Notes: I'm still new to this, so I hope you like it. You might find inaccuracies in my time line, I'm having to work by memory. Two things worth mentioning... One. Nathan is still with the VCTF in my reality. Two. Coop, uh, Coop who? Sorry, I didn't like him enough on the show to write about him now .*g* I've managed to stay up all night working on this because I just couldn't stop, so tell me what you think of this brainstorm okay? Please, I'm close to begging here. :-)

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Cynthia Saunders, Sander/Moses Productions and NBC (anyone else??) They're not mine, I'm just playing with someone else's toys. I promise to return them. Hey, if they *were* mine, Sam and John would already be together... *g* Or at least there would be no new guy (Coop II: Bad Accent Boy, isn't it?) :-)

Friday Afternoon
VCTF Headquarters

John had been staring at the same page of paper for over twenty minutes when he finally gave up trying to deal with it. His thoughts were elsewhere, on a blonde agent working not thirty feet away from him, in particular.

Looking at his watch he realized that it was time for the day shift to head home anyway. He knew he should enjoy the down time while he could get it, it didn't seem to happen very often. John stood up and grabbing his jacket he walked up the stairs that lead to Sam's office. He could see her sitting at her desk, she looked throughly engrossed in the file she was reading.

He hated to disturb her, but knocked on the door anyway. She looked up and saw John standing half in and half out of her office. Waving him in, she sat back in her chair and watched as he crossed the office to sit on the edge of her desk.

"Hey, I just wanted to drop in and say bye before I left," he said.

She looked confused for a moment before nodding her head. "Right, I had forgotten that you had taken some vacation time. So, do you have any plans?"

"Nothing really amazing," John said, crossing his arms. "I think I'll just head up to the cabin for a few days to get away."

Sam looked at him strangely, she couldn't put her finger on what was bothering her. Still, she knew something wasn't quite right. Suddenly it hit her. "Anyone I know?" Sam asked with a forced grin.

John looked at her, his jaw falling open slightly. After a moments silence to regroup he replied, "What? What do you mean, anyone you know?" Silently, he was cursing. Ah, hell, she thinks I'm upset about some woman. John couldn't bring himself to admit that the lady in question was her. He had been fighting his feelings harder and harder recently. Finally, he convinced himself if he could just get away the feelings would fade.

Sam was taken aback at the harsh tone of his words. "Nothing, I just got the feeling that you were running away from someone. Like say an ex-girlfriend. I guess I was wrong." Suddenly, her fingernails became quite interesting, she couldn't force herself to look him in the eye. She couldn't help but wish it might be her who might one day claim John's heart.

Brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, he paused, trying to ignore the hope that flared within his heart. No matter how he might wish, he convinced himself that she would never look at him like that. He broke the silence that had permeated the office when he finally spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "Nah, nothing like that." His voice spoke with a carefully practiced bravado, but his throat had to struggle to form the words. "It's just the first chance I've had to go up to the cabin and relax some. I'll be back next Monday and you'll be wishing I'd take another vacation."

Both laughed at his weak joke, Sam countering with "We'll see, I bet you're right." John was relieved to see her smile, and the glint of mischief in her eyes. Seeing her smile lifted an invisible burden off of his heart, and he knew why he loved her. He knew it every time he saw her smile or felt her touch. But he was damned if he could explain it, even to himself. That's what this week is for, now isn't it John? He dropped his eyes from her's when the last thought crossed his mind.

Standing he turned to leave, however he paused to say one last thing. "Just don't forget me while I'm gone now, 'kay?" The words were light, but Sam thought she saw something flicker in his eyes for just an instant. She couldn't stop herself from admiring the blue orbs, she felt as if she didn't look away she might drown in their depths.

She recovered from her distraction, commenting with a laugh, "Now who could ever forget a personality such as John Grant? Where would the world be without guys who save Chinese restaurants from bankruptcy and keep high heels in demand?"

Her smile grew wider when she saw the humor flare in John's eyes. "Ouch, now that hurt!" He feigned dodging a blow from her playful assault. Moving to stand beside her, he leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Bye, Sam."

