A/N: Hey everyone, here's another update for you and I hope you all enjoy it. I am not going to bore with a lot of talking, just have to thank everyone that reviewed, followed, and favorited this story, you guys are the best! Also thank you to my beta Zeejack, you are a God send! Now go, enjoy and as always, Happy Reading!

Much Love

***DISCLAIMER*** I own nothing! Please excuse any mistakes, my beta and I are only human

Sam and Kevin were in the gym, doing more shoulder exercises. This was not the best part of Sam's day, and sometimes he downright hated it. The exercise he can deal with, since he has been working out a long time. But what he hates is the pain, and no matter how bad the pain is, Kevin tells him to push through it. That drives him insane, and Kevin knows it.

"Come on Sam, I need you to do five more curls." Kevin spat out.

"Five! Damn man, I just did thirty, and my shoulder is killing me. Can I just get break?" He pleaded.

Kevin smirked, "Oh come on mister tough football player, stop your whining and come on and do these curls."

Sam rolled his eyes, and picked up the weights, "I could punch you right now, you know that."

"And I'll just hit you in your shoulder, and you'd cry like you are right now." Kevin said rolling his eyes, "Now give me five more."

Mercedes walked in on the tail end of that conversation, "Kevin are you being mean to my man?" She had her hand on her hips, and a smirk on her face.

Kevin looked up and shook his head, "No, your man is being a baby today, so I have to whip him back into shape."

Sam glared at Kevin, "I am not being a baby, I am just trying to tell the dictator here that I'm in pain, but he is not listening to me."

Mercedes had been in this situation before, Kevin was the best physical therapist in the country, and he did not get that way by going easy on his clients. So she knew he would never take it easy on Sam. Although she hated seeing Sam in pain, she knew it would work out for him in the end. She walked over to Sam, and rubbed his back, "Come on babe, I know it hurts, but you are my Superman, so I know you can get through this." She knew how to motivate him, and she was going to make sure he got through this session. "I'll give you a massage later." She gave him a wink.

As much as Sam wanted to be difficult, there was no way for him to do that while Mercedes was calling him her Superman. He let out a sigh, "I think the two of you got this weird Jedi mind thing you like to do to me." He huffed, but he started doing the five curls Kevin told him to do. Once he finished, he dropped the weights, "There done, can we stop now?"

Kevin laughed and nodded, "Yeah man, we can stop for today. I am going to check on your progress and then I will let you go get that massage, superstar."

That garnered a giggle from Mercedes, and a eye roll from Sam.

Kevin continued to check Sam's shoulder, and he would say 'hmm', and 'ooh' every so often, and that piqued Sam and Mercedes' interest;

"So…" Sam asked

"Well…" Mercedes piped in.

Kevin was still quiet and continued to check on Sam's shoulder. He was very precise and careful about what he was doing, so he wouldn't miss anything. He wanted to make sure he didn't miss anything. When he was satisfied with what he saw, he looked up at Mercedes and Sam, "So I guess you want to know what' going on with this arm of his?"

"YES!" They both said in unison.

That made Kevin laugh, but nodded, "Okay, first things first, you have definitely been making progress. I like what I'm seeing as far as the progression of your range in motion, and the way you're healing."

Sam smiled, "So what does that mean? Will I be able to play soon? Maybe next season?" He was so hopeful, because he really wanted this. He felt Mercedes hand rubbing his shoulder, and he knew she was trying to be supportive.

"If I was a betting man, I would say that you could be back on the field by the opening game. I would not suggest you play in preseason, but definitely by the time the season opens, you should be good to go." Kevin stated.

Mercedes squealed and hugged Sam so tight, "Baby! This is everything you wanted and what you deserve. I am so happy and proud of you."

Sam was still in complete shock at what he was hearing, this was everything he wanted, but not sure if he was going to get it. He blinked a few times, holding onto Mercedes, and looked at Kevin, "Really? I can play again?"

"Well not today." Kevin chuckled, "But by the season opener, yes."

Sam was trying to hold back his emotions, but he couldn't he just let it go, and the tears began to fall.

Mercedes cupped his face, and wiped the tears from his eyes, "You did this baby, you worked so hard to get back in playing shape, and now you are going to be able to do this." She was so happy for him, if she could do back flips she would.

Kevin smiled at the two of them, he took pride in seeing his clients succeed and their reactions almost made him tear up...almost. "She's right Sam, you did this, and I am proud of you man." He started gathering up all his equipment.

