This Is The Right Time
Day 1
The Holiday
Big Sur
The air was filled with excitement as Stacey and Kitty sat waiting for her parents to get back, it was past midnight and they were due to set off at in less than three hours to get to LAX for the long haul flight. College had been a new experience for them, but the excitement had been somewhat clouded by the pending Christmas visit to Ghana to see Mercy and experience a new way of life for five days.
Over the past 5 months they'd more than formed a bond with Mercy, considering Stacey and her had gotten off to such a bad start, they were the very best of friends today, in fact Stacey was up for calling her a sister. They were on the phone to each other at least three times a week, the families were well integrated Mary and Clara were busy planning a holiday that incorporated their traditional ideas of what the perfect Christmas should be, while Dwight and King were talking business, no one sure what that was actually all about.
So it was two days before Christmas, they were sat waiting for Stacey's parents to get back with Sam, he'd swerved through Monterey Airport for whatever reason and they'd drawn the short straw on collecting him All of the family were going off at one time for Christmas, for the first time ever, there had never been a time in their lives they'd ever remembered having a holiday at the same time as everyone else, this was a big thing.
Sam was excited because he had something special planned for this holiday, he was outing Mercy and him, they'd planned to do it as soon as he got there on Christmas Eve, so they could enjoy the rest of their holiday together, he was determined nothing was going to stop them this time.
"Where are they?" Stacey plonked herself on the chair at the table, throwing her half eaten pizza on the plate, making a frustrated Kitty, who'd been looking just as impatient as her, smile
"Patience" she laughed, trying to hide how on edge she was about not being home with her family, for the first time ever, herself
"I bet he's purposely holding everything up" she huffed looking up at the noise coming through the door "At last" she rolled her eyes and jumped up at the same time
"Hi" Sam came through the door smiling, she was irritating but not seeing her for nearly four months had taken it's toll
"Somebody's on hot bricks" Stacey giggled walking towards her brother, more than happy to see him, which surprised her, but as soon as they hugged she knew something was up "Sup?" she pulled away asking, noticing too the look of nervous on his face "Mercy?" she asked
"Shush" he looked at the adults coming into the room
"I'm sure everyone already knows" she laughed, hugging him again "You love too deep little bro"
"Leave it out anyway" he told her, smiling sarcastically as he spoke
"You're so sensitive when it comes to that girl" Kitty tapped his shoulder laughing
"And how are you midget?" he pulled her hair lightly as she walked past him
"Still in love with your sister" she replied
"Glad to hear it" he laughed watching the two girls meet up behind him
"Oh Stacey" Mary stopped her from walking "Just told Sam, Aunt Kate and Uncle Steve are meeting us at LAX, they decided to join us for Christmas"
"Bree coming?" Stacey asked, there was something behind the tone that went unmentioned, those two never did get on, everyone thought it was because Bree was Sam's favourite female cousin and Stacey was a tad jealous
"Yeah, with Mason I think" Mary told her daughter
They saw their Uncle Don and Aunt Linda Ryder and Marley all the time, they all lived and worked in the same place but Aunt Kate and Uncle Steve less, they'd moved to Long Beach about 3 years ago, to set up Uncle Steve's dream studio, their life soon became the studio, and of course they'd taken Bree with them
"She's moved on Dude, face it" Stacey whispered in her rothers ear teasingly, referring to Mercy "She was never that into you anyway" he looked at her disapprovingly, frowning suspiciously at her behaviour, she was in a funny mood, seemed like she was spoiling for an argument, but right now he wasn't even into that
"You don't need to be messing with me right now, we haven't seen each other for months, and this is what you have for me?" his laugh more of a warning "Give me a hug" he pulled his sister to him
"We're leaving at 2am, I want to catch up with Linda at the airport, they're off to Don's parents for the holidays" Mary told them "Carol will you make sure all the cases are in the car before then?" she asked, watching Carol leave the kitchen to go get that sorted
"Come on" Stacey ordered, getting out of the hold Sam had on her to hold Kitty's hand "Let's get out of here" she told them, walking off in the direction of the sitting room, it had been a while since they'd been together there was some catching up to do
"What's up with you?" Sam asked Stacey as they walked across the hall
"Sorry my minds on something else" she told him her face serious as she spoke
"If your stressed, you can always talk to me, you know that, right?" Sam asked her holding the door open for them to get into the sitting room
"Maybe later" she told him half smiling, Sam was worried, there were very few occasions for them to have serious conversations, but this seemed like a time they needed to have one
"So" Stacey spun round and flung herself on the couch "We've got two hours to kill, what's going on with Bree and Mason?"
