ABSENCE

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to Glee or anything else mentioned in this story.

In Indiana, you only have to be 18 to enter a strip joint. You only have to be 18 to work in one. Sam Evans was 17 but the lady manager fudged the year of his birth on his employment paperwork and suddenly he was 19. The night Finn and Rachel showed up he nearly pissed his pants, on stage, in front of a full house of rowdy horny women and gay men.

His family had moved to Fort Wayne at the end of his sophomore year at McKinley. He found work at an all-night diner and soon learned of a place called Star Struck, a seedy place on the east side of Fort Wayne, about 15 minutes from the state border between Indiana and Ohio, where men danced for women. Or more like stripped for tips. His uniform there was a lot different than the jeans and polo shirt and apron he wore at the diner. He came out in a wifebeater and tear-away gym pants, stripping out of the tank and tearing off the pants to reveal a tight pair of red shorts. But, it didn't stop there. At the end of his act, he shimmied out of the red shorts, down to a Speedo. And that's when the money rolled in. He hid most of the money from his parents so they wouldn't get suspicious; at the diner, he might make $20 in tips per shift, at Star Struck, a slow night was $200 in tips.

He saw Finn and Rachel making their way toward a table at the back of the place, their eyes wide, their jaws dropped, but he had a job to do and it was about time to drop his shorts. The other men on stage did the same thing at the same time and that's when the place became chaotic. Screaming women, smiling gay men, all tucking bills in his bikini. One night, backstage, he had found a $100 bill shoved down next to his dick. He had no idea who had done that, a man or a woman. At that point, he didn't even care.

When his act was done, he went backstage to the dressing room with the other men and carefully collected his money...$240 that night...not too shabby. He dressed in simple jeans and a t-shirt and went out front, knowing Finn and Rachel were going to confront him. Except now was the time he had to act as a waiter at the club while another set of men gyrated on stage.

They did confront him, asking him to move back to Lima, they needed him in New Directions for sectionals.

"You can live with us, Sam, we need you..." Finn pleaded.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You know how much I just made for 30 minutes of work? Almost $300. No way, I can't give this up. Sorry guys..." Sam had said to them, noticing Rachel's disappointed face. He apologized again, more sincerely, and told them he had to serve drinks and whatever until 3 a.m. They actually waited for him to get done at the strip joint and then went with him to the diner to talk.

"How'd you two get away for a night?" Sam asked them, digging into a salad. His work schedule had him sleeping right after school, straight through supper, and he never ate before he danced (made him look bloated); he was starving.

"They think we're at a show choir competition. Everyone misses you..." Rachel answered.

"Really? I haven't heard from anyone," Sam said, smirking.

"No one knew where you went...Mercedes is the one who told us all you moved," Finn told him.

"Mercedes, huh? How's she?" Sam asked, spearing a cherry tomato and popping it in his mouth. She knew damn well where he moved to yet he hadn't heard one word from her, he thought.

"Fine...she's dating this linebacker...he just got a full ride to OSU..." Finn mumbled.

"Really? Great..." Sam likewise mumbled.

"Sam, please reconsider our offer...please...we'd love to have you back," Rachel said, nearly begging him.

"Rach, thanks for the offer, but I just cannot give this up. In a week, I'm bringing home over a thousand dollars. I'm paying off bills left and right, getting my family out of debt. I can't walk away from this money to be in the glee club...it just ain't gonna happen," Sam told them again.

Finn and Rachel looked at one another. "What do you do until you go home?" she asked.

"Hang out here until 6, then go home and get ready for school, sleep after school, go to work at 7," he said. "Tell me about everyone else. How's Mike and Artie?"

They talked for the next 3 hours about what had been going on at McKinley since he had been gone. The news that concerned him the most, even beyond Mercedes moving on, was what was going on with Quinn. He had also told her he was moving while she babysat one night. Her breath hitched, she hugged him and wished him and his family well, and she was gone. Now, Finn and Rachel were telling him she had pretty much gone off the deep end over the summer and was trying to get her daughter back.

