Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of its characters. I'm just trying to give them the chance Murphy and his writers haven't given them.

Chapter 22

Mercedes quietly tiptoed out of the family room while the entire Evans family were bustling around rearranging the family room furniture and speaking to their respective partners about how they were going to present their case before the "judge". Mercedes watched Sam from the corner of her eye as she made a beeline towards the door. She felt like she needed to get some air to think about what all transpired within these last two hours. Family dinners, vocal performances, and a family secret revealed! Mercedes knew she thrived in drama sometimes, but this was a lot, even for her. She walked into her guest room and pulled out her phone. She needed to talk to her personal voice of reason and truth teller. The person she trusted with her true self at all times. She listened anxiously as the line rang, closing the bedroom door firmly.

"Ah Mercy! I'm so glad you called! I was just thinking about you guys. How's it going so far? Are you having fun?" Tina rambled excitedly. At the sound of her voice, Mercedes burst into tears, letting out all of the emotions she had been carrying into Tina's unsuspecting ear. Her body shook as she wrapped herself in the blue and white comforter that was lying on the bed.

"Mercedes," Tina stated calmly. "Take a deep breath and tell me what's going on. Come on Mercedes, breathe." Tina's calmness surprised Mercedes but it was also very reassuring. She needed her to be her rock right now. She began to tell Tina everything that had happened that evening, from the dinner to the performances to the soon-to-be family trial. After she poured everything out, she took a deep cleansing breath. She felt a million times better already.

"You ok now?" Tina asked calmly. Mercedes wiped her eyes and smiled.

"Yes. Thank you for that. How did you know to handle me like that?"

"Hello? This is Tina. Your best friend and the woman who organized your career and life for the past two years, remember? I know when you are "diva-ing" out and when you are really in a crisis." Mercedes chuckled softly as she sat up and unwrapped herself of the luxurious comforter.

"Tina…I really fucked up." Mercedes shook her head from side to side as she ran her hand through her hair frustrated.

"No you didn't." Tina stated firmly.

"But Tina-"

"No, you didn't. Mercedes, if you really messed up, as your best friend, I would tell you. You know that, right?" Mercedes shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, you would."

"Exactly. Now in this case, this was not your fault. Unfortunately, it was a misunderstanding that was entirely innocent. Sam knows that. He's probably feeling like a piece of crap, not because of you, but because of how it all came out. You cannot take responsibility for his mess up. Secrets have a way of sneaking out some times." Tina listened as she heard Mercedes sigh heavily.

"Things were going so great, Tina." Tina could hear the disappointment and sadness coming from Mercedes. She hated hearing her friend sound so discouraged.

"Things can still go great, sweetie. We just need to jump over this teeny weeny hurdle." Mercedes laughed loudly at that statement.

"Teeny weeny, Tina? How about gigantic and huge?" She laughed. Tina began to laugh as well.

"I refuse to believe that. I know Sam loves you. I have seen him adore every part of your crazy ass. He is not going to walk away just because of a slip up. Have you spoken to him yet?"

"No. I feel like he is avoiding me. He won't even look at me."

"Well it is probably what I said it was. He feels embarrassed. He isn't mad at you Mercy. If he is because of an innocent mistake then he's not worthy of you anyway. And I will personally go up to him and tell him he's a sorry sack of crap and a loser!" Smiling, Mercedes shook her head.

"You will always be my number one champion, Tina." She listened as Tina giggled.

"Well I can't say that. I think I probably run a close second behind Sam."

"I hope so."

"Ofcourse! Now you need to put all of that stuff aside and psych yourself up for this trial."

"You really think I should do this judge thing?"

"Yes! You're perfect for this. You said Sam thought so too, right? So come on! I need you to tap into your inner Judge Judy!" Mercedes stood up and started bouncing on her feet, rocking her head, and shaking her hands.

"Ok. Yeah, you're right."

"Just listen to the facts and give your honest opinion. That's all. Just listen and follow your heart." Mercedes nodded.

"Tina, I so wish you were here with me." She moaned.

"I already am, sweetie. I got you in my heart and prayers, ok? So Go! You've got this, girl. I know it. Now you need to know it for yourself."

"Ok. I love you, Tina."

"I love you too Mercedes." Mercedes ended the call and continued bouncing on her toes. Just listen and be fair, she whispered to herself. She took one more cleansing breath and started to head for the family room. But she stopped when she walked in front of the mirror. I need a judge look, she thought. Ten minutes later, Mercedes was dressed in a form fitting black dress with black heels and pearls. She winked at herself at she admired her outfit in the mirror. Now I'm ready.

