o O o

A/N: As our story draws closer to the end, I realize that Sam has grown pretty far away from her small screen self. I personally believe that she has the potential for greatness and I have put forces in place to allow her to grow up. If you've stayed with me this far, I hope you're willing to allow her to finish that journey – the goddess emergent. Your thoughts on this topic, or any other aspect of this fic, are welcome.

o O o

Sam hung over Steven's shoulder as Carly settled the laptop in front of her father and launched the virtual tour. "See Dad, here's the Quad and this is Big Bridges, and that building there is Little Bridges. It's the Hall of Music; it's just beautiful. Look here, you can see the inside if you click this…"

"Excited, is she?" Granddad chuckled to Spencer.

"You could say that," Spencer agreed affectionately. "I think she's about ready to fly."

"Looks that way doesn't it? I imagine it will be pretty quiet around here without the kids. Have you…given any thought to what's next for you Spencer? "

"That's actually something that I wanted to discuss with you Granddad," Spencer answered quietly. "I didn't realize Dad would be home so soon. I wanted to present him with a fait accompli on that front, but I'm still chasing the ducks."

"So you've got a plan of some sort?"

"I do; I've put some things in motion but…I'm not sure what resources might be available and I can't nail this thing down until I have a better idea of the financial landscape. As I said earlier, Sam's living here and she'll be starting at SCCC in August. It sounds like she's going to be working a few hours a week in her step-father's restaurant; that's ok, she needs that independence and the income will go towards her dental program. Ideally I'd like to stay here while she's in school; if I have to move us I will, but if that happens, Sam's going to feel like she has to contribute towards the household expenses and I don't want her under that kind of pressure. "

The Colonel looked up from a 360 degree view of the typical dorm room. "That sounds like an excellent plan for Sam, which I don't fault. However, what I didn't hear in that run-down was a single word about what you're going to be doing while the girls are studying industriously."

You weren't supposed to hear it at all, Spencer thought in annoyance.

"Steven, I believe Spencer was talking to me," Granddad admonished gently.

"Perhaps, but I have a vested interest in this particular conversation, Dad. So Spencer, I'm wondering why you feel unable to support your future wife on your own dime."

Shooting a worried look his way, Sam eased away from the couch as Spencer turned reluctantly to face his father. "I didn't say that I can't support her. I said I'd rather stay here."

"Ah. So then you can support her. I expect the legal profession is lucrative."

Carly inhaled sharply and glanced nervously at Spencer.

"I expect you're right. But since I'm not a lawyer I can't really confirm that from personal experience."

"I see. Had problems with the bar exam, did you? Nothing that hitting the books a little harder can't cure, I'm sure."

"Dad…I never sat for the bar. I quit law school. I don't want to be a lawyer. In fact, I can't think of too many things I'd like less than being a lawyer."

"I know."

"Excuse me?"

"I said I know. Did you think for one second that I didn't? Of course I knew. What I didn't know was how long it was going to take you to tell me."

Spencer swiveled his head to stare at Granddad. "Then that means that you-"

Granddad shrugged apologetically. "I had to tell him you know. If you two chose not to address it with each other, that wasn't my business."

"So you haven't been in school. What exactly have you been doing?"

"Sculpting. Drawing, Painting. Things that I love to do," Spencer answered uncomfortably.

"You can't live on art Spencer."

"Steven, don't be hard on the boy. Did you know that he has a sculpture in the Seattle Art Museum?"

" He's not a boy Dad; he's thirty years old living on my allowance, creating so called 'art' out of other people's trash" he replied harshly." How long am I expected to allow that to continue? In what way does that encourage him to grow up?"

"Just wait a minute. Dad, if you knew all along that I dropped out of law school, why did you never say anything about it?"

Steven let the silence grow before answering shortly, "You're not the only one who does things for your mother. But there are limits Spencer. Choosing to be a kid forever is not, in fact, an option. At some point a swift kick in the –"

"Steven," Granddad broke in reprovingly, "You haven't even heard what he has to say."

