Hola, peeps!

Everyone grab your popcorn, it's time for...CONFLICT!

Everyone ready?

Actors, PLACES!

Quiet on set!
First positions
Here we go.
Rolling
Speed
Slate in.

Action!

Sam rolled over in bed and noticed that Rachel lying next to him. Her bathrobe which usually hung on the back of her bedroom door was missing, too. He was about to call out to her when he was suddenly distracted by the smell of bacon and chocolate chip waffles wafting into the room, so he stretched and got out of bed heading downstairs.

When he got down to the kitchen, he saw Rachel pouring cups of orange juice and bringing them to the table. He smiled as he noticed her tousled hair and no makeup on her face...she was always naturally beautiful.

"Good morning, beautiful." He said.

She looked up and smiled. "Good morning to you too, handsome." After setting down the pitcher, she walked over to him and greeted him with a warm kiss. "Come on and eat breakfast."

He sat down and noticed that the table was only set for two. "Kurt and Santana not up yet?"

She handed him some silverware and sat down across from him. "They left already. Santana went to Brittany's house and Kurt went to go visit his parents, so we're alone for the day." She picked up his hand and kissed it. "Better make the best of it, our flight back is tomorrow."

He gave her a thumbs up. "You got it, babe."

She picked up her knife and began cutting her waffles. "So...what's all this about Evan Evans?"

He took a bite and shrugged. "The whole incident really made us all weird. When I got home that day, Puck was gone and I was really lonely and I had no one else to call so I made him up out of my imagination to keep my mind off it."

Rachel put her knife down and placed her hand on his. "It really affected you, didn't it? Has anything like that happened to you before?"

He shook his head. "No, but the whole ordeal made it feel like I was right in the middle of a horror movie. You don't know if you're gonna survive, if the perpetrator's after you, if they're after your friends, if your friends are gonna survive...and I wasn't sure if I was ever gonna see you again."

She squeezed his hand. "I'm so sorry." She whispered sadly. "You shouldn't be feeling like this...and I wasn't there to comfort you afterwards. I'm such a terrible girlfriend."

He sighed and pulled her to him, holding her tightly. "Hey, hey, you're not a bad girlfriend. It all happened so fast, none of us had a chance to react and you didn't find out until after. But it's all over now." He began to rub her back soothingly. "It's all over, we're okay now."

She looked up at him frantically, her eyes watering. "No, you're not! You had to develop an alternate twin!"

He reached up and wiped away her tears. "It's not a big deal, Rach. Evan is just a temporary thing I developed in the spur of the moment, I didn't know when I was gonna see you again. But now that I've seen you sooner, the idea will go away soon, I promise."

She smiled up at him. "All right."

A few hours later, they were both lying on the couch watching TV.

She sighed and looked up at him. "I always miss this."

He nodded and began stroking her hair. "Me too. I sure can't play with Blaine's hair like this."

She giggled. "And just think! By this time next year, it can be like this every night when you move to New York with us."

Suddenly, Sam felt his stomach drop and his heart began beating rapidly. He knew he was eventually going to have to talk to Rachel about his options, but he didn't think it would come this soon. She had to know, though, before it was too late.

"Um...baby...I've actually been meaning to talk to you about that."

Rachel sat up on the couch, feeling instantly nervous. By the tone of his voice, he was going to tel her something important. And it was something she wasn't going to like.

A Few Days Later

Rachel sat on the couch in the apartment scowling at the TV because some stupid mushy gushy rom-com was on. She was mad.

She was mad at everything, particularly the names Sam, Evans, and definitely one Sam Evans.

Apparently when Sam broke the news to her that he was now a bit reluctant to make a big move to the big city with her and was contemplating staying local for a bit, they got into a huge fight. And when he brought up Firefighter School...she completely lost it.

"Babe, you've got to understand and hear me out on this! I'm just not ready to make a big move! I'm not like you, super ambitious with high expectations. I'm just not ready to take that big of a step yet."

She grabbed her blanket that was wrapped around her and pulled it tighter.

"But what about us, Sam!? Do you know how hard it is already to be a thousand miles away from you and to only see you every few months? Now we're thinking maybe years!"

She reached for her cup of iced tea and took a sip, hoping it would cool down the fire that was burning inside her.

"Come on, Rachel, think of it! Look at the reality of the situation. If I become a model and you become a Broadway star, we'll have even more time away from each other! At least if I stay local, I won't be even more thousands away from you, nothing will change. Don't you think it's hard on me too? Why can't you just respect my decision?"

