2x21: Ready To Go

Episode Synopsis: Finn battles with his self-confidence as Nationals draws closer. Puck finds out Quinn's new boyfriend's job and goes to confront her about it. Marley decides to rejoin New Directions after encouraging words from Puck but worries they might have replaced her, leaving Puck with the mission to bring her back, all while he discovers his love for Marley.

"All right everyone!" Finn clapped his hands as his Glee Club stood in the dance studio. "Now, Nationals is next week and we still need to perfect our dancing, which is why we are dedicating this week to making our footwork smooth! I would like to call this, as my old Glee Club teacher Mr. Schue called this, 'Booty Camp'." Everyone cheered as Finn pointed towards Brittany. "All right, Brittany is going to make sure our dancing is down packed since she's our best dancer. Brittany, take it away!" Brittany skipped over to the front of the room as Finn went to the side.

"All right, let's do this!" Brittany clapped her hands, pointing over towards the music. "And five, six, seven, eight!"

{Finn watches Brittany teach the Glee Club dance moves and his smile slowly diminishes as he looks at everyone}

Finn Voice Over

Nationals are in one week and the closer it is, the more worried I am. I should rephrase that, the closer Nationals are, the more scared I am. I mean, it feels like the fate of this Glee Club is on my shoulders. If we lose at Nationals, we'll go back to the bottom of the food chain and I'll be considered a failure because I couldn't lead this club to a win. If we win, we'll have immortal glory and we'll be at the top, even untouchable by the fencers who are considered the jocks at this school.

{Flashback to Finn lying awake in bed as he looks over at Rachel who's sleeping}

I'm afraid to tell Rachel how I feel about Glee Club, because she might not understand. If I'm being honest, I think Rachel thinks a little too highly of me, and I'm not all that's cracked up to be. Everyone in the house now sees me as someone who knows where his life is heading. The truth is I have no I idea. I usually spend my nights staring at the ceiling, telling myself what's the worst that can happen. Oh right, we lose Nationals and are greeted at NYADA with a bunch of slushies. I'm not ready for disappointment. I've failed one too many times in my life. I almost failed at graduating high school, I failed at getting into The Actors Studio, I failed in the army and now I'm worried I'm going to fail as a potential teacher and possible Broadway actor.

{Scene changes to Finn sitting on the benches of the dance studio as the other members practice the moves Brittany gives them}

I'm worried I'm not done failing yet. I mean, it's possible I could fail as a husband for Rachel. Like I said, my life is plagued with failure…I just don't want everyone to think I'm incompetent…whatever that word means.

"Finn." Finn broke out of his thoughts when he noticed Brittany snapping her fingers in front of his face. Finn didn't realize he spaced out, but when he looked over at his Glee Club, they were all giving him quizzical looks. "Finn, are you okay?" No, I'm not really okay. I'm terrified, I'm a loser and a failure, Finn thought to himself, but of course he couldn't tell that to the Glee Club. They would never understand.

"Yeah, I'm great." Finn lied, hoping it sounded convincing. Brittany smiled, holding her hand out for Finn to take.

"Are you ready to get your booty into shape with Booty Camp?" Brittany raised an eyebrow, giving Finn a smile. Finn nodded his head, taking Brittany's hand as she pulled him up from the bench. Finn got into his spot next to Rachel as she smiled at him, while Brittany nodded her head slowly. "All right, we're gonna take it from the top! And five, six, seven, eight!"

Finn spent his entire play-writing class the next morning wondering how Nationals was going to play out for Finn Harmonic. Were they going to win? Were they going to lose miserably? Were they even going to place? Finn didn't know what to think anymore—not to mention this play-writing assignment was literally eating his brain out. Finn had done pretty well in NYADA, he surprisingly got straight A's in all of his classes and he was almost everyone's "star pupil" although he wasn't sure why. There was nothing special about him…at least he didn't think so.

"Mr. Hudson?" Finn looked up from his notebook to stare at his professor who gave him a warm smile.

"Yes Professor Kauffman?" Finn said, still gripping onto his pen.

"I just got a call you have a visitor." Professor Kauffman motioned for Finn to head towards the door as Finn grabbed his backpack and notebook.

"I'll hand in my assignment after lunch." Finn promised.

"No worries, Finn." Professor Kauffman flashed a smile as she looked down at her grade book. "Oh, I have your last assignment before you go. Well done." She handed Finn his previous assignment as Finn looked down at the paper. An A+? Finn was amazed—he thought trying to decipher one of the most complex scenes of Les Miserables was the hardest assignment he had to do and yet he got an A+? Finn smiled at his professor as he made his way out of the classroom, heading down towards the hall to go to the main office. As Finn entered the main office, he saw the secretary point to the seat that was to the side and Finn had to admit he was surprised as to who was sitting there.

"Marley?!" Finn's eyes widened, giving her a small smile. Marley looked up from her book, giving Finn a warm smile.

"Hi Finn!" Marley got up from her seat, putting her book in her backpack. Finn went over and gave Marley a hug, staring down at her with interest. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"No, not really…" Finn shrugged. "I mean, I was in the middle of class but my teacher said it was fine. Marley, what's going on?"

"Um, do you have time to talk?" Marley's smile slightly diminished as she gazed at Finn with interest. Finn nodded his head slowly, motioning for her to go ahead. Finn shrugged his shoulders, admitting that he was glad for a distraction.

Finn and Marley decided to head to the Starbucks nearby the school in order to speak, and Finn knew that there was something on her mind. There was also something on his mind as well—he remembered asking Mr. Schuester how Glee Club was and he was informed the club was missing one very important member.

"I'm surprised you never buy coffee." Marley said as Finn took a sip of his iced hot chocolate. "I mean, we are in a coffee shop after all."

"I'm not a fan of coffee." Finn acknowledged as he smiled at her. "I actually hate it. I have drunk it on several occasions and every time I forget I hate it." Finn's smile diminished slightly as he let out a sigh. "So Marley, how's school?"

"School?" Marley stared at Finn, shrugging her shoulder slightly. "School is school."

"All right and how is Glee Club?" Finn questioned. "I mean, New Directions are heading to Nationals next week in Los Angeles."

"Um, I'm sure that they're fine." Marley said. Finn put a hand on Marley's shoulder, giving her a concerned look.

"Marley, why aren't you in Glee Club?" Finn wondered. Finn's question caught Marley off guard and she simply blinked at him. "Mr. Schue explained everything." Marley's confusion wore off and bitterness replaced it.

"I can't be in a place where I'm perceived a bully, Finn." Marley slightly argued. "Every time I walk down the hallway, everyone talks and stares at me…and I don't know what to do about it. I thought it would be easier to just quit Glee Club and run to New York. I mean, that's what you would do, right?"

"Actually, I would have stayed in Glee Club regardless of what anyone thought." Finn gave her a serious look, seeing that she was gazing at him. "I know that you're hurt and I know what they did was wrong…but you not showing up means they've won. Are you going to let them win?"

"So what are you saying? I should go back there, beg for my spot back only for me to be teased and bullied until there's no tomorrow?" Marley questioned, leaning back in her chair.

"You have to stand up for yourself, Marley." Finn stared at her, seeing that she was staring back at him in interest. "I know it's hard to stand up for yourself, but this is something you have to do? I don't want to see you get thrown around like you're nothing. Okay?" Marley nodded her head slowly, running a hand through her hair. "Look, I know you don't want to see New Directions so how about you stay for a couple of days and watch my Glee Club prepare for Nationals." Marley quickly nodded her head and in an instant, she leaned over from her chair and embraced Finn in a hug. Finn smiled softly, patting her back and looking into her eyes. "Come on, let's go. I have a class in fifteen minutes and I'm sure the teacher will let you sit in."

