SAM COMES HOME ~ FUTURE FABREVANS

The real estate business had taken a serious nosedive about five years after graduation. Those first five years, Quinn Fabray was living the dream, albeit still in her hometown of Lima, Ohio. Real estate was a booming business, and she had followed in her mother's footsteps and earned her realtor license with ease and started selling houses and condos left and right, thanks to a few new developments going up around town. Five years into the business, though, everything was in foreclosure and nothing was being bought anywhere. Quinn had to suck it up and move back in with her mother since her income was close to nil by that point. Every day, though, she went into the office and tried to find new leads, new contacts, anything to generate some work. Otherwise, she was left alone with her multitude of thoughts, ranging from why does my life suck so bad? to I wonder how Beth is doing? to Can Finn and Rachel be any more annoying? to I wonder what Sam Evans is up to these days?

Yes, she still thought of him, even five years after graduation, five years after not talking to him at all. She thought of those high school days often since she saw Finn and Rachel often as her real estate office was across the street from Hudson Tires. Almost daily, she'd see Rachel visiting Finn there, pushing a stroller and holding their oldest child by the hand. When Rachel found out Quinn worked across the street, her daily visits to the tire shop usually included visiting Quinn. Actually, Quinn didn't mind it when Rachel and her two babies came to visit. It broke up the otherwise usually boring days at the office.

"I promise you, once we have enough saved for a down payment, I'll be knocking on your door wanting you to show me all the available bungalows in Lima!" Rachel said one August day.

"I'll be glad to Mrs. Hudson! I have a few larger bungalows you might be interested in," Quinn said, smiling.

"Larger bungalows? You mean, mansions?" Rachel asked, shocked.

Quinn nodded. "I could take you through them if you wanted me to!"

"Maybe someday when I can get a babysitter for Bailey and Marie," Rachel said, motioning to the kids. "Oh! Guess what Finn told me?"

Quinn was sitting at her desk, going over some information on more foreclosures just added to the long list. "Hmm?"

"Sam Evans is coming back to coach at McKinley!"

Quinn looked up sharply. That definitely got her attention. "What about Coach Beiste?"

"Well, he's coming back as an assistant coach and astronomy teacher...can you believe that? Coach Beiste wants him to replace her when she retires."

"What about Finn?" Quinn asked. Finn worked part-time as a trainer for the Titans football squad.

"She offered it to him, but he didn't want the full-time assistant coach position, not with Bailey and Marie," Rachel said, picking up the youngest, Marie, and bouncing her on her knee.

"When will he be back?"

"Oh, he's here in Lima, got in last week," Rachel told her offhandedly.

And no one bothered to tell me? He didn't even come by to see me?

Quinn thought, feeling a bit rejected.

"Hmm, I see." Quinn decided to change the subject. "Look at these pictures! Can you believe they are foreclosing on this?" Quinn had pictures of an empty mansion just outside Lima, just added to the foreclosure list. She suddenly wondered if Sam Evans needed residential assistance.

That night, at her mother's, sitting in her old bedroom, she pulled out her senior yearbook and started flipping the pages. She read through some of the inscriptions, stopping where Sam had signed the book. Always reach for the stars! You deserve them! Love, Sam he had written. She smiled, thinking of the goofy kid and his nerdy ways and how he loved his stars. He must've gone on to study astronomy in college, she thought. She flipped a few more pages and found the Glee Club page. They were all smiling and so happy, just coming off a huge Regionals win. He stood next to Mercedes, his arm draped over her shoulders. Quinn remembered how Mercedes broke up with her linebacker boyfriend to start dating Sam when he returned to Lima, then the huge blowup they had at Nationals in Atlanta, when Mercedes broke up with Sam to go back with Shane. The plane trip home had been miserable. Quinn just tried to stay out of it. As soon as they graduated, Mercedes broke up with Shane and left for Hollywood. As far as Quinn knew, Mercedes had not returned to Lima or even contacted any of them since leaving. She flipped to the pages covering prom that year and saw herself reigning as prom queen and Sam by her side as prom king. He had been cordial that night and they danced their one dance together, then went back to their respective dates. She had come with one of the guys on the basketball team and he was there with a younger Cheerio. Their picture together, though, was so perfect. She could still feel the touch of his hand on her hip when he wrapped his arm around her waist for the picture. She couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, she made a mistake back in high school in not pursuing Sam Evans.

xxxxx

"You'll be just fine, Maddie, I promise you. Does daddy ever lie?" Sam asked the little blonde-haired girl who was pouting in front of him.

