Sam

At least nineteen sounded a lot older than eighteen, maybe even old enough to marry your twenty-three year old bride and have a baby with her a couple months later.

At lot had happened in the past month. First, he'd had a birthday, but it had been in the middle of cramming for finals, so it had been pretty low key. Artie more than made up for it, however, by inviting as many glee guys as he could for Sam's bachelor party the weekend before the wedding. Mike, Puck, Blaine, Kurt, Ryder, and Jake all showed up to celebrate Sam's nuptials with a crazy night, drinking and making s'mores and hotdogs around a campfire in Artie's backyard. The festivities were simple enough to allow everyone plenty of time for talking and catching up. Mostly, Puck told stories about his adventures in L.A. and everyone listened. The stories just got longer and crazier as the night wore on.

And all of this led up to one big, important step in Sam's life. The day that forever joined his life and Amy's. He had a surprise for her, which would be waiting for them when they made their grand exit as husband and wife. With some help from Burt and Kurt, he'd managed to fix up the SUV and even bought and installed the car seat she'd picked out. Sure, they had a couple more months before the baby, but he hoped she'd see it as a sign that he was excited and already getting ready to be a dad.

As he stared at his reflection in the full length mirror in the Abrams grandparents' bedroom, adjusting the cuffs of the borrowed suit of Finn's that Kurt had indeed altered to fit Sam perfectly, the familiar sound of wheels entering the room startled him out of his thoughts.

"Time to take some pictures," Artie said, coming to a stop in front of the mirror, examining his rented tux and straightening his jacket. "And I hear you two are breaking tradition and seeing each other before the ceremony."

Sam chuckled. "We just aren't patient people," he said. "Besides, I can already guarantee I'm gonna cry, you know I'm a crier. Seeing her in advance might at least keep me from falling apart up there, when I see her in the ceremony."

"No, that'll be my job..." Artie said, softly, as Sam looked down in alarm. "In a good way," he reassured him. "I mean, it's just... it feels like yesterday, we were kids together, and now she's married and having a kid. It's a lot to take in. But I'm excited, man."

Sam leaned down to hug him, feeling like his heart could burst. "Thanks, brother," he said.

Just a week ago, Sam had moved out of their shared dorm room. It would have been an emotional moment, if it were really goodbye, but the marriage of Sam and Amy meant they had a lifetime together as brothers. And that was better than being college roommates anyway. (Besides, Zack was going to be staying over the summer and taking classes, so he'd been ready to move right in. And Sam knew Artie and Zack were going to have some great adventures of their own.)

Sam headed out after Artie, giving him a push over the grass once they were outside. They were getting married at the Abrams' grandparents lake house. When it came to a simple, outdoor wedding, this was the answer. Plus, they got the gift of an unseasonably cool breeze, making the summer wedding bearable for themselves and all the guests.

The four guys were assembled first, so they took the first group photos. Sam had Blaine and Artie standing with him in the wedding, along with Stevie. Amy's wedding party consisted of her best friend, Hayley, their cousin Kerry Ann, and Stacey.

"Is that your mom?" Sam looked up to see Nancy with a very different hair style, approaching with a camera. But, on closer inspection...

"No, that's my aunt," Artie explained. "Aunt Nora. She and Mom are twins. She's also a hobby photographer, so Amy asked her to take the pictures today."

Sam's eyes widened. "Do twins run in your family?"

Artie laughed at that. "They do," he said. "I think we have a great-grandparent twin in our family tree. And my mom's cousins are twins, too." He clapped Sam on the shoulder, or would have, if he could reach. His pat landed on the other guy's forearm. "Maybe you'll get twins next time."

Sam shook his head, thinking that he couldn't imagine preparing for two instead of one. He also was thinking that there would be a long time before next time. There'd probably be an age gap similar to the huge one between he and his two siblings. He was glad they had confirmation that there was just one in there.

As Karen posed the guys for several shots, Sam caught sight of Amy approaching at a distance, towards the end of the photo shoot. Click, click, click went the camera, as Karen captured the moment where he'd spotted his bride.

Amy was wearing the same wedding dress his mother had worn in the simple ceremony they'd had in his paternal grandparents' backyard. It was meaningful, yes, but it also fit her perfectly. The dress — well, Sam probably didn't know all the right words to describe it — but it highlighted everything that was beautiful about Amy in this season of their lives. Her hair, which had been a short pixie style when he'd met her, had grown much longer lately and was adorned with those little flowers that Sam at least knew were called baby's breath. How appropriate.

