Chapter 21

"Rachel!" The steps to Quinn and Sam's house seemed like a marathon. But he didn't care. He had to get to her in time.

The only thing that stopped him in his tracks was the sight of his brother and soon-to-be sister in law emerging from the dark side of the porch.

"Finn, what the hell is going on?" Sam demanded.

"What happened?" Quinn followed closely behind. "We just got home to a dark house with the door left wide open. Where's Rachel? I need to talk to her."

"I guess she didn't get my voicemails." He told himself, looking to the ground. "She left me; again."

"What?" Quinn asked.

"We had a fight at Blaine and Kurt's house tonight and some things came out and I begged her to stay and talk to me but she wouldn't. And now," he reached into his pocket, grabbing his phone. Hitting dial on her number, he waited for an answer he knew he wouldn't get. "She's gone and not answering any of my calls."

All three standing on the porch jumped at the sound of ringing coming from inside of the house. He was the first one dodging inside. He hoped she might be hiding in a dark corner somewhere or she might be in the house, maybe upstairs. What he didn't expect to find, however, was the IPhone turned upside down at a crooked angle on the hard wooden floor before the front door.

"I think you got your answer," Quinn said, pointing to the phone while Sam moved behind her to scope the rest of the house for any unwanted intruders.

10 missed calls. There were 10 missed calls from Santana. "Give it here," Quinn spoke. Grabbing her friend's phone, she typed in a few letters and the home screen suddenly unlocked.

"Rachel!" the girl called once Finn received her on the other end. "Rachel, are you there? Are you okay?"

"Santana, it's Finn," he tried to remain calm but the way that things were presenting themselves to him at the moment were causing other feelings deep within him. How'd they go from dancing around the fire at dinner tonight to this, he wondered? If he could go back and change it, he definitely would.

"Finn, where is Rachel?" she pleaded for an answer that he didn't have.

"I don't know. I was hoping that you could tell me," he sighed.

"She called me a few minutes ago but I was changing my daughter and I couldn't get to the phone." "I listened to the voicemail but it wasn't her. It was really muffled, more like a butt dial."

"What are you saying?" Finn asked.

"There was some guy on the other end. I assumed it was you because she said your name… But then I heard her scream and there was this guy telling her to say good night or something like that."

Finn's heart fell beneath his feet. Closing his eyes, he placed a shaky hand against his face. Turning around, he handed the phone over to Quinn. He couldn't hear any more of it. If what Santana was saying was true, he didn't think he'd be able to live with himself anymore.

"Santana, it's Quinn." The girl beside him answered, taken off guard by the sudden shift. "What did you say happened?"

"Did you get any hint as to what this person's name was? Did she say his name?" Quinn asked.

When Quinn's face turned the equivalent of a ghost, he realized that Santana was able to give a name; the name of a person who Finn would soon kill.

Ripping the phone from Quinn's hands, Finn spoke again. "Who was it? Who took Rachel?"

"I heard her say Jesse."

With the five lettered word, his blood boiled to altitudes unknown to him.

Coming to, the numbing cold of the concrete ground below her was not the only thing that bothered Rachel. The gigantic crick in her neck, mixed with the realization that she was being forced to stay here, was crawling under her skin.

She didn't know where she was; nor did she know how long she'd been here. It was cold and something told her that she wasn't alone in the darkness. She felt a certain presence linger over her as she curled in the corner, pretending like she was still out.

Sure enough, the feeling of a hand moving against her arm presented itself. She revealed herself, nearly jumping out of her skin in the process.

"Good morning, princess." The voice caused her to cringe.

With what she had left of her own, she growled. "Get your hands off of me."

"What's the fun in that?" he chuckled. "She told me I couldn't kill you. No one ever said that I couldn't touch you. And you know how much I want to."

"She?" Rachel asked, sitting up. "Who is she?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Jesse assured her, sitting on the floor next to her. "In the meantime, I'm going to make the best of the time that I have been assigned with you. And you will be compliant. I was instructed not to kill you. No one ever said anything about a few scratches and bruises."

"You're going to have to kill me, then. Because there is no way that I will ever be compliant to you." She told him, standing from the hard floor.

The moment she tried to run away, she instantly regretted it. This whole time, she failed to realize that there were metal chains around her wrists. The moment she took off in the other direction, she was instantly yanked back to the wall she was tied to.

She lowered her head at the sound of Jesse's laughter. "This is going to be fun."

