AN: So I have to say I'm so sorry. An update almost two and a half months late is completely unacceptable. I feel awful! I wouldn't be surprised if no one reads this anymore, but if you continue I would greatly appreciate it. Life has just gotten in the way and I didn't plan out this story so it was changing from my original story line and I just couldn't find a path to take. But I have found inspiration. Hopefully my next update won't take this long, but I can't make any promises. But I can promise I will never abandon this story. It will be finished one day.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. I really like it.

Mercedes rolled out of bed on Thursday, in search on her alarm clock. When does mom find the time to move it? She looked went to check the last hiding place, under her desk, and it wasn't there. She wandered around her room for another 10 minutes until she realized it was under her bed. She turned it off, contemplating going back to bed. She had spent the last two days coming straight home and sulking in her room until dinner, where she would barely touch her food, and then come back upstairs to sulk. When she and Sam went to school she refused to make eye contact. She was so embarrassed. He tried to talk to her but she would never respond. Still he walked with her to class and waited for her afterschool. Her house-mates had noticed something weird going on, but seem to know that asking about it would not help. Prom was now three days away and she really did not feel like with the pre-prom excitement that everyone was going to have. She just wanted to stay in bed for forever.

"MERCEDES JONES, I DON'T HEAR THAT SHOWER GOING!" Her mom called upstairs. Mercedes rolled her eyes and remembered what her mom had said on the first day of school every year, "I don't care if your bleed out both your eye balls, don't ask me to skip school, don't let me catch you skipping school." Maybe she would pretend to go to school, but then never actually show up. Mercedes contemplated the idea for a moment before she realized if her mom found out the hell she would have to pay, it just wasn't worth it. She remembered the one time her older brother Tyler skipped school, she shivered at the thought. Though her mother was 2 feet shorter than her eldest brother, she was able to knock him out. She then made him call all of his friends and explain why his mother had given him a black eye. There had been more punishment, but Mercedes was forced up to her room to avoid any serious trauma. Momma Jones wasn't abusive, but she didn't tolerate disrespect. Mercedes turned on the water and showered quickly since she was running behind and figured Sam still need to be woken up. She jumped out, through on her robe and crossed the hallway. Before she knocked she tried to gain her composure. Sam didn't need to hear her relationship baggage and the pity in his eyes made her feel horrified. But they lived together and just like they had to work through the whole naked fiasco, they would work through this. Mercedes then decided that she wasn't going to let prom get her down and she wasn't going to let it affect her and Sam's relationship. She quickly knocked on the door and waited to hear the thump. When it didn't come she knocked a little harder and still nothing happened. She needed to make sure he was awake, though Mrs. Jones wasn't his mom, this was her house. She got to treat you like one of her own. She took a deep breath and hoped that Sam wasn't a fan of the birthday suit, even though she had seen everything. She cracked the door opened and yelled in.

"Sam, I'm coming in, your man parts better be covered!" She pushed the door open further and was surprised when she already saw his bed made. She saw something on his pillow that caught her attention. She thought about ignoring it, seeing as this wasn't her room…but then again this was technically her house, so she walked over to his pillow and picked up a purple index card, covered in sequence. Sam's handwriting was sloppy, but you could tell he had tried to make it as neat as possible. Mercedes squinted at the writing and began to read words written on it.

So hopefully you're as nosey as you think you are

Mercedes huffed, offended at the fact that he called her nosey…assuming he was talking to her

And hopefully you're not offended, because Miss Jones, you know it's true

Mercedes smiled, even though they had only been living together for a short while, Sam seemed to understand her. She decided at that moment that she wasn't ashamed that she had told him her problems. Out of all the guys in glee, Sam was the only one who wouldn't laugh in her face. He cared about her.

This card is to inform you of a great quest I have for you.

I've already left for school and if all goes well then I won't see you until after school

When the last bell of the day rings, then and only then can you turn the card around and read the clue on the back.

Mercedes rubbed her fingers around the back of the index card and felt a small piece of paper on top of it. She assumed it was covering this clue that he was talking about.

Not before and if you read it later than you lose (which I really hope you don't)

So Lady Mercedes, I bid you good day

And let the fun begin.

Mercedes took a deep breath in, trying to suppress the giggles that were about to come. She didn't know what that point of this was, but it was a distraction from all this prom crap at school. Mercedes walked back over to her room, quickly got dressed. She felt like jeans and a simple purple V-neck for day, accompanied by a pair of white toms. She curled her hair slightly, and after doing all the hygiene steps needed she walked downstairs. Sam wasn't at the breakfast table and she frowned, realizing that she was going to have to walk in to school by herself today. Though they hadn't been talking the last few days, it had been comforting to just have him around.

