DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GLEE NOR ANYTHING ELSE.

GARRETT TUCKER-SAM CLAFLIN

Danielle sat her book bag on the floor once she entered her father's home. She had asked him if she could come by after her class to sit down and talk with him some, "Dad?" She called out as she placed her phone into her romper pocket, walking through the living room, searching for him.

"Yeah, I understand..mhm, best behavior, you got it." Sam rolled his eyes as he walked through the hallway, listening to Summer go on and on. He honestly got pissed off in a span of two minutes when she called and told him that their mom had invited Saint to dinner tomorrow.

Summer sighed as she moved her scrolled down her tablet, making a few changes to the website, "I wanted to give you guys a heads up."

"I just want to know why in the fu-reak.." He changed his words when he saw Danielle sitting in the living room, "I'll call you later Summer." He hung up his phone and gave her a smile, "Hey, I thought you had to wait until mom got out of surgery. She said you left your keys at home."

"Well.." She started with a guilty smile as she got up and gave him a hug, standing back, "Don't tell mom but when I was eight, Aunt Cassie taught me how to pick a lock."

"Yeah, I'm definitely not telling her that." Sam chuckled as he sat down, putting his phone in his pocket, "So what's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow." She said slowly before taking a deep breath, "I just want to know if your brother is going to be there."

"Unfortunately, Summer just confirmed that my mom invited him. She said it would confused the kids to why he couldn't suddenly come."

"With all due respect, it's a bunch bs." Danielle said angrily as she sat up, "I don't know them at all but I'm not going to sit there and pretend to like someone who kept us apart."

"I don't expect you too, Dani."

"And I understand everyone don't want him to be frown upon by his kids but dammit dad." She said as she felt tears slide down her cheeks, "I need to be selfish for once in my life and call him out for everything he did."

Sam felt his heart literally break as he watched her cry in front of him. That the last thing he wanted her to do. He leaned over and wrapped her into a hug, kissing the side of her forehead, "We can do this some other time. You don't have to face them right now."

"No, I need to because if I don't do it tomorrow, I may never will." She said honestly as she pulled back to look at him, wiping her face, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't come over here just to break down again."

"Don't apologize." Sam said softly as he helped her dry her face up, "I understand your feelings and I know this is not going to be easy for you but I want you to know that me and your mom are going to be right there by your side."

Danielle nodded as she played with the ends of her shirt, sniffling before her eyes met his again, "I love you."

"I love you too." Sam smiled as he leaned over and gave her another hug, standing up when he was finish, "Now how about I make us something to eat. I actually can since your mom helps me with my grocery shopping."

"Good because that's one thing guys should never do alone." She snickered as she followed him into the kitchen, taking a seat on the bar stool. She crossed her arms over her chest and giggled when he rolled his eyes, "It's the truth and you know it."

Sam waved her off as he opened the refrigerator, trying to figure out what he could make for them.

"You know dad, I've been thinking and I'm pretty sure you have been too." Danielle started as she played with the placemats, watching him closely, "You should ask mom to move in with you, that is if you want her too."

"I do, I'm just waiting for the right time to ask." He said as he turned back to look at her, "You know how she is sometimes."

"Yeah." Danielle chuckled as she picked up an orange from the bowl, raising a brow as she began to peel, "But I think you two are way pass that stage where she questions everything."

Sam thought about what she said and nodded. She was right. They were way passed the indecisive stage. Now was the time for them to just be together fully and he had no problem with it. Tossing the tomato in his hand, he gave her a smile, "Up for some meatball subs?"

"Yes." She smiled as she watched him turn back to the refrigerator. She placed an orange slice in her mouth and sat back in the chair deep in thought. A lot was going to transpire in these forty-eight hours and she was praying that she got through it.

Mercedes held Dani's hand as they followed behind Sam up the steps. The day has come from her daughter to meet the other side of her family. Honestly, she didn't know how this was going to go but hopefully, it will go well enough for Dani.

Sam placed his hand on the doorknob, turning around the look at them with a small smile, "Ready?"

Dani looked at them before swallowing the lump in her throat, nodding slowly. She watched as he opened the door up with his key, keeping a tight grip on her mom's hand as they followed behind him. When they entered, she couldn't help but take in the pictures on the wall. A smile graced her lips when she found a few of her dad but one in the corner definitely caught her eye, "Oh my god, you two look the same."

