The lecturing triumvirate may have been enough to keep Rebecca from protesting, but her embarrassment ran deep. Sam kept her company as they started up a farther stairwell at an agonizingly slow pace, to stay spare her further humiliation and to stay out of the way. Rebecca huffed indignantly when Sam made her stop before they'd even reached the second floor. It was about as effective as she expected it to be — it made her feel better, but didn't sway Sam in the least.

Sam getting close and resting her fingertips on Rebecca's neck was a nice bonus, even though she shook her head disapprovingly. "Sugar, you know damned well it's twice as many stairs for this level. Stop trying to cheat."

"I said I'd do as I was told, not that I wouldn't complain about it."

"Mmm." Sam sighed. "But your pulse is still thumping like we've been making out for five minutes, so you're staying right here until you're back at 'knitting on the couch for an hour with a purring cat in your lap'."

"I should probably stop thinking about how I'd rather you were checking my femoral artery than my carotid then."

Sam smirked and stepped away, lifting her fingers to bop Rebecca on the nose before they both settled their weight against the cement wall. "Yes, you tease. Let's leave the abandoned stairwell antics to Chris and Pat, huh? I'm really more of a warm cozy bed kinda gal."

"Mmm... bed. I'm going to sleep for days. I mean, not consecutively, that would get me poked with more needles and flashlights shined in my eyes." Rebecca waved away the water bottle that Sam proffered, but tried to smile appreciatively before the gesture could be interpreted as grumpiness.

Sam chuckled and took a swig for herself, glancing at her watch as she capped the bottle. "As long as you're snoring the whole time, I won't be worried. Four minutes and I'll check your heart rate again, but maybe I'll use your wrist this time so I don't get a false reading."

The scene repeated itself three times, Rebecca even more miffed when Sam made her wait at the fourth floor landing before the level walk to their apartment. If Sandra knew how hard-nosed Sam could be, she wouldn't have bothered threatening to involve Ronnie or Laura.

Sam passed her the water bottle, more forcibly than earlier. "The more you complain, the stricter I'm going to get. Do you want to sit on the couch while you watch poor little me bring everything in?"

"No, because you'll just complain about it the whole time to rub in the maximum guilt factor. You really appreciate when I just skip ahead to letting you win, don't you?"

"Eh, not always. Sometimes it takes all the fun and enjoyment out of it."

Rebecca let her innocent expression slip in favor of the lurking mischief behind it. "I know, that's the only reason I do it when you don't already seem too exasperated."

Sam groaned as she pushed herself upright, taking the small lantern with her. "Goddamned psych majors and their mind game shit."

Rebecca replied with her best impersonation of Sam's impudent 'you-know-you-love-me' smirk-grin, accepting that it probably cost her the luxury of a hand to help her up from the floor. The stroll to their front door was as leisurely as she knew it would be — as they walked, she strayed her fingers into Sam's and hooked a few around each other, and reflected how accustomed they'd grown to walking down dark interior hallways.

Two years ago I'd probably have been fully creeped out and noped right out of here.

Now, it registered as comfortable, all the way up their door where tidy piles of luggage and gear waited. Sam kicked one of the heavy steel ammo cans (ironically full of extra first-aid supplies) into place to prop the door open, and deigned to let Rebecca carry some of the lighter items in to the kitchen and dining table.

Rebecca had just finished opening the curtains over the sink when she heard Sam's puzzled voice calling to her from the bedroom hallway.

"Hon, didn't we have the blue sheets on the bed when we left?"

"Uh, I think so? I thought I was the one who got bumped on the head." Rebecca made her way to the bedroom door and rested her hand at the small of Sam's back. A light tan set of sheets patiently met their eyes, and Sam chuckled.

"Even Mike would be able to tell those aren't blue."

"And on the rare occasion we make the bed, we never tuck the sides in that tightly. Which means..."

"... Allie," they said in unison, and chuckled.

"Hopefully mostly Leonard at her bidding," Rebecca added. "I wonder if this is her mega-polite way of saying 'welcome home, but come get your dog already' to us?"

"Heh. Could be."

"Do you think I need to put my helmet on first? I'm only half kidding."

Sam scooted closer and tilted her head up to nuzzle Rebecca's cheek. "Don't worry, I'll go in first and slow him down. But if I get slobbered up, dibs on the first bath."

"That seems fair. Once we're settled, I'll get some water heating." Rebecca realized their proximity offered an opportunity, and used it to kiss Sam for the first time since their return, while they still had the place to themselves. It was brief, but tender and comforting. The easy warmth that spread in Rebecca's chest probably still covered up a litany of lurking anxieties, but pushed those thoughts away while she tried to enjoy the moment.

After a soothing minute or two, a knock sounded from the front door — Patrick's habitual rap followed by two faster ones.

"Come on in, Pat. And Mom," she added, when she heard Laura's voice. She smiled at them as everyone rendezvoused in the front room, but then tilted her head in puzzlement. Patrick's hands were full of Laura's final load of possessions while she carried Sue against one shoulder. "Wait, how did you..."

Patrick grinned gleefully as he set things down on the couch. "You see, Mrs. C, I told you she'd think it was me."

Rebecca grumbled quietly to herself, but Sam heard and patted her on the back comfortingly. "You only expected me and Ronnie to gang up on you with her, huh?"

"Something like that, yes." She reached to scritch the top of Sue's head, and his rumbling purr prompted her to scoop him from Laura's grasp. Holding him was a lovely soothing moment, until he licked her cheek, making her flinch. "Ow. Thank you for the exfoliation, Mister Sandpaper Tongue. What're we gonna do with you, hmm? We can't just swap you to Leonard and Allie when we pick up our puppy, that would be rude."

