The fall felt like it lasted an eternity.

Harry felt her ankle bend the wrong way as the heel of her black pumps caught on the stair. The weight of her handbag made her whole body twist as it swung, tracing gravity, wrenching on her shoulder. Only her extended arm kept the handles in place. She inhaled loudly. Her hair ungracefully slapped across her face; a chunk landing in her opened mouth.

Through the streaks of hair, she could see Dupret springing to action at the bottom of the staircase, his perfect hair, a dark streak as he moved. He opened his arms ready to catch her. Surprise and worry plastered his face.

He caught her by the rib-cage. Her hands locked onto his forearms for support.

He gently righted her, but didn't let go. He looked at her tenderly. A glimmer of a smile curved the edges of his mouth, and the light danced within the onyx of his eyes. It left her breathless. She hadn't felt raw emotion like that since right before her first kiss with David.

Sam looked down at her hands, still resting lightly on his arms. Harry hadn't even realised she was touching him.

She was touching him and he wasn't burning.

He continued to look at her hands, terrified. He backed away slowly, like he had just noticed that he'd jumped into a lions' den and wanted to get back out without them noticing him. It hurt her seeing the change in his expression.

She snatched her hands away, balling them into fists. She exhaled sharply, then readjusted her bag on her shoulder while she tried to regain her composure. She felt joy at being able to touch a male without killing him, disgust that she could have killed him, confusion over the moment she'd just shared with a man who seemed to hate her ninety percent of the time, and most of all, she was furious at Liz for pushing her.

Harry looked at the ground. The bottle of wine lay smashed. Only the pink ribbon and the label remained in tact.

"I'm so sorry. I am so clumsy," she said, shooting Liz a glare.

"It's okay. It was just your bet winnings." he replied emotionlessly. "I don't like people thinking I don't fulfil my debts."

She gave a slight laugh. "Well, considering you just saved me from breaking my neck, I think we can agree it's paid."

He tipped his head, "While you wear that necklace, I think that a lot of people are going to be very interested in position of your neck." Harry stood speechless unsure how to respond. What exactly was he implying? He continued, filling the silence, "Since we're now even, "I'll leave you to it. Have a good night ladies."

He walked away leaving Harry and Liz both staring after him.

As his grey Aston Marin rolled away, Liz ran down to join Harry in the courtyard. "That was so hot!" she said, emphasising each word. "I'm so glad you didn't kill him."

Harry turned around seeing red. She slapped Liz hard across the face. Taking a second to watch her startled reaction and process what she'd done, she spat, "At least now I can cross anger off my list of triggers for causing death too."

Liz's eyes went wide. "I'm sorry to do that to you, but we needed to know. You'd have never got up the courage otherwise. I don't have anything against Sam, actually I pretty much think he's God, but he was there and you needed my help."

Liz looked at her imploringly. She really did seem to think she was doing the right thing for her. She thought she was being a friend. She couldn't see that her actions could have torn Harry up inside even more than Jake's death already was.

Harry breathed deeply and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. She couldn't stay angry with someone who was trying to look out for her, but she realised that she might not be able to fully trust the woman either.

Distracting herself from the moment, she looked down at the wine label. She could vaguely make out the flowing letters of Dom Pérignon. She let out a little gasp.

Liz came and stood beside her. "Wow, that must have been some bet you won. Though by the way he looked at you, I think it's about more than a bet..."

Harry patted her on the shoulder. "Have a good weekend Liz, it's time I spend some quality hours with my family."

With a tired smile, Harry walked towards the playground. The direction of David and Charlie. The direction of home.

...................................................................................................................................................................

Another thank you for sticking with me this far. How are you enjoying the chemistry between Sam and Harry? Do you like the scenes better with Sam or David, and do you like it more when they fight or when he's being his less demony self? Why do you think he changes so quickly? Interested for your thoughts...

Please remember to comment on what you like and what you don't. Your reads and feedback really do mean a lot to me. If you are really enjoying, also remember to press that little star.

Love you all.
AnitaKathleen