A/N: Any new characters mentioned in this story are figments of my imagination and not based on actual people.
Chapter 3
Blaine hands Rachel a cup of tea before joining her on the couch. Kurt sits on the loveseat and Finn on the armchair.
"So what is this about? Last time you had something to discuss with us, it was to announce your Tony nomination." Kurt bounces slightly in his seat.
"Nothing that prestigious, I assure you." Rachel says before blowing on her tea. She takes a sip then sets it down. "My Uncle Mark called me the other day. Ollie has been bragging to his classmates and teachers about his cousin being a big Broadway star. And then about becoming a Tony winner. And now about playing Elphaba."
Landing the Funny Girl role was impressive, but it's not everyone's cup of tea. Wicked is beloved by millions of people across many ages, so ever since she announced becoming Elphaba she's gotten more notice. Landing Elphaba has pulled in more, younger, fans and she hasn't even started it yet. The anticipation of her taking the role is enough to garner more attention.
"Right, we know." Blaine says with a smile. "He's so cute about it."
"He is. So now, they want him to bring me to his school." Her brothers' eyebrows go up. "They also know about my past health issues, so they've offered to give a donation towards AA if I come and sing at their holiday show."
"Middle schoolers hold holiday concerts?" Kurt frowns in confusion. "I thought that was just elementary school."
"We held a holiday concert in high school." She reminds him. He blushes. "In elementary school, all the kids sing by grade level. In middle school, it's more the band and the choir. They'll be putting on a holiday show. But their school also likes doing a segment where they let any of the kids audition to join a 'holiday choir'. It's for kids who want to sing Christmas songs but not join the actual choir."
"Oh, that's neat." Blaine says.
"You're going to do it, right?" Kurt asks.
"Of course I am. I wouldn't let Ollie or Dylan down like that. I already discussed it with Kevin and as long as I don't sing anything from Wicked, he's fine with it. And rehearsals will be over by then, so it's not interfering with any plans. I'm talking to you guys to see if you want to join in."
"She doesn't want it to just be her." Finn clarifies. "I'll sing, too. But we think it'd be more fun if you guys joined us."
"When is it?" Blaine asks.
"The night of the 22nd. It's a Friday and their last day of school before winter break."
"My school's, too, and I can't take off right before a holiday. Rachel is going down that morning and I'll join her as soon as I can. It's early dismissal and the show isn't until evening, so I should make it." Finn tells them.
Kurt and Blaine look at one another for a minute, then smile and shrug. "If we can get off work, we'll be there."
"What of the others?"
"I want to invite them, but only I was asked to perform. I don't want to bring in too many extra people. Especially since the first half of the show will be the kids performing. Then, as per the school administration, anyone who wants to stay and hear me sing has to pay. But I insisted there be no set amount. If they want to pay $20, great, if they want to pay $1 that's fine. And it's all going towards developing the cure."
They spend the next half-hour discussing holiday songs to sing.
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When Rachel and her brothers landed in the airport in Columbus, her aunt and uncle picked them up. They took them back to their house, which is a little odd for Rachel since she's used to going to her grandparent's house or straight to her mom's house. When her cousins got home from school, they ran in and hugged Rachel before greeting the men. Rachel enjoyed listening to the boys talk about their last day of school before break. Then they discussed the concert. They thanked her for agreeing to come then told her about the songs they'll be singing in it and asked about her songs. She let them give their opinion on her song selection, which they loved.
Wearing a simple but pretty red dress, Rachel walks into her cousin's middle school with the boys flanking her. They introduce her to the principal and vice principal and they all shake hands.
"To be honest, we didn't believe Oliver at first. Even after Dylan confirmed it, we had to look it up for ourselves."
Rachel is a little disheartened that teachers didn't take two good and honest kids at their word. A glance at their faces says that while Oliver has forgiven them, Dylan is still a little annoyed about it. He's a freshman in high school now but is understandably irritated that his previous principals didn't trust him or his brother.
"Well, it's true." Rachel says, not sure what else to say to that. "They're honest kids. I think you can take them at their word."
They nod and walk them to the auditorium, chatting along the way about how exciting it is to have a star performing here.
"Even if it is just Broadway." The vice principal comments flippantly.
Rachel stops dead in her tracks, her mouth falling open. Dylan, with lips twitching, wraps an arm around hers and urges her on. Ollie, however, nearly takes as much offense as her.
"A Tony Award winning star." He says tartly, glaring at the man.
Rachel is glad that Kurt and Blaine are far enough behind them to not have heard that. Rachel and her brothers sit with her aunts, uncles, grandparents, and parents (who of course came for this). They watch the kids sing their Christmas songs and applaud warmly. It really is very cute. The empty seat beside her is suddenly filled and Rachel releases a tension she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She always feels better with her husband by her side.
"Sorry I'm late." Finn whispers in her ear.
"I'm glad you made it." She whispers back.
And then it ends and the principal takes to the stage to address everyone. Rachel is glad it's her and not the idiot vice principal. The woman thanks everyone for coming and congratulates the kids on a wonderful show.
"Yes, you all did a great job and we're very proud of you. Now, our show is technically over and if you'd like to depart and take your children home, that is fine. But if you'd like to stay, we have a special guest. Several special guests, actually. Our very own Dylan and Oliver Corcoran brought their cousin Rachel with them tonight. She is a Tony Award winning Broadway star who played Fanny Brice in Funny Girl and will be starring as Elphaba in Wicked in just a few weeks."
There's excited murmuring and applause.
"Rachel has brought along her husband and her brothers-in-law, all of whom sing. The only catch is if you stay for this performance, we ask that you give a monetary donation. It can be as little as one dollar or as much as you'd like to give. The money goes towards an organization that is working on creating a cure for Aplastic Anemia, an ailment that Rachel herself had as a teenager."
It's weird when hearing it put like that. It is an ailment she had as a teenager. It has been four and a half years, long enough for it to have been during a different time of her life. She grins, liking that. She was healthy as a kid, sick as a teenager, and is now healthy as an adult. She tunes out the principal as she explains how they can donate and stands.
"And now, may I present Rachel Hudson and her family."
They'd decided that was the best way to be introduced. They head on stage and sit on the provided stools. As planned, Rachel opens with a solo "All I Want For Christmas Is You". When she gets a standing ovation, she laughs thinking this is the easiest gig she's ever had. Next she and Finn sing a duet of "Last Christmas". They sit back and let Kurt and Blaine sing "Jingle Bell Rock". Rachel and Blaine sing "Extraordinary Merry Christmas". All four of them take the song "Baby It's Cold Outside" and split it up so each pair gets a portion of it. Their ending harmonizing to that song was pretty awesome. While they know Rachel will be ending the show with a solo, they had decided in advance to take requests.
"Here's how we're going to do this." Rachel tells the audience. "If you're still here we're assuming you're having fun." There's applause and cheers. "Good. We could sing all night, but we do have a time limit. We had a hard time narrowing down songs, so Dylan is on one side of the room and Oliver is on the other. They are passing around top hats with a notepad and pen in it. If you have a song you want to hear us sing, write the song down, tear it off the pad, and drop it in the hat before passing it to the next person."
They sip water while waiting. The hats make it back to them and they each pull out a song. Most are requests for Rachel alone, which the boys are fine with. Due to time constraints, she picks two. She sings "River" and "The First Noel". Kurt and Blaine sing "Let It Snow" and Finn rocks out to "Santa Clause Is Coming To Town".
"We need another group number before wrapping this up." Rachel insists. There are some groans from the audience. "I know, I'm having fun, but it's getting late."
