The fact that I'm so emotionally invested in these two is a little ridiculous, but amazing nonetheless. I'm going to try out some Valentine's Day-ish Samcedian One-Shots until February 14th, if that's alright with y'all! Feel free to send me any prompts. I have some ideas of my own, but will appreciate your input! This is just the first installment, so things will get cheesier as they go along.

I give credit to Conflict Fetish for the last part of this one. Something they recently said inspired me. Also, no disrespect to Nickelback or anyone that likes them, lol.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee!

"You'd rather shave your hair off?"

Mercedes' disbelief in Sam's declaration was rather comical. Their game of Would You Rather had gone from teetering the line of ridiculousness to running into the end zone of insanity.

"It was that or Nickelback, Mercedes!"

"It's your hair, Sam!"

The couple's game started out with typical questions, but when Mercedes added Nickelback into the mix, it turned into a bashing fest. Neither of them cared for the band's whiny soft rock ballads. So when Mercedes first asked her boyfriend if he'd rather be stuck in a cage with a tiger or listen to one of their songs, he jokingly went with the tiger. Sam had her convinced that his impressions would make the tiger laugh, thus saving his life. After that, something bizarre went against Nickelback every round and the band always lost.

"It's Nickelback!" Sam protested. He proceeded to do an impression of the lead singer and started "singing" their song, Photograph. He'd only hit a few notes before Mercedes' tiny hand clamped over his mouth. The grin she was sporting was just as rewarding as the laugh that followed.

"Sam, not even you can make that song appealing to me," she teased him. He pretended to take offense even though he didn't disagree with her. At that moment, a light bulb went off in his head as he thought of the perfect scenario.

"Okay, my turn! Would you rather…listen to Nickelback, or listen to Rachel Berry talk for four hours?" Sam's green orbs sparkled—he gnawed down on his lip to keep his amusement under wraps, but failed. His girl's mouth fell agape before closing it back to shake her head.

"Sam Evans, that's just cruel!" He frowned once she slipped out of his embrace. The two had been in a very comfortable position—Mercedes' had lay upon her guy's shoulder, sitting between his legs. Sam claimed their spot under a tree early on so they could overlook the lake.

"You made me choose between two awful things!" He exclaimed referring to her previous scenario that included the choices of going to a Nickelback concert or snapping his limited edition Avatar DVD in half. She'd filled his ears with a melodic giggle when he ultimately chose the concert.

"Yea, but this is worse, and you know it." Although she knew that all of these situations had intended to be hypothetical, it was still fun to play along. Mercedes reluctantly took his hand that he offered and started to play with their entwined fingers. It'd been enough to distract her, and Sam took the chance to pull her into his lap. Now he was the one who had to look up at her. Sam happily rewarded her chaste kiss on the mouth for her lack of protest. "I'm too heavy" had been her normal words whenever they were in this position. Considering the circumstances, Mercedes was happy to oblige.

Their proximity suddenly questioned Mercedes' ability to breathe. They'd been together all day—first stopping by the fair that was in town to ride their favorite Tilt-A-Whirl, eating ice cream, and now the lake. It was the way his eyes spoke for him that had her insides performing all sorts of gymnastics. In an attempt to keep her from running, Sam often had to bite his tongue. He tried his best, but his face always gave it away. This time, they appeared to reflect musings of a wedding proposal and beyond. The connection had been so strong that she had to force her eyes away from his.

"What are the circumstances?" Mercedes' voice was barely a whisper. Sam's brow furrowed, indicating that he'd clearly forgotten about their current game.

"Huh?" Thick with emotion, his voice matched her level of intensity.

"What is Rachel talking about, and how many songs would I have to listen to?" The diva inquired as she had to hold herself back from his mouth.

The sly grin returned almost immediately once Sam conjured up the details. Mercedes only groaned knowing that whatever he was about to say would be completely unfair.

"Rachel just had an argument with Finn, so she has tons to say. And…you'd have to listen to an entire album." The hysterics had begun before he'd finished his sentence—tears of laughter forming at the brims of his eyes.

Mercedes lost it as well, only calming down once that powerful air between them settled once again. Her hair swept across her eyes, prompting Sam to tuck those pieces away. His fingers acted like torches of fire. The places he touched were set ablaze, and she was certain she'd never get rid of that feeling.

"Given the circumstances…" It was difficult to complete her thoughts once Sam's lips found a home at the curve of her neck. They were starving, and her skin was the only supplement on a desert island. Mercedes warned him about leaving his love bites before, but she currently couldn't find a fuck to give. His lips were magic—dark magic enchantments that were up to no good. She'd almost let him cast his spell until she saw into the future. The thought of this being one of the last times Mercedes would get his kisses was a douse of ice cold water.

"I'd listen to the album, then. Lord knows the sound of Berry's voice when she isn't singing is anything by pleasant."

There was no lust in her voice, the diva in her emerging fast. His mouth was gone quicker than it took him to latch on. He knew this game—they both played it. Sam and Mercedes were one in the same when it came down to wearing their emotions. She'd said nothing and everything, which let Sam know that the occasion wasn't right to try and go a step further.

