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Sam knew that he couldn’t stay forever, even if he right now felt a lot more at home in Lima than back in Belbridge. But he also knew that the team, not just the players and the coaches wanted to see him back so they could keep an eye on what he was doing. And make sure that he’d be back ready to take on everything. 

“I’m sure that it won’t be too long before they say it’s okay to travel,” he replied, “I have a feeling that if we drive they’ll probably clear me sooner than if we’d fly.” Sam knew that all it would take was him actually saying that he wanted, or needed, to go back to Belbridge and he would be cleared for traveling, but he wasn’t sure on if he wanted to tell them that. Sam just wanted to make sure that everyone was doing okay before he left them again.

“I didn’t even think of that,” Sam replied, “I mean I’m the big star.” A grin played over his lips as he looked at her, “and I’m sure they want me to tell everyone about all of this.” He turned to Stacey and smiled at her, “but that’s not my story to tell, at least not alone.” He made sure to look at Quinn, “so if they want the reason for my absence to be a part of the special Stace needs be there too and only if she wants.”

Stacey smiled at him, and Sam gave her hand a small squeeze. “I’d do it if I would help you Sammy.” Sam smiled at her.

“Some things are supposed to be private, but then again this story might actually help people donate like blood and bone marrow or get tested to see if they are a match or register so they can be contacted if they are a match for someone.” Sam turned to his brother, “Stevie, you got a crush on someone?” Stevie just glared at him, and Sam couldn’t help but to laugh, and he reached for his drink.

"It would be a great opportunity to encourage others to do some good," Quinn agreed with Sam, but then warned Stacey, "You would be opening yourself up to excessive media attention though, so think carefully before you decide." Revealing the real reason Sam had taken a leave of absence would be easy. Dealing with all of the media attention afterwards might be hard.

Quinn was eager to move on from the subject of Connie, afraid that one or both of her parents might bring up her broken engagement. She asked her mom to pass the mashed potatoes and soon, the conversation at the table moved elsewhere.

Later that night, when Sam and her were headed home, she commented, "Well, that was nice." She turned her head to the side to look at him. 

"She's going to be just fine," she reassured him, knowing that Sam wouldn't go back to Belbridge until he was sure that his sister was going to be okay.

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Sam knew that what she said was the truth, they did mean well, but at the same time, there should be better ways to show that. His mother hadn’t been happy about the breakup, but she had accepted it, even if she did tell him more than once that they would find their way back to each other. So it wasn’t that big of a reach that his mother, and Judy of course, was happy that they had found their way back together.

The question wasn’t a surprise, and Sam knew that they wouldn’t be able to dodge it for much longer, but they weren’t there to talk about himself and Quinn. This was for his sister. “Yeah, Stace’s right. It looks amazing,” Sam said, and placed some of the food on his plate. “Y’all have really outdone yourselves this time.”

Of course, they hadn’t even been able to finish their food until it seemed like Judy had made the decision that they needed to have this conversation, and it didn’t take long until his own mother was agreeing with her. Sam looked around the table, but it seemed like neither Russell nor Dwight were planning on intervening, well until his dad actually took part of Quinn’s answer to focus back on Sam and his football career. “I’m going back when I’m all cleared,” Sam replied, and looked at his father, “and the team aren’t going to get used to me not being there.” Sam let out a breath, before he mumbled, “besides, they think that I’m at rehab.” Sam took a sip from his drink, “they’ll be happy when I’m back because they don’t have anyone that can take my spot on the team.” Hopefully. He hadn’t really kept up with how the games had gone, but the only one that might go after his spot was Nathan, but in the end Sam knew that he himself was the better player, and their coach knew that too.

Quinn didn't want to pressure Sam to return, but Dwight was right. Even if Sam was better than Nathan, the coach couldn't wait forever for him to return. At some point, the team was going to have to move on without him. Football would go on with or without Sam Evans. She looked at Sam. She would continue to support him of course, but she hoped he knew that the time to move on was close. Why would Lonnie have allowed her to come otherwise? She'd hoped that Quinn could convince Sam to come back sooner rather than later.

