Here is a fully lengthened chapter! I'm starting the next chapter immediately after posting this one so hopefully I can get that one out earlier than three days or at least on time this time!
Glease
He's a little confused with Mr. Schue leaving to be on whatever panel thing he's talking about. If Mr. Schue is leaving, then who's going to run the glee club? They might as well forfeit if Mr. Schue isn't coming back until after sectionals?
He doesn't really mind that Finn is taking over, if anyone were to take over the club it should be him. Wasn't he the one who coached the New Directions to a regionals win when the entire setlist was leaked?
He's not worried, as long as Finn doesn't bring back any other alumni, he's okay with it.
xxx
Finn sends him a text while he's helping his family unbox everything in the new house they just got in Lima. It's a smaller than their original one, but it's bigger than the one they had in Kentucky, and so much better than the stupid motel room.
Stacey is sitting on his bed while he unpacks the boxes for his room. Hopefully this is the last time he will have to get settled into a place. It's a bittersweet feeling how much Stace likes to act like Quinn, his ex-girlfriend is like her role model, she completely adores Quinn.
The only downside of that is, Stacey had picked up on how bossy Quinn was, especially with him. He doesn't tell Stacey it's because he allowed Quinn to be, just how he doesn't tell her he's allowing himself to be bossed around by her right now because of how much it makes her giggle.
"What's this Sammy?" Stacey asks him, reaching forward into the box beside his bed and pulling out the scrapbook Quinn had made him.
"Nothing Stace, don't look at that." He tells her while grabbing the scrapbook from her, placing it on the top shelf of his closet so he knows she won't be able to get to it when he's not home.
His phone buzzes on his bedside table and he asks Stacey to read who texted him, hoping and praying that it isn't Quinn.
"It's from Finn, he wants you to gather all the guys and meet him at the tire shop. Why would he want you guys to hang out at a tire shop?" She asks him while scrunching her nose.
"I don't know stinky that's why I'm going to find out." He tells her while grabbing his phone from his hands, messing up her high ponytail while doing so. She swats his hands away and immediately goes to fix it.
"I miss Quinn." She tells him while giving him a pointed look that she has clearly mastered from Quinn.
"I do too Stace." He tells her while throwing on a blue and yellow hooded flannel over the white t-shirt he has on.
"So then why don't you tell her?" She asks him while crossing her arms and he freezes for a second because he is taken back on how much Stacey acts like Quinn.
"Because it's not that simple, Stace." He tells her while grabbing his keys.
"It seems pretty simple to me. Just tell her you miss her." He just kisses his forehead and tells her to tell mom that he'll text her if he's not going to be home for dinner because he doesn't know how to tell her that even if he does tell Quinn he misses her, he knows that it won't change anything between them.
Ryder asks him if he has the right address once he, Ryder, Jake, and Joe walk inside Burt's tire shop.
"It's the right place, Finn works here." He tells them while looking around because he's never really been inside the place himself.
If he's being honest, he really likes Finn's method of teaching. No offence to Mr. Schue or anything, but he would have never thought of rehearsing inside of a tire shop.
xxx
Tina pulls him away from the football guys at lunch so she can rant to him about how they called back Santana to play Rizzo when she was perfectly capable of doing it herself.
"Can you believe that? Santana?! She doesn't even go here anymore!" She says while crossing her arms and pouting. He tries not to laugh because he knows Tina wants to look intimidating, but to him she just looks like a pouting child.
"Come on T, you still got a part. Jan is awesome." So maybe he is an oblivious guy and doesn't really understand what the big deal is, but why does it matter whether she plays Jan or Rizzo, neither are the lead which she didn't want anyways.
"But they shouldn't have had to call Santana, Sam. It just means they don't think I'm talented enough to do it. Just how Artie decided Blaine was the new Rachel even though Rachel herself told me it would be me this year. Everyone knows that you're the new Finn, I guess I just want to be appreciated too." She tells him while sniffling.
"Hey, stop that. You are uber talented. You're so special T, everyone sees that." He says to her while sliding across the bench so he can wrap an arm around her shoulders. "I would much rather sing duets with you than another guy."
She laughs through her nostrils and throws one of her french fries at him, but of course he catches it and eats it. "She's still coming." She tells him, biting her lip nervously while waiting for his reaction.
"So about this whole Rizzo thing." He says, desperately trying to get her to change the subject.
"You're going to have to face it soon enough Sam, she's coming back and she's probably going to want to talk to you." She tells him sternly.
"She can want to talk to me all she wants, doesn't mean it'll happen." He tells her right before taking a bite of his burger. Tina grabs the burger out of hands and slides his lunch tray in front of her.
"No lunch until you promise me you're going to be nice to her." Tina scolds him and his jaw drops.
"Why are you taking her side? She's the one who ended things with me, why can't I be upset about it?" Tina sighs and slides his lunch tray back to him and he happily takes a bite out of his burger.
"She's hurting too Sam. Haven't you taken one second to maybe think that she did it for you?"
He has thought about all of it, more than he lets on. He knows why Quinn did what she did, he knows that she did it because she was scared, but that didn't make it hurt any less.
"I didn't ask her too." He tells Tina sadly and she gives him a small smile. He also sees the look in her eyes, pleading with him to just let it go opening night and be on his best behaviour, so he tells her "fine. I will be nice when she comes back for opening night."
xxx
He hears her name before he sees her. Blaine is gelling his hair so he can't exactly look over to where Tina has shouted "Quinn!", but his heart does sink to his stomach.