When Santana and Kurt got home later that night, they found both Sam and Rachel sleeping in different rooms. The next day, all three of them woke up early to pack up and had a quick breakfast before heading to the airport. Santana and Kurt noticed that neither of them had greeted each other warmly or said a word to each other.

When it was time to leave for the airport, the good-byes were casual. Sam hugged Santana and Kurt, but when he got to Rachel, they just simply muttered good-bye. No hug, no kiss, no contact.

On the plane ride back, they both grilled Rachel to spill why there was no more affection from them, but she just simply said that they got into a huge argument and not to expect him to move in after graduation. When they got back to the apartment, she gave them all the details. Instead of siding with her though, they both chastised her for being so stubborn and not supporting his choices. She fired back that they weren't even thinking of her choices, but in all honesty...she just didn't want to lose him. She just kept telling herself that she was mad at him.

And that led her to being alone in the apartment Monday night. Santana and Kurt both had to work and wouldn't be back until later. The tension had died down, but they were both still taking Sam's side.

She glared at the TV again. Ryan Gosling was reciting his famous I Wrote You Everyday For a Year speech to Rachel McAdams in the rain before they kissed. Sighing frustratedly, she picked up a couch pillow and flung it at the TV.

There was a knock on the door and she assumed it was either Kurt or Santana back early. "Go away!" She barked.

"Rachel?" Said a voice on the other side and she realized that it was Brody. "It's me, Brody. Are you okay? Can I come in?"

With her face reddening, she plucked herself off the couch and headed for the door. "Yeah, just a second, Brody! I'm coming."

She slid the door open and saw him standing there holding a paper bag and some movies. He still looked handsome as always.

He flashed her his usual bright smile. "I just wanted to stop by, I feel like I haven't seen you in ages! But...are you okay?" He asked concerned.

She ran her fingers through her hair, wishing she could have fixed herself up a bit. "Eh...not exactly. But I appreciate you coming, come on in."

He followed her inside and she heard him whistle. "So this is what you look like on your down time. I always thought you were dressed to the nines 24/7."

She looked down sheepishly at her outfit which was definitely something only her closest of all friends, including Sam, saw her in: baggy sweats, no makeup, and a messy ponytail. Definitely not how she wanted Brody to see her. "I've...just had a stressful couple of days."

"Didn't you go visit Sam and your friends back home for the weekend?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, but we got into a fight. I really don't wanna dive into it."

He walked past her and sat on the couch. "Well all right then, we won't talk about it. Come on and sit down, let's catch up. I know that we barely have much time to talk during dance class and I've been so busy with work, I don't think we've had any real conversations since our Christmas party."

She sat down next to him and tried to smooth out her sweatshirt. "Sorry, I must look like a wreck."

He chuckled. "Nah, I think you still look positively radiant. Where's your roomies?"

"Work." She replied simply. "And I think they're still a bit mad at me because of the fight. Everything's stressing me out!"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "All right, Rach, you need to calm down and relax. I have something that I think will help." He got off the couch and fetched whatever was in the paper bag on the table. When he returned, she saw that he was carrying a bottle of red wine.

She swallowed nervously. "Wine...that's...lovely, Brody. But you know I don't drink."

Brody laughed. "Rachel, it's wine, not vodka. Are you honestly saying you've never had wine before?"

She shrugged. "Well, I've had it at church a few times and holiday parties..."

He nodded and opened the bottle with a corkscrew that he pulled out of his pocket. "Then there we go! Everyone uses it to relax every once in a while." He offered her the bottle. "Come on, a few sips won't give you a buzz, I promise."

She stared at the bottle and reluctantly took a sip. It was cold, yet quite refreshing. She felt the aching burn in herself cool down a bit.

He smiled. "Good, isn't it?"

She nodded. "I actually like it."

He waved his hand at the bottle. "Go on, have as much as you'd like. But not too much, it's rude to pass out on your guests."

She examined the bottle and took another swig. "You know, I always imagined that when Sam moved in with us, we'd have intimate nights like these. Not gonna happen anymore, though."

"Why?" Brody asked. "Is that what you fought about?"

Rachel sighed and crossed her legs. "You betcha. The plan was that he moved here after graduation and become a super model while I became a fabulous Broadway star, but for some reason he changed his mind. Do you know what he wants to be now?" She offered him the wine bottle.

"What?" He asked taking a small sip.

She leaned over to him, really close to his face. "A firefighter. A FIREFIGHTER! Can you believe that?"

