Sam strolled through the busy halls, weaving his way amongst the loud and chaotic students of McKinley High. It was great being in a crowd and to not feel their eyes zoned on to his every movement, after the past months in his time as 'White Chocolate'. He shuddered at the thought of what he had been doing, it had paid the bills but he would die of embarrassment if anyone ever found out. He felt a moment of panic as he remembered the night Finn and Rachael had tracked him down, but they had promised not to tell a soul. He realized after the groups' reaction to his other secret that he could trust the rest of New Directions as well. At the thought of Glee club Sam's mind conjured the image of Mercedes….Yeah, the best thing about being back was definitely Mercedes, he thought. It was great just being able to get back to being a normal teenage guy again and being able to spend time with his New Directions friends.

Manoeuvring his way amongst the other students in the crowded corridor he spotted Tina and Mike, turning, he waved to them as he rounded the corner with a smile. As he turned he bumped into Mercedes, he stumbled back a step. He tried to meet her eyes with a lop-sided grin of apology on his face.

"Hey Mercedes, sorry about that", he said brushing his hand over her shoulder.

He was surprised when he didn't get a sassy response; she barely even met his eyes, before turning away and walking off quickly. This somewhat dampened his spirits as he continued on his way to class.

All through History class he thought about what could be going on with Mercedes. This thought process merged into his day-dreams of how he had hoped things could have picked up where they left off. He and Mercedes had spent an amazing if somewhat secretive summer together, watching DVDs, playing video games, going for walks in the evening…lots of fun and romantic things. Sam sighed and looked up at the clock, five minutes till the lunch bell. Carefully he pulled his phone out of his bag sending off a quick message. If anyone knew what was up with Mercedes it would be Kurt, he thought to himself. As he sent the message he thought of how awkwardly his friendship with Kurt had started. Kurt's insistence that Sam bleached his hair (which of course was true, but he hadn't admitted that to anyone but Quinn) and assumption that Sam was gay, had made their initial interactions sort of awkward. "Oh man, I'm glad we're past that weirdness," he thought, shaking his head with a smile. Although things had started out strange between the boys they had become friends when Kurt found out the difficult situation for Sam's family. That situation had helped Sam appreciate just what a good guy Kurt was. It was good now Kurt had found the dark haired Frodo look-alike from Dalton. After all the crap he had gone through he deserved to find happiness with someone special, just as he had with Mercedes. Even though he had only been back a couple of days he had already noticed how much happier Kurt seemed and from what he had heard from Finn this new guy seemed alright.

As soon as the bell rang Sam slammed his books shut, realizing they were full of scribbles and doodled drawings rather then notes. Damn. Waiting outside the lunch room door Sam soon spotted Kurt with that guy…..Blaine, right.

They stopped in front of Sam and Kurt looked at him with a quirked eye-brow "How can I help you Sam?".

Sam cleared his throat, "Can I talk to you privately?" he asked hesitantly. "Sure", Kurt replied, giving him a quizzical look before turning to Blaine and giving him a kiss on the cheek, "I'll see you in a few".

Blaine smiled brightly and squeezed Kurt's hand in farewell before nodding to Sam and heading off to get his lunch. Kurt turned and headed out the doors into the courtyard to find a quiet spot for this little "talk".

Kurt took a seat at one side of the courtyard steps and patted the space beside him. "Firstly, I would like to officially welcome you back to these marvellous halls of McKinley", Kurt said with an overdramatic sweep of his arm. "So, what's the trouble, you need some help with your next hair dying experiment?" he teased. Sam fidgeted and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before taking a deep breath.

"Umm, no. I just wondered how're things with everyone in Glee…..?" Sam started out uncertainly.

"Fine, fine!" Kurt waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "The usual drama of who hates who, who's dating who, pretty normal for our little family of misfits. But I know that's not the only thing you want to ask", Kurt stated, fixing Sam with a determined look.