When Mercedes came back to the family room, Stevie instructed her to stand outside of the door so he could announce her.

"Stevie, is this really necessary?"

"Just relax, Beautiful. I want you to make an entrance." He winked at her before turning and entering the room, knocking on the door before he began to speak.

"All rise for the honorable, not to mention pretty hot and sexy, Mercedes Jones." Stevie smirked and winked at Mercedes as he waved her into the room. Mercedes rolled her eyes and grimaced as she passed him. That boy is too smooth for his own good, she thought. When she entered the room, she could immediately see that it was arranged like a real courtroom. Her seat as judge was upfront with a small table and a meat mallet on top. There were also two tables directly in front of hers for each side. Each side had a small table in front of their seats. Mercedes shook her head at effort the family put towards this mock trial. "You people watch way too much Cosby Show."

As she walked to her seat, she glanced at Sam. She could feel his eyes staring at her as she walked by. When she looked at him, he confirmed it by staring at her with his mouth hung wide open. He was looking at her like she was little red riding hood and he was the big bad wolf. And this wolf was really, really hungry.

Mercedes took her seat and looked at both tables. Mary and Dwight were on her left, while Sam and Stacey were on her right. She smiled at both tables, but found her eyes remaining on Sam who was biting his lower lip. Mercedes felt her heart ache as she longed to talk to him, hold him and just get rid of the tension that was polarizing them. In her heart, she knew he wasn't angry at her about spilling the truth, but she truly needs to be reassured that they were still ok. She needed them to be ok.

The clearing of Stevie's throat broke Mercedes out of her mini-daydream. She shook her head and focused on Stevie.

"Your honor, should they begin?" He asked.

"Sorry. Everyone can be seated. Before we begin, I want to lay down a few ground rules for this trial." Mercedes noticed that everyone started to wiggle in their seat uncomfortably. Yeah, I need to make sure everyone knows this is not the Judge Mathis Court. "No screaming, no yelling, no name calling. I'm going to listen to each side impartially and without any bias. Okay? Now…Let's begin with the charges." She answered assertively. Now she felt prepared to get the show on the road. Stevie nodded.

"Samuel Evans, you are being charged with Four Counts of Lying and Deception. How do you plea?" Sam stands up and looks directly at Mercedes.

"I plead not guilty." He answered sternly at Stevie, but his eyes softened and clearly danced when they met Mercedes'.

"Objection!" Mary jumped up and walked towards Mercedes who was surprised by the outburst. Sam walked toward Mercedes as well.

"For what?" He asked defiantly.

"For flirting with the judge! I saw that look Samuel Evans. I know that look. Your father invented that look. No eye ogling the judge!" Mary argued. Sam gasped and began to roll his eyes until he saw Mercedes tilt her head.

"Oh Come on, Mercy!" he whined.

"And no Mercy!" Mary demanded. "For this trial, you must call her 'your honor' or 'judge." Mercedes bit her bottom to stop from laughing and nodded her head.

"Sam, Momma Mary is right. For this trial, you have to call me your honor or judge. AND, you were flirting with me with your eyes. Don't be slick. You know you were. So objection sustained." Sam was preparing to say something when he felt Stacey pull his sleeve.

"Sam, let it go. Come on." She urged. Sam relented and began walking towards his seat. As he walked to his seat, he grabbed Stevie's shirt and pulled him close to him.

"Be very careful, little brother. I am watching your ass." He growled before shoving Stevie back to his seat. Stevie tried to pretend like the encounter didn't bother him, but the beads of sweat sliding down his face gave him away. Mercedes fought the smile threatening to come out and instead turned to Mary.

"Ok, Momma Mary. Call your first witness." Momma Mary stood up.

"I call Stacey Evans." Stacey stood up from her seat and smoothed down the front of her skirt. She was clearly nervous, even though it was only in front of family. Stevie followed close behind her.

"Stacey, lift your right hand and repeat. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"Yes." Stacey stated nervously. She quickly sat up straight when she noticed that her mother was making a beeline for her from the corner of her eye. The look of determination on Mary's face made Stacey gulp audibly.

"Stacey, I want to bring your attention to last Sunday night. Do you remember that night?" Mary asked as she paced slowly in front of her daughter. Stacey nodded her head thoughtfully.

"Yeah, sure. We were at home for most of the day following church."

