Hey, everybody! I went much longer than anticipated without posting another chapter for y'all! So sorry about that, I had finals and other stuff (I'm an auntie now!) and time just got away from me. Nonetheless, here we are! I hope y'all are having the happiest holidays you can considering the circumstances. Also, just want to say, feel free to pay attention to the FCs or not. I used them in my writing so I figured it may be helpful to include them for some of y'all! Enjoy!


Christina "CK" Knight- Perrie Edwards

Dara Jackson- H.E.R.

Macy Lin- Brianne Tju

Daniella Baker- Jennifer Lawrence


Tuesday 2 weeks later, t-minus 5 weeks until Mercedes' departure

"So, wait, which one is Christina again?" Mercedes stared at the computer screen.

She and Sam had been going through his glee club files since she got back to help her get to know the kids and their performance styles before she met them.

"Christina is the Cheerio with the blonde hair. She's the harmonizer. We call her CK, by the way."

"Okay." She made notes on her tablet. "And Dara has the box braids. And this girl right here," She pointed at the lead vocalist for the performance, a smaller girl standing front and center. "that's Macy, correct?"

Sam nodded. "Macy Lin. The modern-day Rachel Berry. You're gonna love her."

"God help us all." She rolled her eyes and chuckled.

He gestured to the dog that lay across her feet. "She's really taken a liking to you. We've been at this table for over an hour and she hasn't left your side."

"Yeah, I guess snuggling on the couch with me all day will do that," She said, looking down at her. "She usually just comes and plops down on my lap every day."

"All day every day? What, you don't go anywhere?"

"Not really. I've been trying to keep a low profile."

Sam drew his brows together. "So you just stay inside all day? That can't be good for your vitamin D levels." He joked.

"You've got a point there," She said. She hadn't really thought much about at least going out for some fresh air. She was too busy lounging around all day.

"You know where you can get some good ole vitamin D in plentiful amounts?"

"Oh, no. Where?"

"On the football field." He smiled eagerly.

"Boy, please. You know I don't do sports."

"Not to exercise. To come to meet the kids. All the glee clubs are meeting on Saturday to prep for the first day of class assembly week after next."

"Oh, ok. Where does the football field come into this?"

"The auditorium is too big to comfortably fit everyone and we can't use the gym because the floors are being waxed, so we're moving to the football field for the day. What do you say? We've got to put all this studying to work, right?"

"We do, yeah. That sounds great."

"Awesome. Should I tell them, or should we make it a surprise?"

"Obviously we should make it a surprise." She smiled.

"Yeah, I don't know what I was even thinking asking that question." He smiled and laughed with her.

"So what are you thinking about dinner tonight?"

"How about takeout? That Chinese place you like?"

"Ugh, Chinese food." She threw her head back, releasing a hungry groan. "I love Chinese food. This is probably a horrible thing to say, but even Chinese food in China doesn't compare to Americanized Chinese food."

"Probably a horrible thing to say?" Sam asked with a smile, his head buried in his phone.

"Whatever." She was going through his files to pick up where she left off when she noticed he was still sitting beside her. She frowned at him. "What are you doing?"

He looked up from his phone, confused. "I'm looking through the files with you and texting my mom."

"You brought up Chinese food. You can't just tell me you're going to get Chinese food and not go out and get it. Go on." She nudged him out of his chair slightly.

"Ok. I mean I have to call it in. I haven't placed the order yet."

"Well, you can be there right as it's ready. Move it! I'm starving." She smiled when he laughed and rose from his chair. She watched him say goodbye to Claire and walk out the door. Mercedes moved to Sam's laptop and went to sit on the couch to get comfortable. She was really excited to meet the kids finally. She had been studying their performances since she got back and had some tips she thought could really help them out. As she was watching one of their videos, her phone started ringing. It was her brother. "Big brother! What's up?"

"Hey, sis. I was just calling because we were thinking of inviting you and Sam over for dinner tonight. Got any plans?"

"Actually, Sam just left to go get some Chinese."

"Oooh, Chinese sounds good. Maybe we should all come over there tonight." Mason's smile was evident in his voice.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Why not? I love Chinese."

"I know you do. But Sam and I are probably going to fight over dinner tonight." She said nonchalantly.

"Over what?"

Mercedes set the laptop aside and began petting Claire when the dog promptly jumped onto the couch and rested her head in her lap. "We still haven't told anyone about us and he's still not happy about it. We've been arguing about it since I got back."

"Okay, but what makes you think you're going to argue tonight?"

