As I said before, things are going to move pretty fast. So there will be multiple time jumps in this chapter. Enjoy! :)

TIME JUMP

At eight months pregnant, Alicia was finally able to find an apartment with Devon. It was a two bedroom apartment with high ceilings and a nice kitchen and the dining room were all one room while the living room was directly adjacent to them. The two bedrooms were down a hallway just straight ahead from the front door, past the living room. They were on opposite walls of each other with the bathroom at the end of the hall. Mercedes and Sam hadn't seen it until the day they helped them move in but Mercedes loved it on sight. There were kids playing outside-riding bikes and swimming-their parents at their sides or not far behind, watching them, smiling and laughing together. It certainly did seem like a place to raise a child and something stirred inside of Mercedes that she couldn't identify as she examined it.

Mercedes and Sam had come to help, but Mercedes had explained ahead of time that they couldn't stay all day because her mother's wedding, finally, after almost two months of pushing it back once she'd realized that she actually did want it to be a bit of a big deal, was the next day. Mercedes wasn't one hundred percent sure how she felt so she decided not to think too much about it at all.

Moving day mostly consisted of Alicia sitting down on the foldout chair in the middle of the living room, telling Mercedes, Sam, and Devon where to place the couches, chairs, and tables in the dining room and living room. Unfortunately. there was a no paint rule in this particular complex so instead, they used wallpaper for the baby's room. Mercedes and Alicia worked around the room placing the pink and white striped patterned wallpaper with gray cartoon elephants on the walls as they conversed. Elsewhere, Sam and Devon brought the rest of the furniture inside.

Later, Alicia and Mercedes went to the store to pick up a few more decorations for the baby's room while Sam and Devon stayed back. They took a break and sat at the table for a bowl of cereal where Devon told Sam more about what they planned to do with the apartment. Sam listened in and nodded and asked questions when appropriate. Frankly though, he was tired. But it didn't show, until he yawned. Devon stopped mid-sentence then and his neck snapped back.

"I'm sorry, asshole, am I boring you?" he asked. Sam sucked his teeth.

"No, man, I'm just tired," he admitted just before he gulped down the milk left in his bowl.

"What are you tired from? You don't have a kid to take care of," Devon replied. Sam's eyes narrowed as he placed his bowl back on the table.

"Okay, first of all, neither do you, yet." he began, pausing to wipe his mouth with his hand. "And secondly," he shrugged, "I had a late night with Mercedes," he said smiling to himself as he remembered the impromptu sex they'd had the night before when she'd woken him up at four in the morning claiming she couldn't sleep. Afterwards, they'd stayed up talking and hadn't slept since. "You wouldn't now anything about that anymore though," he said as he stood from the table, patting his friend's shoulder in pity before moving to drop his bowl in the sink.

"Are you kidding me?" Devon began and Sam turned and leaned his back on the counter, his arms crossed upon his chest as he looked straight ahead at Devon. "I know more about that than you ever will, son."

"Son?"

"In the beginning of her pregnancy, Alicia couldn't be stopped, bro. It was like she was in heat. It got to the point where I had to be the one to say no." he told him and Sam shook his head.

"Sounds like hell," he said sarcastically. Devon's head cocked to the side and his eyes narrowed at Sam as he headed towards the sink with his empty bowl.

"What are you saying? It was fucking fantastic."

When the girls returned, they finished up the baby's room. Everything was in place except the crib, which Devon was in charge of building. Sam and Mercedes left around seven in the evening. They ate a quick dinner, showered, and then, exhausted, they spent their first night in their apartment, sleeping.

THE WEDDING

As Denise had said, the wedding was held at small church and the decorations were understated, yet beautiful. On the outside of each pew, there was white satin tied around the arms of the chairs and small bundles of white tulips cleanly attached to them. Next to every other pew, there were long coil like poles with strings of green leaves wrapping around the entire length of them, leading up above the heads of the guests to a wide, curving wooden surface that was covered in dozens and dozens of those same white tulips. It looked like something Mercedes could easily imagine her mom thinking up.

