DISCLAIMER: On first chapter.

I'm sorry this chapter is so late! Real life has been kicking my ASS. I'll try to have the next chapter posted by this Sunday. It's COMPETITION TIME in the next chapter! And some awesome Samcedes stuff will be going down. Thank you for being so patient with me. And I apologize for the shortness of this chapter.


May 12, 2011 (Friday)

Lynn's House

Lima, Ohio

7:23PM

"It's a Friday night," Lynn said suddenly. Jeff looked at her from his plate of homemade fried chicken and mashed potatoes. His eyebrows rose on his forehead.

"Yeah," he replied, "And yesterday was Thursday." The smartass comment got him a cloth napkin to the face from the lady sitting on his right at the head of the table.

"Don't start thinking you're funny," she responded with a sarcastic quirk of her lips.

"I've got jokes," Jeff told her—mock-indignantly.

"No," Lynn said, "You telling jokes is a joke."

"Way to shrink a man's ego, Lynn," Jeff replied with a laugh. She shrugged at him and then laughed when he pouted at her.

"I'm just saying that maybe we should do something." Her brows were furrowed slightly as her hazel eyes studied her plate. He could tell that something was bothering her. She had this ring of sadness around her that was growing each day.

He didn't like it. And he really didn't like the fact that there was nothing he could do about it at the moment—considering he had no idea what it was. He hoped she would talk to him.

"Like what?" he asked before scooping another forkful of potatoes into his mouth. Man, this woman could cook like nobody's business. He thought he'd experienced good southern cuisine in Tennessee, but Lynn sure knew how to bring the flavor to her food.

"I don't really know," she said with a sigh as she ate her green beans slowly. Stacey and Stevie ate their food silently. They were still missing their brother something fierce. Jeff knew they were attached to Sam, but he hadn't seen it firsthand.

He was missing his kid too. Jeff had to forcefully stop himself from calling Sam every hour to make sure that he was safe. Lynn had played a big part in taming his overprotective tendencies, but damn—it was hard. They all looked quite pathetic sitting here with frowns on their faces.

"Why don't we all have a movie night?" Jeff blurted. It was simple and something they could all do together. Get the kids and Lynn out of reality for a little while.

Lynn's hazel eyes stared at him, before she smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea! We can shower and put on pajamas before watching it." Jeff laughed at her enthusiasm.

"What do you guys think?" Jeff asked his kids. Stevie and Stacey traded a look, before they broke out into grins. Yep, he was a genius.


May 12, 2011 (Friday)

Lynn's House

Lima, Ohio

9:17PM

Watching his children laugh was something Jeffrey would always cherish. Their faces would brighten and their eyes would light up—it was like watching the past year disappear in the blink of an eye.

It eased his heart to know that his children could still find joy in simply being children. He didn't know what he would do if Stacey and Stevie grew up too fast.

It also soothed him to know that his kids were cuddle bugs—all three of them. He was actually pretty sure that Sam was the worst, but Stacey gave him a run for his money.

Stevie was snuggled on his right side. The boy's legs tucked underneath him and his head nestled in the crevice of Jeff's shoulder and pectoral.

Feeling his son's heart beating against his side filled him with so much love that it was hard to contain. The baby fine blond hair was soft under Jeff's fingers as he ran his fingers through it.

He would never understand how Elizabeth had been able to walk away from them. Leaving for work in the morning made him sad sometimes. Kissing them goodbye when he dropped them off at school was difficult. Jeff couldn't decide if his attachment was good or bad—but he knew it had worsened since this whole debacle with Elizabeth had started.

There wasn't a day that went by that he worried about how they were reacting to everything. So much had changed in such a short time that he wondered about how they were coping. But hearing Stevie's childish laughter as the characters on the screen got into an argument suggested that his children were going to be just fine.

He placed a kiss on his son's head and smiled when Stevie shifted closer in response. Jeff looked up and over at his little girl. He would be lying if he said his heart didn't skip a beat when he saw her.

