iv. I'd give anything again to be your baby doll.
Blaine parked outside of Kurt's apartment in Columbus, Ohio and rehearsed his apology over and over again.
He stepped out of his black Mazda and took a deep breath. He went up the fire escape, just like he used to. He'd never go the normal way, because Kurt's landlord was a homophobe, and he wouldn't have any of that "nonsense" happening in his building. The way this felt so familiar made it seem so right. He pushed his hand through his long, messy curls. He probably should have gotten a haircut. He knew how much Kurt wouldn't appreciate his lack of self-appearance.
He looked into his window and the lights were all off, but he could see a blue-ish light flickering from under his bedroom door.
Knock, knock, knock. Whistle.
Kurt had always told him, that when he was to climb up the fire escape, he should knock three times on the window and whistle a specific tune. It came to be sort of a joke, but as Blaine did it that night, it was almost melancholic.
And then the nerves emerged in his stomach. What if he didn't come? What if he had moved? What if he was with someone else? He did it again, because nothing happened.
Knock, knock, knock. Whistle.
Kurt peaked his head out of his room, a seaweed mask on his face and a hair-band pushing back his clean-cut brown hair away from the product. His eyes widened in shock.
Blaine, hands stuffed in his pockets and the cold air smacking his face, pleaded with his eyes to come in.
Kurt walked over slowly to the window and opened it.
"What are you doing here?"
"I've missed you. I'm here to apologize. What happened between me and Jonathan is over… it was nothing. It was nothing compared to what I had with you, and I'd do anything that is humanly possible to get it back."
"Go on," Kurt said.
Blaine sighed as Kurt gestured him to come in.
"Kurt, I'm sorry. And I'm embarrassed."
"You should be." Kurt said, making his way to the bathroom.
"I shouldn't have left you for him. It was a mistake. You're the only one for me, and I realize that now," Blaine said, flashing his best puppy dog eyes.
Kurt sighed. How could he say no to him? They had been through so much together… they were each other's firsts. First kisses (ones that counted, anyway), first loves… they trusted each other. But, most importantly, they understood each other.
"What happened?" Kurt said, bending over the sink to rinse off the seaweed mask on his face.
"He, uh, he was seeing someone else the whole time."
"So… now you know how it feels."
"It sucks… and- and I can't believe I did this to you. I can't believe that this happened, and I can't believe I'm here apologizing for something so stupid. And you can say no. You don't have to take me back. I want you to, I miss you so much, but if there's someone else, or if you don't want me then I guess it's okay… but I just want you to know how sorry I am. For everything."
"Where will you stay? I heard you were shacking up with him, but I mean – before then you were living here so…"
"Um, I hadn't really… thought about… well, I mean, I guess I'll just park my car on campus and hope I don't get towed or something."
"Blaine, that's disgusting," Kurt eyed him. He was thinner, that Jonathan probably never cooked the delicacies that Kurt was always experimenting with. He considered having him stay. He didn't necessarily have to take him back, but he was definitely wasn't going to let him be homeless. "You'll stay here… have you eaten?"
"Jonathan was a vegan… I've never really liked tofu."
"There's some lasagna in the oven," Kurt said, already down the hall. "Damn hippies," he muttered. "It's Cabaret night. Heat up some lasagna… the movie just started."
Blaine smiled on the inside. He was back home.
v. Sit back down where you belong in the corner of my bar with your high heels on.
Noah groaned at the sound of his alarm. The daylight peeked under his curtains and he sat up on the side of his bed.
How did I even get here last night? He thought, his head throbbing. He was having a difficult time wondering how he wasn't dead. He had gotten so smashed the night before.
There was a note on his bedside table, he squinted and tried to decipher what looked like hieroglyphics to him. He looked around for some advil. He thought he had gotten up, but his legs were obsolete. He looked back at the napkin in his hands.
"Your car is still at the bar. If you ever need a designated driver, call me. 555-0147. Please don't ever consider driving that drunk, you moron.
