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The guys walked in Kevin's house to be greeted by Mia and Bailey, each women giving their husbands a kiss.

Mark looked around. "Wheres Sammy?"

Mia looked at Mark . "She went home." Mark's face got tight with anger, he was used to people doing what he said ,Mia got a worried look on her face., she looked at Scott and Kevin who look unconcerned.

Mark said goodnight to everyone and left. Mia looked at Kevin. "He better not upset her."

Kevin sat down. "Mark's not going to hang her, calm down, she should have stayed here like he told her, what if that freak had followed her home or something?"

"You know, you guys are way too bossy." Mia said rolling her eyes.

Scott grinned and pulled Bailey in his arms. "And you girls didn't know that before you married us?"

Mia smiled. "Yeah I guess you got me there." Kevin pulled his wife down in his lap. "Baby girl, Mark was just worried, he was trying to protect her, stop fretting, I know Mark, he wouldn't hurt her, take my word for it."

Mark went straight to Sammy's front door and banged on it. Sammy answered the door. "Hey Mark."

Mark brushed by her and Sammy shut the door, he looked mad. Mark turned around to face her. "I told you to stay at Mia's."

Sammy looked at him nervously. "I needed to work."

Mark paced back and forth. "I told you to take your laptop."

Sammy had no answer for that. Mark stopped in front of her looking his usual fierce self. "I was worried that idiot followed you, knew where you lived, when I tell you something, you need to listen."

Sammy wasn't sure how to take him sometimes, she really liked Mark, but she wished sometimes he would treat her like a woman instead of a kid, even though there was a certain amount of security she felt at his over protectiveness.

Mark lifted her chin. "I need you to listen to me, okay?" He asked not unkindly and Sammy could see the anger was gone from his eyes.

Mark couldn't stay mad at her, something about the sweet look in her eyes and the way she ducked her head when he was upset with her, she was adorable.

Sammy smiled. "okay."

Mark nodded. "You hungry?"

"I guess I could eat." she said.

Mark nodded. "I'll go fix us up something, you go on back to work, I'll call you when its ready."

Sammy stopped him with one hand on his arm. When he turned around she hugged him. "Thank you."

Mark was taken by surprise, but he hugged her. "Go on get, dinner, will be ready in a little while."

Sammy let go and went and got back on her laptop.

After they had dinner, Sammy helped Mark clean up and they said goodnight, Sammy went back to her place and got ready for bed, showering and putting on a long t-shirt to sleep in.

She got in bed and ended up tossing and turning because all she could think about was how good it had felt sleeping with Mark last night, she felt so warm and safe snuggled up with him, she still didn't understand why she wasn't scared of him, but she wasn't and she found herself wondering what it would be like to kiss him.

She hadn't even thought about sex since Kent, and then when he had raped her, she wiped out all such feelings, she hadn't been with a man in ten years, she didn't know why now it was becoming a issue.

She tried her best to sleep, but sleep was elusive, she decided to go and sit on the back deck and listen to the ocean , hoping it would make her sleepy. Sammy grabbed a glass of milk and went outside leaving the door open, she curled up on one of the lounge chairs and leaned back, the sounds of the waves relaxing her.

She looked up at Mark's side of the house and noted all the lights were off, he must be sound asleep.

Sammy heard a crash from the trashcans sitting below the deck and jumped.

She was scared, but it sounded like someone was going through the trash cans. She went quietly back in the house and set the empty glass down and grabbed a flashlight, she figured maybe it was a hungry dog or cat.

She walked back outside and made her way down the stairs, she turned on the flashlight and pointed it toward the trashcans and was shocked by what she saw. It was a child from the looks , a young child.

The kid tried to run, but Sammy was quicker and threw both arms around the child and even with kid kicking and squirming managed to get the thin kid, up the stairs and into her house. Sammy turned on the lights and was shocked by the child's appearance, it was a she, and she was filthy, layers of dirt on the kid, her hair matted and tangled, the child was painfully thin and small, she looked like a wild animal and then it clicked this must be the girl that Seth was complaining about. "I'm not going to hurt you, are you hungry?"