The moment he walked away, she slid back down to the floor. Running a hand through her messy hair, she felt the familiar feeling of the tears from earlier.

She messed up, again. There was no point in even sitting here and telling her self that she should've stayed. In every aspect of her inner self, she knew that. In every aspect of her inner self, she now knew that she was the biggest idiot to walk the face of the earth.

He'd told her everything she'd been too scared to hear, so she ran away instead of trying to fix things and now…

She needed him more than she had ever before. And, that was a really challenging thing for her mind to present to herself. There were some pretty bad times where she thought she'd never needed him more in the past.

However, this time was different. She'd made up her mind. He was her everything. No matter what happened over these past four years, or this short month that she'd been back, no matter what she'd thought of him in the past, or at times when he lashed out at her recently…

This time was real. If she'd get out of this, he would be the first person she'd run to. She wasn't giving up anymore and that was a final thought. She loved him with all of her heart and she wouldn't run away from their problems anymore. She would stay right here and make sure that he knew everything that was running through her mind at the moment; that ran through her mind since the first moment she'd laid eyes on him.

Leaning back further, she jumped at the uncomfortable grooves of the wall, moving against her back bone. Turning around, she placed a hand over them. That's it, she thought. There was only one building in this entire town that had grooves in the walls like this.

She knew where she was and would use that to her own benefit when given the chance. For the time being, she sat there thinking of ways she could get out.

"Get up," the annoying voice played through her ears again after some time. "There's someone who wants to speak to you."

Looking up, it was Jesse again. But this time, he had a cellphone in one hand and a black handgun in the other.

Her heart fell.

"Hello?" Finn asked as an unknown number appeared over the screen of Rachel's phone. He hadn't kept his eyes off of it in the numerous amount of hours since they'd found it on the ground. Now, they were figuring out ways to find her. He refused the idea of calling the police. This was his fight. This was something that he had to face on his own; his final fight for the girl that he kept letting slip through his fingers.

"Ah, Finnegan; How did I know that you would be the one to answer?" the guy laughed on the other end.

"Where is she?" he growled, stepping away from the ears of Quinn and Sam. "Don't you dare lie to me. I know that you're the one who took her."

"Who said anything about taking? Maybe she wanted to come with me..." He challenged. "You have to admit, I am pretty charming when I want to be. And with the way that you've been treating her, I don't see why not?"

"I swear, if you lay one finger on her…" he threatened, cutting his own self on, agitated at the fact that there was nothing in his power that he could do to change any of this. He had to find her. "Just tell me where you are." he repeated.

"Have you never seen any kidnapping movie, ever?" the guy asked. "Do you really think I would just come out and tell you where I'm at? That would defeat the purpose of the whole kidnapping."

"Might save you the trouble," Finn replied. "Because I don't care if I have to go to every square inch of this freaking town, I will hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands."

"Woah, calm down, Finnegan," he chuckled. "Who said anything about still being in town?"

"If you were in a moving car, I'd be able to hear her." Finn replied.

"I guess I left something out. Your girlfriend becomes very agreeable with the help of a little chloroform. She's made this job way easier on me."

"Don't you touch her!" he exclaimed.

"Talking in circles, are we?" Finn knew that he was having fun with this. "Admit it; it's killing you knowing that whenever I want, I can just reach over and have my way with her and there's nothing that you can do about it. Who knows? She might even like it. She seems like the kinky type to me."

He didn't know what to say to that without threatening to kill the guy all over again and spreading the wildfire. Instead, he reached to the side and threw a chair across the porch.

"Okay, I think I may have put you through enough in one anonymous phone call, so I'm going to give you a little break before the real games begin. I've been instructed to deliver her safely. So, to make you feel better, I can't kill her."

"Instructed?" he demand. "What do you mean, instructed? Who else is with you?"

"Do you not listen? There would be no kidnapping if I just came out and told you everything, would there?" he sighed through the phone.

"Just trying to find out how many bullets to bring with me," he replied.

"Well, save them. I'm supposed to keep her alive. There are no promises once I bring Rachel to her. And if she finds out what you just said, she will kill her."

"Who is she?"

"I'm giving you a few minutes to say your last minute goodbyes." Jesse ignored his questions.

"What?" he exclaimed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You have to say goodbye. She has something else planned for her. Tonight was the last time you will ever see Rachel again."

"You listen to me right now-" he was cut off. No one was speaking on the other line. Checking the screen he figured he was placed on mute.

