Thank you again for all of the wonderful reviews and pm's. I appreciate them!

It's been a rough 24 hours and I channeled my grief over Whitney Houston's passing into this chapter. I had written everything but the last scene before I found out about her death so a lot of it is my catharsis. It's the longest chapter I've written so far so please forgive any typos because I was kind of going through a few things while I was writing it. I hope you enjoy it! Please review! Thank you!

Their arms swung playfully in the crisp autumn air, hands joined as he walked her to class.

They had just left Spanish II and he was loving the fact that they had signed up for it together. Learning a new language was exciting but learning it with her was, well, the most fun he'd ever had.

Turning to look at her, he grinned goofily while watching her pat down the hair a gust of wind had blown out of place. She caught him out of the corner of her eye, stopping her primping as she wondered if she looked okay.

"Is my hair sticking up or something?"

"No."

Mercedes side eyed him, wondering why he was grinning like he was certifiable.

"What's wrong with you?"

Sam smirked as he said, "Nothing because I'm with you."

Now she was the one grinning like a fool and he laughed at her as they continued walking through the quad, meandering along the trail set by random clusters of students blocking the path to Boyd Hall.

"Hey, Mercedes, wait up!"

She stopped and they both turned around to see who had called her. She smiled warmly at the tall brother who was grinning a little too much at her in Sam's opinion.

"Hey Anthony! What's up?"

Sam instantly remembered Anthony Rashad, the asshole who failed to get on the football team as a walk-on because he spent the entire time showing off instead of catching the damn ball. He eyed him suspiciously, knowing there had to be an ulterior motive if Anthony was involved.

"Nothing much. Just wonderin' if you were available for tutoring."

She went over her schedule mentally, nodding when she figured out her availability.

"I'm free on Friday."

Anthony's grin grew exponentially and Sam frowned when he noted the sparkle in his eyes.

"Cool. Wanna meet up on the fourth floor of the library, say around four?"

"I'll see you there!"

"Bet."

He nodded at Sam as a second thought before jogging in the other direction.

She resumed walking, blissfully unaware, while he stood where he was. She looked back at him quizzically and he finally caught up with her, trying to push aside his jealousy but he always reacted this way whenever guys flirted with her, especially when they were assholes that could potentially cause problems.

Although he was fairly secure in his relationship, their behavior bothered him because they never tried to hide their lustful feelings around him. It was disrespectful as hell but he never caused a scene. He was beginning to rethink that strategy.

"Hellooooo... did you hear anything I just said?"

Sam glanced at her, confusion spreading rapidly across his face.

"I'm sorry, baby, what did you say?"

She started to ask him what was going on but hesitated, deciding instead to repeat what she had said.

"Where did you want to go for dinner tonight? I'm kind of in the mood for Italian. What do you think?"

"That sounds good."

He opened the door for her and she walked through it, waiting for him at the entrance while he continued holding the door for others. Once he was finished, he ran up to her and grabbed her hand again as they caught the elevator. She leaned against him, pulling his arm over her shoulder as they rode in silence, enjoying their last few seconds together. When the elevator stopped and its doors opened, she flipped around and kissed him tenderly on the lips before backing out.

"See you at six! Bye..."

He replied, "Bye!"

He watched her wave goodbye as she set out in the direction of her class. He grinned until he saw two guys approach then fall in step with her. He tried to get a better look at what was going on but the doors closed before he had a chance.

Mercedes had tried her best but she just couldn't get into the movie because she knew something was bothering him. Sam had been acting strangely ever since they came back from the restaurant the previous night. Usually they'd spend a little time cuddling before taking a shower together, capping the night off with some intense lovemaking but they skipped all of that in favor of a quickie on the very sofa they were sitting on.

He had been ferocious, fucking her with no inhibitions and though she enjoyed it, she missed the strength of their connection when they made love. Last night, it seemed like he had something to prove and ever since then there was this distance between them. Before their conversations had been what dissertations were made of but now, they were reduced to one-word answers and exasperated glances.

She stared at him while he continued watching the movie, unaware of her appraisal. His posture was stiff and he merely chuckled at the parts that normally had him in stitches. Oh hell yeah, something was definitely wrong and she had to know what was up.

Reaching for the remote, she paused the movie then tossed it back on the coffee table. He looked over at her, wondering why she had stopped it right before the good part.

"Merce-"

"What's going on with you?"

Sam looked away from the concern in her eyes, taking a deep breath as he figured out how to express the feelings that he had been trying so hard to hide.

