Stacy's scream ripped through the motel room. It was the sound of pain. Sam ran out of the bathroom, hair still wet to see what had happened. The little girl ran to him, inconsolable. He showered the top of her little head with kisses while glaring up at the one person who could possibly be the culprit.

Stevie stood in the corner, arms folded, his eyes defiant and his jaw set. "I didn't hit her!"

Stacy wouldn't quit clinging to him and Stevie would not move any closer. Sam had no idea where to even begin with this one. Usually the kids got on well together. When he'd gone into the shower, they were happily working together 'helping' him to pack for New York. Something bad had clearly just gone down.

Stevie's mouth drew into a thin line just like his mom when she was about to be stubborn about something. Sam wanted to laugh at the facial expression but he knew that he had to be serious and get to the bottom of this and Stevie definitely wasn't going to be forthcoming.

He tried again with Stacy. "Stace? It's OK. You're not in trouble. What happened?" His voice was soft.

No reply.

"Seriously Stacy, look at me and talk to me."

The little girl lifted up her head and sniffed. "Tell him he can't."

"Can't what?"

"He says he's going to marry Cedes but I told him that he can't because she's your girlfriend."

What the-? How the hell was he supposed to deal with this one?

He wanted to laugh but it wasn't actually that funny. There were clearly layers to this problem that needed to be worked through. Luckily his parents weren't due home for a while yet. Sam took a deep breath, unsure which child and which accusation to handle first. Stacy still had hiccups from her sobs so he decided to go to Stevie for more information, hoping his voice wouldn't falter with the subject matter.

"That's a big decision to make little man."

Stevie scuffed one foot along the carpet but didn't move any closer. "I know, but at school Miss Allen is going to marry Mr Clarke and she says it's because he makes her happy. Mercedes makes me happy so I'm going to marry her."

Sam smiled at his brother and fought of the flashback to the dream in his head. "There's more to it than that dude! There's a few minor details that you haven't thought of such as the age gap, how you're going to support her and where you're going to live!"

Stevie shrugged nonchalantly. "I can handle it!"

Stacy sniffed and stared daggers at her brother from the safety of Sam's arms, "You can't just have Cedes all to yourself!"

"You can still come and visit!"

The little girl wasn't impressed with that answer.

Stevie looked up at his brother. "Is Stacy right? Is she your girlfriend? Coz if she is then I'll back off."

Sam chuckled "Er… no. No she's not my girlfriend." Stacy was getting heavy so he sat down on the bed with her on his lap.

"Why not?"

That was actually a damn good question!

He rubbed the back of his neck. "She's just a friend." Really Sam? Really? "OK, she's a really good friend."

"But she makes you happy."

Stevie moved closer. "You always smile more when you know she's coming. You don't smile at any other time except when you're playing with us."

This was starting to feel like an ambush.

"And she's really pretty."

"I like to play with her hair." Stacy had suddenly perked up while thinking of her friend, the tears long forgotten.

"And she gives good cuddles"

"She bakes us cookies and muffins."

"She's kind."

"She smells good." Oh hell to the yes on that one!

"She knows lots of great stories."

"And she never shouts, even when Stevie gets annoying"

"I am NOT annoying."

"Yes you ARE!"

"Hey guys!" Sam was enjoying the dialogue but could feel the tide starting to turn again between the two children. "Poor Mercedes must be sitting at home with her ears burning the way you guys are talking about her!"

"Do you kiss her?" Stacy's eyes were wide and innocent but the question was anything but. His mind flashed to certain moments… at her doorstep after prom, saying goodbye after watching Avatar, her face so close as she slept next to him when he was sick, their fingers brushing as they reached for the same book… All moments when the desire to kiss her during those moments had been overwhelming. Heat rushed to his face and there was no way that he could hide the blush. "Of course not! I told you – she's just my friend. We don't do stuff like that!"

"But you want to!" What! Was this boy some sort of a mind reader?

And now they were singing now:

Sam and Cedes Sitting in a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G!
First comes love-

Sam could feel himself losing control and had to fight against getting angry. They were really starting to push his buttons with this subject matter.

"Stevie! I need to you apologize for upsetting your sister!" Why bring it up? They'd clearly forgotten about their disagreement already. He was just trying to change the subject!

Stevie shrugged and mumbled something. Stacy seemed unconcerned. Her mind had already moved on and asked for the millionth time, "Why can't we come to New York?"

"I told you, only the Glee club and Mr Schuester are going. When you grow up and you're in your own Glee club you'll get to go on your own trip."

"But I want to see you sing!"

"I know. But not this time. Tell you what, maybe when we get back I'll talk to Mr Schue and see if you can come visit Glee club again one afternoon and we'll sing you another song. How does that sound?"

The little girl seemed satisfied with that answer and hopped off his knee to continue making a mess of the contents of his suitcase.

"You can have Mercedes," said Stevie suddenly, "Coz I already have a girlfriend."

Sam was shocked. "You do?"

Stacy ran back over, excited. "Her name is Candy and she's taller than him!"

Clearly he was working too much for something like that to slip past him. "Hey little man, when did all this happen?"

