I'm sorry I'm so late. Yesterday I used the little time I had to write. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy it.

A loud scream startled Sam and the next moment Elvis shot at him on one leg on a roller skate and knocked him over. He panted as he landed on his back with Elvis on top of him.

"Elvis. Seriously?" he asked skeptically.

"Sorry Sam. That was my mistake," shouted Ellie, who rushed over and helped him and Elvis up. "I dropped one of my roller skates when Elvis came by."

"Why are you even bringing roller skates?"

"Because Penny and I want to go roller skating together after our shift."

"Penny roller skates?" he asked, puzzled. "I always thought these things were totally out of fashion since the 80s."

"But that doesn't change the fact that it's still fun today." They turned to Steele, who now approached them with his finger raised. "Oh, I loved this sport. I even went to roller-skating discos and danced hard. Man, that good old times." He accompanied his presentation with a few good hip swings that seemed really old-school.

"Good thing those days are over," Sam muttered in shock and everyone giggled cautiously.

"I heard that Sam!"

"Sorry sir."

"Then show us how you hold yourself on roller skates."

"With all due respect sir, I certainly don't look as good at it as you do, so I'd rather avoid it."

"You always went ice skating as a little boy. This is no different."

"But that was a long time ago too."

"I think Sam is being a little shy," Ellie teased, grinning.

"Come on Sam, this is even easier, like rollerblading or ice skating."

"No thanks, that's really not my thing. Besides, Ellie's roller skates won't fit me anyway," Sam replied with a smile and lifted a hose into Jupiter's storage space.

"They are adjustable in size," Ellie now purred and demonstrated by grinning and loosening a screw, thereby widening the roller skates.

"Well, Sam, you're not chickening out, are you?" Arnold asked, winking.

"I think Sam is just too stubborn for something like that." Steele waved his hand disinterestedly and was about to turn away.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"It's no secret that you're really too stubborn about some things. You can't even switch off and you're always getting in your own way," Steele explained and pointed to the hall gate, in front of which Penny was standing with a nozzle and a hose passed towards the training tower. "It'll never work if you don't at least try to impress her."

"Sir, the most I'd do is make a fool of myself, like you're doing to me right now," Sam grumbled as he heard his colleagues around him trying to suppress their laughter.

"Oh Sam, come on, give it a try."

"Yes, maybe you'll impress one or two of us," Elvis replied with a wink.

"And if not, at least Penny has a sense of humor," Ellie whispered to Arnold.

"Or are you scared, Sam?" Steele took the skates from Ellie and waved them in front of Sam's nose.

"Give me those things," he grumbled, grabbed the roller skates and sat on a running board at Venus before putting on the roller skates.

He stood up enthusiastically and immediately stumbled as his feet slipped away from him, but he caught himself. He carefully drove up and down the hall twice, always stopping with the help of a vehicle.

"You see. It works," he replied proudly.

"Then you can go for a longer ride," Elvis replied and grabbed Sam's arm to pull him outside.

"Elvis. Wait! No. Elviiiiiiis!"

Penny heard Sam's shouts and ran back confused. She could barely see around the corner of the house. She discovered Sam, who was wild flailing his arms and stumbling on...roller skates?! came towards her and he seemed absolutely unable to control them.

She immediately jumped in his way.

"Penny, get out of the way!" she heard Sam call, but she didn't let herself be deterred. If she didn't stop Sam, he might get seriously injured and she couldn't let that happen.

She grabbed hold of the gutter drainpipe with one hand and stretched out the other arm. Sam wasn't really fast, so stopping him shouldn't be a problem. Still, she wanted to be prepared.

She grabbed him around the waist and was jerked around the next moment, only to find herself pinned against the wall by Sam the next moment.

"Do you think they noticed something?" he whispered now, protected by the wall, which hid them from the eyes of their colleagues.

"The way you've been acting? Even I forgot that you don't actually need my help," she replied, smiling and looking up into his blue eyes.

"That's probably because of my good teacher."

"But I didn't teach you how good your acting is." She grinned mischievously.

"And I thought you were just playing along." He raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Do you think I'll pass up an opportunity to hug you?" she replied with a grin and pulled him a little closer to her thanks to her arms around his waist.

"And I'm eternally grateful to you for that," he replied with a smile and kissed her.

THE END