Hey Guys!

Amazing response as always, I love reading all your reviews. You all seem very happy that Finn finally told Santana off. Enjoy the chapter guys, now work is steady again I'm hoping to have the next one out by Tuesday.

Happy Reading

5x09 – Glee and The Circus

Finn and Rachel's House – West Village – Thursday Evening

Rachel closed the last of her suitcases and put it next to the rest of them that lined the wall next to the door of her bedroom.

Finn, Rachel, and their children were going to Seattle for a few days to go to the circus. It was the same circus that Shelby had been in, they had contacted Malcom and told him they were doing a one night exaggerate show to honour Shelby and they wanted all of Shelby's family there to see it. Rachel and Finn had thought it was a good idea when they had booked the trip but that had been before the court case. Things were still tense between Rachel and Finn, and Finn and Santana and if she could, Rachel would have cancelled the whole trip but everything had already been arranged with Marley, Will and Malcom and Rachel knew there was no way she would get out of it.

Rachel left the suitcases where they were and took a seat at her vanity to pack up her make-up but Rachel was too lost in thought. She hated fighting with Finn but she was at a loss at what she could to make it better. She knew she should have never lied to him about visiting Jimmy but nothing she could say to Finn would take that away. If she was being honest Rachel knew it wasn't just the court case, ever since Christmas and everything that happened with Santana it had been tense in her marriage.

Rachel was pulled from her thoughts when Rose rushed into the bedroom, eager to see what her mother was up to.

"Mommy I've picked everything I want to wear and left it on the bed" Rose beamed as she climbed into her mother's lap.

"Thank you, Sweetie, I'll come and have a look in a minute"

"I'm so excited for the circus mommy, I want to have a go on EVERYTHING" Rose cheered waving her hands out, almost hitting Rachel in the face.

"Let's go see these clothes shall we" Rachel said, she moved Rose off her lap then the two went into Rose's room. Almost all of Rose's clothes were piled high on her bed and Rachel immediately regretted letting Rose choose her own clothes.

"Rose, we are only going for three days. This is almost all your clothes" Rachel argued, giving her daughter a disapproving look.

"I couldn't decide what to pick, I love them all" Rose sighed, happily. Rachel shook her head at Rose's dramatic theatrics, she might not have Rachel's DNA but she definitely took after her. Rachel heard the doorbell go down stairs and she knew it was the food she'd ordered an hour before.

"We'll sort this out after dinner, come on" Rachel said holding her hand out for Rose. Rose followed her mother down the stairs and the pair walked into the dining room. Henry was already sat in his chair while Finn dished out all the food.

"Food's here" Finn said, shortly when he saw Rachel and Rose walk into the living room. Rachel just nodded as she helped Rose onto her chair next to Henry. The tension was there as the two sat down at the table and helped their children with their food. Neither said a word to each other as they helped Rose and Henry then dished up their own food.

"I'm so EXCITED!" Rose cheered through a mouthful of food. Henry nodded his head agreement as juice dribbled down his mouth. Rachel smiled affectionately at her children before handing them both a napkin to wipe up with. She was happy neither of them had noticed the tension between herself and Finn.

"Yeah so am I" Finn finally said, although not with the same enthusiasm.

JFK Airport – Queens – Friday Morning

The next day the Hudson family was walking to their gate ready to board their flight. Finn had been quiet all morning and it wasn't made any better when Santana, Brittany, Mercedes, and Sam arrived.

They had all booked tickets for the show when Rachel had mentioned it, just like her they hadn't realised just how tense things would get between them all. Rachel was glad Puck and Quinn were also going, she was hoping Puck would be able to talk to Finn about everything he wasn't talking to Rachel about.

"Mommy can I sit with Auntie Sans on the plane" Rose asked once they had all taken a seat outside their gate, ready to be called when it opened.

