Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 46th cycle. Now cycle 47!

This is a shift day. There was another upload this morning: Troika, chapter 3.

"There Was This Girl Named LC"
(Future-ish) Finn/Elsie (OC-ish)
Familiar Strangers series
(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)

He came to hang out with them as planned, though part of him was still cruising cloud nine after his first date with Elsie the night before. It had been more than he could have ever dreamed of and still… there was something he couldn't chase from his mind.

It was game day, simple, not usually the place where this kind of talk happened, but when he'd gotten there all he could think was 'maybe they'll know more.'

"Hey, can I ask you guys something?" he turned to them as they sat out commercials. They looked over. "At McKinley, do you remember this girl… LC Cunningham?"

"From Troubletones?" Mike asked. "The blonde one?" he gestured to his head.

"Yeah," Finn confirmed.

"What about her?" Sam asked.

"Do you remember her much?"

"I remember she was in Troubletones," Mike shrugged. "And Cheerios before that."

"That was Alex Reynolds' girlfriend, wasn't she?" Sam suddenly thought, and now Mike's face fell just as his did. It had not been something they could forget.

Alex had been one of them, on the football team. He'd been in classes with them, graduated with them. They may not have been still hanging out all that much, but they'd see each other once in a while… until the year before. When they'd heard about the accident it had just been a shock to all of them. He'd been their age, and just… it could have happened to any of them.

"Do you remember them a lot? I mean… together," Finn asked.

"They were together as long as I knew him," Sam shrugged.

"He had it pretty bad for her right away," Mike nodded, remembering. "Always thought they'd be the first ones of all of us to get married." Finn tried not to look too focused on all this, but he knew they were bound to ask… "Why?"

"We went out last night, Elsie and I," he revealed. There was a beat of silence.

"How's she doing?" Sam asked, and Finn could guess he meant in relation with Alex.

"She's good, I mean, I… I didn't ask her about him. But I mean it's been a while since we… We've been seeing each other, she works at, uh, at Dee's Diner, you know?"

"I thought that was her," Mike blinked.

"Hey, if she's happy, then that's good, right?" Sam had told him, and that had been more or less the end of the topic. They'd watched the game, then eventually he'd started on his way home.

He knew he shouldn't have been feeling guilty about it. Alex had been dead for over a year, and Elsie was moving on with her life. And Sam was right, it was good if she was happy. And if he could provide that for her, then why shouldn't he? Between losing him and losing her grandmother, she deserved all the happy she could get.

She made him happy, too, had since that first day he'd walked into Dee's Diner, seen her, and thought she looked familiar. There was always something about her, that infectious smile, those eyes… He was happier in his life, which he'd seen in the time when they'd been out of touch, after her grandmother had died. When he had seen her again for the first time, chasing her runaway dog, he felt his heart had restarted, having been on pause since her departure.

There was still the part where he didn't know he now remembered Alex, and maybe that was where the pinch of guilt was clutching tight. He could just tell her, but it almost felt like it didn't matter anymore, who they were before, because what they had now was so much more, what they had become for each other.

He had pulled his car over then, took a break and dialled on his cell phone and waited. "Hello?"

"Hey, I'm not bothering you, am I?" he asked.

"I was just cleaning the bathroom, now I can take a break," her voice cut out for a second like she'd sat down or laid down. "What's up?" she asked.

"I was wondering, or I…"

"Wondering what?" she asked.

"I'd like us to go out again, I… I mean if you want to…"

"I do want to," she told him, and he couldn't help but smile to himself.

"Okay, well I know you work, but…"

"I've got Tuesday off," she offered.

"I'll take it," he quickly responded, and she laughed. "Hey, I was supposed to practice with the band that night…"

"Oh, well we can make it another night, it's fine," she responded without a problem.

"No, but I was thinking, how would you like to come watch us practice?" he offered. "We can go to dinner first, and then… or is that not something you'd…"

"It's perfect, really," she insisted. "Heard you mention them so many times, it's about time I check you out."

"Alright, then you're on," he nodded.

"Great! I'll see you then!" she sounded like she was smiling. "Are you coming to pick me up, or is there going to be another dog emergency?" she joked.

"I don't think so. Elmer's fine. So I'll come pick you up around five?"

"I'll be ready and waiting," she promised.

Back home with the dog in question, he thought of the night before, of her… that kiss at the end of the night… It was a night he wouldn't forget… and knowing their history, it was saying something.

He had to stop letting the 'ghost of Alex Reynolds' haunt him about his relationship with Elsie. If she still wasn't ready, she wouldn't be going out with him. It wasn't one of those things where he thought it was a date but she only thought they were friends, hanging out. That kiss had not been something for friends, that could not have been clearer. They were heading somewhere, and dwelling on the past wouldn't do either of them any good. They were about moving forward.

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!