Hey, guys! Long time, no see. A lot of things have changed in the past couple of months. I've started my last semester of under-grad. I moved to a new city, and I got married! Which was a lot of help with trying to deal with Naya's death. And as I promised, I'm going to keep this story going for her. Because if it hadn't been for Naya, I wouldn't have ever had the courage to tell my best friend how I felt about her...we never would have gotten married after seven years. I owe a lot to her. So with that in mind, I've found a lot more inspiration to finish this story and start gathering some things for the next installment of the series, which will be the last.

Now, this will pick up right where we left off. So if it's been a while and if you're not quite sure what happened in the last chapter, I would go back and read it before reading this chapter. I am also going to apologize for how I ended this chapter. It was pretty much planned out from the beginning and it has a lot to do with the rest of the story's storyline, so I decided not to change anything. I already have the next chapter pretty much outlined, I just have to write it. And this is my vacation week, so I plan on wracking out at least the next chapter tonight and possibly another in the next few days. (I have sooo much spare time right now because my wife just started on night shift at the hospital and I'm alone for the majority of the night and during the day while she sleeps.)

Let me know what you all think, I've missed getting review notifications from you guys. I love you all and I can't wait to keep trucking through this journey with you all! ~CommanderRaccoon

Ch:16

Quinn

With a worried sigh, I glanced over at the door of the choir room, expecting and hoping to see Logan walk through any second now. But the blonde had been MIA for three days following the really freaking sudden breakup between her and Santana last week. Not that I blamed her for not wanting to come to school right now. The entire glee club went all out this year for Valentine's Day. There thousands upon thousands of red and pink hearts made from construction paper hanging from the ceiling, and even more littered the walls and the hallways outside of the choir room.

Unfortunately, neither Rachel nor I had been able to locate the missing girl, and I was starting to really worry about her.

"You should stop looking for her."

Ignoring Rachel's voice, I kept my eyes trained on the door, as if I could magically make the girl appear here herself. "Why are you not as worried about her as I am?"

"I am worried about her. But my sister really cared about Santana, and her heart hasn't been able to fully heal from Nicole and most likely never will. She had a lot invested in this relationship, more than you and I will ever know. This breakup has to be hard on her. If she needs space, then that is what I'm going to give her."

"I just don't know why she at least hasn't texted one of us back to let us know that she's okay. For all we know, she could be laying in a ditch somewhere."

Hearing a light laugh from beside me, I glanced over to see Rachel giving me an amused look, causing me to frown. "What are you laughing at? Your sister's heart is broken and she's practically missing and you're laughing?"

The brunette reached out to take one of my hands, letting our fingers tangle together. "I just find it a little humorous that our roles seem to have switched lately. I am no longer the one that worries needlessly, you've taken it upon yourself to do that. I, on the other hand, am respecting the boundaries that my sister has made for herself. She will come to us in time, Quinn. You know that."

Letting out another sigh, I slumped a little in my chair as Mr. Shue walked into the classroom, carrying a stack of papers in his hands. Obviously Rachel was right. Logan would most likely not be showing up today and I should just let her be.

"No Logan again today?"

Mr. Shue had directed the question at us quietly, and Rachel shook her head as my attention moved to the opposite side of the room where Santana had taken up residence since Monday. The Latina was sitting in one of the last chairs towards the back, her eyes focused intently on her cellphone resting in her lap. She looked tired. And not just physically, but emotionally as well. And it had been no secret that since Monday morning she had slowly been returning to the feared cheerleader who snapped at everyone and everything that moved or breath.

Halfway through Mike and Tina's rendition of L-O-V-E, the door that joined Mr. Shue's office and the choir room opened with a quiet creek, causing almost every head to turn towards the sound and Rachel's completely flabbergasted look was enough to tell me that I wasn't dreaming.

There stood our missing girl, looking completely the same save for her cropped blonde hair that now barely reached her shoulders and the cold, empty gaze she was supporting. At least seven inches of her hair had to have been cut off, and the far-away look in the girl's eyes was disturbing. There was no hint of Logan in her cool blue eyes, just a hardness that I knew like the sudden change in hair, was because of the breakup.

