Thank you to everyone who has stayed in touch since the end of "A New Reality in Direction" affectionately referred to as ANRID. If you have not read ANRID already you should read it before this story so that you can follow the story clearly because it is a sequel. I do use several original characters, but most of them are established from ANRID and have readers that really care about them.
From the bottom of my heart I hope you enjoy this story as much as the last one. Thank you for being such dedicated readers. I can't wait to hear from you in the comments section, private message, or other social media. I really hope you enjoy this trip down the WALK OF FAME.
Sincerely,
Shane Hardy
CHAPTER 1 – NINE MONTHS LATER
Mid-August 2014/New York City
Blaine Anderson couldn't wipe the smile off of his face if he wanted too. His biggest dream had come true just twenty-four hours earlier. Santana had hers first, Rachel second, and then Sam third. He remembered each of their big moments clearly, but this time it was all about him. Knowing that this transition would change so much in his life, the first thing he'd set out to do this morning was to talk to his academic advisor at NYADA about scaling back his course load.
He headed to the front door of the fine arts school and was not the least bit surprised by the person standing there waiting on him. Sunshine Corazon, who has just moved in to begin her freshman year, stood outside the front entrance to NYADA dressed in a crisp and fitted white Oxford shirt, black necktie and vest, and short black skirt, holding two coffees and smiling from ear to ear.
"I thought the least I could do for my gay husband is bring him coffee after he received the biggest news of his life," she hugged Blaine and handed him the coffee. "I am so happy for you."
"Thank you," Blaine beamed with happiness.
"I would have congratulated you last night but you mysteriously no-showed my VMA's party at Tina's apartment," she side-eyed him.
"Yeah, I didn't exactly want to watch that with everyone. It just felt like it would be awkward, you know?" Blaine explained.
"Did you see Sam win Best New Artist?" she asked.
"Yeah," Blaine smiled. "I'm really proud of him."
"So has the beautiful blonde boyfriend sent you a big surprise to congratulate you yet?"
Blaine couldn't help but blush as he smiled.
Same Day/Los Angeles
Sam sat in the make-up chair backstage at the Ellen DeGeneres set. He had been chosen as one of five teenagers to be featured in Ellen's first primetime special, America's Inspirational Teens. He kept trying to type a text message into his phone but kept being interrupted.
"Mr. Evans, are you satisfied with your make-up?" the assistant asked.
"Yes, thank you," he smiled.
"And your hair?"
"It's perfect. I usually just toss it around anyway," Sam was his genial self. Even in the selfish world of Hollywood, he'd already garnered a reputation for being nice and respectful and he wouldn't have it any other way.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Evans, I know this is probably unprofessional of me, but my daughter loves you. Could I possibly bother you for a photo?" another assistant asked.
"Sure," he smiled. Not the real Sam Evans' smile that his friends and family knew, but the fake Hollywood smile he'd learned to make look real.
"Okay, can we give Mr. Evans some space," he turned to the door and saw the stage manager for the show standing there. The assistants all walked out of the room and the young man walked over and shook Sam's hand. "Mr. Evans, thank you so much for agreeing to be a part of our show. We know you had a big night last night. Congratulations on your first Moon Man. That's a great accomplishment."
"Thank you," Sam continued to smile. "And thank you for letting me be the fifth interview out of five. It let me get a little more sleep before I had to be here."
"Well, your manager knows how to work a deal. She's beautiful, but she can be scary in order to get what she wants," the stage manager smirked.
"And don't you forget it," the two boys turned to the door when they heard Ella Stone's voice. She stood there in a black business suit, but neither guy could deny her beauty. A look-alike for Laura Bell Bundy, she had this star quality to her, but she'd made it her mission in life to make Sam the big star by being the strong voice behind his career. "Why don't you and I discuss things in the hallway and let Sam collect his thoughts for a moment before beginning the interview."
The stage manager walked into the hallway and Ella winked at Sam before shutting the door. He took a moment just to breath before turning his attention to the text message he kept trying to write. He'd been trying to write it for a while, but nothing seemed to materialize on the screen. He didn't know what to say. He went to cancel the message when the screen lit up with the picture of a smart and beautiful blonde friend of his.
"Hey Quinn," his smile turned into the genuine one he was known for. "Are you up at Yale?"
"No, I'm in The City. I don't have to go back to Yale until next week, but I called to check on you Mr. Best New Artist," she smiled. "I'm really proud of you, Sam."
"Thanks. I got your text last night. Sorry I didn't respond, it was absolutely crazy here," he apologized.
"No worries, everyone was proud of you. Tina and Sunshine held a VMA party in your honor and almost everyone was there," she informed him.
"I don't think I need many guesses to figure out who wasn't there," Sam's smile deflated.
"Well, I just wanted to call because I wanted to make sure you got the news about Blaine and The Newsies," she stated.
"That's old news Quinn. He started working on that show back in January," Sam wondered what she was talking about.
"You don't know," she stopped walking down the street and stood surprised that no one had told Sam. "The lead of the show is leaving Broadway to star in the traveling show around the country. Blaine was promoted to be the new Jack Kelly. He's not in the chorus anymore, Sam, he's the lead."
"Good for him," Truthfully Sam did know the news already, but hearing it again didn't change anything. Sam beamed with pride for Blaine. He knew this was what he'd always wanted. "He deserves to be happy."
"So do you, Sam Evans," Quinn didn't miss a beat with the statement.
"Yeah, well, that's a little hard when you are being pulled in as many directions as I am, but I do appreciate you calling," he wanted to change the subject. "Did you get the tickets I sent you for my House of Blues show in Boston?"
"I did and I will most definitely be there," Quinn announced.
The door to the dressing room opened and Ella walked in. "Sam, they are ready for you on set."
"I'll take that as my cue," Quinn knew he had to go. "Have a killer interview and call me afterwards okay?"
Sam agreed and hung up the call which lit the previous screen on his phone again. The text message to Blaine was still empty. He just started typing something and then handed his phone over to Ella and headed to set.
New York City
Blaine and Sunshine walked down one of the hallways at NYADA.
"So you're scaling back your course load to accommodate the show?" Sunshine asked.
"That's what I'm going to ask for at least. I mean they let Rachel do it and they let Sam put a complete hold on his education and told him he could come back when he was ready. I'd like to think with as dedicated as I've been to this school that they will show me the same courtesy," Blaine defended his position.
"I'm sure they will," Sunshine looked up then stopped Blaine so she could point out something to him. "After all it appears that the school is already proud of you."
In front of them was a large bulletin board where NYADA posted updates on their biggest success stories. Rachel Berry had a section. She was NYADA's latest Tony winner. Sam had a section listing all the music and acting credits he already had, but the part Sunshine pointed to was the newest section announcing Blaine Anderson as the new Jack Kelly.
"That's pretty awesome," Sunshine nudged his arm.
"It is, actually," Blaine smiled. He felt his phone go off in his pocket and he pulled it out to look at the screen. Sunshine noticed that he stopped moving.
"Who is it?" she wondered.
"It's a text from Sam," Blaine turned to her.
She knew he would just keep staring not knowing what to do so she took the phone from him, unlocked it and read the message.
Sam: I know it's been awhile, but I just heard the news (get it?!) about you being Jack Kelly. I'm super proud of you and happy for you. Let me know if it's okay for me to come see the show because I'd love to see you live out your dream.
"It's actually a sweet message," Sunshine attempted to smooth over Blaine's reaction.
"Yeah," his eyes still in a daze looking at the message until he felt a pair of strong arms
wrapping around his waist.
"Do you like the updated bulletin board?" the strong British accent in his ear made Blaine
smile and relax into the arms around him. "I wanted to make sure it was updated before you came
by today. I wanted you to see it."
Blaine turned around and stared into the beautiful eyes of Adam Crawford.
"It's amazing, Adam, and I absolutely love it," Blaine got lost in his eyes.
"Good because I did it for you," Adam said before leaning closer to Blaine.
The boys kissed each other while Sunshine watched with a happy expression on her face.
"Okay, boys, you're the ones that want to keep this relationship under wraps so making out in the middle of the hallway might not be the best way of doing that," she reminded them.