Sam was still trying to process the information he was just given, for the first time in a long time, he was speechless. His mind was not wrapping around the idea of actually playing again, although he always hoped and prayed he would. He looked down at his beaming wife, and words finally came to him, "Is this real?"

Mercedes nodded, with tears in her eyes, "Yes baby, this is real. I know it's been a long journey, and I know you sometimes doubted that you would be back on the field again, but you did it boo." She kissed him sweetly, "And although you still got some work to do, you have crossed the hump, and the light at the end of the tunnel is closer now."

The happiness he was feeling was so overwhelming, but having Mercedes there to be a part of this moment was the best part of hearing this news. He rested his forehead against hers, and smiled, "I am so glad I got my shit together, and came on this tour with you."

"I am too, but why do you say that?" She asked.

"Because if I was at home by myself, and got this news, I couldn't kiss you and see that look on your face. That's the smile that got me through all of this, and your love and faith in me is what pushed me to do more, and get better." He could feel the lump forming in his throat, "I love you so much Mercy, and I thank you so much for being so supportive and keeping me sane through all of this. Even when I didn't appreciate it." He cringed at the thought of their fight they had.

The tears were welling up in Mercedes eyes, hearing the sweet words Sam was saying. She always knew that he would be alright, but when he had that set back, it made her lose the tiniest bit of faith. But once they got through their drama, and she saw the hard work that he was putting into his therapy, she once again believed that he would fight his way back onto the football field. Now here they were, hearing Kevin say that he was sure Sam was going to be able to play again, and she couldn't be happier. "Sam, you know how much I love you, and I am so happy that you are here and I could share this great news with you." She kissed him sweetly.

The scene before him was sweet, and Kevin smiled as he saw how happy Mercedes and Sam were, but he was not going to break his tough exterior. So he just cleared his throat, and started packing up his things, "You guys are too sappy for me, so I'm going to get out of here, and let this superstar get his massage." He chuckled as he closed his bag, knowing Sam was not going to be amused with his comment.

"Whatever Kevin." Sam chortled, "You're just jealous that my sexy wife is going to give me a massage, and you still have to wait hours to see yours."

"That may be the case…" Kevin smirked.

"Alright guys, that's enough." Mercedes interrupted, "You both have wives that love you, so just be happy about that, and cut the bickering."

"Sorry…" Sam and Kevin said in unison, looking like two little kids that just got their hands caught in the cookie jar.

Mercedes laughed, "You two are so crazy."

Kevin chuckled, looking at his watch, "Let me get out of here before I miss my flight." He grabbed his bag, "I will see you guys next time."

"Oh and Kevin don't forget to bring Deanna next time, so you guys can come to the show and enjoy the weekend...on us of course." Mercedes stated.

"That's very generous of you guys, and I am definitely going to take you up on that offer." He smiled, "She has been wanting to get away, and this is a great opportunity to do that."

"Great!" Sam stated, "I'm glad we could do this for you guys. I mean you have done so much for me, I just can't thank you enough."

"Just doing my job Sam, but I gotta run, or I am going to miss my flight." With another wave, Kevin exited the gym, and headed to the airport.

Sam grabbed his towel, and wiped off the sweat on his forehead, and saw Mercedes was looking at him. "What are you looking at?"

She sauntered over to him, with a smirk on her face. "Just looking at my driven, determined, and ambitious husband, who is so damn sexy right now." She licked her lips, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Do you know how turned on I am right now, just thinking about how hard you worked, and knowing that you are going to be back on that field because you worked for it?" She started rubbing her hands up and down his chest. "Sam Evans, you need to get me to the room, before I rip your clothes off, right here in this gym."

Sam didn't expect this from Mercy, but he has notice that her sexual appetite has been at an all time high lately. He read somewhere that this could happen during a pregnancy, and he was sure as hell happy that it was happening with Mercedes. Because he was insatiable, and knowing that Mercedes was going to be just as bad as he was...that made him a happy camper. He pulled Mercedes close to him, pressing her body flush against his, "Mercy, everything I do is for you baby so this is more for you than it is for me." Kissing her deeply, and letting a moan slip out when he felt her hands on his chest. "Come on baby, we need to go….this is still a public facility, and we don't need a scandal on our hands." He snickered, and took her hand, leading them to their room. "Besides, I don't want anyone else looking at My Mercy's goodies but me!"