"Bye," she managed to squeeze out, forcing her eyes open to watch him leave. He had been gone from her office for nearly ten minutes when she was almost sure she was breathing properly. She could only help but wonder if that was what a friendly kiss on the cheek felt like, what kind of current might flow from a romantic one. Sam sat at her desk for a while, not thinking of anything but John and the feather light touch she could still feel on her cheek.

****

En route to John's Cabin

When he finally reached the privacy of his car, John finally allowed it to sink in. He still couldn't believe he'd dared to kiss her, even just on the cheek. When he'd pulled back he was half expecting to be slapped, but she'd looked more along the lines of pleasantly surprised more than anything else.

Pulling out of the parking deck, he took a deep breath to steady his still racing heart. He turned up the radio, hoping to drown out his thoughts. No matter what he tried, it seemed like he couldn't stop thinking about Sam.

After stopping off at his apartment, he was finally on the road to the cabin. It was turning colder and the sky was threatening rain. He hoped he would be able to make it to the cabin before the rain started. Eventually he did make it, stepping onto the porch just seconds before a downpour. Settling in, he started a fire. Sometime later, he dozed off on the couch.

****

VCTF Headquarters

Samantha Waters arrived at work just in time for the morning meeting the next Monday. She walked down to the Command Center and took her usual seat. She looked over at John's empty seat, thinking about him made it too easy for her mind to wander. Forcing herself to look up at the monitor, she managed to pay attention to the case currently demanding their time.

When the meeting ended, Bailey called her into his office. She closed the door behind her and took a seat waiting on him to begin.

"Is something bothering you, Sam? You seemed distracted just now." His eyes spoke of near-parental concern for her.

She lowered her eyes to glance down at the carpet, before meeting his eyes and speaking. "It's nothing, Bailey." She had to keep from sighing, and hoped Bailey would understand if she didn't tell him the actual story. She didn't understand her feelings for John, except they had been growing steadily over time. She definitely didn't want to bring Bailey into the middle of it.

He moved to sit beside her before he spoke. "Is it something to do with John, Sam? Things between you two have seemed strained of late, that was part of the reason I went along with his vacation idea." As he watched, her head shot up and by the look in her eyes, he was sure he had found the answer.

"It's not what you think, Bailey." She stood, adding "Maybe I can tell you later, but not right now, okay?" Her voice was soft as she walked toward the door. With growing concern, he watched her leave knowing she would come to talk when the time was right.

****

John's Cabin

John had spent the weekend bored in the cabin. It had rained for two days straight and he was beginning to go stir crazy. There was very little that could distract him from thinking about Sam. He knew he was going to have to admit before long, that he might not be able to deal with his emotions by avoiding her.

Monday evening the sun peaked out from behind the clouds, giving John an idea. He grabbed his running shoes and keys and headed outside. Too busy enjoying the sights and smells of the woods, he failed to notice the darkening clouds on the horizon.

A while later he realized that he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going. He wasn't very concerned, he knew the woods fairly well, and figured he could just take his time finding his way back. He did regret being somewhat lost, however, when a torrent of rain began to fall. He picked up the pace, trying to keep warm in the cold rain.

By the time he reached the cabin, he was shivering. Water dripped from his hair down into his eyes. Miniature rivers flowed down his bare arms, and soaked his t-shirt and sweat pants. He hurried inside to change into some dry clothes. He was towel drying his hair when he sneezed. "Ah, man," he muttered. His comment was followed quickly by another sneeze, and another.

****

Later that week

The pace of the current case had picked up dramatically as the week had progressed. Each evening when she managed to go home, Sam had enough energy to spend time with Chloe, and collapse in bed. Exhaustion was one way of handling insomnia.

The days passed in a haze, one after the next until finally on Sunday they had a substantial lead. The team flew to Phoenix Sunday night to apprehend the suspect. Twenty four hours later they had captured the man believed responsible.

****

John's Cabin

By Wednesday morning, John knew he was going to have to go get more firewood. He was glad that the wood was covered, however he knew he would get soaked again to get it. Since his jog in the rain on Monday night, John had begun feeling worse and worse. Still, he hadn't changed his plans. The first couple of days he did his best to ignore the persistent sneezing and eventually the cough that followed.

