March

Two years later and he still had no control over how his apartment looked. He'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the few months there when it was a bachelor pad but then again, he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy sharing his bed again, even if it was with a person that tossed and turned as much as Mercedes. Sometimes he'd wake up freezing because she took all the covers and sometimes, he'd wake up with her scarf wrapped around his face. Sometimes, he hated it and would go sleep on the couch but it never lasted for long because he'd hear her call his name and he'd come sliding back into bed for another night of abuse. He rarely got sleep and sometimes it was okay.

Sometimes it was better than okay.

Sam almost forgot how great sex on the regular was and he almost forgot how great those lazy weeknights were, sitting on the couch and just being there. Except this time around it was different.

It was different because he wasn't with a person who was trying to control him or force him into being a better man, he was with someone who made him better just by existing. Someone who made him think in more ways than one and someone who, without judgment, would sit down with him on Sunday mornings and eat cereal while watching cartoon reruns.

That tradition didn't change.

That one they swore would stay with them until they were old and could no longer chew and even though he was sure Mercedes was joking about the last part, he knew he was serious. He wanted to grow old with her. Did he tell her that?

No.

Sam had always been slow on the uptake but soon. He'd tell her that he didn't see himself with anyone else and that she was it for him, even if that scared the shit out of both of them. He'd tell her that he wanted to spend every Sunday for the rest of his life with her and that even if she didn't want to make things legally binding, he'd still be there.

It sometimes scared him that he thought that. He was the marrying type. The kind that settles down and while she'd dropped hints that she wasn't necessarily the type but could one day be that type of person, he wasn't going to make marriage a deal breaker. Besides, they had enough to deal with.

Parents.

Sam didn't feel sure about the impression he'd made the first time he'd met her parents but after a while of making it clear that he wasn't going anywhere, they warmed up to him.

Somewhat. He was sure her dad still hated him though.

And his mother was a tough cookie to crack. She hated the idea of Sam moving on so quickly and no matter how nice Mercedes was to her, she wasn't good enough. They'd had quite a few fights over that in fact. But then his mother heard her sing and she fell in love just like Sam had. The only thing they had to worry about now was when his mother would awkwardly toss out the idea of grandkids at the dinner table.

Thankfully Stevie was there to interject and question why their mother never asked him about kids. Granted, he was single and nowhere near close to marriage or kids but he'd matured over the past year. He thought he'd found love and that love had found him but in reality, he wasn't ready. It was nice to know, however, that he was capable of dating someone for longer than a night. So maybe he was growing up yet.

Time could change even the most stubborn things. 2 years ago, you couldn't have told Sam that he wouldn't be married but he'd be in love with a woman he saw crying on the elevator.

He would have laughed.

But here he was, more happy than he could ever remember being and loving every single moment of his wacky life.

Even if it did include being woken up at the ass crack of dawn.

"Hey," he could hear Mercedes say, poking his cheek. "Wake up."

He groaned and rolled over in the bed.

"Sam come on we already missed Looney Toons," she said. "I'm gonna watch without you."

That woke him up. "You wouldn't dare."

"I would."

He lifted his head from the bed and rubbed at his tired eyes before glaring at her. "You're lucky I love you."

She nodded before leaning over to kiss his forehead. "Am I? Or is it you who is lucky?" she smirked, shooting finger guns at him before making her way out of their bedroom. "You have 5 minutes!"

Sam let out another loud groan before stretching and coming face to face with the stuffed animal Mercedes had insisted on sharing their bed. "I'm gonna marry that woman one day aren't I?" he said, not getting a response from the stuffed animal. "Thanks for the chat Mr. Snuffles."

"Sam!" she called once more. This time he could hear the TV being turned on.

"Coming. I'm coming," he moaned, getting out of bed.

He asked himself again, as he slugged his way to the living room, if he'd trade his life, right now with Mercedes for actually getting sleep on the weekends. He stared at her as she curled up on the couch, two bowls of cereal already made in front of her, one of which he knew had his name on it. She was happy and in turn, that made him happy even if he was exhausted and constantly sleep deprived.

"Come on," she said, patting the spot beside her with a smirk.

So would he trade this for sleep?

The answer:

Absolutely not.

A/N: Ahhhhhh! Surprise! Hahaha it's been a while since you've heard from me huh? Almost two years to be exact but who's counting. I could explain why I stopped writing this and everything but I wont because honestly, I just lost the spark to write this and I wanted to finish it. I realized I had stopped this story with one chapter left and I just couldnt sit with it. It haunted me. I got messages that haunted me lol so thanks for that haha it made me really get into writing this. I also got a new laptop while simultaneously getting my old laptop stolen. Along with the original draft of this chapter so I had to do this off of the top of my head and I have no idea if I missed some stuff that I said I'd put it but tadah! I really hope you guys liked it and I wish I had the time, and the space to thank each and every one of you for every review, every favorite, every tumblr post everything! I was BEYOND shocked at the response of this story and I get a lil' misty when I think about how successful this has been. thank you all so much and thanks for sticking around!

Until next time!