Hiiiiiiii! Sorry for this being wayyyy later than I planned it being but without further delay, here is the next chapter of Remember Me!

This chapter introduces a new character by the way and I'm itching to hear what you think about her. *cackles*

Ahem.

To Sammi: I'm so happy to hear that you like me using my OCs like that! I honestly didn't even realize anyone had noticed haha. You're good! :D Oooh you were on the money with a lot of your predictions! LAMOS will definitely be making a resurgence although when might surprise you...

Disclaimer: Totally Spies does not belong to me but this story does so hah!

Enjoy I hope! ^_^


8:15 am - Scam's Mansion, Kitchen

A slight frown tugged at Darren's lips when he glanced down at the text message flashing on his phone screen:

HEY BBY! SO HYPER! CAN'T W8 4 TONITE!

xoxo

ALEX

Rolling his eyes he answered to it with nothing more than a simple heart emoji to hide how he truly felt about tonight from his clearly excited girlfriend before returning to the few remaining morsels of what had once been a full half of a delicious Ham and Cheese omelette on his plate.

"What?" He heard his best friend question seconds later easily reading the shift in his mood which had been relaxed and laid-back before his phone had buzzed.

When he looked Tim's way he found him standing there just behind the kitchen counter. His hair shower damp, dressed in a black t-shirt and sweats and with his favourite mug in hand (a gift he'd given him back in high school upon learning of the only superhero Tim enjoyed. It featured the telltale bat insignia which illuminated neon yellow once hot. Finding out that Tim had kept it all these years despite everything had warmed his heart and reminded him again of just how much of a brother he was to him) filled with the steaming black coffee he'd brewed while staring at him expectantly, a slight smile of curiosity on his lips as he waited for him to tell him what was up.

Darren poked his fork around the perfectly cooked golden-brown strips of bacon Tim had also prepared for breakfast after he'd dropped by his place early this morning for a long minute before quietly giving him an answer. "... I'm thinking of cancelling on Alex tonight."

"You're ... what?!" Scam replied with wide eyes before he set his drink down on the counter, let out a deep sigh, and gave him a stern stare which indicated that he was about to lecture him.

"Look Dare, your concern for me is touching and very much appreciated, you're a loyal friend but I won't have you neglecting your own girlfriend just so you can spend more time with me. You haven't left my side since—"

He paused there for a second not wanting to get into that topic again before continuing softly.

"... All I'm saying is it's okay for you to keep your appointments and socialize with other people that are also important to you, you know? You don't have to give me 24 hours of your day every, single day. You have your own life to live."

Darren nodded along in response to his speech and bit his cheek as he listened. While it was true that he was reluctant to leave him alone for even a minute because of what he'd endured not so long ago, there was actually a larger reason at play as to why he didn't want to go on this particular date.

Just the idea of attending it made him feel like he was betraying Tim. He couldn't stand that thought and even though he didn't want to bring it up, he finally did because he hoped that doing so would make him understand why he was considering the extreme of bailing on his darling Alexandra.

"For our big six month anniversary tonight ... we're doing a triple date," He stated while praying that would be enough for Tim to catch his drift.

Unfortunately he didn't seem to as he just chuckled amused and made a teasing remark about him being bummed out then that he wouldn't have any privacy with his girl, thinking that to be the source of his hesitation instead of what it truly was. The third couple that would be accompanying Alex and himself tonight or more specifically, the third woman.

"SAMANTHA IS GOING TO BE THERE!" Darren blurt out unable to stop himself anymore. Yet the second he said it he regretted it as he watched Tim freeze in place like a block of ice. Then little by little his happy-go-lucky demeanour faded away and his jaw twitched as unforgotten pain crept along his handsome facial features. His eyebrows furrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line, and he closed his eyes as he slowly perched down on a stool at the marble island.

Concerned Darren called out his name but Tim didn't react as he just sat there for a long minute processing this. Sam was dating. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised by this seeing she'd made it crystal clear that she had no feelings for him so why then would his admission of love to her prevent her from looking at other guys? It shouldn't. But to hear it so conclusively that she was ... hurt.

It was as though despite moving on and ignoring her existence in order to do so, part of him was still pathetically clinging onto the hope that she'd reconsider her rejection of him. That she'd come to her senses and see, just see that they were meant to be together.

Frowning bitterly Scam almost wanted to slap himself for being this way, being so needy and out of character when it came to her. He didn't remember ever being so desperate for a girl, for anything before but this just confirmed it didn't it? That his feelings for her had been unlike any he'd ever experienced before. That he, with all his heart had loved Sam Simpson.

And he feared that he still did despite her screaming in his face that she could never love him back. Would he ever get over her? Only time would tell.

"See? This is why I didn't want to go." Scam heard Darren mutter at his extended silence and miserable expression before he started apologizing to him and swearing he would not go on this date no matter what it took for him to get out of it.

Shaking his head Tim motioned for him to cut that out before at last speaking again. "You should go Dare. It's not Alex's fault so please don't punish her. You've been a great friend to me, now be a good boyfriend to Alex and make this anniversary incredible."

Without waiting for Darren to agree he stood up, gathered up the dirty dishes and proceeded to carry them to the sink to clean. "You're going, it's settled. We're not getting into a debate over this."

With that out of the way, he was about to ask him if he had a present in mind for Alex yet for this significant milestone or if he needed some last minute help with that when Darren said something that made him nearly drop the pile in his arms onto the floor.

"I'll go but only if you agree to go on a date with Skylar."

A groan left Tim's lips at him bringing this up yet again. Over the last month and a half he'd lost count of how many times he'd mentioned this girl. He kept insisting that he meet her with her, that she was perfect for him because they shared so many interests, that she was one thousand percent his type, that she was intelligent, and funny, and drop-dead beautiful.

He'd even gone as far as saying she was his female counterpart. Scam still remembered that conversation when Darren had told him that finding her in college and befriending her had made his being abroad to study at Oxford a little bearable on him as she reminded him so much of him. So much so that it was like his best friend had never gone to England and left him behind as he had.

Basically Darren seemed to think that the best way for him to forget about Sam was to find himself a new woman and give her the affection he felt for her. To just pass it along to someone far more worthy of it. And he seemed convinced that this Skylar Bradford was the perfect girl for the job. But he'd never been the kind of guy to get into a rebound relationship so he didn't think this was a good plan at all.

"We've talked about this Darren..." he muttered with his back to him to hide his annoyance as settled the dishes down safely into the sink, turned on the tap, and picked up a sponge squeezing dish soap on it. "I'm not interested in finding a girlfriend right now."

Watching Tim's tense posture Darren frowned. What was it going to take for him to let that girl go? Because she was the only reason he wouldn't be interested in dating right now. Otherwise he was a young, very single, very eligible bachelor. Did he enjoy suffering the way that he was?

But even if he was a glutton for pain, he cared far too much about Tim to stand by in silence and let him do this injustice to himself. He deserved to be happy and he wouldn't rest until he cast aside this doom and gloom and started smiling freely again.

