Time After Time: AU S4 Fic that starts during "Thanksgiving". Things go differently at sectionals for New Directions. How does this effect the story? Finchel/Klaine. Finntana friendship.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not glee, not the songs mentioned.
Chapter 1: Thanksgiving
Guests gone, dishes done, and clothes changed, Rachel Berry curled up in a chair in her and Kurt's apartment and thought. Her best friend was on the phone in the other room, talking to one of the other glee club members about their sectionals. How they both would have loved to be there, supporting their friends in their quest for a fourth straight Sectional's victory. But being in Lima was too costly for them-literally and figuratively. It cost too much to fly between there and New York all the time, they'd only managed to go to Grease with Cassie's help. Plus it was too painful, to be so close to Blaine and Finn and not be with them. Rachel shook her head before thoughts of Finn could take it over, she was trying to let him go for the time being, though she did secretly hope that one day eveyrthing would work out and they could be together again. But for the moment it seemed like there was something happening with Brody...though she was still iffy on the fact that he'd slept with her teacher while she had gone to see Grease. Before her thoughts could go any further she heard Kurt's excited squeal and looked up to see him jumping out of his curtains with his mac in his hands.
"They won!" he shouted, explaining his actions before plopping into the seat beside Rachel and opening up his email. "Tina's dad recorded the whole performance and she's on her way to BreadstiX with everyone now to celebrate but she emailed me the video so we can see how they did. If you want to of course."
Rachel nodded, seeing the club's performance would be the perfect distraction from her current thoughts. "I'd love to." she replied, adjusting so the laptop could balance on both of their laps. They'd be able to see the video better that way. The curtains open and standing onstage was Tina and Brittany, both wearing pants and white blouses. It took them a moment to recognize Ellie Goulding's song Lights, but the nodded to each other at the well thought out choice. The song had been stripped slightly to allow for the girl's voices to shine more while keeping the wonderful beat that allowed for a complicated dance routine between them. It was impressive watching the two girls-who they'd never thought to pair together-sing this lovely song at Sectionals. It really had been an inspired choice. They clapped as it ended, watching their friends hurry off stage as the lights fell and the stage went dark.
The lights came back up as three male voices started singing the Fun. song Some Nights and there was no stopping the near simultaneous gasps that left Kurt and Rachel's mouths at the sight. They weren't dressed up at all. They were all in jeans and red shirts. The throwback to the original Don't Stop Believing performance that the six of them had done threw them for a loop. There were even hints of it in the choreography and they couldn't help but wonder how much say Finn had had in that and how much had been help from the group's better dancers.
"They were amazing," Rachel said as they celebrated winning, eyes glued to the tall frame of her ex-boyfriend/fiance. It had been a few weeks since she had last seen him after Grease and the time had done him well. He wore a proud smile as he hugged the glee clubbers, he stood confidently in his blazer and tie, a hint of scruff lining his jaw. His eyes seemed to meet the camera and he nodded, and it seemed to Rachel as though he knew she was watching because his mouth curled into a smile that she'd only ever seen directed at her. "I'm very impressed with their song choices."
"I am too. Finn really got them into shape." he said, pausing the video and closing the lid of his mac. "Schue must have left him those songs to use." Kurt set the device aside and grabbed his phone, intent on calling Tina to tell her what they'd thought of the performance. Rachel watched him quietly pace as he talked to their friend, animatedly going over everything quickly. Her thoughts had started to drift back to Finn and Brody once more when Kurt paused in his movements, a strange look on his face as he thanked Tina and said goodbye, promising to call again soon.
"What is it?" she asked, watching him almost flop onto the couch in is half shock.
"It wasn't..." he started voice trailing off before shaking his head. "It wasn't Mr. Schue...it was all Finn. Schue didn't leave Finn with any suggestions for Sectionals...Finn picked it all. The songs, the final choreography...he even did the arrangements."
"Thanks, Kurt! I'll pass the compliment along!"
Tina's voice drifted over the loud noise of the victory celebration going on at BreadstiX. He settled back in his seat, squished in a booth between Puck and Santana as the three of them, with Mike, Mercedes, and Quinn watched over the New Directions celebrating. "Why didn't we celebrate like this?" Puck asked, keeping a watchful eye on his half-brother, Jake, as he flirted with Marley. "We should have after our first sectionals."
"Hmmm..." Santana hummed, tapping her chin in mock thought. "Maybe 'cause Hudson had just found out that you were the one who'd gotten Quinn knocked up."
