Hey love bugs, here's a lil sum sum. Hope you enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own rights to glee nor it's characters.

I walk down the street after leaving the restaurant. I'm not that hungry but it's almost noon and all I had for breakfast were some crackers they gave us on the plane. So I go into a café a few doors down from the restaurant where I met with Mary.

I'm still thinking about the conversation I had with her. Her words keep repeating over and over in my head. My son is not going to choose you over me. I am his mother. Penny was perfect for Sam. She still is. It's so hard to not let her words hurt me. All these years, I've wondered what I did to make her hate me so much. Now, I understand I did nothing wrong. It wasn't me. It was all her.

Sometimes people are just hateful and that's their own personal problem. The worst part is that she knows what she's doing and she doesn't care. I'm done trying to make peace with Mary. I'm not going to keep wasting my time with her. So I force her out of my head.

There aren't many people at the café and I take a seat after ordering a sandwich with a small broccoli soup. As I have lunch, I think about calling Sam to let him know I'm here. I kind of want it to be a surprise. Then again, we haven't spoken in weeks so maybe it wouldn't be the kind of surprise I think it would be. Plus, we don't have good history with surprises which is mostly my fault considering I had gotten mad at him for showing up unannounced in Arizona.

I take out my phone and click on his contact number. I find myself feeling nervous as the dial tone rings in my ear it goes to voicemail. He's probably busy with patients.

well, he can't say I didn't try.

Suddenly eager to see him, I finish up my lunch and get ready to leave after getting another Uber. As I walk out into the sunny afternoon, something across the street catches my eye. It's mostly the color. Yellow. The same color Mary had been wearing earlier. It belongs to a woman standing across the street in the arms of a man. The man has his back to me.

As I walk to the curb where the taxi is waiting for me, I realize that it's not just the color. It's also the same blouse. Then I realize that it's not a coincidence because the woman across the street is Mary. Shock paralyzes my body as I realize that it's Mary in the arms of another man. They are making out in the middle of the street like there is no tomorrow.

I can't believe it.

They pull apart after a moment and then Mary's eyes met mine. She's across the street but I can see the shock and fear clear on her face as she sees me watching. The man suddenly turns around and he looks around as if trying to figure out what Mary is so horrified at. He's young. Probably around Quinn's age.

Young and handsome.

I force myself to look down and open the door. I get in the taxi look straight ahead as the Uber drives by down the street.

I can't believe what I just saw.

Mary kissing a man much younger than her. She has a dirty little secret and I caught her in the act. It's obvious Quinn and Sam don't know-it was all clear in the fear on her face when she saw me. I don't give a damn about Mary's personal life-unlike her, I stay out of other people's relationships. but it makes me angry that she judged and hated me for nothing, acting like she's the perfect woman when she's hooking up with a man that can be her daughter and hiding that from her children.

Wow. The audacity. She lives her life making people believe she's a woman of morals and education and judging people who aren't like her when that's not even the real her. This is exactly why people shouldn't judge other people. I'm not going to tell Sam or Quinn- it's enough for me that she knows that I know. That is going to be enough torment for her. I'm so consumed in my thoughts, I don't even realize when the car stops.

"We're here, ma'am," The driver says clearing his throat.

I nod. "Right. Sorry. Thank you."

I get out of the car then make my way into the clinic, suddenly feeling a bit sick. I don't know if it's because I ate too fast or maybe it's from the pregnancy but it makes me want to get into bed and stay there all day. Inside the clinic, the waiting room was full of parents and very hyper children. Some kids are playing and others are watching TV while others are yelling for no apparent reason.

Watching this makes me feel a little scared knowing that I'm going to be one of those exhausted parents soon.

"Hi, Marley right?" I ask the receptionist

behind the desk. She looks up and her eyes widened. "Oh! Hi, Mrs. Evans."

"Is Sam here?"

"He is. But, I'm sorry, Dr. Evans is in a consult. He has a full schedule..." She says as she looks at the computer, as if trying to figure out if she messed up Sam's schedule.

"Oh, it's okay." I assure her. "I actually didn't"

"Mercedes?"

