[i]All was hazy. The lights and colours blended into each other. Her skin and outline shimmered. They were kids. Sam looked in the locker and found the card. The card that meant everything was different. His best friend loved him. Sam walked down the hall to where Brooklyn and Ella stood. They were no longer the girls from school, they were the women who had grown up together. Sam walked right past Ella and kissed Brooklyn, with that same sweet gentleness that accompanied their love. Before his eyes the girl smiled back, his cheeks glowing and eyes unsure. Sam kissed the child again, Brooklyn was woman. Sam and Brooklyn walked home from school that day, holding hands. Sam felt silly being an adult at school. Brooklyn changed from her school girl age to her current age. It was immaterial. Sam loved her. He had always loved her. That day so little had been said but so much was communicated. Their shyness shared only be smiles and kisses. Sam had yet to grow into the man of confidence that would just sweep Brooklyn off her feet. "I think this is the happiest day of my life," said Sam as their lips met again, as they stood by the tree (what was to become 'their' tree). "Today, is where we learn dreams come true," as he gently lifted her hands. Brooklyn threw her arms around his neck and he pulled her in close. They'd hugged LOTS as they reached their teens but it was always as platonic friends (not that either would admit to themselves the truth). Brooklyn whispered into his ear, "Never let me go..." Sam heard it's ethereal quality as he promised to her he would hold her for all eternity. Sam swam....[/i] [center][b][h1] COLD [/h1][/b][/center] Sam awoke on the floor of the cold cell. The floor was freezing, cold tiles indenting into his skin. He reached for his face and found his bearings. He crawled over to the bunk and climbed on it's stiff mattress, the wiry threads of the blanket scratching his arms. everything was dark. [i]'I am in Hell'[/i] he thought as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, a glimmer of grey light signified where the cell door and the corridor beyond was. He had been dreaming. Sam closed his eyes, willing to go back to sleep, to go back to [i]her[/i]. It was futile, it wasn't possible anymore. What on earth had happened in the last day or so. His head was a scattering of clearly connected jigsaw pieces but when he tried to put them together he realised he couldn't. The pieces were [i]supposed[/i] to fit but wouldn't fit no matter how hard he tried. He had been possessed by anger, hatred, sorrow, disgust. He was scared for everyone he loved and consumed by fear. Sam closed his eyes again and tried to dream. [i]"Never let me go..."[/i] Sam heard the voice of Brooklyn, but is was Brooklyn the apparition that haunted his dreams. Brooklyn the Protector. Brooklyn the Forgiver. Brooklyn the Mother. [i]"Never let me go..."[/i] Sam wanted to argue with her. That he would destroy [i]him[/I], that he would avenge her, that he would cause pain ten times to what he had given to Autumn and his mother. [i]"Never let me go..."[/i] Sam knew she was right, she was always right. "I won't let you go," he whispered into the cold pre-dawn air and Sam felt a wave of pure love wash over him. He bathed in the golden light of peace and serenity, he laid on the bunk and let clean, selfless love coat him. Sam processed the thoughts through his mind of what needed to happen. I need to get out of here. I have done nothing wrong and I am INNOCENT. I will tell the officers everything I can and I will be free. I will go home and get Louis. I will be the best father I can ever be for him. He will know I always love him and I give my life to him. I will forgive my Mom. She has always tried to protect me. I have poured everything bad onto her whilst she suffered to. I am sorry. I will arrange a ceremony for Louis. Chad and Ella shall be his God-parents. Brooklyn would be so proud. Louis deserves people like that in his life. My Father I own. I am of his blood but I am not him. He shall face justice for Louis, justice for Ella, justice for Mom, justice for Autumn but most of all justice for Brooklyn. He shall pay for his own sins but I shall not. With these affirmations Sam began the rest of his life. The leap Sam wanted to get to though was understanding Brooklyn's death. He knew someone had attempted to frame him and it certainly appeared Dad was responsible but he didn't know the scale of evidence against him, if any. He knew he had to let go of hate to move on. To forgive? That seemed unlikely right now, but he knew he needed Brooklyn's guided light to watch over him. Sam began to speak, a little