“Somehow I think I’m involved in this,” Sam heard a little laugh from Brooke. “Oh God… I am involved…” she took in a deep breath. “What about Gordon babies?”

Brooke laid a bevy of kisses across Sam’s collarbone. “I had asked a question… hypothetically, and I wanted to make sure of the order of things.” Brooke pulled back and smiled at the woman. “I was making sure that the order was still that marriage comes before babies.”

“What kind of question is that?” The corners of Sam’s mouth turned up. “Especially for C.C., the girl can’t keep her mind on one guy for more than a week or two.”

“It wasn’t about C.C., Love… it was about me. I told you that we were teasing C.C. and I mentioned that I wouldn’t remain single forever.”

Sam stopped short of what she was doing, then looked at Brooke kind of funny-like, “You want to get married? But I thought…” Sam stared into blue eyes for a second, then let her gaze drift off. “Maybe I thought wrong.”

“What did you think, Darlin’?” The older woman grew concerned. “Sam… I meant to you. If I ever get married, it will only be to you.”

“I’m not sure what I was thinking now,” Sam mumbled, avoiding gazes with Brooke for a long moment of silence. The staring came to an end when Brooke sat up in the bed. “Hey, where are you going?”

“Nowhere… I’m just sitting up so I can see if you decided to kick me out on my ass or not.” Brooke turned to look at Sam, “I’m sorry. I thought that maybe one day… we could…”

“Brooke… I didn’t mean it like that.” Sam sat up, then laid a hand on the other woman’s arm. “I’m just shocked that you would think that after only knowing me a short time…”

“Sam… nothing between you and me shocks me anymore. I don’t think with my head when it comes to you…” Brooke placed her hand on Sam’s, then moved it to her own chest, “just my heart.”

The young woman allowed her hand to be moved easily, letting it lay softly over Brooke’s left breast. “I think I’m beginning to know what you mean, Love.” Sam paused, feeling the beat of Brooke’s heart underneath her hand. “Let’s just hold that thought until we find out where I get assigned for my internship… okay?”

“Will it matter?”

“I don’t think so, but could you honestly live with me now and not be upset if I get assigned somewhere else? Brooke, I don’t want anything to come between us.”

Brooke stared into Sam’s eyes. “Nothing will, Baby. I won’t let it.” She reached out and comforted the young woman with a gentle touch to her cheek, “No matter where you go… I’ll follow you.”

“It’s only until May, Brooke. Can’t you wait?” Sam searched her lover’s face.

“Sam, look me in the eye… your answer is there. I can’t hide it anymore.”

The blonde looked into the clear, calming orbs of blue and could see the love flowing out to her like the river runs into the sea, unable to hold anything back for a single moment. “Okay… I’ll make you a deal, Brooke. If I get placed anywhere around this part of Virginia, we’ll live together. How’s that?”

The smile grew on Brooke’s face. “I love you.”

“I know… all too well,” Sam leaned in, gently kissed her lover’s lips, then she slowly pulled the older woman back down into the bed. “Now,” Sam whispered, “where were we…” she cleared her throat softly, “in that story of yours?”

“So…” Brooke pushed her mind back to the story, “As I was saying earlier before you scared the life out of me,” she grinned, “I hypothetically asked to make sure that marriage comes before the kids.”

“Come on, my love, spit it out… marriage comes before babies… so?”

Brooke kissed the delicate features of Sam’s face as she talked, “I told Terri and C.C. I wanted to make sure for future reference that I had them in the…”

“Right order?” Sam questioned.

“I didn’t want to have them backwards; you know how times change and all.” Brooke shrugged, “Then Terri mentioned the size of Gordon babies when they’re born and the discussion kind of went off on a ‘what if’ concept.”

Sam leveled a serious look at the dark-haired woman. “Brooke, do you want a baby?”

“I ah… uhm… I think it’s just been on my mind since Mom brought it up at dinner on Sunday. I never really thought about it before.”

“And now you are?”

“I never really had a reason to. I dunno…” Brooke pursed her lips and looked away.

“Until now,” Sam added, using her finger to bring Brooke’s face back toward her own. “Is it because you love me?”

Brooke grimaced; “I never thought about settling down with anybody or having a family…” blue eyes looked into green, “until you.”

Sam smiled “Well, I can’t say that I haven’t given it some thought, too.” She bit at her lip and nodded slightly, never letting her gaze shift, “If I were to have any children it would be with you.” She could see the intensity of love rise in Brooke’s eyes, noting the huge smile on her face as her lips mouthed out a silent, ‘I love you.’ “I guess we’ll just have to figure out how to make them when the time is right.”

