Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. All original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

Don't know how I feel about this chapter. Kioshi you'll have to tell me what you think of how Torri fits into this...when it happens...

I'm super flaky so you'll have to let me know who Quoe is! Quinn and...Joe? True...TY Mr. Goode :D

The winter was late this year. No snow had fallen all through October and now they were chipping away at November.

Looking out her window at the rusty colors of orange, red and even blushing pinks of the leaves McKenna felt perhaps yesterday was just a horrible dream. Sam would be over to help fix some fence and surely he'd have thought better of the dumb, ridiculous, terrible idea.

Shortly after, her mom called her down and Sam was waiting in the living room. He had his favorite track suit jacket mismatched with a heavy grey hoodie on underneath and jeans. Football and time in the weight room had broadened out his shoulders over his narrow hips. As per usual his messy blond hair flipped out at the ends obscuring his eyes.

"...Oh yes, I keep mine quite short. McKee has the separation anxiety when it comes to hair. I can't remember when the last time she even trimmed it." She heard her mother saying to him. Her mother did have a short, edgy pixie style cut and McKee couldn't completely rule out a subconscious sense of duty to shun scissors.

"Mom...you know if I cut my hair I'd die. Like a lizard who loses it's tail." McKenna came over to them putting on her jacket.

With a laugh her mother raised an eyebrow, "Lizard's tails grow back I believe...like your hair would."

Sam took his hands out of his his pockets and grinned teasingly, "You mean like a bee that dies after stinging someone?"

He put his arm around her shoulders and McKenna smiled nervously at the touch, "Oh yeah, um, common mistake."

"You're not allowed to die McKee." He forbade her.

She barely glanced up at him then to her mother who she could see was eyeing them, coming to conclusions of the suspicious kind.

Quickly McKenna scrunched her nose and walked to go out the door and Sam followed her, both waving to her mom.

Her neck felt hot and she knew she was, of course, blushing. Sam trotted up next to her smiling as they stopped by the garage.

"Sam, you don't have to sell this relationship thing to my mom…"

She went to pick up a heavy toolbox but Sam bent to get it and hefted it easily.

"I wasn't? But actually, are you going to tell them? Like you've gotta tell Torri I think. Cause he kinda scares me and I'm pretty sure he would smash my face if you end up in another bathroom stall….in your…" Sam stammered and McKenna interrupted him hastily.

"No! Sam you can't tell anyone. Not till I move away to Ittoqqortoormiit to start my own iceberg towing company while you and Quinn are married and installing your white picket fence. Ok? I'll take care of Torri ok? If he's mad at anyone it'll be me." Now crossing her eyes she could see the red flush of her skin on her own nose and she scrambled over the fence.

'This is such a very bad idea.' She thought.

"But maybe we should just forget it Sam…I'm more worried about you."

"Hey I won't 'mug myself' I promise. I'm not going to have high expectations. It's no big deal." He said as they rustled through the cropped, dying grasses.

McKenna knew he was downplaying his hopes.

"Operation Taming of the Shrew isn't a simple con Sam. It's like a modern love potion. There are lots of ingredients…" She said, thinking to herself all of the things she would have to do that Sam probably didn't have to be aware of.

The way she figured it, Quinn wasn't your average girl. She was a well oiled machine of ambition and her priorities held status at its highest. If Sam and McKenna just 'dated', Quinn most likely would write him off because McKenna's lowly social level as well as her dorkiness. Guilty by association. McKenna not only had to become competition for Sam to make the girl think Sam was in her league, McKenna had to become popular, threatening Quinn's territory like a challenging alpha wolf. It was going to take a lot of work.

Pulling his pouty mouth off to the side, Sam shrugged, "Um let's not call it that...let's call it Operation Q-fab or something. But I get it. Just tell me what to do."

She pushed her hair behind her ear and looked over at him, "Well simple enough on the outside, just act in love you know?"

"So holding hands…"

"Yeah, little things like that at first. But you know you've gotta be able to look at me like I'm special. That geeky, gross, romantic gazey thing…" She averted her eyes at her own words.

They had reached the broken fence and stopped.

"Easy, like this?" He stepped up to her and locked his eyes on hers but then he let out a laugh through his nose, unable to stay serious.

McKenna rolled her eyes but she was a bit relieved. This was going to be much harder for her to take. "Sam, if you snort at me like that it's not going to work…"

Recomposing himself Sam nodded, "I'm sorry here let me try again."

He smoothed out his face and looked at her with a serious face. It jolted her and she tried not to blink at the sudden adoration in his stare. His eyes were more green than blue today. Chameleon eyes, how is that possible? She'd have to search engine it but in the meantime she was just stuck flat footed.

Tearing away she bent down to the toolbox. "That's fine. Um...but you know like when you see me you have to walk over like you're happy to see me."

"Ok. Got it." He began stretch the metal wire fencing that had been pulled away from the wooden post. "What about the kissing thing? I don't see how she'll think we're together without that?"

Awkwardly McKenna gave her suggestion as businesslike as possible, "Um just a lot of neck snuggling. Putting our faces close. Like they just missed seeing us...kiss. People usually don't just stand and stare at people in the hall making out, that's creepy. I think it'll be enough."

"Neck snuggle huh…" Sam pondered stepping over to her, leaning his head in. McKenna took a quick step back.

"No...no need to practice I don't think...we'll ease into that…" She waved him away. The truth was she didn't think she could handle it right now. It would be another thing she had to callous herself against.

They fixed the fence quickly and went back to feed the stock with no more talk on the subject until they walked back to his bike.

