"Noah!" Rachel cried in horror as his body fell limp. She rushed forward, trying desperately to get to his side as Sue unceremoniously threw him aside, his dead body falling with a dull thud. Sue raised her hand again, stopping Rachel in her tracks with an invisible force.
Rachel's disbelief soon turned to rage as her gaze switched to the laughing witch.
"You bitch!" she swore, her body shaking violently. "You nasty, old bitch!"
Sue seemed unfazed with Rachel's anger until suddenly, Rachel's entire body began glowing. It wasn't the bright luminescent glowing she had experienced when she was happy or shy. It was a brilliant fiery orange, vibrating throughout her every pore.
She watched at Sue struggled to contain her, her expression turning from mirth to fear.
"What?" she asked in shock as she lost control.
At that moment, a ray of light shot out from Rachel's body and headed straight for Sue. She tried in vain to wave the blow away, to deflect it, but it was no use. It simply changed course and headed straight for Sue once more.
The bolt hit her square in the chest. At first everyone remained silent as they watched the orange light pass into Sue's body. After a few moments when nothing happened, the witch smiled in relief.
"Path–" she began, believing the worst was over when suddenly her body jerked. She howled in pain as her chest began glowing, the light spreading outwards to her skin as it started to singe, almost as if she was burning from the inside. The Queen ran around helplessly, and her captives all fell to the floor, releasing them from her hold.
Rachel watched emotionlessly as Sue's body curled over, her loud screams still piercing the air until all that was left was a pile of ashes and the echo of Sue's pain ringing throughout the large hall. Finally, Rachel slumped to the ground, the bright orange light encasing her slowly fading away.
Finn came over to her and laid a concerned hand on her shoulder. "Rachel?" he asked tentatively, helping her to her feet. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes before she slowly walked over to Noah's fallen form and knelt down beside him.
This was all her fault.
Her hand haltingly reached out to touch him, gently guiding him to roll over so she could see his face. The sight of him lying there, motionless, caused her to collapse over his body, tears streaming down her face.
"Oh my gosh, Noah..." she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."
His body still felt warm as she hugged him to her desperately, only causing her freely flowing tears to intensify. Her body trembled as she cradled his head in her lap.
"I'm so, so sorry." She whispered to him. She closed her eyes and pressed her face next to his, savoring what little warmth he had left.
Unbeknownst to her, his eyes began to twitch, his wounds healing as his body renewed itself. He groaned loudly and he murmured something low under his breath as he tried to move and Rachel gasped in shock.
"Wh-what?" she stammered, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"I thought of the perfect name." He repeated softly, his eyes still closed. Rachel watched as his eyes fluttered open, and she had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "Rachel Barbra Berry," he said, a small smile on his lips. "For your love of berries. Rachel Barbra Berry. Now that's the name of a star."
Fresh tears streamed down her face as she cried out in joy and relief, pressing her lips against his in a wildly passionate kiss, never more happy to see that infuriating smirk grace his lips.
.-.
Puck's hand moved up to tangle in Rachel's hair as she clung to him, their mouths locked together in a fierce kiss. They only pulled away when oxygen became an issue, and he smiled up at her, slightly dumbfounded.
"Now a guy could get used to being woken up like that," he said teasingly, but when he noticed her tears, his expression turned soft with concern. "Hey..."
Her hand covered her face and she shook her head, refusing to let him see her tears. He struggled to sit up and placed his arms around her shaking form.
His concerned expression moved upwards to see five shocked people standing around them. His gaze moved to Finn's as he asked, "What happened to the witch?"
"Rachel killed her," Finn said in stunned amazement, pointing to a pile of ashes.
"Woah," Puck replied glancing at the Queen's remains. "Is that true, baby?" Rachel nodded, her hands still covering her face. He reached out and took her by the wrists, gently pulling her hands away.
She looked at the ground as if she didn't dare meet his eyes, afraid that he'd disappear. His hand moved to her chin, tilting her face towards his.
"I thought I'd lost you." She murmured softly, and Puck smiled back at her.
"Nah, takes more than that to kill the Puckerone." She blinked at him blankly for a moment before her face crumpled once more, this time laughing so hard that tears sprung to her eyes. His smile widened as he listened to her laughter. "Now, that's better," he said.
