This story was inspired by LJ's clockwork-moon's Sam and Mercedes "Tardis Adventures" & a commentfic

A/N: I held out hope that some amazingly talented writer would write up this fic, but noone frigging did. so you're stuck with my ol' drivel. i'm sorry about that. like seriously. but the plot bunnies kept sticking around, and here we are.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Under all the awful colorful streamers and mood lightings in the highschool gym, it was like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise steadily growing dull existence,the realization that they were kindred spirits.

"You know who Chrestomanci is?" Sam questioned in a tone that was both skeptical and curious. He looked at his date in shock ever since he heard her grumblings during the whole Kurt-promqueen debacle.

"Uh yea, only the coolest ever 9-life Enchanter..." Mercedes grinned up at him. "You're like the only person I've met in the whole of Mckinley who knows who Chrestomanci is without wikipedia-ing it first." She confessed in an admiring tone.

"I KNOW. This is so frigging AWESOME. Someone else who realizes the greatness of Diana Wynne Jones," Sam gushed,a little too loudly as he and Mercedes continued swaying to the beat of the music, "... and I totally agree that if Chrestomanci were here, that whole prom queen fixed ballot thing wouldn't have happened. Stupid Figgins"

Mercedes nodded in firm agreement "Basically. I don't know what that man was thinking but he was every kind of wrong. and Diana was a goddess. Harry Potter is awesome and everything, but Chrestomanci is where I'm at now. I just wished more people would realize it as well..."

And on and on they went chatting about different fantasy adventure books they found were unfairly obscure well into the night and the walk home together after Rachel ditched them for Jesse. Not that they minded either, because it would have been a terribly boring conversation for an outsider who didn't have the same interest as they both shared.

When they got to Mercedes' house they decided to trade numbers, because a conversation so involved like that, couldn't be a one-off. Sam walked home that night feeling lighter inside than he'd had for ages. He was in his element during their 4 hour long rant. and so was Mercedes who was also high off the mutual connection.

By the next day he'd asked her to hang out via text so she'd invited him over to her house. This soon became tradition. Every chance they had free, they could be found hanging out together: sitting close, whispering and chatting. Giggling and snickering.

Their friendship was borne of a mutual loneliness that they never spoke about, but both felt deeply about. They rarely brought up the fact that outside of each other, noone really called them to hang out over the weekend or at the mall. They skirted around the issue that they were always free to meet up because not even the glee kids had time for them. Everyone too caught up in their own issues. So they relished their time together, soaking up new information about each other the way people do when they make new friends who feel like great old friends.

They shared a deep love of all things sci fi and fantasy/adventure. Be it books or films or tv shows. If Aliens were involved consider them interested.

Sam couldn't believe his luck when he found out that Mercedes despised Twilight as much as he did. both Quinn and Santana forced him to watch the movies although he'd warned them it sucked after he'd read the first 2 books. Quinn was Team Edward and Santana was Team Badguys. and Sam lost alot of respect for either of them.

Mercedes reveled in the fact that she didn't have to hide anymore. She didn't have to be sassy all the time in order to be noticed. Sam saw her, the real her. the clever girl who could see through other people's facades but clung to her own for dear life, who was quick thinking and actually really very good at math.

Loneliness and the bitterness that comes from being lonely slowly disappeared from their lives. Together they felt content, and apart, they knew that if they only just held on, they'd get to be together again in a few hours. and so life went for Sam Evans and Mercedes Jones as they forged on.

"Sam, the last time I saw you this excited was when Mr Schue gave out his cell number, now spill" chided Mercedes as she and Sam walked towards Astronomy class together.
"... that was the greatest day of my life" Sam said dreamily as Mercedes giggled at his lameness.

He winked at her and said " well its just that theres a Firefly Marathon every Friday afternoon, showing at the Library for the ENTIRE MONTH! ... he looks at her expectantly and she doesn't fail to disappoint, her excitement at the news is just what he was anticipating. when the bell rang moments later they were both squealing in delight.

