Archive of Our Own

--5--

“Sam! Remember not to go too far out of town! Try to stay within eyesight of adults!”

“Okay, mom!” Sam was already halfway out the door, hopping on one foot as he attempted to put on his other shoe. He got it on just in time to stop himself from falling over, quickly recovering and heading towards the store. There were plenty of people out and about. Though spring had only just arrived, the weather was already beautiful, and many were taking advantage of it.

On a regular day, he might make the trek up the mountain to meet with Sebastian. Unfortunately, at the tail end of winter, Seb had gotten a bad cold that he was still recovering from. When Sam had tried to come by and check on him a few days prior, Maru had whispered that it might be the plague.

Sam knew that Sebastian probably didn’t actually have the plague, but it still seemed like a bad idea to test his luck. Instead, he would have to see if Abigail wanted to play.

As his mom had ordered, Sam stayed on a straight path to the store. He was in full view of plenty of townsfolk, so there was no way he could get in trouble.

When Sam entered the store, he didn’t see Abigail’s dad at the front desk. That was weird. But he knew the way into the house, so it wasn’t a problem.

Of course, Sam had manners, so he knocked on the door instead of barging in. It was quickly opened, leaving him face to face with Abigail.

“Hi Abby!” Sam waved at her. He’d woken up with a lot of energy that day, which he’d normally get out by playing with Sebastian. It was a good thing Sam was lucky enough to have two best friends.

“Hi, Sam,” Abigail replied, significantly quieter. Abby and Seb were both much quieter than Sam, but he didn’t mind. He liked getting to be loud for them.

“Seb is still sick. Do you wanna play together? We can go to the forest probably, if we don’t go too far from Marnie’s house.” Sam liked playing in the forest, but Sebastian usually preferred to stay inside. If it was just him and Abby though, they could play almost anywhere.

Abby made a face. It wasn’t a very happy face. “I’m sorry, Sam. My parents want me to spend, like, all day cleaning my room. Apparently we have family coming over later.”

“Family? Like, out of town family?” Whenever Sam’s cousins came to visit, his mom would get really intense about tidying the house. It seemed like Abigail’s parents were the same.

“Yeah. I haven’t met them before, but my parents don’t want me running off before they get here. Sorry.”

Abby looked really sorry. It probably sucked to not get to play on such a nice day. Sam made sure to give her his best smile to cheer her up. “It’s okay! We can still play tomorrow. Maybe Seb won’t have his plague anymore by then.”

Abby gasped. “Don’t say he has the plague! My dad said the plague doesn’t exist anymore!”

Sam stuck his tongue out. “Yeah, yeah, we’ll find out who’s right when he gets better, I guess. See you later, Abby!”

Abigail waved goodbye before closing the door. Sam was now left with quite the predicament. He was lucky enough to have two best friends, but unlucky enough that on this perfect day, they both happened to be busy.

Sam wasn’t very good at playing by himself. He always got bored, and when he got bored, he’d do stuff that got him in trouble.

Sam walked out of the store, looking around the town for something to do. None of the adults would be any fun. He could try to run home and ask his dad to play with him, but he’d seemed busy with a loud phone call earlier, and Sam didn’t want to interrupt any adult business.

He didn’t really feel like running up the mountain to hang out with Maru, either. She was too young to get most of his games, and would probably just ask him for embarrassing stories about Sebastian.

Sometimes, he’d try to play with Haley and Emily, but they were both super clingy with their parents, so it didn’t always work out. Sam didn’t like playing with other people’s parents. It felt kind of awkward.

As he pondered who to play with, Sam noticed a butterfly on one of the nearby flower bushes. It was about the same size as every other butterfly he saw around, but its colors were different. Most of the butterflies in this area were just solid colors, which was pretty boring in Sam’s opinion, but this one wasn’t. It looked to be red and black from where he was standing.

Moving closer, Sam noticed that the edges of the wings were more black, while the rest was kind of brown. The red was in stripes, one across each wing.

Sam tried to get even closer to keep inspecting the butterfly, but it seemed to have noticed him as well, and began fluttering away. Sam gave chase quickly.

As he zig-zagged through the town, Sam got closer and closer to his target. The wings of the butterfly had little white dots at the very edges, and when it moved at a certain angle, the red turned more orange. Sam didn’t know much about bugs, so he wasn’t going to be able to identify this one, but it was still fascinating.

It flapped away quickly, pulling ahead in the chase. Sam was about to speed up again when he realized the sound of his footsteps had changed.

Looking down, he realized he was on a bridge.

He didn’t visit this area much, but he still knew where he was. This was the bridge leading to the museum and the blacksmith. Sam wasn’t big on books so he wasn’t interested in the library part of the museum. One time he asked his mom about the blacksmith, but she just told him he’d burn himself touching something he wasn’t supposed to. She was probably right.

His mom. Right. She’d specifically told him not to go too far, and not to leave the eyesight of adults. Looking around, Sam didn’t see any adults. They were back in the main part of the town. Almost no one frequented this area.

He should probably go back. But the butterfly was so pretty, and it wasn’t like he was even that far from home.

Sam quickly turned back and chased after the butterfly, running faster than before to make up for his pause. It seemed to panic, zooming ahead. It was flying in a mostly straight path though, which made it an easy chase for Sam.

As he reached out, inches from the butterfly, Sam looked just past the butterfly and found himself distracted all over again.

Right outside the door to the museum was Penny.

Sam didn’t know Penny that well. He’d seen her around of course, they were the same age and lived in the same small town, but she never seemed interested in playing with him, Abby, and Seb.

She was sort of the nerd when it came to the children of the town. Sam’s mom said not to use that word, but it was the only one he knew for kids who liked books and learning. Plus, he hadn’t been the one to use it. That had been Abby.

It wasn’t surprising to see her standing outside the museum, but it was weird that she wasn’t actually going in.

Sam walked up to her, curious. “Hey Penny!” He waved at her.

She looked over at him, looking surprised. “Oh, hello…” Penny spoke even quieter than Abby or Seb did. That was fine. He’d gotten good at listening to quieter people.

“What are you doing outside the museum? Isn’t the stuff, like, inside?”

Penny looked down at the ground and frowned. “The museum is closed today.”

“Oh.” Sam didn’t really know what to say. He didn’t super care about the museum, but Penny seemed sad.

“I came to read in there today, but it’s closed. I don’t have anything to do now.”

Sam took a moment to think, and then perked up. “Hey! I don’t have anything to do either!” He grinned at her.

“Um, okay?”

“So, let’s do something together! Do you have a game you wanna play or something?”

Penny scrunched her face up. She kind of looked how Seb did whenever Sam suggested going to the beach. “I don’t wanna play anything that’ll get me dirty.”

“Okay! Then, um…” Sam looked around. His eyes lit up as he noticed that the butterfly had landed on a bush only a few yards away. “Hey! I was chasing this cool butterfly before! You wanna come look at it?”

“A butterfly?” Penny seemed to brighten up. “What did it look like?”

“It was, like, red and black with these dots. Come and look!” Sam moved to run after the butterfly before turning back to grin at Penny again. “I bet I can catch it!”

Sam was off in a flash. Behind him Penny called, “Wait!” but Sam was on a mission. He heard her footsteps following soon enough, though, which meant this catch would be worth it.

Unfortunately, butterflies have the amazing ability of flight, which Sam did not share. Despite him and Penny chasing the bug all over the town, it eventually moved up high enough that Sam would never be able to grab it.

As he watched the butterfly rise out of view into the sky, Sam sighed and sat down on the grass. “That sucks.”

“Don’t say that,” Penny muttered, sitting down beside him.

“Okay. But it does. We could’ve kept that butterfly as our pet or something!”

Penny frowned. “Probably not. I don’t think my mom would let me keep it.”

“Then I’d keep it at my house, and you could come visit it.”

“Well, um. At least chasing it was fun.”

Sam turned to Penny a little too quickly, startling her. “Yeah! It was super fun! You’re good at chasing stuff!”

“I am?” Penny looked away from Sam. “But I’m not as fast as you are.”

“Well, no one is. But you still got real close to the butterfly! Next time, we’ll for sure catch one!”

“Next time?” Penny asked.

“Yeah, next time we play.” Sam looked up at the sky again. Then, suddenly, he noticed that the formerly blue expanse was growing darker. “Uh oh, it’s getting late. My mom’s gonna kill me if I don’t go home soon.”

“Oh no, mine will too.” Penny quickly stood up, brushing off her dress. “Um, thanks for playing with me, Sam,” she said so quickly that Sam almost didn’t hear it, before bolting off towards her mom’s trailer.

Sam stood up in much less of a hurry, making his way back to his house. Penny was really fun to play with. Maybe once Seb was better and Abby wasn’t busy, he’d get to play with all three of them.

--6--

“Oh, Penny, could you run and tell Lewis the bus won’t be running this weekend? I’m gonna be too busy.”

“Yes, mom!”

It was a beautiful fall morning, and Penny had been inside all day.

It wasn’t really by choice. She’d needed to help her mom do some dusting around the trailer that day. But even if Penny enjoyed cleaning, the promise of the outdoors was incredibly tempting. How lucky was it that she was specifically told to go out?

Mayor Lewis lived close by, but the walk would still be nice. It was the perfect weather for Penny to wear her favorite dress.

As she made her way to his door, she waved to Evelyn, who was tending to the flowers as usual.

“Penny dear, are you going to see Lewis?”

Penny nodded.

“I just saw him leave. I think he was going up the mountain to talk to Robin about something.”

“Oh! Thank you, Miss Evelyn!” Penny turned around to head for the steps up the mountain. Penny didn’t play in this area often, but it was very pretty in fall. This detour would just make her walk even better.

Penny made her way along the path past the old community center. She’d never seen anyone go in there, even though it was such a pretty building. Sometimes she was tempted to sneak in, but that would probably get her in trouble, so she continued on her way.

Penny walked along, enjoying the peacefulness of the area. All the trees were turning such beautiful colors this time of year, and the fallen leaves made a satisfying crunching noise when she stepped on them.

Suddenly, a voice sounded from beside her.

“Hey, Penny!”

She looked to the side. That was Sam’s voice! But where was he?

“Up here!”

Looking up, Penny was surprised to see Sam sitting in the tree beside the path. He was on one of the higher branches, waving so wildly that he shook the branch below him.

“Hi, Sam!” Penny called up. “What are you doing up there?”

“Just climbin’. Want to join?” Sam moved to a lower branch and held out his hand.

Penny looked at the tree. None of the branches were low enough for her to reach on her own. With Sam reaching down, though, she might be able to make it. That, or they’d both tumble down and get hurt.

Penny looked down at her dress. It was such a pretty dress, and it would probably get torn.

But Sam was smiling really wide, and the tree was so cool.

“I won’t get hurt, right?”

Sam shook his head. “Nah, I climb these trees all the time. And I’ll catch you if you fall!”

Penny pushed away the last of her worries and reached up to grab Sam’s hand.

Somehow, he managed to pull her up just high enough for her to grab onto the branch. For a moment, Penny thought she would fall, struggling to get her leg up, but Sam grabbed both her arms to keep her stable.

“Thanks,” Penny muttered, panting slightly as she crawled fully into the tree. Sam just grinned back at her, moving back up into the higher branches.

Together they made their way to the top of the tree, looking out at the mountain. It wasn’t actually too tall of a tree, so the view wasn’t all that impressive, but it still felt magical to Penny.

Penny was shorter than the other kids. Well, her and Abigail were close in height, but everyone else was taller than her. Being up high for once, seeing the world from above… All the scrapes she got from climbing up were worth it.

Sam and Penny sat in the tree for what felt like forever. Time felt different off the ground somehow, like the sun would stay where it was until they got down.

Footsteps sounded from the path below. Penny began to panic. What if it was an adult? What if she got in trouble for being up here? What if it was her mom?

Sam only seemed to get more excited, and Penny realized why once Abigail and Sebastian came into view.

“Abby! Seb!” Sam called down. The two kids looked up at him, seeming less surprised than Penny had been. He made a motion at them, beckoning them up into the tree. Abigail all but tackled Sebastian, using him as a ladder to get up to the lowest branch. Sebastian looked to be muttering complaints, but didn’t actually try and push Abigail away.

Penny didn’t talk to Abigail and Sebastian that much. She usually only approached Sam to play if he was alone. It felt too much like she was intruding when the others were around.

