A/N: I don't own Glee (Ryan Murphy and Fox do) or Disney or anything else you might recognize here, but use them here with love.

[Cue the Glee voiceover guy] When we left off, Rachel was staying behind at Cantina Paradiso with Brody. They are adorable duet partners – though Sue is clearly hoping for more for them.

"Our table suddenly has plenty of space," Brody commented, sitting close to Rachel and reaching for his ice water.

"Well, you know how it is, long, hot days working for the man," she giggled, "I mean, The Mouse," and he joined her in chuckling.

He smiled and rolled his eyes. Sue's methods were not exactly subtle, but he appreciated it all the same. "Sure, I'll bite. All of them were sooo exhausted," she snorted as he hammed it up, complete with a hand flung across his forehead, "leaving poor old us to close the place." He straightened up, and smiled his broadest smile at her. "Duty calls, my lady."

"We can't disappoint our fans," she agreed.

"Our fans?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"Of course. They clapped for us, didn't they? Last time, before we even started to sing!"

He gazed at her. She was so confident in this, and it was infectious. "Do you know 'Say Goodnight'?"

She nodded her head. "I don't. Sorry." She looked up at him and reached over to squeeze his hands. "Will you sing it for me?"

"For you? Absolutely. Free dessert next time would just be gravy." He bowed to her as he got up to leave the table. "You do me great honor."

"Now who's being a drama queen," she teased him, giving him a push towards the stage. "Now get up there and sing!"

"Sure," he answered, walking away. "No pressure," he muttered under his breath.

On stage, he turned towards the audience after he finished adjusting the karaoke so it would be ready. "Good evening to all of you. Our last song tonight," he paused while there were scattered groans of regret, "is 'Say Goodnight'. And I hope you all do."

The sun still hangin' in the sky

And the world is wide awake outside

And I know there's things we need to do...

This song was new to Rachel, but she found that she was enjoying watching him perform. She thought she detected a touch of nerves, though he was very professional in everything he did on stage. The audience quieted down to listen, a few hastily finishing their last beers. She noted with satisfaction that no one was getting up to go while he was singing. She listened to the lyrics as the song seemed to be close to ending.

Say goodnight

Oh won't you let me pull you into me

Go wherever all these kisses lead

Those lines were sung directly to her, and she felt her face heating up. He was so cute, coaxing her with his face, and she thought maybe he was blushing (but it was hard to tell in the low light). She melted, eager now to leave and hoping for (at minimum) a goodnight kiss.

Rob leaned over to talk to Brody at their usual table while the girls went off to sign up to sing.

"You okay tonight?" he asked.

Brody glanced over to where Rachel was standing with Sue, then back to Rob. "Yeah."

"You don't look it," Rob probed. "Want to talk about it?"

Brody exhaled noisily before answering. "Do you think it's going to be all right?"

Rob sighed. He wasn't surprised, though they'd talked about this before. "Of course I do."

"I wish I had your confidence."

"Listen," Rob said in a firm tone, "you've been on how many -"

"Five," Brody answered.

"Okay, five dates. Well, I'd say go for it. I mean, it's not exactly first date material, but fiftieth date is too late, ya know?" Rob reached over and patted Brody's back. "Here's my take, for what it's worth: if she's worth it," he held up a hand to quell any protest, as Brody's face told him he thought she definitely was, "then, yes, it will be okay. And if she's not?" He paused a moment, looking over to where the women were waiting to sign up. "Then she isn't. Besides," he smiled, "that would mean that Sue was wrong. And that just can't happen, dude. If you think she's insufferable when she's right," and he smiled a goofy smile at her, which she caught, waggling her fingers back at him, "that's nothing compared to if she's wrong. Which she's not."

"All right."

Rob felt for him, watching as his friend's eyes drifted down to looking at his feet. "Courage, bud." He whispered, "the girls are coming back."

Rob waited until they'd had some more sweet tea to drink, then turned to Sue. "Darlin', I think I need a little fresh air. Join me outside for a bit?"

"You okay, sweetie?" She searched his face.

"I will be. Let's go."

"Sure." Sue turned to Rachel and Brody. "We'll be back in a bit. Our song's not coming up for a good twenty minutes, at least."

