A/N: Sorry for the long wait but here's the latest installment. Just wanted to give a shoutout to abbiecarr for checking in on me. Thanks again to all who read and reviewed. For all that was affected by hurricane Sandy my prayers are with you guys.
Chapter 44:
Sam reached over to Mercedes' side of the bed and bolted upright when he found it empty. He quickly got out of bed and headed to his private office and then the bathroom but found them empty. Sam then rushed out of his room to look for Mercedes when the smell of bacon cooking hit him. He followed the wondrous smell as the scent wafted through the penthouse. Sam saw Mercedes hunched over the stove still wearing his old college jersey and her hair up in a messy bun. Sam walked to the other side of the counter to stand behind his girlfriend. He slowly snaked his hands around her waist which made Mercedes jump.
"Sam!" Mercedes slapped Sam's chest as she turned to face him.
"Good morning!" Sam said before placing a chaste kiss on her lips.
"I thought you'd never wake up." Mercedes reached on her tiptoes to kissed Sam once more before turning back to her cooking but never leaving Sam's grip.
"Well if you were still in bed I don't think I'll ever leave." Sam squeezed Mercedes tighter as he kissed her neck.
"You better stop that mister or I'll actually burn these." Mercedes tried to push Sam away by sticking out her behind.
"Don't do that or you'll regret it." Sam smirked.
"Whatever Sam. Just set the table, this won't take much longer." Mercedes once again tried to push Sam away from her but this time tried wriggling out of his death grip.
Sam groaned as Mercedes made contact with his morning wood and quickly grabbed Mercedes hips to still her as he thought of mundane things to stop his pending hard on.
"Sam move!" Mercedes demanded as she tried to turn around with the plate of bacon.
Sam barely moved from his spot but let Mercedes go.
"Are you coming?" Mercedes turned around looking at Sam with a pained look on his face.
"Please don't say that." Sam replied while Mercedes giggled catching on the double meaning of her question.
"I'm sorry. Maybe you should have a cold shower first." Mercedes placed the plate of bacon down on the table before walking over to Sam and dragging him to his bedroom.
Once inside his room, Sam surprised Mercedes as he picked her up like a caveman and threw her on his bed.
"Sam!" Mercedes giggled.
Sam wedged himself between Mercedes' luscious thighs and started attacking her lips as he started grinding his erection on her core. Mercedes shivered as Sam's erection rubbed on her now throbbing clit. Sam moved from her lips to her neck and started nibbling on the sensitive spot behind her ear.
"Sam!" Mercedes called his name seductively
"Oh God Mercy I want you so bad." Sam whispered in her ear.
"I want you too baby, but we can't." Mercedes held on to Sam tight prohibiting him from moving.
Sam plopped down on top of Mercedes knowing she was right. As much as she wants him and he wants her, he knew he wanted it to be special. Noting that this time he'd do it his way and not copy scenes from romantic movies.
"I better take a shower." Sam said dejectedly.
"You want me to join you?" Mercedes teased.
"You are such a tease Ms. Jones." Sam kissed Mercedes before getting up and running to the bathroom.
Mercedes calmed her racing heart before getting up and walking out of Sam's bedroom. Mercedes was done setting the table and reheating the biscuits she made earlier when Sam came out to finally join her.
"Had a good shower?" Mercedes smiled as she asked Sam and sat down at the table.
"It could be better, but I'm not complaining." Sam winked at Mercedes before sitting himself down next to her.
Mercedes started putting food on Sam's plate as soon as he got settled down and was now retrieving the coffee pot. Sam looked at his girlfriend as she walked over to the counter to turn off the coffee maker before bringing the coffee pot over. Sam was grinning from ear to ear at this point as Mercedes poured some coffee in his cup.
"What?" Mercedes asked smiling as she saw the intent look of happiness on Sam's face.
"I could get used to this." Sam said before taking a bite at the biscuit. Sam moaned as soon as he had a taste of the biscuits.
"Like it?" Mercedes chuckled.
"Like it? Love it more like it. Where have you been all my life?" Sam continued eating as Mercedes started placing food on her plate.
Sam finished his 1st biscuit and was on to the next when a sudden realization hit him.
"I'm serious Mercedes, I could get used to this. What would you say if I ask you to move in with me?" Mercedes dropped the fork in her hand and turned to look at Sam like he has grown a second head.
"What? I would think you'd know by now that I move fast. But unlike my other decisions, this time I am asking you first what you would think about the idea. I'm not saying I'm asking you to move in but I'm also not saying I'm not. Just tell me what you think." Sam reasoned.
