A/N Wanna give so much love to KurlyQ722 and erchills for so much love and support (and great writing.)

Also Em (guest), hope you enjoy this chapter, and Pleezah for being such amazing friends.

Keeping this as a T cos I don't think it's too explicit to be an M.

Please read, review and enjoy.

Mercedes

Even with Sam beside me, holding onto me, the nightmares I kept having made for a really bad night's sleep. It was all dying lights bouncing around my mind, and things crumbling and the feeling of being ripped away from everything. It was that weird feeling of falling, until Sam would nudge me awake and I'd be in his warmth again. But when morning light finally broke into my room, I felt awful.

Sam was snoring very softly, both of his arms grasped around mine. He was otherwise quiet and still all night, and I was hoping that meant he was sleeping peacefully. His grip was weakening, so I slipped away into the bathroom at the other side of my room. I washed my face with freezing cold water, hoping to restore some life back in me. I stared in the mirror, wondering if I look like a girl who's ready to die in a few weeks.

I glimpse of blonde hair flashed in the mirror, and by the time I opened my eyes again, Sam's long arms were reaching around me, his face pressing into the back of my neck. I took a shaky breath, not wanting to cry for what would be the millionth time. Without letting go, he led us to the toilet seat, sitting me on his lap, rocking me.

I turned slightly, so I could rest my head in the perfect place between his shoulder and neck. He leaned back into the cistern, allowing me to lean back into him. I closed my eyes, feeling his warm skin, smelling the faded scent of his deodorant.

Sam

Time had become something new and different to me. Sometimes I counted the minutes because they mattered, didn't they? It was a certain amount of time before the end of the world, so each second should have be accounted for.

But then again, none of it mattered. It was going to happen, whether it was tomorrow or next week or whatever. Counting up to it seemed like a complete waste, and so time just became a useless chunk of something else, like this asteroid. I didn't know what to make of it.

All that I was using to measure my life was Mercedes' sleeping breaths. I knew the exact moment she fell asleep – the moment she let me be the one to steady her, letting me be the one to hold onto her and keep her here. The way I knew she wasn't okay but was refusing to let it out to me.

She's never slept badly. Even if it was scorching weather, or she'd gone to bed late, or she'd had a stressful day, Mercedes always managed to sleep well. I always knew that things must be pretty bad with her when she had a bad night. I felt her waking up, tossing and turning and sighing all throughout the night. I don't even think she slept a solid hour.

So I was glad she was sleeping now, even though she needed more.

And then I was trying to think of what we could do today. We both needed to relax, her more than me. But I didn't know how.

Then I remember her visit to the lake last week with a few of the others, and she really seemed to enjoy it.

Already the day seemed bright and warm, although I wasn't about to depend on this chaotic weather. But if I drove my truck as close as I could to the lake, we could chill, just us two, with shelter just behind us. All I knew was that I wasn't leaving her side today.

My butt was going slightly numb but I seriously couldn't care less. I don't know how long it had been, but finally she started stirring. It must have been ten minutes or so.

"Sam?"

"Yeah, darlin'?"

"You should have woken me up, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall-"

"I let you fall asleep, you needed to. How are you feeling? Really."

She'd already had a deflection on her lips, until I said the last word. "Sad. What about you?"

"The same. Wanna spend the day with me?" She was nodding against my shoulder already, and I couldn't ignore the speeding up of my heart.

"I've got a plan, wanna hear it?"

"Go on…" Her voice was raspy, sounding almost uncertain.

"You take the best shower ever, get dressed, and text me when you're ready, and I'll come and pick you up."

"Where are you going? Pick me up for where?"

"To wash and change my clothes, and then take you out to the lake. I thought we could spend the day there."

"Really?" The hope in her voice was reassuring enough.

"Yes." I patted her leg, and she got up.

"Let me text Puck, then." There was a sort of deflation in the way she was moving, like she didn't see the point. It was killing me. As I shrugged into my shirt, she said "He already texted me, my parents have gone out to church, so you're okay."

I wanted to do all I could just then to make her smile, to cheer her up, but I knew this day out would help, if anything could.

"I'll go now. Promise to be ready in an hour?"

"An hour, Sammy?"

