Oh-Em-GEE, thank you for all the kind reviews. I originally wanted to make this a short story but after reading all your reviews I decided to just let go and write; we'll see at the end of this story how many chapters it will be.

To all of my guest reviewers I could not personally inbox: Thank you :) I just really hope this story lives up to expectation.

Hope you enjoy: (PS I wrote the first flashback whilst listening to Sam Smith's song Nirvana it really creates the mood I was going for so go listen to it whilst you read:)

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, its characters belong to their creators and FOX studios.

"Cinnamon Bun and Dante are watching The Amazing World of some blue cat on TV-"

"Did you know?" Mercedes asked before answering her own question. "You must have known. Dad would have told you."

Her father would have definitely told her mother that Sam Evans the quarterback of the city's football team was using one of the church funded charities for his community service.

The woman raised a brow at the tone of her daughter's voice.

"Hello to you to, Mercedes. Please do come in." She said sarcastically before letting the girl in the house.

"Mom, he's serving his community service at our soup kitchen. How couldn't you tell me?" Mercedes whispered careful not let her father and brother hear as she and her mother stood in the foyer of her childhood home.

The tall brown woman furrowed her brows. "What are you talking about, Mercedes?" The woman asked genuinely confused. She opened the front door expecting that her daughter came to pick up Aria not accuse her of some conspiracy theory against her.

"Sam Evans." It took all of Mercedes not give an annoyed cry, however she knew her mother would not stand for that. She may be a grown woman of 23 but she was not too old to receive a tongue-lashing from her mother.

"Wait, I am confused. Begin from the beginning. What are you talking about?"

"You don't know?" Mercedes asked genuinely surprised.

"If I knew would I be this confused?" The woman deadpanned rolling her eyes.

Mercedes inherited much of her mother's characteristics. She knew she was playing on deadly ground with the attitude she was tossing around. She took a deep breath realizing that she was lashing out her anger on the wrong person.

She was irrational. Sam Evans made her irrational; first, he made her fall irrationally in love with him and now he made her irrationally angry.

"He's helping out at the soup kitchen for community service," Mercedes explained. "I thought Dad would have told you."

Her mother's hazel eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Your father just told me that Arthur, one of the church members who is a probation officer, has an offender on probation that needs to do community service. That's all you're father told me," The woman explained her gaze softening as she looked at her shaken daughter. The woman's mind drifted back to a time when her usually strong daughter was broken and lost. Her heart broke for her baby girl. "What happened?"

Mercedes sighed running a hand through her hair.

"I walked into the soup kitchen and there he was, Mom, there in front of me and all these emotions just ambushed me. I wanted to punch him. I wanted to kick him. I wanted to hurt him so badly," She whispered afraid others would hear. Her body shook with anger as she spoke. The thought of his face alone just made her angrier.

"And Aria? What did he do about Aria? Does he know?"

"He did the math but he couldn't really do or say anything, Aunt Esther put him to work so he couldn't get a chance to talk to me." Mercedes explained crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't want to talk to him. I do not want him near my child or me. He does not have the right to just waltz in here and disrupt my life."

The woman sighed walking over to her fuming daughter.

"Well, he's her father so he has a right to-"

"No, he's nothing but a sperm donor. He did not carry her around for nearly nine months, I did. He is not the one raising her, I am. The only thing he did is donate a few genes, other than that he did nothing," Mercedes hissed interrupting her mother, tears of anger swell on the brim of her eyes.

"Mercedes, you can't fault him for that, you never told him about Aria," The woman said honestly. She loved her daughter, she supported her daughter but she was always honest with her daughter even if it made her angry.

"So, this is my fault?" She cried astounded throwing her arms in the air. "I can't be-"

"Mercedes, yes the man hurt you but think of your child," The woman said. "Your child needs a father-"

"She has a mother." Mercedes interrupted, insulted. "Are you saying I'm a bad mother? Are you saying I can't take care of her-"

"Mercedes Jones, child, I swear if you interrupt me again." The woman said narrowing her eyes at her daughter before continuing after a brief pause. "You are an amazing mother to that child but you can't change the subject every time she asks why all the other kids have daddies and she doesn't. That child is going to grow up. Do you really want to rob her of the chance of knowing her father. I know he hurt you, baby. I know seeing him hurts and it makes you angry that he still has that power over you but this is not about you. This is about that beautiful child God has blessed you with. As a parent you need to put your child's needs above your pride." The woman said gently. She took her daughter's hand in her own. "Do you know how it warms my heart to witness the beautiful relationship you have with your father? Don't you wish the same thing for your daughter?"

