Now that they were free citizens, there was nothing holding them back from computers and smart phones. Rachel looked at the Lima news and felt her heart grow dull and heavy. Funerals would start soon. Some names she recognized, some she didn't, but there were far too many. One would have been too many. Shelby couldn't have stopped by all of those houses, but fires had been set across town. The Rifts she'd brought had probably killed anyone who got too close like a person slapping a mosquito.
Amazingly, the news celebrated the Awesomes, rather than condemning them for what they'd lured to Lima. No one seemed to have made the connection that they'd come in search of those teenagers. Instead, they'd been credited with stopping the attack; clearly, no one else could have done so. Their team fansite was still up and running. All of them were more famous than they'd been the day before.
They were becoming famous by standing on the backs of innocent corpses. Rachel knew they hadn't chosen to be sent to Lima. It could have been any town. Their foes had cared less than nothing for human life; they'd come to their world with the intention of destroying it all. The deaths could have happened anywhere.
Still, they'd happened.
Even if all of them seemed shell-shocked about what they'd faced, Rachel saw the same determination in everyone's eyes: whether on the front pages or in charity kitchens, they were going to help. She sighed and closed their fanpage, and wondered which keyboard warrior had written the latest blog post praising them. She'd earn fame again. Not like this. The next time, she'd really deserve it.
A deep, resonant voice called after her as she left the small internet center at the hospital. "I came back from a mission and heard about everything that had gone on. I asked our scientists. They said I could do another solo time skip to talk to you all, before someone else got here and filled your heads with garbage. Took some tricky calibration."
"We've met before," Rachel said as the large man approached her. She couldn't recall his name offhand, but she remembered seeing that eyepatch staring back at her as he informed them that their parents were dead.
"Colonel Nick Fury, head of S.H.I.E.L.D.," he said. "I'm sorry you had to go through everything. I'm glad the situation's been resolved."
That was apparently all the apology were going to get, even after their lives had been manipulated like characters in the government's play. And yet, Rachel couldn't blame him, not with the firsthand knowledge of what it would have been like if they had been found, captured, and drained. She could remember Carole telling them every event that was competing for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention. More than likely, they weren't the only ones who'd saved lives that night. The organization had done what they'd had to do in order to protect the world. Maybe that acceptance meant that she was growing up, or maybe she was just too tired to argue. It had been a long week.
"You came back to today," Rachel said after musing on all of that. "But you could have come earlier and avoided everything." He could have warned Sue. They could have identified the facility and never come near it.
"Maybe. Or maybe things would have fallen apart in ways we can't even predict. If something works out well enough, I've learned not to throw away a decent solution in favor of a perfect possibility. The odds usually don't turn out in our favor. You saved the world. That has to be enough." He looked at her meaningfully. "I've learned to make tough decisions, that work the best for everyone."
Yes, she supposed he had.
"Sounds like you saw some action in Columbus, too."
Rachel blushed. Were they going to be held accountable for those destroyed buildings? She might still want to go to college. Anthem would need an identity during the day. She didn't want to spend all of her college fund on campus repairs.
Fortunately, Fury didn't seem to be going down that route. "Now that we knew it was Shelby Corcoran, we dug into her records. Her search history was something else. After a while she began looking for signs of anything interesting going on around Lima. Even with our cover story, she was desperate to reveal you kids, because she didn't have any other leads. The more time that passed, the more she grabbed for anything that might help her." Fury snorted. "Finally, she just broke into this message forum and flat-out lied. Told any goon dumb enough to take the bait that a medical procedure at Ohio State was actually a lab for superpowers, and they should go check it out."
"The Wrecking Crew," Rachel said, thoughtful and distant. "They thought they could get powers there. That was why they came."
"Yeah," Fury said. "Well, with all the pieces put together, we could see what she was really doing: dying. She knew she didn't have much time left before that thing inside her drained her dry, and you were her last Hail Mary. She used those Crew idiots like bait, hoping that she'd been right all along, because she didn't have any other leads. Hoping that you really were there. That you'd show up to fight when some real superpowered bad guys stopped by to kill anyone in their way."
"And we did," Rachel realized, resigned. "We played right into her hands and revealed ourselves."
"Sure did."
Her head dropped. They were so untrained. Foolish. "I can't believe how stupid I've been."
