Okay so I'll start off by saying that Ryan Murphy can catch these hands. Screw him for taking this scene out. Also was this the scene that L*a Michele was talking about at the Paleyfest when she said there was something that the Samcedes fans would like? Ughhhhh anyways way I wrote this when I found out about the deleted scene from the series finale. Once again this was just chilling in my iPod notes. (I know I still write in my iPod don't judge me.) It's how I pictured their dinner going. I hope you guys enjoy it. I'm not going to lie I don't even remember the last episode so I'm not sure if the Sam as a teacher was in the timeline, but either way I wrote it to where he's still a Glee club teacher. I don't own Glee or these characters. Hopefully there aren't mistakes. Enjoy!

Mercedes scrolled down her Instagram and liked the newest picture that Santana posted. She was waiting in the green room for her interview with Kelly Clarkston. She was there to talk about her album and to perform her newest hit single. She was living out her dreams and she loved every little bit of it. Sleep could wait, her time in the industry was now and she could sacrifice a few sleepless nights if it meant her standing on stage winning her first Grammy.

"Five minutes Miss. Jones." One of the producers calls into her room before shutting it and leaving her to finish up her hair and makeup.

Mercedes let Lisa, her makeup artist apply the final touches to her lips before getting ready to head out. Scrolling one last time she saw a picture of Sam drinking his large smoothie from Jamba Juice. She remembered him telling her about a girl he was seeing that worked there. She was happy he was enjoying himself all while keeping their friendship strong.

Of course seeing him take pictures of himself before dates always made her feel a little down, but this was what she wanted. It was what they agreed on. It was more her decision more than his.

She read his caption and a selfish smile spread across her freshly painted lips.

"I'm glad I ordered my drink before I ended it. I didn't want any extra ingredients added."

"We're ready for you."

Mercedes quickly put her phone down and followed behind the producer.

Sam sat at Mr. Schue's desk and helped him with a document. In his spare time he learned a few things about computers and because Will was computer illiterate he was usually his go to guy. "Alright I made it an attachment and sent it to everyone you told me to. I'm heading home; I'll see you tomorrow." He pats his old teacher on his shoulder and heads out to his car.

Sam had a small one bedroom apartment and made enough to fix up his truck. This wasn't his dream job, but he was happy. He had a place he could call home and most importantly his! It had been a few years since he had his own place. It was a place where he didn't have to share a small bathroom with others, fight over hot water, the television, or food.

Sam dropped his keys in the key bowl and kicked off his shoes. He headed to the kitchen to heat up his leftovers before retiring to the couch to watch the recorded episode of The Kelly Clarkston Show. Mercedes let him know she would be on there a few days in advance. He had sort of gotten used to the fact that Mercedes Jones, his ex and best friend's information was all over the internet. People would tweet him or tag him on Instagram to let him know anything or everything she was doing. He didn't mind people knowing about him. At first he was set on making his page private until Mercedes let him know it was a great way to promote his drawings and music.

He missed her a lot. He missed her everyday actually, but they had two very different lives and he couldn't do a thing about it.

Like usual he let those feelings slip to the back of his mind and moved on. He sat back and pressed play.

Sam had just finished watching Mercedes perform for the tenth time when she called him. "I don't wanna be alone anymore!" Sam sang into the phone causing Mercedes to fall into a fit of giggles. "Miss. Hollywood you killed it today."

Mercedes crossed her kitchen to grab some seasonings. "You are a mess, but thank you. Did you see my tap?" She promised Sam that after every live performance she had she would tap the microphone to the back of her heel. It was her little shout out to him. Nobody else knew why she did it. They asked, but all she said was it was a good luck ritual and they seemed to believe her.

"I did. I watch for it every time. Thank you." He took a sip of his water before heading to his pantry for some cookies. "So where to next: New York, Chicago, Atlanta?"

"Lima."

Sam smiled to himself and hoped he wasn't hearing things. "Like Lima, Ohio your old stomping grounds?"

"Yes Sam." She made herself a plate and sat at her table. "I'm only coming for a weekend before I head out to New York for Rachel's Tony party. Do you have any plans?"

Sam shook his head. He put her on speaker and pulled his shirt off before removing his belt. "No. I have papers to grade, but I might go over to Will's house to watch it. I've missed you, you know?"

