Hi guys. Thanks as always for your support of the last chapter. I REALLY appreciate it. It's hard to write Finchel's not talking period but luckily next chapter they start talking again. (I wish Rachel and Kurt had gone home in this episode!) Enjoy and review if I should keep going.

Chapter 78: Thanksgiving

Finn's phone started vibrating as he walked to the auditorium. He knew that today was the day Kurt and Rachel's flight was going to get in from New York for Thanksgiving. He'd e-mailed the other graduates to tell them that today, they should begin their week home by singing together in the auditorium like old times, then go to Breadstix for dinner. He'd even put together a mashup for them to sing.

Finn looked at his phone and saw that it was Kurt. He picked up the phone. "Hey! Are you guys on your way here?" He hoped Rachel would be coming. She hadn't replied to the e-mail. He'd regreted telling her no contact. He wanted to talk again. Maybe, just maybe, they could work something out...

"We're actually in New York," Kurt said.

"What?" Finn gasped. They weren't coming? Why not? "Did your plane get delayed or something?"

"No," Kurt said. "Rachel didn't want to come home."

Finn's heart dropped. He didn't even need to ask why not. He knew.

"Finn, don't blame yourself for this," Kurt said, as if he knew why Finn was being silent. "Just go have fun with our friends. I didn't want her to be alone so..."

"I get it," Finn sighed. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" He couldn't help but be annoyed. When he walked in, he saw that Quinn, Puck, Mike, Santana and Mercedes were already there.

"Home for the holidays, just like we promised," Quinn said.

Finn felt like he should be the one to explain Rachel and Kurt's absence. Still, it felt good to all be together again. "Guys, I..."

"Dude, if you start crying, I'm gonna kick your ass," Puck interrupted. "Group hug!"

The group got in a hug before Mike looked at Finn. "That was a great mashup you put together."

Finn smiled to himself. "Thanks. Want to sing it together?"

"But what about Kurt and Rachel?" Mercedes asked.

"They're staying in New York," Finn said.

"Oh," Quinn said before starting the mashup.

Quinn: I'm sitting in a railway station
Got a ticket for my destination
Oh, oh
Puck: On a tour of one-night stands
My suitcase and guitar in hand
Puck and Quinn: And every stop is neatly planned
For a poet and a one-man band
Mike and Santana: This wave
Is stringing us along
Just know you're not alone
Mike: Cause I'm gonna make this place your home
Santana: Everyday's an endless stream
Of cigarettes and magazines
Oh, oh
Mercedes and Santana: And each town looks the same to me
The movies and the factories
And every stranger's face I see
Reminds me that I long to be
Finn: The trouble, it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found
Just know you're not alone (Know you're not alone)
Cause I'm going to make this place your home
Alumni: Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah (Santana: Where my thought's escaping)
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah (Mercedes: Where my music's playing)
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah (Oh)
Quinn: Where my love lies waiting silently for me
Alumni: Settle down, it'll all be clear
The trouble, it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found
Just know you're not alone (Mercedes: Know you're not alone)
Cause I'm gonna make this place your home
Alumni: (Mercedes: Oh-oh-oh-oh) Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah (Santana: Where my music's playing)
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Mercedes: I'm gonna make, I'm gonna make
Make this place your home
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah (Mercedes: Know you're not alone) (Santana: Where my music's playing)
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah (Santana: Woah-oh, aah)
Mercedes: I'm gonna make, I'm gonna make
Make this place our home
Alumni: Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah (Mercedes: Know you're not alone)
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

At the end of the song, Finn had to admit, even though Rachel and Kurt's voices were missing, it felt good to all be singing together again. After the song, the group went to Breadstix, and as Finn listened to his friends talk about their post high school lives, he had to admit that he was happy. Having (almost) everyone together again felt like the good old days were back.

Puck held up his glass. "I'd like to propose a toast: To almost all of us keeping our promise to come home for Thanksgiving."

The group clinked their glasses together as Santana asked, "Has anybody heard from Rachel or Kurt?"

"I know Blaine's been texting him, but Kurt won't text back," Mike said.

"Well, Rachel e-mailed me," Quinn said. "She said she's not really sure what she's doing for the holidays yet." She turned to Finn. "I'm sorry about what went down with the two of you."

This hurt. Why was Rachel telling Quinn but not him? "No, it's cool. It's for the best," Finn lied.

"Well, I think that it's sweet that you and Rachel keep in touch, Quinn," Mercedes said.