-Quinn"
Oh snap. Was I with Quinn last night? He thought. All the different scenarios of what might have happened freaked him out. What if he was a total douche? What if they had sex? Noah swore that if he was ever going to make love to Quinn, he was going to do it right. He was going to give her all the love in the world, because she deserved it… and because he loved her. He had always loved her, ever since they were freshman at McKinley. He loved her when she was a Cheerio and dating his best friend, he loved her when she was carrying his baby, he loved her when she was being courted by Sam Evans, he loved her when she wore long skirts and cowboy boots and was back with Finn. Long hair, short hair, pregnant, not pregnant, Cheerio, boho, he didn't care. He loved her because she was Quinn. That was always enough for him.
Everyone always wanted something from her, but all Puck wanted was her.
He was never good enough, though. He was a Lima Loser, and that's all that he was.
vi. Sit back down on the couch where we made love the first time.
Rachel took a bus from the airport to her Dads' house, where she grew up. She smiled as she made her way through the door, like she did so many times before. Her fathers greeted her with open arms and begged that she eat something. They had prepared her favorite food: vegan mac n' cheese. She just wasn't in the mood. She just wanted to see Finn. She took her Daddy's Corolla to Carole and Burt's house. This was probably the craziest thing she had ever done. She didn't even know if he lived here… if he stayed here… if he was with someone else. And she surely hadn't prepared for any of it. When she finally bustled up the courage to knock on the door, she heard steps behind it and she held her breath. Ready to see the love of her life, the door opened, and there Carole was. Tired eyes, and with her work clothes still on, she looked at Rachel in disbelief.
"Rachel! Honey!" She said, and hugged Rachel tightly. "What a nice surprise! Come on in, I was just making dinner… Burt will be so pleased to see you. How have you been? How's life in the Big Apple?"
Rachel was pulled into the house by the older woman, "I've been alright… missing home… but, that's normal I guess."
"Once a Lima girl, always a Lima girl…" Carole said, disappearing into the kitchen. "So…" Carole began, "have you seen Finn?"
"Um, no. That's actually kind of why I came by…" Rachel said, following into Carole's domain.
"He was out getting ice at the gas station. He should be back any minute now—"
"Something smells good!" And a door slammed shut.
Rachel could recognize that voice a thousand miles away.
She turned around and there he was, Finn Christopher Hudson, standing at the kitchen's threshold.
They stared at each other.
"Look who came by for a visit," Carole said, signaling at Finn with her wooden spoon.
"Rachel—" Finn said, at a loss for words.
"Hi…" Rachel said, treading cautiously. "Finn, do you think we could maybe talk in private? You know… maybe catch up?"
"Come, follow me."
And he led her up the stairs, into his bedroom.
It was the same as when they were in high school.
"Here… uh…" Finn shoved some clothes and books off of his bed, and made some room for Rachel. She sat down on his twin-sized bed, and he took a seat on the chair beside it.
"Wow, it hasn't changed a bit in here…"
"Yeah, well, you know… I don't really switch it up too much."
"Finn, I'm sorry. For everything. I don't know why I just left you. I should have – I should have given you a chance. I was just afraid that if we got together… that we'd be tethered here forever. And… and now I realize that maybe staying in Lima with you and starting a family is all I want. It's all I need."
Rachel let everything out. Every story about how she got poisoned. Every night she spent alone, missing Finn's warm kisses. Every time she heard "Faithfully" on the radio or on her iPod and how badly she wished she could re-live that performance… just one more time. She had missed him.
He listened carefully, analyzing all that came out of her mouth. He had missed her, too. He had started to forget how beautiful she really was. How her eyelashes danced across her eyelids, how her big, brown eyes reminded him of the moon, 'cause the moon was round and big and stuff, how she spoke with her hands and her eyes more than with her words. She had really cute hands. He remembered when he could just reach across and hold one. But now it was different. Now he didn't know what to feel. He was hurt. He felt like the second option. But at the same time, being a second option was better than being no option at all, right?
"So… how do you feel about all of this?" Rachel asked, and Finn stayed quiet for a while.
"You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to come back."
Rachel smiled that smile she only used for Finn. "Can we be in love again?" Finn leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. "I guess I'll take that as a yes…" Rachel whispered, and they resumed their loving encounter in the setting that was oh so familiar.