Bonjour!

Right, so I haven't done FF in a VERY long time. I'm currently taking a fiction class for my minor though and I was inspired by being Glee-less all summer and that makes me sad. So here's a fic for all of those who are dying without it like I am!

DISCLAIMER, ETC: I don't own Glee or the characters. If I did, that would be awesome.

Enjoy! And please review! :)

CHAPTER 1: Finalizing

The click of the lock echoed in the foyer as Rachel Berry entered the empty house.

She stood at the entryway for a long moment, just staring. Her retinas soaked up the quiet living space, and she tried to repress the memories that flooded her mind as she looked around. She couldn't believe she was back here. She was shocked that she found the strength to get on the airplane to fly back to Lima, and floored when she found herself mechanically getting out of the car and up the walkway. Now, standing in the doorway, she felt as though all of her strength was sucked out of her and that she was going to fall over in defeat at any minute.

Finally, Rachel took a few steps, cautiously pulling her rolling luggage with her. Her breath seemed to slow as the sound of her heels drummed against the linoleum, startling her. For a quick moment, she caught her reflection in the decorative mirror hanging on the side wall. She was tired from a long day of traveling, her energy completely guzzled and thoughts plagued by the task she had to complete while she was here.

After what seemed like another long moment, Rachel gently set her keys down on a small end table located near the front door—a motion that she'd done countless times once before. She ran her fingers delicately over the cherry-wood surface, only stopping to stare absently at a picture frame that was placed in the middle of the table.

The two people in the photo smiled blissfully up at her. Rachel lifted her fingers from the table and ran her thumb over each of the two faces—one of them being her own. Both of them were dressed up: her in a puffy gold dress and he in a black dress-shirt and a gold tie. It seemed like another life ago. It practically was.

Rachel knew that it would be easy to return after all this time, but she never thought that it would be this hard.

She tore her eyes away from the picture before the lump in her throat could grow any larger. She turned to look into the rest of the small, quaint house. It was quiet, the only sound coming from the soft hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen. Her eyes darted from the dining room to the living room, and Rachel fought to repress another memory—this time of tickle fights and cuddling during late-night sports games that she only pretended to understand.

She didn't even want to look at the bedroom. She feared the memories associated with it would make it entirely unbearable to breathe. She'd stay in the guest bedroom or even a motel if she had to.

Rachel's stomach churned uncomfortably as she pushed her suitcase into a corner and walked to the kitchen slowly to wash her hands, still soaking up the image of the place she was standing in. As she methodically scrubbed her hands, she thought of how comfortable she once felt here. How this tiny, charming place was home to her—how it and the person in it was all she needed to be happy.

But that was a long time ago. Now it was just a house. It wasn't a home.

...

As Finn pulled up the driveway, he let a sigh escape his lips. It had been a long day of work. It had been a long day in general. Every day recently, Finn had noticed, felt like a long one.

After putting his car in park, he leaned his head down on the steering wheel for a brief moment. Rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, his brows furrowed as he thought about his day. His boss had been such a pain-in-the-ass lately, and today was no exception. While he was grateful for having a fairly successful job in Lima, it still didn't soften the blow that he was still stuck in the small town. For a few years after high school it didn't bother him at all. He had worked hard in community college earning his AA, and as a result he landed a sales job at the biggest car dealership in the county. He made a decent salary, which he was also grateful for. It enabled him to provide for his family. It helped him buy the house.

The house that he had once shared with her.

Cutting the engine, Finn got out of the car before his thoughts continued to wander in a dangerous direction. He didn't want to think about Rachel right now. He walked up the walkway and unlocked the front door, sighing as he put down his things. As he went to go put his keys down on the end table, he noticed another pair that was already sitting there.

Finn looked up, puzzled. He eyes met the suitcase in the corner.