"But I don't wanna go daddy!" she said, stomping her foot and crossing her arms in front of her.

He squatted down to be eye level with her. Her blue eyes blazed back at him. She is madder than hell, he thought, just like her mother could be. The little girl was his spitting image though and that made it hard for Sam to tell his daughter no.

"Do you really want to go to school all day with me? Then football practice? You'd be bored out of your gourd!" he said, laughing and picking her up. At 4 years old, she weighed nearly nothing to Sam.

"What's a gourd?" she asked, sitting on his hip as he maneuvered through their boxes to their kitchen.

He set her down out there next to the countertop where he had been working on putting her lunch together and his lunch together. Today was his first day back at McKinley and Maddie's first day at preschool.

"A gourd is like a fruit," he said, not really sure if he was right or not. "Like a pumpkin."

"Oh," she said, thinking about that. "Well I still don't wanna go! I wanna stay with you daddy!"

He looked down at her, again in her pouting stance, now with her lower lip puffed out. Her hair, a mess of blonde curls, was up in a high ponytail, the best he could manage. He had put her in striped leggings with a denim skirt and a t-shirt with a cardigan. She didn't look half bad for being a kid of a single father.

"You will have so much fun today, Madeline Cherie, I can't even begin to describe it! You'll make new friends, learn all kinds of new stuff...you'll love it there! And I'll be right across the street," he told her happily. He had chosen the preschool located right across the street from McKinley so he'd be near her all day. He didn't want to let on to his only daughter, but this was proving to be as difficult for him as it was to her.

Maddie looked up at him, wanting to believe him. She still looked worried.

"I'll tell you what," Sam started, again squatting down to her level. "If you don't do one single fun thing today, then you don't have to go back. Deal?"

He stuck his hand out between them. She looked at it and then slapped her little hand into his. He pumped their handshake in an exaggerated manner, making her laugh. He finished preparing their lunches, made sure she had her backpack and he had his briefcase, and they left their apartment.

xxxxx

At her new preschool, Sam told himself he'd walk her in on the first day, kiss her goodbye, and turn and leave. He had very good intentions. Except when he walked her to her classroom and saw how absolutely tiny she appeared in the large room with 15 other kids running around he wouldn't-couldn't-let go of her hand.

"Daddy!" she whispered. He looked down at her. He realized he was embarrassing her by standing their holding her hand in front of the other kids. He reluctantly let go.

"Do you need any help finding your desk? Where to put your backpack?" he asked her nervously, trying to stall so he wouldn't have to turn and leave.

The teacher came over, a lady a bit older than him perhaps, and shook his hand. She introduced herself as Miss Carlisle and asked Maddie who she was.

"Madeline Cherie Evans, ma'am," Maddie piped up. Sam had never been so proud.

"Ooo la la, what a beautiful French name!" her teacher said smiling.

"My mother named me…" Maddie said, looking up at Sam.

"Do you need anything from me? Phone numbers? Address? I'm working right across the street at McKinley High, my alma mater…"

"I believe we're fine, Mr. Evans. Now, Maddie is scheduled to stay after in latchkey, correct?"

"That's right. I'll be at football practice until 4:30…if anyone needs me," he said, resting a hand on Maddie's shoulder. "You'll have a great day, Madeline. I'll see you this afternoon."

He picked her up quickly to hug and kiss her, and she squirmed her way out of his arms.

"Come with me, Miss Maddie, and I'll show you your table," Miss Carlisle lead Maddie away from Sam and Sam knew that that was his cue to turn and leave.

He made it to the door and turned around. Maddie was already talking to a little red-haired girl at her table and was paying no attention to him leaving.

