PARADISE IMPERFECT

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Glee (except a beach towel and Season 2 DVD. I own nothing related to any of the songs I use (except an admiration of the tune).

Sam pulled down the same driveway he had been pulling into for the last 15 or so years. It had changed in some ways and stayed the same in other ways. The house was still the same; some outbuildings had been added. Quinn's daycare was built alongside the driveway, closer to the main road, for visibility. She had been running it for the last 13 years. Since the twins had been born, though, she only owned it and let Kourtney manage it. There were a few cars there today…people picking up their little ones.

His home office was, of course, in their home, but he could be mobile on his iPad and phone now so he wasn't confined to the house. He spent a lot of time in his office in the newest outbuilding anyway. When he had left last night in such a hurry, he had forgotten work-related items so he assumed he'd pick those up now when dropping off his daughters.

The girls had been talking nonstop on the way home, about who was the cutest singer of The Yelling Goats, a new boy-band from the UK (some things never change, he thought), about how hard their math homework was, about Joey's black hair, and wondered what was for dinner. When they pulled to a stop and got out of Sam's truck, it was obvious what dinner was…spaghetti. They could smell it on the air. Quinn had tweaked her recipe over the years until it was damn near perfect, in Sam's opinion. As he climbed the stairs to the front door, his mouth was watering.

The girls burst into the house, following the scent to the kitchen, hollering for Quinn.

"Julie, you start your math homework and why don't you help your sister, Jas, please?" Quinn said to them, coming around the corner.

Sam had stopped in the foyer, at the sight of two suitcases. Quinn stopped there, as well. She was wearing one of his grandmother's old aprons and had her hair pinned up on the sides.

She took a deep breath. "I took the liberty of packing some of your things, Sam. I'll take the kids out this weekend so you can come and get the rest of your stuff. Have you heard from Joseph?"

"No," he said quietly, fiddling with his keys. "I haven't heard from him. Listen, Quinn, about last night…"

She forced an icy smile. "Not now, Sam. I need to track down Joseph."

She wandered back to the kitchen and Sam wandered into the family room. Jasper was sitting on a couch, nodding in time to some song on his iPod. Sam sat down next to him, patting his knee to get his attention.

"Hey buddy…how was school?" Sam asked him.

Jasper shrugged, then mumbled an okay.

"Any homework?"

"D-done."

"Cool…how was speech?"

Jasper looked up at him and pulled his earbuds out.

"The…usually…I mean…usual." Sam and Quinn had been told to let Jasper finish his thoughts, not jump in and correct him. "Doing a song…choir."

"A new song?"

Jasper nodded. He excelled in choir and hoped to join the school's Glee Club like his mom and dad. He couldn't speak very well, but singing and music came to him naturally.

"A med-ley…America songs," Jasper told him, his eyes lighting up.

"Ah, for Memorial Day, I take it?"

Jasper nodded, knowing his father would get it.

"I can't wait to hear you all…"

"Mom…talked…Adam today," Jasper blurted out.

"About your therapy?"

Jasper shook his head no. "A-alone."

Sam took that in, silently, then said, "Okay…"

Jasper started to put his earbuds back in but Sam asked him to sing some of the new song he had learned in school. Quinn heard Jasper's voice from where she stood at the stove, cooking. His singing voice was nearly perfect…the words flowed when he sang. Something clicked in his brain and everything came together melodically. She pulled Sam's grandmother's china from the buffet and set the table for five.

Sam wandered into the kitchen, leaning against the entryway, watching Quinn at the stove.

"So…Adam?" he asked her.

She turned quickly. "What about Adam? He said Jasper seems to be doing better…"

"You're seeing him."

"No, Sam, I am not seeing him. He is a-a friend of mine, though. A lot like Katy is a friend of yours," Quinn said, biting back her tone, trying to keep it even.

"And? I'm not allowed to have a female friend?" he asked, taking a step toward her.

"Where did you go last night?"

"A friend's."

She smirked. "That's fine…I get it. You're things are in the foyer, Sam. Goodbye."

She planted her hands on her hips, watching to see what his next move would be. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, staring her down. He finally sighed.

"I need to get my iPad. Did you get a hold of Joey?"

She picked up a dishtowel and began twisting it in her hands.

"Yeah…he's on his way home."

"Fine…I'll wait on the porch to see him, then," Sam said, leaving the kitchen. He paused but then turned back toward her.

"I'm looking for an apartment tomorrow, Quinn." Then, he left the kitchen.

xxxxx

Sam hugged his daughters and Jasper goodbye, retrieved his iPad, then went to get his suitcases. In the foyer, he saw a car pulling down the drive and Joseph running around the side of the house, toward one of the barns. He put his belongings in his truck, not really even thinking about his Quinn situation but more interested now in the Joseph situation. The only barn Joseph would be visiting was the outbuilding that housed Sam's personal gym since his son had been using the punching bag recently. Sam walked out to that barn where the door stood open a crack. He could hear his son already pummeling the bag.

Sam pushed the door open, then quietly shut it. Joseph heard the click and turned around sharply, stopping the swinging bag with his hand.

"Hey pops…'sup?" he asked Sam. He was wearing only gym shorts.

