Note: This story falls after "Final Warning" but before "Sometimes, Even The Music Is Against You" in my "Facing The Music" series. As always, what's Marvel's is Marvel's, what's mine is mine.

Paige had run out of calm, rational reasons to insist her big brother do what she wanted, so she had decided to turn the tables on him. "Why won't you just go out with Celeste?"

On the other end of the line, Sam sighed and sat down in his favorite chair. "She's got a boyfriend," he gently reminded her.

"And they're not on speaking terms right now. He's mad that she didn't tell him that she was involved with mutants, after all." Sam nodded. He had gotten the feeling that things between the two had turned somewhat ugly after Matt had discovered that Celeste had been involved with mutants. It didn't help matters that she was working for Emma Frost now.

"She's not my type..." Sam offered as he started to watch a music video. "Country Folk Can Survive" was playing, and he started to hum along with the refrain, "we say grace, we say ma'am..."

"Turn off that song!" Paige demanded. "Just because Celeste doesn't believe a date should begin or end with saving the world doesn't mean she's not your type..." Celeste needed someone strong in her life, someone that could lean on her as well as she could lean on him. Her big brother could be the safe harbor Celeste needed. "And as far as I know, going with her to see a play isn't always a date."

Sam had changed the channel to football. "Auburn's winning, you know." He tried to distract his sister. Over the phone, Paige nodded as she watched the game. "Terry Bowden's goin' ta have his eighth kid and he's always smilin'."

Paige laughed at that remark. "I wonder if the two are related. Look, Sam, she needs a date to go to the play tonight, and her boyfriend's not going to take her. He's in DC, and he's not going to come back in time. Sean can't go with her, he's spending the weekend with his daughter. None of the guys can take her tonight, they're too young. She never had much time for people around her own age, she's always with us, at work, or with her sister." Sam nodded at that, Celeste didn't have a lot of people around her. "And I know that it would mean a lot to her to go tonight- she wants to see a few of the people. She knew them from when she was in Hollywood."

Sam and Celeste had talked a lot since they first met and he considered her a friend. He knew the reasons Celeste wasn't in touch with her Texas friends. Sighing, he looked at the calendar. Since calling it quits with Tabitha, Sam's weekends were empty unless he had to go save the world. "What's her number?" he surrendered.

Paige smiled as she gave him Celeste's work number. She had decided to stop mourning the fact she and Jono couldn't get together and focus her energy on getting her big brother dating someone that was right for him. He and Celeste had a lot in common- they were both big siblings, caring, compassionate, and strong willed. If they didn't work out, she'd at least get some hints as to what kind of woman would be best for him.

***

As a little girl on her Granny's knees, Celeste had learned one trick to constant ladylike behavior- never cuss in a language that the people around her knew. And Granny, the picture of refinement, had known four languages. Today, Celeste had gone from Spanish to French before settling on German to tell the computer what she thought of it. Something about the guttural words were very satisfying as she struggled with the spreadsheet. It wasn't that she regretted taking this job with Emma but, at times, she doubted her ability to be the best person for the job. As she taught Jubilee though, she just worked harder than most people to look like she was as good as them.

The phone rang and she answered it. "Hello?" On a Monday-Friday basis, she hated personal calls at work. This was Saturday though, no one else in the office, and it wasn't as bad. However, it wasn't like she had any real friends to call her. Outside of her on-again, off-again, boyfriend and a couple of people from church, no one really would care enough to call her.

Sam wriggled on his end of the line, "Hey! This is Sam- Sam Guthrie, Paige's brother."

Celeste smiled, taking a little bit of joy from listening to the man squirm. It was an universal woman's thing. Eve probably got a kick from watching Adam turn red the first time she met him. "I don't forget people who save my life," she said, old habits causing her to lace the words with just enough sugar to increase Sam's blush. "Thanks again."

Gambit was listening in on the other line and coached Sam's next words. "Standard Superhero Stuff, ma'am." This time, Celeste blushed slightly. "Ah'd remembered that ya liked Shakspeare and heard that "A Midsummer's Night Dream" was playing in town and Ah was thinkin' maybe we could go and talk a little about -" He paused, trying to read Gambit's handwriting, "Paige's stuffin'?" Gambit shook his head.

Celeste laughed. "You want to talk to me about her walnut stuffing or if she's stuffing her bra?" Sam laughed with her.

