Title: Earthquake

Author: Alex O’neal

Email: chino66_18@yahoo.com

Fandom: Popular

Archiving: If you want it, then it’s yours. Just ask first. Thank you Shadow for letting me play with the big kids!

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine and they never will be. However, this doesn’t stop me from shamefully using them anyway, so there.

Couple: S/B

Spoilers: Mostly from after the ‘Lord of the Flies’ episode, with Brooke destroying the relationship between Carmen and Josh. But also smaller references to ‘Ex, Lies and Videotape’, ‘Caged’ and ‘Booty Camp’.

AN: A huge thanks goes to Aku, my beta reader. Not just for editing and correcting my numerous spelling mistakes, but also for having the willingness to talk through the critical parts until we got things to work. This story would probably never been posted if it hadn’t been for your help Aku.

Ok, so everybody ready? Well, fasten your seatbelts people, cuz you’re in for a bumpy ride…

Part 1

“I don’t believe you!”

Spinning around on her desk chair, Brooke came face to face with a furious Sam, standing in the doorway to her room. Having been busy studying, she was taken completely off guard by the brunette’s sudden verbal attack.

“What?” was the most intelligent thing she could think of to say.

“You just couldn’t let it go. You just couldn’t let them be happy, could you?” Sam growled accusingly as she walked a few steps into the room.

“What are you talking about?” Brooke demanded starting to get a little worked up herself, even though she didn’t really know why Sam was so angry.

“Carm and Josh.” Sam exclaimed, like it was obvious to anybody who she’s talking about. “They were perfectly content until you came along planning your cruel little schemes. Why couldn’t you just leave them alone?”

Brooke felt the ball of guilt that she had been carrying around for the last few days swell and grow larger in the pit of her stomach. She hadn’t meant to break them up… well, actually she had, but at the same time she hadn’t. It had been the truth when she told Carmen that she was really happy for her, in the Novak. She had been! She hadn’t wanted Josh back at all. Not really. He had been a finished chapter with her.

But… every time she saw the two of them together it filled her with a simmering jealousy. Not necessarily of them being together, but for having someone to be together with. She wanted a special someone too, and in some twisted way that transformed itself into a want for Josh, since he was the only one she’d ever really had in the first place.

Then when he’d turned around and broken up with Carmen, right in front of Brooke’s eyes, the shame she had felt inside because of her deceit, made her run directly to the bathroom and promptly loose her stomach contents. In fact, she had been beating herself up for days, and now, out of nowhere, Sam shows up to bite her head off? Despite the correctness of the situation, Brooke felt her temper flare.

‘How dare Sam come in here and tell me what I can and cannot do? She has absolutely no right what so ever!’

“Hey, don’t lay any of that guilt on me!” the blonde protested indignantly. “Josh broke up with Carmen all on his own. I had nothing to do with it!”

For a second, Sam reminded Brooke of a floundering fish, her eyes almost comically wide, her mouth open and moving, but not emitting any sound. Then the moment was over as Sam’s jaw snapped shut and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Noth- nothing to do with it?! You practically initiated the whole thing, fawning all over Josh whenever Carm wasn’t around! I was there at the tai chi fiasco, remember?!”

Mockingly she imitated Brooke’s lame attempt at seduction during the class. “I’m sorry… It’s just when, when I stretch…” she taunted sarcastically, as she pretended to caress the neck of an imaginary Josh.

Brooke’s cheeks reddened slightly at the cruel impersonation. Jumping to her feet she quickly walked over to the brunette, stopping only inches away and crossed her arms defiantly.

“And as you may remember, nothing happened!” she hissed angrily.

“Yeah, but not for lack of trying on your part!” Sam maintained heatedly as she placed her hands on her hips in a bossy manner.

Brooke threw up her hands in the air in frustration. “Will you stop making me out to be the bad guy all the time?!” she got out exasperatedly. Turning away she walked over to her desk chair and sank back into it. “I did nothing wrong. Maybe he just realized that they didn’t belong together in the first place,” she stated quietly, her gaze determinately fixed on her own right hand resting on the tabletop, slowly clenching and unclenching. It was the same lie she had been trying to tell herself ever since this whole mess got started, but it didn’t quite ring through this time either.

Sam merely looked at the blonde, head bowed down for several quiet minutes, her anger slowly dissipating. Then she stuffed her hands in her pockets and shook her head before she settled her gaze on the floor in contemplation.

“You stooped to a new low this time McQueen,” she said softly. “I actually thought that maybe, just maybe, you weren’t the obnoxious, self-centered Popular I’ve always made you out to be. That we, of all people, who have hated each other’s guts since kindergarten, were actually becoming friends, and…” ‘maybe something more?’ her thoughts continued after her voice had trailed off.

Then she shook herself and let go of a short, cold laugh. “Silly me, huh? I keep playing the same sucker over and over, don’t I? Always falling for your cute act. Always thinking that this time will be different. But it never is, is it? You only play along as far as it suits your own purposes, then you turn around and bite the hand that feeds you. You have everything and yet you’re never satisfied. The moment someone else manages a sliver of happiness you desperately want it for yourself, no matter the cost. It never fails and I don’t know why I keep expecting otherwise.”

“Why you keep expecting…?!” Brooke couldn’t believe her ears. Yes, she had done a despicable thing, but it had nothing to do with Sam. Why was the brunette acting like Brooke had done something to her, personally?

The anger that coiled in the blonde’s gut started boiling even hotter.

“What the hell is your problem anyway?! This is between me, Carmen and Josh! Not you! It’s none of your business! Stay the fuck out of my life McPherson!” she yelled furiously.

“They’re my friends, so I’m making it my business!” Sam yelled back.

Brooke screeched in pure rage. She was absolutely livid. She had never been so angry in her whole life as she was at this exact moment. This time Sam had gone too far.

“I HATE YOU Samantha McPherson!” the irate cheerleader roared, long past the point of thinking straight, and shoved the other girl roughly causing Sam to stumble backwards in surprise. “I hate that you’re always around all the time! I hate that I can never seem to get away from you, in school or at home! Everywhere I turn you pop up like a fucking Jack-in-the-box! I hate that you always act so damn superior to my friends and me! I hate that you always go out of your way to tarnish my good reputation with all your filthy lies! I hate that you always get on my back about every little mistake I make! I hate that I can never seem to do anything right in your eyes! I hate YOU and I wish you were dead!!”

The second the last words left her mouth Brooke desperately wished that she could take them back, but it was too late. Sam paled considerably and took a subconscious step backwards, as if trying to avoid the harsh words cutting into her like sharp knifes. Then her whole body stiffened, as her anger quickly overrode her shock, and she leveled a cold stare at the blonde.

