Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

A/N: Here it is, guys! The last chapter, finally! And I'd like to thank all of you for reading, reviewing and for adding the story to your favorite/alert list. Thank you for following me in this journey!

A special thank you to WildLilFlower for correcting my errors on this chapter! You're awesome!

I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Have a nice reading!

Chapter Twelve

Hearts of the Ocean

"Balance yourself like a bird on a beam… In the air she goes, up she goes… Come, Josephine, in my flying machine…"

Rachel kept singing as the boat continued to sail in the lost sea. She had a thick blanket draped around her shoulders and melting flecks of ice in the waves of her brown hair. The stars were beginning to dissipate and the sky was getting brighter, tinted in a swirl of pale pink, baby blue and magnificent gold.

Gold. Like Quinn's eyes.

Quinn, who had saved her in every possible way when no one else had attempted to.

Quinn, who had swept her off her feet and made her fall in love.

Quinn, who was currently asleep in her lap under a few layers of blankets.

Rachel smiled at the sight of the woman she loved and caressed her golden hair gently.

When the Carpathia finally came into view, Rachel sighed in relief.

They were safe.

She kept singing.

"One, two, now we're off, dear, say you pretty soft, dear…"

~;~

"Even after a disaster, there's still separation by classes. I don't know if I should be pissed off or amused."

Rachel smiled and kissed Quinn's forehead. "Be amused, please. I don't like to see a frown on this pretty face." She playfully tapped Quinn's nose with the tip of her finger and squealed delightfully when Quinn grabbed it and gave a soft bite.

"Incorrigible brat." Rachel murmured.

Quinn giggled and got up from her previous position. She had been resting her head on Rachel's lap for a few minutes under the other girl's insistence. Quinn had tried to protest, but Rachel would have none of it. The artist had a minor case of hypothermia and Rachel wanted to make sure the blonde wouldn't do anything reckless.

Plus, she was still shaken by the fact that she'd almost lost the artist, so she wanted to be as close to her as possible.

"I'm fine now," Quinn commented observing the employees of Carpathia walking around the third class deck collecting names of survivors. "We should search for our friends."

Rachel nodded. "Indeed, we should. It's a little chaotic right now, though. Where do you think we should even start?"

"Maybe we can-"

"Quinn! Quinn!" Before the artist could even process what was going on, a flash of raven hair flew over her face before she was embraced tightly against a soft body that was shaking violently with sobs. It was only when she heard frantic curses in Spanish that she relaxed and circled her arms around her best friend.

"Shh… I'm alright, Santana. I'm alright, San." She cooed rubbing the woman's back. From the corner of her eyes she could see Brittany hugging Rachel and smiling at them.

"Yo juro, Fabray, si me asustas así de nuevo, yo voy… Yo voy… Amo-te tanto, tu loca*!" She cried. Quinn wiped her tears away and held the brunette's cheeks affectionately.

"Hey," she said. "You know that I'm a trouble maker. It's in my nature." She joked, gaining a light slap on her shoulder from Santana. But the brunette was smiling through her tears, so she knew everything was ok. "And I love you too, San. I'm so glad you're alright." Quinn said, embracing her again.

"I'm serious, Fabray, don't scare me like that again." Santana said stepping out to hug Rachel. "Berry, for goodness sake, put Q's head on track. God, she's so fucking reckless."

Rachel chuckled nodding. "I agree."

Quinn rolled her eyes and circled her arms around Brittany. "Britt, tell them I'm not reckless."

"You are reckless, Quinn." The girl said chuckling. "I'm sorry."

"Not fair." Quinn said pouting. She then looked around them searching for more familiar faces and felt her heart break when she found no one. "Are there… Are there more survivors?" She asked in a small voice. Santana sighed.

"No. Blaine and Kurt, they… They didn't make it." She informed. Rachel lowered her head as silent tears slid down her face.

"Neither did Noah." She said. "That's not fair."

Quinn enveloped Rachel in a warm hug and ran her fingers through her brown waves of hair. "It really isn't." She agreed.

"It's all so fucked up," Santana said angrily. "I tried to search for you guys when Britt and I got into a boat, but they wouldn't let me. That's just… Fuck."

"Is there an employee around here with the list of survivors?" Quinn asked. "Maybe we can find a familiar face."

"Yes, I want to know if Mercedes is alright and… My mother." Rachel whispered. Even thought she wanted nothing to do with her mother anymore, the brunette still worried about her and wanted her safe. She felt Quinn gently tighten her grip on her and she leaned into her gratefully.

"Both of them are alright. Brittany and I actually got acquainted with Mercedes," Santana told them. "And your mom's just fine last we saw. Well, she was whining about the fact that you wasted your marriage." Santana said scoffing. Then she squeezed Rachel's hand softly when the girl's expression saddened. "I'm so sorry, Berry. No one deserves a mother like that."

"It's alright." Rachel said whipping her tears away. "You guys are my family now. I'll be ok." She said.

"We also saw your ex-fiancée looking for you a while ago, Rachel." Brittany commented. "What do you think he wanted?"

