Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine.
So this is the song chapter! I'm kinda excited. I think this is my favorite chapter. I tell you what songs they sing before they sing them and who they are by before they start, if you wanna give them a listen to help understand my description of their performance. Hope y'all enjoy!
Chapter 10: Coldest Story Ever Told
Sam's POV
Mercedes and Sam worked on these songs until late in the night, every night. They worked with the band when they could schedule it. The two spent so much time together that it was ridiculous. She was introducing him to Torchwood on a break. She was cuddled into his side again and Sam loved the comfortable and familiar feel of this girl snuggled against him. Her cheek was resting on his shoulder.
"So you're ogling the captain?"
"He has nice lips, but yours are better." Sam felt the girl hiding her face against his shoulder. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I don't think before I speak. I'll work on it."
"Mercedes, you're perfect. Don't work on anything."
Sam took her hand and kissed the back of it. Instead of releasing it, he just held it. If he was honest, he missed the feel of her small hand in his. Mercy gave a contented sigh with no complaints after he didn't let go of her hand. It wasn't long before the dorm room seemed to come alive with people. Artie, Quinn, and BB came in. Quinn spared a smile for Sam and Mercy tried to slide her hands out of his, but he wouldn't let her. After a few minutes, Puck, Matt, and Leslie came over. Tina resurfaced from her bedroom with her computer in hand at all the commotion. The room was practically past capacity. They only had a couch and an arm chair. To make room for guests, Quinn sat in Artie's lap, Tina sprawled across the floor and Sam saw that she was Skyping Mike, and without thinking Sam pulled Mercy into his lap. The girl didn't complain, though she did give him a sharp glance. Sam wasn't bothered though. He just nodded his head toward the arm chair where Puck was sitting and Leslie just plopped into his lap. BB and Matt sat on the couch beside Mercy and Sam, and just like that, they'd made everyone fit and it was comfortable.
"Now that we're all here together, why don't we tell Hot Mama about Life Science class?" Puck suggested.
"Oh God. I can't wait to hear this," Mercy mumbled.
Puck nodded toward Artie to begin. Before he could say anything everyone heard Mike's voice. "Tina, are they talking about the time they all had a fight?" When Tina nodded, Mike laughed. "I had to help our teacher break that one up!"
"I shouldn't have even gotten punched! I was asked a simple question. In twenty years where do you see yourself? We had to write a paper and everything. Merce, you better believe that I had our life plan mapped out. I told our teacher that I saw myself at home with my beautiful wife Mercedes Jones. The teacher raved about my paper. We had kids and Grammy's and everything," Artie explained.
"What were our kids' names?" Mercy asked.
"Well, the girls would be Aretha, Whitney, and Janet. The boys would be Michael, Stevie, and Marvin."
"Damn, boy, how many children you planned on having? But the names are awesome. Nothing but the greats!" She laughed.
Artie was blushing. "At least six, but it's not like we'd stop practicing for more."
"Yeah, well, I wasn't standing for that. I had Hot Mama in my life plan as well. I knew then I wasn't good enough for her, but in twenty years, I could get my act together and we'd be happy. I'd planned our wedding out. We'd have two to satisfy each of our families."
Mercy frowned, and Sam's hand that was resting on her hip tensed as Puck talked about marrying Mercedes. "I don't…know what to say. Why didn't any of you say anything if you were that serious? I spent most of high school believing I was invisible."
"You always said you didn't need a man, so I thought that was your way of letting me know you didn't need a man by your side in your climb to stardom. You wanted to take that road alone," Artie admitted.
She looked expectantly at Puck then. "I already told you that you were just too good for me. Even when we dated, I didn't know how to handle you. I was fucking things up! Remember when I came over trying to tell you I really did like you and wound up just trying to get some, but you pumped the breaks and dumped me?"
The girl just shook her head at the boy. "And what about you? You knew me better than them. You talked to me all the time at church and we even hung out, Matty!"
Matt just shrugged. "I moved before I got up the nerve. I'm not smooth like Artie, or forward like Puck. It took me some time, and when I did work up the nerve, I found out I was moving."