As the words sank in Mercedes realized her mother was right. But she wanted nothing from Sam; she did not want him near her. However, this was not about her. This was about her daughter. As much as it pains her to admit, Aria was his child too. She saw the pieces of him she used to love in her daughter: Aria was so energetic and happy. She had his compassion. She also inherited his love for drawing -and of course, the walls were her canvas.

Mercedes loved her father. Her daddy was her hero, her protector, her voice of reason. She wanted that for her daughter: somebody who would protect her from the monsters under the bed. She wanted her daughter to have someone to pick her up when she feels too small. She wanted her daughter to have an accomplice in crime when she stole desserts out of the kitchen. She wanted her daughter to have a daddy to spoil her rotten. She wanted her child to have a father.

But how was she supposed to be civil with the man who broke her heart. How was she supposed to act as if he never hurt her? How was supposed to look at him without remembering every broken promise. How was she supposed to resist the violent urge to pound the crap out of him until he felt a fraction of the pain she had to go through?

Whoever said time heals all wounds was an idiot.

She may be stronger. She may have survived the worst but deep in the darkest corner of her soul in a place not only hidden from the world but also herself was a want for Sam Evans she refused to acknowledge. He broke her. He broke her more and more with the memory of every kiss. He broke her with the way he touched her. He broke her with his smile. He broke her with lies of forever. He broke with his 'I love you's'

Delicious.

He tasted delicious. All Mercedes could do was shiver as tingles of ecstasy ran down her spine as Sam's delicious tongue explored her mouth. His lips felt as soft as cotton candy on hers. She could feel his hands whispering their way over her body as he rolled his hips against hers. Her heart hammered against the confinement of her chest. Her purity forgotten and body overtook with passion she copied his movements ignoring the warning signs going of in her head.

Lungs burning with the need for air Sam stopped the kiss catching his breath before moving his lips to her jaw.

All Mercedes could do was sigh and bite her lip as Sam's warm tongue swept over the skin on her neck. She closed her eyes weaving her trembling fingers through his hair pulling him closer. She felt every inch of his body against hers. She could feel Sam's large hand under her shirt. Before Mercedes insecurities could taunt her Sam moved his lips back to hers kissing those thoughts away. He caressed ever corner of her mouth with his tongue. His fingers danced up her spine eliciting an involuntary shudder from her. Sam smirked against her lips.

Mercedes could feel his finger brush over her bra. The warning sign in the back of her head was pulsating flashes of red and shrieking...but it felt so good...Sam felt so good. His soft large fingers caused small bumps of flesh erupting over her skin. Her heart was ready to burst out of her chest. Her toes curled in her socks as burning pleasure ran through every inch of her body. She felt she like her body was soaring...a feeling she never felt before.

She felt him unhooking her bra beneath her shirt. She felt his gentle fingers tracing up and down her naked spine before his hands found her hips and pulled her closer. Here she was the virginal daughter of a pastor grinding her hips, lost in the fumes of ecstasy and the presence of her lover. However, she could not stop, her body did not want to. Her bones were charged with want for him, useless to the magnetic pull of her lover. It was too late; she was too lost in him and the ecstasy of the moment to turn back now.

"Sam, we-we need to stop," She moaned in his mouth feeling his hands on the front of her jeans unbuttoning them. The lump in her throat made it painful to speak.

Sam pressed one last kiss on her pounding pulse coursing through the arteries on her throat. He placed both his hands on either side of her head hovering above her body. His dark eyes burned with flames of want. His lips were swollen.

"I love you, babe. Let me show you how much I love you." He whispered against her lips gently grinding his hips against her. "Let me make love to you."

Mercedes clenched her thighs together feeling the sudden burst of warmth. In the beginning, Mercedes used to be ashamed of her body's reaction since she was still unaccustomed to physical pleasure. With time, she realized it was normal everybody had those feelings.