"Well, hopefully you'll be cleared to travel soon," she said. "Lonnie only gave me a week off, and she won't be happy if you're not with me." She took a breath. "Besides, they haven't finished filming the special yet. I think they're waiting for you to return so that you can be a part of it." 

"Connie Norton's hosting the special, isn't she?" Stevie spoke up in between bites. "I hear she's even prettier in person. Is that true?" Quinn tensed at the mention of her name. She wanted to tell Sam who she was. She wanted to tell him that Connie had brought Max back into her life. She wanted to tell him that Max had even had the audacity to offer her her dream job in exchange for Sam's secret, but she couldn't. He had enough weighing on his mind. She'd tell him everything once they were back in Belbridge. 

"Oh, um, yeah," Quinn started, forcing a smile. "She's really pretty."

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Sam had tried to figure out why his father didn’t like Quinn’s father, but all he got was something about rivalry between the two towns, but Sam knew that it was more to it. He didn’t know how to ask, maybe it would be better to ask his own mother or Judy, if either one of them would actually give him an answer, or just forget about it. Sam gave her hand a small squeeze. “Okay, it’s probably for the best,” he replied. It was probably best for both of them to stick together and not be left alone with either set of parents or either one of their moms.

It was easy to follow his sister, and he was sure if he kept close to her they wouldn’t be asked too many questions, as long as Stacey herself didn’t ask any. If she did then they would be in trouble because how bad wouldn’t they look if they didn’t answer her questions. “Don’t leave me alone with your mom tonight,” Sam whispered, “I have a feeling she’ll ask me questions I don’t want to answer.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as he sat down, he let one of his hands rest against Quinn’s leg, “yeah,” he replied, “let’s hope they wait until at least after we’ve eaten. Or if they don’t maybe our dads will stop them pretty sure neither one of them want to hear it.” Sam pressed a small kiss against her cheek, “let’s do this. together. We’re stronger together.”

Quinn rested her hand on his. "They mean well," she said as a reminder to herself and him. Her mom had respected her decision, but Quinn knew she'd been disappointed when Sam and her had broken up in high school. In the years after, Judy had hoped that they'd get back together as had Mary, so she could hardly fault both women for being overly excited now that Sam and her had reunited. 

"So ..." Judy trailed off in a sing-song voice. "How long have you been keeping your relationship a secret?" Quinn delayed her response by putting food onto her plate. "How about we let everyone start eating first?" she suggested. "Good idea," Stacey commented, putting food onto her plate as well. “Everything looks great.” 

A few minutes later, Judy announced, quite unnecessarily, "Okay, everyone's eating." Quinn suppressed an amused smile. "We weren't keeping our relationship a secret. We just got back together a few days ago. Besides, between focusing on Sam's recovery, fielding calls from Belbridge ..." Dwight interrupted her, looking at Sam, "When are you going back? You'd better go back before the team gets used to your absence."

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“I’m not as stupid as look,” he replied, with a smile as he looked at Quinn. “And I got that,” he shook his head. “And I know, they’re worse than a couple of kids.” Sam pressed his lips together,” have you ever figured out why that is?” he asked, “I mean our moms get along great they’re like best friends.” Sam knew that he most likely would have to break up some kind of fight tonight. Sam looked with happiness as he watch Quinn interact with his sister. It was something he always had liked, the fact that she got along great with his siblings. “yeah,” he shrugged his shoulders, “anyone would do that.”

Sam reached for her hand, they would need to support each other tonight, his dad wouldn’t really say anything about his relationship with Quinn. Dwight might not be as happy as his mother but he probably made peace with it, he had after all told him that all he wanted was for Sam to be happy. “Okay,” Sam said, looking at Quinn, “want to join our fathers or our mothers?” he asked, “I’m sure dinner would be ready soon so we all will be together.” He bit down on his lip, “or do you want to dived and conquer.”

