#secret admirer: A Sam and Cat puckentine fanfic

Chapter 48

"Cat...?" Sam was barely awake and put her arm out to hold Cat, but realized she was the only one in the bed. She decided to walk out of the bedroom and look for Cat, checking the bathroom first. "Cat?" Sam called, but she didn't receive an answer. She walked outside and saw Cat sitting on the porch in the dark. Sam opened the door and heard Cat sobbing. "Hey." Sam said and stood in front of her. Cat looked up and smiled weakly. "Hi," she replied and wiped away her tears.
"Are you alright, Cat? How long've you been out here?" Sam asked, putting an arm around her. "I'm okay, I haven't been here that long, you don't have to worry about me." Cat said and leaned on Sam's shoulder. "Come on, this is me you're talking to. I know something's wrong, you can tell me anything, you should know that." Sam said and rubbed Cat's arm.

Cat sniffled and looked away from Sam. "It's nothing. I'm okay, I was just thinking..." She trailed off and started sobbing again. Sam tried to soothe her by holding her close and slowly rocking back and forth. "Hey, hey. Don't cry, everything will be fine. What were you thinking about?" Sam asked. "Just, about my family. What if Nona doesn't have much time left? Then she'll be gone like the rest of the people I love. You'll be the only loved one I have left, and I really hate the fact that I've lost people that I care for. My friends are really supportive, but I still feel so alone. If you left, I don't know what I would do. I need someone to be close to...anyone." Sam listened intently and let Cat vent.

"You know I'll always be here, kid." Sam said and smiled, kissing Cat's cheek. Cat hugged her tight and put her head on Sam's chest. "I'll tell you what, we can go out to the plaza all the way in downtown L.A. tomorrow afternoon. Will that cheer you up?" Sam asked. "Yeah, but can we get those soft pretzels at Uncle Ernie's?" Cat asked and looked up at her. "Sure, anything you want." Sam said and patted Cat on the back. "Yayyy! You always know how to cheer me up." Cat smiled and snuggled Sam. "There's the Cat I know. C'mon, let's go back to bed." Sam said and picked her up, walking back into the apartment and kicking the door open to their bedroom. She placed Cat down into her bed and tucked her in. "Sam, can you read me a story? It's just that...I haven't had anyone read to me in a while after Nona left and I was really scared of asking you until now. It helps me sleep." Cat said and smiled sheepishly. "Uh, I guess I can read you something. What books you got?" Sam asked. "Well I haaaave...Goldie locks and the three bears, Snow White and the seven dwarves, Green eggs and ham..." Cat named the books she had and Sam groaned in boredom. "I'll just make up a story for you." Sam said. "Oh! I love making stories! Make it about a princess." Cat said and sat up on her bed. "Fine, once upon a time...there was a princess named, uh-" "Evelyn!" Cat said. "Yeah, Evelyn. And she lived in a huge castle with a pet..." Sam trailed off and waited for Cat to say something. "Ooh! A bear named Jeffrey!" Cat added. "Alright, she had a pet bear named Jeffrey." Sam rolled her eyes and sat on the floor after standing for so long. Cat laid upside down on the edge of her bed, grabbing Sam's face and kissing her. Sam's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but she paid it no mind.

"Okay...?" She said and continued the story. "So Evelyn and Jeffrey were chillin' in the castle or whatever and decided to go on an adventure." Sam said. Cat smiled and added, "They gotta travel to a village with an underground city!" "Yeah. So Ev asks her dad, the king, if she can go. He said no and she decides to ask her mom. Her mom says no and she gets mad." Sam said. Cat yawned and smiled, trying to pull Sam onto her bed. Sam stood up and sat on Cat's bed, proceeding to make up the rest of the story. "I'm getting sleepy." Cat said and pulled Sam down with her. "Alright, get some rest." Sam said and got up to sleep in her own bed. "Sam...don't you want to sleep with me? I need somebody to snuggle with." Cat said and held her arms out into the darkness. "That's cute, kid. But I need my space tonight; I promise I'll snuggle with you tomorrow." Sam said and flopped onto her bed, the cool sheets relaxing her and making her fall asleep quicker than usual. "Oh...okay. Goodnight." Cat slowly put her arms back down and pulled her covers up over her shoulder.

Sam woke up and felt guilty for making Cat sad, so she got up and crawled into her bed. "Sam, you came after all!" Cat said and nuzzled Sam's neck, pressing their bodies close together. "Yeah, yeah. Just go to sleep already." Sam said and smiled. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt like she needed to be close to Cat now more than she did before. She was the only person besides Carly to understand that she wasn't just a tough dangerous felon. Cat brought out a gentle side to Sam, one that was loving and kind. Not the hard shell of her former self that had a burning hatred for people. she still hated them, but with Cat around, she made them slightly more tolerable. Cat taught Sam two things she had never thought she would learn; patience and caring for another person. Though Sam did care for her mother, it was only because it was obligatory and not because she actually cared. With Cat, she always wanted to find a new way to make her smile, laugh, or keep her from crying. She kept her distance at first, her heart still cold from the years at the Juvenile Detention Centre that she called her home away from home. Eventually, she realized that there was no way she could intimidate Cat, she was too friendly; too trusting toward everyone even if she was lied to. Sam knew that she was just desperate for a shoulder to lean on or a hand to hold. So Sam decided to be that shoulder that Cat depended on, she didn't hesitate to hold Cat's hand if she was feeling down. Sam only knew that she was in love, and nothing would stop her from being with the girl who managed to get through to her and warm her heart.