"Dude, relax. Just don't focus on her." Blaine tells him while running a comb through his hair, adding the last finishing touches on it before clasping his hands together, satisfied.
"That's easy for you to say." He tells Blaine through gritted teeth. "Kurt isn't here." He looks over at her and of course she looks absolutely beautiful. Her hair is much longer now, tied together in a braid with a few strands falling out that she has to continuously blow out of her face due to her hands being occupied with three bouquets of flowers. She's wearing a navy dress and the same white tennis shoes she's been wearing since the day he met her, a small purse wrapped across her body.
He wonders if she can see him out of the corner of her eye. If like him, she looks for him in every room she enters, even if she knows he won't be there. He hears Santana ask her who she's going to be watching with since she's going to be playing Rizzo as Quinn passes a bouquet to Santana, Brittany, and Tina.
"Kurt and Rachel. They should be here soon." She responds, looking down at the watch she has around her right wrist.
He watches Blaine freeze from beside him and he smirks. "Dude, relax. Just don't focus on him." He tells Blaine smugly, giving him a pat on the back and going to find Artie before she can catch him. Little does he know, she's been secretly watching him this entire time.
xxx
"How is it going between you two?" Tina asks her once Santana and Brittnay have walked off somewhere to go talk.
"It's not. He won't return any of my messages." She tells Tina sadly, applying blush to her cheeks. "I mean, I get it. He's hurt and he needs time. I just wish he was able to see things from my side, you know? It's not like I enjoy this either, but look at everyone else, they broke up trying to do long distance."
Tina flinches and she drops the brush immediately, completely forgetting that Tina and Mike had been one of those couples. "Ohmygod Tina I'm such an idiot, I completely forgot that you-"
"It's okay." Tina tells her, opening up her lipstick bag for Quinn to look at so she can find one to go with Tina's outfit. "You had the right idea Quinn, just give him time, he'll come around."
She picks out a pink and smiles instead of asking what she really wants to ask, do you think I made a mistake?
Mercedes walks over to them while she's putting the finishing touches on Tina's makeup. She takes a seat in the empty chair beside Tina and sighs. "I had to escape that awkwardness." She tells them, nodding her head over to Kurt, Blaine, Finn, and Rachel.
She snorts and shakes her head. "Why do we come back here if this school is riddled with our exes." She tells them and they both laugh. "Okay T, good luck out there. I am going to go keep that disaster from happening."
She walks over to Kurt and Rachel as Blaine and Finn walk away. "Well," she says, wrapping an arm around both of their shoulders, startling the both of them a bit. "Should we go find our seats so we can tortue ourselves while watching our exes in this musical?"
She gets a laugh out of the two of them and smiles, linking their arms together so they can find their assigned seats. "Well, Finn isn't exactly in the musical." Rachel jokes as they sit in their seats.
"True, but didn't you have that thing with Blaine?" She teases back and the both of them roll their eyes at her.
xxx
She gets to her feet along with everyone else once the musical ends and claps and jumps with Kurt, not noticing Rachel who is frozen to her seat. She watches Rachel get out of her seat and discreetly exit the auditorium. She turns her head to Kurt and raises an eyebrow, he just shrugs his shoulders.
After everyone exits the stage her and Kurt both go to find Rachel, who is standing in one of the hallways talking to Finn. Kurt tells Finn that Mr. Schue wants to talk to him in the choir room and she asks Rachel if she's okay.
"I just want to go home." She bites her tongue to refrain herself from correcting Rachel and telling her that this is their home, but she doesn't have to because Kurt asks that same thing. "It doesn't feel like it anymore." She tells them.
Blaine comes over to tell Kurt he needs to talk to him and she whisks Rachel away to the washroom. "Do you really think that was a good idea?" Rachel asks her while leaning her back against the sinks, referring to the two of them leaving Kurt alone to talk to Blaine.
"Talking will be good for the two of them, even if Kurt doesn't think so." She responds, leaning forward to reapply a coat of lip gloss.
"Have you tried to talk to Sam?" Rachel asks her, which completely startles her and causes her to swipe some lip gloss across her chin. She groans and reaches beside her for some paper towel.
"That's not what I meant." She tells Rachel, turning on the tap slightly so she can get the paper towel wet.
"I know, but have you?" Rachel asks her again, taking the paper towel from her and dabbing her chin at the unwanted gloss.
"I don't know what to say. I don't think there's anything I could say to get him to forgive me." She tells Rachel honestly, who turns around to throw out the paper towel.
"You never know until you try, he did forgive you for cheating on him." Rachel tells her while smirking and she glares back at the Brunette.
They catch Sam in the hallway as they walk out of the hallway. "Hey Sam!" Rachel says cheerily, hugging him and catching him by surprise. She rolls her eyes, knowing exactly why Rachel is doing this.
"Well I'm going to go find Kurt. But it was nice seeing you." Rachel tells them, completely ignoring Quinn's whisper pleas trying to get her to stay.
"How have you been?" She asks him hesitantly, not knowing what's going to set him off.
"I've been fine. You?" He asks her while staring at everything possible to keep him from looking at her.
"Good." She says. "I miss you." She tells him honestly, taking a step towards him. He takes a step back.
"Don't." He tells her, looking down at the floor. "I don't want to do this Quinn."
