There was a moment of quiet that neither woman knew how to fill. Each one waiting for the other to start as both of them felt for the pain of the other.

Brooke shook her head to try and clear the alcohol induced fog. “Maybe it’s the beer but you have me so confused right now. I know what I want but maybe I’m too drunk to figure out what you want.”

Finally, Sam found her voice and started. “I’m not going to say that you didn’t hurt me.” Sam looked at the faint line of her own hand on Brooke’s cheek, “I can see that I hurt you and I’m sorry for that.” Sam wanted to reach out and take the pain away but thought better of touching Brooke right now. Instead, she laid her cards on the table. “But God, Brooke, can’t you see that we’re in need of each other? That we love each other, otherwise, it wouldn’t have hurt so much.”

Painful blue eyes searched Sam’s face. “I do love you.” There was the start of a slow nod to Brooke’s head as she added, “And I need you more than anything in my life.”

“Could you open up your heart to someone that didn’t even recognize their own idol?” Sam’s brow furrowed, ashamed the she hadn’t known the drummer. “Someone who sees the woman and not the celebrity?”

Brooke smiled, realizing that it was what she wanted the whole time. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“I felt the love Brooke, and only wanted more.”

“More?” Brooke questioned with an arched eyebrow.

Sam smiled wrinkling her nose and squinting up at the taller woman. “Yeah, more. I want to spend time with you, Brooke. I want to memorize you in your everyday life, not the videos on MTV or VH1′s Where Are They Now.”

Brooke moved closer to Sam and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman’s waist. “What do you mean by everyday?”

“Don’t you see,” Sam allowed herself to lean into Brooke. “Loran will always be a part of my life.” She leaned back and looked at Brooke, then reiterated, “My past life. But you, Ms. Gordon…” the blonde smiled coyly, “I could take you everyday being in my life, for the rest of it.”

The taller woman smiled. “You can have Loran. I don’t want her.” She squeezed the woman in her arms. “All I want is you.”

Sam looked up directly into Brooke’s eyes and grinned. “Loran? Loran who?”

The distance closed between the pair and they kissed, first softly then more arduous until they were locked into a lover’s embrace. The renewed feelings were proof enough that they were where they should be, together. When their need for a breath was more overpowering than their emotions, they finally let their lips part from one another.

“I love you, Sam,” Brooke spoke out as they separated.

Chills ran up Sam’s spine as she heard the words and wrapped her arms around Brooke, squeezing her tightly. “God, I love you.” She buried her head in Brooke’s shoulder, “Let’s never do this again…” Sam saw the leery look in Brooke’s eye and the beginning of a raised eyebrow. “Fight, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Brooke agreed, pulling her in, then kissed the top of the blonde’s head.

“Hey, I liked that song you were singing earlier. Is that something that I should recognize?”

“No, I wrote it for you after you left.”

Sam leaned back and looked up at the taller woman, then nestled back into her place on Brooke’s shoulder. “I know now, that you are Brooke Loran without any doubt in my mind.”

“Why now?”

“Brooke,” green eyes pleaded her case. “There’s no denying that voice, not when you sing.” Sam tried to hold back a smile. “Besides, your sister is quite the Brooke Loran Gordon protector.”

“Huh?” A single dark eyebrow raised high on her forehead.

“C.C. read me the riot act.” The small woman stole a glance in Brooke’s direction. “She really got me thinking on that drive back to the campus.”

The older woman smiled, knowing her sister like a book. “Well, if there’s one thing that she’s good at, it’s talking.”

“You know, I think she cares more about you than anyone else in the world.” Sam sighed, “If you could only see yourself through her eyes.”

“God only knows why. I used to torment the hell out of her.” Brooke smiled shyly from ear to ear. “I still torment the hell out of her.” The woman looked around the deck and wondered how it was that she deserved such a devoted sister.

“You know that old saying, don’t you?” Sam waited for a moment then continued, “You only hurt the one that you love…” the blonde stopped short, realizing that was exactly what she had done. “Gosh, Brooke, I’m sorry that I hurt you.”

The older woman tossed her head to one side and smirked, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before now.” Brooke shrugged her shoulders and resigned herself to the truth of the matter. “I was just too scared to lose you.”

Sam closed her eyes, hearing the revealed truth, and decided to let all the truths come to the light of day. “I… I don’t know if this is the right time or not, but I’m going to say it any way.” The woman swallowed and took in a deep breath before looking up at the musician. “I love you.”

