A/N:
So I said that I was going to write a "happy" version of Miguel and Sam's reunion, but I tried so many versions and I just never liked any of them. I always felt like Sam's feelings were being too overlooked. Until I came up with this idea(with the help of a friend from reddit). It's a very sad story, but I consider it a happy ending due to the fact that Miguel and Sam don't breakup.
Small warning: The violence in this story is SLIGHTLY worse than what's on the show. Nothing is written in great detail though.
Sam reads Robby's text: We'll be there in less than five minutes.
Robby and Johnny had left Mexico City over two days ago, it was a very long drive. He had said that Miguel was with them. She had asked a bunch of questions over text but Robby had been giving her infuriatingly vague answers. That's how Sam found herself standing impatiently in the parking lot of Miguel's apartment as they waited for the group to arrive. Carmen and Rosa were directly to her right, and her parents were a few steps behind her to her left.
The last two weeks had been an emotional roller coaster for Sam. It had all started when despite 'doing everything right', Miyagi Fang still lost the tournament to Cobra Kai. She lost to Tory. She lost the tournament. She thought that would have been the worst part of that day, but she was so wrong.
After the match she had searched for Miguel before realizing that he was nowhere to be found. She hadn't seen him during her match, but she had figured that was because he was sitting in the bleachers with his mom to take some of the strain off his back. She hadn't thought much of it at that time.
However he wasn't sitting with Carmen, as Sam had quickly learned. She was told that some of the parents had seen him leave in an Uber before the finals began. She pulled out her phone and tried multiple times to call him, but each call was declined. Figuring there was nothing else to do she got changed out of her gi and was heading home with her family, that was when she finally received a call from him.
She was about to ask why he left, but then she picked up on the somber tone of his voice. He had gone on to explain to her how lost and confused he felt because he didn't know who his dad was. He assured her that his leaving had nothing to do with her, that he meant what he said at the tournament, that he was always rooting for her. He insisted that she was the best part of his life. But he had to go to Mexico to find his dad.
Her dad had immediately gotten off at the next exit and rushed to his apartment, but he was already long gone. Then they had gone to the bus station, but they were told the bus to Mexico City had left 5 minutes ago.
Sam needed Miguel, and he was gone.
Johnny and Robby had left two days later to go after Miguel. Sam insisted on going as well, but Carmen and her parents had strictly forbidden it. They had explained how dangerous of a place Mexico City was, she knew they were right of course. That didn't help reassure her about Miguel's safety.
While Miguel was gone he texted Sam daily. Nothing of any substance really. Just reassurances that he was okay, that he found what he was looking for, that he found his dad. He never told her where he was; he was far too smart for that.
That stopped 4 days ago. Something happened.
As Sam was recalling what had happened the last few weeks, she saw the headlights of a van pull into the parking lot.
She felt a flood of emotions overwhelm her. She felt relieved that Miguel was back safely of course, nothing would ever make her turn her back on him like that. Despite that though she still felt a pang of anger in the pit of her stomach. She had asked him to be there for her during the finals match, he had promised he would be there, and he didn't show. She needed him at her side to support her, and he was nowhere to be found. She had needed her boyfriend.
When he finally stepped out of the car however all those emotions were washed away and replaced with new ones. Even in the dark she could see his injuries. His right eye was bruised badly. His lip was busted open. There was a deep gash on his forehead that looked like it was hastily bandaged up. His eyes dropped like he wasn't entirely there. His shoulders sagged like he was carrying a massive weight on his shoulders.
He looked like shit.
Miguel stood there and stared at Sam, not daring to make a move toward her. Thankfully she made her move. She rushed toward him and pulled him into a crushing hug. When she heard him groan in discomfort she eased up on her hug slightly, just slightly.
Miguel wasted no time collapsing into her embrace. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. He buried his head into her neck. It was odd, but the scent of her shampoo calmed him down. It made him feel safe and at home. Before long Miguel was sobbing into her.
"Shhh… shhhh… I got you," Sam said as she rubbed circles on his back. "I got you Miguel. You're safe. I got you."
She repeated that mantra over and over again until she lost track of how many times she had said it. Slowly his crying stopped and his breathing returned to a normal pace.
Meanwhile the adults stood off to the side and watched the two quietly. All of them watched proudly seeing Sam calm Miguel down. It was a skill that everyone knew she was the only one to possess.
Carmen nodded her head in the direction of the two kids. "I know it's a lot to ask, but do you think Sam would be able to stay over with Miguel tonight? As long as she's comfortable with that of course," Carmen said barely above a whisper. "Something tells me Miguel is going to need her…" Carmen said sadly.
Amanda looked to her husband who promptly gave her a nod of approval, even he could see how important this was.
"Absolutely," Amanda turned to look at Sam who was still clinging tightly to Miguel, "I don't think you'll hear any protest from her regarding that idea either."
"Thank you," Carmen said with an appreciative smile.
