Hello and welcome to the last chapter of season 3! Bear with me as I have pretty much prepared an essay for notes for this chapter. When I had originally written this story I had only expected to write fifteen chapters and now that I've hit chapter fourteen with three more seasons to go is absolutely crazy!
Also! I am not a performer. I have never taken part in choir or a musical or anything in between so if everything is not completely accurate with the things that typically happen backstage or before the performance, I do apologize.
This chapter was so fun to write. Tike and Fabrevans would be best friends and go on double dates all the time and you cannot convince me otherwise. I love the four of them together. It's seriously a crime that both of them were not endgame.
I know Quinn and Puck had a big storyline during Graduation, but Puck passed his test back in Choke so that storyline does not exist in this story.
Nationals
The next couple of weeks go by uneventfully and before she knows it, it's time for nationals. She's been practicing her dancing with Santana and Brittnay as much as she can and feels confident with her skills. She's also been trying to spend as much time with Sam as she can, even accompanying him for the weekend to visit his family in Kentucky, sleeping in Stacey's room of course. Neither of them really want to address that she's going to be leaving for New Haven in the middle of August which seems to be inching closer and closer.
Even though she can walk, she hasn't found the courage to get behind the wheel again, and from the looks of it, no one else is really all that eager for her to be driving again either. Her mom, Kurt and Santana had been more subtle, with her mom sucking in a sharp breath when her doctor cleared her to walk, Kurt suggesting maybe she should wait a little longer until she fully knows she's ready, and Santana always offering to drive whenever the three of them are planning to hang out. Sam had just straight up told her no. Even if she might be ready, he's not and told her he had no issue with driving her wherever she wanted to go, so that was the end of that.
xxx
She wakes up earlier than she normally would so she can get to school to head to nationals. She's a little worried since her dancing is not how it used to be, but everyone has been assuring her that she's doing just fine.
She grabs her small suitcase that she had packed for the trip and walks downstairs to meet her mom who is driving her to the school. She's wearing a pair of leggings and one of Sam's old McKinley football hoodies because she plans to sleep the entire ride there.
She leans against Kurt half asleep as Mr. Schue tries to wake them up by talking to them about the rules while they're in Chicago while they wait for everyone else to arrive.
As soon as Sam arrives he walks up behind them and tells Kurt "I got her" while wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. She hides her face in the crook of his neck so Mr. Schue doesn't see her sleeping.
She groans as Sam tugs her onto the bus and towards a seat. Kurt and Blaine snicker from behind them. "I have to say Quinn, I'm surprised. I thought you would be a morning person." Blaine says to her.
Sam and Kurt both laugh and Sam tells him, "I wish, it would make my life a whole lot easier." She elbows Sam in the chest and he tickles her side to get back at her. She jumps and yelps, glaring at him.
She falls asleep on Sam's shoulder as soon as the bus starts moving, staying asleep until they get there.
xxx
Mr. Schue tells them that they can all do their own thing as he gets them all checked in and organized, so they leave their suitcases with their chaperones and head off to lunch. The girls in one direction and the boys in another.
Santana suggests Chipotle and they all agree excitedly. Quinn gets a taco bowl and takes a seat next to Tina once she gets her food while they wait for the other girls to finish ordering. They fall into an easy conversation of gossip as soon as everyone is seated.
They start off with talking about everyone's plans for graduation, but then Brittnay asks her out of nowhere, "Quinn, does making out with Sam feel like making out with a fish?"
She's a little startled and confused at the random change in subject, Brittany had cut off Rachel mid sentence. She shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know Britt, I've never really made out with a fish before."
She gets an interesting back and she shakes her head giggling. "Wait so how far have you and Sam gone?" Tina asks her and she notices how all the girls move forward slightly, anticipating her answer.
She bites her lip, she's not sure how Sam would feel about her discussing their sex life to the glee girls, but ultimately decides he would probably take it as a compliment so she decides to tell them anyways.
"We've done it." She says casually like it's no big deal, but she guesses from the girls reactions it is a big deal for them.
"You have?!" "How many times?" "About time Fabray, trouty was probably dying from blue balls." "Wait done what?" She giggles at the different questions and responses she gets and tells them all to calm down as they shout at her to tell them everything.
"Okay, okay." She says while laughing. "Well the first time it happened was when I went to go visit him in Kentucky over the summer." She pales as soon as she remembers Sam and Mercedes, ignoring all the screams of shock she gets. They were together after he had transferred back, did Sam tell her about them?
Mercedes must notice her panic because she laughs and tells her not to worry. "As I said girl, I know you and Sam are soulmates. Plus I'm with Shane so it's okay." She nods and breathes out a sigh of relief.
"Kentucky?!" Rachel says like she expects a full detailed story on what that was about.
"I just missed him so I went to visit him and one thing led to another. And then we did it on prom night and that's it!" She tells them hoping they'll drop the subject.
"What are you guys going to do once you graduate?" Sugar asks her and Quinn bites her lip. She hates thinking about it, but she knows they both have mutually decided this won't last past graduation.
"I don't know." She tells them honestly. "We both don't think long distance will work."
All the girls give her sad looks and Tina tells her while laying a hand on her shoulder, "well I know you guys will end up together. You're Ken and Barbie." She smiles at Tina, but doesn't say anything because she doesn't know what the future holds for her and Sam, but she really hopes Tina is right.
Mercedes starts complaining about her upset stomach as they walk back to the hotel, but things don't start getting serious until a couple hours later. They tell Sue first since she's the first chaperone they find, and she starts giving them all orders on what to get for Mercedes and instructs Mercedes on strict bedrest.
Eventually Tina goes to get Mr. Schue and Santana fills him in on what happened. They take turns putting a cold towel on Mercedes forehead to try and get her temperature to go down.
Mr. Schue turns around after his side conversation and tells them, "So here's what's going to happen. Mercedes you're on bedrest, Quinn you're stepping in."
She starts panicking, she can't take Mercedes' spot, are they insane? "No, no, no. I can't dance that number. I can't sing it either, not like-" but Mr. Schue doesn't let her finish.
"The Trouble Tones need you." She begins to panic more. Why can't Mr. Schue realize that she can't do this? She barely knows the words let alone the choreography.
"You're better than you think you are." Tina tells her and she tries to smile back at her.
Mercedes tells Mr. Schue that this is her last competition and she doesn't want to miss it, and Quinn starts praying that Mercedes will start getting better in a few hours so Quinn won't have to step in.
Santana and Brittnay drag her and Tina down to the conference room excitedly as soon as they get changed so they can start catching them up to speed on Edge Of Glory. They have both decided to equally split up Mercedes' parts and Santana will take over any belting notes.
