A new one from Tora!

Faking It

Synopisis: Sam is in a dilemma and the only one he can count on is his best friend Mercedes. But when a fake engagement goes too far, will their friendship survive the fallout?

Part 1

Mercedes Joy Jones waited by the phone as she often did. Waiting for her fiancée to call. She would call him, but his schedule was so busy she never got through. So she paged him and waited. As an international trader, he was away from home for months at a time. Her friends would always joke around, saying she might as well be single; she spent all her time alone anyways.

Well, not all of her time; her best friend Sam would stay with her on the nights she didn't want to be alone. On many occasions, people mistook him for her boyfriend, but now he was her best friend through and through. They met in med school until Mercedes realized that, unlike Sam, she wanted to be a nurse; she was better suited for it. Her bedside manner was better than most in her class.

Sam thought she was crazy for not finishing med school; she could have been top of their class. Even her professor asked if she was sure, but when he started his private practice, there was no one he wanted on his side as his head nurse but Mercedes.

Sitting around the house, she began to feel lonely. When she first met her fiancée Noah, she was instantly attracted to him. He was tall and handsome, reminded her a bit of Zac Efron, and she was a high High School musical fan. He was taller than her but shorter than Sam, just as built though, as the two often worked out together when he was home. He, like Sam, wore his hair short, and though he dyed his hair blonde on a bet, he couldn't pull it off.

They met in College as well. In fact, all of her crew, except for Santana, she met in College. They were called the Elite because all of their majors were that of the Elite. She, Blaine, Quinn, Santana, Mike, Sam, Rachel, and Noah were all thick as thieves and still were, though Noah hadn't really hung out since he got his job in trading. When they got engaged three years ago, he told Mercedes he would have to work hard for five years internationally, and then he would make partner then they could get married. And she loved him, so she waited for him. The phone rang, and she jumped for it.

"Hello?"

"MJ, I need you. I need you now."

She said up in her chair. "Sam?"

"Yes, can I come in, please?"

"Ummm, I don't know the last time you were here; my butt hurt for two weeks." She teased.

"I'm sorry, and I promise to please put the seat down. Can I come in?" He said, and she knew something was wrong; he usually teased her back.

"Fine, come on."

"Okay, good, so open the door. I am here."

"Already?"

"Yeah, it's that important."

Mercedes huffed, hanging up, and walked to the door, opening it, closing her robe as she did. "Okay, so what's up?"

"Marry me!" He said as he stormed into her house.

"What? Are you crazy?"

"No."

"Sam, you know I'm engaged. Now, what is going on?"

"My grandmother is on her way up here. She is on me all the time about how I work too hard and need to settle down. So one day, I told her I was getting married. She has been too sick to get here, and now she has a nurse, and they are on their way here now."

"Okay, so tell her you guys broke up."

Sam ran his hands through his hair. "Why didn't I think of that…before I told her that I was marrying you?"

"Me?" She laughed, walking into the bathroom. "What are you talking about?"

"Well…" He trailed off, grabbing a brownie from the counter and hopping on it. "She asked me who she was, and I told her you. I told her when I hired you, we fell in love."

"Me? Why not Santana or Quinn or even Rachel?"

"Because if I had to choose who Mimi would love, it would be you. Your spirit reminds me of my mom and Mimi. You're smart and beautiful, and you're hot, can't forget that. And if I were going to make someone my fake bride, it would be you because she already loves you! You're my best friend, and I am… on my knees begging you to fake marry me, please." He said, falling to the ground dramatically. He knew she loved when he faked dramatics.

"No way. Sam, you're my best friend, and you know that. But we have a history, and I don't want to be hurt again, and all this is…is lying. I can't do it."

"Why not…you won't get hurt, I promise, this isn't like before…please, I will give you a raise?"

"You really think I want a raise?"

He shrugged. "Well yeah, you have been begging me to do it."

"You can't bribe me!"

"How much would you want…I am willing to give you $200,000 cash?"

"What!" She laughed. "See, now I know you are crazy."

"I'm serious."

"So to pretend I am marrying you…your gonna give me $200,000 cash?"

"That is how desperate I am about this. And you know I am good for it, and you know that I can pay it."

"I know, but."

Sam took her hand in his. "Please. MJ, I need you."

She sighed, rubbing her temples. "So we would be fake engaged for what? A couple of days?"

"No, see, uh…." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Ummm, actually, we would have to have a ceremony."

"What! No, absolutely no way am I having a wedding ceremony with you."

