Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

Rachel sat tapping her foot in the choir room. She chewed her lip nervously. She watched as Quinn flirted with Puck shamelessly across the room. She felt for Finn… he was so innocent and loving. He really did care for Quinn. Maybe he even loved her… he probably did. Even though he had hurt Rachel in more ways than imaginable, she couldn't stay mad at him. He would probably never want to consider being friends with her again but maybe after time and trust building, they could try again. That was all she really hoped for.

As Puck and Quinn continued to flirt, Rachel found herself beginning to listen. "So what do you say?" He asked as he put a hand on her side and began to run it up and down. Quinn looked at him and smiled. "That sounds good… but what about Finn?" She asked. Puck leaned into her. "What about him?" With that he brushed his lips against hers. While she didn't respond, she didn't reject it. Rachel felt a twinge of jealousy. Here she had Finn, the perfect, doting boyfriend, and she was going to cheat on him with Puck. The next thing she heard shocked him. "Does he know the baby is mine?" Puck asked her. "No." Rachel felt her blood run cold. It wasn't Finn's… it was Puck's. She couldn't hear anymore. She needed to get out of here.She stood up and crept as discreetly as she could. Once she was out the door, she broke into a run.

What did she do? What should she do? She was terrified. If she went to Finn she would destroy a happy relationship and probably lose their male lead. It she left it alone, Finn would go on thinking a child that he thought was his was truly would be his best friend's. She stood in the hallway wondering what to do. She bit her lip. Deciding to go home and think about this she left the building and walked out to her car. She put the keys in the ignition and drove the short distance to her house. She began to way the pros and cons in her head. "It's is his right to know. He would probably be grateful that someone told him the truth. What if he doesn't believe it though? What if he goes into some state of shock and denies everything? I'm so confused…"

When she arrived at home, she walked inside to an empty house. She walked into the kitchen and saw a note on the fridge. It read: Hi sweetie. We hope you had a good day. We are sorry to leave on such short notice but you daddy had an emergency case and we had to go down to phoenix for it. We'll try to be home in time to see you perform. We love you, Dad and Daddy. She put it down and sighed. Great now she didn't have any kind of distraction.

She went upstairs to her bed and collapsed in bed. She was tired and thought that she could just sleep it off. Her plans backfired on her as she lay in bed; tossing and turning. Thoughts circled around in her head. Should I tell him? Shouldn't I? She had never been so confused in her life. She groaned a bit as the thoughts continued to swirl. They were relentless. She finally came to a decision and was able to sleep; the thoughts no longer bothering her.

*Glee*

Rachel took a deep breathe as she spotted Finn. It was now or never. Just march up to him and tell him that his girlfriend cheated on him with his best friend. Yeah… this might not go over so well. She took another deep breathe, squared her shoulders, and began the agonizing walk to tell her former friend the heart breaking news. She tapped his shoulders once she reached him. He turned and his face hardened when he saw who it was that had approached him. "What do you want?" He said coldly.

She took a deep breathe. This was it… her last chance. "Finn, I don't know how to put this gently-" "Get to the point, man hands!" He growled. She winced. He had never talked to her in such an awful way. She almost lost her nerve then… almost. "The baby isn't yours." The next thing that happened shocked her. He started to laugh. She hadn't expected that. "Are you really that desperate for friendship? Quinn would never do that. You really are a pathetic loser," he said. He shook his head as he continued to laugh. He walked away leaving a shocked Rachel.

He didn't believe her. She was fed up of trying to get him to realize that she hadn't done anything on purpose. She was done with Finn. She was done with attempting with constantly being nice and not getting anything in return. She was sick of being put down time after time. She was tired of being walked all over. Rachel Berry was done with being nice to Finn Hudson.

*Glee*

Finn strolled into the choir room later that day. He looked around and spotted Quinn. He strutted over to her and sat down next to her. "You would not believe what Berry told me today," he said as he swung his arm around her. Quinn had a moment of panic. "What did she tell you?" She asked as she attempted to sound nonchalant. Puck walk in then and he looked at Quinn. She bit her lip. "She told me the most ridiculous thing. She said that thee baby was Puck's. Isn't that ridiculous?" He said but his smile began to falter when he saw the look on her face. He looked over and saw puck with a look that screamed 'deer in headlights!' "Quinn…" he said as a feeling of horror sunk into his gut.

