A/N: I can't blame this on my internet connection this time...this is purely procrastination on my part :) But it's my weekend off from work (a rarity) and since I was in class all day, I rewarded myself by writing this :)

A special shout out to northsar61 since it was a comment she made in a response to I think my review to her story that inspired something Jesse says later in the chapter.

As always, I hope you all enjoy and review! (and I promise I'll get to my review responses next :) )

Disclaimer: If I owned Glee, the characters of Finn and Brody would be non-existant...and St. Berry would be well on their way to living their Broadway dream :)


Turning to walk back into the auditorium after the phone call with her mother, Holly found that she was slightly intimidated by the sight of the rest of the team assembled on the sage, apparently waiting for her.

"Everything okay?" Shelby asked as Holly walked up the steps.

Holly nodded. "I'm sure you can guess what her only request was," she responded.

"I'll call her later. For now, I'm going to do what I did the first days of our other newer members-those of you who want to work on the dances can say here in the auditorium while those of you who want to work on the music can use the choir room. Since you're going to primarily be a dancer, I would suggest doing the former, but I'll leave it up to you."

"Dances," Holly agreed.

Shelby smiled at her niece. "Welcome to the team," she said before turning to the rest of her students. "I'll be going back and forth between here and the choir room if anyone needs any help. Are there any questions?"

After seeing several heads shake, Shelby let the team divide themselves up into the two groups. Once she was satisfied that both groups were working diligently, she took Holly's previous place outside of the auditorium to call Sara.


"Are you okay? You've been acting strange all day," Holly asked her boyfriend as they walked out of rehearsal together.

"I'm fine, just have a lot on my mind," Dominic answered.

"Like what?"

"Like things I don't really want to talk about with so many people around. Stuff I need to think about, alone."

"Oh. I guess I better catch up with Rachel and Jesse then."
Dominic sent her a confused look. "Why would you do that?"

"You were my ride today, remember? You obviously want to be alone, so I'll just catch a ride with them or my aunt. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Holly, wait."

"It's fine," Holly insisted as she gave Dominic a quick kiss. "Like I said, I'll see you tomorrow."

Knowing he'd unconsciously hurt the girl who was most likely the love of his life and unable to form the words to convey what he was feeling inside, Dominic watched as Holly quickly caught up to Rachel and Jesse and saw the questioning look Jesse threw his way. Silently cursing himself, Dominic made his way to his car, suddenly more eager than ever to just go home.


On the way to her own home, Holly peppered both Rachel and Jesse with questions.

"You've known Dominic for a long time; can you tell me what's going on?" Holly asked Jesse.

Jesse shrugged. "I would if I knew, but I don't. I have a feeling, but no concrete information."

Holly turned to her cousin. "You're the intuitive one; you tell me what's going on."

"Like Jesse said, I don't have any concrete information, just a feeling. But since I know you won't leave either of us alone until we tell you what we think, I'm just going to tell you now."

"Tell me what?" Holly demanded.

"How would you feel if I told you I think Dominic is in love with you?" Rachel asked.

Holly sat back in her seat, silent. "I would say he's crazy," she responded a few minutes later.

"Why?" Jesse wanted to know.

"I don't know why he would love me. I haven't exactly been the nicest person in the world to him and we haven't been together all that long."

"Neither were Jesse and I," Rachel reminded her cousin.

"Yeah, but you two are different-you've always believed in soul mates and destiny and all that mushy stuff. I mean, I figured I'd fall in love someday, but I always thought I would have my life together by that point. There's still so many changes going on right now."

"I didn't always believe in it," Jesse revealed. "Not until I met Rachel. I freaked out the same way you are right now; you can even ask Blaine if you don't believe me since he's the one I called and who talked some sense into me."

"What changed your mind? Besides meeting Rachel," Holly wondered.

"I knew she was one of a kind, that a girl like her was pretty much one in a million. Sure, there are other girls out there who share my interests, maybe even have a similar dream. But none of them ever simply just understood me the way Rachel does. I figured that had to mean something. I'd never had a positive example of love the way both you and Rachel do, so the feeling wasn't exactly something I was comfortable with. Talking with Blaine, I realized that the walls I'd gotten so good at putting up over the years, the ones I'd built to protect myself, were never an issue with Rachel. They were never there, I didn't even think about putting them there. I've always been able to be myself with her."

