"Well, that was the loudest standing ovation ever."

Finn and Rachel were now walking through Central Park hand in hand. Rachel laughed softly.

"Well, we were really powerful up there." Rachel shrugged. "I guess people were so moved by our chemistry and emotion. The fact that Faithfully is an emotional song helps."

Finn nodded. "It was the first song we sang together as a couple. Do you remember?"

"Yeah. Regionals 2010. That was also the first time you said you love me." Rachel reminisced. She smiled up at Finn. "We have a lot of history together, don't we?"

Finn put his arm around Rachel's shoulders. "And a lot of good memories."

"Yeah." Rachel put her hand on Finn's. "Tonight has been nice. I think this is the most fun I've had in a while."

Finn couldn't help being surprised. "Really? Come on. You've been living in the city of your dreams for almost a year now."

"I know, but…" Rachel turned to face Finn and put her arms around his waist. "This city is so much more with you in it with me."

"Awww." Finn leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. Rachel chuckled softly.

"Um, just so we're clear…this has been tugging at the back of my mind for a while….is this a date?" Rachel asked, trying not to sound hopeful.

"Only if you want it to be." Finn replied, exhaling softly.

Rachel smiled and blushed. "Well…there's a theater that plays not-so-old movies from like a decade ago. A Walk To Remember is playing…"

"Cool. Let's go see it." Finn smiled. "We can find a seat in the back and play the make-out game…"

Rachel squealed and giggled. "Yes!" She pulled Finn along.

The make-out game is a game Finn made up when he and Rachel started dating. It's a cleaner, healthier version of the Drinking Game. For instance, one peck every time a couple stare at each other lovingly, a longer kiss every time they kiss, every time the female lead cries, French kiss, and every time they say "I love you", make out. Finn made it up to keep himself awake during long chick flicks.

After the movie, the young couple headed back to Brooklyn. There is an area near the Brooklyn Bridge where you can lean against a low wall and look over at the Manhattan Skyline. Rachel leaned forward against the wall with Finn leaning against her with his arms wrapped around her.

"I never noticed how beautiful the skyline is until now…" Finn mused.

Rachel was pleasantly surprised at the sentiment. "Yeah, it's pretty amazing. I wish you could see the stars, though."

Finn nodded. He had thought about that. He remembered giving Rachel a star the Christmas of their senior year.

Rachel stared in space for a while. She was glad Finn finally found his calling. He's really matured since she last saw him. She missed being with him. "You know, I was thinking…New York has training for every job imaginable here. You could transfer to NYU or Columbia or somewhere to get a teaching degree."

Finn smiled at the thought. It sounds appealing, but…he doesn't know how much time he has left. "I'll think about it. I mean…Will is going to be pretty busy with that panel thing and he'll need someone to help with Glee."

Rachel nodded in understanding. "We better get back. It's getting late, and I need to get up early."

"Okay. Cool." Finn and Rachel headed back.

XXX

Santana sat on the couch and stared at the TV in thought. How long had Finn been sick? Does Rachel know? Will he tell her? How long does he have? Do the New Directions know? Hmm. She heard the door slide open and turned to see Rachel and Finn walk in laughing. Santana stood up and smiled.

"Well, well. I thought I heard you were in town." Santana put her hands on her hips and walked to them. "Hey, Frankenteen."

"Hey, Santana." Finn greeted, smiling. They hugged.

"Hmm." Santana stepped back and studied Finn. "There's something different about you."

Finn shrugged. "I lost weight."

Santana pointed at him. "That's it. You kind of look like a giant bobble head doll now. A sickly bobble head doll."

"Really, Santana? Are you going to treat all our guests this way?" Rachel glared at her.

"What? I'm being honest!" Santana exclaimed. "My roommates sure anger easily."

"Only when you insult people we care about!" Rachel shot back. She sighed. "I'd slap you, but I'd probably shatter every bone in my arm from that hard head of yours."

Santana scoffed. "Oh. Wow, you're definitely improving on your comebacks."

"Thank you." Rachel shot back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get started on my nighttime ritual."

"Man, rituals sound awesome!" Santana chirped.

"You should try it, then!" Rachel called over her shoulder as she headed to the bathroom.

Santana smiled after Rachel and turned to Finn, who had his arms folded. "Kurt told you, didn't he?"

"Oh. About you being diagnosed with MRSA?" Santana guessed. "No, actually, I found your pills in your duffel bag."

Finn's face fell. "Oh…"

"So, how bad is it?" Santana asked.