"You'll like herrrrrr," He said in a playful, singsong tone unwilling to give up as he pulled up her picture on his phone again and started waving it around even while Tim stubbornly kept his focus on his dish-washing to avoid seeing any part of it.

"Just give her a chance man," Darren sighed after five minutes of unsuccessful attempts to show Skylar to Tim.

"DARREN," Tim snapped warningly through gritted teeth leaving him to change his approach.

"You found me the love of my life Tim ... why is it so wrong for me to want to return the favour?"

At this Tim finally seemed to calm down. Darren wasn't sure if it was just to get him off his back or not but he finally said that he'd think about it. That he wasn't quite ready for love at the current moment but when he was, he'd come to him.

Satisfied with that much for now because it was progress even if it was minor, Darren allowed Tim to talk to resume talking about the details of his date with Alex tonight and let the discussion of his own love life take the backseat just for now.

9:31 am - Beverly Hills Mall, Chic Boutique

"Hmm ... wedges or heels?" Clover asked her two besties as she held up two pairs of shoes in those styles in the same, red color for them to see.

"Heels! Definitely heels!" Alex chose for her before she tried on a bracelet she'd purchased from Rings and Things booth and silently gasped at how well it would match the maroon number she had picked out for tonight.

"Would do you think Sammie? Think heels would pair better with my strappy gown?" Clover asked the redhead for her opinion.

"Um ... what Alex said," Sam mumbled not really paying attention and one would think it was because she was busy carefully scrutinizing her own dress choice as she held the yellow halter up to her body and peered hard into a mirror.

But in truth she was having trouble focusing on her date tonight or anything really because she was still wound up over her ex-partner and how ruthless his behaviour towards her had been last night, so much so that it had actually pushed her to actual tears when she'd finally made it to the privacy of her bedroom where she'd just broken down. She'd sobbed for hours and had ended up crying herself to sleep with him still on her mind.

Feeling her lips quivering again as she thought about it, Sam tried to get herself back on track. For five whole seconds she managed to ponder if she wanted to pair this dress with a shoulder bag or a clutch before her brain haplessly wandered back to Tim Scam again. It aggravated her. Seriously, what was wrong with her?! WHAT?!

"Here I am about to go on a date with Dean! Dean Emerson! Alex and Clover have serious boyfriends now, this is my big chance with him! Why am I not obsessing over knocking him dead with my outfit?! Practicing what to say to have a witty conversation with him that'll blow him away?! Why is Tim all I can think of? Still all that I can think of?!"

It had been close to two months since they'd fallen out and that was more than enough time to forget about the incident had she been trying to. To let go of her remorse for how sourly things had ended between them. Especially after how many attempts she'd made to try and patch up with him.

She'd tried her best hadn't she? Yet he'd shut her out entirely, become deaf to her voice calling his name and blind to her presence every time she got anywhere near him ... so that should be the end of the story right?

If she were being logical about this then yes, absolutely. You could not try to make amends with someone who didn't want to let you. But somehow she just couldn't move past it. It was like the knowledge that she had caused him pain hurt her, bothered, and tormented her more than anything ever had before in her entire life and she just couldn't fathom why. It wasn't like she'd set out to break his heart or something! It had just been an unintentional consequence of his ... his ...

Gaining one-sided feelings for her! Something she'd had no control over! So then how long should she carry this heavy burden of guilt around on her shoulders? Stifle herself with shame? How long?

"I have to stop this foolishness!" She urged herself. Tim didn't want anything to do with her anymore and she had to acknowledge it. Sometimes when friends had a fight, they no longer remained friends afterwards. It was time to move on.

Pretending not to be hurting anymore, not to be missing him anymore, Sam turned towards her friends with a big smile on her face.

"I think this'll do the job nicely," she said, pointing at the dress she held. Both Alex and Clover looked at it for a moment before giving her an odd look.

"What?" Sam asked perplexed as to why they were looking at her that way. Did they not approve of yellow? It was totally in right now!

Alex decided to clue her in. "It's a nice dress and you'd look amazing in it Sammie but uh ... don't you tend to wear your date's favourite color?"

It was something cute that Sam had always done, find out what the guy's favourite color was and then wear it in the hopes of making a good impression when they went out. And just like Clover and herself, Sam knew Dean well enough to know that it was blue and not yellow that he preferred.

"Oh..." Sam whispered realizing her mistake. What had she been thinking. Of course a blue gown was the way to go to impress Dean! Turning to select one in that colour off the rack, Sam was stopped by Clover's voice.

"... It's because of Darren isn't it? Why you're sooo not into this date?" She guessed knowing that had to be it. Sam would normally be jumping up and down at the prospect of dating one of her dream hunks (Dean only came second to David on her list) but she seemed disinterested and honestly? Like she could care less about it with how blasé she was being with her preparations.

But seeing how badly Darren had yelled at her the last time they'd been in the same space, she could totally understand Sam being a little weary of being in a situation where it could happen again.

Sam didn't reply as she stood there slightly pale. She hadn't expected her friends to notice her inner turmoil as she'd been doing her best to hide it and thinking she'd been doing well. Yet regardless of having noticed, Clover was wrong about the cause of it. It wasn't Darren that had her feeling this way, it was his best friend. He'd been the one to blame for her agony, her heartache for a long, long time now.

Watching Sam lower her head and sigh at the floor in a clearly bummed and depressed way, Clover turned to Alex with a small smile. "Alex, would ya tell Sammie here that there won't be any more icky drama with Darren? That he's cooled off and she has nothing to worry about tonight?"

Despite knowing that that wasn't exactly true (Darren was still miffed with Sam but had decided to direct his energy towards helping Tim move on instead of yell at her because he'd said all he had to there) Alex nodded. And while she herself hadn't been the biggest fan of this triple date plan of Clover's initially, she did want Sam and Darren to at least get back on civil terms.

She felt that Darren was going to be in her life for a long time (things were fast becoming super serious with him) and Sam had been her friend since she'd been a toddler. She didn't want to have to pick between them, lose any of them, so for the sake of her own sanity she had to convince Sam just as she had convinced Darren that this, that tonight was a good starting point to get back them back to where they needed to be.

"Don't worry Sammie, Darren will be focused on me. It is after all our half a year anniversary. It's a huge deal! I'm sure tonight will go super smoothly and it'll end up being a memorable evening for us all!"

After her assurances Sam did smile but knowing her as well as she did after this many years, Alex could tell that it wasn't genuine. Sam had the prettiest smile of them all but the one on her face right now, didn't reach her eyes. And she could also sense that Sam's fake smile wasn't over Darren's rage surfacing again when he saw her tonight, nor was he the one causing her to be so unenthusiastic and awkward all the time now.

All of Sam's woes went back to the same unresolved issue that still lingered around them. The giant elephant in the room.

Clover was determined not to see it, not wanting to complicate things more than they already were and Sam was refusing to see it because she was scared of the impact it would have ...

But she wasn't so blind.

How long was Sam going to stay in denial? Another week? A month? A year if she could afford to be? Sam was way too smart to think that she could just stay ignorant forever. This wasn't going to just go away. She wasn't going to just stop suffering by magic.

