AN from iGoToExtremes: Hello friends. Hope you're still with us after this extended break and you enjoy this next installment.

AN: from wants2beawriter: So sorry for the delay. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: We do not own or have an affiliation with Glee or Fox.

Chapter 12

Do you know anything about this?" Rachel demanded.

Her roommate merely cowered beneath her, his eyes wide with shock.

"I asked you, do you know anything about this?" She barked again tossing her phone onto Kurt's lap.

"Rachel, first take a deep breath and let us discuss this like rational people." Kurt replied as he gestured for her to take a cleansing breath. Rachel scowled and grabbed her phone from his hand.

"Are you suggesting that I am somehow being irrational about my boyfriend - your brother- lying to me for weeks about his future relocation? Are you suggesting that I am being irrational in that he and I promised no more lies or secrets and he has immediately broken that promise? Are you suggesting-"

"Yes, yes I am, and before you open your mouth to rebuff my argument, you need to listen to his reasoning." Kurt argued as he calmly rose from the couch.

Rachel stared in disbelief. He knew. Kurt, her best friend, the one person besides Finn whom she trusted more than anything, had abused that unwavering trust.

She wouldn't - no, couldn't - listen to his excuses. "I do not have to do anything of the sort. You lied to me, Kurt. You knew this entire time that I was molding my life around a long distance relationship that wasn't even going to belong distance!"

"Yes, I knew and I'm sorry for not telling you. But honestly, if you can get past your indignant sense of betrayal… doesn't him moving here make life so much easier now?" He flashed a cautiously optimistic smile in her direction.

"Kurt… I can't even think beyond the fact that the two men who I loved the most in life lied to me about something so utterly important. I…I…" She couldn't talk to him. She needed to get out into the fresh air. She didn't wait for his response. She simply, in her old high school fashion, spun on her three-inch heels and stormed out the front door.

She was livid! No, she was beyond livid. She was incensed, infuriated, enraged! How could Finn do this to her? Hadn't they just weeks prior re-committed themselves to a relationship? A relationship that was supposed to be built upon trust and mutual respect; not half-truths and lies by omission!

As she walked she looked down at the picture on her phone and stopped mid-step, nearly getting herself run over by angry pedestrians behind her. She moved aside, away from the bustle of the sidewalk, so she could walk at her own pace. Examining the photo, she couldn't hold back the wistful grin. Finn was hosting his own radio show, in New York City, and the poster also seemed to indicate that it would be on cable TV. She thought back to their junior year of high school when he insisted that he wasn't "New York City good." Dramatic as it was, she closed her eyes tightly and transported herself back to that conversation. She had always believes that Finn could be New York City good or whatever kind of good he wanted to be. The secretive nature of his new opportunity notwithstanding, she was extremely proud of him that he'd found a fulfilling career and was experiencing continued success.

Having considered the larger implications, she started to give Finn the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he hadn't known he was moving until very recently? Maybe he had simply just found out right before the media blitz occurred? They hadn't actually spoken in the last couple of days other than their ritualistic "sleep well" and "good morning" text wishes, so it was plausible that he just hadn't had the opportunity to inform her of his newly secured position.

That must have been the reason, she deduced. He wouldn't mislead her or try to make a fool of her. They just hadn't had the chance to converse at length. She was going to correct that error immediately.

She hastily made her way through the busy street to a nearby café, ordered a tea (since even in New York it's impolite to simply borrow a table when there are paying patrons about) and dialed his number. He would tell her immediately and if he didn't she would coax it out of him, briefly making him feel guilty about not announcing his news as soon as he learned of it. Then, though, she'd promptly inform him of how ecstatic she was that he'd be able to relocate permanently. She truly missed him terribly and their lack of recent communication had been brutal.

She took a sip of her tea, wondering if she needed a Long Island one instead after this revelation. When she heard his voicemail pick up after the first ring, she knew she should have had the latter.

Maybe the universe was trying to tell her something. The truth was that she probably shouldn't talk to him until she had all the facts, given how volatile their relationship could be... and how volatile shecould be.

She knew what she needed to do first, and that was face Kurt. She placed her money on the table and made her way back up the three blocks to their apartment building. If she knew Kurt like she thought she did, he would be sitting in the same spot, with a glass of wine ready for her. Which at the point she might have needed more than the truth. She let out a ragged breath as she entered the apartment to find Kurt exactly where she expected him, holding the glass of merlot in his hand.

"Have you calmed down or do you need a time out?" he said sourly.

