VIII-What About Now? (Sam)

[Emma Roberts]

Busting tables wasn't something Emma thought she'd be doing...ever. Then again, a lot of things had changed for the young brunette. She'd moved away, a new city and a fresh start appealed to her and with no abilities, what was really their to get in the way? She could start again, not have to worry about anyone knowing her, her past or what damage she could do if she really wished to. Emma had a chance to begin a new life away from all the bullshit. Obviously there'd be some negatives, that was of course leaving Sam. They'd had their differences but she couldn't deny how much she cared about him, sadly her chosen path had set a deep wedge between them and the only way that she could fix all the things she had broken, was to leave.

Emma may not have been able to save herself, not entirely, but she could still save him by keeping as far away from him as she possibly could, even if it drove her insane.


With a new name and a new identity, 'Alison' was able to start a clean slate. She wasn't keen one really getting stuck in with a 9-5 job but waiting tables was easy and it gave a decent enough pay to get her by. Of course, she'd previously living in and out of motels right now until she could find herself a permanent residence, it was difficult for her to really get her feet off the ground because she wasn't really sure where to start. Thankfully, 'Alison' had made a few friends whilst residing in Chicago and she was able to get herself a room in an apartment owned by a girl she worked with, Crystal.

Emma was able to kiss her old life goodbye, but did hold onto things from her past, specifically Sam. Truth be told she would still call him, he'd answer and she'd hang up as soon as she heard his voice because she was too afraid of going back there. Things had taken an ugly turn and things had gotten really god damn tough for them. Emma knew moving away was good for them, better for him no doubt.

Her life certainly wasn't easy far from it in fact. The added pressure of keeping up appearances and lying to those around her was tough, it was more tough because of the things that Emma was going through herself. For the last three months she had found it harder and harder to hide, it was easy at first, three months ago but now..4 months later, it was extremely hard to hide the bulging baby bump she had rapidly grown.

Emma was pregnant, 7 months it seemed and everyday she saw herself getting bigger and her future nearing closer and closer. She was scared and alone in this, a choice she had made, but one that maybe wasn't entirely right for her afterall. Keeping the baby wasn't up for discussion, she was doing either way but by herself, it may not have been ideal.

The brunette had certainly changed her ways, she'd had to for the most part and the change was hard but for the better. It was still surreal, the idea that she would be having a child soon, scary as it was it still barely sunk in. Emma had once with the idea of telling Sam, but she knew that it'd probably cause more trouble then good and so she simply refused to consider it. She could do this by herself and would become a much stronger person for it.

It was going to be hard, no doubt, but she'd make it work.

Emma had finished her shift early as she had a hospital appointment to attend. She wasn't too keen on hospital trips because she hated people poking and prodding at her, but it was for good reason so she just dealt with it. Emma wanted to ensure everything was okay and the only way how was to go to her regular appointments. She did in fact dread the day of birth, the chances of her abilities flaring up were high, they often did when her mood changed no matter how much she had control of them. So, the idea of repressing them was highly on the cards.

She made her way down the busy street, keeping herself from colliding with any passers by, taking much more care then she ever would have in the past.

Word Count: 841
Lyrics: None
Outfit: CLOTHES
Comments: OMG I POSTED?!

[Sam Keaton]

"I can feel it coming in the air tonight..."

Sam Keaton was so far gone that anyone that knew him would probably wonder if he would ever make a return to normalcy. The young man had been driven off the deep end when he'd lost Emma. He was a shell of the man he once was. He'd gone into the wilderness and taken to living alone. Sam and Emma had gotten into a fight. They'd separated... Things seemed as though they'd eventually return to normal and be repaired... The explosion though... That was what sent Sam reeling. He'd lost the woman he loved and Sam had gone ballistic. He dropped off the face of the Earth and severed all ties. He'd left the Company and his brother to fend for themselves. The grief and guilt of losing Emma had rocked Sam to his very core. He could hardly handle it and had taken to being a recluse in New York City.

