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

MERCEDES

MONDAY...

MARLEY: How're you doing?

ME: Ok. Bray is still kind of clingy. You did a good job but he was still scared. Thank you so much for taking care of him. I'm so glad he was safe.

MARLEY: That's what friends do. You would do it for me. I've been thinking about you... Would you like to get together, maybe talk?

ME: No. I just want to lay low for a while.

WEDNESDAY...

MARGE: Hey Mercedes! Me, Meg and Spirit want to hang out tomorrow night... Want to join us?

ME: Thanks, but probably not. Have fun, though.

MARGE: Okay. How are you?

ME: I'm fine.

MARGE: You talked to Mel?

ME: No. She ok?

MARGE: Not sure. She won't tell me anything. I'm worried... Did anything happen we should know about? I mean, while you guys were...wherever? Maybe we can get together and talk.

ME: I'm good. I just want to stick to myself and Bray for a while. Mel and I weren't together the whole time. If you want to know more, you need to get it from her.

MARGE: Okay. We're worried about you too... How are things?

ME: Fine. I just want space.

MARGE: I get that. But please call if you need us ((hugs))

THURSDAY...

SPIRIT: Hey. how goes it? Maybe we could let the kids play this afternoon?

ME: Um, we're pretty busy right now.

SPIRIT: I know how that goes... Did you remember Marge's bachelorette party? Its a week from Friday. We have a sitter... She offered to watch Bray too.

ME: Not sure I'll make it. If I do I'll find my own sitter.

SPIRIT: Okay. Don't hide out too long.

FRIDAY...

MARLEY: This is bullshit! I get that you're pissed at Wringer and the Collectors, but I'm not one of them. You can't freeze me out. You guys come over tonight or I'm sending Ryder to get you.

ME: Bray and I are watching movies at home.

MARLEY: No. you're coming to my house! We're having a party. I need backup! NO Collectors, just normal people. Kids too. You and Bray be here at six or I will come and get you. Not fucking around!

ME: You're a pushy bitch.

MARLEY: Ya think? Get your ass here or I'll come for you. No excuses. Bring swimsuits and a dessert.

My brand-new iPhone said it was five fifty-six when we pulled up to Marley's house. Sam had dropped it off the previous Sunday... The day after my little adventure with Mel.

I wanted to tell him to go to hell, but I needed a phone, and I figured he could afford it better than I could.

I didn't feel guilty about it, either. It was his fault I'd gotten kidnapped in the first place, so I might as well blame him for drowning my phone too.

I didn't let him into the house, though. And Bray wanted to go to his house, but I told him no. Then I shut the door in Sam's face.

Now, it was Friday night and I'd caved to Marley's ultimatum, because I knew she was serious when she said they'd come and get me.

I held a plate of brownies in one hand and a bag of swim gear in the other, and when Marley's husband, Ryder, opened the door, I had to smile.

He was wearing a neon-green swim trunks and a purple Hawaiian-print shirt. On his head was an orange cowboy hat, and he held a Super Soaker in one hand.

Coming here had been a good idea, I realized.

"Welcome to the party," he said, smiling at me broadly.

"Nice look," I said, eyeing his outfit.

"Hey, it takes a very confident man to pull something like this off," he said without an ounce of shame.

"Did you lose a bet?" I asked, smirking.

"As a matter of fact, he did," said another man, coming over to stand next to Ryder. He had longish, scruffy brown hair and a great smile, and the look in his eyes said he appreciated my appearance.

He also held a Super Soaker, although he wore perfectly normal trunks and a T-shirt that said "Code Monkey Like You."

I'd seen his picture before... This was the guy Marley had wanted to set me up with...

"Ryder and I had a little programming challenge at work and I kicked his ass. Hi, I'm Kevin. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," I said, glancing down at my full hands helplessly. "Um, sorry, I'd offer to shake your hand, but..."

He laughed, and then his eyes widened almost comically as he saw the brownies.

"Let me help you with those," he said, reaching out to grab the treats. "And who is this?"

"I'm Braylon," my boy announced. And then, "Do you have any more of those Soakers, Ryder?"

"I have a whole box out back," Ryder replied. "You want to come pick one out? We have a bunch of kids out there. I'll bet they'd love to play with you."

"Mom?" He looked up at me, eyes pleading.

