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 24th cycle. Now cycle 25!

It's cycle 25! If you'll recall, back in cycle 10 I did my top 15 of favorite things (characters, ships, friends..) in Glee, with a ficlet for each of the numbers, and a chapter fic for number 1 (stories 190 to 210). Now this time around, in order to schedule in a friend's birthday, it's a top SIXTEEN, and the number one's six-chapter fic will be split in three blocks... (5 ficlets-2 chapters-5 ficlets-2 chapters-5 ficlets-2 chapters) It's less confusing than it seems, I promise ;) Here we go!
Coming in at number fourteen!

"Promises, Promises"
Quinn, Sam/Quinn

For about fifteen minutes she had stood in that hall, leaning against the locker exactly opposite the one which belonged to Sam. She stared at the door just across the way from her, and she thought long and hard. Right behind that door, there was a box, and in that box there was a ring… a ring that was meant for her to wear. She knew it was in there; she'd seen him place the box there after staring at it like a wounded puppy. And the problem wasn't getting that door open either. She'd learned how to get those locks open a while ago. Santana had taught her how to do it, though if anyone ever asked her if that was true, she would deny it and then kick Quinn's ass the first chance she got – her words.

So she knew where the ring was and she could gain access to it in a flash. That wasn't the problem.

She had closed the box, had said no when he offered it to her the first time. She hadn't closed the matter permanently, but she had thinking to do before she gave him a definitive answer. Well, she'd thought. It had taken a few days, but now there she was, decided… Not only would she agree to wear his ring, she would get it from inside his locker and surprise him with it. She'd made the decision very… out of the blue. And now standing there, across the hall from her target, she realized she'd never really thought it through to herself. She'd just decided… but there had to be a reason.

Even the idea of going out with him had taken some thinking. Who could blame her after the year she'd been through? It was easy to jump into things on a whim; heaven knew she'd done it… a couple of times. But that had never led her anywhere good in the end, at least not in a long while. So she'd considered her odds, and it all turned in Sam's favor…

It had been the right decision, she knew that now. They were happy, so happy. There were some moments harder than others, having to make sure he understood how far she could and couldn't allow herself to go, but he understood. He respected her, even if she could tell it was killing him sometimes… But he'd placed her wishes in priority, and she had to command him for that.

Even knowing all this, when he'd shown her that ring, gotten down on one knee, she had freaked out… She'd admit that freely, but then what girl her age wouldn't? He'd started to explain himself and even then she had trouble not laughing, but… the more he went on, the less she could keep herself from listening. He'd at least put some thought into it, she couldn't deny it. But she needed to think this through as well, so she'd give him a maybe.

It wasn't the black eye that did it, even if it had made her all tingly and bothered. The sentiment which had led to it though, that was something which definitely turned the tables in Sam's favor. Anyone with enough sense would have stepped in to help, but the fact that he had… It still made her so proud of him. That pride had held the door, and then Burt and Carole's weddings, being there… All that joy she'd had with him there, it rushed right in, filled her up. She still remembered how her heart beat so happily as they danced together, and he held her… Looking into his eyes, she'd seen all she'd ever need to know.

She'd gotten home that night and, even if she hadn't decided to get the ring just yet, deep down she knew. It felt right to her, he felt… like she could trust again. She'd lost that somewhere in that year, and he'd brought it back to her. It didn't mean that all of a sudden she'd be okay to do all these things she'd been unwilling to do all this time, but she could allow herself to breathe, even a little.

Now standing there in that hall, she remembered all those feelings, felt her heart beating along, the way it had when they were dancing, and she knew what she had to do. She stood back up from her leaning position and casually took the five or six steps it took to get across to Sam's locker. She looked around to make sure there'd be no one to see her before retrieving the file she would need to get the lock opened.

She didn't even have to break a sweat, and the lock gave its click. She pulled the door open, and sure enough, there was the small white box. Even here her hand hesitated, but then she picked up the box, opened it. She'd never really gotten the chance to observe the ring. It was simple, and it was beautiful. If there'd been options and choosing involved, Sam had done very well.

She took the ring, closed and replaced the box before closing the locker door and slipping away. Of all places, her nearest refuge was the astronomy class. Standing right in the spot where she had been before, where she'd watched Sam get down on one knee, she slipped the ring on her finger. She let out a breath… She'd thought it would have been harder, that the moment it was on her finger she would feel like circulation had been cut off, or she couldn't breathe, or… But it was fine… It fit perfectly. She could feel herself smiling, almost cradling her arm, her hand which featured the ring.

She really couldn't wait to see the look on his face. She'd play it cool, of course… She wasn't going to go up to him like a giggling girl, even though on the inside… oh she was a giggling girl. No one needed to know that part; that was just for 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!