Hey guys! Thank you for the love! Thank you for the appriciation, we are so excited you are feeling this story and hope this chapter keeps that going! We are enjoying ourselves so much right now. So we hope you are too.
I know you guys are waiting for Undeny, but just like with this story I have a different writing partner for that one and unfortunately its taking a little longer to finish due to real life issues. Once she is able we will get another one up.
Mercedes stepped out of the town car, as SJ excitedly stepped out after her. "Bruno we can take it from here you can go get wifey, and the twins, your tickets will be up front." Bruno smiled, when Mercedes extended her stay in Ohio, she sent for his wife and his twin boy and girl 4 year olds. Bruno smiled. "I think I will wait until this Sam guys comes." She rolled her eyes. "Sam is cool I promise." "Yeah we will see." Mercedes looked around the parking lot seeing if she could spot Sam. She and SJ both wore blue Jeans, though hers were hip huggers showing off her curves, and their spiderman shirt. Even Bruno matched them, his family would do the same. She smiled seeing him walking over to them. Bruno stared at her. "Friend my ass." He mumbled.
Sam couldn't help being excited at the idea of heading to the zoo with Mercedes and SJ. Like she had suggested, he had worn a Spiderman shirt. He'd had a few to choose from. He was still a little bitter Mercedes and SJ couldn't ride with him. Well, she said she couldn't. There had been a time she'd loved his old truck. As he pulled into the parking lot, he spotted Mercedes, SJ and a big guy who he assumed had to be her bodyguard. He parked a couple of spots over and climbed out. His eyes fell on Mercedes and widened a bit. "Wow. You look..." he cleared his throat and looked down at SJ. "Your shirt's awesome, dude!"
"Shut up." Mercedes mumbled back as Sam came closer. He looked at her and she blushed. She wanted to ask how she looked but didn't. SJ stood proud as he looked at Sam. "You are matching us! Mom look I have that shirt!" Mercedes loved seeing SJ so excited. She turned to Bruno. "Sam is here now you can go." Bruno eyed Sam. "I'm Bruno, and I am leaving them in your care, if anything happens to them I am holding you responsible."
Sam had chosen his shirt correctly, clearly. He grinned. "You have good taste then!" At least they could have some time alone and Sam could pretend Mercedes had never left. He put a hand on the man's, apparently Bruno, shoulder. "Don't worry! I have two younger siblings who gave me plenty of experience!" That, and he'd protected Kurt Hummel enough times in high school that he knew he could take somebody on.
Bruno shook his head. "You have no idea what you are getting into. Fans will run up to them, wanting to touch Mercedes, get her to get pictures, this isn't like babysitting your kids. But you will see." He turned towards Mercedes . "Merce we will see you later." He left and Mercedes looked at Sam. "I just have to get the tickets and we can go."
"I can fight off crazy fans!" Maybe. Sam didn't have any experience with that. He had gone out to dinner with Rachel and Kurt when they came to town, but not many people around Ohio seemed to care about Broadway. He watched the car go before nodding. "Yeah. I brought cash, so..."
Mercedes shook her head as she lead them inside. "Sam, I got this, you are our guest, also I am only paying for Bruno and his family, I got a few free vouchers. So its totally on me today, though... I will take you up on paying for lunch if you are so inclined." SJ reached up for Sam's hand as they walked into the building. 5 minutes later they were walking out the back the the Penguin exhibit and SJ jumped excitedly. "SJ loves Penguins."
Sam didn't like letting other people pay for his things, but he wasn't going to argue. "I'm definitely buying lunch," he mumbled. His prickly feeling dropped when SJ reached for his hands. He knew kids well enough to know it was because he was new, but he was fine with that. As long as his son liked him... without knowing Sam was his father. Would they ever end up approaching that? "Yeah? You know when penguins mate, they mate for life!" He shot a look at Mercedes quickly before turning back to look down at SJ.
Mercedes shook her head, she knew Sam, knew he was not above paying for everything. It's why she said that she got a voucher, he was a prideful one. As she watched Sam and SJ, Mercedes shook her head at Sam's words. Mercedes sat back watching Sam and SJ quietly.
SJ seemed to see many things around them and Sam was more than happy to discuss them with him. The only thing which would make it better would be if this were a normal thing. He couldn't dwell on that. "My favorite's the lion because I really liked Lion King when I was little!"
Mercedes felt horrible that this was their first outing as an, for all intended purposes a family. SJ seemed really taken with Sam and Sam with him. She watched them talk Lion King and Tigers, she followed in silence until someone ran up to her. "Can I have a picture?" Mercedes turned to look at the guy. "Un sure." she said. As he pulled her close his hand grabbed her behind, she pushed him away from her. "Hey!" She said pushing the guy off of her, he smiled pulling her back to him. "Come on Mercedes I am your biggest Fan, I was a year behind you in school I love you."
