I just wanted to say thank you for sticking with me, for making this a favorite of yours and to those of you who took the time to review, I thank you.
For those of you who have read The Obsession, I am not going with that story line. I am just using certain scenes and dialogues to show why Mercedes is the way she is and why she is going by her initials.
I do not own glee or the chracters, neither do I own The Obsession, it's the property of Norah Roberts.
Present day...
M.J was walking around her yard trying to picture a beautiful garden with the prettiest flowers ever seen.
At the moment, she was staring at patches of dry grass, boulders and rotted railing.
She had her little notebook, and every now and again, she would scribble something in it.
A truck, with what look like out of town plates appeared in her line of sight. She watched as it lumbered up the small hill and come to a stop in front of her house.
The driver leaned out and spoke to her. "Are you M.J?"
Curious, she replied, "Yes."
The driver went on. "Sorry we're late. We got lost." Curiosity turned to confusion.
"I'm sorry, but I didn't order anything."
The smiling driver hopped from the truck and said,
"You didn't, but someone did." Further confusion and slight annoyance began to creep in.
"I don't understand. Are you sure you have the right person? Maybe you're looking for another M.J."
The driver looked at his clipboard and replied,
"Yes ma'am...I'm sure I have the right person."
Just then, the passenger door opened and another guy hopped out. He tipped his hat at her and smiled.
M.J was getting more and more annoyed by the moment.
"What exactly are you guys doing here?" she asked.
With a cheeky grin the driver answered, "Delivering your bed."
M.J's mouth opened in surprise.
"I didn't order a bed."
Once again the cheeky grin. She was beginning to hate that grin. She wanted to smack it right off his face.
"No ma'am, you didn't. It's a gift, sent to you by..." He looked at the clipboard again and continued.
"Santana Lopez, Kurt Hummel and Tina Cohen Chang. Our job was to get it here...intact...and set it up wherever you want it. Everything's paid for."
M.J was completely floored. She placed her hand over her mouth as her eyes became misty.
"Those fools...where would I be without them," she said internally. The driver went on.
"This is Dave by the way, and I'm Earl...in case you're wondering," he stated, pointing to his partner and then to himself.
He proceeded to hand her the clipboard to sign off on the delivery.
"Want some help with that?" a familiar voice asked. M.J looked around in surprise.
"Sam...when did he get here?" she asked herself.
Sam moved in then, shaking each man's hand as he introduced himself.
"The more the merrier," the driver said, obviously glad for another set of hands.
"Oh, there are some packages in the back. I have strict instructions to make certain that you get them," the driver went on.
Just as Earl and Dave moved to the back of the truck, Sam swooped in closer to M.J. "Hi," he shyly said.
M.J looked up into his pretty eyes and was caught in a haze of green. She stood lost in those eyes and was brought out when he softly grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers.
She looked at their joined hands and butterflies swarmed in her stomach. She timidly raised her eyes back to his and said,
"Hi Sam."
With a crooked smile, Sam gently tugged her closer and softly kissed her cheek. "Hi beautiful. How're you keeping?"
M.J blushed at the compliment. She felt that familiar pull towards him.
"I'm fine Sam. As you can see, never a dull moment around here."
Sam chuckled softly. He used his other hand and started playing with her hair.
He was having an inner battle with himself. He wanted to kiss her so bad, but he knew that if he did, he couldn't stop...at least not right at that moment, and she might not appreciate it with an audience. She was driving him crazy and she didn't even know it.
He leaned in, kissed her forehead and said, "Let's get your packages, and then I need to help those guys."
A few minutes later, she had all of her packages inside and the men were busy trying to set up the bed.
She went to a corner, away from them and started to open them.
The first one contained a king sized duvet and matching shams. The second one she opened, contained four king sized pillows. As she opened the third, small pillows tumbled out, and the very last one contained a set of white Egyptian cotton sheets and a note.
It read.
"Our Mercy needs a bed that will give her sweet dreams. We knew this was for you the minute we saw it. We love you and miss you. Santana, Kurt and Tina."
Tears stung M.J's eyes as she read the note. "I love you too," she quietly said.
She left the room then, as secretly as she could, or so she thought.
Green eyes followed her movements until she was out. Sam had sensed that something had upset her, possibly what she had read. Just as he made up his mind to go after her, she came back...with drinks.
He stepped away and went to her, concern written all over his handsome face.
"Hey, are you okay?" Locking eyes with him, she answered confusedly,
"Yeah, why?" He stepped further into her personal space.
"Well...you looked as though you were about to cry earlier." It occurred to her then, that he saw when she read the note.