"You have not a second over five minutes, you got me? You're going to tell him that you're okay and that you're going to miss him, but it's for the best. You're going to say goodbye." Jesse said, grabbing her arm to raise her from the ground as he held the gun against her temple. "If you scream or tell him where we are your life ends right here and now. I may have been told not to kill you, but don't think that I won't if it comes down to it."

"Okay, I got it," she cried as he squeezed her arm.

"I mean it," he warned before he took the phone off of mute, handing it to Rachel. As she placed it against her ear, she swallowed thickly, hearing the heavy breathing from the other end. The feeling of a gun being held against her head only made things worse.

Her emotions were bubbling. He'd just informed her that she had to tell Finn goodbye forever. She would never dream of doing that. And the fact that she only had five minutes to do it made it even more impossible.

"Finn?" she barely got out through the hoarseness her voice seemed to develop within the few seconds she hadn't spoken.

"Rachel! Where are you? What are they doing to you? Are you okay? I swear if they lay even one hand on you…"

"I'm okay," she assured him of everything but the truth. Sniffling, the bubble of emotion in her throat busted. Before she knew it, she was trying to quiet full-on sobs.

"They want me to say goodbye to you." He told her. "But, listen to me. That's not going to happen, you got that?"

"I'm sorry that I ran out on you." She cried. "I should've stayed and we should've talked. I was being selfish, like I always am; always have been."

"Don't apologize to me, Rachel. I'm the one who needs to be apologizing, for everything that I've done to you. And I will, but not now; not like this. Rachel, I'm not going to let you get away again, you understand me? I'm going to fight for you like I should've done before and this is not going to be goodbye. We're going to find you, okay? We're already on our way." He informed her. "I'm not going to let them take you away from me."

"You will always be the love of my life, Finn," she sobbed into the phone, looking to Jesse who had a stern look on his face. The gun sat still against her hair. "I'm going to miss you so much, you have no idea. But, it's for the best. Do me a favor and give up, okay?" she cried. Jesse's grip on the gun tightened, causing her to flinch. "Don't look for me, don't call this number again. Can you do that for me? I'll be okay, I promise. I just need you to let me go."

"What? Rachel, what the hell are you saying?" he asked. "I already have let you go and it broke me. I'm not going to do it again. You're not okay, alright? I know you think that you're fooling me, but you're not. I know you too well. I hear it in your voice. Rach, I love you. I always have and if you really mean it when you say that you love me too, you won't give up either. We've been through too damn much. I'm not saying goodbye to you, Rachel! Not again!"

"You have a minute left," Jesse reminded her.

She cleared her mind, trying to think of what she could say really quickly to get through to him. She thought of something.

"This memory has been flashing through my mind. Remember when we would park in the middle of nowhere and sit in the tailgate of your truck?"

"Rachel…"

"I remember that one night when the stars were out and we laid there for hours, just reminiscing and talking about the future. You told me about your mom and how she was really into charity events and stuff. You told me that she liked to feed the homeless."

"Yeah," he replied. "But, what are you getting at? What does that have to do with any of this?"

"You told me that you'd like to start that back up once you became the mayor." Jesse rolled his eyes, not catching on. "You said that you'd start up your own place and there wouldn't be a homeless belly in this town that wasn't full."

"Wait…" he thought for a moment to himself. "I told you that I was going to use that old rundown warehouse behind the church." "If that's where you are, tell me goodbye one more time and I will come get you as fast as I can."

"Goodbye, Finn." She cried, feeling the light sense of relief filling her chest.

Hitting the end button on the call, she handed the phone over to Jesse and watched him lower the gun.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" he chuckled, placing the gun back on the table in front of him.

"What's next?" she ignored him.

"We sit here and we wait. She shouldn't be too much longer."

"It's Haley, right?" she crossed her arms. "Haley is behind all of this, isn't she?"

"Now what would make you think that?" the familiar voice rang from behind Jesse. The sound of heels clicking against the concrete caused Rachel's heart to speed up.

When the moonlight from one of the many windows hit the woman's face, Rachel couldn't even begin to express what to feel. Betrayal, shock, and utter fear began to take its place in her mind.

It was Shelby.

As her breathing picked up, she watched James make his way to Jesse's side with a gun in his hand. Crap, why the hell did everyone have guns?

"Actually, that reminds me." She turned to the two men. "The two still haven't gotten their money yet. You," she pointed to Jesse. "Go, see to that."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rachel exclaimed, watching her mother turn back in her direction. For the first time terror raised in her eyes in the presence of Shelby. "What are you doing, mom?"

