"Are you sure you want to do this, Kurt?" Blaine asked skeptically as Kurt paced back and forth in front of him. "You could make it worse."

"Or I could make it better," Kurt said defiantly as he paused to look at his reluctant partner-in-crime. He exhaled dramatically and resumed his pacing. "Seriously. Finn and Rachel put us all through hell with their juvenile courtship last year and just when we all think everything is sunshine, lollipops and rainbows it blows up in our faces! Frigging Santana," he muttered under his breath as he started to pace again. "Mercedes says that glee club over there sucks because Rachel is giving up all the solos and half-assing the choreography …"

"Isn't that good for us?"

"Of course it isn't," Kurt shot back theatrically. "How are we supposed to prove we're the best if we don't go up against the best? And, honey, let me tell you: that glee club isn't at its best unless Rachel Berry is singing her heart out, Finn Hudson is smiling at her like she was the whole world, and Mercedes belting out the last note like she was Whitney Frigging Houston."

"Kurt," Blaine sighed. "This whole thing could blow up in your face. He's your brother now. What about, I don't know, family unity?"

Kurt stopped again and stared at the older boy. "Family unity is exactly the reason I'm doing this." He brushed his bangs from his forehead and almost stomped his foot in a very Rachel Berry-like manner. "Finn loves her. Like, loves her in that real, grown up way that adults say we don't understand. And Finn may not understand much, but love and Rachel Berry? Saints alive, he understands both of those. Which is probably why he was so hurt over the whole thing."

"I'd be hurt if the person I was dating cheated on me with my best friend too," Blaine said with a careless shrug. "I mean, it was wrong, what your friend Rachel did. Honestly, I don't know why you don't just let them try to work it out on their own. Maybe it's best if they're broken up. She cheated on him, Kurt."

Kurt stared at his companion in silence. As the seconds ticked by, Kurt was growing angrier and angrier. Yes, he understood that what Rachel did was wrong. But he also knew that she knew what she did was wrong. And he knew that Finn knew that Rachel knew what she did was wrong.

"It's like I don't even know you," Kurt said, eyes wide.

Blaine sighed again. Kurt was a handful on a good day and today definitely was not a good day. His friend had gotten it into his mind that Rachel and Finn needed to be back together like yesterday. "I'm just saying that maybe Rachel and Finn weren't meant to go the distance," he shrugged again. "Maybe she really likes that Puckerman fellow."

Kurt stared again. "No. Seriously. Who are you? Have you not listened to a thing I've told you about them?"

"Told him about who?" Finn asked as he walked into the room, hands shoved deep into his pockets, shoulders up and head slightly ducked.

"Finn!" Kurt cried out delightfully. "You made it!"

"'Course," Finn said with a smile. "Haven't seen you much since you moved out here. Thought it might be kinda fun to hang out."

Kurt smiled winningly at his step-brother. Phase I was a go. "And where are my manners?" Kurt clucked at himself as he clapped his hands together once. "Finn, this is my friend Blaine. Blaine, my step-brother Finn."

Finn pursed his lips and gave a slight nod. Blaine gave a small wave.

Not awkward at all. He wasn't sure which one he wanted to kill. He was leaning towards Blaine because Finn was always just a little bit awkward.

He could get one of the other guys to fill in for his soon-to-be-dead companion.

Kurt was about to say something else when he heard it. The tell-tale sound of clicking heels and a giggle. Phase II was about to begin. He had a feeling he should have invested in a helmet.

"Thank you for escorting me, Wesley," Rachel smiled as she walked into the room. "I never would have been able to find this room on my own. Good luck at Regionals," she added before turning to face the room. "Hell …. lo," she finished weakly as her eyes landed on Finn.

"Rachel?" Finn asked lowly. "What're you …?"

"Kurt invited me," she said quietly. And then she nearly panicked. "I'm so sorry! I never would have come if I'd known you were going to be here. Not that I don't want to see you!" she cried out desperately. "But I know … I mean, I'm," she swallowed thickly. "I've been trying to give you space, Finn. And I never would intentionally ruin your plans. I didn't mean to …" she turned to Kurt. "Did I get the day wrong?" she asked him, eyes wide.

