persevereforahappyending

[persevereforahappyending]

Back To You - Part 14 | Sam Carpenter

Pairing: Sam Carpenter x reader

Warnings: mentions of violence, death, blood, injuries, and swearing

Summary: When Sam left after turning eighteen, you were devastated. You’d been in love with her since you were kids and her leaving meant you never got to tell her how you truly felt.

Fast forward a couple of years, Tara gets attacked and Sam returns. . .

Previous Part | Next Part | Masterlist

_______________________________________________

For the first time in almost 48 hours it’s quiet and I’m warm and comfortable.

After having a late dinner, Gale and Brooks showed all of us to separate guest rooms. Tara and Chad are sharing a room, much to Sam’s dismay, but she didn’t object other than raising an eyebrow.

Danny has his own room and Sam and I are sharing a room. It’s honestly astonishing how many bedrooms this penthouse has, but then again this is Gale we’re talking about and if she doesn’t have the money to afford a place like this, no one does.

At first I was skeptical about sharing a bed with Sam, but as soon as we were alone we fell back into old habits. We slipped under the covers and before I could even start to overthink anything, Sam wordlessly grabbed my arm and slung it around her middle, pulling me close until my front was flush with her back.

I fell asleep pretty quickly after that, but now for some reason I’m awake again. I can’t check my phone for the time because it’s on the nightstand and I don’t want to wake Sam by moving, but it’s still dark outside, so I close my eyes and try to fall asleep again.

I’m beyond exhausted, but a moment later Sam jerks in her sleep and I open my eyes again.

That’s what woke me in the first place. She’s not sleeping properly.

I frown, but think nothing of it until she jerks yet again, more violently this time. She mumbles some unintelligible pleas, and I move closer, tightening my arms around her.

She’s having a nightmare.

Tara used to have them, too, but hers were more like night terrors.

“Hey. . .” I brush my nose against the back of her neck.

“No, Y/N.” She whimpers and twitches in her sleep and I sigh sadly.

I sit up and press a kiss to her temple. “Sam, wake up.”

“No,” she cries, louder this time, and I can’t stand seeing the way her face twists in agony.

I unwrap my arm from around her and shake her. “Sam!”

That does the trick. Sam’s eyes fly open and she sits up with a start, almost head butting me in the process.

“I can’t— I wasn’t—“

“Shhh. You’re okay. Tara’s okay. I’m okay.” I pull her into my arms, and rub my hands up and down her back when she sinks into me.

She shakes with muffled sobs and I whisper reassurances into her ear until she stammers, “I-It felt so real.”

I press another kiss to her temple and guide us back so we’re once again lying down. “I know, but it wasn’t.”

A strangled whimper claws its way past her lips and I raise one of my hands to run my fingers through her hair.

She constantly puts up a strong front, trying to protect everyone around her even though she’s really the one who needs to be protected and comforted.

I’m glad she’s not afraid to be vulnerable when it’s just the two of us.

After a couple more minutes of calming Sam down, she shifts so she’s lying with her head on my chest. “You know, there weren’t any knives in the knife block. . .”

My hand stills on her back and I frown. “What?”

Sam looks up and drapes an arm over my stomach. “When Ghostface attacked earlier, I went to the kitchen to grab a knife, but they were all gone.“

“What the fuck. . .” I clench my jaw, and replay the attack in my mind.

Ghostface knew the layout of the apartment, that much is clear. However that doesn’t explain the missing knives.

The only explanation I can come up with is that whoever is behind the mask removed them in forethought since the last time we thought Ghostface would attack, Sam immediately went and grabbed one from the kitchen.

The only way Ghostface could have known Sam would be going for a knife again though is if he or she was there the first time it happened, and the only one who was there that first time, but not tonight is. . .

“Oh my God, it’s Ethan,” I whisper, horrified by my realization. “He’s Ghostface. Or at least one of them.”

“What?” Sam frowns and rests her chin on my chest to look at me. “Why would you think it’s him? Chad said he was studying at the library all night. And what do you mean one of them? You think there’s more than one Ghostface?”

I quickly explain how I came to the conclusion and when I’m done Sam stares at me with her jaw dropped.

“Oh my God. . . You’re right,” she says quietly. “But we can’t be a hundred percent sure, so we have to keep our guard up. And we should keep it to ourselves for the time being, we don’t know who his accomplice is.”

I agree before a stunned silence settles over us.

Son of a bitch. . . How did I not realize it sooner. Ethan’s whole innocent-nerd act is the perfect cover. But why would he want to kill us? Does he want to make another Stab movie like Richie and Amber? And who could possibly be his accomplice?

I’m just glad I got to body slam that twig. Piece of shit.

Sam’s nightmare is all but forgotten now, but after what we just discovered we’re both far from falling back asleep.

“So, how do you feel about Tara and Chad being kind of a thing now?” I ask, changing the subject which makes Sam’s nose scrunch up.

“It’s a little weird and out of the blue, but I honestly can’t say I’m against it,” she admits with a huff. “Chad’s a good guy and if Tara likes him as much as he seems to like her, who am I to tell her they can’t go out. God knows she already hates me for looking out for her.”

I raise an eyebrow at that and touch her cheek to get her to look at me again when she averts her eyes. “She doesn’t hate you. She just feels like you don’t trust her enough to make her own decisions.”

Sam pouts. “But I do trust her.”

I sigh and brush my lips against her forehead in a fleeting kiss. “Then show her that. You can’t protect her from everything. I know it’s hard, especially right now because Ghostface is back, but you have to let her live sooner or later.“

She lets out a deep breath and lifts her head to kiss me softly. “I know.”

I hug her tighter and run my fingers through her hair again when she settles back on my chest. “Let’s try to get some more sleep while we can. We’ll deal with Ethan and everything else tomorrow.”

Sam hums in agreement, snuggling up to me and I close my eyes, burying my nose in her hair and taking a deep breath.

The smell of her coconut shampoo, mixed with the smell that is uniquely hers makes me relax and before I know it, I’m once again fast asleep.

I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all.

We’re all currently standing in the middle of an old abandoned movie theater that is filled with glass cases displaying various pieces of evidence from past Ghostface murders. Knives, clothes, sketches of the victims and killers. . .

It makes my blood run cold, especially the mannequins on the theater’s stage, dressed in Ghstface cloaks, but my worry for Sam outweighs the sense of dread this place evokes in the pit of my stomach.

She’s been deathly still ever since Gale brought us here and her grip on my hand is almost painful.

“How the hell did you find this place?” Kirby asks as we make our way through the. . . exhibition?

Mindy, who met us outside the theater a couple of minutes earlier freezes in front of a mannequin wearing her and Chad’s late uncle’s shirt.

“I’m an investigative journalist,” Gale deadpans. “How didn’t you find it?” she asks Kirby.

It turns out this place belonged to the two guys in Tara’s film class who were killed by Ghostface. Apparently they were loaded and used fake names to rent this place, but were killed before they could finish their collection of fucked-up memorabilia.

A fact, that is disturbing enough in and of itself, but it puzzles me why we’re only finding out about it now. I mean, Gale is right, how could Kirby not find this place when going through their financial records?

Something about this feels fishy, but I can’t put my finger on it, so I keep my mouth shut, just like how I kept my mouth shut when Ethan showed up a couple of minutes after Mindy.

Chad texted him about this place to keep him in the loop, which prompted him to come here too.

I know Sam said we can’t be a hundred percent certain he’s one of the Ghostfaces, but I’ve caught him staring at me more than once since getting here now, and every time I get too close to him, he moves back and puts distance between us. It’s almost like he’s afraid of me.

Good. He should be afraid. The next time I come across him in that Ghostface mask of his, I won’t hesitate to kill him.

You fuck with the people I love, you pay the price.

Sam letting go of my hand snaps me out of my thoughts. She walks through the rows of display cases with furrowed eyebrows while I stay back, watching her process everything.

That is until Tara tugs on my sleeve.

“Okay, spill,” she says quietly, making sure no one is watching us as they explore the theater.

“Huh?”

“You and Sam!” she hisses. “How? When? I mean— You guys are alone for like two seconds and now you’re—what? Together? Or—?”

I laugh softly. This is so not the time to talk about this, but Tara just can’t keep her curiosity in check. “We’re not officially, or anything, but we talked and we kissed, and—“

“You kissed?!” she shrieks in excitement before quickly slapping her hand over her mouth.

Luckily no one seems to have heard her and I can’t help but smile bashfully and nod. “Yeah, we kissed and she told me she loved me.”

Tara beams and bounces on her toes. “Oh my God, yes! Finally! I told you she felt the same way!”

I wave her off, scratching my neck nervously. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t remind me. . . So, you and Chad, huh?”

This time, it’s Tara’s turn to blush and I can’t help but revel in it when she nods shyly.

“I’m happy for you, Sprout.” I pull her into a quick hug and ruffle her hair. “You two make a hot couple.”

She snorts and shoves me playfully. “Oh, shut up. You’re one to talk.”

We share another smile before Chad calls Tara over to show her something.

I watch her go, feeling myself smiling like an idiot until my eyes land on Sam.

She’s up on the stage and staring at a Ghostface cloak in a display case with a far off look in her eyes. I’ve never seen her look like this before, and it makes me worry because she’s tense and seemingly upset, so I climb onto the stage and approach her slowly, making sure I don’t scare her when I place a hand on her waist.

