Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, but I love their characters even if RM if constantly jacking them up.
Chapter 19
Sam looked over at Mercedes as she slept on his shoulder. The flight to Arkansas was extremely comfortably, especially with their first class accommodations. Sam insisted on paying for the flights and rental car for their visit. He wanted Mercedes to know that this was his trip for her and he didn't want her assistance. Mercedes reluctantly agreed to let Sam take control of the trip plans, because she could see how important it was to him. Sam brushed a stray hair from Mercedes' face as he watched her sleep. His finger lingered around her soft full cheeks. He gently kissed the tips of his fingers and tapped them gently against her cheeks, pressing his fingers against her deep dimples.
Sam was more excited about introducing Mercedes to his family then he ever expected. He was anxious for his siblings to meet the woman who made him smile everyday and couldn't wait to brag about her to everyone. Sam bit his bottom as he thought about how excited she was when she was packing all her gifts and how they talked about thing they would do once they got there. Her genuine excitement made his heart swell. Sam knew that he was falling head over heels in love with Mercedes but he never imagined that it would feel like this. He was happy every single time he was around her. She always kept him on his toes and he loved that about her. He couldn't wait to tell his mom all about her. Sam scrunched his face slightly as he thought about his momma. He still didn't know how he was going to tell her about being fired and working for Mercedes these last couple of months. He knew his momma would understand his termination, but embarrassment and pride was keeping him from just being honest with her.
Sam pushed those thoughts out of his head and laid his head atop of Mercedes'. He would worry about that later. Right now, he wanted to just snuggle next to his lady.
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By the time they arrived at the Bill and Hillary Clinton Airport at Little Rock, Mercedes was enjoying snuggling and necking with her boyfriend. Their necking was so intense that they didn't notice the steward trying to get their attention. The steward tapped on Sam's shoulder, clearing his throat loudly.
"Excuse me, Sir?" The steward called annoyingly.
"Hello, Sir!" The steward stated in a louder, more annoyed manner. Sam and Mercedes both jumped at the sound of his voice.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Sam answered, his face turning bright shades of pink.
"Yes, I'm sure you are." The steward answered snidely.
"It's just that we were-" Sam tried to explain to the steward, but he lifted his hand in front of Sam's face, cutting him off completely.
"Whatever, sir. This is not a Motel 6. We are descending so you need to move your seats to an upright position and prepare for landing." The steward gestured his head towards Mercedes.
"You can tell your lady friend that goes for her too." He snarled. Up until this point, Mercedes had decided to take the high road and not "go off" on the employee for his obvious rudeness. But with his last comment, Mercedes knew she had to "go there". She looked at Sam, who knew all too well what was going to happen next. Based on the employee's attitude, he decided to go ahead and let her have her way. Sam lifted up his hands and gestured to Mercedes to have her way with the guy. Mercedes looked at the steward with a wicked smile as she leaned closer to him.
"Darling, what's your name?"
"Alan." The steward remarked as he rolled his eyes. Mercedes nodded her head.
"Ok, Alan. Now what's my name?" The steward's face looked baffled.
"How should I know?" he asked confused.
"See Alan, that's your first mistake. You don't know who the hell I am. Yeah, I could be some college teenager, or some girl that stocks the coffee, or I could also be the leading R&B singer in the nation at this time. But regardless of who I am, Alan, my boyfriend and I deserve to be treated with respect and professionalism, which you are sorely lacking in both areas. Now, I suggest you take your funky ass attitude to your damn seat and get out of our faces, or I will have to proceed to not only whoop your ass right here in first class, but I will also call the president of this airline and tell him of your poor treatment of his customers. And in case you didn't know, Alan, the president's name is Felix Timbergress. I know that, Alan, because his daughter was a guest at my concert two weeks ago. Do I make myself crystal clear?" Mercedes' eyes narrowed at the steward who was slowly dissolving into a mass of water before their eyes. The steward stood covered in sweat, visibly shaken.
"You're M-m-m-ercedes…", he stammered, while nodding his head. Mercedes started nodding her head with him.
"Yes, Ms. Mercedes Jones."
"Ms. Jones, I am so sor-". Mercedes lifted her hand in front of his face.
