Woohoo Ali's back! The real reunion's getting closer, I think we're nearing the light at the end of the tunnel. Sorry this has taken so long.

Lucas shifted on the couch and flipped the channel again. Yet again, he couldn't sleep. Yet again, it was because of a certain blonde. He could just imagine her right now in his mind's eye. She was probably sleeping peacefully in her soft bed. Her bed always seemed more comfortable than his. Her silky hair would be fanned out behind her head. Her breathing would be deep and steady, her chest rising and falling with each breath. Damn, he was getting turned on.

Sami was avoiding him. The whole week. She had made up every excuse possible to keep from actually talking to him for more than five minutes. If only he hadn't fallen asleep on her couch last Saturday night. That had to be the source of her evasion. She felt like he had gotten too close. Lucas knew he had been making progress; she would have given in by this time. Damn it.

The irrational anger was starting to build. Sami couldn't hide from him forever. As his frustration built so did the force with which he pushed down the buttons on the remote. The news caught his eye out of nowhere.

It was like divine intervention or something. A shooting star was passing through the sky tonight in the astronomical hotbed that was Salem, USA. It almost seemed strange that the town had so many weird sky related things, but he was going to take advantage of it.

Lucas got up to put on some jeans over the boxers he had been lounging in and grabbed his keys. Reasoning to himself that Sami wouldn't want to miss it, he prepared himself to wake her up.

………………………………...

As silently as possible, Lucas eased her bedroom door shut. This was a very delicate undertaking. If he woke her too abruptly she'd be angry. Really angry. She looked just like he'd imagined, sleeping like an angel. He briefly considered just watching for a little while, then leaving but that seemed a little too stalkerish. Besides, he could watch her sleep in his arms all he wanted when they were back together. This was a step in that direction.

He knelt down by the side of the bed and gently shook her shoulder, whispering quiet words encouraging her to wake. He could see her try to fight it, but little by little her eyes opened to reveal the blue beneath.

Sami smiled lazily, still half asleep, "Lucas?" Suddenly her eyes shot up and she sat up completely, "Oh my God, is Will okay? Does he want to come home? I knew it was too soon for him to sleepover…"

"Sami, calm down. Will's fine."

Her fear was quickly replaced with exasperation. Without another word she laid back down and closed her eyes, as if to block him out, "I'm going back to sleep."

"I need to show you something. It's an emergency."

She buried her head further into her pillow, "Is the building on fire?"

"What? No, I don't think so."

"Are you dangerously close to dieing? Do you need a ride to the hospital?"

"No," he could see what she was doing now and it wasn't going to work.

"Then it's not an emergency."

"Please, Sami. Just come with me. You'll regret it if you don't."

"I regret a lot of things, Lucas, but sleeping has never been one of them. Leave me be, it's past midnight."

"Come on, you'll like it."

Seeing that Lucas had no plan to leave anytime soon, she reluctantly left her nice warm bed to follow Lucas out to the cool night air on the fire escape.

"Why're we out here? I know it's summer, but I'm cold."

"You poor thing. I'll warm you up."

Before she had time to make a disparaging remark, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body back into his heat. Automatically her body stiffened in his embrace. Then as soon as it had come, it changed. Something had changed, like a shift in space or time, and she relaxed against him.

"It's a beautiful night," she had to say something to lift the too comfortable silence, "It's so clear. The sky is absolutely amazing."

"It's perfect," he agreed, snuggling a bit closer.

Unconsciously, she moved her hands down to cover his, caressing his skin, "Nothing's perfect."

"We could have been. We still could be."

This was getting towards dangerous territory, "I don't know about that."

After considering for a moment Lucas decided to take a different approach, "You're right."

"I am?" Sami felt a little hurt that he was agreeing so easily. It made no sense. She wanted Lucas to give up, didn't she?

"You are. Perfect is boring. Perfect is the dull, uneventful life Carrie and Austin would have had if we hadn't interfered, humdrum children and all."

They laughed together, lost in a world from long ago. Mocking the people they once were. Sami leaned back her head a little to allow his forehead to rest on her temple. His warm breath was tickling her neck.

"I want a real life. I want our life to be challenging. I want to appreciate every second we have, I want to be grateful for it. Perfect is just a fantasy, I want reality."

The will to fight was slowly fading. If Sami didn't step away fast she wouldn't be able to keep it up. Somehow she had to distance herself, but it was too perfect a moment. Out of the corner of her eye she saw it. Exclaiming and pointing quickly, they both managed to catch it as the fiery ball flew across the sky.

It was amazing. She had seen plenty of shooting stars in her time, but this one seemed special. Maybe it was a sign. A sign of what she wasn't sure, but it had to mean something. Maybe it meant that she should grab the special moments. Especially with Lucas.

"Did you make a wish?" Lucas's mouth was close to her ear, his voice barely above a whisper.

"The last time I tried, it didn't come true."

It had been right after they thought Billie had died. She and Lucas had been planning the wedding and ended up making love on the couch. They'd seen the star and Sami had made a wish, with complete faith in the power of wishes, that they would make it.

It had been childish to think that it would work, but it was like the little white weeds that came up every spring. The cottony part was really dandelion seeds, but a part of her still believed if she blew away every one in a single breath that her wish would come true. She wasn't sure she believed in wishes anymore.

As if he could read her thoughts, Lucas murmured, "Maybe your wish still needs time to come true. As far as I know, there's no time limit."

Sighing, Sami leaned into him and they watched the last trace of the star disappear, "Thank you for showing me this."

"Thank you for coming with me."

Laughing a little, she patted his hand, "I didn't have much of a choice, did I?" They enjoyed the peace for a minute before the inevitable came, "I guess we should both be getting back to inside."

"Right," grudgingly he let her go, then took her hand to lead her through the window into the living room.

Uncertainly, Lucas looked around the room. He really didn't want to leave, it didn't seem right. Sami probably wouldn't be too agreeable to the thought of him staying, though. Something had changed out there, but it was too soon.

"I, uh, I guess I should get going. Good night," he placed a sweet kiss on her cheek and headed for the door.

She didn't want him to go. She really, really didn't. It was beginning to seem possible for them to end up together; he was so incredibly adorable out there. It was hard to resist. But it was too much too soon, wasn't it?

It would be selfish to ask him to stay just for sleep, but why couldn't she be a little selfish? It wasn't like Lucas would mind, right? Besides, he was having trouble sleeping. It might help him. Yeah, that was the reason.

Lucas was resigned to his fate as his hand slowly reached the doorknob. He had held out a little hope that maybe, just maybe Sami would call him back. Even if it were for comfort sleep, it would be enough for now. But it wasn't going to happen.

"Lucas?"

There was a wonderfully quiet vulnerability in her voice as he turned, trying not too look too expectant, "Yeah?"

"C-could you, uh, I mean would…" Sami closed her eyes in frustration. Why was this so hard? "Never mind."

She looked so mournfully sad; it was obvious she didn't mean that. A little more confidently, he strode to her side hopefully to help her voice her request, "What?"

His eyes were so very gentle and Sami was sure she had never seen them look so… brown. They were just this warm, chocolate-y brown and she felt herself melting into them, "Stay? I mean, at least until I fall asleep?"

She knew this wasn't part of her plan, but he smiled a brilliant smile like none she had ever seen before, and she didn't care. She wanted him to stay. She was actually taking a step forward with him. She needed him to fall asleep. It was reminiscent of the beginning of their romance. Silently, Lucas took her hand and together they went into the bedroom.