A/N: So I'm back! I have to issue a trigger warning... there is mention of Domestic Violence. I promise next chapter will answer all of those questions you guys have been asking I just needed to get this one out of the way first! I hope you enjoy it because it's full of Samcedes sweetness!
"Sam, she needs you to keep pushing… I finally understand why Monica called me of all people to help you. There's something you need to know and I guess I'm the only person she thought she could trust to relay this to you."
Flashback
"Why are you wearing that?"
"Because I want to an it's a little warm out today."
"Go change, we have people to see and I don't want them gawking at you." Tank replied looking at Mercedes intensely. She looked at herself in the mirror and liked what she was wearing and given the gathering she was dressed appropriately. She was wearing a blue halter top with a pair of white skinny jeans, her curls were pulled up with a hair band and she had on light make-up with a bold lip.
"No, I like what I have on and it fits the event." she retorted before walking into the bathroom grab some earrings and a necklace to complete her look. She was digging in her jewelry box when she felt a firm hand yank her from where she was standing. She hit her back hard against the frame of the door and before she could register what happened, she felt a stinging pain on the left side of her face. Tank looked at her with so much darkness and anger in his eyes before punching the wall and storming out.
She stood there frozen and unable to fully grasp what just transpired. She brought her hand up to her face and winced at the pain that seemed to be settling in the spot where he slapped her. She could feel the heat radiating from the blow and her mind began to race… he just hit me. She felt the tears beginning to roll down her face, she had never been in this type of situation and she didn't even know what to do.
"Mercedes…
"Get out." She said so softly that she wasn't sure she said it out loud or in her head.
"Baby, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. You know I would never do anything to hurt you I just-"
"I SAID GET OUT TANK!" She shouted this time and looking up at him with so much hurt and anger before looking away again.
"Cedes, just let make me explain… When you came out with this outfit on… I just knew other men were going to stare and can you blame them? You look so beautiful and so sexy and I just didn't want the stress of other men hitting on you." He replied moving closer but stopping when she flinched and moved back in the bathroom.
"I won't say it again, get out Tank and don't come back." She said firmly and holding her head looking at him. He moved closer but stopped when she gave him the meanest look making him slowly back away.
"I'm sorry and I will prove it." Tank said before leaving.
End Flashback
Sam felt his heart pounding while his hands began to ball up into tight fist. He looked at Santana and her reaction let him know his glare frightened her, which was saying a lot because she was rarely scared. She could see the wheels turning in his mind and she knew he was thinking about doing something reckless and to be honest she agreed but there was a right way to address what she told him.
"Same before you do anything crazy and -" Santana started before stopping at Sam standing up and looking at her like she had lost her mind. He was going to do something but it wasn't going to be crazy because an ass whooping was never crazy when it was deserved. Than man hurt his woman and he'd be damned if he was going to sit there and let that shit slide. Sam was was so angry that his head started to hurt and he couldn't get his thoughts together.
"Sam, listen to me, Cedes doesn't know that we know about this and you can't go off playing 'Captain Save-a-hoe'. Her assistant said Wheezy started drinking a little heavily after that and she admitted to it when she was drunk… she said she was going to do something about but a few weeks later he was back in the picture. Look, I get that you're mad but this isn't the same Mercedes we remember… there's a lot more underneath all of this bullshit and there's a lot more we still don't know. Yes, I agree we should all go and beat the hell out of him but that solves nothing for her in the long run. She's emotionally bruised Sam and she needs time to heal before she can fully fight him head on. I never thought any of us would be in a situation like this especially not Aretha but now that she is we have to do everything we can to make sure we get our girl back. I just never thought she would be this..." Santana said trailing off at her final thought.
"Be what? Say it!" Sam said with a low growl.
"Well, weak. You know as well as I do that she never gave off this vibe you know?"
"No, I don't know because whoever that was that forgave him wasn't Mercedes Jones and she has never been weak."
"Sam all I'm saying is that you can't go around beating the shit out of other people's fiance's. Especially ones you just said you wanted nothing to do with."
"I never said I wanted nothing to do with her and even if I didn't love her I would still feel this way."
"But you going after him will send the wrong message. Either you do it as her friend or as the love of her life, you don't get another option. We have to find a way to keep her here while Monica does whatever she's planning." Santana said calmly.
"Well that my be a little hard to do…" Sam replied with a deep sigh while running his hands over his face.
