Chapter 18

Tiptoeing in high heels was a challenge. The halls of the Evans home were all hard wood centered with a strip of burgundy and blue printed carpet. Staying close to the walls, but also on the sound absorbing carpet was a struggle, but Quinn had managed to make it all the way upstairs and into the wing where Sam's rooms were located without being detected. Until she arrived outside of Sam's bedroom door she hadn't even encountered any other people, odd because she knew the staff was busy prepping for the party downstairs. They all must have been contained to a certain set of rooms, because the back stairs and the upper floors were empty of any signs of life.

Making it through the kitchen had been the hardest part. Outside she had been arguing with Santana and Artie over the best way to sneak inside, when a commotion at the front door pulled their attention. It happened so fast the door opened, and someone that looked like Rachel Berry stumbled out into the area in front of the media. Quinn took that as a sign, and didn't stay to investigate. She grabbed the tray of burgers and hurried off behind the bushes toward the staff entrance. All eyes were on Rachel, so Quinn could walk right in. The kitchen was brightly lit, countertops cluttered with pans and trays of food. A few members of the staff hurried about picking up items and carrying them out of the kitchen. Quinn kept her head down, as she dropped the tray on the counter and hurried out of the room. It was almost too easy, like someone wanted her to get to Sam tonight.

Puck sat on the floor in the hall, his usual picture of casual handsome, in jeans or a suit Puck always made his personal style look effortless, as if he had just gotten up and thrown on anything. Quinn wondered why he was sitting outside the door, his head leaned back, eyes closed. Then she heard muffled voices, and the door opened and out came Mercedes dressed in green, tears running down her face. Puck popped to his feet and was by her side almost immediately, hugging her and speaking to her at a volume too low for Quinn to hear. Quinn pressed herself back against the wall, hoping the large potted tree would be enough to keep her out of sight. The two walked past her and she was in the clear.

Her heart raced in her chest at the thought of finally seeing Sam and this time being completely honest with him, no holding back, just emotional truths. She was excited and scared all at once, putting herself out there was never something she was good at, especially not with him. She could tell Sam pretty much anything and know he wouldn't judge her, but for some reason telling him what was in her heart had always been hard. Maybe it was because he had said it first, with so much fanfare, a picnic, a swimming lesson, initials carved in a tree, he'd set the bar pretty high. Back then it felt like nothing she could say would ever top what Sam had done.

Now she knew that just hearing the words would have meant everything to him. All Sam wanted was to be loved in return, but at sixteen she had thought he had wanted poetry or things written in the sky. At least that was what she convinced herself into believing he wanted. She pretty much was making excuses to explain why she hadn't told Sam she loved him after he had said the words to her so many times. It had been about her fears, and Puck, and not being ready to fully open up herself to a boy who looked at her with such adoration. She knew she would never live up to his expectations, if she let him get that close he would be truly disappointed in what he'd found. So Quinn kept her distance, and never let her feelings escalate the way they should have with him, instead she turned to Puck and everything easily fell into place.

Ten years later, Quinn had finally learned that easy didn't always mean right. Some of the best things worth having were hard to get. Sam might have been hers for the taking in high school, but now that wasn't exactly the case. Last night he had told her he loved her, and it had been wonderful, a gift she hadn't fully realized she was hoping for, but could his feelings be trusted? How real was his love when it was based on a version of themselves from three years prior? So much had changed for both of them, Quinn was reluctant to let her heart lead her down such an unclear path, where nothing was truly certain and everything could change in an instant. If Sam's memory returned would the love he claimed to feel for her now just fade away?

Those unanswerable questions and the fact that Sam was very married, had held her back last night, they were still holding her back now, but she was trying to be brave enough to risk the unknown for him, because he had done it for her, so many times before. He'd always taken the lead, now it was her turn to set the pace, even if she only wanted to say 'I love you and I'll wait'. She had cultivated patience while he had been in a coma, secretly longing for him to come back to her as more than just a friend, and he had, a dream fulfilled, a prayer answered. Sam loved her. Again.