"Maddy and Darrell were getting engaged last night, so I guess they'll make their way to JFK" Sam told everyone
"Engaged" Stacey gasped sitting up at the shock "Pressures off then" she laughed looking at Sam
"It was never on" he laughed "We made peace already, I'm happy for her"
"Is Joe and Sugar still dating?" Kitty asked
"I spoke to him the other day" Sam replied " He said Sugar was having difficulty understanding what the locals were saying, student life was brilliant and seafood was good, she's happy" he laughed "Small things, small minds and all that" he told nodding heads "And Joe's in Connecticut surrounded by art, music and theatre, definitely loving it, settled in his new way of life, they're doing alright, I guess"
"I'll miss our musical Christmas day fest" Stacey sighed
"We're talking the king of Pop and R&B here of course there'll be music, all over the place" Sam told her "Mercy said everything's a surprise anyway" the smile on their faces telling him they were as excited as he was, but only he knew his was for a different reason
The conversation soon died down as sleep finally caught up with them, they were brought back to life again when Dwight came into the room shouting for them to get up and get ready. No one argued they were more than ready, their cases were already in the car, less than twenty minutes later they were making the journey to the airport by private car before boarding the new family private plane in LAX
The Journey
LAX
Sam sat trying to figure out why he was feeling so stressed when this was what he truly wanted "Happy thoughts?" his Dad asked tapping his shoulder as he walked past him "Come on this is going to be a Christmas to remember let's start as we mean to go on" Dwight told his family breaking into a random rendition of festive songs which carried on for a good twenty minutes eventually they died down again, after all it was 2am. They were brought back to life again as the car neared the airport by Mary's clapping hands and her voice bellowing at them to get up and ship out
"Mom" Stacey moaned, too tired to open her eyes
"Come on, get up sweetheart, we need to get on the plane" she told her daughter
Everyone slowly got up already feeling fed up with the travelling, it seemed like they'd done 24 hours already, they sat making themselves presentable as they watched their luggage being taken off the transport and thrown onto trollies by the guards, there were a lot of guards, Mary definitely wasn't taking any chances with her family travelling together, until they got on the plane.
"Guys" Sam smiled seeing Ryder, Jane, Marley, Jake, Bree and Mason as they entered the lounge
"Hey" Stacey smiled at them, everyone went rushing over to say hello. They all stood hugging, kissing and catching up, it had been a while since they'd seen each other
Although most of them lived in close proximity to each other at University, they'd lived on the phone to each other for the first month, there was just so much to share, but somehow their new found way of life had started to become normal to them, they were the same people, but their minds were changing as they debated, learned and grew in their subjects, and new environments.
It had been well over a month since they'd all been together at Marley's birthday party, college had changed their lives, it wasn't all about Big Sur anymore, they'd met people from all over the world, there were different influences in all of them. Their recreation wasn't set around rugged, mountainous, dramatically beautiful scenery, it was often well built, highly populated areas with more people than they'd ever seen in their schools, sat in one seminar.
Bree, had already moved to the studio in Long Beach, so they hardly saw her anymore, she'd missed summer because she was working and then went straight off to Stoney Brook to complete her MFA, in a special Apprenticeship linked to the family studios. She was destined to take over the business, but her Dad didn't want her to just walk in and take over, he wanted her to know everything about the business from the bottom up, and had made sure she started at the bottom, and given her a hard time climbing. Now she was nearing the point where she was reaping the benefits as her current studies seemed like a breeze, she could do exams in her sleep with the experiences, she'd had the opportunity to take, she was enjoying it.
Mason had taken his Acting classes at Princeton and loved the life there, he was in the thick of what he wanted to do. He was having problems with the distance thing, although they hooked up when they could, they soon realised there was no way around it, not in a positive way, so he was taking each day as it came, grateful for the holidays, because at least they got to spend these few days together, he was getting fed up of the booty calls, if he was ever going to be honest about the situation.
Stacey & Kitty had gone off to UCLA together, the very first thing they did was ditched he car, that was an absolute waste of time sitting in traffic for over an hour each morning trying to get to college only to be faced with parking confusion. The place was so diverse, there was a great mix of people, different ethnicities, various genders, everything was so relaxed and people were so accepting. They didn't go far outside college for the first few months other than to travel there and back from their apartment in Bell Air, but they soon made some trustworthy friends and then study time turned into party time for a while, total honesty they were still partying hard.
Jane and Ryder had done the tourist thing within the first two weeks of being in New York, the statue of Liberty wasn't as spectacular as they'd have like it to be but they made it special with a picnic close by. They did the breakfast at Tiffany's of course, and even had a little song and dance outside it, just because they could, along with everything else, but the fun was quickly over. They had to find jobs to support their spend, their accommodation in Broadway and books were paid but if they wanted anything outside of the essentials they'd need jobs, and in New York, everything was essential, so they were working, studying or in bed, barely finding time to sleep or spend their earnings, this holiday was a welcome break.
