Summer Menagé
AnniKay

Sam/Mercedes/Puck
Disclaimer: I own Nothing…Murphy, Falchuk, and Brennen along with Fox and others own this fandom and all the characters there in…Anything you recognize obviously belongs to the,
(As you can tell because they made the silly decision to not make Chord a permanent part of the cast)

THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review. Your encouragement helps more than you know. Take a moment and let me know what you enjoyed most about the update.

AN: This is the next story in the Learning French Universe. It will be from many different perspectives, and will take care of the summer between Junior and Senior year. Right now I have it planned as a series of connected one shots. But then again, I never meant for Learning French to end up being 42 chapters.

AN: Most of the Gleeks must be Juniors during the time of Learning French (end of Season 2), otherwise how could they have gone to prom. RIB and crew are falling off with their continuity if they are trying to stratify them now. Therefore consider this to be the summer before Senior year for all of them.


Family Reunion Cont.
Mercedes Point of View

I heard Sam muttering under his breath that we'd gotten stuck with Hannah…but I'm quite used to it. somehow I always get stuck with Hannah, personally I think it's because no matter how much she pushes, I tend not to let her get to me…at least not as far as I would ever let her know. Whereas there are a lot of our cousins who would love the chance to get all up in her face. Mainly because Aunt Ariel is always putting her up as a paragon of virtue and none of the siblings ever really tell the truth about my least favorite cousin. Shaking my head in quiet laughter, I sat in the chair Sam held out for me, once again seated between my boys. I introduced my family members to Sam and Puck, including my mother's only younger sibling and my favorite of her brothers, Uncle Ethan and his wife Aunt Amanda. As I was making the introductions I was struck once again by how different my cousins and I look.

Around the table, the skin tones varied on slightly from latte to mocha with me as the only cup of regular coffee…of course this year I was bracketed by my two delicious cups of milk. But nevertheless, I noted that they all had eyes like Puck's or Sam's more than my own dark orbs. And almost all of the females have the long, 'good' hair. I can finally admit, at least to myself, that it's my own pure cussedness, in Sander's terminology, that I always rock my natural hair or braids to these stupid reunions. I know that my weave would probably make my family a little more relaxed around me…but I shouldn't have to change for them to accept me.

I shook off my melancholy thoughts before they could take root, and I gave Puck and Sam reassuring smiles. They'd struck up conversations with some of my cousins and their dates about various things like football and Call of Duty. Uncle Ethan caught my eye, and he cracked me a smile. "Benz, Benz, Benz…little girl do you have any clue how much drama has popped off about you and your 'boyfriends'?" he teased. "Poor Ban and Dent have been hearing shit all day long from our cousins."

"Really… I've never been a scandal before." I joked.

"Well, you are one now Little One." Aunt Amanda joked. She looked at Sam and Puck and quickly explained to my curious boys. "Ethan's a strange duck. He's the family baby and all the good sense went to Danica before he got here. You'll hear that he likes to call people by his own idiosyncratic nicknames. Hence Benz…" She told them with a huge smile. It's true; my grandparents had fully intended that my mom, their fourth, was to be there last. Ten years later Uncle Ethan had come along surprising them and everyone else. Their mother had not survived the birth, and so my mom had stepped in and became his 'mother' so she and Ethan were a lot closer than she was to her other siblings all seven to ten years older than her.

"So…how much drama have I caused?" I asked them curiously.

Aunt Amanda just shook her head. "More than there should be. You're a damn good kid, always taking shit off these people." She muttered rolling her eyes.

Uncle Ethan laughed. "That's the Benton in her…cause any of us Harrises would have snapped years and years ago."

"Mercy is amazingly forgiving." Sam told them pressing a gentle kiss on my cheek.

"Thank God for that." Puck agreed. "If Sexy Mama wasn't the forgiving kind…half our show choir would be six feet under. Her love has saved all of us in one way or another…either from our selves or outside sources." He told my aunt and uncle proudly.

"Oh please." Hannah huffed. "She was probably so afraid of being alone and friendless she just let you all walk all over her."

"Yeah and you're probably such a bitch you never have any real friends, just broads who think that you are 'popular' so they hang with you and diss your skinny ass behind your back." Puck muttered just loud enough so that everyone at the table could and did hear him, and yet everyone wanted to pretend it was under his breath.

Everyone except me. "Boy stop. I've got this, boo…I love you for it…but I don't need defense, I'm a big girl."

"Yeah. You certainly are. What are you up to 250…275?" Hannah said with a cheery smirk.

