The smell emanating from the kitchen in Sam's house was pretty delicious. Cassie had taken over most of the cooking duties, as she had expected (and secretly hoped) would happen. Sam was in charge of boiling the pasta water and setting their places at the table. He realised too late that he had meant to ask Cassie for some candles from her shop to set the mood. Of course, Cassie being Cassie had already thought of this and two slim candles were currently hidden away in her purse.

Cassie added a sprinkle of several different herbs she had found in Sam's kitchen cupboards; herbs he was pretty sure he had never bought for himself. Where Cassie was concerned, he had learned there were some things it was better not to question.

The water in the saucepan was still determined not to boil, despite the burner being on full blast beneath it. Sam took this as an opportunity to close the distance between himself and Cassie at the stove. He stood behind her, his hands resting gently on her hips. He leaned forward a little, breathing in the scent of her dark hair. He was beginning to realise that if he didn't breakaway from her soon, their dinner would be the last thing on his mind.

"Sam!" Cassie protested, but she was laughing when she turned her head to capture his lips with hers.

He slid his hand into her hair, cupping the back of her neck as he deepened the kiss.

"Sam..." Cassie breathed as they broke apart a little unsteadily. "Water is boiling."

Muttering under his breath, Sam went back to his original position and added the salt and pasta to the pan. Cassie was smirking to herself as she turned her attention back to the sauce.

After her coffee date with Harry, Abigail was feeling better about the whole trip. They had made plans to meet up again the next day and Abigail had found out that the school where Harry worked wasn't all that far from Middleton. She was feeling quite pleased with herself as she headed back to the chalet where she was supervising a group of teenage girls, including Grace.

Grace looked radiant after a day of skiing on the slopes with her friends. At least Abigail assumed that was why she looked so happy, but her Merriwick intuition told her differently. Maybe this trip wasn't going to end up being boring at all.

Lori and Tara sat up talking for hours while Brandon was at work. They had a lot of catching up to do, and Lori was interested in how Tara was adjusting to life in Middleton and working for Cassie rather than pursuing her PhD. Lori knew that she would be limiting her career options by choosing to come back home to live, but she couldn't deny that it felt right. She hadn't been Cassie's stepdaughter for this long without being able to trust her own initiative. It was a shame that initiative had been lacking where her ex boyfriend had been concerned. Would she have stayed away on assignment in L.A. for so long if she hadn't been in a relationship with him? It did her no good to wonder about these things now. She trusted that she had been brought back to Middleton for a reason, and time would tell what that reason was. For now, it was enough to catch up with her family and friends.

When Brandon came home from his shift he found his wife and sister asleep on the living room couch. Smiling fondly at both of them, he took the blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over the two women. Pressing a kiss to Tara's cheek, he went through to his bedroom and left the women sleeping.

Later that evening they led cuddled up in bed together, the room bathed in the warn and fragrant glow of Cassie's candles.

"I'm really going to miss sharing a bed with you once the kids come back." Sam said, absentmindedly stroking Cassie's silky hair. It was only their second night together but it already felt normal and natural.

"Me too," Cassie replied. "I don't think we're ready to live together yet though, and I definitely don't think Grace or Nick are."

"You're right," Sam sighed, unable to come up with a scenario that would suit everybody. He was determined not to let it get them down or spoil what was left of their weekend together, though.

"Have you heard from Grace?" He asked.

"Yes, she's having a wonderful time. I'm trying not to think about all the terrifying things she told me she's done already."

"Nick texted me this afternoon, sounds like he's having fun," He paused. "I just can't picture Abigail on skis though."

Cassie laughed as she tried to conjure up the mental picture.

"If I know my cousin, I doubt she's set foot outside for more than ten minutes."

Sam frowned. "What did she agree to go then?" Cassie smiled at him, one eyebrow arching up. "Ohh..." It dawned on him. "I'm leaving her the biggest tip next time I'm in the flower shop. Who knew she was such a romantic?"

"She likes to keep it a secret, I wouldn't mention it."

"My lips are sealed."

He leaned down to kiss her lips instead. Cassie sighed and let the feeling of his kiss and his body pressed to her's carry her away.

They were both dozing when the front door of Sam's house burst open as if a storm had blown through sleepy, snow covered Middleton.

"Sam!" A woman's shrill voice broke through the haze and Cassie vaguely wondered what the chances of having both of their nights together interrupted by unexpected visitors. At least she had been happy to see Lori.

"Linda?" Sam said groggily, seconds before the bedroom door was opened. He was suddenly overwhelmingly regretting letting his ex wife have a key.

"Sam! What are you doing in bed at 8pm on a Saturday?" It was then that she was that Sam wasn't alone. "Cassie."

"Linda." She replied as casually as she could.

"What are you doing?" Sam demanded, sitting up in bed and glaring at his ex.

"Haven't you heard?" Linda's voice was close to cracking. "It's Nick. He's been in a terrible accident!"

I had been thinking about wrapping this story up, but I got some inspiration to continue. Hope you enjoyed :)