"Is this gonna make you happy?"

Sam almost couldn't believe what his dad was asking him. They were really going to let him go back? He was going to get to see Blaine again. And now that he'd sorted out his feelings they could go back to the way they were. Well, he had to get Blaine to forgive him for what happened first, but Sam was sure that would work out fine if he could just see him and talk to him. He'd get his best friend back. "You have no idea."

Blaine felt so lucky to be with Kurt. Things were great between them. He would be lying if he said that it had nothing to do with the fact that they were finally having sex. But that really wasn't the biggest part. It was the way they talked about stuff, the way Kurt supported him and was so proud to be with him. The way being with Kurt made him feel special. Loved. Safe.

He'd even started to love McKinley because that was where Kurt's radiant smile would greet him every morning and where he'd get to walk his beautiful boyfriend to class holding his hand. But it seemed like that feeling wasn't mutual; at least he was still struggling to be accepted by the New Directions. And it wasn't helping that the club, or you know what was left of it, was a mess and that they were sure to lose at sectionals. Learning that the Warblers had won their sectionals made the situation even more depressing to him. Still he would never let those feelings show in the choir room.

Sam felt calm, almost confident walking down the halls of McKinley again. Being back was, well in a way it was coming home. Especially walking into the choir room. Blaine?! What the fuck was he doing here? Of course you could trust Rachel to be too self-involved to mention that Blaine would be there. Fuck! Okay, he had to calm down. This was good; seeing Blaine was what he wanted. It just caught him off guard, that's all. Still he had to fight to keep it together. But somehow he did what he was there to do: smile at his friends, bring them some hope for the sectionals. He just had to be careful to not really look at Blaine.

"Not if I can help it!"

Blaine couldn't believe his ears. Or his eyes. How could he be back? Why? He was doing so well. But now Sam was back. He was back and he acted like nothing had happened. Like the world hadn't been blown to pieces and painstakingly put back together. Who the fuck did he think he was just coming in here without any warning. With his hair and his guitar and his voice. Stirring up things that... Things that were fine!

Sam had really thought that he could do it. Seeing Blaine again changed all that. The last time he'd seen him they'd both been naked, falling asleep in each other's arms. When Sam closed his eyes he could still remember what Blaine's curls felt like against his face and the smell of his neck when he buried his nose in it, just not being able to get enough of the feeling of finally being so close. That next morning he hadn't been able to look at Blaine when he woke up and felt his chest pressing in on itself. But he was leaving then. It was different now; now he was back. However Blaine was still with Kurt. And anyway he wasn't supposed to think like that. Kurt or no Kurt he couldn't be with Blaine. He'd promised himself that he wouldn't act on those feelings again. It had almost felt like a relief once he'd really made up his mind. He'd been fine staying away from Josh these past weeks. And he'd be fine again, he knew that. Because he knew exactly how to fix it. It was perfect. She was perfect.

"Blaine! Hey, can we talk?"

Blaine shrugged. Next thing he knew they were in an empty classroom. Sam was just standing there, staring at him. Blaine had to look away, or else – well he wasn't sure what would happen. "You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah, um. I don't... uh. It's nice to see you B."

"Is that it? Can I leave now?"

"No! I'm sorry! You know what we did – what I did – it was so wrong. And I've regretted it every day."

"Oh, uh..."

"I'm so glad to see that you and Kurt are still alright."

"Okay, um. I'mma go now." He had to get out of there. He'd promised himself to not cry any more over Sam. But he hadn't expected this. Well, he hadn't expected Sam to come back at all. Though it still happened in his dreams sometimes. In the dreams Sam would magically show up and he'd be sorry then too. But he'd be sorry for leaving, and sorry for not calling and all Blaine's hurt and anger would just melt away and everything would be alright. They'd be best friends again. No, that wasn't true. In those dreams Sam didn't regret what had happened between them – he was glad – and they were more than friends. But that wasn't what Blaine wanted. He might have once, back when they'd first met – but that was so long ago. Because in those dreams Kurt would somehow just disappear and awake that thought was unbearable to Blaine. He was in love with Kurt. He wouldn't give him up for anything. And besides he could barely stand to look at Sam now.

