I felt like I needed to add that there isn't going to be any Rachel in this story for quite some time, but she will be showing up eventually. I apologize to both Rachel/Finchel fans who aren't going to like seeing Finn paired with someone new, as well as to those that hate Rachel/Finchel and hoped we were finally rid of both.

Chapter Two – Melissa Agretti

Finn huddled near the gate of the Gioberti cemetery, feeling a little out of place and a lot out of sorts (at least he thought that was how he felt, he wasn't sure about the wording). He knew going into this that he really wasn't needed; his mom would be comforting Burt while Blaine would be comforting Kurt. But he didn't mind being a hanger on prior to the funeral starting.

Despite Kurt's insistence that his family was no big deal, it seemed like EVERYONE knew Jason Gioberti. And the whole family, including Finn, was being swarmed with people asking who they were, and how they knew Jason. Obviously that was a little awkward for Finn, given that up until a few days ago Finn wasn't even aware the old man had existed.

There was something else too, though Finn guessed that he was the only one who'd noticed it. The Falcon Crest workers who'd been closest to Jason were all baffled by the old man's death. One of the foremen, Gus, had called Jason's death mysterious, while another labourer had expressed confusion that Jason's truck was even running well enough to get up the hill he'd crashed off of.

It was weird, and Finn was ready to pack it in and head back to Falcon Crest for what was likely to be an awesome spread at the memorial.

At least that was how he felt until a very pretty brunette approached him.

"Hi there," she said. "I haven't seen you around before."

"I'm from Ohio, actually. I'm Finn; my stepbrother is Kurt Hummel. Gioberti!" he added. He was still getting used to Kurt's full name, but since even when he remembered late, the names still ended up in the right order, he didn't figure he was doing too badly.

"Leave it to Angela Channing to have a grand nephew who's last name has an exclamation point," the girl teased playfully. "My name is Melissa Agretti. My father owns one of the larger vineyards around here, and we came to pay our respects."

And that was another thing that Finn didn't understand. "I never got why people say that. It sounds so..." Finn trailed off, realizing that saying it sounded fake might be insulting.

Melissa just smiled though. "Honestly, I think everyone comes because they're afraid of Angela Channing. They just feel ridiculous saying it."

Finn had to stifle a laugh, as he knew it wasn't the right place for it. "Well, I'm glad you're here. You know, for whatever reason."

Finn didn't see Melissa Agretti again until later in the week, which was honestly a little sooner than he thought it would be.

The family hadn't decided yet what they were going to be doing with Burt's inheritance, but it wasn't like they had anything better to do over the summer. So the plan was to stay in Tuscany Valley for the next couple of weeks, working on the Gioberti estate and seeing if they had any business staying there.

Blaine was also going to be staying, although that particular day Blaine had been waylaid as he, Kurt, and Finn were on their way out to the vineyard.

Surprisingly, Kurt was turning out to be really good with the grapes. He was splitting his time between here and the Falcon Crest winery, as Julia had been really impressed with Kurt's instincts and palate (which had something to do with being able to tell which wine was which, something Finn still hadn't figured out). But Kurt came down here every day to tie the vines off, and make sure they didn't have more grapes than they could handle. Finn had expressed his surprise, but Kurt had just smugly asked Finn who he THOUGHT kept their yard in Lima looking so pristine.

It was a good half hour before Blaine finally joined them, and when he did he looked upset. Kurt was immediately alarmed. "What happened? Your dad isn't making you come home, is he?"

Blaine shook his head, but he was tense the way he'd been when he and Finn had been having problems with each other the year before. "Not yet," he grumbled. "Dad just felt it was necessary to complain about it. He said he wanted to make sure this didn't result in 'yet another new school' for me."

Kurt rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. Which was startling itself; Blaine's parents were the only ones that Kurt didn't unleash his wit on, even Blaine wasn't safe if he was being an idiot. Either Kurt didn't want to upset Blaine, or he didn't see any point in bad mouthing someone who wasn't even here.