"You broke into a top-secret facility that was filled with a bunch of very nasty enemies," Fury said. "Were you in charge?"
"Yes," Rachel said. Even if it weren't wrong to duck responsibility, she doubted she could get away with it. "I don't think I really managed to do that much, but... yes."
"And you broke into another top-secret facility before we ever brainwashed you." Fury's eyebrow rose. "You were in charge then, too."
"Yes, I was," Rachel said. She must be in so much trouble.
Astonishingly, Fury smiled. "You must have had a hell of a time figuring out how everyone could work together."
"I... no, not really," Rachel said. "That was easy. I always knew we could come together like a symphony if we really focused." He looked intrigued, and so she told him all the relevant information: Puck getting them onto the roof, Mercedes fueling Tina's powers, everything. Fury should have been angry at her description of how they'd circumvented their security. She didn't understand why his smile only grew.
Finally, he said, "You've got potential."
It was difficult to believe what she was hearing. The head of the agency thought that? "Thank you," Rachel said uncertainly.
"Serious potential. The kind that some org would love to have."
This was not where she'd expected the conversation to go. "I can't see myself in S.H.I.E.L.D.," Rachel demurred.
"Neither can I," Fury said. "You'd blow your cover on the first day. Probably cause an international incident." Rachel blushed, but he continued like he hadn't insulted her. "But you've got a solid powerset, especially now that you're stable, and some great leadership skills. You just need to work with some people who can show you how to use everything."
"You mean... apprentice with someone," Rachel said. "Put in my time. Learn the ropes, learn how to be the right kind of hero."
"If you like cliches, sure."
She went very still for a long time, and wondered if they'd been filming their rooms. The offer was just too perfect. "Who would I apprentice with?" Rachel asked when she realized she had no idea which very proper, presumably old hero would instruct her in the ways of leadership and superheroic etiquette.
"The Avengers," Fury said mildly.
Rachel's eyes widened.
"If you think you can put up with them," he added. "They're S.H.I.E.L.D.'s main point of contact in the superhero business. Tony'd never admit it, but he knows they need younger blood if they're going to stay relevant. Maybe you'd stay on with them, maybe not, but..."
"The Avengers," Rachel finally managed.
"Just tell Stark that you have a boyfriend, repeat it five or six times, and you'll be fine. And don't piss off Banner. That can get messy." Fury looked like he was holding back a smile. "You caught some people's attention. The masks in this city heard that you kids stopped them from being burned to well-toned crisps. Believe me, if you want to reach for the stars... it's a possibility."
Rachel looked toward the northeast. No matter how many turns she made inside the hospital, she knew which direction Manhattan was. She stared that way for a long breath, and then looked back. "So, in theory, we could launch our full careers right now. It sounds like we have all the support in the world. We could skip everything in-between."
Fury's eyebrow raised, and he didn't argue with her.
"Mr. Fury," Rachel said, "I would be honored to start my apprenticeship with all of those heroes. I mean, once I've earned my high school diploma, and know exactly how I want to carve out my life in the city. I might want to go to school, too. That can all be settled later."
His smile finally broke free. "You're setting conditions on apprenticing with the Avengers."
"They want me, don't they?" Rachel replied, her smile just as big.
She'd do everything the right way. She wouldn't rush anything. She wouldn't skip any steps.
And then, from the sound of it, she'd be a star.
•••••
"You'll need to return those, you know."
Kurt turned toward the strange voice. "Colonel Fury," he said as he placed the man. He could remember hearing him say that their parents were dead. "Return what?"
Fury gestured to his belt, and the two sheaths attached there. "Those. I'm amazed they let you carry them around a hospital, by the way."
His grip tightened around the hilts. Kurt didn't realize he'd done so until Fury cleared his throat. "They were a gift," Kurt said. "I don't have to return a gift."
"And who was the gift from?"
"Sue Sylvester." Kurt forced his shoulders back. "She wants me to use these. And I'm going to wear them to her funeral."
Fury's eye clouded with sadness. "Sorry. Her funeral's not open to the public. She's made some powerful enemies, and it's a bad idea to let them get near an agent's body." He saw Kurt, stricken, about to protest. "Kid, I knew her for a hell of a lot longer than you did. Don't try to say it's easy, because it's not."
