Hi everyone, sorry for not uploading last week, but here's chapter 9! This chapter's shorter than usual and it's more of a filler in the story, but things will start moving along in the next chapter. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

After what seemed like the longest flight of her life, Mercedes stepped out of the plane and immediately felt the New York buzz, almost forgetting the real reason she was there.

After she collected her bags and made her way through security, she realised she forgot to ask Artie what gate he was getting off at, so awkwardly drifted in and out of numerous stores to pass time.

Her feet were beginning to ache from travelling in heels all day, and began shuffling towards a coffee shop until a small store tucked under the elevators caught her eye. As she got closer, she could see the inside of the store, which was filled with stuffed animals, blankets, clothing and other accessories, all designed for babies.

She hesitated at the entrance, not wanting to jinx anything by purchasing the baby presents, especially when she may not make it, but as soon as she saw the sign for personalised items, she knew one little thing wouldn't hurt, and would also mean a lot to Rachel.

"Mercedes! Thank god. We've been all over the airport for you."

As soon as she heard Tina's voice, Mercedes dropped all her carrier bags filled with presents for the baby and ran towards Tina, meeting her with a warm embrace, followed by Artie.

"You guys, I... how are you?" she asked once she collected her abandoned bags from the floor. The three of them sat around a small table in a cafe catching up until they came to a decision on what to do.

"It's been crazy. Artie's schedule is super busy and obviously I'm in his film, but this is more important. Things are on a hiatus for now."

The three remained silent until Artie cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact.

"Apparently they didn't want to tell people how bad it was. Nobody really knows why. I guess they didn't want to worry us. But when we got the call that things had gotten worse, nobody really knew how bad it was until Finn started asking people to come say goodbye. It- it was so all of a sudden. Everyone thought she had longer."

"I just don't understand why. Why not tell us? I mean..."

Mercedes trailed off as she realised Artie and Tina's gaze were fixed behind her. She followed their gaze to a familiar tall blonde walking towards them. She was the first to her feet as the three of them raced towards Sam. Mercedes wrapped her arms around his waist, as did Tina, and tears filled her eyes.

Sam's here. The constant reminder of home, where he always is. Where we all met. Where we all met her.

"I can't believe all this is happening. When I got that call, god, I thought she was already gone. I mean, it's all happening so fast." Sam mumbles as they pull away from the hug.

They all stared at each other for a moment, taking in what was happening. Suddenly it was all becoming real. It's almost time to let her go.

Thanks for reading, any mistakes are mine :)