Brittany teaches Quinn any moves that she doesn't already know and they go through the number once to see where everyone is at.
xxx
He walks down to the conference room with the guys so they can all start rehearsing. He hears the music to Edge Of Glory and grows confused. Didn't Mr. Schue want them all to wait for him? Why did the girls start without them? Artie opens the door slightly and his jaw drops at what he sees.
"Hold up, what is happening?" He hears some of the other guys ask Artie what's going on, but he just ignores them, waving Sam over. He goes to see what exactly Artie is talking about, and his jaw drops as soon as he realizes.
There stands his girlfriend, dancing and singing a solo in Edge Of Glory. He's super confused as to why she's even a part of their practice right now, but he can't bring himself to care. Instead he watches in awe as she moves and spins, following Brittnay's dance instructions.
Pride fills his chest as soon as the song ends and Quinn cheers out, throwing her hands up in the air with relief that she was able to get through the song. She throws her head back and laughs with Tina as Brittnay and the other girls congratulate them.
He whips his head around when he hears Rachel ask them what they're doing when she arrives with Finn. The girls must have heard her as well because when he turns back around they're all looking at him smirking and Quinn is blushing a deep shade of red.
They all enter and Mr. Schue instructs them that the guys will work on the choreography of Paradise By The Dashboard Light with Mike as the girls try to perfect the Trouble Tones number and Rachel will work on her solo somewhere quiet.
Mr. Schue stays with them for their first run through and then tells them he's going to go do some last minute preparations for tomorrow but to continue working.
He makes small mistakes a few times because he keeps looking over at Quinn to make sure she's doing okay. Puck must notice because he asks him "Are you guys planning to hook up after this or something? Why do you keep looking over there?" Is it not obvious? He's concerned about his girlfriend. He rolls his eyes because Puck wouldn't recognize worry in someone else's eyes, especially not for their girlfriend.
He lets it go this time as Mike tries to get their attention again, but he decides enough is enough the next time Puck makes a crude remark. "I wouldn't even bother Evans, good luck trying to get her to put out." He walks over to Puck and punches him in the face.
Then all hell breaks loose. Puck rushes over to him as Finn and Mike hold him back and Rory and Joe try and pull him away. Brittany starts complaining about some pillow she dropped out the window somewhere in the background, but he isn't focused on that.
He looks over at Quinn while breathing hard who is looking over at him concerned. He can see the look in her eyes, she's pleading with him to just drop it. To leave it alone and let Puck be Puck, but she doesn't know what Puck said about her. He is so sick of the way Puck treats her, the way he talks about her. He has no respect for her at all. He was willing to let it go before because he knows Puck doesn't really mean it and the two of them are friends, but enough is enough.
Mr. Schue then walks in and asks them what's going on. "He's being an asshole while we're trying to rehearse it's bogus!" He shouts as he shakes off Rory and Joe.
"'Cause I already know the dance! You dance like you got your feet caught in bear traps and you're trying to gnaw them off." He goes to punch Puck once more, but Finn pushes him back.
Kurt starts to complain about some stupid key Unique is getting and Brittnay starts talking about stuff she's dropped into the pool, but he isn't paying attention, he's still seething.
He rolls her eyes when Rachel tells them, "just because we lost Mercedes doesn't mean we can be anything less than perfect."
Santana then starts screaming and Sam would do anything to just get out of the room. Mr. Schue offers them all a break and much to his dismay everyone disagrees.
Worry replaces his rage when Tina and Quinn start talking about how they want to keep rehearsing. "Yeah, Edge Of Glory's a bitch. I said I'd be dancing by nationals, I'll be damned if I don't" Quinn says and he smiles slightly.
Sam catches her eye and raises an eyebrow at her to silently ask her if she's okay. She nods and he just knows that she's going to ask him about what happened with Puck later.
Rory and Mike check on him and he tells them that he's fine, just frustrated. He tells them he's going to take a five minute break and goes to stand beside Mr. Schue so he can check on Quinn.
He jumps out to grab her when she stumbles a bit but she shakes her head telling both him and Mr. Schue that she's fine. Brittany pauses and waits for her so she can catch up and he returns back to the guys.
Mr. Schue orders them a pizza for dinner once they decide they're done rehearsing for the day. He takes three slices and goes to sit with Rory and Mike but Quinn grabs the back of his shirt. "Nu uh, you're coming with me." He groans.
The two of them sit at their own table and he's grateful he allows her to eat one slice of pizza before questioning him about what happened earlier. "Okay, spill."
"Puck was just being a dick so I punched him." She gives him a look that says really? like she knows there is more to the story and he sighs. "Okay fine, he was making rude comments about you."
She chuckles slightly and smiles at him. "Sam, I can fight my own battles. If I got upset every time Puck was an asshole I would still be in tears."
He nods his head, feeling slightly better. "I know Quinn, but I'm not going to stand there and listen to him say shit like that."
She smirks at him. "But that doesn't mean you have to punch him, walk away next time." He rolls his eyes but guess it was worth it in the end because she whispers in his ear that she'll give him a kiss for being her knight later.
xxx
"Alright guys! The chaperones and I are heading to sleep!" Mr. Schue announces and she checks her phone to see the time, 10pm, "You have the conference room for two more hours but that's all. No funny business because I will find out. Please don't stay up too late because tomorrow we head for nationals!" They all cheer and watch the adults leave the room.
"Come on guys, everyone come sit in a circle." Finn tells them and she and Sam look at each other confused. They all do what Finn says, walking to the middle of the room and sitting on the floor.
She takes a seat between Kurt and Sam. "This is our last competition together and Rach and I decided as co-captains that we should all be able to have one last interrupted moment together without the pressure or the nerves." She smiles fondly and grabs Kurt and Sam's hands.
"I remember the first day of glee club where there were only five of us." Artie tells them.
"When Quinn was still calling me RuPaul." Rachel adds in and everyone laughs as she feels her cheeks heat up.
"Sorry about that," She tells Rachel. "Man Hands." She adds in after a pause and Rachel bursts out laughing.
They all share stories, reminiscing on times like when they had all slushied Mr. Schue, or how Quinn's water had broken iconically right after they got off the stage during their regionals performance. Her cheeks burn red at that one.
Sam, Rory, Blaine and the other new members who had joined over the years share their stories of how it was like to join the glee club for them.
"I was this new kid with no friends and my second day here the quarterback, who I thought was supposed to be school royalty, asks me if I want to join this singing group." Sam tells them and they all laugh. "But I'm so glad I did." He says while looking at her and she smiles back at him.
"What do you guys want to win this for?" Kurt asks them and they all go around the room saying the same answer: Mr. Schue.
