"Your car's not really in the shop is it?"

Sam had no idea where she had come from, how long she had been standing there or how she had even found him in the empty recreation area a mile away from the school. But there she was, leaning against the pole from the swing, staring hard at him with an expression that he couldn't quite make out. His eyes had been shut for the longest time while he was lost in thought. Part of him was happy that she had come. That she had thought to come after him after all. He scraped his feet along the ground to stop his swing and looked up at her with a sigh. "How did you know I would be here?"

She shrugged. "You told me once."

He had? He didn't tell anyone that he loved to swing when he felt stressed. Something to do with spending so much time with Stevie and Stacey he guessed. Sometimes he forgot how much he had unwittingly opened up to Mercedes. Damn the girl!

"So the car?"

"We had to sell it. A quick sale for cash. Happened the day after we first kissed which is why I couldn't come round. We didn't get as much for it as we should have for it but it's secured us at the motel for a bit and got us some things that we really needed. It was stupid to be running two cars anyway."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He looked down, not wanting to meet her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She looked uncomfortable. "I didn't come here to accuse you. I came to eat some humble pie."

"I have to eat some too. I should have told you. You should never have had to find out like that."

"And I shouldn't have turned on you like that."

" I don't blame you for taking a shot. It did look bad. And everyone was already on a roll."

"But I should have known better Sam. I am better than that. The stuff between me and you should have stayed between us. But I was feeling so betrayed."

"I know."

"Do you?" She looked at him with eyes full of tears that were threatening to fall. "Major things were happening in your life and you went to your ex and my friend? It's bad enough that you didn't feel to tell me. But to tell them over me..." She shook her head but still refused to let the tears fall. She slid down the pole and sat sadly on the ground. He wanted to join her there but knew it would only push her away. So he remained on the swing, feeling helpless. He had no idea where this conversation was going. All he knew was that he just wanted to hold her. But that wasn't like him. None of this was like him. It was uncharted territory and it scared him. He didn't like the idea that he was falling into all this sensitive shit.

"I'm sorry. It just happened that way. Quinn found out because our families go to the same church and Kurt came across me working."

"But why couldn't you tell me? There might have been a way that we could have helped."

"We don't need help Cedes. We're managing on our own."

"Yeah. Selling your car is not managing Sam!"

"This is family business. Once it goes outside of family people start to look at you with pity and offer you charity. We don't want that. We just need to be left alone to get ourselves together and get back on our feet."

"So all those times you cancelled on me you really were babysitting?"

He nodded. "Yeah. My parents take every random shift and interview they can get. The day I rushed off quickly, dad was out and my mom had an interview. She couldn't just leave the kids at the motel on their own so I needed to be back. And if I'd been late she would have missed the interview and missed out on both work and money. That's why I had to run like I did. It was about more than just me."

"I see that now."

"But I am sorry. That was such a shitty time to have left you. I didn't realize that things were going to happen the way that they did that afternoon."

"Let's just put it behind us now."

"Okay."

"Can I ask you something Sam?"

"Sure."

"Did we break up?"

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I. I don't really understand what our relationship was. You said you liked me. We were definitely more than friends but you never actually asked me out. Then this happened and we haven't spoken all week. Did we break up? Was there something to break up?"

Sam really didn't know the answer. It was something that had crossed his mind and he hadn't wanted to deal with the answer. "I don't know." He could at least be honest about it. But looking at her face he knew it was the wrong answer. Why do girls always need to put labels on everything? Why can't they just enjoy things at face value?

Mercedes stood and brushed herself down and he started to panic. The one thing he knew for sure is that he didn't want her to leave. "I didn't ask you out because I couldn't" he finally said.

She stopped in her tracks. "What do you mean couldn't."

"I have nothing Cedes. I can't take you out for a good time. Even though I like you I can't date you. That's why I got so mad about Marcus. He was wanting to take you out. To do things that I couldn't. And I was afraid you'd choose him over me because of it."

"You know you don't need money to date me."

"I'm starting to figure that out now."

"The most important things don't cost anything anyway."

Again with the soppy sensitive shit. But if this was what it took to keep the girl then he would do it. He'd come too far now. "In my head we may not have been dating but we were definitely testing the waters of a relationship."

That answer went down much better than the first. But she was still looking at him expectantly and he had to think very carefully about what to do next. Except thinking was taking too long and wasn't particularly helpful. He decided not to think and let the strange new feeling take over instead. He left the swing and took her hand, looking down into her beautiful face.

"It felt a lot like a breakup to me. And I didn't like that feeling one bit."

She looked back up at him with her big eyes. "I didn't either."

"I missed kissing you." He planted a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth and she sighed against his face.

"I missed kissing you too." She turned her head slightly so that her lips met his completely and for a moment he allowed himself to be lost. "So I take it we're not broken up anymore."

"Nope." She murmured and smiled against his lips.

He grabbed her hand again. "Let's walk!"

They walked a small loop around the deserted recreation area. It was the first time they had been together outside of her house and Sam hated to admit it, but it felt good. The feel of her small hand in his, their fingers interlaced together. What was this shit? Stacey's Disney princess cartoons were starting to have a damaging effect on his masculinity!