"Fine", Sam heaved a sigh. He should have known that once he got Kurt involved he wouldn't be allowed to chicken out. "What's going on with Mercedes? Is everything going ok with her and Glee club? Is she getting bullied or something?", he queried nervously, "she won't talk to me and ran off when we bumped into each other earlier".

Kurt crossed his legs and settled himself. Perhaps this wasn't going to be quite such a brief and straight forward conversation after all. "Why all the questions about 'Cedes? You two hardly used to talk to each other in Glee...", he questioned suspiciously. Kurt had his own ideas as to the reasons, but he wanted to hear it straight from Sam.

Sam was just about to answer when he spotted Mercedes coming out into the courtyard through a side door. She was soon joined by a bulky guy wearing a McKinley football jersey. When the guy reached Mercedes she turned a bright smile to the guy and stretching on tip-toes and gave him an enthusiastic kiss before cosily linking arms with him and leading him to a table. Watching this was a shock for Sam. Kurt noticed the change in his expression from nervous to downcast in two seconds flat. Following Sam's line of sight Kurt groaned inwardly, realizing what Sam had seen and what that implied. "Yay, another love triangle" he thought to himself sarcastically. Although Kurt appreciated drama as much as the next diva, he knew what this could mean for the delicate peace within New Directions but also for the peace of Mercedes heart.

Kurt snapped back to reality when Sam swore quietly under his breath and ran his hands forcefully through his hair, before dropping his head into his hands. All pretence Sam had held of looking like he was ok had dropped away, when, after a minute he looked up to Kurt with sad open eyes. "What happened?" he asked quietly. Now it was Kurt's turn to feel somewhat uncomfortable as he thought through all the gushing comments from Mercedes in the past few weeks about her new dark chocolate "boo". How should he tell Sam? Finally Kurt decided the direct approach was best, squaring his shoulders he replied straight up, "well you can see for yourself she's dating one of the new football players. They have been going out for a few weeks. I think they met through her church."

Sam continued to look somewhat blank and sad as Kurt talked. When he next spoke his words were fond and reminiscent, "I really missed Mercedes when I left with my family. We had gotten really close over the summer and we had a lot in common…. I think I was falling in love with her.. It was so different to being with Quinn or Santana, she was never pretending to be someone she wasn't or playing mind games. We just seemed to get each other, you know?" As he stopped talking he looked over to Kurt with a slightly desperate look. "I didn't want to lose contact with her but I had no idea I would ever be back here and things got so crazy with my family and—"Kurt reached over and patted Sam's knee as he looked so upset. There was a moment of quiet between the two as Sam gathered his thoughts. Eventually he exhaled in a sigh and met Kurt's eyes. "I want to win Mercedes back. I don't believe that she's forgotten what we had. I'm going to fight for her." As he finished talking Kurt could see a change in Sam's eyes, they looked more determined and he had a more stubborn set to his jaw as he stared over at the competition.

"Hold up!" Kurt shot his hand out in a stop motion. "You can't just go busting in there and say you want to get back with her Sam. Mercedes seems happy with Shane. It would be unfair to her. I'm sure she's happy your back, as we all are, but she needs some space to sort her thoughts out. Mercy has a big heart and she would have found it tough when you left. She won't just dump him because you have come back; you know that's not her style. Just hang in there and see what happens, ok?"

Sam paused before replying. "Fine, I won't go barging in, ok? But the minute there's a chance she's interested in me again I'm there!" Sam answered stubbornly.

"Fair enough." Kurt said holding his hands up in surrender. "Come on lets go get something to eat before lunch is over and I'll catch you up on all the other McKinley news", Kurt offered already getting to his feet.