Sam drove across the street to McKinley and found a spot in the teacher's lot. He had been there a couple days before, signing all the needed paperwork for his new position, meeting with Coach Beiste, and preparing his astronomy classroom. The first time he walked into that room the memories came flooding back, namely the time he tried to kiss Quinn Fabray while trying to convince her to sing a duet with him in Glee Club. He recalled how almost frightened she had become and had run from the room, leaving him standing there completely clueless. He wondered what she was up to nowadays and made a mental note to ask Finn about her. During his free period, he sat at his desk, looking at a framed picture of Maddie. It was taken when she first started walking; she was excited; he was excited.

He wondered if Sennett ever thought of her. He had met Sennett his freshman year of college in his astronomy class; she was from France and studying abroad. At first, her beauty attracted him, then her unique name, then her personality. Their relationship blazed quickly, then burned out. During his second year of school, she sought him out one day, finding him in the astronomy department; she was crying. He had not seen her since their breakup and couldn't imagine what she wanted. He hated seeing girls cry, so he hugged her quickly and asked her what was wrong. She said she was returning to France, but she needed to leave him with something first. It was then that she pushed the stroller from around the corner of the door and a very new tiny baby, stirring awake, made eye contact with Sam. As soon as he looked into those eyes, he knew. The baby was his daughter.

They had walked to a nearby coffee shop to talk more. She said she couldn't take the baby to France; her parents didn't know about her and would disown her if they knew she had had a baby out of wedlock. She had no other choice than to leave her with Sam. "I named her Madeline Cherie...I hope you like it," she mumbled to Sam. He just nodded; he was stunned into silence at that point. Sennett left him with all of Madeline's paperwork and a few baby items. She was born on July 31 and was 6 weeks old; he had just turned 19. He had no other choice than to call his parents and figure out what to do. He shook those memories out of his head then and focused on classwork the rest of the day.

The first day of school went relatively well. He was teaching basic astronomy for teenagers, and he gathered most of them thought the class would be an easy A. He was determined to not make it that way and hopefully one of them would actually learn something. He loved talking about the galaxies and stars and planets and sharing his knowledge with others. When the school day ended, he went to the locker room to work with the football team recruits. Once on the field, Sam could actually see the preschool and wondered how Maddie was doing. He couldn't wait to scoop her up in his arms and hug that little girl. Basically, his entire life revolved around her.

xxxxx

He walked into the preschool and she ran into his arms, squealing. He picked her up, hugging her close to him.

"Daddy! Daddy! I had the bestest time ever!" she said, breathlessly. "First, Miss Carlisle read us a story, then we played a game about letters and numbers, then we played outside, then we took a nap (but I only acted like I was asleep!), then then then..." She paused to catch her breath. "We finger painted! Look what I painted!" She was clutching a large piece of paper and held it up for him to see.

A smile spread across his face. It was a man and his daughter, going to school and work. She had even remembered the color tie he wore that day.

"That is a masterpiece, Maddie! And, it shall go directly on the refrigerator!" he said cheerfully, carrying her to their car. "I missed you lots today. Did you miss me?"

She screwed up her face a bit in thought. "Umm, a little, I s'pose...oh! We sang songs too!"

"What songs? I love to sing," he asked her.

She tried to recall them but was too excited to remember them.

"It sounds like you had a great day, young lady," Sam said.

"I did! I can't wait 'til tomorrow!"

Sam decided not to remind her of their 'bet' from that morning.

The next two weeks went without issue for Sam and his daughter. They were both busy with school and the football team was busy practicing for their big homecoming game. Sam contacted Finn and Rachel to see if they could bring Maddie to the game.

"That's a great idea, Sam! I'm sure Bailey will love Maddie," Rachel told him. "We'll have fun while you lead those boys to a victory!"

Sam chuckled. "Well, that remains to be seen...thanks a lot, Rach."

xxxxx

Quinn was sitting in her office, doodling on the desk calendar that covered her desk. She at least had a couple appointments that afternoon to show some properties and then had to meet another client that evening who was listing his property with her so that'd keep her busy for at least a little while. The bell over the door rang out, and Quinn looked up. Rachel was headed her way with her stroller and two kids.

"Hey girlfriend!" Rachel said, smiling. She's as goofy now as she was in high school, Quinn thought, also smiling.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Hudson. Interested in buying a lovely home?" Quinn asked.

"Not today! We were just wondering what you were doing this Saturday night?"

Hmmm...besides giving myself a mani/pedi, then popping in Gone With the Wind and cracking open that new tub of Ben & Jerry's?

