We're nearing the end, people. Another five chapters left. The resolution draws nearer. Anyway.

Thank you all so much for the support. You don't know how much it means.


He got out of his car, curious as hell to see what Quinn wanted to show him. The rain around him had eased. Santana's surprises had already left him sour memories, but he just didn't want to think about all that. That was the past. Didn't everyone say that time only made things better? There was nothing to be afraid of. He was the perfect example of that. Age had made him better. Period.

The frame of mind stayed with him until he arrived to the kitchen door. Quinn pushed him into the room, and stood next to him. He couldn't believe what had happened there.

"I did that?"

"Finn, you really never remember a thing, do you. You let it drop."

"Everything's blurry."

"How much alcohol did you have to drink tonight? You are the one responsible for all this mess."

"Thanks, Quinn."

The ghost's honesty policy could be… destructive at times. Of his dreams, for example.

Rachel was crouched down on the floor, hands covered with latex gloves, picking up the last few pieces of cake that still lay on the floor. On the table were the partially destroyed cake levels and two bowls containing what was left. The figurines were also covered with cream, but they at least seemed intact. She had red and puffy eyes, but the tears didn't fell anymore.

"She cried? I made her cry?" Finn's voice was barely audible, but you could still hear the emotion.

Quinn didn't answer.

He saw a man enter the room and look at Rachel.

"You're picking everything up?"

"I have to, Noah." So, his name was Noah. He'd never seen him before, but already felt an intense dislike and asked himself why. "Nothing else can happen. Artie and Tina are going to have a perfect and magnificent wedding, despite everything that's happen here tonight."

She spoke really fast and he could see fresh tears in her eyes. They weren't falling just yet, but both men could see just how hard it could be to hold them back.

"You want any help?" He was courteous and obliging, too?

"Don't trouble yourself, Noah. You didn't left my side the entire evening, and you made me enjoy the music and the party. You don't have to help me repair someone else's disaster."

"I knew you couldn't have messed it up." His tone had been light and joking. Finn really didn't like this Noah. "May I know who's responsible for the disaster?"

He had a too perfect elocution. Finn was uneasy but he pushed the feeling away soon, along with every other he could have felt at this moment. Nothing would happen. Nothing would happen. Nothing.

"What you see here is the handiwork of Finn Hudson, bother of the groom."

"The photographer?"

Noah knew him? He really was too famous. No. Scratch that. No one could ever be too famous.

"In the flesh. I didn't know you knew him." Rachel didn't seem that surprised, tough.

"Only by name. The ER once had a hysterical woman one of her worried relatives had brought us. She was screaming so loud we could still hear her two stories up. Mick, the emergency doctor, called me and asked me if I could go down and search for genetic signs of hysteria on his patient. I could hear her screams on the telephone. He doesn't really realize that it doesn't work that way, but he had never seen someone like that before. No one had."

"What was she saying?" Rachel wanted to know. Finn, not that much.

"She always spoke the same words over and over again, almost incomprehensible, but one name also came back over and over again. She said…"

This woman was crazy. That was all. He hadn't been the cause for that. Had he?

Rachel cut him off. "I don't want to know."

"Sorry." Noah cast her a little smile.

"It's nothing."

"Noah. Don't you think we could speak to each other as friends now? You invited me to dance, and now you want to help me in the kitchen. We skipped a few stages, but I think we can call each other friends now."

"I'm all for it Rachel. So, what can I do to help you, my friend?"

"You can…"

A ring interrupted the conversation. Rachel crossed the room, careful to where she stepped, to look at the message she had just received. Everyone knew she had to be contacted only as a matter of emergency. This qualified. Her eyes widened while reading the message. She had to go. Quick."

"Noah. I'm sorry to have to leave you like this, but there is another emergency to settle in another room." She was going to leave that… all the better. "Enjoy the rest of the evening. Have fun. You shouldn't be caught, you shouldn't be aware of everything happening behind the scenes."

