A/N: HIYA! Okay so I have nothing of value to say except as promised this chapter is a whole bunch of DRAMA but it's juicy. I hope you like it and please forgive me in advance! Forgive me for any typing errors I wrote this while I was sick lol

The sound of screeching and then metal hitting metal was all she remembered hearing before looking over at Sam wide-eye. There was a brief moment when they both looked at each other and there was so much worry in his eyes, she wanted to comfort him but as she reached over there was another thump and she felt her head hitting the window. Sam's name was all she got out before everything went black and her body went numb.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep

"Ugh… wha-where… why do I hurt?"

"Sam? Sweetie?" Mary said jumping up from where she was siting and shaking Dwight awake before going to his bedside and grabbing his hand.

"Ma? What happened? Where am I?" Sam asked trying to get his thoughts together but nothing was forming.

"Oh honey… you were in a wreck. You've been out for a few days." Mary replied gently caressing her son's bruised face.

"Wreck? Few days?" Sam asked until the flashes of the event started to flow and he saw her face.

"Mercedes! Where is she? Is…. Is she okay? Please tell me she's okay?"

"She had a few bruises but as far as we know she's fine… they discharged her a few days ago."

"Then where is she?" Sam asked again before growing worried at his parents facial expression. That's when he noticed Stevie who was walking over to him with an envelope in his hand.

"She told her nurse to give this to me to give to you once you woke up." Stevie said handing over the unopened letter.

"What about her wedding? She was supposed to shoot a wedding on Friday… we were supposed to have our first real date. What's today?" Sam asked felling somewhat foggy still.

"Son, it's Saturday… we haven't seen her since she was admitted with you afterwards and we weren't allowed to visit her at all while she was being looked over." Dwight said.

"That doesn't sound like Mercy… she wouldn't just leave without saying goodbye. She wouldn't unless she was forced." Sam said more so to his self than his parents and brother. Mary and Dwight shared a look before both sighing deeply. They knew Sam wasn't going to rest until he saw Mercedes so they decided they needed to go find her.

"Sam read the note and get some rest. We'll be back as soon as possible okay?" Dwight asked seeing the hurt in his son's eyes.

"Wait...you're leaving? I just woke up!" Sam said attempting to raise his voice but couldn't because of how dry it was, Mary noticed this and grabbed him cup and filled it with water then handed it to him.

"Listen baby, we're going to find Mercedes and bring her here so you will be able to calm down but you have to read what she said as well." Mary said gently.

"Call me when you get to her place, I have a spare key to her apartment… it's the purple one." Sam said starting to feel drowsy but refusing to fall back asleep.

"Okay dude, we promise to keep you posted just rest and don't put us through this again." Stevie said trying to sound strong but failing because seeing his big brother like that made him feel like he wasn't 'Invincible Sam' anymore.

…

"Who are you?"

"Denise… who are you?"

"I'm Dwight, this is mu wife Mary and our son Stevie. We're looking for the woman that lives here, Mercedes… do you know her? have you seen her?"

"Ohh… yeah I'm her cousin. Sorry but you're too late, she's gone."

"What do you mean she's gone?" Stevie asked with a confused expression.

"Her parents sent for her a few days ago and whatever the reason it's serious because she hasn't spoken to them in some years."

"When will she back?" Mary asked feeling concerned about the young woman's whereabouts.

"That I can't answer… I haven't seen my aunt and uncle in over a decade and they tend to keep Mercedes away from me because they think I'm a bad influence on her." Denise responded rolling her eyes.

"Why hasn't she spoken to her parents? When I asked her about herself she didn't seem to have any ill-will against them." Mary asked

"Yeah well that's because that's what she was taught to do when asked about them. She's not all cupcakes and sprinkles and her parents certainly don't adhere to conventional rules. Look, I don't really feel comfortable telling you all of my cousin's business when she isn't here. She asked me to come here and get a few of her things but the things she asked me to get aren't here… ohh and she asked me to tell some dude named Sam that she was sorry and told me where she had a spare key to his place but I didn't feel right going into his home without him present." She replied shaking her head.

"We're his family, he's our eldest." Dwight said.