Denise and Dean had decided against a wedding party so it would just be the two of them standing at the end of the aisle. With it being such short notice and with most of Dean's family living in North Carolina, not many people were able to make it. Mercedes was oddly happy about that. She didn't want to have to go through too many introductions and such. There were about two handfuls of her family members there and the rest were strangers but combined there were probably a total of thirty five people present. It was intimate and sweet and it held something that many weddings lacked these days-tradition.

Dean's family members were a little more reserved than Mercedes was used to but they seemed nice. Well, everyone except his daughter. She met her first and it had not been as pleasant as Mercedes had originally imagined it would be. Immediately, she struck her as the type to pour Nair in your shampoo bottle if you crossed her. Her eyes were light brown like Dean's, her hair cut into a short style, curled in various places, her eyebrows thin and strongly arched, her cheekbones sharp, and her lips looked to be permanently in a scowl. Mercedes recognized her on sight from the pictures Dean had shown her a couple weeks ago when she, her mom, and him had had lunch together. She happened to be smiling in that photograph and a bit younger. Maybe now, life had made her reluctant to smile.

"You must be Kendall," Mercedes had said as she approached the young woman in the lobby area, a friendly grin on her face. The taller woman looked slowly up and down the length of Mercedes before responding.

"And you are?" she'd replied.

"Mercedes," she'd said. "I'm Denise's daughter. " she'd explained.

"Oh, right." Kendall breathed plainly.

"I thought anyone could tell on sight. They look almost exactly alike," Sam interjected through a smile. Silently, Kendall looked at him for a moment that seemed to last for much too long before speaking.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Sam. Mercedes' boyfriend." he'd told her, his smile pleasant and friendly, just as Mercedes' had been, as he reached his hand out to her. And that was the first time they saw Kendall's teeth when she suddenly burst into a fit of short laughter.

"Boyfriend?" she repeated. They watched as her eyes landed on their interlaced fingers before her gaze returned to theirs and she shook her head. "What would your daddy think?" she asked Mercedes, and Sam chose that moment to drop his waiting hand. It didn't take long for Mercedes or him to understand what she meant but unlike Mercedes, Sam wasn't immediately irritated, he remained calm for the sake of the occasion and because he was finally learning to control his temper. He could feel Mercedes' anger though, instantly bouncing from him to her and he put himself on guard quickly, listening intently, ready to get her away if things got too intense.

"My father lost the right to think anything of me when he left. His opinion is on the list of the things I couldn't care less about. Right above yours," Mercedes snapped. Kendall continued to shake her head, only increasing Mercedes' annoyance. This wasn't the first time someone had blatantly judged their relationship because of the difference in their races-rather it be through staring, head shaking, eye rolling, etc.-but never had anyone involved her absent father. It pissed her off beyond expected and it didn't matter to her that Kendall hadn't known her father wasn't around, the entire comment was ignorant from the beginning. "Girl, don't you love yourself at all?" Kendall asked and Mercedes' neck snapped back.

"Excuse me?-"

"Alright, let's go," Sam cut in, interrupting Mercedes, grabbing her by the crook of her elbow and pulling her along with him towards the inside of the church.

"It's two thousand and fucking fourteen, Sam." she growled, her blood boiling.

"I know, baby. And as much as I would've loved to hear you stomp her into the ground, this is your mom's wedding. I know you don't wanna be the reason her day goes down hill." he said, his hand sliding down from her elbow, past her wrist and intertwining their fingers. Mercedes sighed, knowing full well that he was completely right. She felt her blood pressure beginning to return to normal as his thumb caressed the back of her hand.

"Okay," she breathed once she was calm.

"You alright?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"Mhm," she replied nodding, and adding a smile to relax his tense eyebrows. "Come on," she said, tugging him along through the open doors leading to the sanctuary, deciding very quickly that she couldn't endure anymore introductions, at least until after the ceremony.