"Not much, why?"

"Well, it's homecoming at McKinley...I thought you might want to..."

Quinn interrupted her. "No way. I'm not going to sit through that crummy game with you!"

"No, seriously, we'll have fun! Finn is helping Coach Beiste so it'll just be me and the kids...please come?"

Quinn picked up Marie and bounced her on her knee.

"I can go home straight afterwards? No dances? No Breadstix? Just home..."

"Sure...although you'd have fun if we went to the homecoming dance, you know that!"

Quinn sighed. She had nothing better to do Saturday night.

"Fine. What time will you pick me up?"

xxxxx

Quinn heard the honk and ran out to Rachel's car. She slipped into the passenger side, surprised to see three kids strapped in the back seat, not just two.

"Hi Bailey! Hi Marie!" Quinn said happily. Quietly, to Rachel, she asked, "Who's the third one?"

"Her name is Maddie..."

"Hi Maddie!"

"Maddie Evans..."

Quinn looked at Rachel.

"As in Sam Evans?" she hissed.

Rachel couldn't hold back her smile and nodded furiously. "Yep, the one and only!"

Quinn felt a little nauseous. So Sam had a daughter apparently. No wonder he hadn't tried to contact her. She sighed. And, of course, he'd be at this game tonight, she thought, cringing inside.

Quinn turned a bit in her seat to face the back. "So, Maddie, how do you like Lima so far?"

"I love my school! I don't even miss my daddy while he's at school," Maddie answered her politely. "Bailey and I are the same age...four!"

Sam was busy right out of high school, I guess, Quinn thought.

"School is fun, especially at your age," Quinn said. "Will your mommy be at the football game?"

"No..."

"Sam asked me if I could bring her...he's a single dad, Quinn," Rachel interjected.

"Oh..." Quinn mulled this over. Sam, a single dad of a 4-year-old? Intriguing! she thought. I wonder what his story is.

At the game, they found seats in the stands, not too high up because Rachel was hauling a car seat with baby Marie and Quinn held two little hands in her own. They all got situated on the bleachers, and Quinn scanned the McKinley High football team for a certain blonde. Finally, the huddle of boys parted and ran out onto the field, and there he was, holding a clipboard, watching the guys take their positions.

He had not changed too much since graduation...still muscular but slim, still clean-shaven, hair a bit shorter and darker. She thought he did look a little more grown-up in black athletic pants and a red, black, and white McKinley High athletic department polo. He was totally focused on the players and the calls being made and was conferring with Coach Beiste and Finn about things. Finally, during a time-out, Sam turned and scanned the stands for Rachel and his daughter.

His eyes finally landed on them, and he waved. Maddie waved and screamed at him. Rachel and Quinn were flanking the three girls. Quinn saw him nod at Rachel and then his eyes fell on her. He looked a little confused and then waved a bit and turned back to the game. She couldn't deny it...her heart fluttered when their eyes met.

Quinn Fabray? Sitting in the stands next to my Maddie? Wonder why she isn't here with her husband? Sam thought, tapping the clipboard with the pen.

At halftime, Sam followed the team into the locker rooms. On the stands, Quinn offered to go get some snacks and pops. Maddie asked if she could go with her.

"Sure, Maddie. C'mon..." Quinn said, picking up her hand. When they got to the concession stand, Quinn got a really good look at the little girl. She had curly blonde hair and Sam's eyes. Her skin was creamy and a few tiny freckles were scattered over her nose. Her lips weren't as full as Sam's but pretty nonetheless, shaped like a pink rosebud. When she smiled, it was lopsided, very much like Sam.

"You look a lot like your daddy," Quinn said.

"You know my daddy?"

"Yep...I went to school with him a few years ago," Quinn replied.

"He went to school with my mommy too," Maddie told her.

"He did? Where is your mommy?"

"She lives in France," Maddie said, nonchalantly. "She never calls."

Quinn was floored. She stepped up to the counter and ordered some popcorn and pretzels and drinks.

"Can you help me, Maddie? I don't have enough hands," Quinn said, smiling to the little girl.

"Sure. Daddy says I'm a good helper!"

They returned to their seats with Maddie helping her carry the goods.