“Well, well, well. There’s the old McQueen we all know and loathe!” she ground out, her eyes narrowing into angry slits. “I was wondering where you’d gone. I knew the kind, sweet Brooke I’ve gotten to know these past few weeks was just too good to be true. But you were just waiting in the wings weren’t you? Lulling me into a false sense of security. Biding your time for the prime opportunity to sink your teeth into my bare throat!”

The pure venom behind the words shocked Brooke, and she was unable to maintain eye contact with the enraged brunette, even though it was she who in fact had initiated the hurtful exchange. She felt like she’d been kicked in the stomach, and the ache caused her to instinctively hug her own waist protectively. All her anger drained away in an instant, leaving only a kind of exhausted despair in its wake.

“Just… Go away. Leave me alone Sam,” she muttered tiredly, turning away from the journalist. She desperately wanted to just curl up somewhere and hide from the world.

“Of course, you majesty. Your every wish is my command, oh master. Just let me know when you plan on toying with my feelings next time so I can sharpen the knifes for you.” Sam hissed scornfully before storming towards the door.

Stopping in the doorway the brunette threw a bitter glance back over her shoulder. “You really are some piece of work McQueen. Our… whatever we had is officially over. We may still have to share the same house, but you can consider your wish granted; I’m never willingly talking to you again,” she whispered hoarsely, her voice thick with unshed tears.

Then she was gone, and all Brooke was aware of was her own harsh breathing and the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears as large tears welled up and slowly made their way down her cheeks.

***

A week later life still sucked for Brooke McQueen. After days of begging and pleading for forgiveness she was finally on speaking terms with Carmen and Josh again. Though neither of them seemed exactly overjoyed to see her, they still kept their conversation civil and polite.

Sam however was something else all together. She absolutely refused talking to Brooke except when absolutely necessary and had been very successful avoiding the blonde at all cost. Brooke had been surprised to learn that the forced estrangement really hurt.

She hadn’t really realized how close she and Sam had gotten lately, what with producing a documentary together, being locked up and revealing their deepest secrets in the Novak with the other girls, not to mention the Booty camp thing not too long ago. But now that Sam wasn’t around anymore, Brooke was really starting to miss her. Not even Nicole and Mary Cherry with the impromptu shopping sprees they kept springing on her to cheer her up helped. More than anything, she found herself wishing that Sam would start talking to her again, even in anger, and that confused her greatly.

Why was she suddenly so obsessed with Sam? She did desperately want to apologize to the journalist for her ill spoken words. After all, she didn’t really want Sam dead. Her fury had made her mouth run away with her and she deeply regretted it. She never meant to hurt Sam like that. She had just wanted the other girl to get off her back for a while. Now the brunette had, and suddenly Brooke just couldn’t stop thinking about her. Was it true what Sam had said, that she was never satisfied? Was that all it was? Did Brooke only want her back because the brunette was staying away?

As time went by, however, she was forced to admit that this feeling, whatever it was, was more powerful than anything she’d ever felt before. It was much more than just missing someone. It was like a large section of Brooke herself was gone and she was slowly bleeding to death. The pain she felt inside was almost unbearable, and growing worse every day. She had never felt that way about Josh, even in her darkest moment of wanting him. She simply needed to find Sam and do whatever it would take to get them on speaking terms again. And since Sam rarely spent any time at home anymore, either hanging out at one of her friend’s places or simply staying away, school seemed to be the only place to get a hold on her.

The fact that the journalist hadn’t even made an appearance in any of their shared classes during the estrangement posed a big problem though. She knew it couldn’t last forever, unless Sam was willing to flunk the classes merely to stay away from her, but she was running out of patience. The pain was getting to be too much. She simply couldn’t wait any longer. But, how was she going to make Sam talk to her when she didn’t know where the brunette was?

When the school day was finally over, Brooke decided to go on an official Sam-hunt. Just then Lily happened to walk by on her way home, and Brooke quickly pulled the small Hispanic girl to the side.

“Hey Lily! Got a minute?” Brooke asked, anxiously looking around to see if she could spot Sam nearby.

The look Lily gave her immediately told Brooke that Sam had told the smaller girl about their recent altercation. “Not really!” Lily ground out with a voice cold enough to freeze boiling water, and kept walking.

 ‘Man, is it never going to be easy? Why can’t I ever get a break?!’ Brooke groaned internally. Catching up to the smaller brunette Brooke reached out and pulled her to a stop.

“Aw, come on Lily! Please? I really need to talk to Sam, but she’s been pulling a Houdini on me all week. You’re her best friend. Can’t you tell me where she is?” she practically begged.

Lily spun around and faced the blonde teen, her eyes flashing dangerously. “Why? So you can rip her to shreds even more?”

Lily knew all about Sam’s feelings for Brooke, having spotted one of the more heated glances Sam had sent the cheerleader’s way, and confronted the brunette about it. It had taken a lot of prodding, since Sam was by nature a very private person, but eventually Lily had learned that her friend obviously cared very deeply for her stepsister. Being the supportive best friend she always prided her in being she had, since that, been rooting for them. And when seemed like they were slowly growing closer no one had been more happy than Lily.

Then, just a few days ago, Sam had come to her, virtually in tears and Lily had gotten a first hand view just how much Brooke McQueen had managed to hurt the young journalist. Sam had been completely devastated, and the smaller Latina was now in full protective-mode. “God Brooke! Haven’t you caused her enough pain already?” she hissed. “You wanted her out of you hair and now she is! What will it take before you are satisfied? Blood?! Just leave_ her_ alone!”

“Look, it’s not like that Lily! I know I was a real bitch, but –“

“Yes you were!” Lily interrupted angrily. “And I for one will not let her be subjected to any more Brooke-abuse!”

“Lily!” Brooke gasped.

“No! You know what? No! It’s bad enough that she has to live with you. If she’s managed to find one place in this stupid school where you can’t find her, then I’m not going to take that away from her. If she wanted you to know where she was she would have told you herself! Find yourself another stoolie Brooke, ‘cuz this one’s not talking!!”

Without another word Lily whirled around on her heel and stalked out of the school without a backwards glance.

Brooke slumped against the lockers and felt tears start to prickle in her eyes. Even if every word Lily had spoken was the truth, it still hurt more than Brooke cared to admit. But at the same time Brooke couldn’t really hold it against the small Latina. Lily was after all only trying to protect her friend from further ‘Brooke-abuse’ and Brooke had to respect her for that. Albeit grudgingly. After all, she was trying to do the right thing, wasn’t she?

No, she couldn’t give up that easily. She had to find Sam and apologize. Then everything would go back to normal. The feelings of guilt would go away, and she would be able to continue on with her life without having to spend every second of every day thinking about Sam.