"Okay," Rachel agreed. "Feel better, Rob."

"I will, I'm sure." And he left with his girlfriend.

"Rachel, there's … there's something I need to tell you," Brody said quietly.

He felt his heart plummet at her panicked expression.

"You're not breaking up with me, are you?" she finally said.

"God, no," he answered, reaching to cover both her hands with his own. "Rachel, quite the contrary." He smiled a sad smile at her. "I'm falling pretty hard for you, and there's something I should tell you. Before it gets even harder to do it."

"How did he look?" Sue asked Rob.

Rob sighed. "Poor guy. He's nervous. But I told him you wouldn't steer him wrong -"

"Of course not!" She smiled encouragingly.

"But I agreed with him it's better to get this out now."

"You're right," she agreed. "Wanna go for a walk?"

"Yeah. It's finally cooled off enough. And we want to give them enough time."

"So, the job started out as being a cater waiter," Brody continued. "I didn't realize I was being set up. I mean, she asked me to do all sorts of crazy shifts, and when I practically always said yes, she was sure I really needed the money badly."

"How did you manage to work that much and still survive at NYADA?" she asked in a concerned tone.

He laughed bitterly. "Way too much Red Bull, way too little sleep. Maybe some luck. Cassandra liked me, and my classes went along pretty well. We did A Doll's House, which I'd also done as summer theatre in my home town, so the part was pretty much still all up here," he pointed to his head. "I don't know. I feel like I can barely remember that semester."

He sighed, pausing a bit. "Rachel, what I'm going to say … it's not easy. I'd like to try to tell it all at once. Is that okay?"

She nodded. "Of course."

He looked outside. "Like I said, once Terri, the boss, figured out I was as desperate as she thought I was, it started. First, she just asked me if I wanted to get a raise. Of course I did! I was worried sick about affording the next round of tuition payments! She told me she had a club I could work at, as a combination dance teacher and partner. The money was a step up, and she knew I loved to dance. She'd offered me the job in the first place right after my NYADA dance recital."

He watched Rachel's face. She was listening intensely, leaning towards him, and so far, hadn't interrupted.

"The job was a little weird, but I took it. Sure, there was some dance instruction, one on one, but mostly it seemed to be a lot of older, rich single women who wanted a dance partner they could tango with and do ballroom dances with." He sighed, studying his feet. "I didn't have to be told; I was there to dance with them, make them feel good." He looked up at her, pleading. "It wasn't all bad; I mean, I like to dance, and a lot of them were decent dancers, and when they started slipping tips into my pockets … well, I wasn't too proud to accept them."

Rachel sighed, looking down into her lap. "There's more, isn't there."

"Yes." He paused. "This is hard for me to tell you. But … I wanted you to know. I didn't want to keep this from you." He looked at her, wishing she would look up again. "I just wish I didn't have it to tell."

He was starting to feel seriously queasy. Rachel wasn't the silent type, and she hadn't said much. He had asked her to let him tell his story, but he was still afraid of what would happen next. He tried to remember Rob's words, and looked over at her again. He couldn't help but notice that she was sitting further back in her seat. But there was no way not to finish now, he felt.

"I'd only been doing the dancing gig for a couple of weeks when Terri pulled me aside at the end of the night."

He remembered it so clearly.

"You've passed your audition," she told him.

"What? What audition?" He'd been baffled. Was he that sleep deprived that he didn't follow what she was saying?

"Your very pretty ass isn't here just to dance," she said flatly. "Don't go acting all surprised," she chided him. "They like you. My best customers. My repeat customers."

"What?" he managed to whisper.

"The dancing is the warm up. They're here for more than that." She narrowed her eyes. "They're here for a happy ending, Bright Eyes. Which I have no doubt you can give them. Next time, when the lady asks you to come up to her room for a night cap, you go." She pushed a piece of paper across the desk at him. "Those are your rates. They pay the house, that's me, in advance, for their cover charge. This is what you get – no more, but also no less. That's the deal."

"But -"

"No buts. If you're not in, you're fired. I've checked you out. You need the money, you're discreet, and they like you. They're discreet too. I can guarantee that."

"You're asking me to -"

"I'm telling you to. You're ready. Or you're out of here."

