It's finally Christmas time. Blake's favorite holiday of the year. No homework or classes to bother her for the next couple of weeks. It's just going to be her, cuddled up on the couch with hot chocolate, rereading the Harry Potter series while watching the snow fall. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.
Meanwhile, at McKinley things don't seem to be going so well for Artie...
After falling on the ice, Finn kindly helps the boy to the nurses office and tells him to get some rest. What he wasn't expecting was to wake up and be able to walk.
"Tina! Look. Can you believe it?" He exclaims excitedly as he gestures to his fully functional legs.
The girl looks at him completely lost, "B-Believe w-what?"
Artie tilts his head, "Why are you stuttering again?"
A familiar voice emanates from behind him, "She never stopped because you never became friends."
Artie whips his head around, "Rory?!" He asks, shocked. "What are you doing here? And talk slowly, so I can understand you."
Rory smiles, "I'm your Christmas guardian angel. And I've granted your wish. Your car accident never happened. You were never in that dumb chair." He explains to him.
Artie shakes his head in disbelief, "That's insane."
"Don't believe me?" He lifts an eyebrow. "Ask Becky." He points over to the shorter blonde who walks up to Artie. His eyes widen at the sight of the girl as she is now pregnant.
"Merry Christmas, stud." She flirts. "Want to fool around? I can't get pregnant." She jokes, pointing at her stomach.
Artie's eyes widen, "What? No."
The girl walks away and Rory watches after her with sad eyes, "Becky's the school slut now. No one treats her with any respect."
"But I do." Artie counters. "I took her on a date."
"No, you didn't." Rory reveals. "You were too busy throwing losers in Dumpsters to give her any attention or treat her with kindness, and as a result, she never learned any self-respect."
Artie looks down the hallway and watches as Finn, Puck, and the rest of the jocks surround Kurt. He looks at them confused as Finn shoves Kurt against the lockers, "Hey! Hey, Kurt! Nice cape! Who are you supposed to be... Super Homo?"
Artie immediately approaches the lot of them, "What are you guys doing?"
"Just having some fun with Little Lord Gay Boy."
"But you guys aren't straight douche bags." Artie looks at them, not understanding how things could have gone this badly.
Suddenly a loud scoff comes from someone who walks past them, "Did you fall and hit your head or something? You're looking at the biggest ass wipes on the planet."
Artie's jaw drops as he watches a very angry looking Blake walk past him. She's wearing black ripped jeans, a Linkin Park t-shirt, heavy eyeliner, her helix and her nose are now pierced, and her hair is at shoulder length. Very different from the Blake he remembers.
"Oh look, the racoon speaks." Finn smirks. "You really just don't learn do you?"
"You know, it's too bad that you look all dark and broody." Puck leans closer to her. "You'd actually be kinda pretty if you stopped dressing like you were going to a funeral."
Blake rolls her eyes, "Let me know when you see someone wear a Linkin Park t-shirt to a funeral." She snarks. "But I wouldn't expect you to know that by how many times you were dropped on your head as a kid."
Artie jumps back as out of nowhere Finn jumps forward and pins Blake against the locker causing a large crash to sound throughout the hallway. "Watch your mouth." He snarls. "There's a dumpster outside with your name on it if you want to keep talking."
Blake leans up to get in his face, "Suck my dick Hudson." She seethes.
Artie rushes forward and pulls Finn off of Blake, "What the hell is wrong with you guys? This isn't you. You sang Lady Gaga songs and you fell in love with her." Artie directs towards Finn. "No one ever knew what was going on between you two." He says quickly to Puck, referring to his relationship with Blake.
Noah then pins Artie against the locker, "Keep telling those dirty lies, and we'll break your friggin' legs."
"And I would never fall in love with that." Finn says disgustedly as he looks at Blake.
"Feelings mutual." She glares at the tall man. "Would never be with someone who can't get off unless they're wearing their letterman jacket." She insults.
"Don't make me do something I'll regret." He threatens, slamming his fist on the locker next to her head.
The rest of the football players walk away as Blake runs a hand through her hair frustratedly. Kurt glances at her, "I'm starting to think you like him getting in your face."
"Shut up Hummel." Blake snaps.
"Kurt, Blake, didn't you graduate?" Artie questions them both.
Kurt shrugs disappointedly, "I should've, but I couldn't bear coming to school more than twice a week, because of all the bullying. All the homeschooling set me back a year."
