Hello lovely readers! Back with another update. I want to thank everybody for reading, reviewing and adding this story to you favorites and alerts. I read all your reviews, and take what you all say and even add things to the story because of it. You guys are great, and I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.

Past

Sam didn't know what it was, but he had a feeling today was going to be one of those days. So far, things had been going well for the last month or so. The blonde was still on a high from his and Mercedes' recent engagement. He'd finally gotten the courage, and the much needed blessing from Mercedes' father, Dr. Devon Jones, to ask the young woman to marry him. After receiving Dr. Jones' blessing, Sam had taken Mercedes up to the Chang Family Cabin that Mike's dad let the couple use for the weekend. And that is where Sam popped the question. His girl had said yes, after he pulled out all the stops with decorations and singing one of her favorite songs which actually fit their love story perfectly.

Ever since that day, Sam had been on cloud nine. Work was going pretty good. He and Mike had solved a case that was close to going in the unsolved pile after working on it for almost four months. His mom and Stacy were doing a lot better than they had been since his dad had been killed while on duty. It had been just over a year and a half since that day. However, things were looking up. Stevie had just announced he would be joining the Police Academy, and even though when he first made the announcement, Mary Evans was not too happy about it, the older woman came around. Her entire life, she'd been surrounded by cops, and it was no surprise her youngest son wanted to join the family business. Stevie had always looked up to Dwight and Sam. He always wanted to be just like them.

Everything was going really well so far, but Sam just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was bound to happen.

Walking into work that morning felt different. Sam didn't know how to explain it. He went through the regular routine of the morning briefing with Detective Sylvester leading it. There was a case she'd been working on, along with Vice, and though the case was practically solved, Detective Sylvester needed backup, and she wanted the best. Captain Washington named Hunter, Mike and Sam, and even though Sue and Hunter bumped heads more often than not, the older woman agreed that they were the best of the best. Helping Detective Sylvester on this case would also bump all three up a notch, getting them close to making Detective First Grade. So after thinking about it for all of ten seconds, and ignoring the feeling in his gut that had been bothering Sam since he'd woken up that morning, Sam agreed to help with the case along with Mike and Hunter.

After the meeting, Detective Sylvester along with the guys from Vice briefed the three on how things were going to go down. It would be an easy in and out with the amount of backup they had. At least that's what Vice Detective Will Schuester, or Schue as everybody called him, informed. However, nothing was ever just 'in and out' especially when it came to busting a drug dealer/gang leader/murderer and his crew.

xxxxxxx

"Alright, on my signal, we go in." Schue told the group over his radio. There were officers blocking each entrance to the warehouse where Jesse St. James and his crew kept their goods. They had been exporting and importing illegal drugs for an extended period of time, and Vice finally had enough evidence to bust them after one of their own had gone undercover.

Sam and Hunter had been assigned to cover the south end of the building, and Mike was on the east end with Detective Sylvester. Vice covered north and south, and S.W.A.T had a few men backing them up on all sides. When Schue said to wait for his signal, it wasn't a signal at all, so much as he went in with what backup he had in the front, and everyone else heard what was going down over the radio.

"Police! Get your hands in the air, right now!" The announcement came over the radio.

"What the fuck, man?" Hunter spoke angrily as he followed behind S.W.A.T with his gun out ready to shoot if need be.

"I guess that's our signal." Sam mumbled, following behind his cousin. He wasn't exactly happy about the lack of warning either.

They made their way into the building, and just as expected, bullets started flying as the St. James Crew realized what was happening. Hunter took down a couple culprits as Sam did the same. Out of the corner of his eye, the blonde saw someone running towards one of the exits. Turning to his left, he saw the leader of the gang trying to make his escape.

"Cover me!" Sam yelled over the noise of gunfire. Hunter nodded, backing up as Sam charged after Jesse St. James. Gun in hand, he headed out of the exit that the darker haired man had just gone through. Jesse was a good distance ahead of him, headed in the direction of one of the cars parked on the street. "Stop, Police!"

