DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GLEE NOR BUT THIS STORY I DO!

ENJOY :)

Mitch and I have decided to do a collaborative Thanksgiving dinner for the less fortunate. We're only asking for volunteers. We're thankful to have some wonderful donors who has so graciously brought everything needed.

Mercedes sat cross-legged on the mat, locking her phone after she read the text. She closed her eyes and tried to get some peace within her before she started her session. Since she had been relieved of her other duties, she had more time to spend with her juvenile classes. She decided to take this time to figure out what she really wanted out of life. It has been a draining, emotional, mood and soul shifting couple of months for her, and she just wanted calm and stillness for a minute but it was so shaky due to her thoughts going to the other day, thinking about the conversation that she had with him, but first, how she got to talking to him about this in the first place.

A cloudy, raining July morning.

Mercedes was in disbelief as she walked down the aisle, stopping when she got to what she was looking for. She couldn't believe that she had landed herself back down this section of the store. The last place she ever thought she'd be. She glanced over them, taking a deep breath before leaving forward and grabbing a box from the shelf. She didn't even know why she was doing this when she already knew the answer. She was pregnant, she just was hoping for a different result. As she turned around, she was walking with her head down when she ran into someone, causing her to drop all of her things out of her hands.

"I'm sorry…" The man drifted off when he bent down to pick up the stuff, grabbing the pregnancy test box, his eyes finally met the woman's, going wide when he saw who it was, "Mercedes?"

"Oh, great." She mumbled as she she grabbed the box from him. She didn't even have time to be upset right now because she was literally in a panic mode about a more pressing situation, "Look Angelo..."

"You could be picking this up for a friend." He interrupted nonchalantly as he shrugged his shoulders, trying not to upset her any more than she already was.

Mercedes surprisingly let out a short chuckle, giving a small, tired smile, "You're absolutely right."

Angelo sent her a warm smile, sticking his hands in his pockets as he stared down at her, "Are you okay though?"

"I am, thank you for asking." She lied before turning and walking away, heading to the register so she could leave before she bumped into someone else she didn't want to.

Fast forward three months later.

"I wish you would stop staring at me like that."

"You won't be able to hide it any longer." He ignored her words as he watched her play with the food, hearing her let out a deep sigh as her eyes shifted to him, "You need to tell them."

The woman looked at him then put her head down, placing a hand over her growing belly, "I know, I'm just…."

"I understand."

"I'm sorry." Mercedes said all of a sudden as she stared at him, shaking her head, "I really don't want to face my love ones with this news yet. As crazy as it sounds, you are the only person I can turn to right now but I have no right to put you in the middle of this."

"I was in the middle of it when I bumped into at the store." He responded as he gave her a reassuring smile as he leaned over and grabbed her hands, "We're friends, and yes, I can say that now with sincerity because we have really been fixing what we need to come to this point."

Mercedes looked at his thumb as it rubbed her hand, her eyes going back to his. He was right. She could truly call him a friend now for one solid reason alone. He came to therapy with her when she asked. Like it was said early on, he played a significant part in her life whether she wanted to admit it or not. It didn't take one session, more like couple, but it was working. She came to a place where she sincerely forgave him in her heart. This was all she wanted Sam to do for himself and the demons he was fighting and she couldn't understand why the resistance…well, she could but she had hoped that he would be more open to it.

Bridgette scanned over Sam's exercise logs as she walked, trying to pinpoint what they needed to work on next, but from the looks of it, he was good. He was always good, especially when he was upset. As crazy as it, that's when his best work came out. She remember when he first came through the doors in Chicago, bright eyed and full of unresolved anger. She could tell it was tamed, but as weeks went by, she saw the real him. The only reason they clicked so much is because her story was almost like his, except she was a foster kid, who was just dealt a difficult hand early on in life. She looked up from the sheet and found that she had walked into the back of the gym where classes were held. She found Mercedes sitting on the floor, her eyes closed, warped in silence. She had been here for almost two months and they haven't had a real conversation at all. She wasn't normally the kind of person that cared but for some reason, this bothered her, "Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if we could talk."

Yet here you are…interrupting. Mercedes opened her eyes as she came out of her thoughts when that thick Chicago accent that she had been hearing for months run through, finding the woman looking down at her. What could she possibly want with her?

"I feel like we haven't been able to get to know each other."

With reason. The last thing I want to do it get to know you, "I'm sorry that you feel that way."

No you're not. Bridgette shifted on her feet and crossed her arms, deciding to come right on out with what she had to say, "Look, I don't know you and Sam's relationship, and believe it or not, he keeps that part of his life private now, unlike with the last one. That's how I know that what you two have is real, something I don't want to come between. Your friend threw some wild accusations out when I got here that I want to clear up. I do want you to know that nothing is going on between us. We shared one kiss a very, very long time ago but that was it, I swear." She admitted truthfully as she looked at her, "I'm genuinely just here to help him get back to the Sam I know, that's all."

"You really didn't need to tell me that because I could care less what is going on between you two." Mercedes told her as she shrugged, "He's single, so he can do whatever the hell he wants. I don't care."

"Bullshit."

Mercedes stood up from her spot then walked over to where she was, trying her best not to get heself upset but she wasn't going to back down, "Leave before you meet the side of me that's not so nice."

Bridgette stared at her before shaking her head and stepping back, turning around and walking away. Yeah, those two ticking bombs were made for each other.

Ruby walked into the kitchen, sitting the bags down on the counter. She had picked up her grocery for Thanksgiving in a few days, and she was glad that she beat the incoming crowds. She glanced over and saw Mercedes standing in the corner looking out the window. Her and Poppy had been staying with them while they fixed some things at their house, "Hey sweetheart." When she didn't respond, she sat the last of the bags down before going over to where she was.

