Never Too Late

Title: Never Too Late

Author: Love

Feedback: Yes, please, This is My First attempt at Popular fan fiction so PLEASE go easy, and let me know if I should continue =)

Couple: Sam/Brooke, eventualy (DEFINATLY)

Note: I don't own any of the characters in this story, just borrowing them for a little while. I am not getting or expecting a profit of any kind for writing this, just hopefully a little entertainment =) If the thought of two women loving, Kissing, touching, etc (you know where this is heading ;)don't you?) Bothers you or you are under age or it is illegal where you live, Run don't walk to the nearest exit.

Rating: Not really sure right now, but I am heading in toward the R ratings, who knows possibly the XXX ratings ;) Special thanks to Aeryn for inspiration, help, and incouragement =) Now enough rambleing, On with the story

Part Six

Brooke got out of bed around 5:30 am, finally giving up on sleep. She was way too excited to sleep. After calling Jane to let her know she was going to visit Sam and would be gone for the weekend, she called Sam's dorm room and Carmen answered. She told Carmen when to expect her. Carmen seemed happy but a little nervous too. Brooke put it out of her mind. She threw her overnight bag in the car and headed down the road, smiling and singing along with the radio. She had so much energy and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. With only about an hours sleep she should have been tired. After about 2 hours on the road, she stopped for gas and called Jake to let him know she had left and was all right. He insisted she call him as soon as she pulled into the parking lot of the dorms to let him know she made it.

She had the goofiest smile on her face but couldn't help it. She was going to see Sam soon and that made her happier than she had been in a very long time. She thought about the last time they saw each other. The kiss, the times they spent arguing. Everything seemed so far away, like it happened a million years ago. It started out as excitement about seeing Sam, but than she started to get nervous. The closer she got, the more nervous she got.

"This is ridiculous. It's just Sam. Why am I getting like this?" Than she saw it, the huge school came into view. She pulled into a parking place and turned the car off. Brooke started to shake so she gripped the steering wheel tighter, laid her forehead against it, and took in a few deep breaths. A knock on the driver side window made her jump and she put her hand to her chest, feeling her heart trying to beat out of her chest.

Looking up she noticed Carmen smiling at her through the glass. Giggling nervously, she jumped out of the car to hug her friend. Just then her attack of nerves seemed to ease.

"Hey, how are you? It's so good to see you!" poured out of her mouth excitedly. Carmen pulled back and smiled.

"I'm good and you? I hear congratulations might be in order. Is this true?" Brooke looked down.

"Actually I haven't excepted his proposal and I am not sure if I am going to," she looked back up, smiled and shrugged. "That's part of the reason I am here, actually. I wanted some time away and I need to talk to Sam. Where is she?" Carmen knew something was going on with her friend in front of her and she was hoped she was right. That maybe Brooke came to talk to Sam about her feelings. Then Sam could get rid of that poor excuse for a girlfriend.

"Umm, I don't know. She got up early for her jog and I haven't seen her since. I left shortly after. I had to go to the library to get some research done," she said purposely leaving out the fact that Sam's bitch was with her. She figured she wouldn't still be with her. Toni was supposed to be at practice today, so that would give Sam and Brooke some much needed alone time.

Brooke reached into the car and grabbed her bag. She turned to her friend.

"Shall we go?" she asked. " Oh wait, I have to call Jake. I promised I would let him know when I got here so he won't worry." After hanging up with him they headed for Carmen and Sam's room. Chatting and blissfully unaware that things were about to change drastically.

Part Seven

Sam woke before Toni, looked at the beautiful blonde next to her and wondered why things were so confusing right now. With one last glance at her bed companion she rolled away from her with a soft almost inaudible sigh. Her eyes automatically zoned in on the picture she spent countless hours gazing at, sitting on the end table next to her bed. She thought about last night, about how freaked out she was. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get Brooke out of her mind. She really wanted to get on with her life but she couldn't figure out how when every waking moment was spent thinking about Brooke. She had a beautiful woman in her bed and she couldn't even touch her last night. Toni was unbelievably patient with her, even without giving her any explanations for her actions. She was surprised that she didn't demand answers. And relieved because she had no idea what she would tell her.

The bed shook with Toni waking and rolling over to face her. Sam quickly closed her eyes. The bed shifted a little more as her girlfriend wrapped her arms around her, kissing her neck and whispering in her ear. Sam opened her eyes slowly and said good morning. Toni started running her hands up Sam's night shirt till she got right below her breast and whispered to her in a husky voice.

"It is fixing to be." She leaned in and captured Sam's earlobe with her teeth gently and teased Sam's nipple. With that Sam jumped up and almost squeaked.

"Oooh look at the time. I need to get jogging and aren't you supposed to be going to practice?" Toni just smiled seemingly oblivious to Sam's jittery behavior.