She had yet to see her mother that day. Throughout the preparation for the wedding, she hadn't been present for much of it besides the search for her mother's wedding dress. But then, no one was present. Denise expressed openly that she wanted to do it alone-that she wanted to make the day special for the two of them in her own way and on her own, with no outside opinions to sway her because admittedly, she was easily swayed. Quietly, Mercedes sat on the second row of the pews, staring down at the fabric of the soft pink A-line mid-length dress she was wearing. Her thoughts were scrambled even as she was sure everything would be fine. She wanted her mom to be happy, she really did. And she appeared to be truly happy, but for how long? Mercedes hated that negativity was threatening to overwhelm her on her mother's day but she couldn't help it. Her skin was itchy with it, as if tiny menacing bugs were crawling all over her. It wasn't until she felt Sam's hand rest softly on top of her knee that she felt them immediately evaporate.

"Stay here," he told her softly. Confused, Mercedes eyebrows pulled together as she looked at him, finding him already looking at her. "Leave the future where it is," he said before repeating, "Stay here,"

He'd read her mind, proving once again that he knew her better than anyone. It was the sort of thing that made her want to fold herself in his arms and breathe only him for a while. But since they were inside of a church, she simply intertwined her fingers with his and rested her head on his shoulder.

Sam was starting to think it wasn't a coincidence that they kept ending up at weddings together. He smiled when her head landed on his shoulder, kissing her hair softly before taking in the scenery of the wedding. It was breathtaking but not overwhelming. He wondered if it had ever crossed her mind what their wedding would look like. He still wasn't even one hundred percent sure that she was on board for marriage but he prayed to God that if she was, he would be the one who got to put the ring she would wear for the rest of her life on her finger.

A few people that Sam recognized from Erica's wedding came up and spoke to them and he was so glad that Mercedes greeted them by name before they moved on to speak to him because he had completely forgotten them. He wondered if Marcus would be there but he doubted it since the wedding was set to start in the next five minutes and none of Mercedes' younger relatives besides Erica and her husband seemed to be there. He understood though when he remembered that not many of them lived there. But still, it didn't seem like many people were showing up at all, not that there was even enough room for too many people. Nonetheless, he wondered if Denise's family supported her fast marriage.

"I hope your pinky promises are worth something, Evans." Mercedes suddenly said just as the pianist began to play a slow ballad. Sam smiled, remembering that morning when he'd promised that this wedding would be much better than the last one they'd gone to.

"If I'm wrong, I'll cook dinner for a week," he said and she chuckled.

"Deal,"

When Dean walked down the aisle in a classic wedding tux, the crowd erupted, clapping and a young man who resembled Dean loudly whooped. Sam guessed he was his son. Sighing, Mercedes squeezed Sam's hand when the music for the bride's entrance began to play.

"Here we go," she breathed as they all stood.

Looking back as the doors opened, Mercedes wasn't sure what she would feel. But when her mother stepped through them, immediately her eyes began to water. Her dress was off white with floral lace and it stopped just below her knees. It was simple, classy, and elegant, much like Denise was. Her hair was curled into spirals, stopping just above her shoulders. She looked beautiful and the smile on her lips was infectious. Soon Mercedes was smiling, too even as tears fell from her eyes. Her fingers were clasped tightly together, her shoulders leaning onto Sam's chest and she was almost afraid that if he moved, she would fall. She laughed when her mother looked at her and blew her a kiss. Then suddenly, she remembered Sam's instructions during Erica's wedding-look at the groom. And so she did. Her gaze traveled back to the front of the church and landed on Dean, whose teeth seemed to be completely exposed in a smile that reached all the way to his eyes. The happiness that they so openly shared, the love that they so clearly had for each other, was calming to her; it relaxed her. But still, the tears wouldn't stop.

She hadn't intended to cry but her intentions were worthless as she found herself crying for the entirety of the ceremony. After Dean's vows, though, there were almost no dry eyes left in the room so at least she wasn't alone. Except she wasn't sure if they were all crying for the same reason because she wasn't at all sure why she was crying. She was happy for her mother so she could easily attribute it to that, but she could feel that there was something else as well and she had a small clue of what it was, but it was best that she try to ignore it. Sam thought he may have understood, too. But he didn't say a word, only kept his fingers interlaced with hers, squeezing her hand every once in a while to remind her of his presence.

After the ceremony, they all walked just next door to where the reception was held. The decorations were almost identical to Erica's in that they were traditional and simple, only instead of gold and white, the theme was silver and white. Mercedes stepped into the bathroom to fix her make-up and check her eyes for swelling before she and Sam sat a table with Erica and Kevin.