She giggled as they got on the elevator, she knew how he felt, because she was the exact same way. Sam Evans, in all his sexiness, belonged to her. And no one was ever going to get a peek at what belonged to her. "You never have to worry about that baby, my goodies is the property of Sam Evans!"

"You promise baby?" Sam asked as they reached their room.

"Forever and Always Sam." She pushed him inside the room, and before closing the door, she slipped the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door, "And now I'm going to show you…" She closed and locked the door, and they spent the next few hours exploring the goodies that they both owned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Three Months Later

Mercedes was sitting in her bed, looking over some last minute things about the Bear Cub Gala that was this weekend. She had so much on her plate right now, but thankfully she had Shelley who handled the brunt of it, and the tour was finally over, so she could focus all her attention to this event. She had a lot of the big ticket items for the auction already secured, and she was excited to reveal them to the rest of the Bear Cubs at their final meeting before the Gala on tomorrow. She got Santana to agree to give concert tickets to her next show in Vegas, and the winner will be her special guest, and have the Santana Lopez Experience. Kurt is going to donate a couture gown. Sam and Finn gave signed jerseys and Sam gave his Super Bowl ball which was also autographed by every member of the Chicago Bears team. Other members of the team donated things as well. And a huge item was the Chicago Bears organization is going to auction off a sports fanatic's dream, and that's to be on the sidelines at the opening game, and also participating in the ceremony when the Bears receive their Super Bowl rings. She was so happy with how things were coming, but she was still so tired.

Sam walked in the room after his shower, with his towel draped around his waist, and saw how stressed Mercedes looked. "Babe…"

She didn't hear him walk out, and she jumped a bit, "Oh...hey baby."

"You need to be relaxing right now, not working." He walked over taking the Ipad away from her.

"Sam...give that back! I still have work to do." She protested.

"Mercy, you have done everything you can. The event is this weekend, all the plans have been finalized, and there is nothing else for you to do." He laid next to her, and started rubbing her baby, "Besides this little one needs to rest, so just relax next to your loving husband, and watch a movie with me."

Mercedes knew that fighting with Sam was futile, he was definitely more protective now that she was pregnant. She let out a sigh, "Fine Sam, I'll watch a movie, but I need to get some snacks." She was about to get up, when Sam grabbed her wrist, "Oh no you don't, I'll go get the snacks, you relax."

She rolled her eyes, "Sam, I can get my own snacks."

"I know you can, but you won't because your man got you." He hopped up, and his towel stayed on the bed, but he kept walking.

"Sam….are you not going to put on clothes?" Mercedes asked, shaking her head.

He looked back at her with a smirk on his face, "Nope! This is my house, and if I want to walk around the house butt ass naked, then that's what I'm going to do. Be right back." He disappeared down the hall, leaving Mercedes in a fit of giggles.

"That man of mine is so crazy, but I love him so much." She sighed, and then heard her phone ringing. She smiled when she saw who was calling, "Hey Shell, what's up?"

"Hey Cedes, I wanted to run one last thing by you for the event."

"Sure, let me hear it."

"Well some of the girls and I were talking, and we think it would be a good idea if maybe you should perform at the Gala."

Mercedes was shocked at this request, she never thought about performing. It seemed like it would be too much for her to run it, and also perform. "I don't know Shell, that might seem like I want this event to be about me, and that's the furthest thing from the truth."

"I knew you would say something like that, but like you said, wherever Mercedes Jones-Evans is, their is press. And think about how much more press we'd have if they knew you were performing?" She hoped she was getting through to her with her points.

Mercedes knew that one day her words were going to bite her in the ass, and that day was here. "Shell I know what I said, but even if I did agree to do it, it is way too late to get the band together, and have rehearsals. It's just too much this late in the game to try to do this."

"Bullshit Cedes!" Shelley spat, "You know you don't have to have a band and rehearsals to pull out something amazing. No one said it had to be like on your tour, just something nice for the people."

Mercedes hated to be pressured into doing things, but this was her event that she was putting together, and she wanted it to be a great event.

"Hey baby, I got the snacks, what movie are we…" He looked up and saw she was on the phone, "Oh my bad Mercy." He put the snacks on the bed, and started looking for a movie.

Then it hit her like a ton of bricks, "Hey Shell, I think I will perform at the event, and it will be a performance no one will ever forget." She looked at Sam with a huge grin on her face, "I'll call you later Shell. I got a few wrinkles to iron out."