“Hey, you okay?” I ask quietly, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

She inhales sharply and leans back against me with closed eyes. “No.”

“What is it?” I wrap my arms around her and squeeze her hands when she intertwines our fingers.

“It’s Billy,” she admits quietly, brokenly, as realization dawns on me.

She’s seeing him in the reflection of the glass case. . . That’s what that look on her face was.

“What’s he saying?” I ask without judgement, holding her closer.

“The same shit as always,” she whispers. “You’re a born killer, Sam. Let’s slice up some motherfuckers, Sam. What are you waiting for, Sam?”

I hum in acknowledgement and press another kiss to her shoulder, mumbling, “I’m sorry.”

She shakes her head and squeezes my hands. “Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. I actually see him less when you’re around.”

Well, I wasn’t expecting that, and I can’t stop myself from blurting out a surprised, “Really?”

Sam chuckles sadly and tilts her head up to brush her lips against the underside of my jaw. “Yeah. I don’t know why, but you ground me like no one else and when I’m with you I feel safe. I feel loved.”

My heart swoops and I drop my chin to peck her lips. That’s all I ever wanted—to make her feel safe and loved. She deserves the world and so much more, and I’m just glad she’s letting me be there for her.

“I love you,” I whisper against her lips. “We’re going to get through this, and I promise you, once all this is over, I’m taking you on a date. A real date with flowers, dinner, wine, and a bunch of kisses.“

“That sounds amazing. I look forward to it, and I love you, too,” she mumbles before turning more serious and adding, “But first, we’re going to end this. Once and for all.”

She turns in my arms and I raise my eyebrows. “And how do you plan on doing that?”

She raises her hands and places them on my chest, a determined glint in her eyes. “I’ve got a couple ideas, but we need to talk to Kirby and Bailey first.”

“Will you please stop? You’re shaking the entire car,” Kirby says with a pointed look.

I’m bouncing my leg because I’m nervous about what’s about to go down, but stop when I realize she’s right.

We’re in the back of a surveillance van with Mindy, Chad, and Ethan while Sam and Tara are walking around in the park outside.

Bailey is also outside, keeping an eye on them, but his presence does nothing to stop me from worrying about the two of them.

They’re trying to goad Ghostface into calling them so Kirby can trace the car and find out where he is, but so far, he hasn’t called.

To be fair, it’s only been ten minutes since we got here, but still. I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all.

What if he sneaks up on them in broad daylight and slits their throats? What if he lures them somewhere else?

There are too many things that could go wrong for me to be comfortable with this plan, but Kirby and Bailey are sure this is going to work, so I’m not going to interfere.

Mindy seems skeptical too, and she doesn’t hesitate to voice her concerns while Ethan, seemingly unbothered by this whole situation, eats Cheetos, occasionally offering some to Chad.

He doesn’t offer me any, but there’s no surprise there because every time he looks my way I glare at him, daring him to do anything.

Sam and I talked some more earlier and we both decided that it would be best to tell Kirby about our suspicions, but there hasn’t been a chance to do it yet without Ethan potentially overhearing us.

“Hey, Sam? Stay frosty out there, okay?” Kirby says into the comms device.

“We’re good.” Sam replies, her voice sounding strained and clipped over the speaker that lets the rest of us in the van hear what she’s saying.

I want to be out there with her and Tara, but Kirby argued that I could scare Ghostface off by being with them since I’ve kicked his ass twice now.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I reluctantly pull it out, focusing on whoever’s calling me instead of Sam and Tara.

I frown when I see it’s Paige, and send the call to voicemail before stuffing my phone back into my pocket.

I don’t have time to chat now and I definitely don’t want to be lectured about how I haven’t replied to her latest message yet.

She asked me how things were going with Liam last night and even sent me a picture of her girlfriend’s new dog, but I promised myself I wouldn’t contact her until this whole Ghostface situation is behind us.

That way she doesn’t get involved and I have one less person to worry about.

Yes, she might be pissed now that I’m ignoring her, but she’ll thank me later when she’s still alive because of it.

Sam’s phone rings over the speaker and my heart skips a beat when she answers it.

This is it.

“You’re gonna die you know,” she says, venom lacing her voice.

That’s my girl. Oh my god. . . that’s my girl!

Focus, Y/N!

“No, you’re gonna die, Samantha, chocking on your own blood while I hack up your sister and Y/N. Although it’s a shame because your precious Y/N really is a snack. . .”

Ew, what the fuck?

Mindy and I share a disturbed look and Kirby tries her best to trace the call while Sam keeps talking to Ghostface.

“You know, for a mastermind you’re not very bright,” Ghostface mocks. “Waiting for me to call, desperately hoping I’m nearby so the police can grab me?”

Shit. He knows we’re onto him, which also means, he’s not dumb enough to be anywhere nearby. But where else could he be?

Ghostface hangs up a moment later just as my phone buzzes again.

It’s Paige. Again.

I frown, irritated, and decline her call before shooting her a quick text.

You (5:47 PM)

Can I call you back?

I don’t wait for a reply and tuck my phone back into my pocket, holding my breath when Sam asks Kirby if she managed to trace the call.

“I got it! The geolocation is coming through right now,” Kirby says and Mindy, Chad, Ethan and I all lean in closer to look at the blinking dot on the map of Kirby’s computer.

“He’s on the upper west side,” Kirby says with a puzzled look. “He’s in an apartment building halfway across the city.”

“On West 96th?” Tara asks which makes my eyes widen.

“How did you know that?” Kirby asks, and before Tara can answer I’m out of my seat and reaching for the van’s door handle.

“Gale.” I breathe, jumping out of the van.

She’s in trouble. Why did we leave her behind?! No press allowed, my ass. She’s going to die now because Kirby and Bailey said she wasn’t allowed to be part of the operation.

Tara and Sam come running my way, obviously having realized the same thing as me. Bailey is right behind him and when they get closer I can hear them arguing about what’s going to happen next.

“It’s 50 blocks away,” Bailey says. “And we don’t even know it’s true. Sam, wait! Take a minute.”

“We don’t have a minute!” Sam snaps back and before I can hear the rest of Bailey’s argument, Tara rushes to me and grabs my arm, pulling me to Bailey’s squad car which is parked on the curb.

“Sprout, what are you doing?!” I ask, bewildered when Tara gets into the driver’s seat after urging me to get into the backseat.

“We’re going to save Gale,” is all she says before turning the key in the ignition (how she got it, I have no idea), and rolling down the window, shouting, “Sam! Get in.”

Sam’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but she’s quick to jump into action and get into the passenger seat before locking the doors from the inside.

“Hey! What are you doing? Get out of my car! That’s an official vehicle!” Bailey shouts, but Sam just rolls up the window and turns to look at Tara.

“Should we use the sirens?” she asks.

Tara, despite the seriousness of the situation, smiles mischievously and says, “Did you really think we were gonna steal a police car and not use the sirens?”

“Fuck yeah!” Sam puts on her seatbelt and Tara turns on the sirens and drives off right as Bailey reaches the car, banging on the window.

“Oh my God, he’s going to kill us,” I say, seeing him glare at us through the back window.

Tara and Sam just laugh, and I smile, too, but then my phone dings and I pull it out, feeling my heart freeze when I see the message Paige sent me.

PB&J (5:50 PM)

It’s Liam, Y/N. He’s been attacked by Ghostface.

_______________________________________________

And I oop. . . 2 or 3 more parts to go!!!

Tag list: @bella423 @artrizzler19 @btay3115 @canyonyodeler @quadofthec @pussyydestroyer @rqizzu @pithod @morganismspam23 @idontliketoread2137

[persevereforahappyending]

me as a writer

[persevereforahappyending]

you can relate to being a hater? perfect, I wasn’t sure if I sounded out of pocket 😂

in a legacies regret, I definitely noticed that the dynamic Sam has with R has changed, the leg brace is a testament to that. it’s no secret that Sam’s got major trust issues but I’m hoping- praying really that this time around Sam sticks up for the reader too when they’re accused of being ghostface. i’m just assuming R would be granted some grace in Sam’s eyes because of how they’ve put Tara’s wellbeing before their own, to the point where we’ve even seen Sam basically tell Tara to treat them better.

okay fair point about Anika I don’t think she’s as bad as the twins, but I still don’t see her in a completely favorable light. she got some brownie points for the bit of comfort she gave R first chapter! hoping I see more of that soon cause then yes, I do think she could be included in the list of people capable of redemption.

why make this a hypothetical?😳

…. i didn’t stutter did I? throw ‘em away! 😩

they’re beyond redemption, to me that means they’re beyond saving 😁 I could rant my ass off about why

Yep! I usually disagree when one of my friends calls me a hater but they're probably right...

Yeah, it's much more subtle and Sam still might not love R, but R has at the very least proven their priority is Tara's safety. But they definitely wouldn't be friend status yet, if they're both home and Tara's not then they're just in their respective rooms and it's so silent it's as if no one is home.

Yep, we'll definitely be seeing more of Anika and R interacting!

Good to know! And if I do happen to do anything to the twins then everyone can blame you and not just me!

