Brooke rolled her eyes at the playfulness of her lover and laughed as she tried calling out to her anything but fully dressed lover. “Sam… we’ll get there much faster if you finish getting dressed. I’m sure the media will have a field day if they find out I had to post bail for my as of yet unidentified live-in girlfriend on a public nudity charge.”

The blonde stopped at the doorway and turned around, revealing the most innocent of impish grins, then said meekly, “Oops, sorry. I guess that wouldn’t be helping much, would it?” Sam watched as a lone eyebrow raised loftily on the tall woman’s brow. “I think I’ll just…” she crept over to her clothing laid out on the bed, and grabbing her sweater, finished her sentence “…get dressed.”

Sam hastily breezed into the mall’s restroom, shaking her head as she muttered under her breath, “God, she’s got to have one of the biggest bladders on earth. I don’t know how she can…” Sam stopped short when a familiar face was reflected in the mirror. “C.C.?”

The brunette looked up into the mirror. “Hey, roommie. How you feeling?”

“Better, now. The headaches seems to have gone but I’m still a little tender around my face.”

C.C. reached out and took Sam’s chin in her hand, giving it an appreciative once over. “Well, it looks a lot better then the other day when I dropped off some clothing. You were pretty zonked out that day.”

The blonde pulled her chin back and looked into the mirror, making sure the camouflage of make-up was still in place. “Good foundation, C.C.” she held up the bottle as she pulled it out of her purse. “I didn’t want it to be a reminder to Brooke every time she looked at me. I could see what it was doing to her.”

“She was pretty upset about it. I think she’s doubting her ability to protect you every time she looks at it.” C.C. could see the trepidation in Sam’s face. “Hey, I don’t have to tell you that about her. You already know it. She’d protect you to the death if she thought it was necessary.”

“I don’t even want to think about that, C.C.”

“Speaking of my sister,” the brunette looked around the small restroom. “Where is she?”

Sam smiled. “She’s taking our bags to the car… er truck,” she corrected. “I’m going to meet her over at the electronics’ store. So, what are you up to at the mall, C.C.? I thought you had all your shopping already done.”

The brunette grinned. “Well, you know I’m always in the market for a good looking guy.” She turned back to the mirror, primping her hair. “I did have my eye on this Adonis of a guy until Mother Nature tapped me on the shoulder and I had to come in here.” She shrugged, “Guess I’ll just have to start looking all over again.”

“C.C., it’s a week before Christmas. Don’t you think that most of the guys shopping now already have a girlfriend to buy for?”

The young woman stopped to think for a moment then slowly nodded her head. “Yeah…” the frown came to her mouth.

“Maybe you need to look somewhere else.”

Suddenly the smile came to C.C.’s face. “I got it.”

“Got what, roommie?”

“Where to look.” C.C. hurriedly threw her comb back into her purse and started for the door.

“Hey, aren’t you going to wait for your sister to come back and say hello to her?” Sam called after the fleeing woman.

Pausing at the door for only a second or two, C.C. answered her back. “If she wants to see me, have her come looking over by the chenille robes and slippers.”

“C.C., why there?” Sam was puzzled at the location.

“Because that’s were all the single guys will be getting gifts for their mothers.” The woman winked as a broad smile crossed her face.

Sam laughed as she heard C.C. humming a reasonable facsimile but slightly off key ‘I’ll be home for Christmas’ as the door to the restroom closed behind the brunette.

Seeing the tall form of her lover at the X-box display, Sam made her way down the long row of televisions that were on display. She walked down the length of the aisle until the logo of MTV caught her eye and she turned to look at the set, getting a glimpse of Peter Butler with his hand up and walking away from the camera. Sam stopped to watch as the familiar figure turned around to face viewers.

“No comment, I told you. I’m not buying into this game.” Peter turned around and entered the doors of Brownstone Records and out of the camera’s view.

“There you have it, the very unofficial words of fellow band mate, Peter Butler.”

Sam shook her head in disbelief, and then continued over the six or seven more feet to stand next to Brooke. She reached out and tugged on the woman’s arm. When she had her lover’s attention, Sam motioned over to the television set with its tiny little insert in the upper corner replaying Peter’s clip of film as the reporter jabbered on. “I wonder what they have to report on us now?”

Brooke watched as Peter proudly walked away, then turned to Sam and smiled. “You’ve gotta love that guy.”