"I didn't want to do it." She tells her, her voice breaking, pleading with him to just understand why she did what she did.
"But you still did!" He shouts at her, causing her to flinch and Tina and Blaine to look at them in concern from the entrance of the choir room where they're standing, waiting for Sam.
"I never meant to hurt you!" She tries to shout back but it just comes out sad and pathetic. Like she's begging him for something, but the two of them don't know what.
"But you still did." He tells her coldly, walking past her towards the choir room as she figures out what exactly it is that she's begging him for. Mercy.
Dynamic Duets
He lets Blaine become the leader of their Superheroes club to cheer him up over Kurt. Originally it had just been him, the leader of the club, some other guys, and a couple of girls who liked to geek out about Marvel and the Justice League as much as he did.
He convinced Blaine to join by giving him his title, telling him that it will help him keep his mind off of things. And of course with Blaine came Tina, and then Artie and Brittnay and soon enough most of the glee seniors followed in pursuit.
He does think Blaine goes a bit overboard with the no civilian identities or the nightphone, but he doesn't mind, anything to keep Blaine from returning to that downward spiral he was going down.
Tina texts them about the missing nationals trophy. He and Blaine rush in to find her and Artie staring at a computer sitting in his place. He's a little concerned that someone was able to come in and swipe their trophy without any of them noticing, but before he can comment on it Blaine starts the video.
"The Warblers, I knew it." Blaine says as soon as the video ends. Before they can discuss what to do Finn walks in and tells them to sit down because glee club meeting is starting soon.
He smiles at Marley who takes a seat next to him and glares at the back of Tina's head to try and get her to stop complaining to Finn. He feels bad for the guy, he knows that Finn is just trying his best.
He cringes as Finn breaks the marker. Well, he thinks to himself. At least that's the worst it's going to get. That is until he hears Finn's idea for sectionals.
Songs in foreign languages in costumes of the nation's flags? He wants to follow Blaine as he walks out of the choir room to go get their trophy back from the Warblers, but Blaine leaves before he can say anything.
He gives Finn a supportive nod when he walks into the choir room the next day, seeing him dressed in an odd costume with a music note on his chest that he swears he's never seen before. His idea for the new kids to perform duets together isn't a terrible idea, and it does keep him from having to prepare something for this week.
He gets a text from Tina while Finn is talking about possible song choices and tries to check as discreetly as he can. Jake must notice because he looks over at him and glares, Sam glares back. This guy has a way bigger chip on his shoulder than Puck ever did.
Meet me and Blaine in the classroom where we hold the student council meetings after glee.
He looks over at her with a raised eyebrow, confused what it could possibly be about since they've already had student council this week and they don't need to perform a number for glee club.
He waits for Finn to dismiss them, or at least for Finn to stand there awkwardly after the meeting until Artie reminds Finn he has to dismiss them. He heads to the washroom beforehand, giving Tina and Blaine to sort out whatever they need him for before he gets there.
He meets Tina and Blaine in the empty classroom they arranged to talk in. "What's this about?" He asks, looking at the two of them suspiciously as they stopped whispering as soon as they saw him enter the room.
"We want to take a roadtrip." Tina says, hesitantly.
"Okay where?"
"New York." Blaine blurts out and he rolls his eyes.
"Blaine," He starts, but Blaine cuts him off.
"Look, I know Kurt said long distance doesn't work, but I want him to realize that it might work for us. Please Sam." Blaine begs. "He and Rachel are going to be heading to this showcase thing on Saturday night, I just want to talk to him."
"Come on Sam, it's our last year together." Tina adds in and he grumbles.
"Fine." He reluctantly agrees.
They both squeal and run up to hug him, but he shakes them off because he doesn't want them wrinkling his superhero suit.
xxx
As he watches Jake and Ryder perform, he realizes that they were all wrong about Finn, he does have some really good ideas. That is until Jake swings at Ryder and the two of them fall to the floor fighting and Finn has no idea what to do.
As soon as they crash into some instruments and stands he decides it's time for him to step in. Finn is probably used to participating in the fights, not breaking them up. He grabs Ryder and Finn jumps to grab Jake, pulling Ryder out of the classroom.
"Come on," he tells Ryder, pushing his shoulders until they're out of the choir room and a safe distance away from Jake and Marley.
"That guy is such a dick!" Ryder shouts, pushing him off. "I don't know what Marley ever saw in him!"
"Look man, you just gotta let it go." He says, leaning against the lockers, watching as Ryder paces in front of him.
"Easy for you to say man, you probably get all the chicks since you're quarterback." Ryder snaps at him and he snorts.
"Not exactly. When I first moved here I started dating the head cheerleader and she cheated on me, with Finn actually." That causes Ryder to stop pacing and look at him confused.
"Wait what? Actually? What happened after?" Ryder asks him, sliding down a set of lockers to sit on the floor.
"I was devastated and I dumped her, but then I was patient and eventually she came back to me. You just gotta be patient man." He tells Ryder as Finn comes over to them, telling him he can leave but Ryder needs to come with him and Jake to the auditorium.
xxx
He's a little pissed that Blaine didn't tell him he's planning on transferring back to Dalton. He knows both of them are closer to Tina than they are to each other, but he thought that Blaine would still have the decency to tell one of them about it. Instead they're hearing about it from Finn after Kitty and Marley's duet? Especially after the three of them just confirmed to go on a road trip together? He feels a little betrayed.