"Uh, uh, Alan. I'm not interested. You can leave now." The steward backed away and ran to his seat near the cock pit.
Sam looked at Mercedes in awe as she sipped on her glass of mimosa.
"Baby, how do you do that so effortlessly?" he marveled. Mercedes winked at him flirtatiously.
"Now I can't tell you all of my secrets, sweetie. But don't worry I'll use my powers for good and not evil." Mercedes pecked Sam's lips lightly.
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When the plane arrived in Arkansas, the ground was already covered in freshly fallen snow. Sam drove their rental car out of the airport parking lot, while Mercedes stared at the beautiful holiday lighted scenery.
"This looks like a scene out of a country Christmas card." She awed as Sam laughed at her expression.
"I know. I love Arkansas. It is the perfect mix of country and tradition for my folks. My daddy can do all of his fishing here, while momma can still go to Little Rock and shop."
"And what about your brother and sister? What do they do around here?" Mercedes asked.
"You mean besides drive my folks crazy." Sam smirked. "Well, Stevie is in the football team and Stacey is a cheerleader. They are oil and fire together, but they can't seem to be involved in anything without the other one nearby somewhere."
Soon they entered into a private cul-de-sac and were in front of a traditional style brick home. Sam drove around the circular drive, parking the car in front of the glass entrance doors.
"Sam, this house is amazing." Mercedes gushed. Sam smiled broadly.
"The best day of my life is when I was able hand my parents the keys to this house. My mother was so blown away she just stood in the front door with her mouth open."
"You're a good son, Samuel Evans." Mercedes stated as she kissed Sam's cheek. Sam blushed slightly.
"No. I just like to bless the people who bless me." He answered quietly. Sam took Mercedes' hand and kissed the back of it quickly. He then jumped out of the car, and sprinted to open Mercedes' door.
"Ok, you ready?" he asked excitedly. Mercedes took a deep breath and shook away her jitters.
"Yes, Let's do this." She answered confidently. Sam winked at her as he leaned over to kiss her cheek.
"That's my girl." He whispered. Sam took her hand and guided her to the front door. He rang the bell, but then opened the door seconds later.
"Hey, anybody home?" He yelled as they entered the glimmering foyer. Seconds later, Mercedes gripped when she heard screams and footsteps heading toward the foyer. Soon two blond teenagers were sailing down the spiral staircase and jumped atop of Sam, knocking him completely to the ground.
"Sam!" They both screamed simultaneously. Sam howled as the twin wrestled him on the ground. Mercedes watched as an older blond man and woman bounced down the stairs.
"Hey," the older woman yelled from the stairwell. "Don't you dare put a scratch on my baby boy! Not before he give his momma a big kiss!" The teens helped Sam get to his feet just as the older couple embraced him into a huge embrace."
"Hi momma, daddy." He murmured from under their arms. When the hug ended, the older man held Sam's face in his hand and kissed both of his cheeks.
"That's my goodlookin' boy." He exclaimed while shaking Sam's head in his hands.
"Daddy!" Sam screamed, making his father finally release his face and take him into his arms. The older woman turned to Mercedes.
"You gotta forgive him, Sugar. My husband is a softie to the impth degree. He is going to kiss on his eldest son for a while." Mercedes nodded as she giggled softly. Suddenly the older woman's face froze, with her eyebrows springing up.
"You. Are. Mercedes. Jones." She stated slowly. Mercedes nodded her head. Sam's mom shook her head from side to side wildly.
"No! You. Are. Mercedes. Jones! Here! In my foyer! In real life?" She gasped. Suddenly Stacey screamed and ran in front on Mercedes.
"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! I cannot believe I didn't acknowledge you until now, Ms. Jones. I was just so caught up with my brother being here, but who care about him. You are here! You're really here!"
Suddenly both women started speaking to smiling Mercedes at the same time.
"I have all of your albums."
"You are just the sassisest thing I have ever seen."
"I know all the moves to your last video."
"I thought you were just darling on the Ellen Show the other day."
"I bought your album the minute it was released."
"I always wondered how you walked on those enormous black heels."