"Still married, I see." Mercedes joked as she hugged her cousin.

"Still attached at the hip, I see." Erica fired back, nodding towards Sam as she took her seat next to her husband. Sam laughed.

"She's obsessed with me," he said and Mercedes playfully slapped his shoulder as she sat down next to him.

"You wish, Evans." she replied.

She was happy to see that her cousin and Kevin were just as in love as before; his hand wrapped around her shoulder, whispering something in her ear every once in a while that made her laugh. They all talked about how beautiful the wedding had been and Erica asked various questions about Dean. Mercedes was relieved then that Audrey hadn't made it to the wedding. If she had, undoubtedly Mercedes would have been subjected to an abrasive interrogation about the man that she'd only herself known for a couple of months. She loved her cousin but she was glad she didn't have to deal with that.

It didn't take long for Dean and Denise to join all their guest in the reception hall. Hand in hand, they walked in, Denise looking up at him and laughing at something he'd said that they couldn't hear over the music playing. Mercedes smiled as she watched them. They walked to the front of the room and stopped, turning to face the crowd as everyone cheered and the music suddenly stopped. Denise grabbed the mic from the stand near them, tapped it twice before speaking into it.

"We just want to thank everyone of you for coming to be with us on this very special day," she began, only inspiring another round of applause.

"This beautiful woman means the world to me and I'm glad you all were here to witness this incredible day in the long life we plan to have together," Dean added, smiling down at his wife simultaneously.

"We hope you'll dance and have fun and please help yourself to the buffet table." Denise said, just before waving and putting the mic back on the stand and heading to their table at the front of the room. Mercedes' gaze followed them, finding Kendall and presumably Dean's son already sitting at their table. Something like jealously bubbled up in her core until her mother suddenly waved her down and gestured for her and Sam to come over. She was reluctant considering the run in she'd had with Kendall but she hadn't realized it was noticeable until Kevin spoke up.

"What's up, you don't like this guy?" he asked. She shook her head quickly, internally cursing herself for being so transparent.

"No, no, Dean's cool." she replied. "It's-,"

"-his daughter with the stank ass bitch face?" Erica chimed in and Sam snorted.

"How'd you know? Did something happen between you and her today?" Mercedes asked.

"No, I haven't even met the girl. She's just been staring at you this entire time like she wants to set you on fire," Erica noted. Mercedes' eyebrows rose before she and Sam turned to look back at the table, confirming that Kendall was indeed staring, that same annoying scowl playing on her lips. Only now it was sort of funny to Mercedes as she turned back to look at her cousin, chuckling.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Erica asked.

"She's mad that our skin tones don't match," Sam explained and Mercedes nodded before telling them about the conversation she'd had with her earlier. Once she was done, Kevin's eyebrows furrowed while Erica's eyes narrowed.

"It's 2014," Erica replied and Mercedes threw her hands up.

"That's what I said!" she half shouted.

"I didn't even know people still placed limits on love like that," Kevin said, shaking his head.

"And what the hell she know about your daddy?" Erica snapped. Mercedes could only laugh. It was always interesting to her, watching Erica and Kevin around each other. They were so different and not just in subtle ways. Kevin was quiet, reserved, and soft-spoken. While Erica was loud, outgoing, and beyond outspoken. Their relationship had always gave truth to the opposites attract theory. But it was no wonder her fell for her, she kept him laughing.

"Is she still looking?" Mercedes asked.

"Mhm," Erica replied while Kevin silently nodded. Sam turned his head only slightly, finding her gaze in the corner of his eye before turning to look at Mercedes, as a thought crossed his mind.

"I have an idea," he said to her.

"Wha-," she was cut off when his mouth suddenly crashed into hers, his hand cupping her face as his lips tugged at hers. She was taken off guard, but she understood the purpose immediately. She was a bit uncomfortable with such displays of affection in front of her family but she just hoped no one was paying much attention. All that mattered is that Kendall was. When their lips parted again, Erica and Kevin whooped and clapped along with the table of a few women who looked younger than they probably were next to them that Mercedes didn't recognize. She laughed and nudged Sam's shoulder with her own as her cheeks began to warm.