"Oh honey, please don't call me that. I'm far from it."

"Answer me!" she exclaimed, kicking her foot from where she was chained. Turning to James, she snapped her fingers and pointed to Rachel. "Tape her mouth. I don't need to be listening to this all night."

When the man moved to her side, she kicked him hard in the groin. "Gosh, Jay do you not own a brain?" Shelby called out. "I could've told you she was going to do that. She's rebellious and combative. I thought we've established this when you smacked her that one night."

Watching him, she cried. "Please…"

"Shut her up already, will you? I'm about to have to resort to the chloroform again." She sighed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. With hands on her hips, she watched the two.

Taking the loose chains hanging from her wrists, he tied them tightly around her legs as well. The tape along her lips followed before she had time to scream for help.

Now, as more tears drowned her cheeks, she watched the two look at her as if she were some show of entertainment. Hell, maybe she'd get a kick out of it too if she were in their position.

"Okay," Shelby spoke. "Now, that we've finished with that, I think we should get a move on with all of this. We don't really have a lot of time before we have to move again."

The only thing keeping her sane in all of this was the thought that Finn was on his way. She really hoped he would get here in time.

"I'm actually a little impressed. Kudos to you, Rachel. You actually came back and bravely showed your face in this town again. I never thought that you would, but I'm glad that you did. If not, I wouldn't have had the chance to put all of this together."

"So, before you shake your head or grunt, or even try to scream, I'm going to tell you everything. I know why you came back and boy do I hate you for it. You came back to get him and run off again. We had a plan set in motion and you ruined that. You ruined my life and I'm here right now to do everything in my power to make sure that I return the favor."

"So, I guess it's story time," she smiled, pulling up a chair, pushing Rachel to sit in it. Pulling up a chair of her own, she sat and faced her daughter.

Rachel couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was she really this upset about Rachel not getting married to Finn? Is that what all of this was about? It was just money. She was sure the woman could scam her way into getting more from someone else.

"I loved him," she began with something else that Rachel assumed was her own version of selfish nonsense. "I fell in love with John and I thought that he would make the perfect husband to me. So, when our parents set us up, I did everything in my power to make sure that things worked out. Yes, we fought and I pretended to hate him to make him think that I was in the same boat as he was, but it still never worked, no matter how hard I tried."

Rachel only looked to her mother, more confused than she'd ever been before in her entire life. Something told her that her whole life was about to flip upside down again. And, what she didn't know at the time was that she was right.

"It was all her fault. He never stopped loving her."

Rachel shook her head, trying to understand what she was talking about.

"At the time, I only thought it was a small fling that would end once things settled with us. I thought the marriage and the social life would scare her off. Even though they'd been together since freshman year, I thought that all of this would be a deal breaker for her. But, it wasn't. Next thing I knew, she was showing up at social events pretending to blend in with the crowd, he was sneaking out late to see her, the son of a bitch even flew her out to be on the same island during our honeymoon."

"I would constantly ask him about it and he could never give me a complete answer. He'd either walk away or change the subject on me. He couldn't even look me in the eyes. It was like my feelings never even mattered. So, I confronted her about it. I told her to back off. I told her that I was his wife and if she didn't stay away, I'd make sure that he'd never see her again."

Rachel looked at her with eyes of disbelief.

"No, I didn't threaten to kill her, Rachel." "I threatened to tell her parents that she was ruining the reputation of the mayor of their city and she agreed to back off."

"And she listened to me; for a couple of months. Then, just when I thought that things were going to be okay, she came back and told your dad that she was pregnant."

Rachel felt her stomach starting to sink.

"As much of an inconvenience as it would've been otherwise, it actually all worked out perfectly. At the time, I was pregnant too. I wanted to get back at your father so I had an affair with James and things just sort of went from there. We were just two or three months apart, so I threatened her again. I threatened the both of them, actually."

"John and Taylor weren't about to run off with you into the sunset. And, if I was going to do anything, it was going to be covering my ass. So, I told her that if she didn't give you to me, I would shame her in front of the whole entire town as the side slut who had been sleeping with my husband and I gave my baby to June Motta. You may now know her as Sugar."

Sugar Motta was Shelby's daughter? Now thinking about it, she saw the resemblance and the attitude similarities. However, that did nothing to block her mind from all that was running through it at the moment.