"No, ma'am, Ah meant her stuff and all... jist came out stuffin'. Does she?" It was a semi-smooth recovery, not at all bad for a rookie. Gambit nodded his approval.

"She makes a great walnut stuffing," Celeste said with a smile before dropping her voice. "And she's discovered that she can shape shift into Betty Boop." If she could have done it when she was sixteen, she would have.

Gambit smiled and almost picked up the phone to talk to this woman. She was quick witted and fun loving, not to mention able to make Sam blush on the drop of a hat. He motioned for Sam to continue.

"Anyway, Ah know ya mentioned how much ya love Shakspeare and just thought we could go- As friends an' all because of Matt and all." Gambit gave Sam a thumbs up.

Celeste nodded. "I'd love to." After checking her calender, she realized that she could make it out of the office in time to buy a new dress. "I've got tickets that were going to go to waste." Silently, she blessed Paige's meddling. She wouldn't have gone to the performance without a date, someone for moral support. And even if Sam was three years younger than her, he was moral support. Cute moral support at that.

"So, shall Ah pick ya up for something ta eat?" He read Gambit's note.

Quickly, she thought of the place that Emma loved, which was close to the theater. "Sure. I'll make reservations." It was pricey but, since Sam was helping her out, she would pay. She was making enough money to do that, and it was something friends did. That way, if things worked out, Sam could pay the next time and they could have an official date. "Nice place for a friendly date."

"Excellent," Sam agreed. "Pick ya up at five?"

"Sure thang..." Celeste smiled as she realized her Texas accent was showing. She had mostly lost it after ten years in Hollywood and four years in Massachusetts.

After saying goodbye, Sam turned to his coach. "Thanks." It had seemed weird to have help, but it was nice to actually connect with someone on the team. And it might just get Gambit to stop ribbing him about the night Sam had been picked up by a blonde in a bar.

***

Sam sighed as he rang the doorbell. He had accidently gone to the apartment building where Celeste had lived before going to work for Emma, which would have made him early for his date. However, she had moved across town, which meant he had to drive across town to get to her place. And he hated driving compared to flying. Factor in the fact he had to borrow a car from Emma Frost, and he wasn't in the best frame of mind to be going out on a date.

Celeste let out a relieved sigh as she saw him climb out of the car. A punctual person, she hated for people to be late. Then she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and laughed. She had decided if she was going to be accused of stepping out on Matt, she'd do the thing right. Born with an innate sense of style, she had teamed a charcoal buttersoft leather miniskirt and top with matching tights and heels and set it off with silver and garnet jewelry. She wore her hair up to show off her dangling earrings. It was nice to have money again, especially when she could afford the type of clothes she worked hard to fit into.

Sam left his jacket in the car, deciding it was too muggy to wear it. Not knowing the type of restaurant Celeste had picked out, he didn't have a clue as to how to dress. Not that it helped any, he had male pattern fashion blindness which said that black socks and navy blue shoes went together well. However, taking a hint from Pete Wisdom, he went with simple black pants and white shirt. Despite what Storm said about the man, at least he never had to worry about what to wear.

He rang her doorbell and Ariel answered it. She was dressed comfortably in a teenager's uniform of blue jeans and a t-shirt. She looked at him disparagingly. "Celeste ready?" he asked as she fixed an icy glare on him.

"She's almost done," she answered, and he picked up on the sweetness of her breath. The girl had recently gargled with mouthwash. "She came home from work with some bags and now she's getting dressed."

Sam nodded as she reluctantly allowed him into the apartment. "She's pretty busy, huh?" Ariel sat down on the couch and nodded.

"Since she went to work for Emma, she's always busy. Matt can try to call her five times before he gets though." Ariel smiled at Matt's name and Sam got the impression that Tom Cruise couldn't measure up to the aforementioned absent boyfriend. "Sometimes, I just see her at breakfast and then, when I get up in the middle of the night, she's in bed." He picked up on the bitterness in the girl's voice and motioned for her to continue. Ariel smiled at him, glad that someone was making time for her. "She doesn't have time for anyone anymore- that's why she and Matt are having trouble."

Sam knew it wasn't as simple as that. Lack of time was a symptom of a deeper problem in a relationship. It was one thing to have limited time together, it was another to choose not to spend what time you did have with the other person. "Paige said it was something ta do with her workin' for Emma."

