DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GLEE NOR ANYTHING ELSE.
ENJOY :)
Mercedes placed her coat on as she watched her husband with a smile. They had been in the hospital for two days and it was finally time for them to leave. She was pretty relive and excited to be getting back home.
"You have to put these on your feet, so you won't get cold." Sam spoke as he looked down at Nova, smiling as she moved her legs around, making it harder for him to get her socks on.
Mercedes chuckled as she looked on at the two, watching as their baby girl slowed down the movement of her legs long enough for her daddy to put on her socks, "She's baiting you already."
Sam snorted as he nodded his head, swaddling her up in the blanket and picking her up carefully, "I have a feeling it's only going to get worse as she gets older."
Mercedes silently agreed when she heard her phone ding. Picking it up, she saw that it was a text from Gigi, "Babe, Gigi wants us to watch her in a few."
Sam turned his nose up, going over to sit beside her on the bed, "I'm not talking to Gigi at this present moment. She's trying to replace me with you at work."
Mercedes giggled as she hit his shoulder, picking up the remote and turning the channel, "I love the relationship between you two so much. She just like an annoying big sister."
"Tell me about it." He mumbled as glanced Nova, who was fast asleep in his arms, sucking on her pacifier. He looked up at the TV when he heard the familiar intro.
"Good morning Atlanta. It's Monday and we have a lot of updates coming your way, but first, as you can see, I'm by my lonesome today. Nathan is still out sick, and Sam, well.." Gigi smiled into the camera, "A HUGE congratulations goes out to our lovely anchor and his family on their beautiful bundle of joy. Your Sports Deck family loves you all so much, and we can't wait to see the new addition."
"Awe, that was so sweet." Mercedes smiled as she turned to her husband.
"It was. They are honestly the best people to work with. My second family, no matter how annoying their asses are." He whispered the last part, lifting Nova up and pressing a kiss to her forehead before he turned and carefully laid her in the car seat. He got up from the bed and stood in front of his wife, bending down to place a kiss to her lips, "I love you."
"I love you too." She said with a smile, leaning back to pat his cheeks, "Time to shave."
Sam snorted as he kissed her again, raising up just as the door opened, revealing his sister and Danielle.
"Did you guys announce to the world that Nova was here? All of social media is in scrambles right now because of it."
"No, we didn't. Gigi just did with a congratulatory announcement on air." Mercedes answered Summer as she stood up, blowing out a breath as she put her hands on her back.
"Do you need me to tell the nurse to get a wheelchair?"
"Already did." Danielle responded to her dad as she made her way over to them, eyes bright as she stared at her little sister, "Can I carry her out?"
"Of course." Sam slid into his jacket, placing his hat on his head. He lifted his phone that was in his hand, reading the text from one of his bodyguards.
Danielle fixed the mittens on her the baby's hands just as the nurse came in with a chair for Mercedes. She moved the blanket up a bit before completely pulling the hood of the car seat down before picking it up off the bed.
Mercedes watched as Sam checked the room over once more to make sure they weren't leaving anything as she sat down in the chair. They had got the flowers, gifts, and baskets out yesterday and was checking to make sure that nothing was missed.
"Wait." Summer said as she saw the nurse starting to push Mercedes out, coming in front of her, she grabbed the beanie and put it on top of her head, "It's freezing outside."
Mercedes smiled up at her, placing her hands underneath the blanket, "Thank you, sis."
"No problem." Summer smiled as she walked out the door to lead the way.
Mercedes waved at some of the nurses who have helped them the last few days. She had to admit that her stay here at the women's hospital wasn't bad at all. Even so that Sam had did something really special. To show his gratitude to the staff for them being so helpful and respectful of their privacy, he gifted the maternity ward a hefty donation. Sam wasn't the type of person that flashed his money around and that's not what he was doing when he did this. He was just so thankful and grateful to have wonderful nurses and a doctor who only wanted the best interest for his wife and daughter.
It's been two weeks since they've had been home from the hospital and it's been different but in a good way. Mercedes was extremely proud of how Sam was doing. Even though he was super nervous when Nova first came home, she was so happy to see how that nervousness instantly melted away. He was such an amazing father and an even better husband. He knew how tired Mercedes was during the day, so for the past couple of nights, he has been taking the graveyard shift when little Nova cried, just so her mommy could get some rest.
