A/N: This is it, guys. The last chapter of the story. I have been quite sick since the week after Christmas and have dealt with acute bronchitis three times since then. I'm still not feeling 100% and I don't want to keep dragging this story for much longer. I hope you like the ending!
I'll be concentrating on finishing my HP story as well as continuing to write the Santana's Baby Sequel, which still has no name but it does have 8 chapters written.
Hope to see you all soon!
Chapter 32
Somehow, the months flew by and Quinn couldn't believe their high school graduation was only a few hours away.
After their visit during Thanksgiving, she had gone back to New York with Santana to spend their winter break with Beth and Shelby as they had agreed. It was almost three weeks of pure bliss for them as well as Beth, who loved being around them. They had gone back up for their spring break, by which time both had received their acceptance letters to Columbia University. Shelby had taken them out to celebrate the happy occasion.
During their visit, they had met some of Shelby's friends and co-workers as well. Since Shelby rarely got to go out with her friends, they had kept Beth overnight one day so Shelby could go out with them. She had been grateful and they'd had a ball with Beth, who was usually a very well-behaved toddler.
In early May, Shelby had come down for Judy and Phil's wedding and had spent a long weekend in their home. Beth was ecstatic to see Quinn's house and spend the night in her room, especially when Santana stayed over as well. At Quinn's encouragement, Shelby had asked Rachel if she wanted to have dinner with her and the tiny diva had accepted. It was one more step in building their own relationship and Quinn couldn't be happier for them. Since then, they had keep the lines of communication open and were supposed to get together again once Rachel was living in New York.
In between visits, Quinn kept in touch with Shelby and Beth via Skype and the little blonde loved it. She was talking more and more as time went by and Quinn really enjoyed the time they spent together, even if Beth had no clue yet that she was her biological mother. Shelby had decided to tell her when she was a little older and would be able to understand better.
Puck had not been as active in building a relationship with Beth, but he did call every now and then and always sent cards for special occasions as well as presents. He just seemed to feel awkward sitting in front of the computer screen trying to talk to her, but he tried a few times. When she was in town, he seemed to be better at it and got to spend an entire day with her. Quinn figured he'd find his way to New York occasionally to visit her. Shelby, thankfully, had kept her distance from him and it was very clear to all who knew what had happened between them that she regretted her actions and would not be repeating them ever again much to his chagrin.
Quinn had also grown closer to her mother and to her sister. She talked to Frannie almost daily and if they weren't able to talk, they texted each other throughout the day. She had spent a couple of days with them in December and then gone to visit Sean, who she was still dating even if the distance was a hindrance for them. She was sure one of them would eventually relocate to be closer to the other. Surprisingly, no one in their families had been openly opposed to their relationship and Quinn couldn't remember the last time she had seen her sister so happy.
Judy and Phil's wedding had been a small affair, only attended by close family and friends, but it was one of the most romantic weddings Quinn had ever witnessed. It had been held in the backyard of the Lopez's home, where Leroy and Hiram had turned the garden into something that seemed to come straight out of a fairytale. Judy had been radiant in her simple ivory gown and Phil had looked absolutely handsome in his dark suit and tie. Victoria and Antonio had served as maid of honor and best man for them. Since it was a simple wedding, Beth had served as flower girl and Quinn and Frannie had stood by Judy while Sean and Amy stood by their dad.
Rachel had sung a beautiful rendition of Gretchen Wilson's I'd Love to be Your Last and JC had sung Making Memories of Us by Keith Urban during the reception, both songs picked out by Judy and Phil for each other. They had danced to both songs and after the DJ had taken over and the party had gone on until late, when a limo had taken the newlyweds to their airport for a two-week long honeymoon to Paris, London and Barcelona. Quinn got to stay with the Lopez's during that time, something she and Santana really enjoyed and saw as practice for their near future.
As she finished her makeup, she couldn't help but grin, knowing that in two more weeks she was going to be moving to New York with Santana and they would be going to a good school, she'd get to see Beth all the time and she would be living a life mostly free of prejudices, loving the girl of her dreams and building a life by her side.
A knock on the door brought her out of her musings and she turned just in time to see Frannie step into her room.
"You look beautiful, little Q."
"Thanks, Frannie. So do you."
She handed Quinn some lose papers and nodded proudly. "Your valedictorian speech almost brought me to tears. It's well written, encouraging and funny at the same time. You did a great job with it."