"Well, she basically e-mails me every other week to remind me that I still haven't used the train ticket that she gave me," Quinn said. "I'm just, I'm trying to keep straight A's. And I just got tapped to be in the only female secret society at Yale. Former members: Hillary Clinton, Jennifer Beals."

Yup, some things never would change. Quinn still thought she was the greatest person ever. But the talk about Rachel did upset Finn a little. "Well, I, for one, would love to talk about everybody that is here. I have a favor to ask."
"And what's that?" Mike asked.

"Well, you guys know I'm subbing for Mr. Schue while he's in DC," Finn said. "And I think seeing some National champs and working with them would really help their confidence."

The other graduates agreed that was a good idea, so Finn felt a little better about Sectionals now. The next day, the other graduates came back to the choir room, and Finn spoke to the current members after they all arrived. "All right, do you realize, standing before you are legends? Any single one of these guys could be President of the United States one day. And lucky for us, they've agreed to help us."

"Hang with the new chumps and see if some of our sheer awesomeness doesn't rub off on you," Puck declared.

"It will," Finn said. "When you hear your name, pair up. Puck, you're with your brother. Mike, you're with Ryder. Marley, you're with Santana. Kitty, you're with Quinn. Wade, Mercedes. Now, your mentors are here to help you with whatever you need: Singing, dancing..."

"Birth control," Quinn joked.

Kitty giggled. "You're so funny and self-deprecating! We're so much alike!"

Finn tried to think of good advice for the group. "The worst mistake that we can make is to underestimate our competition. The Warblers are ruthless this year. Marley and Blaine will handle our duet, and for the showstopper we're doing Gangnam Style..."

"Okay, lumps, let me just say out loud what everyone here is thinking," Santana interrupted. "You finally got an okay haircut, you're not doing that annoying half smirk as much as you used to, but you're still a idiot. No one in this room can tackle a massive dance number except for Brit. That includes your little "Hand-Jive" that, to me, looked more like a hand job."

"Is there any way Mr. Schue can come back for this?" Joe asked.

Great. They still didn't completely trust Finn. "Listen to me: we have never lost sectionals before, and there's no way we're gonna do it under my watch. We can and we will succeed! We need an ambitious number with a strong dance element. That's the Warbler's calling card, and we need to blow them out of the water, and Mike said he could easily show one of our guys how to do the dance number."

"I did?" Mike asked.

Finn had forgotten to ask? Now he felt like he was proving them right. "Crap. I kind of forgot to ask you about that. But one of our guys is gonna have to take the lead with Brit. So who's it gonna be?"

x

Rachel walked around the streets of New York, waiting for Kurt to get out of Vogue. Since she was staying here for Thanksgiving, she figured she'd put her energy into perfecting her voice skills so she could get into the winter showcase.

Kurt came out and Rachel went up to him. "How was Vogue?"

"Lots of work on our holiday spreads," Kurt said. "How was school today?"

"So I found out that I didn't get cast in Glass Menagerie, but the NYADA Showcase is this week, so I'm gonna spend the whole, long holiday weekend just really prepping for it to make sure that I get it," Rachel told Kurt as they begun to walk to the train station. "Did you put in your application?"

"Yes, and I put it on stationery so it'd stand out," Kurt declared.

Rachel was glad Kurt was applying to NYADA. Maybe it would seem less lonely with him there. She already wasn't sure if staying home for Thanksgiving was a good idea. "I'm really feeling good about us staying home for the weekend, don't you?"

"Yeah," Kurt stuttered.

Kurt didn't seem to think it was such a good idea either. "We don't have to go home just because there's a show or because it's a long weekend, right?" Rachel asked.

"I mean, even though it's Thanksgiving, and sectionals, and all our friends are there, and I miss my dad," Kurt began.

Yes. That was why Rachel wanted to be home. But she was here... "I miss my dads, too, but I just feel like every time we go home, it just makes me feel sad and like we're not like moving forward, you know? And even though we don't have our boyfriends, we still have our dreams and our ambition."

"And each other," Kurt declared.

"Yes," Rachel said. "You are the only significant other I need in my life. Oh I have to just, you know, forget about Finn and forget about Brody."

"Forget about Blaine," Kurt added.

Rachel knew that Kurt was very hurt as well. "Yeah, forget any guy who's broke an girl or guy's heart, okay? We are on the verge of becoming the best versions of ourselves. Can't you feel it?"

"For the first time, probably because it's easier just to drink your Kool-Aid, than go against you," Kurt said.

