"They actually took you to therapy?" Nic asked the next day as she sat with Lily on the couch in Sam and Brooke’s room. It had become the unofficial-gathering place for them. It provided a safe place for all of them to get away from their parents and since both Gayle and Maria were on Nicole and Lily’s cases again, neither girl had any interest in being home. Sam lift her head from where it was resting on Brooke’s abdomen and laughed bitterly.

"Yeah, ya should have seen it. `You’re not gay because I won’t allow it.’ Like Mike had any control over it," her voice held no humour. Brooke reached out and stroked Sam’s hair in comfort.

"And they were going to send you away, Sam?" Lily asked still in shock over that part. She couldn’t believe that a parent would willingly want to send a child away simply because they didn’t agree with who they loved. It was ludicrous to her. And yet sadly, she knew it was a harsh reality that happened everyday.

"We let them know on no uncertain terms that was not an option," Brooke said bitterly as Sam set her head back down. Sam laughed.

"You should have heard this one," she said indicating Brooke. "She went up one side of them and down the other. I bet they still have heel marks on their backs," she giggled. The other girls laughed with her. It was a welcome respite from the tension the situation was pressing down on them.

"Unleashed your inner bitch, did ya, B?" Nic asked. Brooke blushed.

"I opened my mouth and it all just kinda spilled out," she admitted.

"I don’t think they were expecting such a strong argument to come from you, Brooke. Did you see the looks on their faces? And what was up with the therapist? Someone should really buy that man a clue," Sam joked. Brooke laughed.

"He was SO in over his head he couldn’t see daylight," she agreed. "But still," she added more seriously, "the thought of them sending you away scared me, Sammy."

"Me too," Sam said quietly.

"I would have totally flipped if someone tried to take Lily from me," Nic said as she hugged Lily a little closer. Lily smiled and settled closer.