Hey my babies, I hope you guys enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own no rights to glee nor it's characters.

My wife is hot. So undeniably sexy.

I'm the lucky man in the crowd who gets to call the 'sexy girl playing volleyball' (as the guys next to me put it) my wife.

I don't want to be an ass and announce it aloud so everyone knows but these guys next to me were seriously starting to get on my nerves. I mean, they're not idiots. Mercedes looks stunning as she plays volleyball. It doesn't help that we're at the beach. She's wearing shorts with a bright orange bikini top and a white see-through blouse on top.

She looks different as she plays. Younger, Brighter, Happier, Sexier. It reminds me of the good old days when we were dating. It feels like it was so long ago. So many things have changed... except for one. Somehow, I'm still the lucky man to call her mine. Barely, a voice inside my head says making me clench my jaw. Today is Friday and she's leaving Sunday morning. The thought of seeing her go makes me angry and sad at the same time. Angry at myself because I haven't done anything to make her want to stay. I don't want her to leave. I have to do something.

I already took the whole weekend off of work. It's the first weekend I have off in 4 years, without being on-call. I asked a fellow physician to cover my absence in case Penny needs help. I have my phone off. Nothing matters right now. Nothing but Mercedes and the time I have left with her. I need to make it count. I know we have to talk soon and I need to figure something out. I can't lose her again. I won't.

"Hey."

I turn to look at Jane who's back from getting Some water.

"Are they winning?" She asks as she watches the game.

"Yes, I think." I frown. I don't even know the score. I decide to change the subject. "So you're going to NYU in the fall?"

She looks at me and nods. "I'll probably leave in June."

"Why NYU?" I wonder. That is so far from California, even Arizona. I know Mercedes will probably feel sad about her little sister leaving so far away.

Jane half smiles. "Honestly? I never thought I would get a full ride scholarship to NYU and it wouldn't feel right to turn it down. I don't want to turn it down. I've always wanted to go to New York. I'm super excited." She smiles, showing off her teeth. She resembles Mercedes more when she smiles

"Do you-I put ny hands in my pockets. "not like living with Mercedes?"

"Oh, it's not that at all," She says quickly, almost looking embarrassed. "I love my sister and feel bad about leaving her." She gulps. "Really bad. In fact, I don't think I'd be able to leave if you and her don't.." She trails off and there is sadness in her face.

"That's the real reason you called me." I realize. Now it makes sense why she called me behind Mercedes's back. "You want to feel less guilty about leaving her."

Jane looks embarrassed. "I'm horrible, I know."

"You're not, actually. If it were someone else, they would leave without caring about how she would feel." I glance at Mercedes as she plays, just in time to see her hit the ball.

"You need to fix things with her". Jane says after a moment. "I want her to be happy and I think you can do that." She half smiles.

I nod. "I'm trying my best."

"For the sake of both of us, try harder." She laughs nervously.

I chuckle. "Yes, ma'am."

She's really mature for her age. I realize that we have something in common. We both lost a parent. Of course, it could be argued that losing a parent at a younger age is much worse than when you're older. I can't imagine the pain she must have felt when they lost their mother, And Mercedes -I just can't believe she didn't let me be by her side.

"Dude, the girl in the white shorts is so hot."

Jane turns to look at the guy who said that, which is someone over to my right. I don't even look and justfocus my eyes on my wife. I can't afford to lose my temper over jealousy. It's not professional.

"Um, you guys know he's her husband right?" Jane asks them out pointing at me with her thumb.

I glare at the group of guys. They're all shirtless and holding beers in their hands. They're probably in college, if not younger. They all look at me with wide eyes.

"Sorry, man," The same guy says, raising his hands in defense.

Jane laughs as she turns her attention back to the game. I definitely like this girl. She's a great sister-in-law. It's another hour until the game ends. More people have arrived by then with coolers full of food and more beer. There is music playing in the background. People are already getting ready to take over the net once the game is over.

Quinn and Mercedes are laughing as they walk towards us after the game finally ends. "We won!" Quinn cheers. "You were awesome, merc, thanks for coming."

Mercedes smiles as she cleans her face with a white cloth. Her cheeks are red, making her look more alive. "It was fun." She says smiling shyly at me. "Thank you" she says when I hand her a bottle of water.

"Come on let's eat" Quinn says waving us over to her group of friends.

We end up eating hot dogs and chips with Quinn's friends. It's the first time in a long time I actually hang out with Quinn outside the house. It's actually fun to watch the sunset at the beach. I didn't realize how long it's been since I've spent so much time outside until now. Now I know why Penny is always telling me I should go out and get some sun during my breaks at work.

Mercedes and I end up taking a walk down the beach after the group starts getting too wild for our liking. Jane stays with Quinn. They seem to be getting along really well.

"Come on," Mercedes says as she reaches for my hand and pulls me into the water.

She laughs as the waves crash onto us, getting us all wet. I smile as I put my arms around her and kiss her.

She smiles against my lips before parting her lips to allow me in. I want to say so many things to her and at the same time, I don't want to say anything that would ruin this moment.I feel different when I have her in my arms. I feel like a protector and so vulnerable at the same time. She doesn't know the power she has over me. I would do anything she asked me to-except let her go. I can't do that again. I know I would do anything to keep her by my side.

