Random stories or thoughts I had about Samcedes, some have multiple parts and continuations others are just short stories to help me clear my head so I can get back to SimplExity. Even though the show ended I still feel as though they did not do Sam and Mercedes characters relationship justice. I do not own the rights to the characters or songs.

Tell Me You Love Me (Demi Lovato)

"Is that what you really feel?! Why are you doing this to me AGAIN?!" She whined in frustration, walking thru the revolving doors of her office building. "At least this time you have the decency to do it weeks in advance."

"Look babe, it's just... I'm tired of you treating me like glorified arm candy. You can't keep me on the back burner, calling me when you have some "big event" you need to show your doting boyfriend at." He was walking thru the parking garage heading towards his black Acura NSX.

"Tank, I am sorry if I have made you feel that way, I never intended to put you in this position. I just get caught up with work and lose all sense of things like relationships outside of the office. Please try to understand?

Look, I know I have said this before, but THIS really is a very important event. This is the big Investors Gala, they expect all of the Department Heads to be there showing how stable our company is in a united front. If you're not with me for the third time they will know something isn't right." She pleaded with him.

"Look Merce, I understand why you need me there, but I have other plans that night. I do have a life outside of our little world. Besides, I'm done pretending, I can't keep up this sham of a relationship anymore. I have to be true to myself and you need to put on your big girl panties and find someone that can actually love you the way you deserve." He slipped on his Armani sunglasses as he exited the parking garage.

Tank and Mercedes were each other's shield, blocking out the truth from the world and protecting each other. Mercedes was a 32 year old virgin who avoided real relationships to persevere her original packaging and steer clear of temptation. Jonathan aka "Tank" was her 35 year old semi closeted gay best friend, she met him during her sophomore year in college at their now favorite coffee shop and go-to hangout spot. He had to keep up appearance to appease his Father who allowed him to keep his corner office in their law firm as long as he was on track to being a quote "stand up family man". Tanks parents adores Mercedes and hope to officially welcome her to the family with open arms someday soon. They were in talks of a proposal, he was even given the family heirloom ring.

Merce was the one to pull the plug on that idea, she wanted to save herself for the man she would give her heart to and marry. She loves Tank dearly, however they both have the same preference in men and that is not something she wants to have to work out in the future.

"Yes Tank I understand that you have a life outside of our arrangement, but you have been bailing on me left and right lately, what is really going on?" she sighed exasperated as she got her messages and mail from her assistant on her way into her office.

"Honestly? I have my eye on someone, it has been developing for sometime now but lately things have been getting serious. We've been spending a lot of time with his family." He was heading down the freeway towards the Deli to pick up his order, he decided to take a late lunch.

"PAUSE, REWIND, AND ZOOM IN! I knew something was different about you! Why didn't you tell me?! Now I am mad for a entirely different reason. I thought we were first and foremost besties, and you keep something this big from me for how long exactly?" Mercedes placed her purse back in her cabinet and sat down gobsmacked. Her best friend of many years was finally finding happiness and she has been so busy trying to keep up a farce so she can move up in the company to notice. Some friend she has been, the guilt hit her quickly and harder than the disappointment that she is losing her men repellent. It didn't last long because it was overshadowed by excitement.

"I need details! Who is he, where did you meet, is he cute, what does he do for a living? Does he have coin? Come on give up the tea T." She was practically bouncing in her chair with anticipation as opened her laptop.

"Whoa! THAT was a 360, (light chuckle). Well we met at the courthouse, he was one of the lawyers on the opposing counsel for the Bingham case, remember the old lady that was using her home as a assisted living facility illegally? Well he was one of her law firms lawyers that was just there observing one of their newbies at work. Hold on just a sec {hi yeah I have a pick up? John T? Excellent, thank you, keep the change} Ok, sorry about that, where was I?" He asked as he got back into his car.

"Ugh, rude, you were telling me how you met your new boo." She lead him back to their conversation.