"Can they have popcorn? I didn't know," Quinn asked Rachel, referring to the little girls.

"Everyone but Marie!" Rachel giggled.

The game was restarting in five minutes, and Finn approached the girls, followed by Sam. Quinn held her breath but smiled warmly up at him.

"Hi Maddie C!" Sam picked her up. "Do you like football yet?"

She giggled. "You're silly, daddy!"

Sam glanced at Quinn, then back to Maddie. "I see you've met an old friend of mine."

"Yeah, Quinn...she's real nice, daddy."

"Yep, she is," he said, setting Maddie back on her seat.

"Quinn...so good to see you!" He opened his arms to her, so she stood up and embraced him quickly.

"Good to see you, Sam. Your little girl is darling," Quinn said to him.

"She is...chip off the ol' block!" he laughed. Coach Beiste blew her whistle. "Oh, gotta run. I'll see you after the game, Maddie!" He bent and kissed her quickly and took off for the sidelines.

As he jogged back over to Coach Beiste, all Sam could think of was the fact Quinn's left ring finger was bare.

xxxxx

McKinley High won their homecoming game by a wide margin. Finn finished up with the team first and joined Rachel, Quinn, and the girls.

"I can stay with Maddie if you all need to go on home," Quinn offered. Their baby was getting cranky.

"Sure...Sam can drop you off, I'm sure," Finn said.

The Hudsons got their belongings together and headed for their vehicle.

Quinn and Maddie sat down against a wall outside the boy's locker room. The scene was familiar to Quinn, many times meeting Finn there, or Puck, or sometimes Sam, after games.

"So, you go to school, Maddie?" Quinn asked.

"Yes, I do. And I learn lots of neat stuff...like finger painting! I love to finger paint!" Maddie said, adding emphasis to finger painting.

"Oh, finger painting is neat! I loved it too in school," Quinn told her.

"I've made lots of friends...girls like Bailey and boys who are nice like my daddy."

"Those boys are the best kind to be friends with," Quinn said. "The ones who are like your daddy. He was really sweet in school."

Maddie giggled next to Quinn. "Daddy? Sweet?"

"Yep...he was a good friend to have."

Sam exited the locker room, laughing with Coach Beiste. Quinn and Maddie stood up.

"Hi daddy!" Maddie piped up.

"Why, who's this cute little Sam Evans look-alike?" Coach Beiste asked.

"Coach, this is my daughter, Maddie…Maddie this is Coach Beiste," Sam said, smiling and picking her up.

Maddie's smile disappeared and she looked at Sam in shock. "Like a monster?" Maddie whispered to him.

Sam chuckled, Quinn giggled, and Coach Beiste guffawed. "Some of those turkeys in there think I'm a monster!" Coach Beiste thumbed toward the boy's locker room. She looked at Quinn. "Weren't you one of the Cheerios?"

"Yes, Coach, Quinn Fabray," Quinn said, shaking the coach's hand.

Coach Beiste suddenly recognized her. "From Fabray Real Estate?"

"Yes, the one and only," Quinn said, flashing her smile reserved for doing business.

"Do you deal in condos? I've been thinking of upgrading," Coach Beiste asked her.

"We sure do!" Quinn whipped out a business card and handed it over. "Call me anytime and I'll see how I can help you."

Coach Beiste thanked her, told Maddie it was nice meeting her, and said goodnight to Sam. She turned to return to the locker room, and they could hear her yelling, "Cover it up boys! That's as odd as a freckle on rooster!"

Sam and Quinn looked at one another and burst out laughing.

"What does that even mean?" Quinn asked.

"I have no clue…Coach is one-of-a-kind, though." He shifted Maddie on his hip. "You tired, Madeline?"

"Sleepy…" she yawned.

Sam looked at Quinn, a warm smile on his lips. "I better get her home…beauty rest and all…it was great seeing you tonight."

"I hate to be a bother, but is there any way you could drop me off at my home? Finn and Rachel already left with their sleepy kids," she asked him, feeling like a complete idiot.

"Sure, not a problem…where are you living now?"

They began walking to the parking lot. Now, she really was going to feel like an idiot. "Um, at my old house…"

He didn't seem surprised that she was still living at home and not on her own. He simply said okay and led her to his car. He strapped Maddie in her car seat and they headed off in the direction of Quinn's mom's house.

