I'm glad you enjoyed it. In the larger scheme, this story is ...not filler, but a bridge between two arcs (no promises on when, definitely not soon). I wanted to show them with an established and functional relationship outside of the valley, but still with the understandable differences. Sam isn't human after all -- a little time on the road isn't going to erase his nature, no matter how well he is able to blend in. I'm glad you appreciated the shading and balances with both main characters *grins* Thank you so much for commenting!