She'd spent her whole life with this woman who wasn't even her mother. She spent her whole life being bullied and tortured by someone who held no relation to her. She'd spent so many years trying to live up to the expectations of a stranger who was never even supposed to be in her life. The pure thought of that drained the life from her eyes.

Another thought that did the exact same, if not more, was that she never actually had the chance to know her real mother. She'd been ripped from her at birth, and if Shelby was talking about Taylor Pillsbury, she'd never get the chance to know her. She was there when Emma told her about her; when Emma told her that she'd passed away.

Emma; this whole time she had no idea that Emma was her aunt and that that lady she'd seen that one time in the office was her grandmother. Now thinking about it, it all started to make sense to her. There was a reason the woman was calling her Taylor, and the look on Emma's face when her mother spoke… The conversation in the hallways on graduation day that she and Finn listened in on… The weird looks she'd gotten on prom day… Her head spun as she put together the pieces of a puzzle that had taken her forever to figure out. And the result? It wasn't happiness that she'd finally solved it. It was anger. She'd been lied to her whole life.

"She never interfered, which was a blessing. But, I knew that she really wanted to and I hated it. Your father would invite her to your birthday parties and talent shows. You even met her one time. Of course you payed her no mind before running back to your toys and friends, but she spoke with you and it got underneath my skin. But that's not what bothered me."

"What really bothered me was that I was stuck raising my husband's love child while missing out on my actual daughter's life. I never got to see her birthdays or accomplishments. Yes, I watched her graduate, but I was there because I was supposed to be there for you."

"It killed me. The more you grew every day, the more you looked like her. But, I did it. No matter how many times I wanted to walk out on you, I stayed and I loved you. I bathed you, I washed and brushed your hair, I kept clothes on your back, I kept food in your stomach. I even stayed when you became chubby and people made fun of you. I was the perfect mom to you and you did nothing but reminded me how terrible I was."

"I resented you. Hell, I still do. Not only because you are their daughter, and a replica of her, but also because you brought them closer together. He bought her books, and took her to expensive birthing classes. They even died together. She was in the limo with him while it crashed. And then I was stuck with you. That's why I drank and swallowed pills. It was because I couldn't just leave anymore. You were still here and you still needed me to get through your father's death. And even though I wanted to just run every chance that I got, I stayed and I took care of you because it was the right thing to do."

"That's when the whole thing with Christopher and the will popped up in my mind. If I couldn't get rid of you, I thought I'd find a way to use you to my benefit." "Yes, there was a will left by your father before he died. But, it was just a boring old one. It stated that you inherited all of his money once you turned 18 and I got nothing. Blah-blah-blah… So, James and I drew up another one and luckily, Christopher's dumb ass believed everything."

"And in a way, I guess I felt relieved watching the two of you. You'd argue constantly, absolutely despising one another and that reminded me of John and I, making me feel better. But, as time grew, you started to resemble Taylor and John more than I ever wanted the two of you to, so I was happy when you ran away."

"Haley was a struggling actress living in Portland, more than willing to come and play a part the minute that I told her the money that I had to offer. I actually put the whole charade together, with the help of James of course." She chuckled, holding her hand out to the guy standing beside her. "I played upset, I called Christopher a traitor, I even went as far as hiring other people to play her parents. It was perfect."

"And then like your skank of a mother, you came right back just when I thought things were going my way." "So, I found Jamey. Ironically enough, he was actually from Broadway in New York and he was more than willing to get a few bucks for doing something as simple as distracting you."

She squinted her eyes in her direction, "But like your parents, the two of you were impossible. The two of you-"

A voice emerged from behind the two, taking all three off guard. "We found our way back to each other, and we always will no matter how hard you try to stop that."

Rachel's eyes widened, watching James take off toward the tall figure, trying to restrain him. Before he could, Finn placed the small white napkin over his mouth, watching him fall to the floor in a forced slumber.

"A few years ago" He spoke, walking closer to Shelby. "I made a promise to Rachel that I would keep her safe. This promise extended to all evil that lurked in the shadows. Now, I don't know about you, but this doesn't really seem that safe to me." As he walked closer to the woman, she began to back away.

"Tonight I was told that I had to say goodbye to Rachel. And you know what, Shelby? That angered me. And I don't know if you've heard or not, but I don't like to be angry. Bad things happen when I become angry. Keep that in mind before you do or say anything else."

"This is a family matter. None of this concerns you, Finn."

"Well, if that's the case, then I guess none of this concerns you either, Shelby."

