A/N: So basically this fic starts with filling in the blanks of what happened between Prom Queen and the end of New York, and later it will follow what happens to Sam and Mercedes during the summer! I'm not sure how many chapters it will be yet, but there will be at least 5, I think.

Let me know if you like it and what I could improve on, pretty please!

"I had a lot of fun tonight," Sam said, smiling down at Mercedes as they stood just outside the school's main doors. Most of the students had left already, so apart from a couple of people milling around their cars, they were alone. "Despite what happened with Kurt, and with Finn and Jesse, I think it turned out to be a pretty good prom."

"Well, drama's unavoidable in our Glee club. At least there weren't any broken bones," Mercedes joked. Sam chuckled.

"Honestly though, I'm really glad I went with you," Sam said. "And Rachel," he added quickly.

"Me too. For a white boy, you've got some moves," Mercedes nudged him playfully with her elbow, grinning widely. "I don't know why I never really hung out with you before. You're pretty cool."

"You know," Sam faltered, swallowed nervously, and started over. "You know, I was actually wondering if-"

A silver Honda pulled into a parking spot a little ways away and honked twice, cutting Sam off.

"That's my dad," Mercedes said as she leaned in for a quick hug. "You sure you don't want a ride?"

Sam shook his head. "Nah, it's fine."

"Alright. Thanks for an awesome time," She started towards the car. "See you in Glee!"

"Bye, Mercedes," Sam called after her. He sighed, and turned to walk back to the motel.

The next few weeks were hectic, to say the least. New Directions was preparing for Nationals, opting to write original songs again. Kurt and Finn were planning a funeral for Sue's sister and needed help from the rest of the Glee club. And on top of everything else, Sam had picked up some more shifts delivering pizza. Between all that, babysitting his brother and sister, and homework, he was staying up until ridiculous hours of the morning every day.

He didn't get another chance to talk to Mercedes until they were sitting in Dayton International Airport, waiting for their flight to New York.

Mercedes didn't notice when Sam sat down in the seat beside her. She looked exhausted, which was understandable, since their flight was at 4 in the morning.

"Hey."

She looked up from where she had been staring fixatedly at a stain on the floor. Blinking sleepily, she returned the greeting. In a sudden rush of emotions, Sam had the urge to wrap his arms around her until she fell asleep on his shoulder. He shook his head slightly.

"How've you been?" he asked. "We haven't talked since prom."

"Oh, good. Nervous about Nationals. I really wanna win this. How are you? You look tired," she observed, surveying the dark bags under his eyes.

"I think we're all tired. It's 4 am," he joked lamely.

"Not just now. You always look tired." Mercedes threw him a look full of concern. "Sam, how are you really doing? Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine for Nationals, Mercedes. I'll sleep on the plane."

She shook her head. "Not what I meant. How are your parents? Still looking for work?"

Oh. So it was going to be one of those conversations.

But something was different. There wasn't that unbearable look of pity in Mercedes eyes like Sam usually saw when he told people about his situation. Suddenly Sam realized just how much he needed to talk to someone.

He glanced around, but most of the members of New Directions were spread out over the chairs in the waiting area, half-asleep with their iPods in. No one was listening to their conversation, or even looking their way. He turned back to face Mercedes.

"Yeah, but no one's hiring. My dad even tried looking for work at the mall, just until he could find something better, but they said he was 'way overqualified,' because he went to law school and everything. We're all getting really worried, but we don't want to let the kids know how bad it is. They don't need to know." Sam rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. How did everything fall apart so quickly? It still hadn't completely sunk in that he was homeless. God. Homeless. What a depressing term for his living situation.

He felt a warm arm wrap itself around his shoulders and he realized a couple tears had escaped. He wiped them away quickly, praying that Mercedes hadn't seen them.

"Good morning, passengers." A cool female voice rang through the speakers of the airport. "Flight number 3746 to New York City is now boarding at Gate B12. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Thank you."

Mr. Schue stood up and turned to face the Glee kids. "That's us, guys! Come on, New York is waiting for us!" Mentioning New York seemed to do the trick. Most of the kids perked up instantly. Rachel actually shot to her feet so quickly that she lost her balance and had to sit back down.

Sam and Mercedes gathered up their bags and joined the rest of the club to get in line. Everyone was quiet until their boarding passes were checked.

As soon as they were past security, the excitement level skyrocketed, because, well, they were officially on a plane to New York City.

"Pretty exciting, huh? I've never been to New York! Have you?" Mercedes asked Sam, bouncing slightly on her toes.

"No, me neither," he replied, amused by her sudden energy. He had a sudden inspiration. "You know what we should do while we're there?"

"What?" she asked, tilting her head in interest.

"Mercedes, over here beside Kurt!" Mr. Schue called. "And Sam, you're beside Puck."

"I call window seat!" Puck yelled, jumping over a row of seats to snag his preferred spot.

"See you later," Mercedes said as she dragged her carry-on back a few rows to where Kurt was sitting, already immersed in a copy of SkyMall.

Sam sighed and plunked himself down beside Puck.