Finally, the two teens slowly backed out of their embrace, but Sam was still gripping Miguel's hand tightly in her own.
Miguel turned his attention toward the adults. "Mom… Mr. and Mrs. LaRusso do you think it would be alright if Sa—"
Amanda stopped Miguel before he could finish. "We already talked about it. As long as Sam is okay with it, we all are okay with her staying with you tonight."
Miguel looked at Sam hopefully, who without any hesitation nodded her head in agreement.
"Absolutely," she said as she looked Miguel in the eyes. "I'm not going anywhere tonight."
Within an hour Miguel had taken a shower, changed into a clean set of clothes, and climbed into bed with Sam.
The two laid there in silence for some time. Sam was turned toward Miguel, her arms wrapped around him, her head was buried in his chest. She could hear the slow and steady beating of his heart, for some reason it relaxed her.
Since he got home Miguel hadn't really said anything at all. Sam wanted to ask what scared Miguel so much. What had made him so distraught earlier, but she didn't want to make him even more upset when he was so peaceful at the moment. So instead she just continued to hold him tightly and listen to the beating of his heart.
Thankfully she didn't have to wait long as Miguel began to speak. It came out broken and hoarse at first, as if he hadn't used his voice much in the last few days at all.
"At Stingray's party, Robby had told me that Johnny didn't really love me. That I was only a replacement that Johnny used to make himself feel better about fucking up with Robby."
This part of the story Sam knew, Robby had told her about it before he and Johnny left. At first she was angry at Robby for what he said, but then she realized that he didn't mean it. They all had said things in the heat of the moment that they didn't mean at times. She was upset that Robby said what he did, but she also couldn't hold too much of a grudge against him for it.
Miguel continued, "When I went back to my apartment after—after our fight— I found Johnny passed out drunk on the floor. I guess he got into a pretty bad fight with Silver at the original Cobra Kai dojo. I helped him to bed and he started mumbling stuff about wanting to be a good dad. I thought he was talking about me, so I told him that he was doing a good job and that I loved him. He thought he was talking to Robby though and not me…"
So that's what really happened, Sam realized. That's where Miguel's disconnect with Johnny really began. Of course she had known about his insecurity about not knowing his dad, but he never expressed any desire to abandon Johnny and go searching for his real dad. That was the piece of the puzzle that she couldn't quite figure out during the weeks he was gone. She couldn't figure out what caused him to act at that exact moment, what drove him over the edge. It all made sense now though.
"So that's why you left to go find your dad?" Sam asked softly.
"Yes…" Miguel replied sadly.
Another silence fell over the two. Sam could hear the faint quickening of his breathing, and she felt light tears begin to fall into her hair from above. She wasn't bothered by it though and didn't try to move from her spot in his chest.
"I found my dad after a few days looking for him. I knew exactly where to start looking for him, and I even had a picture of him from his Facebook. When I started showing the picture to people, it turned out that everyone seemed to know him. I had no idea why at the time."
Miguel stopped and took a breath. He reached out and started to drag his hands through Sam's hair. The simple action calmed him, and Sam of course allowed him to run his hands through her hair without protest.
"I have two half-sisters it turns out. Camila is the oldest, she's 15. I think she may be named after my mom, but I never found out for sure… Then there's Sofia, she's 12. He has a wife as well, Camila and Sofia's mother. Her name is Maria. She reminded me so much of my mom."
Sam tries to imagine what it would be like to find out you had two half-sisters that you never even knew about. Being an only child was something that Sam knew Miguel was always somewhat disappointed with. He always wanted to have a sibling. Sam would watch Miguel bond with Anthony when he was over her house. She never asked, she didn't need to, but she knew that Miguel hung out with Anthony so much because he was the little brother he never got a chance to have. And as much as Sam was annoyed by Anthony at times, not a single thing in the world could change how much she loved him.
"My dad was great for a week. He and his family lived in a huge estate. Tall walls, perfectly maintained yard, house stocked full of food. We had big family dinners together. He showed me around town and showed me all the marketplaces. Turns out he was into karate as well. I really thought he was a good man."
"What happened…?" Sam pressed softly after Miguel fell quiet for an extended period of time again.
He sucked in a sharp breath. "Johnny and Robby had found me for the first time about a week ago, right after I had met my dad. Johnny told me to come back with him, that my dad was a bad man that I needed to stay away from. I told him that I heard that story too many times from my mom and I needed to find out for myself what the truth was. I told Johnny and Robby to leave me alone and head back to California."
Sam nodded along. Robby had texted her last week that they found Miguel, but he had said that Miguel had refused to come with them. He had told her that they were going to keep an eye on him and his dad, and that they were of course not just going to leave.
"Two days after that Robby approached me again, by himself. He had a black eye which he didn't have the first time I saw him. He told me that he and Johnny had gotten into a fight with my dad's 'men'. He tried to tell me that my dad was the boss of a massive drug cartel. That his massive estate was because of his illegal activities. I didn't believe him. Robby and I got into a fight, I won and told him to leave me alone."
