Hey guys! I felt really bad about not updating all summer so I've added this mini-chapter in to hopefully make it up to you guys. This part of the story may draw some confusion out for some of you, but I promise that everything is going to work out in the end! :)

Thanks to you guys for reading. I hope you like the update.

She hadn't taken the news exceptionally well.

In fact, she was sitting on her bed; shoulders slumped, with head in hands crying. Sam awkwardly paced the floor, unsure if Rachel wanted him to comfort her or not. She looked up at him through tear-filled eyes and then began to cry even harder. He took a step forwards to embrace the girl in a hug but she held her hand up, signaling that he didn't need to come any closer.

Her voice was shaky. He could tell she was angry though, despite the crying. She had used her angry tone on him. Whether or not she was crying because she was sad or mad had yet to be determined however. "How could you do this, Sam?" His jaw dropped in confusion. He knew that Rachel wouldn't be thrilled about the news but he didn't understand why she was so upset. "You're the second guy to do this to me. I don't understand. Why am I such a horrible person? Why does every guy that I date do whatever they possibly can to distance themselves from me?"

"Rachel, what are you talking about? Are we dating now?" Sam questioned, hung up on the fact that she was referring to him, essentially, as a boyfriend. Sure, she had just professed her love for him, but did that mean they were together? Rachel shot him a glare that told him he needed to shut up and shut up fast. "Rachel," he cooed before kneeling in front of her bed, "this isn't something I've done to get away from you. I just don't have many options for me lined up. It's the right thing to do. This doesn't mean I love you any less. I'm not going to be like Finn, okay?"

"When are you leaving?" She questioned.

"August," Sam gently replied before standing up and pulling Rachel with him. "I'm going to stay with my best friend in New York until then, if she's alright with that…" Sam added with a goofy grin. Rachel rolled her eyes before pressing a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

"Come on, let's go get some coffee or something," Rachel called behind her back while tugging on Sam's hand.

"So, is this a date?" He questioned with excitement.

"No," she replied before turning around and sticking her tongue out at him. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and then followed her out of the house and into his car.

"Where to?"

"Anywhere you want to go," she replied. Sam smiled. He knew just the place.

"What's so important about this place?" Rachel questioned while looking around the room. It was a small place with vintage records and memorabilia scattered about the walls. Sam had ordered them a vegan pepperoni pizza to share.

"Maybe I'll tell you someday," he replied before pulling his phone out of his pocket and snapping a picture of her. He sighed. For the first time in his life he was perfectly content. He had tried to do some growing up over the past few months for Rachel's sake, but the truth of the matter was that he was a different guy than he was a year ago. His relationship with his mom and dad had greatly improved. His grades had started to pick up towards the end of the year. He was actually pretty proud of himself. "Rachel, I know that you've been out of school for a year and that you probably know a lot more about life than I do. I mean, you live in…like..the capitol of the world, you know? I live in small towns. We're kind of like the complete opposite of each other." He noticed that Rachel was going to speak but he held his finger up as though to say I'm not done yet. "I'm not the smartest guy, but I want you to know that I find my strength in you…Does that make sense?"

"Sam, I don't know what to say," she whispered, grabbing a napkin from the table and dotting her eyes with them. "Will you, please, be my boyfriend?" She questioned. Sam's eyes widened and he began to choke lightly on…his own spit. Rachel wasn't supposed to ask him out! That wasn't how it worked.

"What? Rachel, no, I'm supposed to ask you," he sputtered before being interrupted by the waiter who set their pizza down before them. "Thanks," Sam mumbled to the waiter who then left.

"You've done enough for this relationship already, Sam. The truth is that we should have been together for a long time. That's my fault, but I'm ready now." She leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek before pulling away to look at the pizza. "Do you realize that you're the first boy to cater to my vegan needs? Finn fed me meat countless times. I was so sick. That is not an experience I want to live through again." Sam smiled.

"Well, I pay attention," he offered with a shrug of his shoulders. "Now, let's check this stuff out," he exclaimed while grabbing slice of pizza. "Not too bad," he mumbled in between bites. Rachel tilted her head back and cackled at the amount of sauce that managed to get on his face. Sam sensed the problem and grabbed his own napkin before wiping it all across his face. "Better?" He questioned.

