Disclaimer: cqofegypt does not own Holes.

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Sam's POV

The boat hit the dock with a thud. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. How long had I been asleep?

I looked around and grinned. "Wow, Katie, you did…Katie? Katherine?" I looked around for Katie, but she was nowhere to be seen. Where was she?

"KATHERINE!" I yelled. No one could hear me… I had to find her… Where was she…?

In the water, I thought I saw my hat floating towards me. Realization hit me like a ton of bricks… she had drown!

Without another thought, I dove into the water. Katie was around here somewhere… where was she?

Lord… I need you to help me find my wife… please… help me find Katie! I prayed frantically.

Suddenly as if out of answer to my prayer, the clouds moved from their position over the moon, and the lake was illuminated in light.

I found Katherine on the lake floor and scooped her into my arms. We both had to get up for air…quick.

I swam up as fast as my now unconscious wife would let me, and surfaced, taking a huge breath of air.

It coming on wintertime, I had not realized how cold the water had gotten. I finally got us out, scooped Katherine up into my arms, and carried her back to the cabin.

I was more worried than miffed she hadn't been awake for certain… traditions.

I immediately carried her to the bedroom, laying her on the bed and taking off the wet jacket. The shirt she had been wearing was soaked with blood.

Fear gripped me. She'd been shot? How? To take care of her wound, I needed to take off certain… items.

I did so, and noticed the bullet lodged in the middle of her chest right below her bosom. I gulped.

Wondering what I needed to do now, I took the pair of surgical scissors my father had owned long ago. I sterilized them and got some cotton, alcohol, and a bandage. I gulped again.

How had Katherine gotten shot? Better yet, how long had I been asleep? The last thing I remembered was Katherine telling me to give her my coat and hat. I understood the coat, but why the hat? Unless…

I shook my head. I would have to wait for Katie to wake up. I prayed she didn't' have a fever. I removed the bullet from a hunting rifle, I realized later, and carefully bandaged Katherine's wound.

I looked at the bullet after I was sure she was out of danger for a fever. Just to be sure, I kept a cool cloth on Katie's forehead.

Examining the bullet, it was from a 15 gage Lee rifle… the type owned by Trout Walker… "Oh, HECK No…" I growled. I whirled back to Katherine, who was just waking up.

It was two o'clock in the morning, but I was up, and hoppin' mad. The need for information was stronger than my guilt at that moment.

"Katherine… wake up" I snapped. She did so, groggily… at first not recognizing who I was and where she was.

"Sam" she said sleepily.

"Katherine," I said, trying to keep my voice calm, "Listen to me... I need you to tell me the truth… why did you want my hat and coat coming home?" It was more like a statement than a question.

She groaned. In pain or aggravation, I don't know. It seemed like an eternity before she answered my question. "I saw him" she said finally.

I frowned, waiting for her to continue. Who had she seen? I folded my arms across my chest. My expression must have been an angry one because my dear sweet Katherine, my wife of now nearly five hours, gulped.

She looked at her hands, resting on the quilt before she continued. "Trout was coming after us… I couldn't let him shoot you… we were almost home and you're the one with the key" she tried to joke, but my worry overpowered my will for humor.

"Katherine, don't you realize you could have gotten hurt? Killed? Then what would I do?!" I asked. I was probably being a bit sharper with her than necessary, she wasn't used to seeing me this way, but she needed to know.

"If it wasn't for the grace of God, Katherine… you'd be dead right now" I choked. Even in the last few hors we had gone through so much together; how could I live a lifetime without her?

Tears came to her eyes instantly. She tried to sit up and winced in pain.

"I'm sorry" she said, tears leaking down her face. "I just didn't want you to get hurt… Lord knows this was all my doing!" I looked at her confused.

"Trout and the sheriff were after me" she explained. "It's like two boys arguing over a sweet" I scoffed at her explanation. "Then you came along, I fell head over heels for you…" she blushed as she said this, attempting to look me in the eye and smile. I sat on the bed next to her, holding her hands. I wasn't mad anymore.

"If the men found out you killed the sheriff… they would have lynched…" she covered her face with her hands, trying not to sob. I gathered her into my arms.

"Shhh Katie… shhh… I'm right here" she sniffed and looked up at me. I smiled down at her and kissed her forehead.