Rachel huffed. "Fix a broken engagement, for sure." She said. "But I'm afraid he won't find that trapped girl anymore. She sank with the Titanic." Then, she kissed Quinn's hand and said: "Besides, my heart is completely occupied by someone else." Quinn smiled and kissed her temple.

"You two are so sappy." Santana said, even though she was intertwining her fingers with Brittany's. "But I forgive you."

"Sure, sure, Santana." Quinn said.

"So…" Brittany sing sang when the first drops of the rain started falling from the grey sky. "What happens next?"

"We're in fate's hands." Santana replied kissing her lips. "And frankly, as long as we're together, I'm sure I can face anything. Let's find out what the future holds for us…"

A few years later…

The women's future was brighter than any of them had ever imagined and it was partially thanks to one Holly Holliday, Brittany's aunt. Holly was an enthusiastic woman with blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes like her niece's. She was way ahead of her time and owned a modest tavern called The Hollidazes and a humble house, which she was more than happy to offer as a roof for the four girls. She became their protector and loved each of them as her own daughters, taking care of them and helping them move forward.

"Never be afraid of fighting. We live in a concrete jungle, so you must be strong and survive," she'd tell them. "If you want something, go ahead and get it. And remember: I'll always be here for you in the aftermath."

And so they moved on ahead, each with their own dreams and abilities.

Rachel started auditioning for a few plays on Broadway and with her talented voice it was no surprise that she got some roles. She didn't start of as the lead, but she knew all she had do was to be patient. It was only the beginning of her career after all. Besides, just the feeling of freedom that she got from being on stage was enough to fill her heart with joy. Quinn was always a constant presence in the shows, always sitting in the front row and clapping the loudest. The actress never failed to blow her a kiss after curtain call.

The blonde also decided to improve her artistic skills. She started sending her paintings to a few galleries and after a couple of tries, an expositor decided to hire her as one of his exclusive painters. It didn't pay much, but it gave her the chance to learn a lot of new techniques with some experienced artists. They all were confident that Quinn would become a famous artist pretty soon.

Santana and Brittany were, of course, extremely proud of their friends and the sentiment was reciprocated.

It turned out that Santana was really gifted in the world of finances and her clever administration took The Hollidazes to another level. The once small and modest tavern became an expansive and successful establishment during the final years of 1910's. The soldiers who were returning home from World War I were a constant presence in the animated nights of the bar and they found comfort in the friendly atmosphere and sweet melodies it offered. Brittany made sure to include a little bit of the Irish culture in the business and the customers didn't mind it when she entertained them with tales of her beloved homeland.

Mercedes and her now husband, Sam Evans, always made sure to visit The Hollidazes whenever they could. Mercedes had become good friends with the four girls and felt much more comfortable among them than with the selected circle of the high society.

When she wasn't busy rehearsing or performing on Broadway, Rachel sang in The Hollidazes and the enthusiastic applauses she received after each songs never ceased to make her incandescently happy. After her shows, she always danced with Quinn, exhilarated by the sounds of the enchanting waltz and the feel of her love's delicate body and steady heartbeat against hers.

Once a year; she'd dedicate her songs to Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson and Noah Puckerman; three of her dearest friends that would forever have a place in their hearts. Quinn had made a beautiful portrait of their friends and when someone would ask about the men on the paintings; Santana would tell them about the nice boy with bright red shoes, the wise guy with a bow tie and the brave man who was nothing like his father.

They became well known figures in the Brooklyn streets, which made the women swell with pride.

The Berry-Fabray greatest success happened in the same year and they celebrated it with much love and gratitude.

Quinn became a postmodernist artist and along with a great number of important painters she started to tear down the barrier between fine and high arts in order to welcome the popular culture. Her drawings showed a darker view of the society that had changed after the war and many well-known galleries were more than happy to expose her art. On the 7th of July, 1921, on Quinn's 28th birthday, her art gained high ranks from international artists and suddenly, investitures were not a problem for her any longer. She had become a first class painter.

Two weeks later, they had yet more news to celebrate. After gaining headline after headline for her great performances on stage, Rachel was invited by one of the most respectable musical directors to be the lead actress of the play "Dearest Enemy." The following morning after the opening night, all of the newspapers were praising her talent and from that day on, her name shone like a thousand stars and everybody swooned for the girl with the fantastic voice and beautiful brown eyes. People would toss her flowers every night, but she'd only take a single gardenia, kiss it and smile at the pretty girl with golden hair and bright hazel eyes in the first row.

The pair bought a comfortable house for themselves in the Bronx, but they still liked to have sleepovers at Holly's house on weekends to catch up on the news of their friends. Thanks to Santana's and Brittany's hard work, Holly's house had expanded and was much cozier.

They had some tumultuous time along their road but together, they went through everything. Quinn was there for Rachel when Shelby appeared on their doorstep demanding a wealthy allowance after she found out about her daughter's success. The blonde took the girl's shaky hand as she stood firm in the front of her mother and held her lovingly afterwards, whispering sweet words into her ear.