"Do you really think so?"
"Of course I do. I'm sure Mike's salutatorian speech is going to be great as well, but yours is just really honest and touching. I'm glad you opened yourself up like this. You've come a long way, little sis and I couldn't be prouder."
Quinn got up and hugged her. "That means more to me than you could possibly know. I'm so glad you were able to come for my graduation."
"Psst. Like I would miss it! It's an important occasion in your life and I want to be here to share it with you. Besides, I have to take lots of pictures for little B. Maybe even some video of you accepting your diploma and giving your speech. She's love that."
"That would be pretty awesome, Franny. We can email it to Shelby so Beth can see it later tonight."
"Are you nervous?"
"A little. I think I'm more excited than anything. High school is finally over and soon I'm going to start college and live in an amazing city with the girl I love and close to my daughter. I know not everyone is as lucky as I am and I couldn't be more grateful for the way things worked out in the end."
Frannie nodded with a smile. "I know what you mean. Our family is finally on the right track and we're all pretty happy. I think, after everything we went through growing up and all the things that happened to you while still in high school, that we deserve to be where we are."
Quinn hugged her then, pleased to have her close. "We do. I'm really happy, Frannie. I never thought it would be possible."
"Russell was like a cancer in this family," Frannie told her as she hugged her back. "Once mom got rid of him things started getting better. It's taken us a while to find happiness, I know, but maybe we can appreciate it more now because it was so hard to attain."
"You're right, Frannie. He was the one to damage this family and he caused so much pain and heartache. But it's in the past and we've all moved forward even if we didn't get closure. I guess all the tears were worth what we have now because you're right. Had it come to us easily, we wouldn't be able to truly appreciate how fortunate we are."
"Oh, you're here!" Judy greeted when she opened the door to see the Lopez family standing there with grins on their faces. "Quinn and Frannie are still getting ready, but we should be ready to go soon."
As they walked into the living room, Santana cleared her throat. "Is Phillip here as well?"
"He is, darling. Why?"
"I need to talk to all of you before Quinn and Frannie come down."
After exchanging curious glances with Victoria and Antonio, Judy nodded.
"He should come down any second as well. Is everything all right, dear?"
"Oh, yeah, just something I want to run by all of you."
Before long, they were in the hallway outside of the auditorium waiting to go in. There was a nervous energy running through the hall as the teachers tried to place the overexcited teens into alphabetical order. It was getting ridiculous until Santana got fed up with it and whistled loudly, catching everyone's attention.
"Shut the hell up, all of you! Get in the damn line before I go all Lima Heights on all your asses one last time before graduation. My girl's got a speech to give and so does boy Chang and all of you loser are wasting our time." When the students finally scrambled and got into places, she smiled smugly.
"Thank you, Santana," Emma said as they were ready to march into the auditorium. "I couldn't have done it without you. Your methods might not be the most sensible, but they get the work done and I'm not about to complain."
"Wanky," Santana exclaimed with a self-satisfied smile as she turned and winked at Quinn, who was ahead of her by a few students.
Quinn shook her head at her, eyes full of affection. I love you, she mouthed and grinned when the Latina responded similarly.
Another of the teachers poked his head through the curtains and when he saw that the students were ready, he gave Emma the thumbs up and disappeared. A few seconds later, they could hear the Pomp and Circumstance March start.
Quinn and Santana exchanged one more look before the line started moving.
In a couple of hours, their high school years would be over and then they would be ready to embark in a new adventure. One they were both looking forward to.
"Oh, darling, that was a wonderful and emotional speech!" Judy gushed as she hugged her youngest daughter tightly. "I'm so proud of you!"
Graduation had just ended and everyone had spilled into the school grounds for congratulatory hugs, well wishes and pictures. Santana and Quinn had immediately set out for their families and were being hugged and kissed by all of the adults.
"Thanks, mamma. I'm glad you liked it."
"It just brought tears to my eyes, baby. You've come a long way and I'm just brimming with pride at this point. I always knew you were strong and courageous, but you just surprise me every day with your maturity and the desire to always better yourself. I'm just so, so proud."
Quinn's tears spilled over as she hugged her mother tightly, happy to have her there with her, happy to be surrounded by family and love, even if one little person was missing.
"That's all I've ever wanted, to make you proud."
"You've accomplished that many times already, Quinnie, and I'm sure only greatness awaits you once you get to New York."