"She wanted me to have these, though," Kurt said. Was he seriously going to have to give up everything? Be slowly stripped of each thing that might give his life direction? His hands shook as he gripped his swords.
Fury studied Kurt for a second, and then walked toward him. Kurt let the man circle him, but turned to face him with each step. "Most of those lengths are the finest steel available on this planet," Fury said. "And then the cutting edges are a custom adamantium alloy. Just about as rare as it gets, and that pair cost S.H.I.E.L.D. about two hundred K to make. It's why we only give them to certain agents." He looked Kurt over. "Agents who aren't supposed to just hand them over to some kid."
"Well, she did." His knuckles were white. "She said I had potential. She saw real potential in me, and you know what? I do have it. I got down to the sixth sub-basement of a facility that you designed yourselves. If my brother hadn't zapped my brain in the middle of a laser field, I could have gotten past all of your security systems. I broke in, I dodged bullets, I beat S.H.I.E.L.D. at its own game, and if I don't even get to go to her funeral, then I am not giving them back!" By the end of his rant, Kurt had stalked up to Nick Fury, the better to yell at him. At least he'd had the sense not to pull a sword on the man.
"Sorry," Fury said, unshaken. "Those can only be used by agents." He saw Kurt about to unload on him again. His grin was wide and sudden. "So. You want a job?"
Kurt stared at him.
"Is that a yes?"
"I'm not sure what to say," Kurt said.
"Sue Sylvester was a talented and..." His shoulders heaved with a sigh. "Intimidating woman. I'm only saying that now, because she never would have let me hear the end of it, otherwise. If she gave those swords to you, I'm willing to trust her judgment." Fury began to look slightly annoyed as Kurt hesitated. "You're holding swords that can cut through diamond, kid; try to look a little more excited."
"No, they can't," Kurt said. The man had left him completely off-balance, and he wanted to regain some power by correcting him. They cut through flesh and blood. Not metal. Not diamond.
"Have you tried?"
"No," Kurt admitted.
"You don't know everything." Fury smirked. "So you don't even know what you'd be turning down. Well—"
"I'd be helping," Kurt said. "I might be doing it in ways that hurt for a while, but ultimately, I'd be helping. We thought she was making our lives hell. She was saving them." Fury nodded, and Kurt took long, deep breaths.
If what he'd gone through was going to be worth it, anywhere close to worth it, then Kurt had to save lives. He had to be amazing, just like he and Blaine had both wanted for themselves. This might be amazing.
"I have some conditions," Kurt said. His voice barely wavered. He really was good. Between Sue's praise and Fury's interest, that much was clear. They must want Kurt, and so they'd be willing to work with him.
"Berry set conditions, too," Fury grumbled. "You kids have quite the opinion of yourselves."
"Coach Sylvester—Sue—said that you needed top agents. I know when I'm in a good negotiating position." If only for their conversation, Kurt felt in control of his life again. "I want to save people."
"Done," Fury chuckled. "That's basically the job description."
"I want to keep her swords."
Fury shrugged. "Wasn't that implied?"
"I want to graduate high school first. I might do it early, but it will still happen first."
"Fine."
Kurt swallowed. "If my family also wants to move to New York, they'll have the moving costs paid. If not, I can fly them out whenever I want."
Fury raised an eyebrow, but didn't argue.
"And I want an apartment. No cockroaches." He knew he was pushing it, but Kurt also knew how ridiculous the real estate market was there. Finding a decent place might be harder than working as a secret agent. If he were going to be risking his life for them, they owed him an apartment.
"It's New York," Fury pointed out.
"Well. Hardly any cockroaches."
"I'll see what I can do," Fury said wryly. He extended his hand. Kurt took a second, but he shook it firmly. "Good. I'll courier over the contract when you're back home. Since now you can actually sign a contract," he added.
"I have two more things," Kurt said in a rush when they came suddenly to mind.
"We just shook," Fury said, annoyed.
Kurt ignored that. "I don't always like doing it, but Finn's my brother and I'm supposed to look out for him. I mean, we're both trying to... never mind. So if I need to help him, I should be able to."
"We'll come up with a less open-ended description for that one," Fury said dryly.
