Thanks for all your reviews on Chapter 2! I really enjoyed reading them! Hope you guys enjoyed Glee last night. I haven't been watching this season because it's too hard to without Finchel, but I watched last night because I knew they'd be dedicating their performance to Finn, and the flashbacks, the drumsticks and the Finchel reference made me bawl! Glee without Cory, Finn and Finchel is just so wrong and there's so many things RIB could have done instead rather than completely disregarding the Finchel fans... uh, maybe I should stop ranting now ;)
Anyway, in this chapter, we meet a new character. Well, I reintroduce a character. Some of you may remember her from my story "Senior Year" that I wrote a while back, and she was among the first original characters that I created. I've missed writing her, so I thought I'd bring her into this story! Enjoy this chapter and review if you want me to continue!
Chapter 3: The Heart Of Glee
"So tell me about the new members of New Directions?" Rachel asked Finn as they drove to McKinley. "It would be nice to know who's who."
"Well, there's Unique, you might remember her from Nationals last year," Finn said. "She reminds me of Mercedes. There's also Kitty, she's on the cheerios and she's snarky, but once you get to know her, she's really cool. Then there's Jake, Puck's half brother. He's an outstanding dancer. He's also dating Marley. She actually wrote one of our songs for Regionals."
"Yeah, her song was good," Rachel said. As they got out of the car, Rachel turned to Finn. "Can we not talk about Funny Girl while we're there?"
"Would you rather I tell the group while you're out of the room or something?" Finn asked.
"Yeah," Rachel said. She'd told her dads last night, and they were sad for her, but they were still proud of her for becoming a finalist.
"Rachel, you made it to the final three, that alone is something to be proud of," Finn said.
As they walked into the school, Rachel looked around. "It's been a while."
"It has," Finn said. "How's it feel to be back?"
"Kind of weird," Rachel admitted.
"So, since we're a little early, I was thinking, how about we go say hi to Mr. Schue, and then we can talk to Ryder?" Finn suggested.
"Yeah, that sounds good," Rachel said. She remembered how she and Finn used to walk down these halls hand in hand, but she couldn't hold his hand right now. Finn knocked on the door of Mr. Schue's office, and Mr. Schue looked up and saw Finn and Rachel.
"Rachel!" Mr. Schue said, coming up to hug Rachel. "It's so great to see you!"
"It's nice to see you too, Mr. Schue," Rachel said.
"So, how are you?" Mr. Schue asked. "Did you hear back from Funny Girl yet?"
Rachel looked at Finn. She didn't want to say it. Maybe Finn could tell Mr. Schue for her. "She didn't get the part," Finn said, putting his arm around Rachel.
"Oh no," Mr. Schue said. "Rachel, I'm so sorry."
"Thanks," Rachel said. "It has been a hard few days."
"I bet it has," Mr. Schue said. "There will be other parts you can try out for, Rachel. And I'm sure one day, you will get a part."
"I thought Rachel could use a little break from everything," Finn told Mr. Schue. "So I asked her if maybe she could come home and visit for a few days. Maybe she could help out in glee this week?"
"We'd love to have you, Rachel," Mr. Schue said. "Everyone who was in glee with you misses you. And I'm sure the new members would love to meet you."
"I'd like to meet them too," Rachel said. "Finn told me that you guys could use some more members before Nationals, so he and I were going to try to talk to Ryder, and also look around to find a twelfth member."
"That's great," Mr. Schue said. "We were sorry you didn't come back with Kurt and Santana."
"Well, I'm here now," Rachel said.
"Everyone will be excited to see you," Mr. Schue said. "Are you two going to talk to Ryder now?"
"Yeah, he's in study hall now," Finn said.
"I'll see you at glee practice," Rachel said.
"Oh, I missed hearing you say that!" Mr. Schue said to Rachel. Finn and Rachel walked out of the office and started to go down the hall when Rachel heard a familiar voice. "Rachel!"
Rachel turned and saw Tina running toward her, with Blaine, Sam and Artie following her. She gave Tina a hug. "Hey! I missed you!"
"I missed you too!" Tina said.
"We all did," Blaine said, hugging Rachel.
"I thought I'd come back to visit for a few days," Rachel said as she hugged Sam and Artie.
"You are the only graduate who hasn't been back yet," Sam said.