"Oh… Sam's… what the hell are you doing cuz? Do you mind grabbing these things from his place so I can get them to her?" Denise asked holding out the piece of paper she wrote down everything Mercedes requested. Mary nodded and handed the paper to Stevie and told him to grab everything and hurry back.

"Denise, you seemed a little shocked that Sam was white… are her parents not accepting of interracial couples?" Mary asked trying to remain calm. She hoped like hell that wasn't the reason her parents came and took her away.

"No… well a little but her family's views have nothing to do with her and there's no way they would've know that but I know my little cousin well enough to know that if she has feelings for him she's going to let it be known. I can't speak for Uncle Rick or Aunt Vivi but me personally I think it's perfectly fine and if she's happy then I'm overjoyed." Denise responded honestly.

"Where is she?" Dwight finally asked wanting to know so they could have answers for their son.

"Dallas… they took her to her parents." Denise replied with a great deal of worry in her voice.

"Texas! Why? I don't understand any of this..." Mary said catching onto the young woman's worry.

"I can't answer that, Mimi called me begging that I grabbed these things and delivered that message. I wasn't even notified about her being in the wreck so how her parents found out before I did is a mystery."

"Denise, my son has strong feelings for you cousin and these answers aren't going to do anything but make him try and go find her. Can you give us anything? Where in Dallas is she? Is she or is she not safe there? Why hasn't spoken to her parents?" Dwight asked firmly. He looked at Denise with steady eyes before she nodded and let out a deep breath.

"Okay…" Denise said before answering his questions.

…

A Few Days Prior

"Sam!" Mercedes said fluttering her eyes open slightly wincing at the pain from her headache. She looked around but didn't see anyone. Where the hell is Sam?

"Well hello there, how are you feeling? I'm Catherine I'm you're on call nurse. Can you tell me your name?" Catherine asked sweetly.

"Mercedes..." She said looking at the woman suspiciously.

"That's right, you're Mercedes Jones. I just had to make sure you were coherent. How are you feeling sweetheart?"

"Where's Sam? He was in the car with me… please tell me he's okay." She asked frantically.

"Mr. Evans came in with you and he's currently in a coma. He got banged up pretty badly but is expected to make a full recovery. Now how are you feeling?" Catherine asked again.

"He's in a coma? Whe-where is he? Where is my boyfriend? I need to see him." She replied trying to get out of bed but Catherine stopped her.

"Ms. Jones I'm afraid I can't let you go to his room right now. Only family is allowed in his room at the moment and on top of that I am under strict orders to keep you here until someone by the name of R. Washington arrives to take you with her." Catherine said checking her vitals and smiled down at her reassuringly. Mercedes froze when Catherine said the name she hadn't heard in years.

"Who… who ordered me to stay here?" She asked already knowing the answer but wanted confirmation.

"Richard and Vivian Jones which I'm assuming your parents?" She asked. Mercedes felt her breathing hitch and immediately began shake her head in disbelief.

"No.. no they can't make me stay and I'm not leaving with Roz. I'm an adult and can leave as I please, now what room is he-" She started before stopping when she saw the tall blond haired woman enter her room with a displeased look on her face.

"That'll be all, we have a personal doctor that will be looking after Ms. Jones." Roz said dismissing Catherine with a nasty toned. Catherine looked at Mercedes with a worried look but calmed when she gave her a small smile and nodding. Mercedes knew there was not point in this woman getting fired for doing her job. When Catherine left the room Mercedes turned her attention to the tall, brown skinned woman standing in front of her with her arms crossed over her chest while her eyes judged her silently.

"I'm not leaving with you, I don't know why or how they were notified since they aren't my emergency contact. Denise has been my contact since I left for college and for some reason she wasn't called." Mercedes said huffing and rolling her eyes. Roz physically stiffened when Mercedes mention Denise, they were not supposed to in contact with each other she made a mental note to run this information by her parents when they arrived.