Finn cautiously walked through the threshold of the house. His steps echoed as he crossed into the dining room, and they stopped as he paused to look on into the living room and then into the kitchen. Still not spotting anyone, he stood in the center of the room for a minute. He futilely fought the urge to disappear into a train of thoughts and memories—something he found himself frequently trying to do, especially during down time at work. It was only when he heard soft, dainty footsteps behind him that he snapped out of his reverie.

He turned around and his eyes met a pair of chocolate ones. His breath hitched in his throat.

"Hi Finn," she said softly.

Finn guessed he probably looked like a fish. His mouth gaped slightly and his expression was stunned. What was she doing here? After all this time?

"Uh, hi," he said, mentally slapping himself as the phrase came out of his mouth.

He often dreamed of this exact moment when he did let himself slip into a daydream. What he would say to her the first time they saw each other, what he would do. Sometimes he'd dream of being somewhat debonair—whisking her off her feet, leaning her back and just kissing her senseless. Other times he imagined yelling at her or even crying, and each time she'd run to him, wrap him in her small arms and kiss his face. Every time he pictured the moment, no matter which way he conjured it up, it always ended up in him carrying her into the same place—their bedroom. It was right then that he'd snap out of it, not allowing his imagination to take him any further.

It seemed like they had been staring at each other for hours before someone spoke again. She looked older since the last time he saw her, but she also looked tired. Her eyes were a bit sunken in and she had prominent dark circles under them. Her hair was tied back, which was unusual for her.

"Wh…what are you doing here?" Finn finally asked.

"The lawyers called me," she said quietly. "They said they needed me present in order to officially file for the…" she trailed off, lingering on the last word. She couldn't say it, and bit her lip instead.

"Oh."

They were silent again.

"When's the meeting?" Finn asked. "With the lawyers, I mean."

"Friday morning," she responded. "We're both supposed to be there, I guess. For a mediation."

Finn nodded and said nothing for a moment. So, this was really happening. They were getting a divorce. He looked down at Rachel's hands, which were twisted into each other. She separated them, and then started to play with her ring. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed that she was still wearing it.

"Look," Rachel began. "I can stay at a motel if you want. I would stay with my dads, but they already sold their house in order to move to New York…"

"Your dads are moving to New York?" Finn asked, interrupting her. It was like someone punched him in the gut. He'd see the Berry's from time-to-time around town, and they were always cordial to him, despite everything. They were the only real, tangible things related to her that he had left in Lima…

"Yeah. Upstate. To be closer to me…" She said without any inflection. For the first time since locking eyes with her earlier, he attempted to look at her face. It was turned downward, her eyes facing the floor.

"Oh, that's nice," Finn said, emulating her awkward tone. Rachel looked up at him with cautious eyes.

"Look, Finn, if this is too awkward," Rachel started, but then changed her tone to a more bitter one as she continued, "or too 'unbearable' to be in the same house as me as you so kindly put it the last time we saw each other, I can stay somewhere else…I just didn't know where to place a reservation since it was kind of a last minute trip. I didn't think I had to be here when…well, when all of this was being taken care of."

Finn turned around and headed toward the fridge. He couldn't stand to stare at her for another second at the moment—it was like he was under water on the ocean floor and couldn't push up to breathe. He walked into the kitchen attempting to calm himself, and grabbed a cold bottle of beer.

"No," he said formally after popping off the cap and taking a few gulps. The alcohol instantly soothed his churning stomach—he was always a bit of a lightweight, despite his size. "No, you should stay here. I mean, until the papers are signed, it's your house too, right?"

Finn walked out of the kitchen and passed Rachel as she silently stood in the dining room. He flopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote, flipping on ESPN. He turned up the volume to a higher-than-normal decibel, hoping he could drown out his own thoughts with the noise.

Rachel sighed, still unmoving.

"Right," she whispered. "I guess so."

WELLLL!

Please review! Obbbbviously they still love each other. There's going to be a lot of fighting (and making up? hmm...) along the way!

Thanks everyone! :)