This was originally chapter 2. The first chapter was Sam's Prom but as I'm reformatting and editing this fic I decided I didn't want the overlap in storytelling. Sam's version of the night's events can now be found as the final oneshot in my 'Samcedes Random Bits and Pieces' fic which has now been marked complete.

Mercedes wasn't entirely sure if there was a specific event the night of the prom that made it so special - all she knew was that somehow it had turned out to be one of the best nights of her life.

The day hadn't started well. There were issues with her weave that refused to be resolved. She had wanted to go long and sleek with the hair for prom but the friend that was supposed to be coming to put it in suddenly wasn't and she was having to work with what she already had. If she could at least get the bangs smooth she may just be able to get the rest into a wavy look instead. This was really not the day that she needed to be having hair issues!

But at least she liked the dress she was going to wear. She'd been in the thrift store with Rachel for less than 30 seconds when she saw the patch of purple sticking out among a group of dresses that clearly designed to fit the likes of Quinn who had no boobs or behind to speak of. The color immediately caught her eye and something made her just take a look. Maybe she could use it as inspiration to make an outfit or even just to buy it and take it apart to use for something else. That hot pink/purple shade complemented her skin beautifully and the sequins just screamed diva! And then by some amazing miracle it was actually in her size! Someone had clearly stuffed it in the wrong place and made her day. Kurt had also been on hand to advise on makeup and accessories and to buzz excitedly about going to prom with Blaine and now suddenly the hour was upon them.

When the knock came on the front door she was ready to go but didn't rush downstairs. She knew that her parents wanted to see who she was going with and listened carefully from her room as Rachel introduced Jesse and Sam to her parents. Sam was so polite to her father it made her smile. She knew her father made a scary first impression even though he was really just a giant teddybear. She could hear Sam thanking him for the honor of being able Mercedes to the prom and how he would make sure that he took good care of her. His humble tone made her smile. She knew her father was old fashioned and really liked that kind of thing. She also knew it was her cue to go downstairs before the conversation turned embarrassing.

As the dress was strapless she assured her father that she would keep her wrap on all evening even though she knew she was going to 'accidentally' leave it in the car all night. Rachel squealed when she saw the dress and hugged her tightly telling her that she looked absolutely beautiful. Jesse simply smiled and nodded (Mercedes was still struggling to forgive him for the egg incident), being far harder to win over than Rachel, and Sam just stood and looked darned cute with in his borrowed suit with the bolo tie. He had that cute lopsided grin that he pulled off so well and a look of appreciation for her outfit in his eyes although he wisely appeared to bite his tongue and refrain from making any complements in front of her parents.

Jesse drove quickly to Breadstix much to her relieve because she'd hardly eaten a thing all day due to nerves and was starving. Now that Rachel had included Jesse she was aware that she'd be left with Sam more and didn't know how that would be. They hadn't really talked much before and although she'd been to the motel a couple of times to babysit the kids while he was out delivering pizzas they hadn't had a huge amount of interaction. Aside from Glee he didn't really factor much in her world. He belonged to the Letterman wearing football team, he'd already dated both Quinn and Santana and she knew that there were other girls in the school who didn't know about his circumstances and were fascinated by this handsome mysterious stranger. From what she had observed for herself from Glee club he was a genuinely nice guy with a cute voice and a real talent for playing the guitar. And the Biebier experience had been strangely thrilling and fun but showed a depth of passion that she respected, even if she didn't share the same musical taste.

Within moments of arriving at the restaurant Jesse had is arm around the back of Rachel's seat as if marking his territory and most of their conversation was to the exclusion of Sam and Mercedes. It was initially difficult for her to start conversation once they'd ordered their food. She really wanted to ask after his family and express her genuine concern and see if there was anything more she could do to be of help but she quickly realized it was a bit of a taboo subject. This was clearly a night where he wanted focus on having fun outside of that motel room so she brought up the fascinating subject of what she'd discovered in his DVD collection. He'd sold loads but many he couldn't bear to be parted from, and they were all sci-fi.

His ears turned slightly red. "You must think I'm a bit of a dork with all my sci-fi DVDs and comics."

"Actually, no. My brother was into all that stuff too. There's still loads of DVDs in his old room. I watch them in there sometimes when I miss him too much…" And the ice was broken, together with a promise to lend him some movies from the collection that he'd never seen or missed watching because of having to sell them.

Mercedes liked observing people and when Finn arrived with Quinn, instead of the concentrating fully on the competitive interaction between Finn and Jesse which was entirely predictable, she chose to see how Sam reacted to Quinn with Finn. After all, Finn was the reason they had broken up in the first place.

