Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: co-written with Sha22.

A/N 2 : So this is where the journey ends. It was a wonderful adventure and I'm really proud of this story and how it allowed me to improve my writing skills. I was really moved by the amazing support and I want to thanks everyone who read, followed or reviewed my story. Thank you Sha22 for putting up with my Berry-ish attitude, my Lima Heights tantrums and my habit of writing 'party scenes' after a couple glasses of wine ;-).

If you like this verse, I wrote "Bells are ringin', children singin'. All is merry and bright" with the true Future!Rachel. I might revisit this verse someday in the future with a one-shot or two.

For now, I'm working on the sequel of "I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it" and another multi-chapters story. I hope you'll read them. Stay tuned!

Chapter 21: … Your one and only

Rachel sat up straight, covered with sweat and panting. She blinked a few times, confused and disoriented. She wasn't in her bed making love with Santana anymore; she was in the infirmary of Mckinley High. She frowned before everything clicked. She was back in the past, or rather in her time, finally! Tina was right, she was sent in the future to understand something and this something was her love for Santana. She wasn't able to go back sooner because she only let herself feel, let herself be swallowed by her love for the Latina, when they made love…

If going back to her time was all she wanted from the start, then why a part of her felt so sad. She was glad to be back but … Her life here meant living without her family… without her daughters… her two beautiful daughters and her wife… 'Santana! I need to find her.'

Rachel quickly got up from the bed and made her way toward the door. She was about to open it when the nurse stopped her.

"Where are you going, missy? You hurt your head, you have to rest." The blonde woman said calmly from her desk.

In her rush, the diva didn't realise someone was in the room with her. She put on her show smile and turned around. "Oh hey, I didn't see you there." She took a few steps toward the woman. "Thank you for your concern but I feel perfectly fine now. I should probably go, I'm sure you have a lot of things to do." She stated before moving to the door again.

"You can't leave. I called your parents and they said they would come and get you. They talked about hospital and possible law suit so I'd rather you stay here. Well it's more Figgins's orders…" The nurse explained as she sorted her files.

"I can assure you that I'm fine." The brunette insisted, grabbing the doorknob tightly. It seemed like only a few hours had passed in this reality since she 'left' and she wanted to take advantage of it. She didn't have time to lose with a clearly unqualified nurse. "My dads can be a little over-dramatic sometimes. You should call them. Tell them I'm okay and I will see them at home."

"Sorry, I can't do that."

Rachel sighed loudly, clearly frustrated. "Listen Mrs… I don't even know your name, my apologies. I have things to do, really important things may I add and each second I'm wasting here is a second I could use to find my wife… I mean Santana, seconds I could use to find Santana."

"Santana? As in Santana Lopez?" The small woman asked surprised. "Isn't she the one who sent you here? At least, that's what the tall kid told me."

The brunette moved some of her hair behind her ear. "This is just a big misunderstanding. Rest assured that I will explain everything later but I really need to go right now." She smiled sweetly and opened the door.

The nurse rose from her chair and approached the girl. "I'm sorry but I don't want to lose my job."

Rachel growled before closing the door a little too forcefully. "What would it take for you to let me go?" She threw her hands up in frustration. "Do I need to write a note stating I left without your consent? Should I call my dads?"

"I guess a note could do."

"Wonderful. May I have some paper and a pen, please?" The Jewish girl grabbed the piece of paper and scribbled something before handing it to the nurse. "Here. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go. Have a good day!"

She was on a mission and no one would stop her until she found Santana…

Rachel was half running in the hallways, looking frantically for Santana in every classroom. She was about to try her luck in the Cheerios locker when she spotted Quinn.

"Quinn!" The diva rushed at her side and hugged the girl tightly.

"What… Oofh." The blonde's eyes went wide in surprise. When Rachel pulled away, she raised her eyebrow. "What was that for?"

"For being such a good sister-in-law in the future!" The brunette replied happily, reaching over and squeezing the girl's arm.

"What? What are you talking about?" Quinn frowned. "Oh my god, did you lose the little sanity you had left when you hit your head?"

"You haven't changed!" Rachel giggled, remembering how Future Quinn almost told her the same thing when she realised her feelings for Santana. She would have time to think about it later, now she had other things to do. "By any chance, do you know where Santana is?"

"No I don't. I tried to find her but after what happened I think…" The blonde stopped and stared at the smiling girl in front of her. "Okay seriously, are you baked?"

Rachel laughed. "No, I'm just ecstatic." She kissed the girl's cheek. "Thank you. I have to go, see you later."

The hazel-eyed girl watched the diva leave in confusion. "What the…"

Rachel was exiting the choir room when she ran into Kurt and Tina. She smiled brightly and hugged them both tightly.

"Rachel, you're awake!" Tina exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling good. Great actually!" The diva said cheerfully. Even if her good mood was lessening after every false hope to finally find Santana, she was glad to see her friends.

"Are you sure?" Kurt insisted. "Because you really scared us all back there."

