Author's Note: Here is another chapter I hope you like it and please forgive my mistakes. "Happy Thanksgiving Everyone, I hope it is a blessed and safe one for you and your loved ones!"
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters.
My Eyes Were Trained On You
Chapter 4
Mercedes extended her hand and began shaking the hands of the gentlemen who had now been standing with her. The guys looked puzzled as they each individually shook her hand "First of all who was she?" "Where did she come from?" "And where had she been all this time?" Sam knew these guys well enough, now, to know that these were the questions that they were thinking and asking themselves; but Sam had wondered about the answer to that last question himself-many, many times as well. Sam continued to watch this scene unfold with an (awkwardly hidden) excitement and awe. When she extended her hand towards him, it took every fiber of his being-within him, to simply shake her hand at this moment, and nod his head and accept this lame re-introduction.
Two golf carts approached them driven by two caddies both carts had enough space for six people. But one cart was already filled with bags of golf clubs and equipment. "Okay" Figgins shouted "Let's move out." As they all walked to one of the carts the caddy jumped out and rode with the other caddy and the equipment while Figgins took the wheel. Sebastian screamed out "Shotgun" and jumped in the front seat next to Figgins. Mike and Ryder sat in the seats directly behind them but Ryder then spoke "I hope you don't get sick riding backwards Sam!" Ryder was giggling and fully impressed with himself. Sam just watched Mercedes as she walked over and sat in the back row of the golf cart. As soon as Sam sat next to her the fragrance of lilac hit him immediately, he had never missed anything more, except for maybe the warmth he was again feeling on his left thigh as his leg made contact with hers as they sat together. He thought he would pass out from joy.
His inability to do or say anything at this point was going to kill him; he could not wait until this golf game was over because his mind had been racing. He needed to enjoy this moment being with her and yet not enjoy it too much; if that made any sense? As they sat facing backwards together in this rhythmically moving golf cart Sam couldn't help himself-he leaned in to her amazing hair, taking in all of her lilac scent, and whispered into her ear, "Ding ding" and then rested his hand on hers and squeezed it.
Mercedes slightly turned her face toward his and slowly batted her eyes as a small smirk of knowing graced her lips. "He could do it" he thought to himself "He could live for the next ten years just from that small sign of connectedness that just passed between them."
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Sam may not have known where Mercedes had been over these last two months but he had the sneaking suspicion that she was somewhere perfecting her golf game. She was beating the pants off of everyone on the course. While Mike and Sebastian were above par by 15 strokes, Ryder by 12, Sam by 11, and even Figgins by 9 – Mercedes was on par and they were now at the 18th hole.
When the game was over the men were driving back in silence until Figgins spoke up "A sense of patience and purpose-you are beginning to show what you are bringing to the team Mercedes" His grin was full of pride. "Thank you P's" Mercedes spoke loud enough to compensate for the sound of her words, which had actually been moving in the opposite direction of the man that she was speaking to. "Thank you Peas?" Mike challenged. Figgins laughed out loud wholeheartedly for about two minutes before he spoke "It's our own private little joke." Sebastian then spoke up "How could you guys already have 'private little jokes' didn't she just get here?" "Never you mind." Figgins countered as they pulled back up to the resort.
Once they all disembarked from the cart Figgins gave them the entire overall plan for the week while they were eating dinner together. "Every day this week there will be a team building activity in the morning and a bonding activity in the afternoon, the rest of the time you can just enjoy the resort. You could either pick a partner (by placing names in a hat) then continue to work with that person throughout the entire week or you could switch partners every day to learn how to work well with each individual in our team as a whole. It is up to you. There are benefits to both-if you stick with your partner throughout the week your team gets better every day as you better learn your partner and how they think. If you chose to change partners every day then you learn a little about everyone in the group, and that is a plus, but you just will not master any events this week because each day you have to awkwardly learn how to work with someone new."
The group thought about their options carefully over their meal of Chicken Cordin Bleu, on a bed of wild rice and salad, not to mention their glasses of white wine. Then Figgins added "There is one more caveat" He added. "If you pick your partner for the week you are stuck with them-no changes will be made, you will just have to make it work, but by the end of the week regardless if you are a team or just the individual-whoever has the most wins of the challenges will receive a thousand dollar bonus in their paycheck this pay period – tax free!" Figgins exclaimed. The team started clapping and cheering at the table.