"Why not? It's not that bad, and trust me, it will be fake. I am not trying to be a husband anytime soon, if ever."

"Sam, this just isn't right. I can't do it…and I am sure Noah wouldn't want me to do it either."

"If he said yes, would you do it?"

She rolled her eyes, moving away from him. "Why would you even ask me that?"

"Answer me." He said, following her. "If he said yes, would you do it?"

"What makes you think that he would say yes?"

"I had to ask him before I asked you…you are his fiancée."

"Ha, that's a good one." She looked at him and frowned. "Wait, when did you talk to him? Cause I have been trying to get a hold of him, and he has not called me back yet."

"That doesn't matter. Here call him on my phone."

"No, there is no way I am gonna do it. And what about your family? I am sure they won't want me to do this."

"Oh no, they are on board. I have taken care of everyone, and my mom actually likes that thought."

"This is crazy. How can you all just think I would agree to this?"

"Because I am your best friend, and I have always been there for you."

"Samuel Dwight Evans, need I remind you that I am 30 years old; you can't guilt me into marrying you even if it's fake."

"Come on, what happened to that whole 'if you ever and I mean ever need anything, you can call me day or night.' Or did you not mean that?" Sam questioned.

"Sam, you know I meant it."

The phone rang, and Mercedes grabbed it.

"Hello."

"Baby, what's up?"

"What's up? How about the fact Sam wants me to marry him, and you're okay with that?"

"Sam is our friend, and he needs our help, and I say go for it. It's not like it's real."

"But."

"Oh, don't but me; it's not like we cant use the money."

She looked at Sam and turned away. "What do you mean we can use the money? We are fine. More than fine, we don't need it."

"See, that's why I am calling you; we wouldn't normally need the money, but I have to take our savings and invest it, yeah, invest it in the company."

"Noah, are you crazy? There is over three hundred thousand dollars in there; you are not taking my money for an investment!"

"I might have already taken it, And before you get made, I had to do it. We are working on this big deal, and I needed it. We all put up our own cuts to be a part of this merger, and it could mean big things for us."

"And so talking it over with me was just out the question, right?"

"Well, I was so busy, and it was a quick decision; I added your name to the merger, so you get a cut if that makes you feel better. Look, Sam needs a favor, and we need the money until all this can be finalized. Cant you just do this, please."

"Go to hell, Puckerman!" She said, hanging up on him and going right into her account.

She closed her eyes angrily at the missing funds. "I can't believe he did this. I was saving that money for the wedding, and he knew that the other 150 were Donations I had collected over the last two years for the women's clinic at your practice! We need that money, or the whole project is a wash, and he just took it all!"

Sam moved closer to her. "MJ, I didn't know he did that."

Mercedes looked at Sam with tears in her eyes. "I don't even have a choice here, and I have to do this…." Her hands were shaking with rage.

Sam took her hands in his hoping to calm her. "MJ I-"

She shook her head. "No, it's okay, Sam. it looks like you have a wife."

"Really? Thank you, thank you, thank you. I promise you won't regret it."

"Yeah I hope not. So tell me what's going on."

"Well, she will be here tonight; we have a family dinner. Mom, Dad, Tina, Stacey, and Stevie are bringing everyone up to date."

"I just can't believe they all are okay with you lying to your grandmother."

"Look, she doesn't have that much time left. I know it's wrong, but I don't see myself getting married in the next six months."

"She only has six months to live."

"That's what they are saying."

"Don't you think she will be mad once she finds out this is all fake?"

"Well, that is why she won't find out."

Sam pulled a ring case out of his pocket. "Here."

"What is this?" She said looking down.

"You didn't think that I would ask you to marry me and not give you a ring."

She opened the case and in it was a gorgeous 14-carat gold diamond engagement ring."

"Oh, Sam, it's beautiful."

He nodded. "Okay, so you need to get your things together."

She nodded. "Let me go get dressed then."

She turned away, but Sam reached for her. "Oh, you know that pink sundress you have?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, wear that. You look hot in that."

"Hot?"

"Yeah, MJ." He said sincerely.

Mercedes stared at him for a moment and then shook it off. "Will you stop calling me MJ? You know I don't like that."

"Every husband has a pet name for his wife."

"Oh, I got one for you too."

Mercedes walked up the stairs.

1. Now how he gone take sis money like that? 2. I mean I'm here for the fake marriage cause Noah trash already 3. Not them lying to the grandma lawd!