Hi. So this is Mercedes POV of the first chapter. It wasn't requested BUT when has that stopped anyone? LOL

Hope you like it

Read, Enjoy, and Review... :0)

Dreaming with a Broken Heart:

Mercedes sighed as she headed to homeroom. She had another long day of classes, work, and avoiding making an important decision. As she thought of more ways to avoid Sam, she was quickly grabbed and pulled into an empty classroom by a surprisingly strong blonde. When she finally got her bearings together, she was met by two big light green eyes.

"Hey" Mercedes said, not quite sure what to say next. There was silence on the other end, as the green eyes just peered at her, shielded by a choppy row of blonde bangs. "I never got a change to tell you how cute your hair is shorter did I?" Mercedes questioned with a smile.

Quinn laughed dryly at her observation, an obvious attempt to avoid the real point of this conversation.

"Okay Quinn, what's up?" Mercedes sighed seeing that pleasantries were not going to get her out of this impromptu meeting.

"Sam" Quinn said simply.

"Okay, what about him?"

"What is going on?" Quinn fired back quickly.

"Nothing" Mercedes answered as honest as possible. "I'm with Shane and Sam-"

"Sam is breaking his heart and back fighting to get you back" Quinn responded folding her arms.

"Look Quinn, I tried to explain to him I'm with Shane, but he refuses to-"

"Give up on love?" Quinn questioned coldly.

Mercedes was shocked by her words. "No" Mercedes shot back "realize that just because he's back, that we can be together again"

Quinn sighed at her answer. "Well it's not like you exactly want him to stop perusing you"

"I have tried" Mercedes sighed

"Not really" Quinn quickly retorted. "Your mouth is constantly telling him no, but we all see it. In your eyes, your smiles, you still want him"

Mercedes stood silent. She didn't know how to respond. She had fought her feelings for weeks, trying to convince not only Sam, the rest of the Glee club, and herself that she and Sam where just a summer fling, and nothing more. That they were over, and she and Shane were her future. She thought she was making ground, but Quinn's words made it obvious that she hadn't done a good job at all. Mercedes walked to the front of the teacher's desk that was in the front of the class room and leaned on it. "I still care about him" was all she was able to say.

"Then why are you hurting him?" Quinn questioned. Mercedes head snapped to look at her friend. She never thought of him being hurt by her decision making process. "Look Mercedes, you don't owe me any explanations about you, Sam, and this past summer" Quinn sighed as she walked slowly towards her friend. "I mean after I dropped you, after Beth's birth, and I cheated on Sam and hurt him I…" she trailed off, reliving how horrible she had been the past year and a half. "You don't owe me an explanation" she repeated. "But Sam, Sam cares about you. And he is trying everything he can to show you that he wants you, and he wants to be with you."

"Sam and I were this past summer" Mercedes answered stubbornly "Shane is… is my future. I care about Sam, but I don't want him like… like that any more."

Quinn sighed at Mercedes, and decided to pull out the big guns to get her friend to realize that she is not only lying to her friends about her feelings but herself. She walked to the opposite side of the desk Mercedes was leaning on and leaned forward on it with strait arms. "I approached Sam when he first got back"

Mercedes stood up quickly, whipping her head around to face her friend. "You what?" she questioned in an attempt to make sure she heard her correctly.

"I approached Sam, when he first got back" Quinn repeated. "I told him about you and Shane, and propositioned that he and I give it another try"

A knot of anger and jealousy rose in Mercedes' chest instantly. She was angry that Quinn would tell her this, after trying to talk her into going back to Sam. What did she have to gain by hurting her in this way? Mercedes took two deep breaths to calm herself down. "Wel- well it only makes sense" Mercedes spoke, he words laced with bitterness. "Your single, he is too."

Quinn looked in her eyes and noticed her anger. She knew that her confession brought Mercedes' feelings for Sam right to the surface. That as much as she had been denying them, they were there, waiting to be exposed. Quinn smiled, pleased that she had finally uncovered them, her whole point in talking to Mercedes. She stood up straight and quickly walked to the other side of the desk, to look her squarely in the eyes. "He turned me down" Quinn said stoically.

Mercedes eyes widened slightly in disbelief. "He- he did?" she questioned, still attempting to hide all emotions.

Quinn pressed her lips into a small weak smile. "He did. I was still on my get Beth back kick and offered myself as his girlfriend and we would raise her together. His exact words were that I had "Rich white girl problems"" she lightly chuckled.

