This story is loosely based on Jude Deveraux's novel - Wishes.

I do not own the original novel nor do I own Glee.

Santana woke up in unfamiliar surroundings. She got up and got down from the steel bed that she usually saw in crime series whenever she accompanied her husband watching television. She looked around and noticed that she was in unknown territory. The space that she was in had three doors at the corner. There was fog everywhere liked the one that singers usually had on the stage. The fog covered the floor. She saw a tall man was sitting behind a golden table. Without wasting any time, she hastened her steps toward the man.

"Where am I?!" she asked. Politeness never had been found in Santana Lopez's dictionary. The tall man looked at her with a small smile.

"Welcome to the Junction" he said. Santana frowned.

"It is a place where the soul stops to be evaluated to determine either it will go to hell or heaven"

Santana was confused with the explanation.

"Heaven? Hell?" she stared at the tall man. A realization hit her – hard. She looked at herself. She was wearing the latest Chanel dress that she had just bought. She looked at the tall man who was now back to writing in his book.

"Am I dead?" she looked at him. "It can't be! I was on my way to meet my friends for a ladies night!" she screamed. The tall man let out a small sigh and clicked his fingers. A moment later, the fog gathered and an Asian woman appeared from it. She looked at the tall man.

"Disbelieve" he said and back to his writing. She nodded curtly and then beaming at Santana as she walked toward her.

"Santana Lopez. Nice to meet you. I am Tina Cohen – Chang. I will be your guardian"

"I don't understand what the hell you are babbling about! I'm not dead! I don't know where did you guys bring me and I demand for you to send me back! This place is creepy as hell!" Santana yelled. Tina smiled.

"Believe me. You don't want to know how horrible hell is" she mumbled. Tina took her hand and pulled her closer to a white wall. Then, she waved her hand toward it. A fog appeared and soon the wall had turned to be a big screen. Santana frowned when it showed a funeral. She gasped when she saw the dead body in the coffin was actually her. She looked at the people who were there. None of them were crying for her death. She smirked when she noticed the annoyed face of one Rachel Barbra Berry when she saw the dress that the dead Santana was wearing. Rachel must be irritated because Santana had worn the dress first before she managed to show off the newest Chanel design to their friends. Rachel Berry, I could stay outdone you – even if I was laying in a coffin, Santana thought with a cheeky smile.

"Okay. I got it. I'm dead" she said as she turned to look at Tina. "So, why am I still here? What took the Franketeen so long to judge me?"

"He's done with evaluation" Tina said, smiling. "But there is a reason why you are still here"

Santana frowned again. She groaned. With all the frowning that she had done, she sure that the wrinkles that she had paid to be removed would reappear.

"Come on, Asian girl! All these frowns will make the wrinkles come back! I spent lots of money in making all of them disappeared and I don't want to come back and ruin my pretty face again"

"The reason why you are still here is because your good deeds and bad deeds are equal. You could neither go to heaven nor hell. Follow me"

Without too much hassle, Santana followed Tina into the door that had Limbo written on it.

"So, you are here – in the Limbo. You'll be here until you had done enough deeds to make you qualify to get into heaven"

Santana looked around the room. There were doors around and all of the doors had something written on them. She saw women walking around in white tunic – the same as the one that Tina was wearing. They seemed to come out from any of the doors and then went into some other doors. Santana looked at the words on the doors. There was Women's Harem, Fantasy, Mesopotamia, Beach party, Disco and other names.

"All of these doors will lead you to the place as written on them. Personally, I like the Fantasy door because I love to picture myself as a fighter, fighting with dragons or rescuing some prince" Tina explained when she noticed the curiosity on Santana's face.

"Do you want to try?" Tina asked. Santana grinned. She immediately walked into the Women's Harem's door. As soon as she stepped into it, she was greeted by lots of half naked women. Each of them was pretty with lovely bodies. The women pulled her and brought her toward the Queen Size bed in the middle of the room and asked her to relax and lie down. One of them began to take the fruit plates and fed her some fruits. She was fooling around with her harem when Tina appeared out of nowhere. She pulled her away from the women and out of the room despite Santana's protest.

"I was there for like ten minutes! Can't you give me some more times before pulling me away?" Santana spat angrily.

"You need to remember that Limbo is different from the world. Your ten minutes in there equal to 10 years in the real world. I need to give you your assignment as soon as possible" Tina said as she led her to a secluded room. Santana noticed that the room was white. There was a red sofa in the middle of it. Tina gestured for her to sit in it. Reluctantly, she complied and stared at Tina expectantly.

"What the hell should I do? What is the assignment?"

Tina said nothing. She waved at the white wall in front of Santana and liked previously, a big screen appeared out of nowhere. It showed a house and then the screen showed a young woman who was cooking in the kitchen.

