The Odd Couple

Who: Ian and Sam
When: Early morning hours
Where: Sam's apartment

Sam had been unceremoniously woken up in the early hours of Sunday morning to inform her that she needed to come in later that day to work on the arson. It had now taken 'top priority' and it had Sam scowling and grumbling her consent before slamming the receiver back down. She was hoping, just a little bit, that this would be a relaxing weekend where she could hide under the covers but it was not just going to work that way.

Tying her robe around her, she went into the kitchen and started a pot for coffee. The contents of her fridge was running low but Sam figured she had enough to last her for a decent breakfast. So while the pot boiled, Sam unlocked the million locks on her door and looked to see if the morning paper had been delivered yet.

Ian hadn't slept much at all. When the finally put out the flames it was determined that yes, someone had started the fire and no, his apartment was destroyed. The building's structural integrity seemed to be intact, that didn't fix anything. He'd been giving a place to stay for the night, and some new clothes, but it was expected that today he'd meet with the family and take over one of the apartments that was owned by the family. First things first though he wanted to deal with his concerns. So dressed in a suit that didn't quite fit as well as his normal suits he'd made his way to Sam's, about to knock when he spotted the headline on the paper.

When the door opened he was holding the paper, skimming through Lucas' article about the fire. Thank god for their in at the paper.

Sam was not expecting to have someone standing at her door and she let out a startled scream and jumped back, clutching her robe closed even more. After the initial terror subsided, her frightened look turned into one of annoyance. "What the hell are you doing here?" She was shaking and the fright that she felt really annoyed her because she thought she was getting past the jumping at the strange sounds in the middle of the night and being caught by surprised.

The screech pulled Ian's attention from the paper and he looked at his cousin curiously. "Really Samantha? Am I that terrifying looking?" he asked though the humor wasn't in his voice. "I'm guessing you heard I was practically burned up in my sleep last night?" he asked. "Can I come in?"

Sam scowled and stepped forward to rip her newspaper out of his hand. "This early in the morning? Christ, Ian, this better be fucking good or I'm going to hit you with this." Still clutching her robe closed, she reluctantly allowed him in, locking the door behind him. She did not appreciate getting caught off guard like this and it showed.

"Front page," Ian said, indicating to her paper that she'd snatched back. He moved into her apartment, smelling coffee which had him wandering towards the kitchen looking for a mug.

She followed him with a shred look and unfolded her paper, seeing the picture and the headline about the fire. "I already know about this so why are you here? I don't have any information for you yet." She tossed the paper on the counter and maneuvered around him to open the cabinet and grab a couple of mugs. She handed one off to him with a tired eye roll. "What do you want for breakfast? I assume you haven't eaten?" This would be the second time she'd cooked for him. She was pretty sure this meant that he owed her a meal.

"Why am I here? I woke up to my apartment on fire Samantha," he said taking his cup and not sounding stable at all. "A few nights before I get the shit kicked out of me. Now the family wants to talk. I'd really rather not die while I'm still young." He took a sip of the coffee. "And no, I haven't eaten. I stayed with Lavina last night and I'm pretty sure I'm wearing her dead husband's suit." Which made him a little sick to his stomach.

Sam pulled a face at the suit and reached into another cupboard for the container of oatmeal. "Well I need to go grocery shopping soon so the best I have is oatmeal with either apples or bananas." She tightened her robe belt and refilled the kettle. He definitely sounded like he was teetering on the edge which Sam didn't blame him for and the fact that the family wanted to talk to him... "You didn't set the fire, did you? Do you think it might've been the same guy who beat you up?" She was glad they weren't the hugging type because that would've been awkward.

Ian waved away her offer of food. "Whatever you have is fine, or nothing. I'm alright." He was just twitchy as hell, both as his persona and beneath it. "What part of 'I woke up to my apartment on fire' makes you think I started the fire?" he asked realizing he was getting a bit snippy. "And I don't know. Maybe?" Was Dutch capable of killing people in order to get to Ian? He hadn't confirmed that it was Dutch who'd beat on him yet, but he also hadn't seen any evidence to rule it out.

She poked his side in annoyance and went about making oatmeal. "I didn't say it like I was accusing you, Ian. I'm saying that you shouldn't worry because you didn't set the fire. You have no idea why someone would do it so from what I can tell, the arson is more of a family attack than one against you. You just happened to be the one affected by it. Drink your coffee and sit down. Or do you want to take a shower? I have some clothes that should still fit you." One of her exes was about Ian's size.

