"Rachel honey, time to get up."

Rachel groaned, rolling over in bed and looking up into the face of her father. She glanced at the clock and yawned. "Dad, it's not even five in the morning," she whined, pulling her pillow over her head.

"Noah's going to be here at 5:30 to bring you to the school," Leroy sighed. "Come on, get up or you'll miss your trip to Nationals."

Rachel muttered a few choice words before climbing out of bed. Satisfied, Leroy left the room, mentioning that breakfast would be in the kitchen for her when she was ready.

Rachel made her bed quickly, looking over at her clothes which were already laid out. She'd been packed for weeks. This was her last chance at Nationals, after all. If they lost today…well, she didn't even want to think about that possibility.

Rachel pulled on her green dress and silver shoes, her lucky outfit. She needed it today—last time she had flown to Nationals, she'd ended up on an island in the middle of the ocean.

Once she was dressed and made up, Rachel dragged her suitcase down the stairs, leaving it by the front door before walking into the kitchen.

She was getting a major feeling of déjà vu right now, though instead of Finn picking her up, Noah was driving her this time. She just hoped the rest of their previous trip didn't repeat itself.

Rachel took a seat at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal with soy milk and a banana, staying quiet. She was extremely nervous. They were arriving in Boston later that morning, then the competition was tomorrow. Just thinking about it made Rachel want to throw up.

Rachel practically burst out of her seat when she heard a honk from outside their house, knowing Noah was here. She kissed her fathers both goodbye before dragging her suitcase outside, smiling when she saw Noah's beat-up car.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to be a gentleman and help your girlfriend with her suitcase?" she teased.

Puck chuckled softly, walking over to her and picked up her suitcase, kissing the top of her head, "You look lovely," he said, smiling at her. He lifted her suitcase up with ease, tossing it into his car a moment later.

Rachel climbed into the front seat, covering her mouth as she yawned. She buckled her seat belt as Puck climbed back into the car, starting it and driving away from her house.

"Will you make fun of me if I say I'm nervous to fly?" she asked, looking over at him.

Puck let out a laugh before shaking his head. "Not at all. You have every right to be nervous—we did almost die while making this trip last year," he teased, kissing her cheek.

"Not something to joke about," she muttered, though she couldn't help cracking a smile at that. "Just as long as you're sitting next to me, I don't have anything to worry about," she laughed, taking his hand as the car came to a stop at a red light.

"Well, I'm sure we could convince Mr. Schue to let us be seat partners if we aren't. I did save your life, after all," he laughed.

Rachel smiled, leaning her head back against the seat. "I'm very thankful for that, you know. If you didn't, I wouldn't be getting a second chance at Nationals right now."

Puck leaned over and kissed her forehead before pulling into the parking lot of the school, parking his car next to Sam's truck. He grabbed both his and Rachel's suitcases from the back while Rachel grabbed her carry-on bag, climbing out of the car and walking beside Puck as they approached the rest of the group.

Finn, with his arm around Quinn's shoulders, was standing with Mike and Tina, the two couples engaged in a conversation about who knew what.

Kurt and Blaine were off to the side, standing next to each other while everyone else was sitting on the ground, most of them looking like they were about to pass out. Mr. Schuester wasn't there yet.

Rachel motioned to Puck and the two of them walked up to Blaine and Kurt.

"I see you have your boyfriend trained," Kurt teased, gesturing to Puck holding both suitcases. "I approve."

"Hey, I have not been trained!" Puck protested, placing the bags on the ground."

'Hey, don't put my suitcase on the ground. I don't want it getting messed up." Puck picked up the bag a moment later.

Kurt just shook his head. "Like I said, I approve."

Puck placed his arms around Rachel as the two of them talked with Kurt and Blaine about Nationals and what their chances were.

"Well, without Vocal Adrenaline as a competitor, I think our chances just went up," Puck said.

Kurt nodded. "The blogs are buzzing that we're expected to make at least top five."

"Screw top five, we're going to win the whole fucking thing," Rachel laughed. The three boys looked at her. "What, it's too early for me to be well behaved," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

Puck let out a laugh, pulling her close as Mr. Schuester walked out of the school, his bag slung over his shoulder and their plane tickets in his hand.

Yep, definite déjà vu.

