I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, It all belongs to RIB and Fox. Any characters you don't recognise are my own creations.

Thank you for all of your great reviews so far. This story is drawing to a close, only a few chapters left, so I hope you guys stick around until the end!

Flashbacks are in italics.

R&R please.

Chapter 34

Quinn swallows thickly as she gazes at herself in the full length mirror, barely recognising the pale girl that stares back at her. Her features look sharp and tired, the dark circles under her eyes making her, usually shiny, hazel eyes look dull and sunken. Granted, she does look better than she has in months. As much as she doesn't look great right now, she has looked a lot worse lately. She's slowly getting better, and today will be a huge test for her...another hurdle to jump. Quinn's not sure how she's going to handle this, seeing Beth; saying goodbye. She knows she has to, it's best that she isn't in Beth's life but it's going to hurt when she says goodbye. A lot. Although, it'll hurt more if she doesn't; she knows that. Quinn doesn't know if Puck will even speak to her while they're with Beth. He has been asking about how she is doing, how her recovery is going, on a daily basis. Santana had told her that, but he hadn't made any direct form of contact with Quinn herself. Not since that night. He's pissed with her, and Quinn doesn't blame him.

"You okay, baby girl?" Quinn jerks in surprise when she hears Santana's voice, turning to face her with a forced smile. "You don't have to pretend with me, Quinn," Santana states softly, "It's okay to show your true feelings in front of me."

"I'm sorry...I..it's just hard," Quinn murmurs, walking into Santana's open arms and resting her head on her girlfriend's shoulder as familiar arms wrap around her. "I don't know how to do this..how to say goodbye. I have no idea what to say, or do," she whispers into Santana's hair.

"You don't need to plan what you're gonna say or do, babe," Santana reassures her. "Just let it flow...say what feels right at the time. It sounds like a cliche but, speak from your heart."

"Will you be there?" Quinn questions quietly, her tone low and vulnerable.

"I'll be there," Santana confirms. "I'll sit with Shelby while you and Puck are with Beth, I'll be close by." Santana is desperate to hold Quinn's hand throughout all of this but she knows that Quinn needs to do this without her. She and Noah need to say their goodbyes privately.

"Thank you," Quinn whispers.

"There's no need to thank me, baby girl," Santana responds softly. "Just promise me that you'll keep trying, you'll keep fighting."

"I promise," Quinn mumbles into her girlfriend's shoulder, "I'll keep 's mad at me, isn't he?"

"Yes," Santana responds simply. There's no point in sugar coating it, not when Quinn, obviously, is already aware of the fact that it is true.

"I've upset a lot of people," Quinn murmurs sadly.

"By your actions involving Beth. Nobody is angry about what happened after that. Scared, yes, but not angry," Santana assures her girlfriend. "Nobody knows about your punishment, they aren't able to move on like you and I have," she explains. "He'll get over it," she adds quietly, pulling back and gazing carefully at Quinn. "He has a right to be angry with you but, like you know, he has been calling every day to find out how you're doing. He cares, Quinn. He cares a whole lot. A lot of people do. Don't forget that."

0-00-0

Puck frowns in confusion as he walks into Quinn and Santana's apartment to find Sofia leaning against the closed kitchen door, her ear pressed up against the wood. He opens his mouth to speak but is immediately silenced by Sofia as she holds her hand up, the look on her face threatening him. Puck quirks a brow and shuffles over the kitchen door, leaning next to her and pressing his ear against the door too.

"Stethoscope," Sofia whispers hurriedly, gesturing for him to go look in Santana and Quinn's bedroom. Puck's eyes widen when he realises what the younger woman is telling him and he shakes his head furiously. No way. If Santana ever found out he had gone searching through her belongings in her and her wife's bedroom she would kill him. "Pussy," Sofia mutters and pushes herself away from the door and almost having a heart attack when she finds Santana standing there.

"Oh yeah," Puck smirks," Santana was with me." Sofia shoots him a glare and punches his arm as she avoids her older cousin's curious frown.

"What's going on?" Santana asks dangerously, her arms folding across her chest.

"We're listening in on something," Puck states with a smile, enjoying the fact that he has an opportunity to throw Sofia under the bus, thinking back to all of the times she had told on him and Santana when they were kids. "Dunno what for though," he shrugs.

"You are such an asshole," Sofia hisses, wincing at the smoldering glare Santana sends her. "Quinn's on the phone..with her old boss," she explains to her cousin, hoping to calm her down.

"Her old boss? Did she look upset?" Santana questions urgently, worrying that it's somehow even more bad news, something that would have a huge effect on Quinn right now.

"No..well, I don't think she did," Sofia murmurs with a shrug. "Maybe..I don't know."

"If you must be an eavesdropping asshole then, at least, hear some of the good stuff," Santana sighs, motioning for them to back away from the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Sofia asks, "You can't go in there."

"Yes, I can," Santana smirks. "That's one of the perks of being married to Quinn," she adds smugly before slipping into the kitchen, firmly closing the door behind her. Santana shoots a smile of greeting in her wife's direction as she quietly moves across the kitchen to sit down at the table. She watches Quinn carefully as the woman listens to what the person on the other end of the phone is saying. There's a small smile playing on Quinn's lips and it fills Santana with hope.

"Well, I'd need to discuss it with my wife first," Quinn states and Santana perks up, staring at her wife with waves of curiosity rolling off of her. "I most definitely will, thank you." Quinn ends the phonecall and stares across at Santana in shock. "That was my old boss. He's opening his own pratice and he wants me to work for him," Quinn smiles.

"What? Baby, that's amazing!" Santana exclaims, jumping to her feet and yanking Quinn forward into a tight hug.

"He says there will be a job waiting for me after the year," Quinn explains. "There's better benefits and better opportunities. I told him I'd talk to you about it and get back to him in the next couple of days."

"Are you ready to go back to work?" Santana questions softly.

"Yeah. Yeah..I really am," Quinn replies honestly. "What do you think?"

"I think that, if it's what you really want, you should take it," Santana replies sincerely. "What do you want to do, honey?"

"I want to take it, at least try a trial period," Quinn murmurs. "I think it'll do me some good to be working again. It feels awful to be unemployed..it makes me feel worse," she adds.

"Then take it. Even if it's just a trial period, I'll support you with whatever decision you make," Santana tells her truthfully. "Can I do my 'I told you so' dance now?" she asks with a smirk.

"Sure," Quinn chuckles. "How did you know things would work out?"

"Because I know you," Santana smiles, "Whether you realise it or not, you're amazing."

"God, I love you," Quinn beams.

"I love you, too," Santana grins, punctuating each word with a kiss. "Losing your job was just a temporary setback," she shrugs, "I always knew you would be okay. You always are, no matter what life throws at you. Nothing can destroy you...you've proven that."

Just a small filler chapter. Next chapter will be up soon. Only 3 chapters and an epilogue to go :) Please review.