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It's weird. Waking up in the morning and no need to rush to work. Mercedes turned to her left and she was greeted with Sam's sleeping face. She smiled as she watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful. She played with his hair and kissed his temple before she got out of the bed. After brushing her teeth, Mercedes went to the kitchen. She glanced at the clock on the wall. 6:50 a.m. Sam would wake up in ten minutes. She quickly gathered everything that she needed to make a pancake. Mercedes added some blueberries inside the batter for Sam's favourite blueberry pancake. She was so focus in her task that she didn't hear Sam walked into the kitchen and stood behind her. He brought his arms around her waist and brought her body closer to him before he kissed her neck, making Mercedes squealed and giggled.

"Good morning" he whispered.

"Good morning to you too. Breakfast almost ready. Why don't you go and get ready for work? Then, we can have breakfast together before you go"

"Why aren't you ready yet?" Sam asked, confused.

"24 hours notice, remember?" Mercedes said, chuckling.

"Oh" Sam said as their conversation from few days ago lingered in his mind out of the blue. He kissed Mercedes' cheek before he disappeared into his room. Fifteen minutes later, he came back, fully clothes and ready for work. Mercedes had talked about moving back home on Friday and it was Monday. After their talk on Friday, they both spent the whole weekend talked about Mercedes' feeling about her father's death. At first Mercedes refused to do so, but after much coaxing from Sam, she came through. It affected her badly that she couldn't talk to him before he was gone and she blamed herself for it. To add to the grief, she was having a problem in her office. A new co-worker who started work around two months ago seemed to plant bad words to her boss about Mercedes and her boss believed her lies. Sam was mad at her for not talking to him about it, but his anger subsided when she started her rant on the said co-worker. He found it amusing to see Mercedes rant animatedly. After the long hours of ranting and going through Mercedes' 'emotional problem', Sunday was spent leisurely. They went on a stroll in Central Park and had a small picnic in the afternoon. In the evening, they spent the time together - reading their books and did some grocery shopping. Sam smiled as he watched Mercedes humming a song as she prepared the orange juice. It looked like talking about her feeling in depth definitely had a positive effect.

"So, what are you going to do today since you don't have to go to work?" he asked Mercedes as he pulled a chair for her to sit at the dining table. Sam took the pitcher from her and pour the juice into two glasses. Mercedes shrugged her shoulder.

"I don't really know. Maybe I'll go back to my house and spend the day lazily or I'll check on Quinn. She's been asking me out for lunch for weeks now"

"Well, I'm gonna miss you during lunch" Sam pouted. Mercedes grinned and kissed his pouted lips.

"Aww, poor baby! Don't worry. Quinn gets to have lunch with me, but I'll spend my dinner time with you. I'll cook something special for you. Just drop by my apartment later on"

"Deal!"

Quinn was surprised when she saw Mercedes walked into her office with lunch. Mercedes smiled as she sat across Quinn and gave the one of the tupperware that she had brought to Quinn. Quinn squealed when she saw that it was her favourite potato salad and marinara spaghetti, making Mercedes laughed at her.

"Well, that was something that I thought I won't see for a long time" Quinn commented, referring to Mercedes' laughter.

"What?" Mercedes asked, puzzled. Quinn smiled.

"Your laughter" she simply said. Mercedes gave her a small smile.

"I also thought I've lost it" she said. Quinn looked at her. She could see the sadness in her eyes. Mercedes has lovely eyes and they held the secret of what she's been feeling inside them. All of her emotions and feeling can be clearly seen in her beautiful brown eyes. They are the windows to her soul.

"How are you holding up?" Quinn asked.

"Better than before this. Thanks to Sam"

Quinn smiled. She won't tell Mercedes, but Quinn and everyone else were thankful of Sam. He has been Mercedes' rock ever since David gone. They're sure that if Sam wasn't around, Mercedes would not leave her house or continue living.

"You've found yourself a great man, Mercedes" Quinn said, making a smile appeared on Mercedes' face.

"Daddy said the same thing too"

Quinn detected some sadness and she steered away it.

"So, what makes you come and visit me?" she asked.