"Alright, alright." Blaine pulls a scrap of paper from one of the hats and starts laughing. "This is a group number."
"What is it?" Kurt leans over and reads the writing. He laughs and glances at Rachel. "Oh, God."
"What?" Finn asks. Their brothers shake their heads and hand him the paper. He sighs and hands it to Rachel. "Sorry, babe."
Rachel immediately shakes her head no, crumbles up the paper, and throw it over her shoulder making the audience laugh. "No, not happening. I'm sorry, but I hate this song." She turns to the audience. "'12 Days of Christmas'. It's so annoying! It's one of the few Christmas songs I can't stand."
"Fine." Blaine says with a roll of his eyes and chooses another.
The next one he pulls out is "Carol of the Bells". They huddle together and discuss how to make it work. They make their decision and nod. Rachel addresses the audience.
"We'll sing it, but we're going to sing it a capella. And not alone. Mom? Will you come up here?"
Her mom looks startled but pleased. She smiles and joins them on stage. Finn instantly offers his stool to her, then goes off stage to get two more stools. Rachel quietly tells her mom how they plan to do it. Her mom grins and agrees it's a good idea.
"But we also need a deep bass. I'm bringing my stepdad up here, too. And my Grandpa, but only because he's laughing at my dad."
Her grandpa gives her a look but sighs and joins them on stage, lightly shoving a laughing Scott as he does. The audience chuckles. The now larger group once again huddles up to discuss their plan. Once everyone knows their parts, they retake their seats. Kurt takes the lead singing the words. Everyone else is backup, but since its a cappella, their backup is a large part of what makes the song work. The group singing together, plus the song itself, plus their arrangement results in a rather magical performance. It's fun to sing and met with strong applause and hoots.
The performance ends with Rachel singing her iconic "O Holy Night" with full emotion and all of her talent. She receives a standing ovation and the cheers last for several minutes. She hugs Oliver and kisses his cheek, making the boy blush but smile widely. At home, the family talks happily about how much fun it was and how great the singers were.
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As promised, Christmas was spent with Finn's side of the family. Rachel didn't mind; especially since Kurt, Blaine, Carole, and Burt are there as well. Rachel enjoyed getting to know his extended family better. She met them all at one point or another, even if it was just at her wedding. Now she takes the time to get to know them better. It really is nice and they have a good time, but it's not as warm and relaxing as when it's just them. In fact, she, her dad, and brother sneak away for a few minutes to reminisce over Christmases they spent just the three of them. The moment that sticks with her is when Finn's cousin put her newborn in her arms. Rachel has never held a baby before. At first she felt out of her element, but it quickly felt natural. Feeling the small, warm, weight in her arms had her melting. She and Finn share a glance and smile. Maybe they'll just wait one year, not two. If she didn't have a stage career where she'll have to stop working the moment she's showing, and if she hadn't just started a new show, she'd be interesting in trying for kids now. Finn admitted the same. Then again, once a foul odor floated up to her nose, she was happy to pass the baby back to its mother.
They stay in Ohio through the new year at Finn's request. Rachel is happy to oblige. It means more time with her parents and extended family. And it's nice to take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life. The framily even bundle up and head to their spot in the woods to reminisce and hang out. As much as they love the city, they're glad they spent the holidays here.
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"Are you ready?" Rachel asks Jesse.
"I was born ready." He says arrogantly. She smiles and waits patiently. His bravado drops. "I'm scared shitless, Rach."
She chuckles and squeezes his arm. "Opening night is scary. This is only my second one. I wonder if they'll all be this nerve-wracking."
"I'm sure they will." Jesse agrees. Then he smiles at her softly and holds out his hand. "Break a leg tonight."
She shakes it. "Break a leg."
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Her opening night for Wicked, as Elphaba, had as big a turn out from her family and friends as her opening night for Funny Girl. As much fun as Rachel had playing Fanny, it had nothing on playing Elphaba. It's incredibly fun and she has a blast. She thought rehearsals were fun. Performances make it even better. When she belted "Defying Gravity" at the end of the first act, her heart was higher than her body. She nailed it and the audience was on their feet by the end. It was one of the most incredible experiences of her life. She was giddy and had to reign in her emotions for the second act. Her and Jesse's voices really do go very well together. They sound amazing together. And they're able to use their history of friendship to add chemistry and emotion to their "As Long As You're Mine" scene. It took a while during rehearsals for her to get used to kissing him. It felt weird. Outside of Broadway performances, she has only ever kissed Finn before. Jesse acted insulted at first but was honestly very understanding and supportive as she learned to be comfortable with it. And now, she can put on a believable act that she's in love with him. Because she becomes Elphaba and sees Jesse as Fiyero. With them fully in their characters, it comes easily and believable. It helps that they're friends in real life. Closer now than ever before. Rachel threw all of her fear and desperation from her past into "No Good Deed", giving it a sharper edge than her predecessor. She and Ashley, the woman playing Glinda, sound great together as well, especially in "For Good". The two young women are starting to become friends, thankfully. It makes their scenes on stage easier and more believable.
After a successful first show, she goes out with her cast and celebrates. Then she celebrates with her husband at home.
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"So you two knew each other as teenagers even though you went to different high schools?" The host asks.
They nod. This is Jesse's first time doing an interview on tv, but Rachel's second. This is only three weeks after their opening night. Kevin wanted them to get out there and get more publicity. Not that they're having trouble filling seats; he just wants to make sure it continues.
"Yeah, I was the male lead of my show choir at my school and she was the female lead of her show choir at her school. We were competition. Enemies." He jokes.
The host laughs. "So how did you two meet? At a competition?"
"No," Rachel explains, "actually my mother is a show choir coach. She was his show choir coach, as a matter of fact."
"You went to a different school than your mother taught at? Why?"
"What kid wants to go to the same school their parent teaches at? Especially high school?" Rachel counters with an easy smile, not wanting to get into details.
"True. So you two were competition, met through her mother, but how did you become friends?"
Jesse grins. "Well, to begin with, I wasn't about to upset my coach by antagonizing her daughter." They all share a laugh. "But then I heard her sing. She had an incredible voice even back then. I was more interested in singing with her than challenging her. I still beat her, though." He smirks.
"Once." Rachel says, rolling her eyes. "Your team had a better arrangement than mine."
The host laughs. "Okay, I think I see what you two were like as teenagers. And now you're co-stars on a Broadway stage. How is that going?"
"Really well." Jesse says seriously. "It's the best experience of my life."
Rachel nods, afraid if she vocally agrees she'll be insulting her old cast members and director. She goes with something a little more vague but honest. "It has been amazing so far."
"Fans and critics alike agree with that statement." The host says with a wide smile. "Nothing but rave reviews and positive feedback. And now, I understand you'll be singing a duet for us?"
"Yes. We'll be singing 'As Long As You're Mine'."
And they do. In full costume. Marcus came to help with her wig and makeup. They get their costumes on and go to the small performing area. Rachel takes a moment to get herself into Elphaba's character and sees Jesse doing the same for Fiyero. In character, they sing their song. Rachel loves this song. She always has. Even though it's technically about a one night stand, which she hates, she has learned to look at it from a different perspective. Instead of seeing it as a one night stand, she sees it from the point of view of someone who has yearned for this love for years, finally has it, but knows she may die and lose it all. She wants to enjoy the moment while she can. Looking at it that way allowed her to give it more emotion and enjoy it even more. When she first explained her thoughts to Jesse, his mouth had dropped open. He thought hard on it and realized Fiyero is singing to the woman he has secretly loved for years and knows he may only have one chance with her; it won't last. She will most likely slip away. So he takes the one moment he has and makes the best of it, throwing his whole self into their brief time together. That gave his performance more emotion as well. Together, it creates a highly charged scene. The first time Finn saw the two of them perform it, he'd told Rachel how proud he was of her. He'd praised them both heavily. Then he'd told Jesse to remember that it's just an act. Jesse reassured Finn.