They share some more stories and before they decide it's time to head to bed, Rachel gives them one last speech. "Now I know Finn is the one who is famous for pep talks and I'm the one who just bosses everyone around." She waits for everyone to stop laughing and continues. "But I just want you guys to know that whatever happens tomorrow, we are all still a family."
They all say their goodnights and she gives Sam one last kiss before following Tina up to their room.
xxx
Tina wakes her up all excited and the two of them get ready to head to the theatre while a little buzzed on nervous. Their chaperones are bringing their costumes and makeup/hair products so Quinn is thankful that the only thing she is responsible for is her phone an herself.
Ms. Pilsbury directs them to the room they are getting ready in as Mr. Schue checks them in. She sets up beside Tina and does her makeup quickly so Tina can start on her hair after the Asian girl finishes her own.
"I can't believe this is our last competition together." Tina tells her sadly as she curls a piece of her hair. Quinn sends her a small smile through the mirror.
"I promise I'll try to come to as many of your competitions next year as I can." She responds even though she's not entirely sure if she can fulfill that promise because she doesn't know what terms her and Sam will be on next year. Will their breakup be messy? Will they go back to the way they were before they got back together? As best friends? She bites the inside of her cheek, only time will tell.
"Well when you do, you'll have to sneak backstage to do my makeup so we can keep our tradition going." Tina tells her with tears in her eyes.
"Oh God Tina if you start crying right now I will too and then this will really turn into a mess." Quinn says while laughing. Sam comes over to them, greeting Tina and sitting in her chair beside Quinn.
She tries to look at him as best she can without moving her head. "Who gelled your hair for you?" She asks him as he plays with her already curled pieces of hair.
"Blaine." He hums, more interested in the blonde strands in between his fingers than their conversation. She rolls her eyes.
"Where's Mike? I thought the two of you were getting ready together?" She asks him, moving her head away from him slightly so she can get him to drop the pieces of hair he's playing with, she doesn't need him messing up her hair.
He snorts. "Guys don't get ready together Quinn. And he's helping Finn go over a few steps for Paradise By The Dashboard Light. I missed my girlfriend so I thought I'd come over here."
She rolls her eyes, but also blushes and Tina awes at them. "You guys are so adorable!" She tells them while putting the curling iron down and grabbing some pins for Quinn's hair.
"Yeah it's disgusting." Santana chimes in from somewhere around them and Sam flips her off.
"How are you guys feeling about Edge Of Glory?" And there are those nerves she's been trying not to focus on. She's terrified she's going to mess up and let everyone down. She had another panic attack last night that Ms. Pilsbury had to work her through after Tina had run to go get her, but both Ms. Pilsbury and Tina have convinced her that everything is going to be fine.
"Quinn here doesn't think she's going to do well no matter how much I try to convince her she's going to be amazing. I'm doing okay, but I probably won't be as good as Mercedes." Tina tells him as she and Quinn switch seats so Quinn can do Tina's makeup.
"You're too hard on yourself Q." And she hums back, not really wanting to talk about it. Mike comes over to them and the four of them fall into a conversation about their competitors.
Mr. Schue gathers all of them for show circle before they have to head to their seats and she stands excitedly between Sam and Tina. Sam wraps his arm around her collarbone and she wraps both her hands around his arm and squeezes it.
Finn fills Mr. Schue in on the talk they all had last night and how they all want to win nationals for him. "And I know every year at school Figgins gives away the Teacher of the Year award, but I don't think any of us have to wait to see how we feel about that. You're like, our Teacher of a Lifetime."
They all agree with Finn as Mr. Schue thanks them and then the lights start blinking indicating it's time for them to head on stage. They all throw their hands in quickly and before they can complete their cheer Mercedes walks in.
She breathes out a sigh of relief. Thank God they won't need me for Edge Of Glory anymore she thinks to herself.
"Thank God you're okay because that just means I'm not going to fall on my face during that Trouble Tones number." She tells Mercedes and Sam grabs her hand, squeezing it.
"Oh, screw that. This is our last time performing together. You're doing it, and so are you Tina. I'm not taking no for an answer. Plus I have so many steroids going through my body right now, I may turn into the Incredible Hulk if you piss me off." She takes a shaky breath. Shoot, she was really hoping that she wasn't going to have to perform a huge solo like this for nationals.
She throws her hand in as they all cheer and runs out of the green room with Tina to the stage.
Before she goes to stand in position on stage, Sam grabs her arm to stop her. "I believe in you." He tells her while leaning down for a quick kiss. "You can do this."
She nods and walks onto the stage, standing off to the side to try and calm herself down. Santana walks over to her with Brittnay and grabs both of their hands. "The Unholy Trinity, starting together and ending together."
"Just the way it should be." Brittany chimes in and she smiles at the both of them.
She thinks she blacks out for most of Edge Of Glory. She has no idea how she managed to not mess up the words let alone remember all the dance moves.
She runs off the stage and into Sam's open arms once their number is finished. "Baby you were fantastic!" She squeals and laughs as he spins her around.
"Okay okay, I need to get back on stage for Rachel's solo." She tells him as she pries his hands off her waist. "Sam seriously, I need to go." She tells him while trying to move away from him as he peppers her face with kisses.
She walks onto the stage after Rachel and stands with Tina and Sugar so they can sing backup. She runs off the stage as Paradise By The Dashboard Light starts playing so she can run onto the stage during her cue. She's grateful Mr. Schue let most of the couples pair up as dancing partners because she feels comfortable and calm as she dances and spins around with Sam.
They all stand and smile as the cheers and applause dies down and then walk off the stage. They all cheer and she thanks those who congratulate her and tell her she did amazing despite recovering from her injury.
Finn and Rachel lead them to their seats and she sits between Santana and Sam as they watch the rest of the choir groups perform. Now that the adrenaline has started to go down, her legs are starting to ache. Dancing in heels already wasn't her favourite thing before her injury, not only does she have to worry about the blisters on her toes now she also has to feel her throbbing muscles in her legs.
She peels her heels off and rubs her right foot subtly as Vocal Adrenaline heads onto the stage. Sam looks down at her feet. "You okay?" He asks her.
She nods. "I forgot to take an advil before our performance." She tells him while looking over at him, but he isn't looking at her. His jaw is dropped as he looks at the stage. She furrows her brows and looks to see what he is gaping at and she too drops her mouth open. There is Vocal Adrenaline doing all sorts of flips and tricks as Unique sings Starships. She was feeling confident that they had this in the bag, but now? She's not so sure.
They go back to their green room while the judges deliberate and she pops to advils and grimaces as she can now properly see the blisters on her toes. Good thing she packed a bunch of bandaids in her makeup bag. They all wait patiently to see if they made the top three and she sighs out in relief when they are told they have and they can head onto the stage now.