"No," Kurt said with a smile. "Blaine and I wanted to go out for dinner and we need to catch up," he said. "But," he sighed dramatically, "the last time we did that it was horribly uncomfortable for Mercedes so we decided to invite someone else as well. Finn was the obvious choice."

"Dude," Finn said lowly as he turned his back completely on Rachel to face his step-brother. "You know what's going on …"

"Oh, please," the smaller boy scoffed.

"If you wanted a date for Rachel your probably should have called Puck," the taller boy spat back angrily. "Sure he would have jumped at the chance to be with Rachel. Again. Oh wait," Finn said sarcastically as he glanced over his shoulder at Rachel. "He already did!" he shouted before turning his back on her again.

"Finn!" Kurt cried out in shock. He'd only ever seen Finn like this once before and that was right after he found out about Beth's true paternity. (And by the way, what was it with Noah Puckerman that drove the ladies of McKinley crazy? He was a barbaric heathen.)

"It's okay," Rachel said softly. "You boys have fun. I can come back some other time."

Kurt watched as Finn turned to glance at his ex-girlfriend's downcast face and then shut his own eyes tightly. He turned his body back to face him and clenched his fist before saying, "It's fine, Rachel. You can stay."

"Oh no, Finn. Stay and have your boys' night," she insisted. "Blaine? If you wouldn't mind showing me back out?"

Blaine stood from his seat on the couch and started making his way to the door.

"You, sit," Kurt said seriously as he pointed his finger at Blaine.

"He's not a dog, Kurt!" Rachel cried out indignantly. "And you can't just expect me to find my own way out. This place is like … like …"

"Hogwarts," Finn said seriously.

"It's not like the staircases move or anything," Blaine responded with a smile. "But it is quite … large."

They were all quiet for a moment before Finn exhaled loudly and rubbed the back of his neck. He slowly turned towards the girl fidgeting in the doorway. "Seriously, Rachel. I think …" he exhaled again. "I think we can be in the same room for a few hours. Don't you?"

"I think that's something you need to decide, Finn. If it's just going to be more of the same with you looking everywhere but me and refusing to engage in a conversation with me then I'd rather not go with you," Rachel said seriously, shifting her weight from side to side.

"I'll talk to you," he said softly. "Just not about …"

"I wouldn't," she assured him quickly. "I think you understand that I've accepted the fact that I'm undeserving of your forgiveness. Maybe this can be a stepping stone to us forging another tentative friendship."

Kurt's eyes shifted between the two. He noticed, even if they didn't, how Rachel and Finn had gotten closer to each other. "Okay, then!" he said loudly as he clapped his hands together. "We're going to Old Bag of Nails."

"The bar?" Blaine asked, his eyebrows arched.

"There's a great new band playing tonight and it's a bar/restaurant," Kurt said with a smile, "And I know how much Rachel loves to hear aspiring singers."

"I do love finding talent before anyone else," she said tentatively.

"Then it's settled!" Kurt said with a wide grin. "Blaine can drive."

"Uhh …" Finn said slowly, his eyes shifting to Rachel. "I think I'll drive myself."

"Nonsense," his brother insisted. "Don't waste the gas and further harm the environment. One car will be fine. Blaine?"

The other young man smiled uncertainly. "Sure."

"Shotgun!" Kurt called out delightedly as he grabbed Rachel's hand and walked out of the room, chattering away about how much he simply adored the dress she was wearing.

"Setup?" Finn asked Blaine, who was staring at the couple who had just left the room.

"I'm the reluctant accomplice who believes this is a very, very bad idea," Blaine told him adamantly.

Finn simply pursed his lips, shoved his hands back in his pockets and headed in the same direction Kurt and Rachel had left in.

This was going to be a long night.

.x.

Twenty minutes later they were seated at a booth as far from the bar as physically possible.

Kurt slid into the booth and patted the seat beside him. In a moment of panic, Finn pushed past the others and slid in next to his brother. Little did he know that the plan was for this seating arrangement was exactly what he wanted.

See, Rachel knew Blaine was gay; Finn didn't.

And Blaine was a natural flirt. Kurt was banking on his friend being his usual self tonight and making Finn jealous.