"I know what you mean," Rachel said. "Look. Look at our life. Look at this city! I know that it can be a little sad and lonely sometimes, but I promise you, we are gonna have the best Thanksgiving ever."

"Pinkie promise?" Kurt asked.

Rachel would do her best. "Pinky promise."

x

Avoiding Brody wasn't as easy as Rachel hoped it would be.

In dance class the next day, Brody showed up. Now that he was TA, she had to see him a few times a week. She'd managed not to talk to him lately, but...

He interrupted her thoughts. "Uh, guys, listen up. Ms. July said that she does not want to teach today because she can't stand to be in the same room as your mediocrity again. If you ask me, she just sounds super hung over. Either way, I will be teaching Dance 101 today."

Rachel didn't want to be here if Brody was the person in charge. She wanted to leave the room. "Is there a problem?" Brody asked.

"Well, you know, everyone here pays like, $30,000 a year to be taught by a professional and not a TA," Rachel snapped.

"I'm sorry, are you angry at me about something?" Brody asked.

"You mean, besides the fact that you slept with Cassie?" Rachel asked.

"And why do you care who I sleep with?" Brody asked.

Rachel thought he'd know why. He'd led her to believe he was interested in her when she was missing the boy she really loved. "Do I really need to answer that?"

"Hey, I'm the one who came on to you, remember?" Brody asked. "You broke off our date to see another guy."

And that other guy had rejected Rachel. "Yeah, well, that's over now."

"And what, so I'm supposed to have retroactively known that that was gonna happen and not slept with Cassie?" Brody shot back. "We're not in high school anymore, okay? We're adults making adult choices. You made yourself unavailable. Don't be that crazy girl who expects people to read her mind."

Finn had even told her that he always knew what Rachel was thinking. "Well, I'm sorry, but you don't have to be a mind reader to know that she is my mortal enemy. Did it at least suck?"

"Are you kidding? It was amazing. Have you seen her ass?" Brody rambled. "Look, but I know that we're friends and I don't want to hurt you, so it won't happen again, okay? What are you doing for Thanksgiving? Going back to Ohio?"

"No, Kurt and I are doing our little private orphan Thanksgiving here," Rachel said.

"Wow, that sounds awful and depressing, especially since I've tasted your cooking," Brody said. Another insult. "So I can't afford to go home this year.

How about I come over and cook for you guys?"

Well, if she couldn't have Finn, this was probably better than nothing. "Yeah, that would be great."

x

"Why did you invite Brody over for Thanksgiving after what he did to you?" Kurt asked.

"Well, you invited Isabelle, and she said she's bringing some of her friends," Rachel said. She knew Kurt had a point though.

"It's not like Isabelle betrayed any of us," Kurt said.

Rachel groaned. "Look, you miss Blaine, don't you? And stop pretending that you don't."

"Well... yes," Kurt admitted.

"Yes," Rachel said. "And wouldn't another guy be better than being alone?"

Before Kurt had a chance to answer, he and Rachel heard a knock on the door. Rachel went to the door and saw Brody with a turkey in a bag.

"A bag?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, I'm telling you, you put it in the bag and it self-bastes," Brody said. "Tommy the turkey is not gonna go dry."

"Ina Garten would never cook a turkey in a bag," Kurt said.

"Well, when Ina comes to cook you Thanksgiving dinner, she can do as she pleases," Brody said. "But our bird is getting bagged."

Rachel could tell that Kurt was annoyed, but she decided to lighten the mood. "Guys, this is so great."

"Yeah, it's like our own Big Chill," Kurt said.

"Yeah, but no one breaks out into song," Brody said. "Now, Rachel, get over here and help me butter up Tommy."

Rachel wouldn't be eating the turkey anyway. "Okay, well, I'm a vegetarian so I can't eat it but I guess I can touch it." She went up to the turkey. "Okay, Mr.

Turkey, I'm very sorry." She began buttering the turkey. "Like that?"

Brody started demonstrating. "You got to get it in there. Really show him that you love him."

Rachel tried copying what Brody was doing. He was making her uncomfortable as well. "Just like that," Brody said.

Kurt sounded annoyed too. "When you two are done using that turkey as a courtship device, would you put it in the oven? 'Cause it's almost 5:00."

"Oh, my God, it's almost time for sectionals to start," Rachel said.

"Why are they having it on Thanksgiving anyway?" Kurt asked.

"I'm sure they figured with everyone home for the holiday, they would sell more tickets," Rachel guessed.

