Hey guys. Here's a one-shot that sets up right after the end of tonight's episode. For anyone reading my other stories I promise that I'm working on them. I had an epic flu bug and today is the first day that I've felt well enough to write. Unfortunately I made the mistake of watching Glee tonight before writing and the cliffhanger ending just took my attention away. So I wrote this one-shot so that I could forget about this episode until glee comes back in seven freaking weeks. I'll write a chapter for my other stories tomorrow I promise. Anyone who hasn't seen tonight's ep, needs to before they read this. I hope that this helps everyone else feel some peace until the next episode, I know that writing it made me feel much better. Enjoy!
I own nothing.
Rachel glanced down at her phone once more as Finn cleared his throat in frustration.
"She just said she was on her way. She'll be here soon Finn!" Rachel muttered.
"Rach, I get that the two of you are kind of friends now but-" Finn started before Rachel cut him off.
"I can't get married without her here Finn! When you asked me to marry you I pictured a big wedding with all of our friends. I pictured an orchestra and doves," Rachel paused to breathe through her nose. "We're getting married at city hall, with no music and no doves. I need to have my friends here and Quinn has become one of my very best friends."
She looked up into his eyes only to see that his frustration was growing. He shook his head before storming out of the room to try and reason with the Justice of the Peace, because there would be no reasoning with Miss. Berry.
Rachel continued to pace a path around the room as the glee club and their parents watched her wearily. She tried to stop glancing at her phone. Rationally, she knew that harassing Quinn would not cause her to arrive any faster. She could vaguely hear Finn arguing with someone out in the hall but she decided to let him handle it. Her nervousness had given way to worry. Lima was a very small town. Quinn had left her house twenty minutes ago and it should not have taken more than eight or nine minutes to reach the city center.
"Something's wrong." She whispered.
She looked up to meet the eyes of anyone in the room who might contradict her. Santana shrugged and stepped forward.
"Maybe she's trying to stall the wedding because she still doesn't think it's a good idea?" Santana said without any conviction; the worry in her eyes erasing any relief Rachel might have felt at her half-hearted attempt.
"Something's wrong." She repeated with more volume.
No one seemed to know what to say to the distraught bride. Her pacing had become more restless when Finn finally returned. He walked over to her and grabbed her arm before dragging her to the corner of the room.
"Rachel we have five minutes to be in front of the Justice of the Peace. He said that if we're having doubts than he's not interested in marrying us at all. We have five minutes." He whispered in a tone that did nothing to hide his anger.
"Something is wrong." She whispered in response.
"Rachel, she obviously changed her mind. Did you really expect her to support us? I dumped her for you twice. She lost me and she's just trying to mess things up for us." He said slowly as if she was easily confused.
Rachel ripped her arm from his grasp and stepped back in surprise. She closed her eyes and shook her head as she tried to find reason and kindness in Finn's words. She was supposed to be marrying the man in front of her in a few minutes and she was repulsed by him at the moment. She opened her eyes and surveyed him looking for anything to counteract his words. Maybe she could blame his harshness and disregard for Quinn on nerves.
"It's now or never." He said quietly.
Rachel took another step back at the finality in his tone.
"What does that mean? You mean it's now or not today?" She asked in a desperate attempt to stay calm. Glancing around the room she realised that not a single word of their exchange had gone unheard. Shaking her head again, she turned back to face him.
"You're the one who wanted to get married today!" He yelled in frustration.
Rachel winced at his tone and ignored the mutters of her friends. She stepped closer to him and reached for his hand. Twining their fingers together she looked into his eyes and begged him to understand.
"I want to get married today. I just want my best friend to be here. Why is that so much to ask?" She asked softly.
"It's too much to ask because Quinn is my ex-girlfriend and there's way too much crap there for me to be comfortable. She's the first girl I ever loved and I don't want to see her face when I'm promising to love you forever. She's a distraction that I don't need on our wedding day. She's probably sitting at home laughing about all of this. Now let's just get this over and done with." He answered loudly.
Rachel stepped back from him and pulled her hand out of his grasp again. She knew without trying that there wasn't a way to make his words more sympathetic this time. She wondered to herself when she had picked up this horrible little habit. Every time he opened his mouth she did her best to edit his words in a way that made him more desirable. When he had outed Santana, she had reasoned that he had done her a favour because she was able to live openly afterward. But that wasn't right at all. He had done it because he was mad that she had made fun of the way he looked. His intentions hadn't been noble at all. When Quinn told her that he'd asked Noah not to be her friend she'd been upset. She'd thought it over and reasoned that he was just trying to be romantic, but she was wrong again. It wasn't romantic at all. Noah was one of her best friends before Finchel part 3 or was it 4 now? Rachel took another step back as she looked up at her fiancé in horror. He thought Quinn would be hard to ignore on their wedding day. He just wanted to get the happiest day of their lives over and done with?