Fears melted into excitement as she lingered in the doorway watching him, all in black, sitting on his bed, staring at his nightstand. He almost looked like a mannequin he was so still, his cropped blonde hair perfectly styled. Quinn stood and watched entranced by the fact he was a few feet away, upright, healthy, not stuck in a bed. Suddenly he exhaled loudly bringing his fist down on the little table with a thud, shaking the lamp and rattling the contents inside the drawer. It was then he looked up and saw her, confusion, disbelief, then all lips as he stood and approached.

"I think my bed morphed into a time machine because suddenly I've been transported back to our first date."

Sophomore semi-formal a beautiful disaster of a night cut right from a cheesy teen movie.

"Well you know how I always liked dark colors." Her uniform until she transferred to McKinley, and met him, when he gave her the stars and the rainbow.

"The coat, the hood, if you take this off and I see a red dress I'm going to really feel like I stepped into a H.G. Wells novel." Quinn slowly took off he long coat revealing her red cocktail dress. "Wow! What did I do to deserve all this?"

"After what you've done for me I'd parade around in a ballgown if you asked me to."

Then and now he'd changed her life, saved it really. He'd given her the world twice. In high school he'd helped her lighten up and let people in, to live instead of simply existing. And now he'd freed her from her padded prison and led her back to the one place that ever felt like home.

"A ballgown wouldn't be my first choice. A bikini, now that could work. Seriously Quinn what are you doing here?"

Quinn removed her sunglasses, tucking them into the pocket of her coat, before tossing it onto a nearby chair.

"I wanted to see you. Guess I was missing you." She wasn't ready to admit more than that. So much for rushing in and blurting out her feelings. Standing in front of him made her only want to preserve the moment and prolong the feeling of sharing his space.

Sam grinned. "You could've had me all day if you'd let me come up to the suite."

"I needed to clear my head. Besides you had things to attend to."

"Can we not talk about things right now?" he asked turning away, seeming a bit annoyed. "I'd rather just stare at you. You look beautiful," he said when he faced her again, his composure regained. "I feel like I'm looking at the sixteen year old version of you."

"I was fifteen." Quinn smiled.

"Right. I forgot 'Miss Skip A Grade'. Even still you don't look like you've aged a day."

"Nice try. I have lines right here," she said pointing to the corners of her eyes. "And I certainly didn't have these hips in high school. I didn't even have these hips last year. They were Beth's gift to me."

"Thank you Beth," he said appreciatively.

The way his eyes roamed her body made Quinn's cheeks warm.

"You look nice. All in black, very hot."

"This," he said gesturing toward his body. "Is also a gift from our daughter, she decided to sprinkle me with her love while I was changing her diaper."

"I wish I could've seen that." Quinn laughed as she pictured Sam being caught off guard.

"Kurt has it recorded. Oh and you'll never guess what else our daughter did."

"I love the way that sounds," she said with a soft sigh.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Our daughter. Makes me a little tingly, warm to my toes. Sorry I'm just being silly." She chuckled hugging her bare arms. "Tell me more about Beth."

"You're not silly. I like the way it sounds too." Sam smiled as he took Quinn's hand and led her over to the bed to sit down beside him. "So our daughter rolled over today. Twice."

They turned to face each other, their joined hands resting on the bed.

"Really? She's turning into such a big girl. She really is growing up so fast."

Beth was growing at such a rapid pace. Every time she received a report about her something had changed, some new skill she had mastered. By the time she would actually be allowed to raise her baby full time, Beth will have grown so much. The baby girl she once knew would be long gone.

"Marcel thinks she'll be crawling soon." Sam beamed with pride. "Do you know Marcel?"

"I've seen him around. He's your nurse." Marcel had been the one she often had to sneak past to visit Sam. She'd never spoken to the man, but she'd seen him often.

"Mercedes thinks we should hire him to help with Beth."

Quinn tried to suppress an eye roll at the mention of Mercedes' name. "If she likes him, I'm sure he's more than qualified."