"Sorry, Sunshine," Blaine felt like he'd been scolded.
"No need to apologize to me. I still don't understand why you want to keep this beautiful blonde Brit a secret from everyone, but I do appreciate that I'm the one you trusted with your secret. But don't you think it's about time you tell the rest of our friends before they find out some other way?"
"I think you know exactly why we wanted to keep this between us," Blaine suggested. "And we will tell everyone, but it's kind of nice keeping it to ourselves."
"Well I very much love having you all to myself," Adam smirked before kissing Blaine again.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Blaine, Adam, and Sunshine quickly turned towards the voice to see that last person they wanted to know about their secret.
Rachel Berry.
Los Angeles
The interview went perfectly. Sam managed to be his normal charming self. Everyone raved about how great the interview would read on television. He walked back into his dressing room and shut the door. For the most part the interview had been about his career and the positive role model he'd become, but then it turned to his private life. He didn't want to talk about those things but he knew he had to in order to give the interview Ellen expected.
The truth was that everything about his life had changed in the last nine months. He turned around to walk into the bathroom so he could change into his regular clothes for the ride to the airport. He stopped when he caught his image in the mirror. He was different now. It was easy to see. Standing in front of him was a young man, now nineteen years old, with trimmed but still floppy blonde hair, completely tailored into a dark blue pin-striped Tommy Hilfiger suit.
In the last nine months since his first single, Never Alone, shot to the top of the music charts, his life had completely changed. It started with the decision to put his education on hold and leave NYADA. His career began to take off and soon he was offered guest starring roles in several television shows like The Middle and Grey's Anatomy. For the latter, he did an episode about the high school quarterback coming out of the closet and being beaten nearly to death by his teammates. They'd asked him to play the role because the show partnered with the Be A Star Network in order to raise awareness. Sam loved the opportunity to do it because he got to work with the organization again. Professionally, it had been a huge move because Hollywood now considered him a young triple threat, musician, actor, and model. He'd even earned an Emmy nomination for playing the gay quarterback.
As for his original professional job, Sam had become the name brand face of Tommy Hilfiger. He didn't plan to stay in that capacity much longer. They had set out a contract taking him through the 2015 summer season, but then he planned to end the modeling in order to concentrate on his music and acting. He'd had three different billboards in Times Square including the current one of him in a swim suit with two beautiful women. One of those women looked very familiar. Thinking about that photo shoot, his thoughts turned to Santana. It was their last photo shoot together before she began acting full time. Her guest starring role on Pretty Little Liars turned into a full time role. With her filming in Burbank and him being around the globe working on his music and filming his first movie, he'd barely seen his best friend since May.
His relationship with Santana wasn't the only one that had severely changed in the past nine months though. It seemed that all his friends were moving in different directions and didn't seem to have as much time for each other. He remembered moving to New York the previous summer and thinking that things would be a specific way, and they were for a little while, but it seemed that the catapult of his, Santana's, and Rachel's careers seemed to have an adverse effect on several relationships in their group. Other things had also happened and he was thankful they didn't come up in the interview. They brought up bad memories he wanted to forget.
The biggest relationship in his life that changed was with Blaine. He pressed the button on his phone to light up the screen. His lock screen was still a picture of the two of them from Blaine's 18th birthday party where Blaine dressed as Harry Potter and Sam went as Captain America. It was his favorite picture of them together. He knew it was crazy for him to still have it saved. The relationship ended three months earlier, but he couldn't bring himself to change it. He knew when they broke up that Blaine still had feelings for him. He knew he still loved Blaine, but they were different people now. Their lives had them on opposite coasts and both of them had done something that was unforgivable to the other. The break-up was no one's fault, or maybe it was the fault of both of them, but it didn't matter now. It was over.
He unlocked the phone and pulled up a video he had watched too many times to count. It was from January at the launch party for Sam's album. At one point during the night, he brought Blaine up on stage and they sang a song together that sounded like it had been written for them even though it was a cover. It seemed like theirs. He knew he watched this video way too often, but they both looked so happy and he couldn't help it. Nothing made him feel better than watching him and Blaine together and happy.
"Are you watching that video again?"
Sam looked up to find Ella standing in the doorway smiling at him. She had become so much more than just his manager. She was his counselor, friend, and confidant. She took care of him, and by this point in their professional relationship, she could read Sam's moods perfectly.
"It calms me down," Sam smiled weakly before sitting on the sofa and pushing his phone as deep into his pocket as he could.
Ella came and sat next to him. She grabbed his hand between hers and held on tightly because she had learned how being tactile with Sam calmed him down. She noticed quickly how he was always the first to shake hands, hug, or use any other type of touch to comfort those around him.
"You just won MTV's best new artist, you are nominated for an Emmy, and Ellen DeGeneres chose you for her first Inspirational Teens special. That should make you proud. I'm proud of you and I know your parents and your little brother and sister are proud of you too. Now you get to head home to Lima for a week and see them. It was the perfect idea to prepare for your tour back home. You haven't been there since May and I know you want to check on them. I know you've been worried about them and now is your chance."
"I shouldn't have left," Sam ridiculed himself. "Dad has needed me after his accident and I wasn't there."
"Will has had plenty of people taking care of him and you working is what paid for him to get the treatment he needed to give him a chance at a full recovery. His teacher's insurance never would have done that," Ella reminded him. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe he was the one that insisted that you go do the movie. There was no way he was going to let you turn down your first starring role."
Sam knew she was right. "I just miss them."
She knew that was the truth. She'd noticed how sad Sam had become over the last few months, and she knew why but they hadn't talked about it at all.
"I can cancel my plans, Sam. If you want me to go back to Lima with you and handle the press and make sure you have uninterrupted time with your family then that's exactly what I'll do," she offered.
"Ella, it's your sister's wedding. You're going home to Tennessee because you need time with your family too. You shouldn't spend all your time taking care of me," Sam insisted.
"Well I appreciate that. I am excited to be the maid of honor even if the dress is hideous," Ella winked and made Sam laugh. "Good, there's that smile that the world has fallen in love with."
He didn't say anything which meant he was nervous about being alone but wouldn't admit it.
"I did, however, take the opportunity to have Five Star send someone out to take my place for the week. I want to make sure you're taken care of and they will be here any minute to take you to the airport and then home. So go get changed and he should be here shortly.
Sam walked into the bathroom and changed into his jeans, t-shirt and plaid button-down with the sleeves rolled up. Walking out of the bathroom his lips formed the most genuine smile he'd had in two months when he saw who stood in the dressing room leaned against the doorway.
"Did you miss me, brother?"
"Sebastian!" Sam ran over and the two boys hugged each other tightly. "I'm so glad you are here!"
"And miss the chance to go spend a week in Lima with you? I had to come back from Paris for that," Sebastian smirked.
"I'm sure Nick has nothing to do with it," Sam smiled thinking about Sebastian's boyfriend, Nick, and all their friends they would get to see in just a few short hours.
"Maybe a little, but this time it is all about you Sammy. I'm your support system while we get you ready for your tour," he pulled Sam into another hug. The boys hadn't seen each other in two months. "Come on. Let's go home."
New York City
"Rachel, I can explain," Blaine insisted.
"Really? I mean really?" Rachel shook her head in disbelief. "You want to explain to me why you, someone who calls himself my best friend, would be in a passionate lip-lock with the guy who wrote in the NYADA theatre blog that my rendition of Fanny Brice was appalling. A claim, I might add, he never retracted after I won a freaking Tony for it!"
"Just because you won doesn't mean you did it correctly, Miss Berry," Adam rolled his eyes.
"Do you see what I'm talking about?" Rachel looked to Blaine hoping he could see her point. "Please tell me that this kiss I witnessed was just this Brit boy band reject assaulting your mouth and that you're not actually dating this guy?"
"Boyfriends actually," Adam winked at her.
She stood there stunned for a minute at the admission. She turned to Sunshine.
"Did you know about this?"
"Yeah, for about a week now," she admitted.
"How long have you two been together?" Rachel asked.
"Not that it's any of your business," Adam interjected.
Blaine moved away from Adam and took Rachel's hand pulling her away from the other two so that he could talk to her.