He did look annoyed but he couldn't tell if it was due to seeing her and Finn or if it was the interruption to their conversation and the bad feeling that was radiating between the two alpha males over Rachel. He also struggled to make eye contact with Quinn. That one would take a long time to heal. She decided it was time to make short shrift with Quinn so that she and Sam would be able to resume their conversation. Sam was actually pretty funny and when he laughed his hair did this cute thing that made her want to brush it out of his eyes. He told her about being a computer game nut and how it was his dream to one day design one. He had lots of great ideas for it.

Arriving at the prom was fun. As they entered, Sam took her arm and walked her in with a big smile. It was how she always felt she should enter a prom. On the arm of a cute guy who was showing her a good time. It didn't take them long to get a table together with Rachel and Jesse but yet again the other two seemed to be in a world of their own. This time she didn't mind so much as she and Sam had pretty much in a world of their own for the last hour. But now things changed. The Glee girls came squealing over, comparing notes on dresses, hair and makeup. Of course Kurt had the final say on the matter and declared them all divas, including himself in his genuine kilt. He was excited because Blaine and the Warblers were going to perform a surprise guest appearance.

Puck came past Mercedes with an appreciative glance. "Damn!" he said emphatically. "I shouldn't have wasted my chance when I had it!" The comment didn't go down well with Lauren who declared herself more than enough woman for him.

Sam had leaned towards her and asked what Puck had meant by that comment. She laughed it off, "Oh, Puck and I had the briefest of things going on. But he didn't know how to treat a woman right so it ended before it had even started! The guy had no idea how to actually woo a woman!"

Mercedes liked the fact that Sam had been curious. He clearly knew that Puck had been through all the Glee girls but for some reason it hadn't occurred to him that it may have included Mercedes. It seemed to annoy him slightly which amused her greatly and she gave him a playful nudge.

Suddenly felt an arm around her waist. "Sorry guys!" she breathed as she was swirled onto the dance floor by a dashingly handsome Blaine while Kurt looked on approvingly. She was having a whale of a time! And to think that she very nearly didn't come to the prom! She was grateful for Rachel not allowing her to hide herself away but for understanding what she meant. She didn't NEED a man, but it sure as hell was good to have one on your arm on a night like prom! And the idea of asking Sam had been inspired. She was really enjoying his company and honestly could not think of anyone she'd rather have come with (except maybe Kurt in the days before Blaine.)

As she made her way around the dance floor she noticed that Quinn didn't seem her usual bright self. Possibly nerves, everyone knew that she was desperate to be voted prom queen and the competition between her and Lauren had been vicious. But there was something in the way that she stared anxiously at Finn that betrayed her true feelings. Mercedes missed how close they'd become during her pregnancy. She would have confided in her at that time but wasn't confiding in her anymore. She knew that Quinn felt that Finn was the key to her popularity but there was something of the desperation about her recently. She was definitely feeling threatened by Finn's obvious hostility towards Jesse and she was keeping him close. Mercedes made a mental note to try and talk to her during the course of the evening then realized that technically she had come with Quinn's ex so maybe this location wasn't the best timing.

But right now she was getting her groove on with Artie. She loved that he'd done his hair up with a bit of funk for the night. She could also see that it pained him to see Brittany flitting around the floor dancing with everyone else's men as she'd vowed to during Glee club but he was still getting on and having a good time. It had been a while since she'd hung out with him and she'd forgotten how much fun he was.

Tired after a particularly 'grinding' dance session with Santana, Mercedes finally returned to her seat. Everyone else was dancing, Rachel with Jesse while watching Finn and Quinn over his shoulder and Sam was with Santana. Even tho she knew things were over between them she couldn't help feeling a little defensive of him. Satan was a man eater and Sam had simply been chewed up and eaten by her, like many others before him, but he really hadn't deserved it. Especially as his relationship with Quinn had ended because she was cheating. She always enjoyed watching people and now was no exception. It made her happy seeing other people being happy.

The music changed to a slower tempo and the pairs on the dance floor drew closer together. Santana and Karofsky looked strangely uncomfortable while Mike and Tina were perfectly in sync. This was the point in the evening that she'd been dreading. The moment when she wished she could be swept up in the arms of somebody who cared about her and truly made her feel beautiful. With a heavy heart she sipped her drink and tried to make herself invisible. She looked back at Mike and Tina. That's the kind of relationship she'd like to have. It's wasn't just about the romance, it was about being part of something that makes you complete. To be a friend is just as important. To have things in common and just be able to spend time together without obligation. She loved seeing Mike and Tina when they thought nobody else was looking. They had such an easiness together. They didn't even need to be looking at each other or to be actually touching in order to feel close. And they could find humor even in the most nonsensical conversations. A bit like she'd done with Sam at Breadstix.