Quinn had no idea why Sam's dad wasn't fond of hers, but she knew why her dad wasn't fond of his and she told Sam so. It all came down to the rivalry between their two towns. It was probably why her dad wasn't fond of Sam either. It was silly of course, but even she'd taken the rivalry seriously, especially during high school. That had only changed when she’d fallen for Sam. "Let's join them," Quinn decided, lacing her fingers through his. "We'll face them all together."

Stacey headed into the dining room, and they followed close behind. Quinn greeted her dad, who was nursing a scotch as expected. Seated across from him was Dwight, who didn’t look any happier. Quinn suspected that the two of them had already had an argument. She shared a look with Sam and then positioned them between them. It was probably for the best. "Stevie," she commented, smiling at him. "It's so good to see you. I can't even remember the last time we saw each other." Mary and Judy brought out the final dishes and urged everyone to dig in before taking a seat themselves. She had a feeling that the interrogation was about to begin.

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“It can’t be that bad, right?” Sam asked as he looked over at Quinn. He knew that there was a chance that she was right, but their moms shouldn’t be too bad at least not tonight. A breath left his lips as he took her hand and got out of the car. “Even if we don’t tell them,” he began, “I’m sure they somehow will know and your mom will corner me sometime tonight,” Sam began, “and I don’t think I can actually fool her.” He had really liked the last few days, it had just been the two of them and it was something that was needed. He was about to meet Quinn, so that he’d get one last kiss before they walked inside.

Sam let out a sigh, and let go of Quinn’s hand and ran both of his hands down his face. “mom, please,” he said as he looked at her, “can we not talk about this right now and right here?” he asked, he turned to Quinn and took her hand in his again as he moved them inside, “I know, babe, I know,” he said, “but if we try and shift the talk to Stacey we might be able to keep the bubble from exploding too much.“ He gave Quinn a small smile, “or we just try and get my dad and your dad to get into a fight that way our moms would be too busy trying to keep them from taking it too far.” It might be a bit childish but right now he didn’t want to talk about him and Quinn with their parents because that would be too much pressure on their newly rekindled relationship.

"That's a good idea," Quinn agreed with him, clarifying afterwards, "Focusing on Stacey, not instigating a fight between our dads." Not that they needed any help on that front. It was no secret that their dads didn’t like each other. Quinn was sure they'd get into at least one argument before the day was done. "Stacey!" she exclaimed when she saw her, letting go of Sam's hand and pulling the young woman into a hug. "It’s good to see you again." The last time she’d seen her had been at the hospital. Quinn was so glad that she was okay and she told her so. She stepped back and looked at Sam afterwards, emphasizing, "I'm glad you're both okay."

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Mary and Judy go into the kitchen, probably to talk about her and Sam. Quinn was just glad that they weren't a part of the conversation. She hadn't spotted her dad yet, but he was probably somewhere brooding. Quinn didn't expect him to be pleased that she'd gotten back together with Sam, but she hoped he’d be on his best behaviour. Today was about Stacey after all.

In Celebration | Quinn & Sam

"Our moms are going to be unbearable," Quinn warned Sam before she got out of the car. She came around to his side and held out her hand for him to take. "Maybe we shouldn't tell them that we're back together. Let's stay in our bubble. I like our bubble," she told him with a pout. The last few days with Sam had been amazing, and she'd been reluctant to leave the apartment. She was leaning in to kiss him when the front door swung open. "I knew you two would get back together!" Mary exclaimed with an equally excited Judy by her side. "There goes our bubble," Quinn muttered under her breath as she let Sam lead her into his family home.

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A small breath left Sam’s lips as he heard Quinn’s reply. He had been scared of what would happen. But he was glad that he had hinted on wanting something more. He hadn’t been able to have long term relationships over the last few years. Sam almost melted against her as he felt her lips against his, and he wrapped his arms around her, lips moving together, “that’s good,” he mumbled against her lips, “but I’m more than an athlete,” he said and he pulled back a bit, “and just so you know I would give it up if I had to.” Sam had always wanted to do something with his football career but he also knew by now that there was more in life than just his career. He would have given it up for Stace if he needed to, but it seemed like he wouldn’t have to this time. 

