A/N: To celebrate the end of my 6th semester and the start of my only-a-week-summer-holiday, I'm posting an update today. Read away! Enjoy :)

"Are we going anywhere?"

"You and the kids can stay. I'm going home."

"If you're going home, then the whole family goes. My family is a band of four, remember?"

Quinn stopped folding her clothes and rubbed her temple. "Please, Sam."

"No, please, Quinn."

"Enough!" The blonde girl raised her arms. "Listen, I'm glad that they love the kids, I swear I am. I'm glad that you get to reunite with your parents. And if I can't be a part of that, so be it! Sure, I can lend you and the kids to them in some weekends so you guys can bond further. Everyone's happy. No problem at all! Now, can you stop holding me back?"

"I can't be happy if you're not in the picture, you know that. Quinn, please, we can try again—."

"We tried! It didn't fucking work!" Unable to hold back anymore, Quinn burst out in tears. "How could you not see that it will never work!? We've been trying to make it work for more than ten years and I'm fucking tired of it!" The girl's eyes began to moisten and her face was red. "I'm sorry, but you just have to come in terms with the fact that in your dad's eyes, your family is a band of three!"

Sam pulled Quinn into his embrace and hugged her tightly, unrelenting to Quinn's struggle to free herself. He knew it, of course he knew how frustrated Quinn was. Sam couldn't even imagine how he would feel if Frannie and Kurt treated him like that. Perhaps he was too selfish and greedy. He was happy and he wanted more… and he had hurt Quinn.

After a while, the resistance faded and Quinn just leaned to Sam, looking for support in more ways than one. They stayed like that for quite some time until Sam whispered, "Let's take a walk outside. Get some fresh air. Just the two of us. Afterwards, if you still wanna go home, we will all go home. Okay?"

Quinn nodded slowly. Sam wiped her tear-streaked cheeks and pecked her lips before holding her hand as he led them both downstairs.

"Honey…" Mary was waiting by the foot of the stairs.

"We're just gonna take a stroll. Can you take care of the kids for a bit? They need to have lunch… Also please put Livy inside her playpen so she wouldn't crawl around too far." Sam smiled at his mom who just looked at Quinn in concern. The blonde girl was hanging her head low, holding close to Sam, but the swollen eyes were still visible from between her fallen strait of hair.

"I'm sorry, Quinn—," Mary said but Quinn shook her head although she still didn't look up.

"It's not your fault."

"But—."

"I appreciate it." She really did. She was even beginning to like Mary. Too bad things hadn't worked out so far. "Thank you," Quinn continued and then Sam just took her outside, leaving the elderly woman to take care of her husband and the kids.

"Come on, Nate, your dad said you have to eat your lunch…"

The boy shook his head sadly. "Where are my Mommy and Daddy? Are they fighting?"

"No, no, don't worry. They need some time alone, okay? Soon, they will be back."

"…I'm gonna wait for them outside," Nate dashed off without giving her a chance to prevent him.

She sighed and turned to her husband, who was sitting on the armchair nestled in the corner of the living room. The unreadable expression on his face remained and for once she was tempted to shake him and tell him to just stop being so stubborn, intolerant and always in dire need to control. She didn't want to lose her son and she definitely didn't want to lose the small family Sam had formed.

But in the end all she said was, "Watch over Livy for a while, will you?" She would wait until Sam and Quinn return.

Dwight said nothing but he did watch over the toddler's every movement. For a while it seemed Livy was busy playing with the colorful rubber blocks scattered in front of her, but then she got bored and began to crawl around, eyes scanning the room for anything that might interest her. Her eyes fell onto her grandpa and flashed her a toothy grin.

Staring attentively at Livy for the first time, Dwight was stunned by how much she looked like her parents, especially her mom, and in turn with a faint but noticeable hint of his own features on the toddler. He remembered Sam when he was a child as if it was yesterday, his chest brimming with delight and love. He remembered Sam growing up and making him proud each day.

Then he remembered the first day Sam brought Quinn home and introduced her as his lover.

