Lover Shuffle Chapter 11: This is the actual chapter!, a glee fanfic

A/N: Warnings for slash and spoilers!

The next day was Glee Club after school. With all of Sam's problems slowly working themselves out (except the whole parent issue), they returned their focus to Nationals. With the decision to write new original songs firmly planted in their minds, they all settled into various comfortable positions around the room.

"Where's Mr. Shue?" Puck asked, looking around after they had been there for ten minutes with no sign of their teacher.

"He said he was going to be a little late," Artie said, glancing up from where he and Brittany had their heads together.

Rachel frowned but Sam cut her off with a nudge and a wink before she could launch into a lecture. She huffed but leaned back over her paper, her brow furrowed.

"What rhymes with annoying?" she asked.

"Boying, loying, soying, toying, koying, adoring." Tina raddled off.

"Thanks, Tina," Rachel said, smiling. She returned to her writing while Sam and Puck shared a smirk over her head.

"Hey, guys, sorry I'm late, but look who I brought with me." Mr. Shue smiled as he walked in. The group looked up to see Finn entering the room, his head hung slightly. "Finn has something he wants to say."

Puck opened his mouth but Rachel elbowed him and shook her head. He's not worth it she mouthed.

"I, uh, just wanted to say that I'm, um, sorry for getting upset the other day and, uh, I'm sorry for what I called you the other day, Rachel." He glanced at her at the end of his speech, his forehead wrinkled as he frowned.

"Thank you for apologizing, Finn," she said, giving him a small smile. He attempted one in return before moving to the opposite side of the room. He shot a look at Quinn but didn't say anything.

"All right, now that we have all of our people here, how about we get working on our songs?" Mr. Shue said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. "We have just over one week until Nationals and we need to get this done. So let's do this!" He smiled brightly at them.

Puck rolled his eyes but looked down at his paper, trying to decide if he should just give Shue the song he had already written or just write a new one. Sam and Rachel were bent over their respected papers so he couldn't ask for their opinions.

Sam was becoming frustrated because everything he wrote sounded corny or overly mushy.

Rachel was excited because 'annoying' and 'toying' worked perfectly together.

A glance at Finn showed the tall boy scribbling furiously on a pad of paper. Puck sneered, even if he wasn't looking, simply because it made him feel better. He was going to have to find out why Rach forgave him so quickly, seeing as how Frankenteen didn't fucking deserve it.

Time went by swiftly and silently and when it was time to go, Mr. Shue made an announcement. "Now, just for kicks, this time I'm going to draw names for the duet partners for Nationals." He pulled out a black bowl and shook it. "The decision will be final and I don't want to hear any arguments."

"What if it's two guys?" Finn asked. Puck's fists clenched.

"If it is, then they'll do a duet." He shook the bowl again and reached in, pulling out a name. "The first name is… Rachel Berry." Shue grinned while everyone clapped and Rachel ducked her head, smiling brightly.

"I will do my best to lead us to the top," she said, looking at all of her fellow Glee clubbers.

"You'll do great, baby," Puck told her, hugging her tightly to him. Sam laced his fingers through hers.

"Not a doubt in our minds," he added.

"All right, everyone calm down," Shue said, shaking the bowl again. "And Rachel's duet partner will be…" He pulled another white slip out and a frown flickered across his face, but it was gone as quick as it appeared. "Finn Hudson." Shue shot a look at both Sam and Puck when they opened their mouths. "No arguments, guys."

Santana looked over to see Finn trying to hide a grin and his fists clenched involuntarily. He better not do anything stupid.

"Okay, work on your songs and we'll meet up on Tuesday to see what everyone has. Remember, we leave bright and early Friday morning, so if I don't have your permission slip already I need it by Thursday afternoon. See you guys tomorrow." Mr. Shue smiled at them and grabbed his stack of papers, flipping through them idly as he walked towards his office.

Everyone stood up, gathering their things and congratulating Rachel and (somewhat reluctantly) Finn. Sam refused (stealthily) to let Rachel talk to Finn, keeping her surrounded by their friends and slowly steering her towards the door. After Rachel told everyone a hasty goodbye, Sam ushered her out of the choir room, Puck and Santana trailing behind. Thankfully, the guys waited until they were outside before they exploded, both yelling and ranting and just generally throwing temper tantrums.

