Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. All rights go to their respective owners. Any similarity to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental.
/
MercedesMerbaby: I think I just died.
MercedesMerbaby: I can't be sure but I think this might be heaven.
LitttleIcarusss: Why? What's happening?!
MercedesMerbaby: Sam.
MercedesMerbaby: Sam is here. Mercedes was singing a song and he came on and sang it with her. They wrote it together. It's a new song.
MercedesMerbaby: OMG.
MercedesMerbaby: Sheri, it's a NEW song! And it's soooo good! They're harmonies are UNF, and the way they're looking at each other is… hOly shit it's like they were NEVER APART. I CANNOT. THIS IS TOO MUCH FOR ME RIGHT NOW
LitttleIcarusss: OMG!
PuckaliciousSoDelicious: OMG!
PRESENT DAY
Jennee Reedus flipped her newly dyed red hair over her shoulder, tilted her torso towards the camera to show off just the right amount of cleavage and fixed a glossy smile on her face just as the cameraman pointed at her to tell her they were rolling.
'Were you as devastated as we were when BFF's Sam Evans and Mercedes Jones decided to call it quits two years ago?' Jennee began, sounding like the best friend you never had. 'Well prepare to dry those tears and dust off those early Titans albums, as not only have Sam and Mercedes been spotted out and about in downtown LA this week, but rumour has it that the pint-sized diva may be set to join the world's biggest boyband on their upcoming world tour. An official announcement of Titans supporting acts is expected later this month with tickets going on sale on February 5th. I'm Jennee Reedus, and you're watching Entertainment News Now.'
Jennee winked at the camera as the segment ended, and allowed her posture to relax as soon as the camera cut off.
'You guys,' she called out to the army of crew hidden just off camera. 'Is that stuff true? Because I don't care which preteen I have to fight for them, I'm getting tickets to that show.'
/
'Is a world tour really a good idea right now?' Mercedes asked as she balanced her cordless phone between her shoulder and her ear. 'I mean, I only just got out of rehab, Sam…'
'Maybe…' Sam agreed. 'But you and I both know that the label would put you on a tour sooner or later anyway, and at least this way you get to be surrounded by people who love you.'
Mercedes' heart thumped painfully hard against her ribcage at the word 'love', but she forced herself to keep her voice calm as she padded to the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge.
'I… yeah, you're right.' She agreed. 'And it'll be the longest I'll have spent with you boys since high school.'
Sam chuckled, his voice rumbling down the phone as he walked down the steps to his apartment's parking garage. 'You're gonna be sick of us by the time the tour's done.'
'Never.' Mercedes insisted, her eyes flicking to the clock above the kitchen counter. 'Hey, are you-'
'Already on my way.' Sam interrupted, sensing where the conversation was going by the tone of her voice. 'I'm unlocking my car now.'
'Well get your butt off the phone then.' Mercedes commanded semi-seriously. 'I'll talk to you when you get here.'
'Yeah, yeah…' Sam's smile could be heard through his phone as he hopped into the driver's seat and shut the door behind him, sitting behind the wheel for a moment as he finished up his conversation. 'You need me to pick up anything?'
Mercedes surveyed the various pots bubbling away on the stove and quickly did a mental inventory.
'No…?' she said eventually, the inflection in her voice rising at the end to make the word sound like a question. 'I don't think so.'
'Ok, well, I'm gonna be driving in like 30 seconds so speak now or forever hold your peace.' Sam told her, turning the key in the ignition for extra effect.
'No… No. I'm good.'
'Alright, well, I'll see you in a few minutes then.'
'See you in a few.'
Artie: Dude, where you at?
Sam: At Mercedes' house.
Artie: AGAIN?! Dude is something going on with you two?
Sam: Bro shut up.
Artie: …S'not a no, tho… bro.
Sam: We have like to years to catch up on.
Artie: yeah, yeah, because yall used to talk to each other every day... Like totally normal people who aren't dating.
Sam: Artie?
Artie: Yup?
Sam: Shut up.
Artie: …Name one of the babies after me.
'Who're you texting?' Mercedes asked as she set a casserole dish on her dining table and turned to head back to the kitchen.
'Just Artie.' Sam explained, hiding the blush on his cheeks by busying himself shoving his phone back into his pocket again and hastily rushing to hold the door open for Mercedes.
'It's nice that you're not all sick of each other.' She offered, shooting Sam a smile as she passed under his arm into the kitchen.
'Are you trying to say something about our relationship, Miz Jones?' Sam teased, and Mercedes laughed, the sound warming his heart as she turned sparkling eyes on him.
'That's exactly what I'm saying.'
Sam widened his eyes in mock-outrage as he followed behind her. 'Hey!'
Mercedes giggled and bumped him playfully with her hip as she picked up another, smaller serving dish.
'You walked yourself into that one!'
'Well, it's not like we didn't have a two year break.' Sam teased, and then regretted it as he watched Mercedes' face fall again.
'I know.'
'Well, hey,' Sam took the dish out of Mercedes' small hands with one of his own and used the other to chuck her under her chin. 'If it's any consolation, I missed you the entire time.'
He probably shouldn't have admitted that, Sam thought vaguely as a small smile danced across Mercedes' lips, but it was true, and the smile on her face now let him know it was worth it.
'I missed you too.' Mercedes admitted after a moment, unable to look away from Sam's green eyes locked on hers. They stood like that in the kitchen for what felt like minutes but was probably only seconds. Then Mercedes was forced to breath, and the moment broke with her sudden inhalation, blushing hard under her dark skin, Mercedes turned to gather bowls and cutlery for them both and hide her face from Sam's intense gaze.
'All the more reason you should come on tour!' Sam announced too jovially a half-second later, his heart thumping as though sensing that they were wandering into dangerous territory. 'We could see the world, perform together again… we could even write on the road - for fun - like we used to before our lives stopped belonging to us.'
Sam set the dish down on the table and took the bowls and cutlery from Mercedes' hands, setting them up across from each other while Mercedes watched him and chewed her lip.
'What're you thinking?' Sam asked when Mercedes still hadn't sat down a moment later.
That that moment was weird and that I want to know what your lips taste like, which makes me feel even weirder? Mercedes thought, and then felt her cheeks flame up again.
'Nothing.' She lied, clearing her throat immediately afterwards in an attempt to sound more believable. 'I don't even remember a time when fun was at the top of my priorities list.' She admitted thoughtfully, and then let the words spill out of her mouth before she had a chance to rethink them. 'OK. I'm in.'
/
TITANS TICKETS SELL OUT WORLDWIDE IN UNDER AN HOUR. Click here for the story!
TitanGurlFurLyfe: I GOTS TICKETS TO SEE MY BOYS AND MERCEDES LIVE! Y'ALL WISH YOU WERE ME RIGHT NOW!
BRITISHTITANFAN3435: YAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSS! WAS ON HOLD FOR 20 MINUTES BY I FINALLY GOT MY TITANCEDES TICKETS! IT'S EFFING MILES AWAY IN MANCHESTER BUT I DON'T EVEN CAAAAAAAAARRRRREEEEE!
CESTNEPASUNTITANIC: SERIOUS IF ANYONE HAS TO SELL TICKETS FOR TITANS CONCERT IN BRAZIL I WILL BUY THEM! PLEASE I LOVE MERCEDES & TITANS SO MUCH I WANT TO SEE THEM IN LIVE! SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH!
ISTHATKOSHERABRAMS: I am so freaking upset right now. I tried SO HARD to get tickets to a Titans show but we were out and my mom wouldn't let me buy more credit to call from my cell. Now they're sold out and I won't get to see them :( :( :(
SO disappointed rn.
/
Sam peeped his head around the doorframe and grinned as Mercedes had her hair and make up done by their road team ahead of the first stadium show. She was focused intently on her reflection, so she didn't notice Sam enter until he was almost directly behind her.
'How you feelin'?' he asked jauntily, rocking backwards and forwards on his heels as he watched her. 'All ready for your big solo moment?'
The blood drained from Mercedes' face and she looked as though she might hurl at any minute.
'I don't think I can do this.'
