Hiiiiii! It's been updated. Yay.

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Glee and RIB shouldn't either.

Mercedes had been running around nonstop and, although she was exhausted, the flurry of activity provided a much needed distraction. With one conversation happening on her cell phone and another happening with the intern by her side, Mercedes found herself nearly being run over by a deliveryman as she moved briskly through the reception hall.

"I'm so sorry!" she gasped, bending down to help him with the boxes that fell in his attempt to avoid hitting her. He just looked at her and smiled, motioning for her to continue her conversations.

"Are you sure?" she asked, but he just nodded and readjusted his cart.

"Thank you," she mouthed gratefully, quickly rising and continuing on her way.

Hours later, she was slipping into her heels when she heard a knock at her door.

"Come in," she called out, turning when she heard a low whistle.

"Well hello, gorgeous," Quinn purred, walking over to her.

Mercedes blushed and ran her hands down the front of her floor-length gown. "Hello to you too," she said with awe as she took in Quinn's pantsuit. "You weren't kidding when you said you were stepping out tonight."

Quinn laughed and took a seat. Studying Mercedes carefully, she cleared her throat.

"So… about earlier…"

"Not now, Quinn," Mercedes said evenly. She shook her head. "Please."

Quinn was silent for a moment before speaking again, her voice gentle. "Okay. I'm not gonna push, but I can take over security if you need me to."

Mercedes exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. She had completely forgotten that she was the point person tonight, but there was no way she could speak to Sam every hour.

She nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

Quinn smiled as she stood up. "You got it. Now," she started, rubbing her hands together, "ready to get this show on the road?"

Mercedes picked up her purse and did one final check in her mirror. "Yes, ma'am. Let's do this."

"Hello, gentlemen," Quinn announced when she and Mercedes walked into the room serving as command central.

The security team stopped what they were doing and looked to the doorway in acknowledgment. Sam swallowed hard when his eyes landed on Mercedes. She was absolutely breathtaking. He watched as she said her hellos and his stomach churned painfully when the bright smile she gave to his team fell slightly when her eyes connected with his. He kept his focus on her while updates were exchanged and when they were through, he moved to follow her as she exited the room, but Quinn stepped in, blocking his path.

"Don't," she said. There was a serene smile on her face, but her tone held a warning. "I don't know what you did, but if you weren't absolutely necessary for this to go smoothly, I would escort you out myself."

Sam looked at the woman and nodded. "Look, I know that she's upset with me right now, but I need to speak with her."

Quinn shook her head. "What you need to do is handle security. I'm not gonna let you ruin this night for her."

Sam sighed. She was right. "Can you just tell her I'm sorry."

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Evans."

She gave him a hard look before turning around and walking out of the room.

Los Angeles, California

Klauss paused the television when he heard a knock.

"What?," he called out, annoyed by the interruption.

The door opened slightly and one of his men poked their head in. "We just got the call. They're in place."

"Good." He picked up the remote and resumed his show. "Let me know when the package is picked up."

"Yes, sir."

The event was in full swing when Quinn found Mercedes on the balcony watching the guests below. "So what do you think?," she asked, moving to stand beside her.

Mercedes smiled. "This is amazing." She paused briefly before continuing. "How are things on your end?"

"Everything is in place and running smoothly." Quinn looked at Mercedes from the corner of her eyes and addressed the unspoken question. "Sam says he's sorry. I think he really is, but I told him to fuck off."

Mercedes whipped her head around, her eyes wide. "You didn't," she whispered conspiratorially.

Quinn shrugged and bit back a smile. "Not in so many words, but he got the idea."

Mercedes opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by the chirping of Quinn's phone.

The blonde looked down and read the message. She gave Mercedes a quick hug. "Hold that thought. I'll be right back."

Mercedes nodded and turned back to focus on the crowd. The buzzing of her own phone pulled her from her thoughts and a quick glance showed that the battery was dying. As she racked her brain, she realized with a groan that her charger was at home. With one final look to the crowd, she left the balcony and headed towards the garage so that she could use the one in her car.

"Is there a problem?" Quinn asked when she stepped into command central, moving to look at the monitors.

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Puck began. "Do you have any deliveries scheduled for tonight?"

"For right now?" She shook her head. "Not that I can think of. Why?"

"There's a couple of vans that've been circling the block several times. We sent one of our guys to check on it, but we wanted to double check with you too."

Quinn frowned as she took out her phone. "That's weird. Let me check with Mercedes, but to my knowledge everything came in earlier today." She kept her eyes on the monitors, her frown deepening when her call went straight to voicemail. She shrugged. "She's not answering, but I trust your instincts. There's way too many people in here to take any chances… just don't tackle some poor guy, okay?," she said, her voice teasing.

Mercedes adjusted the car keys in her hands, the click of her heels echoing through the empty garage. She was about halfway to her car when she heard someone call out from behind her.

"Miss Jones." She froze. It had been months, but she would recognize that voice anywhere. "You are a very difficult woman to track down."

She started to run, but a second person emerged from behind a van and grabbed her. She felt a slight pinch in her neck and as everything faded to black, she vaguely registered the face of the deliveryman she ran into earlier that day.

A/N: Dun dun dunnnnn. I feel some type of way about this chapter. Ugh. Anywho, as always let me know your thoughts!