"Ooh, I get to sit in a college class?" Marley sounded impressed as she and Finn exited Starbucks.

"Yeah." Finn smirked. "But I gotta warn you…Dance 101 is not a piece of cake. I have a teacher that's worse than Sue Sylvester."

"You do?" Marley stared at Finn as the two of them went over to the school. "What's her name?"

"Her name?" Finn shuddered as he thought about his dance teacher. "Her name is Cassandra July."

"All right you Rugrats." Cassandra July paced back and forth as the students kept their eyes on her, not wanting to upset or irritate her. She was already in a bad mood and she was one sly remark away from going bat crap crazy. "I have to say I'm impressed…you idiots survived your freshman year at NYADA. There are possibly only two of you that would go on to be big Broadway stars, but then there are some of you who don't have any rhythm in your legs…isn't that right, Jack the Giant?" Cassandra turned her eyes towards Finn, seeing that he was watching her with his hands folded. "I'm surprised on how you were able to pass this class, I mean it's not an easy task, as you know…I even question how you got into this school, seeing that you're a terrible dancer and you wouldn't know what soul was unless it bit you in the ass."

"Did you have to spend the last 45 minutes ridiculing me?" Finn wondered, gazing at Cassandra with interest.

"Don't I do that every week?" Cassandra smirked, turning back around to face her other students. "Now, since this is the last class of the semester and of your freshman year, I just wanted to say what an honor it was to watch all of you fail this year…" Finn's eyes widened as he noticed Marley looking up from her book, gawking at Cassandra. "Unfortunately I can't fail you for any reason, even though I would love to. So, I'm going to let you little kids go with this information. This year was tough…next year, if you all can live through next year, will be tougher. Class dismissed." Cassandra saw the students get up from their seats and hastily making their way out of the room, but Cassandra's eyes fell on Finn as she pointed towards him. "You…don't go anywhere." Finn looked around, seeing everyone was leaving before letting out an exasperated sigh.

"What else can you possibly do to dwindle my self-esteem?" Finn groaned, holding his backpack tight to him.

"You know, I overheard that you and your Glee Club are going to Los Angeles next week and competing for a National title." Cassandra pretended to sound interested before her face became stern. "You're going to lose Nationals and you're going to fail your Glee Club." As if I wasn't already worried about this, Finn thought to himself, being careful not to share his thoughts aloud.

"I am not going to fail them." Finn didn't sound confident in himself, causing Cassandra to laugh.

"I love when my students are insecure." Cassandra walked circles around Finn, seeing he was holding his backpack tighter to him. "It makes them easier to pick apart. I still question how you got into this school and I question what Madame Tibideaux actually sees in you. You're nothing special." Marley continued to watch Finn stare at Cassandra, finally noticing he was feeling threatened. "I seem to have found a crack in your armor. Haven't I?" Finn let out a tired sigh, putting his hand up with anger.

"Look, I don't have time to argue with you right now." Finn protested. "I need to go."

"Finn, let me tell you a little secret." Cassandra got in Finn's way, giving him a smirk. "You're not good enough to be in this school. So if I were you, I would pack my bags and get…because you think being a teacher is going to make you someone in this world. You're a nobody…and you'll always be a nobody." Cassandra turned on her heels and left, leaving Finn in the dance studio in shock. What if everything Cassandra said was true? What if Finn really wasn't good enough to be in NYADA? Finn turned around and saw Marley sitting on the bench, giving him a saddened look.

"What if she's right?" Finn questioned, pacing around slowly. "What if I'm not good enough to be here? What if my Glee Club is destined to fail at Nationals and everything just falls apart?"

"Looks like it's hard taking your own advice." Marley jested, causing Finn to let out a sigh.

"All right, smarty pants." Finn smirked before his face turned serious. "Marley…if I can tell you something, do you promise you're not going to tell anyone else? Not even Rachel?"

"I promise." Marley nodded her head as Finn took a seat next to her. "What's the matter?"

"I'm scared…" Finn admitted, looking out at the dance studio. "I'm scared of what the future brings and I'm tired of always failing. I'm tired of being a loser. I just want to go back to that one moment where the New Directions were National Champions. I want to go back to being in the choir room and not having to anticipate my future. Everyone in the club's futures is on my shoulders and if I fail, then they're all going to fail…and it's going to be my fault."

"No it's not." Marley shook her head, giving a smile. "It's not the end of the world and you're not going to fail."

"But what if I do?" Finn silently asked, gaping into Marley's eyes. Marley stared at him, giving him a small smile as she patted his hand.

"You're not going to fail because they're ready. I've seen what they can do." Marley smiled.

"Really?" Finn sounded surprised.

"Yep, Kurt put video of the Sectionals and Regionals performances on YouTube." Marley said. "You're actually quite remarkable. If you can lead them to Sectionals and Regionals wins then you have Nationals in the bag."

"Yeah, but you heard what Cassandra July said…" Finn ran a hand through his hair, causing Marley to get up.

"Finn." Marley gave him a warm grin, seeing that he was looking up at her. "I don't think you're a failure…not at all. You belong here, in New York…in this atmosphere. You're special and you need to stop letting other people tell you that you're not good enough, because guess what…you are." Finn continued to gaze at Marley, seeing she was walking over to the piano that was in the corner of the room. "Everything that's telling you that you can't in your mind, you need to let it go. It's not good to think bad thoughts. If you start distancing yourself from things you love…you're going to hate it...and it's going to be inevitable, because you're just going to come right back to it. That's why you shouldn't listen to what Cassandra or anyone else says when they say you can't do it…" Marley started playing a few keys on the guitar, piquing Finn's interest. As Marley continued to play the piano, Finn simply gazed in awe…and then, Marley started to sing.

{Marley plays the piano and stares over at Finn as she smiles softly towards him}

[Marley]

Something always brings me back to you

It never takes too long

No matter what I say or do

I still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone

You hold me without touch

You keep me without chains

I never wanted anything so much

Than to drown in your love and not feel your rain

Set me free

Leave me be

I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity

Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be

But you're onto me and all over me

{Finn gets up from the bench and makes his way over to Marley as he sits down next to her and starts singing along}

[Finn]

Oh, you loved me 'cause I'm fragile

When I thought that I was strong

[Marley and Finn]

But you touch me for a little while

And all my fragile strength is gone

Set me free

Leave me be

I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity

Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be

But you're onto me and all over me

[Finn]

I live here on my knees

As I try to make you see

That you're everything I think I need here on the ground

[Marley]

But you're neither friend nor foe

Though I can't seem to let you go

The one thing that I still know is you're keeping me down

[Marley and Finn]

You're keeping me down (Marley: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

You're on to me, on to me, all over…

[Marley]

Something always brings me back to you

[Marley and Finn]

It never takes too long

Marley put the cover over the piano keys, keeping her eyes locked on Finn's. She continued staring at him for a few moments, giving him a small smile.

"What?" Finn chuckled seeing that Marley was still looking at him.

"Um, it's just…" Marley looked away for a moment before gazing back at him. Marley considered telling Finn her revelations about her long lost brother being right in front of her…but she couldn't bring herself to do it. "We should duet more often."

"Yeah, we should." Finn smiled, bringing Marley into a hug. "Thank you Marley."

"You're welcome." Marley softly said, gripping onto Finn tightly. Finn smiled softly as he looked down at her, enjoying the bonding moment—but he still wasn't sure whether he belonged at NYADA or in the city…

"Noah!" A familiar voice shrilled in the loft that evening, revealing it to be Rachel as she came out of the bathroom looking annoyed. "Noah Puckerman, come out this instant!" As Rachel entered the kitchen, she spotted Puck…reading a book?