"Okay, but how does that translate into knowing that you loved her, that you were soul mates?"

"I also knew I wouldn't be able to live without her. She'd become such an integral part of my life, regardless of the fact that we'd basically just met. I've always thought of a dream as something that, if it comes true, makes all of the hurt go away. Rachel is my dream come true. She makes everything better. She and I connect in a way that I never felt with anyone else. She makes me want to be a better person, makes me feel like I can do anything."

"I told my mom I think I'm going to end up marrying Dominic someday," Holly confessed.

"Seriously?" Rachel asked, not quite believing her ears.

Holly nodded. "Like Jesse said about you, Dominic just gets me. I don't necessarily have to explain myself all of the time. Granted I thought he was a pain in the ass at first, but still. I guess the fact that he was able to get under my skin like that has to mean something."

"Then I think you have your answer," Jesse told her.

Holly sighed. "He must think I don't feel the same way," she determined.


"Dominic?" Penelope asked as she heard the front door open but no greeting shouted and knowing that would be the only logical answer for who it could be.

"Is my dad around?" Dominic asked.

Penelope reluctantly shook her head. "I'm sorry, honey, he had to stay in Philadelphia a day longer than he planned. He said he tried calling you earlier."

"I'm sure he did, I just haven't checked my messages yet."

"Are you okay? You look troubled. It's just us; your siblings are off doing their own thing."

"Can we talk somewhere a little more private?"

Penelope smiled and nodded. "Sure. I think I know just the place. Follow me."

Confused, but knowing he could trust his step-mother, Dominic followed her to a part of the house he hadn't been to in far too long.

"I remember this place, I used to go here to hide from my siblings," Dominic said with a small smile as they settled on the couch in the small study space. "Since we added onto the house and I got my own room, I didn't use it as much."

"Your dad and I wanted to keep it as you had it. Something familiar is comforting sometimes."

Dominic nodded in agreement before he spoke. "How did you know you were in love with my dad?"

Penelope smiled. "Are you sure you really want to hear my answer?" she asked.

"I need to," Dominic answered.

"All right. Well, I guess I should start by saying I knew I was interested right from the start. There was a spark…an interest there that hadn't been there with anyone else. We shared the same interests, we wanted the same life. I could be myself with him and not be ashamed of any part of me. He accepted me completely, no questions asked. He didn't expect me to change for him. I guess you could say he understood what made me tick."

"That's how I feel when I'm with Holly. I knew of her since she's Rachel's cousin, but I'd never met her before a few weeks ago. The resemblance is there, but that's pretty much where their similarities end. I expected her to be a bit more like Rachel-very secure in her talent, of who she is and what she wants out of life, stubborn, a spitfire. That type of thing. I think Holly has Rachel beat in the drama queen department, but that's kind of where the similarities end. When I met Holly, she had just been transferred back to Carmel by her parents and Shelby had put her into a dance class. My dance class. I was attracted to her immediately, she's gorgeous, but there was also something about her that I've never quite been able to put my finger on that interested me."

Penelope nodded in understanding. "It made you want to get to know her better. Though you went about it differently than I would have expected."

Dominic smiled and shrugged. "She still insists I purposely got her trouble the first day…and she wasn't at all pleased about being paired up with me. She almost hit me with the door to the music area and then she accused me of stalking her. Not exactly the best start."

"No, it wasn't," Penelope agreed. "So what changed?"

Dominic thought for a moment before he answered. "We kind of poked at each other, pushed each other's buttons, for about a week or so. Then that horrible French test happened, I was late to class. Needless to say, Holly noticed. She seemed genuinely concerned, but I was already beating myself up over the thing, I didn't really want to talk about it. I just wanted to dance. She dropped it for a while."

"For a while?"

"Yeah. I walked into the library determined to get my French assignment finished while it was still fresh in my mind from class, and as I was looking for a place to sit, I saw Holly throw her pencil at her chemistry book and then heard her curse it in, what sounded to me like, perfect French. It made me laugh and I asked her what the poor chemistry book ever did to her. She simply told me 'existed'. I offered to help her, which she accepted."

