Chapter 49

Spending the whole night staring out the window, trying not to notice the beautiful woman asleep on his chest, had given Sam a crick in his neck and a stormy attitude. Their conversation of the early hours playing over in his mind, did nothing to help it make any more sense to him. All Sam knew for sure was that Quinn had rejected him. She hadn't said it outright, she had sugar coated it with almost promises about the future, but Sam knew when he was being dumped. It hadn't escaped his attention that Quinn never responded to the fact that he told her he was in love with her. Sam had waited all night for some small acknowledgement of it. He didn't need her to say it back, he just wanted her to care he said it at all.

The sun brought an awkward mood along with its bright glow. They didn't say much as they got dressed in the clothing Figgins had packed for them. Sam snuck glances at her from across the room, hoping to get some sign that all of this was just a passing notion brought on by being shocked about his father's deal. Sam didn't want to believe that she had actually meant what she said, that she was actually letting things end between them. Nine months seemed like forever without the guarantee that she would be waiting for him in the end, without knowing if she loved him enough to hang on and be patient, or more importantly without knowing if she loved him at all.

Daley came early. Sam had called him while Quinn was in the bathroom, not wanting to spend any more time in a hotel room filled with memories of Quinn breaking his heart yet again. Okay, so he was being a tad overdramatic, she had said she wanted to be his friend and spend time with him, which was something, at least he would get the chance to sway her with his charms and get her to see that they were too right for each other to shelve for almost a year. Time had always been their enemy, or was it timing? Either way for once the stars had aligned and they both were in the same place, hoping for the same future. Or so he had thought. His father couldn't have scripted this any better, Quinn actually agreeing with him and deciding to abide by the terms of his ridiculous deal. If only Sam's plans worked out so perfectly, he'd own half the world right now, be married to Quinn, and have his father shipped off to Boca to live out his golden years. He must have inherited his mom's genes in the plotting department, getting so close, only to have it all slip away right at the end.

The car ride was quiet, Quinn only speaking to him periodically to point out things through the window. It was so different from the night before when they were practically on top of each other in Mike's car, this time they were miles apart, each pressed against opposite doors in the spacious sedan. When they arrived at the Beacon things became even stranger, the tension that had been between them all night, heightened exponentially, and it all was coming from Quinn. She insisted he didn't come up, mumbling something about memories she didn't want to face, and then she was gone, just the smell of her shampoo lingering around him.

Three o'clock in the afternoon on a Friday and Sam had nowhere to be. He considered dropping by D&E, just to scope things out, maybe demand some answers from Puck about why he was in the job that was his birthright, but Sam thought better of it, not wanting a confrontation after the night he had. Things had gone so differently than he had planned. He thought he would be returning to Lima, his future mapped out, with the ability to live out his father's bargain or with the inspiration to find a way out, because Quinn was by his side. Yet here he was back where he started, alone, confused, and filled with so many questions.

Daley must have sensed Sam's hesitancy to go home, because he spontaneously suggested a drive around Lima, so Sam could see some of the changes in town. Sam welcomed the distraction from his persistent thoughts about Quinn. Glasses on his face, leaning on the door handle, palm propping up his chin, Sam watched the sights of his small city go by. Despite his missing years, not much had changed, new stores replaced old ones, condos stood where once there were only trees, melting snow covered the ground, typical winter scene in Lima. They slowly drove through a section of town filled with modest but nice older homes. Many of Lima's doctors and lawyers lived in the area, raising their families in this quiet suburban corner of the city. Sam had spent a great deal of his youth in this particular neighborhood, since his brother Will had a house there, as well as Puck and Quinn who lived with the often absent Julian Jones, it had become his second home by the time he hit high school. Children raced down the sidewalks, happy screams to herald in the weekend. Sam always envied the closeness of this community, where neighbors were in walking distance and going outside to play was an everyday occurrence.

His family's home was remote, far removed from the prying eyes of neighbors or even passing cars on the street. Being the very youngest in a house that had a mile long driveway made for quite a lonely childhood, friends had to be chauffeured in, playtimes arranged, there was no such thing as a pickup game of catch in his world. Beth would have that, Sam planned to ensure it. He didn't want his daughter hidden away behind ivy covered bricks and guards. Beth would have a normal childhood with friends, birthday parties, soccer, dance classes and summer camp. Of course, she would be raised to honor his heritage and to one day assume her position at the helm of D&E Industries, but Sam wanted his daughter to have a balance of privilege and normalcy that he never got to experience. The best of both worlds was possible, and Beth was going to have it.

