A/N: Ryan Murphy keeps breaking my heart, but Samcedes will always be my OTP and all I hope now is that both Mercedes and Sam are happy.

Some context before reading: short chapter, maybe it's just me but I'm so unmotivated but don't worry, for those who happen to like this fic I wont stop writing until I honestly deem it done. Anyway onto the chapter…

Mercedes was completely broken. After Sam left she cried all day. It was now 9:30 and she decided to just try to sleep it off. But she didn't get much rest because Shane was blowing her phone up after just five minutes of closing her eyes. Mercedes didn't want to see him right now, so she shut her phone off and tried to go back to sleep, only to be awakened once again. This time it was to a loud knocking at her door. She got up after she realized the person wasn't going away. Mercedes made her way downstairs and saw Shane standing there with a distraught look on his face.

"Mercedes! Thank god!" Shane grabbed her to him and hugged her tightly.

She pulled away and asked, "Shane... What's wrong?"

"I tried calling you for an hour! You missed our date."

Mercedes slapped her head and then opened the door so he could come inside. They went into the living room and sat down on her couch.

"Shane, I'm sorry. I... I got caught up." Mercedes said to him.

"I was so worried baby. I called you at 7 to see if you still wanted me to pick you up no answer, then I called you again at 7:30, then 8... Over and over with no answer. I thought something bad happened! But now that I know that you are ok, you wanna tell me what you were doing that caught you up?"

Mercedes looked down at her hands as she played with her fingertips. What was she supposed to tell him? That she was arguing with her ex boyfriend? A guy Shane knew nothing about? Was she supposed to tell him that she cried knowing that Sam gave himself to someone else even though they aren't together? She didn't know what to say. But she did know that Shane deserved more than to be lied to. He deserved the truth about everything. And whether Mercedes was ready to tell him or not, it still needed to be said.

"Shane... There is something you should know... Something I should've told you before we started dating."

"I'm all ears baby." Shane grabbed her shaky hands and held them tightly. Mercedes loved that he was so caring. It was one of his best qualities.

"I... Haven't been honest about something..." Mercedes Began, "Shane, I was in a relationship before you, and no one knew about it... Not even my best friends. I wasn't planning on telling you, but I think you deserve the truth. I need you to come with me."

Shane just nodded, took her hand and followed Mercedes up to her room. Once inside she pulled up a chair next to hers near her desk and told him to sit down. She opened her computer, to the photo album she refused to erase and typed in the password. Once it was opened she showed Shane her favorite pics of her and Sam.

"His name was Sam. You know him from the football team. We- We were in a secret relationship for a while, and I loved him, but we... We broke up because he needed to move to Kentucky." Mercedes started to tear, but she knew she had to suck it up and finish what needed to be said.

"He came here today, and we argued and yelled and then he told me goodbye. That we weren't going to see each other again."

She closed her laptop in anger at her own words and went to her bed to cry into her pillow. Shane got up and sat beside her, he picked her face up so she could cry into his shirt.

"Baby... Why are you crying?" Shane asked.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Mercedes sobbed loudly.

"Yes you do... come on, you know you can tell me anything."

"Shane please... Just let it go okay? I told you about Sam because I didn't want any secrets between us."

"I'm not letting anything go! Tell me why you are still crying over some fool who you broke up with? What did that bastard do to you?" Shane said through jealousy and anger.

"He... He slept with someone else ok? Is that what you wanted to hear? That I'm heartbroken and confused and I feel like my body is torn apart!" she didn't mean to say that part... The word vomit slipped out of her mouth with the quickness, and now she knew she was in for her second argument of the day.

"Why are you confused and heartbroken? You aren't with this fool anymore! You're supposed to be with me! So what? He fucked someone else! It's not like you two are still dating." Shane huffed.

"Shane you just don't get it ok... I'm... " Mercedes stopped herself before she told Shane something that she wasn't ready to admit to herself or out loud anymore.

"You're what? You still in love with him or something?" Shane laughed at his own words until he glanced into her eyes and Mercedes looked away and didn't say a word.

"Oh my god! You're still in love with him!" he said it as a statement now.

"Shane... Please..." Mercedes tried to speak but he cut her off again.

"No! I don't want to hear it! How dare you Mercedes? How dare you kiss me and tell me that you want me to be your boyfriend and shit all the while you're still pining over some jackass?"

"Shane I tried to be with you! I did! Sam left me, we ended it way before we got together."

"So I was the fucking rebound guy? That makes me feel so much better!" Shane was livid now... Yelling at the top of his lungs. Luckily no one was home.