"Hearing that means a lot, mamma." She looked away for a moment, hating that her thoughts went to her father, but unable to stop herself.
Judy noticed right away and cupped her cheek. "What is it, darling?"
Quinn took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I hate wishing daddy had felt the same way you do. All I ever wanted was to make him proud, but I guess that will never happen. I'm so grateful for all I have in my life right now, but I guess the little girl inside of me wishes things had gone differently."
Judy wiped her tears away tenderly and nodded in understanding. "I know, baby. And it's okay to feel that way. You loved him even when he acted like a bastard. It wasn't always like that so it's a given that you'd want him here."
"Well, it's not necessarily that I want him here. It would just be nice to know that he saw me make it through everything and know that I came out on top and are heading to a great university. It's just wishful thinking, ma, but I won't let it ruin my day."
Judy hesitated for just a moment before looking towards the line of trees that bordered the parking lot. Quinn followed her gaze and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw her father standing there looking in their direction. He lifted his hand in a small wave but stayed where he was as if sensing he wouldn't be welcome if he moved any closer.
"How did he know?"
Judy sighed. "I sent him an invitation so he knew you had made it along with a letter warning him if he came he had to keep his distance from us. I honestly didn't think he would come, but I did discuss it with Phil beforehand and he told me he'd support whatever I decided to do."
"I see," Quinn murmured, still looking towards her father. "I'm surprised he actually came."
"I'm sorry if this upsets you, darling, but I just wanted him to see we made it without him and I wanted him to see he didn't destroy our family."
"You don't have to apologize, mamma. If you felt like you had to do that and Phil was okay with it, I'm okay with it as well."
"Baby, are you okay?" Santana asked worriedly, suddenly at her side. She wrapped her arm protectively around Quinn's waist and glared at Russell.
"I'm fine, Muffin. Mom was just explaining why he's here and I'm just surprised."
"Okay, just checking. If he comes near you and starts acting up I swear I'll –" she didn't get to finish because Quinn's lips were suddenly pressed against hers in a small kiss. Quinn moved back slightly and rested her forehead against Santana's.
"I love how protective you are of me, baby, but I'm good and he hasn't done anything to make us think he's going to make a scene. Mom had warned him beforehand anyways."
"Good." Santana looked towards Russell again, expecting to see him glaring back at them after Quinn had kissed her, but to her surprise, he was just standing there watching them curiously. "Oh, shit," she murmured and Quinn's eyes followed her in time to see Frannie walking towards Russell with a purposed stride.
"Ah, hell," Quinn muttered as well. "That can't be good."
By then, Victoria and Antonio had come closer as well. Phil wrapped his arm around Judy's shoulders and they all watched as Frannie finally reached Russell.
"Should I go over there?" Judy asked no one in particular.
"No, mamma, let Frannie have her say. If it looks like it's getting out of hand, we'll get involved."
For the next few minutes they all watched with interest as Frannie talked. Russell stood there stoically but didn't say much. They were far enough away that their words didn't carry, but it was also obvious they were having a civil conversation. A moment later, they both turned towards their group. Quinn watched Frannie and a moment later, her sister was calling out to her with her hand.
"Babe, you really don't have to," Santana tried but stopped talking when Quinn shook her head.
"I have to. I need the closure."
"Okay, but I'm walking you half way and if I so much as hear him raise his voice to you, we're leaving."
"I'd like that."
Quinn took Santana's hand and started walking in their direction. Judy leaned against Phillip for support and rested her hand on his chest as she watched her daughters deal with their father in a turn of events no one had been expecting.
"It'll be fine, dear," Phil assured her. "If not, Antonio and I will intervene."
"I hope so. Like Quinn said, they need closure."
Quinn kissed Santana's cheek before letting go of her hand and walking towards Fran and her father. When she reached them, she took Frannie's offered hand and looked at Russell.
"I never thought you'd come."
"I was surprised when I received the invitation from Judy, but I already knew the date and was planning on coming."
"Why bother? It's not like you care about me."
Russell sighed. "I deserve that."
"So why are you here then?"
"Honestly? I wanted to see you march and I wanted to hear your speech. I needed to know you made it, even after the hell I put all of you through."
"So you just wanted to assuage your guilty conscience," she deadpanned.