Marley was in The Acting Studio in New York too, the plan was originally, to have catch ups with her brother and Jane on a regular basis, she'd linked together a chain of bite size classes that she thought would give her the freedom to take time when she wanted. She'd let Jake go off to Chicago on the premise that she'd be fine seeing Sam or her brother every other day, but they hadn't figured on how expensive life in New York was going to be and she too was working in between studies, just about storing energy for Jake's nightly calls when she'd make out she was happy instead of telling him she wanted to cry for loneliness
Jake was in Chicago studying Math, he was already good at the subject, that part of his brain ran in the family, his Uncle was a Mathematician in the University there, so he had no boarding fees to pay or even any food to buy unless he really wanted to, so he was living an easy life, all he had to do was get good grade. His family were a long line of mathematicians so getting the grades wasn't even a challenge, he'd got the books, private tutoring and used them to his full potential. With so much spare time on his hands, he'd managed to get signed for a single he'd put out, the band had heard it, but to date it hadn't gotten much air time, but he lived in hope
Sam was living in a one bed apartment up on 67th taking in all things Lincoln, the studio apartment was expensive, but he'd invested his money well in buying that studio back home, and now he was reaping the benefits of being able to concentrate on his studies while the business raked something in for him on a weekly basis. He had a 4 minute walk to campus which meant he could literally roll out of bed and into class, plenty of cafe's on the way which gave him a healthy choice of food every day and quick access to the night life up on Broadway, if he fancied, in the evenings. His spare time was taken up on the phone talking to Mercy or creating music for something outside of class, he had all these feelings going on that he needed to get down on paper
"Breakfast" Linda told everyone, they all went through the self serve and found somewhere to sit eating and talking, Sam sat wondering how Mercy must have felt traveling all on her own, he was with his family and he was still feeling lonely, he looked around the room, decided there wasn't a conversation he wanted to get involved with and put his earphones on
It seemed like an age but finally they were saying their goodbyes, exchanging gifts leaving for their perspective journeys, Ryder and his family gone off to Washington DC, Bree and Sam's family were finally all seated on the plane waiting for lift off, everyone bellies full and now they were really ready for sleep, especially as the flight was going to be a good 12 hours long before they fuelled up again. It was like a Synchronised dance routine as everyone was sat up for the lift off and as soon as the signal was given everyone turned their seats into laying position and pulled the blanket over them, the hum of the engine the only sound to be heard by all.
Sam
Sam went straight into dream mode he had no problem getting to his place, he'd got it to an art form, it always started with his hormones raging, even in his dream, he still didn't even know when he got up and how he got across the room, never mind where the hot drink had gone, suddenly he was pushing her door open "Mercy" he gasped "Sorry the door was open and I..." he lunged towards her, conscious she was standing there in her underwear
They shared a consenting smile as if they knew they wanted their first time to be together, everything he was feeling told him this was never going to present itself again. He knew she'd left the door open on purpose and he wasn't going to let her regret a single thing of what was about to happen "Sam" he heard her voice as she grabbed hold of him just as hard as he'd grabbed her, they were almost fused together as electricity ran through their bodies, he closed his eyes and took in the feel of her soft skin in his hands
Her body felt like silk as he ran his hands over her body, taking in every curve, his mind trying it's hardest to remember every single thing about her, their mouths fused together as their heads moved in unison while their tongues played that familiar game, his hand slid between her thighs, while his lips left hers and trailed down her body to follow them "I..." he looked up at her unable to find words for what ever it was he was trying to say, all he could do was grab her lips again
His hand slide down her panties, she made him smile when she gasped at the feel of him touching her spot, the way her body moved to accommodate him was arousing for him, he was excited for the reaction he'd get when his fingers touched somewhere else, she gasped again when his fingers moved her dampening lips and touched her button "Don't worry I won't hurt you" he told her feeling her tense up on him, his finger playing in the moist slit, her body reacting to every touch. His other hand kneading at her breast, smiling again as her legs opened wider for him to move around freely
"God Sam" she gasped, he could feel her breath on his neck, before they involuntarily fell onto the bed, his fingers still rubbing at her button, she let go and moaned loudly as his fingers massaged her button to near bursting before he used his tongue to send her to bursting
"I need you to remember me" he'd tell her as he watched her face break into a satisfied smile, telling him that was the case
"No you don't" she grabbed his shirt as he made to go deal with his boner, grabbing his belt buckle and pulling him to her "Show me what to do" she looked up at him asking, watching attentively as he showed her what he liked, he breathed out, this was it the icing on that cake, she was getting him off, she wrapped her lips around him and looked up into his eyes
"Lunch" Sam heard jerking him out of his sleep, he woke up to his body threatening to erupt, it wasn't alien to him, he just didn't think it would happen in public. Mercy was on his mind, he smiled at the memory of her giving them that moment, that was their thing, treasuring moments, because they didn't ever think this was going to happen again. There were so many moments, in fact absolutely everything they'd done five months ago, was still very much etched on his brain, just a minute ago he was remembering their first and maybe only heavy session.