"How long do you reckon it will take us to screw this up all over again?" His reverie was interrupted by Mercedes' question.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the two have us have been two steps forward, one step back ever since we first kissed."

"I think I have to take responsibility for that. I promise not to try to fuck things up anymore."

She smiled. "We'll both try not to fuck things up."

Sam couldn't say things could get any fairer than that!

"Do you have to go back to the motel right now?"

He shook his head.

"Do you want to come round? Mom's made some of that fried chicken I know you love so much!"

He smiled his lopsided grin. It wasn't all he wanted to eat right now.

"Come on." She took his hand and walked him down to her car.

The short ride was quiet. Mercedes looked lost in her thoughts and he was too. Things with this girl were never straightforward and he wished that the were. She was right. They always seemed to take two steps forward and one step back. And generally it tended to always be his fault. He hoped that she would give him one more chance. He needed her to give him one more chance. Things just didn't feel right when there was bad feeling between them.

By the time they reached the front door Sam was tired of the emotional talking. As was becoming his habit he pushed her up against the door the second it closed and began kissing the breath out of her.

She wormed her way out from underneath him but he was having none of it. He caught her after two steps and pinned her up against the wall with his body while pinning her wrist against the wall with his hands. No amount of squirming would make him release her. Now he was back in his element.

"What are you doing?"

"Reminding you of the kisses that you missed out on this week!" Sam ravaged her mouth, jaw and throat, leaving her weak at the knees. "I guess your parents will be home soon."

"Nope. Mom has a dinner to attend with some investors and dad took his tux to work so he could take her straight there."

He raised one eyebrow. "So we get some uninterrupted time?"

She nodded with a grin. "And if you let go of me, we can go upstairs and make the most of it!"

Mercedes won that round. Sam immediately released her wrists and practically dragged her up the stairs.

"Why were we wasting time being mad at each other this week when we could have been doing this?" she sighed.

Sam didn't answer. His mouth was too full with a huge section of her right breast and she arched her back with pleasure as his tongue circled the nipple the nipple three times before flicking it three times and repeating the action over and over again in a painful tease. Their makeout session was progressing beyond the stage of making out and Sam wasn't sure if he would be able to rein himself in this time. His hand reached under her skirt and he groaned when his fingertips reached her soaked panties. This time it was her hips arching as he teased her clit through her panties and she lifted one knee to give him better access.

Suddenly she started to gently push him away.

"How long have you liked me Sam?" He couldn't believe that she had interrupted a hot makeout session to start a conversation.

"Hmmmmm?" He had moved back up her body and now finished the hickey that he was making on the exact location of the last one which had now faded.

"I asked you a question." She pushed him away slightly and he was thoroughly miffed.

"A while."

"How long is a while?" He leaned back and shrugged. I guess I first truly saw you at prom. Before then I thought you were a great person to hang out with. And I always thought you were hot since I saw you in the Rocky Horror outfit. Now that I think about it, on the Night of Neglect it felt like you were singing to me, even though I was sat next to Santana. But prom was the night that all the pieces fell together. I couldn't take my eyes off you all night and I was so happy that you let me walk you home, even if I didn't get to kiss you yet."

"Okay…" She looked away from him thoughtfully and it made him curious.

"What about you? When did you first start to like me?"

"I thought you cute the moment you walked into Glee club but Kurt and I also thought you were gay so I didn't really pay close attention."

"Wait! You thought I was gay?"

She laughed. "Shut up! I even had a crush on Kurt for ages. My gaydar is totally broken!" Then she stopped laughing. "But seriously, I first really started to like you when you took that punch for Kurt. It really meant a lot to me and I never really thanked you for it. But then you started going out with Quinn and I pushed all thoughts of anything to the back of my mind until they got reawakened when you kissed me."

"Not until then?"

"Okay so maybe I offered tutoring as an excuse to spend more time with you."

"Oh wow! Tutoring… Remember when we actually used to do school work together instead of this…" he brought his lips back on to hers and the conversation ended briefly.

"Sam?" He had just managed to maneuver his hands down to her gorgeous ass when she asked the question. "Do you think we should… you know… if you wanted.." He couldn't believe what she was asking.

"Do you want to?" He prayed that the answer be yes...

She nodded. "I want my first time to be with you."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely. But only if you have something. Coz I wasn't exactly planning this and I don't have any…"

He nodded. "I do." Sam was packing in more than one sense. He just hoped that she would be able to handle it. And there were always two spare condoms in his wallet. Because there was always the good chance that one would not be enough.

"Are you definitely sure?" They were both naked on her bed and he had already brought her to the brink with his tongue, her wetness and taste driving him mad.

She glared at him for stopping before realizing he was expecting an answer to his question. "I want this. For you. And for me. I want to help you feel better. And I want to feel you." She giggled shyly. "Plus i've not been able to stop thinking about your massive cock every time I touch myself!"

He grinned. "Don't worry. I won't put it all in. Besides, I've not been able to stop thinking about dirty kisses!"