Jesse quickly turned around, firing in Sam's direction. The detective dodged the bullets, ducking behind one of the crates that were on the side of the building before firing his gun as well. He hadn't realized when Hunter got there, but the other man was now on his left. When Jessie ran out of bullets, Sam moved from his covered position, pointing his gun at him. Hunter stood up following slightly behind.

"Drop the gun St. James!" Sam yelled and Jessie slowly bent down placing the gun on the ground. "Get your hands in the air!" He did as told, and just as Sam made a move to restrain the other man, Jesse spoke.

"You might wanna watch your back, detective." He stated with a devious smirk.

Hunter saw the black SUV coming up behind them out of his peripheral just as shots rang out.

"Sam get down!" Hunter ducked behind one of the large crates, firing the last of his round, causing whoever was driving the SUV to crash into the side of the building. There was a loud explosion as the automobile caught on fire due to one of the bullets connecting with the gas tank. Faint screams could be heard as whoever was in the SUV burned alive.

Hunter let out a heavy breath as he focused on getting control of his breathing again. When he turned back around, Jesse was gone, and Sam was lying on the ground out in the open. Hunter's eyes widened as he sprinted, closing the distance between them. "Sammy!"

The darker man made it to his cousin, kneeling down on the ground beside him. "Sam, get up!" He turned the blonde over, so he could see his face, giving him a once over. Sam's eyes were a bit dazed, but he looked fine from what Hunter could see, causing him to let out a sigh of relief. "Are you alright? Why didn't you answer me?"

Sam nodded. He felt a little tingly, but figured that was due to his life flashing before his eyes less than a minute ago. "I just got the wind knocked out of me is all."

"You scared me you asshole. I thought you were dead for a sec." Hunter motioned for Sam to sit up so he could finish checking him. He ran his eyes over the blonde's back. There were two small bullet holes in the back of Sam's NYPD issued rain jacket,but the vest he was wearing absorbed them. Sam would have a couple bruises for a bit, but he'd be fine it seemed.

"Jesse got away. I don't even know which way he went." Sam stated as he let Hunter look him over. The tingling was becoming more prominent, and his hands were starting to shake. Sam balled his hands into fists to stop the involuntary movement.

"Don't worry about that right now. Can you stand?" Hunter stood up himself, holding his hand out to help the other man. Sam took it, standing up a bit unsteady. Hunter quickly caught him, helping the blonde get steady on his feet, holding his free hand against his lower back.

When Sam stood up, things started spinning, and his throat all of a sudden felt dry. He blinked a few times, willing the ground to be under him and the sky above him. The tingling was slowly turning into a numbness, and Sam couldn't figure out for the life of him what the hell was happening. "Hunt, I don't feel so good." He mumbled.

Hunter frowned both at Sam's slurring words, and the fact that there was a noticeable thick, sticky substance quickly coating his hand that was still on the other man's back. Hunter hurriedly lifted Sam's jacket. The dark blue shirt the blonde was wearing was now more of a purple as a deep crimson stained the cloth. "Shit" Hunter cursed to himself as he lifted up Sam's shirt as far as he could with the vest still on.

And there it was, a bullet wound, steadily oozing blood. Hunter moved his other hand out of Sam's grip, moving to put pressure on the wound. The blonde stumbled without his support. "Sit down."

Sam didn't argue as it was becoming tiresome to stand. He sat down on the pavement with Hunter's help. The dark haired man quickly removed his NYPD rain jacket as he used it to put pressure on the wound. "I can't feel my hands." Sam whispered. Hunter silently cursed again as he pulled his radio off his belt.

"It's okay. You're gonna be okay, Sammy." Hunter didn't know if he was trying to convince himself or Sam that his words were true. "10-13, I repeat, 10-13 on the corner of 10th and Park!" He released into the radio. Sam started to slump over, but Hunter quickly caught him. "No, no, no, you've gotta stay awake for me fratellino. You hear me?" Sam nodded, but his eyes continued to droop. Hunter quickly looked around before standing and pulling Sam with him to lean against one of the large crates.

