EPILOGUE

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It had all been such a mess.

Santana lost her direction and self control after that phone call.

Brittany went down with her. Depression is contagious, and confused people easily get even more confused just because of it. Luckily, darkness was quickly replaced by light. Teenage depression often is like that – rollercoaster like.

Mr. Schuester could get a hold of it in time, lead them onto the right path again.

It was something very special to see Quinn standing proud and strong, singing a song for the sake of the baby in her stomach. The girls suddenly realized.

More than one life – for the first time you could see the mother in that young girl.

So could Puck, and it was obvious that it really scared him.

After winning the Cheerleading Championships life started again, but life as it would be for a normal school week. Even if everyone was preparing for Nationals.

And to see Brittany at the front of the group was one of the proudest moments in Santana's life. And for Santana to sing "Don't stop believing" with everyone, it brought back all of those feelings the very first time she'd heard them sing it in the auditorium that day. It sounded even better this time – because now she was one of them.

It was before Britt and her, before she found the words and the true meaning in the song.

"Don't stop, believing!
Hold onto that feeling!"

Brittany didn't know what to feel. She let the music eat her up, let the high tone of Santana's voice finally being heard fill her like hot tea fills a cup. It all came together as one big feeling, bursting out of her. Being on that scene, singing that song and doing it with all the people who meant something to her – in front of the people she loved – just made her feel like she belonged. In a way she'd never belonged before, outside of her family. Cheerleading suddenly felt fake compared to this. Real danger was not risking getting her neck broken when she was being tossed upside down in the air. Real danger – real risk taking – was this. Baring their whole selves to this audience with a song that connected them all together.

Mr Schuester didn't think it mattered whether they won or lost. Because just working together – 12 such different young people – was achievement enough.

"One day, all of you are gonna be gone. And all of this, all of us, will be nothing but a hazy memory.
It will take you a second to remember everyones name. Someone will have to remind you of the songs we sung. The solos you got or – didn't get.
Life only really has one beginning and one end. And the rest is just a whole lot of middle.
And I love you guys too much to let you not make the most of it."

It didn't matter really, what kind of relationship they had right at this moment. What really mattered was that they did have one. It was all they needed. At least, up until now.

But this… was only the beginning.

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END OF SEASON ONE