Mercedes ate her cereal, listening to Stevie's and Stacey talk about their upcoming field trip to the zoo. They were excited that they were actually going to be able to go and look at all the animals and get a behind the scenes tour of the jungle cats and the gorillas. Mrs. Jones called from the foyer to inform everyone it was time to go and the two children hopped up, quickly putting their dishes in the sink, and headed out the door for school.

Mercedes finished her cereal and proceeded to wash the dishes, realizing she missed Sam standing next to her helping. They had only moved in together 5 days ago, but he had already become such a big part of her life.

The house was eerily quiet – with Mr. Jones and Mrs. Evans at work, Mr. Evans on the job hunt, and everyone else on their way to school. Mercedes took the silence in for a few more moments and decided to head off to school.

On the way to school she kept glancing at the front pocket of her backpack which contained the notecard, trying to resist the urge to look at the back. She wanted to know what this quest was and what the great prize was at the end. But no matter how much she wanted to, she resisted it, not wanting to ruin the fun. She pulled in the parking lot and headed into school.

The rest of her day passed slowly. She blocked out most of the prom talk, ignoring the offers to look at the various prom dresses and rolling her eyes at the pre and post prom plans. Even though she wasn't letting prom get her down, it was still annoying to her everyone talk about it.

She arrived in glee, thinking that Sam must have forgotten that they had the class together, but he wasn't there. She frowned a little, deciding it'd be best for her to sit in the corner by herself, not wanting to get in the way of prom rehearsal. Finally the bell releasing 8th period rang and Mercedes went to her lockers to drop of her books, picking up the ones she needed for homework that night. She closed her locker door, willing the final bell to finally ring, holding the purple index card in her hands. Finally she heard the familiar ding of the bell and slowly flipped the card around, removing the paper covering the clue.

Ravenclaws never guess

So the first clue to your great quest

Is where you need to be to pass your test

Mercedes looked at the clue. Ravenclaw, how did he know she was a huge Harry Potter fan…better yet, how did he know that she wanted to be a Ravenclaw? Mercedes flipped the card around trying to avoid the fact that maybe he knew her a little too well. She scanned the front for any more clues. Mercedes felt herself get agitated, why didn't he just say MERCEDES GO HERE but no, he had to be clever. She took a deep breath in a thought. She was a Ravenclaw, she could solve a simple riddle. She had to go to class to pass her test, but she wasn't going to go to every single one of her class asking for a purple notecard. She paused for a moment and thought the best thing to do was check the library.

She began the walk to the library thinking of places she could look. Though McKinley High's library wasn't huge, it was big enough and she didn't think she had the time to walk down every aisle and every book to find the next clue. She walked up to the door and opened it. She stood by the front desk and scanned the room, trying to think of the best place to look. Coming up with nothing she decided to go to her regular study desk, figuring it would be a nice place to…. Wait, would he really know that. She picked up pace and headed to the desk towards the back left corner of the library, spotting the empty section she normally sat in and she saw it, a purple note card. She gently picked it up, not wanting to knock any of the sparkles off.

I knew you were a clever girl, see

But now Tardis' red twin is where you need to be

A DCOTOR WHO REFRENCE? She knew that they lived together, but this was creepy. How did he know that was her British guilty pleasure? Still baffled she stared at the card, but something funny felling drew her attention to the back of the card. She flipped it over and written in yellow puff paint was the word: You. Mercedes looked at the word, wondering what it meant. The only way to figure it out, she assumed, was to continue with the hunt. She thought about Tardis and assumed he was talking about the red phone booth downtown. She put the notecard in the front pocket of her back pack along with the one she had found that morning. She walked out to the parking lot, deciding that she didn't want her car to get locked in the school parking lot. She drove downtown, wiggling with excitement. She was excited to see what the next clue was and where it led her next.

She parked in front of the city library, deciding it was close enough to the phone booth, which was located a block down. Also, her car wouldn't get towed there. She walked away from her car, listening for the familiar click of her doors locking. She picked up the pace, glad she wore comfortable shoes. The phone booth came into view and she practically ran for her next clue.

