AN: Um… I don't even know where this came from, or why I'm writing this almost a year after Original Song aired. But I guess I'm going to write this anyway. This would now be considered an AU fic since it takes place in Original Song (specifically the night before and the day of Regionals), and it changes how the rest of the season went. Yes, that means no Fuinn prom nonsense, or Jesse's insane idea that Rachel would take him back. And that also would mean that they also could have had a chance to win Nationals because that long-awaited kiss would have (most likely) not even happened on stage; but that's obviously beside the point. So I'm going to stop rambling now…
Oh! And just a warning- Quinn isn't her bitchy self so this is like OC for her… don't be alarmed by her kindness. (Though she could be killing with kindness...)
DISCLAIMER: I'm not some crazy identity stealer who is going around claiming to own Glee, or Steak 'N Shake, or anything else copyrighted that just so happens to make its way into my story uninvited. Would that I could, people. Would that I could...
Of course, the night before (or technically morning of, since it's 2 am) Regionals and Finn can't fall asleep. It's not that he's not tired, either, because he's a typical teenage boy and that would be impossible. It's more of the fact that he has a lot on his mind. He can't seem to shake the feeling that Rachel knows something about him and Quinn. He isn't all that great at keeping things hidden (his mom says his eye twitches when he lies), but Quinn's good at keeping secrets. She kept her pregnancy a secret from her parents, Coach Sylvester, and practically the whole school. She kept it hidden that Finn wasn't the father of her baby for months, and she even kept her cheating a secret from Sam. But somehow he doesn't think she kept it a secret that they were seeing each other, and he feels guilty.
He isn't completely sure why he feels guilty. It could be the fact that he doesn't want to hurt Rachel's feelings (because he loves her), or it could be that maybe he doesn't even really want to be with Quinn (because he still loves Rachel). Either way, the intense thoughts that are hitting him 99 miles per hour are making it almost obvious that he still loves Rachel.
Because he's Finn and he can't ever make up his mind, he goes into Google and types in "What should if I'm dating someone but in love with someone else?". He clicks the very first link, and after skimming through the page, he begins to consider whether or not he should listen to what the internet says. Suddenly, his computer beeps and he jumps, realizing that his Facebook is still open in another tab. He clicks open his Facebook to find that Quinn sent him a message.
Quinn Fabray: What are you still doing up? Big day tomorrow- and winners need sleep . You know that you want to kick some Warbler ass
This just makes Finn roll his eyes. Of course Quinn would say that; she would know because she ALWAYS wins. So he comes up with a witty response just to get under her skin and to make himself feel better about himself. It always helps to make you feel clever.
Finn Hudson: Couldn't sleep, too much on my mind… What are YOU still doing up?
Quinn Fabray: Touché… I can't sleep either, believe it or not. I've got a lot on my mind, too. I think we need to talk.
By the time he reads this, he already has come to the conclusion of what he needs to do.
Finn Hudson: Yeah, that's what I was just about to say… Steak 'N Shake in 20?
Quinn Fabray: K, I'll meet you there.
!Glee!
20 minutes later, he's sitting in the booth farthest from the door with a menu in front of his face, pretending that he's not scared out of his wits. He hears the door and looks up from the menu to see Quinn crossing the restaurant. As she sits down, he takes a deep breath and prepares for the worst. They order their shakes in silence, and wait to say anything until their shakes were set in front of them.
"I have a confession to make. That's why I wanted to talk to you," Quinn says. Finn motions for her to continue, because it could be something important. "You'll probably hate me for this, but I regret it. You know how me and Rachel ended up not working together on an original song?" Finn nodded, confused at what it has to do with anything. "It's because of something I told Rachel. I kind of crushed her dreams and told her what I thought she needed to hear, and it turned out to not be true. I kind of told her that she would never be with you, and that it was just a school girl fantasy that you would be with her again."
Well, that was unexpected, Finn thought. Honestly, he didn't understand how she could be so heartless; though he did know that she could be a bitch sometimes. It secretly made him want to just start singing The Fray's cover of Kanye West's Heartless (but 1. This wasn't High School Musical, 2. He was in public, and 3. Quinn would probably bitch slap him). He closed his eyes and counted to five because that's what his anger management class that Miss Pillsbury made him take after the baby blow up told him to do. "And why would you do that?"
"I felt threatened by her. I knew that she still loves you, but at the same time I can tell that you love her back. I wouldn't have told her, though, but she specifically asked if we were seeing each and told me to be honest. So I was honest. I should have only told her what she asked for, but I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I said some other hurtful things, too, but I don't feel like I need to tell you the specifics when I know they were wrong. I'm so sorry… I just, I feel bad, and I don't even know why I did it." Quinn just laid it all out there, and felt a huge weight come off her shoulders.