Sam's smile dropped the instant he realised how freaked out Mercedes really was. He'd assumed she'd take this all in stride, after all, she'd been part of the industry for years now, and her background before that was performance, but when Sam took a second to really look at Mercedes and immediately noticed the tell-tale signs. Mercedes' knuckles were stretched pale across the arms of the chair she gripped and he realised belatedly that her focus was not one of calm, but the glassy, thousand-foot stare of terror.
'I don't know what I was thinking agreeing to this.' Mercedes was babbling, her chest heaving as she spoke. 'I can't do this, Sam. Not without... you know.' She told him, earnestly meeting his eyes for the first time. 'I'm better as a behind the scenes girl,' she insisted. 'I don't belong on stage! You saw what happened with the BRITs. What kind of performer needs that stuff to get her through, Sam? What am I doing? I'll make a fool of mys-'
'Stop.'
Catching the eye of one of the hair and make up team, Sam grimaced apologetically and quickly cleared the room, waiting until the last person had shut the door behind them to bend down until he was eye level with Mercedes. Gently cupping her face in both of his large hands, Sam held her until her eyes stopped darting and focused in on him.
'You are Mercedes Jones.' Sam told her emphatically, imbuing her name with a gravitas that made Mercedes shift in her seat.
'Do you remember when I first joined Glee club?' Sam asked suddenly, and Mercedes nodded, her head moving his hands with the motion.
'And you sang New York?'
Mercedes swallowed, 'Mmhm.'
'I thought you were incredible.' Sam admitted. 'You were glitter and stardust, and the reason I even joined Glee in the first place.'
Mercedes took a calming breath and frowned, her eyes squinting at this newfound information. 'But I thought you joined because Quinn...'
'Nope.' Sam interrupted, shaking his head emphatically. 'I joined because you were freaking amazing and I wanted to be part of your world.'
Mercedes sniffed and looked hopeful, 'Yeah?'
'Yes.' Sam confirmed. 'Mercedes, you are one of the most amazing, talented performers I have ever seen, and you are going to go out there today and blow everyone away. You never needed pills, Mercedes, because you're magic all on your own. Always have been, always will be.' he broke off, his lips quirking in a half smile as Mercedes rolled her eyes. 'I have never, ever doubted for a second that you can do this, and neither should you. But if you do have that moment, then just remember that I'm right here, cheering you on until you get there. I got you covered, Jones,' Sam grinned, and Mercedes lips automatically stretched into an answering smile. 'I got enough belief in you for the both of us.'
Mercedes blinked, her face growing warm under the intensity of Sam's gaze and her sudden awareness of how close he was, and the way his thumbs had been gently caressing her skin as he spoke. Tentatively, Mercedes cleared her throat and gently moved Sam's hands from her face, her skin tingling in the points where he'd touched her.
'Um... thanks.'
Sam swallowed, stepping back and dropping his hands from where they lingered against her skin. Surreptitiously, he flexed his fingers, trying to rid them of the tingles that still prickled from his contact with her.
'Uh... you're welcome.'
Mercedes smiled and let out a small gusted breath as she tried not to think too hard about the feelings currently zipping through her body. It was probably just the nerves... Mercedes told herself forcefully. Just nerves.
Sam's lips twitched and he held up his hand, pinky outstretched for Mercedes to link with hers.
'You and me.' He said softly, his voice gravelly and low as he locked eyes with her.
'Against the world.' Mercedes agreed as she linked her own pinky with his, her eyelashes masking her eyes for a brief moment as she sucked her lips into her mouth before looking up at him again.
'Always.' Sam concluded, pursing his lips to bite back a smile as he held Mercedes eyes for a moment longer, his entire world reducing down to her and only her as time seemed to slow down around them.
'Thanks.' Mercedes muttered shyly, breaking through the moment as she unlinked their fingers. Her body flushing with heat as she quickly averted her eyes from Sam's.
Definitely not just nerves.
'I better get back to the guys...' Sam was saying as he edged towards the door. The room suddenly felt too small, like wherever he turned he'd find himself pressed against Mercedes... or find himself wanting to press against her... especially as she was so warm... and soft... and-
'I better go!' Sam said, a little too loudly as he rushed to pull open the door. 'You'll be incredible, I'll see you before you go on!' Then he waved and escaped before he did anything else to embarrass himself.
Mercedes took a deep steadying breath and clutched her microphone tighter in her hand. It was just a show, she told herself for the fortieth time that night. It was just a show, and she would be ok. Inhaling again, more deeply, Mercedes tried to find her calm as the lights dimmed in the arena and the driving music being pumped out through the speakers was gradually turned down.
'You got this, Jones.'
Mercedes felt a warm, dry hand slip into hers as another arm went around her waist. She felt herself being engulfed in a hug so tight and comforting that she almost shed a tear right then and there, before her huggers pulled away and she was faced with all four members of Titans, smiling reassuringly at her as they kept her circled in their embrace.
'You guys…'
'As if we'd let you go on without wrapping you in a Titans Taco.' Puck scoffed, dropping an affectionate kiss onto the top of Mercedes' head. 'You're one of us, Shortcake.' Mike agreed, giving Mercedes arm a squeeze.
'We're right here for you.' Sam reaffirmed, catching Mercedes' eye and holding it. 'ALL of us are right here.'
Mercedes nodded, as the tears threatened to overwhelm her again and pulled the boys back in for another 'Titan Taco' as Puck had called it.
'Ok, quick blessing.' Mercedes announced, swiping at her eyes with one perfectly manicured hand and grabbing the hands of the two people closest to her (Sam and Artie) before leading a lightning fast blessing and letting the group disperse.
Sam's hand lingered in hers for a moment longer than Artie's, and Mercedes caught and held his gaze again, the two of them communicating without words the way they had done back when they were younger. Finally, once the stadium was in total darkness Mercedes could hear the crowd rhythmically chanting her name like a summoning spell. She took a deep breath, gave Sam's hand a final, fortifying squeeze and stepped out onto the stage.
/
'Guess who's back (back, back) back again (gain, gain!) CEDES back, (back, back!) tell a fren!' Puck sang, raising a glass of cider above his head as Mercedes stepped into the Titans dressing room after the first show of the tour was over.
'You guys!' Mercedes laughed, blushing, as Sam pressed a glass of sparkling cider into her hand with a wink that left her insides fizzing.
'You rocked it.' Mike proclaimed as he pulled Mercedes in for a one-armed hug.
'The Queen is here, bitches!' Artie announced, pretending to shoo away the other boys with his hands as if to give Mercedes more space. 'You were awesome, Mercedes.'
Mercedes laughed again and took a sip of cider to try and cool her heated face and did her best not to make eye contact with Sam again. 'Thank you guys.' Mercedes beamed at her tour mates – her family – and tried not to feel overwhelmed by the love she felt coming from them. 'Am I going to get this after the other 64 shows too?'
'I think it'll get boring after every show.' Puck said thoughtfully, 'but that doesn't mean to say this is going to be the last one!'
Mercedes shook her head, stiffening and then relaxing as Sam wrapped his arm across her shoulders from behind and kissed her temple.
'Proud of you, Jones.' He whispered, his voice gravelly in her ear as he gave her another squeeze before letting go and moving away before he spontaneously combusted from his proximity to her. He'd known coming on tour with Titans would be good for Mercedes, he could tell it was helping just by watching her now and seeing how at ease she was when she was surrounded by people who genuinely cared about her. One thing Sam hadn't reckoned on, though, was just how weird it was to be around Mercedes now that he knew he was in love with her.
It would definitely take some getting used to.
/
SixesandSamEvans replied:
Anonymous asked: What do you think of the news that Sam and Mercedes are reuniting to work on the new Titans album?
I kinda saw it coming tbh since they're on tour together now. As much as I love the boys, I have to admit the last album wasn't as good as the other two and I think that probably has a lot to do with Mercedes' lack of involvement in it. I don't really like her as a person because of what happened with Sam's wedding, but I'm glad she's working with them again, cause at the end of the day she's a phenomenal songwriter.