She waited for the person inside, impatiently tapping her foot to get them to finish up. Finally the person left and she excitingly went inside. Her heart sank, realizing that she didn't see a card. She looked around and noticed a phone book. "Would he?" she thought. She fingered through the pages stopping at Evans, Jones, before she decided that Sam was too clever to do them. She thought for a moment and flipped towards the beginning stopping at D. And there, written in black sharpie, Doctor, The. She giggled at his creativity. Tapped underneath it was another purple card.

Much potential, in you, I see – for sure

But those were the Droids you were looking for

Star Wars now! This boy was too observant for his own good. The Jones' had two copies of episode 1 through 6: the original and the special edition. Damien, the middle brother, was a huge fan and when the special editions came out he insisted that they get them for him for his birthday. Mercedes smiled, remembering her brother's face when he opened them for his 17th birthday. Mercedes was happy she understood the reference, but what did Sam mean by it? Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, this phone booth was definitely not as big as the Tardis, she exited it. She stood outside, pondering for a moment what the clue meant. She flipped the card over to see that With was on the back. She looked at the booth realizing the ridiculousness of it still being around. Who actually used these things anymore? You should have a cell phone by now….

"THAT'S IT," she exclaimed, causing a few people to stop and look at her. She quickly put the notecard in her backpack and began to feel her cheeks redden.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she made her way to the small Verizon store around the corner. It was where she had just brought her new Droid phone, as an early birthday present to herself. She was tired of the crapberry she had been using and she used the money she had made over the summer to treat herself. She walked into the door with the Verizon logo and looked around the store, looking for the section of Droids. She calmly, but quickly headed over to them, ignoring the offers of help from the associates. Taped to the back of the display Droid was another purple notecard. She cautiously tore it off and laid the phone back down.

Vampires should not sparkle I say!

And the next clue is where they should've taken Jacob to play.

Mercedes laughed loudly at the Twilight reference. Though she had read the books, she knew how ridiculous they were, and knew that Sam hated them. It was brought up during a glee meeting and Mr. Shue had to break up a Team Edward vs. Team Jacob battle. Mercedes and Sam sat in the back room joking about how ridiculous everyone looked…she realized that she and Sam had been better friends than she thought. Though they hadn't talked on a regular basis, on the days were fate would have them sit together, they always had a good time. She exited the store, heading over to the local dog park to try in search of the next clue. She flipped the card over, looking at the yellow Go staring back at her.

You, with, will, go. That's what she had. She figured they were forming a sentence and decided to wait for the next clue before she really tried to figure it out. She placed the card in her backpack and continued walking.

A few moments later she saw the rolling fields of the dog park. Her mouth gaped when realized that this place was huge…and probably covered in poop. She was never a big fan of animals, they were nice to pet and whatnot, but all that responsibility was never her thing. She had once had a goldfish that she won at the fair, but it died three days later. After that she decided no more pets. She walked on the sidewalk careful to watch where she was stepping. Then a white sign caught her attention: Lima Dog Park. She thought that maybe he had put it behind the sign. She shrugged her shoulders and hoped so, because she would be out here all night looking for it. She walked up to the sign, then around to the back of it, smiling at the purple, sparkly card to the back of the sign.

You've allowed me to set my nerd self-free

Your next clue is at the Home Tree

"Home tree….hmmmm?" she pondered allowed. She remembered that was in Avatar. It was the giant tree that they all worshipped…or something. When she watched it with Sam it had only been the second or third time she had seen it and she hadn't even been paying attention when they were watching it. She had been watching Sam, amazed by the intensity on his face and how sexy his voice sounded when he spoke na'vi. Mercedes faced blushed at what she had just thought. She tried to justify it as a friendly comment, but saying someone's voice was sexy crossed the friend line. She tried to brush the thought aside, trying to reestablish the imaginary line in her head. She decided to flip the card over and saw To written on the back in the same puff paint as the others.

You, with, will, go and now to. "Maybe it's a question of some sort," she pondered. She decided to wait until she had all the pieces, whenever that was, before she really started to figure out what was going on. She scanned the park, looking for a giant tree that resembled the vague picture of the Home Tree she had in her head. Across the park stood the oldest tree in Lima history and Mercedes decided that was her best bet. She put the note card in her backpack and followed the sidewalk path, enjoying the warmth of the setting sun on her skin and the sound of children's laughter filling her ears. It was a nice spring afternoon and was happy that Sam had chosen today to send her around town. Though her feet would hurt tomorrow, this had been the distraction she need from prom. She paused for a moment thinking about the words on the pack of the card.