Puck walked over slowly. He put a hand on Quinn's shoulder. "Finn, I haven't been completely honest with you," she began. Finn suddenly stood up. "Tell me she is lying," he said. Quinn bit her lip and then looked into his eyes. "She isn't lying. You're not the father," she said. Finn began to shake. "I didn't want to lose you, Finn. We were fighting and I got drunk and Puck comforted me… Finn I'm so sorry." Finn's eyes flashed to Puck and all he saw was red. He lunged at Puck knocking him to the ground. He held down the squirming Puck and punched him in the eye. The next thing he felt were hands prying him off of Puck and being pushing him into Mike and Matt, who quickly restrained him.

"What's going on here? You guys are best friends," Mr. Shuster said. "They lied to me! My best friend and girlfriend lied to me! I'm done with them," he said and then stormed out of the room. Everyone was shell shocked and then Quinn broke down. She started to cry and Puck wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him. She broke his heart… but she knew it was for the best. She belonged with Puck. This was for the best…

*Glee*

Finn walked down the hallway. He was upset. He was distraught. He had just been made a fool and he couldn't believe it was true. He was waiting to wake up from this awful nightmare he felt he was living. Only he wouldn't be waking up. This was reality. His mind wandered to a spunky brunette that he had watched fade. He completely broke her spirit. Guilt began to set in. He spotted Jew fro walking to his car. Finn quickly sprinted up to him. He grabbed the smaller boy by the front of his shirt and pulled him so that his face was inches from Finn's. "Just answer one question. Did Rachel give you her underpants to have you keep Quinn's secret?" Finn asked. "What do you mean? That Quinn was pregnant?" The smaller boy stumbled for words. "Yes. Quinn being pregnant," Finn said, his patience running thin. "Yes, she did give me her panties," Jacob said. Finn dropped him and began to walk away.

She had been telling the truth. He had assumed that she was making it up to get into his good books. Everything counted against her. Her past with him, her need to always get what she wants no matter what it took… he had instantly come to the conclusion that she was nothing but a liar. He was wrong though. She had stayed faithful to him. She was loyal. She even helped Quinn even after Quinn was a bitch to her.

How could he ever fix this problem? He was awful and a horrible person. He had pained an innocent girl. He called her worthless. He left her alone. She had no friends… she had said so on many occasions. He was one of the few people that ever showed her kindness. Then he turned on her, knocked her down and rubbed her face in the fact that he was with Quinn and not her. There had to be some way to make up for this. He would have to kiss the ground she walked on; worship her and everything about her. He had stepped in it and now he had to clean up the mess.

The next day he stood in the hallway, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He had gone to the grocery store and went to the flower section. He had to remember to thank Jewel for having a floral section. He didn't know what her favorite flower was so he just grabbed one of the ones that were mixed together. He thought they were pretty. He took a deep breathe and mentally prepped himself for what was to come. He let out the breath and set off down the hallway. She was easy enough to spot. His height gave him that advantage. He approached her trying to be as silent as possible. He took her for granted though. She heard him coming and looked up in confusion. She moved to close her locker but he side stepped her and placed his hand on the locker that is next to her own, cutting off her exit route. She looked up at him and he feet his guilt worsen a bit. He saw fear in her eyes. He was a giant asshole. Not only did he hurt her. He scared her. He made her feel frightened and intimidated. She didn't speak. She just looked up at him with her terror filled eyes.

He looked at her and she went to take a step backwards. He then felt 'wait' leave his tongue. She was hesitant. Her shoulders were tense. He could practically feel how wound up she was and he was about a good 6 inches away from her. She stayed in her place though. She didn't relax, but she stayed. He took a deep breath and he then pulled out the flowers. She looked at them and the fear in her eyes was replaced with surprise. "You were telling me the truth. The baby isn't mine." He continued to look down at her. Her eyes were terrified still but there was a trace of something else… sympathy. He looked at the floors and then offered them to her. "These are for you. I saw them when I went to the store with my mom yesterday. I saw them and thought you would like them." He said as he waited for her reaction. Her eyes flickered up to his face and then down to the flowers. He waited to see what her next move was. She raised a tiny, tentative hand slowly, as if she thought he would pull the flowers away and laugh in her face. He extended them and her little hand wrapped around it.