She supposed in this case, she couldn’t be intruding, since she was here first. So it was probably okay.

Abigail made it up the tree much faster than Sam and Penny had, grinning despite getting leaves tangled in her hair. “Oh, hey Penny.”

Penny waved back shyly, before startling as she noticed Abigail’s leg was bleeding. When she pointed it out, though, Abigail just wiped away the blood with her hand and laughed.

“I’m fine, it’s just a little scrape. It’s nothing like the time I got stabbed in the forest.”

“You weren’t stabbed.” Sebastian had been a bit slower as he climbed, apparently not having the strength of Sam or the energy of Abigail. “You just got pricked by a thorn.”

“Nuh-uh! That thorn was huge, and it tore right through my arm!” Abigail held up her unscathed arm as if it were evidence of such an event.

“You barely even bled!”

“Cause we put a bandaid on it! When I took it off later, I was totally bleeding everywhere again!”

Penny didn’t like this conversation. Now when she looked around the tree, instead of feeling powerful, she just kept thinking about how sharp some of the branches looked. She curled away from them towards the trunk of the tree.

“Guys, shut up, you’re scaring Penny.” Apparently Sam had noticed her movement. Penny blushed. She didn’t want to get made fun of for being scared of blood. Abigail and Sebastian were always talking about morbid stuff like that.

To her surprise, Abigail and Sebastian didn’t mock her. Instead, Abigail just said, “Sorry, Penny. Trees can’t have thorns, if that makes you feel better.”

Sebastian frowned. “Yeah they can, hawthorns literally have it in the name.”

Abigail reached out to try and slap Sebastian in the arm, despite him being too far away. “Shut up Seb, stop being a meanie!”

“I was being honest!”

“Yeah, but it was mean!”

Even if it wasn’t their intention, Abigail and Sebastian’s fighting had completely distracted Penny from her worries. Even though she should probably be mad at the language they were using with each other, it was too funny for her to interrupt.

The kids spent the rest of the day climbing trees. Every time they got bored, or someone fell, they’d move onto one further up the path. Penny found that the view got better every time. She also found that she didn’t mind getting dirty from all the running around.

Eventually, they climbed a tree that gave them a good view of Sebastian’s house, at which point Penny suddenly remembered why she’d been out here in the first place. She told the others that she’d have to leave. To her surprise, they all offered to join her.

Together, the group ran up the path just in time to catch Lewis on his way out.

“My mom isn’t driving this weekend,” Penny told him, hurried and out of breath, before running off with her friends back into town.

They raced each other all the way to her house, Abigail continuously trying to trip Sam and Sebastian so she could get ahead of them. To no one’s surprise, Sam made it to the trailer first.

Pam didn’t look especially happy when she saw the state Penny was in, or the dirt and tears on her dress, but Penny barely registered her mom’s scolding. While she may physically have been at home, her mind was still in the trees on the mountain, watching the world below.

--8--

Sam didn’t consider himself much of a morning person.

Any regular day, his mom would have to physically drag him out of bed before he’d even consider opening his eyes. Sam would try his best to sleep in any chance he got.

Today, however, was special. Sam had something very important to get up for.

It was winter, which meant that the Feast of the Winter Star was coming up, so everyone in town was very busy. Sam excluded, of course. He had made sure to get his gift prepared early so he could have more free time later. Very smart of him.

The adults had a lot more to do than just prepare gifts, though. Every day, Sam was hearing more and more money related words that he didn’t quite understand. Everyone kept referring to a mysterious “The Budget”.

Sam wasn’t really paying attention to all that. However, Penny had told him yesterday that her mom was involved in getting a lot of the shipments for the feast itself. She’d said her mom was gonna be out for the whole next day (that was today!) and Penny would be all alone at home.

She’d made a face at him when she said this. He didn’t really know what he was supposed to say, so he’d just replied, “That sucks.”

She’d gotten really nervous and asked if he’d come over to keep her company. Sam didn’t get why she was worried at all. He’d come over to play regardless of her being alone!

So, this morning, Sam woke up full of energy for his day keeping Penny company.

He started putting on some of his warmer clothes, but remembered that his coat and boots were by the door. Leaving his room, he could hear his parents bustling around the kitchen. Apparently he hadn’t woken up quite so early. But hey, it was still early compared to his usual schedule!

Sam moved to hunt down his coat when his mom called for him from the kitchen.

Sam popped his head in, slightly irritated. Had he not mentioned going over to Penny’s today? Actually, wait, he might not have.

“Yeah, mom?”

“I’m glad you’re awake already, we’ve got a lot of chores today.”

Sam scrunched up his face. Seriously? “Why?”

“Don’t you remember? Your cousins are coming over for the holidays.” Sam hadn’t remembered, actually. But that made sense. They came over most years during winter. “Me and your dad are going to be very busy, so you have to pitch in and help. The dishes need to be cleaned for our family dinner.”

Sam peered around his mom at the sink, only for his jaw to drop at the enormous pile of dirty dishes. It was taller than the sink itself!

“How the hell am I meant to clean all that?!?”

“Don’t swear.”

“Sorry.”

“And you’ll be able to clean them all as long as you keep at it.” His mom seemed to notice at this point how deeply Sam was pouting. “Sam, everyone in this town has put a lot of effort into preparing for the feast. The most you can do to contribute is this one chore. Okay?”

“...Okay,” Sam replied.

“Good. Now, I’m gonna be in the other room on a call with your uncle, so you can get started on that cleaning.” And with that, his mom left the room.

With a sigh, Sam pulled a stool over to the counter, stepping up to assess how bad his torture was. He had no idea how all these dishes had gotten here, honestly. Regular dinners in his house weren’t that big. But still, the dishes were here, and he was meant to clean them.

Sam grabbed the dish soap and a sponge and began his work.

Stupid chores. Stupid parents. Stupid feast preparations keeping them busy.

Wait. The preparations. Penny was all alone!

Sam looked down at the dishes. There was no world where these didn’t take him at least half the day to clean. He couldn’t leave Penny all alone! She might think he’d abandoned her!

Sam looked out the window. He looked at the dishes. He looked at the door.

His mom was in the living room. She couldn’t see him right now, and wouldn’t see him if he went to his room, but would definitely notice if he left the house.

Well. If he left through the front door, anyways.

As quietly as he could, Sam headed for his bedroom. He couldn’t grab his coat or boots still, but he had a pair of his regular sneakers in his closet. He slipped them on, and in just his sweater and pants, carefully opened his window.

It was fully freezing outside. Luckily, it wasn’t currently snowing, even though the ground was covered in the stuff. Once his window was open, Sam hoisted himself up, bringing one leg out and then the other, and landing outside in his yard.

He’d done it. He was out.

Penny had probably been expecting him to come early, right? That’s what a full day hangout probably meant.

Sam ran out of his backyard and straight to Penny’s. As luck would have it, most of the adults weren’t in the main part of town, being busy with different preparations, or just trying to avoid the cold. This meant no one was around to question why Sam was bolting across town without a coat or scarf to be seen.

Penny’s house was very close by, which Sam had always been grateful for. He arrived in barely a few minutes, knocking on her door rapidly.

The door opened quickly, revealing Penny staring at him, wide-eyed.

“Sam, where’s your coat?”

“Don’t have it! I was in a hurry to get here.” Sam stepped inside, relaxing in the warmth. The trailer wasn’t quite as warm as his house, but it was better than outside.

“You really didn’t need to hurry so much… It’s still only the morning.”

Penny sounded worried about him, so Sam gave her a smile. “It’s fine! I wanted to come quickly so you wouldn’t be alone! Now, what do you wanna play?”

Penny didn’t have many toys around her house, but she knew a lot of good indoors games that only required speaking. Sam wasn’t very good at games that made him think, but Penny always looked happy when she won, so he didn’t care.

He also liked these games because it would eventually just become a conversation, and Penny was really fun to talk to. She knew just about everything about anything! Sam felt like he got smarter purely by being around her.

Even if he would always prefer the outdoors, Sam knew he’d have a great time staying inside with Penny for all of today. He felt more peaceful than ever.

Meanwhile, Jodi was panicking.

After she’d gotten off the phone with her brother, she’d noticed a lack of noise from the kitchen. Of course, she’d assumed that Sam had gotten distracted from his chores, or was purposely avoiding it while he knew she wasn’t watching.

However, when she went in the kitchen, Sam was nowhere to be seen.

Okay, so maybe he’d gone to play in his room. Jodi went down the hall to check, already preparing a lecture in her head.

When she opened the door to Sam’s room, Jodi was hit with a burst of cold air from the window. The window, which was open.

So yeah, Jodi was panicking. Her eight year old son had just snuck out of the house.

Okay, this was fine. The town was small, and he probably hadn’t gone too far if he didn’t have his coat. Oh no, he didn’t have his coat.

Jodi hurriedly went outside (of course, she actually dressed for the weather) and looked around. She noticed the doors to Pierre’s shop opening as Abigail, Sebastian, and Alex walked out together.

Abigail and Sebastian were Sam’s best friends. He’d probably just run off to play with them, or at least told them where he was going.

Jodi jogged over to the group of kids. “Hello, Abigail, Sebastian, Alex. Have you seen Sam around? He forgot his coat when he left.” Best not to let them know that he was avoiding chores. Jodi had definitely heard Abigail say some choice words about “snitching” before.

Speaking of, Abigail looked rather annoyed to see her. Then again, Abigail always looked annoyed with adults. Sebastian looked more at ease. Alex looked particularly nervous, but he was new to town, and didn’t know everyone very well yet. Jodi was honestly surprised to see him with any of the other kids.

“We haven’t seen Sam all day,” Sebastian answered. Abigail nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. We were just gonna come over to ask him to play.” She frowned. “How dare he leave without us…”

Okay, so that wasn’t good. If Sam hadn’t even run by his best friends, then where could he have gone?

“Is Sam missing?” Sebastian asked. Jodi wished the answer was no.

The rest of Jodi’s day was spent running around town, asking every resident she could find if they had seen Sam. The trio of kids had actually tagged along with her, though Abigail had split off to get her parents in on the hunt before rejoining.

In a matter of hours, just about every person in town was searching for Sam.

They looked everywhere. Marnie was exploring the forest, Robin and Demetrius were scouring the mountain, even Willy was checking along the beach.

And yet they couldn’t find a sign of him.

It was getting dark, and Jodi was terrified. What if he’d fallen off a cliff? What if he’d gotten buried in snow? What if… What if…

She felt a tug on her sleeve. Looking down, she noticed Alex standing beside her.

“Miss Jodi, did we ask the people in the trailer?”

Pam? No, she was out getting shipments for the feast. She told Alex as much.

He looked down. “Oh. I thought there was a girl there or something. I was probably wrong. Sorry.”

Wait. He meant Penny. Jodi had completely forgotten about Penny.

In minutes, the search party closed in on the trailer. To their luck, the door was unlocked, and Jodi burst in.

There, on the couch, were Penny and Sam. Both were fast asleep, laying nearly on top of each other, a few books lying around next to them.

Jodi breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been here the entire time, of course. She’d seen Sam play with Penny a few times, but she was such a quiet kid that Jodi tended to forget about her.

She had no idea they were good enough friends that Sam would break out of the house just to see her, but apparently that was the case.

Jodi was glad that her son was safe. She was also about to give him the scolding of a lifetime.

--11--

This was the worst thing Sam’s mom had ever done to him. Worse than the time she made him clean his room instead of participating in the egg hunt. Worse than the time she grounded him for running away in mid-winter.

She was making him invite Penny over to their house for dinner.

Now, don’t get him wrong, Sam loved hanging out with Penny. She was one of his best friends! He cherished any and all time he got to spend with her.

But there was a big difference between Penny coming over to hang out with him, and Penny coming over to hang out with his whole family.

Sam had noticed that the adults, especially his parents, got really weird whenever watching him and Penny play together. They had this look on their faces that he couldn’t quite read, but didn’t like one bit.

Penny had noticed it, too. They both agreed that the adults weren’t fun to be around when they were together.

Hence, why Sam didn’t want Penny coming over for dinner. A whole meal spent making awkward conversation with Penny, his parents, and worst of all… Penny’s mom.

Sam didn’t mean to be rude, but he kinda hated Penny’s mom.