"So, any word from Funny Girl?" Artie asked.
Rachel sighed. She didn't think anyone would stop asking. "She didn't get it," Finn said.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Rachel," Sam said. "We were all cheering for you."
"Yeah, we were sure you would get it," Blaine added.
"It hurts," Rachel said. "That's why I came back for a few days, to get my mind off things."
"Well, we all missed you," Artie said.
"I missed you guys too, so much," Rachel said.
"The four of us were just talking, all four of us applied to schools near New York," Tina said. "So if we go to those schools, we'll get to see you a lot more."
"I'd love that!" Rachel said. She had missed all four of them. It would have been nice if Finn would move to New York too...
"Rachel and I are actually going to talk to Ryder now," Finn said.
"Good," Sam said. "Artie and I apologized for what happened when the power went out, so maybe that helped, too."
"What happened?" Rachel asked.
"I'll explain later," Finn said. He turned back to Sam and Artie. "Thanks guys. I bet he appreciated that."
"Great to see you, Rachel," Blaine said. "We'll see you in glee."
"Yeah, see you then," Rachel said as she and Finn walked down the hall. "What happened with Sam and Artie?"
"Ryder was molested when he was little and when he told the glee club, Sam and Artie said that was cool," Finn said.
"They were probably just uncomfortable and didn't know what to say," Rachel said.
"You're probably right about that," Finn said. They arrived at the study hall classroom, where Rachel recognized Ryder from photos she'd seen and from the wedding. They walked up to his table. "Hey," Finn said.
Ryder looked up. "Hey Finn. Nice to see you."
"You too," Finn said. "This is Rachel. She and I were in glee together."
"I know who that is," Ryder said. "That's Rachel Berry."
"Yup, I'm Rachel Berry," Rachel said. It was nice to know that people knew who she was.
"Mr. Schue talked about you a lot," Ryder said. Rachel noticed he looked sad when he said that.
"How are you doing?" Finn asked. "I know it's been a hard time."
Ryder looked down. "I miss glee, but I'm mad at Unique..."
"I understand," Finn said. "Everyone misses you."
"You don't understand!" Ryder protested.
Then Rachel remembered. "Ryder, Finn does understand. When we were sophomores, Finn's girlfriend got pregnant. It turned out that she wasn't pregnant with Finn's baby though. She'd slept with Finn's best friend behind his back. It was Finn's best friend's baby."
"Yeah," Finn said. "It really hurt. I eventually forgave them, but I didn't think I ever would. You don't have to forgive Unique right away, but if you miss glee, you should consider going back."
"I just don't know why she did it," Ryder said. "I gave her several opportunities to tell me who she really was."
"She was probably afraid," Rachel said. "Lots of society isn't accepting of who Unique is."
"Unique was my friend," Ryder said. "She could have just told me she liked me instead of creating a fake identity."
"Ryder, if you want to talk to Unique, I'd be willing to sit down with you two and talk," Finn told Ryder. Rachel was reminded of what a good person Finn was.
"Thanks," Ryder said. "Finn, I really do miss glee."
"Why don't you at least try coming back?" Finn asked. "You don't have to talk to Unique right away, but you're an important part of the group."
"Maybe I'll rejoin glee today," Ryder said. "Finn, when I'm ready, will you talk to Unique with me?"
"Of course," Finn said. "So, I guess I'll see you today?"
"Yeah," Ryder said. "Nice to meet you, Rachel."
"You too," Rachel said. As she and Finn left, she turned to Finn. "You're a really great leader."
"You think I am?" Finn asked.
"Yeah," Rachel said. "You're really good with them."
"I do like the idea," Finn said. "College has been kind of hard, but I really hope I can get that teaching degree."
"You'll get it," Rachel said. "I know you will." After spending a little more time with Finn, Rachel went to the bathroom before it was time for glee practice and saw a girl cleaning a slushie off herself.
"Hey, are you okay?" Rachel asked the girl.
"I hate these slushies," the girl said.
"I know, I hated them so much when I went here," Rachel said. She got out some paper towels. "Here, let me help you clean up."
"You don't go here anymore?" the girl asked.
"No, I graduated last year," Rachel explained. "I'm Rachel, by the way. I'm just back for a few days to help out with the glee club."
