Springtime in Manhattan: A Finchel One-Shot
It was sort of unbelievable. William McKinley High's New Directions, the underdog glee club from Lima, Ohio, had made it. Nationals. New York City. It was too much to take in, really. Thinking of the five of them stumbling though "Le Freak," with Mr. Schue, terrified of performing in front of the whole school...was that really just a year and a half ago? Hard to believe, thought Finn, pondering how his life had changed since then.
He had been such a shadow of the person he wanted to be then. Popular jock, but clueless about who he was inside. Strong, but frightened of showing the world any side of himself that might make him less well-liked. Kind, but not quite ready to go out on a limb for a friend, or to stand up for what was right. It was kind of ironic that being part of a show choir taught him so much about being a real man. It wasn't just Glee Club, though, it was her, he thought as he drew his sleeping girlfriend in closer to his chest and buried his face in her soft brunette locks.
"Hey," she mumbled, half-awake but smiling, placing her hand on his cheek as she brought her lips to his for a slow, soft kiss. She suddenly remembered that they were in a very public place and started to giggle. He laughed too, their foreheads still touching as they lay in each others' arms. They had arrived in New York just a few hours ago, and Mr. Schue had given them the afternoon off before rehearsing later that night for the big competition the next day. Of course Rachel had been to New York many times before with her dads, so she had their day all planned out well in advance. But somehow, they hadn't gotten beyond the picnic in Central Park.
It's his fault, she smiled to herself, he just makes me want to stop everything and just be. Everything is amazing with him, she thought, snuggling back into his arms. Laying in the shade of a sprawling oak tree, the scent of lilacs floating on the warm May breeze, her hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat; there could not be anything better than this.
It hadn't been an easy year. They had hurt each other. In an attempt to protect her feelings, he had lied to her, wounding her more deeply than he could have imagined. In dealing with her pain, she had made the biggest mistake of her life and destroyed the trust they had. But over time, they were able to come to terms with what happened and find their way back to each other.
For Rachel, as soon as she had seen his wounded eyes after her confession, she knew she had been wrong about doubting his love for her. For Finn, the road to overcoming hurt was a longer journey, but he eventually realized that he needed, and wanted, to forgive her. He knew that they could have a future together, and he wasn't about to spend the rest of his life kicking himself for letting her slip away. And when the clouds of anger and despair finally lifted, he was able to see why she did what she did. She was wounded too, she was afraid he didn't really want her, and her insecurities led her to do something that she thought would make him want her more. If only she had known that he had wanted her more than anything else in the world.
But that was over now. When they got back together, they agreed to leave the past behind them and never look back. They had learned from their mistakes and refused to make them again. Since that afternoon in Finn's room, when they just held each other and cried for hours, things had been incredible. Now that they knew how much they meant to each other, it was Finchel, full speed ahead.
"Babe?" he whispered, "I could stay here forever. But did you want to show me some stuff?"
"Yeah!" she replied, suddenly jumping up. She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him up off the ground. He grinned. She was so damn cute.
"C'mon, Finn!" she cried, "We've only got a couple of hours before rehearsal, and you've got to see this."
They had a long walk back through the park, but being young and madly in love, they hardly noticed. They ran hand-in-hand, chased each other like little kids shouting, "You're It!", and stopped for ice cream. They finally reached Central Park West, Finn carrying Rachel on his back, her head resting between his shoulder blades. A quick cab ride later, they were standing in front of the Empire State Building.
Rachel took Finn's hand. "Finn, my dads first brought me here when I was just a little girl, and it was one of the most magical experiences of my entire life. I can't believe I'm here again, and I can't believe I get to share it with you."
Finn smiled. Her eyes were absolutely shining as she looked up at him. "Awesome," he grinned, and slipped his arm around her waist as they walked through the lobby and stepped into the elevator. When they reached the 108th floor, Rachel led Finn out onto the observation deck. She looked up to find her boyfriend completely speechless.
It was just starting to get dark, and the sky was turning a deep azure as the stars began to appear. The lights of the city below glittered like nothing Finn had ever seen in Lima. They were literally on top of the world, everything stretching out beyond them, a metaphor for the endless possibilities that awaited these two people in love.
Breathless, Finn grabbed Rachel, lifting her off the ground. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her intensely.
"We're gonna live here, baby." he whispered in her ear between kisses, "You'll be a Broadway star, and I'll be something amazing too, and we're gonna get married and be together forever, okay?"
"I love you, Finn," she said, giggling, "and 'yes' to the marriage proposal, of course."
"Well, that wasn't the real one," he said, laughing, "You'll be blown away by the real thing when the time is right," he grinned, "but I meant what I said. We're getting the hell out of Ohio, and we're going to come here and make our dreams come true. Even if it's like, really super-hard. We'll do it together. Oh, and we're having our wedding right here."
Rachel hugged him tightly, gently rubbing his broad back. Finn Hudson was a dream. He was her every prayer answered, every painful moment of her life redeemed. Would she one day be a Broadway star? Maybe. Would she become a world-famous performer? Who knows? Would she have true love in her life? Hell, yes. And that was more than she could ever ask for.
Breaking her gaze to glance at Finn's watch, she suddenly snapped back to reality. "Finn, we'd better get back or we'll be late for rehearsal!" she exclaimed.
"Oh! Right, babe," he said, "just one more thing though." He led her back inside to where there was a machine that read "Make Your Own Empire State Building Penny."
"Finny-bear, you are such a cheeseball," she laughed, "but you're adorable."
"Thanks, Rach," he said, handing her one of the coins and putting the other in his pocket, "Just so I can look at it everyday and never forget this moment. And since you think I'm cheesy anyway, I thought I'd practice for our duet tomorrow," he said, grinning devilishly.
Rachel yelped as he scooped her up, spinning her around, and singing at the top of his lungs, "Tramps like us, baby we were bo-rn to run!" She laughed hysterically as he carried her off to the elevator, hundreds of people staring at them. Oh well, she thought, if she was going to be a Broadway star, she'd better get used to the attention.
"That's right, baby, tramps like us, BABY WE WERE BORN TO RUN!" she sang along with him, her voice soaring. Finn and Rachel laughed and kissed for 108 floors down before stumbling giddily out onto 5th Avenue, where Finn made his first hilarious attempts at hailing a cab.
They had been so happy about deciding to forget the past and not look back. Now, they were ecstatic over their decision to look, together, toward the future.
The End.