"Sam! C'mon! We were supposed to be on the road an hour ago!"
"Give me a sec!" Sam put down some strips of bacon on a pancake and liberally doused it in syrup before rolling it up like burrito. "Sorry but Yaya Estring made bacon and pancakes!"
"Bye Yaya!" Blaine kisses Yaya Estring's cheek as she makes a sign of the cross on his and Sam's foreheads.
"You two drive safe, okay?" She admonishes them.
"Yes Yaya!" Sam says kisses her on her other cheeks, his lips sticky with maple syrup. "Bye!"
"C'mon! If Coop catches up with us before we leave, we won't hit the road until after lunch!"
Both boys scrambled into Blaine's SUV. As much as they both have gotten close with Cooper these last couple of months, they were eager to start on their road trip.
Things were rocky for a while after Sam and Blaine got together. Brittany did not take it well. Blaine never learned what actually happened but things fell quickly. When Brittany came home from MIT, Sam went to her house to talk. Later that evening he came over to Blaine's and simply said that it was over. Brittany never went back to McKinley, later that week, Blaine found out that Brittany accepted MIT's offer and left for Massachusetts without seeing anyone else in Lima. It's the one thing Sam doesn't talk about and Blaine has promised himself never to ask.
Of course that meant New Directions drama, Unique had gotten close to Brittany during the shooting and felt offended for Brittany's sake but even she couldn't stay mad at Sam for long. Most of the people who were upset were the alums, since they were friends with Brittany longer…notably Santana and Quinn. But Quinn was more upset that Brittany was upset and was not really angry at Sam. Santana was a whole other story but she could only afford one ticket and she decided going to Massachusetts was worth more than going to Ohio.
Fortunately things got better after that, particularly in the school. Dean Anderson's programs were a big hit in McKinley and with Burt Hummel aggressively backing them; they saw widespread implementation in the district: gay/straight alliances, youth counseling, art and music programs, anti-bullying campaigns and involving teens in community programs outside of school.
Riding high on the popularity his near-death experience brought him, he used the good morale and publicity it generated (yes, he pandered to the crowds during competition) to bring home national championships for both the New Directions and the Cheerios.
But Blaine saw something bothering Sam. And he remembered it wasn't until he saw Sam looking at Blaine's college applications that he realized what it was.
"I just realized something," he had said, startling Sam.
"What's that?" Sam asked.
"My life has completely changed, you know?"
"Well," Sam said with a smirk as walked closer to Blaine, "not completely."
"No," he agreed, he sighed when Sam's arms went around him and he turned his face up to receive a kiss. "But it has changed."
"For the better, though, right?" Sam asked worriedly and Blaine wanted to kick himself for putting it there.
"Yes, Sam, of course for the better," he had quickly assured him. "But it got me thinking."
"Uh-oh, that doesn't bode well for us mere mortals."
Blaine remembered smiling in relief that Sam was back to teasing him.
"Shut up, you," he said with a smile, "I just think that maybe I shouldn't be in a rush to get to New York, you know?"
There. Blaine saw it. How could Sam believe he was stupid when he put things together so quickly? He quickly jumped in before Sam said anything.
"Yes, it has something to do with us getting together but," he had said, cutting Sam off from saying anything, "but it has also has something to do with getting shot and making me look at my life and thinking about what is really important to me."
He saw Sam calm down. He almost let loose a breath of relief.
"And what's that?"
"I don't know," Blaine said honestly. "But I intend to find out."
"By not going to New York?" Sam asked. "Blaine you wanted to be in New York since you were old enough to know where Broadway was!"
"I know," he had said calmly. He knew the only way to get Sam to listen was to stay calm. "And that drive has maybe made me miss other opportunities out there for me."
Sam had gently disengaged himself from Blaine and stepped back.
"It's because I can't make it to New York," Sam said glumly. "You shouldn't give up your dream for me, that isn't right!"
"And I'm not." Blaine said fighting to stay cool. He hated it when Sam puts himself as second, as not important. He really, really hated it.
"What?"
"I'm taking a gap year."
"A gap year?" Sam asked and Blaine remembered smiling at the adorable look of confusion on his face.
"I'm deferring college for a year," Blaine explained. "It's a plan that not only my parents support but my therapist thinks is a very mature decision."
Blaine took Sam's hand and led him to the couch. They both sat and Blaine took both of Sam's hands. He smiled as Sam's fingers immediately, almost absently, started stroking the skin on his hands.
"You and I, Sam, both of us coming together, it's a big thing for me," Blaine had said. "Don't ever doubt that, okay?" He waited until he saw Sam nod before continuing. "But on top of that, it feels like I got my father back and I have Cooper living here again and I got shot and almost died…all these things, all of them, made me want to stop and take a look and see what's important and what I really want. And I don't want to figure that out in a couple of weeks. I want time…and I also want to spend time with you."
Blaine was rewarded by seeing Sam break out into a shy smile.
"So you aren't going away to New York?" Sam asked hopefully.
"Not any time soon, no, and who knows, maybe after the gap year, maybe New York is not where I want to be."
"So what do you want to do?" Sam, realizing that Blaine wasn't acting on a whim, relaxed and started to get interested in his plans.
"Spend some time with Coop and Dad…just, you know, hanging but what I really want to do is…" And Blaine had remembered getting really nervous. He looked up at Sam's face and all he could see was that happy expression, and he knew that his worries were for nothing.
"I want to go on a roadtrip…with you."
"With me?" Sam had asked incredulously. "Really?"
"Yes, you bonehead!" Blaine exclaimed, he could not believe Sam sometimes. "You're my boyfriend! I want to spend a lot of time with you!"
"Where do you want to go?" Sam asked excitedly.
"I think we owe your parents a visit, and then let's throw a dart on the map."
"Really?"
"I think we should go on this trip and find out what are lives will be like…together." Blaine moved closer and took Sam's face in one of his hands, thrilled that he was allowed to do this. "I made you a promise, remember? You and me, together."
"Forever."
Blaine slips back into the present as Sam drives them out of his parents' driveway. He already considers his childhood home his parents' house and no longer his own.
He's okay with that. Losing things isn't always a bad thing, if you appreciated them when you had it. Also, when you lose something, he thinks as he looks at his boyfriend singing along to whatever it was coming out of his speakers, sometimes it's to make room for something better to take its place.
A/N - There it is. Not completely happy with it, but better to finish unsatisfied than never to finish at all! Thank you for patience. I will come back to this a few times to tweak and fix but here it is.
Thank you for reading.