"In part, yes. I was wrong. All of these years, I was so wrong, Quinn. It took losing all of you for me to finally realize I had become a monster and I took it out on your mother and the two of you. I tore our family apart and I did despicable and inexcusable things. I know you won't ever forgive me and I deserve that and more. I know it doesn't mean anything coming from me, but I am proud of you. Of both of you."
"Why did you change so much, daddy?" Frannie asked in a broken voice. "You used to be so loving and so supportive of us. And then the man we knew and loved was gone and the drinking got bad and it all went to hell from there."
Quinn wrapped her arm around Frannie's waist for support and kissed her temple. Out of the two of them, Frannie had always been a little closer to their dad and she knew how much it had hurt her when he had changed into a different person.
Russell rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. He'd never imagined he'd end up having this conversation with his girls at Quinn's graduation, but he did owe them some sort of explanation and he was going to try his best to give it to them.
"That's hard to answer. I guess it started with the pressures of my job, which led me to drinking a lot. I lost track of reality when I started making a lot of money. Suddenly all I cared about was appearances, what everyone thought of our family and keeping up this farce of a perfect family. I didn't realize I lost myself and became this monster that had no feelings until it was too late." He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head in despair, eyes filling with tears as he looked back at them. "I don't know how to apologize to either of you because I don't deserve to be forgiven. I don't know what to do to make all the pain I put you through disappear. I don't know how to fix this so neither of you hates me as you have every right to do." He sighed as he wiped as his eyes. "I just wanted to see you graduate, Quinnie. I needed to see I didn't completely ruin you."
And just like that, he crumbled before their eyes, his quiet sobs surprising them so much they didn't know what to do or say. They just looked at each other as their eyes filled with tears as well. Neither had ever seen their progenitor so broken or so open.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I never intended to ruin your special day, Quinnie. I'll leave now."
After taking a deep breath and drying his face with his handkerchief, he turned to go.
"Wait," Quinn asked.
He turned to look back at them expectantly. "Yes?"
"You do know I'm with Santana, right?"
He looked past her to the anxious looking Latina a few feet behind them and nodded. "I do know and it's obvious to anyone with any sense just how much you love each other. She looks like she's ready to skin me alive; not that I blame her. I deserve that and more after everything I put you through and for the way I acted that one time at your house."
Quinn looked behind her and couldn't help but smile. "I do love her. She's one of the best things that's ever happened to me."
"And she makes you happy?"
"She does. So happy that one day I'm going to marry her," she told him, the challenge clear in her voice.
He simply nodded. "It's that serious, then?"
"It is."
"Well, if you're happy who am I to stand in your way?"
"That's it? You're not going to threaten me or tell me I'm an abomination?" she challenged.
"Again, I deserve that. In the past couple of years I've come to realize I was the one person in our family that was the abomination and I used church and the bible to intimidate and punish all of you when I should have been the one repenting and asking God for forgiveness." He sighed tiredly again. "Quinn, all I want now is for all of you to be happy and I know that might be hard to believe, but it's the God's honest truth."
"And what if we can't find it in our hearts to forgive you?" Frannie asked. "Because I honestly don't know if I can."
He swallowed and nodded, before looking at the ground. "Then I guess that will be my punishment. Knowing that I lost my family, knowing that my precious girls no longer love me and knowing they'll never be able to forgive my sins against them. I deserve that and worst."
"You kicked me out, daddy," Quinn said in a small voice. "When I needed you the most, when I needed your support and your love, you kicked me out on the street like I was a piece of trash."
"I know," he whispered brokenly as more tears ran down his red cheeks. "I acted like a monster."
"I don't know if I can forget that. I don't have my daughter with me because I didn't have any support. I had to give up part of my heart away and that is not something I can ever forget, daddy."
"I'm so sorry, darling," he sobbed. "So, so sorry."
"I don't know if I can forgive you, either. I have so much resentment in my heart. Santana has been my rock, just like Phil has been mamma's. Even Frannie found someone that treats her like she deserves. We're moving on and learning how to be happy and I just don't know if we have it in ourselves to let you back into our lives some day," she told him honestly as tears ran down her own cheeks. "I wish I could forget all you've done, but that isn't going to happen anytime soon."
He nodded sadly. "I understand. I didn't come here asking to be let back into your lives. I know you don't want that. But I did want to say how sorry I was about everything and I wanted you to know how very proud I am of the young woman you've become, no thanks to me." He took a step closer. "You're both amazing and I know you're going to live happy lives from here on out. I might not be a part of that ever again, but just know I couldn't be prouder of you. You're both stronger than you give yourselves credit for and you both take after your mother, which I couldn't be more grateful for. I don't deserve even the time you've given me this afternoon, but I appreciate you letting your old man say his peace so we can all try to move on from the past."
