25

Mia Thermopolis Renaldi, Queen of Genovia, woke, as she did most mornings these days, with a smile on her face. The reason for that smile was the firecracker of a woman who she was currently spooning. Sam, her Sam now, had come into her life like a bolt of lightning on a perfectly clear day. They'd met less than a year ago when Sam visited the capital to meet with members of her government to negotiate a deal to open a new bottling facility. Her only role was to drop into the meeting and be introduced to the delegation from the Sach company. She'd expected to be re-acquainted with the company's CEO Andy, who'd she shared more than passing resemblance and it turned out a few common ancestors. Instead, she found herself face to face with the most breathtaking woman she'd ever seen in her life.

So, she'd stayed for the entirety of the meeting just so she'd have the opportunity to invite the younger woman to a private dinner. A private dinner that turned out to be fateful as they established that they had the kind of chemistry that she'd never experienced before. Despite the clear physical attraction and explosive chemistry, they had not fallen directly into bed. Not on that trip anyway. They did exchange numbers, and despite the time difference and their busy schedules, they found themselves talking several days a week. Before long, they found themselves talking every day just to share a bit of their day with each other. By the time Sam's next visit was scheduled, there was little doubt they would become lovers and more.

Mia reached down to smooth out Sam's suddenly furrowed brow. Her smile turned more wistful as she realized her girlfriend was having an unpleasant dream. Her hunch was confirmed as the younger woman began to hum in her sleep. On its surface, the fact that Sam hummed in her sleep was adorable; however, Mia knew that Sam's humming held a deeper meaning.

Flashback.

Mia and Sam lay in her bed in Aren Hall, naked. It was the spring, and the two had been lovers since Sam's second trip, the previous winter. They'd spent most of the day touring the city that, after her native San Franciso, had become her favorite. There was something about the mixture of old-world charm mixed with a modern flair that encapsulated the best of her adopted country. After the tour, they'd had a wonderful dinner. The staff at Aren Hall always went out of their way to outshine those who worked in the Capital Palace. After enjoying an after-dinner drink, they came up to her bedroom and fallen directly into bed. After making love, she'd eased behind the younger woman, serving as the big spoon to Sam's little spoon just as the younger woman began to hum. Her heart filled with joy, assuming the humming was an intentional sign of the happiness they both felt. But as her humming continued, something in Sam's tone turned melancholy.

As the song came to an end, Mia pulled at the younger woman, rolling her, so they were face to face. Mia's heart sank when she saw heavy tears leaking from Sam's sad eyes.

"What's the matter, my love," Mia asked, as she cleared away a tear that had fallen to Sam's right cheek.

Sam offered her lover a sad smile before saying, "Just a bad dream."

With the other women, she'd shared a bed with, Mia would have let it go at that, but Sam was special. She mattered in a way the others had not.

"Hey, talk to me," Mia gently prodded.

"It's silly," Sam said, trying one last deflection.

Mia didn't respond verbally, but she softened her features to make it clear that she was open to whatever Sam had to say.

"...I was," Sam began, but the young woman had to clear her throat before she could speak.

"You know that I was young when my mother died?"

Mia nodded, remaining quiet, trying not to blunt the younger woman's momentum.

"I don't have many memories of her, but one that stands out is her singing me an old Stevie

Wonder song."

"You are the sunshine of my life," Mia offered, having recognized the tune Sam had been humming moments ago.

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

"I love that song, and I hate it."

The confused look on Mia's expressive face prompted Sam to elaborate.

"After my parents were gone, I would cry myself to sleep. My Aunt Angela later told me that she would look in on me, and I would be humming that song to try and calm myself enough so that I could fall asleep."

Inside her badass girlfriend lived a little girl who missed her mother. Mia's heart broke for that little girl just as she fell more deeply in love with the present version.

"Thank you for sharing that with me," Mia said.

"I've never told anyone about that, not even Andy."

