"So?" Gerry asked as they drove back home, "How'd it go with you and the blonde?"

The truck bobbed and lurched over the more weather-worn stretches of highway as its way of telling Sammy that its suspension needed maintenance. Between that and the worn, duct-tape patched upholstery, missing window cranks and the blanket used to cover the deteriorating seating, this truck had seen better days. But the old Ford had been a gift on his eighteenth birthday from his alphas, and for that reason Sammy loved it. It had a lot of well-used mileage on it... just like him.

"Her name's Sarah," Sammy said. Since he was driving he kept his eyes on the road but a sarcastic gaze was implied when he said, "An' you can report to the alphas that I got her phone number."

"Good to hear it!" he slapped Sammy on the knee. "Now, tell me all about her."

"Well, she's a teacher, we like a lotta the same music, her dad's a rancher too, she's got a five year old boy, and a jackass ex-husband," he said as if checking off a list.

Gerry sat upright in his seat. "Whoa whoa whoa, a kid and a crazy ex?" he asked. "I'm starting to detect a pattern here."

"What do you mean by that?" Sammy asked.

"I'm just saying, this sounds like a sideways step instead of an improvement over Clara. Another damsel in distress."

Sammy growled. "Look, I was already interested in her before I found out about the ex. And you're all pushing me to move on from Clara. And now that I'm actually makin' some progress on that, you're gonna criticize me? I don't wanna hear it.

"Sammyyyyyy..." Gerry began.

"I SAID I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT, GERRY."

His packmate lurched back, stunned by the outburst. But he didn't say another word for the rest of the awkward drive home.

***

He called Sarah the very next afternoon as soon as he was sure school was out, and after some casual conversation where he worked in the chance to make sure Ron hadn't bothered her since, they made arrangements for their first proper date on Saturday night. Dinner and a movie. Sammy figured it was a classic combination for a reason.

"Okay, I'll pick you up night after tomorrow at six," he promised.

"I look forward to it," she said.

Sammy's mouth twisted into a giddy smile as he sat down on his bed and set his phone down on the drawer beside it. [i]This is really happening,[/i] he told himself. [i]I'm doing it, I'm moving on.[/i]

"SAM! GET DOWN HERE AND KEEP THESE KIDS AWAY FROM MY DOG!" Hatchet bellowed from downstairs.

Sammy leapt out of his bed more by reflex than conscious reaction and raced downstairs, nearly tripping over himself in his decent. Jenny and her brother Quint had Hatchet surrounded, giggling and jumping up and down trying to get at the wriggling six-month-old German shepherd puppy in his arms. From his consternated expression, Hatchet was clearly struggling with his conflicting drives to protect the pup and not to harm children. 

"All right you two, leave Sadie alone." Sammy stepped in and scooped both children up in his arms, allowing Hatchet to retreat out of the house.

"I wanna play wif da puppy!" Quint declared, stretching his arms out towards his desire.

"Why don't Robert let us play with her?" Jenny whined.

"Because he's tryin' to train her to be super-obedient," Sammy explained. "She's a very special kinda dog, she was a gift from a friend of his who breeds champions and he thinks playin' with kids will spoil her."

Jenny harrumphed. "Robert's a big meanie!"

"Well, he would be the first to agree with you there," Sammy said. "But Sadie is his doggie, not yours, and you hafta respect that."

He finally put the kids back down. "Now, are you two gonna play nice the rest of the afternoon, or am I gonna have to tell your mama some stories when she comes back to pick you up."

Jenny placed her hands behind her back and nodded, but Quint was not so easily mollified. He dropped himself onto his butt and started to cry right there on the spot. Jenny lowered herself onto her knees and wrapped her arms around her brother in an attempt at comforting him.

"What's going on in here?" Liam asked, poking his head down the stairs.

Sammy turned around and gestured around futilely. While normally he knew how to keep the kids happy and smiling, tantrums were outside of his expertise. "They wanted to play with the new puppy."