"She told me I had to be, um, a male escort, that the dances were just the set up for the clients to choose who they wanted for the evening."

"Oh, my God," Rachel breathed.

"I did it for about two months," he said in a rush, still not meeting her eyes. "I felt trapped – I needed the money, I was kind of afraid of my boss, who threatened me when I talked about quitting early on, saying she'd report me to the authorities, and I … I liked the money."

"Oh, Brody," she sighed.

"Then I got approached by John Nelson. Turns out he was investigating Terri's operation for the NYPD. She was good though, with enough of a legit cover that it was hard to make an accusation stick. That, and some of her rich clients had a lot of pull – at least that's what she kept telling me, that this would never fold, that her clients used their influence to keep it quiet."

He looked into her eyes. "He found the right guy. I wanted out, and I was afraid, but I was willing to help. Especially when it became clear I was screwed either way."

"What?"

"If I didn't help I'd get arrested." He stared at his hands, his mouth set in a line. "Prostitution is illegal, no matter how high class." He sighed. "The deal was, help the investigation get enough to put Terri out of business and make a conviction stick, and I'd get away clean. They promised to protect me."

"So, that was it?" she asked.

"Pretty much," he admitted. "They made me testify. She plea bargained down to a ridiculously short sentence, and I was free." He knotted his hands, twisting them. "But I was broke. And then I just couldn't function right. My schoolwork fell apart, and as the semester ended, I just didn't care anymore. I got by, barely. Eventually, I told Madame Thibodeaux I had to withdraw, that I couldn't afford it anymore. She tried to work out more financial aid for me, but I just couldn't." He looked up at her. "I think she saw it, that there was more to it. She actually recommended me for the summer program here."

"All roads lead to Disney," she offered weakly. She searched his face, her eyes questioning. "Why didn't I ever meet you at NYADA?"

"Because I've been here over a year," he answered quietly. "I perform at the Hoop-de-doo Musical Revue and wait tables. I decided to stay a while."

He noticed that Rachel's eyes looked glassy and her color was pinking up.

"I've … I've got to go. To the ladies'," she blurted out, before dashing away from their table. He dropped his head to his hands, burying his face.

"Shoot! Look at the time," Rob muttered. "I think y'all missed your performance slot."

"No matter," she brushed his arm with her fingertips. "They'll just go to the next people." She stopped and turned around to look at him. "Do you suppose everything is all right?"

"I hope so." He exhaled. "I just don't know. I mean, we know Brody pretty well. But what if it doesn't, you know, go okay?"

"I can't imagine anyone who knows the whole story would hold that against him," she said fiercely. "He's a good guy, and he's got to stop beating himself up about this. He's a sweetie, and he's got a good heart. How could she not see that?"

He shook his head and leaned down to give her a quick kiss. "Because, you, my love, see the best in people, always." He held up his hand in protest. "Now, I'm not disagreeing with you, not one bit, but not everyone has your great big heart." She smiled her forgiveness. "And he's right to get this out there, before they get in any deeper."

"He does love her, doesn't he?" she said, wistfully.

"Darlin', I think he does. I think that's why he doesn't want any secrets like that. I call that brave."

She squeezed his arm and started towards the restaurant's double doors. "I do too. All right, I think it's time to go back in."

He opened the door for her, and they both felt the instant thrill of the restaurant's powerful air conditioner. It was getting late, and the crowd was thinning out. They were unprepared, however, for what they both saw next: their friend, alone at their table, head buried in his hands.

"Oh no," Sue muttered, "that can't be right."

Rob frowned, unconsciously gripping her arm tighter.

"I've gotta go find Rachel," she said, looking up at him.

"No," he nodded, "don't do that yet."

She stared at him, confused and a little huffy.

Rob sighed. "We don't know anything yet, and well … maybe she needs a moment. Let her be for a bit."

She didn't look happy, Rob observed, but she shrugged minutely and leaned back into him, which he took as agreement. He patted her arm with his free hand. "I love you, you know," he murmured.

"I know." She planted a light kiss on his cheek. "And yes, you're right sometimes." She glanced around, wincing as Janet, the Celine Dion wannabe, launched into the second verse of To Love You More. "Let's go check on Brody."

