Hey everyone :) Thanks for sticking with me for so long. I hope that this week's episode of Glee isn't going to turn you guys away from the fandom. Trust me, it REALLY upset me! Brody is such a freaking creeper! And him kissing Rachel? WRONG. JUST WRONG. I was hoping Finn's return would make for an epic Finchel reunion, but it'll probably just delay their reunion even more! And to top it off, next week looks awful for Klaine and Brittana. UGH! I want Season 3 back!

Okay, done ranting. Just another reminder, the ending of my fanfic "Senior Year," not the S3 ending, is what happened to Finchel after graduation. So during Finn and Emma's talk, don't get confused. And a warning, this is a sad chapter. Don't forget to review if you want me to keep writing this story! The epilogue to "Not The End" should be up tomorrow :)

Chapter 11: Repeating History

The first semester of senior year was already over. Emma could hardly believe it. It was her last semester of high school, and she made up her mind to enjoy it as much as she could. To celebrate the start of their last semester of high school, Emma and Nick went to get some coffee at the school's new cafe and were sitting at their table talking.

"So, my dad found this scholarship online he wants me to apply for," Nick said.

"Do you really need another scholarship?" Emma asked.

"Well, he wants me to apply for this one, it's from the president of the United States," Nick said. "He only gives one every year and the girl who won it last year was a straight A student, a tri season athlete, worked three part time jobs, was in the orchestra and a Gold Award winning Girl Scout. It's supposed to go to the best student in the country, and my dad thinks I have a shot at that, but I doubt it."

Knowing Nick, he probably would get this scholarship. "Nick, I don't think you need to apply for it. It's better off with someone who doesn't have all the scholarship offers you have, who really needs it."

"My dad and my stepmom say it's what my mom would have wanted," Nick said.

That's when Emma felt like she was losing it. Her boyfriend would get this scholarship, she knew it. But what did she have other than acceptance letters to safety schools? "You have everything!" Emma snapped. "You have your perfect grades, perfect talents, you've got scholarships to all these colleges. I don't have any of that. And if you go to a college in another city, I'm not even going to have you!"

Nick looked at Emma. "You think I have everything?"

Emma regretted her choice of words. "I'm sorry… I'm just jealous."

"Okay, Emma, if it upsets you, I won't apply for this scholarship," Nick said.

"No," Emma said. If her boyfriend won this scholarship, it would be good for him and good for their school. "Do it." She got up and began walking home. She felt like a terrible girlfriend.

x

Finn was walking around the house after putting Grant to bed and peeked into Emma's room. He noticed she looked upset and went to join his daughter, knowing that this year had been stressful. "You okay?"

Emma sighed. "I'm such an idiot, Dad."

"What happened?" Finn asked.

Emma looked down. "Nick's dad wants him to apply for the President's Scholarship. You know, that is widely believed to go to the best high school student in the country. I got jealous and said some stupid things."

Finn knew how Emma was feeling. In a way, the roles had been reversed for him and Rachel their senior year of high school. Rachel had gotten into some pretty prestigious schools, but it still wasn't quite the same. Nick was getting in everywhere. "What did Nick say?"

"He was upset. I shouldn't have yelled at Nick and said those things," Emma admitted. "But I'm jealous. It can be so hard being average when Nick's perfect."

"Emma, I'm willing to bet that Nick feels more pressure and stress than you do," Finn said. "These schools that are offering him these scholarships are some of the best in the country. And he'll have to stay among the best at those schools to keep the scholarships."

"I guess you're right," Emma said. "Hey, what was it like for you and Mom, when she was at Princeton and you were at Ohio State?"

"It was hard," Finn admitted, remembering their month apart. "Luckily, it didn't last long."

"I just am going to miss him after we graduate," Emma said. "Part of the reason I got him that star is I don't know if we're going to last. I know you and Mom have lasted, and so have your friends from high school with their spouses, but I don't know if Nick and I will. I feel as if I just want to enjoy these next few months as much as I can."

Finn gave Emma a hug. "You need to believe in yourself and in Nick."

"I'll love him forever," Emma said.

"I know you will," Finn said.

Then Finn heard a terrified scream from downstairs. "FINN!" It was Rachel.

"Sounds like your mom's having a drama queen moment," Finn said with a laugh. Emma laughed too, which made Finn feel better. He patted Emma's back and went downstairs to the living room.

When he saw Rachel, he knew this was more than one of Rachel's drama queen moments. Rachel looked ready to cry. Ryan and Sarah also both looked horrified.

"What's going on?" Finn asked.

Rachel pointed at the television and Finn fell backwards on to the couch. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

x

Emma now felt like she was being silly. Her dad had helped her realize that she was being unfair to Nick. She should have been focusing on enjoying the time she and Nick still had together rather than worrying about what the future held. She picked up her phone to call Nick and got his voicemail. She sighed and redialed his number. When he didn't answer again, she sent him a text: "Call me. I love you. I'm sorry."