"Please, baby, even an hour is too long."

She rolled her eyes – which I was so glad for – but nodded anyway. "Alright, Sam. I'll walk you out."

At the front door, I pulled her in for a hug, and kissed her forehead. "An hour, okay?"

"I'll see you in a little while, then."

As I walked backwards, not turning away from her, I noted that the weather was nice enough to sit outside, and I was praying furiously that today would cheer her up.

Mercedes

Even though it was Sam who was the one to panic last night, seeing that fear on his face made it all real for me, though I wanted to pretend otherwise. I didn't want to think about it all the time. I wanted to protect him, I didn't want him to be scared or hurt by this damn asteroid. Yet there was nothing I could do to stop him from hurting. Nothing I could do for anyone. Singing a few songs and giving a few hugs could hardly heal everyone around me. All I wanted was to be comforted too. I didn't know how to handle all this, though I was doing my best. But the fear of dying was nestled too strongly inside me.

I took my time brushing my teeth and showering in my favourite lemon scented shower milk, wetting parts of my hair too, so it'd go wavy after I brushed it dry, the way Sam always adored. After moisturizing, I pulled on my trusty, ruby red jeans and a white tee that was partly laced with black at the back and the sleeves. I stuffed my feet into red and black high tops. And since it was only the lake, I decided to wear a plain pair of earrings and a chunky bracelet. It was almost midday, so I had to quickly spray myself with sweet perfume and hurry downstairs before Sam got here, draping my jacket over my shoulder as I hurried into the living room.

Puck was lounging on the couch, headphones on even though a movie was playing on the TV. I tapped his forehead.

"Going out?" He asked.

"Yeah, to the lake."

He swung his feet onto the floor, turning to face me. "You okay?" I nodded. Luckily, Puck wasn't the greatest at reading me. "You sure?"

"Yeah, some air will do me good."

"And Sam?"

"Better, he just…panicked a bit last night. Oh, what was with the text anyways?"

"I dunno, I just had a weird feeling so I texted Santy, and she said sniffed the cops coming from miles away."

"I'm not surprised."

"Exactly, in the Adjacent, I think you're trained to have that skill from birth."

"It sure as hell worked though."

He nodded. A quick silence fell over us. I wanted to ask about him and Quinn again, but I knew the more I pushed, the worse it would get. And I wasn't about to spend the rest of the day reminding him of everything that was wrong. "What are your plans for today?" I asked instead.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I think I'm just gonna relax, maybe, until the 'rents get gome. I think I'm gonna pig out, too."

"Like you do every day?"

He clicked his fingers and pointed, "exactly."

I heard Sam beeping his car horn before he even pulled up to the house.

"Alright, Noah. I'll see you later."

"Later," and he flopped back onto the couch.

"Oh, and did you manage to cover for me yesterday?"

"They didn't even notice you were gone. Now go, please? I have some lesbian action-"

"Bye!"

Even though it hadn't been long since I'd been away from Sam, I found myself rushing over to his beat up truck, excited to be beside him.

Sam

The closer we got to the lake, the more relaxed we felt. The roads were literally empty; a few cars were just abandoned on the streets. Some windows were smashed, and the dry concrete of the roads were littered everywhere in cans and wrappers and cigarette butts.

I slowed down at one sight in particular – a preacher sitting on the roof of a car, with his avid listeners spread at around him on the ground, with bibles digging into the palms of their hands. None of this felt real, I've never seen the world so chaotic and hopeful. Exhausted and hopeless. I was stuck in between, with my Mercy right here with me. I didn't know where to go or what to do or think. But the one thing I did know was that I needed a day away from it all. I needed to stare up at the deceptive sky which appeared to be blue and clear even though it was set for execution.

Mercedes' hand covered mine on the gearstick. And just like that, I remembered what I was doing, creating a day for us to rest, and forget the world for just a few hours.

The sound of the rough earth beneath the heat of my rubber tyres was a little bit unnerving. Is this what it would sound like when –?

"It looks so pretty."