"Auntie Sans will be sitting next to Brittany Sweetie, you'll be sitting with me and Daddy" Rachel answered as she bounced Mason on her knee, trying to settle him before the flight. Henry was sat on Finn's knee watching something on Finn's iPad. Rose was sat between her parents playing with her new American Girl Doll.

"But mommy I want to show her my new crayons, we can do a picture on the place"

"Rose, you can show Santana later"

"But Mommy..."

"Rose, Mommy already said no, that's enough" Finn snipped at his daughter. Rose crossed her arms and grumbled but didn't say anything else. Everyone less looked away from the family not sure what to make of it, Finn was never one to snipe at his children.

Everyone stayed silent for a few minutes, the tension was obvious to them all and none of them were sure what to say to make it better. Sam was the only one that Finn was really speaking to at that moment but Sam knew they was nothing he could say to make it better. While Finn and him were close friends, Sam wasn't the one who was going to get through to him

Finn glanced down at his daughter to see that she was still upset that he had snapped at her, he knew he shouldn't have. Henry and Rose were just excited to go to the circus and see the rest of their family. They hadn't even seen their Auntie Sans and Auntie Cedes in recent weeks because the two had been keeping their distance so Finn knew he had to make it right, at least with his children.

"Come on Henry and Rosie let's see if we can find some cookies before the flight" Finn said. Rose, forgetting that she was mad at her dad because of the thought of cookies jumped off her seat and took Finn's hand as Henry took the other. The others watched them walk off then turned back to Rachel who dangling a rattle in front Mason instead of looking at them.

"I take things are still tense between you guys" Mercedes noted, sadly. None of them had ever seen things this bad between Finn and Rachel before.

"I told you we shouldn't have come, it's only going to make things worse. Finn doesn't want to see us right now" Sam lectured, sending a knowing look to Mercedes.

"Which is why we have to be here, we are going to make Finn talk to us one way or another. He'll come around eventually" Santana argued "Besides we are here to support Rachel and Marley"

Brittany nudged Santana and nodded her head over at Rachel, who hadn't been listening to any of them instead she was staring off at the airport deep in thought, obviously waiting for Finn to come back. "I don't think it's your support Rachel needs right now"

Fairmont Olympic Hotel – Downtown Seattle – Friday Afternoon

Four hours later the group had arrived in Seattle and had checked into their hotel. They had all gone to their own rooms to freshen up before they met up with Quinn and Puck, and Marley and her family in the lobby of the hotel before they went over to the circus. Finn had been in a better mood since they had been at the airport and had actually spoken to Rachel when they were on the flight but he still hadn't said a word to Mercedes or Santana and neither of them expected him to.

After getting Mason changed after his nap and changing Rose and Henry clothes after the both got juice down themselves, Rachel and Finn made their way to the lobby to meet up with the others. Rose and Henry were both walking at the side of their parents but they both set off running when they noticed NJ with his parents in the lobby.

While Henry and Rose gushed with NJ about everything they would see at the circus Rachel said a quick hello to Quinn and Puck and Finn said hello to Puck while ignoring Quinn. Rachel sent Quinn an apologetic look when she saw how much it hurt Quinn to be ignored by her oldest friend.

"Hey man, ready for the circus" Puck cheered, sarcastically clapping Finn on the shoulder as they all made their way outside to hail some taxis to take them to the circus ground.

"As ready as I'll ever be" Finn answered, lamely. The group all waited by the entrance as the door man got them three cabs. Mercedes, Sam, Brittany, and Santana got in one, Puck, Quinn and NJ got in the other and Rachel, Finn and the kids got into the last one.

Once inside the cab Finn noticed Rachel was very quiet as she looked out of the window, she seemed very lost in thought and Finn realised just how difficult this weekend might be for Rachel. It was probably going to bring up a lot of feeling about Shelby that Rachel had been trying to bury, as well as make Rachel think about a time in her life that she never spoke about.

"You okay?" Finn asked. Rachel looked up in surprise that Finn had spoken to her, then nodded at him.