She grabs onto Santana and Sam's hands and claps respectfully when Unique is announced as the MVP. She hears Sam cheer quietly when the Trailblazers are announced as the third place winners. She blanks as she hears "from McKinley." Her ears are ringing from how loudly everyone is screaming. Santana is crying, and she can guarantee she is too. She hugs whoever she can and kisses the trophy as soon as it makes its way over to her.
The celebration continues as they make it back to the green room to pack up their things. "Okay guys!" Mr. Schue yells trying to get all of their attention. "I made reservations at a fancy restaurant by our hotel just in case we had won. So as soon as we get back to the hotel, get ready and meet in the lobby at six o'clock. The reservations are for six thirty.
xxx
She curses as she looks through her outfits she had brought. She didn't realize they would need to bring fancy clothes. She has a simple sundress, but it isn't anything special.
Tina must notice her distress because she walks over to where Quinn is crouching over her suitcase. "What's up?"
"I don't have anything to wear." She grumbles back. Tina hums and walks to her own suitcase. She eyes Tina suspiciously as she pulls a dress out. "Here." She says showing her the dress. "Wear this." It's a simple mini satin baby blue dress that is definitely not her style.
"I don't know Tina, I think I might just stick with the sundress I brought." She tells Tina while biting her bottom lip. The dress is gorgeous, but it's short and sexy and would look much better on Tina than it would on her.
Tina rolls her eyes. "Come on Quinn! The colour is perfect for you. I have a similar one in black so we can match! I'm not taking no for an answer." Tina tells her while laying the dress beside her on her bed.
She reluctantly agrees and goes to the bathroom to change. She stands and stares at herself in the mirror. It's definitely shorter than she would have liked it to be because she's taller than Tina, but it's not inappropriate. It doesn't show that much cleavage because the front of the dress sort of folds over. She does secretly love how it hugs her body in all the right places.
She jumps when Tina starts banging on the door. "Alright Fabray, open up. Let me see." She takes a deep breath and opens the door. Her eyes widen at how amazing Tina looks. She had taken out the bun and put her hair in a ponytail, leaving a few pieces out to frame her face. She has on the black dress which is similar to hers. The material is also satin, but it doesn't fold over the way Quinn's does, Tina's is a lot more tight fitting.
"Wow Tina you look great."
"Quinn." Tina gasps. "You look amazing." She blushes as Tina instructs her to turn around. "Here, sit on the toilet seat so I can do your hair one last time." She does as Tina says as Quinn's eyes fill up with tears as she realizes it is truly one of the last times they will be doing this.
"Quinn Fabray don't you dare start crying or else I will too." Tina scolds her and she laughs. Tina pins a few strands of hair back on each side and secures them with a hair tie. "There. All done." She tells her as she lays her hands on Quinn's shoulder. She groans in pain as she slips back into her black heels.
Quinn quickly removes her lipstick and swaps it for a pink before heading down to the lobby. "Shoot we're a little late." Tina tells her as she looks down at her phone. She looks over at Tina's phone and sees that the time is 6:02.
They speed walk from the elevator to the lobby where the rest of the glee club is waiting for them. "What took you guys so lon-oh wow." Artie says to them. Or maybe just her because he's giving her a once over. She blushes and Tina smirks at her.
"I told you the dress was a good idea." Tina whispers to her as she notices everyone's shocked expressions. She snickers as she sees Sam glare at Artie and elbow Rory who is gaping at her, but his jaw also practically drops to the floor as soon as she walks up to him and Mike.
"Wow, you look hot." He tells her and she rolls her eyes. "I'm kidding, you look stunning babe." He says as he kisses her on the side of her head.
"Hey, you guys kind of match." Tina tells them as they all walk out of the lobby following Mr. Schue. She looks over at Sam and realizes Tina's right as he's wearing a light blue button up shirt underneath the black blazer he's wearing.
"You look like real life Barbie and Ken dolls." Mike says and chuckles and she blushes. Sam of course just grins and throws his arm over her shoulders.
They all wait outside the restaurant as Mr. Schue heads inside to get their table. She leans against Sam shivering slightly and curses to herself for forgetting a cardigan. Tina gushes at them. "You guys seriously look like you belong on the cover of a magazine. Here, pose for me." She rolls her eyes at Tina's antics but does as she says, giving Sam her phone so he can put it in one of his pockets.
She stands up straight and leans into Sam again as he wraps an arm around her waist. "Say cheese!" Tina tells them and Quinn giggles. She returns the favour for Tina and Mike and internally cheers when Mr. Schue tells them to come inside and follow him to their table because she was beginning to freeze standing outside.
Tina shows her the photos she took of her and Sam as they walk together to the table and her eyes widen, they look fantastic. The sun was starting to set so it looks like her and Sam are glowing. "Tina, these look professional." Quinn tells her, amazed. Tina just smiles back at her and tells her she'll send them to her later.
The four of them choose to sit at one end of the table, with Sam sitting at the end with Mike across from him, Tina beside him and Quinn beside Sam. Santana sits on her other side with Brittnay sitting next to her and Kurt sits next to Tina with Blaine beside him.
Santana wolf whistles at her as soon as she sits down. "Holy fuck Fabray you look smoking." Santana tells her. She thanks Santana and tells her she is nothing compared to her. Santana looks fantastic, wearing a tight red dress.
"I take full credit, I dressed her." Tina tells Santana while winking at Quinn.
"Well you should dress her more often." Kurt adds. She rolls her eyes, embarrassed with the amount of attention she's getting. Thankfully Mr. Schue saves her from having to respond by starting one of his cheesy speeches.
"I have never been so proud of a group of students before. I look back at how you guys had started out three years ago, more divided than ever, and now look at all of you. You're all a family. I know for a lot of you there isn't much time left at McKinley for you, but I want all of you to know that you will always remain a family no matter what happens, even if you don't think you will. McKinley and the choir room will always be your home."
She dabs her eye hoping her mascara hadn't run as she had let out a few tears during his speech. She looks over and Tina and laughs quietly and guesses it doesn't matter since Tina is full blown crying.
Dinner flies by and they mainly talk in small groups most of the night, the eight of them engaging in their own conversations and everyone else engaging in their own.
They wait outside as they wait for some members to finish up in the washroom and Mr. Schue to finish with their bill. She curses at how much colder it is outside than when they first arrived. What was she expecting? The sun has set and it's dark outside. She shivers a bit and rubs her hands along her arms.
"Here." Sam says while handing over his blazer.
She raises a brow at him, but takes it and shrugs it on. "What about you? Won't you be cold?" She asks him.