"Oh, I'm a freshman," the girl said. "My name is Kylie. My family actually just moved here from Cincinnati, so it's my first week here. At my old school, no one would get away with throwing slushies on people."
"Slushies are so gross," Rachel said. "Don't they feel horrible?"
"Yeah," Kylie said. "This cheerleader named Bree threw them on me just because I'm the new girl."
"The cheerios weren't very nice when I was here, either," Rachel said. "I didn't actually have any friends until I joined glee club. You should consider joining."
"I don't know," Kylie said. "I'm not a very good singer."
"You don't have to sing publicly if you don't want to," Rachel said. "You could just sing in the chorus. I was in the glee club when I went here, and that was a lot of fun. I really miss my friends in it, so I thought I'd come help out for a few days."
"Well, I could use some friends," Kylie said.
"How about you come to the meeting with me and just check it out?" Rachel suggested. "The people in it are cool, and if you don't want to sing solos on your own, you don't have to."
"Okay," Kylie agreed. As the girls began walking to glee, Kylie turned to Rachel. "You actually do look kind of familiar. Aren't you the girl who sang the big solo when the glee club won Nationals last year?"
Rachel smiled to herself. "Yeah, that was me. It's nice to know people still remember me."
"Yeah, I saw you on TV," Kylie said. "You were really good. So was that boy who sang a lot in the big group number with you."
"Yeah, that's Finn," Rachel said. "He and I were really close friends in high school. He's actually the assistant director of the glee club now, since he goes to college near here. Lots of the other alumni are back this week."
"Yeah, I'll see what it's like," Kylie said.
"That sounds great," Rachel said as the girls walked into the choir room. Rachel turned to Mr. Schue. "Mr. Schue, this is Kylie. She's a freshman."
"I'm a new student here," Kylie said. "Rachel told me that glee club is fun, so I thought I'd come check it out."
"That would be great," Mr. Schue said. "We're always welcoming new members."
Rachel noticed Kylie go sit with some of the other glee kids as Finn came up to Rachel. "You found us a new member?" Finn asked.
"Hopefully," Rachel whispered. "She said she'll think about joining. She just moved here."
"Okay everyone," Mr. Schue said. "Let's start off by welcoming Ryder back to the glee club."
Everyone cheered as Finn and Rachel smiled at each other. Rachel was pretty proud that she and Finn had convinced Ryder to come back and that things might get better between him and Unique.
"And everyone, this is Kylie," Mr. Schue said. "She met up with Rachel and she's considering joining the glee club. So let's all make her feel welcome."
The glee clubbers said hi to Kylie before Mr. Schue announced this week's assignment. "Now, we're in for a very competitive Nationals, so not only is Finn back, Rachel will also be helping us out this week."
"So, this is the famous Rachel Berry?" Kitty asked.
Rachel giggled. "I wouldn't call myself famous."
"You will be one day," Finn said to Rachel.
"Rachel is one of the best singers we've ever had," Mr. Schue said. "And with Nationals coming up, we need all the help we can get."
"The glee club has gotten me to where I am today," Rachel said. She figured she may as well tell them. "I didn't get the part in Funny Girl, but I made it to the final three, and I know that's because of my time here."
"The final three?" Marley asked. "That's amazing."
Rachel smiled. "Thanks."
"And we're very lucky to have both Finn and Rachel with us now," Mr. Schue said. "Finn and Rachel are, without a doubt, the strongest duet pairing this glee club has ever seen. Both their voices individually are amazing, but together, they're unstoppable. They took so many amazing songs and made even better versions of them, and they even wrote a few songs of their own. They were our leaders for three years and they brought out the best in everybody. We're so lucky to have both of them here this week."
The group cheered as Rachel began to feel better. It was nice to know that she had a place to come back to where she knew she was appreciated and loved.
"To prepare for Nationals this week, we're going to take a band and perform some of their songs," Mr. Schue said. "We have an amazing duet pairing here with us, so I'm going to pair you off once we pick a band, and each pairing will perform a duet by that band. Finn and Rachel can also demonstrate a duet for us."
"I'd love that!" Rachel thought out loud. She was always up for a duet with Finn.
"So, what band do you guys want to do?" Finn asked.
"We should do the Jonas Brothers!" Sugar shouted.
"No, we should do MercyMe," Joe shot back.