"Oh, I get it," an unfamiliar voice remarked dryly from above them, causing them both to look up in confusion. They all turned towards the source of the voice, finding a rather scrawny looking boy clad in white standing beside them.
Finn looked confused for a moment before he smiled widely, walking forward to embrace the stranger in a brotherly hug.
"Uh, can someone please tell us what's going on?" Santana asked, clearly irritated.
Rachel beamed, too, getting to her feet before assisting Puck.
"I would have thought that that was obvious." She replied, but Puck looked at her with an equally confused glance.
She opened her mouth to explain when the front door burst open. They all turned defensively, each getting ready for another attack, but instead, Blaine strode through the door with a large satchel in his hands.
"I've got it!" he announced as he walked over. "It took me longer than I wanted, but I..." He looked around at the group and stopped in his tracks as his eyes landed on the unknown boy, his voice trailing off. He gulped as his satchel dropped to the floor and he walked over to the other boy. Shakily, his hand reached out to touch his face as though he thought it was some kind of mirage. "Kurt?" he asked tentatively.
Except for the two stars, the rest of the group's eyes widened at yet another unexpected turn of events. The boy smiled and nodded, leaning into Blaine's touch as they looked at each other adoringly.
Brittany was the first to voice her confusion. "I don't get it," she announced, glancing from face to face.
Rachel smiled again and explained. "Sue cursed Kurt over a millennium ago. She had sought him out after learning about his gift. When he delivered the unpleasant news that she would never be able to achieve her dream of immortality, she cursed him. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't truly curse something that consisted of such pure energy, so he transformed into a unicorn, encasing him in a protected shell until her spell could be broken."
"Oh..." Brittany said, nodding in understanding, before her expression turned confused again. "But what about...?" she asked gesturing to Puck.
Kurt's gaze finally left Blaine's and moved to Brittany. "I can explain that one," he announced, smiling at Puck and Rachel. "'He who has the heart of a star,'" he began, his gaze shifting to Quinn and Finn, "'shall live forever.'"
Puck nervously turned to Rachel as she smiled up at him. "Does that mean what I think it means?"
She bit her lip, equally as nervous, and nodded. A large smile grew across his face as his arms moved to wrap themselves around her.
"Except..." Finn's voice interjected, and Rachel's body tensed in Puck's arms. They both turned slowly to face the interruption. "She can't stay here."
Rachel shook her head vigorously. "I'm not leaving, Finn."
"But Rachel..."
"No," she stated forcefully. "I refuse to. I didn't come all this way and risk so much just to walk away. I'm not like you, Finn." Her gaze shifted awkwardly to Quinn, as the blonde looked away. "But maybe someone else can go with you instead," she suggested, all the wrongs that had been committed in the past few days already forgotten.
Rachel knew they each had their reasons for doing what they did, and now that the Queen was dead, she firmly believed in a new beginning; a new direction, for all of them. And it started today.
Quinn shook her head, her arms wrapped around herself. "No," she said before walking away.
Finn started after her, but Rachel stopped him. "Let me," she said gently, as she and the girls trailed after her, leaving the boys standing there.
.-.
Blaine knew he should be paying attention to what was happening around him, but he found that he didn't care. All he cared about was the porcelain faced boy finally standing in front of him. His hand still cupped Kurt's cheek, almost as if he was afraid to let go, afraid that he'd disappear. They had known each other for so long, had been friends since before he could remember, and now there he was, just standing there.
Blaine continued to stare, wanting to memorize every curve of Kurt's face, every look and every smile.
"Is it really you?" he asked hoarsely, his eyes still wide with disbelief.
Kurt offered a soft, gentle smile and nodded. "It's me," Kurt's hand moved to hold Blaine's, and Blaine found himself closing his eyes at the touch, savoring the feeling.
"I… I…" he began, at a loss for words. "I always…"
"I know," Kurt said softly, already understanding what he was trying to say. "I did, too."
Blaine smiled and opened his eyes, staring deeply into Kurt's blue ones. "Did you know?" he asked softly. "Did you know that this would happen?"
Kurt nodded. "I hoped, but as you know, the future is unpredictable; even I can't say with absolute certainty what will happen. I just hoped. I just wished."