"I quit my job"

"Oh!" Quinn said, surprised. "Why? What happened?"

"I can't stand it anymore. It was hard walking into the building, having the memory of daddy there. Then, this bitch, Kitty started working there and I don't know what's her problem is, but she started sprouted nonsense about me. My stupid boss believed her bullshit. Work wasn't fun anymore and I decided to quit before they fired me. I was on the brink of having depression with everything. If Sam is not with me, I think I would lose my mind!"

"Oh, honey! Your boss is an ass for believing her"

"I was thinking of going back home" Mercedes said.

"Home? As in your daddy's home?" Quinn asked. Mercedes nodded. Quinn's tone suggested that she thought that it wasn't a good idea. Mercedes was right when Quinn let out a sigh.

"Mercedes, sweety. You couldn't even face the memory of your father at your office. Don't you think going back home is much worse? I mean, it is his house - your childhood's house. There are a lot of his memories in there. Are you sure you can face them?"

"I don't mind. It's different, you know. When I was there after daddy's gone, I felt - calm. I mean, I feel like he is still around. I couldn't face the one at my office's building because it's a reminder that I met him few days before he's gone and I should've make more memories with him. The one at home - all those memories are my treasures. A proof that he was alive"

Quinn reached for Mercedes' hand and held it tight.

"I would never understand what are you going through now, but Mercedes - aren't you supposed to move on with your life? You cannot hold on to the past. I'm sure poppa Jones wants the same thing for you. Does Sam know about this?"

Mercedes nodded. "He said that he's going with me" she explained. Quinn's eyes went wide.

"Leaving his restaurant and patisserie?" she asked. Mercedes nodded again.

"Mercedes! Are you sure about this?"

"No! That's why I come to talk about it!" Mercedes yelled. She clammed her lips once she noticed she was yelling. Mercedes stood up and started to pace in Quinn's office.

"I don't know what to do! Sam has been a blessing from heaven! Something that - I don't think I need at first, but now - I can't imagine how would life be without him! He has done so many things for me and I don't think I've ever done anything for him - you know. I didn't ask him to go with me. He decided to follow me on his own - and truth was, I was happy when he said it. Selfish, I know! But, Quinn! I've lost daddy and I don't think I want to lose Sam too" Mercedes said as she sat on the chair, facing Quinn again.

"You seem like you've made up your mind" Quinn said. Mercedes shook her head.

"I did, at first. When I made the decision to quit and moved back home, I didn't even think about Sam. I was stress about work and - I don't know! I just typed my 24 hours notice, slammed it on my boss' table, cleaned up my desk and walked out. Then, when I told Sam about it, he seemed so calm as he made decision to follow me. That's the time that I realised, I wasn't alone. I have him with me now. I shouldn't make the decision alone because it'll affect him too"

"Honestly, Mercedes, I don't know what should I say to you. You need to decide this on your own" Quinn said. "My only advice is that you'll think about it through Sam's side too"

Mercedes put all the groceries that she had bought on the kitchen counter. She was hoping that she would have a decision by the time she left Quinn's office but thing didn't go as planned. The doorbell rang. Mercedes frowned. It was only 3 o'clock and Sam would never ring the bell since he had the key. Mercedes was surprised to see his brother when she looked at the small screen. She buzzed him in.

"How did you know that I am home?" Mercedes asked when James walked into her house.

"I went to wait for you at Sam's patisserie during lunch. He told me you'd be here" James explained as he went to the kitchen, opened the fridge and took out a can of Pepsi.

"Is there something important you want to talk about?" Mercedes asked. She sat on her ottoman while James made himself comfortable on the couch. James would never looked for her at the office unless it is important.

"I'm moving back home" James said, surprising Mercedes. "I'm done with my PhD and one of dad's friends offered me a position at the nearby university. Mal has decided to do community college while handling dad's shop and I can help him"

"J, that's great! We all can live together! I was thinking of moving back home too!" Mercedes said excitedly. James shook his head.

"No, you're not. Sam told me about it and I don't think it's a good idea, Merc"

"Why?"

"Let's face it. You don't belong there. How long can you live with momma under the same roof? You can't even spend more than three days without fighting!"

