A/N: I don't own Glee, if I did things would be awesome…er…yeah awesomer! Thank you all so much for the kindest reviews ever. I was nervous about the last chapter. I know this one is a little shorter but I thought it'd be a good stopping point. Thank you all so much for the suggestions, and critiques.
Chapter 7: Going On
Mercy spent the rest of the evening discussing the terms of her friendship with Sam. In the end the terms were simple: there were no terms. Discussing the friendship and its boundaries only served to give them both a headache. They decided to start fresh; they knew this wasn't going to be what they had over a decade ago. They'd changed too much, but they knew they still cared for one another. Why else would their words and actions have the ability to wound the other? In the early hours of the morning, sitting by the pool Mercedes was ready to forgive but she knew she'd never forget. She had her explanation from Sam and now she could move forward with him as friends. For the first time since she'd been around him she didn't wake up with a heavy heart.
Mercedes knew what was right. If she freely forgave Sam she should put their past behind her and move forward. He'd at least earned the right to be around her and not be punished every day. Her father taught her that if she was going to accept someone back into her life, then she needed to forgive everything. No one deserved to have their transgressions brought up every day, especially when that person was a friend.
As she sat looking out at the pool in the early morning she thought about her friends. They served as a constant reminder of the rewards of forgiveness. They forgave one another so freely years ago. If Finn hadn't forgiven Rachel they wouldn't have three beautiful babies. If Quinn hadn't forgiven Finn and Rachel they wouldn't have the kind of bond that only sisters and brothers would have. If Artie hadn't forgiven Tina and Mike he wouldn't be best friends and gaming partners with either of them. If everyone hadn't forgiven Puck and Santana this bond would have never been possible. If Mercedes hadn't forgiven Kurt and Rachel for leaving her by the wayside before college they would have never become so close. Mercedes needed forgiveness daily for some of the diva antics she pulled in the beginning. They'd all cheated, hurt, and lied to one another. No one was perfect. Forgiveness was slow and it took time, but once it's given it couldn't be taken back. In her heart she decided she wasn't going to punish Sam. She would only admit it to herself, but she never stopped caring for him.
He could have turned around and left for Texas. Instead he picked up his pride. Mercedes couldn't help but smile. That was something that was still the same about Sam. He was a fighter. When something was worth it he didn't back down. He could have gone back to Texas with a big paycheck and never looked back. But he chose to stay and tell her why he hurt her. Samuel Michael Evans was always full of surprises.
The ribbon cutting went smoothly that day. The local television station was there to cover the event. Mercedes did it all right things smiling and laughing with the cameras. Inside her stomach was doing a somersault. She hadn't seen Jesse St. James since graduation. After Mr. Schue became the Vice Principle of McKinley High School his schedule no longer permitted him to lead the New Directions. Shelby Corcoran became a vocal coach, deciding after the scandal with Noah that teaching wasn't right for her. The only logical choice in the small town of Lima, Ohio was one very unemployed and desperate Jesse St. James. Mercedes dreaded seeing his smug self important face at the assembly that day. It was bad enough that she would have to see Shane at the reunion but to have the boy who told her in high school that she wasn't an entertainer just a girl who was "lazy but could sing really well" took her back to a place that she fought hard to get herself out of.
The sound of her heels echoed around the empty halls of McKinley High as she and Sam made their way to the old music room. Sam walked beside her. The rest of the group split up to walk down memory lane on their own. Mercedes had a sneaking suspicion that they were trying to push the duo together since learning of the truce. Everyone came along for support, and to see the New Directions perform later at the school assembly where Mercy would make a speech about her time at McKinley high. She tugged at her black suit jacket and adjusted the pencil skirt she wore making sure she didn't look unkempt or thrown together especially when facing Jesse who did nothing but pick people apart with his harsh comments. Mercedes may be a diva who could dish it out as well as take it, but she was a person. She wasn't made of stone, words still hurt her.
"You look beautiful, don't be nervous. You're going to give a wonderful speech." Sam said trying to reassure her.
"Thank you Sam; it's just the idea of seeing Jesse St. Jackass has me a little on edge." Mercy replied as they walked passed her old English classroom.