"Oh, hi Rachel." Puck innocently said as he flipped through one of the pages. "This book is fantastic."

"Can it Puckerman." Rachel crossed her arms. "I'm going to ask you one time and one time only…where is my cellphone that I left in Finn's drawer!"

"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about…" Puck shrugged his shoulders before pointing to the book. "Oh look, Edward's about to profess his love to Bella."

"Noah! Stop reading Twilight and listen to me!" Rachel huffed, crossing her arms.

"You mean you left your phone next to the box of condoms Finn bought? Interesting...I just want to know what you were going to use themfor." Puck smirked, noticing that Rachel was becoming more annoyed. "Were you going to use them and blow them up like balloons, because I hear they make great balloons in a pinch for a birthday party?"

"You know what Finn and I use them for, and that's not what we're arguing about." Rachel gritted her teeth. "Give me my phone, Puck. Please?"

"All right, all right." Puck picked up his book, revealing Rachel's phone on the kitchen table. "I just wanted to see frustrated Rachel." Puck smirked, throwing the phone towards her. "Now…get back to pleasuring your husband."

"You annoy me sometimes." Rachel turned on her heels, going back towards the bedroom.

"You still love me anyway." Puck called out. Rachel released a half smirk, knowing that Puck was slightly telling the truth.

"You're lucky I do..." Rachel muttered. She opened and closed the room door again as Puck looked through the book on the table. "Who reads this garbage?" As Puck continued to flip through the book, he heard his phone ring. He had to admit he was surprised someone was calling him. Puck looked at the number, appearing astonished by the person that was dialing him. Puck picked up the phone, placing it near his ear as he skimmed through his book. "Hello?"

"Puckerman." It was none other than Tina calling him, and Puck admitted he was astounded. He wasn't that close with Tina, so why was she calling him. "What are you doing right now?"

"Reading Twilight." Puck shrugged his shoulders. "These books are crap on paper."

"Listen to me, I need you to make sure that you're alone because there's something I need to tell you and it's important." Puck looked over towards Finn and Rachel's room, letting out a shudder as he grabbed his keys from the table.

"All right, just give me a minute." Puck said. Puck opened and closed the loft door, heading downstairs to the nearby park. As Puck sat down on the park bench he let out a sigh. "This better be good, Tina."

"Oh, it is. Do you remember your ex-girlfriend Quinn Fabray?" Puck felt his heart sink slightly at the thought of Quinn.

"Duh, what about Quinn? She's dating that preppy kid that's in her psychology class. Santana told me." Puck shrugged his shoulders.

"So I see you don't know the whole story." Tina said, causing Puck to turn interested.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Puck conjectured. "What don't I know about?"

"Well, her boyfriend Biff…" Tina started before Puck looked staggered.

"Wait, you know his name?" Puck sounded interested.

"Yes, I know his name Puck, now will you listen to me? Biff isn't everything Quinn thinks he is." Tina elucidated. Puck's eyebrow went up as he stared over at the phone. "He has a side job…"

"If you say he's a prostitute, I'm gonna kick his ass." Puck felt his voice turn brusque as his mind immediately went towards Quinn.

"No, he's not a prostitute." Tina sighed. "It's much worse. He sells prescription pills on the down low to other students at Yale." Puck thought it wasn't as bad as being a prostitute but he didn't comprehend the horror of it all.

"Wait, what?" Puck scratched his head, still holding the phone close to his ear.

"You heard me Puckerman, Quinn's new beau…is a drug dealer." As soon as Tina said those words, Puck's eyes enlarged and he became manic.

"Wait, has he been selling prescription drugs to Quinn?" Puck felt the anger rise in his voice.

"Well, I have been hearing that she has been acting squirrely lately." Tina supposed. "I mean, it could be from finals…or it could be from Biff giving Quinn prescription drugs to help her study." Puck looked down at his watch, seeing that it was 11 in the evening. It would have been too late for him to take a train to Connecticut. He planned on going…but he needed a plan first.

"FINN!" Puck screamed as he came into the house, heading towards Finn and Rachel's room. He knocked on the door, not caring in what activities Finn was engaging in at this point. A moment later, Finn opened the door to the room, appearing in just a t-shirt and grey sweats. He looked like he was sleeping—and he wasn't engaging in funny business with Rachel.

"Puck, what the hell do you want? It's past midnight." Finn sleepily said, yawning and putting his hand to his mouth.

"What the…I thought you and Rachel were…" Puck questioned, seeing that Finn was slightly more awake.

"I wasn't in the mood." Finn admitted. He walked over to the living room, rubbing his temples. "I have a splitting headache, so do you mind telling me what's wrong that has you acting more abnormal than usual?"

"Because something happened to Quinn." Puck sounded frantic. Finn scrunched his face in muddle, staring at his best friend.

"Wait, what happened to Quinn?" Finn asked. "And please don't tell me she's going back to the pink hair, Ryan Seacrest tattoo, I don't give a damn about the world attitude."

"No, her new boyfriend is bad for her." Puck put his hands on Finn's shoulders, shaking Finn with haste. "He's selling prescription drugs and…he's selling them to Quinn!"

"Wait a minute, how do you even know this Puck?" Finn removed Puck's hands from his shoulders. "I mean, it's not like you have a telescope that can see from here to Yale."

"Tina told me." Puck clarified.

"You actually talked to Tina?" Finn sounded fascinated. "How does Tina know all of this? It's like she's the gossip girl."

"Tina knows everything." Puck whispered starkly. "It's creepy. I'm telling you, I'm going to Yale in the morning and I'm going to kick Biff's ass!"

"Puck, you can't just show up at Yale and beat up Biff." Finn cautioned. "You're already on probation for the party incident, may I remind you."

"Stop being the voice of reason for a minute." Puck knew Finn was right, but he felt Quinn was helpless over in Yale. He had to do something!

"Look, I'm sure that everything's going to be fine." Finn said. "Let's just get some sleep before you wake up…" Finn and Puck heard rustling as they turned their head towards one of the room doors. Marley was standing there in her pajamas, looking over at Finn and Puck, feeling a bit tired. "Hey kiddo, what are you doing up?" Finn questioned, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I came to get a glass of water and I heard Puck freaking out." Marley chuckled as Puck colored slightly, still gazing at Marley with misperception. "Let me guess, you're worried about Quinn, right?" Puck nodded his head slowly, seeing Marley was walking over to him. "Then you need to go and be there for her."

"That's the problem." Puck sounded overpowered. "I can't be there for her…she's not even my friend because I was being stupid."

"Then you need to at least work up the courage to be her friend." Marley said. "I know it hurts…not being with the girl you love…but you can't just stop caring about her if you love her. Trust me; I know how these things work." Marley and Puck locked eyes with each other as they both felt their hearts skipping a couple of beats. They both knew they had crushes on each other-but even they knew this was more than just a crush. Marley cleared her throat slightly as she headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Finn and Puck stared at each other with questioning glances, especially with Puck wondering what she was doing here. Shouldn't she be in McKinley?

"Where did she come from?" Puck sounded disordered.

"Puck, you should know this. When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much they..." Finn started to say, but Puck gave Finn an annoyed glance.

"Not that! I know where babies come from! I mean what is she doing here, in this house? Shouldn't she be in Lima?" Puck wondered.

"She's staying for a couple of days…she's had a rough time at McKinley." Finn explained. "The Glee Club's not exactly being that nice to her."