"That emotion is from Fiyero to Elphaba; not Jesse to Rachel. I can separate the two, don't worry. I'm not gonna fall in love with your wife."
"Not that it'd matter if he did." Rachel had countered, a little annoyed. "Are you going back to being jealous?"
"No, not at all." Finn had said seriously. "I just know how deeply you both feel your music. And maybe I was a little thrown at how highly charged that scene was."
After seeing it a few more times, he got used to it. Especially seeing how easily the two actors slip out of it when the scene ends. They are 100% professional. And friends. Jesse and his girlfriend have hung out with Rachel and Finn a few more times since the first time.
"That was amazing!" The host announces when the song ends. "That really was incredible. So to my viewers, if you want to see that live, get yourselves tickets to see Wicked!"
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Shelby went to New York to visit Rachel on a Tuesday. She'd been amused that Rachel got the same day off with this show as the last. She took the day off, but went there Monday after work. She saw Rachel's show again, then spent the evening with her and Finn. While Finn was at work on Tuesday, mother and daughter spent the day together. At one point in the afternoon, they were sitting around Rachel's apartment sipping tea while discussing theater. Rachel has been drinking tea almost every day to keep her throat soothed after singing so much. She'd worried about overusing her voice, so a little thing she can do is drink tea with honey and lemon.
"Well, I think you're doing a fabulous job as Elphaba. And I'm not just saying that as your biased mother. You are incredible up there. I love how you've made it your own while still being true to the character."
"Thanks. You know, I always you'd make an excellent Elphaba, Mom."
"Oh?" It would have been nice. Maybe in another life.
"Yeah, you know….years and years ago." The muscles around Rachel's mouth are twitching with the effort of not smiling.
Shelby glares at her daughter. Seeing her still struggling not to laugh, she picks up a napkin, wads it up, and tosses it at her. They both lose the battle and break out into laughter.
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Rachel and Jesse already knowing each other and being friends made coming into a cast that is already close easier on them. It also helps that the rest of the cast and crew are welcoming. Mostly. The woman who plays Nessarose is kind of a bitch and the guy who plays Dr. Dillamond is a little standoffish. Overall, both of the new young stars feel welcomed and comfortable. Ashely, who plays Glinda, is only a few years older than Rachel. In fact, she graduated NYADA the year before Rachel started. They missed meeting by a year. The young women hit it off pretty quickly. They started out discussing what NYADA was like and laughing over shared opinions of professors. They went out for drinks after a show early on and got talking.
"Maybe you heard it; it might have even started while you were still a student. But did you know there's a rumor going around that Cassandra July killed a student?"
Rachel bursts out laughing. Ashely watches in bemusement, waiting for her to calm down enough to talk. "Uh, yeah. I heard that rumor."
"What's funny about it, though? Do you know the real story?"
"I do, actually. And it's not true."
Ashely shrugs and takes a sip of her mojito. "I figured. So what's the real story?"
"It was me."
Ashely chokes on her next sip and coughs. "Wait, what?!"
Rachel chuckles. "Yeah, uh….I collapsed and my heart stopped. Cassie didn't kill me. In fact, she helped save my life by doing CPR."
Ashely's eyes are wide and her mouth is slightly open. After a moment of silence, she sets her drink down and leans closer. "Okay, I'm gonna need more than that."
Rachel gives her a brief lesson on Danton's AA and explains she was alternating between stages one and two during her freshman year of NYADA, then about the severe attack and the aftermath.
"I'd heard Jesse mention something about health issues, but I had no idea. I'm so sorry."
"Thanks, but I've been in remission for over four years. Almost five now."
Ashely smiles warmly. "I'll definitely toast to that." She raises her glass. "To almost five years."
They clink glasses. After that, they go back to chatting about NYADA and then move on to discussing other shows they've been a part of.
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What Rachel had realized before became even more apparent as time passed. The longer she spent performing as Elphaba, the larger her fan base became. She was never recognized on the street when she was Fanny. But it happened in March, three months into playing Elphaba. She and Kurt were at a cafe getting coffee and danishes on a Saturday morning before her matinee when a group of teenagers bumped into them.
"Sorry." One called, before doing a double take. The girls mouth fell open. "Oh my God. Are you Rachel Hudson?"
Rachel blinked and took a step back. "Um…yeah. I am."
The teenagers starting squealing excitedly. "You're playing Elphaba, right?"
"Yes. I have a show in a few hours."
"And is that your husband?"
Rachel and Kurt burst out laughing. When they're calm enough to speak, Rachel corrects the girl. "No, he's my brother."
"Oh." The girl flushes slightly but is still smiling. "Sorry. Um, can I get your autograph?"
Rachel looks to Kurt, who is smiling broadly. "Sure."
The teens immediately start looking for anything they could get her to sign. They beg the barista for a pen, then hurry back to get their autographs. Surprised but pleased, Rachel smiles and signs her autograph. She has signed hundreds over the past year and a half, but only outside a stage door or at a Broadway event. Never before in a cafe. The teens drew the attention of other patrons.
"That's Rachel Hudson!"
"Who?"
"She's playing Elphaba!"
A few more came over to shyly ask for autographs, which Rachel happily accommodated. Not everyone in the cafe cared, just a handful, but it was still a fun experience. Of course, she had to listen to her brother alternate between gushing and teasing her the entire way home.
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Finn blinks his eyes open blearily and looks around, trying to figure out what woke him. Beside him, his wife is curled in a ball and holding her head. A soft groan emanates from her. He sits up and leans over her, taking in the scene. Then he stands and hurries to the bathroom. He rifles through the medicine cabinet, looking for her mild pain pills. Migraines don't happen as often as they used to, and aren't often this bad. But it still sucks when she gets them. He sets the bottle on the nightstand and quickly but quietly leaves the room. The moment the door is open, Yero tries to push through. Finn crouches down and stops the dog.
"Shhh. Migraine." He whispers.
Yero lets out a soft whine and pushes past him. He carefully jumps on the bed and gently wiggles into her. She moves her arms and legs just enough that he can lay against her, then she curls around him, gripping his fur. Finn grabs a bottle of water and quickly returns. He helps her sit up to take a pill, then lay back down. He sits on the edge of the bed and rubs her back until he's sure she's back to sleep. It's been about a year since she had one this bad. Usually if she gets one she gets up and gets her own pill, then curls up with a heated eye mask on. Seeing that it's still early, he goes back to sleep. When his alarm goes off over an hour later, he shuts it off as quickly as possible and flips over to check on Rachel. Normally he lets it ring until Rachel forces him to get up; usually by pressing her cold feet to his bare back. She's still asleep. He kisses her cheek and starts getting ready for the day. When he's ready to leave, she's still asleep. He debates what to do. Finally, he decides he should at least try to wake her. He gently shakes her shoulder. Nothing. He shakes it again and she mumbles something unintelligible. With a heavy sigh, he sets two pill bottles on her nightstand; the mild pain pills and regular ibuprofen. Depending on how she feels when she wakes up, he wants her to have options within reach. He steps into the living room and takes out his phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Jesse. It's Finn."