Mercedes couldn't help the smile that lightly spread across her lips. She wondered if she had rubbed off on him a bit that past summer.

Seeing her expression Quinn took Mercedes by the shoulder and looked her dead in the eye. "He wants and cares about you. Now, we all understand your with Shane, and you care about him, but you don't look at him the way you look at Sam. And you don't smile like that when someone talks about Shane"

Mercedes' breath hitched at Quinn's words. She knew she was right. She knew that although she cared for Shane, he didn't have the affect that Sam had on her. She felt Quinn's hands slide from her shoulders, down to her hands and hold them.

"If your going to pick Shane, let Sam go now, before you hurt him any more" Quinn pleaded as she turned to leave. Mercedes held onto her hands, preventing her from going. She pulled the blonde into a tight hug. Quinn smiled and embraced Mercedes back.

"Thank you" Mercedes whispered into Quinn's ear.

Quinn slid gently out of the hug and smiled kindly at her friend, hopeful that her talk had brought Mercedes and Sam one step closer together.

Mercedes sighed as she opened her locker. It was right after lunch and she and Shane made a pit stop to allow her to change out her books before class. Ever since her conversation with Quinn earlier that day, she had been in deep thought. She didn't even notice that Shane had practically held a conversation with himself the entire lunch period, excited about his emending scholarship to Ohio State.

"And Cooter said that if I do well enough there is no way I won't be drafted to the pro's" Shane beamed.

"That's great" Mercedes answered, when she noticed he had stopped talking but still disengaged from the conversation.

"I wonder if football players are allowed married housing." Shane wondered.

That sentence snatched Mercedes' attention instantly. "What?" she questioned, her eyes the size of dinner saucers as she looked at her boyfriend.

"You know married housing? Where the married people who are in school stay. I wonder if that would be included in my scholarship or would I have to pay for it?" Shane continued.

"But your not married" Mercedes answered as her heart rate began to speed up due to the direction of their conversation.

"I know that" Shane said in an obvious tone. "But I figured since we plan on staying together and making those coco babies, why wait? If we are married by our junior year, it will be an easy transition into NFL life for us" he smiled as if he could see their future playing out right in front of him.

Mercedes began to panic at the thought however. She quickly played a life with Shane in her head. She saw herself sitting in the stands at his games, smiling but not really cheering for him with her whole heart. She pictured herself married to him, looking across the dinner table and wondering how she got there. She saw herself practically raising their 'coco babies' alone while he was on the road and busy during the season. It all became too much for her. She had never had a panic attack, but she was sure that her racing heart, sweating hands, dry mouth, and closed throat were an indication, that's what she was experiencing.

"I can't!" she practically yelled in the deserted hallway. Shane jumped, as he was snapped out of his daydream, and looked around to see what she could possibly be talking about. He then looked to his girlfriend to find a panicked look on her face.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked as he stooped to be eye level with her as he grabbed her shoulders in an attempt to get her to focus on him.

"This, marriage, Ohio State, I just can't" she repeated as she gasped for air. She grabbed her chest as she leaned on the lockers. "It's just too much"

"It was just a suggestion" Shane soothed as he attempted to get her to calm down. "You don't have to say yes right now. I don't have a ring or anything right now. Just calm down and breathe"

But it was too late. Mercedes had begun to cry and shake her head. "No Shane. I just can't… I can't be with you" she blurted out. "Not anymore" And with that sentence her heart began to slow down. Her air way opened up and she was allowed to breathe again. It felt like a 20 lb weight was finally lifted off of her chest.

Unfortunately, when she looked up into Shane's eyes, that weight had been transferred to him. He looked as if he had been hit with a ton of bricks. "Wha… what?" he asked still in shock.

"I said I can't be with you any more" she repeated this time in a whisper, her head down looking at his shoes.

Shane backed away from her slowly, leaning against the lockers next to her. It was as if the wind was knocked out of him. Mercedes stood up to face him, knowing that although this was going to hurt him, it had to be said. "Look Shane" she began "I care about you. You have been a caring, and supportive boyfriend. You have looked out for me, and for that I am so grateful. You helped me with my confidence, something I always pretended to have. But with your help, I finally received it, and used it." She gently took his hand and looked deep into his eyes so that he understood that she was genuine in her admiration of him. "But I don't feel as strongly as you do about us. I… I still have feelings for Sam."

Shane dropped her hand and sighed. "So your going for him, over me" he sighed, his voice breaking a little.

