At last Friday came. For Rachel, being stuck in the house on her own made the week drag on.
That night Rachel had invited Quinn over for a sleepover. Shelby was giving Beth a bath before bed while Will was reading a book on the couch as he listened to Quinn and Rachel giggling and giving each other makeovers. Rachel was laughing at something Quinn had said when she suddenly fell silent. Her smile dropped and her face turned thoughtful. Will glanced up and his eyes met Quinn's then they both looked at Rachel.
"Is everything ok, Rach?" Quinn asked.
Rachel looked at Quinn then let her gaze slide to Will.
"The baby's coming." She said.
Quinn and Will glanced at each other again before jumping up.
"Ok honey, relax, take deep breaths. We're going to take you to the hospital." Will said as calmly as he could though he was slightly panicked and excited at the same time. "Quinn, grab Rachel's hospital bag from our room." As Quinn ran off to his and Rachel's room, Will hurried to the bathroom door to call to Shelby. "Shelby, the baby's coming."
Luckily Shelby had finished bathing Beth and had changed her into her nightwear. She came out of the bathroom with Beth on her hip and went over to Rachel who had managed to heave herself up.
"Alright baby girl, it's going to be fine." She said gently. "I'll call your dads, get them to meet us at the hospital."
"They're out of town, they won't be able to make it down tonight." Rachel told her.
Quinn came out of the bedroom with Rachel's bag as Will was helping her into her coat. He placed his arm around Rachel and lead her out to the car, murmuring words of comfort.
On the way to the hospital, Beth was dropped off at Puck's. He was over the moon at having a chance to take care of his daughter for the night.
When they reached the hospital, Rachel was given a bed on the maternity ward. Will was sat beside her, holding her hand while Shelby and Quinn paced around the room, waiting for the time when she would be wheeled down to the delivery room. The contractions got closer and closer and a thin layer of sweat began to form on Rachel's skin. Soon, it was time for her to head down to the delivery room. As the doctors wheeled her out, Will followed and Quinn and Shelby watched. Rachel looked behind her and called to them.
"Mom, Quinn, come with me. Please." She shouted through gritted teeth as another contraction started.
They followed quickly behind Will. Once inside the delivery room, Rachel made Will and Shelby stand either side of her so she could grasp both their hands tightly. Quinn stood beside Shelby and reached across to rub Rachel's shoulder. The three of them gave her words of encouragement. Her eyes were screwed shut and she groaned loudly in pain as the doctors told her to push. The pain was more than she could bear and when she took a breath between pushes, she turned to Shelby, tears in her eyes.
"You're doing great, baby girl." Shelby told her.
"It hurts so bad mom." Rachel sobbed.
"I know, baby. I know but soon it'll all be over. Just a couple more pushes and your little girl will be here. You're my big, strong, brave baby girl, I know you can do this." Shelby replied, running her free hand through Rachel's hair.
"You can do it Rach." Quinn encouraged her.
"Honey, they're right." Will said. Rachel turned to look at him and he held her hand in both of his. "You can do this. Just think, our daughter is minutes away from being in our arms. The moment we've been waiting for is here, think of how happy we're going to be. I know it hurts but just think how it'll all be worth it. You can do it baby. I know you can."
He kissed her knuckles and she gave him a weak smile before she felt the need to push once more. She gripped his hand tighter, her knuckles turning white as she screamed in agony. The three standing around her encouraged her.
Finally, Rachel collapsed back onto the bed breathing heavily, her eyes closed as the room was filled with tiny cries.
"Congratulations." The doctor told them as he passed the baby, now cleaned off and wrapped in a blanket, to Rachel. "Here is your daughter."
Rachel smiled down at her little girl, tears of joy spilling down her cheeks. She barely registered Quinn and Shelby hugging her and kissing her forehead, she couldn't tear her eyes away from her baby.
Shelby turned to smile at Quinn.
"I think we should leave these two alone to celebrate." Shelby said.
They congratulated the couple then left the room.