"And... you can rewrite memories. You can build secret labs." Kurt swallowed. "It sounds like you have a lot of influence. Could you help get someone into a university if he really wants to go there? He's smart. He'd deserve it. I just know that deserving it isn't always enough, not if there are people whose parents went there, and if—"
"Which university?"
"He hasn't picked, yet."
"In New York?"
Kurt looked at the floor. "No, it won't be in New York. I just want to help him go wherever he wants to go. It... it won't be in New York."
"You'd better live up to those swords, kid," Fury said, snorted, and walked away.
Kurt watched him go. By the time Nick Fury rounded a far corner, he managed to smile.
•••••
One by one, Nick Fury talked to the children who overcame his security system and saved the world.
Some got job offers. Some turned them down. Some were pointed outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Their futures began to take shape, one person at a time.
•••••
Family by family, they left for Ohio. All the funerals were done by the time they arrived. That was fortunate. They would have been asked to attend as honored guests, the defenders of the town.
Puck hadn't talked to the others about what those deaths meant to them, but he knew they didn't want their names to be celebrated. Not when they'd brought everything there in the first place. All of them would eventually move out of Lima, of that there was no doubt. The town deserved to go back to the life it had before they crashed the party.
Before that, he still needed to talk to Finn. Puck stood on the front step and listened to the doorbell chime. There was some black-and-white special on TV that evening, so he figured it was safe to stop by. Kurt was probably over at Rachel's.
Sure enough, Finn answered the door. "Hey," he said.
"Hey. Can I come inside? It's hotter than Santana's tits out here."
"That's pretty hot," Finn said, smirking, and let him inside. "I heard that you and Lauren broke up." When Puck looked at him with surprise, Finn shrugged and said, "Gossip chain doesn't shut down in the summer."
"Guess not." Oh, right. He'd told Kurt, so of course Finn knew. Lauren hadn't talked to him since they'd left the city. It wasn't out of anger, but their pain had ripened. They'd been happy together, and now they weren't. Even if they were staying friends, it was hard to see each other while things were so fresh. "So. You and me. We were assholes when we moved here."
"Yeah, we were," Finn said.
They nodded and didn't add anything more. Saying the words out loud, without immediately trying to excuse them, felt good. Like peeling away a scab. "I guess I can see why you'd freak out," Puck finally said. "Knowing that he and I had... you know. When you didn't remember everything about what had gone on. It'd be safe to assume that I did something bad."
"I remember it all, now. You don't have anything to feel sorry about back then." Finn smiled, soft and nostalgic. "It was fun. The four of us."
"Yeah."
"So... what's it like? Is it weird?" Finn asked him. "I mean, you always liked girls, and now you just... bam, stare at dudes now, too?" Morbid curiosity practically dripped from him.
"Not as many guys as girls," Puck said. "And I already told you, you're not hot." Finn frowned at him. His expression veered as he tried to figure out whether he should feel insulted or not. Eventually, he shrugged and let Puck continue. "I don't know. When I moved here—when I was that asshole who thought he was better than everyone, and was really worse—I had this mold of who people had to be, if I was gonna pay them any attention. And now I can see all of these great people. Different people." And none of them wanted him.
"Give it time," Finn said.
Puck tilted his head. "Aren't you supposed to stay out of people's heads?"
Finn smiled, shaky and pale. "I got possessed, remember? It's taking some time to get my shields back up."
"Oh."
"That's what Rachel and I are doing," Finn said after a second. "Taking time. Her, to earn any fame she gets. Me, to earn... anything I get. Whenever I get something, I want to know that I really deserve it. And even if I don't get anything, well, then I'll know I'm still a good guy. End of story."
"Yeah," Puck said, and stared at a far corner of the room. That was a good plan. He wondered what Finn had read on his file. Maybe they should compare.
"So, why aren't I hot?" Finn asked after letting Puck muse for a bit.
"I dunno. You're just not."
Finn frowned, then tensed. "Uh, you might want to go."
"Fine. I'll get out of Burt's, heh, hair," Puck said after he realized that Finn had heard some psychic warning, but saw Finn's head shake once, shortly. His eyes widened, and he nodded. It was easiest if he just stayed away from Kurt.
Finn needed to be a better alarm, Puck thought with resignation. He'd turned to leave, but the door to the garage was already opening. "Hey," Puck said.
"Hey," Kurt said, and slung his bag off his shoulder. Finn watched them, apprehensive, and Kurt finally said, "Finn, do you mind?"