"Alright guys, the bus is on its way over to pick us up," he explained while the entire New Directions gathered in a circle around him. "I have your plane tickets here. I have personally checked each one, along with confirming with the airline, that we all are actually going to Boston."

Rachel let out a small laugh, looking up at Puck and smiling.

"Again, stick with your seat partner," he explained, beginning to pass out the tickets. When Rachel was handed her ticket, she looked at it, glad to see it actually said BOSTON, MA on it. That was a relief.

"Hey, we're next to each other," Puck smiled, pointing at her ticket then showing her his. 12B and 12C. Rachel smiled, kissing him once. "If this plane decides to go down too, at least you have someone next to you who's experienced in surviving disaster situations," he teased.

The bus arrived, and the members of the McKinley High glee club climbed aboard. Rachel and Puck sat in the middle, Rachel taking the spot next to the window. She leaned her head on Puck's shoulder, yawning a little as they left for the airport.

Puck reached over, slipping his hand into Rachel's and laced their fingers together. "You excited?" he whispered, most of the other people on the bus already asleep.

Rachel nodded her head. "Nervous too," she added. "I don't want to fly. I just want to teleport to Boston."

"If that was possible, I would make sure you didn't have to fly. So instead I promise this: if anything happens, I'll keep you safe Rachel." Rachel looked into his eyes, knowing he was telling the truth. With that reassuring thought, she closed her eyes and fell asleep on Puck's shoulder.

xxxxx

"That was the easiest flight I've ever been on," Rachel commented as they walked off the plane, having arrived in Boston's Logan International Airport. "I mean, it wasn't even bumpy during takeoff."

Puck laughed, taking her hand as they joined the rest of their group in the waiting area. "It was. I'm just glad we both made it to the right destination this time."

Once everyone was off the plane, the entire group walked down to baggage claim and picked up their suitcases. They got on the bus waiting for them and were driven to their hotel, where Mr. Schuester checked them in.

Rachel stood next to Puck in the lobby area, looking around. The place was pretty nice—well, nice for a school trip.

Mr. Schuester walked over to them, handing everyone a key to their room. Rachel was rooming with Tina, and since Tina did have a boyfriend, she hoped she wouldn't care if Puck spent time in their room. She knew she wasn't going to be welcome in his room—he was rooming with Finn. Even after everything that had happened between the two of them, they were still best friends. She just didn't think Finn would be okay with her coming into their room to make out with Puck for a bit.

Rachel and Tina made their way up to their room, Rachel claiming the bed near the window. She pulled the curtains open, smiling at the view they had of downtown Boston. Mr. Schuester stopped by the room, telling them to meet at the hotel's restaurant at seven that evening for dinner.

Tina said goodbye to Rachel after he left, having already decided to explore the city with Mike. Rachel gave her a small smile and a wave. She grabbed the key to their room before heading down the hall. 1003…1005…She stopped in front of 1007, knocking a few times on the door.

Please be Noah, please be Noah, please be Noah…

The door opened and Rachel made a face, seeing Finn standing there instead of Puck. "Is Noah here?" she asked in a small voice. Finn seemed to take it personally that she'd been unfaithful to him while she was with Noah on the island, completely forgetting about him nailing Quinn every chance he got when she disappeared.

Finn rolled his eyes at her before leaning back. "Puck! You're girlfriend's here," he called out.

There was a thud and footsteps before Finn was shoved to the side. Rachel smiled, seeing Puck standing in front of her. He leaned down, kissing her once on the lips.

"This is a nice surprise. Do I need to kick Finn out of the room?" he asked.

"I'm not leaving!" Finn shouted, and Rachel could picture him rolling his eyes as he said that.

Rachel shook her head. "No, Tina and Mike left to explore the city. I have the room to myself." She extracted the key from her pocket and held it in front of his face.

Puck seized her hand, dragging her away from the room without another word to Finn. Rachel laughed, jogging a little to keep up with him. She placed the key in the door for room 1002, opening it to find it just as empty as when she left.

"Well, this was nice of Tina," Puck muttered, walking into the room and looking around. He jumped onto Rachel's bed, burying his face in her pillow. "This pillow smells to clean. I think you need to lie down and make it smell like you," he muttered into it.