"He hasn't brought it up all week. Just been hinting at it and making little remarks here and there which I choose to ignore. But now we're about to eat Chinese food, which he suggested knowing how much I love it."

"So?"

Mercedes grunted. Why did she have to spell everything out for him? "So, he's probably going to use the fact that we haven't talked about it all week as an excuse to make me talk about it. But I've already made my decision on it and I'm not budging."

After a moment, Mason spoke, "You know who you should talk to about this?"

"Who?"

"Pops."

She frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, he's been married to Mom for 30-some years. So he's officially an expert on conflict resolution." He laughed. "Plus, he's helped me out over the past couple of years. Having a kid is tough on a marriage."

"Okay, you have a point about the whole Mom thing, but I'm not married or having a kid."

"My point is that he can give some really good relationship advice. You talk to him about everything else, right?"

Mercedes thought for a bit. "Yeah, I guess."

"Alright then. So why not this too?"

She thought again. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. I'll do that. If Sam and I are still together after tonight, that is."

"Okay, don't be so dramatic. You'll be fine."

"All I'm saying is if I show up on your doorstep tonight with bags in my hand and mascara running down my face, take this as your warning to just let me in and not ask me any questions."

"How about this, I'll save us both the dramatics and leave the spare in the light for you." He laughed.

"Whatever." She laughed with him. As she went to say something else, there was a knock at the door. "Hold on one sec, Mase. Someone's at the door." She ordered Claire to stay put as she got up. Looking through the peephole, she saw a woman standing at the door with a bag in her hand. She frowned. "Hey, let me call you back." She hung up before he could respond and opened the door, greeting the person with a smile. "Hi."

The woman looked shocked to see Mercedes open the door. "Hi, how are you?" She asked.

"I'm good and you?"

"I'm doing alright." Mercedes immediately noticed her thick southern drawl.

"I'm Daniella, I work with the man that I thought lived here, but I'm thinking I've got the wrong house? I'm looking for Sam Evans."

Mercedes shook her head. "No, this is the right place. He just stepped out for a minute. I'm sorry, but he didn't tell me he was expecting anyone."

"Oh, he doesn't know I'm coming." She smiled. "We had a faculty raffle at work and as the president of the MFC, it's my job to give it to him!"

"MFC?"

"McKinley Faculty Council. It's not the easiest work, but I sure do love doing it."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm a friend of Sam's so-"

"Wait." She smiled again. "Are you Mercedes?"

Mercedes nodded affirmatively. "Indeed, I am."

"That is just awesome! It's so nice to finally meet you. He talks about you a lot."

She couldn't stop the grin from gracing her face. "He does?" She relaxed into the doorframe, leaning against it.

"Oh, yeah. At least once every few days. He just adores you. By the way, he played me one of your songs and you have a really cute voice!" Yet another smile plastered itself on Daniella's face as she flipped her hand down the same way a southern lady would.

Mercedes' smile faltered and she fought the urge to both narrow and roll her eyes. She could definitely tell why Sam liked her. She talked just like his mom. But her accent didn't have the same effect on her. She was officially over this exchange. "Thanks," She said, hoping she didn't sound as sarcastic as she wanted to. "So, Sam's not here. If you would like, I can take the gift and give it to him when he gets back."

"Actually, I'd like to give it to him in person. MFC tradition."

Was it MFC tradition to show up on her man's doorstep unannounced on a random weekday? "Alright." She paused, looking at the woman across her for a moment. She could dress, that's for sure. But she definitely changed between getting off of work and coming to Sam's house. There's no way the faculty dress code allowed for something that tight… and that low cut. "Well, as I said, it's going to be a few minutes before Sam gets back. If you give me a second, I could call him and ask if you could come and sit until he gets here. I'd let you in myself, but, all due respect, I don't know you." She grimaced, hoping Daniella would turn her down.

"Oh, no," She met her hopes, "I wouldn't want to intrude. I guess I'll just give it to him at work tomorrow."

Mercedes furrowed her brows and straightened up at this. "He was at work today." She crossed her arms as she tilted her head a little, trying to gauge what the hell Daniella's deal was. "Could you not have given it to him then?"

Neither woman said anything. Instead, Daniella shot an empty look Mercedes' way, a look that told Mercedes that she realized she was onto her and unsure of what exactly to respond with. After more than a brief moment, she abruptly shot Mercedes a passive-aggressive smile. "It was nice meeting you, Mercedes."

