Auld Lang Syne (Prologue)
It was December. Snow fell lightly onto the ground outside of her apartment. She rolled out of the bed and mulled around for a bit, in a trance-like mood. The cold weather always did this to her. Summer had been easier on her. The warmth kept her warm, but now she felt as if the bones in her body would crack and break with any sudden movement. But she loved winter so. It made her feel brittle, and human. It reminded her that she wasn't invincible. Not to mention, it gave her a reason to stay inside all day long cuddled up by the fire with a nice book and a mug of hot tea.
What she really longed for, though, was her husband. Her beautiful, kind husband.
But Finn was overseas with the Army. Which meant Christmas would be spent alone.
Well, not quite alone. She had the cat, Dorothy. But Dorothy didn't help much in the way of comforting.
She sighed slowly and paced around the room, listening to the old, wooden floorboards creak underneath her light step. It was two days until Christmas.
This year would be hard. Without him here.
Usually, in a time like this, she would go home to her dads' house. But they were out on a cruise for the holidays, and she didn't have the heart to tell them she was alone his year. She knew if she did, they'd want her to tag along, and she didn't want to intrude.
Slowly, she walked out of the room, meandering around the apartment, picking up various things and putting them back into their places. She was bored. Lonely, really. She figured he'd have at least called by now, but she hadn't heard from him in a day. Though it wasn't uncommon to not hear from him for weeks at a time. He was always off on special missions and couldn't reveal a specific location. Still, she wanted to know. She needed to know he was okay.
Rachel poured herself a steaming cup of black coffee and leaned against the counter, contemplating what she should do for the day. Christmas shopping? No.. That was something she and Finn did. It didn't feel right to do it without him. Christmas cooking? No.. again, she did that with Finn. Lie in bed and watch Christmas movies all day long? What the hell. Yes.
So she retreated back to the bedroom with Dorothy following and climbed into their king size bed, settling herself in the exact middle of it. Dorothy settled herself on Rachel's lap and curled into a ball, then only the soft sounds of her purrs could be heard.
After finding a suitable movie to watch on the TV, Rachel relaxed a bit and watched as she drank her morning coffee. She wasn't really paying attention to the movie, but instead thinking of Finn. Or rather, worrying about Finn. Is he okay? She thought. What if he's hurt?
After several hours of Christmas movies and several snacks and coffee refills, Rachel began dozing off. The chilly air always helped her to sleep. She didn't mind it. She liked sleep. It's when she could finally get away from all the bad things taunting her in every day life. Like the fact that her other half, Finn, was missing from her life at this particular moment in time. He should be here for this. He shouldn't have to spend Christmas in a desert with no wife to lovingly cook him a Christmas feast and exchange gifts with.
No, instead of that, he'd be lying on a cot, staring at pictures of her and just wishing he could talk to her one time. Wish her a Merry Christmas. If he was lucky, he'd get a 'Christmas Feast' in the Chow Hall. If it was like any other day, he'd get an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat). There would be no Christmas snow. Possibly a sandstorm, but no snow.
As Rachel thought about all of this, she frowned, feeling horrible for him. He'd be spending Christmas near bombs and guns and villains? Yes.
She sighed quietly and sipped at her coffee. Usually, she wouldn't be bored out of her mind, but she was not currently involved in any shows, seeing as it was Christmas Holidays. Otherwise, she'd surely be at the theater, working on her singing or choreography.
And while she wanted Finn, she also wanted something else. What she had been yearning for for nearly a year now was a baby. A soft bundle of fluffy warmth to cuddle with her when she was alone. Sure, there was Dorothy, but she didn't really count. She was a cat and could not comfort her in the way that another human could.
She and Finn had tried. Every time he came home, they tried and tried. Neither complained about trying, but after it was all said and done, the test was what really mattered. Every time, all 27 tests she'd taken, had been negative. They'd talked about consulting a doctor, but Rachel didn't want that. She was bound and determined to do this the right way. And she was positive nothing was wrong with her. How could there be something wrong with her baby making parts? She was fine. It simply hasn't happened yet, she thought.
And so there she sat, contemplating life in general and her constant want for a child and her so-far-gone husband. She was worried, to say the least. About both of them. Her inability to conceive a child was stressing her out. And to add on top of that, her husband was spending Christmas in a warring country, where he was the enemy.
ALRIGHT... :) So I started a new story... I know Auld Lang Syne is indeed a New Year's song, but it's actually a very old Scottish song and the title roughly translates to "Old Days" or "Days Gone By"
So y'all just let me know what you guys think about this and feel free to put in any ideas. If you've read Buried: The Rachel Berry Story, then you know I like depressing story lines. I'm rather good at writing them, I think. I can't write a happy story. Hahaha... Strange but true.