So what we have here is a Glee fic that doesn't feature Kurt, which is a first for me. But this is a special, if unfortunate occasion: the passing of Whitney Houston, which I didn't feel really suited Klaine. I still wanted to write something and Samcedes just presented itself for the occasion. I hope I do the characters justice.
RIP Whitney.
Dance with Me – by BigDestiny
Sam hadn't planned on being back in Lima so soon. Normally his trips to visit his family, rare and precious as they were, lasted until he absolutely had to be back on the road. Especially with this being the weekend before Valentine's Day, Sam had been anticipating having babysitting duty the whole time.
Which was fine with him, because he was in no mood to be reminded about love, or romance, or anything of the sort.
Word reaching the Evans family of Whitney Houston's passing on Saturday however, had completely ruined the weekend for his parents. His mom had been a huge fan, and 'So Emotional' had been played for the first dance at his parents' wedding. While it would be unfair to say his mother was a complete basket case over the news, she really wasn't in the mood for a night out with candles and dancing. The family had had a late lunch, and Sam headed back to Lima.
Sam was just passing the mall when he found himself suddenly slamming on the brakes to avoid another truck peeling out of the parking lot. Sam always needed to borrow Finn's truck for these getaways, and he was suddenly grateful that Finn's mom had married into a family that performed brake maintenance with professional competency. The other truck had just barely missed him, and continued on without even noticing.
Normally, Sam would have just sworn and gone on his way. But the other truck coming as close as it did, Sam was able to see the other driver was Mercedes' boyfriend Shane. Sam wasn't able to suppress his concern, and signalled to turn into the parking lot.
Sam found Mercedes sitting on the curb looking distressed. He was immediately furious for whatever it was that Shane had done to upset her (it didn't occur to him until much later that it could very well have been Mercedes – or specifically Mercedes and HIM – that had upset SHANE). Climbing out of Finn's truck, he hurried over to her and shouted. "What the hell did that guy do to you?"
Mercedes jumped, looking up in shock. But as soon as she saw who it was, she lowered her eyes, embarrassed. "I'm fine, Sam. We just had a little fight. I'm actually the one who told him to leave."
Now relieved that Shane hadn't been violent or anything with Mercedes, Sam was still a little irritated with the guy. "Well, he just about tore the side off of Finn's truck just now," Sam grumbled. "That's a 'hundred drunk women groping you at a bachelorette party' money." Something that Sam had thankfully only heard of before.
Mercedes winced. "I'm sorry, Sam."
"Why? You weren't driving like a jerk."
Mercedes shook her head. "He's upset because I've been a jerk all day."
"You? Never," Sam declared. Mercedes was a diva, of course. But she was never mean.
"I was," she insisted, looking mortified. "I- I'm going to tell you, and you're going to think I'm being ridiculous. I should have called Kurt today, but he was spending time with Blaine and I really hate being a third wheel with those two."
Since Mercedes didn't seem like she was getting up any time soon, Sam sat down next to her. "Just tell me what's wrong. I really want to know."
"It's-" Mercedes eyes filled with tears and she brushed them away, almost angry at herself. "I don't know if you heard the news this weekend..."
Oh. "You mean about Whitney Houston?" Mercedes nodded and Sam nodded back. "Yeah, my mom's pretty upset too. That's not ridiculous, Mercedes."
"Shane thought it was," Mercedes stated, but shook her head almost immediately. "No, that's not fair. He came down here right after church instead of hanging out with his family."
"It's not sweet if he spent the entire time complaining about it," Sam reminded her.
"Yeah, that's kind of why I told him to get lost."
Sam really wanted to hug her right then, but realized it probably wasn't appropriate. Mercedes had made her choice. But he really wanted to share this with her, even if it was just as friends. So he stood up and offered her his hand. "Well if you're still in need of some retail therapy, I can accompany you at the very least. Might even be able to spring for a yogurt now that Finn's truck's escaped serious harm."
Mercedes' mood was actually starting to improve. She hadn't bought anything, except for the yogurts that she'd insisted she split the cost of, but just being with Sam was all the man she seemed to need today.
Sam was really amazing. Never once complaining about being dragged from store to store at a pace Mercedes had learned from her mother, that had once driven her younger brother to break down weeping. Far from being uninterested, he was encouraging her to try on more things. Letting her dress him up in silly hats and wraps that even Kurt would have balked at. Shane scowled when she compared him to Kurt; Sam just laughed.
She wondered what that said about the choices she'd made this week.
Mercedes looked up from her yogurt in time to see Sam put a spoonful in his mouth. A bit remained on the outside of his full lips, and Mercedes had to stop herself from licking it off. She lowered her eyes again, but couldn't keep silent about what she was feeling. "Thanks for today, Sam."
"Anytime." Then he realized what he'd just said and looked a little stricken. "Let's just hope it's not any time soon. Between this, and Etta James, it's been one hell of a depressing Black History Month."
"Amen. And the month's not even over yet," Mercedes sighed. Although technically Etta James hadn't died in February, Mercedes figured the funeral had been close enough to count.
Mercedes still had her eyes down, so she didn't see what had made Sam look away in delight. "Now that's just what we need to do a proper memorial," he stated.
Mercedes looked up to see Sam climbing onto what seemed to be an abandoned stage. As a crowd started gathering in surprise, Sam tossed Mercedes a microphone while taking a guitar and centre stage for himself. "Hi, there," he called out to the audience. In that funny way he had that was both exuberant and grounded. "I'm sure everyone's heard about Whitney Houston by now. My best girl Mercedes here, and I are big fans and I hope you don't mind a little bit of tribute music right now. I think in times like these, it's always better to share these things with the people you love."
And Sam was looking right at her.
Mercedes was a little embarrassed, and not sure at all that she wanted to do this. She considered trying to lure Sam off the stage or something, but the crowd seemed perfectly amiable. So when Sam held out her hand she took it.
The second she was on stage, Sam started playing. Mercedes was suddenly afraid that it would Sam would sing something like 'I Will Always Love You' and she'd fall apart. But once again, it seemed that Sam knew her better than that.
'Clocks strikes upon the hour,
And the sun begins to fade.
Still enough time to figure out,
How to chase my blues away.'
Mercedes smiled widely, the first time that she had all day. And she started singing.
'I need a man who'll take a chance,
On a love that burns hot enough to last.
So when the night falls,
My lonely heart calls.'
Sam picked up the chorus and they sang together.
'Oh! I wanna dance with somebody.
I wanna feel the heat with somebody.
Yeah! I wanna dance with somebody,
With somebody who loves me.'
It belatedly occurred to Mercedes that it might be more appropriate to sing something softer, something more solemn, as a memorial. But as she looked out into the crowd, she saw people smiling and singing along. Many wiped away tears, but none of them looked offended.
So maybe this was just the best way to deal with Whitney's passing right now. Remembering the good stuff, not the bad stuff.
'Oh! I wanna dance with somebody.
I wanna feel the heat with somebody.
Yeah! I wanna dance with somebody,
With somebody who loves me.'
Mercedes looked over at Sam, still singing his heart out, and realized that he too was one of those good things. She moved closer and sang again with him, realizing that she needed to make some course corrections today.
She wasn't about to miss out on dancing with somebody who loved her. Not for another Valentine's Day. Whitney Houston sure as hell wouldn't have wanted that.
The End.
Hope no one was offended by this. I really love Whitney Houston (though I'm not as much a fan as some others probably are), and wanted to write something for her. And this fic made me smile for her.