"Well, they're taking it better than I thought they would," Santana murmured.

"How did you think they would take it?"

The Latina frowned. "More breaking."

Rachel laughed, "Well, I've been trying to get them to understand that violence the answer, so maybe this is their way to let out all of their anger and energy until they calm down enough to speak with some sort of eloquence and are able to talk about their feelings."

"Whatever, I just wanted somebody to break something." Santana nudged her, winking.

"Excuse us if we don't want our girlfriend singing with that… that…" Puck exhaled heavily.

"Ass-clown," Sam finished.

"I don't like it anymore than either of you but you don't see me pitching a bitchfit," Santana said, stopping at her car. "Shue isn't going to budge, so it's best just to suck it up. Rach, I'll text you later." She slid into her car and waved goodbye as the trio continued on to Puck's truck.

Once they were inside, Puck spoke. "Satan's right, there's nothing we can do, so we're just going to suck it up and get through Nationals like professionals."

Sam looked at him incredulously while Rachel smiled at him sweetly. "Thank you for being so grown up about this, Noah."

He kissed her nose. "Anything to make you happy, love." He put the truck in park, ignoring Sam's look, and headed to Rachel's house. Without asking, the guys followed her inside, waving to Jake before following the girl upstairs. They settled on her bed while she flittered about, humming some tune neither recognized.

"Have you seen the previews for The Green Lantern? I think I want to go see it," Rachel said idly, flicking through her iPod.

"Care to tell us why you forgave Finn so easily?" Sam asked. She turned to see both of her boyfriends with their arms crossed.

"I didn't forgive Finn, easily or otherwise." Rachel frowned.

"Really, 'cause that's what it looked like." Puck frowned right back at her.

Rachel sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I never said I forgave him, I just thanked him for apologizing. As much as I try to forgive and forget, I'm finding it difficult to get over… what he called me. I don't want to start anything just before Nationals, though, so I'm going to do this duet with Finn with all of the professionalism I can muster."

She walked over to the bed, straddling Puck. "Please don't be mad," she whispered against his lips.

He kissed her, fisting his hands in her hair, and felt Sam move between his legs. "We could never stay mad at you."

Rachel arched her back, pulling Sam's mouth to hers and kissing him roughly. "I love you two."

Noah leaned up, latching onto her neck while Sam captured her lips once again. She could feel them, hot and hard, on her arse and against her thigh, and she moaned. It had been so long since they had been alone long enough to do more than kiss and she needed them. (Thank god for soundproof rooms.)

Someone's hands came up, cupping her breasts as their lips continued their assault. Clothes were quickly shed, all of them too eager to extend the foreplay, and Noah slipped inside of her while Sam swallowed Rachel's moan, his deft fingers tweaking her nipples. She reached behind her, grabbing the blond's member and stroking him, keeping in rhythm with Puck's thrusts.

She felt him lean forward, his lips coming up to her ear. "You look so fucking sexy with Sam's cock in your hand." Rachel whimpered, clenching around him as his lips latched onto her neck.

"You like it when we talk dirty, don't you?" Sam asked, his lips brushing against hers. He pinched one of her nipples when she didn't respond. "Don't you?"

"Yes," she hissed, her hand working him faster as Noah's hands circled her waist, pulling her down roughly. She twisted her wrist, enticing a groan from Sam.

"Fuck, baby," he moaned, thrusting against her back. Rachel ran her thumb over the head, gathering the precum lingering and oiling his member with it. One of Sam's hands slid down her flat stomach to her mound and began rubbing a pattern over her clit with just the amount of pressure Rachel liked. Sam's hand working in tandem with Noah's thrust, Rachel raced towards the edge.

Noah felt her fluttering around him. His tongue traced the shell of her ear. "You're going to cum, aren't you, baby?" Rachel nodded, unable to articulate anything. "Go on, cum for us."

