A/N: Hello everybody! Sorry for the slight delay in my uploading. My computer completely broke and it won't charge and it's just, it's just terrible. I had to write this entirely on my phone and in my writer's notebook, and then shift it all into different apps, then I had to edit it, then I had to use the app on my phone, which was a… fun… experience. * face-palm*. Anyway, I'm here now! Next chapter is going to be the last! I can't even believe it right now! There will be a bit of backstory in this chapter that I felt would answer some questions about Quinn, and I hope that you guys are okay with it. I just felt certain things about Quinn were a little unrealistic, you'll see what I mean. Also, there is a poll on my profile page and I would really appreciate it if you guys could check it out! As always, I hope you enjoy the chapter, please review if you do, and I will see you… on the other side!-Lauren's Glee Stories

Quinn's POV

As soon as Rachel told me to run, I didn't hesitate,

"Come back here, Hijo de Puta!" Santana shouted from behind her, making my feet move even quicker,

I risked a glance behind me but couldn't see Santana, and I ran down the stairs, taking two at a time until I reached the bottom, mentally cursing Puck and Tina for choosing a top-floor apartment,

I could head Santana's footsteps behind me and sped up, bursting through the main doors and onto the street, frantically looking for an escape route,

"Park," I muttered to myself, "Park's good, park will be safe," I decided, bolting down the street, trying my best to avoid people and run low.

By the time I had reached the middle of the park I was panting heavily and my legs were killing me,

"Dios!" Santana cursed from behind me, making me jump, "You made me run that in heels, Puta," She muttered in disdain,

I turned around to see Santana glaring at me,

"I can explain," I said in defence, taking a couple of steps back,

"Explain what, exactly?" She replied challengingly, "How you up and left town, abandoning your girlfriend and all your friends, not to mention your mother and Soph?" She asked incredulously, "Or how about the fact that we set up a search party to look for you for three days, until the police assured us your disappearance wasn't suspicious and that you had a right to disappear?" She continues, throwing her hands up,

I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off,

"No, Tubbers, you need to hear this," She said firmly, "And quite frankly, I need to say it," She added, "You see, Fabray, in the real world, you can't just run away from the things that scare you, you understand? You're not allowed to skip out on your life like that," she said firmly, "You see, Stretch Marks, that's not how things work for us adults. And you are certainly not allowed to come back after you've been MIA for weeks, and expect things to go back to normal!" She shrieked,

I winced, I had been expecting this, really. It's just that I kind of hoped I'd be able to avoid it. Especially until after I'd carried out the rest of my plan.

"You've always done it, Q, and you know it," Santana continued, "Remember the time you found out Britts and I were gay???," She reminded,

Ah, about that-

"How long did you not talk to us for, Quinn?" She asked with mock curiosity, "Was that six months? A year? You know how many times I had to explain to Britt that it wasn't because you didn't like her?" She asked me,

"Santana, I-" I objected,

"I haven't finished yet, Quinn," She interrupted, holding her hand up for silence,

I bit my tongue,

"I forgave you for it, you know? I did because I knew that you were struggling with your own sexuality vs faith debate, and your father wouldn't stop giving you shit about us. But you always run, Quinn! It's your default setting, and it's bullshit," She swore, pointing at me,

Yeah, I really wasn't enjoying this. But, I knew I deserved it.

"To be honest, I could give two shits about you disappearing-when it only concerns you. When it concerns Britts, that's bad. When it concerns your family, even worse. Rachel is one of my best friends, if you weren't aware, Quinn," She told me, "You know how in a break-up if you were friends with one first, you're supposed to stick with them?" She asked,

I nodded confusedly,

"Yeah, that's not the way I roll. I don't stick with a person if they were in the wrong. Rachel doesn't deserve that,"

"I know she deserves better than me, San," I interrupted, "I am fully aware of that, but I am going I do better," I swore, "I am going to treat her right,"

"What if shit gets hard again?" She challenged, looking thoughtful for a second before coming up with something, "What if she gets a job in another state? What if she decides she wants kids? What about if she proposes?" She fires off the questions one after another,

I thought it would be best to not say anything on the last matter, but rather address the question as a whole,