Everyone laughed at the looks on Puck and Quinn's faces at the reminder of those days. It amazed all of them that they could now laugh over things that had once been so serious to theme. Finn was grateful for the lighthearted conversation with his friends, glad that they had been there to support his first time leading the team as temporary director.
"Plus, our set list had been stolen and even though we won none of us were really in a celebrating mood." Mercedes added, everyone nodding in agreement. "Though Finn did save our asses that day."
Everyone cheered and started clapping at the memory of Finn's appearance in the green room with the music to Can't Always Get What You Want. He'd saved the glee club that day. Allowing this celebration to be possible. Just as the clapping subsided, Tina sidled up to the table with a smile on her face.
"You got another compliment, Finn." she said, practically shouting over Sam and Blaine's loud (but on key) rendition of Heroes. "Kurt said you did great."
"Thanks, Tina." he repiled, hearing the words that he'd caught that Tina probably hadn't even realized were in Kurt's words. Everyone tried to avoid mentioning Rachel as much as possible for his sake, as though the mere thought of her would make him spiral into some serious depression that he'd never get out of. He could admit that somedays were tougher than others, but he was making his way through. He'd had more good days than bad ones recently, though. "I'll have to call him later and and get his opinion on the whole thing."
He waved at Tina as she drifted away, moving back to the rest of the club. Feeling a hand pat his knee he glanced down to see Santana's hand there, and looking up caught the traces of a empathetic smile on her face as she looked at him. His eyes moved to where Brittany was now hanging off Sam as he and Blaine finished their song and retruned the smile, knowing that she (of everyone) understood the most of what he was feeling right now-how hard things were for him somedays. They'd become closer in the weeks following Grease, mostly because she bust into his temporary office-aka Schue's office-to get him to come to dinner with her instead of going to the afterparty and found him brooding after his meeting with Rachel just outside and cutting off contact with her.
"I have to admit...I'm pretty impressed, Frankenteen." she said, ending the briefly sentimental moment between them. "Those songs were pretty good. How much help did you get from Schue?"
Finn smiled at the murmurs of agreement about the songs, a slight sense of pride running through his system. He was pretty sure that no one knew how much he'd helped with the arranging during their time in the club and that comment proved it.
"Not much help to be honest." he admitted bashfully, the tips of ears turning pink. "I did the arrangements myself and faxed them to Schue for his opinion." He looked down at his drink as he felt everyone's eyes on him, and could practically hear the wheels turning in their minds as they tried to process this information. He shrugged, looking back up and around the table at his friends. "Mike, Puck...you guys've seen me work with Artie on the mashups and the core of our Don't Stop Believing performance at Regionals was my original arrangement. Schue just adjusted it to fit more voices."
Everyone sitting at the table with him had been stunned into silence. Even Mercedes had forgotten that it was Finn who had put together that original performance of Don't Stop Believing. How had none of them ever realized that Finn was so talented? It was only Santana who realized that those thoughts weren't true...Rachel had always known he was talented, but they'd all just been too blind to see it and had dismissed Rachel's defense of Finn's talent as the words of a girl in love instead of the objectve words of someone else talented.
"I'm gonna head home." he said after a few moments of silence. He let Santana slide out before getting up, faking a yawn so they didn't think he was uncomfortable. "Early shift at the shop tomorrow."
He could feel their eyes on him as he walked out, nodding and smiling at the glee clubbers as he passed them. It wasn't long after Finn's broad frame had disappeared through the door that Artie had wheeled up to the table, followed by Tina, Sam, Blaine, and Brittany. They squeezed into the booth with the others, Artie taking the opening at the table for his own space.
"Is Finn okay?" Artie asked, settling his elbows on the table and propping is head in his hands. "He seemed a little weird as he left just now. Ryder and them didnt notice but they don't know him all that well."
"Did you bring up Rachel?" Brittany asked, frowning slightly. "Any time he thinks about her his face gets all long and frowny."
"No one mentioned her, Britt." Quinn said, looking around at everyone. "I...we all just realized that...we never noticed how talented Finn really is."
Finn drove home from BreadstiX in near silence, humming a tune that had been in his head for a while. He still had trouble believing that New Directions had won under his direction. With his song choices and arrangements. It was hard for him to believe that the guy with no future had done that in a few short weeks. It gave him a huge burst of much needed confidence after every thing he'd lost since graduation. He stretched out on his bed when he got home, looking for songs and ideas for the next couple of lessons before the winter break started.
He was humming out a partiularly difficult section of notes in AC/DC's Thunderstruck, trying to get the timing right when his phone suddenly rang. He groped for it blindly, opening the new text without looking to see who it was from. His heart nearly stopped when he saw who it was from but he read it through, biting down on his lip.