"He couldn't be…" she muttered allowed. Trying not to get her hopes up, she picked up the pace; trying to distract herself from the conclusion she was drawing. She saw the purple index card coming into view and smiled, ready for her next clue. She gently tore off the card of the tree, trying not to hurt the "Home Tree." Sam would be proud of her. She giggled at the thought. She looked down at the scribbled hand writing.

Cinderella's fairy godmother gave her all

Find the ride that took her to the ball

But be sure to get there before the clock strike seven

And look for a man named Kevin

Mercedes pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time. It was 6:50!

"When had it gotten so late?" she spoke aloud. She loved Cinderella; it was her favorite fairy tale. She had always wanted to have a night where all eyes were on her and she was princess for just for a night. She was sadden by the thought that it was probably never going to happen, but she shook off the feeling determined to find this Kevin character Sam had wrote about. Though it was a Thursday she could see that downtown was getting busy, with couples getting ready for date and families spending quality time together. She saw the horses and their carriages sitting on the corner and hoped Kevin was the driver of one of them. She glanced back down at the time – 6:57, barely enough time. She glanced at the three men sitting, waiting for customers. She decided that she only had a few moments and just decided to say the name loudly.

"KEVIN" all three heads turned, startled by the name, but only one raised his hand signaling for her to come over to his carriage.

"Kevin?" she questioned.

"Miss Jones?" he responded. She gave him a bright smile and nodded her head.

"Right this way." He opened the small door for her, leading his hand for her to use as help to get into the carriage. A few moments later he climbed into his seat and the carriage began moving. Mercedes took a deep breath in, taking in the spring air, but then shivered realizing that it was a little cold outside. She looked down at the seat across from her and there was Sam's letterman jacket. She smiled at his thoughtfulness. Even though he wasn't physically there, he was still keeping her warm. She picked it up, wrapping it around her shoulders, surprised that it fit. It was snug, but that's how she liked it. She inhaled his sweet scent and hoped he never asked for it back.

Sam paced back and forth in front on the sidewalk. What if she thought this was dumb? What if she decided to stop? What if she just went home? Kurt was supposed to keep him update on her progress. He had depended on him to get the cards placed a few minutes before Mercedes was supposed to show up at each location, so that no one messed up the cards. But he hadn't heard from Kurt since the Verizon store update and he was starting to get worried. He wanted Mercedes to enjoy this day; he wanted to make it fun. He wanted to make it special. He was asking her to prom which was a big deal and he didn't want it to be a dumb text or some played out song; he wanted it to be unique… like her. He was so happy he and Kurt got along so well or he would've never been able to guess that she like Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Doctor Who. He had seen the Ravenclaw scarf in her bedroom but thought it may have been for a costume or a random gift. He had seen the Cinderella poster on her closet door and was happy he had remembered it and he could never forget the whole Twilight debacle in class. He smiled remembering her laugh and the smile in her eyes. The days he got to sit Mercedes, though they were few, were some of the best in glee. He wondered why he hadn't tried to sit with her more often. Suddenly faint clops of horse shoes brought him out of his thoughts and then he became nervous once again.

She came.

Mercedes recognized the area they were in and then remembered that she hadn't looked on the back of the last card.

Prom

Her breath hitched. He was…she couldn't believe it. Sam Evans was asking her to prom, in one of the most romantic, most creative ways she had ever heard. Okay, it was official. Mercedes Jones was falling for Sam Evans hard. But then she remembered that she told him she wanted a date. Was this just out of pity? Mercedes shook the dark thoughts from her head. Someone looking for a pity date wouldn't have gone this far. Even if Sam wasn't interested in her romantically, this was no pity date. It showed just how much he valued her. The past week had been short and she hadn't talked to him for two days, but still he stayed…well he lived with her, but he could've ignored her while she was sulking. But he didn't. He stayed with her through the silent treatment. Her face grew warm with excitement as she saw Sam pacing in front of the ice cream parlor she had taken his family to. Mercedes pulled the cards out of her backpack, shuffling them into the right order.

Will, you, go, to, prom, with…she realized she was shaking. She didn't know if it was from the cold or if she was trying to refrain herself from jumping out of the carriage. Finally the carriage came to a stop and Kevin got down of his seat to help her out.

She muttered a quick "thank you" and began to make her way over to Sam, trying to remind herself to breath.