A few days later Sam started thinking about what he could do to get Mercedes attention and approval. He thought back to her relationship with Puck, he had been a football player, when Sam had been with Mercedes he had been a football player and now this new guy Shane was a jock too. This seemed to be a pattern. He began to think about the status of being a jock and what that had meant to Quinn and Santana. Being able to wear the letterman jacket was both a source of pride and won respect from the student body. Maybe it was a power thing that the girls were drawn too. He decided he needed to up his rep again if he was to have any chance. Unfortunately when he had left McKinley he had to abandon his spot on the football team which was now filled and there was no way of talking Coach Beiste into taking on another sub let alone give him back his old spot. He thought about the other sport options at the school, by now most of the team sports had filled the player spots and others were just out of the question for other reasons. Like ice hockey, there was no way in a million years he would join the hockey team, those guys were even bigger jerks then some of the football players and even more cruel.

Later that day he was wandering past the school notice board and saw a sign-up sheet for the swim team. It didn't seem like the greatest option in terms of getting back his athlete rep but at least it was something and would get him a letterman jacket again. That would at least be a start to getting him noticed by Mercedes. He put his name down and walked off with more confidence to his step. At least he had taken some action and hopefully the rest would fall into place.

Unfortunately for Sam it seemed that things were still going in Shanes favour. Although Sam continued to make attempts to speak with Mercedes she continued to prove hard to get. Sometimes he would see her down the hall and would approach her but by the time he reached where he had spotted her she had disappeared amongst the crowd. The only time he would see her would be in Glee practice or the one or two classes they had in common. But it seemed she was trying to avoid him, as she would turn up right before the bell, sitting at the opposite side of the class and would be out the door as soon as the bell went to end class. As a result he became more and more disheartened at his chances of convincing Mercedes to be his friend again let alone to date him. This began to show in his behaviour as over the weeks following his return Sam became quieter and more serious. He joked around less with the other guys in Glee and often sat by himself during class. None of his class mates seemed to notice except for Kurt and if they did notice no-one questioned him about it. Most of them had assumed he was just missing his family and would talk about it if he needed help. Either that or they really were oblivious. Kurt on the other hand had noticed but didn't need to ask about the change in behaviour after seeing Sam's reactions during their previous conversation. After several more days of observing Sam's withdrawn behaviour Kurt decided something needed to be done. So after Glee one afternoon he approached Sam on his way to the parking lot.

"Hey Sam, hold up!". Sam stopped and waited.

"I noticed you have been really quiet lately, is everything ok?"

"What do you think?" Sam snapped, his words coming out somewhat more harshly then he meant to. He grimaced as he met Kurt's eyes. "Sorry, I just don't know what to do about Mercedes. She is still avoiding me as much as possible and I don't see how I have much of a chance with her if I hardly get to see her, let alone talk to her". Sam looked down at his feet and scuffed his shoe at the lino floor.

Kurt watched Sam for a moment assessing him carefully. "I probably shouldn't tell you this but I don't like seeing a friend so sad….." Kurt trailed off. "Especially since it seems all the other club members are just as clue-less as last year" he added under his breath, somewhat bitterly.

"What do you have to tell me Kurt? Unless it is that they are making Avatar 2" he joked lamely, "or that Mercedes has finally dumped that other guy I don't really want to know" he sad in a monotone.

"Well, it wasn't either of those things Sam, but it still might help…... I was at my locker the other day and I overheard 'Cedes and Shane talking about going on a date to the movies and…."- "Stop!" Sam interrupted, looking grumpy. "How is this helping me?"

Kurt arched his eyebrow crossly and stared at Sam for a second before continuing. "Mercedes said something about the time that they ended up having a popcorn fight because the movie was so bad….. and then something about making out in the back row. I could tell she was all excited and kind of day-dreamy, but then Shane interrupted her and said that she hadn't done that with him. He tried to cover it up but I had a peek at them and I could tell he was upset about it. He left in a bad mood after that".