"We made it official two weeks ago, Rachel, but we've been hanging out most of the summer. You know that. If it weren't for Adam I never would have gotten over the break-up with Sam. He's been amazing and I really like him a lot. Can't you be happy for me?" Blaine asked.
"I don't like him," she whispered.
"I know you don't. I know that most of our friends don't like him, but he makes me happy, and if you guys are really my friends that's all that should matter to you," Blaine pointed out.
"How do we live together and I didn't even know about you and him?" Rachel questioned.
It was true. After Sam and Blaine ended their relationship in May, Blaine and Santana switched apartments. It was a simple move across the hall, but it had so many more meanings than that.
"You've been a little busy with the press tour after winning your Tony, and then you took that vacation with Finn. Since you've been back you and I haven't really talked at all. Have you even noticed that I haven't been coming home at night?" Blaine asked.
She realized she hadn't noticed.
"Okay, duly noted. I reluctantly admit I may have been somewhat more self-obsessed than usual this summer, but I'm just trying to move on to the next thing in my career," she defended herself.
"I understand, Rachel. Just promise me that you will at least try to be happy for me," he asked.
"Okay I will, but I do have one question," she put her hands on her hips before asking. "Have you told Sam you've moved on?"
"We haven't talked in a long time, Rachel, and I highly doubt with all the big things that are going on in his life that he will care that I have a new boyfriend," Blaine declared.
"And I'll call your bluff on that one because you and I both know that no matter what is going on in Sam's life he would care about this," Rachel refuted.
Blaine's face fell because he knew she was right. He knew that Sam would eventually find out and his good nature would let the relationship with Adam happen because they cared enough about each other not to interfere.
"Please don't tell him, Rachel," Blaine hoped she would listen. He could tell by her reaction to the request that she didn't want to agree to it. Finally, she relented.
"Fine, but I can't make promises for anyone else," Rachel said walking away from Blaine and the others.
She walked out the front entrance of NYADA and stood their frustrated. She loved Blaine, but she loved Sam too and she hated being put in the middle. She had tried very hard to stay neutral and maintain a friendship with both, but all that seemed to happen was that the amount of interaction with both boys decreased. Her only consolation was that she knew she wasn't the only one that felt that way.
As for Adam, his review wasn't the only reason she didn't like him. She always felt uneasy around him and trust wasn't even an option, yet she had no tangible reason why she felt that way. She'd never seen Adam do a single thing that was inappropriate, but Rachel knew her instincts about people were rarely wrong, skewed maybe, but not wrong.
She pulled out her cell and dialed a number.
"Hey, meet me at Central Perk in half an hour and bring back up. I've got something I need to tell all the girls."
Somewhere above the United States/Smythe Jet
"So I heard you booked another movie," Sebastian began the conversation. "As your boss I think that's awesome. As your friend and admirer of your hot body I can't wait to see it. I mean Magic Mike 2, you're going to be every woman and gay boy's wet dream if you aren't already."
"Seb are we really going to start catching up with that?" Sam laughed.
"Well we could start with the preview poster of your other movie I was sent this morning. You look amazing. I'm honestly shocked a Disney poster shows that much skin," Sebastian eyed the poster on his phone.
"Well I was playing Tarzan. It's not like the character wears a lot of clothes," Sam commented on the fact that he'd just finished filming the movie version of Disney's Tarzan: The Musical.
"And I have never been more thankful to the Disney gods," Sebastian laughed. Sam couldn't help but laugh with him.
"All kidding aside, Sam, I'm really proud of all you've accomplished already. Not that I ever had any doubts, but you've gone above and beyond."
"I'm just glad you're here," Sam smiled. "You have no idea how much I've missed you. It's been crazy not having anyone to talk too."
"What do you mean?" Sebastian saw the sadness on Sam's face. "Are you talking about you and Blaine?"
"The break-up? You can say it Seb. I'm not going to break, and yes, I guess that's what I'm talking about. I just didn't want to put anyone in the middle so I haven't talked to anyone about it. Plus, all my friends are either in New York or Lima. I've been alone most of the summer. It got so bad at one point I flew Blake out just to hang with me for a week."
"What about Santana? Haven't you two been hanging out? She's been in LA filming hasn't she?" Sebastian assumed.
"Until the end of June. She's been filming a movie in Mexico since then. We haven't spoken that much. I think she's still upset about the argument we had," Sam confessed.
"She can get over that," Sebastian defended him. "You had every right to be upset about that. She might have been weirded out by the fact that you actually called her out on it because in the past you've always let her slide, but you couldn't this time. You were hurt and reacted. Nothing you said to her was wrong. Maybe that's what she has an issue with. She knows you were right."
"Still, I miss her. I never wanted things to be bad between us."
"Have you talked to her?" Sebastian asked.
"I tried, but she wasn't taking my calls. I left her a text telling her I wanted to forget what happened, that I loved her and missed her, but I haven't heard from her since," Sam revealed.
"Santana and I are alike to a fault, Sam. We share the same fatal flaw which is our pride. We hate admitting we're wrong and we both want to remove ourselves from the situation in order to not deal with it," Sebastian explained.
"Is that why you went to Paris for the summer?" Sam prodded.
Sebastian blushed. He had fallen right into that trap. "Touché, Mr. Evans. You got me there."
He leaned back in his seat and took another sip of the scotch and soda he was drinking.
"I wasn't trying to get you," Sam stated. "I didn't really think there was anything to get. I mean you and Nick are still together, right?"
Sebastian smiled. "Yeah, we are, and he has no idea that I'm coming back to Lima. Hopefully he will be pleasantly surprised."
"Why did you go to Paris, Seb? You never told me. You texted me that you had to get away for a little while and that you would explain to me why when you got back and asked me to trust you and I did that. When are you going to let me know what happened? I've been worried about you all summer," Sam wanted to know.
"Do you really want to know? Because it involves you and Blaine and that's why I didn't say anything," Sebastian confessed.
"How?" Sam shook his head in confusion.
Sebastian took a deep breath and let it out. He knew he would have to explain this to Sam after promising to do so. He never intended to lie to Sam about anything. "When you and Blaine broke up it hit me pretty hard. I mean I look up to both of you especially when it comes to relationships and when you two ended things it made me think about me and Nicky. With him still in Lima for a year and me in New York going to school and running my company I didn't know if we would make it. So we talked about it and decided to test out the theory and see if absence really does make the heart grow fonder."
"And did it?" Sam asked.
He could tell the answer by Sebastian's blushing cheeks before he even answered. "It did for me."
"You guys are going to make it, Seb. I think you and Nick are more of a stable couple than Blaine and I were."
"Sam, it wasn't like you two just decided to break up. It was the Pandora's Box of break-ups. No matter how hard you two tried, you kept getting hit with something else. Hell, I was surprised you made it past your Dad's accident," Sebastian continued.
"Why does everyone call it that? It wasn't an accident and it wasn't like I wasn't involved in it. It was my fault. It is my fault that my Dad, the one person I've always been able to count on, had to relearn how to walk. I don't even know if he'll want to see me when I get home," Sam lamented.
"Are you kidding me?" Sebastian reached across and put his hand on Sam's knee to get his attention. "Mr. Schue loves you so much how could you even think that, man? He doesn't blame you. The only one that blames you for what happened is you. Why can't you see that?"
Sam looked down at the floor of the plane without responding.
"Don't do that, Sam!" Sebastian made him look up. "When bad things in the world happen they aren't automatically your fault, and if your dad was sitting here with us he would tell you the same thing. And if you don't believe me ask him when we get home."
"Can we please change the subject because I know this is going to eventually transition into a conversation about Blaine and I really don't want to go there," Sam pleaded.
"No, we're going there," Sebastian leaned back in his seat. "Everyone else has dodged the subject with you, but there is nothing in me that will let me do that."
"Please, Sebastian. I don't want to talk about Blaine," Sam asked again.
"Fine, you tell me that you are over Blaine and ready to move on and I'll drop the subject," Sebastian raised an eyebrow at him because he knew Sam wouldn't be able to do it.
"I'm over him," Sam said with no conviction at all.
"Liar!" Sebastian got up quickly and grabbed Sam's cell from him. He unlocked it. "You really need to change that code. It's the same one from when you were in high school." He looked to see what was the last thing Sam had opened and he saw the video from his album release party. "I remember this night."
