Hey, guys! So two updates in one day! I wanted to get this chapter out seeing as it was eating at me to be written. I'm pretty much starting to wrap things up with this story. There's one final chapter, and I hope to have that up again soon. Just fair warning, it's going to jump forward in time, but I'll be sure to go put how much time has passed in there though.

This is a kind of short chapter, but I didn't want this one to be some kind of long, drawn out thing. And this chapter shifts between more than one person's POV, so I hope you guys like seeing everything from those.

I've decided to screw the original plot line in Glee. Some things will stay the same, but I'm changing up a lot of other things (e.c. Brittana. While I loved it in the show, they're just friends here. Finchel: another home favorite, but that's going to change too. And some other things that are going to pop up in the sequel.)

Read and review and let me know what you guys think!

Be Brave. ~Bravegirl13


Ch:11

Santana

"Here's an idea: why don't you go and tell the damn girl how you feel and then we can stop this freaking cycle you two have put us all in?"

Rolling my eyes, I resisted the urge to slap the blonde across the face. "Well, Ice Queen, have you forgotten this year's events? She was fucking attacked because of me. It's not that freaking simple."

Oh god. Now I'm quoting The Notebook? Where the hell did HBIC, BAMF Santana Lopez go? Right…out the window the second Logan popped into life and freaking turned it upside down.

Freaking love.

See, this is why I don't do all that mushy shit or anything like that. At least not often. Because when I do, crap like this happens. I fall head over heels for someone as perfect as Logan, and she's got fucking baggage the size of Montana, which was getting better and then she had to go and kiss me and run off and…and almost die.

She almost died…because of me…

People get hurt when I love them.

"Santana, Logan's attack wasn't your fault. It's the same thing that went down with Kurt and why he was at Dalton. This kind of stuff happens all the time and it's awful, especially since it hit so close to home, but you can't let this eat at you."

But it does, Quinn. It's been eating at me since the second I walked in that locker room with you and saw her beaten and bloody body laying helplessly on the floor. Why can't anyone understand that? "Can we just drop it? I don't wanna talk about it anymore."

Ignoring the look I was getting, I slid up to my locker, turning the dial as fast as I could so I could busy myself with rummaging through my locker in hopes to avoid this conversation that Quinn seemed so damn adamant about. And knowing the blonde, she wasn't going to let it end on that note.

"S, you can't keep avoiding this. She leaves in three days. You're running out of time."

Sometimes I really hate being right. "Quinn, I told you I didn't want to talk about this anymore. God, just stop!"

If I wasn't immune to her icy glare, I would have buckled under the glare she was giving me. Glad to see some things never change. "Are you really going to let this fall apart like this? You're going to what? Just give up and never speak to her again and act like nothing ever happened? That you don't love her, because don't you dare freaking say you don't, I know you, S. I know that you don't want to let her slip through your fingers. Don't be a coward."

Something inside of me snapped, and I slammed my locker shut, causing the blonde next to me to jump slightly, but she still kept her glare in place. "You wanna talk about being a coward, Q? What about the girl you're so madly in love with? Are you going to just let her boyfriend slobber all over her and never say a damn word? Are you going to let your daddy's words finally control your life and be nothing but a pressed lemon?"

Well that managed to make the glare disappear. "We are not in the same boat, Santana."

"Aren't we though? You and I are exactly the same people, Q. We both have had our heads stuck so far up our asses, afraid of who we really are, that we've become the biggest bitches to have ever walked these halls. The only thing different between me and you, is that my girl actually knows I have feelings for her. Yours just thinks you hate her."

With a huff, Quinn stomped off down the hall, the crowd of students parting like the red sea for her, all probably too afraid of the metaphoric flames coming from her eyes. "Fine! Be that way! See if I ever do a damn thing for you again, Lopez!"

I let out a sigh, watching one of my best friends disappear around the corner of the hall. Way to go, Lopez. You're just screwing everything up, aren't you?

Shaking myself from my head, I took off in the opposite direction, my ever-present scowl falling into place like it had been for the past few months. Damn school. Damn Lima. Damn fucking everything. God, why did everything have to be so freaking difficult?! Why can't anything be easy?

I could choose to just turn my back on Logan. She gave me an out, and all I have to do is take it. But where would that get me? Q had a point. I would be exactly where I was before. I would be that same old bitch that everyone hated and no one ever loved.

Or I could choose to talk to her, tell her how I really felt and use those train tickets to go see her. But I couldn't come out. Not yet. I couldn't handle all the whispers and looks I'd get at this school, hell, in this town just for being with another girl. I mean, look what happened with Kurt? He didn't even have a boyfriend and he was still given crap for it. I might have been a bitch, but there's no way in hell I'm invincible.

I slipped into my classroom right as the bell was ringing, ignoring the look the teacher gave me as I stopped at my empty table. It shouldn't be empty. I shouldn't be alone.

But I am alone, and I probably always will be.


Quinn

"Okay, so, you're coming up for a week in July, right? Right before senior year starts?"