"It's okay, Rachel. Don't apologize. I hope it's not too serious."

"Me too. Thanks, Noah."

She had pushed him out of the room, and he was already back towards the living room and the party. She switched the light off, and closed the door again.

Rachel ran towards the library, Finn not far away. What could this emergency be?

"Why did she repair it?"

"She does what she always did. She repairs the damage. Everybody saw the destroyed cake, and now she wants to surprise your brother and Tina by giving it its original look back, or at least a decent aspect. She will spend all her time on it if she has to, you know that."

"I'm sure it'll be great."

"Not thanks to you."

"Quinn…" Finn was getting mad once again. Quinn's ghost definitely didn't spare him a thing.

"Stop yapping, okay? Alyssa started to speak and I couldn't catch it. I happen to like the show."

"…tried to forget what he said to me, but Gabriel convinced me instead to take care of it directly. Boys, you're here because you may know something."

"What?" They all asked?

"Which one of us Artie slept with."

They were all taken aback.

"Oh. No."

"One of your other miracles?"

"why did you mute it out? I wanna know what they're saying."

"Not this time."

Quinn made the world spin so fast Finn got nausea out of it.

"Believe me, I could have done worse. But it wasn't mine to do."

Time had passed.

The conversation had changed.

Artie had joined the little group. The atmosphere was still joyful, like nothing could ever ruin the good mood. Champagne flew freely. The party was definitely on.

"He spends the Holidays all by himself. On Christmas day, he only goes to Madison Square Garden. It's pathetic." Mercedes had been talking.

"Hey. He's not that bad." Artie was defending his brother.

Jin had arrived, already pretty drunk and walking lightly sideways.

"He hit on your future in-law." Mercedes wanted to be right, no matter what it cost.

"I've banged worse." Jin said in a casual and unrepentant way.

"Thanks, Jin."

The bridesmaids raised their glasses.

"You don't know him as I do. He practically raised me. He taught me how to ride. He tried to do the same with reading. He always defended me when someone wasn't being nice to me. Because of him, I became a good man. He never had this chance. He's my big brother. My only family. I love him. And I will never cease to believe that he can change." All heard the emotion in Artie's voice.

Finn almost had tears in his eyes. He watched, powerless, the denigration happening in the library against him, and there was only little to defend him. Even his brother wanted him to change… back… he didn't know if it was even possible. He didn't know if he really wanted to be back to what he was, before.

"Of course, all this means nothing to you. Love doesn't exist, remember. It's just an illusion for the weak and ignoramus." Quinn's words, who was still by his side, resounded deep into his soul. He was beginning to understand that all this mattered to him. He just didn't know how much yet.

Sam rose. "I should call my brother. I haven't seen him in a long time." With that, he left the room.

"It's the closest I've ever come to feel sorry for him." Alyssa added, her tongue freed by the champagne.

"You can speak, Al, he still invited you into his room." Mercedes commented.

"I've heard him scream and ran down the stairs. I already knew he was crazy. Nothing would have happened."

Mercedes celebrated the occasion.

"To the women who said no to Finn Hudson." Cheers were heard, coming from all around. She continued. "Look what he's done to poor Rachel. She's so turned up by all he did to her she can't even enjoy the handsome piece of meat we brought over just for her.

Mercedes had said all this without thinking. Rachel didn't react to anything. The joyful ambiance quickly fell, rapidly replaced by a colder tone.

"Rachel, you know she's only kidding." Alyssa tried to make it up, to little success.

Suddenly, the previously quiet Mike spoke for the first time.

"Seriously, Art, why did you invite him?"

"Who?"

"Your brother. He destroyed your wedding cake, almost refused to write a toast. Why is he even here?"

"I told you before. He's the only family I've got left. I wanted him to be there at my wedding. He's a great guy when you know him enough." Artie's tone began to change, to lose conviction on the last words.