"She looked sick!" Erica laughed out and Sam and Kevin chuckled. Mercedes felt a sense of something that resembled pride as she imagined the look on Kendall's face.

"Now I'm ready to go over there," she said.

They walked together to join them at the table where Dean immediately stood, shaking Sam's hand and hugging him all at once.

"Congratulations, sir." Sam said. Mercedes focused on her mom, who stood as well, wrapping her daughter in a hug and kissing her cheek repeatedly.

"I'm so happy for you, mama." Mercedes said into her embrace. "You look beautiful." she told her.

"Thank you, baby." Denise replied as they released each other. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you." she said. And Mercedes had truly forgotten the role she'd played in this after she'd persuaded her mom to try online dating. She finally understood what her mother had meant when she'd said, "You've done more than enough," after she'd asked her if she needed any help with the wedding preparations. She finally understood.

"Mercedes," Dean suddenly said and Mercedes smiled as she looked at him, moving to hug him shortly. "I want you to meet my kids," he told her and Sam after he'd let her go, holding onto her hand though. She was used to this now even in the short time she'd known him. Dean was a toucher. He gestured to the young man at the table who stood almost on cue. "This is my son, Dean," he introduced.

"DJ," the young man corrected as his hand extended first to Sam.

"DJ, this is Mercedes and this is Sam." Dean went on as Sam and DJ shook hands before he went on to shake Mercedes' hand. Immediately, Mercedes noticed that he was different from most of Dean's family that she'd met already. He was more lively, more open. She'd liked him immediately.

"Nice to meet you, man." Sam said.

"Back atcha, bro." DJ replied as he took his seat again, rocking to the beat. Dean shook his head as he smiled at his son before beginning again,

"And this is Kend-,"

"We've met," Kendall interrupted sharply, her arms folded over her chest and her nostrils flared. She didn't stand. Sam folded his lips in to restrain his laughter. And Mercedes smiled.

"Yes, we have. She's lovely," she said in a sweet tone, knowing only Kendall would know she was mocking her, just before they all took their seats. The small crowd retrieved their food from the buffet table and Mercedes started to wonder when they would eat until she looked down and saw that their plates were already set right in front of them. So they talked and ate, while learning more about each other. Kendall didn't say much and Mercedes enjoyed watching her squirm every time she or Sam spoke. They learned that DJ was exactly what his name said; a DJ. A New York DJ to be exact. The words New and York piqued Mercedes' interest immediately as anything New York related usually would.

"Do you play gigs or do you have a steady thing?" she asked him.

"Both," he replied. "I work Monday through Friday at The Towers on 54th and on the weekends I do gigs." he explained and Mercedes nodded.

"I'm planning to move to New York after I graduate," she told him, and something tugged at Sam. He already knew that, he'd known that from the day they met. But on the day they met, he hadn't known he was talking to the girl he would soon want to be with for the rest of his life.

He hadn't known.

DJ went on to tell Mercedes about certain places she should check out while Dean attempted once again to convince Sam to consider the marketing field with Denise listening in and laughing. Kendall was quiet, looking at her phone or just looking off, participating in no way. She was clearly miserable but Mercedes couldn't find it in her to feel sorry for her.

After a while though, their conversations were interrupted when Mercedes' Aunt Debra took to the middle of the room, the mic in her hand and announced the first dance. Dean stood, extending his hand to his wife, kissing the back of her hand as he brought her to her feet and she giggled. He led her to the front of the room as Brian Mcknight's Back at One began to play and the lights dimmed. Mercedes couldn't help but smile as they swayed, talking softly to each other and laughing every once in a while before her head would rest again on his chest. Sam grinned as he instead observed the look on Mercedes' face. The day had had its ups and downs already and for most of it, he'd been genuinely worried about her. But in that moment, she looked happy; serene even. He leaned in, his arm around the back of her chair, and kissed the highest point of her ear softly before whispering,

"I love you," and this time it wasn't for show.