Mercedes knew best after all. She was the perfect wife, the perfect mother, an expert nurse, and all around model citizen. If the media were to be believed, Mercedes deserved a medal and a key to city, all lesser women should strive to live by her example.

"You got a little tone there. If you don't like Marcel, we won't hire him."

"Marcel is fine. I'm sure he's great. It's just Mercedes is making decisions for my child. I'm a bystander in her life."

Even Sam was buying into Mercedes' act. He had not made one move to lessen Mercedes' role in Beth's life. Quinn couldn't believe that he was letting her continue to dictate the arrangements for Beth's care.

"No you're not." He squeezed her knee reassuringly with his free hand. "You won't miss a thing. I'll make sure of it. Besides Mercedes may no longer be a factor in all this."

"How do you figure? You have to be with her for nine months."

Nine long months of Sam being with Mercedes day in and day out, falling under her spell, letting her poison him against her, raising their daughter together. Beth's first words would probably be 'Mercedes', since she was the only mother she had really known. The thought of that broke Quinn's heart. Her own baby didn't even know her.

"That may not be possible," said Sam letting go of her hand and standing up.

"What's up Sam? All the cryptic comments, you're hiding something. Did Cede not take it well when you told her I was home?" Stupid question alert, of course Mercedes didn't take it well. If Mercedes had her way she would've made sure Quinn stayed locked up for life.

"That's something we've yet to discuss actually," he responded, not meeting Quinn's eyes.

"You went to the house today right?"

"That I did. Beth's nursery is really nice. I like the mural." Sam ran his hand down his face.

He seemed uneasy, his actions were not matching his words at all. He was wearing his wedding ring. She hadn't noticed it before. Something had changed between the Holiday Inn and now. She could feel it overtaking them like a dark ominous cloud.

"Yeah so after you had the tour, what happened that stopped you from telling Mercedes I'm out of the hospital?" Quinn asked eyeing him suspiciously. Sam was definitely hiding something.

"I was trying to work up to it, but she was getting ready to go to some party with that Finn guy and Kurt came over. It never really came up."

Quinn stood folding her arms over her chest. "You chickened out."

"What? No! I just said she had to go out," he said in a panicked excitement, his voice going up an octave and his eyes starting to bulge. There might have even been sweat on his brow.

Quinn wasn't buying any of his excuses. She knew he hadn't wanted to go see Mercedes before they checked out of the hotel earlier today. Just like Sam to squeeze his eyes shut and try to avoid the unpleasantness, hoping it would all magically disappear.

"The tips of your ears turn red when you lie. That's how I always knew when you were up to something in high school. Your ears look like beets right now," she said tugging at his ear lobe.

Sam pulled away, rubbing at his ear, a huge smile on his face. "Man I hope Beth didn't inherit that gene from me. She's going to be in for it."

He could flash his pretty smile all night long. Quinn wasn't going to let him joke his way out of this. "You're going to be in for it, if you don't start talking. The plan was for you to go home and make it work with Mercedes. Why am I starting to think that didn't happen?"

For a split second she thought that Sam might have actually decided to truly reunite with Mercedes, give their marriage a shot, despite his father's deal, and all this weirdness was him trying to figure out how to let her down easy. Quinn let that thought go as quickly as it had come. No way would Sam do that to her, not after all the things he told her last night. Sam had made it clear that he wanted his future to be with her, not his wife. Quinn selfishly held onto the hope that this was their chance, they were hovering on the brink of a future they had only dreamed about. They were on a course for that destiny, only Sam getting his memory back could set them adrift now.

"I might have stalled a bit and didn't actually get around to that part. Not that it matters the paparazzi beat me to it."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "They know I'm free?"

"I don't think so, but they do know we were together at the hotel last night. There's a picture of us online apparently."

"Oh God." There was never peace in her life anymore. Pockets of calm were over before they even truly began. Reporters had been hounding her for months, all because she was mixed up with an Evans. Not that she regretted being mixed up with Sam, she'd face the gallows to have him in her life, she knew that now, but it was tiresome all the same.