After eating her out for several minutes, he used his fingers, pumping them slowly into her wetness to stretch her out, starting with one and finishing with three at which point she'd lost all coherent thought. He stopped his ministrations to question her one more time with his eyes. The wild look she shot back at him said that she was as ready as she was ever going to be.

Without breaking eye contact he parted her pussy lips with his fingers and started to push his way in, moving to continue massaging her clit at the same time. She was so wet... So tight... So hot... So-

"Shit Sam!" He looked down at her, stopping all movement. Her eyes were tightly shut and she was wincing. "Shit! Shit! SHIT!"

"Are you okay?"

She paused and then slowly released a ragged breath.

Finally she nodded. "More."

Sam was happy to oblige. She felt incredible. And it was taking all of his self restraint not to slam into her and envelope himself entirely. But he didn't want her first experience to be a bad one. He was hoping for many many more repeats. Again her breathing hitched with the movement. "Fuck Sam! Are you sure it'll fit? You're fucking huge!" He grinned at the complement and felt glad that they had already disposed of her barrier. Anything to make this easier. He withdrew a little then pushed in slightly further. He then repeated it withdrawing slightly more and pushing in slightly more. Her eyes were closed and tears were spilling from the corner of her eyes down the side of her face.

"How does that feel?"

"Mmmmmm..." She tightened her arms around his neck. He kissed her lips and repeated the movement, lengthening the stroke yet again and receiving a slightly louder moan. On the fourth stroke he was nearly all the way in and her hips were starting to respond to and anticipate his. He continued to move slowly, allowing her to adjust to the sensation until she started bucking and urging him faster and he didn't need any further urging to comply with her request. It was hard holding back when she felt so good but he bit his lip and did his best. There would be other opportunities to go all 'jack-rabbit' on her pussy and fuck her into the mattress. This wasn't the one.

The feeling of her tight walls clenching around his cock was nearly too much to bear and threatened to make him lose control, but he knew he had to keep it together. He knew that he had to hold on. He worked his hips back and forth, trying not to go too deep as promised and gradually failing. But by now she was getting into it, raising her knees and adjusting slightly to make his angle easier.

"Oh Sam... Yes!"

He grinned. He knew he was getting there. He continued pumping into her steadily, relishing her moans and grunts each time he pushed back in.

"Oh YES!"

He was in balls deep now, biting down on her neck to keep from making too much sound himself. This girl was fucking incredible. She was so wet and juicy that he was flying in and out of her. She was never going to need lube. One of her hands snaked around his back and other he grabbed in his, interlacing the fingers together. He kissed her cheek and licked the salty tears from the side of her face as her cries became louder and less coherent.

Despite himself he felt the familiar swell that meant he was coming. But he needed her to come with him. He reached down with his free hand to pinch her clit, sending her over the edge and she convulssed both externally and internally, her body unsure if it wanted to clamp him in or push him out, her mouth emitting a strangled inhuman cry, her hand tightly clenching his. He rode through the tightness for a few more strokes before spilling into his condom and finally withdrawing.

He fell back next to her, watching her as she lay, spent and exhausted, catching her breath. He finally let go of her hand to remove and tie off the condom before tossing it perfectly into the trash can that he had already scoped out earlier on the other side of the room. By the time she opened her eyes he was propped up on one arm smiling down on her. He still felt funny with the whole idea of touching after sex, but he felt strangely warm inside when she reached up to caress his face and stare into his eyes.

"So how was your first time?"

She didn't answer straight away but reached up to kiss him. "Thank you Sam. That felt amazing."

He felt a childish sense of pride and reached down to kiss her back, more deeply this time, pulling her in closer and moving his hand down to cop a feel of her ass. He couldn't wait to do her from behind. But he had the feeling she wouldn't be able to go two rounds today. Barely supressing a chuckle he whispered "And you thought it wasn't going to fit!" She pushed him away playfully before pulling him back to her lips.

"So do you still think i'm gay?"

She laughed. "Maybe you might be bi?"

He let out a mock growl and lurched for her. As he continued to kiss her he told himself this was not intimacy after sex. It was just making out.

"Is it always that noisy?" She looked at him, slightly embarassed. "You know - down there?"

"Sometimes." He grinned at her cheekily. "It's because you're so fucking wet for me!"

She squealed and pushed him away again. It was fun and playful but Sam was starting to get anxious. He didn't do the whole post sex staying in bed thing. Thankfully he was saved by his somach letting out an almighty rumble.

"Saam!" Mercedes laughed and prodded at his stomach playfully.

He looked back at her wide eyed. "What? It's just reminding you that you lured me here on the promise of fried chicken!"

"Well you would have had it if you hadn't, you know, distracted me!"

As she started to get up his eyes followed her body lustily wishing she would have been up for seconds. Noticing his stare she quickly became self conscious of her nakedness and reached to cover her breasts and belly. "I love your body Mercedes."

She pulled her discarded bra and quickly shuffled into it. "That's easy for you to say. You're probably the only one."

"Don't worry. I'm sure i'll enjoy showing you just how much I appreciate it and maybe it'll start to change your mind."

He knew his smile was letcherous but he didn't care. Mercedes Jones was just going to have to get used to this.