The provocative tempo of “All Or Nothing” by Europe started to blare from the speakers, filling the air with words and music that made it hard to keep still. Before she realized it, the beat was driving her to dance as she moved her freshly done laundry from the basket to the homes that she had declared for them in the next year. The young blonde’s mind was soon completely absorbed in the music.

Brooke stepped off the elevator onto the third floor. She was a little surprised at how quiet the dorm was. Standing there, the older woman remembered how loud the place had always been when she was in college. How can they study in all this quiet? Man, if we could hear ourselves think, the music wasn’t cranked up loud enough. I guess times have changed.

The tall woman stood perfectly still and listened for a moment, then a small smile tugged at her lips when she detected the sound of music coming from a dorm room down the hall. She could make out the muffled sound of a stereo and followed it up to her sister’s door. Yeah, that’s the way C.C.; I knew you had at least one of my genes in you, besides the looks.

Brooke found herself tapping her fingers on her pants as they hung over the pockets that her thumbs were looped in. She walked up to the door. Even though she knew it wouldn’t do any good, Brooke tried knocking on the door anyway, finding the beat of the music mimicked in her knock itself. Getting no response, she tried the doorknob. Surprised that it turned with ease, the door opened. I’ve got to read C.C. the riot act about security and keeping her door locked. She opened the door some more, then poked her head inside. What she saw brought a smile to her face as she hastily stepped inside the room and shut the door.

The blonde dancing on the opposite side of the room was oblivious to her surroundings. With exaggerated motions, she kept the rhythm of the music as she teasingly pulled the cotton shirt on over her head, seductively advancing it down over her body until it was in place.

The tall brunette leaned back against the door, crossing her arms over her chest as she admired the view. Sam was dressed in a baby doll T-shirt and underwear, dancing like there was no tomorrow. The sight of the small blonde was doing things to her being that Brooke couldn’t believe. Settling in for the show, Brooke stood with her back against the door. She bent one of her long legs and let the sole of her boot rest upon the door as she listened to the blonde sing with the recording.

“Can’t stop me now, I’ve set my sights on you. Right to the heart, my aim is true. Yeah, that’s why…All or nothing at all is how I feel about it. Won’t stand my back tothe wall. I’ll find my way around it. All or nothing at all… there’s nothing I won’t do…And the one thing I want all of is you.”

Brooke’s smile grew through the remainder of the song, fighting every urge she had to walk up behind the girl and join in on her impromptu dancing. The sight was stimulating enough that she dare not get any closer.

Once the song finished, Sam flopped down onto her bed and pressed the stop button on the remote. That’s when she noticed the tall, very relaxed woman in the doorway. “Ohmygod! Where’d you come from?” Sam clutched at her chest, wondering how long Brooke had been standing there.

“My Mom and Dad,” Brooke answered with a grin. “You didn’t mention that you were a dancer,” she added with a wink.

“Well, you never asked.” Sam stood and walked over to her dresser to grab a pair of jeans to put on.

Brooke was impressed that the girl acted like it was the most natural thing in the world to be in this state of undress around her. Out of respect for what privacy she could offer, Brooke turned her head away looking in the direction of C.C.’s bed, as Sam pulled on her pants.

Sam turned around to face Brooke and smiled when she saw the older woman looking anywhere in the room but at her. Could it be possible that Brooke is more embarrassed than I am?

She took in the sight of the older woman who was leaning casually against the door. Her eyes traveled down Brooke’s face to her shoulders, where ebony tresses cascaded over a light jacket that was slightly open, revealing a black tank top underneath its light weight. Sam’s eyes continued down the muscled abdomen to thighs encased in tight black denim and she had to remind herself to try not to stare. Sam took in a breath and moved her gaze to more tranquil scenery, the woman’s face.

When Brooke lifted her eyes back up from gazing down at the floor, they were met and held by Sam’s. Neither woman said a word for the first few moments. Their eyes seemed to be doing all of the talking for them.

It was an eerie feeling for Brooke, to be so mesmerized by anyone let alone this small imp of a woman. She waged a hard-fought battle with her numbed brain to speak, using the first thing that she could think of to break the silence. “So, you like Europe?”

“Doesn’t everyone?” Sam’s simple response was without skipping a beat.

Brooke shook her head in the negative. “Not too much anymore. Not really since ‘The Final Countdown’ was released in `86.”

The blonde began to walk over toward the tall woman, closing the distance between them. She wasn’t sure where her nerve was coming from, but she couldn’t help not being nearer to Brooke.

“Well, I guess I’m just a retrospective kind of girl,” she smiled not taking her eyes off the seas of blue that were on the horizon.

She stopped within a couple feet of the taller woman when another of her senses kicked into gear. That cologne…She was close enough to smell it and found herself inhaling deeper. It’s so subtle, but it’s definitely her. She thought about how being on Brooke’s skin, and being heated by her rising temperature, made it just that much more fragrant than last week when she met her at dinner.

“How old were you then… two?” Brooke grinned as she tried to imagine the woman in front of her as a toddler.

“I think ‘Countdown’ was their greatest,” Sam answered, ignoring the jibe at her age.

“That it was,” Brooke nodded knowingly.

“And who said that music has any kind of time limit on it? As long as you have ears, you can listen to it,” Sam began as Brooke raised an eyebrow in response. God, does she realize how sexy she is when she does that? The blonde found her gaze lingering over that eyebrow.