When they were younger, and Penny was still nervous about stuff like going to the forest or climbing trees, she would always reference her mother. “My mom wouldn’t want me doing that.” “My mom says that’s dangerous.” “My mom would get mad if I tore my dress.”

Sam understood wanting to listen to your mom, but Penny really made it sound like she couldn’t do anything without getting in trouble. Sam had been more blunt as a child, and outright asked why she always talked about her mom so much.

Penny hadn’t had an answer for him back then. But after that, she’d started opening up a lot more when she was upset. And, more often than not, the source of her struggles was her mother.

So, needless to say, Sam wasn’t a huge fan of Penny’s stupid mom.

And she was about to be at his house. Sam had complained to his parents about this, of course. He was already going to suffer through his parents asking Penny weird questions. He didn’t need to watch them converse with Pam on top of that.

He really hoped they didn’t become friends. Yeah, it would give him and Penny more chances to hang out, but if Sam had to see Pam any more often than he already did, he would jump off the docks and let the sea carry him away.

Not to mention it would suck for Penny. Sam cared more about that. He hated the way Penny would act all stiff and proper when her mother was watching.

And yet, here he was, being herded out of the house to ask Penny over. He walked extra slow, as if at any moment his mother would call after him that she’d changed her mind, and didn’t want Pam stinking up the house.

His trip was uninterrupted, though, and he soon arrived at Penny’s door.

He looked at the sky. It was early, which meant Pam might be home. However, since Penny was also probably home, it was likely that Pam wouldn’t be the one answering the door.

Sam knocked twice. The light footsteps indicated that Penny was the one coming, as expected.

She opened the door and smiled at him almost instantly. “Oh, hi, Sam! Did you want to hang out?”

Sam felt himself smiling back at her instinctively before remembering his mission, and drooping again. “Yeah, but that’s not why I’m here. My parents actually sent me.”

Penny’s eyebrows raised. “They sent you here? On purpose? You didn’t just break out again, and make up an alibi for me?”

“Of course not! If I’d broken out, I would tell you.” Sam sighed. “They want me to invite you to dinner.”

Penny considered this. “That’s… actually quite nice of them.”

“You and your mom.”

“Ah.” Penny scrunched her face up. “I see the problem now.”

“It’s gonna be so damn awkward,” Sam muttered, careful to keep his voice down. He wasn’t sure if Penny’s mom was home, and didn’t want to risk being overheard.

“Yeah,” Penny agreed. “But at least I’ll get an actual dinner.”

One struggle Penny had opened up about recently was the food situation at her house. Apparently her mom very rarely bought food, so Penny survived on leftovers when she had them, and when she didn’t, would have to ask Gus for something at the saloon. This was another one of the reasons Sam had beef with Penny’s mom. It also led to him smuggling snacks to every hangout he and Penny had.

Maybe this dinner wasn’t all terrible, then. Sam’s parents were really good cooks, and would probably send Penny home with enough extra food to last a week.

Sam tried to convince himself that made it worth it. Just deal with Pam for one night, and Penny gets nice dinners for a week. He could do that. Hopefully.

“I hope we don’t have to talk to the adults the whole time,” he said anyways, because he still hated the thought of it. Penny nodded, matching his expression of pain.

“Yeah. I kinda hope I just fade out of existence while we’re there.”

“Take me with you if you do!”

A week later, Sam was sitting in front of the mirror, repeating to himself that this was worth it.

They were coming over tonight. Penny was coming over (awesome!) and her mom was coming over (why!). But it was fine, and Sam was fine with this, because it would benefit Penny.

He supposed it helped a little bit that he and Penny were both gonna hate this. He didn’t have to put on any kind of strong front for her.

They’d be arriving any minute now. Sam had already helped his parents set the table, but the food wouldn’t likely be ready until after Penny and her mom got there. They said this would “give them time to chat”, which Sam hoped would go poorly. Maybe they’d let him and Penny sneak away. That would be nice.

There was a knock at the door. Alright. After the door opened, he could only get away with a few more seconds of hiding before he’d have to go see the guests and be a polite host. Otherwise his parents would yell at him, and that might lead to them telling Pam embarrassing stories about him.

He waited until he could hear his parents greeting the guests before shuffling out of his room. Stalling time was over. Now he just had to suffer.

Sam was surprised to see that Penny was wearing a dress he’d never seen before. Penny didn’t have a very large wardrobe. She’d told him as much, and complained about it frequently. He supposed that he hadn’t seen this dress because it was fancy, and she wouldn’t want to get dirt on it from playing around with him.

It looked good on her. Sam smiled, and gave Penny a wave. She waved back.

Then his eyes traveled up, and there was Penny’s mom. Sam did his best not to frown too deeply.

This was probably the closest that Sam had ever been to Pam physically, and he was standing maybe a yard away. It still felt like too close. Whenever Sam was even in her vicinity around town, he could smell alcohol. And Sam hated the smell of alcohol.

Luckily, she didn’t smell right now. At least she had the decency to put on a good appearance for a dinner at someone else’s house, even if she refused to show up to dinners at all at her own.

Sam felt his face forming a scowl. Okay, not the time to be a hater. Calm down.

Sam put on his best calm expression (an expression that had never occurred naturally, as he only felt things in extremes) and walked over to stand by Penny. He stood just a little further from her than normal, prompting her to shuffle towards him (and away from Pam).

His parents seemed to notice him, and smiled at him in a mildly unsettling way. They glanced at him, then Penny, then each other, then him again.

See what he meant? They were weird.

His mom broke away from her conversation with Pam to address him instead. “Sam, you can go play with Penny around the house if you like. Us adults are going to talk a while before dinner.”

Sam could’ve cried from relief. Maybe he was being dramatic, but he swore the air felt thicker whenever he had to face Penny’s mom. Penny probably felt the same way, as he caught her smiling at the opportunity to leave. Sam grabbed her hand, matching her expression. “C’mon, let’s go to my room.”

As they left, Pam mumbled something under her breath that made his mom frown. Sam didn’t know what it was, but he hoped it was bad enough that she wouldn’t be invited back. Him and Penny were down the hall before he had a chance to see anything more of that interaction.

Sam carefully closed to door behind them and fell back against it. “Thank Yoba. I was dreading the small-talk section of tonight.”

Penny nodded as she sat on the edge of his bed. “Agreed. I feel like I’m gonna get back problems from standing too straight. Is that even a thing?”

“Makes sense to me.” Sam was done dramatically leaning on the door, so he went to sit next to Penny. “So, do you like my room?”

That was another one of the few upsides to tonight. Sam hadn’t ever actually gotten to have Penny over to his house. His parents probably would have been fine with it, but Penny always seemed nervous about intruding on others. She would barely agree to go into the store with Sam to ask Abby to play. In fact, she often waited outside.

Penny seemed slightly in awe at his room. “Your room is huge.”

“Yeah, my parents let me have the biggest one! They said it’s cause I have too much energy, and I’d break stuff in a smaller room.”

“You’ve never broken anything in my room,” Penny pointed out. Penny’s room had to be a quarter of the size of Sam’s, if he had to guess. He felt a little guilty about that, but brushed it off.

“I don’t live in your room, though. If I ever had to spend a full day in there, I’d probably start chewing the ceiling. No offense.”

Penny wasn’t offended, though. She rarely was when it came to Sam’s jokes. She actually found him funny, which never failed to feed his ego.

“If I lived in your room, I’d fill that empty corner with bookshelves, and have my own library.” Penny pointed to one corner of his room. It was, in fact, empty. When Sam was younger, he kept most of his toys over there, but he was growing out of that now.

“I was thinking of having, like, instruments over there. But every time I ask my parents for a guitar, they tell me it’d be too loud.”

“You’re probably making more noise asking for it than you would if you had it.”

“Hey, I should tell them that next time I ask!”

Before Penny could reply to him, Sam’s mom called them to dinner. Had his parents finished chatting with Pam already? Sam and Penny had barely gotten time together at all!

Well, maybe that meant the adults didn’t have much in common. Sam couldn’t complain about that.

He shot Penny a look of exaggerated despair, which she laughed at before matching. They got up, and made their way to the dining room.

Sam had already helped set the table earlier, which meant he didn’t have to do it now. That was good. He didn’t want to have his back to Pam for even a second.

His mom and dad were carrying over some food that smelled delicious. Sam had already forgotten what they said they’d be making, but it didn’t matter. Sam would eat anything his parents made.

He would, of course, hold back a bit tonight. Make sure Penny got plenty of leftovers.

His parents seemed to still be talking to Pam, only having stopped to call him and Penny over. As long as they didn’t involve him, that was fine.

Since they weren’t being paid much attention, he and Penny kept up a murmured conversation of their own, sitting down next to each other at the table. They would only pause occasionally for Penny to say a polite “Thank you!” to his parents, or for Sam to say “Yes, mom” when his mother reminded him to follow his table manners.

They had to stop whispering so much once they began eating, but the food was good enough to make up for it. Sam glanced at Penny, internally celebrating at how much she looked like she was enjoying the food. Maybe he should learn to cook, so she could have fresh dinners more often?

Sam wasn’t paying any attention to the adults. That is, until Pam called his name.

Oh no. She was going to try and have a conversation with him. Sam hated when adults tried to include him in conversations, not to mention that this was specifically Pam doing it.

“So, Sam, your parents tell me you’ve been interested in music lately.”

Ugh. Sam wished that literally anyone else would ask him about his interests. He’d prefer Pam knew nothing about him at all. Well, maybe he liked that she knew him and Penny were friends. Maybe he even intimidated her, cause he encouraged Penny to get out more. Ha. That’d be funny.

“Yeah, I am. I wanna learn guitar.”

Hey, Sam might not want to share information about himself, but this did serve as an excuse to subtly pressure his parents into buying him a guitar. The more he reminded them, the more they would be worn down. He hoped.

Pam grunted. “It’s hard to make money in that career.”

What? Where had that come from? For one thing, it was wrong, Sam had seen enough photos of famous musicians in fancy clothes to know that much. But also, why was this relevant? Had he missed something?

Sam considered saying something really mean to Pam in response, but suddenly remembered that Penny was next to him. In fact, between him and Pam. He really should’ve tried to sit between them instead. Either way, for Penny’s sake, he bit his tongue.

He settled for a “Yeah, sure,” and then took a huge bite of food to avoid further talking.

Pam didn’t try to speak to him again after that, and Sam considered that a success on his part.

His parents did make some attempts to speak to Penny, though. The conversation seemed normal enough on the outside, but Sam could tell it was awkward and stilted. He knew how Penny spoke when she was comfortable, and this was not it. Sam tried to crack some jokes to put her at ease, but his parents kept giving him disapproving looks.

Penny didn’t get any less tense, but she did tap her foot against his as if sending a silent thank-you. Sam was willing to make a fool of himself at this table if it took the heat off of her at all. It wasn’t like he needed to make a good impression on Pam.

After some indeterminate amount of time spent in agony at the table (forgive his dramatics, but Sam was sick of this), everyone was full and Pam was ready to leave. While the adults did their boring adult small talk at the door, Sam and Penny whispered stupid plans about what he could do with his guitar.

(Use it as a weapon in the caves, eat off of it like a strangely-shaped plate, turn the strings into a slingshot…)

Pam cleared her throat, and Penny went quiet, waving goodbye to Sam as she followed her mother out the door.

When Sam dreamed about being a musician in the past, he didn’t ever think about the money. He wasn’t really bothered about it. But he supposed money was good for some things. Like making daily dinners.

--13--

This was surely the most beautiful day Pelican Town had ever seen. It was a warm Spring 10^th. The sun was was shining, the birds were singing, there was a gentle yet steady breeze, and Sam was a big brother.

He’d been so excited when his parents first brought it up. Having a younger sibling to play with sounded like so much fun, not to mention it would take some of the attention off of him. How could his mom complain about Sam’s energy levels when there was an actual child running around and breaking stuff?

Sam would admit that he didn’t have the greatest examples of sibling dynamics for reference. Seb and Maru barely spoke, and Sam heard a lot of yelling from the sisters next door. Of course, there were his cousins, but he hadn’t seen them in a few years now.

But he wasn’t worrying about that right now. He was just too excited! He had a baby brother! A baby brother named Vincent!

After initially getting to meet his brother, though, Sam had been sorta kicked out of the house. It’s fine, he wouldn’t know how to help take care of a newborn baby and would probably just get in the way. But those few moments when he was there, and got to hold his brother in his arms…

He’d remember it for the rest of his life.

