Sam's POV (Saturday Morning)

The next morning my house was full of chaos. Mom was shoving things at me to put in the GT Cruiser, while I stood in the middle of the living room bearing the burdens. Dad opted not to go and I held no judgment against him. He could at least help with all the packing though. Stevie and Stacie weren't going either, because mom didn't want to spend all her time at the Senator's house running after them. I wish I was still ten years old so I would have a get-out-of-jail-free card. I already packed the car with a small duffel bag full of clothes, toiletries and comics. As far as I knew we were only staying the night, but in mom's world we might as well have been going on vacation.

"We're supposed to be meeting Margret and Quinn at their house in Lakeview." Mom said, looking at her phone.

"Okay."

She glanced over at me and my nonchalant expression. "Sam, baby, there's no way Quinn's going to take a second look at you with the face you're making."

"Sorry." I tried to smile, but by mom's reaction it was probably closer to a grimace.

She walked over to me and smoothed out the collar of my shirt. "Don't worry about this weekend, okay? It's going to go smoothly."

"Okay." I replied although I wasn't worried in the slightest.

"Now," Mom said, "You know the drill. Be the perfect gentleman I raised you to be. As long as you do that, Quinn will fall for you with no trouble. You two are going to be so cute together. Oh isn't this exciting!"

I shrugged.

She frowned at me. "Watch your attitude."

By noon I assumed we would already be on our way to the Fabrays, but of course we weren't. "God, we're already late! Sam, grab my purse." Mom came jogging into the foyer, ready to leave at last. She looked the part of a suburban wife: hair piled on top of her head with a beaded pin placed just so, white skirt and soft pink top. I knew next to nothing about girls and their habits, but it didn't appear to me that she should've taken so much time getting ready. But because my mom was in a rush, suddenly so was I. My hands snatched her purse from the kitchen table and I was out the door within seconds.

"Thank you honey." She said once I got in the car and placed the bag on the console between us.

"Welcome."

We were on and off the interstate in minutes. I watched cars zoom past us as we got to the exit. The houses that I saw in the immediate vicinity tore my breath away. Lakeview seemed equivalent to the Promised Land. Everyone's bank accounts must be flowing like milk and honey in order to live in these houses. I didn't know the Fabrays, but I could infer that they were rich. No doubt. Mom's cell started ringing then, and I dove into her purse to grab it before it could ring twice. Thank you she mouthed to me as she got on the phone with whoever it was. I suspected Mrs. Fabray. "Hey girl!" Mom greeted her friend.

"Really?" She asked, switching her phone to the other ear. "Oh goodness."

We were caught in traffic to my annoyance. I tried to get my spirits up as we inched forward in line and came closer to the Fabray's neighborhood. In truth my mind was somewhere else. My head was playing around with the name Clarice Jones. Mercedes' last name was Jones, but I didn't think that they were related. Jones was a common name, right? I bit my lip pondering this. Mercedes Jones. Senator Jones. Mercedes Jones, Clarice Jones. Hmm.

"That'll be a sweet surprise for her daughter." Mom said as someone in a Prius cut her off. Daughter? I thought. The senator had a daughter? Was that Mercedes? My leg started bouncing eagerly.

"Alright, well we're coming up on the gate right now." Mom lied. We were still in the heat of traffic, and I craned my neck to see what was causing the holdup.

"Okay. I'll call you when we get there." She said as we got in sight of a stoplight.

"Look at their house Sam! Isn't it lovely? Just think of what the senator's house must look like in comparison! You remember what I told you?" Mom said wiping some excess lipstick of her mouth and picking at her nails.

"Yes mom, I remember."

