At this point Finn was circling Rachel like an animal does their prey. Rachel kept silent and busied herself by combing her fingers through her hair. He wrapped his arms around her and she threw them off of him and tried to once again make it towards the door.

Rachel kept on moving towards the door. He looked to the side and saw the band setting up. He climbed up onto the stage and took the mic from them and turned it on. The click echoed through the speakers and made Rachel stop and turned around. All eyes were on him, but his eyes were on her.

At this point, Rachel practically ran out of the room. She usually loved having the attention on her but she didn’t want it like this. Finn was not about to let her get away and bounded off of the stage and out the door behind her.

Finn continued to sing as he followed her out into the lobby of the hotel. Quinn, Blaine, Kurt, Santana and Brittany were close on his heels because they did not want to miss a minute of this feud.

It was not difficult to tell that Finn was really upset at this point. His body was shaking and he could barely keep from shouting the last few lines at Rachel. She stood perfectly and quickly began to lose all of the color in her face.

“Who?” Finn repeated. “Who's in your bed?” He walked right up to her and cupped her chin, pulling her face upwards to look at him. “Kiss pookie.” Rachel smacked his hand away from her. Her eyes were full of tears but her voice remained strong as she finally got her chance to respond.

She poked him in the chest with her finger to emphasize every one of her points. It was almost comical to watch because of their height difference, but that did not seem to stop Rachel. She continued to press her manicured nail into his chest repeatedly as if it was her best fighting move.

The group watched on with their mouths hanging open in surprise. This was the first time any of them had ever seen them fight in person. They had heard of their fights after the fact but never got to witness them play out like this.

Rachel attempted a dance but it only came off as awkward. She removed her coat but struggled to get her arms out of the sleeves due to its tight fit and threw it at him. Finn grabbed the jacket and wrapped it around his arm. Kurt covered his mouth to stifle his laughter. Rachel pulled some hair away from her mouth that had stuck to her lipgloss and stared up at Finn. “Take me for what I am!”

“A control freak.”

She gasped. “Who I was meant to be!

“A snob yet over attentive.”

“...And if you give a damn.”

“A loveable droll geek.” He leaned forward so their faces were only inches from each other.

“Take me baby or leave me!” Rachel threw her arms into the air.

“And anal retentive!” Finn yelled loudly.

They both glared at each other and shouted together. “Thats it!”

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest. “The straw that breaks my back!”

“I quit!” They said together as Rachel turned and began to walk away. She only made it a few feet before she stopped in place.

“Unless you take it back!” She spun around and looked at him as if she expected it right away.

“Women. What is it about them?” He shook his head. “Can't live with them or without them.”

“Take me for what I am.” They sang together.

“Who I was meant to be.” He approached her warily.

“Who I was meant to be!” Tears began to fall from her eyes as she repeated him.

“And if you give a damn.” Finn wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

“And if you give a damn then.” She pushed him away again.

“Take me baby, or leave me!” They repeated.

“Take me baby, take me or leave me.” Finn repeated, this time it was his turn to be emotional.

“Take me baby or leave me.” They walked away from each other backwards. “Guess I'm leaving I'm gone!”

Rachel stormed out the front door of the hotel, Finn walked back into the reception room and kicked over one of the dinner chairs.

The group looked at each other. Afraid of what to say or who should speak first. The rest of the party guests seemed to get the message and began filing out quickly.

-----

A few months passed and now spring has fallen on New York City. The weather was warmer, the streets were filled with tourists, and the city buzzed with activity. Tensions ran high amongst the group ever since the engagement party. Rachel and Finn had barely said a word to anyone and no one was willing to bring it up. They all valued their lives too much to venture down that path. Santana and Brittany kept to themselves, regularly attended Life Support meetings and occasionally stopped by for dinner. Quinn was hard at work juggling her documentary and her material for Buzzline. Staying busy kept her out of the drama that was unfolding at her own apartment.