By Friday morning he didn't have the strength to get out of bed. Too many trips out into the continuing rain had taken their toll. At some point he noticed that everything had a glow around it, and wondered if that meant he had a fever. One thing he knew was that his head was throbbing. He couldn't stop shivering under the blankets piled on top of his bed. Slowly he even began to lose track of time as he slept more and more, only forcing himself up to go to the bathroom. Although he couldn't understand why he needed to, he hadn't been able to eat or drink hardly anything in over a day.

On Saturday, John thought he might should call someone, but decided to stick it out. He wasn't a little kid who needed looked after, he could manage a cold. Besides, he couldn't think of anyone to call besides Sam and he didn't think she would want to look after him.

Fitfully he slept and failed to notice when the time for him to leave on Sunday came and went. By Monday morning he knew he should be feeling better by then, but was too stubborn to call anyone. He decided at some point that the plus side to having a fever and sleeping all of the time was that he couldn't think about Sam too much.

****

VCTF Headquarters

Wearily Sam tried to concentrate on some paperwork. The team had gotten back from Phoenix late the night before and they were all still worn out. She was sitting at her desk trying to get some work done when Bailey knocked on her office door. Sitting up straight, she waved him in.

"What ya need, Bailey?" She was having to fight to keep her eyes open. She was used to not getting very much sleep, but she couldn't shake it.

She noted that he was somewhat subdued as he moved to sit on the couch. "I was wondering," he paused, taking a breath. "I was just wondering if you knew where John was planning to go last week while he was off."

Suddenly wide awake, she stared at Bailey. "Why?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but it held a plea. A plea that his question have nothing to do with Jack.

He cleared his throat, not wanting to have to answer. "It's just that he didn't come in to work yesterday. And he's not here yet today, either." He noticed that Sam's face had grown pale and hated having to ask her, but they needed to know. "Did he tell you where he was going? Nathan went by his apartment but he wasn't there. We haven't received any notes or signs that it has anything to do with Jack. Right now we're just being cautious."

In her mind she replayed her last conversation with John. "He was going up to his cabin." She had a vacant look on her face as she remembered him joking for her not to forget about him. She recalled the passing look in his eyes as he said it. The realization that she had done just that, forgot about him, hit her hard. "I forgot..." Her voice was so quiet that Bailey had to strain to make out the words.

"You forgot what, Sam?"

Tears filled her eyes when she replied, "John. Before he left he made a crack about me not forgetting him, and that's exactly what I did. I was preoccupied with this case and it just slipped my mind, even when he wasn't here this morning." Her eyes met Bailey's. "We've got to find him, I have to tell him..." Her thought broke off as she jumped up grabbing her purse and hurried out the door.

"Tell him what?" Bailey asked her empty office. He caught up to her, and they headed for Bailey's car. He thought they should call the cabin, but trusted Sam's instincts.

Most of the drive was spent in silence. He called Nathan to tell him where they were going to check for John. Disconnecting the call, he glanced over at Sam. The look in her eyes was near panic. "Sam?" When she tore her attention from the road ahead of them he continued. "Talk to me, Sam. It looks like you need to."

Clearing her throat, she thought for a minute. "Please, Bailey. Later, okay?"

****

John's Cabin

John stirred when he heard what sounded like a knock on the door. He couldn't imagine who would be coming to his cabin, and fell back asleep before he could even think about going to the door.

Outside, Sam was ready to kick in the door. When they had pulled up, she had spotted his car parked beside the building. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, she threw open the door and rushed up to the cabin. When Bailey caught up to her, she was knocking loudly on the wooden door. The longer without an answer, the more concerned he became. Sam, however, was near the point of wanting to go ahead and actually kick the door down.

"Wait, Sam. Let's see if there is a back door that might be open." He knew the chance was slim, but it had to be tried.

"Bailey, we don't have time for that. We need to get inside. Now."

Her eyes were focused, and she was refusing to back down. "Okay," he replied. "You stay here and keep knocking. I'll go around to the back and see if there is another way in." She nodded her head, and turned to continue pounding on the door. Sam didn't notice when Bailey ran around the back of the building.