He stands behind her and wraps his arms around her waist, nuzzling his face into her neck. "You'll just have to keep me warm." He tells her while placing a kiss on her collarbone.
She shows him the pictures Tina took of them while they wait and forwards them to him. She almost goes to post her favourites on Instagram, but then realizes that there's no point since they're going to end soon anyway.
xxx
She wakes up to Tina shaking her, trying to get her up. "Come on Quinn, you slept through the alarm." She groans. "I will pour cold water on you if you're not up in the next minute." That gets her attention.
She doesn't bother folding her clothes neatly into her suitcase. Anything of hers that is scattered around the hotel room she throws into it. Once Tina finishes in the washroom she drags herself in it so she can brush her teeth and get ready. She can barely keep her eyes open since she hasn't had any coffee yet, so she calls for Tina to do her makeup. Tina laughs at her and tells her she will help her, but she will need to apply her mascara on her own.
She follows Tina into the lobby and sits on one of the couches as they wait for everyone else.
She falls in and out of sleep on Tina's shoulder as the others scatter half asleep into the lobby. She keeps her eyes closed when Sam and Mike arrive so Sam doesn't annoy her with his cheeriness. She doesn't understand how he's such a morning person immediately after waking up, she needs a good hour before she starts functioning properly.
"Why am I not surprised she's asleep." she hears Sam tell Tina while laughing.
Tina giggles back. "You really weren't kidding when you warned me that she wasn't a morning person." All three of them laugh.
She can hear Mr. Schue announce from somewhere that the bus is here and it's time for all of them to go. Sam pulls her up and she groans. "Come on sleeping beauty, you can go back to sleep on the bus."
Santana gives her a cup of coffee as she waits for Sam to put their suitcases into the bus. "My saviour." She tells Santana gratefully as she takes the cup from her.
"Britt and I got up early so we headed to Starbucks. Thought you would want one." She moans and tells Santana she loves her while she waits with her to get on the bus.
She chugs the coffee quickly and then throws the empty cup into a nearby trashcan since there are no drinks allowed on the bus and takes her seat next to Sam.
She snuggles into his shoulder and closes her eyes hoping to take another nap before they get back to McKinley. Even though they've been excused from all of their classes since they won't be arriving until lunch and Mr. Schue had arranged for them to use the rest of the day to celebrate their nationals win, she doesn't want to be tired.
"I don't know how you can possibly nap after drinking coffee." He tells her while chuckling.
She mumbles, "shut up." before falling asleep.
She wakes up and rubs her eyes. She lifts her head from Sam's shoulder who looks over at her and smiles. "Have a nice nap?"
She hums and looks out the window. The scenery looks familiar, but she doesn't know where exactly they are. "How much time left?" She asks him.
"We'll be back at the school in about twenty five minutes." She nods and pulls out a compact mirror from her purse to check how bad her makeup looks. "You look beautiful." Sam tells her while kissing her temple. A little has rubbed off, but not bad enough where she needs to fix it.
"I graduate this week." She tells him, hoping he'll get where the conversation is going. He must since the smile slowly falls from his face.
"Yeah, you do." He echos. She grabs his hand. She knows him well enough to know this isn't ideal for him. She knows he wants them to stay together, but she also knows that he deep down also knows long distance won't work.
"We have summer." She tells him even though they both know it doesn't mean much. Summer too will quickly come and go and eventually soon will turn into now. "Everyone thinks we're meant to be." She tells him, hoping to lift his spirits.
"Do you?" He asks her. She wasn't expecting him to ask her that. She was expecting him to make some cocky remark, or for him to tell her that he thinks so too. He knows she's realistic, she won't say what she thinks unless she knows she's right and there's a fifty percent chance that her answer won't be what he wants to hear.
"I don't know." She tells him honestly. "I hope so."
He just squeezes her hand in response.
They throw their suitcases into his truck that has been in the parking lot since they left for nationals. They head into the school as a group, nationals trophy on Artie's lap, not knowing what to expect.
Kurt and Puck open the doors and she looks around in shock at all the banners and posters there are congratulating them. Her eyes widen at everyone standing in the hallways, teachers included. Are they there to congratulate them? Her heart drops when she sees two puckheads walking over to them with slushie cups. They're really going to humiliate all of them in front of the entire school?
But when they throw the cups at them, confetti comes out. She gasps out in shock and holds out her hands to watch some of the confetti. She turns to Sam who is grinning at her and kisses him as confetti flies around them.
More cups of confetti hit them as they walk into the choir room where Mr. Schue has two bottles of non-alcoholic champagne for them. They play music and dance and she takes as many pictures as she can. Sugar sprays Rory with a bottle and she films Santana as she and Brittnay spray Artie and each give him a kiss on the cheek afterwards.
Santana then turns around to Sam and says "come here trouty!" She throws her head back laughing as Santana sprays her boyfriend who tries to shield himself by holding his hands out in front of him. He grabs her and takes the bottle from him and she screams and runs to hide behind Quinn.
Sam just laughs and takes a swing from the bottle. She whips out her phone to record it and gets Mike spraying Tina with the other bottle in the background.
"I bought these bottles for us to drink guys." Mr. Schue tells them while laughing.
They all stand around the trophy case as Rachel and Finn place their nationals trophy inside. Everyone is silent as they stand and admire it before the bell rings signaling the end of the day.
She walks out of the school with Sam and shows him the pictures she took. "That ones my favourite." He tells her, pointing to the one of the two of them. Tina had taken it for them and it's blurry, but Sam is trying to get her wet with the champagne on him by hugging her from behind. He is grinning and her mouth is open because she was laughing while trying to get away from him. She smiles at the picture, it's her favourite too.
xxx
The next day they start their end of the year assemblies, the first one honouring the teachers. Finn and Rachel had told the rest of them that Mr. Schue had won the Teacher Of The Year award and Figgins wanted them to perform something. They had decided on We Are The Champions in their group chat last night.
They get ready in the boys and girls locker rooms so Mr. Schue doesn't accidentally find them. It's a bittersweet feeling having Tina do her hair for the last time. "Here." Tina says to her after she's finished, placing a pack of fancy hair clips on her lap. "Something to remember our tradition by."
"Tina, I could never forget our tradition." She tells her with tears in her eyes. They all walk backstage to get ready and clap when Mr. Figgins calls up Finn and Rachel. They cheer and yell when they announce Mr. Schue as the winner.
She and Santana look at each other with tears in their eyes during Finn and Rachel's speeches. Santana grabs her hand and she smiles back at her. She runs into position right before the curtain raises and she takes a deep breath.