The view through the window blurred, as he lost himself in his thoughts about his daughter's future, and the family life he planned to give her. The car stopping abruptly, followed by Daley's string of expletives in his heavy Irish accent, roused Sam from his thoughts. Gridlock on a side street in suburbia? Sam rolled down his window, popping his head out into the cold, to survey the situation. Not a traffic jam, just the exhaust from a shiny sports car speeding away.

"What's up Daley?" Sam asked as he rolled up his window, shutting out the cold wind.

"Damn Hudson cut me off," said Daley hitting the steering wheel with his fist. "Doesn't he know kids play on this street?"

"Hudsons? They live in this neighborhood?"

"That punk Hudson kid, Finn. He drives that vette like a maniac. He's too young to appreciate that classic beauty."

What would Finn Hudson be doing around here? There was nothing but cul-de-sacs and playgrounds for miles. Daley had yet to move the car, still muttering angrily. Sam took in the house that he suspected Finn Hudson had just come from, yellow and green with a picket fence along the front yard. It looked very familiar, like he had been there before.

"Who's house is this Daley?"

"It's yours sir."

"Mine? I own a house here?"

"No, well, Ms. Beiste does. You and your wife lived with her. Didn't they tell you?"

They had mentioned it, but Sam had let it slip his mind, not wanting to believe he had chosen to live in such a modest neighborhood. Truth be told, he didn't like to think much about the fact that he had chosen to live with Mercedes, that he'd actually started building a life with her. The evidence was mounting around him, from legal documents to bank statements, to his empty closet at the house, it was becoming startling clear that he did indeed live somewhere other than at the Evans home.

"I'm sure they did. Thank you Daley. If you don't mind I'd like to get out here. I will call you if I need you later."

When he started out on this grand tour of Lima it had just been a diversion from his thoughts and a way to avoid going directly back to the house, but now Sam realized it had been about more than that. He had been driving in circles avoiding the very thing he deep down knew he had to do, face Mercedes. Sam had to come clean with Mercedes and tell her that Quinn was out of the hospital and back in town. He'd managed to ignore the issue when he called her last night, but now that he was back in town, there was no way he could continue to leave Mercedes in the dark. She was bound to run into Quinn at some point, or hear the news from someone else, and Sam couldn't let that happen. He needed to be the one to tell her what was going on.

Even Quinn had urged him to tell Mercedes the truth as soon as possible. Earlier that day while she was in the bathroom, Sam had retrieved his ring from the floor where he had tossed it the night before. He hated the thing, so large and shiny, such a bold statement of his status – married - as in off the market, as in blocked from being with Quinn. Sam turned the ring over in his hand, just staring at it, debating with himself whether to put it back around his neck, or take it a step further and put it on his finger. The words "inside my soul" deeply etched along the interior of the band, three words, their meaning so elusive now, but at one point they must have meant everything. Quinn had come out of the bathroom, to find him sitting on the edge of the bed, the ring dangling from the chain in his hand. Sam watched it sway, almost hypnotizing himself into finding the will to put it back on. She'd sat beside him, taking the ring from his hand, examining it closely. Sam watched the tears well up in her eyes as she read the inscription, her finger tracing the words lightly, as if they were in Braille. How could he go through with this when it clearly brought Quinn so much pain?

"Not a problem sir. But Mr. Evans, do you have the keys?" asked Daley opening the car door so that Sam could exit.

"If Finn Hudson just came out of the house, I suspect someone might be home to let me in." Sam didn't need any keys, he knew Mercedes was home, obviously entertaining guests in the middle of the work day.

"I suppose you're right. Have a good afternoon Mr. Evans."

"Thank you Daley."

