Disclaimer1: I am just borrowing them for the fun of writing, BUT I do own the plot, ideas and original characters.
A/N: I edited this chapter, so all mistakes are mine.
A/N2: This story is mostly AU after Mash-up (1x08), but with some of the topics discussed in the later episodes and music used, I may sneak in a conversation, cover the same topic, or use the same song, but I will put my own twist on it and may use some of the music.
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A/N3: This chapter contains Nationals, which will feature a song from Glee's episode '1x22 - Journey'. See notes and 'Disclaimer2' at the bottom for the chapter.
...
When Abby began walking, she was nine-months, three-weeks old; time was going by too fast for everyone and Puck and Rachel hoped she'd hold off on any more milestones for a while. The couple, along with their friends and family, were happy that she was walking, but it meant she was growing up and it was closer to graduation and Puck leaving for boot camp.
The week after Abby's big milestone, the Glee club was already working on two of their songs for Nationals; their ballad sung by Puck and Rachel and an upbeat song sung by Quinn and Rachel. Puck wanted to keep his idea for the guys a surprise from the girls, for a while, so the teens, Will, Ben and Ethan met during lunch one day at school. Puck told them his idea and they all really liked his idea and nominated Puck and Finn to sing the lead, since it was their last competition.
Puck and Finn agreed, as long as Mike and Matt, their two best dancers, choreographed the dance routine. The two guys had helped them on other numbers in the past, but this was their last chance to do something for the club. Matt and Mike agreed, so with them choreographing and Puck and Finn singing lead, they were all looking forward to what the girls thought when they showed them in a few weeks. Until then they'd work on it during lunch a few days each week.
...
The last Saturday of February, Ethan and Puck went up to Detroit for another hockey game and the time away was nice. They knew they had things going on at home they needed to be working on, but a break from everything was okay once and a while. Ethan was also trying it ignore the nerves for Monday; the day he and Deborah would hopefully find out the gender of the baby.
When Monday arrived, which also was the last day of February, Ethan took an extended lunch break and picked Deborah up at McKinley and headed to her doctor's appointment. During her last few sonograms, the baby was in the wrong position, so they hadn't been able to find out. The only thing they knew for sure was he or she had a healthy heartbeat and was growing at a good rate. Ethan and Deborah had settled for that, but hoped they could find out.
The couple was only gone two hours, so Puck made it a point to stop into her office between his fifth and sixth period classes to see if he could get answers. Deborah told him they'd found out, but she refused to tell him, wanting to tell the whole family that night. Puck didn't have long to try to get it out of her, so he gave up and let the others try after school, to get her or Ethan to say something during Glee, but neither let anything slip.
That evening, after the various families and friends had dinner at home, Deborah's brother and his family, the Hudsons and Quinn, the Hummels, the Berrys and the Puckermans gathered at Deborah, Ethan and Arin's house to make the announcement.
"Alright mom, dad, you guys have kept the secret long enough. Is it a girl or boy?" Puck asked, really curious what his new sibling would be.
Deborah and Ethan moved to the front of the living room and looked around for a moment, "yes we did find out," Deborah confirmed, as she rested her hand on her stomach. Ethan's hand joined hers and they both happily said, "we're having a girl!"
The entire room erupted in clapping and words of congratulations as Arin and Puck got up and moved towards their parents to be the first ones to hug them. The siblings started a chain reaction as others went to personally congratulate them and once everyone settled down, Puck smirked, "so are you guys sure it's a girl?"
"Yes," Deborah nodded, "she was laying at the right angle to see for sure," she explained, handing him one of the sonogram photos they'd gotten, "we sort of already knew, after my last appointment, actually."
"What? And you didn't tell us?" Puck wondered, surprised.
"Well, when they did the last sonogram, my doctor thought he could tell it was a girl, but then agreed it could also be just the angle, so he told us not to make any plans yet. We decided not to tell anyone, because we didn't really know and didn't want to get any hopes up. This time there's no doubt it's a girl," Deborah told them.
"That makes sense. And some couples don't even find out until the baby is born," Rachel added.
"Very true. We had thought of that, because we would love them the same either way, but we decided to find out. We're tired of waiting," Ethan commented.
"Someone was getting impatient, actually," Deborah laughed, patting him on the arm.
The room got a laugh out of that as Ethan blushed a little.
"Have you guys thought of names?" Carole wondered.
"Sort of. We have a lot of ideas, but we're still looking. We agreed we're going to continue giving them Puckerman as a last name, so all of our kids are the same," Deborah admitted.
"And we probably will have a few options picked out, but we'll make the final decision when we meet her," Ethan added.
...
Having spent several days in February signing papers and having meetings about their new house, the first day of March, David and Alan were officially handed the keys because it was finally theirs. Deborah, Ethan, Arin, Rachel, Puck and Abby were the first to be inside and Ben and his family joined them, since they lived just 2 houses down the street from them.
The Berry men didn't expect to live in the house for several months. Since it was newly built, they didn't have any remodeling to do, but they had several years of belongings in their current house to pack up and decide what to do with. They agreed that for the time being they'd spend their evenings and weekends packing and organizing everything, and would ask for help moving things when they began to get things ready to move into their new place. They also wanted to give their new place some life, instead of keeping all of the plain white walls, so that was added to the list of 'to-dos' before everything their stuff was moved in.
...
The first three weeks of March were pretty uneventful and quiet for the families, Glee club students and their parents.
Deborah and Ethan's family members that didn't live in Lima, found out within the first week of March and everyone was excited to add another girl to the family and looked forward to meeting her.
March first, Abby was officially ten months old and Rachel made sure within that first week, she took pictures, much like they'd done a few months prior and she couldn't wait until her studio was complete.
New Directions worked on their songs for Nationals and the guys continued to keep their song choice and choreography from the girls, meeting during part of their lunch break a few times a week to practice. The girls, even though they were curious, honored their wishes and didn't try to figure it out; but they were looking forward to finding out what song it was.
Ethan and Puck had a few hockey games to attend and also began the construction on the garage. Knowing what they were doing and having everything already purchased to do it, they figured it'd be done before Nationals. They spent almost every night and some of their weekends working on it and only took a break one weekend, to join David, Alan, Ben, Burt, Finn and some other guys from the Glee Club, to help paint various rooms in David and Alan's new place.
While the guys spent time working on painting, the girls spent time trying to come up with costumes for Nationals and also working on planning the two events coming up in the next few weeks: a big baby shower for Deborah and Ethan, on the last Saturday of March, and a reception for Carole and Burt one day during Spring Break, after Nationals, because they were going to get married while their kids were out of school for Spring Break.
...
With just under two weeks before the Glee Club members would head to Detroit for Nationals, the guys were finally ready to show the girls what they'd been working on for almost a month.
