"You wanna take a walk?" Sam asked Danny, staring up into his peaceful face.

"Hmm?" he asked. The stars were twinkling in the sky as the dark clouds parted. He peered back down at her.

"A walk. Do you know what a walk is?" she teased, batting her eyelashes playfully.

"I'm not sure. You could show me," he said, smiling warmly despite her sarcasm.

"Okay," she nodded, satisfied. Danny rose from the steps and extended his cold hand toward her, which she accepted, and he pulled her up next to him. Sam was completely content as he took her freezing, prune-y hand and led her on a stroll around the neighborhood. They walked past all of their landmarks, laughed about old memories as they were brought up, and just enjoyed each other's company. When they reached Sam's house once more, the porch light was on, and despite this, Danny gently pulled her close to him and kissed her softly.

"Goodnight, Sam," he said quietly. But he was still holding onto her, loosely.

"Goodnight, Danny," she responded, giving him another quick squeeze before carefully breaking the embrace.

You're amazing, she thought, smiling at him as she placed her foot in the door, but paused to turn and gaze at him again.

You're perfect, he thought, giving her a little lazy wave. She closed the door, and he turned away from her house, sighing contentedly. He had barely reached his car that was waiting in her driveway before he leapt into the air and let out a loud whoop. He suddenly felt eyes on him, and apologized to Sam's middle-aged neighbor, who just shook her head at him in response.

Danny rose the next morning at sunrise, long before anyone else in his house even stirred. He found the old way onto the roof, and just sat on it, staring at the blazing red sun as it peeked up over the horizon. The last few stars blinked out as it streaked its coral and yellow hues across the blue sky. Danny decided that he had only seen one thing more beautiful than that, and of course, that was Sam. Sam, he thought dreamily. It wasn't strange for him to think that way, despite the awkwardness this sort of thinking had brought about in his teen years. He was older and more mature now. And being out of college with no plans other than a good job and his own apartment, thoughts of Sam had come more frequently anyhow. He grew used to it, even fond of it, learning to embrace the fact that his heart wouldn't be occupied with another person, ever. He didn't love anyone as deeply or strongly as he loved Sam Manson. Sam Fenton? He thought, frowning a bit. I wonder if she likes that…

Samantha Fenton, Sam thought as she stirred awake. The sun was rising in the sky, pouring pinkish rays into her room through the window. She stretched and yawned, wondering about the events of the day before. They hadn't been a dream, or she would be waking up in Jesse's arms, in London. Strangely, the thought brought a twinge of sadness to her heart.

Sam Fenton. She thought again. A giggle rose in her throat, and she let it out in a loud burst. Pretty soon, I could be Mrs. Samantha Fenton. Misses? That's so weird. She pulled the covers back, and stepped out onto her bedroom balcony. Her dark purple silk robe danced a little about her legs in the early morning breeze. She smiled as the sun raised higher, casting the first bit of the day's warmth down below, onto her shoulders. It made her want someone to hold her, someone like… "Jesse?" she said aloud. The familiar blue sports car was parked in her driveway, and a tall, handsome man was opening the driver door. She instantly panicked and ran back into her room, closing the French doors and rushing for her closet. Realizing she hadn't unpacked yet, due to yesterday afternoon's depression, she pulled a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt from the top of her suitcase and dressed at lightning speed. Not bothering with her hair, or shoes, she crept down the stairs, and to the door, determined to keep her dignity in place. Or what's left of it.

"Sam," Jesse said in a rush, rising from his seat on the porch.

"Jesse," Sam responded flatly, crossing her arms.

"You look… great," he said, smiling weakly at her with perfect white teeth.

She didn't smile. "You look like you need to shave."

"I do," he said, trying to laugh, but it came out like a choke.

Sam looked past him to the cold, glow-less streetlight. He turned to see what she was looking at, fiddling with his thumbs. Sam tried her best not to notice that his disheveled hair and scruffy, whiskered jaw made him look very handsome. And she tried not to remember why she had been attracted to him in the first place as he stared at her. His eyes weren't as blue as Danny's, but they had a hint of green, and today they were big… and sad.