Wandering the town, Sam knew there was only one place to go now. It was later in the day, so Penny was probably hanging out at the bridge by the library.

Sam made his way over, unable to stop grinning. Wow. He was a big brother! He couldn’t believe it!

Of course, the entire town already knew. It was almost scary how fast word travelled in Pelican Town. A few residents smiled at him as he skipped past, all knowing exactly what had him so happy.

Penny was at the bridge, as expected. She perked up as she saw him approach.

“Penny! Penny, I’m a big brother!” He knew he was yelling maybe too loudly, but who cared! He wanted everyone to hear! Sam was so excited that he pulled Penny into a hug, practically lifting her off the ground.

“I know, I know! That’s so exciting!” Penny giggled as he set her down, matching his smile.

“Vincent’s the best! I know he’s just, like, a weird little baby right now, but I can totally tell that he’s gonna be awesome!”

“With a big brother like you to look up to, I know he will.”

Right, wow, Sam was going to be a role model. “Huh, I guess I’ll need to be more responsible and stuff now, if he’s gonna be taking after me…”

Penny interrupted before Sam could continue his line of thought. “Oh, come on, you’re a great role model as is. You shouldn’t change to be, like, a better teacher to him. That’s what actual teachers are for.” Penny paused. “Sorry, that probably came off kind of intense.”

“No, not at all. I like hearing your perspective.” It had also stopped him from having a mini-spiral over responsibilities and growing up, which was good.

Penny smiled. Sam was glad to be someone she could be blunt with. Penny was very smart, but barely spoke her mind with anyone else.

“Oh, speaking of teachers, actually. Is your family planning on having him take the bus to a school out of town, like we do?”

“I assume so. I mean, what else would they do?” There were no schools in Pelican Town, so all of the teen residents had to get up early most of the year and take the ride to one on the outskirts of Zuzu City. It was hard for most of them to make friends there, being from a small town in the middle of nowhere. Except Haley. Everyone at school loved Haley.

Penny shrugged, her expression growing slightly cloudy. “I dunno. I just don’t trust the bus so much these days.”

Sam really hated Penny’s mom.

He felt himself hating her even more as Penny quickly tried to compose herself, waving away her brief sadness. “Anyways! I was just going to say that Vincent could always be homeschooled. I feel like I learned more at the library than at school, honestly.”

Penny was probably the smartest person at their school, if Sam had to guess, but a lot of teachers didn’t like her because she never had all the supplies they requested. Well, a lot of the Pelican Town kids were lacking in that regard, but Penny most of all.

Would it be better for Vincent to stay in the valley? Sure, you could argue it was good to see the world outside, but Sam felt like he hadn’t gained anything from it. School was just… othering.

“I dunno if my parents would want to homeschool him themselves, but I wouldn’t put it off the table.”

“Yeah, I guess neither of them are really academics…” Penny tapped her chin in thought. “Then again, no one in this town is. Except Gunther, maybe. Oh, and Maru and her dad.”

Sam would consider Maru and Demetrius more of mad scientists than academics, but he was biased as a friend of Seb’s, so he just nodded along. “And you,” he added. He thought about it. Honestly, even if teachers didn’t like her, Penny was good at teaching. “Hey, if school in Zuzu doesn’t pan out, you’d probably be a great teacher for Vincent!”

“You think?” Penny said shyly. “I mean, hearing you talk about him so much did make me think… Maybe I’d like working with kids. But, of course, it’s ultimately up to your parents. It might be tough if Vincent was my only student, anyways.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true…” Man, Vincent really was the only baby in town, huh? Before him, Maru had been the youngest resident, though only by a few years. The whole town would probably dote on him… That might be a lot of pressure. Even if Sam didn’t need to be a role model, he still wanted to help lessen those expectations for his brother. Maybe the best thing he could do was to stay true to himself. Show that you didn’t have to listen to adults all the time.

This was getting philosophical, and hurting his brain. He should stop.

“Well, if Vincent ends up going to school, my dad will probably make extra sure that the bus is safe for him. So I don’t think we need to worry there.” Penny’s mom was kinda scared of Sam’s dad, and would actually listen if he told her to fix some part of her behavior. Well, either she was scared, or they were friends, and Sam didn’t want to even consider to latter.

Honestly, Sam was marginally thankful for that dinner two years ago. Pam still sucked, but Sam’s parents were good at being positive influences. Penny was still more nervous and tense than Sam liked, but she had told him there was more food in the house now. Plus, again, they both knew Sam’s dad would step in when Pam was becoming a hazard.

In this moment, anyways, Penny seemed more calm at the mention of Sam’s dad. “Yeah. I shouldn’t worry so much about the bus. Things have been better lately.” She turned to him. “Let’s talk about something more fun. What color hair do you think Vincent will have?”

“Well, obviously I hope it’s just like mine.”

--14--

The bus broke down.

Penny had heard her mother tell the story a thousand times by now. How it was completely random, how the bus was just old and this was inevitable.

Penny had also heard the whispers about her mom’s drinking, and the beer cans seen at the front of the bus.

No one could confirm that the bus breaking down was Pam’s fault, but they all thought it. Even Penny. Especially Penny.

She stood beside the bus stop, staring at the old vehicle. It didn’t look so bad on the outside, luckily. At least her mom hadn’t crashed. At least she was okay.

The bus still didn’t look great, of course. But it looked the same as it had this morning, when it still worked. She honestly couldn’t remember a time the bus was ever clean. It likely hadn’t been cleaned since it was first bought, back before Penny was born.

Behind her, Penny heard footsteps approaching. She turned around, unsurprised to see Sam coming down the path.

“Hey, Pen! Lewis told me you were here. I was looking everywhere for you!”

Even under these circumstances, Penny found herself smiling slightly at Sam’s mannerisms. The way he always waved when greeting someone, the same way he did as a child. The way he always looked so excited to see her, like she was special, and worth seeking out.

He also could always tell how she was feeling. She liked that. She liked that he cared enough to pay attention in that way.

“You alright, Pen? You were staring at the bus really intensely.”

Oh, he probably hadn’t heard yet. News was still getting around.

Penny chose to be blunt. “The bus broke down.”

Sam probably wouldn’t care as much as she did. Neither of them left the town ever. Of course, she had personal stakes in this situation, but Sam didn’t. She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d forgotten the bus existed.

This assumption seemed to be wrong, though, based on the way Sam swore at the news.

“Damn it! Seriously? Is it, like, permanent?”

Penny shrugged, answering normally despite her bewilderment at his response. “We aren’t sure yet whether Lewis will have the funds to fix it.”

“I hope he does. There aren’t any good restaurants or anything in this town. Actually, there aren’t any restaurants, period. Saloons are a whole different thing.”

“Restaurants?” Penny would never claim to be good at following the way Sam thought, but usually there was at least a shred of sense to it. “Why are you looking for a restaurant?”

“Oh!” Sam looked over at her, suddenly seeming sheepish. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Oh, uh… Man, this isn’t how I wanted this to go. I was kinda hoping to ask you out on a date today.”

What?

Penny was honestly convinced for a moment that her heart was going to beat out of her chest. Did Sam just say he wanted to ask her out on a date? Scratch that, did Sam just ask her out? Meaning he was interested in her? Dating her?

Penny had known she’d had a crush on Sam for ages. It wasn’t made any better by his constant affection, or the way both of their parents whispered about them. She’d just let the feelings be, though. She figured that she could worry about it when she was older.

She supposed she was older now. That felt strange to think about.

Wow. Sam had asked her out. Sam wanted to take her to a nice restaurant out of town.

Sam was also still staring at her and blushing. She was sure her face was redder than his, though.

“You can still ask me out today if you want to,” she blurted. It sounded so confident, in complete contrast to the nerves writhing under her skin.

Sam looked surprised for a moment, before lighting up with that signature smile of his. Penny felt herself falling for him all over again.

“Then, do you want to go on a date sometime? Even if we can’t take the bus, we could do something else. Like, go on a walk in the forest… No, we already do that all the time. We could just hang out at the saloon? No, we do that already, too…”

Sam was cut off by Penny giggling. He was really so charming. And he had a point that they already sort of acted like a couple. It had probably been obvious to everyone else, huh?

“Sam, I don’t need to go on a fancy date with you, even if I think that would be fun. I just like being around you.”

Penny had always felt safe being honest with Sam. He was the sweetest person she knew.

“Then, should I skip ahead and ask you to be my girlfriend?”

Penny felt her heart flutter again. Wow. Sam’s girlfriend. That was a title she would be proud to wear.

“I’d love to.”

--15--

Sam was far from a model student. Sure, he was marginally better than Seb, but that was a low bar considering that Seb didn’t show up to most of his classes.

Sam skipped a lot too, of course. Someone had to keep Seb company underneath the stairs. But Sam skipped far less overall.

Specifically, Sam never skipped history. It was the only class he’d even try to pay attention in.

Did that mean he had a good history grade? No. He wasn’t good at any of the work assigned in that class. But he did listen, which was unusual for him.

Sam knew a lot about history from home already, of course. His dad kept him well updated on politics, even before Sam’s young mind could understand that type of stuff. And now, Sam made an effort to listen in class so he’d know more about the things his father had taught him.

It was one thing to learn about historical wars. Knowing that his father was going to be fighting in one was something else entirely.

But there he went, waving goodbye as he got on the bus that had come to pick him up. And there Sam stood, with his mother and barely two-year-old brother, watching him leave.

They’d had a good deal of forewarning, at least. Sam had plenty of time to say goodbye. But it wasn’t like any amount of time could truly be long enough. It felt like Sam had blinked, and grown up.

“While I’m gone, you need to protect your mom,” his dad had said. “You need to support her, like I would if I was there.”

But in this moment, Sam didn’t want to be a protector. He wanted to run away and hide, find someone to support him instead.

So, he turned to his mother and said, “I think I’m gonna hang out with Penny for a bit.” That felt very selfish to say.

Before he could backpedal or apologize, his mother looked up at him (when had he gotten taller than her?) and gave him a weak smile. “I understand. This is hard for all of us. Go to her for as long as you need.” She turned away, but Sam definitely caught a glimpse of tears. “I think I’ll spend some time with Caroline. So if you need me, that’s where I’ll be.”

Not for the first time since the news of his father’s return to the army, Sam found himself on his way to find Penny. He was thankful that she wouldn’t be in the trailer at this time of day. He felt like anyone even seeing him right now was too vulnerable, and he would not be able to handle a run-in with Pam.

Penny was likely up by the old community center. She had started spending time near there lately, as it was apparently a good quiet spot for reading. It would also make a good quiet spot for crying, Sam thought as he made his way up the path.

Interestingly, Penny wasn’t reading when he saw her. She was just sitting, looking around as if she were waiting for something. Well, she did know that today was the day. And it wouldn’t be tough to guess that he’d seek her out.

She knew him so well. Sam was so glad to have her.

No words needed to be exchanged as Sam approached. His feelings must have been written pretty clearly in his face and general body language, as Penny quickly stretched out her arms for a hug. Sam collapsed into it, curling up in an attempt to feel small again. Young. Before the world felt so complicated.

He was well into his teenage years. He was nearly as tall as his dad. He was supposed to be the man of the house now, whatever that meant.

But he just wanted to be a kid again, chasing a butterfly with his best friend in the world, and knowing his family was waiting for him at home.

It was going to be hard to get used to not seeing his dad at breakfast. Not getting to ask him for help with homework. Not wishing him goodnight.

And of course, Sam was avoiding the biggest worry of all. And would continue to do so for as long as he could.

“This fucking sucks, Pen.”

“It does, Sam. I know it does.”

Of course she understood. Penny never even had a dad really. Sam was lucky to have had a whole decade and a half to spend with his. In a way, they were both children of single moms now, even if their situations were still very different.

Sam pulled just slightly back from the hug, resting his forehead against Penny’s. He didn’t think he would be able to let go for a while. He needed contact right now.

“Can we stay here a while? I’m not, like, interrupting your schedule or anything?”

“You’re not, and I wouldn’t care if you were. What’s most important to me right now is supporting you.”

Sam smiled, though it was surely wobbly. “You’re the best, Pen. I’m so lucky to have you.”

