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 78th cycle. Now cycle 79!

"Two Roads"
((Older) Rachel, Kurt), Chloe(OC)/George (OC)
Red series
(no listings yet; sequel to Kitchen Meeting)

It had not yet been twenty-four hours since Chloe had received Kurt Hummel's offer, but it had consumed every last one of those hours that did pass. All night long she slept and woke at much too short intervals, with the return to sleep seeming harder and harder each time. At some point she must have managed to fall asleep and stay that way a while, because all of a sudden it was eleven in the morning.

The house was empty. Rachel might have been off doing something for the workshop or another project, or she could have been on errands. Sophie might have been at her own job, or she could have been with Julian, or her friends… It didn't matter either way; Chloe had so much on her mind and if they had been there then they would have wanted to know what she was planning to do already. She didn't know.

The next thing she knew, she'd gotten dressed and run off to George's apartment. He barely had time to open the door that she got hold of his arm and started pulling him toward the stairs that led up to the roof. After their date up there, she'd started feeling like this was the place that belonged to them, that made that they could be alone, in private.

"Chloe, what happened, are you okay?" he asked as they stumbled through the door and she started to pace.

"I don't know what to do," she shook her head.

"What to do about what?" George tried to keep up with her.

"You know Kurt Hummel?" she asked after a few more seconds.

"The director, yeah."

"He's friends with Rachel Berry, I knew that, why didn't I remember that, why didn't I recognize him back there… Apparently everyone I ever looked up to is friends with my dad," she chuckled.

"What does this have to do with…"

"He offered me a part, well… an audition, but according to him he's very motivated about this and about me." George finally managed to get hold of her so she'd stand in front of him.

"Wait, he offered you…"

"An audition, for his new musical."

"Chloe…" he smiled.

"No, don't," she put her hand to his mouth so she wouldn't see the smile. "It's not that simple." He mumbled something, and she let go.

"It's what you want, isn't it? You told me, ever since you were…"

"I know what I told you, and of course it's what I want, but…"

"But what? Go for it! This is your chance, and those don't always just drop in your lap this way." For a few moments, neither of them spoke. Chloe was deep in thought, and George was standing there, waiting.

"When I first came here, when I ran away, I was looking for something. But then eventually I figured out I needed to go back home, so I did. And then the workshop happened, and in some ways I thought it was another sign, that I shouldn't give up. But the closer I got, right to the end, all I really found out was that I'd had what I'd been looking for all along. I love it here, but I still need that other part of me, the one that's back home, in Indiana. I need my family, I'm not… I'm not ready to be away from them on that permanent of a basis. But if I go through the audition and I get the part, then I'll still be here, and they'll still be over there…"

"They can visit," George tried to help.

"I know that, but that's not the point," she sighed.

"Alright, look," he took a breath, trying to consider this in a more rational way. "The way I see it, when someone has a dream for themselves, whether it's big or small, there are always going to be some sacrifices that need to be made. It's all a matter of knowing how much you want it, how far you're willing to go, and how much you're willing to give up… Maybe you'll be away from your family for a while longer, but it'll be for all the right reasons, won't it?"

"I guess," she slowly nodded.

"Whatever you choose, I'll back you up, you know that?" he asked, and she smiled, embracing him. He put his arms around her and she let out a breath. "You don't have to make a decision yet, do you?"

"No," she replied.

"Then call home, talk to your parents. If they're such a big part of this decision for you, then you need to bring them into it."

"And what if I choose to go home, and I don't do the audition?" She tried not to think too much about that part, about giving up the offer she'd gotten and whether or not she'd get another this way.

"Chloe Clarke, you're already a star. When everyone else will figure it out, that's the variable," he promised.

Walking home, she felt good. She might not have made a decision yet, but she wasn't so stressed out about it anymore, and that was worth everything else.

Rachel's car was back in its space when Chloe came up to the house, and she was only thinking about what she would tell her, about how she hadn't figured things out yet, when she came through the door, took a few steps forward, and caught something out of the corner of her eye. She turned toward the living room, and her breath caught.

"Mom?" Mrs. Clarke had tears in her eyes, seeing her daughter in the flesh for the first time in so long, and she only had to open her arms as Chloe was already dashing up to her. "Dad…" she beamed, reaching for the man's hand, the one who'd been with her for the better part of her life. He smiled back, nodding.

"Surprised?" he asked.

"Yeah," she laughed. "What are you doing here, I don't…"

"I may have offered to fly them over for a visit," Rachel piped in, and Chloe had almost forgotten she was there. "I thought the three of you had some things to discuss.

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!