"That's why I had to do it…. Sam… if we hadn't gotten married today, if we hadn't run away together, as it were," we smiled at each other.

"You probably would have been the one to get shot… and I would have been left there… or probably killed the sheriff myself." I couldn't help but smirk.

"Kissin' Kate Barlow" I muttered. She looked at me with a rueful grin. "Something like that" we laughed. She sighed in contentment, then yawned.

"You need to rest" I murmured, running my fingers through her hair. She nodded, and lay down on the bed, her head resting on the pillow. Fortunately, somehow, the Lord saw to it that when I got married, I had a bed big enough for myself and my wife.

As I got ready for bed, I looked over with a grin and shake of my head. "Go to sleep, love"

Katherine, in her long cotton nightgown, wasn't asleep just yet. "How did you know?" she asked.

"You're my wife now, Katie girl... I know you" she laughed sleepily. As I slipped into bed next to her, she tried to roll over to me, but whimpered in pain. I pushed her back down gently.

"What did I tell you last week about moving around?" she giggled. I chuckled and lay down next to her.

"come here, Katherine" I murmured after letting out a yawn. she came over. "Mmm... someone's sleepy" I smirked as she lay her head on my chest. We'd deal with the personal effects later.

Just before I shut my eyes, Katie looked up at me.

"Sam?" I smirked. "mm?" "I love you" she whispered. I kissed her forehead. "I love you too, my angel" she giggled and snuggled deeper into my arms and my chest. Out of instinct, my arm tightened around her.

"Sam..." she muttered teasingly. (Gus look) I gave her a look in the dark. "Katherine Margaret..." "That's Mrs. Gardener to you, dear sir" she giggled.

I laughed. "Well now, Mrs. Gardener... what can I do for you, this fine... midnight?" As I said midnight, I tickled her. She screamed and laughed, begging me to stop. After a few minutes, I stopped, bringing her into my embrace.

"Well, Mr. Gardener..." Katherine grinned, putting a hand to my face. "You could tell me the story of your parents... and how you got that feather" As she said this, I smiled and kissed her nose.

"Tomorrow" I promised. She nodded. "Right now, we sleep" I said, pulling the covers over both of us.

About an hour after I would have been considered dead to the world and the candles were out, I felt movement beside me. Katherine was moving as if she were having a nightmare.

"Katherine...Katie... wake up darlin'...Katie..." as I touched her shoulder she opened her eyes with a gasp. I held her as she started to cry.

"It was awful" she sobbed. "I had a dream that Mrs. McAdams and Mr. McGregor had been shot, Henry was hanged, you were drowned and I was next... the sheriff was there too. he was grinning at me with blood stained teeth and the bullet still in his forehead!" she sobbed.

"T-trout put a rope on my neck and tried to strangle me... the others looked on callin me a black witch" Concern overcame me as we sat up and I put my arms around her, rubbing her back and shoulders to calm her down.

I began to question if I had done the right thing in bringing her here. With Henry and Mary Lou gone, Mrs. McAdams and Mr. McGregor were not guaranteed safety... neither were Hattie, John, and Matthew. If anyone knew that Katherine and I had gotten married, I shuddered to think.

"Katherine, I want you to look at me" she did, her eyes filled with tears. I took a deep shaky breath before asking her what i had to. "Do you regret what you did today? Marrying me?"

Katherine's eyes went wide in horror. "Never!" she cried. I nodded at her answer, though still unsure.

She had had a fairly decent life up till this point. Her happiness meant everything to me. As if she could read my mind, she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me.

Surprised, I kissed her back with all the depth of passion I had in me. Remembering she was still injured, I moved away.

She looked disappointed. "I love you, Sam... my life was miserable up to now... yes I may have had a great future ahead, but it's not what I wanted... it wasn't who I wanted."

She looked me in the eye. "I wanted you... that's why I married you...I wanted, want this...us" she grasped my hands in hers, kissing them. I grinned grabbing her into my arms once more.

I kissed her this time...and as we collided closer and closer, our love...her warmth and sweetness, like honey to a bear... soon we both let out cries of wedded bliss to the heavens.

Satisfied, exhausted, and needing to hold the other, we both fell asleep, wondering just what happiness the next morning, much less the rest of our lives...would bring.