"So, Shelby moved back to Lima to teach at McKinley...isn't that like rubbing it in Quinn's face? Even you Rachel...how does that make you feel?" Sam asked.

"It doesn't bother me too much; Shelby and I get along okay. Quinn is not dealing with it well, though, at all. She set up Shelby's apartment to make it look like Shelby was an unfit mother and then Quinn called Child Protective Services. Puck fixed it all though before CPS got there..."

"Wait...Puck and Quinn were in Shelby's apartment?"

"Shelby wants them to be a part of Beth's life so she let them babysit; Puck is trying but Quinn is...she's just really upset about it, I guess," Rachel told him. "Now, Puck and Shelby have something going on..."

Sam snorted. "I'm not surprised about Puck getting in Shelby's pants...what about Quinn? She seeing anyone?"

"Over the summer, she dyed her hair pink and hung out with the Skanks and said she dated a 40-year-old tattoo artist..."

"Pink? The Skanks? Wow..." Sam said, wondering what had happened to the once self-confident girl he had dated, the unselfish girl who helped his family before they left Lima.

When 6 o'clock rolled around, Sam thanked them for coming to see him and said he wished he could help out, it just wasn't in the cards at the time. He told them to tell the rest of the group he said hello and asked them to keep his new job on the down-low.

"How'd you two find out anyway?"

Finn and Rachel looked at one another. "Well, uh, 'Cedes said the last she heard from you that you were working at this diner so we just stopped here and asked them."

Sam rolled his eyes. Fuck, I'm gonna have to talk to them about that.

"Just don't tell the others, okay?"

They nodded, Rachel hugged him quickly, and they left for their hotel. Sam went into the diner and left a message that if anyone asked about him they didn't know where he went to work. Then, he ran home to the apartment they were living in and got ready for school.

xxxxx

Quinn heard them whispering in the choir room. She sat behind and to the right of Rachel and picked up snippets of the conversation she was having with Tina: stripper, won't come back, Sam. She watched Tina's face turn to shock at the word stripper, then sadness at won't come back.

Why won't he come back? Tina had whispered.

He makes too much money at that place, Rachel responded. He asked about 'Cedes.

Well, of course he asked about Mercedes; everyone knew they were dating after Nationals...he pretty much told me so in New York, Quinn thought to herself, biting her nail. She remembered that evening at the hotel; she ran into him at the ice machine in the hallway the night before the performance. She asked if he had ever thought of trying again, him and her. He had smiled warmly at her and said he loved her as a friend but he was seeing someone else and returned to the boys' room. She stood there with the ice bucket for the longest time, finally going back to the girls' room with no ice and barricading herself in the bathroom. She studied herself in the mirror in there, wondering what was so wrong about herself that no one loved her. When she came out of the bathroom, Santana and Brittany talked her into cutting her hair, which she did, but no one had noticed, not even Sam.

She picked up another snippet of conversation: worried about Quinn. She saw Rachel try to look over her shoulder nonchalantly at Quinn, making sure she had not overheard anything. Quinn kept doodling in her notebook, watching Rachel from the corner of her eye. She couldn't make out anymore of the conversation and Schue started rehearsal.

xxxxx

She wanted Beth back. Her efforts thus far had failed. She then realized if she couldn't have Beth she could make another baby...she wouldn't need the father in the picture, it would just be her and her baby...someone who would forever love her. Since it had been successful with Puck, she decided to try to seduce him. She stopped her birth control, learned her ovulatory pattern, and invited him over. He actually did come over, but she spilled too much and told him her plan. And then he told her about him and Shelby. And she felt sick to her stomach for even attempting to conceive again with him.

Then, she overhead Rachel and Tina's hushed conversation about Sam Evans. And her mind began working. She had always liked Sam, maybe even loved him and his goofy ways. He was a good-looking guy; their babies together would most likely be perfect. She needed to find out where he was working in Indiana and then pay him a visit at a certain time of the month.