"You're so beautiful when you cum," Sam added, working his fingers faster. Rachel keened, her back arching as she let go, her release flooding over Noah's cock hotly. Unable to hold back, he thrusts into her roughly, grunting as he filled the condom. Sam slowed his fingers, riding out her orgasm until she whimpers, pushing at his hand.

"So fucking beautiful," the blond murmured, pressing a kiss to her neck as Noah fell back, Rachel following and collapsing against his chest. Sam smirked, moving to the end of the bed and slowly stroking his cock as he watched his lovers in their post-sex haze. Puck looked over at him, his dark eyes following Sam's hand as he worked his length.

Carefully lifting Rachel off his lap, he laid her down on the bed, pulling out in the process and ignoring her protests, and disposed of the condom in the little trashcan by her bed. Locking eyes with his boyfriend, Noah moved towards the end of the bed, capturing Sam's lips with his and adding his hand to Sam's cock. He moaned, thrusting his hips as Puck kissed down his jaw to his ear.

Sam stops him when he starts kissing his way down his chest, his tongue flicking the lighter man's abs.

"What, babe?" Puck asked, frustration clear in his eyes.

"You don't have to do that."

Puck didn't bother to reply, simply rolling his eyes and continuing his way down. Sam's protests die on his lips when Puck takes him in his mouth, humming as he worked him and it doesn't take long before his fingers card through Puck's Mohawk, his nails slightly digging into his scalp as he comes, whimpering as Noah swallowed around him.

"Fuck," he gasped. Puck tugged him up so that they were each side of Rachel, the three of them curling around each other. "That…" Sam buried his face in Rachel's hair, still trying to catch his breath.

"Was intense," Noah finished for him, pressing a kiss to each of their foreheads.

"I love you two," Rachel mumbled, her eyes closed. Her breathing evened out and she was asleep.

"Love you," Sam and Noah murmured. Sam followed her to dreamland but Noah stayed awake, watching them as they slumbered and thinking about how drastically his life had changed from last year.

Before, he had nothing, no one who believed in him. Now, though, he had two people he loved that loved him back and believed that he could do anything and they planned to stay by his side the whole time. Rachel didn't know it, but both he and Sam had applied to NYU so that they could join her when they graduated next year.

Thirty minutes before he knew one of her dads would be calling them down for dinner, Noah woke his lovers up so that they could get dressed and 'presentable.' Once Jake yelled for them, the guys rushed downstairs, intent on the delicious smell coming from the dining room, while Rachel followed them at a much slower pace, rolling her eyes when she entered the room and they were already seated at the table.

"What?" Noah asked, grabbing a slice of bread when Gregory set a basketful on the table.

Rachel shook her head. "Nothing," she laughed. Sam jumped up, pulling back the chair next to Puck's and pushing forward when she sits. "Thank you, Sam." Sam winked, moving to sit on her other side.

"Suck up," Puck said, leaning around Rachel to stick his tongue out at Sam, who laughed.

Sam glanced at the door leading to the kitchen before replying, "I can think of better things to do with that tongue."

Puck just laughed, winking, as Rachel's dads came back into the room.

"What's the joke?" Jake asked, grinning as he sat the container of eggplant parmesan in the middle of the table.

"Finn's face," Noah smirked, only to be elbowed by Rachel.

"Noah, don't be mean," she hissed.

"'S'all good, baby."

"He's our teammate. Just because he doesn't agree with our relationship-"

"Not that it's any of his business," Sam muttered.

"-doesn't mean we should stoop to his level of childishness," she finished, glaring at Sam.

"You're right, sweetheart," Gregory said as he and his husband settled at the table. "Just because Finn has made you angry doesn't mean you should act immature, as he chose to do. You three are better than that."

Rachel beamed at her father. "Yes, we are. Now let's eat."

The meal was spent full of laughter, the atmosphere light and happy, free of the stresses of parents or Glee club. Afterwards, the three lovers retreated upstairs to watch Avatar while Rachel's dads settled into the den to watch the evening news.

"Sam looks a bit better," Gregory noted.

"Yes, Vi was so kind to allow him to stay with them." Jake sighed heavily. "I wish we could have."

"Jake…" his husband said warningly. They had already talked about this. Several times.

