Rachel's eyes fluttered open as she awakened from her slumber. She looked at the red glowing light that stuck out in the darkness of her room. Two fifteen, A.M. Great, she rolled her eyes, flopping back onto the bed. Ever since they had moved to the city, the brown eyed girl had been waking up in the middle of the night many times; it was really starting to be an everyday thing, "City that never sleeps," she muttered under her breath, "Well I think this city could really use a nap."

She sighed as she looked down at her body. She really needed to stop wearing Sam's old t-shirts from high school as pajamas. During their high school days, Sam had spent many nights in her room. The blonde boy had left some things at her house when he moved away to Tennessee. A copy of Avatar on D.V.D.; she still remembered some of the phrases from that stupid Avatar language. Nga yawne lu oer meant I love you. Nga ha lor meant you are so beautiful. She still had a vivid picture of him, in her mind, sitting on the couch next to her, watching that same exact movie, mouthing every line.

To be honest, Rachel was scared; her feelings about Sam were only confusing her more and more as time progressed. She hated him for getting her pregnant. She hated him for leaving her by herself. But most of all, she hated him because she didn't hate him at all. Since the two of them had reunited less than a week ago, she had started waking up in the middle of the night, a lot more than usual.

The small girl didn't know what was going on between her and Sam. When she kissed him, the other night, it had been an act of impulse. It had been so long since she had been with a man. She had tried to rekindle her relationship with Finn towards the end of her senior year, but it didn't work out. She had guessed it was a good thing; Olivia didn't really seem to like him. Whenever the tall boy would try to hold her, she would begin to cry, piercing the ears of everyone around her, until she passed back to her mother, a move that if Sam would have been there, would be very proud.

Sam and Finn had never really gotten along. As soon as he saw the blonde boy taking a certain interest in his ex-girlfriend, in the beginning of the year, he threatened him, telling him to stay away from her. Sam, of course, didn't listen to him, only really concerned with impressing the girl that would one day (sooner than he had ever thought) give birth to his child.

Rachel was really happy during the time she and Sam had been together. He would always do the sweetest things for her, like dedicating songs to her in glee club, giving her a promise ring, standing up to Karaofsky whenever he would give her a slushy facial, or make a rude remark about her, etc.

She smiled as she remembered the countless times he climbed up to her window, sneaking into her room. "We're really lucky that these walls are soundproof," she remembered him say, "I think that your dads would get pretty suspicious if they could hear what we're doing."

She closed her eyes, remembering the way he would push in and out of her, and the look of pure physical pleasure that took over his face, as he lost control. He had always made sure to take care of her, though, before he would ever let himself go. She could still see the proud smirk that graced his lips, when the feeling of ecstasy would invade her senses, screaming his name, her volume so loud that the blonde boy thought he might have been going deaf in one ear.

And the feeling; oh god, the feeling of his length pushing into her was sometimes almost too much for her to stand. Rachel remembered all of the times that she had reached up, and uncontrollably tugged at his golden blonde hair as an orgasm blasted through her.

"Mommy!" the petite brunette's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a tiny voice coming from the room across from hers. Rachel sighed and threw the covers off of her body, before standing up, and walking into the pink- painted room.

"What's wrong, Livy?" (The little girl's long- time nickname, given to her by Brittany)

Olivia didn't say anything, just looked up at her mother and then back down at the floor of her crib. Rachel sighed as she saw the damp sheets. This had been happening a lot, lately, wetting the bed. "It's okay, sweetie," she cooed, "You can sleep with mommy, tonight. Okay?"

" 'kay," she nodded.

She lifted the two year old girl out of the white wooden crib, resting her on her changing table. She gently pulled off her damp pajamas, and changed her into some clean ones.

After throwing her sheets in the washing machine, Rachel carried her daughter into her bedroom, placing her under the covers., and hopped in on the other side.