Mia was taken aback by that. She'd know, of course, that Sam and Andy were long time friends and had been lovers. Perhaps this was different for Sam as well, the older woman concluded, before wrapping lover in a cocoon of arms and legs.

"I love you," Mia said after working up her courage. But if Sam could be that open about her feelings, she could do no less.

"I love you too," Sam responded without hesitation.

End Flashback

Mia gently ran her hand up Sam's back before she began to sing.

"You are the sunshine of my life

That's why I'll always be around

You are the apple of my eye

Forever you'll stay in my heart …"

Sam's dream was always the same. She was in her childhood bedroom, and her mother was putting her to bed. Which she steadfastly refused to do unless she got her song. As had happened in life, her mother would pretend to give the idea some thought before finally relenting. Her mother would begin to sing, and she would lie down and close her eyes. Sam loved this part of the dream, but not the rest. Just as she was on the verge of falling asleep in the dream, her mother's singing would come to an abrupt halt. When she opened her eyes, her mother was always gone. Despite her frantic attempts to find her mother, the child version of herself never would. Instead, she would end up back in her bed, alone, trying to sing the song to calm herself. But she could never remember the words, so she would hum them as she cried herself to sleep.

She had just begun to hum when she heard it. Not her mother's voice, but a voice so full of love that the little girl that still lived within Sam immediately calmed. When Sam came out of her dream, she instantly remembered where she was. She also knew exactly what had just happened. She rolled over and looked up at Mia and was greeted by a wan smile as the other woman reached out and stroked her dry cheek.

"Did you tell your mother that I said hello?" Mia asked, acknowledging Sam's dream.

Sam gave the woman an odd look before responding, "I'm a kid in my dream; I'm not sure my mother would react well if I told her about the grown woman I had fallen for."

"You could just tell her that I'm your special friend," Mia responding, enjoying the early morning banter.

"I suppose I could. But what happens when she askes me what makes my friend so special."

"You tell me," Mia responded.

"Well," Sam began, pretending to be deep in thought.

"I guess I would tell her that my special friend was the most wonderful, thoughtful, and loving friend that her daughter could ever hope for; and that she hoped that this person would always be her special friend."

Mia smiled down at the young woman who now owned her heart before responding, "Do you know what I would say to your mother if I could speak to her."

Sam looked questioningly at her lover, wholly unsure where this was going.

"First, I would tell her how wonderful of a woman that her daughter has become. How she is at once, fierce and kind. Soft but not weak. That she is loved and will be until the day that I am no longer capable of feeling such emotions. That with her blessing that I would like to spend the rest of my life, proving myself worthy of her only daughter."

The tears sprang to Sam's eyes as she listened to Mia's earnest words.

Mia took both of Sam's hand in hers before she began again, "It was in this very room in this very same bed that I first realized that I loved you. But it was more than that. I also realized that this was the first time that I had ever really been in love. It filled me with wonder, and it scared me a little.

What if you didn't feel as strongly?

What if the feeling faded with time?

But you see, when you left for the States, It was like losing half of my heart. Half of my soul."

Sam couldn't hold back the tears as she nodded along with the sentiment. She'd missed Mia terribly the last few weeks they'd been apart.

"So, I'm going to be brave.

"I can't imagine my world without you in it. You are the most wonderful thing that has ever happened in my life, and I would be honored if you would agree to become my Queen."

As proposals went, Sam had to admit this was damn good, but it wouldn't have mattered how Mia asked; the answer would have been the same.

"Yes!"

AN: "You are the sunshine of my life." was released by Stevie Wonder in 1973. I can only say that I'm glad to have something new to share on this story. I went back and forth about how to move this story forward, including starting over from scratch. In the end, I decided that it wasn't fair to all of those who've read and enjoyed the story. So I'm moving forward, not backward. Thanks for all the encouragement that I received to keep this story going, and as always, I hope you enjoy.