The lake, and the wilderness it nourished, were a few miles out from the city, so there was hardly ever anyone here, unless it was a really nice day. But during this time, everyone was obviously preoccupied elsewhere because it was just us. I blinked, and then viewed the lake ahead with Mercedes' open eyes and mind. The lake was so still and reflective, partly made up of leaves and branches and mud. Ducks that looked like they were wearing green helmets were cutting through the surface. The type of thought Quinn hated came into my mind, the type of thought which Mercedes would encourage in me. Did these ducks have any idea, about anything that was going to happen? But even that thought wouldn't help anything.

I reached into the backseat to pick up my worn blanket, the largest pillow I had and two bottles of lemonade from a small cooler I quickly grabbed from the motel.

As we got out of the truck, she laced her fingers through mine. I walked us to a quiet spot, still in the shadow of the trees, though the sunlight reaches us. I set out the blanket and pillow, watching her take her trainers off, and lie back on the ground, facing the sky. I followed her, and we were side by side, arms and thighs just about touching.

"So what now?"

"This is it."

I heard the confusion in her voice as she asked, "this is it?"

"Yep."

"What do you mean? What about your plans?"

"These are it! I would have thought my company would be good enough, Mercy."

"Sam, you know I love being near you, at any time for whatever reason. I was just curious."

I had a feeling that if I brought up my idea for her to get some sleep then she'd do all she could to fight it, even though the raspiness in her voice was still there.

"Good. I just wanted to spend time with you, away from…"

"Things?"

"Yeah. Things."

"I love that plan." Thank god. It was silent for a while, but I knew it had meaning. "I thought you were a cuddle monster?" She hinted.

"You know I am, I was just waiting for you to say the words."

"Sam…"

"Go on…"

She shook her head. "Can I cuddle you, Sammy?"

I tugged her arm slightly, and she rolled over into my side, arms around my waist and head nestled under my arm. "I love the way you smell."

"You smell better." I kissed the top of her head, and gently rubbed both of my hands over her arm. I stared up at the blue sky, mixed with the rays of the sun. There were only a few wispy white clouds, and they were slowly sinking down behind the envious trees. A few birds soared through the sky. I wondered if they knew any more than we did. Or were they just as clueless as the ducks in the water.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing ground-breaking. You?"

"Tell me."

I paused for a second, rephrasing my thoughts. "I was just wondering what the birds see from up there."

"Pretty much the same."

"The same as us?"

"No, I mean, I was thinking pretty much the same as you."

"Of course. Are you comfortable?"

"Perfect, next to you."

I smiled. "I love you, so much Mercedes. Do you know that?"

"Do you know how much I love you, Sammy Daddy? Just thinking about you makes my heart beat a hundred times faster."

"Because it's matching mine, whenever I think about you."

She stretched up toward me, so I kissed her. Shortly, but sweetly. After we pulled away, she nestled herself closer into me, I held her tighter, stroking her arm.

It took the flight of magpie from one side of the lake to the other before Mercedes' breathing began to deepen. I'd planned out an entire conversation in my head which would help send her to sleep, but she was fine on her own.

I held onto her while she slept, listening out for any of her restlessness from last night. But there was nothing, she kept her arms around me, breathing into my chest, legs resting on mine. My mind was in tune with hers, so as soon as she was safely settled into a deep sleep, my mind finally relaxed and drifted off. Just feeling her soft warmth pressed into me was all the comfort I needed to sleep.

I'm not sure what caused me to wake up, but it wasn't with a start. The way I easily drifted off asleep was the way I drifted back to wakefulness. The sky had darkened slightly, but the sun was still dripping gold into the deep blue. The temperature had also dipped a little, but I was warm. Mercedes was beginning to stir too, I'm guessing feeling me awake was enough to wake her up.

"Hey Sam." Something brightened inside me at the sound of her voice – it was hardly raspy, and she sounded better; happier, relaxed.

"Good evening, ma'am."

"Did we sleep for long?"

I checked the time on my watch. "At least four hours."

"How'd you sleep?" She punctuated this with a kiss to my jaw.

"Great. Like, seriously. What about you?"

"More than great. You're so comfortable, Sammy."

"Because I was made for you, that's why."

"Very true. You're mine, right?"

"All yours."

