[ Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I wasn't expecting so many so quick so in return I thought I'd do what I could. A new chapter, a longer chapter! Different tone for sure, but I like it. Baird/Sammy ]

"So Where Do I Stand?"

Anvegad, it was everything they'd said it would be, industrious and well guarded and now fucked. The siege was unbelievable. His shoulder was numb from the endless amount of shots he'd fired, ears still dull like he was hearing through a layer of cotton and sometime during all of the fire fights, fall backs and final desperate last chance plan he'd been pretty beat up and a light bit toasty. Then came the worst, the Lambent Charger following the return of Anya and Sam. God damn had he been terrified facing that thing and he was pretty sure he'd twisted his ankle having to constantly dodge it. Had that really all happened? He couldn't have made anything more fantastic up himself if he'd wanted to. It had just grown quiet, relatively and Baird was allowing himself some time to cool down, analyze and recover. This shit was heavy, real heavy and the only thing that relieved a bit of the weight was the nights cool air, tainted still by the smell of soot and smoke. Out of character he'd left his gun behind, feeling confident the rest of the night would be of a peaceful nature and strolled through the much abandoned streets hoping to find maybe a salvageable piece of machinery. Maybe he could finally find a power cell for JACK, Baird mused and kicked the half-ash remnants of the Berserker that had yet to blow away in the wind. Yes, it had really happened. The dent in Anvil Gate testified to that as did the damage and loss of life. He could see on each side of the entrance the two guard towers were lit up. While one was quite the other he could see movement in, just a shadow against the outline of the search light. Somehow he could tell they spotted him too, freezing in a single spot before slowing their movements and trying to hide within the other spots of darkness.

"Hey!" Baird called. "Everything all right up there?"

"Y-yeah, we're fine," the stranger answered back.

Just like he knew they had spotted him Baird also knew that voice. Oh how familiar it was, he'd hurt it a lot recently now that they'd arrived in Anvegad but he knew it before that.

"Sam?" Quizzically, he asked.

The extended silence was an answer of itself but it was revealing to see that Samantha answered honestly anyway. "You got me, now stop yelling you bloody moron!"

The stairs leading up to her vantage points zig zagged back and forth across the side of the building all the way up. Tonight besides foregoing his gun he'd also left most of his armor behind the same. He had gotten up unable to sleep and unable to care that he was in his pajamas almost, as a COG his clothe body under armor was pretty much the most comfortable thing they could rest in. This allowed him to ascend the steps rather quietly, the bit of sweat he broke stinging the scratches on his face is dripped into. By the time he reached the top Baird was a little bit out of breath, but his eyes were adjusted to the dark and he saw Sam now who appeared to be in much of the same condition as him, if not worse. She had a Long Shot rifle propped against the lowered towers edge, a seat next to it, her ass in it and she faced away from him.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Guard duty. You're distracting me Baird, please go away." Sam said. Requested more accurately, voice soft. Not typical Sam.

She didn't use his first name he noted with some disappointment, also that the closer he got the more evident the smell of alcohol in the air was. Really? It wasn't entirely surprising, Baird had seen the young woman sitting back multiple times with her other Gears throwing back shots and laughing intoxicatingly. Obviously this was different. Baird thought briefly if he should turn and run rather than get involved with all of this but how could he not call her out on this? It was too good.

"It's going to be kind of hard to shoot that if you're seeing double, Private." Scolded the Corporal. "You know the men have to drink that to find you pretty, not the other way around."

"Fuck you," she said, turning, knocking over the bottle that sat by her feet but catching it before a drop could spill Without further prompting she said rather cryptically, "It's all burning again Baird. We damn near destroyed ourselves this time too, and for what?"

There was a wobble in her knees as Sam stood but she was steady once on both feet. Her brown hair was absolutely caked with soot and debris with a lot of stuck to her forehead and head band, spots of her skin were scorched and blood had started to dry along her forearm and elbow bend. Still wearing her armor with it unlatched at the chest and shoulders to hang apart revealing that she was bathing in a good bit of sweat. She was coming in at a solid ten and a half right now, he had a perfectly good chance to stare on too and strangely enough he didn't have an inkling the desire to at the moment. No, of all things he was feeling a tinge of…sympathy? Ugh, maybe it was dysentery too, that seemed more probable as his stomach started knotting. He'd forgotten that this was Sam's home somehow, a place constantly torn by the war and just when it had gotten a little better it was burning again. That's what she meant. The bottle was hanging in her right hand, gripped just around the lip between her curled index and middle finger, wavering as she did slightly. Samantha had been staring at him solemnly, waiting for an answer but he just shrugged and sighed.

"Shit happens Sam." Baird informed her, tone flat. He was trying to address her as a COG, not a woman that was held together by fraying threads because he wasn't any good at that. "Is this how you're gonna fight back though, sitting up here, drinking and by yourself because you have no friends? Because let me tell you that's a shitty plan."

