Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Losing My Religion.

Note: Well, here's to another chapter. I know you guys are excited to see the Evans family, so here they are! Now, to study for my American Civ II final exam. Sigh. Just that one, then my Writing 102 Honors final before I'm home until September! Hooray!

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it

"How long does it take to drive to your home?"

"About four hours, so you're stuck with me for a while. You don't get carsick, do you?"

"No," Rory murmured. "I was just wondering."

"Do you mind if I turn on the radio?" Sam asked. Rory shrugged. Sam bit his lip and turned on his favorite twenty-four/seven Christmas station. He loved Christmas music, and would admittedly listen to it year-round, not just in December. "Oh, I love this song." He turned up the volume on Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas".

"Please, turn it off," Rory seemed to fold into himself. "Or…switch the station, please."

"Sorry," Sam quickly pressed the button to start up a CD that was in the stereo. "That song…does it…oh, you miss your family, don't you? Oh, I'm so stupid."

"It's not your fault," Rory murmured. "I don't really want to talk right now, Sam."

"Okay. We don't have to," Sam said quietly, knowing he had stricken a nerve in the younger boy (whom he'd found out was just fifteen years old). He turned up the volume on his Jason Mraz CD, humming along every so often. It wasn't until he pulled into his driveway hours later that he remembered Rory was even there; he had been so quiet throughout the trip. "Well, here we are." Sam laughed as he saw the faces of the twins peering out from behind the curtain in the living room. "There they are!"

"Sammy, Sammy!" Stacy and Stevie came barreling towards him before he could even get out of the car.

"Hey, squirts," he grinned as he got out of the car and picked up both of them and hugged them tightly. "I've missed you guys so much."

"I've missed you too, Sammy," Stevie said.

"I've missed you more," Stacy bragged.

"I bet I've missed you guys more than you've missed me," Sam said.

"Who's that?" Stacy pointed at Rory.

"That's my friend, Rory. He's staying with us for the holidays. Rory, these are my siblings, Stacy and Stevie."

"Hullo," Rory said shyly.

"You talk funny," Stevie blurted out.

"Stevie, that's not nice!" Stacy chided. "But…but he kind of does," she admitted.

"I'm from Ireland," Rory smiled gently. "I have a different accent than you guys."

"Ireland?" Stacy's eyes lit up. "Like…like Lucky the Leprechaun?"

Rory chuckled. "Yes, like Lucky the Leprechaun."

"Coooooool," she breathed.

"Sam!" Their mother ran out of the house. "Oh, my darling, it's so nice to have you home again, finally!" She hugged and kissed him. "And this must be your friend, err…"

"Rory Flanagan. It's nice to meet you, ma'am," Rory said politely.

"Call me Mrs. Evans, please," she smiled. "Well, I'm sure you are both hungry after your long drive. I have lasagna in the oven waiting for you. We'll eat when Mr. Evans gets home at six. Rory, you'll be staying in the guest room, okay?"

"Okay, Mrs. Evans," he said. "I'm sure it will be lovely."

"Aren't you so polite," she smiled. "Some people I know could take the hint," she looked pointedly at her children. Sam blushed.

"Come on, Rory. I'll show you where the guest room is." He led the brunette into the house and up the stairs. "My room is there," he pointed towards it. "Stacy's is there, and Stevie's is downstairs. My parent's room is downstairs, too. Ah, here we go," he opened the door to a sunny, cheery room. A handmade quilt was on the bed. The walls were a calming shade of yellow, and the curtains white, creating a nice summery feeling. Rory put his bag down on the floor and perched himself on the edge of the bed.

"It's very…very nice," he said quietly. "And…and you're down the hall?"

"Yep," Sam nodded. "Well, I'm gonna unpack. Let me know if you need anything, okay? Bathroom's between this room and Stacy's." He gave Rory one last look before closing the door and giving the boy some privacy. He was worried about the blue-eyed boy. He was unfailingly polite to his mother and his siblings—as he was with all adults Rory had seen him interact with—but he hadn't said a word in the car after Sam switched the radio to something else. He had always been a little distant, but he seemed even more out of reach than ever. There was something lurking behind those haunting eyes, something that Sam just couldn't understand. He knew Rory felt like he wasn't fitting in with the rest of the kids, and he knew that Rory missed his family.