The Fabray's home was everything that I expected it to be. Large, painted a light tan with fancy white shutters and dark green grass underneath it. The roof was a tinged red and I wondered if this was just one of the Fabray's homes. Cars were displayed on the driveway even though a four door garage was within walking distance. Obviously this was all for appearance purposes. Even the flowerbed looked like it matched. The sprinkler system was on, spraying the weird matching flowerbed and near shrubbery. Their house almost didn't seem real to me, like it was something you saw in cartoons and doll houses but never imagined to actually exist. I was half expecting a white picket fence. I took a deep breath and got out. I started up the walkway and chanted in my head to stay focused. No matter what Quinn says, give her a chance. For mom's sake. We stood on the driveway waiting for Margret and Co. to show up. Mom worked on smoothing out her skirt. I worked on smiling appropriately.

"Hello, hello!" Mrs. Fabray (I'm assuming) said when she spotted mom, heading over to give each of us a hug. My nose wrinkled at the pungent perfume she was bathed in. Her blonde hair was in complicated curls, her makeup was basic, and she wore a yellow sundress that was knee length. What stood out most to me was the lipstick she had on, it was way too red. It reminded me of a clown honestly.

"How was your trip over here?"

"Good." Mom said slowly, looking around the property once more.

I glanced at the front entryway and saw a girl standing there staring at me. She had blonde hair, a great shape and a pretty face. Her blonde hair was straightened with a white headband holding it back and she was wearing a plain blue polo top and jean shorts. Her tall stature framed an average guy's teenage dream. She must have been Quinn. I wasn't going to lie, this girl was gorgeous. But that was the thing.

She wasn't beautiful. Beautiful. The word reminded me of lunch at Tastee Freeze with a girl I already liked, a girl who wasn't perfect but made every moment with her that way. That girl's eyes were brown like leaves in the autumn and she had a body with enough curves to lose yourself in, that you wanted to be lost in. Granted I didn't know Mercedes or Quinn that much. I couldn't really describe it, but Quinn wasn't beautiful. Looking at her in the afternoon sun was enough to prove that.

She walked over to her mother and smiled showing her pretty white teeth. "Hello."

"Hi." I said.

I felt mom's gaze on me, so I tried to start a conversation. "I'm Sam."

She nodded. "I know. I'm Quinn."

So much for conversation. I glanced at my phone. It was 1:45. "We should get going."

Quinn looked at our mothers chatting. "We should, but they seem busy. Do you want to bother them or should I?"

"I don't want to." I replied.

"Well," She was saying in a small voice. "I'll do it then."

Wait, mom wouldn't want me having her do the dirty work. "No," I said turning toward our mothers already. "It's okay. I'll do it."

"Mrs. Fabray? Excuse me but, if we don't leave now we won't get to the senator's by two-thirty."

She studied me for a moment. "Are you saying that we should leave?"

"Um," Duh. I fidgeted. "Yes we should if-"

Her eyes lit up and she began to laugh. "Calm down, boy! I was just playing with you."

I laughed along hesitantly as mom and Quinn grinned. "Come now, everyone! Let's leave." Mrs. Fabray said while instructing me to carry her and Quinn's luggage to the cruiser. I rolled my eyes and prayed to God that this weekend would go by fast.

Margret Fabray was creepy. I didn't know how else to put it, she just was. The moment we got seated back in the cruiser and departed for the senator's house she was questioning me. Her questions started off rightfully curious, but after the first ten minutes it became uncomfortable. Quinn looked completely unfazed by her mother's actions which I'm supposing she was used to.

"You mother says you don't like McKinley?" Margret asked.

"That's not what I said." I started, "I just haven't been in the community long enough to have an opinion about it."

"What about the people there then?" She responded. "Do you like them?"

"I like the ones I've met and talked to so far."

"What kind of people are those?" She asked.

What type of question was that? My eyes darted to my mom who was driving. She found me staring at her in the rearview mirror and chuckled. "Those who are nice and aren't judgmental."

"Are you smitten with anyone yet?"

"Mom," Quinn said looking at me and my flushed face. "I think you're freaking him out."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm just so interested in Sharron's handsome son!" Margret smiled and reached from the passenger's side to pat my hand.

"I'm fine." I lied, feeling the need to wipe where her hand had touched.

We rode without speaking for a few minutes. Mom saw something notable and pointed it out to Margret, and like that they were talking again. It didn't take much for them to converse. I think that they were debating over certain boutiques in Lima's shopping areas. Bleh.

