Yes, this is another story, but I'm keeping this one to either a one-shot or a two-shot story. I am updating with the other stories. I am writing them as you read. This idea came to me from a commercial, and I am really touched. And I hope for safety and I am thanking the soldiers out there protecting the place I call home, and protecting others. Anyways, hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I DON'T own Glee, but I wish I did.
It's been two years since Rachel saw him. Sure, she got telegrams, and letters from him, but she just wants to hold him and hug him. He did enjoy giving Rachel hugs, even if he looked very hard and rough on the outside, he was a giant softy for her. Another thing that bothered her, was that she was still stuck at McKinley, while he was off fighting for our country. She just wants him home, but then again, anyone that is involved in any way with a US Military Soldier wants this. The last time she saw him, she was a little 14 year old freshmen in high school, while he was half way through Grad School. Rachel still remembers the day he and her parents sat her down to tell her of his choice of career.
*Flashback*
"Daddy, you wanted to see me?" Rachel asks as she walks into the parlor, sitting on the arm of her Dad's reclining chair that Noah was occupying.
"Rachel, wait until your Mom gets in here, then we will talk." Her Dad, Leroy, said.
"Alright." Rachel sighs dramatically, causing Noah and Leroy to chuckle.
About 30 long seconds later, Shelby walked in, with her hair in a giant knot, wearing an apron while having dirt all over it. It was clear that she just left the vegetable garden, she was probably getting ready for dinner.
"Ok, so we are all here, so what do you guys want to talk about? Is it about the whole Mr. Ryerson thing, because I'm telling you that-"
"Rachel, slow down. This has nothing to do with you, it has to do with your brother. But what about the Mr. Ryerson thing? Please enlighten us." Shelby cut of Rachel.
"Well, you see, um. What about Noah?" Rachel lamely tries to change the topic. No one was speaking. Shelby looked like she was about to cry, Will looked solemn and Noah, well he looked scared. "He's not dying is he?" Rachel asks, close to tears over the faces that her family were showing. She also subconsciously leaned closer to Noah, as to keep him from leaving her.
"Relax Rach," feeling that his younger sister was close to having a panic attack, and he knows that if she has a panic attack, she might end up in the hospital, again, so he tries to keep her grounded. "I am not dying, I am going away for a little while." Noah says calmly, but purposely not telling her where he is going or what he is doing, as if to keep the water works down for a few minutes.
"Where are you going, and for how long?"
"I'm leaving the country, and I don't know how long." Noah tells her while pulling her into his lap.
"But, why are you leaving? You're not in trouble, are you?" Rachel asks, leaning into him more, to get more of the scent of his cologne.
"Rach, remember when I went to that meeting about a week ago?" Noah asks, pulling Rachel away from him a little, to look her in the eyes.
"Yea, you said it was a meeting with a counselor at OSU, talking to you about a scholarship." Rachel says simply.
"Yea, that was a lie. I didn't think that I could tell you the truth at that moment. Rachel, I joined the Military." Noah says slowly and he closed his eyes, and he hoped for a good reaction.
"What?" Rachel asks, getting off of the arm of the chair, tears threatening to fall, looking back and forth from Shelby, Leroy, and Noah.
"Honey, this isn't easy news for us too, you know. We can all cope together. And remember, he will always be with you." Shelby cuts in leaning down to Rachel's height, and wipes away her tears, with tears falling down her face as well.
"You don't know that!" Rachel yells, pushing off of Shelby, and running up to her room, slamming the door. Rachel soon threw herself onto her flowery bedspread, sobbing into Teddy, the teddy bear that Noah got her for her 3rd birthday.
