A few months later everyone sat in the choir room as usual. Talking away whilst waiting for Mr. Shuester to come to Glee club after a class. Alice, Kurt and Blaine sat together talking over this weeks issue of Vogue which Kurt held on his lap both of them looking over his shoulder. The room was silenced by someone coming through the door.

"Is this McKinley High Glee club by any chance?" They said laughing, in a thick Irish accent.

Alice stood up from her seat, in total and complete shock. Staring at the person for a long time before finding her voice. "Rory?" The word fell out of her mouth as if it had been stuck there for a long time. She met him in the middle of the room, unable to take her eyes off of him. "What are you doing here?" She laughed, still trying to deal with the surprise.

"My dad got a job in Lima, after hearing how great it was for me he decided that we were all going to move here." He told her happily. The sight of her taking his breath away. "So here I am."

"For good?" She asked.

"For good."

She shook her head in disbelief. "I just can't believe you're here." She said, almost forgetting that everyone else was there in the room with them.

"Me neither." He smiled wanting to lean in right there and then and kiss her like he did all those months ago. However, he couldn't as the rest of the New Directions came to welcome him back, hugging him and asking him how he was.

"Are you ok?" Kurt quickly came over to her and whispered, Blaine standing beside him also wondering.

She paused, thinking for a moment. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She told him, though she wasn't at all sure how she felt.

Rachel, Finn, Kurt, Blaine, Alice and Jeff sat around a table at Breadstix that night, all talking about Nationals which were coming up in just over a month. "We're going to be amazing!" Rachel said. "Last year was great but this year we will win it!" She patted Finn's leg reminding him of how they had gotten together again.

"You guys are making me jealous!" Jeff laughed before taking a gulp from the drink that was set out in front of him. "Performing in old peoples homes isn't exactly what I hoped to be doing!"

"You guys still do that?" Kurt asked, Blaine shook his head letting out a small laugh.

"I hope none of you mind but I kind of invited Rory. He hasn't really got anyone at the moment." Finn said, awkwardly. "I kind of let it slip that we were out, I couldn't not invite him."

Alice looked down at the table. "Rory's back?" Jeff asked Alice. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just never got the chance." She told him, playing with the straw in her glass. The rest of the table watched the slight tension rise in the couple who had now been together for 3 months.

"Are you ok?" He wondered, though what he really meant to ask was 'Are you still in love with him?'.

"I'm fine, I'm with you now Jeff." She said taking his hand and squeezing it.

"I'm sorry," Finn started. "I didn't mean to-"

"Hi guys." Rory said coming over to the table. Everyone said hi back in unison all feeling the strangeness of being put into an awkward situation. He pulled over a chair sitting at the end of the table. His eyes shifting to Alice, noticing the guy sitting next to her. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Rory." He put his hand out towards him, Jeff shook it politely.

"I'm Jeff. Alice's boyfriend." He told him putting that out right away. Alice couldn't bare to look at either of them.

"Oh, her boyfriend."

"Yeah, her boyfriend."

The table fell silent, the tension could be felt from a mile away. "So how long have you two been seeing each other?" He questioned him.

"3 months." He said. "That's almost as long as the two of you dated."

"Fell in love you mean." Rory felt the need to add. Dated seemed so little compared to what they had actually had to him. It was something special and he still felt it now sitting near her being introduced to her 'new boyfriend'.

"Hm." Jeff mumbled not really giving him an answer.

"You know, we never technically broke up."

"Rory!" Alice exclaimed. "Can the two of you stop, please." She looked back and forth at them both.

"But Alice I-" Jeff began to speak.

"Please, just stop." She sighed, standing up. "I'm going to the bathroom." She left the table, feeling her eyes begin to water. Her whole body felt numb and heavy and her head was filled with an array of confusion. For the first time this year she had no idea what to do.