"Then shit gets hard together," I promised, "I'm not going to let her down like this ever again,"

Santana stared at me for a second before her expression relaxed, and she walked towards me,

"Sorry," she apologised with a smirk,

"What fo-" I started confusedly,

Her hand moved faster than I could keep up with and she slapped me, kind of hard,

I nodded and rubbed my cheek, "That's okay," I told her, wincing slightly,

She pulled me into a hug,

"Wha-" I asked,

"You scared Britt," she said in a small voice,

I wrapped my arms around her,

"I'm sorry, S," I apologised sincerely,

She sniffed and pulled back,

"Don't apologise to me, apologise to Britt," She objected strongly,

'Thou doth protest too much,' I thought with a smile,

"I'll apologise as soon as I see her," I promised,

"You better," She grumbled warningly, before putting her hand on my shoulder and slipping off her heels, holding them in one hand and linking her other through my arm,

"Did you happen to miss me at all, San?" I asked teasingly,

"No!" She answered stubbornly,

"Good to know," I replied with a smile, Reston my head on her shoulder, "Hey, S?" I asked,

"Yep?" She replied,

"When do Sam and Artie get here?" I asked innocently,

"Artie gets here on Tuesday, Sam arrives on Friday," She answered, "Why?" She asked curiously,

"No reason," I replied with a shrug, a plan already forming in my mind.

When we got back to the apartment, Rachel looked relieved, and Tina even clapped, before being silenced by a look from Santana,

"We get it, she's alive, whoop-de-doo," Santana cheered sarcastically, showing a hint of a genuine smile,

Brittany had since arrived at the apartment, and clapped her hands together, "I'm so glad you didn't get kidnapped by the mafia," she cheered, and she gave me a hug,

The others in the room, Kurt, Tina, Rachel and a guilty looking Noah exchanged confused glances, but I just smiled,

"It's good to be back, Britt," I smiled,

Noah looked like he was about to burst, and I glared at him pointedly, a warning to stay silent. Luckily, Tina spoke up, pulling he attention from him,

"Hey, Quinn," Tina greeted with a smile, walking forward to give me a hug, which I accepted with a smile,

"Hey," I replied,

"Long time, Fabray," Kurt greeted with a pointed look, earning an elbow in the ribs from Rachel,

"Nice to see you too," I replied fondly,

"Where did you say you were, again?" Tina asked curiously,

"Yeah," Brittany agreed, "I mean, if you weren't with the mafia or training to become a super-secret spy, where did you go?" She asked confusedly,

"I got a job…" I answered with a smile,

They all stared at me pointedly, waiting for me to say what it was,

"Well, we all know I'm into the arts, but you also know that you can't just get a job acting or singing like that," I told them, clicking my fingers to support my point, "So, I decided to pursue one of my others talents," I said slowly,

"Well?" Rachel asked impatiently,

"I got a job with the biggest photography company in New York!" I squealed,

"Wait, what did you say?" Rachel asked as if she had misheard,

"Yeah, I think I heard her wrong," Kurt said in agreement,

"Technically it's a paid internship," I amended, "With Sarah Lachance at the Smile Studios!" I squealed,

"Oh my god!" Rachel squealed back, running to give me a hug, "I'm so proud of you!" She told me quietly,

Time to enact my plan,

"As a celebration for us all being in New York," I started, looking pointedly at Noah, "We should have a party!"

They all cheered,

"Yeah!" Tina agreed enthusiastically, "We can do it next Saturday so that Artie and Sam are here!"

I smiled, "Sounds great," I agreed,

"And we can hold it here," Kurt decided, "You guys easily have the biggest apartment, and with Quinn staying here, the majority of us are living here,"

"Hang on," Rachel said slowly, "Who said Quinn was staying here?"She asked confusedly,

Wait,

"What do you mean?" I asked slowly,

Was she implying that I was supposed to live somewhere else…?

