This started out as a one-shot but after so many good reviews I decided to make this a two-shot. This may or may not become a full out story. If I feel like I should and could add more to the story after this chapter then I will, just as long as it doesn't lose its essence. If not, this will strictly remain a two-shot. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for all things Mercedes Jones and Amber Riley. Enjoy.

SEVEN MONTHS LATER

"Sam Evans, if you don't get your scrawny ass out of my face, I won't hesitate to smack that southern accent out of you." Mercedes threatened through clenched teeth as she held onto a big box of appliances that she had just sealed up to move into her new place.

Sam had refused signed the papers the night she presented them to him. In fact, he set them ablaze using with flames that lit the candles. She hadn't expected him to burn, but she did expect foul play and tons of it. Luckily she had printed off enough copies that she offered them up to him every chance she got. It remained on the bed in the guest room the nights he occupied it, tapped to the mirror and the den where he spent most of his time. She even left them on the king-sized, on her side of course, when he thought it was cool to sneak inside their room in the middle of the night while she was sleeping. Mercedes was never a heavy sleeper so sneaking in almost never worked. On those few nights it did she left the papers on the pillow so when he would roll over in hopes of holding her in his arms he was met with a cool, empty bed, a pen and divorce papers. He tried to win her back on more than one occasion. He was a persistent little fucker, but she would never allow herself to fall for him again. This little charade went on for five months before he finally offered to sign the papers and play nice. He would leave her alone if and only if she had given him the house, and she had absolutely no problem with it. Once the words left his mouth, she called up her best friend Santana, who knew a few people in real estate and within a week she had found herself a new home.

Unfortunately the packing up of her belongings wasn't such as easy and fast process. All the while she slowly packed up her things and sent it to her new home, Sam had begun to try and win her back. He couldn't believe and refused to believe that she was actually done with him. He sent her a dozen roses every week, showered her with diamonds and fancy things, anything he could think of. The flowers she either gave away or threw out in the trash, in broad daylight so that he would get the message. The diamonds, she never wore. She started giving them back, leaving them unopened in places he would find them. When they kept reappearing, she took another approach. Each pair of earrings, diamond encrusted bracelet or necklace he brought her, ended up in the pawn shop and the money, in her bank account, the one he never knew about. When he'd ask her about it, she would simply reply "Pawned it!" It was quickly becoming her new catch phrase.

Sam had a little bit of an anger problem and even time she denied him, every time she slammed a door in his face, or ignored one of his phone calls, denied to meet up with him, or went out of her way to completely avoid him; it did more than irritate him. It fueled the beast that was Sam Evans. He had devoted his life to making hers a living hell. He wouldn't outright admit it, but he had become somewhat of a stalker. Was it even stalking if you were technically still married? He didn't know but he didn't care.

The last straw for Sam came when he spotted Mercedes out having coffee with another man. She was giggling, rubbing all on his arms and resting her head on his shoulders and the dude she was with was eating it up. At the moment Sam thought he'd died. He'd flipped a bitch and almost got hit by a car as he blindly walked across the street to the coffee shop that they had been sitting in. When he finally made it over, they were nowhere in sight. He cursed himself and headed to the house that they still 'shared'.

When he got there he noticed a moving van in front of their house. He slammed on the brakes and double parked, slamming the door behind him as he jogged up the few steps of their house.

"Mercy!" he yelled when he reached the door way. "Mercy, where the hell-" he was running around the house and bumped into her causing the box she had in her hand to fall.

"What the hell are you doing here right now? And why the hell are you yelling?" she asked picking up the box, balancing it on her lap before she moved it to her side.

"I live here. What the hell are you doing?" he screamed at her.

"Yeah and you're not supposed to be here right now. Don't you have some other things to do?" she groaned and rolled her eyes. "I already told you Sam. We are never getting back together. We're done here." She looked at him and when she noticed the blank and yet confused look on his face she laughed.

"Oh you thought I was playing Sam? I told you I WANT A DIVORCE." She enunciated. "I thought I made myself crystal clear on that."

"You said I had to give you the house first and I am. Here's my way of giving you the house." She set the box on the floor and walked over to the table and handed him a few papers. One was the lease to the house, the other, the divorce papers that still lacked his John Hancock. "I'm moving out. I already have a place and right now I'm taking the rest my shit and I'm leaving. Don't worry; I left you the bed and the sheets and some of the china we got as wedding gifts. All of your shit is untouched, your comic books and your movies, they're where you left them. But I'm getting the fuck out of here." She picked the box back up and made a break for the door, but he stopped her.