"Go ahead," I said, feeling almost carefree. Marley was right... I had needed to get out... And coming to a nice, suburban party like this was just what I needed too.

No Collectors. No kidnappings. Nothing bad at all.

I could do this.

Bray took off through the house, followed by Ryder. And Kevin looked down at me, offering a friendly smile.

"So, once we get this stuff settled, could I get you a drink?"

"Sure," I said. "And tell me, how long have you and Ryder worked together?"

Three hours later, I was feeling pretty good about life. Kevin turned out to be a great guy, spending a good chunk of the night hanging out with me... But not so much that it felt weird.

Ryder grilled burgers and hot dogs, the kids played in the pool, and Marley's blender ran almost constantly, churning out margaritas in every imaginable flavor.

I stuck with iced tea and laughed so hard I nearly cried, when Ryder caught her and threw her into the pool.

Throughout the day, the mob of kids kept growing, and I met so many people I couldn't begin to keep them all straight.

Most were from Marley's neighborhood or Ryder's work... Sleek, polished yoga moms and their slightly dorky husbands who worked as accountants and IT professionals.

Nothing like the Collectors' party...

The first time I'd met Ryder, I didn't understand him and Marley together. He was so geeky and she was so wild and cool... But they balanced each other out perfectly.

I was holding Hannah and sitting by the pool after eating, when Kevin came over and flopped into a chair next to me.

"So," he said, grinning at me. "I've got a question for you."

"What's that?" I asked.

"You and Bray want to hit Chuck E. Cheese's for dinner tomorrow?" he said. "I know it's not the most romantic setting, but I've got this theory about skee-ball that needs testing, and I figured he'd be an excellent assistant."

I burst out laughing.

"Are you insane? Chuck E. Cheese's on a Saturday night is crazy. I bet you wouldn't last an hour."

His eyes brightened.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked. "You sure you're up to it?"

"You're too funny," I said, shaking my head.

"Funny enough to get a date with you tomorrow?" he said, offering a sly smile. "I'd go for the brooding, manly thing and try to be all mysterious, but I've never really been able to pull it off."

And just like that I sobered, thinking of Sam... The two men couldn't have been more different, that was for sure.

"Um, I'm not really looking for a boyfriend," I said slowly. "And I'll be honest... If you bring a seven-year-old on a date, you're probably not gonna get some at the end."

He shrugged.

"It's just an evening," he said. "No big deal. Besides that, I've got a deep, dark secret to share with you."

My brows rose, even as he leaned towards me, waving me in close.

I shifted, balancing Hannah as he spoke in my ear...

"I really do have an amazing skee-ball theory," he said, his voice grave and serious. "It needs experimentation. You'd be doing me a huge favor."

I started laughing again and pulling away.

"Does that line actually work for you?" I asked. And he smiled at me.

"I don't know, does it?"

I thought about Sam in that moment... About how he made me feel and compared it to this man...

Kevin didn't give me chills when I felt his breath against my ear, but he was nice to look at and seemed fun and friendly. And how much trouble could we get into on a date at a kiddie pizza place, anyway?

"Okay," I said, feeling proud of myself. I'd move past Sam... This was the perfect first step. "That would be fun. But just friendly. I'm really not looking to get serious with anyone."

"Don't worry about it," he replied, grinning at me. "We'll just go and have some fun. And Ryder can vouch for me. I'm not an undercover super-villian, I have no dark secrets...nothing. What you see is what you get."

I started to reply, but a thick stream of water suddenly hit the side of my head, drenching me and making Hannah shriek.

I looked up to see Bray running away with a small pack of boys, screeching in triumph.

Little shit...

"I need to go dry off," I told Kevin.

"Want me to go defend your honor?" he asked, holding up his Soaker.

"Yeah, you do that."

He stood and saluted me, his eyes dancing with laughter, then tore off after the mob of children shooting each other and running around the grass.

After that, I found Ryder by the grill. He had a beer in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other. And as he shifted them to take Hannah, he smiled at me.

"You know, Kevin is a real good guy," he said. "I've known him a couple of years."

"Uh, yeah. He seems nice," I replied awkwardly. Ryder laughed.

"Don't worry...no pressure," he said. "I just wanted to let you know he's not a serial killer."

"Good to know," I said. "Thanks for having me over. Thanks for everything, actually."

"No problem," he said. "Marley thinks you're the shit. You know, it's not that easy for her to find friends, despite what you'd think. You're special to her."