Robby clearly hadn't told Sam the full story of what happened. All he had told her was that he and Johnny had gotten into some fights. He never told her that the fights were with the cartel, and he definitely didn't mention anything about fighting with Miguel.
Miguel sucked in another sharp breath. Sam felt the hands in her hair still. Then she felt his body begin to tremble.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. I got you." she whispered and moved to rub circles on his back.
Eventually Miguel calmed down and continued on. "Four days ago I was walking around my dad's house when I heard him whispering in his office. I stopped outside the door and heard him talking about some gringos that wouldn't leave them alone. He said that they were going to be a real pain in the ass if they kept snooping around. He mentioned that the two were looking for me. He never said their names, only their descriptions. A tall man with shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes, and a shorter kid with long brown hair and green eyes. I knew he was talking about Johnny and Robby. His men promised to 'take care of them'."
That's when Miguel stopped texting her, and the next day Sam had received a text from Robby saying they had Miguel and were on their way home, but he didn't tell her anything more no matter how much she nagged him.
"The next morning I woke up to a big commotion outside. When I looked out the window I saw Robby and Johnny in the courtyard. They were surrounded by a bunch of guys that I only vaguely remembered seeing around with my dad a few times. They were all in fighting stances and I saw my dad approaching them. I quickly ran downstairs, my sisters tried to stop me, but I ignored them."
Miguel's breathing had become erratic. He took a shaky breath before he was able to continue on. "Once I reached the courtyard, Johnny immediately spotted me. He started screaming again about how my dad was some cartel boss, how Robby took a video and they had proof. My dad denied it at first, but then Robby showed me the video. It was clearly my dad leading a drug deal. My dad was a cartel leader. That's when everything went sideways. A massive fight broke out between the three of us, my dad, and his men. We were outnumbered, but we still were putting up a good fight. They clearly hadn't expected us to be so skilled at fighting. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw my dad pull something out of his waistband. He had drawn a gun. Without thinking I body checked him and knocked the gun out of his hand. My dad had looked at me in complete shock. He picked up the gun and began to lift it toward me."
Sam had begun crying herself as she listened to the story.
"I just knew — I knew I was going to die. I knew I was never going to see my mom and yaya again. I'd never see Johnny again. I'd— I'd never see you again… Somehow though, without me noticing, Johnny had made it to my side. Before my dad had the gun fully raised Johnny tackled him. They struggled on the ground for a bit—and— and that's when I heard the gun go off."
Sam's light tears had begun to turn into much heavier tears. Miguel was milliseconds away from dying. She was milliseconds away from never seeing him again.
"It was like time stood still," Miguel went on, "I had no idea who was the one that got shot. But then Johnny stood up, gun in hand. My dad lay on the ground, blood pooling around him. We ran and never looked back."
"God Miguel…" Sam whispered. "I— I don't even know what to say. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. You're alright now though. I got you. You're safe."
Sam didn't know when Miguel had begun crying, but he had. He shuffled in her arms so that he could bury his face in her chest. Sam let him and tucked her chin in to rest on the top of his head. She continued to rub soothing circles on his back as they lay there.
"I love you Sam. I love you so much," Miguel finally said, breaking the silence that had engulfed the room once again.
Sam took only a brief moment to kiss the top of his head before responding. "I love you too."
And she did, she loved him so much. And it wasn't because he almost died, though of course that had only made her love stronger. She had been foolish with her love in the past, but not anymore. This proved to her that life was too short to get hung up on petty moments and arguments. One day she would talk to him about how reckless he was to leave on his own. How disappointed she was that he didn't talk to her and let her help him and be there for him. How a relationship is about openness and communication. How she needed him to be there for her at the tournament but he wasn't. One day they would have that discussion, but that discussion could wait. What was important in that moment was that she had her boy safe and sound in her arms once more, and that was all that mattered.
Sam had no idea how long they laid like they did. Tangled together with no separation, limbs intertwined. She had no idea how long she lay there breathing in the scent of his body wash. How long she listened to the steady beating of his heart. How long she felt the rising and falling of his chest.
But eventually the two drifted off to sleep. For Sam she drifted off into the first nightmare free sleep she had had in two weeks. For Miguel it was the first time he had slept in almost three days. Their sleep that night was one of the most peaceful they ever had all tangled together, and that was exactly how they were found by their parents the next morning. Smiles on all of their faces as they opened the door to Miguel's room.
A/N:
Like I said in the above notes, I know this was kind of still sad, but at least they didn't break up. This was the best way I could think of making their reunion where Sam doesn't completely ignore her feelings, but in the moment she prioritizes Miguel. She's still angry, she's still upset, they still need to talk, but they'll do that later. And if this general scenario plays out in S5 I'd be okay with it.
Obviously this story I'm sure won't be canon compliant when S5 actually comes out, but I could see this general scenario happening. Miguel experiencing something traumatic in Mexico City and needing Sam's support when he returns so.