"I'm fine Sam. Those were happy tears. I just miss my family, that's all." Relief flooded Sam.
"Oh. Okay. When was the last time you saw them?" he asked. M.J thought about it.
"A few months before I came here. This was supposed to be a road trip, lasting no more than a week, but I just kept driving and making small detours along the way. Finally, I ended up here...this was the first place that really spoke to me."
Sam smiled.
"I'm really glad you decided to stop here," he said. Just as he leaned in to her, she stepped away and said,
"I need to call them. I'll be back in a bit."
She didn't give him a chance to reply. She was out the door like a shot from a gun.
Sam felt hurt.
Rejection isn't something he normally felt. It's always the other way around. Rejecting women and their advances are like second nature to him, because he's never felt that spark like he has with M.J.
She is the first woman in a very long time that he has felt drawn to.
He exhaled loudly and mumbled to himself, "For someone with short legs, she sure do move fast."
M.J knew that she had been a coward earlier when she gave Sam the brush off. Sam is the first guy since her late teens that she could possibly fall for...if she allow herself to.
She has tried for years to keep a low profile and stay away from men. "Damn you Marcus Jones!" she said to herself.
She looked back to the stairs, praying that Sam didn't follow her, because at this precise moment, she couldn't handle a confrontation.
The hurt in his green eyes made her feel low, and she was sorry, but she just couldn't give in. It would destroy her if she allowed herself a chance with him and he found out who she was...and left her.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. She exhaled slowly and repeated the process.
Feeling calmer, she took out her phone and called her family.
For the next hour and a half, she spoke to them, although separately, and forgot about her problems and...Sam.
She had caught Santana just before she was due in court, being a busy lawyer and all. They had a very brief but heartfelt conversation and promised to catch up later.
Kurt and Tina on the other hand, talked her ears off.
The two friends owned and ran a clothing company together, where Tina drew all of the clothes and Kurt brought them to life.
They updated her about their lives since she left and spoke about the two men they were currently smitten with.
Tina was seeing a guy called Mike and Kurt was crazy about a guy called Blaine. They let slip that Santana had found someone she was totally into, but they decided to let her tell M.J all about it.
After they had said their goodbyes, M.J sat and thought about how she was going to face Sam. Just then, her father popped into her mind and she quietly said, "I hate you Marcus Tyrone Jones."
Flashback to after Mercedes had knocked on the door of the police station:
When the door opened, Mercedes recognized the person instantly.
It was one of Caribou's toughest, no-nonsense police officers, none other than Det. Sue Sylvester.
She was known for investigating and bringing criminals to justice in a timely fashion. She was as hard-nosed as they come, in fact, it was one of the names people call her...behind her back of course.
"What's going on here?" she asked. Her eyes landed on Katie and widened at the sight of her.
"My God!" she exclaimed and briskly moved through the door to help Katie to her feet. She turned to Mercedes.
"Can you go in and hold the door open? We need to get her inside."
Mercedes moved and did as she was asked.
A battered Katie was brought in and led to a bench to rest.
"Did y'all have an accident?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
She's been at this job for over twenty years and she could tell when someone has been through hell.
"No," Mercedes said.
Detective Sylvester gave a slight nod as she studied the bruises on Katie's neck. She moved tentatively towards her and asked,
"Can you tell me your name and your little friend's?" Katie looked up into the honest eyes of the detective and replied,
"Mines Katie and that little angel is Mercedes. She saved my life."
Mercedes broke then, she dropped to the floor and sobbed her little heart out. Katie too, as she looked on helplessly.
"Her father...he did this...he did this to me," she cried.
Detective Sylvester was taken aback, and rendered speechless. Her heart broke at the sight before her. She wasn't so tough that she couldn't feel, but hearing what she just heard...would bring even the toughest person to their knees.
She gently patted Katie's hand in sympathy, hoping to convey that she understood the situation. She moved to Mercedes and lifted her from the floor, placing her in a chair.
She took out her face cloth and wiped at the tears that were steadily flowing from Mercedes' eyes and said,
"You did a great job kid. I'm really proud of you. This can't be easy...for a ten year old nonetheless. I'll get you both some water and something to eat."
She stood to her full height and disappeared in the back room for a few minutes. She returned with two bottled waters and some cold cuts made into sandwiches.
As the girls ate, she said, "I need to make a couple of calls. One to the doctor and one to the Sheriff. They'll need to take pictures of you and there will be questions...lots of them. Are you up to any of that?"
Katie looked at Mercedes...her little savior, she knew life as the ten year old knew it, was over. Her innocence was lost...at the hands of her father. How could she go on knowing he was a monster, and how will she be able to speak against him?
