A/N: So I hope you all enjoy this new chapter. I'm still unsure how I want to precede with this story exactly, but there are a few ideas that I have in my head and hopefully I can get them in logical order and into this story. Enjoy!

Part 2 Ch. 21: New Partner

The alarm blares and an arm reaches out from under the covers to shut it off.

"What time is it?"

"Early. I've got to head into work. I'm sorry."

Kelsey leans forward and places a kiss on her sleepy fiancées forehead. Sam opens her eyes when she feels Kelsey's lips move away from her face.

"You've been working a lot lately."

"I made detective. I need to work. I enjoy my work."

Sam smiles slightly.

"I was just making an observation."

Kelsey sat up in bed and stretched out her arms.

"There's nothing I can do," Kelsey responds before swinging her legs out from under the covers and moving to sit at the side of it. Sam crawls behind her and places light kisses on the side of her neck. Kelsey grins.

"Don't start something you can't finish," Kelsey says as she moves her head to the side.

"Okay, I won't."

Sam pulls away with a grin and scampers off to the bathroom. Kelsey is left sitting on the bed in a huff.

"Tease!"

All Kelsey hears is laughter in response and the sound of the shower turning on.

Defying Gravity

"Mom, when is Jamie coming home?" Lydia asks as she enters the café with Aidan following close behind her.

Haley looks up from pouring a customer a cup of coffee.

"Soon baby," Haley responds lightly.

Lydia huffs with frustration, that wasn't a very good answer. She and Aidan sit at the counter.

"I had to wait years for my sister to come home. Be glad you didn't have to wait that long," Aidan responds casually. "Aunt Haley, can I have some milk please?"

Haley smiles at Aidan's politeness.

"White or chocolate?"

"Chocolate."

"Lydia, white or chocolate?"

"White," Lydia grumbles.

Haley walks away to get the kids their milk. Aidan turns to Lydia and smiles.

"A few days ago I spent time with my sister and she told me a secret."

Lydia furrows her eyebrows.

"The point of a secret is not to tell anybody."

Aidan shakes his head.

"You're my best friend. I can tell you."

Lydia nods her head and taps her fingers on the table.

"Okay, tell me."

"Kelsey and my sister are getting married. Sam bought a ring."

Despite the fact that it was supposed to be a secret, everyone had heard what Aidan had said including Haley, who had just set two glasses of milk on the counter and Brooke, who had just walked into the café. The café was dead silent as they watched Aidan and Brooke lock eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh no," Aidan gasps.

Lydia leans closer to Aidan.

"You weren't supposed to tell everybody," Lydia whispers.

Aidan sighs and nods his head.

"I'm in trouble."

Defying Gravity

Sam sat in front of her laptop staring at a new word document. She had sent Kylie the last few chapters of the first half of her book. Sam knew she had a few weeks before the next few chapters were due, but Sam didn't care. She had so many thoughts in her head. She just couldn't type them out.

"This shouldn't be so hard," Sam groans as she shuts her laptop. She couldn't stare at the screen anymore. Sam got out of her chair and headed towards her bedroom. The last several days she had been working nonstop, but today she was going to play basketball. While in New York, Sam had less time to play, but now that she was back home she had the rivercourt to go to. Sam quickly changes into some basketball shorts and through some sweats over them along with a t-shirt. She put on some shoes and grabbed her basketball. She walked out of her room and looked at her car keys. She shook her head with a smile. She was going to run today.

Defying Gravity

After hearing Aidan's secret, Brooke had decided to call her husband to the café. They needed to have a serious conversation about their daughter. Julian comes running into the café and spots Brooke sitting at a table. Julian takes a seat.

"Why did I have to rush here? What couldn't wait until you got home?"

"Our daughter is engaged!"

Julian's eyes widen in response Brooke nods her head.

"It was supposed to be a secret. Aidan even went with Sam to get an engagement ring."

"Okay, we can just talk to Sam before she does anything and see where her head is at in all of this."

Brooke shakes her head.

"Kelsey made a trip to New York when Sam left and she proposed. That's all I know."

Julian lets out a breath and scratches the top of his head.

"I can admit that this is a little fast. Is it a bad thing though?"