Brody looked up, sensing their arrival, and felt Rob's large hand on his back, as Sue settled in beside him.

"You okay?" Rob asked.

"I think so." Brody breathed out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Damn it. It's hard, no matter who I tell this to, but that one, that was the hardest."

Sue nodded. "Where is she?"

"She's still here. I think," he sighed.

"Give it a bit," Rob counseled. "We could," he smiled weakly, "make like the girls and go for a bathroom break."

Sue giggled at Brody's puzzled expression.

"Why the hell would we do that?"

Rob was glad to see a trace of spirit in his friend. "I honestly don't know. But it seems to help the girls when they do it," he shrugged, pushing Brody's shoulder to nudge him upwards.

"Can't make me feel any worse," Brody agreed, following Rob as he crossed to the men's room.

Sue fidgeted in her chair. Moments later, she waved as Rachel headed back towards the table.

Rachel looked composed, Sue thought, but bore the marks of hastily reapplied makeup, and unevenly pink skin. The shorter girl's eyes darted around as she scanned the restaurant.

"Hello, sugar," Sue said.

"Suddenly it's ladies' night here?" Rachel said, affecting a Yiddish accent perfectly, smiling at Sue's giggly reaction.

"Hardly, honey," Sue assured her. "They've just gotten up for a bit." She waited a moment. "You okay?"

Rachel's mouth was drawn in a tight line. "You knew, didn't you? You both did."

"We did," Sue nodded. "We've known Brody since almost the first day he got here. It's been a rough year for him."

Sue watched, trying to guess Rachel's thoughts.

Rachel thought back to when she'd rushed from the table earlier. She'd felt like she needed air, needed space, needed to cry, to scream. The bathroom had been good for one of those things, at least: crying. At first she was angry, then confused – why would someone with so much promise do something so horrible? But she thought back to everything he said: how he'd come out to New York with his girlfriend, an actual trust fund baby who was majoring in communication at NYU, who'd insisted on him staying with her, in the brownstone apartment that was small but perfect, complete with doting doorman and excellent security. She paid for their food too, and had delighted in their first few weeks there, he said. He told her that she had rarely bothered to do homework, but at first things were all right.

But then, he told her, as NYADA's demands on his time for practices, extra rehearsals for productions, and academics took him away, her tolerance waned. She'd responded at first with pouting, sending constant messages, and wanting, always, more of his time than he had to give. She broke up with him in November, haughtily telling him that she thought he should leave.

His savings vanished quickly, as he moved into a dorm slot (vacated due to Cassandra July's "weeding out" process), and knew that his funds wouldn't cover next semester's tuition, along with room and board. After that, and maybe Terri had found guys from NYADA before, and knew what to look for – he was never sure how she'd targeted him – the rest of the story just got worse.

As she exited the stall, moving to seeing how bad the damage to her makeup job was (a total loss), she'd thought more about it. He didn't have to tell her, she told herself. Maybe not ever. How would she have known? And, Sue and Rob knew him well – and then decided to set her up with him. This just caused more angry tears. As she splashed water on her face, she thought some more. All he really wanted, she reasoned, was what she had without any straining: to go to NYADA, to pursue his dreams. Her dads doted on her, and paid her tuition with only good-natured grumbling, and had even protested when she took part time work at the Spotlight Cafe.

He clearly felt ashamed, she thought, and why wouldn't he? As she blotted her face with paper towels soaked in cold water, it occurred to her, what his story reminded her of. She fixed her face quickly, and walked out.

"Did we do wrong?" Sue asked.

"No. No, you didn't," Rachel answered quietly. "But, I need to talk to him. Is he still here?"

"He is," Sue looked towards the restrooms. "Rob's with him right now."

"Since when did boys do that," Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Since now, I suppose," Sue agreed. "They're coming," she whispered.

Rachel watched Brody. His back was unnaturally straight as he navigated through the restaurant back to her, his face a blank. Rob walked behind him.

She decided not to wait, bolting out of her chair to meet him half way. "Brody," she breathed, "can we talk? Maybe outside?"

"Sure," he answered, his eyes searching her face.

Rob smiled at them as he went to join Sue.

Brody was silent as they stepped out into the humid air.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said.