The brunette was so happy Kurt was talking to her again. He even seemed genuinely concerned about her. Nothing was lost after all. "I was scared too at first but then it was heaven." She blurted out, still in the daze of 'sleep'. She really needed to readapt herself to this time line. They weren't adults eating Sunday lunch together anymore; they weren't a big happy family. Tina wasn't Santana's agent yet and Kurt wasn't her successful designer best friend. And more importantly, she wasn't a wife, Santana's wife… She wasn't a mother either, not yet at least… They were just high schoolers trying to get out of Lima.

The boy frowned, clearly confused by the statement. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing!" Rachel stated hastily. "You wouldn't believe me anyway…" She smiled at them. "You don't have to worry, I'm fine. It's all that matter. Besides, you will know the rest when time comes…"

Tina and Kurt stared perplexedly at her for a moment before the Asian girl spoke. "Are you going to class then?"

'Going to class? This is a nightmare! I was a respected Broadway star an hour ago and now, I am back to being a Mckinley outcast! I'll have time to think about that later, I have more important things to do in the moment.' The diva mused. "I can't. I have more important matters right now."

Kurt gasped dramatically. "Rachel Barbra Berry, what happened to you? Are you sure you didn't hit your head harder than we thought?"

The brunette smiled at her friend's antic and squeezed his shoulder affectionately. "Let's say I had a revelation." She looked at Tina. "About that, Tina, I'd like to do a duet with you in Glee. I had this dream where we sang together in a bar and we sounded amazing." It wasn't a dream, it was the future but no one had to know that. "And Kurt, I won't run for president. You deserve this spot and I have a feeling my future won't be impacted by it…" She added. 'Future changes constantly according to our actions but I will do everything in my power to keep these people in my life. I want the future I experienced with my wife, my daughters, my big family and my Broadway career. No one will prevent me to have it. This is my fate.'

"Wow!" Tina exclaimed wide eyes. "Seriously, are you okay? Because you don't sound like yourself…"

"I agree…" The blue-eyed man said, putting his hand on the girl's forehead. "Where is Rachel Berry? Did you switch body with her?"

'You have no idea. This is the new Rachel you have in front of you and her name is Rachel Berry-Lopez.' It was all Rachel wanted to answer but she decided to keep it to herself or they would definitely think she lost it. "I can assure you that I'm fine."

"Well in that case, thank you. It means a lot." Kurt replied before hugging his friend.

"You're welcome." The diva pulled away before asking. "Quick question, did you see Santana?

"No but after what happened I think…" Tina started.

"Nevermind." The brunette cut her off. "I'd love to talk to you more but I really have to find Santana. See you later."

"But she…"

Rachel had been searching Santana for 35 minutes and she was starting to think the girl had left the place. She was longing for the girl's presence. Half an hour ago, she was happily in her arms, screaming her name… She blushed at the thought. 'I know I should be happy to be 'home' again but all I can think of is what I left behind. It's like my future is just in front of me but I can't reach it, not yet at least.' She sighed.

The diva was heading to the football field when she bumped into someone. "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Rachel? What are you doing here?" Finn asked. "I thought your dads were coming to get you."

"Finn!" The brunette hugged the boy. She was glad to see him again. She held him tightly but when the man returned the embrace, it felt weird. It was like something was missing. It wasn't like before, it wasn't… Santana.

"I was about to check on you… Wait, did you say Santana?" The tall boy broke the embrace and looked at her confused.

"Hum, no?" Rachel didn't even realise she had called the Latina's name at loud. "I mean, yes, do you know where she is?"

"You don't have to worry about her. I took care of it." Finn smiled proudly. "That bitch shouldn't bother you for a while."

The diva's heart skipped a beat and panic started to coarse through her veins. "What do you mean you took care of it? What did you do?"

"Once I left the nurse's office, she came to my locker and asked if you were okay. She was the one who hurt you, you know, so of course I refused to answer and then she started insulting me." The jock explained. "So, I decided to fight back."

"Oh my god… Don't tell me you…" The brunette suddenly had a flash of memory. She remembered Future Santana and Future Finn telling her about this moment. After Finn brought her to the nurse's office, he fought verbally with Santana until… The outing! God, she came back after it happened, she was too late…

"She started it!" The tall boy defended himself. "She said I was dumb and fat and a lot of other mean stuff. It pissed me off so I told her she should come out of the closet already. But…"

Rachel raised her hand to stop his words. "Stop, just stop…" She closed her eyes and bent her head forward with a groan. This couldn't be happening…

"But I did it for you! I mean, she threw a ball in your face and then she insulted me!" Finn insisted hastily when he saw the diva's face.

"So what, does it make it okay to tell everyone?" The diva cried. She took a deep breath, trying to rein in her anger.

"I didn't know people would hear us!"

"You were in the middle of the hallway for god's sake!" The brunette clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "What did you think would happen?!"

"But it's Santana," The boy said as if it would explain everything. "I'm sure she'll be fine. It's not a big deal."

"Oh. My. God!" Rachel's anger rose even higher. "You should really stop talking because I may not be a violent person but if you continue, I think I might slap you."

