Disclaimer: I own nothing

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Chapter One : The End

Sam Evans stared at the red timber door and wondered when his home had become so unfamiliar. He fumbled with his keys, praying they still worked and slid them into the lock. He shouldn't have been surprised that the hallway was bare; it had been her money that had bought most of it. He knew collecting his own belongings would barely need any more than his Ute and less than two hours effort. He brushed his fingers allow the wall, discoloured from where a mirror used to hang. He smiled sadly, he had hated that mirror but now it was gone he wondered if there was ever going to be anything better to hang there.

There were four cardboard boxes sitting in the living room and his throat constricted. Mercedes handwriting was scrawled on the side. She had promised that he would have a whole 24 hours alone to collect his things. She said that he should be grateful she didn't just burn it all. He prayed that she wouldn't come to collect the boxes during his time. That he wouldn't have to see her. It would all be too much, more than it already was. Seeing her and watching as they both took their items in different directions would make this all too real. Although he didn't get how much more real this could get, after today any reason to speak to each other would disappear. The scar on his heart was the only evidence that they had even been married.

There was a silver piece of paper, held to the fridge with an I Love Vegas magnet. He recongised her handwriting immediately and rushed to it.

No-one could say we didn't try

MJ

He ran his fingers across her words; she had taken her maiden name back. Sam knew that it wasn't going to be long till she did, but to see it like that killed. Taking his name in the first place had been a major compromise for Mercedes, but it was gift she had given him that he had always treasured. There were no tear stains, no smell from her perfume. The note was classic Mercedes; classy and to the point. He pulled the note from the fridge, the plaster magnet fell and chipped and cracked on the floor. He slipped the note into his pocket, promising himself to keep it forever. It would be the last note he'd ever get to read from her and he didn't want to take it for granted. He realised now he should have treasured all her notes, the ones he woke up too, the ones stuck to bathroom mirrors, the reminders, the good lucks….but he had just let them slip through his hands not realising how much he was to miss them if they were to be gone.

He slid down the fridge, ignoring the magnet and thought of when the note habit started. It had been a non-descript note back in high school, before prom, before New York and before that summer and he wondered where that little bit of pink paper was now.

He knew he was going to have to sell his car soon. He could tell that his mum and dad were just trying to find the right moment to tell him. He couldn't blame them and he knew he should just be a good son and sell it without them asking and slide the money across the table. He couldn't though because once it drove away with another driver that was it, that was his independence gone and he would be officially sucked into the vortex of misery with the rest of his family.

He pushed his empty trolley down the non-perishable items aisle, trying to find something to make a meal with. There was ten dollars in an envelope in his pocket, with a note from his mother reminding him no meat and no vegetables. Their freezer had been hocked and with it the ability to make perishable food last. Sam ran his fingers through his hair. This was the beginning of the end he thought. Slowly items of his house were starting to disappear and the restrictions were becoming stronger. Home was quickly becoming a shell and it wouldn't be long to his younger siblings started asking questions he wasn't sure he knew how to answer.

He slipped into the ten items or less line, wondering while he still even bothered with the trolley. He exchanged pleasantries with the cashier, noting that she seemed as glazed over and dead as he did. As least she had a job he thought bitterly. At least she could go home and hang up her apron knowing it was going to be a little easier than what his parents were finding it to pay the bills. He pocketed the receipt and change back into his mother's envelope. She'd be asking for it later, making sure to file it away with the rest of the evidence of his families decline.

He spotted his black car and made his way towards it, wondering again if tonight was the night that his father was going to corner him and finally admit what they had all been avoiding. He was tempted not to even go home, take his car that he had earned and drives it off into the sunset. He wouldn't do that though, he couldn't. He'd just have to accept the inevitable.

Under the window wiper was a pink bit of folded paper, flapping in the breeze and he was ready to scrunch up the flyer and throw it on the ground when he saw his name on it. It was a flyer at all, but a quick note from Mercedes.

Hey Sam,

Missed you today at Glee. Would have said hello but Mum was in a rush

MJ

He smiled softly. Mercedes wasn't a close friend of his. Sure they were in The Glee Family together and he would put himself on the line for her like he would anyone but he was taken aback that she had actually realised that he was there this afternoon. He was even surprised that she seemed to like him. He tried not to read too much into it, Mercedes was the type to do that for anyone, but it still made him feel a little special. In the gloom of today someone had realised he wasn't there.

He rolled his eyes at his own behaviour and pocketed the note. He was acting like such a girl.