The brunette grabbed his phone out of his pocket as it dawned on him that he needed to call for help and ambulance. He sat down against the crate, pulling Sam half into his lap as he used his thigh to put pressure on the wound. Sam was practically dead weight in his arms as he placed the blonde's head on his shoulder. "Stay awake, Sammy. I'm gonna call for help, okay."

Another small nod came from Sam as he fought to keep his eyes open. His head was fuzzy, and he was starting to feel cold.

"911, what's your emergency?" The dispatcher recited as she answered the phone. It was an odd thing being on the opposite side of this kind of call. They were always the ones responding to the calls instead of making them. Hunter quickly snapped himself out of his thoughts before he spoke a bit louder than necessary.

"This is Detective Hunter Claringtonzip shield number 48651. There's an officer down on 10th and Park. I need a bus to this location, right now!"

"Detective…" Hunter didn't hear whatever the young woman was saying as Mike came running up to them.

"I heard you over the radio." Mike informed. " What the hell happened?" The Asian man's eyes darted between the two. Sam was noticeably pale, and Hunter had tears in his eyes. He never cried. Mike could count on one hand how many times he'd seen the other man cry.

"They fuckin' shot him, Mikey." Hunter replied hoarsely, quickly wiping a couple tears away as he looked at Sam. The blonde said something, but Hunter had to strain to hear him. The dispatcher said something over the phone, and Mike grabbed the device out of the other man's hand, speaking into it. Sirens could be heard in the distance.

"Call Merce" Sam repeated what he'd said a few moments earlier. Hunter, having heard him that time, checked Sam's pockets for his phone, but came up short. Mike was talking to the dispatcher as Hunter grabbed his attention, asking for his phone. Reaching into his pocket, Mike put in the pass code before handing it over. Hunter quickly scrolled through the contacts finding Mercedes' name and pressing the call button. Sam's head was slowly slipping off Hunter's shoulder. He moved the blonde's head up, cradling it in the crook of his neck.

"Stay awake for me, fratellino. Just a little while longer. I'm calling Cede for you, okay." Hunter listened to the ringing on the other end as he waited for Mercedes to answer. He didn't get a nod from Sam this time, he noticed. Hunter stared in front of him at his blood soaked jeans. "Damn it Cede, answer the phone." He whispered before it went to voicemail.

"Mm cold…" Sam trailed off, and Hunter saw the small trickle of blood come from the blonde's mouth.

"Fuck, where's the damn bus, Mikey?"

"A minute out." Mike informed as Detective Sylvester and Schue came around the corner.

"That's too long! He's bleeding internally!" The call to Mercedes went to voicemail once again. "And Cede isn't answering her damn phone!"

Ever since they were kids, Hunter had always looked out for Sam and Mike. Being an only child, they were the closest thing he had to brothers. And the one thing he was good at doing, protecting those he loved, he had failed at today.

The sirens were much closer now, and Hunter let out a shaky breath. "You hear that, Sammy? Help is almost here. We're gonna get you to the hospital, they'll fix you up, and you'll be good as new."

Sam didn't respond at all this time.

xxxxxxx

Present Day (3 Weeks After Last Chapter)

Mike, Sam, Hunter, and Stevie were currently playing basketball in the park. The last few weeks had gone by fairly quickly l, and Sam and Mike were able to put a suspect behind bars for the Brianna Thompson and Sarah Martinez murders. Jake Puckerman had known both women, and had been dating Sarah on and off for some time. Jake, just like his older brother Noah had been in trouble with the law quite a few times as a minor, however, unlike his brother, the twenty-three year old hadn't changed his ways upon entering adulthood.

"You think we'll get promoted anytime soon? Being bumped up to Detective First Grade would be awesome, plus we'd get to work on federal cases instead of just state." Hunter spun the ball on his pointer finger. "And I'd get to boss everyone below me around."

Mike stole the ball away from the other man. "Don't you already do that anyway though? You're hella bossy, Hunt." The Asian man stated as he made a layup.