It was a Monday, and the club had been meeting in the auditorium to practice on stage, and after they'd gone through their ballad and Quinn and Rachel's duet, the girls took seats with their directors in the front few rows of the auditorium. As soon as the music began, all of the girls recognized it as a song from one of the High School Musical movies, but the choreography was completely original. Everyone enjoyed their performance and gave them a standing ovation when they finished, and everyone went up on stage to congratulate them and talk about it.
"What made you pick that song?" Rachel asked.
"It was Puck's idea," Finn commented, motioning to him.
Puck shrugged, "I thought it was a neat song in the movie and figured that we should go out with a bang, you know? Matt, Mike, Finn, Ryan and I are done after this, aside from all those school performances like we did last year and it's not something we've done before. Usually all our routines are couples dancing or something traditional for a show choir and there's nothing in the rule book that says we can't do this. Matt and Mike did an awesome job choreographing and hopefully it'll help us stand out from everyone else."
"It definitely does. Matt, Mike, you did amazing on the choreography. I know you've helped us in the past, but this was awesome to see it all done by you," Rachel commented.
"Thanks," Mike smiled and Matt nodded in agreement, "it was fun. It was nice to finish the year with something we did."
"I'm very proud of you all and it's not going to be the same without everyone together next year. We'd love to have you guys come back and visit and I don't know what your plans are, but Matt, Mike, after this, you could help choreograph our other performances," Will offered, "Seniors, what are your plans? I know Puck is joining the Navy, but what about the rest of you?" Will wondered, realizing they'd never talked about it.
"I'm going to OSU here in Lima," Quinn said, "but I'm not sure what I'm going to get for a degree.
"Me too," Ryan commented, nodding at Quinn.
"Same here, so I'll definitely be around to help out," Matt replied.
"I'm not going to college," Finn said, "I actually really like helping Burt out at the garage when I get free time and I think I'm going to do it full-time after I graduate."
"My parents really want me to get a business degree, so I can take over running their various businesses around town, but I'm not sure I want to do that," Mike admitted, glancing at his sister Tina, "but until I figure it out, I'm going to OSU here in Lima, too, so I'll be around."
"We're all going to miss you in the club and at school, but we're glad we'll be able to see you around," Rachel smiled at them, already knowing of Quinn's decision to stay in Lima.
Quinn nodded in agreement, "we'll definitely be around," she assured her, "and besides, someone's gotta keep an eye on you while Puck's gone," she added with a wink.
Rachel blushed, leaning against her boyfriend, "I think... I'll miss him, but I think I'll be okay to handle it," she admitted, looking at Puck.
"I hope so, but I appreciate that our friends are gonna still be around to help you out," Puck said, smiling at everyone.
"That's what friends are for," Finn replied patting Puck on the shoulder.
...
As the week continued, the Glee Club members continued to practice, wanting to polish up their routines for Nationals, but towards the end of the week, Rachel, Puck, Kurt, Finn, Quinn, Jessica and some of their parents were helping put the finishing touches on plans for the baby shower on Saturday.
Traditionally a baby shower was for women; female women in the soon-to-be mom's life, but because Ethan and Deborah hadn't had a child in years, and because of Ethan's family missing a lot from the years of no-contact with Deborah, Puck and Arin, they planned to make the shower for family and friends, inviting everyone important in Ethan and Deborah's lives.
They also decided to do the shower at Deborah and Ethan's house, so by Friday evening and Saturday morning, everyone was pitching in to decorate their place in pinks and purples, in honor of their baby girl.
The shower was simple, like they wanted, but gave them an opportunity to celebrate their new child with their friends and family. All of Ethan's family came down from Northern Ohio, Ethan's former team and their families, along with his current team and their families came over. Deborah's siblings and their families all came, plus former and current coworkers. Rachel's dads, Carole and Burt, Will and Emma, and other friends of the couple, Glee Club members and Cheerios came over for a while, dropping off gifts and mingling.
The gifts had been opened and piled in the room they'd chosen as the nursery, but nothing had been put together yet; Puck and Ethan were waiting until the garage remodel was done to do the nursery.
Some of their guests didn't stay too long, but others stayed most of the day and Ethan and Deborah promised that once the baby was born, they'd have another party to introduce her to everyone.
As the evening rolled around and the last of their guests had left, leaving their few close friends and family members who lived locally, Deborah and Ethan deemed the party a success. They had a great time celebrating the new addition with their family and looked forward to meeting her when she arrived, sometime in May.
It had been a big, eventful day and everyone was tired, so they put aside the big clean up until the next day, Ethan and Puck promising to help before they went up to Detroit for one of the last hockey games they had tickets for.
...
Getting back to school on Monday, after a big weekend, the Glee Club was down to crunch time. They all were pitching in to help make sure everyone had their costumes together, to make sure their songs were polished and everyone had their permission slips in and enough chaperones for the amount of students going.
On top of the school activities, Ethan and Puck were putting the finishing touches on Rachel's studio. Most of the work they had to do, aside from putting up a few walls, was some simple things. It wasn't a huge space, so with all the time they'd worked on it, two to three hours a night and on some of their weekends, they were happy to say it was complete a few days before Nationals and were ready to show Rachel.
Puck wanted to keep it a surprise and Rachel decided to she wanted that, too, so she had only seen the doorway, in the space that had once been a garage door, filling in the extra space with opaque glass to give the room some natural light.
After dinner, Wednesday evening, Puck guided Rachel out to the garage, with Deborah, Arin, Ethan, David, Alan, carrying Abby, and Kona right behind them.
"Noah, is the blindfold really necessary?" Rachel asked, a little embarrassed that she had one of his bandanas wrapped around her head.
"Not really, but I wanna make sure you don't see anything until you're inside," he admitted, pausing in the doorway. "Now, keep in mind the construction is done, but you'll need to make it your space," he added.
"I know," Rachel nodded, "that was always the plan. You guys would take care of making it useful and I'd bring in the stuff I need."
Puck smiled and reached to turn on the light, "why don't you take a look," he suggested, resting his hands on her shoulders as everyone moved inside behind them.
Rachel took a deep breath and lifted the blindfold, allowing her eyes to adjust to the light. After a moment, she gasped, looking around and already feeling tears in her eyes as she realized just how real everything was, "oh my! This is... I..." She stepped forward and reached out, touching the light gray painted wall near her and then looked down to see the darker gray plush carpeting, "I didn't even think about carpeting. I just figured we'd keep the cement floor... This is all amazing," she looked around a little and then moved back to her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around him, "thank you," she murmured, unable to hold back the tears.
"You're worth it, babe," Puck smiled, returning her hug and pressing a kiss to her cheek, "the color is okay?"
"Yeah, it's perfect," she nodded, pulling back to wipe her eyes and then went to Ethan to thank him with a hug, "it's a neutral color, so it will work with anything I bring in," she admitted, "thank you doing this, dad."
Ethan smiled at her and returned her hug, "you're welcome and if you ever need to change anything, I can help you with it," he promised, "but I think you should be okay for a while."
"I think so, too," Rachel replied, pulling back and wiping her eyes as she looked around and noticed a door on the back wall, "another exit door?" She wondered.
