A/N: So here is the last chapter of this story. Thanks for the reviews and hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee and this is just for fun!

Chapter 18

"The arrival of the beach ball is imminent!"

"Shit!" Santana put her coffee down and hopped up. She thought briefly about the cane. "Ah, screw it," she realised her thoughts had been out loud. "Sorry, Q. Just in the middle of eating and drinking. I can't …" Santana picked up the coffee and left the cane where it was. "I'm leaving now. I'll just tell Karofsky what's going down. Where is she? Memorial or General?"

"Memorial," Quinn replied grinning at her mom and Rachel's dads all sat nervously waiting for the arrival of their first grandchild. "Hurry up please, everyone is driving me nuts. I need your brand of sanity."

There was a dry chuckle on the phone. "Just getting in the car. With you in ten to fifteen."

Santana put the phone in its cradle and used the voice control to get Brit on the line.

"Is it the baby?" Brit's voice came through. The eagerly anticipated arrival had been due for two weeks now, or overdue in fact.

"Yep. On my way to Lima Memorial now. When can you get out?"

"Not until four at the earliest. Can you text me with news though?"

"I'll let you know when she pops."

"I'm so excited, Santi."

"Me too, mi amore."

It took another seven hours for the baby to finally show up, which Santana told everyone was a sign that the baby girl in question was clearly taking after Rachel and learning diva type behaviour in the womb.

Quinn was sat looking into the crib, just tucking her finger into the baby's little fist. She had a little tuft of dark hair poking out of the top of her head and long eyelashes. Her eyes were still blue but on the rare occasions she opened then, the blonde could see a world of possibilities.

Santana nudged her shoulder with a hip.

"I see the cane finally got ditched."

"Didn't really need it anymore. The leg's okay." The brunette stood and watched her friend staring at the little girl. "Any movement on the name front?"

Quinn smiled, dimples revealed themselves and she turned to look up at the detective.

"Hope," Quinn responded. "We're calling her Hope."

—The VIPs—

There wasn't a Christening. But there was a party for Hope, once she was old enough to enjoy it. At nine months, the little girl was playful, if a little cheeky, loved music, not that she was given much opportunity not to like it and she could balance on her feet nicely with something to hold onto, though walking was probably a few weeks away at best and a couple of months at worst.

It was halfway through the party that Quinn's phone started ringing. She tried to ignore it a few times, but whoever it was was persistent.

"Ms Fabray?"

"Yes," she replied.

"It's Alan from the D.A.'s office."

"Oh," the blonde put her fork down and pulled back from the table.

"Why are you calling me on a Sunday?" Quinn had no idea what they were doing.

"I have news. There's been a change of circumstances and I didn't want to wait until Monday morning to tell you."

She waited for him to continue but he obviously expected something from her.

"And?"

"Oh right, Nelson, he changed his plea."

Quinn's heart skipped a beat. They had been hoping to avoid trial for some time now, but Nelson was insisting on pleading not guilty and his lawyers were doing everything they could to interfere in the trial process to delay the inevitable.

"He's taking a deal?"

"He was offered a bargain by the DA and finally decided it was better to accept it."

"So, what's happening now then?"

"Right well, he will accept the charge of second degree murder on his brother in law and attempted murder on Rachel. He denied trying to murder you or detective Lopez, apparently you were collateral damage and he claimed the other injured officer was him defending himself, but he will be charged with assault with a deadly weapon on all three of you. He has been told he will be sentenced next week. We were seeking the death penalty originally so it's expected he'll get somewhere from thirty years to life without parole."

"So he gets away with an assault charge for almost killing me and detective Lopez?" Her words drew the attention of those around her.

"I wouldn't describe him as having gotten away with anything, Ms Fabray. Have you seen him since he was shot?"

"No," she answered quietly.

"Maybe you might want to be there for the sentencing then," he paused. "You might feel at least a sense of closure if nothing else."

Quinn turned to her wife who was anxiously standing over her shoulder.

"Quinn, what's going on?"

She gave her a sad smile in reply. She never could keep anything hidden from Rachel.

"That was the DA's office. Nelson accepted a plea bargain to avoid the death penalty."

Santana stood beside them, Hope in her arms waving a yellow plastic spoon with remnants of cake on it. The toddler was attempting to feed the detective what was left.

The smile fell from the detective's face as she heard her best friend's remarks.

Quinn smiled at her and reached out for the girl, who was dropped into the strong arms of her mom. She pretended to eat some of the cake and then turned the spoon around for Hope to take the rest of what remained.

