Chapter 4 - One Wish

Chapter Four: One Wish

Tucker breathed heavily as he closed his eyes and laid his head on Sam''s chest. Sam smiled happily as she twirled one of his dreadlocks around finger. She had convinced him it would be a good look on him and so he said he would give it a try. That was three years ago. His dreads now passes a little below his shoulders. He normally kept his hair in a ponytail, but doing times like these, when they made love, he wore it down, because he knew how much she liked to tug on them.

“We got to stop meeting like this,” Tucker spoke, making no attempt to move.

“Just a little longer,” Sam pleaded as she looked at the clock. It was going on two o''clock and Tucker had to be back at work before his lunch break was over.

“You know I can''t,” he began, finally opening his eyes and getting out of bed. Sam sat up with him. “The mainframe of one of our biggest clients has been giving them trouble. I told Glenn I would start on it as soon as I got back from lunch.”

Sam pouted as he kissed her before heading to the bathroom within the hotel they had rented for the hour. She loved it when they did things like this – spur of the moment things, just because they could.

If you had told Sam, several years ago, that she would be in love with Tucker Foley, she would have laughed in you face and told you, you were crazy. Because back then, she had only had eyes for Danny Fenton. It had taken him awhile to get over the small thing he had had with Valerie in the ninth grade, but after all that, his eyes were finally opened and he was able to see what was already in front of him.

Sam had waited for so long for Danny to finally see her, that when when he did, she took not one moment for granted. She can still remember the first time they had made love, back in their junior year, he had cried. Sam thought it was because he was happy, but later on found out the truth. Earlier that day she learned that he had had an encounter with Valerie in ghost hunter mode along with a ghost calling himself Cyclone. While trying to attack Cyclone, who was going after Valerie, he accidentally hit her, causing her jet sled to spiral out of control. Danny tried with everything he had, but couldn''t reach her before she hit the ground.

After that first night with Sam, Danny devoted himself to Valerie''s side as she recovered in the hospital. Sam didn''t even try to ask him to go home and rest, because she knew he would have never done it.

Tucker had came to visit Sam one night to see how she was doing. As they sat and talked, Sam realized, Tucker had always been by her side. When her parents divorced, Tucker was there. When her grandmother died, Tucker went to the funeral with her and held her hand before allowing her to cry on his shoulder where he whispered to her that everything was going to be all right. She even remember back in the ninth grade when he asked her to the dance. She had wanted to go so badly, but was too prideful in her ways to admit it. She had been so grateful, but never thanked him. In fact, she had ended her night with Danny out on the dance floor.

So as they sat at her house, him once again allowing her to pour out her soul as she cried on his shoulder, something odd struck her. She remember slowing pulling away as Tucker reached up to wipe away her tears. As he did so, Sam couldn''t help but look into his eyes. He had such beautiful green eyes, she had thought, as she took his glasses off his face.

Tucker looked at her curiously with the gesture and asked what she was doing. She told him, she was thanking him before she leaned in and brushed her lips against his. Tucker had immediately pulled away, telling her she was upset and that she didn''t want this. So she told him what she did want. She told him, she wanted to be happy. She wished to be happy. She then leaned in again, Tucker jumped slightly, but didn''t pull away.

Sam had never meant for it to go beyond some kiss she shared with one of her best friends, but as Danny''s ghost hunting seem to take a priory in his life, she and Tucker often found themselves left to their own devices more than they used to be. Sam couldn''t tell you when or how exactly their affair started, but the feeling Tucker gave her was something she decided she wasn''t willing to let go. So one night, she gathered her strength and confessed that she loved him. Tucker had been upset and conflicted. He didn''t want to do this to Danny as he too realized he was in love.

Telling Danny, during their first year of college, that she was in love with someone else had been one of the hardest things she had ever done. It completely took Danny by surprise, he had never seen it coming. Sam then broke down as he asked her who and she told him Tucker. She knew he was truly hurt when he said nothing and walked out of her home. But their friendship had always been strong, and amazingly enough, it had survived. Things were difficult as first, of course, but as time went on, and things fell into a rhythm, it was as if it had always been her and Tucker. . . but then again, maybe on some level, it had always been them.

Sam smiled to herself at the thought. “Alright, where did you hide my keys?” Tucker asked as he stepped out of the bathroom, from his shower, wearing only a towel.

“Tucker?” she began as she beckon him to the bed.

He sat down beside her and lightly touched the skin on her shoulder before slipping his fingers behind her neck and bringing her towards him, stealing a kiss. “Yeah?” he finally responded.

“Marry me,” she whispered.

Tucker''s head jerked back as his expression read of shock. “What?”

“Marry me,” she repeated.

Tucker''s eyes soften. “Samantha Foley. It has a nice ring to it.” Sam laughed, knowing that meant yes as she pushed him to lay down on the bed before climbing on top of him. “Come on, Sam,” he whined, trying to hold back his smile. “I told you, I have to go to work.”

“Please, you''re engaged to a Manson, now,” she began, running her hands along his strong chest as she slowly began to grind against him. “You don''t have to work another day in you life, if you don''t want to.”