Mercedes thought for a moment how to answer Sam's question contemplating on the idea. Mercedes reached to grab Sam's hand before she started speaking.
"You know I love you right?" Sam nodded in agreement.
"People might think we're moving too fast but I can honestly say that I don't feel that at all with you. As much as I would love to spend all of my time with you I also know that I'm not ready for what moving in together entails. Asking me to be your housemate is one thing and that I could probably do, but we both know you don't need a housemate to help you pay for rent or utilities. I don't want to live off your good fortune Sam; I don't want you to think that I am staying with you because you give me all these luxuries and conveniences. I want us to get to know each other without the proximity forcing us. Let us go through the progression of normal couples and later on we can talk about this again." Mercedes reached over and placed her hand on Sam's face. Sam leaned in to her touch as she gently caressed his face.
"And besides I have found an apartment already and I can't wait to move in next week!" Mercedes explained to Sam.
"What? You're moving out of Blaine's?" Sam asked surprised jerking out of Mercedes' touch.
"I haven't told them yet, but I guess there's no better time like the present to tell them. I'm sure they'd appreciate their alone time more without me being there." Mercedes chuckled.
Sam remained unamuzed at Mercedes' response.
"So where are you moving?" Sam asked with a hint of seriousness in his voice.
"It's across the bridge near Brooklyn where I used to live; it's in the East New York area. It's a lovely one bedroom apartment with a nice community. I'm meeting with the landlord tomorrow to sign the lease as well as give him the 2 month's rent in advance, if you'd like you can come with me so you can see for yourself." Mercedes beamed at Sam.
Chapter 45:
Sam looked at Mercedes and saw the light back in her. He couldn't take that away from her as much as he wants her with him always. Sam nodded and gave Mercedes the best smile he could muster under such circumstances. Mercedes saw the smile not reaching Sam's eyes but decided to let it go for now and made a mental note to make it up to him somehow.
"Ok, well I better get ready to go. I have to drop my stuff first at Blaine's before I'm off to work. Finish your breakfast and when you're done make sure you wash the dishes." Mercedes placed a chaste kiss on Sam's lips before getting up and walking towards his bedroom. Mercedes walked all the way to Sam's bedroom with a smirk on her face as she left Sam dumbfounded.
Sam finished his plate and gathered all the dishes to put them in the sink.
"You can do this Sam, it's just washing up." Sam stared at the soiled plates and glanced at the sink as if trying to figure out how it works for the first time.
Sam has lived a privileged life and has never done chores in his entire life; they had help to do those things. Sam took a deep breath and opened the cupboards for the washing up liquid and sponge or whatever they use to wash dishes with. Sam smiled as he found the supplies underneath the sink, it was the logical place to put them but it never crossed his mind. Sam quickly took out the supplies and read the directions on the bottle. He followed them exactly as written and felt really proud of himself for successfully accomplishing the task. Mercedes walked in the kitchen as he dried the last dish and placed it back in the cupboard. Sam flashed the biggest smile to Mercedes letting her know of his achievement.
"I'm impressed Evans. I was expecting to walk in disarray but you've proven me wrong. At least now I know that I can count on you to wash up every time I cook!" Mercedes reached to kiss Sam as she teased him.
Sam contemplated on doing more washing up, but figured if it was Mercedes' cooking then it'll be well worth it.
"I'll gladly do them if it means you cooking for me all the time." Sam grabbed Mercedes and pulled her closer as he leaned down to kiss her passionately.
"Sam I have to go. I don't want to be late on my first day back at work." Mercedes lightly pushed Sam away.
"In case you forgot my family owns the restaurant and whatever I say goes." Sam now attacking her neck.
"Sam, stop it!" Mercedes giggled as she tried squirming out of Sam's hold on her.
"I'll pay you double, no triple if you stay with me today." Sam continued kissing Mercedes.
"As much as your offer is tempting I will not be bribed. I miss the girls, the kitchen staff and even my regulars. I haven't seen them for quite a while and I'm not used to being idle, besides its Saturday and my 2 month's worth of rent will come out from tips alone." Mercedes wrapped her arms around Sam and kissed him hard disarming him enough for her to slip out of his death like grip on her.
Sam glared at Mercedes with a pout as she gathered her overnight bag to prepare to leave.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" Mercedes asked.
"Why not tonight?" Sam replied.
"I'm working 'til closing, by then it'll be too late to go anywhere." Mercedes reasoned.
"Then I say it calls for another sleepover since I'm going with you tomorrow." Sam flashed his pearly whites at Mercedes as she shook her head at Sam's antics.