She was practically sprawled out across Lynn's lap. Her head was on Lynn's left thigh, her stomach in the cushions of the couch. Stacey's right hand clutched the fabric of Lynn's pajama pants as she laughed along with her brother. But it was Lynn's fingers threading through his little girl's hair that had him finally understanding.

He could clearly see the love and sadness in her expression. It must have been torture for her—to see what she was missing with her own children and know that she'd never experience this. His heart broke for her.

Lynn had taken such good care of his children in the last couple of weeks. She helped them with their homework. She helped them pick out their clothes for school. She cooked them hearty meals and she often came with him to read them both bedtime stories.

She was teaching Stacey how to knit, for Pete's sake. How could anyone leave a woman like Lynnette Orchid behind? Why would anyone want to?

Seeing the tears brimming in her eyes made his heart constrict. She loved so much—and cared for so many people. Hell, if she hadn't helped Sam that day—Jeff had no idea where they would be.

Would he still be with a wife who wanted nothing to do with him or his family anymore? Would they be living on the streets? The bleak reality his family might've faced sent chills down his spine. Jeff kissed his son's head again in response to his thoughts.

He would've never forgiven himself if he had let them fall that far. Sam going into that shop had changed their lives. Lynn was a walking blessing. She wasn't perfect, but he couldn't say that he wanted her to be that way.

For the rest of the movie, Jeff held Stevie close and prayed that Lynn would be okay. When the credits rolled, Stevie was passed out in his embrace. He leaned forward a bit to make sure, and had to chuckle at the open-mouth his kid was sporting. Gently, he lifted his son into his arms—trying his best not to wake him.

Stacey was awake but only barely. Lynn hefted the girl onto her hip and Stacey latched on. She buried her small head into Lynn's neck and Jeff noticed Lynn blink away tears before she moved around the couch and upstairs. Jeff followed her silently.

He opened Stevie's door with his foot and tugged the covers back on the bed with one hand. Jeff laid his son on his bed and tucked him in. He leaned over and placed a kiss on his kid's cheek and whispered, "Love you, sonny."

"Love you too, dad," Stevie responded blearily. It was the cutest thing ever—not that Jeff would say it aloud. Jeff moved back from the bed and softly closed the door behind him. He walked over to Stacey's room—seeing the door cracked open.

Lynn wasn't in the room when he poked his head inside, but his little girl was tucked into bed, her stuffed bear under one arm and her night light on—just the way she liked it. Jeff couldn't resist going over and giving his little girl a kiss. She was one third of his world. His only little girl and he knew that she had him tied up in knots.

All she had to do was cry and he wanted to give her the world. It was a testament to how incredible his children were that she hadn't abused that power—even though he knew she was aware of it.

Jeff was about to stand when Stacey's sleepy voice reached him. "Why was Lynn so sad, daddy?"

Jeff froze. How was he supposed to answer that question? He hadn't even realized that Stacey had noticed.

"She just loves you a lot, sweetheart." Jeff replied after a moment. Stacey looked too tired to argue, so she just agreed.

"Love you so much, daddy," she told him and Jeff felt the weight lift off his shoulders. God, his kids were something else.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

Jeff stayed until she fell into a deep slumber. And when he walked back downstairs—he wasn't surprised to see Lynn sitting on the couch—her knees pulled to her chest and her head on her knees.

Jeff knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. It only took a minute for her to peer at him over her knees. Seeing the tears streaming down her face shook him to his core. Jeff didn't say a word. He just opened his arms to her and in one motion; Lynn had fallen into his embrace.

The sobs that shook her made his heart burn with rage and sadness. No one deserved this type of heartache—especially not a woman that loved with everything she had. Feeling her pain—Jeff couldn't stop his own tears from escaping.

In a way, they were both grieving. They grieved for a life they once had and now it had been irreversibly changed.