Things got worse for Sam once he'd lost his sight and his abilities. He'd been in an accident trying to save a young woman's life. He'd pushed her out of the way of an oncoming vehicle. Sam had been struck by the van and when he'd woken up he was not only blind, but powerless as well. Sam Keaton felt lost amongst a world he'd once been able to navigate so well. The young man felt as though he'd fallen from the highest tower and lost it all. And so, Sam fell out of society and ran north. Sam moved into the wilderness outside of Québec City and had taken to living in a small wooden cabin. Life was much simpler there. It was far easier as well. The young man was alone and living in a world of darkness. Sam teetered on the brink of what felt like insanity. His heavily encrypted cell phone would ring and it would drive him into fits of confusion and anger. Things got better though. Although he didn't think they would... Sam's life did get better. The pendulum in Sam's life did swing the opposite direction.

Sam's powers came back and a slight sense of normalcy returned to his life. It was faint, but a little bit of light had shown through in Sam's bleak world. With his powers back Sam could see again. He was still a wreck. The young man hardly looked like himself anymore. He had a thick beard and shaggy hair. He wore a heavy winter coat most of the time and looked completely and totally disheveled. The young man looked as though he were a wreck and for the most part, Sam was. Eventually, Sam left Québec and returned to the United States. He was a drifter. He spent part of his time in Colorado and then moved to Nebraska. From there Sam found himself in Utah and then Nevada. Ultimately, Sam wound up in San Francisco. He got a small one bedroom apartment and kept to himself. He was off the grid and liked it that way. For all the quirks, nervous ticks, and oddities Sam Keaton had developed over the past seven months the young man had found a little peace.

It wasn't until one February afternoon that Sam's shattered to pieces once more. The young man was out walking home from the supermarket. He was wearing a green military jacket, fingerless gloves, and had a thick beard covering most of his face. The young man's hair was shaggy and came down over his forehead. The only thing reminiscent of Sam were his eyes. Despite the fact that he was blind, Sam's eyes still remained true to the man he once was. As he walked with a bag full of groceries, Sam made his way through the busy street. Even with his ability to "see" through his powers, walking in a crowded street was still difficult. Without warning, someone brushed into Sam's shoulder. The young man was caught off balance, his equilibrium all distorted. Sam dropped the bag of "groceries," his beer and apples spilling onto the street. As bottles and apples rolled about the sidewalk Sam dropped to the ground and began to mutter to himself angrily. "Motherfuckers... Don't watch where they go... Don't care about anyone but themselves. Selfish ingrates..." While on his knees, Sam began to snap his fingers in an attempt to illuminate the space beside him in an attempt to find his belongings. One by one, Sam began to pick up his bottles of beer and his apples... Boy did Sam like apples...

[Emma Roberts]

It was strange because before becoming pregnant, Emma had never really realised how crammed a busy street could be. She had to take a lot of care in bumping into others, she wasn't exactly easy to avoid and these people weren't known for caring about other peoples personal space.

Which, became evermore apparent when Emma noticed the hustle and bustle becoming too much for some man up ahead. Now, Emma often kept her distance for all the right reasons and more so with strangers, she couldn't trust anyone and so for that reason she avoided most people.

Emma stopped walking, her bright eyes narrowing upon the man who'd stumbled and dropped all of his groceries. In that instant she wasn't certain what to do or what to say, did she help the man and risk potentially hurting him or him hurting her? he was a stranger afterall and what if he didn't want help? or...did she leave him there to tend to himself, passing by ignorantly like everyone else. She wasn't sure, so she pondered in her thoughts whilst watching him bend to his knees to gather his things.

After a moment, the brunette took a breath and slowly began to approach, shifting her bag from one shoulder to the other. She wasn't great for bending, not with her huge belly. Still, she tried. Emma slowly approached and bent down a little away from him, picking up one of the bottles of beer. Now that she come to realise, its all he had, beer and apples...what a weird diet. Little did Emma know that this man was Sam, he was unrecognisable.

"Motherfuckers... Don't watch where they go... Don't care about anyone but themselves. Selfish ingrates..." It took a moment for Emma to realise, that she recognised that voice. The woman stopped, frozen, eyes lifting slightly as she narrowed them on the man kneeling close by. No, it couldn't have been...surely? Why was he all the way out here? and more the point why the hell did he look such a wreck?

At that moment, Emma wondered if maybe it was her, maybe she had wrecked him. Surely she couldn't have caused that much pain to him? She wasn't certain, but one thing was for sure, he was going to be pissed..So Emma needed to get away before he realised who she was. Of course, she had some kind of upper hand because he was blind, she didn't know that so was fairly pre-cautious. She handed him the apple and quickly stood upright to bail out before seen.