Penny simply continued to hold him, moving her hands soothingly up and down his back. Though the silence didn’t end up going very long. “Did you want to talk about anything? Or would you prefer to just cuddle in silence?”

“If I don’t talk now, I’ll probably just explode later.” Sam had a bad habit of bottling up emotions that hurt to deal with. To be fair, Penny sometimes did the same thing. They both scolded each other a lot for it.

Sam took a deep breath. “I hate that I’m being forced to grow up.”

“As in, you feel like you have to take your father’s place?”

“Yeah, it feels like that’s what everyone will want me to do. But I still feel like a dumb kid.”

Penny raised one hand to thread her fingers soothingly through his hair. “Well for one thing, you weren’t dumb as a kid. But also, I don’t think that would be a fair expectation at all. Yes, you aren’t a kid anymore, but you aren’t an adult either. You…” She looked to the side. “You still need a father around.”

Sam suddenly felt a bit guilty. “Shit, Pen, I’m sorry. Here I am complaining when you—”

Penny looked back at him, eyes suddenly much more intense. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence. You’re allowed to feel upset, Sam. Don’t compare your situation to others. We all deserve better, okay?”

“Right. Okay.”

“We both deserved to have fathers that stuck around into our adult years. Let me support you in this.” The fire had left her expression now, concern replacing it. “Please?”

“You’re the best support I could ask for, Pen. Thank you.” Sam moved his head to the side, letting them both curl further into each other’s embrace. He was allowed to be upset. Even if it was hard to believe when he said it to himself, he could accept it as truth from Penny. She was very wise. Probably knew him better than he knew himself.

As he tried to relax, Sam’s mind wandered back to his situation. His dad really was gone. And was going to be for a while. They weren’t sure how long exactly it would be. It could be years. Would his dad miss his next birthday? Would he miss Sam’s eighteenth birthday? Would he miss when Sam was able to drink?

“Can I share one more worry?”

“Sam, you can share as many worries with me as you want. I’ll listen to every one.”

Sam shut his eyes as tight as he could.

“I’m worried… I’m worried that he won’t come back. Like, that… that my dad will die.”

That was the real fear, wasn’t it? For all the time he’d be without his dad, it would be okay as long as he came back. They could make up for the lost years, no matter how old Sam would be by then. But Sam know as well as anyone that the Gotoro Empire was extremely dangerous, and fighting directly against them…

“Listen, Sam. I know your dad. He’s strong, probably the one of the strongest people I’ve met both in heart and body. He’s going to be okay. And…” Penny pulled back so they could return to their earlier position, foreheads pressed together. “And, in the impossible scenario where things do go wrong… I’m going to be here. I’ll help you however you need. We’ll make it through.”

They would make it through. As a pair. As two partners, forever supporting each other.

Sam believed her.

--17--

Arguments never start big. They start over little things, like using a bit of a tone when speaking, or closing the door slightly too hard.

Penny was all too familiar with the way a day could go sour so quickly, given her mother was drunk half the time she saw her. Alcohol didn’t exactly make Pam more agreeable than normal.

If you asked Pam, she’d probably insist the arguments didn’t start small at all. Every perceived slight of Penny’s was actually worthy of the death penalty, even things like taking out the trash a day late.

Penny was a teenager. More specifically, she was seventeen, meaning she had less than a year left before adulthood. Everyone at school was antsy to get out, though for many of them, adulthood didn’t mean the end of studying. All of Penny’s teachers, even the ones who didn’t like her so much, had been encouraging her to look into college. They assured her there were schools who would be love to have an academic like her, and they would likely offer her generous scholarships.

Penny had considered it. She was personally a little excited to be free from school and no longer be constantly embarrassed over her lack of materials. But as time went on, she heard more and more about everyone else’s plans, and started to feel somewhat inspired. She had been surprised to hear that Abigail was planning on taking online college courses. Could she do something like that? She wouldn’t have to watch her mother scowl at the school bus if she wasn’t going in-person anymore.

So, she’d looked into it. Penny truly did love learning, and a school environment suited her for the most part. Really, the only issue was the money, but surely she could get enough from scholarships to figure something out.

Her mother hadn’t agreed.

Penny hadn’t even asked anything. But that was the thing about Pam. She read into everything people said far too deeply, to her own detriment. She was constantly searching for any way to twist their words, to prove that everyone was out to get her. Penny had to deal with it most of all, since she lived with Pam. It was why she usually chose not to speak at all.

But of course, she just had to open her mouth and mention that her classmates were talking about college. And because Pam was Pam, she took that as a sassy way of asking if Penny could go herself.

“You know we don’t have the money for that!” was how Penny knew it would start.

And she knew the guilt would follow, with “I work hard to provide for you! I give you everything you could need!”

“I let you have the only bedroom, and force myself to sleep on the couch!” Penny had never asked for that.

“All of my money goes towards you!” No, it all went towards beer.

“I put food on the table!” That was the bare minimum for a child.

“You’re so ungrateful! The least you could do for me is stick around and get a job, so you aren’t just leeching off of my hard work!”

In Penny’s dreams, she would shout back “I don’t owe you anything!” In her imagination, she’d played out these exact scenes over and over, concocting the perfect arguments, scripting her words ever so very carefully. Yet whenever it came down to it, and Pam was actually there, saying these words, she froze up. She knew her lines. She just couldn’t say them.

It made her feel weak. It made her want to cry.

Crying was the worst thing she could do, though. As her eyes grew glassy, she could hear Pam’s words before they even left her mouth.

“Oh, don’t go all crybaby on me! You’re just trying to make me feel bad, cause you know it hurts me to see you upset! Stop trying to manipulate me when I’m asking so little of you!”

Penny felt so weak. She’d dealt with so much yelling before, but it felt worse every time. Was it getting worse? Would things ever improve?

Pam had stood up at some point, waving her finger in Penny’s face. “I don’t know why you’re like this! I gave you all I could, and you haven’t had to suffer nearly so much as I have! You have no right to act like a helpless child any more!”

Things were going off script. Things were getting bad. Pam had never said these parts out loud. They were always just implied, thinly veiled behind more mundane complaints.

“I shouldn’t have to deal with such a spoiled child as you! Sometimes you really make me wish I’d never even had a—“

The trailer door slammed open.

Everything went silent.

In all their years of knowing one another, Penny had seen Sam with a wide variety of emotions. They’d laughed together, cried together, screamed together.

She didn’t think she’d ever seen him truly angry until this very moment, stood in her doorway and staring down her mother with a stone cold rage.

“Finish your fucking sentence, Pam.”

He spit out the name as if it were disgusting, and he couldn’t stand having it in his mouth any longer. The venom in his tone was unlike anything Penny had heard before, not just from him, but from anyone.

Pam seemed to be in shock. From Sam’s entrance , from his words , or from what she’d almost said, Penny couldn’t be sure. But some autopilot of hers kicked in, and her face returned to its usual state of anger.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, barging into my home like that?”

“Finish. Your. Sentence.” Sam seemed impossibly tall in this moment, stepping forwards and staring down at Pam. Penny could hardly think. She could only watch the scene unfolding before her.

“You—“

“Come on, stop being a coward and show us your true face. It’s not like we don’t know how you feel. You’ve made it pretty fucking clear through your actions.”

Pam growled, though her posture gave away her receding confidence. “Don’t come in here talking like you know anything about my family,” she snapped back, deflecting again.

“I assure you, I know a lot more than you do.” Sam hadn’t raised his voice even once, yet his words rang far more powerful than any of Pam’s. It felt like they reverberated throughout the entire trailer. Maybe even across the town. “Tell me one fucking thing about your own daughter. I’ll be truly surprised if you know a single thing about her as a person.”

“You can’t come in here and start making random demands of me!”

“So you can’t name anything? You admit it.”

“Of course I know her! She goes to the library for one thing, because she’s not an idiot like you!”

“Is that why? Or is it that she can’t stand being cooped up in this trailer with you and your alcohol?”

Penny didn’t hear what Pam said next, because suddenly Sam was making eye contact with her. She remembered that she was here, in the trailer, physically present for this argument.

Sam stared at her, and his icy rage seemed to ebb away, suddenly replaced by overwhelming concern and guilt. Before Penny could process what was going on, he was making his way to her side, now more recognizable without his fury.

“Penny, fuck, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

Penny could see Pam’s mouth moving from where she stood behind him (when had he gotten between them?) but she couldn’t hear anything. She was here, physically, but she couldn’t do anything. It felt like she had no control of her body.

Sam was searching her expression, and di d n’t seem happy with whatever he found. “Do you want to leave?” He spoke quietly, but Penny could hear it clear as day.

She did her best to nod. It was all she could do. Sam was reaching out instantly, guiding her to stand up and lean on him as they walked towards the door.

Pam was yelling. Sam might have pushed her away at some point. But to P enny, she blinked, and was at the bridge.

She was sitting down on the ground, the stone bumpy, but comfortabl y cool against her skin. She was leaning back against the wall of the bridge, Sam crouched beside her.

She looked over to him. He looked back, trying to smile, but clearly too worried to actually do so.

“Hey. I’m really sorry, Pen. Me barging in there and arguing wasn’t fair to you at all.”

“It was fair to barge in,” she managed to mumble out. Her voice felt weak. Everything about her felt weak.

“Yeah, but I still shouldn’t have started fighting with your mom. Even though she was wrong, and being really awful, I wasn’t helping you by egging her on.”

“I… Yeah, I didn’t like that.” Penny drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them.

“Sorry. I couldn’t stand hearing her say all that to you, but that’s no excuse. I should’ve gone to you first. Asked you what you wanted from the start.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to tell you.” Penny was hardly speaking above a whisper. Sam had to lean in very close to hear her. “I just… froze up. I always do. I’m so weak.”

“You’re not weak at all!” Penny flinched slightly at the volume, and Sam immediately quieted down, whispering apologies. “Sorry, sorry. I mean it, though. Putting up with all that, and still being so kind and caring… You’re one of the strongest people I know, Pen. Please don’t say such mean stuff about yourself.”

Penny was surprised for a moment that she wasn’t crying yet. Then, she realized that she was, and had been since the fight started in the trailer. She reached up and brushed away some of the tears on her face.

Sam reached over as well, pausing and giving her a questioning look. He didn’t need to ask permission to touch her, but Penny supposed he felt like he should in this case. She nodded. She loved it whenever Sam was physically affectionate, which was always.

He cupped her face with both hands and gently wiped away her tears, tilting her head to look him in the eyes.

“I hope you know that Pam is wrong. You work so hard, and you don’t owe her shit.” Penny nodded, leaning into his hands further. He sighed, finally smiling at her. “I wish I could help you more.”

“You’re helping me plenty.”

“But I wish… I dunno. I just wish we could, like, run away together and never have to worry about your mom again.”

Penny giggled a little, though it was still weak from her prior crying. It made Sam light up anyways.

“It’s a nice thought. Being out in the world with you…” Penny frowned slightly. “But not possible right now. Sadly.”

Sam looked up at the sky. It had darkened considerably since Penny had been out earlier. The air was starting to get slightly chilly. It was early summer, but nights still tended to be colder.

“Hey.” Penny looked away from the sky and back at Sam. He’d moved his hands away from her face to interlock their fingers, squeezing gently. “If you want, you could sleep over at my place tonight.”

“Seriously?” Penny desperately wanted to. Seeing Pam again so soon sounded nightmarish, and she didn’t want to have to trudge up the mountain and beg Maru for a last minute sleepover. “Will your mom be okay with it?”

Sam opened his mouth, then paused. “Uh. Well, she’d probably be weird about it, you’re right. But I could probably sneak you in through my window pretty easily. Vincent is probably already in bed, so it’s not like he’ll be able to rat on us.”

Sneaking into her boyfriend’s bedroom through his window? That was something straight out of the trashy romance novels she would get at the library. And honestly, it was just the thrill she needed right now.

“Alright then.” Penny stood, tightening her grip on Sam’s hand and urging him up off the ground. “Lead the way.”

--17.5--

The unfortunate thing about living in a small town was that no matter how hard you tried not to, you’d end up developing the same interests as old people.

Largely, Sam would appear an exception to this, as would Abby and Seb. They were the type of kids all parents feared, and would hate seeing their child bring home. However, despite their best efforts, the three eventually caved to boredom, and learned to play pool.