That startled me.

"Marley has always had more friends than anyone," I said, laughing.

His face sobered and he shook his head.

"No, she has always got more people at her parties than anyone. There's a big difference."

I didn't know what to say. Ryder shrugged, and smiled again.

"Go get dried off," he added. "We've got sparklers for the kids once it's totally dark. I'll need help, because Marley is useless after three margaritas."

I smiled hesitantly and walked inside. Off to the left was a family room, with the kitchen and a breakfast bar off to the right.

My sandal caught on the doorway while I was walking, pulling the strap loose, so I dropped down to fix it just inside the entry...

"Jesus, did you see what Ryder's wearing?" I heard a woman say in the kitchen.

"I know," said another. "And Marley's not much better. Could that bikini be smaller? You know she's a giant slut, right? She used to be a stripper. I just hope they leave before Hannah hits school. I don't want Kenzie in her class."

"No kidding. That's why I moved to this neighborhood... I wanted all our neighbors to be normal, not trashy. And her friend... God, she must've been, what, ten years old when she had her kid?"

"I saw her skanking all over Kevin. Disgusting!"

My phone buzzed right at that moment, and I pulled it out of my pocket to find a text from Marge...

MARGE: Hey. I know things are weird, but I really hope you'll come to my bachelorette party next weekend. We're all hanging out tonight and thinking about how much more fun it would be if you were here! xoxo.

I didn't respond...

"So, my pedicure girl moved to a new salon. All Vietnamese, and I hate how they talk to each other without speaking in English. So rude!" said the woman in the kitchen.

"You're sooo right. I never leave a tip when they do that. They should be speaking English if they're going to live here..."

I stood up and walked through the kitchen, piercing each of the women in turn with a sweet smile.

Bitches!

How dare they gossip about Marley in her own house?

I couldn't believe they'd get drunk on her booze while ripping her apart like that.

Well... At least nobody was whipping out knives.

Not metal ones, anyway.

But I wanted to go home...

"You got it, bud," Kevin said, watching intensely as Bray lined up his shot at the skee-ball machine.

I had to laugh... Kevin had been joking about his theory, mostly. The man really did love the game.

It turned out my son loved it, too, so things had worked out pretty well.

We'd been at Chuck E. Cheese's for nearly three hours, and I'd had a blast.

Kevin was easy to be around... He didn't stress me out and he didn't scare me.

We'd eaten dinner, and to give him credit, he ate the nasty pizza they served without a single snide comment... Not even I could pull that off.

Then he bought Bray more tokens than he'd ever seen before...and we'd hit the games.

Now, it was almost nine and I knew we needed to get Bray out soon or things could get ugly.

I touched Kevin's arm, catching his attention. He turned and grinned at me, looking like a big, happy puppy.

"We need to head home," I said, nodding towards my son. "He's tired. I don't want to push him too hard."

"Understood," he replied. He put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, giving me a squeeze. "You've got a good kid there."

I smiled, because I knew he was right. Also because I liked his arm around my shoulder.

Kevin didn't make my heart explode like Sam did, but he had a good sense of humor and was fun to be around.

That had to count for something.

We fed all of the tickets we'd won...and it seemed like thousands of them...into the chomping machines, which caused Bray intense delight.

Then we spent another twenty minutes at the prize counter as he agonized over which tiny plastic rings or erasers to pick.

The sun had set when we finally walked outside...

The pizza place was in one of those strip malls with free-standing restaurants in the parking lot.

I looked over at the steak house longingly, still a little hungry, since I'd only managed to choke down half a slice of pizza.

Kevin bumped my shoulder...

"Maybe next time we can get a grown-up meal," he said.

"Is that your way of asking me out again?" I asked, coming to a stop next to my car. Bray bounced around next to me happily, playing with his new treasures.

I looked up at Kevin and smiled. He smiled back, and I was struck by how cute he was. Geeky cute, like Ryder.

I could do a lot worse...

"Depends on what the answer would be," he replied, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "I hate getting shot down."

"I don't think you'd get shot down," I said. At that, he leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the lips. It was nice... Not hot and intense, but pleasant.

"Uncle Wringer!" Bray yelled all of a sudden, and I felt him take off running.

I pulled away from Kevin instantly, my mommy radar fully engaged, and bolted after him, shouting his name and yelling at him to stop.

