Okay… so… I know it has been forever and a day since I've updated this, but I have a new chapter for all of you that are still sticking around with me. I'm sorry for not updating, but the winter months are hard for me. It's starting to get nicer out and that makes me feel better. I do still promise that I will finish all my fics. I'm not sure when, but I promise that I will. This chapter goes out to my rp partner, my beta and my friend Reese. I love you boo and I don't know what I would do without you.

Oh and I know I was right to jump out of the Glee sinking ship, but I'm still disappointed with that terrible ending (that I couldn't bring myself to watch) for Sam and Mercedes because they cut their stuff. So no, I do not own that terrible show and frankly RIB should not be making any TV shows anymore.

Enjoy

Chapter 6: The Start of Something New

Mercedes shift ended with no other problems. Her roommates all left so they could get dinner started. She handed over the reins to the night cook and night waitresses and made her way over to Sam.

"We can go now to my place." She smiled over at him and Ella who was now sleeping again.

"Okay." Sam nodded. He got up from his chair to place Ella back into her car seat.

Once that was finished, he picked up the car seat and she picked up the diaper bag.

Walking out of the diner, she glanced back at Sam with a smile on her face. "What did you drive here with?" He pointed to the big semi that was in the parking lot. "Oh... We won't have room for that anywhere near the apartment. I'm sure it will be okay with Artie if you keep it here for the night. You'll have to move it behind the diner though. There are more parking spaces back there. I think you remember my car, right?" She pointed to it. "I'll wait here and give you a ride."

"Are you sure that you won't try running on me again?" He asked with an eyebrow raised high and worry in his tone.

She frowned at his question, eyes turned down to look at her shoes. "I give you my word that I won't try to run, but I don't think you will fully believe that." Her hand searched for something in the side pocket of the diaper bag. She heard a jingling noise and grabbed the keys out of there. "So I'll give you my keys to my car instead." She handed them over to him.

He took the keys from her slowly and then handed Ella over to her. "I'll be right back then." It didn't take him long to park the truck in the back and grab his things. He was living out of a duffel bag so it wasn't hard to pack everything up. Returning to her, he was relieved that she stayed true to her word and was waiting for him right by her car. Handing back over the keys, he watched as Mercedes put the car seat into the holder and made sure it was secure. Once that was done, he went over to the other side of the car and threw his bag in the back before he got into the passenger seat.

The ride to her apartment was silent. The only sound were the soft coos from Ella in the backseat and the radio. The volume was turned down though to not disturb the sleeping baby. The distance from the diner to the apartment was short and Mercedes was parking the car before Sam knew it. He hopped out of the car and grabbed his bag, watching as she pressed a button to release the car seat. "Here let me." He asked with his hand held out so he could carry his daughter.

She handed the baby over and then grabbed the diaper bag before leading the way inside and up the stairs. Once she opened the door with her keys, all of her roommates came running to meet Sam. "Sam, this is Brittany, Santana and Artie. They were gracious enough to give me a job and let me stay here with them."

Sam held his hand out to each of them with a smile on his face. "That is very kind of all of you. Mercedes is a lucky girl."

"It was nothing." Artie said.

"And since you are staying here Sam. You might want to stay on the other side of the apartment because they can get quite loud at night." Mercedes spoke.

"So wait." The blonde's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "You three are all in a relationship with each other." He pointed to Santana, Artie and Brittany.

They all nodded their heads yes.

"Oh thank goodness. I was worried that one of you was with Mercedes and I'm glad that is not the case." He sounded relieved.

"As fine as boo thang is over there, I would never step out on my ladies." Artie joked.

"Damn straight." Santana sneered. "Although we have tried to get Mercedes to join us, but she turned us down each time."

"You did?" Sam made a face in amusement.

"What can I say?" The Latina shrugged. "She has some nice lady lumps and I wants on them."

"Me too." Brittany agreed.

"Me three." Artie said as well, waving a praise hand up in the air.

Mercedes shook her head and was about to walk off. "Alright I think that is enough of that." She chuckled, shaking her head. She smelled the food coming from the kitchen and her mouth watered. "That smells amazing guys." She started to move into the living room, placing the diaper bag down on the couch. "We can take her out of the car seat."

