A/N and Disclaimer: I own nothing from Glee, Carr's story, or any other copyrighted material. I hope you enjoy it. Please as always forgive all of my mistakes. Drama ahead. This is a short frustrating chapter. I promise you that the conflict will be resolved quickly unlike the original author, I don't want to type depressing stuff. I want it all to be sexy, fun, and romantic, but we have to have conflict and resolution of conflict so a story can be a story. So bear with me. Thanks again for the overwhelming support. I can't express my appreciation for you encouraging the madness that overtakes me when I am so busy to be a slave to the laptop during the little down time I have. You all make it worthwhile.

Chapter 8

Sam kept longingly looking at the parking lot for what had to have been the hundredth time since he arrived at the ball field. Mercy still wasn't here and practice was supposed to start in a couple of minutes.

He'd called and texted her at least two dozen times since Saturday morning, but every single time, his calls went straight to voicemail and his texts unread. Five times he'd hopped in his truck, intent on swinging by her place to see her, but every single time, he had been stopped by a fire call or stuck dealing with something that kept him busy until it was too late to go to her house.

Now it was Tuesday afternoon and there was no denying the truth.

She was avoiding him.

Sam had replayed their night together on a loop, and it felt as if every second of it was tattooed on his brain. He kept trying to figure out where it went wrong, what he'd failed to see to cause Mercy to ghost him.

For him, it had been the single greatest night of his entire life. And he'd honestly believed—right up until he'd woken up in an empty bed and not a note in the house—that she had enjoyed it as well.

The idea that she was hiding from him made him sick to his stomach.

Had he done something to hurt her? Emotionally? Physically?

He couldn't have imagined the orgasms she'd had, but maybe she'd woken up in pain or some other kind of distress and reconsidered, deciding she couldn't be with him. Couldn't be his as she promised when he insisted that she was his.

Hard as he tried, he couldn't make that idea fit with the reality of the night they'd shared. It had been incredible and most of the sex—at least at the beginning—had been initiated by her. She hadn't recoiled or complained of any pain or asked him to stop. No means no, and he would never take a woman without full consent or if there was any hesitancy on her part.

If anything, his sweet, near-virgin had been the opposite of hesitant and resistant. She had been the most open, the most trusting lover he'd ever taken to bed.

After one last look at the parking lot, he finally gave up and called the boys together on the field. She wasn't coming. If only that didn't make his chest hurt so badly.

He wasn't used to feeling like this. Sure when Quinn cheated on him in high school it hurt, but Santana who told him about her betrayal was there to distract him from the pain. When he was fake dating Brittany and she just upped and left, he hadn't felt sad at all; in fact, he had felt relief. Since he'd become an adult, he'd never had trouble walking away after having sex with the willing women, who he felt attracted to. A night or three in the sack and then so long, farewell, with no backward glances despite their pleas or manipulations to get him to stick around.

However, this time he was pining over Mercy like some lovesick loon, and to add insult to the injury, he missed JJ as well. The practice was nowhere near as much fun without JJ's energy and spiritedness, and he wasn't the only one who felt that way. The boys weren't quite as into the practice, going through the motions without their usual enthusiasm.

They were about ten minutes into batting practice when JJ sprinted out onto the field. Several of the boys ran over to greet him, slapping him on the back and grinning widely.

"Hey, JJ," Sam said. "I was starting to worry about you."

Sam's gaze flew over the little boy's head to the stands. Mercy was there, talking to a couple of the other moms. She didn't look in his direction.

"Mommy had to work late," JJ complained. "I told her we had to hurry." From his extra-high level of energy and the undeniable look of impatience still on his face, Sam would say the little boy had been nagging Mercy nonstop to get him to practice since school was over.

Sam continued with practice, sneaking glances at Mercy the entire time, hating how her eyes took in everything and anything to avoid looking his way.