"I love Kelsey, but those two already have one failed marriage I don't want them to have two. I really want this to work."

"You're not the only one Brooke, but before we jump to conclusions we really have to talk to Sam."

"Can we talk to her without fighting?" Brooke asks her husband.

Somewhere inside, Brooke was happy for her daughter. She loved Kelsey greatly and more than anything she wanted Kelsey to be a part of her family. Another part of her was afraid. The first wedding turned sour and Sam skipped town for three years. Brooke didn't want to spend another three years without her daughter.

"I think you should talk to her. If we both talk to her she might see it as an ambush and we don't want that."

"I'll talk to Sam and see where her head is at," Brooke agrees.

Julian grins.

"Now that we have that taken care of, I think it's time for some pie."

Defying Gravity

"Daniels, my office now!"

Kelsey looked up from her computer towards her Captain. Kelsey gets out of her desk quickly and heads to his office.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

Captain Noah Travers glanced at his newest detective with a slight smile. He didn't know Kelsey on a personal level, but he did have high hopes for her in the job.

"When you were transferred to this unit I didn't have an official partner for you, but I do now."

Kelsey turned her eyes to the man who just stepped into the captain's office. He had a muscular build. He was dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. He had blue eyes and blonde hair.

"Kelsey Daniels, meet Ethan Stone, your new partner."

Ethan holds out his hand and greets Kelsey. Kelsey shakes his hand and greets him respectively back.

"You two take some time to get to know each other. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Captain Travers leaves his office to let the two new partners get to know each other. Ethan Stone turns to Kelsey and quirks his eyebrow while looking Kelsey over from heat to tow. Kelsey internally groans. She knew he was checking her out, but couldn't he understand her whole body language screamed not interested.

"I for one am glad we are partners if that means I get to look at you every day."

"Does that pick-up line usually work for you?"

Thinking that Kelsey was flirting with him back, Ethan walks closer to her getting into her personal space. They were now standing in front of the captain's desk.

"Normally no, but it's inevitable that you and I are going to end u in my bed, so we should skip the formalities and go there now."

Ethan places his hand on Kelsey's upper arm. Touching her was a mistake. Kelsey grabs his arm and twirls it behind his back. She shoves Ethan's head to the top of her Captain's desk.

"Get this through your head. I don't mix business with pleasure. Also, there was no way in hell I was going to sleep with you. I'm engaged. So don't touch me again. Are we clear?" Kelsey asks.

"We're clear," Ethan groans.

Kelsey smirks and lets him go.

"And Ethan, one more thing," Kelsey states.

Ethan turns his body towards Kelsey.

"I'm gay!"

Kelsey proudly walks out of the room not noticing the Captain had been watching them through the window. Ethan laughs and shakes his head. Captain Travers smiles and walks into his office.

"What do you think?"

Ethan smiles at Captain Travers.

"I think this partnership is going to work," Ethan says as he pulls a wedding back out of his pocket and places it on his ring finger. "My last partner became my wife so hopefully this one can be my best friend."

Defying Gravity

After spending a few hours at the rivercourt, Sam had worked up an appetite. Sam decided to jog her way to Karen's Café to get some lunch before heading back to her apartment to try and get her ideas onto the computer.

Sam walked into the café and saw Haley working at the counter. Her mom was nowhere to be found.

"Haley, where's my mom?"

Haley looks up from the cash register.

"She'll be back any minutes, but I want to warn you that she's looking for you."

"Why?" Sam questions as she takes a seat at the counter.

Haley plays innocent and shrugs her shoulders.

"Whatever, I'll wait for her I guess. Can you get me some food please?"

"Can you be more specific?"

Sam smiles.

"The special is fine."

"Coming right up."

Haley goes into the kitchen to start Sam's order. Meanwhile, Brooke walks into the café after her trip to the bank. She spots her daughter sitting at the counter. Brooke had no idea what possessed her to do what she did next, but was surprised she had done it. Brooke stormed over to her daughter and forced her chair around so they could see eye to eye.

"Why didn't you tell me you were engaged?"

Not liking the tone in her mother's voice, Sam responds with her own question.

"Why didn't you tell me about the baby?"