City of Angels

Chapter 2

Many thanks to my friends who read Chapter 1 and messaged me to comment on it, and a special thank-you to LexLemon on AO3 for leaving kudos! I'm so glad you guys are enjoying the story so far. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Chapter 2! :)

Also, I am planning to post my other Saving Mr. Banks fanfic sometime this week, so keep an eye out for that if you're interested.

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We arrived at the airport in plenty of time—with no car trouble, despite Sam's worrying. "Well, it never hurts to double-check!" she retorted when I teased her about it.

During the weeks I'd been waiting for this, the time had seemed to crawl; now, everything was happening all at once. We checked my luggage; we reached the gate; and finally, the only thing left was to say our goodbyes.

James was first, simply because he was easier. "Good luck, Carrie," he said, giving me a brief hug.

"Thanks," I replied. "Take good care of Sam for me."

He nodded. "You bet." And with that, he strolled over to look at a newspaper stand so my sister and I could talk.

Sam took my hands in hers and held my gaze for several moments. "Well," she said at last, "you ready for this?"

I drew a deep breath. "About as ready as I can be."

She pressed her lips together and nodded. "Okay."

I could tell she was fighting back tears, so I reached out and laid my hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to be fine, Sam. You know that, right?" She opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again and shook her head as the flood spilled over. "Oh, Samantha," I murmured as I wrapped my arms around her.

"I'm sorry, Carrie," she sobbed, holding me tightly. "I wanted to be strong for you, but I'm just so scared!"

"Of what, Sam?"

"Well, it's just . . . what if—oh, I don't even want to say it! What if . . . what if something happens while you're out there? What if you never . . ." she trailed off, sobbing uncontrollably.

I bit my lower lip to hold back my own tears as I rubbed her back gently. "That's not going to happen," I declared, as much for my own sake as for hers. I would not let her know the truth—that the fears she had just voiced were the very same ones that had been whirling through my head ever since the plans for this trip had been finalized.

At last, having regained her composure, she pulled away and held me at arm's length. "If anything does happen, you let me know, and I'll come right away. You won't be alone. And I'll call and check on you every day, just like I promised, remember?"

I nodded. "Mm-hmm."

Her eyes probed mine. "You know, Carrie, if you don't feel up to this, there's still time to change your mind. We can go back home and call your agent—tell her to let Disney know it's not going to work."

"No," I said firmly. "No, I want to do this. I know I'll regret it if I don't."

"All right then," she said. "I'll be thinking of you. I know you'll have a great time."

I smiled. "You'll call me?"

"Every night. Just remember to give us a call when you get to your hotel and let me know you arrived."

"I will, for sure."

Just then, the P.A. system crackled, and a man's voice spoke through it. "Attention, passengers. We are now boarding Flight 327A to Los Angeles. Please proceed to the gate and have your boarding pass ready. Thank you."