"Are you suicidal?" Damien shouted, shoving her into her house in Lucky and slamming the door. "Have you lost your damn mind?"

Sam whirled around and crossed her arms with a glare. "Have you? Fisher could have someone following us right now and you just dragged me to a house protected by a spell so that unwelcome immortals can't cross."

"When he finds out who you are, he's going to kill you."

"So then we make sure he doesn't find out," she said evenly. "We're not going to get anywhere if there's no one on the inside."

"And you think you're the one who should be doing it?" he spat. "You're the one he'd kill given half a chance. You're the one in danger.

"Maybe I should remind you about who came to me about this," Sam's gaze turned icy. "How you both seemed convinced that I was the key to taking him down because I was the girl whose father he had murdered. I didn't volunteer.

"My mother has managed to get the witches to stand with the rebellion, and that's fantastic. Since you've dragged me here, I'll pay a visit to one of those witches and see what I can learn. We won't get support from Slayers unless we can stand a chance ourselves, and even then, it's a high hope that they'd get involved with political vampire affairs. If we hope to do anything, we need more than just the four of us and Henry. If we want to get any information, we need to be in the palace."

"That doesn't mean you have to be in the palace," Damien growled, stalking towards her. "That doesn't mean you need to be risking your neck immediately, with no hesitation."

"If we won't risk our own necks, how can we expect anyone else to?"

"Sam..." Damien let out a frustrated breath and turned away from her, running a hand through his hair. "You're walking a fine line. You don't know what he's capable of."

"And he doesn't know what we are capable of," Sam replied stubbornly. "I can get us support from within the palace. Very few of them are happy with the way things are, and if I'm gaining support from them, and Henry's gaining support from within the troops...that's going to help us."

"It's not going to help us if you're dead. None of this is worth it if you get killed in the process."

"It is if we win."

"Not to me."

She stared at him for a moment, a glimmer of something in her expression, but then it disappeared and she replaced it with a hard look. "I told you, I'm not staying. Nothing's changed, Damien."

"What are you afraid of?" he demanded. "We were together for eight months and you were perfectly happy."

"For eight months, we were both human. We weren't going to be around for eternity, and I was going to be able to have some semblance of a normal life. For eight months, we weren't about to risk our lives to take on the king of vampires. For eight months, no one was lying to me to protect me from myself." He saw the bitterness again and could've kicked himself. Reaching for her, she stepped smoothly out of his reach and walked back toward her room. "I'm not going to change, Damien. And I won't be controlled."

He followed her down the hall, anger replaced with defeat. "We don't want to control you. I don't want to control you. I only want to keep you safe."

"Because I'm incapable of keeping myself safe," she said, leveling him with a look. "I'm not a defenseless little girl, Damien. It's something all of you need to remember."

"I know."

"So trust my decisions. Trust that I'm doing everything I can to help the cause and keep myself as safe as possible."

"He wants you."

"And if he wants me, he doesn't want to kill me. If he wants me, I stand even more of a chance of gaining information." She didn't like it, but it wasn't something she would disregard if it meant an opportunity to glean more intel.

Damien stepped forward, and pulled her close, "I want you."

"Nothing's changed," she repeated, stepping back and away. "I told you."

***

When Sam stepped into The Black Cat and the bells jingled overhead, the invisibility spell she'd used as a precautionary method in case anyone had thought to follow her ended and the clock showed it was only seven in the morning. The door had displayed the 'Closed' sign, however it hadn't been locked, so she stepped inside regardless. When Belinda stepped outside of the backroom, she smiled. "I was wondering when you'd come. I suspected you wouldn't waste much time."

Sam moved idly toward the books in the back corner. "When I was in here before, I hadn't known you were Mother Witch. It surprised me to discover it was you, but I don't know that it should. I should've shown you more respect."

Belinda nodded and then shrugged, "You said yourself you didn't practice. If you had been given more than a very basic education, you would've been told."

"Even a very basic education covers how witches feel regarding interfering in immortal affairs," Sam looked back over her shoulder at Belinda as her fingers still trailed the spines of the books. "Something big must have occurred if you've decided to step in."

"He's been killing witches. We anticipate that there will always be the occasional rogue vampire or werewolf who does as they wish, but since Fisher came to power, there has been more human fatality than we've seen in centuries."

Sam studied her for a moment, turning around fully to face her. After a minute, her focus broke, but she gave Belinda a very frank stare. "There's more."

Belinda's smile widened and she motioned for Sam to follow her to the back. "Very little gets by you."

At the openly admiring tone, Sam lifted her shoulder in a half-shrug. "I try to make it a point to know the truth. No matter what."

"You're meant to do great things. Things will change because of you."

Although those words caused alarm bells to go off in her head, Sam's voice remained calm. "No one has that kind of power."

"You don't think so?" Belinda urged Sam to a loveseat and poured her a cup of tea. "Yet it wasn't until you that they began taking steps toward the rebellion."