SixesandSamEvans replied:
Anonymous asked: Hi! This is the same Anon who asked about Sam and Mercedes ruiniting. Did you see the leaked Samwyn divorce papers? What do you think about Delwyn not inviting Mercedes to the wedding?
I didn't know what you were talking about at first so I googled it...
Never thought I'd say this, but I think I have to take back what I said about Mercedes. I always thought she'd ditched Sam's wedding because she was jealous of Delwyn... but reading the report it looks like it was the other way around. I did some more reading on it, and it turns out that there are multiple reports of Delwyn being rude and dismissive towards Mercedes and lots of Sam's female friends and fans. It's such a shame, cause I used to really like her, but she's been proven to be really jealous and possessive which just isn't ok. If it's true that Delwyn really didn't invite Mercedes to their wedding then that's just really out of line considering Mercedes is Sam's best friend. Both of them seemed really miserable when they were apart, and Delwyn doesn't really seem like she really cares that she split them up. I'm glad he's divorcing her tbh, Delwyn seems kind of possessive and creepy and I want my baby to be free! Say what you like about Mercedes, but at least Sam always looks super happy when he's with her.
/
MercedesMerbaby: Grammy's time, biatches! I'm gonna be honest I'm only really going to watch the categories the boys and Mercedes are in and I'll just kind of leave the rest on in the background. Other than Mercedes' performance of course! I'm SO EXCITED! My body is not ready!
Marnee: Ok, Neeps! Quick Post-Grammy Q&A while I'm in the car going home. And... go!
GlitterPee128: MarneeOfficial What was the standout moment of the show for you today?
Marnee: GlitterPee128 Oh God, Mercedes. 100%. Hands down. That girl is so talented, and her performance was SUPER hot. I'm pretty sure I'm in love.
SpawnofBeyonce == Beyoncedes Changed my url, you guys! Watched Mercedes on the Grammy's last night and OMFG she's so asdfjkl!
LivingATitanicLife: Lol, I know I said I didn't get the appeal of Mercedes but seeing that Grammy performance gives me an idea, lol!, Sam looked like his tongue was going to fall out of his head!
UCanCallMeMrsEvans: Everyone's making a huge fuss over Mercedes. Like... whatever, her performance wasn't even that good. Anyone could do that stuff she did and she's put on loads of weight again! Like, gross! Get over it!
SouthernBelleTitanic24: UCanCallMeMrsEvans Someone sounds jealous...
UCanCallMeMrsEvans: SouthernBelleTitanic24 Why would I be jealous of her? She's fat and ugly.
SouthernBelleTitanic24: Sam certainly didn't seem to think so. Not if the way his mouth was hanging open was anything to go by! Lol!
UCanCallMeMrsEvans: He's like a million miles out of her league! He should be with someone like Marnee or Lily! Mercedes isn't good enough for him!
LeaveTheLightsOn4Samcedes: UCanCallMeMrsEvans You seem upset, lol.
UCanCallMeMrsEvans: WHY IS EVERYONE ATTACKING ME?! OMG I'M ALLOWED TOO HAVE AN OPINION. I JUST DON'T THINK SHE'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR HIM.
LeaveTheLightsOn4Samcedes: Did I miss the part where you were getting attacked?
SouthernBelleTitanic 24: What makes her not good enough, UCanCallMeMrsEvans? Is it their long-term friendship, award-winning songwriting partnership or multi-million dollar careers that makes you think that? Or is it the fact that Sam obviously adores her that bothers you?
LeaveTheLightsOn4Samcedes: SouthernBelleTitanic24 I think they adore each other, tbh.
SouthernBelleTitanic24: LeaveTheLightsOn4Samcedes Preach!
'Can I just start by saying that you were incredible at the Grammy's?' Jeff told Mercedes reverently as he leaned against his sound board and tried not to get too starstruck. 'I mean, really, it was an amazing performance it really was.'
Mercedes swung gently from side to side on her swivel chair and smiled shyly, her hands folded primly in her lap.
'Thank you!'
'And your single is dropping on… Friday? Is that correct?'
Mercedes nodded, and shrugged her shoulders up to her ears, still not quite believing that it was her single they were talking about. The first one since she'd gotten out of treatment.
'Yeah, Friday the 23rd.' She confirmed, her voice holding a note of giddiness as Jeff grinned and propped his chin on his hand.
'But the one thing that everyone wants to know about-' he segued.
'The video.' Mercedes giggled, knowing what was coming next. It had been all anyone had wanted to talk about lately… which was why the label execs had pushed for it she guessed.
'Is the video.' Jeff agreed. 'I mean, did you know it was going to get that reaction?'
Mercedes shook her head, laughing even as the butterflies in her stomach that sprung up when she thought about that video were back in full force.
'No! Not at all! Not at all!' swallowing, she added. 'I mean, the song is about that friendship that might be something more, you know, so when the label floated the idea of having Sam in the video we both thought it would be kinda funny.'
Jeff nodded, 'Because you guys dated or…?' he suggested cheekily and Mercedes blushed despite herself as she rushed to deny it.
'No! We- Sam has always been one of my closest friends but, -there have been rumours about us being together kinda since the beginning, so we thought it would be fun to play on that and poke fun at those rumours a little bit.'
'But the video seems kinda serious…' Jeff countered, looking confused, and Mercedes agreed.
'It ended up going in a different direction, but when it was first pitched it was meant to be this kind of… almost a comedy video, you know?'
'So how did that change?'
'Uh, we got this director on board, Alex DeWinter, who is just… she's such a visionary and an incredible artist, and she'd pitched this really fun, really cute concept. But, as sometimes happens, you know, when we started filming it was just really clear that it wasn't working. So we sat down with Alex and talked about it, and we ended up stripping the concept right back to just these two people and their relationship.'
'It is a gorgeous video.' Producer Val offered, and Mercedes shot her a gratified smile.
'I think you and Sam did such a great job of telling the story of that relationship.'
'Thank you.' Mercedes said again, a small smile tugging at her lips at the thought of filming those scenes with Sam. It had all come so naturally that even Alex had been surprised by what they'd managed to capture.
'But the main thing that's got people talking,' Jeff continued, steering the conversation back on course again, 'is of course the kiss that y'all share at the end of the video.'
'That was hot!' Val agreed, fanning herself dramatically, 'I was like, 'Whoa! They're really goin' for it!'
'Right?' Jeff turned to his producer and raised a colluding eyebrow.
'Was that your idea… his idea…?' Jeff probed and Mercedes shrugged nonchalantly, a blush creeping up her cheeks.
'It was actually Alex's idea.' She told them both, wondering why remembering it still made her stomach do flips. 'We'd filmed the rest of the video, and we got to that last scene and it still wasn't really there. Alex made us do it a bunch of different ways, and then eventually she called us both over and basically said that she felt it needed more resolution to the story, so then she asked if we'd be ok putting a kiss in there.'
'What was that like?' Val asked curiously, voicing a question that no doubt many Titans fans had been wondering.
'Um…' Mercedes faltered, 'It was, uh, well it was…' Incredible. Amazing. Hot. Mind blowing… Life changing…
'Well, we both have really big lips-' she began, just as curious to see where the heck she was going with this as Jeff and Val were. 'So, um, it was kinda funny trying to figure out whose lips would go on top!'
Val and Jeff laughed, and Mercedes let out an internal sigh of relief.
'Had you ever kissed Sam before?'
Mercedes shook her head adamantly, 'No, never!'
'Never?!' Val repeated, sounding shocked. 'Wasn't it weird to kiss your best friend like that then?' she prompted. 'I mean, it wasn't just a little peck, you guys are full on makin' out!'
Mercedes laughed and tried not to think about it. 'It was a little bit, at first.' She admitted thoughtfully. 'I think there was a little bit of an understanding amongst the crew that this was the first time we'd kissed and people were really… I want to say curious? So the first time there was a lot of pressure because there were so many people watching us-'
'Wait! Hold up a second, how many times did you film that kiss?'
Mercedes paused for a second, mentally doing the arithmetic as she felt her body turn into one huge flame. 'I think maybe three or four?' Mercedes answered finally.