"I know, I know. But, baby, don't you think they're already having sex? I mean, they are two good looking boys and our daughter is beautiful."

"Lalalalala, I don't want to think about it!" Gregory plugged his ears, shaking his head as he grinned. Jake laughed, tugging his arm down and laying his head on his shoulder.

"You're so silly," he sighed.

888

The days leading up to Nationals were full of stress. None of the songs presented were deemed good enough to perform and time was running out. Rachel personally thought her song about an annoying boy who continued toying with her heart was a keeper but Mr. Shue said it needed some work.

(She nearly threw the music sheet at his head; that song was perfect.)

After her epic party, in which she got her final revenge, Santana finally told Quinn to stop using her lotion so that she would be her normal white self for the competition. Tina, Quinn and Kurt were all angry at Santana's revenge, but had to admit that her pranks were pretty good.

Then the day arrived for them to leave. Everyone loaded their belongings and then piled on the bus. Puck managed to convince Rachel that the best seat was the bench in the back. She would have argued but it was the only place there that allowed her to sit with both him and Sam. They settled in for the trip to the airport, Sam whispering dirty things in her ear while Puck tried to tempt her into doing… stuff. Quickly realizing that it was probably a bad idea to sit there, her eyes searched for Santana, only to find her friend sitting next to Brittany. She was happy and hopeful for them, even it did mean Artie would be heartbroken, but that meant she had to sit there and be tortured for the rest of the trip.

Once on the plane, Rachel arranged for Mr. Shue to sit with her boyfriends and sat in between Kurt and (oddly enough) Quinn. During the trip, Quinn confessed that she had felt horrible about the way Finn reacted to the announcement of Rachel's relationship and the way he had degraded her. Eventually, she broke up with him because of his (continued) obsession with Rachel and her boyfriends. When she found out about Sam's problems, she wanted to help, trying to appease some of the guilt of cheating and breaking his heart.

With Quinn's motives clearer, Rachel relaxed, even though her heart ached slightly for Quinn. Things just seemed to keep going badly for the former Cheerio, even though most of her problems were her own fault. When the plane touched down in New York, Rachel hugged her, thanking her for helping Sam and offering her ear, should Quinn need a friend.

At the hotel, they gathered in the girls room, trying to come up with a song good enough to take Nationals. Brittany and Artie sing "My Cup," which Rachel secretly enjoys more than she'll admit, and then the others are trying to convince her to get out and see New York, claiming they could use it as 'inspiration.' She rolls her eyes, knowing they just want to get out of the hotel. Against her better judgment, they go, exploring the city and Rachel actually has fun. She's at her element, really, being in New York and this much closer to Broadway.

Later, once they're all back in the hotel rooms, she settled down between Santana and Mercedes and tries to sleep. It doesn't come easily for her, though soon Santana is snoring lightly beside her. Rolling her eyes, Rachel nudged the girl gently, trying to get her to change position, when she heard a sniffle. Sitting up, she spied Quinn swiping a hand across her face, trying to get rid of the tears coursing down her cheeks.

"Quinn, are you okay?" Rachel whispered.

"I'm fine, go back to sleep," the blonde said, somewhat harshly.

"What's wrong?" Rachel crawled over Santana and off the bed.

"Nothing."

With a sigh, she tugged Quinn up from the couch and sits next to her. Quinn immediately curled into Rachel's side, her head resting on the smaller girls' shoulder.

"It's just so messed up, everything with Finn and Sam. No offence, but how do you have all these hot guys mooning over you? I try so hard to be a good person and a good Christian, but at every turn, things go wrong and I end up hurt. I love Finn and I loved Sam, and now both of them just want you. I don't even have the Cheerios anymore." Quinn let out a soft sob. "I just…" She trailed off, burying her face in Rachel's neck as she stroked her hair, humming quietly as she rocked the blonde gently.

"I won't take offence because I don't really know either, but I will tell you that there's someone out there for you, Quinn. You just have to be patient. Maybe you should just be single for a little while. It's not always fun, but it allows you time to find yourself. I made the mistake of pining after Finn all the way up until Noah and I started dating again and I regret it now because it made it harder to see what was right in front of me: Noah and then Sam and now both of them." Rachel shrugged her other shoulder. "Maybe the guy for you is right under your nose and you just can't see him."

