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Feb 25, 2013

Zeroing Out || Laurcedes Chatzy

TAGGING: Mercedes Jones and Lauren Zizes LOCATION: Lauren’s house TIME: Saturday night, February 23rd GENERAL NOTES: Lauren has Mercedes over for some Wifey & Baby Mama girl time.

Mercedes cursed under her breath as she hit her butt as hard as she could against the car door to shut it, bogged down with bags and the baby carrier. 'At least he's finally stopped crying', she thought, sending a silent prayer to whatever deity willed that into being. It was weird that she was starting to become attached to the little guy so now, when he cried, it just made her feel like an absolute failure that she couldn't get him to stop. Between this, the Glee assignment, her bonding last night, classes, keeping her participation in Glee from her parents, and trying to figure out matters of the heart, she knew she was in for a very, very long week. Finally reaching the door, she stared at it silently, realizing she had no means to knock. She stared at the doorbell long and hard as if The Force might suddenly come to her, but in the end she swallowed her pride and quickly butted her head against it, pulling away before anyone could see.

'I am never having a child', Lauren said to herself as she put the doll into the carrier to be fed. At least she'd figured out how to feed it without having to hold it. It was the only bright side to the whole thing. The timer for the pizza went off and Lauren pulled it out just in time to hear the doorbell. After putting the pot holders on the counter, she walked to the door and saw Mercedes with her hands full. "Let me help you", she said with a laugh as she took the bags in her hand.

"Oh my God, thank you!" Mercedes cooed in relief as she felt herself freed from all the extra baggage. "I dunno how I'm gonna do that all week, I swear. It's only been one day and I'm pretty sure I'm never even gonna think about-" she caught herself before looking around for signs of her friend’s parents or younger sibling. "Um, about doing anything that could lead to this...like, for real."

"There will be no babies popping out of me anytime soon that is for damn sure", Lauren replied as she moved to let Mercedes in.

Following Lauren inside, Mercedes shut the door behind her using her foot, setting down the carrier at last. "He cries. He cries so much, Lauren," she declared, staring blankly at her friend as she knew there was nothing to be done to remedy the matter. "How's single motherhood going?"

Looking at her friend, Lauren could tell the crying was getting to her. "Not too bad, the thing cries, I rig something to hold the bottle so it’s good. Not looking forward to having it all to myself all week though."

Mercedes flinched at the memory of earlier today and 'the hour from Hell,' as she'd dubbed it. "I might need you to show me how to do something like that," she requested, groaning as she finally sat down.

"Not hard to do really", Lauren said.

"Oh, wow," Mercedes blurted, smelling something amazing, "is that the pizzas? You make those yourself?"

"Umm, yeah. I made them. Pretty simple to do really." Lauren walked over to the counter where the pizza was. "You hungry?", she called out.

"Starving," Mercedes proclaimed. "I kept meaning to eat at some point today but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Thanks." As she made her way over to join Lauren, she found herself finally starting to relax a bit, even getting excited for the evening ahead. "So, what is on the agenda tonight, baby mama?"

"Figured we'd just relax and watch a movie. Think we could both use a night without much to do." Lauren cut up the pizza and grabbed some plates before getting drinks out of the fridge. "Let’s head into the living room."

Mercedes nodded her head in agreement. "A chill night sounds good. Been a lot going on lately, I could stand a little downtime." Grabbing the baby carrier and kicking off her shoes by the door, she followed Lauren into the living room. "I can't believe you cooked for me, I feel so special!"

"You're my wifey, of course I cooked for you." Lauren placed the food on the table and sat down. Grabbing the remote she turned on the TV and browsed through Netflix. "What kind of movie are you in the mood for?"

Mercedes shrugged as she grabbed a piece of pizza. "I dunno. Something...fun? Nothing that's gonna make me cry or vomit or scream in terror," she listed with a laugh. "I could do something I haven't seen before. Been watching a lot of old faves lately, I should probably open my horizons beyond movie nights with Sam."

"That really limits our movie choices. All the good ones are full of blood and gore." Lauren settled on a movie she'd seen before but was pretty sure Mercedes hadn't.

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Not all the good ones," she argued, taking a bite of pizza and moaning. "Oh my God, this is so good," she muffled through her mouthful of food.

"Yeah?" Lauren asked. "I can teach you how to make it if you want." She pressed play before taking a bite of her pizza.

Mercedes scoffed. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for all that. I just figured out how to bake cookies and your birthday cupcakes without dire consequences. One day though," she vowed before settling in on the couch, putting Little Guy and his carrier at her feet. "So what is it we're watching?"

"You'll figure out how to cook or live on microwave food when you're in college." Lauren kicked off her shoes and got more comfortable. "We're watching ‘Timer’. It's an indie film that came out a few years ago."