Sam took a glance into the boxes before he realised that it was his own stuff. She had careful began packing up his own things. He wondered how long everything had taken her and if she had help. No doubt Santana and possibly Britney had been here, bad mouthing him like he was the devil. He wondered if she had defended him, but doubted it. Mercedes's was a venter. He pulled out a silver frame that had been wrapped up carefully in tissue paper and was instantly angry. Inside his grandma's frame had been a photo of Mercedes, Rachel Berry and himself at prom. It was now gone. That was the only copy they had had, due to his computer crashing and losing the digital copy. It even had an evident crease from where it used to live in his wallet and he had folded Rachel out of the picture. He cursed himself for never bother to scan his photos, his lazy streak making him look like a fool again. He wondered what she was going to do with it. Burn it? Throw it away? She had no right to do that. That photo had been in his frame and it was his mother's basement they had unearthed it in.

His mind raced at what else she could have taken. He'd assumed that they were going to play fair but clearly she wanted to wipe the last ten years and destroy even the good memories. Their marriage may have had a lot of problems, but to deny that they were happy just made her look stupid.

He put the frame aside, realising that she hadn't carefully decided to pack up his stuff at all. She was just getting it out of the way so she could take the dresser or whatever else was hers that his things were residing in. He tried to calm the anger that burned, but he just suddenly felt so hurt.

She slid her sunglasses back up her nose, cursing the damn things as she drove. The dark blue tint looked fabulous but the shape was not practical in the slightest; as always though fashion won out to practicality. She glanced at the clock on her dashboard and wondered if Sam had started moving his things out yet. She doubted it, he'd always been that little bit extra sentimental and despite having not much to shift, Mercedes wanted him to have enough time to say goodbye.

She wasn't sure where he was living now. He had a few friends in L.A but no-one she could imagine living long term with. Most of their good friends lived in New York, the rest residing in Lima. Neither Santana nor Brittany had heard from him, but she hadn't expected him to reach out to either of them. Divorce quickly made people show that their loyalties were too and her girlfriends had stuck close by to her.

She turned right at the lights and wondered where she should spend the day. She knew she could easily put in a couple of hours at the recording studio, but singing about the heart break she was currently experiencing in such a business like environment didn't seem right. That black tiled building was also such a symbol for the breakdown in her relationship; she didn't think she needed the reminder of that unfinished business.

"Sam! Everyone is looking!"

Sam stared down at her, incredulous.

"How can you not be excited? You song is on the freaking radio?"

She pulled her boyfriend back onto the couch beside her

"We are in a Starbucks! You can't be dancing around!"
Sam laughed and rolled his eyes

"Yesterday I saw at least three people on the subway do the exact think and nobody cared…and they

didn't even have a reason! You are on the radio"

She laughed again, unable to contain her beaming smile. Mercedes squeezed his hands tightly

"This is it Sam. This is everything I've worked for"

Her eyes were tearing up and she suddenly felt her phone vibrate
"A million dollars that's Kurt"

She glanced at the caller id and showed Sam the name. He silently fist pumped

"You owe me a million dollars now, you recording artist"

She rolled her eyes and answered the call; Kurt's excited voice rang out before she put her ear to the phone.

"This is it Mercedes! This is you making it. Everything is going to change now"

Mercedes let the happy tears fall. She had dreamed of this moment since birth and wished she could hold onto this feeling forever. Sam softly kissed her tears as they slid down her cheek and she continued to talk rapidly to one of her oldest friends.

"You know you won't be able to avoid L.A now"

Kurt said seriously and Mercedes sighed staring straight at Sam.
"I know…"

"That's a good thing Mercedes. Remember dreams first"

"I know"

Growing up, she always dreamed of the jetsetter life. That she had nothing and no one holding her back from chasing her dreams. She didn't have an engagement ring on her finger then and a partner who was making a difference with his own job. Mercedes had everything in New York but as the last few bars of her song played out through the speakers in a busy Starbucks, she quickly realised she wanted more.

Mercedes pulled off her glasses as she pulled in to Santana and Brittany's condo. She wiped the tears furiously, knowing that there was no way she'd be able to hide them from her friends. The world had blessed her in so many ways but today she just felt like she was cursed. That day was nearly five years ago now and used to be such a symbol for the greatest change in her life and one they both looked back and smiled at. Now it made her sick, it made her shake and made her cry. Sam had tainted everything and it was time to say goodbye.

Author's Note: Longer than what most chapters would be but I really wanted to get two memories out so you would kind of get the gist of how the set up will continue to be. Hope I got off to a good start and you guys like it! xx