Quinn released a heavy breath. "You're right." She laughed drily. "When did you get so smart on all things love, Berry?"

Rachel chuckled. "I guess when I had to make the decision between Sam and Noah and couldn't because I loved them both just too much."

"You're very lucky, you know."

"Yeah, I know…"

888

The next day (the day before they were to compete), Kurt woke Rachel up, bribing her with a promise of breakfast at Tiffany's. He told her that he had told Sam and Puck of his plans and they had both grunted ("like Neanderthals," Kurt noted) in response. They leaned against the brick building, enjoying their drinks and talking about their future. Kurt had spoke with Blaine and the Warbler was planning on joining the two of them in New York. Then came the big question: Would Sam and/or Puck be with them as well?

Rachel shrugged. "I'm not sure, Kurt. Noah's slacking off the past three years will have affected his grade point average and I don't know what Sam's plans are."

"Have you asked them what they're plans are?" Kurt asked wisely.

She shifted nervously beside him. "No. I'll admit, I'm nervous to what they're answers are, though I know I don't have much of a reason to be, considering everything we've been through just to be together."

"You're stalling, darling," Kurt drawled, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I know, I know."

Kurt grabbed her hand, tugging her along. "Come on, let's go to Broadway."

888

By the time the pair got back, everyone was awake and getting ready for another day of trying to figure out a song. Finn pulled Mr. Shue aside and handed him a paper.

"I wrote this and wanted you opinion before I showed it to everyone else," the tall boy said.

"This is good," the teacher said, his eyes darting over the lyrics quickly. "The best we've gotten so far for this competition." He grinned. "Let's get to work on some choreography for it."

Though he knew he was going to have a fight on his hands, Shue told them that they were going to use Finn's song for his and Rachel's duet. Surprisingly, neither of Rachel's boyfriends said anything, only nodding as they read over the lyrics, but Puck's shoulders are tense and Sam's forehead is creased. Rachel smiled at them, happy that they took what she and her daddy had said to heart and were being the bigger men.

They decided on simple choreography for the duet and, once it was settled, went to work on writing a second song. Puck threw around various arguments in his head for a bit before deciding to go for it.

"Mr. Shue, I have a song I wrote a while back that I think might be good." He handed their teacher a folded square, a little worn and creased. Reading it over, he smiled and passed it to Quinn, who was sitting next to him.

"I like it, Puck, you did well. We can use that for our group number, if everyone agrees." Once everyone had read it over, they agreed and work on choreography began. Finally, late into the night, they fell into an exhausted sleep to get ready for the next day.

888

"I don't like it," Puck grumbled. "He's planning something, I can tell."

Sam kissed him gently, trailing his lips to his ear. "Stop talking about Finn when I'm kissing you," he demanded.

"'M sorry." Puck pulled Sam's face back to his, kissing him deeply. They were backstage at Nationals, patiently (not really) waiting for their turn. Sam had pulled Puck off to the side, trying to get his mind off the potentially disastrous duet impending. They kissed until their girlfriend came over, tugging them apart and glaring.

"Keep it in your pants, boys," she growled.

"Jealous?" Noah asked, pulling her to them.

"Only a little," she smiled demurely at him. "Come on, we're about to go on."

They each kissed her cheeks (because she refused to let her lipstick be smeared) and they took their spots. Once the music started, Rachel put on her show face and stepped onto the stage.

Face to face and heart to heart
We're so close yet so far apart
I close my eyes I look away
That's just because I'm not okay
But I hold on I stay strong
Wondering if we still belong

Finn stepped out from the other side of the stage.

Will we ever say the words we're feeling
Deep down underneath it
Tear down all the walls
Will we ever have a happy ending
Or will we forever only be pretending
We will always be pretending

They slowly began walking towards each other.

How long do I fantasize
Make believe that it's still alive
Imagine that I am good enough
If we can choose the ones we love
But I hold on I stay strong
Wondering if we still belong

He was getting closer and Rachel could see something in his eyes, though she couldn't place what it was.