Mercedes looked over her shoulder to see which one she was talking about and she smiled as well. It was the picture that Mr. Evans had took of them on the field after Sam won his baseball tournament in ninth grade.

"That was one of the best nights of my life and not because we won." Sam said as he stood beside Mercedes, looking down at them both, "It was because the girl I've been pinning after and asking out everyday of the week all year, finally agreed."

"And boy, you were desperate. I thought for sure Mercedes was going to file a restraining on you." A voice said from behind them, turning around, they found a smirking Dwight.

Sam rolled his eyes at him, mumbling, "I was not stalking her dad."

"Sure you weren't son." Dwight gave him a knowing look, earning a giggle to escape from Mercedes' mouth.

Danielle laughed quietly before her eyes met the older man's. She could instantly tell the similarities between him and her dad.

"And you must be Danielle." Dwight said with a smile as he stepped forward, "Is it okay for a hug?"

"Of course." She said sweetly as she gave him a smile before wrapping her arms around him, "It's nice to meet you."

"Same here darling." He said before looking over at Mercedes, giving the woman one as well, "She looks just like you, thank God."

"You know what dad, I'm really glad my self esteem is high and I know I'm handsome as hell." Sam said with a smirk before tapping the older man's shoulder, causing him to wrap his arm around his neck.

"I'm just yanking your chain, son." He laughed as he messed up his hair before letting go.

"I knew I heard your voices." Summer said as she came in, giving her a brother a hug before going to do the same to Mercedes and Danielle.

Danielle smiled as she hugged her back, looking at her mom, she grabbed her hand again before her grandfather spoke up.

"Everyone's out back, y'all can meet us there."

"We'll be out in a second dad." Sam gave the older man a smile before patting his back, watching him and Summer go towards the living room. He turned back to them, "At any point you want to leave, just let me know okay?"

Mercedes nodded as she looked over at their daughter, wrapping her arm around her shoulders.

"Okay." Dani said as she took a deep breath, nodding. They followed behind him once again, seeing them outside talking. Coming through the door, she saw an older version of Summer come up to her with a smile on her face.

"Dani, this is my older sister Shelby." Sam said as he stepped to the side, feeling someone tackle him from behind, he chuckled when he saw the small face peep around, "Hey bud."

"Hey Uncle Sam." Elijah smiled before his eyes went over to Mercedes and Danielle, "Are they your wives?"

Mercedes giggled as the young boy, causing Danielle to do the same.

"No buddy." Sam said with a snort as he picked him up, gesturing his head to Dani, "That's my daughter Danielle and her mom, Mercedes..who is going to be my wife one day."

"Oh." Elijah said with a smile before turning back to the women, blushing deeply, "They're super pretty, even though they have cooties."

"You're so adorable." Mercedes said with a smile as she leaned forward and pinched his cheeks.

"Take your eyes off my fiancée, little Casanova." Sam joked as he sat the little blushing boy to his feet, watching as he laughed and went back to his seat.

Danielle smiled at him before her eyes went back to Shelby. She noticed the tension earlier between her and her dad but chose to ignore it, "It's nice to meet you."

"You too." She said with a smile as she tucked her hair back, gesturing to her husband, "That my husband Garret and my step-son, Elijah."

"Nice to meet you." Garret said as he flashed them a smile, standing up to shake both of their hands.

"You too." Mercedes smiled, her eyes moving farther down the table.

"Dr. Jones, it's good to see you again." Alex said as he came up and hugged the older woman.

"Please call me Mercedes." She said as she hugged him back, scanning his face, "How are you?"

"I'm feeling much better."

Mercedes smiled before stepping aside, gesturing to Dani, "This is our daughter Danielle and Dani, these are your cousins, Alex and Timothy."

Dani was taken aback when they hugged her but it quickly went away as she hugged them back. She was overwhelmed with emotions but it was definitely a wonderful feeling to meet her cousins for the first time.

Sam bit the inside of his cheek as he turned to Mercedes, seeing the smile on her face, he bumped his shoulder with hers.

"Alright you two, let her go so she can sit down and eat." Dwight said, looking over to his wife, oldest son and Roxy through the kitchen window, he shook his head, "I hope you're not a vegetarian Danielle because sweetheart, everything on this table has meat in it."