"I'm okay, just thinking about my mom and everything I guess" Rachel answered. Finn slowly reached over and took Rachel's hand in his own and gave it a squeeze. He didn't say anything else but he knew he didn't have to. Even thought things were tense between the couple Rachel knew that when she needed him, Finn was always there, and that realisation was only making her feel more guilty.

The rest of car journey remained silent as the children looked out of the window at the sights and Rachel and Finn relaxed in their seats, holding hands. Once they arrived Finn paid the cab then helped Rose and Henry out of the cab before taking Mason from Rachel for him to carry. They had decided not to bring Mason's pram because they didn't want extra luggage, something they would both regret after carrying him around all weekend.

Rachel held onto Rose and Henry's hands as they walked towards the ticket booth to pick up their tickets, it was also where they were meeting Marley and her family.

"Mommy look, its grandma" Rose said. Everyone looked to where Rose was pointing to see a sign up high with Shelby's face on it. In bold letters, it read 'FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY, JOIN US IN CELBRATORING THE LIFE OF OUR DEAR FRIEND SHELBY THE ENTERTAINER'. Rachel wiped away a stray tear as she continued to look at the smiling face of her mother. She felt someone wrap their arm around her and pull her close and Rachel was happy to breath in the familiar scent of her husband.

"What exactly did your mom do in the circus, Rachel" Sam asked when they all saw that Rachel was okay.

"She was the flame and knife thrower" Rachel answered, distracted as she continued to stare at the poster of her mother.

"That's AWESOME!" Puck exclaimed, Sam nodded his head in agreement. Puck collected everyone's tickets and programs and handed them out to everyone. They all looked over the itinerary as they waited for Rachel's sister to arrive.

"Okay the acrobats are on at three, I definitely want to see that" Mercedes mused, looking over the program with Sam.

"I want to go to one of the fortune tellers as well" Brittany added.

"This weekend is going to be awesome" Sam cheered, pumping his fists.

The American Circus – Downtown Seattle – Friday Afternoon

"RACHEL!"

Rachel turned just in time to catch her sister who flew into her arms. Rachel hugged her sister back just as tightly then gave each of her nephews and Jake a hug while Marley rounded up Rose and Henry for a hug.

"Wow, the whole groups here… Why am I not surprised" Marley joked when she noticed the others, not realising how her comment had made things slightly awkward.

After everyone said hello to Marley, Jake, and the boys, they all made their way inside the circus grounds. All the kids had to be held back by their parents as they tried to run off eager to go on all the rides and attractions.

"So, what are we doing first" Sam asked, rubbing his hands together excitedly.

"We really should go say hello to other performers and thank them for the tickets" Marley said looking over at Rachel, who nodded in agreement.

"Why don't you two do that and will look round some stalls, just call us when you've finished" Jake suggested. Everyone agreed with the idea so while the others went over to the different stalls. Marley, carrying Mason and Rachel went to the back of the circus tent where all the caravans and trucks were parked, hoping to find Miss Maisy.

Miss Maisy was the ringmaster of the circus and had been for almost thirty years. From what Rachel remembered Miss Maisy was just like Shelby. She said what she thought and always wanted to have a good time, she was also fiercely loyal and the other circus people were her family.

"So how are things" Marley asked, glancing over at her sister.

"Fine why wouldn't they be" Rachel shrugged. Rachel had asked her sister not to visit when the court case was going on, therefore she didn't know about the tension between her and Finn or Finn and her friends, that is if her father hadn't told her.

"Well maybe because just two weeks ago, your children's birth father accused you of having an affair with him and that it was your idea to kidnap the kids. Or because you stupidly went to visit Jimmy in prison and never told Finn and he found out in court. Or maybe it because Santana slapped Finn at Christmas and its set something off that ended with Finn not speaking to any of your friends" Marley said, smugly giving Rachel a look she knew meant 'don't bother lying'.

