When Sam was leaving the apartment for work, the next morning, she couldn't help but look over and notice Colton slinking out of Mandy's apartment a few doors over.

She curiously checked her watch to be sure she had the time right, then looked back up to see Mandy seeing him out, shortly behind him.

Colton, of course, took no time to catch Sam looking and shoot her a smirk and a little thumbs up as he nodded toward Mandy and left, after thanking her again.

"Oh, anytime!" She had reassured him. "Seriously."

Once he was finally out of sight, she held a simultaneously curious and suspicious look as she walked over to Mandy.

"Did he bug you for your WiFii again? I am so sorry, I- " She started to ramble, til Mandy caught her midsentence.

"Woah, woah, wh- " She laughed. "Are you kidding? No, I was about to come over and thank you for last night."

"Really?" Sam chuckled, as if waiting for the punchline.

"Yeah!" Mandy sort of scoffed. "Why didn't you tell me you knew Colton Sear?"

"Hmmm, because I rarely brag about shit that I'm ashamed of." Sam chuckled. "Why? Did you actually have a good time with him?"

"Are you kidding?" I've been a fan of his podcast for like forever now, last night and this morning have been a treat, and between you and me, he is not bad to look at either."

"Oh, pleeeaase keep that between you and yourself" Sam chuckled. "All jokes aside, I am glad to hear that he wasn't a total waste of your time. Maybe you can even start keeping him out of our hair now."

"Gladly." Mandy laughed. "Just send him my way again, next time he starts buggin you guys."

"Gladly." Sam repeated with a chuckle. "You've got yourself a deal."

"Of a LIFETIME." Mandy was thinking to herself.

Sam just chuckled again and shook her head to herself at the thought of Mandy and Colton. "Well, I should head out to work. I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see ya."

"...and, I don't know, just that, on top of the whole Dani thing, and now this shit that Seth had to go and get himself into.." Sam sighed, as she was rattling off about the last couple days to Mia at the shop.

"Sounds like you've got a lot on your plate." Mia replied sympathetically.

"You think?" Sam scoffed, looking up at Mia again with a sigh. "...Sorry."

"Don't be." Mia reassured her. "Nobody's blaming you for losing your mind a little."

"A LITTLE….." Sam thought to herself. "...Thanks." She eventually said instead.

Mia half smiled sympathetically. "...and look, I know she was your friend and all, and it's not really my place, but FUCK Dani for what she did to you….." She scoffed at the last bit. "Sorry, I know you're not really supposed to speak ill of the dead or anything.."

"Yeah, well in this case, the dead confronted me out in front of the shop, after being MIA for the past three years, about the way I stopped her murderous sister from killing me and my family. I'd say you're more than justified."

"Right…." Mia scoffed. "...and wasn't it her party that…that all happened at?"

"Yeah, so?"

"...so…" Mia continued. "...backtracking back to the Seth thing, shouldn't she have known about that and, oh I don't know, do something about it?"

"Yeah, and in her only defense.." Sam sighed. "She did….That's why he was upstairs in the first place when he discovered Lauren's body."

"His girlfriend?" Mia asked.

"Yeah…" Sam sighed.

"Jesus…"

"Yeah…" Sam sighed again. "...So, you know, if- "

But she she was interrupted by a new, unfamiliar voice, belonging to some guy who she and Mia hadn't even noticed walk in, during their conversation.

He appeared nice enough and vaguely familiar, as if Sam might've seen him around before.

"Hey, I-I'm sorry to bother you, but I just couldn't help overhear, were you..talking about Seth Ro- "

"Yes..THAT Seth." Sam scoffed. "The one who made an absolute SHIT minded decision to wear that costume to a Halloween party, IN the middle of another killing spree, but that doesn't mean- "

"Woah, woah, wait no no, I-I didn't mean anything by it!" The poor guy started panicking. "I swear, I just- "

"Then what?" Sam practically spat at him.

"I-I'm Jax. I'm Mandy's roommate.

Sam let her guard back down a little when he said that.

"Sorry, I guess I should've started with that.." He continued to explain. "It's just that, well, I heard you talking about him, sounded like he might be a friend…."

"...and?" Sam prodded.

"...and, well, I just thought you might wanna know the- the kind of things your friend, Colton was saying about him on his podcast when he was at our place last night."