There was an argument to be made that no one else in Pelican Town regularly played pool, so in some way it couldn’t be considered an old person activity, but that didn’t really make it any better. Not a single person at school knew how to play the game, and the three hid their own knowledge fiercely.

It had started when Seb got paid for the first time. He’d promised to buy them all a pizza to share at the saloon to celebrate, which had seemed like a great idea. However, both of the video games that the saloon offered were broken that day, leaving the trio bored out of their minds, but with no intention of going home before sundown.

Emily, who had only recently started working at the saloon, noticed their misery and offered to teach them pool. Had it been any other day, or any other circumstance, the three would have vehemently refused. But boredom was a strong motivator, and soon, Sam and Seb had become obsessed.

Abby often joked that she was the only one to escape the curse known as liking pool. She never had played it herself, after all. But Sam and Seb both knew she was just as invested in every game as they were, judging by her animated reactions from the couch at each shot.

So, yeah. The three of them had developed at least one Old Person Interest. But at least they’d developed a schedule along with it.

Sam knew he was the only one in the group who’d admit it, but he could never get enough of being with his friends. Being around Abby and Seb made him feel more like himself somehow, and he cherished every second he had with them.

Unfortunately, over the years, their personal schedules had grown more and more complicated, making meeting up a bit harder. Sam tried his best, but it was rare for him to be able to drag both Abby and Seb out of their houses at once. Their saloon hangouts on Friday ensured that they saw each other at least weekly, and kept them from falling apart.

Sam had tried inviting Penny on multiple occasions. In fact, he’d asked her to come along the very first time, when Seb was buying everyone pizza. Penny had always declined, though. The saloon wasn’t her favorite place, to say the least, and she much preferred the quiet of the library. Sam understood, of course. He hadn’t really expected her to agree, anyway. He mostly just offered so that she knew he was thinking of her.

Tonight, as usual, Penny had denied his invite, and Sam had headed to the saloon on his own. He was somewhat surprised to find himself the first to arrive. Abby tended to get there the earliest, partially because she lived so close by, but also because she was always antsy to get out of her house. It was no matter, though. Sam knew she’d be there. He honestly struggled to think of a time someone had missed saloon night. The three of them were all deeply committed to it, to the point that one time, Abby had shown up despite being sick, and Sam and Seb had practically dragged her back home to rest. One of them being late was no surprise, and usually went unmentioned. They had their own lives to worry about, after all. They couldn’t always control their schedules.

Seb arrived soon after Sam, silently joining him in setting up the pool table for their game. It was nearly half an hour later that Abby finally trudged in.

She sighed loudly, collapsing onto the couch and going boneless. “This town sucks.”

Seb didn’t even look up to reply. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“I don’t mean for, like, the obvious reasons.” Abby propped herself up on the couch. “The dating pool is nonexistent. There aren’t any hotties around here.”

Sam laughed. “Well, there are two, but they’re taken.”

“Shut up, jerk,” Abby snapped back, smiling anyways. She then paused, her expression turning slightly serious. “Wait, actually, I just realized that you and Penny have been going strong for… like, three years now?”

Seb whistled. “That’s honestly impressive. Especially considering your it’s your first relationship. And I’m not counting those crushes from middle school.”

Sam already had a retort ready on his lips, but paused to actually consider what Abby had said. It was true, he’d been with Penny for quite some time. He had told Seb and Abby about it literally the same day, though they probably could have figured it out soon enough regardless. Sam had a hard time being chill about the fact he was dating Penny. He was the king of PDA.

“Damn, three years. That’s a while,” Sam said, mostly to himself.

“Sorry if this is, like, too deep of a question,” Abby began. “But, do you think you’re gonna stay with her? Like, forever? She’s great and all, but we all know she wants to settle down and live the sort of housewife lifestyle.”

“I mean, we don’t know that’s what she wants, but sure.”

Seb piped up. “We know she wants kids, though. She’s mentioned it before, remember? Do you think you want that, too?”

Sam thought about it. He hadn’t thought all that far into his future, really. He knew he wanted to make music, but that was just a vague dream of his. He didn’t even know whether he wanted to be a solo artist or start a band.

He’d been operating under the assumption that Penny would always be at his side, he realized. Even though he didn’t spend much time planning, he’d always imagined that she’d be the first to hear every song idea he had, and that if he ever got to be on stage, she’d be in the audience.

So, he wanted this relationship to last. He knew that much.

Kids, though?

If Sam was a musician, and got to go on tour, would that not keep him away from his children? Would it be fair to abandon them for his work?

(Like his father did?)

“The best future I can imagine is one with Penny in it,” he decided on. “And I’ll figure out what that means when we get there.”

“Fair enough,” Abby shrugged. “You’ve always been the go-with-the-flow type. Also, stop being sappy, I’m either gonna throw up, or curse this town’s abysmal dating pool again.”

Seb was miming gagging as Abby spoke. “Yeah, we’re happy for you and stuff, but you need to stop being cute. If I ever start talking like that, kill me.”

Sam laughed, recognizing the affection hidden behind his friends’ teasing. “Aw, but Seb, don’t you love us? Tell us all about how we’re in your perfect future!”

Abby joined in, batting her eyelashes and pouting. “C’mon Seb, aren’t we your most dearest loved ones? Aren’t we your cutie-pies?”

Seb threw his pool cue across the table, and the trio got kicked out.

--18--

It was very rare for someone new to move into Pelican Town. It was a tiny place in the middle of nowhere, which almost no one was even aware of, that had no claims to fame. Any resident could tell you that.

Despite this, Penny had been around to see a considerable number of new residents move in.

First, or first that she could remember, was Alex. She’d only been around seven or eight when he came to live with his grandparents. Then, there had been that doctor a few years back. It was honestly a little concerning how long the town had gone without a proper medical professional. And now, there was Marnie’s nephew and his goddaughter.

Penny… wasn’t sure what to make of them. When she initially was told the news, she’d misheard and thought that it was Marnie’s goddaughter coming to town. She’d also assumed that “nephew” would refer to someone much younger.

She hadn’t been very prepared for whatever Shane’s deal was, nor the knowledge that this was the man supposedly responsible for little Jas.

Penny already had an arrangement with Sam’s parents that she would be tutoring Vincent. They’d been very excited about the idea. She’d gotten pretty embarrassed when they talked about her “becoming even more of a part of their family”, though.

She was hoping to make the same arrangement and teach Jas alongside Vincent, but honestly, she wasn’t looking forward to talking to Shane. She might want to just ask Marnie instead.

She really did want to get to teach Jas. Vincent was a great kid, but over the years he’d proven to be somehow even more energetic than Sam. No one could keep an eye on the boy on their own. Anytime Jodi had to go out, Penny would need to come over as backup.

Having a second student might make teaching him a bit easier. Penny hadn’t officially started tutoring yet. She was planning on starting when Vincent was six, as if he were actually entering first grade. Ideally Jas could come along, and the two of them would learn faster side-by-side.

Currently, Penny was pondering all this while watching Vincent smack two of his toy trucks against each other. Last she’d checked, the trucks were actually the two kings of all his toys, and were fighting for control over the dinosaur figurines (a top commodity in the kingdom, of course.)

Vincent had luckily run himself somewhat tired earlier when Penny and Sam took him to the beach. That was the only reason Penny even had the opportunity to zone out now, as Vincent usually required her full attention.

Sam was sitting beside Penny, appearing enraptured by the political drama Vincent was performing. One of the trucks had called in a rabbit plush as backup, and it was tying the enemy truck up with its ears.

Sam and Penny were on the opposite side of the room from Vincent, allowing him ample space to play. If they’d sat too close, someone would have been hit in the head with a truck by now. They’d learned that after the first incident.

“I hope Jas is slightly calmer than this. Otherwise, I might quit teaching before I’ve started.”

Penny kept her voice down, not wanting Vincent to hear. He’d been begging to meet the new kid as soon as he’d heard about her, but apparently Jas wasn’t in much of a mood to meet anyone yet. That was fair enough, as it’d only been a few days since she and Shane arrived. But Vincent had been upset at being denied a potential playmate.

Sam chuckled a bit. “Oh, come on, surely it’d be a little fun to look after the tiny devils. But either way, Marnie described Jas as a more chill kid. I think you’re all good.”

“You got to speak to her about it? I’ve been meaning to go by the ranch and see if Jas was interested in tutoring at all.”

“Yeah, I went by with Abby yesterday. Didn’t get to see Jas at all, but I saw that Shane guy skulking around the kitchen.”

Penny huffed. Everything about the situation with the ranch family rubbed her the wrong way. Penny was well aware of how it felt being the child of a single parent, and she couldn’t imagine that having a single dad was any better than a single mom.

“I’m glad Marnie’s there. I doubt that Jas would do well with just a dad. It’s such a shame she doesn’t have an actual mom to care for her, though…”

Sam made a bit of a face. “Eh, I don’t know if that’s the right way to think about it. I doubt Shane’s all that bad. I mean, he already applied for a job, and he’s been here maybe three, four days?”

Shane had applied for a job? That was news to Penny. “Where did he get a job? I’d assumed he would just be helping Marnie at the ranch.”

“I mean, he’ll probably do that, too. Marnie will make him. But yeah, I overheard my boss talking about having Shane come in for an interview.”

Right, JojaMart. Penny didn’t care much for Joja, but it meant that Sam had a job, and that her mom complained a little less about the cost of groceries. And also, apparently, that Jas’ godfather was making some effort to provide for her.

Sam was still talking. “I think Jas will do fine, anyways. Our whole town is basically one weird family, right? She doesn’t need that whole typical family deal.”

But Penny would have been happier with a typical family. Right? Wasn’t that the reason she was suffering so much? Wasn’t that why her mom was so angry?

But… Sam knew how it felt, too. He’d been down a parent for three years now. And yeah, it was tough for him, but Sam’s family was still happy. They still loved each other. They had a community to depend on.

Jas did, too. There was quite a variety of families in Pelican Town. Plenty of them defied the norm of having a mom and dad.

“I guess I just wish I could have had two parents,” she admitted. Sam pulled his arm around her tighter.

“I know. But… I don’t think pinning your problems on that is the right way to go about things. You gotta, like, find the actual source to do any growing.”

“That was way too smart. Where’d you get that from?”

Sam laughed. “Seb said something similar to me one time. Or, well, I guess he said it about himself, but I remembered it. I probably didn’t say it right, though.” His smile faltered. “It wasn’t, like, overstepping to say, right?”

“No, it’s okay. I think I’ve gotten kinda obsessive with what I think a family should look like. It’s not fair to Jas. Or Shane.”

Most people in town seemed to think Sam wasn’t the most emotionally intelligent. Actually, most people just didn’t think he was intelligent in general. Yet he’d pulled Penny out of more spirals than she could count, and always did so as if it were nothing. Penny really did admire his outlook on life. She hoped she could emulate it some day.

She glanced over at him. Sam was really the best partner she could ask for. He had been for nearly four years.

Penny opened her mouth. She wasn’t sure what she was about to say. Whether she was about to thank him, or compliment him, or tell him that she loved him.

She never got to find out. Because at that moment, the dinosaurs led a revolution, and sent the truck kings flying directly into the window.

--19--

While Sam wasn't even close to being on Sebastian's level of technological obsession, he still probably owned about a sixth of the electronics in the whole town. (Sebastian, of course, owning two thirds, and Abby being nearly on par with Sam.)

But again, Sam wasn't all that interested in the inner workings of it all. No, he had a specific reason for seeking a connection to the internet.

It was safe to say that Pelican Town's music scene wasn't very active. In fact, it didn't exist at all. The most you'd get out of bringing up music with an older resident was a list of the few vinyls they had rotting in a cabinet somewhere. Meaning, of course, that Sam’s only access to modern music was the internet.

Sam had learned guitar using guides online. He’d watched videos detailing how to play all his favorite songs. He’d found shaky and low-quality recordings of every concert he wished he could’ve seen.

And now that he was an adult making a paycheck, he was finally able to see one in person.

It had taken a lot of planning. First, he had to consider the issue of transportation. Surprise, surprise, the bus still hadn’t been fixed, so he’d had to find another way of getting to Zuzu.

In the end, he’d managed to convince Robin to let him borrow her truck in exchange for his help carrying some lumber the following week. He was really glad he’d decided to get his license last year, as he doubted he could convince anyone to drive him.