"This is Mercedes Jones" Tina introduced.

"God, she's fat! How much did she weight? 300 pounds?" Santana said spitefully.

"200 pounds actually" Tina answered. Then, they saw another woman walked into the living room, screaming for Mercedes.

"Now, that's a beauty" Santana said, adoring the figure of the young woman who was talking to Mercedes.

"That is Irene. Mercedes' younger sister"

19th Century. Lima, Ohio.

Irene walked into the living room, yelling for Mercedes. Mercedes who was cooking dinner quickly wiped her hands and rushed to get her sister.

"What took you so long?" Irene huffed.

"I was cooking for dinner. You do remember that daddy had invited a guest for dinner, right?"

Irene nodded. Their father had invited Mr. Evans – a man who had helped him when he was being attacked when he was on a business trip to Cincinnati last week.

"Why are you still wearing your house's dress? You need to change for a better dress" Mercedes when she noticed that Irene was still clad in the old dress that she usually wore when she was in the house and not going anywhere.

"That's why I called you. I can't decide which dress I want to wear" Irene said, rolling her eyes. Mercedes immediately followed her sister into her room. She shook her head when she saw the condition of the room. Dresses were thrown everywhere and Irene didn't even bother to pick them up. Instead, she just kicked the dresses away as she walked toward her closet. Mercedes bent down and gathered the dresses before carefully put them back into the closet. Irene sat on her bed. Hands were brought to her chest.

"I need a new dress! The one that I have were old and out of style!" she huffed. Mercedes took out a blue dress and showed it to Irene.

"How about this one? It's nice" she said as she admired the dress dreamily. Irene who saw the way she was eyeing her dress quickly jumped out of her bed and opened the drawer of her dresser. She took out a packet of chocolate that she had bought earlier.

"That's perfect. Here! I have a present for you" she said –handing the chocolate to Mercedes. Mercedes put the dress on the bed and took the packet of chocolate.

"I don't know why daddy was so fussy about this man. He kept on telling me to dress properly and all – as if he wants me to marry him! I feel bad for you, Mercedes. You should be the one to marry and live the house, not me" Irene fussed as she sat back on her bed. Suddenly, Mercedes felt hungry. She took the two chocolates from the packet that Irene had given to her and put them into her mouth.

"I mean – you're older than me. You should marry first. I don't understand why men don't see you"

"That's because I am not beautiful like you" Mercedes said, smiling at her sister. She hugged Irene and told her to rest.

"I'll call you once dinner ready" she said. Irene nodded. She laid down on her bed. She took the novel that she had been reading before. She decided to just wear the dress that she had been wearing. There's no need to dress up for their guest. She concluded that Mr. Evans was an old man because her father had told her that the man was a widower.

Santana stopped paying attention to the screen and was looking at Tina.

"So, that's it? You want me to be a fairy godmother?" she asked.

"Well, it could be called fairy godmother. Your duty is to help Mercedes"

"What? I have to help that fat bitch, not her beautiful sister, Irene? Why? Why should I help her? From the scenes just now, the one that needs help was Irene! The girl doesn't have a dress to wear. A real woman needs to look good all the time and she needs new dress"

"Are you sure?" Tina asked skeptically. Santana nodded firmly.

"I knew the woman likes her fat sister. My sister is fat and always jealous of me. So, I understand Irene's feeling. Besides, she must be embarrassed to have a big fat sister likes that!"

"Believe me. Mercedes is not like that. Don't you see how her sister treats her?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "I knew people like her. I am very sure that she is jealous of Irene and her beauty. So, what should I do? Do I need to give her some wish or something?" she asked. She was itching to try the Fantasy Room.

"You need to guide her and I think giving her a wish is good too. But you can only give her three wishes and the effect cannot be reversed"

Santana nodded nonchalantly. "Dear Mercedes, I give you three wishes. Let's hope that you use it well" she said and clicked her fingers. Satisfied, she immediately left the whiter room and headed to the Fantasy Room.

Mercedes was surprised when the maid, Kitty told her that Mr. Evans had arrived. She glanced at the clock and realized that he was an hour early. She told Kitty to take out the lambs from the oven and went to greet Mr. Evans. She saw him standing in the middle of the living room, staring at the window. Judging from his broad back she knew that Mr. Evans wasn't old like Irene had assumed.

"Mr. Evans?" she asked timidly. Sam turned around when he heard her voice. He was stunned when he saw her standing across him.

"I'm sorry for coming so early. I was nearby and decided to just come here instead of waiting for the time that was promised" he said. Mercedes smiled. She stared into his green eyes and noticed the loneliness that was hidden in it. The same loneliness that she felt every day.

"It's okay. Just make yourself at home. I was in the middle of preparing dinner"

"Let me help you – urm -,"

"Mercedes" she said when she noticed that she hadn't introduced her name yet.