"Quinn, you shouldn't be telling me that you're sorry. I'm glad you're sorry because it was wrong." Finn paused, trying to find the words to confront her about her suspicions about him. "And about what you said about love… I'm sorry, but I do love her back. I feel really bad for leading you on and going to all this trouble just to figure out that I'm still in love with her. I'll always love you, because you were my first love, and I will always care about you," Finn explains. "And to be honest, I think you and I both know that you need to work things out with you and Puck. You never talk, and I think both of you need to get on the same page. I mean, you can't just forget that you had a baby. It's an intimate experience, whether it was a drunken mistake or not. You need to sort out your feelings."
Yet again, Finn waits for a bitch slap that never comes. Quinn actually accepts it. "Yeah, I think you're right. I kind of wanted to forget that, you know? I thought Sam would help, and then I thought that you would help because I still felt connected to you. But I was obviously wrong for avoiding him like the plague. I think he really did love me. The only problem is Lauren, though. She'll leave Glee for sure if he dumps her, and then we won't be able to compete. I can't let all our work go to waste. And it might seem selfish, but I don't want to have to perform with broken limbs and a black eye."
Finn chuckled. "Yeah, that's probably not the best idea to do that before Regionals. We would at least have time to find someone else and maybe get Kurt back if you told Puck your feelings after Regionals."
"So, what was it that you needed to talk to me about?"
Finn stared down awkwardly. "Um, I think we already covered that… So we're okay? I mean, I know that most people think it's a joke to say that they can stay friends, but I think we can. I mean, we're in glee club together so it would kind of be hard not to be friends."
Quinn nodded with a smile. "I agree. Maybe once you sweep Rachel off her feet, we can all be friends. I know that sounds weird, but I'm kind of tired of the whole bitch routine."
"I think we'd both be up to that. I just have to get Rachel back… But how do I do that? I'm guessing that she's going to be singing about me, and she'll probably want to keep the emotions she has so that she can perform really well. I'm sure the song is better than My Headband and Only Child, but if we really want to win she needs all the emotion."
"Yeah, you should probably wait until after. But that doesn't mean she can't know that we're done. You could always flirt on the bus and try to give little hints, and then wait until we're done performing to talk to her. No pregnant club members this year, so you don't have to worry about being interrupted by someone going into labor and having to go to the hospital," Quinn pointed out.
"I'm surprised that you're actually amused by that..." Finn mumbles. "Yeah, I could talk to her afterwards. I hope I don't screw it up…" his voice trailed off.
Quinn thought for a second about what advice she could give. "Write it on a note card when you get home, and keep it in your pocket tomorrow. You could probably look over it on the bus or after we warm up. That way you know what you want to say and how you want to say it." Finn nodded.
After a civil conversation about how Quinn could become friends with Rachel (which Finn was still surprised about), they finished off their shakes and headed home to sleep.
!Glee!
Finn was one of the first people to get to the school- a surprise to everyone. But he had a mission, and when he had a mission, he did unlikely things. Rachel was obviously the first one to arrive, and sat on her suitcase that she always used for glee club trips and competitions. Seriously, it was a huge suitcase that kept hair supplies, makeup, her costume, shoes, a first aid kit, water bottles for everyone, granola bars, extra copies of sheet music, a Tide To-Go pen, and a stack of detailed itineraries that she always passed out at the quick meeting they had before boarding the bus. Finn stood over by her with his duffle bag on his shoulder. He couldn't help but feel slightly awkward, especially when she asked where Quinn was. "Um, she's probably really close. I haven't talked to her yet."
As soon as the rest of the club and the band, who takes the mini bus with their equipment, arrived, Mr. Shue began the meeting. He started going through Rachel's itinerary, and Finn only listened for when they would stop for lunch. It seriously was a long drive to convention center in Indianapolis where the competition was being held, especially when there was traffic, and he just wanted to eat and get on with the day. Quinn, Miss Pillsbury, and Mercedes led an optional prayer circle because they were shaking with nerves, and since everyone was scared for their lives, they all joined in (except Mr. Shue, because he could get in huge trouble with the school board). After their nervous prayer to keep them safe and to help them perform their best, they boarded the bus. Rachel proudly noted that they were 5 minutes ahead of schedule- boarding at 9:55 when they planned on boarding at 10.