Will we ever say the words we're feeling
Reach down underneath and
Tear down all the walls
Will we ever have a happy ending
Or will we forever only be pretending

They met in the middle and she pictured Sam and Noah, trying to pour all of her love for them into the song.

Will we (oh oh) always (oh oh) be keeping secrets safe
Every move we make
Seems like nowhere's safe to go
And it's such a shame
Cuz if you feel the same
How am I supposed to know

Finn moved even closer and suddenly she could see lust, anger and defiance clear in his eyes.

Will we ever say the words we're feeling
Deep down underneath it
Tear down all the walls
Will we ever have a happy ending
Or will we forever only be pretending
Will we (oh oh) always (oh oh) be pretending

Before she realized what he was doing, Finn leaned down, capturing her lips in a hard kiss. The audience gasped and she pulled away, fighting the urge to slap him. Glaring, she moved to her spot for the next song. Her gleemates were shooting her questioning looks and she shook her head minutely. They needed to focus, not start a fight.

Hey hey hey you and me
Keep on dancing in the dark
It's been tearing me apart
Never knowing what we are
Hey hey hey you and me
Keep on trying to play it cool
Now it's time to make a move
And that's what I'm gonna do

She tried to avoid looking at Noah or Sam, fearing that they would guess what had happened (if they hadn't already) and attack Finn in the middle of the number.

Lay it all down
Got something to say
Lay it all down
Throw your doubt away
Do or die now
Step onto the plate
Blow the door wide open like up up and away

Let's light up the world tonight
You gotta give up the fun and bite
I know that we've got the look alright
Come on and light light light it up light it up tonight
Let's light up the world tonight
You gotta give up the fun and bite
I know that we've got the look alright
Come on and light light light it up light it up tonight

She caught Noah looking at her lips and winced internally. As hard as he had kissed her, they had to be at least a little swollen.

Hey hey hey you and me
Turn it up ten thousand watts
Tell me why we gotta stop
I just want to let it rock
Hey hey hey you and me
Keep on tearing down the road
Like we don't know where to go
Step back let me take control

Lay it all down
Got something to say
Lay it all down
Throw your doubt away
Do or die now
Step onto the plate
Blow the door wide open like up up and away

Sam was looking at her now.

Hey hey hey you
Hey hey hey you
Hey hey hey you
Hey hey hey you you you you you you you you you

Lay it all down
Got something to say
Lay it all down
Throw your doubt away
Do or die now
Step onto the plate
Blow the door wide open like up up and away
Yeah

Finn smiled softly at her and the urge to slap him was back. She kept her show face up.

She was breathing hard, the exhilaration of performing mixing with the fear of her boyfriends wrath. They ran off stage, waving to the audience. They're done for the day and they head up to their rooms and it's only once they've stepped into the girls room that Puck turned and punched Finn straight in his stupid face.

"You asshole, what did you do?" he yelled, his fists clenching as Sam and Mike hold onto his shoulders.

Finn cussed, hunched over and holding his nose. "The fucking hell, man?"

"Language, guys!" Shue yelled, stepping between the two of them and holding his arms out.

"Like I fucking care, he fucking kissed our girlfriend," Puck seethed, glaring at his former best friend.

"I know, Puck, but you need to calm down. I will handle this." He waited until some of the tension was gone from Puck's shoulders before turning to Finn. "You were way out of line on this one, Finn. I don't pretend to know everything that happens in you guys' lives but I do know that it was made clear that Rachel is with Puck and Sam and you knew that, considering the big fit you had. We talked about this when I asked you to come back and you agreed not to do anything to make waves with the other glee members." Will sighed, rubbing his head. "We're not done with this conversation but I refuse to have it here, in front of everyone. Just… Just stay away from Rachel." He turned to Sam and Puck. "You two, no retaliation, I will deal with Finn later. Do I make myself clear?"

Neither said anything.

"Guys," Shue said warningly.

"Fine," Puck gritted out through clenched teeth.

"Sure," Sam said, not looking at their teacher.

