There are probably mistakes in this. It was a hard chapter to write. Feel free to point them out to me and I will correct them as soon as I can.
Thanks you guys!
Songs are H.O.L.Y. - Florida Georgia Line
In Case You Didn't Know - Brett Young
TM
It was early on a Saturday morning; a cloudless, blue and orange sky that would have been picturesque on any other day.
A brown casket parted the sea of black with ease. Leading the processional was his mother, hands clasped in front of her stomach, and beside her was his stepbrother and stepfather. Behind them, the football team in letterman jackets cheering their captain in silence as they marched with their heads down and silent tears openly flowing down their faces. The Cheerios followed shortly after. The biggest shock to some was seeing the Unholy Trinity together for the first time in weeks. Quinn wore a long black dress with her hair loosely curled while Santana dressed in a black suit, her hair tied back away from her face. Brittany was the only one in full uniform, tight, high ponytail and all.
To some, it was the perfect show of unity. To others, it was just another example of death bringing together those who had been apart. They were there for Finn.
No matter the anger Santana felt at what happened.
No matter the disgust Quinn felt with how they ended.
No matter the pain Brittany felt at losing her friends and her lover.
It was all for him that day.
Students, teachers, coaches, and friends walked the procession down the cemetery path.
But there were some who left shortly after the service, some who decided to watch from a distance and mourn in their own way.
Next to a mausoleum, in perfect view of the procession, sat Puck and Rachel. It was just them. The others were lost in the sea of black, red, and white. Rachel had long stopped crying. Her eyes were dry, red, and swollen from the number of tears she'd shed over the last few days. Finn may not have been the love of her life, but he was the first boy she loved at McKinley. He was always that lumbering oaf that seemed to do more harm than good, but his soul was usually pure. He made his mistakes, some worse than others, but he wasn't a bad guy. Rachel leaned her head on Puck's shoulders and sniffed, wrapping a scarf around her face and neck so she wouldn't get sick.
Puck shifted and blew smoke upward instead of to the side as he'd been doing to avoid jostling Rachel. There were at least four cigarette butts surrounding his boots, but Rachel said nothing about it. He hadn't cried. Just raged and screamed. The smoking was a thing he and Finn shared in secret. Everyone knew Puck smoked, but no one knew Finn did, and it was a secret Puck would take to the grave for his friend. His brother.
An hour passed with them, neither one saying a word as the processional grew smaller and smaller, and as the afternoon went on, Rachel was still lying on Puck's shoulder, wide awake. Both had their eyes cast to the sky, watching birds fly overhead, and the silence was almost peaceful. But it was broken by the sounds of leaves crunching behind them, and Puck turned to the side just as Quinn and Santana came around to the front. They settled down in front of them, and for a moment, the four friends just looked at one another, trying to see what could possibly come next.
What do you say to each other when you lose someone you hated but had loved at some point in time?
What do you say to the ex-girlfriend?
What do you say to the tormentor-turned-ally-turned-enemy?
What do you say to the best friend since elementary school?
What do you say to the one that never was but could've been?
You say nothing. Which is what they did. After several deep exhales preceding some clichéd comment, they agreed to just sit there in each other's company. Eventually, they shifted so they were all touching each other in some way. Quinn stretched out with her head in Santana's lap. Puck laid down and placed his head on Quinn's stomach. Rachel laid on Puck's chest with Santana's head resting on her thighs and that's how they stayed.
In silence, each one regretting and remembering the last things they ever said to Finn and coping with the fact they'll never be able to make it up to him.
Sue sighed as she walked the halls after the final club had dismissed. The place was empty. The vigils were gone, only dried flowers remained, and it seemed the school had worked its way back into some sense of normalcy while simultaneous working in the new changes. Santana and Quinn were allowed to return to school officially, the police dropping all charges mysteriously and sweeping the entire thing under the rug. Brittany was back in control of the Cheerios and doing her best Quinn impression. Puck and Rachel were still outcasts, along with LJ and Tori, and it seemed as if even the Glee Club had reigned it in a little. Mr. Schue was avoiding the students like the plague and Emma was helping Leroy adjust to being the school's on-hand legal advisor.
It was like things were falling into place and falling out of place as well.
Sue turned the corner and had to put her reflexes to use to avoid knocking Santana to the ground. Santana blinked and looked up at Sue.
