Pairings: Marley x ? and Finchel… too many pairings to be listed right here.

Timeline: ten years from the current season

Warnings: Some confusion until later revealed the pairing, mild cursing and some sexual references

Genres: Romance/ Drama

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

Authors Note: Yes, yes, I'm updating really soon, but I'm so anxious to get this out. The final chapter will be out sometime later in this week.

XXX

Tiredly, Marley scrubbed her eyes, yawning. The clock was gearing towards nine thirty and the grocery store she was at was closing soon. Pushing the cart seemed to prove more exhausting than her next shift at the warehouse in twenty minutes. Marley scooped some cereal off the shelf, not bothering to check the brand or price. She could barely keep her eyes open…

Maybe it was time to find some Red Bull or any energy drink that could potentially help. After all, she had to get her groceries back to the apartment than to work. Her apartment was on the opposite side of town her workplace.

She wished she could go back in time and return to the girl she was before. The one who was with the love of her life, Jake, the one who wasn't afraid of singing, but that one's gone now. She's far too scared to even consider the idea.

"Ma'am," a worker called, "we're closing up soon." Marley nods, not bothering to use her voice. Most likely, she'd crack under the pressure and turn into an inconsolable mess on the floor. His chunky boots clink against the floor as he walks away.

Time sure passed quickly when you got out of school. She regretted never going to college either. The things she could have accomplished with her life had she not destroyed their chances at regionals.

Marley resumed pushing the cart, shoving those dark thoughts into a faraway corner of her mind.

She needed some meat, something of sustainability that she could cook on one of her nights off. So she heedlessly went off in that direction. Forcing the cart around the bend of the shelves, the metal converged with another cart. Jolts shot up her arms.

Oh. "Hi," she muttered, rather shyly. He takes a moment to look at her, recognition dawning on his handsome face. Slowly, ever so slowly, a smile overtakes his face.

"It's been a while, wasn't it?" he comments wistfully, rubbing his jaw. She simply nods.

"Two years," she whispers, noting with a mild dissatisfaction at his perplexed expression.

"I've been here for two years now. How could I have not run into you…?" it's a slow question, one neither of them knows how to answer.

Marley just shakes her head, as if to say she doesn't know either.

"Welp, that's how it goes." His accent was unmistakably someone else's. This makes Marley smile. It fades.

"It's good to see you," she says, manoeuvring her cart around him.

"See you soon!" he calls cheerfully after her and the wheels of his cart squeal as he's moving again. The touch of a smile is still on her lips. It's what you call fate.

Weeks pass and Marley has yet to see him again. Not that she looked for him, but still, it would be nice. She still remembers in vivid detail that night at the grocery store. Maybe it was from the nostalgia of seeing an old friend, or perhaps it was just the absurdity of the situation.

Marley runs her fingers through her hair, yanking, twisting, and binding it into a low pony tail. It's a fairly windy day at the park, and despite the elastic, her hair still smacks her in the face. Currently, she's making her way through a park, barely another soul in sight.

"Well what do you know…" he says, coming up beside her. Marley feels a smile coming on.

"Hello," she replies pleasantly, and is immediately rapt by his green eyes. He gestures to a park bench, and she follows.

"It's not your fault," he tells her, so suddenly she blinks, confused.

"What?"

He chuckles, "Nationals. Sorry, I should have clarified… but it's not, you know? Vocal Adrenaline was just better."

Marley tugs on her hair, "I know… I just feel I should have put more emotion in with my duet with Jake. I insisted even when Mr. Schue resisted and they hated our performance."

He takes the hand fiddling with her hair and gazes at her with such an intensity, her breath is sucked away. "Marley, trust me, that's not why we lost." He sighs, trying to articulate his sentence in his head. "I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I know that it was the judges who just wanted to see the same old stuff over again."

Before Marley could respond, Sam kissed her softly.

XXX

"No!" Marley exclaims, shaking her head wildly. "It's not Sam!" she shoots a glare over to Unique who'd concocted the crazy story in the first place.