"Nope," Puck smirked, taking her hand and guiding her towards the door, "apparently before I was born, there was a bathroom and the laundry room out here, but they'd taken it out to move the washer and dryer into the house," Puck explained, opening the door and showing her the small bathroom; perfect for someone to touch up make-up before having their photos taken or using the restroom during a long photo shoot.
Rachel's mouth fell open in shock and then smiled brightly, slipping her arm around her boyfriend's waist, "this is perfect," she said again, "you guys did an amazing job and it's exactly what I wanted. I never realized how much I loved photography until you pointed it out to me," she said looking at Puck as they walked back towards their family, "I'm so glad you did, Noah. The more I take pictures and research it as a business, the more excited I get about getting started and really doing this for a living. I can work the hours I want, so it doesn't interfere with our family time, and we wouldn't need a baby sitter, because Abby can be in here with me."
"Exactly," Puck nodded in agreement, "but you've gotta promise me a couple of things," he replied, looking at her and resting his hands on her shoulders.
"What's that?" Rachel asked, looking at him curiously.
"The easy one is that I want you to promise that when you take pictures, of Abby and our friends and family, that you're in some of them, too. Don't always hide behind the camera," he started.
"I promise. I'll make sure I'm in some of them," she replied with a smile.
"Good," Puck smiled and gathered his thoughts, "the other important one is," he paused, taking a deep breath, "if this turns out to be something that you don't want to do anymore, tell me. You're turning your hobby into something more, because you're really talented in it and I know you'll do great things," he smiled at her, then continued, "I know joining the military wasn't planned when we first got together, but now we're a family and you've supported me joining and are willing to stay here with Abby, while I'm in the Navy. I love you so much and Abby and I are so lucky to have you in our lives. I don't think you will, but I don't want you to ever regret your decisions to stay and be part of our family or blame me for holding you back from your dreams. I know the next few years are going to be rough on all of us while I'm gone, so it won't always be good times, but in general, I want you to be happy with your choices and with our family and if you're not, promise me you'll tell me, so we can figure out how to make you happy," he told her seriously.
Tears welled up in Rachel's eyes as he spoke, understanding what he was talking about and knowing from past conversations why this was coming up. Gently taking his hands in hers, she squeezed them gently, "I promise that I'll tell you if that ever happens, but I'm pretty sure it won't. I love you and I love Abby and that's not going to change. Every decision I've made, has made me happier than I was and I wouldn't trade our life together for anything. Being a mom and having an amazing boyfriend, who will one day be my husband, are dreams of mine, too. Those have come true, so you're not holding me back from my dreams; you've helped me achieve ones that I honestly never thought I'd be lucky enough to reach," she paused, feeling tears slip down her cheeks as she continued to hold his hands, "we've talked about this before, but my feelings have remained the same. You and Abby make me happier than I have ever been, you're honest with me, you love me, you make me feel special, you're concerned about me and want me to be happy... I will never regret my decision to stay here with our family, because being here is right where I want to be. Broadway isn't a dream of mine anymore, because my dreams have changed," she let go of his hands and motioned around to her soon-to-be photography studio, "this is one of my new dreams, and I have you to thank for helping me see that I do have more talents," she smiled as he reached up and wiped her eyes and then she took his hands again, "you're right, the next few years are going to be tough, but we'll get through it as a family and I've supported you because I want you to be happy, too, Noah. You deserve just as much happiness as I do and if joining the military will make you happy, which I can tell it does when you've talked about it, then I'm more than willing to support you and I promise that you have nothing to worry about. We'll all miss you like crazy, but we'll be okay. We'll see each other as often as possible and when you're done with the military, I'll be here when you get home, I promise. I love you," she said again, smiling at him through tears.
Puck's shoulders fell in relief and he let go of her hands, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up as he hugged her tightly, "I love you, too," he murmured, "sorry to bring it up again," he added softly.
Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a loving kiss to his lips, then gently pulled back, "don't be sorry. You have every right to ask, but my answer is always going to be the same thing. I'm in this," she motioned between them, "forever."
"Me too," he assured her, smiling and kissing her again, before gently setting her back down on the carpeting.
The young couple had had their conversation in front of the family, totally oblivious of their audience, but between the emotions of the moment and hormones, Deborah couldn't help choking out a sob, "this makes me so happy. You're so wonderful together," she admitted, tears falling from her eyes.
Puck turned to look at Deborah as he slipped an arm around Rachel's shoulders, "it makes me really happy, too," he said, glancing at Rachel.
"It does," Rachel agreed, "and I'm glad you all heard that, because I want you all to know how strong our feelings are."
"We never doubted that," David commented, and Alan nodded in agreement.
"It's very obvious you two are in it for the long haul, which we're all happy about," Ethan added, rubbing Deborah's back.
Puck watched Rachel move to get Abby from Alan, then returned to stand next to him, so he wrapped his arms around his girls and smiled, "I feel like the luckiest guy in the world."
Rachel looked at Abby, then to their family, before turning her eyes to him and smiling, "we're all very lucky."
...
Even if Puck hadn't said it directly, Rachel knew that one of his biggest fears was that she'd change her mind and leave him and Abby. She was happy to continue to assure him she'd never do that; she loved them too much to walk away, but that night, once everyone had left, Abby was asleep for the night and they were getting into bed themselves, she had something she wanted to ask him.
"Noah, don't get me wrong, I love you and I'll continue to reassure you that I won't leave, but do you think you'll ever be able to fully believe me when I tell you I'm staying?" She asked softly.
Puck blushed, expecting her to bring that up, "yes," he nodded, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him, "I know we've talked about it before and every time we do, I'm less and less worried. Bringing it up tonight, helped get rid of the last bit of fears I had," he explained, "and I'm sorry I kept bringing it up," he added.
"It's okay," she kissed him, "I understand why you're concerned and you have every right to ask," she shifted under the blankets to crawl on top of him, "but I promise I'm not going anywhere."
Unable to help the reaction to her being that close, Puck groaned, "I believe you, babe," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her body.
Rachel shifted slightly and pressed another kiss to his lips, "good, because I have plans for our future."
"Oh yeah?" He raised a curious eyebrow at her, "what kind of plans?"
"Well, in the very near future I plan for us to make love, but if you want to know about years from now... You'll just have to wait and see," she winked deviously, "but I promise, it'll be worth the wait."
Puck grinned and with one arm around her body, he used the other to help them flip over, letting her settle against the pillows as he hovered over her, "I guess we'll just have to make the most out of right now and take the future as it comes," he replied gently.
Rachel smiled and leaned up, pressing a kiss to his lips, "exactly. I love you, Noah."
"I love you, too, Rach."
...
The intimate moment between the couple helped them seal their promise, savoring the precious time together. It had been a busy and stressful few weeks and they knew it would only continue through the next few months, as the school year came to a close and things changed within their immediate family with the addition of a new baby. They'd found that some nights, one or both of them was just too tired to do anything, so they settled to just sleep in the same bed, but the times they could be together were even more special to them.