He pulled up in her driveway, told her again it was great running into her, maybe they could get together sometime and catch up? She agreed that that was a good idea and suggested the afternoon of the next day at The Lima Bean.

"That place is still here?" he asked, laughing a little.

"Oh yeah, and going strong. Thank you for the ride, Sam. Goodnight," she said quietly as Maddie was snoring in the back seat and stepped out of his car, shutting the door easily. He watched her enter the house and backed out of the driveway.

"Goodnight Quinn," he murmured, pulling away.

Inside her house, Quinn leaned against the front door after locking it and setting the alarm and felt like swooning. She then realized that he drove her home from memory; he didn't ask directions.

xxxxx

The next day, Sam and Maddie met Quinn at The Lima Bean. They all had mugs of hot chocolate. Sam and Quinn shared stories of their high school days with Maddie, telling her about Glee Club and Sam playing football. It was nice to talk with Sam, and she enjoyed talking to his daughter, as well. She was polite and smart for a 4-year-old, Quinn thought, and just a delight to spend time with.

Sam asked Quinn about the real estate business, and she tried to glamorize it as much as possible but that was a difficult task. She asked about his life after high school, and he told her Maddie had entered his life and it had just been him and her the last 4 years. He didn't go into a lot of detail, and Quinn didn't push.

Sam liked how well Quinn got along with Maddie and Maddie idolized Quinn. Quinn enjoyed Sam's company and wanted to get to know Maddie better. They all had an enjoyable time at the coffee shop and after that began meeting up to do other things, such as taking Maddie to animated movies and the children's museum, watching McKinley's football games, visiting Quinn at her office, even grocery shopping together. One day, Quinn told them she had somewhere special to take Maddie.

She drove, and they wound up at Color Me Mine.

"I'm surprised this place is still open," Sam said.

"Do you remember…?" Quinn asked him.

He looked at her funny. "Of course I remember."

Since Maddie loved to finger paint, Quinn thought she might enjoy Color Me Mine. Quinn had called ahead to find out if there were kids' activities available, and there were things for kids to create.

It turned out that Maddie loved it there and created four coasters for her dad. Working with paintbrushes was a little daunting, but she picked up on it quickly and made four very unique coasters.

Later that evening, while Sam and Maddie were in their apartment and he was folding clothes and she was watching cartoons, he struck up a conversation with her.

"Madeline, did you have fun today?"

"Oh, very much fun daddy! Quinn is the best!"

"She's pretty neat, isn't she? I had something to ask you…something about Quinn," he said, muting the TV.

Maddie came over to him, picking up her socks and trying to match them.

"I thought about asking Quinn to go on a real date with me…a grownups-only date. Maybe take her to dinner and a movie…"

"Like, not with me?" she asked.

His heart broke a little.

"Well, you'd be having a sleepover with Bailey…that'd be lots of fun," he said, trying to sound convincing.

She stood there, pondering this idea. "Can I take my computer?"

He had given her a toy laptop when they moved to Lima. "Sure, of course you can. And Billy too…"

Billy was her stuffed animal cat.

Her face lit up. "Bailey will love Billy!" She laughed. "Bailey and Billy! Billy and Bailey!"

Her singsong voice sounded so pretty to him, so girly. Sometimes, he'd look at her and be amazed that he had helped create such a wonderful creature.

She ran to her room to pack a suitcase. "When are you taking me and Billy to Bailey's, daddy?" she called from her room.

"Soon, Maddie…" he replied and smiled. He loved being a father.

xxxxx

"So, you're a daddy. It suits you well, Samuel," Quinn purred over her meal at Breadstix. He had sent her flowers to her office, the card asking her to call him at the school. She did, and he asked her to dinner. She pretended to check her schedule, even went so far as to put him on hold while she squealed quietly, then answered him calmly that she'd love to go to dinner with him. Now, at the restaurant and after the requisite small talk, she pursued a topic that had intrigued her since Sam Evans returned to town…his fatherhood.

"Thank you, Quinn. I love being a dad. I kinda fell into the role, though…" he chuckled a little.

"How did little Maddie come about then? You never mention her mother," Quinn asked him directly. Over the past few weeks, they had grown closer and were now more like friends than acquaintances.