"I don't know."

She frowned, replying, "You don't know? Sam, look, I know when something's off and you know that I'm not going to let this go until you tell me so you might as well avoid all of the bullshit by keeping it one hundred."

He sighed before asking, "We're good, right?"

She raised an eyebrow of concern, her features softening as she replied, "I'd venture to say we're excellent."

His smile was sad and she moved closer to him, sweeping his hair away from his eyes as she reiterated her feelings.

"You are the first and only guy who's ever made me feel like this."

If he had been his normally confident self, her words would have reassured him but instead, they made him feel worse. They were both inexperienced in matters of the heart but somehow her lack of experience was fucking with his head. He knew she was popular, it was kind of hard not to be when you were as smart, beautiful, charismatic and so much fun to be around as she was but it hadn't been a problem until now. He felt like he was in the fight of his life just to have a little time with her and he was uneasy because he was his darkest fear was that he would eventually be replaced.

He constantly strove for perfection, overcompensating because of his dyslexia. As a result he was super competitive and a hard worker but he hated to lose. Losing meant sliding down into mediocrity and as someone with a notable strike against him, it was something he couldn't afford.

That need for perfection was already ruining his academic and athletic lives but he was determined to keep it the hell away from his romantic life, the one constant when everything else went to shit.

"Why do I get the feeling you're holding back something from me?"

His head jerked at her perception and he cursed because he was never able to hide what he was thinking. She straddled his hips and looked him directly in the eyes. He stared back at her, his hands settling on her waist out of habit.

A fit of laughter snapped them out of their intimate moment and they looked down the hallway in time to see Tina, in a bra and boy shorts, being chased into the kitchen by a t-shirt wearing Santana. Santana grabbed a 2 liter of Sprite from the fridge while Tina grabbed a bag of Doritos and a package of Oreos.

Santana yelled over her shoulder, "Gotta keep our strength up!"

Tina chased her back into her room and with a loud slam of the door, they were alone again.

Mercedes felt him grow hard underneath her and she shook her head.

"Really, Sam?"

He shrugged with a sly smile and she squinted, an idea suddenly popping into her head.

"Since you seem to be a little confused, I think we should take a break."

He visibly gulped as he asked, "A break? From what?"

"Sex."

He repeated slowly, as if he had heard her wrong, "Sex?"

"Screwing. Fucking. Knocking boots. Bumping uglies. Sex. The thing we do every night and several times during the day."

He whined, "But why?"

She laughed at his adorable pout before answering, "You need reassurance."

"How is a lack of sex going to reassure me?"

"You need to know that I care about you and not the monster in your pants."

"I know you like us both and I'm good with that."

"Okay, then let's make it a bet."

His eyes brightened at the mention of a bet.

"A bet you say?"

"Yep. Let's see if we can go a week without it."

"What does the winner get?"

"To call the shots."

He licked his lips as he thought about the number of times she dominated him, his dick begging for some immediate attention.

"How do you know I won't throw the competition on purpose?"

"You're much too competitive for that. It's in your nature to win. I know you, remember?"

She grinned cockily and he pursed his lips, continuing to contemplate the bet.

"So, what does no sex mean exactly? We can still kiss, right?"

"Everything up to second base."

Somehow he survived an entire month between their first and second encounters so a week sounded like a cakewalk in comparison.

"I'm in."

Her smile was rife with satisfaction and he was already second-guessing their agreement.

"Excellent!"

She took out her phone and checked the time.

"So no sex until next Tuesday at 21:27."

"Military time, really?"

"Well, after that fiasco last December, I'm more determined than ever to win."

She hummed happily as she hopped off his lap and restarted the movie. Lying on the other end of the sofa, she rested her legs in his lap. He was just getting back into it when her heel began massaging the erection he was trying to get rid of. He clenched the arm rest, groaning as he tried not to lose the game before it really even started.

In a final act of desperation, he lifted her legs, placed a pillow in his lap then laid her legs on top of the pillow. He gave her a wink before watching the movie, smiling when he heard her defeated grunt.

Sam had grossly underestimated just how far his girlfriend was willing to go to tease him into submission.

It was only Friday and he was almost ready to cry "Uncle!" The past three nights had been complete and utter hell because she had insisted on sleeping in the most dick-hardening pieces of her lingerie collection. Tuesday's treat had been a purple and black lace teddy without the matching pair of panties, Wednesday's was a baby blue see-through slip and Thursday's consisted of a black bra matched with a pair of his boxers.