"Hi Melody." Rachel smiled. "We're your mommy and daddy. We've been waiting a long time for you." Rachel looked up at Will who was staring down at Melody with joy and pride. "I can't believe she's here. Oh Will, she's perfect."
"I told you she would be." Will laughed, crying tears of his own. "Just like her mother."
He caught Rachel's lips in a loving kiss and squeezed her hand.
A while later, Rachel had been moved into a room to recover while Melody was taken into the nursery. Will was sat beside her bed as she napped, holding her hand and gently running his thumb across it. Shelby and Quinn peered around the door and entered the room quietly.
"How is she?" Shelby asked.
"Exhausted." Will answered. "She fell asleep almost as soon as they brought her in here."
"I'm not surprised. Having a baby takes a lot out of you." Shelby replied and Quinn nodded in agreement. "So, where is she? I bet she's gorgeous."
"She is." Will smiled. "Come on, I'll show you." He led the girls out of the room to the window overlooking the nursery. Will pointed to the cot labelled 'Melody Schuester' where a baby girl lay sleeping. "There she is. Our little Melody."
"She's tiny." Shelby grinned.
"Just like Rachel." Quinn laughed.
The other two laughed with her. Shelby placed her hands over her mouth and shook her head, gazing at the tiny figure.
"I can't believe it." She whispered. "There she is, my beautiful granddaughter. She looks so much like Rachel did when she was a baby. I never got to hold her but I'll never forget how beautiful she was – and still is. She looked at me, you know. She opened her eyes and looked right at me. I loved her from that moment on."
"Mr Schuester." A nurse called as she left the nursery. "We're taking Melody back to Miss Berry's room now."
Will, Shelby and Quinn followed as they took the baby back to Rachel's room.
"You want to hold her?" Will asked Shelby.
"Could I?" Shelby asked eagerly.
Will smiled as he gently lifted Melody from her bed and into his arms. He kissed her little forehead before placing her into Shelby's waiting arms.
"How does it feel to be a dad?" Quinn asked with a smile.
"Fantastic." Will answered. "I just can't believe she's here. I can't believe this beautiful, amazing woman blessed me with such a gorgeous, perfect little girl. I'm so happy right now." Rachel stirred and Will went to sit back beside her. Her eyes fluttered open and she turned to smile sleepily at him. "Hey sleepyhead."
"Hey." She replied groggily.
She pulled herself into a sitting position and grinned when she noticed Shelby and Quinn.
"I called your dads, they said they'll be here as soon as they can." Shelby told her. She reluctantly passed the baby to Quinn so she could hug Rachel tight. "I love you baby girl."
"I love you too mom." She smiled. Rachel gestured to Quinn and Melody. "Looks like she's capturing everyone's attention already."
"Definitely like her mother then." Shelby laughed.
"She has Will's eyes." Quinn said, smiling down at the little girl who was looking back up at her.
Rachel smiled at Will and put her hand over his.
"We're parents Will. Do you really think we can do this?" She asked.
"Well, only one way to find out." He laughed.
When Quinn and Shelby left later that night, Quinn informed the rest of the Glee club that Rachel had had the baby. The next evening when Rachel returned home with Melody, the club came to see them. They filled the apartment with their laughter and were all amazed that Melody slept through most of it. They left when Rachel's dads arrived. Her dads were so overjoyed at meeting their new granddaughter, they both grabbed Will in a hug, surprising both him and Rachel. They both supported Will and Rachel's decision not to have Melody baptised Jewish at birth. The couple agreed that Rachel would teach Melody about her Jewish faith and Will would tell Melody his own. When Melody was old enough, they would let her decide her own faith and both would support her decision.
The first couple of months were hard, especially when Rachel went back to school. They were worn out and their stress levels rose and they'd fight. Most nights Rachel would go to bed close to tears as she doubted they were going to get through it. Will was always on hand to comfort her and tell her everything would be ok.
They soon found a routine and things got better. Shelby, her dads and Quinn would sometimes take Melody for a couple of hours so they could both rest and straighten themselves out for a while.