"Hey, sorry. I was just-
"You're fine. No harm done," Sue interrupted. She then looked at the clock and back at Santana. "Although, I am curious as to why you're here so late?" she added.
Santana chewed on her lip and said, "Quinn left her history book here and I was getting in some extra reps at the gym, so I told her I'd drop by and grab it for her."
"You're lying. Try again."
"What? How-
"You always chew your bottom lip before you lie. It's a well-known fact that we let you get away with on occasion. Now, why are you really here this late?"
Santana looked down and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Quinn and I want to do something special for Rachel. With everything that's been going on, we somewhat forgot about our promise that we were genuine about our feelings for her."
Sue's eyes widened. That wasn't at all what she was expecting. "I see. Do you, uh, do you need any help?" she asked.
"I don't think so. We already warned LJ and Tori and Puck. Honestly, it's nothing extravagant, just special."
"And this is for tomorrow?"
"Yup."
"You're going to serenade her, aren't you?" she asked.
Santana nodded. "Yes. Plus, it won't be obnoxious like the Broadway rejects. It'll be me and Quinn or us by ourselves publicly declaring our love for Rachel in hopes that she knows we're being serious. It's really challenging because she's changed a lot, but we can see she's still the same girl we fell in love with. She's the best part of our day and-" Santana stopped and cleared her throat. "You get the point," she mumbled.
"Yes, I think I do."
Sue patted Santana on the shoulder and said, "You'll be fine. Just be open and honest, and she'll see you for what you are. Word of advice for you and for Quinn, Rachel loves you too, but she needs to know that there's room for her in something that's already been established. Once you do that, then you can work on loving her separately and as a union. This is going to the hardest, easiest thing you've probably ever done in your life. They are two different people with similar interests, and you'll learn that what one appreciates, the other doesn't. Spend the early parts learning their love languages as a single partner and also as a trio. I have faith in you three. Out of everyone she's ever met, you two are the ones that make it work."
Sue could see Santana was distracted again, and she gently pushed her in the direction of the exit. She needed to set the alarm and didn't want to Santana being so caught up in her head she gets locked in the school overnight. Sue watched from the door as Santana got in her car and sighed to herself again.
LJ pushed Rachel into the auditorium and dragged her to the front row. There was a seat with one white rose on the armrest. She picked it up, looked at him in confusion, and he shrugged.
"I'm only doing what I was told. Now sit down, hush, and smile," he said.
Rachel hesitantly sat down in the seat and LJ vanished. She was about to call out his name when Puck walked out on the stage. He had on a cowboy hat and a pair of jeans with boots. He winked at her and started strumming the guitar in his hands. Rachel bit back a groan. She was getting tired of people singing to her.
But those thoughts changed when she recognized the song. She sat up in her seat and narrowed her eyes, but Puck refused to give anything away.
When the sun had left and the winter came
And the sky fall could only bring the rain
I sat in darkness, all broken-hearted
I couldn't find a day I didn't feel alone
I never meant to cry, started losing hope
But somehow baby, you broke through and saved me
Rachel couldn't breathe. She knew that voice. Sure enough, Quinn came out from behind Puck and snatched the hate from his head. Rachel inhaled what she could and tried not to show too much emotion. She knew Quinn hated country, but Rachel loved it, and she picked a song that Rachel spent hours listening to. It was one of her favorites. She smiled and held the rose close as Quinn continued.
You're an angel, tell me you're never leaving
'Cause you're the first thing I know I can believe in
You're holy, holy, holy, holy
I'm high on loving you, high on loving you
You're holy, holy, holy, holy
I'm high on loving you, high on loving you
Rachel felt tears prick at the corner of her eyes and took her bottom lip between her teeth. She wasn't going to cry. Not yet. Quinn's voice got louder with the next verse, and Rachel could feel parts of her melting away.
You made the brightest days from the darkest nights
You're the river bank where I was baptized
Cleanse all the demons
That were killing my freedom
Let me lay you down, give me to ya
Get you singing babe, hallelujah
We'll be touching, we'll be touching heaven
Rachel laughed a little, but she couldn't stop the tears from falling. Quinn stepped forward and climbed down from the stage. She held up her hands and Puck stopped playing. She knelt in front of Rachel, grabbed her hands, and sang the last part with more emotion than Rachel was expecting.