Stevie caught the ball, dribbling it a few times. "Do you three ever talk about anything other than work?" He moved to make a three point shot, but it bounced off the rim instead with Sam catching it.

Yeah, we talk about how much you suck at hoops." Sam teased his little brother as he made a free throw. "What would you like to talk about, your highness?" The older blonde did a dramatic bow while holding the ball to his side.

"Probably the fact that he finally got laid." Hunter caught the ball as Sam passed it to him. Stevie blushed at his cousin's words. It wasn't like he was a virgin or anything, but his current girlfriend, Lisa, who also happened to be Mercedes' younger cousin, had been, and she wanted to wait. They'd been together for about eight months now.

"Actually" Stevie moved to the nearby bench, grabbing his bottle of Gatorade. "I'm bringing her to family dinner on Sunday. It was currently Friday afternoon. All three men stopped what they were doing to look at the other man.

"Someone's getting serious. What if Nonna doesn't like her?" Mike questioned as he lifted his shirt, wiping the sweat from his face.

"Nonna likes everybody." Stevie retorted, getting a snort from Hunter and a chuckle from the other two.

"The hell she does. Nonna didn't like any of my girlfriends before Merce and I got together. And she absolutely hated Quinn."

"Hate is a strong word Sam." Hunter stated as he thought about his ex. Quinn and Nonna never got along. From the moment the older woman had met Quinn, she didn't like her. She would always tell him Quinn was sneaky and manipulative, but Hunter was in love at the time, and couldn't see it. At least he thought it was love at the time.

Mike shrugged as he took another free throw shot. "I guess we'll see if Nonna likes Lisa or not on Sunday. Even if she doesn't say it out loud, it'll be written all over her face."

"Speaking of girlfriends. What's been going on with yours Mike? Tina's been more emotional than normal. I swear all I did was say hi to her the other day, and she started crying." Hunter stated as he took a seat on the bench. They'd been playing for the better part of an hour.

Mike sighed, running a hand through his sweaty hair. "She's pregnant, so her emotions are all over the place." When Tina first told him she was pregnant, Mike didn't know what to say out of shock, but after the news sank in, he was excited and happy. Tina, on the other hand, was a whole mess of emotions. Hunter, Sam and Stevie looked at him with wide eyes.

"Dude, are you serious. You're having a kid?" Stevie spoke, breaking the silence.

"Technically, T's having the kid, but…" Mike shrugged and Hunter waved him off.

"When did you find out?"

"Like three weeks ago…"

"You've been keeping this from us for almost a month." Sam interrupted looking highly offended.

"She didn't want me to say anything. T's on this whole trip about how she's supposed to get married before having a kid. She promised her mom." The other three nodded in understanding. Sam was still offended that Mike hadn't told him the news as soon as he found out, but quickly shook it off.

"Weren't you gonna propose to Tina soon anyway though?" Stevie inquired, slightly confused. If she wanted to get married before having a kid, they could still do that.

Mike nodded. "But if I do it now, she'll probably think I'm only asking because she's pregnant, and I don't want that to be the case." The young man had actually gotten a custom engagement ring for her that the jeweler had finished a month prior to Tina telling him she was pregnant. He had just been trying to find the right time to ask.

"You could just take her to the courthouse and get married, then have an actual wedding ceremony later on after the kid is born." Hunter stated.

"Aren't you a romantic." Stevie stated sarcastically, receiving the infamous middle finger from his cousin.

Sam thought for a moment before speaking. "Or we could have a double wedding." He looked between the three with a smile, waiting for confirmation. Each man slowly shook their head in the negative.

"Dude, have you been watching Hallmark movies again?" Mike gave Sam an amused look. The blonde shrugged focusing on the imaginary dirt he was kicking around.

"Mere likes 'em, so I watch 'em sometimes." He told them quietly. Stevie shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips as Mike snorted and Hunter rolled his eyes. They all knew he watched them even when Mercedes wasn't around.