She sighed and trudged over the couch, making sure not to spill the wine in the process.

"I had every right to be upset and no, I do not need a time out. You on the other hand need to tell me how you could keep this from me and better yet, how could hekeep something so pivotal to our relationship a secret."

Kurt rolled his eyes and sipped his wine. "First off, I didn't tell you because my brother swore me to secrecy until he had everything in order. Second, we weren't conspiring behind your back. In fact, I wanted no part of any concealment of the truth, and urged him to tell you right away to avoid this exact predicament. Third, in all of this did you ask yourself whyhe might have been inclined to conceal this piece of information to you?"

Now it was Rachel's turn to roll her eyes. She placed her glass on the coaster. "Of course I asked myself why. After the initial shock wore off, I immediately began contemplating why he would have kept this from me. It isn't as if I would have been perturbed, in fact I would have been elated to learn he was moving back here."

"Right, so again, what's the melodrama is for? He's moving here, you are ecstatic, so why not just inform him that you know and we can all move forth with our fabulous lives." Kurt said with a dramatic sigh. "As much as I love you and my brother, your childish games are wearing thin."

"I am so sorry that my problems are a bother to you. I will refrain from discussing them with you any further." Rachel said hotly as she quickly stood from the couch, only to hear Kurt exhale loudly.

"Really Rachel? Are we going to play these ridiculous games? You love him and he loves you, and for two people who want to make this relationship work you both are constantly putting obstacles in the way-" she started to speak but he held up his hand, silencing her - "no, let me finish. Was he wrong not telling you about his impending move? Absolutely, and I told him so. But on the other hand, can you honestly blame him for wanting to see how things played out between the two of you?"

"What are you implying?"

"I am not implying anything, I am simply stating the obvious," Kurt scoffed. "Before he arrived and you 'reconnected' - and I use that term loosely given exactly how that happened - I wasn't even allowed to utter his name, let alone discuss his life."

"I…" She didn't even know where to begin in response.

"Tell me that isn't the case?" When she opened and closed her mouth quickly without a retort of any kind Kurt smirked and continued, now pacing as he spoke.

"So, it was taboo for me to discuss him with you even though he was my family. Then he came back, you two reconnected in the most intimate of fashions, and then whilst becoming your temporary sexual plaything he found out about his new job opportunity. And you know what, Ms. Berry? Finn should have been giddy like a teenage girl getting her first pair of Jimmy Choos, but he wasn't. Because of your recent career struggles, he was only concerned with how his good news would affect you." He paused, clearly trying to emphasize his point by letting the words hang in the air as he took a sip of his wine.

Rachel looked down at her own glass, unsure of what to say in response. Luckily for her, Kurt wasn't done.

"Then, after getting your own big break, you decided you wanted a full-fledged relationship with Finn! Except, for career purposes you unilaterally determined that long-distance would work better. The whole ordeal threw him for quite the loop... although in your defense, it doesn't take much to confuse him. When he informed me of the ironic turn of events, I suggested that he simply tell you his news, honesty being the best policy and all. But since life was finally going your way for a change, he didn't want to disrupt that for you. He didn't want you to feel pressured by his impending relocation in any way – professionally or emotionally. He believed if you had time to get used to the two of you being a couple, it would prevent you from running scared in the other direction when he actually moved here. Basically, he didn't want it to appear that he was moving at lightning speed just in case you opted for more of a molasses pace. Moreover, he didn't want to flaunt his success in your face, for fear that it might make you wary of your own career status."

Rachel blinked her eyes rapidly as she processed everything Kurt had just said. "He…he was trying to protect me from myself?"

Kurt shrugged, picked up his wine and took a long sip. "Sorry, my diatribe left me parched. Yes. In his eyes he was protecting you, I'm not sure from whom, but protection nonetheless. Now that we have all of that squared away, can we go get a real drink like we planned?"

Rachel stared down at her phone. All she really wanted was to talk to Finn, but after hearing their whole recent relationship saga summarized so concisely by Kurt, it was probably best that she blow off some steam before they actually spoke about the heavier things confronting their relationship.

"Sure."

Rachel knew that Kurt had been under a lot of stress at work and was looking forward to their planned night out all week. She didn't anticipate, however, that he'd get completely trashed in less than an hour and she'd have to take care of his intoxicated ass.

"Isn't this a delightful incidence of role-reversal?" he exclaimed as they trudged down Broadway from the East Village bar to their SoHo apartment. "You, Rachel Berry, Queen of the Drunken Hysterics" – he raised his hands in an exaggerated flourish – "taking care of the usually reserved and docile Kurt Hummel."