The child said nothing, but started backing up. "Look, I can feed you, but if you try to run off I'll call the police, you cant be on your on, so its here or the police." She said firmly.

The girl looked about her as if looking for a answer and then sat down. Sammy grabbed the milk, bread , peanut butter and some oranges. She poured milk and made the girl two sandwiches.

The girl grabbed the food and ate like a animal while never taking her eyes off Sammy. "Whats your name?"

The girl said nothing. Sammy smiled. "I cant just call you hey kid, whats your name?"

"Toby." The girl said with a mouthful of food.

"Toby?" Sammy asked wondering at the name.

"What my Ma named me." She said shrugging.

""Where is your mother?" The little Girl gulped down the rest of the milk. "She got tired of me, she left me at the beach."

Sammy was horrified and it must have showed on her face. "I don't care, I do fine by myself."

Sammy didn't agree. "How old are you?"

"Six." The kid once again shocked her, she was small and looked younger.

"Okay lets get some sleep." Sammy said getting up.

"I sleep on the beach." Toby said getting up.

Sammy shook her head. "Not anymore you don't, it dangerous."

Toby stomped her feet. "I'm leaving."

Sammy crossed her arms, no way was she letting this child go off by herself. "I'll call the police, I'm sorry but you're just a little girl."

The kid pouted, but she followed Sammy to get blankets and a pillow, Sammy took her filthy shoes off and made her lay down. Sammy covered her up. "Goodnight Toby."

"Night." The girl said and yawned, she looked exhausted.

Sammy sat down in one of the chairs and laid her head back, she was afraid if she went to her bedroom the girl would try to sneak off.

Soon they were both sound asleep.

Sammy awoke to hear Mark yelling, she sat straight up, Mark burst through the connecting door carrying Toby under one arm and his wallet in the other. "You know anything about this?" He boomed at her.

Sammy rubbed her eyes. "I found her eating out of the trash last night, she was abandoned, I was trying to help her."

Mark frowned, "Well your little friend is a thief. I caught her going through my wallet."

Toby took that moment to sink her teeth in Mark's hand, but to his credit, he didn't drop her, her grabbed her with his other hand and carried her into the living room.

Sammy was scared at how angry he looked. "Mark..." But a look from him shut her up, his hand was already dripping blood, which he impatiently wiped on his jeans.

Mark sat done and dragged the kicking girl over his lap and started swatting her butt. "Don't you ever bite me again, do you understand?" Each word accompanying a sharp swat to the seat of her jeans. By that time the girl was kicking her legs and cursing like a sailor, which didn't make Mark any happier.

Mark brought his hand down again. "No cursing, no stealing." Four more swats had her mouth closed and Mark sat her to her feet.

Sammy felt bad for the girl, but biting someone like Mark was never a good idea. Tears streaked the girls face. "Now sit your butt down right there." He said pointing at a spot on the couch.

Toby sat down making a great great show of how painful it was. Sammy had to hide her smile, she knew Mark hadn't even hit her that hard. "You move one inch, and you be getting acquainted with my hand again."

Toby stopped squirming immediately and sat still.

Mark motioned Sammy into the hallway. "Get on the phone and call the police, they'll come take her to dds."

Sammy for once stood up to him. "No."

Mark sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why not for God's sake?"

Sammy looked up at him. "Mark she needs somebody, her mother dumped her off on the beach because she didn't want her, how do you think that makes her feel?"

Mark just shook his head. "Okay and how the hell you going to take care of a kid, you cant even take care of yourself." He snapped.

When he seen the tears fill her eyes he wanted to bite his own tongue out. "Sammy I'm sorry, but its true.." He trailed off when she swiped at the tears.

