AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, I'm sorry about the wait for those of you that read it earlier on. I'm on vacation right now, and it took a WHILE to get internet connection. So, this chapter was actually written a few days ago. Just no way to put it up. Anyways, I'm really glad to know that people like the story! Your reviews made me smile, and I thank you for them. So please, don't stop - it's actually what's keeping me motivated to update this story.

Anyways, this chapter is pretty much writing with a brief blip of song somewhere in the middle. I know lots of people don't like songs in a fic, but hey, it's Glee, and you can totally skip it if you want. Now, I'm not going to say you won't miss anything if you do, because in my opinion, you will, so I strongly recommend reading it. If you don't know the song, it's Anyone Else But You by The Moldy Peaches, and if you don't LIKE the song... Well, just ignore it, I guess. Or only read it for the lyrics. I personally find the duet adorable for them.

Anyways, the updates will be faster now that I've got internet, but I'm still a slow poke, so bear with me. Also, to those of you that notice, thanks. XD Emma is actually my favorite character, seconded only by Quinn. I'll probably try to fit her into any Glee fanfic I write at some point. She's just so damn cute.

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Glee, Sam Evans, or Quinn Fabray. Which is sad.

Strawberry ice cream on a cone dipped in white chocolate. Probably the best decision he'd ever made in his life.

A smile fluttered across Sam's face as he took the ice cream cone from a rather bored looking cashier and plunged his hand into his pocket to fish for money. He pulled out a ten dollar bill and was about to thrust it at the guy. "Here you go-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." interrupted a soft voice, and the scent of strawberries once again blinded his senses as the girl slid beside him. Pastel florescence washed over half of her face from the overhanging lights, and the green in her eyes sparkled. "That's almost ten dollars for everything, Sam. I'll get it." With that, Quinn began to open her purse, and Sam noted with faint protectiveness that the cashier didn't appear so bored since her arrival.

"But, I'm the boy." he said only to regret it the second it left his mouth. The look he received was borderline murderous, and he berated himself for forgetting about how much of a feminist the blond girl was.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that." she replied, sifting a bill from the depths of her purse and thrusting it at the horndog dude behind the counter. God, he was practically drooling.

Sam shot him a reproachful look, narrowing his eyes over his ice cream, before returning his attention to Quinn and groaning. "But, I remember. You told me that a gentleman always pays..." On the first date. He clumsily trailed off as his face began to burn, but from the barely noticeable blush creeping across Quinn's own face, he knew she had remembered as well.

"You could use that money to buy Stacey new shoes." she answered after a moment, staring at him with the maximum brute force of those hazel beauties. God, why did she have to use logic against him? For all intents and purposes, he had begun to delude himself into thinking that this actually was a date. Bringing the fact that his brother and sister were present into it only brought him flailing back into reality, and contrary to popular belief, that wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Before Sam could argue - sometimes he felt like he was the only one who dared argue with this girl - back, however, the dude behind the counter suddenly perked up, a smirk scrawled across his face. "Actually," he piped up, turning to Quinn and letting those beady eyes of his troll over all of the forbidden places until Sam abruptly coughed. "It's on me, darling." He winked.

Quinn's eyes instantly narrowed, and Sam could almost see her mind gearing behind them. On one hand, she had the perfect opportunity to threaten Sam's masculinity by paying. On the other hand, letting this guy pay for them might infuriate him even more and convince him that this was not a date without causing any complication between them about him owing her back. After a moment of thought, she resigned to withdraw her money and flashed the cashier a brilliant smile. "Thanks." Unsurprisingly, Sam's body tensed, and part of him wished she had paid as the jackass's face lit with a toothy grin.

As she turned to venture back to the kids sitting at a table in the far corner, Sam squinted over his cone at the guy. "Dick." he muttered to a sleezey shrug before retreating as well.

"Sam! Sam! Look!" exclaimed Stevie, pointing to his cup equipped with a few massive scoops of mint chocolate. That is, Sam thought it was mint since the entire lot was consumed in gummy worms galore.

"Jeeze, boy. You're gonna get constipate-"

Quinn shot him a disgusted look, and he quieted with a lick of his strawberry.

"Man!" came Stacey's voice suddenly, and Sam rushed to her side without hesitation. Fighting off a groan, he exchanged the cup of ice cream splattered across her shirt with a wad of napkins on the table and started dabbing.

