Hi everyone. Thank you for being patient in waiting for me to post this chapter. This will be the last chapter of the story. After over three years of pouring my heart and soul into this story, I can finally say it is finished. What I originally thought would take maybe six months to write turned into a very long three years. Things are so different now than when I first started. In those three years, we've lost Cory, Glee aired its final episode, the actors have moved on and the characters we loved for so long are now memories. I'm glad I was able to keep the spirit of Faberry alive for a bit longer. Not to mention the many life changes I personally went through (which is why it took me so damn long to finish this story.)

For those of you who stuck by this story from day one, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your support and reviews are what has kept me going and made me determined to finish this story. For those of you who came across it while it was still being updated, thank you for hanging in there. I hope I've made you all proud and I hope you like the ending. And for those of you who are just now coming across this story, I hope you truly enjoyed it.

If anyone is interested in reading my next project, it's a new novel called "A Fine Mess" set to be released on Amazon in August. You can follow updates on Twitter at AFineMessNovel.

I can't believe this is it. I really can't thank you all enough. You are amazing.

Here we go...

Rachel's knocking was silenced when the door finally swung open. Quinn didn't seem all that surprised to see her, but she did look thrilled, just the same. Rachel tried to keep her composure. She knew there was a good chance she would cry upon her reunion with Quinn, but she didn't think it would be before she could even get a word out.

Quinn had grown her hair out. It was much longer than the last time she saw her. Even at the Emmy Awards, it didn't seem this long. Her hair was well past her shoulders, blonde and wavy, almost dancing in the sun. She wanted to reach out and stroke the golden tresses. But she put her hands in her pockets, instead, while searching for something to say.

Finally, with a quiver in her voice, she said the first thing she could think of.

"I didn't come here just because of your speech."

Quinn nodded.

"I didn't make that speech just to get you to come here. It's just something I should have done a long time ago."

Rachel smiled. "I've been thinking about coming here for a while now. I just..."

"You have the play."

Rachel nodded.

"And I had some growing up to do."

Rachel shrugged. "Maybe. So...do you want to go get some coffee? Talk things out?"

Quinn shifted in the doorway. "Yeah, I think I can go for some coffee."

Rachel fidgeted. "Or..."

Quinn urged her to finish her thought. "Or..."

There was only one way to express what she was thinking and talking wasn't it. Rachel sprung forward and they crashed together in a passionate kiss. She pushed Quinn inside the house and Quinn, wasting no time, kicked the door shut. Then she turned Rachel around, slammed her up against the wall and reciprocated the fiery kiss.

Rachel then pushed off the door and, while still kissing her, guided Quinn backward toward the living room. As the clothes came off, they both dropped to the floor with Rachel hovering over Quinn. There was no time to find another surface. No couch, no bedroom, not even the kitchen table. This was going to happen right here and right now and the floor was going to have to do.

Rachel seamlessly removed the remainder of her clothes and looked down at the beautiful, naked blonde beneath her. Their chests were heaving in and out, trying to catch a breath. But there was no time to wait for air. It had already been too long. Rachel's lips and hands immediately went to work as Quinn squirmed underneath her, reacting to every single touch.

Both girls knew this wasn't going to be one of those gentle, sweet love-making sessions. This was going to be rough and sloppy and intense to the point of painful. And it was going to be beautiful.

The soft, plush carpet felt good on Rachel's back. She lay there looking up at the ceiling with her head resting on Quinn's arm as their hands intertwined. Up until five minutes ago, they were completely naked until the central air conditioning kicked in and it got too cold, prompting Quinn to grab the blanket off the couch and throw it over them.

Rachel was studying the grooves of Quinn's knuckles as the blonde nuzzled into her neck.

"Your knuckles stick out a lot," observed Rachel.

"What?"

"I never noticed that before. Do you crack your knuckles a lot?"

"Um...I guess. I have been more recently."

"We'll have to rid you of that habit."

"I'm sorry my knuckles are chubby."

"I didn't say they're chubby. I say they stick out. And they're quite cute. But cracking knuckles causes arthritis."

Quinn pulled her hand away from Rachel's and proceeded to crack her knuckles.

