Hello readers! It is a bittersweet Saturday for me because I'm giving you the last update of this story. It took me a bit longer to finish it because my mind swung from thought to thought and I wanted to give all of you a perfect ending. I really hope that you guys enjoy the update as much as I did writing it. It was a rollercoaster ride that brought a lot of smiles to my days.

I wanted to thank all the readers, just for reading this story, because that's what most important for a writer. To everybody that reviewed the story thank you, because all of you were the ignition that my imagination needed to keep the story flowing. For all the people who followed or faved the story, a big thanks as well.

**This story is dedicated to three very special readers, who chapter after chapter, left me amazing reviews or messages that kept my updating momentum alive. This readers are Zeejack, Krazykay23 and the one and only Ngawai. Thanks for inspiring me every step of the way.

Disclaimer: Glee and/or its characters are not mine. Everything belongs to Ryan Murphy, his colleagues and Fox. I just love borrowing them for entertainment purposes.

Please forgive all the mistakes...

Don't forget to leave a review... it's the last chapter!

Happy reading...

Chapter 14

Going back to New Haven was one of the hardest things Mercedes had to endure in her life because it meant facing her new reality, a life without Sam. It's not that she regretted her decision but the fact that her love for him grew every passing minute did not help at all.

"How are you?" Santana said while hugging Mercedes.

"Numb. Please, just take me home." Mercedes replied blankly.

"As you wish, darling."

Mercedes barely spoke during the ride to her apartment, something she was happy to still have, even though Sam wanted her to give up on her lease when the got engaged.

"Mercedes, are you sure you want to stay at your apartment? I didn't clean it thoroughly, because everything happened so fast."

"Yes, I wanna stay. I need my space. Don't worry about the cleaning, I'll take care of that tomorrow. It will give me something to do."

"I hate seeing you like this."

Mercedes shifted uncomfortable on the car seat, she started to look outside the window because she was not ready to talk about what happened with anyone.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pour salt on your wound."

Mercedes kept her sight on the window. "Speed up, please. I need to be alone."

XXXXX

Starting a new academic year had a different feeling for Mercedes. She decided to focus her attention completely in her classes but every once in a while her mind lingered in some of the memories from her freshmen year and her time with Sam, like the day she walked to the library for the first time after their break-up. She could not handle herself or the tears because everything around her reminded her of Sam. Working at the café became such heartache for her as well but, she needed to earn some money to pay her bills and she could not quit after Shuester kindly gave her the job back, not caring how she abandoned it in the first place.

"Hi, Mercy." Joe said as he approached her in the locker room.

"Hello, Joe." Mercedes said grimly.

"It's good to have you back. A lot of people missed you." Joe said trying to cheer her up.

"I bet." She replied mockingly.

"I mean it, Mercedes."

"Let's get to work! I don't have time to sit and chitchat. She said harshly.

"Hold on a minute!" Joe said, raising his voice. "What's with the attitude? What happened to you?"

Mercedes finally broke down in tears. "I can't handle being here, Joe. I just cannot. Everything reminds me of Sam, our laughs or our arguments. I mean, there's no way I can look around and not see him; there's no way I can look around and not see us." She said, while Joe wrapped her into a tight hug and comforted her.

XXXXX

Meanwhile in Tennessee, Sam was having a hard time adjusting to Mercedes's absence. After she left, they never spoke again but she was a constant thought in his mind.

"Do you miss her, Sammy?" Stacy asked, when she found him sitting on one of the benches of the gazebo where he asked her to marry him.

"Every moment of everyday." Sam replied.

"I bet she misses you too." She said hopeful. "Good people deserve happy endings, Sammy and I know both of you will have one, together."

"How do you know?"

"Because… You are not a stupid idiot you anymore." She said laughing.

"Speaking like a true grown-up." He said smiling. It was the first time since Mercedes left that he sincerely smiled at something.

XXXXX

It has been a year since Sam and Mercedes parted ways but in some aspects of his life, things were looking up. The winter after Mercedes moved back to New Haven, Sam transferred to the University of Tennessee, changed his major to Visual Arts and Illustration and as soon as January hit, he was back in the college life, even though, he still help at the family business' office from time to time. About the new college, he loved the new ambience but he missed Yale and he missed Mercedes even more. He kept in touch with Mike and Santana and through them; he knew that she was doing fine. He found out she made it into the Dean's List and he could not feel any prouder of her. She deserved all the good in the world.

After a long time hesitating, Sam decided to send Mercedes a letter where he explained her, using the amazing writing skills he was learning at his writing class, how much she still meant to him, how much she changed him, how thankful he was for everything they lived and how she would be present in his thoughts, regardless of the time apart.

He wrote the letter, sent it and wished to make her happy with it, even for a few minutes. What he did not know was that she was going to get the letter after a long time.

XXXXX

The day Santana received the letter was the same day Mercedes decided it was time to move on and forget all about Sam; seeing her friend so determined about it made the Latina decline on giving her the letter. Santana has to give credit to Mercedes for trying, she really did but she was unsuccessful. Sam was the only person who could genuinely make Mercedes smile. Never in that time did Santana saw her smile the way Sam made her. Sam was her light in the darkness of sorrows, her reason to love and the key to her fairytale ending.

After having the letter in her apartment for two years, Santana finally found the perfect moment to give it to her. They were having dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant, celebrating the ending of their undergrad academic careers and Mercedes was finally opening up about Sam.

"Mercedes, that was a sad story but you knew you guys didn't know each other very well, yet, you still accepted his proposal."

"I was blinded by what I felt."