She threw the bottle at him at half strength and missed. "Fuck you Baird, alright? For once in your life just imagine anyone else's misfortune besides your own or keep your mouth shut if you don't think our suffering amounts to yours?"

Walking towards the South side of the tower Samantha looked out at Avengad, still spewing smoke in a few spots though the fires had been extinguished and the Lambent bodies were disposed of. That was the general store her mom used to send her to whenever there was food and money available, the pub across the street where she'd spent her growing years learning the facts of life and standing in line when it was Winter and supplies were forced to be cut into rations. This was one of the few places she could look and recall honest to god good memories. How long had that lasted? How long would it last again after they'd rebuilt again?

The bottle that whizzed by his temple, barely catching her superior in his head made his temper spark and he wanted to send her toppling right over the edge she was leaning against now. Not leaning against, almost over. She had the haunches of a fucking horse, he thought realizing while it wasn't the sexiest analogy nothing would do that picture justice. His temper faded and he realized it was happening again.

"Shiiit," he swore to himself, right foot kicking the ground while he bit his tongue to hold back anything else he might be apt to involuntarily say. Baird, blaming all of his actions from here on out on battle fatigue and sleep deprivation came again to Sam's side. Close to putting a comforting hand on her back he thought again and instead set it on the railing beside her. "Anvegad is still standing Sam, doesn't that at least matter to you? You saved your home. You're a…you did good."

"Noooo," groaned the Gorasni woman, elbows propped on the edge of the railing teetering off the edge as her head added even extra weight in her hands. How she wasn't falling over was a miracle. "You did Baird, you did. You saved her. Thank you…and fuck you."

He laughed. Out loud, from the gut laughed and heard it echo startling himself with the sudden show of emotion. It was funny though that she couldn't give a compliment with out an insult tacked to the end.

"You're welcome, and fuck you too." Baird replied, still smiling in the dark. Maybe all those times she had tried to get him to join her and the others in the bar he had been missing out, but he knew in reality he would have never been able to exactly fit in either. Maybe they would have fallen into bed together one of those nights by happenstance however, maybe they would even tonight.

"Y-you were so good with that Berserker," Sam rambled on. "I mean though, I hate you still you know? I should throw you off this tower Damon."

Without much thought he finally did put a hand to her back, but pushed instead so that she almost toppled. "Not if I do it first."

"FUCK!" Sam shrieked, thrashing quickly away from the ledge, stumbling on her own feet before righting herself to punch Baird in his chest. After she was left panting, starting to shiver now in the evening. "You're such an asshole."

"Hey, I told you not to use my first name. Next time it'll be for real if you keep it up," he was still laughing, wondering as well how she could stay on her feet anymore.

The night was filled with their voices and the city seemed like it could have been entirely their's at that moment. Her fists were clenched at her sides, eyes blood shot and posture stiffer than a board as she kept that no nonsense stance that always said she was just as good as everyone else. He sighed.

"I'm sorry Samantha I couldn't help myself." It didn't help the occasional snicker still broke apart the man's words. She didn't show any signs of believing him just yet. He reiterated hands raised up and open before him, "Really, I'm sorry."

Head cocked and one brow furrowed Byrne was giving him the once over, twice if you wanted to count the images splitting in her eyes trying to decide the authenticity of his words. Clearly something in that last batch of shine had gone bad and now she was simply suffering a form of psychosis. Yes, that made more sense than what was happening.

"You just apologized to me Damon," she announced, disbelief in her ringing voice.

"I warned you-"

At first he thought she must have fallen, taken a drunken spill over her own big feet and would up using him to keep from hitting the deck but that wasn't the case. She had fallen into him too softly though, arms knowing where they wanted to go rather than fighting for a handhold. Sam was hugging him.

"Sam…," the outstretched hands of his lowered and came to rest on her back, hesitant in their touch. He was kicking himself for having a million ideas of what he would do the moment he could touch her and now that she was there he couldn't find the intent or the gall.

Because taking advantage of a drunk girl is a real class act.

Her head fit just under his chin and filled his nose with her scent of sweat and sweetness so potent in her hair. Finally his hands found confidence, wrapping around a few more inches to securing her and the fact she wasn't just hugging him anymore. It sounded like she whispered 'thank you' into his chest at some point but he didn't ask for a correction. He looked forward in front of the gate to the churned and bloody earth, still tilled from the battle and followed its path inwards past the inside doors. He looked at the city of Anvegad which wore fresh scars of battle just like the rest of them, it's wounds of crumbling buildings, discarded shell casings and then to its weary daughter in his arms.

"Anvegad still stands Sam, she's still here." Baird spoke slowly leaning back, forcing himself to break the last bit of human contact he had in months. "And so do you alright?"

She looked up, her eyes had the fire again and she nodded. He tried to keep his face straight again, terrified Sam was going to understand what was happening beneath the surface if he wasn't careful and kept his distance from now on.