"Lots of moments" he told himself smiling "And more to come"
Everyone
"Chicken or beef?" the hostess looked down at him asking
"Sorry" he shook his head when he realised she was talking to him "Fish, do you have any fish?" he asked, sitting up to pull himself together
"We have a salmon option sir" she told him
"Yeah I'll have that"
A while later they were all in the dining compartment eating their meals and having more conversations about expectations, Sam sat wondering what it must have been like for Mercy coming to America, not knowing anything outside the Palace, she must have felt as expectant as he did right now. He laughed as he sat remembering again that intense look they'd shared, when they sung their first duet in the studio, those last words to each other seemed so intense, he remembered how suddenly the air got thick with lust, how he felt helpless to fight against it, they just stood staring at each other, his hand in the air as he struck the last note on his guitar, the background music carrying on
"What did you...think?" he'd remembered asking, looked down at her almost under his arm, he didn't even want to resist it, his head went down, his free hand pulled her face to his, their lips almost touched, inside his head was going crazy, she opened her eyes and said something like "This works for me" giggling, before they closed their eyes. Then that maddening voice screaming through the air "There you are" Maddy burst into the room interrupting us with her big damn mouth, but again that was another moment
"You alright?" Kitty asked at the look on his face
"Yeah why?" he looked at her puzzled
"You look like you're in pain or something"
"I'm fine" he smiled after her making him aware his conversation and feelings were showing on his face
"We should go down the back later, gaming time" Kitty suggested
"Sure" Sam replied picking at his salmon with a smile on his face
So lunch was finished and the five of them finally went off to the back of the plane to have some chill out time, they had another 6 hours left before they needed to buckle up for landing. Sam didn't feel much like company if he was honest, everyone else had been around their partners, seen them at least twenty times since they'd parted company five months ago, he on the other hand had a real life long distance relationship going on, difference was everyone thought it was some sort of special friendship, because Mercy was promised to someone else. They were all going to be laughing on the other side of their faces when they realised he was there to ruin Christmas for both families by taking her to be his
"Sam" Mason sat beside him, concern on his face "I know you're going to Ghana with the hope that something can happen for Mercy and you but..."
"But what?" Sam snapped at him
"I'm not trying to be a bastard or anything. I'm trying to spare you the hurt" Mason stood up telling him "But if you don't want to fucking listen.." he walked off shaking his head
"Mason" he called after him, it wasn't like them to argue "Sorry I'm just a bit on edge, I know what Mercy and I are"
"Do you though?" he asked stood looking at his friend "All I'm saying is, I know you, this is going to be hard, I don't want you getting hurt"
"I'll be fine"
"I know you will, you've got us behind you" he smiled before going off to sit with Bree, they had other things to worry about
Bree & Mason
Mason was trying to keep his spirits up, but just before they arrived at Bree's parents house, they were having a bit of a silent blow out "What's the matter?" he asked her as they walked from the car to her parents house, all through the party she'd been quiet and clingy. They'd gone to get the car, after saying bye to Maddie and Darrell, and she'd started crying as soon as he opened the car door for her to get in, on top of that, she'd been quiet on the ride over to his parents house, and now they were going to her house, she was threatening to cry again. He'd had enough after four hours of nothing, he dragged her case to a halt and asked her again "Bree what's the matter?"
"I'm late" she burst into tears telling him
"You have got to be fucking kidding me" he shouted, the shock apparent in his voice, this wasn't even on their radar, she'd been taking contraceptives since the day after they'd met, never missed a day and now this
"My Dad will hear you" she grabbed his sleeve begging him to be quiet
"We need to talk about this"
"I know we do, but now is really not the time" she wiped her face trying to hide the tears, watching him bite his bottom lip, he had so much more to say about this
"Bree" they heard her Dad's voice coming from the house
"Dad" she answered watching Mason shake his head at her timing
"Come on, your Uncle's going to be left waiting at the airport"
"Coming" she watched Mason go to the boot to grab his cases to load them in the hire car, so they hadn't had a minute to speak about it again, he was hoping to find a quiet corner now for them to at least share their thoughts on it. It wasn't like he really had a plan B when it came to Bree and him, they were for life, that was just how he was programmed, he'd found his soul mate early, he knew they were meant to be.