"What does Blaine have to say about that?" Artie wonders, knowing Blaine would never have let this happen.
"Who's Blaine?" Kurt looks at him confused.
"I couldn't graduate." Blake admits. "Coach Sylvester tried to recruit me for the Cheerios and when I turned her down, she made sure that I failed my classes so I couldn't graduate."
"Why didn't Mr. Schue help you?" Artie asks, still not believing how things could be so messed up.
"Mr. Schue?" Blake laughs as if that was the funniest thing in the world. "Why the hell would he help me? Dude's a drunk. Can't even tell that his kid is a baby doll. The only thing that he's good at is masking the alcohol on his breath when Figgins comes to evaluate him."
After this revelation, Artie runs off, determined to try to fix things. He goes to talk to Mr. Schue and he finds out that what Blake said was exactly right. Since there's no glee club, he became a drunk and is still married to Terri. Then he found Rachel in the library working as the librarian which had to be the most disturbing sight of all. After seeing all this, he knew he had to do something.
The boy walks outside, talking to Rory, trying to figure out a solution to all of this. "I just don't understand. Everything is so upside down."
"Well... not everything." Rory says, nodding his head over to the bleachers on the football field.
Artie looks over to where Artie gestured and watches Finn looking over his shoulder periodically, almost like he's paranoid someone is watching him. Artie tilts his head, "What is he doing?"
"Just wait." Rory tells him patiently.
Artie and Rory sit in silence for a moment until they notice a figure pop up behind Finn. Artie squints his eyes trying to make out who the mysterious person is.
"C'mon." Rory gestures for him to follow. "It might be better to get a closer look."
Artie tries to wrack his brain on who Finn could be meeting under the bleachers. As he follows Rory, they hide behind a large tree. "Don't worry, they won't see us from here." Rory reassures him.
As Artie observes the scene in front of him, he tries to look around Finn's large frame. He can't figure out who the other person is as Finn is blocking his view. He watches as Finn bends down and begins what he assumes is kissing the person in front of him. This makes Artie assume whoever he's meeting is a woman, he just can't see who it is.
"Why won't he turn around?" Artie grumbles.
Artie's wish is then granted as the woman in front of Finn jumps in his arms, causing him to lean on the pillars under the bleachers.
Artie gasps, "Blake?" He begins to stutter, not being able to process what's happening. "W- What? I-I thought that they hated each other?"
Rory shakes his head, "Blake and Finn end up together in every timeline, Artie." Rory smiles sadly. "Just in this one, Blake never discovered her worth. Since she never joined glee, she never knew the amount of talent she possessed. She just thinks she's a girl who can carry a tune."
"But why were they fighting like that in the hallway?" Artie continues to question. "I thought they were actually going to fist fight each other."
"Finn's reputation is too important to him. He doesn't view Blake as good enough for his social status. So he treats her terribly in front of other people and then meets with her during their free time to do things like this." Rory explains with disappointment. "And she's okay with it because she doesn't think she can get any better. Nor does she want to try."
"But Blake is the most talented person I know. She's amazing."
"In this timeline she doesn't know that. She doesn't have the motivation." Rory shrugs.
"How can everything be so messed up?"
"You weren't in a wheelchair, so you were too busy playing football to join Glee. It turns out... you were the glue of Glee, Artie. The quiet, steady, beating heart of the group. No glue... no Glee."
"I can fix this." Artie says determinedly. "I can. I'll get them all back together. Just you watch, I'll fix it."
***
Artie stands in front of all of the held back glee club members. Blake has her arms crossed over her chest as her Doc Martens are rested comfortably on top of the table. No one sits next to her as most people seem to be scared of her presence.
"Why the hell are we here?" Blake asks angrily, not wanting to waste her time.
"You really like to run your mouth don't you?" Finn snaps.
"Why don't you come over here and find out?" She quips back with a sarcastic smile.
Artie stands there with wide eyes, "I don't know how I didn't see the sexual tension before."
"What?" The two question at the same time.
"Nothing." He shakes his head. "You're probably wondering why I've asked you all to meet me in the choir room."
"This is Coach Sue's craft room."
Artie sighs, "Well, in an alternate universe, it was the choir room."
"I had a dream about that once." Rachel pipes up.
"Shut up." Blake immediately says, looking at her nails boredly. "Why is the librarian even here?"
"You didn't even graduate!" Rachel screeches. "You just spend all your time screwing the football team behind the bleachers!"
