Enjoy!

The Curious Case of Samuel Evans

He loathed people. He had always hated being around people even as a child which was difficult because of who his family was. He'd grown up in Stowe his whole life only leaving to go to college in England at the University of Cambridge. His parents didn't approve of him going so far away but he needed to get the hell away from the small town world.

He only came back because both his parents had fallen ill and they needed him to take over the family businesses. He agreed to stay until they'd gotten better but that never happened, his father died shortly after he'd arrived and his mother followed him a year later. He was left to take care of his siblings and run an empire at the age of twenty-three.

He shook his head thinking back on that time and hadn't realized ten years had flown by, his sister Stacey helped with the bookkeeping of all of their family's assets and his brother Stevie… partied, a lot. He frowned thinking about his younger brother and his many escapades, wondering when he was going to stop living off of his inheritance and finally start making his own money.

None of the Evans kids really needed to work and Sam could've ran things from England but he never left… burying his parents did something to him. Having to deal with both of his siblings going through their teen years, sending them both to college and Stevie dropping out. He groaned recounting the night when his younger brother came crashing into their family home at three in the morning.

He was so frantic and kept babbling on and on about 'structure and rules'. He'd woken Sam up with his loud banging and even louder glass breaking.

"Sam, why'd you lock the door?" Stacey asked, breaking him from his musing.

"Because that woman was wandering around again…"

Stacey looked at her brother confused before it turned into sheer amusement. "I don't understand your beef with Mercedes, she's been a perfect tenant and literally everyone in town adores her."

Sam grunted, typing away at his computer angrily. "She's trouble…"

Stacey giggled. "She's on;y trouble for you, I can't wait for Stevie to meet her! He's going to be coming into town this weekend!" She said sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Don't you have some filing or paperwork to do?"

She rolled her eyes. "Contrary to what you seem to believe, I don't work for you. And I've done all the work that needed to be done today."

Sam sighed, running his hand over his face. "I swear you and Stevie don't know how easy you have it."

Stacey stood, shaking her head. "Easy? You think it's easy being your sister? You think my life is easy? You act as if you were the only one forced to grow up after mom and dad died! You and Stevie got to be with them longer than me! I had to miss out on having a mother when I needed her most, so excuse me if I don't think my life is easy!" She shouted.

"Sorry." He said nonchalantly.

"Your life is so hard because you shut people out and act like you have to be here when you know me and Stevie will be just fine without you. You need us!" She spat before storming out.

Sam sighed. This was another thing he disliked, emotions and dealing with them. He was never overly expressive with his own and preferred it when people kept theirs at bay around him. A part of him knew that was why he enjoyed annoying Mercedes so much, she hid any real emotions from her.

Well except that one Sunday… it had been raining and he wasn't going to check on the garden but he could hear his grandmother saying that rain never hurt anyone but her words weren't so true that day. When he pulled up to his grandmother's house he saw Mercedes sitting on the front porch, nestled on the swing holding a mug.

He looked at her face carefully and saw a steady stream of tears flowing but that was the only indicator that she was upset, or so he assumed.

'Why are you sitting out here?" He asked, already drenched from the rain.

She looked at him before quickly wiping her eyes and covering up her bare arms with the blanket she had. "It's just… are the rainy days always like this here?"

He looked at her hard before stepping closer and shuddering. "You'll get sick sitting out here…" He replied completely ignoring her question.

She chuckled. "My grandma would always say that to me… the rain here is beautiful." She muttered before clearing her throat and seemingly remembering that it was Sam standing there. "Working in the gardening today will mess up your progress."

He snorted. "I don't need some city girl telling me about gardening."

She shrugged. "This isn't gardening rain, it's the type of rain that washes things away." She said before standing up and walking past him into the house and right as he started to come inside she shut the door in his face.

He shook his head before walking around choosing to give her the space she was clearly needing.

He found himself chuckling because she had gotten sick like he said and she was right about it being the wrong rain to tend to the garden because he'd gotten sick too.