The more time she spent with Sam the more she wanted him. She wanted him so badly but she was a good girl. The Bible said her body was a temple and she wanted to protect it. She made a promise to herself to wait until she was married before she shared her body with someone in such an intimate manner.

But he made it so hard and she wanted him so badly. Things with Sam reached 1 to 100 in seconds. It is as if he was her body's own brand of kryptonite.

She bit her lip casting her gaze down unable to look into his green eyes without combusting.

"Sam...I...I...I want to but I'm afraid and I made a promise to..." She could not complete the sentence.

He placed his soft warm palm against her cheek lifting her head forcing her to see the sincerity in his beautiful eyes.

"Trust me," He whispered. "I love you and I want you spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically. I want to take you places you have never been before. You can trust me, babe. You can trust me with your heart, with you body, with everything because I'm deeply irrevocably in love with you." He said. "Let me adore every inch of you."

He placed a soft kiss on her lips seeing how torn she was.

"I love you so much."

Those words caused a lighting strike in her heart. He loved her and he wanted her; she could see the adoration he had for her shinning in depths of his green eyes. Mercedes swallowed the lump in her throat making up her mind.

She was a rational person: she always over-analyzed everything. She was a planner: she always thought she would be married first before her husband lifted her up in his arms and made love to her. This time she decided to throw caution to the wind and for the first time in her life, she just let her emotions guide her and chose to experience beauty of the moment without the thought of repercussions.

"I-I love you too and I trust you," she said looking into his eyes. The adoration she had for him shone in her gaze.

She loved him. She loved him with every fiber of her being. She pressed her palms to his cheeks before kissing him gently. She was going to give him her everything; she was going to let him in. She was going to trust him with not only her body but also her soul. She was giving him something she would never get back. She was trusting him with her whole heart. "Make love to me," She whispered, the words tasting foreign on her lips.

Sam rolled his tongue against hers leading her in a beautiful slow dance as he gently pulled her shirt up running his hands over her blazing skin. Sam pulled the shirt over her head before her insecurities got the best of her; Sam attached himself to her lips again kissing her thoughts away. She lost herself in the kiss, forgetting her name, where she was and on what planet she was on. All she knew was that she wanted him.

The night was filled with soft moans and whispers of 'I love you'. The young lovers explored one another that night .For the both of them the experience was something new; physically for Mercedes and emotionally for Sam…

"...and now this? Very classy, Sam. You impregnated a girl without even knowing it." The sarcastic voice cried in disbelief from the other side of the line. "I thought I raised you better. It seems like you lost you damn mind-"

"Mary, let me talk to him. I think you need time to adjust to the fact that you're a grandmother." Sam heard his father interrupt his mother.

He was still in a state of shock. He was confused. He was hurt that she kept the child from him. He was terrified .However, there was a part of him that was excited. The first thing he did after arriving home was call his parents. He needed to tell somebody. He needed advice. He needed help. He needed support.

"So, you impregnated a girl?" His father asked.

Even though his father was miles away in Kentucky, Sam bowed his head in shame imagining his father's disappointed gaze on him.

"Yeah," He said staring at the red carpet beneath his bare feet.

He heard his father sigh.

"Is it a random girl you picked up along the way or-"

"No, Dad, it is Mercedes."

He knew his father would know who she was. Not only was she the only black girlfriend he has ever had but his parents were fond of her. He introduced her to them when his parents and siblings were visiting him for the weekend at school. Mercedes had a way of making people fall in love with her in a short amount of time, he being a testament to that. By the time his parents left for home, his mother embraced her like she was her own daughter.

"Well, that's a name I haven't heard in years," His father said. "You never told me what went wrong between the two of you."

Sam cringed as a rerun of the moment he lost the love of his life played in his mind. Yes, she was the love of his life. Hard as he might try, he never could find anybody to replace her. He lost the only woman he has ever loved all because of a mistake and her lack of faith in him. He could not really fault her either; the situation painted him a heartless jerk at the time.

"I made a mistake and she broke up with me," was all he said. He did not want to climb back into the memory and relive the moment now. He quickly changed the subject "Dad, I don't know what to do? I have a kid, Dad. I have a kid and she's so beautiful and energetic...and I-I don't know what to do, Dad," he said.