"Actually Sam, I took today off. I already made the arrangements, remember?" Sam just smiled.

"Oh yeah, duh. Umm are you going to head home to shower and stuff while I go for my run?" she asked. The whole time saying this, Sam was dressing in her running shorts and sports bra trying to hurry. All of a sudden she was feeling like the walls were closing in on her. She turned back to face Toni only to find her standing 2 feet away.

"Actually I was planning on running with you and than spending the day with you alone. So we could chat and kiss." Stepping right up to Sam, she wrapped her arms around her and gave her a quick pop kiss and headed to the bathroom.

Bumping into Carmen in the hall way Toni just rolled her eyes

"I hope we didn't keep you up, darling. I know you need your beauty sleep." Not even giving Carmen a chance at retaliation she went into the bathroom. Carmen could hear the little witch giggling. Carmen made her way to the tiny kitchen they shared and made some coffee. Turning to see Sam in the door way stretching she spoke.

"I see the poster girl for birth control stayed the night." Sam just rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Why cant you too get along? Why don't you try to give her a chance? She really is a sweetheart when you get to know her." Carmen just stood there with her mouth hanging open. Sam couldn't be talking about the same girl who was currently making her life hell.

"Speaking of Satan #2, did you sleep with her Sam? I mean, I know it's none of my business but..."

"Your right," Sam cut her off almost angrily but softened her tone a little. "But no, I didn't. I guess I wasn't ready. I just couldn't. I came close but..." before she could finish her statement, Toni came down the hall singing. Sam looked to Carmen "We'll talk later, I really need your help with something."

Toni came bouncing in and hugged Sam, giving Carmen a dirty look, then pulling back and saying way too cheerfully:

"Ready for our run?" They made it to the door before Carmen yelled.

"Oh Sam, make sure you are back by noon. There is something important I have to show you." She heard a faint 'OK' as Sam left. Carmen shook her head and went to get her stuff together to head to the library.

Part Eight

When Sam and Toni got back from their jog they took individual showers, much to Toni's disappointment and laid around watching TV on the small but comfortable coach. Toni had Sam laying beside her rubbing her back. When her phone rang all she heard on the other end was:

"It's show time!" She hung up and Sam rolled slightly over giving her a puzzled look for not saying anything into the phone. Toni just smiled and told her that no one was there. Before Sam could roll back over Toni straddled her waist and started kissing her, gliding her hands wherever she could reach. Sam, for her part, was caught a little off guard by the sudden attack on her lips. So she just went along with it but kept her hands still at her sides. Toni pulled back whispering out of breath.

"Please, Sam, just relax. I just want to kiss you and feel your body against mine. I promise I'll stop if it gets to be too much for you." Sam was silent for a few minutes but nodded her head slightly.

Toni attacked her lips again and felt Sam give in to the exploration of her mouth. But she knew she didn't quite have her. She also knew there wasn't much time. So she sat up and pulled her tank top off. Seeing the shock in Sam's wide almost freaked eyes, she laid fully on Sam and started kissing her again.

"Please, Sam don't fight me. I'm not going to push. I told you I just want to feel your body." She felt Sam's stiffness but knew she couldn't stop. Keeping Sam pinned beneath her she started kissing her neck and nibbling, whispering the whole time.

"God Sam you feel amazing. I love the way you feel underneath me." She could tell Sam was starting to relax again as her hands came up to her back and started caressing the skin there. "Ooooh, that's it Sam. Touch me, feel me against you." Sam closed her eyes and tried to just enjoy what her girlfriend was doing. And in the back of her mind she was thinking 'I shouldn't have to try to enjoy this.'

Brooke and Carmen made it up to her door. They were too busy laughing and talking to notice the slight moaning that was coming from the dorm room so they just continued on.

Toni heard them laughing and doubled her efforts. She started grinding almost wildly, pushed Sam's shirt over her breasts exposing her white sports top and moaned louder for their benefit. When the door swung open Carmen walked in first, stopped laughing and stared open mouthed at the site of a half naked Toni grinding and kissing Sam passionately. Brooke rounded the corner and noticed the look on Carmen's face. She followed her gaze to a sight that will forever be burned in her mind. She dropped her bag, tears springing to her eyes and her hand went to her mouth to stifle the sob that almost escaped. All of a sudden she felt dizzy and nauseous.

When Brooke's bag hit the floor, Sam's eyes snapped open and she looked around her girlfriend to see Brooke and Carmen staring wide eyed at the both of them. Sam's eyes almost popped out of her head and she almost screamed.

"Brooke!" Pushing up on her girlfriend to try and get her off. But Toni wasn't having it. Toni was attached to Sam's neck and wasn't letting go. Sam finally rolled to the side unceremoniously dumping Toni on the floor and jumping to her feet.

