Manhattan, New York

Aria opened one eye groggily as she heard someone banging their fist against the apartment door. She swung her legs down from where they were sprawled out on top of the couch with a groan. "I'll get it." Sitting on the balcony, Sam held up an arm to give her a thumbs up; he didn't take his eyes away from the sketches on the small glass table in front of him.

She stood on her tiptoes to see through the peephole, a large smile spread across her face once she saw who was standing on the other side of the door. "Who is it?"

"Aw, hurry up and open the door, Lil' Mama. I know you see me."

Aria threw herself into Noah Puckerman's arms before she had even opened the door all the way. "Uncle Puck!" Her eyes appraised him intently once she stepped back from the embrace. "Have you gained weight?"

He chuckled and lovingly gave one her curls a tug. "It's the life of a fat cat entrepreneur, runt. And look who's talking. You look like you've grown a foot since I last saw you. Geez, what's Evans feeding you?"

"Lots of take-out."

"Hey!" Sam came in outside, reaching out a hand to shake his oldest friend's. "Thanks for coming, Puckerman."

"No problem, man. You seemed pretty down and out when you called earlier."

Aria looked between the two of them with a confused frown. "…What's going on?"

Puck narrowed his eyes at her father as though asking a silent question that Sam answered with an almost imperceptible shake of his head. He winked down at the girl. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"Nothing I need to worry about or nothing you want me to worry about?"

He laughed and extended his foot behind himself to press the apartment door closed again. "Man, you sound just like your mother."

"Thanks!"

"Well alrighty then." Sam placed his hands on her shoulders and steered her over to the couch. "You sit here and watch some TV. We'll be out on the balcony for a little bit."

"Talking about what?"

"Nothing," he tilted his head to the side and corrected, "Okay. Something." She groaned and rolled her eyes. "But I'm not ready to talk to you about it yet. So…just wait."

Puck followed Sam out onto the balcony, watching him slide the glass door shut as he took a seat at the table. "So what's going on?"

Sam sat across from him and pointed at his phone lying on top of his sketches. "Mercedes called me."

Puck arched a brow. "It's been a long time since she's called you directly like that, hasn't it?"

"It's been a year. Usually she talks to Aria and if she has something she wants me to know, Aria relays the message." Sam passed a hand over his face tiredly. "I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was about what she wanted. She asked the same thing around this time a few years back. Should've known she would try again."

"Try again to do…Oh." Puck gave an understanding nod. "It's almost tour time for her isn't it? Mercedes wants to take Aria with her?" He shrugged after his friend nodded. "If you're asking my opinion, you should let it happen."

Sam's eyes narrowed. "I was asking your opinion. Now I'm not. What the hell, man?"

Puck raised his hands up in defense, leaning back in his chair so he could prop his feet up on the table. "It's her kid too!"

"There's a reason why I asked Mercy for Aria. I don't want her to be a part of that life."

"Seems like if you didn't want your kid to be a part of that life you shouldn't have had a kid with a girl who wanted nothing but that life. You knew what you were getting into all those years ago. Mercedes always wanted to be a star. Now you're punishing her because she's made it?" Puck scoffed. "You know I love you, Evans, but that's some bullshit."

"I…"

"You don't try to get in the way of a Mama Bear and her cub. Sometimes I still feel sore from the ass whooping Quinn gave me the day I asked if Beth could come live with me. What, you don't trust Mercedes to take care of Aria while they're on tour?"

Sam sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. Mercy's a great mother. I know she wouldn't let anything happen to Aria. I just worry, you know?"

Puck frowned, leaning forward as a thought came to him. "Why don't you go with her?"

"Go with Aria?"

"Yeah."

"Go with Aria on tour with…Mercy?"

"Yes! Come on, man, if you're so worried about what might happen while she's traveling all over the place, you should travel all over the place with her."

Sam rested his hands on his knees; he sat in silence for a long moment before speaking again. "She wanted to meet with me, have dinner, talk it over…I told her there was no need, that I wasn't changing my mind. She hung up on me."

Puck shrugged. "So call her back, tell her you've changed your mind."

"She's not going to be too thrilled to have me along for the ride."

"So don't tell her that part." Puck grinned. "And be sure to take a picture of her face when she figures it out."

Back in the fall we'd be together

All day long

Do you remember us holding hands?

In each other's eyes

We'd stare

"What are you over here fiddling with?"

Hastily closing a fist around the diamond engagement ring in his palm, Sam smiled up at his girlfriend as she walked over to the booth he had settled in. The Los Angeles Convention Center was again the location of the official Grammy After-Party and it was packed. He nodded a goodbye to the group that had been sitting with him and stood to wrap his arms around Mercedes' waist after discreetly dropping the ring in his pocket. "Taken all the pictures you're gonna take and seen all the people you wanted to see?"

Her brown eyes were practically sparkling at him. "I just met Adele, Sam. Adele! She said that she listens to my album and…!" Mercedes let out a squeal, squeezing him around the middle. "Adele loves my album!"

"Everyone's gonna be listening to your album and loving it, pretty girl." He planted a kiss on her forehead. "Especially after tonight. You've made it."

She sighed happily. "I made it." At the sight of the proud grin on his face, she chuckled. "And let me guess, you're not a bit surprised."

Sam took her hand and they began walking toward the entrance of the Convention Center. "Of course I'm not surprised. I totally called this happening senior year of high school. Should've taken Finn up on the bet that you'd get a Grammy before Rachel got a Tony."

"That's a horrible bet!"

"Maybe. But I still would've won. Not so horrible."

Mercedes rolled her eyes, bobbing her head slightly to the rhythm of the music blasting throughout the large room. "You know, that's not the only thing you 'totally called happening' senior year."

"No?"

"Nope. I seem to remember a couple of proposals coming from you around that time." A photographer called out for a picture of the couple. Sam and Mercedes stopped and obliged the man, beaming brightly.

Once they were walking again, Sam shrugged. "I don't recall that at all." She jabbed him in the side with an elbow and he pulled her closer to his side with a laugh. "Okay yeah. What about it?"

"Just wondering if anything's ever gonna come of all those proposals. I've got my Grammy. What comes next?"

Sam smiled down at her so tenderly that photographers nearby immediately took the opportunity to snap pictures. "I'm gonna take you home to celebrate that Grammy."

Mercedes' cheeks warmed as he lowered his head to whisper his plans of celebration into her ear. "Looking forward to that."

"Then let's get going."

To be continued...

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