"How do you even know all that" Rachel asked, confused.

"Quinn told me, I asked her to let me know how the court case was going, anyway she kinda just exploded and told me everything…. Oh and also dad witnessed Finn yelling at all your friends do you really think he wouldn't tell me" Marley explained, shaking her head at her sister's stupid behviour "How are you and Finn now"

"I'm not sure to be honest, I'm really not sure" Rachel admitted, sadly. Marley wrapped her arm around Rachel and pulled her close as the two continued to walk towards the back.

"Well I'm going to fix this" Marley said, confidently.

"And how are you going to do that?"

"…I'm not sure. I just know I am"

The two walked the rest of the way in silence, once they reached the edge of the caravans and trailers Marley handed Mason to Rachel as she tried to get one of the performers attention.

"Hey, we're looking for Miss Maisy" Marley told one of the performers she had managed to flag down. The older man nodded then went in search of Miss Maisy, the two weren't alone for long before an elderly woman was running towards them.

"I was wondering when you two would get here" Miss Maisy gushed as she gathered them both into a hug. "Oh, look at the pair of you, so grown up and with children of your own. GOD, you make me feel old" Miss Maisy added, happily as she affectionately tickled Mason from where he was perched on Rachel's hip.

"I'm so glad you are both here when we honour Shelby in the best way we know how" Miss Maisy said, almost sadly. Rachel and Marley recognised the tone, they had it themselves when they spoke about Shelby.

"We're happy to be here. We know how much our mother loved travelling with you all. You were her family just as much as we were" Marley acknowledged, with a smile. Rachel smiled proudly at her younger sister. Marley was always better at talking with other people about their mother. She always knew exactly what to say.

"Thank you for that, but trust me your mother loved nobody like she loved the two of you. I hope you both know that" Miss Maisy said, seriously. She took both of their hands and squeezed them affectionately.

Rachel nodded at the older woman "We do know"

After talking to Miss Maisy for a few minutes and promising to introduce her to their husbands and children that night after the show, the sisters went off to find the others. They eventually found them by one of the ring toss stalls. Finn, Puck, Jake, and Sam were helping the children each take a turn while the others watched on.

"Look who we ran into" Mercedes quipped when she saw Marley and Rachel approach and that's when the two noticed that Will, Emma, and Malcom had finally arrived.

"Hey guys" Rachel greeted before giving each one of them a hug. The three of them were staying in the same hotel as the others but their flights had gotten in a bit later. Emma and Will had made sure to get a flight to Philadelphia first so that Malcom wasn't on his own for the flight.

"Now that you guys are here, why don't you guys all go for a drink or something while Me, Emma and Malcolm spend some time with our grandkids" Will suggested, sharing a look with Marley that Rachel noticed. She knew had her sister had something to do with her dad's idea.

"Will, you don't have to do that" Finn said but Will quickly waved him off.

"Don't be silly Finn its fine. We don't see our grandchildren nearly enough. We want to… and before you ask, no of course we don't mind taking NJ with us as well" Will added, glancing over at Quinn who blushed slightly as that was in fact what she was about to ask.

So, after making sure Will, Emma and Malcom had everything including the diaper bag for Mason, the grandparents and grandchildren set off to go on the rides while the others stood around wondering what to do next. Marley could see that Finn might use it as an opportunity to get away from the others so before he could she jumped in.

"The beer tent is over there, why don't we all go have a nice drink together" Marley beamed, Jake smirked at his wife as he knew exactly what she was doing. Everyone glanced over at Finn, knowing he was the one who had to agree and none of them wanted to force him.

Finn shrugged when he noticed them all looking at him "Sounds good to me"

Beer Tent – American World Circus, Downtown Seattle – Friday Afternoon

The group walked towards the Beer Tent in complete silence. Once there, the girls went to find a table while the guys went to the bar to get them all a drink. Once Sam and Jake had gotten their drinks, it left Puck and Finn alone at the bar together and Puck saw his opportunity to have an actual conversation with his friend.