"Over and done with?" She asked when she finally found her voice again.
She was surprised to feel a hand on her back. Apparently she'd taken more than enough steps to be back in front of their rather large audience. She knew without looking that the hand belonged to Noah. Gathering some strength from the friends she knew were behind her she raised her chin.
"Over and done with? Are you kidding me Finn Andrew Hudson?" She shrieked and he stepped back in surprise.
"That's not what I meant." He said with a pout on his face.
"Then what did you mean? What could you have possibly meant? Because I for one thought that our wedding was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives so far. It was supposed to be the first day of our lives together. So what the fuck did you mean you wanted to get it over and done with Finn?" She continued yelling despite her Dad's sharp intake of breath when she cursed. "You have five seconds to tell me what you really meant or there will be no wedding; now or ever!"
Finn took another step back in surprise and shot a pathetic look at his mother for help.
"Don't look at your mother. You want to get married so dig yourself out of this hole. What could you possibly have meant?" Rachel barked at him.
"I love you?" He answered before working his puppy dog eyes to their fullest advantage.
Rachel heard Noah and Santana muttering variations of 'Dumbass' before succumbing to the red haze that was overtaking her vision.
"Did you just add a question mark? Did you just add a damn question mark as you tried to sucker me out of being angry with you?" Rachel was unable to hold in the shriek of rage as she stomped her foot.
She felt Noah's hand move from her back to her hand as Santana's hand did the same. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe calmly as her friends stood on either side. The three of them had discovered that they shared an exceptional amount of rage. After this discovery they had realised that they were great at calming each other down as well.
"Rachel?" Finn's voice cut through the tense room as she took another deep breath before opening her eyes. "We really need to get going. So if you're done freaking out, we're supposed to get married remember?"
Rachel stared at the look on his face. He was staring at her with hope and cluelessness. The red was back and she couldn't see anything else.
"Shit." Santana and Puck muttered as Rachel threw herself in Finn's direction. He stepped back in shock as Puck held her around the waist. She was fighting with every ounce of her energy as she clawed in Finn's direction.
"Done freaking out? Are you kidding Hudson?" Santana snapped loudly over Rachel's incoherent cursing.
The group all just stood back in surprise and watched the show. They had all witnessed her 'Need you Now' freak out and didn't want to get caught in the crossfire. Rachel's fathers seemed a little too happy about everything that was going on. Carol looked concerned for her son but she also seemed to be nodding along with some of the words spewing out of Rachel's mouth. Burt had walked out a moment before because the drama was just a bit much for his taste. Santana let Rachel scream herself out for a few more moments before taking mercy on Puck. He had scratches on his arms from Rachel's blind rage and he was tiring out quickly. She stepped into Rachel's line of vision, effectively blocking out Finn. She grabbed Rachel's face and waited for the other girl to focus in on her. After a minute or two she closed her eyes and stopped moving altogether. Puck supported her weight as she calmed herself completely this time. When she finally opened her eyes she smiled weakly at Santana in thanks. Santana nodded and stepped back to her side so that Rachel could face Finn.
"That was a little over the top don't you think? What's going to happen the next time we fight Rachel? Puck and Satan aren't going to be around to calm you down. Maybe you should see a counsellor after we get married." Finn continued thoughtfully despite everyone else shaking their heads for him to stop.
Rachel stood up straight and moved out of Noah's arms. She clasped her hands together for a moment before pulling her ring off her finger and throwing it at Finn.
"Get out." She said quietly.
Finn just stared at the ring in his hand in confusion.
"Rach, you're gonna need to put this on when we get married." He said with a goofy smile.
"Oh my Lord. Carol?" Hiram whispered to Finn's mother who just stared at her son in horror.
"We're not getting married. I don't know what I was thinking." Rachel whispered as tears began to pool in her eyes.
"But you love me!" Finn yelled desperately as he finally realised what was happening.