Mercedes smiled into the phone. "I've missed you too Sam. I have one meeting to go to in Lima, but that shouldn't take long. I'm all yours this weekend."

"Watch your words Hollywood." Sam teased.

"I know what I said." She bit her lip and awaited a response.

Sam cleared his throat and was grateful she couldn't see how red his face had gotten. "So this meeting, what's it for?"

"I'm not sure yet. My manager didn't say it probably has something to do with my next video."

"You want me to be a background dancer? I've gotten better you know. Myron's been helping me with my moves. He's like a walking disco ball and emojis mixed into one."

Mercedes giggled. "He sounds like a riot. I bet he helps class go by a lot faster."

"He does. I've had him in my class the longest so he's taken on my assistant role."

"Well make sure you don't show special treatment."

"Being in glee club with Will, Blaine, and Rachel I know better than that. Besides so many kids in there are extremely talented I couldn't ignore one even if I tried."

Mercedes pulled a few items from her closet and placed on her bed for packing. "Well that's good. Hey, Sam what's the weather like?"

"It is extremely sunny. You know Lima around this time. I heard New York will be a little windy though so I'd pack a jacket or two for that visit."

Mercedes chuckled into her phone and shook her head.

"What?"

"We're discussing weather; we're getting old Sam."

Sam couldn't help but laugh himself because it was true.

Mercedes had touched down in Ohio early Friday afternoon giving her enough time to shower and change. She was thankful that she brought her sun dresses because it was hot! She did not miss this part of Ohio. Mercedes hated bodyguards, but her manager suggested that if she was going to be as friendly and hospitable to her fans then she had to have at least one on hand.

"Maurice, are you ready?" She called out as she stood by his door. She stayed at her parent's house that weekend. That was one part she loved about coming back home to Lima. She missed her bed, her privacy, and her parents cooking. Her mother could cook a mean meal, but her dad won hands down when it came to desserts.

Her bodyguard shut his room door behind his large frame and slipped his shades on. Mercedes chuckled at the 6 foot 6 three hundred and fifty pound man and shook her head.

"What?"

"You are not Will Smith in Men in Black. You don't have to dramatically put those on."

He lifted them up and stared at the shorter woman. "I went through training for this and I have to wear this hot ass all black suit everywhere I go. Oh I'm going to pretend like I'm an extra in that movie." He slipped them back on and flashed a smile that got her laughing.

"Alright agent M let's go."

"So with the left side" Sam pointed whilst looking at his music "you guys can eliminate the last three notes. I didn't like the way that sounded."

"Oh. My. God!" Myron shouted as he dropped his sheet music.

Sam looked up at his student with concern. "What? What happened?"

"The Mercedes Jones is at your door!" Another student shouted as they fanned a passed out Myron.

Sam turned around only to see Mercedes smiling and waving at him. Immediately he headed out from around the piano to greet his friend. He picked her up and squeezed her tight. "Mercedes I thought you were getting in later?"

"I was but apparently my manager changed my flight last minute and had me on the plane early in the morning." She followed him over to the piano and leaned against it.

They stared at each other for some time like they had to reprogram their memories of each other's features. Mercedes looked down at her wedges and bit her lip before looking back up at him. His eyes hadn't left her yet.

"You look absolutely beautiful Mercedes."

"Thank you. You look super cute in your button up and tie." She moved closer and tightened up his tie and looked up at him to greet those adoring green eyes of his.

Maurice watched the class take pictures of the two. He knew Mercedes didn't care about candid pictures, but this seemed like a moment for just the two of them. He cleared his throat before correcting his signature stance.

Mercedes slowly backed away from him and turned to the set of ivory keys behind her.

Sam swallowed down what felt like built up feelings before getting back to his class. "Jan, can you please take Myron to the nurse's office?" The spunky brunette that was still holding her friend in her arms nodded.

"No I'm okay!" Myron shot up from her lap and dabbed at his forehead. "Seeing a celebrity causes me to pass out momentarily."

"You were fine when Rachel Berry visited a month ago." Jan reminded.

Myron brushed a bang from his face and crossed his legs. "I said celebrities Jan. Celebrities."

Mercedes and Sam snorted at the outspoken student.

Sam looked at the time and moved in front of the piano. He finished giving off instructions to the final touches to their music. When he wrote it up it sounded better in his head than coming out of his actual student's mouths. Once the bell rang a couple of students stopped and asked Mercedes for a picture or an autograph.