Of course, that didn't mean that Kurt wasn't going to comfort Blaine. Kurt was always a little uncomfortable about public displays of affection, even with Carole who wouldn't raise any eyebrows. But Kurt had gotten much more at ease with Finn in the last two years, and after Burt had reminded Kurt that they could fire anyone who had a problem with him being gay Kurt had started to loosen up a bit here on the estate.

Unfortunately, Kurt had just leaned in to kiss Blaine when they heard the sound of horses approaching. Kurt and Blaine stepped away from each other automatically, looking both embarrassed and annoyed. However, it turned out to be Melissa, guiding a second, riderless horse. "Don't stop on my account," she laughed at Kurt and Blaine.

Blaine had to laugh at himself, too. "Sometimes we forget we're only an hours drive from San Francisco."

"I suppose that was the point of relocating here," Kurt noted. "Aunt Angela is certainly accepting of us, giddy even. I still haven't figured out why."

"Well, I can explain that." Melissa leaned over her saddle conspiratorially. "Angela Channing spent most of her life trying to get your grandfather out of Falcon Crest, and now your father's walked in and claimed the ancestral lands."

"But those were the terms of her father's will," Blaine countered, looking confused. Finn had to chuckle; even now Blaine didn't get people being sneaky.

But Melissa apparently could. "I'm sure if she could have changed that too, she would have. But now she doesn't have to worry. Your father can inherit, YOU can inherit, but-"

Kurt nodded, figuring it out the same time as Finn. "Since I'm gay, I'm not likely to have any heirs, and it all goes to Lance's children."

"Exactly." Melissa straightened up in her saddle with another broad smile. "And now that I've solved that little mystery for you, I have a request. I told my father I'd exercise these horses today. I was wondering if I might borrow your stepbrother for a few hours."

"Oh!" Finn exclaimed. "I don't actually know how to ride a horse."

Melissa gave Finn a look that made him feel hopeful, for the first time in a long time. "Don't worry. We'll go slow, and I'll show you everything you need to know."

Kurt and Blaine exchanged a look of surprise that Finn couldn't figure out. Melissa was awfully nice, and Finn could certainly use the break. "Come on, Kurt," Finn cajoled. "It's not like I didn't put in a full day's work before Blaine even got out here."

"Blaine isn't- Never mind." Kurt was clearly mad at Finn, but was trying not to be. "Go on. We're almost finished up here, anyways."

Melissa laughed again as Finn struggled his way into the saddle. "Well, if that's the case, I think you two should leave the rest of this for tomorrow and pick up where I interrupted you," she told Kurt.

Kurt blushed to the tips of his ears, easily the most colour Finn had ever seen on him.

"No, pull back." From anyone else, the third time they said the exact same thing might have sounded annoyed. But Melissa was more amused than anything else.

"I don't want to hurt him," Finn protested.

"That horse is almost twice your weight; you won't hurt him." Melissa pulled alongside Finn's horse and jerked hard on the reins. "It's like dogs. Your horse doesn't want you to be his friend, he wants you to be his master."

"I guess I'm just used to cars," Finn sighed, getting it but still not really liking it.

"Well, you aren't going to strip his threads either," Melissa teased. "Is that what you all used to do before you came here? I can't imagine there are a lot of vineyards in Ohio."

"Yeah," Finn replied. "I mean, Kurt wanted to get out and sing. We're all pretty good at it. But he didn't get into the school he needed." Finn thought it was a little weird that Kurt hadn't applied to any other schools, given how thorough he was. Finn just assumed that Kurt had applied to (and been rejected by) other schools and that no one had bothered mentioning it to Finn.

"Really?" Melissa perked up. She'd been interested before, but now was even more so. "I was in my school's glee club. I don't sing all that well, but I'm a pretty decent dancer if I do have to say so myself."

"Maybe you've heard of our club then?" Finn asked. "New Directions won Nationals this year."

"Oh no, we definitely didn't place high enough to have encountered you," Melissa insisted. "You'll have to show me something."

"Actually, I've got some stuff on my phone." Finn didn't figure he was doing too badly in the horse riding lesson, but he was much more interested in taking a break right now than more practising.