I looked into her sparkling eyes, which were catching the clinging light of the day. I wanted to kiss her so bad right now, knowing that if we did, then it wouldn't be one quick kiss like earlier. It'd be more, and that was for certain. The way she was gnawing her lip, and coyly lowering her eyelids, suggested that she felt the exact same way.

Mercedes

"Hey you two!"

I jumped at the sound, but focusing my eyes a quarter ways around the lake, there was a beaming Rachel, arm linked through Finn's.

I'm not sure exactly why, but I actually felt happy to see them here. My time spent alone with Sam was perfect, even if we were asleep for most of it. But seeing Rachel and Finn here reminded me that we were still all here, that it was certainly possible to carry on living, and that we could still run into friends at the lakeside. And it made it even better that it was them two in particular. Rachel and I have had our problems, as have Finn and Sam. But also, like me and Sam, they had their struggles in order to stay together. And there they were, like Sam and me, loving each other, reminding themselves that life wasn't quite over yet.

Sam sighed from beside me. "Guess I could share you for a little while," he whispered, before they got into earshot. We sat up, and I got to my feet as Rachel hurried towards me. And then I realised she was holding something in her hands, a box of something.

A bucket of fried chicken, I thought, before she wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.

"It's so good seeing you guys," Finn admitted, sharing me in a hug with his girlfriend.

"I know, what are you guys doing here?" Sam asked, hugging them both as soon as they let me go. "And…what's with the chicken, Rachel?"

Before she had the chance to give her life story, Finn spoke up. "She's never had fried chicken before. I mean, I know she's a vegan and all, but who hasn't even tried a little bit, right?"

"True," Sam and I agreed.

"And plus," she said, nibbling at the huge chicken wing she held in a napkin, "I've never been this messy before. It's…almost life-changing!"

We all laughed, and Finn tossed us a greasy paper bag. "Burger and fries," he explained.

"Um…?"

He smiled at me. "We got a little bit too much. And we said we'd give them to the first people we saw, so…"

Sam was not one to waste food. "You're welcome then," he smiled, swiping the bag from my hands. "Do you guys wanna eat with us?" I gave him a side-eyed glance, noticing how accepting he was of their company now that there was food involved.

"We'd love to!" Rachel sank down right beside me, utterly enjoying her chicken, and only so often offering a piece to Finn, who amusingly denied any. "It's so good!"

"I'm glad you think so. I'm surprised places are still open…" I took another bite of my burger, savouring the taste.

"I know, we had to look out for the places that seemed safe to go inside."

"What do you mean?" Sam shoved another handful of fries into his mouth. I rolled my eyes at his teenage boy manners, but I felt so affectionate for him then. "It's rude to roll your eyes," Sam said, nudging me.

I saw Finn's eyebrows furrow in confusion, wondering how Sam knew my response even though he didn't see it. "Either places have been closed, looted or just vandalized, and-"

"Or the owners just lost their minds."

"Or that," Finn chuckled.

We continued to eat our food in comforting silence, before Sam asked, "so how have you guys been? You know, since yesterday and all?"

They exchanged a glance between themselves. "We're just going with it," Rachel answered, but she didn't sound sad or anything. And the look Finn gave her suggested that they were doing okay. And I agreed with their positivity. Why did we have to be sad every hour of every day? The only unhappiness we had to suffer was that which we created for ourselves, and the day we actually died. Until then, we could actually try to be happy.

Sam wrapped his arm around my waist, and I leaned back into him as I finished my burger and fries.

"Oh my Barbara, that was a lot of chicken. I'm so full!" She crawled onto Finn's lap, bringing his arms around hers. "I can't believe I've never had it before, so good!"

"Rachel, why am I so glad that you're so glad about chicken?" I asked.

We spent a while just talking, about random things like tequila shots, the dumbest songs we've ever heard, and political elections we thought were conspiracies.

Eventually, the position of my body was leaning towards Sam, wanting only him. But I saw that in Rachel and Finn, too, how their bodies seemed to be fitting each other's more and more.

After a quick searing gaze exchanged between the two of them, Finn got to his feet with Rachel still in his arms. They kissed each other passionately. "See you guys soon, okay?" Finn said once they broke apart.

"Sure, see you soon."

Finn grinned, and jogged away from us, with Rachel playfully squealing in his arms.