He tries to find Blaine after glee rehearsal, even calls him a bunch of times, but he doesn't find him until the next morning.
He meets Blaine at his locker afterschool so he can ask him what this is really about. "Dude, this is part of some master plan, right? You're going back to the Warblers to gather intel for us so we can kick their ass at Sectionals."
But it's not, Blaine is really planning to transfer. "Sam don't, I feel awful enough as it is."
"Stop, okay? You've been beating yourself up for like weeks since you and Kurt broke up. But going back to Dalton? You told Finn it was 'cause you feel more at home there. If you ask me, it's just another way to punish yourself. You don't think this place reminds me of Quinn? Every time I walk down these halls I think about how I kissed her against those lockers or walked her to that class. But I realized I can't keep throwing myself a pity party because of it. I'm going to be making new memories. And you need to realize the same dude. Exiling yourself to Dalton won't fix anything."
"Okay." Blaine tells him after a beat of silence.
"Okay?" He confirms, smiling. Blaine nods and starts putting the things he was gathering in a box back into his locker.
"God what was I thinking? That new Hunter guy is such a dick anyway." Blaine asks him laughing, shaking his head. "But one last mission first. You in?"
xxx
He drives the both of them to Dalton the next day afterschool in their superhero costumes and Blaine grabs the blazer out of his backpack on the ride there. He parks across the street just to be on the safe side and they quickly run into the school.
"You're sure they won't come in here?" Sam asks Blaine as Blaine slides open the case where their nationals trophy is sitting. Blaine nods and hands him the trophy, throwing the blazer inside. They exit out the balcony and run down the stairs and run across the field as they hear Sebastian and Hunter yelling from inside the Warblers practice room.
"Thanks for doing this with me Sam." Blaine says as he passes Blaine the trophy so he can drive.
"Yeah anytime dude. But are you sure they still want to go to New York to see Kurt?"
Blaine looks a little off, but he can't put his finger on what it is. He decides not to think about it too much because Blaine is probably just nervous to see Kurt.
xxx
The three of them go over last minute details after their group performance on Friday. "You guys better be awake when I get to your houses tomorrow morning!" Tina nags at them as they head backstage to grab their stuff. They decide to take Tina's car since Blaine doesn't have his own car and since they all plan to take turns, Tina refuses to drive his truck.
"I still don't know why we have to leave at 5:30 in the morning." Sam tells her, walking with them as they head out of the auditorium and into the parking lot.
"So we can get there early enough Sam, we've gone over this." He rolls his eyes. The showcase doesn't start until 8, and it only takes 9 hours to get there.
"Whatever Tina, I'll be up, don't worry." He reassures her before hopping into his truck.
xxx
He's grateful he had packed his bag the night before because he feels like a zombie when he wakes up. He throws on a pair of navy sweatpants and shrugs on a black zip-up hoodie overtop a grey t-shirt. He tells his mom he's going to wait in the driveway for them and takes a piece of toast off of the stack she has sitting on a plate for herself.
He doesn't have to wait long because as soon as he walks to the end of the driveway. He throws his bag into the back and slides in, leaning his head against the window so he can catch a quick nap before he and Tina have to switch.
"Good morning Sam." Tina says smugly as he groans and slips off his hoodie so he can drape it over his chest like a blanket.
"Coffee?" Blaine asks him, turning his head to look at Sam who is trying to get comfortable against the window again.
"He doesn't drink coffee. Quinn was the coffee drinker between the two of them." She tells Blaine, giggling out an oops sorry, still a touchy subject as he glares at her through the mirror.
He wakes up four hours later when they're about fifteen minutes away from Pittsburg. "I thought I was driving once we hit Akron." He tells them, noticing how Blaine and Tina have switched seats.
"We wanted to let you rest some more, you can take the next shift. Maybe then I can get a quick nap in." Blaine tells him as he rubs the sleep out of his eyes
They switch at the first gas station they see once they get to Pittsburg. Tina runs inside the convenience store to get snacks and have a quick washroom break as he and Blaine switch spots.
Blaine falls asleep about a half an hour after they start driving again, and Tina turns around and calls his name to confirm he's asleep. She then shuts off the radio and looks at Sam.
"We're not talking about." He tells Tina, knowing exactly what she's trying to do.
"Sam." She groans, stretching out his name as she throws her head back annoyed. "It's been months, it's now November you know. November! She's coming back later this month, you can't just pretend it's not happening anymore." She tells him sternly and he rolls his eyes.
"There's nothing to talk about Tina. I'm over it, I'm over her." Tina gives him an as if look.
"Okay fine, if you're over it let's talk about it." He curses under his breath but realizes that it's probably just better to get it over with now. He knows Tina, she won't stop bugging him until he gives in.
"It reminds me of what could have been." He tells her, and she nods at him to elaborate. "I know we got back together after her accident, but I can't stop thinking that maybe if I had just given her a chance to explain after she had cheated on me with Finn maybe we wouldn't have had to break up. I had that we wasted so much time, and being angry at her feels better than being angry with myself."
Tina gives him a soft smile and lays a hand overtop of his arm that is laying on the gearshift between them. "You two will get back together, I know it."
He doesn't tell Tina that everyone can hope as much as they want to, but none of them actually know that. Instead he asks her about Mike, listening to her talk about him until they have to switch shifts again.
They switch again halfway between Pittsburgh and New Jersey, Blaine offering to take Tina's shift because his body is all cramped up from sleeping crawled up in the back.
