This chapter is a fill for the "Like Father, Like Daughter" prompt from the Finchel-prompts Tumblr. For a previous chapter featuring the father and daughter in question I refer you to chapter 7.

Many thanks to profitina for betaing.

I don't own Glee, any of the other theatrical works mentioned, the Park Slope YMCA, or the New Jersey Nets (who will become the Brooklyn Nets next season).

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"Daddy!"

Finn was behind the bar at his restaurant with Ryan when Celine burst through the front door, still clad in her tights and leotard after ballet class at the Park Slope YMCA.

"Hey, kiddo! How was dance today?"

"Look!" she exclaimed, more or less ignoring his question as she perched on a stool and shoved a yellow flier in his face.

Putting down his plate, he took the sheet from her and began reading it aloud. "The Park Slope Y invites all community members in grades 1 through 5 to perform in -" he changed the inflection in his voice to a more ceremonial tone - "Once Upon a Mattress"!

"Can I? Can I?" Celine squealed, practically bouncing in her seat as Finn read some of the fine print. Rehearsals would start in three weeks, after school ended, and would take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon. The show would go up during the last weekend in August.

"I don't see why not," he began. All of the kids' summer activities were based out of the Y, so it wasn't like it'd take her away from anything else.

Rachel got home from the theater at her usual time, after Celine and Billy were both asleep. She greeted her husband, who was seated at the dining room table reading his monthly Restaurant Business magazine. Also on the table was the flier Celine had brought home, complete with the words "Mommy! Look!" scrawled out in pink marker.

"Finn! Do you realize what this means?" Rachel asked excitedly, clutching the paper to her chest.

"That our little girl is testing the waters of following in your footsteps and that you shouldn't totally freak out about it?"

Rachel squealed quietly, bouncing on the balls of her feet and clearly ignoring Finn. "Ohh I've been waiting for this day ever since she started ballet. I knew that eventually she'd be interested in theater as well. And how fortunate are we to be raising our children in a community where the arts are celebrated instead of berated! While Celine's singing voice isn't quite as strong as mine was at her age, she's still young and with enough practice–"

"Rach," Finn closed the magazine and took Rachel's hand while she continued to babble about open-fifth scales and vocal coaches. "Rach!"

"What?" she stared at him, eyes still sparkling with wonder.

"Just… calm down, okay? Celine's interested in ballet and theater now.But she won't even turn 7 until November, and kids change their minds all the time. She could very well wake up in two years wanting to be a comic book artist or hairdresser or MMA fighter." He paused. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up and be disappointed later on if this doesn't stick. Which, I might add, is more likely to happen if you get all Rachel Berryand put too much pressure on her."

Rachel exhaled dramatically. "You're right." She leaned forward to kiss him. "Rachel Berry could be very intense and overbearing and even manipulative. But Rachel Berry Hudson will not pressure her daughter in any way shape or form. I promise."

Over the next few months Rachel kept her word, helping Celine practice songs when she asked and giving her performance pointers, all in a calm and casual manner. For her part, their little girl loved every minute of participating in the show… almost as much as Rachel loved watching her at the end of the summer.

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In talking with some of the other neighborhood parents, Rachel learned that the Y posted that year's musical selection on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. When Celine was about to finish second grade, Rachel made a point of waking Celine up on Saturday morning so they could walk over and check the bulletin board before Rachel had to head off to midtown for her matinee performance of Wicked.

"Annie! The musical this year is Annie!" Celine shouted excitedly when they returned home, scurrying immediately to the computer in the living room to start looking up the characters and songs.

Her exuberance contrasted starkly with her father and brother, who sat at the kitchen table in their pajamas with matching disheveled hair and tired-looking faces.

"Isn't that great, guys," Rachel said pointedly, directing a glare at her husband and son while she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, great, awesome," they both said between bites of cereal with forced enthusiasm.

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"Grease!" Rachel practically screeched as she and her daughter stared at the Y's drama bulletin board. "You know why Grease is special, right sweetie?"

Celine, who was almost finished with third grade, rolled her eyes but leaned affectionately into her mother's side nonetheless. "Because when you and Daddy first sang together it was a song from Grease." Her tone was that of an 8-year-old who's heard the same story too many times.

"I was thinking of maybe auditioning for a real part this year," Celine said as they walked back to their house.