Hearing the commotion, Sam turned around. "Hey, look! You can feed the giraffes!" he announced as he looked at the habitat next to them. He handed SJ a couple of bills. "Why don't you go ahead? We'll meet you there!" He might not have known any sort of bodyguard skills, but he could certainly pull a guy away from her really well. "Hey! What the hell is your problem?"
The guy pulled Mercedes back to him but she pushed him harder away from her as Sam walked up. "Nothin' going on just realizing that fame has made "Mercedes Jones" a bitch." Mercedes looked at him and rolled her eyes, "Really because I don't want to be felt up?"
Sam stepped between them. He was trying to keep his cool here. The last thing to make Mercedes think he was ready to be in SJ's life. Of course, nobody was allowed to talk to any women in his life, and especially not Mercedes. He didn't have time to think, or even realize what he was doing, before his first collided with the other man's temple.
Mercedes glanced over to SJ who was pleasantly enjoying the Giraffes when she saw Sam, hit the guy . Bruno arrived just in time to block Sam before the guy could hit him back. Mercedes looked at Sam angrily. "I can't believe you just did that! What were you thinking?" Mercedes stormed away and bruno shook hi head with a smile. "Well that was fun. Don't worry she will get over it, I punched my first guy too."
It happened so quickly. One second, he was punching the asshole and the next, Bruno was back and in front of him. He bristled. "I was trying to help," he mumbled before shaking his head. "Mercy! C'mon!"
Mercedes turned towards Sam as Bruno took care of the guy. "Sam, this is why I wanted Bruno here, not because you are incapable of protecting people, but because you have no experience with this! I am not the old Mercedes who when we went to the Lima Bean people ignored." She sighed,. "You can't punch out every jerk who gets handsy, Trust me I want too as well but anything I do, its being watched." Turning back to SJ who didn't seemed phased at all, she sighed. "I never wanted SJ to be apart of all of this, it's why people barely know about him. When I tour he is backstage with people I trust or my mom comes and watches him, I never wanted to put him in a light he didn't want to be in and I think I am doing a good job on that. But when things like this happen it makes people want to dig into my life and I can't have that."
Sam sighed. "I was trying to be calm!" And if it wasn't Mercedes, he would have simply threatened the guy. His feelings got tangled up in the situation and he couldn't help it. "I never ignored you and... and why not? Why can't I defend you?" He knew it was a good idea to keep SJ out of all of this and she'd done well enough he'd had no idea the boy even existed. They shouldn't dig. If they dug they might — "They might find out about me too, but SJ doesn't embarrass you like I do."
"Calm? That wasn't you being calm that was you defending me like you did after we got married and that jerk came at me." Her features softened until he said that he was an embarrassment. "Shut up, just shut up with all that! I have never called you or ever thought you were an embarrassment. If this is what you feel about yourself that is your issues but don't put that on me." She wiped the tears that fell and took out her purell to clean SJ's hand and then took him over to the Pony Rides in which he grew excited about.
"I said I tried! I didn't say I stayed calm!" He knew he hadn't stayed calm and it was his own bad. Sam threw up his hands. "I don't know what you want me to do!" He followed her, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "Your fiancé doesn't even know you were married to me." Still, at least legally.
Mercedes hadn't paid attention to his temper tantrum, not until he whispered in her ear. It sent a shiver down her spine. She swallowed hard moving forward. letting SJ get onto the pony and taking pictures of him as he went around. "What was I supposed to say? Hey my baby daddy and I are still married but don't worry he is never coming to L.A. so that's good."
Sam smiled briefly as he watched SJ ride the pong before turning back to Mercedes. "You didn't tell have to tell him we were still married, but you didn't even tell me if he knew you were ever married which makes me think he doesn't!"
Mercedes looked down to her hands. "He knows I was married, he just... he just doesn't know that I am ..." she turned towards Sam. "What does it matter Sam? What does any of this matter to you?"
It made sense. Mercedes hadn't really known until recently apparently. She considered it up to Sam to finalize everything with the papers she swore he had sent her. He shook his head. "You know why it matters, Mercy. You know me better than anyone."
SJ went around a second time and Mercedes cheered him on before looking at Sam. "Sam, you are making this too hard. I want you to have a relationship with SJ i truly do. But if you are doing this just so you can try to get back with me it can't happen. It can't happen because I am engaged to be married and my life is in LA and your life is here. Let sleeping dogs lie Sam."