"Mercedes. Let me help you" he said, smiling. Mercedes was about to refuse his help but Sam was quick. "Besides, it is awkward to just sit here by myself" he said. Realizing that Sam had a point, Mercedes led him to the backyard.

"You have a beautiful garden" he praised as he took in the beautiful scenery in front of him. Mercedes smiled as she sat on the bench and began peeling the beans. Noticing what she was doing, Sam settled himself beside her and helped her with the beans. Both of them were talking and laughing as they finished peeling the beans. Sam was totally intrigued by the woman who was sitting beside him. He loved talking to her. She made him relax and free. It's been quite a while since he totally felt free and laughed himself out as he did with her, ever since the death of his wife.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your wife? My dad told me that you are a widower"

His hands movement stopped as he looked at her. Sam swallowed the lump in his throat. He had never spoken about his wife after her death. The wound was too raw no matter how long time had passed but staring into the doe-like eyes in front of him, he had the urge to tell her everything, answering her every question.

"She died while giving birth to our child. She lost lots of blood and unfortunately, both the baby and she died that day. It was a premature birth"

Mercedes noticed the tears in his eyes. Slowly, she reached for his hand and patted it. They stared into each other eyes and slowly, they leaned toward each other as if there was an invisible thread pulling them closer. Their lips were about to meet when she heard his father's voice calling for her. They quickly put a distance between them.

"I'm in the garden, father!" Mercedes said. She immediately stood and Sam followed suit – quietly standing beside her. His heart was beating frantically inside his chest and he could feel his adrenaline rushing because of what happened earlier. He noticed Mercedes was nervously playing with her fingers and he knew that she was feeling whatever he was feeling at the moment.

"Mercedes, have you prepared everything for dinner tonight?" Dwayne Jones asked as he walked out of the backdoor. He was surprised when he saw Sam was standing with his daughter.

"Mr. Evans! I thought the dinner is at eight" he exclaimed. Sam stepped forward and shook his hand.

"It is. But I had something to do nearby and decided to come here early" he said with a smile. Dwayne invited Sam to the living room for a chat. He turn mid-track and looked at his eldest daughter.

"Make sure everything is perfect for dinner, Mercedes" he said.

"Yes, father"

Sam stole a look at Mercedes as he mindlessly listened to Dwayne.

Mercedes stood in the kitchen. Her heartbeat was finally going back to normal. Her face felt hot as she remembered what had happened in the garden. It was her first experience – being in a close proximity with a guy. She admitted that Mr. Evans was attractive and he was the most handsome guy that she had met – granted that she hadn't met lots of men. Men never interested with her. That was more of Irene's territory. Her sister was beautiful. Unlike her, Irene was thin and she has beautiful figure. Guys always knocked on their door, voicing their interest in her. The whole town admired Irene and her beauty. Without a doubt, Mercedes was sure that Mr. Evans would be captivated with Irene's beauty too when he saw her during dinner. Mercedes knew that and she was glad that whatever supposed to happen in the garden was stopped before it happened. That way, she won't be disappointed when Mr. Evans' attention fell on Irene when he saw her. He won't be interested in an old maid like her. Then, Mercedes suddenly felt hungry. She reached for the apple pie that her father had specifically told her to bake for the dinner and ate everything. Realizing what she had done, she quickly for her Kitty.

"What?" she asked as she looked at Mercedes with bored expression. Then, she saw the empty pie plate.

"You ate the whole pie?!" she said, looking at Mercedes. Mercedes grabbed some money and gave it to Kitty.

"I need you to go to the bakery and buy whatever dessert that they have!"

"But your father specifically asked for apple pie!" Kitty bellowed.

"I know! But there's nothing that we can do about it. Go to the bakery and get whatever that they have for tonight's dessert!" Mercedes said, exasperated. Why can't Kitty be a good servant and just did everything that she was told to do? She watched as Kitty stomped her feet as she walked out of the kitchen.

Irene put away the novel that she was reading when she heard Mercedes calling her for dinner. She looked at her appearance on the mirror and just shrugged. Her father had instructed her to wear something beautiful and new but she was too absorbed in her novel that she didn't have enough time to get ready and changed her dress. Irene decided to stick with her 'home dress' considering that the guest was an old widower that she sure didn't want to make an impact on. To her surprised, Samuel Evans was definitely a hunk and he was extremely attractive. Irene definitely regretted her decision to stick with her day dress once she saw him. She could clearly see the disapproval look that her father shot her.

"Mr. Evans, let me introduce you to my wonderful daughter, Irene" Dwayne said as he gestured for Irene to come closer.

"Please to meet you" Irene politely said. Her eyes raked over his body and at the moment, she was sure that the man in front of her was the finest man that she had ever seen. She extended her hand for him to kiss but instead of doing so, Sam settled for a curt handshake.