I smiled, watching as the girl who I had believed to be an enemy at the beginning of this year and somehow turned into one of my closest friends, scurry around her room, tossing the last few items into the box on her bed. "Yes, Logan. I've already cleared it with my mom and she's cleared it with your mothers. Everything is good to go so would you stop freaking out?"

She stopped suddenly, turning to look at me, my eyes automatically looking up towards the scar on her forehead. I could understand how Santana blamed herself. I still blamed myself a little for leaving her alone in the locker room, but Rachel had a point. What good would it do to blame ourselves?

"You're right. I'm sorry, I'm just not used to having friends and it just seems so surreal sometimes."

Smiling at her, I taped up the last box before plopping down next to it, patting the empty spot next to me. "Yeah, well, you're stuck with me now, Mackenzie. Get used to it."

She returned the smile, taking a seat next to me as her eyes scanned the room. It was quiet for a few seconds, neither of us saying anything. The both of us just content with this, what our friendship was made of, each other's presence keeping the other somewhat calm.

It had started back when she was in the hospital. The silence was inevitable, because of her jaw, so when I had started my weekly visits, I would just sit with her. It seemed to help her, and from then on, even after her jaw had healed, we would spend many nights like this. Just sitting in the silence.

"She's not coming…is she?"

I sighed, turning my head to look over at her. "Honestly? I have no idea. I know she wants to, but she's so damn stubborn and won't listen to anyone."

Visibly, I could see Logan deflate, not at all happy with the answer I had given her. But I knew that in the end she appreciated the honesty, and that I hadn't lied to simply appease her until her hopes were crashed in a little under an hour. I couldn't do that to her.

"Well, I guess we should be heading down then. Everyone's probably waiting on us."

She started to stand up from the bed, but I reached out and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. I quickly slid off the bed to stand in front of her, my hand still gripping her wrist. "Hey, listen, I know we all agreed to do our goodbyes at the airport, but I don't think I can do it in front of all those losers."

Logan laughed lightly, nodding as I let go of her wrist. "Aw, you're not gonna cry are you, Quinnie?"

After giving her a playful smack on the arm, to which she only laughed harder at, I let out a sigh, pulling something out of my jacket pocket, smiling down at the picture she and I had taken a few weeks ago at Rachel's slumber party. Both of us were making goofy faces at the camera, one arm thrown around each other. "I made two copies of this. One for me to keep her and one for you to take with you. I figured it might help a little, ya know?"

She took the picture from her, her eyes scanning over it before they welled up with tears and she practically launched herself at me, whispering her thanks. It startled me for a few seconds, but I eventually wrapped my own arms around the girl, a few tears stinging the back of my eyes. "I'm gonna miss you, Mackenzie."

"You have no idea, Fabray."


Rachel

"You promise you'll call? Every day?"

My sister smiled, nodding as she sat her suitcase down on the floor next to us, offering a small smile over my shoulder. I turned slightly to see the few glee club members who had shown up, offering my own smile to the group that I had gotten so close over the past year. Thanks to my sister.

Tina was currently crying on Mike's shoulder, the latter had a comforting arm wrapped around his girlfriend, not at all ashamed to let a few tears of his own slide down his cheeks. Next to them was Artie, giving a sad smile as he held Brittany's hand, who had a few tears of her own tracking her cheeks, but smiled nonetheless as she hugged the matching duck Logan had given her to her chest. Mr. Shue was off to the side, talking quietly with my fathers and Logan's mothers, the curly-haired teacher wiping discretely at his eyes before hugging my aunts. Puck was offering a half smirk, with a promise not to be put back in juvie while Logan was away. Apparently the two had become "bro's" over the course of Logan's recovery when he would visit her. Finn was standing next to him, staring down at the ground with his hands shoved in his pockets. The poor boy never handled this type of thing correctly. And finally, stood a frazzled Quinn, probably crying the most out of all of us as she clutched some kind of picture or something to her chest. It was odd, to see one of my biggest tormentors become so close to my sister, and to myself as well. It was a side of Quinn that I hoped would continue on through our senior year, and possibly afterwards. But it was good that her and Logan had befriended each other. They suited each other quite well.

"Every night, seven sharp, so I won't interrupt your nightly routine. Which, by the way, Rach…still a little nutty, don't you think?"

Through my own tears, I laughed at my sister, who was obviously trying to lighten the mood of this rather somber event. "I'm going to miss you, Logan."

"Flight 213 to Chicago now boarding on platform 7."

Both of us glanced up at the ceiling, as if searching for the voice would somehow prolong the inevitable goodbye that we were faced with. I felt a hand run across my shoulder blades before I was pulled into a hug by my aunt's, both promising to call when they could as well.

When they pulled back, I glanced over to see my sister and Quinn hugging it out once more, both with tears now flowing freely down their cheeks as they whispered something to the other. Eventually, they broke apart and my sister automatically wrapped her arms around my body, forcing my own tears to now fall.

"I love you, Rach. I'll text you when I can, okay? And make sure Mr. Shue gets a copy of Nationals on DVD for me. And keep an eye out for Quinn for me…and Santana…"

Not trusting my voice for once, I simply nodding, hugging my sister tighter to me, my eyes squeezing shut in hopes it would help with the tears. Of course, it was a failed attempt seeing as they only continued with greater force when my sister pulled back from me.

