Disclaimer: I do not own glee or any music mentioned in the story.

Hey guys! This is just a one-shot that stems from a headcanon I had after hearing this song for the first time. I believe that queuing up the song will enhance your reading experience. It's called "Missin' You Like Crazy" by Michael Alvarado ft. Carissa Rae.

Go to Youtube and add /watch?v=vs7XB5X1U48 to the end of the home url. Flashbacks are in italics. Enjoy!

If there was anything Mercedes wasn't in the mood for, it was an awkward Rachel Berry "gathering" - especially if there wouldn't be liquor this time around. She really didn't feel up to going and putting up with the drama that always surfaced at these types of get togethers, but a promise was a promise. After she turned down a flustered Berry over the phone, Tina called and coaxed her into attending; coaxed was a gentle term, 'guilted' was more like it.

Mercedes knew she could do with a Saturday night out. It was true; she hadn't been spending too much time with her friends lately. Then again she hadn't been spending too much time outside of her room either. It had been almost a month and a half since Sam told her that his family had to move to Kentucky and a month since she'd seen him.

They sat on a picnic blanket, the delicious summer breeze kissing their skin and flowing through their hair. Everyone had gathered in the park by the lake to watch the town's Fourth of July fireworks. They were glad that Rachel and her big mouth had caught them at the Lima Bean two weeks ago, or else they wouldn't be able to enjoy the evening this way.

Sam lay with his head in Mercedes' lap, eyes closed, relishing the way her fingers gently combed through his hair, lightly massaging his scalp. She was staring out at the lake while humming a tune that was familiar, but for the life of him he couldn't place it. Turning his head to the left he placed a kiss on her tummy through the soft jersey cotton of her white sundress- he thought she looked like an angel.

Mercedes looked down at him, fondly; her lips tugged into a little half smile that exaggerated the dimple in her left cheek. She brushed Sam's hair off of his forehead before leaning down and giving it a soft kiss. He pulled her lips back down to his and kissed her deeply, her long dark curls tickling his neck.

When they broke the kiss, she noticed a troubled look in his eyes. Stroking his cheek, she shot him a quizzical glance. "What's wrong, babe?"

"Nothing, it's fine," Sam said, pursing his lips. That was one of his tells; if she didn't know something was wrong before, she definitely knew now.

"Boy, if you don't stop lying to me right this second," she warned, exasperated. She loved him, but if he had a major fault, it was keeping certain things bottled up.

"Look, we'll talk about this soon, tomorrow even. I just don't want to ruin tonight by discussing something…unpleasant." Sam grimaced.

Mercedes hated the feeling of having something looming over them; it made her anxious. "Just tell me or else I'll start making up horrible things in my head," she chuckled. "I tend to jump to the worst conclusions, it's better that you just tell me now."

"Mercy…" Sam paled and sat up, looking at her like he was about to cry.

Fuck. Why couldn't she just leave well enough alone? Now her stomach was in knots and she couldn't breathe. "What, Sammy? Did they run out of cool ranch Doritos at the supermarket?" She tried to joke, but her nerves made her voice shake.

The firework show had begun. Colors burst across the dark sky and all around them, people cheered. Sam stared at her, wordlessly, as if she was about to break. Taking her hand into his, she saw him swallow, hard. "I love you, you know that-"

"Just tell me what is going on," Mercedes snapped. She hated being short with him, but she got snippy when she was nervous; she couldn't help it.

"My dad found a job…"

"Oh, is that all? How wonderful!" Mercedes softened, squeezing his hand.

"In Kentucky. We're moving in two weeks," he admitted, miserably.

Sam kept talking, and the fireworks were bursting, and people were singing and cheering. But Mercedes couldn't hear any of those things above the deafening shatter of her heart.

They decided, after much debate, to do the long distance thing. She was wary; she didn't want to let him go, but that she was afraid the distance would cause them to drift apart. If she was honest she was more scared that he would drift away from her; she knew she could never stop feeling the way she did.

Sam loved away many of her insecurities, and helped her love herself, and she had faith that they loved each other enough to make up for the distance. What Mercedes wasn't prepared for was how that same love fed into a gnawing, aching longing.

It was tough- tougher than she ever imagined it would be. Summer had spoiled them with almost daily interaction; they took mini road trips to Columbus every weekend. One time they went to Magic Mountain where Sam had somehow tricked her into getting on the steepest waterslide in the whole park. Other weekends they visited the gardens, museums, and book loft, or just walked around listening to live music hand in hand. Weekdays after work they'd have picnics in the park or watch a movie in her basement, cuddling. It didn't really matter what they did, as long as she got to see joy light his sparkling green eyes, she was content.