"Oh shit… what did you do/" Santana asked rolling her eyes already knowing this was going to be some more crap to deal with.
"Well… I kinda told her I didn't want or need her to help me and that we can't just be friends."
"WHAT THE HELL TROUTY! Why in the hell- wait." She stopped mid rant narrowing her eyes at him before raising an eyebrow and smirking.
"What?" Sam asked looking at her with a concerned and confused look.
"How far?"
"Huh?
"Don't play dumb Evans, how far did you go with Wheezy?"
"We just kissed…" He replied blushing and feeling silly because it wasn't like it was the first time they kissed but those past two were amazing and if he were honest he wanted to do it again.
"Seriously? Damn Retha must have some magic lips to have you reacting like that." She replied laughing.
"She does." He said with a goofy grin.
"Then kiss her again and get her to stay." Santana said looking back down at her phone and smiling at the text she received.
Knock! Knock!
"San, I can't just go up to her after what I said and kiss her." Sam said walking to the door to open it. Could he? Should he? It wasn't a bad idea and what's the worse that could happen besides her slapping me?
"You can and you will." She said.
"How do you expect me to just show up at her parent's house and-" Sam trailing off after he opened the door and freezing. Damn.
Mercedes?
"Looks like my job is done for now. Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to see my mom. Hey Wheezy, bye Wheezy." Santana said walking past Sam and hugging Mercedes before gently pushing her into Sam's chest and giggling.
"Umm… hey? Bye?" Mercedes said to the Latina before reluctantly creating distance between her and Sam's unbelievably toned chest. She looked at him and bit her lip nervously before looking away when Sam step aside so she could come in further. They stood there awkwardly looking at each other before they both started to speak followed by nervous laughter.
"You… I..." Sam stammered feeling his face flush and ears burning. Damn she had only been her for a few minutes and I can't even talk.
"Look I know I was wrong about what I said last night but I never wanted our friendship to be ruined. I have a lot going on and the last thing I wanted to do is hurt you. So I'm going back to LA you don't have to worry about me coming to glee rehearsals, I respect your request and I hope one day you can forgive me." She said looking at him for a moment hoping he would at least reconsider helping with glee. When she saw no change in his expression she turned to walk to the door.
"You're not going back." Sam said before she reached for the knob. She stopped and looked over her shoulder with a perplexed look.
"What?" She replied turning around to face him directly.
"You heard me, you're not going back to LA and you're not marrying him." Sam replied moving closer to where she was and crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't have a plan but Mercedes was staying in Lima with him where she could be safe.
"Sam..." She started before he spoke again.
"I don't want to hear whatever bullshit excuse you have. You're staying here with me and that's the end of it. I know you were staying at the local hotel so we can go grab your things and bring them back here later." He said cutting her off.
"Sam, it's not that easy! I can't just stay here with you. I have obligations in L.A., I have to finish my album, I have appearances that I have already committed to and then there's Tank..." She said rubbing her face and letting out a deep sigh.
"I know but I also don't give a damn. You can have the guest room or you can sleep in the room with me but I know you can cancel those appearances and you can finish your album here." He said not budging on his stance for her to stay.
"No, you don't know… you have no idea of what's going on right now."
"Mercedes, you and I are going to have a serious conversation and you will tell me everything and I do mean everything."
"I can't do this! I came here to apologize and I did that so now it's best that we steer clear of each other okay? Just until..." She trailed off not sure how to finish that statement.
"Until what?" he asked stepping into her personal space holding her eyes with his intense stare.
"Huh?" Mercedes said feeling flustered when he got closer to her she looked at his eyes and could tell he knew something that he was holding back from saying. Shit… what did he know? Why was it so hard to stay away from him? He smells so good...GIRL! Get it together, damn.
"Until what? You said to steer clear until… then you stopped talking."
"Until I can get everything figured out. Sam, I still want us to be friends-" She stopped when he began shaking his head and moving away from her.
"I don't want to be you friend do you understand me? I don't have urges to kiss my friends like I do when I'm around you. I don't want to wake up next to my friends in the mornings or fall asleep with them wrapped in my arms like I do with you. I damn sure don't want to make love for hours on end to any of my friends. My heart doesn't race and thump so loudly it scares me when I'm around my friends but all you have to do is walk in my direction and it goes crazy. I want all of you not just your friendship, so no you and I will never be just friends because we are so far past that." He said looking deeply into her eyes wanting so badly to kiss her but he couldn't, not until she told what was really going on in her life. He would tie her to a chair or lock her in his house until she gave in and told him.
