Every prompt comes from an album by Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company. First up is "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?" (Ray Charles and Bonnie Raitt).


Do you ever want to know
Do all dreams go on endlessly?
Or do they just run down somehow
And gradually become the custody
Of that melancholy jailer
For the time, oh no
Do I ever, darlin'
Ever cross your mind?

Sam Evans let his gaze float over Quinn Fabray, who this time needed an escort to her mother's wedding. Ironically their relationship started junior year in high school with Quinn needing to be seen with something good-looking hanging on her arm here they are, replaying the same story seven years later. Well, at least he's getting something out of it this time, Sam's seen places he never would have been able to afford on his own, like that film festival in Venice a couple of years ago. Arm candy for a soap opera queen ain't a bad life. All in all he could have done a lot worse. Hell, he had done worse. Selfish, jealous, manipulative, lying thieves. He'd dated them all. As a girlfriend of convenience, Quinn is a prize.

Currently they're in a coffee house in Lima, Ohio, one of those places on his 'never wanted to see again' list, and Quinn's going on about the wedding, his current escort duty. One good thing about Quinn is she's sensitive to his financial situation, which only recently moved from iffy to stable. For once in his life he can actually afford Breadstix but out of habit they're sitting in an inexpensive coffee house instead of something more upscale as Quinn prefers. Not really prefers but likes to be seen in. Good for her career. The food's good and the live music being played in the back room, what he can hear of it, is better than most. Somebody, maybe two people, are playing the hell out of their guitars and the crowd back there likes it.

After the applause dies down Sam swears he hears a voice he'd recognize anywhere.

Do I ever cross your mind
Uninvited?
When you're lonely?
Or does it only
Happen to me?

Sam looked up, shocked. Somehow he thought she'd be long gone from Lima but swears he hears her singing, just like she always is when he thinks of her.

"Sam, you look like you just saw a ghost." Quinn said, blond hair swishing as she looks around after she finally noticed he has stopped listening to her. "What is it?" Sam stood up and looked into the back room.

Two little girls were sitting on the edge of a low stage, one dark with her hair in two puffy ponytails, one younger with wavy black hair. Both are applauding and grabbing the singer's leg. The singer sat down on the floor, wrapped her arms around both girls and together they sang "Itsy Bitsy Spider." It must be a regular occurrence because the crowd seemed to expect it and sings along. Then she laughed and picked up the younger girl. A tall white guy scooped up the older girl. "Time to put the babies to bed. Say goodnight, Gracie."

"Goodnight Gracie!" the crowd yelled.

They headed towards the back of the coffeehouse.

"It's Mercedes. From high school, glee club?"

"Really?" Quinn took a hard look at the dark-skinned woman with short curly hair. " She definitely blossomed. She used to be quite chunky as I remember. I wonder if those are her kids."

Curvy is the word Sam would have used but maybe because Quinn is so thin everybody else seems chunky to her. The older girl would be hers, a cocoa baby just like she always wanted. If that guy was her husband they could both be hers. Quinn jumped up before Sam could stop her.

"Mercedes!" she hugged the black woman. "It's so great to see you again!"

Mercedes shifted the little girl to one hip and hugged her back. "Quinn! You're in town for the wedding? Of course you'd come back. Why didn't I think of that?"

"You heard about my mom's wedding?"

"Just the social event of the year."

"Are you coming?"

"I have to..." she finally noticed Sam sitting there, trying to look casual. "Sam!"

"Hello Mercedes."

She looked from Sam to Quinn. "Of course." She sounded irritated, just slightly. Anybody except Sam would have missed it. "Joe! Look who turned up. Remember I told you Quinn's mother is getting married this weekend? Quinn, Sam. You remember Joe, he came to McKinley the middle of your senior year?"

"Great seeing you guys again. Come back tomorrow when I don't have an armful of cranky baby and we can talk about the old days." He started to walk away. "I'll get started Mercy."

"Give me a second." Mercedes said. She stood there awkwardly for a minute.

"Are those your girls?" Quinn asked.

"Yes and no." She pointed to the girl Joe was holding. "That's Marti, Martha really, and she's mine. This is Gabe, Gabriel, and he's a he. I keep telling her he needs a haircut. People make that mistake all the time." She seemed to make up her mind about something. "I have to help put them to bed. Nice seeing both of you again." She left the coffeehouse through a back door.

"That's weird." Quinn said watching them leave. "I wonder if this is some kind of hippie commune. Wasn't Joe the guy with the dreads? Wonder who Gabe's mother is." Sam was also watching her walk away. Damn, that brought back memories, memories of her walking away from him. Well at least she won't be at the wedding.


Joe and Mercedes sat on the edge of the bathtub, watching the children brush their teeth.

"Aren't we shooting that wedding?" he asked.

"Yup. Ms. Fabray, soon to be Smythe insisted on me. We go way back, Judy and I. Smythe's son Sebastian, he's still the" she lowered her voice "ass" then continued at her normal tone "he was in high school. But his dad's okay. I met him a couple of times and he agreed to an outrageous fee. That's how I can afford to pay you. Most people balk at paying extra for video, but Judy and Andrew didn't mind it. Plus it'll be nice to have company. How the heck did I forget Sam and Quinn would be joined at the hip?"

"Quinn, I remember, queen of the school. Sam was there too?"

"Sam Evans is a man of mystery." She adopted a German accent. "Alvays coming and going and going and coming." Joe looked at her, puzzled. "Blazing Saddles? You never saw that? Jeez, I know you were homeschooled but didn't you have a TV?" She sighed, "I'll show it to you to sometime. It's good if you like stupid puns. Sam liked stupid puns."

