Hi! Hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm gonna go to bed now. Sorry for any mistakes I missed.

Sam's hands were shaking and not even Mercedes taking them in her own and squeezing them helped. He swallowed a few times and kept staring down the road. They were waiting outside the terminal with Puck for Mercedes's parents to come pick them up. None of them had seen the Jones' since they ran away to California.

Mercedes was on edge for a different reason, however. She'd spoken to her parents. She knew the reunion would be bittersweet and possibly tense, but all she could think about was the fact that the record company hadn't called her even though they asked for her contact information in June. It was November; thanksgiving time and she hadn't received so much as a rejection email.

"Your dad's never been a violent person, right?" Sam asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Sam, calm down," she cooed, rubbing his arm.

"I can't calm down. He probably hates me after all that's happened, especially because I lied to his face days before we left. And now he's gonna find out we're engaged…" His breathing quickened and he squeezed her hand tighter. "Let's just get it over with."

"On the bright side, we get to see Stevie and Stacey," she said. The holiday was truly going to be a family affair, considering the Evans were coming up Thanksgiving morning. Everyone was going to be there, facing the couple for the first time in five years.

"Yeah, they're not likely to kill us," he breathed out.

She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath when she saw a black SUV pull up. The first one out of the car was her mother, who smiled and made a beeline for Mercedes and Sam, wrapping them both up in her arms for a tight hug.

"You're alive…" she murmured, kissing them both on the cheek.

"Yeah, we're alive Mama," Mercedes replied, returning the hug. The older woman pulled away and touched their faces, her eyes a bit glazed over before turning to Puck and moving to give him a hug and ask him how his time in LA had been.

Mr. Jones had exited the car now and was making his way to his daughter. His face started off as stony and serious, but the man wasn't able to hold a smile back at the sight of his daughter.

"Alright baby girl, bring it in," he said, opening his arms. Mercedes grinned and closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around the tall man's waist and taking in the scent of the same cologne she'd been accustomed to smelling throughout her entire childhood. It was calming and she knew right then that no matter what they disagreed on, he was still her daddy.

When they parted, Mr. Jones looked at Sam, causing the blond to shift his weight and rub his clammy hands on his jeans. They stared at each other for several moments before the man took a deep breath and slapped his hand onto Sam's shoulder.

"Sam."

"Mr. Jones."

"It's good to see you, son."

Mercedes watched the exchange and smiled, able to pick up on the fact that the words they just shared had served as a deep conversation full of apologies, forgiveness, and acceptance.

The ride back wasn't nearly as awkward as the three kids thought it would be. Her parents were asking them a ton of questions, seeming genuinely interested in how their lives had been going. Puck asked about his mom and told them about his decision to spend the holiday with her and his sister. He planned on helping them out with money as well. When Sam brought up Mercedes's performance in front of the record executive, the Joneses erupted in excitement; especially her father. She was pursuing a career he didn't approve of, but in his mind, if she was going to do it she needed to be successful at it. The news brought hope to him and his wife.

"This is so exciting!" her mother exclaimed, looking back at them.

"Yeah…" Mercedes replied, looking out the window. They were all so into the new information that they'd failed to notice her lack of enthusiasm. She was kind surprised at how they all seemed to be so confident in her success even though she could very well be stuck lounge-singing her entire life.

"What are you doing?" Mercedes finished undressing and had gotten in her bed while Sam was still up, walking around her bedroom and touching things, staring at posters and photographs on her walls.

"Huh?" he responded, snapping out whatever haze he was in and looking at her.

"What are you doing?" she repeated with an amused expression.

"Oh. Nothing. Just looking around…it's been a really long time since I've been in here," he told her.

"Yeah. It looks exactly the same."

Sam nodded in agreement and looked around again, thinking back to when they were just friends, watching movies on her bed even when he knew he would end up with her. He remembered her smiling at him and the feeling of wanting to kiss her when he couldn't. He thought about the summer that changed things between them; the fights (big and small), the sneaking around, taking Stevie and Stacey to the lake, the decision to make love and the many times they did it afterward. He remembered how much he missed being in this room when he had to leave her and how they foolishly thought it was the end for them.

The room held a stifling amount of memories; good and bad. He looked at her as she lay on the bed staring at him, wearing the ring her parents had failed to notice and took a moment to think about all they had to go through to be together like they were in that moment. When he was offered the glimpse into his obviously love-filled future he had no idea he'd have to face the huge roadblocks so far. But he was so happy now, and he thought they were finished with obstacles.

