Not-yet-titled sequel

6.18

Sam's appraisal of Rebecca's activity level had been rather accurate — she was pretty much sitting around on her ass the vast majority of the day, and thus didn't feel she needed a bath. Sam, on the other hand, plunged in first, as soon as the water was ready. Laura had waved her onwards, since she "well past the point makeup would make a difference and didn't have any to bother with anyway."

Rebecca spent some time filling Laura in about Tania and hearing about her plans for the nearby apartment. Laura mentioned an intent to do something nice for Tania to thank her for the loan of a dress, and was particularly excited by their ability to print photos to start decorating with. Rebecca as glad to see her starting to make plans, it eased worries about her mother feeling too adrift.

When it was Laura's term, Sam sat near the fire, towel-drying her hair as best she could and then brushing it out while Sue climbed into her lap with treasonous predictability.

Rebecca pointed exuberantly at the inverter that was once again trickling power to her laptop. "Look, I fixed it! I unplugged it all and put it back together again the same way."

"You're so proud of yourself, it's cute!" Sam smirked as she teased her, but it melted into an enigmatic expression as she watched Rebecca use the better lighting in the dining room to dab and blend concealer over the remaining signs of violence marring her forehead and jaw.

Rebecca noticed Sam's quiet and glanced up from the portable mirror while reloading her fingertip. "Hey. Not to flip our roles too much, but no mopey self-blaming. We're gonna have a nice evening."

Sam blinked as she switched the brush to her other hand and her smile warmed. "I know, sugar. I was just allowing myself a minimal amount of dwelling."

"C'mon, you've gotta keep setting that good example for me." They both chuckled and were quiet for a moment while Rebecca finished then washed her hands and Sam pet Sue. He actually seemed put out when Rebecca came over and scooped him up from Sam so they could trap him in the bedroom with them while they finished getting ready, rather than trusting him and Rufus unsupervised together. Rebecca leaned to kiss Sam as she retrieved him, then extended the hand not supporting Sue to help her up. "I'm kidding. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

The side of Sam's mouth twitched as Rebecca glanced back at her in the hallway. "Just keep getting better, that's all I want."

Rebecca deposited Sue gently on a dresser near the balcony, then twisted the vertical louvre shades so they blocked sight into the room but he could still peek out at an angle. Sam ran the brush through her hair a few more times as she watched, and looked up at Rebecca curiously when she returned to her side.

"I can think of something else that would make you happy." Rebecca tugged lightly on her robe tie. "Lie down."

Sam's voice was coy, pretending to be scandalized. "Sugar! What happened to keeping your heart rate down for another week? And while your mother is still—"

"Ugh." Rebecca snatched a half-full tube of Sam's preferred lotion from the bedside table and waved it at her. "On your front, you perv. Jesus..."

"Oh." Sam sheepishly stretched out on top of their duvet, shrugging the robe down over her shoulders and then shifting so Rebecca could roll it down to her waist. When Sam's hands were free, she tucked them under her face and shivered once while Rebecca waited for the lotion to warm up in her palm. A few chilly moments later, she hummed happily as Rebecca began working up the sides of her spine. "This is nice too."

"Right? After all the work you've been doing... and you'll smell all extra nice for the party too." Rebecca switched to using the tips of her thumbs for a couple of spots she needed more accuracy for. "I would suggest this is actually a better choice than sex given the circumstances. And to think you tried to accuse me of not showing my gratitude for reviving my laptop."