To go from all of that quality time to a few texts throughout the day and a nightly phone call was hard for her. She understood that Sam had taken double shifts at work to help out his family; she couldn't fault him for that. None of this was anyone's fault, really; but that didn't make any of this "missing him" business easier in the slightest. The best part of their week is their Skype date. Sam would steal the keys to his dad's office and they'd get to spend a couple hours virtual face to face on Sunday afternoons. But lovely as the chats were, as soon as she closed the window that aching feeling returned to her chest.

The one good thing about the distance was that they came up with new ways to express themselves; they couldn't share a kiss or an embrace, so they got creative. She sent him away with an empty scrapbook when he left, and twice a week she'd mail him pages to put in it. Mercedes loved taking the time to immortalize some of their favorite moments big and small; they included printed emails, written out texts, photo collages, ticket stubs; the works. The most recent one had been about their first date in New York City. Sam went on and on about how much he enjoyed the detail: from the pressed flowers from Central Park to the scraps of their luggage tags.

Sam made a habit of texting her a haiku every morning. Some were romantic, some silly, and some were quite naughty. This morning she woke up to "One thing is certain/At times what we love the most/Appears when needed" – he was always trying to make her smile. He also sent her a song or two every Monday night that reminded him of them, their "song of the week," he said. She loved that it was always music that she'd never heard; she now had enough tracks for a small playlist. Mercedes played it as she began to get dressed for Rachel's get together, starting with the first one he gave her.

She hummed along, staring at herself in the mirror; she looked tired. It was hard to sleep after their nightly phone call, though she would never admit that to him- she didn't want to make him worry. For hours after they hung up, Mercedes would lie awake, staring at the stars on her ceiling, naming the constellations. He'd hung them for her the week after school let out. They'd laid in her bed countless times, shades drawn, lights off, just staring up in companionable silence. She may have taught many of her music classes at the community center in a haze, but she couldn't help it.

Reluctantly, she showered and put on her favorite body butter: lavender and sage, Sam's favorite. It made her heart ache in the best way when she thought of how he'd always end up sniffing her neck or shoulder when they cuddled. When she called him out on it, Sam simply held up his hands in mock surrender and declared he couldn't help it before snuggling into her neck and inhaling again until she laughed.

Settling on an airy yellow sundress and her favorite wedges with cream-colored ribbons that laced up her calves, she got dressed. She slipped on her favorite gold charm bracelet, put in a pair of small gold hoops, and applied a little make-up to brighten her tired eyes. Letting her hair out of the bun that sat atop her head, Mercedes let it fall on her shoulders in gentle, natural waves. After a quick outfit check in the mirror, she grabbed her purse and headed out to her car.

An annoyingly excited Rachel greeted her at the door of the Berry home. "Hey girl! You look fantastic," she gushed as she ushered her down to the basement. She saw the New Directions spread out over the couches and floor, chatting amicably. Mercedes couldn't help but notice the awkward pause in conversation when they noticed she arrived.

"Hey guys," she greeted them with a small smile. She sensed something akin to tension in the air.

"Hey!" The group greeted her, their voices slightly harmonizing. They looked at her for a beat longer before settling back into their conversation. At this point, Mercedes was certain that something strange was afoot. Rachel pointed her towards the snack table before heading over to Finn. After grabbing a handful of pretzels and a bottle of water, she sat down next to Tina.

"Alright, what's going on?"

Tina looked back at her friend, one eyebrow raised. "What do you mean? We're hangin' out. You look really cute by the way, love the dress."

"Mhmm." Mercedes didn't believe her, but she didn't press the matter any further. She mingled with her friends and had a good time laughing and telling stories from the past week. Puck had a run in with the husband of one of his cougar clients that had them rolling on the floor. After a little while, Rachel suggested they watch a movie. Instantly, the group fell into a suggestion war; the boys wanted action films and the girls wanted romantic comedies or musicals- it was chaos.

"Settle down, everyone!" Rachel got up, pulling down a projector screen from the wall behind the little stage. "It's my soiree, so I think that I have the final say on the film." A collective groan sounded from the group, earning them an indignant huff from the hostess. "Trust me on this one, it's a good one." She placed a DVD into the player attached to the projector and grabbed the remote, turning out the lights before settling into Finn's lap. "Everyone ready?" she asked, looking around the room.

Mumbles of agreement rose all around her. As Mercedes surveyed the room, all she saw were pairs; Tina snuggled into Mike, Santana and Brittany shared an oversized beanbag, Lauren and Puck, Kurt and Blaine – even Quinn and Artie looked amicably cozy, chatting to each other. She ignored the pang of jealousy and settled into her seat, looking up at the screen as Rachel started the movie.