Joe noticed the tone of her voice and raised one eyebrow. "Regrets?"

"Life is full of regrets."

"True. Anyway, who's on story duty tonight, you or me?"

"Why don't you take them? I'll go help Santana close up."


"So Sexy Sam is back in town?" the pretty Latina asked, putting chairs up on the tables so she could sweep the floor. Santana had learned long ago not to call Sam Trouty in front of Mercedes.

"Was it on the news and I missed it?"

"No, I could smell the pheromones." Santana moved to the next table, standing next to Mercedes.

"They looked so damned cute together. They always did, that's why Schuester liked to put them front and center."

"He was kind of an ass, the way I remember it." Santana picked up an expensive pair of sunglasses from the floor. "Somebody will be back for these. Anyway, since Quinn's snagged Sam, when are you going to move on?"

"Me? Do you want to get rid of me that badly? Cause Tina would take me in in a heartbeat."

"Hell no. If you ran off you'd have to leave Marti behind. Her, I love! Beside that Tim and Alice would kick my ass for letting you get away while they're gone. And Tina's only three blocks away, I'd drag you back from there."


The room had been rearranged when Sam came back the next morning. What was a stage last night held a sofa and a coffee table now. Mercedes was sitting on the floor at the coffee table, with Gabe and Marti, all of them eating oatmeal, when Sam entered the coffeehouse.

"Good morning!"

"Hey." She got to her feet and hurried over to the counter. "How can I help you?" He looked at her, head tilted to one side. "This is a coffeehouse." She supplied helpfully. "We sell food. That's how we pay the rent."

"I thought you were a singer." He gave her one of his best smiles.

"Oh, I'm a woman of many skills. Right now I'm a woman running a coffee house." She actually looked happy for a change. Of course he hadn't seen her in person for a few years, maybe she's happier these days.

"And feeding the babies breakfast."

"Yes, it's slow this early in the morning. Did you decide what you want yet?"

"No, actually Quinn forgot her sunglasses. She thinks she may have left them here."

"Oh. Quinn." That irritated tone again. "Lost and Found is right over there." She pointed to the box on a nearby table.

Sam looked though the box. "Found them." He looked at Mercedes with concern. "I heard about Shane." he said finally.

"You and everybody else in America."

"Not Quinn. She drew a blank on the whole thing."

"Where I'm concerned Quinn always draws a blank. Maybe only people who watch ESPN paid attention. That's some consolation."

"Well, I'm sorry for what you had to go through."

"Thank you." She looked off towards the children and then back at Sam. "Don't look at me like that. I'm okay. It was three years ago. A lifetime. Everything's fine now."

"So Marti's three?"

"Yes. " Mercedes blinked. "I tell her stories about the good days. When she's older she can read about the other part." She shook her head slightly, shaking away a memory. "Anyway, what about you and Quinn? Married yet?"

"No. We..." he was interrupted by the tinkling of a bell hung over the front door.

"Hey running buddy, you ready to...Sam! I can't believe it! Sexy Sam is back in town!" the short Asian woman handed the baby she was carrying to Mercedes and wrapped her arms around Sam. "God, if I weren't already married! You don't have an insanely jealous wife hiding in the back room do you?"

"He's with Quinn now." Mercedes said.

"I didn't say that." Sam objected.

Mercedes raised on eyebrow. "Whatever." she turned to the children "Sara's here to play with you while Mommy Mercy goes for a run. Let's go wake up Mommy Tana." She led the children out of the coffeehouse. Mommy Tana, Mommy Mercy? Quinn was right, it did sound like a polygamist cult. And Joe did have somewhat unusual religious views. But Santana?

"Mommy Tana as in Santana?"

"One in the same." She rolled her eyes. "Don't ask."

"Okay. So Tina, how are you? That's a pretty baby, what I saw of her."

"Sara. Sara Ann Abrams. I'm an old married lady now. Don't act like you didn't know cause I invited you to the wedding. That was a very nice present you sent us."

"Sorry I couldn't make it here for the ceremony. Finances. I don't remember getting an invitation to Santana's wedding."

"Because there wasn't one. It's the world's weirdest setup. Mercedes invested some money in this coffeehouse, Tim and Alice actually own and run the place, They're guitarists, insanely good and on tour right now. Anyway, two years ago Santana blew into town, about to drop a baby any minute. Perfect timing cause..." she frowned about something. "Anyway, Mercedes always had a soft spot for Santana so here she stayed. One big happy. I think the kids are confused, they call everybody mommy. As for getting married, Joe's been trying to drag her to the altar. Good luck with that." She rolled her eyes again. "So, How long will you be in town? Artie would love to see you. I'll try to pull something together with all of us who are still here."

"Who's that?"

"Artie, Puck, Santana, Finn. Hah! That's about it really. Everybody else got the hell out of Dodge. You busy tonight?"

"Tonight? Rehearsal dinner. That's why I'm here, Quinn's mom is getting married and she needed an escort."

"Escort? She's not your girlfriend?"

"No, I just go places with her when she needs arm candy. It's for her job, her image. She just won a daytime Emmy in case you haven't heard."

"Yay, Quinn! But this escort thing?" Tina was intrigued. "She's a pain in the ass but I can't believe that's the only way she can get a man to go out with her."

"So anyway," Sam changed the subject. "How did Mercedes take the Shane situation?"


Next up - Michael McDonald and "The Shane Situation"

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