She took one last look around the group, her eyes searching for the one person I knew she wanted to be here more than ever. The Latina had become MIA since Friday, even skipping out on school, with no one knowing where she was.

"Logan, baby, it's time to go."

My sister nodded, squeezing the one hand of mine that she had kept when we pulled away from the hug. "I love you, Rachel. Stay safe."

"I love you, too, Logan."

With one last squeeze, she let go of my hand, offering a small wave to the group behind me before she wiped at her cheeks and started off in the direction of the platform behind her mothers, walking backwards until she reached the terminal. She paused at the door, smiling one last time before she blew a kiss in our direction and disappeared down the hall.

I felt someone slid up next to me and entwine my fingers with theirs, and had it not been for the soft skin that met mine, I would have thought it was Finn finally coming to comfort me, but one glance to my right had me smiling as Quinn let out a sigh, her eyes never leaving the terminal where my sister had just left. "What do you say we go get ready for Nationals?"

This year had changed so much, and had changed so many people. And something had me thinking that maybe things were going to continue to keep changing.

"Sounds like a plan."

With a squeeze, she let go of my hand, walking back towards the group, all of who were agreeing to an unplanned glee club meeting. My eyes trailed the blonde's form, a small smile coming to rest on my face.

Yes, quite possibly things were going to change.


Logan

I glanced back down at the stack of pictures in my hands, smiling softly at the moments I had managed to capture back in Lima.

After carefully pinning them to the cork board above my desk, I ran my fingers across each, the memories themselves flooding my brain. The goofy pictures Quinn and I had taken at my sister's sleep over. My sister and I posing in front of our sectionals trophy after the competition. A group picture of the glee club for yearbook, and lastly, my favorite. Rachel had taken the picture of Santana and I standing at the piano together after sectionals, smiles on both of our faces, neither of us knowing what was to follow.

Shaking myself of my thoughts, I slung my bag over my shoulder before hurrying out of my room and through the apartment, calling off to my mothers that I would be back soon and promised to send a text when I made it to my destination and when I was heading back home again.

I let my hand linger over the front door of the apartment, the suppressed noise from the other side filling my ears, but causing me to smile anyway. Chicago was, and always would be home, but Lima had become home, too. And as glad as I was to be back, there was a greater part of me that wishes I was back in Ohio, eating junk food on the couch with Quinn and my sister as we watched some horribly made horror movie, all the while listening to my sister ramble on and on about CGI and special effects and that she didn't understand a movie with such a horrible plot line could gain enough support to become a movie.

Once the door was open, my eyes automatically glanced around me. This new apartment wasn't far from the old one we had lived in before moving to Lima, so the area was still familiar to me, and I didn't even have to second guess myself as my feet started off in the direction of my intended destination.

I passed by a lot of buildings that made up my childhood, my feet carrying me past each one and only stopping when I reached the edge of a grassy field, the old metal sign still in its usual place, and my fingers automatically traced over the worn letters before my hand fell limply back to my side and I walked into the field, passing by each tombstone before I found the one I was looking for.

Not much had changed on it, or around it, in the past three years. The larger black lettering still as devastating as the day I watched them put her in the ground. And many times, had I found myself standing in this exact spot staring at those letters.

I carefully sat down a few feet in front of the stone, my eyes never leaving it. "Hey, Nicole. Sorry it's been a while since I've visited."

The breeze picked up around me, and for a second it was as if she was answering me, and I could hear her snarky remark in my ear saying, "You think?"

The thought caused me to smile as I picked at the grass in front of the grave, chewing on my bottom lip. "So, I'm not sure how the whole after-life thing works, but, uh, in case you didn't already know, I went to Lima for a while…to help my sister with her bullying stuff since I couldn't help with…you know…and, uh, I met someone…a girl who I think you'd probably find obnoxious and completely not my type, and you'd probably laugh at me for it, too, but…she's not what she seems. She's hard to read, but great once you get past the first chapter or so."

Pausing, I let out a sigh, my hand stalling from running through the blades of grass. "She liked me back, but some things happened and she chose not to be with me. Which…I guess is okay…except it's not. I miss her. I haven't talked to her since the day I handed her the tickets, and Rachel told me last night she found them in her locker yesterday…so, I guess that's it for us. But, I just figured I'd let you know. I know your letter to me told me that I shouldn't be afraid to love someone after you, but it seems like I'm not so good at that anymore. But it's good to be back in Chicago. Everything here remind me of you, though, but I feel like my time in Lima helped a lot with that…"

The breeze around me picked up once again, and I smiled softly, reaching forward to brush the small patch of dirt off the edge of the stone, my vision clouding with unshed tears.

Everything, much like myself, has changed entirely. I wasn't the broken, emotionally cut off girl that flew in from Chicago with the mindset of wearing a cape and saving my sister from the same fate as my girlfriend. Now…now I'm not so sure who I am…

Maybe this coming year can help change that.