So...surprise! This is the final chapter of Coming Home!

I've had so much fun writing this fic, more so than usual, just because I knew exactly how I wanted it to end. I wrote this chapter in the span of one night and I'm just so excited to put it up and I'm so excited to hear what you guys think of it! It's officially a completed fic! :) Thank you so much to everybody who's given me feedback over these past 9 chapters, it means so much and I love hearing what you guys think, so keep 'em coming! :P

But, all good things must come to an end, so I present you with the final chapter! This last one is a lot more Quinn-centric, which is kind of weird, since the prologue started off with Sam's POV, but...oh well. I thought it'd be more interesting to see it from her side, so here ya go. :P

Of course, I don't own Glee or any of its characters. I don't own Country Strong or Gwyneth Paltrow and any of its lyrics. :)


Chapter 8: Coming Home

The sun lowered at a painful pace, covering a warm, glowing blanket over the city of Lima. A slight chill in the air prompted Quinn to pull her gray cardigan tighter around her shoulders, as she watched her blonde boyfriend drag his heavy suitcase out of the cab and land with a heavy thud on the curbside. Muttering a quick thanks to the taxi driver, Sam slung a duffel bag over his shoulder, grabbed hold of his luggage with one hand and intertwined his fingers of his free hand with Quinn's. He dropped a chaste kiss on her cheek before walking them both into the bustling airport. It was chaotic and frenzied, as people rushed in every direction. Out of the corner of her eye, Quinn saw a couple tearfully say goodbye and her heart ached – in just a few minutes, her and Sam would be doing the exact same thing. He had said his goodbyes to the rest of their friends the previous night, making sure to bid a special goodbye to Finn and Rachel, who were headed to their honeymoon on an early flight. Then, Sam had asked Quinn to stay over and they had stayed up nearly all night, talking, reminiscing, and holding on to each other and to a memory they were determined not to forget.

"I'm going to check in real quick, the line's short. Wait here?" he said huskily, his breath tickling her ear. She nodded dazedly and watched him head to the counter. All around her, Quinn felt a heavy air of sadness. She people-watched for several minutes, before she realized that everybody in the airport was either rushing to get home or to go on an adventure. And for the first time, Quinn was faced with the reality that she would never be a part of either sensation. She didn't know where home was and even if home was Lima, she would never feel a strong pull towards it – she would never feel as if she needed to rush to get back home. After all, when Sam's plane took off, there would be no one who was waiting for her. She couldn't remember the last time she had taken an adventure for herself, so that was out of the question, too.

"What am I doing?" she mumbled quietly to herself, before a pair of strong, muscular arms wrapped themselves around her waist. She leaned back and inhaled deeply, struggling to commit the familiar scent of Sam to memory.

"So, I have about fifteen minutes before I board," he said, resting his chin on her shoulder. "We would've had more time if it wasn't for all the traffic. Wouldn't it be cool if someone invented a car that could fly?" he mused, poking his lower lip out in thought. Quinn giggled and punched him playfully on the shoulder, turning her body around so she faced him.

"You are so silly," she grinned, reaching up to peck him softly on the lips. She rested her forehead on his and sighed. "I'm going to miss you. We were perfect together,"

"We are perfect together," Sam insisted, before pulling away and walking them over towards the boarding terminal. He made himself comfortable on a chair and held his arms out, gesturing Quinn to sit in his lap. She buried her head into his neck, knowing they were probably getting a couple of stares from strangers, but she honestly didn't care.

There were some times, ever since she and Sam had reconnected, when she'd catch herself being doubtful. She could feel herself start to run away at the thought of their relationship actually working out and she never really understood why, especially since Sam was the exact opposite. He knew exactly what he wanted with her and he was never afraid to say it out loud, never afraid to be honest and open and vulnerable with her. It scared Quinn, but Sam was so assured most of the time – like he never once doubted that they would end up together again. While she was positive a long distance relationship wouldn't last (because that's what they had decided they would try, in the end), Sam was positive anything was possible.

"What if it doesn't work out?" she whispered tearfully, her fears getting the best of her. Quinn brought her head up and looked at Sam, the face she had grown so accustomed to over the past week. His green eyes searched hers thoughtfully, before a lopsided smile stretched across his lips and he wiped away her tears with the back of his hand.