"So" Bree looked at him standing over her "Do you want to do this here?" she looked around the room at the others
"I want to talk and not shout, if that's what you mean" he smiled "I'm sorry for my reaction before"
"I actually understand it, I cried, you shouted" she smiled up at him holding her hand out for him to grab, he grabbed it and sat next to her "So what are we going to do?"
"What do you want to do, our baby's inside you?" he covered their joined hands with his other hand" You know I'm going to go with whatever you decide"
"Well I guess we maybe need to find out if there's even one there" she giggled
"First step" he laughed
"First step" she agreed taking his hug
There relationship had never been one filled with drama, they'd found each other for comfort and the theme of their conversations were always around expressing feelings, understanding, listening and making love, so this situation brought another unfamiliar handle to their relationship
Bree & Sam
""Are you alright?" Bree sat next to her cousin asking "You've been unusually quiet"
"I'm fine, just tired I guess" Sam replied smiling at her, she was his favourite female cousin, they'd been close as children, Stacey hated it, but Bree quickly learned how to handle her. When Aunt Kate decided to go into acting they moved to Hollywood and although they were still close it wasn't the same as having your best friend just across the field, Plus Mason had quickly come into the mix and he knew he had to stand back and let things grow between them "You?"
"I'm alright" her tone telling him she needed to talk
"What's up?" he smiled at knowing her so well
"Mason of course" she huffed
"You know you're going to have to have this conversation with him?"
"I know, I just..."
"Want to get it straight in your head first" he finished for her
"Yeah" she giggled "I'm not coping with this always apart thing, you know, I feel lost"
"I understand that"
"I mean totally lost" she breathed out heavy "I don't know how I'm going to approach it, he loves Princeton and I love Harvard, it's an impossible situation"
"Talk to him, work it out together, maybe there are ways around it" he looked across the room at his friend sitting looking out the window "Looks like he feels the same" he nodded over to Mason sat thinking
"I might just do that there's nowhere to run just now is there?" she laughed getting up to go broach this new subject with him
Stacey & Kitty
"It's not going to be as easy as we thought" Kitty whispered to Stacey as they both looked around the room
"So..you didn't tell your parents then?"
"I just said it wasn't as easy as I thought"
"Well it's definitely not going to happen this trip then" Stacey snapped at her
"We can carry on with the plan"
"You haven't even told your parents yet, and they're one hundred times more liberal than mine"
"We could tell this lot"
"Sam, are you serious?" Stacey stopped looking around to ask the question "He's like the most moral man I know, no way"
"It was just a suggestion, I was thinking if we had your family on side, you know"
"No I don't know, it's not happening this trip" Stacey told her firmly
"It was just a suggestion" Kitty snapped back at her
"Let's just get past the holidays" Stacey turned to tell her "I'm sorry, this is a big deal" she added realising she was being horrible grabbing Kitty's neck and pulling her in for a kiss
Sam & Stacey
Sam sat watching them, smiling because he knew Stacey was being her usual pushy self, and Kitty was doing her best to cool her shit down "Kisses" he smiled to himself looking out the window at the clouds thick below them, the view of more clouds and sky ahead, behind and all around them.
"Sam" Stacey plonked herself next to him smiling "We haven't had a chance to really catch up"
"How are things with you and Kitty?" he looked at her "I mean generally" he laughed at making sure she knew the boundaries of their conversation
"Needless to say we're really getting into life away from home, it's not so different"
"I guess that's kind of to be expected, you guys have been used to living in each others pockets for five years"
"I guess" she frowned looking away from him before looking back having considered her response "It's not about us wanting other people anymore"
"Yeah I know" he looked at her wondering what she was thinking "What's up?" he asked of her known expression "What have you got to say?"
"Nothing I just..."
"Spit it out Stacey" he nudged her playfully "I'm here for you"
"I suppose I came over to apologise, if I'm honest, I didn't mean to snap at you, we've just got so much going on"
"Apology accepted" he smiled hugging her "Kitty loves you, you pair will work it out"
"I know she does, and I love her" they both looked round to watch Kitty talking to Bree and Mason "And I'm here for you too, big sister duties and all that" she laughed
"I know" he laughed
"I best get back before..." she pointed in the direction of Kitty, Bree and Mason
"Before what?" Sam asked looking at them too
"Nothing, before she misses me I guess" she rushed off
Sam
He was turning into a proper agony Uncle at the minute, he couldn't make out whether everyone were trying to include him because he was on his own or genuinely wanted to share their problems which seemed like nothing to him. He sat looking out the window daydreaming of meeting up with Mercy again for the first time after five months, wondering if they'd get time to themselves stright away or if they'd have to awkwardly move around the room avoiding eyecontact until everyone had gone to bed or something, he could taste the kiss, so much so he was sat remembering the very first conversation he'd had with his Mom about girlfriends, kissing and all that
"You're not...?"