But it was on Sam to fix this. She'd done all that she could dropping hints here and there starting with the night Sam had walked out of Jerry's office in tears instead of grinning from ear to ear after being reassigned back to their spy unit and being taken off Tim Scam's.

Sam had dodged her every query since and Clover had been all too happy to help her do it wanting so badly to believe that everything was just like it had been before that fateful mission, that car accident when Sam had pulled a badly injured Scam from the burning wreckage and saved his life. That nothing had changed as a result of it. That this was like hitting a rewind button. Like going back in time.

But it wasn't. And the illusion that it was would not last much longer. Soon Clover and especially Sam would see that. Eventually something would open their eyes no matter how hard they battled to keep them bolted shut to the truth. To the undeniable truth that she herself already knew.

The reason why Sam didn't care about this date and hadn't cared for any of her dates since forever ago, the reason why as of late she spent so much time moping alone in her home, the reason why she no longer truly smiled, tossed and turned at night, didn't meet eyes with any of them anymore, couldn't find any peace, any solace, any comfort and was so restless all the time ...

It all boiled down to one thing. One thing alone and her sheer failure to confront it.

Sam ... was in love. For the very first time, she was truly in love. Madly and desperately in love. She was in love with Tim. Tim Scam. And sooner or later?

She'd have to stop being such a coward and find the courage to accept that.

Suddenly a rumble passed along the tiles under her feet and Alex's head flew up to look at her two best friends with a knowing look. They were being summoned for another mission.

Just a moment later the floor opened up and they were screaming as they were sucked down a familiar, blue, spiral tunnel and soon enough they landed on the sparsely padded red couch in Jerry's office in a twisted triangle of arms and limbs.

"Sorry to interrupt your shopping excursion..." Jerry quipped as he instantly noticed the clothing articles they'd been trying on seconds ago come down the chute and land in a crumpled heap along with them. He'd have to remember to reimburse the store later. "But something's come up."

Directing their attention towards the large projection screen he began briefing them on their mission which would be in Greece where some new, crazy baddie had succeeded in bottling up lightning and was using it to attack innocent citizens who refused to bow down to him as the Second coming of Zeus and their supreme leader.

One would think that things were back to business here at WOOHP but things really weren't how they seemed at the surface for the trio. The WOOHPings had returned, the new gadgets, the wacky missions that they were once again facing together instead of apart were all the same but the dynamic of their spy lives had changed dramatically.

Clover, Alex, and Sam had always seen Jerry as a father figure but he no longer acted as such towards them. His interactions with them were dry, short, and to the point. He no longer smiled at them, no longer made his little, satiric, "dad" comments on whatever was going on in their personal lives like he used to all the time. Heck he didn't even wave them "tata" anymore when he sent them off. But the biggest change was how he frowned and even glared when he thought he wasn't being watched ... right at Sam.

He wasn't even subtle about his dislike of the girl who used to be his favourite among them once upon a time. No he made it clear he was holding a grudge, that he was still mad at her for hurting the man he saw as his son. And now after this many missions, they'd legitimately begun to worry that he'd never get over it.

Seeing Jerry throw another dirty look Sam's way right before he asked G.L.A.D.I.S. to provide them with their supplies, Alex looked past Sam who was pouting sadly at Jerry and gave Clover a pointed look along with a short shake of her head and the blonde's eyes widened as she understood that gesture of hers immediately because she'd been doing it so much.

Again she was saying that she was right for what she'd said to her in that private discussion they'd had in her home after Scam's feelings for Sam had become public knowledge. This drama wasn't just going to evaporate if they left it alone like she'd suggested. That this hadn't been dealt with in any way and not talking about it was not the answer.

Biting her lip in pent up frustration Clover just stared back into Alex's amber eyes and did her best not to falter at the grim and ominous look she was regarding her with. But the more time that passed, the more she found it difficult to just make light of this, laugh it off and not agree with Alex.

Sitting there as G.L.A.D.I.S. began to announce the names of their gadgets for today (Eyelash Curler Catapult, Fetch A Bone Zip Line, Immobilizing Stun Tan Lotion, Insanely Powerful Portable Vacuum, Titanium Drill Heel Boot, and lastly Jetpack Backpacks) Clover couldn't keep herself from reflecting on all the missions they'd gone on with Sam since she'd been put back on their spy team.

And honestly? She couldn't deny that they'd all been massive letdowns and nothing at all like she'd expected they'd be:

Keeping their eyes pinned on the two, bulky guards just a few feet away holding machine guns that blocked any chance of them using this way into the military base, the girls looked at one another knowing they had to come up with another entryway and fast.

Retrieving the pair of M-ray Contact Lenses stashed in the pocket of her red spy suit, Clover put them on and scanned the area soon noticing that there was another way in that was hidden behind a false wall. Pointing towards it, she smirked. "Why don't we just go in through there?"

"Nice use of gadget Clover!" Alex exclaimed impressed as she patted her on the shoulder and grinned.

Sam also nodded her head in agreement and smiled. "Yea! That'll totally work! Great idea Tim!"

"Did you just call me ... Tim?" Clover whispered lost as she stared at her redheaded bestie whose face turned flaming red at her question. But soon enough she played it off with a small shrug.

"Uh ... no? I said great idea this time. TIME," She emphasized as she made quotations in the air with her fingers. " Not Tim."

But the blush of shame still painted on her cheeks easily gave away that she was lying...

With one final group tug on the Maximum Macramé Belt they managed to bring the group of felons crashing down. Savouring their shouts of complaint and rage that proved they'd been vanquished, Clover, Alex, and Sam wiped off their brows which were sweaty after their intense manual effort. They stood there just catching their breaths and recouping when suddenly Sam broke out into a random fit of laughter.

They stared at her wondering what was so funny and she started to explain through her giggles.

"Haha you know what this reminds me of? There was this one mission where I asked Tim to get rid of this guard haha. And you know what he did?!" She asked still laughing uncontrollably and now clutching her stomach because it was hurting from her wheezing so much. "He knocked the guy out and gagged him and everything! Can you believe that? I mean all I asked for was for him to distract the guard and he did all that!"

When she finally picked up on the fact that neither of then were laughing with her she coughed awkwardly attempting to stop her own giggling which she finally did a moment later. Then she took out her X-Powder, called WOOHP and informed Jerry that the mission was over all the while keeping her head down to avoid the questioning looks her friends were giving her after her having shared that story, yet another story from her time working with Tim Scam...

"Am I the only one who thinks this plot is sooo totally lame?" Sam asked annoyed as they made their way towards WOOHP's underground parking to the transportation they'd be using to take off on their mission.

"I mean waking up one day and deciding that you wanted everyone in the world to be a talking piece of furniture just because you love Beauty and the Beast so much? Come on!"

"Totally," Clover and Alex started to say. These villains they often faced lived such sad and sorry lives. But they stopped short when Sam led the conversation down a different but by now all too familiar path.

