Time jump! This is a few years after both couples got married. Since I wasn't able to push myself to the proposal this is what you'll get instead. Once my muse gave me the idea it just wouldn't leave me alone. Two updates in one night..this is a first for me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters, that credit goes to the FOX crew & Ryan Murphy; No matter how much I wish I did. The storyline is very much mine though. It came from the brilliant part of my brain called my imagination.
Enjoy!
He took one more look at himself in the bathroom mirror before grabbing the flowers off the floor he'd dropped in his panic and going back to his seat. He wasn't paying much attention to what was happening on the stage but each time Rachel sung he'd felt tears slip down his face. The guilt was literally eating at him. He knew that his presence wasn't welcome but for the moment the brunette on stage remained unaffected. He just hoped him showing up for closure wouldn't ruin whatever happiness the woman on stage managed to keep. Her voice was her life source and he'd almost..
No. He wouldn't think of that. He was changed. He was different.
After the show he waited patiently for the brunette to come from backstage. By now the only ones that were left in the theater were a bunch of staff and a few cast members and their friends and family. He was a stranger in this crowd. He knew that but he needed to do this. If he managed to carry this much guilt on his shoulders for so long it wasn't going away until he faced the reason head on.
If he got another broken nose from the brunettes wife, so what, he wouldn't mind. It was something he felt he deserved. He felt maybe they should do more to him for the dumb mistake he made so long ago. He needed to be happy for once. It was tearing his life to pieces. Letting them get their well deserved vengeance on him might be the only way and the man didn't care. He'd let it happen.
If only he could go back and change the stupid mistakes he'd made in his teen years. Embarrassed isn't a word he'd use to describe how he felt about them. Ashamed, utter self-guilt, confusion. Over the years he'd felt all of these, sometimes all together. Regret for his stupid mistakes. Resentment both for himself and his family. If only they'd of been more accepting. Maybe he wouldn't of been so scared to admit how he felt. Maybe just maybe he wouldn't have to force himself to make this visit. No, he couldn't push this on his family no matter the hatred he had felt towards them that day, still did, after leaving the corrections center. The day he'd explain his reasoning for being so cruel and vindictive. The day they kicked him out with no place to go but elsewhere.
He made the choice on his own that morning. He made everything happen. At the time he might not have know the backlash that they'd all suffer from it but he still done it. He'd made the choice to take advantage of someone so fragile. If he'd of known the consequence he knows that he'd of never pulled that dumb prank his boys had encouraged him to do. It was supposed to be harmless. Something he could joke about. Not something that ate at him everyday. Something that was literally keeping him from moving forwards until he made his peace. Something that was on the verge of driving him insane every time he saw the brunette in a commercial randomly or the billboards he'd saw on his way to the theater from the airport.
One minute he'd be snuggled up to his boyfriend on the couch laughing, happy, forgetting everything in his past. Then a commercial for a harmless thing like shampoo would come on and Rachel would be in it. His smile would fall and his past would smack him in his face. He'd feel his chest constrict with utter guilt. One time he'd had to tell his boyfriend why and the man had to be comforted for the rest of the night while he balled into his fist. Sure, Riley would tell him that it was different now. He was different. That he needed to move on from it and he tried.
He tried so hard to forget but it just refused to go away. No matter how many strangers he'd lend a hand to or how many little kids who asked for ice cream and didn't have enough money for it really he'd buy for them. Eventually Riley had snapped at him to get his shit together and figure out a better way to handle it or else he was leaving. He couldn't handle looking at the man he loved, so hung up on past, so depressed.
Which is what led him to present and the reason he was here. He needed to stop being so hung up on this. He knew that, knew better than to let Riley see him so stuck on the 5'2 brunette from his past. At one point his boyfriend had even asked him if was in love with her and that he must be if this bothered him so much. He knew he wasn't though but couldn't figure out why he was just so stuck. Why he couldn't move on from his mistakes.