"Yeah, I guess," Mercedes agreed. "That, or starve, or live off McDonald's...if they even have those in L.A." Listening to Lauren's short explanation, Mercedes raised a brow. "Sounds...sci-fi."

"Not really, no. Kind of about love and if you fall naturally for someone or if it can be boiled down to a science." Lauren explained.

Mercedes choked on her pizza at Lauren's words. Coughing, she sputtered in a weak voice, "that sounds great."

"You alright there?" Lauren asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah," Mercedes replied weakly, eyes tearing up from her coughing fit. "It's just uh...an interesting question." Taking another moment to regain her breath, she went back to eating her pizza as the movie began.

"It's just a movie, Cedes,” Lauren comforted. “Nothing more, nothing less."

"Of course, yeah," Mercedes agreed, refusing to let her mind wander on the subject. After a few minutes, she found it pretty intriguing. "So question: why is hers blank? Because she's already met her soul mate or because he doesn't have the timer chip thingy or what?" Mercedes queried.

"He doesn't have a timer", Lauren replied. "Most people have them but some don't believe in a little device telling them who to fall in love with and make a life with." She took another bite and swallowed. "If they were real I don't think I'd have one."

Mercedes ' jaw dropped a bit. "You wouldn't? Seriously? But it'd make everything so much easier!"

"Nope, I don't want love to work that way,” Lauren explained. “Just seems so forced."

"It's not making up love though, right? Just kinda confirming it when it happens...that it has happened, so you know for sure? What's so wrong with that? Some verification could be helpful for some folks," Mercedes suggested, trying to keep her tone carefree.

"If you're lucky to find love you know that it's right, you can feel it. A device attached to your wrist counting down to d day is just that: a device. There are no feelings in the metal or cold plastic”, Lauren replied. "And what if that person whose timer goes off at the same time as yours isn’t really the one? They answer some questions on a survey and that's supposed to tell you who's the one. I just don't buy it."

"Okay," Mercedes began, "but people seem to think that all the time: that they're in love or they've found 'the one' only to later find out that there was something or someone better out there that was more 'right' than what they'd been feeling. It would keep you from thinking you were feeling something you weren't, right? I think..." she chewed her bottom lip as she pondered. "Hmm. Yeah, I think I'd want something that I could hide away somewhere and forget about but have if I ever felt...just completely unsure. Not something on my wrist constantly reminding me that I won't know my soul mate until the timer said. But I like the 'guarantee' part of it." She didn't add the part where something like that would have helped her since Valentine's Day, rather than having figured it out on her own.

"Love isn't a guarantee, that's the beauty of it," Lauren replied simply.

Mercedes furrowed her brow in confusion. "Knowing whether or not you're in love isn't guaranteed?"

"Oh, you know when you're in love. Usually it terrifies you,” Lauren stated. “Just meant that being in love and having it last isn't a guarantee. And really it seems forced to have a little thing telling you who you should love."

"Terrifying how exactly?" Mercedes asked tentatively, wondering if she was about to have her own thoughts reflected back to her. Just then, Lauren's words registered in her brain. "Hang on - you've been in love before? With who?" she asked excitedly, scooting closer to her friend to hear the details.

"Letting someone get that close is scary. It can be great but you're opening yourself up to get hurt", Lauren said before clearing her throat. "Umm yeah, it didn't work out though."

Mercedes bit her tongue at Lauren's words, letting them fall over her and just ask quickly realizing it wasn't a mental space she wanted to get into. "Oh," was all she could think to say as it seemed Lauren got a little uncomfortable. "So...not Puck?" As soon as she'd said it, she felt completely out of line. "I'm sorry, that's not any of my business."

"No, not Puck", Lauren said quietly. "I care about Puck, I really do, but there was someone before him and things didn't end well, at all." Lauren bit her lip and swallowed hard. "Guess that's what happens though when love is one-sided and the other person isn't with you for the right reasons."

Mercedes had no idea what to say in response to her friend's statement. She didn't want to pry and she knew her ability to comfort was limited and minimal. In the end, she did her best to be respectful, turning back to focus on the movie but reaching for Lauren's hand and giving it a quick squeeze. Her words, however, struck a chord: she'd been so busy trying to figure out what was going on with her that she hadn't thought ahead at all. Would it be one-sided? Did she want it to be? Would Sam knowing ruin their friendship? Pushing the thoughts away, she focused even harder on what was happening on the screen, losing herself in it.

Lauren smiled softly and let out a small sigh when Mercedes didn't push the issue. Puck was the only one that knew what had happened and it was not something that she was exactly comfortable talking about. As the movie went on they were both quiet. Lauren did, however, speak up. "I really wanted Mikey and Una to be together in the end. Lame I know but I liked them together and what he brought out in her."

