I didn't really get a ton of reviews for my last story, but I got several PMs from people asking if I would consider writing a full-length fic. The answer is yes! :) I'm not sure when I'll update again. It won't be too long. Maybe next Wednesday. Maybe sooner.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that this was going to be a slow burn relationship fic. I don't think that Rachel would immediately jump into a relationship after having lost Finn.

Anyway, let me know what you think. Positive, negative, any feedback helps. Thanks!

"It's literally freezing in here," Rachel grunted to herself while carrying Kurt's clothes to his room. As a whole, Santana was generally the messiest of the three in the apartment; however, with Blaine having come in for Christmas break to visit Kurt, the latter had become increasingly chaotic with his actions. Rachel had planned on letting them enjoy their time together, but once Blaine was gone she intended to have a strong talk with Mr. Hummel. "Well, what do we have here?" She questioned while glancing at the open laptop that was sitting on the bed in Kurt's room. It was obvious that the laptop belonged to Blaine and more obvious than that was that the said laptop was receiving a Skype call.

She knew that Kurt would kill her for snooping around, but she noticed, absentmindedly, that Sam Evans was the aforementioned person calling Blaine. She brushed her fingers through her hair before sitting on the bed and answering the call. "Dude, I have to talk to you. I need bro help," came the frantic voice from the other end of the line. "Wait," Sam paused, "did I call the wrong laptop?" Rachel laughed before shaking her head.

"Blaine and Kurt literally just walked out of the apartment. I was in Kurt's room-bringing his disgusting laundry to him-when I saw your call." Sam nodded sheepishly but continued grinning shyly at her. "I will tell him to Skype you as soon as he gets back. You sounded distressed."

"Yeah, kind of," he mused. "I'm just having a problem. No worries." Rachel nodded, ready to respond, but Sam beat her to the punch. "How are you doing, Rachel?" He asked. She could tell that he was asking because he genuinely wanted to know, not because he felt obligated to talk to her now that she had answered Blaine's call. A part of her wanted to just smile, tell him that she was fine, and move on. That's what she had been doing to anyone else that asked, but was different. He always put his entire heart into everything. She guessed that after being in glee with him he had developed a friendship with her that to him was real. He hadn't simply tolerated her because she could sing well. And that was something that she really appreciated.

"I don't know how to feel," she replied while looking away from the screen. If she were going to try and talk to Sam then she was going to do it without facing him. "I love Christmas time. I love singing carols and decorating trees. I love everything about it, but I don't know how to love it without Finn here…"

"My uncle died a few years ago," Sam interjected. "He wasn't my boyfriend…obviously," he added after a few minutes. Rachel smiled at his being tongue tied and waited patiently for him to continue. "Anyway, it was weird going to family get-togethers because he wouldn't be there. How do you get over something that has been so important in your life when it's suddenly taken away?"

"You're very insightful, Sam," Rachel replied, tears in her eyes.

"Lrrtok. nìhawng sevin ke ne." As soon as the words came out of his mouth he slapped his hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry. I know that it is lame…" A pause. "And that I'm a loser."

"What language was that?" She questioned in confusion. "Better yet, what did you say?" She could see a faint blush on his cheeks even on the monitor.

"It was Na'vi," he admitted with defeat. She gave him a tearful smile. "I just used to love that movie so much. I learned the language. I joined role-playing groups as Jake Sully…" He instantly slapped his hand over his mouth again. "Why do I keep talking?" He questioned to no one in particular.

Rachel cocked her head to the side. "Then what happened?"

"Huh?"

"You said you used to love the movie? What happened to it?" Sam sighed dejectedly for a moment before running his fingers through his hair. "Don't do that," Rachel snapped. "You have long hair now, Sam. If you play with it then it will simply get oily faster." He chuckled but held his hands up in defeat. She had no idea what he was laughing at but figured she didn't want to know.

"I guess my girlfriends are what happened…if you can even call them that," he added as an afterthought. He knew Rachel was going to continue questioning him so rather than simply wait for her curiosity to get the best of her, he opted on finishing his story. "They all made fun of me for it. They told me I was hot, but that I was dumb and embarrassing."

"Sam, that's absurd. I love your impressions. Especially Mufasa!" She began to clap with excitement. "Do it now!" His smile was what Rachel would deem a mega-watt smile.

"It's actually Darth Vader, but I can do Mufasa…for you." She looked down at her fingernails and tried her best to hide the small grin that was there.

He psyched himself up to do the best Lion King impersonation he had up to date, but Rachel's face told him that he needed to stop. She held up a finger, motioning him to be quiet.

"You're not getting out of it that easily," she whispered while shaking her finger at him. It was his turn to look at her in confusion. "What you said earlier-what does it mean?" She watched as Sam looked around his room before finally looking at her.

"Smile. You're too pretty not to."

That was all it took to make her fall apart. A small portion of her believed that her frantic sobs would cause Sam to get offline. But he simply sat there with understanding puppy dog eyes and a look that almost exuded calmness. "It's okay to cry sometimes, Rach."