Blaine could feel the tears stinging his eyes, unable to look away. "Me too. This was my dream," he said softly. "You were my dream. I just never believed it would ever come true."
"Well, you better believe it, Blaine," Kurt joked kindly. "Because I'm not going anywhere. I'm never going to say goodbye to you."
.-.
Rachel followed Quinn and the other girls out of the castle, calling after them. At first she didn't think they'd stop; they really had no reason to. They weren't friends. True, they weren't really enemies anymore, but they still had no reason to listen to her.
"Quinn…" Rachel began kindly, staring at the defiant blonde. Santana and Brittany stood to the side, staring at the pair and waiting for any indication from their leader as to what they should do.
"What do you want?" Quinn bit out harshly, though Rachel felt like her threatening tone fell flat.
"You don't have to leave." Rachel began, as her eyes searched Quinn's imploringly. "He cares about you, he always has."
"What do you know?" Quinn interrupted angrily. "You know nothing."
"That's not true," Rachel replied softly. "I know you're feeling angry and hurt, and even a little lost, but I also know that you love him. Even after all these years, you still love him."
Quinn scoffed and finally looked Rachel in the eye. "No, I don't. I'm not like you. I can't forgive someone at the drop of a hat. Too much has happened for me to just let it all go." The blonde sighed as she glanced to her friends. "We… I… I need a fresh start. I don't know what's going to happen, but all I know is I can't go back in there, and I can't forget that he left me."
Without another word, the blonde turned, the pleats of her short cheerleading skirt swishing around as they swished back and forth, and in a blink the trio was gone, disappearing in a mysterious red blur.
.-.
Puck watched as Rachel followed the Trinity out. He didn't understand how she could forgive them so easily. They had tried to kill her for fuck's sake; well, at least put her in a position to be killed. He didn't trust them, even with the "Queen" gone.
He met Finn's sympathetic gaze and Finn nodded in understanding. "I get it, man," Finn said, kind of awkwardly. "I really do. You care about each other, just like I care about Quinn. But as good as it is today, she'll eventually miss the skies, and when she does, she'll regret leaving; she'll regret staying here and giving up her wish."
Puck shook his head. "Well, I don't get it, man. How the hell are you supposed to get back anyway?"
Finn looked at Blaine as he shifted uncomfortably at the sudden attention. "Blaine can send us back."
"Okay..." Puck said slowly. "So if Blaine can send her back, then what's the difference if she does it a little later."
Finn shook his head. "You still don't understand. Do you know how much energy she has used during her time on earth, at this rate, she'll have nothing left in her. And if she grants you your wish?" Finn asked rhetorically. "She'll have nothing left at all. She'll become human. She won't be allowed to come back."
At that moment, Rachel walked back into the room – alone. Puck couldn't help but notice the dejected look on her face. He wondered if that would be how she looked if she ever realized what a mistake it would be to remain here on earth. To remain here with him.
This world was harsh, and sometimes cruel. There was no guarantee that all her dreams would come true, and as much as he wanted her to stay, he didn't think she could bear it if they never did. And truthfully, neither could he. Not if that look was the result.
"I'm sorry, Finn." Rachel said, shaking her head sadly. "She said she just can't. Too much has happened, and she can't simply forget that the past five hundred years happened. She needs to start anew. And she needs to do it without you."
Finn nodded, but Puck could tell by the heavy sigh that the realization hit Finn harder than he expected. "It's okay, Rachel, I get it. I didn't really expect her to stay, anyway," he turned to Blaine and asked, "Is the spell ready?"
Blaine and Kurt finally broke apart as the former turned to them and nodded. "Yeah, it's ready. It's not a Babylon candle, but it'll do the trick..."
They all laughed as Puck looked at them all, lost in the conversation. "What's... wait... never-mind." He said, resigned. His head was already filled with so many thoughts; he didn't need to add anything else to the mix.
Blaine turned to Rachel, his eyes soft and asked, "Are you ready, Rachel?" Everyone's gaze quickly turned to Rachel, who stumbled backwards, shaking her head frantically.