"Is this still about what Bree and Jacob did?" Puck turned towards the kitchen, noticing Marley was still drinking water.

"Yep." Finn followed Puck's gaze towards the kitchen. "I don't know what to tell you, man…I feel so bad for her. Even your brother is kind of siding with the Glee Club and they only want her back for her voice."

"I'm going to talk to her." Puck blurted out, causing Finn to laugh hysterically.

"You? Talk to her?" Finn continued to laugh. "I don't think you can give good advice."

"I think I can." Puck headed to the kitchen, seeing Marley coming out with her water. She stared up at Puck, noticing that he was looking down at her with a worried expression. "Let me guess, you're going to hide here because everyone's treating you like crap back at McKinley. Everyone believed what they wanted to hear…and you were the one that ended up hurt." Marley simply stared at Puck, noticing he was putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know that feeling where everyone thinks you're someone you're not."

"What, so you weren't the school bully?" Marley became muddled.

"I was…but…" Puck led Marley to the couch and sat down with her, taking her hand in his. "Marley, there are going to be people that are going to be cruel and they're going to listen to things they're not supposed to. That's high school for you. It's a cruel world out there…and you only have two more years to endure it. I know it's not fun…and I know you're just a sophomore and it feels like High School is forever, but you have to ignore the hate and focus on doing you. You have to surround yourself around people that love and care about you for you. I know you miss Glee Club and I know they're all being jerks now...but I want you to go back there and I want you to sing because that's when you're the happiest, Marley. And if anyone gives you a hard time, you just let me know and I'll rough them into shape. I still have that power. Don't you ever give up something you love because of someone else, okay? So can you do that for me? Can you go back to Glee Club if I promise I'll come running when you call?" Marley continued to stare at Puck, tightening the grip on his hand as she slowly nodded her head.

"I promise..." Marley smiled softly towards him. "You're pretty good with the advice thing."

"I am?" Puck wondered. "Hmm, I guess I am." Puck turned around and made an 'I told you so' face to Finn. Finn rolled his eyes, ignoring Puck's silent gloating. Puck turned back around, seeing that she was still staring at him. It was almost as if Marley was getting lost in Puck's eyes. Puck had to admit he was getting lost in her eyes as well, but of course Finn was in the room, something that caused Marley to hesitate. "Marley? Are you okay?" Marley shook her head quickly to rid herself of the distraction, getting up from her seat and hugging Puck tightly.

"I'm fine, just tired." Marley lied. "I'm just going to go to bed. Goodnight Puck." Marley held on a moment later, heading towards Finn and giving him a hug. "Goodnight Finn."

"Goodnight Marley." Finn said, seeing she was heading into the room and closing the door behind her. Finn turned around and smirked towards Puck. "You know, if I didn't know any better...I think she really likes you. She doesn't look at anyone like that except for you..."

"What?" Puck scoffed before grinning to himself. "Hmm, maybe..." Puck headed towards his room to get some sleep, leaving Finn in the living room by himself. Finn sat down on the sofa as he stared at the clock. Finn was literally going insane in his mind and while Puck and Marley's problems were a good distraction from his own—he just couldn't stop thinking about Nationals. Every day was one day closer to Nationals and Finn was nervous. What if he couldn't lead his team to a National title? Finn continued to fight his doubts…and he didn't notice Rachel had gotten up from her sleep and spent a few moments staring at him from the hallway. Rachel had to think of something to cheer Finn up, and that was when she had it. Rachel went back into their bedroom and silently closed the door, not wanting Finn to know that she was awake.

Puck was on his way to his bedroom when he turned to open the door, but he heard shuffling feet behind him, which caused him to turn around and spot Marley standing before him. Marley stared up at Puck with a small smile and Puck looked down at her, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Something else you wanted to talk about?" Puck asked, but Marley shook her head, taking a step closer and interlacing her fingers with his. Puck stared down at her, seeing her eyes were looking into his.

"I realized...I didn't thank you back there." Marley whispered, leaning her forehead on his. Puck gazed at her with interest, before realizing what was going to happen next.

"Marley..." Puck softly said but Marley tip-toed to press a kiss to his lips. Puck closed his eyes and responded to her kiss, the two of them standing in the hallway as if they were the only two in the world. Marley parted her lips from his after a minute, as she just gazed at him, wondering why she kissed him again. She knew this was wrong, that she was basically cheating on Jake...but being with Puck felt so right...and for the first time in a long time, he was the only one that made her feel so special and beautiful. "Well...you're welcome." Puck whispered, still gazing into her eyes. Marley took a step into Puck's embrace, leaning her head on his chest as the two of them stood there, not letting anything ruin this moment. Marley knew she had feelings for Puck, but things were more complex and deeper than she thought. She loved him...but she never thought she'd be able to work the courage to tell him. Besides, things were still extremely complicated between her and Jake. Marley looked at him again, putting her forehead to his with a smile.

"Goodnight Noah." Marley softly kissed him again before moving slightly away, putting one on his cheeks as he stared at her. Marley took a step back and headed towards her room, closing the door behind her while Puck stared into space. It couldn't be possible...was he falling for her? No. It couldn't be...? Not at all. Was he...?

{Scene changes to Marley looking out the window and seeing the Manhattan skyline, thinking about what she should do with Puck and the Glee Club}

[Marley]

I made up my mind

No need to think it over

If I'm wrong I am right

No need to look no further

This ain't lust

I know this is love, but

If I tell the world

I'll never say enough

Cause it was not said to you

And that's exactly what I need to do

If I end up with you

Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements

Even if it leads nowhere, oh would it be a waste

Even if I knew my place, should I leave it there

Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements

Even if it leads nowhere, yeah, yeah

{Scene changes to the next morning and Finn walks down the hallway as he looks into his classroom, seeing the members of his Glee Club rehearsing with Brittany. Finn stands there for a few moments, then leaves as he rushes down the hall in sadness.}

I built myself up

And fly around in circles

Waiting as my heart drops

And my back begins to tingle

Finally, could this be it or

Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements

Even if it leads nowhere, oh would it be a waste

Even if I knew my place, should I leave it there

Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements

Even if it leads nowhere, yeah, yeah

{Scene shows Marley walking along McKinley and going to the choir room as she looks excited. She looks through the doorway but her smile diminishes when she sees them working on Nationals and she sees Sugar and Joe in her place. Marley looks saddened and she starts running away from the choir room in sadness}

Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements

Even if it leads nowhere, oh would it be a waste

Even if I knew my place, should I leave it there

Should I give up

{Scene changes to Finn sitting alone in the dance studio as he looks out towards the ballerinas dancing in sadness}

Should I just keep on chasing pavements

Should I just keep on chasing pavements

Oh, whoa, oh

{Scene changes to Marley in the auditorium as she stares out at it, with tears streaming down her face}

Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements

Even if it leads nowhere, oh would it be a waste

If I knew my place, should I leave it there

Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements

Even if it leads nowhere, yeah, yeah

Later that afternoon, Finn was heading towards his final class of the semester—when he heard some familiar voices coming from around the corner. It was Madame Tibideaux and Cassandra July—but what were they talking about? Finn looked around the corner, seeing Cassandra follow Madame Tibideaux towards her office in haste.

"Listen, I'm just thinking that maybe this is the wrong school for him." Cassandra argued. Finn reckoned they were talking about him, but he wasn't quite sure. "I mean, he's a terrible dancer and he's freakishly tall!" Yep, Finn knew that Cassandra was definitely talking about him.