(He ignored the part of his brain that said it didn't work when Rachel tried to do the same thing with Puck. Blaine wasn't Puck and he wasn't Rachel. Though, if he was honest, he wouldn't mind acting out some of the more … intimate … Puckleberry scenes with Blaine.)

Rachel smiled and slid into the booth, Blaine settling himself next to her. He wasn't so sure about this part of the plan: Finn was a big guy and Blaine wasn't one for physical altercations.

He didn't need to get beaten up before Regionals.

But then the conversation started and flowed steadily through drink orders and food orders and appetizers. Then Rachel mentioned wanting to do a Funny Girl/Funny Lady marathon.

He happened to love Mrs. Brolin and everything she'd ever done.

"Isn't Barbra wonderful?" Blaine asked with wide eyes and a huge smile, his hand unconsciously reaching out to grip hers.

Finn arched a brow. This dude had been all over Rachel all night. Playing with her hair, tickling her. He had really started getting pissed off.

But the dude liked Streisand?

Finn glanced over to see the dopey look on his brother's face and something just clicked. Blaine really wasn't kidding when he said it was a setup.

Finn could have a lot of fun with this.

He knew, deep down, that Kurt only wanted what was best for him and he thought that what was best for him was Rachel. Finn figured Kurt was right but he just wasn't ready to forgive her yet. He wanted to, he really did. But there were still nights when he closed his eyes and all he could see was Rachel wrapped up in Puck arms, a smile on her face and her lips moving to press against his.

He usually played some COD after that happened. He always felt the urge to blow something up.

But this? This setup? It was pretty funny. So he would have fun with it.

Rachel and Blaine kept chattering on about Barbra and her movies and her music and how it was something of a travesty that her talents were being wasted in slapstick comedies.

And Finn? Finn turned to Kurt and pasted a scowl on his face. "What the hell, man?"

"What?" Kurt asked, probably thinking Finn couldn't see the way the corner of his mouth ticked up slightly.

"I thought you brought us both here to try and get me and Rachel back together," he hissed in response. "Or was your plan to let Rachel hook up with Soul Sister over there and show me what I'm missing but making me realize it's too late." Kurt opened his mouth to respond but Finn continued lowly, "I already know what it feels like to lose her to a dude from another school. You remember Jesse, don't you?"

Sure Kurt did. Jesse was the ultrafine spy who broke Rachel's heart and sent her running back to Finn. "And?" he asked.

"I don't know if I can watch her fall in love with another douchebag from an opposing school," Finn said seriously. "It nearly killed me last time."

"Killed you enough that you went running right between Santana's legs," Kurt shot back in a loud whisper.

"Low blow, dude. Rachel and I weren't even together then. I broke up with her."

"Just like you're not together now because you broke up with her. See a pattern? She falls in love with you, one of you screws it up, and then you break up with her. Well," Kurt continued with a shrug, "she was the one to screw up this time and you broke up. And she's moving on. What do you want me to do, Finn? You want me to tell them to knock it off?"

"Yes!" Finn cried out loudly, drawing the attention of not only Blaine and Rachel but several other parties in the restaurant as well. "I want you to stop this stupid jealousy game, okay?"

"What game?" Rachel asked.

"Like you weren't in on it too," he spat angrily.

"I-I …" she spluttered, eyes wide and growing shiny.

"She wasn't," Kurt said quickly. "She had nothing to do with it."

"With what?" Rachel asked, her eyes darting between Kurt and Finn.

"They set this whole thing up to make me jealous that you were moving on again. With another male lead from another rival school," he added.

"You didn't," she whispered threateningly to Kurt.

"Rachel, I …"

"No," she spat before shoving at Blaine. "Let me out," she demanded. When he didn't move due to the slight shake of Kurt's head, she shoved at him harder. "Move!" she shouted shrilly. "Blaine, seriously, if you don't move in five seconds …"

He shot out of the booth and let her pass without a word.

"What're you going to do, Rachel? Walk back to Dalton?" Kurt called from behind her. "In those heels?"