Finally, a thousand years later, practice ended. Sam didn't bother with any reminders or last words of instruction. Mercy was already standing next to the bleachers, purse over her arm, car keys in hand, clearly intending to make a break for it. He planned to head her off at the pass. There was no way he was letting her leave here without talking to her. He had to know what he'd done wrong, so he could figure out how to fix it.

Sam missed talking to her, touching her, just being in her presence.

After only a few dinners and conversations, the woman had burrowed so deep into his subconscious, he couldn't make it more than five minutes without thinking of her. His thoughts reminded him of an old Babyface song, "Two Occasions."

With those lyrics playing in his head, Sam made a beeline for the bleachers to the only woman who could make it right, and when he was no more than ten feet away, someone stepped directly in front of him. He had to pull back in order to avoid a collision.

"Sam, baby, wait."

He didn't bother to hide his frown when he saw it was Kitty keeping him from getting to his Mercy. This batshit crazy woman had been a pain in his ass since high school, continually throwing herself at him, dropping sexual innuendos into every conversation, finding ways to always be wherever he was. For the first handful of years, he'd pushed her away pretty vigorously, rebuffing her advances and calling her out for her flirting and inappropriate comments.

However, Kitty seemed to thrive on rejection, taking his refusal to date her as a personal challenge. The more he resisted, the harder she tried. Lately, he'd decided it was easier to ignore, humor her, and mostly avoid her as much as possible. That was difficult, considering they lived in a small town, and his dad was married to her best friend. Wherever Shoshandra was, Kitty was, and apparently the two of them had hatched some twisted scheme lately, deciding their world would be perfect if Sam was married to Kitty.

Hell would freeze over before he even so much as touched the annoying woman.

"Not now, Kitty," he said, trying to step around her. She glanced over her shoulder and followed the direction of his gaze. He barely restrained himself from cursing at her when she put her hand on his chest. He glanced down and shot her a warning look. Kitty typically failed to read his social clues or body language, but his expression this time must have been dark enough to penetrate her self-deception. She wisely lowered her hand.

"You look hot in that hat. You know I've got a thing for ballplayers and guys who wield a wicked bat."

"I'm in a hurry." Sam looked over her shoulder, trying to find Mercy. JJ had reached her and she was attempting to make a quick escape.

"Mercy," he called out. "Wait."

For the first time since she'd arrived, she looked at him. Then her eyes drifted to Kitty, who was standing too close to him. Mercy frowned and glanced away. Sam knew she had no fondness for Kitty, but neither did he. Surely she knew that.

He moved toward Mercy, but Kitty wasn't finished causing trouble.

"I want to thank you for last night, Sam. You were great."

Sam winced. Kitty had chosen her words carefully and called them out loud enough for him—and Mercy—to hear.

He turned around and shot Kitty a dirty look, but his response only egged her on. She winked and blew a kiss. "See you and your big bat later."

If he'd had the time, he would have set Kitty straight once and for all on this bullshit of hers.

The two of them were never ever happening, and he wouldn't mind publicly embarrassing her next time she did this kind of bullshit in public.

Sadly, he didn't have the time to waste on her at this very moment. Mercy and JJ were halfway to the parking lot.

"Mercy," Sam said, instinctively reaching for her hand, when he finally caught up with them. The second he touched her, she recoiled from him like he was on fire and would burn her.

"Can we go to the arcade with you and Silas again?" JJ asked excitedly, jumping around them.

"I'm afraid I don't have Silas this time, champ," Sam said, pointing toward the parking lot where Silas and Shoshandra were waiting. He spotted Kitty getting into the passenger's seat too late. She waved to him, grinning widely. "But if you two don't have plans for din—"

"We do," Mercy said, before he could finish issuing his invitation.

He waited for her to say more, but she didn't, so they stood there for a few awkward moments.

"Can you come over and play ball one day?" JJ asked.

Sam glanced at Mercy. They had to clear the air before he could promise that, but what he needed to say to her couldn't be said in front of JJ.

"I, um," Sam hedged.

