A Child's Intuition
Written by WickedSong
Disclaimer/Note : Do not own Glee, never will. This follows on from my previous oneshots, the order of which is 'The Hardest Goodbye', 'Do I Ever Cross Your Mind', 'You Are The Reasons For The Words 'What If' and 'A Very Glee Anniversary.' Prior reading isn't really necessary.
"I'm right and you're wrong!"
"No, you're wrong and I'm right!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
Stevie Evans sighed, looking at his younger sister, feeling his anger rise and rise. They were having an argument and couldn't seem to reach any type of agreement over who was right or wrong. Even though Stevie knew he had won this one, but Stacy wouldn't take that.
"Sammy will tell us," the six year old said in a demanding tone, marching up the stairs of their grandparents home and walking towards where Sam would be. The house was much bigger than the motel they had been staying at and even though it had meant many hours driving from Ohio to Tennessee, the family were more secure for it.
Stevie raced up behind his sister. The nine year old reached the top of the stairs just moments after her and they both walked to the end of the hall where the room that Sam shared with Stevie was located. Stacy went to open the door but stopped herself when she heard the sound of the guitar.
"...I know it makes no sense, what else can I do, how can I move on, when I'm still in love with you?"
She put her fingers to her lips and pressed her ear to the door curiously. Sam sounded sad, and he had seemed sad since they had arrived in Tennessee a couple of months ago, but he sounded more upset now that he was singing.
Stevie pressed his ear to the door as well, and both of the children were silently wondering what was making their brother sound so torn up. They knew he had had a lot of close friends back in Lima but so had they and they were fine.
Well, they weren't completely. Stacy missed her friend Anna, the only girl in her class who hadn't made fun of her when she had came into school in the same dirtied clothes as the day before. It hadn't been her parents fault, or her fault, or anyone's fault.
But for Stevie, he had a few friends that he missed slightly but no one close to him and that had caused him to adapt easier to the new change in their family's situation.
They stood closer to the door and tried to listen in more.
"'Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me and your heart starts to wonder where on this Earth I could be, thinking maybe you'd come back here to the place we'd meet, you'd see me waiting for you on the corner of the street."
"What do you think is wrong with him?" Stevie asked Stacy, who shrugged her shoulders and knocked the door to the room quietly.
Sam opened the door and put on a big smile when he saw the two of them.
"Hey you guys! Why'd you knock?" he asked, walking into the room and sitting on the bed beside his guitar. Stevie sat on his own bed while Stacy sat on Sam's lap. "You can come in, you know?"
"We heard you singing," said Stevie.
"Why do you sound so sad, Sammy?" Stacy asked. "Aren't you happy we don't live in that room anymore? Aren't you happy that we're with Grampa and Grandma?"
"Of course I am, Stace," replied Sam, but then he sighed. He didn't want to show weakness in front of his siblings but it was hard for them to really know what was going on. "But, it just takes time to adjust after having to do the same last year in Lima. Do you understand?"
"I guess," Stacy answered. "I just wish you'd smile."
Sam smiled. "How's that?" He then pulled a funny face, which caused the two kids to fall about in giggles.
"What's your song for?" Stevie questioned, looking at the guitar, once he was sitting back up on his bed, the laughter subsiding for now.
"Glee club audition." Sam looked fondly down at the instrument, the one that his friend's had bought back from him. His friends. His friends back in glee club. His friends back in glee club in Lima, Ohio.
The thought made tears prickle his eyes but he still let his siblings remain in the room.
"Do you miss them?" asked Stevie and Sam knew he was talking about the glee club members.
"Yeah," replied Sam, thinking his brother deserved an answer. "I miss them all. Kurt, Quinn, Rachel, Finn, Brittany, Santana, Puck, Lauren, Artie, Mike, Tina... Mercedes."
"Don't cry, Sammy," Stacy said, giving her brother an extra long cuddle as he smiled, appreciating it.
He had started at his new school, his third in three years, he had to note and it didn't seem as right of a fit as McKinley had been beginning to feel as he reached the end of his sophomore year. Everything had seemed on the up, until it all crashed down.
"You don't talk about 'Cedes much," Stevie noted. "You didn't tell Grampa and Grandma about her when you told them about Quinn and Santana or about any of your other friends."
"It's...complicated, Stevie," Sam told him sternly, not having the energy to explain to his brother and sister why it was complicated when it came to his relationship with Mercedes, one which had only started officially, three weeks prior to coming back to Tennessee but had sort of began at prom. There wasn't enough time for him to be sure of his feelings for her but he had thought he was falling in love with her – and he had been falling hard.
It was difficult when there was months of a friendship only brought about because of glee, but then a deeper one and subsequent relationship which was driven by more developed feelings in such a short space of time.
Stevie seemed to sense that asking any further questions about Mercedes would only upset his brother. He didn't know how he knew that but he just did.
Stacy climbed down from Sam's lap and wandered out of the room, Stevie following behind her, taking Sam's quiet as a sign to leave him alone for a while, while he practised his song for his audition for his new glee club.
When they were walking down the stairs, Stevie turned to Stacy.
"I think he and 'Cedes will get back together."
