Why Is This Night Different? An exploration of the events leading up to Passover 2012 and the impacts they have on our two favorite "good looking Jews".

Many thanks to Ryan Murphy for creating these characters that will live on in our imaginations long after they have been retired from the TV landscape, and the actors have moved on to other exciting opportunities. Mr. Murphy owns "Glee" and all of its characters, but the plot, various back-stories, and any new characters are products of my fertile (or is it feeble?) mind. Any similarities to people in the real world are coincidental and unintentional; if I accidentally selected "real" names, I apologize and assure that no harm is intended.

I find it disappointing that with Jewish people on the creative team (AHEM Mr. Falchuk and Mr. Shankman), this aspect of two of the main characters' lives is mentioned only in passing, usually as some form of punch line, and never explored in any depth. It seems to me that a huge opportunity in exploring and sharing diversity is being overlooked. My goal is to do what I can, within the realm of Fan Fiction, to rectify the situation.

This story takes place in a slightly AU; it is senior year, 2012, and Finn has not proposed to Rachel, although he is considering it. The other changes will become evident as the story progresses. I don't know whether Puck's grandmother ("Nana Connie") is supposed to be his maternal or paternal grandmother, but for purposes of this story, she is his mother's mother.

Chapter 1

Classes hadn't started on this Friday morning, and the halls of William McKinley high school were buzzing with plans for the upcoming winter break. There was talk of sleeping 'till noon, shopping expeditions at the mall, video game tournaments and, for the lucky few, a week in a climate warmer than Lima, Ohio had to offer. The harried teachers congregated in their lounge, taking comfort in the knowledge that they would have a week away from contending with other people's teenagers.

Finn Hudson and his girlfriend Rachel Berry were talking in front of her locker; well, Finn was talking, anyway… "So, Rach, um… I was thinking, maybe we could, like, hang out while your dads are at work next week…" He gave her what he thought was a suggestive smile, when in fact he looked more hopeful than anything. Rachel smiled up at him, but inwardly rolled her eyes. She knew that "hanging out" really meant "having sex", and she felt relieved that she would be spared that encounter. Oh, she loved Finn, she really did (keep telling yourself that, Rachel), but the few times they had been intimate were awkward at best and left her wondering if sex was really all it was cracked up to be.

"I'm so sorry, Finn. I thought I had told you that we're going to Columbus next week to visit my Bubbe and Zadie, and do our Passover marketing."

Finn looked a bit perplexed. "Passover… isn't that like Jewish Easter, where you eat, like, crackers or something?"

Before she had a chance to answer, Noah Puckerman, a.k.a. Puck, who had heard the tail end of the conversation, butted in "Hell, no, Finn, it is not 'like Jewish Easter'. Passover commemorates the freeing of our people in Egypt, their journey through the desert... you know, 'the Ten Commandments', Charlton Heston…"

Finn was surprised that Puck actually used the word "commemorate" in a sentence (he wasn't 100% certain what it meant, actually), but he responded with "Who?"

Sam Evans, who had approached them in the meantime, and said "You know, Finn: 'Take your STINKING paws off me, you DAMNED DIRTY APE!'" in his "best" Charlton Heston impression.

Puck laughed, Rachel looked at Sam fondly and giggled, but Finn was now more confused than ever. Before he had an opportunity to respond, Puck said, "Come on, Berry, we need to get to Home Room", and they left together, walking down the hall toward their destination.

She turned back for an instant, smiled and said, "See you at lunch, Finn!", and then walked off with Puck.

Finn stared after them in amazement. He had no idea what had just happened, and who replaced his self-proclaimed sex shark/badass ex-best friend Puck with this guy who voluntarily attended classes and actually studied.

Change was both confounding and frightening to Finn, and, being senior year, it was pretty much wrought with change. Since it was now basketball season he had a lot of time to think, because although he was certainly tall enough, he was not agile like Puck or Mike Chang, and, as a result, did not play on the team. Sometimes he felt like his head was spinning; Rachel and his step-brother Kurt discussing the pros and cons of NYADA over Juilliard, Juniors like Sam and Tina Cohen-Chang prepping for ACT tests, and seemingly everybody looking excitedly toward their post-high school lives. He had no idea what he wanted to do after he graduated, and although he had applied to Ohio State (which he had conveniently not mentioned to Rachel, who was firmly fixated on New York), he didn't know what he would study there. He desperately wanted to cling to the present as long as possible, but was at a loss as to how to do so.

"Oh, Noah," Rachel sighed exasperatedly, "he is so clueless."

"What do you mean, Rach?" he asked.