"They're two separate things, actually," Sam announced. She couldn't possibly think the only reason he wanted to be in SJ's life had to do with some ulterior motives. "Related things, but separate. I wanna know my son. I always wanted kids." He shrugged. "Always wanted you too." He looked around. "Really? I don't see your fiancé here! Why'd you tell him you were staying?"
"Well good because all you can have is him." She took another picture of SJ and tried to focus on him but Sam was weaseling his way into her mind and thoughts. "Stop saying that please. You can't want what you already had." She rolled her eyes at him. "For your information I told him that SJ and I were staying because he needed to be around his family."
He shook his head. "I can want it if it was taken away from me. We were stupid kids! It's different now! Look, tell me this doesn't feel right. The three of us..." Sam trailed off and shook his head. "So you're not even gonna tell him you're with SJ's father?"
She couldn't lie to him and tell him that the three of them, at the zoo as a family felt right, it felt like it was meant to be but she was happy, her life wasn't in Lima, Ohio. "Sam, it's great that you get to spend this time with SJ, lets just enjoy it. And it's not like he needs to know every person SJ hangs with."
Sam sighed and shook his head. He wasn't ready to drop the topic, but he would for now. He focused on the blond boy. "What about SJ? Gonna tell him?"
"Gonna tell SJ what?" She asked looking at Sam.
"About me?" He didn't meet her eyes because he didn't want her to see the look in his when she told him no. That much felt inevitable.
"Oh." Mercedes looked at SJ who was getting off the pony. "I guess we should probably do that sooner rather than later. I just don't know how to do that. How do you tell a child a guy he just met is his dad?
Sam shrugged. "I don't know. It was probably easier when you told me about him." The first time he'd heard, regardless of what she said.
Mercedes sighed. "Tonight. He is having so much fun and I think this is one of those sit down talks." SJ ran up to them. "That was awesome, I want a horse." Mercedes laughed, "SJ you visit Shiloh at the stables all the time back home." "Yeah but he's not mine." Mercedes shook her head as they walked towards the eating area. "How about you guys go get us something for lunch and I will grab us a table? Sam can I get a Chicken Salad croissant and a cherry and raspberry mixed ICEE." She smiled towards them before going to find a table as her phone rang. She hesitated before answering. "Brian hi." "Hi yourself Mercedes, I haven't heard from my Fiancée in two days so I thought I would check in." Mercedes glanced at Sam and SJ walking together. "That is because I have been busy." "Busy? Spending time with your ex husband if I heard Bruno correctly." Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Bruno had no right to tell you that." "I am still your manager first. And when someone gets into a fight with one of your fans I need to do damage control."
Sam nodded and was about to agree when SJ ran up. He let the topic drop for now. "Got it!" he said with a quick salute that SJ mimicked. "So you ride horses? That's pretty cool. You like a cowboy or something?" SJ nodded. "Kid, if you're not into country music yet, you have the right teacher. What do you want? A cheeseburger?" "How did you know?" SJ asked, astounded. "Magic." And the fact that most kids liked cheeseburgers. He paid and they waited off to the side waiting for the food to be finished.
Mercedes sighed as Brian kept talking. "Look, I am just giving Sam and SJ time together before I leave." "Why, because he hasn't wanted to be apart of his life for what? 8 years?" "Brian," she didn't want to have this conversation. "Look we will be back I L.A sometime next week." "Will you be spending all of your time with your ex." "So what if I do? I have to tell SJ who his dad is." "WHAT?! No way are you doing that!"
When the food came out on two trays, Sam rearranged the food so that SJ's was on one and his and Mercedes was in another. "Think you can carry that?" Sam asked. "I'm strong," SJ insisted as they walked over to where Mercedes was. Noting that she was on the phone, Sam tried not to sit too close. Just close enough she could spot them and he could hear her end of the conversation. His eyes lingered on her for a second before he turned back to SJ who was currently rambling about the fact Sam had asked for no pickles on his bed and how wrong it was.
Mercedes sighed. "I am going to tell you this once and i hope you are listening correctly. SJ is my son, not yours, I will decide what is best for him and he has spent 8 years without a dad." "Yeah because he chose not too." "Maybe so, maybe he did but maybe he didn't! He said he never got the letter and when I didn't hear from him I could have called. But I didn't because you convinced a hormonal pregnant woman who was desperately missing her husband, that Sam didn't want to be with me. Maybe if I was in my right mind things would be different." "And maybe we wouldn't be together right? I knew you going back to Lima would do this you still love him." Mercedes spotted Sam and wiped her eyes. "Brian I am gonna go, I am going to go back to Sam and SJ and enjoy this time we have here. You and I will discuss this later." She hung up and walked over to Sam and SJ. "Now this looks so good guys."