Word Count: 522
Lyrics: None
Outfit: CLOTHES
Comments: OMG I POSTED?!

[Sam Keaton]

"I can feel it coming in the air tonight..."

Sam Keaton didn't look like the Sam Keaton everyone once knew. Sam was a former shell of himself. The young man was rugged and shaken and a full on physical mess. Sam Keaton had been lost. He'd gone off the deep end and had succumbed to a psychotic break once he'd lost Emma. He loved her and he'd pushed her away. Then in what seemed like an instant, Emma had been killed in a fire. Sam didn't quite know what had happened, but the young woman was nowhere to be found. Surely, she had perished in the flames. Weeks later, Sam had found himself in Montreal. He was living in the woods far away from civilization. The young man couldn't be arsed to have any more connections. He'd left his job with the Company without saying word. Sam didn't care. Nothing else mattered anymore.

One day on his way into town on one of his infrequent trips for supplies, Sam had been blindsided. Quite literally for a matter of fact. Sam had been in a terrible accident and had become blind. It wouldn't had been the worst thing in the world if it hadn't been for the fact that the entire world seemed to lose their powers. It seemed as though Murphy's Law was in full effect. Not only had Sam lost the love of his life, but he'd also lost his abilities and his own sight. Sam Keaton had been teetering on the edge of sanity. Without warning, he'd been pushed right off into the deep end. Needless to say, Sam had been drowning.

The young man had righted himself a little bit once he'd gotten his powers back. It wasn't easy at first. After not using his powers for a while the young man found that it took a little while to get used to again. He was more sensitive now that he'd gotten his powers back. However, at least he could see again in a sense. That was the best part about his abilities. Sam loved that he had something to fall back on. Sure, he couldn't see like he once could... But at least he could still get by. He didn't need a cane anymore. The young man could function in a marginal sense of normalcy.

Somehow, Sam had made his way back into the United States. He was in San Francisco. He'd found a small apartment. It wasn't much, but it was something. No, he didn't go back to work. He didn't make contact with anyone from his old life. Sam wasn't ready for that yet. Not by a long shot. On this particular day, Sam was walking back from the supermarket. With grocery's in hand Sam was navigating the busy streets of San Francisco on his way back from apartment. Out of nowhere someone bumped into Sam causing his bags to fall to the ground and his groceries to spill onto the concrete. As Sam muttered angrily to himself and began to pick up his fallen belongings someone stopped and bent down beside him and began handing him things. The young man smiled. Maybe humanity wasn't a lost cause after all.

As the young man continued to search for his belongings on the street, Sam began to utilize his snap method of seeing. The young man snapped his fingers a few times quickly, illuminating the immediate area on the sidewalk around him. The vibrations caused by his fingers coursed through the air and brought light to everything on the ground him. However, Sam was no longer staring at the ground. It couldn't be. The young woman who had been helping him stood up quickly once she handed him apple. Sam stood up and dropped the fruit back to the ground. Sam looked directly at her, which must have looked weird because he was blind. The young man cocked his right eyebrow upwards slightly.

The woman who had been helping him began to turn away slightly. "What is this some kind of sick joke?" Sam spoke softly. He recognized her. Even though he was blind, there was no way he couldn't. She didn't say anything. Instead, the young woman had begun to walk away. Sam started after her, completely ignoring his groceries which were still all over the ground. Sam snapped some more illuminating the crowd around him. Without skipping a beat, Sam reached out and snatched the woman's arm tightly. He didn't quite care if he was hurting her. Hell, the thought didn't even register in his head. Sam pulled her close. He stared blankly, but intently at the woman in front of him and used his free hand to snap his fingers. Waves of vibrations flooded his vision as the woman in front of him was illuminated. She was the spitting image Emma Roberts. Sam kept his voice low, but emitted a certain anger and urgency in his voice. "Who the fuck are you?" Sam didn't know who she was... But she couldn't be Emma. Could she?

[Emma Roberts]

Emma hadn't anticipated this. She had changed her life drastically, started fresh. But, the one thing she'd been running from appeared to be right there next to her. She couldn't help but gawk at him. This wasn't Sam, this was nothing more then a shell of the man she had once been with. What had happened to him? Surely she couldn't have done this to him. Emma had believed that by bailing she'd done him a favor but as she knelt beside him, a man she barely recognised...she couldn't help but wonder. Had she done this to him? Had she broken him so badly?

