Chapter nine: Always Love

Word Count: 2, 156

AN: I didn't know until I started writing this chapter that it would be the last one. I was planning on making this at least ten chapters long. But I feel like I have done what I set out to do with this fic thus, I present you with the final chapter of Always Love. Thank you very much to everyone who has reviewed, made favorite and followed. I truly appreciate all of you.

If someone would have told Rachel a few months ago, in the middle of the summer when she had just been rejected by her fellow Glee-clubbers again, that she would be walking into school with Quinn Fabray next to her she would have laughed in their faces.

It was not only a ridiculous idea, it was completely absurd.

If someone would have told her that she would have felt the arms of her boyfriend wrap themselves around her as he snuck up behind her, feel his chin rest upon her head, then there would all of the sudden have been a real chance of her falling down due to laughing so hard.

But that all happened. The Friday before the competition Rachel walked in with Quinn Fabray by her side who told her about the amazing date with Puck. She gestured wildly and Rachel listened attentively, like a real friend did, while saying all the right things in the exact right moment. Quinn's blond hair hung loosely around her head and the smile on her face seemed more genuine than it had in several months. When she reached the end of the story and told Rachel about the kiss her cheeks turned into a shade of pink that without fault made Rachel aw out loud.

"I'm so happy for you." Rachel said once Quinn stopped talking. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt and almost didn't dare look into her eyes.

"Thanks Rachel." The blonde eventually spoke with a slight smile on her face. "I'm heading straight to class but I'll see you at lunch?"

Rachel nodded and waved at Quinn before hurrying along the corridor to her own locker. No one seemed to notice her anymore. Not even the shirt with an animal print on seemed to draw their attention as it had just a few months ago. Rachel opened her locker, it was filled with stars, and began searching through it for her books when she felt, and saw, two arms wrap themselves around her waist. A laugh escaped her parted lips as she felt someone lean their chin onto her head.

Rachel's smile grew as she darted her eyes upward and saw strands of black hair. "Hello Michael."

"Hello Rachel." He answered mockingly with an equally formal voice. "How are you doing this morning of the day before the competition?"

The competition. Rachel and Mike had perfected their routine. She had spent more hours practicing dance a day than she ever had when she was singing. She knew every step like the back of her hand and the feeling of Mike's hands against her skin was so familiar to her that she almost didn't remember a time when it hadn't been.

"I am doing very well." Rachel replied jokingly and with a much softer voice she added. "How are you?"

After the confrontation with New Directions Rachel had decided to stay out of the drama the club undoubtedly came with. She didn't ask what was going on and only gave her thoughts when asked for them by Noah and Mike; and they had made a habit out of not asking her for advice of any kind. That didn't mean that she wasn't concerned about what was going on behind those closed doors. She rarely thought about it but when she did it was hard not to be concerned regarding how they had taken her reprimand when she, more or less, demanded that they treat Mike better.

Mike's hold around her waist loosened when she turned around. Rachel held her books in front of her chest and backed into the now closed locker; so that she could rest her back against it. Mike took one step closer to her and removed almost all distance between them. He gently moved a strand of hair, that had escaped, and put it behind her ear. He liked to think that he knew Rachel Berry after having been her friend and now dating her for a while. Maybe he didn't know everything but some things. He knew that some sentences, some questions, needed to be listened to extra carefully because she didn't always say everything that was on her mind. Like in that exact moment.

"Everything is fine." He replied with a smile on his face unable to keep away the warm feeling that spread through his chest every time it became extra clear how much she worried about him. "You need to stop worrying so much Rach."

Rachel rolled her eyes, clearly hearing the amused tone in his voice, and stood on her toes to kiss his lips. "I will never stop worrying or caring about you."

Mike's smile grew. "Is that so?"

Rachel looked back at him with glimmering eyes that shone of confidence. "Yes, it is very much so."

GLEE

Quinn Fabray was nervous. It annoyed her to no end. She was not supposed to be nervous. It didn't matter that she and Noah had been on a date. She had been on dates plenty of times. She had been kissed a lot and this was not the first time she had to sit in the same classroom as one of her dates. There was no reason for her to be nervous. Yet she was. She couldn't decide how to sit with her legs and she kept moving her pencils from one place to another on her desk. She wasn't sure what bothered her more; the fact that she was nervous or the fact that she couldn't sit still. Her feelings became even more illogical when she reminded herself of the fact that she and Noah had a child together. The fact that they didn't have custody of her didn't in any way mean that they weren't her biological parents. They had done so much more than kissed. And still…

"Hello beautiful." The sound of Noah Puckerman woke Quinn from her thoughts. The feeling of his lips against her cheeks made her cheeks turn into an even deeper shade of pink than they already were in. "I brought you something."

Noah sat down by the desk next to her he put a paper flower on her desk. Quinn raised one eyebrow as she carefully took the small flower and looked at it; she couldn't and didn't try to hide her smile.

"I made it myself." Noah added and winked at her as he leaned back into his chair. Quinn was no longer surprised to see his books on his desk nor the fact that he wore glasses.