"Sammy." She said choking up before the tears started falling, the dam had broken and she couldn't hold it in any longer. She wasn't ready to tell him everything but she knew she had to before he went looking for answers on his own and ending up getting hurt. She felt his arms engulfing her into a tight hug and they stood there while she cried and he rubbed her back soothing her until she pulled away.
"Look, let's get us some food in us first then we can talk about everything okay?" He asked softly and when she nodded he lead her into the kitchen. She sat at the bar while he fixed her a cup of coffee before pulling a few things out to make them a quick breakfast. Mercedes didn't know what was going to happen after she told him everything but for the first time in a while she felt at home.
…
"Yeah Wheezy's with Sam."
"Okay, I'll fly out tomorrow and meet you at the airport. This plan better work too because I haven't gone Lima Heights in a while and I will if that means I'm protecting Guppy and Aretha." Santana said before ending the call and driving to her mother's for a visit.
Monica hung up the phone and made a mental not to never cross Santana Lopez. She waited patiently for her flight to be called so she could board it. She had a short list of things to do once she got back to L.A. but the main thing was getting the files Mercedes signed. She wasn't sure how but she knew where to start, Tank's place and she had the perfect plan to get inside without him even knowing, When she heard her flight being called she quickly grabbed her items and went to board. She kept thinking to herself that this plan had to work otherwise Mercedes was going to have bigger problems to deal with after.
…
After eating breakfast Sam lead Mercedes outside to finally have their discussion. They sat under one of the massive oak trees in his back yard, even though their conversation last night ended poorly she still felt safer with Sam than with Tank. She knew he wouldn't do anything to intentionally harm her and being there with him was what she needed even if she wouldn't admit it aloud. Sam looked at Mercedes and couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked even with puffy eyes, she was the most stunning woman he'd laid eyes on.
"Ready?" Sam asked breaking the silence between them When she looked up at him his heart began to race and momentarily talk was the furthest thing from his mind.
"Umm… sure. Where should I start?" She asked shakily and chewing on her bottom lip. Damn she's beautiful.
"Where ever you feel comfortable baby." Sam replied not realizing he called her baby but Mercedes caught it and smiled internally.
"Okay before I start what do you know? I can tell you know something and I know Monica is involved… I don't know how but she's not as sneaky as she thinks."
"She called me a while ago, she asked me some questions and then told me she would get you here…"
"What questions?"
"Ahem… well she asked if I still loved you and sent me a video of you when you were drunk." He said blushing with a lopsided grin. Mercedes eyes grew large when he mentioned the video, she knew exactly what video he was talking about and swore she was going to kill Monica when she got back.
"Y-you saw that huh?"
"Yeah… you're adorable when you're drunk by the way." He said making her blush.
"Do you? Still I mean…" She asked clearing her throat as she felt her face grow warm.
"Yes, I never stopped." He replied honestly blushing even more now than he was before. Mercedes was shocked but deep down she knew and she felt the same way. She somehow caught herself leaning in to kiss him but when he backed away a rush of embarrassment came over her and she moved away and looked at her hands. Sam placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head so that she was looking at him again.
"Not yet, not until we finish talking." He said looking at her concerned that he hurt her feelings. He had no intentions of making her feel unwanted but he wouldn't stop kissing her if they started and they needed to have this conversation. When she nodded he knew she understood his hesitation.
"Okay, I'll tell you." She said letting out a deep breath before telling him the highlights leading up to the most recent events.
"… then he showed me the video of us kissing before dinner. That's the only reason I did what I did Sam, I didn't want you to have to deal with any of this. I was going to come after you when you left but I saw and Monica talking and I kinda jumped to conclusions and accused her of flirting with you." She said shaking her head at the amused expression that came over his face.
"Well she is beautiful." Sam said bumping her with his shoulder making her chuckled and roll her eyes.
"She has a boyfriend, so you're gonna have to look elsewhere."
"She's not even on my radar and I don't need to look any further than whats right in my face." He replied winking at her. Mercedes couldn't help but blush at his statements.
"Wait, why were you at the lake screaming?" He asked looking at her perplexed.
"That's where things get very complicated… a while ago he had me sign some documents that I didn't read because… I was distracted and now he kinda holds-"
"Distracted how?" Sam asked trying hide his disdain and jealously.