"Blaine, I can't," she whispered desperately, her widened eyes drifting over to Puck. His throat grew heavier, and this is when he realized: this was it. This was the moment that he had been dreading; the moment when Rachel made her final decision – to give up her dreams of earthly stardom and return to the celestial ones above, or to remain on earth with him and continue pursuing an uncertain dream that may never come.
"If you don't come back with me, you can never come back," Finn reminded her. He reached his hand out to her. "Come home, Rachel," he begged.
Puck's eyes met Rachel's moist ones, and he felt his heart tighten at the thought of finding her, only to lose her soon afterward. A moment, a minute, a mere lifetime could have passed while they stared at one another helplessly before Rachel finally broke his gaze. Puck closed his eyes and hoped; it was all that he had left.
Beyond his shuttered lids, Rachel nodded and stepped forward, making her choice.
.-.
A year later.
Puck watched proudly from backstage as the name, "Rachel Barbra Berry," sounded from the loud speakers. A fresh wave of applause and cheering rang out as Rachel took center stage and curtsied. She had blown them away, just like he knew she would.
He peaked out from behind the curtain and saw their friends, Blaine and Kurt, sitting there in the audience. Even his mom, nana and sister were sitting a few rows back, cheering his girlfriend on.
His mom had chucked a fit, when he finally got around to calling her back, but she had relented when he brought Rachel home wearing a silver Star of David around her neck. They didn't know anything about her true origins, and probably never would, but Puck was okay with his mom thinking Rachel was a hot Jew.
He smiled to himself as he thought about how much had changed since that fateful night a year ago. And now Rachel had achieved everything that she had dreamed of, and he was just glad to have been a part of it.
He watched as Rachel ran towards him, squealing in delight as she jumped into his arms. He laughed as he twirled her around.
"You're a star, Rachel!" he exclaimed, laughing more when the blush rose up her cheeks. He groaned inwardly. She always looked so hot when she acted shy. Well, she looked hot no matter what, but seeing her blush reminded him of when they'd first met and it always made his heart leap in his chest.
"Well, I couldn't have done it without you!" she said hugging him closer. "I feel like this is a dream, Noah." She whispered, reaching up to plant a quick kiss on his lips. "It's all just so much! Has this really happened?"
"You bet it has, baby!" he reassured her. "And all that applause is just for you."
She pressed her face against his chest and sighed contently, before lifting her head to look him in the eye. "Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."
He smiled down at her, his finger travelling down the side of her cheek. "It was well worth it, baby."
She laughed, pushing him away. "Okay, I have to get this gross make up off of my face. I'll meet you after I change."
Puck nodded. "I'll be waiting." He replied with a wink.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes as she gave him one more quick kiss before she headed towards the changing room, unable to contain her laughter.
.-.
Rachel smiled at her reflection as she took a seat in her special actress' chair in her changing room. She loved being the star. She had waited her entire life for this moment, to experience the deafening applause of a sold-out crowd that were cheering just for her.
And yet, as she removed her makeup from her smiling face, she found her mind drifting to the sweet kisses she shared with Noah every day. She blushed as she recalled the very different feelings he inspired with in her. Just knowing that he was outside waiting for her made her heart pound frantically. It was as if it was using her chest as its own trapeze swing, flapping about happily.
She was just combing out her long, brunette hair when a voice sounded from the shadows in her solitary changing room.
"Hello, Rachel."
She turned quickly in surprise to see someone she least expected. Rachel smiled apprehensively as Quinn emerged, approaching slowly. She hadn't seen her since that night one year ago, and frankly, she never expected to see her again. Yet, here she was in a light green dress complimented by a dark green sweater, her blonde locks cascading around her pretty face.
"Quinn…" she began in a hesitant tone. Her eyes darted towards the door, quickly eyeing her only escape route. Quinn seemed to notice her apprehension and smiled softly at Rachel.
"It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you," she assured Rachel, her hands held out in surrender.
"Then what are you doing here?" Rachel asked. Her tone wasn't angry or accusatory, she was just genuinely confused. The last she saw of Quinn was as a red blur speeding away from Sue's fortress. She couldn't think of why Quinn would turn up here at all, let alone cornering her in her dressing room.
"We came to see you perform," Quinn said with a shrug. "We wanted to see you."
Rachel arched her eyebrow disbelievingly, which caused Quinn to roll her eyes.
