Sam's pov

Joe was working the case with Kirby, but I could tell there was more between them, as could his dad's side of the family during that family dinner. I'm brought out of my thoughts by another attack, but this time our knife block was gone. UGH! I motioned for my sister to get the keys, but she couldn't, due to the looming presence of our attacker. Fair, completely fair. Mid fight, Annika and Mindy got slashed, fleeing to the bathroom along with my sister. I felt a bit dizzy realizing we were way high up, unable to escape through the window. Speaking of the window, I soon realized Danny, whose apartment was facing our current hiding spot, was trying to get our attention. He had a ladder long enough for us to pass to his apartment.

"Sam, come ON!"

I sent Tara over first, thankful she was safe. Next, I turned to Mindy

"You go next."

She shook her head

"I gotta hold the door so this creep doesn't get in. I'll go after Annika and you."

Annika nodded

"Go."

Eyes pleading, Danny begged

"Come on, Samantha. Eyes on me, baby. You can do this. Just keep looking at me."

After what seemed like forever, I was finally on the other side. After I urged Annika to come next, she declined, weary of her blood loss. Mindy made it across, then instructing Ethan's girlfriend and her friend to go on. She was doing so well, until an all-too-familiar figure took hold of the tip of the ladder. Now we all spoke with much more urgency

"Annika, come on! You gotta cross! Go quick!"

Sadly, her efforts and ours were for naught, because all it took was a sly flick of the wrist, no effort at all, to jostle the ladder in a manner akin to a mechanical bull, sending Annika to a plummeting death, her skull bashing against a dumpster and a cinder block. We couldn't believe she was gone... How were we going to tell Ethan? We looked down again, and noticed another Ghostface mask was left at the scene. According to a CSI report, the DNA on the mask belonged to Nancy Loomis, fourth Ghostface, second one of 1998, the Windsor College Murders. Oh, and also my biological paternal grandmother, Joe's maternal aunt.

Joe's pov

I was working the case with Kirby, while we were also getting to know each other better. Even with our particular pasts, we both liked horror movies, and the same ones too. While going through the photos of the crime scenes, she asked

"Opinions on Nightmare on Elm Street?"

I scoffed

"First one is amazing, the rest give me nightmares for all the wrong reasons. They're the absolute WORST! They need to get the original mastermind back."

She smiled

"I knew you had great taste, Hill."

I smiled

"Thanks. And right back at you, Reed."

Was it just the lighting at the precinct, or did she blush? To calm myself down from confessing my feelings haphazardly, I distracted myself with getting both our paper plates from the late-shift obligatory pizza dinner, effortlessly making them land inside the trashcan a few feet away with nothing more than a calculated, easy, second-nature flick of the wrist. The Agent smiled

"Nice shot."

I grinned back

"Thanks."

My voice softened a bit

"My Aunt would take me disc-golfing and would play frisbee with me for hours. I played in high school... Kinda stuck, I don't even think to do it. Then I turned to the Olympic style, heavier weights. Can do those too."

She nodded, seemingly ignoring the mention of Aunt Nancy

"Congrats, that's awesome."

Now it was my turn to blush, hand on my neck

"Thanks."

A moment later, I decided to just go for it

"I need to tell you something, and I'm not going to insult your intelligence by thinking there's no way you don't already know, but I... I'm pretty sure I'm flat on my face, head over heels in love with you, Kirby Reed."

She seemed emotional

"I'm pretty sure I feel the same way... But I'm also scared. The last person to profess love to me, 12 years ago, ended up being a Ghostface, Charlie Walker. And you're related to both Nancy and Billy Loomis... Please don't be offended, but I also know that you're on modified, and I also know why... But, on the other hand, I'm willing to give us a shot."

I nodded

"Thank you. I love you."

She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me

"I love you too."

To break the silence with her dark sense of humor, my now-girlfriend spoke

"Hey, hugging a guy romantically without being stabbed. It's been a while."

I chuckled

"I hope we don't have to worry about that happening again, ever."

Then we got word to go to the apartment complexes that housed my cousin, her sister and their friends, being told of the attack. We got there in record time, Sam giving me a quick but tight hug, which I reciprocated. She recounted the attack and showed me the mask left behind. Aunt Nancy's. Why can't the past just be laid to rest...? After bagging and tagging the mask for evidence, I took the sterile gloves off and flicked them into the nearest trash bin. Holding my Aunt's mask didn't feel exactly right, nor did it feel exactly wrong. What if Kirby was right?