"Rach -"

"No, let me talk a little," she said, leading him over to a bench under a faux antique street light. He joined her and turned to face her.

Her heart ached at the hurt look he couldn't hide, and she leaned forward touching her lips to his for a kiss, then deepening it as she touched one hand to his face and another to his shoulder. He met the kiss hungrily, drawing her closer. She finally broke away to breathe, and he smiled at her.

"You can talk like that anytime," he growled playfully.

"Can I help it if you distracted me?" she teased, then scooted away a little, her expression changing to a more serious one. "I'm sorry I ran away like that."

"No, you don't have to say -"

"No, I do."

He looked at her, seeing that she looked on the brink of breaking out into tears.

"Brody, I get it that you didn't have to tell me any of that." She breathed heavily, then reached for his hand. "I'm glad you landed here." She gulped, and looked straight into his eyes. "You're still my Disney prince. After all, what good is a prince that hasn't had to slay a dragon or two."

He chuckled and choked back a sob, leaning forward to cradle her in his arms. "I don't deserve you."

He found himself pushed back, both of her hands planted against his chest. "Don't you ever say that!" she spat out fiercely. "You are so much more than the worst you've been through, and," she started to cry, but plunged forward anyway, "I hate it that anyone made you feel that way. I know you enough to know that you're worth it, Brody Weston. You are the real deal." She stood up, tugging him up too.

He reached a hand to wipe away her tears, not noticing his own. "So are you. Rob was totally right about you." He bent down to kiss her damp nose. "You. Your heart is the biggest part of you. It's just that your talent is so bright, not everyone would see that."

"Then, since we are agreed that I am indeed fabulous," Rachel giggled wetly, "I think we need to tell our friends they don't need to worry so much about us."

"I think, milady, that you are correct. As always," he bowed to her.

"I meant what I said," she turned around, looking up at him.

He tried to remember exactly. "That I'm a diamond in the rough?" he guessed.

"No. A prince. My prince," she insisted.

"You may need to remind me from time to time," he said softly, his lips brushing her hair.

"Count on it, babe," she said, the old Rachel Berry tone back, in full force.

"All right, ready to send these people home?" Sue asked. She was so relieved. After the drama of this evening, Rob was right after all. They looked tired, but happy. Rachel clearly doted on him, more than before even, and her worries vanished. When she'd suggested earlier that maybe they should back out on singing last call, Rob had smirked when both performers insisted they were up for it. Of course they were, he snarked. Sue had to agree.

"Absolutely," Rachel asserted.

"I'm beat," Brody admitted, "but we've got just the song for it."

Rob and Sue smiled as they got onto the small stage, adjusted the mics to their heights, and got stools to sit on.

"Good evening, everyone, or should I say, good night," Brody said to the audience. Rachel smiled her encouragement at him. "Last call time, and our last song is an old, traditional one, The Parting Glass."

Brody hummed, giving the vocal cue, and they sang a capella.

Oh, all the money that e'er I had

I spent it in good company

And all the harm that e'er I've done

Alas, it was to none but me.

And all I've done, for want of wit

To memory now, I can't recall

So, fill to me the parting glass

Good night, and joy be with you all

"Good song choice," Sue whispered to Rob.

"It is," he said. The restaurant had quieted down quickly, entranced by their bare voices, harmonizing perfectly. They didn't speak again until the song was done, and joined the rest of the crowd in applauding when then finished, standing together, hands linked, giving a bow.

A/N: thank you, dear readers, for staying with me and this tale. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. But I think it's a good parting glass to this part of our tale.

The next chapter, which (tiny spoiler) features a time jump, will indeed be the last, and one that I hope you love. I do promise plenty of fluff and sweetness. And, I am indeed open to your suggestions as we reach the wrap up to our ever afters. Remember, I'm on tumblr as well, if you'd rather contact me there. Again, so many thanks to those of you who have reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. I love hearing from you, and appreciate you so much. You're the best!

The songs are The Parting Glass (there are many lovely renditions on youtube; I am partial to the Wailin' Jennys, and also to Peter Hollens' (which, I learned when researching for this story, also shows up on the Assassins' Creed game). The other is Say Goodnight, by Eli Young.