He got up and walked into Stacey's office seeing her at her desk reading over what looked like an email. "Stace…"

She shook her head at him. "I don't want to hear it."

He smirked, knowing his little sister well. "I promise to give you the next five Fridays off if you forgive me." He said squatting beside her, she shot him a stubborn look before shaking her head again.

"Fine, I'll buy your treats from Dave and Bas' place for a year on top of the days off." He countered, smiling when tried to hide her excitement.

"That and I get to pick what you wear to the colors ball." She said and Sam groaned.

"Stace, you know I hate that damned ball…"

She shrugged. "Those are my terms."

Sam stood, throwing his arms up in the air. "Fine but I pick the color and there is no debating it." He said and stormed out of her office before she added more things that he was hellbent on not doing.

Stacey smiled triumphantly as she watched her older brother storm away to go brood in his office like he always did. She respected her brother so much because of the sacrifice he made to make sure they lived as normally as they could after their parents died. She wished she could say that was when he hardened but he'd always been hard and so unrelenting when it came to life.

Throughout her entire life she always knew that Sam was the brother to never bother and Stevie was the brother that lived life fearlessly. She was treated as a delicate flower by all the men in her life, all except Sam. Sure he admitted when he was wrong but he never treated her like she was delicate, he treated her like he did everyone else with the small exception that he would actually smile at her.

She's only really seen him smile or form some version of it when they'd met Mercedes. Though the smile only lasted mere seconds, it still counted and every so often after he'd had a run in with her, there's a glint in his eyes. She frustrated him but she also amused him.

Stacey couldn't figure out how or why but she definitely intended on making their run-ins more frequent.

Sam loathed the colors ball for three reasons. One it forced him to be social, two it forced him to wear more than three articles of clothing and three nothing exciting never happened. He'd been forced to go since he was ten so he could learn about everything for when he would have to start hosting.

He'd avoided it like a plague until his parents got sick, that was the first year he had to host and it was nothing short of a disaster, he still remembers the screams from Carol Hummel…. To his defense his humor is a tad dark and he made the theme dark shades. Everyone was to dress in dark hues and show up at nine sharp, that was the first time it was hosted that late and the last time he picked a theme. How the hell was he supposed to know not everyone like A Nightmare on Elm Street?

He chuckled when the image of Kurt Hummel flashed in his mind, it was sheer horror before he walked right into a trap that sent him falling down to the basement and blood spewing everywhere. Stacey was in charge of picking the themes and enjoyed every moment of it. He was okay with the theme this year because it meant he didn't have to wear anything overly flashy… well he hoped since he agreed under duress to allow her to pick his color.

He stood, grabbing his jacket. "I'm heading out, lock up when you leave." He said as he passed Stacey's office.

He walked out and headed towards the bookshop, it had become his favorite way to distress to make annoying but fractal remarks on the current state of the building. He was still trying to figure out how she managed to steal it right from underneath him but what really shocked him was how fast she was able to get a contractor to help her. He admittedly purposefully tied up a huge chunk of them so she would sell to him but she managed to get Noah Puckerman to take her job and a lot cheaper than what he ever could.

He walked into the building and made his presence known by letting out a sigh. "Still not done?" He asked and Mercedes turned looking at him annoyed.

"Still stalking me?" She countered giving him a hard look before returning her attention to whatever she was looking at. Sam smirked before walking over to where everyone was standing and nudged her out of the way. He picked up the plans and looked them over before shaking his head and placing them down, he grabbed the pencil and marked out an area,

"You should move the bookshelf over here and add a sliding staircase, then in the middle right here at several mini nooks." He said before marking another section. "And here, you have plenty of space between the mini coffee shop and this area here to add in a spot for couples… like a romantic oasis."

Mercedes grabbed the pencil from his hand. "I have it the way I want it but since you insist on keeping your nose in my business, I already have something like that upstairs." She retorted and Sam looked over the plans seeing the additional access for the unused upstairs area was exactly how described it.