A wail tore him out from the lane of memories. He was surprised to see Livy's face scrunched in pain as the toddler screamed and cried. Apparently she was attempting to climb out of the playpen but stumbled back inside in the process. "Hey, hey, it's okay…" Dwight helped Livy to sit up and rubbed the area around the bump on the back of her head. "Don't cry, baby girl… Grandpa's here…"

Surprisingly, the crying died down almost immediately. Livy looked up to him with glazed eyes and reached out. "Grappa…"

"Mommy! Mommy!" Nate ran to her and hugged her leg tightly. "Where were you!? Why did you leave me? Are you okay? Did you have a fight with Daddy? Did Daddy do something bad?"

"Hey!" Sam pouted. "Why am I always at fault?"

Quinn ruffled her son's hair. "No, we didn't fight. I just wasn't feeling well, but I'm all better now."

"Really?" Nate stared at his mom's face. True enough, his mom looked way better than earlier when she ran into the bedroom, followed by his dad. In fact, his mom was smiling now. He felt relieved and beamed, now eager to tell the good thing that happened when his parents were away. "Mommy, Livy's got a surprise for you and Daddy."

"Eh? What is it?"

"Come!" Nate dragged his parents into the living room. What they saw was a very lovely scene.

Livy was standing on her own, taking small steps towards her grandma while she squealed, "Gramma!"

The grandma caught her gleefully, eyes wet and overwhelmed with her granddaughter's innocent affection. But the toddler wasn't done with her tiny feet. She now turned to her grandpa and called out, "Grappa! Grappa!"

Quinn and Sam watched in amazement as the grandpa caught the charging Livy and smiled widely before looking up at the two. "Look Livy," he pointed at Quinn and Sam. "Mommy and Daddy are here."

Now it was their turn to be the destination of Livy's big adventure. Quinn squatted down and caught Livy right on time, just when the toddler's unsteady feet failed her. "Smart girl. Who's the smart girl? Livy's a smart girl…" Quinn hugged her tightly and kissed her all over her face. Sam whined and Quinn handed their daughter over to him, rolling her eyes at the childish plea to get his turn to smother Livy.

"You have wonderful kids."

A voice startled her. Sam's dad was standing right next to her and Quinn slowly stood up. She didn't know where did she find her courage, but she was feeling better after that walk with Sam and had convinced her husband that she didn't want to return home yet. She now had a newfound resolution, sharing Sam's wish to reunite with the elderly Evans. "They're your grandchildren."

They stared at each other for a while. Then Dwight spoke with a tone Mary hadn't heard for a long time. A gentle tone he used to his beloved son a long time ago. "Is it too late to be their grandpa?"

"Well… Livy had called you 'Grappa' already," Quinn said softly.

"How about you?" he asked slowly, as if scared of rejection. After all, Quinn had all the right to do so. "Can you forgive me?"

There were no words that could describe Quinn's feelings. She was relieved, thankful, elated and thoroughly lenient. There was no hint of remorse in her, and she surprised even himself. Speechless and believing that there were no further words needed anyway, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around her dad-in-law.

Dwight was stunned as well, didn't expect such easy and quick acceptance. He didn't deserve it, with how he had been treating Quinn until just an hour ago. He didn't deserve it, after years of rejection and unjust judgment towards the girl who had given his son so much happiness and had presented Dwight with two endearing angels.

Yet here he was, hugging her and telling her silently that none of that mattered anymore. They were a family if Dwight wanted to, and Dwight now wanted nothing else. He swore would make it up to them. His hands slowly returned the hug as he whispered, "Thank you."

A sweet ending after all the drama isn't it? Well, I have a bad news for you. I'm putting this story on hold. From now, I'll focused on Date in Paradise and the sequel of The First Day (and if you lucky, When You Love Someone). But keep your eyes on. I might update this anytime ;)

Thank you for sticking around with this story. Though I put this on hold, I still would love to know what do you think of it, whether you love it or hate it. So, keep the reviews coming! :)