"Kurt..."
"We should talk," Kurt said. It was the height of summer outside, and Puck was baked to his deepest tan of the year. Kurt was still pale. His eyes were tiny gemstones or nebulas or... or something poetic. Puck stopped trying to think of the right words. He was bad at poetry, and vocabulary. "We need to talk. And you're here."
Though he looked wary, Finn nodded and left them alone.
"Dad found out that they made him dislike you," Kurt said once he'd watched Finn disappear up the stairs. "He wasn't happy about it. Along with all the other things he knew they were putting into his head, they made sure that he would look at you with complete disdain. They didn't share that part before he agreed to the implants. He yelled a little."
"Don't know that they needed to bother," Puck said. "Gave you both plenty of reasons to hate me, when we were first settling into our families here."
Kurt looked him over. His eyes were sad again. He'd looked sad way too much at the hospital. He should look happier by now. "Yes, I suppose you did." After twisting one hand around the other's wrist like a bad habit, he asked, "How's Beth doing?"
"Good. She's got some kind of powers, so, you know, they need to find someone who's cool with that. It sounds like S.H.I.E.L.D. knows some people who just had a girl of their own not too long ago, and they'd be okay with taking Beth. They're good. I mean, they're heroes." Puck managed to smile. It was even genuine. "She could have a sister about her age. Practically twins."
"Oh. Twins. It's nice, overall," Kurt said. "The benefits definitely outweigh the drawbacks."
So that's how they were going to be, then: awkward but friendly. Puck could deal with that. It was better than the alternative. "So, um, did anyone talk to you about what you're going to do? With your life?"
"Mmmhmm. I think they talked to pretty much everyone." Kurt folded his arms across his chest. It could have looked like he was blocking Puck off; instead, he was hugging himself. "Did that include you?"
"Yeah. I'm not signing on with anyone. I'm just going to figure out how to do things on my own. Sounds like that's how most people are going, really." After realization struck, Puck added, "I guess that means... the team's done."
"Yes, I suppose so." Kurt took a deep breath. "I signed on with S.H.I.E.L.D. After I graduate, I have two weeks off and then I start work."
Wow. The big time. "You'll be great," Puck said with pride. Kurt did look proud of himself, as well he should. It turned out, behind all the crazy behavior, that Sue Sylvester was someone to look up to. "So, uh," he finally continued, wishing they could stay safely on the topic of the future, "how are you doing?"
If Kurt considered not answering honestly, which seemed to flash across his face, it passed. "I just break down sniffling for an hour at a time," Kurt said. "I think of him and it kills me. We're friends. We're practicing being just friends again, and we've texted each other about... about TV shows he can watch as he recovers. But eventually he's going to date someone else. I might want to absolutely punch that stranger in the nose, and I'll still have to smile and play nice." He probably intended his expression to be cheerful. "Or maybe I'll be mature, and be able to be genuinely happy for him. I suppose anything is possible." He drew a shaky breath. "Dealing with this is more than I can take right now, so please don't."
"I'm not." Puck managed a wan smile at Kurt's surprise. Whatever Kurt thought he was about to do, he really wasn't. "I'm not asking you out, or to forgive me, or whatever. I just wanted to tell you that I'm not going to just pretend we can be okay again. You owe me jack squat, I owe you a lot, and I need to figure that out. So I'm gonna go learn how to be a good guy again. And I guess the first step is to say that I hope you're happy. With, you know, whatever." His voice choked, and he swallowed. "Whoever."
"Oh," Kurt said quietly.
"Since you're moving to New York. You'll meet lots of people. Superheroes and stuff. Some of them have gotta be gay." Puck slipped into his ego like a suit of armor. "And some of them might be, like, half as hot as me, so you wouldn't be trading down too far."
Kurt laughed, though he seemed like he didn't want to. That had to be a good sign.
"Hey, uh... do you think we could be friends, too?" Puck asked. "Not just friendly? That seems weird after Ohio, but..."
"But we were friends," Kurt agreed. "Yes. I'd like that."
"Thanks," Puck said. He managed to smile. "I don't know if I'm really gonna bother with senior year."
"Puck, you need to graduate."
Puck shrugged. "I'm gonna be a hero. You don't need a diploma for hero...ing."
