When the news broke about Santana's casting as America Chavez (and the inevitable tweet storm of "Seriously, what's in the water in Lima Ohio and where can I get some", the summer settled late August, Santana, Brittany, Dani and Artie at all migrated out to California, the girls to LA and Artie to film school at UC Berkeley. It was nice having them all nearby, Sam thought and they often had barbecues in the courtyard on Saturdays.

As the year rolled on, they settled even more into their lives. Their friends began adjusting to the West Coast while Sam and Blaine got to be the natives showing them around.

It was a good life.

Sure they were busy filming, but they always had time together. Every Saturday morning they got up and walked down to the farmers market in the park to buy fresh produce and Sundays meant breakfast dates at a beachside café.

To be honest, Sam had never felt this happy before in his life. Sometimes, he went days without weighing himself, something he hadn't done since he was 12 years old. Over Christmas he mentioned that fact to his mother and he'd been shocked when her reaction was to cry and hug him.

Award season came and went again, once again kind to both of them. Blaine won the Screen Actors Guild award for best supporting actor in a TV drama and Sam had gotten an Emmy for his guest shot on Justified. Offers for work during the summer hiatus began to come in well before spring arrived.

Blaine's 21st birthday bash had been a wild weekend in Big Bear (organized in part by Santana, because Sam himself was still a few months away from his own 21st birthday). Mike, Puck and Tina flew out to join them.

That had been a bit of a mess, as Tina was fresh off her split from Dickie. Cooper had been the savior in that instance, because Cooper cannot ignore drama and, as it seemed, was a fan of the crazy. Tina finally bagged herself an Anderson that weekend. Sure, not the one she had originally been lusting after, but she seemed happy.

The party was fun, but Blaine and Sam are both glad to return to their normal lives when it was over. Many evenings were spent cuddled up on the couch with Nyota and the cats, Blaine reading scripts to Sam so they could see if anything caught their interest.

By the time the premiere of the Avengers movie rolled around, they had their summer plans. Sam had one of role as Harvey "Bunny" Rabbit in a movie based on the Jonathan Maberry book Patient Zero. If it went well, there were several more books in the Joe Ledger series that could be made into amazing movies.

None of the scripts he'd read had captured Blaine's attention fully, so he planned to go with Sam to Baltimore, with the exterior footage is being shot for Patient Zero. He wanted to focus on music for the summer, as he'd let it fall somewhat to the side after being cast as Billy.

As expected, the Avengers movie was a hit with fans and critics alike and, during the buzz, Marvel announced their next big venture.

A Young Avengers Netflix series, but Blaine and Sam as the leads. Santana's portrayal of America had delighted audiences and they couldn't wait to see more of her.

The day he turned 21, Sam woke with a smile on his face. He was happy, healthy and love someone who loved him just as much in return. He could see himself waking up like this every day for the rest of his life.

Kissing Blaine's curls, he climbed out of bed and dressed.

Instead of heading out on his run, he knocked on Dottie's door, knowing she'd be up.

She'd been delighted to accompany him to a small jewelry store and offer opinions as he picked out a ring.

When he auditioned for the role of Teddy Altman, Sam thought he was just taking a chance to play a beloved comic character…but taking the chance had become so much more and he thanked the stars above every day for letting him find his way to a life in a future of happiness that he'd almost been afraid to hope for.

Blaine was his once-in-a-lifetime love and Sam was going to tell him that every day for the rest of their lives.