Danielle laughed as she took a seat beside Summer, beaming at the older man, "Far from it. Everything looks delicious."

Mercedes gasped when she spotted something, hitting Sam's shoulder repeatedly, "He made it."

"Always." Sam laughed at the excited expression on her face, glancing over at his dad, "Dad, you did it on purpose too. You sat it right in front of her."

Danielle looked on confusedly when she noticed the two starting to laugh, looking at the dish, "What is it?"

"The best slow-cooked pulled pork smothered in homemade pineapple bourbon barbecue sauce." Mercedes beamed as she turned to her daughter, "Babe, you know I wouldn't lie to you ever so by me saying this, I mean it. Your grandfather makes the best, I mean the absolute best pulled pork I've ever tasted."

Dwight chuckled as he picked up his cup, taking a sip before speaking again, "I always made it when Mercedes came over. She loves it so much."

"I know we are suppose to wait for grace but y'all cut me some slack. I haven't had any in twenty years." Mercedes took her fork and placed some on her plate, sticking a forkful in her mouth, moaning as she closed her eyes, "Oh my god."

Sander snorted as he placed his hand over his mouth, throwing his head back in laughter, "I can't take her."

Sam laughed, shaking his head as he watched her take another forkful and put it to Dani's mouth. His eyes flickered to the door and instantly rolled them when he saw who was coming out.

Danielle swallowed the contents, nodding in agreement, "That's really good."

Mary stepped outside, clearing her throat, greeting them with a smile, "Sam, Mercedes." Her eyes went to Dani and she let out a quiet gasp, "Wow, you're so beautiful."

"Thank you." Danielle said as she stood up, moving her hair behind her ears, she stared at the older woman, "I'm guessing your my grandmother."

"I am."

"I can tell. You have those same gentle, caring eyes my dad has." She smiled a bit, seeing the couple behind her but focused on her, "It's really nice to finally meet you."

Mary felt herself getting emotional as she leaned forward and gave her a hug, "Same here sweetheart."

Mercedes felt Sam tense up beside her and she grabbed his hand underneath the table, rubbing her thumb across his hand.

Mary let go of the girl, wiping the tear from her face. She placed a gentle squeeze on Sam's shoulder before heading over to sit by her husband.

Roxy sat down, looking at the girl in front of her. She gave her a small smile, extending her hand out, "Hi, I'm Roxy. Saint's wife, Alex and Timothy's mom."

Danielle gave her a strained smile as she shook her hand, bringing it back quickly. She was taught never to be disrespectful but it was going to be hard not to tonight. She glanced over at the man sitting beside and she couldn't help but feel her jaw clenched. Taking a calming breath, she sat back down beside her mom and put the cup to her mouth.

Sander noticed the tension and he decided to cut it, "Alright y'all, lets pray and eat."

Summer nodded as she took ahold of Dani's hand, sending her a warm smile before grabbing her dad's.

"Bowed heads and closed eyes." Dwight waited for everyone before doing the same, "Dear Lord, we come to you today we humbled hearts. Thank you for the delicious food that is on the table and for blessing us this year. We have so much to be thankful about and we seriously can't thank you enough. In Jesus name, Amen."

"Amen."

Danielle sat back in her seat and crossed her legs, looking down at her mom and dad. She could tell that he was pissed and trying to keep his anger at bay and honestly, she was doing the same.

Sam grabbed Mercedes' plate and began fixing her some food, smirking when she hit his thigh.

"So Mercedes, what made you want to become a doctor?" Garret asked as he grabbed Elijah two hotdogs and put them on his plate.

"I have always had an urge to help people. When I was younger, I had a room full of stuffed animals and I would always pretend that they were sick just so I could do my best to take care of them." She chuckled, causing everyone to do the same, "Really, I just love being able to help and make people feel better."

Sam bumped shoulders with her, placing the plate down, he dropped a kiss to her cheek, "And she's amazing at it too."

"I'm a living testimony of it."

Danielle smiled over at Alex before turning to her mom, wrapping her arm around her to give her a small hug. She pulled back and went to fix her food, listening to Summer explain how her dad cooked everything. So far, so good..but everyone knew it wasn't going to stay like that.