"Regarding our faith, Noah; it's as if he's in denial that he and I are different in that respect. He's not prejudiced, just oblivious. The only thing he knows about Judaism is the 'South Park' version of the 'Dreidel Song'. He tells me that he loves me, but evades coming to Shabbat dinner with my fathers, and had other plans when I invited him for Chanukah. However, he expected me at his house on Christmas Day and, although his family are lovely people, and the secular aspects of Christmas are enjoyable, if I heard one more rendition of 'White Christmas' or 'The Christmas Song', I was going to stand up and sing 'Hatikva'. If it wasn't for Kurt, I would have gone insane."

"You realize," he replied with a grin, "those were both written by Jews." He winked at her, and she acknowledged with smile and a nod as they entered their classroom.

They sat down, Puck behind Rachel, and he continued the conversation. "Have you thought about inviting him to Passover dinner?"

Rachel turned around in her seat to face him. "I have, actually," she replied dejectedly, "but I'm sure he'd find some excuse to bow out."

"Why not include his whole family?" he asked. "If his mom and Burt will be there, he can't not come, not without looking like a total douche."

"Noah, really, language…" she playfully scolded, and swatted him lightly on the forearm. "Actually, that's a great idea. I'll ask my dads tonight and see how they feel about it."

The morning passed quickly, as everyone was in pre-vacation mode, and people began filing into the cafeteria for lunch. Puck had helped Artie Abrams with his tray, and they were momentarily alone at a table. "Artie," Puck began, "I've said it before, man, but I can't thank you enough. You and Rach really kicked my ass since I got out of juvie. I was pretty pissed at first, but I gotta say, studying has really paid off. I actually have a chance at college. Who would fuckin' believe THAT?"

Artie grinned and fist-bumped Puck and replied "Bro, believe it or not, you did it yourself. All we did was point you in the right direction. Have you applied to any schools, yet?"

Puck answered "Yeah, but that's all that I'll say. Let's keep this between you and me, I don't want to get Rach's hopes up, ya know?"

Artie nodded his head and smiled. He saw the sparks (disguised as good-natured teasing) that flew between Rachel and Puck during their bi-weekly study sessions, and realized that Puck wouldn't act on them as long as Rachel was dating Finn, and Rachel would never acknowledge them to herself for the same reason.

Rachel and Finn soon joined them, followed by Sam, Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson, Mercedes Jones, and Tina Cohen-Chang. Conversation quickly turned to vacation plans, and Finn asked Rachel "Rach, you said you were going to Columbus to go to the market. Why can't you just do that here?"

"Finn," she answered calmly, "Columbus has a much larger Jewish population than Lima, and there's a greater variety of Passover foods there. And, it gives us an opportunity to visit with my grandparents."

"I don't get it, Rach. What's different about Passover food besides those crackers?" he asked.

"Those are matzohs, not crackers, man." Puck interjected. "That's unleavened bread. You know… the Jews got the Hell out'a Egypt so fast their bread didn't have time to rise. Because of that, everything is either made from matzoh or guaranteed not to have come in contact with any flour or leavening agents. Really, dude, crackers?" He looked at Finn as if he was waiting for some kind of response.

Finn didn't know quite what to say, except for "Woah, dude, just askin'. Don't bite my head off or anything."

"No worries, man." Puck replied. "Just tryin' to share some of the awesomeness that is our People."

Tina had listened quietly to the discussion. Her (maternal) grandfather met her grandmother when he was stationed in Korea. She was a nurse where he had been briefly hospitalized, and they fell in love and were married shortly thereafter. Her eventual introduction to his parents was met with indifference, and he was disowned for marrying outside of his faith. When his family turned their backs on him, he turned away from Judaism, so Tina had never met any of her Jewish relatives or experienced any aspects of their religion. She had always been curious, but never felt comfortable pursuing information from her grandfather or her friends.

Conversation at the lunch table quickly moved on to the latest spring fashions (the girls and Kurt) and college basketball (the boys). Soon it was time to return to classes, and, before they knew it, school was over for the day.

Rachel and Sam drove home together. When she and Finn had "discovered" Sam (a.k.a. "White Chocolate") in Kentucky and convinced his parents to let him return to Lima to finish out High School, he had moved in with the Berrys. At the Hummel-Hudson home, he would have shared a bedroom with either Finn or Kurt, and the Berrys had offered him his own room. As far as Sam had been concerned, it was a no-brainer. Rachel's fathers generously refused to accept any rent, so he helped with yard work, volunteered to do the snow removal, and, as they bonded over their shared love of music and Harry Potter, quickly evolved into the brother that Rachel never had.

He joined Rachel, Artie and Puck when they studied; Artie had done some research on dyslexia showed Sam techniques that enabled him to do better in school. To cover personal expenses, Puck had helped Sam secure a job at Sheets and Things, and as he went to his room to change into his work attire, Rachel packed some sandwiches for him, grabbed an apple for herself, and left the kitchen, looking for one of her fathers.

Author's note: "Hatikva" is the national anthem of Israel.