The Glee club were more determined to win and they were not going to let anything get in the way. With the promise of at least one year without another teen pregnancy, they got to work. The group Shelby took aside to work with called themselves the Troubletones and as promised, performed a number at each competition. They were ecstatic as the New Directions were named the winner of the National Championship competition. Those that were graduating could leave feeling proud and knowing they'd achieved something great.
Throughout the graduation ceremony, Will wanted nothing more than to hold his little girl while they watched proudly as Rachel received her scroll. He was forced to sit with the rest of the teachers however, with Melody sitting on one of Rachel's dads laps. When Rachel walked out on stage, he grinned and glanced over at Melody. She was almost leaping out of Leroy's arms as she reached for Rachel, screaming 'Momma' at the top of her lungs. Will chuckled, thinking about how much she'd grown in the past year. Shelby, sitting on one side of him, looked in the direction Will was looking, smiled then turned to smile at Will.
"She has your eyes." Emma whispered in his ear from his other side. He turned to smile at her and nodded. "She's beautiful."
"Thank you." Will replied.
When he returned his attention back to Rachel, he saw her blowing Melody a kiss. Her eyes scanned the teacher's row and found him. She gave him the slightest of winks, then went to stand with her classmates. Will clapped a little louder for her than he did the rest.
After the ceremony, they all headed outside where there was more room to congratulate each other and say their goodbyes. Rachel walked straight over to her dads and pulled Melody into her arms, hugging her tight.
"She's got a good set of lungs." Leroy joked. "She nearly screamed the whole place down when she saw you."
"I know. She can certainly make a lot of noise. You should hear her when she's not getting her own way." Rachel sighed. "I just hope she doesn't do the same when she sees Will."
"Dada?" Melody asked, looking around for him.
"He'll be with us soon, honey." Rachel told her. Rachel looked around and saw him shaking hands with Puck and Mike. The pride she saw in Will's eyes as he looked at his students warmed her heart. They were all especially proud of Puck, who was told he was at risk of not graduating this year. Rachel smiled and turned her attention back to her little girl. "Hey, have you got a kiss for momma? Today was a special day for momma and a kiss from her little angel would make it even better." Melody smiled and stretched up in Rachel's arms to kiss her. Rachel held her close and gently swayed her from side to side. "I love you, angel."
They were joined by Quinn, who had Beth on her hip. Beth had pulled off Quinn's graduation cap and was putting it on her own head.
"I can't believe we're here at graduation." Quinn laughed.
Rachel and Quinn gave each other one armed hugs. The brunette laughed as Beth grinned from under the graduation cap.
"Did Beth graduate too?" Rachel smiled.
"Beth got Quinnie's hat." Beth grinned.
Beth was quite content playing with her new toy while the girls talked.
"Are you excited about going to Yale?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, I am but I'm also a little scared." Quinn admitted.
"Why are you scared? You're going to do great at Yale. You're an intelligent young woman and I really think this is your time to shine." Rachel told her.
"Thanks." Quinn smiled. "I'm just going to be leaving so much behind. My friends, my family, this town. I know everybody and everything here. When I go to Yale, I won't know anybody. What if I don't fit in or make any friends? What about my old friends? I don't want to forget them or for them to forget about me. You're going to NYADA, aren't you scared about these things?"
"A little." She nodded.
"But it's ok for you. Will and Melody are going with you, I'm going alone." Quinn said.
Rachel placed her free hand on Quinn's shoulder.
"Quinn, you are going to be fine. You are the most popular girl I know. You're confident, strong and beautiful. From what I've learned over the years, it's girls like you that everyone wants to be friends with. As for your old friends, none of us are going to forget anybody. We'll still keep in touch and we'll visit. You'll get sick of seeing me and I'll keep bugging you to come visit me." Rachel reassured her. "Just because we're all moving away, it doesn't mean we're not going to be friends any more."
"You're right." Quinn sighed.
"Dada." Melody shrieked, alerting them to Will's approach.