Sam pulled his coat closed as he watched Daley drive off, tucking his glasses in his pocket and turning to face the house once the car was out of sight. This was the place he used to live. It didn't feel like him, penthouses and iron gates were more his usual style, but there was something appealing about the green shutters on the yellow house, a coziness that made him want to step inside. He'd been to Shannon Beiste's house a few times in his life that he could recall. Mike had brought him over to visit and to fill up on homemade cookies, but the idea that he actually lived in the house was so hard to wrap his mind around.

He made his way up the driveway, noting the blue Lexus parked to the left, covered with snow, as if it hadn't been driven in some time, no other cars were around. The lights were on in the kitchen, so Sam decided to knock on the side door instead of walking around to main door at the front of the house.

Two short raps on the door with his knuckles and then he waited, hands folded in front of him, rocking back forth on his heels. He heard movement and saw the shadow of someone approaching.

"Finn I told you I'd see you later tonight. I've got to get dressed," said Mercedes opening the door, the last word dying on her lips. "What are you doing here?" she asked resting her head on the side of the door, but not moving to let him in.

"Disappointed I'm not Finn?" asked Sam letting his eyes sweep over her body. She was wearing grey shorts, and a pale pink tight top with thin straps, her black hair was loose, a mass of curls that fell over her brown shoulders.

"No, I just," she stuttered. "I just didn't expect to find you at the door. Of all people."

"This is my house right?"

"Yeah but that didn't matter much to you before." She put her hand on her hip and crossed her legs, but still made no move to let him in the house.

"It mattered. I just wasn't ready to deal with it," he responded not looking at her face.

Did she realize she had answered the door practically in her underwear? The grey shorts she wore fit like a bathing suit, every inch of her legs were exposed. Sam almost wanted to shove her inside and shut the door, to end the peep show she was surely giving the neighbors, but he resisted, instead stepping in front of her, blocking her body from any snooping eyes on the street.

"But you're ready now?"

Her feet were bare, her toes painted pink. She was fidgeting, her foot tapping against the floor. He was making her nervous, Sam liked that, it meant he could take control, and hopefully get her to see things his way.

He shrugged. "Are you going to let me in or what?"

"Oh yeah, of course." She stepped aside, opening the door wider to let him walk through into the bright kitchen.

"If this is a bad time…" he started, letting her think he would leave if she told him to do so. That was far from the case however, he took off his coat and placed it on a chair at the table. Sam planned to have a nice long chat with his wife. He had to spend the next nine months faking it with her, might as well start practicing his act now.

"It's not," she said crossing her arms over her chest.

Now she wanted to cover up, once the door was closed? She seemed more shy about exposing herself to him in the privacy of the kitchen than to half of Lima from the doorway.

"You look like you were in the middle of something," he said pointing at her attire.

"Oh." She bit her lower lip, looking down at herself. "I was in the middle of deciding what I was going to wear."

"Finn was helping you with that?" he asked taking a seat at the table.

"Finn?" she asked trying to play innocent. Sam could read her pretty easily, she was hiding something.

"I saw him leave." He threw it out there, daring her to lie to his face.

Her brown eyes flashed with some emotion Sam couldn't quite decipher, before he could get a good look she was back to her wide eyed innocence routine.

"Oh he just came by to see me," she said twisting a curl around her finger, still standing in the middle of the kitchen.

"I got that. About what?" he asked mentally trying to block his growing annoyance. He had to keep a level head if he wanted to drop the news about Quinn without incident.

"It's personal."

She turned her back to him and walked over to the refrigerator, opening the door and reaching inside. Sam sucked in his breath at the sight. Those incredibly short shorts she wore had the word "SCORE" printed across the butt in white letters. Finn Hudson was with her when she was wearing that?

"Are you sure he wasn't just leaving from last night? You two were together pretty late."

So maybe it was a tad hypocritical of him to ask her about her night, in light of the way he had spent his own, but Sam was beyond caring about what was fair. She was wearing his ring, and not much else, all for the benefit of some other guy. That type of behavior just didn't fly for Sam. An Evans wife carried herself with more decorum than this.

"I really don't think that's any of your business." She slammed a bottle of water on the table in front of him. "Is that why you've suddenly popped up Sam? Are you spying on me?"

"I just happened by and the house looked familiar," he said calmly opening his bottle.

"So you thought you would just knock on the door?" She was getting wound up, talking faster and beginning to pace in front of him.