Finn looked at her with a dumbfounded expression. "But…"

"There's no 'but', Finn Hudson. My fathers are gay, Kurt who is your step-brother is gay, Blaine, his boyfriend, is a part of our glee club. You are surrounded by the LGBT community, how could you be so insensitive?!" The diva's voice raised to a passionate pitch, until she was all but yelling. Her face was hot and bright red.

"She pushed me too far!" Finn shouted back before frowning. "And why do you care so much? I thought you didn't like her."

'No, I love her!' Her head shouted. The brunette took another deep breath to calm her nerves. "I wouldn't even wish that to my worst enemy. It's her life, her decision to make. Her coming out was supposed to be on her own terms and you took that away from her. So yes, it IS a big deal, Finn!"

The jock opened and closed his mouth a few times, clearly trying to come up with something that wouldn't annoy his girlfriend even more. "I'll apologize if it makes you happy. But it's not like it's your life or anything…" He shrugged helplessly.

Rachel looked at him in disbelief. "It will in the future!"

"What?" Finn tried to take a step closer to the diva but she moved away.

"Nothing…" The diva sighed wearily. She was wasting her time and Santana needed her. "You shouldn't apologize because I tell you to but because you want to. Because you really mean it and understand that what you did was wrong." She paused. She knew it was the moment when her Future self broke up with him and she supposed it was her turn now… "Besides, what you want to do for me doesn't matter anymore…"

"What do you mean?" The tall man stared at the brunette confused.

"We are done, Finn. There's no more us anymore." The brunette leaned closer to him, putting her hand on his chest before whispering. "Please, don't chase after me. Trust me when I say we'll never get back together…"

Rachel took a step back and began walking in the opposite direction. 'I need to find Santana. Think, Rachel, think, where could she be? She said something during our date night… Think, think… The bathroom! She was crying in the bathroom when I found her.' She ran toward the nearest bathroom, not sparing a glace to Finn who was standing speechless in the hallway.

Rachel unsuccessfully searched two bathrooms before reaching the third one. The sound of muffled cries coming from inside the room was telling her she had finally found Santana… She entered carefully, not sure how the girl would react to here presence and closed the door behind her. "Santana?" She called softly, only to be met by a strangled whimper. She moved further until she noticed the tip of a white sneaker. The diva took two more steps and gasped soundly. The sight in front of her broke her heart. In the corner of the room was Santana, curled up in a ball and rocking back and force while hiding her face in her arms. "San…"

"Get the fuck out, hobbit." Santana snapped weakly, not looking at her.

It hurt a little to hear those words again but somehow, they sounded empty after hearing so many loving words coming out of the Latina's mouth. "Santana, please, I…"

"I said get out!" The raven-haired girl shouted, finally raising her head to make eye contact with her.

The Latina must have been crying for a while because her eyes were bloodshot red and puffy. "I just…" The diva wasn't prepared for this. She just came back from the future after finally accepting her life there and now, she was here, in the middle of one of Santana's worst days. She wanted to kiss the girl, to hug her and tell her that she loved her but she couldn't because right now, they weren't even friends. "Are you okay?" was all she could come with.

Santana laughed humourlessly. "What do you think, dwarf?"

"I know, I'm sorry, it's a dumb question… I can't even imagine how you are feeling right now but I…I just want to help…" The brunette said helplessly.

The Latina sniffled, desperately trying to compose herself. "You want to help?" The hurt and sadness were palpable in her voice.

"Yes." Rachel could state a thousand reasons why she wanted to help, how she could help and why Santana should let her but it wasn't the right moment to ramble. The Latina was in a strong emotional state which meant she had to act cautiously around her.

"Then leave me the fuck alone!" The raven-haired girl spat, furiously wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Your boyfriend did enough already."

"I'm sorry but I can't do that…" The diva replied, tentatively approaching the distressed girl.

"Just leave or I swear…" Santana trailed off, her voice catching in a sob.

"I can't do that because you need someone right now and I'm more than willing to be that someone for you." The brunette carefully sat next to the cheerleader. "Let me be your someone, Santana…"

"Rachel…" The Latina breathed out. "Please, just…" She begged before sobbing weakly.

"I'm here, Santana, you are not alone." Rachel leaned closer and finally hugged the girl.

"Don't touch me, don't…" The tan girl struggled against the embrace for while, stomping her fist against Rachel's chest while she cried harder.

"Shhh, I'm here. It's okay, I've got you. You're not alone…" The diva was hurting for the girl but she refused to cry with her. Santana needed her and she needed to be strong, to be her rock, not a crying mess. She kissed the girl's head while holding her tighter.

This was the beginning of their story and Rachel knew it would take time. There was so much she didn't know about the Latina, so much to discover and she had to live her own experiences too. With time, they would become friends, roommates, lovers and finally wives. And then, they would become mothers and her life would be complete. But they had time… She didn't plan on going anywhere and she could tell by the way the Latina was clutching to her that the girl wouldn't let her go either.

"You don't know it yet but it will be okay, you will be okay. You have a bright future ahead of you and I promise I will be here every step of the way…" Rachel reassured before thinking. 'Now that I've tasted true love, I don't want to spend another day away from it…'

FIN