But who, besides Lily, would know where Sam might be hiding? Who knew the journalist well enough to figure out her whereabouts, and at the same time be willing to divulge that information to Brooke?

Suddenly her head snapped up with one name reverberating loud and clear; Harrison!

***

Although he really wanted to protect his best friend more than anything, it was a well-known fact that, when it came to Brooke’s charms, Harrison was very weak. Grabbing him just before he was about to go home and cornering him far away from anybody who might try to interfere, it didn’t take long for him to break down and spill everything he knew... including the color of his own underwear - although she honestly could have done without that little tidbit of information.

’Purple?!’ she thought with a shudder.

Now, as she was stalking down the empty corridors, she was mentally berating herself. Why hadn’t she thought of it before? Of course Sam would be hiding out in the school’s newspaper office. Not only was it one of her favorite getaways in the whole school, but also, being situated in the basement, it was perfectly located for your typical recluse. Since other students rarely went down there without cause, people occupying the office ran no risk in bumping into another soul as long as they remained there. And most students rarely had a cause to go down there, making it the ideal hideout. She just hoped that Sam was still there.

Making her way down the flight of stairs leading to the basement, Brooke paused at the foot of the stairs. Most of the fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling were shot, casting the long hallway in front of her into a shadowy darkness. The place also had a kind of funky smell to it. This, coupled with the absence of proper lighting and lack of sounds from other students milling the corridors above, since everybody had gone home for the day, was actually starting to creep her out. She was seriously considering turning around right then and there, but something made her continue forward despite her own discomfort. She really did need to talk to Sam.

Down the dark hallway and to her left was the only door on the whole floor. It was labeled ‘Newspaper Office’, and pressing her ear tightly against the tarnished wood she could hear movement coming from the other side. Pulling in a deep breath she gathered up her courage and resolutely walked in.

Sam’s head snapped around at the sound of someone entering her private domain. Nobody usually came way down here unless they were somehow connected to the paper. Spying Brooke McQueen at the door brought back all her earlier resentment, and she felt her walls immediately slam into place as a scowl found it’s way onto her face.

“Got lost on your way to cheerleading practice?” she taunted coldly as she started rearranging the stacks of papers on her desk.

Brooke ground her teeth together so as not to release the verbal comment on the tip of her tongue. Instead she ran a hand through her hair and boldly stepped further into the room. ‘At least she’s talking to me,’ she admitted grudgingly to herself.

“Look Sam,” she said softly, silently begging the other girl to give her a chance, even though she knew that she didn’t really deserve it. “I’m so very sorry for what I said to you. I didn’t mean -”

“Whatever,” Sam cut her off, pinning the blonde with a glacier stare. “I should have learned my lesson by now, shouldn’t I? After all, you’ve proved time and time again that the minute I turn my back you stab me, in true McQueen fashion. Well, I’m sick of it, and this time I’ve decided to honor your wishes by staying the hell away from you, ok? You should be happy now, so leave me alone Brooke! I’m over your issues!”

“But -“

“I said I don’t want to hear it Brutus!”

“Why are you being so stubborn, Sam?!” Brooke demanded in a hurt tone. “I just want to apologize so that we can go back to what we had before….”

Sam let out a hollow laugh and crossed her arms defiantly. “What we had before?” she said scornfully. “We didn’t have anything before, Brooke. You and I will never have anything but resentment between us. The friendship was just an illusion. A fake. A sham. It wasn’t real, and both you and I know that, so you can stop pretending now.”

Brooke could feel her anger flare and despite her good intentions she lashed out at Sam.

“You can be such a bitch when you put your mind to it McPherson! You just refuse to let go of a grudge! Why? I said I was sorry! I never would have said those awful things if you hadn’t pushed me into it! What are you so afraid of that you always have to keep me at arms length?!” she got out hotly, but Sam refused to respond and merely turned away. Calming herself slightly, Brooke sighed deeply and drew a hand through her blonde locks in an agitated motion.

“Anyway, I’ve said my piece and there’s not much more I can do,” she continued in a more collected, though still angry, tone. Why was it that Sam always managed to push all her buttons? “If you ever decide to come down from those high horses of yours and actually grow up, come see me. Maybe then we can have a proper conversation like real adults! And our friendship was never a sham!”

With that said, Brooke spun around on her heels and stormed out of the office, shutting the door behind her with a loud bang.

Sam gazed at the door and sighed sadly. ‘No it was never a sham Brooke. But I can’t let you get that close to me ever again. I was stupid enough to actually fall in love with you this time and to hear you say those cruel things almost killed me. I know that in time I’ll get over you, but until then I’ll have to maintain the bitch façade if I want to stand a fighting chance at surviving. I’m sorry.’

With a dejected slump to her shoulders, Sam turned back to her work.

***

Muttering to herself grumpily Brooke started ascending the stairs, but just as she had cleared the final step, a low grumbling noise was heard. Before she had a chance to react the whole ground started shaking furiously and one single thought ran trough her head as she struggled to take cover;

‘Earthquake!’

Hanging on for dear life in a nearby doorframe, as the floor seemed to get a life of its own, Brooke watched with disbelieving eyes how the whole school building shook to its foundation. Large chunks of plaster started to rain down from the ceiling, ruthlessly being smashed into dust and gravel as it hit the floor. The heavy rows of lockers down the hall were carelessly tossed around like giant ping-pong balls.

‘I’m gonna die, and my last words to Sam were said in anger,’ she managed to think as the world collapsed around her. ‘I’m so sorry Sammy. Please forgive me.’

Desks and chairs were mercilessly bounced around inside one of the classrooms, as she clung desperately to the doorway. To her great horror the very walls around her started crumbling, leaving giant gaps large enough for a bulldozer to get through. The sound was deafening and at some point Brooke thought she screamed, but the sound never reached her own ears. The electric lights flickered precariously and died down throwing the entire school into darkness.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, all became quiet and peaceful once again.

Having squeezed her eyes shut during the worst of the quake, Brooke carefully pried first one eye open, and then the other. Taking a cautious look around she studied the destruction in the dim light filtering in through cracks in the walls and busted windows. Shaking her head in disbelief she coughed as the settling dust filtering around filled her nostrils. Plaster and concrete, shattered glass and rubble cluttered the floor along with sections of beams and fallen bricks. It looked like one of the war zones she’d seen on TV from a bombed Iraq or something.

‘I survived… I’m alive! Un-fricken-believable!’ the blonde thought incredulously, giving herself a once over, scanning for injuries. Despite being slightly dirty and covered in residue dust she was surprisingly fine. Then her eyes fell on the staircase she had just ascended and a gasp was torn from her lips.

The staircase had collapsed completely and looking down, Brooke could see that in the narrow hallway she’d been standing just scant minutes before the roof had partially caved in.