Sam closed the door at the long line of students that heard about Mercedes being in the room. Mercedes hated turning fans away, but a whole school worth of pictures and autographs would have her locked up in that room for hours.

"So how is everything? What's going on with Sam Evans?" Mercedes asked with the signature smile she got whenever she was around him.

"I'm good. I deal with what you just saw on a regular basis and I usually get called into Will's office to help him with something."

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "He's not an eighty year old man why does he need help? Isn't he the principal?"

Sam chuckled with a nod. "I know. It gets a little annoying, but I'm used to it. Did you see him yet?"

Mercedes shook her head. "No I might stop by, but I'm in no rush nor do I want to see him." She looked at her phone and stood up. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up. "Let's eat."

The three of them sat at the pizza parlor that Sam used to work at and ate two whole cheesy and pepperoni pies. Well Sam and Mercedes ate a few slices while Maurice ate the rest.

Sam drank his soda and pointed his glass at the bodyguard before turning to Mercedes. "He can eat."

Mercedes nodded. "Yes he can. I'm used to it. As long as I get my slice I'm good." Mercedes wiped at her lips and turned to Sam who was sitting next to her. She gave his features a once over and smiled. "I forgot how good you look with facial hair."

Sam smiled and ran his hand over his goatee. "I was thinking about shaving it. The girl I was seeing didn't like it very much."

Mercedes took a sip of her drink and rolled her eyes. "She's crazy."

"Well she's history so," Sam eyed Mercedes and awaited her response.

Mercedes tried to hold her smile in as she looked over at him from the corner of her eye. "Aww you guys broke up, huh?"

Sam noticed her smile while she pretended to drink and look ahead. He smiled at her as well and grabbed her waist. "You already knew you just wanted to hear me say it."

Mercedes giggled as her body fell into Sam. "Okay, but you posted it on Instagram. I just didn't want to be the one to mention it."

She turned her body to him and brushed her hair from her face.

"She was too demanding. I'm a teacher that has to be at work five days out of the week. I can't go out on a Wednesday night."

"I will never understand you and your love of high maintenance women." Mercedes playfully pointed out.

"I know. It's not like it's on purpose it just happens. You weren't high maintenance."

"I was, but I wasn't selfish. I would never want you to put me first or buy me everything I see."

"And I've always loved that about you. Well that along with other things." He reminded her as he eyed her body.

Mercedes shifted forward in her seat and drank what was left of her soda. "I'm going to go to the restroom. I'll be back."

Sam looked at Mercedes large bodyguard and gave him a smile. Maurice gave him a nod and continued eating. "She's been talking about and to you nonstop. Also your ex wasn't high maintenance; she just caught on to how much you were still in love with Mercedes."

Sam got red and squirmed in his seat. "I don't know what you're talking about. My ex was extremely high maintenance. She was also jealous about my friendship with Mercedes and she wanted me to choose."

The large man wiped his face and drank the rest of his soda. "Are you going to tell Miss. Jones?"

Sam thought about it. He knew Mercedes would feel guilty about it and end up talking him into getting back with his ex. He didn't want his ex and he didn't want another girlfriend because she would be the next ex. He just wanted someone permanent, something real, and somebody like Mercedes. Hell he just wanted Mercedes. "I will." Sam cleared his throat. "I'm going to go pay for the pies."

Mercedes tossed her napkin and headed over towards Sam. "I could've paid for it, Sam."

Sam got his card back and put it in his wallet. He turned to Mercedes and smiled. "It was my treat. Let's just say it's a welcome home gift." He kissed her forehead and walked to the table to collect their plates. As they headed out Mercedes got a call from her manager "Hello," Sam smiled as Mercedes rolled her eyes at her rambling manager. "I know two tomorrow...ten a.m.! No Charles it was supposed to be tomorrow at two." She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Okay ten am sharp. Got I heard you! Bye."

Sam looked down at his friend.

"That was my manager Charles. Apparently he set my meeting a few hours earlier than originally planned. I need to get some rest, but after the meeting I'll call you okay?"

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow." He kissed her cheek and opened her door for her.

"So you're going on a date with him tomorrow? Are you guys gonna have sex?" Tina asked as she chopped up some carrots.