When the song ended, Dean kissed Denise softly on the lips as the room clapped and cheered. With the lights returning, Denise and Dean headed back to their seats and Debra grabbed the mic again.

"Beautiful!" she shouted and the crowd erupted again, surprisingly loud considering how little people were present. "Can I just say," Debra began again once the room was quiet, "how happy I am for my sister," she said. "I know how much you've wanted this even though you never asked for it. And you deserve it, Niecey. Congratulations!" she said. Small applause followed and Denise blew a kiss to her sister.

"At this time, we'd like to leave the floor open for anyone who may have something to say to the happy couple," Debra announced. The room fell silent then and no one immediately jumped. Somehow, Mercedes felt like this was specifically meant for her. She didn't know what she would say or how it would come out but she knew she had to say something. So she stood with butterflies violently fluttering in her stomach and with Sam watching her in shock as she headed towards her aunt, who hugged her, and then placed the mic in her hand. She cleared her throat as her eyes unconsciously followed her aunt back to her seat. She cleared her throat again before she began to speak.

"For reasons that many of you know, growing up it was just me and my mother." she began, looking around the room, though she wasn't sure if she was actually seeing any of the faces. "The gist of it is my dad left us when I was eleven and he never came back." she explained, allowing the words to just fall from her. "After that, my mom and I, we were each others rocks. She took care of me when I was sick, I did the same for her. We cooked together, we shopped together, we did everything together, and we talked about everything. She was my very first best friend." Mercedes said and the crowd softly awed. "And as her best friend but also as her daughter who," she paused, "who witnessed the downfall of her first marriage, who heard her crying at night, night after night, this-her getting married again-terrified me." she admitted. "The thought of her being hurt again terrifies me." she said. "But from the moment I saw the way Mr. Anderson looks at her," she shook her head. "I knew I had nothing to worry about." she said, smiling as she looked over at him and her mother. "I wish you both all the happiness in the world together. But from the way you two look right now, you might already have that." she said and the crowd chuckled and clapped as she moved to put the mic back on the stand. Dean and Denise stood and hugged Mercedes once more. When she sat down, Sam placed his hand on her knee and looked at her. He was having one of those moments where her beauty seemed to be emphasized and the pride he had in her and what she'd just done lit a fire in the love he felt for her. His next words weren't accidental or unplanned, they were what he'd be thinking the entire day and even months before now.

"I'm gonna marry you," he said and she only smiled, shaking her head.

After that Dean's best friend said a few words, then DJ, and one of Denise's close friends. Later, there was a bit of dancing, bouquet and garter throwing and then the wedding was coming to an end. The room had cleared out, leaving Mercedes and Sam, Dean's kids, and the newlyweds. Mercedes was hugging her mom again as both Deans and Sam talked. Kendall was sitting alone at a table, talking to someone on her phone.

"I love you, baby," Denise said.

"I love you, more." Mercedes replied. She wanted to tell her to stay strong, to stay independent and stay true to herself. She had to remind herself that it wasn't necessary this time-that Dean was one of the good guys. So instead, she kissed her cheek and told her, "Have fun on your honeymoon."

THREE WEEKS LATER

"Mercedes, if you actually think Spongebob is a childrens show, you haven't been paying attention." Sam said as he washed off the chicken breast in the sink, looking over at the TV where Spongebob was being viciously slammed around in a bag by a gorilla. Mercedes was opposite him at the counter, slicing the green and red peppers for the Cajun chicken pasta they were getting ready to prepare.

Mercedes laughed.

"Sam it's still a childrens show 'cause kids don't get it like we do. Do you have any idea how many innuendos we missed in some of the shows we watched as kids?" she replied.

"Exactly! Why even put them in shows that are supposed to be for children?"

"Because otherwise the parents would be bored out of their minds," Mercedes said. Sam considered it for a moment before nodding and accepting it.

"But sti-," the sound of his phone cut him off. "Still," he began as he washed his hands before moving to grab his phone from the living room ottoman. "I think subconsciously, the kids do get it and that's why children are demons now-a-days-Hello," he greeted, neglecting to check the caller ID. But he didn't need it, because as soon as he heard the voice and the words that voice spoke, he knew who it was and exactly what was going on.

