Thank you for your continued support. I appreciate it.
I do not own Glee or the characters, neither do I own Chasing Christmas Eve.
Just three more chapters after this.
Mercedes was packing her suitcase, with her cat helpfully sitting in the middle of it, getting cat hair on everything.
She was trying to feel good about her decision to go.
"You understand, right?" she asked the cat.
"Meow."
"You know you're coming with me, don't you? Wendy sold me a cat carrier...a comfy, cozy one that you can snooze in, all the way across the country, right beneath my seat."
Or, she hoped the cat would snooze all the way across the country.
It was going to be an adventure for the both of them, but she couldn't leave the cat behind.
It was bad enough what she was leaving behind.
Or rather...who.
She jumped when her phone rang.
Johnathan's name flashed on the screen, as the phone danced across the coffee table, while she debated whether to answer or not.
In the end, her manners took over and she grabbed the phone.
"Is this supposed to be some kind of a joke?" he asked.
"Um..." She pulled the phone away from her ear to stare at it. "What?"
"The pages you sent," he said. "It's a joke, right?"
A ball of anxiety nearly choked her.
As did a ball of anger.
She'd slaved over those pages!
"What are you talking about?"
"Since when do you write romance?" he asked.
Mercedes tucked her phone into the crook of her neck, so she could grab her laptop and open her story file.
She scrolled through the pages and took a deep, shaky breath.
Embarrassment, tangled with the anxiety and temper...never a good match...especially since he was right.
She was writing a romance.
"Oh my God!" she whispered to herself.
"I mean, yeah, the writing is good. Excellent even," Johnathan said. "But you're a YA author."
Mercedes closed her eyes.
"It's that new guy, isn't it," he said.
But Mercedes was still stuck on what she'd done.
Her writing was different, but...she'd loved writing it.
"Okay, yes, it's different. But there's still a story there. I can merge both worlds."
Johnathan went silent.
A first.
"Look, I'm coming home," she said. "We can discuss it when I get there."
"When?"
"Tomorrow."
Her flight was first thing in the morning.
She would be walking away from one of the best times of her entire life.
She would be walking away from new friends.
And she would be walking away from Sam.
The thought was crushing, and she knew there was something she had to do before she left.
"I'll see you there," she said and disconnected.
Then she went to the second floor and knocked on Kitty's office door.
Kitty opened up and looked at Mercedes in surprise.
"Hey," she said. "Again, about last night..."
"It doesn't matter," Mercedes said.
"It does," Kitty said. "I want to make sure you understand, that no one meant to hurt your feelings."
"I know."
"And I hope you also know that we..." She paused and rolled her eyes. "...like you. Okay? With or without your kickass shoes."
Mercedes chuckled.
"Did that hurt?" she asked.
Kitty sighed.
"Not as much as I thought it would. Thanks for stopping by to see me."
"I didn't come for you. I..." She shook her head. "He doesn't have any decorations, Kitty. Not a one."
"Sam?"
"No," Mercedes said. "Santa Claus."
Kitty laughed and put her hand to her heart.
"I feel so proud of your sarcasm and cynicism. Sam doesn't have any decorations, because he won't let Nancy decorate his place."
"Why not?"
Kitty shrugged.
"Probably something stupidly male, like he thinks he doesn't have a right to Christmas, because he doesn't have family around other than his grandpa. Which is bullshit, because we're his family and he never puts anything over us...ever."
"Do you have any extra decorations?" Mercedes asked. "And how can we get rid of him for a bit?"
Kitty picked up her phone and checked it.
"He and Christian are out...probably drone-testing," she said.
Then, she called someone.
"I need holiday decorations," she said. "For Sam's apartment. No, he's not asking. Mercedes is."
She listened for a few seconds and then laughed wryly.
"I do get the irony." She disconnected. "Wendy's bringing you some stuff. She'll meet us at the elevator."
"And the irony part?" Mercedes asked.
"Sam has always pushed us to go with our hearts and yet he's managed to hold back on going with his. Until now."
Mercedes shook her head.
"No, you don't understand. I'm leaving tomorrow morning. But I don't feel right going, until I know he'll be okay, that he'll still celebrate Christmas."
Kitty just stared at her.