Brooke answered her back speaking nothing but the truth that dwelled deep within her heart, “I love you, too, Sam.”

A hint of a smile broke across Sam’s lips as she struggled to keep from crying. Her quick hand motions wiped away the tears that rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably. “I was hoping that you still could find it in your heart.”

“What’s that?” Blue eyes watched the young woman fight to regain her composure.

“I guess I’m asking if we can start over again.” Sam loosened her grip on Brooke and backed away, “only right this time.”

“Right?” Brooke questioned.

“Yeah, right.” Sam straightened herself up and extended her hand in friendship. “Hi, I’m Sam Adams Moleson and I’d like to get to know you.”

Brooke slowly stretched her body to its full height and stood looking at the blonde’s face. She let her eyes drift to the hand offered to her. The large hand of Brooke’s reached out and pushed Sam’s hand away. The look on the younger woman’s face was one of puzzlement at the action. Before she knew it, Brooke took a step closer to the woman, letting her hands come to rest on the small waist. “Hi, Sam. I’m Brooke Loran Gordon. I used to be the drummer for this band called Anti-Zero.” Blue eyes looked directly into green as the words came tripping out of her mouth. “I love you and want to spend the next ten thousand years with you.” The dark-haired woman fought back a smile, “Or the rest of my life, whichever comes first.”

The blonde shook her head then giggled, her reaction pleasing the other woman. “Let’s hope that it’s neither. I’d rather have you around for the rest of my life.” Sam stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Brooke’s lips ever so gently.

Picking up Sam so that they were the same height, Brooke locked gazes with the blonde as they drew closer in an embrace. Minutes seemed like seconds when they had finally released the hold that neither one of them wanted to let go of. The taller woman set Sam down, then asked in a meek voice, “So, I guess we’re actually a couple now, huh?”

“Hmm…” the blonde tilted her head as if she was considering the question. “A couple of what… star-crossed lovers who just had their first fight?”

“Well,” Brooke cleared her throat, “You know what they say…” She paused for a moment, and then continued, “You’re not really a couple until you’ve had your first fight.”

Sam pondered the thought, then asked, “So, is this where we get to do the making up part or what?” A smile tugged at her lips.

“I’m all about making up. I love you, Sam,” Brooke said as their lips found one another.

Two entwined humans lounged gracefully on the couch, basking in the rightness of the world as it spun now in their lives. The growing shadows announced the setting of the day’s sun when the scurry of a four-legged friend was heard scampering through the house in search of its mistress. The pawing and cold nose of Mario put a hasty end to the lip-lock that Sam and Brooke were in.

“Hey, Mario…where’d you come from?” Brooke reached out and petted the dog, “Down, Boy.”

Sam smiled and shook her head, not believing the perfect set-up that Brooke had just opened herself up to. Fighting back the laughter that was about to erupt, Sam got out, “From his mom and dad.”

“Ah…” Brooke smiled, happy to hear laughter coming from the woman in her arms. “I deserved that, didn’t I?”

“Uh-huh…” Sam nodded, knowing that it meant that C.C. was back. “Brooke, honey…” the blonde doodled with her finger on Brooke’s shirt. “You aren’t going to be too mad at your sister are you? I mean she did have our best interest at heart when she did her meddling.”

Sighing, Brooke had to agree, nodding her head. “That she did. I can’t be mad at her for that.” The older woman kissed the top of Sam’s head. “But I think you’ll agree with me when I say that she has to learn…”

“Not to meddle in our relationship?” Sam finished her sentence. “Hmm…That just might be a bit hard for her where you’re concerned.”

“Yeah, she needs to not meddle where you’re concerned.”

“Brooke, just don’t be too hard on her. Okay?” Sam looked up into blue eyes, “She did help us make it right.”

Brooke got her hardest, most menacing face on, then just as quickly let it soften to a smile. “Okay, I won’t.” Then she kissed Sam’s sweet lips lightly, “But I’m gonna make her sweat.”

Just then, the front door opened and C.C. entered the foyer, catching a view of the two lovebirds on the couch. “Hey.” She closed the door and turned back to the living room. “Ah… I take it everything is back to normal now?”

Sam could hear the rumblings of the words as they were formed deep in Brooke’s chest and closed her eyes waiting for the vocal storm to fill the room.