"No Mom, I'm not gay, I just don't want to mess about like that, is it a crime?" he didn't want to tell her he was a healthy young boy having wet dreams and jerking off at every opportunity he got, he didn't think it was any of her business
"No I think it's sweet" she smiled at him "You're your Dad's son, and I like that about you, when you find someone, it's going to be special"
Too right it's going to be special, he thought to himself, I'm going to ride her like there's no tomorrow and think about contraceptives afterwards, instead he came back with something like "That's what I want, special, I need it to hit me like a bullet, I want all that fairy tale stuff" he laughed at only being about 14 years old then, he remembered rolling his eyes and thinking 'what the fuck are you talking about Evans' at that age he loved his Mom more than life itself, and wanted to make her proud, plus it sounded responsible, good even
"I hope she turns up for you, I really do, and thank you for not lying about it" she smiled, kissing his cheek before walking away, he remembered slamming himself on his bed having fucked up, thinking now he was going to have to live up to that shit, or face eternal disappointment on his Mother's face
He smiled again realising, he'd actually lived up to exactly that, what was that his Dad used to say 'Be careful what you wish for' he couldn't have got it anymore right if he'd tried, one look was all it took, she stopped him in his tracks that day at the horse riding trail, for what seemed like an eternity he couldn't move, he was sure his Mom had seen it, because she started talking to her, telling her things he should have been telling her about riding. He quickly forced himself to move and was sure he'd given himself away when he muttered something like 'I need to mount' happy she didn't hear him because she didn't comment. She'd left him that day speechless and in that silence he found their song, they'd completed it together, recorded it and they played it every day to remind themselves of what life had in store for them, and right now he knew parents weren't holding them back
"And when I walked away, I left footsteps in the mud so you could follow me" he sat humming, only they weren't washing away, they were stuck in dried mud, determined to do what they wanted to do, this was happening 'Footprints' by Kehlani & Musiq Songchild
"Are you alright?" Kitty sat beside him, bringing him back into the room
"I'm fine, I just can't wait to get there"
"Are you and Mercy still on then?"
"Well we were never off, but it's been 5 months"
"I'm rooting for you guys" she smiled ruffling his hair
"How's things with Stacey?"
"We're still enjoying life right now and I know she's really trying" she looked across at Stacey gaming with Mason, oblivious to anything going on around them, at that second they looked at each other and smiled
"She loves you, you know that right?"
"Yeah, I know" she smiled "And I love her"
"I have every faith, you two are the real deal" he smiled watching her get up to go join her girlfriend again
He sat looking out the window, finally left alone with his thoughts until he fell asleep "Seatbelts please" the airhostess shook him, smiling as she spoke "You need to put your seatbelt on we're landing in twenty minutes" she told him watching him wipe his eyes clear
"Okay" he sat up searching for his belt
"Your parents want you guys up front with them" she told him, he got up to do as told
Lisbon Portela Airport
As soon as they got to the waiting room his phone rang, he quickly answered it, the ring tone telling him who it was "Mercy" he smiled at hearing her voice "We just stopped in..."
"I know where you are Sam, I'm tracking you phone remember?"
"Oh yeah" he laughed "We're still doing this yeah?" he looked around to see who was close to him
"Of course"
"Is it still Christmas Eve?"
"Apparently, there's some sort of party Mom and Dad are throwing for you guys coming, so we'll have to pick our moment, I don't want any outsiders there, just family"
"Who'll be at the party?"
"Seriously, I don't even know, people I hope" she laughed
"Which people?"
"Just people, maybe some of the students from Uni..."
"I thought you didn't really hang with anyone at Uni?"
"I'm pretending things are normal here Sam, of course I'm making friends" she giggled
"Sorry, I'm tripping babe" he laughed "I guess it's nerves" he told her
"I know, it's getting close" she laughed nervously "Did you tell anyone about us yet?"
"No, we agreed everyone together"
"I've found myself listening to our first song together on repeat, trying to keep calm" she giggled
"I am too" he sat looking around wondering if anyone was watching him "I've been working on our new one"
"Me too" she laughed "Do you think we can do it twice?"