He occasionally contributed to the conversation, earning a laugh when he said he'd never eat Kevin from Spongebob. SJ then proceeded to tell him how cucumbers from pickles and sea cucumbers were different from one another. At least he'd gotten his mother's intelligent. A small smile spread across his face at the idea that she was finally believing he didn't know about SJ. That wasn't who he was. If he had known about his son, he would have worked something else. SJ smacked his arm. "Are you listening?" He was pouting. "No, I saw a bird!" SJ laughed as Mercedes walked up. "We got the same food, mom!"
Mercedes grinned. "You did? Well that is awesome!" She took her tray. "Thank you Sam." She said as she took a sip of her drink. "So what are we going to do next?" SJ looked up. "Can we go see the otters?" Mercedes nodded, we sure can."
Sam nodded slowly. "Everything okay?" he asked, hoping the fact that he was eavesdropping wasn't too obvious. He ate a french fry and smiled. "You know, the otters were the best part in Finding Dory."
Mercedes ran her hand through her hair before going to her croissant. "Ummm well I mean it's just." She looked at SJ. "Nothing I want to get into right now." As they ate she smiled watching Sam and SJ, this was the right choice, they needed to know each other. "So are we ready to go?"(edited)
Sam nodded. He'd ask her about it later. Right now, it was fun to listen to SJ jump from topic to topic. He truly did have a lot in common with Sam. As they wrapped up eating, he nodded and collected the trays to put them where they belonged before catching up with the pair. "Otters hold hands so they don't float away in their sleep and I think it's pretty cool."
Mercedes sat back as Sam and SJ walked towards the otters. They were having fun and in the back of her mind, she couldn't stop thinking about Sam's question, this did feel like it was how it should be, and she felt guilty about that.
He stood behind SJ and read the sign on the display aloud. "Did you know otters are c — car..." he trailed off and squinted at the word as SJ looked up at him. "What does carnivorous mean?" Sam's cheeks went slightly red. "Uh. They eat meat."
Mercedes slipped her phone out of her pocket, taking pictures of Sam and SJ they looked so much alike and were so cute together. As Sam dig in deeper by saying Carnivor she felt someone touch her shoulder. Dreading this moment she turned but smiled widely as she saw Mike, carrying a child on his hip. "MIKE!" "CEDES" Mike hugged her and she hugged him taking the little boy in her arms. "Look at MJ, he is getting so big, what are you doing here?" Mike smiled. "Yeah well so is his momma, she is pretending she isn't about to pop any day now. And I am here to see my parents before the next tour." he looked at Sam with SJ, "Cedes, when did Brian start looking like Sam." "That is Sam you fool." she said laughing. "He met SJ and I here." Mike looked at how Loving Sam was going to be. "They look good together." Mercedes eyes widened. "Wait... you know?" Mike smiled. "I suspected."
SJ read the rest of the sign. Sam laughed, explaining that a couple of words tripped him up. He didn't want to explain the whole thing aboutI dyslexia. SJ's hand was on the fence when Sam set his hand on his shoulder once more. "Let's go see something else." "I wanna see what mom wants next!" SJ said before turning around. "Uncle Mike!" he shouted and ran over to hug Mike as Sam saw the other man. He rubbed the back of his neck. Obviously Mike would know about the 'divorce'... which hadn't actually happened. Mike wouldn't know that part. "Oh, hey."
Mercedes eyes widened. "What?!" "Merce I am not stupid and SJ looks just like Sam's twin. I just wanted to wait until you finally said something." She was about to say something when SJ ran to him. MJ squealed reaching out for SJ and she bent down as the smaller child hugged the older one. Mike looked at Sam. "Hey Sam! Long time no see." Mercedes stood back up shifting MJ on her hip.
He watched the kids for a moment and smiled a little bit. "Yeah, it's been a minute. How've you been, dude? Besides having a kid! Damn!" Sam wondered for a moment what SJ had been like at that age.
Mike smiled. "Two! Tina is at home getting ready to pop!" Mercedes smiled shifting MJ, "Mike dances for me now. He creates my style and movements and I love it he is still very talented."
"Damn, you guys are still together?" Sam had to wonder how many of the other couples they'd graduated with were together and hadn't crashed and burned like his and Mercedes'. "Dude, that sounds awesome!" He was beginning to think his career paled in comparison to any of his high school friends.
Mercedes watched Sam and Mike talk and stood back not wanting to interrupt. She SJ and MJ made their way to the petting Zoo, knowing that the guys would follow.