The blonde stood in the doorway silently, clapping along with the rest of the members as soon as Tina and Mike's performance was over before she crossed the room and took her place in the empty chair next to me.

"Alright, Tina, Mike. That was a wonderful performance. Now…"

As Mr. Shue rambled on about Valentine's Day plans, I chanced a glance to the blonde sitting next to me. She appeared to be listening to Mr. Shue, but with closer inspection, I could tell that she seemed to be a thousand miles off into the distance, her eyes focusing on a point somewhere past our choir director, past the school's concrete walls.

While relief flooded my body, I instinctively reached over to grab one of my best friend's hands, my heart aching for the girl that sat beside me.

Quinn Cont.

"So how was your weekend?"

The locker door slammed shut, the sound of metal clanking together echoing throughout the lively hallway, many of the teenagers turning away from their own conversations at the noise.

"I am so not in the mood for your fucking antics, Fabray."

As the former cheerleader started off into the sea of students, I hurried after her, my own anger over the whole situation that had come about over the weekend clouding my judgement. I was poking the bear with a stick, but I didn't mind.

"I could give two crap loads about what you're in the mood for, Lopez. Three days ago, you and Logan were perfectly happy. What the hell happened?"

Santana shrugged a shoulder, storming her way through the masses, shouldering a few who stumbled to the ground in silent protest. No one was brave (or stupid) enough to call her out on it. Except for me, apparently. "It's none of your business."

Reaching out, I grabbed a hold of the girl's shoulder, forcing her to stop and turn and glare at me. "Be that as it may, you both are my best friends and I'm worried about you! Pull your head out of your ass and don't push me away, alright? I'm just trying to help."

"I don't need your help! I just want you to leave me the fuck alone!"

This time, I didn't bother trying to stop the Latina as she continued down the hall, disappearing around the corner while everyone jumped out of her way.

Letting out a sigh, I ducked into my next period just before the bell rang, shaking my head at Rachel's inquisitive look upon being somewhat late. Right now, the last thing I wanted to do was discuss what just took place in the hall a few moment ago. And knowing my girlfriend, she would only lecture me about not getting involved with this whole mess. Even if I had Logan and Santana's best interests at heart.

Logan

"Are you sure you don't want to come out with us?"

Gesturing to the large pile of paperwork scattered on my desk, I gave my sister the smallest smile I could muster up. "I've got a whole bunch of work that I need to catch up on. But thanks for the offer. Besides, I don't really feel like going out tonight."

The brunette nodded, her eyes raking over me one last time before she silently left my open doorway followed by the sound of her and Quinn's retreat from the house soon after.

Letting out a sigh, I slumped back into my desk chair, running a hand over my face. Unbeknownst to my sister, the homework I had used as an excuse to get out of third-wheeling her and Quinn's Valentine's date had long since been completed. Because I absolutely had nothing better to do this week.

I'd skipped out on every Glee club Valentine's Day activity so far, skillfully trying to avoid any and all contact I had to bare with the group. Mostly because I honestly couldn't stand any more of the pitiful looks everyone had been giving me all week and secondly…I didn't want to see Santana…

"Hey! It's cold as fuck out here, come open the door, Mackenzie!"

Scooting myself away from my desk, I jogged over to my slightly open window, leaning against the edge as I glanced down at the blonde standing in my driveway. "What are you doing here, Skylar?"

The blonde shrugged, holding out a brown-paper bag. "I currently have no plans for tonight, and I doubt that you made any either, so I decided to be an awesome friend and bring the best thing for two single ladies to share on Valentine's Day weekend. Tequila for two."

Rolling my eyes, I pushed off the edge of the window, clasping it shut behind me before making my way downstairs to let the girl in. "Listen, Sky. I really appreciate whatever you're trying to do, but I don't want-."

The girl hushed me, tossing her letterman down on the couch nearest to the door, handing me the heavy bottle of liquor as she shed her shoes and tossed them into the corner. "Shut it, Logan. Like hell I was going to let you spend tonight alone. I understand that you're hurting, but you're not going to push people away because of it. I'm staying, so get over it."