Mercedes hummed lowly as she leaned against the counter, looking down at Nova with a smile as she suck in her bottle. It was Christmas Eve and Mercedes had got up earlier to start prepping for dinner. Hearing footsteps, raised her eyes and smiled when she saw it was Danielle, "Morning."
"Good morning." Danielle rubbed the last of the sleep from her eyes as she walked over to her mom, picking the baby out of her arms, she placed a kiss to her forehead before heading to the living room.
Mercedes chuckled quietly at the girl as she walked over to the refrigerator. Danielle had a habit of doing that every since Nova been born. When she knows her parents need to do something or even if she just wants spend time with her.
Sam straighten out his tie as he made his way towards the kitchen. He has spent the past two weeks at home with his girls and sadly, his father maternity leave was up. He was hoping he could just go back after Christmas, but his boss had wanted him to come in from Christmas Eve because it was super important. He stopped when he got to the kitchen, watching his wife move around with a smile. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the threshold and just stared at her.
Mercedes opened up the container of yogurt and dipped the spoon in it, placing the utensil in her mouth as she turned around, spotting her husband, "Hey you."
"Hey."
Mercedes swallowed the contents and gave him a smile before sitting the spoon down, walking over to him, "Why you staring?"
"Because my wife is sight for sore eyes."
Mercedes pursed her lips and placed her hands on her hips, "Because me being in sweats, no make up and my hair all over the place is attractive? Yeah, okay Sam."
Sam laughed at the disbelieving look on her face and pulled her to him, placing a tender kiss to her lips, "It is, and you know it is to me."
Mercedes rolled her eyes as a smile took over her face. Shaking her head, she leaned up and gave him a kiss before hugging him tightly, "I've gotten so use to you being here everyday, I don't want you to go back to work."
"You're not the only one." He mumbled as he hugged her back, watching as she loosen up to let go and get back to her task, "Getting things together for dinner?"
"Yes. I'm starting early so I can get it out of the way." Mercedes picked up a large bowl and sat it on the counter, "About tonight, are you sure you're going to be okay?"
"Honestly? No." He shrugged as he picked up a bottle of water from the counter, making his way around the island, "I don't want my brother around our kid. It may seem wrong, but I really don't give a damn."
Mercedes stopped what she was doing and stared at him, "Sam.."
"Don't give me that look." He stressed as he frowned, "I know you've forgiven and let go of the past, and probably don't see anything wrong with it but I do."
"Don't turn this on me." Mercedes glared at her husband, seeing exactly where he was going with this, "I know what he did, trust me I know all too well. Just because I chose to forgive doesn't mean I'm ever going to forget. So, don't try to pull that shit on me."
Sam rolled his eyes as he stepped back, "Whatever." He turned and walked out, not wanting to get into a fight with her. He went to living room where he found Danielle asleep with Nova curled up on her chest, arm over her protectively. He bent down and pressed a kiss to both of their foreheads before heading out the house.
Danielle ran her hand through her recently straighten and cut hair as she walked back down the stairs, hearing the voices throughout the house. Her mom had decided that she wanted to spend Christmas Eve with both of their families. It sounded like a bad idea at first but it's honestly been a good night. Well, except for the obvious tension that was between her parents, and everyone else with her uncle. She didn't know what was up, but she had a feeling it had a lot to do with Saint. Speaking of him, once she got down the stairs, she headed to one of the living rooms, where she spotted all of her cousins. Smiling when she saw Alex and Timothy gushing over their little cousin Nova. It was there first time seeing the baby. For the first part of December, they were up north visiting their grandparents on their mother side. Speaking of her, she rolled her eyes when she saw Roxy next to Saint in the foyer. She still didn't like the woman and she guess she never would even though she did apologize for what she said.
"They really made you come to work for a surprise man version of a baby shower?" Sander snorted when his brother nodded his head, patting his shoulder, "Even I got to admit that it was pretty cool how it intertwined with the sport stories."
Cassie nodded in agreement, "I was appalled at how well it flowed. I was like, damn these folks are good at their jobs."
Sam let out a small chuckle at the two, turning his head a bit when he got a glimpse of Danielle. Seeing her roll her eye, he followed her line of sight and saw exactly who she was looking at, "Excuse me for a second y'all." He sat his cup down before he walked over to where she was, "You know you can tell them to leave if you don't want them here."
