A/N: Finally, I updated! :) I'm sorry, but I just had major writers block. This chapter is kind of a filler, except that one bit at the end, but I had to write this to set up the next events. Oh, and look! This chapter is the longest chapter so far! WARNING: frequent mention of coffee. Well, on to the story!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee or these lovely characters in any way, shape or form.

Chapter 3
Reconcile

Finn didn't get much sleep that night. He just kept waking up at random times until 6:21, when he had given up trying to fall back asleep. He was glad that they at least had a TV in their living room.

Kurt woke up not much later, precisely at 6:30. He stepped into the kitchen, already dressed and finished with his routine skincare treatment, and saw Finn fumbling with the remote, not succeeding at finding anything to watch. Finn grumbled at the television and turned to Kurt when he heard him enter the room.

"Morning, Kurt." Finn said sleepily, still kind of annoyed that he hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep to sustain himself. He had already wriggled out of the sleeping bag and was sitting on top of it now.

"Good morning, Finn." Kurt yawned a little as he started up the coffeemaker, "Sleep well?"

"You guys would have a coffeemaker and not a couch." Finn laughed and paused for a second before continuing, "I didn't really sleep much. Kept waking up in the middle of the night." Finn got up from his position on the floor and stretched.

"Coffee is a very important part of our lives!" Kurt replied matter-of-factly, tapping his foot as he waited for his coffee to finish, "And I figured you didn't get much sleep, considering you were up before me."

Finn nodded and Kurt was about to continue before Blaine appeared and said, "Did someone say coffee?" His hair was a mess of curls on top of his head, and his pajamas were still on, seeing as he was unable to function before his morning dose of caffeine. He exchanged 'Good Morning's with Finn and strolled over to Kurt, resting his head on his shoulder and whispering, "Good morning." Kurt giggled and poured each of them a cup, already knowing that Finn wouldn't want any.

Blaine lifted his head and swiped one of the steaming mugs from the counter, immediately sipping from it even though it was burning hot. He tried not to wince when it stung on his tongue, but he still must have made some kind of ridiculous face, because both Kurt and Finn started laughing at him.

"Good to know you love that drink more than you love me," Kurt teased, waving his own cup lightly back and forth, "Maybe you should kiss it instead." Blaine knew Kurt was just joking, but he still shook his head and leaned forward to set his cup back on the counter and give his boyfriend a light good morning kiss.

Finn looked on at the two men; he really did not want to watch his stepbrother and his boyfriend kiss (and oh God, the kiss was progressing and now Kurt was pushing Blaine against the counter), but he couldn't really look away because he was thoroughly lost in thought. Truthfully, Finn was envious of Kurt and Blaine's relationship. Finn always saw the affectionate looks Blaine would direct at Kurt, or notice the quick kisses they would steal when they thought no one was looking. He wished he could do things like that with Rachel.

Finn was shaken from his thoughts when he heard Kurt say, "OK, Blaine, that's enough for now. Finn's watching!" Finn blinked a few times, and he realized he hadn't really been focusing on their little make-out session anyway. Kurt blushed furiously and Blaine just laughed, but then he frowned when he noticed that his coffee had gotten cold.

"Uh, where the hell is Rachel?" Finn asked in a bit of a hurried tone, eager to change the topic. He was concerned with why their female friend hadn't emerged from her room yet. He knew Rachel, and he knew she was just being stubborn and unreasonable as usual, but that behavior never ceased to annoy him. Besides, Finn couldn't even figure out what she was angry about in the first place. It might have been a selfish thought, but he expected that she would be at least a tad pleased to be able to spend time with him again, even if only for a short time.

"I don't know what she's up to back there, but she'd better get out here soon if she wants breakfast before we leave…" Kurt trailed off and set his empty mug in the sink next to Blaine's long-ago discarded one. He hummed quietly and began fixing something for each of them to eat: waffles for Finn and Blaine and a bagel for himself.

"Where are we going?" Finn inquired, suddenly realizing that the spare clothes he had brought, as well as his toothbrush, were still in his car. Blaine told Finn that they would just be exploring today, and maybe going job hunting if the came across something that peaked their interests. He even mentioned singing in Central Park, saying that it was a dream of his.

Rachel didn't come out to join them in the kitchen until nearly 8:30, and she was already dressed. The spring in her step was apparent, albeit quite confusing to the three boys, and they collectively gave her a look that asked her to clarify why she appeared so enthusiastic.

"After a long while of deliberating, I have come to the conclusion that I will not let one minor bump in the road obstruct my good attitude," she answered curtly, but then her tone changed to one of mock kindness, "Good morning, Finn, Kurt, Blaine." Her smile was so see-through it hurt, but neither Kurt nor Blaine were in the mood to deal with a spiteful Rachel Berry.

Finn on the other hand, snapped. "Why the hell are you acting like this? When I first came over, you didn't hesitate to ask me to stay!" Finn yelled, releasing the pent up frustration within him, "But now you're behaving like you're grossed out by the sight of my face!"

Rachel's features wrinkled as Finn spoke, and she felt the need to let out her constrained emotions as well. She balled her limp hands into tight fists and said, "Because I'm so conflicted! I love you, and I want you, but I need Broadway. And I'm angry because I'm not sure if I made the right decision anymore, and you being here increases those feelings!" She was crying now, and Finn's mouth hung open slightly.