I know we're not supposed to contact each other but I just want you to know that I'm really proud of you, Finn. Tina's dad filmed sectionals and she emailed the video to Kurt. You did an amazing job...just like you did with the musical.
He gripped the phone in his hands tightly, wondering how...or even if he should respond. They weren't supposed to be communicating, but knowing that she'd seen it...that she was proud of him and impressed by what he'd done...still meant a lot to him. Finally he tapped out a quick reply, setting his phone back to the side as he turned back to the arrangement he was working on.
Rachel's thoughts had been consumed by Brody and Finn since she'd sent the latter a text message, even though they were on a communication ban at the moment. She hadn't been able to stop herself from sending the text, wanting him to know that she was proud of his accomplishment. He deserved to shine, to be rewarded, and complimented on what he'd done. It was impressive getting the whole club to work together so well in just a couple weeks of rehearsals since Grease had taken up a lot of his time before that. And as she'd seen in the video he looked good. It was clear that whatever changes his two weeks in the army had brough he was keeping up with the workouts because he was noticeably slimmer-especially with the way he seemed to stand taller now. It was a kind of confidence that she'd never seen Finn have offstage before. A humble, happy confidence...one that came from the little things he did. It was in direct conflict with the type of confidence that Brody had-one that was derived from his looks and how people perceived him. Before Rachel could delve further into comparing the two men-again-her phone vibrated from where she left it after she'd sent the text and he grabbed it, a soft smile overtaking her face as she read the text from her ex-boyfriend. Thanks. :) It wasn't much...but it was enough. He'd responded...and positively so which was a lot more than she had expected.
"Knock, knock." a voice said and Rachel looked up, still smiling from the text she'd received to see Kurt parting the curtains, separating her area from the main section of the apartment.
"Something from lover boy?" he asked, disdainfully, nodding his head at the phone in her hands.
"No," she said, cheeks pinking as she set the phone aside. "Finn, actually. I sent him a text about the sectionals win."
She watched Kurt nod as he sat on the other end of her bed, facing her. "I've known you for a long while now, Rachel...the only person who probably knows you better than you better than I do is Finn..." He trailed off and she could tell that he was organizing his thoughts before picking back up. "You've been quiet lately, and I know that means your thinking. So...whats on your mind, Rachel Berry?"
"Finn. And Brody." she replied fingers twisting nervously. "The differences between them, the things they've done, how they act towards me, how I think they feel about me...everything." Rachel paused to gather her thoughts, trying to find a way to explain everything going through her mind. "I...I keep thinking about what you said the night we painted this place...how my freedom was a gift that Finn gave me?" Briefly her eyes strayed to the wall, where hiding under a few coats of paint was Finn's name inside of two hearts. "I don't think I'm doing it right. He sent me to New York so I could be who I always wanted to be...and I've been distracting myself with Brody, haven't I? It took me weeks to forgive Finn for sleeping with Santana...but I let Brody sleeping with Cassie just slide..."
Kurt did a double take at that because this was entirely new information. "He slept with Crazy July and you let him back into your life?" he asked, shocked. "When did this happen and where was I?"
"It happened when we went to see Grease. I found out when I called after leaving the auditorium after You're The One That I Want...and she answered his phone. She outright told me what had happened." Her teeth dug into her lower lip, shaking her head as she chuckled softly. "I felt more shock than betrayal or hurt. I thought he really liked me and then he did that."
"Maybe you should be be just Rachel...for a while. No Brody, no Finn...just single Rachel who is focused on school." Kurt said, resting his hands on top of hers and drawing her attention. "You went through a lot in a short amount of time...and in my opinion, you didn't let yourself deal with it. Think about it, Rachel. Six months ago...you were engaged to Finn, and then he sent you off to New York so that you didn't miss a chance at a dream you'd had for your whole life. You spent four months alone in a new city, wondering what your relationship status with Finn was...and then Brody stepped out of the shower and started hitting on you. You were vulnerable and to me it comes off like he took advantage of that...giving you attention you were sorely lacking. And then up pops Finn again...and before you can really process it all he's gone without a word and you broke it off for good, for the moment. Maybe you need to be Rachel Berry without a man who just focuses on her dream of stardom and see where that takes you."
Kurt stood from the bed, resolved to leave Rachel to her thoughts and see what she decided. He paused as he stepped outof her room and turned his head over his shoulder. "One last thing?" he said softly, biting his lip before continuing. "Personally...I think that if Brody really liked you he wouldn't have slept with Cassie...no matter what." With that Kurt stepped out of the room, leaving Rachel slightly less conflicted than she had been before.