Chibi-Kari: Here is the last chapter. It was perfect to end with a different version of the song I started with. I hope you enjoyed and check out my new story, Wishes, up now! I don't own, but your support gave me inspiration and helped to grow! Please drop me a review about the story as a whole...did you think it was realistic? What could have been better? I want to hear from you!

But when the roads in her heart fall and then she rode the light in. Oh, the pain now seems it's over.

Take what you can from your dreams make it real as anything. Takes the work out of the courage.

So, don't lose your heaven. Don't convince yourself you're done just 'cause the things around you seem heavy. Doesn't mean you can't get off this ground.

-"Grey Street" Dave Matthews Band (Lillywhite Sessions)

It had been a few months since she was back in Lima. Jesse had gone off to UCLA. He wasn't happy about it and had gotten permission to defer a year, but after a big blow out had been convinced by Rachel that he needed to attend. He came home once a month as a compromise, and an excuse to use his parents' money, and they skyped every night. Rachel knew he was uncomfortable leaving her, but she needed to do it for him. They had had a long talk and it was decided that she would join him after high school. She wasn't ready to face New York again and her therapist said the sun would do her good.

Her fathers hadn't been as keen on the idea as Jesse and her therapist had, but they were warming up to it. They had almost a year and a half to do so. She had lost their trust, but she had lost her own. When she had first come back she wasn't sure she could trust any of her own decisions.

The only good thing she felt was the lack of anger. She hadn't even realized she had been so angry all that time until it was missing. She felt light. It took her a long time to realize that it was the anger in control out in New York and not her. She blamed herself for so long and spent so much time asking for forgiveness that had long been given.

For awhile she wasn't even sure she could reclaim any of her old life. She felt as if she had shattered all the pieces, but everyone convinced her otherwise. It was only after Mr. Schue and all the original glee club kids came to her house that she realized how tight of a support system she had. Everyone had offered their support. Puck had been especially kind to her. He had a Jewish mother…he knew guilt.

Quinn had also been a big help. She had beat it into her that mistakes weren't what defined you. It was what you did with your life after. Their mistakes were glaringly different, but it was still had hit home. Quinn had been able to rise above and become a better person and convinced Rachel that she could do the same.

It wasn't going to be easy. She knew that. There were moments where she wanted to slip out of herself again. Moments where it got too hard, but someone was always there. She was almost afraid for that moment where they wouldn't be. She only hoped by then she could help herself completely or find the courage to go to someone to support her.

She had all of her parents now, a little sister, a loving boyfriend, and friends. These were all things she didn't know she would have when she left for New York. Life was drastically different and it had been just over six months since stepping on that plane after Regionals. Things were frighteningly different. She spent weekends with her mother and sister except for the weekend Jesse would fly in. Then they would stay at her fathers' place. Shelby had demanded any open door policy every time Jesse visited. Her fathers' found it funny at first until last month when they opened her door one. Then they were now diehard supporters of the policy. She was more active in glee and spent more time surrounded by friends. She would go places, host get-togethers, and generally have fun that she wasn't able to before.

She felt like a different person and it times the jokes and fun around her seemed so much more innocent than she actually was. It was moments like these that she felt bad again. Felt bad about who she was. Felt bad about who she had been. Felt bad about the things she had done. Her therapist told her this was natural and that over time she would begin to accept what had happened as not necessarily a good thing, but something that ended up being beneficial. It had shaped her into who she was today and she couldn't be ashamed of any of the changes.

Not everything had changed. The director that day had been right. She didn't lose her dream of Broadway. She just wanted to wait. Everything that happened as still upsetting. She could still remember getting the playbill from Alicia in the mail two weeks ago. There was a small remembrance to Ashley in the front of it and she had immediately broken down. The lively and loyal girl that Rachel had come to know had been reduced to three sentences. It was then that Rachel vowed to carry Ashley with her. It was like the Spring Awakening lyrics: Now they'll walk on my arm through the distant night and I won't let them stray from my heart. Through the wind, through the dark, through the winter light I'll read all their dreams to the stars. Rachel would do this. She would live for both herself and Ashley. In her heart she would be more than three lines.

The playbill had come with a little note about what was happening in New York. Alicia had decided to focus on school for awhile and Ryan took off on a tour to open for some band she had never heard of. But what really broke her heart was Damien. He hadn't recovered from her loss and Alicia wrote that he was moving out to Minnesota to be with his mother. He just couldn't deal with Ashley's death and Alicia couldn't seem to find the words to describe him, just that his parents thought it best for him to go away for awhile.

Rachel jumped slightly as her skype went off. She smiled brightly as Jesse St. James is calling popped up on her computer screen. She quickly clicked Answer with Video before beaming at her boyfriend.

"You look tired." She noted.

"Hello to you, too. We had practice today. Hard work, let me tell you, but you'll love it."

Rachel laughed slightly, "I'm still not graduating a year early to come out there."

"Oh come on." Jesse pouted at her lightly.

"Fine, you tell my dads and Shelby." She shook her head at him.

His eyes widened and he looked panicked, "Would we have to tell them? Shit. I barely want to look at your dad again after the talk he gave me last month. I've never been so scared for my life."

Rachel laughed, "He was pretty frightening."

Jesse shook his head in disbelief, "You don't have to live in fear of becoming a eunuch!" He sighed slightly, "So did you go out to Dayton today?"

Rachel nodded slightly, "It was good. I enjoy doing this. It helps to help them." Rachel thought back to when her therapist first suggested going into the city and working with neglected kids. She hadn't been neglected, but she could understand their anger and knew what it was like to lose control. She had been uncomfortable and afraid she would somehow pick up some of the habits again, but that was far from the case. It only reaffirmed her new life. And she took solace in helping them as much as she could. But there was one thing she did know. She wouldn't be able to help those kids who didn't want it and it was hard to want it until you hit rock bottom. She had done that and been there and most of the kids appreciated it.

"Are you listening to me? I said I was going to take the flight that arrives just after three in the afternoon. Shelby wants us to all have a big family dinner together. That gives me enough time to make it into town."

Rachel nodded slightly, "Do you want me to meet you at the airport?"

"Nah. I want to rent a car anyway. I'll pick you up to go to Shelby's though. Maybe we can stay there this weekend. I'm a little less frightened of her than your dad right now."

Rachel laughed. Right now everything was perfect and she knew she could make it.