Ain't No Way

by martusia

But there she was, with her voice more powerful than he had ever heard, with modesty he had never seen and strength he had never felt.

Title: Ain't No Way
Raiting: PG
Pairing: S/M
Summary: But there she was, with her voice more powerful than he had ever heard, with modesty he had never seen and strength he had never felt.
Status: One-shot; complete
Disclaimer: Lyrics belong to ever so great Aretha and Glee owns characters (as pretty much my world right now ^^).
Author Notes: I'm like instant Samcedes shipper. The moment I saw 3rd season I've fallen for their maturity and unobviousness — haven't seen much of that in Glee. So when I rewatched 2nd season this idea popped up — that actually Sam had fallen for Mercedes during her "Ain't No Way" stunning performance. My first Glee fanfic, hope you like it. R&R, please!
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"And now, ladies and gentlemen, Miss Mercedes Jones"

It was a tough week for the whole glee club. From the first moment Sam joined New Directions, he was pretty sure Rachel Berry was given too much attention. And ever since he'd heard Mercedes for the first time — singing "River Deep Mountain High" with Santana on duets assignment, he was pretty sure who should get more credits than Rachel. But, seriously, all this drama with Lauren being Mercedes' manager was too much. He'd never thought she was that kind of person. He was sure one day she'd gain respect she's looking for, but he'd rather say she'd get it by winning a Grammy rather than demanding humidifiers.
When he sat down in the auditorium next to Santana and wrapped his arm around her chair, he prepared himself for huge bag of emotions. Mercedes' voice was powerful and it had always been a pleasure for him to listen to her and stand close to her on the stange when they performed together. He would never admit that to anyone, but hearing Mercedes sing made him shiver.

"Ain't no way for me to love you
If you won't let me
No, no
I know that a woman's duty is to have and love a man
And that's the way it was planned"

She looked absolutely breathtaking in that dark blue dress. Sam never thought he would think of her that way, but oh, what style she had in that very moment. If he hadn't known that voice so well, he would have wondered whether this is really Mercedes.
But there she was, with her voice more powerful than he had ever heard, with modesty he had never seen and strength he had never felt. Suddenly, he started to think that they were all going to be seeing her name in lights for the rest of their lives. And that he would never get tired of that voice.
Boy, guy who will get her is going to be completely happy.

"Oh, it ain't no way
It ain't no way
Just ain't no way baby
Ain't no way, baby
It ain't no way for me to love you
If you won't let me"

He had always admired her. She didn't need a Cheerios uniform, she didn't need a boy to make her a star. For him, she deserved all the applause she could get. She was practically the only girl in New Directions, who wasn't switching from one guy to another, probably because she knew what she's made of. She wasn't sleeping around, that's not her. She didn't need somebody to love, but she needed to be loved with a whole heart.
He knew that this whole relationship with Santana was riddiculous. To be honest, it wasn't even relationship. She was some kind of a rebound girl and he was never in love with her. He didn't really know why they had been together, because he knew he could do better than that.
His hand around Santana's seat suddenly felt too heavy.
And then there was Quinn. This whole Rachel-Finn-Quinn drama made him sick and, as a newcomer, he couldn't have known that sticking his nose into that situation wasn't really a good idea. Sometimes he thought she didn't even like him. He knew he was a bit fancy and nerdy and his jokes weren't particulary funny all the time, but doing impersonations and speaking Nav'i wasn't that bad, was it? Plus, Quinn for sure was drama queen and being with one always ends up badly. He deserved more than a girl, who would cheat on him anytime, just because the occasion pops up.
And Mercedes? With all that she had to give, she seemed like a good idea. No, wait. She seemed morethan a good idea.

"Stop trying to be someone you're not
And if you need me to love you, say, say, say you do
And then baby, baby, baby, don't you know that I need you"

He almost laughed when he realised what she's singing about and the way it related to his thoughts. And he knew, he felt it was because of this song. When he looked around he saw that all of his friends couldn't hold back their emotions. He was utterly proud he was the one that announced her. Now he knew how people on the Oscar gala felt, when they announced the winner. That's how you gain respect, Miss Jones.
He found himself smiling and now it was clear to him, that her singing made him completely happy. And right then it was all he could ask for. His situation was pretty bad. Living in a tiny motel room with the whole family and having just enough money to make it to another day just to deliver pizza in evening has sucked all of joy out of him. Yet for a moment it didn't matter. And that's why Mercedes Jones, with only one song, made him feel more happy and more unique than Quinn and Santana together through almost all this year.
There she was, singing that he's trying to be someone he's not and she was so damn right. He shouldn't be dating a girl who has openly declared she want to be his mistress. He shouldn't be dating a girl, who thinks that every time he opens his trouty mouth, he reminds everybody just how dumb he is. He shouldn't have been dating a girl, who wanted to be with somebody else. He was just not that kind of guy and suddenly it was more than clear to him.

"I ain't no way
I tell you that it ain't no way, ain't no way, ain't no way, baby
No, it just ain't no way
It just ain't no way
It ain't no way for me to love you
If you won't let me"

As soon as she finished singing he jumped off of his seat. He was completely overwhelmed by emotions that she aroused in him. Yes, if there was only one girl in the whole world to change his life entirely in three minutes it would be Mercedes Jones. Sam was amazed by how he could've missed that. How he could've missed her.
And that smile, on top of all that. Nobody had a smile that she had. That smile, now full of sheer joy. She must've known she did a fine job. If only she had known how much he'd wanted her to never let go of that smile. If only she had known how much he'd wanted to let her everything she was singing about right now.
Maybe Santana was right, maybe he was completely dumb: by not seeing Mercedes. But now, with just one song she has conquered Sam's heart and he knew he would dream of her singing to him.