Mercedes bit her lower lip. James had a point. A good point.

"Besides, with daddy gone, we know who she's going to spend her time with. Malique and I, we don't give a crap about it. But you, you're going to be stressed out thinking about it"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. James was right. She would throw a fit and it won't be good for her mental health.

"Merc, you have a life here. A good one. Let's not forget about Sam too. Daddy talks highly about him - how he takes care of you. He kept telling us that he's happy that you've found someone worthy to be with. Although, I am glad that you quit your job. You've been complaining about that bitch for months now. It's about time you leave that company. Even before that bitch was there, they've been treated you like shit. Did you tell Sam about it?"

Mercedes nodded.

"Finally! I wonder why you talk about it with me when you have him with you. According to Kurt and Tina, he hasn't left your side ever"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "I don't want to bother him with small things like that. He's done a lot for me and I don't want to put more burden on him"

"He's a good man. Don't drive him away, Merc" James said. Mercedes gave him a smile. "Don't stress out about us too. Mal asked me to tell you that he's an adult now and he knows how to handle his life. We're gonna be fine. Besides, I'll be there to keep an eye on him. He actually knows a lot about dad's business. Seemed like he's been preparing him to take over before he passed away. As for mom -" James looked at Mercedes.

"Honestly, I don't care. I just don't want to know about the guy if she's gonna remarried. Daddy is no longer here and she can do whatever she wants. Just tell her to not bringing that man to daddy's house. I would kill you and Mal with my bare hands if that happens"

"See! Living here is better for you. Just need to focus on minimizing the grieving and move on with your life" James said, hugging Mercedes.

"Thank you, James. Thank you for everything that you've done for me and our family" Mercedes whispered. She thought of what her father's said in his letter and an idea came to her mind.

"I need you to help me with something" Mercedes said.

"Sure!" James replied without any hesitation. It was nice to see the glimmer in Mercedes' eyes again.

Sam walked into Mercedes' apartment and was surprised to see that it was dark and only candles illuminated the living room. He followed the candles that led him to the dining room. The light was dimmed and his eyes fell onto Mercedes' who was waiting for him. Her hair cascaded along her right cheek, her lips was deep red, giving her the sultry look. She was wearing a blue tulle dress with deep V-neck that showcased her ample breasts.

"Wow!" Sam muttered as he watched her walking toward him. He was lost for words. Mercedes greeted him with a deep and loving kiss.

"I've made your favourite" Mercedes said once they broke their kiss. She showed the spread on the dining table. She had cooked Sam's favourite lasagna, together with salad and garlic bread. She also made Sangria for them to drink. Sam pulled the chair for Mercedes to sit. They enjoyed their dinner with light conversation. After they finished their dinner, Mercedes stood up and took Sam's hand. She brought him to the living room. The furniture had been moved. She played the music from her playlist.

"May I have this dance?" she asked, offering her hand to Sam who gladly accepted it. Only the music filled the apartment as they danced around.

"Not that I am complaining, but may I know what's inspire this amazing night?" Sam asked. Mercedes looked at his green eyes.

"You" she said. Sam frowned.

"Me?"

Mercedes smiled. "Yes, you. You've been amazing throughout our relationship. You've been my rock ever since daddy left and you never complaints about my erratic behaviour. I know that I am not the easiest woman to deal with. What's with my tendencies to run away whenever I encounter something I am not comfortable with. I feel like I haven't done anything to show you how much I appreciate you"

"I'm glad that you noticed your running away tendencies. I feel like I need to put a harness on you sometimes"

Sam laughed when Mercedes hit his chest. The song changed. Mercedes looked at Sam, smiling.

"Pay attention to this song" she whispered as 'Love Song' by Adele started playing. Sam's eyes went wide as he listened attentively to the lyrics. There were sparkles in his eyes as he looked at Mercedes.

"Are you?" he asked.

"I love you, Sam Evans" Mercedes whispered in his ear. Sam was grinning from ear to ear when he heard it. He brought his hands to Mercedes neck and then cupped her face in them as he leaned down for a long passionate kiss.