Mercedes felt her presence next to her but she had so much going on in her mind. She was overwhelmed, and she got really emotional when she was. She sighed as she felt her eyes starting to water before she looked at her, the next words coming out as a whisper, "I'm pregnant."

Ruby took in her words before she looked at her, "I know."

The tears finally escaped her eyes, "You do?"

"Besides the oversized shirts being a giveaway, I know you more than you know you." Ruby gave her a smile as she moved yer hair of her face, "I knew that you'd come to us when you were ready, so that's why I didn't say anything."

"I fought with the fact if I wanted to keep it or not for the longest." She looked at her with watery eyes, "I know this is a conversation that I needed to have with Sam, still do actually, but I'm just so hurt and angry right now with him."

"He has a right to know, Mercedes, especially on the decision. I'm not saying that you have to put your feelings to the side, but you have to what's best for you and him." Ruby told the young woman honestly as she lifted her chin up with her hand, "You know I'm all about what's right."

"I-I know." Her voice cracked as she put her head down, her shoulders beginning to shake. She felt Ruby wrap her arms around her causing her to instantly fall into the older woman's embrace. When she did become vulnerable and overwhelmed, Ruby was definitely her safe place, "You're the only one, besides Angelo, that's knows."

Ruby stood still for a moment before she leaned back to study her face, "What? How does he know and Sam doesn't?"

"An accident, I swear." She wiped her face with her hand but it was useless because more tears started to fall, shaking her head, "H-He ran into me at the store during the summer, the test dropped and the rest is history."

Ruby didn't question her anyone because she was too emotional. Instead, she pulled her back into a hug, her hand cradling the back of her head. She reassured her that everything was going to be okay because in due time, it was.

The next couple of days had been a roller coaster for everyone. In between practices, workouts, fights, classes, personal lives, revelations and getting things together for this dinner, they were exhausted. Now that the day was closing in for the dinner, everything turned up a notch. Everyone's personal issues were put on the back burner for the greater good….well, almost everyone's.

Angelo had just dropped the Turkey into the fryer, side eyeing Mitch for leaving his with this job. He didn't mind, but he had three more to do. He looked up from his station and glanced around, finding exactly who he was looking for as his feet started to make their way to her.

Mercedes grunted lowly as she bent down to grab the bags that had some cans, only to be stopped by Angelo.

"Let me get that."

"I got it." She looked at him and gave him a look, "It's not heavy."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay." He stood back up straight, watching as she headed in the inside. He sighed as he turned around, eyes landing on the other person he needed to talk to. Hopefully, this wouldn't go left like he believed it would.

Sam had just put a case of water on the table when he saw Mercedes going inside. He wanted so badly for whatever this was to end between them. He wanted to talk to her, apologize to her but she wouldn't even be in the same space with him. That alone brought him to Angelo. Fucking Angelo. How ever in the hell did he swindle his way back in her life was beyond him, and the way that he has been constantly around irritated his soul, but today was the icing. He would find them together whispering about something, and he was too close for comfort. He didn't know if they were dating or what, but he couldn't believe for the life of him that Mercedes would go down this road again.

Angelo cleared his throat, bringing the man out of his pondering thoughts. Again, he was hoping that this could go smoothly, but that was like asking for world peace, "You got a minute to talk?"

"Kind of busy at the moment." Sam commented as he continued to take the cases down from the bed of truck.

"You can just listen then."

Sam came to a pause and stood upright, turning around and facing him, who had a serious look on his face, letting out short, eerie laugh, "Why would I listen to anything you have to say?"

"Because this is not about me or you, it's about Mercedes." Angelo said as he watched as his facial expression took a dark turn and he knew that he was going to have to spit what he had to say and do it calmly and cautiously, "Take care of her and don't give me that we're not together bullshit. Y'all are just two emotionally, stubborn people." He said as Sam looked away from him, a first because he never broke eye contact with anyone, "I've done things that I'm not proud of but I've changed. I'm not the same person I was when I was seventeen or twenty-two. Take my word, and this is me giving you advice that's going to help you. Be there for her always, but especially during this time. I made that mistake of not doing that back then."

Sam stared at him for as his words settled. It was a lot of things not making sense right now, like Angelo not being Angelo and him actually attempting to give him some advice about him and Mercedes. However, he was really puzzled at the last part. What was he talking about? He looked at him questionably, his heart should be beating rapidly in this moment but it was actually slowing down, "W-What do you mean during this time?"

Shit.

Mercedes sat the last of the vegetables down on the counter before she threw away the bag, eyes looking around. The kitchen was filled up with so much food supplies, it was crazy. It was bigger than ever this year and stuff was still piling in. That made her happy because they were going to be able to feed a lot of families this year. She truly loved being able to give back to their community. She took a deep breath and leaned against the counter, running her hands over her face.

Sam stood at the threshold and stared at her, where he had been for the past ten minutes, trying to get his emotions together before he spoke. He swallowed the lump in throat as his eyes looked her up and down. When she came face to face with him as she turned around, the words came tumbling out without a warning, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" She answered immediately and guiltily as she felt her heart began to race, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"I had to find out from him out of all people." He stared at her, voice never raising nor did it have a angry tone, but boy did it waiver. It had this feeling that was all too familiar to both of them. Blame. Sadness. Regret, "How do you think it makes me feel to know that because of my bullshit, you wasn't comfortable coming to me to let me know you're pregnant?"

Mercedes felt her throat closing up as she looked down, tears regretfully welling up in her eyes, her lips parting to respond but she was so overwhelmed with emotions. This was not how she had planned on this going.

A/N.….