"And, y'know, toxoplasmosis," Sam added as Patrick passed her another of their bags from the hallway.

"And that. Not that it's your fault, but god knows what you've been eating out in the woods, hmm?" Rebecca looked at Laura. "Sorry, Mom. We can hope the two of them get along, without any trauma, but if not, it should only be for a little while. Leonard and Allie would probably be willing to keep Rufus for another few days if we have to, but seeing us again will get him all riled up."

Sam pet Sue as she returned from the bedroom. "Maybe we don't let him know we're home yet?"

Rebecca gasped. "Whose side are you on?"

"I mean, I'm just saying, from a rational standpoint. He's probably gotten settled, and you know they've been pampering him."

"Why don't we just lock Sue in the apartment across the hall, he'd enjoy the space and entertain us all night with the song of his people." She smirked at Sam to let her know she was teasing, then looked back at her mother. Laura was idly sweeping her eyes around the 'living room', and Rebecca realized she'd forgotten the politely ritualistic tour.

"Sorry, Mom." Rebecca nodded at the kitchen and dining side of the large open front room while she bounced Sue affectionately like a baby. "You can pretty much see most of the place from right here. There's a water filter we'll hang up by the sink in a bit, glasses in the cupboard to the right, snacks in the metal cabinet where the fridge would be. Bathroom's off the hallway, everything works, it's just cold, but we'll get a fire going soon. Shockingly, our bedroom is at the end of the hall. Nice view off both balconies, and we can fold the couch down for you any time you want."

"Thank you, sweetheart. You've made the place quite cozy, given the circumstances."

Rebecca nodded, and glanced around again. Showing something to a newcomer for the first time always did seem to give her a fresh appreciation for it, like showing a friend around your hometown. Y'know, we really didn't do half bad.

Patrick passed another bag off to Sam and set the two black duffel bags containing provisions on the breakfast bar. "Cozy is kinda their speciality, Mrs. C," he said while bracing his hands on his hips to stretch his back, before nodding at Rebecca. "That's the last of the stuff, so I'm gonna head back and help Chris put things away. I'll ask her about Sue as a backup plan, too. Unless... he's not one of those cats that has to piss everywhere when he gets somewhere new, is he?"

Rebecca chuckled at his cringing grimace. "Not that I know of. Mom?"

Laura sat on one of the bar stools with a tired sigh. "No, he wasn't any trouble at Walt's. If we can fill up a tray with dirt or sand, he'll probably be pretty good about it until we get some real litter. He might even really appreciate if it's out on the balcony."

Patrick laughed. "Pooping with a view. At least it'll be easy to empty."

"Oh god." Rebecca rolled her eyes and shooed him towards the door. "Farmboys. Get out and leave us cosmopolitan city ladies to our abandoned ruins."

He scampered away from a halfhearted kick and closed the door gently behind him. Sam had made her way to the kitchen and was filling up the hanging water filter — clearly grateful for the pull-out hose on the faucet they'd figured out how to install as an upgrade around Christmas. Laura, meanwhile, had peeked out the sliding doors past the dining table and now seemed to be poking through the offloaded bags, figuring out where her things ended up.

Rebecca smiled sympathetically at her wistful sigh. "I know it's weird, Mom. But we'll help you settle in."

The smile Laura replied with was unconvincing — or unconvinced? "I know, sweetheart. I'm not worried long term. As long as you're here, I'll feel at home again before too long. Walt's wasn't really home, so it's a step forward even if it's disorienting."

"That's a great way to look at it. Do you want to come meet Leonard and Allison with us while we get Rufus off their hands? Or relax for a bit?"

Laura settled on the edge of their large beanbag chair and eyed the pile on the couch. "Why don't I let you catch up with your friends un-intruded upon for now, and keep an eye on Sue. I could use some time to figure out what I'll need to unpack while I'm couch surfing for a few days, stack the rest in a corner, you know."

"Okay. Maybe tomorrow we can go apartment shopping, just like the summer after freshman year. I know the manager of this place, I'm sure they'll give us some keys for a self-guided tour."

Laura laughed, which made Rebecca feel a little better. "Sure. I'll try not to take your enthusiasm to re-home me too personally."

"Now you know how the cat fosters felt, I guess. Speaking of which, letting Sue explore before Rufus comes home might improve our chances, so you staying is probably the smart move. Would you mind keeping an eye on the fire while we're out?"

"Not at all. Maybe it will encourage some feelings of domestic bliss while I start settling in."

"Okay." Rebecca set Sue down on the coffee table and leaned to give her mother a hug. "Love you, Mom. I'm glad you're here."

"Me too, sweetheart."

Sam was filling one of their big pots in the kitchen, so Rebecca got the beginnings of a fire going in the stove and pointed out a few of their several extinguishers to Laura. She felt a little flush of warmth again when Sam stepped by with a passing caress of her back, then also hugged Laura.

"Welcome home, Mrs. C. Such as it is."

"Everything's a work in progress, right?" Laura was clearly touched by the gesture of acceptance and squeezed Sam enthusiastically before releasing her. "I know it's a bit of an imposition, especially for you, so thank you, Sam."

Sam seemed at a rare loss for how to reply to the suddenly focused gratitude, so Rebecca swept in to rescue her with an arm around her waist and a kiss on her temple. "Yes, Rosie. It means a lot to me too. Should we go collect the last member of our little family? He's probably waited long enough."