[persevereforahappyending]

Back To You - Part 13 | Sam Carpenter

Pairing: Sam Carpenter x reader

Warnings: mentions of violence, death, blood, injuries, and swearing

Summary: When Sam left after turning eighteen, you were devastated. You’d been in love with her since you were kids and her leaving meant you never got to tell her how you truly felt.

Fast forward a couple of years, Tara gets attacked and Sam returns. . .

Previous Part | Next Part | Masterlist

_______________________________________________

Sam and I burst into the living room just as Quinn, covered in blood, stumbles out of her room and right into Anika who screams when she realizes the redhead is covered in blood.

“Run!” Chad shouts as Ghostface appears in the doorway of Quinn’s room. He grabs Tara’s hand and pulls her out of the apartment.

“Guys, come on!” Tara shouts over her shoulder, but before anyone can follow them, Ghostface lunges forward, blocking our path.

He swings his knife at Mindy and cuts her arm, making her cry out in pain.

“Mindy!” Anika sits up, shoving Quinn’s body off of her, only to be pinned down again by Ghostface the next second when he wraps his hand around her throat.

He pulls her to her feet and spins around, pressing her up against the wall before stabbing her in the stomach.

She screams and I see red, jumping into action before he can do anything else.

“Piece of shit!” I grunt and wrap my arms around him from behind, pulling him away from Anika and body slamming him into the ground before he even realizes what’s happening.

Yeah, take that, motherfucker.

Mindy instantly rushes to her girlfriend’s side and presses her hand against her stomach. The wound isn’t too bad, but something vital still could have been hit.

Ghostface coughs and reaches for his knife on the floor next to us, but I kick it out of reach and jump to my feet.

“Oh, no you don’t.”

He coughs again and I think, pathetic, but then it dawns on me that this is not the Ghostface form the bodega.

This one is weaker, and skinnier, too, but I don’t get the chance to dwell on it when Sam grabs my hand and pulls me into Quinn’s room after Mindy and Anika.

The front door is closed, so it’s safe to assume Tara and Chad won’t be able to come back in.

Good, at least they’re safe.

“Shit, are you hurt?” Sam asks frantically after locking the door. She runs her hands down my chest and over my stomach, looking for any injuries, but I just shake my head and grab her hands.

“No, I’m okay.” I press a chaste kiss to her forehead. “You?”

“I’m fine.” She exhales shakily.

It’s eerily quiet in the living room and so far Ghostface hasn’t tried to break down the door I’m leaning against.

Did I really do that big of a number on him?

“Guys. . .” Mindy’s alarmed whisper, as well as as the sound of something clattering somewhere in the apartment answers my question.

He’s going to come in through the Jack and Jill bathroom connecting Quinn’s and Tara’s room.

Shit. So he’s familiar with the apartment. . .

“The bathroom door!” Sam whisper-yells and we get to the door just in time to see Ghostface bursting into the bathroom through Tara’s room.

I try not to focus too much on the dead body of Quinn’s latest boytoy in the shower, and slam the door shut, pressing my back against it.

Not even a second later, Ghostface throws his body against it from the other side, but I dig my heels into the carpeted floor, preventing him from getting through.

He does it again, this time with more force and I grit my teeth when the force of it makes my neck hurt. I won’t be able to hold him back like this for long, but luckily Sam and Mindy have already jumped into action to help me.

They push a heavy dresser toward me while Ghostace repeatedly throws himself against the door, until, somehow, they manage to barricade the door with it.

Great, what now?

This won’t hold him off for long even though all three of us are now pushing against the dresser, keeping it in place while Ghostface tries to get to us.

Anika is backed into a far corner with wide eyes and her hand pressed against her stomach.

“Sam!”

A muffled shout makes all our heads snap to the window. Hanging out of his own window, waving frantically to get our attention is Danny.

Sam and I share a quick look before I nudge her in the direction of the window.

She opens it and I try to refocus on keeping Ghostface at bay with Mindy, but then she shouts, “Are you fucking kidding me?”, and I look back at her, my eyes widening when I see Danny pushing a ladder through his window, intent on bridging the gap between the two windows to give us a way out.

“You have a better idea?” he shouts and even though I don’t like that he and Sam used to be somewhat of a thing, I can’t help but be grateful that he’s helping us now.

Sam looks torn, but there’s no other way out. “Fuck. No. Okay, okay!”

She grabs the ladder as soon as it’s within reach and places it on the windowsill with shaking hands.

“Good. Now, come on!” Danny says, but instead of climbing through the window, Sam steps back and shakes her head.

“No, you go first, Anika,” she says, turning to the injured girl.

Ghostface lands a particular hard kick on the door, making Mindy and I wince. A stinging pain shoots down my spine, but I keep pushing against the dresser.

He’s not getting through until Sam, Mindy, and Anika are safe.

Anika whimpers, but hurries to Sam who helps her onto the ledge. She holds the ladder steady, Danny doing the same on the other side, and we all watch with bated breath as Anika makes her way across.

“I’ve got you,” Danny says as soon as she’s on the other side. He pulls her into his apartment and helps her settle against the wall before returning to the window. “Okay, next!”

“Mindy!” Sam shouts, and I have to nudge Mindy to get her to go.

“Go on, I’ll be—“ I groan when Ghosface kicks against the door again, “—fine!”

“Thank you.” She sounds like she’s on the verge of crying and rushes to the window.

She’s much faster than Anika and when she gets to the other side, I see her embrace Anika in a tight hug.

Good. They’re safe.

“Okay, now you, Sam!” I say through gritted teeth, my eyes widening slightly when I see that Ghosface somehow managed to stick his arm between the door and the doorframe.

“No,” Sam shakes her head adamantly and rushes over to help me push against the dresser. “I’m not leaving you behind again!”

For a moment, Ghostface stops and at first I think he might have given up, but then he slams into the door with such force, it makes both of us stumble forward.

“Fuck!” I cry out in pain, feeling like my spine just snapped in half with the force of the impact. “You’re not leaving me behind,” I say, quickly throwing myself back against the dresser. “I’m right behind you.”

“No.” Sam cries and tries to take my place against the dresser, but I shove her toward the window.

“Go, please! I promise, I’m right behind you!” I plead and when Sam sees the resolve in my eyes, she nods shakily and hurries to climb onto the ladder.

There’s no one on our side now to stabilize it, but Danny and Mindy have a good grip on it on the other side, so I’m not worried about anything happening to her as long as I can keep Ghostface at bay.

“Come on, Sam, you’ve got this,” Danny encourages her when she climbs onto the ladder.

She shakes and keeps looking down, but bit by bit she inches her way forward.

The ladder almost slips once, making my heart skip a beat, but in the end she makes it all the way across, unharmed.

She’s safe.

Relieved, I exhale, my body relaxing for a split second which is all it takes for Ghostface to knock me to my knees with one final shove against the door.

Sam screams. “Y/N!”

There’s no way I’m getting the dresser back in place to block the door, so it’s only a matter of seconds before Ghostface makes it into the room and I can either get on the ladder and hope to make it across before he gets to me, or fight him off until the police get here.

I debate the two options, and because my back hurts and I don’t see myself body slamming him again, I choose to go with the former of the two options.

I get to my feet and rush to the window, hearing Ghostface adamantly slamming the door against the dresser to create a big enough gap to slip into the room.

“Come on!” Mindy urges and I get onto the windowsill, ready to climb over the ladder.

Right before I can make my first move though, Ghostface bursts into the room behind me.

“Shit!” I hiss.

“Y/N, come on!” Sam cries, slapping the side of the ladder, but I ignore her, glancing over my shoulder to see Ghostface tilting his head menacingly.

He knows there’s no time for me to get over the ladder before he gets to it, so I do the only thing that will guarantee he doesn’t get to the others.

I take a hold of the ladder which makes Sam’s eyes light up with hope, but then I yank on it, making her lose her grip on it.

“Wha—No!” she screams when I shove the ladder over the ledge, watching it clatter against the dumpsters in the alley below us. “Y/N!”

Tears well in her eyes, and she looks at me with heartbreak all over her face, probably thinking I’m going to fight Ghostface again, but I have no intention of doing that.

All I do is kick him straight in the chest when he comes at me and climb back out onto the windowsill. I grit my teeth and shout, “Look out!” before pushing off the ledge and leaping toward the others without looking back.

I’m going to make it! I’m going to make it! Oh no. I’m not going to make it.

“Holy fuck! ” Mindy’s groan matches my own when I slam chest-first into the windowsill on the other side.

My ribs sting and my back throbs painfully, but there’s no time to focus on it since I’m a second away from plunging to my death.

I scramble for something to hold onto, my feet kicking against the brick wall in search for something to step on, but there’s nothing.

I can feel myself slipping, and my eyes widen in panic, but then Danny grabs onto my forearms and pulls me up and into the apartment.

I stumble forward, but Sam catches me and I wrap my arms around her trembling frame.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,” she whispers over and over again, curling her fingers into the fabric of my sweater.

“I’m okay,” I croak, feeling my knees shake from all the adrenaline cursing through me.

“You’re okay,” she repeats and I nod, dipping my head to give her a quick, reassuring kiss.

When I pull back, I catch Danny looking at us wistfully, but he doesn’t say anything and neither do Mindy and Anika who look surprised.