"He's accepted the murder charge and attempted murder on you, Rach. He'll get assault charges for stabbing me and shooting you, San."

"That's it?" Rachel and Santana looked at each other.

Quinn looked at the two of them. "His life is over, he's done. Our's isn't. In the end, it doesn't really matter what charges he gets. He can't hurt anyone else and he'll never be happy. I can't carry this hatred round with me for the rest of my life."

"But he …"

"No buts. Rach, please. We are all okay, better than okay," she jiggled the baby on her knees. "We have this and all of them," she waved her hand around the room at their friends and family. "We found all the important people again and they're back in our lives. All I need is for him to be somewhere he can't hurt anyone else."

"From what I hear, he's already there, Q."

The blonde nodded. "I'm going to go to court this week just to see for myself. I don't mind going alone if it's too much to see him again." She squeezed Rachel's hand.

"You won't be on your own, even if Rach doesn't want to go," Santana replied. "I need to look him in the eye and then dance a jig in front of him. That will show the b…."

"San!"

"Sorry, Q." She stopped herself just in time. "But you get what I mean though right?"

—The VIPs—

Judy remembered a time when she hadn't been there for her daughter and it bit into her heart a little to think of that moment. That moment was the one where her pregnant daughter looked across the room at her pleading to stand up for her with Russell, but she just sat there frozen, not knowing what she was supposed to do. She had made the wrong choice that day, but not today.

Judy wore a pale blue skirt and jacket, her shoes and bag matched perfectly, but it was just an attempt to look like she was in control when really she was screaming inside.

Quinn didn't often call and ask for help, though she would accept it if offered, which was why the request had come out of the blue and surprised the elder blonde.

"Mom?"

"Yes darling," Judy turned from her discussion with Artie's mom to look at her daughter.

"Can I talk to you for a moment outside?"

Judy looked at the little worry lines on her daughter's forehead and followed her daughter into the hallway. "Artie's mom was just telling me that you look amazing and how pleased she was to see you doing so well. That was really nice wasn't it?"

Quinn nodded and gave her mom a soft smile. "She's a nice lady."

"I never really knew her until your accident in school and after we got to talking and realised how much we had in common."

Quinn nodded once more. "Mom, I'm sorry but I have some news and I want to ask you something." The younger blonde repeated the details of her conversation with the DA once more.

Judy was shocked at what she clearly felt was a sense of injustice. "I don't understand why he gets a simple assault charge for what he did to you but an attempted murder charge for what he did to Rachel. She wasn't even injured."

Quinn was a little exasperated. "I know mom, but the charge relates to his intent. He didn't intend to harm me, he intended to kill Rachel." She gave up trying to explain why that mattered. "I want to ask if you will come to the courthouse with me this week for the sentencing. I don't think Rachel can face seeing him and Santana said she would go but I really, really would like you to be there with me. I need you to hold my hand and tell me to breathe when I see him,"

Judy's mouth fell open. Quinn had never asked her anything like this before.

"Of course honey, I'll be there. Whatever you need me to do."

—The VIPs—

Rachel couldn't bring herself to go. She stayed home with Hope and kissed Quinn goodbye as her wife rolled out to meet her mom. She wore pants and a shirt but no jacket. It was warm out and the sun shone through the windshield as they pulled up outside the old courthouse building.

Santana was already waiting for her as Judy pulled up. The Latina didn't wait for an invitation to help, instead she went to the trunk and pulled Quinn's chair out.

The blonde slid into the seat and smartened herself up before heading into the building. She didn't say much, simply choosing to remain quiet and subdued.

Eventually they were called into the courtroom and watched the judge start proceedings. Quinn could see the back of Nelson's hair. He had smartened himself up from the last time she had seen him, but she could also see that he was slumped to one side in the large wheelchair. He made no attempt to turn around and look at anyone as far as she could tell.

The charges were read out and he was asked to confirm the details. The blonde waited for him to answer but instead someone else confirmed the response for him.

He couldn't speak.

His movements had to be translated by an aide.

The judge asked for statements to be read out on behalf of the victims before sentencing.

His brother-in-law's family went first. It was difficult to listen to the vitriolic way they thought he should be put to death for his actions and how he was getting away with ending someone else's life. She didn't want to be judgemental, but it was hard not to be. She had heard that Nelson's brother-in-law regularly beat his wife and she didn't think he deserved to die for it, but she also felt they were painting him in too good a light considering.

The ADA beckoned Quinn forwards after they had finished.

She shifted awkwardly in her chair, adjusting her position slightly, then rolled forwards. She had to pass right by Nelson and had to take a deep breath as she halted beside the microphone. She had heard the whispers from those who had come to watch events unfold.