"Something like that." He took a sip of water, enjoying her agitation. Sam had struck a nerve and she was so close to being right where he wanted her.

"What do you want?" she asked emphasizing each word.

He smirked. "We need to talk."

"About?"

"About Quinn."

Her dark eyes widened as she slid into a chair at the table, suddenly still and quiet. Sam grinned. This was going to be too easy.

Three hours in Bellamy's searching for the perfect dress with a very cranky Beth in her arms, was how Mercedes spent the bulk of her morning. Kurt had insisted they shop after coming over at 9am to survey her closet, turning his nose up at everything, calling her wardrobe a cross between a cheerleader and a Sunday school teacher. Mercedes thought her clothes were just fine, half of them were brand new with the tags still on, but Kurt disagreed. Bellamy's was a complete disaster everything in her normal size fit wrong, cut too big, Beth wouldn't let her put her down and would only go to Kurt for a minutes at a time, so she was forced to try on clothes with Beth clinging to her. By the end of the ordeal, Mercedes would have been happy with a nice potato sack instead of any of the baggie dresses piled in the dressing room with her. Finally they narrowed it down to three dresses, all a size smaller than her own, but unable to stand another minute in the store Mercedes bought them all to choose from at home.

It was after 1 when Marcel came over to pick up Beth and take her to the mansion, so Mercedes could be free to finish up the last minute details for the party. Alone in the house, she played in her hair, trying out different hairstyles for the night. Usually Mercedes liked to dress up for a nice evening out, but her heart just wasn't in it at the moment. Thoughts of Sam plagued her and her indecision about the future of her marriage put a damper on her party mood. This might be the last night she would get to spend with Sam, as his wife, leaving him was starting to feel like her only option. She'd said as much to him on the phone the night before. Mercedes wondered if Sam even understood what she was trying to express, if he knew she was trying to give him what he wanted, his freedom.

However the fact she was thinking divorce didn't stop her from being furious with Sam. His accusations about her behavior with Finn were completely out of line, even more so because he didn't really care about her or her dating life. It was just an Evans power play, Sam trying to control everyone around him, putting them in their place, so he could feel like the boss. Mercedes had never let him get away with that, and she wasn't about to start now, she was going to make sure Sam knew he couldn't push her around, even if it was the last thing of importance she ever said to him. The last thing, it was all so final, she wasn't sure how she would be able to turn her back on Sam completely, she'd never been able to since she met him, but for the sake of her own sanity and heart she was going to have to try.

Two o'clock came and Mercedes was no closer to deciding on her hair or her outfit, when Kurt popped in again with burgers from the diner and Finn's corvette. Finn was transporting some things for the party and his two seater wouldn't suffice, so he swapped with Kurt – a corvette for an Acura. Kurt seemed quite pleased, loving how he looked in a classic sports car, even stopping to pose in front of it while Mercedes took a few pictures with her phone. The boy was totally outer limits, but she loved him.

Three o'clock was swiftly approaching and no progress had been made on the wardrobe front, Kurt had been no help, he just curled up on her bed and turned on some telenovela he had gotten hooked on with Finn. Just when Mercedes was starting to get into the show, wishing she had learned some Spanish along with all that French, the first text came through from Daley. He was with Sam, who was ready to head home. Panic set in as Mercedes and Kurt tried to think of ways to stall Sam. Their first idea of a limo tour of Lima was in full swing but it wouldn't even take an hour to take in all of Lima's sights, so they needed a new plan. Then it came to them, bring Sam there, to the house. To do what? They had no clue, but at least he would be contained and away from the mansion. Fate and Kurt's poor handling of all that corvette horsepower made their plan seamlessly fall into place and Mercedes watched it all play out from the window.

Now she was face to face with Sam, biting her tongue, literally. The urge to unleash on Sam was rising to the surface as she sat across the table watching him grin. He was so damn smug finally deeming her worthy enough to grace her with his presence, to finally set foot in their home, after being out of the hospital for weeks. Coming to the door hurling accusations and leering looks and now he expected her to just sit and chat about his other woman. She wanted to hit him. Hard.

"What did you want to tell me about Quinn? Did something happen?"

A guilty look flashed across his face, his eyes widening slightly as if he were surprised by her question. He quickly tried to cover, pulling up a smile once again.