"Why would you let him influence your mood? You have nothing to prove to him. You worked hard to get where you are now. That's your past." Sam said laying a hand on her tense shoulder. Mercy felt herself calm. Sam was right.
She looked around the halls of the school. Nothing changed in over ten years. She and Sam walked to their old lockers; Mercy ran her fingers over the cold metal smiling. This was where it all began. Her entire teenage life could easily be summed in the music room and this locker. She'd been asked on her first date in front of this locker. She saw Sam stare at her for the first time in front of this locker. She looked over her shoulder surprised to see him doing the same thing. She laughed at the silliness of the moment.
"I checked your ass out for the first time in this very spot." Sam said looking down as he grinned. He took a moment to take her in. Mercy could see the appreciation, and she smoothed her hair down under his watchful eye. This conversation could become dangerous.
"I had my first fantasy about you kissing me in front of this locker." Mercy said, looking down. She examined a non-existent scuff on her shoe.
"I remember that, you were so scared of what people would think of us together. After you told me I just said "fuck it" and went in for the kill. I wasn't going to go back to Kentucky without a kiss from the prettiest girl in Lima." He said running his fingers along the cold metal.
"So, how's the view looking these days?" She asked, wiggling her rear end not able to help the easy flirting they'd always had. This is too personal she kept thinking, too much too soon.
"I think you wore that skirt to torture me Ms. Jones. It's working." Sam bit his lower lip, raking his eyes over her body. Over the years Mercedes hadn't changed much, she was still a "plus sized wet dream" as the men's magazines called her but her proportions were different. Her curves more obvious, the nip in her waist and the flare of her hips more exaggerated.
"You know I live to torture you, Evans." She said playfully before making her way towards the music room. She knew the route by heart. She could feel his eyes on her. She knew he purposely walked behind her whenever he could.
"Is it wrong that my hands are itching to touch you?" He asked randomly as they walked the halls.
Mercy whipped around to look at a very amused Sam. "You just took a wrong turn into nasty town Mr. Evans I suggest you clean your thoughts up and put that nasty mind in reverse." Her tone had an edge; she didn't want to start something neither of them was going to finish. Sam still made no moves to walk next to her. Her words also didn't stop him from humming a few notes to The Way You Make Me Feel. They walked into the glee room, memories hung like smoke in the air. They were the first ones to arrive.
"Holy crap, nothing has changed!" Mercedes said looking around. She sat in her usual chair crossing her legs at the ankle.
"Except the people who occupy the room." Sam finished standing in front of her. "Hi, my name is Sam. Sam I am, and no I don't like green eggs and ham." He said rolling his eyes. "God, Santana was right, I had no game!" Mercedes broke into a fit of giggles.
"Your game was terrible. It was refreshing to see someone who looked like you but was so adorkably clueless." She said standing up and crossing the room. "I remember the first time I saw you I just wrote you off as some pretty boy jock until you opened that gigantic mouth of yours. I said to myself, Mercedes Jones do not go sniffing around that boy. He can't handle all of you! God, was I wrong." She said trailing off.
"I like to think I had a talent for handling your chocolate thunder." Sam said doing a body roll that had Mercy laughing.
"You still dance like something is broken!" Mercedes said dabbing her eyes.
"Hey, are you really making fun of my moves? You forget I single handedly brought McKinley the Justin Beiber experience!"
"The Justin Beiber experience, really Sam?" Mercedes dead panned.
"So says the girl who did the robot at junior prom." Sam said imitating her moves.
"Hey, the robot is a classic move. You're doing it wrong anyway." She said starting the dance feeling a wave of nostalgia. They stopped laughing at the same time. Their eyes locked for a moment as they moved closer to each other. Gone was the laughter and lightness of the mood. The spark between them roared to life. Mercedes wasn't sure but she saw Sam's head tilt as he moved in to kiss her.
"I missed you." He whispered as he moved to plant a kiss on her lips. Mercedes head screamed stop, her heart said what the hell.
"Wanky." Santana said coming into the room holding Brittany's hand. The two straightened quickly and came to their senses. This was wrong, and they both knew it. They just mended fences; this wasn't supposed to turn into a romance.
