"Mommy, I knew you'd get better!" Sami cried as soon as the doctor left.
"Oh you did, huh? How'd you know?" Tabitha asked, her voice only a little tired.
"Can't tell." Sami smiled mischievously, her eyes glowing as bright as her father's were.
"And why is that?" Her mother asked, looking at her daughter's bright smile.
"Cause, it won't come true!" Sami huffed. She realized what she said then, and clapped her hand over her mouth. "Hey, you tricked me!"
Sam muffled a laugh as he watched mother and daughter banter back and forth. His family.
That's when he realized that they might be leaving him soon. They both had lives; they had responsibilities. Sam's hands shook when he realized that. A clawing, black void bleed through him, at the merest thought of losing Tabitha and now Sami again. He *could not* stand to lose them. He simply could not. He would die.
"Tabitha…" His voice was shaky, hoarse. Sami turned from her mother to Sam surprised and a tad bit scared.
"Sam? What is it?" Tabitha asked, as surprised as her daughter.
"What are you going to do?" Sam blurted, before he could stop himself.
"Do? Do about what?" She asked, confused.
"Are you...that is will you…" He couldn't make the words come out the way he wanted them to. Tabitha looked into his eyes, her own still confused.
"What is it Sam?" Tabitha asked.
"Well you stay here?" He asked in a rush.
"Well, Hank and Cecilia said they wanted me to stay in here for at least a week…"Tabitha trailed off, sensing that was not what he was really asking.
"You mean…live here? At the mansion?" Tabitha deduced.
"Yes. Ah love you, and Sami, and Ah want you both to stay with me." Sam explained, hugging his daughter tightly.
Tabitha looked away, trying to sort through her feelings. She loved Sam so much it hurt, but she knew what her choice had to be.
"Sam, I do love you. I want you to be a part of Sami's life. But I can't stay here. I can't…" Tabitha began.
Sam looked away, his eyes filling with tears. "Ah don't understand Tabitha."
"Sam…I can't put Sami at risk like that. You said it yourself, there are a lot of wackos out there that wouldn't hesitate to kidnap or hurt Sami." Tabitha tried to explain, tears rolling down her face.
Sami looked up at her parents both crying and began to sniffle. As smart as she was, she was still a four-year-old child, and her parents crying rattled her.
Sam hugged his daughter tightly, knowing that Tabitha was right. He couldn't put Sami and Tabitha at risk, no matter how much he wanted them to be with him.
"So you're going to leave?" Sam asked dully, already knowing the answer.
Tabitha nodded, tears splashing down her face. "Please understand."
"Ah do. Can Ah still see Sami?" He asked, his voice tight.
"Yes! I want you to see her as much as you can…" Tabitha started.
"Living on the other side of the country?" Sam pointed out, his voice breaking.
"I know it will be hard…but…" Tabitha started her voice shaking so hard it was hard to understand her.
"Yeah. It will be. But Ah'll get by." Sam said, his voice once again strong, steady…and hollow.
"Sam please! Don't do this to me…" Tabitha wept, reaching for him. Slowly he stood up, and bent to kiss Sami on the cheek.
"You be a good girl for your mommy, okay? Ah'll see you in a little bit. Ah have a training session Ah'm late for." Sam whispered to his daughter.
"Okay daddy." She promised, looking at him with frightened blue eyes.
"Hey, don't be scared. Everythin's gonna turn out fine." He promised her, kissing her forehead, and hugging her tightly. "Ah'll see you soon."
"Sam!" Tabitha screamed at his back. "Sam, please! Listen to me!"
Sam stopped for a second but then squared his shoulders and began to walk once again toward the door. Tabitha sobbed, and struggled out of bed. She gasped at the pain that shot through her chest, but struggled after him.
"Sam stop! Please!" Tabitha begged again, tripping over her own feet as she struggled to walk after him. Sam slowed to a stop, and turned around to face her.
"Damn it, Tabitha, get back in bed!" He snapped, striding to her side.
"No! Not until you listen…" Tabitha sobbed, pounding on her chest as hard as she could. Due to her recent surgery, it was more like a pat then a hit.
"Tabitha, you are hurt and you need to be in bed." Sam stressed, grasping her wrists lightly in his own hands.
"I love you! I love you so much, and I would give almost anything to be with you! You don't know how long I've dreamed of you asking us to stay with you. You don't know how it tears at my heart to be away from you! But I CAN'T! I CAN'T put Sami in that kind of danger! She means as much to me as you do, but she NEEDS me more! As much as I love you, as much as I wanna be with you, I HAVE to put her first!" Tabitha wept, clinging to Sam's chest.
"Ah know, Ah know." Sam wept, wrapping his arms tightly around Tabitha. "Ah'm selfish Ah know, but Ah love you and Sami so much! You don't know how many nights Ah've laid awake longing for you, dreaming of you. Tabitha, Ah've lived without you for so long…Ah can't do it anymore. But, you're right. We can't put Sami in the kind of danger she would be in here." Sam cried, burying his face in her hair. "It's going to be the death of me, but you're right. You can't stay here."
*****
"But I don' wanna leave!" Sami wept a week later. Tabitha, Rictor and Demi were packing the car to return to there respective homes.
"I don't want to either sweetie, but we have to." Tabitha told her distraught daughter, bending down to hug her. Sami wiggled out of the embrace and ran to where her father was helping Rictor and Demi load up the last of the luggage.
"Daddy, please! I wanna stay wit' you!" She sobbed, clinging to his knees. Sam picked her up and hugged her as tightly as he could.
"Ah don't want you to leave either, but it's the only way." Sam whispered to her, his own tears rolling down his face.
"But why?!" Sami sobbed.
"You don't know the kind of danger you and yoah momma are in here." Sam tried to explain through his tears.
"I don't wanna leave you!" Sami cried, clinging to her father as tight as she could.
"Ah don't wanna leave you either, but it's the only way, darling. Please understand." Sam told her, stroking her hair softly.
"I love you, daddy." Sami whimpered, her arms still wrapped tightly around her father's neck.
"And Ah love you, more then you will ever know." Sam wept, hugging her back.
Still crying, Sam carried Sami over to her mother, and handed her over. "Ah love you." Sam whispered to Tabitha, reaching to kiss her softly.
When they broke, Tabitha sniffed softly. "And I love you too. More than any other man in the world."
Suddenly Rictor called over to them, "Come on! We gotta get on the road!"
"Goodbye." Sam whispered, his voice breaking.
"Goodbye." Tabitha whispered back, tears sliding down her face.
"Bye-bye Daddy." Sami whimpered, reaching to wrap her arms around her father's neck one more time.
"Ah love you both so much." Sam whispered, kissing them both one more time.
"We gotta go." Tabitha reminded him, her voice shaking with tears.
"Ah know."
Slowly they walked toward the car together. With one last glance, and a final touch, Tabitha and Sami climbed into the back of the car, and Rictor drove off.
Sam stared after the direction the car went, long after it had disappeared from sight.
Sami and Tabitha waved out the back window until they could no longer see Sam.
*****
That night, Sami made a wish on the first star she saw.
(Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight. I wish we could live with Daddy.)