Mercedes chuckled at Artie's random "gross" in the background. "No Tina we're just having dinner and catching up with each other." Mercedes looked through her outfit choices for her meeting. She had a dress that was perfect for her meeting in the morning. She was going to do a bit of shopping with her niece, mother, and sister in law afterwards so she needed a change of casual clothes. As soon as she got finished shopping she would shower, change into her favorite dress and then head right over to Sam.

"I mean you guys never really break up. You guys are more like those long distance relationships where you talk every night, tell the other one what your day consist of, share an I love you, and go about your days. Once you guys get together it's like bam! It's eye sex for days."

Mercedes laughed. "Tina I'm not having this conversation with you again. It's a dinner and a dinner is all it is end of the story." Mercedes pulled out some of her matching lingerie and weighed out her opinions. "Pink or black?"

"For what?" Tina asked. She tasted her soup before adjusting the flavors.

"Just pick."

"Black." Tina put her spoon down, leaned against her countertop, and grinned. "Cedes are you picking lingerie?"

"What? No I was just,"

"You guys are totally gonna have sex! Are you ready for it? It doesn't hurt as much as people say it does. Are you guys going to,"

"Bye Tina!" Mercedes hung up on her ridiculous friend and finished putting her clothes out.

Sam was just waking up when Mercedes called him. "Miss. Hollywood."

"Sam, were you sleeping?" Mercedes asked, but already knew the answer. She was a pro at detecting Sam's sleepy voice.

"No I just woke up about five minutes ago. What's up?" He stumbled to his bathroom to brush his teeth.

"I just had the greatest meeting ever known to man."

"Better than the time you figured out you were opening for Beyonce?" He asked as he poured his cereal.

"Yes! You are now talking to the woman who will be singing at the next and up and-coming Grammy Awards!"

"Mercedes that's insane! Congratulations."

"Thanks. You're the first person I told and probably the only. I would tell my mother and Tina, but those two and secrets don't go hand in hand with one another. I have to keep this on the hush until the week before it's televised."

"Well I'm extremely proud of you. I knew it would happen. Next stop after that is a Grammy itself."

"I know." Mercedes brushed her hair off of her shoulders and gleefully sighed. "Maybe next year? So what restaurant are we going to tonight?"

Sam turned his shower on and pulled his clothes out for the day. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Hmm" Mercedes jokingly tapped her chin. "How about some Italian food?"

"Breadstix it is."

Mercedes gasped. "Sam?!"

He laughed. "I'm just kidding. I was thinking Italian as well. I know this great little spot near my place that I think you'll love."

"I can't wait. I'll call you back later, okay?"

"Okay, bye."

"Bye." Mercedes hopped out of her suv to change and to pick her niece, mother, and sister in law up.

Sam grabbed a cart and headed down the pasta aisle. He had been watching Food Network for a while now and was really getting a hang of everything. He made a mean Alfredo sauce and garlic bread, but he wanted to test out a marinara sauce tonight. It seemed simple enough. He walked the aisles and marked things off of his list. He made sure he picked up Mercedes favorite wine and ice cream before heading home to get things ready.

Mercedes pinched her hair up to a mock ponytail. She shook her head and ruffled her hair. Everything was together except Mercedes had no clue as to what she was going to do with her hair. Her white skater dress splayed out in front of her with a pair of Mary Jane red bottoms, her jewelry, and clutch.

"Mommy," She rushed out of her room and into her parent's room. "I don't know what to do with my hair. It's a mess."

"Mercy it is not a mess. What about that floppy bun you wore today?"

Mercedes lips curved downward and she shook her head. "Mommy that's a casual look and it won't go with my outfit. I don't want to put it into a ponytail and it's too late to flat iron it."

Mrs. Jones noticed the flustered look on her daughter's face. She giggled at the exact same face that stuck with Mercedes for years. She did it when she was 5 when she couldn't wear her tiara to kindergarten. She did it her senior year of prom when she couldn't find the right dress that would make Sam's mouth drop, and she was doing it now as an adult.

The older woman guided her daughter to her mirror and sat her down. She took Mercedes bow that sat on Mercedes wrist and fluffed Mercedes hair out before parting her hair in half. She made sure the bow was perfectly centered and looked down and into the reflection of her daughter. "Better?"

"Yes!" Mercedes got up and kissed her mother's cheek, thanked her, and left to get ready.