"Oh my God Brooke, is it really you? What am I asking? Of course it's you. What a stupid question. Why do people ask questions like that?" Sam just rambled on. She was so beyond freaking out she didn't know what to do or say. There, standing about 10 feet away was the woman that haunted her every thought. And she had just saw Sam and Toni in a very heated make out session and Brooke looked very shocked.

Brooked stared into Sam's eyes for a moment longer and said in a shaky voice:

"I wanted to surprise you," laughing humorlessly she continued. "Surprise." Then she looked down at the half naked girl and the tears started to fall. She turned and left. Brooke heard Carmen yell at them. Carmen pointed her finger at Sam.

"YOU go after her and YOU," than pointing her finger at Toni. "Put your fucking shirt back on!" Sam really didn't need to be told because she was already on her way out the door. She chased Brooke down.

"Brooke wait up, PLEASE!!" she screamed as she grabbed Brooke's arm pulling her to a stop in the hallway with students passing and looking curiously at them. "What are you doing here? Why did you run? I missed you. Please, I know that had to be awkward for you because it was highly embarrassing for me. Please, talk to me."

Brooke, for her part, couldn't look Sam in the eye. She kept seeing that girl topless sitting on her Sam. 'Her Sam? Why am I thinking this way?' In a tormented voice she replied.

"I came to talk to you. I was worried. You haven't contacted me in a while and I thought I would come down here and see you in person." Then her voice got stronger as anger started to swirl in her and she couldn't figure out where it was coming from. She felt jealous but she didn't want to identify it as that. "I guess you were just too busy to email me. I guess I can see what you were busy with now." Those words came out a lot more bitter than she planned them to and she could see the shocked statement in the beautiful woman standing in front of her. In that moment she knew she was in love with Sam and she also realized that Sam obviously didn't want her, she had a girlfriend.

Sam felt terrible and she didn't even know why. Toni was her girlfriend but she obviously hurt Brooke in some way and that was tearing her up inside.

"Brooke, please come back to my room and we can talk more. I'm sorry if I upset you but I swear I wrote you every night like I have for the past year and a half." Brooke couldn't even think about going back there right now, not with that girl there. Brooke finally made eye contact and felt her heart break. Sam was so gorgeous and she looked so vulnerable. Brooke made a decision right there. She was going be happy for Sam and she was going to try to be happy herself. Brooke just shook her head.

"I just need to take a walk, Sam. I need to be alone for a little while. I just had a shock to my system," she half heartedly laughed. "I mainly came to tell you I excepted Jake's proposal and I was wondering if you would be my maid of honor?" She forced a slight smile and waited for Sam's reaction.

Part Nine

Sam's breath caught in her throat and she felt like someone had kicked her in the stomach. She felt a little overwhelmed so she chose not to speak for a few minutes. Instead, she took the time to compose herself. She couldn't believe her ears. She knew Jake had asked Brooke to marry him, but from all Brooke's emails and calls it had seemed like Brooke merely liked him. She never gave any indication that she loved him and definitely not enough to marry him. She had to talk to Brooke and make sure she was doing the right thing. But then maybe she was just seeing what she wanted and only hearing what she wanted. Maybe Brooke really did love him and she just refused to see it.

'Wishful thinking,' she thought and felt worse about the situation more and more every second.

Brooke just stood there not knowing what else to say.

'Why did I just say that when all I want to do is grab on to Sam and never let go?'

"Sam, why don't you go back to your girl? What is her name anyway?" She let out a low nervous giggle.

"Toni, her name is Toni" Sam mumbled. Going back to her right now while the woman she needed more than air was standing right in front of her was not what Sam wanted. "I would much rather stay right here with you right now." Brooke let a small smile play on her lips at hearing those words.

"Don't worry. I just want to compose myself for a few minutes and then I will come back and meet Toni," she had to force the name out. It made her insides tight just thinking about seeing her face to face. "I would really love to meet the one who stole your heart." And inside she thought:

'Yeah stole your heart from me.' She saw the hesitation and ushered Sam away, lightly placing her hands on Sam's waist and guiding her back the way they came.

When Sam heard Brooke say Toni stole her heart, she visibly cringed and looked away guiltily.

'If you only knew, Brooke. You stole my heart so long ago. I just wish it didn't take so long to admit it.'

Along with that thought came the inevitable questions. "What would have happened if I had stayed closer to home? Would we have continued to get closer or still drift apart?" or "What would Brooke have done if I had admitted it to myself and to her that I was in love with her? Would she have ran off and gotten with Jake anyway?" Sam looked at Brooke. She felt so lost. She didn't have any answers and now she was even more confused than she had been to start with.

Sam relented and started back for her dorm.

"I'm only going to wait 10 minutes, then I am going to come back for you and drag you back with me." She let that huge smile that Brooke loved so much spread across her gorgeous features.