"What about the cat?"
"She's coming with me."
"You're taking a stray cat, but leaving your man behind?"
Mercedes' heart twisted.
Her man...
"He doesn't fit into the carrier I bought."
Kitty shook her head.
"You two are both so stubborn, you should have your pictures in the dictionary...right beside the word."
Mercedes opened her mouth and then shut it.
She had no defense.
Wendy did indeed meet them at the elevator and the three of them decorated Sam's apartment.
And at the forty-five-minute mark, Fergus called Wendy and warned them that Sam and Christian were back and heading their way.
Wendy and Kitty promptly vanished, saying something about not wanting to get caught in the cross fire.
Plus, Keith had sexted Wendy, so she was in a big hurry to get home.
But Mercedes stayed, quickly changing into the dress she'd worn on her and Sam's first date, because she knew how much he'd liked it.
And just like that, her heart plummeted, because, this was possibly their last date...so to speak.
Sam and Christian walked in the front door less than a minute later, each carrying two drones, looking tensed and unhappy.
They set their things down, Sam's gaze instantly going to Mercedes and never leaving.
She was standing in the center of his now decorated living room, surrounded by twinkling white lights, garland, and mistletoe...everywhere.
There was also a tree in one corner, with colorful balls hanging from the branches.
She had no idea how Wendy had gotten it here so quickly, but she hadn't asked questions in her eternal gratitude.
Sam looked stunned.
"When did Christmas throw up in here?" he asked.
Christian, clearly taking in the tension between them, backed to the door.
"I've gotta..."
He jerked a thumb in the direction of the door and then vanished.
Sam kept Mercedes' gaze, his own completely shuttered from her, for the first time since she'd met him.
"Thought you were gone," he said.
"My flight doesn't leave until the morning." She gave him a small smile. "And I kept thinking about how lonely it seemed in here. It's the only place in the entire building without holiday decorations."
He held her gaze a moment and blew out a breath.
"Look, you're a fixer. I get that. You assume responsibility for everyone and everything around you. But I don't need fixing, Mercedes."
"I know."
He gestured around them.
"And yet, there's stuff twinkling everywhere," he said, still not coming towards her.
Not touching her.
His voice distant.
It broke her heart and she closed her eyes.
"Mercedes..."
His voice was low.
Sexy.
And perfect.
Was she really going to be able to walk away?
And even if she managed that, how was she going to move on and forget?
The lump in her throat became so huge, she couldn't swallow.
Or speak.
Stupid lump.
Suddenly, Mercedes felt Sam's hands on her shoulders.
"Look at me, baby."
She opened her eyes and found his, intense and unwavering.
"This isn't easy for me either," he said. "I suck at goodbyes."
She could only nod, but she did stepped into him and pressed her face into his throat.
He let out a breath and his warm arms came around her, hard.
"We've got a problem," he said.
"What?"
"I want to toss both our phones out the window and then lock ourselves in my bedroom. Tell me absolutely not."
Instead, she let her lips brushed softly against the hollow of his throat.
"Baby..."
"I'm trying."
But that was a big fat fib. She wasn't trying to say no at all.
"Last chance," Sam warned.
She lifted her head and met his intense green gaze.
"I want this. I want you, Sam, even if it's the last time."
"Mercedes..." he said quietly, regret heavy in his voice.
At that, she closed her eyes tight and took a small step back.
Apparently, getting that she didn't want to talk, Sam took her hand and used it to pull her slowly back into him, giving her plenty of time to change her mind.
But she didn't.
She kissed him and then kept at it...kissing hello, goodbye and just because...because she knew that this was all going to stop soon.
When she left.
She'd had trouble sleeping, because she missed him already...so much.
And he seemed to feel the same, because he put everything he had into the kiss, his hands running reverently over her body.
"Did you wear this dress for me?"
"No. I actually forgot how much you liked it."
He chuckled.
"Liar! You totally did." He tightened his grip on her. "I'm going to miss you too, Mercedes...so much."
With that, he pulled her into his bedroom, and then she was in a free fall onto the bed.
Sam stood at the foot of the mattress looking down at Mercedes.
His eyes were dark with nefarious intent. And something new swirled through passed the sadness she was keeping at bay.
Anticipation.