Stacy looked up a little and she was still quiet but she replied, "You think?"
Stevie just nodded but then broke the moment of silence between the two of them proclaiming, "Oh and I was so right."
The two then proceeded to continue their argument, which, years down the line, they would never be able to recall what specifically was the cause.
Seventeen year old Stevie Evans lounged around the living room of the apartment, flicking through T.V channels while Stacy sat on a seat across from him, scribbling in her notebook furiously, looking at her school notes. Stevie just rolled his eyes at her commitment and continued to watch the television.
"Stevie! Stacy! Come help set the table! Your brother will be home any minute now!" their father shouted through from the kitchen into the living room and so Stevie turned the T.V off while Stacy put her books and notes back into her bag. The pair then walked into the kitchen/dining room and set the table, as per their father's instructions.
Or they tried to. As soon as they began to set the cutlery down, they heard the door open and both scrambled out of the room, determined to be the first to see their older brother. Things had changed, they were older, but that sibling bond that had always been there and had only grown stronger in the time that the family were struggling was one thing that hadn't disappeared and had stayed constant.
"Stace, stop pushing me!" Stevie demanded while his fourteen year old sister, who was smaller than him pushed past him, down the hall, finally flinging herself into her brother's arms as he stepped into the apartment.
"Sammy! You're back!"
Eight years had passed and Sam still retained the nickname that Stacy had bestowed upon him in her early years. She rarely called him Sam.
"Hey, Stace," their brother replied, smiling heartily at them both. "Stevie." He walked over and gave his brother a huge hug.
"Hey," he said, returning the hug. "How was Lima? How were your friends?"
"Good, good," Sam replied absently as he looked down at his watch, then back at his siblings as they walked from the hallway into the living room, where their parents were. His mother swept him up in a big hug while his father gave him a pat on the back, smiling.
"Why do you keep looking at your watch? Waiting for something?" asked Stevie teasingly, as he noticed Sam looking back down at his wrist once let go of by their mother, who went with their dad back into the kitchen.
"No, just...looking," he replied, running his hands through his hair. Before anyone could say anything else though, there was a light tap on the door.
"I wonder who that could be," Sam heard his mother murmur from the kitchen but he was right at the door before anyone else could reiterate her thoughts.
He opened the door to see Mercedes Jones standing there, smiling from relief when she saw him. "Sorry I'm late. Those directions you gave me were way off." But she didn't look annoyed or upset with him, only give a sly grin.
Sam grinned back at her. "You're not late. I just got here."
She suddenly looked awkward standing outside of the door. "So your family don't know I'm here then?" She looked around. "I don't want to intrude or anything, Sam."
"No, you're not, you're not." He smiled at her, that genuine, sweet smile that made her heart do a little somersault in her chest. She walked into the apartment, smiling back at him.
"Who was that at the-" Sam's mother walked into the hallway, seeing Sam and Mercedes locked in a hug, one that surpassed friendship, she could see. She couldn't see Mercedes' face, and intrigued she gave a small cough. The couple turned to her and that was when she realised who it was. "Oh my goodness, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"
The woman excitedly pulled Mercedes into a hug, smiling brightly.
"Nice to see you too, Mrs. Evans," said Mercedes, returning the hug, feeling the love radiating from the woman in front of her.
She was glad to see this. Their financial situation had taken its toll on the family, and it was nice to see the smile, showing the happiness that the family now had, coming out of their horrible situation stronger than ever.
"What's going on? Who was at the door?" Stevie asked, peeking his head around the hallway door that led to the living room. Upon seeing Mercedes, he walked into the hallway quizzically, Stacy behind him, equally as confused. Their mother retreated back to the living room.
"Wait, you look familiar," Stacy noted, as she looked at Mercedes.
Mercedes replied to this comment by putting one hand on her hips. "You don't remember me, Stacy? I remember when you were this high." She used her free hand to demonstrate how tall Stacy had been when she was only six years old, a clear contrast to the height she was now, at fourteen years of age.
"You're Mercedes! 'Cedes!" Stevie said, putting two and two together in his head, obviously recognising her initially and then realising exactly who she was.
She laughed. "Yeah, I am." She nodded her head. "And you're Stevie. I remember when you were that high as well."
"I was taller than her!" For a brief moment, the maturity of a seventeen year old left him as he defended his height.
"Sure you were," Sam said, ruffling his brother's hair, leaving Stevie to compose himself back into a seventeen year old instead of reverting to the nine year old he used to be - and sometimes still was.
Sam then turned to Mercedes, wordlessly took her hand and walked with her into the living room.
"I was so right."
Stacy nodded and laughed as Stevie did a victory dance on the spot, obviously elated with himself that his prediction of his brother and Mercedes getting back together being true.
At least he could always say he saw that one coming when no one else could.
Not my best but I enjoyed writing it. Was a nice break from all the angsty ideas and thoughts roaming around in this brain of mine. Oh and this is also dedicated to Jadziwine, because they asked for the song The Man Who Can't Be Moved to be used in one of my fics and it worked perfectly here! :D
If you enjoyed, review and until next time,
WickedSong x