"Cassandra, I have no idea why you are so intent to have Mr. Hudson out of this school." Madame Tibideaux turned around, facing her. "He's been nothing short of extraordinary. The teachers love him, he has one of, if not the highest grades out of the freshman and he's saved the Glee Club. The school was just about to cut the Glee Club seeing that they hadn't made it to Nationals in the last 20 years."

"The little punk spray painted my car last semester!" Cassandra argued.

"Who do you think told him where your car was?" Madame Tibideaux noticed Cassandra turning furious. "Cassandra, you have to understand, we are very lucky he chose to go to school here. With Mr. Hudson's extraordinary talent, he could have gotten into any school of his choosing, yet he decided to come here."

"But he can't dance!" Cassandra felt like she was going to lose her temper any moment. "He's wasting my time here, and I could be teaching someone else who wants to learn how to dance."

"You say he's wasting your time when it comes to dancing, but let me asking you this, Cassandra." Madame Tibideaux folded her hands together. "Is he wasting the Glee Club's time?"

"If they don't win Nationals, yes!" Cassandra nodded her head furiously.

"Regardless whether they place at Nationals or not, this is the farthest they've made it in the last 20 years. I think it's quite an accomplishment." Madame Tibideaux continued to gaze at Cassandra. She turned around and saw Finn around the corner, simply overhearing the conversation. Finn knew there was nowhere for him to hide. "Mr. Hudson, it's very nice to see you." Finn stammered slightly and Cassandra took that as her cue to leave.

"He's still going to lose Nationals!" Cassandra called over her shoulder. Madame Tibideaux pursed her lips before her smile returned to Finn.

"Ignore Ms. July, Finn." Madame Tibideaux stated before motioning for him to follow. "Do you mind if I could speak with you for a moment?"

"Am I in trouble?" Finn immediately tensed up as he followed Madame Tibideaux. He heard her chuckle, causing him to relax a bit.

"No, Mr. Hudson." Madame Tibideaux kept her grin, as he two of them entered her office. Finn took a seat in front of her desk, gazing at Madame Tibideaux with interest. "I noticed that you've been a little tense this week. Your teachers have noticed and so have some of the members of the Glee Club. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine." Finn meekly said, but he knew he couldn't hide the fact he was nervous about Nationals from her. "All right, I'm not really fine. I'm so scared of Nationals Madame Tibideaux. This is the first time I've ever led a Glee Club that far and if I said I wasn't frightened, I'd be lying. I'm just…I'm tired of failing. Every time I try to do something, it turns around and just bites me in the you know where." Madame Tibideaux leaned back in her chair, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Would you like to elaborate?" Madame Tibideaux asked.

"Well…during my senior year of High School, I applied to The Actors Studio…and I was rejected. I entered the army…and I failed at that. I tried to get to know my father, and he died…with me feeling it was all my fault. I barely graduated high school and I thought I was going to be a Lima Loser for the rest of my life. I'm just afraid me leading this club to Nationals isn't a good idea." Finn hung his head low, but Madame Tibideaux simply took out Finn's file. She gave Finn a warm smile, noticing he was beating himself up.

"Finn, you do know the reason you weren't accepted into The Actors Studio was because it was a graduate program, right?" Finn's eyes met Madame Tibideaux's, his mouth hanging open in shock. "According to your file, your audition was superb, the only reason you weren't accepted was because you didn't have any college credentials at the time. They normally don't interview High School seniors, but they knew you were a special case." Finn leaned back in his chair, seeing that Madame Tibideaux was now grinning from ear to ear. "Finn, you're an amazing young man and you're going to do amazing things in your life. You honestly need to stop questioning yourself, because you are extremely talented and you're special. The Glee Club is going to be just fine at Nationals, because you were the one that led them to that point. You need to give yourself more credit." Finn continued to take in Madame Tibideaux's words, feeling his confidence return.

"Wow, so I was good enough to get an interview for The Actors Studio…so that means I'm good enough for this." Finn saw Madame Tibideaux nodding her head. "Thank you, thank you Madame Tibideaux." Finn held out his hand for Madame Tibideaux to shake, and she did so with feeling.

"Anytime, Mr. Hudson." Finn got up from his chair and started to make his way over towards the door—until Madame Tibideaux remembered something. "Oh, Finn?" Finn turned around and noticed Madame Tibideaux going into her drawer and handing Finn a folder. "I'm supposed to wait until the end of the year ceremony but seeing that you're here now…I might as well tell you…you were at the top of your freshman class..." Finn opened his certificate and studied it for a moment. It read:

New York Academy of Dramatic Arts

Certificate of Appreciation

Hereby Awarded To

FINN HUDSON

For Excellence in the areas of musical education and volunteer work

Finn didn't know what to say. He was at the top of his class? That never happened when he was in high school and all of a sudden, he was the star pupil in NYADA. Finn gazed at Madame Tibideaux, releasing a smile.

"Thank you." Finn looked down at the certificate, putting it back in the folder.

"No…thank you." Madame Tibideaux said. "Good luck at Nationals, Finn. I'll be watching from the stands. Now, you might want to get to your final class. I don't want you to get a tardy." Finn nodded his head, going towards the door and exiting the office. As soon as Finn exited the office, Rachel came in from one of the other doors, crossing her arms with a beam. Madame Tibideaux turned towards Rachel, folding her hands. "He really is a remarkable human being, Rachel."

"I know he is…thank you for talking to him." Rachel said. "I don't think he realizes he's done so much all on his own."

"Everyone needs a push once in a while." Madame Tibideaux waved it off as if it was nothing. "Finn just needed his today."

Puck walked through the Yale campus, holding his phone close to him as he scanned through the sea of people. He had to find Biff or Quinn around here somewhere—and just his luck he found the both of them walking towards their next class. Puck cleared his throat and made his way over to Quinn, noticing that when she turned her head towards him, she became extremely stunned.

"Quinn? Who is this...?" Biff wondered, giving Puck a smirk.

"Noah?!" Quinn blurted out, inadvertently answering Biff's question as she stared Puck. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Quinn, I need to talk to you." Puck took in Quinn's appearance. She looked exhausted as if she hadn't slept in days, and her hair was slightly disheveled. "Now." Puck grabbed Quinn's hand and pulled her to the side, not caring that Biff was giving him dagger eyes. As soon as they were out of earshot, Puck glared down at her. "I've done a lot of stupid things in my life but I never went as far as taking prescription drugs when I didn't really need them."

"What are you talking about?" Quinn tried to lie, but Puck knew her so well.

"Quinn, don't lie to me." Puck sternly said. "I know that you're taking prescription drugs and I know preppy boy is selling them to you and the rest of this damn school. That's the only reason you're dating him. I don't buy the bull crap you told Rachel about how you love him and feel he's your perfect match. You're using him to get drugs so you can force yourself to focus. Quinn, this is serious."

"Puck, why do you even care?" Quinn sounded hurt. "You didn't even want to be my friend in the first place."

"Maybe I was wrong for saying that." Puck admitted before his face turned stern. "Quinn, I care about you…I mean I had a baby with you for god sake. Or does Biff not know that little tidbit of information?"

"Don't you dare tell him." Quinn snapped. "I don't need you to be another Santana. Biff knows nothing about my past and I'd like it to stay that way."

"I'm not being another Santana and I think it's stupid you're hiding everything from him." Puck felt his voice get louder. "Look, I'm not the only one that knows about your drug dealer boyfriend. Finn knows and Marley knows!"

"You told Finn, didn't you?" Quinn felt betrayed. "Why would you tell Finn?"

"Even though you guys obviously aren't together anymore…he still loves and cares about you as a friend." Puck crossed his arms, still glaring at Quinn. "Plus…he wouldn't pull half the crap I pulled when I tried to go after Rachel. But we're not talking about me here. We're talking about you. Quinn, why are you doing this? Why are you with him."