"Oh. Have fun with that." Liam vanished.

Sammy turned to the children, then turned and took a step towards the direction Hatchet had fled to try to appeal to him, but stopped mid-stride and turned back to the kids. He couldn't just leave them in this state, but the solution was out of range. Quint's sobs amped up in volume.

"Oh, come on, Quint," he begged ineffectually. He almost offered some ice cream, but bribing him would probably set a dangerous precedent. Besides, Quint always made a mess with the stuff, and Sammy did not feel like cleaning it up.

He heard the back door open and close, and in walked Night Sky to witness his complete loss of control.

"Honestly, I ask Robert to keep an eye on the children for [i]two minutes[/i] while I check on the laundry, and come back to pandemonium," she said. "I guess I'll have to have a talk with that old soldier about abandoning his post."

She swooped in and scooped Quint into her arms. "Quint baby, what's the matter?"

"I wanna play wif da puppy!" he wailed again.

"Oh, well, that just won't do," she said with a tsk. "Now honey, you listen to me."

To Sammy's amazement, Quint reduced his weeping to sniffling. Even though the boy was human, there was something about a werewolf alpha that demanded obedience.

Night Sky gave him a smile. "Do you remember the first time you saw me as a werewolf? Remember how scary you thought I was?"

He nodded his head. "Uh-huh."

"And why did you think I was scary?"

"B'cause you were so big!"

"That's right. And look at how much bigger you are than that puppy. You don't want to scare her, do you?"

"N-no," he said with a wobbly voice. "Wanna [i]play[/i] wif her," he insisted.

"Well, puppies aren't as smart as people. It's gonna take her a little while to get bigger and braver. And when that happens, I'm sure we can convince Robert to let you play with her, okay?"

"Wanna play [i]wif[/i] her now."

"If you do, you'll scare her, and then she'll [i]never[/i] want to play with you [i]ever.[/i] And you don't want that, do you?"

Sammy watched in awe as the storm in the child's demeanor abated. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hands. "Nuh-uh."

Night Sky stroked his hair. "That's my sweet boy. Now, since you're acting like a [i]big[/i] boy now, how about some apple slices and chocolate milk for you and your sister?"

"Okay!"

Like one of the mice following the Pied Piper, Sammy followed the procession into the kitchen. He automatically reached for the apples and started washing them for Night Sky as she sat the children down in the stools by the island.

"Thank you for your help, hun," Night Sky said, pulling him down by the shoulder to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Uh-huh," he said, still in her thrall. He started slicing the apples, so she went to the fridge to retrieve the milk and syrup.

"Actually I wanted to talk to you," she said. "Now that you're here's as good a time as any."

"Oh?"

"Mm-hmm." She pulled a couple cups out. "Gerry told us all about this girl you met. Sarah, is it?"

Sammy stiffened. "Yes," he answered cautiously.

"She sounds nice."

"She is," he said. "Buuuut... lemme guess, Gerry convinced you she's trouble."

She bobbed her head in a quick nod. "Oh he tried, but Odysseus and I have faith in you and your judgment."

"So..." he still expected the other shoe to drop, "what's the problem?"

"No problem." Her tone was reassuring. "I just wanted to caution you to be careful. I told my husband I didn't think you were quite ready to move on after Clara and I'm worried you might feel pushed into something you're not ready for."

He paused the knife halfway through an apple. "Maybe I am, I dunno," he admitted. "I wasn't actually gonna try last night, but then I [i]literally[/i] bumped into her and... I dunno, I felt a spark of somethin'. It doesn't hurt to try something new, right?"

"That's a good attitude," Ruth said, nodding her head. "I could be wrong and you are ready. That would be great if you are. Just promise me you'll take it slow til you know for sure, okay?"

"That was the plan," he said with a smile.

She nodded. "Good. Now here you go, hun."

It was then that he noticed she had prepared a third cup of chocolate milk.