Sam stopped moving as he watched Mercedes walk up to him. She looked gorgeous, but he had decided two days ago that she always did. Her hair bouncing in the night light, her jeans hugging her curves in a way that would cause Sam to take a very cold shower later on that night, it was almost too much. She was wearing his letterman jacket and he gave himself a mental high five for thinking of leaving it in there. He could tell he was staring but he couldn't help it, she looked amazing in it. He felt a sense of pride watching her walk up to him, in his clothing. Like she was his. He tried to shake the thought from his head, but he couldn't. He had always thought Mercedes was awesome, but seeing her upset the past few days made him realize how much he cared for her. He never wanted to see her sad again and always wanted to be the reason for the smile that was on her face at that moment. He had no idea if she felt the same way and living together would make things a little more complicated, but he was determined to make Mercedes officially his. It sounded possessive, but that's what happens when you have something as precious and valuable as her. He had been too busy staring that he forgot to hold the sign up for her to see. She was a few steps away when he held out the last card.

Mercedes felt her face warm at the way Sam was staring at her. She self-consciously touched her hair as she closed the distance between them. He seemed to snap out of his trance and her knees went weak at the smirk Sam gave her as he handed her the card.

I hope you like my jacket made of leather

Can you put the puzzle together?

She flipped the card around, excited to finish it. She ran her hand over the yellow puff paint: me? She looked up and him and saw that he was smiling at her with a big cheesy grin. She could help but return it, even though the butterflies swarming in her stomach made her feel like she was going to puck.

"How did you know all those things about me?"

"I had a little help from a little bird," he smirked. She raised her eyebrow at him but smiled anyways. She paused a moment before speaking again. She could tell Sam was getting a little nervous at her wait time and she giggle.

"Of course! I would love to go to prom with you!" She was suddenly caught off by the hug Sam gave her. It was big and strong and it made her feel warmer than a thousand of his letterman jackets combined. He proceeded to pick her up and spin her around, causing Mercedes to panic but then laugh uncontrollably. When he set her down, she smacked him in the arm.

"What was that for?" he exclaimed.

"Don't try to pick me up again!"

"Why not?" he whined.

"Just don't, I don't want you to drop me!"

He step back offended,

"Do you not think I can handle the situation?"

"No," she said with a simple smirk.

"I accept."

"Accept what?"

"The challenge." Mercedes mouth fell open. He was not serious…was he? She regretted saying anything in the first place, realizing that she would have to be on her guard from sneak attacks from Sam for pretty much the rest of her life. She groaned. Sam just laughed.

"Just remember: when you least expect it." Sam gave Mercedes another smile and she thought her legs had turned into jelly. Then Mercedes remembered that she was not prepared at all for prom and it was now two days away. She started to panic.

"Mercedes, what's wrong?"

"You can't take me to prom!" Sam was surprised and confused.

"Why not?"

"I don't have a dress! Nor any reservations for dinner! No tickets!"

"Chill out Mercy, I've got everything handled." Mercedes looked at his quizzically, feeling slightly assured by the confidence in his voice.

"Little bird?" she questioned.

"Yep." Mercedes took a breath in, closing her eyes, now feeling relaxed. She figured out the Kurt was his little bird, seeing as he was the only one who knew any of those things about her. She knew if Kurt had anything to do with this he would have everything under control. She knew she could always count on him. She opened her eyes looking at Sam, who was still smiling at her.

"Sam…honestly, this is—"

"Mercedes, you deserve it." The conviction in his voice made Mercedes breathless for a moment.

"And plus you had to deal with my corny rhyming."

"It was perfect," was all she could breathe out. She saw Sam blush and suddenly she felt her body reaching up on her tip toes. She placed his hands gently on his shoulders and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. When she leaned back she saw the surprise on his face and she instantly regretted her decision, until he began to blush harder and touched his cheek where her lips had just been.

Sam stood stunned. Mercedes Jones had just kissed him and even though it was just on the cheek it felt glorious. He saw her tuck her head down and could tell she was embarrassed and assumed her cheeks were warm from being flushed. He pulled his hand down from his face and reached it out to her.

"Would you like to get something to eat?"

She quietly nodded her head and reached her hand out. He quickly pulled her in, picking her up.

"SAMUEL EVANS STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

"Stop shaking or I will drop you!" She immediately stopped moving and she wrapped her arms around his neck, taking in his scent as Sam carried her, like his bride, through the Ice Cream Shoppe door.

AN: One of my readers gave me the idea for the scavenger, but I forgot who. I know that sounds awful, but if you know you gave me the idea let me know and I'll give you credit!