"I remember talking to Tim about this once. I think it was after we'd had a couple of missions together and he just couldn't get over how stupid some of our baddies were; especially the one from the mission we'd had the day before! He was all like, why would anyone want to waste their time and energy concocting a diabolical scheme to attempt pulling off something so ludicrous? I mean he had a point right? Is it so hard to come up with something that's at least a little, I dunno. Sane?"

Listening to her prattle on and on, Clover and Alex looked at one another before giving her an incredulous stare while wondering if she was even listening to herself right now. Discussing how idiotic, how dim the morons they had to fight as spies was something they, along with every agent (even Jerry) who'd ever gone on a mission did. This was not an opinion Tim Scam held exclusively so why did she feel the need to bring up his point of view again like it was something unique when it wasn't? As if it added to their conversation when it didn't?

Opening her mouth Clover started to mention just that. But she'd only gotten as far saying that literally everyone who worked at WOOHP felt that way not just her ex-partner when Sam dropped the conversation entirely and sped off towards the green Anti-gravity cycle, hopping into it to commence their mission...

Pulling out her flashbacks Clover sighed at what were becoming typical Sam moments on their missions now. Instead of being the one brilliantly coming up with solutions for their assigned missions as she once so reliably used to, she now contributed only one thing and that was making sure Tim Scam came up in some way. She did it like clockwork. Every time. Every mission. Every. Single. Day.

She constantly referred to either Alex or her with his name. Brought up moments that had occurred on missions she'd gone on with him as though reminiscing about them. That time she'd informed them even though no one had asked that they'd been given a gadget to use that she knew Tim Scam had invented (The Bond) and then had fawned over how effective it was when they had used it to defeat their villain of the week claiming it and not their own efforts had saved their lives.

She pointed out whenever any guy they ran into in the course of their missions happened to look like Scam, sound like Scam, had any possible detail that could even vaguely connect to Scam.

Etcetera etcetera. It was almost like Sam had amnesia or something. Still thought she was working with Scam on these missions and not them. Like he was still her partner. Like she missed him being that...

Like she missed him period.

But today had to be better right? It was officially their 16th mission since Sam had rejoined them; 16 was her lucky number! By now she just had to be used to being back with them and all this "Scam talk" would phase itself out! Then Sam would be back to normal and everything would be fine. Just fine!

Jerry was always a bit of a grump anyway so if he wanted to continue being hostile afterwards, it really didn't change things that much. All that mattered was Sam returning to how she used to be before she'd gotten stuck babysitting Tim Scam, and she was confident that this very mission that they were embarking on right now was the one where that would start to happen.

And with the triple date tonight Scam would be nothing more than a distant memory to Sam. Both in her spy life and especially in her personal life.

Smiling to herself and feeling optimistic Clover pressed a button on her X-powder and changed into her spy suit along with Alex and Sam before she set off with them on another mission adventure while believing that it was going to be a good one.

Just like old times.

3:45 pm - Athens Towers 1, Rooftop

The mission had gone well. Better than her hopes and dreams, Clover thought as she stood there watching Alex slap handcuffs on their criminal's wrists. Every gadget they'd been provided with had worked perfectly without any malfunctions, they hadn't been taken capture in the duration of their mission, they'd apprehended their villain with relative ease with no broken nails, bruises, or ruined hair, and with more than enough time to get ready for their date at 9:00 pm without having to rush at all. And the best part?

Clover grinned as she glanced at Sam who was helping Alex cuff the fallen male. There had been none, not even one mention of Tim Scam by Sam. It looked like her lucky number hadn't failed her after all. Things were finally and at long last, back to the way they were supposed to be.

"Let's get you to a nice, cozy padded cell in WOOHP's holding facility," Alex taunted as she pushed the disgruntled felon up to his feet and started to push him along to get him to walk with them downstairs to where WOOHP was waiting with a van to take him to prison.

Sam assisted Alex by grabbing onto one of the guy's burly arms and trudging him forward during the long trip down 28 flights of stairs while Clover followed behind them with her phone in hand as she sorted through her social media thinking the mission to be over.

Until two loud female cries made her realize that it wasn't. She looked up just in time to see the terrifying scene of the prisoner breaking free of her friends and shoving both aside with the strength of his shoulders. It worked because his prior submission to his arrest caught them off guard to him pulling this on them now.

Alex managed to catch herself, using the sharp tip of her Titanium Drill Heel Boot to dig into the cement and secure herself from falling. But Sam wasn't so lucky as she'd been much closer to the edge.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sam screamed as her body was thrown off the side and collided against the telecommunication antennas there for just a minute before she started to fall straight down 338 feet.

"SAMMIE!" Clover and Alex both shouted in blind panic. Thinking fast Alex located the Immobilizing Stun Tan Lotion and aimed it at the guy who was hurrying to escape while they were distracted, wobbling like a penguin with his arms still bound but soon fell like a ton of bricks when he was hit with the gadget's yellow beam.

Having him secured they both then moved to save Sam. But before they could even make it to where she hung with the green-gloved fingers of her hand clinging for dear life onto the edge of the roof, an ear-splitting scream from her made their hairs stand on end as she let out a desperate cry for help, for a rescue, screaming just one name over and over on the top of her lungs ...

Tim Scam's name.

"TIM! HELP! HELP ME! TIM! AH! I CAN'T HOLD ON MUCH LONGER! MY FINGERS ARE SLIPPING TIM! PLEASE! SAVE ME! TIM! TIM! TIM!"

Clover froze in place in disbelief as she listened to her baffled. Six months, Sam had been working with Scam for just six months. She'd been spying with her and Alex for much longer than that, for years! But when it came to a life or death situation, the first name she thought to call was Scam's?! Not hers or Alex's?! Not WOOHP's or Jerry's? Not even God's ? But Scam's?! Seriously?! SCAM'S?!

Feeling bewildered and betrayed she just stood there in shock as Alex took matters into her own hands. Locating the Fetch A Bone Zip Line, she swiftly fired a cable down to Sam and helped pull her up with it. When she had her back on solid ground, she fussed over a wobbly Samantha and made sure she was okay before turning back to Clover whose face was now as white as a ghost, as though it hadn't been Sam who had just nearly fallen to her death but her.

And while she said nothing and just stared at Sam who was avoiding her gaze now having realized the massive mistake she'd made in screaming for her ex-partner in panic instead of any of her current ones, Alex could see that Clover too was starting to see the light when it came to the subject of Tim Scam and Sam.

It really wasn't just a matter of Sam still needing to readjust to them being her partners after a long break as Clover and Sam herself kept insisting it was.

It was more, so much more than that.

5:47 pm - Scam's Mansion, Bedroom

"Where is it? Where is it?" Scam hummed in frustration under his breath as he searched for a certain something. He'd always been able to rely on his sharp memory but for some reason he sometimes had trouble recalling the little things ever since his accident. Most of the time he was able to navigate regardless but at times like this it sure got irritating.