'Well, you go girl!' Val congratulated, leaning over and holding up her hand for a high five, which Mercedes returned all the while hoping that the other woman wouldn't notice how sweaty her hands were.
'Did it get easier with everyone watching you?' Jeff wondered and Mercedes forced her thoughts back on topic. 'Um… I don't… I'm not sure actually.' Mercedes gripped the edge of the sound desk with her hands and looked down intently into the mic as she thought. 'I think the good thing about doing something like that with Sam, who knows me so well, is that we're so comfortable with each other that we could just, you know, talk it through and that was it. When we came back on set and ran the scene again it felt very comfortable and natural. The real difficulty came from how technical the whole thing was, I don't think we ever quite got it right as far as that's concerned, so the shot that you see is a combination of the next two takes or something.'
'Well, you guys certainly looked very comfortable with each other.' Val noted slyly, watching Mercedes for a reaction out of the corner of her eye. 'Did you get a lot of comments from friends and family in reaction to the video? I mean, you said it yourself that the rumours have been flying around so long there was probably an element of- they probably expected it right?'
'Oh my gosh, you have no idea!' Mercedes laughed, her face brightening with the memory. 'My mom called me up after watching the video and she was like, "Mercy, baby, I'm so happy for you and Sam! You know I always liked him. Now, when's the wedding?!" and I had to be like, 'Actually, Mom…'
Mercedes trailed off as all three of them laughed, and finally Jeff asked 'So what's the weirdest reaction you've had to the single and the video so far? Like, you mentioned your mom, did anything else kinda take you by surprise?'
Mercedes focused her eyes on the ceiling as she thought, 'Um… You know, I wouldn't say it took me by surprise exactly, because I think there's an element of… of I guess immediacy when you're a "personality" on social media. It's kind of…'
'It's right there.' Val filled in helpfully and Mercedes nodded.
'Right, it's very immediate, which can be awesome, you know and I love having that connection to my fans, and you kind of… you get to know them really well. So when the video came out I knew that a certain portion of my fandom would-'
'Freak out.'
'Right, exactly, they'd freak out a little bit because I knew that they were very supportive of Sam and I.'
'These are the Samcedians?'
Mercedes laughed and shook her head in bemusement but agreed. 'Yeah. But from pretty much day one when I was writing with Sam and thinking no one would know or care who I was, I was seeing messages on my Twitter like "oh my god, when are Sam and Mercedes going to date?!" So, I knew it was something that was out there.'
'Isn't that,' Val asked, her chin propped on her fist as she absorbed what Mercedes was saying, 'This is a question I always wanted to ask – isn't that weird? Having people you don't know be so invested and analytical about the relationship between you two?'
'Yes.' Mercedes said succinctly and then giggled. 'Honestly, having people be so passionate and invested in us and what we do is so wonderful and humbling that it's… you know if they want to hope that Sam and I end up together or that… I don't know, me and Artie, or Puck, or Joel or whoever end up together then that's – that's really not a huge price to pay.'
'They can get pretty brutal though, right?' Jeff interrupted, calling Mercedes attention away from Val for a moment. 'I mean, when I was researching for this interview I was coming across a lot of the stuff being said about you after news of the Sam/ Delwyn divorce was announced and that was – some of that stuff is just horrible.'
'Oh, absolutely.' Mercedes agreed, nodding seriously. 'People can be really cruel, but I like to think it all comes from the same place, that deep down they're just as invested and passionate in what you do. I mean, to sit down at a computer and think 'I'm going to send this woman I've never met death threats because this particular musician and this particular model broke up.' That's –'
'It's nuts.' Val put in.
'Well, it's - It's that too - but think it's- there's got to be a passion there for you to feel that strongly about something, so I kinda try and take it as a hidden compliment and then let it go.'
/
Sam lay in bed and tried not to think about Mercedes, which was proving difficult because every time he closed his eyes he remembered the feel of her beneath his hands, the way she smelled, the way his lips felt pressed against hers.
It was driving him crazy.
If he'd thought being on tour with her before had been difficult, it was nothing compared to life after they'd filmed that music video.
Sam's palms felt sweaty just thinking about it.
Loving her was a lot easier before he knew what he was missing out on. Sam sighed and rolled onto his side, his eyes focusing unseeing on the flashing green numbers on the hotel clock radio. How was he supposed to function knowing how perfect she felt in his arms? Sam wondered, his eyebrows furrowing as he flipped over again. Falling in love with your best friend sucked.
/
Mercedes tucked her feet underneath her on the couch and wrapped her hands around the mug on the table, letting its warmth seep into her hands as she stared out at the city lights blinking beneath her. She couldn't sleep, although these days that was nothing new. She had a million and one thoughts running through her head, and almost all of them had to do with Sam. Mercedes wasn't even sure how it had happened, but one day she'd looked over at her best friend and realized that she was in love with him. For some reason, Mercedes had always thought that falling in love would feel like a fanfare, like being hit by lightning or something equally as violent and sudden. Maybe, Mercedes thought to herself as she took a sip of her tea, that was why falling for Sam had taken her by surprise, because for her it hadn't felt like that at all. If anything, it had been like slipping into a warm bath, or being wrapped in a blanket. It had come upon on her slowly, until all of a sudden she was immersed in it with no recollection of how she got there.
She was all at once in the middle of being in love with Sam Evans, and she had no idea what to do about it.
/
[Gifset of Mercedes dancing with the audience during her Grammy performance]
Jessicannot: OMG The second gif…
Honorarygleek95: What am I looking at?
SamEvansfluteteacher: Once you see it…
Titansruleeveryonedrools: Lordt, tell me that boy is not doing what I think he's doing.
Jessicannot: He ain't even tryin to be subtle! Lol! Sarah, ignore Cedes dancing with Isaiah and watch Sam in the background of that second gif…
Honorarygleek95: OH MY LORD, I AM SCREAMING!
Jessicannot: You're welcome.
Honorarygleek95: Still not over Sam biting his lip and adjusting his pants while watching Mercedes perform. I have lost all ability to can. Blogging from the grave…
/
'I can't believe you guys are so famous you have TWO tour buses.' Mercedes mused aloud as she handed Sam a steaming cup of coffee and settled down on the couch across from him with her own cup of tea pressed between her hands. 'Was the private jet being washed?'
'Like you haven't flown pretty much everywhere by private jet since you were 18!' Sam countered, raising a teasing eyebrow at the woman across from him.
'Besides, it comes in handy when you want to get work done. Those guys are great but it's not always that easy to concentrate with them around.'
'Fair point.' Mercedes conceded, raising her mug to him in acknowledgement. 'I have to admit it is kind of nice to have the place pretty much to ourselves.'
'And me!' Lisa insisted, emerging from the bedroom with a look of triumphant exhaustion on her face. 'Lord, I swear, if I ever talk about bringing a baby with me on tour again I give you permission to slap the sense back into me.'
Lisa flopped down onto the bench seat opposite Sam and Mercedes and threw an arm over her eyes. 'I thought she'd never go down.'
'She gonna be ok with us writing in here?' Mercedes asked, looking from Sam to Lisa with concern written all over her face. 'I don't want to wake her up since you've just put her down.'
'Honey, that girl could sleep through a thunderstorm.' Lisa assured Mercedes, stretching a hand across the walkway to pat the younger woman's knee. 'It's getting her to sleep in the first place that's the hard part.'
'What about you?' Sam asked, as Lisa heaved herself upright and started rummaging in a huge duffle bag. 'Aren't you meant to sleep when she sleeps?'
Lisa scoffed again and pulled her sewing kit and what looked like a dress shirt out of the bag and onto her lap. 'I'll be just fine. Jeepers, the two of you are like a pair of mother hens. Just ignore me and get on with what you gotta do. I won't disturb you.'
Sam and Mercedes exchanged a brief glance before turning back to Lisa.
'Are you sure?'
'Don't think I don't see y'all when you do that.' Lisa intoned, not looking up from the sewing in her lap.
'Do what?' Sam asked, looking at Mercedes again in confusion.
'That!' Lisa insisted with a roll of her eyes, and then shook her head when Sam and Mercedes continued to look at her with confusion. 'Never mind.' She told them with a long-suffering sigh. 'You'll see it when the time comes.'