"Oh hell, no she didn't." Sam grumbled.

I gave him a kiss. "Hannah. Your immaturity is showing, and I'm sure that your 'escort' is getting uncomfortable." I said politely. "I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced." I asked the guy. Up close he looked to be at least my dad's age.

When he spoke his voice pretty much confirmed it. "I am Reginald G. Wilmington the Third." He said politely, but clearly as though it should have meant something to me.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wilmington…Do you attend classes with Hannah?" I dug a little.

I saw Uncle Ethan throw me a wry smile. But Mr. Wilmington answered before I could respond. "Actually, I hold a doctorate in modern literature and I taught a class Hannah took last year. She and I reconnected on a personal level after she changed schools."

"Hannah changed schools?" Aunt Amanda whispered. "But she was going to the single most prestigious HBCU in the country. Hannah, dear, why would you change schools?"

"There was just a little problem, Aunt Amanda, it's done." Hannah hedged.

"I believe that Hannah found the academic structure too rigid there. She has stepped down her educational expectations and it really seems to be a better fit for her now." Dr. Wilmington said patting Hannah's hand gently.

Sam, Puck and I exchanged speaking glances. We all shared the same thought. Translation Darling Hannah had flunked out of Howard in a big way, and now she was having to go to community college to try to have a prayer at a degree sometime in the future. "Wow. Well Dr. Wilmington, what, may I ask is considered modern literature?"

"Well, we discuss modern literary works from the last fifty years, such as Homes, Palahanuik, Dawkins, and Brown. We even discuss the cultural significance of Rowling and Meyer." He said calmly.

"Shut the front door. Now don't gets me wrong I loves me some Potter, and I swear I was desperate to get a letter on an owl leg when I turned eleven…but don't you think she has too many glaring plot holes, Deus ex Machina and contrived twists to ever really count as literature. And don't even let me get started on the way she supports abusive relationships. Yeah let's put Harry with the self-absorbed fangirl and stick Hermione with the shiftless, lazy, verbally and emotionally abusive sidekick."

"So you wouldn't have found it pedantic and predictable if Harry and Hermione had, in fact ended the series together?" He asked reasonably. And it was on like popcorn from there. By the time dessert was served he and I had pulled everyone at the table into the discussion, though to be honest, Sam did keep trying to pull us into a discussion on Avatar and its merits.

But Aunt Amanda shut him down by reminding him that in essence Avatar was simple a modernization of the Pocahontas tale, set on another planet and giving a very obvious message about environmental responsibility. By the time they cleared the dessert dishes we'd moved on to a dissection of the Matrix mythos and how it could in fact have been started by Skynet and the extermination of John Connors by an alternate and successful Terminator. It was the best time I have ever had at one of these dinners. I wonder if we can keep Dr. Reggie and lose Hannah?

After the dinner, Sam took Puck and me for a stroll along the beach. There is something truly amazing about walking with your love on a beach in the moonlight. There is something even more amazing about finding a secluded cove and making love on the beach in the moonlight. Of course, then the is something amazing about making love in the shower for the fifty seven minutes it takes to get a beach worth of sand from all the hidden nooks and crannies it sneaks into while you're making love in that secluded cove on that beach in the moonlight. But you know what…I wouldn't change a single moment.

Devon Point of View

It took some deep cover Mission Impossible shit, but I managed to snag my little sister and disappear like magic while Tonya, Kev, Patricia, Sam and Puck were waiting on a shuttle to take them to Ripley's Museum. She and I headed to Reeds Jewelers and immediately had to deal with the lovely bullshit that is hidden racism. We walked in and immediately the sales woman glanced nervously at several locations in the ceiling and different tchotchkes in several curio cabinets in the store. Yeah lady, great job showing us where all the cameras are hidden.

However MeDe was undaunted. She marched directly over the counter and gave the fidgety chick a big smile. Now MeDe is my sister…but even I have to admit she has a beautiful smile. It can make anybody do half of whatever she wants. "Hello." She said animatedly, glancing at the chick's name tag. "Veronica, cool name. Though with your blond hair and blue eyes, shouldn't it be Betty?" Anyway, my big brother here is looking to buy his girlfriend an engagement ring. Now she is a very unique girl, so not just any ole piece of ring is gonna work. I'd like to see something in a palladium setting, with at least half a carat stone…preferable something with a non-traditional stone. Maybe a blue diamond." She said calmly.