Without another word, the blonde took the bottle from me, disappearing around the corner into the kitchen. Letting out a sigh, I followed dutifully behind, silently thankful that the house would be quiet for most of the night. There was no telling what Quinn and my sister would get into, and I had successfully managed to convince my mothers to take the weekend off and stay in Columbus for Valentine's Day.

A shot of the clear liquid was placed into my hand as soon as my feet hit the hardwood flooring, and after relieving a stern look from Skylar, I quickly downed the glass' contents, barely making a face as the liquid burned its way down my throat. "That's gross."

Skylar downed another shot, shrugging one shoulder as she poured another shot glass' worth into my own empty glass. "Maybe, but it works the fastest."

After a few minutes of silence, save for the sound of liquid being poured and the glasses scraping the tabletop, Skylar cleared her throat. "So what happened with the hair? Have an interesting weekend last week?"

Running my fingertip along the rim of my shot glass, I let out a light sigh, already feeling the effects of the alcohol in my system. "I may or may not have did something stupid while drunk…"

Earning a raised eyebrow from the blonde, I quickly averted my eyes as I recounted how I'd had managed to lock myself in my room for entirety of the weekend following the breakup, only coming out to retrieve the scissors from my mothers' bathroom, fully intoxicated as I chopped off my hair over my mothers' bathroom sink. I did, however, leave out the part where I did a horrible job of it and how after one of my mother's ended up finding me on the floor a few hours later sobbing uncontrollably, she fixed it as best as she could, resulting in it's now short length.

"Wow. Lopez did a pretty bang up job at fucking with you, didn't she?"

Glaring across the table at the blonde, who only smirked at me, I reached to grab the bottle of tequila, forgoing the glass all together. "Yeah, she did fuck me up. Her and every other girl I've ever fucking slept with. Maybe I shouldn't be a fucking lesbian anymore."

"I never did anything to you! And you're really going to start taking dick now?"

Grimacing, I shuddered as I set the almost empty bottle down on the table. "Nope, I can't turn the gay off. That image alone in my head was enough to make me want to puke. And I said girls I had slept with. We only went out on one date and I don't remember it ending with me naked in your bed. Or vice versa."

"Oh come on. You expect me to believe that every girl you've had sex with has fucked you over in some way?"

Nodding, I let my head drop to the table. "Yep. The girl I lost my virginity to, was one of the girls I'd met when I started high school. We were all friends and I slept with her after my first party that summer. Nicole and I weren't dating yet, but it pissed her off when she found out because we had been discussing starting a relationship. She refused to speak with me for months after. And then Nicole died. Then there were a few girls after Nicole that I slept with. Don't remember their names, but each one was a one night type of thing and I lost some friends because of it. And then Santana…well look where I am now. Drunk on Valentine's Day…with short hair and a fucking black hole for a heart. I'm done with love."

"Yeah, but not every time will be like that. This thing, what you're going through now, it'll pass. But if it had been me, I would have never let you go. You're too fine to pass up, Mackenzie."

Giggling, I pushed myself into a upright position. "I am really sorry for everything, Skylar. I know I really hurt you."

The blonde stood up from her seat, smiling slightly before tossing the empty bottle in the trash can and leaning against the table next to me. "Yeah, but you didn't love me, Logan. Not like you love Santana. It wouldn't have worked out. We both know that. And even now, I still think you two are destined for each other. This might be another bump in the road for you two, but you're made for her and she's made for you."

Head reeling from the alcohol, I stood up from the table, swaying slightly and only able to steady myself by reaching out and grabbing a hold of Skylar's shoulders. After blinking my eyes clear a few times, I managed to hold onto Skylar's gaze. "Why are you such a good friend? I don't deserve any of this."

The blonde shrugged. "I care about you, Logan."

Despite all the warning bells ringing in my head, and the fact that a voice in my head was screaming at me that I was drunk and wasn't thinking clearly, I leaned forward, smoothly connecting my lips to Skylar's.

And along the way upstairs, as clothes were being shed and thrown on various surfaces, neither me or the blonde spoke about the silent tears streaming down my cheeks…or the fact that, in my drunken state, it was a lot easier to pretend the arms wrapped around my body were Santana's…