"Yeah, but it feels sooooo good."

Rachel grabbed Quinn's hand again and pinned it down to the floor.

"Don't make me get physical."

"But that feels sooooo good, too," teased Quinn. She kissed Rachel sweetly because she knew she would get an earful otherwise.

"You're lucky you're cute," replied Rachel as she nipped at Quinn's neck.

"I'm lucky you're mine."

"Am I yours?"

Quinn turned on her side and rested her head on her hand. "Rachel, if this was a booty call, I'm going to be very upset. Very satisfied physically, but very upset."

Rachel sighed. "Ok then. I guess I'm yours."

"And?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "And you're mine."

As the air conditioning blasted, they cuddled more under the blanket, their bodies easily falling into one another.

"So does this mean you're coming back to New York?"

Quinn smiled and kissed Rachel's hair. "Are you kidding? I won't even pack. We can leave today if you want. I kind of grew fond of New York. It wasn't really the same when I moved back here. Besides, it's where you are. You think I'm going to let you out of my sight again?"

"You're going to have to when you get your next project."

"We'll cross that path when we come to it. I'm thinking of taking some time off."

"Really? How much time?"

"Six months. A year. A lifetime. Who knows?"

Rachel gave her a dubious look.

"Okay, maybe not a lifetime. But a significant amount of time. I need a break."

"Well, whatever you decide, we don't have to leave today, so you can at least take your time in packing. Besides, Santana and Brittany won't want to leave so soon."

"Wait, hold on a sec. Brittany and Santana are here?"

Rachel nodded.

"In LA?"

"We all flew out together. They dropped me off."

"Where are they now?"

"Probably off having sex on the beach. Brittany said she's not going to leave LA until that happens."

Quinn chuckled. Then, she came to a very harsh realization.

"Shit."

"What?"

"They still live with you, don't they?"

"Yes."

"How am I going to ask them to move out of the apartment?"

Rachel laughed hysterically. "You're not."

"No?"

"Nope. You know how bad New York real estate is. Especially if you don't make much money. They can't go back to a tiny studio apartment now that they've had a taste of the big, fancy apartment. You might just be stuck with them forever."

"But...it's MY apartment."

"It's OUR apartment. And they're really not bad roommates. Brittany's kind of a clean freak and Santana's actually a pretty good cook."

"But...but...sex." Quinn sounded defeated.

"It's okay. They know we have sex. Just like I know THEY do. It's ridiculous how loud they are. Even noise canceling headphones didn't help. But now we can give them a run for their money."

Quinn smiled. "Well that's something I can get on board with. Okay fine. I guess they can stay."

"You're so cute when you think you have a choice in the matter."

Quinn laughed. "God, I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"Rach?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm excited to come back home."

Epilogue

Five years later...

Waiting quietly in the wings of the historic Gershwin Theater, Quinn watched as Rachel entranced the audience with her performance. She wasn't supposed to be here tonight. She was supposed to be at home packing and getting ready for her flight to Los Angeles for another press junket. But when Rachel texted her and asked her to come tonight, Quinn dropped everything and headed right for the theater.

This was her first time watching the show from the wings. She had seen plenty of performances from the audience, but since the show had already started by the time she got here tonight, Rachel arranged for her to hang out back stage. It was one of the perks of being the star of a successful original Tony Award winning Broadway musical. Havoc Town opened a year ago and Rachel, hot off her consecutive lead performances in Sweet Charity, West Side Story, and Fun Home, was the producers' first choice to play the lead. Rachel gladly accepted and since then, it has been a whirlwind. Quinn could not be more proud of her girlfriend. And she was so grateful to be with her during every step of her meteoric rise. Now, two Tony awards later - she had won for both this show and for Sweet Charity - this was Rachel's final month starring in the musical. Once she leaves Havoc Town, she'll be filming a movie for a few months in Italy.

Quinn wasn't doing so bad, herself. She was currently starring in a new successful television show that conveniently films in New York City. Oh, and she just so happened to be cast in a new film that starts production in Italy soon. And it just so happened to be the same film Rachel landed a role in. No favors were exchanged, no strings were pulled. It just happened that way. They both nailed the screen test and the producers noticed there was obvious chemistry between the two. They were both beyond excited to finally be able to work together. Everything was falling into place.