"Dammit." He paced back and forth for ten minutes while Sammy watched him tearfully. "Let me call Scott, he's got some connections at the police department, we have to let the authority's know whats going on. But I think he can take care of any paper work, so she can stay here with you , for the time being, just temporary, but listen to me, if she becomes a pain in my ass, she goes, got it?"

Sammy smiled and threw her arms around him hugging him tight. "Thank you Mark."

Mark sighed and pulled her sweet smelling body closer to him, he kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to call Scott, you get her a bath, she looks disgusting."

"I heard that asshole." Toby yelled.

Mark let go of Sammy and stomped in the living room and lifted the kid, swatting her on the butt. "Want more?"

Toby shook her head and Mark put her back on the couch. "Then quit cursing."

Mark walked through the connecting door muttering to himself. Toby looked up at Sammy. "He's mean." She said poking her bottom lip out.

Sammy smiled. "No he's not mean, he's wonderful, you just have to get to know him like I do,"

Toby gave her a look that said she didn't believe a word of what Sammy had just said.

Scott told Bailey and Mia what was going on, and he headed down to the police station to make sure the kid wasn't on a missing child report somewhere.

Mia called and talked to Sammy to see if she needed help, but Sammy told her Toby was a little overwhelmed as soon as they had everything settled, she would bring the girl over and introduce her.

Sammy had also realized she had to get the child in school.

"Why haven't you put her in a bath?" Mark asked when he came back over to find the kid watching TV.

Sammy looked up at Mark. "I'll do that now."

She didn't want to tell Mark that Toby had thrown a world class fit when she suggested a bath. "C'mon Toby honey, you need a bath."

"No, I don't want too." She said throwing herself back on the couch. Mark was already ill about his bandaged hand. "Well lets see if I can motivate you." He said, as soon as he took one step Toby jumped up and ran over to Sammy. "I'll take a bath."

Sammy looked at Mark. "I think you're scaring her."

"Good, she needs to be scared if she acts like a brat." He said headed to the kitchen, he knew Sammy hadn't ate today, she must be starving.

Sammy ran the bath full and put bubble bath in, she helped the girl undress and got down beside the tub scrubbing the girl from head to toe, Mark was right , she was filthy. Toby grumbled the whole time, but she cooperated. "We have to go shopping for some clothes tomorrow."

Toby looked at her. "You gonna let me stay here?"

"Yes, Mark is trying it fix it so you can." She said

Toby looked down, this lady would just get tired of her the way her Ma had.

The water was almost black and Sammy rinsed the girl under the shower and then pulled her out drying her off.

Sammy wrapped the towel around her, she got one of her t-shirts and put it on the girl. "I'll wash your clothes and dry them honey, okay?"

Toby nodded and followed Sammy down the hall to the laundry room and watched her. Sammy got the clothes started and went down to the bathroom to grab a brush and headed down to the kitchen, whatever he was cooking smelled good.

"Toby let me brush your hair." Sammy said sitting down to watch Mark cook.

"No." the little girl said backing up.

"I'll be glad to do it." Mark growled. Toby moved over to Sammy and Sammy pulled her in her lap. "I'll be careful, honey, you have a lot of tangles, I'll try not to hurt you."

The little girl nodded and let Sammy work on her hair. "Mark I need to run down to the mall and get her some clothes, can you stay with her?"

Mark nodded. "I have to wait for Scott anyway." Toby shook her head. "I don't wanna stay with him."

Sammy laid the brush down and turned the girl around in her lap. "I cant take you out in just a t-shirt, I wont be gone long I promise."

Toby didn't answer, but she didn't like the big man, she knew if she did anything, he would whack her butt again. "He's mean."

Mark turned to stare at the kid. "Hey I didn't bite you, you bit me."

Toby glared at him.

Mark pulled the pots off the burner. "Okay let's eat and then you can go get her some clothes."

Toby just stared at the big man, he didn't like her, she knew he didn't, maybe she could get away from him, while Sammy was gone.