And I'd Do It Again

Everybody Talks

Mercedes walked into the den. "How do I look?"

Marcy looked up. "Who are you impressing?"

"Sam." Mercedes turned in her black pointelle V-neck sweater dress with openwork trim at top and flounced hem. She paired it with black ankle strap 2 1/2" heeled pumps. "I want him to suffer."

"He definitely will." Marcy put her feet down from the table.

"Good. I shouldn't be home too late."

"Why are you telling me?"

Mercedes sighed and rolled her eyes. "Because you should always tell people where you're going. It's safety 101!"

Marcy rolled her eyes back. "You haven't told me where you're going."

Mercedes started. "Oh! I'm meeting Sam at Sally's."

"I still don't care."

"Marcy!"

"I'm kidding. Geez, nobody likes comedy?" Marcy said with a straight face.

Mercedes huffed. "I'll be back. Do you want to give Tia a hug?"

The twins, who she was talking to, stood up and ran to her. She gave them big hugs because she knew that by the time she got back, they'd be asleep.

Mercedes went to the front door and picked up her purse, getting her keys out simultaneously. She locked the front door behind her then got in her car and drove to Lima to Sally's. She parked and went inside.

She scanned the diner and saw a head of blond facing away from her so she went to him. "Sam?"

Sam jumped up. "Wow! You look great!"

"Thank you." She let him kiss her cheek before sitting across from him in the booth.

He slid in and folded his hands on the table top. "I've missed you."

"Sam-"

"No, let me finish. I really missed you. You were my first love."

"If I was so damn important to you, why did you ignore me for months, date a friend and tell her she was the only one for you?" She bit off.

"I was wrong. I'm so sorry for that. I just couldn't deal with you being gone. You and all my friends were gone. I acted like a huge baby and ignored you because honestly? I think I resented you.

You left me alone and I hated it. So I ignored you. Britt felt the same when Santana dumped her and we needed each other. She knew what I was going through."

"So did Tina and so did Blaine but they-" Mercedes stopped. "Lost their minds, too. Oh my goodness, what happened to you guys?!"

"We couldn't handle being away from you all. I lost Puck and Mike and Finn and you. Tina lost all the girls in glee and Mike. Blaine couldn't stand being away from Kurt. It was not fun."

"You had each other and Artie."

"Being together just reminded us we were alone."

"What about all that stuff with Brittany? About how she was the true love of your life? How you two got married? Every stupid, bad decision you've made this year?"

"Can I say I lost my mind?" He spread his hands out with a sheepish grin. Upon seeing her not crack, he sighed. "Well I did. I stopped thinking and just reacted to stuff."

"You were not the Sam I knew and loved."

"Loved? As in past tense?"

"I told you, I will always love you. Some part of me always will. But I moved on. I had to."