The fact that Noah had gotten her something wasn't surprising. He had done it before. But Quinn found herself looking at his big hands and then at the small delicate paper flower in front of her. It was hard to believe that those hands had made something so beautiful and delicate. It was especially hard to believe that Noah Puckerman, resident bad boy, had taken the time to make a paper flower for her.

"It's very beautiful." Quinn leaned forward and boldly kissed his lips. "Thank you very much."

In her mind, it was a bold move and still for reasons she couldn't understand. They had kissed before. They had done so much more than just kissing and still there was something deeply nerve-racking about kissing him. Because the first time they had been drunk and it hadn't meant anything. This time it meant everything.

"So, how was Glee?" Quinn asked after a while.

Noah shrugged. "Miss. Corcoran realized that she wasn't going to succeed in creating her own club and talked to Mr. Schue; they decided that they were going to co-run New Directions. So, that drama is now out of the way. But we're all waiting for the next big thing to come out and screw things up again."

"Yeah well," Quinn took a deep breath. "Whatever drama happens after this it can't be worse than what has already happened. Two members gone in the course of, what, a month? What could be more dramatic than that?"

Noah shrugged as his smile grew. "Oh, I don't know, maybe two members quitting New Directions at the same time?"

Quinn's eyes doubled in size. "No way." She pushed him to get his attention. "You and Mike are quitting? Why would you do that?"

Noah never got the time to answer her. Because in that moment the teacher walked in and told them to open their books and look at page 251. And for the remainder of class Quinn had to see that smug smile that annoyed her to no end while simultaneously putting butterflies in her stomach.

GLEE

Rachel looked at the text message once more.

We'll be right out. – Michael

She sat on the hood of Quinn's car with Quinn next to her. The blond had a frown on her face. It didn't make her look angry or nervous; Rachel thought she looked disappointed as if she was missing out on something. Rachel had no idea what that something would be.

When Mike had told her to wait for him and Noah after school she had asked him if he had forgotten about Glee. He didn't give her an answer. A smirk flashed across his face and he leaned down to kiss her before walking down the corridor; she was going to opposite direction.

"So," Rachel started and earned the full attention of the blonde next to her. "I never thanked you for quitting Glee."

"And I'm not going to let you thank me either." Quinn replied quickly. She bumped Rachel with her shoulder and forced the brunette to look up at her smiling face. "At first I joined Glee because, to be honest, I wanted to make sure you didn't take Finn from me. Then it became fun and I felt accepted even when I was pregnant. But after Beth was born I kind of realized that this acceptance they preach is phony. New Directions is in that sense worse than the rest of the school because they claim to be something they're not. It's a group of hypocrites. If you're going to be accepting then accept everyone."

Rachel smiled. "I'm grateful regardless of reason that caused you to quit. And…" Rachel's voice broke. "I'm really happy that you're my friend because these past months would have been unbearable if it wasn't for you."

Quinn tilted her head to the side. Her eyes glistened and her lips quivered in spite of her smiling. "Likewise babe. Who thought that we would ever end up here huh?"

"Well, I sure as hell didn't." a third voice spoke causing the two girls to look away from each other. Noah smirked at them. "Did we ruin the moment because we can go back inside until you're done."

Rachel pointed first at Noah and then Mike. "You two have Glee." Mike shook his head as he stood in front of her with his hands resting on the car; one hand on either side of Rachel's body. "You don't have Glee?"

Mike shrugged. "You probably haven't heard yet but Puckerman and I just quit."

Rachel's eyes widened. "You quit?"

"We quit." Mike said nodding.

"Why did you quit?" Rachel asked, shock still written across her face. "You didn't quiet because of me, did you?"

"We quit because they are…"

"Assholes." Noah added which resulted in Quinn rolling her eyes at him.

Mike laughed and nodded. "Yeah, we quit because they are assholes and because it's no fun sitting in the background and never being asked your opinion. Why should I spend hours upon hours with a group of people that doesn't value my opinions when I can be with someone who does? Besides, in twenty years it won't matter if we were members of a Glee-club in school or not. If you were cool or not won't matter, the activities won't matter and no one's going to congratulate you for voluntarily doing something you disliked. None of it will matter."

The smile on Rachel's face was unlike anything Mike had ever seen. Her eyes were glimmering and he could see all her teeth; the slight quiver in her lips told him that she would have smiled larger if she could. Mike didn't notice when his own smile grew but he felt the butterflies inside his stomach.

"Look at you being all deep." Rachel commented as she looked at Mike; it felt in that moment as if they were the only two people in the world. "So, what does matter in this world Mr. Chang?"

"I'm a very deep man Rach, I'm surprised you didn't know that." Rachel rolled her eyes and Mike laughed. "What matters in this world huh? Why go easy… What matters is friendship, happiness, doing what you love and not what other people want you to, being yourself…"

"And love?"

Mike winked at her and moved closer to remove all distance between them before gently kissing her. "Always love."

The end