...
The next day, Thursday and last day of March, was the last chance for the Glee Club to practice for Nationals. They were leaving the following morning to head back to Detroit for their final competition with the original members, because this year they had Seniors who'd be graduating in a few months; something they didn't have to deal with the year before.
Practicing their numbers a few times during lunch and after school, the club spent some time making sure everything was ready and everyone knew when to be at McKinley the next day to catch the bus.
Since Nationals, the year before, had been in Seattle, Washington, only the students and their chaperones had gone. This year, because it was only a few hours away in Detroit, some of the parents were also going, not just as chaperones, so not everyone would be riding on the bus and Will and the other directors made sure to reserve some extra rooms for the others coming.
This trip, instead of David and Alan staying in Lima and taking care of Abby and maybe Arin, they were all going along. David and Alan wanted to see them perform and Susan would have watched Abby and Arin, but she and Hannah were also going on the trip with Ben and Jessica, so Abby and Arin would be joining their parents on the trip.
Friday morning, though mostly packed and ready the night before, was still quite busy for the Puckerman and Berry families. It was the first overnight trip they'd taken with Abby, so they were all helping make sure everything had gotten finished and they had everything needed for the weekend away.
"You know, I hate to burst your bubble, but people have babies in Michigan, too," Puck commented, seeing Rachel pacing around the kitchen, collecting bottles and other items for Abby, who was already dressed and back to sleep in her car seat, "so I'm sure dad could go to the store, since he does know his way around Detroit, and get whatever we need, if we do forget something," he added, laughing lightly.
"I'm well aware of that," Rachel replied, pausing what she was doing, "but this is the first overnight trip we've taken with Abby and I want to make sure things go smoothly. I don't want anyone to have to make a special trip to the store or anything, unless it's absolutely necessary, because this isn't just a family vacation; it's a school trip and a Glee competition. With all the new members, who I know have said they don't care, I can't help worrying they're going to think we're getting special treatment or something. Last year, we only had the original members, plus two new ones, and they were all supportive of us having our own room, but with the new ones, this year, I still haven't quite figured everyone out and I have to work with them next year, too."
Puck moved over to his girlfriend and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her cheek, "it'll be fine. Yeah, I get things are different than they were last year, but we're not the only ones who will have families there, it's just that your dads, Abby, you and I are all getting one room, so we can be with Abby, while my parents help out with being chaperones for the others," he explained, "and it doesn't matter what the other group members think."
Rachel pulled back a little and glared at him, "yes it does," she replied, trying not to snap, "if they don't think it's right, they could tell their parents when they get home and then their parents could report it to Figgins. Hopefully the rest will continue to understand, but what if they don't? And Noah, we've never gone anywhere overnight with Abby before, so this is a big deal. With it being for a competition, another reason I'm a little nervous is because I don't want people to worry that we're distracted and not giving a hundred-percent to our performances."
"Babe, we know every song by heart, we know the dances, we're not going to forget or be that distracted. We've already talked to everyone and the ones who don't have parents joining us are fine with what we're doing, so they're not going to complain and even if they do, Mr. Schue already got permission from Figgins for us to share a room, so relax," he explained softly, "and as for this being our first trip with Abby, yes, it is a big deal, but we have our parents with us to help take care of her, so when we do need to focus on Glee, we can. We have a travel playpen we're taking that doubles as a crib that she can sleep in at night, we've got plenty of clothes packed for her, along with blankets, bottles, you've already packed her food and formula, so I don't understand why you're digging out more. I swear half of her nursery is in our bags, so I know we have plenty of diapers and the stuff to change her with. Things will be fine," he promised.
"But what if she doesn't do well in the car? She's never spent that long in her car seat at one time and... and what if Kona doesn't like being home alone? What if she doesn't like Burt coming over to check on her?" Rachel wondered, concerns surfacing that she hadn't thought of before.
"Abby is going to sleep the whole trip, I'm sure, because it's so early," he assured her, "and as for Kona, she'll also be fine. She's familiar with Burt and he's going to stop in at least three times a day to make sure she's alright, feed her and let her out for a while, so she won't be alone all the time and we're only going to be gone about three days," he explained, rubbing her back gently, "so relax. I get that you're concerned, but everything is going to work out."
Rachel took a deep breath and nodded, trying to relax, but being excited for their performances and the trip, made her even more concerned about wanting things to be perfect, "alright, alright. I'm trying," she sighed, settling against his chest.
Puck nodded, "good. So what's with this stuff?" He motioned to where a bottle was sitting with another jar of food and some more things, some like what she'd already packed.
"I wanted to put a small bag together to have right with us in the car, that way if she does wake up before we get there, we have some things to feed her with, so we don't have to dig through all of our bags for everything we've packed," Rachel explained.
"Feeding her in the car is probably not the best idea. Aside from it being messy, we don't know if she's gonna get car sick, so maybe water and a bottle of formula, but nothing else until we get to the hotel," Puck suggested, kissing her forehead.
"Oh, I didn't think of that," she admitted, blushing.
"It's alright. Two heads are sometimes better than one," he smiled at her, "what time were your dads getting here?"
"They said around six. It should be plenty of time to pack everything up in their SUV and get to school to meet everyone," she replied, biting her lip, "are you sure Kona's gonna be okay while we're gone."
"Yes," Puck nodded, "she will be. We've already got food and water down for her and she's been out. She knows something's going on, but she's used to us being gone for the morning and afternoons. The nights might be a little confusing, but she knows we always come back."
Rachel nodded and took another calming breath, "okay. I'll try to relax."
"Good," he smiled, "because it's gonna be a fun trip."
"I hope so," she agreed, "it's our last one together. I hate thinking about it, but it's true."
Puck rested a hand against her cheek and leaned in, pressing a kiss to her lips, "I know," he nodded, taking a deep breath, "it sucks, but the best part is that we're not over. We'll always have the memories from Glee, even if we're not together and I'll try my best to come see you guys perform," he explained.
Rachel smiled at him, nodding at his suggestion, "that would be wonderful. If you can't make it, I can always get you a video," she added, "and you're right. We won't be over."
"Exactly."
...
As planned, David and Alan arrived at Puck and Rachel's house just before six and immediately, the three dads, Puck, David and Alan began helping pack everything into their SUV. Around the same time they were packing their cars, Ethan was doing the same thing and they could see Finn and Burt loading Kurt's SUV down the street.
Burt couldn't get away from the garage that weekend, since he was taking the whole following week off to get married and be with his family, so Carole was going with Quinn, Finn and Kurt. Seeing Puck outside, Burt walked down to him and then went inside, not only to see Kona to remind her who he was, but also to make sure he knew where her food and things were in the house.
He was only there a short time and once he left, the Berrys and Puckermans took care of a few last minute details before they were finally ready to go. After making sure Abby and her car seat was buckled into the SUV correctly, Rachel and her dads stayed in the car, while Puck said 'goodbye' to Kona and locked up the house.
