Thank you for your continued interest and support. I do not own Glee or the characters, neither do I own Reaper's Legacy.

This chapter is a continuation of the previous one...

MERCEDES CONT'D

It was seven in the morning. And it took me less than thirty minutes to finish the last of my packing.

Then I carried everything out to the car, loaded it and climbed in.

As I turned the key in the ignition, I felt sad and just a little wistful.

"Things will turn out," I told myself firmly. "I'm doing the right thing..."

As if to prove my point, the sun was already high and bright. And the birds were singing like in some stupid Disney movie.

And just as I turned out of the driveway onto the road, I saw Emma, Sam's neighbor, walking along with her dog.

She smiled as she saw me, waving me down.

I pulled over...

Emma's eyes flicked over the car, noting the presence of boxes and the lack of a child.

"Trouble in paradise?" she asked dryly.

I smiled ruefully and shrugged.

"You could say that," I replied. "Sam and I live in different worlds. But I realized it doesn't matter that I don't have to pay rent, staying isn't going to work."

"Do you have a plan?" she asked, and it wasn't one of those questions that's actually a passive-aggressive accusation in disguise. My mother had been the master of those. I could tell Emma was just genuinely concerned.

"Not really," I said. "But I guess that's okay. Because every time I make plans they fall apart anyway. My son is with my friend Marley and she's got a spare room. I'm sure she'll put us up until I can pull something together."

"I see," she replied, pursing her lips thoughtfully. She glanced over at Sam's house, then cocked her head at me. "Why don't you come over and have some breakfast? There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

That startled me.

"Um, I don't want to sound rude, but I'm sort of trying to get out of here before Sam wakes up," I told her. "He's not going to be too happy about this."

"He'll get over it," she said, that dry tone back in her voice. "He may be a big, bad biker, but he's still just a man. And men are notoriously stupid. You can't see my house from the road and he probably won't come looking for you there, anyway. But...I have a shotgun if he does. I also have caramel rolls."

My mouth dropped. I hadn't seen that one coming.

"Okay," I replied, suitably impressed.

Half an hour later, we sat at Emma's kitchen table, eating sweet rolls and discussing my crazy life.

And somehow, she managed to bring out the humor in the situation, making things seem less scary.

I wanted to be her when I grew up, I decided. She was smart, funny, cynical...and pretty sexy for a woman pushing forty.

"So, you've got a bit of a problem," she said finally, the queen of understatement. "You're smart to move out. I agree with you one hundred percent."

"Really?" I asked. "Because I think Meg set me up last night. She's trying to push me and Sam together, I know it."

"Well, there's together and there's fucking," Emma said, delicately slicing a cantaloupe wedge.

"It kind of freaks me out when you do that," I admitted.

"Do what? Eat melon? Orange fruits and vegetables are extremely healthy, Mercedes."

I giggled and shook my head.

"No, act all ladylike and then cuss like a sailor."

"My late husband was in the navy," she said, smiling softly. "And I assure you, his language would make your motorcycle club friends cry like little girls. Wringer actually reminds me of him in a way. So wild and violent, but contained, too."

"Do you miss him?" I asked softly.

"Of course," she replied, her tone sharpening. "You can't help but miss a man like that. But here's the thing, Mercedes. I gave up everything for him. We moved every couple of years, so I had trouble making close friends. I even thought about having a child, but I didn't want to raise one by myself, because I knew he'd be gone half the time. Then he went and died on me. And now, I'm all alone. Sometimes I hate him for that."

I didn't quite know what to say, so I took another bite of my roll.

Emma sipped her tea and then sat back in her chair, looking at me very seriously.

"I did something very stupid when I was your age," she said. "I let a man make the decisions for me. I have no idea if you and Sam belong together, but you need space to figure things out. You can't let yourself be dependent on someone unless you can truly trust them."

"I trust Sam," I said slowly. "I trust him with Bray, at least. I also trust him not to change, which is sort of the problem."

"Men rarely do," she agreed. "Although it's possible, I suppose. As I said before, I think I may have a solution for you. Did you know there's an apartment in my barn?"

"Your barn?" I asked, blankly. I looked out the window towards the wooden structure behind the house. "I didn't know you used the barn."

"I don't," she said. "This farm belonged to my great-aunt, and she had part of the barn converted to an apartment for my cousin. He passed two years ago and it's been empty ever since. I'm sure it needs cleaning, but I'd like to offer it to you and your son."

"Are you serious?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Of course. I wouldn't have offered it otherwise. It's not being used and I like both of you. Bray deserves a decent place to stay, and it's definitely better than crashing on someone's couch. It's only one bedroom and it's furnished. But you don't need to live there forever. Just until you get back on your feet."

"What are you looking for in terms of rent?" I asked cautiously.

She thought for a moment...

"I was hoping you could help me with the yard work," she said. "I've been having trouble keeping up with it lately."

I met her eyes across the table and neither of us said anything for a long moment.

"You're a very nice person," I whispered.

"So are you," she replied quietly. "I have no idea whether things will work out between you and Sam, but this way, Bray can stay in the same school and still be within walking distance."

"You think it's a good idea for me to be this close to Sam?" I asked bluntly.

"Good luck finding somewhere he can't follow you," she replied wryly. "It hardly matters how far you go. But like I said...I have a shotgun. And the barn has a good lock. Between the two I think you'll do all right. Would you like to go and take a look?"

"I'd love that."

A few hours later...

ME: Thanks again for watching Bray this weekend. I'm all moved in now. I still cant believe Emma had this place just sitting here. Good luck for me!

MARLEY: No prob. So...have u seen HIM yet?

ME: Who? :-

MARLEY: Don't be a dumbass. That's Wringer's job. Did he freak?

ME: That's the creepy part. He didn't.

MARLEY: Seriously?

ME: No. He texted and asked me if I was ok. I said yes. Then he asked where I was.

MARLEY: Did you tell him?

ME: Yes. He'd figure it out anyway.

MARLEY: Huh...that's weird. After what happened Sat night, that's a total turn around. I expected him to come chase you down and drag you back...you know, like a caveman or something.

ME: I know. I was expecting more too. Makes me nervous.

MARLEY: Ha! YOU WANTED him to be pissed!

ME: No...maybe? Its stupid. I have a job interview tomorrow afternoon. It's for a receptionist at a dental clinic. Right near the school.

MARLEY: Woot woot! Don't change the subject.

ME: Hey! I need a job more than I need to talk about Sam.

MARLEY: This is about ME, babe. I need gossip. You owe me. I watched your kid AND I got you drunk. Entertain me...

Stay safe!