To make matters worse, she'd sashay around the room, pretending to keep herself busy by checking the alarm on her clock or picking out her clothes for the next day while conveniently having to bend over or strain on her tiptoes to reach for something. Logically, he knew it was all a ploy to get him to surrender but his dick fell for it each and every time. After she was done, she'd climb in next to him and they would make out furiously before she'd roll off of him with a curt good night.

But the final straw didn't come until that morning in his Advertising and Print Design class. He had been struggling to pay attention to a lecture on how realistic the portrayal of Mad Men was when loud moaning suddenly blared from his book bag. Horrified, he pulled out his cell phone and struggled to turn it off. He finally managed to silence it but not before everyone heard Mercedes' voice call out his name in pure ecstasy.

His professor stared at him disapprovingly before continuing the lecture and Sam wanted to die, turning beet red, completely embarrassed. He spent the remainder of class dodging the judging looks from his classmates and when the bell rang, he was the first to leave, the back of his ears on fire as he ran out.

Now he was back in his room, sitting on the edge of the bed that smelled just like her. Everything smelled like her; his clothes, his furniture, even the goddamn lamp. It hadn't even been three full days yet and he was struggling mightily to keep his head in the game.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and he lifted his head to see Puck standing in his doorway.

"Awww man...guess who I just saw with your girl!"

Sam rolled his eyes as he replied, "I know she's with Rashad. She's tutoring him."

"Looked like a whole lot more than tutoring was going on. Dude, he had his arm draped all over your girl. I don't remember that being a part of Calculus. If that was my girl...let's say that he wouldn't be using that arm for a while."

Puck backed out of the doorway, making the turn for his room while Sam stewed on his bed.

He felt like he was losing his fucking mind and it took everything in him not to immediately head to the library to teach that asshole a lesson but he didn't want to be that guy.

Still the thought of Rashad being anywhere near her made him uneasy and before he knew it, he was rushing down the stairs and towards his car.

It was only a ten minute drive but it felt like an eternity because all kinds of scenarios had entered his mind.

As he climbed the steps leading up to the library two at a time, his rage was at an all-time high. Sliding his student ID through the reader, he raced through the turnstile and ran to the elevators. He waited and waited then finally gave up, deciding to hit the stairs instead. Taking a deep breath, he raced up the eight flights of stairs, arriving on the fourth floor in record time.

He opened the door and looked at all the study cubbyholes and tables, seeing no sign of her anywhere. Then his heart beat a little faster when he looked over at the private study rooms located at opposite ends of the floor. He decided to search the ones situated away from the stairwell. He peeked in the first room but it was empty. The same for the second and third. When he reached the fourth and last room in this row, he found her, watching her through the small window in the middle of the door.

Mercedes was alone, typing rapidly on her laptop keyboard while nodding her head along to the music in her earphones. Feeling like the biggest creep, he started to walk away when she looked up, catching him red-handed. She shook her head mockingly while taking out her earphones. Standing, she walked over to the door, opening it then leaning against it as she waited for an explanation.

His mouth opened but nothing came out because he was so embarrassed.

"Let me guess...Puck."

He grinned sheepishly while she continued, "Well since you're here, you might as well stay."

She grabbed the front of his hoodie, pulling him inside the room before closing the door. When she turned back around, her face was all business and while he was alarmed he was also turned on.

"FYI, Anthony never showed up so I decided to spend my time wisely by getting ahead in my Psych class. Puck and I hung out for a little bit before he left a little while ago."

"But Puck..."

His voice trailed as he figured out that he had been played yet again. Puck was forever living up to his asshole title, the fucking troll.

"It looks like you need to be taught a lesson since you didn't learn from the last time he got you."

Sam raised both eyebrows, lips parting in protest but before he could get a word out, she was grabbing at his clothes.

"Take them off."

He hesitated and she squinted as she stated firmly, "Now."

His hands couldn't move fast enough to rid him of his clothes. In seconds, his hoodie, jeans and boots were on the floor. She grabbed her coat and his hoodie, hanging them both on the double-pronged hook on the door, trying to cover as much of the glass as possible. A small sliver of glass was exposed but it would have to suffice. It was as close to private as they were going to get considering the circumstances.

"Sit down."

He eyed the chair that she had vacated then looked back at her before doing what he was told. She had to smile at how quickly he caught on.