"You also know that, right?" Danielle asked as she raised a challenging brow, mirroring his facial expression as both of them let out a sigh, "Everyone's having a good time and I'm not going to ruin that. Keeping my distance is just what I'm going to do."
"Ditto." He got out just as he saw his wife come up, watching as she completely ignored him and spoke to their daughter.
"Do you mind getting some more ice cream from the deep freezer?"
"Sure, I'll be back." She said as she looked between her parents before turning on her heels.
Sam bit the inside of his cheek as he watched Mercedes brush pass him. She was pissed and he didn't how long she was going to ignore him, but he hated it. Groaning to himself, he turned around and headed to where the kids were.
Megan was busy talking to Sam's dad when she notice Mercedes go into the kitchen. Excusing herself, she followed behind her with her glass in her hand, "You know, this turned out really nice."
Mercedes smiled a smile that didn't really reach her eyes as she looked at her sister, "It did, didn't it?"
"Mhm, now tell me what's wrong." Megan said as she walked over to where she was, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I have both of my families here celebrating Christmas, good music, good food, and a house full of little kids on a sugar high. Nothing's wrong, everything's peachy." Mercedes picked up one of the Rice Krispies treat and bit into it
"Stop that." Megan frowned as she stared at her, "I hate when you close yourself up and pretend that everything's okay when it's not."
Mercedes rolled her eyes as she sat her treat down, popping her mouth as she leaned back on the counter, "Sam and I got into it a bit this morning."
"I see only one reason you two would. Let me guess, he's pissed that you forgave his brother, that you let him come to your home tonight, he doesn't want him around Nova, or him to be honest, despite the therapy you all have been through?" Megan said as she took a sip of her wine, raising a brow once she nodded, "I agree with him. After everything that bastard did, I wouldn't want him in my home nor around my baby, period. You shouldn't either."
"Don't tell me what I should and should not want. I'm sick of people doing that shit. And you know what, I'm sick of everyone harboring onto this that happened over twenty years ago. Yes, it truly messed up. But guess what? We can't do anything about it. It's in the past and I'm over it, whether I want to be or not. Let it the fuck go." Mercedes hissed out as she sent her glare before turning on her heels and walking out the kitchen, not noticing Sam standing at the door.
Megan shook her head as she turned to look at him, raising her hands, "I don't know what just happened, but I won't be trying to talk to her for the rest of the night."
Cassie pushed off the door as she followed behind Mercedes, seeing that she went to her room, she quickly went and shut the door behind her, "Mercedes?"
"I just wanted us all to be together for one night. No drama, just family, surrounded by love and happiness because we have a new addition. Is that too much to fucking ask?" She ran her hand through her hair before sitting down on the bed, feeling the tears began to rush from her eyes, "Cassie, I know everyone is mad at Saint, I know that. But apart of me just want to forget what he did for a second. Even though I know I never will, I'm just trying to not let this be a consumption of my life anymore."
Cassie walked over and sat beside her sister, grabbing ahold of her hand, "Cedes, you don't have to explain anything to me, because I get it and I get you. I'm not even going to give you any advice, because you don't need it. Like you always tell me, listen to your heart, because your heart knows things that your mind don't."
Mercedes sighed as she laid her head down on her shoulder, causing the young woman to wrap her arms around her. She was thankful to have someone who understood where she was coming from.
"She is so small, Uncle Sam." Alex said as he watched the little girl drink her milk from her bottle, laying in her father arms as she stared up at him.
"Really small." Chance added as he sat beside Sam, assisting him with his every need as Elijah stood in front of him.
Danielle smiled at her little cousins as she leaned against the wall, looking up at the clock, "Alright you guys, I know you want to stay with the baby, but we are running out of time to get our movie in before we have to be in bed for Santa."
Sam watched as the younger ones eyes lit up, causing him to smile at their innocence, "Y'all go get your pajamas on and meet Dani in the movie room."
"Slow down." Danielle chuckled as she watched them practically run down the halls to the guest rooms, where they were staying for the night. The kids had all asked their parents if they could spend the night with their Uncle Sam, Aunt Mercedes, and cousins Danielle and Nova, with promises that they would pick them up in the morning.
Saint placed on his jacket as he finished talking to his mother, walking towards the living room. It has been a long day for him, mentally and emotionally. Having to be in a house with people who don't even like you can take a toll on a person. He knew and understood what he did was wrong, and he also knew that he couldn't apologize any more than has been. He was tired. Tired of people not believing that his apologies were genuine and tired of trying to make things right. Catching the boys as they ran out, he gave them a hug and told them that he would see them in the morning.