May 12, 2011 (Friday)

The InterContinental Hotel

New York City, New York

10:12PM

"Finn, what the hell are you doing?"

Sam blinked rapidly. For the life of him, he couldn't process exactly what was going on in front of his face, but he kind of figured that he needed to understand—for his sanity.

Everything had been normal—until Finn walked into the room and sat down next to Sam on the bed. That didn't freak him out, but Finn wrapping his arms around Sam in a tight hug definitely threw him off his game.

"I was giving you a hug." Finn said as he pulled back. Sam gave him a dubious look.

"As nice as you are Finn," Sam said slowly, "I'm not really into having a sausage fest."

Finn's eyebrows sunk into a confused furrow, until he translated what Sam had said into Finn speak. And the horrified expression on Finn's face almost made Sam choke on a bark of laughter. The gangly teen leapt off the bed with red cheeks and a nervous laugh.

"No!" Finn protested. "It's not like that at all—I mean," Finn looked and sounded so flustered that Sam took pity on him. He waved the teen off with a light laugh.

Finn's mouth snapped shut immediately, but Sam could clearly see his mortification as he slumped into the armchair across from the bed. "Shit, this is so stupid."

Sam heard the mumble as clear as day. "What's going on dude?"

Finn wouldn't meet Sam's eyes. "I was just—I don't know—trying to make up for being a giant douche this whole year." The admission looked painful for the guy—if the pinched expression on his face said anything. He couldn't lie and say that he wasn't surprised—he really hadn't been expecting an apology from Finn for everything, but it was appreciated.

"I lied to you, made fun of you, wished that you got hurt by Grilled Cheesus and I stole your girlfriend," Finn voice was mostly sheepish, but there was sincere regret and anger to be heard. "I did you wrong, man."

"Nobody is perfect, Finn," Sam began, but Finn held up a hand. He stopped talking as the guy leaned forward to place his elbows on his knees.

"I did the exact same thing to you that Puck did to me," he said, "And it just made everything worse." Finn's head bowed and his fingers clutched at the strands of short dark hair atop his head. Sam winced. Some of his tugging looked painful. "And I don't even know why I did it. I can't even begin to understand why I'm so stupid. I've asked Kurt about all of it, but he says it's the flannel rooting ignorance in my brain or something dumb like that."

Sam had to smile a bit at that. Kurt was the master of snarky wit. He and Professor Snape would've been good friends.

"You talked to Kurt?" Sam asked. "Is that why you've been extra friendly and huggy?"

"He said that it's easier to show regret when being nice to someone or physically affectionate—and I hugged you; because I sure as hell wasn't gonna kiss you or anything."

"Finn, I don't need you to go all sappy on me, man." Sam told him, "All I need is an apology."

"No hugs?" Finn asked.

Sam shook his head.

"What about ice cream?" Finn questioned. Sam's eyebrows shot up.

"You have ice cream?"

When Finn lifted a plastic bag of ice cream pints from the floor, Sam couldn't stop laughing. Their relationship was far from repaired, but Finn was making an effort and that was more than Sam had even hoped for.


May 13, 2011 (Saturday)

The InterContinental Hotel

New York City, New York

7:52AM

"You know, prolonging the inevitable doesn't make it go away." Mercedes told Quinn as the blonde stepped out of the shower. Quinn wouldn't meet her eyes as she towel-dried her shortened blonde locks and then got herself dressed.

Mercedes allowed the silence to continue as she did her hair and brushed her teeth, but she decided enough was enough when Quinn practically ripped some of her hair out as she brushed it.

The diva snatched the brush out of her friend's hand and Quinn stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"You're going to break all your hair off if you keep doing that," Mercedes told her sternly, before gently untangling Quinn's damp hair with her fingers. Quinn didn't say a word as Mercedes softly brushed her hair.

"This won't be an easy road to travel, Quinn," Mercedes said softly. Quinn's green eyes rose from her lap and met Mercedes' stare in the mirror. "At some point, you're going to hate everything even more than you already do now."