"We ran into each other during a 15 minute recess. Anyway, his name is Cooper Anderson, he is delicious in every sense of the word. He is well traveled, charming, a great sense of humor, has a incredibly out of the box fashion sense. He comes from a family of overachievers with old money. I have to be honest Merce I don't think I have ever met anyone quite like him." Tank gushed about his soon to be new beau.

"He sounds like a great guy, I want all the details, we will have to meet up and you can tell me all the details. Where you went on your first date, what you wore, what he wore. Wait, does he know about me?" Mercedes stopped typing up her expense report when she didn't hear a response. Tank pulled up to the building checked his watch retrieved his items and exited his vehicle.

"He is pretty much perfect, I fall into his blue eyes everytime we meet up. He could ask me to shave my head and tattoo a bald eagle on my head and I would without a second guess." Tank signed dreamily as walked into the office building.

"Oh it sounds like you got it bad for him, he really must be something special, especially to make you break our pact like this. Sooo, when can I meet Mr. Anderson?" Mercedes sing- songed as she checked her schedule for the rest of day. She had just returned from running a few errands cursing herself for not stopping to pick up lunch as her stomach reminded her she didn't eat breakfast.

"Well how does dinner tonight sound, I know you didn't have time to go to the store and I am sure you more than likely forgot to get yourself lunch." Tank teased smugly knowing full well he was right as he passed the security desk giving the guard a knowing smirk and a fist bump.

"You know what? You think you are slick, like you know me or something. I have to meet a new client at 3:30 today and we are going out to take a look at some pieces on location, I should be done no later than 6 hopefully. If things change I will let you know." Her stomach growled again, loudly this time as she finished her thoughts.

"HA! Was that my confirmation that someone forgot their lunch?" He noted as he walked thru the double glass doors sending a smile towards the receptionist.

"UGH, yes! I completely forgot my lunch at home this morning, I had to make a run down to one of our manufacturers, they couldn't seem to get the color right for one of out new armchairs we are commissioning for the spring collection. Sometimes I think you were right and I should have gone into fashion instead of interior design." Mercedes sighed as she went over some last minute changes on some mock-ups for her 2 p.m. design meeting.

"Well as I always tell you, you would lose your head if it wasn't attached. I do worry about you more than you know." Tank adjusted the bag in his hand as he passed the empty secretary's desk.

"Yeah yeah whatever, if you were so concerned you would help me out with the Investors Gala. Could you atleast help me find a replacement date or something..(Knock-Knock) Hold on, let's finish this conversation later on this evening. Someone is at my door and Stacy is out to lunch." "Ok, I will talk with you soon. Bye." He ended the call with a huge smile on his face.

"I don't think I have any appointments right now." She muttered as she hung up with Tank.

"Maybe you have an appointment with this Gyro and salad from your favorite spot by my office?" Tank asked as soon as she opened her door.

Mercedes squealed and jumped into his open arm, kissing him lightly on the lips as she snached the bag from his hands and pulled him into her office.

He lightly chuckled at her reaction and the excitement in her eyes. Following her into her office he sat his messenger bag down in the chair across from her desk and pulled the lilacs he had hidden behind his back out.

"Here you are my dear, to make your day a little brighter even though the dark cloud of reality looms over your head." He joked as he handed her the bouquet.

Accepting the flowers she sniffed them and put them on her coffee table in her lounge area. "So, what do I owe this impromptu lunch surprise after the denial of my Gala date request?" Mercedes got comfortable on the couch with her lunch, and waited him to sit down.

"Well, I figured I would show my face and be available when I can even though I can't make it to the event and won't be able to help you much longer. I owe you that much, I was planning on stopping by later and telling you about Coop, but I saw an opportunity for birds and stones ." He smiled fondly at her as he reached for his Gyro and a napkin.

"So I was thinking, we should figure out how we're going to end this amicably and get you a date in time for the Gala but not too soon after the break up." Tank said in-between bites.