Mike went on. "He should have done what he always does. Not be there. Miss this occasion, like he missed every single one before."

"I know you all expected him not to be there. Was I the only one hoping he'd come?" Artie's voice seriously lacked confidence.

Rachel, once more, stayed silent. She only lowered her head.

The others tried to find another subject to blab on, to no avail.

"I want him to be there for me."

Rachel rose and went to stand next to Artie, holding his hand into hers. She understood where he came from. She had known Finn before his big change. A long time ago.

Nobody spoke, trying to understand.

Brittany, always joining the show once it'd begun, and missing her husband's supervision, suddenly exclaimed "Sshhh. Tina must never know."

"What can't I know?"

Her low voice had made them all jump. Tina was there, on the doorstep.

He could feel his head spin. He closed his eyes, not wanting to hear another word. It… all had gone to hell. His brother only looked pained and sad because he had had to defend him after all that had happened tonight. He'd had to defend him. And Rachel didn't say a word. She didn't say a word.

Something else appeared in front of him. He couldn't pinpoint the location, only the women there. His two most recent dumps. A third woman was there too, she'd been dumped two days prior. He didn't understand. How could they end up in the same place, at the same time? To someone's place, sipping cocktails? They didn't know each other. As far as he knew, anyway.

"I can't believe he broke up with over some stupid conference call!"

"I can't believe he broke up with us, period. You too, two days ago?"

"Did he want us to fall for him? And when we do or think we do, he dumps us."

"At least he brought us together." They then embraced each other in support and friendship.

He suddenly heard another – well known – voice. He hadn't noticed Quinn disappearing from his side. He didn't see…

That she was the hostess. She made the cocktails. It was her place. She invited his old girlfriends over.

These women weren't the same either. Did she offer some sort of shelter after the breakups? Seeing how relaxed Quinn seemed to be around them, he wondered. How long had this been going on?

"Come on, ladies. I'm so happy you all agreed to come. More cocktails?"

"Quinn, is this your place? Quinn!" Once more, the fall had been hard. He was looking at the scene with crazy eyes. "You brought them together?"

"Stop whining, ladies. He really isn't worth it. He's like the Tin Man, born without a heart. He's only interested in two things: your bodies, and himself. Think, ladies. Think. Wherever he ends up today or tomorrow, he'll always be alone."

"Let's drink to that." Added one of the girls. Quinn drank too.

"No!" All his strenght had gone into this last yell. Once more, he had to get out of this dream, fast. But wait, was it only a dream? Or was that reality? He didn't know anymore. He couldn't tell. Nothing made sense. It couldn't be true, could it?

Only the lingering pain deep inside told him it really was. Something was changing. Why did all those women hate him? Had he been that horrible to them?

This time, he didn't repress the answer his little inside voice gave him. Yes.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in another place. He recognized New York City. He was in a dark street, in his driver seat. Will Shuester sat next to him.

"I don't make then cry that much, do I, Will?" He was like a little boy who needed reassurance.

"What do you think, Finn? Come on out, I still have things to show you."

They exited the car, and made a few steps. A heavy rain suddenly fell onto them.

"Those are all the tears they cried on your behalf."

The rain only lasted a few minutes, but everything had been drenched. He couldn't see where it ended. Maybe it didn't. Could he be the source of so many tears?

He was soaked, too.

The rain was barely over when something else started falling from the sky. Thousands of crumpled tissues slowly fell, light as the air, covering everything.

"Those are all the tissues they used to dry their tears."

At least that industry would never be in need. That curiously didn't make him feel any better.

Will Shuester spoke one last time.

"Those are all the support-chocolate they ate."

Finn looked at the sky, and ran into his sky.

An enormous chocolate ball was falling right onto him. He closed his eyes, waiting for his last moments to be sealed by this giant mass…

His car's klaxon woke him up. Lightning stroke in the garden.

He couldn't stay here.

He had to go back into the house.

He had to make it right.

As fast as possible.