A/N: Okay, I know it's been a long time since I've posted and in fairness, I'm sitting here, hoping you haven't forgotten all about the story. But this is just a short chapter since it details just a short series of events. But thirteen and fourteen will continue this series of events as it were. Enjoy.

Chapter Twelve: A Date with Old Friends

Sam sighed, coming in and starting to go upstairs. She was stopped by Simon though, who brought out a large canvas and nervously offered it to her. She took it and looked, gasping. It was an incredible painting of her playing her violin. Sam sat down, staring at the gold paint.
"This is beautiful." Sam said, hugging Simon tightly. She asked if he was excited about going to Gil's house. She didn't know he knew about his friends from Columbus coming over.

And she didn't even know about her friends coming over. She promised Simon that she would put the picture up in her room. She went upstairs with him and put some nails in the wall, hanging the picture right up in front of her bed so she could see it every night and know that at least her family still loved her. She knew that her father, mother, brother and old friends still loved her, despite her being gay. She hoped someday she was brave enough to tell her new friends that she was gay and have them still love her. Simon smiled, hugging her tightly. Sam seemed worried. Simon could sense it.

"What's wrong, Sammy?" Simon asked. Sam sighed.

"I just don't know what's gonna happen from here. I love the painting. You're a really good painter. But I'm worried that… And it's not because I don't love you. I'm just still fucked up. It's not your fault and it could never be your fault. But I still wake up three or more times some nights with nightmares. I'm still having trouble getting to sleep in the first place. And I still have moments during the day." Sam said. Simon wondered if he and Sam would ever be friends again.

She straightened out the picture, measuring it and nodding. It wasn't perfectly hung, but it was good enough. She hugged Simon tightly, asking if he would just sit with her. She just wanted to feel close to Simon. He nodded and said he just had to go to the bathroom first. He came back about five minutes later and sat on her lap, cuddling with her, happier than he could even say, holding her tightly, burying his head in her shoulder and just letting her calming aura wash over him. He eventually fell asleep in her arms, breathing slowly, having good dreams about how they used to hang out together.

She loved him. She told him that she wasn't his mother, but she always felt like his mother. She was the one who took care of him. She made dinner for him. She protected him when he was in trouble. She tucked him into bed at night and helped him learn to read. She took him out for walks in the park and played with him. What was he supposed to think she was other than his mother? But that just made him even more confused now that she was so unstable. One day, she just wanted to sit with him and cuddle. The next, she was yelling at him and insulting him. He didn't know what to do.

"I love you, Mommy." He whispered in his sleep. Sam smiled sadly as she held him.

"I love you too, sweetie." She cooed. "I'm sorry." She said, tears stinging her eyes. She was sorry that she failed him. She was sorry that she couldn't be the Sammy that he needed right now. She wanted to be, and unfortunately, she knew now that even if she wasn't perfect, he needed her however she was. She had the impulse to just leave him. To just leave him high and dry and he'd figure it out and even if he hated her, he would at least know what he was doing. Even if he never loved her again, he would be okay.

But that wasn't how it was going. He still loved her and whatever she said, she still loved him. She just held him in her arms, stroking his shaggy hair, scratching his head lightly, letting him rest. Eventually, they were called down to dinner.

"So, how did school go today, sweetie?" Erik asked Sam. Sam smiled and said that the band would be playing a small gig in a club in two weeks. She was a bit excited about it.

They had asked her to play guitar alongside Luna. Erik and Amanda were both happy for Sam. Erik clapped Sam on the back. He had been working out again to get back in shape and unfortunately, he didn't quite know how strong he had gotten. Sam gasped in shock as he knocked the wind out of her. Amanda laughed, remember when he had done that to her hugging her. The night he had proposed to her and she said yes, he hugged her so tightly she thought he was going to break her ribs. She was gasping for breath even after he let her go. Erik had always been a very sweet man, but stronger than he even knew.

"Oh, sorry Sammy." Erik said sheepishly. Simon chuckled as well. Amanda looked over at Simon.

"How did school go for you today?" She asked

"I started a new painting yesterday in art class of Alric, Nori, Eddie, Jimmy and Amelia. We're all greeting Gil in the painting." He said.

"Son, that's great." Erik said, proud of what a good person Simon was.

"I gave Sammy the painting I did of her. She really likes it." Simon said.

"You did a painting of Sam?" Amanda asked.

"I'd love to see it." She said. Simon smiled and asked Sam if he could show it to their parents. Sam chuckled and said that she didn't mind. It was an incredible picture. Sam asked how Amanda's day had gone. She said that she was making friends with the other nurses. She was especially becoming close with a nurse named Maria. She originally came from Great Lakes City.

She missed her large family, but she liked living here as well. Erik said that he and his company were working on plans for expanding the school. It would begin work in June so they could have it ready by September. Dinner went great. Then Erik and Amanda went up to Sam's room with Sam and Simon to see the painting. Sam took it down from the wall and put it on the bed. Amanda and Erik gasped. The painting was incredible. Simon had really thought of everything. He could really have a future as an artist.

It was at that moment that Amanda realized that she needed to sign Simon up for classes that could further stimulate his love of art. Amanda sat down with Erik while the kids worked on their homework.

"Simon is an even more incredible artist than either of us knew. There's no excuse for us not to encourage his love of art and try to stimulate it. That painting he did of Sam is unbelievable. He's only eight and he's probably better at art than his teacher." Amanda said. Erik nodded.