She and Sam look at each other fondly as they sing We Are The Champions. She goes to stand beside Kurt during her solo and throws her arm around his shoulder. They run back into line as everyone gives Mr. Schue a hug. She lets out a few tears as she walks him towards the front so Tina can hand him his plaque and claps as he makes his acceptance speech.
She looks back at Sam who blows her a kiss. If only this could go on forever.
Goodbye
She walks into the choir room at lunch sitting by Santana and Brittnay as Artie, Rachel, Tina, Kurt, and Mercedes perform Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat. The atmosphere in the room feels heavy as everyone gets super emotional so she says to Mr. Schue "I really hope you're about to rap." when she sees him grab his guitar.
She looks back at Santana, her eyes watery, and grabs her hand.
xxx
The seniors arrange to meet in the auditorium afterschool so they can practice for their goodbye number. She takes a seat next to Kurt as everyone throws out song suggestions. "I got you something." She tells him while getting the small package out of her bag.
He rips off the wrapping and there sits a photo of them in their Lady Gaga costumes from their Bad Romance number from three years ago.
He gasps. "Quinn, this is so precious." He tells her. "God, you're going to make me cry."
"Look at the back." She tells him while grinning. He flips the frame over and taped to the back is an email. He looks at her confused. "My mom used to be on this Board with some lady who worked for Vogue. She just moved to New York and is in charge of internships."
He screams and everyone looks at them in alarm. "It's not a guaranteed internship, you're still going to need to apply and get accepted and everything, but it's a start."
He wraps his arms around her. "I owe you for life Quinn! God, I am going to miss you so much Ms. Fabray."
xxx
She sits next to Artie the next day in the choir room so she can give him his present, a picture of the two of them in their wheelchairs. He laughs and thanks her, giving her a hug. The two of them sing together during Kurt's solo of I'll Remember, and she leans her head on his shoulder to try and keep the tears from coming out.
She gives Kurt a watery smile when he sings a part to her. They spend the rest of rehearsal signing yearbooks and talking and she walks over to Mercedes to give her the gift she has for her. "This is for you Mercedes." She tells her, handing over a picture of the two of them while Quinn lived at her house while she was pregnant.
"What's this?" Mercedes asks her, taking off the piece of paper she had taped to the front.
"My cupcake recipe. I know I told you it was top secret, but I'm ready to share it with you now." She tells him. "Remember all those times I couldn't sleep because Beth kept kicking me so I would just start baking?"
They both laugh and Mercedes hugs her. "My mom loved it. We would all wake up to fresh baked goods every other morning. Thank you for this girl, I can bake them to celebrate."
She looks at Mercedes confused. "Celebrate what?"
"I got a recording contract as a backup singer." Mercedes tells her and she screams.
"Mercedes, that's amazing! I'm so happy for you."
Mercedes stops and grabs her hands. "Promise me we'll always be friends Quinn."
"I will be at every single one of your shows." She tells her while hugging her.
xxx
Santana sends her a text while she's printing off the rest of the pictures for presents. Britt isn't graduating.
Her heart sinks. What? Brittany hadn't mentioned anything to them about graduating. She sends back Santana WHAT? And she gets back a: she flunked all her classes.
A few tears roll down her cheeks. She's heartbroken that the three of them won't be graduating together, they do everything as a trio, and this is supposed to be one of the most important things.
But she tells herself it's going to be okay. This just means it will force them all to get together again for when Brittnay has to graduate. She has to stay positive even if she feels like sobbing her eyes out at how real this is all becoming.
xxx
She runs into the choir room the next day right before the bell and stands next to Kurt as the seniors get ready to perform You Only Get What You Give. She sings backup with Kurt as everyone takes their turns saying goodbye. She dances with Mercedes as they take their turn with the girls to say goodbye. She sits on Sam's lap and sings to him, and then places her palms on Artie's cheeks, singing a part to him as well. She sends a wink to Tina who is already a sobbing mess, but she's sure she isn't any better.
She walks over to Sam and grabs his hands, pulling him up to the middle of the room and walks around the rest of the underclassmen. She hugs Mr. Schue before she goes to sit down and wipes her tears with Mercedes as they finish the rest of their number, looking up at the rest of the underclassmen who are now standing at the front, the new leaders of the glee club. A final pass of the torch.
Mike, Tina, Sam, and herself decide to have lunch together since it's probably the last time the four of them will be able to hang out together. Mike shares his news about how he was accepted into a dancing school in Chicago and she and Sam congratulate him.
"I have something for you." She tells Tina as the guys change the subject and start talking about what the football team is going to look like next year.
She watches as Tina unwraps her gift. It's a photo album of the two of them at every event they got each other ready for. She threw in a few photos of the four of them because some of the pictures were too adorable she just couldn't resist, like one of them at the fair where Tina is on Mike's back and Sam is standing behind her wheelchair and one of them at prom.
"It's the red lipstick I always wear." She tells Tina who is inspecting the tube of lipstick she also included.
"Quinn.." Tina says emotionally and she shakes her head.
"No. No tears Tina, I mean it."
Tina gets up and runs over to her, wrapping her arms around her. They both end up crying anyway.
xxx
She is a sobbing mess during the underclassmen's performance In My Life. She smiles as Sam sings to her and sheds more tears every time Tina or Artie look at her. She runs up and hugs Sam first, then moves down to hug everyone else.
When she reaches Brittnay she asks her why she didn't tell anyone she wasn't graduating, which only makes her cry harder.
"It's okay Q, I'll be okay." She lets out a small sob and hugs Brittnay and Santana joins them as they all cry together.
xxx
She meets Rachel in the bathroom before classes. "This freshman just gave me a hug and told me to never change. Poor thing is too young to realize that change can be so good. Think, if we hadn't changed we would have never been friends."
She smiles as Rachel tells her "It's still so weird having you call me a friend."
She hands Rachel her gift along with a photo of the two of them from nationals. "What's this?" Rachel asks her inspecting the paper.
"A Metro North pass from New York to New Haven. I got one for me into New York. Everybody keeps talking about staying in touch, and I want to make sure that we do." She tells Rachel honestly. There was a time where she found Rachel to be this selfish, evil, boyfriend-stealing diva, but she's realized that Rachel has had her moments, and she really really values their friendship.
"Thank you, this is so sweet." Rachel says to her as the two of them hug.
"Although I'm still not one hundred percent sure that I'm for teen weddings, I'm really happy that you and Finn are together. You guys are meant to be." She tells Rachel. She remembers back when she thought Finn was her soulmate, but she knew the first time she saw Finn and Rachel together his heart would always belong to her, not Quinn. She wasn't ready to accept it then, but she's glad she has now.