"Well that is just the sweetest thing. Oh yeah, I guess I didn't even think about that. The Gala is in 8 weeks, do you think you can work with that?" Mercedes inquired opening taking a sip of her water.

"Humm, well that is cutting it close, we will have to speed up the initiation of the break up sooner rather than later. What we can use is me being flaky as a springboard, I can come by more and we can stage arguments here and there so that people can hear us." He shrugged as he popped a fry into his mouth.

She sat thinking for a moment on what he suggested as she enjoyed the delicious slow roasted chicken in her Gyro.

"That is not a bad idea at all, we will need my date to show his face around here in the meantime so that it won't look weird or anything with him just popping up at the Gala. We need to establish a friendship. It has to be someone that I can keep at arms length that won't want to pursue anything other than friendship." They both sat in contemplation of someone that wasn't looking for a relationship and was a complete gentleman. THAT would be a feat all of its own unless he was gender specific much like Tank himself was.

"Ms. Jones?" The intercom cracked on weaving Stacy's light southern drawl into their thinking space.

Mercedes sat the remainder of her Gyro on the table and rushed over to her desk to see what her executive assistant needed.

"Yes ?"

"There is a potential new client here to see you, (Nonsense, stop it, it will be fine just talk to her) Sorry about that, Is it alright if I send them in?" Something was up, Mercedes was on alert, she looked over at Tank and he shrugged, Stacy has never been so familiar with the clients before, something was definitely up.

"Umm, Ok? Well I am technically on my lunch at the moment, give me 10 and I will be right with them." She looked at the time it was almost 1:15 she had just enough time to finish her Gyro, get Tank out of there and clean up before she showed her potential client in.

"Well, , this one is sort of special, could I come in and speak with you for a moment?" She sounded anxious and a bit nervous.

"Sure Stace come on in." Mercedes looked even more confused and lost, Tank stood up with the same expression.

Stacy entered the office nervously rubbing her hands together with an excited yet pensive expression on her pale face.

" I am so sorry to interrupt your lunch, but I, OH Mr. Phillips!? Oh my goodness, I am SO SO sorry to interrupt I had no Idea you were having a lunch date, we can just schedule an actual formal meeting and put it on the books properly, I am so so sorry." She begin backing out of the office awkwardly.

"No NO, Stacy, it is quite alright, I was just preparing to make my leave. I showed up unannounced to surprise my Love. But I really must be on my way, I have a 2:30 meeting to get to." Tank begin to clean up his mess and gather his things.

"Ok babe, I guess I will see you later on this evening, we can finish our discussion then." Mercedes leaned in for a kiss on the cheek and a hug for show. "Don't work too hard babe, see ya. Have a great evening Stacy." He called over his shoulder as he hoisted his bag over his shoulder and made his leave.

"Ms. Jones I do sincerely apologize for interrupting I know you said yourself you don't get to spend much time with as you would like." She begin to nervously shift her weight from one leg to the other.

"Stacy, really it is no problem at all. Are you ok? You seem extremely nervous for some reason." Mercedes went over to her with concern written all over here face.

"Well, it's just that, I really wanted help land an account but incase it didn't work out as planned I didn't really want to put it on the books, it is my older brother's best friend and he needs someone to help him with his new office space, I hope that is alright if I told him to come on up and I would see if I could get him an introduction?" Stacy breathed out in one breath as if she were pleading for her life.

"Oh wow, ok, well first off, breathe, secondly let him in! And add him to the books under with your name as a Co designer. We can use him as a stepping stone from you being my administrative assistant to design assistant. You do graduate in a few weeks so we might as well groom you now so you can move full speed ahead once the ink dries on your degree." She joked with the bright eyed young lady.

"OMG thank you so much Mercy! I mean I am so sorry, Thank you for this amazing opportunity Ms. Jones." She settled back down to business mode and went to the door, smiled at the potential client and scurried to her desk to fill out the forms and upload them for .

"Ms. Jones will see you now ."