Hey everybody! Thanks so much for all the reviews and the alerts, I appreciate it so much! Always nice to know there are other Sam/Quinn fans out there. =)

Anyhoo, here's the next chapter! Last time, you got to see Quinn kiss Sam and this kind of deals with the aftermath of it all. If there are any questions, hit me up. =P This one's a little long, but I wanted to fit everything in, so I hope you guys like it! It picks up the night of the Glee club reunion dinner (from the previous chapter) and goes on to the next day.

Also, I don't own Bon Jovi, Leann Rimes, or Glee, obviously. =P


Chapter 3: 'Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore

"So, she just kissed you and ran away?" Mike asked, running his thumb over the edges of the glass in his hand.

"Exactly. She said, 'Don't,' then she just took off, back into the restaurant. And I was just standing there, until I saw you wave at me to come back in and then…well, we just avoided each other," Sam explained, shrugging his shoulders. The dark night hung in the air, as the two men sat out on the balcony, abandoned beer bottles and a bag of Doritos scattered on the coffee table between them. Tina had kissed them both (Mike on the lips, Sam on the cheek) goodnight and had tired to bed, but Sam had too much on his mind to head back to his hotel room and instead, asked his friend for advice.

"And she told you they're breaking up?"

"Yeah. Sort of. I guess. I'm not going to do anything, you know? I mean, Puck's still a friend to me and I know it's been ages, but I couldn't…I couldn't do to her what she did to me, if that makes any sense," Sam groaned, running a hand over his tired face.

"Well, you're a damn good friend. Puck certainly didn't extend the same courtesy to other girls," Mike murmured and for a split second, both their minds came across the same thought – Quinn and Finn, Finn and Rachel.

"He's gotten himself into a fair share of triangles, but let's face it – Puck's still a good guy, you know?" the blonde pointed out.

"Yeah, well, so are you. And everybody knows you and Quinn have a ton of unfinished business. It's written all over both your faces. Puck is…temporary," Mike explained in a hesitant tone. "He's like a band-aid for her right now, kind of covering up all the hurt she's been through. After her dad passed away, she just sort of settled into this life and she's…well, I don't think Quinn's happy,"

"Even if that's the case, I can't…it'd be wrong,"

"Look, the bottom line is, do you want to be with Quinn?" Mike asked. Sam paused, his answer barely on the tip of his tongue as he weighed his options. Being without Quinn was bearable and could be done, but it was felt like floating through life – you got to the places you were supposed to, but with no stories to tell.

"Yeah, I do," he admitted sheepishly. "But not at the expense of Puck's friendship," he added, his brow furrowing.

"Screw that. Man, Puck told you they're not working out. Quinn's told you they're breaking up. The way I see it, go for what you want. She hurt you six years ago and you've hurt her by not keeping in contact. You're both even,"

"I guess…I guess you're right," Sam said, his eyes widening in disbelief, as if he had never thought of it that plainly before.

"Good. Now, I love you, dude, but you've got to get out of here. I'm exhausted and I need my beauty sleep for tomorrow," Mike chuckled, standing up and slapping Sam on the shoulder playfully. "Look, whatever decision you make…just make it for you. Not Puck, not your family, not Finn or Rachel. You," he added with a last glance, before heading inside.


"Do you ever think we were supposed to end up here?" Quinn mused, licking the spoon in her hand clean of the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream she was eating.

"In Lima?" Rachel wrinkled her nose, a smile playing across her lips. The sun was about to rise, but when Quinn had showed up on her doorstep at 4:30 AM, Rachel had no choice but to let her come in. They had sentimentally pored through their old high school yearbooks, nearly woken Finn up with their incessant laughter, and were now huddled underneath a big blanket, sharing a tub of ice cream.

"I mean here, in our lives. You know, about to marry your high school sweetheart and a regular on Broadway and TV shows?" Quinn giggled, nudging her knee against her friend's.

"I have always prided myself on pure determination and talent to get to where I am today. As for Finn…he came along for the ride," Rachel stifled a laugh behind her spoon of ice cream, before shoving it ungracefully into her mouth. "What about you? Working part-time at a big real-estate agency, getting your college degree, and having a live-in boyfriend…is that where you think you're supposed to end up?" she asked thoughtfully.