"All right, fine," Kurt said, "but it won't pay the bills for a while. You'll need a day job. And you can get a much better job if you graduate." Puck remembered that particular way his mouth quirked with hope. "Promise me you'll at least consider it? They've offered us tutors again. We can finish really quickly, if we want."
"I'll consider it," Puck said. It was easier to go along with Kurt when he got like that. "I just want to get to the good stuff. The stuff that..." He stared at his feet for what seemed like a full minute, and then looked back up. Kurt was watching him in silence. "I did get offered some great spots. I turned them all down, because I don't want to skip ahead and forget everything that I should be doing. Everything I need to be doing."
Kurt, curious, stayed silent.
"I remember standing up to your dad," Puck finally continued. "Your first dad. The way I'd glare at him when I stopped by to pick you up, when you were actually staying at your place. Because it was the right thing to do, and fuck him if he couldn't handle that."
"Even more than Finn or Rachel, I knew I could count on you," Kurt said. "After everything."
"I wasn't perfect. But I was better. I'm just going to focus on me for a while until I know that it'd take a lot of work to make me bad again. A hell of a lot. Like, 'creepy alien in Finn's brain' levels, because I guess you just can't defend against that much."
"I guess not," Kurt agreed. He studied Puck like a museum exhibit.
"So... yeah," Puck said awkwardly when Kurt had been eying him for a bit too long. "I'm gonna try to be New York Puck again, instead of Ohio Puck. Old Ohio Puck, anyway. I think I'm at least okay by now."
"You are okay by now," Kurt said. His arms squeezed around himself, tight, and then released. He took a deep breath. "When do you think you'll know?" Kurt adjusted his hair, like it gave him something else to focus on. "If you can be that boy again?"
"I don't know," Puck admitted. "I'm not gonna rush it. I want to do things right. Blaine thought... he actually thought I'd let him die, to get him out of the way. When no one would think that about me, I'll know I'm there."
Kurt nodded and pulled in on himself again. He didn't physically match the boy Puck had once known, but vulnerability made him young again. "I'm not promising anything," Kurt said after studying him for a long beat. "But when you're him again, let me know."
Puck drew back, startled. "That's not why—"
"I know. It's not about me. You're doing it for you, with no expectations. That's why I'd even consider it." Kurt could look so amazingly complicated, and beautiful even as his heart ached. And god, he was so much more mature than he'd been in New York. Puck couldn't even imagine where he'd end up in his life, if he already seemed like he'd changed that much in two short years. "I'm not making any promises. I don't have anything to give today. I don't know if I would then. Whenever 'then' is. But if you're going to be a while, then maybe..."
"Then maybe," Puck repeated, and the room went slow and quiet around them.
Maybe.
Suddenly, that seemed like the best word in the English language.
•••••
Appropriately, the group decided to come together for one last meeting at Rachel's house. By that point, some families had already discussed moving. Plans were being made. Soon, people would start to leave Lima.
"I can drive you, if you want," Kurt offered. It had been a few weeks since Blaine had left the hospital, and his recovery was going well. He'd just been told that he was capable of driving himself. Still, Kurt worried.
"I have my seatbelt pillow," Blaine said, and held up the small throw pillow he used for padding against his stitches. "And I'm fine by now, Kurt, but thank you for offering. Your friends will start showing up any minute, now. You should be here."
Kurt nodded, and still looked guilty. Blaine hadn't come to watch movies at Rachel's house because he really wanted to see her; she was an alibi. The Andersons blamed Kurt for everything that had happened to Blaine, and they didn't know Kurt would also be there. He'd been barred from Blaine's hospital room when they'd finally caught him visiting their bedridden son. They were making the best of it until his parents' ire faded, if it ever did.
It would have been nice if everything resolved itself, Rachel supposed, but where they were had to be good enough. Like Fury had said, if everything had worked out in a way that you could accept, that was better than chasing some perfect potential. Being an adult was no fun, sometimes.
"Um. I didn't mention this before. So I don't forget..." Kurt looked sheepish. "I got a promise out of S.H.I.E.L.D. about you."
"About me?" Blaine asked.
"Whatever school you want to go to, well, you'll get an acceptance letter. Just pick it." Kurt smiled. When Blaine didn't immediately respond, he added, "Ta da. All solved. Yay."