Rachel chuckled, "Just kidding!" She assured us, holding her hands up,

I breathed a sigh of relief, and so did everyone else in the room,

"To be honest, I'd understand if you didn't forgive her," Santana told Rachel, "But as long as you're happy, I don't care,"

Rachel smiled at Santana, "Thanks, Tana," She said appreciatively,

Santana wrinkled her nose slightly at the nickname,

"I guess I can live with it," She shrugged,

I smiled as our friends started chatting with each other, deciding who would bring what to the party.

Rachel smiled at me softly from across the room, looking beautiful as ever as she talked to Kurt about something or other,

In that moment, I was more certain about my plan than ever. Everything was sorted out. All Rachel needed to do was show up.

"You nervous?" Puck asked me, moving to lean against the wall, next to me,

I smoothed down my dress with my left hand, "Not at all," I assured,

"Really? Because you've been a playing with your necklace for the past half an hour," he pointed out,

My hand froze at my neck and I turned to Puck,

"Just a little bit," I amended,

He rose an eyebrow up at me,

"Fine, I'm terrified," I whisper-shouted, "Happy?"

"Little bit," He told me, holding his hand up to demonstrate,

"Screw you," I muttered,

"You did remember it, right?" He asked slowly,

My heart dropped, and I patted my pockets quickly,

"Uh…" I said guiltily,

"Inside pocket?" He checked,

I moved my hand to the inside pocket on my denim jacket and sighed with relief,

"Yes," I replied,

He looked around the room,

"Our apartment cleaned up pretty good, huh," he commented,

"Yeah," I agreed, "We're lucky Tina wanted it to look pretty, otherwise it might have been a bit suspicious,"

The place had cleaned up well. Tina had hung fairy lights on the walls, and we had little mason jars on the tables with lights in them. There was finger food scattered around the room, and the lights were off, giving the room a dim atmosphere. Everyone had dressed in smart clothes as well, dresses and suits, on Kurt's orders. I didn't even have to tell them what was happening, they practically planned it for me.

Sam had arrived the day before, and his arrival had calmed Kurt down a bit, as Sam's presence always did. He said he already loved New York, and Kurt and Sam had arrived late to dinner, and we all knew what that meant…

Artie has arrived a couple of days before Sam, moving into the dorms at the Academy.

I looked at Tina and Artie chatting in the corner and thought of how grateful I would always be that they had believed and helped me when I needed it most.

Then, at Kurt, talking to Sam and Tina. He had kept my secret even when he hadn't entirely believed me, and that was no easy task. I knew that without everyone in this room, my life would be a very different story.

I had never been happier. My closest friends were all in one place, my girlfriend. I had a job with good career progression. Almost everything was perfect. Almost.

Noah checked his watch, "It's showtime," he told me quietly,

I nodded determinedly, my eyes scanning the room for Rachel,

"By the mini-cheeses," Noah pointed out,

"Got it," I affirmed, "Wish me luck?" I asked hopefully,

"Good luck, Baby Mama," Noah said quietly, "You'll be fine," he assured me,

"Right," I agreed, checking my pocket one more time, got it,

I headed towards Rachel, stumbling slightly because of my heels, then cursing myself for looking stupid,

Rachel saw me walking towards her and smiled,

"Hey," She greeted with a soft smile when I approached her,

"Nice food?" I asked her conversationally,

"Ooh, it's lovely," She said appreciatively,

"Could I talk to you, Rach? In private?" I asked in a slightly nervous tone,

She looked slightly surprised, "Um, sure, I guess, do you want to go to the rooftop?" She asked me,

I mentally cheered, that had been exactly what I had wanted her to say,

"Sure," I agreed with a smile, motioning for her to walk in front of me and glancing quickly at Puck, who offered a thumbs-up,

Rachel walked in front of me up to the rooftop, and I could hear her gasp when she opened the door,

"Did you do this?" She asked me in awe,

I shrugged nonchalantly, "Maybe," I replied,

"It's beautiful," she muttered as she looked at the lights and the little table set up.