"No," Quinn said simply, leaning back into the couch. "I thought I'd be in California or New York. I thought I'd have a college degree. And I definitely didn't think I'd be living with Puck," she sighed, biting her lip. "I don't know where it all went wrong,"

"Maybe it didn't go wrong, maybe it just went in a different direction. Different isn't necessarily wrong," Rachel pointed out.

"I guess. I just wish there was something…more," Quinn mused, her mind flooding with images of Sam and their kiss only several hours earlier. "I kissed him," she blurted out, her cheeks flushed.

"Kissed who?"

"Sam," the blonde said, before receiving a hard slap from her best friend in the arm. "Hey!" she protested.

"You're only telling me this now?" Rachel cried, waving her arms frantically. She threw back the blanket and started to pace across the living room, her hands wringing together. Quinn had to hold back her laughs – to be frank, her best friend looked insane. "What does this mean? You know you cheated on Puck, right?"

"I know, it's a mess," Quinn groaned, running a hand over her face exasperatedly. "Rach, could you sit down? You're giving me a headache,"

"I know you and Sam have this unspoken bond between you two, but I never thought…after everything you guys went through in high school…" Rachel mused aloud, sitting herself back down and staring off into the distance in deep thought.

"Maybe…maybe I still love Sam," Quinn admitted in a small voice. The words made Rachel whip her head back around to face the blonde and her jaw dropped. "I mean…oh, I don't know. It's just that Puck and I…we just fell into this, you know? It was like he needed someone and I needed someone and we just found each other. But Sam and I…it's like this attraction we can't get rid of, even after six years," Quinn struggled to explain, the words falling out of her mouth with less and less conviction.

"Quinn, you do realize what you're saying, don't you?" Rachel asked, biting her lip worriedly.

"I do, I really do. I just feel like everyone's moving forward and I've been stuck here, ever since my dad passed away. And I just fell into this thing with Puck because it was convenient and I needed someone to lean on," Quinn responded, taking the time to sort out her thoughts. She knew she didn't deserve Sam – not after all the hurt she had put him through in high school. Still, the remnants of her Queen Bee status in her personality made Quinn want to fight for him. She deserved him now, she wanted him now. "But I could be happy with Sam. I was happy with Sam," Quinn added, looking up at Rachel, the first genuinely sincere smile she had smiled in over six years playing across her lips happily.


He felt the warm sun beat against the back of his neck, as he jogged through the park, letting a soft breeze hit his face and brush back his hair. Earlier that morning, Sam had woken up with a newfound sense of purpose. He needed to clear his head and clear his thoughts, so he did the one thing he knew well – he went for a run. He had already jogged past McKinley High, past the old basketball courts where he and Mike used to play one-on-one, and past Breadstix. Now in the park, he saw flashes of the familiar monkey bars and swing sets – places where he used to take Stacy and Stevie to play, before they had left Lima. Turning a sharp corner that brought him out and onto a lonely stretch of road, his heart pounded as he came to the realization of where he was. He came to an abrupt stop and looked up at the dilapidated, unlit, billboard sign – "American Family Motel."

A rush of memories flooded him at that moment, from the day they had reluctantly moved in to the day they had finally gotten the chance to leave. Sam sat down on the curb, staring at the motel, one door in particular. Behind that door, stood a small, tiny room that once housed his entire family and all their belongings. But still, despite the conditions they were living in, Sam knew his family had gotten stronger and closer since then. And he couldn't deny that there were some great times that happened in the motel. Pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes, Sam thought of the nights he'd come home from his job and found his younger siblings tucked into bed with Quinn, who always offered to babysit, no questions asked. He remembered playing video games with Stevie, while Quinn braided Stacy's hair and told her elaborate stories of princesses and fairies. He remembered walking Quinn to her car and spending the last few minutes, chatting about Glee and sometimes, even Finn. People thought Sam and Quinn couldn't stand to be around each other after the breakup, but the truth was, when he really needed it, she had been the most caring and kindest best friend anyone could've asked for.

"Sam?" a voice broke his thoughts and he looked up, blinking back tears and shielding his eyes from the sunlight.