" we are SO there. " Mercedes said with finality as Sam grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the classroom.

Sure she could mention that she has the series on DVD but it wasn't just about the show, it was the experience. without saying it she knew Sam knew it as well, he also knew that as soon as the series was done, they'd have a movie night in Mercedes room to watch Serenity, the follow up movie to the Firefly series.

As they went to their seats at the back of the classroom, he whispered to her " wanna go to the park after school? I could bring my guitar?" she whispered a quick "sure" as she took out her books and passed him the notebook they used to write notes to each other back and forth.

After another uneventful Glee club where they didn't actually write any songs for Nationals, and everyone was too preoccupied to care, Mercedes was looking forward to a little fresh air. she was daydreaming when Tina nudged her.

She looked up quizzically at her, "whats up, T?" she asked.

Tina nosily got to the point " how come you're always hanging around with Sam these days? are you two dating or something?"

Mercedes chuckled "er..No, we're just friends. he's pretty awesome-" " So are you" Sam interrupted, obviously eavesdropping on the conversation.

" Sam mind your own beeswax."Mercedes goodnaturedly rolled her eyes and giggled along with Tina.

"well I'm glad, you two seem to have alot in common. we should all hang out next week or something?" Tina said when both Mercedes and Sam agreed.

The final bell for the day rang shortly after that, eagerly they walked to their lockers together before leaving for the park. Neither had to bring any textbooks home, so they put both of their notebooks into Mercedes' bag to save space, since Sam was already carrying his guitar.

"so now we've got people interested in hanging out with us. I think this means we're popular now" Sam said dryly as he leaned against the locker next to Mercedes waiting for her.

She laughed as she applied her lipgloss and fixed her hair in the mirror. " I think so too. wanna ditch them?" she grinned at him evily as she slammed her locker shut

" Hell YES" he replied as they walked towards the school doors,heading in the direction of the nearby park.

" I just think its funny, they don't mind when we're all friendless and zombie like. but the second we seem a little bit cheered up, they start demanding answers" Sam said as he shifted his guitar about. " I mean shouldn't the concern have been when it was needed?"

Mercedes rubs his arm in consolation, she knows this is a sore subject for him still. although she was still a bit bitter, it was nothing compared to Sam's. She was used to being an outsider, he wasn't.

" Don't worry about it, its not worth fussing over. We've got each other now. which is way coo-" she was saying before staring off into the distance.

Sam not noticing continued on talking " yea you're right, I love that I've got you in my life now. actually i've been wanting to say something about that for awhile now. I know we've only been hanging out for a month or so but I was thinking...er Mercedes? are you listening? what are you staring at ? "

"Sam, do you see that big Blue box straight ahead?" Mercedes asked in a small voice. " 'cause nobody else seems too." and as if on cue, someone walking by it, swerved around it without even looking back. as if they were avoiding dog poo or something else invisible from a distance.

Sam followed his best friends gaze and saw it. " whoa, I see it. thats really strange. lets go check it out" he said, leading Mercedes by the hand to the front of the strange large telephone box.

"what the hell is a Police Call Box?" Mercedes said with furrowed brows.

"oooh it says Public, so we can peek in" said Sam eagerly as he went to open the door.

"nosey ass white people" Mercedes murmured to herself as she followed closely behind Sam.

"Hey I heard that,missy!" Sam said in a mock stern voice. " I'm not nosey, I'm curious. oooh its unlocke-...WHOA" Sam gasped upon opening the door wider.

"Sam, what is it? what is it?" Mercedes said worriedly as she pushed her head around Sam's torso to peek in. " holy crap. its huge in here! Sam, MOVE. I want to see better" she said as she pushed him further into the room.

"Mercedes, I think this may be the greatest day of my life" Sam said as he slipped his hand into hers.

