A/N: Sorry for the wait on this chapter! It took me longer than expected. I'm not exactly thrilled with the way it came out, so I hope you guys enjoy it more than I did.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. You guys are the reason I continued writing this story. And thanks to everyone else for reading – you're all awesome! So, without further adieu, here's the final chapter.


By the time Quinn finally set foot back Lima, she felt like her head was going to explode. A two hour plane ride where she had nothing to do but think about the possible scenarios that could result from today definitely wasn't what she needed to calm her nerves. Then there was the hour and half long drive from the airport, which hadn't been as bad since she had her mom to distract her for some of the ride, but the distractions had only lasted so long and she'd been left to her thoughts a majority of the time – which, she'd learned, was not a good thing. Her mind was her worst enemy.

Still, she knew that matter what the treacherous thoughts in her head warned her, it would be alright. She just had to keep telling herself that or else she'd go crazy.

Quinn stood in the driveway of the house she'd grown up in, a small smile on her face as her eyes wandered around the familiar neighborhood. She had missed this place more than she'd even realized. Her mother pulled her suitcase of the car and started rolling it towards the house.

"Quinn, are you coming?"

"Yeah, I'll be just a second."

Judy disappeared into the house and Quinn lingered there for a moment, debating what her next move should be. It was almost five o'clock. Puck would probably be getting ready to leave work soon, if he hadn't already left. She could go see him now or wait until after dinner and go to his house to say him. But, nervous as she was, she wanted to see him right away. Ever since he'd left three weeks ago, all she had wanted was to see him. Now he was so close and all she had to do was jump in her car, drive a few minutes, and there he would be.

Her mother's hand grazed her shoulder . "I don't have anything planned for dinner," Judy said in an apologetic way.

"I didn't exactly give you much time to plan anything," Quinn replied with a smile. She had called her mother only this morning and announced her surprise visit, which had left Judy nothing short of thrilled.

Judy pulled her into a one-armed hug. "We can order out, if you'd like. Or maybe you wanted to meet up with some of your friends?"

Quinn had put off telling her mother the real reason she was coming home, mostly because bringing it up would be most likely mean a long-drawn out conversation that she'd already had two-times over with Rachel and Mercedes. Now, though, she knew it was time to explain.

She turned resolutely to her mother. "I have to go see Puck."

Her mother's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

Quinn nodded. "I don't know how long I'll be with him-"

"Take as long as you want," Judy interrupted, giving her a reassuring smile. "You and I will have plenty of time to catch up this weekend."

"Thank you." Quinn wasn't surprised at her mother's understanding about this particular subject. Judy hadn't liked Puck much at first – and considering he had gotten her daughter pregnant at sixteen, Quinn thought she had all the right to think that – but over time, her mother and boyfriend had gone from tolerating each other's presence to actually liking each other. In fact, Quinn was pretty sure her mother was almost as disappointed as she was when she and Puck broke up.

"When you told me that you and Ryan had broken up, I immediately began to wonder when you would come see Puck, or he would come see you. So when you told me you were coming, I figured it must have been for Puck. I'm surprised you waited so long."

"I would have waited longer if it wasn't for Kurt and Mercedes. They pretty much gave me no other choice."

Judy chuckled softly. "Those two always seemed like very smart kids. So does Puck know you're coming?"

"He has no clue."

"I guess he's in for quite the surprise then. I'm sure he'll be very happy to see you."

Quinn nodded slowly, eyes trailing over to the car she was suddenly very eager to get in. Judy must have sensed her anticipation because she handed her the keys. "You should get going."

Quinn gave her a grateful smile before grabbing the keys and hopping in the car. "Thanks, Mom. I'll call you tonight and let you know what's going on. I'll probably be home late, though."

"That' sounds fine, dear," Judy said. She poked her head through the open window and squeezed Quinn's hand. "Good luck."

Quinn gave a short nod, thanking her mother with a small smile, before pulling out of the driveway and speeding off towards Burt's Auto Shop.

888

"Hello down there!" Puck laughed softly as a familiar voice echoed into his ear and rolled himself out from under the car.

"Hey, Mr. Shue," he said, standing up and leaning against the Chevy he was currently working on. A day that went by without Mr. Shue coming by was not a typical day. "Let me guess, your car's leaking oil again."

Lips twisting into an amused smile, Mr. Shuester crossed his arms. "Actually no."

"Really? Hmm…Then it's got to be the radiator."

"Not that either."

"Well, then it's the-."

Mr. Shue held up a hand. "Puck, I'm gonna save you a few hours and tell you I'm not here for my car."

"Oh. Well, that's a surprise." Looking thoughtful, Puck wiped the grease off his hands with a rag. "So what's up? You need help with Glee club or something?"

"Actually, I came here to congratulate you. I heard you got accepted into the police training program."

Puck smiled at the thought. He would be starting the academy in six weeks. "Yeah. I just got the news last night. I hadn't really told anyone yet, though. How'd you hear?"

"I ran into your mother at the grocery store today and she told me. I don't think I've ever seen her so proud."

"She's pretty happy about all this," Puck said, looking down at the oil stained floor with a small smile. "Says I'm doing the Puckerman name proud."