“Good point. I stand corrected.” The cool exterior never wavered but inside, Brooke was sure that if Sam walked any closer, she’d die on the spot.

I stand corrected. The words echoed in Sam’s head, suddenly causing her to remember her manners. “I’m sorry, why don’t you have a seat. You’ll have a long wait if you’re looking for C.C. You just missed her.”

“Really? I talked to her earlier in the week and she told me to pick her up here at seven.” There was a puzzled look on Brooke’s face as she walked over and sat on her sister’s bed. Looking at her watch, she wondered why C.C. hadn’t told her about a change in their plans.

“Pick her up? She ran out of here about half an hour ago for that class she signed up for at the last minute.”

Both of Brooke’s eyebrows found their way into her hairline. “My sister signed up for a class on a Friday night? You’re kidding?”

Sam shook her head. “Nope, I’m serious. It has something to do with the realm of stars in the night sky or something like that. She needed another elective and decided on that.”

Brooke ran her hands through her hair, then let them rest on the bed behind her as she leaned back. “I can’t believe I drove all the way out here to pick her up and she’s not here.” The older woman looked into Sam’s eyes and with a twinkle added, “Can you believe my own sister dumped me?”

Brooke watched as Sam threw her head back and laughed, the honest reaction causing the woman across from her to smile.

“I’m sorry, Brooke. She must have forgotten. What were you going to do?”

“Oh, nothing special. We were going to go see ‘Clueless’. It’s playing at the Quad tonight. It’s one of my favorites,” Brooke answered.

“Alicia Silverstone.”

“Yep. It’s a few years old but it’s a great movie.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard. I’ve never seen it,” Sam admitted.

Brooke’s eyes widened at the admission. “You’re kidding? Well, I’d hate to have wasted a trip out here. Would you like to go?” Brooke asked.

Sam’s eyes widened at the offer. “You mean…you’d take me with you?” Sam couldn’t believe her luck. She quickly ran the last few bits of conversation back over in her mind. No, she hadn’t heard wrong. But why…why would this woman want to go with me?

Brooke simply shrugged her shoulders. “Sure. Why not?” Brooke waited for an answer. She was secretly hoping that Sam would say ‘yes’.

Determined not to let this opportunity go by, the young blonde spoke up. “You’re right. Why not.”

“Alright then,” Brooke stood up, excited that she’d still get to see one of her favorite movies. Well, I hope that’s why I’m feeling excited. It didn’t matter that she had the movie at home on DVD. It just didn’t have the same affect as seeing it in a theater.

“Great! Let’s go!” Sam joined her, grabbing her keys as they made their way out the door.

Before Sam had the door closed all the way, she stopped. “Oops, almost forgot my campus I.D.,” Sam turned back into the opened doorway. “Besides, I’d better leave C.C. a note, since she won’t see your car here.”

“Okay, I’ll wait out here for you.” Brooke stood patiently in the hall, wondering how the rest of the evening would run its course, as she watched the small blonde disappear out of her sight. It sure wasn’t what she had planned for so far.

Sam scribbled out a note, leaving it on C.C.’s pillow. Passing by the small mirror on the wall, she touched up her hair and proceeded to meet Brooke out in the hallway.

“Ready?” Brooke asked at the reappearance of the blonde.

Sam nodded her head. “Yep. Let’s get this show on the road.” The blonde’s smile was inviting as she walked toward the elevator.

The two women took the short elevator ride, making their way downstairs and over to Brooke’s car. The taller woman unlocked the passenger’s door for Sam, holding it open for her.

“You know, I could have done that,” Sam pointed out. She watched as Brooke removed her jacket and placed it in the back before Sam got in.

“That’s okay. I don’t mind,” Brooke replied as Sam got in and the taller woman shut the door after her.

“Neither do I,” Sam mumbled under her breath, then reached over and unlocked the driver’s side door.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, Brooke started the engine, then pulled out of the parking space and drove the short distance to the campus theater.

“This is a nice car,” Sam commented as she looked around at the interior.

“Thanks. Out of every car I’ve ever had, this is my favorite,” Brooke spoke fondly of her 300.

“And how many is that?”

Brooke smirked at the question, sure that C.C. had warned Sam of her driving. “A few,” she shrugged her shoulders, keeping her eyes on the road ahead.

The short drive didn’t afford getting into more details of her driving history before Brooke had parked the car once again. After grabbing her jacket out of the back seat, she held the door once more for Sam and together they made their way up to the ticket window. Sam reached into her pocket but Brooke waved her off as she paid for the tickets.

“Don’t worry about it. My treat.”

“But I didn’t…” Sam sighed.

They walked away from the window as Brooke asked, “Didn’t what?”

“Didn’t mean for you to treat me. I’m not a freeloader, Brooke.” Sam said the last part a little more harshly than she had intended.

Brooke was surprised by Sam’s reaction, being so used to C.C.’s constant assumption that the older sister pays for everything. After studying the younger woman’s face for a long moment, Brooke looked down at her feet then back up into Sam’s green eyes. “I didn’t think you were. It’s just a movie. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you.”

The look on Brooke’s face bothered Sam, especially since she knew that she had caused it. Tentatively, she placed a hand against the brunette’s arm. “I’m sorry, Brooke. I just don’t want you to think that I’m another one of your little sisters. You know, someone for you to watch over?”

“I didn’t think that at all.” Brooke found it hard not to stare into those green pools of understanding. Nope, I definitely don’t want to have you as a little sister. On the other hand, someone to watch over…well, we could give that another thought.