She caught up with Rachel in the locker room after gym class a few days after eavesdropping the conversation in the choir room. She cornered Rachel up against the row of lockers.

"Tell me what you know," Quinn said to her, planting both her hands on either side of Rachel's shoulders, pinning her in place.

"About what?" Rachel asked nervously.

"I know you went to see him. Where?"

"See who?" Rachel was visibly shaking now.

"I really don't want to call your dads and blow the whistle about you and Finn staying in a hotel alone together so just tell me where he is and I'll forget I know that," Quinn said calmly.

Rachel slightly shook her head no and then sighed deeply. "Fort Wayne," she whispered. "A place called Star Struck."

Quinn smiled. "Thank you, Rach. I know we all enjoyed that show choir competition there." She dropped her arms and Rachel scurried out of the locker room.

xxxxx

It took nearly an hour and a half but Quinn found the place easy enough, thanks to Google. That section of the road was lined with stores of the adult variety, book stores, video places, bars, Star Struck and right across the street a place called Over The Moons, a place with lady strippers. It was difficult for her to picture Sam working in that type of business but as she sat in the parking lot she saw him pull into the lot in his same old beater, get out, and enter through a back door.

She adjusted the long red wig and oversized sunglasses (thank you McKinley drama department! she thought giddily) and stepped out of her car when the place opened at 10 p.m. She adjusted her trench coat and walked to the front of the establishment. She handed the bouncer her ID; he looked at her funny but let her in. She found a secluded table in the shadows, took her coat off, revealing a simple black dress, and ordered a Shirley Temple and a glass of water from a very hot guy. For the next 2 hours, she nursed those two drinks while watching Sam dance on stage. To her, he seemed removed from what he was doing, going through the motions, smiling here and there but not at anyone in particular, just off into the distance to make it appear he was enjoying himself. She about died herself when the red shorts came off and he was gyrating in a tiny pair of briefs. She remembered the shy scared boy she had dated and how he had felt under her when they made out, nervous, shaking. Now, he moved like a man, confidence oozing from him. She'd catch him looking down at himself, probably wondering how he looked to the women and handful of gay men there. The Speedo was a baby blue and pretty much everything he had below the waist was accentuated. When his set ended, she got up and went to the restroom, reapplying the deep red lipstick and adjusting the wig.

xxxxx

It was the usual crowd for a Wednesday night...loud women, a few gay men, some of the ladies who came straight from church services, which he always thought was a little weird but whatever, who was he to judge? That night, he chose to wear his baby blue Speedos instead of the black ones or red ones because the lady manager said his junk looked better in a lighter color. He groaned and pulled them on. It was either those or the white ones and he was pretty sure when he wore the white ones his balls slipped out. He went through his moves on stage, checking out the crowd. He always wondered who would be the biggest tippers. Not surprisingly so, the churchy ladies dipped a lot of bills in his briefs. His eyes moved through the sitting crowd. Why didn't those people rush the stage to tuck, he wondered? His eyes stopped at a woman in a back booth, wearing shades in the dim place, sipping a drink slowly, long red hair, staring him down. Hmmm...the red hair is not real, he could tell from the sheen under the lights...someone was trying to hide his/her identity, he guessed.

His set ended; he counted his tips, already at $300. He changed and went out front to take over as a waiter. He noticed the red-headed woman was gone but her stuff was still at her table so he went about his work, keeping an eye out for her.

She breezed past him a few minutes later...the perfume...he knew the perfume. As she walked behind him, she pressed up against him; he felt her breasts against his back. He watched her walk away from him, to her table. He definitely knew that ass; his hands had gripped it enough times in the past. She sat down, crossed her legs, watching the men dance on stage.

Sam walked up to Derek, the waiter for Quinn's table. "Trade me tables...I need to wait on 15...I'll give you 27..." His table had four very drunk women who would tip very well.