"They gave me a year to live." Finn admitted.

Santana was speechless. She shook her head. "Uh….wow. That sucks. I'm sorry."

"Thanks." Finn replied. "I am going to tell Rachel before I leave town, though."

Santana was slightly doubtful about that. She just shrugged. "Okay…"

"I will, Santana." Finn said firmly.

Kurt walked out of his room into the living room. "Hey. What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing. Just catching up." Santana replied. "I am going to bed. 'Night, Dean. Sam." She headed to her room.

Kurt shook his head and sighed. "So, how was your night?"

"The best I've had in a long time." Finn smiled widely. "So, how were things here?"

"Oh, just fine. I snuck your pills out of your duffel before Santana had a chance to rummage through it." Kurt smiled triumphantly.

"Actually…she got to it before you did somehow." Finn admitted. Kurt sighed and threw his arms out in frustration. "Don't worry- she's not going to say anything. She knows I'll tell Rachel."

"Okay. Keep telling yourself that." Kurt shrugged and folded his arms. He relaxed. "So, Isabelle offered me a job at Vogue this summer."

"Dude, that's awesome!" Finn smiled.

"I'm going to turn her down." Kurt replied. Reading Finn's shocked expression, he continued. "You only have a year left to live, Finn. I haven't spent enough time with you."

"Dude, I'm flattered, really. But, what if you never get this job offer again?" Finn asked.

Kurt shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"It does matter!" Finn insisted. "Kurt, I want to spend more time with you too, but I don't think I can live with myself if you give up this job offer. Call her and tell her it's yes."

Kurt felt a lump of emotion rise in his throat. "Wow. You've really matured. I'm….I'm proud of you."

Finn smiled and pulled his brother into a tight embrace. "I love you, man."

"I love you, too." Kurt pulled away and cleared his throat. "Also, um…I told Blaine about your…condition."

Finn paled and glared at Kurt. "Dude. Why would you do that?"

"I needed someone outside our family to talk to." Kurt explained.

"And you chose the guy who leaked our Regionals setlist last year." Finn nodded and folded his arms.

Kurt glared at his brother. "He learned his lesson, Finn. He won't tell anybody."

Finn raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, if you say so. Sorry."

"It's fine." Kurt just shrugged.

XXX

The next morning, Santana mischievously put a shopping list on the fridge reading "Mayonnaise, Rice, Salt, and Apples". She sat down with her breakfast as Rachel came out of the bathroom fully clothed wearing a pink shirt and jeans.

"Wow. That's a nice change from your grieving widow look you've been sporting the entire time you've been living here." Santana remarked as Kurt walked into the kitchen.

"It's called 'New York chic', Santana." Kurt rolled his eyes and opened the fridge. "And we don't need mayo. There's another jar."

Rachel thought about Santana's comment. "You really think I look like a grieving widow?"

"No, no. I don't." Kurt replied, turning and pointing to her.

"You know, it's funny: the last two years of high school, you dressed like a Stepford housewife, now you dress like a widow." Santana observed. She gasped dramatically. "I wonder if it's a sign."

"It's a sign that you're paranoid, Mozzie." Kurt snarked.

"'Kay, wait…if I'm Mozzie, does that mean Rachel's Neal? They're both brunettes and they're both short for their ages…" Santana mused.

"Are we talking about Blaine?" Finn asked as he walked in wearing a red shirt and brown chords.

Santana burst out laughing. "Oh my God. I'm sorry. This is just too ironic!"

Finn looked confused. "What?"

"You ever seen Star Trek? The guy in the red shirt always gets killed!" Santana exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, how is that ironic?" Rachel asked.

"Doesn't Finn…"

"Santana!" Kurt snapped warningly.

"…like Star Trek?" Santana asked. Kurt sighed inwardly with relief.

"Uh…not really." Finn replied.

"Oh. My bad." Santana took a sip of her orange juice. "Anyway, to answer your question from before, no, we weren't talking about Blanderson. We were talking about characters from a TV show."

Kurt glared at Santana. "Have you met Blaine? He's the complete opposite of bland!"

"Biased." Santana muttered.

"Bitch." Kurt muttered back.

XXX

A few hours later, Rachel and Finn were walking hand in hand through the streets of Manhattan.

"So, rehearsal's not for another couple of hours." Rachel noted. "What do you want to do?"