Back downstairs, Shelby was anxiously waiting at the bottom of the steps looking at the door Rachel closed, and she slowly counted to 10. Once she hit 10 she sat on the steps, her head in her hands. In the living room, Noah still sits in the arm chair, he put his head in his hands and he started crying when he heard her slam her door shut. He keeps shaking his head, hoping that Rachel will soon understand what he needs to do. He needs to protect his country, he needs to protect his family. On the other couch, Leroy sat, just staring at Noah, with a hurt look on his wrinkled face. He really wants to comfort his kids, but he really doesn't know how to confront them. He soon shakes his head, clearing his thoughts and tears. He walks to the kitchen to make tea for the women in his house. After he boils the water for the tea, he makes coffee for him and Noah, it is clear that it is going to be a long night. He takes the cup of coffee with the little moose on it, and gives it to Noah, who accepts it, knowing that whenever there is tension or someone is upset in the house, his Dad will always give everyone either Tea or Coffee. It apparently clears the mind, or whatever his psychologist mind thinks. Leroy soon walks past Noah, and walks onto the steps, giving Shelby her tea, and a kiss, before taking the risky journey to his youngest room. He carefully knocks on the door, and slowly makes his way into the room. What he sees breaks his heart. His youngest sprawled out all over the bed, her hair a mess, red eyes, tear stained cheeks, sleeping clutching the bear that Noah gave her when he was 13 years old. He carefully put the tea next to her on the night stand and walked back out of the room, keeping the door open.
"Hey Shelby, I need some help." Leroy whispered down the steps to Shelby, who has already finished her tea.
"What is the matter?" She stage whispers back, putting the mug on the small table by the front door.
"She's asleep, can you change her and put her under the blankets. I'm not sure if I should do that." Leroy stated, walking down the stairs until he reached the step above hers, kissing her forehead and wiping away some of the tears that are still leaking ever so slowly down her cheeks.
"Alright, go and comfort your son. I think he finished his coffee." Shelby whispers into his ear.
"Alright." Leroy states, giving her a kiss on the lips, before they parted to take care of their children.
*End Flashback*
That memory is not one of Rachel's Favorites. It makes her realize that life is short, and you should accomplish everything you want earlier in your lifetime. Which is something she needs to do. Noah was really good at singing and playing guitar. Their parents used to make jokes on how they would be soul mates if they weren't related, which made both of them cringe. Rachel knows that there is one song that he would always sing to her when she was upset. A song that has always been theirs, and if someone else ever sang it, she will cry harder. When Noah was gone, it was hard to cheer up Rachel. Really the only way for her to cheer up would be Noah singing Sweet Caroline to her. The alternative that they found was whenever Noah was out. Shelby would have to sing Distant Melody Rachel's favorite lullaby from her favorite musical when she was younger, Peter Pan. But still, that song was a miracle, it had to be sung to her 5 times before she will calm down. Noah has been her rock ever since Shelby and Leroy brought her home from the hospital. Now, Noah was in another country, fighting for his life and for his country leaving Rachel in stupid Lima Ohio, alone. Sure she had her Glee club friends that had no idea who Noah was, since Noah went to Dalton, for their 'fight club'.
Rachel's favorite memory of him was definitely when she had to be rushed to the hospital when she was 3 years old.
*Flashback*
The Berry's were out on their annual picnic, the end of the summer one, before they go back to school, well before Noah goes back to school. It was a hot day in Lima's most popular park, and Noah was playing, well helping, Rachel in the fountain they have for kids to play in. Despite contrary belief, Noah was a loving family boy. His reputation may receed him already, at 13, but he really does love his family. The Berry's couldn't have been together more than when Rachel was born only three years ago. Noah accidentally looked away from Rachel for 3 seconds, and the next thing he knows, she is laying face first in front of one of the fountain sprinklers. He quickly grabbed her, and felt for her pulse. He still felt one, and it made him relax a little bit because her eyes were closed. He carried her to Shelby and Leroy, and they all rushed quickly to the hospital, which luckily was right around the corner.
Since it was a Friday and mid-afternoon in the summer time, the emergency room was busy. Rachel was still unconscious, and a nurse happened to be walking past and saw that Rachel was unconscious and Shelby and Leroy were yelling at the reception people, and Noah was crying while still holding Rachel waiting for her to wake up.
"I'll take her here." Lucy, the nurse, said to Noah, while gently coaxing him into an empty room right behind the reception area. Once he laid Rachel softly on the bed, Noah exited the room to grab his parents.
"They got her room." then he walked back to the room. Rachel was still unconscious, and the nurse had already hooked her up to an IV. Noah scanned the room and realized that it was very boring, and Rachel needs life. He walked to his parents, who were sitting in chairs by the bed, and asked for some money. He quietly walked down the hallway to find the gift shop. After turning 4 corners, he found it. He walked in and went to find something for her. He soon found the perfect thing. It was a small pink teddy bear with a gold star in the middle. It was cute and had Rachel written all over it. He quickly rushed back towards Rachel's room.
He walked back in singing softly.