"Not without questions I'm guessing."

Dominic nodded. "She was skeptical, asking me why I was suddenly being so nice to her, but she accepted the help. When she was saying how she basically felt stupid because she couldn't fully grasp the concepts, I told her that she was way better at French than I was and that seemed to make her feel better. By the end of the week, I'd given her my number in case she had any questions and took down hers in the process."

"You bought that necklace weeks before the Lima trip. I didn't think Holly was going."

"She wasn't originally. I got her to show up at school, where we all met up, and Rachel convinced Holly's mom to let her go. Everyone paired off with their significant other, which left Holly and me. After arguing about who was going to drive, we ended up coming up with an agreement that I could drive if she could pick the music. I didn't want to continue arguing with her, since that seemed to be the most common way we talked at the time, and I also wanted to get going, so I agreed. During the trip, we came up with another agreement-I'd help her with chemistry if she helped me with French. While we were in Lima, everyone kept pushing us to admit we liked each other, to spend time together. I ended up asking her to dance, which she surprisingly agreed to."

"Which would have essentially sealed the deal, as the saying goes. Yes, you'd danced together before, but this was different. This wasn't a class, this wasn't required."

Dominic nodded. "While they were getting the musical set up, I asked Holly to go outside to my car with me because I had something for her. I'm still a little confused as to what exactly her thought process was, but she liked the necklace, she accepted it and asked me to help her put it on. When she turned back around and I saw the necklace on her, it was like something clicked."

"You made your move," Penelope finished.

"Sort of, I guess. I told her I wanted her to give me a chance and that I wanted her to stop thinking of me as a jerk. I kissed her shortly thereafter."

"So what happened between then and now to make you fall in love with her?"

"How…?" Dominic wondered, at a loss for words.

Penelope simply smiled. "I've known you since you were little, Dominic. I've never heard you talk about anyone as much as you talk about Holly, and I saw the way you were with her yesterday. The way you both were."

"So you think…?"

"I think she loves you, too."

"We've only technically been together a couple of days. Isn't this moving way too fast?"

Penelope shook her head. "No. When it's right, you just know. You have to be open and honest with Holly the way you just were with me. Tell her how you feel."

"How long did it take you to know that you were in love with my dad?"

"One day. Your father took a bit longer to come around to the idea, but I convinced him eventually."

Dominic chuckled. "I'm glad you did. I don't know what I'd do without you, Nell."

Penelope smiled. "I don't know what I'd do without you, either. I know you already have a mother who loves you, but I'm glad you let me love you, too."

Dominic hugged his step-mother. "Thanks for the talk. I think I'm going to go find Holly and see if she'll let me explain myself."

Penelope returned her step-son's hug. "Good luck," she whispered.


Alone in her room, Holly sat on her bed with her knees pulled up to her chest. When she saw her parents appear in the doorway with concerned looks on their faces, that's all it took for her to break down.

"Holly?" Sara asked, sitting down beside her daughter and drawing her into her arms.

"Are you okay, honey?" Nick wondered, taking a seat on the other side of his daughter.

"My heart hurts. My head hurts. I'm so confused," Holly answered.

"Does this have to do with Dominic?" Sara wondered.

"Who's Dominic?" Nick asked.

"My boyfriend. At least, I think he's still my boyfriend. I don't really know," Holly clarified.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No, Dad. I hurt myself."

"I don't understand."

"I've been trying to deny the fact that I love him. I'm pretty sure I've only confused him in the process, but this isn't exactly what I planned on when I returned to Carmel."

Nick ran a hand over his daughter's hair. "I didn't plan on meeting the love of my life when I went to support a friend at a dance competition. You can't plan this sort of thing."

"Your dad's right, honey," Sara said softly. "As my sister is fond of saying, when it's right, it's right. She's still kicking herself for a mistake she made when she was your age and she's made it her mission to make sure none of her loved ones make the same mistake. As your mother, I'm not fond of you admitting that you love a boy before I've even met him, but I also hate to see you upset."

"He's the first boy to make me feel like it's okay to just be me. I don't have to try to be someone I'm not, to try and change to fit a mold."