Derek checked out the situation. "So, you into gingers?"

"No...just trade me...my 27 plus $20 for your 15..." Sam said, handing the guy a $20 bill.

"Fine...she's pretty cold though," Derek told him.

"Whatever..." Sam mumbled.

He took a tray and sidled over to her table, standing just behind her so that when he spoke she'd have to turn, looking right at his crotch, then up at him. It was how they did things at Star Struck.

"Miss, can I get you another...?" he said using the sexiest voice he could muster. Her lips were deep red; he'd never seen them so full and red before.

She turned at the sound of his voice and it worked, she was staring right at his crotch. "Uh, no...I'm fine, thank you."

"Another water?"

"No, thank you..."

"You're new here...haven't seen you around," he said, trying to get her to break her persona.

"I come here often; you've just never noticed me," she replied.

"Why the shades, darlin'? It's dark enough in here," he drawled. She ignored him.

He paused a moment, wondering if he should call her bluff. But, then he said, "Just flag me down if you need anything."

He watched her the rest of the night. When she got up to go to the restroom, he took another glass of water to her table since the first one was dry. He wasn't sure what kind of game she was playing; he knew Finn and Rachel would blow his cover and it only took 2 weeks for Quinn to show up, stalking him. He was kind of surprised the others hadn't made their way to the club yet.

She returned from the restroom, looking at the glass of water strangely, but then picked it up and took a sip from it.

At last call, she got up and slipped out of the club while he was at another table. He caught a glimpse of her as she exited the building so he went to the door and watched what car she went to. Yep, it was her, driving her hand-me-down Civic, he thought, watching her tail lights drive off down the highway, back toward Ohio. Back inside, he went to her table and picked up the $20 bill, smiling. On it, she had scrawled see you soon.

xxxxx

Driving down highway 30, she pulled off the wig and tossed it in the back seat. Her adrenaline was pumping through her veins...I did it! I pulled it off! Not sure he knew it was me but he sure was acting odd, she thought, singing along to the radio. She recalled the day in June he told her his family was moving. Her plan at that time was to become friends with him again by helping his family out with babysitting and then hopefully start dating him again. In New York, though, she found out about him seeing someone else and it soon was apparent. When he left in June and Mercedes hooked up with that Shane guy a week later, Quinn found herself wanting to punch something. Did Sam mean nothing to her? How could she go from one boy to another just like that? Quinn knew though; she had been there herself so she couldn't begrudge Mercedes. Sam had moved out of state, what was she supposed to do? Sit around and mope? Not Mercedes. She had had a taste of what it was like to be desired by someone else and she wasn't going back to being a single diva.

That night, she had hugged him quickly and left just as fast, crying as she sped away from the hotel. She heard later that he had left the next day.

Quinn wondered if Sam had a girlfriend at his new school. Since he had asked Finn and Rachel about Mercedes, Quinn doubted that he did. He was still moping around about Mercedes apparently. This was her chance; she knew it. In two weeks, she'd revisit Sam and catch up with him and hopefully come away from that meeting with a baby in her belly.

xxxxx

He thought about her often after that night at Star Struck. Why the wig and shades? Did she not want him to know it was her or was she afraid of being seen in such a place? He didn't know; she confused him. He went about his daily routine, trying to keep up with his classes, being groped by women and men at night. He had learned how to play to the most eager customer in the crowd, hoping to increase his tips. The best night he had had there was when he walked away with $500 after letting some cougar give him a handjob after the show. He knew that was wrong but, what the hell, she wanted to touch his cock, he needed to get off. Not to mention she was a rich bitch he had learned from the other guys there so she had the cash. She wanted to suck him off, but he wouldn't let it go that far.

xxxxx

Two weeks later, he saw Quinn again, sitting at the same table, wearing the same get-up, only this time a red dress and stilettos, her lips the same color as the dress and shoes. He was wearing his white briefs that night, much to his chagrin. He had just noticed Quinn and was squatting in front of some screaming chick when he felt his nut sack get pinched. Motherfucker that hurt...these people are fucking crazy, he thought, standing up. Won't be showing them the goods anymore tonight!

