Thanks for all your reviews on the last chapter! It was a difficult one to write. I promise Nick and Emma will get back together, and I will NOT keep them separated as long as RIB kept Finchel separated last year!

This is one of my favorite chapters. It doesn't focus on the breakup angst (except a little at the end), more on Rachel, Broadway and the family. I really enjoyed writing it and hope you enjoy reading it. And as always, don't forget to review!

Chapter 11: New Year, New Show

Rachel looked in the mirror. It was New Year's Eve, and her last performance in Wicked. She wasn't getting a break though, she'd be starting in West Side Story tomorrow. It would be weird not having her skin painted green anymore. She was used to it by now, and the paint didn't itch like it used to. She had gotten friendly with some of the extras, but she was glad she wouldn't have to work with Morgan anymore. Morgan was still being very difficult to work with, and Rachel hoped no one would be that way in West Side Story.

Tonight was a special night. In the audience were Finn, Ryan, Emma, Sarah, Grant, Zoe, Hiram, Leroy, Shelby, Beth, Burt, Carole, Ally, Kurt, Blaine, Michael and Brendan. The show had sold out weeks ago, but Finn had reserved tickets a long time ago so the family could come see Rachel perform. They were in New York for Christmas and New Year's and would be coming to Rachel's first West Side Story show tomorrow.

The MC announced before the show that it was the last show with Rachel Berry as the lead, and Rachel felt a little sentimental throughout the performance. It was the last time she'd be singing these songs on this stage with the cast.

At the end of the show, Rachel was given a loud round of applause and she saw everyone in the cast (except Morgan) applauding her. She exited the stage to change out of her costume, waiting to see her family. Then she saw Sarah running up to her. "Mom, that was amazing!" Sarah shouted. "That's going to be me one day!"

"I know it will," Rachel said, hugging her daughter.

"We're so proud of you, Rachel," Leroy said.

"I remember when we took you to dance lessons and voice lessons and acting lessons – now you're on Broadway!" Hiram added.

"We knew it would happen," Leroy said.

"Thank you!" Rachel said, hugging both her dads. She then hugged her mom.

"You were incredible up there!" Shelby said. "Even better than you were at the beginning of the show."

"Thanks, Mom," Rachel said.

"She deserves one Broadway star daughter!" Beth laughed. Beth had decided she wanted to go into sociology. She'd been in New Directions in high school, but was more interested in another career.

"Both my daughters are very talented, in different ways," Shelby said.

"We're proud that you're our daughter-in-law, Rachel," Burt said.

"Yeah, back home in Glee, some people know about the famous Rachel Berry on Broadway, and I get to tell them that she's my brother's wife!" Ally said.

"If you go to Columbia, you'll get to come to shows like this all the time," Rachel said.

"Oh, I'll be taking her to lots of them!" Kurt said. "Every time I come here, it reminds me of singing on this stage with you."

"That was the first time I ever sang on a Broadway stage!" Rachel said, thinking back to that day.

"And then you sang on the stage with me last spring!" Emma said. "But Sarah's going to be your Broadway daughter, Mom. I'm going to be a bestselling writer." Rachel had been worried about Emma since the breakup. Emma had spent a lot of time with Beth, Ally and Sarah, and she was sure the girls had been discussing it. Rachel noticed Emma had been rather quiet on Christmas, but she told herself that her daughter would be okay. At least now, Emma was in a good mood.

"Do what you love," Rachel told her daughter as she put her arms around Finn. Finn kissed Rachel and said, "Aren't you glad you did this?"

"I am," Rachel said, smiling up at her husband.

"So, should we head to Times Square for the New Year's Eve party?" Ryan asked.

"You guys can go, I'm going to go back to the apartment," Rachel said. "I'm going to have to get up pretty early tomorrow for my West Side Story rehearsal, and I should probably get Zoe and Grant to bed."

"I want to go!" Grant pouted.