By the time they were on their way to McKinley, Puck's family was right behind them with Carole, Kurt, Quinn and Finn following a few minutes later. When they got to McKinley, Ben and his family were also just arriving, and they all parked near the bus, where Will was standing, checking everyone in and some of the club members and chaperones were already on the bus. Will, the bus driver, Ethan, Alan, Carole, Ben and the other parents who were driving their own cars up to Detroit all gathered together to discuss the trip.
Everyone was glad that Ethan knew his way around and he agreed to take the lead. Just before seven, everyone who was coming along had arrived and it didn't take long before several cars and a school bus pulled out of the McKinley parking lot, all headed for Detroit.
...
The drive to Detroit was as uneventful as expected. The teens tried to relax or sleep as much as possible and like Puck had said, Abby did sleep the whole trip, only waking up when the car slowed down in the city limits of Detroit.
"See, I told you she'd sleep the whole way," Puck smirked.
Rachel blushed, "yes, you did. I hadn't thought about her sleeping the whole way up," she admitted, "or I wouldn't have been so concerned."
"Most babies like car rides because it helps calm them," David commented from the front seat.
Puck nodded, "yeah, some nights it was the only way for mom to get Arin to sleep," he explained.
"I forget sometimes that you helped raise your sister," Rachel said softly, letting Abby hold onto her finger.
"It's okay. Sometimes I forget, too. I mean, I don't remember everything from when I was a kid, but some things. Once you learn, you don't forget the big stuff," Puck shrugged.
"Yeah, that is true. And now you and your dad will have something else to bond over," Rachel replied.
"What do you mean?" Puck wondered.
"He helped raise you until you were almost seven, but he missed all of the baby girl stuff with Arin. You're raising a little girl and they're having a girl, so now he is going to get that experience and you two can talk about it. I'm not saying you didn't have things to talk about before, but just something different. I've heard raising boys are different than raising girls, so with your experience with Arin, and now Abby, in a sense, you've got more knowledge than he does," Rachel explained, "but I suppose he was around for his nieces when hey were growing up."
Puck nodded in understanding, "yeah I get it and you're right. He probably was, but it's not the same as raising your own. Now dad is gonna get the first-hand experience that he missed with Arin and we'll be raising daughters within a year of age, so we'll be able to talk about things and compare notes. That will be cool," Puck smiled, rubbing Abby's cheek a little as she looked around curiously. "We also have two other dads to talk to about raising a girl," he glanced to the front of the car where David and Alan were.
"We're definitely happy to help, if you ask, but we also don't want you guys to feel like we're trying to be know-it-alls, or something like that," Alan commented.
"We won't think that," Puck promised, looking back at Abby and then letting her take hold of his finger like she was doing with Rachel's, "the more I know, the more comfortable I feel about being a dad and I'm really glad to have parents to lean on, because if we didn't, I definitely wouldn't be this laid back about things."
Rachel looked at her boyfriend and then her dads, before turning her gaze to Abby, "I agree. We definitely have a lot to be thankful for."
...
Just before ten, New Directions and their parents arrived at the same hotel they'd stayed at the last two times they'd been in Detroit, so everyone was familiar with it. Once they were checked in and room cards and assignments were handed out, the teens and adults slowly unpacked the bus and their cars and worked their way upstairs.
Puck, Rachel, Abby, David and Alan were staying in the same room, so Rachel took Abby and a few lighter bags, while the dads gathered their things and soon they were in their room, unpacking and setting up a few things for Abby. She was hungry, so Rachel and Puck both worked on getting her breakfast and taking care of her, "I'm so glad we were all able to come this year," Rachel admitted, as she held up the baby spoon to Abby and she took it into her mouth. "Last year, Seattle was beautiful, but it's so far from home."
"It was," Puck agreed, keeping his mouth shut about exactly what happened a year prior, not wanting Rachel to worry about it, if she hadn't thought of it. "What time do we perform today?" Puck asked her.
"Mr. Schuester said we go on at three. I don't know how we're going to work this with Abby needing a nap today," Rachel admitted, "because we get our practice room at noon, like last time and perform at three." she added.
"We were going to stay here," David commented, "and let her have a nap and then head over around two."
"Oh, I suppose that could work. I just thought everyone would go to the venue together," Rachel replied.
"So when we all go down to get on the bus, we can talk about it then," Puck glanced at his watch, "Mr. Schue wanted us down there at eleven-thirty, so we have time to figure it out," he suggested.
"Alright," Rachel nodded.
...
Getting a chance to relax for a short time, soon the teens and some of their directors were climbing onto the bus to the venue. Ethan led them there in his SUV, but then returned to the hotel, so when the rest of the adults and families that had come along were going to the venue, he could show them the way.
Checking in and heading right to their practice room, the teens ran through their numbers, for that day a few times, before starting to get ready. A little after two, the rest of the parents, Arin, Hannah and Abby arrived, wishing the teens good luck and when the club headed down to the stage, most of their parents went off to find seats to watch from the front, while the directors stayed on the side.
"You ready?" Puck asked curiously, glancing at Rachel.
"Yes, are you?" She wondered, squeezing his hand as they stood next to each other, watching the team before them finish up.
Puck nodded, "I am. We're gonna kick some ass," he grinned.
Rachel smiled, "I think we are, too."
...
When McKinley's turn finally came, the teen couple got ready to start their ballad. They were going to be entering the stage from opposite sides, so Rachel walked down to the other end and Puck signaled the band after Rachel nodded at him that she was ready.
As the music began, Puck stepped out, immediately beginning the song, "highway run into the midnight sun. Wheels go round and round, you're on my mind," he sang, slowly walking towards the center of the stage.
Rachel took her cue and stepped out from the curtain as his words ended and she picked up with the next lines, "restless hearts, sleep alone tonight. Sending all my love along the wire," she walked towards him. Reaching her boyfriend, she took his hands and they stood facing each other, singing the next few lines together, "they say that the road ain't no place to start a family. Right down the line it's been you and me. And loving a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be," Puck paused to let her continue, "oh boy, you stand by me," she sang, and Puck joined her for the last line of the chorus, "I'm forever yours, faithfully."
The two broke their hands apart as the music slowed again and they stepped a few feet apart and Rachel sang the beginning of the next chorus, "circus life under the big top world," she sang motioning above towards the lights, "we all need the clowns to make us smile," the two sang together, before Rachel added, "oh, through space and time," and Puck echoed her words, before they continued together, but also walked towards the sides of the stage, "always another show. Wondering where I am, lost without you. And being apart ain't easy on this love affair," even though they were apart, they turned to face each other on opposite sides of the stage as they began walking back together, "two strangers learn to fall in love again. I get the joy of rediscovering you," they sang together and Puck smiled, then continued with a few words, "oh, girl, you stand by me," before they met again, joining hands together to finish the second verse, "I'm forever yours, faithfully."