"That's because he hasn't said it. After all this time I'm not convinced that anything will ever be forthcoming."

"Son, you make it sound like Spencer has done nothing of importance."

The Colonel raised his brows expectantly.

"Dad, why do we keep coming back to this? We go around and around and back and forth, and every time I think maybe we've established a neutral zone, you jump right back in it. My whole life Dad – all I ever wanted was to show you what I could do, but you would never agree to look. Why Dad? Why won't you look?"

And there it was – the very heart of their disagreement, the ultimate source of everything Spencer had ever done. Looking from Carly, anxiously wringing her hands to Spencer, whose blood pressure was rising with every breath, to their father studying the scene with a curious detachment, Sam reminded herself of the possible consequences of this encounter. She knew what it was like to have a father walk away. The story is NOT already written…

When you pick at a scab, it's bound to bleed. This one was oozing around the edges and likely abscessed. Weighing the options, she reached inside. She expected to find all her selves lined up like suits on a rack just waiting for her to slip one on. Surprised by what she found instead, Sam made a decision. After all, mountains don't move themselves. Standing quietly beside him, she patted Spencer's arm gently. Trust me. Be calm. Be still. She stepped in front of him, eyes bright and head high; despite the tension, the hint of a smile appeared on his face. The arisen goddess was revealed at last.

"Colonel Shay – Dad – I also have a vested interest in this conversation, and there are a few things that I need to say. I had a father once. He left when I was a little girl. I always thought it must be my fault that he left… It wasn't. " She paused and glanced at Carly, who seemed intent on permanently etching tiny crescents in the palms of her hands. "You're right that there is a time that kids are supposed to leave." Carly looked up in surprise.

The Colonel started to nod in approval but grew still as she continued. "But they're not supposed to leave like this. Just like my father wasn't supposed to leave the way he did. Kids grow up when you give them the freedom to make choices. They grow up when they learn from their experiences. They grow up by overcoming adversity, by facing their fears and keeping on even when their sneakers leak. You don't know me very well, so you'll just have to take my word for it that I've had a lot of leaky sneakers. There was a time that I believed that was only what I deserved, and I wouldn't have tried to move on to a place that was out of the rain. I wouldn't have tried to dig a little deeper or be any more than I was in that moment."

The elevator dinged softly behind them and the door slid open. One part of her noted the arrival but Sam was not finished. "I'm not sure how you measure success. Is it the degree framed on the wall? Is it the medals on the uniform? Maybe it's a six figure paycheck. Spencer doesn't have those things, but that doesn't mean that he's unsuccessful, and it doesn't mean that he didn't grow up. Something that looks like wax on – wax off may really be something completely different. I can show you living and breathing proof that that's the truth. We're right here. You only have to look at Carly, who by rights should be a basket case but isn't, because Spencer was here to bring joy to her world. And me. I don't want to talk about what I might have been if I'd walked down a not so good street. I want to tell you that of all the people I've ever known, Spencer is the one who saw who I could be. And who I am now, and who I'm going to be, is because of him. "

"Sam, I'll give you credit. You're well spoken and obviously think very highly of Spencer. However, you're too close to the situation to clearly see it for what it is. Even now you're fighting his battles for him."

A loud snort erupted behind him. "Soldier man, you've got it all wrong. Sam's not fighting anyone's battles. Spencer's letting his good work speak for herself. "

Twisting around in his seat, the Colonel followed the heel of the vintage black suede Rodeo Drive cowboy boot up to the painted on Diesel triple button tabbed boot cut jeans, to the ruched turquoise tank making no pretense of modesty, to the antiqued Egyptian revival necklace that adorned the neck of the tall blonde woman toting a large warming bag.

"Incredible," he murmured to himself. "I had no idea…" He looked at Sam, whose expression mirrored the amused look on her mother's face.

"Colonel Shay, please meet my mother, Pam Puckett..."