A/N: I am so sorry about taking so long to post this guys, but I am back and full of muse! This chapter is a big one and I really hope that you guys like it! It starts out with Rachels POV but near the end it turns into a Rachel/Finn thing. Hopefully it's not confusing or anything, just tell me what you all think. It's also a bit of a pezberry chapter which I really enjoyed writing because I love them together. By no means do I own Glee, the characters, or anything except my own imagination. Hope y'all enjoy!

"Happy Birthday to you…"

Rachel covers her eyes as she hears the very lovely, and very loud, harmonizing of Kurt and Santana. She'd been trying to avoid this birthday as much as possible. It wasn't that she didn't like to celebrate, any chance to be in a room where people were praising her was a good opportunity to Rachel, but this year was just different. She was used to going home and being with her Dads, her old friends from school, there was even that one year where Shelby showed up with Beth which was just a disaster, but the effort was there and it was appreciated. But this year she couldn't be with her family. Rachel made a point of never missing a single class so she could indulge in a little long weekend when her birthday came around, but there was this huge production that she had to put on for her theater class and it counted for half of her grade, if she wasn't there for every rehearsal and every late night costume fitting or blocking session, then she could cost her entire class their grade. Rachel was anything but unreliable and if it meant she'd have to spend her birthday without her family and friends then so be it.

This year she did have something a little different to look forward to. Finn Hudson hadn't been right around the corner for a birthday of hers in a few years now. The first year that he was gone she remembers blowing out the candles and wishing he would show up, that goofy grin that she loved so much on his face, and he'd take her in his arms and kiss her before whispering 'Happy Birthday, Rach. I love you' into her ear. When that didn't happen, she began to wish for smaller things- a phone call, a letter, a sign that he was alive at all. Even when she hated Finn, she always wished for him on her birthday and now that she had him she didn't know what to do about it. Should she expect him over to celebrate with her? Would he even remember? It's been years and she wouldn't be terribly angry if he didn't have a clue…Well no, that's a lie. She and Finn had been spending a little more time together as friends recently and she was beginning to enjoy his company again. Him forgetting her birthday might require her to break his other hand too.

"Can you stop daydreaming and make a wish already? I really don't have all fucking day, Berry." Santana puts a hand on her hip and Rachel is instantly taken away from her thoughts.

"Oh! Oh…Birthday pancakes?" She giggles, looking at the pancakes that were decorated with strawberries and different kinds of fruits.

"It's made with soy milk and all Vegan friendly products thanks to moi. If it had been up to Medusa over here, you'd be having steak for breakfast."

Santana shrugs and says "I like my meat." To which Rachel covers her face to giggle and Kurt rolls his eyes, "Obviously not" He comments, getting a slap on the arm from Santana before the brunette speaks up again. "Seriously though Berry, can you make a wish already? We all have classes today."

Rachel sighs before shutting her eyes and thinking for a moment. It took no real time at all before she blew out the single candle on the pancake and she can hear Kurt and even Santana cheering a little bit for her, but all she could think about was her wish. She didn't want to do it. She didn't want to make this year about Finn Hudson, it was exhausting and pointless, but she couldn't help herself.

Rachel wished that things between her and Finn could finally be settled. She doesn't know what that means, but she hopes to find peace with him somehow and to be able to move on either with or without him. That was her wish. That was what Rachel wanted this year.

It had been the worst birthday ever. Not only was she flat throughout her entire vocal lesson, but the other lead in the play was missing and instead of canceling rehearsal because the show must always go on, they decided to use his understudy who was entirely unprepared, unprofessional, and just wanted an excuse to kiss her. So not only was Rachel humiliated in front of a room of nearly professional singers, she was also slobbered on by a freshman who undoubtedly had eaten peanut butter at some point in the day. Just perfect. Rehearsal had gone on for quite a few hours that day and it wasn't until around six thirty that she got to go home at last and even then she found herself with Santana.

"Santana, what are you doing in my school?" She furrows her eyebrows.