He shrugged. "Well the world is always in need of everyday heroes-"

She waved her hand and took another big swig. "The world has plenty of firefighters, and it's a dangerous job! Sam doesn't need to put himself in danger as an occupation, his face and his abs are too perfect to be messed up by a hot fire." She took a look into the bottle and frowned. "Oh poo, the wine's almost gone. Are you sure you don't want anymore?"

He shook his head and tipped the bottle into her mouth. "By all means, have as much as you want. Finish it, might as well."

She swallowed and started giggling again. Her mind was beginning to get fuzzy and her speech slurred. "I know you told me just to have a little bit, but I do believe that I am already completely wasted."

Brody laughed and put his arm around her. "Hey, at least you're more relaxed than before. At least now I know how to get you to calm down. Are you almost done with the bottle?"

She peered into it again. "Um...I'm not really sure. The liquid is all going swish...swish..."

After a few more sips, the bottle was empty and Rachel was definitely drunk. Her mind was completely fuzzy, her speech sounded like a preschooler, and she didn't even know who she was talking to anymore, but she knew that all she was complaining about what Sam.

"Honestly, Sam just doesn't appreciate our art, he doesn't understand our tastes! Get this: he thought Cabaret was about a taxi cab convention."

Brody mock-gasped. "He didn't!"

She nodded and continued. "He thought The King and I was about Elvis, Sweet Charity was about a charity organization that made candy, and Damn Yankees is about baseball!"

"It is about baseball." Brody replied.

She glared at him. "Hey, whose side are you on?" She looked inside the bottle again and pouted. "The wine's gone. Why is the wine always gone?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure."

She stood up and stretched, raising the bottle in the air. "Well yo ho, yo yo, a pirate's life for me. Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!"

Brody grabbed the bottle from her and made her sit down. "All righty, I think that's enough wine for you. Man, you must be so oblivious right now."

She shook her head. "No way, Jose, I'm just getting started! Seriously, why can't he understand that I need my leading man by my side if I want to be a great Broadway star, huh? Why does he always have to be the hero?"

When she heard no reply, she looked over and saw Brody sitting on the far end on the couch looking down sadly. "Did I say something wrong?"

He looked up at her. "No...you didn't. It's just that..I hate to admit it, but I'm actually jealous of you and Sam."

She blinked incredulously. "Really? Why are you jealous?"

"Remember that girlfriend I mentioned that I broke up with six weeks after I started at NYADA?" He asked. "Well...she was my first and only love. We were exactly like how you and Sam are: completely infatuated with each other, can't take your eyes off one another, you argue. After we broke up, it hurt for a while, but I figured that I would bounce back easy because hey, I live in New York. I've been trying all this time to find a girl to love and to hold and to disagree with, but I'm not making any progress. I'm one of the most handsome upperclassmen at this school and girls fall at my feet, but they only like me for my looks. They don't want someone to hold them, they just want some eye candy on their arm to bump up their reputation. That's just how it is, and I'm sick how how the hierarchy of things work at this school."

Rachel listened intently as he spoke, feeling how hurt and longing he was. It must have been all the alcohol, but suddenly she felt a slight stirring in her lower area followed by an aching in her heart.

He took her hands in his and squeezed them tightly. "Just once, I'd like to find someone as amazing as you. Everything about you is what I want: kindness, lovable, quirky, ambitious...kissable..." As he spoke, she noticed that he began to lean closer to her.

So many thoughts were running through her head and just by looking at him, she didn't know whether to hold his hand and just plain out kiss him. She knew it would be wrong to...but something was also telling her that it would be okay.

"What are you doing?" She asked. "Sam wouldn't like it."

Their faces were literally inches apart, so close that she felt the warmness of his breath. "Sam doesn't have to know." He whispered.

Finally, their lips touched and Rachel's mind literally exploded. She knew that she shouldn't be doing it, but for some reason all her anger at Sam just suddenly melted away. Brody was also kissing pretty firmly, so he wasn't intent on pulling away.

When they finally came up for air, Rachel's head began to spin and she felt dizzy. All the wine was preventing her from thinking straight, so it really didn't matter what she did.

She slowly stood up and began to lead him to her bedroom. But before her mind went completely blank, she felt her entire self relax. All the angst and pain she felt melted into bliss.

CUT!

That's a wrap for this scene everyone. DUN, DUN, DUN!

I'll get to working on the next chapters as soon as I can, so enjoy this chapter for now.

See ya, everyone!