"I say not! I don't think I can stop myself if I spend another night with you, so let's just say goodbye and see each other tomorrow." Mercedes insisted.
Sam was about to protest when his phone rang. Looking at the number displayed he knew he needed to answer the call but was reluctant to let Mercedes go without coming up with a compromise. The phone rang insistently and Sam was finally forced to answer. Mercedes took the opportunity to mouth that she's leaving and gestured that she would call later before running out of Sam's penthouse. Sam shook his head at his unfortunate situation before speaking to the caller.
"This better be what I've been waiting for!" Sam told the caller.
"It's more than what you've asked for Mr. Evans. We need to meet in person, what I'm about to tell cannot be conveyed through the phone." The caller explained to Sam.
"Alright then. Meet me at my office in an hour."
"I will be bringing an associate of your friend Mr. Abrams. Jacob Israel has part of the story and would be essential for you to get the complete picture. It's up to you if you want other people at the meeting present, but my suggestion is to only allow people you are in full trust with." The caller emphasized.
"Well seeing as Artie is sort of part of this I will call him to come in as well. Apart from him I don't want this getting out yet." Sam made it clear to the caller.
"Understood! I'll see you in an hour."
"Thanks Shannon, I'll be there soon!" Sam thanked the caller before ending the call.
Mercedes arrived at the restaurant a couple of hours after leaving Sam's penthouse. She quickly dropped her stuff at Blaine's apartment spending a few minutes to say hello and promising more details when she gets home to Kurt and Blaine before rushing out again.
"Finally the diva arrived." Santana teased as she walked up to Mercedes to give her a hug.
"Hello to you too Tana!" Mercedes chuckled.
"I dropped by Blaine's place last night and guess what I heard." Santana teased some more.
"I'm sure whatever it is Tana, it's something exaggerated!" Mercedes tried to act nonchalantly.
"So you're telling me you didn't have a sleepover?" Santana asked.
"Yes, but the other thing you're thinking is what I'm referring to." Mercedes defended.
"What other thing? I'm pretty sure I didn't say anything else." Santana denied.
Mercedes eyed Santana gauging if she knows more than she's leading her on.
"I mean for instance I didn't say that you had a sleepover at blondie's place or that you were quite tipsy and affectionate towards blondie according to Blaine or that Kurt happen to give you something just in case you decide to jump blondie's bones. I never said any of those so I don't know what you're talking about Cedes." Santana added.
Tina and Lauren at this point moved closer as if waiting for something to spill.
"A good friend will be honest about what happened, but a great friend will give details. Now the four of us know what a great friend you are Cedes, so is there anything you wish to tell us?" Santana flashed a toothy grin as well as Tina and Lauren.
Mercedes shook her head at the sight of her friends. The three of them could give the Cheshire cat a run for his money the way they were grinning at her.
"Like I said, all exaggeration!" Mercedes exclaimed before she started walking away from them.
"Cedes!" The three whined in unison.
Sam arrived in his office and Rachel quickly approached him just as he stepped off the elevator.
"Artie's already waiting for you in your office with a curly head nerd and a big woman named Shannon I think. Is there a reason why you called me over on a Saturday?" Rachel asked.
"Yes! Remember I promised you I'll let you know what's going on as soon as I have more information? Well this is the information and I want you as witness. I know how your mind works Rachel and I don't want your suspicions to be the cause of Mercy breaking up with me. Besides I need someone to brainstorm with other than Artie." Sam explained to Rachel as they walked to his office.
Sam and Rachel walked in and saw that Artie and Shannon were in deep conversation. Artie turned to Sam as soon as they sat down.
"Good you're here! But what is Rachel doing here as well?" Artie asked as if Rachel had no reason to be there which irked Rachel.
"She's my assistant and I think she needs to document whatever it is you and Shannon have researched in case we need it later on." Sam explained.
Artie seem to buy the explanation and motioned for Shannon to start. Shannon nodded to Jacob to start first.
"Well according to my intel, Ms. Holliday's information was indeed correct. John Fabray has been in cahoots with the organized crime to get ahead with his business. Everything checked out accordingly except that I couldn't link Holly in any of it." Jacob ended
"That's where I came in. I checked out Holly Holliday's records and everything was clean. It was clean to the point it's a bit suspicious, so I dug some more. Well I guess I better show you instead." Shannon took out some documents and handed it out.