"I really do appreciate the offer, but I want to get in on my own merits," Blaine said after another second's pause. "It's not fair, otherwise."
"Oh. Well... all right. I mean, it doesn't have to happen." Kurt gestured off at nothing. "I just wanted to help you go where you wanted to go." He swallowed. "Wherever that is."
Blaine's expression softened. "Thank you. I know what you're really... thank you." The front door opened and closed, and Rachel heard her dads calling for her. Blaine shrugged. "I should go. People are arriving. We'll talk later, all right?"
"Yes," Kurt said. "We will. Drive safely. Don't make yourself test that pillow."
Blaine looked like he was going to say something else, but instead only squeezed Kurt's hand. He walked upstairs slowly, so no step would jostle his healing wound, and nodded to Brittany and Santana as they passed him on the stairs. "Ladies."
"Gay," Santana said, just as politely. Brittany wiggled her fingers in greeting, and then he was gone.
Rachel patted Kurt on the shoulder as he mimed stabbing himself through the heart. "It'll get easier."
"It'd better." Kurt inhaled, exhaled deliberately, and nodded. "It will, because I am racing through the rest of my studies at top speed. Then I am going to be assaulting alien bases or something, and fighting for my life. I'll be distracted. Distractions will be good."
"Oh, Quinn and I got the weirdest offer," Santana said. "It plays off that whole fire and ice deal."
Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Please don't say you're doing some sort of weird power-exhibitionist porn."
"I wish," Brittany said, and then looked around the room. "I wasn't supposed to say that out loud." Everyone kept eying her, though Santana did so with amusement, and she changed the subject with a beaming smile. "I'm just going to try to be a superhero on my own. You know, take things at my own pace until I'm really comfortable with my powers. And then I'll rule the world or something."
"Please don't joke about things that big," Kurt said. "For all we know, you're like a genie in repurposed black leather."
"Hey. What happened to that pillow fish?" Brittany asked.
Rachel's shoulders sagged. "It was dead when I got back here," she said morosely. Other pets were fine with the supplies their families had left. She'd thought a fish would do even better than a dog or cat.
"Come on," Santana said in a remarkable show of sympathy, "it was a goldfish. Made out of poly-fill. For all you know, it turned back into foam padding after you flushed it."
"Oh," Rachel said. That would explain why the pipe had backed up.
The doorbell rang again, and once again her dads let in the new arrivals. The four already in the basement waved at Tina and Mike as they joined their group. "Hey," Tina said. "So, um, news: I'm leaving next week."
"What?" Rachel asked, surprised. Mike pulled Tina close. He looked regretful, though not crushed.
"My folks want to move back to New Mexico," Tina said and sighed. "So they can get back to work. They really like working in a lab, and since the jig is up..." She shrugged. "But, upside, I can still get a tutor out there. So, give me a little while and I'll have covered everything I need. You remember how crazy good those tutors were when they really made us work."
"We're going to meet up in New York once she's done," Mike said, and kissed her on the forehead. "My parents are talking about going back to D.C., but as soon as I'm ready, I'll head up there. We don't know what exactly we're going to do, but we're going to be great at it."
"You've got that right," Mercedes said as she walked downstairs to join them. "We're gonna rule." She looked around the basement, groaned as her confidence slid away, and said, "Rachel, please tell me you're sticking around Ohio for a while, 'cause a whole bunch of people are heading off."
"Sorry," Rachel said, genuinely apologetic. "We're already talking about moving to New York. My dads love it there, and, well, obviously it feels like home to me."
"My dad just had to figure out that he really loves being a small-town dentist," Mercedes grumped. "Kurt, you've gotta—"
"Um. Stark Industries has another R&D lab on Long Island," Kurt said. "It sounds like Dad might be able to do design work with big, big machines. By hand. He's really excited." Mercedes kept staring at him, and he swallowed. "And then S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters is there for Carole, and, well. Finn's already looking at listings, until we get our own places. We're going to finish up high school there."
"You guys are breaking my heart," Mercedes cried.
"I'm going to stay here until I'm done," Brittany said, and shrugged. "Tutors or a new school or whatever. So's Quinn. And..."
"And I might be staying with Brit," Santana added. "My parents are going back to Colorado, but I can stay with the Pierces. So... I'm probably going to stay with the Pierces," she added, and smiled at her girlfriend.