"So what's the point?" Quinn snapped. "I'm already miserable. I don't need to add to it."

"Because even then you have the other side to look forward to," Mercedes responded.

"Haven't you heard that the grass isn't always greener on the other side?"

"Where you are right now the grass is freakin' black," Mercedes cracked, "There's only the possibility of a lighter color on the other side."

Quinn looked slightly ashamed after that. "What if I change, Mercy? What if I'm more unlikeable than before?"

"Someone wise once told me that people change and you can't stop that. You have to learn to forgive and forget—and yeah, that means working on the relationships that you damaged with people, but the only place you can go from rock bottom—is up. If you don't give yourself a chance to love you, then no one else can. "

For a long moment, Quinn and Mercedes were stuck in a heavy silence—Mercedes praying that she had said enough to get Quinn to try. This was going to be even harder than she'd first thought. Her soul-sister was in the cracks at the bottom of the barrel and it wasn't going to take just some hugs and good times to help her find her footing again.

It reassured her when Quinn shakily reached out and pulled the prescription bottle out of her purse. She hesitated for a moment, but then she dry swallowed the two tablets quickly. Mercedes continued brushing Quinn's hair and once finished, the two shared a hug that expressed everything that they couldn't say at the moment.

They walked down the hallway to the elevators with their fingers entwined.


May 13, 2011 (Saturday)

The InterContinental Hotel

New York City, New York

8:26AM

"Dude, why would I want mousse in my hair?" Finn sputtered as he dodged Kurt's outstretched hand.

"So your hair will remain moisturized throughout the day," Kurt replied with a deep sigh. He looked woebegone about his brother's lack of style. Sam thought he would start crying soon if he didn't stop laughing.

"It looks like whipped cream," Finn snapped back—the wary look on his face and the distrustful glares he kept shooting the hair product in Kurt's hand was hysterical to Sam. "You're not trying to prank me or anything?"

"Oh my Gaga, Finn," Kurt said—his bluster making him glare at the taller boy, "Why on earth would I prank you right before we go to a Nationals competition? That would be stupid!"

"You've never tried to put mouse in my hair before!"

"It's mousse, Finn!" Kurt retorted, "And you've never asked me for help with your hair before."

Artie, Puck, and Mike had left a few minutes before and Finn had been fretting over his hair in the mirror. Sam had jokingly suggested that he ask Kurt for help—he didn't think Finn would actually do it! The brunet boy had come in a hurry with a bag full of hair products.

Kurt had trimmed Finn's hair, but as soon as he whipped out the hair products—arguments had begun. Finn started by claiming that he wasn't a girl and didn't want any of that crap in his hair. And now, Sam was dying because Finn and Kurt arguing were way too hilarious.

"I said no, Kurt!" Finn protested, but he was blindsided when Kurt stepped closer to him.

"If you don't sit your tall self down right now, I will get my scissors and slice your hair off."

Finn didn't look like he knew what to do.

Kurt seemed mad enough to spit nails, so Finn let out a gusty sigh and plopped down on the bed. In seconds, Kurt descended upon him.

Five minutes later, Finn was admiring his hair in the mirror and Kurt was staring at him smugly. Sam just laughed as he ushered them out of the room. Kurt and Finn had a completely different relationship than he had with his siblings, but watching them together made him miss the munchkins something fierce.

But he shoved that to the back of his mind—his lady was downstairs waiting for him and probably looking more beautiful than ever. The thought of her put a big smile on his face, and he was happy that Finn and Kurt had launched into another bickering session, because his expression was probably far too sappy to be normal.


REVIEW! I'd love to hear what you guys thought! Especially about the developing Sam/Finn friendship and the burgeoning Finn/Kurt relationship. Quinncedes will seem a bit odd for awhile, but things will change. Until next time! :D

Also, what are your thoughts on Season 3 so far?