"You know the answer to that, so I won't entertain your childishness. Now get dressed, the plane is waiting and you know I don't like to get behind schedule so hurry up. Oh, don't even think of trying any of those little vanishing tricks like you did when you were younger. There's no way you're leaving this hospital without me. Don't make me have to send my friends in here to carry you out because you know I will." Roz said throwing some clothes at her then walking out of the room. Mercedes knew running wasn't going to work and she knew Roz would just haul her ass from where ever she found her and deliver her to her parents tied up. So she did as she was told and put on the clothes Roz threw at her and to her surprise the jeans and t-shirt fit her perfectly. She looked for her heels she had on earlier and luckily for her they weren't damaged in the wreck like her dress was which was completely torn down the side. She pressed the call button for her nurse and fixed her hair as best she could when she heard Catherine speaking to someone outside.

"I just need to sign my discharge papers, she can't release me without my signature so let her in." Mercedes said opening the door and to the backs of two very large men. They nodded and moved aside never looking back at Mercedes and let her into the room. Mercedes quickly shut the door and pulled Catherine away from it.

"Ms. Washington already signed your discharge papers… I tried to stop her but she's a little intimating." Catherine said softly.

"I don't care about that, do you have some paper I can write on?" Catherine nodded and handed her the clipboard she was holding and her pen. Mercedes smiled and quickly wrote a note to Sam before folding it over and handing it to Catherine.

"I need you to give this to Stevie Evans… tell him to give it to Sam when he wakes up please. Also my phone was damaged can I borrow yours?" She asked looking at the door and noticing that the men were still standing there. When she was given the phone she quickly called her cousin Denise and filled her in on everything that had happened and asked her to run by her place and grab a few things. After handing up she handed Catherine her phone and mouthed thank you.

"Ms. Jones…"

"Don't. You're going to receive a hefty payment for your silence. Take it and don't ask any questions… my parents are a little over protective so asking any questions will just make it harder on you. Thanks again and please don't forget Stevie Evans… no one else." She said before leading the nurse to the door and walking out in front of her.

"I'm ready." She said to one of suited men standing by her door. He nodded and lead her out of the hospital and to a large SUV. She slid into her seat in the back with one of the men sitting directly beside her she looked at him and couldn't help but recognize him but she couldn't remember from where.

"Took you long enough." Roz said looking at her before rolling her eyes and taking her phone out to call someone.

"We'll be there in three hours, your daughter took her precious time as always." Roz said into the receiver before handing the phone to Mercedes who shook her head and looked at her like she had lost her damn mind trying to make her talk to her parents. Roz groaned and forcibly placed the phone into her hands and mouthed 'TALK'. Mercedes let out a deep breath before placing the phone to her ear but she never said a word. Instead she stared Roz down with a mischievous smirk.

Mercedes I know you have the phone, the least- Mercedes hung up and threw the phone back to Roz without ever breaking eye contact with the woman.

"Guess they had nothing to say." Mercedes said finally shrugging her shoulder.

"You've always made my job so damn difficult." Roz said rubbing her temples and casting her a dirty look.

"Well they aren't paying you easy work now are they?"

"I don't like you."

"Feelings been mutual since I was six! Now can we go? I want to get this shit show on the road." Mercedes said looking out the window ignoring Roz's death glare.

"Take us to the airstrip and if you can do it in less than thirty minutes I'll pay you extra because her presence is only tolerated for so long." Roz said to the driver who nodded and began to pull out of the parking lot. Mercedes took a deep breath and prepared for what was waiting for when she arrived at her parents and faced her parents after all these years.

Sam

Sam woke up to an empty room and the sound of machines buzzing. He was still holding the note Stevie had given him earlier and quickly opened it to read it.

Sammy,

Yes… I didn't to answer your question but yes, I would love to be your girlfriend. I don't have much time to write anything heartfelt and by the time you read this I'll be in Dallas at my parents. I'll be back… I just don't know when and as soon as I get a new phone I'll call you okay? I'm so sorry but that's really all I can say for now.

Love, Mercy

Sam read the note a few more times looking for anything outside of Dallas to let him know where she actually was and never found anything until he turned it around and saw something on the very bottom.

4573 Cherrybrook Ave. ;)

He couldn't stop the smile that began to form on his lips and shook his head. She knew he would want to know where she was and made sure to put in the last place he would look. He began formulating a plan to go and get her if when his nurse came into the room. He had an urge to hide his note for some reason and placed in under his leg before giving the nurse a small smile.