She watched him do his routine, catching her eye every once in awhile. He knows it's me, he knows...he's looking at me, she thought, nervously. She slowly took the sunglasses off and put them away, then kept watching him.

xxxxx

He stumbled with his moves when he saw her eyes. Definitely her, her eyes are completely fuckable, he thought, plastering a fake smile on his face for a woman in the front row. So she took off the glasses, she wants me to know it's her...what does she want?

His set finally ended and he went to the dressing room. He pulled on his skinny jeans and a tight t-shirt, counted his cash, and went to the bar. Her table was in his section that night so he didn't have to bribe anyone.

"What're you havin'?" he asked from behind her.

She turned and looked up at him.

"Just a water, please," she answered quietly.

He returned with a glass of water and stood across the table from her.

"What're you doin' here, Quinn? This is no place for a lady," he said, finally addressing her.

"The ladies sure seem to enjoy you," she said, trying to hide her smile.

"Yeah, well, it's just a job, a good-payin' job..."

"I missed you. That's why I'm here, Sam," she blurted. Remember, you said too much to Puck and scared him off, don't do the same with Sam, she thought, biting her lip.

"I miss you all, too. I heard sectionals was a bust," he laughed.

"Yeah, it just wasn't our year, I guess," she replied. "When do you get off work? Maybe we could grab a bite to eat or...?"

"I get off at 3. I'll see if I can pull some strings..." He wandered off to find his manager, who thankfully was three sheets to the wind already.

xxxxx

He took her to the all-night diner for a late late supper.

"I just told my boss that my kid sister was sick and I needed to get home. She was drunk; she didn't care," Sam said, picking at his salad.

"It's not like you to lie," she said, licking the ice cream from her hot fudge sundae from her spoon. He watched her do so.

"I do a lot of things now that I used to not do," he mumbled. "So, what really brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"Just to see how you're doing..."

"How'd you find out?"

"Rachel's big mouth..."

"I shoulda known, they wouldn't be able to keep the secret," Sam said, chuckling. "Anyone else know?"

"Do you mean Mercedes? Not that I'm aware of. Rachel told Tina and I overhead her," Quinn told him.

He looked a little saddened by that. Then, he smiled. "You gonna keep that red wig on all night?"

She giggled. "Maybe..."

There was a lull in the conversation when it had turned to flirting. Finally, Quinn asked him, "Do you have to go home tonight? I'd like to...talk more...if you'd like to." She walked her fingers across the table to his hand, walking her fingertips up onto his knuckles. He turned his hand over and held her hand.

He looked at her; her eyes pleading with him. She batted her eyelashes once at him and that did it.

"Where at?"

She blushed. "I have a hotel room...if you're interested."

He finished his salad. "I'd like to catch up, Q...let's go."

She never dreamed it would be so easy.

xxxxx

The hotel she chose was closer to Fort Wayne, not one of the rundown places on the strip where Sam worked. He followed her there in his car, and they went to the room. She unlocked the door and entered. She had been there earlier in the night, thinking this is where I'll conceive my baby. She wasn't too impressed with the blue and green bedspread, the burnt orange carpeting with flecks of black, the paisley drapes, but it'd do. At least it was clean.

"Hey, do you mind if I take a quick shower? It saves time in the morning when I go to school," he asked her. Then, looking at her funny, "Don't you have school in the morning?"

"I've called off already..." she said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Oh...well, lose the red wig...you look so much better without it," he said, snickering. He stripped off his shirt and jeans and went in the bathroom, whistling.

She pulled the red wig off and ran her fingers through her messy blonde hair. She eyed his jeans lying crumpled on the floor. When the shower water turned on, she went to his jeans and pulled his wallet from the back pocket. Her eyes nearly bugged out at the amount of bills he had stashed away in there, but that wasn't what she was after. If she knew Sam Evans, she knew he was responsible in one way.