Surprisingly, dinner wasn't as awkward as they expected. Most of the time was spent with everyone getting to know Dani and vice versa. Everyone enjoyed the meal and now they were clearing the table and letting the kids go get changed so they could get in the pool.

Alex picked up the last plate and headed to the door, stopping mid-step when he thought of something, "One last question Dani."

"Of course." She turned to the teen and smiled. She had found out she had a lot in common with him despite their age differences.

"Are you a Marvel or DC fan? And who's your favorite hero?"

"Marvel." Hearing her dad groan, she chuckled as she leaned over and pushed his shoulder before turning back to the teen, "Jessica Jones is my favorite."

"Not bad, not bad at all." Alex said with a nod as he disappeared into the house, heading upstairs to change into his swimwear.

"I can't believe you're a Marvel fan." Sam said in utter disbelief, hearing Mercedes snort, he glared at her, "This is your fault."

"How is this my fault?" She asked through her giggles. When he didn't answer her, she just laughed louder, shaking her head at his silliness.

Mary smiled at the couple before crossing her arms, glancing down at Saint, who hadn't said a word throughout the entire dinner. Her thoughts were broken up when Danielle's sweet voice broke the silence.

"I just want to thank you again for having me and my mom over. Dinner was amazing and it's been nice getting to know all of you, which should've been years ago but hey, stuff happens, am I right?" She said with a tight smile on her face, ignoring the hit to her thigh her mom gave her.

"Well deserved shade." Sander muttered underneath his breath. Yep, this was about to turn really bad.

Roxy bit down on her bottom lip, sighing at the girl's statement. Looking over at her husband, she saw him tighten the grip on his beer bottle and bring it to his mouth, "Danielle, can we just put the past behind us. Saint is really sorry about what he did."

"Are you his mouthpiece for tonight?" Danielle sat up in her seat, cocking her head to side slightly, "And no, we can't put anything in the past because your husband ruined lives. I don't know how in world you think that is something we can get over."

"Damn." Summer said in shocked, not expecting for her to snap off like she just did. She was definitely Sam's child.

"Danielle." Mercedes started but stopped when Sam grabbed her hand, eyes moving to his, she watched him shake his head.

"I'm surprised I made it this far into being here without saying anything." She said as her eyes flickered to her grandparents, "And I apologize for disrespecting your home but I will not let this slide. I spent majority of my life without my father." Her eyes went back to Saint, "You don't know how that feels. Growing up thinking that he didn't love me enough to stick around, having kids tease me in school because of it but that's not even the worse part. I had to listen to adults constantly belittle my mother, saying that she was nothing but another statistic, that she would never finish getting her education and the only job that she was ever going to get was somewhere at a fast food restaurant." She let out a humorless laugh, feeling her eyes starting to water up, "It's an amazing to know how wrong they all were. My mom was eighteen with a newborn baby. She raised me on her own, has a high school diploma, a college degree, and two different doctorates. She turned out pretty damn great if you ask me." She glared at Saint and Roxy, not realizing the nerves she was hitting right now, "So no, we can't put this in the past and pretend like nothing happened. I'm not leaving here until I know why you decided to ruin my life, because I can't get that part back and you're going to give me an explanation."

"Like I told your dad, I was only looking out for him at the time." He said as he stared at her, seeing the angry scowl on her face only reminded him of her father. His eyes flickered to Mercedes then back to her, "I am sorry for what I did, and seeing you now, I do regret it but I didn't at the time."

Dwight ran his fingers across his forehead, taking a deep breath as he leaned back in his chair. No matter how hard his oldest try to spin this, it wasn't going to change what he did.

"That's BS and you know it." Danielle shook her head before standing up, "It's obvious that your jealous of your own brother. And it's obvious that at one point, you were in love with my mom." She heard the shocked gasps but decided to ignore it, her eyes never leaving his, "You've been stealing glances at her this whole dinner. I'm not saying you don't love your wife but it's clear you still have some one sided feelings."

"Alright, that's enough Danielle." Mercedes said as she stood up, grabbing her arm, she gave Dwight and Mary a small smile, "Thank you for dinner, it was lovely but it's time for us to go." She needed to get her out of here because one thing she did get from Sam was one hell of a bad temper.

"You were in love with her?" Roxy asked Saint in disbelief, seeing that he didn't answer. She felt her eyes getting misty as she sat there. It was like she didn't even know who he was anymore.