"It'll be girl power until we graduate," Quinn said as she poked her head into view. "Rawr."
"Rawr," Mercedes said, and clawed her hands in Quinn's direction. Their smiles both dazzled.
"And I'll be around until I figure things out," said a new voice. Everyone looked up to see Puck carrying Artie and his chair down the stairs. He set Artie gently on the basement floor, and then shot a quick smile at Kurt. "'Cause, you know, that's my big plan."
"Right, your big plan," Kurt said. Rachel knew something had gone on there, if not exactly what. At least they seemed to be on good terms again.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. talked to me, too," Artie said with a huge grin. "Not, uh, about being an agent. But about coming up with some ideas, that sort of stuff. I'm going to work on it during senior year and see what I can figure out."
"It sounds like we all have plans, then," Rachel said, and turned toward the stairs one last time as Finn walked down them. Without Kurt keeping them both punctual, he was the last to arrive. He nearly tripped over his own feet as he descended, as his attention was entirely on his phone.
"Have you guys checked Facebook?" Finn asked, and turned his phone to them. They couldn't make out anything on the small screen. Most grabbed for their own and looked to see what he meant.
Rachel felt worry churn. Had the town's opinion turned on them? They'd all set their profiles to private; those few who hadn't done so independently had been locked down by the government, and none of them had changed them back. They all had hundreds of friends requests, and going public again would only make it worse. So if something had happened, it had to be from someone they'd already accepted.
"Oh," Rachel said when she saw what he meant, and smiled, lopsided and tender. Their Facebook group for New Directions. Mr. Schuester had left a note for them.
I know you guys are dealing with a lot, now. Things that are bigger than what I'm doing here. I just hope you all stay safe, whether or not I see you again. Thank you for giving this crazy idea a chance. Don't worry about the choir next year, if you wind up leaving. I've already got a new job lined up while they rebuild McKinley and believe me, I've already heard from more kids at that school than I know what to do with.
They keep asking me if they get their powers before or after Sectionals. I'm going to have to disappoint people!
Thanks again, guys. Go be great. It's what I want, and now that I understand her a little better... it's what she would have wanted, too.
"Wow," Mercedes finally said as she stared at her phone. "That sounds like everything is... over. For real."
"I'm really leaving for New Mexico," Tina said, and swallowed.
"D.C.," Mike said, overwhelmed.
"New York," said Rachel, Finn, and Kurt. The others there looked at the three of them, and then nodded as the current of understanding ran through them all. That was their ultimate answer, too. It would just take a little longer.
"Thanks for being my friends," Quinn said. "Again, I mean."
"Oh geez," Artie said. "This is gonna get weepy and depressing. It'll be the dead people sequence at the Oscars."
"This isn't an ending," Rachel said, and ducked her head when she smiled. She still felt a little ridiculous when she used too much of the terminology, but they were living something epic, now. They might as well accept everything about it. "This is just our origin story."
"Don't," Kurt groaned. "You sound ready to make more workbooks. With glossaries."
"It's not an ending to everything," Tina said. "But it's an ending to something."
"Which means that something new can start," Mike agreed, and hugged her. Every second seemed precious in light of their imminent separation.
They were right, Rachel supposed. Things would change, and hopefully for the better, in ways they all wanted. Their pasts had weighed them down for so long. They were finally free to soar as they liked. It was almost overwhelming. "So," Rachel said, and looked around their group. There was no more team. They had their own futures ahead of them, diverging along many different paths. "I suppose this is it, then. The official end of the Awesomes."
With a sheepish smile, Finn ducked his head when everyone turned instinctively toward him. "Look, I'm sorry about that. I know you guys all wanted something better, and just... those reporters needed something to call us." Most of them laughed, and a few people clapped Finn on his shoulders. No matter how much he was reassured that they really didn't mind, Finn kept that apologetic expression firmly in place.
Rachel looked around the room, taking in each of her friends in turn. They'd saved the entire planet, and they'd saved individuals, one by one. Now, they were going to do the same on their own, each at their own scale and in their own way. Their powers were stronger than ever. They'd faced their trials and left as adults, ready to take on the world.
"You know, Finn," Rachel said, "looking back on it, that really was a good name."