She pulled a couple condoms out of his wallet, unpinned the safety pin from the hem of her dress, and pushed it through the center of each package a couple times apiece. She replaced the condoms in his wallet, then his wallet in his jeans. She kicked off her shoes, took off the dress and put on a t-shirt, and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting on him.

In the hot shower, he tried to wrap his mind around her being there, to him being in her hotel room. He had a feeling where this was leading and was thankful he finally started carrying condoms in his wallet. He was also thankful he had gotten through his awkward first time with some skank from his new school, during a drunken party after a football game...at least he had some idea what to expect. But, with Quinn, he just didn't know what to expect. When he dated her, she had been so classy and he had tried hard to ease her into sex but it wasn't working thanks to that idiot Puck and that whole situation she had endured before he laid eyes on her. When he dated her, sex was the farthest thing from her mind. Making out was fine for her, but the clothes always stayed on. He just figured he had two working hands and they did the job just fine after make-out sessions with her. What was it that Finn and Rachel had told him about her? Was it something about Beth? No, pink hair...she dyed her hair pink this past summer. He'd have to ask her about that.

xxxxx

Out of the shower, in only his boxers, he found her lying on the single queen-sized bed, on top of the bedspread. She had left only one small light on in the room. He came over to the bed, gesturing toward it, and asked, "May I?"

She nodded.

He lay down slowly next to her; she watched him get comfortable on the pillow.

"So, what is this Quinn? Why am I laying here almost naked next to you? What's going on?" he asked. Slowly, he reached out for her hand.

Stop the tears, stop the tears, stop the tears, she thought fervently. She smiled a little. "I told you, silly, I missed you."

She rubbed her thumb over the top of his hand, then down each of his long fingers.

"What happened to your pink hair? I would've loved to see that," he said, pushing her bangs away from her forehead.

"Um, it was just a stupid phase I was going through. Little do the other kids know but I took classes this summer and am now half a semester ahead of them all!" she said, clearly proud of herself.

"You plan on going to college then?" he asked her, running his finger down to her shoulder, down her arm, back to her hand.

"Something like that, yeah," she whispered. He lifted her hand and put it on his hip, wanting to see her reaction. She sucked in her breath, looking at her hand on his hip, and bit down on her lip.

"So, you missed me, huh? I kinda missed you too," he said softly, scooting closer to her so that their bodies were nearly touching. He kissed her then, unable to hold back any longer.

She let herself give in to his kiss, sinking back into the pillows. "I've missed you for so long, Sam..."

He slowly moved over her, pressing his body against hers. Before when they made out, she had always been on top. She was letting him be in control, he could feel it...he just didn't know why. He knew she was responding to his lips on hers and his dick was getting hard against her.

"What changed your mind? Why are you letting this happen?" he asked her, his lips kissing her all over her skin. He pulled the t-shirt over her head.

She wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him close to her, their noses touching. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder..."

Then, her tongue was invading his mouth. He almost couldn't stand how she was coming on to him. He stopped her, leaning up over her.

"Q...you're about to let me fuck you...what is going on?"

She sighed. "Fine...when I overheard Rachel talking about you stripping, it turned me on...a lot! Are you happy?" It was only a tiny white lie.

He smirked above her. "Are you sure about this?"

"Sam...I'm not seeing anyone...I just need to feel something, anything...and I trust you..."

He stared down at her, falling into her eyes. Then, barely audible, she said please.

He kissed her again, his lips trailing down to her breasts, parts of her body he'd never seen exposed before. He took each nipple in his mouth, hearing her moan in pleasure as he nipped at her. He really wasn't sure what to do but by the sounds she was making and her hips gyrating underneath him he thought he was doing something right.

He went back to her mouth. "You're making me so hard, Q...are you really sure about this? I'm not sure there's any turning back now..."