He takes Blaine's seat in the back and plugs in his earbuds so he can watch the Captain America movie he downloaded as Tina pulls out a book out of her purse to read.
His movie ends when they reach New Jersey, and they stop at another gas station so they can fill up the car again and take bathroom breaks.
He takes a seat in the back as Tina hops in the front so that she can do the final shift from New Jersey to New York. He starts an Iron Man movie, expecting it to finish around the time they get there, but twenty minutes after he's finished it they're still on the road.
"Uh guys?" He asks them. "Shouldn't we be there by now?" He turns around to see if he missed the sign welcoming them to New York, but he doesn't see anything.
"Tina just took a wrong turn, we'll be there soon." Blaine tells him from the passenger seat and he shrugs, leave it to Tina to get them lost.
He starts another movie, completely forgetting about reality until the movie ends and they're still on the road.
The only time he's been to New York was with the New Directions two years ago for nationals, and that was by plane so he doesn't exactly know the driving route there, so rage fills his body when he sees a sign saying Welcome to New Haven!
"Guys what the hell is this?" He asks, having a good idea where they're heading.
"Well remember that showcase I was talking about?" Blaine asks nervously, turning around to the backseat to face him. "It's kind of at Yale."
He can't believe his friends would betray him like this, he thinks he knows exactly who's 'showcase' they will be attending.
"It's hers. Isn't it?" Tina gives him a small smile through the mirror and nods her head.
"How could you guys do this to me? Why would you lie to me like that?" He asks them angrily.
"This will be good for you guys." Tina tells him, trying to calm him down, but it's not working.
"That's not for you to decide." He says while crossing his arms. They plan to spend the next day here as well, is that going to be with her too? Are Kurt and Rachel even going to be there? He's too annoyed at them to ask and find out.
He doesn't say anything to them when they get to the hotel, but he can't exactly avoid them either since Tina had arranged everything. They had given her the money for their hotel rooms before they left so the rooms would already be booked so he grabs his bag from the back and waits for Tina to hand him his key before leaving them there, deciding to take the stairs instead of the elevator with them.
It's about five by the time they get there, so he throws his bag on the floor between his bed and the window and then throws himself on the bed. Fine, he thinks to himself. If they want to trap me like this, I just won't go. He pulls his laptop out of his bag and starts the Batman movie he had also downloaded.
Someone knocks on the door just as the movie is ending, so he skips the post credit scene and shuts his laptop so he can answer the door. He checks the clock on the nightstand before he gets there, telling him that it's 6:47. Tina is standing there, looking nervous. But that nervousness turns into frustration when she sees him still in his sweatpants and hoodie.
"Really Sam? You're going to do this?" She asks while pushing past him and goes to search for his bag. She's already dressed, wearing a black tight fitting off the shoulder dress, her hair in loose curls falling across her back.
"I'm not going." He tells Tina, standing with his arms crossed as she bends down to get his formal clothes out of his bag.
"Come on Sam seriously, go shower now or else we're going to be late." She instructs him while going to the closet to pull out the ironing board and iron.
He refuses to let Tina have this one, so he sits back down on the bed with his arms crossed.
Tina groans and runs her hands through her hair, trying to calm herself down.
"She's just as miserable as you are Sam! She's hurting too! Why do you keep punishing her for trying to protect you?" She shouts at him.
"Because she hurt me anyway!" He yells back.
"But you're not the only one hurting!" Tina screams at him as both of them play the game of who can yell the loudest. "Do you honestly think the two of you would have stayed together? Santana was three hours away from Brittnay and they still broke up! She's so much busier now, with Yale and the Drama department and her job. And look at you! With glee club and football and student council, not to mention you just finished being a part of a musical. How would you have made it work Sam? Tell me."
She huffs and returns back to ironing and he gets up from the bed and heads to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
When he exits the washroom, his clothes are sitting on the bed and a note from Tina telling him that she has gone to help Blaine with a hair crisis, but to meet them in the lobby by 7:15.
He checks the clock and it tells him that it's 7:02. He quickly puts on his black suit and white shirt underneath. He re-enters the bathroom and unbuttons a few buttons because he likes the way it looks, and then runs a brush through his hair. He grabs his wallet, hotel room key, and phone and exits the room with three minutes to spare.
He and Blaine are matching, but of course Blaine has a bowtie tied around his neck. Their hotel is about a fifteen minute walk away from the university. Tina shivers as soon as they exit the hotel, wrapping her grey coat tighter around her body. He guesses it is a little cold since there's a bit of snow covering the ground, but he's too nervous about seeing Quinn to notice.
They get there at 7:28 and Tina pulls out her phone to call someone as Blaine hands the ticket taker their tickets and someone walks over to Tina, taking her coat and giving her a number she puts inside of her clutch while still on the phone.
The usher takes them to their seats and sitting in the seats next to theirs are Rachel, Kurt, and Santana. "Well would you look at that, you actually convinced trouty to come." Santana tells Tina from beside Rachel in fake surprise. He just glares at her and takes a seat next to Kurt who is sitting on the other side of Rachel.
He pretends not to see Blaine's look of disappointment when Sam takes the empty seat beside Kurt from him as Tina sits beside him leaving Blaine on the end.
"Why is he here?" Kurt whispers to him as everyone falls into side conversations before the showcase starts. He just looks at Kurt confused and Kurt confirms "Blaine."