I turn around at the sound of my name. Behind me is a man with a familiar face. He has short brown hair with tan skin and brown eyes behind glasses. He's wearing dressed pants with a button down shirt tucked in.

"H-hi," I say, though it sounds like a question. I know I've seen him before but I don't remember where.

He offers me his hand. "I'm Jake...and you don't remember me." He realizes with a polite smile.

"Uh-your face is familiar," I say as I shake his hand.

He chuckles. "I'm Sam's cousin. I was in your wedding-I believe that was the last time I saw you.

Something in my brain clicks and I smile. "Right! Yes, I remember you now. Sorry, it's been a while."

He nods. "Yes, it has."

"You work here?"I ask when I realize he has a white lab coat on.

I'm trying to remember everything I can of him. I believe he's the son of one of Sam's aunts. I don't remember him being around much through the time Sam and I were dating then again, Sam was always too busy to spend time with his family. I do remember him at our wedding though. It wouldn't surprise me if he was a doctor too. Most of Sam's family front his dad's side are doctors and nurses or had other medical careers. Intelligence obviously runs in the Evans family.

"I'm on trial for now." He jokes with a smile as he lets my hand go. "I completed my residency recently and can finally say I'm a doctor. I asked Sam if I could spend some days here shadowing him so...here I am," He says with a shrug.

"Well, congratulations, that's awesome."

"Thank you," He says with a smile. "How have you been? We haven't seen you since the wedding...everyone's been wondering..."

The Evans are really nice people. I met most of them on the day of my wedding four years ago so my memory of them is a bit hazy but I remember all of them being very nice, like Sam's father was. I know it's only natural that they wondered whatever happened to Sam's bride.

"I'm sorry," Jake says quickly. "I didn't mean to"

"No." I interrupt him. "It's okay. Sam and I went through a...rough pateh. But we're working on it."

Jake grins. "Well, I'm glad. You need to come over to spend some time as a family. Maybe Thanksgiving?"

I smile. "That would be lovely."

"Cool. Everyone's going to be so excited. I'm going to announce it in the family group chat so you can't back out now," He says as he takes out his phone.

I laugh nervously and before I can say anything, I see Sam walking out of an examine room from down the hall. He stops to talk to a nurse before he looks up and sees me. I bite my lip nervously as I offer him a small smile. I look at him and I can't help but think about what I saw earlier. How would Sam react ifhe knew his mother is having some kind of relationship with another man months after losing his father?

Sam looks surprised as he walks but he smiles when he reaches me. "Mercy-" He takes a step forward as if to kiss me but he glances at the full waiting room and he stops. He settles for the cheek.

"Hi," I say suddenly feeling shy.

"Is everything okay?" He asks suddenly looking alarmed.

"Yeah, everything's fine." I assure him. I want to tell him that we need to talk but I know how it would sound in front of all of these people, especially his cousin. Sam seems to read it on my face because he nods once.

"I'm so sorry I have a busy day. I can see if we can postpone some appointments" He says glancing at Marley.

"Please don't," I say. "I can wait. Do you mind if I wait in your office though? I have nowhere else to go."

"Of course not, come on," He says placing his hand on my back.

I turn to look at Jake. "Nice to see you again, Jake."

He smiles and nods. "Don't be a stranger. Remember...Thanksgiving."

I smile. "Okay."

Sam looks at me as we walk to his office. "Thanksgiving?"

I look up at him with a shy smile. "He sort of invited me to spend Thanksgiving with your family."

"He hasn't even invited me." He jokes.

I laugh quietly. "Sorry."

Sam opens the door for me. "No, it's fine. It's great actually. I like that you're thinking of being around for Thanksgiving.." He lets the sentence hang in between us.

I look up at him and bite my lip. "Sam...we need to talk."

He nods as he puts his hands in his pockets. "I know. I wish I would have known you were coming."

"Sorry, it was sort of last minute. I do leave tonight at nine..."

He looks a little disappointed. "Okay. I'll try to give us as much time as I can," He says as he glances at his silver watch. "I'm sorry. I have to go. You need anything?"

"Nope, I'm good. Ill probably take a nap on the couch." I say with a smile.

He offers me a smile. "Whatever you need. I got to go."

"Okay," I say. He doesn't move for a moment and I reach up and press my lips against his. "I'll be right here."