Mercedes puts her arm through mine and rests her head on my shoulder. We stare at the waves for a moment, the water only reaching our ankles from where we're standing now.

"Do you remember our first kiss?" She asks after a moment.

I smile. "Yes, I do."

"You attacked me." She laughs.

I chuckle. "Yes, I did."

It was on our fifth date. We had ordered food in and had spent the evening in my house. My parents were out and Quinn was in her room playing video games or chatting on the phone. We were in the living room, playing UNO. I remember that it was her turn and I watched her as she stared at her cards. She looked so adorable as she concentrated on choosing the right one, as if it was life or death. She looked so beautiful and suddenly, I couldn't wait another day without kissing her, so I lunged at her. We ended up laughing and kissing on the floor.

How could I ever forget that? I know it sounds crazy, but that kiss confirmed that I wanted to marry her. I never thought I would ever meet someone and know, in just a matter of weeks, that I wanted to marry her without a doubt in my mind.

Mercedes suddenly looks up at me. "We need to talk."

I nod because Iknow slie's right. We can't keep pretending everything is alright when we haven't defined what's going to happen to us. We need to talk. Without another word, we begin to make our way back to what has turned into a party. It's dark, only the streetlights and what's left of the sunset illuminate the crowd, but it seems like this party is only getting started.

Mercedes goes to look for Jane while I wait by my car. I look up at the sky as I wait. It's clear, no cdouds tonight.

Mercedes makes her way towards me with a towel wrapped around her. She half smiles as she leans on the car next to me.

"California has turned my sister into a party girl."

I chuckle. "She'll be fine. Quinn will make sure she's looking after just fine."

She frowns but doesn't say anything. We stand there for a moment, looking straight alhead. There are teenagers in the parking lot, laughing and drinking. So worry-less. So clueless about how quickly life can get serious.