"You know it would make my life a lot easier if you made up with Quinn. A pregnant Quinn is enough to deal with but an upset pregnant Quinn is even worse" Puck joked, he wanted to keep the conversation light so Finn wouldn't feel attacked. Finn didn't say anything for a while as he ordered their drinks, once the bartender had put them in front of him and Finn had paid for them, he turned to face Puck.

"I'm not here to make your life easier Puck, I'm not here to make anyone's life easier" Finn argued. Puck shook his head, he didn't understand why Finn was so angry with his flippant comment.

"That's not what I meant Finn. But come on, how long are you going to let this go on for. You can't stay angry at them forever. It's not good for you"

"I'm not angry at anyone"

"Try telling your face that" Puck quipped. Finn rolled his eyes then picked up his drinks and walked away from Puck. Puck let out a defeated sigh then followed Finn over to the table. Finn took a seat next to Rachel and Puck sat down next to Quinn at the other end. Nobody spoke as they all had their beers, Marley looked around at them all waiting for one of them to start talking. Finn had his arm around the back of Rachel's chair looking around the large tent unaware or ignoring the looks he was getting from Puck, Rachel, Quinn, and Santana while the others looked around nervous at each other not sure what to say. They were all starting to regret deciding to come along for the weekend.

"Wow this is awkward, I mean I knew it was going to be a little tense but this is AWK…ward!" Marley laughed before taking a drink. Jake smirked at his wife as Rachel glared at her.

"Shut up Marley!" Rachel snipped.

Marley shrugged "I'm only saying"

"And I'm only saying… Shut up" Rachel replied, giving her sister a pointed look before going back to her drink.

"Finn, you have to forgive us!" Quinn proclaimed, looking desperately at Finn. He slowly turned to face her so Quinn continued "I know we hurt you but we've been friends for too long and you have to forgive us"

Everyone turned to Finn waiting for his reaction, he moved his arm from around Rachel's chair, took a drink of his beer then faced Quinn head on.

"I'm not mad at you Quinn, I've just realised that we are not friends in the same way you are with Rachel" Finn started, everyone could see this was something Finn needed to get off his chest.

Quinn shook her head, defiantly "That's not true Finn"

"Yes, it is Quinn. Because even though we've know each other longer and I've always thought of you as one of my closest friends you had no qualms with lying to me about Rachel going to visit Jimmy and not telling me about it, or about the letters she sent him. You didn't feel the need to defend me when Santana basically blamed me for the end of her marriage and only really cared when you thought I'd put a wedge between your precious friendship group"

Everyone noticed the tears roll down Quinn's face as Finn spoke, Puck took Quinn's hand in his but nobody else made a move.

"Do you know how hard it was for me when you and Puck were separated. I tried to be there for both of you, without taking sides like everyone else did" Finn said, Quinn wiped her eyes and nodded at Finn.

"I know you did Finn"

"And when I found out what you had done, I still didn't keep it a secret I knew it would hurt but in the long run it would be better if the truth was out. But can you look me in the eye and say that if the roles had been reversed and it was Rachel that had cheated on me, would you have made her tell me" Finn concluded, he took a long drink and looked away guiltily. It had been hard for Finn but he knew he had to say it all as well. No one spoke for a while as they processed everything that Finn had said, when Quinn didn't say anything in return they knew that everything Finn had said was right.

Finn finished off his drink then got up from the table "I think I'm going to take a walk"

Before any of them could say anything in return Finn walked away with Rachel following quickly behind him. Everyone watched them leave then went back to their drinks.

"Well that was intense" Marley commented for a few moments of silence.

"I don't think now is the time Marley" Jake argued, giving his wife a pointed look as Quinn still looked upset about Finn's outburst.