Ian took another gulp of coffee while he listened to her. She had a good point, he hadn't started the fire and if Dutch had, they'd find out and they'd put an end to the son of a bitch. He took a deep breath which still hurt like hell, forcing himself to let the paranoia go. He was invincible. They wouldn't hurt him, they couldn't hurt him. They needed him. "Shower would be good. And though I don't really want to know why you might have clothes that will fit me, that would be great." The suit he had one was at least ten years out of style. Anything would be an improvement.

Sam gave him a look and resisted swatting him with the newspaper. Mumbling something about how he owed her, she went to her bedroom and pulled out a white button down shirt and a pair of black slacks. She made a stop at the linen closet and grabbed a fresh towel. "Here," she announced and set them on the table. "Take a shower and we'll burn those clothes." She made a face at his ill fitted dead suit.

Ian guessed he did owe her, but there was no way to tell how he was able to make it up to her, so he took the clothes anyway. "Thanks. I won't be long." He lingered for a moment. If they were different, if their relationship was different he would have kissed her cheek, but instead he just settle for a nod then led himself towards her bathroom. Once there he started up the shower, tossing his collection of clothes aside to get cleaned up.

Sam was worried for a moment that he was going to kiss her cheek or something and she'd tensed up when he took the things from her but he didn't and when he left, she relaxed. Grabbing a bottle of Jack from under the sink, she poured a healthy amount in her coffee and resumed making oatmeal. She was getting that stupid domestic feeling again, making breakfast while he was taking a shower and it was fucking weird and annoying and Sam wasn't sure how to feel about it except relief that her mother didn't know what was going on. So when Ian was done with his shower, there was hot oatmeal on the table with bacon sizzling on the griddle.

Once clean Ian dressed in the clothes Samantha gave him, leaving the top two or three buttons of the button down undone so the cross around his neck showed. He toweled his hair a little, but it was still damp when he walked out of the bathroom and back towards the kitchen. "Smells good Samantha," he said. Instead of sitting down, he moved around her in the kitchen, brushing against her as he went to refill his coffee mug.

Sam stiffened up when he brushed up against her but she forced herself to relax. Ian wasn't going to randomly attack her or something. He was just getting some more coffee. "I am capable," she said lightly and finished up the rest of the bacon. "Better?"

Ian sensed her stiffening having trained himself to focus on that sort of thing for years. "Much. Clothes that weren't made when I was still in school and smell strongly of an old dead man. And I think I'm still washing soot out of my hair." He moved back, ensuring he grazed her again as he went, sitting down at the table.

Sam glared daggers at his back and brought over the plate of bacon. She could pass off one brush up, but two? "Here you go," she said brightly, the smile she gave him predatory. "I dare you." She did nothing to the bacon, but she just wanted to mess with him. Usually she wouldn't be so blatant, but she was still trying to wake up.

Ian's first bite was halfway to his mouth when she came back to the table. Watching her for a moment he set the spoon back in the bowl. "Excuse me?"

She just laughed and patted his shoulder. "Oh, the look on your face," she sighed and reached down to steal his spoon. She shoved some oatmeal in her mouth and gave him a clean spoon. "It's fine. Promise." She grabbed a piece of bacon too.

He couldn't help but just stare at her. Internally he smirked, enjoying the way she was playing the game, but his face he showed were was just one of confusion. "Seriously Samantha, what the hell?" Ian looked down at his food, warily taking a bite.

"You don't have anywhere else to stay, do you?" she asked and walked over to the opposite side of the table and sat down with her own bowl of oatmeal. She cut up some bananas and put some in, along with a hefty helping of maple syrup. "So if you'd like, you can have the guest room. I'll protect you if you're still scared."

Ian had expected some cocky comment, but instead he got an offer of a place to stay. He had every intention of picking up a place that the family owned close to the Drake, but moving in with Sam was a new wrinkle. "Really? People will talk."

"Talk and say what?" Sam asked. She wasn't going to admit that she was scared to come home on her own and that coming home to someone there was something that Sam was not going to be opposed to. "I have a guest room and I'm investigating who burned up your hotel and who attacked you. I'd prefer to not have you show up at my door and scare the daylights out of me or call me at odd hours when you could just be right here." She munched on bacon and sipped her coffee. "Besides, I already have my place being monitored."

"Talk like they do. They know your mother's been trying to set us up for years." Ian ran through the scenario quickly. It was dangerous to stay so close to Sam because she was smart, which meant she could figure out his games. At the same time, he was concerned for his safety and getting closer to Sam, meant staying under the wing of the family. "You really want me around full time?"

"Not really," Sam said honestly and nibbled on another piece of bacon. "And you'd owe me. I'm not letting you freeload." Half-truth, but it wasn't like she was going to tell him it was for her benefit, not his.

