A.N. - I finally got a break in my schedule so here is the final chapter of this story. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/alerted/favorited this story. I hope you enjoyed taking this little journey with me.

Claire - Thanks for pointing out about the song. I didn't mean to falsely give credit to Lea Salonga for that song, I just went with the version I felt that Rachel Berry, self-proclaimed Broadway afficionado, would be most familiar with.

I would also like to thank Jenny and Justine for being my unofficial betas on this story. You're the best and I love you both!

Holly Holliday was back! She really shook things up the last time she was here and as usual, she was making waves again. The kids really respond to her and she always seems to be able to bring them together. The newly reformed celibacy club was headed up by Emma and shock of all shocks, Rachel and Quinn were its only two members. As his mission of getting the glee kids more informed about the "intricacies of adult relationships" progressed, he noticed that Puck wasn't his normal badass self bragging about his sexual conquests. Emma told him that he even joined the celibacy club.

Rachel was utterly confused at Noah joining the celibacy club. Especially since he has been pretty vocal about wanting to get into Lauren's pants and "motorboating the twins." She still had no idea what that meant, but everyone else seemed to find it hilarious. "Are you lost Noah?"

Quinn piped in. "Yeah, you don't belong here, you're the biggest French whore of them all."

"Zizes and I were going to make a sex tape. I found out that making that tape would result in my arrest. I've hit rock bottom and I've come here to set myself straight."

Emma was ecstatic to have another member. "That's just awesome Noah and you're just in time, because tomorrow, the girls and I are going to perform a song for glee club extolling the benefits of celibacy."

Rachel looked particularly excited about this number, she couldn't seem to suppress her smile. If she was down with it, then he could get on board. "I'm down for that. Point of order, though. While three chicks and me is just a typical Saturday night in the Puckerman bedroom, it's not the best balance for singing. We need at least one more dude."

Rachel remembered about him bragging that his songwriting abilities far outweighed hers. He seemed to know about the balancing of voices for harmony and he played the guitar and piano. Maybe she didn't give him enough credit.

After the debacle that was "Afternoon Delight," Rachel was pleased to see that Noah not only stuck with the celibacy club, but that most of the glee kids joined as well. After the meeting, she asked him to stay behind to stack the chairs. She wanted to talk to him about writing a song for Regionals.

"Noah, I'm sorry that I stormed out on you last week. You're right, singing about losing a love that was never really yours to begin with was not great material for an original song. Would you be willing to help me so that we can kick ass at Regionals? I really want to win and go on to Nationals."

Puck was all prepared to gloat and give her a hard time about it, but there was something in her voice and her eyes. Her vulnerability…it was quite an endearing quality. She didn't show it all that much. Probably because she was afraid that people would take advantage of it. Somehow, she trusted him not to go too far. This wasn't just about winning a competition anymore, this was about proving herself to the other glee kids and showcasing her talent to the world. A star's radiance stems from the person's confidence and he was happy to help her get hers back because her light deserves to touch as many people as it can. Being in the presence of her radiance elevates his mood and confidence considerably.

"Rachel, you have plenty of experiences to draw from. People love drama. They love angst and heartbreak. I know that we have plenty of that in our pasts and even right now in our present lives. They love triumph over those things even more. You and me, we have a lot in common. We've gotten knocked down more than most people our age, but look at us, we're still here and we're still fighting to do and be better. Sure we make plenty of mistakes along the way, but the goal of life is not to get through it perfectly. There's no one handing grades out at the end. We just have to keep getting up until we get it right."

Rachel never felt more inspired than at that moment. She was so glad she swallowed her pride and asked for Noah's help. He was absolutely right about everything and the lyrics were flying into her head like crazy right now. "Let's get to the choir room, I have an idea for the perfect song." Before they left, she felt the need to apologize again. "Noah, I owe you an apology, I never should have blown you off like that last week."

"No worries Berry. One of these days you're going to shock me and actually listen to me the first time out."

She was glad he was such a good sport and didn't give up on her as easily as the others did. He put his arm out for her and escorted her to the choir room where they spent the rest of the afternoon writing their ticket to Nationals.

Rachel walked into the choir room next day with all the confidence in the world. "Get it Right" and "Loser Like Me" were amazing songs and they were going to blow the audience and judges away. It was easy for people of any age to relate to these songs, and people love rooting for the underdogs. She hit the club with the two songs with the help of the band and the club finally saw the light and got on board with it. Puck let her take all the credit. He actually made sure that each one of them was aware that she was right all along.