Mr. Shue gave him a firm pat on the back. "I would say you are. I'm proud of you too, Puck. I always knew you'd do great things."

Puck looked away, feeling a bit awkward at the praise being lifted onto him by his former teacher. "Thanks, Will."

Mr. Shue looked surprised. "Will?"

"I thought I'd try it out, since it's been four years since high school and all. But I don't like it. It's too weird."

"I think it would be weird for me too," Mr. Shue said with a chuckle. "Well, I've got to get going. Emma's got dinner waiting."

Puck nodded. "Thanks for stopping by."

Mr. Shuester headed towards the exit, but turned around a second later, a sheepish grin on his lips. "Oh, and the oil in my car actually is leaking…again."

Puck just laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Shue."

Once Mr. Shue was gone, he rolled himself back under the car. He was almost done for the night, which was good since he had many calls to make when he got home. He hadn't really told anyone except his mom, sister, Burt, and now Mr. Shuester that he was trying to get into the police force. He intended to, but he didn't want to take the risk that he wouldn't get accepted into the training program. If that happened, he would have been forced to tell all his friends of his failure, and there was no way he was going to let that happen.

But he had been accepted and all his worries had been for nothing. He was itching to tell one person in particular. He hadn't talked to Quinn in a couple of days. He'd tried calling her last night, when he had gotten the news that he'd been accepted, but she hadn't answered. All Puck really wanted to do tonight was hop into his bed, dial Quinn's number, and tell her everything he'd been keeping from her.

"Puck, someone's here to see you!"

Puck sighed as Burt's voice called out to him. All he wanted to do was finish so he could go home, but with these constant interruptions, he wasn't sure if that was ever going to happen.

"I'm busy," he called back. He didn't want to deal with customers right now.

Burt's head ducked under the car. "I don't think you're gonna wanna miss this one, Puck."

Dropping his tools, he grumbled in annoyance as he slid out from under the car once more. He lazily wiped off some of the oil splattered over his shirt, giving up after a couple of seconds.

"Who is it?" he asked Burt, who was leaning against one of the other cars in the garage. Burt had an odd look on his face, one Puck couldn't quire decipher, but one that eased some of his irritation and replaced it with curiosity.

Burt flashed him a grin. "You'll see."

Eyes narrowing, Puck opened the door and stepped into the reception area. He dropped the rag he was holding when he saw her. She was standing there, a small, slightly nervous smile on her face, one hand toying with the hem of her sweater, the other wiping a strand of blond hair behind her ear. For a second he just stood frozen in place, his lips twitching into what he was sure was a very goofy smile, while his mind went a hundred miles a minute, trying to figure out if it was really her he was seeing, or if the car he'd been working on had dropped on him and now he was in some sort of coma.

"Hi, Puck." Her soft voice pulled him out of his reverie, proving that this was real, she was really here. She had finally come home.

His legs finally decided to move again, allowing him to close the final few steps towards her. He nervously thrust his hands into his pockets as he smiled widely down at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," she said, grinning. "There's been something I've been meaning to tell you."

He chuckled. "And you couldn't tell me over the phone?"

"Well, I could have, and I was planning to, but it's much more fun this way, don't you think?"

"I couldn't agree more." Without thinking, he moved one of his hands to graze her waist. "You have excellent timing because I've had something I've been meaning to tell you too."

"Oh, yeah? And what's that?"

"I just got accepted in the Allen County police academy. I'm gonna be a cop."

As her eyes widened in surprise, so did her smile, and she threw her arms around him, kissing his cheek before grasping onto each of his arms. "Puck, that's amazing! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Didn't want to jinx it," he said with a shrug.

"You wouldn't have jinxed it." She grabbed his hand and gave it a soft squeeze. "I can't believe how perfect a job this is for you. Why didn't you think of it before?"

"Leah asked me the same thing," he said, "and I still don't have an answer."

She hugged him again and he relished the touch. There were very few things in this world better than holding Quinn Fabray in his arms. Unfortunately for him, she pulled away a second later, her face set with determination as she looked up at him.

"I broke up with Ryan."

He had been hoping that was what she was going to tell him. "When?"

"A few hours after you left New York."

He raised an eyebrow. "You've been broken up with him this whole time and you didn't bother to tell me?"

"I wasn't ready to," she said, frowning slightly. He didn't want to ruin this moment by getting into a pointless argument about why she'd waited so long to tell him, but still, he had to know.

He moved a hand to cup her cheek, his thumb gently stroking it. "Why?"

Like he had hoped she would, she immediately relaxed into his touch. "Because I knew that as soon as I told you, one of us would end up going to see the other, and we'd end up…"

"Back together?" he finished for her.

She gave him a weak smile. "Yeah."

"And you weren't ready for that?"

"No."

"But you are now?"

His heart skipped a beat at her answer. "Yes."

That was all he needed to hear. Before she could say anything else, he was kissing her for the first time in two years. She tensed in surprise at first, but relaxed a second later as she smiled against his lips. He ran a hand up and down her back, the other grasping the back of her head.

