Rachel jumped off her elliptical bike, stretching her arms in the air. It was good to be back in her old room, in her old town. Growing up, Rachel vowed that she would leave Lima and never look back. Yet two short months away from home showed her that Dorothy's anthem from The Wizard of Oz wasn't just fiction. There really is no place like home, Rachel thought to herself as she jumped on her bed.

"Settling in okay?" Hiram asked, peeking in the doorway.

Rachel pushed the hair out of her eyes and nodded yes.

"You know you didn't have to wait until Finn's graduation to come home."

"I know." Rachel reached for one of her headbands. "I just thought it would be easier to stay in New York for the first few weeks rather than come home right away."

"Well you know you need to make a habit of coming home sooner," Hiram advised her. "Leroy is threatening to lock you in your room until tomorrow so that we can have you all to ourselves."

"Oh Dad," Rachel sighed, a smile forming on her mouth. "The plan is brunch with you and Dad, and then I'll spend the afternoon with Tina – she's one of the few New Directions members still in town this summer."

"You two better hurry up and get ready, I want my brioche!" Leroy shouted from across the hall.

Hiram and Rachel hid a laugh under their mouths. "I've missed being here."

"We've missed you too, kiddo," Hiram replied, enveloping her in a hug.

Rachel smiled, listening to Leroy sing another classic show tune from his bedroom. "You have no idea how much I missed it here."

Rachel sprawled herself across Tina's bed, looking at various sheet music. Rachel had dedicated herself to making Tina her new successor in Glee Club, and that meant picking the perfect opening song for the first week of school.

"Do you want to go for a Broadway show tune or a contemporary hit?" Rachel asked, thumbing the pages of one of the catalogues.

Tina propped her chin on her hand. "WWRD; What Would Rachel Do?" She smiled.

Rachel laughed and pulled a pen out of her purse. "Broadway – it's underrated, not many people can pull it off these days – and you rock it." Rachel pointed to the section dedicated to the musical, Aida and pointed to a song. "The perfect song for a new year and a new you."

A smile formed on Tina's mouth. "My Strongest Suit, from Aida" she mused, nodding her head. "Perfect."

Rachel agreed. "And it's a nod to your new wardrobe choices," Rachel noted. "Are you done with the goth look for good?"

Tina smoothed her go-go dress. "I think so. It's time for something more mainstream."

"Just so long as you don't lose yourself in the process." Rachel examined her French-tip fingernails as she slowly breached the next topic. "Any word from Mike over the summer?"

Tina frowned and shook her head. "Mike and I are over."

"Really?" Rachel asked, her eyes widening. At graduation the two seemed closer than ever, committed to keeping a long-distance relationship going.

Tina reached down for a box of chocolate chip cookies and offered some to Rachel. "Three weeks ago he calls me out of the blue and tells me that he needs space, that he doesn't want a serious relationship. He wants to date other people."

"Oh Tina," Rachel murmured, wondering if that could be her and Finn somewhere down the line. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Tina shrugged her shoulders. "It's not something I wanted to talk about over the phone."

Rachel savored a chocolate chip. "It's his loss and your gain," she assured her. "Because this is going to be your year."

"I hope so," Tina agreed.

"And I bet it'll be even better without a boyfriend to think about," Rachel reassured her. "As a senior, you'll have your pick of the men at McKinley."

"Rachel, this is me that we're talking about," Tina reminded her. "The girl who pretended to stutter just to blend into the woodwork."

Rachel shook her head. "That's the old you." Rachel raised her hands into the air. "This is going to be a banner year for both of us – you just wait and see."