Part 2

AN: Ok, numero deux.

Hardhats on the shelf to your right. Lookout for falling bricks…

~~~~~

“Sam!”

The name was ripped from her throat in an anguished pitch, and before she’d had the opportunity to think twice, she was carefully lowering herself back down into the basement. The drop from one floor to the other was slightly higher than Brooke had anticipated and by misjudging the distance her landing was less than graceful, but she miraculously managed to avoid harming herself in the fall.

Slowly standing Brooke surveyed the damage the quake had caused with unbelieving eyes. The newsroom door was completely hid behind a large mountain of debris, making it completely impossible for her to enter the room. There was no way she could move those chunks all by herself.

She felt despair seeping into her very bones as her heart was hammering painfully in her chest.

“Sam?!” she called out, hoping against hope to receive an answer. “Sammy, can you hear me?! Please answer me!”

‘What if she’s trapped under something heavy in there?’

The thought came unbidden to her mind, and was soon followed by several others.

‘What if she’s seriously hurt? Maybe bleeding? She might be trapped and slowly bleeding to death, calling out for me to come rescue her?! What about aftershocks? Next time might kill us both… what if she’s already dead?!!’

Feeling the panic starting to accelerate beyond her control Brooke threw herself at the large pile with abandon and desperately started moving large chunks of plaster and cement. Working until her hands were raw and bleeding, she was beyond exhaustion when she finally crumpled into a sweaty heap, having hardly made a dent on the enormous pile of rubbish blocking the wooden door.

The feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her and she started to sob piteously, at her own inadequacy, into her sore hands. Suddenly an image of a smirking Sam, complete with a raised eyebrow, crossed arms and tongue firmly in cheek, filled her mind and caused her to pause in her self-pity.

‘What am I doing? Sam’s not a quitter, and neither am I! She’s NOT dead, but she might be hurt, and in that case she’s depending on me to get her out. I can’t let her down.’

Resolutely rubbing her eyes, removing all traces of her tears, she shook her head and forced herself to calm down.

‘Take it easy McQueen and think! There’s got to be a way into that room besides the door. I just have to find it.’

Nodding to herself, Brooke threw one last glance at the blocked doorway in front of her.

‘Oh God, Sammy… Please be all right in there,’ she prayed silently.

Detaching herself from whatever horrors that lay on the other side of the wooden door, Brooke carefully let her eyes roam over every inch of the wreckage with a calm clinical eye. That’s when she saw it. Near the ceiling there was a section of the wall that had collapsed. The hole created looked just large enough for her to be able to squeeze through… maybe.

As quickly as she could, Brooke scaled the piles of rubble towards the collapsed section, silently thanking the heavens above for having chosen to wear sneakers instead of those impractical Pradas for once. A well situated pile of wreckage let her come relatively close to the hole in question, and she realized that with just a little effort she would be able to heave herself up and climb inside.

Just as she was about to reach for the hole in question the ground started shaking roughly again. Brooke had just enough presence of mind to throw herself to the side, just as a large chunk of concrete came lose from the ceiling and crashed to the ground scant inches from her feet. The aftershock was not nearly as bad as the previous quake, however, and quickly died down again. Though slightly shaken, the blonde, never the less, swiftly stood, brushed herself off and bravely kept going. The next aftershock could be even worse and now she was more determined than ever to get Sam out quickly.

As she started to ease herself inside she discovered two things.

One; the hole was small. Very small. Thin as she was, it was going to be a tight squeeze, even for her. This meant that getting Sam out would be even more difficult since, while Sam was by no means fat, she was slightly more curvaceous than the blonde. Resolutely she pushed that thought aside for now, however. They would just have to cross that bridge when they got to it.

Two; the room beyond the wall lay in absolute darkness. She had no way of determining what state the room was in, or on what she was risking to land, going in.

Nevertheless, there really was no other option; steeling herself she drew a deep breath and continued squirming inside. Clearing her shoulders, she had a relative easy time getting her upper body inside the hole, but as she got to her hips she became stuck. Silently cursing herself for the extra twinkie she’d eaten the day before, Brooke tried to push off the wall with her hands. She was suddenly reminded of the story that her dad had read to her when she was little about Winnie the Pooh. He’d visited Rabbit one day and eaten all of his friend’s honey, and then managed to get himself stuck, in much the same manner as she now found herself in, when attempting to leave Rabbit’s burrow.

‘Sam would laugh herself silly if she saw this one,’ the blonde thought, chuckling quietly to herself as she pictured the willowy brunette doing exactly that.

Trying to determine what neat surprises the floor held in store for her, Brooke gazed intently downwards but was met with nothing but darkness. ‘Oh well,’ she thought. ‘I guess I’ll just have to land on that hard head of mine Sam’s always ragging me about. C’mon McQueen, think thin!’

Slowly, so very slowly, Brooke stubbornly managed to push her hips inch by inch through the tight opening. Suddenly her hips were clear and before she knew it she was tumbling sightlessly into the dark room.

***

Upon impact Brooke released a low grunt and was amazed to take in that she’d landed on something soft. Feeling around she became conscious of plush upholstery and realized that she had in fact landed on a couch.

‘How about that?’ she giggled mentally. ‘Post earthquake. Lots of big pointy, sharp rocks, broken glass and God knows what other dangerous things lying around, and I end up in the only couch in the whole room. Damn I’m good!’

The significance of the situation soon asserted itself in her mind however and she quickly became serious again. She still had to find Sam, and considering that she couldn’t even see her hand in front of her face, it was so dark; this was not going to be an easy task. The tiny bit of light filtering in from the hole she had just come from was no help at all.

Closing her eyes, to help her focus, she tried to listen for any movement in the room, but was discouraged to find none.

“Sam?” she called out softly. “Sam, can you hear me?”

Not receiving any response from the young journalist Brooke carefully got off the couch. Picturing in her minds eye where everything had been when she’d stormed out, Brooke slowly made her way towards where Sam had been standing before the quake.

Step by step she carefully made her way further into the room, continuously calling out Sam’s name in a soft voice. The place was very cluttered, desk’s lying overturned, broken pieces of equipment and the large chunks of concrete in her way were making the search very difficult, but she refused to give up. Unexpectedly she caught her foot on something and promptly lost her balance. She let out a soft cry as her hands and knees connected painfully with the unforgiving floor.

‘What the heck was that?’ she thought as she cautiously pulled herself into a sitting position. ‘That didn’t feel like ordinary debris…’

Letting her hands carefully move back in a sweeping motion, she was slightly startled when her right hand suddenly came into contact with something pliant and warm.

An arm.

‘Sam!’

The sudden surge of relief that flooded her body left her slightly dizzy. Gently palming the other girls shoulders Brooke shook Sam lightly.

“Sam? Sammy, come on… wake up.”

But the brunette remained motionless and quiet on the floor. Brooke could feel her heart starting to pound in her chest and her breaths coming in shallow gasps as cold fear infused her body.

‘Oh no, what if she’s dead?’ she thought, once again in near panic, and started shaking the young journalist even harder.

“Sammy, please!” she begged softly as tears slowly started to trickle down her cheeks. “Wake up! Don’t leave me…”

A soft groan nearly caused the blonde to swallow her tongue.

“Sammy? Can you hear me?” she whispered elatedly, one hand gently cupping the brunette’s face while her thumb tenderly caressed the smooth cheek. Her fingers came in contact with something warm and sticky, but she ignored that for now.

“Mmph… Five more minutes mom,” Sam slurred and tried to shift away a little.

Unable to help herself, Brooke started laughing through her tears and bent down and hugged the brunette tightly.

“Oh thank God,” she sniffed. “You’re alive…”

“Brooke?” came a hesitant question.

Reluctantly letting go and leaning back a little, Brooke quickly wiped away her tears and focused back on where she guessed Sam’s face was.

“Yeah?”

“What’s going on? What happened?” the brunette asked, fear creeping into her voice as she started to shift worriedly on the floor, trying to sit up.

“Shhh, keep still,” Brooke cautioned, gently pressing on Sam’s shoulders, keeping her in place. “There was an earthquake. You might be suffering from internal injuries. How are you feeling? Are you hurt?”

Sam stopped squirming and lay still for a moment, feeling herself out for injuries. “I’m not in any pain, except I have a heck of a headache and…” she paused, unsure.

“And what?” Brooke prompted apprehensively.

“I-I think I’m… blind.”

***

Absolute stillness. Then Brooke broke out laughing, almost on the verge of hysteria.

“It’s not funny McQueen!” Sam got out angrily, and tried to move away from the laughing girl.

Managing to calm herself down, Brooke grabbed one of Sam’s hands, halting her escape, and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“You’re not blind Sam,” she said tenderly. “The electricity went out in the quake and it’s pitch black in here.”

“Oh,” Sam mumbled, feeling slightly foolish, but also very much relieved by the news. “Good…”