Sam read the documents and couldn't believe what was written on them. Holly Holliday was previously Sarah Schuester and before that she was Sarah Holly Fabray. Rachel gasped as she read that Holly is John Fabray's daughter to his first wife. Holly is 15 years Quinn's senior and similar to Quinn, Holly worked for her father and did anything and everything her father asked of her. John Fabray showed her off liked a prized possession as she proved herself a valuable asset to the Fabray Enterprises. Holly has headed the major deals that solidified Fabray Enterprises' chunk in the industry. During this time Holly continued to see her college sweetheart Will Schuester secretly knowing her father would never approve of their relationship. Will Schuester graduated top of his class in Princeton where he met Holly and moved on to Harvard Law while Holly started working for her family's business. Will eventually worked for a prominent Law firm and as soon as he was made an associate asked Holly to marry him. Holly has been ecstatic with Will's proposal and thought it would be the time to tell her father about Will. Holly invited Will over for their weekly family dinner and asked their staff to place an extra plate setting for her guest. Will arrived nervously yet excited to make his intentions known to Holly's parents. He knew that his family background was no match to Holly's but he hoped that his drive and determination to succeed will be enough to win over her family. Will was highly mistaken, as soon as Holly introduced him as her fiancé John Fabray threw him out and told him never to set foot in his house again. Holly was in hysterics trying to hold on to Will as John Fabray pulled at her and threatened Will if he tried to see his daughter again. Holly and Will decided to elope a few days after. Their marriage was soon annulled just as quickly as their elopement. Will was said to be in an accident leaving him paralyzed and Holly quickly filed for an annulment. At that point Holly changed her name dropping her first name and using her mother's maiden name.
Chapter 46:
"Why did they separate?" Rachel couldn't help but asked.
"It seems that John Fabray asked his associates to take care of Will and made his daughter watch. Holly managed to convince her father that she will leave Will and never contact him again if they would let him live. They left Will fighting for his life and made it look like an accident as the paramedics arrived. Holly never showed herself to Will after that incident, but she made sure he was taken care of. I found out that Holly has setup an account for Will and a trust fund for her sister. The money she gets with her dealings is split into these accounts. Will has never been one to take handouts so when these anonymous checks for him would come in the mail he'd immediately donate them to the organization responsible for his rehabilitation. Will now runs the rehabilitation center and Holly continues to fund the organization anonymously." Shannon relayed the information and saw Rachel wiping a stray tear away.
"When you say sister, you meant Quinn, right?" Sam asked.
"Yes, she's the only sibling Holly has." Shannon answered.
"But Quinn never mentioned she has a sister or that her father has another family." Artie interjected.
"Well Quinn doesn't know that her mother was the mistress. John Fabray managed to get Quinn's mom pregnant when they were having an affair. They managed to hide Quinn and the little girl never questioned why her father doesn't live with them as they continued to tell her that her father works overseas. Holly's mother went into depression when she found out what her husband has done. Holly was no longer the bright woman she once was and knew she was slowly dying inside. Learning about the affair and Quinn was the final straw for Holly's mother. The night she found out about it she wrote a letter to her daughter leaving her everything and nothing to her husband. The next day they found her dead overdosed with sleeping pills. " Shannon further explained.
"So what does all of these have to do with my family?" Sam asked wanting some clarity.
"You see Sam, Holly's mother was the money behind Fabray Enterprises. John Fabray was old money like your family but the Holliday's fortune was the reason John married Holly's mother. When Holly left with her mother's money, their company slowly lost business. It was only through your father that he managed to stay afloat and regain his footing. John Fabray is a smart man; he knew how the Evans values family and used Quinn and her mother to buy their way into your family."
"How can someone be so heartless? These are people not things to possess." Rachel voiced her disgust.
"Quinn has been fed with lies all her life and her father's manipulation is bringing her close to the edge of sanity. She's a broken woman thinking she's never going to amount into anything without her father. John has made sure she's deprived and insecure to make sure he can control her." Shannon added.
"Quinn would never hurt anyone." Artie defended.
Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he heard Artie utter those words. He still felt anger whenever he thought about the fire and what he almost lost. Sam knew Quinn never ordered for the building to be burnt down, but still he couldn't fathom how someone could want to do harm on anyone.
"Sam, are you alright?" Rachel asked as soon as she noticed Sam uneasiness.
Artie and Shannon quickly turned to look at Sam and saw the pained look on his face.
"I'm alright. It's just I know Quinn would never hurt anyone intentionally, but we don't know how long that will be. I've never seen her like this, ever and we grew up together so that's a long time. All I'm saying is that in a blink of an eye Quinn changed right in front of me, who's to say that she wouldn't change for the worst?" Sam explained.