She had to press on with her feelings despite the crack in his voice. She had been keeping them from him, and herself. "Yes. Yes I am. Because although he's not perfect… he's perfect for me. And when you said all of those things just now I realized I wanted them too… just…. Just not with you"

"I guess I saw this coming. " Shane sighed finally being honest with himself about the state of their relationship. He stood up straighter but still used the lockers as support. "I mean he's been doing all of these things for your attention. It's funny because I even saw he didn't have to do half of them to get it. He had it when he walked back through those doors."

Mercedes chuckled lightly at Shane's observation. She was so sure she had hid her feelings for Sam, but they were bigger than her. "I don't want you to think I didn't care anything about you, because I did and still do Shane" she smiled. "And although I have been flattered by his actions to get me back, I may have been hurting him too…. But I don't want to hurt him…not any more"

Tears began to flow from her eyes again as she thought about the prospect of possibly hurting Sam. A creeping thought settled in that, she could loose him due to her inability to be honest about her feelings. She suddenly felt engulfed by two large arms, as Shane comforted her.

"Then don't" Shane sighed into her hair as he comforted her. He knew that she wasn't his any longer, and his father had always told him there is nothing worse than a sore loser. "You've made the right decision" he smiled weakly although it pained him to admit it out loud. "Now you just have to tell him"

"I know" Mercedes sniffled into his letterman. She allowed him to hold her a little bit longer, in a comfortable silence. "Shane, you're a great man" she finally sighed after a moment, as she wiggled out of his grasp. "And you deserve someone who loves like you love. Who is supportive like you are, who-"

"Looks at me the way you look at him" Shane finished with a weak smile.

Mercedes blinked, giving him a soft thankful smile. "Yeah" she agreed, as she backed away from him.

"Well I hope I find it too" he sighed. "I guess we'll always have JBI" he lighted laughed.

Mercedes smiled and giggled. "Yeah, I guess so"

"I would tell you I hope you'll be happy, but I already know you will be" Shane sighed as he began to walk down the hall. "So I'll just tell you to make sure you tell him to keep you that way"

"I'll be sure to do that" she smiled.

And with that and a small waive, Shane moved down the hallway, until he turned the corner and disappeared from Mercedes sight.

After school, Mercedes sat in the choir room, to wait for Sam to get out of synchronized swim practice, and to practice what she was going to say to him. She wrote down a few things but they all felt cliché and too stiff. The time flew and before she knew it, she had five minutes before Sam got out of practice. She quickly gathered her belongings and raced to the pool. By the time she got there she saw all of Sam's team mates outside, dressed with wet hair. She scanned the area but didn't see Sam with them. She began to panic that she was too late and had just missed him.

"Hey" she greeted one of his team mates. "Did Sam already leave?"

"Oh yeah" the girl with mousy brown hair answered with a smile. "He left ten minutes early to go to the auditorium." She then gave Mercedes a curious look. Mercedes tilled her head wondering why the girl was looking at her when she said "Aren't you suppose to be there too?"

Mercedes unsure of what the girl could possibly be talking about seeing as they didn't have glee practice that day, played off her confusion. "Oh. Yeah right, I just wanted to make sure he was there already" she smiled. The girl returned her smiled and nodded buying her explanation. "Thanks" Mercedes closed as she turned to head for the auditorium.

By the time she was outside of the doors, she heard a piano playing a sad slow intro to a song. She opened the stage door and quietly slipped inside. She tip toed to the front wing of the stage to find Sam, with damp hair singing sadly into the microphone. She held her breath as his voice and Brad's music wash over her. Sam sang with such emotion, that tears began to form in her eyes. She wondered who this performance was for, seeing as he never mentioned practicing this song in glee. All she knew is that he was obviously feeling something that he was now releasing through his song.

At the end of his song, she was so entranced by his voice she had basically come on stage. She wanted to run to him and wrap him in a tight embrace, but the way he ended, with his head down and his eyes closed shut, she felt it best to let him ride out his emotion. She looked over to Brad who had noticed her, and she nodded and smiled at him. He returned the gesture and quickly left.

After a moment of silence she couldn't hold her tongue any longer. She had to talk to him. "Sam" she called out to him. His head snapped up and he looked at her as if she were a hologram. She gripped the strap on her bag tightly, hoping it would get rid of all of her nerves. Unsure of how to start the conversation she blurted out "That was beautiful"

"Thanks" he shrugged, his face looking upset.