Sam got off his couch pacing around the TV room. His heart rate accelerated drumming against his chest as uncertainty coursed through his veins. He felt overwhelmed. A sudden wave of nausea hit him.

"Do you want to be in the child's life, Sam?" His father asked point blank. "Are you ready for that? Are you ready to be a father?"

"Dad, she's mine, I have to be ready-"

"No, Sam, just because you posses the ability to make a child does not make you capable of being a father. God is entrusting you with a living human being, Sam that's major pressure," his father said. "I'm going to be frank because I love you. You still act like a spoiled irresponsible child at times, Sam. And if Mercedes is still the same girl I met those years ago I am sure she would not stand for that behavior around her or your child. If you decide to be in the child's life, you have to realize that it is a life long commitment, Sam. Are you ready for the responsibilities that come with being a father?"

His father's words stopped him mid-step. The severity of the predicament in not only the present but also his future hit him hard. If he chose to be in the child's life, he would have to be responsible for her not only financially but also emotionally. He would have to rearrange his whole life around her; he would have to change his ways and act like a real adult.

Then there was the other alternative; he could stay away. Mercedes made it clear she wanted nothing from him and if she was still the proud young woman who once held his heart, she meant what she said. The latter, however the easiest choice, appalled him.

Yes, Sam would admit that he was not the most mature 26-year old in the world. He was notorious for not his football skills but his wild ways. He was not the person you would expect to father a child. But even though all of that was true, the thought of rejecting the child...he just...he could not.

The idea of being a father later in his life when he met a nice girl always appealed to him. He always wanted a big family of his own. A part of him was excited; he wanted to know her. He wanted to know what made her smile and what made her sad. He wanted to know what her favorite animal and colors were. He wanted to know if she had more of her mother's characteristics or his.

As terrifying as the idea of being an instant father was, Sam realized that he could never walk away from the prospect of knowing his child without regretting it in the future. Rejecting that child would be like rejecting a piece of himself. He wanted to know her and he wanted her to know him.

Sam took a deep breath knowing that the choice he was about to make would change everything. Today would be the day he decided to grow up.

"Dad...I want to be in her life," Sam said.

Only once he said those words aloud did another thought struck in his mind.

'Mercedes did not want him near her or Aria.'

As her biological father, he had a right to her. However, Sam could not just crash down on the child like a strike of lightening and expect the four-year-old girl to understand what was going on. In addition, Sam did not want to fight with Mercedes. In her mind, Sam hurt her and fighting over Aria would just hurt her more. Sam did not want to hurt her more than he already has.

"Okay, so what are you going to do?" His father asked. "You said it yourself; Mercedes is not fond of you and dragging the child-"

"Aria."

"What?" His father asked confused from the other side of the line.

"Aria." Sam repeated. "Her name is Aria Monet. It is Italian; I looked it up. She told me it is a song or melody in an opera. Mercedes named her Monet after the painter because she's a work of art," Sam said smiling as he thought of his talkative daughter. "She says everybody calls her Cinnamon Bun." A small chuckle erupted over his lips before he continued; "Dad, she's so beautiful and bubbly. I promise, Dad, you will fall in love with her in the first five minutes."

"Aria," Dwight Evans said tasting the name on his lips. At first it sounded...different but after giving it time to settle it sounded beautiful.

"The direct translation to English is 'air'," Sam said. "And, Dad, that name does her justice. She is like air; she is light, happy and free. She's like a little a mini tornado just pulling you in with her vortex of powerful winds."

"She sounds special."

"She is," Sam said with a small smile.

A short comfortable pause befell them before Dwight spoke again.

"What are you going to do, Sam?"

"I don't know yet, Dad," Sam said honestly. "But I want to be in her life."

"-okay, favorite cartoon?" Sam asked the young woman before taking a sip of the alcohol in his cup.

In the distance, across the small lake a big bonfire brightened the night with its orange hues burning proudly. College students scattered over the party site danced to the rhythm of the blasting music clutching their red cups. It was the first party of the year. Sam was in no mood to party but Quinn all but dragged him along. Some time during the night, he lost his girlfriend in the throng of people. Sam wandered the crowd for a while before giving up on his search for his girlfriend and finding his friends. On his way back to his friends, he bumped into somebody. That somebody was the girl he met two weeks ago.

