Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

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Rachel had just finished placing her books in her locker when it was slammed shut. Whirling to face a very angry Mercedes; Rachel did her best to stifle a sigh. Stepping back slightly she prepared herself for what she predicted would be a very unpleasant confrontation. When the girl in front of her did nothing but glare at her, Rachel found her patience slipping.

"Was there something you needed Mercedes? We're going to be late for Glee and you've more than proven your ability to glare at me during practice. So if that's all you were planning on doing I'd like it very much if we could proceed to the choir room." She finished wearily as she watched the girl's nostrils flare with irritation.

"Listen up you horrible little gremlin. I plan on taking the lead from now on. People for some reason are pretending to like you but I refuse to do the same. This is my last year and you better believe I have no intention of sharing any spotlight with you." She said as she stepped into Rachel's already limited space.

"Is that all?" Rachel asked through her clenched teeth.

"Stay the fuck away from my man." She yelled.

"Shane? I don't think I've ever even talked to him bef-" she started in confusion.

"Sam! Stay the hell away from Sam. Santana talks a lot of game when she threatens but I promise I'll cut you if you lay a finger on what is mine!" She shouted in Rachel's face.

"Enough! I refuse to be treated like this by you. And I absolutely refuse to let you treat Sam in this way. Either choose to be with him or leave him alone Mercedes. I have no intention of dating Sam. But I won't let you treat him like a backup either!" Rachel yelled pushing Mercedes out of her face. "You're just as bad as Finn was with Quinn and I! Sam is a good person and he deserves to be with a good person. And you aren't a good person, not anymore. Back. Off!"

Rachel shouldn't have been surprised when Mercedes threw herself at her with a scream of rage. As her head bounced off of a locker and onto the floor, she was definitely grateful that her locker was near the choir room. Mercedes' hands had only just closed around her throat when Noah and Sam were yanking her furiously off of Rachel. Santana was screeching in spanish as Mr. Schuester dragged Mercedes to Mr. Figgins' office. Noah dropped to his knees beside a gasping Rachel and lifted her chin to look for damage.

"Noah? Sam?" She choked out as her vision cleared.

"Oh my God Rachel. I'm so sorry. I can't believe that she tried to..." Sam trailed off looking upset.

"Don't worry about it." She panted a bit as Quinn brought her a bottle of water.

"Probably a good thing that the two of you are so damn loud baby. We all heard the two of you yelling at each other from the choir room. We had just poked our heads out the door when she threw herself at you." He said as he examined her worriedly. "Are you alright?"

Rachel noticed the soft tone his voice took when he was worried. Smiling up at him she crawled into his lap and laid her head on his shoulder. His arms came around her and hugged her close. She listened as his frantic heartbeat started to slow and fell asleep.

Rachel awoke in a hospital room and noticed that she was hooked up to an IV. She was confused and started to panic. She was damn near frantic when Noah walked into the room with a coffee cup. Calming almost instantly she asked him why she was in a hospital bed. He sat down beside her and took her hand.

"When Mercedes attacked you, you hit your head against the lockers and then the floor. You passed out pretty quickly." He said with a pained smile.

"Oh. Is Sam ok? He was really upset I think." She asked as she gingerly touched the bump on the back of her head.

"Yeah he's fine. He was sitting around feeling guilty so Quinn took him to grab some dinner." He smirked when he saw her smile. "I knew you were trying to set that up!"

She smiled innocently at his accusation and asked if her fathers had been called.

"Nah. The doctors weren't too worried and I figured you'd be upset if they had to come home early."

She squeezed his hand in gratitude and thought back on the incident.

"What happened after I feel asleep?"

"I carried you out to my truck and Sam drove us here. The rest of the Glee club followed except Schue, Mercedes and Finn. Santana kept yelling at the nurses in Spanish because she was worried." He smiled at the memory. "She kinda loves you hey?"

"Apparently." Rachel's lips twitched as happiness flooded her insides.

"So does everyone else. They all panicked when you passed out in my lap. Quinn started crying and so did Brittany. Artie yelled at Finn that if he wasn't nice to you from now on he'd smack wrath down on him like the hand of God." He stopped talking as she laughed. "Mr. Schue showed up a bit later to check on you."

"Mercedes is going to be awful after this." Rachel chewed on her bottom lip in worry.

"She's suspended indefinitely. Schue told her that she's out of the club too."

Rachel's eyes widened as she thought about what Noah had told her. She wondered how she felt about this. She didn't like Mercedes anymore. She was selfish and mean, not to mention the whole choking Rachel to death attempt. But she was still a part of the Glee family.

"I don't think we should kick her out. She was wrong and I agree with her being suspended because she could have seriously hurt me. But I don't think that we should kick her out." She said as she wrinkled her eyebrows in thought.

"Rach, I'm not letting that psycho bitch within 50 feet of you before she undergoes some serious shock therapy."

"Thanks Noah." She said pulling his arm until he was settled on the bed beside her. She cuddled herself closer to him as he placed an arm over her waist. Her breathing evened out quickly.

"Always, B." He sighed against her hair.

Oh the drama. Please review!