He couldn't believe this was finally happening, that after all the time they'd spent a part, they were back together again – for good, he hoped. He couldn't imagine letting her go after this. If there was one thing he had learned over the past couple of years, it was that no other girl could possibly ever compare to the girl in his arms right now. Back in high school, he had thought he was going to be a bachelor for life. Then Quinn had come along and he'd been left doubting all his previous plans. If being a bachelor meant he couldn't have Quinn Fabray, then he wouldn't be one – it was as simple as that.

She was the one to pull away, which was probably a good thing since he had no idea how he could ever do it himself. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close to him as he possibly could, and she rested her head against his chest.

"So we're really doing this?" he asked.

She nodded slowly, a smile on her face. "We are."

Burt cleared his throat behind him. "Puck, you should head home. I've got everything covered."

Released Quinn from his grasp, he turned to look at Burt. "You sure?"

"Yeah, yeah. You two go ahead and catch up. And take tomorrow off too. I'll be fine on my own."

Puck wasn't one to argue when someone offered him time off, so he simply thanked Burt before stringing his hand through Quinn's and nodding towards the door. "Let's get out of here."

888

He took her to his house first, which is what Quinn had been hoping for. She missed Puck's mom and sister almost as much as she had missed Puck. They were both shocked to see her, but their surprise was quickly replaced with the joy of seeing her – and seeing that she and Puck were together again.

After a few hours of catching up, Puck took her up to his room. Helen had failed to hide her displeasure at that – because as much as she loved her, Quinn was the girl her son had gotten pregnant out of wedlock and she didn't want a repeat of that situation– but after Quinn reassured her they were just going to talk, she let them both go without a fight.

Quinn ended up on his bed, his arms around her, head resting on his chest as he told her more about the police academy. She was happy that he had finally found something that really excited him, something that had the potential to really make him happy. Then she explained to him what had happened with Ryan. Puck tried to be objective about it all, giving her his condolences and mentioning that he hoped Ryan would be okay, but she could tell he was more than happy that their relationship had ended.

After awhile, their conversation died down and a comfortable silence took over. His fingers strung through her hair and she closed her eyes, feeling, for the first time in a very long time, at peace. His warm breath poured softly into her ear as he moved to kiss her cheek. She twisted around in his arms, nuzzling her face into his neck as her legs tangled with his.

Puck's gruff voice broke the silence. "So how are we gonna do this?"

She cracked open an eye and peered up at him. "Do what?"

"This. Our relationship. How's it gonna work?"

"I don't know…You obviously can't leave here, and I can't leave New York right now, so I guess we'll just have to try the long distance thing for awhile." Puck slowly nodded and she was distracted slightly as his fingers trailed up and down her bare arm. "We'll make it work," she said confidently, and for once she actually believed her words. It wouldn't be easy, but there was no doubt in their mind they would make it through this.

"I know we will," Puck agreed. "I'm not worried. It just sucks that we won't be able to see each other all the time. I mean, I just got you back and now you're leaving again in a couple days."

"It'll just be a temporary thing. Someday I'll move back here or you'll move to New York. We've just got to be patient."

She was already almost positive she would be the one to move back, not because she thought Puck wouldn't want to come back to New York, but because she had recently discovered that she actually really wanted to move back here. She had spent four years in New York, but not once during all that time had she ever really felt like she was home. Now that she was here again, she felt that she was finally where she was supposed to be, here in Lima, with Puck.

"You know how I hate being patient," Puck said, groaning dramatically as he dug his face into her hair.

She laughed softly and tickled the back of his head. "Do you remember what I always tell you when you say that?"

"Get over it?"

"Yup." She leaned into him and kissed his lips. "You're the most impatient person I know."

"Rachel said something a long time ago about me wanting things too much."

"And, as always, Rachel's right," she agreed with a grin.

"Well, I do want a lot of things, but I want you most of all and these past couple years of waiting have pretty much sucked out any patience I had."

"So what do you suggest we do?"

He let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know…" He glared up at the ceiling. "I think you're right. As much as I hate it, we've got to do this long distance thing. I've got to get through this program and you've got to keep working at your hospital. It would be a life-changing decision for one of us to pick up our lives and move to be with the other, especially since we just got back together. And…I seriously can't believe I'm saying this, but I think we need to take thing slow at first."

Propping herself on her elbow, she cocked an eyebrow. "I can't believe you said that either. But I agree. It would be best for both of us to take things as slowly as possible. We've got plenty of time."

"Unless one of us dies," he deadpanned. She pinched him hard on the arm and he raised his hands in defense. "Hey, I'm just being real. Seriously, I'm gonna be a cop. It's a dangerous job."

"Ugh," she said, falling back on top of him, "don't remind me."

He rubbed her back slowly. "It'll be alright."

"I know," she mumbled.

His hand moved to tip up her cheek so she was looking directly at him. "I love you," he said. She couldn't remember the last time he had told her that. It felt more amazing than she ever remembered.

She kissed him, her lips lingering over hers as she breathed out, "I love you too."

She closed her eyes again and relaxed. She could worry all she wanted about their future, but it would get her nowhere. All that mattered now was this moment. And this moment was about as perfect as it could get.