But what else was driving the boy to a place that Sam couldn't reach?

Later

"Will you play with us, Rory?" Stacy asked sweetly.

"Sure," he shrugged. "What do you want to play?"

"Candy Land," Stevie said immediately. "Sammy never wants to play it with us."

"Is that so?" Rory smiled. "Is Sammy really that mean that he wouldn't want to play with such adorable, sweet children?"

"Yes," Stacy said seriously.

"Don't let them fool you!" Sam called from the kitchen, where he was helping his mother do the dishes. "I'm an awesome big brother!"

"He's okay," Stevie rolled his eyes.

"Well, I'd love to play Candy Land with you," Rory told them.

"Cool! I'll go get it," Stevie ran into his room to grab the game. He came back moments later, setting it up on the living room floor. "What color do you wanna be?"

"Blue is nice," Rory said.

"Cool. I'll be yellow," Stevie said.

"Yeah, and I can be green," Stacy cut in.

"You sure you don't wanna play, Sammy?" Stevie called.

"I'm sure. Have fun with Rory," he answered.

"Okay," Stevie shrugged. "Sammy lets us win sometimes," he whispered.

"I do not!" Sam yelled.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Stacy asked.

"I have a younger brother, Seamus. He's seven," Rory told her.

"Is he here with you?" She asked.

"What? Oh, no. He's back in Ireland."

"Then how come you're here and he's there? Are your parents divorced?"

"I'm studying at Sam's school for the year. My parents and Seamus are back home, in Ireland. I'm staying with Brittany, one of Sam's friends, as a guest. It's called studying abroad. I'll go back home when the school year is over," he explained.

Sam winced; he kind of didn't want Rory to leave.

"Do you have a cat or a dog?" Stevie asked. He'd been begging their parents for a pet for some time now, but with his mother's allergies, it was out of the question.

"No," Rory said. "But Seamus has a hamster. His name is Zippy."

They chatted and played the game until Rory let Stacy win. Sam couldn't help but to listen in on their conversation from where he was in the kitchen. Rory was good with children. He kept up a playful banter and joked around with them. He answered all of their questions about his family and life in Ireland. He let them win game after game of the repetitive game until his mother announced that it was bedtime.

"But we don't even have school tomorrow," Stacy pouted.

"Yeah, tomorrow's Christmas Eve," Stevie whined.

"Bed, both of you," she said sternly. "Say goodnight to Sam and Rory and scoot off."

"Night, Sammy," they hugged their big brother.

"Goodnight, Rory," Stacy hugged the brunette sweetly.

"Oh! Goodnight to you, too," he seemed surprised by the affectionate gesture. He waved as they went to their bedrooms.

"Finally," Sam sighed, flopping down on the couch.

"It's nice to have you around, son," Mrs. Evans said. "We missed you."

"I was only gone for like, a month," Sam laughed.

"When you have children someday, you'll understand," she smiled. "So, Rory. Tell me more about your family. What do your parents do for work?"

"My Mum stays at home, and my Dad is a lawyer," he replied. "He does family court cases, not criminals or anything like that."

Sam took in what the boy was saying with interest. He'd never really heard Rory talk about his family before, aside from his little brother. After talking for a while to his mother, Rory excused himself to go to bed. Sam followed up upstairs.

"Um, I think I can go to bed on my own, thanks," Rory said.

"Oh, right," Sam said lamely. "Well, uh, goodnight, then."

"Goodnight," Rory nodded, slipping into the guest room. Sam watched as he closed the door. He sighed and went into his own bedroom. It still looked unfamiliar and not like 'him' yet. He smiled at his Avatar poster; his favorite movie always gave him comfort. He slipped into his pajamas—flannel pants and a worn t-shirt—and burrowed under the covers. He wondered what Rory wore to bed. He wondered what Rory dreamed about. He wondered how Rory looked when he was sleeping—probably like an angel, Sam surmised.

Wait, had he just likened Rory to an angel?

To be continued…