"Matt kindof doesn't like mutants, but he'll learn. Celeste needs to start being less selfish." She stopped her complaints as she saw her sister walk out. Celeste fixed a glare on her, daring her to repeat what she'd just said. Ariel wisely said nothing, and looked innocently at her sister. They stared for a long moment before Ariel dropped her eyes.

After watching the exchange, Sam made a motion towards the coatrack. "Need the coat?"

Celeste had been debating what to do about her sister's attitude when Sam's comment broke though. "I've got a matching jacket in my room, right by my purse." She returned to trying to figure out what to do with her sister.

Sam picked up on the tension and realized it wasn't the first time this had happened. "Ah need ta use the bathroom any ways." He excused himself as Celeste showed him where it was.

"What was that about?" Celeste asked of her sister. "Sam's going with me because Matt wouldn't."

Ariel shrugged. "You say you love him, but you turn around and go out with Sam?" She didn't know about the fights that the couple had had about anything and everything in the past few weeks. All she knew was Matt treated her like an adult, where her sister treated her like a baby.

Truth was, in the past couple of weeks, Celeste hadn't had time for Matt. Her career was in hyper drive, and she couldn't deal with someone so jealous as to be offended that she made more money than him- three times the money he did. And the fights were so draining, Celeste was happier when he was out of town. If Ariel didn't seem so attached to him, she would have broken up with him the first time he'd called her "dumb" or "fat". "I'll go with someone that is kind enough to ask me. And this is a friendship date."

No wonder my sister had slept with that man who held us hostage- she had the morals of an alley cat! Ariel thought. No friendship date started in an outfit that looked like it came from "Street Walkers Are Us." She rolled her eyes at her sister. "Yeah, sure, whatever..."

Instead of following that remark up, Celeste let it slide. "I have a life outside of Matt," she said. "And tonight, as friends, it includes Sam." Knowing that this fight could continue ad nauseam, she called to Sam, "You stuck in there?"

Sam chuckled as he flushed the toilet and turned on the water. He had spent the last five minutes on the side of the tub, thumbing through Reader's Digest to let the two fight in peace.

***

"I'm so sorry," Celeste apologized to Sam. "Ariel's a teenager and she's ...."

"Pricklish?" Sam asked with an understanding smile on his face. "Paige can be that way, and Ah've got some cousins who make Ariel look mild."

A genuine smile broke across Celeste's face. "She's too attached to Matt, but it's been a long time since she's had a father figure. And at twenty-nine, he's willing to accept the role." Before the sisters had been held hostage, the two of them had talked about getting married and raising their own family.

"He's five years older than ya?" Sam asked as she pointed to a turn.

"Nearly six, and sometimes a little too smothering. You know, has an agenda and has to be followed?" Celeste sighed. "We've got eight months and a lot of time and tears invested in this relationship, which is why I've tried to make it work." Sam nodded.

"Tabitha and I had a good year and a not so good year before we called it quits. It doesn't say anything bad about the people if they decide to break up." Sam offered his advice.

Celeste frowned. "It's been so bad lately that I've thought I'm better off without him than with him, but he's going to be extra nice when he gets back- we had a doozy of a fight just before he left." She had thought about breaking up with him, but he was so attentive after a fight. And with the problems they had had lately, he was so sweet half the time.

Sam frowned slightly as he realized what Celeste was saying. Matt was smothering, controlling, and very nice after a fight, which triggered a mental bell. But, he didn't know Matt, so he dismissed his worries. "This the place?"

Celeste nodded. "Best seafood in town." Then glancing at her watch, she frowned. "And they've just given our table away." The restaurant would only hold their table for fifteen minutes after their reserved time.

"Do ya want ta try someplace else?" Sam asked.

She shook her head. "Let's see if we can get a table.

***

They couldn't, but Emma Frost's name could. Sam was put out by the woman's casual acceptance of Emma's reputation, while Celeste felt it was more important to get the seats. The host showed them to the best table in the restaurant and brought them a complementary glass of wine. Celeste made a dismissive gesture while Sam accepted his easily. "Ya don't drink?" he asked.

Celeste shook her head, "For a while, after Nina's birth, I liked it too much." Nina was the daughter she'd given away when she was eighteen. Sam knew the story because he had walked in on one of her flashbacks. After she had apologized for her reaction, they had had a long talk. "And it became a matter of the drink controlling me or me controlling the drink. I've won."