After a good fifteen minutes of sobs and screams she had managed to calm herself down. Sam was talking animatedly about Avatar, Spider Man, and occasionally his Christmas break. It was a welcome distraction from her life in New York.

Almost two hours later she heard the front door opening and closing. She briefly wondered how Blaine would react to seeing that his laptop had been stolen from Kurt's room. After ten or fifteen minutes of silence she simply assumed that the two lovebirds were busy doing other things.

"Rachel, where the hell are you?" A semi-frantic voice shouted.

"I see Santana made it back," Sam grinned. "I can't believe I dated her. I dated a lesbian. I dated so many lesbians, Rachel," he whispered as though he had only just realized it. "Oh God," he frantically shouted, "I turn people gay!" Rachel's brow furrowed in confusion before Santana entered her room unannounced.

"What the hell, Berry? Why are you talking to Trouty Mouth?" She questioned, with what Rachel assumed to be a sinister grin. "Are you guys having fun?" Santana came closer to the screen and looked down at the camera. "Hello, Quinn, I didn't realize your hair had gotten so long," she stated calmly. She laughed at the look Sam gave her before prancing away. "We're talking later, Berry!"

"That was…creepy as hell," Sam whispered in between quiet laughter after Santana left.

"You don't have to live with her," Rachel replied with a grin. She didn't miss the look that Sam gave her after that.

"Look Rach, I've enjoyed talking to you, but I have to go."

"Aww, really?" Rachel whined. "I enjoyed hearing you talk about Avatar on Ice." He grinned with pride.

"Yeah, I have to meet Penny at the mall. Talk to you later, kay?" She nodded silently before the call was ended.

"Who is Penny?" She questioned aloud.

"I can't believe you had his laptop," Kurt shouted. "We thought someone had broken in!" Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Someone broke in and only stole his laptop? Be realistic, Kurt. Besides, I was only talking to Sam. What's the big deal?" She noticed the look that Kurt and Blaine shared but didn't bother asking about it.

"Rachel, I love that you're reconnecting with old friends from McKinley…but why Sam? You guys weren't even that close when we went to school there. Besides, he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed." Blaine swatted Kurt's arm.

"Kurt, that was mean," he scolded. "Rachel, Sam is a fantastic guy. I think that you two could be great friends if you'd both put the time and effort into it." Kurt looked at Blaine incredulously before looking back at Rachel.

"No, Blaine, I've been her friend for years. She won't talk to me about Finn, or about how she's coping with things, but Sam randomly calls and she's spilling her big, dark secrets. It doesn't add up," he stomped his foot before yanking the laptop out of Rachel's arms and leaving the room in a huff.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "I'll go calm him down, Rachel," the brunette boy calmly stated. As he made it to the door he turned around and shot her a small smile. "I think Sam would be great for you, by the way." With that he left the room leaving Rachel with her thoughts.

They drifted off to Finn.

"I can do James Earl Jones, George Bush, ummm, Sean Connery," he paused and thought for a moment while taking a bite from his chicken sandwich. He thought it was cool that this was the second time today that he was having this conversation; however, when he told Rachel about everything she seemed interested and genuinely proud of him for some reason.

"But why would you want to do that?" Penny questioned. His current date did not share the same sentiments that Rachel did. He didn't know why he was surprised. He just thought that maybe Rachel was right. Maybe his past girlfriends didn't like his personality because they wanted popularity, or in Santana's case a gay beard. They didn't actually care about him.

It seemed Penny was the same way.

"I don't know," he replied. "I just like doing it." She nodded with a smile before reaching across the table to grab his hand.

"Sam, we've been on like five dates. I need to know if this is going anywhere or not. I mean, we aren't even Facebook official." Sam swallowed thickly before reaching for his water and gulping down a drink.

"I'm just… I think… I've dated like three different girls. One was a lesbian. One was bisexual, dated said lesbian, then broke up with me after she left for college, and the most tragic one cheated on me. I want to take things slow. We can hang out. We can hold hands. We can go on dates, but I'm not ready to make this official, in real life or on Facebook."

He had been so enamored by her in the beginning. He went to the greatest of lengths to woo her. She was practically begging him for a sign that they were a couple now.

He always ended up hurt though. Always.

He wanted to find the girl that made him really feel alive. Not only alive but safe at the same time.

He just wanted someone to love him with the same kind of love that he gave.

Maybe Penny was that girl, he thought. Maybe.

"Rachel, it's time that you and I have a talk," Santana stated while sitting in the chair across from her. Rachel looked up from her book and nodded, giving Santana her undivided attention. "I just want you to know that if at any point in the future you find yourself looking at a guy, it's okay. Whether it is five months from now or five years from now. Finn would want you to move on, okay?"

Rachel immediately tensed up. "I don't see why we need to have this conversation now. He was my soul mate. I can spend the rest of my life alone if it means being with him in another life." Rachel ignored the sad eyes that Santana gave her and sighed. "Santana, I appreciate your kindness, I do, but right now…being with someone else isn't even a thought in my mind."

"Okay, I'll lay off," Santana responded.

That night she cried herself to sleep.