Kurt watched Sam closely all the while he was talking and once again he was surprised at the significant shift in his mood. He was once again looking somewhat hopeful and had a faint smile on his face with a distant look in his eye. Kurt recognized that look from his own experience of hours daydreaming about Blaine, particularly in the days before they got together. He began to realize that there were definitely parallels between what Sam was going through with Mercedes and what he had gone through before Blaine got a clue. In his mind he began to equate Shane with Jeremiah and the infamous 'GAP attack'.

Eventually Sam came back to reality. "She was thinking of one of our dates last summer. I talked her into going to this action flick and it was pathetic and she started throwing popcorn at me as punishment. Then to stop her throwing it at me I leant over and kissed her….." Kurt could see Sam start to zone out again and decided he could probably leave him to his day-dreams, as it was the first time in a while he had seen Sam with a smile on his face. Besides, he also had a hot coffee date waiting for him at the Lima Bean.

Leading up to the Christmas break Sam was more determined then ever to make contact with Mercedes, especially now he saw that maybe he was not entirely out of her mind. Although he wanted to make some big gesture in the name of the holiday spirit he was still short of money and Kurt's words of caution still echoed in his ears. He started to watch Mercedes and Shane in the halls when they were together rather then avoiding them as he had done before. Initially he didn't see any difference in their behaviour. But on the last day before the Christmas break he saw Shane walk up to Mercedes at her locker holding a sprig of mistletoe above her head expectantly. Sam noticed a slight pause in her actions while she glanced up at the prickly twig and then she briefly pecked him on the cheek before turning back to her locker. All the other guys he had seen pull this trick with there girlfriends and even some of the ballsier single guys who had tried the mistletoe had been getting thoroughly rewarded for their efforts. So Mercedes reserved affection was further encouragement to Sam that he still might have a shot. He looked in his bag and pulled out a card, it was home-made with some art supplies he had borrowed from his younger siblings but it was all he could offer at the moment. He looked up to see Mercedes leaving her locker so he quickly walked up to it and tucked the paper through the grating of the door.

Sam left school that day with a warm feeling in his chest and a smile on his face for the first time in a long time. He felt like although it was only another small step it was still one closer to being able to have his shot with Mercedes again. He spent a sparse but cheerful Christmas with his family, though most of the time it was just him and his siblings as his parents had taken the holiday shifts at their jobs to get the extra money. On Christmas Eve Quinn sent a text wishing him and his family a happy Christmas and one from Kurt wishing the same, but an added note that there was a certain other diva that sent her bashful holiday greetings as well. He sent a thank you and returned the greetings to both of them before adding another quick text to Kurt.

Give Mercedes a hug for me

Sam couldn't keep the huge grin off his face for the next few days which helped to raise the spirits of his siblings.

When he returned to school and he next saw Mercedes in class she gave him a shy smile before turning to face the teacher who had just called for their attention. This was definitely a good start for the next semester. For the rest of the week there were more moments where they were able to exchange smiles or waves, but still no real opportunity to talk. It seemed like the universe was messing with him, he felt things were going so well, he just needed a chance to start a conversation with her. The next week he was wandering through the nearly empty halls after having spent time in the gym when he walked past the choir room and heard Mercedes singing.

…Nothing ever seems to fit

Hangin' around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

What I've got they used to call the blues
Nothin' is really wrong
Feelin' like I don't belong
Walkin' around
Some kind of lonely clown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down….

Sam could feel himself being drawn to that voice and before he knew what he was doing he had walked through the choir room door. As soon as he came into Mercedes line of sight she stopped singing. Sam felt the smile that had formed on his lips fall away as the words of the song dawned on him. Mercedes was upset. He really wanted to comfort her but he knew things were still too unstable between them. He sat down on the risers and they looked at each other in silence for what seemed like eternity. Sam knew he had to make the first move. "Your voice is so beautiful Mercedes, I've missed it so much." He saw a fragile smile appear on her lips. He continued. "I really wish that I hadn't left you Mercedes, but I had to look out for my family. I'm sorry if I hurt you by just leaving like that but things got really bad for a while and I…I just wish they had been different. It's not just your voice I missed, it was everything about you." At this he looked down at his shoes and ran his hands over his face. There was a pause and then he heard a shift across from him, he thought perhaps Mercedes was getting up to leave but next thing he felt her presence in the seat next to him.

