::tap:tap:tap:tap:tap:tap::

"Go away…."

::tap:tap:tap:tap:tap::tap::

Groaning Sam lay on her back adjusting to waking up, realizing she fell asleep while reading. "Sorry Harry, but you were no competition for how tired I wa..."

::tap:tap:tap:ta..::

"Oh god…please tell me its not…" Before Sam could finish her statement a small bundle of raven hair burst into Sam's room and jumped on her bed.

"Mantha! IT'S RAINING!!!!!" Mac screamed while snuggling up to Sam.

"Yeah, I noticed..." Sam said, trying to sound happy even though she was feeling upset about not being able to go to Disneyland with Nicole now. Muttering she says, "Damn, evil, stupid California Weather Gods…"

"What you say?" Mackenzie asked scrunching up her face.

"I said…Man, we should….have California…pancakes!" Sam said lamely.

"Ooh! But, mom already made regular pancakes…" Mac said frowning, some how sure she was missing out by not being able to have `California Pancakes'.

"Well, some other time I'll make my favorite sister some pancakes ok?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna go wash my hands!" And that was that as Mac ran out of Sam's room as quickly as she ran into it.

Laying back in her bed Sam put her face in her hands and groaned, only to be interrupted again by another early riser. Sam then looked at the clock next to her bed…Then re-thought, ok so its 10 am…still kind of early.

"Sam, why are you still in bed? Didn't Mac tell you I made breakfast?" Jane asked

Standing up, stretching and yawning like a relaxed lioness Sam said, "Yep she told me, I was just taking a moment to curse this stupid weather," while following her mother to the kitchen for breakfast.

When Sam entered the kitchen she saw that the her mom had made a plate and sat it right next to where Brooke was sitting. `Great,' she thought to herself. Examining her plate Sam noticed that they were in fact having her favorite breakfast. Looking up with a smile on her face, she locked eyes with her mother.

"Yes Sam we are having you favorite breakfast pancakes, eggs and ham." Jane smiled at her eldest and not being able to help, but once again realize how much she was like her father. Then looking at Mac another smile came to her face. `She is truly a `mini' Sam.'

::ring::ring::

Since Sam was busy enjoying her breakfast she didn't think twice about answering the phone. She knew Brooke would answer it since it was probably for her any way.

Boy was she wrong.

"Hello...Nic omg! Hey! What have you been up to? Everytime I tried to call you your maid said you weren't home. Then you moved and your maid refused to give me your number! You should fire her most definitely. Anyway, want to get together later and catch up?!"

Sam internally cringed at the incoming ice storm and the fakeness in Brooke's voice. However, that cringe turned into a smirk when she saw Brooke's face drop then go completely neutral.

"Oh...yeah, she's awake...sure...whatever hold on." To say Brooke was unhappy...would probably be an accurate observation. "Sam, phone."

Giving Brooke a winning smile Sam took the phone and contemplated leaving the room while talking to Nic. Then she got over it and just started talking to Nic at the table just as Brooke was previously doing. "Hey babe" Sam said with just a hint of her evil internal laughing showing in her voice.

"Tsk tsk Sam, teasing your dear sister are you? I love it. But on to bigger and more important things....You do realize that somehow you pissed off the weather god's and its raining now don't you?" Nic said slightly teasing through the phone.

"Hey! You so can't blame the rain on me. But that's kind of not the point. We can't go to Disneyland now.." Sam said pouting, while at the mention of Disneyland Mac immediately started to perk up. Seeing this Sam said, "No Disneyland today Mac it's raining."

"I know, that's one of the reasons why I called you. Unfortunately, I wouldn't have been able to go until later tonight anyway. I had to fire a girl yesterday and while I had a worker willing to work her shift, another worker called in sick today." Nic paused at Sam's groan of displeasure. "I know I wasn't to pleased with that either, I almost fired her too." Nic paused again as Sam laughed at the image she got of an angry Nicole threatening to fire a sick worker, because she didn't feel like going to work..

"Wait, fire? You own a place?" Sam asked.

"Indeed, and if you let me take you out to dinner tonight, I'll take you by there after dinner." Nic asked smoothly.

"Are you asking me out on a date Nicole Marie Julian?" Sam asked smirking while feeling excited.

However, the excitement was cut short when Brooke's brain started kicking in and said with fake innocence, "Uhh...Mom, didn't you say dad wanted to have a family dinner tonight?"

"Yes he did Brooke." Jane said looking at Brooke with an odd look on her face. Then spotting Sam's face fall she added, "Sam, you can invite Nicole to dinner if you'd like. I'd like to properly meet her if you two are dating." She finished with a wink.

At that, Sam blushed and Brooke turned red as well...

"I bet the ice princess wasn't to happy about that." Nic said laughing.

Looking at Brooke Sam said, "Nope not at all, but you heard my mom right? Will you come over?"

"Of course I will. Dinner with the fam? How could I say no? Plus, I think it's safe to say lil Brookie missed me." Nic laughed....or cackled depending on who you asked.

"Great! Ok and then afterwards you can take me to your mystery business."

"You got yourself a date babe. What time's dinner?"

"Umm..I don't know hold on let me ask mom." Looking at her mom she asks, "Mom what time is dinner tonight?"

"Well Mike get's off at 5 so I'd say about 6...6:30." Jane said with a smile...then a grimace as Mac decided forks were over rated and started to eat with her hands. "Mac use use your fork"

"Ok so mom says Mike get's off at 5 so be here by 6:15 and your good."

"Alright, got it babe. I have to go now, customers. But, I'll see you later beautiful." Nic said with a smirk.