"I like him already," Nick decided.

Sara pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "I think you should let Dominic in. I know you haven't done so completely because you're scared of the way he makes you feel. The decision is up to you, though. Your dad and I trust you to make the one that you feel is best for you, and we'll support you."

Holly hugged her parents. "I think I'm going to go for a drive, do some thinking."

"Just don't be home too late," Nick told her.

"I won't," Holly promised before grabbing her keys and purse, and then heading out to her car.


A few minutes later, Holly found herself in a park she'd often visited as child. She had to smile a little when she saw that her boyfriend had apparently had the same thought process she had. Walking over to the swings, she took a seat on the one next to him before she spoke.

"Hi," she said softly.

Startled out of his thoughts by the sound of his girlfriend's voice, Dominic's head shot up. "Holly?" he asked, not sure he should believe his eyes or his ears.

"I guess we really are more alike than we thought," she answered with a small smile.

"My dad used to take me here when I was younger. Before he started traveling so much. We used to have a weekly father-son day. I loved those days."

Holly smiled. "My dad and I did something similar. It wasn't every week, but it was at least once a month. He'd take me out wherever I wanted to go. In the winter, it was always the same. I'd ask him to take me to the skating rink that they make here so I could practice being an ice ballerina."

Dominic chuckled. "An ice ballerina?"

"I was like six. Give me a break."

"I think it's cute. At least it's not abnormal for a little girl to be interested in dance."

Holly frowned. "I hate stereotypes," she said.

"It was kind of difficult for my dad to talk about dance with me, since though he tries, he's pretty much got two left feet and therefore wasn't any good at it. He always made sure to listen attentively when I talked about it, though."

"I'm listening, Dominic. Tell me what's going on."

Dominic sighed before he stood and held out his hand. "Walk with me?" he asked.

Holly placed her hand in his as she stood to begin walking with him. She had to smile a little when she felt him lace their fingers together.

"You make me feel things I've never felt before," Dominic started, both a bit unsure and nervous about how this conversation would go.

"I understand that," Holly told him. "I didn't transfer back to Carmel thinking things would turn out like this. I didn't expect my aunt to enroll me in Madame Nicole's class, or that I'd genuinely enjoy it and re-discover my love of dance in the process."

"Re-discover?" Dominic asked.

Holly nodded. "You know I quit for a while, and that I was hanging out with people who thought it was stupid. I was failing tests, getting into trouble. I was…lost, I guess. My parents informed me of the transfer the day you met me. My first day back at Carmel."

"You didn't seem angry, just unsure."

"You can thank Rachel for that one. I texted her as soon as I found out, but I didn't expect her to basically take me under her wing and introduce me to her group of friends. They're great, but I wasn't expecting them to accept me. Rachel asked Jesse to show me to my aunt's office, but he had a quiz first period, so Blaine volunteered to take me. We started talking and became fast friends. I got a kick out of the different dynamics within the group and I'd always enjoyed hanging out with my cousin. Soon enough, I found myself part of the group and then they somehow pulled you in as well."

"They do it without you knowing it."

Holly nodded in agreement. "I'm certainly not complaining. My mom says I've been holding back, that I haven't let you all of the way in…and that's part of why you acted so weird today, especially after my audition. When my mom asked me about you, I asked her what she'd think if I said I was going to marry you someday."

"What did she say?" Dominic wondered.

"She was confused. Once I explained how you understood me, how you understand the artsy side that loves to dance and the practical side that wants to have a backup, she told me that that had to mean something. And it does. It means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me."

"You mean a lot to me, too. I don't want to lose you. I can't."

"I can't lose you, either. I'm not going anywhere."

Dominic stopped walking to pull Holly into his arms, locking his hands behind her back. "I really hope you mean that, since what I'm about to tell you would scare some people away because they think it's moving too fast."

"You mean "I love you"?" Holly asked innocently. "Still here. Not going anywhere, remember?"

Dominic grinned at her. "I love you, too," he told her before capturing her lips in a tender kiss.


Rachel had just settled into her boyfriend's arms when she remembered his earlier promise.

"Jess?" she started. "Can we talk now?"