"Most high schools have football games for Thanksgiving," Brody said.

"I remember my first sectionals," Rachel recalled. "I was so nervous. I gave myself this pep talk in the mirror, and I just began my soulful monologue by saying 'You are ready for this.'"

"Well, you and Finn saved Sectionals for us," Kurt said.

"Finn?" Brody smirked. "I doubt that."

Why was Brody insulting Finn? "Our setlist got stolen by the competition and Finn was boycotting Sectionals because he found out the girl he'd been dating at the time was lying about who the father of the baby she was pregnant with was. But he and Rachel put together a new setlist for us and we won."

"Yeah, our group numbers were amazing," Rachel remembered.

x

Back in Ohio, Finn had been a bit intimidated by the Warblers' performance. Soon New Directions would be taking the stage and he was circling up the New Directions. He was sure he was more nervous than any of them were, but as the leader, he had to appear confident. "Man, I remember our first sectionals like it was yesterday. We came together as a team because we had to. Because no one outside our circle knew how much we'd been through, and how much it meant to us to win it. This is our house. Look into the faces of these graduates. They've been to the mountaintop. This is just the first step in your climb to meet them there."

He'd worked hard with them. They'd done well in rehearsals. They'd worked with people who'd won Nationals.

For the first time since graduation, Finn was getting a sense of purpose back in his life. He just didn't want it to all end. The Warblers were the best he'd seen them since the days of Blaine and Kurt.

x

Brody, Isabelle and Isabelle's friends had left, and Rachel and Kurt were cleaning the apartment. "I talked to him tonight," Kurt told Rachel.

Rachel knew who Kurt meant by "him." "How is he?"

"He sounded upset about what happened," Kurt said. "I know he feels bad. I'm not ready to get back with him yet, but Isabelle told me that if I let him apologize, it'll remove the burden."

"How do you feel now?" Rachel asked.

"I feel better," Kurt said.

Should Rachel have called Finn? But Finn didn't want to talk to her.

"I'm sure he'll be ready to talk to you again one day," Kurt said, as if he knew what was upsetting Rachel.

"We'll see," Rachel sighed.

"But Rachel, if you still have feelings for him, why were you acting that way with Brody?" Kurt asked.

"Because I don't want to be alone," Rachel admitted.

"Is that a good reason to be flirting with someone and give them the impression you have feelings for them?" Kurt asked.

"Well..." Rachel began.

Kurt looked like he was expecting Rachel to say something when his phone rang again. "Oh, it's him."

"That's pretty quick for him to be calling you back," Rachel said. "He must be glad that you're on speaking terms again."

"The other him," Kurt said.

Finn. "Oh," Rachel said quietly. "Well, wish him a happy Thanksgiving for me."

"I will," Kurt said as he picked up the phone, putting it on speaker. "Hey Finn."

"Hey Kurt," Finn said. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"You too," Kurt said. "So, how was your day?"

"Well, I'm at Sectionals now, the New Directions go on soon," Finn said. "The Warblers were pretty darn good, so it's going to be tough."

"I'm sure you guys will be fine," Kurt said.

"I miss you," Finn admitted. "Our parents and I had Thanksgiving dinner, and I watched a football game with your dad, but I wish you could have been here."

"I miss you too," Kurt said. "I just... I did kind of want to enjoy Thanskgiving in New York."

"And how was Thanksgiving in New York?" Finn asked.

"Isabelle and some of her friends came to our apartment," Kurt said as Rachel gave him a look thanking him for not mentioning Brody.

"Oh, that's nice," Finn said. "How is she?"

Finn was asking about her? Rachel just wanted to talk to him. "She's fine," Kurt said. "I think she had fun with Isabelle and me and Isabelle's friends."

"Good," Finn said. "I miss her."

"I know you do," Kurt said. "She told me that if I talked to you today to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving."

Rachel smiled at Kurt to thank him for passing on her message to Finn. Her smile widened when she heard what Finn said in response. "You wish her a Happy Thanksgiving for me, too."

As Kurt hung up the phone, he smiled at Rachel. "You heard what he said."

"Yeah," Rachel said. "I heard."

x

The Gangnam Style performance was going as well as it could have been going. Tina had been doing well with the solo, and the dancing was amazing. It was almost over. One song down, two to go...

Then Marley collapsed on stage. What was going on? Was she okay? Obviously she wasn't...

Right now Finn wasn't as concerned about the score. He just wanted Marley to be okay.

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