He also had needed to do a lot of research into what to bring for a concert. He’d hardly ever been outside of Pelican Town, besides going to school, and certainly had never been somewhere so crowded. This was no small performance, it was a concert sure to be packed with the most intense audience the fanbase had to offer.

And most importantly, tickets. He’d been saving money from his paychecks for over a month, repeatedly forgoing pizza at the saloon, much to the concern of Abby and Seb. He’d stayed up into the early hours of the morning to make sure the tickets didn’t sell out before he got to them. He’d even made sure to buy two, as he was hoping this could be a nice date for him and Penny.

(Abby and Seb had pretended to complain that he didn’t buy them tickets as well, but stopped as soon as they saw the price.)

Ever since Sam had set up his full plan, he’d been ranting and raving to everyone who would listen about how excited he was. Abby and Seb had long since gotten sick of his rambling, and his mom had learned to stop listening as soon as she saw a certain look on his face.

Penny, while not quite having the same level of enthusiasm that he did, was still willing to hear him out every time. After all, she was coming too, so she could actually look forward to the concert with him.

Before buying the tickets, he’d made sure to ask if she even would want to go. After all, Penny preferred quiet spaces, and could get overwhelmed when around too many people. She’d assured him that she wanted to go, and get to step out of her comfort zone, but he still worried.

“And remember, if you want to leave at any time—“

“Sam, I know. We’ve been over it a thousand times.” Penny rolled her eyes fondly. “But I think I’ll enjoy it! After all, I’ll be with you.”

Sam put his hands over his face. “Aw, c’mon Pen, stop saying such sweet stuff! You’re making me blush!”

She laughed, pulling one of his hands away and kissing him on the nose. He turned to kiss her on the forehead, interlocking their fingers.

Before Sam could say anything more, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Fishing it out, he saw that his mom had texted him.

As he read the message, Penny could see his face fall, usual sunny expression fading away. “What is it?”

“My mom just texted me. Apparently something came up, and she needs me to watch Vincent on Saturday.”

“Saturday? This Saturday? But… that’s the concert!”

“I know.” Sam heaved a sigh. “Man, all that planning, and now this…”

“You aren’t actually considering cancelling, right?” Sam looked up to see that Penny was staring at him rather sternly.

“I mean, what else can I do? I have to drive out pretty early to make it, I’d never get there in time if I waited for my mom to come back…”

Penny’s grip on his hand tightened. “Sam, you put so much effort into this! There’s plenty of other people who can watch Vincent, just tell your mom that you’re busy that day.”

“But—“

“Every single time you’ve cancelled a date, it’s been to look after Vincent.”

Sam paused. Surely that wasn’t true, right? Yeah, sometimes he had to put his plans aside in favor of his family, but it couldn’t happen that often.

“I know you care a lot about your brother, and I’m glad for that. It’s something I love a lot about you. But you need to stop prioritizing others so much. Do something for yourself for once. Please?”

Penny was looking into his eyes so deeply that Sam felt like she could see his soul. And maybe she could, given how easily she always understood what he was thinking and feeling. She was right, of course, that he would always put others before himself. Surely doing otherwise was selfish, right? Wasn’t it good for him to help others so often?

She didn’t seem to think so. Not in this case, at least. Maybe if Penny said it was okay, he could be a little selfish. Maybe he should let himself be happy.

He texted his mom that he would be busy. Then, he went to the best concert of his life.

--20--

Pelican Town had exactly one spot for dinner dates, and everyone knew it. Literally every single married couple could recall at least one time they’d gotten dinner in the back of the saloon, the perfect romantic setting. Despite its natural atmosphere, though, its existing reputation didn’t make it feel very special.

That was perfect for tonight, though. Sam and Penny had been on tons of special dates. The two of them were creative enough together to find plenty of ways to have fun and make new experiences. But sometimes, it was nice to just sit back and enjoy each other’s company, which was why Penny had asked Gus to let them eat in the back room tonight.

The two of them had arrived together. There wasn’t really a point in avoiding each other before the date like a pair of nervous teenagers, after all. They’d been dating for six years now, and had been friends for even longer. It would be weird for Penny not to be at Sam’s house on a slow and uneventful day like today.

They were already mid-conversation as they entered the saloon, only pausing as they approached the counter. Emily was the first to notice them, smiling wide. “Hello, you two! The room is all set up, you can head on in and I’ll get your order in a moment!”

Penny and Sam thanked her, heading towards the back. The saloon was fairly crowded today, it seemed. It was too early for Pam or Shane to be hanging around, but it seemed Marnie and Lewis had come by ahead of their usual schedules. Leah and Elliot were already getting tipsy at their table, seemingly entertaining themselves with a book Elliot had brought. It wasn’t Friday, so Abby and Seb remained absent. They wouldn’t have come by anyways, though, knowing Sam was on a date.

Penny had seen the back room before, when her and Sam last ate here, but she still found herself looking around and appreciating the area. It was a pretty nice spot, especially for a small town. Some candles had been lit for them, which added to the atmosphere.

Sam seemed slightly less impressed by the display. “Why do dinner tables for dates always have the chairs on opposite sides? It’s so much distance.”

“Probably so that the people can look at each other?” Penny replied, amused. She pulled out Sam’s chair for him, bowing dramatically and laughing as he pretended to swoon.

“Yeah, but I still prefer getting to be close to you.” He winked at Penny as she sat down. “You’re right, though. I can’t complain about this view.”

“Oh, stop it. What happened to this being a casual night out?” Despite Penny’s protests, her grin was giving away how much she enjoyed Sam’s flirting. It felt like he’d only gotten better at it over the years, which she couldn’t complain about. She’d never once felt any doubt in his love for her, not when he was announcing it near constantly.

“This is me being casual.” Sam dramatically picked up his menu. “Alright, what am I blowing my paycheck on tonight…”

“You should be asking me that. I’m gonna run you dry.”

“Oh, woe is me, I’m being given a chance to spoil my girlfriend. How cruel fate is!”

A few years ago, Penny would never have been able to joke like this. She used to worry a lot over dates, since Sam was usually the one paying for them. Penny always wished she could return the favor, but she didn’t have the money for it.

Sam had reassured her again and again that he didn’t mind. Not only that, but he’d actively encouraged her to spend more of his money. He’d admitted that he didn’t like spending money on himself all that much, but enjoyed getting a chance to support her and make her happy however he could.

They talked a lot about these sorts of things. Penny had always appreciated how open Sam was, and could see now how helpful it was in a relationship. The communication had definitely drawn her out of her shell more, and allowed her to be more comfortable. It was incredible to see how much she’d changed over the course of their relationship.

Soon enough, Emily came by to get their orders, and Penny felt no shame or guilt in asking for a slightly more expensive meal. Sam practically beamed at her, and she gave him a small grin back.

Once Emily had left the room, the two relaxed into their seats.

“Well, I’d normally ask you what you’ve been up to…” Sam began, “But we already spent, like, the whole day together, so that’s not exactly a conversation starter.”

“We spent all of today arguing about poptarts, though. Not really talking about what we’ve been up to.”

“It wasn’t an argument! It was a lively debate.”

Penny rolled her eyes affectionately. “Sure. Well, then. What were you up to yesterday? I only got to see you in the morning, really.”

“Hmm… not much, I guess. Obviously Vincent was with you, so I mostly practiced guitar all day. Sang some songs I wouldn’t want him overhearing, heh. But yeah, it was a slow day for me. How about you?”

“Other than teaching Vincent and Jas, I didn’t have much of note, either.” Penny thought for a moment. “Oh, actually, I was going to mention. I feel like my mom has seemed happier lately, or at least more chill. I forgot to do the dishes on Monday and she didn’t even mention it.”

“Hey, that’s great! Do you have any idea why, though? Like, I’m happy for her and all, but…”

“But you don’t trust it. Which is fair.” Penny sighed. “I think I’ve been more and more independent lately, and she’s starting to miss me, or something. Like, I’m not around as much anymore, and she’s starting to notice.”

Sam hummed. “You know, I think my mom has been hanging out with her.”

“Seriously?”

“I know, I know. My dad was the one she got along better with before, but I’m pretty sure my mom said she was talking to Pam lately. Maybe that’s helping somehow. They’re both sort of lonely people, you know?”

If Kent was around, Pam and Penny probably never would have had that fight three years ago. His strong yet easygoing personality was a perfect counter to Pam’s intense negativity. She had never complained about Penny going to Sam’s place back when Kent was around.

Then again, she didn’t complain about anything Penny did anymore. She really had started improving somewhat. Could it be because of Jodi? It was possible.

Sam shrugged. “No matter the cause, I’m glad you’re having an easier time. I just hope our moms don’t get too buddy-buddy. If they ever try to organize another family dinner, I’m stealing Seb’s bike and driving off the summit.”

“Oh come on, it wasn’t even that bad.” Penny laughed.

“Are you kidding? It was more awkward than anything I’ve ever experienced in my life. Though I guess now we wouldn’t have the added issue of our parents shipping us, or whatever.”

“I bet they’d make fun of you for not buying me a bouquet.”

Sam gasped in mock offense. “As if I’d ever let Pierre of all people know about my personal life! Plus, you made me a bouquet the day after I asked you out. That’s tradition enough for me.”

She had. Penny wasn’t the best at foraging, but she knew a few good spots where wild flowers usually grew, so she was able to put together a small bouquet for Sam. He’d been so excited that he’d instantly begged Haley to do a photoshoot of him with the flowers. The pictures were still up on his wall to this day.

Their food arrived, and the two paused their conversation for a moment to eat. It gave Penny a moment to just appreciate being around Sam in silence, enjoying his sunny presence across the table.

She loved having meals with him. She wondered if sometime they could cook together, too, quietly working in tandem on some summer morning. Eating together, maybe relaxing on the couch afterwards…

Oh. That all sounded awfully domestic. She really shouldn’t be thinking ahead like this…

Or should she? They were both twenty now. If Pelican Town had any empty housing, they likely would’ve moved in together already. With how long they’d been dating, it made sense for her to be considering their future.

She should really bring this up sometime. Discuss their relationship, now that they were truly mature.

Tonight was meant to be casual, though, so she stowed the topic away for later. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy being around her favorite person, eating good food, and laughing like a child.

--21--

Like any normal young adult, Sam was sitting upside down on his bed and playing guitar.

He’d turned twenty one only very recently, which he supposed was meant to be important. It was the drinking age in most of the Ferngill Republic. Of course, because he’d grown up with as chill a dad as Kent, Sam had already tasted alcohol, and already knew he didn’t care about it.

Instead, he was currently trying to drink a Joja Cola. Keyword, of course, being trying. Both of his hands were occupied by his guitar, and he was, again, quite literally upside down, so it was a bit tricky getting any of the drink into his mouth.

Penny was doing nothing to help, sitting on his desk chair with her head propped up on her fist as if this was the highest form of entertainment to her.

Eventually, Sam gave up on the Cola, nudging it onto his nightstand with his foot. It miraculously didn’t fall over, which was good news for the pile of dirty clothes on his floor. He returned to practicing on his guitar. He’d been having a bit of trouble figuring out how to play the latest melody he’d come up with.

Penny seemed to still be deep in thought as she watched him play. Sam didn’t mention it, continuing to strum away until she spoke up.

“Do you plan to be a musician professionally?”

“Yeah, of course!” Sam grinned. “I’ve always dreamed of it. And with Seb being interested in starting a band with me, I think I can actually do it.”

Penny smiled back at him, leaning forward. “I’m glad you’re chasing your dreams. I just know you’ll be famous one day.” Silence fell again as she watched him play, seeming to consider her next words very carefully. “And, uh, speaking of the future. Do you… see yourself having kids one day?”

Oh. This was going to be a more serious talk, huh.

Sam sat up, laying his guitar on his lap. He’d thought about kids a couple times in the past few years. After spending so much time with his younger brother, he did find the idea enticing. He’d like raising a kid. He could see it in his future. But it wasn’t that simple.

“Eventually. Eventually I want to have a kid.” He paused, putting his thoughts together. “But not in my twenties. Hell, probably not in my thirties. If I’m going to have my band, I’ll want to go on tour someday, do all sorts of performances. It wouldn’t feel fair leaving a child at home while I do that.”

He looked up at Penny, surprised to find himself fearful of her response. He loved Penny, dearly and deeply, and she loved him. But he didn’t want either of them to sacrifice some part of their dreams for the other.