Shelley didn't know what happened, but she was so happy that Mercedes agreed, she didn't care. "Okay Cedes, I'll talk to you later."

Mercedes hung up the phone with a smile on her face. She moved closer to Sam and started playing in his hair, "Babe...can I ask you a favor?"

Sam sighed, he knew he was going to have to go back downstairs and get a snack he forgot. "Sure Mercy, ask away."

"That was Shelley on the phone."

"Mmhmm…"

"And she asked if I would perform at the Gala."

"That's a great idea Mercy, your voice alone will get lots of donations." He smiled.

"Aww thank you baby, but I had another idea. What if we give them something they had never seen before?"

"We who?"

"We as in me and you!" She replied.

"Wait, you want me to perform with you?"

"Yes baby, it will be amazing." She said excitingly, "People will eat it up and donate more money. And can you image the publicity the charity would get if Chicago Bears Quarterback, Sam Evans sings with his wife Mercedes Evans."

Sam just looked at her, this was something he never expected. "Are you sure that's what you want babe?"

She moved until she was straddling his lap, "I'm positive Sam, I want to show the world how perfect we are for each other in every way."

Sam wrapped his hands around her waist, and smiled, "You know I can't say no to you baby."

"I was counting on that." She smiled and kissed him lightly all over his face. "Thank you baby, I am so looking forward to performing on stage with you again. Now we just have to figure out what to sing."

Sam stopped all the talking when he crashed his lips into hers, and gave her a breathtaking kiss. When he pulled away, the glazed over look Mercedes was giving was hilarious, and cute all at the same time. "How about we talk about all that tomorrow, right now, I just want to cuddle with my wife, and watch a movie, can we do that baby?"

Mercedes took a second to regain her composure after that kiss, but he knew exactly what Sam was up to. She smiled at his request, "Oh Sam, you know I can't say no to you."

"I was counting on that…" He smirked, as they got comfortable so they could enjoy their movies and cuddles for the night. He kissed her on the top of her head, "I love you Mercy."

"And I love you too Sam."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The day had finally arrived, it was the day of the charity event, and Mercedes was running around like a chicken with her head cut off, to try and make sure everything was in place. She knew that morning she needed to be at the skating rink, to get things set up. They wanted to do something so that the kids they were trying to help could participate in the event, so the skate off was the perfect solution. They were also going to preview the items that were going to be auctioned off that day, so she had to make sure that was set up and secured by the time the doors opened. She had all hands on deck, and the Bear Cubs were out there in full force, decked out in their Bear cup shirts, which Mercedes had custom made for each lady. It had the number of their husband or boyfriend on it, to represent them. Some of the husbands were there as well, to help with the heavy lifting. Sam was doing his share, but he was mostly keeping an eye on Mercedes. He wanted to make sure she was taking care of herself, and the baby. Just watching her run around the rink was exhausting, and he knew she needed a quick break before the doors opened. He walked over to where she was, and without saying a word, he grabbed her wrist, and pulled her over to a bench, and made her sit.

She gasped at the sudden move, "Sam, what are you doing?"

"Everything is taken care of Mercy, and you need to take a breather." He grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler and handed it to her. "You can't do everything, and you don't have too, because you have an amazing team to support you, so let them do that. Now drink this, and give my baby some hydration." He smirked.

She knew he was right, she had been going non stop all morning, and she needed to slow down for the baby. She took the water, and took a sip, "Thank you babe, I do need to slow down for the baby." She rubbed her belly, "I just get in a zone and want to make sure everything is perfect."

"And that's why I'm here, to help break you out of that zone, so you can stop, breath and just enjoy this moment." He caressed her hand in his, "You all pulled off a wonderful event, and I would hate for you not to enjoy all your hard work." He kissed her on the cheek, "Besides, the guests should be arriving soon, and you need to be ready to greet them."

She rested her head on his chest, "And this is why I love you so much Sam Evans, you keep me sane." She giggled.

Shelley walked over, smiling at the couple, "I hate to break this up but Cedes, it's time to open the doors, and the line is wrapped around the building."

Mercedes sat up with a huge smile on her face, "Seriously? That's amazing." She looked up at Sam, grabbing his hand, "Come on babe, we have a charity event to start."

"I'm right behind you."