Quinn watched as Rachel finished her show-stopping number right before she show went to intermission. Quinn joined in with the thunderous applause and greeted Rachel with a kiss as she walked off stage.

"As always, that was amazing," said Quinn as she followed Rachel into her dressing room.

"Thanks, love. It always knocks the wind out of me. It's hard to hold that note."

"Well, you only have to do it eighteen more times," observed Quinn as she locked the dressing room door.

"Very true." Rachel turned to see the look Quinn was giving her. "What?"

"You are so sexy. I forgot how much I love seeing you in costume." Quinn started walking toward her.

Rachel looked down at her strapless red dress and knee-high boots. "You made that very clear when the show first opened. Remember how naked I felt on stage?"

"No, but I remember how naked I wanted you to be."

"On stage?"

"God no! In our bed. Or in our kitchen. Or in our bathroom. Or..."

Quinn's voice trailed off as she watched Rachel reapply some makeup in the mirror, She moved closer to Rachel, grabbed her by the waist and turned her around.

"...in your dressing room."

She started kissing Rachel's neck, but was met with nervous laughter.

"Quinn, you are not getting me naked right now. I have to be back on stage in ten minutes. They're going to call places in five."

Quinn's lips attacked the exposed skin even more fervently. She didn't even care that she was messing up Rachel's stage makeup. Rachel didn't seem to care much, either, even though she was feigning resistance.

"Quinn, we can't." She put her hand behind Quinn's neck, but instead of trying to push her off, she pulled her closer. "I have to get ready."

"Ok. Get ready. I'm not stopping you. Just work around me." Quinn lowered her mouth toward Rachel's chest.

Rachel's breathing was becoming more and more erratic. "That's kind of hard to do while you're...doing that."

"Then you're going to have to learn to multitask." Quinn gripped Rachel's ass tightly, picked her up, and placed her on the vanity counter.

Rachel let out a gasp as Quinn quickly pushed her legs open and positioned herself between them. The brunette moaned with anticipation.

"You better touch up that makeup, Rach. You don't have much time," warned Quinn as she moved her right hand up Rachel's leg.

Rachel panted. "Wh...why do you always insist on making things difficult for me?"

Quinn's hand moved up underneath Rachel's dress and tugged on her underwear, slowly pulling the garment down so she can have better access to what she really wanted.

"Don't worry," whispered Quinn against Rachel's ear. "I'll make this nice and easy for you."

Her fingers made the delightful contact she was aching for. Met with wetness, Quinn couldn't control herself and pushed her fingers in, forgetting all about any kind of teasing or foreplay. There simply wasn't enough time for that.

She slammed Rachel against the vanity mirror and the brunette screamed in shock and pleasure. Quinn used her hips to move her fingers in and out of Rachel, working up a rhythm and getting herself worked up in the process. She kept her face buried in Rachel's neck as she continued to pleasure her girlfriend. Her hips began to push harder and faster and she could tell Rachel was slowly coming undone.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.

"Places, Rachel!"

Quinn looked back at the door. "Should I stop?"

"Don't even think about it," begged Rachel. "I'll...I'll be right there!"

Quinn kissed Rachel as she curled her fingers inside of her, eliciting a loud moan from her.

"God, that feels so good."

Another knock at the door. "Rachel, places! You're on in literally one minute!"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Shit. Baby, we have to stop."

Quinn shook her head and kissed her harder, curling her fingers into her once more.

"No. You make THEM wait. Not me." Quinn didn't even know where that came from, but she knew there was no way she could stop what she was doing.

The knocking on the dressing room door turned to pounding as the stage manager yelled once more.

"Rachel, you need to come out now! Everyone is waiting!"

"Almost done!" Rachel yelled, out of breath. She pulled Quinn closer to her and started grinding against her fingers.

Quinn almost came instantly when Rachel did that.

"Holy shit, you're so hot, Rach."

"Shut up and fuck me."