Will looked around and saw the club as a true team once again. He also saw the humility of Puck. He knew that he helped her. They came in and started composing the song yesterday afternoon. They were so focused that they didn't even notice that he was there the whole time. Here he was making sure that everyone showered her with praise. Suddenly, as if he was hit by a Mack truck, everything made sense to him. Puck was so completely in love with her. He's aware of it, but refuses to admit it because he wants to wait until she's in a good place and completely over Finn. They needed to get through Regionals first, but the second the competition was over, his new goal in life was to make sure that Rachel doesn't miss what's right in front of her.

New Directions blew away the competition. The judges loved that their music was original and that their dance moves were innovative. Their chemistry as a group had never been better and even Kurt and the Warblers congratulated them on winning before the winners were announced. Rachel told Finn before the competition to listen carefully to the words of "Get It Right" because she was singing it to him. Noah overheard her telling him this and smiled to himself. He knew the meaning of the song better than anyone and he knew it was her way of finally moving on.

The crowd had cleared out and all the pictures were taken. Rachel was sitting at the front of the stage watching Finn and Quinn walk out of the auditorium together. A tear escaped from the corner of her eye and she started searching her purse for a tissue. Mr. Schue saw her and came up and sat down next to her.

"Rachel, I know how hard it is to watch Finn move on so quickly, but I want you to know that this is not the end of the world. Do you remember that speech I gave you when you had a crush on me?"

Rachel thought back to that day. She had that speech memorized. She contemplated the meaning of that speech. I know it's not always easy for you, Rachel. And I know that there are some things about yourself that you think you'd like to change. But you should know that there's some boy out there who's going to like you for everything you are including those parts of you that even you don't like. Those are going to be the things he likes the most.

"I remember that speech. It was a beautiful sentiment Mr. Schue. Your words gave me hope. I really thought that Finn was that boy you were talking about. That's why it hurts so much."

"Rachel, I know for a fact that Finn isn't that guy for you. He was always giving you a hard time about who you were, trying to change you. He always said that he loved you in spite of yourself, the guy who really loves you will love you because of those things that other people may find annoying or unattractive."

"I know I'm a tough person to get used to Mr. Schue. Do you really believe that there is someone out there who will love me just as I am?"

"I not only believe it, I know for a fact that there is someone who already loves you that way."

"You better not be talking about Jacob Ben Israel, because I will be forced to resort to violence again."

Will laughed and was glad that there was some humor coming through. "I'm going to tell you a story. I'm going to ask two things of you though. One, please listen carefully to what I'm saying…and two, please don't interrupt me."

She was a bit surprised at the seriousness of his tone, but agreed. "Okay."

"I want you to know what I see in regards to this special guy who is out there waiting for you. I see a guy who is misunderstood and judged too quickly and harshly by others, but once you get to know him, he's actually a really great guy who you can depend on. I see a guy who sang a song for you, just to prove that he had leading man potential because he knows how important that is to you. I see a guy who took a slushie in the face for you, yet still chose you over football, knowing full well that his popularity would take a huge hit. I see a guy who didn't even get mad at you for spilling a big secret that wasn't yours to tell and that completely turned his world upside down. You don't know this, but he took the Glist off your locker because he knew it would hurt you. He agreed to go along with and perform that awful song, 'Run Joey Run' just because you asked him to. He notices when you don't show up for rehearsal and feared that you would leave the group to be with your mother. He was the first to jump to your defense when you got egged by Jessie and the rest of Vocal Adrenaline. He likes your fiery side and even likes to tease you and rile you up to bring it out. He's not afraid to tell you when he thinks you're wrong or when he thinks you're selling yourself short. He was the first to jump to your defense when the whole group was turning on you in the green room at Sectionals. He sang a duet with you just so you wouldn't feel bad about yourself and take all the blame for your breakup with Finn. He worked hard to get everyone to go to the party at your house and when you needed him most to write the songs for this competition, he not only helped you, but made sure that you got all the credit. He can keep up with you and challenges you to be even better than you already are and I've never once seen him make you feel bad about yourself. Now, I don't know about you, but if there was a woman who loved and cared about me even a fraction as much as this guy cares about and loves you, I would grab onto her and never let her go."

Rachel was stunned into silence. The signs were right in front of her this whole time and she was too blinded by her obsession with Finn to see them. Now that Mr. Schue pointed all these things out, she felt a bit foolish that she hadn't seen it all along. The hurt she was feeling about her breakup with Finn was starting to slip away. Will could see that she was still reeling and in a state of disbelief so he continued on.