"And what about it?" Blake shrugs. "At least I'm not a graduate and a virgin."
"Wait, you're screwing multiple of the football guys?" Finn cuts in.
"Not your business Frankenteen." Blake rolls her eyes.
"Okay!" Artie yells, shutting the conversation down. "Look, this was a place that always made me feel safe. And I know it did for a lot of you, too. That's 'cause we danced together, we sang together, we took turns up here." He looks over to the man he looks up to. "Like Finn said, it's about the love of the music."
"Dude, are you high?" Finn scoffs with an amused laugh. "I never said that."
"Why don't you just show us what you mean?"
Out of nowhere the music to Feltz Navidad starts playing. Blake looks up from her spot and immediately furrows her eyebrows. Everyone watches as Artie dances around the classroom. In all honesty, Blake actually finds his performance kind of entertaining. Not that she'd let it show. She simply crosses her arms, retaining the bored look on her face.
She feels a numb against the back of her chair and she turns to see Finn flipping her off with Puck laughing next to him. The brunette stands up and goes to flip his table over but is interrupted by Artie snatching her hand in his and dancing with her across the room.
Blake looks around confused as her feet seem to pick up the dance moves before her brain can even register what's happening. Everyone looks at the brunette weirdly, not expecting her to be able to dance like that. Artie spins her back to her seat as the song ends and she awkwardly sits back down.
Silence.
A chuckle emanates from Finn's throat, "Dude, that was so gay."
"That's hilarious coming from you." Blake retorts wittily.
"Do you wanna take this outside?" Finn stands up intimidatingly as he walks over to Blake's table.
She smirks tauntingly, "What if I say no?"
"You don't have a choice." Finn says mischievously, grabbing her wrist and dragging her out of the choir room.
"How did they even end up together?" Artie wonders aloud.
╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
Blake looks up from her book as Rachel and Kurt walk out of her bedroom. Rachel stares at them pleadingly, "Well, if you're both not going to come to Lima, then my dads and I
insist you guys come with us to the Rosie O'Donnell Gay Holiday Cruise. It's going to be so much fun. There's even going to be a Jesse Tyler Ferguson look-alike contest." She reveals excitedly.
Kurt gasps, "Well, in that case, I'm definitely gonna have to pass." He sassily replies causing Blake to laugh from her spot. "And besides, there's really no reason to go to Lima, anyway. My dad and Finn and Carole are visiting Carole's sister in Zanesville, and she always has too much eggnog and blacks out. Happy holidays!" He cheers sarcastically.
"Yeah, and my dad is taking Derek to Cali over Christmas break for his soccer tournament so there's no point in me going either." Blake shrugs.
"Well, what about Blaine and Chris?"
"I talk to him. But, you know, he knows that I'm saving my money for NYADA now." Kurt says.
Blake nods, "Yeah, and Chris is in Michigan for Christmas. You know, I think it'll be good for us to have some time for ourselves, you know, and think about things and–"
She is abruptly cut off by a loud knock sounding on the door. Rachel looks at Kurt as she tries to get together her luggage, "Can you get that?"
Kurt nods as he heads towards the door. Rachel sighs as she looks at the sad tree the trio had put in the corner. "Okay, what do
we need for this tree? It's just hopeless."
Blake tilts her head, trying to find something to do with it. "Um..."
"Dad!" Kurt exclaims excitedly.
Both Rachel and Blake's heads whip towards the door. As soon as Blake sees the older man she immediately jumps up from her spot on the couch and runs over to him. "Burt!"
"Seasons greetings!" He says happily. "Well, I got a tree... you need one?"
Kurt gestures for him to step inside as Blake helps him with the tree, "Come in." Kurt invites.
The four of them all laugh and talk happily as they walk the tree over to the corner of the apartment. They set it down and Blake fluffs it up to fill in the empty spaces.
Rachel gasps, "Oh, it's perfect."
"Yeah, well, I couldn't imagine you guys celebrating Christmas without a real tree." Burt says with a smile. "You know, his mom used
to always buy the tree. I'd always tell her to wait till I got home from work, but she never could. And then, the first Christmas after his mom died, I totally forgot about it. That is, until I saw little Kurt hanging his own special version of a Christmas ornament on his window shade Christmas Eve."
Kurt cooes, "Awe, My mom's perfume bottle. Oh, I always loved the way she smelled."
