Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 32nd cycle. Now cycle 33!

Hear that little bird twitter! Been thinking about doing this for a couple days, then this morning decided to just go for it. If you go there, find 'gleekathon' and there I'll be. There's also a video explaining everything... Yep... ;) Check it out!

"First Dance"
Sam/Mercedes
Firsts #4 (sequel to 'First Kiss')

A/N: Tis very early (2am!) on account of it's my first day back at uni tomorrow/today... Aah!

They were leaving for Nationals in the morning. And in anticipation of his being away for a couple of days, Sam wanted to spend an evening with his siblings. He'd sent his parents on a date, and then he'd called for Mercedes to join the three of them at the motel. She had never met Stevie & Stacey, but Sam promised they'd love her.

It was certainly so by the end of the evening, but it came from after the time they had spent together. Stevie & Stacey were friendly, as they tended to be, but there was something odd about how they acted, the way Sam saw it. Eventually Mercedes had explained it to him: On the side of subtlety, Sam had some… weaknesses, mainly in trying to keep things like this from them… their relationship. It was solved when Mercedes looked to him with three words: Just tell them. So he had. He'd been scared for a moment that they might bring up Quinn or Santana or something like that… Of course Mercedes knew about them, but it wouldn't make it any less awkward… Thankfully, their names never came up.

With that out of the way, the evening had turned for the better. Stacey asked if they could watch a movie that would be playing in an hour, and Sam agreed. Until then, Mercedes had revealed it was time for them to look into the bag she'd left at the door. Sam had told her how bored they'd get sometimes, so she brought a few board games that had been left unused in her house of late. They were excited on the spot, debating which game they'd try first. Stevie, taking his cues from his big brother, had let his little sister pick first.

The four of them sat on the ground, around the board. Unbeknownst to them all, alliances began to form, between Sam and Stacey, and Stevie and Mercedes. There was a burst of laughter, when Sam and Stevie's game pieces were given life and voices to challenge one another.

After the hour and three games played, it was time for the movie. The four of them piled on to the bed just in time. With the kids in front, Sam knew what was about to come, and Mercedes didn't disappoint, slipping her hand in his.

Stacey was not the first to start nodding off, but she wasn't far behind Stevie. There was maybe a half hour left when they saw both the kids were sleeping, curled up at the front of the bed.

"Guess we should move them, and Mercedes looked to Sam. He gave a nod and they got up. Sam took up Stevie, and Mercedes got Stacey. They were just getting them tucked in when Sam looked up, his attention drawn by the sound from the television, a song… He got a smile on his face then… an idea…

Just as Mercedes stepped back up from the bed and looked up she found Sam staring back. "What?" she looked around.

"Well… How about a dance?" he asked, holding his hand out to her. The first instinct in her was to beam, but then the practical side kicked in, looking at the sleeping kids. "We'll be real quiet," he promised. "Why shouldn't our first dance be special?" she frowned and smirked, moving to him.

"We've danced before," she pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but… it's different this time," he explained as she put her hand into his, and he put his hand at her waist.

"How?" she asked, curious. He thought about it for a moment, pulled it all together.

"Because, even if we haven't told anyone…"

"Except them," she nodded to Stevie & Stacey.

"… except them…" Sam repeated with a nod, then smiled, pulling her just a little closer. "You and I, we're… you and I… and I'll go so far as to say boyfriend and girlfriend." That got an even bigger smile on her face, and she bowed her head to keep him from seeing the blush at her cheeks. "I mean, you know this year… hasn't been easy for me, for them… And the last couple of weeks, with you…" he shook his head, searching the words again. "It almost feels like I can forget for a while and just be happy… with you."

"I… I don't want to say 'thank you,' or 'you're welcome,'" she went on, and he laughed. "That just wouldn't be…" she paused, to reorder her thoughts. "Maybe this will do…" she craned up to kiss him, and he responded, holding the moment for a few more beats before parting, at which point he paused, feigning to consider if this had 'done it.'

"Yeah… I think I get it now," he nodded and she laughed, careful not to wake Sam's siblings, looking back to him as they continued gently swaying about. When her eyes found his again, they were locked together… She'd never had a guy look at her like that… She felt like a dream long held was finally happening…

"You were right…" her voice softened.

"About what?" he smiled.

"A first dance… I get it now." He nodded slowly, looking to their joined hands.

"Then let's dance…" he extended his arm, pulled her back in.

"No dipping," she begged, and he chuckled.

He had forgotten his sister's tendency to wake up and pretend to be asleep. Now Stacey Evans watched from her bed as the two of them danced, not once letting go of the other's hand…

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!