"Happen? Like what?" he asked.

"I don't know. Did she have a setback or something?" Mercedes couldn't even pretend to care. Quinn was in the hospital where she needed to be, far away from Beth. As long as that remained the case, Quinn's health woes didn't concern her, but she faked it for Sam.

He narrowed his eyes, his smile twisting into a snarl. "You'd like that wouldn't you?"

So he was on to her, she'd have to practice her concerned face, so she wouldn't be so easy to read next time.

"Like what? Quinn losing even more of her mind? Why would I want Beth's mother to get worse?"

Truthfully, she didn't want Quinn to be so far gone she never could come back to Beth. Mercedes wanted her to have her mother, but it was a scary thought trusting her again. The last time Quinn had Beth in her care, she had almost killed her. Mercedes would never forgive herself if something like that happened to Beth again.

"Keeps her out of your life. Must be nice for you having Quinn so far away, where you don't have to deal with her."

"Even upstate Quinn is a part of my life. She's Beth's mom, she's your..." Mercedes was going to say his true love, but couldn't quite get the words to form. It was hard to make light of something so painfully true. Even if Sam hadn't said it to her, Mercedes knew that he was in love with Quinn.

"My what?"

"You tell me Sam. What is Quinn to you?" Did he have the nerve to tell her the truth? He was bold enough to make assumptions about her and Finn, maybe Sam would be bold enough to tell her that he was in love with another woman.

His face fell as he responded. "We're friends, you know that. Forever friends."

Mercedes' stomach clenched as she watched him, he looked like he was in pain, something had happened, and it didn't seem like it was about Quinn's mental state at all.

"But you want more than that, you admitted that to me in the hospital."

Mercedes heard her voice softening, trying to soothe him, to make him smile at her again. She wanted to slap herself for doing it, every time she let Sam get to her, always internalizing his pain and trying to make it better. How many times was she going to have to be kicked before she learned just to leave Sam Evans alone?

"That was before I knew we were married though. That changed things." He reached across the table and rubbed the back of her hand.

Unnecessary contact, he was up to something. She snatched her hand off the table. "Cut the crap Sam. What's really going on?"

"What makes you think something is going on?"

"You keep answering questions with questions for one thing. That's your favorite technique for playing dumb."

"Why do you think I'm playing dumb?"

"Sam!"

"Okay. I went to see Quinn and it was nice."

"Nice?"

"It felt good to see her, we caught up, she told me some stuff about Beth, and about some things I had forgotten." He was smiling as he spoke, as if he were reliving the memory in his mind.

"What did she tell you about Beth?" It couldn't have been anything about how she endangered Beth's life. Sam was smiling too much for that.

"That's personal stuff between parents. It wouldn't interest you."

"She must have told you about her birth, because that's the last parental thing Quinn ever did for Beth."

What could Quinn possibly tell Sam about being a parent to Beth? The sole month she had her, she passed the baby off more than she took care of her herself. Mercedes was the one that lost sleep, with the constant feeding schedule of a newborn, she was the one that came when she cried and rocked her in her arms.

"I didn't mean to offend you."

"I'm not offended." She was pissed, just imagining Quinn painting herself as the poor devoted mother separated from her child. When the truth was, Quinn had abandoned her baby, leaving her in the woods like trash, for crazed felons, wild animals, or the elements to get her.

"Then why did you just lash out like that about Quinn?"

"I just get annoyed when the word parent is used in connection with Quinn."

"That's what she is though. Beth is her daughter, not yours."

His patronizing tone was sickening. He was talking to her with that gentle tone people used on small children or the insane. Mercedes knew she was a stand in, she knew that no matter how much she loved her and how long she took care of her, she never would be her mother.

"Thanks for that reminder, are we done here?" she asked scraping back the chair angrily. "I've got things to do."

"Mercedes wait. This is coming out all wrong. I know you have been there for Beth when Quinn and I couldn't be and I appreciate it."

"But…"

"But one day Quinn is going to be a part of Beth's life and I want you to be ready for it."

Beth was the difficult part, leaving Sam would hurt but she'd do what she had to, but to leave Beth behind, that was almost unthinkable. She had loved Beth since before she was born, and nothing would ever change that. How could she just remove herself from Beth's life when she had been the only constant she'd ever had?