Then she began heading downstairs to get a snack when she heard the doorbell ring. She opened the door and saw Nick standing there with Grace and Kyle. Looking at all three of their faces, she could tell something was wrong. Very wrong. And she was sure it had nothing to do with the fight she and Nick had earlier today.

"Hey," Emma said quietly. "Come on in."

As they stepped in, Nick threw his arms around Emma and started crying quietly. What was happening?

Finn, Rachel, Ryan and Sarah came into the vestibule. Rachel pulled Grace and Kyle in for a hug, and then looked up at Nick. Nick looked up at Ryan and hugged his best friend, and Emma was becoming even more confused.

"What's going on?" Emma whispered to Sarah once Ryan was with Nick.

Sarah handed Emma Rachel's iPhone. Emma looked at the screen and read the front page of . "Ohio State Congressman and Wife Killed in Car Accident."

Then she knew. It had been Nick's father and stepmother.

She dropped the iPhone on the ground, feeling complete and utter shock.

"What are the three of you going to do?" Emma asked. Then she was realizing how bad these three had it. Nick and Kyle had lost their mother to an illness when they were still little kids. Grace had lost her father in middle school to another car accident. When their parents got married, they had a family. But now, these three were alone in the world. Now, all the conflicts Emma and Nick felt about colleges were forgotten.

"Emma..." Finn began.

"We don't know," Kyle said. "You know our families don't live around here."

"The three of you can stay at our house," Rachel said. "For as long as you need to."

"Rachel..." Grace began.

"I insist," Rachel said. "Finn and I love the three of you like children. At least please stay here tonight."

"Thank you," Kyle said.

Grant came downstairs. When he saw Nick, Grace and Kyle, Finn walked up to Grant and began talking quietly to him.

Emma looked at Nick. Nick reached out and held Emma's hand. "Can we go to your room for a little?" Nick whispered to Emma.

Emma nodded. "Of course."

Nick looked at Grace and Kyle. "I'm going to talk to Emma for a little. We'll be in her room."

"Okay," Kyle said.

"Sarah and I will be with them, don't worry," Ryan said.

"Thanks," Nick said.

Emma knew what it was like to lose a loved one. The pain you felt when you first found out was in a class by itself. It was one of those things you'd never recover from.

"I'm not even eighteen and I've lost both my parents," Nick told Emma when they were in Emma's room.

"I'm so sorry," Emma said.

Nick flopped on Emma's bed. "What am I supposed to do about Grace and Kyle? As the oldest... I feel like I need to support them and take care of them, but I don't know how I'm even going to manage myself."

"Nick, don't worry," Emma said. "It's like my mom said, we love you guys. Don't feel like you have to fill your parents' shoes for Grace and Kyle."

"Seeing them when the police showed up on our doorstep... I just felt like all I wanted to do was hug them and tell them that things would be okay, but they're not okay, and they never will be," Nick lamented.

Emma lay on the bed next to her boyfriend and hugged him. "It just happened. You were completely unprepared. Don't feel like you have to take care of everything right away."

Nick squeezed Emma's hand. "I'm sorry, Emma."

"What are you apologizing for?" Emma asked.

"All the college crap we've been going through," Nick said. "I don't even know if I'll be going to college in the fall. I need to be here for Grace and Kyle."

Emma now realized what her dad said was true. Nick was on so much pressure. He'd suffered a traumatic event and was thinking about colleges. "Don't think about colleges now."

Nick looked ready to cry. "I love you, Emma Hudson."

"I love you too," Emma said, hugging her boyfriend as he cried. She felt ready to cry herself, but she knew she had to be strong for him. Nick's parents had always treated her like a daughter whenever she was at their house.

Emma heard a knock at the door. "I'm just going to see who that is." She went to her door and saw Kyle standing there.

"I just really wanted my brother," Kyle said.

"Of course, come on in," Emma said, hugging Kyle. "Where's Grace?"

"She's on the phone with her mom's parents," Kyle said.

Nick sat up on the bed. "Kyle, come over here."

Kyle walked over to Nick. Emma watched as her boyfriend cradled his younger brother. Nick was heartbroken, but he felt the need to be strong for his brother and sister.

Grace came into the room a few minutes later, and then Ryan came in. Ryan leaned over to Emma and whispered, "Doesn't this bring back bad memories?"

Emma nodded. "I can't believe they have to go through this again." She looked at her boyfriend and his siblings. "Your parents loved all three of you."

"They aren't going to get to see us graduate high school, or go to college, or get married, or become parents," Grace said, starting to sob.

Nick put one arm around Grace, with the other around Kyle, who was sobbing against him.

Emma looked at Ryan. Even though she'd been through losing a loved one, she didn't know what to do. Nothing anyone could do or say could make things feel better. Really, the only thing that helped was the passing of time. But since Nick, Grace and Kyle were now without parents and weren't very close to their extended family, the Hudson family and the Gold Stars would be their support group in this hard time. Emma promised herself then and there to be there for her boyfriend and his siblings.

Chapter 12 preview: More of Nick, Grace and Kyle living with the Finchel family. Emma helps Nick through the hard time, as do Finchel and the Gold Stars.