The group of adults sighed. Jake clenched his fists, wondering who in the hell this guy could be. Just looking at her after all this time stirred up emotions he wasn't prepared to deal with. She still even looked the same. Jake knew he looked different, older, more mature, yet the beautiful woman before him looked like she did ten years ago. It almost wasn't fair.

Puck claps his hand over Jake's shoulder, not saying anything but still showing he was there for him. Whenever Jake met eyes with Marley, she would smile as if nothing ever happened between them. Which just made him madder.

The group was breaking off again into smaller pairs to mingle. Suddenly, as if a light switch turned on, nobody seemed to care anymore of Marley's unwillingness to tell them. They either dispersed to the food station at the back or to some of the chairs to chat.

The elder Puckerman trailed after Quinn. Jake couldn't help but observe his brother was acting like a love-struck puppy.

That left Jake, Marley and Alyssa on stage. Marley fiddled with a clasp on her purse, the tension between the two of them palpable. Finally, she has the courage to look up, tired from the sensation of Jake glaring daggers at her.

Their eyes lock and memories flood back to Jake with such an abruptness, he nearly loses his footing. Marley's eyes soften, and she hands Alyssa her cellphone, presumably to go play with it while they talk.

He stalks over to her, trying to regain his composure. He only asks one word. "Why?"

And she hesitates. Jake clenches his fists, swallowing the build-up in his throat. Her lips open and close, the words on the tip of her tongue, yet she isn't sure how to word them. Her blue eyes shimmer, wavering uncertainly, and he can't help but soften. Just a touch.

"Because… I couldn't face you. I couldn't, knowing that something I did cost us—you—Nationals." Marley pinches up her face. "After we sang and Vocal Adrenaline won, I knew I couldn't be here anymore. It was the second time I'd cost us our win. The only reason we went to regionals was because the Warblers used performance enhancements. So that's why. I just… I'm sorry."

For a moment, Jake wants to forgive her. Draw her into his arms and pled that he's sorry too, for not understanding. He wants to hold her, kiss her, regardless of the ring on her finger or the daughter in the room. But that moment ends all too bitterly.

"I'm sorry too," he snarls. Jake doesn't need to elaborate. Marley gets it. She nods, chewing on her lip.

"Jake… I can't even begin to imagine how mad you are at me, but I am sorry." Her lip trembles, just the slightest.

He shakes his head, willing his teenage self to disappear. "That doesn't mean anything, not now anyways. You could have come to me. I would have been there for you. But instead you ran off and when you come back, without making anything right, you marry the first guy you see."

She flinches, "It wasn't like that."

"Then how was it?" he snaps. "I don't even know what to think anymore. You're not the girl I fell in love with. You say it wasn't like that, but how can I believe you when you refuse to tell me—everyone anything?"

"I'm scared," Marley whispers, and he hears her, loud and clear.

Jake goes to yell at her again, but reconsiders. Why would she possibly be scared? Finally, after minutes of him internally fighting with himself, he says flatly, "Do I at least know who it is?"

After a tentative moment, she nods, "Yes."

Jake squeezes his eyes shut painfully. He was so mad, so fired up moments before, but now he just felt exhausted.

"Mommy?" Alyssa's clear voice resounds, like a bell, he muses. Marley's response is a noise, and Jake pries his eyes open. Alyssa is holding out Marley's phone. "Daddy texted you a while ago and I don't think you saw. He said he'll be here in ten minutes."

The silence was deafening. Alyssa was so loud everyone in the auditorium heard her. Marley paled considerably. Marley snatched her phone away from Alyssa. "This was sent ten minutes ago."

Clearly, on the other side of the auditorium doors, shoes click against the floors. All heads whipped towards the door, not a single one of them breathing. Marley licked her lips nervously.

Jake's eyes widened when the doors were thrown open. He strides into the room, a confident smirk on his face.

"Him…?"

Ha… Still wondering who it is? If not… oh well, good on you. Next chapters the last one and a goodie. Also, my apologies if anyone is out of character, I try, but you never know how different a person will be in ten years. Still no one guessed it. I feel bad about everyone who said Sam… anyways, review!

~Emerald~