He shrugs. "They didn't tell me anything about this trip other than it was for a showcase. I thought we were going to New York."
He curses. "I only told Tina to bring you."
"Wait what why?" He asks Kurt confused and Kurt's face falls.
"Oh. She didn't tell you." Tell him what? He's starting to grow irritated at how no one will tell him anything about this trip.
"No one's told me anything. This was your idea?" He asks Kurt, realizing that getting annoyed with him won't do anything.
"She talks about you all the time Sam." He doesn't know how that is supposed to answer any of his questions, nor does it make him feel any better. "I thought this would be good for the two of you, just to talk things out. She told me about the conversation you guys had when we came to watch Grease, or the lack of one."
"I just wasn't ready Kurt." He feels like a broken record continuously telling everyone that he isn't ready to talk to her yet, but he's not. It hurts seeing her, she broke his heart for the second time.
"You're an athlete, when you break a bone do you avoid the injury? No, you go to the doctor and put on a cast. I'm not saying you need to make up with her Sam or be friends, but stop punishing her because she was trying her hardest not to hurt you."
Before he can respond to Kurt, the lights turn off signaling the start of the showcase. He looks through the program as the head of the drama program is welcoming them, trying to figure out when Quinn will come on. She comes after the actors perform, before the singing performances by the third and fourth years.
It feels like hours have passed by the time intermission rolls around signaling the end of the acting performances, but when he checks his phone it's only been an hour. Rachel and Santana head to the washroom and Tina pulls his arm up and tells Kurt and Blaine the two of them are going to grab a few snacks, and he gives Kurt an apologetic look as Tina drags him out of the theatre.
"She's going to sing two songs, a duet and then a solo." Tina tells him as they wait in line to pay for a bag of chips and a bottle of water. She tells him like she's preparing him, like he doesn't already know and hasn't been studying the program and doesn't have the name of the girl who's going before her memorized.
He chugs the bottle of water as Tina eats the bag of chips, occasionally stealing a few for himself. She waits for him to finish his water before she takes the bottle and throws it away along with the empty chip bag.
They head back to their seats where they see Santana and Rachel have returned. Before he can ask Kurt how his talk with Blaine went, the lights turn off again. There are a few people before her so he waits patiently for the name of the girl she's performing her duet with to be called.
He waits for some guy to finish singing a cover of a One Direction song, and then squirms as the announcer comes to announce the next performer. "May I present, Emma Smith."
She's a redhead with blue eyes and it reminds him of Ariel. For a minute he thinks that might be why Quinn chose her as her partner, because of her love for Disney Princesses, and then he realizes that's stupid.
She sings a song he doesn't recognize, and as soon as she finishes her solo his hands start shaking.
"Sam, relax." Tina tells him, placing a hand on his shaking leg. He nods and takes a few deep breaths, not knowing why he's so nervous.
"Introducing Quinn Fabray." Emma says into the mic as Quinn walks out and sits on one of the stools that someone had put on the stage for them after Emma's solo. His breath catches in his throat when he sees her. She has her hair down in loose curls, wearing a satin rust coloured dress. It's a lot similar to the dress she wore to their nationals dinner, but this one drops down to her mid calf. Every inch of it takes his breath away.
He doesn't recognize the song once she starts singing, but he still feels like he's suffocating. He gets it now, why Kurt and Tina wanted so badly for him to come, it's about him, she's singing about him.
Do you remember happy together?
I do, don't you?
Then all of a sudden, you're stick to your stomach
Is that still true?
You said, "Forever," in the end I fought it
Please be honest, are we better for it?
Thought you'd hate me, but instead you called
And said, "I miss you"
I caught it
He doesn't pay attention to Emma once she starts singing, his eyes only focused on Quinn. He pays attention to the words, trying to find hidden meanings between the lyrics.
Good to each other, give it the summer
I knew, you too
But I only saw you once in December
I'm still confused
You said "Forever," and I almost bought it
I miss fighting in your old apartment
Breaking dishes when you're disappointed
I still love you, I promise
Nothing happened in the way I wanted
Every corner of this house is haunted
And I know you said that we're not talking
But I miss you, I'm sorry
The words sting. Because they're true, and because he knows she's singing them thinking that he's not here to hear them.
I don't wanna go, think I'll make it worse
Everything I know leads me back to us
I don't wanna go, we've been here before
Everywhere I go leads me back to you
(You said "Forever," and I almost bought it)
I don't wanna go, think I'll make it worse
(I miss fighting in your old apartment)
Everything I know brings me back to us
(Breaking dishes when you're disappointed)
I don't want to go, we've been here before
(I still love you, I promise)
Everywhere I go leads me back to you
(Nothing happened in the way I wanted)
I don't want to go, think I'll make it worse
(Every corner of this house is haunted)
Everything I know brings me back to us
(And I know you said that we're not talking)
I don't wanna go, we've been here before
(But I miss you)
They sing the last part together, but he can't even hear Emma's voice, he can only hear Quinn.
Everywhere I go leads me back to you
I don't wanna go, think I'll make it worse
Everything I know brings me back to us
I don't wanna go, we've been here before
Everywhere I go leads me back to you
He sits frozen in his seat as everyone else claps. Emma takes both stools and Quinn walks up to the mic stand and places the mic in it as a single spotlight shines on her.
He doesn't recognize this song either, but Kurt squeals as soon as the music starts playing so he assumes it's something by Taylor Swift.