"Thank you." Rachel tells her, putting the passes in her makeup bag. "You know it's weird 'cause that's how I always felt about you and Sam."
"We're going to have to break up." She tells Rachel sadly and Rachel smiles at her.
"Even if you do, I think everyone knows that the two of you are meant to be together. You two are at your happiest whenever you're together. You bring out the best in each other, even when you aren't dating."
She smiles at Rachel's words. They mean a lot to her. She doesn't know what the future holds for her and Sam and if she's being honest? She's terrified that after they break up they're never going to get back together, but hearing everyone tell her they know that they will? Truly makes her think they are meant to be. True love always comes back, right?
xxx
She places her Cheerios uniform in the box Sue had given it to her in on the day of her accident. She stares at it fondly, so many amazing memories were made while wearing that uniform.
Sam honks his horn and she jumps not realizing how long she was looking at it. She quickly grabs the box and her bag and runs out to his truck. She throws the box on the floor and then hops into the passenger seat, putting on her seatbelt.
She notices Sam hasn't left the front of her house yet so she looks over at him to see him eyeing the box. "It's my Cheerios uniform." She tells him.
He hums back. "An end of an era." He says chuckling. "Does it make you sad that you weren't a Cheerio this year?"
She ponders her answer for a minute. She was always so terrified to not be a Cheerio. Her uniform had been like a suit of armour, no one could touch her as her, Santana, and Brittnay paraded the halls, but looking back on it now it all seems so stupid.
"Yes and no. If I had been a Cheerio this year I could have spent more time with Santana and Brittnay, but instead I got to create new friendships. And who knows what crazy diets Sue had the girls on this year." She says while laughing a bit.
He doesn't say anything back, not that she expected him to. There's also a dark side to being a part of the Cheerios. Behind the short skirts and high ponytails are just little girls suffering with eating disorders. She admired Sue, but she always had the girls going on crazy diets. Only eating one meal a day and substituting the rest for protein shakes, daily weight checks, it's something that everyone knows happens but no one addresses.
That's how she picked up so quickly on Sam's. His obsession with looking so fit, calculating and writing down every single thing he ate. It had started long before they were dating, but only continued to get worse once his family moved into the motel, his excuse being if he doesn't eat then his family can save a bit of money on food.
They tried to help each other out as much as they could. Making a pact that they would eat proper meals together and if they saw the other slipping, they would lift them up.
She knows he has overcome his just how she's overcome hers, she just doesn't know how. Her therapist along with getting pregnant and realizing the harmful effects had helped her, but he had moved. She doesn't know whether it was Mercedes or his parents eventually realized after they moved, but once he had transferred back he was eating normally and not worrying so much about his physique.
It's still not something the two of them talk about very often, more for his sake than hers, but she's okay with it. She remembers the first time she asked him about it. He had denied it and told her, guys don't have those kinds of things, but she wouldn't have any of it, and eventually he broke down.
She thinks that might be the special bond everyone is always talking about that the two of them have. They understand each other on a deeper level, they know each other better than anyone else. She can always tell what he's thinking and he knows what she's up to just be her body language. They care about each other, there isn't anything they wouldn't do for one another.
xxx
She heads to Sue's office before her first class starts and walks in after Ms. Washington leaves.
"Hey coach." She says to inform Sue that she's here. "It's my Cheerios uniform, dry-cleaned and pressed. You were kind enough to let me wear it again, and I figured it was only right to return it in case you wanted to pass it on. Maybe some underclassman who's about to be the new team captain." She suggests.
"You keep it." Sue tells her and she grabs the box back confused. "I'm retiring this uniform. Sit." She does as Sue says, puzzled at what this is about. "You know, when I first laid eyes on you Q, I thought you reminded me of a young Sue Sylvester, but looking at this amazing woman sitting across from me right now, I realize I was wrong. You're nothing like me. You're better. Sure, I'm as smart as you are, and every bit as pretty, but somehow you're slightly less evil. And I admire that. I admire you, Quinn Fabray. I admire your perseverance." She blinks away the tears as Sue gets up and sits on her desk right in front of her. "You're gonna go so far kiddo, and I'm gonna have the best time watching you do it. And I'm gonna get to say, 'hey, I remember her from way back when. Way back when she was getting Ryan Seacrest tattoos and lying about who the father of her unborn child was."
She promised herself that she wouldn't cry at least until graduation, she's cried enough these past couple of days, but hearing Sue's words makes her more emotional than she would like to admit.
There was a time she despised Sue. She was so tough on all of them, so cruel when all they were, were these lost girls trying their best to make something of themselves, and Sue knew it. She tormented them for it. But hearing the validation that she's always wanted, that she did it, she wasn't just enough, she was better? Means so much.
Her tears win and they escape her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. She gets up and hugs Sue. "I'm going to miss you!"
Sue hugs her back. "Well I don't see how that's possible, but thank you." She tells her while chuckling.
xxx
The rest of the week flies by and before she knows it, it's time for graduation. She wears a white sundress under her gown and gets ready with the rest of the glee seniors in the choir room for one last time.
"Promise me we'll always be best friends." She tells Santana, standing behind her as Santana finishes applying her lipstick in one of the mirrors.
"Who else am I going to have stupid fights with?" Santana asks her while laughing. She just shakes her head.
"Here," she says, giving Santana her gift. "It's a scrapbook. I had so much time in the hospital so I picked up on scrapbooking. Knitting too, it's surprisingly fun."
"You and your pictures." Santana tells her while shaking her head, wearing the biggest smile on her face. "I promise we'll always be friends, I can't live without you Q."
"God San, you're going to make me cry." She says, letting out a watery laugh as she fans her eyes.
"This is it guys." Finn announces from the middle of the room. "No matter where we go, let's all make a promise to always come back for the holidays." They all agree and she bumps her hips with Kurt's when she sees him wiping away his tears with a handkerchief.
They walk to the auditorium together, laughing and reminiscing, not yet processing the fact that this will be the last time they all walk these halls as students. She stands between some guy she swears she's never seen before and a girl she had in her math class two years ago.
Figgins had arranged for Puck and Finn to perform while the graduates cross the stage so they head onto the stage first while the rest of them wait for Figgins to start announcing names.
"Quinn Fabray." She grins and pulls back the curtain, waving at different friends as she walks down. She grabs Sam's hand briefly while walking past him and shoots Tina a wink who is standing between him and Blaine. She turns around and waves to her mom once she gets on the stage. This is it, her last big monumental moment at McKinley.
She runs and hugs Ms. Pilsbury, sniffling a bit and grabs her diploma, and then goes and stands with the other graduates.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you McKinley High's class of 2012!" She cheers and throws her cap in the air, hugging Mercedes after.
xxx
"Mom, that's enough pictures!" She says while laughing, breaking out of her pose with Santana and Brittnay. "You've already taken so many of me with everyone."