"So what? I'm paying, doing dishes or whatever?" Ian asked and hoped she didn't have something else in mind. He assumed not as much because she'd been raped, but he wasn't a psychologist, he didn't know what she'd expect.

"Pretty much," she assured and raised an eyebrow. "Why? What did you think I was going to have you do? I suppose I could have you pay rent..." She pursed her lips as she contemplated the idea. "I think rent might be a good idea too..."

"I had no idea. Though I suppose getting lost when whomever's shirt I'm wearing shows up will be in the cards as well." He reached across the table and took a piece of bacon, chewing it slowly. "You're stil paying rent here? I figured they would have set you up or something." He hadn't actually agreed to moving in yet, but at this point he was seriously considering it. He could handle the cost, he wasn't hurting for money in any way.

"Firstly, no, you don't have to hide. I'm not seeing him anymore and secondly no, I don't pay rent. That doesn't mean I don't have bills to pay and you're going to be using my water and my electricity so you're going to have to pay up." She rolled her eyes and ate her oatmeal, licking some maple syrup off her spoon. "Did anyone ever tell you you're kind of an asshole?"

Ian nodded in response to her first comments, feeling that seemed fair that seemed fair. He was also relieved that there wasn't a boyfriend or whatever around. That made things difficult. Before she asked her question though he'd taken another bite of oatmeal, so that when it came across the table he gave her an innocent look around the spoon before he swallowed. "No. Well...once when I cut Sal off at the bar, but he's a drunk so I try not to hold it against him."

"Well you are. You're a pompous, uptight asshole." She said it in a very conversational tone before popping a piece of banana in her mouth. Mmm, maple syrup. "I don't particularly care for you, but you're family and you have this kind of pathetic, down-on-your-luck look and what can I say? I'm a bleeding heart sometimes."

"Two days ago you told me I was boring," Ian said conversationally, just like her. "But I'm glad something about me appeals to your bleeding heart. If you're sure though...I'm essentially already moved in."

Sam rolled her eyes again. "Sounds good. The guest room is down the hall. It hasn't been used ever so you'll want to open the windows and air it out. Sheets are clean and new and there's pillows in the closet." This was going to be weird but Sam wasn't going to think about it. She considered this her good deed for the new month to make up for all the times she skipped out on church.

Ian nodded. It was one less thing to do today, which, though it made things complicated, it made them more interesting. Something to distract Ian while he waited for his hotel to be rebuilt. "You can call your mother. She'll consider it good news." A small smile quirked at the corner of his mouth but he didn't say anything else.

She pointed her spoon at him with a scowl. "No she won't. We're not married. Besides, we tell her and she might try to drug us so we'd get it on and then you'd have to marry me. This is why I lock my door. Don't try anything. I sleep with a gun, bitch." She got up from the table with her bowl of oatmeal and finished it off as she walked into the kitchen.

Ian smirked just a little, a wicked smile at her back that she wouldn't see. Maybe he could make this work after all. "If you're the one with the gun it sounds like I might be the one who needs a lock." He took another bite of food, so she wouldn't see his smile when she turned back around.

"I lock my door because of my mother. That woman can pick a lock like no one's business. Need as much standing between her and me as I can get." She scraped the bowl clean and set it in the sink before she looked back at him. "I have to investigate your fire by the way, so I won't be home until late. Do not go in my room."

Ian finished off the food, and then got up to hand her the bowl. "I've got a full day. I need more than the clothes on my back. Not to mention I gotta meet with the family. Do I get a key?" He ignored the comment about her room. He wouldn't go in there, not tonight at least. There wasn't a need to, at least not yet.

Sam eyed him but opened the cutlery drawer and pulled out a spare key. "That's all I've got when it comes to guy clothes. I'm sure you are more than capable of buying your own clothes." As for meeting with the family, she sighed. "I really hope they don't call me in. I've got nothin' yet. I want to find this guy as much as they do."

"I know my way around a suit shop yes," Ian told her taking the key. "I'll pick up groceries too." When she mentioned the family he leaned in to touch her arm. "I'll let them know you're working on it, and anything you need from me, let me know."

She shrugged his arm off and took a couple steps back for good measure. "Good. I could get used to having a maid." She smirked at him and skirted around him and headed down the hallway. "I'm going to go to work. I'm not going to be able to get back to sleep."

"I'm not your maid," Ian called after her. He frowned for a moment and then went around to the dishes. He had a little bit of time before his meeting and the need for the shop. There was the Hagel girl to check in on as well. Sighing he went about cleaning up after breakfast hoping she didn't get used to this.