I'm doing good, I'm on some new stuff
Been saying "yes" instead of "no"
I thought I saw you at the bus stop, I didn't though
I hit the ground running each night
I hit the Sunday matinée
You know the greatest films were never made
I guess you never know, never know
And if you wanted me, you really should've showed
And if you never bleed, you're never gonna grow
And it's alright now
But we were something, don't you think so?
Roaring twenties, tossing pennies in the pool
And if my wishes came true
It would have been you
In my defense, I have none
For never leaving well enough alone
But it would have been fun
If you would've been the one
I had this dream you're doing cool stuff
Having adventures on your own
You meet some woman on the internet and take her home
We never patient by the numbers, baby
But we were making it count
You know the greatest loves of all time are over now
I guess you never know, never know
And it's another day of waking up alone
But we were something, don't you think so?
Roaring twenties, tossing pennies in the pool
And if my wishes came true
It would have been you
In my defense, I have none
For never leaving well enough alone
But it would have been fun
If you would've been the one
I, I, I persist and resist the temptation to ask you
If one thing had been different
Would everything be different today?
We were something, don't you think so?
Rosé flowing with your chosen family
And it would have been sweet
If it could have been me
In my defense, I have none
For digging up the grave another time
But it would've been fun
If you would have been the one
There are only a couple performers left, but he feels like he's suffocating from inside the theatre so he excuses himself and discreetly exits out of one of the side doors, leaning on one of the walls in the entrance area so he can catch his breath.
He hears a pair of heels clicking on the floor and instantly knows it's her.
"They told you I was coming?" He asks her without looking up at her.
"No." She tells him, and he knows her well enough to know she's softly shaking her head. "I saw you leave."
"What're you doing here Quinn?" He asks her and she leans against the wall across from him.
"What are you?" She asks back, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Well to be fair I thought we were going to New York, I didn't know it was your showcase." He tells her honestly, but regrets it as soon as he sees her face fall.
"Oh. I'll just let you be then." She tells him, turning on her heel to leave but he jogs a few steps to catch her wrist before she gets too far.
"It's good to see you." He says to her as he spins her around so she can look at him.
"Sam if you're just saying that to make me feel better-"
"I'm not. I'm tired Quinn, tired of being so angry about everything. And I'm not saying I'm ready to be friends again, I just don't want to be angry anymore." He tells her, giving her a soft smile and receiving one in return. He hates that this is how things are between them now. He knows what she was trying to do, she was trying to protect the both of them from a greater heartbreak. But they drowned instead of going up in flames, and his lungs burned anyway.
"I should go back." She tells him, nodding her head in the direction she came in.
"Yeah, of course." He responds back, releasing her wrist and giving her a tight lipped smile because he doesn't really want her to leave him again.
"But it was good seeing you Sam, I'm glad we got to do this." He raises an eyebrow at her and her cheeks turn a slight shade of pink. "I mean talk. The talk was good. I'm glad we cleared everything up. Kind of. Okay I'm gonna just," she trails off, pointing her thumb behind her embarrassed and he chuckles.
She turns around to walk away but as soon as she takes a few steps she turns around again. He looks at her confused because she looks like she's contemplating if she should do something, but before he can ask her what it is she takes four long strides up to him and wraps her arms around his neck. He doesn't tease her about how even in heels, she still needs to stand on her tiptoes the way he normally would. Instead, he holds her the way he used to, placing a soft kiss on the crown of her head out of habit, hoping she won't notice.
"Thank you." She mumbles, muffled into his shoulder. He doesn't say anything, just continues to hold her while he still can. She lifts her head and he loosens his grip around her waist so she can move her head to look at him, torturing him with those eyes, her eyes, the same eyes that brought him to his news years ago when he first met her, and before he can stop himself, he leans forward to kiss her.
She doesn't kiss him back at first and he curses at himself, but before he can pull away and apologize for being an idiot, her lips move against his. She sighs in content and he smiles into their kiss, moving his hands a little lower on her hips, but still an appropriate place, still being aware that they're in public. Her hands play with the hair at the nape of his neck.
They jump apart when they hear someone clear their throat from behind them. He turns away from her annoyed to see who it was that disrupted them, seeing a smug looking Tina standing a few feet away from them with her arms crossed.
"The last performer is on Quinn, you might want to head back." Tina tells her, teasing tone in her voice that causes him to glare at her.
"Oh yeah. Thanks Tina. And it was good to see you again Sam." She speed walks back to where she came from and he watches her go. But as soon as she's out of his view he turns and glares at Tina. "Really?" He snaps at her, annoyed she ruined his moment with Quinn.
She just rolls her eyes, a smug look still painted on her face. "What? I assumed she had to go back." She tells him innocently, shrugging her shoulders. It just makes him glare harder.
"Don't" He tells Tina as soon as she reopens her mouth to say something again. "Don't say anything." He doesn't know if he should be frustrated or embarrassed when Tina bursts out laughing after he says that.
"I was just going to tell you to wipe the lipstick off your mouth before we head back in." She bugs him, wiping excess off of his chin with her thumb, he just rolls his eyes. "Ready?" She asks him after she's rubbed off all Quinn's lipstick off his face. He nods and he follows her back inside the theatre.
xxx
They wait for her in the lobby, Santana is holding a bouquet of flowers he swears he hasn't seen since now. He tries not to make it too obvious that the last time he saw Quinn he was making out with her when she walks up to them, but Blaine gives him a funny look when he and Quinn make eye contact awkwardly and Santana smirks at him knowingly and he knows instantly that he's been caught.