"Because I need a new start, that's why." Quinn quietly said, moving some her hair from her face and this time her face was turning stern. "I don't need someone who has no ambition like you telling me what to do. I mean what have you been doing in New York? Huh? Latching onto Finn and being a child? You need to grow the hell up Puck. I can't be with someone who doesn't know what they want...not even a New York loser like you." Quinn suddenly turned remorseful and apologetic, realizing that her words weren't the smartest. Puck stared at Quinn sadly, but before he could say anything, Biff came to Quinn's side, giving his girlfriend a smile.

"So Quinn, are you ready to head to your next class?" Biff held out his arm for Quinn to take. "We don't have time for you to talk to this neanderthal." Puck was sure being called a neanderthal wasn't a good thing, and he just looked hurt. She linked her arm to Biff and sent Puck a stern glance.

"I'm sorry, Puck but I don't feel the same way anymore. I moved on, it's time you do too." Quinn said as Biff and Quinn made their way to their next class. Biff turned around and sent Puck a haughty smirk, as he continued on his way, giving Quinn an interested look.

"So who was he?" Biff wondered. Quinn turned around for a moment, staring at Puck before turning back around and shrugging her shoulders.

"He's nobody. At least not to me...not anymore..." Quinn pressed a kiss to Biff's cheek as the two of them made their way to their class, leaving Puck in the dust. Puck stood there, looking upset that Quinn would simply abandon him for that…drug dealer. Puck was interrupted in his thoughts when he heard his phone ring, him looking at the caller ID and seeing Marley's phone number. He picked up the phone and placed it to his ear.

"Marley?" Puck heard her sobbing on the other line, and that was when Puck began to worry. "Marley, hey...what's going on? Why are you crying?" Puck walked out of the campus, still holding the phone close to him.

"They don't want me." Marley whispered on the other end, as Puck sat down on the bench waiting for this bus. "They replaced me...I didn't think they'd do something like that." Puck realized it didn't sound like the Glee Club-why would they replace Marley?

"Hey..." Puck soothingly said into the phone, hearing Marley was still sniffling. "Don't worry, Marley...I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Okay? Don't worry...I got you."Puck heard her sniffling subsiding and he gripped to the phone. He didn't know what came over him. He felt sad just because she was sad. It was almost as if she were able to influence his feelings...only one other person was able to do that...Quinn. "I'll take care of everything, okay? I promise."

"You'd do that for me?" Marley asked, her sobbing subsiding.

"Of course." Puck said. Puck wanted to say more to her, but he refrained himself. "Look, I'm going to call Mr. Schue and ask what's going on. Okay? I'm not letting them replace you that easy. They need you...I need you...to not worry." Puck quickly added the last part in hopes Marley didn't think anything of it. What is wrong with me, Puck wondered.

"Okay." Marley softly said, with Puck hearing her giggle slightly. Puck smiled, thinking Marley's laugh was the most beautiful thing he ever heard. "Like I told you, you're good at making people feel better."

"I'm actually glad to hear you laugh." Puck told her with sincerity. "It's a much more beautiful and happy sound." Puck heard her sniffle once more, before hearing her laugh slightly.

"You're just saying that." Marley whispered.

"No...I mean it." Puck assured her. "Don't worry about New Directions, okay? I'll give them a piece of my mind. All right? I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay. Oh, Noah?" Marley sounded unsure with what was going to say next, so she simply said, "Thank you."

"Anything for you." Puck smiled before he heard the phone click. He hung up the phone and thought for a moment. Quinn didn't need him anymore...but Marley did...and maybe he was trying to help the wrong girl this whole time. He knew what he had to do...he opened an app on his phone and a few minutes later, he had booked tickets for the next flight out of Connecticut. He was going to Lima, Ohio.

Marley looked down at the recent phone call she made with Puck, feeling her cheeks flush as she moved her hair to the side. The more she thought about Puck, the more her heart thumped. The more she thought about Puck...the less she thought about Jake, who currently was siding with New Directions and didn't even defend her when it came to letting her back in the club. The more she thought about Puck...the more she realized she felt safe with him, the more she trusted him, the more she cared about him. Marley looked around the auditorium she was sitting in, her heart and mind realizing something important-she was deeply in love with Noah Puckerman and she wondered if he felt the same way.

About four hours later, Puck walked through the hallways of McKinley, trying to find the choir room. He couldn't believe what New Directions had done. Not letting Marley in after she wanted to come back? When everyone would quit the Glee Club, there was still a place for them when they wanted to return. Now all of a sudden, there's no room for her? Not on Noah Puckerman's watch. Puck was going to fight this, no matter what. Puck entered the choir room and New Directions turned their attention towards Puck. Normally if it was a friendly visit, Puck would bring his guitar…but Puck was empty handed, meaning that this was strictly for business.

"Puck?" Mr. Schuester seemed surprised to see Puck there. "I thought you were in New York preparing for Nationals."

"Well, I had to come here first seeing that I got a call from Marley saying she was no longer welcome in Glee Club?" Puck noticed Sugar and Joe in the corner of the room, nodding his head towards them. "Sugar. Joe. Long time no see."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Tina asked, seeming upset at Puck's accusation.

"She came here and when she looked through the window, she saw Sugar and Joe…and they weren't here before." Puck explained. "From the looks of it, it felt like she was being replaced. Trust me, it didn't look good."

"Puck, we would never try to replace Marley." Tina's voice softened. "We knew she was just angry at all the drama."

"We understand that as a Glee Club what we did was wrong." Artie rolled over to Puck, staring at him with sadness in his eyes. "We should have known better than to believe Bree and Jacob Israel. We should have believed Marley and we should have said something when she was being bullied. You and Finn were the only ones that really believed her and stuck by her."

"Do you know where she is now?" Tina added. "We want her back…and not just for her voice. We want our friend." Before Puck could say anything, the door opened and in came Sue Sylvester with Bree in tow.

"William, just the fool I wanted to see." Sue closed the door behind her while Puck raised an eyebrow towards her. "I overheard that poor little Marley was kicked out of the Glee Club…after you ever so harshly said she had attacked poor Bree by throwing crumpled paper at her…well, since we can't tolerate bullying…I found someone for you to replace Marley. Bree."

"What?" Blaine's eyes widened.

"Oh hell to the no." Artie added.

"Why should this club let Bree in here?" Puck growled. "After what she did to Marley? I don't think so."

"It's not happening." Jake agreed, putting up a front. If the entire Glee Club, including Puck figured out Jake and Bree were seeing each other, Puck would beat the crap out of him and the entire Glee Club would disown him.

"Well, it's not your decision, Original Puckerman, Carbon Copy Puckerman." Sue smirked. "It's mine. If you reject her, that's a form of bullying…and if you don't let her in…I'll cancel Glee Club."

"My god you are heartless!" Kitty yelled.

"We don't want Bree." Tina explained, staring at her. "We want Marley! And we're going to find her right now!"

"Tina." Mr. Schuester said, causing everyone to turn to him. "We'll take Bree…"

"What?!" Kitty stood up from her seat, looking at Mr. Schuester. "We don't want Bree here, how clear can we possibly be."

"Well it's not your decision." Mr. Schuester argued. "It's mine and Bree stays. I'm sorry guys, but Marley made her decision when she decided to leave."

"So?!" Puck yelled. "Do you know how many times everyone has quit this club before. Rachel quit, Santana, quit, Finn quit, I quit, Brittany quit, Mercedes quit even Kurt quit for a while! Yet there was always a place for us when we wanted to return! So why is the situation different for Marley? She wants to come back and you're basically denying her a chance?!"