"You filmed the performance," Sam relented.
"You two were great that night. You were great every time you performed together. Is that the only reason this is on your phone?" Sebastian questioned.
Sam didn't respond.
The silence told Sebastian everything he needed to know about Sam and his feelings for Blaine. They hadn't gone anywhere.
"That was the last night we spent together before all the craziness happened," Sam softly spoke. "It was the last night it was just him and me."
FLASHBACK: January 2014/New York City
The night of Sam's album release party all of his friends were present. He was playing all the songs from his album, but at one point he stopped the band and spoke to the audience.
"I want to take a minute or two, give the band a break and let you guys know how much I appreciate everything that you have done to help me become the person I am and help me achieve this dream that I never thought would be possible," Sam pointed to a group of his friends in front of the stage. "You guys are the best friends any guy could ask for. I'm so thankful I'm getting to watch your dreams come true and right now you're getting to watch mine." He turned and pointed and Will and Emma standing in the corner. "Mom, Dad, I love you and I never would have gotten here without you. I'm up here doing what I love today because you made me believe that I deserved to be happy."
He stopped talking and looked directly down to the front of the stage where Blaine stood with Sebastian who was filming. "But there is one guy that deserves more credit than anyone. I love him and I always will, and I'm hoping he'll come up on stage with me and do me the honor of singing with me."
Sam held his hand out to Blaine and he took it. He pulled Blaine up on stage and hugged him tightly.
"What are you doing, Sam?" Blaine asked with curiosity.
"Pick up a guitar. I want to do our song for everyone," Sam told him. Blaine picked up the other guitar and threw the strap over his shoulder and watched Sam for his cue.
"Blaine," Sam called over to him.
Blaine turned towards him and caught the beautiful smile of Sam's in his eye line.
"I love you," Sam told him before he started playing.
(Heroes by David Bowie – Glee Cast Version)
(Performed by Sam Evans and Blaine Anderson)
Sam and Blaine played the beginning of the song together as they stared into each other's eyes. Their smiles and the love between them were so obvious that everyone in the room could see it. All their friends knew which song they would sing. It had become their song since they sang it during their senior year at McKinley.
SAM: I . . . I wish I could swim like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim. Though nothing, nothing will keep us together. We can beat them, forever and ever . . . oh, we can be heroes just for one day.
Blaine looked down into the crowd and caught the eyes of Rachel Berry dancing with Finn Hudson. They both winked at the other as he continued to sing.
BLAINE: I . . . I will be king and you, you will be queen. Though nothing will drive them away we can be heroes just for one day.
Sam/Blaine: We can be us, just for one day
Sam looked down to see Tina and Mike staring up at him and his boyfriend. Their friends seemed so happy for them.
SAM: I . . . I can remember
BLAINE: I remember
SAM: Standing by the wall
BLAINE: By the wall
SAM: And the guns shot above our heads
BLAINE: Over our heads
SAM: And we kissed as though nothing could fall
BLAINE: Nothing could fall.
In front of them stood Rachel, Finn, Tina, Mike, Sebastian, Santana, Quinn, and Mercedes dancing and enjoying this moment with them.
Blaine/Sam: And the shame was on the other side. Oh we can beat them, forever and ever. Then we could be heroes, just for one day. We can be heroes . . . we can be heroes . . . just for one day . . . We can be heroes . . . we can be heroes . . . just for one day.
As soon as the song was over Sam and Blaine both put their guitars down and headed off stage to have a moment alone. Sam pulled his boyfriend backstage and kissed him. They kissed again for nearly a minute. When they came up for air, Sam wrapped Blaine in his arms.
"No matter what happens and where this career of mine takes me, I will always remember this moment right now as being perfect," Sam admitted.
"I adore you, Sam Evans," Blaine smiled and leaned in to kiss him again.
Present Day – Smythe Jet
"Sam . . ." Sebastian snapped his fingers in front of Sam's face and the boy shook his head back into reality. "You looked like you were a million miles away."
"I was," Sam turned and looked out the window. "Another time and another place."
Present Day – New York City
Rachel walked into Central Perk and headed directly to the counter to order her green tea frappe. She waited for the barista to finish it when she heard a voice walk up from behind her.
"Rachel, what could possibly be so big that you had to pull me out of summer stock rehearsal? I have a show tonight."
She turned to see Tina Cohen-Chang standing there glammed out in a green mini-dress and curled hair.
"I guarantee you that if I didn't call you, Tina, that you would be angry with me for leaving you out. Just trust me on that," Rachel promised.
Tina sipped her coffee, rolled her eyes and walked over to one of the sofas in order for her and Rachel to sit down. "Who else are we waiting on?"
"Well you're very lucky that you got me before I headed to my next audition this afternoon," Quinn Fabray walked in from the door dressed to the nines in a blue Audrey Hepburn inspired dress and her hair pulled back. It was obvious she was on her way to an audition.
Tina stood up and gave her a hug. "I know you've been staying in Sam's apartment but I feel like I haven't seen you all week. How are your auditions going?"
"Great, I had a really wonderful audition yesterday for a television series and just got the call that I have a call back and today I have a callback for a movie with Channing Tatum. Can you actually imagine having the chance to film with him? It would be crazy," she turned to Rachel who stood waiting for a hug. "I didn't get the chance to tell you Saturday night, but I enjoyed the show so much. Thanks again for the tickets."
"Thanks for coming for the fifth time," Rachel gushed. "Did you like the new male lead?"
"He's good," Quinn began. "I still like the original but I'm sure he will grow into the role not that you'll be there much longer though."
"Oh, I don't know. I keep going back and forth on that. I love the role and the play, but I do want a new challenge. I guess I'll be staying until the right project comes along," Rachel explained.
"I talked to Sam this morning," Quinn added to the conversation as she sat on the sofa across from Rachel and Tina.
"How is he?" Tina wondered. "It's been a couple of weeks since I've talked to him. I sent him a text last night after he won."
"I think he's doing okay. I called to tell him congratulations and to thank him for the tickets to his show, but he did sound down about something. I'm not sure what it was though."
"Surely someone hasn't told him yet," Rachel snapped back into the conversation.
"Told who what?" Quinn looked up and Rachel and Tina turned around to see Mercedes Jones standing behind them. Mercedes' life had changed a lot in the last few months. After spending most of the year since moving to New York waiting tables and singing at Ellen's Stardust Café in Times Square, her fiancé/manager, Justin managed to get her cast in a Motown musical review that was planning off-Broadway. It had done a lot for her confidence and with the run of that show over she was determined to get something new before going back to waiting tables. "Rachel Berry don't you be holding back. Who is keeping a secret from who?"
Mercedes walked around and sat next to Quinn so the four young ladies could talk.
"Well Quinn just said that Sam seemed down when she talked to him earlier today," Rachel explained.
"He seemed fine when I talked to him yesterday," Mercedes added.
"Could have been the VMA's he was happy about though," Tina suggested.
"No, I actually called him to talk about his House of Blues Tour, speaking of which he sent me the date for his Atlantic City show. We should all plan to go," Mercedes proclaimed.
"I'm going to the one in Boston actually," Quinn told her. "We talked about the show too and I told him about Blaine's Broadway promotion."
"How did he take the news?" Tina worried.
"He was really happy for Blaine. How did you think he would react? They aren't together anymore but he still wants to see Blaine happy," Quinn insisted.
"You still think Sam is in love with Blaine?" Tina knew what Quinn meant.
"Yeah, I do. Because it's classic Sam behavior. If he was over Blaine he'd be friends with him again like he is with me or Mercedes or Santana, but he hasn't been back to New York all summer and it doesn't take a genius to figure out why," Quinn laid out her thoughts.
"Or he's just busy with a super successful career that has him trotting all over the globe," Mercedes provided another explanation. "The boy is busy. We have to share him with the world now."
"Well I think I know a way to find out," Rachel spoke up. "Blaine is dating Adam."
"You mean like they're just going on dates together, right? They're just hanging out?" Mercedes questioned.
"No as in boyfriends making out in the NYADA hallways dating," Rachel declared.