"He's not wrong though is he" Sam quipped, Mercedes gave him a questioning look. "I just mean, Finn's right, you can't say Finn's your friend like Rachel is when you kept so much from him. I mean did any of you tell Rachel she should tell Finn, did any of you warn Rachel about how dangerous Jimmy is"

"Are you saying it's our fault that their children got kidnapped" Santana argued, Brittany slapped her arm lightly at her insensitive tone.

"I'm saying Finn has a right to feel how he's feeling right now. You guys have no idea what it like to be on the outside of your friendship group but maybe it's time that you did" Sam stated, firmly. Whenever Sam or Brittany or Puck felt second best to their partners, the girls would just wave it off that they were being over dramatic about it but now that Finn was voicing the same concerns they wondered if they should have been listening all along. Everyone else carried on drinking but Quinn, Mercedes and Santana shared a look, they knew they had to fix it somehow.

Outside the Beer Tent – American Circus, Downtown Seattle – Friday Afternoon

Rachel followed Finn out of the tent, he was a few feet in front of her but she knew he knew she was behind him. They were walking for a few minutes until they reached the entrance to the Circus and Finn eventually slowed down so that Rachel could catch up to him. Finn leaned against the wooden wall and slipped down until he was sat on the grass, Rachel followed him and sat down next to him.

"I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to stop walking" Rachel quipped, hoping to lighten some of the tension between them both. Finn didn't speak for a few moments and Rachel knew she had to give him time to process his thoughts into words. Finn had always been better at that than her, she just said whatever she was thinking and usually regretted it later.

"I know that you didn't mean to hurt me by keeping this from me, but Rachel our marriage is supposed to be stronger than that. Our marriage can't be you just doing what you think is best and me just forgiving you because all that leads to, is resentment" Finn acknowledged, Rachel nodded slowly as Finn continued "I don't care if things are ever normal between me and your friends again but I do know we can't keep going on like this"

"No, we can't" Rachel agreed "Please tell me how I can fix this Finn"

"This can never happen again Rachel, we don't keep things from each other, especially about our children. Our marriage needs to be equal. I'm not going to let things go in the interest of peace anymore" Finn lectured, Rachel reached out and took Finn's hand in her own, she put her head on his shoulder and let out a content sigh when Finn wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

"You're right Finn, about everything. These last few weeks have been awful for our family and I haven't made it any better. I take your patience and understanding for granted and I won't do it anymore. I love you Finn and I love our family. That's the most important thing"

Finn leaned across and pulled Rachel's face towards him in a loving kiss. Rachel grabbed the front of Finn's shirt and pulled him close eager to have his lips on hers after a tense few weeks.

"Wait" Rachel said pulling away slightly before their kiss became more intense "I want you to know, I understand why your mad at the girls and if you never want to speak to them again that fine. I will support you but if you angry at them for not telling you about the visit then don't be, they tried to get me to tell you but I wouldn't listen and Quinn hated keeping a secret from you. I know how difficult we can be sometimes and I promise it's going to change. I'm going to tell them about the move and if they don't like it then that's too bad for them"

"Oh, they are definitely not going to like it, especially Mercedes and Santana" Finn noted, he didn't add that he felt Santana and Mercedes needed to start living their own lives but he definitely thought it.

"All I care about is making sure you know that you are the number one in my life, nobody else" Rachel affirmed, she pressed her lips to Finn's and he immediately brought her close. Rachel wrapped her arms around him and the two enjoyed each other before they heard a wolf whistle and they realised they were at the circus and there were hundreds of children running around.

"Why don't we go find the kids and start enjoying this weekend" Finn suggested. Rachel nodded so the two picked themselves up off the floor and went to find their children with Finn's arm wrapped tightly around Rachel.