Not knowing what else to say, they both nodded at him. As he turned to go, they all heard a little voice crying out Quinn's name happily and they turned to watch as Beth ran over to them. Quinn's smile was so big and bright it was almost blinding and she took off running in the direction of her baby girl. She caught up with her and the little blonde jumped into her waiting arms, before Quinn twirled her around as they both laughed merrily. She'd had no idea Beth and Shelby would be coming to her graduation and the past few minutes with her dad faded immediately from her mind.
"You've no idea how happy that precious little girl has made all of us, especially Quinn. How important it is that she is back in our lives," Frannie remarked as she started walking away from a tearful Russell. "That is something else you're missing out on."
"On the contrary, darling daughter, I do know," he told her as he watched his youngest kiss and cuddle her little girl.
Frannie didn't say anything else as she walked away from him as well. He watched as Santana and Frannie reached them and took turns kissing the little blonde. Knowing there wasn't anything else to be done or said, he sighed sadly and turned to leave knowing his daughters had better things to do than waste their time with him, but forever grateful they had given him a few minutes of their time.
In order to celebrate their graduation, the adults had decided to throw a pool party at the Lopez's home. Only the Glee club kids and their families were invited and Antonio had hired a caterer to provide the food and drinks for the night. One of JC's friends was serving as DJ and the karaoke machine had been set up as well. It was the Glee kids, after all.
Santana had kept a close eye on Quinn the entire time, making sure her blonde was happy and having a good time. She had thought for a moment that Russell had ruined their day, but apparently that wasn't the case. Once Quinn had run off to go towards Beth, it was as if she had forgotten the incident all together. She had been all smiles and laughter the entire evening and into the night. She had spent time with her as well as Beth and Santana couldn't be happier to see the confrontation with her father hadn't done any apparent damage.
"Penny for your thoughts," Frannie asked as she came to stand next to her.
"I'll give them to you for free, Fran. I'm just happy my girl is happy."
"Were you that worried about what happened earlier?"
Santana scoffed at the question. "It was Russell. Of course I was worried. I wasn't sure what he would pull and I was ready to kick his ass if he stepped out of line."
"You're very protective of my sister. I really like that."
"I love her, Fran. I don't want her to suffer any more than she already has."
"Has she told you what we talked about with him?"
"No, and I didn't ask. I figure she'll tell me when she's good and ready. I didn't want her thinking about it when she's obviously enjoying herself."
"I think we both got closure today. None of us expected him to show up like that, but all he wanted was to apologize for his actions and to see Quinn graduate."
"Did either of you forgive him?" she asked curiously.
"No. Honestly, San, I don't know if we can. Too much has happened."
"I understand. What did he say to that?"
"That losing us was his punishment for acting like a monster."
Santana's eyebrows rose at that answer. "I'm surprised he owned up to that. I noticed he was crying, but I couldn't hear anything that was said."
"She was brave enough to tell him she's with you and that she loves you. And on top of that she said she was going to marry you someday."
Santana grinned. "Did she now?"
"Yep. Little sis's got spunk for sure. She's a badass when she wants to be."
"My girl's the best. I know it couldn't have been easy to tell him that and get even more rejection."
"Actually, he didn't even blink an eye. I don't know what's happened to him the past couple of years, but it seems all he wants now is for all of us to be happy."
"And do you believe he is being sincere?"
Frannie shrugged and looked towards the pool where Quinn was playing with Beth. "I don't know him anymore, San, so I'm not sure. He seemed sincere and he reminded me a little of the man we used to adore so much. I hope he was. Time will tell."
"Will you see him again?"
"Hmm, that's very doubtful. Neither of us had a problem with walking away and not looking back."
"Well, I hope this is the closure you all needed to close that chapter of your lives for good, then. I don't ever want to see Quinn cry again because of him."
"I don't think you'll have to."
"Some party that was," Santana mentioned as she and Quinn sat on swinging bench watching the stars.
After the party had finally ended and all of their guests had left, Santana had suggested they go outside for a while for some star gazing. She had even brought a couple of blankets and pillows to make them more comfortable.
"I had a great time. Our parents are really the best, aren't they, Muffin?"