"Oh," Rachel said simply, resisting the urge to perk up too eagerly at Celine's statement. "Do you know which part you'd want?"

Celine shrugged, kicking the ground a little with her next step. The awkwardness of the action reminded her of Finn in some odd way.

When they got home Rachel immediately dug up an old script and sat with Celine on the couch, explaining the characters.

"What about Patty Simcox?" Rachel went on to describe the nature of the prim, goody-two-shoes character.

In the ensuing weeks mother and daughter ran lines whenever they were awake and home together. Celine perfected a prissy little strut and know-it-all tone-of-voice, all with Rachel's direction and encouragement.

Meanwhile, whenever Celine wasn't around, Rachel was a nervous wreck.

"What if she doesn't get it? What if she puts in all this work and they don't appreciate her-"

"Rach, chill." Finn turned towards her on the bed and emphasized his words with a soft kiss and gentle stroke to her hair. "If she doesn't get it, she'll enjoy being in the ensemble like she has the past few years and she'll try again next summer."

Of course, when the fateful audition day arrived Rachel had to be at work herself, so Finn was the one to walk Celine over to the Y and provide moral support. He was terrified that she'd be nervous without her mom there and he wouldn't know what to do. But luckily for him their little girl seemed entirely calm and composed.

Rachel taught her well, he thought with a grin as they entered the building.

As instructed, Finn waited in the lobby while Celine went in for her audition. Twenty minutes later she emerged with a bounce in her step, declaring that she gave it her best and she'd patiently wait for their decision.

Rehearsals started a few days later, and Celine bounded into the restaurant on Wednesday evening, proudly declaring that she got the part. Finn hugged her in congratulations before Ryan and the wait staff gave her high-fives. Against his better judgment Finn let Celine stay up until Rachel got home that night so she could deliver the good news to her mom. He made sure to stand off to the side and let them have their special moment.

When late August rolled around, Celine was definitely the cutest Patty Simcox that Finn had ever seen. But what he enjoyed more was the pride on Rachel's face when they watched her perform.

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The next winter Celine would not stop talking about basketball once they started that unit in gym class. She'd gotten to be a little taller than most of the other girls and it must've provided an advantage since it was the first time she'd expressed even the mildest interest in any sport despite the enthusiasm her father and brother exhibited. Basketball was their main obsession due to Finn's college career, and the fact that the Brooklyn Nets played only a few blocks away. Several players frequented Finn's restaurant and often gave their favorite bistro owners free tickets and other team swag. Celine had been to a few games but had never seemed terribly interested.

In the spring, she came home with a flier for a new summer developmental program at the Y. "Mr. Luongo said I have the best three-throw shooting form of all the girls," she declared proudly at dinner one Sunday.

Billy snickered before correcting her in his ubiquitously obnoxious preteen-boy voice. "It's free-throw, not three-throw."

"William! You apologize for speaking to your sister that way!" Rachel scolded.

"But it's true! She said it wrong," he whined, aimlessly pushing a piece of broccoli around on his plate.

"That's true," Finn began as he swallowed a mouthful of salad, earning a muted glare from his wife, "but we don't talk to each other that way in this family."

"Sorry, Cel," their son offered reluctantly.

"Besides, you should be glad your sister's Hudson genes have kicked in and she's good at hoops. Aren't you, Evan, and Tristan always looking for a fourth player?" Finn asked. Billy had never played organized basketball, opting for karate lessons as his main sports activity, but he and his two best friends played pickup games when the weather was agreeable and they could snag one of the nearby playground courts.

Before Billy could answer, Rachel abruptly changed the subject to homework.

"So, Celine and basketball, huh?" Rachel said as she and Finn got ready for bed that night, a hint of bitterness in her voice.

He merely shrugged as he stripped out of his jeans and got under the covers.

"I know you're excited about this; you don't have to hide it." She smiled, crawling into bed next to him. "You love bonding over sports with Billy and you want to do the same with Celine."

"Maybe," he admitted, smiling a little dopily while Rachel ruffled his hair and kissed his temple.

Then she sighed. "Can you just understand that I'll feel a little left out if both of our kids become focused on athletics instead of arts?"

"I certainly understand that," Finn answered, leaning down to kiss her softly as she snuggled against him. "But I also understand a few other things about you."

