"It's not what it looks like!" Sam shook his head casually, and the girls all turned to stare at him.
"Seriously?" Santana quirked an eyebrow and Rachel rolled her eyes,
"It's exactly what it looks like!" she replied bitterly, and Quinn glared at Rachel and Sam.
"Look, I've just been through a life-changingly disturbing ordeal, so someone needs to start telling me why, and it had better be good!" she shuddered and Sam rolled his eyes,
"Well maybe if you weren't so nosy you wouldn't be in this mess!" he looked cockily at Quinn, who scoffed,
"Maybe if you weren't such a man-slut!" she shot back, and he gave her a small shove.
"Shut up, that is so not true and you know it! You're just bitter because you're little mission didn't work as planned!"
"Well you're just pissed because you're little secret affair didn't work as planned!" she mimicked.
"Okay, children!" Santana shifted over Quinn to sit between the two, holding her hands up, "Stop bickering. Jesus, I'm not your mother!" she scowled and they both shuddered, before Sam sighed.
"Well, can I at least put a shirt on please?" he shrugged defensively, and Jess nodded enthusiastically,
"Please feel free. There is not enough hetero in this room for that to be acceptable."
He jogged to the bedroom and the four girls turned to Rachel simultaneously with expectant looks, and she shifted uncomfortably under their gaze, before rolling her eyes with a sigh, taking a deep breath as the boy returned and sat by her on the chair.
"Fine. Well, I dunno it's been like...a month? I think?" she frowned, and Brittany snorted,
"Yeah, we know how long it's been."
"Okay, well it's been...however long. We didn't wan to tell anyone because obviously...Sam is still..." she trailed off and Sam turned a deep crimson, and Santana raised an eyebrow,
"Mauling Maleficent?" she prompted helpfully, and Sam scowled at her for a moment, but was greeted with a glare from Santana and Quinn, and he quickly averted his eyes.
"Not exactly. But we're also not really...broken up." He winced and the girls nodded slowly.
"Okay..." Jess said evenly, but Brittany frowned,
"What? Why?" she demanded, uncomprehending, and Santana nodded
"Yeah, why are you messing Rachel around?" she immediately glared at Sam, who began shaking his head furiously, while Quinn shifted uncomfortably at the girl's protective jibe.
"It's not like that!" Sam insisted, and Quinn grimaced,
"Please explain. Because right now it kind of sounds that way. And they can hate you if you're messing Rachel around...but I'm not allowed." She frowned, glancing at Sam before giving her head a small shake and shuddering as she turned back to look at Santana, who patted her knee gently.
"It's not like that!" Rachel insisted, "It really isn't." She shook her head calmly, and the girls looked between them expectantly.
"So..." Jess prompted, and Sam and Rachel exchanged a bashful smile before Sam took a breath,
"Basically, I can't really afford to live alone right now." He blushed, glancing up at the girls in turn, and Brittany frowned back.
"So...wait, does that mean Sugar pays for your apartment?"
"Um...yeah." he blushed, and his shoulder's slumped with embarrassment as he took in the girls' shocked expressions, "Yes. I know it's pathetic, but she earns a lot more than I do. So she pays the extortionate rent" he rolled his eyes "and I pay half the bills. But, I don't want to rent by myself, I kind of want to buy my own place so I can install my own darkroom and then hopefully I'll be able to run my business full-time and be more self-employed." He blushed and the girls nodded slowly.
"And also, Sam is working with...her a lot in the next month, and otherwise it would be horribly...awkward." Rachel winced as she said it, and the girls nodded their understanding.
"I see. So, basically..." Santana looked between Rachel and Sam, "You two are together, but Sam still lives with Bitchface McGee because she pays for everything ?"
"Yes." He nodded bashfully, and Santana looked impressed before he looked up, alarmed "But we don't have sex!" the girls all grimaced and Quinn let out a pitiful groan, and he shifted uncomfortably, "Sorry. I just...wanted to clarify."