"It's okay, Stace." he sighed, trying to dry any and all of the chocolate still remaining. "I don't think Mom will notice, but keep it a secret between you and me until I stop by the Laundromat again." After he was finished, Sam discarded the napkins and offered her an amused twitch of his lips.

"Okay, Sammy..." His sister was trembling in a way that would make it clear to anyone the waterworks were about to begin, and Sam cut his gaze around the shop edgily. "My ice cream..."

"But, look, Stace. It's all right - it's survived." He lifted the cup to show her the remaining scoops of chocolate, unhitched from their fall.

"My gummy worms..?" She looked slightly more at ease as she peered into the cup.

Sam sighed resolutely and handed her it, ruffling her hair with a morbid expression. "One had a turn for the worst, I reckon." And he indicated a gummy worm on the ground before him, lowering his head in a mock form of grief. "Salutations, worm." he said before promptly saluting the fallen comrade and laughing a little at Stacey's widened eyes. "You will be missed. But hey, there are at least twenty more left in there, kiddo. Don't sweat it."

The little girl had worked up a smile, and any tears that had begun to form were virtually nonexistent at this point. "Salutations, worm." she said with a mirrored version of Sam's salute before digging into the rest.

When he glanced up, a goofy grin was plastered across his face, and he met Quinn's gaze across the table. There was faint amusement glittering in her eyes, and her mouth tugged upward in a fond expression, an impressed eyebrow arched. Despite himself, Sam glanced over his shoulder at the cashier watching them and saluted.

"They're adorable."

Sam glanced at the girl beside him as they walked along the sidewalk back out to the parking lot and followed her gaze. Stacey and Stevie were holding hands and half skipping as they ran around in circles up ahead, melting ice cream splattering all over the concrete and their giggles echoing through the silence. "I guess I should thank you for them." A grin hastened to spread across his face. "They really do love you, Quinn."

To Sam's surprised, she glanced up at this, a small frown tugging at her gorgeous features. Was that regret that was pooling in the depths of her eyes? Matching her frown, Sam thought for a moment.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around, Sam. They probably thought that I had deserted them... It's just... It was just difficult, and-"

Sam turned on his heel and halted in front of her, causing Quinn to nearly collide into his chest. "And now it's not?" he finished for her with an eyebrow raised. Something unknown had willed him to do this, to make sure she knew that they didn't have to talk about it. That the past was the past and now was now.

A tiny smile threatening to overlap her frown, Quinn looked up at him, and he was struck suddenly by how much taller he was. "And now it's not." she breathed.

His heart was tugging him toward her, but for some reason, he held back just a little too long. Finn wasn't in the picture, sure, and this girl truly was the only person he could think about at night. But, so many thoughts were streamlining through his head at that moment that he couldn't help but pause. And, unfortunately, his hesitation cost him dearly as she quickly sidestepped him.

"Let's keep going?"

"Yeah..." he replied timidly, taking another lick of his ice cream cone. Strawberry. Like her.

They continued walking for a moment, Stacey and Stevie's shouts rebounding around the lot, until Sam chanced the decision to speak up again. "So, I noticed you didn't get any ice cream."

"I don't like ice cream."

"You don't like ice cream?" He must have been sporting a pretty astonished expression, because Quinn laughed briefly.

"I just... I haven't had it in a long time." At her words, the image Lauren Zizes had displayed to the school during the prom campaign leaped into his head, and Sam had never wanted to punch a girl so much in his entire life.

"Would you like some of mine?" he resigned to offering, holding his cone out to the blond girl and waggling his eyebrows with his usual goofy self assurance. "Come on... Strawberry."

To his surprise, Quinn paused, the green in her eyes so unearthly prominent in the glow of a nearby lamppost. Her expression seemed troubled for a moment as she weighed her decision before she suddenly leaned forward and took a lick, a blush warming her cheeks when she stood straight again. "I love strawberry."

Sam was so captivated he'd begun to gnaw at his bottom lip, and it took him far longer than necessary to understand what she'd said. "I know." he blurted before he could help himself.

Embarrassment stole through him as Quinn blinked in confusion.

"I-I just..." he stammered, trying to compose himself, but the fragments of resolve he still possessed had suddenly left him. "You smell like... yeah."

"Smell like what?" She looked slightly alarmed and glanced down at herself with an expression that would have struck Sam hilarious at any other time. Dammit.

"You smell like strawberries."

An awkward silence hung between them for the longest moment he had ever lived, and Sam could have just died. Derp derp, you smell like strawberries, derp derp. Santana was right - he had no game.