Mercedes rests her head on my shoulder and we stay like that for a long time, both dreading the talk that is to come.

~~~~~~~~~

I look at myself in the mirror while I comb my hair. My skin seems a little dry. I had forgotten to put sunscreen earlier today and now I'm sunburned. Fantastic. I fix my bangs with my fingers and take a deep breath.

I half-ran into the shower as soon as Sam and I walked into the house. Now, my hair is damp after the shower and I'm wearing my pajama shorts with a white blouse. Thank God Jane did the laundry. I can't wait to go home though, to have my closet back.

I'm dreading the conversation that Sam and I are about to have. I don't want to talk but I know we have to. The time is here. With another deep breath, I turn the doorknob and open the door. The room is bright from the light on the ceiling. The tv is on but the volume is low.

Sam is sitting on the edge of the bed. He's still wearing his black suit. He seems tense. He doesn't seem like the care-free man that was on the beach with me earlier.

I frown, sensing that something is wrong. "Sam?" I ask as I walk towards him.

He looks up at me. He's definitely angry. "Who is Matt?"

I freeze and feel myself turn pale. "I'm sorry-what?"

Sam stands up and I take a step back at the same time, suddenly feeling intimidated by him.

"Who. the fuck. is Matt?" He asks, clenching his jaw. "Your phone rang and I answered. He was looking for his girlfriend."

I gulp."Why did you answer my phone?"

"Answer the question, Mercedes."

I sigh. "Matt is someone I've been seeing."

Sam clenches his jaw and looks away from a moment before turning to look at me again. "For how long?"

I look away from his glare. "About three months,"

Sam chuckles dryly. "And you were giving me a hard time about Penny." He shakes his head in disbelief. I feel the anger build up inside me.

"So you're with Penny and I'm with Matt. What the hell is the problem?"

He places his hands on my shoulders. "The problem is that you left me." He looks at me in disbelief. "You are my wife. And you left me."

There it is. The anger he has been hiding for the past few days. In the end, all it took was him finding out about Matt to explode. His words hurt but I know I deserve it. I wanted this right? I wanted him to be angry at me. I wanted him to yell at me. I deserved this and more. I force myself to not cry. I have to take this bravely.

"You left me, Mercedes." He repeats angrily. "Without telling me anything. You just disappeared without a trace. You didn't think about how that would make me feel. You didn't give a fuck about me." He shakes his head.

"You are my wife. You left me...and now you're with someone else? While I suffered, you were busy looking for another husband?"

"It wasn't like that." I chock out.

He shakes his head angrily. "While I looked desperately for you-you were already fucking someone else."

I put my hands on his chest and push him away. "Oh please, like you haven't been fucking Penny."

"I haven't! He yells.

I stare at him without saying anything. trying to decide whether he's saying the truth.

Sam looks at me. He lets out a breath as he runs a hand through his hair. "There were times that I was tempted-yes. Times when we were close".

He clenches his jaw. "Maybe I should have."

I look away, trying to fight back the tears.

"But all I could see was you." He continues. "Not a single day has gone by that I haven't thought about you, Mercedes. I would think about ways that I could find you. I wondered what I did to make you runaway so many times. You have no idea--".

His voice breaks and I'm Pretty sure something inside of me breaks too.I look up at him.

"I'm sorry.I whisper.

"I'm sorry I hurt you." I wipe the tears on my cheeks with my hands quickly.

"Why?" He asks looking helpless. "Why did you do it?"

I opened my mouth but nothing comes out. I can't answer his question without sounding like the most selfish person on earth. Then again, that's exactly what I am. selfish.

"I-don't know," I say stupidly. "I–was desperate to get out. I was tired of the life I was living"

"So why didn't you talk to me?" He demands, taking a step forward. "Why didn't you tell me, Mercedes?"

"I-What were you going to do?" I ask defensively. "You were starting your career. You were so invested in your job, I didn't want to be the reason you got stuck!"

What was I going to do?" He repeats in disbelief. "I would have done something, Mercedes. I would have left my job if you wanted me to"

I shake my head. "No, you wouldn't have, Sam, don't lie."

He takes a step closer and looks right into my eyes. "I would have. You were my wife. I committed myself to you when I married you. You came before my career. I would have. But how was I supposed to know that my career was getting in between our marriage if you didn't say anything?"

I shake my head. "Come on, Sam, you knew."

"I didn't!" He insists. "What was I supposed to do? Read your mind?"

"How could you not know? Did you not notice how we stopped trying? How we stopped going out on dates? We stopped spending time together/we stopped arguing. Sometimes we went days without seeing each other! You thought that was normal?"

He shakes his head and he begins pacing in front of me. "We were both busy with our careers..."

"You were too busy to notice." I accuse.

"You didn't even notice me anymore. You didn't even notice the way your mother treated me."

I close my mouth shut. I didn't want to bring his mother in this conversation. I spoke without thinking. I don't want to seem like the girl that blames her mother- in-law for her marriage problems, but the truth is that Mary was a huge part of the reason I felt the need to run away.

"My mother?" Sam looks at me. "What does she have anything to do with this?"

He sounds defensive and that makes me even more angry. This is why I never touched this subject with him.

I shake my head, looking away. "Forget it."

"No," He says standing in front of me, as if daring me to say something bad about his mother. "Tell me. Help me understand what my mother has to do with you leaving me."

I narrow my eyes at him. "She never wanted me to be your wife, Sam you knew that. You knew she thought I wasn't good enough for you. You knew she hated me! And you still brought me to live in her house!"

I'm so angry, tears are streaming down my cheeks. I wipe them away, angrily. I never had the courage to say this to Sam back before I left. I was too scared to be the nagging wife who pulled him away from his family. I didn't want to be that person. I wanted to love Mary. I wanted her to love me. I wanted us to have a good relationship.

Who didn't want their mother-in-law to accept her? Who didn't want their mother-in-law to think that one was worthy of their son? Of course I wanted Mary to like me. And I tried. Oh, I tried so many times. I wouldn't have lasted living under the same roof with her for so long if I wouldn't have tried.

"I asked you," sam says angrily. "I asked you if it was okay if we lived with my parents for a while and you said it Was."

"I didn't know it was going to be hell living with her!"

"Oh comne on, Mercedes, I'm not going to stand here and let you talk like that about my mother."

I scoff. "Then I guess I should leave."

I turn to walk out but he reaches out and pulls me right back to him.

"Will you stop running away and face your problems for once in your life?"

"Let me go," I say pulling my arm free. "If you want to have an honest conversation then you're going to have to accept the fact that your mother is not the kind and Sweet woman you think she is."

He clenches his jaw in frustration. "Fine. Go on. Tell me what she did to you."

I shake my head angrily. "You think this is a joke. You think I'm just blaming this on her."

"It sounds to me like you are."

I stare at him in disbelief. He is really starting to piss me off. It is time to talk. Now or never. This conversation is three years late.

"You were always so busy, sam. You didn't even notice the way' she would treat me during dinner. Did you not see the way she mocked me whenever I tried to make dinner for everyone? 'This pasta is too salty', the meat is undone, 'didn't your mother ever teach you how to cook?, 'Karen knew how to cook'."

I recall all the times she judged my cooking in my head. It only makes me angrier. Suddenly, running away seems justified. I had forgotten how hard it was to live with Mary. "Or all the times she hid the laundry detergents from me?" I continue, suddenly feeling the bravery I didn't feel before I ran away. "Sometimes she would even lock the laundry room so I couldn't use it. I would have to go to the laundromat around the corner. Go and ask around. Jim probably still remembers me or how she always made smart remarks about my weight when ever we were around her friends or anyone that was around."

I narrow my eyes at Sam. "I tried to tell you at first but you would get so defensive, it was impossible to talk about it. You claim that I was your priority but I wasn't, Sam. I came after your career and I came after your mother. Maybe running away wasn't the right thing to do but it was the only solution I could find back then. I was tired, So tired of being humiliated by her and ignored by you."

Sam looks at me for a moment. I can tell he's starting to doubt the perfect image he has of his mother. My intention is not to cause problems between them, but Sam and I can't talk about the reasons I ran away without bringing Mary into this. God knows she had a lot to do with me unning away.

Maybe that had been her plan all along.