When Cassie entered the Grey House kitchen Sam greeted her with a hug. He held her in his arms for a long time and she clung to him. "I needed this," she whispered to him. Sam pulled away slightly so he was looking into her dark brown eyes, he noticed they weren't sparkling like they usually did. He brushed his hand over her cheek, "I know," he answered before kissing her gently on the lips. "I know Jake being back hadn't been easy on either of us," Cassie began. "We'll figure it out," Sam stopped her. "As long as we are together, we can deal with anything." She smiled, "You, Dr Radford, are amazing."

"I try. I made you some tea. It's probably the wrong one. I know you have a tea for everything." It was Cassie's turn to place a soft kiss on his lips, "Thank you." It was Sam who pulled away first to hand Cassie a cup of tea, he then picked up a cup of his own. He took her hand and led her into the sitting room, he had lit a fire and placed some candles around the room. A box of cinnamon buns lay open on the coffee table along with an unopened bottle of her favourite wine. Cassie looked at him in wonder, "You did all this?"

"Well Stephanie made the cinnamon buns but yeah. I thought I'd take care of you for a change. And I ordered all your favourites from that Thai place for dinner." Cassie placed her tea on the table, she took Sam's from his hand and placed it dow too. She went to sit down on the sofa and pulled Sam down with her, snuggling into him. Cassie snaked her hand around Sam's neck and pulled him to her, taking his lips against hers in a long, deep kiss.

...

Jake made his way downstairs from his guest room. He was hoping to catch Cassie getting home from the Bell, Book & Candle. He wanted to talk to her alone, make sure she was ok. After all these years he still cared about her. Jake made his way to the kitchen, there was a teapot on the island but no Cassie. Jake looked at the teapot, it was the same one she used to use when they were married. He smiled to himself, some things never change. He continued to the sitting room, assuming she was sat in there drinking tea. He stopped in the doorway when he realised Cassie wasn't alone. She was locked in a passionate kiss with Sam, he watched them sadly for a moment remembering how she used to kiss him like that. Jake didn't blame her from moving on, she thought he was dead but it still hurt to see her with someone else.

...

Cassie suddenly pulled away from Sam and looked towards the doorway where Jake was stood. "Jake, hi," Cassie greeted him, her cheeks flushed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

Cassie looked towards Sam and he squeezed her hand, "I will be."

"Well, I'm going to head into town to get some dinner. Any suggestions?"

"The Micro-brewery does good food and they usually have live music on a Saturday night," Sam said.

"Thanks, I'll give it a try."

"Have a good night," Sam replied.

"You, too," Jake said as he left.

...

It wasn't long before the take-out arrived and Cassie and Sam were sat at the dining table tucking into their dinner. They talked about how excited they were to have Grace and Nick home for the holidays. "So, have you thought about how you're going to tell Grace about Jake?" Sam finally asked. "I think he needs to explain things to her himself, I don't have the answers Grace is going to need."

"I'm sure she's just going to be happy to see her Dad again."

Cassie nodded, "She will, but she's going to be hurt and angry too."

"And you will be there to help her with those feelings," Sam said squeezing Cassie's hand. She nodded, "How are you so calm about all this?"

Sam chuckled, "Is that how I seem? I'm just doing what I can to be there for you. I will admit this has all thrown me, it's a bizzar situation."

Cassie sighed, "Yes it is. I'm still not sure I can forgive him."

"I thought you were all about forgiveness? Weren't you the one who told me I should forgive Linda for cheating on me just after I moved here?"

"I did, but he purposely deceived me. He hurt me and he hurt our kids. Brandon and Lori had already lost their mother and Grace grew up without a father."

"I do get why he did it," Sam said.

"Really?"

"I would do anything to protect you, Nick and Grace. Maybe he should have tried harder to find another way but he did it for the right reasons."

"I guess I can understand that."

"Maybe we should invite Jake to dinner tomorrow night when Grace is home?" Sam suggested.

"I think Grace would like that. Have I told you lately how amazing you are?" Cassie asked him, holding his hand. Sam chuckled, "I think you may have mentioned it once it twice."

"Well, you are," she lowered her voice, "and later on I'm going to show you just how much I appreciate you."

Sam smiled, "Mmmm, I can't wait."

...

Jake sat alone at a table in the Micro-brewery, he had just finished his burger and fries and he was on his second beer. Middleton had changed so much since he was last here, he used to know pretty much everyone in town but now there were just a few people he recognised. And when had Martha become the Mayor? The diner they used to go to when the kids were young had closed down as had quite a few of the other businesses he remembered. Then there was his family, all his children had grown up and moved away and Cassie had moved on with another man. There was still George, his father in law from his first marriage. He knew that he would never be able to just walk right back into his old life but he had hoped things would be a little easier.

...

Sam had sent Cassie into the sitting room whilst he cleaned up after their meal. She flicked through some old photo albums as she sipped a cup of chamomile tea that Sam had made for her. When Sam had finished he came to sit down next to his wife. "I don't think I've seen these before," Sam commented looking at a photo of Grace on her 12th birthday.

"I got them out for Jake, I thought he might like to see them." Sam picked up another album and opened it, he was slightly taken aback when he realised it was Cassie and Jake's wedding photos. He began to flick through them, "Wow, you look beautiful in these. Although I think you looked even more beautiful on our wedding day." It was strange looking at his wife's old wedding photos, Sam could see how in love they had been. "If things hadn't of happened the way they did, you and Jake would probably still be together," Sam remarked a little sadly. Cassie took the album, closed it and placed it on the table in from of them. "Perhaps, but that all feels like a lifetime ago. It's just part of my journey that led me to you, to us, to this moment." Sam looked into her eyes, the way she looked at him took his breath away. Cassie pulled him to her, "I love you, Sam. You don't ever need to question that," she whispered before planting a sweet kiss on her lips. "I love you, too," he whispered back.