"Hello Mr. Evans! It's good to see you're finally awake, I have been your nurse since you arrived and was starting to wonder if your eyes matched your father's. My name is Monica and I just need to check a few of your vitals and your bandages." She said sweetly as Sam nodded allowed her to do whatever she needed to do before a question popped in his head.

"Excuse me… did you by chance help out the woman that came in with me? Mercedes Jones? She was in the car with me and I just want to make sure she is okay." He asked and noticed the woman frowned and gave him a curious look before responding.

"No, she wasn't my patient. I take she's your girlfriend?"

"I was actually just about to ask her when the wreck happened." He replied with a sheepish chuckle.

"Hmm… must be a sign."

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe you're not meant to be together. I mean she isn't here is she? I would take that as a sign that she didn't want a relationship." Sam gave her confused look that quickly changed to annoyance and began shaking his head.

"No, I know for a fact she does." Sam said harshly. Monica let out a deep sigh before walking to the door but she never left she only opened it and began speaking to someone on the other side. Every so often she would look back at Sam before returning to whoever she was speaking with, that's when Sam started to get a bad feeling and began looking around for his phone. When he saw it he quickly grabbed it and shot Stevie a text to come back immediately and when she returned he was happy he did because she wasn't alone.

"So where the fuck is she?"

"Why are you here? Why did you let him in here?" Sam asked wishing like hell he wasn't stuck in this hospital room.

"Look white boy, I know she was here but when I went to her room she was gone and so were her things. Now where is Mercedes?"

"I've been in a damn coma, so how the fuck should I know? Your guess is as good as mine." Sam replied happy he hid the note she had given him because he didn't need him finding out where she went.

"Hmm… that wreck was pretty smart huh? Let that be a warning to you… leave my woman alone or you'll regret you hadn't. I'm going to offer you a little proposition stay away from Mercedes and I won't hurt her." Tank said moving closer to Sam's bed.

"What? No, I won't dot that… why the fuck would I do that? Why are you so obsessed with my gir- with someone who clearly has no interests in you?" Sam said sitting up and raising his voice, Tank caught his slip up and grew angry.

"I know damn well you haven't touched her… have you you been with my woman?" Tank growled then grabbing Sam's bandaged leg gripping it tightly and looking at Sam with so much malicious.

"Listen, this is what is going to happen, you are going to leave her alone, pretend like she never existed and if you don't I will beat her within an inch of her life. Because if I can't have her you damn sure won't and if you think I'm playing just remember how you got in here." Tank said gripping harder causing Sam to yell out in pain and his eyes to well up with tears but he never broke eye contact. Sam knew if he put up a fight it was just put her in further danger and he couldn't bring his self to be that selfish when her life was literally on the line but he needed to make sure she would always remain safe.

"I'll leave her alone if you stop looking for her." Sam said through gritted teeth.

"HA! Look at you trying to negotiate terms. How about you leave her alone and I do as I please? Cedes and I have some unfinished business and it's high time we concluded it." Tank said releasing Sam's leg and rubbing his hands together.

"Why do you want her if you're willing to threaten her life? How is that caring about her?"

"Because, she is mine and I know for a fact that you'll leave her alone because if you don't everything that follows will be on your hands." Tank replied with a smug grin.

"Fine, I won't. I'll leave her alone." Sam said feeling defeated.

"Good boy! I'd really hate to have to hurt her but the minute I feel like you're in contact with her I won't hesitate." He said before walking out of the room with a sad looking Monica in tow. Sam felt like his lungs were collapsing, like his world was crumbling and there was nothing he could do to change it. If he tried to go to her she put her in danger and if he leaves her alone she still remains in danger but if didn't fight for her what would that say about his feelings for Mercedes?

"Bro you okay?" Stevie said rushing into the room. When Sam looked up at his brother he couldn't stop the tears from falling. He wasn't an emotional person but his heart was breaking because it dawned him in that moment that Tank had seen Stevie. He knew where Sam lived and if he was willing to threaten the life of someone he supposedly cared about what was stopping him from harming his little brother? Stevie was a grown man but Sam still saw him as his kid brother, the same brother he helped with homework and taught how to play the guitar. Why was he being thrown in two different directions with no positive out come on either ends.