"Do you think we'll be able to make it once you leave for boot camp?" Sam nodded eagerly before reaching his hand across the table and laying his gently on top of hers.

"Nothing could keep me away from you, Rachel. I'm always going to be yours. I told you that before. If I have to keep coming back every ten years to ask you to be mine then I will." She shook her head.

"No more. I'm yours. You're mine. The end." Sam smiled.

"It's just the beginning, babe."

"Where are we going now?" Rachel questioned once they were back in Sam's jeep. He rubbed his belly lightly and moaned.

"The end of the tunnel," he groaned. "I ate too much," he admonished. Rachel swatted at his arm before running her hands over his stomach. Sam opened his right eye to peek at the brunette. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you a massage to help the food digest?" He nodded and let her continue her ministrations. It felt nice. He started to turn the key that was in the ignition but the blaring of his cell phone caused him to pause. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the device that was currently screeching an 80s song.

"Hey, Quinn," he answered. He could feel Rachel's eyes staring holes into him. "Umm, I'm a little busy right now, yeah. No, definitely. I'll call you later tonight. Bye." He instantly dropped the phone into a cup holder and reached for the key. "Ready to go?" He asked Rachel with a smile.

"Uh-why was Quinn calling you? Do you guys talk much?" Rachel hoped that she was simply conveying interest and not jealousy. Sam looked at her thoroughly before putting the car in drive and heading forward.

"No, not too much. I think she was going to ask me about school and what not since she didn't make it back for graduation. I mean, she never replied to my invitation anyway," he commented before turning the radio on.

"Great, we've been together twenty minutes and Quinn Fabray is coming to steal my boyfriend again," she pouted. Sam bit his lip in an attempt to hold back a smile.

"I don't think that's going to happen, Rach," he replied honestly. "Last I heard she and Puck had broken up and she was seeing a chick." It was then Rachel who began couching loudly, making a dramatic scene. "What, you really never got lesbian vibes from her? It was perfect. Like-we all thought that you and Quinn could have ended up together in an alternate universe." Sam looked to the side to see that Rachel's face was a deep shade of red.

"Well, this is news to me!" Rachel squeaked. Sam shook his head and took a particular exit. Rachel watched with rapt attention as he pulled up at the Lima cemetery. Rachel panicked slightly. She had made peace with Finn, but she had no idea why Sam had them coming to the graveyard. "What are we doing?"

"I wanted us to tell Finn we were together," he explained as though it were the most logical course of action. "Hey, if you don't want to come then I will," he added as an afterthought. Rachel shook her head.

"No, I'll come too."

"That's what she said," Sam giggled under his breath. Rachel slapped his arm and rolled her eyes. Sam may have been a perfect gentleman, but he was still a teenager. They walked together, hand-in-hand to where Finn had been laid to rest. Sam seemed familiar with the path to his grave, whereas Rachel couldn't remember at all.

She had only been once-at his funeral.

She smiled shyly when she felt Sam's hand slip into her back pocket. It wasn't an attempt to get fresh, she could tell. It was just Sam, being her boyfriend. She knew that she was a feminist and believed that women could do everything for themselves, but a small part of her felt giddy at the fact that Sam, this sweet southern boy, was with her. "Hey Finn," Sam started, bringing her out of her thoughts. "I brought someone to see you. I figured it would make your day a little brighter. She sure does make mine," he admitted before rubbing their noses together.

"Hi, Finn," Rachel whispered. "It's almost been a year. I hope you're proud of me. You've been in my thoughts every step of the way." Sam moved to where he was behind Rachel and wrapped his arms around her waist while gently resting his head in the crook of her neck. "I was-so lost when everything happened. I couldn't breathe without hurting, Finn. I will always love you-so, so much." She then began to tear up. Sam simply held her tighter, willing her tears to fall. "I always find myself talking to you through my prayers, and I want you to know that I will never replace you. Thank you for sending me Sam, Finn. You knew that he was what I needed to get back."

"We love you, buddy," Sam whispered into the air. He knew Finn would be smiling down on them. He just knew it.