"Hey, look, your car!" he forced out enthusiastically before bolting over.

"Sing us a song, Sam." cried Stevie as soon as they returned to the tiny motel. The parental units weren't going to be back until late Sam had been informed through an awkward call on the drive home. Mom had run into an old friend at the grocery store, and she was going to have dinner at their house, while Dad was working late for a janitorial shift he had managed to pick up while on the search for a job. Pizza was in the fridge to heat up if Stevie and Stacey got hungry later on.

"A song?" sighed Sam, rubbing his eyes and holding the door open for Quinn. She looked a little edgy as she drifted over the threshold, and he was sadly aware that it was getting late enough that she'd have to head home soon. "Only if Quinn sings with me." he said, shooting a sneaky glance in the blond's direction.

"Hold on. I didn't agree to-"

"Stevie, get my guitar!" Sam patted the little boy on the back as he darted into the bathroom to fetch it and smirked at the fuming Quinn beside him. A forlorn expression consumed her as she moved to sit on the mattress, looking as if she wished she could be anywhere else.

An expression that, Sam noted with growing fondness, brightened as Stacey crawled into her lap. "You and Sammy's voices are pretty." the little girl said, resting her head on the girl's chest. Quinn looked like she could have died.

"Here!" And suddenly Stevie had tackled his older brother, shoving the guitar into his hands. Sam ruffled the boy's hair with a muffled thanks before flopping onto the mattress beside Quinn.

"You know," she said, cutting a glance between the girl clinging to her and the door. "I really am not feeling well enough to sing. I think I caught a cold. Yeah, my voice probably won't be worth the effort."

A laugh shook Sam's frame as he turned to the girl, guitar lain across his lap. He strummed experimentally before replying, "Well, that's good since I picked the one song you don't really have to sing, and I know you know the lyrics because I've heard you sing it under your breath before." Sam didn't bother to latch the when we were dating onto the end of that sentence, but he was sure she'd pieced it together... Without further ado, he leaned forward to whisper the title into her ear.

"I'm getting really tired of all these Juno kicks." Quinn replied with a stare that made Sam want to bang his head against a wall. Repeatedly.

Alarmed, he shook his head furiously. "No, I didn't mean that. Haven't even seen the movie! I mean, I would never-"

"It was a joke, Sam." she said then, and he watched as her lips tugged upward the tiniest bit.

Honestly, Sam was too struck by the concept that Quinn Fabray was flirting with him to formulate a coherent response. "Asduhlafluh." he said in a breath before abruptly straightening and nervously glancing at Quinn, Stacey, and Stevie. That was the second time today he had made them all stare at him.

"I'm going to start playing now." he finally said with awkwardness as a constant companion.

"Yeah."

And with that, he let his fingers work their magic. He nodded when it was time to cue Quinn.

You're a part time lover and a full time friend
The monkey on your back is the latest trend
I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else
...But you

Her voice was beautiful, even when she wasn't really singing. Sam guessed he could see the appeal of powerhouses like Rachel Berry, or ones full of soul like Mercedes Jones. But, it didn't matter whether Quinn had a huge vocal range or was always on the right note. Because hers was the voice he'd rather listen to all day. Sometimes people underestimated the value of delicacy. Simplicity. Especially when hosted by such a complex person.

Sam must have looked like an idiot, his cheeks were hurting so bad from grinning. Mostly because of Quinn's halfsinging, but also because Stacey had begun to crawl over the blond's shoulder and proceeded to make monkey sounds. Fighting off a laugh, he launched into his verse.

I kiss you on the brain in the shadow of the train
I kiss you all starry eyed, my body swinging from side to side
I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else
...But you

The word kiss was sang a little softer than the rest of the lyrics. Of course, it was an unintentional blunder on Sam's part, but he couldn't help but notice Quinn start to bite her lip before she continued.

Here is the church and here is the steeple
We sure are cute for two ugly people
I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else
...But you

Stevie and Stacey were swaying in unison, bright happy expressions glued to their faces. As soon as Quinn sang the ugly people line, Sam didn't think before shaking his head a little as he glanced at her. Who could blame him? The girl was gorgeous. In any case, a tiny blush hastened to rosy her cheeks, and he felt his heart speed, almost making him come in late.

The pebbles forgive me
The trees forgive me
So why can't you forgive me
I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else
...But you

It was almost a plead, and as Quinn looked down, Sam ducked to catch her gaze. His fingers promptly fumbled in their playing when their eyes met, but he struggled through it and kept eye contact. That is, until she turned her head as she took a breath before singing.