Sam seemed to be taking in the apartment and everything that he didn't hear Mercedes right away. She had to wave her hands in his face to get his attention. "Oh, sorry. This is a pretty cool place." He set the car seat down and undid the straps effortlessly. Grabbing Ella out of the car seat, he made sure to support her head and then he cradled her in his arms. "Should I put her in her room?"

"Sure." Mercedes nodded her head. "I'll show you to her room." Showing him to the side of the apartment where her room and Ella's room was, she saw that she left her room open. It was a mess in there so she quickly shut it. "My room is a little messy." She chuckled. Going one door over, she walked inside. "This is Ella's room. There is a guest room right next door to this one where you can stay if you like that way you can be close to her."

The blond nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yes, I'd like that." He placed his daughter in her crib while Mercedes grabbed the baby monitor and made sure that it was turned on.

Once that was settled, they went and joined the others in the dining room. He was directed to a seat and sat down, silence taking over the room because none of them knew what to talk about. "Thanks for letting me stay here along with Mercedes." He smiled at them. "And if it wasn't for you, I would have never found her and my daughter so thank you."

"It's no problem. Mercedes is practically family so that makes you family too." Brittany smiled at him as she spoke.

"Wait what do you mean we helped you find Mercedes, fish lips?" The Latina asked.

The mother's ears perked up. She definitely wanted to hear how Sam found her, ignoring the other comment that Santana made.

"You posted a picture of all four of you in front of the diner on Facebook. I found it and was able to find the place which meant I found Mercedes and Ella so thank you." He smiled at them gratefully.

"Oh… that. That wasn't what I intended when I posted that picture, but I'm glad." Santana shrugged which earned a stink eye from Mercedes. Noticing that, she rolled her eyes. "Don't look at me like that Mercedes. Sam deserves to be around his daughter and you kept him away from her for your own messed up reasons. I don't want to push you away and cause you to run again, but it's true. If Sam wants to be the father to Ella, then he has every right. You had no right keeping him away in the first place."

Mercedes hung her head in shame because she knew what her roommate was saying was true. She felt a hand in hers and looked up to find Brittany comforting her.

"What she said was very harsh, but I do think you needed to hear it Mercedes. We all love you and want you to face your demons. It will only make you stronger. You can't keep running from everything forever. Lord Tubbington says that isn't going to make you happy. Sam will make you happy though if you let him." Brittany squeezed her hand.

Mercedes didn't want to believe in Brittany's cat, but she did have a lot of thinking to do. She knew that she wasn't going to run though. Not with Ella. Ella deserved a stable home and Mercedes wanted to give that to her.

Artie noticing the silence and contemplativeness from everyone, decided to change the subject. "Everything is ready to dig in. We have pork chops, mashed potatoes and peas." He started to put food on his plate and then passed the dish to Sam. "So tell us more about you Sam." He asked. He knew that Ella needed a father and Mercedes needed help, but he wanted to make sure that the blond was a good candidate. He knew that Brittany and Santana felt the same way. Although they were both pro Sam, they barely knew anything about him so they had to find out more.

"Well I was born and raised in Nashville Tennessee. I have two siblings, Stevie and Stacie, who are pretty amazing. They live in Kentucky with my dad. My mom passed away when I was nineteen. She was diagnosed with leukemia when I was eighteen. I had plans to go to college, but I put them on hold when my mom got diagnosed. I started working as a mechanic to help pay the bills and I stayed close to my mother. She died a year after her diagnosis. After that, I went through the motions until my brother and sister woke me up. I had to go on. I met Mercedes over a year and a half ago. I was smitten from the start, but it took some time for her to let me in. When I was with her, I wanted to be my best self. I wanted to do better and maybe actually go after one of my dreams. Then I told her I loved her and she left me. When she called and told me she was pregnant, I knew I had to find her. So I got my truck driver's license and went on the road to find her. Then I found your Facebook posting and here I am." He smiled at them all with a mouth full of mashed potatoes. He didn't mean to launch into his life story, but he wanted her roommates to like him and it kind of all just came out.

