Sorry for the long overdue update. It has been one heck of a year. There are exactly 2 chapters left. I've had to rewrite them both. I'm finished with the next one I just have to finish editing and as soon as that is complete I'll upload that chapter. I completely scrapped my previous final chapter because I hated it, so, I'm in the process of writing it right now as soon as it's complete I'm posting and then there will be a very small epilogue.

Thank you! To everyone that has favorited and followed and reviewed, THANK YOU! I hope you like this next installment.

Chapter 52 Now Part 8

Sam had clued Kurt in on our regular hang sessions (weekends were Sam's place). So, I was due to his house around 2 the Saturday following graduation. The only difference was that morning Sam had called and told me to be dressed up when I came and to come at 6 because he had something to do and it would take about as long.

I didn't argue. I just thought he was going to do something special for me or something. He was like that, and he hadn't really gotten me anything for graduation yet.

I did not see the crowd with Kurt, Puck, and Sam in the front coming, though.

Their mouths were moving but I hadn't heard the definitely deafening "surprise" as my eyes and mind were trained on Puck's. He was there and he was smiling and he was meeting my eyes without the betrayal and hurt.

I was eventually snapped out of my daze when my mom's camera flash blinded me. Once my eyes cleared, I started crying and asking who planned the party. Both Kurt and Sam stepped toward me. Kurt with tissues dabbing at my eyes while Sam stood behind him with his hands in his pockets staring at me with an expression in his eyes that both caused me pause and left me disoriented.

Kurt finished fixing my face and tugged me into his vice grip then scurried off to attend to the guests. When I focused on Sam, he lowered his eyes to the floor then back to mine. I held out my arms for a hug but he just squinted his eyes and rubbed his neck as if he was debating accepting my invitation. I knew we weren't touchy-handsy friends but a hug should have been within the confines of our friendship. There shouldn't have been a problem. I put my hands on my hips, cocked my head to the side, and rolled my eyes. Sam was being stupid and weird.

"Come here, boy."

There was something subdued in Sam's eyes as he came to the conclusion that he didn't have a choice in the matter; however, before I could question him, he used his free hand to smooth across his face in exasperation. The second I could see his eyes again the sadness was gone and his lips were sporting a slick smirk looking every bit the model he was paid to be. With one hand still in his pocket, Sam strolled to me and stopped when we were toe to toe. He gazed down at me and I smiled up at him removing my hands from my hips and holding them out.

"Sam."

"Mercedes." He moved into my embrace wrapping his arms around my waist as mine circled his neck.

I felt him relax around me; yet, his hold was tight.

"Thanks for this."

"You deserve it."

I shrugged. "Eh, I just finished med school. No big deal."

He leaned back to peer at my face without releasing me from his hold, smiled and squeezed me tight then backed away – much farther than before – placing his hands back into his pockets again.

"You should mingle or whatever." That muted countenance sprinkled with secret familiarity fell onto his face once more. He wasn't talking to me about it; so, I didn't comment just took his advice and worked the room.

Mom and Dad were so proud of me even if they were sad that I was moving so far way. Mom started crying which got me going again, then Granny thumped her on the cheek and said, "Stop all that whining she a grown woman doing grown woman things. Laugh don't cry, child," to which mom cried harder before Dad and Granny carted her off.

A few fellow graduates had made it out for the celebration and I chatted with them for a couple of minutes before being swept away by Kurt and his excitement over being able to see me whenever he wanted in 2 weeks. While he blabbed away, Rachel made her way over leaving her fiancé, Finn, with Puck. My attention wandered to the two best friends; I accidentally made eye contact with Puck before I hastily returned my focus back to the two divas jabbering away without noticing anything that didn't revolve around them.

I spent most of my time with Kurt and Rachel and my family while Sam trickled in and out.

It wasn't until I'd slipped away to Sam's room to use the bathroom that Puck and I finally came face to face.

I was making sure my dress was in order after my bathroom break in front of the full-length mirror near the window overlooking the city when he tapped on the door and slipped in closing the door behind him.

At first, I thought it was Sam but the moment his warm scent filled the room I knew better. Unease gripped me. It'd been so long since I'd seen him and the last time we hadn't even said bye. We were just over. Alone with him in Sam's room, my body reacted intuitively as if it was reaching for him, but I was too afraid to follow through. I couldn't face him.

Silence surrounded us, my guess, Puck had things to say but refused to speak to the side of my face. I could see him slightly behind me an edge to the right just enough for me to see a pinch of his stoic features. I gulped a mouthful of air letting it out a millimeter at a time as I turned to face him.

"You look beautiful, happy." The latter mentioned as an afterthought.

"Thanks. So do you, um, look good – I mean."

"You mean foine." He chuckled, eyes sparkling.

Instantly, I calmed. He'd purposefully broken the ice to ease my fears. Puck was always good at that.

"I'm proud of you. You seem fulfilled, like you were meant to be Dr. Jones." A remorseful film passed over his face before he righted it.

"More compliments, I like. Thanks, and my cup does run over. It's definitely what I was meant to do."

"That's all a person can ask for, right?"

"Yeah," I whispered.

His eyes darted past me then back. He rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes found his shoes. I had a feeling I wasn't going to appreciate what he said next.

"So, you and Sam?"

My face bunched up at the notion. What had given him that idea? Sam and I had hardly appeared the doting couple, unless his assumption stemmed from Kurt, Rachel, and gossipy Finn. Either way he was wrong.

"What? No. We're friends – just friends."

He shook his head and rolled his eyes (something I would never miss) chuckling. "Yeah."

"Puck, really, just friends the two of us."