Amy blushed, with all eyes on her, as she stopped in front of Sam. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, as close as he could, with the bump between them. He brushed her cheek with his fingertips, then kissed her gently as the camera continued to click away. There were tears in his eyes, as well as hers.

"I can't believe you're gonna be my wife after today," Sam said, closing his eyes and taking in the scent of her perfume as she settled her head against his shoulder, intertwining their fingers. "Amy, I've been waiting for this."

"Me too," she said, stepping back to look up at him and admire his nice haircut. He'd gotten a little shaggy lately, and he knew she sort of preferred his clean-cut look, though she'd play with his hair when it was longer.

"Alright, you two have pictures to take," Artie interjected, struggling a bit to wheel up to them on the grass. But if he minded that Amy had wanted an outdoor wedding, well, he said nothing of it. "And then, Amy, is your plan to go back inside and make a big entrance after that?"

Amy laughed. "This is my big entrance," she said, gesturing to her belly. "Big enough for you? Two weeks ago, I thought I'd be altering the dress to be smaller, but we had a growth spurt."

Amy's plan was just to be standing on the dock with the rest of the wedding party already, as the guests arrived. Under normal circumstances, she wasn't one to take the spotlight, and she especially didn't want the added attention, now that she was feeling self-conscious about her appearance as she started her third trimester. Sam tried to respect her wishes, being that she'd sacrificed her plans to marry him now instead of waiting.

"Please don't worry about it," Sam leaned in to whisper to her. "You look gorgeous and I'm proud to be having this baby with you."

After they'd taken their photos, they lined up on the deck, Artie getting a lift from Blaine and Sam to make it from the grass the wooden platform. Sam then gave his bride a hand as she carefully stepped onto the dock, watching every step in her long dress.

To start the ceremony, as Sam and Amy joined hands, Artie sang 'At Last' with their guest vocalist, Mercedes, who joined them on the dock. It had been a last-minute request from Amy, who had explained that all the waiting they'd been doing for this moment made the song feel especially appropriate. Artie was somewhat nervous, owing to the fact that he was a little out of practice with singing for people, coupled with his own strong emotions on the day. And yet, he perfectly nailed every lyric and note, with Mercedes' voice complimenting his perfectly. Sam briefly caught Mercedes' eye and gave her a grateful smile as Amy stepped towards him.

Sam placed a hand on her stomach, unable to separate the joy of making Amy his wife and the joy of becoming a father. They were one in the same that day. Amy placed her hand atop his, and he knew she wasn't the least bit upset about the baby taking a little of the focus at their wedding. This baby may have been the reason for the rush, but Sam knew they'd been destined for this moment someday.

"Dearly beloved," said Burt Hummel, who'd been ordained just in time to step in for this moment. "We are gathered here to join Samuel James Evans and Amy Nadine Abrams in Holy Matrimony..."

"Okay, Stacey, do you think you could let Artie take a turn dancing with his date?" Sam asked, as Stacey clutched Artie for dear life, indicating that she wasn't really to let him go. She was presently in his lap, as she had been for the previous song, too.

"One more?" Stacey begged.

"I'll dance with the groom one time then," Kitty offered. "Since the bride is busy being a good hostess and mingling with the guests."

With that settled, Kitty danced the next one with Sam. "Congratulations," she said, as they swayed to the music. "By the way, ah, I never got to say this, but I'm sorry I was the one who told Artie about the baby. I'm sure you wanted to do that differently."

"Yeah, thanks," Sam said, looking down at the petite blonde and finding it in himself to smile. "No hard feelings. That's behind us now. But, well, I did want to ask you about that kiss I saw at prom."

"It just sort of happened," Kitty said. "I-I didn't plan it, okay? I'm not trying to manipulate his emotions, I just missed him. That's it."

"When did I say that I thought you were trying to manipulate him?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

She sighed. "You didn't, that's just what I usually assume people think," she explained.

"Well, not me," Sam said. "I told you last summer, remember? I'm team Wildeabrams all the way. That is, uh, the best name I could think of for you guys. You don't blend together harmoniously like Samy. But I'm a fan, just the same."

Kitty smiled at his rambling way of declaring himself their fan. "Well, thanks for the support," she said. "Um, I think I have my dancing partner back now. Looks like his partner wants a dance with the groom this time."

Kitty returned to Artie, then, as Stacey stepped up to dance with Sam. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spied Stevie trying to dance with Amy and looking positively terrified to put his arms around her waist. He chuckled, then returned his attention to his petite dancing partner. "May I have this dance?"