"I don't," Rachel tried to drown out the whispering and gasps in the background. God, why did this have to be so public? Santana's hand tightened in hers. "When you speak I edit what you say so that it doesn't sound so stupid or mean. You outed Santana because you were mad at her. You told Noah he wasn't allowed to be my friend. You spent so much time going back and forth between Quinn and I that we hated each other until just now. We could have been friends for years but we hated each other because you couldn't decide between us. You lied about being a virgin and you made Santana feel like a dirty little secret. You broke up with me for my kissing Noah, but you asked Quinn to cheat on Sam. You sat at a table with your loving girlfriend and brother and cried about not having anything special in your life. You only proposed because you were afraid of the future. I only accepted because I didn't think I was going to make it into NYADA. You're mean and you're selfish. You're incredibly hypocritical and I don't love the real you. I love the you that I thought you were in sophomore year. I love the you that I've been manufacturing in my head ever since."
The tears were rolling down her face freely as she watched Finn slowly process everything that she had said. She realised belatedly that she had just said all of those things in front of their parents. Finn's hands were balled in shaking fists.
"Yeah? Well you're not so great either!" He yelled.
"Finn Hudson." Carol warned him sternly only to be waved off angrily.
"You're selfish because you don't want to stay here with me. I don't want New York. Why do you think you're so much better than Lima?" He yelled as he pointed a finger in her direction.
"Because she is." The room around her replied in unison.
Rachel promptly burst into tears because she had been waiting for an acknowledgment from these people for years. She found herself wrapped in Noah's arms as she cried into his shoulder. She heard Finn yelling some more before storming out of the room. Carol muttered a quick apology as she followed after her son.
"Well that was dramatic. But considering how overdue that particular breakup was, I'd say it was perfectly acceptable." Kurt said with a fake yawn to break the tension.
Rachel's phone vibrated in her hand. She quickly wiped away her tears as she looked at the display. Seeing Quinn's name she quickly answered her phone.
"Quinn where are you?" She asked with concern.
"I'm sorry, this is Officer Grant. Who am I speaking with?" An unfamiliar male voice answered.
"Rachel Berry. Why do you have Quinn's phone?" Rachel asked quietly as she realised that she was talking to an officer of the law.
"I'm sorry Miss. Berry. I'm calling you because Miss. Fabray was texting you when her car was struck by a speeding truck. Do you happen to know how I could reach her family?" He asked politely.
"I am her family. What's going on? Wait, you said her car was struck by a truck. And that it was speeding. Oh my God." Rachel's legs gave out as she repeated his words back to him. Sam caught her before she hit the floor. Taking the phone from her hand he pressed the speaker button.
"-phone and must not have seen the truck speeding through the stop sign. Her car flipped on impact before landing upside down in a field. She has been taken to Lima General Hospital to treat her injuries. Now-"
"She's alive? Please say that she's alive!" Sam yelled into the speaker.
"Yes, there was a lot of blood but she was alive when the paramedics left with her." Officer Grant answered kindly.
"I'll notify her Mother." Leroy chimed in from across the room. "Thank you Officer Grant."
Rachel ended the call and buried her face in her hands. Guilt ripping at her as she realised that Quinn was hurt because of her. She was on the way to support a wedding that she didn't believe in. She had been reading Rachel's constant texts while driving. She was rushing to a wedding that wasn't even happening.
"It's not your fault." Noah whispered in her ear before he pulled her to her feet and placed her in front of her fathers. The two men did their best to comfort their daughter. They were so relieved that she had ended things with the Hudson boy. Quinn on the other hand had become something of a sister to Rachel over the last few months. She had been over more than most of her friends and she had become very important to the Berry family.
"Come on B," Noah said as he tugged on her wrist. "No point in hanging out here. Let's go see Q."
Rachel nodded and looked up at her fathers.
"We'll clean up everything here Sweetheart." Hiram said before kissing her forehead.
"I'll call Quinn's mother." Leroy added before they left the room.
The teens quickly organized themselves into vehicles and drove up to the hospital. Despite wanting to hurry all were mindful of the speed limit and the driving laws. When they arrive they parked and hurried into the Emergency room. Puck looked for his mom who was a nurse there and begged her to find out how Quinn was. The group waited anxiously in the waiting room with Quinn's mother for three hours. Hannah Puckerman finally walked into the room and smiled at Mrs. Fabray.
"Judy, she's alright," She paused as everyone let out a sigh of relief. "She has a rather serious concussion and she's incredibly bruised but she was very lucky. She'll be kept in for a few days for observation because of the concussion but she'll make a full recovery."
"So she'll be able to cheerlead?" Sue Sylvester asked quietly from the back corner. "She really wanted to be on the Cheerios again."