They sat huddled together in silence for a few moments, both lost to their own thoughts, before Sam drew in a breath and finally broke the silent tableau.

“I still haven’t forgiven you, you know,” she said quietly.

“I know,” Brooke sighed unhappily and nodded, even though she knew Sam couldn’t see her.

“When all this is over, we need to sit down and have a big talk,” Sam said, matter of factly, her words causing the blonde to get all giddy inside.

Was Sam actually going to give her another chance?

“This will, however, be your last chance at proving yourself McQueen,” Sam continued, as if having read the blonde’s mind.

“I understand,” she uttered gently. “And Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. This really means a lot to me. You won’t regret this, I promise,” Brooke vowed with quiet ferocity.

“I hope not. So, uh… are we gonna sit here all day?” Sam asked and tried to get up into a standing position, hissing out a pained breath at the sudden ache in her left ankle. She quickly thumped back down to alleviate the pain.

“Sam! Are you ok? What’s wrong?” Brooke asked, panic tingeing her voice as she started gently running her hands over Sam’s form, trying to find what was wrong. It was only when she heard Sam gasp softly that she realized what she was doing.

The feel of Brooke’s warm hands gently caressing her body made Sam feel slightly lightheaded, and she hurriedly grabbed the wandering digits.

“Uh, I’m fine… I-It’s just my ankle. Musta hurt it falling or something,” she stuttered on a breathless note.

“Oh…”

An awkward silence followed as neither girl knew quite what to say, their intense blushes effectively hidden in the darkness of the room. They were still sitting very close together and Brooke could feel Sam’s gentle breath caressing her face, causing goosebumps to break out on the blonde’s arms and legs. Gently removing her hands from the journalist, Brooke tentatively cleared her throat and grasped for something - anything - to say. Focusing on the nearest problem at hand, how to get out, she forced her reluctant brain into action.

“Well that’s… that’s not good. Do you think you can climb with that ankle?”

The question threw Sam completely. She had been concentrating solely on how close Brooke was sitting and how incredible good she smelled, and the strange question made no sense at all in her mind.

“What are you talking about?” she asked confusedly. ‘Climb? Climb where?? Are we going climbing after this?’

“The door out is blocked by debris,” Brooke explained. “The only way in and out of here is through a small hole in the wall. That’s how I got in,” she explained and gently nudging Sam’s face in the direction of the hole, barely visible by the dim light filtering through it. She didn’t dare let her hand linger on the brunettes face however and quickly removed it. “I’m not so sure that we can make it out that way if your ankle is hurting, though,” she finished thoughtfully.

“You…” Sam started, but quieted down. The realization that Brooke hadn’t been in the room with her when the quake struck, hit like a sledgehammer. Brooke had made it to the outside. She could have kept going and been safe, but instead…

“You came back… for me?” the brunette whispered with an incredulous voice.

“Well of course I did, stupid!” Brooke answered slightly exasperated. What did Sam think of her anyway?! “I couldn’t just leave you in here, could I? I mean, what was I going to tell mom and dad? ‘Gee, sorry guys. We were both in the quake but I had to save my own worthless hide and couldn’t be bothered to look if Sam was ok too…’”

The silence that fell made the blonde feel very uncomfortable, and she shifted a little where she sat on the floor. A warm, soft hand unexpectedly covered hers and gave it a tentative squeeze. Then her hand was lifted gently and a hushed ‘Thank you’ was whispered before soft lips tenderly brushed her knuckles, leaving Brooke completely stunned. Once again she was enormously grateful that it was so very dark in there, as she could feel her cheeks turning a deep shade of crimson. ‘Did she really kiss my hand, or did I just imagine it?’ she thought to her self in amazement.

“Y-You’re welcome,” she stuttered self-consciously, her voice thick with emotion. “Now, can we please get out of here?”

Sam grinned to herself. She couldn’t see the blonde’s face, but she clearly heard how flustered the girl had gotten from the light brush of lips. ‘Heh,’ Sam chuckled silently to herself. ‘Wonder how she’d reacted if I’d kissed her on the lips instead.’ Then she mentally shook that image out of her head and chastised herself. ‘No! You will not indulge in these thoughts any more. Brooke McQueen is not worth it. Don’t let her break through your defenses again or she’ll surely break your heart for good.’

‘Besides,’ she smiled ruefully to herself, ‘She would probably have slapped me silly and left me in here to rot. Now, get your mind out of the gutter, McPherson!’

“Yeah. The sooner we get out of here the better. Lead the way,” Sam said instead. “I think it’s just a mild sprain so I should be alright to climb.”

“Ok…” Brooke answered, not totally convinced. “But if your ankle starts hurting just tell me and we’ll figure something out,” she stated with authority as she slowly got to her feet once again, and helped pull Sam up into a standing position as well.

“You’re the boss, boss,” the brunette shot back playfully.

“Ohh… I’d like to get that in writing,” Brooke kidded gently as she grabbed Sam’s hand and slowly started to lead them both back towards the hole and their only way out.

“Aw, what a shame I can’t see to write in here,” Sam taunted gleefully. “Otherwise I would have loved to give you that in writing right now.”

“Watch it, McPherson,” the cheerleader said in an ominous tone. “I might just leave you in here yet.”

“Nah, you wouldn’t do that.” Sam commented cockily. “You need me too much. Without me you wouldn’t have anyone to push around. Face it McQueen; we belong together.”

“Whatever,” was Brooke’s only response but her brain quietly agreed with Sam. ‘I do need you Sammy. Probably more than you’ll ever know. Probably more than I’ll ever know, and I wish that we did belong together. But I know that someday you’ll meet the man of your dreams, and then I’ll loose you forever.’

Sighing dejectedly, Brooke tightened her grip on Sam’s hand and kept walking, not quite sure why the thought of loosing Sam bothered her so much.

***

Upon arrival at the ‘hole to freedom’, as Sam’s overtired mind had jokingly dubbed it, they both stopped and merely stared.

“It’s… uh… It’s pretty high up, huh?” Sam asked carefully.

The hole, barely visible despite the faint light coming from the outside, seemed to be situated even closer to the ceiling than before. Without something to stand on it was nearly impossible to reach.

“Yeah, but we can do it,” Brooke stated with much more confidence than she actually felt. “There’s a couch just below it that will allow us to get a little closer. Then I’ll just give you a boost and you’ll be out of here.”

“But how are you going to get out?” Sam wondered.

“You can pull me out… or something.”

Sam quietly worked out the logistics of that problem and quickly realized that it wouldn’t work. There was no way for her to be able to pull Brooke up while at the same time wiggling backwards out the hole. Sighing softly she shook her head, even though the blonde had absolutely no way of seeing it.

“That won’t work,” she muttered slowly, when a thought suddenly struck her. “Wait! What if we lean the couch against the wall and use it as a ramp?!”

“And how exactly do you propose we go about achieving that Herculean feat, pray tell,” Brooke remarked dryly. “If it didn’t move an inch during the quake, then how are we supposed to move it now?”

“Come on, McQueen,” Sam grinned in the darkness and playfully squeezed the cheerleaders biceps. “You’re the one that keeps telling me how cheerleading is a ‘real sport’. Show me some muscles, baby!”

Unable to help herself, Brooke started chuckling softly and nudged the other girl good-naturedly. “You freak. You just wanna make me break a sweat,” she teased.

“Busted!” Sam laughed, glad that the darkness was hiding her flaming cheeks once again. ‘Boy, would I ever wanna make you sweat… although I could think of a more romantic setting… including a nice soft bed and some candles – Knock it off McPherson!’

A low rumble sounded, signaling another aftershock, and both girls froze in silence. After a few minutes, though, nothing happened and they both started breathing again.

“Uh… so let’s do this shall we?” Sam whispered softly, afraid she might set of another aftershock with her mere voice. The situation suddenly felt stifling and she desperately needed to breathe fresh air again.

Working hard they hurriedly cleared space for the couch on the cluttered floor, and with almost superhuman effort on both parts, they managed to lean the heavy furniture against the wall. Leaning against the furniture to catch their breaths, they were totally unprepared for the violent aftershock that suddenly struck.

This time there was no warning before all hell broke loose in the newsroom. The ground shook with violent ferocity and debris started raining from the ceiling once again. The walls around them groaned with effort, threatening to collapse on top of them at any given moment, as the foundation of the building slowly shifted. The sound level was almost mind numbing and both girls covered their ears as they valiantly fought to keep their footing.

Since there was nothing really to hold on to Sam merely tried to cover her head with her hands and arms as best she could to protect it from falling rubble and dust. Turning her head slightly in the dim light she was just in time to see the couch, which they’d struggled so hard to raise against the wall, tip and start falling towards them. With bare milliseconds to spare she had enough presence of mind, despite the pandemonium going on around her, to reach out a hand and push Brooke out of the way just as the heavy furniture fell to the floor with a loud crash.

As if suddenly running out of steam, the quake gave one last shudder and finally died down. Sounds of small pebbles and dust slowly settling were the only things that could be heard as the room was once again filled with silence.

Part 3

AN: Final part… and remember people; ‘When the earth cracks open, young lovers are swallowed up first’.