“Yeah, you do.” Sam’s eye caught the screen filled with images of Loran as they settled in on one particular frontal view shot of the blonde streaked woman. The next thing that she saw was the side by side comparison of the drummer with the corporate image used on Brownstone’s informational material of its executive officer, Brooke L. Gordon.

“We at MTV wonder if the controversial drummer could be one and the same with the CEO of Brownstone Records. Here are photographs of both women. We’ll let you be the judge.”

“What’s the matter, Darlin’?”

Sam shot a glance at her lover then motioned back to the TV. “You know, you two don’t even look anything alike. I don’t know what I ever saw in Loran.”

“What?” Brooke turned to view the images still on the screen. “Oh shit!” She nervously looked around them to see if anyone was making the connection.

The blonde sensed Brooke’s uneasiness. “Hey, nobody’s gonna recognize you. Loran is brassy and bold, while you…” Sam smiled, wrinkling her nose at the thought of what she was about to say. “You’re just a big ol’ Teddy bear.”

“Sam…” Brooke rolled her eyes and whined.

“I know, you’d rather be a pillow for me to cuddle into, right?” Mirth filled green eyes looked up into blue.

“Right,” the tall woman nodded.

“Forget about it, Brooke. You’re two totally different people and everyone that knows you is aware of it.”

“You think so? You really believe I’m nothing like Loran?”

“Believe it. In fact, I’d stake my life on it and I think I know you better than most do.” Sam gave her lover a wink.

“I know you do…” Brooke could feel the blush starting to creep up her neck. “I just wonder sometimes though… I mean… Loran wouldn’t have been Loran without the real me.”

“No, Loran wouldn’t have been Loran without the press releases. You,” she tapped Brooke in the chest. “You are the music. Loran was just the selling vehicle.”

Brooke thought back to earlier in the day and her altercation with the bathroom door. “Well, we already know where she got her temper.”

“Everyone has a temper, even me,” Sam winked, “…and we don’t want to wake that beast unless we have to.”

The mood suddenly felt lighter as Brooke began to laugh. “Okay, Darlin, if you say so.” Brooke turned away from the TV as she slipped an X-box under her arm and pointed the way to the cashier. “So, who’s left on our list? My arms are still tired from that last load I took to the truck.”

“Hmm… did we get anything for Julie yet?”

“No,” Brooke shook her head. “I wanted to wait on you. I thought that maybe we could look for that one together.” Brooke took her place in line waiting to make her purchase. “Whatcha think?”

Sam shrugged, “Sounds good to me.” The blonde started to look around, then finally turned to her companion and asked very nonchalantly, “So, where do they keep the fresh frozen embryos here?”

“What?” A confused look was painted on Brooke’s face. “Fresh frozen embryos? Honey, have you been watching ‘Junior’ again?”

“Nothing,” Sam grabbed onto Brooke’s arm. “I’m joking… just joking, Brooke.”

The tall woman pulled back on Sam’s arm and arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” There was a hint of a hope in the woman’s blue eyes as she waited for her answer.

Sam took on an almost pixie like appearance as she wrinkled up her nose and smiled sweetly. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

The tall woman took on an almost childlike appearance as she sat on the living room floor with boxes and gift wrapping paper strewn all about her. Wrinkling up the last remnant of a roll of decorative paper, she threw the makeshift ball for Mario to chase.

“There you go, fella.” She watched the dog scamper after it before accepting the wrapped package from Sam.

“Brooke, are you sure the tree is going to be big enough for all these presents to fit under it?” Sam let go of the package. ” Here, you had better tag David’s present before you go to the next one.”

The woman smiled realizing that this would be her very first time at sharing her Christmas traditions with someone close and it made her feel warm, bringing a smile to her face. “I guess we’ll find out when you help me pick it.” She picked up the pen and took a tag from the pile. “Okay, Law.” She looked up from placing the tag on the gift to see the puzzled look on Sam’s face. “I never call him David.”

“Why do you call him that… Law?”

“Well, his name is David Lawrence,” she started to explain.

“So, shouldn’t it be Larry if not David?”

“Sam…” Brooke teased, “What does Randi do for a living?” Her smile broadened as she waited for Sam to get it.

Sam’s brows furrowed as she thought, trying to make the connection. “She’s an assistant D.A.” She watched Brooke’s eyes twinkle and knew that she’d gotten it right. “Oh, I get it… law. Now that’s funny.”