"So I pull him out of bed, I throw a coat on him, I drive straight through a snowstorm, right down to the Christmas tree sale. It was the first time he smiled since his mom died." Burt tells with tears brimming his eyes.
"Okay, no tears on Christmas Eve. This box is full of happy memories, as well. Like our Christmas trip to Dollywood." Kurt says, pulling out a cute little ornament.
"Oh yeah. That one I like." Burt nods.
"That trip was for me. Oh, and this redneck NASCAR trip, that was for you."
Blake reached into the box below them, "Hey,
this is a nice ornament." She smiles happily. "Let's hang them."
Rachel frowns, "All right, well, I wish I could stay, but can't really be late for a cruise, so..." She trails off, grabbing her bags to head out.
"Oh, hold on. You got to open this before you go." Burt stops her, handing her a small box. "Uh, happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas."
Rachel opens the gift and shows Blake and Kurt the sparkly red apple with a big smile, "Oh..."
"It's so cute." Blake says, looking at the ornament.
"It's for your first New York holiday season. Hang it together." Burt points to the tree.
"Thank you." The three of them say together as they go to hang up the Apple.
"And then you can go." Burt nods.
"Aw. Blake, Kurt, okay, this, to our very first New York Christmas." Blake squeals.
***
Blake shoves her hands in her pockets as she Kurt and Burt walk down the street after taking Burt to see a Broadway show. Kurt links his arms through his fathers and Blake's as he chuckles.
"Ha. I never thought I'd see this day. Us walking down the streets of New York, right after seeing a live Broadway musical."
"Well, the Rockettes might have better legs than me, but they can't touch my Single Ladies performance." Burt brags with a smirk.
"That was the best musical I've ever seen." Kurt states happily.
Blake shakes her head, "I'm still so mad that I didn't see that."
"I can do it again for you." Burt jokes as Kurt shakes his head.
"Please don't."
Blake laughs as she rubs her arms, "Ah, it's freezing." She shakes slightly.
"I think it's time to check off another Hummel family tradition: Hot chocolate." Burt announces, guiding them over to a small diner on the corner.
Blake can't help but feel her heart warm, "You consider me part of the family?"
Burt nods his head like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Always have, always will."
The three of them take a seat at the counter in the diner, sipping on their hot drinks. Blake lets the warm liquid warm her body as she enjoys the presence of Burt and Kurt.
"Kurt, Blake, I have something to tell you, and I came here because it's the kind of thing I want to tell you face-to-face."
Blake and Kurt make eye contact, both of their anxieties rising. "Don't like the sound of that." Kurt mutters, setting his mug down.
"Look, I'm just going to come out and say it
because there's no good way to say it." He swallows thickly, looking at the two next to him. "Uh, I have prostate cancer."
Blake suddenly feels empty. She and Kurt both stare ahead of themselves blankly, not knowing how to process the information. She knows Burt isn't her dad, but she loves the man. He's been there for her for the past four years. She grabs Kurt's hand, squeezing it.
Kurt sighs, "Feels like I'm going to be sick."
"No, no, hey, hey, look at me. Do I look like a guy who's dying? We caught it early." He tries to comfort them. "You know, local stage, no spreading. Cure rate's nearly one-hundred percent."
"For healthy people, Dad." Kurt says exasperatedly. "You've already had a heart attack."
"The heart attack is what, you know, made me get checkups twice a year." Burt tries to help them look at the bright side.
"It's just really scary to think that when I finally reach my destiny, that you won't be around to see it." Kurt admits shakily, squeezing Blake's hand tightly.
"Hey. I will be there." He looks between the two of them. "I promise. Look, can I just give you one piece of advice while we're still talking father to son... to daughter?" He smiles lightly. "This is three times I've had to stare death in the eye. And you know the one thing I took away from all that? You have got to hold the people you love close to you no matter what."
╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
"Burt, you okay?" Blake ask attentively as Kurt fluffs the pillows to make sure he's comfortable. "Do you need food, tea, water?"
"No, Blake, Kurt, stop." He waves them off, trying to get them to stop overreacting. "Come on, let's focus on happy things. Like our Christmas traditions. Which we finally get to include Blake in on." He pats the seats next to him. "I am looking forward to watching basketball on Christmas Day while you pretend you watch with me."
Kurt grins to himself, "You mean while I secretly read Vogue?"
"That was never a secret." Kurt chuckles. "No, like our other Christmas traditions. Like on Christmas Eve, where we each exchange one gift."