Rubbing her hands together to work some warm blood back into them McKenna sighed, "I'm going to buy you a helmet...isn't it illegal to ride around like that?"

"I don't know I don't have a licence." He shrugged.

McKee gasped and shook her head, "Hey this thing isn't going to work if you're grated all over the highway or in jail."

He conceded a nod. "So Monday hold hands?"

This was so wrong, so unnatural. But McKenna had promised.

"Well next week, Friday, I have to go to Cleveland to do some cheer competition. So I figure we'll start this charade before that on Tuesday. That means um, Monday night we'll go to our hot chocolate haunt and we'll uh...give each other matching hickies." She said, digging her toe in the dirt on the ground.

"Hickies at the manky diner got it. Good idea." He considered it thoughtfully. "Did you give Bentley a hickie?"

With a sharp frown McKenna growled, "That's classified. HIPPA or something."

Putting his weight into starting the bike Sam revved the engine then waved and left.

The rest of the day McKee practiced tumbling relentlessly. In her head she tried to work out what she needed to do to give their plan it's best chance at success and trying to tell herself she didn't care about Sam anymore.

It worked for a couple of days until they pulled up at Del's Dinner by the freeway. It definitely wasn't Breadstix. It looked like it hadn't been updated since the 70's. There were weeds overgrowing the parking lot and the neon light flickered irregularly like a dying heartbeat. Still it had the best hot chocolate they had found. They'd given it the full 4 marshmallow salute.

It had been raining which now seemed to be solidifying into fine snow.

Tonight they wouldn't sit inside. She had picked up Sam and they'd decided to do what they needed to do in the truck. The drive had been more than awkward and she sent Sam to get some hot cocoa to-go while she tried to get her courage up.

McKenna had mixed emotions at odds inside her. She was nervous, no, scared to death. But annoyingly excited at the same time. She was here with Sam and she was going to be very close to him. It should be a dream come true for her. Oh yes, she didn't care for him like that anymore. Why was it she kept forgetting that? The minutes ticked by and the heat of the drive over was slowly replaced by the seeping cold.

Then there was a knock at the passenger window and McKenna jumped. With his hoodie pulled over his head Sam peered through the window with his friendly smile.

She leaned over to let him in and he slid into the seat beside her with two styrofoam cups of hot chocolate.

"'A martini, shaken not stirred'." Sam slurred.

"You always did the best Sean Connery impressions." McKee said.

He handed her a cup and she let her hands embrace it for its warmth.

Sam shifted, almost taking a drink then spoke quickly, "You know he's a knight right? That's gotta be the coolest thing."

"Sir Sam has a ring to it…" Her hurried words filling the space between now and what was coming.

Neither of them said anything for a while until Sam looked over at her, "I think this'll work McKee. Thanks so much. You're like, my best friend."

At that moment it was really hitting McKenna what a crazy thing they were doing. With Bentley it was obviously different, it was a game. Now she felt stupid and desperate. Her brain scrambled to think of a way to get out of this. But there Sam sat, trusting that if she had done it before, it could be done again.

With a faint smile she shrugged easily like she had consented to do his homework for him or something.

"Don't thank me ok? Not until it works...if it works and even after that. You won't be talking to me anyway." She took a drink of her cocoa. It was still hot and burnt her tongue and she flinched.

"Yeah I will, what do you think I'm a snob?" He sat his cup on the broad dashboard.

"No. Well...anyway, I just think, you must really really like Quinn to be trying this. She's a lucky girl." It was the best McKenna could do.

She couldn't help how jealous she was of the perfect doll that was Quinn Fabray. Not for anything else. McKenna had always been satisfied with who she was and preferred not having to deal with popularity. But now she did want attention, but just one person's: Sam's.

"She's pretty amazing." He looked to her with his heart in his eyes.

With a harsh sigh and she decided to get it over with, "So you want me to go first?"

"Sure." For the first time he looked bashful.

McKenna leaned over towards him and he tipped his head to the side. It was definitely awkward as she tried to position herself at a good angle. She had to kink her body to reach him.

The placing was important. She could feel the warmth coming from his neck and he smelled faintly of soap. Sam smell.

"Hey come here." He grabbed her arm carefully, leading her over onto his lap. "Is that better?"

A high-pitched squeak escaped her and she wanted to die.

'Just get it over with.' She urged herself.

Picking her spot again she did it, making sure it would be a decent size. When she finished she started to crawl off of him but he stopped her.

"Wait a sec, it's your turn. This is probably the easiest way to sit for this."

Pulling her hair aside he exposed her neck and leaned in. Feeling his breath on her skin she went rigid.

'Wrong wrong wrong…' she roared at herself inside. But so very vividly she felt his lips there and it made her squeeze her eyes tight thinking he might be able to hear how loud her heart was pounding.

"Ow...ok that should be good Sam." She pulled away from him and retreated to her seat.

"So how long until we turn into vampires?" He asked with a straight face that bothered her.

With her hand at her neck McKenna shrugged at his sarcasm, "I'm a lizard remember? Or a werewolf according to Brittany."

"Right. Sorry I forgot. Do you think we need more than one each?" He grinned, then he looked at her for a minute with a teasing kind of curiosity.

Trying to stamp out the intensity she felt like a spreading fire, McKenna blurted, "No. We'll have to do it again here and there….but...we're good right now. Ok well we're committed. Tomorrow we're dating unofficially officially."

Sam grabbed his cup and lifted it up like a toast, "Let's do this."