What the hell does that shit even mean? I mean I understand the words individually, but together they don't have any real coherent meaning. "MeDe…I'm buying a ring but please remember I still have to finance my entire graduate education."

"Hush, fool…I've got this. His budget is very firm, no more than seventy five hundred." She told the lady politely. "And I will tell you now that if you bring out anything less than VVS2 you will lose this sale. Now I am willing to look at a variety of cuts, but I will not be budged on the clarity."

'Cc—ccolor rating?" Veronica stumbled, clearly rattled.

"If it's a traditional stone I will not let him get her anything under F to G. But as I said I would prefer she have a non-traditional stone…maybe a blue diamond. She loves Avatar and I think that she would love a blue diamond." Mercedes said with a confident smile. "Tonya is my sister in all but name. She will have the best ring I can find. My brother has done some research and it brings us here…but we can go elsewhere."

"Where you planning to finance this purchase today sir?" she asked. I could almost see that bitch thinking that she'd verify that I could pay before she got happy about this sale.

I raised an eyebrow and looked at her like she was stupid. MeDe wasn't that nice. Guess she used it all up last night. How she hasn't killed Hannah yet, is a miracle of nicety and patience to me. "Oh no you didn't. If he was white and came in looking for an engagement ring, would you be asking him that question before he even saw the first ring? Hell no!" She gave the broad the 'I'll cut a bitch' look. "Let's go, Dev. This chick is trippin. There is no way in hell she is getting the commission from you."

A dark haired lady about ten years older than the chick behind the counter came out with several rings already arranged on a black velvet lined tray. "Miss…please ignore Veronica. My name is Sheila, and I can help you. Based on what I overheard, you know what you want for your brother's fiancée…but does he?"

MeDe and I exchanged a laugh. "My sister has known that Tonya was gonna be her big sister for eight years. I'm betting you money that she has gotten many of those demands straight from the horse's mouth and even if not directly, I trust her to pick out something that my Boo will love for the rest of her life, cause that's how long she will be wearing it." I told Sheila honestly.

"Good." She nodded decisively. "That's how it's meant to be. Now I've got three designs to choose from. The diamonds aren't blue, but their clarity rating is Internally Flawless and their color rating is F, so they cast a bluish glow. Now you said she likes Avatar, if she also likes Star Trek than I think this first one is her ring. It is a Trillion cut diamond three quarter carat and it clearly mimics the shape of the Federation insignia from Next Gen through Voyager. It has baguette cut light sapphires on either side of the center stone and those are a very close match to the color of the Na'vi. Those two stones together weigh a half carat. And notice the beautiful engraving in the band. It offers a very whimsical touch. However it is not palladium. It's a platinum setting. This next ring is palladium, but the stone is only half a carat and it's still in the ranges you asked for, but the lower end. It is a standalone heart cut stone. The visual interest comes from the winding band of white gold that winds around the stone like a vine. The final ring is a heart shaped, three quarter carat pink diamond solitary inset into the band. It is the simplest of the three rings, but it is also the most expensive." She said carefully showing each and every ring to Mercedes, who in turn was nice enough to let me see them.

"I think I should go with the third one…if it's the most expensive…right?" I asked to their great amusement.

"No, Dev, no. if you were buying a laptop, do you get the one with the perfect specs, or the one with the highest price tag?" MeDe chided with a smile.

"The one with the best specs." I said aghast.

"Exactly. That first ring is perfect for your girl. The last one might cost more…but it doesn't scream Tonya, like the first."

I get it. "See it makes sense when you say it like that…all that mumbo jumbo you were spouting earlier made my head hurt." I turned my attention back to Sheila, "so what are we talking when it comes to cost?"

"Stop, wait." MeDe interrupted with a sigh. "First does it come in a six and a half or a seven?" she asked our sales lady before addressing me. "Always make sure they have the right size before you go getting happy."

"Oh." I said dumbly. "My bad."

Sheila gave me a kind smile, "That's fine, Sweety, at least you brought someone who knows what she's doing, and who obviously cares a great deal about you both. Now I have both sizes for the first and second rings, but just a seven in the last."

"Ok. So how much is the first ring in the six and a half?" I asked politely.

"It is sixty one hundred and sixty ninety nine." She told me clearly.

I looked a MeDe. She asked the lady for a loupe. And Sheila handed her one of those jeweler monocle thingys. After looking at the ring from each and every possible angle, MeDe turned to me and gave me a huge and blinding smile. "This is the one. It's perfect and to be honest you'd pay a lot more somewhere else." she finally told me.