Mercedes sat up straighter in her seat and turned excited, sparkling eyes on Sam with raised eyebrows.
'I know, I heard it too.' Sam promised, pushing a notepad and pen across the cushions towards Mercedes as he pulled his guitar onto his lap. He didn't notice the tender smile he was shooting at Mercedes' downturned head as she scribbled Lisa's words down on the notepad, or the way Mercedes' eyes lit up as she watched him tune his guitar, but Lisa did. Shaking her head, the stylist focused on her work again and wondered idly if she'd win the bet she'd made with the driver that Sam and Mercedes would get it together before the end of the tour.
/
'Oh my goodness, what time is it?' Mercedes asked as she set her guitar to one side. Closing her eyes, she arched her back in a deep stretch and let out a long, satisfied groan.
'What?' Sam asked distractedly, remembering to avert his gaze from Mercedes' assets just in time before she opened her eyes.
'Time, Sam.' Mercedes reminded, readjusting her tshirt as she slouched down again and looked at him expectantly.
'Oh!' Sam ran a finger over his watch and blinked in surprise. 'It's 4am.'
'No way!' Mercedes reached for her phone and stared at the digital readout. 'I don't remember the last time I stayed up all night for fun.' She announced finally, setting her phone back down on the table and stretching her arms over her head. 'Feels pret-ty good.'
Laughing, Sam set his guitar aside and propped a foot up underneath him so he was facing Mercedes. 'You're still working.' He reminded her, but she just shrugged.
'It doesn't feel like work with you.'
Sam felt goosebumps of anticipation break out on his skin as he caught Mercedes' gaze and held it. His mouth going dry as his eyes flicked to her plump lips. He'd been thinking about the way they'd tasted for weeks. What would she do if he just leaned over and kissed her? Sam wondered, licking his lips in anticipation at the thought as his eyes flicked back up to hers. He could do it right now, there was only about a foot and a half between them – less - since he'd apparently been unconsciously leaning towards her as he thought. She'd probably taste even better now, since the last time she'd been wearing lipstick. Now her lips were bare – naked – and if he just closed that last inch…
He was going to kiss her, Mercedes thought with a frisson of something that could either have been excitement or panic. Oh, God, it was actually about to happen. For real. Unconsciously, Mercedes pressed her lips together in anticipation, rolling them between her teeth as she watched Sam lick his own lips. She could practically feel his body pressed against hers, and her hands flexed at the ghost of the memory. She could remember exactly how his skin had felt under her hands. How solid and reassuring he'd felt and all of a sudden Mercedes wanted to feel that again so badly she could almost weep. Closing her eyes, she leaned ever so slightly forward, not quite close enough for their lips to touch yet, but enough that he could tell that-
They both flinched apart as the sound of a very loud, very distressed baby crying fitfully flooded the small tour bus and blocked out any further thought.
A minute later Lisa's unmistakable voice could be heard through the thin door as she got up and tried to soothe the crying child, her shuffling about clearly audible through the closed door.
Mercedes shifted away from Sam on the seat and stood a moment later, embarrassed and unsure as to what to do about what had almost happened. So she did what she always did; slapped a smile on her face and tried to go on as though nothing had changed. Sam hesitated for a moment when he caught sight of her expression, and for a second Mercedes wondered if he'd push for them to talk about it...
...but then he'd nodded and smiled tentatively back at her, watching as she knocked on the partition door to ask if Lisa needed any help.
/
'I think I'd forgotten how you two are when you're together.' Puck noted as Sam and Mercedes pulled faces at each other whilst tuning their guitars. 'It's like you speak in a different language, or speak without speaking at all.'
'Oh, come on!' Sam argued at the same time Mercedes said, 'Are we really that bad?'
'Yes.' Puck nodded seriously, but Artie shook his head. 'Nah.'
When Puck turned to fix Artie with a traitorous glare Artie just shrugged. 'Please, they've always been like this! This is just like… them pre-BRITs.'
Wincing, Mercedes shot a quick look at Sam before standing and adjusting her clothes.
'Do you miss us, Puck?' She asked casually, sidling up to the taller man. 'It feels like you miss us.
'Well…' Puck began honestly, not noticing as Sam flanked him on his other side. 'I mean, a little, but-'
'I know what you need.' Mercedes told him, nodding wisely as she caught Sam's eye over Puck's head. 'You need a-
'PUCK SANDWICH!' She and Sam yelled at the same time, enveloping Puck on either side so he was squished in between them in a firm hug.
The three of them stood like that for a moment or two before Puck's muffled voice emerged from the pocket of Sam's shoulder.
'I'm not sure this is what I meant.'
'But you like it.' Mercedes countered, snuggling her face into his chest, not needing to see the warm smile on Puck's face to know it was there.
'Yeah…' Puck agreed bashfully. 'Yeah.'
Later that day, Puck and Mercedes were sat alone in her hotel room watching a movie in their pajamas when Puck brought it up again, his tone low enough that Mercedes had to pause the movie to hear what he was saying.
'So, you and Sam…' Puck voiced, trailing off meaningfully in the hope that Mercedes would catch on to what he was trying to say.
'Sam and I, what?'
Puck raised an eyebrow and scrubbed a hand over his buzzed hair. 'Like, are you two… I mean, uh… how are you two? As a… two?'
Mercedes took a second to think about how to answer that question. She didn't want to lie to Puck, but she didn't want to announce her changed feelings towards Sam yet either. Eventually, she settled on the vague.
'We're… we're good, I guess.'
Puck's eyes remained fixed on the frozen image on the huge screen as he nodded and mulled over her words, and for a second Mercedes' held her breath against the possibility that he'd keep going, but ultimately he just shrugged and turned to gift her with a brotherly smile.
'Good.'
And then they watched the rest of the movie.
/
'Pay up.' Lisa demanded, flapping her fingers at Bobby Ray in the universal gesture for 'gimme.'
'What? Woman, I don't owe you anything.'
Lisa scoffed and flopped down next to the driver's seat as Bobby Ray peered at her over the top of his horn-rimmed glasses.
'You bet me that they wouldn't get together before the end of the tour.' Lisa insisted, keeping one eye out for the 'couple' in question. 'They're obviously together, so I win!'
Bobby-Ray scoffed, 'There ain't nothing 'obvious' about it if you ask me. Seems like they're trying pre-tty hard to look like they're not a couple.' He pointed out, finally setting aside his crossword to look at her properly. 'Therefore, you ain't won nothing.'
Lisa let out a low growl of exasperation and leaned in conspiratorially. 'Well, exactly!' she whispered as though he'd proved her point. 'They're trying too hard.' She expanded, 'You've been touring with them almost as long as I have, and when have those two ever tried to hide their relationship in any way?'
Bobby-Ray sat back in his seat, considering the younger woman's logic before finally allowing her a brief nod. 'Well, you make a fair point, Lisa, I'll give you that.' He conceded, readjusting his ball cap on his head to push his shaggy dark hair out of his eyes.
'Well then!' Lisa stood and held out a triumphant hand, 'Pay-'
'But since nothing is official' Bobby-Ray qualified, 'I just don't think I can agree you've won just yet.'
Lisa harrumphed and flopped down on the seat again, muttering something under her breath that sounded like 'Official-shmicial.'
Bobby-Ray laughed and picked up his crossword again. 'Anyone would think you were hurting for that $20.' He teased without looking up and Lisa snorted again.
'I just know I'm right.' She glowered, prompting a low chuckle from the middle-aged driver.
Bobby-Ray chuckled again. 'I guess time will tell.'
A month later, Bobby-Ray sat down next to Lisa backstage and groaned.
'This is ridiculous.' He pointed out without any preamble, his eyes glued to the monitor showing them what was happening on stage.
'Welcome to my world.' Lisa deadpanned, watching Sam and Mercedes make heart eyes at each other across the stage with one eye whilst the other focused on the loose seam she was fixing.
'I don't think I can take another day of them pretending they're not head over heels for each other.' Bobby-Ray said in a tone that Lisa would have sworn was a whine if it had come from anyone else.
