Life's Not Over; It's Just a New Direction

AU Glee. Set during Laryngitis. Rachel Berry is at her wits end with the Glee Club, they were ruining her plans for Broadway glory, until she meets a new girl, Quinn, who's life has been turned upside down in a cheerleading accident that left her a quadriplegic. Rachel is astonished at Quinn's attitude, vowing to befriend her; in the process Rachel learns what really matters in life. Faberry friendship for now. Possibly more later.

This story is very important to me. It's taken me a lot of courage to write it and I appreciate any reviews I receive. Please let me know what you think.


Prologue

It was only a week since somebody made the Glist, and the Glee members were still in a mood about it, especially Finn and Jesse. Rachel knew who it was even though Mr. Schue steadfastly refused to tell anyone. She was positive it was Sarah and her baby hormones. Things had been awkward with all the baby-gate drama. The Club needed to pull it together or they could kiss regionals goodbye. To top it all off, she woke up that morning with a sore and scratchy throat. Rachel Berry did not have sore and scratchy throat ever.

"Rachel?" Mr. Schue drew her attention back to the present.

Out came several bottles of vitamins.

Will frowned, "Um, w-what are these?"

"My vitamin supplements. I'm taking them three times a day."

Will sighed, these were one a day tablets not to be taken as much as the high-strung leader of his Glee club was taking.

"I'm exhausted. I even felt a tickle in the back of my throat and I never get sick." Her voice cracked a little. This was serious, catastrophic even.

"I don't understand why you're so tired all of a sudden."

"Because every song I sing in here is a solo." In elementary school, okay even middle school, Rachel Berry was known as the class snitch. That hadn't changed. Wouldn't change, if it meant the rest of her gleeks pulling their own weight.

"What? You bugged the choir room?" Will asked. He was a little perturbed by Rachel's actions and suspicions.

Rachel shrugged, drastic times called for drastic measure. "Here," she produced a paper with a flourish. "This is the list of members who are not pulling their weight."

"This is half the club." Gone were any thoughts of reprimanding Rachel. Will was astonished and disappointed in his group that he poured so much time and effort into.

-GLEE-

Sam Fabray-Evans strolled through the parking lot; he didn't really want to be there. There was too much going on in his personal life at the moment to focus on school. That was his sister's thing. Well, before it was, now… Sam sighed. He had to focus there was too much on his parent's plates for him to screw up. He'd only been here at McKinley, his new school, for a few days and already joined the football team. There was something about bashing some meatheads face in on the field that steamed his anger. He couldn't let his frustrations show at home. His little brother and sister were already upset about everything going on as is.

"Dude." Puck jumped out of the dumpster, spotting the new kid instantly.

Sam stopped, "Did you just?" He pointed at the dumpster dumbfounded. This school was just weird. The cheerleaders walked around like they owned the place throwing iced beverages at anyone in their way. There were jocks everywhere beating up on anyone who wasn't a jock or a Cheerio. He didn't want his sister, when she was ready, to come to this school. There was too much bullying and she would be targeted, he was sure of that. But that was neither here nor their. They wouldn't have to worry about that for a while now.

"I've lost my mojo." Puck rubbed his shaved head. Stupid freckle. He needed to regain cool points. The new kid was dorky, and told jokes no one understood, but man did he know how to play some football. He also, Puck found out in the locker room, could sing.

"Where'd the dead squirrel that lives on your head go?" He asked.

"Mom, found a mole and they maimed me." He was whining again.

"Okay." Sam brushed him off and started walking away. The dude was whining about his hair. There was so much more to whine over than hair follicles.

"Whoa, wait up." Puck jogged up to him. "Look, I heard you singing in the locker room."

Sam stopped. That was his relaxation method. No one was supposed to hear that.

"It was good, and, listen, I'm in this group. It's a Glee Club. We sing, like, show tunes and shit. I could gain so many cool points if you join. You have to join."

"Show tunes?" He wasn't expecting that from the bad boy jock.

"Yeah, Broadway."

"I know what show tunes are, Puck."

"It's not just that, Mr. Schue is into the old school stuff, Journey. We do cool stuff."

"I don't really have time. I have football and…" Sam breathed in deeply, vowing not to lose it. "Other things going on."

"What? You're new here and shit. What other things could possible be going on yet? Didn't you just arrive last week or something."?

"I just have things, drop it."

"We don't even meet afterschool much. It won't get in the way. Just try us out." Puck didn't know why he was pushing this. He'd been on everyone's shit list since he knocked up Sarah and maybe he thought this would help smooth things over.