"Jack, I think you're getting paranoid in your old age. I told you there was nobody in the Tardis. but you had me barging back in here to check and for what? I've checked all the open rooms back there and theres nothing" The Doctor complained.

"Doc, why don't you just look towards the door, if you don't believe me" Jack said ominiously.

"the door Jack? you bloody well know there was nobody at the door when we burst in here a few minutes ago." he replied impatiently.

" I think i could tell if there were intruders in the Tardis...er I may have spoke to soon" He said as he saw the two teenagers standing at the door, staring back at them in shock and wonder.

"Mercedes, I think this might be a government conspiracy we've uncovered" the tall blonde boy murmured to the short chocolate girl next to him. She nodded with wide eyes as if what he said was the gospel truth.

"Excuse me, who are you? and how did you get into the Tardis without a key?" the Doctor questioned them. He didn't seem particularly upset just very intrigued.

Jack whispered to him " these are the 2, I saw coming in, when I alerted you. apparently theres a rift in time or something, because they showed up like 5 minutes after us instead."

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow up at him but said " Jack shut up, I'm introducing myself... go on then, Who are you both?"

Sam spoke up first, "Er the door was unlocked,Sir. we noticed that nobody else seemed to see this big ole blue box, so we came to nose around. are we going to jail? I don't think its breaking and entering if the door was left open and we wandered in is it?" Sam rambled on before Mercedes squeezed his hand to stop him.

" I'm Mercedes Jones and he's Sam evans. we're juniors at Mckinley high thats only a few blocks from here. sorry to intrude. We didn't mean any harm" she quickly added as she tugged him towards the door.

It slammed shut by itself. Much to the shock and consternation of everyone inside.

" uh, could you let us out please? we didn't see anything. I swear! we're only 16! we have so much life to LIVE" Sam said in an increasingly panicked tone.

"Sam, hush. the door slammed on its own. Sir, we'd like to be on our way, so if you could open the door for us. we'll be out of your hair in no time." Mercedes said in a calm tone, even tho her grip on Sam's hand was getting tighter by the second.

"I had nothing to do with the door shutting. how very odd. I'm the Doctor by the way, and thats Captain Jack Harkness. I don't know how you got in because the Tardis usually stops all that. and now this, what in the world is going on?" He remarked as he pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and stalked towards the door trying to pull it open to no avail.

"Hi kids, we're going to try to sort this out as soon as possible, so just sit tight while the Doctor and I figure out whats the reason for the hold up". Jack said in a soothing tone and with a reassuring smile.

The two teens sat in the navigators seat by the console, curled up close as they stared warily as the two men spoke in hurried hushed tones. they could tell that they were just as lost and confused at they were.

"We seem to be stuck for the time being, I'm afraid" was the first thing the Doctor said to them after 30 minutes of doggedly trying to open the Tardis door.

Sam and Mercedes looked at each other and nodded. " We figured that out ourselves about 25 minutes back" Mercedes said rather sassily. Jack didn't bother to try to hide his grin. while the Doctor seemed a bit perplexed.

"Right, well er I'm glad then. do you have any questions ?" He seemed genuinely interested.

" how is it so big on the inside but from the outside it looks like an old telephone booth?" Sam asked looking alot less flustered.

The Doctor explained it to Sam as Mercedes stood up to look around a bit more.

" why does he call himself "the Doctor" she asked Jack who was following her with his eyes.

"thats his name, everyone calls him that" he replied.

"oh. okay so like then?"she mused.

Jack chuckled " sure".

"so what do you two in school for fun?" Jack asked trying to break up the silence. Mercedes and Sam glanced at each other and said at the same time " glee club".

" whats that?" asked the Doctor?

" oh its like a group of us sing for competitions and for fun and stuff" Sam responded.

" oooh always did love a singsong, me!" the Doctor replied cheerfully.

Sam and Mercedes smiled warily at him,as if he was a crazy person.

" so are you any good?" asked Jack.

" she is. she's beyond awesome. and i'm not too bad myself" Sam proudly said, beaming at Mercedes.