"That day will be a long time coming. She's still locked up."

"She's only locked up because my father set her up. I know the judge initially ruled to have her released."

"You don't know what you're talking about Sam. Your father didn't have anything to do with Quinn going upstate."

"You don't know my father. He hates Quinn he will do anything to keep her out of my life and I'm betting out of Beth's life too."

"I know how he feels about Quinn," she said getting up and going over to the stove.

"Do you share his sentiment?" Sam asked taking a sip of water.

"Let's see," she said taking the foil packet out of the oven and putting it on the stovetop. "She cheated on my best friend and slept with my husband, what do you think?"

"I think you almost were a runaway bride and you have no room to talk," he shot back at her.

"I bet you're wishing I ran now. If you weren't married to me you'd be free to be with your precious Quinn."

There was no escaping that pain, even without his memory Sam seemed to latch onto that particular piece of their history the most. A year later she was still hurting him because of her stupid choices.

"I'd never wish that kind of pain on myself, not even for Quinn. I can't believe you'd think I'd want to be left at the altar." An array of emotions played over his face, disappointment, maybe disgust, all because of her.

"I just meant without me you'd be free," she said the words lodging in her throat.

She'd spent most of the night thinking about letting him go. Puck had put up a good argument, trying to convince her to stick it out with Sam a little longer, but common sense was prevailing. There was no point in holding onto a man that was trying to break free. It hadn't been that long since he came out of the coma, a more practical man would have taken things slow and focused on recovering before leaping into life altering decisions, but Sam Evans had never been one to be practical, he was impulsive and emotional, traits Mercedes loved so much about him. Sam had come back itching to jump back into everything, to live it to the fullest, and forge ahead to the future. He was ready to make up for lost time, just not with her. She was nothing but an obstacle, a roadblock to his perfect life with Quinn. That was one thing she never wanted to be, in his way. She wanted to be by Sam's side, walking with him, but never barring his path.

"Without you, I'd be dead," Sam said getting up from the table and looking around the kitchen.

Gratitude, that was far better than his hate, but not enough for Mercedes to hold on to. She wanted him to see her more than just his nurse and savior, she wanted him to see her as his life, the way he used to.

"You never would've had that accident if you hadn't married me," she said quickly glancing at him before taking a plate out of the cabinet next to the sink.

Sam picked up the wedding photo on the little accent table in the kitchen, the same picture he had smashed at his father's house, and brought it over to Mercedes. "Quinn told me that she was at our wedding. She said I was extremely happy. I'm guessing you had something to do with that."

She took the photo from him, memories flooding back as she looked at their happy faces. One of the best and worst days of her life, so much she wished she could change, the pain, the lies, the trip to ICU, but standing in front of Sam, seeing all the love in his eyes, feeling absolutely complete in that moment, Mercedes wouldn't trade that for anything.

"You were so handsome in your tux. I got so tingly every time you looked at me. No one has ever looked at me the way you do." She paused, correcting herself. "Did. The way you did."

His fingers brushed against hers as he took the frame from her hand, setting it down on the counter, electricity prickling her skin, the rush she always felt when he touched her, that attraction that had pulled her in from the first time they met. Sam used to feel it too, even when he tried his best to fight it. She couldn't help but wonder if he felt it still now, or had the accident robbed them of that too.

"Happiness and tingles are good things, I don't think I would want to trade all of that," he said staring down at her, Mercedes' heart started to race as Sam drifted closer, lightly pulling on one of her curls, before letting his hand drop. He returned to his seat at the table.

She didn't trust what he was saying, even though she wanted to. He hated being married to her, and had been very upfront about it. The sudden shift put her on guard.

Mercedes unwrapped the foil pouch and took out the burger and fries Kurt had brought her from the diner, untouched and left in the warm oven. She placed the food on the plate, grabbing a napkin from the counter next to the stove before walking over to the table and placing the food in front of Sam.

"I know you don't care now, but I am so sorry about everything that happened at the wedding with the voicemail, and later with Shane," she said over her shoulder as she took the mustard out of the refrigerator.

All of this was coming too late, and to the wrong Sam, she had needed to say this to him last year, when it still mattered, but it felt good nevertheless to get it off her chest, to again try to atone for her crimes.