Seeing his face she cautiously took a few steps closer, but was shocked to notice one lone tear streaming down his face. She looked around the auditorium to see if he was performing for someone else. When she found no one, she remembered what his team mate told her about being at the auditorium. "Was- was that for me?" she questioned slightly panicked that the song he just sang was their relationships swan song.

"Just practicing" Sam shrugged nonchalantly, but his body was stiff, like he was holding something back.

"Oh" she sighed relieved that she still had a chance to turn things around between them. "Can we talk?" she questioned, preparing herself to pour her heart out to him.

Sam's expression grew hard, as he flinched at her questioned. "Look, I know what your going to say, so just say it and get it over with" he spat angrily.

Mercedes frowned at his tone. She couldn't understand how he could possibly know what she had to say to him, seeing as she hadn't seen him all day. Her mind quickly raced through the events of the day, to try to find if she had missed something. She knew she needed more time at that point to get her thoughts together, but needed a way to stall him. If she didn't everything she wanted to say would come out in a panicked jumble, and could ruin everything. She smiled when a brilliant stalling method came to her.

"Before I do, is there anything you want to say to me first?" She asked proud she found a way to reorganize her thoughts. However Sam, seemed even more upset.

"Yeah, yeah I do actually. I know it was crazy of me to think that things would still be the same when I got back. I know I was gone and you figured I wasn't coming back. Hell, I didn't think I was coming back. But when I got back I knew one of the first things I wanted to do was be with you. I know it sounds crazy because we ended so quickly, but I care about you. Like a lot. And I knew that you had a boyfriend but I didn't care. I still wanted you. I made that up front to any and every one, even Shane. That's why I did everything I did to try and win you back. I had to try everything in power to get you back. And because whenever I kissed you it… every one felt like they had a bit of forever in them"

Mercedes heart skipped at the last part of Sam's speech. She knew that when they kissed she felt something more than passion, and lust. But she wasn't sure what it was until he described it perfectly as a bit of forever. She instantly knew why she panicked at the thought of her future with Shane. Because she knew that her future was with Sam and she feared she would miss it. At that moment no words could say what she felt. Only one thing would be enough to do it and so she grabbed his face, and kissed him. She kissed him, and in that instants she had visions, of him holding her at night in their bed, him saying vows to her as he slipped a band onto her finger, watching him play with their children. And instead of fear she felt hope, and joy at their possibilities.

When she pulled away from him, Sam's eyes were still closed. She chuckled internally at his face. Since he had been back Sam seemed older. More aware of the world and how it worked. The naïve boy that gave them the Justin Beiber Experience was gone, and a man stood in his place. But in that moment, with his eyes closed, and his pout still slightly pressed into a pucker she held the face of the boy she fell for over the summer.

"I know it seemed like I put you through a lot. It wasn't a test, or to punish you for leaving, or anything like that. I need that time to figure out who I wanted, and to make sure I didn't hurt anyone in the process. I was happy to see you when you came back. I did miss you. Its just I had Shane. And he has been nothing but supportive, caring, and kind to me. And I would never cheat on him. My heart or conscious would never allow me to hurt him like that. But I still wanted you. I still missed you, and I had to work through my feelings before I made my decision. I hope you understand"

She looked into his big green eyes and prayed he had gotten everything she just said. Although they had discussed his reading disability, she knew he had amazing comprehension.

"I understand. You just said you would never cheat on Shane?" Sam questioned.

"I did" Mercedes smiled as she watched him decipher the information she just given him.

"But, you just kissed me" Sam said as he stood slowly from his stool.

"Yes, I did" Mercedes smiled shyly, knowing that he was on the right path.

"So that means you guys broke up? And you want me?" Sam questioned in disbelief.

"What, my kiss wasn't convincing enough?" Mercedes joked, hoping it would make him laugh since they had both cried that day.

Suddenly Mercedes was swooped up into a tight embrace. With her ear pressed firmly against his chest she heard his heart, beating rapidly. She sighed as she listened to it know she was still in there. "Yeah it was" Sam answered lightly. "And here I was singing sad songs" he joked.

"I thought that was just practice" Mercedes smiled as she raised one eyebrow.

Sam's face turned red, causing her to laugh loudly. She squeezed him tightly, sinking her face in his chest. She laughed not only because of his expression when she called him out, but out of the pure happiness she felt at that moment knowing she was with Sam. She unwrapped her arm from around his waist and slid her fingers into his. Mercedes waited as he grabbed his bag, as they headed out of the auditorium and into their future together.