The Way We Were

The Way We Get Caught Again

Hiram Berry invited the glee club in and to the basement, where he and his husband had set up snacks and drinks that may or may not have been appropriate for a five year old's birthday party but Rachel really enjoyed her dads trying.

Music was turned on and of course karaoke was set up. The gleeks (and their preferred guests) rocked out all night long.

W.W.W.

Hiram and Leroy (Berry) retired ‪around ten o'clock‬ with a strict rule that the young adults must leave by midnight and try to clean before they go. The gleeks made the promise and the middle aged men ambled upstairs.

Puck grinned. "You know what time it is?"

"Puck, no!" Rachel knew what that meant by now.

"Come on, Berry! You know I always replace it!"

Rachel could cry. It was just supposed to be a normal gathering!

"Please, Rachel!" Her friends pleaded.

She didn't want to be a buzzkill. "Alright."

A cheer went up as she went to unlock her fathers' liquor cabinet.

W.W.W.

"I can't believe you're going to two schools!" Tina shook her head.

Mercedes bobbed her head to the song playing. "Girl, we didn't want our parents' heads to explode if we just went to an arts school and we didn't want to die inside if we just went to an academic school. It's the best of both worlds."

"I'm really buckling down." Tina ate a chip. "I have to get into Brown. It's Brown or bust!"

Mercedes raised her drink. "Here! Here!"

W.W.W.

"What are you going to do with your house?" Finn asked.

"We're going to buy it then buy a house in California. Marce was right. We'll need a place to stay when we come back into town." Mike answered.

"Couldn't you stay with your parents?" Puck wanted to know.

"Nah. There's no privacy like that. Besides, we're going to start a family as soon as we graduate."

Both Puck and Finn grimaced at the thought of their first loves swollen with children with their husband. But they swallowed the ache and smiled. "Cool!"

Mike knew they still had feelings for his wives and wasn't trying to rub it in. He'd forgotten who he was talking to for a moment. "But that's four years away."

Finn nodded, determined to get past it. "How are you going to buy a house in California when you're going to be at camp in Montana?"

"We get time off. We're just going to coordinate it so we're all off at the same time and fly to Cali to look at properties."

"How are you going to do it without your parents?" Puck took a sip of his drink.

"We know what to look for now."

"No, I mean money wise. What if you find a house you really like?"

"Well I have my first inheritance and as soon as their birthdays come, so will they."

"How much did you get?" Both asked.

Mike wiped his mouth. "11.4."

"11.4 what?"

"Million."

Finn nearly swallowed his tongue while Puck choked on air.

Mike waited for their theatrics to pass. "We have enough for a house but I'm not paying a lot. I have to make that money last for three years and I don't know how much I'm getting after that."

Finn nodded, trying to breathe. "That makes sense. How much are you trying to pay?"

"We need a real budget. Cali is expensive and we'll need a house big enough for us, staff, the future and guests. We need a pool. A gym. A music space. An office. A dance studio."

"Wow!" Puck was a little jealous.

"I don't relish going shopping. Q is going to try to make all the decisions and if we don't agree, she is most definitely going to manipulate us into agreeing with her."

Finn grinned. He kind of missed Quinn's bossy ways. "I'm sorry."

"Ech!" Mike sipped his drink. "But if we don't agree and keep fighting, I'm going to have to do something I don't want to do."

"What?" Puck was still afraid of Mike.

"Call Laura."

He was so serious, the best buds fell out laughing.

W.W.W.

Rachel hiccuped. "Thank you, Artie."

Artie rubbed her back as she threw up in the toilet. "You're welcome."

"I hate that this is the last image you'll have of me."

"What do you mean?"

"I think we should break up." She wiped her mouth on tissue.

"We have all of summer to break up."

"Actually my dads want me to get used to New York so we'll be there most of the summer."

"Damn." He was saddened by the turn of events but he wasn't heartbroken. "Well give me a hug and we'll say goodbye."

She hugged him tightly.

"But you're still wrong."

"Huh?"

"The last image I'm ever going to have of you is of a Tony award winning actress."

Rachel's heart melted. She was really going to miss him.

W.W.W.

"Will you look up Matt?" Quinn asked.

"Matt? Matt Rutherford?" Kurt was surprised.

"Yeah. He's going to NYU for an accounting degree."

"You still talk to Matt?"

"Uh huh. Atlanta's not that far away and phones exist."

Kurt thought about it. "Yeah. I'll definitely check in with Matt. If you have Little Diva look after Blaine."

Quinn held out her hand and they shook on it.