Rachel looked around quickly, eyes wide, for anyone who might have heard. Luckily, it seemed as though everyone was too busy talking with each other about their own plans for the future. She looked at Will and they gave each other secret smiles. When he was stood with them, he smiled at Quinn.
"Congratulations ladies. I can't tell you how proud I am of both of you. You've both worked so hard this year." Will said. "Are you both ready for college?"
"I think so, just about." Quinn nodded.
"We were actually just talking about that." Rachel told him. "I was just telling Quinn how lucky I am that you're going to New York too. Hopefully we'll be seeing a lot of each other."
A suggestive smile spread itself across her face and her eyes were glittering with mischief. Will took a step closer, his grin turning predatory and his eyes darkening.
"Oh I think you can count on that Miss Berry." He replied, his voice low and husky.
They both took another step closer and Quinn had to put her arm out between them to separate them.
"Ok, you two, that's enough of that." She called. "Remember where you are."
Will winked at Rachel as they stepped back from each other.
"Dada." Melody repeated, reminding them all she was still there.
She reached out her arms towards Will but he wasn't sure what to do. Melody's face started to scrunch up and tears started to well up in her eyes. A quiet wine started in the back of her throat, threatening to turn into a full volume scream. Will quickly took her out of Rachel's arms and bounced her, not wanting to create a bigger scene than necessary.
"There's my little princess." Will whispered. "And how proud are we of momma?"
Rachel smiled at him, wishing that she could kiss him.
They were joined by Shelby, who congratulated both girls and gave them both hugs. When she hugged Rachel, both women started to tear up. They were both so happy that Shelby had seen her graduate, something that over a year and a half ago neither of them would have believed would happen.
After making sure Beth was ok, Shelby glanced at Will and suddenly remembered a message Figgins had given her.
"Oh, Will, Principle Figgins said he needed to talk to us." Shelby told him.
"What about?" He asked.
"I don't know, he didn't say." She shrugged.
Will sighed and smiled apologetically to Rachel before turning his attention to Melody.
"Hey big girl, daddy's got to go somewhere for a little bit. I'm going to have to give you back to momma now." He kissed her forehead and hugged her tight. "I love you."
"Wait, how about a hug and kiss for grandma?" Shelby laughed as Will started to pass Melody back to Rachel. She held out her arms to Melody. "Can grandma have a hug and kiss too?"
Melody smiled, loving the attention she was receiving, and reached out to Shelby. Shelby took her and gave her a quick hug and kiss before passing her to Rachel.
"If we're not out in time, we'll meet you all at the restaurant." Will told her then turned to Shelby. "Come on, let's see what Figgins wants."
"I wonder what it's about." Rachel said to Quinn when they left. "You don't think he found out, do you?"
"Of course not. Figgins never pays attention to anything that's going on around here. The only way he'd know is if someone told him and trust me, none of us would have said anything." Quinn reassured her.
"So what is it?" Rachel asked impatiently.
"I don't know." Quinn shrugged. "But it'll be nothing to worry about, I promise."
Will and Shelby hadn't returned by the time they were due to leave for their reservation at the restaurant. To celebrate Rachel's graduation, Rachel's dads were paying for a meal for Rachel, Will, Melody, Shelby, Beth and her dads. She had wanted Quinn to come but Quinn had her own plans with her mom and Sam.
They were seated at the table when Shelby and Will finally arrived. Rachel started to worry when she saw the sombre expressions on both their faces.
"What's wrong?" Rachel asked as Will sat beside her.
"Nothing. Look, we'll talk later ok." Will replied. He put on a smile for her and kissed her. "Let's just enjoy ourselves." He turned and opened his menu. "Ok, so what have we got here? So many choices."
Throughout dinner Rachel could see that Shelby and Will were both hiding something but were trying to act like nothing was wrong so they didn't spoil the meal. She tried to put it to the back of her mind but she couldn't stop worrying about what Figgins had said to them.
Shelby came back to the apartment with them and after taking Melody to bed, Rachel was stood in silence in the living room along with her and Will. Quinn had taken Beth for a couple of hours so they could talk.