Seeing Blaine dance had always made Sam feel stuff. Now that he knew exactly what stuff it was... well, why the hell did he have to show off his stupid dance move like that anyway?!

He knew he was being a complete dick mocking Blaine's dancing but he was also kind of right, wasn't he? Sam wasn't exactly proud of his working as a stripper and he suspected that most of his friends didn't really approve of it but he was good at it and he actually believed that his body rolls could help them win at sectionals. But the way Blaine looked at him, the way he talked to him – that hurt. Sam couldn't protect himself from Blaine's contempt. And Blaine's words cut through him like a knife. Still Sam was shocked by his own reaction, by what he did. Mr Shue stepped between them which was a huge relief because right then he felt so much like hurting Blaine. And Blaine just left. Of course he did. Sam had to leave the room too. He was shaking. What the fuck was wrong with him! What if he'd actually hurt Blaine?

"God! Okay, stop. Look, Blaine. This … is totally boy band."

Did he seriously just do that? Did Sam just make fun of him? Who was he even? This wasn't the Sam Blaine knew. He was being a total jerk.

"What we need to sell here … is sex!"

What the fuck? Did he really think that anybody wanted to see him show off his freaking stripper moves. The image of Sam's naked chest appeared in Blaine's mind and the thought of all those hungry eyes and probably even hands on him made his stomach turn. What the hell had he been thinking doing that to himself?

"Look I came back here to win. When you're desperate sometimes you gotta, you know, use your assets and do what you gotta do to get back that advantage. This..." Sam thrust his hips, "... is the advantage."

It wasn't that Blaine actually deliberated it, but he wanted to hurt Sam. He wanted to hurt him the way Sam had hurt him. "Of course that's what you think, you have to think that in order to sleep at night."

"What the hell does that mean?" Finally anger was flashing in Sam's eyes.

"It means that I'm not for sale!" Then Sam's hands were on him, shoving him hard. He would have hit him if it wasn't for Mr Shue stepping between them. He wouldn't even have regretted it. And he sure as hell wouldn't have held back.

"What!? He's staying at your house?" Blaine couldn't believe what Kurt had just told him.

"Yeah. Finn kinda promised him, and dad and Carole doesn't mind. He has to stay somewhere, right? What was all that about back there anyway? I mean he was totally out of line about your spin – which by the way was totally cute – but it seemed like something else. Are you really still mad at him, sweetie?"

"Well, you know I just think it wasn't cool the way he didn't even try to stay in touch."

"Yeah, I know, that was bad. But you know some people are just not phone people."

They'd used to talk on the phone all the time. Sam had promised he'd call. Every day. "I guess."

"But you guys really need to kiss and make up, you know?"

What? "Uh, yeah, I'll be nice."

"I hope so. Because the last thing we need is more fighting amongst ourselves, that's really not gonna help us win sectionals."

"I said I'd be nice!"

Sam had been so intent on coming to talk to Blaine that he hadn't stopped to consider if this was the best time and place to do so and now he was here. It was late so they were the only ones left in the locker room. Blaine was all sweaty, apparently from beating up the punching bag. No, this was definitely not a good idea.

"I get that you're mad at me Blaine. And you have every right to be."

"It really doesn't seem like you get it Sam! You can't just waltz back in here and expect things to be alright!"

"I don't expect anything. I get that you don't wanna be friends anymore."

"That I don't wanna be friends? Yeah, because you found the perfect way of showing someone that you want to be their friend: You shove your cock in their mouth and then when they call you to apologize for sucking your dick you just don't bother to pick up the phone. For – um let's see – make it five months."

Sam had never heard Blaine talk like that. He had to fight back an impulse to just grab him and kiss him right there. "Oh, God, Blaine. I'm so sorry. I just I..."

"I really don't want to hear it, Sam." Blaine cut him off. "But, you know, we have to be able to be in glee together. And people can't know that things are weird between us, okay?"

Sam nodded.

Turning away from him Blaine added "Now will you please excuse me, I have to hit the showers."