They were standing outside the choir room now. Rachel looked smug, like usual, and Mr. Schue looked angry. Rachel wasn't anything new, but Mr. Schue was. He had to get Sam in the classroom. So he simply pulled him in by his arm. Puck knew how to get things done.

"I bring you fresh meat. New talent and all that."

"Um, hi." Sam stared at him. This was not what he wanted to be doing with his free period. He wanted to sneak off to the hospital, but his mother would be there.

"Okay. Everyone take a seat. You too, Sam." Will motioned towards an empty seat next to Rachel.

"Whoa, wait a minute." Santana spoke up. "The dork has to try out like everyone else."

"No, he doesn't." Will looked over his group. The afternoon had not cooled his frustrations over the situation.

"That's not fair!"

"Sam doesn't have to audition because I am really disappointed in you guys."

"What we do now?" Santana moaned.

"It's come to my attention that more than half of you have been mouthing words during our practices."

"You can't prove that." Santana piped up again.

"I am very disappointed in you guys." Will just raised his eyebrows, silently challenging anyone to disagree.

Finn leaned over Sam. "You narked on us!"

Sam didn't like the look on the quarterback's face and leaned forward a little, forcing the tall boy back.

Rachel looked around him. "Don't get mad at me for exposing your laziness." She turned towards the back row. "I'm tired of carrying all of your weight. Regionals are in a month guys."

"I'm just trying to understand what's going on here. Finn, why did you stop singing?"

"Because you gave all the male leads to Jesse. It shook my confidence you know." Finn glanced at Rachel and then the floor. Sam frowned.

"What's the point? Everybody knows my job here is to look hot." The Latina spoke up.

"My baby hormones are making me moody." Sam turned to the pregnant girl, Sasha or Sarah or something like that, but before he could reply that she shouldn't have gotten pregnant in high school, a comment his mother would have agreed with but frowned upon him saying out loud, the other blonde, the tall one in the room spoke up.

"There are sooo many lyrics."

Now, that Sam could agree with. That was legitimate concern.

Rachel crossed her arms. She looked pissed. What had he walked into? Sam wondered. There were a lot more important things in his life than dealing with this.

"Uh," He stood up. "Maybe, this Glee thing isn't for me. Isn't the point of it to sing together… as a team?" He started towards the door; he was going to take his chances visiting the hospital and his sister.

"No, wait. Sam." Mr. Schue stopped him. "Sam is exactly right. "A team is only as good as it's weakest link. From now on we are a team. If I catch any of you," He pointed at each of them individually, "lip sinking again. You're out of here."

Sam went back to his spot next to the enthusiastic one, Rachel. She beamed at him and he tried not to grimace at her.

A collective moan went through the group. "A Glee club is about a myriad of voices coming together as one, alright. This ends now. Which is why your assignment for the week is for each of you to come up with a song that best represents how you see yourself. Where you are in your life, right now." Will gave Sam a reassuring look. He knew about the family and what brought them to Lima, Ohio. The blonde boy looked down, picking at his jeans, his jaw set tightly. "Your voice. Then, you're going to stand up here and sing your hearts out, all of you."

"Mr. Schue?" Rachel raised her hand, waving it up and down. "I'm prepared to go right now."

Sam frowned, he had no clue what he was going to sing, but the only way he could get out of singing was to quit the club. It would go against everything the curly haired teacher had just said.

"I have chosen Miley Cyrus', The Climb, because overcoming obstacles and beating the odds…"

Sam nodded, smiled at the short girl, that was a good song. A little girly and cliché, but his life felt a little cliché right now. It was a song for his sister, all right.

"…in my case," Rachel continued without missing a beat, "the obstacle is you my lackluster teammates who refuse to carry their own weight."

Sam exhaled loudly; a few people glanced at him concerned, including the teacher. Mr. Schue held his gaze for a moment. Rachel said it so smugly too. Did this girl know anything about overcoming obstacles? Before he could leave the room, Rachel started singing.

Sam grimaced. This was not good. This Rachel girl was supposed to be the leader of this group. She hit a particularly fowl note in a series of off notes. Everyone was looking around at each other, confused.

"Rachel," Will approached her, "I think you've lost your voice."

-GLEE-

"Hey Rachel, I know you don't really know me, but, um, I think I know something that might help with your throat. There's someone I want you to meet." They were in the parking lot a few days later. Rachel was freaking out still and Sam didn't know why, but he felt the urgent need to stop her. The doctor wanted to remove her tonsils. It wasn't the end world, despite what she thought.