"She went straight to sleep." Rachel said, desperate to break the uncomfortable silence.
"It's been an exciting day." Shelby commented. "Especially for a one year old. I bet she was exhausted."
"Yeah." Rachel nodded. "It was an exciting day. Everyone was looking forward to making their dreams come true. I feel like my dreams are coming true already. My mom's here for a start. I've got an amazing boyfriend and a beautiful daughter. I'm going to NYADA and moving into this wonderful little house with my boyfriend and baby girl."
"Yeah, about that. I...won't be coming with you." Will sighed then added quickly when he saw her heart shatter in her eyes. "At least, not right away."
"What are you talking about?" Rachel demanded.
"Figgins asked me to stay for a little while and help Shelby out with the Glee club and help look for a new Spanish teacher." Will explained.
"But you can't. You have a family now. What about your one year old daughter? Do you know how hard this is going to be for her?" Rachel argued.
"We know honey. Will argued this, we both did." Shelby told her. "We told him that I'll be fine coaching the Glee club on my own, I have done it before. Will suggested Holly Holliday for the Spanish teacher job – or to at least be a sub until they find a teacher. Figgins...just wouldn't listen."
"I know this is going to be hard for you and Melody – it's going to be just as hard for me. Do you think I like the idea of being separated from my girlfriend and my daughter? I hate it." Will said.
"Then why did you say yes? You don't even work there any more, you finished the same day that I did. He can't fire you if you don't agree to it." Rachel shouted.
"He offered me more money if I said yes." Will answered. "I only agreed to it because I thought that money could be a little extra help for us when we go to New York. I knew how much going there meant to you so I wanted the best start for you and our daughter."
Rachel's expression softened and she looked away. She walked over to sit on the couch and sighed.
"How long?" She asked quietly.
"Until after Sectionals." Will answered.
"But that's almost four months away!" Rachel cried. "You can't -" She cut herself off and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Sorry, I understand why you want to do this, I'm grateful and I appreciate it. I'm just going to miss you so much and what about Melody? Does she stay here with you? Do I take her to New York with me?"
"I think...I think it would be better if you take her and get her settled in New York." Will replied.
Rachel, Will and Shelby talked and made plans late into the evening.
When Shelby left, Will and Rachel retired to their room. Will wrapped his arms around her and she clung to the front of his shirt.
"I can't believe you won't be coming with us to New York." Rachel said sadly.
"I know. Not seeing either of you for three months is going to kill me. I'm not even sure if I'm going to be able to do this." He admitted.
"Then don't. Forget about the money, we'll be ok. Especially after my dads are simply refusing to let anyone else pay for my NYADA tuition fees." Rachel begged, making one last bid to get him to change his mind.
"Oh honey, I would love to just say no and jump on the train to New York with you and Melody right now." He told her with her favourite crooked smile. He brushed her hair behind her ear and held her face in her hand. "Yes, your dads paying your tuition fees is a big help...but we've got bills to pay on the new house, we've got to get food on the table, we need clothes for our backs. If it was just you and me, it wouldn't be so bad, we could cut back on a few things, but we have a little girl to think of too and she needs all these things. This money is really going to help us out – especially seeing as I'm going to be out of work for a little while until I can find something."
"You're right." She sighed. "I hate that."
Will chuckled and she managed to crack a little smile for him.
"We'll be alright. We'll get through this somehow. Three months will fly by, you'll see." He reassured her. She nodded and he placed a light kiss on her lips. "Anyway, let's not think about that now. Let's make the most of the time we have together before you have to leave."
She smiled and nodded again. She looked away and her gaze fell on the bed before looking back up at him.
"Let's start right now." She said before crushing her lips onto his.
The night before Rachel and Melody were due to leave for New York, the couple had put Melody to bed and shared a romantic meal. Will had cooked and had lit candles and turned out the lights. Romantic music played quietly in the background.
After dinner he'd told her to go and take a nice, long bath while he washed up. When she told him she'd go once she'd helped him clear away, he simply refused and insisted she left him to do it. With a confused smile, she shrugged and went into the bathroom.