"Yeah. We're front page news. I'm just hoping my dad stays away from his computer while he's on his trip with Shannon Beiste."

"If Dwight sees that picture I'm sunk." Quinn sulked.

"More like we're sunk. We're in this together remember?" Sam lightly tugged on the end of her hair, trying to coax her into a smile.

Instead she pouted. "You're not the one facing being committed again."

"I won't be able to deal if you're put back in there. I'll get a room next to you before I'd let you spend another night alone in that place."

"It's a women only wing." She never wanted to see that horrible hospital again, from the harsh lighting, to the stark walls, to the unfeeling staff, there was not one good thing she could say about the Midwest State Mental Hospital. Well maybe one thing, Iley, she sort of missed her roommate. It wasn't every day that Quinn made a new friend, and as strange as Iley could be, she had become a friend to Quinn. She hated that she left last night without even saying goodbye to her.

"I'll dress in drag."

"Hmm. Not sure you'd pass as a woman. Your jawline and your neck is pretty thick." Quinn smirked.

"I will wear a wig, maybe a dress. Throw on some high heels." Sam pulled her in his arms, wrapping her in his embrace, and with a soft sigh Quinn melted into him, clutching his back, her cheek against his shoulder.

"You cut your hair," he said softly.

Quinn nodded against him, not wanting to break the spell of being surrounded by Sam with words. So many nights she's dreamed of simply this, Sam holding her close, stroking her hair. She couldn't lose this now, they'd come too far to get here, surviving illness, battling back from their hospital cells.

"I don't want to let you go," she said squeezing him tighter, smiling when she felt Sam's lips against her head. "Dwight is going to send me back."

"Actually we have a bigger problem than my dad," he said, suddenly stiffening. He leaned back to look at her. "Mercedes. She saw the photo."

"Is that why she ran out of here in tears? I saw her leave with Puck, when I was hiding down the hall."

"She's not happy with me right now." Pain flickered across his face, so quickly Quinn almost thought she had imagined it. He was seriously worried and trying to cover it up.

"I can imagine. What woman wants to find out her husband spent the night at a hotel with someone else? I remember when I found out you were dating that Penny girl. I had a complete meltdown, breaking things, drinking obnoxious amounts of wine, sleeping with another man. I totally have been in her shoes."

Thinking about Mercedes' feelings made Quinn pause, and step back, the air felt cooler once she was out of Sam's arms, but she needed to put some space between them, again she was letting herself get too wrapped up in him. The future might be theirs, but right now, he still belonged to Mercedes, and Quinn didn't want to forget that. She had to stay strong and remember that she wanted to be better than how everyone saw her. She wasn't going to sneak around with a married man.

"I'm not sure she's melting down. She didn't throw anything at me, and she wasn't drunk."

"Give her time. There's a full bar downstairs." Though she was with Puck, he was so level headed he'd never let Mercedes drown her sorrows in alcohol.

"She just seemed sort of shell shocked. I don't know. It sort of freaked me out that she wasn't reacting more," Sam said rather quietly. Again a look flashed across his face. Something had happened between him and Mercedes. "At least we know there won't be any random sex acts," he said perking up. "Her best friends are Kurt and Puck. I doubt a gay guy and a big brother type will be eager to let her hop on."

"Finn." Quinn threw it out there, on a whim, like a test.

"Let's not go there please." He looked a bit ill. Sam definitely didn't like the idea of Mercedes having sex with Finn Hudson.

"Just saying one night of emotional wreckage can lead you to the most unexpected places. Look what happened with us."

"Do you really think I believe that us sleeping together was unexpected? We've always had a strong attraction." He winked, flashing a smile.

She was one crooked grin away from losing control. No other man's smile could stir her the way Sam's did.

"We both were happy in relationships. We didn't want each other like that," she said trying to focus on anything but his dimples. "So yeah it was really unexpected, but you needed me and I was there for you, the way you always had been for me."

"I'm so glad you were there. We created our little miracle that night." Sam reached out and grabbed Quinn's elbow, letting his hand slide down her lower arm, until he reached her hand. One soft tug and she was back in front of him, only inches separating them, their hands again entwined.

