Summary: Rachel misses Finn. It doesn't help that Kurt and Blaine have a perfect relationship. At least they gave her a song she can dedicate to her lost lover.

A/n: Tbh, I don't really like Finchel but I have a huge attachment to this song and album and I feel like it fits their relationship perfectly. This is part of a miniseries btw, you're welcome. I've had a headcanon of which characters would sing which songs from this album so, here we go. Also, she's singing the acoustic version cause it's 100x sadder.

The One That Got Away

Rachel Berry is not okay.

Rachel had a grueling day at NYADA. Cassie July was breaking her down and making her life miserable. She knew she needed to be humbled at times, but Cassie loved taking it to an absurd level. Needless to say, she hadn't been having a good day.

She was looking forward to getting home – well, the loft – and making herself some tea, sitting down on the couch and watching her favorite: Funny Girl. Maybe Kurt would notice her bad mood and sit down to watch it with her, if she was really lucky, he would rub her feet the way he used to do with Blaine.

Of course, that didn't happen. Instead, she got home to hear the telltale signs of Kurt and Blaine Skyping and being all lovey-dovey. It sounded like Blaine was playing a song for Kurt over the screen. She knew Kurt had been captured by Blaine's voice like he always was. She decided to leave them be for now. She was too exhausted to try and immerse herself in their world.

She was halfway to her "room" when she heard it.

In another life, I would make you stay

So, I don't have to say you were

The one that got away

She hastily finished the small walk to her corner of the loft and pulled the curtain closed.

She knew Blaine had a huge obsession with Katy Perry, and though she herself was a big fan, she often chose to stick to her personal classic, Barbra Streisand. Kurt often indulged Blaine's obsession which struck her as odd since she knew Kurt preferred Gaga instead.

Although now that she realized it, both Kurt and Blaine seem to have a weird attachment to the Teenage Dream album. After all, she was there that night at Scandals when Blaine serenaded Kurt with the saddest version of Teenage Dream that she had ever heard. It seemed as though Blaine had a thing for singing songs from this album to Kurt, and Kurt ate it up.

This explains the song, she thought. Then paused. She heard a sniffle followed by a "No, no! Keep playing! I'm fine, I promise. You just sound so beautiful."

She then heard the familiar musical laugh of Blaine's. The guitar started back up, Blaine's voice coming through a bit clearer now.

Someone said you had your tattoo removed

Saw you downtown, singing the blues

It's time to face the music

I'm no longer your muse

But in another life…

That verse brought back painful memories for Rachel. She distinctly remembers a conversation she had with Finn in the halls of McKinley.

"You're kind of my moose." He'd said.

She had given a small laugh and corrected him, "it's muse."

"I know, I just wanted to see you smile."

Rachel wipes a tear as she thinks back to their many moments together.

When they danced together at senior prom after winning king and queen, their first kiss in the auditorium, his proposal to her, their date before Nationals junior year…

She misses him.

She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't hear her roommate disconnect the call or him approaching her.

"Rach?" her best friend sat down next to her on the bed and put an arm around her, "you okay?"

"I miss him," she whispered.

"I miss him, too."

It was the first time she was stepping foot in Ohio since Mr. Schue's failure of a wedding.

That night brings another set of memories for Rachel, sending her into a fit of sobs. Before she can become a bigger mess than she already is, she calms herself down and splashes some water on her face.

Mr. Schue had asked her and Kurt, as well as the other members of the original New Directions, to come back to McKinley and pay a tribute to Finn. At first, she had declined, saying it was too painful to go back. Then she realized that this is what Finn would have wanted. She needed to honor him by moving forward and becoming the star he always knew she would be.

Walking back into McKinley feels like a slap in the face. Everywhere she turns, she is reminded of Finn Hudson and their relationship. Their lockers, their make-out spots, the classes they shared together, the arguments and the fights and the making up.

Walking back into the choir room is a completely different story. She had to take a full minute to gear herself up and walk through the doorframe. She was subdued and avoided looking anyone in the eye. It was such a different sight from the Rachel they all knew. No one dared to say a thing.

She stands in the center of the room and finally raises her head. So many tearful eyes are staring back at her, stony expressions of loss and grief fill their faces.

"Um," she starts and then laughs a little self-deprecatingly. "I don't really know where to start, if I'm being honest. Finn was the love of my life. We were supposed to find our way back to each other and live a happy life together. I loved him, and he loved me. He also loved all of you. He was so excited and proud the day he told me he was coaching Glee.

"Finn was my everything," she continues. "Before Finn, I used to sing alone. I was also arrogant and selfish. Finn made me a better person. He was my person. A few nights ago, I came home to a song." She directs her gaze onto Kurt and Blaine.

Kurt had no idea that she had overheard Blaine singing to him, so he didn't know what was coming next. He meets her eyes in confusion.

"When I got home, I overheard Blaine singing to Kurt. The song resonated with me, and I would like to share it with you all," she finishes.

She looks at the band who takes her cue and starts playing the opening notes. She sees Kurt and Blaine look at each other with sad looks as they recognize the song. She inhales and prepares herself for what's to come.

"Summer after high school when we first met, we'd make out in your Mustang to Radiohead, and on my eighteenth birthday, we got matching tattoos," her voice wavers as she sings, the emotions too strong to control. As she sings, she looks around, not really focusing on anyone. She notices the tears, the hugs being given, and the pitiful expressions thrown her way.

"In another life," she softly belts, "I would be your girl. We'd keep all our promises, be us against the world. In another life, I would make you stay so I don't have to say you were the one that got away."

She hugs herself and somehow makes her way through the song. Ever since she heard Blaine singing it, she's been listening to this song on a loop. It articulates the way she's been feeling in a way no one, not even herself, can begin to understand.

"All this money can't buy me a time machine, no," her voice gets stronger as anger seeps through her voice. She was angry. Angry that she didn't appreciate what she had when she had it, angry that she took him and his love for granted, angry that she didn't even get to say goodbye properly.

"I should've told you what you meant to me, whoa, cause now I pay the price," she cries, the words leaving her mouth on autopilot now.

"In another life, I would be your girl. We'd keep all our promises, be us against the world. In another life, I would make you stay so I don't have to say you were the one that got away." She sings once more. "The one," she fights to finish the song.

"The one," she hears two voices in perfect harmony, singing backup. Kurt and Blaine.

"The one," she replies in song.

"The one," other voices join in.

"In another life, I would make you stay so I don't have to say you were the one that got away," she repeats the final verse, "the one that got away."

She smiles tearfully as she truly looks at the faces that belong to her friends, the family she's built during her time in Glee club. She feels a weight lift off her shoulder. She's finally got closure.

Rachel Berry's going to be okay.