"If you ever feel lost, lonely, scared, or unsure…just turn on the radio," he advised, playing with the ends of her hair. After a short pause, he wrinkled his nose in thought and added, "Or, I guess, it doesn't have to be a radio. Just plug in your iPod, press shuffle, and wait for the first song that comes on,"

"Is there a point to this?" she chuckled.

"Just listen to the lyrics and they'll give you a message, like guidance. And you'll know what your heart really wants, in that moment,"

"You," Quinn said. "It's always going to be you,"

"Then the heart wants what it wants," he shrugged, wrapping his arms around her waist tighter. "Quinn, I let you go once. I promise, it's not going to happen again," he said softly. She nodded; willing her heart to believe in him, before pressing a long kiss to his lips. They broke apart and just as he reached up towards her once more, the speaker announced it was time for his flight. It took only several minutes for him to grab his bags, kiss her one last time, and head towards the boarding gate, looking back every so often at Quinn, who was struggling to hold herself together. She watched him, as he disappeared behind the doors and she felt her heart shatter – as if some cruel, evil person was ripping her heart into pieces and twisting them every which way to dismantle it.


As she waited outside the airport for Tina and Mike to pick her up, Quinn let her tears fall and for a split second, she felt like the old Quinn Fabray – the one back at McKinley High, struggling to make it through the day with her pink-streaked hair, heavy eyeliner, and a voice that had turned scratchy and disoriented from chain smoking. She felt lost and insecure of her place in the world, as if seeing Sam leave without her had caused a part of her soul to fall away, as if in just several minutes, she had gone from being a whole person to being just half of one. It was pathetic; Quinn knew that, to tie yourself so wholeheartedly to a person, especially a boy.

"Quinn? You ready to head back home?" a voice broke through her thoughts and she looked up to see Tina.

"Oh. Sure," she shrugged, letting the Asian girl drape an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. 'Home. As if,' Quinn thought bitterly, climbing into the car as quickly as she could. The trio found themselves quickly coasting down the highway several seconds later, with Mike and Tina chatting in low, quiet voices. Quinn sat in the backseat; her head resting against the window, watching the world pass her by from the inside. A part of her wanted to do something impulsive, like jump out of the car as it was speeding down the freeway, but she knew, even in her current state of mind, that would be extremely stupid. She heard Tina muttering about song choice and something clicked in her brain immediately. "Hey, T?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"Could you turn on the radio?"

"Sure, which station?" Mike asked, his fingers hovering over the dials.

"Just…just a random one. Something unexpected. Surprise me," she rambled, her hands wringing in fear. In her head, Quinn could hear his words, loud and clear. 'If you ever feel lost, lonely, scared, or unsurejust turn on the radio.' Mike was fiddling with the dials on the small appliance, trying to find a frequency that wasn't muddled with static, before finally resting on an easy, melodic song Quinn couldn't recognize right off the bat. The female singer had a soft, clear voice filled with emotion and heartache.

'Just listen to the lyrics and they'll give you a message, like guidance. And you'll know what your heart really wants, in that moment.'

Quinn let her eyes fall shut and struggled to listen to the lyrics. Could Sam be right? Could a song really help her find out where she belonged in the world? As ridiculous as the theory sounded, she didn't have any other choice, so she listened intently, trying to make out the words that spilled from a voice with a Southern accent.

The world tried to break me,

I found a road to take me

Home…

Her eyes snapped open. Sam was right. It was a message, a guide, some sort of cosmic fate. Her body wrenched itself up from its slumped position, her hand gripping Tina's shoulder in front of her.

"We need to go back," she said, her voice determined and unyielding. Tina's hair whipped Quinn in the face as she turned to face the blonde, a confused look etched across her features. "We need to go back!" Quinn cried again, when Tina didn't say anything, smacking Mike in the arm for good measure.

"Q, we just got off the freeway, we can't head back now. He's probably halfway to New York already!"

"I don't care!" Quinn screeched, slamming her hands furiously on the car seats. "I need to tell him I belong with him!"

"He knows that already!" Tina pointed out, her arms flailing wildly.