"Do remember talking to Sam that night?" Stacey furrowed her brow and then lifted her head with a smile.

"Yes, because I told him about decorating Mercedes' room." Stacey turned her head to Mercedes. "He made me promise to decorate it with as many purple things as I could. He was going on and on about wanting the room to be perfect and wanting you to have the best time ever, and how he was-" Mary tapped Stacey on the shoulder mid-sentence, while Sam sank deep in his seat, covering part of his now red face with his hand. Mercedes loved the ease in which Stacey divulged Sam's secrets. She was pleasantly surprised by Sam's concern about making her visit special.

"Thank you Stacey. You've answered my question, sweetheart. Focus." Mary interjected. "Stacey, during that conversation, didn't you ask Sam about his job with Arista Nashville?" Stacey scowled as she looked down at her lap.

"Um…"

"Stacey?" Mary asked more firmly. Stacey raised her head.

"Yes, I did."

"What did you ask?" Stacey pressed her lips together tightly and then let out a breath.

"Fine. I asked him how was work going with Arista and if he could get me some concert tickets?

"And what did he say?" Stacey looked at Sam and mouthed the word "sorry".

"He said things were great at Arista and that he was writing a ton of songs. He said he would ask about the tickets for me." Stacey looked down in her lap.

"Stacey, when did you find out that Sam was not working with Arista."

"Today." Stacey answered quietly. Mary stopped pacing and looked at Sam.

"Your witness, son." Mary's face was emotionless as she walked back to her seat. Sam rubbed his chin with his hand gently and then got up. Stacey's face beamed as she saw her brother approach her.

"Stacey, let's go back to the conversation you said you had with me last week. Do you remember the very last thing I told you at the end of the conversation?"

"Goodnight?" Stacey answered confused. Sam rolled his eyes.

"No. It was about telling this information to anyone." Stacey's eyes lit up in understanding. She waved her finger excitedly.

"Oh yeah! Right! You told me to never tell Mercedes what you just told me because you didn't want to look like some kind of-" Stacey's eyes widened and she closed her mouth quickly. "Oops." Sam nodded his head slowly.

"Exactly. Stacey, you can't keep a secret, can you?" Stacey's jaw dropped open as she gasped.

"I resent that statement."

"Ok, but do you resemble that statement?" Sam asked as he leaned into her. Stacey twirled a piece of hair in her finger as she looked away.

"Well….maybe." She admitted.

"So if I told you I lost my job, can you honestly say you would have been able to keep that secret away from Mom?" Sam's eyes narrowed as Stacey as she sat there open-mouthed. After a few seconds, she shrugged.

"I probably would have told her."

"Thank you." Sam said as he straightened up and looked at Mercedes smiling. Mercedes cocked one eyebrow up and shrugged.

"Now Stacey, please tell our lovely [Sam side-eyes Mercedes.] judge here, the last time you kept a secret from Mom." Stacey thought for a minute and looked at Stevie. Stevie was mouthing something to her and using his hands to describe something.

"Oh, Yeah! I know! I got suspended from the cheerleading squad for a week!" Mary jumped out of her seat.

"Objection. Stacey's suspension is not why we are here today." She argued. Sam walked up to Mercedes, his eyes holding hers.

"Judge, the question of Stacey's suspension.." Sam feels his heartbeat quicken as he continued to stare at Mercedes. Mercedes suddenly stopped breathing.

"Goes to-" Sam licked his lips as his eyes traveled to Mercedes' lips. Mercedes felt a stirring in the pit of her stomach.

"Mom's reaction to secrets." Feeling suddenly very warm, Sam pulled on the collar of his shirt. Mercedes tried to pull her eyes away from his lips, but they looked so tempting at the moment. She had such an urge to kiss him right then. She forced her eyes to look away as she cleared her throat and looked at Mary.

"Overruled, Momma Mary. It's a legitimate question. Sam.. you.. you… you can go on." She began to nervously twist the pen that was in her hand. Sam reluctantly brought his attention back to Stacey.

"Go ahead Stacey." Stacey nodded.

"Ok," Stacey began, "I got suspended because one of my friends from Glee Club was being bullied by some of the other cheerleaders. When I saw that, I got into a fight with the girls and punched a couple of girls in their faces. Totally worth it." Stacey turned to Mercedes for validation, nodding her head. Mercedes was nodding her head too and gave Stacey a high five.