"Really? Because, I don't want some doctor butchering my throat when I could just rest for a week."

"Well, tonsil surgery isn't that bad, Rachel. There are a lot worse things then needing your tonsils out, but, yeah, um, do you have a car?"

"It's not another doctor is it?" She was scarfing down cereal, in the parking lot.

"No. It's, um, my sister. Just meet her, okay?"

"I don't drive."

"Well, my truck is right here. I'll drive you."

A few minutes later he pulled his truck into the parking lot outside the hospital. Rachel looked at him, curious, "Your sister is in the hospital?"

He shrugged, "Yeah, um, it would be nice for her to meet someone here and she's great, so, please will you meet her?"

Rachel frowned, that sounded like a loaded question, but she didn't have too many friends and she used to volunteer at the hospital until the patients started complaining about her being annoying. Sam seemed pretty nice, so maybe this would be all right. She really wasn't sure what it had to do with her tonsils though.

"Yes, I will meet your sister."

"Alright." He jumped out and headed towards the fourth floor, the rehab floor.

They rode in silence that ended soon after they exited the elevator. Two spitball toddlers ran as fast as they could towards their brother, their three-year-old legs turning up the ground in the hallway. Sam knelt down to their level, scooping them in a big brotherly hug eliciting giggles from them. It was a nice sound. They didn't know what was going on and missed their big sister. To hear them like that lightened his heart.

"Where's dad?" They pointed towards the nurse's desk, though Sam could see him standing in front of the desk already. The toddlers had a tendency to run off and get lost.

"He's on the phone." Little Stacey spoke around the fist she shoved into her mouth. She was watching Rachel while leaning into him.

"You're pretty." Stevie said, shyly. The twins were too cute for their own comfort.

"Thank you."

Sam grabbed a hand each and motioned with his head towards his father. Rachel followed behind feeling a lot confused. She wasn't sure why she was there or why she was supposed to meet a toddler. Maybe his father was a doctor, but as she looked, he was dressed in jeans and a sweater. Doctors didn't normally dress so casually, did they?

"Hey, dad." Dwight turned from the counter after placing the phone down. "Hi, son. Caught the runaway rug rats, I see?"

"Yeah, um, how's it today?"

"Spent the whole day on the phone with insurance companies." He shook his head. It wasn't a discussion for his kids to be concerned with. "Your sister should be done with therapy soon."

He seemed to notice her then and Rachel plastered a smile on. She felt really confused though.

"Are you here to visit with Quinn?" He asked politely, but looked at his son a second later. They seemed to share a look with each other that spoke volumes. Volumes she couldn't hear.

"Yes, I'm Rachel Berry and it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Fabray-Evans." She stuck her hand out like her daddies taught her to do. It was the polite thing to do.

He laughed, a pleasant sounding laugh, "Its just Evans, Rachel, and you may call me Dwight. My wife, Mary, is with my daughter."

He turned to Sam. "Don't wear your sister out, please. I need to get these two to your grandmother's and get to work. You're going to pick them up after dinner, right?" He reminded his son.

"Of course." Sam blushed as his father wrapped him up in a hug. Then he picked the squealing toddlers up and strode towards the elevator and out of sight.

"Her room is this way." Once again he led Rachel down the hallway.

Sam was trying to decide if he should prepare her, he was mainly thinking of his sister, more than Rachel. Springing someone on her like this could possibly backfire. He bit his lip in thought.

Rachel looked around the room slowly. In the corner was a folded up cot, with a blanket draped over the top; next to it a small couch. There was a hospital bed and beside it stood a machine with a few tubes coming out of it. On the railing was a clamp holding a thick long black tube was bent up towards the head of the bed. Rachel looked closer and saw a clear plastic tube coming from the end.

She was curious by nature and her interest was definitely peaked. Rachel spotted a photo on the rolling table and picked it up. There in the photo stood Sam, in his football uniform, and the two little ones she met earlier, his father, but also there was a tall women and a teenage girl. The girl was gorgeous with hazel eyes and blonde hair, fairly tall, just stunning in a cheerleader uniform.

Sam gently plucked the photo from Rachel's hand. "You've met my dad, Dwight and Stacey and Stevie." He pointed at each figure. "This is my mom, Mary, and my sister Quinn."

He sucked in a deep breath, feeling the all to familiar emotions at seeing the photo, taken just weeks before everything changed for his family.

"She's my twin."

TBC

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