Quinn swallowed hard. This was definitely bringing out a different side of Rachel. She liked it. A lot.

More pounding on the door. "Rachel! This is not funny! We don't have time for this shit! What are you doing in there? Your makeup is fine! Get out here now!"

"Two seconds!" yelled Rachel, as she squeezed her eyes shut and threw her head back.

Quinn reached the spot she knew would make Rachel lose it. She felt Rachel's walls clench tightly around her fingers as Rachel lowered her head and bit into Quinn's shoulder to muffle the sound of her orgasm. Breathing deeply, and moaning a bit too loud, Rachel continued to ride Quinn's fingers as her orgasm died down. Quinn could still feel her twitching and pulsating and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips as she slowly slid her fingers out.

Quinn smiled coyly. "Your audience awaits, my love."

Rachel kept her cool, smoothed out her dress and fixed her hair. As she composed herself and walked out the door, she turned back to Quinn.

"Just remember: payback's a bitch."

Quinn was quite pleased with herself. She watched the second act from the wings and spent most of the time thinking about how she couldn't wait to continue with what they were doing in the dressing room.

Once the show ended and after Rachel and the cast took their bows, Quinn greeted her in the wings once more.

"Hey, I'm just gonna wipe my makeup off and go change real quick. Wait for me out here. I'll just be a few minutes." She gave Quinn a quick kiss and scurried off to her dressing room before Quinn could even respond.

She watched as the crew began cleaning up from tonight's show and some of the ensemble cast were joking around with each other while heading backstage to change and go home for the night.

While waiting, Quinn sat down on the steps leading up to the catwalk. She watched and listened as the voices and footsteps became fewer and farther between. It seemed like most of the crew had already left and she waved goodbye to some of the cast members that she knew as they walked out the stage door. She wasn't really surprised when Rachel's "few minutes" turned into fifteen minutes. Then twenty minutes. When it came upon a half hour and she was pretty sure there was no one left in the theater, she got up and ran into one of the dancers in the show.

"You're here late."

"Yeah, I hurt my ankle during the last number, so I had to ice it for a bit. It's good to see you again!"

"You too. Oh wait, have you seen Rachel? Do you know if she's still in her dressing room?"

"Actually, the last time I saw her, she was on the other side of the stage. Not sure what she was doing, though."

Quinn looked over to where she was pointing. "OK thanks. And take care of that ankle."

"I will. Goodnight."

Quinn started walking across the empty stage to look for Rachel, but when she got halfway there, the lights suddenly went out. She stopped dead in her tracks not knowing what to do. It was completely dark and she couldn't see anything. She was afraid to move for fear of falling into the orchestra pit.

"Uh...hello?" All she heard was the echo of her 'hello.'

"Rach?" She tried to listen for a response, but heard nothing. She still couldn't see anything. "Rach? Is this what you meant by payback? Because it's not funny!"

There was still no response and Quinn was starting to think that maybe Rachel had forgotten about her. But then why would she have asked her to come tonight? Unless this was a whole elaborate prank. If so, then it would likely be a long time before Quinn would find it funny. What was she supposed to do? Crawl her way off the stage and feel around for any trap doors? She reached in her pocket and realized she left her cell phone in Rachel's dressing room.

"Shit." She tried to keep calm. "It's okay. You're okay. It's just a little darkness. What was that!?"

She thought she heard something coming from the wings and turned around, unsure of what direction she was even facing.

"Hello?"

Suddenly, she was blinded. A stream of white light nearly burned her retinas. She blocked the light with her hands and squinted.

"What the hell is that?"

She heard a voice in the distance.

"Oh come on, Quinn. You're an actress. I would think you would know what a spotlight is."

Quinn turned around to try to follow the voice. Her eyes were finally starting to adjust to the light, but it was only herself that was lit and not the rest of the stage.

Then, a second spotlight appeared to Quinn's left suddenly. When she looked over, she saw Rachel standing in it, facing Quinn.

"There you are. What is going on? Do you have any idea how scary that was?"

Rachel shrugged. "I'm sorry. You know I have a flare for the dramatic."

"It's one of the things I love about you. But can you tell me why you chose to scare the shit out of me?"

