Chapter Two

Please note - none of the characters in this fanfic belongs to me. They belong to Hit Entertainment.

Sam was waiting outside for Penny. He smiled warmly at her.

"So, did Perfect Penny get told off for something? Or are you getting a promotion?"

Penny bit her lip. She wanted to tell Sam all about the job offer but she wasn't sure if she could. "Um..." she stammered, "It was nothing, really. Station Officer Steele just wanted to know how my repairs on Jupiter were going." She turned to walk down the stairs. Sam followed her.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I am! I'm just a little bit tired, I guess." She wiped her sweaty hands on her trousers.

Sam nodded, still unconvinced. "Do you want to go have a lie-down, then? If you're feeling tired? I can finish putting that tail light on Jupiter for you."

Penny shrugged. "It's fine, I can finish it. Anyway, I go off duty in 15 minutes."

"Same here," Sam replied, "I'll help you then. I'm done with all this paperwork."

Together, they walked down the stairs. Penny could see Ellie staring at them out of the corner of her eye. She often joked that Penny and Sam would be a cute couple, but Penny always objected. Sam was her colleague. Friend? Maybe. But nothing more than that. Ellie would just roll her eyes at Penny and giggle. "Come on, live a little! You haven't had a boyfriend since college."

"Yes, because I don't want one. I'm perfectly happy by myself." Penny would reply, and then she'd change the subject. She was fine being single. It suited her.

The new tail light was fitted in no time. Sam and Penny stepped back to admire their work, dusting their hands off. Penny looked up at Sam and burst out laughing. He had a large smear of grime on his nose.

Smiling, Sam quickly wiped it off. He glanced at the clock. "Do you want a lift home?" he asked, picking up the toolbox and putting it back on the shelf.

"I can walk," Penny said. "Anyway, don't you live in the opposite direction to me?"

Sam frowned. "Well, yes, but it's going to start raining soon." He gestured to the menacing grey clouds outside the window. "You'll get soaked."

Penny opened her locker and shrugged. "I've got a jacket, and I walk fast." Sam leant against the lockers. He looked genuinely concerned.

"Come on, Penny. We can't have you catching a cold," he said. Penny turned to face him. She'd never known him to be so insistent!

"Ok, if you insist," she said, putting her coat on.

Sam grinned. "Ok, let me grab my coat."

"You ride a motorbike?"

Sam nodded sheepishly. "Um... yeah, I do." Penny looked at the motorbike. It was painted dark blue and it looked elegant yet powerful. Sam watched her, looking slightly embarrassed. "I like to fix up motorbikes and old cars and stuff. Keeps me busy. Just a small hobby..."

"It's amazing," said Penny, looking up at Sam in wonder. What else didn't she know about him? They'd known each other for nearly four years, but they didn't know much about each other's interests.

Sam smiled back shyly. "Well, um, you wear this." He passed Penny a helmet. She took it and put it on.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'll be fine." Sam swung his leg over the seat and sat down. "Ugh.. hop on." Penny obliged. "Oh, and you might want to hold on. The streets here are a bit bumpy."

Penny looked around for something to hold onto. "Sam? What do I hold onto?" she asked.

"Me, I guess."

"Ok, then." Quickly, she looked around. She hoped that Penny wasn't looking out of the window right now, or she'd be giving Penny hell tomorrow...

Sam dwitched the engine on and it rumbled to life. "Ready?" he called, looking over his shoulder. Penny nodded.

The ride to her house wasn't bad, though Penny was too busy thinking about the job offer to really enjoy the view. Sam had driven slowly, taking extra care around the sharp turns on the narrow Welsh road. After about 10 minutes, they arrived at Penny's house. Sam stopped abruptly and the hopped off.

"You walk to the station every day?" exclaimed Sam. Penny shook her head.

"I bike most of the time, but I've got a puncture and I couldn't fix it in time this morning." Sam nodded. They stood awkwardly for a few seconds until Penny gestured to the house.

"Do you want a cup of tea or-?"

Sam grinned. "Alright. And I'll see if I can help you with that puncture."

I hope you enjoyed that chapter!