"THE EGG IS HATCHING!" Devon shouted in a tone that sounded like panic through the phone and Sam almost dropped it as both shock and excitement shook through him. His next words were the ones that caught Mercedes' attention. "Which hospital?"

The food was suddenly unimportant. They quickly wrapped everything back up and shoved it in the fridge before rushing out and towards the hospital fifteen minutes away.

"Holy shit, this is happening!" Sam almost yelled as he drove, a smile puling at his lips.

"I know, I know!" Mercedes replied, just as giddy.

"I feel like we're having a baby," Sam said and Mercedes laughed.

"Alright, slow down, there, pal." she told him and he chuckled.

"I'm gonna get a baby outta you one day," he declared and she shook her head as she smirked.

Devon had instructed them to wait in the waiting room on the second floor and so they did.

Sam had voluntarily brought his camera, determined to document this moment. Because he'd meant what he'd said-it really did feel like they were all having a baby. He felt so close to her already and she hadn't even made it out of the womb yet.

"Say hi to Avery," Sam told Mercedes, turning the camera on her next to him. She smiled and waved.

"Hey baby Avery!" she greeted the camera. "We're here waiting for you and I'm so excited to meet you!" she said. "Oh and I decorated your room, by the way. You're gonna love it," she added with a wink.

"Okay, my turn, my turn," Sam muttered as he handed the camera to Mercedes. When the camera was set on him, he smiled.

"Hey there, Ave! Stoked to meet you, baby girl!" he said. "By the way can I just apologize in advance for your dumbass da-."

"You can't curse in the baby's video, Sam!" Mercedes scolded.

"Oh, sorry, sorry." he laughed. "Anyway, get outta there already! We're all ready to spoil you rotten." he told her just before he waved again.

"Aw," Mercedes said as she handed him the camera back. "Sam, you're a baby person." she noted, truly only just now realizing it.

"Yeah, yeah." he shrugged off just before placing the camera on her again. "So Mercedes,"

"Hm?"

"What do you think our kids would look like?" he asked her. He wasn't exactly sure if he was curious or if he just wanted to know if she had any interest in having children with him.

"Is this going in the video?" she wondered.

"I dunno, maybe." he replied. "What do you think they'd look like?" he asked again. Mercedes shrugged.

"Weird, probably," she replied, half seriously. Sam shook his head.

"Beautiful." he corrected.

"Both," she said and he smiled, allowing the camera to fall and rest on his leg before leaning in and softly kissing her on her lips.

"I'll take that." he replied.

They ate a couple sandwiches down at the cafe that were quite disappointing compared to the dinner they had planned but they could get over it because of the occasion.

A couple hours passed with Sam asleep on Mercedes' shoulder for one of them. In that time, she thought more seriously about what their kids might look like. What she saw imagine was beyond beautiful and in the most interesting way. She was suddenly excited to find out if her imagination could be accurate. For now though, just witnessing the development and childhood of Avery would be enough for her.

When she saw Devon approaching, she tapped Sam's leg to wake him. The look on Devon's face was a mixture of exhaustion, excitement, and panic. But his eyes seemed to be sparkling in a way that only a father's who had just held his daughter would. Sam and Mercedes stood, waiting for him to speak. The only words that left his mouth were,

"She's a heart breaker."

They took off after him towards the room. When they entered, they found Alicia smiling down at the little human being wrapped in a pink blanket, her exhaustion coated with the glow of new motherhood. Mercedes almost floated to them, her eyes fixated on Alicia. The sweetest form of envy pulled at her as she watched her grinning down at her newborn baby. When Alicia finally looked up at her, Mercedes saw that there were tears streaming down her cheeks.

"She's so beautiful," Alicia half sobbed. And looking down at the small angel in her best friend's arms, with Sam looking down above her head, beautiful didn't even begin to describe her. Her eyes were closed and her tiny lips were parted as she breathed softly in and out. When a soft sound escaped her, they all laughed as they watched her, observing her. Sam shook his head, stunned as he looked over at his best friend who was on the opposite side of the bed.

"Is it too soon to start barricading her away from boys?" Sam asked.

"No," Devon replied.