"Hey, Finn. What's going on?"
"Can you tell them that Rachel will be out of work today? She's definitely not coming in for the meeting this morning and I don't know if she'll be up to performing tonight. She's got a bad migraine."
"That sucks. This is normal, right? It happens?" He can hear Jesse's worried tone.
"Yeah. She gets these on and off. It happens. These bad ones have only been happening like once a year, thankfully. She just needs to sleep it off."
"Alright, I'll let them know. Thanks for the heads up. Tell her to rest up. I'd much rather perform with her than her understudy."
They hang up and Finn goes back to check on his wife one more time. He kisses her temple, then pets Yero. "Keep an eye on her."
As much as he hates leaving her when she's in pain, she's asleep right now and probably will be for a while yet. And her migraines only last a few hours at most. With meds in her system, she should be fine soon. It'll just be up to her to rest and decide if she's up to performing later or not.
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Rachel rushes into work feeling frazzled. She gets migraines once in a while, but thankfully these bad ones are only about once a year. Still, they throw her off. She hates that she missed her morning meeting. She's hurrying down the hall backstage when an arm snags her around the waist and lifts her off her feet. She shrieks in surprise. Jesse laughs and sets her down.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better. Seriously. It's gone."
Jesse nods. "Good. And I'm glad you made it."
Kevin walks up to them. "Feeling better, Rachel?"
"Much." She promises.
"Good."
"I'm sorry for missing this morning."
He waves her off. "Don't worry about it. It happens. Just don't make it a habit."
Jesse chuckles and Rachel elbows him. "Trust me. I do everything in my power to not get sick or miss work for any reason."
"Glad to hear it. Now, both of you go get ready. We have a show to put on."
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The sound of keys jiggling at their front door draws their attention. The door catches, since the chain is latched. The Hudsons are in the middle of a late dinner and were planning on calling it a night immediately after. Rachel is tired from work and Finn is tired from an extra long football practice after working all day. And both started the day with an early morning workout. They share a look and debate what to do; unlatch the chain and let their brother in or ignore it and hope he goes home?
"Put on clothes and open this door right now!" Kurt calls into their home.
Finn snorts and stands to let him in. Kurt and Blaine enter their home and join them at the table. Blaine immediately reaches for a slice of garlic bread and Rachel rolls her eyes.
"So what's so important it couldn't wait until tomorrow?" Finn grumps, seeing his plan of spending his evening wrapped around his wife slipping away.
"Remember that role I auditioned for?"
"Which one? Don't you audition at least once a month?" Finn asks, still in a bad mood.
Rachel hits him. "Yes, the one you auditioned for last week. You asked me to help you practice your audition song and I thought you sounded amazing. You said the audition went well."
"It went so well that I got the role!" Kurt's face is flushed with joy and he's bouncing slightly.
Rachel releases a squeal of excitement and leaps out of her seat to hug him. Finn congratulates Kurt, then resumes eating. His wife and brother gush and talk about the role and what it'll entail. Blaine dives into the conversation as well. Finn tosses his fork down with an irritated sigh. This isn't going to be a short visit, he can tell. He's happy for his brother, but this could have waited until tomorrow. He's tired and wants to curl up with his wife until they fall asleep, not sit here listening to them talk for hours. He looks at the floor where Yero is lying. The dog looks up at him and harrumphs at the sudden increase in noise.
"I feel ya, buddy." Finn whispers.
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It's an off-Broadway show, and he's not a lead, but he does have a main part with lines and solos. It's the biggest role he's had yet. Kurt is over the moon. His life is going so well and so are the lives of the people he loves. He and Blaine are happier than ever together; he adores his husband. He landed this awesome role. He's still working at Vogue (.com) and starting to make a name for himself there. Blaine's show is still going well, but he's starting to audition for lead roles now. Rachel's surprise party for five years of remission is all planned and arranged. They have a whole day of partying planned. A clearing in Central Park is reserved, with a DJ and caterer arranged. Then an evening of city fun. Everyone is excited for that. Wicked is still going really well and Rachel is loving it, even if it's more physically demanding than Funny Girl was. Finn is enjoying his job as a gym teacher and assistant football coach. All of his family is doing well with their jobs and enjoying them. He knows Mercedes still dreams of branching out as a solo artist and is working on writing her own music, but is happy enough as a backup singer for now. Sam finds being a paramedic in NYC stressful but also fulfilling and is still happy with it. Puck is taking college classes while working to learn what he has to to start his own business. The others are all happy with their careers.
He goes to his first rehearsal with a bounce in his step.
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They all go out to celebrate Kurt's new role at a fancy restaurant. They don't take reservations and the waiting area is packed when they get there. They groan and debate just leaving, but Kurt really wants to eat here. Brittany nudges her.
"Can't you do something about this?"
"Me?" Rachel's eyes widen. "Why me?"
"You could, like, name drop or something."
"Whose name would I even drop?" She asks, bewildered.
"Your own." Santana points out with a raised eyebrow
"I'm not a big enough name to drop." She insists. "I'm not a household name!"
"You're a Tony award winner!" Blaine chimes in. "At least give it a try."
Rachel looks at her friends, then to the maitre'd. It'd be horribly embarrassing if she tried to use her own name to get a table faster and it didn't work. She bites her lip and shakes her head. The others sigh. They're still standing around waiting when she hears her name.
"Rachel!"
She turns to see Kevin walking towards her with his wife. "Hi, Kevin! Fancy seeing you here."
"Same to you. We're out celebrating our anniversary, what about you?"
"Happy anniversary! We're also celebrating. My brother landed a big role in an off-Broadway production."
"That's great!"
"Yeah, but the wait is horrendous."
Keven looks at her peculiarly. "Did you give them your name? Correctly?"
Her mouth falls open slightly while around her her family snickers. "What? I'm not—Kevin, I'm not a big enough name to drop."
He grins. "Only one way to find out." He takes her by the arm and gently leads her up to the maitre'd. "Excuse me, but my friend here has been waiting for her group table for a ridiculously long time. That is unacceptable for a Tony award winning Broadway star such as herself."
The maitre'd straightens up, eyeing them both in a new light. "I sincerely apologize, my lady. You are—"
"Rachel Hudson, currently playing Elphaba in Wicked." Kevin says as though it should have been obvious. "She has a pretty large fan base. I'm sure she'll be tweeting about her experience here to all her followers."
Rachel does her best to keep her expression calm but can't stop the slight flush on her cheeks. Kevin nudges her and she jumps slightly. "Right. I'll be tweeting about this restaurant later. I already told everyone I'd be here, so I'm sure they're waiting to hear my opinion on it." Which is a weird thought.
"I—I'll get your table ready right away."
"Thank you." The maitre'd steps away and Rachel covers her flushing face with her hands. "Oh, my God. That actually happened. That actually worked!"
Her family laughs and they all thank Kevin for his assistance. "You're making a name for yourself. Use it."
They sit around the group of tables laughing about how they got their table and teasing Rachel about it. When they finally settled down, they focused on their reason for being there in the first place; Kurt's role. They raise a toast to him. Rachel loves seeing how happy her brother is. He's happy working in fashion and design, but he also loves the stage so she's glad he gets to do both.
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"Run it again." Shelby calls to her students.
She watches with a critical eye, looking for anything to improve upon. This rehearsal is rough for some reason. The kids are tired and whiny and balk at having to run the number repeatedly. Shelby shakes her head.
"What is going on with you guys today?" They shrug awkwardly and keep their eyes down. She sighs and folds her arms. "Do you guys actually want this?"