I don't need the stars 'cause you shine for me
Like fire in my veins, you're my ecstasy
You're my ecstasy
You're holy, holy, holy, holy
I'm high on loving you, high on loving you
You're holy, holy, holy, holy
I'm high on loving you, high on loving you
You're the healing hands where it used to hurt
You're my saving grace, you're my kind of church
You're holy
Quinn stopped singing and leaned forward. She kissed Rachel on the cheek and hopped back on the stage. Rachel's smile fell as Quinn pretty much ran to the back and Puck merely bowed at the waist before he followed after her. She sat there in the dark, torn between swooning and screaming in frustration, and jumped when LJ approached her from the side. He took one look at her and snorted.
"I told Tori to make sure you had a tissue, but she seemed to think you wouldn't cry. Obviously, she doesn't know you well or our sister has a heart made of solid rock, not ice."
"What-
"Don't ask questions. Just come on, we're going to be late for class."
Rachel let LJ pull her out of the seat and drag her out of the auditorium. Rachel looked down at the rose in her hand and wondered if that was the only surprise of her day.
Rachel couldn't help but feel like Tori and Puck were avoiding her. When she saw them, they would turn the other way. She hadn't seen Quinn since that morning, and she hadn't seen Santana at all. She was going crazy. Mercedes and the others had left her alone, but she could feel their eyes on her. She had no idea what their problem was and didn't really care. Rachel let the crowds die off before she made her way to her last class of the day.
At least that was the plan.
Hands grabbed her by the waist from behind and a cloth went around her eyes. She didn't scream, only because she recognized the voice from the lips pressed against her ear.
"It's just us," Santana whispered.
From the other side, she heard, "Do you trust us?"
Rachel felt something that wasn't trust bubbling in her stomach and she quickly nodded yes to avoid embarrassing herself by opening her mouth and something other than words coming out. She let them lead her away and kept quiet. While they walked, she heard the same guitar from earlier, but it was playing a song she knew word for word, chord for chord, and in every way possible. Her heart jumped into her throat while her stomach flipped so many times that she got nauseous. The only way they knew the song was from LJ and LJ alone. He was the only one who knew it was her song for them, and she was already in tears.
"Are you crying?" Quinn asked.
"We haven't even done anything yet," Santana teased.
"Shut up," Rachel huffed.
The hands on her waist guided her down and she landed on a bench of sorts. Seconds later, two sets of arms wrapped around her and she felt the cloth being removed. When she finally got her eyes adjusted, she froze. Her father's office, once an empty room with two chairs and a desk, was decked out with white roses. The lights were off with candles and she could see Puck sitting cross-legged across the room. He was singing softly to the song he was playing. Rachel glanced to the side at Quinn.
"What is this?"
Quinn smiled and placed her finger on Rachel's chin. She gave enough pressure for Rachel to get the point and Rachel looked around at Santana expectantly.
"We love you. Both of us. Equally and deeply. It has been a rough couple of weeks, and we realized that after our confession, we never doubled down on it. So that's what we decided to do."
Rachel felt like a blubbering idiot, but she pulled it together as she said, "You did all of this? Both of you?"
"No," Quinn said. "This was actually all Santana. I'm shit with romantic gestures."
"But this morning-
"Was Santana's idea," Quinn admitted. "I meant every word, but I probably would've done something stupid like blurt it out in the hallway or something."
Santana snorted. "Or sent you a text at four in the morning," she added.
Quinn pouted and Rachel kissed her on the cheek. She smiled when Quinn's face turned red and looked back at Santana.
"You seriously planned all of this?" she whispered.
"Yes. All for us to tell you something pretty important…"
Rachel waited, and Santana and Quinn shifted so that they were both sitting in front of Rachel. They each grabbed a hand and sang in perfect harmony.
You've got all of us
We belong to you
Yeah, you're our everything
Rachel laughed a little at the lyric change.
In case you didn't know
We're crazy bout you
We would be lying if we said
That we could live this life without you
Even though we don't tell you all the time
You had our heart a long long time ago
In case you didn't know
Santana leaned forward first and kissed Rachel on the lips, and Quinn followed after. Rachel was so distracted she missed the others leaving, and they sat there in the room for the rest of the day. Even long after the final bell rang for the end of school.