Jesse kissed her softly before he nodded. "I really am sorry I made it seem like the marriage comment was a flippant one. That's not how I meant it."

Rachel reached up to run her fingers through Jesse's curls. "I understand that now. I just want to make sure we're on the same page about this."

"Like I told you before, marriage is a big deal to me, too, even though I'd never given it much thought before you walked into my life. Or I guess more accurately, I walked into yours."

Rachel shared a smile with her boyfriend before she spoke again. "The night you told me that you loved me, you also told me about the future you envisioned for us. I want all of that, Jess. I need to know that you still want that, too."

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

"Feelings change. The fact that your parents don't like me could be a factor."

Jesse pulled Rachel closer to him. "I don't care what my parents think. My sister adores you, and I'm pretty sure my grandmother would try to set us up if we weren't already together. My aunt and uncle liked you from the very beginning, as did Blaine. I love you and that's not going to change. You're my dream come true. Just because I know we'll get married someday doesn't mean I want to rush things or that it's meaningless. Your dream Jewish wedding isn't going to come together over night."

"What?"

"You didn't honestly think I wouldn't agree to a Jewish ceremony, did you? I know how much your religion means to you. You may not be the stereotypical religious person, but I understand that it still means a lot to you. I know you've always envisioned a Jewish wedding when you envisioned your dream wedding. I know I'm not Jewish, but I don't recall that being a problem."

Rachel giggled. "It's not. You just surprised me. I didn't know you'd thought about it that much."

"Probably not as much as you," Jesse admitted with a playful wink for his girlfriend, "but I have thought about it. Our ideas might change over the next few years, but the meaning, the significance of the ceremony, won't. Marriage isn't just some piece of paper."

"I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions, I was just surprised."

"I understand," Jesse assured her. "And like I said, I'm willing to talk about this future event as much as you want…in private."

Rachel smiled at her love. "What about public declarations of love?" she asked innocently.

Jesse laughed as he leaned down to brush his lips with Rachel's. "Those are acceptable," he responded.

"Mm. What about more kisses?"

"Definitely acceptable," Jesse answered before he once again captured Rachel's lips with his.


Down the hall, Leroy and Hiram were having a discussion of their own, only this one wasn't as joyous as the one their daughter and future son-in-law were having.

"I can't believe he'd do that to his own son!" Hiram said incredulously.

"From what I've heard of the man, I unfortunately can," Leroy said with a sigh.

"To take away college money just because Jesse wants to study the arts instead of business? Is that legal?"

"I guess the stipulation was in place since Jesse was young. I think Martin put it there as a way of not feeling so guilty about denying his son access to money that should be rightfully his."

Hiram shook his head. "I still think he should go to hell for it."

Leroy chuckled. "Yes, well, just be glad you aren't going to be in Martin's shoes when Jacqueline gets a hold of him."

Hiram grinned at his husband. "That's very true. I guess that's fit punishment. A grown man being scolded by his mother. His plan also kind of backfired, since Jacqueline was smart enough to set up a trust of her own for Jesse and volunteer to help him with any other expenses that college tends to bring."

"I guess no matter how old they are, parents are still able to read their children frighteningly well sometimes."

"It's a good thing too; otherwise Jesse would be getting some unfortunate news. Genevieve still plans on telling him everything, but at least we know the whole story now."

"She really is taking being back in his life serious," Hiram observed.

Leroy nodded. "I think they genuinely missed each other, and she wants to do what she can to continue to watch out for him. I know you'd do the same with Isabel."

Hiram nodded in agreement. "She'll always be my baby sister. I'll always look out for her."

"Now we just need to figure out how we're going to pay for Rachel's college. I don't want her worrying about the cost and I'm not sure we set aside enough."

"We have a couple of years yet, Leroy," Hiram reminded his husband. "Besides, I know Shelby has been saving for a while too, and students from Carmel have a good track record of getting scholarships. Add that to the fact that she's the female lead of the top show choir in the Nation, I'm pretty sure her scholarship chances are pretty high."

"That's very true," Leroy agreed.

"Glad you see things my way," Hiram said with a grin, making his husband laugh and shake his head.