Rachel looked at Finn. Finn then looked at Grant. "It's going to be VERY crowded. If you go, you'll need to stick with your grandparents or your siblings."

"Okay," Grant said.

"We'll keep an eye on him, don't worry," Brendan said. Rachel enjoyed living so close to her nephews. Michael was eleven and Brendan was nine.

Rachel leaned and whispered to Finn, "Don't let any of our kids have any alcohol." Alcohol had led to an unwanted pregnancy for her sister (and losing the baby) and a breakup for her daughter. She didn't want to see it do any more damage to people she loved.

"I'll tell Kurt and Blaine that," Finn said. "I'm coming back to the apartment with you."

"Finn!" Rachel said. "It's New Year's Eve. We're in New York. This is one of the biggest parties in the world."

"I don't want you to be alone at the apartment," Finn said.

"I won't be alone, I'll have Zoe with me," Rachel contradicted.

"I'm coming with you!" Finn said.

Rachel smiled. "Okay!" She whispered to Kurt and Blaine about the alcohol, reminded the kids to stick together, and began walking toward the train station with Finn. They'd been in New York around New Year's before, and she knew that it was chaos. There were people everywhere and it was noisy. Rachel held on tight to Zoe, knowing her baby could disappear before her eyes, and hoped that Ryan, Emma and Sarah would make sure Grant didn't get lost in the crowd.

Zoe was crying when Finn and Rachel got on the train. "She's never been in New York on New Year's before," Rachel told Finn. "She isn't used to this." They took turns cradling her on the train until they got back to their apartment building. Once Zoe had gotten her diaper changed and was in her pajamas, she'd calmed down, and she fell asleep once she was in bed. Finn and Rachel stood by the crib to look at their youngest daughter. Finn turned to Rachel and said, "You're a great mom."

"You're a great dad," Rachel said.

"Seeing you on that stage tonight, and every night I see you on Broadway, made me so proud to be your husband," Finn said.

Rachel looked at Finn. "You are my hero."

"You're mine," Finn said back. They went into their bedroom. Rachel changed into her pajamas and lay down next to Finn on the bed, holding his hand.

"Think you'll stay up till midnight?" Finn asked.

"I need to get to sleep," Rachel said. "I have to be at the theatre at 10 tomorrow."
"We'll probably all be asleep by the time you leave," Finn laughed.

"It's okay, as long as you're all at the show tomorrow," Rachel said. She and Finn talked for a little more before she fell asleep.

x

Rachel woke up when the phone vibrated the next morning. She hoped it wouldn't wake up Finn, as she was sure he'd stayed up to wait for the kids to get home. Their apartment wasn't big enough for the families to stay there, so their families were staying at the hotel down the block.

As Rachel began sitting up, she looked over at Finn. Noticing he was awake, she sighed to herself. "Sorry, Finny. I wasn't trying to wake you up."

"I can just go back to sleep," Finn said.

"What time did they get home last night?" Rachel asked.

"About two thirty," Finn said. "I'm just glad they all got home in one piece."

Rachel laughed. "Go back to sleep, Finn."

"I love you," Finn said.

"I love you too," Rachel said. "See you tonight!"

Rachel went to the theatre. She'd done some rehearsals with the West Side Story cast before she finished with Wicked, so she did know some of the cast members. So far she hadn't detected anyone as obnoxious as Morgan, but Harmony told her that after dealing with Morgan, just about anyone would seem easy. Rachel admitted she was feeling nervous about her debut in the musical, and was feeling some pressure because her husband, her children, her parents, her sister, her in laws and her nephews were all in the audience. She hadn't had a group this big to see her on her Wicked opening night.

Rather than going home during her break, Rachel texted Harmony and they met up for coffee. The two of them were becoming very good friends, but Rachel knew eventually she would inevitably have to face Jesse. She thought it might be stressful going home before her debut, with a house full of people. Harmony had gotten an advance copy of the West Side Story program, and Rachel felt proud when she read, "Rachel Berry appeared as Elphaba in Wicked from July to December 2029, the show's most successful six months so far."