I will find my nitch in your car
With my MP3, DVD rumple-packed guitar
I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else
...But you

Biting his lip, Sam waved his hand to get Stacey and Stevie to sing with them.

Du du du du du du dudu
Du du du du du du dudu
Du du du du du du dudu
Du

Stevie clammered into the next line with his du's and blushed profusely when he realized and stopped. This made Quinn giggle beautifully as she launched into her line.

Up up down down left right left right B A start
Just because we use cheats doesn't mean we're not smart
I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else
...But you

She tripped a little over the lyrics, because hey, they weren't perfect, but ended in the right spot and laughed. Sam almost forgot to sing when it came to his turn.

You are always trying to keep it real
I'm in love with how you feel
I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else
...But you

Despite himself, Sam's blue gaze hardened as he spoke the lyrics, trying desperately to make eye contact. By the second line, he was staring straight into the green of those orbs, and he inclined his head a little bit at her. Honestly, when he'd first heard the song, he hadn't cared too much about it. Relatively easy to play and requiring little to no effort in the vocal department. But now he adored it. If only for the fact he was singing it with her.

We both have shiny happy fits of rage
You want more fans, I want more stage
I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else
...But you

Sam was beside himself when she sang that, amusement evident on his face. Rage was an understatement.

Don Quixote was a steel driving man
My name is Samuel, I'm your biggest fan
I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else
...But you

Neither Stacey nor Stevie had noticed he'd changed the lyric to his name, but Quinn who'd been mouthing along with him, stopped and gave him a look. It only lasted a mere second, but he wished it could have gone on forever.

Squinched up your face and did a dance
You shook a little turd out of the bottom of your pants
I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else
...But you

His brother and sister absolutely lost it at the mention of the word turd, as was the child's way, and even Sam had to bite his lip to keep from chuckling. He had just gotten Quinn Fabray to say turd. This had to be documented. Still, he appreciated the rise in her voice at the end and was astonished she even remembered to do it.

Du du du du du du dudu
Du du du du du du dudu
Du du du du du du dudu
Du

They sang it with the children, but as the final line came up, Stevie and Stacey quieted, so that the two could sing together.

But you

For a moment, silence overwhelmed the tiny motel room as the pair looked at one another. There was something hidden just beneath the depths of those eyes, he could feel it. Almost see it. But, just as soon as he had, they clouded and the moment was over. Sam decided then that he would find out what it was. Because if he did, then everything would be all right.

Stacey and Stevie glanced between the two with youthful knowing before erupting into giggles.

"That was awesome!"

"Quinnie said... turd!"

"Who's Don Quickso?"

Sam grinned at his siblings before returning his attention to Quinn who, until then, had remained silent.

"That was... fun." she finally said with a glint of mischief in her eyes before that too disappeared. "But, it's late."

He could feel his heart sink.

"I think I'd better go home..." she sighed to groans from the children and, surprisingly, Sam. "But, it's okay! I'm not leaving... for good... this time. I promise. It's just late, and my mom's gotten protective about these types of things..." Since I got pregnant, Sam finished for her in his head as he leaped to his feet.

"Let me walk you to the door!" he said, laying his guitar down on the mattress.

Quinn stared at him and then shot a glance at the door. "It's, like, three feet away."

"To your car then!"

The two stood there for a moment, standing just outside of the car when Quinn turned to him, her gaze expectant. If only he knew what exactly she was expectant of.

"Tonight was awesome," Sam ventured, noting how the moonlight cast shadows across her face. Except for this bar of light that somehow hung straight across her eyes, making them positively glow.

Quinn didn't nod, but she also didn't disagree as she stood there, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

At a loss for words, Sam simply babbled the first thing that came to mind. "So, you'll be coming by again? Like you said."

"You'd think I'd lie to those kids?" she said, and he almost wanted to slap himself until he realized she was teasing. A hesitant smile crossed his face.

"That's awesome." Jesus, Sam. Maybe invest in a new vocabulary.

She nodded, casting a glance down the length of her car before her gaze leveled with his own.

This is it, Sam suddenly thought, his stomach lurching. This is the moment where you lean in and kiss her. So, he did.

As he approached, the boy let himself look deeply into her eyes. There was a flicker there, like sparks igniting from stone against stone. She wanted this. The fall felt as if it took ages, and Sam was cocking his head to the side, lips just about to brush her own... His eyes fluttered shut, the last thing he saw being her own hazey orbs.