She was ready to scream when the deadbolt in the door was finally opened. Rushing in, she found that Bailey had opened the door, not John. "There was an open window in the kitchen," he explained.

They began searching the apartment for any sign of John, and were rewarded when Sam went into the bedroom. At first she thought she was only seeing a pile of blankets, until she saw an arm move. She called for Bailey as she rushed to his side.

In the time since she'd become aware of his absence, her mind had been busy coming up with any number of scenarios to explain it. When she neared the side of the bed, she could feel heat practically radiating off of him. As Bailey entered the room, she yelled for him to call an ambulance.

Sam pulled the blankets off of him, and climbed up onto the bed with him. She was shocked by how pale and thin he looked. She pulled his head into her lap, brushing his hair away from his forehead she began talking to him.

"Come on, John. Wake up. Wake up and tell me one of those awful jokes or make some sarcastic comment about my overreacting." Bailey watched for a moment and went outside to wait on the ambulance. A moment later John stirred slightly. "That's it, come on John. Let me see those amazing blue eyes of yours."

When he had first heard Sam's voice he thought it was just a fever dream. Even when he'd felt her touch he thought it impossible that she could be there. Opening his eyes, he struggled to focus on the swimming form above him.

"Sam?"

His eyes were glassy, but she couldn't help smiling. Pent up tears flowed down her face as relief swept through her. "Yes!" While they waited on the ambulance, neither spoke much. John was having to work at simply staying awake. Once again, he knew why he loved her. Maybe she really was an angel, only she didn't know it.

****

Mercy Hospital

John had been in the hospital for three days when Sam finally decided to try talking to him. There had been some concern at first, he was dehydrated and suffering from an extreme case of the flu. During his time at the hospital, Sam hadn't left his side. She was waiting when he woke up, she smiled so brightly John couldn't help but be taken aback. She wondered if she had ever been happier to see a pair of eyes, clear of the fever that had been there before.

Finally, she felt he was healthy enough to talk. She didn't know how to say what she wanted to, but jumped in feet first as always. "I'm sorry," she stated simply.

John looked at her confused, he didn't have a clue what she was sorry for. Seeing the confusion in his eyes, she continued. "I forgot. You were in your cabin sick, and it was Tuesday before I even noticed you weren't at work. Bailey had to point it out to me, even." She looked down at the floor, she felt horrible for not being there for him.

He reached his hand up to brush his fingers across her cheek. "There's no reason to be sorry. I didn't say that to upset you, I was joking. Besides, you didn't forget me. You came for me, remember?" He tilted her chin up with his hand to force her to look him in the eye. "Okay? I can't stand seeing you upset because of me."

She sniffed, regaining her composure. She was relieved to have confessed her guilt, but the hardest part was still to come. "Of course I'm upset. You were sick, and I wish I had been there sooner. I've been grappling with my emotions for a while now. I can't ignore them any longer."

John stared at her as she spoke. He didn't dare hope that she might love him, too. Her silence began to concern him when she finally continued. "I love you. I don't want to lose you, or forget about you. I want you here with me." Her body was practically shaking with relief at having said the words. Fear, however, began to grip her heart when he didn't say anything in return. She worried that it was a mistake to tell him, because he didn't love her back.

For the moment, silence was all John could manage. He was in shock and for once in his life words failed him. Slowly he blinked, trying to process what Sam had just said. She loved him. His wildest dreams had just come true. He wanted to scream and dance, yet found himself mute and still. When he looked at her, he could see the uncertainty in her gaze and realized it was a result of his silence.

Taking her hand he whispered, "I've always loved you. Even when you insulted my taste in women," he added the last part as a joke to lighten the mood. His effort was rewarded when a small laugh escaped Sam amidst the tears.

"So, where do we go now?" She asked.

Laughing he said, "Well, first we get me the hell out of this place. Then we talk. Do you know how happy you've made me, Sam?"

"Not any happier than you've made me," she whispered. She leaned toward him and their lips met in a tender kiss.

fin