I just want to give a huge hug and a smacking wet kiss to those who have endured these last 6! months waiting for a new chapter. It would've been longer but for some reason it just wanted to end where it ended. Now when you're finished reading the chapter, don't lynch me. I got an idea of where I want it to go but I make no promises of happiness for anyone other than Sam and Mercedes.

Sorry, kids.

"Sure. As long as he needs."

It wasn't that he was an introvert or agoraphobic. He had his work, his friends, his women (or actually only one woman now.) He embraced the outside world but when he was home, he relished the quiet It was the reason he bought a home instead of an apartment. It was big for just one person but the trade-off was no noisy neighbors on the other side of the wall. It was equipped with the latest and greatest electronics, games and all the toys his little geek could ever want. It was here that the Superbowl, World Cup, World Series and playoffs were eagerly observed by him and his friends and payouts was made by bookie Artie.

It had a 3 car garage, a hot tub on the back patio, a chef's wet dream of a kitchen and a master suite about the size of his first apartment. It was large, spacious and just this side of obnoxious. After growing up sharing a room with his little brother and 3 cousins who moved in when his uncle lost his job, having his own space was crucial to him. As long as he could afford to do so, he had no intention of sharing his sanctuary outside of occasional visits until he decided to settle down.

Then 3 weeks ago, Mercedes' life went up in ashes.

And she invaded his sanctuary. Except…

She didn't.

Instead of moving in, disturbing his precious equilibrium, she seemed to mold herself around it, her warmth seeping in and around the house, soft and comforting, as if she had always been there. The house began to smell like her and it took all of his will power to not stay in bed all day, just breathing. (There's also the fact that he would have to wash his sheets twice a day if he stayed in the house with her all day.)

They quickly developed a routine: he would wake to the smell of the pre-programmed coffee before shuffling off to the shower. By the time he was dressed for the day, she would be finishing breakfast which he kept telling her she didn't have to make but was privately ecstatic that she kept ignoring him. He recalled that the first proper sight she had of the kitchen had Mercedes in tears because she loved to cook. Before her arrival, the kitchen was mainly a place to store leftover but now the counters were repeatedly covered in flour for homemade bread, pies, cakes, and such. At one point, there were donuts. Santana keeps threatening to stick her letter opener in his chest if she gains weight from the treats made especially for her but it doesn't stop her from snatching the container out of his hands to what Mercedes had baked the night before and hiss at anyone who would dare to look twice at it.

It didn't stop there. Mercedes was a huge fan of Bitchin' Kitchen with the funny Italian chick hosting the show in heels and tight dresses. After watching a piece of a funny but odd music video about bridezillas, (on a cooking show?) Sam became a fan as well. They would mix it up with Iron Chef and Diners Drive-Ins and Dives with the dude with the funky hair. Sam quickly recognized a direct correlation between his vocal approval of the televised meals and dinner a few days later. And it never failed to disappoint.

Not that all Mercedes did was cook for him and wait around for him to get home. There were nights he found Quinn in his leather armchair, Santana and Mercedes' friend Tina on the couch and Mercedes sandwiched between them with what used to be a full bottle of wine chatting like they were old friends reunited. It figured that as soon as he gets a 'fake' girlfriend the two most opinionated and cherished women outside of his family in his life would latch on in approval.

Normally this air of domesticity would cause him to itch and start planning his escape route but this time he just accepted it with a sigh and a grin.

Damn, he's getting sappy.

All in all, it wasn't a bad situation to stumble into. Then Kurt came back from Europe with red eyes.

Things were looking grim in Mudville.

Even though he had never met the man, Sam could see that something major had happened. Kurt had shown up on his doorstep after first driving by Mercedes' burnt out shell of an apartment. Since he was privy to their arrangement, Mercedes gave him Sam's contact information, with Sam's permission accepting the wisdom of 'you can never be too careful'.

It was 2 days after he had returned and he needed his best friend. Mercedes' phone had been destroyed in the fire and she said she was in no hurry to buy a new one. The only person who would know to call the house was Kurt and he was an ocean away. Unfortunately, this also meant that she didn't think to check her voicemails and as such upon purchasing a brand new phone the next day, she had a completely full mailbox and hundreds of missing texts from her slightly hysterical best friend. Therefore, he wasted no time and as soon as Sam had the door open, he choked out "Where is she?"

Without waiting for an answer, Kurt muscled his way past Sam and rushed in the house calling out for Mercedes. He found her in front of the tv and she was given no warning before he was wrapped around her in relief.

Sam smiled at the pair and started to enter the room but then he remember the look on the man's face and realized that concern for Mercedes only made up a part of the anguish on his face. The smile faded and he took a deep breath and made a decision. Sam retreated to the kitchen where he made a pot of tea and set up a tray. While the tea was steeping in the pot, he got out the 'good' cookies that Quinn always preferred when she came to cry on his shoulder. As he was opening them up, the muffled voices from the next room increased in intensity and volume. There was a definite bite to the discussion and with that thought, Sam reached under the counter for the bottle with the black and silver label and set it on the tray next to the sugar.

Turns out that Sam was a genius. It went like this.

Kurt's partner Blaine surprised him with a trip to Europe for their anniversary. First class tickets, 4-star hotels, theatre tickets with VIP seating and other luxuries. They went to the opera in Paris, rode in a gondola in Venice, saw Phantom in the original theatre in London, and drove by Adele and Madonna's houses. It was the perfect trip. It wasn't until they got back that Blaine revealed how they had been able to afford the trip.

His parents.

"I don't get it." Sam interrupted. By the looks on their faces, it was trouble. "Why would his parents giving him the money be a bad thing?"

Kurt finished his tea and refilled his cup from the now half-empty bottle of Jack Daniels as Mercedes explained.

"Blaine's parents come from old money, like Plymouth Rock old money, and he's an only child." Sam furrowed his eyebrows. "They don't approve of his 'lifestyle' but to save face, they can't disown him publicly either because their society friends are a little more modern. Gay is the new black and everyone must be seen as fashionable." Mercedes rolled her eyes in disgust. "So when they see him, they acknowledge Kurt as his roommate and don't correct their friends when they make the correct assumptions. Luckily, they keep out of sight, out of mind for the most part but they pop up around Christmas and Blaine's birthday. They can't really stand to be around more than that and if Blaine wasn't actually bisexual, I don't think they would be around that much. Even though Kurt isn't the first boyfriend he's had, he's definitely the most serious relationship Blaine's ever had male or female."

"So the fact they helped to pay for an extravagant romantic trip to Europe for Blaine and his 'roommate'…" he trailed off.

"…Means they're getting something Big in return." Mercedes finished.

"So what was it?"

Kurt took a deep gulp of his drink and mumbled just loud enough for Mercedes to hear. Mercedes flinched violently.

"Oh shit."

She grabbed Kurt's cup and finished off the remaining liquid off and wrapped her arms around him. This was enough to cause Kurt to break down completely. Mercedes held him close and rubbed his back encouraging him to let it out. She met Sam's eye over Kurt's shaking head.

"Grandchildren." She simply said.

"He promised them grandchildren."

Before the flames start, yes I am aware of same-sex parents and familial units. You'll find out what the big deal is soon, though it might not be in the next chapter. But I will explain.