"Race you!"

**

Lily lay with her head on Nicole’s bare stomach, just enjoying some quiet time with her blonde lover. Nicole was gently running her hands through her hair and making her feel cherished. She wondered if Nic knew what a calming effect such a small action had on her. She started tracing small circles over Nicole’s skin and heard her sigh happily.

"You think Brooke found Sam?" Lily asked, breaking the silence that surrounded them.

"Probably," Nicole answered simply. "It’s not like there were many places for Spam to go."

"True. But she seemed upset when I saw her this morning. Upset or distracted," she amended. Nicole twirled some of Lily’s hair around her fingers.

"Probably both. If there’s one thing I know about Spam it’s that her mind tends to run two steps ahead of her," Nic pointed out.

"Yeah. I’m worried about her though," Lily shifted to look Nicole in the eye. "I thought once she got to talk to her mother that she’d relax some but I think she’s getting wound even tighter but she doesn’t want anyone to know." Nicole looked down at her with a slight frown.

"And yet we’ve all noticed," she remarked. Lily nodded.

"Yes. Even Brooke. She’s worried that Sam’s making herself sick trying to find a way to solve our problems all by herself. But she can’t. Somehow she’s taken responsibilty for the whole mess and is trying to fix it. It’s not fair to her," Lily complained. Nicole sighed.

"No, it’s not. But she’s going to do it because it’s who she is," she argued softly. "She cares a lot about you guys and feels the need to protect you. Give her time and she’ll see that she can’t fix the world simply on the strength of her will alone." Lily was quiet for a while after that and Nicole thought she’d fallen back asleep.

"I hear the shower running. Brooke must have found her," Lily giggled softly, startling Nicole.

"Well, I told you she had no where to go," she chuckled. "Lil, how are you doing?" she asked seriously. Lily moved to lay next to her.

"I miss home," Lily confessed honestly. Nicole wrapped her arms around Lily tightly.