"We'll take it. Do you take Debit cards?" I asked Sheila.

"Of Course…but we have financing options available." She sputtered.

"Sheila, I've been saving for this ring for four years. I've got this." I assured her. I pulled out my wallet and took out the debit cards tied to my two savings accounts. "Now I have a five grand a day spending limit on each of these, so could you please divide the final total evenly between the two?"

The smile Sheila gave me was almost blinding. "You are a good one aren't you? Of course I will." She disappeared for a few minutes and returned with the ring in a beautiful black velvet box and two receipts for me to sign. As I signed them and the paperwork for the warranty, she gave MeDe some instructions. "Make sure he has this insured. Diamonds appreciate rapidly, and this ring was actually on sale. Its suggested retail price is above ten."

"Yes Ma'am." She nodded and smiled. "I'm sure that he can go with the same company that insures all our mother's real jewelry."

"Good." Sheila said with a smile. Then she looked at me. "Now when your sister finds her one and only, I want you to take care of him like she did you?"

I threw back my head and laughed. "I'll help alright." I said cryptically.

Rather than answer, Mercedes busied herself getting all the paperwork and the ring into the store's bag before putting all of that in her purse. She put her purse on her shoulder and clamped her arm on it tight. "There. Now when we walk out of here, there is less chance that anybody will try to snatch my bag. Let's hurry and get this back to the room and put it in Mom and dad's safe until you're ready to pop the question."

A quick cab trip back to the hotel, and a an extra fifteen minutes hearing how proud they were of me…and we were finally able to text Sam and find out that they had moved on from Ripley's and had dragged an unprotesting Tonya to the local water park.

Danica Point of View

I love my sister. I love my sister. She is the only sister I have. I love my sister. But I swear to Jesus if she doesn't shut her mouth about my babies, I will send her straight to him.

"I just don't understand Danica. How on earth can you be ok with Mercedes behavior? She is seeing two young men; at the same time…sleeping with them at the same time and neither of them is black. I'm not sure which is worse. One is actually blond and the other has a Mohawk for Christ's sake." Ariel continued ranting as if I hadn't heard all this for the hundredth time.

"Yes, Ariel…you've made your opinion very clear on the subject." I droned sarcastically.

"It's just…scandalous. Here we are at a Family Reunion and all anyone can talk about is the fact that your daughter is, well, a slut."

"Hold the hell up." I stopped and turned to my sister incensed. "I know you did not just fix your mouth to say that."

"Well I don't know what else to call it. Hannah went by her room Thursday night ,to chat and catch up, and she said that that blond boy answered the door barely dressed and that Mercedes was screaming and moaning in the background with the other one." she hissed.

"Isn't it funny how Hannah ran tattling to you and everybody else about something that wasn't any of her business, when never once has MeDe come tattling about all the crap and bullshit Hannah has pulled over the years? Now, I don't want to hear about my babies' sex life. I hear them enough at home. I know what she probably heard. And I can bet you money Noah went out of his damn way to make sure she heard something real loud." I mocked her scandalized tone. "But your daughter has been bringing male accompaniment with her every year for the last five. Every year since she was fifteen, she has brought a different male and they have gotten progressively older and older. That is at least five different men but I happen to know that she actually changes men like Mercedes changes her weave. So where do you get off calling my baby a slut when your daughter is the freakin' whore of Babylon?"

"How dare you? The longer you stay with that 'man' the more crass you get." She said indignantly.

"That man…you mean my husband? 'The man' I've been with for the last 31 years? 'That man'…the 'man' who has been there for every momentous moment of my life since I was fourteen years old. The 'man' who has never once in all those years cheated on me, 'that man' who has never once left me…that man. Well, let me tell you dear sister…I love 'that man'. 'That man' that you hate based solely on your own insecurities and self-hate. You want to worry about something Sister Dear…you worry about your daughter…I understand she flunked out of Howard, which she really only got into after 'that man' wrote her that glowing recommendation to our alma mater. You want to worry about something…why don't you worry about finally divorcing that oh so perfect, light, bright, damn near white husband of yours that you see only when he comes to hassle you about why you refuse to sign the damn divorce papers. That man of yours who left you when you told him you were pregnant. Granted I don't blame him…if my wife came to me and said she was pregnant when I made damn sure that I was physically incapable of having a child without telling her…I'd dip to the mutherfucking left too." I said as I stood from where I'd been seated talking to her quietly.