"My favorite part." The son and father stare at each other for a moment before Kurt cracks, "All right, you first."
"Ah, I saw that." Burt chuckles as he goes to open his son's gift. He opens the gift with a huge smile on his face as he sees a NYADA hat. "Nice."
Kurt shrugs, "I know it's cheesy, but thought you'd like it."
"Screw cheesy. I love it." Kurt reassures him with a small slap on his knees. "In México, they would call me Señor Queso. Look at this. Ah, man. I love it." He glances at his son proudly, "You are going to kick ass at that school."
"Yeah he is." Blake encourages.
"That's the plan." He breathes out.
"Okay, now open my gift." Blake bounces excitedly, handing her gift bag to Burt.
"Awe, Blake. You didn't need to get me anything." Burt says flattered.
"Oh just shush and open it." She stops him.
Burt chuckles as he gently removes the tissue paper. He pulls out a gorgeous frame from the gift bag with a photo from he and Carol's wedding. It was of him and Carol dancing with Finn and Kurt. A photo that Blake specially captured for a future moment like this.
Burt stared at it with his mouth agape before showing it to Kurt who automatically begins to tear up. "Blake... it's beautiful." Kurt smiles.
"Seriously Blake." Burt nods. "Thank you for this." He stands up, going over to the girl and hugging her tightly.
"Of course. Anything for my family." She hugs him back.
Burt sits back down, "All right, my turn." He leans forward in his chair. "Okay, so my gift to you two is really big. It's too big to put under the tree."
"Curiosity piqued." Kurt lifts his eyebrow.
"Definitely interested." Blake crosses her leg over the other.
"Okay, so you guys can pick it up at these addresses, and, you know, if you don't like it, you can return it."
***
Blake and Kurt walk with their arms linked as they get closer to the addresses Burt gave them. They both shiver with anticipation as they reach the point of separation. They both have to go in a different direction from this point.
"Am I the only one who's a little nervous?" Kurt asks.
"It'll be fine." Blake says, not admitting the fact she's slightly nervous herself. "We have our phones, so if things go sideways, we'll bail each other out."
Kurt takes in a deep breath, "Okay. Alright, I love you. See you in a bit."
"See you." Blake hugs him quickly before walking in the opposite direction.
She walks for a few moments before noticing how familiar the area is around her. She crosses the same bridge she did at Nationals two years ago where she and Finn went on their first date. She furrows her eyebrows. Why would Burt send her here?"
"Package for Blake Henley!"
Blake looks to her right, "Finn?!" She gasps.
"Surprise!" Finn smiles brightly as he stands next to the same boat they rode on two years ago. "Burt told me that you and Kurt couldn't come home for Christmas so he offered to fly Blaine and I out just so I can see that look on your face, which is the best thing in the world." He looks at her admiringly, "He told me everything that's been going on, and he wanted me to come here so we didn't miss seeing each other on Christmas. You know, 'cause we've never really been apart on Christmas."
"I can't believe you did all this." Blake says practically out of breath.
"Come on." Finn reaches forward to grab her hand. "These chocolate strawberries won't stay cool for long."
Blake allows Finn to guide them into the boat and he helps her sit down. She looks around the lake with the same wonder in her eyes that she did the first time. Finn begins rowing the boat and stares at the beautiful girl in front of him.
The stars shine brightly in the sky and Blake gazes over at Finn who's eyes seem to glimmer in the moonlight. "Did you really do this all for me?" She whispers quietly.
Finn nods, "I couldn't let the most beautiful girl in the world spend Christmas alone." He says sappily.
Tears br Blake's eyes, "I just can't believe you're really here."
"I would do anything for you." He reaches forward, wiping a tear from her eye. "You know that."
Blake shakes her head, "I'm sorry for leaving you when you needed me." She sniffles. "I wish I could've stayed after sectionals and–"
"Shh." Finn quiets her down, hugging her. "You have a big life as a big star now. I get it. You know, even hundreds of miles away you still managed to do more for me than anyone else." He cups her face gently, "You don't need to be sorry."
Blake stares into his eyes before breathing out heavily. She looks at the scenery around her, "You know, this is just as beautiful as it was the first time."
Finn smirks, "Not as beautiful as you." He repeats the same words he did the first time.
Blake leans forward mischievously, eating a strawberry. She takes a slow bite and looks at Finn, "You do remember what happened the first time you said that, right?"