Mercedes matched the expression. "You too, Daniella, was it? Would you like me to tell Sam you stopped by? Ok, I'll do that." She didn't give her a chance to answer any of her questions before shutting the door in her face.

Finally rolling her eyes as far back as they could go, she went into the kitchen for a glass of water, where Claire was getting some as well. She scratched the dog behind her ear. "No offense to you, but I think Sam's little coworker is a real bitch." She started to walk off and turned around, noticing that the dog was staring at her instead of following. "Don't look at me like that. And don't ask me how I know. I can just feel it. Come on."

Claire trotted behind her into the living room.


Mercedes had been stewing over her conversation with Daniella while and even after she and Sam had eaten dinner. Now, she was bundled up on the couch with him watching television.

Sam, being the attentive guy he was, noticed this and decided to ask about it. "What's going on with you?"

"What?" Mercedes looked up from her phone.

"You've been acting all weird since I got back with the food. I left and you were fine. Did something happen?"

She adjusted her position and snuggled back into him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really? Because you were also picking over the food you practically threw me out of my chair to go get. You barely touched it."

No answer.

"Is it something I did?" Sam said before he watched his girlfriend move away from him and sit straight up on the couch. "Because if it is, I don't know and you're gonna have to tell me."

"Oh, my gosh, Sam. Nothing is wrong. Nothing happened," She lied.

Sam sighed as he turned his attention back to the tv.

Mercedes looked at him without turning her head. "I do have a question though."

"Yes?"

"Who's Daniella?"

He frowned. "Daniella?"

She shifted to look at him and nodded. "Your coworker? With a southern drawl so thick it sounds like she's got the sweetest of molasses falling out of her mouth?"

Sam gasped in realization. "Oh, you mean Dani?"

Dani?

"Well, you just said so yourself, we work together."

"So what's someone you work with doing showing up at your house without warning on a Thursday evening?" 'In a top two sizes too small,' she wanted to add.

"She was here?"

"While you were getting dinner. She said you won some raffle and it's 'MFC tradition,'" She copied her accent, "for her as the president to bring you your prize."

"What? No way." Sam smiled. "I won the raffle? I never win the raffle."

"Well, that's by far the least important part of what I just said."

He laughed. "I'm sorry, Babe, but I don't know what to tell you. Seems like you're answering your own questions here. Why are you asking?"

"Nothing. Just forget about it." She turned away from him again.

"What are you, jealous?" He joked.

"I don't know, should I be? Does she have a crush on you or something?"

Sam felt a thick tension arise in between them. "The way you just said that made it sound very serious. I was just joking, Mercedes."

"Why would that be something that I want to joke about?"

"Okay, well, fine. She's my closest work friend and she makes jokes about us being together sometimes, but I'm not interested in her that way so it doesn't go anywhere. But, I'm sure that if she knew I was taken, she'd back off."

"Oh, would you look at that?" She held up her wrist and checked an imaginary watch. "Right on schedule."

"What's right on schedule?"

"The argument we're about to have over keeping us a secret."

"We're not about to have an argument," Sam said, bewildered. "I've barely even brought it up all week. Why would we argue about it—"

"I knew you were going to say that! Exactly that!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You only bought Chinese tonight to butter me up so that I would agree to let the cat out of the bag."

He frowned and paused for a moment, confusion turning to irritation. "I bought Chinese tonight because you're my girlfriend and I know how much you love it. Plus, I love you and wanted you to have one of your favorites for dinner. What is going on with you, Mercedes?"

"Whatever, Sam."

"No, it's not whatever because now I actually want to have a conversation about it." Sam sat all the way up and looked at her. "2 and a half weeks, Mercedes. We live together. We sleep in the same bed. We spend most of the day together, and I can't tell anyone anything about it. Does that not feel odd to you? For it to be us and not a regular couple?"

"No, it doesn't. And if you were thinking about the things I'm thinking about, if you had the same insight that I had into the situation, you'd agree with me. But you aren't. You never do."

"This isn't a situation, Mercedes! It's our relationship!" Sam raised his voice. "I'm officially back with the love of my life and frankly, I don't plan on being with anyone else. That's not a 'situation'. That's my life. That's the one thing I've wanted since I was, like, sixteen."

She took a breath. "I understand that, Sam. But there's so much that would come out of us going public."

"And we would face whatever those things are together, like a real couple. But you don't seem to care about that."