The Arcade Games Section – American Circus – Seattle – Friday Afternoon

Finn and Rachel met up with Will, Emma, and Malcom and the children at the arcade games and spent the next half an hour playing the games trying to win some teddy bears. Rachel text her friends to let them know where they were, so the other met up with them to join in the arcade games, Quinn, Santana, and Mercedes staying clear of Finn as they knew it wasn't the right time to talk to him.

"Okay last go Rosie then it might be time to give up" Finn reasoned as he handed Rose the ball. Rose and Finn were at one of the stands where you had to get the small ball into one of the buckets for a chance to win a Moana teddy bear, which happened to be Rose's new favourite film, so she was very eager to win it.

"Okay Daddy" Rose nodded her head, she motioned herself in front of the bucket while Finn moved over to the man managing the stall.

"How much for the teddy, and to let my daughter think she won" Finn whispered so that Rose couldn't hear him.

"50 bucks" The guys answered, Finn took out his wallet and handed the guy fifty dollars before joining his daughter as she threw the ball into the bucket and just like the others it bounced on the rim before following to the floor. Rose let out an annoyed sigh and Finn gave a pressing look to the guy behind the stall.

"That was a new record for missed shots little lady which means you win a teddy bear, take a pick" The Guy said waving his hand up to the teddies along the sides of the stall.

"Really" Rose beamed, pointing her hand at the Moana doll "I want that one"

The guy handed the teddy to Rose and Finn took her hand and moved her away from the stall before Rose decided she wanted another teddy. Finn found Rachel with Henry and Mason trying their hand at the duck toss with Quinn and NJ.

"Look what I won Mommy" Rose cheered holding up her doll for Rachel to see.

"That's great sweetie" Rachel mused before glancing at Finn "How much did that cost you?"

"I don't wanna talk about" Finn quipped, shaking his head just as the others walked over to them, their arms full of the teddy and other prizes that they had all won.

"You guys ready to go back to the hotel, have dinner then get ready for tonight" Will asked, the others all agreed so the large group all began to leave the fairground to head back to the hotel. Rose held onto her grandad's hands and held up the teddy in her hands.

"Look at my new teddy Grandpa!"

Rachel and Finn's Hotel Room - Fairmont Olympic Hotel – Friday Evening

Once everyone had made it back to the hotel they decided to just have room service in their own rooms before meeting back up with everyone to go back to the circus ground for the night show.

While their children napped and they waiting for their food. Rachel and Finn had a long talk about everything, they talked about Rachel's visit to the prison, how Finn felt about the Santana situation and about their move out of New York. Once they managed to get everything off their chest and enjoy a shower together, they just finished up as their food arrived and their children woke up.

The family enjoyed a happy meal together, and while Rachel had hoped her children hadn't noticed the tension between their parents in the last few weeks you knew they could see that things were better now, they were all happy again.

"Hey guys, everyone decent" Mercedes asked as she walked into their hotel room, just as they were finishing dinner. Rachel looked over at Finn to make sure he was okay as Mercedes, Quinn and Santana walked into the room.

"Bit late now isn't it" Rachel quipped, rolling her eyes as her friends moved over to the table and put the basket down on it "So, what's with the basket"

"This is our apology to Finn" Quinn stated, Finn turned to face them, confused "We have something to say and we hope you're willing to listen to us"

Finn nodded so Quinn continued "You were completely right what you said at the bar Finn, we haven't been treating you with the respect you deserve, especially after so long as friends. We get to caught up in the four of us that we forget about the people around us and we need to start changing that. We really hope you can forgive us Finn because it would crush us to not have you in our lives anymore"

"I messed up Finn, I took advantage of the fact that your always there for us and used you as a punching bag when my marriage was in trouble and I will always be sorry for that. I just hope you can find a way to forgive us, not just because we want things to be okay with Rachel but because we love you and we really need Finn back" Santana added, earnestly.