"But..." Brittany bit her lip, "Don't you kind of feel bad that you take advantage of Sugar?" she winced, glancing between Rachel and Sam, who both sighed, blushing, but Quinn's head shot up.
"Birttany!" she hissed, her eyes narrowed in warning, and Santana smirked.
"Yeah, she totally fucking deserves it." She chortled as Quinn held up a hand to Sam, who high-fived her warily.
"I think it's awesome." Quinn grinned, "I'm glad you're finally getting rid of her." She smirked and Sam shifted uncomfortably.
"Okay, I have a question!" Jess shifted the attention from Sam, "So we know when you got together, but...how?"
"Ooh, good question!" Brittany nodded enthusiastically, and Jess grinned at the blonde's praise, snuggling in to her slightly before turning her attention back to Rachel and Sam.
"You take this one." Sam glanced at Rachel, pressing himself back against the couch as if trying to make himself unnoticeable, and Rachel gave him a sympathetic smile before taking a breath,
"Right, well. Um...I dunno!" the girls sighed and Rachel frowned, "Okay, so, nothing had really been going on. I mean, obviously I thought Sam was cute, and funny and good-looking-"
"And I thought Rachel was really talented and beautiful." Sam added casually, and the girl gave a bashful grin while the girls awh-ed, before continuing,
"But that's all it was. It was just friendship, because well, that's all it could be, really. I never even considered anything more."
"And what with Puck and everything." Sam added, with more than a hint of begrudging jealousy.
"Then the other day I had a really bad audition, and I was just sort of...wandering really," Rachel shrugged "and Sam was walking in the other direction-"
"I was on my way to a job." He nodded, and Rachel smiled,
"And he bumped into me." she giggled, burying her face in her hands for a moment and Quinn and Jess exchanged a glance, visibly softening, "Literally!" she added.
"Yeah, and I dropped my camera!" Sam blushed as he and Rachel grinned at the memory,
"So obviously we said hi and sorry and whatever, and he said I looked kind of sad. And I told him how badly the audition went, and he said that sucked and asked if I wanted to get a drink or something to talk about it."
"And hopefully cheer her up. But then I remembered I had a job to get to, just some re-takes of a couple of shots for some women's magazine." He shrugged casually and Rachel rolled her eyes,
"Which turned out to be a couple of re-takes for a shoot in Cosmo!" she laughed disbelievingly and the girls stared at Sam, who shrugged cluelessly, "So he asked if I wanted to go along, because it would only be quick, and we could go out afterwards. So we went to the studio, and I was watching the shoot, just sat in the corner, and then the model left and everything, and he asked if I wanted to see the darkroom, because he had developed those photos of us. Remember?"
Santana and Jess frowned thoughtfully while Quinn and Brittany nodded, and Sam rolled his eyes, "From when we were at the bar, just after you two..." he trailed off as he indicated Quinn and Santana, and they nodded. That's why I don't remember the photos. I was sat at home pining while Jess was breaking and entering. She stiffened slightly and Quinn slid her hand into Santana's, linking their fingers and squeezing slightly, her other hand resting on the bare skin of the brunette's forearm, and Santana gave her a grateful smile.
"The way she tells the next part makes it sound like a movie. It wasn't like a movie." Sam shook his head, gazing fondly at Rachel, who scowled at him with a playful pout,
"So he showed me the darkroom, and the shots were amazing. Seriously, he's an incredible photographer!" Rachel grinned proudly at Sam, who smiled bashfully, and Quinn rolled her eyes,
"Yeah, I know. The story." She prompted, and Rachel shook her head slightly before taking another breath.
-ooOoo-
"Oh my God, Sam. These are incredible!" Rachel grinned as her eyes scanned the photos.
The room was fairly small, with tiled walls and bare floorboards, and was bathed in red light. An enlarger sat on a counter in the corner, beside numerous black boxes, with various large bottles and containers on the shelf below, while a length of string had been pinned from wall to wall, a series of shots similar to that day's pinned to the line. Two walls of the small room were covered in photos, whilst others floated in trays of different liquids and chemicals under the length of string. The smell of developer was thick in the air, and the sound of running water echoed around the room as Rachel stared up at the wall. The two walls had each been split into two sections, with Sam, Dave, Lucy and CJ wrote above the different sections in big black letters. The majority of the two walls were covered by professional shots of various models in different settings, with a huge assortment of different styles, however Sam's section was split in two, half professional photos and half personal shots, and this was where Rachel was looking.