"I made up a routine for our cheerleading team using your last single, "Hell to the No."
"Do you think you can show me how you do your hair like that? I need a new hairstyle."
Sam moved in front of Mercedes and started waving his hands in front of his mom and sister.
"Stop, you guys! You are going to scare Mercedes even more than you already have." Mercedes was holding her stomach as she doubled over laughing. Sam's mom and sister were hilarious to her.
"Sam, it's really all right. They are great." She assured him as she tapped his shoulder. Stacey stuck her tongue out at Sam.
"See, stupid." She murmured as she grabbed Mercedes' hand and led her into the living room. Sam's mom shrugged her shoulder and led him into the living room with the rest of the family.
"Ok, well then atleast give me a chance to introduce y'all to Mercedes properly." He surrendered as he sat next to Mercedes on the couch. Stacey scowled and sat on the chair next to her mom. Sam rolled his eyes before turning to Mercedes.
"Sweetheart, this crazy motley crew is my family. That tall older, distinguished man over there is my dad, Dwight." Dwight waves his hand as he leans on the back of the loveseat. A mature, classier version of Sam, Mercedes thought.
"The good looking, cocky kid sitting on the loveseat is my brother Stevie." Stevie smiled a lopsided grin and saluted. Sam's mischievousness and charisma is all over his little brother.
"The beautiful yet maniacal chick on chair is my sister Stacey." Stacey rolled her eyes at Sam. She waved and smiled warmly at Mercedes. Sam's gorgeous eyes and fieriness.
"And last, but never least, the beautiful yet crazy older fangirl you just met is my mom Mary." Mary tsked at Sam and waved at Mercedes. Sam's gorgeous eyes and smile. Mercedes waved at everyone from the couch.
"I am so thrilled to finally meet all of you. Sam speaks so highly about all of you." She said sincerely.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mercedes. Unfortunately I can't say the same about you because my son only recently told us about you. I don't know why he keeps acting like he's some hermit without family waiting to hear from him from time to time." Mary fussed.
"Mary…" Dwight eyed his wife. "Let the boy be. If I was dating a beautiful woman like Mercedes, I would be out of touch with the world for a while too." Mercedes looked down embarrassedly.
"I know you wouldn't see me til the cop came knocking." Stevie crooned as he eyed Mercedes seductively. Mercedes saw the expression on his face and actually felt her face flush. Dwight jabbed Stevie's side slightly, making the teen recoil.
"Momma, I call every weekend." Sam tried defending himself, taking Mercedes' hand in his.
"Yes you do Sammy. For exactly ten minutes." His mom argued. "What kind of call is that? Sammy, I know you are a big time writer out there in Tennessee but you could call more you know. Those bigtime honchos just gotta wait." Mercedes raised an eyebrow as she looked at Sam out of the corner of her eye. Sam released Mercedes' hand and stood up quickly from the couch.
"Ok, ok. Enough ganging up on Sammy. Why don't we give Mercedes a tour of the house?" Mercedes stood up as Stacey grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the stairwell.
"I'll show you the house, Mercedes. I am dying to see what you think of my room. I have three of your posters on my wall." Mercedes laughed as she turned to Sam and waved him goodbye. Mercedes turned and followed Stacey up the stairs. Sam turned his head and caught Stevie twisting his head as he eyed Mercedes' behind as she went up the stairs. Steview was biting his bottom lip. Sam walked up to him and slapped the back of his head.
"Hey!" Stevie screamed as he turned to Sam. Sam lifted up his eyebrows to his brother and waved a fist in his face. Realizing he was just caught, Stevie grinned embarrassedly and sunk into the seat of the chair.
Dwight laughed at the whole scene.
"Don't blame him too much, Sam. He is a raging bag of hormones right now." Dwight put his arm around Sam's neck.
"Plus, Mercedes is pretty beautiful." He added. Mary walked over to Sam and pinched his cheeks.
"Yes, she is, Sammy." She agreed as she kissed Sam's cheeks. "You guys are going to make the most beautiful babies."
"Momma!" Sam yelled as he tried backing away from his mom, but she had him by the waist.
