Katie knew that she had not balanced her work and home life very well. She knew she often brought work home with her, overwhelmed by the feeling that she had to continue what she was doing. No matter how much strain it put upon herself, no matter how rapid it tore into the relationships around her. Her job was one of the few stable things she had going for her, and for now that was the only thing she had to depend on. And so she put everything into her job. 

It was often how she found herself running late for everything else she attempted to do outside of work. Her life seemed to all be on a back peddle in comparison to the work she did. And therefore, when she finally intended to make one of the reservation campfires, something she had loved to do since she was a child but had not managed to attend in months, there was no surprise to herself that she was once again late. What had surprised her that there was a clear seat available around the campfire she could easily reach, and by the look she recieved from the man sat next to it might just have been saved for her. But Katie could well have just been dreaming. 

She took the open space upon the wooden log, trying her hardest to not make overly dramatic eye contact with the man sat next to her. But it was hard, the presence of Sam Uley was big, and demanded her attention. Therefore, Katie looked over to find him looking at her already and her heart did the thing it had so often started to do when she was around him. The little flutter she could physically feel, something she had thought only occurred in books and was a fantasy thing when you looked at another person. So either she was developing a rather serious medical condition or she was officially living the fantasy life she had dreamed of as a young teen. 

"Officer." Sam whispered lowly enough that only she should have been able to hear him, not wanting to interrupt the traditional tales being spoken over the dancing flames. 

"Samuel." Katie responded before dragging her eyes back to the flames. The stories were ones she knew off by heart now, ones of which Billy Black had taken up to sharing with more importance in the recent weeks than he had done in the previous years. And as she listened in on her tribes history Katie found herself struggling to remain focused upon the words she knew so well. Her brain went dancing along its own path to the rhythm of the fantasy life she could live with the younger man beside her. 

And that was when she knew she was in deep. Katie was in trouble and as she allowed herself to fall deeper and deeper into the pit that was Sam Uley she wondered if she would ever be able to drag herself out. This crush she had developed was much deeper than anything else she had experienced over the previous years she knew that. And it was as exciting as it was scary. But as fantasy imagines fluttered through her brain of them restoring her run down house, to going for long drives and evenings sat upon the beach watching the sunset did she get interrupted by a new sudden sensation. A new warmth took over her right hand. The one of which she had left settled upon the wooden bench beside her. Katie looked down, to see a hand casually placed upon her own. It was rough and a lot more calloused than her own, evidence that the person used his hands much more than she did. She looked over and slightly up to Sam, who's own eyes remained trained upon Billy who sat just a few feet away from them, entranced in what the man had to say. Unaware that he had been looking at only her a few moments prior. Something she would probably never come to know. Just how often he looked at her when she was unaware. 

Considering she was late, the bonfire ended much earlier than Katie realised it would. And just as quickly as it had ended, the people around them cleared out much faster than Katie had anticipated. She was used to many people hanging around afterwards as to catch up with those they had not seen in a while. But this time, they were gone and all of a sudden it was just a few stragglers left. Stragglers of which included both Sam and her. Katie made no effort to move from the bench she was currently sat upon enjoying the dying glow of the fire and the serene atmosphere she felt around her. Things felt okay, well better than okay. Better than they usually did and she had no intention of removing herself from an atmosphere such as that one.

Her brain, for once, seemed to be fully focused on the now. It no longer danced to the past, the future or other things of which had been playing on her mind for a while. And she relished in this feeling. So used to the constant, noise, the constant thought pattern. That the silence was welcoming. She was not sure the last time she had something of which was like this. It was something she didn't want to stop, didn't want to change. And part of Katie knew that it was because of the man she was sat beside. It couldn't have been otherwise. For her brain always seemed to calm in his presence. And she supposed that was part of the reason she was so drawn to him. 

"Katie." She would be drawn from the quiet by his voice.

"Yes Sam?" Unsure of what he wanted she took the nice approach noting that her silence continued on, allowing her to have one clear thought for the first time in a while. Her thought of him. 

"Do you have anywhere else to be tonight?" His voice remained rather gruff, though his tone was kind.

"No, no I don't." She confirmed the paperwork she had once been thinking of completing upon returning home long gone from her mind. 

"Good." Sam would develop no further on his question nor words and the pair resumed their watching of the dying embers.  

Katie chose not to ask him any further about what he meant. Coming to terms with the idea that he too might just be choosing to enjoy the time they were spending together. Nobody had approached the pair of them, she was unsure why. Perhaps it was the aura that Sam put out, he for sure wasn't the most approachable person, or well so she had been told by others when they had questioned the few times they had been seen together. Maybe it was due to her job, she knew that whilst some were happy they had one of their own on the local force, many were also suspicious of her. Of how she seemed to be searching outside the tribe for something. Whatever that something might be. But she could continue not questioning things for now. Allowing the bubble she entered whenever Sam was around to remain.