Her thoughts turned back to Sam? What would happen if he did meet Olivia? Would she take to him like she did Santana, Brittany, and Puck? Or would it just be Finn all over again (god, she could still remember the face he made when she threw up on him for the first time).

Rachel remembered how hard the summer after Sam had left had been for her. She had basically spent a good part of two months in Santana's room, crying, and eating, well, whatever she could really get her hands on. And to make matters worse, the Latina had to play the role of the boyfriend, for a while, always having to tend to the small girl's strange cravings in the middle of the night. Santana had told her many times, that she was doing those things because she wanted to, and because she was her friend; but that didn't stop her from feeling guilty, and promptly accepting Shelby's invitation to live with her.

She quickly rummaged through a drawer on her night stand, feeling her way around countless books, pictures, and other various odds and ends, until she felt something hard. The petite brunette quickly grasped it in her hand, and pulled it out. Her eyes strained to look at the item in the almost completely dark room.

It was the promise ring that Sam had given to her during the beginning of their junior year. Rachel had meant to throw it out after he left her, but she never really had the heart… truth be told… she was still in love with Sam… not that she was going to admit it to anyone, anytime soon. When he first left her, she thought that she would get over him, sooner or later… obviously, she was wrong.

When Sam had gotten down on one knee in the astronomy room, it was one of the first times that Rachel Barbara Berry actually felt special; the first time that she felt that someone (other than her fathers, Santana, Brittany, and Noah) actually loved her. He had told her that he loved her, countless times before that, and sure, she believed him when he said it- but when he looked up, making sure that he was standing under Venus (the planet of love, of course) and told her that he loved her, now and forever she knew that he was special; the most special person met. Hell, she knew from day one, that she would never, ever meet a guy like Samuel Joseph Evans.

Finn had never performed such wonderfully grand gestures for her. In fact, almost all of their dates took place at a bowling alley; it really had surprised her, when she and Sam started going out, that not all guys were like that.

Rachel turned her attention back to Olivia. She was lying on her side, facing her, her pink fleece blanket pressed against her cheek. The brown eyed girl couldn't help but smile at how cute she was. Olivia rubbed her emerald green eyes, and blinked heavily; she could tell that she was tired. She leaned in gently, and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Man, she really did remind her so much of Sam. That little guilty half-smile that she would give her, when she knew that she did something wrong; the way her face would light up when she talked about something that she really liked (nowadays, that was mostly just Yo Gabba Gabba, and how she apparently really, really wants a puppy; she needed to remember to "thank" Brittany for that, when she gets the chance).

The funny thing was, as worried as she was about Sam meeting Olivia, she could definitely see him being a great father to her. He had taken such good care of his siblings, Stacie and Stevie (with her help, of course) when he had to take care of them during the day, while his parents were looking for work. Rachel could tell how much he loved and cared for the both of them.

After about an hour of laying down in the full sized bed, absorbing herself in her own thoughts, Rachel found Olivia fast asleep, her tiny chest gently rising and falling. She looked at the digital clock, once more. Damn, she thought; it was almost four in the morning.

Finally accepting the fact that she probably wouldn't get any more sleep that night, the short girl kicked off the covers, and hopped out of bed. Rachel walked down the hallway, turning on a few lights along the way. She turned on the television, finding an image of Tyra Banks, judging the remaining six contestants of America's Next Top Model. Why is Santana so into this show? She wondered, silently.

After changing the channel, Rachel unplugged her phone from its charger, and turned it on. She went through her contacts before finding Sam's name. She sighed when she looked at the picture. It was a picture the two of them; his arms were wrapped around her waist, and his lips were against her cheek. The small girl never did get to changing it.

Rachel pressed the call button. She didn't know what caused her to do it, or why. It was sort of… an action of instinct or impulse? Maybe. He was, in fact, the only person that she would call when she would have a nightmare, or couldn't sleep, during junior year. It rang a few times, before she heard someone pick up.

"Hello?" she heard a tired and groggy voice answer from the other line.

