AN: Sorry about my absence! My cat chewed through every laptop cord in the house, bless his little furry heart. So, here's a new one, by request, a Mercedes/Artie/Tina triangle! This will take the place of Duets.

Drabble 12

When Mr. Schuester announced a round of duets, he received a mixed reaction. Rachel smiled brightly at Finn, already deciding what song they would sing; Santana and Brittany linked pinkies in advance; Mike and Puck both groaned and shook their heads.

"And another thing guys, I'll be picking the pairs."

Mercedes and Kurt exchanged incredulous glances.

Mr. Schuester read off the list of duets, and Mercedes was rather pleased to be paired with Artie. She approached him and sat down. "So, do you have any song ideas?" She asked.

Artie shrugged. "Not really."

"I was thinking..." The two of them talked earnestly until they were released, agreeing to meet up at Artie's house the next day to pick a song. Mercedes had never really spent a great deal of time with Artie one-on-one prior to this. They shared a love of r&b and soul, and those genres were pored over to get the perfect song. Once it was found, it was practiced to perfection. The performance was scheduled for Friday, and on Wednesday, Artie brought up a valid point.

"How should we perform this?" Artie asked. "I mean, it's really not a dancing song..."

"I think we should sing directly to each other. I'll get a chair to sit in, and face you while we sing. Mr. Schue didn't say we couldn't."

Artie nodded. "It sounds like a plan."

"Great! Well, I've got to get home. Same time tomorrow?"

Artie nodded. Mercedes planted a kiss on his cheek and left. Artie touched his cheek and blushed. Mercedes had such soft lips.

On the day of their performance, Mercedes had butterflies in her stomach that she knew had nothing to do with their song. Mr. Schuester had picked the performances at random, and they were in the middle. When their time came, Mercedes pulled up a chair and sat facing Artie in front of the class. Brad began a soft guitar intro on the piano.

(Artie)

Yo, what up, this is Artie, with Mercedes J.

I serenade the girls with my acoustic guitar

You know what I'm saying?

Yo, fellas having problems witcha chicks?
I want you right now to turn the lights down low,

Pull your girl up next to you

I want you to sing this to her.

Artie had never noticed how deep Mercedes eyes were. He stared into them as he began to sing.

If death comes for me tonight girl,

I want you to know that I love you.

And no matter how tough, I wouldn't dare

Only to you I would reveal my tears

So tell the police I ain't home tonight

Messing around with you is gonna get me life

But when I look into your eyes, Man

You're worth that sacrifice.

If this is the kinda love that my mom used to warn me about,

I'm in trouble,

I'm in real big trouble.

If this is the kind of love that old folks used to warn me about,

I'm in trouble,

I'm in real big trouble.

I need y'all to do me a favor.

Someone please call 911

Tell them I just been shot down

And the bullet's in my heart

And it's piercing through my soul

Feel my body getting cold

The alleged assailant is five foot five

And she shot me through my soul

Feel my body getting cold.

Mercedes took a deep breath, smiling slightly as she met Artie's gaze.

(Mercedes)

So cold

Sometimes I feel like I'm a prisoner

I think I'm trapped here for a while, yeah. (Artie: But I'm right here with you girl.)

And every breath I fight to take

Is as hard as these four walls

I wanna break.

I told the cops you wasn't here tonight

Messing around with me is gonna get you life

But every time I look into your eyes

Damn, it's worth that sacrifice.

Mercedes laced her fingers with Artie's.

(Artie)

If this is the kinda love that your mom used to warn you about

Cedes, you're in trouble. (Mercedes: I'm in real big trouble.)

You're in real big trouble. (Lord knows I'm in trouble)

If this is the kind of love that the old folks used to warn you about

(Every day, every night, yeah) I'm in trouble. (I'm in real big trouble)

I'm in real big trouble.

You got anything to say girl?

(Mercedes and Artie)

Someone please call 911

Tell them I just got shot down

And it's piercing through my soul

Feel my body getting cold.

As the song drew to a close, Mercedes leaned forward and kissed Artie as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Artie kissed back, and for a short while they were the only two people in the room. Mr. Schue cleared his throat.

"That was great guys."

Mercedes gave Artie a shy smile, and they took their seats.

Puck gave Tina, his partner, a sidelong glance. "Are you...grinding your teeth?"

Tina folded her arms and glared in Mercedes's general direction. "Don't be stupid Puck. Of course not." She snapped.

"I thought you and Artie broke up."

"We did," she all but growled.

"Then why are you acting like that?"

"I don't know."

AN: What did you think?