Feeling around in the cramped, lower drawer of his dresser his eyes lit up when he thought he'd finally tracked it down. He drew out a small box and opened it expecting to see the thing that he wanted to give to Alex from his side for being his best friend's longest lasting girlfriend only to frown when he pulled out a dried, white dianthus flower instead. Turning it over in his hand he stared at it, growing more upset at finding it, finding yet another little piece of Samantha Simpson that he'd stolen from her during their time together.

For just a second his eyes glazed over at the memory associated with it:

The ivory hue of the dress set off her porcelain coloured skin perfectly. The mask she'd chosen was white with silver and gold swirls and it elegantly sat on her face. From behind it, her eyes shimmered like two rare emeralds as she stared back at him. Her lovely crimson hair was held up in a half up, half down style that cascaded down to her waist in wavy ringlets with two white dianthus flowers tucked in at the crown of her head.

Just as Sam had changed into his suit jacket to take down the LAMOS, when she hadn't been looking he'd snuck one of the flowers that had fallen out of her hair into his pocket as a small keepsake of the night they'd spent dancing together, something he'd wanted to remember as it had been at the time one of the best nights of his life.

But now all it did was torture him just like every time he ran into anything even briefly connected to her that in his lovesick, Romeo phase he'd held onto and cherished.

A piece of her jewellery she'd dropped on a mission, a snapped scrunchie he'd found one time her hair had fallen loose from the hasty bun she'd put it in while they'd been fighting an escapee, a blue, cashmere sweater he was certain she'd gifted him but didn't remember exactly when...

The list went on and on and on.

And right then he decided to just hunt it all down and dispose of it. He was tired, so sick and tired of running into her memories like little Booby traps set up to ruin all of his good days when he'd been doing well and not thinking of her.

He spent the next three hours doing just that, going through his premises with a fine tooth comb and purging it of everything Sam. In the midst of it he found the present he'd wanted to give Alexandra and one other thing.

The photograph that he'd had taken of himself and Sam at the last WOOHP picnic. In it he had his arm wrapped around her shoulders while he held her close to him with a smile that was more like a grin on his face while a red-faced Sam stared into the camera; the pair of them looking so much like an actual couple.

Scam tried his best to tear it up and toss it into the trash with everything else but found himself faltering. Before stopping to berate himself for this moment of weakness he put the picture in the pocket of his leather jacket before he picked up the box containing Alex's surprise along with his motorcycle key and headed out to give it to her at the hotel where Darren and her date was taking place.

9: 55 pm - The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Polo Lounge

Sitting in the iconic, 5-star restaurant of one of the best hotels in Los Angeles, Clover and Alex were having a wonderful time. The atmosphere was magical, romantic, and pleasant as they talked the night away under candlelight and soft music with their handsome boyfriends.

Clover had her hand intertwined with Blaine's as she barely munched on her crisp Apple salad, her lips occupied by the pecks she was receiving and giving to her beau while Alex had only taken a few bites of her mouth-watering Lobster Risotto being too caught up in gazing into Darren's eyes as she sincerely told her how much he loved her over and over again.

But Sam sat at the end of their table with her face in one of her hands, her elbow on the table as she swiftly pushed bite after bite of the Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon she'd ordered into her mouth all the while thinking that this whole shindig was supposed to be ...fun. Why wasn't this fun?

Letting out a bored sigh but covering it up by faking a cough into her napkin, Sam gave a sheepish smile to her date while running her hand along the skirt of her sapphire, glittery gown and telling him to please continue telling her about what he had been telling her about before her interruption even though she had no clue that had been in the first place.

Had he been talking about the last mission WOOHP had sent him on that he'd found thrilling? Or was it a new invention he was working on and hoping to present to Jerry? Or something about his little brother? Or mom and dad? Or school? No wait Dean was done college wasn't he? He was a few years her senior after all. She tried to figure it out for a little bit before giving up. There was no point. If she couldn't recall that much then it just proved that she had had no interest in the topic in the first place.

That realization left her surprised and she found herself zoning out again as she just watched Dean. And the longer she did that, just looked at him, the more she found herself asking herself why he seemed so ... bland.

She remembered thinking he was a genius and a total hunk in the past but tonight? He seemed to be neither of those things and she couldn't put her finger on why. It wasn't like he'd gone and gotten an ugly haircut, was wearing an unflattering suit, or changed the things he always talked about into things monotonous but for some unseen reason he was failing to capture her attention tonight.

Or was she wrong perhaps and had he changed in some invisible way that made him no longer her type? No longer her type just like every other guy she'd dated in the last two months of time.

She was deep in thought when she noticed a waiter come over to their table and ask Alex and Darren to follow him because someone wanted to see them. Instantly a name flashed into her mind, the same that never really left it and she wondered if it could be. Was he here?

But then she dismissed that thought and started sipping her sparkling water and earnestly trying once more to focus on the man seated across from her. The one she should be focused on instead ... of Tim Scam.

10: 25 pm - The Beverly Hills Hotel, Front Desk

He felt bad bothering Darren and Alex but he honestly didn't want to set foot any farther into this place knowing that she was here. Even being in this building knowing she was in it with another guy made his blood boil. Thankfully the couple he wanted to see arrived soon enough and he greeted them with warm smile.

"Hey."

"Hey!" Darren called out wrapping him in a man hug before pulling back and asking him how come he'd come here. He had mentioned turning this triple date into a quadruple date to Tim. Was he here for that reason? If so he'd be only too happy to text Skylar and ask if she was still free but Tim shook his head and told him he only came to wish them both.

"I uh..." Turning his attention to Alex his smile widened. "I just wanted to thank you for making Darren happier than I have ever seen him."

Alex couldn't help but smile when he said that. Her cheeks turned a little rosy at his compliment. She'd never really spoken to him much directly despite him being Darren's best friend but maybe it was time to change that. She knew how much he meant to Darren and she wanted to accept him. At least while he was like this, being this nice, she couldn't see any reason not to. Besides, if it weren't for him pushing her and Darren together the many, many times that he had, they would never have fallen in love.

"Well ... it was you who brought us together Tim," Alex confessed shyly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear that she'd curled for the occasion.

"That is true," Darren agreed as he slipped an arm around his girlfriend's waist and kissed her cheek. He'd never forget how huge of a role Tim had played in him getting to know Alex better.

Tim smiled but shook his head. "Nah I had nothing to do with. You can't force love." Just as he said that both Alex and Darren detected the grief in his voice. It was more than obvious that he was still wounded over Sam but he soon cleared his throat and told them that the real reason he'd dropped by was to give something to Alex.

Seeing him hold out a small wrapped box to her, Alex looked at him curiously before glancing at her boyfriend who asked Tim what this was about.

"Would you just open it?" Scam smirked and Alex obediently took the box soon pulling out a crudely made silver key from the inside of it. On one side were engraved the words the key while the other said to my heart.

Blinking she stared at it trying to make sense of what this was when Tim started to explain his gift although Darren's face had immediately turned pink open seeing it, something Tim laughed at as he spoke.

"Darren made this in a Metalworking class he took in Grade 10. I thought it only best to pass it along to you."

"Give me that!" Darren almost shouted from embarrassment as he tried to grab the key from Alex's hand but she wouldn't let him have it.