"Yeah, but the coach didn't like it." Stacey continued. "Coach Sylvester told me that the cheerleading family should always come first and suspended me. I was going to just let the suspension past and not tell Mommy anything because I didn't want her to interfere." Sam leaned into Stacey.

"What do you mean?"

"Mom doesn't know when to stop when we are in trouble. I didn't want her to go to Coach Sylvester's office and threaten her or something worse." Stacey glanced over at her mother who was sitting at her table with a sour face.

"Mommy, you do! I didn't want any trouble. But," Stacey adds while throwing her hands in the air, "she found out anyway, got mad at me for not telling her and grounded me for a week." Sam began pacing in front of Mary's table.

"Stacey, did your suspension have anything to do with mom?" Sam asked while looking at his mom.

"No." Stacey stated quickly.

"But you knew if you told her what had happened she would make a big deal about it, correct?"

"Definitely. It's what she does." Stacey answered confidently. Sam raised his eyebrow at his mom.

"No further questions." Mary furrowed her brows and drummed her fingers on the table. Dwight pulled Mary towards him and was whispering something in her ear. Mary nodded in agreement and stood up.

"I call Sammy Evans to the stand." She declared.

After rubbing his hands on his thighs, Sam took a deep breath, got up and walked to the chair seated next to Mercedes'. Stevie followed close behind.

"Sam, lift your right hand and repeat. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do." Sam put down his hand and took his seat. He turned his head slightly to Mercedes.

"Are you ok?" he whispered. Mercedes smiled and nodded softly. Sam opened his mouth to speak when his mom walked directly in front of his face.

"Are you finished Mr. Evans or would you like to flirt with the judge some more?" Mary scorned.

"Mom?"

"Don't 'Mom' me. Are you finished, Sammy?" she prodded. Sam rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Good," Mary answered as she backed away from him. "Please state your name."

"Mom, you know my name."

"Just state your name please." Sam rolled his eyes again.

"Samuel Evans."

"Thank you. Mr. Evans, how old are you?"

"25 years old."

"Are you dating?" Mary asked seriously. Sam side-eyed his mother as he leaned in his chair.

"Mom…."

"Answer the question." Sam frustratedly chucked as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Yes, Mom. I am."

"Are you in love?" Sam quickly turned to look at Mercedes and then bashfully turned away.

"Yes Mom, I am." Mercedes felt her cheeks getting hot.

"Please state her name?" Sam rubbed his forehead slowly.

"Mercedes Jones."

"Do you intend to marry her?" Sam roughly stood up from his seat.

"Mom, what exactly does this have to do with me and my job?"

"Never mind that, Mr. Evans," Mercedes interjected as she leaned toward him. "Just answer the question." Sam laughed as he shook his head.

"Um…I…uh…thought about it."

"How many times did you think about it?" Mercedes asked continuing to stare at Sam.

"Uh, I don't know, once or twice?"

"More than twice ?" Mercedes asked sheepishly. Then shaking her head, she realized that she needed to stay focused and get back to the issue at hand.

"Never mind that question, Mr. Evans. Momma Mary, let's stick to the issue that we are here for. The job?" Momma Mary leaned over to Mercedes discretly.

"Just trying to give you some answers you might be looking for, Judge. But we can get back to this trial, if you want?" Mercedes thought about that for a minute, but then motioned Mary to move on with the questions.

"Ok then. Mr. Evans, you were employed by Arista Nashville as a writer, correct?"

"Yes, I was."

"But you no longer work with them now."

"No, I don't."

"Please tell the court when did you stop working for Arista Nashville." Sam rubbed the back of his neck and shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"Um, about three months ago." He mumbled as he looked down.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Evans. Can you speak up?" Mary demanded with her hands on her hips. Sam sighed and looked up.

"Three months ago."

"And what was the reason for you being fired?" Sam turned toward Mercedes.

"I don't think I should have to answer that, Judge. It has nothing to do with my charges." Mary turned to Mercedes.

"It goes to the question of why he didn't tell anyone about being fired, Judge. I believe that once we learn that we will be closer to proving Deception." Mary argued. Mercedes sat quietly for a few minutes, with Sam and Mary watching anxiously.

"Mr. Evans, answer the question please." Sam rubbed his lips softly with the tip of his finger and let out a long sigh.

"I was fired because I wasn't producing any hits. I thought I was putting out great music but the label felt like my heart wasn't in the music." Sam turned in his chair and faced Mercedes. "The truth is my heart wasn't in it. The music was good and the lyrics were catchy but there was something missing in the lyrics. Especially the love songs. I think now I know that I couldn't really write about love, because I never really experienced it. I've been in relationships and really care about some people. But it was never love. Not until…not until now." Mercedes could hear her beating of her heart pounding in her ears.