"Just ask her to marry you, Mikey. T won't say no, and if she thinks you only asked because she's having your kid, then maybe you two don't know each other as well as you thought." Hunter reasoned. Tina and Mike had been together for four years now. Hunter didn't know about them, but personally, he wasn't waiting four years of his damn life being with someone if marriage wasn't a plan for the future.

Mike nodded agreeing with Hunter. The Asian man was running ideas through his head on how he was going to propose to his girl. The four moved back onto the court to play two on two.

"On another note, what's going on with you and Sugar, Hunt?" Sam asked as they started playing.

"I don't kiss and tell, Sammy, you know that." He dribbled the ball a few times before faking left and making his way down the court, passing the ball to Mike. He and Sugar had been hanging out a lot over the last few weeks. Hunter hadn't spent as much time with one girl as he'd been with Sugar since Quinn. Sugar was adorable and funny, not to mention beautiful, and Hunter knew he was slowly starting to fall for her. He hadn't even texted another girl since they'd been spending time together. The man was whipped and hadn't even realized it yet.

The boys continued their game, all the while not knowing that they were being watched from a distance.

xxxxxxx

Brittany, Tina, Mercedes and Sugar were all at Sugar's loft having a girl's night. The four were currently painting each other's nails and listening to a music playlist Brittany had put together. Bruno Mars' Finesse ft. Cardi B was currently filling the large room through Sugar's surround sound speakers.

Tina had just finished painting Brittany's nails on her left hand when the blonde spoke. "Sugar, I'm not happy that you make more money than me. I think I'm going to have to talk to HR about them overpaying you." She said,blowing her nails. "It's not right."

Sugar playfully rolled her eyes as she focused on painting Mercedes' nails. "I don't make more money than you at work Britt."

"Well then how are you able to afford such a luxurious place like this on just a nurse's salary. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but the pay isn't the best." Brittany tucked her legs underneath her on the couch, getting more comfortable as Tina lifted her long brown hair into a high ponytail before continuing on the blonde's other hand.

Mercedes turned to Brittany smiling at the other woman. "We talked about this conversation already Britt-Britt, remember? Sugar's family is filthy rich." She teased, though it wasn't a lie. The Motta Family was not in any way lacking when it came to money. Though Sugar was modest about it. The young woman didn't like flaunting her money in everyone's faces. Yes, she'd grown up well off, and never went without, but her parents had taught her the value of money, and that just because she had it, didn't mean she should spend it on any and everything. The loft was a graduation present from her parents. Sugar, however, paid her utilities every month and had purchased all her own furniture with money she'd saved up, from working and using some of her partial inheritance she'd gotten after turning twenty-one. She wouldn't get the rest of her inheritance until after she got married.

"Is anyone else hungry? Because I'm starving." Tina blurted out, as the other three turned to look at her. "What? I'm eating for two now, and this baby obviously has Mike's appetite."

"I can't believe you're having a baby T. You and Mike should name it Brittany." The dancer announced.

Tina giggled, shaking her head at her blonde friend. "If it's a girl, I'll think about Brittany for the middle name. Deal?" The other woman thought about it for a second before shrugging.

"Fair enough"

"'I'm so excited a baby's coming. I love kids." Sugar smiled. "I miss my little cousins running around all the time even though Jersey isn't that far away."

"I'm ordering a pizza." Tina announced, pulling out her phone to make an online order. "If you're hungry, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Everyone stated what they wanted, and Tina made the order, getting a notification that it would be ready and delivered within forty-five minutes.

"Have you guys ever thought about names for your future kids?" Mercedes asked as she placed her hands under Sugar's UV nail dryer as she laid on the shaggy gray rug in front of the couch. "I thought I would have two girls and name them Sasha and Jade because I was obsessed with Bratz."

"When I was younger, I wanted to have twins and name them Luke and Leia." Brittany told them, checking to make sure her Midnight Blue nail polish was dry.

The other girls giggled at her confession. "Like from Star Wars?" Sugar clarified, and Brittany nodded.

