Tim walked into interrogation and glared at the man before him.

"Well, long time no see." McMahon smirked as Tim sat down.

"You don't have any idea how hard it is for me to not reach across this table and kill you with my bare hands." he said. "Just wanted you to know that. So... why'd you do it?"

"Well one, your daughter... she's... amazing."

"She's also seventeen and if you laid a hand on her..."

"You'll what Speedle?" McMahon taunted.

"I'll charge you with child molestation." he said. "But you're already going down for kidnapping charges and stalking."

"Stalking?"

"Yeah." Tim nodded. "You've been seen around my house for the past two months. So what was it McMahon? Jason gets a girlfriend and you decided, hey I'll take her?"

"That," McMahon leaned across the table, "and I wanted to get back at you."

"You didn't even go to jail where you belong." Tim spat. "You've got nothing to get back at."

"You destroyed my life Speedle. My girl left me."

"I wonder why. You're a sick bastard and you're lucky that she didn't die or you'd be going away for murder too."

"Look, don't do this. I've got a good life. I've turned it around."

"Kidnapping doesn't seem like turning your life around."

"I found a new woman. My wife, Cindy. I love her. And I've got three wonderful kids."

"You do this to your daughter?"

"No. I'd never lay a hand on her."

"Then stay the hell away from mine." Tim growled and turned to leave the room. He let out a snicker and glanced over his shoulder. "Not like you really have a choice now. Hagen..."

Hagen walked in, his handcuffs out.

S/C-------

Tim walked up to Sammy's hospital room and saw Calleigh, Megan, and Danny there. Surprisingly, Danny and Sammy were not going at each other's throats. Instead, they were playing some board game. Megan was curled up in one of the chairs, a book in her hand but her eyes were on her siblings, occasionally laughing at them. Calleigh sat away from the three of them, watching them, a small smile on her face.

"Hey."

Calleigh looked up at him and smiled as he kissed her.

"Hey. Everything done?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine now. How are you feeling sweetie?"

"Better." Sammy replied. "Danny, stop cheating!"

"I'm not cheating! You just don't know the rules!" he muttered, moving his piece an illegal way.

"It says right here," Megan started, waving her book at her siblings, which Tim realized was the rule book, "that you can only move one way the entire game unless you hit an arrow."

"Hah! You didn't hit an arrow!"

"Thanks a lot Meg." Danny grumbled, moving the other way. There was a knock on the door and Tim opened it to reveal... Jason.

"Uh... hi." he mumbled, fidgeting slightly. Calleigh got out of her chair and moved towards the door.

"Come on guys, we'll go down to the candy store."

Danny eagerly left his sister's side, his dark curls flopping in his eyes, and ran after his mother. Megan was not so eager to leave Sammy alone with one of the McMahons.

"Sam..."

"Go on Meg." she smiled. Her little sister sighed but nodded and ran after her twin. Tim had to agree with Megan but Calleigh dragged him from the room.

"Hi." Jason said quietly, his hands behind his back. "I uh... I'm sorry about everything."

"You didn't do it so there's no need to apologize." Sammy said.

"I just came to see how you were doing... and uh... well bring you these." Jason placed a bouquet of roses on the side table. "I um..."

"That's really sweet. Look..."

"My dad is an ass. I realize that."

"He tried to kill me Jason and nearly succeeded."

"I know. I shouldn't have to apologize for his mistakes but I feel like I should. I also don't want you taking it out on me."

"I'm not but I do think that... that we should stop seeing each other for a while. I need to get my head back in gear." Sammy said. Outside the door, Tim silently cheered and then Calleigh pulled him towards the elevators. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. If it were your mother that did this I'd break up with you to. I say your mother because I don't think your father would try and uh do this... but um... the past few months I think he's capable of anything." Jason said. "I really am sorry Sammy."

"Don't worry about it."

"When are you going to be back in school?"

"I'm not sure. Sometime next week if everything's fine." Sammy replied. Jason nodded.

"That's good. I got to go." he started for the door and turned around. "I do care about you Sammy and I'll wait as long as I have to, to be with you again."

"I think you're gonna be waiting a long time."

"That's fine with me. I just wanted you to know that." and then he left. Jason past the rest of the Speedle gang in the hallway and gave a slight nod, then disappeared into the elevator.

"I'll go talk to her." Tim volunteered and went back into Sammy's room. "Hey..."

"Hey." Sammy fiddled with the edge of the thin blanket on her bed. "No candy?"

"Mommy is getting it."

"I know you guys, or you at least were outside, listening."

"Can you blame me?"

"No. I'm glad you did." Sammy admitted. "I guess I'm just paranoid."

"You've got every right to be." Tim said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "You okay?"

"I feel bad about pushing him away but... I can't be around him. I just can't knowing what his father is like and what he did to me."