"Ya know," Sam told her, "No one could blame ya for Nina. Ya did as much of the right thing as ya could." He had no idea what he would have done if the tables had been reversed and he was alone, desperate, and needing money.

Celeste took a sip out of her water goblet and shook her head again. "Sam, I want people to tell me what I know. I am a horrible person for doing what I did." She stopped herself because she felt that no one could know the whole truth of the blackest moment of her life. "But before I really ruin the evening- I'd recommend the calamari."

Sam agreed to the change in subject. "Ever notice the people that recommend the squid never eat it?" She laughed. "What Ah want ta know is what kind of stock the gumbo has. Ah really like it in a fish stock, but it's okay in a chicken one." He was a very good cook and enjoyed eating.

"I was thinking of the shrimp scampi myself," Celeste read over the menu again and started humming along with the music that the pianist started playing. "I love this piece."

Magneto had given his students a wide exposure to classical music, so Sam ventured a guess. "Chopin?"

"No," Celeste said firmly, "'Farewell to the Piano' by Beethoven."

Sam shook his head, "It's Chopin Number 1, opus 29 in A flat major." He was eight-five percent sure of himself.

Celeste had played this piece and could anticipate the notes. "It's 'Farewell to the Piano.'" Still, she was surprised that Sam would be able to name a specific piece, especially one with somewhat similar color. That surprise came across as shock to Sam, as if she were looking down on his country boy roots.

He deepened his accent as he asked her, "Ya want me ta go up yonder an' ax th' piano player what's th' name of that fancy piece of music?" If she was going to make fun of him, she'd have a good reason to do so.

Celeste blinked as she was treated to the deepest southern accent she had ever heard. People from the next table looked at them. "Naw," she started, letting loose the accent she thought she'd lost, "Let's jist keep it a mystery between us- or Ah'll be takin' a gander at the sheet music muhself." She had done it as a joke, but Sam didn't see it as such.

"Ah don't think that's a good idea," he told her, stretching his accent as far as he could go, mixing his metaphors. "Ya might jist get up like a greased cat out of hell an' go scather his music like a lighten bolt eight ways from Sunday." Celeste started laughing at that.

"Sorry, Sam." she told him as she dabbed at her eyes. Dropping her Texas accent, she explained how she knew what she knew about the piece. "I used to play that piece, so I know the name."

Sam nodded. "Ah just thought that ya were makin' fun of me or somethin'." Several of the X-Men had taken to teasing him about his accent.

"That hard fitting in with your new co-workers?" Celeste had heard from Paige that Sam wasn't totally happy with the X-Men.

"Ah'm the rookie with more experience than some of the others, so what do ya think?" She nodded. "And then Ah've got more leadership experience and trainin' and all and Ah'm jist uncomfortable where Ah'm at, ya know?"

That was something Celeste didn't know. She was working hard to keep her head above water at Emma's. She was learning how to run a multi-million dollar corporation by day and co-ordinating a mutant underground by night. "Sounds hard," she offered.

"It is-" She set down her menu and Sam got a look at the prices. His menu, as per her request, had none. He whistled as he read how much the meal would cost.

She waved her hand. "I'm covering this meal."

That was against everything a country boy like Sam had been taught. "Ah called ya up, Ah pay."

That attitude made her mad. "I'm making more money, I decided on the place, I'm paying." She was just as capable of paying as him, her money spent just as well as his.

Sam shook his head. It wasn't like it was even his money, he'd be paying with Xavier's, but it was the principle of the thing. A lady never paid, her company was more than enough payment.

Sensing they were an at an impasse, Celeste lied, "It's on my expense account anyhow. Price of goodwill between you and Emma's school." Then, she got up and picked up her purse. Sam stood up as she explained she needed to go powder her nose.

Once she was a way from the table, he signaled the waitron and gave her his credit card. His plan would have worked if Celeste hadn't made a detour on her way to the powder room and given the host an imprint of her card.

***

Except for the incidents at the start of the meal, things went well for them. Not wonderful, but at least no cars drove though the front door. It wasn't the type of date where they got along famously, but they got along. While waiting for dessert, they started talking about their childhoods.

"I spent most of mine in front of the camera," Celeste explained. "At twelve, I had done fifty commercials, including two Barbie ones, plus a couple of pilots, a movie of the week, a couple of walk ons."