"Mainly because she walked out of Maddie's life and has not once tried to contact her…" he said solemnly.

"I'm sorry, Sam…"

"Don't be. Maddie's better off without her, I think. I know that sounds harsh but then I know her mother," he said. He then told the story of how Sennett brought Maddie to him and how he was scared and didn't know what to do.

"I mean, she left me with a 6-week-old infant…I was clueless. I called my mom and dad and oh my gosh I'm surprised you didn't hear them yelling from Tennessee!"

"I take it they were upset?"

"More like disappointed and, yeah, upset. Once they laid eyes on Maddie, though, that all faded away."

"So, what did you do?" Quinn asked, totally enthralled now with his story.

"Transferred to a school closer to my parent's home and moved in with them. I had no other choice," he said, sipping his wine. "My mom and Stacey helped me a lot with Madeline when she was a baby."

"You do an awesome job with her now," Quinn told him.

"Well, it's tons easier now, now that she's a little older. I can't believe how smart she is; I guess she gets that from Sennett, not me. She really likes you," Sam said.

Quinn's face lit up. "She does? Well, I like her a lot too."

"Great! Um, I kinda think she needs…a woman…in her life, you know, to do girly things with, someone she can look up to…"

"She looks up to you, Sam, clearly…"

"I mean, a strong woman in her life…someone who's going to be there for her…"

He reached across the table and ran his fingers over her fingers. "I need a woman in my life, too…"

The sound of his voice melted her.

"And…you're asking me to be that woman?"

He nodded slowly. She couldn't hide her smile.

It was nearing Christmastime so after dinner they took a walk in downtown Lima to look at the shop windows and admire the lights and decorations. Sam held her hand as they walked. At one point, she hooked her arm in his. They wound up at the gazebo in Lima's City Park. It was chilly out that night, so he held her close to him, wrapping his coat around them both.

"Thank you for a lovely evening, Sam," she whispered into his neck. He shivered from the chills it sent through his body.

"You never answered me, Quinn," he said.

She looked up at him. "I want to be that woman in your life, in Maddie's life…it'd be an honor, Samuel."

He smiled and slowly leaned in to kiss her. When his lips touched hers, it was like they had never been apart. Their mouths melded together like they were made to kiss one another. Quinn worked her arms around his waist under his coat, and he took her face in his hands.

"I really think I'm falling for you, Quinn Fabray," he said quietly, kissing her again.

And I'm falling hard for you…she thought, returning his kiss, this time parting her lips a bit, allowing their tongues to touch lightly.

He groaned as he broke the kiss. "I probably need to check in with Maddie and make sure she's doing okay. This is her first sleepover, with Bailey Hudson."

Quinn smiled, thinking of the two little girls together. Sam took her hand and they began walking toward his car. Once inside the car and warmed up, Sam called the Hudsons and got the okay from Finn. Bailey and Maddie were already out like lights.

He drove Quinn to her house and pulled into the drive.

"Thank you again, Sam, it was fabulous…" she said, hooking her bag over her arm and getting ready to leave his car.

"Quinn…" he said and paused. She stopped. "I don't want to come across as too forward but you're welcome to come over to my place, if you'd like to. We could watch a movie, pop some corn, cuddle…"

She put her seatbelt back on. "I'd love to…"

They wound up going to his apartment and true to his word they popped corn, found a movie, and cuddled up together on the couch. There was a little more kissing, a little more cuddling under the blanket they were under. He offered her one of his t-shirts and a pair of shorts to wear but she said the shirt was fine so he put on the shorts and they crawled into his bed and cuddled some more before finally falling asleep. Sex would come later…that night was more about the cuddling and reveling in their new status as 'boyfriend/girlfriend'.

When he woke up the next morning, holding a sleeping Quinn in his arms, he was pretty sure he knew then how he wanted to wake up every other day for the rest of his life. Her petite warm body was curled into his, and she was snoring lightly. Her blonde hair was messy, and her legs were tangled up with his. He kissed her awake, and she smiled and stretched and turned to face him, hugging him.

"Was last night a dream?" she asked quietly.

"In some ways, yes, but we're really here, really together," he answered.

She reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together. "This is real…" She leaned in and kissed him again.

To be continued…