"Could you sit down?" I asked her, motioning to the chair,

She looked at me confusedly, but moved to sit down anyway,

"What did you do?" She asked suspiciously, "Oh my god, did you cheat on me?" She exclaimed, "You're not pregnant, are you? Because that would be really bad and I'm not sure that I'd be ready to-" she ranted,

"Rachel," I interrupted softly, "It's nothing like that," I promised her,

She relaxed in the chair, "Okay," she breathed out, "What did you want to say, then?" She asked me, motioning for me to speak,

"It's more of a question, actually," I corrected, standing in front of Rachel,

She raised an eyebrow up at me curiously, but nodded for me to continue,

"You see, Rachel, these past few weeks gave me a lot of time to reflect on our relationship," I started, "We've been through a hell of a lot together, I reckon, and that made us stronger as a couple," I explained, "I mean, how many forty-year-olds do we know who have gone through this, nevertheless eighteen-year-olds?" I asked rhetorically, and she smiled and nodded in agreement,

I took a deep breath,

"I love you being my girlfriend, Rachel," I told her sincerely, and she smiled, "But it just isn't right,"

The smile dropped off her face,

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking hurt, which kind of hurt me to see,

"I mean, that I don't want you to be my girlfriend," I restated, going ahead with my speech,

"But-" She objected,

I adjusted my weight and knelt down on one knee in front of her, carefully balancing on my heel,

"I want to marry you, Rachel," I declared with a smile, "Girlfriend doesn't even begin to describe how strongly I feel for you, but fiancée? That's a little more like it," I continued,

She looked shell-shocked,

"I wanted to ask you in private, so as not to put you on the spot," I told her, and she nodded slightly, "if you don't want this, I'll stand up, and I promise we can go downstairs as if nothing happened," I assured her, "But I love you, Rachel Berry, and I can't imagine ever loving anyone as much as I love you, right now," I told her,

I pulled the small box out of my pocket,

"So, Rachel Barbra Berry, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" I asked her, opening the box to reveal a delicate rose gold ring with a single diamond in the middle, "Well, one day," I amended, "I propose a long engagement," I added with a smile,

Tears were shining in Rachel's eyes,

"No…" She said slowly,

I froze, "Uh, wait, what??" I stuttered,

"Sorry," She shook her head, "I just wanted to see what it felt like to say no,"

"And?" I asked nervously,

"Not great," She told me with a shake of her head,

"So, does that mean-" I started to ask,

Rachel nodded with a huge smile, "Of course I'll marry you!" She squealed,

I took the ring out of the box and reached for her hand, grabbing it softly and pushing the ring onto her ring finger,

I stood up and offered her my hand,

"You sure?" I clarified,

She nodded and put a hand over her mouth, smiling through her tears and then wrapping her hands around my neck,

"I love you so much," She whispered in my ear, still crying as she hugged me tightly,

I wrapped my arms around her, "I love you more," I replied, kissing the top of her head,

"Not possible," She replied stubbornly,

I laughed, "Let's agree to disagree," I offered,

She nodded, and pulled away,

"How long have we been gone?" She asked curiously,

"Not long," I shrugged, "They probably just assumed we're having sex,"

She hit my shoulder lightly, "Do you think we could trick them?" She asked slyly,

"Anything's possible," I replied with a smirk.

I walked downstairs with Rachel trailing behind me, and pushed open the door to our apartment, putting on my best 'shell-shocked/distraught' face,

Kurt was the first person to notice me,

"What's wrong, Quinn?" He asked concernedly, drawing everybody's attention to me,

"Rachel broke up with me," I said quietly,

Noah looked surprised,

"She what?" Santana asked confusedly, "I thought you guys were fine now…" she muttered,

"This club is worse than Fleetwood Mack," Tina commented confusedly, shaking her head,

"Did she really break up with you?" Artie asked in shock,

"Yep," Rachel's voice interrupted from the doorway, "With this!" She squealed, holding up her left hand to show everyone her ring,

They all stood there staring,

Britt clapped excitedly, "Oh my god, you guys are so unicorn right now,"

"Holy shit, Fabray, you put a ring on it already?" She asked incredulously,

Our friends all clapped and cheered, and Sam and Puck were whistling from the back,

Kurt ran up to us and hugged Rachel,

"Holy Barbra, congratulations!" He squeaked, hugging me afterwards,

"Guys, it was so romantic!" Rachel gushed,

I smiled,

One by one, the rest of our friends came up to congratulate us, all surprised but happy on our behalf.

