It's been awhile and for that I am sorry, but I am back into writing so hopefully I can finish this story up!

I don't own a thing!

XXX

"Kay, you keep my seat warm," Sam instructed, throwing a wink Paula's way. Automatically, she rolled her eyes at him but in reality she was enjoying his company. Hoping out of the car he gave her a smile and a quick wave before he jogged down the alley and around the corner.

The first bang barely registered with her. She passed it off as a car back firing down the alley. But when the second bang echoed through the night a sinking feeling formed in the pit of her stomach.

In what felt like slow motion Paula hopped out of the car and stumbled around the corner that Sam had disappeared around only a few minutes before. Once her eyes adjusted to the dark alley, what lay before her made the hair on her neck stick up.

Sam was sprawled out on the gravel in an unnatural position and someone was running down the alley away from him. The silver glint of a pistol in his hand caught her eye as he raced away.

"Sam! Are you hurt – are you okay?" Paula shrieked, rushing to his side. She hesitated though, her hands hovering above his body, scared to touch him.

Sam's face was scrunched up in pain as he tried to sit up, his opposite hand holding onto his shoulder.

"Fucking shit my fucking shoulder feels like it's on fire," he bellowed loudly, startling Paula. "Help me up."

"Okay, just let me take a look at it first," Paula croaked out, praying that she didn't vomit, while trying to pry Sam's hand away from his shoulder, "Just keep your eyes on me,"

"I'm fine goddamnit," Sam hissed, making an effort to sit up again. When he looked down at his shoulder though the whimper that came out of him completely ruined the tough guy persona he had been trying to portray. "Ohh shit, shit that's a lot of blood ain't it?"

"I – maybe just lay down again," Puala muttered, swallowing her own saliva, doing her best to settle her own stomach. Sam dropped his head back down and Paula noticed that his chest began to rise and fall much more rapidly.

"You got to calm down Sam," Paula instructed in the sternest voice she could muster. She brushed a few hairs out of his eyes and rubbed his forehead the way her mama used to when she was sick. It had comforted her when she was young and she hoped it would help Sam so he wouldn't pass out right there in the alleyway.

After a few deep breaths Sam opened his eyes again.

"Alright I ain't going to bleed out down here, help me up," he winced in pain again, "Good thing they only got me once."

Instead of helping him up Paula looked around them. She hadn't seen a second person.

"Paula," Sam grabbed her arm.

"Shit sorry," she said turning back to him. He looked pale and that scared her. With all her strength, and the little that Sam had in him they pulled him to a standing position, leaning his body against hers.

It took them what felt like five minutes to get down the alley, around the corner and into the car. Paula pulled and pushed Sam in every which way she could. He was losing more blood by the minutes and his energy was seriously waning.

Paula jumped into the driver's seat and started the car up and then realized she didn't know exactly where she was going to drive.

"The hospital?" she asked aloud.

"Hell no, I'll give you directions just get back on 6th Avenue," Sam grimaced. Paula noticed that his eyes were closed now.

Stepping on the gas the tires squealed and they were off. The fact that this was the first time she had ever driven a car escaped her.

XXX

She was panicking.

"You know, you're going to have to help me in there," Sam said quietly, sitting silently beside her. "Preferably, before I bleed out."

"Shit – Sorry – damn it," Paula unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to him. "Are you sure It's safe for me to go in there."

"I won't let nothing happen to you Paula," Sam muttered, grimacing. In his current state he wasn't all the convincing.

Nonetheless Paula knew she had to get him help and to do that she was going to have to suck it up and face her fears.

"That's real assuring," she grumbled while getting out of the car and moving around to the passenger side, "You can't even walk by yourself, how are you gonna protect me."

Again it was a struggle to get Sam out of the car and up the walk way but they finally approached the brown colored home. Paula reached out to knock but before she could the door flung open.

Paula groaned inwardly. Of course it had to be him who'd opened the door. Roy.

"Sammy what the fuck?" he yelled grabbing Sam by the shoulders and pulling him inside to the relief of Paula. If she had any mind she'd turn on her heels and walk right back down the sidewalk but instead she stepped into the house. "Vincent, get your ass out here!"