"Karofsky? Dave Karofsky? Is that...is that you?" The man heard a woman query, there was an obvious quiver in her voice. It confirmed his worst nightmares and right as he was about to just turn away and leave he felt himself being slammed against the wall by a furious Santana Lopez.
"You got some nerve showing your face here dip shit. Please explain to me exactly why I shouldn't drag you out that door to your right and beat you until you can't breathe in the dark of an alley that would, without question, lead to no one discovering your dying body," Santana hissed, her forearm resting on his throat the other hand holding him there against the wall by the hair along his forehead, "Q got her turn and I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for mine."
"Babe, San, Britt's asking me why you're..Karofsky?" The blonde did a double take as she walked past the two towards her wife, stopping mid-step, "What the actual fuck?!"
"That's exactly what I was thinking Q. I know we had plans to go to that god-awful coffee street around the corner after Rach was finished here but what do you say to us role-playing as those two psycho, lesbian feminist from that TV show your wife's so obsessed with and killing a man tonight? Because I know I'll feel nothing but joy while I do it. Don't you agree? The cowards so frozen in fear right now he's not even putting up a fight. It'd be altogether pretty damn easy."
"Umm, I uhh..actually that's...that's not the reason," He was cut off by Santana kneeing him in the balls. Holding his breath he hissed in pain but gave no other visible response.
"You! Will not talk. Especially not to me or Quinn or Britt's. But even more you will never speak to Rachel, ever. I will cut your fucking vocal cord out of your throat in the most painful way possible and laugh at as you bleed out, understand. I don't give a shit what you have to say. I don't even want to hear a fucking grunt coming from you. Actually I can smell your disgusting man sweat and even that's too much. What in your right fucking mind gave even the least bit of nerve to show up at my girls show, huh? Really I don't even care. I just want to thank you for doing something right in your god-awful life and giving me the chance to do to you what I craved to so long ago, what I've been literally obsessing over doing for years, and still want to." The Latina grabbed him by his collar and slung him forwards, towards the door on his right and he let her, willingly.
He squared his shoulders, as the door he'd smacked against gave out, and prepared himself for the blows. He was hoping to speak to brunette, have a talk, get closure. Maybe even Rachel would forgive him. He knew that was to much to ask for, to hope for. After his unspeakable actions he shouldn't of let himself expect any different. Really why would he get a break? Horrible mean like himself didn't deserve forgiveness.
"San, wait. Don't please. Dave, what are you...Actually why are you here?" Rachel came out of her daze for a few seconds she'd jumped back to being in that dumpster. Petrified of what was going to happen. Not understanding why some pathetic paint was bringing her to such measures. The sound of Karofsky hitting the door had knocked her out of it right before she'd called Quinn.
"Rachel are you fucking serious?! You can't be serious. He's here! You can finally make him experience the pain you did and you're telling me no?" She still hadn't let go of him. She was still glaring at him as she spoke. If looks could kill...
"Ray, what are you.." Quinn trailed off as she locked eyes with the brunette.
A look of understanding passed between the two before Quinn kissed her softly on the forehead and brought their entwined hands to her lips. She nuzzled the back of Rachel's hand for a few seconds and ghosted her lips over the shorter girls knuckles. She was trying to leave as much comfort behind her as she could, "I love you, Ray. You know that? I don't know how I got someone as good as you. How I even deserve you. You and Britt are so much better than S and I could ever dream of being. Be careful, please. I don't trust him, I can't, but I trust you. So S and I? We're gonna be right there," She nudged her head in the direction of the stage before grabbing Santana from behind.
"I want you where I can see you, Karofsky. I don't trust you and if I so much as see a tear fall down my wife's cheek I'll be here and you'll be either beaten or long gone by the time we leave, understand?" He nodded as the relief fell off him in waves. He was getting the chance to talk to her! This was it. He hid his smile because he just knew it wouldn't rub any of the three girls the right way at the moment, "Baby, if he so much as tries to hug you, I'll be here. Lets go, San, now."
"Are you fucking serious right now, Q? He's right there. Give me one good reason why the hell I should listen to the both of you and not beat the shit of him!"