I turned to Quinn. "Thank you." I said softly.

She waved her hand in dismissal. "Don't worry about it. She gets like that sometimes."

"Okay."

"How come I haven't seen you around school?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't hang around a lot of people."

"You hang around Puck though." She stated.

"No I don't." I replied.

"You don't?"

"No."

"But," She said shaking her head confused, "He said you're joining the football team."

Ugh. Not this again. "He's right, I am. But I don't hang around him. We've only talked once."

"Good." Quinn said.

"Why is that good?"

"Well," She began, "Puck and I have had our ups and downs."

I didn't say anything; I was waiting for more details.

"He's not a good person. He's manipulative and you can't trust a word he says." She added.

"I don't know him." I said, even though this didn't mean anything. I didn't know Quinn either.

"Take my word for it. Puck isn't any good."

"Okay." I kept saying that. Okay. I took my phone out of my pocket and checked to see if Mercedes had texted me. I knew she hadn't, I would have felt my phone vibrate. I sent her a quick message. Hey (:

As I waited for a reply, I took a glimpse of Quinn. She was twirling a piece of hair between her fingers and observing things outside the window. Don't trust him, she said. I looked back at my phone contemplating this. Did that mean I could trust her? I didn't know if I can trust a girl with a mother like hers. It was wrong of me to make a judgment of Quinn based on her mom but there was something off about both of them. I didn't know.

Mercedes' POV (Saturday morning)

I awoke with a jolt at the sound of something crashing. I sat up in bed, cross-eyed. My mom had come home late last night so I knew someone was in the house that wasn't a burglar. Hopefully. It took a few minutes before I adjusted to the morning light and my heart stopped it's drumroll in my chest. The radio down the hall was on full blast and I heard a shower going. I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes.

"What…" I croaked, seeing my mother crouched down in my closet across the room.

"Oh honey!" She said cheerfully. "You weren't supposed to wake up, I was gonna make pancakes and…"

Mom trailed off, rummaging through my hangers. I heard something clatter to the floor again. "Darn! You have cute clothes I don't ever see you wear Mercy. Shame."

You're never here, I almost replied. Wait a second, if mom's in here then… "Who's in the shower?" I asked.

Mom flinched visibly. "That was supposed to be a surprise, too. Damn. Everything's ruined now."

"Mom," I said slipping out of my bed. "Who's using the shower in your room?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mom."

"Mercedes, dammit I will not be interrogated by my own daughter." She was using her mom voice.

I eyed her. She looked sleepy, her clothes were disheveled and so was her hair. The only time I've seen mom like this was when dad was around. Mom and dad acted like newlyweds, which has always been gross. My heart pounded at the possibly of him being in the house.

"Is dad home?" I asked standing in front of her.

She turned around swiftly on velvet house shoes and walked out of my room. "Breakfast will be ready in thirty minutes!" She called from behind my bedroom door.

Once calmed down a bit, I flicked off the light in my closet and walked over to the nearest window. My eyes were trained on the backyard. Down below I saw the pool and chairs and appliances no one ever touched. We had a huge overhang keeping the lawn furniture cool. If dad was home, maybe we could make use of the stuff my parents worked so hard for.

In twenty-five minutes I took a shower, got dressed, and was applying makeup. I didn't want to go downstairs and ruin whatever 'surprise' mom was setting up for me, so I just waited for her to call me to breakfast. I walked to my futon and sunk down into it, listening to the sounds of my household. The radio was still on and I heard padding against the carpet of the hallway. The noise started out loud and became softer as whoever it was walked away.

After sitting around for a moment I reached for my phone and looked at my notifications. I had a message from Santana telling me not to worry if she didn't call today because she was spending time with her cousins, and a picture message from Kurt asking if his new blazer was cute. Of course, I replied before frowning at the messages in my inbox. Or lack thereof.