"Mom!" Holly called as she, Dominic, and the rest of their group walked into the house on Saturday afternoon.

"Kitchen!" Sara called back.

"If that's what you want to call it. I'd say it's more of a disaster area at the moment," Liam commented from the doorway to the living room.

"That bad?" Holly asked her brother.

Liam nodded. "Dad got roped into helping. Mom dumped flour on him. He went upstairs to shower for the third time today."

"Third time?" Rachel asked, trying to hold back her laughter.

Liam nodded again. "Yeah. She dumped punch on him earlier."

"Oh boy," Holly said, making a beeline for the kitchen, Rachel close behind her.

"Hi, honey, Rachel," Sara greeted when she saw her daughter and niece walk into the room.

"Mom, what's going on?" Holly asked, looking around the kitchen.

"I was attempting to cook…and bake," Sara answered. "I didn't do such a great job. Hiram was kind enough to take pity on me, and he brought over some food. I sent Liam to the store for the rest."

"You didn't have to go through all this trouble," Holly started, only to be cut off by Sara shaking her head.

"I wanted to," Sara told her daughter. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"I think it's sweet," Rachel added.

"It was a nice thought, Mom," Holly agreed.

Sara sighed. "Your friends are here and I'm a mess. I'm sorry, honey."

"I think Liam has them pretty much distracted," Rachel told her aunt. "I'm sure you'd have time for a quick shower."

"Nick should be down in a few minutes anyway. I'll be back soon," Sara said before turning to walk up the stairs.

Holly turned to her cousin. "I think we need to go save my brother from Santana, though I'm a little unsure why."

Rachel laughed as she looped her arm through Holly's. "Because he's your brother and you enjoy torturing him entirely too much," she answered.

"Very true."


Walking into the living room a short while later, Sara was only slightly surprised to see both her husband and her son immersed in the group's activities. There was a movie playing on the TV that everyone had apparently agreed upon. Holly and Dominic, as well as Rachel and Jesse, were curled together on the couch while Santana sat on Puck's lap in a nearby recliner, and Kurt and Blaine sat together on the loveseat. Nick and Liam had sprawled out on the floor in front of the group.

"Is there room for one more?" Sara queried with a laugh.

Holly paused the movie before she turned her attention to her mother. "Do you want to meet everyone first?" she asked.

"Sure."

Holly shared a smile with her mother before she began the introductions, choosing to introduce Dominic last.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Sara told him.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Dominic returned with a smile.

"Another charming boy to add to the family," Nick told his wife.

"That makes two," Holly added. "Since Liam doesn't count."

"You should be nice to me. I know lots of embarrassing stories about you," Liam retorted.

"And I know more about you, so I wouldn't push it, little brother," Holly returned.

Dominic chuckled as he tightened his arms around his girlfriend, both to keep her close and to keep her from further retaliating against her brother.


"So you're all attending Carmel and are in Vocal Adrenaline together?" Nick queried as everyone settled down to eat.

"Rachel, Santana, Puck, and I went to McKinley before this year, though," Kurt added.

"So you've all been friends since you were little?" Sara asked.

"Rachel and I have," Puck answered. "She and Kurt started hanging out in middle school, and I met Satan around that time too. We started dating her freshman year of high school."

"Satan?" Liam wondered.

"Her name is Santana, but Noah lovingly refers to her as Satan," Rachel explained.

"I thought his name was Puck?"

"Noah Puckerman. I prefer Puck, but a few select people are allowed to use my first name," Puck clarified.

Liam nodded before turning to his sister's boyfriend. "Are you sure you want her? She's kind of annoying."

Dominic laughed as Holly glared at her brother. "Yes, I'm sure. I hear you have a girlfriend of your own that we haven't met yet."

"You do?" Sara asked her son.

"She's not my girlfriend," Liam insisted, sending a glare of his own his sister's way.

"Your cousins are a form of entertainment in and of themselves," Jesse whispered to his girlfriend.

Rachel giggled softly as she nodded in agreement. "Now you can see why I was always so eager to visit them. They keep things interesting."

"Jesse, Dominic, have you two decided on a college?" Nick asked the two seniors of the group.

