Mercedes groaned at the shrill sound emanating from her purse for what seemed like the millionth time that day. It never ends, she thought miserably. She decided as she fumbled with her keys while balancing the grocery bags in her arms, that whoever was calling, most likely Kurt, could wait until she was actually inside of her apartment and everything was put away. She was tired, hungry, thirsty, and her feet were killing; all she wanted was to curl up on her couch and forget about everything.

To say she had had a bad day would be an understatement. It all began when she met with a record exec from her label to discuss what they were doing to promote her album, a big fat nothing with a heaping dollop of rejection and sprinkles of judgment on top. She would never understand why the company would sign her and praise her talent if they would never bother to do anything with it or even try to promote her. One thing, however, was made abundantly clear, the label loved her writing. They loved her songs so much that they were often given to other artists whether she liked it or not. Almost every female recording artist at her label, and even one male, was singing a 'Mercedes Jones chart-topper', with, of course, the exception of Mercedes Jones. As she left her incredibly discouraging meeting a disgusting sky rat, or a pigeon as people insisted on calling them, shit all over the right shoulder of her brand new Burberry coat. The detour to the dry cleaner's had her running late to the class she taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays and by the time she left the class the lines at the grocery store were outrageously long. She was freezing from not having a coat to protect her from the chilly autumnal air and the cherry on top of the shit sundae that was her day, her phone would not. stop. ringing.

Once everything was settled she fished her phone out from her oversized bag, wondering silently why she had ever thought she needed a bag that enormous, and absently listened to her voicemail as she set the table for her soon to arrive guests. She stopped abruptly as his voice instantly stole all of her attention, his news hitting her like a ton of bricks. A million thoughts ran through her head and those thoughts were soon accompanied by about a billion more questions. Not the least of which being 'what does this mean?' Sam Evans and Mike Chang were moving to New York. In just a few short weeks, Sam would be there. In New York. With her. With her? No, Mercedes decided, not with with her. But, still…

Mercedes couldn't help the sudden anxiety that flooded her system, she hadn't seen Sam in quite a while and had gotten used to not having him around. It wasn't as though she didn't miss him, she did, but she was in such a different place in her life now. At least, that's what she told herself. She had become so comfortable with their long distance friendship and minimal communication that the prospect of having him in the same city filled her with nerves.

She couldn't even begin to consider what it would be like, having him around so frequently. They shared most, if not all, of their closest friends, it would be virtually impossible to not see him on a regular basis. Do I want to not see him? She asked herself, surprised at her own thoughts, No, of course I don't want to not see him. He's still my friend. I can't not see him. Mercedes laughed nervously at jumbled mess that become of her brain at the mere mention of Sam and wondered what she might actually do in his presence. If her current state was any indication, it wouldn't be great; yet his impending arrival gave her the strangest floating feeling in her stomach, one that felt suspiciously like excitement. Nope. Boundaries. Can't do that now, she lectured to herself as she marched into her bedroom to change into the most comfortable pair of pajamas she owned.

Mercedes finally managed to cool herself down as she dressed, there was no reason to freak out; Sam wouldn't even be moving for a few weeks and once he did she would be fine. Totally fine. They were friends; she should be excited about seeing him and having him constantly around. Mercedes was fine, better than that she was good. Cool even, cool as a cucumber. As far as she was concerned, Mercedes didn't even need to think about it anymore because she was just that fine with everything.

Mercedes had just stepped into her prized, oh-so-comfy, slippers with a smile appearing on her face that broadened when she heard the signature cacophony that could only be the product of her fellow divas. As she went to meet them, Mercedes thought of how she would never tire of their monthly 'diva night'; it was the ultimate bonding experience. It sounded silly even to herself, but to Mercedes, a few hours in the pajama-clad company of like-minded individuals, who just so happened to be lifelong friend, mindless entertainment, flowing beverages, food that was usually 'off limits' during the week, and a good old fashion gabfest was the perfect evening.

She would always love and cherish these nights, even when it was Rachel's turn to pick the movie and they were forced into watching Funny Girl for the fiftieth time and listening to Rachel sing along with every song. Mercedes would even love it when Kurt let his snobbery get the best of him and bring the chicest, most expensive, most un-edible haute cuisine he could find. She'd even love it when Tina would drink too much and dissolve into an unintelligible puddle of giggles. The only thing that could possible ruin these nights for her would be them staring at her warily before pushing her to talk about personal stuff against her will. They already had the staring down, and if Mercedes knew her friends like she thought she did, the prying was soon to follow.

