Title: Familiar
Characters: Sam and Luka and some mentions of Alex (Samka)

Season: Season 11

Spoilers: Yes if you didn't see Ruby Redux
Words: 707

Author's Note: I know I should stop writing new stories and finish the ones I've started but I can't help it. This was my mother's idea. I would never hope she would even think about doing this but I'm writing it because her idea sparked a story. It's a one shot.

Rating: T or PG-13 (deals with abortions)

She stops in front of the building with her hand gripped around the cold, metal handle. She takes a deep breath and opens it. It's all too familiar but this time she knows she has to go through with it. This time she's not fifteen. She has the money to pay for this. It's a quick and simple procedure she tells herself over and over again. But it's not because she know she will have to let go of her baby.

As she walks in she looks over her shoulder. She wants to leave but she knows if she does then this will never get done and Luka will turn into Steve. Three weeks late. One positive pregnancy test. Two days later she is signing in. She wants him to come and get her. Tell her he isn't Steve and never will be. As she takes a seat in the chair farthest away from the window she closes her eyes. She leans her head back against the wall with her eyes still closed. Subconsciously she places her hand on her belly.

It feels as though there's nothing there but there is. She hears the sound of crying traveling from across the room and she know that it's somebody regretting their decision. She hears the familiar sound of someone's name being called out in the same dry tone they said hers ten years ago.

"Samantha Taggart." She suddenly realizes that it's hers they are saying. "Samantha Taggart."

She gathers all the courage she can and stands up. Her body wants her to stop. They say a woman's body will always protect her child and it's true because that's what her body is telling her brain to do. But her brain doesn't listen and she keeps walking. All the way to the room. They give her a gown and tell her to change into it. She does as she is told. As she gets on the table she wants them to tell her she's too late like they did when she finally went into the back when she was pregnant with Alex. She sits there and waits quietly for that oh-so-familiar click of the door.

She walks by them both and heads straight to her and Luka's bedroom. Alex doesn't notice her, he never does, but Luka does. And he sees the tears rolling down her face. She shuts and locks the bedroom door and after pulling off her coat and dropping her bag onto the floor she crawls into the big, comfortable bed. There's a soft knock at the door and his heavily accented voice floats over to her.

"Sam are you okay?"

She doesn't answer him. Instead she remains silent except for the sniffling sound she makes as she lets the tears fall freely down her face.

"Sam?" He says her name again this time not a gently as before. She refuses to answer and after a long period of silence she hears the jiggling of the doorknob. He's unlocking the door. She's too tired to get up and push her whole weight against the door and he comes in - slowly. "Sam what's wrong?"

She can't bring herself to tell him though and when he sits on the edge of the bed she turns away from him. She tries to stop the tears but they continue to fall. She's not familiar with this. He runs his hand up her leg, up the side of her body, and to her face. Shivers are sent up and down her spine and she turns her body back to face him. He bends down and kisses her forehead wishing he could solve everything with that one kiss.

"I couldn't do it." She says her speech slurred and he has no clue what she's talking about. She takes a deep breath and tells him all he needs to hear.

"I kept our baby Luka. I couldn't go through with it." And although he was upset she would even want to get rid of their baby and that she didn't even tell him - the anger went away in a matter of minutes. He was going to be a father. And he longed to go back to that familiar territory.

His smile was unfamiliar but maybe…just maybe…not everything has to be familiar to her.