She was stunned silent. "That's right; I heard every terrible thing that you've just told Rachel. And you know what? I don't know what pissed me off more; the fact that you called my father a dumbass or basically told Rachel that she was inconvenience to you and your needs."

Placing the white cloth to her nose, he watched her fall to the floor on the side of James. Once he noticed her, Rachel began to clash against the chains, screaming for him to release her.

He never thought he could run so fast to something in his whole entire life, but he did then and there. He didn't bother to remove the chains once he got to her. The first thing he'd done was removed the tape from her mouth.

"Finn," she sobbed.

"I wasn't letting you go again. This isn't goodbye, remember?" He sighed with relief, taking in the scent of her long dark locks as he hugged her close to him. "Now, let's get out of here."

As he worked her free of the chains, she cried, trying to speak through her tears. "Y-y-ou heard a-all of the t-things she said t-to me?"

"You didn't deserve any of it, okay?" he said, grabbing her hands once she was freed. As he led her into the night air, he turned to look at her again. "I'm never going to let anyone hurt you like that again. I promise you that I won't."

Once they crowded into the backseat of Sam and Quinn's Mercedes, she turned to him again. "I'm so sorry, Finn. I promise that I will never leave you again."

Feeling the sense of relief for being free and the feeling of at home again, Rachel rested her head against Finn's shoulder. "I never said it." She said, looking at him through the darkness.

"What?"

"I never told you that I loved you over the phone," she sighed, looking to their feet. "I love you Finn, with all of my heart and I always have. I just really need you to know that."

"I already do, because I love you too. And I will never stop, you got that? I know that I have put you through hell this past month and probably don't deserve even a small lick of any of this… I just, I can't bear the thought of ever losing you again." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the white box and took out the small ring inside. "Which is why I brought this with me."

"Finn…" Taking her left hand in his, he slid the same ring he'd presented to her four years ago onto her finger.

"Will you marry me, Rachel?"

"Of course I will," she smiled, taking his face in her hands. When their lips met, he felt all that he'd been missing out on for a long time.

After a while, she placed her head against his shoulder again, falling asleep within minutes.

He watched her rest against his arm, feeling at peace, for the first time in four entire years. He knew now that things could finally fall into place if they really wanted them to; if he would finally step up and allow them to. And, he would. He was done fighting her. He was done trying to be the tough guy. Right now, in the backseat of this dark car, she had his heart. She always had and she always would.

When she finally opened her eyes, she looked around with all of the confusion in the world. The vehicle was still going a speed of over 60 miles per hour and this time, Finn was driving while Sam slept in the passenger seat and Quinn slept on the side of her.

When she read 4:15 on the radio clock, she knew it was time to start asking questions. After unbuckling her seatbelt, she reached forward and rubbed a gentle hand along Finn's shoulder, careful enough not to startle him.

"Good morning," he smiled, keeping his eyes on the road. "I hope I didn't wake you. This is just a really good song." Now that he mentioned it, she noticed R.E.M's "Losing My Religion" playing through the car.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking out the window for a sign or something to notify her as to where they were.

"Tennessee I think, or was it Kentucky? I don't remember."

"What?" she exclaimed, waking up Quinn and Sam in the process. "Finn, what's going on? Where are we going?"

"You know where we're going…" he whispered, watching the other two reposition and fall back asleep. "We have the entire world in front of us; a chance to start a whole new life together. A chance to start the life that we've always wanted; far, far away from that horrible town."

A huge smile spread across her face for the first time in a while. "Finn, are you saying what I think you're saying? Are we really doing this?"

"We're really doing this. I mean, if you'll still have me, that is…"

"Are you kidding me?" she exclaimed, not caring if she were to wake up the other two. Wrapping her arms around him from behind, he chuckled.

"Driving here," he laughed.

"We're going to Florida?" she asked, looking at the exit sign on the interstate.

"We're on our way right now. We'll be in Miami in a few more hours, depending on the traffic," he winked, laughing as she placed a huge smooch on his right cheek.

For the first time in a very long time, she felt the happiness fill her chest. Things were finally right with them, after months of feeling like a moment like this was near impossible. Things had finally fallen into place. They were finally at peace, just in time to start to their new life together; their new life far, far away from that horrible town.

I really hope this chapter can make up for lost time... I'm really sorry that i have been MIA. School work and actual work have been keeping me away from this story. Heads up, the next chapter that i will post to this story will be it's last. But, please don't be sad! I have a new story that i'm hoping to post around the same time that i post the last chapter. So, stay posted! Until we meet again, Kat. :)