They headed to the door, and greeted the guests, and started off the first part of the event with great success. The press was there in abundance, and the people flocked to the rink. They had to even turn people away, because of fire codes. A lot of local celebrities were there, along with politicians, and members of the Bears organization. Of course she had the support of the Trouble Tones, and their families. But as usual, someone always had to try to bring her down, and Allison and Yasmine were at it again, doing their best hater impersonations. They walked up to Mercedes and tapped her on the shoulder;

"This is a circus!" Allison spat out, "All these children here, and I almost got knocked over twice already, and I just got here."

Jesus take the wheel, and remove these spawns of satan from my life. "Mercedes closed her eyes to say a quick prayer before responding to them. "Allison, Yasmine, are you enjoying the skate off?" She plastered on her fake smile.

Yasmine rolled her eyes, "Did you not hear what she said? It's a disaster! A damn zoo! What made you think that this was a good idea?"

"For starters, it's not a circus, or a zoo, this is called children having fun. You do both realize that we are doing this for the children right?" She looked back and forth between them. "It's a skating party, and people are going to skate, so if you don't want to get knocked down, then get out of the way." She had enough of them already.

"It's tacky is what it is." Allison spat out, "This was the worst idea ever!"

"Well the press doesn't think so, and neither does all the people here that lined up to get in here." She looked around the room at all the smiling faces. "We have a great DJ keeping the music pumping, and the food is amazing. People are having a great time, and I'm sorry if you're not, but you have the option of leaving. The doors are not locked." She pointed towards the exit. "Now if you would excuse me, I have to go unveil the items for the auction tonight." Without another glance, she spun on her heels, and made her way to the DJ booth. She grabbed the microphone, "Excuse me everyone, may I please have your attention." She waited for the noise to die down before she continued. "I first want to thank you all so much for coming out this afternoon to our Skate Off!" The audience cheered, "And we thank you all for your donations to the Chicago's Children Enrichment Program! With your donations, you are helping to send children who want to go to college, but can't afford to attend a major university, to continue their education, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart." More applause came from the crowd. "Now this is just phase one of the events happening today, and tonight we are going to be throwing our Annual Gala, where there will be a silent auction. Now you are going to have to dig deep in your wallets to win these great prizes, because we got some really great ones. And I want to give you a preview of it right now. Gentleman, can remove the curtain please?" She motioned toward the two security guards who were watching the table. The crowd 'oohed' and 'ahhed' over what they saw. "We have a lot of sports memorabilia from our very own Chicago Bears, Bulls, White Sox, Cubs, and Blackhawks. I know you sports fanatics would want to get your hands on those. If you're not into sports, but like great music, we have great concert experiences as well. Who wants to be treated to the Santana Lopez Experience in Las Vegas baby!" That garnered a loud applause. "And of course I had to let you in on a little Diva action that is Mercedes Evans!" She smiled, "If theater is your thing, we have the amazingly talented Rachel Hart auctioning opening night tickets Chicago, where she will be Roxy Hart." She giggled, "I guess it fits huh? And only because her last name is Hart, and not because she seeks fame!" That garnered a roar of laughter from the Troubletones, and a eye roll from Rachel." She eyed one more item she needed to talk about, "And if fashion is your thing, and I promise you guys this, I am definitely going to be bidding on this, so dig deep." She laughed, "This is a custom made, one of a kind, couture Kurt Hummel-Anderson dress, and it's amazing! I don't know what woman wouldn't want to have this in her closet. Now we have plenty more things for you to buy tonight, so feel free to go look at the table, and see what you want to get. Again, on behalf of the Bear Cubs and the Bears organization we say thank you for your generosity. Now let's get back to the party." The DJ hit the music, and everyone went back to skating and having a great time.

Sam was there waiting on her, "You were amazing baby, and I think you really got people excited about the auction."

"Thanks babe, that's what I wanted to do. I need people to dig deep and make huge donations to this event. I want my first big event to be a success."

"It is already." Sam assured her, "When I went to put in our donation, the bucket was full of money and checks, and according to Shelley, the checks are huge amounts, so you are doing good babe."

She leaned in and kissed his cheek, "Thanks Sam, for everything today. Now I am going to go relieve Shelley for awhile."

"I'll come with you, anything to help right." He smiled.

"Right! And maybe we'll get bigger donations with your handsome face at the table." She teased.

"That will all be because of you, but let's not fuss about how sexy we are."

"Yes, let's not." They laughed and headed to the collection table.

A/N: So there you have it, another chapter down. Let me know what you think good, bad, or indifferent. Have a safe and happy New Year! Up next is the Gala!