Sam's appraisal of Rebecca's activity level had been rather accurate — she was pretty much sitting around on her ass the vast majority of the day, and thus didn't feel she needed a bath. Sam, on the other hand, plunged in first, as soon as the water was ready. Laura had waved her onwards, since she "well past the point makeup would make a difference and didn't have any to bother with anyway."

Rebecca spent some time filling Laura in about Tania and hearing about her plans for the nearby apartment. Laura mentioned an intent to do something nice for Tania to thank her for the loan of a dress, and was particularly excited by their ability to print photos to start decorating with. Rebecca as glad to see her starting to make plans, it eased worries about her mother feeling too adrift.

When it was Laura's term, Sam sat near the fire, towel-drying her hair as best she could and then brushing it out while Sue climbed into her lap with treasonous predictability.

Rebecca pointed exuberantly at the inverter that was once again trickling power to her laptop. "Look, I fixed it! I unplugged it all and put it back together again the same way."

"You're so proud of yourself, it's cute!" Sam smirked as she teased her, but it melted into an enigmatic expression as she watched Rebecca use the better lighting in the dining room to dab and blend concealer over the remaining signs of violence marring her forehead and jaw.

Rebecca noticed Sam's quiet and glanced up from the portable mirror while reloading her fingertip. "Hey. Not to flip our roles too much, but no mopey self-blaming. We're gonna have a nice evening."

Sam blinked as she switched the brush to her other hand and her smile warmed. "I know, sugar. I was just allowing myself a minimal amount of dwelling."

"C'mon, you've gotta keep setting that good example for me." They both chuckled and were quiet for a moment while Rebecca finished then washed her hands and Sam pet Sue. He actually seemed put out when Rebecca came over and scooped him up from Sam so they could trap him in the bedroom with them while they finished getting ready, rather than trusting him and Rufus unsupervised together. Rebecca leaned to kiss Sam as she retrieved him, then extended the hand not supporting Sue to help her up. "I'm kidding. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

The side of Sam's mouth twitched as Rebecca glanced back at her in the hallway. "Just keep getting better, that's all I want."

Rebecca deposited Sue gently on a dresser near the balcony, then twisted the vertical louvre shades so they blocked sight into the room but he could still peek out at an angle. Sam ran the brush through her hair a few more times as she watched, and looked up at Rebecca curiously when she returned to her side.

"I can think of something else that would make you happy." Rebecca tugged lightly on her robe tie. "Lie down."

Sam's voice was coy, pretending to be scandalized. "Sugar! What happened to keeping your heart rate down for another week? And while your mother is still—"

"Ugh." Rebecca snatched a half-full tube of Sam's preferred lotion from the bedside table and waved it at her. "On your front, you perv. Jesus..."

"Oh." Sam sheepishly stretched out on top of their duvet, shrugging the robe down over her shoulders and then shifting so Rebecca could roll it down to her waist. When Sam's hands were free, she tucked them under her face and shivered once while Rebecca waited for the lotion to warm up in her palm. A few chilly moments later, she hummed happily as Rebecca began working up the sides of her spine. "This is nice too."

"Right? After all the work you've been doing... and you'll smell all extra nice for the party too." Rebecca switched to using the tips of her thumbs for a couple of spots she needed more accuracy for. "I would suggest this is actually a better choice than sex given the circumstances. And to think you tried to accuse me of not showing my gratitude for reviving my laptop."

"I retract all of that slander." Sam turned her head to look up hopefully with one eye. "Do you think you can save enough to do the thing with stretching my hand?"

With all the precision tools Sam worked with, she was always a total sucker for a good palm tendon massage. Rebecca leaned over and kissed a yet-unlotioned spot on her shoulder, getting another noseful of the reassuringly familiar shampoo. Technicality: She already smells pretty good. "For you? Yes."

A dozen-plus minutes later, as Rebecca heard the bathtub draining, she was picking out a skirt that ended just below her knees to go with a wraparound v-neck. Sam's lace-sleeved skater dress was quite cute, and Rebecca was a little stunned by how she looked with her hair in a simple twist up-do. It felt like more than mere visual novelty. Sam caught her looking in the larger vanity mirror on the dresser and her eyes brightened.

Rebecca realized Sam was holding something and moved closer, straightening the bottom edge of her shirt as she walked around the bed. She caught a glimpse of pearls, and Sam looked up at her hesitantly. "Would it be rude? I don't want you think I'm rubbing something in your face about my mom not being there."

Rebecca made sure she had good solid eye contact as she put her hands around Sam's. "Not at all. I think it's a great idea."

Up close, Sam's scattered freckles made the shift as relief seeped across her face readily apparent. She lifted and opened her hands slightly. "Would you?"

"Of course." I'd be honored, 'dummy'. Rebecca leaned behind her and twisted the barrel clasp back together, carefully adjusted the strand so it lay evenly across Sam's collarbones, then gently ran her hands down over Sam's shoulders. "There. What do you think?"