"Here, I brought you a change of clothes and some makeup. You have a dressing room here you could use, right?" Rachel nods "Good. We're going to one of your stupid Broadway shows."

Rachel's eyes light up and her grin grows about a million times larger than it's ever been before she jumps on Santana, pulling her in for a hug. No one understands how exciting this was to her. It's been years since they've been in New York, YEARS, and she'd never once been able to convince Santana into going to watch a musical with her. Not Rent when it came back for a two week revival, not Evita, not Mama Mia, not anything! So Santana taking her to see a Broadway play was just about the greatest birthday gift that she'd ever received in her life.

After going into the dressing room and yelling at Santana for choosing such a slutty dress for her to wear for the evening- white with an open back and a hem that hardly reached her thighs at all- and having her makeup done by the Latina, Rachel was just about ready to go. She places her things in a locker she had specifically for her dance classes and locks it shut before turning to Santana.

"So what is it that we're going to see anyways?" She asks curiously.

"Well, Starberry," Rachel can't help but smile because the nickname was one only used by Santana when she was feeling particularly affectionate. "After doing my research and deciding everything sucks, I decided to pick something sexy…" Rachel arches an eyebrow and it's Santana's turn to chuckle. "I mean what's hotter than a bunch of incarcerated, angry, bitches?"

Her eyes widen and she keeps herself from jumping up and down because falling in the heels she wore would not be pretty. "We're going to watch Chicago! Oh, Santana!" She hugs the girl again and eagerly pulls her out of the building to call for a cab. Chicago was one of her favorites and not just because it was about 'a bunch of incarcerated, angry bitches' as her friend so kindly worded it. Rachel made a mental note to sit Santana down and explain the real moral of the story someday. But for now, Rachel was just glad that they were doing this at all.

"Finn…Finn hasn't even called me! D-Do you believe that!" Rachel pouts as she leans onto her best friend, hugging her close because otherwise she'd fall flat on her face.

The night started out innocent enough, they watched the show and sipped on just about the worst glasses of wine ever. It really started when Santana mumbled "Fuck this shit" and dragged Rachel to a bar across the street. They were mature adults who could drink responsibly and it really wasn't until Santana leaned back against the bar stool and started yelling out "It's her birthday, bitches!" That things started to get a little crazier. Drink after drink was purchased for them by guys who wanted to 'celebrate' with them, but they'd find ways to avoid confrontation further than that by saying they were in a relationship with each other. It turns out that having a friend who's a lesbian is really incredibly helpful.

So it was needless to say that Rachel was pretty tipsy. Tipsy enough to not notice that Santana kept dodging phone calls from someone, or that the times that she did answer she was being yelled at. Instead she was busy trying to stand on her own and complain about Finn at the same time.

"I mean whoooo does that?! He's all 'Oh, I'm never gonna stop fighting for you' and then he doesn't call on my birthday? I gave him my virginity!"

"Woah, okay, too much." Santana laughs before shrugging "Although we all knew you gave it up to Hudson, we just never wanted to hear it." She watches while Rachel rolls her eyes "But honestly, why do you even care? It's not like Hudson has been around all these years. He comes back into your life once and he's suddenly everything again? Rach, you're better than that."

Rachel frowns "Says who? Who says I'm better than this?" She stops walking and sits herself down on a bench. "Santana I never stopped loving him and I hate him for it. If he'd just broken up with me like a normal person then it wouldn't hurt so bad but he left the way he did and he never ever called and now I'm miserable all over again!" Rachel doesn't even realize that Santana is pulling her back up, urging her to walk some more. "I'm either meant to be with Finn Hudson or I'm meant to be miserable without him and I can't decide which one hurts most."

Santana stays quiet for a minute, just continuing to walk with her arm linked around Rachels. "You know, Britt never called me on any of my birthdays."

Rachel pauses and looks at her sadly, shaking her head "I'm sorry Santa-" But the brunette doesn't let her finish.

"I didn't ask for an apology. She's been in New York for a while. She runs this whole dance studio out in Soho, but she never bothered to look me up, never bothered to call or anything, especially on my birthday. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she's with someone else right now, making all those plans that we once made."