It was odd because he didn't say anything to her, he looked at her but said nothing. Emma had frozen, just watching him for several moments before finally getting to her feet. It wasn't until she looked closer that she realised why he'd been struggling gathering his belongings. He couldn't see? She wasn't sure how it'd happened and she felt bad for him, she wanted to ask him but..she was afraid. If he couldn't see her, and she didn't talk..then he'd never know. Or, so she hoped.

Luck wasn't on her side here because without being able to see and without her speaking, he still seemed to know who she was. Her eyes watched him, following him as he stood to his full height. Emma took off, as quick as she could and it weren't all that quick given her current situation and all. Carrying this extra baby weight was a complete bitch and she often despised it when trying to make a quick get away. "What is this some kind of sick joke?" Sam called, starting after her.

Emma tried to quicken her pace, thankfully being pregnant had its perks because people would move out of the way for her to get by easily. He caught up and grabbed at her arm, pulling her close to him. Emma winced as he grasped at her arm. "Who the fuck are you?" He snapped angrily. Emma didn't say anything, she watched him as he tried to figure her out and it seemed he was using his ability as an aid. Emma grit her teeth pulling her arm back toward herself trying to break out of his grip "You're hurting me!" the brunette growled.

She could feel her ability flaring up, her skin became hot. It wasn't to harm him, but to warn him off. It was a defence, a way of protecting herself. The problem was, when she did it the baby always kicked which freaked her out and she instantly stopped. She didn't want to hurt the baby, she didn't know if her powers could even effect it but..she wasn't going to take the risk.

Emma snapped her arm from his grasp and rubbed her wrist a little, glaring at him "Don't grab me like that again. I don't like it.." She warned him. Emma lowered her hands, slipping her right over her stomach where she could still feel the baby wriggling about uncomfortably. She hoped it wasn't the fact she'd used her ability and more so by the sounds it was hearing, recently the slightest loud noise startled the baby and it seemed to react to a variety of different sounds.

Emma wasn't a genius when it came to abilities, she still wasn't sure how Sams worked but..if it was on vibration and sound then the chances were it wouldn't take him long to pick up the sound of the baby that was growing away inside of her. Emma just hoped that maybe she'd be able to get away before he did because that'd open a whole other can of worms.

Word Count: XX
Lyrics: None
Outfit: CLOTHES
Comments: OMG I POSTED?!

[Sam Keaton]

"I can feel it coming in the air tonight..."

Sam Keaton twitched. The young man had been through a lot lately. He wasn't the man he used to be. Sam had changed drastically. Sam looked disheveled and could have passed off as a homeless person. The young man had all but disappeared off the face of the earth. He'd abandoned the company and had immersed himself into darkness. Figuratively at first of course. The young man wanted no connection to the outside world. Once he'd lost Emma Sam had gone off the deep end. It was other things that had contributed to his downward spiral... But the tipping point had been Emma Roberts' death. Then of course, Sam went blind. It had been an accident... And, without his powers Sam was at a loss for what to do. The young man felt helpless and spiraled further and further into depression.

Sam traveled extensively and moved from place to place all over North America... Eventually, he ended up in San Francisco. Life was a little better once Sam had gotten his powers back. A biproduct of his abilities allowed Sam to see in a sense. Scientifically, it was called Echolocation... Quite literally, Sam was Batman. The young man could at least see in some sense once more. He could function better and could go about his day to day routine. Sure, the young man was still very far gone... He remained a former shell of himself. However, at least Sam could go about the day to day menial things in life.

Sam's life changed once more when ventured out to the supermarket one day. On his way home with a bag full of groceries, Sam bumped into a woman. He hadn't recognized her at first. She seemed different. Yet, Sam's vibrations began to illuminate her face. She was unmistakeable. The woman he'd loved... The woman Sam thought had died was kneeling before him helping him pick up his groceries. As she hurried away from him, Sam ran after her. Angrily, Sam snatched her arm. This had to be a joke. Someone was playing a cruel prank on him. How could Emma be there? She was dead. As Emma tried to wriggle away from him, Sam could feel his hand getting warmer. The young man ignored the pain. Right now, Sam cared about very little except for getting the answers he needed... No, the answers he deserved.