"Does Sam know?" Tina shook her head in disbelief. "I mean I know that Adam has been there for Blaine since Sam dropped out of NYADA and started his career, and I can tell that Adam really cares for Blaine, but I didn't realize Blaine shared those feelings."
"Well I think it's a good thing," Mercedes spoke up. "Both of our boys deserve to move on and be happy, so I'm happy that Blaine found him another man that he likes enough to take that next step. Maybe Sam will be able to do the same now."
"Not a chance. If Sam hears this it will crush him," Quinn refuted. "We can't tell him."
"We have too," Tina disagreed. "He's going to find out eventually. This is Sam. If he finds out it's one thing. If he finds it out and realizes that we knew and didn't tell him, he'll never forgive us."
"I agree with Tina. I think it is our duty as Sam's devoted friends to let him know. I cannot do it because Blaine made me take a solemn oath that I would not tell him, but none of you did, so who is calling Sam?" Rachel put forth the challenge.
"If we call Sam aren't we betraying Blaine?" Mercedes asked.
"Not if we can say to ourselves that if Sam had started dating first we would have done the same thing for Blaine. If we can say that then we can have a clear conscious about it," Rachel defended her position.
"I can't do it," Tina announced. "I sat down with both of them after the break-up and told them that I would never pick a side between them because I love them both so much. Somebody else has to do it."
"I'm not doing it because it's not our place to get involved. These boys are grown ass men. They can talk to each other and tell the other what is going on. Adam will be good for Blaine and I think Sam knows that. He'll be happy for him just like he was for the Jack Kelly role," Mercedes insisted.
"I disagree Mercedes," Quinn said. "I agree with Rachel that someone should tell Sam."
"So you'll do it then?" Rachel seemed relieved that Quinn volunteered.
"No, I won't. The last thing I need after everything last spring is for Blaine to actually think that I'm meddling in their relationship again. I seem to be a sore spot with him and he would never see that I was doing the right thing, he'd just see it as me telling Sam his secret," Quinn explained.
"Then how do we let Sam know so he's not blindsided with this information?" Tina stammered.
Quinn pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
"Hey, Santana. I'm sitting here with Rachel, Mercedes, and Tina. There's something you need to know."
Present Day – Lima, Ohio
Sam and Sebastian walked up the steps of the apartment complex together planning to surprise the Schuester's.
"I probably should have called before just coming home," Sam thought aloud.
"Are you kidding? They are going to love the surprise," Sebastian insisted.
"Well don't think I'm doing this alone. You're coming in with me before you go to your apartment. I know that Mom and Dad are going to be as happy to see you as they are me," Sam smiled.
"Think so?" Sebastian mused. "Let's find out."
He turned and knocked on the door to the Schuester's apartment and smiled at Sam.
Sam punched Sebastian in the arm making him laugh. He was about to say something when the door opened.
"Finn!" Sam called out seeing his old friend standing there. The two exchanged a hug.
"Sam, I had no idea you were coming home!" Finn called out.
"Did you say Sam?" the boys heard Will's voice come from inside the apartment.
"Yeah, Mr. Schue, it's Sam and Sebastian," Finn moved aside and let the boys into the apartment with their luggage.
Sam walked in and saw Will standing in the dining room supporting most of his weight on a cane. The sight brought back all the memories of why he was hurt in the first place.
"Come here, kid, and give me a hug. I'd run over to you but I'm not as fast as I used to be," Will smiled.
Sam ran over to his dad and wrapped him up in his arms. Will put his arms around his son and squeezed him tightly. "I've missed you so much, Dad."
"Not as much as I've missed you," Will laughed and cried at the same time.
"Will, what's going on?" Emma came out of their bedroom and froze in place when she saw Sam standing there. For Sam's part he was shocked by what he saw in front of him. Emma stood there in front of him very pregnant. "Sam? Oh my, honey, this is such an incredible surprise."
Sam opened his arms to pull Emma into the hug he shared with Will. She embraced her son and started crying from happiness. "Nothing could make me happier than you being here, Sam. I love surprises like this."
"Well evidently you have a pretty big surprise for me too. You're pregnant. How did I not know that?" Sam beamed and put his hand on her stomach.
"We didn't find out until the week after you left to work on the movie," Will informed him.
"When I went to the doctor I was already two months pregnant. I'm five months along now. We wanted to wait and tell you in person," Emma continued the explanation then turned to see Sebastian standing there. "Sebastian, you're home from Europe too? This has just turned into an incredible night!"
She walked over and gave him a huge hug. "Are you here for a while?"
"The same week as Sam will be here. We're putting his tour set together here then recording the tour in New York before it begins in a few weeks," Sebastian explained.
"So you two will be here all week?" Finn realized.
"Yeah," Sam said. "And I have never been more excited to be home." Sam walked over to Emma and put his hand back on her stomach. "I can't believe that I am going to be a big brother again. Do you know what it is?"
Emma turned to Will seemingly asking him something.
"It's a girl. You're going to have a baby sister," Will smiled.
Finn and Sebastian looked at each other realizing this was a family moment they needed to give them time to have.
"I hope you don't mind, but it's been a long day and I haven't been in my apartment for a couple of months. I think that I'm going to call it a night," Sebastian announced.
"I understand, Sebastian, but I insist you come over in the morning and let me cook you breakfast," Emma offered.
"There is no way I can turn that down," Sebastian smiled and gave Emma another hug and walked over to hug Will as well. "Sam, we'll talk in the morning and start working with the new band when we find somewhere to rehearse."
"Why don't you use the auditorium?" Will offered. "We have a meeting with the captains tomorrow but we'll be in the choir room."
"That would be great, Dad, thank you," Sam smiled.
"I'm going to go too, Mr. Schue. You three definitely need time to catch up and we can finish this tomorrow," Finn suggested.
"Thanks, Finn. I'll meet you at the school," Will added.
Sebastian and Finn walked into the hallway between the two apartments and he started to unlock the door.
"Have you talked to Nick yet?" Finn asked. "I'm sure he will be really happy to know you're back in town.
Sebastian couldn't help but smile at the thoughts of his boyfriend. Even when he was in Paris, he found himself watching downloaded episodes of The Carrie Diaries because Austin Butler could be Nick's identical twin.
"Sebastian?" Finn called out.
Sebastian snapped back to the present. "No, not yet. I planned on calling him in the morning."
"Well too late for that."
Sebastian and Finn turned just in time to see Nick Hall taking the last few steps up the stairwell. His eyes transfixed on Sebastian's face.
"I think I'll take that as my cue to leave," Finn smiled. "I'll see you both tomorrow."
Finn walked down the stairs and Nick walked over to stand in front of his boyfriend.
"You're really here," Nick slid his arms around Sebastian's body.
"How did you know I was home?" Sebastian smiled.
"Sam," Nick grinned.
"Remind me to thank him for that later," Sebastian leaned down and kissed Nick.
The two boys made up for lost time kissing each other against the door of Sebastian's apartment.
"I have missed you so much," the older boy said.
"I have waited so long to have you back in my arms . . . and my bed," Nick grinned from ear to ear. "My parents think I'm at Mikey's tonight."
"Well then," Sebastian grinned. "Want to welcome me back to Lima properly then?"
"I've waited two months to welcome you back, and trust me plenty of people have wanted to keep me from waiting but I waited for you so invite me inside so I can welcome you properly," Nick bit at Sebastian's neck and the older boy couldn't get the door opened fast enough to welcome them both inside.
Same Night – New York City
Blaine stared out of the window from Adam's dorm room. Monday nights were Blaine's only night off during the week. He didn't want to go back to his apartment with Rachel because as much as he loved his best friend, her own ego tended to get in the way of what was best for her friends. He'd watched it happen since she'd been nominated for the Tony and after she won it got worse. Mercedes told him she was acting like she did when New Directions was first put together by Mr. Schuester. Now, he just wanted to be able to make decisions without feeling like he had to hide it from his friends.
He felt Adam's arms around his waist. Leaning back against his chest he looked up into his boyfriend's eyes. They kissed for a moment and then Blaine turned back to looking at the skyline of the City.
"Have you talked to Rachel since this morning?" Adam asked.