Maurice drove Mercedes to Sam's apartment. Where she went he went. That was the deal. Mercedes really hoped Maurice would give them some alone time, but she already knew his response. "So Maurice Sam and I haven't really seen each other in a long time and I was sort of thinking you could take the night off? I'm staying at Sam's apartment tonight anyways so,"

"Miss. Jones I get paid to protect you 24/7 I always have and I always will. Tonight will be no different. Let's just hope lips made extra tonight."

Mercedes sat back in her seat, crossed her arms, and pouted.

Sam was lighting the candles when he got a knock at his door. He wiped his hands off on his apron before taking it off and tossing it aside. "I'm coming!" He ran to the door and looked through the peephole. Seeing Maurice standing in the way he opened the door and smiled. "Mercedes you look beautiful. Come in."

Mercedes made her way in and looked around at his apartment. It was totally Sam. She laughed at the picture of the two of them on the football field before their big Halloween game. Worst decision she had ever made. Mercedes heard Sam say something so she turned around. Her brows furrowed once she saw Sam hand Maurice a container of food and a two liter bottle of coke.

Maurice shook Sam's hand and placed a hand to his shoulder. "I'm putting her life in your hands. Take care of her."

Sam looked at Mercedes and smiled. "I always do."

Mercedes face read confusion. Seeing Maurice leave Mercedes walked over to Sam and pointed to the door. "Umm what was that?"

"I asked for the night alone with you. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all I'm surprised he even said yes. He won't even allow me to go to my mailbox alone."

"You're a precious gem Miss. Jones. We have to protect you at all costs. We don't want anything bad happening to you."

Mercedes blushed. She cleared her throat and ran her small hands down the skirt of her dress. "I love your place. It's very...you." They both chuckled.

"It is. Would you like a tour?" He asked.

"I would love one."

He led her to the front door and held his hand out to his table. "Here we have the mail and key table. They're mostly bills." He joked. "Here we have the walk in closet." He took one step into his small closest and held his arms out.

Mercedes giggled.

"Here we have the couch where most of the fun stuff happens. You know midterms, finals, grading paperwork, and sheet music sorting." He flashed Mercedes a smile and wiggled his brows. "My movie and game collection is over here. I have Netflix, but I'm a fan of hard copies."

"Me too, I have an entire wall of movies."

They walked past the patio and into the kitchen where it smelled absolutely delightful. "It's a bit cold out and Maurice said not to go out there for too long with risk of you getting caught. He didn't want a bunch of candid pictures floating around."

Mercedes loved her bodyguard slash play big brother. He was strict, but she knew it was because he didn't want anything bad happening to her.

Sam took Mercedes hand and walked over to his bedroom door. "Last but not least the place where absolutely no magic happens. I wish I could sleep in it more than I do."

Mercedes was lost again. "What do you mean?"

"I usually get off of work late so I tend to crash on my couch. Saturday's and Sunday's are my only days where I really get to enjoy it."

Mercedes took a seat on one of Sam's kitchen stools. "Sam do you love your job?"

"I like it. I'm happy I guess. Why?"

"I mean I know you and I know your dreams and this isn't it. Don't get me wrong this is a great place and I can tell you're doing well, but I just don't want you thinking this is all you can do."

Sam brushed his hair back and took a seat across from Mercedes. He wasn't expecting to have this talk again at least not tonight. "I'm not staying in Lima my whole life. I'm doing this for Finn. This was his dream and I figured since he couldn't be here to do it I would at least have a go at it before I started fulfilling my real dreams."

Mercedes looked at her lap and played with her pinky ring. She sure did miss her gentle giant. She had no idea he was the reason Sam went through with the teaching gig. Sam was an amazing friend and for him to put off his dreams to fulfill their friend's was extremely selfless.

Sam noticed the sad look on Mercedes face and wanted to correct it. He got up and pulled out her favorite wine and poured them a glass. "I found your favorite."

Mercedes looked up and smiled.

"Remember our first hangovers?"

Mercedes took a sip of her white wine and hummed. "Yes! That was so embarrassing. Why did we think that was a smart idea? I will never allow myself to get that drunk again."

Sam pulled the bread out of the oven and rubbed fresh garlic all over before sprinkling some salt and olive oil over it. "I don't know how Mr. Schue didn't realize how drunk we were. It took him up until after our performance to notice."