"Sam," Mercedes whined. "Come to bed already."

He smiled and nodded before pulling off his shirt and tossing it aside. He undid his jeans and pushed them down, kicking them to where his shirt landed and crawling into the bed next to her.

"So your parents were really excited about the record exec," he said cheerfully once they were wrapped up in each other and she was laying on his chest.

"I wish you hadn't told them about that," she murmured.

"What? Why?"

"Because it's probably not gonna happen." She sighed and he furrowed his eyebrows, moving up against the headboard, causing her to sit up as well to look at him.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked. "Of course it's going to happen."

"That was months ago, Sam. They probably forgot about me."

"That's impossible. No one forgets about you," he told her, completely serious. "Look, 'Cedes. Don't let the fact they're taking a long time kill your confidence. You have nothing to worry about." She looked at him and bit her lip.

"You're so sure," she said, cracking a smile. He pulled her back close to him and she wrapped her arms around his middle.

"You should be too. These companies are so busy. But they'll call," he replied, kissing her forehead. "They'll call."

The next couple days were relatively calm. Mercedes stopped wearing the ring around her parents because they both decided to tell them about the engagement when the big dinner came.

The evening before Thanksgiving after helping her mother prepare some things in advance, Mercedes went up to her room. Sam had been watching the game with her father and she figured he'd be up soon so she could go to bed. It was cheesy when people said they couldn't fall asleep without the one they love next to them, but this was actually the case. She'd gotten used to his body near or pressed against hers, so she was spoiled.

She changed into a nightshirt and tied her hair up, walking over to her bed to pull the covers back. When she got in, she heard vibrating nearby and noticed both of their phones on her nightstand. It was Sam's ringing. She could see the text on the screen without touching it and when she saw the name and message, her insides twisted. She hated that feeling, but lately anything that had to do with Quinn made it return. She also hated that Quinn, someone she considered to be a close friend, was making her uneasy about her own relationship.

Hey Sam! I was wondering if you wanted to meet me at the Lima Bean on Black Friday at like 2? I want to catch up!

Why did she want to catch up with Sam and not Mercedes? She didn't get a text. The whole thing seemed shady as hell. Right then, as if sensing trouble, Sam walked through the bedroom door.

"Hey, how come you didn't tell me you were going to bed?" he asked, shutting it behind him and going to change his clothes.

"I uh, I figured you'd be up soon," she replied, biting her lip and trying not to let her panic show. He quickly stripped down to his boxers and put his clothes away before getting in next to her. She closed her eyes when she felt him pull her nightshirt down and kiss her shoulder. She turned to look at him and he smiled before kissing her lips.

"You're not tired, are you?" he asked, slipping his hand under the cover.

"Quinn texted you," she said abruptly. She knew that once his fingers made it to where they were headed, there would be no way to get to the subject because he'd have her and all talking would cease.

"I knew you seemed tense," he said after a few moments. She handed him his phone and he raised an eyebrow before unlocking it and looking at the text. He sighed and looked back at her, opening his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.

"You should go."

"To get coffee with Quinn? Why?" he asked, looking utterly baffled.

"She's your friend."

"She's your friend too, so come with me," he told her.

"She obviously just wants to see you. And I'm okay with that. I trust you. Might as well talk to her about whatever she wants to talk about."

Sam stared at her for a few moments longer before sighing and texting Quinn back, saying that 2 would be fine for him.

Stacey was getting way too old to spend every minute on her brother's back, but she didn't care. Sam didn't either, running through the Jones house with his twelve year old sister laughing and gripping his shoulders tighter.

Mr. Evans and Jones were settled in the family room watching television while Mercedes helped put the finishing touches on dinner with her mother and Mrs. Evans. Stevie was in there as well for reasons the women couldn't fathom.

Once the food was ready, all it took was the smell to draw the rest of the clan into the dining room. The chatter only died down so Mr. Jones could say grace, but as soon as he finished, it was back up again.

Sam and Mercedes kept stealing glances across the table, both trying to figure out when would be the best time to reveal that they were engaged.

"Look at us just babbling on!" Mary Evans exclaimed suddenly. "You two need to tell us more about California! I'm so proud of you two for staying afloat out there."