"They really are. I'm glad you had fun, babe. I was worried you might not."
"Why wouldn't I?"
Santana stared at her in surprise. "Because of what happened earlier at school."
"Oh, that." Quinn shrugged. "It was unexpected, but I'm okay with it."
"You sure?"
"Positive. We all had our say and it's time to move on. I find myself in a place I didn't think I would ever reach and I'm not going to let anything ruin that for me."
"Care to expand on that?"
"Well, for a long time I didn't think I'd ever be this happy. I never thought I would truly fall in love. And not only did I fall in love, but it was with my best friend, whom I had missed for a long time. Then Beth came back into my life and my heart felt whole for the first time in forever. Mom and I have a great relationship and Frannie is back in our lives for good. The Glee club kids have become a part of our extended family and I'm going to a wonderful school." Quinn sighed happily as she cuddled in closer to Santana's side. "Two years ago it felt like my life was over. Now, things are pretty amazing and I know how lucky I am."
Santana kissed her temple and held her tighter. "High school was the pits, wasn't it? We went through so much shit but somehow still made it out on top. You've grown so much, matured so much and I'm just so damn proud of you and what you have accomplished. I know you're going to accomplish so much more when we're out in the real world. You have the strength, the courage and the desire to make it big and I want to be with you every step of the way to experience it firsthand."
"I wouldn't want to share it with anyone else, either, Tana. You're my better half. You're the one person that isn't afraid to tell me if I'm being a bitch, but also the person that makes me feel so loved sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming."
"You aren't dreaming. Yo te amo, Quinn, con todo mi corazón. Now and forever. Which is why I want to make a promise to you tonight."
Santana shifted a little so she was facing Quinn. When she opened her closed fist, a small gold ring was revealed and Quinn gasped in surprise. Santana took the ring with her trembling fingers and showed it to Quinn. It was exactly like an engagement ring, but smaller and the blonde wasn't sure what to think, so she waited.
"Tana?"
"This is a promise ring. It's a symbol of my love for you and my promise that I'm always going to be at your side, loving you and supporting you through thick and thin until I can replace this ring with an engagement one and then eventually a wedding band. But in the meantime, I want you to know you're it for me and that I'm going to love you forever. So will you accept this ring and what it means, princesa?"
Quinn couldn't help the tears that fell down her cheeks or the grin that parted her lips. "Oh, Tana," she whispered as she extended her hand towards her girlfriend. "Of course I accept! Yo también te amo!"
Santana let out all of the breath she had been holding out in a whoosh and couldn't help but grin back at her girlfriend as she placed the ring on her finger, kissing her knuckles tenderly when she was done.
"There," she whispered. "It's a perfect fit."
"Just like us. We're a perfect fit," Quinn whispered back before closing the distance between them and kissing her softly.
Inside the house, five pairs of eyes watched the scene outside unfold with grins on their faces. Once the ring was on Quinn's finger, Victoria and Judy cheered and high five'd each other happily, while the other three watched on in amusement.
"This calls for a toast, my dear," Judy told Victoria. "I think this means we're officially family!"
"There's a bottle of dom perignon in the fridge and we're going to open it as soon as the two lovebirds can detach at the lips, which can take a while," Victoria joked. "And you're right, Judy, we're officially family now!"
"Oh, I'm so excited for them," Frannie exclaimed. "I just love seeing little Q this happy."
"We're all happy, darling," Judy told her as she hugged her. "I took a while and a lot of tears, but now everything seems worth it."
"It is, mamma. So, so worth it."
That night, after they had come back inside and congratulatory hugs were given and the champagne was gone, Santana took Quinn up to her room where she spent the next few hours making love to her and showing her all over again how much she was loved and cherished.
Once spent, they cuddled close together and whispered sweet nothings to each other until they fell into a peaceful sleep, smiles still on their faces. Moon rays that snuck in through the curtains illuminated them in an ethereal light, the new ring on Quinn's finger sparkling where her hand rested on Santana's chest.
The End
A/N: There you have it.
To everyone that took the time to follow and read the story, thank you. To those that took the time to review and PM me, my heartfelt thanks for doing so. Many thanks to all of you for being patient with me through the times I couldn't update.
I hope you all enjoyed it and that I see you again soon! Glee might be over (or so I heard since I haven't bothered to watch in ages) but that doesn't mean I'm going to forget Quinntana for some time to come.