"You aren't a rebound! Shane I like you a lot. I care about you a lot." Mercedes yelled back.

"You like me, but you love him. What am I supposed to do, wait for you to fall out of love with him? Wait for you to realize that I'm the better man? Fuck that." Shane never cursed this much in his life, but this whole conversation was pissing him off to the max. How did they go from being a happy contented couple to her being in secretly with some white boy? Where did it go wrong? He asked himself over and over.

"Shane I don't know what to tell you right now. My mind... Is so jumbled. I'm a mess."

"How do you think I feel? I'm just finding out that my girl... The girl I'm falling in love with is in love with someone else."

"Wait... You love me?" Mercedes asked shocked... Oh god this was worse then she thought, Shane was in love with her.

"I... I didn't mean to say that... Actually fuck it! Yes Mercedes I love you. I love you so much that I'm going to give to a chance to choose right now... Me or him?"

Mercedes didn't know how to answer that. She wanted to say "You Shane!" but her heart was screaming "Sam, Sam, Sam!"

She tried to form words but she kept saying "I... I..." so Shane interrupted her.

"Before you decide you should know that he's gone Mercedes. I'm here. I want you... He left you, don't you see he doesn't deserve you? I'm everything you need in a good man... So what do you say?"

"I'm sorry Shane... I can't choose either of you right now." Mercedes finally spit out with confidence. It was the right choice. Right now she couldn't choose and Shane deserved more then a halfhearted relationship.

"You know what fine! Whatever. Stay here and pine over a guy who doesn't want you anymore. A guy who cheated on you! When you come to your senses, and stop acting like a child, I'll be waiting." Shane didn't say anything else. He just got up and left after that.

Mercedes just lay there, on her bed crying her eyes out for what seemed like the 100th time or the night. She went from having zero boyfriends to having two to having none in one summer. What else could possibly go wrong now?

To: Mom and Dad,

I'm leaving to Lima today, something is broke and I need to try and fix it. Please don't try to call me or anything, I promise to be back by tomorrow.

- Sam

Sam's mom and dad must've read that message a thousand times. They were furious at Sam. How dare he just up and leave all the way to Lima, only leaving a note in his wake?

Sam came back in the middle of the day to find both his parents sitting at the table. They looked at him, their faces showed no emotion, but their eyes were cold and there was a hidden anger there that Sam could see was waiting to be unleashed. And he knew it was all directed towards him.

Before he got a chance to say something Stevie came up to him and said, "R.I.P bro..." and then walked away.

Sam came into the kitchen and took a seat at the table where his parents were. They were completely silent so Sam decided to get this over with.

"How long am I grounded for?" He asked them.

"Forever!" his father Mark yelled. "How dare you Samuel? How dare you just up and leave without telling us? We are beyond furious with you! You think you can do whatever the hell you want to do? Well not while you're living under my roof you won't!"

"Mark! Calm down please!" Mary Evans said to her husband.

"Mary don't act like you aren't as angry as I am about this!"

"I am... But please stop yelling or you'll wake Stacy." she put her hand over his to calm him and then turned her attention to Sam.

"Sam, do you have anything to say to us?" Mary asked him.

"No." is all Sam replied.

"No? You don't want to tell us why you went to Lima? Or what possessed you to think you can travel across states without us knowing?"

"I left you a note mom. I'm old enough to travel. I took a bus here and back, and I'm fine. You wanna punish me? Go ahead. Nothing means anything anymore. From now on there won't be any trips to Lima or otherwise. I'm sorry for doing it sir... And it won't happen again."

Sam's father didn't notice how sad Sam seemed, but his mom did. He looked broken. Like apart of him was missing. He hardly smiled anymore, he wasn't happy half the time but today was different; he looked morbid. Like being around him for five minutes could lead to imminent death.

No one was speaking. So Sam got up and decided to go to his room. His father just shook his head, disappointed in him as Sam walked away but his mom got up and went into his room. Sam was lying down on his bed, looking up with all of his clothes still on, even his jacket. Mary went over to his bed and sat down next to him.

"Sam... Why did you really go to lima?" she asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Sam said back.

"Samuel Evans don't shut me out... Talk to me."

"Mom! Please! Can we talk later?"

Mary sighed and said one word, "Mercedes?" she said it as more of a statement than a question. She knew he was head over heels for that girl. She knew it before he even announced they were dating.

"It doesn't matter! She and I are over and I just want to forget." Sam spat.