"I used to love watching the movies with my cat Lord Tubbington even though he would always hiss when Darth Vadar came on the screen."

"I wanted to name my daughter Buffy at one point from Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Sugar shrugged. "I was obsessed with the show."

"For the longest time, I wanted to name my future daughter Rosemary, but now that I'm older and actually expecting, it's too hippie-ish."

"And creepy" Mercedes added. "Everytime I hear the name Rosemary I think of Rosemary's Baby."

Brittany frowned. "What did Rosemary's baby ever do to you?"

Mercedes sat back up as her nails had now dried, explaining to her friend the movie that the blonde had never seen before. Once she had explained it, Brittany agreed that it was, in fact, creepy.

"Speaking of the 90's." The other three gave a confused look at Brittany's sudden change of topic. That movie was made in the late sixties. "I love watching Saved by the Bell and Boy Meets World."

Sugar clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh I love Boy Meets World! I have all seven seasons on DVD."

"Me too!" Tina smiled. She was really starting to like Sugar now that they were getting to know each other better.

Sugar moved to the large flat screen TV, turning it on, and going through her DVDs to find season four of the show since the seasons were better as the cast got older. Brittany turned the music off as the girls sat in front of the TV.

"I had the biggest crush on Jack Hunter. Hell, I still do, but none of you better tell Sam I said that." Mercedes warned. "Speaking of Hunter…" She eyed Sugar as the other woman moved to sit beside her.

"I see what you did there." Tina said with a smile.

Sugar shook her head, all the while smiling. "Hunter and I are getting to know each other." She picked some lint off her plush pink throw blanket.

"You don't have to lie, Sugar. If all you want is to make out with Hunter all the time, I understand. He's a really good kisser."

Tina, Mercedes and Sugar all looked at Brittany with raised eyebrows.

"What? It was long before I knew you guys. I also made out with Mike and Sam. Not at the same time though." She shrugged. "They're good kisses too."

"We know!" The trio exclaimed in unison at this new information, however, it was nothing worth getting upset over. It was a long time ago as Brittany stated. The doorbell rang, and Sugar got up to answer it.

"Did somebody order a pizza?" Hunter asked, leaning against the doorframe with a half smile as he held the girls' food order in his hands. Sam, Mike and Stevie were there as well waiting to be invited in.

Sugar tried her best to hide her smile. "What are you guys doing here? It's girls' night." She stated crossing her arms.

"We know, we'll only stay for a minute. Then we'll let you girls get back to talking about how hot you think we all are." Sugar shook her head at Hunter's words before stepping aside to let them in.

xxxxxxx

Outside Sugar's building, sat a black SUV. Inside the SUV sat the blue eyed stranger. His cellphone rang, and he quickly answered.

"Weston, you better be doing your damn job!" His boss yelled through the phone. "You're only to watch those girls from a distance. No more going up to any of them! Don't think I don't know what you did last time."

The man sighed, listening to his boss. He knew right after he approached Mercedes that night he had fucked up. She knew what he looked like now. The talking continued over the line.

"Don't fuck up again, or I'll kill you. You've already messed things up, killing those two girls for absolutely no reason.

Weston rolled his eyes. "You're not gonna kill me. You must've forgotten my brother is your boss."

"Half brother" He stated matter of factly. "If you mess shit up again, you're dead. Don't go up to any of those girls. Their boyfriends aren't stupid. They'll figure shit out if you aren't careful."

"Whatever" He hung up the phone cutting the other man off.

He was getting real tired of this watch and wait shit.

With the way things are going, do you think Jesse St. James will make another appearance?

Is Mercedes the only one in danger?

Where does blue eyes fit into all of this?

If you guys want a flashback on the Samcedes proposal, I can write that.

I may also write the Tike one as well.

This fic originally started off as Samcedes with a side of Tike, but it is slowly becoming a Samcedes, Tike, SugaryHunt or a HuntofSugar (lol I suck at ship names) story.

Tell me what you think