"Quinn," he murmured, standing up. She smiled back at him softly, her hazel eyes wide with curiosity. Dressed in a short, floral dress with combat boots, her hair fell in one long braid by her side and with the sun casting an angelic glow over her face, Sam was convinced the universe was playing a dirty trick with him.

"What are you doing here? Rachel's been trying to reach you," she held up her cell phone, turning it over in her fingers.

"Oh, I left my phone back at the hotel. I just…needed to clear my head," he fumbled along his words, running his hand over the back of his neck, realizing that he probably looked disgusting after his run.

"Yeah, I understand that," she mumbled, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She turned around and took a long, hard look at the motel, before fixing her gaze on him. "You ended up here?"

"I wasn't really thinking," he shrugged. "What are you doing here?"

"I…I come here sometimes," she sighed, taking a seat on the curb he had occupied before. Sam didn't quite know what to do with himself, so he took a seat next to her.

"Yeah?"

"I know it's strange, I mean, this place probably has a lot of bad memories for you…" she trailed off. "But I like coming here sometimes. It reminds me of the person I used to be. The person I could be," she shrugged her shoulders and when Sam stole a quick glance, he saw a shadow of doubt and insecurity cross her face. 'There it was,' he thought to himself. Beyond the façade Quinn Fabray liked to put up, there was a fragile heart that had been put through more than it could bear.

"I have good memories here, too," he offered.

"Like what?"

"Well, there was that random heat wave, and you brought over a tub of ice cream and a cooler full of ice cubes. And we were sitting in the park when out of nowhere, Stevie decides to dump a handful of ice cubes over your head," Sam chuckled, remembering the way Quinn's jaw had dropped and she had screamed playfully.

"Oh my gosh, that was horrible! I mean, the cold was nice, but being surprised like that…" she giggled. "Aw, I miss Stevie. How is he? And Stacy?"

"They're good. They like New Jersey and I let them turn my room into a play room, so they're happy," he grinned, thinking of his younger siblings.

"I'm glad everything worked out for you and your family, Sam," she said genuinely, looking up at him behind her long eyelashes. "I haven't been able to say that, especially after we left everything, but I'm…I'm happy everything got better,"

"Thanks, Quinn," he shot her a lopsided smile that made her feel weak in the knees. "You know, you could always come up to New York, we could visit Jersey and see everyone. I know the kids will love seeing you," he added.

"Oh, I don't know,"

"Why not?"

"I just…I don't see myself getting out of Lima anytime soon, that's all," Quinn bit her lip, holding back the tears that always seemed to fall whenever the subject was approached. Sam raised his eyebrows, prompting her to elaborate. "My mom is here and there's Puck…and the possibility that Shelby can always contact me here. I have school and a job here…my life is here,"

"It doesn't have to be," Sam said. Quinn looked up into his green eyes and like always, her heart started pounding. There was a way he could make her feel, with just one short glance. It was as if whenever she was around him, Quinn felt safe and protected, but free and reckless, at the same time. As if no matter where she let go, he would always be there to catch her. He shifted slightly and in mere seconds, Quinn felt his soft hair brush against her forehead. She felt herself inhale sharply, but before she opened her mouth to respond, her phone beeped, the noise cutting through the silence between them. Quinn saw Sam flinch slightly and move away, as she pulled out her cell phone and noticed Puck's name flashing across the screen.

"I have to…um…" she stumbled, staring at the phone in her hands, as if the name was completely foreign to her.

"It's okay, go ahead," Sam sighed, running both his hands through his hair in frustration, leaning back onto the grass as Quinn hopped up and walked several feet away to take the call. 'Puck,' he thought, cursing himself internally. How could he have forgotten? Sam stole a quick glance at Quinn, watching her as she paced the empty parking lot, her free hand twirling the ends of her hair nervously. He was falling for her, all over again, he knew it. But Puck…Puck would always be in the picture and Sam would always be the odd one out. He had left and life had moved on, Quinn had moved on. He couldn't blame her for it, but for the first time since he had landed in Lima, Sam was starting to feel like maybe Ohio wasn't home anymore.