Rachel laughed, jumping onto the bed next to him, snuggling into his side and kissing the side of his face. "I'm giving you one of my pillows for graduation. You're too obsessed with how my hair smells," she teased.

Puck made a face, flipping her onto her back and kissed the side of her neck. "I am not obsessed," he said defensively. "I just happen to like the way my girlfriend smells. Is that a crime?"

Rachel looked up at him and shook her head. "Not at all. It's sweet, actually," she murmured, her hands running over his chest.

"Want to make out now?" he asked. Rachel nodded her head. Puck leaned his head down, capturing her lips with his. He lay on top of her, his hands on either side of her waist.

Rachel placed her hands on both sides of his face, her lips moving with his while she wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him close to her.

Puck's kisses started out soft, getting harder and harder the more they kissed. Eventually, he pushed his tongue through her lips, twisting it with her tongue in her mouth.

Time seemed to escape Rachel when she was kissing Puck. What felt like minutes to she was actually hours. Rachel's mouth was dry and her lips were cracked, but she still wanted to keep kissing Puck. The only thing that made her pull away was a knock on the door.

"Rachel!" Kurt called, knocking again. "Come on, we have to head to dinner." She ignored him, her hands continuing to explore Puck's bare back, his shirt lost to the floor hours earlier.

"We'll ignore him," she whispered hoarsely, her voice week from kissing.

"Rachel, I know you're in there!" Kurt yelled, refusing to leave.

Rachel sighed, pushing on Puck's chest. He groaned, rolling off her and lied on her bed, staring at the ceiling. "Would you hate me if I kicked his ass right now?"

"No," she said, buttoning her blouse. "I'm prepared to do the same thing when I open the door and yell at him for interrupting us." Rachel hopped off the bed, walking over to the door and pulling it open.

"Well, you look a little rough around the edges," Kurt teased, taking in her disheveled appearance. "Are you planning on going to dinner like that?"

"No, I was planning on changing."

"Well, you should change now. Blaine and I were stopping by to see if you and Puck were ready for dinner."

"Dinner's not for like, a few hours," Rachel said, rolling her eyes.

Kurt and Blaine exchanged looks. "Have you been drinking? It's quarter to seven."

"Fuck," Rachel cursed. "We'll meet you at the elevator in five minutes," she promised, shutting the door in their faces. Rachel ran over to her suitcase, pulling out a simple dress, changing into it before trying to fix her hair that Puck had messed up.

"Baby, what are you doing? I want you to take your clothes off, not put more on," he groaned, looking over at her running around the room.

"Get up," she said, throwing his shirt at him. "Get dressed. We're meeting Blaine and Kurt in a few minutes to head down to dinner."

Puck made a face at her. "It's not time for dinner yet. I want to keep making out," he whined.

"It's almost seven. We have dinner, and then you're going back to your room so I can rest before tomorrow," Rachel ordered. "Now get up before I have to threaten withholding sex when we get home."

Puck threw a pillow at her, rolling out of bed. "You do that and I'll withhold sex from you," he claimed, though they both knew that was impossible for him.

"I went seventeen years without sex. I could survive any ban you put in place," she teased, walking over to him and buttoning his shirt. Rachel stood on her toes, kissing him once. "Now let's go before Kurt breaks my door down," she laughed, taking his hand.

Puck quickly pulled his shoes on before walking out of the room with her, their hands clasped together.

Kurt and Blaine were standing by the elevator, looking very impatient. "Finally!" Kurt said, sounding annoyed. "We thought you decided to get one quick fuck in or something," he teased. Rachel gave him a stern look. "Sorry," Kurt muttered, pressing the down button.

The four teenagers rode the elevator in silence, walking out once they came to a stop on the ground floor. They made their way to the restaurant, finding the rest of their group already seated and waiting for them.

"Finally," Santana muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. "We thought you guys were never going to get here."

Rachel ignored her, taking a seat at the end of the table next to Puck.

Dinner was uneventful. Rachel sat close to Puck, the two of them engrossed in conversation. Luckily, the restaurant had a few vegan options, so Rachel had a choice when it came to dinner.

Once they were finished eating, Mr. Schuester led them to the ballroom, where they ran through their Nationals routine until they were so tired they could barely keep their eyes open.

Around midnight, the members of New Directions headed to bed, feeling prepared for the competition the next day.