"It's only now that I know what all of those love songs were really saying." Sam continued as he sat in his chair looking down, shyly. "I know what it's like to stay up nights thinking about someone. All of those songs about feeling something indescribable. Daydreaming about her face, her hair, her laugh. I know what it's like to miss someone's touch and feel like you're only half a person when they are not with you." Mercedes' eyes burned from the tears that threatened to flow.

"So I guess, now looking back," Sam stated as he looked up at his mom, "getting fired was one of the best things that ever happened to me." Mary put her hand on Sam's shoulder.

"I can see that. What I can't see or understand is why you kept all of this from me? Did you think I was going to blame you?" Mary cocked her head in confusion.

"No. Never that." Sam quickly answered. "I knew you wouldn't blame me. But I didn't want to burden you." Mary huffed as she walked away from Sam.

"Burden me?" She asked angrily. "Have I ever said or made you feel like you were a burden to me?"

"Never, Mom. But you carry so much already. I didn't want you to carry this too." Sam pleaded. He shook his head as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Momma, when I got fired, I was so embarrassed. You worked so hard to help me get to that point. I just didn't want you do what you always do- Take care of the situation. If I told you about losing my job, you would have put this house up for sale, got a job and made me move in with you. That's the last thing I wanted. I wanted…no, I needed to go through this on my own, Momma." Mary stood still as she listened to Sam. She didn't know what to say to his honest revelation.

"Sam?" Mercedes whispered. Sam turned his head wearily toward her. She looked at him softly, her heart breaking to see him so upset.

"Sam, I think the evidence has shown that you did lie to your family and practiced deception." Sam looked down as he nodded his head.

"But," Mercedes interjected as she looked at Mary, "I think it has also proven that he never intended to hurt you, Momma Mary. I also think that your strong mothering instinct to protect and help may have aided him in his decision to lie." Mary opened her mouth, but then quickly closed it. She looked over at Dwight. He looked at he thoughtfully as he lifted an eyebrow and nodded his head. Mary turned back to Mercedes.

"You may be right, Judge." She conceded as she walked to Sam. Mary stood in front of Sam and gently lifted his face upward, cupping his face with her hand.

"You are my baby boy Sam. Always have been, always will be. Even when you are fifty years old and have kids and grandkids of your own. That's because I'm your momma and I love you. Now maybe I come on a little strong with that love. I got so use to protecting you from the world, that I forget that I don't have to do it anymore. That you can protect yourself. You are a grown man and a strong one. Just like your daddy. So…" Mary took a deep breath.

"How about I loosen my grip a little and you promise to tell me the whole truth, no matter what? Ok?" Mary asked while running her hand through Sam's hair. A tear ran down Sam's cheek as he stood up, nodding his head.

"I think I can do that." He answered as he pulled his mom into a hug.

"I love you Momma." Sam mumbled into his mom's neck.

"I love you too, baby." Mary pulled her son even tighter into her arms. Soon the entire Evans clan were joining into the hug and it became a massive group. Mercedes was laughing and wiping the tears from her eyes when she saw Sam suddenly pull away from everyone and walk towards her.

"Everybody, just give me and Mercedes two minutes please." He called out as he grabbed Mercedes' hand and pulled her into the hallway. Once in the hallway, he pulled her hands to his chest and looked down at her.

"Mercedes, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Baby, I'm sorry for asking you to lie for me and putting you in a crappy position." Mercedes shook her head as tears fell from her eyes.

"No, no. I know you were struggling with this and now I get it. I'm sorry for accidentally spitting the truth out that way."

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Sam reassured her as he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "It was an accident. There's nothing to apologize for. I should have done it myself. God, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

Somehow they both knew they needed to be closer. Silently they both leaned their foreheads forward, resting them on each other, just enjoying their closeness.

"I love you." They both said simultaneously. They looked up at each other and laughed. The door to the family room suddenly opened and Mary walked out.

"You guys can make out later. Come in here and help us move this furniture back." She yelled as she pushed the couple back into the room.

**OMG, talk about a labor of love. This chapter was super hard, because I wanted to convey so much. I hope it didn't disappoint. I really loved writing it. Let me know what you guys think of it. You guys are the world's best reviewers! Thank you for sticking with me! Tootles xoxo**