Rather that dismount, Melissa just leaned over her saddle. "Sure. I'm curious to see what Kurt sounds like, actually."

Crap, Finn's legs were starting to cramp up. "Okay. Blaine actually downloaded Kurt's NYADA audition onto YouTube." The memory of happier, then sadder, times hit Finn hard enough to almost jolt him, but he pushed his feelings aside. "This is just great."

Melissa ended up with wide eyes and high eyebrows as Kurt finished off the last notes of 'Not the Boy Next Door'. "Wow."

"I guess I should have shown you something of mine first," Finn admitted sheepishly. "I'm nowhere near that good."

"I still want to see it," Melissa told him. "But now that I've seen this, I have a question for you."

Kurt was a little embarrassed to admit it, but he'd taken Melissa's advice after she and Finn had left. It had burned off the nervous energy Blaine had had since his conversation with his father quite nicely. But after the last vestiges of bliss had faded, Kurt had left Blaine to sleep it off and went back out into the vineyard.

It's not like he begrudged Finn having some fun with someone, it would be ridiculously hypocritical given what Kurt and Blaine had just done. And Melissa seemed like a nice person. Kurt just wasn't sure Finn should be jumping into anything after what had gone down with Rachel. And he wasn't sure that Melissa had intentions other than making Finn hers.

Or maybe, Kurt was just using this as an excuse to avoid thinking about his own future.

A good thing that the grapes were at least occupying his hands.

"Hey kid." Kurt looked up to see his father standing over him. A few days in Tuscany Valley had done a lot of good for the older man, and Kurt could see that his father was starting to come to terms with Grandpa Jason's death. "Those other two abandon you already?"

"Blaine doesn't have to do any more work here than he wants to," Kurt reminded him. "He's upstairs right now." Now, that just left an explanation as to why that wouldn't have his father breaking out the old shotgun. "His father called this afternoon, and I'm letting Blaine sleep it off."

Burt frowned at that. Mr Anderson wasn't a bad man, exactly. But he wasn't exactly the most sensitive parent a gay son could have. And Burt thought that was saying a lot, coming from him. "What did he say?"

Kurt frowned, remembering Blaine's short reply when Finn had been there, as well as the longer conversation they'd had afterwards. "His dad doesn't think Blaine is focused enough on his own future. He's worried that Blaine has no goals beyond 'being my groupie'. That's an exact quote, I think."

Burt winced. "And did you tell Blaine that his dad might have a point?"

Kurt's jaw dropped. "Dad, I would NEVER tell Blaine that."

Burt didn't back down in the face of Kurt's indignation, though. "Even if it's probably true?"

Kurt scowled at his father, though there was a hint of bemusement in Kurt's eyes. "Even if it's probably true." Kurt's features softened as he considered the possibilities. "Dad, you've seen how Blaine and I are. We're equals, aren't we?"

"You want me to agree with you, or disagree with you?" It was probably meant to be funny, but it wasn't.

"We've spent so much time this year talking about my goals, my future," Kurt admitted. "We kind of forgot to talk about what Blaine wants. Besides me, that is. I'm worried that I've spent so much time making sure I'm not the 'girl' in our relationship, that I've made Blaine one."

"Well, I don't see Blaine being very 'girly', if it helps," Burt quipped. Seeing instantly that his humour was not working, Burt persevered. "Kurt, your future is a little more immediate than Blaine's is."

"That doesn't make it unimportant."

"I didn't say it was," Burt declared. "And if we were having this conversation next summer, I'd be a little worried. But it's not too late to start having these kind of talks with him."

"What kind of talks?" Blaine appeared at the doorway, just barely in earshot. And thankfully looking more put together than when Kurt had last seen him. Burt was fully in favour of their relationship, but he didn't need to see Blaine half-dressed, and sex-mussed.

"You going to get huffy if I say it was about your future?" Burt challenged fondly.

Blaine ducked his head, embarrassed. "Even if I was, you don't exactly make it easy."

"I raised this one," Burt replied teasingly. "If I made it easy, he'd run roughshod over me."

"Hey, I'm on your side," Kurt laughed.