She quickly packed up all of her things and set the bag near the door in case they needed to make a fast exit. She then unzipped the side of her left boot, extending her leg to him so he could remove it. With a quick jerk, he pulled it off her leg, tossing it to the floor. He repeated the same action to remove her right boot. Afterwards she pulled the table closer to his chair, positioning it a few feet in front of his knees. She grinned at his perplexed expression, untying the front of her green and purple abstract print wrap dress, flipping it off her shoulders and down her arms before tossing it on top of the table.

Mercedes stood in a cream colored satin bra and matching panties. Before he could complain about her wearing bottoms, she was in his lap, kissing him so hungrily his head hit the back of the chair. His hands were on her breasts, pulling the cups of her bra down so he could roll her nipples between his fingers. Her moan vibrated against his lips and he plunged his tongue deep within her mouth, swiping his tongue against the roof. She arched her back, granting him better access to the rest of her body and he took advantage by placing a hand between her stomach and the band of her panties.

She pulled back suddenly and he feared that she had changed her mind but when she grabbed his hand and placed it on the outside of her panties, he figured she wanted the touch to be indirect. He continued sliding his hand down until he felt the neatly trimmed hair that covered her vulva. His eyes bulged and she grinned when he realized that she was wearing crotchless panties.

Sam was ready to bust at the thought of her walking all over campus, a light breeze kissing his second favorite pair of lips. He already knew she had freaky tendencies but now she was a bonafide freak and he loved it.

He parted her labia with his fingertips, tracing the outline of her slit as he asked, "What about the bet?"

"Fuck the bet. We're both winners."

He chuckled as he rammed two fingers inside her, thrusting into her quickly before spreading his fingers wide to open her up fully. She rested her hands on his shoulders, gazing into his eyes as he continued pumping his fingers in and out of her body rapidly. The tip of his middle finger grazed her spot and she tensed as waves of pleasure surged through her body. Her juices was sliding down to his wrist and her scent lingered in his nostrils, making his mouth water. He withdrew his fingers, bringing them to his lips for a quick taste. While he sucked her cream off his fingers, she busied herself with freeing him from his boxers, aligning his dick with her entrance. She lowered herself down on his dick inch by inch, grimacing as her body readjusted to his girth.

He was going through his own struggle, clutching the arm rest as he willed himself not to come. Her pussy was so greedy, determined to milk every drop of cum from his sac, clenching him tightly as she rocked her hips from side to side.

He yelled, "Shitmotherfuckgodfuckingdamn!"

Sam struggled to breathe while she breathed through her mouth, debating whether or not she should give in to her body's demand to ride him fast. With one look at his strained face, she decided she had no choice.

She placed her hands behind her on the table and lifted her hips and slammed down hard on his lap. He groaned, a curse escaping his lips when she did it again. She continued this motion for a little bit before twisting her body to the left and right as she went down and pushing her hips forward when she lifted up. He whimpered weakly as he was losing control over his body, unable to stave off the urge to fill her waiting body with seed. She rested her hands against his shoulders as she bounced up and down in his lap, grinding down on his dick so he could slide in deeper.

"It's so fucking good!"

Mercedes rolled her eyes as she said, "Be quiet!"

"Trying to- fuck!"

She leaned back, grabbed his head in both of her hands, bringing his lips to her right breast. His lips immediately latched onto her nipple and she was relieved that it was enough to quell his outbursts for the moment. She gyrated her hips and he countered her movements with his own.

They both fought for dominance but he won when he flipped her to where one cheek was on the armrest while the other was on the seat. He bent then pushed her left leg against her stomach while he held the right flat against the chair, her ankle hovering over the other armrest. He drilled in and out of her so quickly, the angle making the tip of his dick hit her spot repeatedly, she didn't have time to enjoy the buildup. She came fast and hard, collapsing against the chair back in a heap of unfettered bliss.

Her eyes were glazed over as she flailed around helplessly while he continued to pound into her with everything he had. He hovered just above her face as he fucked her, holding back nothing while looking into her eyes. She reached out, placing her hands against his chest as he felt the surge of cum rush to the end of his dick. He sneered as the first couple of spurts left his body and spilled deep inside her. She moaned as she felt his cum coating her womb, rocking her hips so the veins on his dick tickled her walls. Reaching between them he plucked her clit rapidly with his thumb and her movements ceased, her mouth fell open as another orgasm overtook her. He continued strumming as he lowered his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately as she rode out the pleasure.

He pulled out and she lifted up so he could sit down on the chair. Once he pulled up his boxers, she sat on his lap, swinging her legs across the side of the chair. She laid against with one arm around his neck and the other reaching for his hand.