Sam and I sat in a few moments of silence once they were out of sight.

Sam

And both of us had the same idea. We reached out for each other at the same time, and then I was leaning down on her, pressing into her wonderful curves, kissing her soft lips, grazing my tongue against hers.

Her breath hitched, and I could feel her shiver beneath me. We became more urgent to feel each other, more affectionately so. I just wanted to touch her everywhere, to adore her. And the lake was so peaceful and calm and cool, that I wanted to be passionate, desperate and hot with her.

Mercedes' hands ran up my back, pressing just below my shoulder blades. She trailed kisses down to my neck, placing a soft kiss on the skin over my Adam's apple. She grabbed the back of my head, fingernails caressing the nape of my neck. I closed my eyes at the feel of her possessiveness as she re-captured my bottom lip between her teeth. I twirled a loose bit of her around my finger, pulling on it ever so slightly.

"Sam." I felt her whisper this against my lips, against my skin and into my bones. I was slowly moving against her, feeling her body heat intensify below me. Her small hands skimmed down my body, slipping beneath my black long sleeved tee and roaming over my stomach and back. The feeling of her skin on mine was enough to undo my self-control. We gave short, sweet kisses, always pulling away, before we went back into it, our tongues pushing against each other. I brought my knee up, pressing and gently rubbing against her core. She slipped her hand into my jeans, squeezing gently. I shuddered against her, my breath catching in my throat. "Mercy, I don't-"

"Yes, Sam."

I paused, though she continued to line my jaw with her soft kisses. "I mean-"

"I want you, Sam. Really, really, badly." She punctuated each word with a kiss on my face, her voice lowering each time she spoke. I tightened my grip on the waistband of her jeans, my fingers kneading into the soft flesh over her hipbones. Without knowing, I was unbuttoning her jeans, kissing her lips red raw.

Mercedes

This was starting to overwhelm me, yet all I wanted was more of him. I wanted to melt from his hot attention, to beg him to fix me in the way only he knew how.

When I felt him undo my jeans, anxiety popped all over my skin. I began pulling his shirt over his head, and he paused to strip it off in one easy move. Then he lifted my shirt over my head and arms.

I undid his jeans in return, and again he stopped to kick them off. I could feel his erection against my jean clad thigh. Moving my hand down to free him, I continued to suck at his shoulder.

I've never been this close to anyone before. But Sam wasn't anyone, and everything was already making sense to me; I felt like I knew what to do, like my inexperience was needed in order for me to respond to only Sam.

All I wanted to do was to satisfy him, in the easiest way I knew how. His penis was already hard in my hand, and as soon as I tightened my hand around him – he was so big, I wasn't sure how I'd be able to take care of all of him – he groaned against my neck, pushing his muscled chest against my breasts. He started thrusting his hips, closing his hand around mine, instructing me and guiding me.

"As hard as you can," he whispered in my ear. Listening to his throaty voice, I stroked harder, swallowing his moans and sighs. The bliss on his face, and the way he was moving with me was so lustful, it was sending mini fires through my veins, flaming straight to my centre. I was extremely hot for him, just by getting him off. He was so beautiful.

His breathing became shallower, and his touches more pleading. I stroked harder, using my other hand to graze his hipbones. He felt so warm against me, his hair dampening on my skin.

But then suddenly everything went a bit darker, thick black clouds had suddenly choked the sky.

"Almost there…harder…so fucking gorgeous…" A flash of light shot through the sky, bringing with it ugly rolls of thunder.

And then it started pouring – the kind of cold, sheeting rain which shocks you inside and out. The wind had instantly picked up too, and it was forcing us away from each other.

"What the fuck! This can't be happening! What – what am I supposed to – fuck!" He sprang to his feet, the rain only seemed to become colder and heavier, washing away any sparks that were created between our bodies. He held out a hand, and pulled me up. I would have been able to tolerate a bit of rain if it wasn't so freezing and torrential. The thunder wasn't really reassuring either. We were both trying to hold onto our peeled clothes and shreds of dignity. But watching Sam was such a crazy sight. He was running so awkwardly, since his erection was still semi present, and he had to hold the rest of his clothes and the blanket to his body. I only got a quick look at his impressive ass on my run back to the truck.