And once again, Sam blushed and Brooke went red as well...This time, Sam going red at the compliment from Nic and Brooke going red because Sam was blushing....And it wasn't because of her.

"Bye babe."

::click::

As Sam looked up she looked up to see one very amused mother.

"So when did THAT happen?"

"Yeah Sam, when?" Brooke asked coldly.

Looking from Jane to Brooke Sam just says, "I'll tell you later mom. I'm going to go get dressed."

******

"So, that was Sam?"

"Mmmhmmm"

"Mmhmm what Nic?"

Hearing Dave call her by her name instead of Mistress was almost enough to make her start laughing. He only ever called her that when he was about to get pissy about something she did.

"Yes that was Sam, Dave." Nic said with a smile, while attending to the cash register.

Sarcastically Dave stared at Nicole before saying, "Oh well, when you put it that way. That explains EVERYTHING!"

"Dave please remind me why I'm supposed to be telling you the details about a phone call between my girlfriend and I."

"Because I'm Dave. The only queen you tolerate. And I'm living vicariously, because I'm still heartbroken." He huffed with the beginnings of pout forming.

"Oh is that so? And who broke your heart exactly?" Nic asked with a raised eyebrow.

With a small smirk Dave said, "Umm...well he didn't really break my heart as he didn't really know we were dating..."

Laughing Nic said, "Exactly! See, I need to find you a boyfriend so you can obsess over your own love life...Actually, I think I know someone who's lameness might be at the appropriate level to date you."

"Really? Then do tell! Wouldn't be the Dom your about to higher would it?" Dave asked hopefully.

"No, and believe it or not, his name is Dominic, not `The Dom'." Nicole said dryly while counting out a girls change to her.

"Oh, well one can hope. So tell me about this guy then. Is he hot? What's his name?"

"Well, as far as the whole hot thing goes, I always thought he was a dumb ass. But, I've seen him around a few times since we graduated and he'd be right up your ally. Oh and his name is Harrison. Actually, he has this pink frilly shirt that you'd love."

"And you know how I love a man in pink." Dave said with a smirk.

Quirking an eyebrow, Nic said "Actually I know how you love men period. "

"Yeah, yeah, tell me more about him." Dave said rolling his eyes.

"Ok, well...He's not really not my friend, but he was one of Sam's best friends."

******

"Knock, knock. Can I come in?" Jane said as she peeked her head inside Sam's door.

Looking up from the suitcase she was rummaging in Sam said, "Yeah of course Mom."

After coming in the room, Jane sat at Sam's desk then looked at her daughter. "So Sam, tell me, it was Nicole all along wasn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that when ever you came home complaining about the `populars'," Jane said the last word with air quotes, "you always complained about two people. Brooke and Nicole.

Whenever you complained about Brooke it was always just normal school girl rivalry that was intensified by our moving in with Mike. However when it came to Nic, there was always something more. Even when you two were younger there was something between you two. There's a thin line between love and hate. And in case you haven't noticed Sam,

I know you better then you know yourself." Sam groaned and Jane just smiled, "So? Has it always been Nicole that had your heart?"

"Yes. It was always her."

"Then what happened Sam? And more importantly what happened with you and Brooke? Right before you left for College both Mike and I thought that we were well on our way to happy family status. Then all of a sudden you were off to New York a whole month earlier then your original plan." Jane watched Sam's face and noticed it take a particularly cold turn.

"Brooke happened mom. Nic had finally asked me out right after graduation as her date to after prom and grad night at Disneyland, but never came to pick me up..."

"But then wouldn't that be Nicole's fault?" Jane cut in slightly confused.

Sam just sighed and said, "Yes. And for the past two years I thought she had stood me up on purpose. As kind of a last laugh at her `Spam.' But yesterday I found out something, Nic didn't stand me up."

Once again Jane interrupted Sam and said, "But she didn't come to pick you up."

"Oh, but she did mom. However, she came just in time to see Brooke at her most selfish. Brooke decided that she," Sam used air quotes here, "loved me. And that I returned her feelings. I told her that I had a date, but that didn't stop her from trying to swallow my face. I pushed her away, but Nic didn't know that. She saw the kiss and immidiately left the country. I called her house the next day and her maid told me she had already left on vacation. So then I immididiately left for NYU deciding the best way to deal with my broken heart was to not deal at all and get a change of scenery."

Jane stared at Sam for a couple of moments before asking, "So then what happened that got you two back together?"

Sam smiled, "Lily and Carmen took me out to eat yesterday at the same place Nic and Marry Cherry were eating. When I saw Nic go into the bathroom I followed her. We

yelled, we cried, we realized what happened and agreed to start over." Sam paused still smiling, "We were going to go to Disneyland today to make up for not going together on Grad Night, but no, it had to rain."

Smiling Jane said, "Ahhh....I understand everything now."

"Really, what do you understand now?" Sam asked raising and eyebrow.

"Well for one, that adorable little pout you had on when I came in your room earlier, because I know ever since you were little you've loved the rain. As well as the odd look Brooke gave me when I told you to invite Nicole to dinner tonight."

"Well I do love the rain, just not when it's keeping me from going out with Nic. And as for Brooke, that was just her being a selfish Bi..." Sam was cut off by the look she was getting from her mom, so instead she finished with, "brat."

"Well I'm glad you got the girl Sam, but how do you know Brooke's feelings for you aren't genuine?" Jane asked who couldn't help but wonder if Sam had been hasty in her opinion of Brooke's feelings for her.

Sam laughed then said, "It's cute how you don't realize Brooke is nothing but a block of ice with an imaginary tiara on her head."she finished with a smirk.

tbc