"You screwed up," Mike said once Mercedes and the kids had separated from them. "With what?" Sam asked, as if he didn't know. As they caught up with Mercedes, he gave Sam a knowing look.
Mercedes put MJ down as he and Sj petted a goat. She joined them when a small white one waddled over to them. "Awwww these things are cute." SJ smiled. "I want one mom." "Yeah not happening." MJ laughed. "Want one, want one."
Mike grinned when the two of them repeated each other. "Hey, we're having another kid, not a kid!" He grinned at his own joke. Sam hummed. "My parents never got me a goat. And I asked. A dozen times."
Mercedes looked at Sam and shook her head, "Yeah thanks for that gene." She said looking back to the kids.
Sam grinned. "I'd get you a goat but I don't have that kind of pull in your life!" SJ groaned.(edited)
Mercedes got them some pellets to feed the goats and smiled as she took pictures. Mike nudged Sam. "You know?"
Nodding slowly, Sam sighed. "Yeah. I do know. I didn't — for some reason, she's convinced I knew the whole time..."
Mike ran his hand through his hair leaning into Sam. "So what are you gonna do about it?"
"What do you mean? I've made it perfectly clear I want to get back together. She's made it perfectly clear that she doesn't."
"Yeah she said the same thing when she dated Shane." he shrugged. "Just saying."
"We're adults now," Sam replied and shook his head. "I'm supposed to sign the divorce papers." Mike looked at him. "Yeah, I never signed them. So what?"
Mercedes looked at the guys. "We are going to the sheep." "Sheep! Sheep" MJ said as they walked away, Mike looked at Sam. "You mean to tell me that you and Mercedes are still married? That the papers weren't sighed, she is your wife and you are her husband? Wait til Tina hears this.?
Sam smiled as Mercedes told them they were headed to the sheep and he rolled his eyes. "Yeah! Tell Tina who will tell Blaine who will tell Kurt who will tell Rachel and then the whole world finds out from there!"
"Sam you are missing out on the big picture! You love her you want her you are the father of her son and you are still married to her! That means that you have a chance."
"Is it surprising I missed the big picture?" Sam asked sarcastically as they began to walk towards Mercedes and the kids. "She wants me to sign the divorce papers. Doesn't really sound like a chance."
Mike sighed. "I have been on tour with Mercedes twice, that tool she is engaged too, he has been asking her out for years and she always said no. Then a rumor hits 2 years ago that you Sam Evans are dating and all of a sudden, she is dating this fool. She thought you moved on and so she did too. But I know she loves you still. I feel it and I think you do too."
Sam snorted. "I never dated! I mean, I went out a couple of times, but it was nothing! Who said that I was dating?" Probably didn't matter. "I knew that dude was an asshole!"
Mike shrugged. "Who knows you know Glee gossip spreads like wild fire. " he patted Sam's back. "Look if you want her tell her make her realize you want her if you don't then let that asshole have her."
"I did tell her. She said she moved on," Sam said, as if he wasn't persistent — especially when it came to Mercedes. "But it's good to know you think this could work out..."
Mike shrugged. "Doesn't matter what I think what matters is if you are gonna let that man raise your son or if you are gonna fight for your family."
Sam nodded, gave Mike's shoulder a squeeze and walked over to SJ. He still felt like he should keep his distance from her for a while. "Sheep smell like sh — bad things."
Mercedes stood grabbing purell and cleaning both kids hands. "Okay guys I think we are done for the day. How about Ice cream?"
He watched the kids cheer in unison while Mike bent down to scoop MJ into his arms again. "I love ice cream," Sam replied like she was talking to him. "Me too!" SJ shouted and Sam gave him a high five. "Wow, it's like you're a mini me!"
Mercedes didn't miss the mini me comment, she just smiled and lead them towards the ice cream cart before they headed out. She turned to Sam and chewed her bottom lip. "Did you still wanna do this later?"
Sam nodded. "It's not like we should make him wait anymore. Right? It's not fair to him."
"Not fair to any of us." She said with a sigh. Well we get ice cream and we will meet at my parents place later."
"Yeah, that's the best place to do it. I still haven't cleaned my apartment," he said with a slight smile.
Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Uh huh." She hugged Mike as they exited the Zoo, smiling and turning towards Sam. "I will see you later. Come on SJ." SJ hugged Mike and then hugged Sam as he followed his mom to Bruno. Mike looked to Sam. "I am in town for a few more days so if you need anything call me. And don't give up."
Sam smiled at Mercedes before hugging SJ tightly. "I'll be there." He turned to Mike and nodded. "You're either lifesaver or an asshole. We'll find out later," he said with a smile as he slapped the other man on the back before jogging up to his truck.