Luckily, she didn’t look upset. She just seemed thoughtful. “I think that’s perfectly understandable. And, I guess… Well, on my end, I’ve known for a long time that I want to have children. Though, I hadn’t considered the timeframe. That was a little narrow minded of me.” She paused. “I don’t think I’d be upset about waiting. It would be good for me to mature a while longer before I raise kids.”

It was a little surreal, still, to be discussing their future together like this. It was really hitting Sam in this moment that he wanted to be with Penny for the rest of his life, and that she felt the same. That they were discussing having children together, and planning their lives around each other.

“Other than kids, what are your dreams for the future? Like, we know I’ll have my band, but what about you?”

Sam had meant it to be a pretty simple question, but Penny seemed a little thrown off, struggling for words.

“I… I’m not sure what I want. I’ve sort of been living my life under the assumption I’d be a housewife, and that’d be it. I was always… You know. It seemed silly to dream of anything too big, back then.”

Sam did know, and it hurt his heart terribly. Penny had to put up with so much, and it made him want to sweep her up and run away somewhere no one would bother them ever again.

“You could come with me, whenever I get to do my tour. You could see the world with me and the band. Discover everything this town’s kept out of reach.”

“Really? You’d let me?”

“It’s not about me letting you. I want you there. By my side.”

Penny was crying now, but Sam knew these weren’t like her other tears. These were happy. And really, happiness was all he could dream for her.

--22--

It was around seven in the morning that Penny got home. She still had on her clothes from the previous day, which were a bit too warm now that the sun was out. She opened the door to the trailer, ready to quietly head into her room before noticing the lights were already on.

Her mother was already awake? That was odd. Penny was still getting used to the fact that her mother was getting home earlier these days. It made sense that she’d stop waking up so late as well, but Penny still found herself surprised.

Pam looked over at her from the couch. “Oh, good morning. Were you out last night?”

Penny tried to stop herself from sighing too noticeably. “Yes, I told you yesterday that I was going out with Sam to Zuzu, and wouldn’t be back until this morning.”

“Right, I remember now.” Pam leaned back on the couch, looking at Penny with an expression she couldn’t quite read. “You and that boy spend nearly all your time together, don’t you?”

“Yes, I suppose we do. And that’s because we love each other, and are in a relationship.” Penny could hear herself growing slightly defensive, but it felt warranted. She’d never really had a conversation with Pam about her relationship. She hadn’t ever even actually told her than she and Sam were dating, Pam had just found out from either the grapevine or the PDA.

Penny often wondered if her mother was jealous of her relationship. She knew nothing of what Pam’s dynamic with her father had been like, but it couldn’t have been good if he up and left so soon after Penny was born. Her mother had always seemed hateful towards the idea of romance since then, seen clearly by her comments on Penny’s interest in romance novels. Did Pam hate that Penny was in a happy relationship? Did she assume it must secretly be unhappy? Penny didn’t really care, but she still thought about it a lot.

Pam hadn’t seemed to react badly to Penny’s tone, which was good. Come to think of it, Penny hadn’t seen her mother get all that angry in a while. It was a little scary to let herself think that things could be getting better, but the signs were there.

“That Sam boy is a good one. I’ve known it since he was little. He’s always treated you right, better than I ever did.”

Penny was speechless. That was… explicit approval of her relationship. Hadn’t Pam hated Sam? She was right, of course, about him treating Penny well even as kids, but… Why was she saying this?

“Listen, Penny…” Penny wasn’t sure she’d ever heard those words said gently. Her mother’s tone in this moment was unrecognizable. She sounded… sad? Regretful? Possibly… apologetic? “I haven’t exactly been the best mother to you. I don’t have a job, I go out drinking, I don’t take care of the house… I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m sorry. You’re such a bright kid, and I can tell you’ve got a good life ahead of you. I should never have done anything to keep you from that.”

“Mom…” Penny could feel her eyes welling up with tears. She thought she was over this. She’d spent so long trying to move past her need for her mother’s support, but now she had it, and she didn’t know what to do. It felt like she’d had a wound in her heart since the day she was born, and it was finally being given treatment.

“That Sam of yours…” Despite the emotion of the moment, Penny still felt herself blushing at Sam being referred to as hers. “...He’ll help you reach that bright future. I can already see that he’d lay down his life for you. Always lookin’ at you like you hung the stars in the sky yourself. My approval doesn’t mean much, but know that you have it. I’ll survive when you decide to move out with him someday.”

Worries that Penny didn’t know she had were disappearing one by one. She’d been thinking about moving out with Sam already, obviously. She hadn’t even realized that her care for her mother was holding her back from that dream until this moment.

“I… Mom, thank you.” Penny’s vision had grown pretty blurry now with all her unshed tears, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away as she moved forward to hug Pam. “This means more to me than you could know. I never… I never thought I’d get this closure. Thank you.”

Pam held Penny, gently patting her on the head. Penny had dreamed of this all the time as a child. Pam had used to be at least somewhat affectionate, but over time Penny received fewer hugs, or held hands, or pats on the back. She had watched the other kids trip and scratch themselves, and have their parents there to hug them while they cried. She’d wished so much back then to have the same attention. She’d long forgotten these wishes as an adult, but they came back to her now, as she cried like a child in her mother’s arms.

Pam wiped her tears away, so uncharacteristically gentle. “I love you, kid.”

“I love you too, mom.”

--23--

Sam had just gotten back from Seb’s house. It’d been a typical game of Solarian Chronicles, except the trio had finally convinced Penny to try it out. The gameplay hadn’t exactly been her strong suit, but once they got into the storytelling side, she seemed to really pick it up.

As soon as Sam had stepped into his living room, though, his mom’s voice sounded from the kitchen.

“Sam, could you come here for a second?”

Sam walked in, elbowing his dad by way of greeting as he did. Kent smiled down at him, ruffling his hair. He’d just gotten back at the start of the year, and Sam had been ecstatic. Vincent more so, of course, even though he remembered Kent far less.

Sam turned to his mom. “What’s up? Need me to do the dishes or something?”

“No, no, come sit down. We actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

Could she have been any more intimidating? Being told by your parents that they “want to talk” is a bright red alarm if Sam’s ever seen one. Had he done something wrong?

Sam’s internal turmoil was interrupted by Kent placing a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. We just thought it’d be good to have a chat with you.”

Still somewhat tense, Sam sat down at the table, watching his parents sit across from him. “So, what are we chatting about?”

His mom spoke first. “We mostly just wanted to ask about your future, honey. We know you’ve been dedicating a lot of time to your band, and even had a show a few months back.”

“I thought I’d already told you I decided on my career as a musician.”

“Yes, I know, that’s not what I was going to ask.” Jodi looked a little worried. “If you’re going to be a musician, though, do you think you’ll move out to Zuzu to keep doing shows?”

“No, I’m gonna keep living in town.” Maybe he wouldn’t live in this specific house forever, but he just didn’t see the city becoming a home to him. “I might go on tours or whatever, but y’know.”

His parents nodded. Then Kent spoke up.

“You know, I missed a lot of your life. I mostly wanted to talk about your future since I didn’t get to watch you develop your own dreams and aspirations.”

Okay, yeah, this talk was probably warranted then. Sam was touched that his dad cared enough to want to catch up with him, but it still hurt that he had to do that at all.

“I’m an open book. I’ll catch you up on whatever you want to know, dad.”

Kent smiled at him. “It really is strange to see you all grown up now. I was surprised coming back and seeing what had changed, but also what stayed the same, I guess. Heh, who would’ve thought you’d still be dating the same girl as when you were fourteen?”

It was nice, in a way, that Sam hadn’t needed to update his dad in that regard. Kent had gotten to see Sam’s first year of being in a relationship before he had to leave. It would have been kind of upsetting if Sam and Penny had gotten together while Kent was gone. Penny may as well be a part of their family, after all.

“What can I say? Penny’s the best. No one I’d rather spend the past nine years with.”

Jodi was smiling, but something about it seemed off. “Yes, you two have been together a long time. Do you… Well, where do you see that going?”

What a night for her to ask that.

Maybe a month before, or a week before, or even the day before, Sam would have said something different. Gave his same vague but true answer of wanting Penny by his side no matter what.

But tonight, he had just come back from watching his two best friends and his girlfriend laugh together, and play together, and even cry together over a fantasy game. He had watched the way Penny fit into his life perfectly, as if she were a part of him, or if he was a part of her.

There had been a moment in the game when she’d gotten so into roleplaying her character, that in response to being attacked, she’d actually fallen off her chair. It was hilarious, and endearing, and Sam found himself thinking “I love her” over and over and over.

It wasn’t a question of where he saw his relationship going. It was a question of where he’d take it.

“Funny you should ask. Next week, I’m going to ask Penny to marry me.”

--23.5--

Pelican Town was, quite possibly, the ideal place to get married.

For one, it was aesthetically amazing. There were so many perfect locations for a wedding, whether you wanted in in the forest, or in the square, or even on the beach.

(Penny and Sam had chosen the square. Neither of them wanted to deal with sand or dirt.)

The other nice thing about getting married in Pelican Town was how easy the setup was. Every villager had wanted to pitch in the minute Penny and Sam announced their engagement, and the two of them barely had to lift a finger.

Evelyn and Caroline had been pestering her immediately about what kinds of flowers she wanted for the wedding, and Penny had been a little too happy about scaring them with her request for poppies. Emily had offered to make Penny a custom dress free of charge, and Haley had even given Penny some resources for looking at different dress styles. Lewis, of course, was going to officiate, and gave the pair a hearty congratulations.

Robin had even approached the two about building a house. The wedding actually ended up being pushed back slightly to give Robin time to finish the new home. Sam’s parents had helped pay for it, which had led to Penny crying, and then Sam cried, and it was a very tearful time in general.

Penny felt like she was living in a dream, a little bit. She was marrying the love of her life! She was going to live with him! It was everything she’d ever wanted!

...It was perfect. And that was a little scary.

She knew by now that she deserved good things. She’d spent a long time teaching herself that. But there was always this doubt that crept up when things were going too well, and she hated it. She hated that she couldn’t just let herself be happy.

Things had been so chaotic since the engagement that Penny felt like she hadn’t had a proper minute to sit down and talk with Sam. Talking with her fiancé (fiancé!) would probably help with some of her worries.

So, instead of going over the wedding schedule again, and discussing the timing of Pam walking her down the aisle, Penny entered Sam’s room and sat down across from him on his bed.

Perceptive as ever to her feelings, Sam put his guitar to the side, giving her his full attention.

“Sam, do you really want to settle down and get married?”

If he was surprised or confused, he didn’t show it. Instead, he took her hand and said, “Of course, Pen. I asked you, didn’t I?”

“Well, yes, but…” Penny took a deep breath. “I guess, you’ve always seemed like such a free spirit. And marriage is seen as settling down, slowing down, committing. I wouldn’t want you to do this just because you know that it’s what I want.”

Sam soothed his thumbs over the back of Penny’s hand, putting his words together. “I appreciate that you’re thinking of my feelings. But I don’t think of marriage that way. In my eyes, this marriage doesn’t change anything. I love you either way. It’s more of a proclamation of love than a binding ritual, to me.”

As Sam reached up to hold her face, Penny realized she was crying. How many times had Sam told her that he loved her by now? It didn’t matter. It would feel just as powerful every time.

“I love you, too. Thank you.”

Penny reached forward to hug him, tears of joy seeping into her fiancé’s jacket.

--24--

Stepping down the path, radiant white dress leaving sparkling dots in every gaze, reddish hair turned golden orange in the sun.

Cutting down the center of gathered loved ones, silenced at the sight and majesty of the day.

The blue sky, clear as if seen from miles high above, watching the endless expanse below from birds’ eyes and treetops.

Waiting, forever ready to invite her in, rivaling the sun above with his bright golden visage, eyes remaining ever fixed to her expression, emotion, mind.

Together, on equal footing, the air filled with musical birdsong, they make the exchange.

The shell of the pendant, cool like biting snow in mid winter.

The shell of the pendant, weight steady like a supportive embrace.

Hand in hand, heart in shell, beating in time with one another as an inseparable pair, bond forged in cobblestone, leaves, torn clothes and open truths.

“Do you, Sam, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

To stand by, to trust, to share every moment?

“I do.”

“Do you, Penny, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

To love as your equal, your partner, your truest friend?

“I do.”