She blushed and said " he's just being modest. he's fantastic"

Jack and the Doctor look at each other meaningfully.

"er do you have a bathroom?" Sam asks quietly, Jack nodded and lead him to the nearest one.

Mercedes and the Doctor found each other awkwardly alone together.

" so Jones eh? I knew a Jones once. her named started with an M too" the Doctor said in a quiet,wistful way that showed he was trying too hard to sound impassive.

Mercedes looked at him truly for the first time for the day. " I'm nothing like her. I won't let you regret me." she said in her brutally honest way. The Doctor looked at her alarmed and ashamed at the same time as Jack and Sam came back into the room chatting about Aliens.

"Mercedes, Jack said Aliens actually exists! and some are on Earth!" Sam said excitedly as he squeezed back into the chair next to her.

"are you serious? are they green? seriously atleast one species has to be green" She said to him equally excited. all seriousness gone from her face in an instant.

" who cares about green aliens. they should be purple aliens!" Sam said as he begun to tickle her. She giggled and squirmed away. "can we see Aliens while we're stuck in here with you two?" She asked cheerfully.

" theres one right in front of you" Jack said knowingly.

" who? The Doctor? you're not an alien are you Doctor?" Sam and Mercedes said at the same time, completely unbelieving. He nodded smugly.

" Wow... how anticlimactic" Sam blurted out.

" I know right? maybe he has like a perception changing ring or something" Mercedes says smartly. Jack grinned and shook his head " oh right, so no he's just lame. no offense Doctor" She said politely.

The Doctor looked at her completely offended.

"So what about you, Jack? are you an alien too or are you a regular human who just enjoys the company of British Aliens" Sam inquired in one of his hard to place impersonation voices.

"uh actually yes I'm human, but I'm kind of immortal" Jack replied hesitantly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"you're immortal? like Highlander "there can be only one" Immortal? " Sam blurts out, obviously impressed. Even Mercedes looked suitably awestruck to be in the presence of someone who can't die.

" so are you like 500 years old? do you age? oh my god, do you drink the blood of the innocents in order to maintain your youthly physique" Sam continued babbling on as Mercedes shakes her head hopelessly. Her indulgent smile his way only eggs him on to continue his interrogation.

The only thing that stopped him was the sound of the Tardis starting its familiar whooshing song.

" er Doctor? why is the Tardis moving?" Jack said panic rising in his voice. The Doctor and Jack rush around the console pushing and pulling switches , trying to get ahold of the situation. while Sam and Mercedes all traces of humor gone from their faces as they clutch each other tightly, eyes wide with fear.

"maybe we're in space, Sam" Mercedes whispered, feigning confidence in the situation, " we could finally see those aliens. remember how much we love space Sam?" she hugs him close to her as she feels his heart steady amidst the thrashing around of the space craft. She doggedly refused to mention the whirlwind of sounds and movement all around them.

" yeah and this IS a spaceship, atleast thats what the Doctor told me. Jack said it was time machine too, so we probably won't even miss Nationals even if we were stuck out here for a year!" He said soothingly into her hair as he pulled her in closer.

"How come you wanted to aliens to be green? I thought purple was your favorite color" Sam inquired softly changing the subject.

" not anymore. its now green".

Sam tilted his head towards her, searching her face for an answer

" When did that happen?" he questioned.

She shrugged, what did she have to lose anyway, they were in freakin' SPACE. " since I realized your eyes were green" she said with a soft slightly bashful smile.

Sam's cheeks grew 2 shades pinker but it didn't dampen the megawatt smile he gave her in return.

"Doctor I think we need to get those kids back home as soon as possible. they're too young. there's too many dangers that they are completely unprepared for." Jack implored. he'd seen too many lives destroyed during his time with the Doctor. and he didn't want it for Sam and Mercedes.