Finn searches his brain for the answer before it dawns on him what she was referring to. "Don't you–"
Splash.
"Dare." He finishes as the water she threw in his face drips down his cheek.
Blake can't help but throw her head back and giggle as she watches Finn wipe off the water from his face. He gives her a sly look as he leans closer to her. "Now, the real question is... do you remember what happened after you did that?"
Blake's eyes widen as she watches Finn cup his hands full of water and toss it straight at her. She tries to block her face, but she wasn't quick enough. Her entire face is now covered in water. She sits there mouth agape and eyes closed as Finn cackles at her.
"Do you surrender?" He mocks her playfully.
She wipes the water out of her eye with a defeated sigh, "Yes." She concedes. "You win this time."
"I've been waiting to get you back for that one." Finn leans back, popping a strawberry in his mouth.
"Well, congratulations. You finally did it." She teases. "Took you long enough."
"Don't make me do it again." He says pointedly. "Cause I will."
Blake immediately goes into a ball-like position to protect her face, "Please don't. I beg of you."
Finn reaches forward and grabs her from that position and pulls her over to him, hugging her tightly. "I was just kidding." He kisses the top of her head.
Blake relaxes into his legs as she stares up at the sky. Finn watches as her eyes twinkle brightly. He has to physically stop himself from reaching forward and tracing the freckles that dance on her face. He misses this. Them. He won't admit it to anyone, but he's secretly hoping that something in her tonight clicks and she'll want to get back together. That just maybe she'll forget about Chris.
"What time is it?" She queries looking up at him from her spot below.
Finn is pulled out of his trance and glances at his watch, "Almost one, why?"
She groans as she sits up, "We should probably get back to the apartment. Don't want Burt to think we fell in or something." She giggles.
Finn sighs, "Yeah, I guess you're right." He reaches into his pocket, "But I have something to give you before we row back."
"Finn..." Blake trails off. "You didn't have to."
"I wanted to." He stops her as he grabs the wrapped gift he had expertly hidden under his seat. "Plus, it's not just from me. All the glee kids chipped in."
Blake juts out her bottom lip, not expecting anything from them. Finn hands her the gift, "Open it." She delicately takes the present and Finn points a finger at her, "And no crying. I don't want to see tears on Christmas Eve."
"No promises." Blake says with a small smile. She begins to take off the wrapping paper and comes face to face with a white cardboard box. She looks up at Finn with a confused face and he gestures for her to open the box.
She removes the lid and her hand immediately covers her mouth at the sight of what's in the box. It is her very own letterman jacket. It has her accomplishments from highschool sewn into the sleeves, as well as photos from her three years in glee club and the times she's come back to help sewn into random spots as well. It was an entire trip down memory lane in one jacket.
"You accomplished a lot in the years that I've known you." Finn begins. "You went out of your way to find my letterman jacket off of eBay, so I figured I could return the favor and make one of your own." He sends her his lopsided smile. "All the kids helped me make it. They found the photos and achievements you accomplished. They wanted to let you know that you mean something to them."
"And you expected me not to cry?" She scoffs out jokingly. "Finn, this is amazing. Thank you." She launches forward to hug him tightly.
"It was nothing." He brushes off. "It was the least I could do for you."
"Are you kidding me? This makes my gift to you look like a joke." Blake wipes her nose.
"You got me something?" Finn tilts his head like a puppy.
"Of course I did." Blake states obviously. "I was planning on mailing it to you, but since you're here, I can give it to you." She smiles happily. "But it's back at the apartment."
"Then we better get back then." He says, rowing them back to shore. Both adults get off the boat, Finn assisting her so she doesn't fall. He grabs the small picnic basket that held their strawberries and the two begin their journey back to Blake's apartment.
Finn notices her hugging her arms due to the chill in the air. He takes the jacket he had made for her and drapes it over her shoulders. The warmth encases Blake and she gazes up at Finn, "Thank you." She mumbles, leaning her head on his shoulder.
Finn lets the warmth of her body comfort him as they continue walking down the still surprisingly busy New York City streets. They walk in silence, enjoying each other's company until they finally reach the apartment door.
Blake slides her key in the lock and opens the door. They walk in to a thankfully lively apartment. Both Blaine and Kurt are sitting on the couch laughing at something Burt had said. Their attention though is called to the entrance of the apartment when they hear the door shut.