Her eyes flickered again to his face as he withdrew his hand. She brought the bouquet close to her face and sniffed them. Her eyes seemed to light. It wasn't hard considering how dull they had become. A smile spread across her lips. She looked at him. "Thank you," she whispered. He gave her a crooked smile. This quiet Rachel was abnormal. He had been used to her being loud and obnoxious. The old Rachel used to use big words that he couldn't understand. She took the world by storm. She was like a junk yard dog; never backing down from a fight. There was a spark in her eye that made you know that she knew what she wanted and was going after it. This new Rachel was different… she was shy; timid. She gave up solos willingly. She didn't even put up a fight when he insulted her. She just laid there and took it. She had gone from that tough, fearless junk yard dog to a scared, lost puppy. That spark was gone; replaced by a dull, lifeless darkness.

"Finn these are gorgeous but… why are you giving them to me?" She asked him. He sighed. "I was an ass to you. I thought that you were just lying about everything with Jacob. I thought that you just wanted to try to weasel yourself into Quinn position in my life. I was wrong though. She cheated on me just like you said she did. You even gave Jew fro a pair of you underpants to try to keep the secret. I guess what I'm trying to say is… I want you to forgive me. I want you to not only forgive me but give me a chance. Please…" he said. "Finn while I do appreciate the effort… and will always have feelings for you… I don't know if I can. You really hurt me, Finn," Rachel said.

Finn felt his heart sink. Yes he had expected this but it hurt to hear it said. He set his face into a look of determination. "I respect that. I know I was awful to you. I hope you realize that I won't go down without a fight. I'm going to prove to you that I can be a good boyfriend. Until then can we at least give being friends a try?" He asked. She looked at his eyes. He had such hope. She couldn't turn it down. "Fine. We can be friends. But I can't take any more hurt from you. You set one toe out of line and I am done," she said exasperated. He smiled. He could do being friends… for now.

*Glee*

Finn stood next to Rachel as they watched Artie being lifted into the bus. They had a bittersweet feeling in their guts. Mr. Shuster stood in front of Ms. Pillsbury who was rapidly being told last minute things to remember. They had decided to have Mercedes perform I am Telling You as a solo. They would then do Proud Mary in their wheelchairs. They would close with Don't stop believing. Everyone was feeling good. They were prepared. They had their choreography memorized and finalized down to the last detail. They had their music parts learned and knew they could bring the audience to its feet. The only problem was Mr. Shuster wouldn't be able to see it. He was banned. He stood and watched the kids board the bus. Rachel took a window seat by herself and watched him. He shut the door for the wheelchair, and hit the bus. The bus then lurched forward. Mr. Shuster waved to the kids as they pulled out of the school parking lot. As the bus pulled away, he got smaller and smaller and when the bus rounded a corner he disappeared from sight. The kids all began to talk excitedly amongst themselves.

Rachel tugged her coat around her tiny body tightly. It was warm and comforting. Although she would never admit it, she was nervous. She was scared. She was afraid she would mess up. What if she forgot her words? What if she completely wiped out on the risers? She was awfully tired of being laughed at. She knew she was a failure. She didn't need more people pointing out the fact; let alone complete failures. She was nervous and practically jumped a foot in the air when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw a smiling Finn. "Hey Rach. You okay? You look kind of pale," he said as he brought a hand to her forehead. "You don't feel warm. Is your tummy okay? I have some crackers if you want some," he said as he momentarily disappeared from her view. He reappeared offering her the crackers with a smile. She took one and uttered a thank you before she nibbled on the corner. Her stomach felt like it was doing back flips. She was nervous. She wanted to do well… she was sick and tired of failing over and over again. She couldn't let herself fail. If she did the entire group would go down with her.

With a sudden surge her hand flew to her mouth. Finn, who had been watching her, panicked and called for Ms. Pillsbury. When the teacher appeared she took one look at Rachel before gasping. She instructed Finn to open the window for Rachel, while she ran to grab Rachel a paper bag. Rachel was now nervous and embarrassed. When Ms. Pillsbury told Rachel to take deep breathes into the bag, she felt her cheeks heat up. She took the bag and did as instructed as Ms. Pillsbury stroked her hair away from her face and felt her forehead for herself. "No fever… are you car sick?" The teacher asked. Rachel shook her head. "I think it might be nerves. I'll keep an eye on her." Finn said. The guidance consoler nodded and walked back to her seat after making Finn promise to tell her if Rachel's condition worsened.