Stevie shrugged. "She has too many freckles."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Sam really couldn't make the connection.

"The other boys tease her about them."

"Do you tease her?"

"No! I would never! I think they're cute." He grinned shyly to himself and Sam could tell that he was thinking about her at that moment.

Sam smiled at his brother "I think we have to have a boy chat!"

"Oooh boy chat!" Stacy smirked and tried to get involved but Sam was having none of it. "Stevie," he said, "Bathroom. Now!"

The two boys shut the door behind them, giving themselves space away from Stacy and sat on the edge of the bath.

"So tell me about this girl Candy!"

Stevie did another of his shrugs. "She has bright red hair, blue eyes and lots and lots of freckles. She gets scary angry and loud when the others pick on her. But she always smiles at me."

Sam smiled and put his hands behind his head. "I hope you stick up for her."

"Of course! Now she comes and talks to me and says that I'm cute. I really don't mind the freckles at all. She makes me feel nice."

"Good man. You should never judge a person by their looks. There's beauty in everyone. Ugliness is in the people that bully. I never want to hear that you've been involved in picking on people. OK?"

"OK."

"But I still have a question. Why do you want to marry Mercedes if you like this girl Candy?"

"Because Mercedes is great too. I didn't want to miss my chance if I had one."

Sam laughed and rubbed the back of his neck again. "Stevie, let me give you some advice man to man. I'm sorry to have to break bad news to you but I have to let you know that it doesn't actually work that way. If you like a girl then you focus all her attention on her. You don't go looking at what else is out there. Loyalty is very important. It can make or break a relationship."

"Is that why you broke up with Quinn?"

Sam wasn't prepared for that question and had to think fast. "We just weren't right for each other. That's all."

"I think Mercedes is much better for you. When she looks at you her eyes shine."

Sam felt another flush rising.

"OK Stevie. I think this boy chat is over. Let's go and see what kind of a mess your sister's made of my packing!"

…

Sam could hear the hushed tones in the bathroom. The voices were barely above a whisper but he could feel the anger and hurt in them.

It was the third time this week that his parents had been arguing when they thought that the kids were asleep. The whole situation had really been taking its toll on them and even though they were showing a united front whenever the kids were present he could see in their eyes that there were cracks in the relationship. They'd been high school sweethearts and he'd always been used to seeing them acting like love sick teenagers around the house. But now he barely saw his father and when he did he always seemed tense. Hopefully they would be able to move out of the motel soon and things would improve.

He turned, put his pillow over his head and tried to drown out the sound with other thoughts.

His thoughts kept turning back to the conversation with the kids that afternoon. Was he really behaving like Mercedes was his girlfriend? Would it really be such a bad thing if she was?

Certain things they'd said stuck in his head. He'd felt terrible describing Mercedes as 'just a friend'. That didn't do her justice at all. Brittany was just a friend. So was Tina. There was no way on earth that Mercedes belonged in the same category. She meant far more to him than that.

So why wasn't she his girlfriend? There was no doubt that he found her attractive, even Puck had caught his roving eye. Every time she smiled at him his stomach did a little flip. And she clearly liked spending time with him.

Plus she understood him. She had this unnerving way of knowing what he was thinking and picked up on changes in his mood even faster than he did himself! And she was the only one who didn't make him feel like a total dork even when he knew he was being one. She was so easy simply to be with. Their description of her was spot on. She was pretty, kind, had much love for the kids and always smelled so damn sweet and good!

But why would she want to go out with him? The poor little white boy with no money to his name and nothing to offer but falling grades. He knew she wasn't the superficial kind but other than Puck he had no idea who else she had dated so he had no idea if he was even her type! Being on the football team would normally be enough for a guy to get any girl he wanted in the school but he knew that Mercedes Jones didn't work that way. She was discerning. She sent Puckerman packing for not being up to scratch and wouldn't hesitate to do that to anyone else who was unworthy of her greatness

And it's not like he could take her out and show her a good time. Every spare cent he had went to his parents. As well as requiring a steady income they also needed to build up a deposit so that when they found a property they'd have sufficient funds to make the move. She deserved to be treated like the princess and diva that she was. And he wasn't in the position to be able to do that.

She deserved better than him.

Never had he hated his life more than he did at that moment. Her family did well, her parents were known and respected in the community and they lived comfortably. He and his family were at the bottom of the food chain. The dyslexic jock with no brains, no home and no future. Hell, he couldn't even afford to get his hair cut for Nationals!

He wished that he could strum his guitar. It always helped him think and relax. Back in his home in his room he would have been able to do it even during the middle of the night because he wouldn't be disturbing anybody.

Life was getting way too complex. And he was starting to struggle to process it all. His usual outlets weren't available to him anymore.

He sighed and turned over. His parents had finally gone to bed and his dad was snoring.

In 2 hours he'd be picked up by Burt Hummel and taken with Finn and Kurt to the airport for the stupidly early flight. And Mercedes will be at the airport too.

He already knew that his brain was too active for him to have any hope of sleep before heading off.

It was because Stevie's words kept echoing in his head.

I think Mercedes is much better for you. When she looks at you her eyes shine!

And if he was hones he'd admit that she made his heart shine too.