"That's not going to be possible, JJ. Sam is pretty busy at the fire station." Mercy crossed her arms. He could read her body language well enough to see she was just as uncomfortable as he was.

JJ's effervescence dissipated, which made the cute kid look dejected. Sam recognized that look well enough. He'd worn it himself when his dad lost his job and chose the bottle and women over spending time with his son. And after he fought for custody, he immediately left Sam to his own devices giving his newest son Stevie all of his love and affection and then Silas when he was born. His mom did the same thing when Stacee was born. Sam didn't like the idea that JJ might feel the same way he felt. Abandoned. Rejected.

"Will you please talk to me privately?" Sam asked Mercy begging her with his eyes.

She sighed, then hit the unlock button on her key fob. "JJ, why don't you wait for me in the car? I'll only be a minute, okay?"

JJ gave Sam a cheery wave. "Sure mom. Bye, Sam. See you at practice on Friday."

Sam gave him the thumbs-up. "I look forward to seeing you on Friday, little man."

They waited until JJ was out of hearing distance.

"Mercy, I—"

"Listen, Sam—"

They both started speaking at the same time. Then they both stopped simultaneousy. Sam pulled his cap off and ran his hand through his hair.

Mercy looked away. He hated the distance between them. He'd thought Friday night had changed things between them, taken them from just friends to something a lot closer, better.

"Please, Mercy," he said at last. "My insides are in knots, and I can't sleep. I need you to tell me the truth. Did I hurt you in any way the other night?"

"What?" She frowned, and he could see in an instant his question caught her off guard. The tightness in his chest started to loosen a bit. "No, of course not."

"Did I scare you or come on, too strongly?"

"No," she said. "You were there, Sam. It was…" She hesitated, then confirmed what he'd believed was true as well. "Amazing."

He tried to smile but couldn't even summon a smirk.

If that was true, it didn't explain her ghosting him.

Mercy shifted her purse higher on her arm. "You didn't hurt me. Physically."

He was curious about her phrasing, wondering why she'd felt the need to add the word, "physically."

Had he hurt her emotionally?

"You left without saying goodbye," he said, recalling how upset he'd been when he woke up alone.

"I needed to pick JJ up at Silas's house, and my car was out of gas."

"I would have driven you to the gas station."

She sighed. "I know, but I didn't want to drag things out with you."

Sam disliked her words. "My plan to drag things out was breakfast in bed, a shower together, and then I thought maybe we could try missionary."

He thought his words might break the ice, might put a smile on her face. They didn't.

"Listen, Sam, you and I both got what we wanted the other night. This song and dance is no longer necessary."

He didn't have a clue what she was talking about. "Song and dance?"

"We're both adults who once shared a certain chemistry of attraction towards each other."

Why was she speaking in the past tense?

Before he could ask, she continued, "Now that we've scratched each other's itches. I don't have any expectations of you beyond that. I came to your place fully aware of your reputation as a love 'em and leave 'em guy. I'm not the clingy type, so you don't have to worry about that."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sam hadn't meant his words to come out so hotly, but he was confused, and every single word she said was pissing him off.

His anger sparked hers. Her tone was almost hostile when she answered his question. "There was a sexual spark between us. We scratched the itch, so now we can move on. None of this requires a long, drawn-out farewell."

"Are you kidding me right now? Why do you keep bringing up scratching an itch?"

Where the hell did she get the impression that he wasn't genuinely interested in dating her?

He'd replayed every second of the other night enough to know he hadn't said a single thing that would lead her to believe he only wanted one night with her.

Hell, he hadn't even planned to sleep with her on Friday. That had been all her, with that cute little ass of hers pressing against his dick. The way she'd given him that sexy look and begged him to just put a little bit inside.

Before he knew it, she'd taken it all—his cock and his heart.

How could she not know that?

"Sam." Her voice was calmer now, but it didn't help because he recognized what was coming next. She was going to give him the brush-off.