"As many times as we need to" he laughed "I've got bits of our conversations in mine, you'll love it"
"You cheated, I have too"
"Listen, we're less than five hours away" he giggled
"I know, I'm literally shaking"
"Sam" his Dad called, he looked over at him sitting on a massage chair
"Was that your Dad?" she asked recognising the voice
"Yeah, Mercy I've got to go, love you"
"I love you too, hurry up" she giggled "Bye"
"Bye" he told her watching his Dad signalling for him to get to him
"Go with Mason and get some snacks for the plane will you son" he took the money and went off to do as told
Journey
They'd just about got two thirds of the way with this journey across to the other side of the world, another 5 hours and they'd be standing in Ghana, the excitement suddenly started rising, everyone was chatty. as they made their way back to the plane. Sam had a few hours to think, plan and remember. This time, after take off, unlike the others, he curled up and went to sleep, the only thing worse than sleep right now was sitting in a group of couples wondering what the girl you loved was doing on the other side of the world, he plugged his headphones in and let Mercy and him sing their duet on repeat sending him into relax mode
This time his mind went back to when they were standing in the corridor at the club again, enjoying their first kiss, he'd been fine up until the door closed and then suddenly he was a bag of nerves, his brain was going super fast trying to remember what to do, what to ask, and he was trying to control his body at the same time. He smiled remembering her looking up at him when he'd revealed his feelings, telling him she felt the same, that relaxed him and her if he remebered rightly. The two of them trying to fight it as they stood there looking into each others eyes telling themselves this couldn't happen as their faces got closer and suddenly they were kissing. There weren't fireworks, like Stacey had described when she kissed Kitty, or rockets like Ryder had told him to expect, instead he felt connected, like he'd imagine Jake felt when he connected with Neytiri, as one. There was no concern about what their families might think, the consequences of their actions, they just both knew that at that moment and from that moment on, they wanted each other, and they needed to make that happen.
He opened his eyes at the memory of his Dad walking into the club and showing them up big time because King had demanded the return of his daughter, he could smile at the whole thing right now, but back then it was so frightening
"Who's that singing?" his Dad asked him, when he fully opened his eyes to see him staring down at him
"Who singing?" Sam looked up at his Dad puzzled
"On your phone, I've never heard that before"
"Oh, someone popped into the studio, I'm just checking it out for them" he lied, wondering how he'd heard that through the noise of the engine, before he realised his headphones had come out, and quickly turned it off
"So you're checking tracks now?"
"It's not someone we know, they just wanted my opinion" he laughed
"They're good" Dwight nodded at the phone telling him
"Yeah" Sam smiled, wondering what would happen if he just told the truth about the song, maybe Mercy's Dad might just cancel the holiday, he'd take her phone off her, and maybe she'd have to get married quicker
"Sam" his Aunt Kate called from behind him "Come have a conversation with me" she told him, he watched her get you before he followed her into the dining room
"Sup?" he sat in the chair waiting to be cussed out, in the nicest way
"Bree hasn't been herself these past 24 hours, and I was just wondering if you knew what was going on with her?"
"I though she was in a funny mood too, but she hasn't said anything to me yet, I thought it was something to do with Mason, but he seems alright, so I really don't know"
"I think she misses having you so close" she rubbed his arm endearingly, this woman looked like his Mom so bad, he had problems telling them apart when he was younger "If she lets you know, you let me know, deal?"
"Deal" he smiled, knowing he was going to do nothing of the sort, there were things parents never needed to know. He watched her walk away and sat wondering why the family thought he was the easy target all the while, that he never lied, he'd been involved in the biggest lie to date for this family, he was going to Ghana to take the Princess, he'd had that plan in mind for just over 5 months and none of them had even thought to question anything.
"Sam" Mason stood in the doorway leading to the back room
"Bree needs an intervention, I think she needs cheering up with a song"
"A Song?" he asked getting up "When did I start performing for Bree?"