"Did he..." Tim trailed off.

"Do anything to me?" Sammy finished. "Abuse me? No. I wouldn't let him. He's got a few good bites on him and I think after the fifth he learned his lesson and left me alone. I guess he was just waiting for the 48 hours to be up so he could kill me."

"I wouldn't have let that happen."

"You were on 42. He freaked when he saw you come after him. I didn't think he really had a gun on him." Sammy mumbled.

"If I had gotten there in time, I would've taken that bullet for you and I would be the one lying here instead of you." Tim said.

"I wouldn't have let you."

"Why not?"

"Because I'd feel responsible." Sammy said. They sat in silence for a while and Calleigh and the twins came back in.

"You ready to lose?" Danny asked. Sammy smiled, though Tim saw it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Yeah come on but you're gonna be the one losing." she replied.

"Fine. I bet you my candy bar." Danny said, tossing a 3 Musketeers bar onto the bed. Tim snickered.

"You'll see Danny in Las Vegas in about ten years betting Hershey bars at the poker tables." he grinned, making his family laugh.

S/C------

A FEW DAYS LATER

Tim silently got out of bed and walked downstairs. He was surprised to see Sammy sitting on the couch, her feet brought up under herself and a carton of ice cream in her lap.

"What are you doing up?"

Sammy jumped, nearly dumping the mint chocolate chip ice cream over.

"I could be asking you the same." she smiled sheepishly.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Guess we've got the same excuse then."

"But not for the same reasons." Tim said. "Mind if I join you?"

Sammy shook her head and Tim sat next to her.

"How's your stomach?" he asked.

"Hurts."

"Care if I ask why you couldn't sleep?"

"I can't get it out of my head." Sammy whispered. Tim wrapped an arm around her and she leaned against his shoulder. "Daddy, is it ever gonna go away?"

Tim didn't need to ask what 'it' was.

"Maybe. I'm sure it will. You just gotta give yourself some time Sammy."

"You know I've been playing this whole thing off like it didn't phase me." she said. Tim saw her bring a hand up to her eyes and then set it down in her lap. "But it does. I was so scared. I still am."

"I know honey."

"I feel stupid, you know."

"Why?"

"Because I know that he's in jail and he can't get out but I have nightmares that he'll come after me again."

"You don't have to worry about it though." Tim said quietly.

"I know but I just can't forget about it."

"You're not going to completely forget about it Sammy."

"I know. I wish I could."

"Everyone wishes they could forget something bad. I'm sorry that I'm telling you this but it's the truth and I don't want to sugarcoat this."

"Neither do I."

"I know because you're exactly like me."

Sammy giggled and Tim smiled, happy to hear that familiar laugh.

"Do you think I'm being stupid?"

"No. I think you're being brave about this."

"I don't want to talk about it but... it feels better."

"I know it does."

"How? You've never gone through something horrible."

"Yeah I have." Tim murmured.

"Really?" Sammy looked up at him, her blonde hair falling in front of her face. Tim nodded, pushing a few strands behind her ear.

"I was your age when my class went on a ski trip. My best friend and I were on a snow mobile and she got hurt, really bad. She was paralyzed and I spent most of my years at Columbia trying to find a way to make her okay again. In my junior year of college she died and I came here, to Miami and I felt like a coward. I ran away from everything. My family, my friends, my life, my problems. A friend down here got be back into school and then after I got my degree I came back down to Miami to work at the lab. I met your mom there. I never told anyone about this except your mom and that was when we went to Syracuse for Uncle Andrew's engagement party."

"How'd she find out?"

"Everyone kept talking about Samantha and she wanted to know."

"Was she mad that you kept it secret?"

"Nope. You wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because she was the one thing that kept me going." Tim replied. "Then you came along and made it even better."

"Her name was Samantha?"

"Yeah and let me tell you, that the name suits you. Sam was... there's no words to describe her, just like you."

Sammy smiled slightly.

"It hurt to tell Mom about all of it because I kept it bottled up for so long." Tim said. "I don't want you going through that. We're all here when you need to talk. Especially me."

"I don't like going to sleep." Sammy mumbled. "I know that it's just going to come back and haunt me."

"I know."

"Will you stay with me?"

"You don't need to ask."

"I know I said that I don't need you around, watching out and protecting me, but... I feel safer when you're around, even if I'm sleeping." Sammy said, standing up. Tim followed her upstairs and she crawled into her bed. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For being here. I think tonight will be different. You don't need to stay."

"You know where to find me." Tim grinned. "I love you."

"I love you too." Sammy closed her eyes and Tim stood there until she was sure she was asleep. He walked back into his bedroom and lay down, his arm going around Calleigh.

"Everything okay?" she mumbled sleepily.

"It will be."

THE END