Eventually, she could avoid looking at Nelson no more and raised her eyes to look at him. She almost gasped at the sight.

He was sat in a very basic hospital type wheelchair. His head and shoulders were slumped to the left and that side of his face seemed to droop down, his eye closed. His left arm and hand were curled into his chest and he sat in such a way as to suggest he had little use of any part of his body on that side.

She looked at the pitiful state he was in and felt a little compassion. It was odd to think that somehow, she felt sorry for him.

Clearing her throat she pulled out the paper that she had written on.

"Your honor. I urge you to ensure that whatever punishment you see fit to bestow on this man, it reflects the damage he caused to my family, both physical and emotional. He stalked and tormented my wife for months," she choked back a sob at that point and needed a moment to continue. "When he tried to stab her, I got in the way and he left me paralysed from my chest down. Worse though, his actions left us living in fear for months afterwards, unable to talk to friends and family in case this resulted in him finding out where we were. We were forced into hiding from the world and leaving behind successful lives for one of being trapped in a nightmare; we were effectively prisoners who had committed no crime."

She paused. Suddenly changing what she planned to, she folded the paper and slipped it back into her pocket.

"I just want to live my life without fear that this man will come after me or my family again. I don't need anything else apart from the reassurance he will be imprisoned for an appropriate period of time."

She looked at her mom, who in turn was watching her. As she made her way back to her place, she looked Nelson square in the eyes. "I feel sorry for you," she said quietly as she rolled past, "but you got what you deserved."

The judge didn't take long to consider the sentencing which made Quinn think that he had already decided before announcing it.

He didn't ask Nelson to stand, but instead read out his summary judgement, which was scathing and finished off with the sentencing. "Richard Nelson, I hereby sentence you to thirty years in prison for the murder of William Waterson, you will serve an additional twelve years for the attempted murder of Rachel Berry, eight years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Officer Wayne Ekland, eight years for assault with a deadly weapon on Detective Santana Lopez and six years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Quinn Fabray."

Quinn breathed a huge sigh of relief. He wasn't getting out of jail, or even if he did, he would be so old, he couldn't possibly be a threat to anyone. She took her phone and sent a text to her wife.

Quinn: Breathe, Rach. He got 54 years in jail.

Rachel: Thank God

Quinn: Thank the judge more like

Rachel: Him too, hurry home!

She had thought about going to work, but checked her watch, by the time she got in, the day would be over and though the Glee kids would be disappointed, she would rather go home to her wife and baby right now.

—The VIPs—

It was the first time in a while that the McKinley Glee club had made regionals and won. It was also the first time in a long time that the national finals were in New York.

Quinn had taken them on a tour of midtown, up the Empire State Building for a little inspiration and then they had wandered down 5th Avenue to the park.

She had sixteen members in her group, a healthy size and as it had always been, there was an eclectic mix of kids in the group. They were all aware of the tradition their small school had of doing well in show choir competitions, but at the start of the year, none had expected that a former McKinley student would be coaching them, nor that it would be one of the legendary 2012 champions. Even more crazy was their teacher was married to Rachel Berry.

That had been their secret weapon, Rachel was great at going into school when she could and helping them with their performance pieces. Quinn was great with the weekly lessons and always made them feel special. She was amazing at dredging up their emotions and making them more self-aware. She had taught them perspective and maturity. But she also knew her limitations, so she always had Brit in to help with the choreography and Rachel to help with song selection. Quinn was great at balancing the performance and getting the best out of each performer, but her wife really knew how to put on a show and she could critically evaluate each performer, where Quinn, like Mr Schue before her, always found that a little harder.

They weren't expected to win the final, but they still hoped.

"Ms Fabray?"

The blonde teacher looked up from her book and turned it upside down on her thigh to keep the pages open at the right place. She saw the earnest face of one of her students looking at her.

"Grace?"

"Were you really nervous before you went to nationals? My stomach is flipping upside down."

A genuine smile spread across the blonde teacher's face.

"Of course, not that I would have shown it much."

"What does that mean?" Grace looked confused. The girl was typically studious and took her performance very serious. She was a little like Rachel, though a little less diva.

"Just that I liked to keep my emotions in check when I was in school."

One of the boys spoke up. "But you cry all the time when we perform well now, Ms Fabray."

She put her hand on her chest. "That's because I am not afraid to show when I'm proud of you, Ryan."

He grinned at her. "Girls are so mushy," he replied, but then looked apologetically at his teacher. "Sorry, that just slipped out."

Grace gave him a raised eyebrow.