"I just wanted the spotlight to be on you. And on me. Just the two of us."

Quinn's adrenaline rush was finally calming down as she saw the genuine look of love on Rachel's face. "Just the two of us and the lighting guys?"

"They're just here to help add the drama."

"The drama of what?"

Rachel stepped closer to Quinn, leaned up and kissed her. "I love you, Quinn."

"I love you, too."

"And I love the life we've built together. I love that we're continuing to grow together."

Quinn smiled and kissed her girlfriend. "You're going to make me cry."

She gazed at the brunette. The spotlight created a slight halo over her beautiful hair and Quinn was taken aback at just how stunning Rachel was in the moment. At least once a day, she has this same realization. She's always so in awe of her beauty and feels so lucky that Rachel chose her to be with. And in those moments, she feels her love for her grow even more.

"You're so beautiful, Rachel."

Rachel smiled and looked up at Quinn as she slowly knelt to the floor on one knee.

Quinn was confused for a second and was about to help Rachel up until she realized just what was happening.

"Oh my God. Rachel?"

Rachel grabbed her hand. "Quinn, this life with you has been crazy. Full of adventure and uncertainty and love and fear and passion and even a little bit of pain. On a given day, you make me feel every single emotion a human being can feel. Even when you frustrate me, it's still a beautiful feeling. I'm alive when I'm with you. And all this...the acting, the fame, the success we've both had, none of it would mean anything if you weren't here to share it with me. I can't seem to go a day without thinking about marrying you. I want to be your wife. I want to share all my successes and failures, all my diva moments and vulnerable moments, my life and my love with you."

She pulled a ring box from behind her back and opened it.

"Quinn, will you marry me?"

At that moment, Quinn started crying. She couldn't help it. She felt a lump in her throat the moment Rachel got down on one knee and now, she was blubbering like a baby. She tried to compose herself. Rachel asked her a question and dammit, she was going to answer her. But every time she tried to answer, a bunch of sobs just came out.

Rachel looked up at her with so much hope, so much love and very obvious anticipation. Her eyes looked so lovingly up at Quinn, waiting for an answer.

Quinn was chastising herself. The love of her life was waiting for one simple answer. One word. That's all she needed to get out.

She opened her mouth again, and sounds other than sobs came out, but none of them sounded remotely like what she was trying to say.

Frustrated, she took a deep breath, knelt down to Rachel's level and gave her an answer the only way she could at this moment. She nodded excitedly and kissed her, almost knocking her over and not caring at all how salty her lips must taste right now with all the tears.

Rachel immediately started crying, too.

"Is that a yes?"

Quinn smiled nodded emphatically once more.

Rachel wiped a few tears away from Quinn's cheek, then wiped away her own tears.

"Sweetie, I'm going to need a verbal answer. It makes it more official."

Quinn inhaled deeply and cried to control her emotions. She brought her hand up to Rachel's face to brush some hair off of her cheek. Rachel's eyes anchored her and helped her to focus.

She nodded again and whispered, "Yes."

Rachel breathed a sigh of joyous relief and removed the ring from the box. Quinn felt the platinum band with the sparkling diamond glide along her left ring finger. It fit perfectly. Everything about Rachel seemed to fit perfectly into Quinn's life.

The two of them stayed there on their knees, holding each other on the empty stage, with the spotlight focused solely on them.

Rachel kissed her and Quinn felt it everywhere. After all this time, Rachel still managed to send shockwaves through her body.

Rachel started to get up and helped Quinn up off her knees. She took her hand.

"Come on. Let's go home."

"I can't believe you did this."

Rachel guided them toward the stage door.

"So, what do you say to a honeymoon in Italy? We can stay behind after filming is wrapped."

Quinn squeezed her hand. "Sounds perfect. Anywhere with you is perfect."

Rachel opened the stage door and Quinn walked out feeling safer than she had ever felt in her entire life. It's funny how some things turn out. She had been searching for something to keep her grounded and something that truly felt like home. She found that in Rachel and she hoped that in some way, she was able to do the same for her.

After feeling so lost for so long, Quinn was finally found.

The End