"Sam you can't say things like that. We hurt a lot of people when we slept together," she said, trying to focus on the conversation and not how his hands had managed to find their way into her hair.

"I know. Doesn't change the truth though, we had Beth because of that night, and I'm not going to pretend I'm not happy about that."

"I'm happy too," she admitted. It was just the two of them, what harm could it do to tell him that? "I'm so glad that fate stepped in and gave Beth the best daddy in the world."

His face lit up, as his smile spread. "I'm really going to try to live up to that. I promise Quinn. I want to be the best dad to her."

"I know you will be." Quinn placed her palms against his chest, anchoring herself against him, as the sensations of his fingertips trailing down her neck made her sway a bit on her feet. "I always thought you were born to be a dad. You just have husband and father tattooed all over you."

Sam's face fell as he moved away from her, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "Must be in invisible ink."

Quinn's face twisted in confusion. "What do you mean? Everyone knows you're a great daddy material. You're the only one that Tina ever let babysit Maria. You're great with kids. Where are these doubts coming from?"

"Do you think I've changed? Since before the accident? Do I seem different to you?"

"Your memory is a little rusty." She teased.

"No," he shook his head. "I mean as a person. Has my personality changed?" he asked, eagerly searching her face for answers.

"Sam what's this about?"

"Mercedes said I came back wrong. That I'm broken, damaged and defective, basically I'm not the man she married."

The pain she had seen flickering on his face since she'd arrived had returned, this time taking up residence across his brow.

"She said all that?" Quinn asked in disbelief.

"Yep," Sam said, staring down at his feet.

"I can't believe that little bitch did it again." Quinn balled her hands into fists, silently wishing she could get her hands on Mercedes just once and let her know just what she thought of her disparaging comments.

They had almost lost him, for good. He was so close to death and by some miracle he recovered and his wife, the girl that claimed to love him so much, had the nerve to say all of this to him? Sam didn't deserve this, not then, and certainly not now. How could she take out her issues on him? That's no way to love someone.

"Did what again?"

"Before your accident, after we both were kicked out of our homes because it came out we had sex, you and I lived together sort of."

He raised his eyebrows. "Uh. I thought you said we were never a couple."

"We didn't live together like THAT. We were neighbors at the Beacon. You were in your suite and you got me a room next door. We would spend most nights out on our balconies commiserating. It almost felt like we were roommates though, we were together so much."

Every night he was hers, during a time she had come to look back on with such fondness. Alone and scared, confused, with no one to talk to but the walls or the voices in her head, Quinn would retreat to the Beacon to be with Sam. She'd let the memories overtake her and lull her into almost a feeling of peace, of calm, or nearly normal. If she had known then, that he would leave one day never to return to her life for endless months, she would have let him know the truth, that their stay at the hotel had become about so much more than nursing her broken heart.

With him in their block of rooms, Quinn had found a happiness she'd never expected. She'd finally glimpsed the Sam she was too frightened to let herself see, when she was sixteen and again after the limo crash. In the Beacon, unexpectedly, and definitely inappropriately, she had let herself become attached to him, let herself be entertained by his stories, seduced by his playful flirtations, strengthened by his words of encouragement and advice. Finally she allowed herself to truly see Sam, to know him, and in the end it was startlingly clear, she loved the man that he had become, the man that he probably had been all along. Simply put, she loved the man.

Months of faking it with Puck, lying to herself and turning inside out with guilt did nothing to stop her feelings from building. Each day without him only made them intensify. In the end, she would only allow herself indulgence in the late hours of the night, when she should have been sleeping instead of secretly praying for the day, by some miracle, that she would get the chance to love Sam as her own.

"So earlier today when you said you didn't want me to come up to the suite because of memories…"

"I was thinking about that time. It meant a lot to me and I wasn't prepared to have it all come rushing back with you right in the room."

"What happened between us at the Beacon?" he asked.