"Sam," she sighed, feeling a little guilty about calling him so late at night, "did I wake you up?"

"Um… yeah… but, in my defense, most people do enjoy sleeping at four in the morning."

"Oh… I'm so sorry; if you want to get back to sleep…"

"It's fine. Hearing your voice is so much better than dreaming about fighting Darth Vader… you know, the dark lord of the Sith, the most hated enemy of the Jedi warrior; you remember him, right?"

"Yes," Rachel let out a small laugh, "I know who he is, Samuel."

"Oh," he paused for a moment, "so… not to be rude, but am I going to get to find out why you're calling me at four o'clock in the morning?"

"Oh… w-well I…I…"

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah," she said, awestruck, "h-how did you…"

"You always used to call me when you couldn't sleep… I've actually sort of missed it."

"Really?"

"Well… yeah. Like I said a few days ago, I miss you so much. So I'll take whatever I can get."

Rachel took in a long, shaky breath, and then let it out, slowly, "Alright?"

"Alright?"

"Alright; you can meet her."

"Really?" the lazy hum in his voice change to a more excited tone, "Rachel… don't mess with me."

"I'm not messing with you, Samuel… I think that Olivia meeting you wouldn't really be a bad idea."

"Rachel," although she couldn't see him, Rachel could tell that the blonde boy was smiling, "you have no idea how much that means to me. I mean, now I can finally-"

"Hold on a second," she interrupted, "I have a few conditions… first of all, you need to promise that you're not going to leave me, again."

"Of course," he agreed.

"Second; if she asks any questions about where you've been, or came from, I'm going to answer. We don't want her to know too much."

"Understandable."

"And finally… I want to meet with you, once more, before you meet her. I want to be certain that you won't hurt her like you hurt me."

"But I swear, I'm not going to-"

"Sam!"

"Alright, alright; where do you want to meet?"

"Um…" she thought for a quick moment, "the central park. It's really beautiful there; the perfect place for a… you know… a…"

"A date?" he asked, amusement dripping from his voice.

"What? No!" Rachel exclaimed, "it's… it's not a date; just two parental units meeting u to discuss the wellbeing of our daughter."

"Whatever you say, Rach," Sam chuckled.

"Don't push your luck, Evans," she threatened, lightheartedly.

"Come on, Rach… you seriously haven't missed me?"

"Sam," she sighed, "it's four o'clock in the morning; we're not talking about this now."

"You didn't answer the question."

"…"

"Rach?"

"Yes, Samuel?"

"I…" he paused for a quick moment, debating on whether or not to say what he wanted to, "I love you."

"…I know…"

"Well…"

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow…" she said, trying to clear away some of the awkwardness.

"Uh huh." Sam hung up the phone. Honestly, he felt like bursting into tears, at that moment. That had been the second time that he had poured his heart out to Rachel; just like the first time, the petite brunette had closed herself off, not showing any emotion, whatsoever, something that the Rachel back in high school never did.

The green eyed boy was done with all of the hurt, tired of all the heartache. It just didn't seem fair that once he got his Rachel back, she didn't want to have anything to do with him.

God, he missed her. He missed the way her lips felt against his own, and the way her tongue tasted; how she would always cuddle into his side, her head resting on his chest, when they slept together. He missed the way her angelic voice would hum soft melodies in his ear, and how she would scream his name over and over again, and the warm feeling of her juices exploding around him.

During the past two and a half years, Sam learned something very important: he couldn't live without her. He'd taken out all of his hurt by working out. It was the only thing that could take his mind off of Rachel, and even then, she still lingered through his mind every so often.

All he knew was that he needed to prove himself to Rachel. He didn't care what it took. He was going to get his girl back, even if it killed him.

.X.x.X.x.X.

"You know, Sam," Rachel said as she and Sam walked through central park, "you never told me why you moved to New York in the first place."

"That's easy," he shrugged, "I was looking for you."