"Lord help me," Mercedes sighed to herself. "Can we just go to the table so I can at least do this over dinner?" she asked as she grabbed the bags of food from Kurt and walked to the table with her friends eagerly yet silently following her.

"Out with it," she ordered once they had sat and was met with a series of excited 'oh-my-gods' and 'what-does-this-means?' from Rachel and Tina and a careful appraisal from Kurt. Mercedes bit into a mouthful of pasta to avoid responding.

"How are you?" Kurt asked lightly, clearly trying to spare Mercedes and keep the conversation casual. She knew him better than that. Kurt wanted to ask the same questions as Rachel and Tina, but someone had to be the play the 'understanding' friend and it certainly wasn't going to be either of the other two, not when fresh drama was available.

"I'm fine," Mercedes replied easily, maybe too easily, after slowly chewing her food. "Why wouldn't I be fine? I'm happy for him. I've heard so much about Knife and New York is really the best place to be for chefs. And it's not like he'll be living with me, the city's big enough for the both of us."

"You're not nervous about seeing him?" Kurt asked skeptically. Mercedes shook her head in reply, not trusting her words.

"Not even a little anxious?" he pressed further as Tina and Rachel regarded her suspiciously.

"Uh uh," she shook her head emphatically with a tight, frozen smile that even felt unnatural.

"Oh my god," Tina groaned loudly in annoyance, "don't lie! You must be freaking out. It's been what, four years? There's no way you're fine. It's impossible. I'm sort of freaking out about Mike moving here, and I've seen him regularly in the past few years. It's going to be crazy weird having them around again."

"… It might be a little weird," Mercedes allowed, "at first."

"It doesn't have to be weird," Kurt suggested diplomatically, even though it was evident that he felt the opposite.

"It will be a lot weird," Tina corrected as she reached over the table for another breadstick. "They're going to be around a lot, and we're going to have to see him whether we like it or not and we'll just have to deal. He could get a girlfriend and start bringing her around, are you prepared for that?" she asked, pointing the breadstick in Mercedes face before her hand was lowered by Kurt's.

"We agreed to date other people, I'd be fine." Mercedes assured quickly. She probably wouldn't be completely fine, but she wasn't about to tell them that. She was an adult, she'd deal.

"What if he wants to get back together?" Rachel blurted out, earning a sharp glare from Kurt who threw his hands up in silent exasperation, "Sorry, but it's a totally valid question, necessary even. What are you going to do?"

"She doesn't have to-" Kurt began to say.

"Yes she does." Tina rushed to interrupt Kurt.

"Is that something you want?" Rachel asked hopefully, "If he shows up and swears he's going to fight to get you back again, what would you do?"

"I don't know what I can do," Mercedes said, slightly out of it as she relived that moment from her senior year. It had been years since she had seen him and even longer since they had gone their separate ways for the third and final time. A lot had changed since then. She had built a life in New York; she was working on another album and playing shows regularly, she had a busy social life, a home, and even a small but dedicated fanbase. Sam Evans was a wildcard, where would he fit into her life? She didn't know the answer and considering it gave her a stress headache. She pinched the space in between her eyes, trying to relieve some of the pressure, as silence fell upon the table.

"You aren't reacting at all how I thought you would," Rachel spoke up, "You should be excited and planning the rest of your lives together," she said wistfully, caught up in her own romantic visions. "This is it. He's coming home for you!"

"He's not coming home; he's never lived in New York before. He's moving her for a job," Mercedes reminded her as she lifted her head.

"I don't know," Rachel said doubtfully, "he's always had a special thing for you, everyone can see that. There's no way he's moving here just for the job." She hated this combination of stubbornness and optimism that was uniquely Rachel.

Tina was already agreeing with emphatic nodding before she could even swallow the food in her mouth, "My sources tell me that he's built quite the career for himself and he's turned down tons of offers from restaurants in San Francisco, Austin, and even London."

Rachel gasped loudly and grabbed Mercedes' arm tightly in excitement. "London, Mercedes! He turned down London for you," she exclaimed in awe.

Mercedes chose to ignore Rachel's animated babbling and instead turned to Tina with a raised eyebrow, "Is his 'source', by any chance, the same person who you drunkenly referred to as your 'prefect Asian angel of a soul mate with the most perfect abs' last Saturday night?"

"He's a great source," Tina said unashamedly as she shrugged her shoulders. "It is what it is, baby."

"Back to the point," Rachel interrupted as Mercedes rolled her eyes, "he clearly is moving to get close to you, and if you don't get with him he'll eventually move on to someone who will. You know what a catch he is, you should scoop him up now before some trollop can steal him from you," she advised sagely.