"Yes."
"Then show me."
She sees irritation flash across several faces and frowns. They do put in more effort this time, but it's still not there yet. She has them sit in the audience and stands on the stage, staring down at them.
"You either tell me what's going on or don't bother coming back."
The kids nudge one student in particular to be their spokesperson. Virginia, the female lead. She nervously meets Shelby's gaze.
"We just don't get why we have to keep pushing this hard. We won nationals last year. We have won every competition this year. We've got this."
Shelby considers them. "So you think that just because you did well a few times in the past, you can just slack off and still be amazing in the future?" Virginia shrinks down in her seat. "You don't succeed by giving up. You don't succeed by assuming you've already won. You succeed by constantly pushing yourself to be better." At their lack of reaction, she glares. "Or give up. Walk away. If you don't want to work for it, fine. There's the door."
"We're kids, Coach Matthews! We deserve to relax and hang out!"
"I'm not saying you don't." Shelby is working hard to keep her tone professional. "I'm saying you have a choice to make. Either stay, work hard, and most likely win, or leave and go relax and hang out. The choice is yours."
"That's not an easy choice." Someone grumbles.
For some reason, it's like a slap in the face to Shelby. Her mind flashes back to all the tough choices her own teenage daughter had to make. Life or death choices. These kids have no idea what a tough choice really is. She swallows hard and looks away from them. When she feels she can speak calmly, she addresses them.
"I'm not going to lie. I'm very disappointed in the lack of dedication and self-discipline here. But you deserve to make the choice yourself. You have to decide what is best for you and what will make you happiest. It's not as hard a decision as you're making it out to be. This isn't life or death." She couldn't help but add that in. "So rehearsal is over for today. Anyone who is wiling to put in the hard work to win be back here tomorrow. For the rest of you…enjoy the rest of your school year."
The kids hesitantly stand and grab their belongings. They head out the door in silence, occasionally glancing back at her. She goes home still feeling appalled at how her afternoon went. Kids these days want everything handed to them and it's pissing her off. Not many kids are willing to work hard for what they want. But she won't force them. She calls Rachel that night and just talking to her daughter helps her feel better. It was an amusing conversation since Rachel doesn't understand the concept of not being willing to work for what you want. The next day at school, she smiles politely to each member of Vocal Adrenaline but doesn't speak to them. After school, every member of her team is sitting there. Some of her aggravation fades.
"You have all decided to stay and work hard?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Virginia blushes. "Honestly? Because of you. And your daughter."
Shelby blinks. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, we respect you. We trust you. You've led us and previous teams to championships a bunch of times, so clearly you know what it takes. And a lot of us admire your daughter. Rachel Hudson is an incredible performer. A bunch of us have seen her perform in one show or the other, or both. All of us have heard recordings of her singing. And we know you helped train and encourage her. You know hard work and dedication work because your daughter is incredibly successful. Rachel never gave up, right?"
"Never." They have no idea how true that is.
"And some of us want a career performing in the future. Learning from you and letting you push us to be better, and actually working hard is how we'll succeed. You were right. We're sorry for giving you a hard time. And, um, we're sorry if we're giving you gray hairs." She grins.
Shelby laughs at that. "I'm already pretty gray. I just dye it."
"Really? From teaching?"
"From annoying students like us?"
"No, it's mostly from my daughter when she was in high school." She grins sardonically, thinking of how they'll probably take that versus the truth. They accept her words at face value. "I'm proud of you. Now get up on that stage so we can rehearse."
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"So you really don't know what they're planning?" Ashley asks her.
They're having lunch together. Rachel is really glad that she and Ashely get along so well and have become friends. She's learned a little about Ashely's life growing up (she also grew up singing her heart out and putting on shows for her family…big shocker) and was shocked that she was in a choir but not a show choir. Not a glee club. Ashely had been amused by the difference between the two and begged to see videos of the New Directions. Once Jesse heard of that, he demanded that he be allowed to show videos of Vocal Adrenaline. He teased Rachel that she can't even speak bad about VA because her mother is the coach. The rest of their cast and crew find their continued arguments over their high school glee clubs amusing.
"No, nothing. They always throw a party, even if its just a dinner party or something. Every year we celebrate another year of me being in remission. This one is the biggest; five years. And they haven't said a word."
"Do you think they're planning on surprising you?"
"Probably. I hate knowing there's going to be something but not knowing when or where. But I also know whatever they're planning will be great."
"And probably huge. You said it yourself; this is a big milestone."
"True. I just figured my brother would have slipped up and said something by now. He can't keep secrets from me."
"Have you tried asking him? You know….discreetly?" Ashley grins deviously.
"I do like the way you think, Ash."
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Finn walks into his brothers' apartment and calls out a greeting. Hearing the response, he follows their voices. They're in their living room.
"I'm assuming this is about Rachel's surprise party since you told me to tell her you asked for brown sugar." Speaking of, he drops the bag of brown sugar on the coffee table. "I thought everything was arranged."
"It is. This is the confirmation papers and the first of the payments." Blaine hands him a pile of opened envelopes. "It was smart to give them our address instead of yours."
"I'm used to doing everything online." Kurt admits. "I forgot we also requested physical copies to be mailed to us."
Finn looks it over with an excited smile. "This is going to be great. She's going to be thrilled."
"She is."
"But how am I supposed to get this stuff home without her noticing?"
Kurt rolls his eyes. "We just wanted to show you it and give you a chance to go through it now. Come by tomorrow when she's at work and pick it up. Hide it among your lesson plans and other school stuff in your office."
Finn nods, thanks them, and heads home. The short walk up to his apartment is spent thinking about how great the party will be. He can't wait to see the look on her face when they surprise her. They may have gone a little overboard, but she deserves the world.
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Ashely's birthday falls on a Saturday. The cast celebrates between the matinee and evening performance. They order dinner for everyone and cupcakes to celebrate. They sing to her and she blows out the candle on her cupcake with a happy laugh. It was so Glinda-esque that it makes them all laugh. Rachel tears off the bottom of her cupcake and places the it on top of the icing, making a cupcake sandwich. She takes a bite and hums happily.
"What monstrosity is this?" Jesse proclaims, drawing all eyes to him. His eyes are on Rachel and her cupcake. He looks appalled. "Why are you eating it like that?!"
Startled, she wipes her mouth with a napkin. "What do you mean?"
"That's not how you eat a cupcake!"
"I beg your pardon, but this is the best way to eat a cupcake. You get all of it but with less mess on your lips." She holds up her cupcake sandwich.
"No! That's just…..wrong." Jesse shudders.
"I actually think that's brilliant." Don, who plays the Wizard, says. "I'm gonna try it."
"She's got a point." Myles, who plays Boq, tells Jesse. "It's a neater way to eat a cupcake."
"I'm totally trying that!" Ashley says, already tearing off the bottom of her cupcake.
Rachel smirks at Jesse. "Looks like it's not a monstrosity after all."
"You're ruining the cupcake experience!" He whines playfully.
Tara, who plays Madam Morrible, pats his shoulder consolingly.
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Kurt tilts his head, checking if it's his sister, brother, or husband walking into his home. Based on the light footsteps, he'd go with his sister. He goes back to looking over his latest design. The footsteps come up behind him.
"Is the scarf too much?" He tilts the screen of his tablet towards her.
"I think that color is a bit much."
He whips around. "Seriously?"
She shrugs. "That's just my opinion. And you yourself have said many times I wouldn't have any style without you."