"Maybe we could find some classes that he could go to. We can't just send him to some community center classes where he'd be taught by a teacher who was told to teach them to paint a bowl of fruit. That's fine for some people. But Simon is exceptional." Amanda said. Erik made a noise of assent. He was strangely out of it. He never realized that his boy was so talented, and it made him sad to realize that he'd wasted so much of his life in an alcohol induced daze. That he'd missed so much of his children's lives. He wanted to make up for it. But he didn't know very much about art.

Most of what he did was physical and Simon, while he liked sports, was a much more sophisticated person than he had ever been.

"I don't know what I can do for him. My strengths are in physical pursuits. Simon is so sophisticated and social, even at his young age. I don't know what I can do for him to help." Erik sighed. Amanda smiled.

"I'm sure that whatever you do with him, he'll enjoy it. Have you ever played airsoft? Simon likes shooting those little pellet guns that shoot those little plastic BBs." Amanda said.

Erik thought for a moment. He'd played paintball with his friends as a kid. He wondered if airsoft was basically the same. He asked Amanda if she knew anything about the differences between airsoft and paintball. She said that all she knew was that one used balls of paint and the other used balls of plastic. Erik nodded and said that he'd talk to Simon. He wasn't dismissing her. He just knew that trying to talk about the differences right now would be a wasted effort since neither of them knew the difference.

-0-

When the kids finished their homework, they came downstairs and had a snack with their parents. Erik sighed.

"Simon… Would you like to do airsoft with me sometime?" Erik asked. Simon thought about it for a moment.
"Sure. I'd like that." He said. Erik smiled.

"What is the difference between paintball and airsoft? I mean other than that one uses paint and the other uses plastic." Erik asked.

"Well, paintball guns tend to look more fake." Simon said, pulling up some pictures of paintball guns, showing how they were more like tubes welded together and had the tank of CO2 attached to the back. "The guns are heavier and take more time to get used to." Simon said.

"And the paintball gun has a tank of paintballs on top that drops the ball down into the gun and you fire it. An airsoft gun on the other hand can be designed to look like any sort of real world gun." Simon said, showing him pictures of airsoft guns. Pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns. And airsoft guns can come in two different types. Spring loaded and gas powered. Spring loaded guns have a spring inside the gun that goes off when you pull the trigger and shoots the pellet. The pellets move much slower and with less accuracy in spring loaded guns, but they're cheaper and probably good enough for a new player.

"Gas powered guns use these little CO2 cartridges that you put in the handle of the gun and screw it in. Then when you pull the trigger, a burst of CO2 is released and fires the pellet. The pellets move much faster, much farther and with much better accuracy." Simon said. Erik was amazed at how erudite Simon was being in describing the differences. He knew a lot about airsoft and paintball. Erik nodded and thanked Simon for his answer. They talked a bit more and then Simon and Sam started getting ready for bed. The two went upstairs and brushed their teeth and got their jammies on.

-0-

The next morning, Sam was awoken by the doorbell ringing. She yawned and got up, realizing that she'd overslept. She'd wanted to go running and do her exercises that morning. But she'd forgotten to set her alarm. She sighed and went downstairs to answer the door, seeing that Simon already has. He was talking animatedly, hugging his friends and inviting them all in. Alric had brought Adalwin and Adelaide with him because they'd wanted to see Simon as well.

Plus Adalwin was the one who could drive in the family. His parents could, but they were busy that day and didn't want to deny Alric the chance to visit his best friend. He had loaded all the friends into the van and taken them to Royal Woods. Sam's friends, Luke, Estelle and Bridget had come with an older friend of Luke's. He said he'd wanted to see Royal Woods because he was planning to move there someday with his girlfriend. Sam went down and saw Luke, Estelle and Bridget, feeling tears of joy filling her eyes. She ran over to them, sweeping them into a tight hug.

"Hey! It's really good to see you guys again!" Sam said excitedly, practically dragging them inside. They all went in, smelling delicious food Amanda came out and brought out dips and other foods for lunch. It was a bit early to eat lunch. But it was the perfect time for brunch. She had fruit and cheeses and English muffins and dips and other delicious foods.

"Dig in, everyone! Enjoy, then you guys can go about your days. I'm so glad you could all come to visit." Amanda said. Luke smiled, looking at Sam and blushing slightly. She'd started to gain some definition.

Her arms were starting to look stronger and when she stretched, he could tell her tummy was becoming toned as well.

"Have you been working out, Sammy?" He asked. Sam smiled, nodding.

"Yeah… Exercising helps me cool off. It helps me calm down after a stressful day. I go running and do some other exercises in the morning and then lift weights in the evening after school." Sam said.

"So, what kind of dip is this? It smells delicious, Mrs. Sharp." Estelle said.

"Oh, that's chili cheese dip. You put cream cheese at the bottom, chili on top of that, salsa on top of that and shredded Mexican cheese on top of that. Heat for 5-6 minutes in the microwave and you have a quick meal." Amanda said. The group seemed to like the sound of that and dug in, devouring the dip before heading out; Luke, Estelle and Bridget with Sam and Alric, Noriko, Adalwin, Adelheid, Amelia, Jimmy and Eddie with Simon. Simon grabbed his dual handguns that Adalwin had given him.