"I'm sorry about your mom Sam." Artie said.

Mercedes gave Sam a kind smile, having known all of his story except the part after she left him.

"Thanks." Sam nodded at Artie and then smiled back at Mercedes.

The topic then moved to Santana, Artie and Brittany after that.

Once dinner was finished and the dishes done, Brittany wanted to give Mercedes and Sam some alone time so she grabbed her lovers and moved them to their bedroom.

"We should probably move if they are going to start things up." Mercedes chuckled.

"Right okay." Sam nodded.

They moved back into the living room and Sam grabbed his bag from where he dropped it.

"I'll show you the room next to Ella's. She should be up soon for her next feeding." Mercedes motioned back towards the hallway they were in before. Passing her room and the nursery, she pointed to the guest bedroom. "Here you go." She smiled at him. "I'm going to grab you some fresh sheets, a blanket and a pillow."

"Okay." Sam nodded. He set his duffel down on the dresser that was in the room and looked around a little. There was a small twin bed in the corner, a desk with nothing on it and a small dresser.

Mercedes was back quickly and she started to make up the bed for Sam so he wouldn't have to.

"You don't have to do that." Sam said, going to help her.

"It's okay. I wanted to." She looked up at him with a smile.

They finished making the bed and started to hear fussing from the next room.

"Right on time." Mercedes chuckled, going to Ella's room with Sam on her heels. The mother picked up her daughter and checked her diaper, wrinkling her nose when it came back stinky. "First a diaper change is in order. You can help me so you will know what to do later on."

"Okay." Sam nodded his head.

Bringing Ella over to the changing station, Mercedes placed her down slowly. "Hi my baby girl." She smiled down at her, trying to ease her little whimpers. She then walked Sam through taking off the diaper, cleaning Ella up correctly and then placing a new diaper on her. While Sam held Ella, Mercedes grabbed some pajamas for her daughter and they both got her into them.

She didn't pump any more milk for Ella so she had to breastfeed which would make this a little awkward with Sam in the room. "Umm…" She looked up at him, grabbing the baby from him. "I have to breastfeed her so if you want to go that's cool. If not, I do have this blanket to cover me up."

"Oh…" Sam rubbed the nape of his neck. "I'll just turn around. Let me know when it's safe." He chuckled a little.

"Okay." Mercedes nodded. Like he said, she let him know when it was safe to turn around. There was a gentle suckling sound that filled the room as Ella ate.

"So…" Sam said rubbing this neck.

"So…" Mercedes repeated looking up at Sam.

"Brittany and Artie seem nice. Maybe Santana too, but she's very abrupt." The blond said not knowing what else to say.

"That's just in her nature. She's not that bad once you get to know her." Mercedes shrugged.

"Well I will be sticking around so I don't have a choice otherwise." Sam joked.

The mother didn't know how to reply to that so she chose not to say anything at all. A couple of minutes passed in silence. The suckling sound stopped and it appeared that Ella was done, but she needed to be burped. "Can you turn around again Sam?"

"Sure." He nodded his head, doing as she asked.

Mercedes fixed her clothing and then stood up with Ella. "Can you grab that burp cloth that is laying on the dresser. I'll have you burp her."

He grabbed the cloth and then grabbed his daughter from Mercedes, doing as she instructed on how to burp her once again.

It didn't take long and then Sam gently rocked her to sleep. He didn't want her to leave his arms, but he knew he should probably set her down in her crib. Laying her down gently, he turned to Mercedes once he was done. His eyes held all the questions he wanted to ask her, but then a yawn escaped his mouth.

"Look…" The mother said breaking the silence after they exited her daughter's room and closed the door. She tripped over the hallway rug and almost fell flat on her face, but Sam's hands shot out and grabbed her. He helped her regain her balance and then slowly released his hands.

She looked up at him upset with herself. "Why are you here? Why did you find me? I was perfectly fine before you came along. I don't need you here. I don't need saving."

"Who says that I want to save you Mercedes? I just want to love you and I just want to know my daughter and be her dad. I also want some explanations from you because I think I deserve that."