“Yeah,” Brooke agreed with a smile, “but trying is going to be fun.”

“And that thought alone makes me want to practice. What do you say, lover?”

“I say…” Brooke paused as her face began to glow, “we’ll talk later. Let’s practice our technique for making a baby.”

“Oh yeah.” Sam wrapped her arms around Brooke’s neck, pulling her in for a kiss and let it run its course as the two lovers melded together. Coming away somewhat breathless but satisfied, Sam whispered out her question. “I guess we’re married then, huh?”

“Not yet.” Brooke searched Sam’s face for a reaction.

“But I thought…” Sam’s forehead wrinkled up, “You said marriage first then…”

“Sam,” Brooke took in a breath, then let it out slowly. “If I asked you to… would you marry me?”

“Hmm… what do you think?” Sam eyed her lover with a mysterious twinkle in her eyes.

“I uh…” Brooke swallowed, trying to get some moisture in her suddenly dry mouth. “I think I’d like to hear it.”

“Oh, I think that answer is fairly obvious…” Sam teased, “given you have my heart and my soul.” She paused for only a second before she spoke what was in her heart. “Yes, Brooke, I’d marry you in a heartbeat. All you have to do is ask.”

“You know, Sam… When I think I know where my life is going, you have a way of changing my plans.”

The blonde laughed softly, “How’s that?”

Brooke looked down at her hands, “Well… I uhm… I had something planned to do. I had it all worked out and now, I just can’t wait that long.”

“I see.”

“Do you?” Blue eyes flashed with hope as she looked up to Sam.

The young woman smiled, “So, what are you going to do about it?”

“Well, this morning when I woke you up and we talked about… well… the whole baby thing. It just really got me thinking. So, when you went to class, I went walking around, drove around…”

“And played around with your work, huh?”

“No,” Brooke smiled shyly. “I got work done, too.” Her gaze turned intense with the thought.

“I’m teasing you, silly. Go on,” Sam encouraged her.

The older woman’s eyes began to roam about the room, not being able to focus on any one thing. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you… me… us…”she looked at Sam, “…together.”

“Kind of overpowering, isn’t it?” Sam smiled reassuringly, “I know. That’s how I feel when I think about us and the future.”

“Very,” Brooke sighed, relieved that Sam understood what she was feeling. The tall woman could feel her heart start to race as she made her mind up to go with her emotions and the moment that they were in. “Sam, close your eyes.” Brooke watched as the young woman nodded, then closed her eyes as asked.

Biting her lip, Brooke moved silently from the bed, crossing over to the bathroom door where her coat hung on the knob. Rummaging around in the pocket for a moment, the older woman retrieved what she was after and headed back to the bed. After crawling back under the covers, Brooke stretched her body out along the length of Sam’s. Taking in a deep breath, she looked at the rounded top box in her hands and opened it with a small squeak and a ‘thunk’ when the lid finally stopped. Blue eyes glistened as she looked at the item inside the velvet-lined box. Even in the dim lighting of the candles, she could see it sparkling. Willing her hands to be steady, Brooke took it, discarding the box on the nightstand, then turned toward Sam.

Brooke placed one of Sam’s hands upon the other and held on to both of them with her own left hand as she leaned in and kissed her lover ever so gently. “I love you, Sam.”

A smile graced the blonde’s lips as they parted from the kiss, “I love you too, Brooke.” Sam opened her eyes to stare into thoughtful blue orbs, sensing another kiss in the making.

After the second kiss, Brooke whispered into Sam’s ear, “You are my whole life. You mean everything to me. I’d give you the world if I could, but right now, I can give you my heart… for good…” she slid the ring on the fourth digit of Sam’s left hand, feeling the small hand tremble, “…for always. Sam, will you marry me?”

The young woman never looked down to her hand but instead, only deeper into Brooke’s eyes, almost losing herself with the offering of love. “I didn’t think you’d ask me this soon. Yes, Brooke Gordon, I’ll marry you.”

“Yes?” Brooke eyes grew bigger, “You said…’yes’?” She gulped, watching the smile radiate from Sam’s face. “I love you, Sam.” She brought Sam’s left hand to her mouth and kissed it briefly, never letting her come away from Sam’s gaze. Slowly she drew the blonde closer to her until their lips met and for a moment, time stood still. The deepness with which they kissed, rivaled the intensity of the love that they felt for each other.