"Okay, okay fine. Say your goodbyes and all that and then I'm taking more Quinnie! You can never have too many pictures." Her mom tells her before walking away to go talk to Santana's parents.
Santana and Brittnay walk off to go take pictures with some of the graduating Cheerios.
"Now I know where your photo obsession comes from." She hears Sam say from behind her. She turns around to see him holding a bouquet of roses, lilies, and daisies.
"Sam." She says gasping, taking the flowers from her. "They're beautiful."
"They're supposed to be the graduation arrangement or something, at least that's what the lady at the flower shop told me." He tells her sheepishly.
"Wait. I have something for you too." She tells him, bending down to pick up the wrapped package from the floor.
He eyes the package suspiciously. "Where did you keep that under your gown?"
She giggles. "My mom held it for me in her purse, you dork."
He unwraps the package to reveal a scrapbook. "I know it's super cheesy, but it's something to remember me by." She watches as he flips through some of the pages. The first one if sort of an introduction to their relationship page, she had included some lyrics from Lucky, his school picture from the year he transferred, a sticker of a red slushie, and a photo Mr. Schue had taken of the two of them to remember the glee club's first ever duet competition winners, where the two of them are standing very awkwardly side by side. She had even bought a Breadstix certificate to add.
He flips to another page that she had titled 'Sectionals'. She had included the page about the New Directions from the program, a picture of the two of them, a ticket from Sectionals, and lyrics from I've Had The Time Of My Life.
"Look through the rest later." She tells him, embarrassed at how much attention he is paying to her gift.
"Quinn, I don't even know what to say. Thank you for this." He says to her, eyes a little glossy and she blushes. "I just realized I haven't even congratulated you yet. Congratulations babe." He says to her while wrapping her up in a hug.
"You're a senior now." She whispers into his chest.
"It won't feel right being at this school without you." He says into her hair. She thinks she feels a teardrop fall on the top of her head, but convinces herself that she must be imagining things.
"Don't forget about me next year Sammy." She tells him, voice breaking a little bit.
"I could never forget about you." He says to her, equally as sad.
They stay in their embrace for a while, the rest of the world fading away and the thought, I never want this to end on both of their minds.
xxx
"Hey Finn." She says, pulling the sleeve of his gown once they're finished taking their glee club seniors group picture. "I know we haven't exactly been on the best of terms lately, but I got you something." She tells him nervously.
He gives her a weird look, but takes the gift from her. It's a picture of the two of them she put in a drums themed frame. It's the first ever picture they had taken together at the first football game of the season where he had been quarterback for the first time and she had been a Cheerio for the first time.
"It's a little weird I know, but you were my first boyfriend and graduating without getting you anything or attempting to mend our friendship just didn't feel right. I know I have done so many horrible things to you over the years, and I just want you to know that I'm sorry." She tells him before turning around to walk away.
"Wait, hold on." He says and grabs her wrist softly. "I'm sorry for prom, what I did, trying to get you to stand up like that before you were ready, it was so wrong. And making you cheat on Sam, I was just trying to get back at Rachel, hurt her like she had hurt me, and I took away your happiness in the crossfire."
"Why did we allow things to get so messed up between us?" She asks him, giving him a watery smile.
"I don't know, but I wish we hadn't." He tells her chuckling.
She gives him one last smile before she begins to walk away. "Hey Quinn wait!" She turns around again, confused. "I'm sending Rachel away to New York at the train station tomorrow." She gives him a puzzled look because she's pretty sure their wedding is supposed to be tomorrow. "It's a long story," He tells her while laughing. "But I would really appreciate it if you and Sam were there. I want everyone to be there to send her off."
She nods her head and gives him a soft smile. "We'll be there."
xxx
She waits for Sam on the front steps of her house this morning. She walks slowly to his truck once he arrives, everything feeling super surreal.
"We're all going our separate ways." She tells him sadly as she buckles herself into the passenger seat. He doesn't say anything, just puts his hand in her lap because he knows she likes to play with his fingers to distract herself when she's feeling down.
Neither of them say anything in the car, the reality of how little time they have left hitting them. He runs around to her side of the car and opens the door for her once they get there and she rolls her eyes.
"I only have so much time left to be your boyfriend Q, I'm going to soak up as much of it as I can."
She grips tightly onto his hand as they walk to where everyone else is waiting, afraid that if she let's go he'll fly away. She hugs Kurt and Mercedes when she gets there as Sam goes to talk to Rory and Mike.
"What's the plan there?" Kurt asks her, nodding his head towards Sam.
"I think I'm going to do it the day I leave." She tells Kurt, not specifying what 'it' it. He already knows. Before she can stop herself a few tears escape her eyes.
"Oh Quinn." He says, wrapping her up in a hug. "It'll be okay."
"I wasted so much of the time I could have had with him dating Finn." She whispers sadly into his shoulder.
"You two found your way back to each other once, you'll do it again." He tells her, pulling away from her. "You're Sam and Quinn, Ken and Barbie. You're meant to be together. Time away from each other isn't going to change that." He says looking straight into her eyes.
She nods and wipes away her tears before anyone can notice she's been crying.
She talks with Kurt and Mercedes until Kurt gets a text message. "They're here." He says wistfully and they all turn to face the stairs leading up to the platform for Finn and Rachel.
Shortly after the both of them appear, Rachel's eyes red and puffy. She rubs Rachel's shoulder and walks with everyone to the entrance of the train. Her and Tina hold hands, both letting a few tears out. Tina goes to Mike for comfort and she stands with Santana, waving as Rachel's train leaves.
She lets out a shaky breath and leans her head against Santana's shoulder. Sam walks over to them and asks her "ready to go?" face falling a bit once he realizes he'll be asking her that same question again in the middle of August, and that time he won't be going with her.
"No." She says, answering that question more than this one while lifting her head from Santana's shoulder. "But we have to."
Santana looks at the two of them weirdly, not getting that the two of them are having their own secret conversation only they understand.
"It's gonna be okay." He tells her. She believes him because she trusts him, and because she wants it to be. Because she doesn't know what she'll do if it won't.
And one final note, as many of you have probably guessed, Sam and Quinn do break up because neither of them really want to do long distance. I'm not going to say too much because I don't want to spoil anything, but rest assured Sam and Quinn are endgame in this story. I will be including a fill chapter in between the seasons just like I had for before season 3 to fill in as many gaps as I can. I know it doesn't always look that way, but I promise that by the time the end of season six rolls around they will be together! Just bear with me through the rest of the seasons!