"Brittany wanted to see you. She's been following your career excitedly. Out of all of us, she's probably the one who's taken the most to 21st century living."
"Really?" Rachel asked half-surprised, half-proud.
"Really," Quinn replied.
"That's nice," Rachel said sincerely. "I'm glad. Did you enjoy it?"
"Yeah, you were amazing," Quinn replied genuinely. She wore a look on her face, as if there was more she wanted to say, but remained silent.
Rachel shifted uncertainly, feeling uncomfortable in the quiet room. Instinctively, she opened her mouth to begin rapidly talking about the show and gush about every that had happened, but Quinn chose that moment to speak.
"Look, Rachel," Quinn said quickly, looking equally uncomfortable. "I just wanted to say sorry for what happened." She sighed as she met Rachel's gaze. "We – I have done so many horrible things over the centuries, and most of them I'll never be able to make up for, but this, you… well, at least I can apologize to your face and ask for your forgiveness."
Rachel smiled at her gently and nodded. "Of course, I accept," she replied easily. "I forgave you a year ago. I was a witness to how much you suffered after Finn… after you let him go."
Quinn eyes dropped to the floor, turning away. "Yeah…" she said softly, her voice trailing off sadly.
"You know, he –" Rachel began, but the blonde cut her off.
"I know… I still… I can't die," she replied. Rachel watched her with surprised. "We tried. If Santana and Brittany hurt themselves – nothing extreme, we just pricked our fingers – their wounds take longer to heal, while mine heal instantly."
"Oh…" Rachel said, tilting her head to the side, intrigued.
"I don't mind though," the blonde continued, smiling weakly. "It lets me know that he's still watching over me."
Looking at Quinn's sad smile, Rachel felt a twinge of sorrow for the witch. Despite all that happened, she was just a girl who fell in love with a guy and risked everything for that love. Rachel just didn't understand why Quinn wouldn't go back to him.
"You know it's not too late, you could go join him," Rachel said quickly, her voice filled with hope and excitement. "Blaine was in the audience tonight, he could –"
But Quinn shook her head. "I can't. Part of me wants to, I do… I do… love him." She swallowed thickly as she said the last two words, as if she hadn't let herself even think them, let alone say them, in the past year. "But, I just can't. I can't forget what it felt like for all those years, like he didn't care…"
"Can't you try? I know there's a lot of pain there, but he genuinely does care for you," Rachel insisted, but Quinn was just as stubborn as she was. "I know he misses you. He's… "
"No," Quinn interrupted firmly, shaking her head. "Maybe someday, but not yet, I'm not ready."
Rachel watched sadly as Quinn trailed off. She understood Quinn's reasons. Even though they had spent centuries apart, so much had happened between them that it seemed like they would never be able to move past it, and yet… Rachel really hoped that they'd both be able to find peace.
And who knows, like Quinn said, maybe someday…
.-.
Puck hung around backstage for a while as he watched the people come and go, when he suddenly heard a loud cough behind him. He turned to see two people he never expected to see standing there.
"Hi," a blonde guy greeted him. "I'm Sam Evans, and this is my partner Mercedes Jones." He said indicating towards the curvaceous African-American woman standing beside him.
Puck nodded at them, slightly taken aback. He never expected to see one of the most sought after rising stars of rock 'n roll industry standing in front of him. "Noah Puckerman," he greeted them before shaking their hands, trying to act cool.
"We understand you represent Rachel Berry?" Mercedes said, with a smile.
Once again, Puck nodded, smiling as he thought about her.
"Well, Sam and I are actually seeking new representation, and we heard what a great job you've done with Rachel in such a short time. We were wondering if you'd like to get together some time and discuss options."
Puck's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't been expecting that. He has assumed they just wanted to set up a meet and greet with Rachel or something. The thought that they were actually looking for him hadn't even crossed his mind."
"Oh yeah, of course," he replied, quickly getting over his disbelief. "I'd be more than happy too."
Sam and Mercedes smiled at him, and Sam pulled out a card. "Well, here's our info; feel free to call our assistant, Phyllis, to set up an appointment."