"He's not our friend." Sam corrected. "More like my roommate's unfortunate excuse for a brother." She scoffed. "...and what are you, some kind of snitch?" She let slip a little chuckle to herself.

"No, I just- "

"Easy, I'm just fucking with you now." She chuckled again. "Really, though. What was he saying?"

"Well, let's just say heee had some interesting theories about Seth being a third Ghostface."

Sam shook her head. "I'm sure he does."

"I'm...sorry." Jax said quietly.

"Don't be." Sam scoffed. "It's not your fault, you look like you have a spine."

"Thank you?" He chuckled nervously.

Sam smiled reassuringly at him. "Well, I'll deal with him later. I do appreciate you telling me."

"Yeah, of course." He started to let his own guard down a little, now.

"Was there anything we can help you with? I mean...I'm just assuming you didnt stalk me here today just to conveniently stumble onto our conversation."

"Right, well I think that's gonna be the other way around." He chuckled, reaching into his pocket to pull a phone out of it. "You left this on the mailbox on your way out today. At least, I think it's yours…"

Sam's eyes widened at that. "You are a lifesaver!" She blurted out. "God, I swear, my head is just….everywhere else today."

"I can tell." He chuckled. "Don't mention it.

Sam raised an eyebrow at the I can tell remark, but decided to let it slide

"Well, I'm gonna see myself out now."

"See ya." Mia said, as Sam was watching Jax turn and head for the door.

"Remind me to let Kinsey know I'll be home late, when I get off tonight." She sighed.

"Will do."

When she finally got her chance to, later that night, Sam decided to head over to Colton's apartment to confront him about what Jax had told her and Mia earlier.

Meanwhile, Colton had just seen out the guy that had finally come over about his WiFi situation and was gathering together a few things to take with him to go see Mandy again.

"Forget something?!" He called out at the sound of Sam's knocks, thinking he was shouting it to the tech guy.

Instead, when he got to answering the door, he was met with Sam lunging at him and throwing him up against a nearby wall.

"Are you out of your FUCKING MIND?!" She shouted at him

"Yeah, pretty sure you got that backwards!" He retorted, shoving her off of him, just for her to grab his arm and yank it forward.

"I did you a fucking favor!" She growled. "..sending you over to Mandy's place like that, and that's how you repay me?! By throwing Seth under the bus?!"

Colton shoved her back away, practically across the room.

"He did that to himself! It's not a crime to have theories about it."

"Nor is it a crime to call you out on your bullshit."

"No, you're right….but I think we both know what is a crime…." He nodded toward the door. "...and what'll happen if I open that door back up and start shouting about whose daughter it was that threatened me here."

Sam glared back at him.

"...and you'll be lucky if I keep their names off the podcast tonight." He continued, one of his infamous smirks creeping its way across his face.

"You only do that podcast once a week." She reminded him. "...and I just had the displeasure of listening to this week's on the way over here.

"Well, thanks for listening, but….exceptions can be made…"

"Go to Hell, Sear." She growled at him as she turned to leave, shoving him back again before she did.

"Gladly!" He sneered.

After…..that little encounter, Sam decided to take a slightly longer route back out to her motorcycle, so that she could have the extra time to herself to cool back down before she would call Kinsey to let her know she'd be on her way home, finally.

Meanwhile, back at home, Kinsey was just walking in the door from having taken Asami out for her evening walk.

"That's a good girl!" She cooed to her, as she rolled the leash up to hang it back up on the hook, near the door. "You hungry now?!"

Asami barked happily and started excitedly wagging her tail.

"Yeah? Is that a yeah?!"

Asami responded with two more eager barks before she raced over to where Sam kept her food.

"I'll take that as a yes." Kinsey giggled, following closely behind her.

—

—

Kinsey filled up the large bowl to the top and gave her a couple more loving ear scratches before she headed over to the couch to make herself comfortable and find something on TV to bide her time til Sam returned.

She had just started scrolling the TV's guide, onscreen, with the remote when the phone started ringing right next to her.

Expecting that it would be Sam's I'm on my way call, she barely glanced at the phone screen before she answered it.

The smile on her face, however, quickly disappeared and a chill almost immediately ran down her spine when, instead of Sam's, it was a mostly unfamiliar, eerily modulated voice that answered her.

"Hello, Kinsey."