The biggest difference was that she wanted the stairs to mirror an actual bookcase. He couldn't even hide how impressed he was, the design was genius and added more storage space for books and there was even an area for kids to be fully entertained. He flipped the page and saw the projected outdoor design was going to change to look like it was a book.

She moved him aside with her hip before turning to look at him. "Can we proceed now or do you plan on finding another way of interjecting yourself into my renovation…again?" She asked and he narrowed his eyes at her before shrugging.

"You need to make sure your door design will be approved by zoning." He said, nodding at Noah then shooting her a final glance and walking towards the exit. "That being said, appointments are required but the office is closed for the week due to the Colors Ball…"

Mercedes threw her head back. 'And I assume approval comes from you?" She asked and he turned with a smirk.

"Huh, seems like you'd be correct. Contact Stacey for an appointment and you know how I hate tardiness." He quipped before leaving.

"I really do not like that man…" She muttered and Noah chuckled.

"Well, it seems he's taking a liking to you. I haven't heard Evans use that many words since we were in high school and that was only because he had to do a speech."

Mercedes looked at the door and sighed. "He's going to hold me up even longer isn't he?"

The workers all laughed and she knew why. "Oh this project will get done but not until you grovel a little, he's sadistic like that. He doesn't like people so you might have an advantage." Jake, Noah's younger brother said.

"Why do you think I have an advantage?" She asked.

Jake smiled. "Cause he's attracted to you."

Mercedes let out a loud laugh before stopping when the other men looked at her with a shared expression. "No, hell no… That man is a demon who gets his rocks off by annoying … he is not attracted to me." She said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, you're right but that still doesn't mean he isn't attracted to you and you two are always having these little moments… everyone sees them." Jake replied.

She looked at him confused. "What? We barely speak."

Noah snorted. "And yet we're all aware of his attraction… Come on guys we gotta get this wall taken care of, it seems the boss lady has some groveling to do."

"I am not groveling to that damn man." She said, texting Stacey. "I'll see you all tomorrow."

All the men said bye and watched her leave before shaking their heads.

"She is a sheep playing with a wolf." Jake said.

Noah shook his head. "I think she's the wolf and Evans is a sheep in wolf's clothing."

Sam went to his parents place to check up on things when he was nearly run over by his brother rushing out of the house. He quickly grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop.

"What's the rush?" He asked.

Stevie huffed. "I forgot I told Stacey I would meet with Marley for the Colors Ball." He said checking his watch. "What's up?"

Sam looked at his brother hard before letting his arm go. "Is something going on with you?" He asked.

Stevie rolled his eyes. "It was just a long night and I promised I'd help Stace." He replied trying to break away but Sam pulled him closer.

"Are you using again?'

Stevie snatched his arm away and took a step back. "Fuck you, you swore you wouldn't bring that up again! It happened once and you've been on me like a hawk!"

"Once implies that you tried it and didn't do it again, you had to go to rehab and I had to cover for you. Now, I'll ask, are you using again?"

Stevie looked at him before looking away hurt. "No, I'm not using… Can I go now?"

Sam sighed. "Sure." He replied walking towards the door.

"You know just because you hate that mom and dad died and put you in charge of us doesn't mean you can teach us anyway. I'm still your brother." Stevie said before getting into his car and driving off.

Sam watched him drive away before internally scolding himself. He never wanted his siblings to think they were a burden, and he didn't mind that his parents left him in charge but he also would be lying if he said he'd wished that he'd been given the chance to make mistakes. He wanted to live carefree, hell he wanted to run off whenever to go off with whoever but he couldn't.

He had family businesses to keep afloat and his family's reputation to uphold. His siblings never had to carry any of the burdens he did, they never knew what their parents shared with him before they passed. They both shared a secret with him, both at separate times and both worse than the other.

He walked upstairs to his parents room, he let out a deep breath before entering completely. "Why did you leave me with all this mess?"

Sam paced outside of his father's office, knowing that his father should be at the hospital but he insisted on spending his final days at home. He said he would much rather die in his own bed than in a cold hospital.