"Better a few blisters and sore feet than sitting here being accused of trying to trick Finn into loving me again. I hope you're satisfied!" she cried as she turned back to Kurt. She stomped her foot once before executing a perfect Rachel Berry Storm Out.

Finn glared at his brother before standing from the booth as well. "Not cool, dude. And really not cool for making me think she was in on it."

"I told you she wasn't," Kurt shot back, his face growing red.

"You were still the mastermind of this whole mess," he spat in response. "This could really mess things up, Kurt."

"More than you and Rachel already did?" Kurt asked in response.

Finn just narrowed his eyes before turning and stalking out of the restaurant as well.

"Mission accomplished?" Blaine asked with a smile as he sat back down in the booth and lifted his glass to Kurt's.

"Mission accomplished," Kurt responded with a grin as he clinked their glasses together.

.x.

"Rachel! Rachel, wait. Wait up. Please!" Finn called as he jogged after her. "Please, Rach. Slow down."

"It's February and I'm in a dress walking outside after dark. I really don't think I should slow down for fear of frostbite or pneumonia," she responded, arms wrapped tightly around herself as she hurried down the street. "And besides," she continued, "I don't really want to talk with you right now."

"The hell did I do?" he asked as he caught up with her.

"Oh, I don't know," she said sharply. "Maybe accusing me of teaming up with Kurt and Blaine to make you jealous so that you would want me back? Gosh, Finn," she continued angrily, her voice shaking with barely-controlled tears, "I've left you alone since before Christmas. I haven't called or texted or IM'd or … or tweeted. Nothing. You think I've been hatching this plan for months?" She sped up, not wanting to be next to him right then. "I've done exactly what you wanted, Finn. I've given up."

"That's not what I wanted!" Finn shouted as he hurried to catch her again. She sure was fast for someone with such short legs. "I just wanted some space to process …"

"There was nothing to process, Finn," she said as she stopped and turned to face him. "I cheated. I know it was wrong and I apologized. I did it to hurt you. I wanted you to feel as horrible as I did. And I got what I wanted and then some. You …" she took a deep breath. "You were right to dump me, Finn. And now that I understand and accept it, I can let you go."

"What if I don't want you to let me go?" Finn whispered.

Rachel shook her head, a tear slowly coursing down her cheek. "You can't do this to me," she responded.

"Rachel …"

"You can't!" she said loudly as she tried to back away. "I can't let you do this to me, Finn. Not again. Can't you … can't you see that maybe we weren't meant for this?"

"Screw that!" he shot back angrily as his hands reached out to grab her hips and pull her closer.

"We keep hurting each other, Finn, and it's not healthy. We can't have a relationship when there's constant pain!"

"The pain isn't constant, Rachel," he responded. "Yes, we've had our ups and downs …"

"More downs than ups it seems."

"You don't believe that," he told her certainly. "I know you don't."

"What else can I say, Finn?" she pleaded with him. "What can I say to you to make you realize that we're not going to work?"

"Tell me you don't love me anymore," he said.

She froze, her eyes snapping to meet his. "What?"

"That's the only thing that's going to make me walk away from you right now, Rachel. Tell me you don't love me anymore and I'll let you go and I won't look back."

"Finn …" she whispered.

"You can't do it, can you," he stated, not bothering to phrase it as a question. "Because you do still love me."

"Of course I do," she whispered, another tear falling.

"Then let's make this whole thing right again, okay?"

"Finn," she said softly as she shook her head.

"Please, Rachel. Give us another chance. I … I love you, okay? I'm still in love with you. And, yes, I'm angry. And yes, I broke up with you. But I don't want to be either anymore. You know, angry or broken up with you. So, please, babe," he whispered. "Please give us another chance."

Her eyes stayed locked on his as she took a deep breath and slowly nodded her head. "Okay."

He smiled lopsidedly and leaned down to brush his lips against hers. "This time for good," he told her confidently. "This thing, this relationship? It's going to go the distance. I can feel it."

She nodded again, a small smile on her face. "Finn?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I missed your kisses," she told him somewhat shyly.

"Me too," he grinned before bending down to kiss her once again.

.xo.

For my fildos. Love you ladies.

I couldn't help but write it. Please, RM, maybe just a little truth to it?