Sam… That guy was certainly an enigma and she'd been pleasantly surprised. Obviously she already knew there was more to him than being the blonde guy with the huge lips who was currently homeless, but today was the first time she'd had the opportunity to scratch below the surface and the more she scraped away the more she liked what she saw.

"Mercedes" – her thoughts were interrupted by the guy himself. He looked nervous as he continued, "I just wanted to say that you look beautiful tonight." She had no idea how to respond tot hat and was unnerved by the fact that her heart had strangely skipped a beat at the words. But there was no time to assess the situation because his hand was stretched out towards her and he was asking her to dance. Before she could even think of a reply her body took over and she was on her feet being led towards a space on the dance floor.

She looked up and caught the eye of Rachel as she sang on stage. Rachel smiled at her and she felt good. Sure Rachel had probably put him up to come over and dance with her but to hell with it - this was her moment and she was going to enjoy it! Plenty of time to overanalyze it later.

As she felt his arms fold around her it suddenly occurred to Mercedes that this was only the second time she'd ever slow danced with a guy and she was very much enjoying the feeling of being pressed against his firm body. The fact that he worked out was very evident in the solidness of his arms and chest. The first time had been with Kurt who was decidedly shorter and softer. This was at the prom. With her prom date. And she was finally getting to have her 'moment'. Somehow suddenly her head was resting on his chest. She had no idea how it got there, but if she moved away it would just look weird so she kept it there. Besides, it felt pretty good there. She liked the way that she fit into his arms. It was so comfy and she had no desire to move away. She willed Rachel to sing her song forever but it ended much much too soon.

She'd expected Sam to immediately release her and move on but the second the music changed tempo but instead he simply spun her out without letting go of her hand. He did it with such force after such a slow song that she felt she was being thrown across the room and it caught her breath and made her giggle. She met his eyes which were bright with amusement and they continued to twirl each other until they fell back into each other's arms, dizzy and trying to hold each other up. It felt good to be back there.

Mercedes expected Sam to withdraw now that she'd had a full dance with him but instead he started pulling some of the goofiest dance moves in front of her that she'd ever seen and the louder she laughed the sillier he got until she joined in. And they just kept on dancing – stupid stuff – the 'robot', the 'running man', the 'twist' and 'Vogue' all made an appearance and soon her stomach was hurting, no longer from nerves but from laughter.

Eventually she had to beg for mercy. She needed to sit down and have a drink. She watched him head over the punch bowl which had been closely guarded by coach Sylvester and found herself admiring the broadness of his shoulders as he walked. And he had a pretty good butt for a white guy too! She could certainly see why so many girls admired him. Even though he was nothing like the kind of guy she would normally go for, she had to admit she was starting to find him more and more attractive by the moment. By the time he returned with the drinks she was starting to wonder if she was developing a little crush on him and suddenly she started to feel nervous. But if he noticed any change in her he didn't react, chatting animatedly about Avatar while she sipped her drink, and she relaxed back into conversation and laughter.

This boy could do impressions of Glee club members so well that she laughed so hard she again could barely breathe! Considering she'd come to dance, she was now zoned out of the music and fully focused on the way those luscious lips moved as he talked and the way his brow tightened with concentration as he tried to get each impression as accurate as possible. Her favorite was Mr Schue and his obsession with vests and Journey songs. His one of Kurt was spot on but a little too close to home.

Suddenly prom was over. Somehow she'd missed the last dance. It would have been wonderful to have been back in Sam's arms for it but she was happy to settle for his 110% rapt attention at the table. He was really taking the time to entertain her and she appreciated it. Rachel came over and informed them that her dad was outside ready to drive them home. After Jesse St Jerkoff (the name Sam had given him when he did his scarily accurate impression) had gotten into the fight with Finn, Rachel had refused to talk to him and he'd been sent away early so she'd organized the alternative ride.

As they walked to the car Sam excused himself and vanished for a moment. Mercedes wanted to turn and see where he'd gone but Rachel was talking to her and she couldn't break the conversation.

"I can't believe you told Sam to tell me I looked beautiful and ask me to dance!" Mercedes wanted to feel more angry about this but the memory of the dance softened it.