And then nothing. Instead of the warmth of her lips against his own, Sam felt himself being embraced, and he could feel her chin pressed against the top of his shoulder. "I missed you," she breathed into his ear, sending goosebumps down his back and forearms.

With that, Quinn released him and gave a tight smile before slipping into her car. As she started the engine and was pulling away, she glanced at him, and it killed him that he couldn't quite identify what the look held.

Sam stood there, even after she had driven away, for a few minutes before turning on his heel. Stevie and Stacey were probably hungry by now.

"Why didn't you go in for the kill?" exclaimed Noah Puckerman as he furiously beat his controller. It was quiet in the Puckerman residence since neither Puck's mother - who was at work - nor his sister - who was at a play date with one of her little friends - were home at the moment, and the friends sat on his couch playing video games.

Sam rhythmically pressed buttons on his own controller, and on screen was Pokemon Stadium where Bowser and Link were heatedly brawling it out. "I don't know. She just... I guess, she just wanted a hug."

"I was talking about Bowser," answered Puck as Link blasted the turtle-shelled beast off screen and he swore loudly. Throwing the remote down angrily, he shot Sam a reproachful look. "But, we can talk about that, too."

"When are you going to realize Bowser sucks?" inquired Sam mischievously as he followed suit, though setting the controller down on the sofa instead.

"He does not." Puck shot back, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Bowser has an orange mohawk thing, and mohawks, if you haven't noticed, make people awesome. Anyways, isn't Link like a girl in disguise or some shit?"

Sam stared at him. "The Zelda fandom is probably going to show up at your doorstep with stones at the ready at any moment."

With a roll of his eyes, Puck leaned back into the furniture, and Sam pressed the pause button triumphantly. "Whatever. Let's get back on track. What went down between you and Quinn?"

The boy gave a sigh, and wrestled with the thought of what he should tell Puck. The truth would be most beneficial, he finally decided before speaking, "I was going in for it. And I mean, she wanted it. I swear, she was sending me the kiss me signal. But, just before I got there, she hugged me."

"Ooh, that's not good."

"How?" Sam did a pretty fair job of hiding his alarm.

"Because. I dated Quinn, and she never does anything without a purpose. So maybe she wanted to kiss you, but if she hugged you... Then that means she needed to hug you instead. Trust me, she pulled all sorts of mindfucking shit like that with me. It was all like: We're going to raise a baby together, and I'm not putting out, but no, you can't fuck other girls." Puck waved his hands in exasperation and shrugged. "Pure illogical stuff."

Because the football player wasn't an idiot, he did take the time to consider the fact that Puck's problems weren't nearly as farfetched as he made them seem. At least in Sam's perspective. But then, that was why Quinn and him hadn't worked out. "I can just hope for friendship." His sigh was full of woe as he leaned back into the cushion, because he knew that being friends could never substitute for actually being with Quinn.

Though his face had been laced with humor for the majority of the conversation, Puck actually straightened up at this and gave Sam a hard glare. "That's girly talk, man. Let me tell you this. Anyone can be together. Look at me and Zizes. Hell, look at Rachel and Finn. I can't even tell how she puts up with the guy, considering I barely can. I mean, the only reason I do is because he's actual competition at Mario, unlike jackasses like you and Chang, but that's about it. And don't even get me started on Rachel, because I've been with that chick. One hot Jew, but she doesn't put out at all-"

"Cut to the chase?" questioned Sam.

"Oh right. But what I was saying was that anybody can be with anybody, man. Nothing's impossible, and everybody's out there for the taking. I mean, what you need to do is walk into Glee Monday and plant Quinn with a big, wet one. Because, you're the shit, and even if she's not into it, you'll still be the shit. Got me? I mean, I used to get depressed and stuff, but then I realized something. Sam, I'm fucktastic. I'm a damn dream, and anybody would be lucky to spend a second with my ass. Because I'm the shit. Call it arrogance or whatever, but it works. So. Just do it. Be the shit, bro."

Contemplating this for a second, Sam took his time digesting all of the wisdom Puck had departed upon him. Finally, he sat up a little straighter. "You know what, Puck? You're right. I'm going to walk into Glee Monday and kiss Quinn Fabray, because I'm the shit. And it doesn't matter if she doesn't like it, 'cause I'm still the shit."

"Hell yeah!"