"Oh really?" Rachel asked, turning towards him and playfully batting her eyelashes.

"Yep. I'm very perceptive." He laced his fingers into hers and continued in a more serious tone. "I understand that you'll support our kids no matter what activities they do. Remember how you thought you'd hate watching Billy do karate? Within two weeks you knew all the Japanese terms better than he did, and you were the most vocal parent at his first demonstration."

"You're right about that," she conceded, recalling how Billy's sensei had to pull her aside and tell her to quiet down in the dojo.

That summer, Rachel helped Celine win the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. The accomplishment (and her impeccable performance) took some of the sting out of her dropping ballet class to make room for the basketball league. But, as Finn predicted, Rachel observed the play and the basketball scrimmages with equal adoration and enthusiasm.

Once school started again in the fall Celine resumed ballet, but she didn't seem as interested in it as before. Luckily Rachel wasn't too quick to pick up on the change, and Finn certainly didn't point it out to her.

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"Gertie Cummings? Really?" They'd recently found out that the 6th through 12th graders would be performing Oklahoma! that summer, and Rachel was surprised that Celine didn't want to try for a more impressive role after starring as Eliza the prior summer.

"This is the upper division musical, Mom," Celine implored, rolling her eyes while she took a bite of cereal. "Katie's cousin Jake performed in them every summer and he said that it's much more serious and competitive than in the younger division."

"Still, why not take a chance and go out for Aunt Eller or Ado Annie? It can't hurt." Rachel couldn't imagine that the neo-hipster teens of Park Slope were flocking to audition for the show. "The worst that happens is that they give you a smaller role instead."

Celine groaned in the manner developed and patented by preteen girls. "I just don't want to, okay?" With that she got up and plunked her bowl in the sink before huffing out of the dining room. As she began her stomping ascension of the stairs she passed a half-awake Finn, who'd stumbled out of the bedroom yawning sleepily.

"What's with her?" he asked once Celine's door slammed shut, joining Rachel at the table with his own bowl of cereal. After she recounted her conversation with their younger child Finn gently reminded her of her promise not to push Celine too hard when it came to the play.

"I should go up and talk to her, shouldn't I?" Rachel sighed when Finn simply stared at her blankly.

She slowly climbed the stairs and knocked on Celine's bedroom door, where butterfly stickers had recently been covered up by a big Nets poster. A reluctant "Yeah, come in," emanated from the other side. Opening the door revealed Celine packing her bag for the day. Rachel sat on her bed and looked at the clock on the nightstand, noting that they had a solid five minutes until she'd have to leave for school.

"Come sit and talk to me for a second." She patted a spot on the bed next to her. Celine zipped her bag closed and sat down next to her mother, fidgeting with the drawstring of her hoodie.

"I didn't mean to pressure you about the play," Rachel began. "I just imagined that after starring in last year's show you'd want to try for a major role this summer. Everyone thought you were wonderful as Eliza, not just me and your dad." She paused, almost afraid to ask the question. "Didn't you enjoy it?"

"Yeah…" Celine began, her eyes on the floor. "It was just a lot of work to memorize all of those lines, and this year the play will be harder, and I want to make sure I have time for basketball so I can practice and make the school team next year."

"I see," Rachel said, taking in what Celine had just explained. "If you think it'll be too much you don't have to audition for a part at all, you know. You could just be in the ensemble."

"No, Mom, I do want to audition for Gertie." She turned towards Rachel. "I like practicing lines with you and having a part that's only mine."

"Ah, so you are my daughter after all," Rachel chided, elbowing her side gently and earning a laugh from Celine.

A few weeks later Celine got the role of Gertie, with Rachel's help in preparing for the audition. And as usual, whenever there were dishes to be done or laundry to be folded, their duplex apartment was filled with the sounds of mother and daughter singing songs from the play.

When school started again Celine replaced her twice-weekly dance classes with a basketball clinic sponsored by the Nets, and in the winter she successfully tried out for the girls' basketball team. The games were all on Saturdays in the late-morning or early afternoon so Rachel couldn't attend very many of them, but when she was there she made her presence known. Celine blushed and shook her head the first time she saw the "Team Celine" t-shirt, but she never asked Rachel not to wear it.

