Author's Note: Round two! Haha Why does writing for this fandom make me so nervous? I would have posted this a long time ago, but my laptop broke and I had to type it up on my family computer. Ugh. Anyway, thank you for all my lovely reviews on my other fic - it means a lot! I promise I'll get to replying to everyone as soon as I can.

This takes place right after the season 5 finale when Sam and Mercedes split up because she was going on her mall tours and Sam was going back to Lima. I may or may not do a follow up fic about their final night in NYC, but for right now this is what I have. Haha Enjoy!

Mercedes was starting to believe this whole "counting sheep" method was a load of bull. She hadn't slept in two days and she was getting more and more frustrated with each passing second. If she were honest with herself she knew the exact reason why she suddenly couldn't sleep, but Mercedes did not want to be honest right now. She wanted to keep lying to herself for just a little bit longer.

Adjusting the six pillows surrounding her body, she let out a yawn. A quick glance at the clock on her nightstand revealed that it was 2:17 am. She had just gotten back to LA yesterday morning and immediately went into meetings for her mall tour. She didn't get back to her apartment until midnight and thought as soon as she lay in bed that exhaustion would take over and she'd fall into dreamland, but that wasn't the case. She got twenty minutes here and there, but then she would jerk away and a heavy feeling would settle in her chest.

She looked at the clock again, but instead of catching the neon numbers, she found something else. Her breath caught and she tried to look away, but she couldn't. The picture was only a few weeks old and after it was taken she had quickly decided it was one of her favorite photos ever. She should feel embarrassed because it was such a typical selfie, but she wasn't embarrassed at all. She felt warmth, happiness... longing.

That picture was the exact reason why she couldn't sleep. Or rather, the lack of the person in it. The memory was so fresh it felt like it happened just yesterday instead of weeks ago...

- April 20th, New York -

The sounds of morning traffic is what woke her up, which was odd because she was at least two miles out of downtown. Construction? No, she couldn't hear any jackhammers. And she never set her alarm last night so she knew it wasn't her phone. What else could possibly have woken her up? The sun was barely peeking through the curtains which meant it was still early morning. That was when she heard it. Soft snores were coming from beside her. She suddenly realized she couldn't move her left leg and that steady exhales of breath were caressing her neck. An arm was draped across her middle, the edges of long, slender fingers placed just under the curve of her right breast.

Sam.

When they decided to get back together, she had laid out some ground rules, number one being that they slept in separate rooms.

That rule was broken within three days.

Turning her head, Mercedes took in his manly features. Sam was a little scruffy in the morning, something she would pretend annoyed her when he gave her morning kisses, but she secretly loved it. His usually styled hair was a mess on top of his head and his face held a look of complete serenity. It was in that moment that she realized this was exactly how she wanted to wake up for the rest of her life - this was where she belonged, in the arms of Sam Evans. She didn't know what their future held - she was on her way to becoming a star and while Sam was modeling right now, she knew he wanted to do something else with his life - so, they were just going with the flow right now. She wanted to capture this moment, a moment that she would cherish for the rest of her life, no matter if they were together or apart.

Reaching her right arm out she felt around the nightstand for her iPhone. She swiped the bottom right of the screen unlocking the camera. She changed the view to front-facing and stretched her arm up, holding the phone carefully so it wouldn't fall and wake up the man next to her. Her thumb hovered over the shutter button once the frame was perfect and at the last second before the picture was captured, Sam raised his head and pressed his lips against hers. The click of the camera sounded, but neither of them heard. It wasn't until air became a necessity that they parted.

She stared at his smirking face, surprised. "I thought you were sleeping." She smiled, rubbing her hand up and down his bicep leisurely.

"I was until I felt you move to get your phone." His smirk turned into a full grin when she blushed at being caught. "How did the picture turn out?"

She turned her attention from his green eyes to her phone, opening the gallery and finding the picture. They stared together in silence at the moment she caught. Despite her surprise at kiss, the picture wasn't even blurry, the image of the young couple sharing a soft morning kiss perfectly clear.

"It's perfect," she whispered.

He didn't say anything, at list not out loud. Instead he just kissed her tenderly again as she set the phone back on the dresser before she wrapped her arms around his neck.

And now, here she was a few weeks later, holding the title of "Sam's ex-girlfriend" for the third time with dark circles under her eyes, proving that she wouldn't get sleep any time soon without his arms secured around her.

Before her brain could process what her hands were doing, she found the same iPhone pressed to her ear.

"Hello?"

His voice startled her, her heart jumping into her throat. Her mouth was dry and her lip throbbed from where her teeth were biting.

"Mercedes? Are you there?"

"Sam," she breathed out, cursing herself for being so weak when it came to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked and she could hear the slight panic in his voice. It was then that she remembered it was almost three am.

"I - I didn't wake you, did I?" She had to admit she was more curious than worried.

"No," he replied breathlessly. "No, you didn't wake me. I haven't slept since..."

He paused and her heart skipped a beat. Was he having the same troubles as she? Mercedes would never wish her burdens on anyone, but she couldn't help but wish that he too was struggling with their separation.

"Damn it, 'Cedes," he whispered. "I haven't slept since Sunday."

Sunday, their last day together in New York. The last night they shared the same bed. They both had it bad. Despite it all, she let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, well, me neither."

"Really?"

He sounded surprised and she frowned. "Yeah, baby." Her left hand raised up and began to repeatedly smack her forehead. She had no grounds to call him that. "Sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"'Cedes, don't apologize, please," he pleaded. "No matter what I'll always be your baby, okay?"

She nodded even though he couldn't see her and tears slowly welled in brown orbs. "And I'll always be your munchkin." She initially had yelled at him when he began calling her that in high school, but he knew that she secretly loved it.

It was silent for a few moments, both of them just listening to each other breathe. It wasn't awkward. She was comforted and content with just being able to hear him. And if she squeezed her eyes really tight she could almost feel his arms around her.

As if reading her thoughts, he broke the silence. "I feel you."

Her breath hitched in her throat and a tear slid down her cheek and disappeared onto the pillow. "I feel you, too."

He let out a breath that sounded like he had been holding in for a while. "Are we going to be okay?"

The words echoed in her ears for a moment and she bit her lip again, shifting under the covers and the cuddling a pillow closer to her.

"I think we're going to be fine."

Did I get this straight?
Do you want me here
as I struggle through each and every year?
And all these demons, they keep me up all night.
They keep me up all night..

A/N: Okay, it's done... Thoughts? Comments? Constructive criticism? Fic requests? Anything?