"I'm sorry."

She looked up, a question in her eyes.

"For jumping to conclusions."

She sighed heavily as he continued.

"Before you, I wasn't the jealous type."

Mercedes smirked disbelievingly and Sam reiterated, "Seriously, I wasn't but now- can I be honest?"

"I'd appreciate it if you were."

The uneasiness he had experienced earlier in that afternoon returned and he was briefly discouraged but then her warm smile prompted him to continue.

"I've always felt a little inadequate because of my dyslexia and whenever I feel down that insecurity tends to filter into every aspect of my life. I'm trying to work through it but I don't want you to suffer due to my problem."

"Sam, we all have moments of self-doubt. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret but you have to promise not to tell anybody.

"I promise."

"I used to have terrible stage fright."

He shook his head incredulously, thinking back to her performance in Chicago.

"You had stage fright?"

"Yep and do you want to know how I got over it? I made a list of all the things I'd accomplished at that time and another with all the things I wanted to accomplish. I noticed that my list of accomplishments was much shorter than my goals and the only thing that would hold me back from living my dream was fear. I had a long talk with my mom and she told me that I should recite these daily affirmations in front of the mirror every morning and before I went to bed. At first, I thought it was silly. How would telling myself these things that I only sort of believed help me conquer my fear? But then I pushed my doubts aside and followed her advice. I felt real silly doing it but after a while, I started to actually believe what I was saying. Eventually, my confidence improved and I slowly got over my fear."

Sam bit his lip while nodding, absorbing what Mercedes was saying and wondering if it was really that simple to let go of something that had been plaguing him his entire life.

"What do you really want, baby?"

Her question snapped him back to the present and he answered, "To start my own series of graphic novels."

"What are you really good at?"

He smirked and she slapped his shoulder before saying, "Besides that."

"Drawing, writing, planning and I have great ideas."

"Okay, so, what do you think is holding you back from achieving your goal?"

He paused, thinking it over for a beat before answering honestly, "Fear of failure and I guess, success."

"I believe in you."

He held her tighter in his arms, pressing her body against his but she abruptly pulled away from him and he looked down, feeling rejected.

She held his chin, forcing him to look at her as she said, "My support doesn't mean anything if you don't believe you can do it."

He frowned because he knew she was right.

"I believe I can do it but sometimes I get discouraged."

"And that's fine. We all have our bad days but when they start outnumbering your good ones and those bad feelings start infiltrating other aspects of your life, it's not good for you or me but especially for you."

He stared at her silently for a few moments and she dropped her hand, her expression went from concerned to freaked out.

"Sam-"

"I love you, Mercedes."

She was flustered, convinced that she had heard him wrong but his demeanor remained unchanged and she closed her eyes as the realization hit her hard. They had never been shy about showing how deeply their feelings ran for each other but hearing the actual words had turned her into a blathering mess.

He loved her. He was in love with her. He loved her!

The joy she felt far surpassed her expectations upon hearing the words her soul had yearned for. Her heart began beating faster and a new feeling of warmth radiated from her core.

He could immediately see how his declaration changed her and he grinned at how her light shined a little brighter. He had known how he felt for a long time but it took him a little bit longer to accept it, primarily because of how they started. It may not have been an ideal situation but he couldn't imagine not having her in his life. She was everything to him and he wanted to make sure she knew it.

Mercedes kissed him, lightly at first then it grew more passionately, her fingers combing through his hair while his hands traveled over her back and her thighs. He kissed her cheek while her hands roamed over his shoulders and he sighed at the contact.

Her hands traveled back up his neck and she cupped his face in her hands as she said, "I love you, too, Sam."

Her declaration stopped him cold. He had hoped but didn't expect her to return his feelings and he wasn't sure how to respond, his heart was beating so erratically he was sure he was going to die from happiness. The girl that he loved with every fiber of his being loved him back. In that moment, he felt his love for her grow even stronger.

"Take me home?"

Sam nodded his answer because he didn't trust his voice enough to speak.

She kissed him sweetly before lifting off his lap. They helped each other get dressed and when they were finished, he grabbed her bag then reached for her hand. Together they walked out, headed towards the elevators. The library was fairly empty but they didn't seem to notice because they were in their own little world, a bubble where only them and their love existed.

As they exited the building, envious glances were thrown their way but they were oblivious because they had become a them.

An imperfect pair that was perfect together.

So, what did you think? I know a lot of you have been waiting for the words. Did it meet your expectations? Let me know! Until next update! xxxxx