Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

Note: Contains spoilers for episode 3X08! Also, please do review, I'd like some feedback on this story.

Constant (constant) craving (craving)

Has always (always) been

"Did you hear the news?" A Cheerio whispers to the cheerleader next to her. "Sam Evans is back at McKinley!"

"I know," she whispers back. "And he looks damn fine."

Mercedes Jones sighs at the name of her ex-boyfriend. She wonders for a moment why they ended it, and then remembers it was because he was moving out of state, and she did not want to carry out a long-distance relationship. She gathers up her books at the sound of the bell and ducks out of the classroom. Before she knows what is happening, her hand is being held. She looks down at the source, hoping it is Kurt, but pulls away when she realizes who the hand belongs to. "What are you doing?" She hisses.

"Holding your hand," the boy says.

"Look," she swivels around to stand in front of him. "I've moved on, and so should you."

"You can't deny we had an amazing summer together," he says in a low voice. "You know very well what happened between us wasn't nothing."

"I have a boyfriend," she shrugs. "I hear Quinn is available again. Why don't you go ask her to dinner? I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to get to class." She turns on her heel, a move she learned from Kurt, and walks down the hall.

"I don't care about your big, bad boyfriend!" Sam yells down the hall. "I'll fight to get you back!" Mercedes smiles softly to herself. She'd never admit it aloud, but the thought of two hot guys fighting for her love was very, very appealing.

Sectionals

"So how do you feel about Trouty Mouth being back?" Santana asks as the Trouble Tones prepare in their dressing room for the competition.

"I have a boyfriend," Mercedes rolls her eyes. "Remember? Shane."

"But you and Sam were boyfriend and girlfriend," Brittany points out. "I thought it was really cute. It was like if white chocolate and dark chocolate got along."

Mercedes hides a smile. "Thank you, Britt, but I've moved on, and hopefully Sam will, too. He can try to win me back as much as he wants, but I just don't feel the same way."

"Aw, cut the crap," Santana whips her hair around. "You know you still have feelings for him, and you're just dying to kiss those gigantic lips again, isn't that right?"

Meanwhile…

"You want Mercedes back, don't you?" Artie says quietly. "You still love her?"

"Yeah," Sam admits. "I don't care if she has a boyfriend now. She belongs with me, and she knows it." He sighs longingly. "I plan to woo her back with my sexy moves."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Artie laughs and high-fives the blonde. "I mean, you're a nice piece of white chocolate. What woman in her right mind wouldn't want that?"

"Exactly!" Sam grins as he ties his shoes. "By my calculations, she should be back in my arms by the end of the year."

"We talkin' about Aretha?" Puck joins in the conversation. "Yeah, chicks dig the sexy moves. It's what I do all the time. It never fails."

"Thanks, man," Sam fist-bumps the taller boy. "I think secretly, she still digs me, but the dang boyfriend stands in the way."

"Never stopped me before," Puck shrugs.

Meanwhile…

"You still like him!" Brittany claps.

"No, I…I'll admit, he is very handsome," Mercedes concedes, "but…but he's still immature, and…and I love Shane." She quickly fixes her hair in the mirror.

"Oh, 'Cedes, come on," Brittany moves so that she is standing in front of the diva, looking into her eyes. "You and Sam were meant to be together from the start. Remember when he told you that you were beautiful at Prom and asked you to dance with him?"

"That was very sweet," Mercedes smiles softly. "It was an amazing night." She suddenly gets whisked away by the memory of it, recalling when the cute boy approached her and asked her to slow-dance with him and then didn't leave her side for the rest of the night. She shakes her head, snapping out of it. "But I mean, come on. Do you really think he came all the way back from Kentucky just to re-join New Directions?"

"Well, yeah, that," Brittany says. "But he probably also wanted to get you back. Because he's really in love with you. It's like a fairytale or something."

"It must be nice in Brittany-Land," Mercedes mutters, leaning around the ditz to finish her hair. "Must be a lot of unicorns and sparkly things there."

"Come on!" Sugar cries. "We're on in three minutes!"

Later

"We lost," Santana slumps in her chair. "I can't believe we freakin' lost."

"They earned it, I guess," Mercedes shrugs.

"But we deserved it!" Santana yells. "We should've won that competition!"

"There's always…next time?" Sugar timidly speaks up.

"Don't you get it, Asperger's? The Trouble Tones are over," Santana huffs.

The next day

"Mercedes," Sam breathes as she re-joins the New Directions. "You came back."

"I came back to Glee club," she waves him off. "Not back to you."

"I still love you," he says. "I still care about you very much, Mercedes. Yeah, sure, I missed the rest of the group, too, but I missed you the most."

She freezes in her tracks. She takes in a deep breath before turning around to face her ex-flame. "Please, Sam, don't do this."

"Admit it," he takes a step closer. "You still care about me, too."

"Of course I care about you," she says in a low voice. "But not in that way."

"You so do," he says. "I saw you checking out my moves at the competition the other day." She blushes in spite of herself. "Don't deny it," he says as she opens her mouth to protest. "You say you've gotten over me, but I don't think you really have, Mercedes."

"I have," she insists.

"No," he shakes his head. "You haven't."

"Have."

"Haven't."

"Have."

"Haven't," Sam leans down to kiss her gently. Before his lips can touch hers, she pushes him away.

"Please, don't," she says quietly. "I…I can't."

"I'll fight," he reminds her. "I'll fight for you, Mercedes Jones."

"Bring it on," she accepts the challenge before walking away.

Up next: Brittany/Santana