Ghostface is long gone in the other apartment, and I can just hope both Chad and Tara made it out safe.

“You saved my life,” Anika says quietly when I detach myself from Sam and guide her to lie on the floor. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I try my best to smile reassuringly and guide Mindy to press down on the wound on her stomach.

It’s not bleeding too much, but she’ll definitely need surgery and it’s best if she’s lying down until the paramedics get here in case she goes into shock.

“Police! Open up!” Someone bangs on Danny’s front door and he quickly excuses himself to go open it while I get back to my feet.

Now that the adrenaline is wearing off, the pain in my ribs and my back hits me like a train and I wince, steadying myself with a hand on the wall.

“What’s wrong?” Sam is by my side almost instantly and I want to lie and tell her everything’s fine, but we just got our feelings for each other out in the open, so I decide to be honest.

“My back,” I say quietly, closing my eyes briefly when a wave of pain washes over me. “A-And my ribs.”

She touches my cheek with a worried frown. “Your back?”

It’s pretty obvious why my ribs hurt, but my back. . .

I don’t know why it hurts as much as it does, so when Sam tugs on my sweater, mumbling, “Can I see?” I nod.

I turn around and let her push the sweater up, shivering slightly when her fingers brush against my bare skin.

“I can’t see anything,” she says and I have to force myself not to flinch when she runs her fingers down the scar over my spine.

I sigh. “It’s probably nothing.”

Sam hums in thought, and moves her hands to my stinging ribs. Her touch is cool and I don’t mind it as long as she doesn’t apply too much pressure.

I look down and follow her fingers with my eyes, cringing inwardly when I see the already forming bruises on my skin.

“Shit,” she whispers, her concerned brown eyes meeting mine again. “Do you think they’re broken?”

I place my hand over hers and shrug. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t really matter. Whether they’re broken or not, there’s nothing I can do except rest and let them heal.”

Sam nods and sighs, pulling my sweater back in place before snaking her arms around my neck and hugging me.

“I hate this,” she mumbles against my neck. “I don’t want anyone else to die. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. . . I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I know.” I press a kiss to the top of her head. “Me too.”

A moment later, Police swarm the apartment and paramedics hurry to Anika’s side, assessing her injury while Mindy and Danny stand back and watch.

“Sam?! Y/N?!”

Tara.

Sam and I separate right as Tara comes rushing in, Chad right behind her.

“Sprout.” I pull her into a hug and let out a breath of relief. “You okay?”

She nods. “You?”

“Yeah,” I lie. There’s no need for her to worry about me. I’ve got Sam for that now.

“Good.” She squeezes me before moving on to Sam who hugs her sister with watery eyes and a quivering chin.

Chad watches with a sorrowful smile and I can’t help but pull him to the side and give him a quick hug, too.

“Thank you for getting Tara out of the apartment,” I say quietly.

“Of course,” he mumbles and when we pull apart, I can’t help but nudge him playfully.

“You better treat her right.”

He blinks in surprise, but not even a second later his ears turn red. “W-What?”

I just shoot him a knowing look and pull him with me to re-join the others.

I don’t know how we got here, but I couldn’t care less. Gale’s couch is extremely comfortable and if it wasn’t for Kirby, Tara, Chad, and Sam talking about what happened I would’ve fallen asleep a long time ago.

After giving our initial statements to the police back at Danny’s apartment, we came across Gale who offered us a place to stay until the police are done securing and cleaning the crime scene.

I wanted to protest and say no, so did Sam, but we were all so tired and when Gale promised she wouldn’t write about it, we finally agreed.

Quinn didn’t make it, a fact that puts a dampener on all our moods, but it’s no surprise, and we’re all so focused on what’s going to happen next that we’re not grieving her just yet.

“Alright, I’ll see what I can do,” Kirby says, making me open my eyes. “You guys stay put for the time being. Get some rest and don’t talk to anyone about what happened.“

There goes my plan of checking in with Liam. I don’t know if he’s home, or actually went to stay with a friend.

Kirby shares a couple more encouraging words before getting shown out by Gale, leaving Chad, Tara, Sam, Danny, and I alone in the living room.

Mindy is at the hospital with Anika, and Ethan is God knows where, probably in his dorm room playing video games or something.

At first, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Danny coming with us, but he did save our lives and his apartment is also part of the crime scene the police are still securing.

“Hey guys, is anyone hungry?” Brooks, Gale’s boyfriend asks when he emerges from the kitchen with a phone in hand. “I was going to order some pizza.”

He’s surprisingly calm about this whole situation, but I guess that’s probably because he knew what he was getting into when he started dating Gale.

A murmur of yes’s makes him smile softly before excusing himself to order.

“I’m getting something to drink.” Tara declares, getting to her feet and dragging Chad to his feet as well. “Anyone else want anything?”

I shake my head, but Danny and Sam agree to a water.

Danny turns on the TV and skips through the channels until he finds the news. Surprisingly nothing is being reported about what happened yet, but instead of turning the TV back off, he settles back in his armchair and watches the news.

“How’s your back?” Sam asks quietly after closing the distance between us and resting her head on my shoulder. She takes my hand and plays with my fingers and I let her, relishing in the way her touch grounds me.

“Better,” I reply honestly, resting my cheek against the top of her head.

She sighs. “Good.”

The paramedics checked me out earlier, but just like Sam they couldn’t find anything amiss with my back. They simply wrapped some bandages around my chest to cushion my ribs and told me to go see a doctor if my back continues hurting.

The news anchor on the TV is the only thing breaking the silence for the next couple of moments until Tara and Chad return from the kitchen.

They’re talking quietly, carrying various drinks and bottles, but then Tara’s eyes land on Sam and me and her jaw drops.

Sam doesn’t notice, but I do, and when Tara shoots me an incredulous, questioning look, I simply nod and smile softly.

It makes Tara’s eyes wide for a moment before a smirk takes over her face and I groan inwardly, knowing that a whole bunch of teasing is coming my way.

Not just yet though because we’re all too tired and shaken by what went down tonight.

I really need some sleep.

_______________________________________________

Danny just sitting there in his armchair like 🧍‍♂️ hahahahha

Anyway, I hope you guys liked this part.

Tag list: @bella423 @artrizzler19 @btay3115 @canyonyodeler @quadofthec @pussyydestroyer @rqizzu @pithod @morganismspam23 @idontliketoread2137

[persevereforahappyending]

Do you think Sam and R will team up and fight Ghostface together? (a legacies regret) 😦

I don't know! But now you're making me think!

I do like a good team up fight...

[persevereforahappyending]

damn nothing but hard times for R as soon as ghostface came into their life, at least before the sequel Tara was truly someone who they could depend on 🥲

I’m extremely please with being able to see things from Tara’s POV in the second chapter! that we’re able to see just how remorseful she is now because the first chapter definitely left me feeling as if nobody deserves R’s forgiveness.

I’m a hater to my core, to me the only ones capable of being redeemed are Tara and Sam. it’s been awhile since I’ve read the story before this sequel, does it/or will you eventually include why Sam’s still on the defense about R?

Chad, Mindy and Anika? Hell no! I’m curious about how their dynamic with R will be moving forward now that ghostface is a factor again. I’m throwing hands if Mindy accuses R of being ghostface again! (I have a feeling she’s gonna insinuate that it’s a possibility next chapter) 😭

I know that Anika wasn’t at Woodbury, but I’m sure she’s heard pieces about what happened and she’s seeing the group’s treatment of R firsthand- being a bystander is doesn’t absolve her from taking any blame. I’m under the impression she doesn’t know they didn’t apologize to R but she still sees the disapproval they feel towards R, keeping them as an outsider. Keeping her distance from R to keep the peace with her group doesn’t sit right with me.

The twins?- throw em away 😂 if they imply the reader could be ghostface again, I want the reader to be shady as hell and say something like “fine, might as well put yourselves on the list then, seeing as you were huge advocates of Amber last year and all”

Yeah, ever since the first Ghostface attacks R's life just has been kind of been going downhill.

You know, I can relate to that, I have been called a hater by more than one of my friends. Now, Sam, Sam is feeling a lot better about R then when she first learned about R and Tara's relationship. So, Sam doesn't hate R, she's just not their biggest fan. It'll probably be touched on a bit, but Sam is more indifferent to R and it's mostly her not a fan of the fact that the person who her little sister is dating also lives with them.

We'll definitely be getting a lot more of the group's dynamic, when they go over suspects and a few other times. We haven't gotten a lot of her, only one scene, barely, but Anika definitely isn't as bad as Chad and Mindy. Anika might be dating Mindy, but she has no issues with R, and we'll definitely see more of that.

Given that you feel this way about the twins... does that mean if I were to, I don't know, hypothetically kill them off, you wouldn't actually be angry about it? Totally hypothetically of course.

[persevereforahappyending]

at least ghostface gave yn something to always remember dewey

Damn.

That's cold.

[persevereforahappyending]

I just spent a few days binge reading your Tara Legacies story when I had the time, and damn it's amazing! Your writing is so good! I just read the first 2 chapters of the sequel too, and I'm so excited to see where this one goes!

Thank you so much! Honored you spent your time to binge the series! And glad you enjoyed it and are enjoying the new one!