The next day Tanya wandered around her house, cleaning as her children were at school. She vaguely remembered how she used to clean as a distraction, seeing it as more of a chore and something she had to do these days. Her home was something she always worked hard on, she liked to keep it nicely decorated and just near spotless which was always hard to do when you were the mother of two busy teenagers. She smiled plumping the pillows in the living room, wondering why she did it when they were just going to come in and flatten them again. She was distracted from her thoughts when the doorbell rang, she quickly went to answer it.

"Hello." Said the man who, somehow, whenever he became a stranger appeared into her life again bringing back his complications.

"How can I help you Richard?" She questioned him not bothering to even put on a friendly tone.

"I just wanted to let you know that I am completely free of alcohol. I've started going to these meetings and seeing a therapist. I haven't had a drink in three months." He told her. This was the first time in what seemed like years, Tanya thought, that she had heard him sober.

"And you've come to tell me this why?" She asked.

"I want to be involved with my family again, I want to make it up to you." He said.

"What makes you think I want you anywhere near my family and I." She snapped. Part of her felt angry that he had even came and asked.

"Tanya, I'm sorry and I-"

"Are you really sure you'll be able to accept your children? This isn't just about you drinking Richard. If you want to be in your families life then you'll have to treat them right and love them no matter what." She told him.

"I.. I don't know." He mumbled.

"Well, that's not good enough. Bye Richard." She closed the door hearing him try to convince her not to but going quiet once it had slammed in his face. The heartbroken mother leaned against it, pushing herself to the floor where she sat and cried until she felt she could stand up again. She went back to cleaning immediately, using it as a distraction from what had just happened.

Alice walked through the doors to the auditorium where Rory had asked her to meet him after school. She smiled, seeing his grinning face. "Hello beautiful." He said like he always used to.

"Hi." She replied.

"We haven't had much of a chance to speak." He told her. "That's why I asked you here. How are you?"

"I'm great, thanks. You?" She answered.

"I'm amazing now that I'm here with you." He said, coming over to her and stroking her cheek. She took his hand, taking it down from her cheek slowly and let it drop. Rory looked down at his feet realising her rejection. "I never got over you."

"Rory, I have a boyfriend." She sighed, reminding him. Somehow she felt guilty, like she was meant to have waited for him.

"That Jeff guy? Do you love him?" He asked looking up at her again so he could read her face if she tried to lie.

"I... I do."

"You look unsure." He mentioned. Alice looked around feeling unable to find an answer to what he had just stated.

"I still love you, you know? I hoped every day that somehow or somewhere we'd meet again." He began to tell her. "When my dad said we were definitely moving to Lima I refused to go anywhere but McKinley and if you weren't there I was going to track you down in any way I could because I need you in my life Alice. I need you like I need air and you can't tell me you don't feel the same."

"It's complicated." She said feeling flustered and confused.

"If words can't convince you maybe this will." He said going into his pocket. "Close your eyes and put out your hand."

She did as he said and he placed the item into it. Alice opened her eyes and in her hand was the beaded bracelet she had made when she was 10 and had given to Rory to remember her by 2 days before he left. "You still kept this silly old thing." She shook her head.

"Yes, of course. It was the only part of you I had left, from the day you gave it to me to today I've taken it everywhere with me. It's not just some bracelet, it's your bracelet, that's what makes it special." He said.

"Oh Rory." Alice exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him. Tears started to fall from her eyes. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too." He said squeezing her back, taking every last bit of it in. They slowly came halfway out of the hug, looking into one another's eyes. Neither could believe that this person was once again in their life. They leaned in and kissed, the chemistry rushing through them like an electric shock.

Coming out of it Alice began to back away. "I shouldn't have done that." She mumbled, her head shaking. Her eyes began to flow even more with waterfalls of tears. "I can't hurt him again. I'm sorry, Rory, I need to go."

"Alice!" Rory shouted but she was gone to quickly leaving him stranded in the auditorium, taking the bracelet with her.