There is a smile playing on his lips when he turns around and walks out, leaving me alone in his office. I stand there looking at the door as I press my palm against my lower abdomen. I'm going to give Sam an ultimatum and I do feel a bit guilty but it has to be done. I can only hope that he's going to understand me and defend our marriage like I'm ready to. I go over the list of things, or more like people, I want to talk to him about in my head:

1. Mary.

2. Baby.

3. Penny.

Not necessarily in that order but those are the key points. I know I'm about to ask a lot of Sam but it's all necessary in order for our marriage to work and now I have to do everything to make this work. I want this baby to have both parents together and I will do everything I can to make that happen ..except going back to the unhappy life I used to have.

~~~~~~~~

I do end up taking a nap in Sam's office. It's short and sweet. Sleeping sitting down isn't comfortable and it makes my neck ache but I still feel refreshed after it. This pregnancy is already draining all of my energy. I hope this isn't how it's going to be during the whole term.

A few minutes after waking up, I walk to the window when the door opens behind me. I turn around and see Penny walking in. She's always showing up here. I'm not an idiot. I know she still has feelings for Sam. I know there's some part in her that still hopes they're going to end up together and there isn't a doubt in my mind that Mary has something to do with that. It's one of the reasons she's on my list.

"Mercedes," She says as she looks at me. "I heard you were here. How are you?"

"Hi, Penny. I'm good, thank you. How are you?"

She's wearing a pale pink pencil dress under her white lab coat with white pumps. She smiles as she walks to the file cabinet.

"Good. It's been a busy day but it's almost over."

"I can imagine," I say to make conversation. It's not that that I dislike Penny. She's never done anything to me..that I know of. She's always treated me with respect. My problem with her is the small part of her that hopes she can get back together with my husband. A woman in love with a forbidden man can be dangerous.

Sam walks in then and his green eyes met mine. "I just finished my last consult. Did you want to go somewhere else?"

I glance at Penny who looks uncomfortable as she makes her hands busy with files. I look at Sam again. "Actually, I want to stay here if that's okay with you."

I don't really want to have this conversation in a public place and there is no way in hell I'm going to Mary's house.

He smiles as he takes off his lab coat. "Yeah, that's fine with me."

Penny clears her throat. "I'll, uh, finish the paperwork and then head out."

"Thank you," Sam says.

She nods. "Good seeing you, Mercedes."

"Thanks, you too." She walks out, closing the door behind her.

"I'm sorry you had to wait."

"It's okay, Sam. I didn't tell you I was coming..."

He walks closer to me with his hands in his pockets. "I wanted to apologize for, you know, what happened when I was in Arizona."

"You already did," I say looking at him apologetically. "I'm sorry I wasn't answering your calls. I was very angry at you."

He chuckles. "It's okay. I did act like an ass

"Did everyone leave already?" I ask him as I take a seat on the couch.

"Mostly, yes. Penny and Marley are probably finishing up the paperwork."

He says as he sits next to me, our legs are touching and that casual touch makes me feel warm inside. I've missed him a lot. I want nothing more than be in his arms and kiss him, but I know we have to have this conversation. I don't want to leave without telling him everything I need to tell him.

"We need to talk..."

"So you've said."

I look down at my lap as I bite my lip nervously.

"Mercy-" Damian reaches out and puts his hand under my chin. He pulls it up gently so I can look at him. "You're making me nervous. Just tell me what you need to tell me, please."

"I-"I stop. "I don't know where to start." I have so many things I want to say, that I don't know what to tell him first.

1. Mary.

2. Baby.

3. Penny.

Maybe I should stick to the order of the list.

"Did you get here today?" He asks.

"This morning, yes. I, uh, I came to speak with your mother."

His shoulders tense. "With my mother?"

"Yes...I didn't come to fight." I assure him. "I honestly just wanted to have a real conversation with her. I wanted to know what I could do make things right between us. But your mother's problem is beyond me, Sam. She has never wanted me for you and she never will. I need you to understand that."

He nods once. "I've been thinking a lot about it since Arizona," He says looking down. "I" He sighs then looks at me. "It's been really hard for me to accept that my mom has this double face with you. She is my mother and as her son, it's my duty to respect her."