"Dude… what is it?" Stevie asked moving closer and his voice laced with concern.

"W-was she there?" Sam asked knowing that she wasn't.

"No, she's gone… like her stuff is here but she's not. She's-" Stevie stopped when Sam held his hand up.

"I don't care. She's safe and that's all that matters the rest is unuseful and I don't care to hear about it." Sam said softly knowing now what he had to do and in order to do he needed to distance Stevie from the whole situation.

"Sam her cousin was there she told us about her parents… I think we should go after her-" Stevie said before stopping at the look Sam was giving him. He had never seen his brother look so angry or broken before and was concerned that he was giving up on Mercedes.

"Didn't you hear what I just said? I DON'T CARE! She's were she needs to be wherever that is and I think it's best that you forget about her because I plan to do just that." Sam said hating how those words tasted coming out of his mouth.

"I don't know what the fuck your problem is but she isn't safe where she is and if you don't take the foot out of your ass you will lose her forever." Stevie said slamming a folded up piece of paper into his chest and storming out of the room. Sam watched his brother leave and felt horrible for how he handled his brother but he had to be smart and he had to protect the people around him. He looked down and the paper and opened it.

Stevie,

Take care of my Sammy okay? I was too nervous to tell him but I love him and I'm coming back.

Just… don't let him forget okay?

-Mercedes

Sam just stared at the note for a moment longer before ripping it up then reached for his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found her number and deleted it.

Mercedes

"Ms. Jones."

"Mhm?" Mercedes grunted sleepily.

"We're here." A deep voice said softly and gently moving her off his shoulder. She must have fallen asleep because she doesn't remember getting off the jet or getting into the SUV.

She looked around and knew exactly where 'here' was and grunted. It looked the same as it was when she left and now she was back at the spacious ten bedroom, six and a half bath home… home wasn't the right term. No more like compound, her parents literally had one child and still managed to overcompensate. 1165 Jones Court was anything but a home to her and she knew it. The whole estate was immaculate, from the neatly trimmed hedges that lined the base of the house, the well designed flower sculptures and the well placed fountains. The house sat on thirty plus acres and had two guest houses with a pool large enough to hold swim meets, her mother picked up gardening when she was eleven so a decent size portion of the land was dedicated to her garden which houses different fruits, vegetables and herbs. The outside alone was only a taste of what was inside, a grand foyer adorned with marble flooring and floor to ceiling windows and hand painted portraits of her parents. The living area was decorated in all white furnishing and gold accents that was dusted twice a day everyday and looked like it came straight out of a catalog. Mostly due to the fact that no was ever allowed to sit in there unless they were her parents business partners, there was a large fireplace with a large abstract painting hung over it, the further you went into the place the colder it became. Mercedes hated being here with a passion she loved her parents dearly but she figured out a few things at a young age about how they expected her to behave at all time and if she ever disobeyed she would be punished.

"Welcome home Ms. Jones." A man she had never seen before said when she walked through the foyer. She knew saying what she was thinking would fall on deaf ears so she just smiled and nodded allowing the older gentleman to lead her to where her parents where patiently waiting. When he took her downstairs to her father's study she knew it was serious because the last time she was in there was when she told them she wasn't coming back after she left for college. Her parents didn't take the news well and did everything in their power to delay her leaving but Denise came and helped her out and she never looked back.

"Your parents are just inside." Mercedes nodded and took a deep breath before entering the study.

"Look, honey our child has returned."

Sooooo...? Okay okay I can explain... it had to happen! There were some cliffhangers in this chapter and yes they will be answered in the next! Like can we talk about Sam though? Like he is seriously torn and has some hard decisions to make. We got to see a TINY bit of Mercedes' family but we'll see a whole lot more in the coming chapter as well as some sweet cousin moments between Mercedes and Denise. We also welcomed back a blast from the past... and as many of you guess yes Tank was responsible for the wreck. Where the hell is Shane? Now that's the real mystery lol! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know your thoughts and new theories especially about her parents and why she left... oh and what up with those two different addresses? Hmm... guess we'll have to wait and see! Until next time! XOXO