Mercedes took a sip of wine and shrugged. "He was never really the observant one. Sam that smells so good."

Sam turned around with a smile and two plates of pasta with garlic bread. "It's my homemade marinara sauce with turkey meatballs and angel hair pasta with garlic bread on the side."

Mercedes looked at Sam impressed. "Homemade you say?" Mercedes brushed her hair off of her shoulders and twirled her pasta whilst eyeing Sam.

He watched with a smile as she melted in front of him. "Is it good?"

"Sam, this is kiss worthy good. Where did you learn to cook?"

"The Food Network Channel," He let out an embarrassed chuckle.

"Well you did a great job."

The two moved over to his couch and caught up with one another. Even though they talked every over the phone or Facetime they still had tons of stories to share. Mercedes had tons of pictures of her and other celebrities at the MTV music awards that she showed to Sam. Sam had a video of their latest fundraiser. He was put in charge of the dunk tank and let's just say he racked up the most for his class.

"I bet those girls loved it." Mercedes teased.

"Our class did come in first place."

Mercedes looked at Sam and raised a brow at him. "Mhmm. So do you guys already have a set list for Regionals?"

Sam took a spoonful of ice cream and shrugged. "Yes and no. I'm looking for a duet number and I also need to pick the singers. I don't want it to be sappy like when we were in Glee club."

"Please don't pick a duet just because they're dating. That's all Schuester ever did and it always pissed me off."

"Are you still pissed off about us not getting a duet?"

"Yes I am! We might've just been friends my senior year, but we sound amazing together and for us to not get a chance to showcase that still pisses me off."

Sam chuckled. "We do sound great together."

Mercedes looked up at Sam and smiled. She missed her best friend and she missed spending time with him. The numerous amounts of laughs they've shared, the ridiculous voices they've made, and the sleepless nights that were caused because neither of them wanted to say bye. Sam was home for her. No matter where she was all she needed was him by her side and she knew that's where she wanted to be.

Mercedes moved over and curled up against Sam's side. She rested her head on his shoulder and watched whatever channels he strolled past.

Sam rested his hand on Mercedes hip and soaked up his time with her.

"Are you ever going to come out to visit me?" She asked.

"I want to. Maybe for the New Years, but that's only if you're available."

"Sam I will always make time for you and you know that." Mercedes piped up and looked at him with her bright eyes.

"Oh boy I know that look Miss. Hollywood. What plan do you have stirring in that pretty head of yours?"

Mercedes put her wine down and placed her hand on his thigh. "My manager is most likely going to have me perform at the Time Square New Years Eve Party and I want you to perform a song with me." Mercedes saw the No coming and shushed him. "Sam why not, if you're going to visit me we might as well make the absolute best out of it. I can ask my manager and have him set it all up. We can both write the song and arrange the music. Sam please?" Mercedes begged.

"Oh come on Mercedes not the puppy dog eyes. Mercedes I'm busy at school and you're going to be extremely busy with this upcoming gig. We won't have time to write and compose our own song let alone practice it."

"Said who? I get days off and we have Facetime. Sam we have more than enough time to plan this. Just say you'll think about it?" She asked with hope. She loved Sam's voice and she always felt they had amazing stage chemistry whenever they performed. It could build a platform for him and she wanted the world to hear his voice. "I don't want to force anything on you, but I would love having you on one of my songs. You know you're one of my favorite voices."

Sam knew Mercedes was his biggest fan when it came to his voice. He didn't sing much other than when he was correcting his students pitch, but even then he didn't sing a lot. He looked at those big brown eyes he loved so much and tried to find the word no, but he just couldn't. He groaned and pointed at her. "Miss. Jones you make it hard for me to say no." Mercedes squealed and lunged herself on to Sam and hugged him. Sam chuckled as Mercedes pecked his cheek with kisses.

"Thanks you so much, Sam."She pulled back and held his face in her hands. "I love you, you know that right?"

Sam playfully shrugged. "Ehh I guess."

Mercedes kissed his forehead before pulling back. "I love you more than anything in this world and you know it." She responded nonchalantly before sitting back to fix her dress. "Sam I was thinking about us a lot recently. I know I'm usually the one to end things and you're usually the one to give me that little push I need." She avoided his eye contact, but she knew he was looking at her. "I miss my best friend. We had some of the best moments together even though everything was thrown at us at any given time. I miss us being… together."