Mercedes nodded. "I kinda see what you mean - they were really cute together. But then...I mean, he lied to her. How do you bounce back from that?" she put out there. "And you could just see it slowly falling apart...and that moment, with Dan, just before their timers went off when they saw each other...I hate to say that that won me over," Mercedes admitted with a soft laugh.

Lauren laughed and shook her head in agreement. "They did have that movie moment where they connected didn't they?"

Mercedes smiled at Lauren's response, feeling like some silly girl. "Yeah, they totally did. Then he got completely adorable. I didn't think he was nearly as charming for the whole movie as he was in those last few scenes. He was holding out. Besides, I mean, Mikey lied to her. How do you bounce back from that?" she put out there.

"Think about the reason that he lied though. He doesn't believe in having a timer and I got to say in that respect I cannot fault him", Lauren said. "Mikey didn't lie about who he was, what he did, or anything like that. He lied about having something that tells you who to love."

Mercedes felt absolutely confused. "Wait, wait, wait - you think...I mean, yeah, I get why he lied but there's no reason he couldn't have just not worn a fake timer in the first place, right? No reason he couldn't have come clean to her one of any day during that two months they were dating. He didn't have to deliberately deceive her, y'know? I mean, her thinking they only had 4 months before he'd have to go be with his soul mate forever definitely effected their relationship. If that were me, I don't think I'd ever be able to stop thinking about all the times he lied right to my face; how stupid he must think I was for falling for it; how much it hurt that he didn't trust me enough to be honest," Mercedes admitted, finishing her diatribe.

"Whoa calm down there, Sparky", Lauren said once Mercedes took a breath. "Do you think they would have gotten together if he didn't have a timer? My guess is no. They would have missed out on everything they were together and really she became a better person because of him."

"All I'm saying is this: he didn't have to lie. Never any reason for that. Do you disagree?" Mercedes asked in a mock serious tone before quickly adding, "and think very carefully about how you answer, baby mama. Our entire relationship may hang in the balance. Dun dun dunnnn!"

"In terms of real life, if this was happening to one of us, no, he shouldn't have lied. But – and this is a big ‘but’," Lauren stated, "Una was emotionally fucked up and without that relationship, everything it was, good and bad do you think she would have been ready to meet her supposed one?"

Mercedes had to admit she had a point. "Touché," she conceded. “So since when have you been so insightful into people's psyche and relationships? I was desperate for someone to go for all that stuff with Shane and you were right under my nose the whole time," Mercedes joked before getting up to grab another piece of now cold pizza.

"Not really, just always say what's on my mind", Lauren said, not wanting to actually say how much she'd thought about love. "I didn't know all that stuff was going on with you and Shane and I should have. I'm sorry I didn't notice."

Mercedes shrugged it off. "It's fine. Not your fault. And I figured it out eventually, right?" she offered, taking a seat next to her friend. "I think I just need to learn how to trust myself a little better maybe. Since that timer thing's not real and all," she finished with a smirk.

"I think that you did trust yourself though,” Lauren offered. “Let’s be real you knew that Shane and you weren't going to end up in together in the end, right?"

"Eh," Mercedes replied. "If I trusted myself, I would've listened to that feeling in my gut that was just never really excited at the prospect of him and I, only ever nervous and unsure. I mistook that for...something more. Even in the end, I think I knew since New Year's that we weren't right but I thought I could fix it. Or that I was supposed to, I dunno. It was weird." She looked to Lauren before going on. "I mean, I'd pick the timer, Lauren. I'd want something to tell me if I was right or not in how I felt. I'm not like you, where you know how you feel about Puck and you went for it. That's so brave and I'm just...a coward about this stuff."

"We fought it for a long time though, Cedes. Everyone knew that we should be together but us,” Lauren explained. “The fear of messing up and everything turning to shit is there, it’s there for both of us", Lauren said. "But when you know that you want to at least give it a shot, you go for it. Cause I don't know about you I don't want to wonder 20 years down the road what would have happened if I'd just given it a shot."

Mercedes muttered, "yeah, I guess you make a good point." She sighed. "OR, maybe 20 years from now you'd still have your best friend and be grateful that you didn't mess with that?" she suggested, not sure if she was arguing with Lauren or herself now that the idea of acting on her feelings had been brought into play. "How are things with Puck?"

"Really good", Lauren said, blushing slightly. "I don't even know how to explain it."

Mercedes couldn't help but to smile at her friend's expression. "Yeah? You wanna try to? I'm single now, gotta live vicariously through you."