'I thought you didn't think they'd end up together?' Lisa asked primly, determinedly keeping her eyes glued to her work.
'Well, I was wrong. You'll get your $20, you darn hustler. Now what are we gonna do about those two?'
'We?' Lisa set her work aside to frown thoughtfully at Bobby-Ray. 'What would we do?'
Bobby-Ray groaned again and shrugged. 'I don't know.' He announced despondently. 'Do you suppose we'd go to jail if we kidnapped them and forced them to admit their feelings?'
'Yes.' Lisa replied simply, leaning over to gently rock the bassinet when Ellie, her daughter, started to stir in her sleep.
'Much as it pains me to say it,' she continued when the infant was once again sleeping soundly, 'I think we just have to let nature take its course with this one.'
Bobby-Ray scowled, then scoffed, then huffed and finally sank dejectedly in his seat. 'I think you're right.' He allowed eventually, and then scrubbed both hands over his eyes tiredly. 'I just hope nature hurries the hell up.'
/
When the phone rang at 1am on a Monday night, Quinn's first thought was that something was seriously wrong.
'Mercedes?' Quinn's voice croaked as she sat up in bed and pressed her phone to her ear, her hand automatically going up to smooth her bed hair as she tried to clear some of the sleep from her throat and tried again. 'What's happened? What's wrong?'
Quinn's heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest during the brief pause that followed, and still didn't return to normal even after Mercedes had assured her that she was fine.
'Then why are you calling me?' Quinn asked reasonably, not trying to sound cranky since an actual phone call from Mercedes was a pretty rare phenomenon these days, but unable to keep the tiredness out of her voice when she added. 'It's 1am.'
'Is it?!' Mercedes sounded genuinely surprised and Quinn could hear the faint sound of tapping over the phone line as her friend double-checked.
'Shit, I'm sorry, Quinn.' Mercedes sighed. 'I thought it said PM. I must have read it wrong.'
'It's ok.' Quinn assured, her internal worry meter rising at the tone of Mercedes' voice.
'What's up?'
'Does something have to be up for me to call you?'
'When you're watching the clock to make sure you catch me without having arranged it a week in advance… yeah.' Quinn pointed out. 'And don't try to deny it either. I usually know when you're going to call me like, a month in advance.'
'Slight exaggeration there, Q.' Mercedes huffed, but Quinn could tell that she wasn't mad, the same way the blonde could tell that something was bothering her friend.
'So…' Quinn prompted after a few more seconds of silence ticked by.
'So.' Mercedes countered, and Quinn let out a long-suffering sigh.
'Babe, it's one o' clock in the morning.' Quinn reiterated. 'Whatever you wanted to say, please say it.'
'I…' Mercedes began, and then stopped abruptly. 'Shit.'
'Ok!' Quinn interrupted, 'That's the second time you've cursed in as many minutes. Don't try to lie to me and tell me nothing is going on. What is it and what do we do about it? Is it…' Quinn lowered her voice again even though the only person who could have possibly heard her most definitely already knew about Mercedes' stint in rehab.
'Is it to do with- you know?'
'What?!' Mercedes spluttered, 'No!' she scoffed again. 'Quinn! My life does NOT revolve around Sam. I don't know why you would automatically assume that I would be calling about him! That's just-' Mercedes made a few more spluttering sounds down the phone. 'It's just… Hell to the no! I mean, Quinn! I mean…'
Quinn listened in wide-eyed silence as Mercedes spoke, the smile on her face growing with every word that her friend spoke.
'Mercedes Jones...' Was all Quinn could say after Mercedes had finished speaking.
'Mercedes. Jones.'
'What!' Mercedes frowned down the phone when Quinn repeated her name for a second time. 'Why do you keep saying my name like that?'
'Like what?' Quinn asked innocently, her smile growing even wider as she replayed Mercedes' words in her head.
'Smugly!' Mercedes clarified, her frown deepening as she listened to what was unmistakably a chuckle. A chuckle!
'Why are you laughing?'
'Because!' Quinn didn't even bother to hide her mirth as she settled back against her pillows and propped her chin on her hand.
'Because what?'
'Because nobody said anything about Sam, Mercedes!' Quinn grinned. 'I wasn't even thinking about him…. But you clearly have been.'
'That's- That's-' Mercedes frowned. 'I don't know why you would say…'
'What happened?' Quinn teased, 'Did you finally realize that you're insanely in love with each other or something?'
There was a pause, and then Quinn heard something that wiped the grin right off her face; A very small, yet unmistakable sniffle.
'Yes.'
Quinn nearly dropped the phone, but recovered in time to hear Mercedes add, 'At least, I am.'
'Whoa.'
'Yeah.' Mercedes agreed morosely
'So… have you told him?' Quinn asked several moments later when she'd had a moment to process. 'You're not holding back because of our history are you?'
'Oh my God, I hadn't even thought of that.' Mercedes groaned, and Quinn heard what sounded like Mercedes knocking her head against something hard.
'I don't even care. It was a million years ago and even a fool could tell you were falling in love with each other back then.'
'Oh, Quinn…' Mercedes groaned and there was another punctuating knock like a full stop. 'This is so complicated.'
'No, it's not.' Quinn disagreed, sitting up straighter in bed and marveling that her boyfriend could still be asleep.
'It is!'
'It's not!' Quinn repeated adamantly. 'You two have just MADE it complicated. You like him, he likes you. Just tell him, get married and make lots of beautiful babies together. Or you know – practice making them at least.'
'Quinn!'
'What! You two should have just boned back in high school.'
'We were different people back then.'
'Exactly!'
'But I love the man Sam is now.' Mercedes argued. 'I mean, yeah, we had some rough times and we both made mistakes, but I don't know if I could have loved the Sam back then the way I love the guy he is now.' She clarified. 'It's like… it's like both of us got weather worn and all of a sudden there were all these sides to us that fit perfectly with each other that weren't there before. I think I had to get through all that shit that happened to know how to love him.'
'Then you have to let yourself love him, Mercedes.' Quinn prompted gently, wondering if everything had suddenly gone super quiet or if it was just her.
'But I'm scared.'
'Of course you are!' Quinn sighed. 'Love is scary, Mercedes. Just like most things in life worth doing. And you certainly didn't get to where you are by running from difficult things.'
'I know, but-'
'But what, Mercedes?'
'But I feel like if I tell him it'll change everything.'
'Sweetie, everything has already changed. You're just trying to ignore it.'
'Well… damn.'
'Yup.'
There was a companionable silence for a few seconds before Mercedes spoke again.
'… Quinn?'
'Ya-ha?'
'… I missed you.'
'I know. I missed you too. But we're both back now, and I am going to BUG you until you do the right thing and tell that man how you feel about him. Properly. So he actually knows.'
/
Mercedes woke with a start and stared up at the night washed ceiling above her, her heart thumping in time to the half melody flying around her head. She lay in bed for a few seconds longer wondering if sleep would return to her, and then finally forced herself out of bed as the snatches of melody started to solidify in her consciousness.
Shoving aside the covers, Mercedes looked at her guitar case lying next to the door where she'd placed it when she'd come in, and then picked up her laptop and pulled up her producing software, leaving it open on the bed as she rummaged in her various bags for the instruments – or synthetic instruments – that she carried with her on the road, putting them on the bed next to her computer, Mercedes made one more trip for her headphones and plugged them in to the computer as she let the music free the weight off her shoulders.
/
'Hey, what was all that stuff in your room earlier?' Sam asked as he and Mercedes ate lunch at the concert venue later that day. 'Have you been working on something new?'
Mercedes had been chewing on her salad but froze mid-munch at Sam's question. 'Mmhm.'
'Awesome!' Sam grinned and lifted his sandwich to his mouth, 'Can I hear it?'
Mercedes waited until he'd taken a huge bite before shaking her head no.
'Wait, what?!' Sam asked with his mouth full, his voice high pitched and incredulous. 'You always let me hear your stuff.'
'I know.'
'Then why-'
'Because I'm not ready for you to hear it yet.' Mercedes admitted. 'I promise you will hear it. It's just… Not yet, Ok?'