She gave him an embarrassed smile apologizing for being such a klutz. They struck up a conversation and before they both knew it, their respected group of friends disappeared, not that either really minded much. Quinn later texted him letting him know she caught a lift home with one of her friend.

Mercedes and Sam decided to get out of the heart of the lakeside party and went to Sam's truck on the far side of the lake so they could talk without needing to scream at one another. That is how the girl and young man found themselves lying on the back of Sam's pick up truck staring at the stars as they got to know one another better.

"Regular Show," Mercedes said before bringing the red cup to her lips.

Her belly felt warm. Since she was not an experienced drinker she chose to stay with the wine coolers low in alcoholic content.

"You like Regular Show? Me too it is like the only good modern cartoon. Mordecai is my favorite character." Sam said placing his empty cup down next to him before lying down next to her.

"I love Eileen and Rigby they are so cute together. Mordecai is kinda boring and he likes Marget; she's so boring. I like him better wit CJ."

"Eileen is the boring one. She's this know-it-all with glasses-"

"Hey, what you got against people with glasses," Mercedes said pretending to be offended as she bumped her shoulder against his. "Just because I have bad vision does not mean I can't punch you in the face."

Sam chuckled looking at the girl lying a few inches from her. She looked pretty tonight with her curly hair in a straight long angled bob cascading down her shoulders. She wore a black t-shirt dress reaching her knees and a pair of white Vans. Unlike the other girls Sam saw she did not have make up on or tried to hard. She was a vision of unappreciated beauty: simple yet classy.

"Wow, for a preacher's kid you sure are violent."

She rolled her eyes chuckling. Sam noted how the full moon bathed her darker skin in an ethereal white glow.

"Okay my turn to ask a question," She said before pausing for a while thinking of a question to ask. "What did you think you want to be when you grow up as a kid?"

"A superhero." Sam admitted returning his gaze to the glittering stars adorning the black veil of sky above them.

"I wanted to be a witchdoctor."

If Sam had a drink in his mouth, he would have comically spit it out as cartoon characters were fond of doing.

"What?"

"Yeah, you know on pre-k graduation day they ask you what you want to be when you grow up. My brother's dared me ten bucks at the time to say that rather than my rehearsed answer of 'a scientist'," Mercedes explained to a laughing Sam. "So there I was on that little stage smiling brightly as the teacher held the microphone to my mouth waiting for my answer. I answered and everybody stared at me in shock for like two minutes while my brothers were sitting next to my parents giggling. The silence however was broken by my aunt who burst out in laughter causing a chain reaction from all the grown ups." Mercedes said. "My parents have it on video. Every time they feel the sadistic need to embarrass me in front of family or friends they show them the video in which their daughter let be known that she wanted to practice voodoo one day."

Sam's stomach muscles were on fire but he could not stop laughing at the image of a young Mercedes, the cute little daughter of a preacher, announcing that she wanted to be a witchdoctor.

Only once he gained control of his body again and filled his lungs with much needed air, did he ask Mercedes:

"Favorite movie?"

"Uhm...that's hard." Mercedes said. "Thus far: The Avengers."

"Wait you like Marvel movies? You are into superheroes and sci-fi? And geeky dorky stuff" Sam asked surprised. Most girls liked movies liked those sickening dramatic romantic movies that made him cringe. Sam was the biggest dork in existence but Quinn made him hide his obsessive geeky ways away from the world.

"Sam, I have a bunch of brothers. I was raised with TV games that then upgraded to Playstations and Xboxes. I read comics at times and I play online video games. I can even speak a fictional language," Mercedes said with a small laugh "My life is actually something very sad."

"What fictional language can you speak?"

"Na'vi that fictional language from Avatar-"

"I think nga yawne lu oer," Sam said in awe staring at the woman.

"Oh my soul," Mercedes said pointing her short fingers at him as if he just committed an unspeakable crime. "You're an undercover geek. Oel ngati kameie hiding behind that jock facade of yours. Ha I knew there had to be something not totally perfect about you." Mercedes said. "I thought you might be a serial killer; it's always the ridiculously hot ones with something wrong in the brain. Now I know that you are just as geeky and human as I am-"

"Did you just call me hot?" Sam asked with a smirk.