"Good. Now that that's settled, let's get something to eat before they announce the finalists." Will smiled at them but it doesn't reach his eyes and everyone knows that it's fake. The group obediently followed him out, all but three of them. Rachel hung her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears springing to the corners of her eyes. Suddenly, she's squished between two well-muscled bodies, their voices murmuring reassurances into her hair.

"It's not your fault, baby."

"We know you didn't want to kiss him."

"No, but I should have known he was up to something," she sobbed, her arms circling their waists.

"We all knew he was but Mr. Shue wasn't going to change anything," Noah said, rocking them gently.

"There's nothing any of us could have done," Sam added, kissing her temple.

They stood there for a few more seconds before Sam ushered them out, saying they needed to eat. They caught up with everyone in the hotel lobby and Will led them to a small diner not far away. Everyone sat down and Shue slid in across from Finn, since the boy was the only one seated by himself. The two of them spoke quietly for most of the meal, Finn growing irritated, then defiant, then angry and finally defeated. Everyone else spent the time laughing and trying to pretend there wasn't a huge pink elephant in the room.

Then it was time.

They headed back to the hotel with bated breath, hoping that Finn's moment of stupidity (well, he usually acts pretty stupid, so maybe they shouldn't be surprised) didn't ruin everything they worked so hard for.

The list had been posted and everyone was crowded around. New Directions hung back, waiting for a spot to clear and when it did, Rachel moved forward, her body tense with anticipation. Scanning the list, she drooped. The rest of the gleeks were right behind her.

We didn't make it…

Santana whirled around and advanced on Finn but Rachel beat her to him, slapping him hard across the face.

"You've ruined EVERYTHING!" she sobbed, raising her hand to slap him again. Shue grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back.

"Rachel, stop!"

"HE COST US NATIONALS!"

Shue continued pulling her back. "We'll deal with this in the room," he grunted, wincing when she elbowed him in the jaw. Puck stepped up, grabbing her from their teacher and pinning her arms to her side.

"Rach, calm down," he murmured in her ear, leading her towards the elevators. Sam walked over, wrapping his arms around them and joining Puck in trying to calm down their hysterical girlfriend. Everyone except Finn and Shue got on the elevator and rode it up to their floor. Once they were in the girls room, Santana started screaming in Spanish, pacing the floor and glaring hatefully at the door, as if it were Finn.

The door cracked open. Sam and Noah grabbed Rachel while Mike and Mercedes grabbed Santana, preparing for the worst. Shue walked in and smiled slightly at the sight before sighing.

"There will be no retaliation, guys. Finn said he's quitting Glee for good and he apologized for kissing Rachel. I know, its sucks that we didn't make it to the top ten, but that just means we need to work harder next year to win." He looked at them sympathetically. "But you guys did really good and I'm proud of you." He gave them a small smile before leaving.

They were silent for several minutes until Quinn said, "So, I guess that's it, then."

Rachel visibly deflated. "Yes, that's it."

888

The trip back to Ohio was quiet. Everyone except Will refused to even look Finn's way. The tall boy ignored them back, a small smirk playing over his lips the whole time. The moment they were back at school, Sam wrapped his arm around Rachel and towed her to Puck's truck while the other boy grabbed their bags. They climbed inside Puck's truck and drove to Rachel's house and, after accepting condolences from her father, retreated to her room where the three of them settled on her bed, wrapped around each other.

"There's always next year, baby," Sam murmured.

"We'll get it next year," Noah added.

Rachel just nodded, making a silent promise that, next year, they would win at Nationals, no matter what.

A/N: Okay, I know, I suck so much :/ Moved to another state and started a new job (not to mention very limited internet access), so it was kinda hard to get this last chapter out, but I made it extra long and added some sexy times in there, so I hope it made it worth it! The final chapter of Revenge Shuffle is also up, so go check it out, please :)

Also, it might be a bit before the next installment of the Shuffleverse is up because I want to get a few chapters (if not the whole thing) written before I post anything. Keep an eye out and I hope to see you there!

A very special thanks to everyone who has stuck with me through this and the other stories and a mega special awesome thanks to everyone who reviewed! Love you guys :)