"Shane? Was that his name?" he asked as he took the mustard from her hand.

"Yeah. Shane Tinsley," she replied sitting down at the table. "He's one of Beiste's former students. She coached him in football, and they remained close, that's why I didn't tell you his name before, I didn't want you to hold it against Beiste."

"Is he still in town?" A thick vein on his forehead bulged, a raised line against his smooth brow.

"No he took a job at a hospital in North Carolina."

"Good." He bit into his burger.

"Why's that good?"

"No reason, just talking."

Maybe she shouldn't have brought Shane up, Sam was visibly upset, which was ironic since he didn't even remember Shane or the incident in the first place.

"You and Shane made your peace you know? You let what happened go."

"How noble of me," he said flatly.

"You tried. I think it was for my benefit more than anything."

"Right wouldn't want there to be any tension between your husband and your lover. I can see how I'd work hard to prevent that," he said rolling his eyes and taking another bite.

"He wasn't my lover. I never slept with Shane, unlike you, I can stay faithful."

"There's more than one way to cheat Mercedes. Kissing another man, loving another man, spending all night out with another man, all cheating," he said hitting the table with his hand.

"I'll be sure to make note of that, type it up and give it to you, since I'm sure you are planning to do all of those things with Quinn."

Sam exhaled sharply. "I told you she's my friend."

"Shane is mine," she said, stealing a fry from his plate.

"And Finn?"

"Finn?"

"Why do you act all shocked every time I bring up his name? You spent last night with him, I just saw him leave this house."

"I didn't spend all night with him. We went out for a while then he brought me home. Today he came by for a visit."

Toying with the mind of a mentally impaired patient was frowned upon in her profession, normally Mercedes never would have done it, but Sam was being a jerk. Calling her the night before, accusing her of neglecting Beth when he barely spent twenty minutes a day with the girl. Then he had the nerve to bring up their night at the hospital, again, trying to make her feel like a slut for getting physical with him when he was just as into it as she was. Then all the questions about her being out with Finn, like she was wrong to be spending time with a friend, when he had just driven three hours to spend time with his own supposed friend.

Still it was wrong, to let Sam go on believing that something was up with her and Finn. Setting the record straight would have been the right thing to do, but Mercedes couldn't bring herself to do it, especially when he kept looking at her like she was an adulterer. He was such a hypocrite, he was the one that broke his vows, and he was still breaking them as far as Mercedes could tell. His every thought since he came out of the coma was about Quinn.

His eyes flashed with anger. "You mean a quickie."

"I don't have to explain any of this to you." Mercedes crossed her legs and sat back in her chair, smirking when she caught him staring at her legs. "We're barely married and you're busy plotting ways to get the woman that destroyed our life freed from the mental hospital."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you and Figgins were planning something about Quinn. I saw that message you got from the judge. Too bad he couldn't see you to discuss Quinn's case."

If only she had been shocked when Figgins' assistant Becky gave her the message, but the news that Sam was trying to help Quinn was completely expected. Quinn was his perfect princess, of course he'd want to save her from prison cell.

"Were you snooping through my personal things?" he asked his voice rising.

"We're married the staff doesn't hide things from me, unlike my own husband that lies to me at every turn."

"You are the biggest liar I've ever met, and you are going to judge me?" Sam pushed his food away, his body shaking in anger. "Stay out of my business from now on. You got that?"

Ouch! That smacked her back a few years, to when they first met and she was working at D&E. He hadn't trusted her then, doubting her every word, always thinking she was out to get him, only instinct allowing them those few moments of understanding. They'd come so far since then, creating a real friendship, based on trust and an undeniable connection. It hurt to know all of that had disappeared, and they were back to square one with each other, him not trusting her, and now she was starting not to trust him.

"Sam I know you don't trust me, and you think I'm out to get you, but I'm not. I'm on your side. I've always been," she said changing her tactic, hoping that a little sincerity would get Sam to let his guard down and reveal what was really going on with him.

"Prove it," he said grabbing her hand across the table, seeming to take her bait. "Back me up on this. I want Quinn to come home."

Was he kidding? He didn't seriously expect her to help him with Quinn?