Garret's eyes were wide at everything that was going on. He really didn't know much about the situation at first but now, he was wishing he didn't because this was seriously messed up.

"Listen, y'all are not about to fight again." Sander called out to his brother, going over to Sam when he saw him stand up, he grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the door, "And trust me, Saint you deserve it but this time, I don't think Sam is going to stop."

Sam glared at his older brother before walking away, stepping inside the house, his body collided with Alex, grabbing his shoulders to keep him from falling, "Sorry."

"It's okay." His blue eyes went to his, seeing the frown on his face confused him, "Are y'all about to leave already?"

"Yeah bud, I just remembered that I forgot to feed Dasher before I left home."

Alex raised a brow as he crossed his arms, "You're lying Uncle Sam. I know because every time you do, the corner of your mouth twitches." He scanned his face before looking behind out the screen door, letting out a defeated sigh, "My dad is the one who kept y'all apart, isn't he?"

Sam wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led the boy to the other room, "Alex, he's your father, the last thing I want you to think I'm doing is trying to turn you against him. I didn't want to give you reason to not like your dad."

"Hard not to now."

"This is exactly why I didn't want you to find out." Sam sighed as ran his hands down his face, "Just don't tell your brother, okay?"

"I won't." He said quietly as he stared at him, "I'm really sorry this happened."

"It's not your fault, kiddo." Sam gave him a reassuring smile before bringing him in for a hug, "I'll see you soon, I promise." When he felt him nod, he pulled back and ruffled his hair before moving to the side, "Now go have fun and make sure you splash water on your parents for me."

Alex laughed at him as he nodded, "I will."

Sam smiled as he patted his back before walking out, heading to the front door, he opened it and found Mercedes sitting on the steps. He went down and took a seat beside her, "Hey."

Mercedes turned her head and gave him a soft smile, laying her head down on his shoulder, "Hey."

"Where's Dani?"

"Taking a much needed cool off walk."

"I didn't realize she could be really straightforward and get so pissed."

"She's a carbon copy of you Sam. Sometimes you both can handle your temper well, sometimes you can't. Today was one of those days were you did and she didn't." Mercedes lifted her head and looked at him, "She's like a backwards sour patch kid, sweet but turn sour real quick."

Sam snickered as he bent down and kissed her, "Yeah, she did get that from me."

"Mhm." Mercedes nodded knowingly, putting her head back on his shoulder and grabbing his hand, "Just so you know, I never knew that your brother felt that way."

"Me neither and if I would've known, I would have punched his face in a lot sooner." He said honestly as he played with her fingers, hearing footsteps, he looked up and spotted their daughter.

"Are you calm?" Mercedes asked as she stared at her, seeing that her red-face had turned back to its normal color.

Danielle nodded as she puffed out her cheeks, moving her hair back into a ponytail, "I'm fine, I'm just ready to go home."

"Alright." Sam said as he watched Mercedes get up. He turned his head when he saw heard the front door opening, seeing his dad, "We're going to head out."

Dwight nodded understandably as he walked out, looking towards Danielle, he opened his mouth but she beat him to it.

"I am really sorry for disrespecting your home."

Dwight waved her off as he stepped down the steps, "I understand your anger, it's okay. Mary and I would love for you to come back one day when it's just us one day."

"I would like that." Danielle said with a smile as she leaned forward and hugged him, letting go. She turned around and headed to the truck, leaving her parents alone to talk with him.

"Dad, let mom know that her trying to reconcile us is never going to happen. I meant it when I said I'm done with him. I don't want to be around him and I definitely don't want my family around him."

"I know son, believe me." Dwight placed a hand on his shoulder, turning to Mercedes, he gave the woman a caring smile, "You know Ms. Jones, I am truly proud of you and I sincerely can't thank you enough for raising my granddaughter up to be the woman she is today."

"Thank you Mr. Eva-Dwight." She chuckled when he gave her a look, "She's really an amazing kid."

Dwight gave her a hug before doing the same to Sam, "Call me later, alright?"

"Okay." Sam said as he watched him go back into the house. Sighing, he turned and grabbed Mercedes hand, kissing her forehead as he led them down the steps and to his truck. Today was definitely how he imagine it to turn out to be but he definitely wasn't expecting to see the side of his daughter he saw earlier.