Blaine and Kurt’s relationship had been strained, but they worked through Blaine’s feelings toward Kurt and Sam’s relationship and things were getting better. Every so often they had a fallback. A big issue of Blaine’s was Kurt’s repeated drug use. He would often show up at Blaine’s door while high and every time it broke Blaine’s heart. One night when they were hanging out, Kurt shot up and Blaine lost it. They had their first big fight and Kurt told him he was going to kick it since it meant so much to him. He relapsed only a week later. Kurt could not hide it from him and sobbed at Blaine’s feet for forgiveness, and being the kind-hearted person that Blaine was, he did. That was 3 weeks ago and so far, Kurt has admitted to being sober. The two went on with their lives, but Blaine had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that it was not really over.

Blaine had a reoccurring nightmare that he would find Kurt dead of an overdose. One night it was really intense and he could not fall back asleep for over an hour so he decided to go downstairs to check on Kurt. He climbed down the fire escape to find Kurt’s window open so he went through it. The apartment was still and the lights were off. Blaine could already feel himself panicking. He went straight to Kurt’s room to see him sitting cross legged on the bed, facing the opposite direction. His right arm was outstretched in front of him and he was slapping the inside of his elbow. This could only mean one thing.

“What are you doing?”

Kurt jumped and dropped the needle onto the bed.

“I thought you had quit.” He could not hide the pain that was thick in his voice.

“I-I tried....I really did Blaine, but I can’t.” Kurt looked down at the needle that lay on top of the comforter.

“You can....you just don’t want to.” Blaine shook his head and walked out towards the window.

“WAIT!” Kurt called.

Blaine froze and turned around to see Kurt behind him, holding out the needle towards him.

“I’m done. I mean it.”

“Really.”

“Yes.” Kurt shifted his weight awkwardly as he held the needle out towards Blaine. “I was scared of the withdrawals...I can’t do this alone.” He pleaded with him. “Please.”

Blaine took the needle from him and gripped it tightly in his hand. “I will help you, but this is your last chance Kurt. If you go back, I will not stick around.”

Kurt nodded vigorously, tears beginning to fall down his cheeks. Blaine dropped the needle into the trash and then wrapped his arms around him.

“Thank you.”

Blaine leads him over to his bed and they climb under the covers. Kurt turns onto his side and Blaine fits behind him. His arm falls across his waist to hold him close. They lay like this for a few minutes before Blaine’s breathing evens out and he falls asleep. Tears continue to fall down Kurt’s cheeks and he places his hand over the other man’s that was splayed across his stomach.

The next few days were rough as the drugs made their way out of Kurt’s system. Blaine was there every step of the way. He held him as he shook uncontrollably or when he was heaving into the toilet. Kurt would sweat through his clothes and sheets and he would be there to change them. When possible, Blaine would lay flush against him in bed and wrap his arms around his frail frame and whisper words of love and encouragement.

Santana and Brittany walk through the park together after a long afternoon at Life Support. They were taking it slow and enjoying their view. As they walked, their limbs brushed against each other and they exchanged flirty glances. Once a week this was their routine, Life Support, long walk through the park and then the evening with their friends

Their intimate moment was cut short by the sounds of a young boy yelling from below a bridge. Brittany took off running in the direction of the sound with Santana close behind. The scene they encountered was not anything they expected. Three boys were kicking and taunting another boy that had been knocked to the ground.

Brittany yelled to get the boys’ attention, but they did not hear her. Santana tried to stop her, but after they heard the homophobic slurs, she could not help but get involved. They rushed to aid the boy that was now being kicked. Startled, one of the boys jumped and pulled out a gun and pointed it right at them.

Brittany tentatively approached them, holding her hands out defensively to try to calm the boy down. Santana found herself frozen in place and tried to call her back. The boy on the ground held his nose that was bleeding heavily and one of his eyes was closed and the skin around it was beginning to swell. Brittany spoke calmly to the boy with the gun as she tried to to convince him to put it down. The injured boy pleaded with the others to leave them alone, but the armed boy began to tremble.

