DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GLEE BUT ALL MY STORIES I DO!

ENJOY :)

33 Days.

Her presence was on this earth for thirty three more days. It was hard. God, it was so hard but seeing her go so peacefully, no more pain, no more suffering. We didn't say the cancer won, she won the battle. Although knowing that she was pain free and in a way better place than they all were, it still hurt to know that her presence here on earth will no longer be.

Mercedes had just left the house to get some groceries to stock their fridge up when Sam called her to let her know she was gone. It was like time had halted, and the air had been knocked out of her chest. She knew this day was coming but she thought they had more time. She broke down in tears at the red light as rain splashed against the window shield.

Being the person she was, Clara had everything in place for her funeral and repast. Sam didn't have to do anything but call the numbers left on the paper and everything was taken care of. She also did the same with the insurance policies.

Leaving Clara's parents after talking and hugging them, Mercedes went around and greeted everyone, thanking them for coming on Sam's behalf. Sam had wandered outside about an hour ago after leaving his family, most likely needing a break from everyone and everything. As she walked around, she came to halt when her ex-fiancé came in sight, making his way towards her.

"My condolences."

Mercedes stared at the man in front of her before giving him a nod, choosing to be civil even though that's not how they left things, "Thank you for coming."

"Don't have to thank me, Bab-Mercedes." Jacob corrected, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he stood in front of the woman, "She was a friend of mine too."

Mercedes nodded her head once more as she stepped backwards, "Make sure you stop by to see Sam if you haven't already."

"I have." Jacob stated as he stared at her, trying to stop her from leaving as he leaned forward and attempted to grab her hand before she pulled back, "Look, I know this is not the right time but I wanted to get some things off my chest."

"Jacob."

"All of this has made me realize that I can't lose you. I don't want to go another minute without you. I know we've hit a rough patch but I'm sure we can work on it together."

"You're right, it's not the time nor the place." She responded as she looked at him, "Besides closure, whatever else you came here looking for is not here. I wish you the best, nothing more, nothing less."

Jacob watched as she turned around and left him standing there. He sighed as he placed his head down and headed for the door. He couldn't believe that this was the end of them. Over something completely silly was going to cause him not to be with the love of his life.

Sam leaned his head back on the couch on their patio, the sounds of the cars from the highway sounding off on this windy, dreary night. He twisted the band on his left hand, closing his eyes before pressing a kiss to it. Hearing the back door open, he was going to ask for some space until he found out who it was.

Mercedes went and took a seat beside him, giving him a small smile as she lifted up the plate and water, "Just need to see you eat something."

"Thanks." Sam took the plate from her and sighed, "I actually am hungry."

Mercedes watched as he picked up the fork and stuck it into the pasta, assured that he was about to eat, she let him do do so, an easy, comfortable silence looming over them for the next five minutes. She knew that they both needed this time to process.

"No amount of preparing could've prepared me for this." He stared at the sky, letting out a deep breath, "We talked, we planned but it actually going through…I'm feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest, Mercedes."

"I can't tell you I know what you feel because I don't. I definitely can't tell you it's going to be alright because I know it's going to be hard." Mercedes told him honestly as she glanced over at him, "All I know for sure is that you have people to lean on. You don't have to go through this grief by yourself."

Sam nodded as he took his hand and placed it on top of hers, giving it a squeeze. He cleared his throat as he took his other hand to wipe the fallen tear from his eye. He looked over at her and chuckled lightly, "I know she told you about her last wishes."

"She did?"

"Yeah and she also told me she'd haunt us both if we ended up with somebody other than each other."

Mercedes wiped the tears and started giggling. It started quiet then it turned into full blown laughter, causing Sam to do the same.

"As crazy as it sounds, I understand why and when the time is right, we'll talk more about it."

The calming silence engulfed them, their own thoughts taking over their minds as the voices of the people from inside made its appearance too. Sam, once again, broke it by speaking.

"I'm going to go to Seattle for three months. My flight leaves in about two hours." Sam informed her, "I feel I need to grieve alone for a minute. I'm praying I'll be more clear and level headed. Don't worry, I'm not suicidal or anything, this is just what's best for me at this moment."

Mercedes gave him a smile as she leaned over and hugged him tightly, "If you need me, don't hesitate to call."

"You know I won't." He whispered as he hugged her back, "Thank you for everything you've done for us."

"Don't have to thank me. That's what friends are for." She pulled back and looked at him seriously, "But if you get to a point where you feel like you're losing a battle, I'll be up there."

Sam nodded as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her head, mumbling, "Thank you."

Mercedes watched as he got up from the couch, going over to grabbed the luggage that she didn't pay attention to when she came outside.

"Birds of a feather…."

"We should stick together."

Sam gave her one last smile before his open the gate and headed to the Uber that was waiting for him.