There were a range of shots, some full-sized photos whilst others were Polaroid pictures, and Rachel grinned as her eyes fell on an almost life-sized picture of Brittany, mouth open wide in a grin as she held up a cocktail to the camera. There was another of Jess, smiling widely with a Starbucks. A photo of Puck and Sam, eyes narrowed against the sun. One of Quinn and Sam, close o the camera and pulling faces. A few of the gang, including a couple of Quinn and Santana, and Rachel raised an eyebrow as she saw these, but Sam just shrugged sadly, and Rachel turned back to the wall with a fond smile. Next her gaze shifted to a photo of her, and she frowned slightly, leaning in to look closely at the photo.
"I didn't even know that had been taken!" she giggled, and Sam stepped forward to stand closely beside her, smiling as he realised which photo she was referring to.
"I know, that's why it's one of my favourites!" he laughed, before clearing his throat quietly, "I mean, like. Often when people don't know...you get the best photos." He shifted awkwardly "Um, like the one of Quinn. In her apartment? With, uh...with the, the fence. Yeah..." he trailed off, nodding slowly, and Rachel smiled.
"I like this photo." It was a shot of the whole gang, with Jess and Brittany cuddling unfocused in the foreground. The only one who could be made out was Rachel, who stood leaning against the front window of the bar after karaoke one night. She was laughing at something Santana had said, obscured by Jess' head, and her face was care-free and easy. She was wrapped in Puck's jacket, her head thrown back with a grin, and a gentle breeze had thrown a few strands across her face. It had been taken during the last flurry of snow, and her nose and cheeks were slightly pink from the cold, while the camera flash had picked up the drifting snowflakes. Rachel gazed at the photo as her breath caught in her chest, "It's perfect."
"Yeah it is." Sam glanced down to the girl before looking back to the photo, giving a small frown, "But, why were you wearing Puck's jacket?" he asked with fake casualness, failing to hide the flash of jealousy.
"I was cold because I had forgotten mine." She shrugged with a small frown, and his jaw tensed as he nodded.
"Cool."
"Why? Jealous?" she teased, grinning as she turned slightly to look up at him, but Sam's eyes remained on the photo, goose bumps rising over his skin as the edge of Rachel's cardigan brushed his forearm, and he took a shallow breath.
"No." He said simply, and Rachel's eyes widened slightly at the boy's bluntness, turning back to the photo. Sam gave a small eye-roll, cursing his awkward nudeness, and cleared his throat next time, "I mean, I just didn't think it would be Puck that would give you his jacket, that's all." He gave a small laugh, and Rachel nodded with a giggle.
"I know, right? Next time I'll demand yours, you're the gentleman of the group!" she prodded him in the stomach, turning to grin up at him, and this time Sam met her eyes with a shy smile, suddenly even more aware of how close they were stood, and he swallowed.
"Well, next time you're welcome to it. Although, it's not quite that cold anymore." He gave an awkward laugh, but Rachel shrugged, smiling as Sam gazed down at her.
"Well, I get cold a lot." She nodded slowly, licking her lips as her breathing became shallow, and Sam swallowed.
"Good." He said in a low voice, and Rachel frowned quizzically.
"Good?" she questioned in barely a whisper, and Sam took a deep breath as he felt her awkward laughter on his skin.
"Good." He breathed, shifting his weight and leaning in to pull the girl into a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he felt her begin to kiss back, raising her hands to the front of his thin t-shirt and grasping the fabric between her fingers, pulling him closer. They pulled away breathlessly for a moment, and Sam brought his hand up to her face, brushing his thumb across Rachel's bottom lip as she gazed up at him, her eyes searching. He bit his lip nervously with a shy smile, and Rachel grinned before reaching up and pulling him down into another long kiss, slipping her tongue into his mouth and dropping her hands to his strong back, her fingers gripping at the muscles as he twisted his hand into her hair, his other hand lifting her top and brushing at the bare skin at the bottom of her back.