Once we clambered in, I took a chance to look at the soaking, almost completely naked Samuel Evans, the love of my life, in the seat beside me.

He let out a yell, smacking his hands against the dashboard. And since I knew it was only from sexual frustration, the laugh that was threatening to burst out was becoming more difficult to contain. His eyes sliced towards me, a few fat droplets fell from his dark blonde hair. I clamped my lips shut, raindrops running down my face. He leaned in and furiously crushed his lips to mine. I didn't fight back though; I parted my lips, inviting him in.

After a few tense seconds, he yielded.

We battled with our tongues, Sam being the one to powerfully dominate. I pulled away, collapsing back into the passenger seat.

His breathing was heavy, and he kept his eyes trained on me as if I was going to try and run from him. I avoided his partly exposed, partly erected penis. "So…how ya holding up? Guess that's kind of the problem."

"Fucking hell."

I giggled, doing my best to rein it in so he wouldn't be so embarrassed. "Yeah, it's all been a bit of a flop. Oh, wait…"

"Mercy, no," he moaned, squeezing his eyes shut and fake pouting.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be making this hard for you. Oh!"

His shoulders were shaking with supressed laughter, but he was doing his best to hide it.

"Sammy? I didn't mean to put a damper on things – I hate to hear you moan about it."

"You are evil!"

"Come again? Well, guess you'd have to have come the first time…"

Laughter erupted in the car, from the both of us. "I can't even…"

"We have the worst luck, do we not?"

He scoffed. "You weren't the one about to get off, though…"

"How'd you know?"

Sam quirked an eyebrow at me, and I innocently shrugged my shoulders. His bright green eyes raked down my drenched body, and seared me as they roamed back up. He held out his hand to me, and I curiously took it. His hand firmly held mine, and he closed his eyes as he brushed his cool lips across the back of my hand.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted, almost to himself.

Neither did I. I wanted desperately to give myself to him, to feel him all over me. And it wasn't like we had all the time in the world. But it shouldn't be awkward or rushed or forced. I wanted it to be natural, and I could tell Sam wanted this too. I wanted it to be thrilling and wonderful.

His neck and ears were still flushed, and I could tell the heat of the moment was still clinging to his skin. He let our linked hands fall onto my knee. His index finger extended, he traced a line along my inner thigh, all the while keeping his gaze on me. He let my hand go, and walked his fingers further up, playing around between my black lacy underwear and my jeans. Just the promise of his touch was making me breathless. He said my name as he gingerly stroked the fabric of my underwear with the ghosts of his fingertips. Then he applied more pressure, moving downwards; running his fingers along the building sensation. My heart was pounding against my ribcage. And then he started to do it faster, and the intensity burning in his eyes was only heightening everything I felt.

A wicked bolt of lightning struck again, followed by a dangerous wave of thunder. Hailstones were scratching against the surface of the truck, carried by the strong winds blowing across the surface of the lake.

"We should go." I said it so quietly, that I didn't think he'd hear me. He was still moving his fingers against me, and the pleasure was too much for me, if we couldn't go any further.

He pinched me very softly and playfully, before leaving me with this desperate urge for more. "We should get dressed." He barely said this louder than when I spoke, and a muscle in his jaw was twitching.

"What now?" I asked, buttoning up my jeans over my soaking underwear.

Sam quirked his eyebrow at me again, pushing his hair back from his forehead as he put his clothes back on. "We try not to self-destruct on the drive home." I looked away, inspecting the frayed loose thread from the hem of my shirt. "We still have the rest of the evening left. I'm sure we can find…something to do."

"Like what, Sammy?"

After pulling down his shirt, he shoved his key into the ignition. "Let's go for a drive." His sly wink wasn't helping anything. We were so close to giving in, and I wanted to go further. I saw the tight grip he had on the steering wheel, and his small smirk as he felt me stealing glances his way.

Even though there wasn't a long time left for us on this Earth, tonight seemed like forever, like an endless stretch of possibilities for us.

Please let me know what you thought - I need all of your honest opinions for fuel!

And does anyone have any desires they'd like to see come to life in this story? Is there something that

you think would be really important/special if it were really the end of the world?

Thank you so much for sticking with me!