"At twelve," Sam said with a smile, "Ah drove the tractor and worked all day in the fields. Before Ah left home for school, Ah was doing a full days work everyday during the summers and a good part of the day after school." Celeste smiled as he explained, "Li'l Bit, muh best friend, was livin' with us while her momma did time so she'd help, but when Daddy was sick, Ah was man of the house, so it was up ta me ta get things done." The waitron had just brought him the ticket for dessert, so Celeste started to talk to distract him.

"I did Baywatch at sixteen." Sam quickly signed the bill without reading it over and added a twenty dollar tip before turning his attention to her. "I was Candi, the lovestruck lifeguard who wanted to break up Mitch and Summer." He folded the receipt and slipped it in his pocket. "Let me tell you, the only acting done on that set is pretending that the butt floss that doesn't hurt." Sam laughed at that.

"Ah don't watch a show Ah wouldn't want Paige or Li'l Bit ta be on, so Ah don't watch that one... is it really that bad?" Celeste took a bite of her cake as she nodded.

"Let's just say- I was wearing a bikini and playing in the surf. All of a sudden, a wave knocked the top off- while the camera was rolling. The director was mad he couldn't include that moment in the show." Sam smiled sympathetically at her. "It's that bad."

***

"So what did you think of the play?" Celeste turned to Sam with a smile on her face. She had really enjoyed it.

Actually, Sam had spent the last half of the play thinking of things worse than sitting in his chair as the "actors" mimed the scenes. "It was ... interesting." he offered. It was better than calculating the odds of his date being a Summers, and a lot better than battling Sabertooth in Smurf underwear.

"Didn't you love the way Michael said so much with one sweep of his arms?" This production had been done entirely without words, which required the audience to know the story.

Was there a Michael? Sam wasn't sure. "They didn't talk, how could they say anything?" He wasn't very familar with the details of the story.

"They used sign language, gestures, pantomime, and body language to act the whole play!" Celeste loved the experimental theater when the experiment worked. She made her way backstage to see her friends Michael and Cindy. Sam reluctantly followed.

"Actually, Ah didn't like it..." Sam admitted. "Ah couldn't follow it." Celeste shot him a glance. "Jist couldn't." He had read the play and even liked it when he was a New Mutant, but he didn't enjoy the show.

Celeste had memorized a large part of the play, her second favorite of Shakespeare's comedies. She had toured with a group for six months when she was thirteen, performing this play. This was a wonderful show. Then, wisely, she shook her head. It was better to disagree.

She made her way backstage, much to Sam's discomfort. He tried to explain it as "Ah don't think it's a good idea to be seen too much with me..." He was afraid of being recognized.

"Yeah, I might make you get a new uniform or your old personality back," Celeste whispered. "These are the same friends that didn't bat an eye when Michelle, Rachal, and Peter moved into a one bedroom apartment together- with a king sized bed. Somehow, even if they thought you were an X-Man, it wouldn't mean anything to them. Now, if you had a tail or something like that, Michael might like you...." She giggled at Sam's expression. Truth was, she wanted to see some of her old friends, ones that she could still talk to.

***

Somehow, going backstage lead to an invitation to an opening night party, which was why Sam was standing in a corner, watching as Celeste giggled and flirted her way across the room. He had never been the life of the party, but he hated being in the corner. Not trusting himself to really talk to people, he stood back and watched. Cindy, a petite brunette who had played three roles that night, made her way over to him.

"She's back..." the woman warned Sam. "Celeste is as back as she'll ever be." She handed him a coke.

"She was always like that?" Cindy shook her head. "Better or worse?"

"We used to have a contest to find the best kisser in the room." Cindy said with a smile. "As long as no one got too close to her, she was happy."

Sam noted Celeste gracefully slipped out of an embrace. "Well, being a legal guardian kind of changes ya." He knew he would be different if he didn't have to think about the example he set for his family.

"Someone hurt so deep she'll never be the same." Cindy told him honestly. "It's always in the back of her mind- she can't trust people like she'd like..." Sam turned to the girl. "Think you're the only mutant in the room, Cannonball?" She was a minor telepath.

"And ya advertise the fact?" Sam was surprised to hear that.