Sam smiled at her, “I think there’s someone at the door with our food,” he said, “not that I’m complaining about doing this and we can totally continue but we kinda need our food.”

"I know," she acknowledged, commenting afterwards, "You would, wouldn't you?" That was what made Sam different from Max. Max had been all about his baseball career. She had no idea whether or not his feelings for Colleen were real, but she did know that being with her was better for his image than being with a PR assistant from a small town in Ohio. Sam's football career was a huge part of his life, but there was more to his life than that. It was something Quinn could appreciate. "You're right," she responded with a laugh, moving away from him and heading toward the door. "Pizza first, and then dessert." Honestly? Quinn could get used to this.

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It was nice to hear Quinn laugh, it felt like it had been a long time since he had heard her laugh, at least a real one. “We did,” he replied, “and I’m happy to be here too, well with you, maybe not the reason for why we’re here.” Sam smiled at her, but he was almost sure that if they hadn’t managed to get away from Belbridge they probably wouldn’t have this kind of conversation. One that he wasn’t sure he would have wanted to have. “Yeah…” he began, his words trailed off as Sam tried to figure out what he was supposed to say next, “but it feels different here, a good different and maybe we just needed to be the two of us without anyone else around that could question things.” Sam bit down on his lip, “I want us, I want a real us,” he confessed, “I want us to really give this a try again.”

The first time Sam had hinted at wanting something more, she'd been afraid. She couldn't trust him with her heart then, but she felt like she could now. "Me too," she responded, smiling at him. Quinn wasn't one to believe in fate, but it was hard not to think that life had led her to Belbridge for a reason. Maybe her breakup with Max hadn't derailed her life after all. Maybe it had put her life back on track. "After my last relationship, I swore I wouldn't date an athlete again, but I guess I'll have to make an exception," she told him with a small laugh. Quinn pulled him in for a kiss, the fact that there was someone waiting at the door completely forgotten.

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A Change Of Scenery

It was easy to get lost in the kiss, it was the first kiss in a long time that Sam felt like he could get lost in. The kisses they had shared at the hospital hadn’t been anything like that. He knew that he should be happy about that because he didn’t want anyone to walk in on them. Sam knew that he wanted Quinn in his life, it would be hard to do anything without her in it, and it wasn’t just as a friend, he should have known that all along, and he knew that his mother would be thrilled when she found out. “No,” he said, “and we’re back to making out as two horny teenagers too,” he said a small laugh left his lips, “but I’m happy that you’re here.” He didn’t know if there was anyone else he would want to be here with him, none of his relationship after Quinn had lasted. “That I’m finally happy again,” he replied, “and that I know that I should be happy about going back but I’m scared of what that means.” He smiled at her, arms wrapped around her waist, “for us.”

Quinn echoed his laugh. "We had our moments," she agreed, her eyes connecting with his. "... and I'm happy to be here." It really hit her then how happy she was to be there with him. After the end of her relationship with Max, she'd kind of fallen apart. Moving to Belbridge had changed everything for her. She had a job she loved and friends she could count on. She had ... Sam. "What do you mean?" she probed, feeling her heart tense. "We were an ‘us’ back in Belbridge, weren't we? I mean, I know we've never talked about what ‘us’ is, but ..." She trailed off. She hadn't misread things between them, had she? Just then, the doorbell rang. The pizza was here.

A Change Of Scenery

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Sam nodded his head. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to stay in Lima as long as he wanted, at some point in the somewhat near future he would have to return to the team. He was sure that they’d prefer it if he was there when it come to doing his rehab, and keeping an eye on him. “Okay,” he replied, “I’ll pick something for us.” He let out a small breath and made a call to order a pizza for them, it had been too long since he had one. “And I’ll eat it but I can’t promise I won’t complain.” Sam wouldn’t say that he was a picky eater, but he had a really hard time with cauliflower, it almost tasted like dirt, if he knew what dirt tasted like. A smile played over Sam’s lips when she relaxed in his arms, this was something he had missed.  “One glass,” he agreed, “and I think there’s a bottle or two somewhere here,” Sam said and he leaned down, pressing his lips against Quinn’s in a soft kiss. “And a pizza is on it’s way.” 