"I've narrowed it down to a few I want to seriously pursue, plus a backup," Jesse answered.

"Same here," Dominic answered. "My first choice is Julliard, but I've also looked at Columbia's Barnard College, Cornell, Tisch, Joffrey, and the University of the Arts as well as Ohio State."

"Ohio State?" Holly asked skeptically.

"It's a backup," Jesse explained to his girlfriend's cousin. "In case something happens and we can't attend one of the schools on our list, whether that's due to not being accepted or something here needs our attention. This way we could still pursue the degree, and the education, we want, but we don't have to put it off."

"I guess that makes sense," Holly conceded.

"Shelby would never let any of us apply to just one school anyway," Dominic added.

"Sounds like my sister," Sara agreed. "When she was applying to colleges, I think she had a list of ten."

"Ten?" Rachel asked.

Sara laughed. "Yes. Our parents were just as surprised as you were, but they weren't going to argue with her wanting to apply to multiple schools."

Rachel was silent for a moment as she thought back to that point in her mother's life. "She wanted to get away from here, to get away from the memories, to find that…lost love."

Sara nodded. "She found him, but it was too late."

"What do you mean, too late?" Holly wondered.

"The day she finally worked up the courage to call him, his engagement announcement showed up in the newspaper."

"Oh," Rachel whispered, gripping Jesse's hand tightly.

"Didn't he still love Aunt Shelby?" Holly asked.

"There's a lot more to the story, but that's up to Shelby to reveal. She's moved past it now, but he just recently found out she had gone looking for him."

"Joel's dad," Jesse said, putting together the puzzle pieces in his mind.

"Who?" Dominic asked.

"My sister's fiancé. His dad and the guy Shelby let get away are best friends."

"Damn."

"Do you think my mom still loves him?" Rachel asked her aunt.

"I don't think she ever stopped, sweetie," Sara answered.

"Does he still love my mom?"

Sara nodded. "He does. You can't forget your soul mate."

"You've been in contact with him?" Jesse asked.

"He and I ran into each other when he was here visiting family. Shelby doesn't know he's coming back to try and find her. I tried to tell her, but she refuses to talk about him."

"Does this guy have a name?" Santana wanted to know.

"His name is Jack Canton, and I truly believe he's my sister's soul mate. He's been miserable without her, as she has been without him."

"She's not happy?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Sweetie, that's not what I meant," Sara quickly clarified. "The happiest I've ever seen her is when she's with you. I'm pretty sure the day you were born was the happiest day of her life. She adores you and loves you, but there's a part of her that's still missing. A void that only Jack can fill."

Rachel exchanged a look with her boyfriend, her own soul mate. She knew she'd feel the same way if they were ever to break up. "I understand," she said quietly.

Sara smiled at her niece. "I was hoping you'd say that. Don't think for a minute that you don't make her happy, that you don't make her proud. She loves having you around all of the time. Being a mother was one of her dreams too. That one did come true."

"This conversation has gotten entirely too mushy," Liam put in, immediately lightening the mood once again.

"I think we should sing," Rachel added.

"Of course you do," Holly said.

"I guess we could dust off the karaoke machine," Sara said to her husband.

"Really?" Rachel asked eagerly.

Nick laughed. "Yes, really. I even took the liberty of inviting your parents over, since it's been far too long since I've heard any of them sing."

Rachel jumped up and hugged her uncle tightly. "You're the best, Uncle Nick," she said excitedly.

"She's going to make me dance and I just did that all morning," Holly grumbled good-naturedly.

Dominic chuckled. "But this dancing is for fun," he told her.

"Come on, you have to sing with me too!" Rachel exclaimed, grabbing Holly's hands and pulling her up off of Dominic's lap.

"I just did that all morning, too," Holly retorted.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Blaine assured her.

Holly sighed. "Are you sure we can't just hand our cousins the microphones and let them sing to their heart's content?" she asked him.

Blaine laughed. "We probably could, but then they'd be mad at us for not joining in."

Holly sighed again. "She could at least let me digest my food before she makes me do anything requiring l'activité physique."

"Buena suerte con eso," Santana responded.


Translations:

l'activité physique = physical activity

Buena suerte con eso = good luck with that