Santana tried speaking to the boy, but it only upset him further. He spoke about his belief that he was doing the world a favor by killing gay people. His voice was thick with emotion and he was starting to raise his voice. The other boys looked at each other and backed away. The gun was pointed to the young boy now and the owner smirked down as he recounted how much he did not like him. He put his finger on the trigger and something clicked in Brittany’s head. She charged toward the gunman and he spun around and shot her instead.

Brittany fell to the ground hard and Santana screamed. The gunman stood in shock as the dust settled around her. His friends pulled on his sweater and he jumped to life. He took one look at her before they took off running. Santana ran to her side and flipped Brittany over to see her blouse had blood slowly spreading across it. She reached her hand up to cup Santana’s face and smiled.

Brittany was taken into surgery to remove the bullet, but she had already lost too much blood. Blaine and Kurt were the first to arrive at the hospital and they pulled Santana into a hug as she paced the lobby floor. Quinn and Finn were next to arrive. At this point Santana was hysterical so Quinn pulled her to a vacant couch and cradled her. Rachel was last, she stood in the doorway, afraid to enter the room, but as soon as she made eye contact with Finn, she burst into tears and he moved to hold her.

Hours flew by with no resolve. Rachel slept, still clutching onto Finn. Kurt was sprawled across one of the couches with his head in Blaine’s lap. He lightly ran his fingers through Kurt’s hair while staring at nothing in particular. Santana was rocking in Quinn’s arms as she muttered all of the things that she wanted to do to those boys. When the doors to the OR finally opened and a doctor exited, the room when silent. Santana swung her legs to the floor and made the long walk towards the doctor. His face was expressionless as he repeatedly rubbed his hands together. She spoke first but he only confirmed her fears. Brittany had passed and Santana crumbled to the floor.

The nurses put her in a bed so they could say their final goodbyes. Everyone moved through the room quickly but Santana stayed leaning against the doorframe to hold herself up. She was afraid that if she did not lean against something solid, she would fall apart. Quinn straightened out her hospital gown and spoke in a voice so low that no one else could hear her. Finn and Rachel went in together and held onto Brittany’s hands tightly. Blaine cried the whole time he was in there and could barely speak. He leaned over and kissed her forehead and rushed out of the room. Kurt ran his fingers through her hair to style it. Once Santana was alone in the room, she climbed into the bed with Brittany and held her. You could hear her sobbing from the waiting room.

Everyone tried to fall back into their routines after Brittany passed. Quinn threw herself into her work. She may not like the job, but it kept her occupied and her mind busy. Santana had taken residence on Quinn and Blaine’s couch and had barely spoken a word to anyone. Blaine had brought her there himself because he was afraid that if he was not watching her, she would stop taking care of herself. Every night he managed to get some food into her, but that was it. Finn and Rachel had not seen each other since the hospital. They did not speak to each other or anyone else from the group. It was a new normal that they had fallen into and had learned to accept.

One night, Blaine decided to walk Kurt home from work. When he got there, he discovered that he had already left for the evening. Shrugging it off, he decided to walk home and pop into his apartment to see him as planned. It was not long before Blaine spotted him across the street with his old dealer. Anger stirred in his gut as he watched the exchange. He broke into a run in Kurt’s direction, hoping he could stop it from happening. The sound of running feet scared the dealer and made Kurt turn around. Blaine called out to him and when Kurt noticed him, his face fell and he attempted to hide the baggy in his pocket.

They stared at each other for a few moments before Blaine walked up to him. He asked him if he had purchased anything but Kurt did not respond. Cupping Kurt’s face in his hands, Blaine asked him again and when Kurt held out the bag for him to see, his head hung in shame. Tears began to run down his cheeks as Blaine’s hands fell from around Kurt’s face. He pushed him away from him and stormed out of the alley.