"Um excuse me?" Alex said with a warning glance his way. "But Tim gave this to me so I get to decide what happens with it."

Putting his hand down Darren looked at her seriously. "You wanna keep it? You don't think that it's ... it's—"

"Ridiculously sappy and majorly corny?" Tim quipped leaving Darren to give him the stink eye at which he only chuckled harder.

"No," Alex disagreed as she held the key close to her chest and smiled. "I think it's super cute."

Darren fell speechless at her words before exchanging a glance with Tim who smiled in a strange way. And although they didn't way a single word about it, Alex could tell that this key was some sort of inside thing between the two of them.

"Thanks Tim," she smiled at the man who was seeming more and more like a sweetheart, something she'd never imagine Tim Scam could ever be before meeting him in the role of Darren's bestest and closest friend.

"You're welcome," He nodded at her before saying something more. "It's also just my way of letting you know that I'm rooting for you two. That this is just the start of what will hopefully be a very long relationship."

He was about to leave when he suddenly turned and smirked. "Oh and if for whatever reason you find yourself wanting to break up with this guy, you know in case he does something stupid..." he said pointing to Darren. "Just give me a holler and I'll set him straight."

A giggle left Alex at the menacing manner in which he'd said that and she found herself hugging Scam. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks Tim," she mumbled starting to see him as the older brother she'd never had. And she'd be lying if she claimed that she wasn't beginning to really like him.

Watching the two of them bond, Darren smiled glad beyond words to see the two most important people in his life getting along so well.

"You should stay," he started to suggest to Tim but he declined and told him he was in the mood to take a ride and that was where he was headed next.

"Car?" Darren asked frowning in concern but relaxing when Tim pointed to the bike helmet he had under his arm.

"And I promise that I won't speed DAD," he commented before patting Darren on the shoulder and congratulating Alex one last time before he exited the hotel.

"I can't believe he kept this," Darren whispered still in disbelief looking at the key she held again as he gave her the full story behind it.

"There was this girl I was really into back in high school and I made this for her. I thought it'd be a really ingenious way to tell her how I felt but when I presented it to her, she laughed in my face. It was one of the most humiliating moments of my life so naturally I wanted to get rid of the dumb key but Tim took it out of the trash and told me that the day I truly found the girl that was meant for me, she wouldn't laugh when I gave her this key because she'd love me just the way I was. And he was right," Darren whispered softly as he looked at Alex with loving, tender eyes.

Watching the pretty face of his beloved beam back at him he continued. "You know this was Tim's way of welcoming you into his family? And his offer to kick my ass if I hurt you , he wasn't just saying that. He sees you as a sister now. His sister."

"That's so sweet," Alex couldn't help but say at Tim's thoughtfulness towards her. "I never knew he was ... that he could be so—"

"Loving?" Darren finished for her and nodded to confirm to her that she wasn't wrong to think so. "Yea he doesn't let people in easy but he really is a good guy deep down. When he says he cares for someone that means he'll care about them more than anyone ever could and ever will. You're in his inner circle now. He'll do anything for you."

By now Alex's cheeks almost hurt from smiling so much as she nodded and told Darren she appreciated knowing that.

"But God this is sooo lame!" He muttered attempting once more to snag the key from her but Alex held onto it tightly and shook her head telling him to back off. "You don't want me to tell on you to Tim do you?"

His blue eyes widening and his jaw parting at her thinly veiled threat, Darren looked at her incredulously. "You're going to run to Tim for everything now ... aren't you?"

"Having a guy like him in my corner and abusing that? Definitely," Alex declared grinning.

Darren and her shared a laugh before holding hands and making their way back to the restaurant and their table.

"We should do something together, the three of us. You, me, and Tim," Alex suggested as Darren pulled out her chair for her and she sat down.

And despite her best attempts not to, Sam's ears perked up the second she heard that name being mentioned. It was like all the chatter and music, every other sound in the busy hotel went on mute all at once as she eavesdropped on Alex talking to Darren about Tim who apparently had been the one they'd just went off and talked to.

The fact that Alex had just seen him in the flesh, had a conversation with him face to face stupidly made her feel envious. And her state of burning jealously only became worse with what she heard next.

"How about we go on a double date?" Darren proposed. "You and me and Tim and—"

"Tim has a girlfriend?" Alex suddenly asked wanting to see how the redhead who was staring at her and her boyfriend with palpable distress on every feature like a deer caught in headlights would react to that possibility.

"No," Darren told her truthfully while Sam let out a not so inaudible sigh of relief only to fall slack when he added, "But there is a girl I have in mind for him and he's going to to meet her soon. She's so much like him I'm telling you Ally, I think it's gonna be love at first sight."

"Excuse me," Sam loudly said before rising from the table and speedily making her way to the bathroom. She stayed in there for a good fifteen minutes before coming back and telling them that she thought she'd take off because she was suddenly feeling very tired.

Although Dean looked disappointed at her decision he was understanding about it and told her he'd drive her back home as she'd arrived with Clover and Clover had no plans to go back yet.

Waving a quick goodbye to her confused friends Sam made her way outside to Dean's car but once inside, Dean asked if they could maybe go to his place first.

"The invention I'm working on, I really want your opinion on it. After all ... you are the smartest person that I know," Dean winked at her while smiling charmingly with his head turned over his shoulder as he sat in the driver's seat.

Finding herself blushing at his compliment, Sam decided to change her plans. Looking at a brand new gadget honestly did sound kinda interesting. Maybe her date night was finally about to become as fun as advertised?

"Sure, let's go," She answered him cheerfully just seconds later and once Dean had buckled himself in, the car took off into the night towards his Penthouse.

11: 40 pm - Somewhere on the streets of Los Angeles

Breathing in the cool night air as it zipped by him, Scam smiled under his helmet feeling at peace. Maybe it was because he'd always been such a lone rider, but very few things made him feel more relaxed than taking a spin on his prized Agusta F4CC. His leather gloved hands tightened their hold on his motorcycle's leather grips as he revved up the engine and went even faster.

He was forced to slow down however when he spotted something blocking his path. A car that was just sitting there smack dab in the middle of the street. Annoyed, he craned his head around wondering if he could drive around it but the path was narrow and the only way he'd be getting through would be to make a jump. And while he was more than capable to pull off that stunt, he had promised Darren that he'd drive safe.

Deciding to honour his word to his best friend he skidded to a stop when he reached the vehicle. And his eyebrows rose when he saw the man standing there outside the car with his cell phone in hand as if he was trying to pick up the reception he was failing to connect to.

For some reason he looked familiar to him. Where had he seen him? Perhaps at WOOHP? But what were the odds of running into another agent at random like this?

Suddenly his eyes went wide and his jaw dropped open when he noticed the woman sitting in the backseat of this guy's car. A face he'd never fail to recognize. It was Sam which meant that he had to be her date ... Dean.

A deep frown weighing down his lips he just stared dead at her through the black-tinted visor of his helmet while he felt what little she'd left intact of his heart that day shatter into nothingness.