Rachel was reminded of her opening night as Maria in McKinley's production of West Side Storyher senior year. Ever since her dads took her to see West Side Story when she was seven, she'd dreamed of playing Maria. Now she was, and on Broadway.

The show went much better than Rachel thought it would. She thought she'd sounded good, and she got a standing ovation at the end. Her family had just as much praise for her after the show, and as they were leaving the theatre, Rachel heard a voice calling, "Finn! Rachel! Kurt! Blaine!"

Rachel turned to see Mike and Tina walking towards them with their two sons, seven-year-old Joey and four-year-old George.

"GEORGE!" Grant shouted.

"GRANT!" George shouted. The two of them often played together when the Hudsons went to Lima.

"We just saw West Side Story," Tina said. "You were amazing!"

"Thank you!" Rachel said. "You should have told us you were in New York."

"We meant to call, but we kept forgetting to," Mike said. "You know how busy the holidays get."

"Oh, we do!" Finn said. "So, how's everyone back in Lima?"

"Great," Mike said. "Everyone's so proud that Rachel's made it on Broadway."

Rachel smiled to herself.

"I know it's late, but we're in New York for the rest of the week, if you guys would like to meet up," Mike said.

"That would be great, we'll call you," Blaine said. The families continued walking before separating to go to their apartments or hotels.

x

"And see, this is where I put the ornament you made me!" Ryan said, holding his laptop in one hand and pointing to the tree with the other.

"I love you!" Ava giggled.

"I love you too!" Ryan said. "I can't believe break's almost over!"

"Yeah, but it may not be over for us quite yet," Ava said. "It snowed over a foot here last night, and the snow's still falling."

"You're lucky!" Ryan said. "It's snowed here, but it seems to be pretty under control."

Emma listened to her brother and her best friend skyping. She hadn't spoken to Nick since he left. She was tempted to call or text him to wish him a Merry Christmas, but didn't bother. She worried it would somehow cause a negative impact. She was giving him space, hoping that would be the best way to deal with it, but she missed him. Beth and Ally had done their best to distract her when they were in town, and overall they'd been pretty successful, but Emma still couldn't get Nick out of her mind. The extended family had returned to Ohio by now anyway.

As Ryan carried his laptop out of the room, still talking with Ava, Emma felt so jealous of what they had. Would she and Nick have that again? She was young, but she still firmly believed that Nick was the one.

Rachel came into the living room. She didn't have a show tonight, so it meant there was more time for her to spend at home. "Are you okay?" Rachel asked Emma, sitting next to her on the couch.

Emma gave her mom a hug. "I miss Nick."

Rachel sighed. "I know you do. What you did was wrong and I can see why he's hurt, but I can also see why you're hurt."

Emma felt tears coming to her eyes. "I don't have any feelings for any other guys! I want to call him so badly and tell him how much I love him and how sorry I am, but I'm worried it'll make him hate me more."

"Let me tell you something," Rachel said. "Nick doesn't hate you. He hates what you did, but I know Nick and I know you and I know this situation and Nick could never hate you."

"If he doesn't hate me, then why did he insist on breaking up?" Emma asked.

"Because he was hurt," Rachel said. "But I know he still loves you, even if he won't be willing to admit it. The way Nick was looking at you when he was here was the same way your dad was looking at me during our breakup."

Emma looked at her mom. "Really?"

Rachel nodded. "Don't give up on Nick. It is not over between you two."

Chapter 12 preview: Rachel is nominated for a Tony award for her Wicked performances. Emma talks to Nick on Skype. Ryan/ Nick and Emma/ Ava friendship moments. Another Glee couple comes to New York to see Rachel – I haven't decided who should come yet though, please give me suggestions!