Fandom: Popular

Series: Three Times Table

Title: Floating on the Ceiling - Sam

Author: Carla

Email: cmfloresfd@yahoo.com

Rating: R (language and thematic content)

Pairing: B/A

Disclaimer: Some one, some company must own ‘em still but I haven’t that honor.

Archiving: The Realm and it’s wonderful Webmistress play host to my delusions at http://www.realmoftheshadow.com/carla.htm

A/N: It was brought to my attention and rightly so that my characterization of Sam in this fic is totally OOC which got me thinking.  I suppose it would be more accurate to describe this fic series as being AU so there you have it.

Let me know what you think either on list or off at cmfloresfd@yahoo.com

Enjoy.

The door closes behind Brooke with a soft snick and seconds later I can feel tears spilling out of my eyes. I feel so bad for Brooke she is hurting so much. God forbid she’s right because she’ll hurt so much more before all is said and done. And April, I know all too well the hurt she must be feeling.

I grab my laptop and logon. There are a couple of sites, stuff about support groups for partner and survivors that I think might help Brooke and I forward those to her. I surf around a bit and find the link to the GLBT Community Center listing of support groups and times and forward those to Brooke as well.

I check my own e-mail and chat with Harrison for a couple of minutes but he is on one of his patented "Brooke is so perfect. I’m so in love with her. How come she doesn’t notice me," tirades. Sometimes I want to smack him and ask how come he doesn’t notice me. But tonight I just don’t have the patience for him and his obsession and I don’t have the heart to shatter his delusions about Brooke. Besides I promised Brooke weeks ago that I wouldn’t say anything to anyone and I haven’t. And people have asked. Brooke said she’d show April that she loved her and she has in ways both subtle and, gathering from our earlier conversation, not so subtle. Which brings me back to why I logged on in the first place so I cut Harrison off at the knees and log off.

I go downstairs for a can soda and on the way back I knock on Brooke’s door. When she opens the door she’s talking on the cordless phone and motioning for me to sit and be quiet all in one fell swoop. I listen for a few seconds before zoning out in favor of replaying the talk with Brooke earlier and coming to a decision.

One thing I’ve always appreciated about Brooke, though I’ve never told her, is that she doesn’t pry. Well, not much and never about what happened to me. She’s always been good about that. But she’s trusted me with her secret and maybe it’s time I shared the details of mine with her. The small part of me that’s paying attention to Brooke takes notice of the fact that she is winding up her conversation.

"I’ll pick you up then." Brooke snaps her fingers to get my attention and points to the brush sitting on the desk by my elbow. I pass it to her and she begins to brush her hair. "Me too", Brooke says before hanging up the phone.

"April?" Brooke nods. "You going out tonight?"

"Tomorrow morning for breakfast. You’re welcome to join us if you’d like."

"No thanks. I just wanted to let you know that I forwarded some links and stuff to you. I thought they might be helpful."

"Thanks Sam." You start to say something else, but decide against it and I take this as a sign that it’s time to go. I’m halfway out the door when your voice stops me. "Sam"

"Yeah"

"Thank you…for earlier. I’m sure it’s not something you ever want to talk about really. I mean it must be hard for you and I appreciate…thank you for sharing, for trusting me."

"You know what’s funny; I was thinking earlier about how much I appreciate the fact that you never pried. You never questioned or fussed about things. You know like the door, how I get to have a lock and you don’t. Or the nightlight and stuff like that." Brooke nods and shrugs her shoulders.

"Dad explained sort of before you moved in."

"What did he say?"

"Just that sometimes you had nightmares about something that had happened to you when you were little. And that it was going to take some time for you to get comfortable here and I should be sensitive to that and not take it personally."

I’d always thought it was Mom who’d talked to Brooke, not Mike but a part of me is glad to know that it was him. It makes me feel like he’s more than just my stepfather. He’s not my dad but he’s gotten closer in my book. And now I am sure that I want to tell Brooke about Ray and the time after my father died. When my world turned upside down and a man I’d always called uncle betrayed me in the cruelest way possible and changed my life forever. Maybe she’ll gain a measure of understanding, some insight into what April might be going through. And maybe just maybe some good could come of it all.

"Would you like to go for a walk?"

Later after we’ve walked for hours and come home sore and exhausted I hear her on the phone again as I get ready for bed. I make sure to turn on the nightlight in the bathroom, closing the door to Brooke’s room so that the light won’t disturb her. Then I close the bathroom door to my room and now I can’t hear anything coming from Brooke’s room at all. Oddly enough I find it unsettling and for the first time since I came to live in the Palace I leave the door to my bedroom ajar when I go to sleep. I know I’m safe here in my home.