"True." He frowns critically down at his design. He taps the scarf and chooses a lighter shade. Then he blinks in surprise. It does actually look better. "Wow. Rachel Barbra Hudson, have you found your inner designer?"
"Yeah. You."
"I—"
"Did you or did you not demand final say on my dress for the Tony's?"
"I was only looking out for you!"
"See? You're my inner stylist."
"I don't think that counts as inner. Unless you hear my voice telling you what to or not to wear." Then he gasps in delight. "Do you?!"
"Sometimes." She admits.
Kurt laughs. "I love that I'm finally rubbing off on you."
"Well, it's only been how many years? Nearly half our lives have been spent together. It was bound to happen eventually."
"Hmm. So what brings you by, dearest sister?"
"Boredom. Other than work I have nothing planned for the foreseeable future. Until the benefit, that is."
Kurt spins around so he's not facing her. If he's facing her, she'll see on his face what he's bursting to tell her. And then he will cave. He's done so well keeping it a secret. Just a little longer. "Huh. That is weird. But work is keeping you pretty busy."
"True, but I was thinking we could plan to do something fun soon. It's finally starting to warm up. I can't really miss work for a trip, but we don't have to go far. There's plenty to do in the city."
"Hm. Maybe wait? You know, until it's even warmer? Then maybe we can go to the beach." He suggests.
"Yeah, we can do that. But I want to do something sooner. I was talking to Ashely and she was thinking maybe some of the cast could plan something fun in the next few weeks. I just don't know when exactly. Or even what."
"It sounds fun, but maybe…..maybe hold off…."
"Kurt," Rachel wheedles, "should I not plan anything during a specific timeframe?"
"I-I just think—"
"Never mind." She brushes it off. He practically sags in relief. "What are you making for dinner?"
"Meatloaf."
"And that design is due…"
"Tomorrow."
"And your off-script rehearsals start…."
"Next Monday."
"And my party is….."
"On—" He jolts and stops talking just in time. He spins to face her. "Hey! Did you just try to 'Legally Blonde' me?!"
She's giving him a Cheshire Cat grin. "It was worth a try."
He flushes, annoyed with both her and himself. He reminds himself that they all already knew she'd be expecting some sort of party. He still hasn't spilled the beans. She doesn't know what, where, or when. He's in the clear and no one can be mad at him. Still, just to be safe…..
"Go home, Rachel."
"Rude." She moves fast, running her fingers through his hair and messing it up before bolting from the room.
"Leave my hair alone!" He calls to her retreating form.
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Rachel walks into the living room and sits on the couch with Finn, laying her legs over his lap. He instinctively wraps his arm over legs. He sees her expression and shuts off the tv, focusing on her completely.
"What's up, babe?"
She loves that they're so close that they can read each other easily. "I'm happy. Ecstatic. I've gotten everything I want in life. Except kids, but that'll happen in the near future."
Her husband smiles widely. "You're still good with trying for kids in about a year?"
"Yeah." She smiles back just as happily. "I am. Maybe even a little sooner than that. So, you see, I'm beyond happy and have, or will soon have, everything I want in life."
"Well, kids and a cure. But that'll come in a few years, too."
"Right." She grabs his closest hand and plays with his fingers. "I'm happy. I want you to be happy, too."
He blinks and smiles at her in bewilderment. "I am happy."
"No, I know you're happy with me and your job. I even know you're happy being close to Kurt, Blaine, and the others who live in the city with us. You even like walking down the street to that dive bar for drinks with some of your friends here. But you're still not as happy in the city the way I am."
"See? You're happy. That's all I need." He swears.
"That's sweet, but unrealistic."
"Rach, where is this coming from?"
"I told you. I'm really happy. I want you to be happy, too."
"I am. I really mean that. I'm happier than I've ever been in my life!"
"Look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn't prefer to live in the suburbs."
He sighs. "Yeah, suburb life would be awesome. But I love our life here. Honestly."
She stares into his eyes, reading him like a book. "You are. But you could be happier."
"Rach-"
"I've been thinking. What if we move to a house in the suburbs and I commute to work? Plenty of people commute to work in the city every day."
The flash of excitement in his eyes validates her idea. But then it dims. "I don't know. I like things how they are now. If it could all take place in the suburbs, that'd be a dream come true. I'll admit that. But it doesn't. Our lives are here and I'm happy with that."
"How about we move before having kids? None of us grew up in the city and we turned out pretty awesome. Honestly, I'm not sure I like the idea of our kids growing up in the city."
He looks surprised, but then counters her idea. "If we move, and that's a big if, we should move after you have our first kid. I'd feel better if you had more support around while you're pregnant. In the suburbs, it'd just be us. We'd be a ways out from everyone. But here, Kurt and Blaine live a floor below us. Brittany and Santana live a few blocks over. Sam and Puck don't live far. There's plenty of people around. It makes me feel better."
It's her turn to be surprised. She considers his words. It would be nice to have people around while experiencing pregnancy. Especially for the first time. "Okay. If we move, it'll be after we have kids. Or at least after the first one. Then we'll move our family to the suburbs and I'll commute to work every day."
Finn frowns. "But…..that's like seven or eight shows a week….that's a lot of commuting. I don't know if I like that."
Rachel groans. "Finn. You keep flip flopping. Stop. We're making a beautiful plan for our future here."
"I know, but I'm thinking of what's best for you and I don't know if that's commuting that much."
"What about what's best for you?"
"That is what's best for me! I'm at my best when you're at your best!"
She chuckles. "Fine."
Finn tilts his head and she can practically see his thoughts swirling. "I'm going out. I'll be back soon."
Bemused, she slides off his lap. "Okay."
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Finn goes down to Kurt's apartment and looks around. His brothers are confused and follow him around.
"Finn, what are you doing?"
"Looking. How many rooms do you have?"
"Our home is not that much smaller than yours!" Kurt snaps.
"That's not what I mean! I'm just….you have a guest room. Would you be willing to turn it into a room for Rachel?"
That brings the couple up short. The men share worried looks.
"Of course, but why? What's going on?"
Finn, still taking stock of their apartment and not looking at them, answers distractedly. "I don't want the mother of my child commuting so much. It'd be easier if she stayed in the city for a couple days a week. And I don't really want her staying alone."
The Hummel-Andersons freeze in place, their expressions going from concerned to excited. Kurt starts bouncing on his toes and excitedly slapping Blaine on the arm. He's clearly doing his best to hold back a squeal. Blaine is practically holding his breath. Finn sees this and his mouth falls open. He reviews what he said and realizes how it must have sounded.
"No! No no no no no! Sorry, she's not pregnant yet. We're still waiting. But we're shortening the wait. A year at most but probably less. She just wants more time with Wicked first."
His brothers sag in disappointment. "Damn."
"Sorry." Finn says bashfully. "We're just coming up with ideas for our future. She wants to live in the suburbs and commute."
He goes through their ideas with them, but only vaguely. Not just because he knows Rachel will want to be a part of this conversation, but because it is their decision to make. No one else's.
"Well, even though we're disappointed she's not pregnant yet, we'll happily turn our guest room into a home for her." Kurt assures him. "We'd love to have her live with us part time."
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The front door opens and shuts. Rachel looks up from her ice cream. "Finn?"
"No. Me." Blaine says, walking in. He takes a seat beside her at the table. "Your husband made us think you're pregnant. We got all excited."
Rachel is both amused and confused. "How?!"
"He came in looking at our guest room and asking if we'd be willing to turn it into a room for you. He said he doesn't want the mother of his child commuting too much."