"Because S, she needs this as much he does."
...
"Rachel, I really really am sorry about what happened if you never got your voice back I don't what I'd of done, lost my mind probably, just thank you. You have no idea what this just done for me...before I forget these...these are for you." He grabbed the forgotten bouquet of flowers off the floor, again, and held them up to the brunette in a peace offering.
She grabbed them from him shakily, this was doing more on her than she cared to show, and held them up to her nose. She smiled despite the pain in her chest at the boy, no, the man in front of her, "They're gorgeous, thank you," He blushed despite himself at the brunettes word. She turned and searched for a place to lay them deciding on the seats for the audience before stepping up and hugging him.
"I can't imagine how much it took out of you to come here. I've needed the closure from all this more than I cared to accept, so thank you. Your a good man now, Dave. Go live your life guilt-free now, okay? I'll live mine without fear thanks to you. We both deserve to move on from this. From this moment onward the past is behind us, it doesn't matter. You've changed, much more than I thought you would, and I have to. Be sure to send me the invite when you and Riley get married."
At the girls words he felt more tears fall down his cheeks. He didn't hide them, he wasn't embarrassed of them. The sheer happiness he felt, the weight that was lifted, he just refused to hide the affect those words had on him.
"I can't..Rachel Berry you're above all the most sweetest, greatest, wonderful woman I've ever had the chance to know. Don't, pray tell, ever let anyone make you think or tell you any different. I can't understand how I ever deserved your forgiveness. Really I still feel like I don't. Just..don't ever change okay? I'm pretty sure by now that your just one of god's angels and that your voice and your heart are his way of showering the world with greatness," He glanced at his watch on the girls shoulder before stepping out of the embrace they'd been in, "I have to go now my flight leaves in an hour. Thank you. I can't stress that enough. Goodbye Rach, I hope you continue living your dreams. You deserve all the happiness in the world."
She smiled at him again, really smiled at him this time, he could tell, and let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in as she lay her hand on his shoulder, "You know, Dave. If you weren't completely gay like myself I might get the wrong idea and start thinking you had feelings for me." Her eyes lit up in amusement and he cackled when her eyebrow shot up into her hair line.
"I think Quinn's rubbed off on you a little too much these past years," He hugged her one last time before turning and walking out of the theater. Already he could feel himself changing. He was happier. Pulling his phone out and dialing Riley's number he was still grinning like an idiot as he stepped onto the train that would aid in taking him back to California.
...
"Sweet heart are you okay?" Quinn ran up to her to wife in a frenzy of panic, she was to worried to notice the divas amused face as she ran her hands over every part of the girl she could find. Looking for anything that could be wrong.
When she locked eyes with the brunette she felt herself sag in relief, "Oh thank god," and she pulled her wife into a searing kiss. Santana decided for once to slip out unnoticed, leaving the couple to have their moment instead to go find her own wife. Rachel chuckled against Quinn's slips, her breath bringing a flush to the blondes cheeks still after so many years. It made the brunettes heart flutter in happiness.
"Baby, for once in my life everything's exactly as it should be. What do you say we ditch our friends and go celebrate how perfect, our life is together, at the new house we just bought?"
Quinn pulled back, her arms wrapped around the brunettes neck, and grinned like a lunatic, "That sounds like the best idea you've had all day," The blonde leaned in for one last peck before grabbing her wife's hand and dragging her outside to catch a taxi. Rachel giggling the whole way home. Until Quinn shut her up when her lips hit that spot on her neck. She gave up amusement and instead gave in to her desire. The ride in the taxi couldn't go any faster for the couple.
So yeah I'm kinda sure that's it for this story. Review? If not that's okay too (: I'm not one of those peeps who are all "No reviews, no updates." If i get the urge to add another chapter, I will. Regardless of rather I get a review or not. I'm leaving this as complete because I have no idea how long it'll be if/when I end up writing another chapter for this. I really hope you liked this whole closure deal. Totally different than what I'm used to writing. It just seemed the perfect way to wrap up this story.