Quinn deepened the kiss, tightening her hold on Sam. She'd really missed him. It was getting harder and harder for her to picture her life without him. It was both scary and thrilling at the same time. "Can you believe we're back in our hometown?" she said, her lips barely touching his. "Together after all these years?" The circumstances were certainly bringing up old feelings. She wondered if Sam felt the same. Eyeing him curiously, she asked him, "What are you thinking?" Quinn hoped that they wouldn’t be interrupted before Sam could give his answer.

A Change Of Scenery

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Sam couldn’t help the smile that teased over his lips, as he watched how she tied up his place a bit, that wasn’t the reason for why he had asked here to stay with him. “Y’know I could help,” he replied, he wanted to do more than just sit around, but he wasn’t actually sure on how much she would let him help, he was after all still supposed to take it a bit easy. “Sounds like a plan,” Sam said, a small breath left his lips, “I can order us something, what are you in the mood for?” he asked, and he smiled at her. “I don’t know, I mean a glass should be okay,” he said, “it’s not like I’m going on a bender.” Sam took a deep breath, and got up from the couch and walked up to her, his arms wrapped around her, “you’re super cute when you worry,” he licked his lips, “but like I said I don’t think one glass will be bad, but if you don’t want any then we’ll get something else to drink.”

"That's okay," she responded. Quinn liked to keep busy, especially when she had a lot on her mind. With Lonnie breathing down her neck, Sam's pending return to the team, and Max's continued persistence, she was dealing with a lot. "Your choice," Quinn insisted, adding afterwards in a teasing tone, "Especially since I expect you to eat what I cook without complaint after tonight." She allowed herself to relax into his arms, pushing Lonnie's warning out of her head. ...keep things professional, Quinn. You've been burned once. "One glass," she agreed. "Do you have wine here or do I need to run out and get a bottle?" If she had to run out, she might as well pick up the food too.

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A Change Of Scenery

Sam would have preferred to carry his own things but he also knew that he was supposed to take it a bit easy, so for now he was planning on following doctor’s orders. He had a feeling that if he didn’t Quinn would say something about it, and that wasn’t exactly something he wanted, at least not now. “Hey, I don’t know what it looks like,” he replied, “it’s not that I could clean up before you got here,” a grin played over his lips, and he knew that he wasn’t exactly the cleanest person, he didn’t mind if something wasn’t on it’s spot, as he walked inside, he took a quick look around, and it wasn’t too bad, he was sure that Quinn wouldn’t have a problem staying. A smile played over his lips as he watched her walk out to get her own things, and he walked over to couch and took a seat, leaning back. A day or two, and then he could probably start a bit of a slow jog. 

He waited until Quinn had gotten back inside, “maybe we need to check to see if we have to head to the store and get some stuff, I don’t exactly know what’s okay to eat.” He smiled at her, “but I was thinking we could order something tonight, I’m sure I got a bottle of wine that’s okay to drink so we’ll survive until tomorrow.”

As he spoke, Quinn couldn’t help herself, already starting to tidy up his place. She straightened some pillows and brought a few empty mugs to the kitchen sink. “No problem,” she assured him from inside the kitchen. “I’ll go through your fridge and the cupboards later and see what’s still edible. We can order take-out today, but I’ll go to the store tomorrow. The doctor says you need to eat healthy and take-outs generally not.” Quinn was by no means a wizard in the kitchen, but she could still cook up a few delicious meals. She returned to his side. “Also, are you sure about the wine?” she questioned, trying to remember what his doctor had said. “Should you be drinking?” The look on her face was uncertain. She knew she was acting like a mother hen right now, but she wanted to help Sam make a quick recovery.