"Look Sam I'm not mad at you or anything. I….I've just had a lot on my mind and haven't quite known how to deal with it. But over the break when I got your Christmas card I realized I miss being able to hang out with you. We can't get back together at the moment, I'm with Shane but can we go back to being friends at least?" She ended tentatively.

Sam looked up with a serious expression on his face for a brief moment, as though seriously considering her request, before breaking into a warm smile. Mercedes breathed a sigh of relief and laughed quietly. "Games night at yours this weekend then?" Sam asked. Mercedes nodded and held out her hand to shake, "it's a date er… not" she replied with a slightly awkward twist to her smile.

Over the weeks following the conversation with Mercy there was definitely a continued improvement in their interactions. In class Mercedes would sometimes sit near Sam and in Glee there were more opportunities for them to talk and these they made the most of.

There was always a careful avoidance of both parties to avoid mention of Shane and the only way he knew they were still going out was if he saw them together in the hallways or out in the parking lot. Sam noticed there was less and less contact between them and this along with the positive time he had been having with Mercedes in and occasionally out of school gave him the confidence he needed for his final stage of the plan.

A couple of weeks before Valentines Day Sam noticed that Mercedes was absent from one of their usual classes. He had seen her earlier in the day so he was sure she was at school. He pulled out his phone to check up on her. Stowing his phone out of sight after sending the message he waited impatiently. He had a bad feeling that something was wrong, so when he didn't get an answer after a few minutes he sent a message to Kurt who he figured might know what was going on as he had in the past. Shortly after there was a vibration in his pocket as a reply came in.

Mercy upset, split with Shane, didn't go well…

Sam sent a reply back

Is she ok? Anything I can do?

Kurts reply was just as fast

Just be yourself, be there for her…

Of course that's what Sam would do. Wait, what, was that a subtle go ahead sign from Kurt? Sam was hopeful that it was. He knew it was the time to prove himself as a friend and remind Mercedes that he as here for her.

On Valentines Day the school was crowded with cupids and strings of hearts and giddy girls' carrying bunches of flowers and chocolates. All except Mercedes who still seemed to be quieter then her usual self and had a slight frown every time a group of giggling girls went by chattering about their valentine's cards and romantic dates.

In Glee that afternoon some of the group, mostly the girls, was getting settled in when Mr Schue came into the class and said that there was surprise performance to be held in the auditorium. All the girls quickly made their way through the halls and took their seats in the middle section of the risers. Mr Schue took his seat and the lights dropped on the stage and then five spot lights lit up. In the light stood Sam, Mike, Puck, Finn and Kurt. Sam stepped forward and broke into song.

You're insecure
Don't know what for
You're turning heads when you walk through the door
Don't need make up
To cover up
Being the way that you are is enough

Everyone else in the room can see it
Everyone else but you

[Chorus]
Baby you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground it aint hard to tell
You don't know
Oh Oh
You don't know you're beautiful….

All the guys on the stage were dancing and changing places according to who was singing lead. They were also sporting outfits similar to the new boy band One Direction. The girls were a little hesitant at first but by the time the boys finished their performance the girls were either bouncing in their seats while cheering at the top of their lungs or they were sitting dabbing at their eyes with happy smiles. Sam's scanned the faces and panicked when he realized Mercedes was no longer among them. As he was turning around frantically he saw a movement off in the wings. Turning to look he saw it was Mercedes and went to her. She looked up at him with teary eyes. She opened her arms and he stepped into them breathing a sigh of relief. It had been so long but things were finally back how they were meant to be. This was such a sweet moment it was a good thing he had a sweet tooth.