"It depends on what the doctor says. But there are no serious injuries. If you'd like to see her Judy, she's awake." She answered.
The group all sat back in their seats and relaxed. She was going to be okay. Rachel held Noah's hand and rested her head on Santana's shoulder. They had been sitting this way for an hour or so when Judy came back with a smile on her face.
"She really is okay. She's banged up but she's in a good mood. Rachel she was asking for you." Judy said before taking a seat next to Sue and asking her about the Cheerios.
Rachel let go of her friend's hands and walked down towards Quinn's room. She had been trying to figure out how to apologize for hours despite everyone telling her that it wasn't her fault. She stepped inside the room and felt the tears well in her eyes once more. Quinn's beautiful features were bruised and cut. She walked up to the bed timidly as Quinn's eyes opened to meet hers. She smiled and Rachel felt the guilt in her stomach ease a little bit.
"I'm so sorry." They both said before smiling at each other in confusion.
"Why are you sorry?" Quinn asked with a puzzled smile.
Rachel rolled her eyes because the accident must have bumped her friend's head harder than she'd been told.
"I was texting you and harassing you and you were reading the messages. If I had been more patient you wouldn't have been hurt. You were on your way to my stupid wedding in the first place." Rachel said with a frown.
Quinn stared at her in amusement for a moment before snorting in laughter.
"That's ridiculous. Only you could make my car accident about you Rachel Berry!" She laughed again when Rachel huffed in irritation. "I invited myself back to the wedding. I was too stubborn to go until the last minute so I had to drive home to get my dress. I chose to read the texts while driving. I chose to text you back while driving. I wasn't watching as I drove past a two way stop. And you certainly weren't responsible for the guy who sped through the stop sign were you?"
Rachel shrugged her shoulders lightly before looking back up at her very amused friend.
"I guess not."
"It was an accident. And no one was seriously hurt." Quinn said as she patted her friend's hand.
"Why were you so sorry?" Rachel asked.
"Well I know that this all probably messed up the scheduling a bit. Did I miss the ceremony?" Quinn asked as she bit her bottom lip.
Rachel snorted in laughter this time as she looked down at her stupid wedding dress. She'd completely forgotten that all of them were still dressed for a wedding.
"We didn't get married."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Have you rescheduled yet?" Quinn asked guiltily.
"We won't be getting married. I refused to get married until you got there and he acted like a jerk. It turned into a huge fight and before I knew it I had thrown my ring at him and told him that I don't love him." Rachel answered with a scowl.
"Did you give him the whole I don't love the real you speech?" Quinn asked excitedly.
"What? How could you possibly know that?" Rachel asked in wonder.
"Puck and I were talking this morning and he said that you don't love Finn. You love the Finn that everyone sees but doesn't actually exist. He said he'd always hoped you'd figure it out. Then ten minutes later you announced your renewed wedding time." Quinn answered with a smile.
Rachel sat back and pondered her friend's words.
"Did you agree with him?" She asked quietly.
"I think everyone would agree with him if they thought about it. Puck notices things about people that others don't."
Rachel smiled faintly as she realised it was true. Turning towards her friend she studied her injuries once again.
"I'm so happy that you're alright. I was so worried when I realised how late you were. You're my best friend Quinn." Rachel said as she held Quinn's hand.
"I don't know how great I am. I was planning on standing up and arguing when the Justice of The Peace asked for objections. I know for a fact that one or both of your dads planned on faking medical emergencies. It's pretty funny that by the time I had a real and totally unplanned emergency you had already objected yourself." Quinn mused. "You're my best friend too Rach. I really wish it hadn't taken us so long to get here."
Rachel just sat in silence with her friend and enjoyed the moment. The silence was interrupted two minutes later when Santana and Noah barged in. Santana sat on the bed next to Quinn and Noah pulled Rachel to her feet before dropping into the seat with her on his lap. The four friends settled in comfortably as they shared their relief that everything was okay.
"Q! I've been dying to tell you all about the Drama today. Seriously if you had died before I gots the chance to tell you all about the 'Breakup of the Year' I would have totally kicked your ass." Santana said with a grin.
Quinn settled back against her pillows and laughed as Santana recalled the events of the day. It was hard to believe that they had won Regionals only hours before and that she was a Cheerio again. Add the breakup and the accident and it had been a hell of a day.
There it is. I wrote it simply because I needed a better ending than what tonight's episode gave me. Let me know what you think of the one-shot.