"Matt, you were the first one to throw a punch!" Mike informed everyone. "Then Puck jumped in."
"Oh my God, you guys actually fought over me?"
Sam was at a loss for words too. These boys liked Mercy so much they fought over her. He didn't know they had been that serious about Mercy. He was brought into the conversation then by Puck. "And then Evans came along falling right into the space Matt left open." Mercedes smiled and Puck finished. "And this was even before you two dated."
It was odd how Sam almost forgot about the locker room chats. Mercedes was looking at him for an explanation. His face reddened. Guilt flashed as he looked at Quinn, then Mercedes. "After Rocky Horror, I joined the fan club. They used to talk about how amazin' you were in the locker room, but I didn't truly see it until you reinterpreted Frank-N-Furter. The costume didn't help much."
"Honestly, Sam, after we broke up, I didn't expect you to fall into Santana's clutches. I expected you to go for Mercy. I would've been okay with that," Quinn added. "I saw the way you looked at her sometimes."
"Hold the phone! You mean to tell me that I really am as sexy as I think I am?"
"Guys, all we've done is give her a big head!" Sam joked, but he knew that Mercy needed the confidence boost after what he'd heard about her last relationship.
Leslie who seemed rather comfortable in Puck's lap, said, "Ladies, I think I speak for the rest of us when I say, we bow down to you Miss Jones! Pulling all of these fine ass men! Damn! What is the secret?"
"Seriously, I'd like to know. I've come to realize my climb to the top has been lonely, and I'd like to make up for that now," BB stated. She was a singer as well. She did much of the same styling as Rachel.
"I thought Rachel went to New York!" Mike said, and Tina laughed.
"Baby, that's Bailey. She's Quinn's roommate."
That night, Mercedes and Sam didn't practice. They just hung out with the rest of the group. They had fun, laughing and talking. Mercy gave BB diva lessons, and dance lessons. It was hilarious because the girl didn't have rhythm the first.
"Sam," Mercy called. "Show BB some moves. You went from rhythmically challenged to hot stuff!"
"That's low, Mercy. When I'm done showin' Bailey some moves, I'll work on you," he suggestively threatened her.
He couldn't believe that started Body Rolling 101. "I call this one The Windy City." He started his signature body roll.
Leslie was fanning herself. "Lawd have mercy on my soul! Sammy, I didn't know you could move like that!"
They were having so much fun, that time flew by. It was midnight by the time he, Matt, and Les went home. Tomorrow, he and Mercy would perform. He wasn't nervous, but he was just not looking for to putting all that emotion out for the class to see. The two of them had chosen songs that were true to how they'd felt. They weren't just songs to them. It wasn't even about the grade anymore. It was just about telling a story.
When the time finally came, Sam and Mercy were sitting together, waiting to be called on. They'd watched others in the class do their prompts. Sometimes Mr. Riley was impressed. Other times he was utterly bored and his critiques proved it. Unlike Mr. Schuester, he didn't hold back when he critiqued us. He blatantly told a few people that they'd bored him to near tears. Puck not only surprise Mr. Riley, but he surprised Mercedes as well. When his name was called, he said, "Mine and Brody's prompt was to serenade someone. The song we picked really means something to this girl, so Miss Jones, could you come down here?"
She went down and sat in the chair as Brody started singing to her first. They'd chosen the song Boston by Augustana. She smiled at the boy she didn't know in earnest, but it was Puck that made the change in her. He took the second half of the song. When he started to sing, she looked like she was near tears. The lyrics must have struck a memory.
She said...
You don't know me, you don't even care, oh yeah,
She said
You don't know me, and you don't wear my chains... oh yeah,
She said I think I'll go to Boston...
I think I'll start a new life,
I think I'll start it over, where no one knows my name,
I'll get out of California, I'm tired of the weather,
I think I'll get a lover and fly him out to Spain...
Oh yeah and I think I'll go to Boston,
I think that I'm just tired
I think I need a new town, to leave this all behind...
Puck was holding her hand and looking in her eyes as he finished the song. Applause erupted around the room, and the teacher raved because Puck put his heart into the song, and everyone could tell. Sam hoped he could convey emotion that well too.