[persevereforahappyending]

https://www.tumblr.com/persevereforahappyending/773048261062901760/she-knew-following-frankie-upstairs-would-have?source=share

Ok, thank God! I was about to say 😮‍💨

They were such a perfect couple in the first part and like I know they are going through a rough patch, but if Tara actually wanted to cheat in any form I was bout to say Y/N pack your bags

Yeah, Tara still loves Y/N fully, they just got some stuff to work through. They both experienced a lot of trauma and neither of them are dealing with it in the best way.

[persevereforahappyending]

Well, I’m glad Tara is conscious about not being the best girlfriend. But now she really needs to put in the work! A single ‘sorry’ won’t cut it that’s for damn sure! Great chapter as always

Yep, going to take a lot more than a simple 'sorry'! Tara's very much aware of that but now she's just got to actually put in the work.

[persevereforahappyending]

"She knew following Frankie upstairs would have been a bad idea, something she would have regretted the second they got up there, something she already regretted."

Wait!? She was actually wanting and going to hookup with him!?

No! No! No! Tara is not that kind of person! She might not be the best right now but she's definitely not that bad of a girlfriend.

I now realize how that probably came off...

It was more of a she knows Frankie's reputation and even if she didn't intend or want to hook up with him, she knew that following him upstairs, even if it was just for a drink, that there was a chance Frankie might try something.

Tara might be reckless and throwing herself into dangerous situations but she's not a cheater!

[persevereforahappyending]

AUGH i just wanna hug R and Tara

I hope they eventually have time to talk together about everything and Tara apologizing to R 😔

I’m so hyped for this series too!

There will definitely be plenty of time for them to talk! In between all the chaos...

[persevereforahappyending]

Any updates?

Just posted the next part for A Legacies Regret!

Otherwise, don't really have any updates.

[persevereforahappyending]

A Legacies Regret |2|

Pairing: Tara Carpenter x Reader

Summary: You were living in New York with your girlfriend, trying to forget about last year and just enjoy life, but that was easier said than done. (Sequel to A Legacies Secret)

Warnings: None?

Word Count: 3.3k+

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist | A Legacies Secret Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2

Tara removed the pieces of her thrown together pirate costume and sat at the edge of the bed. She knew following Frankie upstairs would have been a bad idea, something she would have regretted the second they got up there, something she already regretted. She couldn’t believe Sam tracked her down though, she was nineteen, she practically raised herself the last few years, she should have been allowed to go to a party and not worry about her sister crashing it.

She looked up when she heard a soft knock at the door. “Come in,” she called out. The door creaked open, and you popped your head in before stepping into the room. “You don’t have to knock; it’s your room too.”

You crossed the room and set a glass of water and a couple Advil on the dresser. Even after she snapped at you, you were still thoughtful enough to bring her something for the headache you knew she’d inevitably have. Tara dragged you to a few parties, you never drank, you let her have her fun and then you took care of her, every time.

“Wasn’t sure what I was walking into,” you said quietly. Tara frowned when she noticed you wouldn’t even look at her, you just kept your eyes on the floor. On top of all of that you didn’t come to sit next to her on the bed like you always did, you remained standing, leaning against the dresser and creating as much distance as it seemed like you could from Tara.

“I’m sorry for what I said,” Tara said softly. “I just…” she tried to gather the right words; she didn’t want to snap at you again, but she wanted you to understand where she was coming from. “I don’t need you and Sam both being overprotective and always hovering over everything I do.” Tara couldn’t help the way the irritation naturally slipped in her tone, it had been like this since everyone moved to New York and Tara was over it, she couldn’t keep having the same argument.

“I’m fine,” Tara tried to stress. “I just want to move on.” Tara pushed herself off the bed and stepped closer to you. “You’ve been different since the attacks last year.” You let out a small laugh, like you couldn’t believe she just said that. Of course you changed, Tara herself changed, they all did, but Tara was trying to get back to a place like where she used to be, and it didn’t seem like you were. “I just want my girlfriend back,” Tara reached out and gently ran her hand down your arm until she stopped overtop of your own hand. “I don’t need a bodyguard.”

Tara tried to meet your eyes, but you still refused to look at her. “Just three days,” you whispered.

“What?” Tara furrowed her brow.

“Just three days,” you finally looked up, meeting her eyes. “That’s what you called it. Just three days,” you shrugged. “Do you know what I went through in those three days?”

Tara couldn’t say anything as she watched your eyes fill with tears. A part of her wanted to say she did know what you went through, of course she knew. You barely left her side that entire time, for almost everything the two of you were together. She didn’t think you wanted an actual answer though.

“Within three days,” you whispered. “My girlfriend was attacked.” Tara dropped her gaze to the floor, as much as she didn’t want to hear this it seemed that you had been wanting to say this for a while. “I wasn’t there. I wasn’t there while the love of my life was lying there dying,” your voice cracked on that last word. Tara had to stop herself from visibly flinching at the emotion in your voice.

“Now, I get to spend the rest of my life hating myself for not being there,” you continued. Tara tried to blink away her own tears, she could hear the anger at yourself bleeding into your voice. “Every time I’m not with you; I worry about what could happen when I’m not there again.” Tara finally looked back up at you, she knew what was coming next before you even said it. “Like tonight!” Tara couldn’t help the way she jumped slightly at the small shift in tone.

“I was at work,” your voice got softer. “Just like last year,” you gestured with your hand. “When I got home, you weren’t here, and I got to run off with Sam to a frat party, only to see you being dragged up the stairs by some douchebag!” Tara sucked in a breath as she listened and took in the words you were saying. “Once again, a reminded of what can happen when I’m not there,” you shook your head and let out a humorless chuckle.

Tara blinked away a few tears that had started to fall. She knew you weren’t blaming her or saying anything of this to hurt her, but she never considered your side of things. Tara had to sit in the waiting room as she waited to see if you’d live or not, then she waited by your bedside until you woke up, just like you had done with her. The difference though, you had no idea what was happening to her when she was attacked, you came over to her place expecting her to be waiting up for you, like she always was, but instead when you got there Tara wasn’t there. Tara couldn’t imagine what it was like for you to pull up to her house to see a bunch of police cars and to be told someone had attacked her.

“I was also accused of murder last year,” you said. You were looking up at the ceiling as if that was helping you stay calm and not break. “Accused of hurting you,” Tara let out a shaky breath when your voice cracked again. “By your friends.” Tara’s eyes flicked down to the floor again, her friends were never a fan of you, she understood everyone should be a suspect when it came to Ghostface, but they were particular harsh on you.

“The only good thing to happen last year was that you didn’t believe them,” you continued. Tara looked up again just as you looked back down, each of you meeting each other’s eyes. “You never wavered on me. That doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt,” you whispered. “That on top of spending a year being told by your friends I wasn’t good enough for you and your sister coming back and instantly saying the same thing, is that every single one of them jumped on the idea of thinking I was the potential killer.”

“Then on top of everything else,” you whispered. “Within those same three days, I learned who my parents were,” once again your voice cracked. “I spent my whole life thinking I was unloved, just tossed away like trash,” you gestured carelessly to prove your point.

When Tara first met you, you seemed to have your shit together. You were just the older kid in her class who she had a crush on. Tara obviously knew a little about you before the two of you started dating but even after you didn’t talk like talking about your past. All you knew was that someone dropped you off at the hospital, you had never even looked in to trying to find out who your parents were. Tara always thought there was a part of you that was curious but the rest of you resented your birth parents and didn’t want to know the truth.

“Turns out, I’m the kid of two legacies,” you continued, letting out a humorless chuckle. “And my mom abandoned me because she chose her career over me my…”

The words died in your throat, you never talked about Dewey. You never talked about what happened at all actually. It wasn’t all on you though, Tara never asked. Maybe that made her a bad girlfriend, she wasn’t sure, she just assumed you didn’t want to talk about it. Tara knows what it’s like to have a crappy mom to not really want you around, but she doesn’t know exactly what you were going through. On top of everything, almost as soon as you learned who your father was you lost him.

You cleared your throat. “He was the nicest, most loving man there was,” you said. “Who would have done everything he could to be a good father, but he never even knew I existed,” you voice cracked. “And when he found out…” you were looking at Tara, but it didn’t seem like you were seeing her. “He never even got the chance to know me.” Dewey did know you; Tara knew that he was the reason you got your life together, he saved you in ways he probably never knew. He never got to know you as his kid though. “Because I pushed him away.” A tear fell from your eye, making Tara do everything to keep her own tears at bay. “Then he died.” You wiped away the tear and at your eyes. “His last act was saving my life and then he died.”

Tara opened her mouth, but no words came out, she didn’t know what she could say, what she even wanted to say. She could see now, you were hurting, it was clear as day. You had been hurting all this time and Tara never noticed, she really was a terrible girlfriend. You spent all your time worrying about her, being what she always deemed as overprotective, and Tara was just selfish the entire time. Instead of being someone you could open up to and talk to Tara was selfish, she wanted nothing more than to go back to the way things used to be, to just live with you and have fun like the two of you always talked about.

The next thing Tara realized was you walking across the room and grabbing a pillow off the bed. Tara’s eyes widened at the action and as you made your way to the door as if you intended to leave the bedroom.

“Where are you going?” Tara asked. She reached out, trying to grab you on the arm to get you to stay but you remained just out of her reach.

