The rest of the week after Sam's encounter with Karofsky seemed to pass about as quickly as a stagnant pool of water. Every day he would wake up, go to school, and somehow manage to finish his homework before burying himself in old comic books. He'd even managed to get through a whole football practice without even making eye contact with Karofsky, which was an incredible feat in itself.

When the weekend finally came, Sam decided he wanted nothing more than to sit at home and re-watch all of the Star Wars movies, documentaries, etcetera, ever created without being disturbed. Getting into his car on Friday, he caught a glimpse of that familiar muscular build that two days ago he'd been pushing up against a wall in the locker room. Just the thought of it gave Sam the feeling that he'd been punched in the stomach, so he tried to push the image out of his mind and sped out of the school parking lot.

Finally arriving at home he opened the front door and sent his mom a quick text, standard procedure in the Evan's household. Mom liked to know where her kids were and what they were doing at all times. He shut the door silently behind him and tried to make a break for his room before being stopped by either one of his siblings. Today was just not the day to deal with a ten year old girl who thinks she knows everything or a nine year old boy obsessed with wrestling.

He'd almost made it to his room when he heard a familiar screech behind him.

"SAMMYYYYY!"

He quickly threw his bedroom door open and rushed inside, tossing his backpack to the floor. He slammed the door behind him right before another screech filled the air.

"Sammy, come on! You never play anymore!"

"Go away Kayla, I'm sixteen not seven!" He stood with his arms crossed at his door. "I'm really not in the mood for this right now."

"Why not?" Her whining made the octave of her voice rise even higher, something he thought was impossible. "You've been in there all week! I need you to come out so Stephen will stop trying to drop kick me!"

"Sorry Kay, but I have a lot of stuff to work on for school, alright?" He tried to keep his voice calm, hoping that she'd buy it and leave.

"But…" He could almost see the disappointment on her face.

Sam sighed and opened the door. "I just can't hang out this weekend okay?" He looked down at his sister, who looked like weirdly like a young Quinn Fabray. "Maybe next weekend I'll take you to the park or something."

Kayla crossed her arms over her chest, wrinkling the light pink baby doll dress she was wearing. "Fine. But you better not be lying." She turned on her heel and marched away, blonde hair bouncing as she went.

After he was sure she wasn't coming back, Sam sighed and retreated into his room. Heartbreak was bad enough without his having people constantly pestering him. He opened his first Star Wars DVD and managed to get through the opening credits before his phone started to ring.

"What now?"

"So, why am I here again?" Santana said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Dave could almost feel the Latina's attitude radiating off of her.

"I need your help." Dave dropped his eyes to the ground. "You have to promise me you won't tell anyone, though."

"Look, do you really think I care that much about your problems?" She rolled her eyes and lowered herself onto the couch beside Karofsky. "Fine. I won't tell. What is it?"

"It's Sam… You dated him last, and I was just wondering what the best way to say 'I'm sorry' is." He could feel his face turning red and he saw Santana's eyebrows rise mischievously. "I'm not gay or anything… He's my bro, and we got in an argument is all."

"Sure." He could tell she didn't believe him, but he didn't really care. He'd messed up with Sam and he needed to make it right. "Sam's one of those boys that like to 'talk it out'. That's why we never worked. So, if you wanna get yo' man, I suggest you two have a little heart to heart." She stood up and started grabbing her bags. "Sorry, but I told Britt I would meet her at four so I gotta go… Good luck, you guys WOULD make a cute couple." She winked and was gone before Karofsky could even protest the "couple" remark

He waited until he heard the front door shut before he mulled over what she'd said. So Santana thought that they should talk... but what could he possibly say? "I'm sorry for being a douche and breaking your heart, it would be really cool if we could make out again"?

Karofsky groaned and fell over on the couch, burying his face in a pillow. 'I've had a crush on Sam for weeks, and when I find out he likes me back I push him away. Good job Karofsky.' He turns onto his side and sees his phone blinking on the table.

He picks the phone up and flips it open to find a text from Santana. 'You were just here ten minutes ago, couldn't you have talked to me then?' He hits the view button and feels his pulse quicken.

"I don't know if you heard, but your man just called me. Said his uncle died in a plane crash. Now's your chance to talk, I guess. –S"

Sam sat on a park bench watching ducks play in the pond. The water was cold and one of the younger ducks refused to get in, so the mother came and softly nudged him in with her bill. He watched with a bittersweet smile as the younger duck quacked in protest before falling in the water.

How he wished he could be one of those ducks… not having to worry about anything going wrong.

"Sam?" He recognized the voice immediately.

"Dave… What are you doing here? How did you find me?" Sam turned and stared at Karofsky. What did he want?

Karofsky walked around the bench and took a seat next to Sam. "Santana told me what happened… with your uncle. I was on the way to your house when I saw your car in the parking lot. Do you- do you wanna talk?"

Sam shifted positions sot that he sat hunched over, staring at the ground. "He was like a father to me…" Tears started welling in his eyes and his throat started tightening. "My dad left my mom when I was born. Uncle Hank was always the one that was there for me. He taught me how to ride a bike, he took me to baseball and football practice, talked to me about girls." HE let out a bitter laugh at the last statement. " When my mom married John and had my brother and sister… she told him to stop coming around. She told him I had a father now and I didn't need someone ruff around the edges like him… and now he's gone forever. He's dead." Sam looked up at Dave, tears streaming down his face. "I never even got to say goodbye."

Dave took Sam into his arms, holding him tight to his chest. Sam couldn't help but notice how safe it felt there. Like nothing could touch him.

"I'm so sorry, Sam." Dave said softly into his ear. "This never should have happened…"

They stayed like that on the parch bench for an eternity, Sam crying and Dave rocking him back and forth, until eventually his sobs turned into sniffles. Sam felt Dave shift him so that their foreheads were touching, and the tips of their noses were just brushing.

"I know this is the last thing you want to hear right now… but I really am sorry for how I acted in the locker room the other day." Dave's eyes were staring into his so deeply that it almost felt to Sam like he was searching his soul. "I'm just scared Sam… I'm so scared."

Sam sat up and took Dave's hands in his. "Let's be scared together." He squeezed Dave's hands and gave him a hopeful look. Couldn't he see that they were made for each other?

The seconds that passed seemed to go on for hours before Dave finally nodded. He gave Sam a small smile before leaning in and kissing him.

"It doesn't feel so scary when you have someone with you, does it?" Sam asked after they pulled away.

"No… It's not because someone's with me. It's because YOU'RE with me." Karofsky blushed and dropped his eyes. "Hey, Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Nga yawne lu oer."

"Is that... Dave, are you speaking Na'vi?" Sam felt a grin spread across his face.

"I looked it up online… I was hoping I'd get the chance to say it to you one day."

Sam took Karofsky's face into his hand and kissed him tenderly on the lips. It wasn't like the first time, rushed and erratic, or the second time either. This time it was slow and smoldering, it had something new fueling it. Love.

Sam began kissing Dave's jaw line and trailed up to his ear. "I love you too." He whispered softly.