Once she'd taken her bath, she wrapped up in a towel and stepped out. Her foot fell on something soft and when she looked down, she saw she'd stepped on a rose petal. She noticed more rose petals in a trail leading away from the bathroom. With a curious smile, she followed the trail to the bedroom.
Upon entering the room, the first thing she noticed was that it was lit only by a few flickering candles. Then her eyes found Will, standing in the centre of the room in his smartest suit, smiling at her in a way that made her heart melt. He walked forward and took both her hands in his, pulling her further into the room.
"What's all this about?" She asked.
"Rachel Berry, I love you so much. You are the most beautiful, amazing woman I've ever met. That moment when I first told you I loved you, was the first time I'd ever meant it so sincerely. I have never loved anybody as much as I love you. You are my soul mate and I can't imagine my life without you. I want us to be together forever and if you want that too, then just say yes." Will said. Rachel gasped as he got down on one knee and produced a ring from his pocket. "Rachel Barbara Berry, will you marry me?"
Rachel lifted her hand to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.
"Yes." She whispered. "Yes, I will marry you."
Will grinned as he took her left hand in his. Both were shaking as he slipped the ring onto her finger. He stood up and gazed lovingly into her eyes. Rachel finally let her hand drop to her side and she let out an excited giggle.
"It's not quite what I had planned. I was going to get the old Glee club in and get them to help me sing a romantic song. I had this big performance in my mind. It was going to be totally over the top like every other Glee performance." Will told her. "But with you leaving tomorrow I just...I had to do it. It had to be now. I hope this isn't a disappointment."
"Oh Will, this is perfect. I'd pick this over a huge performance any day. It's just us, it's beautiful, it's romantic and it's intimate. The petals were just...it was all amazing." Rachel smiled.
He held her face in his hand as they shared a passionate kiss. They wrapped their arms around each other tightly as they both cried tears of joy into each other's shoulders.
"I love you so much." Will whispered.
"I love you too." Rachel grinned. When they pulled away, she held her hand up to examine the ring and bounced excitedly on her heels. "It's gorgeous. Will it's so beautiful. Oh my goodness, we're engaged. We're getting married." She threw her arms around his neck, almost strangling him. He laughed as he wound his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet. He spun her around the room before placing her back on her feet and kissing her once more. "Oh, I have to call my parents. This is so amazing. I love you."
Will smiled as he watched her run out of the room, almost losing her towel in her excitement. When she returned with her cell, she pulled him to sit on the bed with her. She held his hand tight throughout the calls she made.
She called her dads first and surprisingly, they took the news well. Will had been worried about their reaction as it seemed like they'd only just accepted his relationship with Rachel. He'd wanted to go about his proposal to Rachel in the traditional way and ask her dads permission first but he feared their answer. He figured if he proposed first and Rachel said yes, it would be too late for her dads to say anything. He just hoped now that they wouldn't be mad or upset that he hadn't asked their permission.
Shelby was excited for them and Will was grateful that she hadn't mentioned that she'd known Will was going to propose. When he was thinking of proposing to Rachel, he had been unsure at first. He didn't know if it was the right time, or if they were ready for that kind of commitment, or if Rachel would even say yes. He had needed a confidant and Shelby seemed like his best option.
Quinn had squealed loudly down the phone and Rachel had to hold it away from her ear. She talked longest to Quinn as the girls already started to discuss possible themes or colour schemes. The one decision that Will knew Rachel would make right away was to have Quinn as her maid of honour. Quinn had squealed a second time when Rachel had asked her.
As they lay in each other's arms later that night, Rachel ran her hand across Will's chest and sighed sadly.
"I can't believe this is the last time I'm going to be able to sleep in your arms." She said.
"I know." Will sighed. "I'm going to miss this."
Will's arms tightened around her and she buried her face in his chest, placing kisses there.
"Promise me there'll be no tears tomorrow." She whispered. "It'll just make it so much harder to leave otherwise."