Rachel was there for Quinn when they received the unexpected visit of Judy Fabray who was in town with an oblivious Russell Fabray for a business trip. She shyly gave Quinn a peach pie – her favorite – and kissed her cheek before saying she was proud of her but, sadly, she couldn't see her again because Russell would not approve it. Quinn held back her tears until her mother said good-bye and then held on to Rachel for dear life. Rachel kissed her and made love to her that night, making sure to tell the artist how much she loved her and that she'd never leave her.

They always overcame those sad situations, loving each other and going on journeys. Quinn made sure to keep all the promises she had made to Rachel the second time they had met on Titanic. They fooled around on the beach; they rode horses like cowboys; they went on roller coasters and visited a great quantity of countries.

There was only one more place they had yet to go and Rachel saved it for last on purpose.

She wanted to officially say good-bye to a sad past in a beautiful and special place.

The singer breathed in the salty air of Santa Monica's empty pier and smiled happily. The moon was full and its reflex in the dark sea was mesmerizing. The breeze blew through her making her blue dress flow and her hair dance. She felt at peace.

If anyone had told her nine years ago that she'd be this happy, she'd tell them they were nuts. Never before had she imagined that she'd achieve her long sought-after freedom, much less that she'd be a successful performer on Broadway.

She'd never, ever imagine that she'd find the love of her life either. Besides all the circumstances, Rachel was grateful for the Titanic. It truly had changed her life.

"Penny for your thoughts, beautiful girl?" A playful voice said behind her. Rachel smiled and turned around to face the woman she vowed to spend the rest of her life with. Her heart fluttered, like always, at the sight of Quinn; clad in a long grey skirt and white bottom down shirt. She was smiling tenderly at her; her greenish eyes were shining with love. Rachel reached her and circled her arms around the blonde's neck.

"I was just thinking how lucky I am to be free, successful and to have you." Rachel said kissing Quinn's lips.

"Hmm, these are good thoughts." Quinn purred biting Rachel's bottom lip teasingly. "Although, I might disagree with your last statement. I think I'm the one who is lucky to have the brightest star of the universe here in my arms."

A pretty blush covered Rachel's cheeks as she hid her face on the crook of Quinn's neck. "You're always seducing your way through my heart, Quinn Fabray." She cooed caressing the girl's arms. "But please don't stop, because it feels so good to hear you say things like that."

Quinn smiled and kissed her forehead. "I don't plan to stop, love. I'm your 'incorrigible and completely crazy about you' brat, remember?"

Rachel giggled and kissed the artist's neck. She smirked when Quinn moaned and repeated her action. "Oh, yes, I do remember. And I reciprocate the feeling. Very much so."

Quinn started to sway their bodies gently around the pier; watching in awe as the pale moonlight created a stunning halo over Rachel's petite form. She smiled when Rachel chuckled after she twirled her gently in their silent waltz. "You know, you never told me why you saved this trip for last." Quinn commented. "I'm curious, little star."

"Impatient, aren't we, Miss Fabray?" Rachel teased. Quinn hummed and twirled Rachel one last time; flushing her body against the brunette's back.

"Just a little bit." She chuckled kissing the tip of Rachel's ear. The singer trembled pleasantly at the sensation of Quinn's warm breathe against her neck.

"Well, you sort of know the reason," she said. She searched inside the pocket of her dress for a moment before emerging with a heavy blue diamond necklace. The Heart of the Ocean. "This is the reason."

Quinn hummed in understanding. "I'm curious though. Why this place?"

Rachel turned around in her arms and cupped the artist's cheeks lovingly. "Because I felt like I had a way out of my trapped life the first time you mentioned this magical place." She said. "You told me all the things we could do together here and I felt like there were no chains restricting me anymore. And it's in this special place that I want to say good-bye to the last remnants of my past."

Quinn smiled nodding and she bent down to lock their lips once more. "You always keep saying that I saved your life, but you never realize that you've also saved mine. You're here for me, love. That's all I want. I love you, Rachel. So very much.."

"I love you too, Quinn." Rachel said kissing her. "Come with me?" At the blonde's nod, Rachel took her hand and walked towards the railing of the pier. She looked into the blonde's encouraging smile one last time before tossing the Heart of the Ocean into the sea. The soft waves took it away and she rested her head on Quinn's chest; smiling contentedly at the artist's steady breathes.

"Oh, a moment of bliss we spent, our hearts were filled with a song of romance as into the night we went and sang our hearts in content…" Rachel sang while thumbing her fingers on Quinn's forearm in the same tempo as her heartbeat.

"What happened to Josephine? I thought that was song." Quinn teased.

"We got something better." Rachel said intertwining their fingers. "You see, Josephine needed a machine to go up in the sky, but I…" She whispered closing the distance between them. "I got to go to the stars with you."

They joined their lips again under a dazzling constellation as their confidant.

* I swear it, Fabray, if you scare me like that again I'll... I'll... I love you so much, you reckless person!

A/N2: So, that's it! I hope you liked it. Now, please, review and let me know what you think about this story!

See you in our next adventure, guys!