~~~~~~

Moaning softly in pain, Brooke slowly started to move from the position she had landed in when Sam had shoved her out of the way from the falling couch. Everything hurt. Even her teeth ached she noted sourly. Tasting blood in her mouth the blonde suspected she’d also managed to bite herself in the cheek, either sometime during the fall or her less than graceful landing.

Mentally going over each ache and pain, most of which were from being hit by falling debris, Brooke soon deduced that she wasn’t really hurt too badly. She ached, sure, but it was all minor cuts and bruises. No broken bones and hopefully no internal damages. At least not yet, but if another quake struck like that again…

Glancing around the room she noticed that there was much more light than before. Looking towards the wall with their exit hole she was delighted to see that it was much bigger now. It was still located high up on the wall but during this last bout it had widened considerably. Twisted ankle or not, Sam would have no problem getting out through that and then helping her out.

Where was Sam anyway?

“Sam?”

When no answer was issued Brooke felt the fear well up inside her again. Looking around wildly she could see no sign of the other girl anywhere. A soft groan suddenly directed her gaze towards the fallen couch. Scrambling to her feet she was beside the huge piece of furniture in an instant and her breath froze in her lungs at the sight that met her.

Sam was on her back with her waist and legs effectively pinned down by the heavy couch. A big gash on the side of her head was slowly gushing out fresh blood, the sticky substance mattering her normally vibrant hair.

Falling to her knees beside the injured girl Brooke tried to stem the flow of blood with trembling hands. Tearing off a large piece of the pink blouse she was currently wearing, she gently pressed it against Sam’s wound.

“Sam?” she whispered worriedly. Wasn’t it very important to stay conscious if you had sustained a major head injury? Brooke seemed to remember having heard something along those lines somewhere, and the unresponsiveness of the brunette scared her.

“Sam, please,” she managed to get out as tears started to sting her eyes. ‘Dammit McQueen, don’t start falling apart again!’ she scolded herself. ‘You need to wake her up and get the hell out of here before you’re both buried alive. You are running out of time.’ Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to will the blasted tears away but a few trickled free anyway. A soft touch on her cheek made her eyes fly open in surprise.