Paula's shivered at hearing the name.

When he came into the living room he didn't even look over at Sam, instead his gaze was focused on her. Paula swallowed hard. Again, she felt the need to run out the door and down the street. But, she wanted to make sure Sam was going to be alright.

"What the hell is this broad doing in my living room," he sneered, "she's got a lot of nerve."

"She brought Sammy, he's shot," Roy answered him hysterically.

To Paula's relief Lee Vincent moved his attention from her to where Sam lay on the couch.

"Shit. Go call his brother Roy," Vincent actually sounded worried which kind of freaked out Paula. "Who was it?"

Paula watched Sam tense up at the question.

"Was it Shepard's boys?" he asked. Sam closed his eyes tight and groaned. Then he opened them, looking straight at Paula. They were soft and apologizing.

"Two of em."

"What," Paula said incredously. The word was out of her mouth before she could help herself.

"What what? What do you expect little girl. You're brother has been trying to take out my guys for the last month," Vincent sneered, eyes back on her.

"He wouldn't," Paula murmured quietly.

"Are you stupid, broad? Of course he would he don't want any competition on his whole side of Tulsa." Vincent chucked, "Your lucky we don't do you in for revenge."

"Stop it, you ain't going to hurt her," came from a weak Sam.

"Boy, you're lucky your dying on my couch or I'd beat the shit right outta you," Lee whipped around back to Sam. "Your brother ought to tune you up."

"Are you going to help him or not?" Paula was sick of the chit chat. Sam wasn't looking any better laying there on the couch. He did let out a strangled chuckle when she spoke up.

"Are you going to help him or not," Vincent copied in a whiny voice that she guessed was supposed to sound like her own. "I'm waiting for his brother to get here and clean him up. I don't know shit about gunshot wounds. His brother's a little more educated on that topic."

Paula shuddered. She bet he was.

"If you're sticking around – which I don't know why you would – I suggest maybe getting a towl and press it to his wound. That's women's work," he said throwing her a smirk, and grabbed a beer.

She watched him guzzle his drink curiously. Was she supposed to go into his kitchen and get a towel herself? Instead of opening her mouth again she walked to the kitchen and grabbed the towel hanging from the stove. It didn't look all that clean but it would do the trick.

Coming back into the living room she kneeled down beside Sam and lifted his shirt off his body and over his head. She couldn't help but notice that he had quite the set of chiselled abs.

Sam hissed when she brought the towel down on his wound and he cried out when she pushed down.

"I'm sorry – sorry, I have to stop the bleeding," she murmured.

Next thing she knew the door flew open and more than one body flew into the room.

"Where is he?"

"What happened?"

"Did he get them back?"

"Who the hell is she?"

"Ain't that a Shepard kid?"

"Get me the needle and thread. Shit, better get the tweezers too,"

Paula felt herself being pushed out of the way so she stood up and moved toward the door. There had to be more than six people in the room now not even counting Paula or Sam.

Paula watched as one boy, who she guessed was Sam's brother, work in frenzy, pulling out the bullet, splashing vodka into the open wound and then stitching it up with a needle and regular thread. She winced every time the needle went in and out.

As she watched the older boy work she was quite aware that the rest of the room was watching her.

"Why haven't we tied her up and put her in the corner yet," one boy that she didn't recognize asked the group. The look, the one like she was a steak and he wanted to gobble her up, was making her sick to her stomach.

"Shut it Bradley," Sam said angrily. He threw a glance over to Paula and gave her a small, weak smile.

"Well shit, it was her brother that shot you wasn't it?" Sam's brother retorted, shaking his head. He stood up stretched his arms in the air.

"Well it wasn't her and I ain't dead so just drop it," Sam muttered loudly. He got up off the couch, struggled a bit and walked over to where Paula stood. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hallway. From behind them he heard voices arguing and then he heard a clear loud voice above them.

"You think that's a smart move, boy," Lee asked, "You better believe the next time he won't be aiming to just injure."