"Momma what? You are my eldest son and you are supposed to give me some grandbabies. So put a ring on that finger and get at it." Mary fussed as she tickled Sam mercilessly. Sam was finally able to run from her and move behind the couch.
"Can we just get through this weekend first? With the way you and Stacey have been acting, she is liable to think our family is a bunch of loons and high tail it out of here by morning." Mary waved off her son's comments.
"Whatevs, Sammy!" She huffed. Sam raised his eyebrows at her use of slang.
"I got this. That girl and I are going to be two peas in the pod. Now, sit on down here and tell me about you right now." Mary sat on the couch and patted the seat next to her. Sam sat on the couch, leaning his head on his momma's shoulder. Mary rocked him in her arms gently. Dwight motioned to Stevie to follow him out of the room into the family den, leaving Sam and Mary in the living room alone.
"I missed this momma. I missed you. So much." He answered quietly.
"I missed you too, Baby." She replied kissing his forehead. "Now how's life going?" Sam smiled.
"Life is wonderful, Momma."
"Good. And how's the writing going out there?" Sam hesitated for a minute.
"It's fine, Momma."
"Yeah? Your bosses are happy with your work?" Sam rubbed the back of his neck.
"Sorta."
"What do you mean sorta?" she asked curiously.
"Well I'm looking at trying a new label." He squeaked out. Mary stopped rocking Sam and looked down at him.
"Really, sweetheart? Why? I thought you were happy at Arista?"
"I was, but there are so many more opportunities out there. Better opportunities. I actually have a deal almost complete with Billy Ray Cyrus's Label." Mary gasped and screamed. She grabbed Sam and held him closely.
"That's wonderful baby! I am so proud of you. Will you be a writer there too?"
"Yes, but they also want me to sing. I'm trying to get them to move that out of the contract." Sam explained. Mary's face frowned up.
"Why Baby? I always knew you had a wonderful voice. You should be out there singing your music instead of letting some punk who don't know anything about music take your talent and use it for themselves." Sam shook his head as he watched his momma rant. She was his number one fan. Always.
"Now, you sound like Mercedes. She thinks I should sing too." Mary smiled and nodded her head.
"See! I knew I liked that girl. Sexy, beautiful and smart. She's the spitting image of your momma." Mary declared confidently. Sam laughed as he watched his momma. He reached over and kissed her on the cheek.
"Yes, she is momma. But you are the original model." He whispered in Mary's ear. Mary held Sam's face and kissed him tenderly.
"Don't sell yourself short, Sammy. You come from good stock. You are an Evans, which means you are strong and smart…"
"And a success." Sam interjected as he finished the statement. "Momma, you've been telling me that since I was a little boy."
"Because it's the truth. When those fool teachers tried to tell you that your dyslexia was going to stop you from graduating, what did I tell them?" Sam laughed.
"You told them, "Y'all don't know what the hell y'all talking about. My son is going to be more successful then all of y'all and your kinfolk!" Sam shook his head. "You always took up for me."
"And always will." Mary kissed Sam again. "So just think some more about that singing option, ok?"
"Yes, ma'am. But do me a favor, Momma. Don't bring it up to Mercedes. She will just keep trying to convince me to sing and one of y'all is enough." Mary nodded her head.
"Will do, Baby."
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After Stacey escorted Mercedes around the entire Evans residence, they found their way back to the kitchen where Mary was preparing dinner. The kitchen was an enormous room decorated in a contemporary country decor, with hanging racks of pots and skillets from the ceiling and encased by marble countertops. Mercedes sat on one of the stool in front of the countertop, watching Mary knead a huge bowl of dough. The room smelt like a mixture of chicken, pies, and cakes. Mercedes felt a lump forming in her throat as memories of her mom cooking in their kitchen started to form in her mind. Watching Mary prepare dinner was like being home again for Mercedes. She shook the memories out of her head and tried to stay focused on the present.
"Ms. Evans, can I help you with dinner?" Mercedes asked as she rested her elbows on the counter. Mary stopped her kneading and looked at Mercedes sternly. Mercedes swallowed as she saw the upset expression on Mary's face.