“I’m going to sleep on the couch tonight,” you mumbled. You didn’t even wait for her to apologize and beg to stay before you walked out of the room, leaving Tara all alone.

Tara dropped back down on the bed and put her head in her hands. She really hoped it wasn’t too late to make things right with you. You were amazing and kind and deserved so much better than Tara. She stood by you last year when anyone accused you of being Ghostface and since then she had done nothing but fail you. You were the best thing that ever happened to her, and she needed to do everything in her power to make it right, she had to make it up to you and become the type of girlfriend that you deserved.

Tara wanted nothing more than to go out there and beg you to come back to bed but it was clear you wanted space. You didn’t even want to be in the same room as her and she couldn’t even blame you for it. Tara needed to think of you and what was best for you in the moment, it didn’t matter what she wanted. Tara struggled to fall asleep without you right next to her since the attacks last year, but she would just have to suck it up because she couldn’t be selfish at the moment.

Not long after you left to sleep on the couch did Tara crawl under the covers of the bed. She wasn’t sure how long it was as she tossed and turned, still completely unable to fall asleep without you there. You were just in the next room but even that wasn’t enough, Tara needed you there in the same room, she needed to feel you holding her. She knew that made her selfish, you were going through something and the last thing you needed to be worried about was Tara’s sleeping habits.

Tara laid there for a couple more hours, never once getting a wink before she sighed and tossed the covers off herself. She glanced out the window to see it was still dark, knowing her luck it wouldn’t even be close to normal waking hours. She made her way into the kitchen thinking a glass of water might help, though she knew it wouldn’t actually do anything.

Tara got to the kitchen and filled a glass with water. She downed the water in only a couple of gulps before resting her hands on the counter. She wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, she knew it, she half considered working on some schoolwork until it was time for her to go to class. She looked back to her bedroom before her eyes drifted towards the entryway of the living room.

She knew she had no right, but she couldn’t help but wander towards the living room. She leaned against the wall of the entryway and just watched you. You didn’t seem to have a problem falling asleep, though she guessed she always needed you more than you needed her. As quietly as she could she inched closer to you and gently began running her fingers through your hair. She frowned when she noticed you wince in your sleep then she saw the blanket shift and watched as you shifted your leg.

“You should prop up their knee,” Sam whispered, making Tara jump as she whipped around to face her sister.

“What?” she whispered back, quickly sparing you a glance to make sure she didn’t wake you.

Sam rolled her eyes and made her way into the room. Tara watched as Sam grabbed one of the smaller pillows from the couch and as gentle as she’d ever seen her sister move, Sam lifted your leg and slipped the pillow underneath it, propping your knee up. You stretched your leg out again, seeming to get comfortable with the new addition but Tara couldn’t help but noticed the way your face softened, as if the pillow relieved some pain.

Tara opened her mouth to question her sister, but Sam walked past her without a word. Tara frowned, she might not have been paying as much attention as she should to you but there was no way she missed you and Sam becoming friends. She followed her sister to the dining table and took a seat across from her. They’d still have to whisper but at least they wouldn’t be standing right over you when trying to talk.

“How did you know?” Tara asked.

“Their knee sometimes bothers them,” Sam said. “When they’ve been active a lot, a brace tends to help with walking but at home, they usually like to prop it up.”

“But how-”

“Because it’s obvious.”

Tara’s eyes widened, she looked back at you, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed. If you were truly in pain, Tara was around you all the time, she would have noticed. You walked most places, you’ve walked for hours with Tara, she would have noticed, if you were actually hurting, she would have noticed, she was sure of it.

“They never said anything,” Tara mumbled weakly.

“Did you really expect them to?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. “They spent every day taking you to physical therapy and being there for you.” Tara dropped her eyes to the table as she remembered all the times she snapped at you when her physical therapy hadn’t gone exactly like she wanted, when she didn’t think she was making enough progress. “Then they’d bring you home and while you took a nap they’d head back out there for their own physical therapy.”

Tara’s eyes started to fill with tears again. She knew you needed physical therapy just as much as she did. She knew you had been going because she did notice as you gained more movement but she never went to any of your sessions with you. When Tara got home, she tended to crash within minutes of getting into bed, but you supported her through all of her therapy only to go and have to do your own right after.

“Since when did you two become friends?” Tara asked. She felt like she had to, clearly, she had missed a lot and now it didn’t seem like you and Sam becoming friends under her nose was completely out of the question.

“We’re not,” Sam answered instantly. Tara couldn’t help but smile at that, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “But they deserve better than how you’ve been treating them.”

Tara looked up to meet her sister’s eyes. “I know,” she whispered, glancing back at you.

Her own sister, who barely tolerated you, had noticed your pain before she did. Tara truly was the worst girlfriend in the world. She would need to do more than just apologize, a simple apology wouldn’t cut it, she needed to grovel and beg for your forgiveness. She needed to stop focusing on trying to have a normal life, or what she deemed a normal life, and just be there for you. All the frat parties in the world didn’t mean a damn thing to her if she didn’t have you, she know she had been showing it, but she would rather spend every time coming home and just relaxing with you on the couch than go to another party ever again.

Tara’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud ringing. She jumped until she noticed Sam pulling her phone out of her pocket. She furrowed her brow as she watched Sam answer the phone, she didn’t know what time it was, but it was way too late for someone to be calling.

“What?” Sam asked into the phone. “Slow down, slow down.” Sam stood up and crossed the room again to grab the remote off the coffee table.

“What’s going on?” you mumbled, your voice still filled with sleep. Tara frowned, whoever was on the phone had better be important if it made them wake you up.

“Who is it?” Tara asked as she came to stand next to Sam.

Sam didn’t answer either of their questions though, she just hit the button to turn on the TV. Tara furrowed her brow and watched as Sam flipped through the channels until finally settling on one with the news. Tara opened her mouth to ask what this was all about when she saw a picture of two of the guys from her film class on the screen, then a picture of her professor.

“… Authorities are still investigating the murders,” the news reporter said. You stood up from the couch and made your way next to Tara, as if you could also sense that none of you were going to like the next words to leave the reporter’s mouth. “But an inside source is telling us this just may be the work of Ghostface.”

Tara sucked in a breath, everything suddenly sounded muffled as Sam dropped the remote. Tara tried to focus on her breathing, she couldn’t risk having an asthma attack now. She looked over at you to see your eyes glued to the TV. Your eyes left the TV and seemed to instantly find Tara’s; she opened her mouth, but she didn’t know what she was even supposed to say. It didn’t seem she had to say anything though as she felt your hand slip into her own. It seemed as though you forgot your fight from earlier because you instantly pulled Tara into your side, and she couldn’t help but wrap her arms around you. Tara didn’t know what was going on, but she didn’t think she could deal with this again, she almost lost you the first time, she wouldn’t be able to survive anything happening to you again.

Taglist: @mamas-evil-hag @thatshyboy1998 @btay3115 @idontliketoread2137 @nwestra

[persevereforahappyending]

WIP Wednesday Last Sentence You Wrote

Appreciate the tag as always @uncleasad

Make a new post with the last sentence you wrote on your current WIP (and tag some friends if you want)

You didn’t know how okay she was with everything though; you wouldn’t want to be anywhere near yourself if the roles were reversed.

From A Beacon in the Dark, Part 13

[persevereforahappyending]

Hey loving the sequel so far! Do you happen to have any headcanons for Tara and reader for Legacies Secret/Regret?

Sorry it's taken me a few days to get to this!

To not give any spoilers I decided to do these based on the time in between the two stories.

You practically moved in with Tara after everything happened, her mom was hardly ever home so you and Sam just stayed in the house

When Tara has a nightmare about what happened you're always there to comfort her, even when she was trying not to wake you up

When Tara and you first got to New York you did every tourist thing the two of you could think of

When you first moved into the apartment Sam's #1 rule was to leave the door open. Which... Tara actively ignored

Not much changed from when you were in Woodsboro, you still got off work late and Tara still tried to wait up for you to get home

You've come home plenty of times, well after 3am, and Tara was still awake, sitting at her desk as she worked on school stuff

Tara would even come to the bar you worked a few times. She'd just sit in a booth while you worked, pretending to work on homework or just hanging out with her friends

No matter what time you got home or how tired you were you always woke up in before Tara had to go to class and if her friends couldn't walk with her, you would do so

You've gone to a few parties with Tara, well, she's dragged you to a few, but you always end up standing in a corner while watching her have fun

Even if Tara's already asleep by the time you get home, she always rolls over and curls right into you as soon as you slip into bed

[persevereforahappyending]

Back To You - Part 12 | Sam Carpenter

Pairing: Sam Carpenter x reader

Warnings: mentions of violence, death, blood, injuries, and swearing

Summary: When Sam left after turning eighteen, you were devastated. You’d been in love with her since you were kids and her leaving meant you never got to tell her how you truly felt.

Fast forward a couple of years, Tara gets attacked and Sam returns. . .

A/N: Get ready. . . 👀

Previous Part | Next Part | Masterlist

_______________________________________________

“Okay, you’re all set,” the paramedic says, patting my shoulder. He crumples the packaging of the butterfly closure strips he just used on my cheek up in his fist and throws it into the trash can next to us.