As these questions sounded in her head, she had no doubt that this brave, strong little girl would go on and make it.
She vowed in her head to seek her out and be there for her as much as she could. They had a connection and she fully intended to keep it together.
Her eyes met those of the concerned detective and she determinedly answered, "Yes, I'll do whatever I have to do."
End of flashback.
Minutes later, as M.J walked up the stairs to her room, her conversation with Kurt replayed in her mind and his question reverberated in her head.
"Anyone on your radar yet?" he'd asked. She didn't answer right away, but Sam's handsome face and hurt green eyes invaded her mind right at that moment.
She shook her head to clear the image, and answered, "No, no one as yet...but, it's not as if I'm looking. I have no time for any of that sort of thing."
Kurt had sighed dramatically then. He knew his best friend really well and he knew what was holding her back.
"Mercy-me, this is me you're talking to. Honey, I've told you before, you can't let what your father did continue to rule your life. You have to get past that and live your life.
Some wonderful man out there is missing out on an equally if not more wonderful woman...that's you Mercy. You have so much to offer. You're beautiful, caring, compassionate, overly kind and the list goes on.
We all want you to be happy...even more than us...you deserve it... don't you think?"
Tears flowed steadily down M.J's cheeks then. "Maybe," she answered.
She couldn't see it, but the moment she gave that answer, Kurt's misty eyes begun to leak. Sniffling, he whispered,
"No, you deserve that and more."
By the time that they had wrapped up, Kurt had persuaded her to make him a promise. His words affected her more than he knew.
"I want you to promise me, that you will give some guy a chance...to know you and see how fabulous my Mercy-me is...okay?"
She made the promise...but wonders if she can indeed follow through.
She made her way up the stairs and entered her room, trying to avoid the intense green gaze that fell on her.
She put on an airy disposition and cheerfully asked, "How's it going guys?"
Sam kept quiet. He knew exactly what she was doing.
Earl spoke up.
"Nearly finished ma'am. It's a good thing your boyfriend was here...me and Dave might've been stuck trying to figure out the instructions."
She went to correct him on his assumption that Sam was her boyfriend, but as her eyes met his, she kept her mouth shut.
The only thing she could come up with was, "Thank you Sam."
Sam's jaw clenched when she thanked him. He was angry. He didn't want her thanks.
He wanted what Earl thought to be true. He can freely admit that. Seeing her, being around her and touching her, confirmed what he felt from the first time he met her.
She draws him in, but she also shuts him out. He turned to the guys and said,
"You think you can finish without me? I have to go."
Earl and Dave could sense the tension in the room. They looked at each other and a silent conversation passed between them.
Earl said, "Sure buddy. You've been a great help. Thank you."
The three shook hands and Sam moved towards the door. He looked back at M.J, shook his head from side to side and left.
It took a couple seconds for M.J to understand what had happened. She took off behind him and called to him as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Sam!"
He stopped but didn't look back. She made it down the stairs and said to him,
"Do you really have to go or is that an excuse to leave?" Sam remained as he was.
"Why do you care?" M.J was taken aback by the coldness in his voice.
"I... I don't..."
"Then why did you stop me?" M.J tried to backtrack from what she said.
"I didn't mean it like..." He turned then, his green eyes cold and calculating.
"Like what...what didn't you mean," he cut in. M.J thought before she answered.
"I didn't mean it the way you thought. I just meant that it probably wasn't my business to..." Once again he cut her off.
"That makes no sense...at all?"
M.J looked at him, hurt and annoyance radiating off of him.
She wanted to let go all of her insecurities in that moment and kiss him senselessly. Instead, she blurted,
"Maybe it doesn't, I don't know, okay? What do you want from me?"
Sam rounded on her, grabbing her and claiming her lips in a deep passionate kiss. He backed her onto the wall beside the door and thoroughly kissed her.
The need for air broke the kiss and they both stood staring into each other's eyes.
After he had calmed, he said, "You... I want you M.J...For God sakes, I've only known you for a few weeks, but I'm falling for you...known it since the first time we met.
You're all I think about. Can't you tell when a guy is interested in you. You drive me crazy."
At that he kissed her again, this time more slowly and tenderly. They broke the kiss after a while and Sam softly said,
"Think about it M.J...I'll be here waiting if you decide to open up and let me in. I'm not going anywhere...as long as it takes."
With that, he leaned in and placed a sweet lingering kiss on her plump lips. After that, he was gone and M.J was left in a mess.
This was a little bit shorter, but I hope it was still good enough.