"I know Quinn more than you do and I know she would never hurt Mercedes!" Artie shouted at Sam.
Rachel looked at Artie then at Sam dumbfounded after hearing her friend's name.
"What did Quinn do to Mercedes? Did she… did Quinn ordered the fire in her building?" Rachel shouted back at Artie.
Artie was taken aback with Rachel's question. He knew that Quinn didn't order to burn the building but he also knew that she was the reason why those people started the fire.
"Did she? Answer me Artie; did Quinn cause the fire that almost killed my friends?" Rachel demanded as tears were cascading down her face.
"She didn't… but it was her men that caused the fire." Artie admitted.
"Her men started a fire at the top floor's fire exit hoping to trigger the sprinkler system. Their plan however backfired since the fire alarm system was already faulty." Jacob added.
Rachel felt the anger boil inside of her. She stood up and wiped the tears away as she made her way to the door. Sam quickly followed behind her and grabbed her to stop.
"Where are you going?" Sam asked.
"I am going to go over to Quinn's and kick her ass. She needs a good bitch slap for what she put us through. I am not going to sit here and do nothing, so if you don't mind let go of me Sam!" Rachel half shouted trying not to lash out on Sam.
"I can't let you do that Rachel. You might be putting yourself in danger knowing all the things you know now. We need to plan things and we need to do it carefully." Sam reasoned and Rachel's anger seem to slowly ebb away.
"Now we're only scratching the surface of the information we gathered, so if you two would like me to continue better take your seats."
Shannon continued to relay everything she found out welcoming the occasional interruption as they asked questions.
Mercedes sat down on the boxes in the kitchen as she took a five minute break. She fished her phone out of her pocket and sent a text message. Lauren walked in the kitchen and saw Mercedes goofily smiling as she typed on her phone.
"If you keep smiling like that I'm sure your face will hurt later on." Lauren chuckled.
"I can't help it, it's involuntary believe me." Mercedes retorted.
"Ah l' amour. Something that makes you swoon and barf at the same time. I know what you mean Cedes and it's just painful." Lauren sympathized as Mercedes laughed at her friend.
"How are you and Puck?" Mercedes asked soon after she put her phone back in her pocket.
"We're good. It's almost scary how comfortable we are now to each other. I actually enjoy just watching TV with him, who would have thought." Lauren mocked shock.
"Well I'm happy for you two. I can tell that he's good for you and how happy he makes you." Mercedes smiled at her friend.
"Thanks, I am happy. He's annoying as fuck sometimes, but I honestly think I would go crazy if he doesn't annoy me at least once a week. I guess that's love!" Lauren laughed as she admitted her feelings.
Mercedes smiled at her friend as she thought of Sam. Lauren caught the look on Mercedes' face and smiled back.
Sam felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and hoped it was Mercedes. There was too much information swimming in his head right now and he badly needed to hear Mercedes' voice. He quickly slid his finger across his phone's screen and smiled as he saw Mercedes' name.
The girls wanted a sleepover, I'm sure it's to grill me about my sleepover at your place. I wish I am with you right now. :)
Sam quickly typed his reply and sent the message.
I wish I am with you too. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
His phone quickly buzzed and laughed as he read her reply.
Going all soft on me now? I didn't think I have that much power over you. :P
You have no idea what you do to me Mercy. If I have my way I'll keep you with me always. ;)
Well I'm glad you don't, can you imagine how bored we'll be if that ever happens? LOL...
Sam stared at his phone as he laughed at Mercedes' latest message. Sam felt the yearning once more and sent another message.
I miss you baby. :(
Mercedes' heart dropped as she felt Sam's longing for her. She too misses him but thought it's impossible to miss someone knowing they were in each other's arms just this morning.
I miss you too baby. I have to get back to work, I'll call you when I'm at Santana's. I love you. :)
I love you more! :)
Sam put his phone away and went back to the documents in front of him. Talking to Mercedes gave him the boost he needed to continue and the thought of seeing her the next day was all the motivation he needed. As Sam started on a new document he was immediately drawn as he saw Mercedes' name in bold letters. He tried to read as fast as he could but his dyslexia was making his head hurt.
"Rachel I need your help. Can you please tell me what this documents says." Sam handed the document over to Rachel which she immediately opened to read.
Rachel's eyes widened at the sight of Mercedes' name and gasped as she quickly scanned through it.
"Oh my God! Why... How could they do such a thing!" Rachel turned to Sam with obvious disbelief on her face.