"Marley can't come back because I already called someone to take her place at Nationals, Puck." Mr. Schuester said. "Two people that aren't Sugar and Joe."

"I can't believe this." Puck rolled his eyes in anger, pointing to the Glee Club. "You replaced her…without telling them?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Schue, but we're going to go find her." Artie said. "And we want her back in Glee Club…as a team. Because she's going to make our team better and Glee Club isn't the same without her. Come on guys." The entire Glee Club walked out of the room as Puck eyed Mr. Schuester, turning around and leaving the room-but not before stopping in front of Sue Sylvester.

"If Bree does anything to hurt Marley...I will come after you. I'll make sure your car ends up in the river, I'll make sure everyone finds out about the Playboy magazines you were on the cover of and I'll make sure you'll never work in this town again." Puck growled, seeing Sue was smirking at him.

"We're more aggressive than usual, aren't we Puckerman? Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were smitten with the ravishing gold-throated raven haired beauty." Sue snickered as Puck's anger diminished slightly. What Sue was saying wasn't true...was it?

"What are you talking about?" Puck shook his head, crossing his arms with interested.

"Let me guess, she called you from New York or wherever your sad pathetic life led you, and you hopped on a plane to come to Lima, just to get her back in Glee Club." Sue shrugged her shoulder. "Admit it, Pucker-dumb-dumb...you love her. If you didn't, you wouldn't be here right now. She obviously gives you reason to come back to this godforsaken hell hole." Puck kept his eyes on Sue, his face expression softening. "You're not going to admit it to yourself because of Quinn, but you're infatuated with the absolutely stunning kind-faced blue-eyed girl...which I'm not sure is legal. Just so you know...it's okay to move on and date other girls. You're what, 19? If you and Quinn are meant to be together, it will happen but for now...be with other girls. Chasing after Quinn Fabray makes you look like a lovesick idiot...more of an idiot than you already are." Puck looked at Sue, stuffing his hands in his pockets, not saying another word as he left the room. Sue knew she had gotten through to Puck, seeing he was now thinking extremely hard. Puck found the members of New Directions standing in the hallway as if they were waiting for him.

"So, how are we going to find her?" Tina looked over to Puck, seeing he was slightly smiling.

"I already know where she is." Puck said. "And I know what we're going to do to bring her back."

Marley sat in the auditorium of McKinley, looking around at all the empty chairs. She couldn't believe that the Glee Club had replaced her…and she wasn't going to be able to compete in Nationals. Marley looked up towards the door, hearing something that sounded like music. No, it couldn't have been. Marley stood up from the chair and walked over to the stage in confusion and that was when she knew New Directions had found her. She felt a smile creep on her face when they opened the door to the auditorium and started singing to her.

[Artie with New Directions]

Whoa, oh, oh, oh (Jake; The longest)

For the longest time (Tina: Time)

Whoa, oh, oh, oh (Jake; The longest)

For the longest

[Artie]

If you said goodbye to me tonight

There would still be music left to write

[Kitty](with New Directions and Puck)

What else could I do

I'm so inspired by you

That hasn't happened (for the longest time)

[Artie]

Once I thought my innocence was gone

Now I know that happiness goes on

[Kitty]

I'll take my chances

I forgot how nice romance is

[Artie and Tina with New Directions and Puck]

I haven't been there for the longest time

[Artie with New Directions and Puck]

Whoa, oh, oh, oh (Jake; The longest)

For the longest time (Tina: Time)

Whoa, oh, oh, oh (Jake; The longest)

For the longest

{The New Directions go on stage and they see Marley smiling as she walks over to them}

[Sam]

I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall

And the greatest miracle of all

[Marley]

Is how I need you

And how you needed me too

[Sam and Marley with New Directions and Puck]

That hasn't happened for the longest time

[Puck] (with New Directions)

Maybe this won't last very long

But you feel so right

And I could be wrong

Maybe I've been hoping too hard

But I've gone this far

And it's (more than I hoped for)

[Jake]

Who knows how much further we'll go on

Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone

[Marley] (with New Directions)

I'll take my chances

I forgot how nice romance is

I haven't been there (for the longest time)

[Puck] (with New Directions)

I had second thoughts at the start

I said to myself, hold on to your heart

Now I know the woman that you are

You're wonderful so far

And it's (more than I hoped for)

[Artie]

I don't care what consequence it brings

I have been a fool for lesser things

[Artie and Tina with New Directions]

I want you so bad

I think you oughta know that

I intend to hold you for the longest time

[Artie with New Directions]

Whoa, oh, oh, oh

[Artie and Marley with New Directions]

For the longest time (Jake: The longest)

Whoa, oh, oh, oh

[Artie with New Directions](with Marley)

For the longest (time)

Whoa, oh, oh, oh (Marley: the longest time) (Jake: The longest)

For the longest (time)

Whoa, oh, oh, oh (Jake: The longest)

[Marley and Artie with New Directions and Puck]

For the longest time

Marley gazed at New Directions and Puck, feeling touched that they came all the way from the choir room to apologize in song. Tina walked over towards Marley and held out her arms for a hug. Marley playfully considered it before hugging her tightly with the other New Directions members following suit.

"We're sorry, Marley." Tina said. "We should have believed you and obviously not Bree."

"Do you think you can forgive us and come back to Glee?" Blaine wondered. "We need you…and not your voice. We need our friend." Marley saw Kitty's face turn uncomfortable as she looked out towards the auditorium door.

"Mr. Schue let Bree in New Directions for Nationals." Kitty said. "But don't worry…I'm not afraid to cut a bitch if she messes with you."

"We'll all protect you." Blaine put a hand on Marley's shoulder as Puck watched the moment with a smile on his face. "We promise…"

"Okay…I'll come back." Marley agreed as everyone hugged her again. "Come on, let's get started on preparing for Nationals!" Marley pulled Tina's hand as everyone laughed along, going down from the stage to run back to the choir room. Marley turned around for a moment, staring at Puck. There was still one thing she had to do. "Um, I'll meet you guys in the choir room, okay?" Everyone agreed and left the auditorium, leaving just Marley and Puck standing there. "I can't believe you flew all the way to Lima just to get me back into Glee Club…" Marley got on the stage, still looking at Puck with a smile. "Why did you do it?"

"Because you're one of my best friends…and I realized how much..." Puck stopped in his tracks, looking down and clearing his throat. He thought about Sue's words, nodding his head with confidence as he stared at her. "How much I love you." Puck admitted as Marley's smile widened. "Everyone needs a place where they can belong…Glee Club is your place. And I don't want to sound creepy but...I can't believe it took me this long to realize it. You've never said anything that made feel dumb or stupid and you're really encouraging...you encouraged me to want to help you..." Marley looked at him as a blush crept on her cheeks. Marley walked up to him, the two of them staring into each other's eyes.

"Well then…" Marley tiptoed and pressed a grateful kiss to Puck's cheek, realizing that he was now blushing. She parted her lips from his cheek, gazing into his eyes. "Thank you Noah…" Marley took Puck's hand and gave it a squeeze, but Puck wanted to know something.

"Marley?" Puck wondered, seeing she was interested in his words. "I know you're still with Jake...and I'm not going to come between the two of you until you know what you want...but I need to know...you love me, right?"

"Were my hints not obvious?" Marley chuckled, taking a step towards Puck and putting a hand on his cheek. "You are incredible...you know that, and I want to be with you more than anything...you are seriously the most charming person I've ever met, inside and out. But you're right, I'm still with Jake and if it feels like I'm leading you on, like this is a game...I'm sorry."