"Mike, I swear on Rachel Berry's God-given voice that if you do not turn this car around right now, I'll make it my personal mission to make sure you never dance again," she threatened, before turning to face the petite Asian girl who was bouncing in her seat from anxiety. "Listen, Tina, I need to tell him how I feel. I never said it and I just…I belong with him," she pleaded. There was a short silence that hung in the air, as Quinn searched her friend's eyes for understanding.

"Mike, what are you doing? Turn the damn car around!" Tina suddenly shrieked, slapping her boyfriend on the arm, earning another yelp of pain.


Quinn sprinted through the airport, her blonde hair flying out behind her, her gray cardigan dangling off her shoulders. Her dress was wrinkled, her makeup smudged, and her heels were throbbing with pain from running in wedges, but adrenalin had consumed her the minute she had decided to turn back. Jumping over a family's pile of suitcases, Quinn skidded to a stop in front of the 'Departures' board, her eyes quickly scanning over flight times and statuses. The numbers were all starting to blend together and she closed her eyes in an attempt to steady her breathing.

"His flight took off already," Mike's somber voice caused her eyes to open wide, tears threatening to spill onto her already stained cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Quinn," he pulled her in for a hug, but she couldn't bring herself to reciprocate. After a couple short seconds, she pulled away, the back of her hand wiping away her tears.

"He's really gone," she whispered.

"You can call," Tina suggested, but the words didn't reach Quinn's ears. Instead, the blonde shuffled towards the rows of plastic seats and she plopped down tiredly. She could hear the cacophony of bustling people all around her and she strained to hear a soft, memorable song amidst it all. It played over the loudspeaker and Quinn quickly recognized the same melody as the one that had played in the car.

Well they say it's where the heart is

And I guess the hardest part is

When your heart is broken

And you're lost out in the great wide open…

'Talk about an ironic soundtrack to my life,' she scoffed bitterly. What was she thinking? That Sam's flight to New York had never taken off and she was going to run through the terminal, screaming his name, like in the romantic movies? It wasn't real. She ran a hand through her messy hair, trying to pull herself together, but it was no use. Quinn had lost Sam, again. And now she was stuck in Lima with no place to live and no direction in life.

Looking for a map,

Finding your way back

To where you belong.

Well, that's where I belong…

Off in the distance, Quinn heard a commotion, but she ignored it – her heart felt too heavy and her tears were too much to care about those that surrounded her. She knew Mike and Tina were somewhere in the airport, waiting for her to make the next move, but she couldn't – not when she had no idea what it was. A part of her wanted to buy a ticket to New York, but Quinn knew that was impossible, because...well, she didn't really know why, but it didn't seem like something that she would've done. But the longer Quinn sat there, watching everybody else around her move on to new and exciting things in their lives, the idea didn't seem too far-fetched. She would make it to New York, she would make it out of Lima, and she would somehow find her way back to Sam. Impulse and bravery kicked in and before she knew it, Quinn was making her way towards the ticket counter, a fire in her eyes. Breaking into a run, her eyes fixed upon the ticket counter, ignoring and blocking out everyone around her, focusing only on getting a ticket out of Lima and the potential of a beautiful life with the person she loved. That is, until she ran right into a solid, muscular chest and staggered back.

"Quinn!"

"Sam!" gasping, she didn't even think twice before launching herself into his arms. He dropped the duffel bag he was holding and wrapped his arms around her, holding her body tightly to his. "What are you…? I thought your flight took off already," she mumbled against his chest.

"I never got on the plane," he whispered softly, cupping her face in his. "Now, what the hell are you doing here, Ms. Fabray?" he chuckled.

"I needed to tell you something," Quinn looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes, but a grin stretched across her lips – the first real, genuine smile she had smiled in years.

"Yeah? What's that?" he said huskily, his nose nuzzling hers affectionately.

"I belong with you," she replied, her voice assured. "It doesn't matter where I am, whether it's in Lima or New York or California…it who I'm with that matters. And I belong with you," For once, Quinn's words didn't falter and they didn't feel empty tumbling off her lips. For once, she was sure of exactly what she wanted and who she wanted. "I don't care where home is, as long as I'm with you,"

"You know what?" he asked, lips brushing over hers softly, his fingers on her waist sending a shiver down her spine.

"What?" she murmured.

"You're home."

After all of my running,

I'm finally coming

Home…