Their reception was being held at the lake, too, but a little ways down the street, at a small event center that provided the perfect atmosphere for the reception that followed. Plus, it even had a ramp and an accessible bathroom, despite being a small place out in the country. Their friends manned the tables of hors d'oeuvres and coffee. Couples could also step outside on the back porch for quiet conversation, which overlooked the lake as the sun was setting. It was simple, for sure, but Sam wouldn't have expected or wanted more than this.

Sam thought, after this song with Stacey, that he might finally get a chance to dance with his bride, but his father had asked her for a dance, as his mother approached him.

"Could I have just one with the groom?" she asked, smiling at him. He replied by taking her hand and giving her a little twirl.

"I'm so proud of you, hun," she said, taking his hand in hers and dancing the way old people did in movies. "I know things are happening fast. I remember... what that felt like. I remember being embarrassed about it all, when I married your father, and I just want to tell you, don't let those feelings take over. You deserve all the happiness in the world, Samuel, and I know you're going to be an amazing husband and daddy."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Sam said, his voice catching in his throat.

After everything that had happened, and now that he was putting college on hold for a little while, he was still irrationally worried that his family would be disappointed in him. As if they hadn't been through the same thing themselves, with the added challenge of them both being high school seniors when they got pregnant.

"And now, I think you were wanting to dance with the bride, yes?" his father's voice boomed, as he led Amy across the dance floor to Sam.

Sam pulled her in close, or again, just as close as the belly would allow. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I have a surprise for you," he whispered. "I know we didn't have time for a honeymoon, but I got us one night at the cabin where I asked you to marry me. I thought maybe we could hike back out to the waterfall. We'll be back in time to be there for Artie's surgery. That... okay?"

She looked a little tired and he worried that maybe she just wanted to sleep in and rest after the ceremony. They could do that, too, but he just didn't want to fail her by not making the night after the wedding special for her.

"Oh, no, that's great," she quickly assured him, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Sorry, I think- I think weddings are probably tiring for the bride under normal circumstances, and even more so when you're in your seventh month. But I love the idea, babe, thank you."

"I think it's almost time to start the toasts," he said. "Then you can sit down. Unless you want to go ahead and sit...?"

"No, no," she replied. "No, I want to dance with my husband. But thank you. I'm really okay."

As they swayed, Sam recognized the voice of someone singing live. When he looked up, he spotted Artie at the mic, belting 'All My Life' by K-Ci and JoJo. Now that he had a mic, there was really no stopping him. As the song ended, Artie retained his mic and announced that it was time to sit down for the toasts.

"Someone forgot how much I get carried away with public speaking," Artie said, catching Amy's eye as she took her seat and laughed along with him. "I once ran for vice-president of my senior class. Needless to say, my speech was the nail in the coffin. Go Blam!"

Literally no one but the McKinley alumni at the ceremony knew what he was talking about, but seeing as they made up most of the crowd, it didn't matter. There to support Sam were all his friends from Glee club. Tina, who had brought Hunter Wilde as her date, plus Blaine, Kurt, Mercedes, Quinn, Rachel, Brittany, Santana, Puck, Ryder, Jake, Unique, Marley, and Kitty. Plus, of course, Will and Emma were there for both of them, since they were friends of Amy's too. And yes, he'd trained himself into thinking of them as Will and Emma.

"Anyway, um, Amy did point out the clock on the wall to me earlier and I promised not to abuse the privilege of the mic," he said. "But I'd like to start by sharing something about Sam Evans. I've known him since sophomore year, when he showed up to replace that cool black dude in glee club. My first thought? Was that he looked like a cross between a Ken doll and Justin Bieber. But my second thought? Was damn that guy can sing. And then he turns out to be the best kind of mix between geek and jock. Which made him kind of perfect for glee club. And, well, kind of unexpectedly perfect for my big sister, too."

"Now, obviously," he went on, seemingly avoiding their eyes, as though he might not be able to finish if he looked their way too long. "I've known Amy for my whole life. And I wouldn't have immediately thought of Sam for her, but when I think of how Sam is this incredibly generous guy who would do anything for his friends, then I think of how my sister did everything she could to help me when I had to adjust to a new way of life..."

Artie gave a hard swallow as Amy, clutching Sam's hand, did the same, their blue eyes meeting. He addressed the rest of his speech directly to them both.

"...Then it starts to make sense, that you both found each other, and then it makes me glad that you did. Because I can't help but think that, when you team up, you're gonna do amazing things. You already have something pretty amazing in store for you, at the end of the summer, and I can't wait to meet him. I hope he gets the best parts of you both."