iLove

Carly awoke the next morning with the most intense headache she could remember, but despite that, she was contented. She was content to finally – after eighteen years – feel complete. She had spent her life to this point, without a full and complete heart.

As a child, this meant losing her father to a life in the military; her mother to cancer. She had Spencer, of course, and she adored him, but those early losses were something different entirely. This morning, however, was different. This morning, she had Sam. Carly had taken Sam to bed, such as it was, in the studio. It wasn't, in retrospect, probably her brightest decision, but she was thinking with her heart, rather than her head.

"Carls…" Sam's breath was hot against her neck. "…back to bed, Cupcake…"

Carly loved the feeling of Sam's heat against her. They seemed to fit together perfectly, like two halves of the same polished stone. She played with the ring on her finger absentmindedly; the ring that had been Sam's not twelve hours earlier. Ill-prepared to face the day, Carly collapsed back onto the mattress.

"Sam…" Carly cooed in her best little girl voice, "I hurt…."

It was equal parts statement and emotional blackmail and Carly knew it. She instantly hated herself for it as Sam's weight shifted against her.

"I uh ooh." She muttered, barely intelligible. Carly understood completely.

"I love you too."

Carly theorized that this must be what newlyweds experienced on their first morning together. She know that this – her and Sam – would not be easy, but she also knew that it was all she would ever need. Carly felt an odd tingling against her hip. It took a moment before she realized the sensation she felt was her PearPhone. She had a text message. Carly dug into her pocket, removed her phone, and tapped the screen.

NEW MESSAGE

FROM: Dad

Sent: 7:17 AM, PST

Carly:

Saw your show. Extremely disappointed in you. We will talk about this.

Col. Steven Shay

Sent by PearPhone

Carly Shay's hands shook. Her father. She forwarded the message and began to sob.

"Carls? What's the matter?" Sam was instantly attentive – instantly there.Her rock.

"Mama's here, Cupcake…" She did her very best to sooth Carly's fears.

"My father!" Carly spat, the painful, acidic feeling churning in her stomach. She felt like she would be sick. "He saw the show. He's 'disappointed in me' and now Daddy wants to talk!" She spoke the last words with a fork-tongued viciousness Sam never knew was in her.

"Oh, Carls…" Sam held her close as she sobbed. "What are you going to do… about him?"

Carly did have an idea, but now wasn't the time for that. Right now, all she wanted was Sam. Carly craned her neck, seeking Sam out. Their eyes met; Sam's ice blue and bleary from a fitful night's sleep, Carly's red and swollen with tears.

"Carls, we don't need to do this… The last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you. I…"

Carly interrupted.

"You're wrong, Sam. We do need to do this. You are the only person in the entire world who I know could never hurt me. The fact is that we need each other."

Sam knew every word to be true. She spoke gently into Carly's ear.

"You know you're my first, don't you, Cupcake?"

Carly inhaled sharply. She hadn't considered that.

"Saving yourself?" Carly giggled, finally allowing herself to relax. Sam chuckled.

"You see, there's this girl…" she began, playfully sweet. "She makes me go all ooey-gooey inside…"

Carly giggled. She relaxed, allowing herself to sink deeper into Sam's protective embrace. She knew precisely what Sam was doing. Sam was allowing herself to be vulnerable; to be something other than the badass the rest of Seattle knew. Here – now – she could simply be "Carly's Sam", all Carly would ever need.

"So…" Carly cooed, "this girl… what's she like?" She was being just as coy and playful as Sam has been. She could picture where this might go, and it excited her.

Sam wasn't having it. She wanted this to be Carly's moment.

"You know, girly…basically everything I'm not."

Carly's nose crinkled. Only Sam could know how to lift her spirits in exactly the right way. That was, above all else, what she loved about Sam.

Without warning, Carly's world went fuzzy. Sam had pressed her mouth to Carly's neck, kissing her hungrily.

"Carls…" Sam whispered into the soft flesh of her neck. "I know it's a little late for this, but shouldn't we get out of these clothes?"

Carly could only moan in response. Sam coaxed Carly up, hooking her thumbs into her purple Cuttlefish t-shirt. Carly raised her arms above her head, making the process much easier. Sam had the shirt over Carly's head in a matter of seconds. She gaped at her beautiful brunette. Carly Shay had neglected to wear a bra.

"Oops!" Carly said with a grin.

It struck Sam immediately just how beautiful Carly Shay was – her own perfect porcelain doll.

"Sam…" Carly squeaked in a whispy little girl voice, tinged with the dreamy haze of sleep that had begun to overtake her once more. "I…"

Sam pressed a solitary finger to her lips.

"Shhh, Cupcake. Mama's here."

With the fluidity of a dancer, Sam Puckett slowly dipped Carly Shay, her naked shoulders gently grazing the mattress. Using her own body as a bandage, Sam lowered herself to Carly.

Carly Shay was intoxicated, her own sweetness of coconut intermingled with Sam's delicious, pungent musk. Her entire world went fuzzy as a feeling of indescribable warmth washed over her.

With Sam, Carly knew, all would be well.