Rachel laughs and shakes her head. "Sorry. We're just making plans."
"You really want to move to the suburbs?" Blaine leans on his elbow on the table.
She shrugs. "Kind of. I know Finn does. He's been happier with the city, I know this. He's truly happy. But I also know he'd be happier in a suburb."
"You're an amazing wife." Blaine smiles at her.
"He's an amazing husband. We take care of each other, right? This is me taking care of him. You'd do the same for Kurt."
"Yeah. I'd be disappointed, but yeah. I would. But you know, there are areas of this city that are more….neighborhood like. Houses with yards and stuff. Brownstones or single family homes."
"That's a good thought. We'll look into that. My main reason for wanting to stay, besides the ease of getting to work every day, is living close to you guys and all the others. That's the only part of moving away that I'm not looking forward to."
"Is this move a sure thing?"
"No." She admits. "But it's a good possibility."
She wants whatever will make her husband as happy as she has been.
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The act two dress weighs twenty-five pounds. It's freaking heavy. She gets a mild workout every night. Thanks to her regular actual workouts, she's fairly strong and it isn't generally an issue. The hardest part is getting up off the floor while wearing it, such as during "As Long As You're Mine" and "No Good Deed". She spends a portion of those songs on her knees, singing the emotionally charged songs while belting. Then she gets to her feet for the end of the one song. She's gotten used to it and usually makes it look easy. Which is why, when she stands abruptly during a performance on a Thursday night, she is startled to have the room suddenly sway around her. She quickly realizes she's made herself dizzy by being bent over, then standing up too quickly. It's not a big deal except this happened on stage. During a performance.
Between the wave of dizziness and weight of the dress, she struggles to get her footing. Luckily, she's talented enough to be able to continue to sing through it. But her balance is another issue. Feeling herself falling, she adjusts her footing so that she goes back down to a knee. She finishes the song on one knee instead of standing. The dizziness didn't last long, and wasn't overly strong, but it threw her performance for a tailspin. She's relieved when the song ends and she can get off stage. A stagehand grabs her arm the moment she's off stage, having seen her stumble.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah. I got up too fast. I got a little dizzy and this heavy ass dress weighted me down and I stumbled. Was I at least still good?" She asks worriedly.
Tim chuckles. "You were great. Your voice wavered for a moment, but I'm sure the audience just thought it was the emotion of the song."
"Good." She says in relief, and hurries off to her next position to await her cue.
She's embarrassed and annoyed with how that happened. But now she knows to make sure she doesn't get up too fast during that song. Just in case. It's never happened during a performance before and she can now make sure it never happens again. Mostly it annoys her that things like this are expected and there's not much she can do about it. Things like this could happen randomly for the rest of her life. She thinks about the last time this happened. Several months ago, she'd gone shoe shopping with Santana. She'd been bent over tying up the laces of the ridiculous boots for several long moments, then she stood up too fast. She'd gotten dizzy and stumbled. Santana had grabbed her to steady her, but had panicked and asked her if she was okay. Rachel had had to remind her that it's not uncommon or unexpected.
It's annoying but it sure as hell beats the alternative.
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Rachel walks into her dressing room to find Jesse and Marcus wearing masks and gloves. The two men are scrubbing every surface of her dressing room. She sets her bag and jacket down.
"What's going on?"
"Hold on. Stay back."
"Why?"
"Janet has a cold and was in here for a while organizing the makeup. We're cleaning and spraying with disinfectant so you don't catch anything." Jesse explains. "I know you don't get sick real often, but you do catch things easier than the rest of us. I don't want you getting sick. Even just a cold."
"Aaaw, you guys, that's so sweet! Thank you! I can't believe you'd do this for me."
"Of course." Marcus says, his crinkling eyes revealing the smile the mask hides.
"For you?" Jesse presses a hand to his chest. "Sorry, Rachel, this isn't for you. This is all for my benefit. I really hate kissing your understudy. It's awful."
She laughs and helps them clean.
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Finn sits at the dive bar a few blocks down from his apartment. He's sitting with two coworkers he's made friends with, Sam, and one of Sam's friends. They're drinking beer, watching the game, and hanging out. In the middle of it, he pauses and considers his conversation with his wife from a few weeks before. She offered to move to the suburbs for him. She raised some good points; mostly about not raising their kids in the city. But they're not parents yet. And he really is happy. He's not even sure he's ready to give up this lifestyle yet. He loves having his family so close. He loves hanging out with friends at various events around the city; there's so much to do. Even just the frequent "beers with the guys" is great. Living in the suburbs would be just them. He's not sure he'd like that. He knows Rachel wouldn't. But he loves that she loves him so much she'd be willing to for him. He frowns until his buddy pulls him back into the conversation.
They have time to figure out what they want to do. No matter what, they're not moving until they have at least their first kid. The thought of being a dad in less than two years thrills him. He can't wait.
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Rachel shakes Finn's shoulder. "Finn? Babe?"
"Hmm."
"I thought we agreed to go jogging this morning."
"Yeah. Later."
"We have plans later!" She reminds him.
Rachel is already in her workout clothes and she prepared water bottles for the two of them. All she needs is for Finn to get up and dressed. She thought it'd be nice to go for an early morning jog then pick up breakfast sandwiches on the way home. Finn had agreed last night. Now, he seems to have changed his mind. Finn rolls over and pulls the covers over his head. He mumbles out something unintelligible. With a disappointed sigh, Rachel leaves him be. He leaves her be on the mornings she needs more sleep. The least she can do is return the favor. Even if she really wants to drag his lazy ass out of bed. Oh well. She grabs her water bottle and tells Yero to go get his leash. Woman and dog, two best friends, slip out of the apartment building just as the sun is starting to rise. She smiles at the sight of the park in the early morning light. There are less people out at this time and the morning air is cool and crisp. When Finn finally wanders into the kitchen, stretching his arms as he does, Rachel is sitting at the table eating her breakfast sandwich.
"Aw, man. I forgot we were gonna get breakfast sandwiches!" He groans.
"I tried to get you to get up and come with me." She points out.
"Yeah, but you didn't mention food!"
Rachel thinks about that then grins. "You're right. I should have known to remind you of the food more so than the jog. That would have gotten you up."
"Yeah, it would have. Damn. I could really go for one right now, too." He grumbles.
"Then it's a good thing you have such a loving wife."
Finn's disappointment transforms into excitement. "Where?"
"In the fridge. You'll have to heat it up in the microwave."
He kisses her cheek with a loud smack. "Best wife ever."
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"So, next month is special, huh?" Jesse grins at her.
Rachel smiles back widely. "Five years of being in remission. Part of me can't believe it. Five whole years of being healthy."
"And a lifetime ahead of you. What are you doing to celebrate?"
"I don't know." She admits. "I'm sure my family has something planned, but I don't really care what we do. We have a party every year."
"Well Hannah and I would love to take you and Finn out for dinner to celebrate. Just let us know a good night. We can do it like a week or two before your actual anniversary so we don't risk interfering with any family plans."
"Thanks, Jesse."
She keeps thinking about it. Not the party, but the five years part. She feels better than she ever has in her life. Being healthy for this long has been wonderful. She loves her life and can't wait to have kids. Soon. Five years ago, a long life and having kids wasn't a guarantee. Now it is and she's never been happier. So as much as she's looking forward to whatever celebration her loved ones have planned, more than that she's looking forward to her upcoming plans of having kids.