"It's an entire album, love. You'd really do that to your ears?" Sam asked, playing along in a game different from their current one—one that'd neither of them would win.

It'd only been two weeks since Sam dropped the news that had sent both of them into an emotional frenzy. His father, who worked hard and deserved this, would finally be receiving a stable income. Said income would take them out of that motel, finally. Said income would also be taking them to Kentucky. After the initial shock, both of them took turns in keeping the spirit alive. On the days that reality hit Mercedes particularly, Sam and his impressions had those tears dry in a matter of seconds. Whenever it was Sam's turn to mope, Mercedes always had a song that had him asking for more. They were the perfect team—which had been what hurt the most about the entire situation. Today was his last in Lima, and Sam had to force himself to ignore the traces of sadness Mercedes carried with her the entire day. One moment they'd be laughing and enjoying themselves. The next, he'd catch her staring off into space. They'd promised to try and make the best out of it—to act as if it was any other day. Thinking about what would happen at the end of the night made that harder to accomplish.

"It's Rachel Berry, Sam. You'd want me to do that to my ears?" Her sass set off a firecracker in his soul. His laughing fit had his stomach in knots.

"Ouch," he winced as he held his stomach. Sam was close to blowing chunks. He immediately regretted his consumption of fair food. Mercedes paid him no sympathy. She knew his food choices and actions that followed had been the cause.

"Does eating an entire funnel cake and getting on the Tilt-A-Whirl afterward sound like a good idea now?"

The teasing didn't last long. Mercedes fished a bottle of Tums out of her purse—she was always prepared due to Sam's unbalanced eye to stomach ratio.

"You've always got me, lady," the blond gratefully thanked Mercedes. The apology had truly been just an apology at first until that asshole of the truth came knocking on their door. The sun began to set behind her head, casting this glow upon her. He'd never know exactly what he did to deserve this woman, but he was going to cherish this moment as long as he could.

"I'm going to miss this so much," Mercedes confessed. She'd held it in all day, but of course Sam through it all. He shut him out by closing her eyelids. Everything about him had become too much and now she was fighting her least favorite battle of tears.

Sam's arms were steel and he used that to his advantage. It was impossible for them to get any closer. They were now face to face, listening to one another take gentle breaths of air. His strong armor had been taking hits all day, and Mercedes' most recent statement had him holding his bravery together with shaky hands.

"I thought we weren't going to do that today? I'm not going anywhere, remember?" Sam's jaw clenched, hurt when he saw disbelief flash across her gorgeous face.

"Sam—don't."

"A few hours away isn't shit to me! This is yours, forever," he'd taken her hands and placed them over his rapidly beating heart. The turn of events had him frustrated and exhausted. Sam wanted so badly for his lady to understand him—or accept what he was saying, rather.

Since the beginning of their time together, he'd had the ability to render her speechless—this time being no exception. He was done with playing this game. Time was running out and didn't want to leave without being truthful.

"I'm done with swimming in the shallow end with you, baby. My feelings for you are deep—scary deep. You might break up with me, but I'm not breaking up with you."

They were seventeen years old, and in Mercedes' mind, that was too young to be feeling the way she was. She'd shrugged off her visions of their wedding day earlier in the summer, but it'd still frightened her that she'd had them. Now that their future together seemed impossible, she wished she hadn't put those ridiculous thoughts in her mind. It made this goodbye much more difficult. And if she wasn't already freaking out, Sam's promise of forever was equally terrifying.

"I'm the happiest I've ever been with you! Not just 'happy because people want me to be', but genuinely happy. Mercedes, love, if keep crying, I don't know if I'll be able to get through this."

It might as well been raining on her face—the levy breaking just moments before. Mercedes had nowhere to run this time. Her heart and mind were having an intense debate, and she was honestly afraid to declare a winner.

"It wasn't supposed to happen this way, Sam. We weren't supposed to fall in love for this reason exactly. Now I have all of these feelings and I don't know what to do with them because you're leaving tomorrow!"

"If things always happened the way that they should have, a lot of shit in this world would be fucked up," Sam stressed with his growing frustration. He knew he'd struck a nerve by the complete 180 she took. Both of them were gazing out at the water letting silence overcome their troubled minds.

"My family wasn't supposed to move to Lima, and I wasn't supposed to join Glee Club. My father wasn't supposed to lose his job, and we weren't supposed to lose our house either. But all of it happened, Mercy! Life deals us a bunch of crap, but we have to deal. For a while there, I lost my way, but God has a plan. You wanna know how I know that?"

When there was no answer, he pressed on anyway. This wasn't the end for them, and Sam knew it. He just wished she'd had a little more faith in herself to accept the way he felt.

"I know because you're in my life. He didn't put you here just because. You have a purpose—we have a purpose. Our day will come, I believe it." It wasn't much, he thought, but he'd put his all into showing her that he cared over the summer. Sam wasn't the best with his words, which is why he'd spent so much time telling her in other ways. It was just him and her on this warm summer night, and all he had was his heart. If that wasn't enough, he honestly didn't know what else he could do.