As Rachel and Puck finished their words, the other members began filing onto the stage, taking places in specific spots. Puck reached up resting a hand on Rachel's cheek and smiled at her, giving her a silent promise that those words were not just part of the song to him; he meant them. The moment only lasted a few seconds, but Rachel returned his smile and the two moved to take their places in the front of the club. On cue, the whole group began with some vocal runs, Rachel and Puck echoing words of the chorus to each other every few moments. At the end, Puck and Rachel joined hands again and sang the last line together as the club stopped, "I'm still yours... Faithfully."
The band stopped at the same moment their words did and the venue erupted into applause. The club members bowed together in thanks and waved at the audience, then everyone dashed off stage as the lights dimmed a little, preparing for their second song of the day.
Once backstage, the guys quickly took off their black dress shirts and red ties, handing them off to their girlfriends, friends or their chaperones, leaving them in red 'McKinley Titans' t-shirts, their black jeans and a pair of black and white Converse. To finish off their new 'costume' they wrapped white bandanas around their foreheads and gathered together at the side, motioning to the band to start.
With final words of luck sent their way, the guys headed out on the stage, using the beat of the music to get there. "Take it back to the place where you know it all began. We can be anything we wanna be," Puck sang, glancing at Finn, who continued, "you can tell by the noise that the boys are back again. Together makin' history."
"It's time to show how to be a superhero. Just like a showdown with Will Smith and Bobby De Niro. We're the best, no doubt. Doin' it like we used to do. This is our [time] and I'm telling you all!" The guys all sang the bridge, following Mike and Matt's choreography without missing a beat. Most of the time they were doing the same moves, but sometimes half of them would do something opposite, but it'd come back together to match again, using some hip-hop dance steps; something they hadn't seen much of during any of their show choir competitions.
Reaching the chorus, the guys all continued, "the boys are back. Hey! The boys are back. The boys are back, gonna do it again! Gonna wake up the neighborhood! The boys are back. Yea! The boys are back! Climbin' up the walls, anytime we want! The word is out the boys are back!"
Keeping up with the dance, Puck started the next verse, "keep comin' with the right when we fight every single time. Undefeated here in our house, yeah!" Finn took over the next few lines, "we can rock, we can shock, anytime we like and tonight we're goin' all out!" He sang, and then Puck and the rest of the guys joined him to sing the bridge again, "it's time to show how to be a superhero. Just like a showdown, take the pedal to the medal! Go! We're the best, no doubt. Doin' it like we used to to do. This is our [time] and I'm telling you all!"
After one more time through the chorus, the guys stopped singing, but kept dancing for a few moments, then picked up the chorus twice more. At the end of the chorus again, the music stopped, the guys froze on the stage and Puck and Finn stood back to back and sang the last lines of the song, "I'm sure that you know by now... the boys are back!"
The lights dimmed and the audience cheered even louder than before, and then the guys bowed and waved, before jogging off the stage, definitely worn out from the upbeat dance they'd just done.
Congratulating them as soon as they got backstage, Rachel immediately dashed to her boyfriend, and threw her arms around him, "you all were amazing!" She exclaimed, happily.
"Thanks babe," he smiled, kissing her gently as he hugged her, "hopefully it made us stand out so we can go on to the next round."
"Well after the reaction by the audience, if we don't, I'd be very upset and surprised," Rachel admitted, as the club began to make their way towards their practice room.
...
The teens would have to wait until the next morning to find out if they'd move on to the second round; like at Regionals, they changed the schedule from the year before. Settling to waiting, everyone changed and congratulated each other, all of them hoping they'd be moving on.
In less than a half an hour, the large group was finally ready to leave, so they slowly moved out of the room and made their way towards the exit, where they were going to meet their families. What they didn't expect was additions to the people they already knew where there. Ethan's former team, their families and some of Ethan's side of the family, including his mom, who was holding her great-granddaughter, and some of his siblings and their families.
"Mom! Guys, what are you all doing here?" Ethan asked totally surprised.
"We came to support you all," Orla replied, stepping towards him with Abby in her arms. As soon as Abby saw her parents, she reached out for them, so Puck moved to them, taking Abby from his grandma and greeting her with a partial hug before stepping back to Rachel with Abby, "we thought we'd come up to cheer you on. We haven't seen you perform since last June when you did that show at the school, so this is the first time we could see you all together and it's not every day one of my grandchildren performs for a National competition, well, technically I have two grandchildren performing," Orla glanced at Puck and Rachel, "but I think you get what I mean," she explained.
Rachel smiled at her, "yes, we do and thank you all for coming. We all appreciate it," she explained.
...
Though not all of the members knew everyone, they were all happy to have an audience to cheer them on and they hung out there for a short time, but soon everyone was making their way back to the hotel in cars or on the bus.
Some of the members and their parents or chaperones began heading out to find someplace for dinner. The Berrys, all of the Puckermans, Ethan's visiting family, his former team, Carole, Kurt, Quinn, Finn and some of the other Glee kids, piled into various cars and headed towards to the Mexican restaurant Deborah, Ethan, Puck, Rachel, Finn and Quinn ate at the very first time they were in Detroit, who was already expecting their large group and were happy to accommodate them.
With two long tables, the teens took one and settled around it, while the adults sat down at the other table, everyone talking and enjoying some time to just relax. No one had to worry about work or school, aside from the reason the Glee Club was there, and Puck got a chance to catch up with his cousins, aside from the short times they'd talked or exchange messages online or when they saw each at his parent's baby shower.
...
For several hours the large group talked and ate, relaxing and for the McKinley students, didn't worry about the results of the first round, even though all of them had it on their mind. Everyone was happy to have something to do to pass the time, but as it got later, people needed to start getting home or to their hotels. Ethan's family that had come up was staying at a hotel a few miles away and everyone there promised to return to the venue the next day for the results and hopefully a second performance for the club.
Heading back to the hotel to make sure everyone got back, the large group said their goodbyes and parted, leaving the Ohio students and their parents and chaperones at their hotel. Slowly the group filtered off into their rooms, saying 'goodnight' to their friends, knowing they had an early morning the next day.
David, Alan, Rachel, Noah and Abby, returned to their room along with Deborah, Ethan and Arin and spent some time as the small family, talking while everyone pitched in to help make sure they could get Abby settled for the night and then headed off to their rooms, agreeing to meet around eight in the morning for breakfast in the hotel's café.
Once Deborah, Ethan and Arin left for the night, Puck, Rachel and Rachel's dads got ready for bed and even though they weren't in separate rooms, Puck had something he wanted to tell Rachel and he didn't mind that her dads heard, "you know, I almost lost it on stage today," Puck admitted to Rachel as he crawled under the blankets.
Rachel thought back to their performance to see if she could pick it out and then realized when, "at the end of 'Faithfully'?"