When Darren had told him that she'd be there tonight on this date, as upset as he'd been part of him had placated himself that she'd only gone to make her friends happy out of obligation. It had been her bestie's six month anniversary and they'd wanted her there so she'd said yes to being the half of the third couple attending the celebrati0n not wanting to be a party pooper.

But here she was now, in the middle of the night, alone, of her own will, with her date heading to god-knows-where. Feeling sick to his stomach he clenched his fists hard to stop from lashing out at her and her new boy toy and was considering just jumping over their car and keeping driving when the guy spoke to him having seen him arrive.

"Hey, sorry to ask but could you help us?"

It took everything in him not to punch Dean in the face for calling Sam and himself "us" like they were married or something. Taking in a deep breath to calm his bubbling nerves he coolly replied. "What seems to be the problem?"

Having rolled down the window to see what was going on and if they were going to receive held from this stranger, Sam's eyes nearly popped from her sockets as that voice fell on her ears. She recognized that deep, baritone drawl.

Eyes peeled wide still she stuck her head out of the window and took in his broad, muscular form only feeling more nervous when even that matched up with her memory of his build. Then when he finally took of his helmet revealing his face, she wanted to die on the spot.

"Tim..."

She'd finally gotten her wish to the universe to see him again granted but in such a sadistic way. Trying to hide she pulled herself as far back into the car's seat as she could while praying he hadn't seen her. Sadly for her, even if he somehow hadn't so far, Dean made that impossible for him to not notice with his next comment.

"Well I was just on my way to my place with my date..." Sam cringed hard when he pointed right as her as he said that. Great, now not only was Tim going to find out she'd gone out with him, he was going to get wrong ideas in his head about why they were going to his residence alone at this time. Just what she needed.

Not noticing the thick tension in the air between his mentioned date and the man he was talking to, Dean went on with a sigh.

"But my car broke down and ruined out night. My phone's also dead and she accidentally left hers with her friends so could we use your phone to call for roadside assistance, if you don't mind? We'd really appreciate it."

Keeping her head down Sam sat there in silence as she heard Tim mumble that he'd take a look at the car and could probably get it up and running faster than calling for help would. Dean didn't argue and thanked him for his kindness while Sam squirmed inside herself and wondered why he'd make such an offer? Hadn't he seen who Dean's date was? Wasn't he bothered by it?

Just five minutes later she heard the hood of the car slam down again. "Done. Should be all good," Tim informed Dean while putting his gloves back and on moving to get back on his bike.

"Whoa that was fast!" Dean grinned impressed before asking Tim if they could do anything at all to thank him for his timely help.

He said nothing but then Sam felt his eyes finally land on her. They felt like hot laser beams cutting into her with burning intensity. Gulping she shakily compelled herself to meet his gaze only to find him giving her a look of what could only be described as pure disgust.

Then he quietly grumbled, but this time she knew he was talking to her and not Dean. "… Just have a good time."

With that he put his helmet back on and drove off leaving her behind in the dust without so much as sparing her another glance. When he was far enough from her he took out the photo of him and her that he'd stored in his pocket earlier today and crumpled it up into a ball before tossing it behind him.

Sam watched him as he left unable to look away as his outline became smaller and smaller and once again he ran from her. But this time she feared she truly would never see him again, that she'd lost him once and for all ... and it was all her fault.

"Sooo, still up for seeing that gadget?" Dean asked her as he got back inside his car, assuming her answer to be yes as he began to drive in the direction of his home only to be stopped by Sam's openly sad and morose whisper. She didn't even care to keep up her act any longer. What was the point?

"Please take me home Dean. I ... I just wanna go home..."

12: 35 am - Just Outside Speedway Mobile Auto Detailing

Thank God the owner was a friend of his, Scam thought as he admired his now squeaky clean motorcycle that Vinny, the guy who ran this auto repair shop had graciously serviced for him despite it being well past closing time. Perhaps it had been petty of him to do so but he wanted complete closure from Sam and the last thing of his he remembered sharing with her had been his beloved bike.

He stood there outside the garage leaned against his motorcycle deep in thought as that memory came back to him:

Blushing, Sam looked away. "Just drive," she mumbled leaving him to chuckle as he finally put on his helmet. "I will as soon as you sit down Sam," he said, pointing out how she was still standing there. Biting her lip Sam awkwardly stared at the motorcycle before she walked behind him and stared at his back. Her eyes moved down studying his form and she bit her lip harder as she looked at the leather seat.

"Sam?" He said questioningly and she sighed before taking a deep breath and sitting down stiffly behind him. Feeling her nervousness he smirked inside his helmet. "You might need to hold on," he said warningly before he started off and in a second Sam was yelping as her body almost flew off the motorcycle, leaving her to quickly throw her arms around his waist and cling to him for dear life.

"Can't you drive slower!" she called over the sounds of the vehicle and the air that was whipping by them. Tim chuckled, thoroughly enjoying how tightly she was clutching onto his body, how her fingers were pressing into his abdomen through his leather jacket, and how her nose was pressed into his back leaving inches between his back and her chest. They honestly needed to do this more often...

If he had known back then how things were going to go he would have never invested his heart in her as recklessly as he had.

Shaking his head to himself while he'd decided to finally let her go fully, he wasn't sure how he was going to get past this. It wasn't just his heartbreak, his self-esteem, his pride and ego had taken a severe beating and he didn't know how or when those would be repaired if ever.

Feeling utterly worthless, he kept cursing at himself for putting himself in this situation when suddenly he was stirred by the sound of a female voice. One that he'd never heard before.

"Wow ... that is a gorgeous ride."

Turning his head around his shoulder he was surprised to find a young woman now standing there with her hand resting against the seat of his bike as her black manicured nails ran over its body, admiring it.

Scam's eyes couldn't help but widen a little as he looked at her because she was dressed so much like him. She was wearing all black. A cropped, leather jacket, dark distressed jeans, studded ankle boots and in one of her fingerless, leather, gloved hands she held a black bike helmet.

Her hair was ginger blonde and set in a voluminous, high, braided ponytail, she had caramel colored skin, she was tall and slender but curvy, and her eyes were such a bright blue shade that they seemed as though they'd been cut out of the sky itself on the warmest summer day.

Whoever she was, this girl was certainly very, very pretty. He was still staring at her wondering where she'd come from when suddenly she looked right at him with her hand held to her heart and her eyes wide as they roamed over his face now that she could see it.

"And I have to say..." She breathed out, slightly licking her glossed lips as she gave him a now flirtatious smile. "That its owner is equally so."

"..."

He struggled with himself not to give into her flattery but despite all his efforts, probably because he'd been feeling like crap and so unlike his usual confident self for so long now, a small smile bloomed on his lips. Something she saw and returned with a huge smile of her own that lit up the night's darkness into daylight.

"Thanks," Scam said shortly before moving to get back on his bike and return home but her outstretched hand halted him.

"I'm Skylar by the way," He heard her say next and he stopped completely. Wait ... her name was Skylar? Could she the same Skylar that Darren had been badgering him about endlessly?