I looked around the room at my family and spoke up in a loud but calm voice. "I love each of you, but you all need to keep my babies' names up out your mouths. Yes Mercedes is with her two men…they are fine young men who love her and would live, kill, and die for her. Those three young adults plan on being together until they are old and damn gray…how many of your sons and daughters even plan on being with their dates past the end of the month. Yes they are white, but considering that most of us in this family range in color from yellow to red, why the hell do those few shades make a difference in the first place. I'm done being nice and polite when each and every one of you needs to sweep around your own front doors before you bring your brooms anywhere near mine." I said before I made a damn fine exit. Then I went to show 'that man' of mine exactly how much I appreciate him.

Puck Point of View

There was a boatload of Cedes' younger cousins who'd decided to come to the waterpark too, so we had plenty of folks to play and have fun with. Hannah didn't show her face, and as far as I could tell everyone was happy about that fact. When Cedes and Dev finally showed up we could tell from the smiles, and Moms D's lipstick stain on his cheek that they'd accomplished their mission. We dragged Cedes off to make out for a while and when we met back up with the crew it was time to head to the park near the hotel for a barbeque.

That wasn't too horribly boring, but there were assigned seats again and we were with a whole new set of relatives. This set wasn't as cool as the ones from the gathering dinner, so conversation was stilted. Fortunately we were able get up and mingle and dance. And if those old broads were so scandalized by the very thought of us, they must have been completely flabbergasted by watching us dance. We would sandwich Mercedes between us and grind on each other, other songs would see Sam leading her in a complicated series of spins and twirls that showed everyone her pretty purple panties to the world. At the end of the evening Sam and I were needy, horney and hard. So we took her upstairs and made slow sensual love to our girls well into the sunrise.

The next morning, we had to dress and go down for breakfast. After the meal, there was going to be a flag football game, followed by a whole bunch of other picnic type games. Over all we managed to be on the winning team for football, Sam kicked ass in soccer, and Mercedes won the sack race. Somehow we even managed to come in second in the more than two legged race. Ok, so really it was the three legged race, but they made the three of us compete as one so for us it was the four legged race. It was friggin' weird, but we made it work. Then there was the blind man's bluff where I couldn't see, Mercedes couldn't speak and Sam couldn't hear, and we had to navigate across the field without bumping into anyone, or getting turned around…we killed it. Commune for the win! We had a light lunch and then there was this whole area 'carnival' area.

There Mercedes won a surfer looking necklace at the guess your weight booth that she gave to Sam. Personally I wanted to kick that hawker's ass. He was almost fifty pounds over, I could see that it hurt Cedes' feelings, but she shook it off and took her winnings with a smile, so I decided to let him live. Sam was harder to convince. Southern men may be billed as gentlemen…but those mutherfuckers are fucking crazy when it comes to protecting those they love. Whether the hurt be real or imagined, physical or emotional…Sam turns straight up gangster when someone hurts our girl. I personally find it sexy as hell. Sam says the same thing when I go all hardcore…but Cedes tends to call us Neanderthals and tells us she can handle it. Which we know she can…but since she's our girl she doesn't have to…Unless the culprit is a chick…then we have her back…but we can't wreak shop on a chick.

At another booth she won a cool bracelet that she bestowed upon me with a kiss. We shoved ourselves in the photo-booth, and took two full strips of pictures. In the last one we were full on macking with our hands under her tank top so clearly playing with her big, sexy tits. When we were through in the booth, we played a few more games where Sam won a big stuffed cat at the shooting gallery, and I so owned the basketball game thing and won Cedes a similar sized stuffed zebra. Then I saw the hoops game, and took a shot at that, winning Sam a bracelet that looked a lot like mine, while he took the fishing game and he gave me the shell necklace he won there.

By the time we'd finished that it was time to go and get dressed for the Benediction Dinner. Cedes took the shower first, and when she came out the bathroom she was already looking so fucking sexy in that black corset/bustier thing and a pair of her special 'sexy' stockings. While Sam showered, Cedes did her hair and makeup in the big mirror over the vanity. I stood there watching her do her hair and face, for some reason this felt very intimate and special. I watched as she fastened on a pair of Amethyst earrings and I moved forward quickly to fasten her matching necklace. I pressed a kiss to the back of her neck and whispered seductively. "You have the prettiest brown skin. So silky, so sexy." I dropped kisses down the sexy, strong curve of her shoulder.

Sam opened the door to see us there. "Damn ya'll are so beautiful. Are you sure that I can't convince ya'll to just I don't know grab a quick dinner somewhere and hurry back to the room?"