"They were organizing. It would've happened eventually. They thought Derek's daughter would be a good draw for the ones who are unhappy. Something to stand behind. Everyone needs something to stand behind."

"So you'll take your father's place?"

Taking a drink of the tea, Sam frowned. "No."

Belinda's brows rose at the answer. "Oh? So they're standing behind a façade then."

"They're standing together," Sam corrected. "And they'll see that there are much better options to put in charge than me. I'm not doing this because I want to take power."

"No," Belinda agreed, "you're doing it to make a change."

"Everyone's doing it to make a change," Sam corrected. "I'm just a part of the crowd."

"Oh Sam," Belinda laughed and leaned back. "You are so much more than that."

"Because of what I am?" There was a fair amount of distaste in the question, and her gaze hardened. "The only witch vampire?"

"Because of who you are," Belinda replied. "Your father was a great man, and your mother is a strong woman. You've got the best of both."

Sam laughed and then stood up. "That remains to be seen. I came to pay my respects. And to say thank you for your support."

Belinda stood up as well, still smiling, "Of course."

Sam made her way to the entrance and turned to give Belinda one last sharp look. "I'm not taking his place." Belinda only smiled, and then, with one muttered word, Sam disappeared.

***

When Sam reappeared back in the house in Lucky, her head was spinning and she stumbled. Damien was at her side immediately, and she could have kicked herself for even thinking he might've left. "What's wrong?"

Straightening, she pulled away from him and snapped, "Nothing, I'm fine. Let's go. It's late, and I work tonight."

"You didn't drink that blood."

"What?"

The concern turned to anger, and he grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her toward Cori's room. "You just turned Samantha. You need blood when you transition, or you're going to be weak and helpless. As a half-vampire, you should be drinking blood at least twice a week."

"Damien, I'm fine," she snapped, attempting to yank her arm out of his grasp. "Let go of me. We need to go."

He glanced at her arm with a raised brow and continued pulling her down the stairs. "You should be twice as strong as me. Even stronger if you drink more frequently."

"I'm not drinking that," she growled, turning her face away when he pulled out a blood bag and held it out. "If the worst that happens is that I get a little weak, that's just fine."

"A little weak?" he sapped. "You keep it up and you'll be in a stupidity-induced coma. Is that what you want? You can't help anyone in a coma."

She pursed her lips and glared, but took the bag. It was gone in under a minute and he held out another. When she made a face, he only glared and she took it with reluctance and desire. Soon, the second bag was emptied as well and she turned on her heels and disappeared back up the stairs. She wasn't about to admit to him that she felt much better. "Alright, let's go."

Before he could respond, she was at the front door, waiting on the steps for him to appear. "You feel better?"

"I felt fine before," she answered with a sniff.

They walked down the road, side by side until they were in the woods behind the park and they could take off without anyone noticing. "William and I should go with you to dinner."

"You weren't invited."

"So get us invited. You shouldn't be going by yourself."

"I'll be fine, Damien."

"And you'd be even better if we went with you." She didn't bother to reply and they ran in silence until they reached the pond. "Hey, Sam?" Stopping at the water's edge, she turned toward him expectantly. "Karma's a bitch." Before she could fully comprehend his meaning, he'd shoved her backward and she fell.

He popped out of the pond on the other side with a wide grin. Sam tossed her hair back behind her shoulder and glared at him, dusting her hands off. "Very mature." Damien only shrugged. A mischievous gleam suddenly came into her expression, and his satisfied grin began to die. "Last one back makes dinner tomorrow." And, quick as could be, Sam had shoved him back into the portal and taken off with a laugh. "I always win."

***

Sam felt much more energetic the following night when she made her way to the palace. Stronger. She passed Melody with a friendly wave. She'd never tried very hard to make friends, but Sam knew she was good at it. Charismatic. It was going to take a lot of charisma to find recruits. Charisma and stealth, both of which were things that Sam liked to think she was good at. True to her beliefs, within the next two days, she had managed to win at least the appreciation of quite a few fellow maids, kitchen aids, and cooks. Indeed, Henry found even some of his men (and women) drawn into conversation with her. She'd been exactly what they'd needed.

Unfortunately, Henry was not the only one to notice. Jacob watched from a distance as she laughed and chatted with nearly everyone she came into contact with. "She draws them in like bees to honey," he muttered, staring out the window of his office and down into the courtyard.

The man standing about ten feet away, looking over some document sitting on Jacob's desk, looked over with very little interest. His hazel eyes took note of the discomfort in every part of Jacob's stance and his interest peaked a little more, but he didn't move to the window. "Who?"

"Samantha Kingston, the new maid," Jacob snapped, shooting the other man a glare. "Have you found out anything about her yet?"

His brows rose, "She has not been my top priority, no. Should she?"

Scowling, Jacob stepped away from the window and moved back to his desk. "Of course not. She's just some half-vampire. She'll be coming to dinner tomorrow. I'll expect you to be present, Kellan."