"Sam, what happened? I thought you and Mercedes agreed to be friends?"

"I can't be friends with someone I'm in love with mom. It hurts too much. She doesn't want me and with good reason. Cause I'm an idiot. I screwed things up with her and now I'll never get her back." Sam picked up his pillow and tossed it across the room. Then he threw another one and more items before his mom took him in her arms and Sam started to cry.

"Samuel..." Mary took his face and held it between her hands. "Love is patient sweet boy. If you and Mercedes are meant to be together than you will be. You love that girl like your father loves me. I know you will be together again one day. I can feel it." She kissed his forehead and Sam closed his eyes. She hugged him once more and then left the room. Sam knew his mom was right. He was going to be with Mercedes again one day. He foresaw their future... But it's not how he wants to be with her. They aren't happy. Sam closed his eyes and hoped, prayed that his dreams would change. That they could somehow help him get her back... The right way.

The first couple of therapy sessions were awkward and bitter on both parts. Mercedes and Sam both hated talking about their relationship, and what happened between them. But slowly they were breaking down barriers with Dr. Ian and that was a good start. This therapy session started out no different, they were both quiet so it was up to Dr. Ian to break the ice.

"So Sam, Mercedes, how are we doing today?" He asked them.

"The baby is kicking a lot lately." Mercedes said smiling and rubbing your belly.

"That's good, and Sam? How are you?"

"I'm ok." was his response every session. Ian noted it down and then jumped right in.

"Ok well... Let's pick up where we left off shall we?"

"Can we please get to why I cheated? We've been here for two weeks and I have yet to tell my story." Sam said.

"Sam... There's a reason for everything I do. The reason we haven't gotten to that yet is because your cheating was only the cherry on top of the shit sundae you two served each other, which lead to your divorce... Don't worry. We will get to it, but for now... Let's talk about, high school."

"Oh god!" Mercedes groaned.

"Something wrong Mercedes?" Dr. Ian asked her

"No... It's just we were talking about that the last time we were here." Mercedes said.

"No... We weren't Mercy, we were talking about our first summer together, the summer we fell in love." Sam replied to her.

"Psh! Shut up Sam... You mean the summer you fell in love." Mercedes scoffed.

"Guys! What did we talk about? Honesty, remember? Mercedes, are you honestly saying you didn't fall for Sam that summer or are you trying to be spiteful?"

"Fine! I'll admit it... I fell in love with him! Better?"

"Better." Sam said smiling. She rolled her eyes at him but smiled back. Ian loved that. He could clearly see these were two people that were obviously still in love with one another.

"Guys we are moving on from summer... When did you two get back together? It was High school right? Sam you told me you broke up but you got back together. Please elaborate."

"It wasn't high school. We broke up that summer and I stayed in Kentucky. I came back to Lima after she graduated and found out she moved to LA along with my then best friend Puck. I started dating Quinn again and... That didn't work out well, Quinn would tell me things like "Stop trying to make me her. I'm not her" and she was right... I saw Mercedes in Quinn. But she wasn't her... It hurt a lot. Because I was settling."

"And why were you settling?" Ian asked while taking notes.

"Because he thought I didn't love him anymore. Apart of that is true... I did my best to fall out of love with him... I had sex with Noah, I dated David.. I mean I thought I wasn't going to see him anymore, so I tried to forget." Mercedes said.

"So Sam, tell me, when do you honestly think you lost Mercedes? Was it when you cheated?"

Sam looked at Mercedes and then looked at the Dr. Ian. He answered, "No... It wasn't when I cheated that I lost my wife. I lost her before that... When I didn't fight for us, way back then... I just gave up, I stayed in Kentucky. I figured Shane would make her happy, I figured that she would be better off with out the screw up in her life. Maybe if I would've fought for us in the very beginning, things would've turned out differently."

"Yeah... Maybe." Mercedes agreed.

Before Sam could hear anything else he woke up. He couldn't believe what he just dreamt. He future self said he lost her when he was young... He stayed in Kentucky. He didn't fight for them originally. Sam figured this was the sign he was waiting for... He couldn't wait...

In the darkness of the night Sam came to the realization, "I have to go back to Lima."

a/n: dont hate me! more to come...oh and i never do this but shameless plug: i wrote a new quamcedes fic that i'm going to be putting under sam/mercedes because they are endgame in it. i will rate it T but maybe it should be rated M. i don't know. but if you want to you can read it and tell me what you think? i put the premise on my tumblr if you want to know more about it. until next time- Melle