Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 45th cycle. Now cycle 46!

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** UPDATED WITH CYCLE 45 CHEAT SHEET ** Check it out to find out about shift days! (cycle 46 cheat sheet will be up later)

This is a shift day [see above]. There was another upload this morning: You'll Find Wonder, chapter 20.

"No Less Of Me"
Quinn & Sam, Fabrevans-ish

Day 1 of 7 of Jade's awesome birthday week! She asks, I write, that's how it works ;)

On Sundays, the two of them would get ready for church and it would feel like their lives had dwindled away on them. Back in the day it would be four of them, her mother, her father, her sister and herself. But then her sister had moved away, got married, and her father... well, he wasn't in the picture anymore. After Quinn had moved back home, after Beth was born, they only had each other to rely on, and getting back some of their old lives was all they could need.

Then Sam came into her life. As hesitant as she was around him at first, it hadn't taken long for them to grow closer. They had school together, even with him being a year below her. They had Glee Club before long. And then they had church. When she had seen him walk in, with his parents and his younger siblings, they had shared a smile, later a conversation, glances over her shoulder to where he and his family sat, until her mother would make her look forward again.

Then after they had started dating, her mother and Sam's parents would start talking, and before long they would sit side by side, the Fabrays and Evans taking the row like a blonde invasion. They were in a good place, both of them.

But then they'd broken up, and from one week to the next things had begun to change. On Sunday, they no longer sat together. It was her fault, she knew that, still she felt bad for it.

In the end though, seeing each other on those Sundays would end up benefiting them, help them work their way back to friendship.

She wasn't sure when it was that she had started picking up on something being off, but before long it seemed she couldn't look at him without seeing it. It took her a while before she could bring herself to approach him about it, though in the end it would probably be the thing that sealed the break in their friendship shut again.

That Sunday, she had gently suggested for her mother to go and chat with Mr and Mrs Evans and the little kids, so that she could go and isolate Sam, to talk to him. When she asked if they could talk she must have given off a vibe that made it clear she knew something was up. He didn't resist her, just nodded off to the side, in the shade of a tree just outside the church.

They were quiet at first, as they would expect. He would look at his shoes, and she would look at him. She saw the haircut that had been grown back into and then some. She saw the clothes that looked like they didn't receive the same care they used to. She saw the shoes were new, though only ever in the sense that they were new to her. His previous shoes had been getting worn out by the week, but these were new and already looked like they'd seen some miles. She could see the whole that this image was painting, but she needed to know.

"Something's going on with you," she finally opened, cautious. "Been happening for some time now and you haven't said a word of it, not that I'm saying you had to, just... I know things have been bad between us, and that's my fault, but... I hope you know I'm still there and... you can talk to me. Sam, I..."

"We lost the house," he cut her off, looked up to her stunned face. "Dad lost his job, things went from there..."

"Sam, I'm sorry," she had to say. "Where have you guys been..."

"At a motel, the five of us," he revealed. His face showed some sadness, but it looked like it refused to cry. "No one knows," he went on, and what that statement really said was quickly understood.

"I'll keep it that way," she nodded, and he gave a tentative but grateful smile. "How are Stevie and Stacey taking it?"

"They were a bit confused at first, like they thought it was a vacation and eventually we'd all get to go home. Once they realized we weren't going back though, then it was harder. But they're better now, I think." She looked to him for a moment.

"And how are you doing?"

"The best that I can," he shrugged. "I know where I'm needed."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked, and she wasn't sure why he was smiling all of a sudden. "What?" she asked.

"It's like nothing ever happened," he shook his head and she bowed hers. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't throw that at you while you're just trying to be nice."

"No, I... I deserve that," she assured him. She looked back to him and it was as though both their shoulders had gotten lighter. He reached out to hug her and she welcomed the embrace, feeling him breathe out, just about clinging to her. He wouldn't cry, but it didn't change the fact that this was affecting him. "Now, don't think of this as charity or anything, just think of it as one friend with a mother who loves to cook for an army, inviting another friend and his family so that she may indulge her mother. So... Come to dinner at my house, all of you, say next Saturday?" she offered as they pulled back, and he just smiled that smile of his.

"How could I say no to that?"

"You really couldn't," she smiled back.

"You know if this keeps up, you might get roped into babysitting."

"Sounds like fun to me," she shrugged. Again he just nodded.

They were making light of it now, because what else were they going to do? But this was something big happening to him, and it wasn't just going to go away. At least now though he would know... He wasn't alone. They didn't know what it would lead to, she was still with Finn, and she he had broken up for her over that, but he was just happy for her companionship now. If it ever led to anything more, to them mending as a couple, then that would be that. He didn't need to push things too far, too fast. He was happy enough with just this, him and her.

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!