-ooOoo-
"And then you came home and made trout-berry pies?" Santana smirked, and they all grimaced, while Rachel rolled her eyes.
"No! We agreed it shouldn't have happened, and that it was wrong, and wouldn't happen again. But we decided to still go for a drink, just to catch up and stuff."
"So we went to a bar near the studio, and Rachel told me all about her audition and stuff, and I told her about how I'd love to have my own darkroom instead of having to share with three other photographers, and we talked about...well, everything." He let out a soft chuckle and Rachel nodded with a smile,
"Pretty much. And then we said goodbye, and sort of stood awkwardly before just kissing on the cheek. And then on the lips. And then we went to our place." She blushed, and Sam averted his eyes, staring up at the ceiling "And you know the rest."
The girls nodded, smiling, and Quinn tutted, "God, that was so cute!"
"I know, right?" Santana agreed reluctantly, disgusted with herself as Brittany and Jess nodded.
"Awh, now we're like, three couples!" Brittany grinned, clapping her hands together with Glee, but Jess frowned.
"Um...are we? I mean, like, what are you guys doing? I get that you're together and everything, but what's happening with Sugar and whatnot?" she raised an eyebrow, looking between Rachel and Sam, but Quinn rolled her eyes.
"God, you guys need to stop ruining this beautiful moment we're having!" she replied insistently "Sam and Rachel are together, and he likes her, and doesn't want to be with Maleficent-"
"Why do you keep calling her that?" Sam frowned, but his question was ignored,
"And all is right with the world!" the blonde grinned, and Santana nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah. Three cheers for Samchel and for kicking rat-features to the curb!" Santana and Quinn high fived, while Rachel and Sam grinned bashfully. Jess exchanged a glance with Brittany and rolled her eyes with a sigh.
"As much as I want to join in this rejoicing and everything," she said evenly "what are you going to do about Sugar?" she shrugged and glanced between Sam and Rachel, who looked glum.
"And how have you managed to stay over here so many times?" Brittany frowned, "Hasn't she noticed you not coming home at night?"
"She's been away on a lot of business trips recently." Sam explained, "And I've been doing night-shoots." He looked slightly guilty, "And...about Sugar...we are..." he bit his lip with a frown, and Rachel took a deep breath.
"We are going to..." Rachel began confidently but trailed off, biting her lip and glancing at Sam nervously.
"Do what's needed." He grinned back and shrugged casually, and the girls all exchanged confused glances.
"Which is..." Brittany prompted, and Rachel rolled her eyes dramatically, but subtly watched Sam as they awaited his answer. He stood up, shaking his head, and stood beside Rachel for a moment, before taking a deep breath.
"You guys are stupid." He smiled politely before placing an arm under Rachel's knees, and another round her back. He hoisted her into the air, ignoring her shocked squeal, and carried her off in the direction of her bedroom. The remaining girls stared at each other in uncomprehending silence, and Santana frowned.
"Does that mean you're going to break up with Sugar Tits?" she called down the hall.
"Yes!" Sam shouted back impatiently, and the girls all grinned, placated. There was a moments silence until Jess gave a small grimace,
"Should we leave?" she called in the direction of Rachel's room. There was no answer, and the girls all grimaced as the exchanged glances,
"Yeah, we should leave." Brittany nodded quickly, and the girls all hurried to their feet, leaving the apartment with brisk strides, Quinn shuddering as she closed the apartment door behind them.
The girls headed out of the building and began to walk in the direction of the bar. They walked for a while, mulling over the events of the last hour in silence, until Brittany spoke up with a frown. "Do you think they're in love?" she grinned and gazed at the sky dreamily. The other girls looked at each other, frowning, and Quinn shrugged,
"As long as he's not in love with Maleficent anymore, I don't care." She snorted, and Santana sniggered beside her.
