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It was a typical night at the Axe house (well – it's wasn't technically the Axe house, but Veronica called it that, and Sam wasn't willing to disagree with her habit). Sam sipped a beer, lying out on the bed in a silk robe; Veronica was laughing on the phone, petting her Yorkie and nibbling popcorn. In the background a football game played, and Sam stared in absorption at the screen.
"…And then he said…yes!!...Oh, Sam's here…he says hello…" Sam waved lazily as he watched the Lions fumble yet another ball on Veronica's big screen. "Oh, yes…yes…uh huh…I'll see you…night!"
Sam stretched out. "Old friend?"
"A girl I knew from college," Veronica said, placing the Yorkie on the floor. "We're having a reunion on the fifth."
Sam offered her a hand as she climbed into the bed. "I'd be honored to go with you."
"I didn't ask you," Veronica teased, wrapping both of her arms around his neck.
"You don't want to show off your favorite guy?" Sam teased, resting his head on Veronica's shoulder.
"Oh Sammy, I didn't say that." She cupped his cheek and gave him a kiss. "How did today go?"
"Fine. Fi and Mike and I…fixed something for someone."
She ran her fingers over his chest lightly, knowing his skin was sensitive and it drove him crazy to be touched that way. "What did you fix?"
He gently took her hand and placed it against the back of his neck. "I can't tell you that, Ronnie, for your own safety."
"Oh Sammy," she pouted. "You're no fun at all."
He ran a hand up her thigh. "That's not what you said an hour ago…"
Veronica giggled. "You're terrible!" But she didn't push him away.
"Want more?" he asked.
"Mmm, always," she said, pulling him closer.
But mentally, she packed away the word 'fixed', saving it for future use.
***
The next morning, while Sam was still unconscious in bed, Veronica was on the balcony, talking to her contact.
"No, he won't say anything else – what else? He's chivalrous, so unfortunately chivalrous!" She took a drag from his cigarette. "No, she said. "I don't think so. I'll just have to convince him I'm not made of glass! Either that or fuck him again." She shuddered. "It's like pressing yourself against a side of beef…" She heard the sheets rustling and quickly said. "The ham's out of the can," before hanging up and stubbing out her cigarette.
By the time Sam got out of bed she had already nibbled down a breath mint, and the wind had swept away the scent of cigarette smoke. "You're up early," Sam observed, pecking her on the lips.
"I couldn't sleep," she smiled. "Sammy, you didn't tell me you snore."
He made a face and scratched his stomach. "Thought you wouldn't notice. Whenever we finish up, you usually go out like a light."
Veronica frowned. "I must have been too worried to sleep."
"About me?" She nodded. "Aww, Ronnie, I should be at the bottom of the list." He smirked. "Unless all that worry'll get me a little extra TLC."
Veronica got up and walked up behind Sam, wrapping both arms around his neck.
It took every last bit of willpower she had not to strangle him right there.
***
Her contact was a man twice her age in a navy suit with a pinstriped white shirt, whom she met in the middle of the afternoon while Sam was on a surveillance detail with Fiona. He was less than happy with Veronica's ability to gather intelligence on Sam.
"We don't want to pull you off of this assignment, Caroline."
She sucked in a lungful of nicotine-laced oxygen. "You won't have to. I promise."
"Then you should be following your quarry," he said coldly. "Try to tail him tomorrow."
Caroline flicked her cigarette, agitation writing itself across her features. "It would be easier if Westen weren't always in the way."
Her contact scoffed. "Any fool worth their mettle could neutralize Westen."
She told herself that he was right. It was the only bit of assurance she could give herself.
***
The following day's surveillance turned up nothing but the most basic details of Sam's life: he liked hoagies, hot dogs, lemonade, beer, vodka; he lay out on the beach for hours and it took him two hours to get a deep tan. He knew the score of the last twenty Lions games and stopped following the Tigers in '06.
He would be charming, if she were another woman. But Veronica was anything but aroused by Sam's antics as she jotted notes and took pictures.
At the Plaza de Firori, she accidentally bumped into him, but he wasn't surprised to see her there. In fact, he was downright thrilled. They had (another) lunch and went shopping, picking up a new coat for Sam and a romantic movie. They ended up snuggled together on the couch, watching 'From Here to Eternity' as the sun went down.
On nights like these, she could allow herself to love him. Almost.
***
Michael was the one who caught her trailing the Charger one afternoon. She made up a lie about missing Sam so much and just wanting to spend some time with him. She knew he didn't believe her, but Michael allowed her to climb into the front seat of the Caddy with Sam. She managed to get a few details out of him about Michael's whereabouts the next day, and with further application of her body managed to find out a little more about the client they were so closely involved with.
That afternoon she nearly strangled him with a rope, but decided against it. She couldn't possibly lift Sam off the floor with her bare hands.
***
"We're pulling you off the case, Caroline."
The announcement took her by surprise. "I gave you the intel you wanted."
A long, low-suffering sigh. "It's not enough. Axe is too close to Westen to turn on him, he just survived a hell of a beating in his name."
Veronica felt a jolt of surprise when she realized the idea of Sam getting hurt upset her. "What do you want me to do?"
"Get away from him and get out."
"And how should I do that?"
A laugh. "Ask him to marry you. The man's petrified of commitment."
Veronica hung on to the dead line for a minute as she selected the next step.
***
Predictably, Sam created the opportunity for her. It turned out that he had a wife – another wife, he'd already told her about Amanda – and couldn't marry her. She feigned outrage, arranged for their separation and got to land a few vases rather close to his head. Revenge for all of that snoring, she decided.
She didn't miss him until she was in Canada, Yorkieless, trying to charm a congressional page into giving her details about the life of his boss. The little brat was all hands, and at least when Sam Axe groped you he groped you with style…