A/N - Yep, another one shot. Like I've said before, they hit me out of nowhere. Not good for my sleep patterns though. Enjoy.
Disclaimer - Damn! Still don't own anything.
Finn was really starting to hate Christmas.
This was unusual for him. After all, this was Christmas he was talking about. It was the holiday of holidays. The one day in the year when everything seemed right in the world. The smell of pine in the house courtesy of a real tree, decorations and lights along the walls, and there was always plenty of food to gorge oneself on. Family was gathered together, friends exchanged cards, calls and texts to wish you well, and romances seemed to blossom just a touch more.
Two out of the last three Christmases had been dreadful. First, a pregnancy scandal had rocked him to the core. The next one, his girlfriend had kissed his best friend simply to spite him for lying about his v-card. He was hoping that last year, and the awesome Christmas it brought with Rachel would finally be the start of happier holiday times, maybe even for the rest of his life.
No such luck. This Christmas was heading straight down the crapper. He and Rachel were no longer together and barely even acquaintances anymore. At first he hoped Kurt would at least come home, but he'd decided to stay in New York. His mom had jetted off to visit family members he knew only in passing, and while he was invited to join her, he wasn't interested leaving small town Ohio simply to go visit small town…whatever state it was. Now this morning he'd found out Burt was heading off to New York as well. It would only be for a few days, but the end result was the same. He'd be alone on Christmas Day.
Yeah, Christmas really was starting to suck. And this Christmas looked to suck worse than a broken vacuum cleaner. Why he'd thought going Christmas shopping in a Christmas store with Burt would help his sour mood was, quite frankly, beyond him. All the customers were happily bustling along, Christmas carols were playing over the PA system, and the store was littered from end to end with every kind of useless Christmas item one could imagine. If he had to hear another dancing reindeer puppet sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer again, he was going to go down the aisle and smash every one of them.
"Which one do you think, Finn?"
He was snapped out of his bleak thoughts by his step-father. Burt held two ornaments aloft. One looked like a puppy hanging out of a stocking, and the other seemed to be Santa and Mrs. Clause doing some kind of dance. Finn frowned before Burt spoke again. "One for Kurt, one for Rachel?"
He saw the smile on his step-dad's face at thinking about visiting Kurt, which of course also meant visiting Rachel. The thought of his step-dad heading to New York to spend Christmas with his ex-fiancé didn't really impress him. In fact, it felt more like a knife being twisted into his gut. Although logically he knew Burt was going to see Kurt and not Rachel, the sense of betrayal still lingered.
Finn shrugged absently. "Yeah, whatever. I'm sure they'll appreciate it."
Burt sighed and put the ornaments down. He turned back to Finn and adjusted his ball cap. "Finn, c'mon, don't be like this."
"Like what?" Finn asked in the middle of the store, his arms going wide. "I'm supposed to be happy Christmas Day will come and go and I'll be by myself?"
"You had the chance to go with your Mom, Finn." Burt reminded him. "You turned it down."
Finn sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, 'cause I really want to spend it with people I barely know."
"Well, I doubt you'll want to spend it in New York, either." Burt said, as his hands went into his pockets again. "Better here on your own than seeing Rachel hanging around with what's-his-name, right? What kind of Christmas would that be? Maybe the best present you can give yourself is just some time to be alone and let yourself be angry. Enjoy the freedom of not having anyone telling you to move on and forget the past. Bang that drum set of yours until you're blue in the face and exhausted."
Finn bit his cheek and looked away towards the nearby cash register, watching as gentleman put a large gold star tree topper on the conveyor belt to pay. The simple movement of watching the gold star travel down the moving belt until it disappeared from view at the cashier's till seemed to click something together in his mind.
Like the gold star on the belt, Rachel would also shine above everyone and everything. That was what she was born for, what she was meant to be. It might not include him, but she'd reach her dream. Of that, he was certain.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and returned to look at the ornaments he and Burt were standing beside. As his gaze wandered over them, he realized that what all of them represented was Christmas, which was a time of giving. Sure, the food, decorations and family were important, but the most important was the giving of oneself to others. In fact, both he and Rachel, together, had learned that lesson the year before, returning her earrings and his iPod to give the money to charity.
It may not be charity this year, but he wasn't going to forget that lesson. It was Christmas. It was a time to give. Sometimes what you gave was more than just a gift or money. Sometimes, you had to give understanding.
And Finn did understand. He understood why Burt was heading to New York, especially in light of his recent prognosis. He understood why his Mom wanted to visit relatives she hadn't seen in years now that he was an adult and could take care of himself. He understood why Kurt wanted to stay in New York and save money, especially now that he'd been accepted into a prestigious but very expensive school. And, despite how difficult it was, he understood why Rachel had ended things with him, needing to focus on herself and her own goals in a crucial time for her developing career.
He understood. And that would be his gift to all of them. He'd endure the holidays alone. He always figured things out better when alone and with lots of time to think. Now he had it. Maybe, in a strange sort of way, that would be his Christmas gift this year.
Finn motioned with his right hand towards another set of ornaments. "That one."
Burt frowned and turned, his eyes following Finn's line of sight. He ambled over and picked up a large, glittery, bright red apple. After a moment, he turned back to Finn. "Really? You want me to give them an apple?"
"It's a metaphor." Finn shrugged and crossed his arms. "They live in New York now. You know, 'the Big Apple'? And it's their first Christmas there." Finn gazed at the ornament now hanging from Burt's fingers. "First Christmas they're in the city where their dreams will come true."
His step-father eyed him for long moment before shaking his head and laughing. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're a poet, Finn."
"Nah. I just…learned a lot about metaphors and stuff from Rachel." Finn sighed. "They're really important to her."
Burt smiled. "Sounds to me like she's still important to you." He whistled at the price of the ornament. "I guess I can make this a joint gift. To Rachel and Kurt from you and I. What do you say?"
Finn shook his head. "No. It's okay. It can just be from you. I don't…don't really want Rachel to know I helped. She'll want to call and thank me and I just…it was hard enough hearing from her after Sectionals, you know?"
"Yeah," Burt nodded and clapped Finn on the shoulder. "I do know. It'll be our secret. Besides, the best gifts are usually the ones where you don't know who gave it."
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