"The only thing is you have to make your choice before I tell you the activities so that no one will try to use bias in picking their partners- agreed?" He concluded. "Agreed" they all responded back. "Okay, what will it be a week long partnership or individual's and daily choice?" Figgins asked. Two people shouted for individual while three people chose the week long partnership. "The week long partnership it is!" Figgins shouted with a clap of his hand.
Figgins asked the waiter for a large piece of paper and a pen and, when he received it, he ripped it into six pieces and then wrote all of their names on them. He took off his baseball cap and the dropped the folded pieces of paper with the names inside and began to mix up the pieces. "The first three people to choose will determine the teams." Figgins said.
Sam so wanted Mercedes name that he couldn't even express it-even if he wanted to. Figgins was the first to pull out a piece of paper and then he passed the hat to Sam who was sitting next to him. Figgins opened up his piece of paper and read off the name "Ryder". Sam looked down into the hat at the pieces of paper it was the first time he wished that he had super sight. He only had one chance at this and he wanted to get this right. Sam was pondering so long that he didn't realize that everyone at the table now realized how important this decision was to him. "Any day now!" Sebastian's speaking jarred Sam from his slight brain lapse. "Yeah Sam, sorry it is too late, I am already chosen-I know that you are disappointed." Ryder pushed out his bottom lip to emphasize sadness.
"Leave him alone he knows there $1000 tax free dollars resting on this decision; smart man." Mike interjected. Sam closed his eyes dropped his hand into the hat and grabbed a piece of paper then he took the hat reached past Mercedes and handed the hat to Sebastian, which puzzled Mercedes. "NICE!" Sebastian said as he grabbed the hat next. Sam slowly opened the piece of paper and saw the first letter "M" he quickly unfolded the paper and it said "Mike." Before he could read his paper out loud Sebastian stuck his hand in grabbed a piece of paper and opened it "It looks like I get the new kid - Mercedes" he read.
"I have Mike." Sam said. "Well don't make me feel like the fat kid at summer camp-Sam." Mike said as he drank the last bit of his wine. Mercedes asked "What time should we be ready tomorrow?" Figgins then responded "Everyone meet in the lobby by 10:00am – Our activity for tomorrow morning is climbing the Rockwall." Figgins said enthusiastically.
"Make sure you get some rest tonight you are going to need it!" Figgins said then he stood up and grabbed his hat back from Sebastian. "Good night everyone, Oh… Mercedes, can I speak to you for a few minutes?" "Walk with me to the elevator." Figgins said as he motioned for her to come with him. She got up from her chair and accompanied him on his way to the elevator as he started speaking to her with a muted register. "Why is he whispering?" Sam thought. He could not help feeling a twinge of jealousy of this strange connection she seemed to have with Figgins. "What was that all about?" He wondered.
The other guys started discussing if they wanted to hang out a little while longer and get some drinks but Sam opted out. "He was too tired from the flight and the long rounds of golf" was his excuse; he would just catch up with them in the morning. Sam who had been watching Mercedes from the corner of his eye had seen her shake her head "No" quite a few times to Figgins and then saw Figgins get on the elevator alone.
As she walked back to the table she met the guys who started to go towards the bar. "Hey new kid, we are going to have a few drinks. Would you like to come?" They called to her. "Okay, that sounds nice." She said. Sam immediately felt agitated "Did she just say okay?!" The thought flashed across his mind like lightning. "Does she have any idea how long I have been trying to get her alone, to talk to her, and when we finally have a moment to speak- she is going to go hang out, with those guys?"
Sam walked by them headed toward the elevator and he coughed and whispered right as he was passing Mercedes "Cou303gh" he attempted to let her know his room number so she could meet him afterwards. She turned toward him and he coughed and whispered again, turning toward her as if he were throwing the cough behind his back for sanitary reasons, "Cou303gh" and then attempted to clear his throat as he continued to the elevator. Mercedes watched him meticulously as he entered the elevator then she called out as she continued walking to the bar with the guys. "Don't get sick-it will be easier to beat you tomorrow!" He heard her say as the elevator doors closed, but was not all he heard, he also heard the other guys encouraging her for the comment. "You are going to fit in here." Sebastian said and they all laughed.
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Sam arrived back in his room at 9:43pm and he waited. He had tried to preoccupy himself with the television but when he noticed that he had just watched a half an hour sitcom and a one hour drama he will admit that he was hurt. "All this time he had been thinking about her and he must not have meant the same to her at all." He wondered. He thought that they had truly shared a moment back there on the golf cart and now he really didn't know what to think of any of this. "He had truly hoped that, she had believed that, they had truly connected and not that it was just one sided."