"Sorry Cutie no can do. No one misses the benediction dinner. A few years ago, Aunt Amanda literally sat through the dinner even though she was in labor." She teased us. At least I hope she was teasing. She returned her attention to the mirror and started to braid her hair into very thin cornrows from her forehead to the back of her head. When I finished my shower and grooming, I stepped out and saw that she was almost done. I watched as she took the ends of the all the braids and wove them together, bobby pinning them into place, stepping into the antechamber, I moved to see Sam had started getting dressed. His suit was navy blue this time, though the shirt was still white with a gradient blue tie I'd found when we were all shopping in Macys.

I donned my black suit, black shirt and charcoal tie, along with my black dress shoes. Cedes came out and gave us both appreciative looks, "damn if you two don't look good enough to eat."

"Well, Babygirl, you can eat us when we get back from dinner." I taunted.

Sam hummed, "Puck when you have a great idea, you have a damn great idea."

Sam and I took a break while Cedes made her already sexy self even hotter. But in the end it was so worth it. She'd chosen to wear the beautiful black handkerchief hem dress and she looked too fucking hot. "Damn baby…I want to eat you for dinner." I groaned.

"Puck's so right Mercy. You are so beautiful." Sam breathed. "Turn around."

She did as she was bid, and I know that my own cock got exponentially harder. "Let's do this." She told us with a smile she put on the higher pair of black strappy sandals and grabbed her small black purse. She was wearing some dark red lipgloss and her eyes looked amazing, innocent and yet promising a whole bunch of dirty, dirty things. We followed her out of the door, and if we were honest, we'd have followed her into the very mouth of hell.

By the time we got to the dinner and realized that not only were we once more at a table with Hannah, Aunt Ariel was seated there as well.

Ariel Point of View

Mercedes Jones should know better than to come down to this dinner in a strapless cocktail dress. It shows far too much of her figure and it is giving ideas to some of the younger boys. I heard several of them talking about how Mercedes had grown into a 'beauty'. How thick girls were awesome…how her chocolate skin looked so soft. So when she came into the dining room escorted by one of her little white boys on each arm, I was shocked and dismayed to see that she was putting herself on such display. "Mercedes Antoinette Jones, where is the rest of your dress?" I chided as soon as she sat down.

She looked at me and gave me a sweet smile. "Aunt Ariel, have you been having a good time at this year's reunion?" she asked politely.

"I asked you a question young lady." I said sternly.

"Well considering that I am no longer twelve, and that you are, in fact, not my mother nor my father, I simply felt no need to answer."

"You look like a brazen hussy…you should at least have added a shrug to make it decent." I told her in a tone that brooked no backtalk.

"Umm…excuse me…but isn't that your daughter over there in the skintight blue dress that's cut down to her navel." The blond boy asked me. "Mercedes dress was approved by both her mother and her father. Not to mention that she looks amazing."

"Stay out of family business, boy." I hissed angrily.

"Mercy is our family. Maybe if you would wrap your head around that very salient fact, you might just stop speaking to her like that." He rebutted.

"Until you marry her, she isn't family…just a poor deluded little girl you are stringing along while you live out your rebellions and fantasies." I huffed.

"Cedes…you know I love and respect Moms D; so how much trouble would I be in if I told her sister that she had lost her fool ass mind?" the Mohawked boy asked Mercedes.

"Probably less trouble than Daddy's apparently in. Wonder what happened there." Mercedes asked nosily.

"He probably showed his true colors. 'That man' is not good enough for my little sister. Danica could be married to a real doctor, or a senator. But no instead she settled for Benton Jones." I snarled.

"So is jealousy and envy a family trait that just happened to skip Mama Dani and her kids…or is it exclusive to you and your daughter. I mean Hannah has some real strong Daddy Issues that she seems to be trying to rectify by dating men old enough to have sired her; she's so envious of Mr. Benton and Mercy's relationship that she has done everything possible to destroy my girl's self-esteem and connection with this part of her family. And you are so jealous of Mr. Benton and Mama Dani's marriage that you are alienating your sister to the point that soon, you'll be lucky if you exchange funny and touching forwards." The blond boy said sagely.

"I am not jealous. I have…I have a wonderful daughter." I started.