"She's..." Mason smiled, watching him walk towards her "She's got a lot on right now, just be patient with her"
"Okay" he looked at Mason wondering what these two actually had going on
"So what's this request about?" he asked walking into the room to see them all sitting waiting
"A specific song" Mason answered for her "Actually, it's that song you wrote just after Mercy left, it came to mind, and I guess I think it's relevant for me right now"
"Really?" Sam asked, the song was about, him deciding to wait for Mercy, it was just after she'd left, the words came from what he was feeling, he'd thought as he watched her walk away, that was the end of them, he was hurting and refusing to believe that was the end for them, now Mason wanted to sing it to Bree "Are you guys alright?" he frowned
"We'll see" Mason held a guitar out for him to grab while he sat with the mobile mixer setting up the track
"Thanks" Sam smiled grabbing his guitar to strum the chords as Mason started singing 'Die Without Your Love' by Elijah Kelley
Mason (with Sam): Oh, we done made it through all the crazy times, I don't know would have lost my mind, running with the wolves, walking through the fire, almost lost it all it just wasn't my time, you told me things I never want to hear, pushed you away now I want you here, and every (day I'm reminded I just want one more night). And I don't want to die without your love, no I don't want to die without your love, and I don't want to die without your love, and I don't want to (die without your love) in my arms
Sam (Mason): And we're living in between the lines, doing what's wrong and we know what is right, try to have fun hanging on for dear life, I now what it's like, living on the wrong side of this life. And I don't want to die without your love, no, no I don't want to die without your love, (Your love your love, your love your love your love your love) oh no, and I don't want to die without your love (Your love, your love, your love, your love, your love ,your love) and I don't want to (die without your love) in my arms
Sam (Both): Oh (Raised by the jungle) oh (birth by the sea) oh (still feel the water) oh (all on me, when I steal away) to my secret place
Mason (Sam): And I don't want to die without your love, no, no I don't want to die without your love, (Your love your love, your love your love your love your love) oh no and I don't want to die without your love (Your love, your love, your love, your love, your love ,your love) and I don't want to (die without your love) in my arms
"So what do you say?" Mason looked at Bree asking
"You know I feel the same" she looked at him, both loved up right now
"So how about we go super public with this thing"
"What do you mean?" she stood wondering what was happening, as she watched him bend on one knee
"Me in a suit, you in a white dress, some church somewhere, anywhere it doesn't matter where, getting hitched" he laughed
"I didn't ever think that was how you were going to do this" she giggled "But, yes, yes I'll marry you" he sprung up and slammed her into his chest, her arms wrapped around his neck tightly
"So romantic" Stacey held her chest smiling widely at the scene
Sam stood smiling too, Stacey was right, it was romantic, but he was still wondering why now, they hadn't even tried the living together thing yet, why did he have to wait until they were in company to do something like that, Aunt Kate must have been right, there was something going on for them that she wasn't sharing with anyone. "Congratulations" he smiled hugging them as he spoke, and he meant it, whatever it was, it was bringing them closer together "Is everything alright?" he whispered in her ear
"It will be, we've got it sorted" Bree replied sounding confident enough to stop Sam worrying "Could we keep this to ourselves please guys?" she smiled at everyone nodding their agreement
The rest of the flight went fairly quietly, everyone sat thinking, humming or whispering, there were still things brewing for the couples, soon the flight was nearly over and it wasn't long before they were getting ready to land, the stewardess' announcement came and they were all back in their seats awaiting the decent
Accra Airport
The clouds finally parted to show the greenery and houses looking like dots below them, dirt tracks running across the greenery, while the clouds got thinner and then disappeared to leave noticeable buildings and muddy lakes. The area looked more occupied than any of them had expected, as they got closer to land what they thought were roads, were actually rivers, then there was what they knew to be a town, a very large area packed with houses, buildings, so much so they looked like freights waiting to be shipped. As they got closer they saw proper roofs and high rises with windows, proper roads, pools in gardens bringing a feel of America, and then that familiar bounce telling them they'd hit land, bringing a cheer from everyone
It was nearly twenty minutes later before they were actually able to get off the plane, and walked down this long corridor that seemed never ending for the excited party. Of course everyone stopped for a bathroom break before taking the escalator down to the arrivals lounge, there was a man holding a card with Dwight's name on it, they all went over to him and were sent through a different lane to everyone else. They stood for a while watching their luggage being processed, before they were directed across the airport to another much smaller plane obviously to get to the palace.
They flew fairly low over the towns on their way to the Palace, people below waving as they went past the blue sea line past the farming town, and industrial estate and some ruins, then everything became still and tranquil, birds flying, boats resting on the blue waters, waterfalls to take you breath away and green as far as the eye could see with roads hidden in the crevices.
Less than half an hour and they were aware they were getting ready to land, this area was well built, the homes looked fairly new, the streets were clean and life looked very much like they were used to, the plane took a sharp bend and suddenly they were facing a massive white structure, windows everywhere around the two story building and a landing pad on top of it. The house stretched for about half a mile with dainty little fern trees dotted around the outside along the length of the building and around the eight posts that marked the front entrance, not a drop of snow in sight.
"This is the Palace" the pilots mate made an entrance to tell them "We'll be landing on the pad near the house, please do not leave the plane until you are advised to" he smiled "There's transport to the house" he pointed at something they couldn't see "There'll be cold drinks waiting and Mr Jones has asked that you fully make yourselves at home"
"Thank you" Dwight smiled at the man, watching him as he went back to buckle up for the landing
They landed, finally stepping onto Jones land, just 22 hours after leaving home "Now the games begin" Sam smiled ready to do battle with everyone, for who he knew was going to be the only love of his life.
They walked to the transport which took them to the front door, they walked into the spacious hall, pictures of artists scattered around the walls, it was an impressive collection, a woman, Sam knew from Mercy's pictures was Roz, served them cold drinks "Master Sam?" she asked looking into his eyes
"Just Sam please, Roz?" he asked unsure
"Princess said she'll be with you as soon as she can" she looked around for listening ears as she passed the message on
"Thank you" he smiled, taking the drink from the tray