"Do you want to know what I see in you around him?" She nodded, so he continued. "In you I see a girl who is more lighthearted and confident in herself. I see a girl who is much more likable and approachable. You have this glow about you, an unmistakable radiance that outshines any insecurity or vulnerability that you may have and I can tell that you feel safe with him and that you trust him. When everyone else had written him off as a screw up, you were concerned about him. You run to him whenever you have a problem that you can't solve on your own. During your duet, the chemistry between you two was so apparent and you were lost in your own world with him that I'm surprised you even knew there were 20 other people in the room with you guys. You let all your defense mechanisms down when you're around him, and you also jumped to his defense when the football players made fun of him after your song. I've never seen you that wildly passionate about anything or anyone else. You're willing to fight for him, and you don't even condone violence. You're funny, caring, and kind…Rachel, you're the best version of yourself that I've ever seen when you're around him."

"Do you really think so?" There was no more hurt in her heart, in its place were hope and excitement.

"I know so."

"I have to go find him."

"I think he's still backstage packing up the sheet music and his guitars." He couldn't help smiling, knowing that things were about to change for the better for everyone, especially the glee club. With Rachel and Puck leading the way, they had a real shot at winning Nationals.

Rachel moved like a bullet looking for him. She found him in the green room, checking all corners of the room to make sure that no one had forgotten anything. "Noah, I'm so glad I caught you before you left. I have something very important to ask you."

The intensity in her eyes was a bit fierce, but he knew that look. She wanted something and she wasn't leaving until she got it.

"'Sup Berry?"

He knew that irritated her. "Noah, what did I tell you about that greeting? You know it's not proper and you don't want to give people the wrong impression about you…"

He chuckled to himself. He loved it when he could wind her up to the point of rambling. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes, not caring if he cut her off. "You wanted to ask me something important?"

"Oh right, right. Well, what I wanted to ask you was…well, I was just wondering…"

She was back to the rambling except this time she going on and on in half-spoken sentences or questions or whatever. "Rachel, slow down and take a deep breath. I'm not going anywhere."

That calmed her down a lot. "I wanted to ask you if you're really serious about Lauren. I want the truth though."

She finally figured it out. He couldn't lie to her, not when she specifically asked him for the truth like this. "I'm not in love with her or anything like that. I just acted like it because I needed to make sure I didn't mess anything up."

"Mess what up?"

"Mess up my chances with another girl down the road. See, this girl that I like isn't really available at the moment, I mean, she's single, but I don't think she's emotionally ready for a relationship. I know myself, if I don't have anything to focus on, I might do something that would mess up my chances with her. I knew that Lauren would be a challenge so focusing my efforts on her ensured that I would be kept busy and out of this girl's way."

He really did love her. Puck wouldn't have cared and would have gone after her without a second thought just because he wanted her. With her he was Noah, a really great guy with an edge to keep him interesting. Even now, being honest with her without telling her the specifics, he was still protecting her because he still felt that she wasn't ready for what he was offering.

"What if I told you that I had it on good authority that she is ready?"

She looked up at him and could see that he was happy, yet still cautious about taking the step forward, so she did it for both of them. She put her hands on the sides of his face and pulled him toward her for their first real kiss. He was afraid that he was going to lose his balance because his legs and arms felt like jelly, so he tightened his grip on her. He couldn't believe what was happening right now. He had dreamed of this moment, but never once did he dream that she would be the one to make the first move.

Fireworks weren't big enough to describe what was going on in Rachel's mind and heart right now. The passion was so intense it felt like she was on fire, but it was the kind of fire that you hold on to for survival. She knew for the rest of her life that she didn't want to go a single day without feeling the passion of his kisses.

Their fire seemed to consume all the oxygen in the room and they pulled apart so they could breathe. He rested his forehead against hers and asked, "What made you realize?"

"Believe it or not, it was Mr. Schue. It turns out he's been watching us for a while now and decided that it was the perfect time to point it out."

When Mr. Schue said that he owed Noah one for getting Lauren to join the club, he never expected that it would be this. He noticed the glint of her necklace and placed the charm on his fingers so that he could look at it. It was the celibacy club swag that everyone was sporting. "Does this mean that I get the key to your heart?" He couldn't wipe that cheesy smile off his face.

"Oh Noah, you didn't need the key…you picked that lock a long time ago."

He put his arm around her as they walked out towards his car. "I guess I better get to work on that lock on your belt."