Puck must have stared in wonder at the card for at least five minutes before he snapped out of his stupor. While it was true he "represented" Rachel, he never really thought about it as a job. He just thought he was helping out his girl. Evidently others thought otherwise, and he kind of liked the idea of doing this for a living.
He smiled again, checking his watch before realizing he was late. Quickly, he ran up the theater's back stairs, which led up to the roof. He walked out to find Rachel already there waiting for him.
They had begun meeting here when she first came for the workshop; it was their tiny escape from the rest of the world.
He approached her slowly, watching as she simply stared upwards into the dark sky and watched the stars.
"Do you ever miss it?" he asked, gulping nervously.
Rachel turned her head to look at him, a relaxed smile forming on her lips as she shook her head. "No."
He felt himself release a nervous breath, one he didn't even realizing he was holding. She then turned to face him completely, her hands intertwining with his. "Noah, did I ever tell you why I decided to come here?"
He nodded. "Yeah, you wanted to be a Broadway star."
She smiled again and shook her head slowly. "While yes, that was technically the reason, but there was more to it than that." She looked up at the sky again, and spoke sadly, "Being a star up there is not what you'd think. I used to watch the world down here and marvel at the adoring fans of Broadway stars. I used to think that was exactly what I wanted. When people look up at Broadway stars, they see everything, but when people look up at the night sky, their eyes pass over us, seeing but unseeing."
She sighed. "That life, is – was – incredibly lonely. And life for a star is long, almost eternal. I just couldn't face an eternity of loneliness anymore. I saw my chance to live my dream, and I took it."
Puck nodded his understanding, his mouth twisting up into a relieved smile. "I'm glad you did."
"And, now Noah," she said with a deep breath. "It's time for me to grant your dream, just like I promised."
His eyes widened unexpectedly and inhaled deeply. He had often thought about what would happen if this day ever came. He knew Rachel, and she was never one to go back on her word. It was one of the things he adored about her. He imagined the life he wanted, the life he needed.
"My wish?" he asked, slowly exhaling. "I wish for you to be safe." He began, watching her head tilt in confusion. "I wish for you to be human, to live the life you've always dreamed, and should you someday want to return to your former life, for you to be able to. That is my wish."
"Noah," she started, but at that moment she glowed brightly and felt her powers leave her, until she was just a girl, standing there with her boyfriend. "What did you do?" she demanded, bewildered. "You wasted your wish."
"No, I didn't." Puck replied shaking his head. "Truth is," he began to explain, "I've already gotten my wish. I wished for you."
It was Rachel's turn to shake her head in bemusement. "No, you didn't..."
"Yes, I did." He replied firmly. "I wished for something, anything to happen, to make me feel like I was somebody. And you did that for me." He smiled at her and took a deep breath. "Rachel, I love you."
A slow smile grew across her face as she asked softly, "You love me?" She squealed with delight when he nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you, too," she whispered, almost as if she feared someone was listening. Her face inched closer to his when, suddenly, her hands began to heat up unexpectedly, causing them to them spring apart in surprise.
She brought her hands to her front and they both stared at her open palms as they shone brightly. The light began to fade, revealing a candle in its place.
Rachel stared at it awed, turning in over to examine it more closely. "It's a Babylon candle," she said, smiling fondly at it.
"A babbling what?" Puck asked, clearly confused.
Rachel laughed. "A Babylon candle." She repeated. "When you light the wick, you can think of any place in the universe and it will take you there instantly. It's my passage back if I ever should want it."
His eyes widened in understanding, but his tone remained indifferent. "Wow, cool," he remarked with a forced air of casualness.
She shook her head at his feigned nonchalance before carelessly dropping the candle on the ground and wrapping her hands back around his neck. "I know I'm exactly where I want to be," she smiled in response, pulling Puck's head down to meet her in a firm kiss. He smiled against her lips, readily accepting her lips upon his as he wrapped her up in his arms. Locked in each other's embrace, they spared not a moment's thought over the bright, twinkling lights above, eternally locked in the slow dance of infinite stars.
.-.
A/N: So that's it. I hope you all enjoyed it! I just wanted to say a final thank you to my awesome betas dreamlesssleep and joyasaurus_rex! I have had a very much love/hate relationship with this fic while I was writing it, and I don't think I would have made it without their wonderful help.
Thanks for reading! :)