"I believe it, too." Sam lifted his head to find that she was facing him again. Her words were faint, almost as if it were a figment of his imagination. But they were there, nonetheless, and it was the light that needed to see.

"And until that day, can we enjoy this without any more tears? I'm exhausted," Mercedes let out a much needed laugh. For the first time, she was going to let it be. Day by day, was the process she'd chosen. Sam had come into her life and knocked a hole into her walls, and if even she had the help of an entire construction team, rebuilding them would take some work. She had time to freak out about her future, but she chose another day for that. She had her guy, he had her. Whatever the consequences may be, Mercedes would have to take on that obstacle later.

"In that case, I think it's the perfect time to give you your Valentine's Day gift!" With a little too much excitement, Sam popped up from his spot and retrieved the backpack he'd brought along.

His surprise that he'd spent so much time and effort preparing almost fell into the back of his mind. Whilst Sam set up, he said not a word, which had Mercedes wondering if she'd have to call the insanity ward tonight.

"Sam, baby, it's July. Maybe we should have gotten you a calendar for your going away gift…."

The laptop that he asked Mercedes to bring was in the process of powering up and he'd gone in for another kiss. It'd been way too long since their last, in his opinion.

"Just pretend it's February, then! Besides, I should be able to show you how much I love you any day. Not just on Valentine's Day," he said tasting her lips once more. She rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway. Sam Evans was a force to reckon with, but she wasn't mad at him—at all. The boy had a mission, and he always followed through.

"So, Happy Valentine's Day, Mercy!" Sam revealed a thin, rectangular box wrapped in red paper—the bow holding it together sparkling silver.

"Boy!"

"Just open it, please?" It didn't take much for him to convince her. She was careful with her unwrapping, eventually revealing a DVD case. The cover was blank and mysterious, Sam keeping quiet as Mercedes bombarded him with questions. He'd grant her no quarter, and only did the honor of loading the DVD into her laptop. Mercedes fell back into his embrace as the media player popped up and started playing a video.

Sam's face appeared on the screen, and she could already feel the waterworks. He was standing in the exact spot they were sitting. The kid was the death of her, for sure.

"Hey Mercy! It's Sam here. Not that you wouldn't know that…um. What?" His brow furrowed and he started to argue with whoever was filming.

"Whatever, so this started out as a video with just me in it, but once Stacey and Stevie found out what I was doing, they wanted in. After that, more and more people started to find out, and now you have this DVD. I hope you love it, baby. Happy Valentine's Day!

Sam stared at the screen for a while until he relaxed. "Is the camera off?"

"Yep!" Mercedes recognized Artie's voice and laughed once Sam expressed how hungry he was and wanted to get back as soon as possible.

"I begged him to cut that out!" Sam exclaimed, but Mercedes only responded with a kiss to the cheek.

The screen faded to black and purple text that read Reasons Why I Love Mercedes Jones bounced around. Every scene included someone talking about her at one of their date spots. Stacey and Stevie gave an electric performance that had Mercedes digging her nails in Sam's skin. Stacey started to cry at the end and Stevie even hugged her. He assured her that it'd be okay and that they'd see her again one day. She'd miss those blonde angels with everything she had. Among his siblings, Sam's parents, every member of New Directions—even Berry—had something to say. Finally, the ending arrived which was a photo montage of Sam and Mercedes' summer photos. Pleased with the product, she began to show him how grateful she was when Sam reappeared with guitar in hand.

"And now to perform the greatest love song ever, I present Sam Evans!" Artie imitated an audience cheering. Mercedes just knew he was about to serenade her with an emotional ballad, and she was ready to turn it off—she'd past overwhelmed minutes ago.

"I love you, you love me…"

Her laugh had a few birds flocking out of the tree, it'd been so intense. Sam's acoustic version of Barney's "I love you" was simply ridiculous. It was simply Sam, and she didn't want him any other way.

Mercedes' memory of that day had been vivid. As she stared down at the red rose on her locker and the note attached, she actually hoped it'd be from Shane. Sam wasn't playing games once he returned to McKinley months ago. He promised he'd fight to get her back, and fighting he did. The level of crazy only increased last week when the boy put her name in lights. Her guard fell, of course, and she was caught in a mess. That kiss in the auditorium had her remembering everything she'd worked so hard to forget. Her loyalty to Shane versus her love for Sam seemed to the battle everyone thought she was dealing with, but this went deeper than the naked eye. The real love triangle had been between Mercedes, Sam, and her conscious.

I told you our day would come. All you have to do is say yes.

Of course the note hadn't been from her boyfriend. Ms. Pillsbury had advised Sam and Mercedes to stay clear of one another, but when that failed, the pair found themselves in deeper trouble. Just like Sam, she'd had a lot of things happen that weren't supposed to, including Sam's return. Unfortunately, she hadn't easily figured out her path. What was God's plan for her? Day by day was the process she'd chosen, but time seemed to stand still whenever Sam was around. Their day had indeed come, only it was just a bit sooner than Mercedes had expected.

Comments are appreciated :) Until then, I'll be working on the next one and Bluebird, of course.