"No," Blaine admitted. "And I don't feel like going home and dealing with her right now either."
"Well I have no objection to you staying here tonight," Adam winked at his man.
"Do you think it's weird?" Blaine asked turning around and sitting in the chair next to Adam's bed.
"Which part?" Adam questioned standing across from them.
"Are you upset that I didn't want my friends to know about us yet?" Blaine leaned forward looking into Adam's eyes. Adam saw the sadness in his boyfriend and wanted to make sure that his fears were softened. He moved across the room and sat on his knees in front of Blaine.
"What I know is that you love your friends dearly, and all of you have this unbreakable bond that I rather envy. None of my mates from school came over to America with me so seeing you and all of your friends I don't always understand the ways you handle each other, but what I do know is that you all take care of each other," Adam reached for both of Blaine's hands and laced his fingers in with Blaine's. "They love you and they love Sam. You don't want them to feel like they have to pick sides, and I get that, Blaine."
"I feel like there is a 'but' in there somewhere," Blaine realized.
"I do question one thing," Adam admitted. "If they are your friends why would they be unhappy if you are happy? If we are happy together, why is that a problem? I know Sam is a good man and that they all miss him, but he chose his career and he is doing incredibly well and that's a great thing, but I don't think it's right that they believe his choices are great and wonderful, but you choosing to start a new relationship that makes you happy is somehow wrong?"
"Well I'm sure Rachel took care of that by now. She's probably told everyone which is why no one has called or texted me today. I won't be surprised if she's even called Sam and told him," Blaine sounded upset as he said this.
"Is that such a bad thing?" Adam questioned. "Don't you think you'd be doing him a favor letting him see that you are moving on so that he can move on as well? I mean whether he goes back to that beautiful blonde Quinn or he finds himself another good looking bloke . . ."
"I told you that there is nothing going on between him a Quinn. I don't understand why you keep going back to that," Blaine rebuked him.
"It was just an example, Blaine. You missed the point, dear. Unless there is something you have neglected to tell me, your relationship with Sam is over and you are with me now. It is disappointing that my own boyfriend doesn't want to show me off to the world, but I'll wait because I love you. I can wait until you decide who you love more," Adam got up and walked over to the bathroom.
"What do you mean who I love more?" Blaine stood from his seat.
"Until you decide if you love me or you love the idea of pining away for Sam for the rest of your life," Adam weakly smiled before shutting the bathroom door behind him.
Blaine felt totally conflicted. Adam was incredible. He was one of the first people he'd met at NYADA when he joined Shelby's new collegiate glee club and he had become one of his closest friends. When the troubles with Sam began, Adam was the one person that was solely in his corner while all the rest of their friends did everything they could not to pick a side. On the night he and Sam broke up the first person he called was Adam. It seemed only natural that as they hung out more and more often feelings developed between them.
Then there was Sam. He stared at the text message he'd received from him earlier that day. It would be a complete and total lie if he said he didn't have feelings for Sam anymore, but as Adam pointed out, their lives were on very different paths. Adam was right. Blaine did have fleeting thoughts about possibly reconnecting with Sam, but Sam's life was magical and amazing now without him in it. He couldn't imagine Sam wanting that to change.
Adam was good to him. He treated him like a king. Sam was his soul mate but as he'd seen so many times before, people didn't always get to have their happily ever after the way they wanted it. With Adam, it was possible to have a happy ending, just written differently than he expected.
"I'll be right back, Adam. I think I left some of my music in the rehearsal room," Blaine called out and walked out of his dorm room.
The hallway to the stairwell seemed very long. As he walked he just felt the overwhelming weight of the decision that was before him. Walking by one of the other dorm rooms, he stopped when he heard the girl inside playing a familiar song on her keyboard. He found it to be completely ironic to his current situation.
(Try by Pink – Sam Tsui Acoustic Version)
(Performed by Blaine Anderson)
He pulled out his phone and looked through his pictures and found his favorite; one of him and Sam from his 18th birthday. Looking at it always made him smile. Thinking about what had happened to his relationship made him cry. He walked toward the stairwell.
BLAINE: Ever wonder about what he's doing or how it all turned to lies? Sometimes I think it might be better to never ask why.
He walked down the stairs until he got to the rehearsal room floor.
BLAINE: Cause where there is desire there's gonna be a flame. And where there is a flame someone's bound to get burned, but just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die. You gotta get up and try, try, try. You gotta get up and try, try, try. You gotta get up and try, try, try. You gotta get up and try.
His phone rang and Adam's picture danced across the screen. His heart melted when he saw his smiling face on the screen.
BLAINE: It's funny how the heart can be deceiving more than just a couple times. Why do we fall in love so easy even when it's not right.
Blaine sat down at the piano and began playing. In his head he could see Sam on one side of the piano and Adam on the other. He knew he had to make a decision.
BLAINE: Cause where there is desire there's gonna be a flame. And where there is a flame someone's bound to get burned, but just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die. You gotta get up and try, try, try. You gotta get up and try, try, try. You gotta get up and try, try, try. You gotta get up and try.
He looked up and saw both the boys fade away into his mind and knowing that he had to make a decision. He began to cry because he knew what his decision would be.
BLAINE: Ever worried that it might be ruined and does it make you wanna cry. When you're out there doing what you're doing? Are you just getting by? Tell me are you just getting by? Cause where there is desire there's gonna be a flame. And where there is a flame someone's bound to get burned, but just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die. You gotta get up and try, try, try. You gotta get up and try, try, try. You gotta get up and try, try, try. You gotta get up and try, try try. You gotta get up and try, try, try.
He opened the text message from Sam and responded:
Blaine: I'd love for you to see the show. There's also something I need to tell you and I'd rather do it face to face.
BLAINE: Just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die. You gotta get up and try, try, try.
The Next Day – Lima, OH
Sam knocked on the door to Sebastian's apartment. He knocked again but still didn't get an answer. He was holding a ton of food in his arms that Emma had cooked for them all and Sebastian had obviously slept through breakfast. Knocking one last time, the door opened as he did so, and he saw a very interesting sight. Before him stood Nick Hall wrapped from the waist down in a sheet.
"I guess you got my text last night," Sam laughed.
"I did," Nick blushed. "Sebastian is in the shower. I just got out."
"I brought breakfast," Sam offered showing Nick the food.
"Come on in," Nick moved out of the way. "Let me go put some clothes on."
"Yeah you go do that," Sam joked and Nick just dropped the sheet and kept walking into the bedroom. "Still got a nice ass, Nicky!"
"I take after you, Sammy!" he called from inside the bedroom.
Sam smiled. Being home reminded him how much he missed all his old friends. He hoped he'd get to hang out with some of the others while at home. He set out the food on the kitchen counter and then headed back across to his family's apartment to get orange juice and coffee. He walked back into Sebastian's apartment and shut the door behind him. Sebastian and Nick both walked into the living room dressed and ready for the day.
"Well don't you two look like a happy couple," Sam commented.
"A happy satisfied couple," Sebastian added.
"You don't have to tell him that," Nick blushed.
"Don't be bashful, Nick. Take it from someone who hasn't had sex in four months, if I had been with someone I loved last night I would have done exactly what I'm sure you two did over and over and over again," Sam mentioned.
"Four months?" Sebastian's eyes bugged out of his head. "It was only two for us and I nearly exploded. How do you do it? Don't you basically have girls and guys throwing themselves at you all the time?" Sebastian assumed.
"Yeah," Sam said pouring himself a cup of coffee. "But you know me, I don't want to have sex if it isn't with someone special. I'll just wait until we're back together again."
Sebastian and Nick gave each other a worried look that Sam missed. He pulled a banana out of the fruit Emma fixed for them and started eating it when they all heard a knock at the door. Sam walked over and opened it.
"Ohmigod! Sam! I can't believe you are really here!" Lindsey shouted as she jumped into Sam's arms and the boy spun her around.
"Lindsey Black, you are a sight for sore eyes. I have missed you so much!" Sam sat her down and stared into her eyes. The blonde had been one of his closest friends ever since they starred in Legally Blonde: The Musical his senior year. He'd once thought he'd seen her at a party in Hollywood, but it turned out to be Candice Accola from The Vampire Diaries who looked just like her. Just seeing her now, he realized how much he'd missed her and wondered why he'd ever left her in Lima.