"I'm just dreading having to hang out with Hobbit-in-Love from now on. She'll be twice as unbearable." She observed with a wry smile, and Quinn slung an arm around her shoulders sympathetically and Santana linked their fingers with a smile.
"Maybe we should just call them and ask?" Jess smirked, and Brittany frowned thoughtfully.
"Do you think they'll be done by now?" she asked, and Quinn shuddered
"Stop talking now!" she glared between the girls, who smirked back at her, "No. I'm not even kidding, I will kill any one of you who comments on that."
She girls looked away, chastised, and Jess nodded slowly "Maybe I'll just text." She shrugged.
"I imagine they'll be too busy to reply." Santana grinned, quirking a suggestive eyebrow, and Quinn scowled.
"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" she demanded, and Santana giggled, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on the disgruntled blonde's temple as Jess and Brittany pushed through the doors into the bar. They immediately slid into their booth, and Brittany grinned as she pointed to a familiar head by the bar, before raising a hand to her mouth to shout across the crowded room.
"Hey Puck!" the boy turned round with a small frown before noticing the girls, and raising an eyebrow, pointing subtly at the girl beside him and making a crude gesture. The girls rolled their eyes, while Santana held up her hand for an air-five, which Puck obligingly gave with a grin, until Quinn caught his eye,
"We have gossip?" she called, and Puck's face lit up as he made his excuses and hurried over.
"Hello, ladies." He slid into the booth with a smirk, "What's up? Tell Puckster the big news!" he looked between them expectantly and Jess snorted,
"Samchel." She grinned, and Puck raised an eyebrow.
"Berray? Like Fabray-Berry." Brittany shrugged, "Or Faberry."
"Eew no!" Santana grimaced "That sounds like Quinn and the Hobbit!" she shuddered "And from now on, no one will ever even suggest that ever again." She borked slightly and Quinn rolled her eyes as she slid her hand into Santana's, trailing her fingers along the girl's forearm soothingly as Santana took a deep breath to conune, "I prefer Trout-Berry Pie, personally" she grinned, and Quinn smirked, but Puck held his hands up to stop the girls' name suggestions with a frown.
"Woah! Hold up. What are you talking about?" he looked between the girls, and Quinn shrugged,
"Apparently Sam is Rachel's mystery man. They've been seeing each other in secret for a while."
"No way!" Puck looked indecisive, his expression a mixture of admiration and shocked horror.
"Way." Jess nodded, "We kind of...busted them."
"By busting into the apartment." Brittany added with a grin, and Puck shook his head, confused.
"So, Rachel and Sam. Are they a couple, or just like me and Jew-Berry were?" he raised his eyebrows and the girls shook their heads,
"No, they're official." Brittany smiled, "Crazy, huh?"
Puck nodded as Jess grinned "She hasn't replied to my text yet, so we don't know if they're in love. But they're definitely pretty serious."
"And Cruella?" Puck grinned excitedly
"Kicked to the curb." Santana grinned, and Puck held up his hands, high-fiving all of the girls multiple times.
"Soon." Quinn added, "Don't forget, they're not over quite yet." Puck frowned, and Quinn continued "Sam still has to live with Sugar, and work with her over the next few weeks. So...I'm guessing they're just waiting for him to be able to leave her?" she looked questioningly at the other girls, who shrugged and nodded.
"I thought it was you, actually, but turns out it's Trouty Mouth." Santana nodded with a playful pout.
"Wow. Well, good for Sammy-Boy. Jew-Berry's got to be better for him than Maleficent. And if he's shtupping Berry, he is a lucky boy!" he nodded, wide-eyed, before catching Quinn's eye. The blonde glared back and he averted his eyes with a blush, "Sorry."
"Either way. Samchel is on." Jess nodded as they all smiled, and Quinn's eyes suddenly grew wide,
"That reminds me!" she turned to Santana with a smug grin, and the brunette raised an eyebrow, "You owe me ten dollars!"