Kellan's interest skyrocketed, however he only shrugged and moved towards the office doors. "As you wish."

***

"I'm going with you."

Sam rolled her eyes and walked straight past Damien. "Don't be ridiculous. We already went over this."

"I'm not entirely comfortable with her going alone either," William said. "However, Henry will be there as well. He is impressed with how quickly she's managing to establish herself with the people there. You, Cori, and I should be making the same kind of efforts elsewhere."

"Cori, could I borrow your blue dress?"

"That one with the cleavage?" Damien demanded, following her down the stairs towards Cori's bedroom which was directly across the hall from Williams. "Why do you need the one with cleavage?"

"Why do you know what dress I'm talking about?" Sam shot back, shooting him a look over her shoulder.

"What's wrong with the shirt you're wearing right now?"

"It's a plain T-shirt."

"And it looks just fine," he replied, crossing his arms and glaring.

"I'm going to dinner at the palace, Damien. I can't wear jeans and a T-shirt."

"Then don't go."

Stepping out of her room and into the hallway, Cori rolled her eyes. "Oh get lost, Damien."

Damien shot Cori a glare equally as vicious as the one he'd sent towards Sam earlier, but then he turned around and was gone. "None of you are taking this as seriously as you should be."

"Jealousy doesn't become you," William noted, causing Damien to curse loudly and slam the door to his room.

In Cori's room, Sam zipped up the dress and looked in the mirror. "I suppose I should probably put my hair up..."

Cori watched Sam as she played around with her hair. "Are you sure you'll be alright there by yourself?"

"Fisher is nothing I can't handle." For now. Turning away from the mirror, Sam fixed Cori with a smile. "Thanks for lending me the dress. I'm sure I'll catch you before you slink off to bed." With a wink, Sam was heading for the door. Of course, she could hardly run in the dress she wore, so when she stepped outside, she paused to consider. Before she could simply hike up her skirt, a car pulled up in front of the house and when the window rolled down, Henry smiled out.

"Ms. Kingston."

Smiling back at him, Sam walked to his car and got inside when he came around to open her door. "Why thank you, General. What a surprise."

"I suspected you might need a ride. I'm happy to offer my services."

"Very thoughtful," she watched the scenery as he drove, but then found herself turning to study him. "I'm told you're very good at your job, General. Have you been the General for very long?"

"Nearly three hundred years." Henry's expression turned amused when her eyes widened. "It's not so long when you have an eternity."

"I suppose that's true," she turned thoughtfully back to the window. "But I'd have to imagine you must grow tired of it after a while."

"It's what I'm good at," he said simply.

As they pulled up to the palace, she gave him a sad smile, "That doesn't mean it doesn't grow tiresome."

He parked the car and studied her. "You're a smart girl, Ms. Kingston."

"I try to be."

"Be careful." He got out of the car and would've opened her door again, however someone else beat him to it.

"Good morning," he greeted, his mouth turned into a smooth smile. "Samantha Kingston, is it? Nice to finally meet you."

Accepting his hand, Sam let him pull her out of the car and caught the hard look in Henry's gaze as she smiled and let the man escort her to the palace door. "Yes, and you are?"

"Kellan, Spy-Master for the king. I've heard a great deal about you."

Spy-Master. Sam's smile didn't dull. "Spy-Master? How exciting! Do you enjoy it?"
He was studying her thoroughly through hazel eyes, and his smile looked much more friendly than she suspected it to be. "There is rarely a dull moment."

"Samantha, great to see you!" Jacob was instantly at her side the moment they stepped through the doors. "I see Henry had the foresight to pick you up. You look stunning."

"Your Highness, thank you." Sam bobbed a curtsey and blushed.

He stared at her for a moment as Kellen disappeared as quickly as he'd appeared. "Come with me, I have something to show you before we have dinner."

"Of course."

They walked out of the entry hall and into a smaller hall to their left. "How do you like living with William Arlington? The man is solitary by nature, I can't imagine he's much for conversation."

"Oh, I get along with him just fine. He's really a gracious host. Thank you for asking."

"And Damien Snow?" he pressed. "What about him?"

Sam's expression clouded, but she cleared it quickly. "Damien is a very opinionated individual. I would say he's rather harmless though."

"He's not the best company for a woman such as yourself to keep. I'd be remiss if I didn't warn you, I think." His tone was sharp, and there was no mistaking the warning in it.

Sam's brow rose, "I'll certainly keep your warning in mind, Your Majesty. Might I ask where we're going?"

"We're here." He stopped in front of a door and smiled at her. "This is the back entrance to the ballroom. I thought you might enjoy seeing it. Quite beautiful really."

Her eyes widened and she smiled, stepping into the room, "I would, thank you. I─" Sam broke off when she saw Kellan leaning against a pillar twenty feet to her left and she turned around in alarm, her expression confused. "What─"

"Bring her back once you've finished." Jacob shut the door with a slam.