"Sorry, that was…Rachel stopped by the house looking for me," Quinn said, settling down next to Sam, eager to pick up where they had left off. She was taken aback when he jumped up and distanced himself away from her, as if she was toxic. "Sam?" she asked worriedly.

"You and Puck are still together," he stated simply.

"I'm…"

"You and Puck are still together," Sam repeated, feeling his anger and irritation bubble up inside of him. "True or false?"

"True," Quinn responded, after a short pause. "But Sam, it's not going to last, Puck and I, we're not…we're not right for each other," she added quickly.

"But you're still together. Living together, dating each other…together," he spat out the last word, hating the way it sounded. Quinn averted her eyes – she rarely saw Sam get mad, and it never failed to surprise her how intense and scary his voice got.

"I don't…"

"Damnit, Quinn!" Sam cried, whacking the palm of his hand against the street lamp's pole. "You don't get it! This is the exact same thing you did in high school!"

"Sam, high school's over, I just…"

"No," he shook his head. "You don't want to break up with Puck unless you have me. You don't like moving on if there's nothing to move on to. And I'm not going to be what Finn or Puck was for you…I won't. I can't do that to them, I can't do that to myself, and I can't do that to you," he said, his voice softer and gentler. Quinn felt tears spring to her eyes and she bit her lip, trying to blink them away, but it was no use – Sam saw the drops fall onto her pretty dress and when she looked up at him, he saw the streaks across her cheeks.

"When you left, there was nothing to move on to. There was nothing left," she stammered, standing and looking up into his light green eyes.

"Quinn…" he started, letting his heart get the best of him. No matter what, it was as if his resolve melted away at the sight of her being vulnerable. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left Lima without telling you guys…especially you," he murmured, drying her tears away with the pad of his thumb softly. "But I can't do this. Not when you're still with Puck. As much as I want to – god, do I want to – I can't," he whispered. Pressing a chaste kiss against her forehead, he gave her one last look and walked away, leaving Quinn in an empty parking lot and a mess to fix.


The rain slammed hard against the windows of the hotel, making haphazard formations on the glass. Inside his room, Sam's fingers fumbled for the whiskey bottle underneath the bar counter. He took a short swig of the liquid, feeling it burn his throat and numb the tears that he was choking back. After leaving Quinn, he had kept himself occupied with errands, before finally making it back to his hotel later that night. The empty space made it hard for him to breathe and Sam felt as if the whole world was slowly caving in on him. Did he really refuse Quinn, the girl he would always be in love with? Because that's what it was – love. As much as it scared Sam to say it, there was no other word he could think of.

He set the bottle down and wandered aimlessly, turning on the TV and letting a rerun of a football game play in the background. Before he could flop onto the bed to get comfortable, the sound of a bell pierced through the noise and in a flash, his hand was on the handle, yanking back to open the heavy door.

"Quinn?"

She was drenched in rain from head to toe, her dress clinging to her curves and her blonde hair falling over her shoulders in thick, almost brown, strands. She was holding her arms tightly against her body and as she looked up at him, Sam saw the puffy, red eyes he knew so well.

"I didn't know where else to go," she managed, her voice small and hesitant. Sam nodded, before stepping back to let her in. She stood quietly, as if she was afraid to take up any more space.

"What happened? Is everything okay?" Sam asked, worried and concerned. Grabbing the blanket off the bed, he wrapped it gently around her shoulders and continued to rub her arms, trying anything to get her to stop shaking so violently.

"Puck…we got into a huge fight," she mumbled dazedly.

"What happened?"

"He said he knows you being back in town is messing with my head. He knows I'm not happy,"

"Quinn…"

"I should be okay with it. I wanted us to break up. But we just got into this huge fight and he threw a vase at the wall and it broke and I have nowhere to go…" Quinn stammered, a fresh wave of tears coming to her again. Without a second thought, Sam pulled her in close and she tucked her head into the space between his chin and shoulder, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"You got home okay?" he asked her softly, after several minutes of silence.

"I don't know where home is anymore," she whispered, looking up into his eyes.

Lay your head on my pillow,

I sit beside you on the bed,

Don't you think it's time we say

Some things we haven't said?

It ain't too late to get back to that place

Back to where, we thought it was before

Why don't you look at me?

Till we ain't strangers anymore