Sam turned off the television and just shook his head. "Should he go down to the bar and look for her?" He wondered "What would be his excuse?" "He told everyone that he was tired." "She had everyone believing that he might be sick." He continued contemplating. "If he knew that the only time that he would get to spend with her tonight would be in the bar with the others; he wished he hadn't turned down the guy's invitation."
He looked at the time again and now it was 11:25pm he had given up hope but just then there was a knock on the door. Sam perked up right away. He looked through the little peephole and there she was standing at his door. For a moment he froze he didn't know what would be an acceptable response for meeting her again. Truthfully, he wanted to grab her, hug and kiss her but what if she thought that was weird for a guy she only "sort of" knew her a little while ago. "I suppose I will just have to wing it he said." And then he quickly opened the door so that she wouldn't leave thinking he had been asleep already.
As soon as he opened the door she came in and she closed the door immediately behind her. She moved swiftly and wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a great big hug. Sam wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her in tightly-this sensation he was feeling completely overpowered and killed any thought "That just her leg touching his, would ever, be enough of a connection for the two of them to share-ever again." He held on for dear life and he could smell the lilac at the nape of her neck right under her hair and it was epic.
She pulled back slightly and made the attempt to kiss him on the cheek and he began to do the same which resulted in his lips gently landing onto hers. He kissed her. It was their first, it was soft, it was by accident, and as far as he was concerned would not be nearly enough, this time he refused to let this opportunity pass him by. He made his move and he began to kiss her again tugging tenderly on her bottom lip with his own, then he opened his mouth and attempted to gain access behind her lips, one of his hands letting go of her waist and cupping the back of her head (enjoying the feel of her hair) pushing her closer to him.
Mercedes was caught off guard but she quickly became receptive to his actions, she parted her lips and granted him permission to continue taking their relationship to a new level. It was his dull moaning while kissing her which made her dare to believe that there was real emotion behind this kiss and not just some strange effect of him sitting in his room alone with his mini-bar.
Sam kept deepening the kiss especially after tasting the fruity taste on her tongue from whatever drinks she had been drinking in the bar, his hand at the back of her head began moving and tilting her head, this way and that, as he mimicked the movements with his own head to continue their constant connection. "Whatever this was-it was well worth the waiting, all evening, in his room alone."
"Sam" She had released and attempted to speak through his kisses. "What is this?" She asked. Sam pulled away from her and looked at her. "I don't know about you, but I have wanted to do this since our first date." Sam responded. "Did we have a date?" She questioned her eyebrows furrowing. "For me, that Chinese restaurant counts." He said and then began kissing her again.
There was so much that they needed to discuss, so much that he knew-he wanted to know, but at this point, he felt like all of that could wait; as long as she was made to realize, without a shadow of a doubt, "that this" is what the new re-incarnation of their relationship had become-a relationship.
"Mercedes" Sam stopped kissing her and hugged her with all his might "I've missed you" he whispered while nuzzling her almost bathing himself in her hair as he spoke. "I've missed you too, Sam" Mercedes conceded. "There are so many questions that I have for you but before anything else I have to ask you something right now" He said. "What is it?" Mercedes wondered what he found so pressing. "What is your phone number?" Sam said. Mercedes burst into laughter and so did Sam. "No, I am serious, this is not a joke." He said as he let go of her and walked over to his dresser and picked up his cell phone. "You are not leaving this room without giving me your phone number and address I mean it." He stated.
"I will give you everything but then I have to go we have a big day tomorrow." Mercedes countered. "Only if you ditch everyone early tomorrow I want to spend time alone with you; just you. So, you make your excuses early and we will meet up here as soon as we are released from the job obligations-understand?" "I am not taking no for an answer." He continued. Mercedes giggled. She really had missed that southern drawl of his. "I understand" Mercedes said as she took his cell phone from him and put all her information into it and handed it back to him. "I've got to go." She said as she walked to his room door. Sam grabbed her by the arm, spun her around and kissed her again. Upon the release of the kiss between them he whispered to her "Just don't leave for as long of a time again, alright?" His eyes were slightly pleading. She batted her eyes and opened the door then she said "Alright" As she walked through the door she leaned back a little and said "Stand clear of the closing door please" she smiled and closed the door and went to her room.