Sam's eyes were round as he tried unsuccessfully to read Mercedes' face, but he eventually nodded before putting down his sandwich and dusting off his hands.
'Ok.'
/
Adrenalin pumped hard through Mercedes' system as the last of her backing singers sat down and looked at her expectantly. The large room room felt small packed as it was with all of her band, backing singers and a select few crew members, all of whom were looking at her with the same intrigued look on their faces.
'Ok.' Mercedes began, wondering if the assembled people could hear her over the sound of her heart beating since it felt like a jackhammer in her ears.
'So, I'll just get right to the point. I know we're meant to be performing the new single and an album track tomorrow night, but I want to switch out the album track with a new song, and I'm talking to you guys about this now because I can almost guarantee that the label is going to be pissed about it but…' Mercedes swallowed and tried to ignore the voice in her head telling her that she was about to make a fool of herself on national television.
'But I think this is the right thing to do. And I need to get this off my chest, so…'
'So what's the song?' Sean, Mercedes' bandleader asked, the afro comb in his hair glinting under the dressing room lights as he looked at her.
'It's right here.' Mercedes handed copies of the sheet music to Sean, whose eyebrows rose as he caught the words on the first page but stayed silent as he passed the rest of the music on.
'Is this about what I think it's about?' one of the singers asked as she scanned through the music, and the room went silent as everyone turned to Mercedes for the answer.
'It's…' Mercedes began, and then squared her shoulders and looked the girl who'd spoken dead in the eye. 'Like I said. I needed to get some stuff off my chest.'
'Then let's do this.' Sean agreed, 'Anyone who's not in, leave now or forever hold your peace.'
They waited for a moment, but when everyone stubbornly stayed put Mercedes breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as Sean led the group into rehearsal.
/
Text from Cedes 3: Are you watching the Tonight Show tonight?
Text from SamJ to Cedes 3: Of course. You asked me to J
Text from Cedes 3: Good, cos I'm gonna play that song you wanted to hear.
Text from Sam: Ok, still not sure why you wouldn't let me hear it. Isn't it on your album?
Text from Cedes 3: It's not on the album.
Text from Cedes 3: Sam? One more thing…
Text from Cedes 3: … It's about you.
/
'You sure about this?' Sean asked as Mercedes waited on the soundstage for her cue.
'Nope.' Mercedes let out a deep exhale and then smiled at Sean. 'But it's worth the risk.'
'Then once more into the breach.' Sean grinned and took his place behind the keyboard as the camera operator gave them the signal that they'd be going live in 5…
4…
3…
Mercedes' heart started to thump wildly in her chest as she told herself firmly that she would not throw up on national television. On live national television.
You can do this. She told herself mentally and took another deep breath.
2…
1.
Mercedes let her eyes flutter open, and started to sing.
Light me up,
breathe me in,
Til I can't help
giving in
Right beside you
Is where I want to be
Let me drown
Or set me free
I want to
linger on your skin like a cigarette
A taste on your lips you just can't forget
I'm in love
I'm in love
Feel you on my neck like a summer breeze
Feel your hand in mine when you're next to me
I'm in love
I'm in love
When I'm with you
I'm smoke on the water
I'm someone I thought
I wouldn't get to see
I'm who I want to be
When I'm with you
I'm taller than giants
I'm stronger than Goliath
with no one else to be
I can be just me
When I'm with you.
I want to
linger on your skin like a cigarette
A taste on your lips you just can't forget
I'm in love
I'm in love
Feel you on my neck like a summer breeze
Feel your hand in mine when you're next to me
I'm in love
I'm in love
So let me
Light you up,
breathe you in,
Before the hope
Comes creeping in
Is
Right beside me
Where you want to be?
Cause I'm in love with you
Darling,
Are you in love with me?
/
When Mercedes had told herself that going on live television and professing her love for her best friend (who may or may not love her back) was the scariest thing she'd ever done, she'd failed to take into consideration how incredibly nerve wracking it was to see him again having made said huge declaration. Especially since Sam had gone suspiciously radio silent since the show. Maybe he'd seen it and was trying to think of a way to shut her down gently. Mercedes thought as she retrieved her luggage and made her way towards the airport exit. Oh God, that would be so embarrassing. Could she have read the signs wrong? Were there signs? Mercedes worried her bottom lip as her driver relieved her of her bags and led her towards the waiting town car. Mercedes managed to pause her reverie for long enough to slide into the car and thank the driver for holding open her door, but she went right back to worrying as soon as the door had closed behind her. Was Sam avoiding her? Or was he... was he...
Gradually, Mercedes became aware of a presence beside her, and when the person cleared their throat Mercedes screamed so loudly the car faltered for a second.
'Oh my God!' Mercedes complained, clutching her chest as her heart pounded frantically under her fingers. 'SAM!'
Sam's mouth had initially formed a little 'o' at Mercedes' reaction, but as the shock wore off he couldn't keep the giggles at bay as he mentally replayed Mercedes' little scream.
'I was planning to make you scream... but not in that way!' Sam quipped, and then froze mid-laugh, his cheeks burning red as he realised what he'd just said. 'I did not intend for that to be the first thing I said to you after you told me you loved me-' Sam stammered. 'I'd actually- I had this- Can we just start again? Rewind. Pretend you haven't seen me... but like, not so much that you scream this time, ok? Ready?'
Mercedes was speechless as Sam reset himself into the position he'd been in when Mercedes first noticed him next to her and gestured for her to do the same.
'Uh...' Mercedes brow furrowed for a second as she obligingly returned to her original position and waited for Sam to clear his throat again. Obediently, Mercedes turned to look at her best friend and tried not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. 'Sam.'
'Mercedes.' Sam acknowledged, his lips twitching as he tried not to catch her amusement. 'I saw the show.'
Mercedes' mirth was immediately replaced by butterflies at Sam's words, and she swallowed hard as he took her hands in his and held them between them on the backseat. His hands were so much bigger than hers, Mercedes noticed, her eyes glued to their joined hands as the butterflies invited some of their caterpillar friends to form a cocoon in her throat.
'Cedes?' Mercedes could feel Sam's eyes on her, but she couldn't seem to look up at him. What if this was it? What if it all came crashing down around her?
Sam gently crooked a finger under her chin and Mercedes couldn't help but tilt her head up to look up at him, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes locked with his.
'You are the most extraordinary, wonderful, glorious person I have ever met.' Sam told her, his voice little more than a whisper as he kept his eyes steady on hers. 'It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure it out, but I'm pretty sure I've been in love with you since high school.'
Sam smiled as Mercedes let out a little gasp of surprise at his declaration. 'Since- since high school?'
'Yup' Sam nodded, moving his finger from under Mercedes' chin to tenderly stroke her soft cheek.
'Although it's hard to tell since it happened so slowly. It was like I didn't realise it was happening until-'
'-Until there it was.' Mercedes finished, and Sam bobbed his head in agreement.
'Exactly.'
They sat like that for what could have been minutes or seconds, just smiling and making goo-goo eyes at each other before Mercedes spoke again.
'I love you.'
'I know.' Sam's beam widened as the realisation washed over him for the millionth time that day.
'Then why haven't you kissed me yet?' Mercedes asked with mock outrage, pouting out her lower lip in a way that made Sam simultaneously want to laugh and devour her. He didn't bother responding with words. Instead, Sam leaned over and gently nipped Mercedes' pouted lip, running his tongue along the plump, swollen flesh before covering her mouth with his and letting himself surrender to the sweet, irresistible taste of her. Mercedes moaned underneath him and pulled him against her on the backseat. The last coherent thought Sam had was that Mercedes' felt even better than he'd remembered, and then he was too busy discovering all the different ways in which that was true to think about much else.
/
When Sam and Mercedes finally arrived at the venue, Sam's hair was standing on end and Mercedes' lipstick was smudged beyond recognition... it looked nice on Sam though.
Artie's eyebrows rose when he caught sight of them both, and he tried to exchange a quick 'told-you-so' glance with Puck before speaking, but the other man was engrossed in something on his phone and was clearly oblivious to everything going on in the room.