"You're not going anywhere!" he said sternly, fire in his eyes.

"Evans, if you don't get your scrawny ass out of my face, I won't hesitate to smack that southern accent out of you." Mercedes threatened through clenched teeth as she held a big box of appliances that she had just sealed up to move into her new place.

"Cedes baby, you can't leave me. I love you. You know that." Sam pleaded.

"First, it's Mercedes to you. You lost the privilege to call me Cedes the day I asked you to sign these damn divorce papers. And you still haven't signed them might I add." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not going to." He interjected.

"Secondly, I don't love you anymore. I won't say I never did because that would be a lie, but I don't love you anymore. I don't want to be with you. I don't wanna try to 'work things out'. I don't want to. I want to leave, so, I'm leaving. Whether you want me to or not and there's nothing you can do about it." She said standing her ground.

I don't wanna be with you, put that on everything I own

I can't believe I stayed around that damn long

If I never see you again, I won't be mad at all, no no

Cuz I believe that you're my downfall

You did me wrong

Her words stung like salt on an open wound. Sam stared at her and smacked the box out of her and slammed her against the door pressing his lips against her and kissed her greedily. Mercedes was in a state of shock and once she realized what was happening she pushed him off of her and slapped him across the face. Hard! The slap echoed throughout the somewhat empty room and a man emerged from behind him. Sam looked and noticed it was the same dude he saw her with earlier.

"Mercy, you okay baby?" the man asked genuinely concerned.

Mercedes chest heaved up and down and she nodded her head. The man didn't believe her. He looked between the two of them and noticed the hand print forming on his face. When he went to take a step closer she spoke up. "I'm fine baby. Sam startled me and I just dropped the box. I'll be out in a minute okay, I promise." She picked up the box for the third time and walked over to Noah handing him the box. He puckered up his lips refusing to leave until she kissed him and she smiled before pecking his lips. He sucked on her bottom lip, pulling it into his mouth and she let out a soft moan.

"Go put it in the van. I've got another small box I need to get and we can head out okay."

Noah looked back at Sam and stole another kiss from Mercedes deciding to let her handle this one on her own and put the box in the van. He was sure that if she needed him, she would hesitate to call and ask for his assistance.

"You seeing this dude? Really Mercedes?" Sam blurted out once Noah left.

"Why yes I am and there ain't a damn thing you can do about it. I'm not married to you anymore. In the legal sense maybe, but not where it counts, not in my heart." She spoke softly. "Sam, you did me dirty. I would've never done you like that ever. But what's done is that. That and you are in my past now. And there ain't no future in it. I don't want you. I'm happy with Noah. All you have to do is sign the papers. Maybe, some day far away, we could be friends, probably not though because I have to be able to trust my friends. Right now I wouldn't and don't even trust you to hold water, let alone hold my heart." Her voice was firm, no longer angry, but very serious. "I'm through with you." She handed him the pen and the papers that had fallen to the floor when he kissed her and walked out of the door and his life, forever.

When were together you did me wrong

I thought you were true

You ran out of my life

And now I'm so through with you

Epilogue: Five Years Later

Mercedes and Noah sit side by side in the theater waiting for them to announce the winner of the Album of the Year award. Her eyes are shut tight and her fingers her crossed while her left leg bounces uncontrollably. She tries to stop it and for a moment the bounces slows down, but as the person on stage announces the nominees for the award and she hears her name, it starts back up again; this time a lot faster. She sends up a silent prayer and relaxes when she feels the familiarity that comes along with the firm yet gentle touch of her husband's hand. She stares into his hazel eyes and he stares back into her brown ones, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Just remember, when or lose, you're a winner in my eyes baby." he assures her, his hand rubbing along her back.

"I know." She whispers back and closes her eyes.

"But if you win…." he looks at her with a smirk on his lips and she laughs hitting his shoulder.

"Just relax babe. You got this. If they don't think so, we'll go home and make you an award so much bigger and better, people are going to forget what a Grammy is." Noah smiled and pulled her into his chest.

"And the award for Album of the Year goes to, none other than, the only and only, Mrs. Mercedes Jones- Puckerman." The person screams and a spotlight is placed upon Mercedes who is still wrapped up in Noah's embrace. Everyone is looking at her, applauding and congratulating her, yet it hasn't quite hit her that she is the winner. Puck pulls away, holding her at arm's length, and looks at her. His eyes go back and forth between the stage that is displaying his wife's CD cover and if he listens carefully her can hear the sound of her first single off the album playing throughout the auditorium. Reality finally sinks in and he turns her face, pointing at the stage.

