pulling her back to him.

"Think you're funny, do you?" He laughed before kissing her.

They rejoined their friends at the table for a little bit before Mikaela noticed how tired Sam looked and decided it was time to go. It was almost 1:30 in the morning, and he worked eight hours before basically coming home and immediately getting ready to go out without having a chance to rest and catch his breath. Of course, Sam being Sam wouldn't ask her if they could leave early because he was tired. He wanted Mikaela to have a good time, and wouldn't even think of cutting it short. At times she loved how he would put her above himself, but other times it drove her crazy. Their relationship wasn't just about making her happy and doing what she wanted. His happiness and what he wanted was just as important.

Not much later, the couple found themselves curled up in bed watching New Moon. To anyone else, Sam would swear he watched the Twilight saga movies just because Mikaela was in love with the series but the truth was that he liked them too. Even as much as he liked them, it didn't stop him from thinking it would be funny to bug Mikaela just as soon as she began to get tired and relaxed. At first he was simply tickling her sides occasionally, then decided to act even more childish. The next thing Mikaela knew, he was sticking his index finger in her ear, pinching her nose, covering her eyes, squeezing her cheeks together so she made a fish face, or something equally juvenile. Once he found out it was fairly amusing to him to squeeze her cheeks and pinch her nose at the same time, she decided she had had enough and looked up at him.

"What in the world do you want?" She asked half exasperated and half amused.

"A kiss," Sam smiled innocently and Mikaela rolled her eyes but kissed him anyway.

"You have got to be the biggest goofball I have ever met, Sam."

"And yet, you still agreed to marry me so when we're seventy and wrinkled and boring old people, you're still going to be dealing with me. If I'm the goofball, what does that make you?"

"Ah shit, is it too late to say no?" At his affronted look, Mikaela laughed and kissed him again. "I'm kidding baby. I hope to God you're still this childish when we're seventy and that I'm still around to put up with you."

"You sure you want to put up with me for that long?" Sam said it teasingly, but at the same time a small part of him needed to be reassured that she was serious about them and in it for the long haul.

"Absolutely," Mikaela understood that his need to be reassured wasn't from a lack of faith in their relationship, or even in her, but that he still fought with feelings of not being good enough. She knew this because she was the exact same way. "Get ready, Witwicky. It's you and me forever."

Sam didn't reply, but simply kissed her to show he felt the same. There were no words after that; just a boy and a girl so in love that even though there was no space between them, all they wanted was to be closer to their other half.