Kurt shoots up, "Finn!" He exclaims, running over to hug his step brother.
"Hey man!" Finn rubs his back. "Nice to see you."
"What took you guys so long?" Blaine asks with a taunting smirk. "Kurt and I were expecting you guys to get back first."
Blake shrugs, "Just having a good time is all." She smiles innocently.
"I see you got our present." Blaine nods, referring to the letterman jacket.
Blake pulls it tightly around her torso, "Yes, and I love it." She walks over to Blaine and hugs him. "Thank you."
"Alright you crazy kids, I'm gonna head to bed." Burt says. Rachel had agreed to let Burt stay in her room while she's gone on her cruise so he headed that way and closed the door behind him.
Blake and Kurt look at each other, "So, obviously we're not going to make you guys go to a hotel, but we do have limited space." Blake points out. "I have an air mattress if Finn wants to sleep in my room and we of course have the couch and stuff if Blaine wants to sleep out here."
The two visitors nod, "I'm fine with that." Blaine says, looking at Finn.
The taller man nods, "Sounds good to me."
"Alright, goodnight guys." Blake waves as she takes Finn's hand and brings him over to her room.
She closes the door behind them and lets out a loud sigh as she collapses on her bed. Finn chuckles, "You're very overdramatic."
"No I'm not." Blake counters with her face smooshed in the bedding.
Finn quietly walks closer to the bed, careful not to make any noise. He then jumps up in the air and falls directly onto Blake who groans out, "Get off me!" She wiggles.
"Then are you overdramatic?" He asks, not moving from his position.
"Finn, can't breathe." She squeezes out.
"Answer the question." He laughs.
"Fine, yes!" She giggles. "I'm overdramatic."
"That's what I thought." He says triumphantly, finally getting off of her.
Blake flips over on her back, "You almost just killed me."
"Are you calling me fat?" He asks, mock offended.
"No!" Blake exclaims. "You just have like way more muscle than I do." She explains as she sits up and goes to grab the air mattress from her closet. "If you wanna plug the machine into the wall, it should blow up the mattress. I'll go get you some extra blankets." She says kindly, walking out of the room.
Finn does as she says and plugs in the air machine to blow up the mattress. It blows up surprisingly fast and as it finishes, Blake walks back in with the blankets. She walks over to Finn and holds up a handful of blankets.
"There's a couple in here. I got a thin one for a sheet sort of thing so you won't be uncomfortable." She explains. "If you get hot or cold let me know and I'll adjust the temperature."
"Thanks." He smiles gratefully, kissing her forehead. "I appreciate it."
"Of course." She beams up at him. "Goodnight Finny."
"Goodnight." He replies as she goes to lay down on her bed.
Blake gets comfortable under the covers and turns off the lamp on her bedside table. She allows herself to relax, hearing Finn's even breathing coming from below. As she cuddles deeply into her blankets, on the verge of falling asleep, a loud crack of thunder resounds throughout the apartment.
The brunette girl flinches at the sound, not expecting it. She knew they were expecting snow in the next couple of days, but not rain. It spooked her. She immediately pulls the blanket up over her mouth and nose, only leaving her eyes exposed. Her once sleepy demeanor now vanished at the sound of the sky yelling.
Once again thunder strikes outside and Blake whimpers. She curses under her breath, not wanting to wake up Finn. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to block out the fear rising in her chest. Maybe if she kept her eyes closed for long enough she would eventually fall asleep.
Suddenly a bright flash peeks through her window followed by another loud boom. This time Blake hides all the way under the covers, hugging her knees to her chest. She lays in that position, shaking, until she feels a slight dip in the other side of her bed.
She looks out from under the covers and comes face to face with Finn who is looking at her with concern. "It's okay." He soothes quietly. "I'm right here."
Instead of responding, Blake comes out from under the covers and scooches closer to the tall man, hiding herself in his chest. Finn's eyes widen, startled by her actions, but he slowly wraps his arms around her waist and lays on the pillow below him.
Thunder sounds again and Blake buries herself deeper into Finn if that was even physically possible. The man gazes down at the scared woman below him and begins to comfortingly stroke her hair, knowing it would relax her. Just as his hand met her head, he felt her instantly lean into his touch. He then began humming lowly to try and lull her to sleep.
And to the surprise of no one, it worked.
"Goodnight, sweetheart." He whispers, kissing the top of her head.
╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
The next morning, Blake woke up more relaxed than she had in months. She feels a weight on her hips and she softly smiles to herself, knowing that Finn stayed with her throughout the night. Judging by the small snores coming from his mouth, she knows he's still asleep. So she takes the opportunity to just lay in his arms. She doesn't know what it is, but whenever she sleeps with Finn, sleep comes much easier.
"Good morning." The man manages to croak out.
Shivers run down Blake's spine at the sound of his morning voice. She glances up at him, "Good morning."
"How'd you sleep." He rubs the back of her head tiredly.
"Good." She mumbles. "How about you?"
"Really good." He answers, sitting up with a long stretch. "But we should probably head into the living room. The game is starting soon and I told Burt I'd watch it with him."
Blake chuckles, "Alright." She smiles. "Let's go."
The duo stands up and walks out to the living room. But before exiting her room completely, Blake checks her phone and notices a text from Chris.
Merry Christmas Beautiful!
The sweet message is accompanied by an adorable photo of him and Dodger. Blake swallows thickly, guilt filling her heart. She just slept in the same bed as another guy while Chris was sending her cute messages of him and his dog. She internally beats herself up before sending a nicely crafted message back to him.
She sighs and places her phone back on the bedside table, wanting to focus on the people around her. She walks out of the room and brushes off the negative feelings that overtook her and she goes to plop right down on the couch next to Burt who already had the game on.
"Who's winning?" She questions.
"The Celtics." Burt grumbles.
Kurt sits down on the couch as well. He nods, pretending to be interested. "Celtics."
They all sit in silence, keeping their eyes on the TV. Blake knew about Burt's bet with Blaine about how long Kurt would last watching the game. Truthfully, she thinks Burt is going to win. If anyone knows Kurt the best, it's his dad.
"Okay, I tried." Kurt gives up, picking up his Vogue magazine to read instead of watching the boring ball game.
Burt points to Blake, "What's the time?"
"Twenty seconds." She calls out with a laugh.
Burt claps his hands victoriously, "Oh! Pay up, Anderson. You may have dated him, but I raised him. I know my son."
Finn shakes his head as he sits next to Blake, apple juice in hand. "Wrong person to bet with Blaine." He shakes his head. "I've never won a bet against Burt."
Blaine groans, "Aw, you couldn't have just toughed it out for just a few more seconds, Kurt?"
"No." The man deadpans.
"Just a few more seconds." Blaine teases.
Burt leans forward and looks over at Blaine, "So... graduating... Plans for the future?" He asks, changing the subject.
Blaine pauses, "Uh... well... I haven't talked about this with Kurt, and I wouldn't do anything to make him uncomfortable, but I was thinking about applying to NYADA." He looks at his ex, unsure of his reaction. "Would that be okay?"
Kurt stares at Blaine for a moment too long causing Finn and Blake to share a knowing look. "I think that'd be great."
Blaine smiles softly, "Me too."
Blake clears her throat, "Not to interrupt this heartfelt and grossly romantic moment, but I do have a little gift for you and Finn." She says to Blaine.
The two men look at her interested, "Do tell." Blaine says.
Blake gets up and runs back to her room, grabbing the gifts she had for the two of them. Blake hands the slightly larger one to Blaine and the other one to Finn.
"Open them." She says impatiently as they just stare at her.
Blaine opens his gift and gasps at the snow globe of New York with NYADA engraved in the snow at the bottom in his hand. "Blake, this is so cute. Where did you get it?" He looks at her.
"I got it custom made." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I figured it would be a good little welcome gift for your future here with us." She smiles kindly.
"Well, it's amazing. Thank you." He says graciously to her.
Finn opens up his small box and he pulls out a bracelet. He tilts his head, trying to read the message that is engraved on it in gorgeous cursive.
New Directions Glee Club Director.
Finn looks up at her, "What... what is this?"
Blake takes his hand in hers, "I know you've been doubting yourself recently after everything, but I just want you to know that you're doing so well. So whenever you doubt yourself, I want you to look down at this bracelet and remember your purpose and the amazing things you do for that club." She tells him passionately.
Finn's eyes begin to well up with tears as he pulls her in by her hand and squeezes her tightly, "Thank you." He whispers.
"Never forget how special you are, Hudson. You are that club's new direction. Remember that."
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Happy New Years everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm sorry if it seems kind of rushed, I was struggling with this one a little bit. I love you all. And if you have any suggestions for my next book, please let me know 😌