"Well just completely spend time with the hot blonde and totally ignore the two studs standing in the door."
Sam recognized the voice as Tyler Trevino before he even turned around. Lindsey let Sam go and moved over to hug Sebastian. Sam gave Tyler a hug.
"It's good to see you again, Tyler," Sam told him. At one time, Tyler and Sam were nowhere near the best of friends, but Tyler had been a big help to Sam when he came home to help his family the previous spring. The animosity faded and a true friendship between the two began. Tyler, a dead ringer for Michael Trevino, had just graduated high school and seemed to be looking for an adventure of his own. Sam turned to see the other guy standing in the doorway, but didn't recognize him at first. After taking a second look, his eyes bugged out as he realized who it was.
"Joe?!" Sam said in surprise. "What happened to the dreads? You look like a completely different person with this haircut."
"I know, isn't he a total heartthrob now," Lindsey grinned.
"It looks good, Joe," Sebastian agreed. "And your makeover totally has Little Miss Cheerio written all over it."
"Hey, I am not a Cheerio anymore," Lindsey defended herself. "And it wasn't just me. Kitty helped."
"Well you look great," Sam said giving him a hug.
"So what are you all doing here?" Nick wondered.
"Well, Nicky, you're looking at the new back-up band for Sam's House of Blues Tour. Lindsey will play keyboard, Tyler on drums and Joe on bass guitar."
"Did we get a place to rehearse? We've got a lot to do this week," Tyler asked.
"Dad offered us the auditorium to use. We can meet there this afternoon," Sam told them.
"He and Finn are meeting with the new captains this afternoon," Nick spoke up.
"How do you know that?" Sebastian asked.
"Because I'm one of the captains," Nick announced. "Who do you think took your place?"
"Who else got picked?" Sam wondered.
"It's me, Blake, Marley, and Mia," Nick said. "Speaking of practice, Coach Bieste will beat my ass if I'm late for football so I'll see you guys later this afternoon."
Nick kissed Sebastian goodbye and waved goodbye to everyone else.
"I'm actually going to go as well," Sam announced. "You guys stay and eat. Sebastian has the paperwork for you to fill out and I'll meet you at the school and we'll rehearse this afternoon."
"Where are you headed?" Joe asked.
"There are two little Rugrats that don't know I'm in town yet. I'm going to go hang out with them for a little while this morning," Sam declared.
"Stevie's not much of a Rugrat anymore, Sam. He came over and played basketball with Jacob and I last week and the boy is as tall as I am. He must have the Evans' genes. Plus, he's going to be the new star Freshman of New Directions. Better watch that one," Tyler warned.
"You don't have to tell me twice. I've always said once he got to high school he'd be a handful. My guess is we will find out soon enough," Sam smiled as he left the apartment and shut the door behind him.
Same Morning – New York City
Tina walked down the residence hall wing of NYADA until she found Adam's room number. She knocked on the door and waited. She could hear movement inside the room and knew someone was there. The door opened and Adam appeared there in his boxers.
"Tina, what a pleasant surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure this morning?" his eyes darted to the side as he spoke.
Tina wasted no time and pushed passed him walking into the room and turning her head to follow Adam's eye line. There she saw Blaine behind the door pulling on his pants.
"Why are you hiding? I just wanted to see for myself that it was true before taking Rachel's word for it. Obviously, you two are up to something. Meet me on the 2nd Floor Terrace in fifteen minutes. I'm buying the coffee and you're providing the answers," Tina walked back out of the room before turning back around to Adam. "Do not come with him. If you want me on your side then you're going to let him sit with me and answer my questions without Dr. Who investigating behind us, got it?"
"Understood," Adam agreed.
Tina found a table on the Terrace and sat down with the two cups of coffee she bought for her and Blaine. After hearing the news about Blaine and Adam from Rachel the previous day, she just had to see it for herself. She sat where she could see the entrance and watched as Blaine rounded the corner, walked towards her and had a seat. He picked up his coffee and took a sip.
"Thank you," he said.
"Why didn't you tell me? You told Sunshine and not me?" Tina sounded hurt.
"Sunshine doesn't hang out with all the rest of us, you know. She is taking her NYADA training seriously since getting here this summer and I knew that she wouldn't feel the need to tell anyone else," Blaine explained.
"Tell anyone else or tell Sam?" Tina corned him with the question.
"Anyone, but especially Sam," Blaine admitted. "I don't know how to tell him, but I want to tell him not someone else. I think he deserves that. I just don't know how to do it without hurting him."
"There isn't a way, Blaine," Tina stated.
"There has to be," Blaine insisted.
"Have you talked to him at all this summer?" Tina questioned.
Blaine shook his head negatively. "I figured he was too busy with his career to talk to me."
"Where did you get an idea like that?" Tina wondered but didn't get an answer so she moved on. "We try talk at least once a week. He told me he's tried to call you several times and that he's texted you but you never responded."
"The first text I've gotten from him this summer was yesterday and I responded," Blaine defended himself.
"What was it about?" she asked.
"He wanted to congratulate me on getting the Jack Kelly role and wanted to know if it would be okay for him to come to the show and support me," Blaine stated.
"And you said it would be right? If for no other reason it would get him to New York so the rest of us can see him," Tina prodded.
"What do you mean by that?" he questioned.
"Blaine, I love you, but sometimes you are really dense. We're talking about Sam here. The kid who would give up everything to be there for his friends. Yet, he has avoided New York like a plague this summer and we all know that it's because he's trying to give you space," Tina assured him.
"I guess you blame me for that," Blaine didn't like the accusation.
"No, I don't," as Blaine opened his mouth to continue, she knew what he was going to say and cut him off. "And I don't think anyone else does either, but it doesn't change the fact that we miss him. I miss him. I feel like I lost him when he stayed in Lima to take care of Mr. Schue. I wanted to go help him so badly and I did as soon as school would let me, but even then it was different," Tina reminded him. "He did everything he could not to talk about you with me because, and these are his words, I will never do anything to make you chose between us. I love you both too much for that."
"He's not the only one that feels that way, Tina. I would never want you to give up your friendship with Sam to be friends with me. That's the last thing I would ever want," Blaine began to get upset. Tina reached over and took his hand.
"I know that, but keeping a secret like this, this thing between you and Adam, with Rachel telling everyone about it, you better tell Sam soon or he will hear it from someone else and then all this work you and him have done to keep everyone from choosing sides will be for nothing because we'll have too."
"Why? Why would you have too?" Blaine wanted to know.
"Because Sam is still in love with you, Blaine. He didn't tell me that but I can hear it in his voice every time your name is brought up, and I don't know how he'll react to knowing you've moved on. He thinks you two are going to get back together when you're both ready, but you've obviously moved on," Tina explained. "Blaine, Sam is going to be hurt either way, but if the news comes from you at least he'll know you respect him enough to tell him yourself."
"I just don't know how, Tina," Blaine almost whispered.
"Yeah, I don't get that, Blaine. You just tell him unless there is something keeping you from doing so."
Blaine just stared at her before drinking the rest of his coffee in silence.
Lima, OH
Sam left his birth mother's house where he'd spent a few hours playing with his younger brother and sister, Stevie and Stacy. He'd hoped he would get the chance to see Jacob and Jessie Reed, the twins that lived across the street, but they were not at home. He dropped his brother and sister off at the Shelter where his birth mother worked and spent a few minutes catching up with her. After saying goodbye to them and promising to hang out with them some everyday while he was home, he got back in his truck and began the drive to McKinley and the first rehearsal with his new band. As he drove, his phone rang. He looked down to see Blaine's face appear on the screen. He answered the call, put it on speaker, and sat it in the cup holder between the front seats so he could concentrate on driving.
"I wasn't sure if you still had my number in your phone," Sam began the conversation.
"Like I would ever delete it," Blaine returned. "I just wanted to call and thank you for the congratulations. I know if anyone knew how important that role is to me it would be you."
"Yeah, I only heard you talk about it for almost two years," Sam tried to laugh but he couldn't deny how nervous he felt. It was the first time he'd heard Blaine's voice in almost three months. "I really am proud of you, Blaine. I can't wait to see you in the show."