"Santana thank you for being you." Mercedes said her smile only half hearted as she stepped away from Sam.
"Sorry we're late. Brittany and I were just taking a walk down memory lane." Santana said smirking to an equally happy Brittany. "We had to visit some of our old spots." Santana moved to the piano and Brittany sat next to her. She started to play a few notes to Trouty Mouth.
"Don't go there Santana." Sam's ears turned red.
"What, Guppy? That song was one of my biggest hits!" She said grinning wickedly.
"Get behind me, Satan!" Sam yelled as the rest of the group started to filter in. Quinn closed the door behind her and went over to the white board, writing "Me" in large letters on the board.
"Okay class since Mr. Schue is sick I think we need to discuss what songs the class would like to hear me sing at sectionals." Quinn's impersonation of Rachel in high school was spot on. The woman's face turned red as she hid her head in her hands.
"Was I really that bad?" Rachel asked sitting down on her usual seat. Her body shook with laughter. "Its no wonder you guys want to even be my friends now. I was a nightmare!"
"Rachel, it was high school. I look back on your Napoleon routine and laugh" Artie said rolling next to her and rubbing her back.
Before she knew it Mercedes was up on stage in the new auditorium delivering a speech to the students of McKinley high. She spoke to them about success, friendship, and never abandoning one another even though time and differences may separate them from one another.
The performance from the New Directions was typical, with a chubby girl with the lungs of Aretha Franklin coming forward to finish off the song with a glory note. Mercy shook her head looking down. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. That little girl would be a star one day if she played her cards right. Mercedes only hoped that a lack of confidence wouldn't cause her to lose her direction and make all the wrong choices along the way. She knew better than to say anything, knowing the young woman would find her own voice and get tired of being in the back shuffling from side to side for every song. They performed four songs, one of them even being a song of Mercedes' that a Rachel Berry type took the lead on. The girl came forward to finish it off and promptly went to the back. Jesse knew the young girl in the back would have been perfect for that song, but he kept hidden away.
Mercedes walked away as soon as the performance was over. High school was over a decade ago, and yet she couldn't shake the hurt she felt. She had to get away and collect herself. She heard a voice follow her down the hall.
"So what did you think, Effie?" Jesse's familiar smug voice called out to her.
"What did you call me?" She turned on her heel, steeling her spine.
"I called you Effie. Because you remind me of that fat chick from Dream Girls, big voice but never the makings of a front woman." He said crossing his arms over his chest. "But that's neither here nor there. Let's get back to my kids. They're amazing aren't they? Some of them are going to be stars. Especially that little brunette, she reminds me of Rachel. Doesn't she remind you of Rachel? That girl was always the best!" She took a moment to take Jesse in. He still looked the same in dark jeans, and a black t-shirt, but he hadn't aged well.
"I know exactly what you're doing Jesse. This isn't my first rodeo with an asshole who thinks I don't deserve what I have. You're pissed off because you're still in Lima, now don't get it twisted, I love Lima. But I would never be where I am now if I hadn't gotten out. You always saw yourself somewhere different, better even? You wanted to be on Broadway or in a recording studio making amazing music?" Mercy asked, folding her arms under her chest. She continued when Jesse didn't answer. "Well Jesse, you aren't. You're in Lima teaching show choir. You're still here because you don't have the talent to get past these walls. But what you do have is the talent to inspire and teach these people how to do what you couldn't. That girl was amazing, but so was the "glory note" girl you kept in the back while everyone else had a chance to shine. No doubt you've already brow beaten her and made her feel small. Don't continue to crush that girl's spirit and never let her shine, it will only bite you right in the ass. As a matter of fact, don't continue to crush the spirit of any of your students. That's not what glee club was created for. You're such a small minded asshole Jesse." Jesse moved to speak but Mercy only held her hand up. "I'm done speaking, you're dismissed." She said turning on her heel towards the auditorium. As she left she took a deep breath, she was glad to head home after greeting the kids and shaking hands. She knew this was one down and one to go. She needed a few shots before seeing Shane again.
A/N: critique, praise, love, suggest! I know this wasn't the best chapter. You guys are amazing.