"Yeah," he nodded, "I know it's about a singer touring and trying to have that life with a spouse and family at home, but I realized something a few weeks ago and decided to wait to say something... It's a metaphor for us. I'm gonna be gone a lot, and it's not usually the best life for a family and when we do see each other, we'll be like reacquainting ourselves with each other and our life, while I have a whole other life in the Navy, but no matter what, we'll be faithful to each other; I swear I will."
"I believe you, Noah, and I promise I will be, too," Rachel smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips as she snuggled against him. "And I thought of that a few weeks ago, too, and had the same feelings. I wanted to wait because I didn't want you to be distracted when we sang it."
Puck smiled, glad she believed him, "I know you will be," he kissed her gently, "and I love that we think the same way sometimes."
"Me too," she agreed, "I love you."
"I love you, too," he replied, relaxing as he held her close to him.
...
Saturday morning, once everyone was up and had eaten breakfast in the café, they piled onto the bus and into cars and headed over to the venue around nine, meeting Ethan's family and some of his former team.
Filing into the large space, they found seats all together in the audience, and soon the venue was filling up with groups and chaperones from all over the country, waiting to find out the top five schools who would be going on to the second round. Just after ten-am, one of the female judges stepped onto the stage and like at every competition, they thanked everyone for coming and alphabetically announced the bottom ten schools who would not be performing again. McKinley was relieved to find out they'd made it to the second round and once the other schools had left, the judge started talking again. "Congratulations for making it this far," she said, clapping and everyone there cheered. Once they were settled down again, she went on, "as with most of our competitions, at this time, I'd tell you where you placed. As you know your round one scores, combined with your round two scores decides your final place. A school who makes it into fifth place in round one, could do amazing in the second round and their scores could bring them up to third place, for example, but a school who placed first or second might not put a hundred-percent into their performance, because they know they're on top, and it could cost them losing their place. With this in mind, the judges and I have decided that we will not be announcing your places, so everyone will be fighting equally for their spot. With that said, at eleven-am we will begin the second performances. We've randomly selected who will go on at what time and once you are done, be back here tomorrow at ten-am for the results," she explained, "at eleven, Clinton High School will go on. At eleven-thirty will be William McKinley, followed by Lake Highlands at noon. At twelve-thirty, Malibu and lastly, at one will be Carmel."
Most everyone one was pissed at the change and others agreed with their choice, but no one had too long to complain. Some of the schools were going on in a very sort time and had to change, so the groups, along with some of their chaperones headed to practice rooms and started changing into their costumes. McKinley had gone with simple jeans and t-shirts for their costume, so most of them had worn part or all of their costume to the venue, to save time on changing, giving them just enough time to run through their final song once more before they headed down to the stage, just as the previous year's first place winner, Clinton High School Attaché was finishing up.
Right on time, once their band had gotten settled, the group walked out on stage and took their places as couples on stage. They were lucky enough to have an even amount of guys to girls, so they could do partner dancing for this sing, so once everyone was settled, Rachel signaled the band to start their final song. The whole group began with some repeating sounds in harmony between the guys and girls, before Rachel and Puck, holding hands, stepped forward like they'd practiced, beginning their choreography as Rachel started with the first verse and the bridge, "what is love? 'Cause, baby I don't know. I got a funny feeling in my heart. If this is love - it feels like butterflies, so tell me baby is this how it starts? I know I've never felt like this before. You're like a drug you got me wanting more. I've got to let you know. I've got to let you know..."
With their partner dancing, even though Rachel and Puck were at the front of the stage, they were doing the same as the rest, and the couple danced back to the group as everyone started signing the chorus, "you're - you're my number one. I'd do anything for you; catch the rain from the sky, even hold back the tide for you. Baby baby, you're - you're my number one. With you I know I belong. I put the radio on and it's always playing our song," they sang, continuing on with some similar harmonies from the beginning, helping show all of their vocal ranges.
Quinn and Finn stepped forward, just like Puck and Rachel had earlier, as Quinn began the second verse and repeated the bridge, "tell me what - what have I gotta do? 'Cause I wanna lay a claim on you to make you mine - for now and for all time, so tell me baby what I gotta do. I know I've never felt like this before. You're like a drug you got me wanting more. I've got to let you know - I've got to let you know..."
Returning to their friends, the group began singing the chorus once more and at the end of it, Rachel sang, "and there ain't nothing I won't do! I'd walk on water just to be with you!" She smiled at Puck, as everyone went on to sing the chorus again, with the band and even though the song wasn't over, the band stopped after chorus, allowing the group to sing the final chorus a cappella.
As they reached the end, Quinn and Rachel turned to their boyfriends and sang the last few words together, "'cause baby, baby, you're - you're my number one."
When the lights went out on stage for the final time with the Seniors, the moment was bitter-sweet. The audience went crazy, cheering loudly for them, and the club thanked them by waving and bowing before heading backstage, but once behind the curtains, everyone began hugging each other, knowing it was their last competition all together. Holding all of their emotions in as best they could, they headed back to their practice room to change and it was then that several of the girls broke down, Rachel being one of them.
Puck was just as upset, but he tried to hold himself together for Rachel as she clung to him, crying, "I know, babe, but it's okay," he murmured, rubbing her back.
"But it's never going to be the same again," she replied softly.
"Maybe not like this, but we'll always be friends of some sort and keep in touch with as many as we can. It's not like the Seniors and I are leaving and no one will ever see or hear from us again," he explained, his voice a little louder so everyone could hear.
"He's right, everyone," Will said from nearby, "and just because this is our final competition, doesn't mean it's over completely. We still are going to go to the middle schools like we did last year and do a show at school for the students and one in the evening for anyone who wants to come," he explained, "and I was going to wait until we got back to school after Spring Break, but I'll let you guys know now. Figgins has asked us to perform at graduation's commencement ceremony."
"Really? But what about us Seniors?" Quinn asked, wiping her own eyes as she stood in Finn's arms.
"We haven't worked out all the details, but we'll arrange it so the club can sit in one area, the Seniors can sit with the rest of their class, but you'll all be in one row of seats, so when it's our time to perform, you all can join us," Will told them, "this is a big deal for all of you, because this is the first time the Glee Club will ever perform at graduation. It's all something we wanted to do," Will motioned to Deborah and Ethan, who'd been in Glee years prior, "but we never got the chance. So it doesn't matter what we place now. We've made it this far as a team and it's not the end," he promised.
...
Will's announcement helped the teens relax and realize that even though it was their last competition, they still had several performances to go before it was really 'the end'. They even began brainstorming what songs, from the last two years, they'd want to sing for the trips to the middle schools, at McKinley and what 'graduation' or 'moving on' songs were out there to learn for the ceremony in June.
Missing Lake Highlands' performance, the teens rejoined everyone there cheering McKinley on and they all watched the final performances of Malibu High School and Vocal Adrenaline. Both teams were just as good as McKinley and everyone knew the judges would have a tough time deciding who the winner was, which is why they wouldn't find out until the next day.