The picture wobbled as someone set the camera on a surface. Mercedes groaned inwardly; it looked like they were about to watch a home video. Which one would it be this time: Rachel's first dance recital? She sat, arms folded, lips pursed, ready to endure the next hour of young Berry belting out Barbara.

That is, until a certain blonde boy sat down in front of the camera.

Her hands flew to her mouth to cover her strangled gasp as Sam sat down on a stool, his guitar in his hands, a warm smile on his face. "Hey, there you guys! And hello to you, Mercy m'dear," he drawled. "I know it's been hard for you these past few weeks. It's been just as hard for me. So I thought maybe I'd do a little something to cheer you up - with the help of my co-conspirators of course. Thanks y'all." He winked charmingly into the camera.

"Wha- what is this?" She was shaking like a leaf, tears welling up in her eyes. She felt Tina move next to her and start to rub her back in soothing circles.

"So I'm going to sing you a little song. And you have to promise to sing with me," he said, tuning his guitar. "And don't think I won't know if you aren't singing, Miz Jones," he teased, eyes twinkling, "I'll always know."

As soon as he began to strum, the tears began to stream down her face. It was the first song he'd ever sent her, a few days after he left for Kentucky; a duet. If her heart ached before, she didn't know what to call the twisted bittersweet knot that sat in her chest as she watched her boyfriend strumming and humming the intro.

"When we're not together

I think about you all the time

I keep your picture in my wallet

To remind me that you're mine

Life is not worth livin'

Unless you're right here by my side

I love you now and forever and

Until the day I die…"

Mercedes knew this is when the duet part of the song began, but she just couldn't bring herself to sing through her tears. Her beautiful, thoughtful, perfect boyfriend and his huge heart were making her sob in front of all of their friends, and she hated to so much as tear up in public. She was about to make her best effort at singing along, when suddenly he stopped playing.

"You know what…" he began, scratching his head, "this was a dumb idea, right?" He chuckled brightly, looking down at his feet. "Puck and the guys probably think I've lost my last drop of testosterone serenading my girl via DVD. I know Quinn and Santana are probably rolling their eyes." Mercedes wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't heard it with her own ears, but she was 99% sure she heard Santana stifle a sniffle.

"Besides, what kind of duet experience is this? The first time we duet in front of the glee club, we should be doing it together. You deserve better than this, Mercy." He stood up from the stool. "And someday soon, I'll give it to you." He smiled into the camera before walking off screen and shutting it off. They sat in silence, save for the sniffling girls (and Puck, though he'd never admit it). Mercedes was just about to ask how any of this came about when she heard it-

The sound of an acoustic guitar in the hallway, coming closer with each passing second.

Her heart was in her throat, tears clouding her vision when Sam came into the basement, strumming his guitar, his intense gaze trained on her, eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Sing with me, lady?" he requested, softly. She nodded, in a daze. He sat down next to her, their friends in a circle at their feet, snapping to the beat. He ran through the first verse again and they sang in a poignant harmony:

"I'm tired of being alone

Calling you on the phone

I'd rather have you here with me-

La, la, la, la la, la, la la,

Hey baby, I'm missing you like crazy

La, la, la, la la, la, la la,

Hey baby, I'm missing you like crazy…"

He continued to play, his green eyes full of such emotion that she had to actively swallow a sob before singing her verse:

"These arms they feel so empty

Without you here inside

This heart it can't do nothin'

Without your love's supply

Your lips are so delicious

The sweetest ones I've found

These lips they get no lovin'

When you're not around…"

The sweet harmony their voices made on the last line of the verse put tears in everyone's eyes as they launched into the chorus and then the final verse:

"Just me and my mornin' coffee

Thinkin' 'bout how you got me

Inside your heart

Wherever you are

Baby now don't you worry

I'll come runnin' to you in a hurry

When you reappear

I'll be waiting here…"

They finished off the song sweetly, and as the last chord he strummed faded into the air it was as if the whole room was holding its breath. Leaning over his guitar, Sam wiped a lone tear off Mercedes' face before capturing her lips in the sweetest kiss.

"How-" she uttered, dizzy from the feel of his lips.

"Either you didn't get my text message," he teased, his voice rough from emotion, "Or you should probably think about dropping that AP English class."

"Ha, ha, h-" before she could finish her sarcastic retort, his lips were once again on hers in a kiss that satisfied a month's worth of hunger.

Fluffy enough? I love angst so I couldn't make this a total fluff piece, ha.

I'd love it if you took a couple of minutes to let me know what you thought!

-Em