If Sam heard what he said then he ignored him, instead continued on pulling Paula through a narrow doorway. Inside the doorway was a bed and a small dresser.

Sam layed down on the bed slowly, grimacing in pain. With his had he patted the space beside him.

"I should probably leave,"

Sam closed his eyes and groaned. "The only way you're getting out of here alive is with me and I ain't moving until I'm feeling better."

Paula believed him. She took her sweater off, hanging it on the knob of the door and laid down next to him in the bed, careful not to touch him.

"Grab the bag and matches in my front pocket," he instructed. She looked at his face and blushed. He smirked and she scrunched her nose at him.

Still, she slipped her fingers into his front pocket and picked out the bag of weed and the pack of matches. She grabbed the small, rolled joint and put it to her lips. She lit the first match but it went out before she could reach the joint because of her shaking hand. On her second attempt she got it lit. She puffed in a few times and then handed it over Sam who took it between his fingers and sucked. They passed it back and forth until it was burnt out. Paula rubbed her eyes and looked out the window. The sun was going down and she wondered if anyone at her house was wondering where she went. She guessed they weren't.

"Stop thinking so hard," Sam said as he brushed the hair out of her face. She smiled at him and nestled her head under his arm, careful not to bump his shoulder and that's how she fell asleep.

XXX

When Paula awoke nine hours later it took her a few minutes to get her bearings. The events of the last night came rushing back to her soon enough though.

"Sam – wake up," she shook his bare stomach. He groaned but didn't open his eyes. Paula sighed quietly.

"You want to go home?" his voice spooked her a little, thinking that he was still sleeping.

"I don't know," Paula whispered in the dark. The sun was on the verge of coming up which meant it was no earlier than five o'clock. She didn't really want to go home, not after everything that had gone on with Tim and her mom. But she didn't think she should stay where she was.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought you here," Sam sighed, rolling on his right side in an effort to pull himself out of bed. "I wasn't thinking straight."

"You needed help," Paula reassured him. It wasn't his fault. She could have turned on her heels and ran right out of the house as soon as Roy had come to the door. But she hadn't, and that was her fault. "Can you take me to the Curtis's?"

"Sure thing darling."

Paula slipped her sweater over her shoulders and opened the door as quietly as possible, stepping back so Sam could go first.

Walking down the hallway Paula could hear some commotion coming from the kitchen. She stopped, unsure if she should keep walking but Sam didn't slow down so she skipped to catch up with him.

Sure enough there was someone up and moving in the kitchen. He was an older man with a pair of overalls on and sipping on a cup of steaming coffee. When the two of them entered he turned his head to face them. His eyebrows were raised.

"Good mornin' Bobby," Sam drawled, tiredly.

Bobby?

It couldn't be, it was just a might strange coincidence.

"Same to you, Sam. Who's your friend?" he asked, glancing over at Paula, letting his eyes pause on her face. "She looks like someone I used to know."

Paula's heart nearly stopped.

Whatever Sam said she missed and the next thing she knew Sam was pulling her through the living room and out the front door.

"Sam what did he just say?" Paula asked, her mind swirling. She could barely focus on anything outside.

"Huh?"

"Who did he say I looked like?" she asked again, her voice getting louder.

"Someone he used to know?" Sam stopped and grabbed her chin, "what's on your mind?"

"Sam, my mom said that my daddy's name is Bobby, Sam his name is Bobby ain't it?" she was shaking now, her mind racing.

"Bobby, thats Lee's pop – " Sam started but the sudden realization seemed to overcome him, "holy shit you don't think that – that he's your father?"

"Sam, everything just clicks don't it?" Paula asked hysterically, her hands gripping Sam's forearms.

It was almost too crazy to be real.

"I – yeah I mean it's possible," Sam agreed slowly.

Paula took a deep breath. There was only one way she was going to know for sure and that involved her asking her mother. Paula moved toward the car again and Sam followed.

"Change of plan's, can you take me home?" Paula asked Sam who had taken off down the road.

"Are you sure that's a good idea," Sam asked cautiously.

"It probably isn't but I have to know for sure," Paula replied firmly.