How could she answer that? How could she put one of her most life altering experiences into a few short sentences? It wasn't the fact he couldn't remember. Quinn was pretty sure even if he did have his memory intact, he wouldn't view their time together as she did. Quinn just wasn't sure if she could explain it in any terms that he would understand. It was about feelings not words.

"Oh nothing much. It wasn't sex. We just leaned on each other. Without you I don't think I would've handled Puck's rejection as well as I did. I cried on your shoulder a lot."

"And what was it like for me? Was I crying too?" he asked almost playfully.

If Sam could only remember his pain from back then he wouldn't be taking things so lightly. His world had crumbled to the point where all he thought he had was his room, his liquor and her. Quinn had never seen Sam at such a low.

"I think you were trying to stay strong and hold it together for the both of us, but you really were losing it just as much as I was. Mercedes was horrible to you. That's why I got so mad before when you said she called you those names. She did that crap back then too. Every night you'd come back with another awful tale about how she berated you and made you feel worthless. I wanted to knock her teeth out for doing that to you."

"I've noticed she's really got the whole hurling insults thing down." Sam attempted to laugh but it died on his lips, coming out more like a sigh.

"You're not taking anything she said to heart right?"

"Not really, but…"

"But nothing. Come on Sam, she was just taking pot shots." Mercedes was tearing him down so he could hurt as much as she did. It was inexcusable and Quinn was definitely going to put the girl in her place the next time she saw her.

"I know. I know. Thing is she said I'm different now, like implying I'm somehow a lesser version of the man I used to be and she's not the only one who's said that. Puck, my dad, I think my mom was hinting at it too. So be honest with me. Is there something wrong with me? Am I defective?" he asked his voice breaking, his eyes wide and watery.

Damn her for doing this to him. "There's nothing wrong with you," she said her voice shaking, her eyes filling with tears. Quinn put her hand on his cheek to get his attention. "You're a good man," she said when he looked at her with sad, green, red rimmed eyes. He seemed so lost.

Sam looked away, fighting what she had just said. "But even you told me I had changed and I was a better person after that."

"I just meant you had made certain choices in how you were living your life, you had mellowed, I guess you could say matured, those were changes that we all noticed because you were so much happier after doing them, but the person you always were, the heart and soul of you, that never changed." Quinn could see his struggle to believe her play out across his face. He exhaled audibly when she took both his hands in hers, holding them against her chest. "I mean why should it have? You always were such a smart, caring, loving man, with a quick temper and an even quicker tongue for sure, but you were always solid, loyal and there for everyone you cared about." Her forehead fell against his. "You were one of the best people I had ever known. You still are."

There they sat for what seemed like minutes, heads touching, staring into each other's eyes. The lost look had started to fade. Quinn hoped that was proof he had believed all she said. The urge to tell him she loved him was building within her. Sitting so close to him somehow made the timing feel right.

"Forgetting a few years can't change what's embedded in your soul. The only thing you lost in that crash was a few memories."

"And my wife," he added, pulling away, and running his hands through his short hair. "She's walking away from me Quinn. There was nothing I could say to convince her. She wants a divorce."

So much for perfect timing, Mercedes was right back between them.

"She's just upset right now. She'll come around," said Quinn halfheartedly. Her mood had deflated from moments before, she didn't have it in her to play cheerleader for his marriage, not even when her freedom depended on it.

"I don't think so. She was serious when she said I wasn't the man she married. If she leaves, I don't know how I'm going to appease my father, but I have to think of something, because I can't let him get away with playing sadistic games with your life."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. If I have to go back upstate, I'll handle it. Now that I know Beth will be safe with you, it's not so bad." Beth was all that truly mattered. He had her father back, she'd be fine without her.

"Nothing about this is fine. Beth needs us both. I have to come up with something, some sort of way to outsmart my father." Sam got up abruptly, walking across the room to his dresser.

"I'm sorry she hurt you."

"I'm not hurt. I'm just worried about what our next move is going to be."

"Sam, I know you. You're upset that your wife wants to leave you."

"I don't even know her," he insisted, but Quinn wasn't fooled. This meant more than he was letting on.