"What you felt? So, that means you don't have feelings for Sam anymore?" Santana asked quizzically.

Mercedes frowned at her friend's questions. "I don't know what I feel anymore. It has been three years, Santana."

"Mercedes, you either feel something or you don't. Love is not ambiguous. When you are hit by love, you know it, because it consumes every fiber of your being and not matter how much time passes, it stays with you until the end of time." Mercedes looked at Santana with eyes wide open. "See… I always manage to get the truth out of you and your facial expression is giving me the answer I needed."

Mercedes glanced at her unfinished dinner. "What does it matter, San? He's probably in a stable relationship by now, living his perfect southern life; while I am here lingering to something that is never going to happen again." Mercedes snapped bitterly.

"What if I tell you that you're wrong? What if I tell you that he asks about you when we talk? Would you believe me?" Santana said hopeful. In that moment, Santana gave her friend the letter.

"What is this?" Mercedes asked nervously.

"The answer to some of your questions. The only issue that I was supposed to give you this two years ago but I didn't because you were so determined to forget him I got scared thinking you were never going to read it." Santana confessed. "That action got me in a lot of trouble."

Mercedes took the envelope and she opened it as fast as she could, even though she was shaking like a leaf.

"You don't have to read it here."

"I have to. Last time I read something he left me, I ended up in Tennessee. At least, this time you would be here to stop me."

As soon as Mercedes unfolded the letter, tears filled her eyes. As Santana told her the letter was dated two years earlier, which meant that, he wrote the letter a year after they broke up. Line after line, Mercedes felt the heaviness of the feelings he felt when he wrote it.

Dear Mercedes,

Today marks a profound, though bittersweet, milestone for me; as I bear witness to both, an end and a beginning. An end because after a long time expecting a miracle, I know that for now it is not going to happen but I am happy for the new beginning because I am following my dreams just like you wanted me to do. While I must continue on, I must also admit to have been blessed with someone like you, who so capably guided me to where I am today.

Where there has been so much love and happiness for someone it is natural to be reluctant to close such wonderful chapter in my life but moving forward is rarely accomplished without a considerable amount of grief and sadness. While my sorrow may be profound, I know, the clouds will clear and the sun will shine on me again, and in that warm, bright light I will find myself facing a glorious future. A future of exciting challenges and infinite possibilities in which the horizon will stretch out before me rimmed in the heavenly glow of the sunshine of my tomorrow.

I want you to know that I mean every single world I say in this letter and every single world I said to you when we were together. You are everything I need and I will always keep some sort of hope that we will find a way to each other again. Until then, I wish you the best in life and all the happiness you deserve.

I love you and I always will,

Sam

After she read the letter one more time, Mercedes understood that Sam felt the same way she did, empty and incomplete. However, what was she going to do? That letter was from two years ago and she did not have an idea about how he felt now. Life and its complicated games.

XXXXX

After a long and boring graduation ceremony, Santana's mother could not stop taking pictures of their grown-up babies.

"Can we get the girls together for another group shot?" Santana's mother, Maribel, asked.

"¿Mamá, más fotos? No. ¡Por favor!" Santana whined in Spanish.

"Please, mija! This is a moment, we are not going to relive again. Let me enjoy it."

"Ok, ok… Whatever!" Santana said, rolling her eyes. "Mercedes, Brittany… mom wants us to pose for another group picture!"

Mercedes and Brittany approached a severely annoyed Santana. "Baby, let her have her moment. She's just very proud of you." Brittany whispered in her girlfriend's ear. "I will be very giving tonight if you behave properly now." She added seductively.

"Wanky!" Santana replied because she knew exactly what her girlfriend meant.

The girls posed for an infinite amount of pictures and they were secretly glad when the battery of the camera died. The photoshoot was getting a bit out of control. Immersed in the conversations, they did not notice a car parked nearby and someone got out of it and approached them.

"Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful." The person said from behind.

A smile formed in her mouth as she turned around and found smiling Sam, standing in front of her. His hair was longer than before and his face features looked more mature. The guy standing in front of her was definitely not the guy, she met four years ago. Mercedes glimpsed at her friends, who were giggling like partners in crime. They were definitely guilty of all charges.

Mercedes walked towards Sam, still not believing he was standing there after all the time they had been apart. They looked at each other tenderly, indulging on each other's presence and for the first time Mercedes was the one breaking the long silence.

"Shakespeare?" She said playfully.

"It seemed right to bring the old man back." Sam replied and they fell in another comfortable silence.

"I want you in my life, Mercedes." Said Sam breaking the silence. She smiled in disbelief. "I want to marry you and if that means that I have to wait until you finish law school, become a lawyer and anything else you want to do, then I'll do it. I mean it. Not having you in my life all these years was a torture and I am upset I didn't decide to fight for you sooner but, here I am and I am willing to fight for us." Sam declared. "I mean it, Mercedes. I'll wait until you make all your dreams come true."

"Sam… your family, your friends, the people you rub shoulders with back in Tennessee are not ready to see you with someone like me." Mercedes stated.

"Well… then, they'll have to be."

"Why?"

"Because I am." Sam said staring at her. Then, he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her passionately in hopes of the start of a new beginning that could led them to a beautiful, happy and successful fairytale ending.

A/N: Well... This is it! I sincerely hope that you guys loved the story as much as I loved writing it. For those of you wondering and to the angry guest reviewer, who left me a very hurtful review... This story is based on the movie "The Prince and Me" starring Julia Stiles and Luke Mably, also some of the dialogue comes from the movie.

I will start working on You Belong With Me very soon. Fingers crossed!

Blessings and Love...

Until We Meet Again,

XOXO