Sam looked at his fiancé with an expression that said 'Now's as good a time as any.' She responded with a half-smile before addressing his mom.

"Well it's beautiful for one thing. The sunsets on the beach are just…amazing," she said.

"I'll bet. I'm sure it's quite the romantic area," Mr. Evans said, grinning.

"You have no idea. We go there all the time. That's even where Sam proposed."

Mr. and Mrs. Evans' eyes went wide, Mr. Jones nearly choked on his drink and Mrs. Jones dropped her fork so it clanged loudly on her plate and dropped to the floor. Stevie's jaw dropped and Stacey was covering her mouth with her palm, looking like she'd burst into rainbows any second. Sam was just as surprised but at her delivery, staring at Mercedes who was now drinking her glass of water and avoiding everyone's eyes.

"Rewind?" Mrs. Jones said calmly.

"They're getting married!" Stacey blurted out. Sam brought his palm to his face.

"Son?" his father probed.

"I proposed to Mercedes on the beach?" he said, giving an awkward smile.

"These kids are trying to kill me," Mr. Jones said, downing the rest of his drink. Mercedes took the ring out of her dress pocket and put it on.

"Well that is just lovely," Mrs. Evans said, taking Mercedes' hand to examine it.

"I want to see!" her mother exclaimed, leaning over.

"Me too!" Stacey yelled, getting up and going around the table to stand over the three women and admire the ring.

"Are you ready for this step?" Dwight asked his son, tearing his attention away from the cluster of estrogen nearby.

"I am. I know I am. We're not rushing to do it, but we're making the commitment," he replied, stealing a glance at Mr. Jones, whose expression seemed to soften.

"Well I guess y'all are grown. You do what you want," he said, shaking his head and eating his food. Sam grinned, knowing at the moment that was the closest to a blessing he'd get.

Quinn was early.

He spotted her in the corner of the Lima Bean when he walked in and headed straight towards her, opting not to buy coffee so he could get this over with and go have sex with his fiancé and tell her not to worry.

"Sam!" she said cheerfully, standing and hugging him. He smiled and hugged back before sitting across from her and taking off his jacket. She sat as well, crossing her legs and taking a sip of her coffee. "So how have you been?"

"Great. I'm engaged," he said, grinning. She coughed and stared at him for a few moments before responding.

"To who?" When she asked that, Sam got up and left.

Or that's what he wanted to do. What the hell did she mean to who?

"Mercedes…" he told her. She gripped the cup in her hand tighter and he noticed.

"Wow! That's something!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah…we're heading back to LA tomorrow night."

"Really? Well, I was going to tell you I'm moving out there in a few weeks," she said. His eyes widened and he shifted in his seat.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I have my degree and I'm ready to apply it! I have a ton of auditions lined up. I was going to ask if I could stay with you guys for a bit until I get on my feet."

Sam stared at the blonde, realizing he'd been put in a terribly hard position. To Quinn it probably seemed simple because she was their friend, but she didn't know about cheeky psychics in Vegas or bogus-maybe-not-so-bogus predictions involving a crystal ball.

"I'll have to ask Mercedes and Puck," he replied finally. She waved her hand and smiled.

"They'll probably be fine with it. Have you had fun out there so far?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, it's amazing." He continued on to tell her about his job, Mercedes's singing, the beach, their nice neighbors and other things he could think of that mattered. She smiled and listened, laughing at some points.

"I missed you Sam," she said suddenly. He bit his lip and balled his fist on the table, praying that this wasn't going to get awkward.

"Missed you too," he responded, attempted to sound cheerful and light-hearted. He almost called her buddy.

"Sometimes I wish I was in a different place when we dated in high school, you know? All that mess with Finn and being prom queen…I just wanted my life back. You were the perfect boyfriend and I really wish I had the chance to experience it. And even though we haven't spoken in so long, I still consider you to be one of my best friends."

"Well thanks, Quinn," he said, clearing his throat when his words came out hoarse.

"Seriously," she pushed. "I trust you and I'm really glad you came to see me." She reached out and touched his hand, squeezing it and smiling at him.

"You should know you can trust me…" he told her honestly.

"Right. And I want you to know that I think what you have with Mercedes is…great." That was a red flag for Sam.

"Why didn't you invite her for coffee?" he asked. She sighed and looked out the window, sipping from her cup.

"I'm still trying to accept some things and I'm not ready to see her."