Finn talked to Mr. Shuester to calm him down, and then got on the bus last. He headed to the back seat, across from where Rachel sat with her huge suitcase and her sheet music in front of her face. He smirked at her adorable face of concentration, because she looked so cute.
"Is this seat taken?" Finn asked, clearing her throat.
Rachel peered up from her music. "No…" she said with voice barely above a whisper. "I can move if Quinn wants to sit back here with you." She looked at Quinn, who was headed toward the back with a smile on her face. Finn noticed what she was looking at.
"No, I think she wants to sit with both of us. Besides, there's room for the three of us," he said, eyeing Quinn, who took the seat in front of him.
Rachel stared back down at her music. "Oh… Finn, it's okay if you want to sit by her. I mean, I already know that she's your girlfriend."
Quinn gave Finn the death look. "Finn, you were supposed to tell her earlier." Rachel raised an eyebrow, and tried not to listen to them, but heard Finn say that he was just about to.
"We ended things. It wasn't a real relationship, anyway. But it's over now, and we're just friends. We both wanted different things and agreed that it was a mistake."
That surprised Rachel, especially when Quinn nodded and smiled. "I'm glad that you guys can still be friends. Most people don't even want to consider that."
"Well, we weren't fit for a relationship. But, uh, I kind of have an apology for you. See, about the other day, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said all that stuff. I was just selfish. To be honest, I was jealous. I know that Finn deserves better than me, and it wasn't fair for me to move on to a relationship when I haven't fixed things with Puck. And though this might sound weird, I was kind of hoping that we could be friends? For real this time." Quinn confessed. Rachel was genuinely surprised. She honestly didn't think she would ever hear Quinn say something so nice.
"I forgive you, Quinn. It gave me inspiration for my song, so it kind of helped. And, yes it sounds weird, but I would love to be friends with you." Rachel gave her signature grin and got out of her seat. "I'm going to hug you now." Quinn laughed, nodded, and gave Rachel a sincere hug. Hoots and hollers followed from the front of the bus.
Artie: "I never thought I'd see the day!"
Santana: "Manhands and Stretchmarks are friends?"
Mercedes: "I'm glad my camera is so conveniently in my hands, because I will need historical proof that this is really happening."
Miss Pillsbury: "This is beautiful! I'm so proud!"
The group all nodded off to sleep at some point, and awoke when they arrived at a McDonalds. Rachel, Finn, and Quinn sat together at a corner table. Finn watched as his two best friends got to know each other better and realized all the things they have in common. He looked at Rachel, who sat close next to him, and Quinn, who was across the table, and felt content with himself and his life.
!Glee!
Finn literally almost cried when he heard Rachel's song. His suspicions were right, and now he knew exactly what he had to do to get Rachel back. He had already flirted with her on the bus, and actually listened to her song. He even almost told her that he loved her like the year before. So when they finished performing, Finn pulled her aside (against her will), and took a deep breath. I'm actually doing this! Breathe in, breathe out, Finn thought. "Your song was incredible, Rachel. I listened to it, and it helped me realize that it wasn't you that couldn't get it right. I'm the one who can't. I mean, I slept with Santana and then lied and about it, and I broke up with you without putting myself in your shoes to see how you felt. I actually was talking to Quinn just last night about it. We both decided that I wasn't over you. I was vulnerable, and stubborn, and I should have let you reason with me. I'm so sorry, and I forgive you."
Rachel started to cry. "It was my fault, too, though. I cheated on you, and with someone that I knew would make it hurt you worse. That was really heartless of me." She paused for a minute. "I forgive you, too. You had a reason to break up with me, even though I didn't understand at the time."
Finn nodded, taking a step closer so that he could wrap his arms around her. He held her against his chest and wiped her tears of her cheeks. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Finn grinned and held her closer.
After a long moment of silence, he asked her a question. "Rach?"
"Yes, Finn?"
"Will you be my girlfriend again?" Rachel pulled out of the hug, and Finn's heart dropped. That was until he noticed the huge smile on her face and that she was slowly lifting on her tip toes.
"I'd be honored." They inched closer and captured each other's lips in a sweet kiss.
!Glee!
They won Regionals, and everyone was happy. There wasn't any awkwardness between anyone. Blaine and Kurt congratulated New Directions, and didn't seem upset even though they lost. Quinn told Puck how she felt, right when they won, and they patched things up. Lauren quit and caught a ride home with her parents, but they all decided that they could replace her somehow. They all felt like winners, and nothing could put them down.
They hung out at the Circle Centre mall for a couple hours, all happy to be spending more time together in victory. Finn held Rachel's hand the whole time, and knew that he had finally gotten something right.