"I don't get it," Rachel commented later, "We were together all week, when did you have the time to get the ring?"

I laughed slightly, "Well…"

…..Flashback…..

Someone cleared their throat and I looked up from my coffee,

"Hi," I said quietly with a slightly guilty wave,

"Where the hell have you been?" Puck demanded in a harsh whisper,

"Uh, New York?" I answered guiltily,

"You know how worried everyone is, Q? Your mother? Santana? Not to mention your girlfriend: Rachel?" He exclaimed,

"I had to go, Puck," I told him, "I have it all planned out, I just needed your help," I explained,

"Is that why you texted me saying I needed to get here ASAP? I took the first plane out of Ohio when I saw that text," He told me, "It looked hella suspicious when I upped and left, telling Rach, Tina and Kurt that I had a sick relative in Kentucky. I don't even know what I'm going to say when they find out I've been here for this long!" He ranted,

"We'll think about that later," I said dismissively, "For now, you need to come shopping with me," I informed him, leaving him little choice in the matter as I walked out of the coffee shop and down the road,

"Fabray!" He shouted after me,

I smiled as I looked up at the buildings around me. I already loved New York. Everything about it was so… charming… The buildings, the people, all of the cafes and restaurants. Everything was like a scene from a movie.

By the time Puckerman had caught up with me, I had stopped in front of the store I wanted to look in,

"What are we doing here?" He asked confusedly,

"Buying me an engagement ring," I answered with a small smile, opening the door to the shop and walking in, smoothing my dress down purposefully,

I heard the bell ding behind me as Puck walked into the store,

"An engagement ring?!" He demanded in a harsh whisper, trying not to draw attention to us,

"Exactly," I replied smoothly,

"To who, exactly?" He asked, "Because in case you've forgotten, you and Rachel aren't even dating!"

"I know that," I answered with a patient smile, "Look," I said, walking over to look at some of the rings, "I love her more than life itself. I know that what I did was horrible, but I had to do it!" I insisted, "I'm going to go to your apartment after I've sorted everything out, and we'll see where things go from there," I explained,

"Right….." He said slowly,

"What are you two looking for today?" One of the sales assistants asked politely,

"An engagement ring, actually," I replied with a smile,

The woman nodded, "Right," She affirmed, pulling out on of the drawers for us to look at, "How long have the two of you been together?" She asked curiously, looking between Puck and I,

"Oh, no," I objected, shaking my head, "It's for my girlfriend," I told her, "Her name's Rachel," I added with a smile,

"Ex-girlfriend," Noah corrected under his breath, resulting in me elbowing him in the ribs,

The woman smiled, "Any particular style you have in mind?"

…End Flashback…..

"After that, we got the ring, went back to my hotel room so Puck could spend the night, and the rest is history," I shrugged,

Rachel laughed, "I can't believe you did all that, considering we weren't even dating," She teased,

I blushed slightly, "Well, I was pretty determined to get you back," I answered,

"I'm glad," She told me,

"I love you, Rachel," I told her quietly, "Fiancée," I added with a smirk,

"I love you too, Quinn," She replied softly, "Goodnight," She whispered.

A/N: Hello! Did everybody like it? Who else saw the engagement coming? I didn't! That kind of just happened, haha. Kudos for anyone who saw it coming, apparently you know me better than I do. I hope everyone was okay with the little fill-ins of Quinn's time in New York and some of her past. I really hope I did this story justice. The last parts were a bit harder to write because as a writer, I kind of struggle to include many different people in a scene. The first time I wrote this I actually forgot about Artie, so I had to switch a few lines around. I also hope you don't mind Quinn's job. If you really look for the clues, there were a couple. I only know because I wrote it, though. I am aware that Quinn might have seemed a little OOC, but I'm hoping it wasn't bad. I cannot thank you guys enough for reading this story. This is kind of the end, but I wanted to do an epilogue to tie off any final loose ends. Also, please check out the poll on my profile!! It won't take long and I'd appreciate the responses!! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, please review if you did, you know I love reading them, and I will see you next chapter!-Lauren's Glee Stories