"Very well, since you're already here, would you and Mr. Evans like to present you phone call?"
Sam joined Mercedes at the front of the class. They moved the chair out of the way and there they stood in front of so many judgmental eyes. He let Mercedes introduce this song since it was her idea. "Our prompt was a break up phone call. I hope you'll excuse the fact that we tweaked the prompt just a little to suit our needs, Mr. Riley." The teacher raised an eyebrow, but Mercy just nodded to the band. The song she'd chosen was Do you (re-mix) by Ne-yo and Mary J. Blidge.
Sam began the song. They had the option of using microphones and it was the way they practiced it, standing at the microphone stands. He closed his eyes, transporting himself back in time to the year without her.
Maybe This Decision Was A Mistake
You Probably Don't Care What I Have To Say
But It's Been Heavy On My Mind For Months Now
Guess I'm Trying To Clear Some Mental Space
I Would Love To Talk To You In Person
But I Understand Why That Can't Be
I'll Leave You Alone For Good
I Promise
If You Answer This One Question For Me
Opening his eyes, he looked only at Mercedes. It was a longing look as if she was just an apparition. And back then if he saw her, it probably was just his mind playing tricks on him. Finally, he'd get to ask her the question that had been on his mind back then.
I Just Wonder
Do You Ever
Think Of Me
Anymore?
Do You?
It was Mercy's turn to sing now. This song meant so much more to her than it did to him. This verse was so true to her, and she'd told him it sparked so many questions after she'd received that letter from Sam.
Found It Lying There In Front Of My Door
Pick It Up Before My Man Could See
Not That I Was Trying To Hide It From Him
Call It Me Just Trying To Keep The Peace
Knew Who It Was From Before I Opened It
Knew What It Would Say Before I Read
Tore The Letter Up And Threw It Away
With This Question Burning In My Head
I Just Wonder
Do You Ever
Think Of Me
Anymore?
Do You?
Sam took his microphone off the stand and headed toward Mercedes, singing.
I Know What We Had Was Dead and Gone
Mercedes did the same, meeting Sam between the mike stands. With her free hand, she caressed his cheek and sang directly to him. Her eyes were so sad as she admitted her truths.
Too Many Times I Made You Cry
It was back to Sam then. He put his hand on top of hers that rested on his cheek.
And I Don't Mean Interrupt Your Life
Both of them were lost in the moment. Neither the crowd nor the professor mattered. They looked only at each other as they both sang together the words they never could manage to say to one another.
I Just Wonder Do I Ever Cross Your Mind
They repeated the chorus, and adlibbed until the band finished playing. It was the intensity of their gazes on one another that captured the class. The way they looked at each other as they sang was something only people read it about. It was the pain, heartbreak, and love there that told the tale. Their voices conveyed to the ears the memories that the audience couldn't see.
It was only when there was applause that their moment was broken. They were both smiling at their classmates' reactions, but they waited anxiously for the approval of their teacher. "Never have I had students reinterpret my prompts before. I was fully prepared to fail you until I heard the song, but more importantly until I saw the chemistry and the story you told through it. You didn't have to be flashy like other groups. You just got up there and sang your hearts out. Well done."
Mercy's POV
Mercedes felt breathless and it had nothing to do with singing the hell out of that song, but everything with the way that Sam looked at her. The look in his eyes, the way he looked deep into hers was indescribable. She shook it off and continued to listen to the teacher speak. "We have time to actually start the second songs of the prompts. I normally don't do this, but I think I'm just giddy as kid in a candy store, wanting to hear more from these two. Do you have your second song prepared?"
She looked at Sam and he slowly nodded. They had to get into a different mindset for this song. It was anger that spurred this one, a true testament to his initial feelings for her. Sure, Mercedes was hurt to know he had thought of her in this way, but relieved to know she'd managed to get back into his good graces. Sam went up to his seat and grabbed his guitar. "The song we chose is very popular, but I changed the composition. I rearranged it and we took liberties. That wasn't against the rules, so here goes," he explained.