I feel disappointment flow through my chest. This is what I'm scared of. I'm scared of losing Sam to Mary. No...I'm scared of losing Sam. Period. It makes me sad to think about the possibility of Mary being right when she said Sam wouldn't choose me over her. She seemed so sure of it...maybe it was because she knew she was right.

"I thought about it a lot.." Sam continues looking up at me. "The truth is that I understood one thing and that is that I don't want to live without you."

"Sam" I reach for his hand and put it in between mine on my lap. "That is sweet. And maybe that would 've been enough three years ago but it's not today. I need you to believe me. I need you to trust me. Please."

He brings his eyebrows together in a frown. I can tell he doesn't understand me just by looking at him. He really doesn't.

"Mercedes-I"

"Sam, I'm pregnant." I blurt out without thinking.

His eyes widen as he straightens up. "What?"

"I'm pregnant." I repeat. "It's the reason I'm here. It's the reason I came to speak with your mother and it's the reason I need you to believe me."

"You're-pregnant," He says slowly. "Oh, wow." He chuckles as he reaches out to hug me. His chest vibrates as he laughs. "I can't believe it." He kisses my cheek then my forehead. I laugh as he fills my face with kisses. "You're serious? You're really pregnant? We're having a baby?"

I can see how happy the news make him. It's clear in his eyes. God I love this man.

"Yes," I say laughing at his reaction. It's more than I could've asked for. "We are."

"Wow," He says as he stands up. He runs a hand through his hair as he paces in front of me. "What are we going to do? I don't want to be apart from you. I can go with you to Arizona–"

"Sam." I interrupt. "Calm down. Please sit down, you're making me dizzy."

He turns to look at me then he gets down on one knee in front of me. "Mercy, you have no idea.." He shakes his head with a smile. "You have made me the happiest man on earth by giving me these news. I wish you knew how happy I feel right now."

I smile at him as I reach out and place my palm on his cheek. "I think I might have an idea. I'm glad the news make you happy."

He chuckles. "Are you kidding? I love you." He reaches for my hand on his cheek and kisses it.

Seeing how happy and excited he is about the baby makes my nerves ease up little by little. I haven't really celebrated the news because I've been so nervous about the uncertainty of my future with Sam but now..Sam's reačtion is contagious. It's impossible not to feel happy. Everything is perfect in this moment. I want to freeze time and stay in this moment forever...but that's not possible.

I reach out and place my palms against each of Sam's cheeks. "Now, do you understand why I need you to trust me?"

"Mercy, I'm yours," He says and I can tell he really means it. His eyes are so sincere. "I'll do whatever you want me to do." He kisses my hand.

I half smile. "Sam, I'm being serious."

"So am I," He says looking into my eyes. "love you and I want you by my side. You were my dream before and now" He shakes his head with a smile. "There are no words that can explain what you mean to me now. So talk to me. Tell me what you want. Tell me what you need and you'll have it."

I know it's the moment to talk but I can't help myself. I reach out and press my lips against his. He wraps his arms around my waist as he kisses me hard.

Mercedes, focus.

I'm trying to but Sam is so intoxicating. His smell, his lips, his arms around me...I want to let myself melt in his arms and let him hold and kiss me for the rest of our lives. He has never been more attractive and I have never loved him more than I love him right now.

"Sam," I whisper after a moment, pulling away and pressing my thumb against his lips. "I'm sorry," I say breathlessly. "I shouldn't have-we really need to talk."

He looks at me for a moment before he nods and stands up pulling me up with him. "Maybe we should sit at the desk." He suggests with a smile.

I laugh. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

He pulls the chair out for me then walks around his desk and sits across from me. His lips are swollen, reminding me of how much I want him but I need to get this conversation over with. I can't get ahead of myself.

"Im listening." Sam says looking at me, urging me to speak.

"Okay." I take a deep breath. "When you left Arizona, I was ready to let you go. I knew I couldn't put you in a position to make you choose me over your mother. Then..." I meet his gaze. "Then I found out I was pregnant and I realized that I can. I want you to know that I didn't want to make you choose, and I still don't, but it is necessary now." Sam nods encouragingly and I continue. "I spoke to Mary and I realized that her problem is something that I can't solve. I don't hate her, Sam, but she seems to hate me. She's stuck with the idea of Penny being the right woman for you"