-----

Brittany’s funeral was small and short. They decorated the church with pictures of her and the most colorful arrangements of flowers. Kurt had chosen a beautiful outfit for her to wear and had styled her hair himself. The ceremony was put on by Life Support, to thank Brittany for all of her hard work in their community. In the end, they decided that instead of focusing on the fact that she was gone that they should go around and share stories of how they would remember her.

Kurt spoke first. He talked about how well they got along when they first met and how vivacious she always was about life. She was the one that convinced him to join Life Support and would even give him private dance lessons to help with his routines for the Club. Quinn was next. She spoke about how people were often put off by Brittany’s forwardness and her ability to make friends wherever she went. That she was always dancing and willing to put on a show for anyone and how she entertained tourists. Finn took the stage after Quinn. For awhile he would look down at her closed casket, fighting for the words to say. He chewed on his bottom lip and right as Quinn was about to intervene he looked out over the congregation. Finding his words, he stood up straighter and said, “She always said how lucky we were to be friends” his lips turned up into a smile, “but it was us who were the lucky ones.”

Santana was last. Her walk to the altar was slow and she dragged her hand along the smooth wood of the lid to her casket. Tears were already fighting to fall from her eyes as she looked out into the pews. She licked her lips and struggled to stay composed. Her hand grasped onto a large picture of Brittany smiling and that was all it took for the tears to spring free.

Every word was drawn out and dripping with emotion as Santana sang to the picture of Brittany. A single tear fell onto the glass and splashed across her cheek. She wiped it away with her thumb and pictured the last time she had done the same thing to the real Brittany.

She gently kissed the picture before setting in back down on top of the casket. Her eyes lingered over the other pictures, taken at different times in her life. Arms heavy as she reached out to rearrange the frames placement in order to busy her hands.

Santana became more and more emotional and when she knocked over one small frame, she hiccuped and slowly began to lose it. Tears flowed heavily from her eyes as she fixed the frame and then settled her hands on the casket. Her fingernails dug into the wood as her whole body shook with emotion.

Witnessing Santana pour herself into this song brought everyone to their feet. You could feel the pain and hurt that she was experiencing. Blaine ran up onto the altar to steady her. She wrapped one arm around him and he reached up to wipe her tears.

Quinn and Kurt looked at each other and left their pews. They sang along with Santana as they walked up to the altar and stood on her other side.

Finn looked over at Rachel and held out a hand to her. She took it and they walked up the aisle to join their friends on the altar as well. Their voices harmonizing with the others in the process.

They all held on to each other with their voices singing along strong. Santana looked amongst her friends and a faint smile played across her lips.

Finn broke away first and pulled Santana into a bone crushing hug. Blaine and Quinn dropped their arms from around her as she fell into her friend’s affection.

He stepped away from her, setting her down carefully and climbed down the few stairs. This made room for Kurt who took his turn to hug her and rub his hands soothingly across her back.

Kurt kissed her cheek and then joined Finn at the base of the altar. Rachel was quick to take his place. She cried into her shoulder as they cried and Santana had to pat her back.

She pulled a handkerchief from her purse and dabbed her eyes. Finn held out a hand to her once again to help her down the stairs and she pressed her face into his chest as she continued to cry softly.

Quinn and Santana shared a long embrace teetering back and forth. She ran her hands through Santana’s long dark hair and tucked a chunk behind her ear. Santana rubbed her arm and let her hand run down her arm as she slipped away to join the rest of the group.

Blaine was the only one left and Santana turned right into her arms. He kissed her temple as he wrapped his arms around her torso. After one tight squeeze, he let her go and joined everyone else.

They all looked up at Santana as they sang the last lines to her. Santana climbed down the few stairs where she was engulfed into a group hug. Everyone reached out to touch her or hug her. She couldn’t help but smile knowing that she had her friends to help her through this.