The song was Heartless but this was similar to the Kris Allen version of the song. Sam started to sing and strum his guitar. His voice seemed to convey the emptiness he'd felt a year ago, and it hurt Mercy to her heart. This song was all him, she was just pulling off of his emotion. And while he sang, she just provided the backup ahh's and ooo's through his part.
In the night
I hear 'em talk
Coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless
How could you be so heartless
Oh
How could you be so heartless
Sam's voice gained more and more intensity and emotion with the next part of the first verse. Thus far his guitar was the only instrument playing, but gradually and with the gaining intensity other instruments filtered in.
How could you be so
Cold as the winter wind when it breeze yo
Just remember that you talkin' to me though
You know need to watch the way you talkin' to me you know
I mean after all the things that we've been through
I mean after all the things we got into
And yo I know of some things that you ain't told me
And yo I did some things but that's the old me
And now you wanna get me back and you gon' show me
So you walk around like you don't know me
You got a new friend
Well I got homies
But in the end it's still so lonely
As the chorus started the entire band had joined in. Mercedes was standing off to the side, but she could see that Sam had lost himself in the song. She didn't have to see the concentrated intensity there. She heard it in his voice.
In the night
I hear 'em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless
How could you be so heartless
Oh
How could you be so heartless
Mercy finally came from the shadows. Feeding off of Sam's energy she began to sing his story of heartbreak. This verse required all of her divatude. In certain places where the beat was emphasized, she put her hand on her hip and popped her hip out to the right, on the next she popped her hip out to the left, and on the last her head snapped in Sam's direction, belting out the last word before the chorus.
How could you be so Dr. Evil
You're bringin' out a side of me that I dont know
I decided we weren't gon' speak so
Why we up 3 A.M. on the phone
Why does he be so mad at me fo'
Girl I don't know he's hot and cold
I won't stop I won't mess my groove up
'Cause I already know how this thing go
You run and tell your friends that you're leaving me
They say that they don't see what you see in me
You wait a couple months then you gon' see
You'll never find nobody better than
Me
'Cause in the night
I hear 'em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road
He lost his soul
To a woman so heartless
How could you be so heartless
Oh
How could you be so heartless
Mercedes walked toward Sam, giving off that air of stalking her prey. She was supposed to be the dangerous woman he couldn't get enough of, so she'd play it up.
I know you can't believe
I could just leave it wrong
Sam smirked, watching her circle him as he sang.
And you can't make it right
I'm gon' take off tonight
Stopping in front of him Mercedes and Sam belted out.
Into the night
The showstopper was the ending they'd planned. Instead of the two singing the chorus repeatedly themselves, the band did as they came together to do the Tango. They'd worked so hard on it. Sam's eyes glinted with excitement as he pulled Mercedes close. They were Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere in Shall We Dance. That's the dance that they'd patterned theirs after. It was a give and take, push and pull. It was passion and fire, full of stop and go. Mercedes prayed desperately that Sam wouldn't drop her when he dipped her at the song's end. Flawlessly, they'd nailed it. When he pulled her up he smirked.
"Told ya, I would never drop you."
She wanted to so badly to kiss him, but she settled for a peck on the cheek. He wrapped her in a hug as they were both breathing heavily. The choreography was the toughest part. It was what they'd worked so hard on. They already knew they could convey things vocally, but they needed a showstopper for this song in case the change of composition was their downfall.
"Well, class, that is what you have to follow, though I doubt you can. Never…never have I had two students put this much effort into their assignments. You put so much heart into it, and then to put just as much into the dance. I'm speechless. Mr. Evans, your composition skills are far beyond your years. Miss Jones, do you even really need this vocal class? Just…wonderful. Class dismissed on an amazing note today guys. Make me proud!"
When Sam and Mercedes got back to her dorm, they sank onto the couch. "Wow!" Mercy said.
"You guys deserved it!" Tina encouraged.
"Mercy, we make a good team. We always have." Sam kissed the back of her hand.
"We do." Mercedes left it at that, but those songs and performances today had assured her of one thing. She wanted to be in Sam's life, and would do everything she could to regain his trust. They made beautiful music together, and sometimes you just knew. After their performance she just knew that she belonged with Sam. The problem was getting him to see it as well.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! So, how'd you like their performances?