Sam's eyes were fixed on her own reflection, and she reached up to touch the pearls. "I get why you wear his medallion and the necklace all the time," she said quietly.

Rebecca gave her a moment, smiling supportively over Sam's shoulder at the mirror, then lifted the matching black sweater from the dresser so Sam could slip into it. She'd like to think the prior year had taught her a decent sense of just how much dwelling was ideal in a particular situation and when it was best to be prodded onwards. Sam looked up at her gratefully, and leaned on her shoulder.

"Are you okay? Do you want to stay home? Allie would understand."

Sam tightened an arm around Rebecca's waist briefly, then stood on her own again. "Thank you, but no. You know me, refusing to back down when life's mean."

"I do. I just wanted to make sure you knew it was okay not to once in a while."

"Nonsense. And..." Sam stood on barefooted tiptoe to kiss Rebecca, then pulled away towards the door with a wink. "Phrasing."

Rebecca grinned at Sam, then at herself in the mirror as she picked up the dual toned gold cuff-link-and-stud earring and put it on, followed by a simple stud in her right ear. It felt good, another reminder they were home again.

That didn't stop her from carrying a small handbag to the living room with her and loading it with her pistol, compact tactical flashlight, and radio. The act gave her a flashback to the elderly lady in the store just before she bought the gun, and made her wonder if she was now turning into the neighborhood watch granny packing heat in her purse.

It also got A Look from her mother, but Laura spared her a verbal commentary, instead picking up her own phone from the coffee table. "Well, aren't you two a vision."

She waved them towards each other, but Sam was still trying to get a pair of sneakers on, and hopped awkwardly towards Rebecca as she hastened to pull the second shoe over her heel. Rebecca caught her with a chuckle, and they managed a presentable pose with their genuinely amused smiles lingering. After Laura was satisfied, Sam nudged Rebecca forward with a halfhearted swat and held an imperious hand out for Laura's phone.

Rebecca smiled gratefully at her while sidling over to her mother by the couch. After the pictures were taken and reviewed, she scratched the underside of Sue's chin where he sat on the countertop. "Enjoy having the place to yourself, but don't break anything, okay?"

He answered with a noncommittal tail swish, and she was unsure if he was happy to see Rufus leave or resentful that he was being left behind.

**

Laura was touched Sam had thought to take a picture of her with Rebecca. It would probably have occurred to her within a few moments, but credit where due. Right now, the two girls walked a few steps ahead of her, occasionally reaching for each other's hands over Rufus as he ambled between them. He was actually the first to glance back at the sound of her smoothing out the borrowed dress and tugging on the edges of the short cardigan Rebecca had loaned her.

Rufus turning his head led Rebecca's gaze to Laura. "Mom, you look fine. And they're super chill, nobody's going to judge you. I promise."

Laura tried to still her fidgeting with a final tug at the waist of the dress. Rebecca looked so relaxed and happy right now and she didn't want to ruin the mood, even if some of it might be an illusion like the purse Rebecca had around a gun. "I know. It just takes a little getting used to. Not just the fit, you know?" She wondered what she'd said wrong when she noticed a brief shadow pass over Rebecca's face.

"Yeah, a little too keenly. I only grabbed so much clothes on the way out the door, and, well. There aren't many stores nearby, and the big ones got wrecked."

Laura did the math and realized what Rebecca had been getting at — that food and medicine weren't the only essentials she'd had to scavenge amongst the tattered bones and scraps of civilization. "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't mean to stir that up. I suppose it's something I'd better get used to."

Rebecca dropped back a step and took Laura's hand. "Sorry, Mom. I know there's a lot of that for you right now. It's not as much a thing these days."

"I guess having a foot-operated washing machine in the cabin made it much easier to get by with only week's worth of clothing."

"If it makes you feel any better, I've managed to avoid needing to wear anyone else's underwear."

"I... suppose that's a good luxury goal for the world we live in?"

Rebecca grinned and squeezed her hand before releasing it as they assumedly approached their destination. The cheerful 'Welcome' mat in sweeping cursive letters certainly matched what she'd heard of this man and woman who'd taken care of Rebecca for several months while Laura had frivolously plucking weeds in an idyllic hillside garden all the while.

Clearly Rebecca was on warm terms with them given how she tried the doorknob, peeked in, and called out a greeting without waiting for a reply to her knock. Laura noticed that Rufus wagged his tail at the voices that answered, but seemed reluctant to enter until Sam coaxed him reassuringly. Poor baby. Probably worried his mamas are going to disappear again for a while.

Laura decided she'd better be a good role model for Rufus, or at least seem less hesitant in her first impression, and followed right behind, closing the door gently behind them. Tasty smells she couldn't quite separate enveloped them almost immediately. A pregnant Asian woman who simply radiated the word 'warmth' about as loudly as Laura thought possible finished hugging Sam and turned to greet her.

"Laura? Hi, I'm Allie." She smiled, holding out her hand at just the right altitude that Laura could make the choice between shaking it or sliding an arm under it for a hug. "I'm so glad you're here."