"Dinner's ready" Mercedes said as she emerged from the kitchen. Sam couldn't help but smiled at her. Dwayne led them to the dining room and everybody settled around the table. Dwayne retold the story of how Sam saved his life and they talked about business.

"This is delicious. You're a great cook, Ms. Jones" Sam said as he looked at Mercedes who was sitting beside Irene who sat across him.

"Thank you, Mr. Evans"

Kitty brought the dessert and Mercedes noticed the look on her father's face once he noticed that it was a pecan pie instead of the specifically asked apple pie.

"I thought I told you to bake an apple pie?" he asked. Mercedes said nothing. She just looked down at her now empty plate.

"God, Mercedes! Did you eat all the dessert again?" Irene piped in.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled in a low voice but it reached Sam's ears.

"Oh, Mr. Evans, we are so sorry. You know, Mercedes is sick. She cannot control her appetite. She cannot stop eating and that's why she is so big" Irene said in a sweet tone. Sam said nothing. He looked at Mercedes and noticed a tear falling on her cheek.

"It's okay. Besides, I love pecan pie" he said, trying to bring back the table's atmosphere to normal.

The dinner was quite okay, in Sam's opinion. He knew that Dwayne wanted to recruit him to work in his company. True, he did save the man's life when he had been mugged in Colorado but he also knew the reason he so adamant in wanting Sam to work for him because of his family's fortune. The whole time they had been together, Dwayne kept on talking and praising about his beautiful daughter and truth was, Sam was intrigued with the entire wonderful story that he had told him. His wife had been gone for a year and he started to feel that he needed someone to fill the hole in his heart that Holly had caused after her death. That was the reason he went to Jones' resident earlier than the promised time. When he saw Mercedes, he was mesmerized by her. However, when Irene appeared, he realized that Dwayne wasn't talking about his eldest daughter but his youngest. Then, the 'dessert incident' happened and he noticed how they treat Mercedes. Sam could clearly see the facade that Irene wore. Truth was, he couldn't even see all the great thing that Dwayne was bragging about Irene.

However, Mercedes was a different story. He knew that he was truly fascinated with her. He couldn't help but smile every time he thought about her. Despite the short time that they spent in her garden, he knew that he started to fall in love with her. The whole time they spent, talking to each other, he could feel that his loneliness was gone.

"Someone seems happy"

Sam smiled wider when he saw his cousin's wife; Quinn was looking at him with a smile on her face.

"Ah, that's a smile that I haven't seen for a long time" she said as she sat on the bench in her garden. Sam watched as her youngest son, Aidan came to her. Quinn Fabray-Abrams, a true Southern belle and one of the most beautiful women that he had ever seen. He always thought that Artie, his cousin was very lucky to have her as a wife. Quinn was clever and quick witted. Being raised as a proper lady and managed to capture the heart of the richest bachelor in Lima made people either looked at her in admiration or envy.

"Hey, Sam! Where have you been?" Artie appeared from the house.

"I was invited for dinner by Dwayne Jones" he explained. Artie nodded. He felt quite happy that his cousin had managed to socialize with other people. Ever since Sam got into Lima, all he ever did was walking around the town aimlessly and spending most of his time cooped up in his hotel room or playing with Artie's sons. It was nice to know that he somehow had managed to interact with other people.

"I bet the dinner had something to do with the wide smile that you were sporting, huh?" Quinn teased. Sam couldn't help but smiling sheepishly. He nodded a little, admitting the truth of Quinn's wild guess.

"Do you know Mercedes Jones, Quinn?" Sam asked. Quinn smiled wider as she nodded.

"Mercedes is a lovely lady. A very sweet one, I must say and she is very beautiful. The men are crazy about her younger sister, Irene. I don't understand what they saw in that selfish, rude and snobbish girl" Quinn said.

Artie stared at his cousin. "Wait – you're interested in Mercedes? But isn't she -,"

"Oh, shut up, Artie. Mercedes is not fat. She just a bigger than the society standard. Sammy here is a great guy because unlike all men in the town, he sees the true beauty in that Jones' house. I don't understand why Dwayne Jones lets Mercedes coops up in that house!" Quinn ranted.

"If it okay with you, I would like to invite her to the Harvest Ball"

Quinn smiled wider as she beamed at Sam.

"It's great! I'll send the invitation tomorrow. We didn't send any invitation to the Jones because of the fiasco that Irene had caused two years ago but I'll make an exception for Mercedes. Would you like to hand-deliver the invitation personally?"

"Sure" Sam said, smiling widely.

I kept on thinking about writing a Samcedes version of this story ever since I read the novel last year.

So, yay or nay?

Thank you for reading!

xoxo,

Awa