"Look here, Missy. I know that you are Mz. Mercedes Jones, but in here, you are like my own kids. So you either call me Mary, which I would not really like, but will tolerate. Or you can call me Momma Mary, which I would absolutely love." Mercedes laughed.
"Okay, Momma Mary it is." Mercedes stated to a satisfied Mary.
"Good. Now, you most certainly can help me with dinner. Grab an apron in that cupboard behind you and come on over." Mary declared as she resumed her kneading. Mercedes hopped off the stool, went to the cupboard and pulled out an apron. She maneuvered her way next to Mary and waited for her instructions.
"Ok, Baby girl. I need you to trim the green beans in that bowl over there." Mercedes turned around and saw a stock pot full of beans sitting on the counter. There seemed to be enough beans to feed them for days.
"Uh, Momma Mary? This seems like an awful lot of beans for tonight." Mercedes asked. Mary nodded her head as she rolled out the dough.
"I know, right? But I work at the local mission tomorrow. So I like to bring my 5 bean casserole for the lunch crowd. Whatever we don't eat tonight will go in the salad tomorrow." Mary explained. Mercedes began trimming the beans.
"That's awful kind of you, Mrs….Momma Mary. You work there often?" Mary nodded her head.
"I try to go as often as I can. I believe in blessing people who bless me." She answered confidently. Mercedes smiled as she thought about Sam.
"If it wasn't for missions and food pantries, I don't know where this family would be. When Dwight lost his job, we relied on those places to help get us through many months of rough times. I intend to help someone else who needs a helping hand now that I can."
"That's a wonderful thing to do, Momma Mary."
"It's the way God intended us to behave." Mary declared. "Yes, those were rough times. When Dwight and I were working those part-time jobs, Sam had to raise himself and help raise his brother and sister. He never complained and never whined. He was my true gift from heaven."
She placed the biscuits on the cookie sheets and turned to look at Mercedes who was working hard on the beans.
"You are pretty handy around a kitchen, Baby Girl. Do you help your Momma cook a lot at home?" Mary asked innocently. Mercedes sadly smiled and nodded her head.
"I used to, ma'am. I always helped her re-create my Nana's recipes, which we could never really do. Nana kept her recipes under lock and key." Mercedes laughed softly. Mary giggled.
"Well maybe you and your momma can start creating your own recipes?" Mary suggested as Mercedes listened sadly.
"That would be nice, ma'am but unfortunately I won't be able to anymore. My momma passed not too long ago." Mercedes was looking down at the pot, avoiding Mary's eyes, when she suddenly felt hands lifting her hands away from the beans and cradling them in their own. Mercedes looked up to Mary's face. Mary's eyes were glassy as she looked at Mercedes lovingly.
"You are making your momma so proud, Mercedes Jones. You are beautiful, and talented and amazing. Your momma is looking down from heaven and just smiling her head off at you." Mary declared tenderly. Mercedes felt her chin tremble, as tears spilled out of the side of her eyes.
"You think so?" She whispered. Mary pulled Mercedes into a tight hug.
"I know so." Mary stated in her ear. Mercedes usually avoided public displays of emotions and kept people at arm's distance when it came to physical contact. But Mary's caring voice and gentleness made all of her walls disappear and she found herself sinking into Mary's embrace and yielding totally to it. It wasn't until she heard someone clearing their throat that the women parted. Sam stood at the doorway looking at them concerned.
"Is everything ok in here?" He asked cautiously. Mary and Mercedes wiped their face quickly with the back of their hands. Mary wagged her finger in front of Sam.
"Sammy Evans, don't you come in here and start questioning girl-time. Of course everything is fine. We're just cutting up some onions. Isn't that right, Baby Girl?" Mercedes nodded her head as she returned to the bowl of greens.
"Yes, Momma Mary." She replied. Sam raised an eyebrow as he looked at Mercedes. He mouthed "Momma Mary" to Mercedes silently. Mercedes smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
***Sorry for the delay in the chapter, you guys. RL is crazy right now. But one of my favorite fanfic writers asked me to bless her with a chapter before Christmas, so I put my nose to the grindstone. Hope you enjoyed! Many people think Mercy is going to spill the beans. I don't know...the truth has a way of coming out when you least expect it. Tootles! xoxo****