The group was sat in the park eating hot dogs and ice cream.

"So long as that's all that slips out, I think we can cope." Quinn gave him a no nonsense look and he blushed.

"What is it like to win?" Grace asked.

"Amazing," Quinn thought back to the immediate aftermath of their victory in Chicago. She thought about things that had happened since then, but the moment they returned to school heroes was one of the highlights of her life. "Which is one of the reasons we have been working so hard lately, I really want you guys to get a chance to experience what it feels like."

One of the other girls, Madison, who was still staring at her phone with a picture of her posing in front of the sign for Madison Avenue, raised her head and joined in.

"You're a really good teacher, Ms Fabray. We weren't so sure about you at the start of the year but I never expected to be here." She waved her phone around, loving that she and a street in Manhattan shared a name.

The teacher grinned. "Thank you, but you guys did all the work to get here."

There were grumbles from the students at her comments.

"We see stuff you know," Grace spoke up. "Like how you get frustrated sometimes when we're trying to work out the dance moves and you just want to show us, but," the girl shrugged not really wanting to add the rest on the end of the sentence.

"Yeah, Grace is right." Jackson, one of the quieter guys spoke up in agreement with his teammate. "We really admire you for not giving up, Ms Fabray. When we're a bit tired and grouchy with each other, you just kind of know what to say to get us back together again and we know that everything is much harder for you than for us so we summon up the energy and keep going."

She felt a little emotional at that.

So did the kids. They gathered round a little and Grace took out a card from her bag and handed it over. "We wanted to give you this, just to say how we felt about you. Mr Schue is great, but he just couldn't spend enough time with us last year and then you came along and we thought that maybe he just gave you a job because he felt sorry for you." Grace paused for a moment as she realised that sounded awful. "But then we got it straight away, like the first rehearsal that you really knew what to say to us to get the best out of the team. Plus, you know, we saw even Coach Sylvester leave you alone so we figured the rumours were true."

Quinn looked up at the girl. "What rumours?"

"That you were like REALLY scary when you were in school, like even the jocks were scared of you."

The blonde laughed. "I guess I had my moments," she took the card and opened it. Inside she saw a little message from each of the team. A smile spread across her face as she read the comments.

Will and Emma Schuester were sat about a hundred yards away from the group gathered on a small patch of grass. They were on a park bench watching the ducks splash around in the lake. They couldn't hear the conversation, but they could see the kids gathered around Quinn.

"What are they doing?" Emma looked over.

"Not sure, I think they're just talking. Maybe its a team talk."

"I didn't think they would be good enough to get to Nationals this year. Quinn did such a good job with them."

"Yeah, win or lose, they did better than I thought too."

"Quinn seems in her element with them. She looks happy."

Will nodded. "I wasn't sure that I was making the right decision at first, but she's a great teacher. I never would have expected that at all when she went off to Yale. I always thought she would find some rich frat boy and marry into money. Shows you how much I know." He chuckled to himself.

Quinn laughed out loud when she read her favourite comment from one of the team.

Ms Fabray, thanks for an awesome year in Glee Club, you rock (and roll) !

She held the card to her chest and fought the tears that were threatening. She did used to cry a lot in school, not always with many words to show how she felt, but the tears had always been free flowing.

"Okay guys, so this is it. A year of work and effort. Mr Schue once said something to us and I'm going to say the same thing to you now. This today isn't about winning and losing. Life isn't just about that. Sometimes the reward is not at the end of the journey, the reward is the journey itself. You are all better performers and better people than at the start of the year. Some of that is because you worked hard, some of it is because you are very talented and some of it as you graciously mentioned is because I know how to make a good team," she acknowledged the agreement from the students. "Mostly its because you love to perform. That's all this is about; loving what you do. So when you perform today, it shouldn't be to win, it should be because you love what you are doing and then it doesn't matter if you win or not."

"Plus if we lose, there's always next year, right Ms Fabray?"

"Exactly," she smiled at them. She had much to smile about. Two years ago, this city felt like home, but it didn't anymore. It felt like a big adventure again, but in a different way. It was funny how she had naively thought Lima was somewhere to escape from but was home once again. Life had turned full circle. And she was back in the Big Apple for a show choir competition, only this time around, she was the one in charge. She shook her head and grinned at her team. "Come on kids, go shout Mr and Mrs Schue over. It's time to get going, we have a performance to give."

The End

Apologies for leaving you in the dark about the result, but I hope you enjoyed the story.

I have been asked about writing a Quinntana fic and so I might tackle that next because it sounds like fun. I just need a plot now!