The woman before him ignored his question. Sam wanted to know who the fuck she was. He still wasn't entirely convinced that it was really Emma. The young man eyed her as she finally snatched her arm away from him. As Emma rubbed her wrist and glared at him she warned him not to grab her like that again because she didn't like it. Sam narrowed his eyes on Emma as he watched her and spoke softly. "Do I look like I give a shit about what you like?" Sam was seething. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. He didn't give a shit about being in public. The young man twitched slightly as he snapped his fingers a few times in an effort to create more vibrations. As Emma's figure was illuminated again, Sam looked her up and down again. As he eyed Emma, Sam raised an eyebrow. There were two heartbeats resonating from within Emma's vibrational image. "The fuck is that?" Sam's eyes moved back towards Emma's face. The young man clenched his fists and tried to breathe deeply. The ground began to shake ever so slightly. The average person wouldn't have noticed unless they were looking for it. Right now, Sam didn't care who knew he was a special. Sam was unhinged and right now all he cared about was getting the answers he needed. "If that really is you, you had better fuckin' start explaining... You owe me that much..."

[Emma Roberts]

"Do I look like I give a shit about what you like?" He snapped. Emma clenched her jaw, glaring at the man for a moment. Obviously she understood why he was reacting the way he was, he had every damn good reason to be angry at her. She had bailed on him, left him in the lurch with no explanation. He could have been so much worse toward her, she deserved it a hundred times over. Maybe had she explained things wouldn't have spiralled out of control so rapidly and to a great extent.

Sam couldn't see, she wasn't sure how or why but he couldn't see. Regardless, she knew there was no hiding anything from him. Before she knew it, the cat would soon be out of the bag. Emma could hide a blooming baby bump from him, but with the power he had she couldn't hide it for long. He would hear the heartbeat in no time. She had the urge to rush away, to try and leave before he figured it out but before she knew it...it was too late.

"The fuck is that?" He inquired. Emma watched him in silence, her brows furrowing slightly. After a few moments she frowned at him. He was using his power in public, something she had tried her best not to do any more because of the trouble it bought. Sure, no one would notice right away but if it continued then someone could and she wasn't interested in trouble. Emma had other people to consider now, she needed to keep herself out of the shit and keep her baby safe.

Emma grabbed out at his arm, pulling him to the side and away from where they were blocking the side walk "You need to calm down" She reminded him through grit teeth, keeping her hand firmly grasped around his forearm.

"If that really is you, you had better fuckin' start explaining... You owe me that much..." He told her and she knew this. The brunette loosened her grip on him, her expression softening some as she spoke gently "I know I do. But, this isn't the place to do this Sam. I don't want any trouble, I know I probably deserve it but..he doesn't.." she pointed out referring to what was growing inside of her. Emma was having a boy.

"Let's just go somewhere, okay?..I'll explain everything.."

[Sam Keaton]

"I can feel it coming in the air tonight..."

Sam Keaton felt as though his world had been turned upside down. Sure, the young man had seemingly gone off the deep end to begin with. Sam was something of a shell of his former self and at first glance looked nothing like the man he'd once been. Sam had a full beard and appeared gruff and disheveled. The young man's appearance was alarming. Sam had also lost his sight making him remarkably different than the man he'd been so many months ago. Regardless of all this, Sam had been coping. He had been learning to make his life work. Sure, it wasn't exactly the normalcy that Sam had once lived amongst... But the young man had resumed some sense of functionality amongst his daily life.

Everything seemed to come crashing down though as Sam's world collided with Emma Roberts. She'd been one of the primary reasons that he'd gone off the deep end. Sam thought the woman had died in a fire. Sam could have sworn that he'd seen her die... And then here she was... Standing right before him. Sam was furious. At first he assumed this was some cruel trick. Someone was messing with him. Sam assumed the worst. It had to be a joke... And soon enough it became evident that it was not. Sam Keaton slowly began to grasp the reality that Emma was in fact here in front of him... To add further confusion to the situation, it appeared as though Emma was pregnant.