I sigh and shoot him a thankful smile before hopping off the stretcher and climbing out of the back of the ambulance.

As it turns out, none of my injuries are life threatening. My stomach is just bruised and the cut on my cheek isn’t as deep as I originally thought it was.

If I’m honest, my confidence to beat Ghostface again is actually what took the biggest hit. I’m in my prime, physically, and I thought I knew what I was getting into, but this Ghostface is different than Amber and Richie.

He is more. . . rutheless, and the way he fights makes me believe he has some kind of professional training.

“Y/N!”

Oh no.

I slowly turn around to face a fuming Sam. Now that the initial worry has worn off she’s mad and I’m not at all surprised when she shoves me after brushing past another paramedic to get to me.

“Hey, calm down.” I lift my hands placatingly, but she’s not having it.

She scowls and glares incredulously. “Calm down?” she hisses. “Calm down? You almost got yourself killed with that little stunt of yours back there. What the fuck were you thinking?!”

I glace over her shoulder to see Tara watching us with a smug look and her arms crossed over her chest. She sees me looking at her and I silently plead she’ll come over and get Sam to back off, but she doesn’t. She just looks away and I feel my stomach sink.

This is definitely payback for earlier when I didn’t defend her against Sam.

Little shit.

“I wasn’t thinking, okay?! All I wanted was to get you and Tara out of there and I did. You’re both okay,” I argue, turning my attention back to Sam.

She scoffs and pokes my shoulder, stepping closer so we’re almost chest to chest. “And what about you?! Huh? You could have gotten killed!”

Usually I’d be nervous if she was standing this close, but right now I’m simply exhausted and irritated. Why can’t she just say thank you for what I did and move on? Besides, I’m fine!

“But I wasn’t,” I shoot back, looking down at her with as much defiance as I can muster. “I’m still here, am I not?”

“So, what? You’re just going to keep putting yourself in danger until you inevitably do get yourself killed? Do you have no sense of self preservation?” she spits, the fury in her eyes taking me by surprise for a moment.

Why is she so mad? I saved her life!

“If it is to make sure you and Tara are safe then yeah!”

Silence.

Sam stares at me with wide eyes and takes a step back before whispering, “You would die for us? For me?”

Exasperated, I throw up my hands. “Of course, Sam! Why is that so hard for you to believe?”

It’s true, I would die for either of them. Not that I want to, of course, I like being alive, but if it comes down to it, I’d rather it be me than them.

That’s how much I love them. That’s how much I love Sam.

All the fight leaves Sam’s body and she just stares at me with confusion written all over her face. There’s also something else in her eyes, but I can’t quite place it.

Why is it so hard for her to believe it? I almost died saving Tara twice before, so why would that have changed? Why wouldn’t I do the same for her?

“But. . . Why?” she croaks which makes me huff in disbelief.

Is she seriously asking that?

Because I fucking love you, I want so scream, but before I can open my mouth a police officer steps between us.

“Sorry to interrupt, but Detective Bailey is asking for you guys at the station and I’ve been told to give you a ride,” he says politely and I look at Sam one more time to see she’s lost in thought before nodding and following him to his squad car.

I slide into the middle seat next to Tara who’s already in the car and nudge her with an unamused look for leaving me alone with Sam before letting her hug my arm for comfort. Sam gets in as well a moment later and we spend the drive to the police station in silence.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Sam says quietly, getting to her feet and pointing at her now vacant chair. “Just take a seat. We’ve been here for hours and you haven’t stopped pacing once.”

We’re alone in an interrogation room and there are pictures of the latest Ghostface killings on the table. I can’t stand to look at them any more and I’m beyond tired, so to keep myself distracted and awake I pace around. Well, until now.

Sam eyes me expectantly, her arms crossed over her chest, but I just shake my head.

Tara is asleep with her head on the table, and I know I won’t be able to sit still when I sit down and I don’t want to risk waking her.

I also know that tonight’s been a lot for Sam, even more than for me, so she should really be the one sitting down.

“Y/N. . .” she warns, but I just shake my head again.

“You’re tired, you sit down. I’m fine on my feet,” I say only to yawn a second later.

“Are you now?” she deadpans and I sigh, turning to resume my pacing.

I don’t get very far though because before I know what’s happening, Sam’s grabbed my elbow and dragged me to the chair.

She pushes me to sit down on it, and I’m about to protest and stand right back up when she plops down on my lap.

“Just sit. . .” she mumbles.

My brain short circuits and I freeze, feeling my heart race in my chest when she leans back against me, resting her head on my chest.

I know I could easily get her off me and stand up, but I don’t dare to move.

What the fuck is happening?

At the bodega she was about ready to rip my head off and now she’s doing this, whatever this is. . .

We haven’t been this close since we were kids and she snuck into my room and I don’t know how to react, or where to put my hands. I can just hope she can’t hear how fast my heart is beating.

I have to admit, she feels warm and the smell of her perfume brings me an unexplainable comfort, but I’m currently more awake than I’ve been all night even though the opposite seems to be true for her.

She lets out a deep breath and gets more comfortable on my lap and when I hesitantly wrap my arms around her middle so they’re not just awkwardly hanging by my side she puts her hands over mine and interlaces our fingers.

What is happening?!

The resolve I had to stay away from her so as to not get hurt again is dwindling, leaving me utterly confused.

I don’t know what I want anymore, but I do know that it feels right to have her this close.

Still, I want to ask her what she’s doing since she’s with Danny— or is she?— but I don’t get the chance because before I can pluck up the courage to do it, the door flies open.

Tara jerks awake and sits up with wide eyes, frowning momentarily when she sees the position Sam and I are in before turning back to what I’m assuming is Quinn’s dad, Detective Bailey, who just walked in.

“Sorry for the long wait,” he says, closing the door behind himself. When he turns, he looks at Sam and me weirdly, but he doesn’t comment on it.

Still, it makes me feel uneasy, and I want Sam to get off me, but she just holds my hands tighter and shifts so she faces Bailey more directly as he sits down at the other side of the table.

He throws a Ghostface mask onto the table and says something about it having been found at the apartment crime scene. I don’t pay much attention because I’m still distracted by Sam sitting on my lap.

He also goes on to ask us all about our alibis and I only give a short answer, saying that I just got into the city and that I was with Sam and Tara the rest of the night.

“Was the party before or after this?” he asks Sam and I tense underneath her when he shows us a video of Sam trying to lunge at the girl who threw her drink on her.

Where did he even get that?

Sam squeezes my fingers, but her voice is level when she replies, “Before. . .”

Tara huffs. “The point is we were with people all night.”

Bailey nods, although it seems almost reluctantly and it’s silent for a moment before Sam asks the question I’ve been meaning to ask myself ever since we got here.

“So, our roommate’s dad just happened to pull our case?” she asks and I see something like irritation flash in Bailey’s eyes before he answers.

“The detective who had the case offered it to me because it involves Quinn. But I can totally give it back if you’re uncomfortable,” he says and the way he says it almost makes it sound like a challenge.

Of course it makes sense that he’d work on this case, but my gut tells me that something’s not right about this whole thing.

I could also just be tired and hungry though, after all, I’ve been up for almost twenty four hours now and the last time I ate something was back at Liam’s which was just some leftover chocolate cake.

The two sisters share a look, Tara seemingly skeptical of the situation, but then Sam sighs and relaxes back against me, saying, “It’s fine.”

Bailey nods and he looks almost smug and I frown for a moment, but then he goes on to talk about Sam’s stolen license and I zone out again.

That is until the door opens once again and a uniformed officer tells Bailey that the FBI is here, claiming jurisdiction over the case.

The FBI?

“What?” Bailey clenches his jaw and gets to his feet. “Where are they?”

He leaves the room without looking back and as soon as he’s gone, I let out a long sigh. This is not how I thought my trip to New York would turn out.

“This is all so messed up,” Tara whispers.

“Yeah.” Sam nods and for a couple of seconds we sit in silence. Chatter from outside the interrogation room is the only thing to be heard, well, that and the clock ticking on the wall above us until Sam gets to her feet, pulling me up by my arm as well.

“What are you—?” I start but she’s already dragging me to the door.

“I want to know what’s going on,” she says.

Tara shrugs when I look at her, and before I know it the three of us are standing in the hallway where Bailey and a blonde woman I don’t recognize are in the middle of a conversation.

“Kirby?” Sam asks, letting go of my arm.

“Hey, Sam,” the blonde— Kirby— says, sending Bailey a placating smile before pulling Sam into a hug. “Tara. . .” She smiles at the younger Carpenter before shifting her attention to me. “Oh, and Y/N, hey.”

Kirby, Kirby, Kirby. . . Why does that sound so familiar?

“You guys know each other?” Bailey asks with a somewhat displeased look.

“Yeah, we went to Woodsboro High together,” Sam explains, the surprise of seeing the blonde still present on her face. “She was a senior when Y/N and I were freshman.”

Ah, yes. That’s why her name rings a bell.

The two of us never really saw that much of each other around school, but now that I know who she is I remember her from back then.

Wow. . . That feels like forever ago. I’m really getting old.

An officer walking by and handing Bailey another Ghostface mask in an evidence bag, this time from the bodega, cuts our trip down memory lane short.

It turns out it belonged to Charlie Walker and Jill Roberts, both of whom were Ghostfaces which makes me feel uneasy.