Sam bent down and kissed Nova's forehead, watching as a tiny smile rose at the corner of her lips. He smiled as he removed the bottle from her mouth and lifted her up so he could burp her. He looked up when he saw his brother hugging his kids, and internally sighed when stopped at the door.
Saint stared as his brother for what felt like the longest. Seeing him with his daughter brought up the guilt that he had been trying to lessen as he watched on, "I just wanted to thank you for having us tonight."
"Thank my wife." Sam responded in a short tone as he took his eyes off of him.
Saint nodded as he stepped back, clearing his throat, "Right, of course. I should've known. Merry Christmas, Sam." He whispered before turning around and heading towards the front door.
Roxy tucked in her lips as she watched her husband come back with a disappointed look on his face. It took them awhile, but they finally got their stuff together. She was never going to divorce her husband, because she loved him so much. The year long break they took showed her just that. It honestly broke her heart to see him in pain for what he did. The rehab and counseling really did help him, she just wished that everyone else could see it. She wrapped her arm around his and pressed a kiss to his cheek, whispering, "I love you, Saint."
"I love you too." He said as he sniffled, feeling his eyes start to water as he opened the door, "Let's go home."
Mercedes watched the interaction between the two as she stood at the side stairways, coming fully down and catching them before they walked down the steps, "Roxy, Saint?"
The couple stopped on the step and turned back to face the woman, who was now standing a few millimeters in front of them.
"I know everyone is not on good terms, but thank you for coming. It really means a lot to me." She played with her hand as her eyes went to Saint, "I know it's like a broken record because we've said it so many times, but we can't change the past. You did a horrible, messed up thing, Saint. I'm never going to forget that, but I'm not going to hate you forever because of it. And you know why? Hates takes to much energy, and it's going to make you rot until you're out of this world. I can't speak for Danielle and Sam, and I'm not going to. They can do whatever they feel, and I'm going to do what I feel. So, I'm letting you know this again and I want you to truly understand and believe me when I say I forgive you. It wasn't easy for me to get to this point, but I'm glad I did. Whether Sam likes it or not, you are family. And even if he doesn't want to admit it anymore, you are his brother and he does love you. If he didn't, he would've never went to those therapy sessions with you. He's stubborn and bullheaded as hell, but no matter what, family means everything to him..it means everything to me." She took a deep breath, not realizing she had started crying midway through until droplets hit her arm. She wiped her face, sniffling as she looked at him for a moment before leaning forward and hugging him tightly.
Saint hugged her back just as tight as he closed his eyes. Relief washed over him and he felt a part of his body released the anxiety and tension he had. It meant everything to hear what Mercedes had to say to him. Even though he hurt her, she forgave him and she honestly doesn't know how much that meant, "Thank you."
"Thank you." She repeated as she gave him a squeeze before pulling back, giving a small smile, "Continue with your therapy sessions, they do help."
Saint nodded as he stepped back by his wife, grabbing her hand, "I will."
Mercedes nodded as she shivered, stepping back inside the house, eyes dancing between the couple, "Merry Christmas to the both of you."
"Merry Christmas, Mercedes." Roxy said softly as she looked at the woman with gentle eyes, giving her a wave before they turned and headed for their car.
"Drive safe." Mercedes called after them before closing the door, taking a deep breath as she turned around, finding almost everyone, except the kids, standing in the foyer with different expressions painted across their face, "Say what you want, feel what you feel, but I'm done with bullshit. Merry Christmas." She said as she went over and gently removed Nova from Sam's arms, heading up the stairs without another word being said. Tomorrow was new day, and hopefully she'll be in a better mood.
A/N. Woosah, everyone needs to take a breather after this chapter. It started off so sweet, then turned sour. You can't blame Mercedes for trying to bring everyone together despite the hurt. But, she has to still learn that it's going to forever be hard for Sam and Danielle. Honestly, I kind of in the middle but more on her side. I get how Sam and Dani are feeling, but I also get how Mercedes is feeling. Will the time come when everyone really, honestly, and finally move on from the past? I don't know man, and me being the writer, I legit have a soft spot for this new Saint. He's improving himself and that's what matters. It really breaks my heart too, just like Roxy said, that no one can or wants to see how much he has changed.