She looked up into his eyes, his sweet, trusting, do-anything-for-you eyes...and nodded.

"Okay, uh, okay..." he mumbled, hopping up off the bed to pull his wallet from his jeans. She watched him stand there and fish the condoms out. She watched him drop his boxers, his penis sticking straight out, pointing at her. She watched him roll the condom on.

He was back on top of her, pulling her panties off, then kissing her mouth, her neck, her chest. "I want you so bad, Q...always have..." he muttered against her skin.

She was a little bit nervous about the moment of penetration; she had been with no one else since the one time with Puck. Now, Sam Evans was between her open legs, caressing her thighs, loving her...she pulled his hips to her.

"Now, Sam, I need you now..." she whispered to him, making him moan.

He pressed his cock against her gently, watching her. He knew enough to rock his hips against her easily so he'd slip into her. Through the condom, he could feel the heat coming off her, her wetness...something he'd dreamed about many, many times.

He felt her entrance and pushed the head of his cock into her. Once he was inside, her tightness hugging his dick hard, he slid in more, his eyes rolling back, swallowing hard before moving his hips.

It didn't hurt, not like with Puck, and she exhaled. This time, she paid attention to how it affected him...it appeared as though he entered another world when she felt him penetrate her. He whispered her name, burying his head into the pillow she lay on. She could feel his lips, barely touching her skin, as he rocked back and forth on top of her. She moved her hands from his upper arms to his shoulders and up into his shorter hair. He lifted his head up at her touch.

"You okay?" he huffed out, his mouth hanging open a bit, his eyes dark.

"It feels right, Sam..." she said to him, pulling him into a kiss.

He glanced down between them, watching himself slide in and out of her. Then he said, "Move with me, Q..."

He put a hand on her hip to encourage her to move up into his thrusts. She began moving her hips with him and it made a world of difference to both of them.

"God Sam...it's never...I've never felt like...oh my god..." Her mind went blank as his thrusting increased against her. The pleasure she felt between her legs was so foreign to her; she had never reacted in such a manner to anyone's touch that way.

"Fuck Quinn...you came...goddamn, you fucking came..." he was mumbling to her. "Fuck, fuck, I can't...holy fuck..."

He pushed into her hard and stopped there. She could feel him twitching inside her. When he pulled back and pushed back in again, he moaned loudly.

Then, his mouth was on hers again, kissing her hard. "I've never come so hard in my life, Q..."

I so hope this worked...if not, I definitely wouldn't mind trying it again with him, she thought.

"I think that was the first time I ever have...thank you so much, Sam, thank you for making me feel loved..." she murmured.

"God, Quinn, I've never stopped loving you...it's always been you..." he said to her, still slowing moving in and out of her, still trying to catch up with his breathing. "What does this mean for us? I'm here, you're in Lima..."

She laid her hand along his cheek. "Maybe you can come see us sometime..."

"Us?"

Shit, shit, shit!

"You know, me, New Directions...the group..."

He pulled out of her slowly. He used one hand to pull off the condom, not paying a lot of attention to it, and tossed it toward the waste basket.

"We can't just do...this...and just go on...Quinn, I want something with you...I want us to be together," he said to her, a pleading to his voice.

"We've got all the time in the world to talk, Sam...you need your rest now..."

"I'll call off school too..."

"Shhh...just sleep a little, Sam...I'll wake you up in a couple hours," she whispered.

He closed his eyes, curled up next to her. "I've always loved you too," she whispered when she was sure he was asleep.

xxxxx

She set the alarm for 7 a.m. and got up to gather her clothes. She grabbed the condom and took it to the bathroom to inspect it. Little to no semen inside it. She flushed it. In the main room, his wallet lay open on the TV stand. She pulled the unopened damaged condom from it and tossed it in her purse; she didn't want him getting some other girl pregnant. She looked at him one more time, sleeping peacefully, naked under the sheet. She kissed his cheek lightly, grabbed her purse, her bag, and keys, and left.

xxxxx

When the alarm blared at 7 a.m., he sat straight up in bed, rubbing his eyes, trying to make sense of where he was. He turned the alarm off. A hotel. He had been there with Quinn the night before.