Kurt and Blaine observed the whole exchange awkwardly, and they both were about to leave the room, but Rachel wiped away her tears and held up a hand as if to say, 'No, stop. This conversation's over.' and softly said, "Finn, why don't you go get your clothes from your car. We're going out soon."

Blaine and Finn got dressed and brushed their teeth, and once they were finished, the tension had mostly subsided. Finn handed Rachel her coat as they were leaving, and she took it with gratitude, simply choosing to smile at him although her eyes showed her still pained emotions. The girl's eyes still seemed a bit downcast for a while, but she was soon distracted by the sights and sounds of New York City.

The four friends spent all afternoon parading through the streets, occasionally stopping at a store that Rachel or Kurt would drag them into. At one point, they all strutted arm-in-arm down the sidewalk, and even Finn laughed along and kept pace with the rest of the group. They were casting their troubles aside for the time being. After all, they were in the city where their dreams were coming true. It was still hard to believe for each one of them. Here they were, only 18 years old, living and going to college alone in New York, without their parents.

But now, as they sang the mash-up of "I Love New York" and "New York, New York" that they had belted out two years ago when they had gone to New York for the first time, their thoughts didn't really stray far from the fact that they were having a blast.

"After you," Blaine said, turning on his 'dapper mode' as Kurt liked to call it, as he opened the door to a small cafe they had stumbled across and gestured for Rachel, Kurt, and Finn to enter the building before him. As they stepped in, their noses were instantly bombarded with the scent of coffee. Blaine close his eyes and inhaled, which didn't surprise anyone, since coffee was his second favorite thing (after Kurt no doubt). Kurt smiled and squeezed his boyfriend's hand softly.

Rachel tapped Finn on the shoulder and linked arms with him when he turned to look at her. He was puzzled, given that just yesterday, Rachel didn't want to even look at him, but now she was being sort of…affectionate. The petite girl pulled Finn toward an empty booth in the corner of the shop after shooing Kurt and Blaine away to order their coffee.

"Sit," Rachel spoke gently, but with a commanding tone. Finn complied, taking a seat across from her, not quite able to decode the unreadable expression on her face. "I just want to say…" she trailed off, mentally making sure that she wanted to say what she was about to, "I'm sorry. I overreacted, and I shouldn't have yelled like that."

Finn gazed at Rachel with a confused but expectant look. It wasn't everyday that Rachel Berry apologized for something. She must really love me, Finn thought momentarily. He nodded, urging his female friend to continue.

"We need to move on, Finn," Rachel finally said, her eyes suddenly filling with intensity, but Finn saw the underlying grief in them. "Next week, you'll be back at Ohio State, and I'll be here. I always felt that we had something so special, that our love could conquer all. But I don't think I believe that anymore. I love you, Finn, really. But we won't work out. Most high school relationships don't make it anyway. There's no reason that we shouldn't have seen this coming." They both knew that was a lie. Kurt and Blaine had made it. Mika and Tina had, too. They were proof that some high school relationships did work. Finn and Rachel just weren't going to be so lucky.

Finn nodded, understanding her. He loved Rachel so much, and he had been gullible enough to think that they wouldn't be torn apart after high school. Then again, he had loved Quinn a lot as well, and he thought that he would be with her forever. It's funny how things never really went as planned.

"Yeah, I get it. I… love you too, Rachel. But, what was that saying? If you really like someone, you should let them go…? I know it'll hurt like hell, but I'm willing to let you follow your dreams, 'cause you really are a star, Rachel." Finn now had that same intensity in his eyes that Rachel had. He was serious, and he was glad that they were talking about this.

Rachel giggled at Finn's adorable mistake and said, "The saying is: if you love something, set it free, Finn," she smiled wholeheartedly and continued, "And I know it'll be hard, but we'll always be friends. Remember that."

Finn smiled back at her and soon Kurt and Blaine joined them at table. Finn moved to sit next to Rachel so that they could be near each other. Rachel, Kurt and Blaine chatted about design ideas for their apartment and their classes that were starting soon while Finn told them about his insane roommate at OSU and how Carole called him every night at 9:00 to ask him how he was doing, even though he was only 2 hours away from home.

It was 8:36 now, and the group was still sitting and conversing, cups discarded a long time ago. Blaine's cell phone lit up, and he picked it up from it's spot on the table. He grimaced at the caller ID: it was his dad. He was almost 85% sure that his dad was going to say something to try and convince Blaine to change his mind at return to Westerville before it was too late and classes began.

Blaine's father, Walter Anderson, had been less than pleased when his son had announced that he was packing up and moving to New York City of all places with his boyfriend and his other friend. He had allowed Blaine to transfer to McKinley High for his senior year for this boy, Kurt, but now he wished to move to another state for him as well? He had never told Blaine this, but Mr. Anderson had always told himself that his son being gay was just a phase he was going through. Once Blaine had actually gotten a boyfriend, reality hit Walter. Truthfully, he saw how much Blaine loved Kurt, what with all the loving stares and such, but he still couldn't… accept it.

"Hey, guys, I have to take this call... It won't be long." Blaine stood up and his friends nodded at him as he walked to an empty corner of the cafe. "Hello?" he said into the receiver when he finally answered the phone.

"Hello, Blaine." came the response from the all too familiar voice on the other end, "I need to talk to you about something."

And there you have it! Yeah, there's a little cliffhanger at the end. But we got a little backstory on Blaine's dad! ;) Please be patient with me as I work to finish the next chapter! I still and will always love and appreciate reviews! :)