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As a sixth grader Celine sat down at the breakfast table on the last Friday morning of May, nose buried in The Giverwhile she started her usual bowl of Multi-Grain Cheerios.

"I read that book when I was your age," Rachel said happily, turning away from the counter and her half-diced cantaloupe. When Celine didn't respond she went back to cutting the fruit.

After a few minutes she finished the task and joined her daughter at the table. "So, I know you're sleeping at Katie's tonight. Should I pick you up there tomorrow morning or will you come home first before we walk over to the Y?"

"You really want to go over and look at the bulletin board? They've been putting the info online for years now." Celine didn't even look up from her book while she responded.

Rachel's heart sank at this reaction. "It's tradition!" She tried to sound cheerful, hoping that persistence would change Celine's mind. "Or are you getting too old to be seen around the neighborhood with your old mom?" she joked.

With that Celine rolled her eyes and stood from the table. "It's not that, Mom. But I don't want to wake up early and leave Katie's just to go over to the Y. We can check online together when you get home from work tomorrow night, or something." She cleared her breakfast dishes and grabbed her bag, kissing her dejected mother goodbye before leaving for school.

Rachel was still sulking on the couch a half-hour later when Finn woke up and emerged from their bedroom.

"It's happening, Finn."

"Huh?" he asked, yawning and stretching as he flopped down next to her, and she recounted the events of earlier.

"My little girl is outgrowing her mom," she concluded tearfully, leaning on Finn's shoulder.

"Please," he began, wrapping an arm around his wife and squeezing her affectionately. "Celine's glorious teen years are coming. She's going to need her mom more than ever, even if she doesn't realize it yet."

Rachel sighed. "Maybe. I'm just afraid of losing that special connection with her, especially since lately she's gotten so into basketball. Then again you've actually been around for her after school, so it's no wonder that she's taken up your interests."

"Hey," Finn insisted softly, trying to comfort her. "You and I are not in a contest for our daughter's love. At any rate, I've been studying the female population for over 40 years now and I can say that if it was a contest you'd definitely win. She could shave her head and take up the drums and she'd still have more in common with you than with me."

She gasped at the mere suggestion of those changes, then relaxed a little before Finn continued.

"Also, both of our kids are now at the point where they don't want to be around either of us. They don't really hang around at the restaurant like they used to, and when they do it's a constant barrage of sarcasm and rolling eyes and 'Jeez, Dad,' 'You're not funny, Dad.' This one time last week-"

Rachel silenced his rant with a kiss. "You, Chef Finn, are not allowed to complain about seeing our children every afternoon. But I understand your point."

The musical that summer turned out to be Fiddler on the Roof, which greatly excited Rachel as the story evoked important themes in her Jewish heritage. Meanwhile, her fears about Celine's preference for basketball became reality, as the young Hudson avoided auditions and took a role in the ensemble of Anatevka townspeople. Further, whereas in prior summers she and her friends from the play would meet up on the weekends to go over their lines and practice songs, this year she and some other girls from the basketball program regularly gathered at one of the neighborhood playgrounds to practice free throws and play pick-up games. A few times when her friends weren't available she even got her brother to play with her.

Rachel understood what Finn meant, that the kids' behavior reflected their age and wasn't a personal affront to them as parents. She just couldn't stop herself from thinking that it would hurt a little less if Celine was throwing herself into something artistic instead of athletic.

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When Celine was in 7th grade, the Nets had their best season since before she was born. Billy was still a big fan of the team but having started high school he was more interested in hanging out with his friends or too busy with homework or extracurricular to attend games. Meanwhile Celine's interest in the team was growing along with her enthusiasm for playing basketball. Rachel also suspected that her daughter had a crush on Bradley Robertson, a rookie shooting guard who ate at Finn's restaurant nearly every day and always took the time to chat with each of the children when they stopped by.

At any rate, the 12-year-old frequently accompanied her father to the Barclays Center on Flatbush Avenue, and when the team was on the road they glued themselves to their living room television.

The Friday night of Memorial Day weekend Rachel returned home from the theater to find her husband and daughter yelling at the living room television. Not wanting to distract them, Rachel said hello quietly and observed that Brooklyn was down by one point with five minutes to play in the seventh and deciding game of the conference finals against Chicago.

"What the hell! That was totally a foul!" the preteen girl exclaimed.