He should know. He'd done the same enough in the past.

The difference was he'd never been on the receiving end and it sucked. His pulse was racing, temperature high, palms clammy.

This was karma.

It had to be.

She was giving him a taste of his own medicine for sleeping around, for treating sex like a game for too many years.

"I've dedicated the last five years of my life to raising JJ, to earning my degree, so I could provide for the two of us. I came to Lima for a clean break and a fresh start…for him and me. I've got the job and the house, but we both want more. I want a companion, someone to spend the rest of my life with and JJ wants a dad. I've tried to be both to him, but you've seen my pitching skills."

She accompanied her weak joke with a smile—the first one he'd seen from her all day—but it was a sad one, and not at all comforting.

"I understand that. You both deserve that." Mercy stood in front of him, telling him what she wanted and the crazy thing was, for the first time ever, it was the exact same thing he wanted.

So why weren't the pieces falling into place?

He forced himself to ask the question he didn't want answered. Mainly because he was pretty sure he already knew what she was going to say.

He asked anyway. "Why did you go out with me on Friday?"

She looked away from him, and he realized she wasn't going to respond.

"Look at me, Mercy," Sam demanded. "Be honest and tell me why?"

"You know about my past experience…with sex. Or lack thereof. I just wanted one night only with you."

Only one night.

With the manwhore of Lima.

He should have been used to this by now. In the past, he knew why the women were coming to his bed.

He thought it had been different with Mercy.

Even in the face of her hurtful words, he wasn't giving up on this, on her. "Please, Mercy, please go out with me ag—"

She shook her head before he got the whole invitation out. "I can't. That would not be a good idea."

"I think it's an excellent idea. When we are together, we have a good time. We talk and laugh and you have to admit, that sex was off the charts."

Mercy looked sad, which had him questioning what was behind her rejection of him even more.

Why would she end something that worked if she didn't want to?

"I can't do that, Sam. JJ is already too attached to you. It's not right to give him false expectations about us, about what the future holds. If it was just me, I might be willing to take a chance, but…"

She didn't finish that thought, and he realized even if there was no JJ, she probably would still walk away from him because of his half true reputation.

"I'm crazy about JJ. I promise you that I would never hurt him."

"If that is the case, then all of this should be easy. We go on from here as…just friends."

There was no denying she didn't really mean that. After all, the cold shoulder he'd been getting confirmed it.

"But we should limit our interactions to"—Mercy lifted her arms, gesturing around them—"here. You'll be his coach out on the field. No more dinners. No more coming over to our home to play catch. Those things will just confuse him."

"No." Sam hated everything she said. "That isn't enough for me."

"I don't understand why you're making such a big deal of this. I thought this would make you happy. You're not looking for a relationship, so there's no reason to draw this out. I'm giving you a clean break. No tears, no pleading, no fighting."

"You think this is what I want?"

"I'm not doing this again." Her voice was strong, sure. Whatever was driving her to break things off with him, it was powerful enough to fuel her resolve.

"Doing what again?" he asked, leaning closer, desperation clawing at him. How could she walk away from what they shared? "Coming apart at the seams for me when I drive my fingers or my tongue inside you. Fighting against the cuffs binding you to my bed while I bring you to orgasm over and over. Screaming my name as I pound inside that tight, hot body of yours."

She closed her eyes, and for a second, he thought there might be tears forming there. "Stop," she whispered.

"No. I'm not going to stop. This isn't over."

When she opened her eyes again, piercing him with her gaze, they were dry. And Sam knew he'd lost the war.

"Yes. It is."

She started to walk away from him. There was only one last thing to say, one last card to play.

"What about me?"

Mercy stopped and turned back. "What?"

"You said you wanted to start dating in hopes of finding someone to marry, someone to be a father to JJ. What about me?"

She froze for just a second. And then she laughed.

The sound cut through him as she walked away.

This time he let her go.

Just like that.

And his heart shattered in what felt like a million pieces.