Rachel woke up around nine the next morning, yawning as she sat up in bed. She looked over at the bed next to her, finding Tina still asleep.

Rachel slipped out of bed quietly, heading into the bathroom to take the first shower. They were leaving the hotel at 10:30 to head over to the competition, so Rachel needed to make sure she had enough time to get ready.

She stepped into the shower, taking a quick but warm one. She stepped out, wrapping a towel around her small body. She headed back into their room, finding Tina awake. Rachel nodded to her, letting Tina take the bathroom to shower while Rachel changed into her dress.

The girls of New Directions were wearing blue, knee-length dresses with a wide skirt. The dresses had thin straps and a silver ribbon around the middle. The boys were wearing all black with blue ties that matched the dresses.

Once Tina was out of the shower, Rachel took a turn in the bathroom, doing her hair and makeup. The girls were pulling their hair back in a bun with braids on the side of their head. Tina and Rachel helped one another do their hair, making sure it looked perfect.

Once they were ready, Rachel and headed out of the room and down to the lobby. A few people were there, but most everyone else was still finishing getting ready. Puck, however, was already there.

Rachel smiled, walking over to him. "Hey," she greeted, coming to a stop in front of her boyfriend.

"Wow, you look beautiful," he breathed.

Rachel blushed, pushing against his chest slightly. "Stop, you're just saying that because you have to," she murmured.

"No, it's true. You really do look beautiful right now," he promised, reaching over and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "Tell me how I got so lucky to have someone as beautiful as you in love with me."

"You pulled the short string and sat next to me on a doomed flight," she teased, standing on her toes and pressed her lips to his. Even in heels, Rachel was a good four inches shorter than Puck.

"You say the short string, I say the winning ticket," he laughed, putting an arm around her. Rachel chewed on her lower lip as more and more of their group arrived. They were that much closer to having to perform. "Don't worry, baby. You're going to be amazing today," Puck promised, rubbing Rachel's shoulder.

Once everyone was down, New Directions headed out of the lobby, climbing onto their bus. They drove to the area where Nationals was this year, filing in as a group. Mr. Schuester checked them in while the kids headed in, taking a seat in the audience.

Mr. Schuester walked over to them, taking a seat on the end. "We're performing 15th," he explained as the stage was being set up for the first group. "There's a room in the back for you to sit in before you go on."

Rachel tapped her foot nervously, nodding her head. She barely heard what he said but pretended like she did. She just wanted to get this over with before she threw up from being so nervous.

Finally, the host came onto the stage, introducing the first group from Utah. Rachel watched them perform , her stomach dropping when she saw how good they were. She was feeling less confident in the routine they prepared by the second.

As each new group came out, they were better than the last. She thought she was going to cry—this was her only chance at Nationals, and there was no way they were going to win with these groups performing.

Puck tapped Rachel's shoulder, pointing to the back. Everyone else in New Directions was getting up, planning on heading to the back. They were up in a few groups, after all. Rachel nodded her head, taking his hand and followed him back.

Once they were in the room, Rachel really started freaking out along with everyone else.

"Did you see that group from Iowa? They were better than Vocal Adrenaline ever was!" Mercedes exclaimed, sinking into a chair next to Santana.

Artie nodded his head in agreement. "It's official—we're fucked."

Everyone turned to Rachel, expecting her to tell them they were all awesome, but she just nodded her head in agreement. Artie was right—they were fucked.

Finn stood up, shaking his head. "Guys, don't say that. Yeah, so these groups are better than we thought. But I bet when we perform, they're going to think that about us. We were good enough to make it here. Don't you think that means we're as good as these other groups, if not better? Hell, we beat Vocal Adrenaline at Regionals!"

"Yeah, we kicked those Carmel High jerks' asses!" Brittany said, jumping to her feet.

"Plus, we have a killer routine," Sam added, giving Finn thumbs up. "We've never been better than we are at this moment. We can do this, guys. We just have to believe in ourselves."

Rachel stayed quiet, nodding her head. "Yeah, we can do this," she said quietly, gaining the confidence she needed to go out on stage and perform.

Puck smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "That's right," he whispered in her ear. "You can do this, baby. I believe in you."

One of the stage hands opened the door, informing them they were up next.

"Okay guys, let's do this," Finn said. Everyone gathered in a circle, placing their hands in the middle. "Kick some ass on three?" he suggested.