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Sam noticed the look that Quinn gave him, and he knew that she had a point. He would need to address everything but he’d prefer to have a day or two out of the hospital before he actually had to do it. “I know that,” he replied, “but I just wanna be out of the hospital for at least  day before addressing it,” he said and he gave her a small smile. Sam let out a breath, he shook his head, as he looked at her, “yeah, maybe,” he replied, he never really had thought about what his team mates had thought about him being away. He was almost sure that Nathan just asked because that was what he was supposed to do, the two of them didn’t get along and he was sure that they never would. “I’m coming,” he said as he climbed out of the car, making his way over to his apartment, “just so you know,” he began, placing a hand on the small of her back, “I’m really glad that you are here and staying,” he said, and he pressed a kiss against her cheek. Sam pulled out his keys, “and I got no idea on what this place looks like now since I haven’t been here in a couple of weeks.”

Quinn stepped out of the vehicle, stretching her arms above her head. Whew, that felt good. She grabbed his things, falling into step beside him moments later. She'd make another trip and get her own things. "So am I," she assured him, smiling as she leaned into the kiss. Quinn laughed at his next words. "It can't be that bad," she responded, although hoped would probably be more appropriate. Quinn was a bit of neat freak. She peered inside as he opened the door, instantly letting out the breath she was unaware she'd been holding. "Not bad at all," she commented as she stepped inside, putting his things down. It was a little messy, but she'd seen messier. Besides, if she was staying here, it wouldn't be like this for long. "You get settled," she told him. "I'm just going to grab my things. I’ll be right back." She gave him a quick kiss before she left, returning minutes later as promised. She didn't have much with her since she didn't expect to stay in Lima much longer.

A Change Of Scenery

Quinn gave him a pointed look as she started the engine. “Okay,” she responded, deciding not to argue with him. “I wouldn’t put them off for too long though.” The longer Sam stayed silent, the crazier the stories got. She tried to steer clear of them, but that was hard. Social media made sure news travelled far and wide, not to mention fast. “That’s not fair,” she commented as she made a turn. “The rest of your team cares a lot about you. Even Nathan’s asked about you, although admittedly, he was probably just being polite.” Since Sam and her had gotten close again, she tried to see Nathan through Sam’s eyes though she still considered him a friend. She turned off the ignition and unbuckled her seat belt. “Come on,” she said, encouraging him to get out of the car. After spending so much time in the hospital, Quinn was sure that Sam was looking forward to being home.

A Change Of Scenery

Quinn beamed. She was as ready as he was for him to be out of the hospital. It would be nice to spend some time together outside of a hospital room, not that she wasn’t appreciative of everything the staff here had done for Sam, not to mention his sister. She closed the distance between them, giving him a kiss. “Good, let’s go,” she murmured against his lips as she pulled back. She grabbed his bag for him and led the way out of the hospital to her car, thanking the nurses she passed. Kitty was nowhere in sight, which Quinn was grateful for. All that woman did was irk her, and she was in too good a mood right now. Quinn helped Sam into her car and then got in herself. “You have a lot of phone calls to return and emails to answer by the way,” she told him as she buckled her seat belt. “You’ve got a lot of people who care about you apparently.” The tone of her voice was teasing at the end.

A Change Of Scenery

A Change Of Scenery

Her mom did indeed still speak to Sam's mom, so when Quinn had told her that Sam and her were seeing each other again, her mom had hardly been surprised. In fact, she'd been a lot more pleased than Quinn had thought she would be. "As far as ex-boyfriends go," her mom had explained to her. "Sam's one of the good ones." Her dad had reacted as she's expected. He'd gotten along really well with Max after all. As Quinn got out of the car now, she pushed her parents and their thoughts on her rekindled relationship with Sam out of her mind. (Whatever that relationship was. Sam and her still hadn't discussed it.) She greeted the nurse behind the desk and then made her way to Sam's room. She knew the way well now. She knocked on the door and pushed in, not waiting for permission. "Hey, ready to go?" she asked when she saw him, a smile on her face.