"Seriously!" Finn agreed, throwing his hands up in dismay. "But don't say 'hell,' sweetie," he added, clearly motivated by his wife's presence.

After heating up the plate of food Finn had left for her, Rachel joined them in the living room.

"Robertson, for three! Drains it with seven seconds left in regulation!"

"Yes!" Finn and Celine high-fived and then sat with bated breath as the Nets pulled out the win. After rejoicing over the victory they debated which of the two remaining Western Conference teams would be an easier opponent. Even though she couldn't add much to the conversation Rachel smiled at the enthusiasm in their voices.

Amidst the discussion Billy arrived home and grunted a weak hello on his way upstairs. After he'd passed through the living room, Celine yawned in somewhat exaggerated fashion.

"Well, it's late, I should get to bed too," she said as she stood, yawning and stretching.

Finn cleared his throat, loudly and awkwardly, before raising his eyebrows at Celine and subtly nodding his head in Rachel's direction.

"What?" the middle-aged actress asked in a panic. "Do you not like this new haircut? I told the stylist that the layers shouldn't be so choppy but-"

"Nah Rach, your hair looks good." By this point Finn was practically glaring at Celine even as he complimented his wife.

"Yeah, it does." The teenage girl looked at the floor. "Can we talk, Mom?"

Finn swiftly excused himself and retired to the master bedroom.

"Everything okay, Cel?" Rachel asked as she relocated to the couch next to Celine.

The young girl sighed, nervously twisting a piece of hair between her fingers before slipping it behind her ear and looking up at Rachel warily. "I don't want to do the play this summer."

"Ah." Rachel wasn't surprised by the revelation but that didn't mean she knew what to say. "Any particular reason why not?"

"It's a few things, really. I'd just much rather focus on basketball and have time to hang out with my friends."

"You don't consider rehearsal to constitute 'hanging out with friends'?"

"Not really. My only friend even doing the musical this year is Melissa, but she's way obsessed with her future career as a Broadway star and doesn't think that I take the musical seriously enough because I only do it for fun."

It didn't seem like Celine was finished so Rachel merely nodded, suppressing a smile at the thought that she'd always liked Melissa and her enthusiasm for the play.

"Besides, I'd rather have actual free time to socialize instead of slaving away with choreography or making costumes or whatever."

Rachel sighed at the memory of her own busy teenage summers. "That's certainly something to consider." She didn't regret her many activities since building her resume paid off in the end, but she always wondered if turning it down a notch would have been just as well.

"I know you want me to be 'well-rounded' so I can get into college and stuff, and we have a music requirement in school so I'll still be in chorus during the year," Celine pointed out. "Singing is still important to me since that's how you and Dad met," she added, grinning the lopsided smile both children had inherited from Finn.

Rachel felt tears stinging her eyes as she hugged Celine to her side. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Also," Celine began, "if I have those afternoons free I can take that yoga class with you. Or we can do something else to spend time together, you know?"

This time Rachel teared up in earnest and pulled her youngest child into a crushing embrace. Recently she'd become more keenly aware than ever that her babies were growing into mature young adults, with their own bits of insight and wisdom about the world. She wasn't necessarily surprised that Celine wanted to cease her involvement in the play in favor of basketball, but the fact that she had formulated a whole plan which also included an activity with her old mom made Rachel feel warm and fuzzy all over.

"Out of curiosity, did you look up which musical they'll be doing this year?" Rachel inquired after composing herself.

"Yeah. It's West Side Story," Celine replied, wincing.

"Ohh," Rachel breathed. "Did I ever tell you about-"

"About how your senior year of high school Uncle Kurt wanted to be Tony so badly and you tried to help him audition but failed miserably? Yeah I've heard that story."

"Well I was going to ask if I'd told you about how Mike Chang defied his father's decree against singing and dancing to play an amazing Riff," she clarified. "I'd never want you to do the opposite and stick with the musical to make me happy even though you don't enjoy it."

She paused.

"Since you mentioned it... can you even imagine Kurt as Tony?"

Celine kept a straight face for a moment as though she was thinking before bursting out into a giggle. "Nope, not at all."

Her reaction made Rachel dissolve into laughter as well.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bedroom door, Finn relaxed. Just as he'd predicted, his wife and daughter were still getting along just fine.

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