Everyone nodded their heads. "One, two, three—KICK SOME ASS!" they all shouted, cheering as they walked out of the room.

Rachel was going on first with Santana, they two of them singing a duet. They were singing "When You Believe" by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.

Rachel took Santana's hand, giving it a squeeze. Santana smiled down at Rachel nervously, neither of them able to say anything.

They let go of each other's hands, walking onto the stage when it was their turn. Rachel took the microphone on the left, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as the music started. She opened her eyes, feeling the strength inside her to begin singing.

She knew it was the perfect choice to sing this song with Santana—their voices just meshed perfectly. She knew Mercedes had wanted the other solo, but Santana's voice just worked better. The two girls sang, looking at each other as they did so.

The rest of New Directions joined them on stage later in the sing, providing backup vocals for them. The song ended, Rachel and Santana smiling at one another before getting into position with the group as the next song started.

They'd chosen "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 for their second song. Finn and Rachel were singing lead for the song, which meant she and him were dance partners as well.

They'd decided to do more spins instead of lifts for the song. Everyone danced in unison, Rachel and Finn singing the song. Eventually, it came to an end, their last song starting.

The last song they'd picked was a mash up of "She's a Rebel" and "Last of the American Girls" by Green Day. Puck and Sam were singing lead on this song, Mercedes and Tina getting solos as well.

New Directions had decided to be daring with the dances for this song. There were lots of lifts and flips, Mike and Brittany taking the dance lead.

When the song came to an end, there was a huge round of applause for them, people rising to their feet. Rachel was grinning breathing heavily as they ran off the stage.

Rachel jumped into Puck's arms, giving him a big kiss. "We were amazing!" she squealed. "We did so well. And you were amazing singing that last song!" she laughed, hugging him tightly.

"Think we're going to win?" he asked, setting her on the ground.

"I hope so. I think we were the best so far," she laughed, taking his hand and lead him back to the auditorium with the rest of the group, prepared to watch the rest of the performances until the winners were announced.

Watching the rest of the groups perform, Rachel was filled with the same dread as earlier. They were just all so damn good! Maybe New Directions wasn't as good as she thought they were.

After the last group performed. The judges left to discuss their decision for the winners. Everyone sat, their nerves high. Rachel was holding Puck's hand so tightly she cut off his circulation.

After an hour, the judges returned, wheeling in the trophies. "May we have the following groups to the stage? From Portland, Oregon, the Washington High Trebblemakers!"

There was polite applause as a group of teens all dresses in black sparkly outfits made their way to the stage.

"From Rochester, New York, Golden Voices from East High School." More applause. "From Clendenin, West Virginia, High Impact from Herbert Hoover High School!" There was a huge amount of applause for High Impact, making Rachel's stomach jump. Why hadn't they been called yet?

Puck squeezed Rachel's hand, knowing she was nervous. "Relax, it'll be fine," he promised, kissing her forehead.

"From Stafford, Arizona, Taste of Sound from Stafford High School!" There was a lot of cheering for them. "And finally, from Lima, Ohio, McKinley High's New Directions!"

Rachel screamed, jumping up and down as they headed up to the stage, joining the other four groups. Rachel held Puck's hands tightly, the one judge opening the envelope to announce the winners.

"Third place goes to…Golden Voices!" The lead from Golden Voices came up, taking their trophy. The group seemed very pleased with their place.

Rachel stared at the two remaining trophies, hoping one of them was New Directions.

"Second place…Taste of Sound!" There was huge amounts of cheering and clapping as the entire group went up to get the trophy. Rachel was on pins and needles at this point. There was only one trophy left with five groups on stage. This was it.

"And finally our first place winners. This year's first place…New Directions!"

Rachel screamed. They'd won! They'd actually won! She jumped into Puck's arms, kissing him on the lips before running up with Finn to take the trophy. Everyone was celebrating. People were kissing, hugging, and cheering.

It was just so hard to believe that they'd actually won. The stage was cleared as they prepared to perform a victory number. Of course, there was only one song for them to sing.

The music started and Finn started singing "Don't Stop Believing", everyone else joining in. Rachel was crying, Puck's arm wrapped around her. This was it. This was what glee club was all about. After three years, they were finally winners.