"Be serious," Mercedes laughed much to Rachel's chagrin, "Sam's his own man, and he can't be stolen from me because he's not mine. This isn't high school; we're not going to start 'going steady' and he's not asking me to the prom. We're adults now; you can't just flip the switch on for a relationship that has been over for five years. And trollop? Are you ninety?"

"Please," Rachel said exaggeratedly, ignoring Mercedes' dig, "you know that's exactly what he'll want, and why not?"

"There are a few reasons why not," Mercedes angrily reminded Rachel.

"Those aren't reasons, they're excuses," Tina informed brazenly, "Excuses that can easily be dealt with. I don't even see why that excuse is keeping you from Sam. You're young, hot, and fabulous. Sam's young, hot, and fabulous. It just seems right, why let something so silly stop you?"

Mercedes looked to Kurt in a silent plead for help. He simply shook his head and rolled his eyes in response eliciting a giggle from Mercedes.

"It's perfect timing really," Rachel continued, "You've had your time apart; you've healed, grown as people, yadda, yadda, yadda. Now you two can finally-"

"There is no 'us two', not anymore. We've both moved on with our lives," Mercedes interrupted sharply. She knew her statement was partially a lie. Even though it wasn't like before and they had left things in a good place, she didn't think she'd every truly move on from Sam. However, that didn't mean she would just throw caution to the wind and jump into his arms the second he arrived in the city. "Look, we're friends. Nothing more, nothing less. It took us a lot of time to get to this point. We've moved on."

Mercedes was met with three pairs of disbelieving eyes. Tina spoke first, "No one believes that, you know. Kurt, you've been mute. What do you think?"

"I think if Mercedes says she's moved on, then we need to accept and support that," Kurt said with a thinly veiled warning to Tina and Rachel, a warning for which Mercedes was incredibly grateful.

"Thank y-," Mercedes began to say.

"But," Kurt interrupted gently, "I am concerned that you're not actually dealing with the fact that Sam will be back in your life, at least in some capacity. You've been living in separate cities for five years; you haven't had to be 'just friends' with him since high school. I know you've resolved a lot of your issues but you can't fool yourself into thinking that everything will be completely fine and that the transition will be seamless. And you can't expect us to believe it when you say you're not worried at all."

"Well, then I guess you guys are just going to have to trust me. It is my life and it doesn't revolve around Sam. You all are acting like I'm some kind of head-case and that I'm gonna fall to pieces the moment he walks back into my life. Give me some, credit." Mercedes replied, vaguely hurt.

Her outburst silenced her friends. Tina quietly stood up and began clearing the empty dishes and Kurt just looked at her with confusion in his eyes. She knew that they really did have her best interests at heart, but this was a situation she would have to figure out on her own. She wasn't completely helpless.

"Oh, no. Mercedes, that's not what we meant at all. Sorry if it came out that way" Rachel rushed to explain, "We just-"

"I know, ok? Can we just not right now? I don't want this to ruin the night," Mercedes sighed and silently pleaded with them to drop it. "Kurt, movie? Rachel, grab the popcorn. Tina, wine. Meet me on the couch."

Once, once

Knew how to talk to you

Once, once

But not anymore

Hear the sirens call me home

A/N: Hello all! Just in case any part of this chapter was unclear, I decided to insert a rather substantial four-year time jump. There are a few reasons why I've wanted to do this, chief among them being that I wanted to explore the characters in another element and away from the juvenility of young love and high school glee club. Also, I forgot to mention last chapter that the lyrics at the end are from a Childish Gambino song called These Girls, I love it and you should listen to is. This week's lyrics are from a song called Once by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. The lyrics might not seem like they apply right now, but they will and they help me so that's why they're there.

Apologies for my horrendous updating, but that should hopefully begin to change. Samcedes is back on TV (YAY!), so to avoid any concurrent storylines or plots, I'm going to try to kick my ass into gear and write this thing. You see, some of the things I've planned for the fic have already happened on the show or are about to… Maybe I'm psychic, I don't know ; ), but I do know that I want to write the story I've had planned since October. I have the complete story heavily outlined and I know every character's arc and every major plot point, all that's left is the actual 'meat' of the story. So my goal will be to write as much as I can and try to hold off on watching the next episode until I have enough done. I really don't want my experience watching the show to alter the way I see the characters in this fic. I'm feeling quite inspired, so maybe it won't take me too long. Wish me luck!

Lastly and most importantly, thank each and every one of you reading this and thank you for every review, favorite, and follow. It literally gives me life. I draw so much inspiration and enthusiasm from the reviews, which are fantastic by the way (I love reading what you guys think), and just seeing that people have read the story fuels me. Many, many thanks!