“Thanks, but I’m not thirsty,” Sam joked in a strained voice, her trademark grin playing on her lips as she gently wiped Brooke’s tears off her face.

Brooke released a half-sob, half-laugh kind of sound and shook her head at the brunette. “You are so totally deranged McPherson,” she accused her gently.

“Comes with spending too much time with you, Queenie,” Sam shot back shifting slightly, but winched as the pain in her legs suddenly increased with the movement.

“Are you ok?” Brooke asked worriedly as the brunette moaned softly.

“I’m trapped under this blasted thing,” Sam groaned and strained to free herself but she couldn’t move. The realization that she was really stuck suddenly hit her and she felt panic starting to rear its ugly head as her breath came in short painful gasps. “I can’t move,” she whispered breathlessly, locking scared brown eyes on Brooke’s hazel ones.

Feeling the brunettes fear, Brooke forced herself to stay calm. If they both started freaking they’d be doomed. Smiling reassuringly she captured one of Sam’s hands, with her free one, and squeezed it soothingly.

“Here, hold this,” the blonde instructed gently and lifted Sam’s hand to the piece of cloth being held at her temple. “I’m gonna try to move this couch off you so we can get the heck out of here before the next quake hits.”

The quiet confidence emanating from the blonde cheerleader had an instant calming effect on Sam, who felt her whole body relax again.

“Ohhh, SuperBrooke to the rescue,” she teased gently.

Standing up slowly, the blonde merely blew her a raspberry before turning to face the offending piece of furniture. Giving everything a once over, Brooke was dismayed to see that the couch itself was partially wedged into a crack in the floor and covered with chunks of plaster and bricks from the ceiling. Moving the thing was not going to be easy, but she was determined to try anyway. Bending down she got a good grip and started to heave with all her might.

Nothing.

Letting out the breath she’d been holding Brooke shook herself and tried again.

And again!

And again!!

Tears of frustration started welling in her eyes as she tried to but failed in moving the couch even an inch.

“Brooke, please...”

The soft voice broke through the wall of frustration and the blonde sagged to the floor with a defeated slump.

***

“I can’t…” Brooke whispered, turning towards the brunette with remorse shining in her eyes. “I’m so sorry Sammy. It won’t budge,” she got out before her voice broke and she started crying softly.

The feeling of despair that had hit Sam like a brick wall when she’d realized that she was trapped had abated, and now she was only filled with a sense of calm. She knew that she had just run out of luck. If, or when, another aftershock came she would surely die.

But Brooke still had a chance.

“Brooke,” she called gently, managing to pull the distraught girl into her arms. ‘I may not be able to save myself, but I won’t let you die too Brooke,’ she vowed quietly. ‘I can’t be too obvious though, or you’ll never agree to leave me behind.’ Trying to comfort the sobbing girl, she gently let her fingers sift through the golden locks of her companion, breathing in her scent, for probably the last time, and willing herself not to cry at the thought.

“Brooke, come on now… Listen to me. I need you to go get help. There’s bound to be people around outside, you know, rescue personnel and such. If you can just go find someone to help in moving this couch we’ll both be ok.” It wasn’t a complete lie, since if Brooke did find help they might both survive, but the odds she’d make it back before the next quake hit with said help was slim to none. She was actually surprised how easily the half-lie fell from her lips and she mentally crossed her fingers and toes in hopes that Brooke would take the bait.

‘Please go, Brooke. Please save yourself.’

Brooke’s head snapped up so fast Sam was worried the blonde would sustain a whiplash from the sudden movement. Leveling wide hazel eyes filled with disbelief at the brunette, the cheerleader sucked in a surprised breath at the journalist’s words. Seeing that the other girl was indeed serious Brooke started shaking her head emphatically, almost on the verge of hysteria.

“No, no, no, no… I-I can’t leave. What if there’s another shock while I’m gone?”

‘Dammit! Think McPherson, and make it sound good. Ok, time to bring out the big guns…’

“That’s a chance we’ll have to take. You’re my only shot, Brooke.”

‘Come on, come on…’

Brooke quietly gazed into Sam’s eyes for so long that the brunette had to fight the need to squirm. It was like the blonde was trying to read the truth in her eyes, and the journalist desperately wanted to avert her gaze, but that would only make her seem suspicious. Sam could feel sweat beading on her upper lip as she forced herself not to break eye contact.

Then the blonde nodded once, seemingly having come to some sort of conclusion, and a small, tender smile spread on her pink lips.

“No. You’re just trying to make me save myself, but I won’t do it. I won’t leave you here,” Brooke stated with serenity as she sat back down again next to the other girl.

At her words Sam knew her jig was up, and a deep sense of desperation filled her very soul. Lashing out in anger was the only weapon she had left, so that’s what she did.

“So what if I’m trying to make you save yourself. I’m fucking stuck here!” Sam raged. “But you’re not, so get out while you can! Go dammit! Don’t be an idiot! There’s no point in us both dying!”

“No,” Brooke uttered firmly, her gaze never wavering.

“Go! I don’t want you here!” Sam yelled furiously.

“No! I won’t leave you!” Brooke yelled back. “It’s my life, isn’t it? I can do what I bloody well want with it!”

“Go!!”

“No!!”

“GO!!”

“I LOVE YOU!”

Total and utter silence filled the room for several minutes as both girls stared at each other in mutual shock; Sam because she’d never expected to hear those words coming from the cheerleader, and Brooke because she hadn’t realized the truth of the statement until she’d spoken the words out loud. Suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place in Brooke’s mind, and her whole being was filled with a sense of relief and contentment that she had never felt before.

‘I love Sam,’ she thought giddily to herself. ‘I really love her!’ Then she saw Sam’s doubt filled expression.

The brunette’s gaze had clouded over with disbelief and she pulled in a pained breath to speak, but before she could verbalize a word, Brooke’s soft, full lips descended upon hers, effectively cutting off anything she had to say.

The touch was heavenly and Sam’s eyes fluttered closed as she desperately tried to sear every movement of the mouth on hers and everything she was feeling into her brain. The room was spinning slightly as the kiss reluctantly was ended.

“No, not in a sisterly way and not as a friend,” Brooke said gently, answering the brunette’s unspoken question. “I mean; I love you. I’m IN love with you and no matter what you say, I will never leave you because- without you -I might as well be dead too. Do you understand?”

Brooke’s gentle but firm voice cut through the haze and caused Sam to blink her eyes open again. Gazing up into serious hazel eyes, mere inches from her own, Sam could see nothing but love and total honesty reflected there.