"Things are just different now that we're together", Lauren said. "Puck... Puck can be really sweet and caring. Like he opens my door, pulls out my chair, all that stuff. I don't get tired of talking to him or being around him and he's been amazing when it comes to me possibly not being able to go to Disney."

Mercedes felt her heart warm at her friend's words. "Awww," she cooed, putting a hand to her heart. "That's so sweet! He really cares about you--hold on! You might not be going to Disney either?!"

"Yeah he does and I care about him", Lauren said before letting out a sigh. "Schue basically said if I don't do the bonding thing with Santana I can't go."

Mercedes eyes widened in shock. "You're kidding. This a joke, right?"

Lauren wished she was kidding but sadly she wasn't.

When her friend gave no sign that she wasn't being serious, Mercedes guffawed, "the hell is wrong with him?! You've been putting together all the fundraising so we can actually go, and it's not your fault that Santana's saying no..." She sputtered, finding herself at a loss for words at the situation. "No. Uh uh. No way. You're going. If you don’t, I'm not either. And I'm sure I'm not alone. We'll put our foot down. Besides, we're bonding right now, can't you use that?" Just then, an idea came to her. "Okay, get-to-know-you game, let's do it. Favorite color?"

"Thanks, Puck said the same thing about not going if I can't." Lauren laughed quietly. "Kind of funny actually because we have to have 10 people to participate and if Santana and I are not there, it only makes 9 so Schue is ruining it for everyone without knowing it." That little fact was something that Lauren had kept to herself. "My favorite color is purple but I don't think it works that way since you and I are pretty good friends already."

"MY favorite color is purple! See, bonding." Smiling at her friend, Mercedes shook her head in disbelief. "Unreal. So he doesn't even realize that you have to go or none of us can? What is going on with him? Seriously, are the Acafellas back on?"

"Nope. Pretty clear he hasn't even bothered to read the rules,” Lauren replied. “I have no idea if they're back on or not but his head is not in it which explains why we're having to figure out how to raise the money in the first place."

"Did you need help with stuff?” Mercedes offered. “I mean, I'll do what I can. We're all willing to do what we gotta to make the trip happen, so don't feel like you've gotta do it all on your own, k?"

Lauren smiled. "Yeah help would be good cause I'm pretty overwhelmed at this point."

"Aw, baby mama. You don't have to do this on your own. You're in Glee now, we're all a family. We got you," Mercedes said with a wink.

"Thanks", Lauren replied.

"So...I noticed Quinn hasn't really been helping you with...Meg?" Mercedes asked.

"Oh no she's above the project,” Lauren answered. “Figured that she wouldn't want to do it when we got paired together though."

"Yeah, I guess," Mercedes replied before worrying her bottom lip. "She's been through a lot. I'm...ugh, it's stupid but I'm worried. She won't listen to anyone and she's just awful and mean anytime I talk to her but...I wish she would at least talk to someone."

"Yeah she has but you can't really force someone to open up when they don't want to or aren't ready." Lauren commented.

As if on cue, Little Guy started fussing before heading into a full-blown cry. "I'm sorry she's not helping you out at all,” Mercedes said as she made her way to the baby.

Lauren rested her head against the back of the couch when Little Guy started crying. "It’s okay, I'll live. How are you handing it?"

Mercedes quickly set to work on getting the baby to stop crying as she took in Lauren's question. "I'm doing alright. I mean, I've only really had him since this morning but....he loves to cry," she said with mock enthusiasm, rocking the baby from where she sat.

Lauren gave her a look. "You know you can just use a pillow to prop up the bottle to fed it right?"

"Wait...what?” Mercedes asked. “You can?"

"Umm, yeah. That way you don't have to hold the bottle and can do what you want." Lauren explained.

"I'm listening. What else ya got?" Mercedes asked, listening eagerly as she fed Little Guy and Lauren shared more tips.

Lauren went over the little tricks that she'd figured out and they watched the rest of the movie once the baby stopped crying. Once the movie was done, Lauren shut off the TV. "I should probably be getting to bed soon, got a lot of stuff to do in the morning."

"Yeah, I should probably head home before he wakes up. Who knows how long he'll be going and I don't wanna be stuck on the road when that happens," Mercedes agreed as she packed up Little Guy and gathered her things. Making her way to the door, she offered Lauren a quick hug. "Thanks for this. It was a lot of fun. We should do it more often."

Lauren smiled at Mercedes as she opened the front door. "It really was and you're right, we should. Have a good night – and I hope he doesn't wake you up too many times."

"You and me both!" Mercedes agreed with one last look back as she headed out the door. "Hey, thanks again," she offered, making her way to the car and heading home for her first night handling Little Guy.

#Zeroing Out #Laurcedes

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