"Oh…" She wrung her hands nervously. "I know that you need answers. It has been a long emotionally exhausting day though. I think you need some rest. I promise that I will answer all of your questions in time."

He sighed. "Yeah, some sleep probably would be good. You promise?" His eyebrow raised as he looked at her.

She nodded her head. "I promise."

"Okay." He smiled at her and then another yawn overtook his body. "That's my cue to go." He chuckled, the tension from earlier slowly dissipating. "Goodnight Mercedes."

She chuckled with him, thinking he was so adorable. "Goodnight Sam."

They parted ways in the hallway, both going to their separate rooms with thoughts of each other on their minds.

Even though he was tired, Sam found that he couldn't fall asleep. His thoughts kept fluctuating between his daughter and Mercedes. He wanted to be closer to both of them and since it was too soon to get close to the mother of his child and he was still hurt by her actions, he chose to get closer to his daughter. He grabbed a pillow and a blanket and went to his daughter's room. Looking upon her sleeping figure, he grew more in love with her. He decided to curl up into a ball right near her crib, immediately going to sleep.

Mercedes thoughts ran rampant in her head as she laid down in her bed trying to sleep. She didn't know how to feel. Her emotions were so conflicted. A part of her wanted to grab her daughter and run. A part of her wanted to jump into Sam's arms and spend the rest of her life in them. Santana's words from the dinner rang in her head and she knew the Latina was right. She couldn't keep living like this. She couldn't keep running. It was time to put down roots for Ella. It was time to let Sam be the dad he wants to be. It was time to let Sam in if he'd still have her.

She sighed before getting out of bed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep. Not hearing anything on the baby monitor, the mother decided to check on her daughter anyway. Ella always had a way of making her feel better without trying. Her steps were quiet as she left her room and then walked into her daughter's. Moving towards her crib, she couldn't see anything in the dark so she didn't see Sam's body lying on the ground before she stepped on his stomach.

"Ow." A voice yelled out in pain in the darkness. Mercedes stilled almost falling, but catching herself. She made sure that the noise didn't wake Ella, but her daughter could sleep through anything really. She turned on a lamp that would give them a little light and turned to see Sam on the floor, rubbing his stomach where she stepped on him. "What are you doing in here?" She whispered

"I wanted to be close to her." He shrugged.

His words caused her to sigh. "You know she will still be there in the morning, right?"

A frown fell upon the blonde's face. "No, not really."

"I deserved that." She hung her down ashamed. "What Santana said was true. I had no right to take Ella away from you. She deserves a father. She deserves you and I'm sorry Sam. I know it might not mean much, but I really am truly sorry."

"It helps a little to hear you say that. I'm still upset though and I don't know if I can forgive you quite yet." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I just want to know why. Why did you leave me? Why did you call and tell me you were pregnant?"

Mercedes crossed the room and sat down next to Sam. "It's really a long story Sam and I'm not ready to tell you yet. I think with maybe some help that I will be able to tell you the full story. Right now…" She paused, biting her lip before continuing. "All I can say is that I was scared of what you could do to me. I called to tell you that I was pregnant because you deserved to know even if I couldn't make myself come back to you."

"What I could do to you?" Sam asked confused. "I only wanted to love you, but as soon as you heard the L word you ran. I would never do anything to hurt you. You have to believe that." He looked into her eyes, hoping she saw the truth to his words in them.

"I do believe you Sam. And I feel with time and patience, I could love you back the right way." She smiled at him. "About what I said earlier, that was just some of my demons talking. I really am glad you found us Sam. I really missed you." She leaned in closer to him and then closed her eyes, puckering her lips for a kiss.

Sam's finger shot out and stopped Mercedes movement. "Umm… I'm sorry Mercedes. I'm just not ready for that yet. I need some time to forgive you and learn to trust you again."

"Oh…" Mercedes looked down dejectedly. "I understand."

"Hey." The blond cupped her chin and made her look at him. "I'm not saying no. I'm just saying not yet. I still love you Mercedes. I just need time."

"Okay." She gave him a small smile. "I can give you time."

So… what did you think? Reviews are appreciated, but not necessary!