After a few minutes of breathing into the bag, Rachel felt herself relax. The feeling of vomiting was now gone. She pulled away from it and lowered it to her lap. "You okay now?" Finn asked. She nodded and took a deep breath as she answered, "Yes. I think that I just let myself get a little bit overheated." Finn gave her a comforting smile. "Just keep the window open. Let yourself get some fresh air," Finn said as he turned back around and out his ear buds into his ears. Rachel closed her eyes and leaned her head against the cool window. "I can't fail. Not this time…" she thought as she felt herself doze off.

*Glee*

Rachel was sitting between Finn and Kurt in the lobby of the performance hall. Ms. Pillsbury was checking them in as the group sat beside each other. Rachel was currently bouncing her leg. Santana glared at her and said, "Can you stop that Berry? It's annoying and stressing me out." Rachel sheepishly dropped her head and looked at her lap; uttering a quiet 'sorry' as she made her leg stop. She felt a gentle pat on her knee and looked up to see Kurt sitting beside her. He had his face turned away but his hand was gently placed on top of hers. He gave it a squeeze before dropping it. The exchange was over within seconds.

Ms. Pillsbury then walked up to them. "So we're all checked in and you have drawn performance slot number 3." The group was sent into a rant at this. Finn didn't think it was that great but the drawings had been done fair and square. Nothing could be changed. They were going last. The group settled down and accepted this fact. They then walked into the performance hall and took their seats to watch their opponents.

Although they were nervous, they settled back in their seats when the James Adams Academy girls came on. They were shocked when they heard the opening notes for I am Telling You. Rachel leaned over and whispered to Mercedes (who had paled) "It's a very popular song. This is mere coincidence." Mercedes gave her a nod and returned to listening. Rachel felt her heart sink into her stomach when they began to perform Proud Mary in wheel chairs. There was no coincidence about this. Someone had leaked their set list. She felt her heart beat pick up when the deaf choir squawk Don't Stop believing. She stood up. "Meet me in the green room in five minutes," she whispered to the group.

Rachel walked out of the performance hall. She took a few deep breathes and then continued to the green room. She pulled the door open and took a seat on a couch. She placed her head in her hands and let out a shuddering breath. How could this have happened? She racked her brain. Of course it was Sue. She hated Glee Club. She was terrified. Her fear was coming true. They were failing. They hadn't even preformed but they were still failing. She was pulled from her thoughts when the door opened and her team mates filed in. They all took places around the room. It was silent for a while. Then Kurt spoke up. "Well since nobody else is going to say it, I will. This is all Britney and Santana's fault. They leaked the set list." "I didn't do it. Believe it or not I like being in Glee Club. It's the best part of my day." Santana said. Everyone stood criticizing Santana. Rachel watched the Latina. She was still proud and tall even though she was being judged. "I believe you," Rachel whispered. This gained a look of shock from the majority of people in the room. It was well known that Santana and Rachel didn't get along. If Rachel believed her then Santana must have been telling the truth. Santana joined Rachel on the couch then. "Well if Santana didn't do it, then who did?" Kurt asked again. Everyone looked up as Britney cleared her throat. "I did. I didn't know what she was going to do with it though." As the tears welled in Britney's eyes, Rachel felt a pang of sadness. She knew what Britney was feeling. The self hatred and the feeling of failure were both well known by the tiny girl.

"Well you know what, you can redeem yourself," Rachel said. Everyone turned to her. I have a group number for us to reform. I was going to suggest we sing it at Regional but we're desperate." Rachel began to rummage through her bag and then she found what she was looking for. She pulled out the sheet music and handed it to Britney. "You're our best dancer. Work out some choreography for this," Rachel said. Britney's eyes lit up. She quickly snatched the sheet music and went into the corner to work it out. "So we still need two numbers," Santana said. "Somebody to love. It is a crowd pleaser," Quinn spoke up quietly. Puck then threw in his two cents. "That and a can of soup will guarantee us third place. We still need a ballad." Rachel nodded at his point. She turned to Mercedes. "Mercedes, do you have anything else in your-" the brunette was cut off by the older girl. "Yeah but its not going to as good as what you can do." Rachel shook her head. "No, we agreed-" the tiny girl was cut off again. "We agreed that I would sing I am Telling You. Well now I'm not. So you should sing something," Mercedes said as a smile spread across her face.