Sweet Caroline
Good times never felt so good
He noticed Rachel, looking paler than usual. Shelby and Leroy were standing at the back of the room, talking quietly to a doctor. Noah walked up to Rachel's bedside, when two nurses went up to the bed and started to fix the bed, getting it ready to move somewhere.
"Where are you going? What are you doing?" Noah asked, being naïve and not understanding what they were doing. Shelby, being the first to respond to her son, walked over and put her arm around his shoulders and pulled him out of the way of the nurses that are prepping her.
"Honey, calm down, they have to go and remove the water from her lungs. You stopping the nurses from doing their job can hurt Rachel in the long run. Please let them do their job." Shelby whispered into his ear, while moving him away from the bed and close to Leroy.
After a 3 hour surgery, they claimed that Rachel will live with asthma, because the water in her lungs took out important and vital nutrients that are key to the right breathing tracks. They said that she cannot stress too much, or have a freak attack, because it will land her into the hospital, possibly on life support. They said that they were lucky. If Noah waited any more time, Rachel could have drowned. He saved her life, he was forever her hero and the main person she looked up to.
Once Rachel got to her sophomore year of high school, a new and improved club emerged. Glee club used to be the best thing back in the 80's when their teacher, William Schuester, was in high school. So he decided to try and bring the team back and better than ever. Things went well, and they won their first competition, which led to their win at sectionals, even though they lost at regionals, they still came back Rachel's junior year, making it all the way to Nationals, only to get 12th place.
Now it is Rachel's Senior and last year in Lima Ohio, and she is sad, yet no one knows why. No one but her parents and teachers actually know the real reason for her Senior year funk. Many are rumoring that Finn Hudson had broken up with her again, which wasn't true, she broke up with him because she didn't want to be tied to Lima Ohio, or that Finn got her pregnant over the summer and she is mad that she now will have to stay in Lima, being a Lima loser like the rest of them.
The real reason is that Noah has been gone, without words to her all summer, and she is scared that he was killed in action, but they never got news on anything about him. Also, she will be graduating, then she will go to New York and never look back at Lima, which means that if Noah came back, he will never find her and she would most likely never see him again.
The only reason why the teachers know, is because of a little surprise that Rachel is completely clueless for. It was June 6th, the day before she graduated when their plan went into action.
*June 6th*
Rachel walked to the choir room, the last time she will ever be in there. She noticed that everyone else was in there, plus a bunch of teachers, that in her mind hated the choir. When she walked in, a bunch of the teachers gave her a hug and the usual, have a great summer, and visit, even though the students never do. This went on for about 30 minutes, when Mr. Schue stated that he had an announcement.
"There is a reason that all of these teachers are here. They want one last performance from each of the seniors, so they can understand how Glee has touched each and everyone of you and changed you all, for the better." He said, while ushering the teachers behind the chairs, and all of the seniors took turns.
Kurt went first and sang I'm the Greatest Star
Then Mercedes, who sang And I'm Telling you I'm not Going
After was Santana who sang Girl on Fire
Finn was I'll Stand by you
Quinn was Say a Little Prayer (for you)
Brittany sang Run the World (Girls)
Mike decided to Dance to a beat, and it still kept the adult entertained.
Sam sang Heroes
Blaine sang Teenage Dream
Tina sang My Funny Valentine
Finally, it was Rachel's turn. She dedicated her song, mentally, to Noah. She started to sing the beginning of the song.
Where it began,
I can't begin to knowin'
But then I know it's growing strong
Was in the Spring
And Spring became the summer
Who'd have believed you'd come along
Soon, everyone noticed the door open, well everyone but Rachel. She noticed when the said person joined in on the song.
Hands, Touching hands
Reaching out touching me, touching you
Rachel cut off, hearing the familiar sound of her brother. She turns and her eyes widen in shock, her hand goes to her open mouth, and she runs full speed to his open arms, sobbing. Everyone around the room is clapping, and many of them are in awe, and confused, but refused to ruin the moment between the two. Both Rachel and Noah don't even notice that their is anyone else in the room, they are hugging each other and Noah is softly singing in her ear.
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
"Don't ever leave me again." Rachel whimpers into his ear, and he hugs her tighter, tears leaking out of his eyes.
"Never again." He whispers back, while hugging her and not letting her go, and he makes a mental promise to never leave his sister, ever again.