Rachel thought for a minute. "You guys should do the Beatles. They have a song for just about everything, and after all these years, people still love them. Their music is immortal."
"Yeah, that's a great idea, Rachel," Finn said. "Rachel and I led the group in Hello Goodbye once and that was one of our best group numbers."
The glee club members said they liked the idea and began talking about good songs to do as Finn turned to Rachel. "You still have great ideas."
"Okay, so Finn and Rachel will do a Beatles duet for us tomorrow and then I'll pair you up for the competition," Mr. Schue said.
"Who picks the winner?" Jake asked.
"And what does the winner get?" Ryder asked.
Mr. Schue turned to Finn and Rachel. "Finn, Rachel, would you like to be the judges?"
"Yeah!" Rachel said.
"And the winners can help choose the setlist for Nationals," Mr. Schue said.
The glee club members began talking, and being there felt like old times for Rachel. When the practice was over, Finn and Rachel stayed around to talk to Mr. Schue. "It's good to know Rachel Berry's still Rachel Berry," Mr. Schue said.
"Yeah, I'm glad I came back," Mr. Schue said.
"Mr. Schuester?" Finn, Rachel and Mr. Schue turned and saw Kylie. "I had fun today," Kylie said. "Everyone seems nice, and if it's okay, I'd like to join glee. I don't think I'm ready to sing solos at competitions, but I still want to join."
"Don't worry," Mr. Schue said. "Not everyone has to sing solos."
"Thanks," Kylie said. "And thanks, Rachel, for telling me about glee."
"Glee was the best part of high school for me," Rachel said. "I want other people to get that experience, too."
"Well, thanks again," Kylie said. "I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow."
After Kylie left, Mr. Schue turned back to Finn and Rachel. "I should probably get home to my wife."
"How is it finally being married?" Rachel asked.
"It's great," Mr. Schue said. "We're hoping to start a family soon."
"That would be great!" Rachel said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Schue."
"See you guys tomorrow," Mr. Schue said, leaving the room.
"Aren't you glad you came back?" Finn asked Rachel.
"I am," Rachel said. "It's so nice to be back here, be with you again. You were right. Coming home for a few days was the right thing to do."
"I think so," Finn said. "And look at you. You came up with a band for us to do songs from, you recruited Kylie. You still are the heart of the glee club."
"You are," Rachel told Finn. "You always have been."
"Maybe we both are," Finn said.
"I like that," Rachel said. "So, any songs in mind for our duet?"
"I have a few in mind, yes," Finn said. "I like Here Comes The Sun, and Let It Be is a really good song..."
"Finn, there you are," a voice said. Rachel turned and saw a girl with long curly hair coming in. Rachel didn't recognize her. "Why haven't you been returning my texts and calls the past few days?"
"Who are you?" Rachel asked. Who was this girl? And why was she acting this way around Finn?
"I'm Penny, Finn's girlfriend," the girl said. "And who are YOU?"
Girlfriend? How long had Finn been dating another girl? And why had no one told Rachel? "I'm... I'm Rachel," Rachel managed to say. "I'm Finn's... friend."
Penny gave Rachel a suspicious look. "You were acting like you're more than that."
"We're nothing more than that," Rachel said. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Finn had a girlfriend. She thought he still loved her. She thought that he'd want to get back together. How naive of her. "It's okay, don't worry. I live in New York. We were friends in high school, and I was just visiting. I have to go now anyway."
"Rachel, don't go!" Finn pleaded.
"No Finn, I really do have to go," Rachel said. "It was really nice seeing you." She couldn't handle this. Not on top of everything else. Especially when she was just starting to feel better.
"Rachel, I thought we were going to go bowling tonight," Finn said. "Just like-"
"Why don't you go with Penny instead?" Rachel asked. "I'll see you at Nationals, Finn." She gave Finn a hug and fought back tears as she went to her car.
Not only did the production of her dreams not want her, the boy she loved had replaced her.
Rachel didn't see Finn sadly watching her walk away.
Chapter 4 preview: Finn tries to talk to Rachel and convince her to stick around a little while longer. Another broken up couple starts to take steps back to each other. Beatles week begins at McKinley - will Rachel still be willing to do the demo duet with Finn?
10 reviews unlock Chapter 4!