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I do not own Glee

"You never stop loving someone. You either never did or you always will." - Anon

For Cory.

Rachel couldn't breathe. He had been in New York. Without her.

How long had he been there?

Pressing her hand against her chest to try and stop the silent tears searing down her face, Rachel tried to breathe slowly.

All this time he had been in their city. How could he have been here? In the same city as his daughter. Rachel's lip trembled. He was going to be so angry at her for keeping this from him. For all the wasted time of not knowing her.

Feeling her breathing settle, Rachel felt a breeze. Looking up she again found Finn staring at her with his mouth open. His eyes were glazed over with sadness as he gazed at her silently with his hands in his pockets.

"I didn't realise she would be here. I wanted to tell you I was in New York myself. No-one really knows yet, not even Kurt," Finn muttered as he broke eye contact with Rachel. He couldn't bear to look at her. She looked so hurt and all he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms to let her know it was ok.

Rachel nodded slowly.

"We have things to discuss. But I won't detain you from your girl..girlfriend any more."

Finn bit the inside of his mouth. She sounded so cold and businesslike until her voice had broken and he didn't know how to fix it.

"Tomorrow. Lunch?" Rachel asked, desperately trying to keep her voice steady.

"Yeah. That would be nice. Do you want me to come and pick you up?" Finn spoke as a half smile crept across his face.

Pressing a tissue from her purse under her eyes to mop up her tears, "I will meet you at the park and I can throw together a picnic. Maybe make some of those virgin cosmos."

Rachel glanced up as Finn's smile became wider as he remembered the first time she had made virgin cosmos. Their first date. Rachel nodded as she fixed her dress, determined not to attract attention from Kurt and Santana. She needed to get away from his presence, his scent. It threatened to break her remaining resolve and she needed to keep it together.

"I need to go in now. You're girlfriend is lovely," Rachel stated quietly as she walked towards the bar.

Finn couldn't help but stare after her. He had forgot what it had been like to be in her presence. He felt more alive than he had in years. He needed to get her back. But Tiffany. He needed to break up with her. She was usually so easy going but the way she had spoken to Rachel as if she was nothing... He couldn't stand it any longer and what the hell was she doing here? She hated Lima. It must have been because Rachel was here. Finn cursed himself for not breaking it off sooner. He cared about her but why hadn't he broke it off yet? Was he really that damaged that he didn't want to be alone? Logistically it would mean having to find a spare room somewhere. There was no way he could live with her after a break up. She would be insufferable. But if he broke it off with her in Lima, Finn was certain that she would trash all of his stuff. He needed to time it so he would have a chance to get his stuff out. Sighing Finn realised that would mean more time apart from Rachel. At least he got to see her tomorrow for a picnic. Flashes of images of high school Rachel wearing her sweater and short skirts formed in Finn imagination. Rachel had never caught on to just how sexy she was back then.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Finn slowly opened the internal doors to find most of the old glee club talking and hugging. They hadn't spotted him yet and his nerves had set in. Why had he distanced himself from all these people? He surveyed the group to find her cooing over pictures from Mercedes' phone.

"Frankenteen I am going to give you a free pass because I know you are not stupid enough to upset my girl Berry in my presence."

Finn turned his head to glance at Santana who had appeared next to him.

"Tiffany showed up and broke the news that I now live in New York before I could," Finn mumbled while shuffling his feet.

Santana glared at Finn. "Clearly you were dropped on your head as an infant. Tell me you did not bring wannabe Quinn 2.0 to parade around in front of her. And since when are in New York? No wonder she is barely holding it together – parading your dirty second rate hussy that you share your life with in her dream city in front of her. You know the city that you both dreamt of living in when you guys got married? Yeah you heard me blowfish bob – when not if. You know what? I am so sick of this stupid Finn crap – pull your shit together because let me tell you something puffy nipples, there are things you don't know yet and when you do know them, you will need to put this immature indecisive crap to one side. There are things that are bigger than you."

Finn unsuccessfully tried to stop a smirk from spreading across his face. Glancing up at Santana he could see the ghost of a smile on Santana's face.

"I've missed you and your mouth," Finn said as he bumped Santana lightly with his shoulder.

"Ahuh – I've missed you too Hudson," Santana spoke slowly as she turned to hug Finn. "But I mean it – there are things you don't know yet. So be ready and open when she is ready to open up."

All Finn could do was nod at Santana's cryptic statement.
"Finny you are very physical tonight!"

Finn sighed as he broke his embrace from Santana to face Tiffany, feeling the cold stare from Santana.

"Santana – this is Tiffany. Tiffany, this is my good friend Santana," Finn spoke slowly as he glanced between them, hands in his pockets.

Tiffany smirked at Santana before offering a hand to her, "So nice to meet you."

Santana raised an eyebrow at Tiffany's hint of sarkiness before leaning in towards Tiffany. "You're on my list 2.0."

Confusion and disgust spread over Tiffany's face as Santana smirked and strolled towards the group.

"Finn your friends are crazy. No wonder you don't speak to them," Tiffany pouted as she folded her arms.

"What are you doing here Tiff? Showing up here and insulting my friends – it's not cool," Finn sighed too emotionally drained to argue with her.

Tiffany stared blankly back at Finn and he knew the answer. Her.

"Look Tiff they are all my friends – even her. No matter how much time has past, I won't have you here being mean because you feel threatened," Finn muttered calmly as Tiffany ran her hands over her arms avoiding eye contact.

"I don't mean to be a bitch. And I certainly don't want to be that girl Finn. It's just – she was it for you, you know? Do you have any idea what that is like? Sure you don't talk about her but I know she is in your thoughts and in your dreams. It's a tall order and I have been fighting against it and waiting for it to ease for years. Thinking that at least I get to have you there beside me. But Finn I don't. I have been waiting for your walls to come down for so long now and baby it's been like waiting for rain in a drought. I am so thirsty for you – for all of you – and I am desperately trying to hold on for dear life. I keep telling myself to keep holding on but when I saw you with her," Tiffany gasped as she placed her hand over her chest. "Finn there is a reason why you are so guarded and won't let anyone in – you don't want anyone to know that she has your heart. That she has always had it. You may have set her free but baby your heart was always on that train with her. In that city with her."

Finn let a solitary tear fall down his face before he reached out and brushed Tiffany's hair out of her eyes and across her cheek, " I am so sorry Tiff."

"I love you Finn Hudson, but you have nothing to love me back with," Tiffany whispered softly as she could while her eyes burnt with unpoured tears. Her eyes searched Finn's for any sign of hope but all Finn could do was stare back at her blankly. Tiffany nodded as she bit her lip before kissing Finn on the cheek. "I am going to stay at a hotel in town for a few days and we can talk after the wedding. Please apologise for my rudeness and spend time with your friends. We will talk soon."

Finn pressed his forehead against hers before wrapping her into an embrace. After a few moments he separated himself from Tiffany and nodded at her before she slipped out the door. Feeling empty, he brought his gaze back to the group of friends and his eyes met Rachel's before she looked back at Mercedes to answer a question. Tiffany had been right. Rachel had always had his heart.

Nervously Finn began to wander over to the group but his nerves dissolved when he was greeted with a chorus of squeals and cuddle after cuddle. If Finn was honest, he had genuinely missed everybody. No one else had seemed to have truly gotten him in college. Sure he had acquaintances but it wasn't the same. Looking into each of the excited faces, ending with Rachel. Finn felt himself relax.

He was home.