"Now, let's take this upstairs and I'll show you just how much I love you," Cassie winked.

...

Jake had just started on his third beer, he normally didn't drink much but he felt like he needed it. He had been trying to work out what he was going to say to Grace when she came home tomorrow. The last time he had seen her she had been eleven years old, still a child, and now she was a grown woman. Would she still need her father? He guessed Sam had filled that role for the last few years. Who was he kidding? Jake was jealous of the man that got to sleep with his wife every night and who probably taught his daughter how to drive and gave her dates a hard time. He would give anything to have his old life back but it was gone. Jake went to the bar to settle his tab, but before he could ask for it a beautiful dark haired woman came to stand next to him, she smiled at him as she asked for a white wine. "Put it on my tab, and I'll have another beer," he told the bar tender.

"Thankyou, that's very kind of you," the woman smiled.

"I'm Jake," he said simply.

"Linda," the woman smiled.

"You're not from around here are you Linda?" Jake asked already knowing the answer. She seemed like she was from a big city, her expensive clothes and perfect manicure looked almost out of place in Middleton.

"No, New York. I thought I'd surprise my son and visit for Christmas. What about you? Are you from around here? "

"I used to be, but I've not been back for a long time, but I'm hoping to reconnect with my family."

"I understand, it's not easy when you're distanced from your children," Linda replied thoughtfully. They seemed to have a lot to talk about, before they knew it it was closing time at the bar and they'd had a couple drinks. "Oh my goodness, I didn't realise it was so late. I didn't even check in," Linda gasped.

"Where are you staying?" Jake asked.

"Grey House, do you know it?" Linda replied.

"You could say that, that's where I'm staying too."

"I dropped in a few hours ago after I arrived to drop off my bags but there didn't seem to be anyone in, so I thought I'd come into town for a drink."

Jake nodded, "I thought Cassie and Sam were staying in tonight."

"Oh, you know them?" Linda asked casually.

"Cassie is... was... my wife. It's complicated."

Linda laughed, "I'll say, Sam is my ex-husband."

Jake looked at her, open mouthed. "Small world. How about I walk you home?"

"Well, why not. We are going the same direction."

Jake settled the tab at the bar and they exited The brewery. The temperature had plummeted since he'd arrived a couple of hours earlier and he zipped his coat up to keep out the chill. They talked the entire way back to Grey House about everything from Linda's work to their kids and making amends with them. It was nice to talk to someone who understood, at least in part, he didn't tell her the whole story. They quickly found themselves walking up the driveway to the old house.

...

Cassie had spent all evening showing Sam just how much she appreciated him. She had made him gasp her name several times before she straddled him, leaning over him and teasing him against her core. She bit her lip sexily as he groaned with impatience. "You like teasing me, don't you?" Sam whispered huskily. "Maybe a little," she winked. Sam loved this side of his wife, he knew most people would describe her as nice and kind and probably reserved. But he knew the truth, she was passionate and anything but reserved with him. It was something that still sent his pulse racing every time they were intimate together, he knew that would never change. "You're not playing fair," he sighed before taking hold of her hips and plunging inside of her. "Sam!" she gasped his name out as she felt the familiar sensations as he filled her. Cassie pushed herself up, her hands just above his shoulders, taking back the lead and grinding her hips slowly against Sam's. He loved it when Cassie went on top, he couldn't take his eyes off her. As she gradually increased her speed, brining them ever closer to their peak, Sam pulled her down towards him so he could kiss her. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that he could never get enough of the woman in his arms. As he felt the familiar tingle begin to build he cried out, "Oh God Cassie, I love you so much." Cassie began to tremble against him, he could feel her fall over the edge, pushing him over with her. They rode out their release together, before Cassie collapsed in top of him, her face in the crook of his neck. It was a few minutes before she lifted her head and smiled contentedly at him. "I love you, too," she breathed.

...

When they entered the house it was empty, Linda's luggage was still left at the bottom of the stairs. "I guess everyone has gone to bed," Jake observed.

"I'll just call Sam, he usually picks up. You go on up," she said. "Thanks for walking me back. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow? "

Jake smiled a her as he began to claim the stairs, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she called back.

As she went to fish her phone out of her purse Linda heard someone in the kitchen, she followed the sound, hoping it was someone that could get her a room.

...

Sam filled up Cassie's tea kettle and placed it on the stove. He busied himself finding a cup and some tea, he smiled to himself he actually loved making tea for his wife, especially after they had just made love. He jumped when he heard a voice, "Hi, Sam."

"Linda, hi. What are you doing here?" he said in surprise.

"I thought I'd surprise Nick and come visit for Christmas."

"He'll love that. I spoke to him earlier, I'm collecting him from the airport tomorrow." She took in Sam's appearance, he was wearing his dressing down, his hair was dishevelled and she could make out the beginnings of a hicky on his neck.

"I dropped by earlier, but I guess you were..err...busy."

Sam blushed, "I'm sorry. If I had known you were coming."

Linda laughed, "Any chance of getting a room?"

Not wanting to disturb Cassie, Sam went to the reception desk and grabbed one of the room keys and returned to Linda. "Thanks," she said taking the key. "Any chance I could have a cup?" she asked pointing at the whistling kettle. "Sure," he replied as he carefully poured the tea into two cups before handing her one. "So... Married life still good?" Linda asked.

Sam smiled, "Yeah, it really is."