"Where were you? Your mom was worried about you. And who dropped you off?" Sam asked him.

"Out with a friend. No biggie…jeesh," Joseph replied, turning back to the punching bag, throwing a couple punches. He was the one who looked the most like Sam…except for the black hair. He was built the same, same blue eyes, same goofy personality. He had Quinn's intelligence, though, and usually had his nose buried in a book. Only recently had he taken an interest in working out like Sam did.

Sam walked over to the bag, facing Joseph, holding the bag still.

"What's that smell?" Sam asked him.

Joseph shrugged. "I dunno…I don't smell anything…sweat?"

"I don't think so, Joe," Sam said. "I suggest you shower before going in the house."

Joseph popped his jaw. "You stayin' tonight?"

Sam stared him down. "Not tonight, no."

"So, what's goin' on with you 'n Mom? Sounded pretty gnarly last night…"

"Just…stuff…nothing," Sam mumbled. "Don't get me off the subject…I smelled pot…no more of that…don't be stupid."

Joseph rolled his eyes. Sam stayed with him in the gym for awhile, giving him tips on his workout routine and lecturing him about drugs, before he left the farm.

xxxxx

"No, I didn't tell her, but she knows about you," Sam said, toying with the linen napkin at the kitchen table. "I can't stay here anymore…I'm looking for an apartment tomorrow…"

"I have plenty of room, Sam! My guestroom is open to you any time you need it," Katy said to him.

"My kids, you know…I'm still married to Quinn; I can't be living with another woman while we're still…married," Sam said quietly.

She reached across the table and held his hand.

"So, Quinn's purty mad, then?"

Sam looked at her. "She seems like it…I gotta have my own place, though, so I can have the kids over." He pulled his hand away from her.

"Hey…you stayin' here again tonight, Sammy?" Katy's sister, Kim, asked, going through the kitchen to the laundry room.

"Yeah, if it's okay, thanks," he said. "Just one more night, though."

She stopped in the kitchen, putting one manicured hand on her hip.

"I never, ever thought I'd see the day that Sam would not be with Quinn…"

"Shut up, Kim," Katy muttered. "She doesn't appreciate him, like I do."

Kim chuckled. "Oh, dear sister, you'll see…don't underestimate Quinn Evans."

xxxxx

"Okay, the girls can clear the table, the boys fill the dishwasher…and this time, boys, rinse the plates first," Quinn said once supper was done.

"Mom?" Juliet asked, picking up the empty glasses and silverware.

"Hmm?"

"Are you and Daddy going to make up?" she asked. All four kids stopped what they were doing, their eyes on Quinn.

"Dad and I need to talk," she replied, heading upstairs.

Once she was out of earshot, Jasmine said to the others, "Daddy put his arm around Katy today at the gym."

"What about your therapy, Jasp? Did she talk to Adam?" Joseph asked him. All eyes turned to Jasper.

He nodded. "They talked…a-alone."

The kids all looked at one another and continued with cleanup.

Upstairs, Quinn locked her bedroom door, and sat on the edge of the bed, checking her phone.

Did you see him? was the message from Adam.

She called him.

"Quinn? Everything okay?" Adam asked on answering his phone.

"Hi…oh, yes…we're okay…um, yeah, Sam brought the girls home earlier. He…left again tonight, said he was going to find an apartment." She sighed. "So, this might be the end, I guess."

Saying the words out loud stunned her somewhat. She never expected to utter them.

"Separating is never easy, Quinn, for anyone. I worry about you…I want you to be happy," he said.

"Don't worry about me, Adam…I'll be fine…thanks for being a friend," she whispered.

"Anything for you, Quinn…anything," he replied.

xxxxx

Sam woke in the middle of the night and for a few disorienting moments he forgot where he was. The bed was much smaller, the room was much smaller, even the smell was different…not bad, just different, than his room with Quinn. He rolled onto his back, letting his mind wander. He thought of Quinn and the kids…but the prominent memory that kept creeping into his thoughts was a treatment session of Jasper's, that he and Quinn had both attended. Quinn and Jasper's therapist, Adam, had had a sparkling conversation…her eyes had lit up when the man spoke to her, her smile was genuine. He felt like the third wheel that day. He couldn't shake the memory, so he wandered out of the guest bedroom and down the hall to another room. He slid into the larger bed, next to Katy, craving the companionship that he had been missing from Quinn. She had expected him and let him curl against her.

"More bad dreams?" she asked him.

"Yeah…bad dreams…" he said, trying to find sleep again.

A/N: Unfortunately, sometimes life isn't always rainbows and unicorn glitter every single day of your romantic relationship. Life steps in and happens. As for Joseph choosing a goth personality, he's just a kid figuring himself out. At the end of Finding Enchantment, Jasper was not yet speaking. What he has is a condition that people who have had strokes might have, expressive aphasia. His brain knows what he wants his mouth to say, but he can't make the connection to say it 100% correctly. The other side of that coin is receptive aphasia, not being able to process what people are saying to you, which Jasper does not have. So, it's a cognitive issue, probably caused by his brief lack of oxygen as a newborn. His hearing is fine. And yes, there will be flashbacks as their story unfolds. Thanks as always for reading.