"What," Mercedes said with a snort as she sat up next to him. "I never said that."

"You totally said that."

"You are delusional, my friend."

"I know what I heard," Sam sang sitting up next to her. "You called me hot."

Mercedes shook her head refusing to admit her slip up.

"Nope I didn't. By the way I'm the hot one between the two of us," She said with playful vanity. "Have you seen me?"

Sam chuckled rolling his eyes at the girl. Her phone buzzed in her purse. Sam silently wondered why the female species were adamant about carrying around a mini bathroom in their handbags as Mercedes took out a packet of tissues, lip-gloss, a compact mirror, a small hairbrush and a bottle of perfume in search of her cell phone somewhere in the chaos of her handbag. She finally found the phone and threw all the contents back into her handbag again. He watched her eyes scan over the message on her screen quickly before replying with fast finger strokes.

"Seriously, Rachel is spending the rest of the night with Jesse to do unholy things I don't even want to think of. She is the one that freaking dragged me here and now she abandons me. Both Sugar and Artie are probably gone too," Mercedes said annoyed.

"I'll take you back to your dorm," Sam said. "I'm kinda feeling tired now. What time is it?" He asked as he got off the truck.

"One-thirty," Mercedes answered standing up. Sam helped her off the truck by taking her hand. In that moment she's never been more thankful for her skin tone and darkness of the night for concealing her blush.

They both climbed into the pick up truck, Mercedes had to do a little jump since the thing was high off the ground drawing out a laugh from Sam.

"Hey, just because you have ostrich legs does not mean you can look down on us shorter people," Mercedes said as Sam turned on the truck's ignition.

"Wow, that was hurtful," Sam, said faking hurt. "Seconds ago I was hot now I'm compared to an ostrich."

Mercedes rolled her eyes. The rest of the ten-minute ride was filled with a playful argument between them. Sam parked his truck in front of her dorm.

"I didn't call you hot."

Sam grinned.

"Okay, let's agree to disagree." Sam said as Mercedes opened her passenger's side door.

She gave him a small beautiful smile.

"I had a nice time tonight. It was fun talking to you."

"You too," Sam said honestly. He enjoyed her company.

She jumped out of the truck.

"Irayo for the ride." She said thanking him.

"Kea tikin," Sam replied with a big grin. "Goodnight."

"Hayalovay."

"See you around."

She closed the door. Sam watched her jog into the building before stopping at the entrance and giving him a small wave before disappearing into the building. Sam sat in his truck for a few minutes thinking of how easily conversation had flown between them during the evening.

Sam grinned before putting the gear in reverse and driving off...

Author: Presenting Sam Evans with a crash course in Na'vi!

Sam: What's up guys I'm here to translate for those of you who do not understand the beautiful language Na'vi *Gets struck by 'n sudden realization and turns to author* Wait, do I get paid for this?

Author (paints a fake smile on face raising eyebrows): Yeah...sure...let's go with that..

Sam: Oh okay, Anyways guys let's start with the lesson *Picks up chalk and writes on board* 'Nga yawne lu oer' means 'I love you'. 'Oel ngati kameie' means 'I see you'. Now on to-

Mercedes: Wow, you need to go to calligraphy camp or something. *squints eyes* Is that an 'N' or an confused 'Z'?

Sam *rolls eyes*: Save your questions for after the lesson, Mrs. Evans. Now on to the word 'Irayo' that means thank you. 'Kea tikin' means 'No need you are welcome'. Last but not least 'Hayalovay' means 'until next time'-

Mercedes: And Sam Evans means dork in English for those who don't know.

*Sam throws her a bored look*

Aria *stares at Mercedes with wide eyes*: Mommy, that is not very nice.

Sam: Thank you Aria. *Turns to Mercedes* You do realize you speak Na'vi too-

Mercedes quickly interrupts: We're here to talk about you, not me.

Sam: Well-

Author: Okay, thanks for the lesson, Sam. *Turns to Mercedes* Thanks for...uh being the comic relief...I guess.

I know many of you still have questions you want answered but there is still a lot of story to come :) So be patient and enjoy this new journey with me :). I have to warn that updates will be irregular but I will try my best to update at least twice a month.

So, what did we think about this chapter?