"We've drawn up a contract" Mercedes exclaimed, handing Finn a piece of paper. Rachel leaned over Finn's shoulder to read it "The main item is that while we've agreed to get together the four of us once a month, they will be agreed with you as well and no face time calls can be made if its inconvenient to you and lastly any time that you think we are in the way or we're annoying you, all you have to do is say the code-word and we will back off. We know this might seem silly, but we wanted to show you that we understand now. We need to be better, if not just for you but Puck, Sam and Brittany as well"

"What's in the basket" Finn asked, coughing slightly when his voice got chocked up.

"It's all your favourites. Favourite beer, favourite snacks, magazine, some toiletries, those pens you like and even the liquorice toffee that you hardly ever get to have because Rachel doesn't like them" Quinn explained, taking each item out of the bag to show Finn. Rachel stood behind him with Mason in her arms, waiting for his reaction to everything.

"I want this contract sighed" Finn joked as he got off the bed and walked over to the three women "I'm sorry too, I should have said something a lot sooner instead of letting it all explode and I'm not saying things will automatically go back to the way they were because truthfully I don't want that, but I don't want to lose you guys either"

The three women ran into Finn's arms and gave him a tight hug, very happy that he had forgiven them. They hadn't realised the impact Finn had on their lives until he wasn't there anymore. Eventually they pulled away from him and Quinn wiped away the tears threatening to fall.

Rachel smiled at her friends and husband as she held up the piece of paper to them "You know Noah, Sam and Brittany are probably gonna want one of these of their own"

Mercedes waved her off "They haven't earnt it yet"

The girls eventually left to get ready and Rachel and Finn started to do the same, Rachel was applying the last of her makeup when she looked over at Finn while he was tying his shoes. The children were already dressed laid out on the double bed watching something on Finn's iPad.

"You sure you're okay with them now?" Rachel wondered.

"I am" Finn nodded "Things probably will be different but that doesn't mean I just want them out of my life"

"Maybe different won't be such a bad thing for all of us" Rachel agreed, she moved away from the vanity and walked over to Finn. She bent down and gave him a sweet kiss "We're all going to have to learn to live without one another. I won't be just a cab ride away when Brittany and Santana have an argument, and neither will you"

Finn nodded his head before smirking slightly as he looked up at Rachel "That is if they don't kill us first when we tell them we're moving"

The American Circus – Downtown Seattle – Friday Afternoon

Half an hour later they had finally finished getting ready, then went down to the bar to meet the others before all 19 of them got cabs back to the American Circus. They collected their tickets then made it over to the tent and got into their front row seats just in time for the main show to begin.

Finn was settling Mason on his knee while Rachel was checking Rose and Henry when the lights went down and a spotlight was moved to the centre of the stage and Miss Maisy walked into it.

"Good evening everyone, we got a great night planned for y'all" Miss Maisy cheered, everyone clapped and once they had finished Miss Maisy continued "Tonight is an extra special night because tonight we are honouring our recently departed friend Shelby"

Another spotlight appeared and shined onto a large photo of Shelby that Rachel hadn't noticed before. Finn slipped his arm around her and pulled her close.

"Shelby was a dear friend to us, she was most energetic woman you could ever meet, who always had a zest for life and the hole she left in our circus will never be filled. But tonight, we celebrate the wonder and joy she brought to our lives by putting on our best show yet. We hope you all enjoy it and where every you are Shelby we hope you're kicking back with a Bloody Mary and enjoying it too" Miss Maisy concluded, passionately before walking off the stage just as the music started playing and the acrobats came on.

"You okay?" Finn whispered in Rachel's ear when he noticed the tears in her eyes. Rachel glanced over at him and nodded her head.

"My mom would have loved this" Rachel affirmed, Rachel had never understood why her mother spent most of her life in the circus, but she did know it was when her mother was at her happiest.

"She definitely would have" Finn agreed, leaning across to give Rachel a quick kiss "I love you Rachel"

"I love you too" Rachel returned with a teary smile. Tonight, felt like a new beginning for the Hudson's and Rachel couldn't wait for what lade ahead.