Sam was bewildered and was starting to lose it. The young man didn't care about the repercussions of using his abilities in public. It wasn't easily noticeable... But if you took a moment to stop and look around, everything on the street had begun to rattle ever so slightly. Nothing too over the top... Just enough to cause some small amounts of disturbance. Sam didn't care. The young man wanted answers and he wanted them now. As Emma gripped his forearm tightly and pulled him off to the side, she told him he had to calm down. Sam smirked slightly as he eyed Emma. "That's ironic... You telling me to calm down..." Typically, it had been Emma who needed to be calmed down... Now the tables had turned.

As Emma loosened her grip on his arm and spoke softly Sam eyed her carefully. She claimed that she didn't want any trouble and that this wasn't the place to do this. As Emma spoke about her yet to be born child and the fact that he was a boy, Sam ignored her. He wasn't ready to fully accept that yet. Sam wretched his arm away from Emma. Her touch was alarming to him and it made him feel uneasy. "Fine..." That was all Sam could muster for the moment. Emma asked if they could go somewhere else so that she could explain everything. Sam nodded slightly. "My apartment is a block away." Sam led the way and softly snapped every fifteen seconds to illuminate his path. The young man had grown accustomed to it. This was how Sam got around these days.

As they made their way to Sam's apartment, the young man led Emma up the stairs and towards the elevator. He opened the door and held it for Emma before letting the doors close. Sam pressed the fourth floor button and waited for the elevator to take them there. Sam remained quiet and said nothing. Instead, Sam listened to the hum of the elevator. As the machine stopped the young man exited and headed towards his door. Slightly, the young man fumbled with his keys for a moment before finding the right one. As Sam opened the door, he held it open for Emma before shutting it. Sam's apartment was as barebones as could be. The young man didn't need much and as such had left his apartment pretty empty. The walls were bare and the contents of his studio apartment were bleak. A dining table with two chairs... A small two person couch, and a simple bed.

Sam ignored Emma's presence in his apartment for the moment. Instead, the young man headed towards the kitchen and grabbed a glass. The young man needed a drink badly. Sam fumbled slightly for his bottle of Macallan 12. Once he found it, Sam removed the stopper and poured himself two fingers of scotch. Sam sipped the scotch for a moment, relishing in the burn. As the liquid slid down his throat, Sam closed his eyes and relished in the fire that filled his body. With the glass still in his hand, Sam turned to Emma. "I watched you die." Sam's words were cold and any trace of emotion had since disappeared. He said nothing else and instead waited for Emma to explain herself...

[Emma Roberts]

As much as she'd wanted to hell him, she never wanted it to go down like this. Sam surely had a right to know, but finding out this way just didn't sit well with her. Of course, it was out of her hands because she had no idea she was going to bump into him. Still, it was better that he knew now then later because the brunette really didn't have that long left. Seeing him, she didn't recognise him barely and had she just walked passed him, she probably wouldn't have even noticed..he was not the same anymore, lookswise or anything else. She knew she was to blame for this, and she felt terrible.

The flipside was worse though, staying with him, watching his whole world come crashing down around him because of her and the things she had done. She had to get away before it was too late. It was a hard thing to do, to leave him because funnily enough she had grown to love him..but the feelings terrified her an she had to cut herself free of him.

Of course, it wasn't until after this that she discovered she was pregnant. She saw it as a fresh start, a way of starting normal and a new chapter in her life, her and her boy..but it was selfish to keep Sam in the dark so on some level..she was glad she had bumped into him.

She deserved whatever he had to throw at her and she'd take it mostly, but if it meant putting her boy at risk she wouldn't stand for it. Sam didn't owe her shit, so the fact he was reasonable enough to give her anytime to talk at all surprised her. She appreciated it grately. They'd been through so much already that the realisation of her bailing made her question whether it had been the right move or not...she wasn't sure because it seemed either way he'd have been worse off.

They got to his appartment and admitely it was nothing alike his previous one. Emma felt horrible, his whole life had changed and that was down to her. She watched him carefully as he downed a drink and took a seat "I watched you die." He said coldly. Emma nodded and took a deep breath before speaking "I know. I didn't know what else to do...what I did to those people, the position I put you in...I couldn't just hang around as if nothing happened. I thought I was helping you by going, because let's face it..where I put you, it wasn't ideal.." She told him, biting her lower lip. Either way it would end bad, had she stayed and with her going..he was still in a bad way.

"I didn't know what else to do, Sam. But, I swear I didn't know I was pregnant until afterward."