Rachel sighs, looking down at the floor as they walked "Why didn't you call her?" She asks.

"Because I'm stubborn" She chuckles before shrugging "And because she's not my life anymore. Brittany and I broke up a million years ago and although I still care about her, I know it's not my place to care about things like phone calls or her being with other people. It's in the past." Rachel nods, thinking she understands what Santana is trying to tell her, but Santana continues anyways. "Rach, if you're not with Finn it isn't going to be the end of the world you know. You're cute when you aren't being annoying, and you even learned how to tame your crazy so it's not that bad anymore. Love doesn't end with Frankenteen for you. You'll find someone." She playfully bumps her hip against Rachels before smiling. "And if you don't you're totally welcome to turn les. We're totally cool people and I bet a bunch of chicks will find that whole Barbra Streisand meets a stripper thing you've got going on hot."

Rachel laughs and pulls her best friend into a hug. "Thank you Santana." She smiles at her and sighs. As difficult as it was to accept, she knows that part of what Santana said was true. Love won't end with Finn Hudson, she just needs to find a way to open herself to it.

They finally get home, laughing about some stupid joke Santana told, when they open the door. "Surprise!" Rachel jumps back a little, putting her hand over her chest before laughing and being tackled by Kurt. "You did not think that we were going to let your birthday pass without throwing you a fabulous party did you?" Rachel laughs again and pulls him and Santana into a hug. Whether or not she had Finn on this day suddenly didn't matter as much because she's got two of the most wonderful roommates in the world.

"I can't believe you planned all of this for me! And you!" She shoves her costar on the chest playfully "You missed out on rehearsal for this! I had to makeout with a freshman!" The crowd laughs as Rachel goes on and on about how her experience with Patrick, the sloppy kisser, was quite possibly the worst that she's ever had in her entire life. So far the party had been great. The apartment was crowded with friends and school mates of Rachel, Kurt and Santana, the music was loud, the drinks were available, and Rachel couldn't have asked for a better experience. "And it's all your fault so your gift to me better be expensive and awesome!" She says a little drunkenly to the guy who was laughing and putting his arm around her shoulder. It was easy to assume they were together. She and Vince had great chemistry and there was no doubt that they would make attractive children together, but there was just one little problem with the whole thing; Vince was gay. He was great at hiding it, even Rachel tried to hit on him at first, but the cat was let out of the bag when he showed up to rehearsal with his boyfriend one day. If they couldn't be together then they'd just be great friends, which it was clear that they were.

Rachel turns when she feels someone tap her shoulder, her eyes going a little wide when she sees who it is. "Y-You came." She says with a smile, pulling away from Vince so she could hug Finn.

He chuckles and nods his head "Of course I did. Did you think I forgot about you?" When Rachel looks down into her drink innocently, Finn sighs and pulls her into another hug, eyeing Vince as he does. "Sorry." He whispers to her. He should have known better than to think that Rachel would have known that he remembered her. He's put her through hell these last few years and to just assume that he wouldn't do the same now would probably be stupid. He knew he should have done something big for her, like taken her to breakfast or met up with her after school, but he didn't want to get in the way. Finn wanted to be mindful of the fact that Rachel had a life outside of him.

"Hey, no sadness on my birthday! C'mon, I'll introduce you to everyone." And that she did. Rachel went person by person, introducing Finn to them as her friend and as shitty as it felt to hear her say that with such ease, he had to admit that he liked the way she held his hand as she pulled him through the crowds.

It turns out that a huge part of mingling was getting drunk. Finn hadn't been much of a drinker at all since the army kind of frowned upon it and, well, he just didn't like the way that it felt, but it was a special occasion and it would kind of be awkward to just deny people every time they offered him a shot or a cup of something. It took a while to get used to the taste, but Finn was a pro by the end, chugging drinks like it was no big deal.