"You're not leading me on...if anything I just know I want to be with you." Puck chuckled, with Marley wrapping her arms around his neck, his hands snaking around her waist, their foreheads touching.

"You really want to be with me?" Marley wondered. Puck nodded his head slowly, with Marley giggling. "Well, you and I both know the time's not right. You're going back to New York to prepare for Nationals...I'm going to be here...working on Nationals with New Directions. But...how about we support each other at Nationals...in Los Angeles...?"

"I'd like that." Puck said, agreeing right away.

"Puck?" Marley softly wondered, hearing him slightly hum as their lips were centimeters apart. "I love you..."

"I love you too..." Puck whispered without a second thought, Marley leaning closer as she brushed her lips against his, smiles creeping on their face. Marley parted her lips from his, slowly getting out of his touch before she turned around to head out of the room, with the smile still on her face. As soon as Marley left the auditorium, Puck silently fist pumped, realizing he did love her, all thanks to Sue Sylvester. Puck didn't notice Bree was watching them from above...and she knew her plan was almost set in stone...she just couldn't wait to unleash it in Los Angeles.

Finn walked towards the auditorium and opened the door that afternoon, seeing his Glee Club was working on some last minute dance steps. Finn admitted they looked good…really good. They had a chance at winning, and Finn knew it. As Finn continued to stare at them, he noticed Rachel looking over at him, waving at him with a smile. Everyone turned their attention to Finn, making their way over to him.

"Hey Finn." Brittany smiled. "So what do you think?"

"I think you guys look amazing. I think we have a good chance of winning." Finn sat down on the chair, looking at his teammates. "Look, I know that I've been a little distant this week but…it was because I was battling whether I was good enough to lead you guys to Nationals…and I was afraid that if we lost you all would have hated me.

"Wait, you thought that we were going to hate you for us losing?" Santana raised an eyebrow, but Finn looked ashamed. "Finn…we would never hate you."

"If anything we would thank you…" Melissa added. "If it weren't for you, none of us would have had this opportunity to make it to Nationals."

"It's also because of you that we're all friends here." Simone added. "Do you think I would have talked to Celina, Melissa or Rachel if it weren't for you? It's because of you and this club."

"We all look up to you Finn." Vicky said, noticing he felt touched. "You made this the best year of our lives, and regardless of where we place, we're champions…because we had youleading us. So thank you…"

"And don't worry about Nationals." Simone put a hand on Finn's shoulder, seeing that he was looking into her eyes. "We're ready for this, Finn. You've done all you could…and Nationals will be ours."

"You guys really believe in me that much…" Finn whispered in awe. Rachel walked over to Finn, taking one of his hands and intertwining her fingers with his.

"And you're just realizing that now?" Rachel chuckled as she pressed a kiss to Finn's cheek. "We believe in you…and we know that because of you we're going to do well."

"There's no reason to be afraid…" Brittany added, staring at Finn with a smile. "You helped us…so now we're going to help you."

"And how are you going to help me?" Finn smirked, staring at them.

"For one thing, we need to get you a makeover." Kurt joked, causing everyone to laugh. "Seriously, you look like you took all of Mr. Schue's vests from his closet."

"More importantly…we need to help you…get to Los Angeles. Three days till Nationals!" Brittany walked over to Finn, holding her hand out for him to take. "So Finn…are you ready to go?" Finn's face turned confident and he nodded his head, grabbing Brittany's hand as she pulled him up from their seat, getting ready to go to Los Angeles for Nationals.

{Brittany pulls Finn up and she smiles at him as she starts dancing around the auditorium and Finn with the rest of Finn Harmonic follows them}

[Finn Harmonic]

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

[Finn]

You got these little things that you've been running from

You either love it or guess you don't

You're such a pretty thing to be running from anyone

A vision with nowhere to go

[Brittany]

So tell me right now, you think you're ready for it

I wanna know why you got me going

So let's go, let's take it out of here

I think I'm ready to leap, I'm ready to live

[Brittany and Finn]

I'm ready to go

(Finn Harmonic; Get me out of my mind

Get me out of my mind)

I'm ready to go

(Finn Harmonic: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)

{Finn Harmonic runs out of the auditorium and they run down the halls of NYADA as students hold signs saying 'Good Luck at Nationals' and 'We're rooting for you'}

[Brittany]

You got these little things, you wanted something for them

You either get it or guess you won't

What does it really mean to get nothing from anyone

There's a million ways it could go

[Finn]

So tell me right now, you think you're ready for it

I wanna know why you got me going

So let's go, we'll take it out of here

I think I'm ready to leap, I'm ready to live

[Brittany and Finn]

I'm ready to go

(Finn Harmonic; Get me out of my mind

Get me out of my mind)

I'm ready to go

(Finn Harmonic: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)

{They all get on a charter bus as Finn takes one last look at New York City, getting in so they all head to Los Angeles}

[Finn with Finn Harmonic Boys]

I think I'm ready, I think

I know I'm ready, I know

I think I'm ready, I think

I know I'm ready, I know

I think I'm ready, I think

I know I'm ready, I know

I think I'm ready, I think

I know I'm ready, I'm

[Brittany with Finn Harmonic Girls]

I'm ready to go

(Finn Harmonic: Get me out my mind,

Get me out my mind)

[Brittany and Finn with Finn Harmonic]

I'm ready to go

(Finn Harmonic: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)

{The scene changes when bus stops in Los Angeles and the group get out of the bus. They start running through Los Angeles with a smile}

[Brittany and Finn with Finn Harmonic]

I'm ready to go

(Finn Harmonic: Get me out my mind,

Get me out my mind)

(Finn Harmonic Boys: I think I'm ready, I think,

I know I'm ready, I know, I think I'm ready, I think

I know I'm ready, I know)

I'm ready to go

(Finn Harmonic: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)

(Finn Harmonic Boys: I think I'm ready, I think

I know I'm ready, I know, I think I'm ready, I think,

I know I'm ready, I know)

I'm ready to go

(Finn Harmonic: Get me out of my mind,

Get me out of my mind)

(Finn Harmonic Boys: I think I'm ready I think,

I know I'm ready, I know, I think I'm ready I think,

I know I'm ready, I know)

I'm ready to go

{Finn, Brittany, Rachel and Kurt look out at the building where Nationals is and Finn looks confident as everyone else dances in front of the building}

[Finn and Brittany with Finn Harmonic]

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

{Scene turns abruptly to black}

GUEST STARRING

Melissa Benoist as Marley Rose

Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina Cohen-Chang

Kate Hudson as Cassandra July

Whoopi Goldberg as Madame Tibideaux

Jennifer Garner as Professor Kauffman

Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray

Chase Crawford as Biff

Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester

Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester

Erinn Westbrook as Bree

Jacob Artist as Jake Puckerman

Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams

Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson

Becca Tobin as Kitty Wilde

Vanessa Lengies as Sugar Motta

Samuel Larsen as Joe Hart

Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans

Ariana Grande as Simone Barberrie

Olesya Rulin as Melissa Stewart

Cassadee Pope as Celina Jones

Dean Geyer as Brody Weston

Jesse McCartney as Dustin Shafer

SONG(S):

Gravity (Originally by Sara Barellies): Performed by Marley Rose and Finn Hudson

Chasing Pavements (Originally by Adele): Performed by Marley Rose)

Longest Time (Originally by Billy Joel): Performed by New Directions and Noah "Puck" Puckerman

Ready To Go (Get Me Out Of My Mind) [Originally by Panic At The Disco]: Performed by Finn Hudson and Brittany Pierce with Finn Harmonic