'Heyyy, you guys.' Artie greeted, looking between them with a knowing smirk. 'Did you just get here? ... Together?'
Sam and Mercedes shot each other a wide eyed glance and then shook their heads vehemently.
'No!'
'Of course not!'
'Why would you-?'
'That's so- I mean-'
'We just happened to run into each other-'
'-Total coincidence-'
'At the airport. And I mean, why wouldn't we just share a car?'
'Why wouldn't we?' Sam repeated, glancing at Mercedes before turning to regard Artie with a look of sheer bafflement that perfectly mirrored the woman by his side's.
'It would be a waste of resources-'
'Bad for the environment-'
'-If we didn't. And we're nothing if not responsible citizens of this planet, Artie.'
'Go Green.' Sam lifted a fist in solidarity and nodded sagely.
'I mean-' Mercedes scoffed, lifting her hands as if to say 'no brainer'.
'I mean.' Sam agreed, shooting Artie a comradely 'what are you gonna do?' look.
Sam and Mercedes kept nodding, but spared each other a quick, relieved glance, before turning twin innocent smiles on Artie.
Nailed it.
'Anyway! What are you guys up to?' Mercedes segued, moving to pick up a discarded magazine someone had left on the couch. 'Did you have a good few days off?' Mercedes flicked through the magazine nonchalantly, feigning disinterest.
She and Sam had decided it would be best not to reveal their relationship just yet, just in case the change in dynamic made things difficult on tour but Mercedes hadn't expected it to be this difficult this early. Who knew her friends were such good interrogators?
'It was pretty good.' Artie answered, still eyeing them both warily. Surely they didn't think they were fooling anyone... did they? 'How about you? Any... news?'
Mercedes frowned and shook her head. 'Nope... None whatsoever.'
'So the Tonight Show was...' Artie pressed.
'Oh, you know.' Mercedes shrugged. 'Same old, same old. You know how it is.'
'Uh... huh.' Artie's eyes narrowed and he turned to see if Puck was buying this. To Artie's dismay, his bandmate was nodding along as though everything Mercedes was saying made perfect sense and didn't sound like total bullshit.
'So you have nothing else to tell us.' Artie ventured one last time, and then gave a deep sigh when Mercedes just shook her head and shrugged again.
'Nope.'
'I think you said it was pretty uneventful, didn't you, Cedes?' Sam chipped in helpfully, apparently unaware that his eyes lit up like Christmas everytime he looked at his "best friend".
For some reason, that made Mercedes blush and Artie looked on incredulously as Sam and Mercedes smiled bashfully at one another.
'Oh yeah? When was this?' Artie turned his attention to Sam, who flushed red at the question.
'In the car.'
'He came to meet me at the airport.' Mercedes supplied, and Artie wondered if she knew her voice softened when she talked about Sam.
'Oh, really?' Artie asked, turning in surprise when Puck finally looked up from his phone for long enough to interject.
''S a pretty long drive from the airport.'
'Good point.' Artie agreed. 'I get so bored on long journeys now. What did you guys do to pass the time?'
Ok, Artie thought grimly, this was it. Truth time. Surely they weren't going to try and hide-
'Well...' Sam's eyes drifted to Mercedes, who had settled leaning against the dressing table but had long since given up on the magazine. 'We... Mostly we talked.'
Well, their mouths had definitely been busy, Artie conceded, he just didn't think it was talking they were doing.
'Really?... And did you guys have a good... talk?'
'Oh yeah!' Sam nodded profusely, the grin stretching across his face as he tried not to look at Mercedes. 'We had a great... conversation.'
'Very... illuminating.' Mercedes agreed, her nods perfectly in sync with Sam's.
'Mercedes is very good at... talking.' Sam confirmed, and then laughed when Mercedes smacked his chest lightly with the back of her hand.
'Boy, you are too much!' Mercedes insisted, her eyes dancing as Sam caught her hand before she could drop it again and gently caressed her skin.
'Nah!'
They stood, smiling at each other for a few seconds before Artie conspicuously cleared his throat to remind them he was still there.
'Anyway!' Sam announced, too brightly as he dropped Mercedes' hand like a hot potato and she took a distancing step away from him. 'We are cool. Everything is totally, completely cool. What?'
Artie stared at them both for a beat and then rolled away, shaking his head. If they wanted to play ignorant then he'd let them. Didn't mean the whole thing wasn't damn foolishness though, he thought to himself as he left the room and went to go find people with sense to talk to.
/
Gozzip Net's Top 10 Reasons Sam and Mercedes Should Just Get Married Already.
10. Music
Everybody knows that music can often be a deal breaker in a relationship. If they're into classical while you're into heavy metal… then you're probably going to have a bit of a problem. Luckily, everyone's favourite non-couple don't have to worry about that, as the pair have made sweet, sweet music together to the tune of nine number one singles and no less than four multi-platinum albums. Score!
9. They Go On Geeky, Educational Outings Together
The Natural History Museum is the last place you'd expect to run into a visiting pop star, but that's exactly where these lucky British fans met Sam and Mercedes this April. 'So many things to c a museum,' one tweeted, 'a dinosaur skeleton, fossils and… o yea CEDEJ AND REALSAMEVANS! Can't believe it!' The same fan later tweeted a photo of themselves with the museum loving pair.
8. That One Time They Got Caught on the Kiss Cam at a Lakers Game and It Was Unexpectedly Hot.
[gif of Sam Evans and Mercedes Jones kissing briefly on the Kiss Cam screen at a basketball game. They break apart, Sam adjusts his baseball cap and they both smile bashfully into each other's eyes before looking away.]
Enough said.
7. Their Adorably Elaborate Matching Halloween Costumes.
It started during Titans' first year on the scene when the pair went to Jessica's Halloween Party dressed as Chip n Dale, and the costumes have only gotten more elaborate as time goes on. Past highlights have included Jessica and Roger Rabbit, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell and, our particular favourite, Frank-n-Furter and Rocky from the Rocky Horror Picture Show… for, um, artistic reasons… obviously. (Obviously! – Ed)
6. Their Support of Each Other's Pursuits
Yarn sales had an unexpected upsurge when Mercedes mentioned via Instagram that she'd taken up the hobby, and while public opinion on the pastime is split, it didn't stop Sam from publicly supporting his BFF, commenting 'Awesome! Will you knit me a scarf?' below Mercedes' picture. It's even sweeter that a month later he Instagrammed a picture of himself wearing the finished product. The stylish pop star has even been spotted wearing his handmade Mercedes Jones knit on multiple occasions since. Now that's what we call an exclusive piece!
5. That time they had a prank war and this happened.
[Gif of Mercedes spraying shaving cream into the hand of a sleeping Sam.]
[Gif of Mercedes waking Sam up and laughing as he splats shaving cream on his face.]
[Gif of Sam grabbing Mercedes by the waist and rubbing his face into her neck as she laughs, covering her in foam.]
4. They Talk To Each Other Every Day
Yes, we know there was that dark, dark time when the pair reportedly didn't speak at all, but since then the pair have picked up where they left off and are allegedly back to their old ways of making a point to talk to each other every day. Honestly, that sounds pretty romantic to us.
3. He flew out to Ohio JUST to take her to prom.
It feels like Mercedes has always been a superstar, but way back at the beginning of Titans' fame she was still a senior in high school, and was seriously considering not attending her own senior prom. As soon as Pop's Prince Charming Sam Evans found out, he made arrangements to escort her there himself. Aww!
2. That time he called her his soulmate on National TV.
Who can forget the moment on Wake Up with Dawn when Sam accidentally announced that not only was romantic ballad 'Still On My Mind' about his best friend, but that she was also his 'soulmate'? Even though our hearts were breaking into a million pieces at the time, it wasn't hard to see that Sam hadn't meant to let that piece of information slip out - that's if his red cheeks and stammered corrections were anything to go by. Freudian slip, anyone?
1. That kiss in Mercedes' Complex video.
You know the one.
Be warned though, if you're planning on watching for the first time (where have you been?!) it gets a little steamy. So maybe don't watch it while your boss is around.
They're Obviously In Love – Just Get Together Already!