"Hmm…" Finn looked around. "Honestly…I'm really not that into New York to go sightseeing. I mean, I totally wouldn't mind living here, but…"

"Oh. Okay. Um, well, I guess we can just walk." Rachel smiled and shrugged. She spotted an outdoor photo studio/kiosk. "Ooh! Let's get a really romantic photo!"

"Okay!" Finn let Rachel drag him to the studio.

"Ah, you two are a cute couple." The photographer said, smiling. "I'm assuming you want something romantic?"

"Yes, please." Rachel grinned.

"All righty." The photographer pulled down an island sunset background. "How about this?"

Rachel and Finn glanced at each other and nodded. "Perfect!"

"All right, get close and smile, you two."

Rachel and Finn posed in front of the camera towards each other with their arms wrapped around each other. The photographer took the picture. "Two copies?"

"Yeah, thanks." Finn grinned.

"All right. Your total is eighty dollars and fifty cents." The photographer smirked.

Finn sighed and dug out his wallet. He pulled out eighty-one dollars. "Keep the change."

"Sweet." The photographer took the money and printed out the photos. "Here you go."

"Thanks!" Finn and Rachel walked off. "So, is your rehearsal a closed one?"

"No, you can watch." Rachel smiled. Finn tried not to look too excited. "Let's go."

XXX

Rachel was amazing in rehearsals. She acted it out as if there was a full audience. She was so….natural and graceful. Finn mused on how amazing Rachel was. Was his impending death giving him a new perspective of life? Was he finding everything more beautiful and enjoyable?

About halfway through the show, the actress Rachel was understudying returned looking healthy, although her face and nose were still slightly red. Rachel tried not to look too disappointed.

"Rachel, you may sit in the audience until this rehearsal is over." The director replied.

"Okay." Rachel smiled politely and walked off the stage.

Finn was unsure if it was a suggestion or a request. A few minutes later, he got a text from Rachel saying to stay where he is. She's going to watch the rest of the play. A few more minutes pass and Rachel appeared on the seat next to Finn.

"Hey." She whispered. "So, I wanted to get a second opinion: who's the better performer? That's, uh, that's why I wanted us to see the rest."

"Okay." Finn nodded. After another hour and a half, the rehearsal was over. Rachel looked at Finn expectantly. He searched for the right way to say it. "Well, you're definitely almost as good as she is, but that's just because she's more experienced than you. When you've done a few Broadway gigs, you'll be better."

Rachel sighed. "Okay, you have a good point."

Finn smiled in relief. He stood and extended his hand. "Shall we go?"

"We shall." Rachel raised an eyebrow at Finn's use of that word and took his hand.

XXX

Santana glanced at her watch and looked out the window. Finn and Rachel were approaching the building. She gasped quietly and sprinted to her room. "They're back!" She called to Kurt on her way. She dived under her bed and pulled out her laptop, earplugs, and the first DVD she laid her hands on (Which, by the way, was Valentine's Day).

Kurt walked into her room. "Hey, I'm going to that Cyber Café down the street. Wanna come?"

"No, thanks. I have other plans." Santana replied. She put the movie in and hit play, then paused it.

"Oh. What are you watching?" Kurt walked to her bed and sat down. "Ooh! I haven't seen this in ages!"

"Well, enjoy. 'Cause I found something more interesting to watch." Santana winked and tiptoed to her partition.

"Santana, that's an invasion of privacy!" Kurt chided. He ran to pull her back, but Santana pulled away. Kurt sighed in frustration. "Okay…you do remember what happened when someone overheard a conversation between you and Finn last year, right?"

Santana scoffed. "Shhh."

Kurt sighed in frustration and shook his head. Obviously, there was no talking Santana out of this one. Oh well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

XX

Rachel dragged Finn to her apartment. She dropped his hand to search for her key. Finn took a deep breath. 'Okay, Hudson. Don't wimp out now. It's now or never.'

"Finn?" Rachel asked, slightly concerned.

Finn cleared his throat and walked in. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Rachel turned around. "Kurt? Santana? You home?" When she didn't hear either of them, she shrugged and turned back to Finn. "Well, looks like they're not home. You know what that means?" She slowly wrapped her arms around Finn's waist, running her hands underneath his shirt, and smiling suggestively.

Finn studied Rachel's face. It saddened him that he may never see her smile like that again. He gently unwrapped her arms. "Rachel, wait….there's something I need to tell you."

Rachel's face fell slightly. "Oh. Okay. What is it?"

Finn led her to the couch. Unseen by the two, Santana and Kurt parted the curtain so they can get a good view on what's happening. Finn took a deep breath. "So…I haven't been feeling so well lately, so I went to a doctor."