"I'm not sure that's a promise I'm going to be able to keep." Will replied. "But I'll try. So long as you promise me the same thing, otherwise I won't be able to let you go."
Rachel lifted her head to look into his eyes and ran her finger across his cheek.
"I'm not sure I'm going to be able to keep that promise either." She told him.
They stared into each other's eyes before Rachel had to look away when she felt tears start to form already. She buried her face back into his chest and felt his arm tighten around her. She heard him clear his throat and swallow as if fighting back his own tears. She forced herself to empty her mind of all thoughts and to try and get to sleep. If she let her thoughts dwell on her departure, she knew she'd just get more upset and then she really wouldn't be able to leave.
The next morning, neither of them knew what to say to the other. They got ready in silence and could barely look at each other. There was a sombre mood in the apartment and even Melody picked up on it. She didn't babble away in her own little world at breakfast like she usually did. She ate quietly and let Rachel feed her without making a fuss and wriggling around. She also refused to let anybody put her down. If she was not in Will or Rachel's arms, she would cry loudly until one of them picked her up again. When they held her, she would bury her face in their shoulder and fist her hands into their shirt.
Shelby and Rachel's dads met them at the train station to say goodbye. Melody was passed down the line so each of them could give her one last hug. She ended in Will's arms where he held her tight and buried his face in her hair while Rachel said goodbye to her parents. When she reached Will, he passed Melody to Shelby so they could say goodbye. He held both her hands in his as they looked into each other's eyes.
"Well...here we are." Rachel said quietly.
"Yeah. Here we are." He nodded. "I'm really going to miss you."
"I'll miss you too. We'll video chat every night won't we? You promised we would." She said, a hint of panic in her voice.
"Honey, it's ok. I promised we would video chat and we will. I'll be waiting for you tonight." He promised her.
"Ok." She replied.
They stood in silence for a few moments, not knowing what to say.
"I think this is where we're supposed to say goodbye." Will laughed.
"I wish we didn't have to." Rachel sighed.
"Me too." Will said. "But it's just three months, they'll be over before you know it."
"I hope so." She smiled. She looked down at their joined hands and at the ring on her finger. She hated to leave him just after they'd got engaged, she wanted to celebrate. At first she'd worried about their relationship lasting with so much distance between them and not being able to see each other when they wanted. However, when he proposed it gave her hope. She knew he was just as serious about this relationship as she was and that he would fight to make it last. Breaking herself out of her thoughts, she looked back up at him and deep into his eyes. "I love you Will."
"I love you too." He told her.
"I'm going to kiss you now." She said.
They looked into each other's eyes for a beat before she stood on her tip-toes and caught his lips in a gentle kiss. The kiss soon turned desperate as they clung tightly to each other.
A quiet cough broke them apart and they turned to see Shelby stood beside them.
"Rachel honey, your train is about to leave." Shelby told her gently, looking sympathetically between Rachel and Will.
Rachel sighed and nodded, looking down at the floor. She took Melody from Shelby then turned to Will. Will smiled at his little girl and ran his hand through her hair.
"You be good for momma ok. Will you look after her for daddy? I love you very much sweetie." He told her. He kissed her forehead one last time before looking at Rachel. Her lip was trembling and there were tears forming in her eyes. He held her face in his hand and ran his thumb across her cheek. "Hey, you said no tears remember." She nodded and swallowed. "I'll see you soon enough, Rachel Berry. This goodbye won't be for long. Now, you need to get on that train and go make me proud."
She nodded then surged up on her tip-toes for one last kiss. She quickly tore herself away before she changed her mind and stayed with him.
"I love you." She told him.
"I love you too." He replied.
Rachel turned and quickly carried Melody onto the train. Once she'd found her seat, she turned to look out of the window at Will and her parents standing on the platform. The train started to move and Rachel waved to them.
"Wave goodbye Melody." She said to the little girl in her lap.
Melody waved to them and giggled as they waved back. Once they'd disappeared from view, Rachel held Melody tight and let her tears fall.