"Doesn't matter if you don't remember her, I know you're still hurt by this. It's okay to admit that. You don't have to downplay it with me."

"I don't like it. I can admit that. I feel like a failure in a way. I couldn't keep my marriage together. She waited for me to wake up for nine months, and then when I do, she bolts. Sort of makes me feel like I was more attractive to her while comatose, and it stings a little bit."

"Stings? Don't you think that's understating things a little? Mercedes vowed to stand by you through anything, better or worse and she's going back on that. You don't have to pretend with me. You can tell me anything and I'll be here for you, even things about her."

"Everything's fine. Really," he said trying to reassure her with a slight smile, as he walked back over to her. "Losing Mercedes is nothing compared to how it felt when I lost you. I never knew true pain until then."

"Sam…" Quinn struggled to find an adequate response. No matter how many years had passed, the fact that she had hurt him in high school still filled her with regret.

"Not trying to reopen old wounds," he said tilting her chin, so she would look at him. "I just want you to know that you are the biggest and best thing that ever happened to me. Nothing could ever change that."

"Mercedes did."

She was the one that stole his heart, the one that finally made him move completely on from her. Quinn realized that simple truth was at the heart of all the issues she had with the current Mrs. Evans. Even before he had married her, Quinn had felt it, seen the signs that this one wasn't just another passionate impulse for Sam, something deeper was at play, the peace and contentment surrounding him before the wedding, that was the change. Sam was sure he was marrying the right woman. And while she didn't think much of that at the time, she was too busy with her own love life with Puck, subconsciously she had noted that fact, shoved it to back corner of her heart, where it festered into a deep-seated jealousy. Mercedes had captured Sam's whole heart, filling the little space where Quinn had always remained. The space she had never claimed, but had taken for granted that it would forever be waiting for her.

"Don't you see? She didn't, not really, because look at us. We're here now, together, and we have Beth. This is about us. Always us."

He was right. In his darkest hour, when his life hung by a thread, Quinn had been the one he woke up wanting and needing. Maybe Mercedes had less of Sam's heart than Quinn had thought.

She threw her arms around his neck. "If you were mine, I'd kiss you right now."

"I kinda am," Sam smiled, bringing her closer, flush against his body, his hands on the small of her back.

"Not yet, but maybe one day, and I promise you this Sam Evans. The next time I get you back, I'm not letting you go again. I'm going to hold on so tight."

There was electricity when their eyes met, a force pulling them toward each other. He was so close now, his nose playfully nuzzling hers, but he made no moves to take things further and kiss her. Floating somewhere between almost and not quite was torture, as she watched Sam lick his lips, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I'm going to hold you to that, because I want nothing less than forever with you," he said softly, his voice rich with emotion.

Nine months would fly by. She'd wait even longer if it meant a lifetime of him looking at her the way he was now, his eyes sparkling in the light.

"You're really making me wish that one day would hurry up and get here. I'm going to be counting sunrises until then." She closed her eyes, smiling widely, snuggling closer. It was the sweetest piece of joy dreaming about forever while in his arms. "What?" Quinn asked opening her eyes when she felt a change in Sam's body. He had tensed against her, the hold around her waist loosening.

"Nothing," he answered quickly.

"Something. You got a weird look on your face."

He bit his lower lip, hesitating before he spoke. "It's just sunrises. I'm pretty sure I had a memory."

"About sunrises?" The ominous cloud was threatening a comeback.

"Yeah. Well watching the sun rise." Sam paused, taking a deep breath. "With Mercedes."

"Oh." Quinn's stomach dropped, swift and hard, a thud on her mood. The heavens had opened and poured on her happiness. She took her arms from around his neck and shifted out of his embrace.

"It was a flash, nothing really. I had it a few weeks ago and forgot all about it, but today when I was at the house with her, I had another one of the same image."

Sam was doing his best to sound convincing, but she could tell that he didn't believe what he was saying. He knew this could mean something big.

"So what are you saying here? Are you trying to tell me your memory is coming back?"