And of course she wants pictures, so she flags down one of the girls she knows to take a group one, and then they all take turns taking individual shots. After Tina finishes taking a picture of Rachel, Quinn, Santana, and Kurt she tells him to go take one.
He glares at Tina and tells her that it's fine but she just tells him to not be ridiculous, it's just a picture. Everyone starts staring at him so he just sighs and goes to stand next to Quinn, his arm wrapping around her waist the way it's used too, like a magnet on a fridge, snapping into place.
She leans into him and he feels like his missing puzzle piece has been returned. He tries not to think how much comfort it brings with her leaning into his side. He immediately goes back to his spot next to Blaine once Tina has taken enough pictures, knowing that if he doesn't remove himself now he probably never will. She gives him a small smile when they make eye contact again, but he can still see the disappointment in her eyes.
"What time do you guys leave tomorrow?" She asks Tina as they start to head outside.
"Around 11, we drove." Tina tells her, quickly putting her coat on because the temperature has dropped since they were last outside.
"You should come sight-seeing with us before you leave. Well not really sight-seeing, I'm just giving Rachel and Kurt a tour of the campus and surrounding areas, Santana has an early flight tomorrow.."
Both he and Blaine glare at Tina, hoping she will get their hint to politely decline, but of course Tina agrees, and Quinn happily tells her to meet back at the theatre at eight tomorrow.
Blaine tells them about his conversation with Kurt on the walk back to the hotel. How they have decided to be more acquaintances than friends for now until they're ready for that type of contact again. He tells them how he thinks he's going to try and let things be for now, try and move on.
He doesn't tell them about what he talked about with Quinn even though he can tell Tina is itching to get it out of him.
He crashes as soon as he hits his bed, not bothering to change out of his suit. He just slips out of his shoes and blazer, telling himself he'll deal with it in the morning.
xxx
Tina's little fist bangs on his door at a quarter past seven and he groans and covers his ears with a pillow. The knocking stops for ten minutes before someone is opening the door.
He shots out of his bed to see Tina standing there looking unamused. "Sam we literally need to leave in like twenty five minutes, and we still have to get checked out, get out of bed."
He doesn't bother asking her how she managed to get a key card to his room, figuring he's probably better off not knowing. He drags himself out of the warmth of the hotel bed and changes out of his wrinkled suit, hoping into the shower quickly.
He throws on a long-sleeved grey shirt and jeans half asleep and slides into his sneakers. His bag is packed and sitting on his bed once he gets out of the washroom, so all he needs to do is pack the things he has kept in the washroom. He reminds himself to thank Tina when he gets to the lobby.
He rubs his eyes trying to wake himself up while he waits for the elevator to take him down the lobby. When he gets down there Tina is checking them out, so he hands her his key card and takes their bags with Blaine to put in Tina's trunk.
They drive to the campus and Tina is already out of the car before Sam can park properly. He's the last one out of the car because he has to fish through his bag for a jacket, forgetting how cold it is.
Kurt and Rachel are already there, but he doesn't pay any attention to them, his eyes are trained on the blonde standing in between them. He swears he's never seen her in a pair of jeans before, knowing how much she loves her skirts and dresses, switching to a pair of (his) comfy sweatpants whenever they returned home from school. But there she stands, in a pair of dark washed jeans, green parka swallowing her body, black earmuffs covering her ears and a pair of black mittens to match. Her nose is still red and he bites back a smile at how adorable she looks.
She shows them where her classes are, the library she studies in, and her dorm and he tries to act like he hasn't seen it a bunch of times before. She also shows them the bar she goes to with the fake ID her roommate got for her and they all laugh.
He tries to picture her in different scenarios as she shows them the campus. He pictures her under one of the big trees reading a book, or walking home from work on one of the pathways, coffee in one hand and a magazine in the other.
She shows them the little cafe she works at last. It's small and homey and completely her. He tunes everything out as he takes it all in, the little wooden tables and barstools along the counter and pictures of various baked goods hung on the walls.
They sit for a bit, mostly listening to Tina complain about her lack of solos since Blaine had stolen her title of the lead soloist. Kurt suggests that she just be the other soloist, the new Finn perhaps, and Tina tells him that Sam has already taken that role. He blushes when Quinn tells him that she can see that.
Eventually they need to leave, and he gives Rachel and Kurt hugs to say goodbye, giving Quinn a soft smile instead because he doesn't think his heart will be able to handle it if he's within her close proximity for any longer.
He takes the first shift and Tina takes her spot in the passenger seat because Blaine tells them he is in a desperate need of a nap.
"Still mad that we tricked you?" Tina asks him twenty minutes into the ride home. He rolls his eyes but has a small smirk on his face.
"Shut up." He responds back, shoving her shoulder causing her to burst out laughing.
Quinn is back! And don't worry, she'll be returning again soon. So Yale has a Spring Showcase, but that doesn't fit in with the timeline of my story so we're all just going to ignore that. I'm also pretty sure it's an actor's showcase but Quinn deserved more solos so of course I have her singing sad love songs to Sam. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and can forgive me for my awful timing with the previous chapters and how terrible they have been.
The songs I used in this chapter are I miss you, I'm sorry by Gracie Abrams and The One by Taylor Swift.