"Look, I didn't come here to argue about how we look. In fact, I didn't come here to argue at all," Jesse said, advancing toward her. She backed up a step, keeping her arms tightly crossed.

"Then why are you here?" Sam asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Why else would I be here, Sam? I love you, and I want to apologize to you for the idiot that I was yesterday. I guess it drove me crazy to think that anybody else could catch your eye," he stepped closer, despite her obvious disgust.

"Some of the things you said to me yesterday are things I can't forget," she said simply.

"But the question is, can you forgive me?" He rested both of his hands on her upper arms, squeezing gently and staring at her hopefully. She didn't raise her eyes, nor did she push him away. "Come on, Sammy. You know people say stupid things, especially when they're angry." He bent down and lifted her chin with his index finger, pressing his lips to hers with more force than passion. Sam pulled away first, but his hands were still resting on her arms.

She faced him now, violent violet eyes meeting his.

"Jesse, I…" she started, and pulled completely away from him.

"You what?" he asked her, standing helplessly before her.

"Part of what you said yesterday," she began, "part of it was true."

Jesse stared at her, his mouth a straight line. "Which part?"

She stared at her feet. "The part about Danny."

"Danny?" He exploded. "What about Danny?"

"I don't want to talk about this," she said, turning her back to him.

"Don't shut me out, Sam, just tell me! I'm a big boy, I can take it!"

"You never noticed, did you, Jesse?"

"Never noticed what?"

She spun to face him again. "You never realized how forced and fake my 'I love you' sounded, or how weak my smile was. You never paid attention to how distracted I'd get when you'd babble on about our future together. And finally, on what you figured should've been the happiest day of my life, I made it obvious for you to see."

"Made what obvious, Sam? The fact that you've been unfaithful to me?"

"NO!" She yelled, uncrossing her arms. "No, Jesse, in that -- you were wrong. I had shoved my feelings for Danny so far down that I thought I had finally gotten rid of them."

"Well, obviously you haven't, or we'd be sharing our first married day in London right now, wouldn't we?" Jesse accused, crossing his arms.

"You're such a bull-headed moron, you know that?" She yelled at him.

"Bull-headed! Sam, you're one of the most stubborn, selfish people I've ever met!" He hissed back, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Then why on earth do you want to be with me?"

"I don't know!"

"Oh, that's great, Jesse. What a way to win me back. Do you even know why you 'love' me?" Sam made quotation marks with her fingers when she said "love".

"I thought I did," he said bitterly.

"Well, maybe you should've thought harder about that before you came back here and told me how you really feel." She moved toward the door.

"Wait, Sam. Tell me this. How would it make you feel if I kept you in the dark for an entire semester, and then saw my best female friend, and then got all quiet and weird. And when you asked me about it, I told you that I was rethinking everything. Would you honestly rejoice in the fact that I wanted to be with someone else?"

Sam blinked, and exhaled with purpose. "No."

"Exactly."

"But, Jesse, you proved my point with one phrase."

"What phrase was that, Sam?"

"An entire semester," she repeated, staring at him.

He frowned. "What about it?"

"That's all the longer we've known each other. You tell me something, Jesse," Sam said.

"What." Jesse raised a dark brown eyebrow.

"What's my favorite ice cream flavor?"

"Sam, this is stupid."

"Tell me, Jesse."

"Chocolate?" he offered.

She smirked, almost sadly. "Vanilla."

"You'd probably say that even if I was right."

"Jesse! What's my favorite color?"

"Black?"

"Mm, no."

"Green?"

"Wrong again."

Jesse frowned, and stared hard at her, and took his lower lip between his teeth.

"It's blue, Jesse. Blue."

"I should've guessed," he said, laughing humorlessly.

"No, you should've known," she sighed.