Gathering up and making their way towards the exits, Ethan's former coworkers congratulated them all and left, knowing Ethan and Puck had plans for the rest of the day and in the next few months, they'd all be able to see each other, for weekend barbeques.
Of the tickets that Puck and Ethan had gotten for Father's Day the year before for the Detroit Red Wings, the last game they had happened to be that day, so while their friends and other chaperones and family members were hanging out, they were going to the game.
Ethan's family from Northern Ohio that had come up, was leaving later in the day, so once everyone returned to the hotel to change, some went out into town for lunch and to 'sight-see' a little, while others stayed at the hotel and for the first time, use the indoor, heated pool they had. The Puckermans, Berrys and Ballards spent most of their time in the hotel's café, and soon Puck and Ethan were saying 'goodbye' to their relatives, knowing they'd be gone before they got back, and headed to the game.
...
Once Ethan and Puck had left, Ethan's family stuck around a while, but had to get going. They had only planned to stay one night, thinking the announcement for who won would be that day, so they hadn't reserved their rooms for a second night. Rachel and Deborah promised to let them know what they placed as soon as they found out and soon the Ballard family members were wishing them luck and saying 'goodbye', and then started their trip back to Ohio.
Abby had napped throughout the few hours they'd been in the café, and as it got time for her to eat dinner, Rachel, Deborah, David and Alan went up to relax in their room, while Arin hung out with Ben and Susan's daughter. Getting Abby fed and settled into her playpen the family took the time to enjoy the downtime, knowing the rest of the week, even though the teens were out of school for Spring Break, would be busy.
...
Puck and Ethan got back from the game around nine-thirty and found their families in Puck's room that he was sharing with Abby, Rachel and her dads. The guys talked a little about the game and how the Wings had won, before they separated for the night to meet back up the next morning.
Though not needing to pack that night, everyone started to, knowing after the announcements they'd have a short time to come back to pack before leaving and they didn't want to rush the next day.
When morning arrived everyone was up early again and after breakfast in the café, they piled on the bus and into cars and a little after nine-am, they were on their way back to the venue for the final time. Now that there was only five schools, it was a lot less crowded and they found seats near the stage and settled to wait for the judges again.
Just after ten, the same judge from the day before moved up onto the stage, where a large table was sitting with five trophies and five plaques, each trophy being larger depending on the place they were for. She started talking again and asked for a representative for each school to come up on stage, so Will went up for New Directions, along with Shelby for Vocal Adrenaline and the other teams directors. At first, the plaques were given out for the ranks from round one. Malibu High School took fifth, Lake Highlands took fourth, Vocal Adrenaline took third, McKinley was second and Attaché was first. Brief celebrations and cheering from all the schools went on as their directors got the plaques
After getting everyone settled down, the judge announced who officially placed fourth and fifth, the same schools as from the first round, so once their directors had gotten their trophies and shook hands with all the judges, they left the stage leaving Shelby, Will and one other director up there. In a surprising twist, Attaché too third place, a huge change from winning the competition the year before and taking first place in the first round. Disappointed, but understanding, the director accepted the trophy and returned to his team, leaving Will and Shelby standing on the stage.
"We're left with two schools from Ohio state. Last year, newcomer to the competitions, New Directions from William McKinley High School took second place, while Carmel High School's Vocal Adrenaline took third; a team with multiple first place trophies under their belt. Inside this envelope, I have the winner," she paused, opening it up, more for show than anything, since she already knew who it was. "...and the winner of the '2010 to 2011 School Year National Show Choir Competition is... William McKinley High School's New Directions!"
...
Disclaimer2: I do not own the rights to these songs. I am just borrowing them for this work of fiction! Credit to the real owners!
- Rachel and Puck's duet was 'Faithfully' as sung by Finn and Rachel in '1x22 - Journey'. This song, since it was on Glee, has been saved for this moment. I always wished it was Puck and Rachel singing and now I got my wish!
- Puck and Finn's song was 'The Boys Are Back' from the soundtrack to 'High School Musical 3: Senior Year'.
- Rachel and Quinn sang 'You're My Number One' by S Club 7. I love their music. I'd had this song picked out for weeks before writing this chapter (in mid-March), and as I was finishing up with the guys performance and went online to look up the lyrics for this song, I was also was on Tumblr and one of the people I follow posted a tweet about S Club 7 getting back together, signing a new two album record deal! This is so very cool! Perfect timing for them to sing this song!
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A/N4: This has been my plan since the previous Nationals. I hope you guys enjoyed. Please review and let me know how you feel. I only get a few reviews per update, so it's very hard to tell if you guys are still with me. I appreciate all of my reviewers and readers and if you don't review, I understand, but if you can, I'd really appreciate it. I'm not gonna be one of those authors who begs for a certain amount of reviews before I update again, but I do want to know. I've been working on multiple WIPs and have been dealing with some personal medical issues that could require surgery soon, so I'm trying to catch up with all of my fics so I can be ready if that does happen. My doctor is pretty sure it's gallbladder and I knew going to the doctor last week that it probably was, too, but my ultrasound results were 'normal', so now I have to go to a specialist to see if they can figure it out. The location of the abdominal pain I'm having and all the symptoms point to gallbladder and even though the ultrasound was normal, I know people who've had two or three ultrasounds before they found a gallbladder problem, so it still probably is. I wanted to let you all know in case you're wondering why my updates are spread out so much.
A/N5: (This note was written in mid-March, before all the spoilers for the season 3 finale came out, so a portion of this doesn't pertain to Glee now, but I just wanted to mention it anyway.) A subject was brought up in this chapter that I wanted to address. I'm well aware, because I've watched Glee's season 3, that since Finn proposed to Rachel and she said 'yes', a lot of people are concerned that the Glee writers are going to have her stay in Lima and give up her dreams for a guy she thinks she loves. I am concerned, too, because Finn is a horrible boyfriend to Rachel and she deserves so much more than what he gives her... I really don't think I could say anything extremely nice about season 3, so I'm not going to say any more... What I do want to bring up is that this story and the direction it began taking was way back when late-season 1 of Glee was airing, way before Glee took this horrible direction with a certain pairing. At the time, a lot of people were writing future fics, where Rachel goes off to Broadway and I just wanted to do something different; to show Rachel and Puck in a truly caring relationship and having Rachel realizing that she loves being a mom and being with him, that her dreams can change over time and there is more to her life than just being on Broadway. I don't regret, for one second, the direction this story has taken, and I'm going to continue to write it this way. Part of the reason I wanted to address this, is because I don't want to get 'hate' messages saying that I'm being a hypocrite by writing a fic where Rachel stays in Lima, while hating that it might happen in Glee... It's two completely different reasons and after so many chapters written, where this has been the plan all along, I don't want to just change it and send Rachel to New York. It doesn't fit with the direction of this story and I know on Glee, continuity doesn't mean a whole lot, but to me, it's important. I promise, you won't be disappointed in this story and I hope you all stick with me for this and it's sequel.
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