Tucker, tilting his head back as he closed his eyes, let out a breath in pleasure. He then took a hold of Sam and brought her down to him before rolling her over. “That''s very tempting and so is this,” he kissed her passionately, “but if I don''t get back, Glenn will have my hide and a company could be out millions, if files are corrupted,” he explained.

Sam huffed as she rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she told him before letting him go and allowing him to get dressed.

Tucker''s technology skills had helped him gain a career before he was even done with school. Anxious to do what he loved, he pushed himself and finished college in two and a half years. He had his own place and much to Sam''s dismay, drove a gas-guzzling SUV.

Tucker finished dressing as he fixed his neck tie. “Are you coming over tonight?” he asked with his back to her.

“Can''t,” her shoulders slumped. “I have to attend some banquet with my parents,” she told him.

Tucker laughed. “I thought divorce people divorced so they didn''t have to do things together anymore?”

“Yeah, I don''t think they get that,” she said as he walked over to her, leaned over, and kissed her forehead.

“Call me afterwards. No matter how late.” He then held out his hand. “Keys.” Sam scoffed as she reached under her pillow and handed him his keys. She was always trying to stall him. “Love you,” he told her sweetly.

“Yeah, yeah, get out of my face,” she said in mock indifference, causing Tucker to laugh before finally leaving back for work.
OoOoO

Valerie sat at table within the library on the third floor in one of it''s study rooms. She groaned as she rested her head in her hand as she turned the page of her orange covered book with the other. “You''re a falling leaf, from the highest tree, soaring in the wind. With the purest eyes, heeding to your call, wish upon these lips. Can you see the breath, you have gladly stole, hope I still do send. Fall no more I pray, trust in what you know, reach for fingertips,” Valerie read the line again out loud. The assignment has seem simple enough: Write what each stanza is trying to convey.

“I have no idea what this crap means,” she whined as she allowed her head to fall on the table.

“It''s about unrequited love,” answered a voice.

Valerie gasped loudly in her surprise as her head snapped back up. She frowned as she recognized the redhead from the other day. “It''s not nice to sneak up on people,” she said, a little disturbed she wasn''t able to sense anyone come in.

“I''m sorry,” he said sincerely. “I didn''t mean to frighten you.” He took a sit next to her.

“I wasn''t frighten,” she straighted out the hem of her shirt. “Just startled.” She then looked back at him. “So um were you able to find a copy?” she asked indicating her book.

“Yes,” he said simply. He then reached into his bag and pulled it out along with his worksheet and a pencil.

“What are you doing?” she asked point blank.

“Studying,” he answered, opening his book.

“With me?” She cocked an eyebrow.

“Nah, Valerie,” he tilted his head in her direction, making his glasses slide down his nose, “with the other dozen or so people in the room.”

Valerie rested her arms on the table and leaned on them a bit. “You''re not in any of my classes-” she was interrupted.

“You''ve been checking up on me. I''m flattered,” he smiled.

Valerie couldn''t help but smile back. “Don''t be. I just want to know how you know my name.”

The red head''s smile faded. “You really don''t recognize me, huh?” he asked pushing his glasses back up.

“Sorry,” Valerie found herself saying, his expression looking as if it called for one.

“It''s alright. I have Dr. Monet right after you. He likes to call you back after your class it seems.”

Valerie groaned as she slumped in her seat. “I know. He always calls on me to answer the one question I don''t know from the homework. I swear, I must look like an idiot to the rest of the class.”

The guy next to her laugh. “I''m sure you''re far from an idiot. Come on,” he brought her book closer to her, “I''ll help you.”

“That''s very nice of you, uh. . . I have no idea what your name is,” she confessed.

“Nathan,” he told her.

“Nathan,” she whispered to herself so she would remember it. She then laughed lightly. “I used to know a Nathan back in high school.”

“Really?” his lips barely moved as he asked and slightly straightened up.

“Yeah,” she confirmed as she looked down at the stanza again. “Found myself being nice one day, and I guess I said or did something that made his day, because everyday after that, until he moved, he used to follow me around asking-”

“Will you go to the prom with me?” Nathan finished her statement.

Valerie than turned to him. “Cooper? Nathan Cooper?” She sat back a little looking at this man before her. “No way,” she whispered.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Hi.” He gave an awkward little wave.

“No way,” she repeated, still in disbelief. “Uh- welcome back,” was all she could think to say. “I suppose.”

“Relax, Valerie,” he told her. “Trust me, I''m not some hormonal fourteen year old boy anymore. I''m not going to be chasing you around, if that''s what you''re worried about-”

“That''s good to hear,” she said softly.

“- or masturbating to the pictures I have of you, or-”

“What?” Valerie cut him off as her brow furrowed at the last statement.

“Nothing,” he said quickly, trying to hold his expression, but couldn''t as he started laughing. “I''m joking,” he told her.

Valerie relaxed and shook her head as she began to laughed too. “Oh, so you got jokes now?”

Nathan shrugged. “A few,” he answered. He then cleared his throat before turning to his own book. “So you were on stanza three?” he asked.

“Uh-huh,” she picked her pencil back up and started writing, “I think you said something about unrequited love.”

“Yeah,” he confirmed gently before they proceeded to help each other with their work.

To Be Continued. . .

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