"No you have a bitch that you gave birth to who uses you because you allow her to so that you can feel better about all the bad choices you've made. A girl so confused because of what you don't tell her that she is reaching for something that could ultimately hurt her past the breaking point." My niece whispered quietly. "You have a daughter who has been such a heifer to me that even the other females in our family won't talk to her, because while they don't like the way she treats me, none of them want to draw her attention on them. That shit has led to you being slowly and surely distanced from all of your siblings because when they try to bring up her misbehaviors to you, you defend her and enable her to continue to be a bitch. Then you take it one step further and try to tell them how to raise their kids when truth be told you've fucked yours up monumentally."

"You're just like your mother. You get yourself a little boyfriend and think you can become disrespectful and hateful." I growled. "Well enjoy it while it last. Because men leave and then all you have is your blood."

"That's funny, cause Daddy's still here. Sam's Dad…he's still there. I don't know why Hannah's dad isn't but you need to admit that maybe you just chose unwisely. If you choose only based on looks, or the color of their skin, then you are doomed to be disappointed. Because looks can and do change. Personalities don't…not radically. Sam and Puck, yes they are handsome and they are sexy, but they are my friends first and foremost. I have faith this will continue to build and grow stronger because not only do we have erotic love, we have platonic love. We love ourselves and each other. Without that kind of foundation any relationship is going to go up in smoke. That's why Hannah has a new boyfriend every other month…that's why I have an uncle I've never even seen…that's why your brothers and sister have started to cut you from their lives…because hate only breeds more hate, and that's all that's within you anymore." She gave a weird chuckle. "And by the way, other than my mom, brothers, and Uncle Ethan, I've never really had the blood on this side. I've always added a little too much 'color to these rather monochromatic occasions'." She said in a cultivated southern accent.

Anything else she may have said was swallowed by the blond boy's mouth; he started kissing her with a passion I've never seen before. When he finally pulled back, he said something so passionate filled and sincere, even I couldn't begin to doubt his veracity. "God, Mercy, you have no idea how much I love you."

Maybe he did love her. But it couldn't last, he and she were just too different and when you add in a third person. Yes they were destined for heartbreak and when she came crawling back to the bosom of her family, I'd be able to tell her that I had told her so.

I was taken from my musings, when her oldest brother Devon got onto the dais with 'that girl' he's always brought with him the last few years. "Everyone, everyone can I have your attention. A little while ago this beautiful," why does he lie to that poor child like that she is far too dark to be considered beautiful. "This beautiful woman consented to marry me and let me spend the rest of our lives showing her everyday how perfect she is for me."

Oh good lord. Not another jigaboo in the family. Why couldn't he have picked a nice girl like that Patrice girl his brother is with. Oh well given the statistics for men in this family maybe he will get divorced before they can have children. Then I can step in and help him find a nice AKA girl to marry. I was polite as they came around and spoke to everyone. So many people asked to see the ring I couldn't have missed it if tried. It is so ugly and unconventional; yes I cannot see this lasting.

Sam Point of View

Mercedes had already given Puck the blow by blow description of the ring, so instead we asked about the proposal. Tonya laughed. "Somehow he got Jean Luc Picard's voice to ask me and he played me the recording at sunset on the beach." She said glowing. Now that's a man who knows his woman. I hope that Puck and I are eventually able to do something that special and meaningful for Mercy.

Dinner swept by after that. Mercy's Aunt and cousin were quietly disdainful for the rest of the meal, but some of her other cousins did take the time to apologize for not standing up against Hannah and her bullshit for her. So I think that all in all this was a good weekend for Mercy. But after dinner and some more dancing, Puck and I took Mercy back up to our room and to try to make it even better. After all we had promises to keep and damn if we did go miles and miles over every inch of her body before we slept. I went to sleep with the delicious cocktail of Miss Pretty Pussy's juice and Mr. Big Stuff's emissions on my tongue. Best taste combination…ever!

The next morning dawned bright and early. Since the reunion was over and we were not due to fly out until Wednesday morning, Mr. Benton and Mama Dani had rented a Suburban and the plan was to drive down to Orlando for the day, stay there over night and fly back home Wednesday afternoon. Apparently Mr. Benton got kicked into the doghouse last night for deciding to have a drinking contest with Uncle Ethan... the only one of Mama Dani's siblings who didn't creep me completely out. So Dev and Tonya were taking the first leg of the drive, since Mr. Benton was way too hung-over to concentrate on driving.

We left at five so we were all on the road when Mercy's cell alarm went off. As she was digging in her purse to get her pills, I reached over and stole Puck's untouched water. Our boy had been led to the SUV and poured into his seat in a way that reminded me greatly of how he'd looked the morning we'd left for Nationals. Kevon's grouchy morning voice broke through my reminiscing. "WTF MeDe?" he groaned. "You forget that you don't have school or work today?"