Rachel felt her heart increase. "No. No, no, no I can't. Kurt what about you? You want to sing Defying Gravity?" She asked. She couldn't sing a solo. It wouldn't be good. She would fail miserably. "Rachel, while I'm touched that you asked me to sing a solo here… we all know that it's you who deserves it. You're our star. All you have to do is pick a song," Kurt said as he gave her a look that dared her to try to rebut his point. Rachel bit her lip. She looked from face to face. They were all staring at her. "I… I..." She was at a lost. She hung her head for a moment. She couldn't just leave the, with two songs. They needed three. What was she going todo? She began to collect her thoughts; the way she had felt over the course of the last few weeks…months even. She sucked in a few deep breaths before looking up to the anxious faces of her team mates. In a quiet voice that she didn't even recognize as her own, she whispered, "I'll do it." Everyone began to cheer. Quickly they changed into their costumes and began to learn the choreography that Britney put together. Rachel was on edge. She now had to sing a solo… completely on her own. There was pressure now. The weight of the club was resting on her shoulders. The question was: could she handle it.

*Glee*

Rachel stood behind the curtain. She was breathing quickly as she listened to the announcer introduce them. She was shaking. She could practically feel her heart attempting to burst through her chest. Her senses were heightened. She knew it was due to the adrenaline she felt coursing through her veins. She heard him finish. She heard the audience clap its welcome. She heard the opening bars of her song. She placed her little hands on the curtain and prepared herself for what was to come. Here it comes… show time. She yanked the curtain aside and before she knew it words were pouring from her lips. She wasn't even thinking about it. It just felt so right. She began to walk up and down the aisles. She poured her everything into the song. She was done with lying down and taking the abuse she faced. She was done with being the one everyone walked over. She was done with allowing them to ruin her. She was done with being a punching bag. They weren't going to rain on her parade any longer. That's what she thought as she poured her everything into Don't Rain On My Parade. She ran up the stairs and stood on the stage. When she saw her teammates join her on stage she pushed herself the extra mile. She belted the last note. As she finished, she dragged in a breath as she tried to refill her lungs with it. She looked around and smiled. The audience was on its feet. She took her place in the opening spot.

They began to sing the second song; You Can't Always Get What You Want. She couldn't tell you what happened though. It was all a blur. She couldn't remember anything but the feeling of seeing people clap for her. They finished with Somebody to Love. Everyone was panting as they walked off stage. They were tired but they were happy. Now they just had to wait for the judges results.

*Glee*

The Glee club stood between their opponents. The director from the deaf school kept shooting them glares. They were listening to the mc drown on about how everyone did excellent and the judges had a hard time making their dictions. It had been decided. Rachel held her breath. The Glee Club condensed closer together. They linked hands and waited. Rachel felt Finn squeeze her fingers tightly. She felt his warm breath on her neck when he leaned down to whisper "No matter what happens, know that you were amazing." The mc opened his mouth and began to rule out the placing.

"In second place… James Addams Academy. The New Directions clapped politely and felt their heart rates pick up. "And now…" another deep breath was taken. "Your 2009 Ohio Sectionals Champions are…" Rachel closed her eyes. "New Directions!" Instantly the group enveloped each other in a hug as they cheered. Rachel felt tears well up in her eyes. They had done it. She had been locked in an embrace with Britney when she felt herself being pulled away and the ground disappear from beneath her feet. She squirmed for a minute. It was uncomfortable and whoever had grabbed her was practically crushing the air from her lungs. She felt her feet hit the ground. She turned and before she could register what was happening, Finn Hudson had his lips pressed against hers in a sweet kiss. It was short and simple but… nice at the same time.

She was handed their trophy. She then pasted it to Artie who held it up in victory. She had accomplished her goal. She realized that now as she stood, surrounded by her team mates and an audience that was clapping and cheering. She had just overcome a huge obstacle. She hadn't failed. She had never failed. No failure could have such an amazing experience. No failure could pull a winning performance from thing air. Rachel Berry was no failure. She was a winner and she saw that now.

Author's Note:

Well thats it. The final chapter. I will miss writing for this story. I enjoyed it very much. It was fun to explore Rachel's character a bit more than the show does. I plan on doing another Glee story soon. Keep your eyes peeled for it. I would like to thank my amazing reviewers. Your kind words meant a lot to me. I would like to ask you to comment on this story one final time. Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter and the overall story. Thank you all.