"Quinn?" he asked the empty room. He got up to go to the bathroom. No sign of her or her stuff in the room.

"You have got to be fuckin' kiddin' me..." he said to no one.

He tried to get a hold of her but finally started giving up when she was never home when he called or no one would answer. She never returned his calls, not once. He considered driving to Lima to find her and ask her what was going on but he was too confused and too hurt to try that.

xxxxx

A month after her night with Sam, Quinn received her high school diploma from McKinley and moved to Cincinnati to live with her single aunt. She told her mother to tell no one where she had gone, not her friends, not Sam, not Puck, no one. She said she wanted to make a fresh start. Once she settled in with her aunt, she bought two tests. Both were positive, and she went to see a doctor.

The OB/GYN confirmed her pregnancy. She confided to her aunt that she was indeed expecting but gave her no details about the father. She found a job at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, working in laundry. She stayed there for 3 months and then moved to a position at the switchboard. Her due date was in August.

Her mother called her, telling her Sam had been calling but his calls had stopped. Quinn's heart dropped a little, but she knew it was for the best that he didn't know. He wouldn't want to be tied down with a child this young in his life. Maybe someday she'd tell him.

xxxxx

No one he knew in Lima knew where Quinn had gone. Finally, he drove into Ohio, to Lima, and knocked on her door. Her mother answered, looking confused to see him standing there. It was early spring but still cold; he could see his breath.

"Mrs. Fabray? I'm Sam Evans, a friend of Quinn's," he said as politely as he could muster.

"Of course, Sam! I remember you! You and Quinn dated briefly, correct?" she asked nicely, letting him come in.

"Yes, ma'am, a year or so ago." He sat down on the sofa. "Mrs. Fabray, I really need to talk to Quinn, but I can't seem to locate her."

Her mother sat across from him wringing her hands. "Sam, she doesn't live here in Lima anymore. She moved, she said she needed a fresh start. I'm sorry, Sam, that's all I can tell you."

"Can I leave a note for you to send to her then? It's important," he said quietly, pulling an envelope from his jacket.

"Sure Sam…I'll make sure it gets to her," her mother said.

He stood up. "Can you answer me one thing?"

Her mother looked at him.

"Is she married or involved with someone?"

"Not that I know of, Sam," she said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Fabray. I appreciate your help," Sam told her.

He left Lima that day and never returned.

xxxxx

Working at the hospital, one of Quinn's benefits was tuition assistance. She had some college credits that she earned while in high school and she started a physical therapy assistant program offered at the hospital by a local community college.

At a monthly checkup, her doctor told her she was doubly blessed…she was pregnant with twins.

xxxxx

Quinn had some moments during the pregnancy, especially after she learned she was carrying twins, when she yearned to talk to Sam and let him know. She followed his life on the internet where he posted updates about his life on Facebook. He was dating a girl at his school, a cute blonde, a cheerleader no less. Right before the twins were born, he posted that Tiffany, the girlfriend, had talked him into trying out for football his senior year and he was now the quarterback. Quinn knew she had made the right decision.

xxxxx

She wanted to be surprised at the birth, and she was. The twins were a boy and a girl. She delivered them with her aunt by her side and cried when she saw them. She knew she and Sam would make perfect babies, and they had.

The Cincinnati Evening Times
August 20, 2012
Fabray: Twins: Clarice Noelle, 5 pounds 5 ounces, 17 inches; Beckett Samuel, 5 pounds 5 ounces, 17 inches

A/N: There is an epilogue coming up! Also, I don't condone what Quinn did here (deceiving Sam). And, I have no idea about strip club laws in Indiana; I made all that up!