What the heck? I thought shaking my head. Why would you ask for someone's number and not even text them? I didn't know what to expect from Sam, but I wasn't anticipating going unnoticed. We've only talked once, however, I thought there was something more between with us. I wasn't going to text him first though. No way was I going to be the annoying clingy one. If he didn't care then I didn't care.

"Mercy? Meer-cy!" I heard mom's laughter above the ringing on the intercom.

I pressed the speaker button. "Yes?"

"Breakfast is ready! Come on down and receive your extravagant feast, as well as a surprise!" Mom called out. Oh geez. Still as I made my way downstairs, my cell long forgotten, I couldn't help the nervous jitters in my stomach. Dad was here. He was here, he was home and now we could eat together as a family, even if it was only for a little while.

"There she is!" I heard my father call from the kitchen. And as if turning on a switch, I felt the burning behind my eyes. I knew it would only be a few more seconds before I was crying. I ran the rest of the way to my dad's arms.

"Hey, we got to stop greeting each other like this." Dad said in my ear as I cried into his chest. He smelled like I always remembered: laundry detergent, coffee, and cologne. I agreed with him. I needed to stop crying every time I saw my dad, but I couldn't help myself. Nothing compared to having both parents around on a Saturday morning.

"How's school been lately?" Mom asked as I helped her clean the dishes. The past few hours have been going so well that I wondered if I should rock the boat bringing up Santana. I thought against it. Mom wasn't fond of her, and I wasn't going to make her forbid me from having any contact with her.

"Uh," I was replying as I scrubbed a saucepan. "Quinn tried talking to me yesterday."

Mom murmured her disapproval. "Are you going to be friends with her again?"

"I don't know." I bit my lip, urging myself to go on. "I keep going back and forth between giving her another chance and just letting it go."

Mom rinsed a plate and turned to look at me. "God forgive me for saying this," She started, "But that little women was a real bitch to you Mercy. And after everything you did for her, she shouldn't even have the audacity to look in your direction."

"So you're saying I shouldn't give her another chance." I deduced.

"I'm telling you to be careful. Don't trust that girl, not until she proves herself tenfold." She said.

I heard dad mute the TV. "Are you talking about the Fabrays?"

I flushed. Here we go. "Yes dad, but-"

"No honey, your mother's right." His voice carried over from across the house. But I never disagreed I felt the need to say.

"I know that they'll be over soon," He went on. "But that doesn't change the truth. The Fabrays are screwed up. If Margret was any kind of mother than maybe her daughter wouldn't have gotten pregnant at sixteen. To make matters worse, she kicks Quinn out because she might make her look bad. And then my poor baby girl gets the boot once Quinn gets back in Margret's good graces? No, they're both chicken shit."

Mom nodded and started to put her two cents in. "Maybe if Mr. Fabray decided to make an appearance in their lives more than once a year Quinn wouldn't behave like she does."

"Dad's not here most of the time, though." I pointed out.

"Watch your mouth." He said his voice a warning. I shook my head and kept drying the plates.

"Don't get me started on how Margret acted during the campaign!" Mom said even though no one was talking about that. But this was a conversation starter, and soon she and dad were talking about the people we'd have spending the night in only a few hours.

I went back upstairs, where I now had the whole second floor to myself. My eyes darted to a clock. It read 2:00. So I didn't have much longer until I'd be face to face with one of my problems. After standing around a bit examining the walls I heard my phone beeping from my room. I picked it up from the futon, scanning the screen. I had a new text message from Sam. Freaking finally, I thought.

Hey (:

I leaned in closer to the phone. I repeated the word over in my head. It was just 'hey'and a smiley face, but I couldn't help the butterflies that fluttered in my stomach. I sat down on my bed.

Hey (: What are you doing?

Before I could put the phone down and try to still my trembling, he replied.

I'm going over to an important person's house.

How important is this person? I asked.

Sam could type out answers fast. She's the senator.

I took my finger off the phone. Sam was coming over? Since when? Why? I had so many questions for him, but settled for texting, That's funny.

How is that funny? He asked.

Well, my mom's a senator.