"Finn said you guys were moving to New York…together." You can just imagine the look he was giving me. Like he'd just caught me with my hand in the cookie jar or something.

I rolled my eyes at him (I did miss doing that to him). "I need a roommate," I said flicking his arm, "and Kurt is taken. I can only tolerate Rachel in small doses." I demonstrated with my index finger and thumb how much. "Better somebody I know and who I trust to foot half the bill. Someone who has my back."

Puck lifted a knowing eyebrow at me. I squinted my eyes at him waiting for him to elaborate. He did not.

"Okay, Mercedes, whatever you say. I didn't want to talk about Sam anyway."

"Then why did you?"

Puck nudged my shoulder with his fist. "Shut up."

I beamed up at him and hugged him. "I missed you."

He clasped me tightly in his arms. "I missed you too." He hummed near my ear.

We held each other until the heartache seeped away into nostalgia. When we pulled apart, I cupped Puck's face in both my hands remembering him. Us.

His face was rough from the beginnings of a five o'clock shadow. My first love closed his eyes and leaned into my right hand. As if by muscle memory alone, my thumb roved over his bottom lip. Tears filled my eyes at the feel of his warm breath.

It had been two years since I'd seen him, since I'd heard his voice. I wanted…I wanted to kiss him in that private moment. More than anything I wanted to be that close with Puck, but his fiancé was just down the hall.

My thumb left his lip and settled on his chin. His eyes fluttered open to meet mine submerging us into the depths of our past. Lost in history, Puck leaned in and kissed me.

It wasn't the same. Not like before, but so familiar it ached. Soft, warm lips that tasted of chocolate and love.

I returned the kiss. Wrong or right it happened and I allowed it. Deserved it. He was once mine and I was completely his and with his lips to mine we were there again. Several memories passed between us before we felt them slip away. Once we resurfaced, teary eyes found smiles.

The what-ifs and possibilities of what we could have been had he not given up on me – on us – were burning through my mind and by the tenderness in his eyes I knew he was thinking the same.

It was too late.

There was too much time and distance between us. He was happy and so was I.

This was goodbye. The one we deserved the first time around.

"I'll always love you, you know? You'll always be my girl. My 'Hot Mama.'"

Leaning back in, I kissed him on the cheek wrapping my arms around his neck. "Yeah and you'll never understand how much I love you." I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I guess so." We swayed together for a few beats before anyone spoke again.

"Is she good to you?" I mumbled into his neck.

"Gi is great; the meanest spitfire I know, but perfect." He lay his cheek atop of mine.

"I know you don't want to hear it so I won't say it, but I'll say this, Mercedes, you'll know it when you know it, and you'll wonder why you didn't know it sooner."

I giggled unwrapping myself from his arms. "Cryptic and a bit wordy for you, but I guess so."

"Trust me you will."

"I trust you, Puck. Thank you for coming. I don't think I would have been as happy without seeing the handsome face of my former sex slave."

"Doubt it, with Sam and Kurt hovering over you trying to make sure everything is just so for their Mercedes," he rolled his eyes. "Don't thank me, thank Sam. It was his call that got me here. I thought about coming before I spoke with him; I didn't think you'd want me here."

"You are always welcome to anywhere I am, Noah."

"I know that now."

"And don't you forget it."

"I won't."

We hugged one last time and he walked out to join the crowd again. I took a few seconds to decompress then I followed after him.

It wasn't long before I felt Sam's fingers on my elbow leading me into his kitchen.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"You and Puck, are y'all fine?"

I nodded and grabbed him into my arms. "Thank you."

Sam tensed at my touch, but I didn't care. He'd given me closure with Puck, something I couldn't bring myself to reach for. This was by far the best graduation gift anyone could give me and I was going to express my gratitude despite his issues.

"Thank you."

I stood on my tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. When I glanced up at him, his jaw was clenched.

"Sam are you okay?"

He cleared his throat and peered down at me, his eyes shining with untold emotion. "I'm fine." He said running a hand down my cheek. "Go have fun. This is your night." His lips formed a grimace I know he thought was a smile as he pushed me out of the kitchen.

I wanted to interrogate him about whatever it was that was bothering him, but he was reticent and no matter what else those cagey looks he kept giving me said they screamed secrecy. I would give him the third degree the second there was an opening. But for the time, Sam was right I needed to enjoy the beautiful celebration he and my bestie had thrown for me.

Before the night had ended there'd been an electric slide line, and some serious cupid shuffling. It was a great night that was filled with friends old and new and laughter. It had even given me back Puck.

I mean we weren't the best of friends by any stretch of the imagination or even close to what we were before we became a couple in high school. But we were talking and that was a start, all I've ever wanted since we broke up.

Interaction between us wasn't particularly weighty or often, considering our schedules, but we kept up with each other. I was an ear for him when he and Gi were having problems, and sometimes he'd rag on me about Sam and me (though we were not a couple, nothing close to it).

The day Sam and I moved to New York I called Puck. He had made a noncommittal grunt in the back of his throat when he'd heard Sam enter our apartment with a yell. I didn't go there with him; I just hung up on him after telling him I would check in with him later.

A month after the party, Puck re-enlisted and was stationed in Germany.

He called me before he left the states and allowed me time to see him before he left.

We were good. We weren't what I wanted us to be. We never would be, but we were on track to becoming something different but just as right.

You'd think my troubles with my exes were fixed after that and you'd be right. They were, but something had crawled up Sam's butt and made him more withdrawn and way more sullen than he'd ever been.

Which as you can imagine manifested in many arguments and days of silent treatment.

Drop me a line and let me know what you think.

nakala