A/N: I know I say this every time, but this was a really hard one for me to write! I am totally serious, though. I want to make it perfectly clear that I am white, and somewhat Catholic. This is based almost entirely on discussions in school and experience with a few friends. I apologize for any mistakes I have made, and welcome any criticism. Please R&R. Thanks!

Mercedes Jones: Love

Mercedes Jones has loved church ever since she could remember.

Sundays were always special days. Saturday night, her mom would make sticky buns, and leave them by the stove to rise. Her dad would come into her room to wake her up in the morning, wearing his stripped pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt. She would run down to breakfast in her footie pajamas, and pour milk glasses. Her older brother would come in sluggishly, and glare around the table. Eight-year-old Mercedes didn't understand why her twelve-year-old brother wanted to sleep so much, she couldn't wait for Sunday mornings! He would tease her about her pajamas, and ask if she was going to wear them into high school. She would shrug, and take a sticky bun.

Somehow, breakfast always ran late in the Jones house, and the struggle to get ready before church would begin. Her mom would send Mercedes upstairs to get dressed. This was another reason Mercedes liked Sundays. Her mom would let her pick out a pretty dress from her closet, one she wouldn't normally get to wear. During a rebellious phase when Mercedes was twelve, there was on particular morning during when the Jones women clashed over the appropriateness of a denim skirt, but they generally agreed.

The family would pile into their van, and drive to church. Mercedes loved the feel of the seats, and the smell of the hard wood. She loved the stories, and the singing. But, she loved the feeling most of all. Standing there, in the silence, listening to the stories, she felt like someday, she might be able to be holy, too.

Now, Mercedes is fifteen, and life is more complicated. She loves God. She loves Jesus. She loves her church, and the spirit that lives there. But, she loves her best friend, Kurt Hummel, too. It's a similar kind of love, actually.

She's read the bible, memorized the passages, listened to the talks and the bible studies. And, she can't understand why her church rejects homosexuality so implicitly. The bible is full of contradictions. God made the world, and it was good. Men and Women were made in His image. Jesus came to save the world. He loved everyone. Christians are supposed to be like Jesus. But, at the same time, she has been told how anyone who is gay will burn in hell. She watched a family friend send their son away from de-gayification.

It makes her angry, and she wants to stand up, and defend her friend. But doesn't have the Words. Tradition is not behind her. She wishes that she could show them that all the Words are there.

Mercedes Jones loves her church. That's why she wants to change it.