It was at that moment that Sam Evans knew that he was officially-in love.
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Ten o'clock that morning everyone had met in the lobby for their first adventure. Figgins had the teams wear matching numbers on their chest (the type that you usually see on marathon runners) and then they began walking to the designated area. It was still at tad bit early but, this was Arizona, and you could most definitely feel the heat starting to command the day.
Sam's smile, which couldn't even be surgically removed from his face at this point, spoke volumes to Mercedes as they still tried to keep their cool and pretend to be people who had just met. There were trained experts who provided them with harnesses, ATC's, carabineers, chalk, and climbing shoes. The instructor explained to them about "Top Roping and the Belay Method" which was the technique that they were going to use to climb this wall today. The "Belayer" anchored, assisted, and helped to apply the breaks for the climber as the climber climbed the rope.
After about a 20 minute introductory lesson, and the adjusting of the harnesses'. Figgins gave them the instructions. "On the top of the wall, I had the experts leave an object this morning." He said. "It is required for the team to climb the wall twice and on the second pass bring down that which was left; the first team to complete this challenge wins."
All three teams started trying to encourage and inspire each other that they could do it and beat the others. The first of the four approached the wall and took their "Belayer" positions as the climber's then took there's. Once all the equipment was checked and the participants ready the experts blew a whistle and the challenge began.
Sam, Figgins, and Mercedes were the first in the "Belayer" positions they yelled and encouraged the climbers to move quickly up the wall. Mike had quite a bit of upper body strength so he took the lead rather quickly but Ryder was not to be undone and he began picking up the pace. Sebastian on the other hand had no idea about his fear of heights until he got two-thirds up the wall. Figgins watched how Mercedes continued to mentor and coach her partner until he got all the way to the top of the wall and the sent her comforting words to help him to repel back down.
Mike had already made it to the ground and began to unhook so that Sam could begin his first climb. Figgins guided the rope for Ryder as he descended and made his way to the ground as well. They switched places and Figgins started to climb up the wall as well. Sam was moving fast his long reach made this possible when he glanced down and saw Mercedes whispering in Sebastian's ear as he finally made it down. Then Sam saw Figgins catching up to him but Figgins and Sam were surprised to see Sebastian begin to climb up the wall again. Cheers and screams to "Move it and Get the lead out" ascended up the wall behind the guys until they made it all the way to the top. Sam it seems only took approximately five long hops and he was back down the wall as Figgins moved in a more trained manner.
Sebastian even surprised his self that he made it to the top and was on his way down a lot faster than he had believed he would. He made it to the bottom while the others were switching places again for their second climb back to the top. Sam and Figgins began anchoring for Mike an Ryder again and shouting more words of competition and encouragement when they heard Sebastian say "What are you doing?" to Mercedes. She was removing his rope and pulling the rope off from top of the wall. When the rope dropped to the floor she connected to her carabineer chalked up her hands and began climbing the wall alone. Once she reached a carbineer that was mounted on the wall she connected herself to it and continued to climb until she reached the next one. Sam and Figgins were amazed and Mike and Ryder paused on the wall for a few minutes and watched as Mercedes by using only her upper body strength hoisted herself up and up the rock wall she had reached the top passing both Mike and Ryder as the had stuck trying to understand her technique.
Mike and Ryder began to get back into the fight but by that time Mercedes hand been repelling back down the wall and detaching from each carabineer as she went. When Mike and Ryder began pushing off the wall and lowering their bodies hoping that their leg strength would give them an advantage. In actuality their push-offs were too wide and it slowed them down each time that they had to wait until the swing back allotment time would allow them to do it again.
Mercedes began climbing back up the wall the same way she had just done so. Now when Mike and Ryder got down the time that it took to switch places again with Sam and Figgins gave Mercedes the head start that she needed to grab the piece of paper off of the top of the rock wall and bring it back down. Sebastian was screaming so loud and laughing in the other guys faces that when Mercedes had hit the ground Sam and Figgins had not even began a third of the way up the wall.
Sebastian gave her a high five and she was completely happy as she waved around the paper that she had in her hand. "Open it" Figgins shouted as he made his descent. When Mercedes unfolded the paper in read in big bold letters "DETERMINED."
"Your team wins Mercedes!" Figgins winked at her and Sebastian gave her a big hug.
Author's Note: Please Review