Rachel was starting to get a little concerned. "And? What did they say? Do you…?"

"I have a bacterial infection disease." Finn said.

Rachel's concerned turned to horror. "But…there's treatment for it, right? And there's a cure?"

Finn bowed his head and shook it. He was starting to get choked up. "They found it too late. I only have a year to live."

Blood drained from Rachel's face. Her throat closed up and she started gasping and breathing heavily. She started shaking her head slowly. "No. No, you're not. You're not dying."

"Rach…"

"No!" Rachel shot up, taking deep breaths and trying not to cry. "I did not sign onto you dying. In fact, I demand to go first!"

Finn stifled a chuckle and ducked his head. Sobering up, he stood up. "I'm sorry. There's really nothing anyone can do."

Rachel gasped. She went through the events of the last few days in her head. Santana and Kurt have been acting a little strange around Finn. "Santana and Kurt knew…. you told Kurt and Santana before me?"

"Kurt is my brother, Rachel." Finn reasoned. "As for Santana, she figured it out."

Rachel exhaled sharply and shook her head. "Who else knows?"

"Just my family." Finn shrugged. "And…Blaine."

Rachel stared at him in horror. "Blaine knows?"

"Well, Kurt said he won't tell anyone. He learned his lesson from last year." Finn assured her.

"Kurt also once said Blaine would never cheat on him!" Rachel snapped. "And Tina is a freaking gossip! How do we know he didn't tell her, then she blabbed it to the entire club including Mr. Schue?"

"Well, I guess we'll find out Monday." Finn shrugged.

Rachel broke down crying. Her knees buckled under her. Finn caught her before she hit the ground and sat her on the couch. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Finn was confused. "For what?"

Rachel sniffed and swallowed her lump. "Everything. I've been a horrible girlfriend to you. I shouldn't have cheated on you. I should have helped you find your dream more. I shouldn't have broken up with you. I took our whole relationship for granted."

Finn was surprised at that. He pulled Rachel in a hug. "Oh, Baby. If you don't know how happy you've made me, I haven't been a good boyfriend."

Rachel wiped away tears. "You mean that?"

Finn nodded. "I want you to know that….you've given me the best three years of my life. Yes, even this one."

Rachel chuckled. "You've given me the best three years of my life, too."

"We've been better than most couples, really." Finn shrugged. "At least we talk out our issues and work through our problems."

Rachel nodded. "Yeah…as opposed to who? Kurt and Blaine?"

Kurt was about to interject, but Santana slapped a hand over his mouth, quieting him.

"Yeah. I love them both, but…I mean, was their relationship more physical than emotional?" Finn wondered.

"No, they talked…a little." Rachel nodded. She sighed. It had only been about five minutes, but, already she was starting to feel emotionally drained. "Um… I'm sorry you're sick."

"Thanks."

Rachel cleared her throat. "So….I'm going to do my nighttime ritual, and I'll come to bed."

"Okay. Cool."

XXX

A half hour later, Rachel walked into her room. Finn was already laying on the bed with his fingers interlaced behind his head. "Hey."

Finn smiled. "Hey." He held his arms out. Rachel chuckled lightly and jumped into bed. She lay on his chest with one arm wrapped under his back and the other resting on his stomach. Finn wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

Rachel sighed in content. The fact that the love of her life only has a year left to live was still processing. She swallowed. "Are you scared?"

"Of dying? No." Finn admitted. "Honestly, I'm just bummed that I won't get to follow or achieve my dreams or get married and have a family. Extended family trips with Kurt and his husband and kids to Disneyland….old people sex with you."

Rachel laughed softly. She took a deep breath. She wasn't going to tell him this, but…she felt the need to. "I took a pregnancy test after Valentine's Day."

Finn stared at her in shock. His stomach dropped. "Oh. Uh…"

"Don't worry- it was a false alarm." Rachel sighed. "Good thing. You would have left behind a child."

"Oh….yeah. Good point." Finn said, slightly relieved. "Good thing we didn't get married, either. I'd be leaving behind a wife, too."

"That wouldn't have mattered. At least you'd have married the love of your life." Rachel stated.

"You really want to become a window before you hit twenty-one?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's widow, and no, I wouldn't have minded." Rachel replied.

Finn nodded and hugged Rachel closer and kissed the top of her head. "Can you sing for me?"

Rachel chuckled and smiled. "Of course." She searched her head for the perfect song. She settled with "Lament" from Evita.