The blonde watched Sam turn and walk back. As soon as Sam turned the corner, Brooke ran down the hall to the elevators. She kept pushing the down button restlessly whispering.

"Come on, come on." She felt like if she didn't get out into fresh air, she was going to pass out or explode. When the elevator still didn't make it there in what seemed like hours, when reality it was only a few seconds, she looked around and saw the door marked stairs. She ran to it, went down the stairs and then out the door to her car. Once in the safe haven of her car, she let the tears come. She cried hard, letting everything that just happened wash over her. Nothing made sense to her anymore. She felt like nothing was right and was scared that it never would be ever again.

Part Ten

Sam made her way back to her dorm. When she was almost there, she heard voices yelling, Carmen's and Toni's voices to be exact. They were really being loud. Toni said something that made her stop dead in her tracks. She was right outside the door with her mouth hanging open.

"What exactly are you mad about Carmen? Hmmmm? Are you jealous? Did you want Sammy or is my brother, right? You want Sam to be with Brooke?" Carmen stood there with her mouth gaping, looking at Toni like she had 3 heads.

"Who exactly is your brother? And why would I be jealous? I just thought that you not getting up when we walked in was rude. You could have been a little more courteous of our guest!"

"My brother is Jake, Brooke's boyfriend. Come on, Car, don't look so shocked. And close your mouth, you'll catch flies that way." Carmen just sneered at the blonde standing in front of her.

"Oh that's original. Why don't you go read some more T-shirts with inquisitive sayings so you can get some more to throw at me? And back up a minute. Your brother is Jake? Does Sam know?"

"NO! Sam doesn't know" Sam practically yelled as she came fully into the room, startling both the other occupants with her sudden appearance. "Did you know all along when I talked about Brooke and you saw her pictures that she was dating your brother? Did you neglect to tell me for a reason? I WANT TO KNOW NOW!!!" she finished stepping right up to Toni's face.

Toni flinched as Sam screamed in her face. She had to think of something and fast.

"Please, Sam, listen. I didn't mean to keep it from you, I just didn't think it was important. I just," she was cut off by Sam yelling once again. Sam was highly frustrated and Toni just gave her an outlet to her anger. She wasn't going to let it go so easily.

"Wasn't Important? You just felt the need to not tell me that your brother was dating my step sister? That everytime we talked about our families and friends you just never saw the need to mention that little fact?"

"I'm soooo sorry, Sam, really. I don't know what my reason was." And than it struck her, there was her chance to win Sam's trust. She was going to play the oldest and best card she could think of. She looked Sam in the eyes and tears sprang to her own eyes. Her mouth quivered and she turned away from her girl friend, her body started to shake with her sobs.

"You don't understand, I felt like a second choice to you. You were always talking about Brooke. She was never far from any conversation. You have pictures of her everywhere. You even have one right beside your bed. Do you think I'm blind? I might be blonde but I am far from stupid. I knew you were in love with her!" She put her hand up to stop Sam from replying.

"Don't, just don't. Sam, you can deny it all you want. To yourself and everyone around you, but it seems that the only ones blind here is you and your precious Brooke!" she looked right into Sam's eyes, tears streaming down her face now as she walked right up and stopped two feet in front of her.

"Do you know how hard it is for the woman you are in love with to always be talking about someone else? To feel like you are being compared to her in everything that you do? Do YOU? So again, I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you." As she said this last bit, she turned her back to the brunette and cried harder.

Sam felt guilty. Guilty because she knew Toni was right and guilty because she knew exactly how her girlfriend felt from experience and yet she did it right back. She stepped up behind the blonde and wrapped her arms around her whispering in her ear that she was sorry for over reacting. That she was sorry for making her feel that bad and not even noticing. But there was still a part of her wanting to be with Brooke right now. Wanting to hold her, wanting to whisper in her ear and tell Brooke that she was in love with her. And her heart broke a little more as she realized it was too late, that Brooke had made her choice and it was her girlfriend's brother.

'How ironic is that?' she thought with a heavy sigh.

Carmen, for her part, was enjoying the show till Toni put on the water works.

"How could Sam fall for that? Why is Sam letting her take advantage of her like this? This is not the Sam I know, she is too subdued. I have to respark the old Sam somehow. I need to make her see that Toni is all wrong for her and I will," she thought as she watched the disgusting scene in front of her. She didn't know how but she was going make sure Toni didn't win.

Sam pulled away, looked into her girlfriend's eyes and forced a small smile for her.

"I know things have been tough and I am sorry." Toni smiled to herself knowing she had Sam right where she wanted her. Sam was hers and no one was going to come between them. But there was no way she could have anticipated what Sam was about to say and the shocked look on her face was testimony to that.

"What?!?!" was almost screamed into Sam's face.