"I wasn't lying when I told you I've never been with anyone… we were just making out and it got a little… steamy." She said nervously. Sam swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded.
"Anyway, he lied about what he had me signing. Turns out he owns me well my career and that's why I have to continue with this bullshit, that's why I can't stay… I have to go back." She said looking at him tearfully.
"You must have forgotten what I said so I'll say it one last time. You aren't going anywhere, you're not going to marry him. You are staying here with me and that's final." He said with a deep sigh, he noticed she hadn't mentioned that he hit her and didn't want to press her but he needed to know why she let him back into her life.
"Mercedes?"
"You want to know why I let him come back don't you?" She asked shocking Sam with her question.
"How did-"
"Like I said Monica isn't as sneaky as she thinks at least not with me. I wasn't going to you know? I just… he got to me, I can't explain it. I'm not going to sit here and pretend I didn't love him because I did, I was emotionally invested in him. That's far more deeper than sexual because he was able to make love to my mind and make things seem so different… but now that the fog is starting to clear I don't even know who he really is or why he's doing this to me." Mercedes answered looking up trying to stop the tears from falling.
"Are you in love with him? I mean you had to be to accept his proposal… right?" Sam asked not really wanting to know the answer but needed to know. She looked at him for a moment while thought deeply about how to answer his question.
"Well…" She started before she stopped and looked at him again. She didn't know how to answer the question with words so instead she moved closer and captured his lips with hers kissing him deeply until they both needed air. She pulled away slowly and had to fan herself afterwards, when she looked up at him again he had this goofy grin that made her laugh.
"I loved him but I've only been in love with one man." She said finally answering his question.
"Then stay, stay with me Mercy. I don't care about the video and I can build you a studio so you can keep recording. You can be at peace here and I won't pressure you into a relationship we can live as roommates. I just don't want you to go back there with that piece of shit. Stay where you know you'll be loved." Sam pleaded grabbing her hands and squeezing them gently.
"You make it sound so simple… how am I supposed to just move in here with you?" She asked standing up and walking away. "Huh? How would that look? You have everything the way you want it and you have Lily, your guitars and your life is set here. Sam… me moving in here will disrupt everything you built for yourself and I-i… what are you doing?" She continued and began to stammer as he began walking towards her.
Sam didn't respond to her questions he just walked over to where she stopped and invaded her personal space, taking in her flowery scent and looking deeply into her doe eyes. He ran a finger along her tear stained cheek and reached up pulled her hair down out of the bun and letting her natural curls flow down her back. He couldn't help but running his hands through soft hair and playing with a few of curls. He always loved when she would wear her hair down and in its natural state.
"Sammy… stop." Mercedes said barely above a whisper. Sam just chuckled and moved one of his hands down her back and pulled her into him softly. Mercedes looked at him before looking away wanting so badly to kiss him again but she stopped herself.
"Look at me." Sam said willing her to make eye contact with him. When she finally looked up at his piercing emerald eyes she saw the love and hint of lust in his eyes. Why is he so damn hard to resist.
Sam leaned down and kissed her lightly before deepening it allowing a moan to escape him. He pulled her closer if that was even possible and continue to devour her lips, when she wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into their kiss he knew then she was going to stay but couldn't help but to ask just to make sure.
"Are you staying?" He asked in between kissing and gently biting her lip eliciting a deep moan from Mercedes. Instead of answering she kissed him harder ignoring the urge for air, when he bit her lip she allowed him entrance into her mouth and their tongues battled until his won and she gladly allowed him to take control.
"Mercy, are you staying?" He asked again reluctantly pulling away.
"Yes, baby. I'm staying." She replied biting her lip and smiling shyly. Sam smiled brightly at her answer and gave her a swift peck on the lips.
"Good, let's go get you checked out of your room and gather your things." He said grabbing her hand and walking her back inside to grab his keys.
…
She never listens… I guess I'll need to take her down a few pegs or shall I say I'll take Samuel Evans down a few.
SOOOOO...? I usually have tons of things to gush over after each chapter but this time I just want to bring to light how amazing cute they are and how awesome Sam was during their conversation and yes there is a reason why he didn't ask many questions and it will be revealed! Also yes next chapter will be an L.A. based chapter and we will FINALLY get to see what Monica and Santana has planned as well as what Monica found out so stay tuned! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter let me know if you did or not! Until next time! XOXO
