Chapter 351: Thickening Alliances (Part 2)
Don didn't need long to reach Samantha's door.
The hallway felt unusually still this morning. The kind of quiet that settled after too many days of noise and blood.
He paused only briefly at the door, balancing the tray with one hand. Then, with a quick mental nudge, his telekinesis took over.
The tray floated behind him, steady and slow and he opened the door without knocking.
Inside, the curtains were only half drawn. Early light pooled softly across the carpet, streaking the floor with narrow lines of warmth. Samantha's room was as neat as ever—books aligned on the shelf, dresser handles wiped clean, bed undisturbed save for its occupant.
She was sound asleep. Peacefully so.
Don stepped in quietly, the door creaking only slightly behind him as it clicked shut. The tray followed close behind, floating smoothly until he caught it again with both hands.
He made his way to the bed.
Samantha looked small like this. Curled beneath her blanket, chest rising and falling with slow, even breaths. Not a hair out of place.
Don cleared his throat softly.
That was enough.
She stirred, quietly rustling the sheets as her brows pinched together slightly. Her eyelids cracked open, still blurry with sleep. Without her glasses, Don's figure was little more than a silhouette.
"…Donnie?" she mumbled, already reaching blindly for her nightstand. Her fingers found the glasses by muscle memory.
She sat upright slowly, pushing them on and blinking a few times before his face finally came into focus—and the tray in his hands.
"Morning, sweetie," she said, voice rough but warm. "What's all this?"
Don smiled and stepped closer, setting the tray gently on her lap.
"Bed and breakfast," he said. "Felt like surprising you."
Her expression softened immediately, lips parting in a surprised little exhale. "Oh, sweetie… that's so thoughtful of you. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
He sat down on the edge of the bed beside her, watching as she adjusted the tray, picking up a fork.
"Did you sleep well?" Don asked, leaning slightly forward. "Considering the movie last night."
Samantha paused, spoon halfway to her mouth. She frowned.
"Oh don't remind me," she said, pointing the spoon at him like a scolding finger. "Honestly, I'll never understand why you kids like those movies."
Don shrugged lazily. "I just watch anything. As for Summer?" He smirked. "I'm convinced she's on the path to becoming a serial killer."
"Don't tease your sister," Samantha said, trying not to smile as she scooped a bite of scrambled egg.
"Kind of beats the point of having a sister."
She shook her head and smiled, swallowing the bite. "I can't with you two sometimes… but I'm glad we're doing more things as a family." Her voice softened. "Your sister might not show it, but believe me when I say… you being back with us? It's been a huge blessing, Donnie."
Don let her words hang for a second before nodding.
"Actually…" He took a breath. "Me and Summer talked a little last night," he said, tone casual but clear. "She let a few things off her chest… made me realize how it's been for both of you while I was gone."
That caught Samantha immediately.
She turned toward him so fast the orange juice nearly tipped over. Her face lit with concern.
"Really?" she asked softly. "What things?"
Don raised his hands in mock surrender. "She'd kill me if I talked about it," he said with a slight smirk. "Short version? She felt out of place. Can't say I haven't felt the same since coming back. Everything's hectic. And now the city's getting more dangerous… not even this community feels safe."
Samantha's smile faded. Her lips thinned slightly as her eyes dropped to her tray.
"Oh…" she muttered.
The quiet that followed wasn't comfortable. She picked up the juice, taking a small sip to mask the shift in mood.
"Can you at least tell me if she said there's anything we can do? To make it better?"
Don didn't hesitate this time. "We actually talked about moving."
Samantha froze. The cup paused mid-air. Her next breath came in thin. "Oh…" she said again—but this time it was shaky. The kind of sound that came with a stomach drop.
Don noticed.
"I think we'd all settle in better somewhere new," he added. "Somewhere with space, better security, no nosey neighbors. Somewhere more… us."
Samantha blinked. "We?"
Don looked at her sideways. "You don't want to move with us?"
Her mouth opened, but Don kept going. "I didn't think you were that attached to this house."
She cut him off quickly. "No, sweetie—I'd love to." Her voice caught. "I just thought… I thought you meant you and Summer were moving away. Without me."
Don let out a soft laugh, genuine and relaxed.
"I just got back," he said. "You think I'm gonna let you get away from me that easy?"
Samantha laughed quietly through her nose, one hand gently brushing at the corner of her eye. The emotion hadn't passed, but it had softened.
"If you and Summer think that's what we need," she said, voice thick with warmth, "then I'm with you. One hundred percent, honey."
Don smiled.
It wasn't a big moment.
But it felt… right.
———
As Samantha continued to eat, they discussed the matter more. Throwing around ideas, possible locations, price and so on. Samantha even argued with Don insisting on making the purchase.
Reluctantly though, Samantha had to agree to wait until they settled on a property and a price.
Samantha didn't fully finish her meal and just put the tray on her dresser before stretching and moving off the bed.
Don could see she was about to go about with her morning routine so he stood up and turned to leave. Before he could however, Samantha, wearing a silk nightie that clung to her body, fully showing off her figure.
One strap hung loosely on her shoulder as she lifted some of the messy morning hair that masked her face. Her face showed hesitation as she watched Don leave. Biting her lip slightly, she called out to him, "oh uhm… sweetie?"
Don paused and turned to look at her, fully taking in her form without making it obvious. This wasn't so hard to achieve as Samantha avoided eye contact. She seemed reluctant to speak, but her lips parted anyways as she asked, "uhm… have you been feeling… you know, pent up recently? I was uhm… worried the movie last night may have been a bit too stimulating."
Don raises a brow and thinks, 'that over the top sex scene was exciting?'
On the surface though, he doesn't deny it. Instead saying, "well you know guys, we get stimulated more easily. I was too sleepy to be bothered by it last night and this morning a cold shower helped get rid of my morning uhm.. wood."
Samantha didn't doubt his words at all, unsurprisingly. And even thought her hunch was right. 'I knew it, with how uhm… potent he is, it must be tough.' She showed him a sympathetic look as this thought crossed her mind.
With a softened expression, she walked over to the other side of the bed, where Don had just sat, taking a seat right by the spot he had initially sat on.
She then tapped the spot Don had just left. "How about you take a seat and I uhm, give you a hand before going to shower?"
Before Don could even process a thought—
———
Side Quest Unlocked: A Helping Hand
Objective: Get more than just a hand…
Reward: +100 aura.
No penalty for failure.
———
—A system prompt appeared.
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