"Huh?" she shook her head in disbelief.

"I knew that you would move here, after graduation. So as soon as I moved back to Tennessee, I got myself a job, saved up my money, bought a plane ticket, and flew over here. My mom wasn't very enthusiastic about it, but she really liked you, so she was okay."

The small girl blushed, fighting the urge to jump into his arms and tell him that that was the most romantic thing that she had ever heard. "That was…" The most beautiful thing I've ever heard! Please carry me home and into my bedroom so we can make love over, and over until we can't, anymore! "…very sweet of you, Sam. But then again, you were always one to make such grand, romantic gestures for me."

"Just for you, baby?" he bit his lip after saying the last word, internally kicking himself.

Rachel's eyes widened when she heard him use his old nick name for her. "What did you just call me?"

I called you baby; because you are my baby. You always will be! "Um… nothing… it… it just slipped out… sorry."

"It's fine," she shook her head, "anyway… are you going to college?"

"Nope; I mean, I did go to a community college in Tennessee, for one year… but that was only because my mom made me," he shook his head, "is it just me, or is my mom really controlling."

The brown eye girl rolled her eyes, giving him a playful slap on the shoulder, "your mother loves you, and only want what's best for you, that's why she's so "controlling"; I would know, I'm a mother."

"Relax, Rach… so as I was saying… you know I'm no good at school."

"Samuel," Rachel crossed her arms, "I know for a fact that you can do anything, if you put your mind to it."

"But I hate it! I've always hated school, since I was a little kid. I'm just… stupid."

"Sam," she rested a gentle hand on his shoulder, "I thought we talked about this, back in high school. You're not stupid. You're extremely smart; you're just dyslexic, which is nothing to be ashamed of," without thinking, she stood on her tippy toes, pressing a gentle kiss on his cheek, "I believe in you, Sammy."

"Wow," he smiled, "that brings back memories."

"I… I… I didn't…"

"What are we doing, Rach?"

"What?" she shook her head in confusion.

"Why are we fighting this? I love you, Rachel, and I know that you love me, too. When I left, I honestly didn't think that I would ever be happy, again. But I was wrong… I'm happy right now… because I'm with you, again."

"Sam…" she looked up at him, her big brown eyes meeting his green ones, "I love you."

Sam beamed, wrapping an arm around her waist, "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear that."

"You didn't let me finish. I love you… and I want to be with you, I truly, truly do. But…"

"But what?" he threw his hands in the air, "what else is there? Why can't we just be together! I miss you, Rachel! More than anyone has missed anyone before! Without you, my life… my life is incomplete. I need you, Rachel. Think about how much better your life would be with me! You could go to college; I know how bad you wanted to go to Julliard! You were born to be on Broadway, Rachel… you said so yourself."

"I-I… I know… I guess I'm just… afraid, you know? I haven't had a boyfriend in such a long time… just… it hurt so bad when you left… and… I don't think I could handle the pain, if you leave, again… and I know that you said that you wouldn't, and I believe you… this is just coming really fast." She began to blink back tears.

And then Sam heard her say something else. Something that he never thought that he would ever hear her say, "I'm a Lima loser."

"No you're not, Rachie. You're so much better than that."

"Just because I'm not living in Lima, anymore, doesn't mean that I'm not a Lima loser. Think about it… I'm working at a minimum wage job, I'm never going to college, and I can barely afford to support my kid!"

"You're not a loser. I thought I told you in high school that you're not allowed to call yourself that. You're just going through a rough phase in your life, that's all," he rested his chin on the top of her head, "and I just want to make it better."

"Even after all these years," she smiled up at him, "you're still the best guy I know."

He smiled back at her, "So… where does this leave us?"

"I'm not sure," she sighed, "let's see how you are with Olivia, first."

"And when, exactly, will we be testing that out?"

"Tomorrow; the sooner the better, right?"

Sam's smile grew bigger, taking her hand in his, "Right."