"Had to take my pill, stupid, go back to sleep." Mercy told her older brother.

"Should have took that shit in private." He grumbled back. "Don't no body want to see that shit."

Patrice reached over and smacked him. "Shut up and go back to sleep and be grateful your little sister is responsible and mature enough not to have stupid hang ups like you do."

Laughing, I heard a funny song start in my head. Before I knew it, the song was pouring out of my mouth. A long, long time ago

In a galaxy far away

Naboo was under an attack

And I thought me and Qui-Gon Jinn

Could talk the federation into

Maybe cutting them a little slack

But their response, it didn't thrill us

They locked the doors and tried to kill us

We escaped from that gas

Then met Jar Jar and Boss Nass

We took a bongo from the scene

And we went to Theed to see the Queen

We all wound up on Tatooine

That's where we found this boy...

Devon in the front seat took over from there.

Oh my my this here Anakin guy

May be Vader someday later - now he's just a small fry

And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye

Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"

"Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"

Then his new fiancée chimed in.

Did you know this junkyard slave

Isn't even old enough to shave

But he can use the Force, they say

Ah, do you see him hitting on the queen

Though he's just nine and she's fourteen

Yeah, he's probably gonna marry her someday

Well, I know he built C-3PO

And I've heard how fast his pod can go

And we were broke, it's true

So we made a wager or two

He was a prepubescent flyin' ace

And the minute Jabba started off that race

Well, I knew who would win first place

Oh yes, it was our boy

By now Mercy and Patrice were singing along and we were all seat dancing. Kev looked a little confused, but very amused, and Mama Dani and Mr. Benton were full on laughing at our antics. Puck was still knocked the fuck out. Don't blame him, even though last night had been all about the oral, Mercy and I had still made him cum to the point that his balls were puffing out air.

We started singin' ...

My my this here Anakin guy

May be Vader someday later - now he's just a small fry

And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye

Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"

"Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"

Now we finally got to Coruscant

The Jedi Council we knew would want

To see how good the boy could be

So we took him there and we told the tale

How his midi-chlorians were off the scale

And he might fulfill that prophecy

Oh, the Council was impressed, of course

Could he bring balance to the Force?

They interviewed the kid

Oh, training they forbid

Because Yoda sensed in him much fear

And Qui-Gon said "Now listen here"

"Just stick it in your pointy ear"

"I still will teach this boy"

He was singin' ...

My my this here Anakin guy

May be Vader someday later - now he's just a small fry

And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye

Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"

"Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"

We caught a ride back to Naboo

'Cause Queen Amidala wanted to

I frankly would've liked to stay

We all fought in that epic war

And it wasn't long at all before

Little Hotshot flew his plane and saved the day

And in the end some Gunguns died

Some ships blew up and some pilots fried

A lot of folks were croakin'

The battle droids were broken

And the Jedi I admire most

Met up with Darth Maul and now he's toast

Well, I'm still here and he's a ghost

I guess I'll train this boy

And I was singin' ...

My my this here Anakin guy

May be Vader someday later - now he's just a small fry

And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye

Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"

"Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"

We were singin' ...

My my this here Anakin guy

May be Vader someday later - now he's just a small fry

And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye

Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"

After that it was on. By the time we got to Disney World, we'd each lead at least like twenty songs. In fact we'd turned off the radio all together and just sung our asses off. We started with Weird Al, then moved on to old school R&B then to more recent music, but to be honest we sung a lot of stuff from the mid to late nineties. Though I did introduce them to some Cledus T. Judd. And Mama Dani and Mercy did an old Judd song that made Tonya and Patrice get all weepy. We had an epic day at Disney, though at different points we all were feeling a little guilty for being here without the rest of the kids, especially Triple S. which mean that we all went overboard on the souvenirs and by the time he reached the hotel room that night, we were all so exhausted we wouldn't have been able to do more than snuggle if we hadn't been all crammed into a three bedroom suite. We were back up early the next morning to return to Panama City in time for our flight, and then it was home again…all in all great though it was I kind of needed a vacation from my vacation.


Next Chapter... Mercedes and Artie bonding as Artie brings some questions to his soul sister. Santana and Sam bonding as she muses on the possibilities before her.

Now If you want to see those things above and some smutty goodness...you know what I want...besides isn't this the season of giving? So give me some Reviews and I'll give you an update.

Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year!
Anni