"Yes," Alicia and Mercedes said, all of them simultaneously and Devon laughed.

"You're gonna be a good god-dad, bro." he told his best friend. And Sam smiled through to his core. It was the first he'd heard of that title belonging to him, but he felt honored.

"Where are your parents?" Mercedes suddenly asked Alicia-whose eyes had yet to leave her daughter.

"They couldn't make it," she replied simply. "Out of town," she explained shortly before cooing at her baby again. She shook her head, looking at her best friend.

"This is my daughter," she almost whispered through a smile, her eyes watering again and Mercedes chuckled as she nodded, her vision suddenly blurred with tears.

"I know," she replied.

"She's here," Alicia giggled out as she turned back to look at her daughter.

"She's perfect," Mercedes said, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her cheek before hugging her best friend softly, careful not to push against the baby.

"I want one," Sam muttered from above her once she'd stood up straight again and she laughed, never turning back to look at him as she replied,

"Oh, so not 13?"

For the next few days, they spent the day with their best friends and god daughter at the hospital until it was time for Alicia to go home, watching as Avery changed and grew in such a short amount of time; her beauty changing, growing every day. And afterwards, only a week passed with them leaving them to spend time alone with their daughter before they were calling and inviting them over to spend time with them and the baby.

It was unbelievable how much she'd changed in just that time-how much she continued to change. She was a quiet baby, only crying when something was needed.

The friends all talked together about her future-where she would go to elementary school, where she would go to daycare, and what they would do for her first birthday. It made both Mercedes and Sam happy to be so involved and to have the chance to develop such close connections with their goddaughter. Quickly, she became just another reason why they were so glad to have met Alicia and Devon.

TWO MONTHS LATER

With time came and age, Avery became a bit noisier and more difficult. Sam and Mercedes were feeling the full wrath of that as they babysat her while Alicia and Devon went out for a much needed date. She required more diaper changes than either of them were used to providing in those two and a half hours and at times she was inconsolable- a crying machine, nonstop for almost an hour with nothing seeming to help. But watching Sam with her was a beautiful sight-he was gentle, patient, and caring. He was all the things she never remembered her own father being. She couldn't help staring at him, because he was her future and she knew it.

"What?" he asked as they sat on the couch, him holding the bottle in the baby's mouth. She shook her head and smiled.

"Nothing," she mumbled. "Here, let me burp her," she said as she reached for her.

They were exhausted by the time Avery fell asleep in Mercedes' arms and she kissed the top of her kinky dark hair. Sam sighed loudly as he threw his head back on the couch.

"So just one, for sure," he said through a yawn and Mercedes laughed quietly, careful not to wake the snoozing infant. "Just one, but we can practice as much as you want," he told her and she shook her head as she smirked. And looking at her, the small baby in her arms, her hair tied back, little tiny stains of spit-up on her shirt, and her eyelids low, the words came easily to him again but with just as much meaning as the first time.

"I'm gonna marry you," he said and Mercedes laughed quietly as she looked down at Avery. "You think I'm joking but I'm not," Sam told her. And she looked at him, finding a sweet graveness in his eyes. She knew he'd meant it. And if she was being honest with herself, the idea of marrying him didn't scare her anymore. Sam had been the most unexpected thing to ever happen to her life. And now there wasn't a life that she could imagine for herself without him in it. He was her best friend, her lover, her therapist, and her headache, all at once and she was all those things to him as well. She loved him the way the heart should only allow once in a lifetime and she wanted this to be it. More than anything, she wanted this to be that once.

So no, she thought before the words left her aloud through a smile,

"I don't think you're joking at all, Sam."

GUYS I FEEL LIKE CRYING BECAUSE THIS IS IT. THE END.

So, I wanna say thank you, so so much for all your continued support and for sticking with me through this. This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, I'm not even exaggerating. I enjoyed every minute of it, I enjoyed all your reviews and your thoughts. This story will always have a special place in my heart and so will all of you! I look forward to hearing from you guys! I'm gonna take a break before I start the reboot just because fall semester's getting ready to start and I wanna get into the groove of it first.

Anyway, once again, thank you all so, so much for all the love. Until we meet again, 3