I think I waited thirty seconds before I had an incoming call. "Hello?"

"Your mom's Clarice Jones?" He didn't waste time.

"You sure know how to greet a girl." I said. Inside I was nervous as all get-out, and my fingers were wobbly holding onto the phone but my voice was the picture of calm.

"Oh." Sam said, and I could almost see him lost in thought.

"Sam?"

"Let me try again?" He asked in a deeper octave.

I almost dropped the phone. This was the first time I've heard Sam sound like this. "Sure."

"Hello, Mercedes?" Sam begun and he still sounded like that. "Can I ask you a question?"

I breathed in unison with the pounding of my heart. "Yes."

"Is your mother Senator Jones?"

I released the lip that was captured between my teeth. "Yes."

"Okay then." He said.

"So you're staying the night?" I asked, just to be sure.

"I'm staying the night, Mercy."

"Who said it was okay for you to use my nickname?" I asked stretching out on my bed. The setting of my whole entire room changed. My God, how could it not? Sam was spending the night at my house; he was going to be within reach! Not like I'd actually be able to do anything considering that my father was in the house. Not like I would anyway, I mean, I didn't know the guy. Oh God.

"Don't pretend that you don't like it." If that didn't sound overly-sensual than I was caught up in a fantasy. With how Sam made me feel by texting 'hey' I probably was.

After the initial conversation was over we talked about nothing in particular. And because both of us didn't want to get off the phone we sat in comfortable silence. I hummed a song while playing with my bedspread.

"What's that?"

"Nothing." I replied glancing at the clock awaiting his arrival.

"Sing it for me?"

"Maybe later, Sam."

"Why not now?" He said his voice persuasive and smooth. "I'm bored in this car, and it's not like I haven't heard you sing before."

"I don't know." I mumbled.

"Have mercy on me, Mercy." He pleaded. "I might die from boredom if you don't sing for me."

I laughed. "Alright, but only because you'll die otherwise."

"It's sad that's your only motivation."

"Don't push it." Sam got quiet fast.

"One summer night," I sang, turning my head and looking out the window. "We ran away for a while..."

"Laughing, we hurried beneath the sky to an obscure place to hide, that no one could find." As I sung for Sam I could hear his steady breathing on the other end of the line. It was comforting knowing his undivided attention was on me. I felt empowered, important.

"And we drifted to another state of mind," I crooned, almost humming. "And imagine I was yours and you were mine as we lay upon the grass there in the dark, underneath the stars."

I worked through the second verse and its chorus focused on nothing but singing as sweetly as possible and Sam's breathing. It was when I reached the bridge that I floated to a place only music could take me. "Beautiful and bittersweetly you were fading into me and I was gently fading into you."

My ears picked up on Sam sighing contently. "But the time went sailing by, reluctantly we said goodbye, and left our secret place so far behind."

"And I lay in bed all night and I was drifting, drifting, drifting." I realized how romantic this song was. It was like I was serenading him. "Imagine I was yours, and you were my own baby. As we lay, underneath the stars."

When I finished I heard Sam clearing his throat. "Your voice is better than what I remembered. It's was beautiful, Mercy."

I beamed at his words. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Look," He was saying now. "We're pulling up in the neighborhood. I'll see you in a few, okay?"

"Okay." I replied halfheartedly. Of course I didn't want to get off the phone with him.

We said our goodbyes and I waited anxiously for him to arrive. I realized that there were others with him, and God knew I couldn't forget about Quinn and the drama that she would bring, but I wasn't thinking about that. For now I was thinking about Sam and how he made me feel, and how he treated me. Beautiful.

What did you think? Do you think Quinn has Sam's best interest at heart? Would you trust her? Did you like Mercedes singing to Sam? Was it cheesy? Any critique, comments or questions, don't hesitate to tell me! Thank you all very much for the reviews last chapter, and please review this one!

*I don't own Underneath the Stars by Mariah Carey. (If anyone has a song they would like me to try and incorporate into the story leave me the title and artist in a review)