Author Rant (AR): This was written because of my terrible ANGSTY TEARS OF TERRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLENESS feelings that I have had, because I have found out that (AWFUL SPOILER ALERT, AVERT THINE EYES!) Dijon Talton aka Matt Rutherford is no longer on Glee. I cried for hours. I am inconsolable. Please expect many, many fics about Rachel/Matt in the very near future. They are now my OTP. *goes off to cry alone…*

AN: Now, for the story. This is my very dramatized version of why Matt had to change schools. Epic Matchel/Berryford. Will be and estimated five to six chapters.

"Matt, can I sit with you?" Rachel asked softly. Matt looked around the bus and saw Finn staring out the window of his seat, looking upset, while everyone else had paired up to leave only Rachel and Matt in seats of their own. "I just don't...I don't want to be alone." she looked afraid that he would get angry, or be mean. Matt wouldn't do that to her, not after everything that had happened that day. Losing Regional's, Beth being born and being given to Rachel's mom...he just couldn't be mean to her. Not that he ever had been, but still. They'd become friends over the last few months. He owed it to her.

"Sure, Rach." he slid over so he had his back against the window. "C'mon." She sat down and slid next to him, not fully touching, but still close. Matt closed his eyes and went to sleep.

He woke up an hour later when the bus hit a huge pothole and jolted. He looked over at Rachel, who was still awake and...wiping her cheeks?

"Rachel, are you crying?"

"No." Matt sighed, and wrapped his arm around her.

"C'mon, tell me what's wrong babe. Besides, you know, losing." she looked surprised that he was talking to her, and he sighed inwardly. She really doesn't have any friends, does she? He pulled her closer, so her cheek rested against his chest, his chin resting on the top of her head.

"Finn told me he loved me. Then I basically begged my mother to love me and stay with me and she said no. And earlier, I found out that she adopted Beth after that." she started crying again. "Then I told Finn I didn't love him like he loved me, and he's upset. I don't know what to do. It seems like..." she sniffled and shook her head.

"What? What does it seem like?" He rubbed her back, gently. "You can tell me Rachel. It's okay."

"It seems like everyone's leaving me. My mom, Finn, and my dads are hardly ever home. And now that Glee club is over, I won't have any of you. But then again, I didn't really have any of you in the first place."

"It's okay. Everything will be fine Rachel, you'll see."

"How do you know?"

"I don't. Not for sure. But I do know that you've got me now, if you need to talk." she looked up at him then, their faces close.

"Why?"

"Because...because we all need friends, and I want you, the Great Rachel Berry, to be mine." He ignored the double meaning in his words, and focused on her face. She looked hopeful, but wary at the same time.

"You up for it?" he asked quietly.

"Yes." She snuggled closer and he settled against her, both lonely teenagers falling asleep quickly.

After Mr. Shuester dismissed them to their cars, Matt saw his dad's car in the parking lot. Sighing, he walked over to the drivers side, shoulders slumped.

"I thought Mama was picking me up." His father jerked awake and burped loudly. Devon Rutherford was a sloppy, loud, and annoying drunk.

"She said she was but then she laid down and I didn't want to wake her up, so here I am buddy!" Matt hadn't been called buddy since her was ten. Now, his father only called him that when he was drunk.

"C'mon dad, get out. Let me drive." There was no way in hell Matt was letting him drive them home while he was drunk.

"Okay." He struggled to get out and when he did he tripped. "Help your old man out sonny." Yet another name he was only called when his dad was drunk. He helped him get to the passengers side where his dad proceeded to vomit, hacking and coughing.

"You done now?" his dad nodded. "Let's go home."

He settled his dad in the passenger seat, and walked around the other side. As he turned, he saw a small figure standing next to a car.

Rachel.

"Are you okay Matt?" she asked quietly, but it echoed across the empty parking lot.

"Yeah, Rach. I'm good." He was lying and she knew it, but she didn't say anything else.

She just watched him drive away.

Matt sat alone backstage after the Glee club's "To Sir With Love" tribute to Mr. Shue. Their last performance together.

What it Finn had said about not having a father until Glee Club had hit Matt hard. The sad fact was, that it was true for at least half of the club. Matt, Puck, Santana, Finn, Quinn, Britney and Rachel. Matt's dad was a drunk, Puck's dad was MIA (had been since he was nine), Santana's dad was always away on business (and very strict, which was probably why she acted out so much), Finn's dad was dead, Quinn's dad kicked her out and cheated on her mom, Britney lived with her grandparents (she'd never told any of them about her parents, and they'd never asked), and Rachel's dads were...extreme to say the least (worse than her). Kurt's dad was nice to all of them, and Artie's dad carpooled Puck's sister, Norah, and Matt's brother and sister, Rashad and Livvy, when he went to pick up Artie's sister, Annie.

They were great. But they didn't fill the 'Dad' spot the way Mr. Shue did. And now, they wouldn't have anyone to fill it.

As he stood up, wiping his eyes, (ignnoring the few tears that had gathered there) he felt a small hand on his back.

"Matt..."

"There has to be something we can do Rachel. It can't end like this. It just can't."

"I understand."

"I can't lose you guys. You're my family." Rachel wrapped her arms around him from behind, he cheek resting against his back. Her hands were on his stomach, rubbing gently.

"I need you guys, I need Glee. I can't stay at my house with my parents, I just can't." He shook his head. "There has to be something we can do."

"I don't know Matt. I just don't know." Her arms tightened around him. "It will be alright. Really. We just have to wait."

"I'm tired of waiting for things to get better." he said fiercely. "I'm tired of being patient, I'm tired of being strong." They both knew he wasn't talking about glee club.

"I'm tired of not being good enough." He felt her tense up, before slowly relaxing.

"You are good enough." More than good enough, you are amazing.

"I'm sorry Matt." About your dad. About everything.

"Why?" When she didn't answer, he knew. "You saw my dad, didn't you? The other night?"

"...yes."

He sighed. "Though so."

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I heard him yelling and I was worried."

Matt was quiet for a long time. So long, Rachel began to pull away, but he stopped her by turning around and pulling her against his chest. She snuggled her face into his chest.

"My dad's an alcoholic. He's not abusive or anything, at least not physically. He's a Marine, came home Afghanistan six months ago." Right around the time they'd become friends. "Since then he's been drinking more and more. It's like he has no limit. My mom doesn't know what to do, I don't know what to do. There's nothing I can do really, except make sure the kids don't see it or know about it. But there's only so much I can protect them from."

He looked down at her, meeting her eyes.

"I'm tired, Rach. So tired."

"Matt..."

"I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You're just...different, I guess. It's easy to tell you things because I know you'll listen."

She smiled, and pulled away. When he looked confused, she held her hand out.

"Come on. School's almost over." He nodded, grasping her hand, holding it firmly. They walked like that together, through the hallways of the school, oblivious to the students of McKinley staring open mouthed.

"You need a ride, babe?" Matt asked.

"A ride would be great, Matthew, thank you." Rachel's smile was big.