Rachel rolled her eyes and sighed, loudly. "Yes Kurt, I am the childish one, while you are always the voice of reason." She knew he was too far gone to note the tone of sarcasm, but she wasn't. In fact, she barely had a buzz, which was truly disappointing given the day she'd had. She glanced at Kurt who was spinning in circles as they walked along the darkened street; she just groaned and pulled his arm. When had she become a parent? "KURT!" She shouted, garnering the attention of fellow partiers, but whatever, she had enough to deal with and crap, now he was singing show tunes. Could this get any worse?

"Rach…Rach…RACHEL!" He stammered boisterously, tugging at her arm. "Are you still upset about my wayward brother and his…" he paused, his eyes widening as he leaned forward so they were barely inches away from her own, fabulous liquor breath right in her face, "…his you know…secret?" He added in a loud, drunk whisper. Rachel winced and pushed him back slightly.

"No, I am not upset, rather hurt that he felt the need to keep something so important from me. I understand at one point in time I might have felt threatened or even dare I say jealous of his success, but I had hoped we put those insecurities behind us. Apparently not and I seriously need another drink…or twelve." Rachel said with a shake of her head.

"Well, if another drink is what you need, then another drink you shall have!" Kurt responded giddily, then squeezed her cheeks, like one would do to a child, "Anything for my Rachy." Now she visibly cringed and stalked towards the apartment with Kurt skipping behind her.

After helping him stumble into the apartment Rachel grabbed the bottle of wine from the counter and poured a very very large glass, downing it quickly, followed by another. If she was going to survive drunken Kurt she would have to be drunk right along with him. So, forty-five minutes later when they were sprawled on the couch, both very happily intoxicated Kurt slurred, "I…I think you need to talk to him…" Rachel just lolled her head to the side staring blankly at him. "FINN! I am talking about FINN! You….you need to call him."

Rachel shook her head, feeling the room spin slightly. "No, no, I…I am too gone to talk to him tonight. I might say something I'll regret." Wow, she was even responsible toasted. She must have been maturing.

"You're probably right, but…but you need…oooh, I've got it." When Rachel quirked a brow at him he continued animatedly, "Call him tomorrow when he is on the air! That way…you can confront him and he can't make a stink about it."

"And why on earth would I do something like that?"

Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes in his typical dramatic way and it was way funnier when he was drunk. "Because, then he would know you know without him thinking it was me that told you."

"Right and you say that I am self-centered. Also, that doesn't make any sense." She asked pointedly.

"Well…maybe so, but what he did was wrong and he did hurt you, so I think to make things right, you need to get it out of your system. It isn't like you are going to paint him blue or anything."

Rachel stared at him a second before breaking out into a fit of hysterical laughter. "Blue…where…why…" She watched as Kurt tried to hold a straight face, failing miserably. He shook his head and crumbled into a matching fit of giggles.

"I…I…have no…idea."

When Rachel fell back onto her bed, still quite buzzed, she noticed the flashing envelope on her cell phone. With a quick click she felt her heart literally sink into her stomach when she saw that she'd missed a call from Finn a few hours prior. After that he'd sent a text.

{ Sorry if you tried to call before, I was in a meeting that ran late. Was hoping to talk before I passed out but I'm exhausted. We'll talk tomorrow, I promise. :-* }

His usage of the cute kissy-face made her smile. Who was she trying to fool? She missed him beyond words and she was thrilled he would be moving to New York. But at the same time, he did lie by omission and that hurt, probably more than it should have. She rolled back onto her side and scrolled through the photos on her phone, staring at one they had taken right before he left. She sighed and bit her lip. She could call and wake him up, but talking to a half-awake Finn wasn't going to get her anywhere. No, she wanted him laying her with her, holding her until they both fell asleep. She wanted to wake up and know he was making coffee in the kitchen and not several hours away. He obviously wanted that too, which just made it more peculiar that he didn't tell her about his upcoming move so they could plan and make arrangements. Even if she was sober she probably couldn't figure out the Finn-logic that prioritized concealment of the truth for the sake of protecting her ego. The thought was nice, but if she knew their separation was going to be so short lived she wouldn't have missed him as much, and the other career-related stuff existed separate and apart from their progress as a couple.

Then she thought back to what Kurt said, about teaching him a lesson. Smiling slyly to herself, she opened her laptop and started on some necessary research.