Of course he ignored me, jumping into Sam's arms where he stood on the sidewalk outside the steak house... With several other guys from the club with him.

"Bray you can't run off like that!" I said, catching his chin so his eyes had to meet mine. "You could get killed. You know better... You're a big boy now!"

"I'm sorry," he said instantly. "I forgot. I got excited. I wanted to show Uncle Wringer my prizes."

Shit, I'd been so worried about my son I wasn't even thinking about Sam...

I looked up to find him staring across the lot.

"Who's your friend?" he asked, jerking his chin toward Kevin, who gave us a halfhearted wave.

"That's Kevin," I said defiantly. "He's a friend of Marley's husband. They work together."

"He took us to Chuck E. Cheese's and we played tons of games and I got all kinds of prizes, but I didn't have enough tickets to get what I really wanted so he said maybe we could come back another time and I said yes," Bray told him breathlessly. "He's pretty cool, Uncle Wringer."

Sam's eyes hardened, and he set Bray down.

"Stay here, kid," he said. Then he stepped out across the parking lot, obviously planning to intercept Kevin.

Fuck!

"Stay," I said to Bray, then glanced up at Sledge Hammer. "Will you make sure he doesn't run off?"

Spirit's husband gave a quick nod, but his eyes weren't exactly friendly.

Great!

I scurried off towards Sam and Kevin.

"Hey," I said, looking between them. Sam's face was like stone, his eyes glinting with possessive menace. But Kevin looked confused and a little uncertain. "Kevin, this is Bray's uncle, Sam. Sam, this is my friend Kevin. We were just leaving. Sorry about Bray bothering you."

"Braylon never bothers me," Sam said, cocking his head at Kevin, who tried to offer him a smile.

"He's a great kid," Kevin offered. "You must be proud of him."

"Yup," Sam said to him. "You need to go now. It'd probably be best if you don't call Mercedes again."

Kevin's eyes widened.

Oh hell no!

"Go screw yourself, Sam!" I snapped. And Kevin glanced over at me, looking nervous. "Kevin, please ignore him. He's leaving..."

"Nope, I'm not leaving," Sam said pointedly. "And I won't be leaving. You're not welcome here. I don't know what Mercedes told you, but she's taken."

"That's not true," I said quickly. Kevin looked between us, swallowing.

"You need a hand, Wringer?" Stud called from the sidewalk. He offered Kevin a wolfish smile.

"Not with this asshole," Sam replied, holding Kevin's eyes steadily.

Poor Kevin, he broke, looking away.

"Um, I gotta get going," he said, offering me a quick, sheepish smile. Then he turned and walked away very quickly.

I stared, dumbfounded.

"Looks like your new boyfriend scares easy," Sam murmured. "He didn't even make sure you were safe with me. I wouldn't want a man like that at my back. Of course, I don't need to worry about backup. My brothers are there for me, no matter what."

He took my shoulders and turned me towards the steak house...

I saw Stud, Sledge Hammer, Deck and Slash standing around my son. Sledge was actually holding Bray's shoulder protectively.

Sam leaned down behind me, speaking softly in my ear as his fingers squeezed my shoulders.

"Look at that," he said. "You know them, so you know Bray couldn't be safer. But your buddy Kevin? He knows shit about those guys. But that didn't stop him from walking away to cover his own ass while they had your son. Hell of a man you've found."

I swallowed roughly, because I knew he was right.

So Kevin wouldn't be getting a second date even if he bothered to call. It was probably a moot point, because I had a feeling he wouldn't.

"You need to stay out of my life," I told Sam, watching Bray carefully showing off his prizes. He even offered Stud one of his precious rings.

Stud accepted it, sliding it a quarter of the way down his pinkie.

And my son glowed with pride.

"Yeah, I'll get right on that," Sam said. "Don't take Bray out with a guy like that again. You'll send him the wrong message."

"Who I take him out with is none of your business."

"It'll always be my business."

"You don't get to win every single time," I told him seriously. "Just because you say something, that doesn't mean it's true."

"Just 'cause I say it, doesn't mean I'm wrong, either."

I glared at him, then marched over and collected Bray, trying not to grit my teeth. I took him home and put him to bed, feeling bitchy the entire time.

But when I fell asleep that night, it wasn't Kevin I was dreaming of... Nope, stupid Sam...

Again.

Even in my dreams he won.

Stay safe!