"Baby you did it! You won!" he exclaimed. "You won! You won Album of the Year."

"Huh?" Mercedes asks confusingly. She looks up at the direction he's pointing in and it finally hits her as well. She jumps up from her seat at the same time Noah gets up and envelopes her in a hug and kisses her damn near breathless. She extends her hand in attempt to pull him on stage with her and he shakes his head.

"This is all about you right now, baby. You won this, I'll enjoy the victory for the both of us right here. And I'll be right here when you get back. Now go up there before they think you've lost your damn mind." She laughed and patted her on the ass lightly. She shook her head and laughed, leaning in to place a kiss on his lips before she ran on stage to claim her award.

With no speech prepared because she honestly didn't think she would win she is forced to go off the top of her head. As she starts she's a big ball of nervousness. Tears stain her cheeks as more threaten to fall free from her face. She looks out intro the audience and is almost frightened to death, but then her eyes land on him and he's standing tall drawing a heart in the air with his fingers and blowing kisses. She takes a deep breath and for the first time since she left his side, she is able to relax. "First and foremost I want to thank God. I want to thank my mom and my dad for always pushing me to do my best and being there for me. I want to thank the fans for this award because with all of you I wouldn't be where I am today. I'm not prepared for this but I want to thank my label and anyone and everyone who's believed in me and helped me make this album everything that I've ever dreamed of. And last but certainly not least, I want thank my best friend, my husband Noah Puckerman, for being there for me during the lowest of the low and helping me back up. There's nothing I can't do without you. I love you baby. Thank you!" She takes a bow and looks out into the audience once more but she can no longer see him. The lights are starting to blind her. She exits the stage and the first pair of eyes she's met with, after the first snap of the photographer, are the hazel ones she wakes up to every morning. He lifts her a few inches off the ground and spins her around in a circle, holding her especially tight. The look on his face is one of a proud parent and although he isn't her father, he is extremely proud of her. She did it. Everything she's ever wanted and fought so hard for, it's all finally coming true for her and he can't be any happier.

The award show is now over and the two of them are in their car. Puck is unsure if she wants to go home or hang out at the after party for a little while. "So Ms. Grammy Award Winner" he chuckles motioning to the golden award sitting in her lap "what do you want to do now?" he places his right hand in her lap and intertwines their fingers, while his left stays on the steering wheel, his eyes fixated on the road.

"That's Mrs. Grammy Award Winning Mercedes Jones-Puckerman to you," she smiles, kissing his cheek and squeezes his hand. "Let's go home. I've got a surprise for you."

He looks over at her and she smiles and slowly nods her head. She smiles to herself and he steps on the gas. An hour later they are pulling up into the gates of their mini-mansion as he likes to call it and she fiddles in her bag for her keys. Once inside she carefully places her award on top of her fireplace and rushes upstairs to strip out of her clothes and present Noah with his gift. He follows; not too far behind her but when he reaches their bedroom she's locked inside the bathroom. He hangs up their clothes on the hangers and waits for her to exit.

When she does come out her hair in one of those messy buns she likes so much and she's wrapped up in a silk robe. She walks over to him and stands in between her legs with a small box in her hand.

"Is this my surprise?" he asks looking at the box in her hand and she nods slowly. He goes to take the box and open it but she tops him.

"On the count of three okay." He nods, taking the box and her hands find the ends of the string. They count together.

"One" he looks at her and she takes a deep breath before looking at him.

"Two." Her hands start to shake and she's nervous of what his reaction is going to be once they get to…

"Three."

He opens the box and she drops the robe. Inside there's two sticks. At first he's confused and as he looks closer he finally understands what it is that she's trying to tell him. He looks up at her and see's the white tee with the words "I'm Pregnant" in thick bold letters on it. She looks like she's about to cry and he is too, but not for the reasons she believes. He sets the box down on the bed and drops down to his knees and wraps his arms around her, lifting her shirt and places kisses on her stomach.

"I love you, the both of you, so much." He says in between kisses and tears continue to fall freely from her eyes as she wraps her arms around his head.

"You're not mad?" she asks, unable to believe what's happening.

"Are you kidding me? My wife is telling me she's pregnant and you think I'm upset? I'm going to be a father. This is the best surprise anyone could have ever given me." He looks at her smiling and pulls her in for a fiery kiss. She finally relaxes and kisses him back. That night, they spend all their time wrapped up in each other's arms, doing everything that got them into the position she is in now, pregnant with his first child.

Song: Avant – Separated