Two Ghostface masks belonging to previous Ghostfaces have been found now, and it’s pretty obvious that it’s not a coincidence.

The question is though, why would the current Ghostface leave them at the crime scenes and how did he get his hands on them in the first place.

Aren’t those masks evidence? Shouldn’t they be locked up at a police station somewhere?

“Whoever’s doing this,” Kirby says, snapping me out of my thoughts, “is a student of the killers who came before. . . Maybe he believes Sam is the latest in a long line.”

Excuse me?! Sam is not Ghostface.

I gape at Kirby, but Tara and Sam don’t seem too surprised by what the blonde just said.

This is definitely part of what I’m still missing. . .

Sam grabs my arm again and goes to brush past Bailey and Kirby, saying, “Good luck with that, but we’re getting out of town,” only to be stopped by Bailey who steps in her way and says, “That’s not possible. You’re all persons of interest in a double homicide, so you’re not allowed to leave town.”

“Are you serious?” I ask, speaking up for the first time since telling him about my alibi.

Kirby nods with an apologetic look, trying to convince us to just work with them to get this solved as quickly as possible, but Sam just shakes her head.

“Yeah, no. We’re leaving.” She spins around and leaves, and Tara and I are quick to follow her only to run into Gale Weathers and a whole bunch of other reporters outside.

It’s a struggle to get through them, especially getting past Gale who since writing her book on what happened is dead to me, but after Tara punches her we manage to flag down a cab and get away.

When her book first came out, I was a little irritated because she said she wouldn’t write about what happened, but then I read it and I was furious. She portrayed Sam as unstable and a born killer, which made me furious, and then she even tried to get an interview with me to talk about it which I, of course, refused.

I’m so tired, I bet I could fall asleep standing up right now. I just got out of the shower at Sam’s and Tara’s and am now pulling on the clothes they lent me. Well, technically they’re Chad’s because his are the only clothes that fit me, but he’s got them stored here for emergencies.

Originally, I wanted to go to Liam’s to get my stuff, but I couldn’t risk Ghostface following me and potentially finding out about Liam.

Then, my second thought was to go out and buy some stuff while Sam and Tara went to meet the others on campus to talk about what’s going to happen next, but Tara refused to let me go alone.

Which is how I ended up here, in Sam’s room, half dressed in a pair of loose jeans, with damp hair and an aching stomach.

I can’t find the sweater Tara tossed my way earlier, so I just take a seat on the edge of the bed and close my eyes, trying to indulge in this little moment of peace while the other’s are in the living room and in the kitchen making dinner.

I know now that the reason Sam was assaulted by that girl is because there’s rumors going around that she instigated all the murders in Woodsboro and then framed Richie for them. It also clears up why Kirby said people think Sam is a Ghostface, however it doesn’t explain why I haven’t heard about this until now— until Ethan mentioned the rumors online which led me to go down a rabbit hole on my phone before showering.

I’m appalled by it, and mad that people even consider believing this shit, but I’m also disappointed that neither Tara nor Sam told me about it.

The door creaks open behind me, but I don’t open my eyes or turn around until I hear Sam clear her throat softly.

I wasn’t expecting her, so I’m quick to get up and look for the sweater since I’m still half naked.

“Looking for this?” she asks quietly as she picks the sweater off the floor on the other side of the bed.

Ah, that’s where it went.

“I— Yeah,” I take it from her with a tight-lipped smile and quickly put it on, not missing the way her eyes dart to my scars before I cover them.

I don’t like how awkward things are between us, and I don’t like how confused I am about my feelings for her.

Her sitting on my lap at the police station is one thing, she could have just been tired and clingy after what happened, but this, the intense way she’s looking at me right now. . . That is something else entirely.

I love her. I love her more than anyone, but I don’t want to get hurt again.

“You know,” she says with vulnerability seeping into her voice. “I don’t actually hate you.”

I raise an eyebrow. “I— Okay. I mean, I wasn’t thinking you did, but. . .”

She chuckles sadly and shakes her head. “Not now, no, but—“ she runs her hands through her hair, “—years ago, you stopped me from going home with that guy, Josh, I think was his name. You stopped me from doing something I would have regretted for the rest of my life a-and I threw it in your face. I told you I hated you and I never forgot about it.“

When our eyes meet, I see tears glistening in her eyes, making me frown as I take a step forward.

“Sam. . .” I whisper, but she averts her shame-filled eyes. “I know you didn’t mean it. Even back then, I knew. You were hurting and you needed someone to blame, so you blamed me because I was closest to you. It stung, yes, but I never held it against you. If I’m honest, I even forgot about it until you just brought it up.”

“But then why do you hate me now?” she asks, her voice cracking.

She’s still not looking at me, so I close the distance between us and tentatively brush my fingers against her cheek. “What are you talking about? I don’t hate you.”

She unconsciously leans into the touch, her watery eyes finally meeting mine again. “Then why are you shutting me out? After what happened last year I thought we were fine, but then. . . after Christmas you started acting weird a-and I don’t understand why.”

Guilt washes over me like a tidal wave. I never meant to hurt her by keeping my distance. All I wanted to do was protect my heart.

I let my hand drop off her cheek and clench my jaw.

I’m so tired of this cat and mouse game. I don’t want to get hurt again, but she deserves to know the truth. I mean, what better time is there than now? We could all die tonight, and I’m not prepared to take this secret to the grave with me. After all, I was already going to tell her last night before we were interrupted and taken to the station.

“Because. . . I love you,” I whisper shakily.

Sam’s eyes widen but I continue before she can say anything.

“I’ve loved you since we were kids, Sam. It’s always been you, but I’ve kept my distance these last nine months because I realized that you don’t—and will never— feel the same way about me. I never meant to hurt you in the process. . .”

I shudder. There’s no turning back now. For a moment Tara’s muffled laugh from the living room and the heartbeat in my ear are the only things I can hear.

“How would you know?” Sam croaks, an unreadable expression on her face.

“Know what?” I ask, frowning at her lack of reaction.

Her eyes dart over my face, searching for. . . I don’t even know what.

“That I don’t feel the same way?” she whispers, stepping closer.

“What?” I was expecting everything but that. “I don’t—“

“You’re such an idiot,” she mumbles, surging forward and kissing me.

I choke in surprise, my hands flailing around for a split second before my eyes fly shut and my arms find their way around her waste.

This is everything I ever dreamed of and more. Her lips taste like the cherry lip-balm she likes, making me swoon, and her fingers digging into my neck send shivers down my spine.

If she wasn’t as pressed against me as she is, I’m sure my knees would give out under me.

As great as this is though, I can’t help but suddenly think of Danny and I pull back right before she can deepen the kiss.

“Sorry.” She pants against my lips, resting her forehead against mine. “I shouldn’t have just—“

“No.” I shake my head. “I-It’s okay. . . More than okay actually.” We both chuckle. “But what about Danny?”

She sighs and pulls back enough to look at me, her fingers playing with the damp hair at the back of my neck. “I told you. We’re not a thing. We used to fool around for a while, but now we’re just friends.”

“Friends?” I ask skeptically.

“Yes, friends.” She shoots me a knowing look, the tiniest hint of a smile pulling at her lips. “He’s always wanted more, but I told him it’s not happening because I’m in love with someone else. . . I’m in love with you.”

I know she’s basically already said it, but hearing her actually say it makes me gasp softly which in turn makes her smile a watery smile.

“I love you,” she whispers again, pecking my lips. “Always have and always will. I just— I never told you because when I realized it, it was right before I found out who my real dad was and I didn’t want to drag you into it. Then, I left for five years and when I came back, I didn’t think I deserved to tell you. I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most, but then we were getting over it and I thought maybe, just maybe, I’d get a chance to tell you after all. . . and then you started shutting me out.“

I chuckle in disbelief and pull her into a hug, burying my nose in her hair. “I shut you out because you never reacted to what Richie said and then you said all that stuff about long distance relationships and—“

“I didn’t say anything about what Richie said because I didn’t think he was actually right. After everything I’d done, I just didn’t believe that you could ever be in love with me,” she argues weakly, tightening her arms around my neck. “And the whole long distance stuff, I just— I wasn’t talking about you. With anyone else, I wouldn’t want it, but with you?! You’re the exception to every rule.”

Well damn. If only we’d talked sooner.

I sniffle and blink back a wave of tears before pulling back to look at her again.

Tara’s going to be so proud of us.

“I love you,” I say, feeling my heart flutter at the way her eyes sparkle when I say it.

She moves her hands from the back of my neck to my jaw, her thumb gently touching the cut on my cheekbone. It makes my skin tingle and when she whispers, “I love you, too,” I lean down to brush my lips against hers.

She hums and goes to deepen the kiss, but then a scream from the living room makes us jump apart.

_______________________________________________

And BAM! There it is! It finally happened, people! We kissed. Be honest, was it a little rushed, or are you guys happy with it?

Writing it, it felt a little rushed but we’re twelve chapters in now, so I think the timing’s okay.

Anywayyy, hope you liked it!

Tag list: @bella423 @artrizzler19 @btay3115 @canyonyodeler @quadofthec @pussyydestroyer @rqizzu @pithod @morganismspam23 @idontliketoread2137