"I'm also a member of Friends of Humanity- go figure." She took a sip of her drink. When she had joined, she had been told the FoH wanted to remove mutant powers from mutants and allow them to live normal lives. "I worry about mutants who don't control their powers- six-years-olds that can reshape reality, men and women so powerful that they can destroy the sun." Being honest with herself, some of her concern came from the fact that she didn't know how to control her own powers. She had skimmed the surface of Celeste's thoughts without meaning too.

"But that hasn't happened, yet.." Sam began.

"And what exactly did Magneto do? My father was on one of those airplanes that crashed because he messed with the electronics.. Then you guys killed him. But hundreds of people died first." She finished her drink, grateful to have the chance to tell an X-Man what she really thought of them. "You're not doing your job right, and the FoH has a better idea. Remove the mutant's power before they can hurt someone."

"That's like a Jew supporting Hitler!" Sam managed to say but, to his surprise, he agreed with some of the points she made. The fear that many had for mutants wasn't based on anything more than the fact there was no guarantee that a person's power couldn't be used wrong. A politico might use his telepathic ability to influence the public, a teleporter would be the best kind of thief.

"It's me saying people have the right to be afraid of mutants." Celeste made her way over to the two with a smile and they dropped the subject.

***

"Tonight was interesting," Sam offered as he drove her home. A light rain had started to fall.

"Cindy talked to you, huh?" Celeste asked. "She makes a few good points." More than that, she would make an excellent recruit into Emma's underground.

"More than a few, actually." Sam had always thought FoH was made up of ignorant people. "Ah'm going ta think about what she said for a long time. But ya might want ta warn her what the Friends of Humanity really want ta do ta mutants."

"That's why I dragged you backstage." Celeste grinned. "Cindy has wanted to tell an X-Man that for a long time. I will warn her tomorrow when we meet for lunch though." And she'd try to get training for Cindy. Emma provided training for all levels of mutants using her underground. It was a key difference between hers and Xavier's mutant underground.

"What do ya believe about mutants?" Sam asked. Shadows danced across Celeste's face as she tried to answer.

After a long moment, she said. "Mutants are like any other humans, they have to be responsible for their actions. And if they can't be responsible... society has to protect itselves, but only if they can't use their powers responsibly. I have the right to own a gun, but I don't have the right to misuse it. I might make a choice to kill someone with it and society has the right to kill me for misusing my gun."

It was a cold way to put it, but Sam couldn't disagree. "But Emma uses her telepathical ability ta get ahead."

"And she uses her business sense too," Celeste pointed out. "She likes the thrill of the hunt, or else Frost Enterprises would own Microsoft. Her ability is more fun for her. It's cheating to use it to get ahead." She knew Emma well enough to know that it was the truth.

Before he could respond, the car started sputtering and Sam managed to get it over to the side. "What in the world?" he asked as it started to pour buckets.

"Pop the hood and take a look-see," she suggested. "The engine didn't overheat, the oil was okay, the gas tank was full..."

"The tank's been full all night. It hasn't budged since I picked the car up from the school." Sam remembered. He didn't want to get out in the rain.

"Did you get it out of the garage or the shop?" Sam wouldn't have gotten it out of the machinist shop, he just wouldn't have, Celeste hoped.

"There's a difference?" He had talked to Emma for a second and then gone out in the first car that had keys in it.

"The shop has cars that need to be fixed. Sean's teaching the students about fuel tanks and lines and all." Celeste shook her head and pulled out the phone. After a brief talk with the headmaster, she sighed. "And this one has a busted fuel gage."

"Is he comin'?" Sam asked hopefully as the rain poured down.

"He called triple A." Suddenly, Celeste laughed. "Talk about your standard bad dates..." From the fight with her sister, the fight over who would pay, the disagreement about the play, and now the car, it was hard to see anything that had gone right from a romantic viewpoint.

Sam joined in, "Ah don't think we could ever work out as a couple- ya need someone a little more strongwilled than me..." He trailed off as he made a mental list of who the right man for Celeste would be. Someone educated in the classics, very intelligent, strong enough to let her do what she wanted, and very supportive topped the list.

"And someone for you who was strong will but delicate too." Celeste shook her head. "But this was a bad date."

"Any date ya can walk away from...." Sam laughed. "But never again for us... not even if the fate of the world depended on it." She laughed and agreed.

Murphy's tow truck pulled up to fill up the tank as the two shook hands. If nothing else could be said about the night, two good things came out of it. They were closer friends, and the night was over.