“What about Josh?” she asked quietly, her doubt still lingering. After all, it wasn’t more than a week ago when Brooke had gone out of her way to break Carm and Josh up because she still loved him.

Brooke sighed and gazed down at her hands. ‘Time to come clean,’ she thought quietly.

“It was never about Josh,” she said softly. “I was jealous over their ‘togetherness’, but I never really wanted him back. I just wanted what they had, and taking Josh back seemed like the easiest way of getting it.”

Shifting slightly on the floor, Brooke started fingering a smudge on her pants as the guilt she felt inside made it impossible to look Sam in the eyes. Would Sam hate her now?

“You were right. I was a cruel and calculating bitch and I hurt them unnecessarily. But worst of all is that I hurt you. I was so sure that I was in love with him, and that you were simply trying to stop me from being happy. But the truth is that the feelings I have for you are so much stronger than anything I ever felt for him. I just didn’t realize that until you started avoiding me.”

Brooke’s chest felt tight and her stomach hurt as she remembered how Sam’s resentfulness had fairly flowed off the brunette in large waves as soon as the blonde had drawn near. “I’ve never been so miserable in my whole life as I’ve been these last few days when you wouldn’t talk to me,” she whispered, her voice rough with emotion. “At first I couldn’t understand it. I mean, we hated each other, right? I went out of my way to get rid of you, but… But then the earthquake struck and I realized…”

Tenderly taking Sam’s hand in her own and lacing their fingers together, Brooke was finally able to gather enough courage to look into the journalists chocolate colored eyes. She was heartened to see no trace of contempt there, only soft love and gentle understanding. Even the last vestiges of lingering doubt were gone.

“I want to spend the last minutes of my life loving you Sammy, and if that is in here, between now and the next quake, then so be it. I’m not leaving. Have I made myself clear?”

“Crystal, and for the record; I love you too,” Sam murmured softly as she wound a hand around Brooke’s neck and gently pulled her into another, decidedly more demanding kiss.

Their tongues fought for dominance in each other’s mouth, touching - tasting - teasing, for several minutes until they broke apart, breathing heavily.

“Wooooh! This is not at all like Ms. Glass’s ‘simulated disasters’, huh?” Sam grinned and coughed slightly.

Brooke immediately picked up on the journalist’s attempt at making light of the situation, and quickly joined in. There was nothing they could do anyway, and humor would at least ease some of the fear.

“Nah, this is a piece of cake compared to being ‘crushed by six tons of falling plaster and other assorted roofing materials’.” Brooke chuckled, quoting their offensive teacher.

“Yeah, although she did forget to mention the occasional falling couch. These things are heavy. They should come with their own warning label,” Sam joked, earning herself a playful swat from the cheerleader.

Leaning in closer, Brooke pseudo whispered conspiratorially, “Then again, her drills did have some perks. I got to crawl into that tight space under the workbench with you,” she waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“Why you little hussy! I thought you sat awfully close sometimes,” Sam laughed lightly. Sobering slightly she leveled a serious gaze at the blonde. “‘You do know that when the earth cracks open, young lovers are swallowed up first’,” she said, imitating Ms Glass when she had caught Carmen and Josh playing thumb war under their bench.

An affectionate smile spread on Brooke’s lips and she slowly closed the distance between them. “I guess we’re doomed then, but what a way to go, huh?” she whispered against the brunette’s soft lips before gently capturing them in another heated kiss.

It was like she’d been walking around the desert forever and finally got her first sip of cold clear water. Brooke couldn’t seem to get enough.

“Hello?!”

Both girls broke apart abruptly and stared at each other in surprise.

“Uh… Since when are you a ventriloquist?” Sam got out, a stunned expression adorning her face.

“Miss McQueen? Miss McPherson? Are you in here?!”

The voice came again, and this time there was no mistaking its origin. The heads of one blonde and one brunette swiveled towards the crumbled wall wearing identical looks of shock. Through the hole there was a bright beam from a flashlight that momentarily blinded them both. Brooke was the first to regain her wit and she almost fell over in her haste to raise herself up above the rubble enough to be seen by the rescue worker.

“Yes!! Over here!” she blurted and started waving her arms above her head like a maniac, causing Sam to start to giggle slightly at the sight.

The beam of light wavered then swung back towards and locked firmly on the waving girl.

“Are you alright miss…?”

“McQueen. Yes, I’m fine- but my-“ Brooke hesitated. What was she going to call Sam now anyway? Sister? Eww. That had sort of an incestuous feeling about it. Friend? Well, they were more than friends now, weren’t they? Girlfriend? Looking down at the brunette on the floor she was met with a quirky grin and a raised eyebrow from Sam. It was very clear that the journalist undoubtedly had figured out the reason for her hesitation and was now waiting curiously on what the blonde would call her.

‘Well, why the hell not?’ Brooke thought to herself as she mentally shrugged her shoulders and let a warm smile directed at the brunette light her features.

“My girlfriend is trapped under some debris here and I can’t get her out.”

The slightly surprised blink of large chocolate orbs signaled that she had actually managed to catch Sam off guard, and for a fraction of a second Brooke worried that she had overstepped her bounds. The huge smile that spread on the brunette’s lovely lips, however, assured her the choice of names was truly appreciated and she felt like pulling off a silly little dance right there among all the fallen debris and rubble.

“Don’t worry miss McQueen. We’ll be right there and we’ll have you and your girlfriend out in no time,” came the confidant answer as a few of the rescue personnel started climbing through the hole.

“How did you know how to find us?” Brooke wanted to know. “The school was supposed to be empty when the earthquake struck.”

“True, but a Mr. John noticed that you never came out and he gave us directions where to find you.”

Bending down quickly, Brooke brought her lips close to Sam’s delicate ear and nipped at it gently. “I guess we owe ‘Mr. John’ our thanks when we get out. We’ll continue our conversation later,” she whispered softly, enjoying the faint shudder running through the other girl as her breath caressed the brunette’s ear. Feeling decidedly wicked Brooke smiled evilly and sucked at Sam’s ear sensuously. “You know, at home… in bed… naked… with you having selected parts covered in honey,” she finished, chuckling softly to herself as she could hear Sam’s breathing becoming more labored every second.

Not one to be outdone in a pinch, Sam turned her head and let her lips rest against the ones currently frustrating her to no end. “Honey? Not whipped cream then?” she mumbled and nipped softly at the tender flesh, as the rescue workers slowly drew nearer.

“Naah,” came Brooke’s gentle answer. “After all - a girl’s gotta watch her figure.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” Sam purred throatily. “Just relax and leave everything to your girlfriend.”

END

Ok, that’s it. So, what did you think? Hated it? Loved it? Let me know. I’m no psychic, only a little psychotic… hehe