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Kurt stands in line waiting to order his and Rachel's drinks. He glances out the cafe window to where she's sitting at a small table outside. Since they have Yero with them and they wanted to snag the table that had just opened up, Kurt told her to sit out there with Yero to save their seats and he'd get their drinks. He smiles softly, looking at her. Rachel is 23 years old, happily married, healthy, successful, fairly famous (at least in Broadway circles and among Broadway fans), beautiful, kind, somewhat rich (she always says "very comfortable" when he brings up money), generous, and very, very happy. Hell, she's in better shape than him these days. They'll hop on treadmills together and she can go longer than him. The first time she "out ran" him, she'd laughed and teased him to "keep up!". It makes him happy for her. He thinks of himself. He's 24, happily married, healthy, somewhat successful (he's definitely getting there, he knows it), handsome, mostly comfortable financially, kind, and very, very happy. As happy as he is for himself and his own wonderful life, seeing how well her life is going makes him even happier. She may occasionally say things that come across as arrogant, but he just teases her until she blushes and apologizes. It's never intentional, he knows. After all the suffering she went through, she deserves this happy, fairly easy life more than anyone else he knows. He's positively thrilled she's getting everything she wants in life. He wonders if he should ask her about being a surrogate sooner than planned or stick with waiting until after they come up with a cure.
And that's another thing that thrills him. They've made huge headway on the cure. At the moment, they're already on human trials. That really makes them all happy and excited. In around a decade, possibly less, they should have a cure. And since Rachel has been in remission for just about five years now, her odds of staying in remission are higher than ever. His minds drifts as he begins daydreaming about all of them raising their kids together. For that reason, he hopes the Hudsons choose to stay in the city. He wants to keep living near them and doesn't really want to move to the suburbs.
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Rachel and her family sit in the audience watching their friend Elliott perform in his new show. He'd graduated NYADA and immediately started making his own music. He hasn't released his album yet. Assuming his album sells decently to start with, his agent wants him to tour and perform to drum up attention and sales. They decided that'd be easier to do if he was already known in some way. So, he decided to perform in a show. And he is rocking it. He truly sounds amazing. After the show, they hang out at the stage door to wait for him.
"It's weird being on this side of it." Rachel comments.
"Oh, I'm sorry, is the great performer unhappy at having to bump shoulders with the commoners?" Kurt asks.
She rolls her eyes. "You know what I mean. I'm not trying to be arrogant or anything. I'm just commenting that I'm usually on the other side of the rope barrier, so this is a little weird."
"All hail Queen Rachel." Noah drawls with a smirk.
"Don't forget to bow to her greatness, y'all." Artie chimes in.
Rachel huffs. "Seriously?"
"Would the lady care for a glass of champagne while she waits?" Santana grins.
"Guys!"
"I can carry around a patch of red carpet for you to stand on in situations like this." Finn offers with a teasing twinkle in his eye.
Rachel grinds her teeth, feeling her face flushing. "I hate all of you."
They laugh heartily but stop antagonizing her. Luckily Elliott comes out not long after that. He is thrilled to see them. He knew they were coming since they've stayed in touch. He came to Blaine's and Rachel's shows, of course. And he has already promised to go to Kurt's. They invite Elliott out and he happily accepts. Elliott, Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine spend most of the time reminiscing about NYADA. But most of them were all in that "band" Kurt had started in college, so they talk about that a lot, too.
"It's gonna be so funny to tell our future kids we were in a band with you in college." Finn laughs.
Seeing Kurt blushing slightly, Rachel bumps her shoulder into his. "Gonna tell them how Daddy formed a band in college?"
He flushes even more and glares at her. "Mommy was in it, too!"
She flips her hair in a pompous manner. "Of course I was." After their teasing and laughter subsides, she turns to Elliott. "Let us know when your album is coming out so we can pre-order it."
Sam nods. "Seriously, dude."
He smiles widely. "Thanks, guys. I know we don't get to see each other much, but I'm really glad we've stayed in touch."
"Same with us." Kurt promises.
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The sun beats down on them, warming their bodies against the cool wind. Spring has been doing its best to knock the cooler weather back and bring in a much needed wave of warmth. It's been a bitterly cold winter, but temperatures are finally rising. Farmer's markets are opening back up. Rachel prefers getting fruits and vegetables from here than from grocery stores. She and Finn walk Yero slowly through the stalls. Rachel selects what to buy and Finn dutifully carries the canvas bag they use for these trips. They chat as they walk, taking their time and enjoying the warm weather, as well as each other's company. Yero sniffs everything and trots along beside them happily. There's a stall that sells natural pet supplies and they always stop there for him. It's at the point that they're on a first name basis with the owners. Seeing it up ahead, Yero turns to look up at Rachel with a low whine, his feet tapping on the ground eagerly.
"Alright. Go ahead." She laughs.
Yero needs no further prompting. He takes off for the stall and greets the owners with a wagging tail. Audrey and Desmond excitedly greet him back.
"Is that Fiyero? Sweet Yero? How're you doing? Are you still a good boy?" Audrey gushes, petting him.
Desmond pulls a treat from a jar and has Yero sit. Rachel and Finn stop a few feet away to watch the exchange. Desmond tells Yero to sit, which he does promptly. Then the man sets the treat on Yero's nose, telling him to wait. At his signal, Yero launches the treat into the air and catches it on its way back down. The adults applaud and cheer for him.
"How's it going, Audrey?" Rachel asks.
"Good, good. It's beautiful out today, isn't it?"
"It really is. To be honest, I prefer this weather to summer."
"Me, too." She admits. Then she turns to their respective husbands. "Men don't get it. They can pull off their shirts in summer. We can't."
The men share baffled looks. "We wouldn't mind if—"
Rachel hits Finn before he can finish that statement, much to the other couple's amusement. They buy a bag of treats for Yero and say their farewells, continuing on. They lead Yero to the outskirts of the market so they can find a less populated area for him to run around in before continuing their walk. While Yero runs around an open grassy area, Rachel and Finn slowly walk around the outskirts of it. Finn tells her about some of his more humorous students' antics.
"Did he really tell her that he wanted her to—"
Hundreds of needles drive into her chest, stealing her breath and stopping her cold. She staggers and instinctively grips Finn's hand tighter. Finn steps closer and holds her steady, his face filling with fear. She sucks in a breath and leans into her husband. Through her pain and panic, she can make out the sound of his racing heart. Yero comes barreling up to her, whining and on high alert. The pain fades and she breathes normally once again.
Rachel is shaking. She feels weak and nauseous but she knows it's not a physical response to what just happened. It's purely emotional. Finn gently pushes her back so that he can see her face. His eyes are frantically reading her expression.
"Was that—?" His voice is rough.
Her lips tremble but she can't bring herself to say the words. All she can do is nod.
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A/N: While I know some of you were expecting it, I did want it to be a shock to the readers, just as it was meant to be a shock to Rachel and Finn. I wanted it to be a sucker punch. I originally dropped hints, but then deleted them. Even the dizziness and migraine were not meant to be hints, but just things she has to deal with even while in remission. She was warned that those things were likely to happen even while she's healthy. But the relapse was meant to come out of nowhere. Hopefully I managed that. If you suspected, I hope it's just because of my known penchant for drama and not anything in the story. Don't worry. While some may be thinking "oh, this again", every time she relapses it's a little different. It won't be exactly like her first two times facing it. Different hurdles, different challenges, slightly different drama. Besides, you know me, I like to add sweetness and humor with the drama. I have a plan. Trust me and just enjoy the ride. Also, their a cappella performance of "Carol of the Bells" at the start of the chapter is based on the Pentatonix version.