Sam clenches his jaw. "Penny and I are just colleagues."

"Penny still has feelings for you." I tell him. "And I think you know."

Sam looks away. "I've always been clear with her. I don't like her like that."

"I know Penny still hopes you two will get back together and she's going to keep thinking that..as long as you keep her in your life..." I let the sentence hang hoping he would pick up on what I'm trying to tell him. I feel like I'm taking away his mother and now his right hand at work but he needs to understand that those women have to get out of his life in order for us to live ours peacefully.

Sam studies me. "Does it make you uncomfortable? Me working with her?"

"Honestly," I say looking at him. "Yes, it does, You wouldn't like it if I worked with Matt,"

"You do work with him," He says. He isn't accusing me. He's just stating the fact.

"But I would be leaving that job. I think we should agree on keeping our exes out of our lives for good, don't you think?"

Sam nods slowly. I can tell he's in conflict with himself. He's too good for his own good. "Yes."

"Sam, your mother is never going to stop coming between us unless we put a stop to it. With Penny being around. I know Mary will keep using her to cause problems between us. Do you trust me when I say this?"

He hesitates. "I told you that I have thought about my mother. Looking back helped me acknowledge that my mother hasn't exactly been pleasaht towards you. I also realized the big mistake I made when I brought you to live in my parent's house. It wasn't fair to you." He pauses. "I don't know why she doesn't love you," He says sadly. "You are my wife and I love you-that should be enough for her to"

He shakes his head, looking defeated. I bite my lip while I gain up the courage to tell him the next words. "You asked me to tell you what I needed and what I need, what we need is distance..from your mother. I am not going to prohibit you from seeing her or anything because it's not my right...but I do ask that we keep a distance, for a little while. I need you to put our marriage first. I need you to choose me. Choose us."

"Mercy–" He reaches out for my hand. "You are my wife. I love and respect my mother, I always will..but you are my family. You and the baby you're growing, are my family and I promise that I will stand up for you like I should have all those years ago."

His words are like music tb my ears. "Really?" I ask fighting back the tears.

He smiles at me. "Really." He lets my hand go to look for something on his laptop. "And to show you how serious I am.." He turns his laptop around and I look at the screen. "I am closing the deal on this house in a few weeks. It was supposed to be a surprise but-" He shrugs with a smile. "You're the one who ended up surprising me."

I stare at the screen on the computer. It's the picture of a beautiful house. Two- story. Pretty window frames with a garage on the side. "Oh my god. Are you serious?"

Sam smiles, looking pleased with himself. "Of course. This will be our new house. It's pretty big," He says then smiles at me. "I bought it thinking of our future children which is good considering I had no idea one of them was already on the way."

He bought this house bufore he knew I was pregnant. He bought this thinking of me, of our future. The tears are impossible to fight now and I stand up and walk around the desk to hug him. He pulls me down and I sit on his lap.

"Mercedes," He says gently as he wipes the tears on my cheeks. "What's Wrong?"

"Nothing," I say shaking my head. "I'm just so happy." I look into his eyes. "I thought I was going to lose you."

He smiles. "The situation with my mother hurts but it would be nothing compared to the pain I would feel if I lost you again. I will do anything for you. Don't ever doubt my love and dedication to you. I promise I'll do a better job in showing it to you."

"You're malking a lot of promises," I joke. "You might need to start writing them down."

He chuckles as he hugs me. "I love you. Thank you for coming here."

I kiss his cheek then bury my face in the crook of his neck. "I love you too." I whisper as I close my eyes. We stay like that for a long time. I feel pure happiness being in his arms. I feel so loved. After a moment, I feel him press his hand against my stomach.

"A baby." He murmurs then chuckles. "I can't believe I'm going to be a dad."

And I'm going to be a mom. The thought still scares me but it's different now. I have Sam. He chose me. He chose us. I place my hand on top of his and smile against his neck.

It still seems surreal. We're going to have a baby. A baby that is the product of our reconciliation, of our love...nothing is going to be the same from now on.