"Thanks, Sam," Blaine was so nervous he was shaking. "How was filming Tarzan? I imagine a big Disney musical like that had to have some interesting stories. Did you like your co-stars?"
"Yeah, everyone was great. A lot of my co-stars are CGI so I haven't seen them yet, but I spent most of my time with Claire. She played Jane. Great girl and really easy to talk to about things. The Australian accent was a trip to listen to all the time."
"Yeah, I saw pictures of the two of you together in a lot of the tabloids," Blaine didn't hide the hurt in his voice.
"None of that was true, Blaine. We never dated or anything like that. It just seems like every time I have my picture taken with anyone, male or female, I'm all of a sudden dating them. If they were all true I would have had ten girlfriends and boyfriends this summer. I guess that just started happening after . . ."
". . . after we broke up," Blaine finished for him. "I'm sorry you've had to answer all those questions about us."
"It comes with the territory I guess, but it's easy to answer the others because I don't have feelings for any of those people. I only have feelings for one person. I hope you still know that, Blaine."
Sam pulled into the high school parking lot and parked his truck by the back entrance to the auditorium next to where his Dad parked.
"I do, Sam, which doesn't make what I need to tell you any easier, but I wanted to tell you before Rachel or Tina or anyone else did. I wanted you to hear it from me."
"What are you talking about, Blaine," Sam was now the one that couldn't hide the concern in his voice.
"I'm seeing someone and it's kind of serious. We've made it official telling everyone here in the City, but I needed to tell you. I don't want to hurt you by telling you this, Sam, but I want to be honest with you," Blaine revealed.
Sam couldn't breathe. He tried to speak but he couldn't say anything.
"Sam, are you there? Are you okay?" Blaine asked through the phone.
"Okay," Sam finally said with his eyes filling with tears. "I hope you're happy, Blaine, that's all I want. I'm sorry I couldn't do that for you."
"Sam, it's not like that," Blaine could hear in Sam's voice exactly what was going on in his head. Blaine's name had just been added to the long line of people that made Sam feel unlovable. "Sam . . ."
"I have to go. I have rehearsal. Have a great life, Blaine. I love you," Sam said and hung up the phone. It wasn't until he put the phone in his back pocket that he realized that he'd ended the call with I love you. Why had he done that? Blaine had just told him that he was moving on, that there was no chance of reconciliation and his reaction was to profess his love?
He slowly began walking towards the doors of McKinley and headed inside unsure of that he really planned to do. He walked down the hallway until he saw the trophy case that was added in honor of their two national titles. He stared inside the glass case at the two trophies and all the pictures of his friends until his eyes settled on the one picture he knew was there. Him and Blaine, arms around each other holding the trophy over their heads.
He couldn't hold it back anymore. He let the tears fall and walked into the backstage entrance of the auditorium. He could hear voices coming from the stage but they were not just the ones he expected. He looked out, and in addition to his new band members and Sebastian, Nick was there with Blake (or Ryder, he wasn't sure which name he was going by now), Marley, and Mia, Mercedes' little sister. Sam walked out on stage.
"Sam!" Mia was the first to see him. She looked even more like Kat Graham now than she did last spring. The girl was growing up so quickly. "I can't believe you're here."
She ran up to him and hugged him. She was followed by Marley who didn't miss the tears in his eyes. "Are you okay?" she whispered as she hugged him.
"No," Sam whispered.
She let him go and he came face to face with one of his best friends in the entire world. The two had become so close since Sam graduated high school that he had flown the kid to wherever he was in the world on three different occasions just to have a friend with him.
"Get over here," Sam held his arms out to greet the boy.
Blake ran over and nearly tackled his mentor and friend. "I've missed you buddy."
"Me too," Sam realized how much as soon as they boy hugged him.
Blake looked into Sam's eyes and knew something was wrong. Sam tried to shrug it off like nothing was wrong.
"It's nothing, Blake, I'm just happy to be home," Sam knew it was truth it just wasn't the whole truth. He turned to his band. "Guys, I had an idea for the tour. Kelly Clarkson did it and it made her an internet sensation and I think it will make each of our shows unique. I want to throw in some covers that the audience sends me on twitter and then we have to make them work. It's not like we didn't do that in Glee all the time."
"Sam, what's wrong?" Sebastian was now very aware of the tears in his friend's eyes.
"Ask Blaine," Sam said across the stage to him. "Let's try this out."
The new captains and Sebastian got off stage and went to sit in the audience confused by Sam's mood. Sam walked over to Lindsey and whispered a song title in her ear. She nodded her understanding and then he walked to the microphone in the middle of the stage.
(The One That Got Away by Katy Perry – Corey Gray Acoustic Version)
(Performed by Sam Evans)
SAM: Summer after high school when we first met. We made out in your Mustang to Radiohead, and on my 18th Birthday we got matching tattoos.
Sebastian sent a text to Blaine asking him why Sam was crying. He watched as he could see on his phone that Blaine was typing a response.
SAM: Used to steal your parents' liquor and climb to the roof. Talk about our future like we had a clue. Never dreamed that one day I'd be losing you.
The emotion Sam gave certain words surprised his friends on and off stage. Sebastian got his answer from Blaine and he sat there shocked. Nick looked at the phone and then showed it to the others.
SAM: And in another life, I would be your man. We'd keep all our promises be us against the world.
Finn walked into the side door of the auditorium holding his phone to his ear.
"I think he already knows, Rachel."
SAM: And in another life I would make you stay so I don't have to say you were the one that got away. The one that got away.
Finn turned on Facetime on his phone so Rachel could see. In New York she held out her phone so Quinn and Mercedes could see what she was seeing as they sat in her apartment.
SAM: You were June and I was your Johnny Cash. Never one without the other. We made a pact. Sometimes when I miss you I put those records on.
Will and Emma walked into the auditorium on the opposite side of Finn. They had also received a phone call they made them worry about Sam.
SAM: Someone said you had your tattoo removed, saw you downtown singing the blues. It's time to face the music I'm no longer your muse.
Sam's memories came alive as he saw himself standing in front of the stage ripping off t-shirt after t-shirt in front of a full house expressing his love for Blaine.
SAM: And in another life I would be your man. We'd keep all our promises be us against the world.
He looked up remembered their time in the balcony and lying on the stage floor together while the rest of New Directions were gone.
SAM: And in another life I would make you stay so I don't have to say you were the one that got away. The one that got away.
As Sam ad libbed the door backstage opened and someone slipped inside the shadows to hear the blonde singing. It was obvious they didn't want to be seen.
SAM: All this money can't buy me a time machine . . . can't replace you with a million things . . . shoulda told you what you meant to me . . . cause now I pay the price.
All the girls were in tears watching Sam pour out his heart. Lindsey had a hard time playing the piano at the same time. Emma wanted to run up on stage with Sam, but Will held her back hoping the song would help their son deal with his emotions.
SAM: And in another life, I would be your man. We'd keep all our promises be us against the world. And in another life I would make you stay so I don't have to say you were the one that got away. The one that got away . . . ooooohhhhh . . . the one that got away.
No one said a word. Sam shook off the haze he was in and turned to the band. "Let's take five and then we'll run the whole set." He turned to his friends. "You guys are welcome to stay if you want."
Sam walked off stage and headed out the back stage door. He walked into the hallway and just leaned against it headfirst never realizing that the door didn't shut behind him. He was about to just let his emotions go when he heard someone speak behind him.
"Oh Trouty, looks like I picked the perfect time to come home for a visit."
Sam turned around and immediately smiled in astonishment. Standing in the stage door was none other than Santana Lopez.
"Now get your fine little ass over here so I can feel you up and make you feel better," she smiled.
Sam ran across the hall to her and scooped her up into his arms holding onto her tight.
"I've missed you so much, Santana," a fit of laughter left his body. The sudden happiness after so much grief bursting through that Santana couldn't help but smile at the genuineness of her best friend.
She squeezed Sam's perfect ass with both hands.
"Damn, I do believe your time as Tarzan has made this ass even better," she winked at him. "And I've missed you too Sam. Now tell me what happened with you and Blaine."