"Sam, come in." Dwight said, his once strong and commanding voice was now frail.

"Dad, you really should be in bed." Sam replied, entering and closing the door.

His father just waved off his suggestion. "I need to tell you something that you can not and will not tell your mother." He said, grabbing a file from his drawer and sliding it over to him.

"What's this?" Sam asked, opening the folder and looking over the documents before looking back at his father wide-eyed. "Dad."

Dwight coughed. "You're not seeing things… we're close to being broke and a lot of it because of these five businesses, they're draining us dry."

Sam shook his head. "Why did you wait until now to say something? Stacey has college, Stevie has college and shit this house and the one in Napa! Not to mention all those trips you and mom have been taking!"

Dwight sighed. "That's why I'm giving this to you. You can get this turned around in no time, I know it."

Sam looked at his father like he'd lost his mind. "You expect me to somehow summon up sixteen million dollars?"

"I expect you to keep this family and its legacy growing." Dwight replied and Sam shook his head.

"You never… you knew I would come back to take care of you and mom but to keep this from us! I can't-"

"You have no choice, you are now the head of the family."

Sam still remembered the chill that rushed over him when his father forced that torch into his hands. He never wanted any of this but he couldn't let his siblings down and sure, he managed to get everything back in order but it was too late for him to do anything else.

He looked around their room and sighed. He felt his phone vibrate and grabbed it.

There's a leak.

I'll be there shortly.

He was always fixing something, taking care of this or that and if he had a minute he would probably scream in frustration but he didn't have the time and he had nowhere to scream. He gave his parents room a final glance before heading to his grandmother's place to see what Mercedes considered a leak.

Mercedes was scrambling around throwing towels everywhere when Sam arrived and he stood in the doorway amused seeing her trying to find the source of the leak. He smirked admiring her in her shorts and shirt before clearing his throat, making her jump and squeal.

"So something does scare you… here I thought witches did the scaring." He quipped and she rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to help or just stand there like the grim reaper you are?" She asked, waving her hands pointing out all the water.

He looked around and shook his head. "What did you do?"

She looked at him like he was crazy. "Me? I came home to this!"

Sam walked further inside, looking at her in passing before heading down the hall to check the bathroom first, it was dry and he groaned. It was the pipes and he knew it but he was so hoping it was something else.

"I'm going to need to turn off the main water line… It's going to take a few days to get this fixed." He said walking back into the living room.

"Wait, what? I can't… I have nowhere to stay." She stammered.

"You have friends, don't you?"

Mercedes chewed on her bottom lip, nodding. "I mean yes but I don't want to… impose." She replied softly. "I'll just get a room at Timberholm…"

Sam shot her a look before shaking his head. "The ball is this week… doubtful you'll get a room."

"Fine… I'll just figure-"

He huffed. "You can stay with me." He said and they both looked at each other before laughing.

"Yeah, hell to the no. I'm a little concerned you're being so accommodating." She replied, shaking her head.

Sam shrugged. "It's in the contract, you clearly didn't read it otherwise you would have known that I'm required to provide room and board. There's a guest house at my parents' house. You can sleep there. Grab only what you need, I'll lead you to the guest house." He said, walking outside to turn off the main water valve.

Mercedes sighed figuring it would be better than drawing more attention than needed. She was already avoiding questions from Noah on how she was able to afford all the things she wanted for the shop, especially since she still hadn't gained employment.

Sam came back inside seeing Mercedes looking off before clearing his throat, causing her to look over at him. "Do you ever stop daydreaming?"

She rolled her eyes. "I wasn't… I just need a minute to grab some clothes." She replied and he smirked when she stomped away.

He wasn't entirely sure why he'd offered the guest house to her but he wasn't going to tell her that the town shut down for the Colors Ball and that every hotel would have vacancies. No, he was going to make this year's ball exciting one way or another.

Until next time!

So unfortunately I'm sick again... I'm running a 100+ fever and have been in bed all day. I'll update this again in a day or so!