Hearing him doubt her struck something inside of her. Now, she was up and yelling. "I don't seem to care? You want to sit here and fix your mouth to tell me that I don't care? I care more than you could ever fathom. But this is what happens every time you bring this up, Sam. I tell you that we can't. I tell you that I'm thinking about everything and not just the right now. And it goes in one ear and out the other."

Sam went to speak, but she stopped him with the raise of her finger.

"No. I tell you that I'm planning and not budging and you still try to change my mind. That's our M.O. And I know this, but I sit here and I let you make snide little comments anyway. But you are only thinking about what you've got and what you want right now. That's all you ever do. You don't plan. You don't strategize. You don't look at the potential consequences of your actions," She said, getting angrier with him. " And to be honest, I don't know why I ever expected you to. Hell, you actually tried to marry Brittany of all people because you thought the world was going to end according to a calendar that nobody's ever freaking heard of! Thank God that Beiste had the sense to not actually marry you two, because you weren't thinking about what would've actually happened afterward." Realizing how low of a blow that was, she regretted that the second she said it. But she kept going. "And you want to do the same thing here. You asked me to live with you for the rest of my vacation. Fine. But this is different. You want us to do these things prematurely with no plan and no safeguards of any type and you want to call that caring? That's not caring, Sam. That's childish and that's stupid."

The couple stared at one another, blood boiling and chests rising with rapid breaths.

Sam sucked his teeth. "Come on, Jr., let's go for a walk," He said lowly. He rose from his spot on the couch and started towards the door.

Mercedes winced, already wanting to apologize profusely. "Sam—"

He whipped around to her, still keeping his voice calm even though he was visibly angry, "No. I have insight, Mercedes. I know that you have people to talk to and a reputation to uphold. I also know that you're a planner and I'm not and I get that and I respect it. So, I try to bring it up in a chill way and propose that we tackle our problems like two people in a committed relationship, and you bring up something that I did in high school?" He fought the lump forming in his throat at his next words. "And now I'm childish and stupid?"

Mercedes closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, upset with herself. He wasn't just angry. He was hurt.

"And, you know, I don't know if there's something else going on with you or with this. I mean, I think there is, but you won't talk to me about it and every. Single. Time. I bring it up, you want to argue and get angry with me, which is one thing, but now you want to hurl insults at me. And I-" He took a moment to regain some of his composure. "And I know that that's not like you, so that means that whatever is going on has got you seriously upset or worried or something. And I don't want to add to that, so I'm going to take the dog for a walk." He continued the short trek to the door. "Jr." He called out to the dog and whistled at her, putting her on her leash and walking out the door.

When he walked out, Mercedes fell back on the couch, running her hands through her hair and letting out a frustrated groan. What had she done?


"Whoa. That's messed up, Sis," Mason said over the phone. "Like, even for you."

Mercedes couldn't do anything but nod, ashamed. Sam hadn't said a word to her since their argument last night. Now, it was Friday evening and he should've been home. Instead, he was out "running errands," which Mercedes felt was just code for avoiding her. "I know and I feel horrible about it. I didn't even mean for it to come out. I was just so angry about what he said."

"Okay, you didn't mean for it to come out. But did you mean it?"

"Yes? No? I don't know, it's complicated." She groaned. "You know, everything was fine until Dani showed up."

"Dani?"

"Daniella. His coworker that's too hot for her own good. That's who showed up when I hung up on you. Said she was bringing him a work gift. She has a massive crush on him and I don't think he knows it. That's how the argument got started."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"About Sam or Daniella?"

"Both."

"I haven't the slightest idea."

Mason huffed. "Well, Sam and I are meeting up at Billiard's again tonight before I head over to dinner. I can talk to him then if you want."

"No," She said. "It's bad enough that we haven't talked about it. The last thing I need is him knowing I talked to one of his friends about it. I'll figure something out."

"Well…"

"What?"

"Dad's off by now if you want to call him. I'm just saying, you may be underestimating him."

Mercedes thought about her brother's words for a moment. Her dad did get her and Sam together. So maybe he'd be willing to help her out. "I'll think about it," She said. "I just hope we can get this all worked out soon. Because if not, there's no way Sam and I will last once I go back to work."


Wow. That was… something. What do y'all think about Sam and Mercedes' words? Were they justified? Even if they weren't justified, do you think they were right? Do y'all think that Sam is onto something when he says that Mercedes is holding out on him? Also, what the hell is up with Dani? Tsk, tsk. All things we'll have to find out about over the next few chapters. Next time, we get to meet these glee clubbers, Mercedes takes Mason's advice, and we learn a little more about this Daniella person. Have a great weekend!