His curiosity getting the better of him he looked her way again. "Would you happen to know a Darren? Darren Evans?"

She blinked looking surprised at his question for a second before she nodded her head that she did. "I do. He's a college friend of mine." She paused then and looked at him in a perplexed way. "But how do you know Darren?"

"I'm his best friend," he announced leaving her eyes to go wide again as she let out a small gasp.

"Oh my God ... so you're Tim? Wow." She raised her hand, running it through her ponytail and started adorably playing with it for a few before taking in a deep breath and looking at him again with another smile.

"Uh ... So I know it's super late and you probably are on your way home or have other plans already but I can't help but ask. Would you maybe like to ... Would you be open to grabbing a drink wi—"

"I'd love to," He said before she'd even finished asking him out.

"Really?!" She exclaimed clearly excited and something about making a girl so happy by simply agreeing to spend his time with her made him feel good inside, made him feel worthwhile. A feeling he'd missed feeling.

Skylar didn't waste any time in climbing onto his motorcycle with him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding onto him tight before whispering excitedly into his ear. "So ... where are we headed?"

Putting on his helmet he whispered back quietly as he started to drive.

"I guess we'll see."

4:15 am - Sam's House, Sam's Bedroom

The unexpected knock on her door roused her from her deep slumber. Blinking sleepily Sam sat up on her mattress for the first time feeling the stinging in her eyes from all the tears she'd shed before passing out from exhaustion.

Another night crying over her ex-partner, something that was becoming a nightly ritual for her. Rubbing her cheeks to erase the streaks of mascara lines on them away at least enough to make herself presentable to whoever was at her door, she got up and started to walk downstairs.

She moved slowly, tiredly, sighing all the way not really in the mood to see or talk to anyone right now. Well except for one person, the one man who would never see or talk to her ever again. Choking back her urge to sob some more she held herself together as she made it to the front door knowing she had to face the person on the other end before she could go back up to her room to cry herself back to sleep.

But when the door opened she was left gasping, almost falling faint from the tidal wave of shock that hit her all at once because of who had come to see her.

Standing in her doorway was ... Tim. Dressed in the same all black outfit she'd seen him in a couple of hours ago. Tight black t-shirt, close-cut black jeans, black leather gloves on his large hands, with his bike helmet tucked loosely under his left arm.

For a long moment she just held her breath as she stared at him unblinkingly afraid that if she did let her eyelids blink then he'd no longer be there anymore when she opened them again.

Her eyes glazed over in awe at how unbelievably handsome he looked, how beautiful framed by the darkness of the starry night outside. His tan skin seemed to glisten, his high cheekbones flaunted themselves in the moonlight, his muscular frame never looked more strapping, more appealing. And his eyes, those stunning, sea-green orbs of light he possessed looked just as divine and breathtaking as ever.

And the way they, that he looked at her gave her literal chills. His gaze was so stormy, so steamy, yet so perceptive like he could see right through her and just as she moved to open her mouth to ask him what he was doing here never having expected to see him so soon if ever again after what had transpired tonight, he told her himself as if having read her mind.

"You've been trying to talk me right? So here I am. Go ahead, tell me what you've been wanting to," he urged demandingly.

She looked down and away from his intense gaze, wanting to say so much but not knowing how to say it.

"Sam?" She heard him whisper her name ever so patiently and softly that it made her backbone shudder. Yet still she remained silent for fear of him walking away from her again if she messed up by saying something wrong.

He only waited one more minute, becoming frustrated by her hushedness before huffing out a resigned never mind and turning on his heel to leave.

But the second he did so, Sam's hand lashed out on reflex and grabbed his wrist so tightly that it almost startled them both. But she didn't release his hand despite the questioning stare he was regarding with now. Instead she just stopped thinking and let her instincts take over for once finally allowing herself to do something she'd been dying to do to him for so long now.

Pushing him against her door, her hands flew on their own and wrapped themselves tight around the base of his neck, her heels moved up from the floor as she pushed herself up on her toes to draw him even closer to herself and then ...

She kissed him.

Sam paid no mind to how his body went stiff from surprise as her lips moved with need and hunger against his. She took her time letting the crevices of her lips fill in those found on his, taking in the sweet intoxication of his mouth, breathing in the heady scent of his spicy cologne, relishing the feel of his strong body, and savouring him in every way that she possibly could. He seemed like heaven in every sense and the more she got of him, the more she craved.

She moaned in satisfaction, a fire burning deep inside her which only fanned higher and higher consuming her every inch the longer her mouth, her body remained tangled up with his.

Yet at the same time she felt this sense of all encompassing peace as all the sorrow, all the pain that she'd been lugging around for the last two months seemed to just evaporate from her. She felt light, carefree, and happy in a way she'd never been in all her life as she held him tight and just kept kissing him madly trying to quench her endless thirst for him.

Only when her brain threatened to pop from lack of airflow did she finally break their lip-lock. Keeping herself still pinned to his body Sam took deep uneven breaths as her heart did somersaults inside her chest, its rapid pace only escalating when Tim slowly fluttered his eyes opened to peer right into hers as he whispered five words with a small smirk twitching on the lips she'd just passionately kissed.

"…You love me don't you?"

Sam's cheeks flamed red at his directness in asking her this and soon she started to fumble over her words timidly. "I ... uh... Tim I...I —"

A soft chuckle left his mouth at her bashfulness as he reached out and seized her even closer to him, grabbing her small waist and pulling her straight into his strong arms not being able to tolerate even a second's worth of separation from her now that her secret was finally out and he had no reason to hold himself back.

"Yea…" he declared smirking his large, classic smirk at her as he brought his lips down to hers again and whispered against them in such a way that she felt her entire being tingle from head to toe.

"You love me."

"You love me."

"You love me..."

She woke up hugging her pillow with those words echoing like a chorus inside her head. Another dream about Tim. It was far from the first one she'd had, she'd lost count of how many times she'd dreamt about him in the last while but this dream ... it had been more romantic, more passionate than ever before.

Sitting up in her bed she brought her knees up and hugged them to her chest under her blankets not missing how her heart's aching returned as her dream faded away and with it went Tim's presence.

Her eyes widened as a sobering realization hit her, and right then and there she was forced to ask herself a harsh question, the very one she'd been avoiding asking herself since that day when she'd kissed him while he'd been unconscious on that plane ride to Florence.

Drawing in a shaky breath she wondered aloud, her voice trembling in the darkness of her lonely bedroom as she did so.

"Am I in love ... with Tim Scam?"


Good god this was a long chapter! *stretches out her fingers and is glad she's finished it*

But anyway! xD

Lots happened here and I'd love to hear your reactions to it all! So review please!

Is Sam finally coming to her senses? :)

Has Scam finally given up on Sam and him being together? :(

What about Alex/Darren?

Also is it too soon to ask if you're Team Sam/Scam still or Team Scamlar (see what I did there? Skylar + Scam = Scamlar? :P )

I'll shut up now haha.

More updates and stories still to come!

LOVE,

Cresenta's Lark