"Is it really that important, Sam?"

"Is what really that important?"

"Me knowing your favorite things -- is it that important to you? Do you want me to learn them all; would that bring you back to me?" Jesse's sadness laced his last sentence.

Sam shook her head, passionless.

"If you're done with me, please tell me. And I'll never bother you again." His blue-green eyes held her gaze, as if he was trying to search her soul, but she wouldn't let him in.

"I never wanted to hurt you, Jesse. I do care about you. But I can't spend the rest of my life with you. I don't even really know you, and you don't really know me. I need to be seen for who I really am, not what someone wants me to be."

Jesse looked at her sadly, and nodded. "I understand."

Sam's pale-purple eyes widened. "You do?"

Jesse held up his hands. "I didn't say I liked it, I just said I understand. I'll be going then."

"Jesse?" Sam called as he reached for his door handle.

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Take care of yourself."

"You, too." Jesse smiled at her wistfully before ducking into his car.

Sam wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a strange chill in the June air. She felt more forlorn than she thought she would as that car pulled out of her driveway, down the street, around the corner – out of her vision and out of her life. Just as she was about to turn and walk back into her house to sulk, the padding of sneakers caught her sensitive ears. A smile threatened to break her melancholy expression. Danny.

"I couldn't wait another second," Danny announced, pulling up in front of her on the sidewalk.

"And the reason you ran instead of taking your car…?" Sam cocked an eyebrow.

Danny continued to attempt to catch his breath. "Because… got here just as fast… had to see you… car takes too long…"

Sam tried to smile, but it felt like it would break her face.

"Sam, why does it look like a smile might break your face?"

Danny's quizzing blue eyes met her slowly-risen gaze. Blue.

"Danny, what's my favorite color?" Her violet eyes shone with a childlike hope she thought she'd lost.

"Oh, that's easy," he said, finally starting to breathe normally again. "Blue."

Her heart swelled in her chest. "What's my favorite ice cream?"

He laughed, running a hand through his dark hair. "All-natural vanilla. You hate all the preservatives and added flavor…"

He didn't get a chance to finish. Sam had muffled the rest of the sentence by reaching up and pressing her lips to his. He melted, and rested his hands on her lower arms, which were now holding his face. She stared up at him, and then dropped her arms.

"I love you," she said, clinging to him.

He cocked an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Sam?"

"Can't a girl show emotion in front of her best friend?" She tried to laugh. Danny pushed his chin down and stared directly into her face. "Don't look at me like that," she frowned.

"Like what," he smirked.

"Like you can see right through me… It's scary."

"Of course it is. Now tell me what's wrong, before I have to get Tucker involved."

"Not Tucker," Sam gasped in mock horror.

"I know."

"Alright, you've got me," Sam smiled a little, before letting her face droop again. "Jesse was just here."

Danny's pulse raced. "What did he want?"

"What else? It seems I'm more irresistible than I realized possible."

"Sam," Danny searched her face, "what did he want?"

"He wanted me back, Danny."

He pulled out of her embrace. "And?"

"And what."

"And you said…?"

"I told him that I can't be with him because I haven't known him long enough."

Danny let a relieved sigh escape his lips.

"But…" Sam began.

"But… what?" Danny's pulse spiked again.

"I don't know, Danny, I guess everything's kind of fresh and confusing right now. It was hard to see him again."

"Sam. I don't want this to be complicated, or hard, or hurtful to you. If you're confused right now, I will leave you alone until you figure things out. I won't pressure you, or make you feel bad, or…"

"I know, Danny, I know. I don't want you to leave. I just want you to know I'm not up for deep emotional conversations right now. I am more maxed out than Paulina's credit card. Okay?"

"Okay." Danny dropped his blue eyes to the ground, wishing that such tension didn't have to exist. Maybe it would've been easier if he had just let Jesse have her? He looked at her, looking like a sad, confused puppy dog, and he laughed inwardly. Yeah, right.