"Jack, don't you think I know that? If i had any control over this situation I'd have kicked them out over an hour ago. done and dusted, but its out of my control. I don't know whats going on but the Tardis seems to have plans of her own" The Doctor replied irritably.

" I know Doc, but they're just so innocent. and he's madly in love with her and she doesn't want to believe it yet. I want them to have a chance"

"Doctor ,I think i've gone soft in my old age" Jack sighed as he slumped against the console.

"you and me both ,Jack. but I think they'll do fine during this. especially that girl. She's pretty tough. She read me like a book. I'll have to watch myself around her. I don't know about him tho, I need more time. its always about time with me, isn't it?" the Doctor said warily.

he turned abruptly ,announcing loudly with a wild grin plastered on his face " we're currently floating in space, children. you might want to have a look-see" Sam and Mercedes bolted upright in excitement.

"Mercedes Jones and Sam Evans, welcome to the Universe" he said grandly as he opened the door to show the starry landscape.

Silent awe was the response as they moved to stand and stare at space in all its glory.

After sitting with their feet dangling out into space, staring for nearly an hour. The situation started to sink in slowly. Sam took to pacing, while Mercedes took up the navigators seat again. The doctor sat next to her while Jack found himself a comfortable spot.

" Doctor, the door opens now, does that mean we can go back home?" Mercedes asked with cautious hope.

" I'm sorry but I dont' think so Mercedes, there must be a reason that the Tardis disregarded protocol and we were taken into space by force. So I think we'll just have to wait and see where she leads us. but I promise you, this is also a time machine. nobody will even know you were gone" The Doctor said meaningfully, his eyes searching hers. He needed her to understand this wasn't his decision.

She simply smiled softly at him and nodded in understanding. " I bet you get blamed alot huh? " Mercedes remarked to him looking at him in a thoughtful way.

The Doctor stared straight ahead before answering neutrally" what makes you think that?"

" you keep trying to convey that this isn't your fault. that its not within your control. I know how people are, always looking for a reason why and a scapegoat." she said rather kindly.

" Sam and I don't blame you. well you know uh actually I don't. Sam might though" Mercedes teased. He grinned back at her.

The Tardis started jarring about suddenly again. throwing everyone this way and that.

" What the hell is going on? why can't this thing fly smoothly" Sam yelled. The doctor struggled over to the console to see what was going on.

"She's not a thing, Sam! the Tardis is a sentient bein- oh look, We're landing, Everyone hold tight" he yelled back.

"Where and When are we, Doc?" Jack said suspiciously, as he edged over to peek at the screen. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw where they were. " I know this place, theres no real threat. its just basically a bar" .

he walked to the door and yanked it open. There was a giant sign that said " Gobblox's joint" with a smaller sign that said "Karaoke every night"

" Um, how come that sign is in English" Sam said warily. Mercedes perked up with she saw the Karaoke sign.

" I think i might like traveling the universe" She said as she leaned her head out the doorway, staring all around.

The doctor pushed past them all and stepped outside as if he owned the place

" Its the Tardis translating for you. you should be able to understand everything here as long as the Tardis is nearby" he murmured as he fixed his clothes.

Sam and Mercedes grinned at each other before saying "AWESOME" at the same time. Sam quickly grabbed his guitar before following Mercedes out. Jack chuckled to himself as he closed the Tardis door behind them.

" right well lets have a look around, shall we? since we're here. there must be a reason" The doctor said to noone in particular as he buzzed off further into the bar.

It looked like any old slightly darkened bar or pub. slightly sticky looking tables, a grumpy looking Bartender, and patrons who you could tell wanted to be left alone. The only difference was that the other customers were aliens. like really obvious aliens. both Mercedes and Sam got what they wanted, there were purple ones and green ones. and oddly humanoid ones with extra long necks and additional appendages and other strange sights.

Although the 2 human teens oggled them, everyone else didn't seem even the slightest bit curious about them.

but there was one person way in the back that seemed very interested in the newcomers.

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Reviews would be brilliant!