And lust.
She'd felt the pull of both those things before with him, of course, but this time, there was also something else.
Affection.
Deep affection.
It was new, terrifying, and...even more arousing.
"Sam..."
She crooked her finger at him.
And he responded by climbing up her body to kiss her hard, both demanding and gaining access to her mouth.
Leaning over her, his hands roughly ran the length of her body, until she was caught up in a rising tide of hunger and need, that didn't give a damn about commitments or declarations of love.
When Sam pulled her phone from her pocket, Mercedes giggled.
He removed his phone from his own pocket as well, held up both for her to see, and then vanished.
He was back in twenty seconds.
"Did you throw them out the window?" she asked.
"No. Even I can't bring them back from a five-story fall. I put them in the freezer."
She snorted.
Because he didn't.
She could see the effect she was having on him and it was incredibly empowering.
She started to sit up, to get her hands on him, but before she could, he slid to her ankles and yanked, making her fall to her back.
Right away, Mercedes stopped laughing and maybe moaned, as Sam prowled up her body.
Holding her gaze, he slowly pulled her hands above her head, pinning her to the mattress beneath him, and covering her mouth with his.
This was no simple goodbye kiss, but rather, a 'not letting you go before I make sure you never forget me' sort of kiss, and it gave her a full-body shiver of the very best kind.
"Off," he murmured, fisting a hand in the material of her dress, pushing it up enough to reveal her black lacy panties.
Then, before she could lend a hand, he had her efficiently stripped. Which wasn't to say, he did this impatiently. In fact, he spent a lot of time kissing and suckling and fanning the flames, over every inch of skin he exposed.
Nope, the only person in a hurry was Mercedes, as she shoved up his shirt, struggling to get him as naked as her.
Sam came up on his knees to help, shrugging out of his shirt.
Next, Mercedes' hands traveled the now familiar path of muscles and smooth skin, down the length of his torso and beyond.
He was rock solid and gorgeous, and she had no idea how she was supposed to walk away.
"Mercedes..."
"Off," she said, mimicking his much lower voice. "Everything off."
A laugh rumbled from him, but he immediately complied.
Then, dipping his head, he licked and sucked a trail down her body, taking his damn sweet time about it too, so that by the time he reached her thighs, every cell in her body was alive, waiting for the moment when he would press his mouth against her.
When he finally did, she cried out, fisting her fingers in his hair, as his tongue worked its magic, leaving her helpless to do anything but quiver and squirm, and whimper with each expert stroke, as he took her to the edge and held her there for an impossibly long beat, before nudging her over.
And while Mercedes struggled to remember how to work her lungs, Sam made his way back up her body, planting a series of warm, wet kisses over her stomach, her ribcage and then her breasts.
And then, at last, his face was level with hers.
His eyes were penetrating and dark with desire.
And his breathing was fragmented, as he pushed inside her, his shaft painfully hard and thick.
"You'll remember me," he said.
Of that she was most certain.
"I'll remember you," she promised, already halfway to another orgasm. "Always."
With that, he finally gave her what she wanted and pounded into her, making her writhe against him as she came, crying out his name between shuddered gasps.
She knew he came right along with her and reveled in the pounding of his heart against hers, as they struggled to come down from the stroke-level intensity.
After a while, they fell asleep, limbs entwined and sharing air.
When Mercedes opened her eyes again, she had no idea how long they'd been out.
All she could remember, was cuddling under the covers and hearing the question she hadn't meant to ask, escape her lips.
"Would you really come visit me?"
"If you asked me too, yes," Sam replied.
She thought about that long after he'd fallen asleep. Because, with their lives so deeply entrenched in their respective cities...three thousand miles apart...she didn't see how this could work.
She just didn't.
Very carefully, she turned her head and looked at the clock.
Four a.m.
She had to go.
Sam was on his back, his face turned towards her, his entire body relaxed and still, and his chest slowly rising and falling.
He was deeply asleep.
She could tell he was exhausted...mentally, physically, and if it was at all possible, emotionally as well.
Quietly, she gathered her clothes and put them on. Then, she brushed a soft kiss to his nose and one to his lips, lingering for a beat.
"I'll remember you," she promised and silently walked away.
Stay safe!