Sam watched her play with the pinky ring he gave her after her Someday performance. He thought letting her go his sophomore year was hard, but her leaving to go on tour had to have been the hardest thing yet. He had to watch her start a new chapter of her life without him and he had to act like he was okay with it. He needed to know what she was trying to say because if it was up to Sam piecing it all together he would probably give her an immediate yes, but he was going to wait for her to finish. "Mercedes you're killing me right now."

Mercedes turned to him and looked at his soft green eyes waiting for her to finish. She took a deep breath and was ready to spill what she's been holding in for months. "Sam what I'm trying to say is I think I'm ready to settle down and if you don't mind waiting for me a couple of more months,"

"Mercedes I'll wait five more years." He cut her off. "Mercedes my heart will always be yours. My relationships don't last because I call them your name. I talk about you nonstop and I still have your pictures hanging up all over my house. They know our past and yes they know we're technically just friends, but I think they've always known I wanted to be more. They know me as the guy that's still in love with his ex-girlfriend Mercedes Jones."

"Sam I never wanted to be the one to ruin your relationships." Mercedes confessed.

"You didn't I did. I never wanted them. I've just been waiting for this actual moment where you'd tell me that you're ready. Hell Mercedes I'll be Sam Jones if that's what it takes to be yours."

Mercedes giggled, but she knew there was some truth to his joke. There was no doubt that Sam loved her as much as she loved him. She was determined to make them last forever even if it meant her moving back to Lima. "Sam I promise no more than eight months. I just need to see what my schedule is like and I'll let you know. My busiest weeks are when I'm promoting, but that only takes me about two months. I've perfected my scheduling so I can move things around if need be."

Sam took Mercedes hand in his and pressed a kiss to it. "Don't run yourself wild. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I'll still be in apartment 10B okay."

Mercedes smiled and gave him a nod.

Tina and Artie waited for Mercedes to pull up. She called and told them she was pulling up to Rachel's block. Kurt and Blaine just joined Tina and Artie as they awaited their friend Mercedes. "Mercedes we have amazing news. Remember that film Artie wrote for you, but you were too busy on your own world tour so he gave it to me? Well it into Sundance Film Festival." Tina expressed with glee.

"No Tina I told you it got into Slam Dance Film Festival. Big favor Mercedes I need to use your music for it."

"Oh my manager usually handles that." Mercedes sighed catching glares from all of her friends. "I'm kidding you can use whatever song you like."

"Oh guys come on we're gonna be late. Mercedes did you hear, Sam has a new girlfriend?"Blaine asked.

Kurt looked at Mercedes and sighed. "It's his second one this month!"

Mercedes headed up the stairs and shrugged. "Then why does he keep texting me?"

Sam cut the corner of Will's kitchen scaring the two boys.

"Boys go in the room and I'll bring you guys some snacks." Will interrupted as he filled the sippy cups up with lemonade. "You know I'm so proud of Rachel." Will said as he put the drinks on the table. Sam rolled his eyes. Years had gone by and he was still praising Berry. "I'm telling you Sam if you're gonna dream, dream BIG." He pulled a bag of sliced apples out of the fridge and put them on a plate for his boys. "Oh how is that girl you were dating?"

Sam looked up from his phone and stopped texting "Which one? The one from Jamba Juice didn't take. I did have dinner with Mercedes last night though. She flew in for the dedication."

"Is she single?" Will asked as he lifted the tray.

Sam smiled to himself. "Yes and she said she thinks she's ready to settle down."

Mercedes watched as they announced the nominees when she got a text. A smile spread across her face when she read who it was from. She got up and headed into the kitchen.

Sam: "Do you think they know?"

Mercedes looked into the other room and text back. "Nah." She sent him a winky face emoji before heading back into the other room.

Sam looked at his phone and smiled. He put his phone in his pocket and reached for his drink.

A/N: So I hope you guys liked it. I'm still pissed off that we were robbed so I'm hoping this helped just a little bit. Please let me know if you guys liked it. I love reading your reviews and comments. I do have a lot more I just need to edit them. I'm supposed to be going back to work soon, but until then I'm hoping I can upload a few more stories. Once again I love you guys! P.s. She was supposed to be on The Ellen Show, but we see how that's going. TBH it could be any daytime talk show I just used Kelly's because she seems really nice and fun.