self-consciously but with feeling, "I wish you were still here. I wish you never went away. I need you and miss you so much. You are my True North. With you we achieved everything and I try to be strong and it is hard. I wish you could see me from Heaven. I know it would hurt you to see all this horror but I guess you see the full picture, the past, the present, the future. I dreamed of you tonight. I dream of you every night. You are there in the night but you walk with me during the day. Stay by side Brooklyn, pick me up when I fall. I wish I could have protected you and this never happened. Your leaving us though, it's only for now. When I am an old man I'll join you, and Louis will join us too in Heaven when he is old too. Keep waiting for us. Stay by my side before I see you again my love." [hr] Dawn came and the rattle of keys in the door signified a new day. Officer Laurence Collins looked like he'd been through hell the last day and it was apparent that things had progressed during the evening. "Come on Sam," he said quietly, "back to the interview room..." Sam followed meekly, noticing that he wasn't cuffed as he entered the room. "Now Sam," the officer said, "technically you are still under arrest but I am not recording this conversation. We're going to process you out and you will not be remanded in custody and you do not need to post bail. We'll have the documentation before the judge in an hour or two." A knock at the door was answered by the officer and two cups of steaming coffee in polystyrene cups were placed on the table. "You need this kid," said the officer passing one drink to him. "Here is the situation. We haven't got a lot of evidence at all. The store card with your name on it is the only evidence. We've checked it for prints and there are only yours on it. However, we have reason to believe it was planted which you probably guessed. Without your confession, or any other evidence no court in the land would convict you. For what it's worth I believe you are innocent too. We have your phone records from home and your cell and we have the times of you arriving here and also CCTV from around town that night. You didn't do it, we know it. You would have had to hide the vehicle, go through everything you did, then hide the vehicle during a time when you were surrounded then ditched it sometime." Officer Collins paused before continuing, "You were [i]very[/i] close yesterday to being in more trouble. If you'd have hit an officer or your Father you could have gone down badly. Hell, if we wanted we could charge you for attacking the patrol car with your head, but I shouldn't have brought you there anyway. The reason I am telling you this is because you need to calm down. Go to the doctors, get patched up. Arrange via Child Protection for your son to come home. I'm going to recommend it but I want Social Workers to sign you off as fit. You need to get a grip for your son." "A number of accusations were thrown yesterday and we've got to unpick all of that. Do not contact Mr. and Mrs. Jones, the Social Workers will return your son to you. Do not discuss any alleged crimes committed by your father with [i][b]anyone[/b][/i]. If I have to run you in because you lose it I can't protect you and your number one concern is your son. I'm sorry we had to do what we did to you. It is our job. More importantly it is our job to obtain justice for your fiancée. Do you understand all of this." Sam nodded, yet remained silent. He was being cut a break. "Your father has a list of charges against him at the moment and there is a strong chance he will be charged with your fiancée's murder. He will be remanded in custody until a trial date and cannot hurt you or anyone else. We cannot control the outcome of any trial but I am telling you this. Do not try and engage with him, do not try and seek revenge. For your good and your little boy keep your head down and get on with life. Do you understand Sam?" Sam looked the officer in the eye and sipped the coffee. "Yes Officer. Got it.." [hr] A few hours later Sam was sat in the patrol car and pulled into his street. The neighbours curtains were twitching again. His house had been visited by forensics and they'd removed any sign of police presence. Patty was there trying to tidy up and make it look like a home again. The house had been violated but it was love that made a home. Sam walked in and hugged his mom, both of them assuring each other they were 'okay'. "Louie will be home soon," he said smiling. [hr] Meanwhile back at the station Officer Collins breathed in as he prepared for his next interview. "Time to nail that bastard," he said grimly to his colleague at the door.