"Spin the bottle!" Rachel jumps from Finns side as she hears someone announce that the game was about to happen and she pulls him "C'mon Finnnn, it's my birthday! You can't say no!" She grins and he's entirely sold. That seemed to be Rachels excuse for everything today and he was going to allow it because, well he's in no position to say no to her right? And he couldn't really feel his legs anymore so he doesn't really know how he wound up sitting in the circle between Rachel and Lindsay who was one of Kurts co-workers.

The bottle begins to spin and the game is in action quickly. First one of Rachels friends from school and a guy that Finn couldn't really remember, then Santana and Vince, then two other people, before they knew it, it had been Rachels turn. She grins as she reaches the bottle and spins it, Finns heart pounding because he doesn't think he can handle it landing on anyone else. The entire crowd begins to yell as suddenly the bottle comes to a stop on someone entirely unexpected. Rachel was going to kiss Santana.

Shit. Rachel was going to kiss Santana and Finn had a front row seat to it all.

Santana, in a pure drunken nature, makes a 'come hither' motion towards Rachel who just giggles and crawls across the circle towards the other brunette. Finn prepares himself for the wet dream of a century, but when Santana and Rachels lips meet in a deep kiss, all he can really think about is how much he wishes it were him. Sure the sight was hot, but better than fantasizing about Rachel was actually having her. He had to have her.

The game ended when people decided to take kissing a little too far and began to disappear. Finn had kissed three other girls that night, but he made a point to make it brief and meaningless because he didn't care for them. Unfortunately the bottle never meets for him and Rachel that night. Instead Rachel gets to kiss about a million other guys, all of which he wanted to punch in the face. Yeah it was a game, but that was his Rachel, he came all the way out here for her, and watching her kiss other guys was just never going to be fun.

When people begin to leave, Finn sticks behind, letting Kurt talk his ear out about the problem of the week that he was having with Blaine. Apparently he missed the romance and when he started to talk about their sex life, Finn had to put it to a stop; he wasn't really interested in hearing about his brothers sex life. He finally finds Rachel standing out in the balcony, a glass of wine in her hand. He smiles as he leans against the balcony rail beside her. "Hey."

Rachel smiles, still not looking at him "Hi," She finally turns her head from the view of the city towards him. "Did you enjoy yourself tonight?"

That was Rachel. Drunk or not, older or not, she always cared about other people more than she did herself. The things that she did, although they sometimes seemed selfish, were all for the best for the people she loves and he gets that. He loves that about her. "Yeah, yeah. I'm a little…not sober at all." They both laugh before he nods "But yeah, you guys can sure throw a party." Rachel giggles and he feels his heartbeat speed up. "Oh, I almost forgot." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box. Rachel tilts her head to the side and he grins "Your birthday gift."

"Finn, you didn't need to." She says, although she snatches the box from him and opens it with a large grin on her face, like a little kid opening gifts Christmas morning. "Wow," She pulls the necklace from the box, holding it up to her face and smiling. It was simple, just a gold necklace, similar to the one that he gave her when they were in high school, but in the center it held a gold star with a small diamond in the middle of it. "Finn this is beautiful." She says without looking away from the small piece of jewelry.

"Yeah, I was hoping gold stars were still your thing." He smiles when she nods her head eagerly. "Happy Birthday, Rach." He steps closer to her, taking the necklace and putting it around her neck. "Perfect." He whispers.

They were close enough to feel each others breath, and she's pretty sure that he would be able to feel her heart beating if he got any closer. He was still as handsome as she remembered, still as sweet, and despite all of the things that Santana and Kurt have told her over the years, Rachel can't help but want him and just him. "Finn?" She whispers, her hand reaching up to touch his cheek.

"Hmm?" He presses his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as she touches his cheek.

"You can kiss me if you want to." She looks up at him with wide eyes, her lips parted slightly. Finn can't help but chuckle and notice that she's never looked more beautiful before.

He rubs their noses together, his hand reaching her back to press her against him. "I want to." He says, a smile on his face before he leans forward and presses their lips together.

And just like that, they were tethered back together. Finn and Rachel weren't over and they both knew it, it wouldn't ever be over.