"There aren't any sides," Blaine insisted. "I know you two are both worried about me. My dad, too. I just don't want to think about it right now."

"We don't have a lot of time," Kurt reminded him. "I let my future go too long, and look what happened."

Blaine gave Kurt a hug. "I haven't put off my future," he assured Kurt. "Just let me deal with it on my own, and let me focus on you for right now. It hasn't been that long since your grandfather died."

"I know. I just-" Kurt sighed. "I'm just focusing on this, so I don't have to think about what else is going on in my life."

Kurt could tell just by the look on his dad's face, that his dad didn't like this. But Burt nodded. "Okay. For right now, let's just leave things the way they are. I've got some news. Apparently, there's an opening on the Board of Supervisors coming up, and they want my experience."

"Wouldn't that be convenient," slipped out of Kurt's mouth before he could stop it.

Burt looked a little hurt at that. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean you," Kurt assured him, contritely. "Melissa Agretti was just telling us that she figured Aunt Angela was trying to keep you away from Falcon Crest."

"The Board of Supervisors would definitely help with that," Blaine concurred.

"I haven't said yes, yet," Burt responded, looking thought-filled. "Huh, Melissa Agretti. Is that where Finn has disappeared to?" Burt asked.

"He asked," Blaine assured. "And he was working really hard up to that point."

Burt turned to his son, but Kurt just raised his hands. "I'm staying out of this."

Burt was about to respond, but they heard the sound of horse hooves, heralding Finn and Melissa's return. "I'll deal with it. And Aunt Angela, too."

Finn and Melissa rode up, Finn looking infinitely more comfortable than when he'd left. "What was that about Angela?" Melissa asked.

"Just telling my dad what you were telling us about her," Kurt replied, definitively not mentioning their other topic. But then something else that had been bothering Kurt occurred to him. "Melissa, you know a fair bit about the Channings. Is there anyone else staying up at the big house right now?"

To her credit, Melissa actually thought about it. But she came up empty. "No. Just Angela and her daughters, Lance, and Angie's manservant. The rest of the staff there and at the winery-"

"Wait, daughters?" Blaine asked. "I've only met the one."

"Emma," Burt exclaimed. "I just assumed that she didn't live in the Valley, anymore."

"As far as I know, she does," Melissa told him. Angela told my father that Emma hasn't been feeling well since she found out about your father."

So. Kurt's ghost in the Channing attic had a name then. "Dad, I know you have to deal with that Board of Supervisors issue. Why don't I go up to Falcon Crest, and pay my respects?"

Burt was immediately suspicious, Kurt could see it in the man's eyes. But all Burt said was, "Sure, I'm sure she'd like that.

Melissa shrugged. "From what I've heard, she probably would. There's just the question of whether Angela will let you through the door."

"Can it wait until tomorrow?" Finn asked. "Melissa told me she wants to offer Kurt a job."

Kurt looked from Finn to Melissa, surprised. "Really?"

"It's not full time, but then I'm sure the Gioberti vineyards are keeping you busy enough," Melissa stated.

"What did you have in mind?" Kurt asked.

"Melissa's father has a resort built on the Agretti lands," Finn explained. "And she needs someone to sing a couple nights a week in the night club there."

Blaine's eyes widened in excitement. "Kurt, that would be amazing."

Kurt wasn't quite convinced, though. They might only be an hour outside of San Francisco, but that didn't mean his voice would be appreciated. "I'm assuming Finn showed you some of what I can do. Do you really think that would be a draw out here?"

"Out here in the wilderness?" Melissa asked, bemused. "Our guests are a lot more cosmopolitan than you might think. My father's not homophobic, but he doesn't really understand the needs of our clientele the way he understands the vineyards. I think you'll be just what we need."

"Well then," Kurt enthused. "I graciously accept."

"Meet me at the main office of the resort around 7, then," Melissa told him. "I'll get you set right up."

"Great." That left him several hours then. Hours that he could use to figure out the mystery behind Emma Channing. Assuming that Melissa was wrong, and he really could get past the front door.

(to be continued)