Rachel's eyes widened in feigned innocence. "No I didn't! Well not exactly."

"What do you mean not exactly?"

"He told me that he thought you looked beautiful tonight. I just told him that telling me was a waste. He should tell you that himself."

By this time they'd stepped out into the dark night and Mercedes was relieved as it meant the blush that had just risen to her face would have remained invisible. So he'd actually meant it when he said she looked beautiful. Why was finding this out such a thrill?

Sam met them at the car. His face was flushed from rushing and for some reason she felt she could no longer look directly at him in case her face was reflecting the myriad of emotions that were flowing through her at this moment. As they travelled, she felt that he was looking at her even though he was facing forward so she pretended to be staring out the window when really she was staring into herself and trying to work out exactly what it was that she was seeing there. She kept replaying various elements of the night but it always kept coming back to that feeling of being in his arms for that slow dance and how her body had reacted in a wholly unexpected way.

Before she knew it they were stopped outside her home and she was thanking Mr Berry for the ride. But before she could get out Sam had sparked back to life and insisted on opening her door and walking her to the door so she took his arm and they walked up in silence. He looked disturbed and she wondered if she'd done something wrong. He paused and stared at her with such an intensity that it unnerved her yet made her stomach flip at the same time.

"Are you OK Sam?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course." But he looked wretched. He kept nervously biting his bottom lip and she couldn't take her eyes off it. She realized that she liked that bottom lip. A lot.

Suddenly there was a beautiful but slightly crushed flower in his hand. "Um… Mercedes… I know this has been a pretty unorthodox evening but if I'd been able to do things properly I would have got you a corsage for tonight… I know it's the end of the night and its super cheesy but I still wanted you to have this to thank you for escorting me to prom tonight. It matches your dress and is almost as beautiful as you are."

She giggled nervously, wishing it were true. What she wanted to do was throw her arms around him in a massive hug, kiss him on the cheek and thank him for a wonderful night. But she dared not. She didn't trust herself to not ruin the beginning of what could actually be a wonderful friendship.

As she put the key in the door he grabbed her hand and softly kissed it like an old fashioned gentleman. The perfect ending to a perfect night. As she closed the door behind her she tried to tell herself that he had not lingered slightly longer with her hand than was strictly necessary…

Her parents were in the kitchen with hot chocolate waiting to hear all about her night. She'd barely said hello before her phone buzzed with a text message. 'Thnx 4 the amazing night Cedes. I had a really gr8 time. It was perfect. Sam x'

Frustratingly it took a long time to untangle herself from her parents. She stared at her now empty hot chocolate mug and wished to be left alone so that she could reply to her text. But they asked so many questions about everything and weren't happy until they'd had a blow by blow account of what had happened.

She even told them about the fight between Jesse and Finn. They'd find out anyway and she figured it was better coming from her. But she skimmed over what happened to Kurt, instead going into detail on what he was wearing and the fact that he'd brought Blaine as his guest.

They asked about Sam and she struggled with her composure at the mention of his name. They already knew of his family situation but knew little of him as a person. She told them that he was a lot like her brother. Especially with his love of all things sci-fi. This description seemed to please them and she was quickly able to turn the direction of the conversation to what everyone had been wearing.

Eventually, after they'd eventually exhausted all of their questions, she was allowed upstairs to the privacy of her room where she immediately pulled out the phone and re-read the message.

He said the night had been perfect.

She pondered briefly over what to say before sending her reply. He'd put a kiss on the end of his so she did too. Usually she never put kisses on texts to guys with the exception of Kurt and she'd lingered a little before hitting 'send' but once it was gone it was gone.

After 5 minutes passed without a reply she assumed he'd gone to sleep and did the same herself. But not after spending a little time dwelling on the fact that he thought she was beautiful…

24 hours without a reply made her feel a lot differently about the night. Having had extra time she realized she must have misread the evening. Sam was a cute popular guy. What would he be doing thinking about a girl like her? His mind was probably still on Quinn as most guys always were. Yes he'd held her close for the slow dance, but that's what you're supposed to do in a slow dance. He was probably imagining that she was Quinn! She laughed to herself at the irony of that statement and finished peeling the potatoes for dinner.

She'd already learned the hard lesson about crushing on guys from her experience with Kurt. It was just one night with Sam and she had gained a friend a friend from it. There was no harm done. She hadn't behaved in a way to make herself look silly so there was no need to keep dwelling on it.

Besides... It's not like she was even into blonds or anything!