As always there needs to be a disclaimer that I obviously don't own Glee, nor do I own the song If you don't, don't by Jimmy Eat World
Pairing: Finn and Rachel
Finn could tell there was something off about Rachel, he couldn't tell you what but he just knew something wasn't right. She's been distant since she started dating Jesse, but she's never been this distant before. She sits in Glee with a sullen look upon her face, her lady gaga costume falls apart while she sits there apathetic, he wonders what she meant when she said it was a representation of a childhood she always wanted.
What's wrong baby?
Don't they treat you like they should?
He wanted to ask, he really did. He just wasn't sure she would accept him being her friend, he had broken her heart more times than he would even have liked. She just looks like she needs a friend right now, he's sure of it! He's decided he'll ask who cares if she doesn't want to speak to him. He wants to help her feel better, even if it brings up memories of his own less than perfect childhood.
Did you take 'em for it
Or every penny that you could?
"Rach? What's wrong, why are you all distant and like sad and stuff?" "I don't really think I should talk to you about it Finn." "Come on Rach, we're friends right? You can talk to me about anything!" "Finn, seriously I don't want to discuss it right now, but thank you for your concern." "Fine Rach, I guess when the time comes and you need to talk... well I mean I'll be here waiting." "Thanks Finn." She sincerely was grateful that he had become an empathetic friend, she could use more people like him.
We once walked out on the beach and once I almost touched your hand
Oh, how I dreamed to finally say such things, if only to pretend
She needed to find Jesse, she needed to figure out her life, most importantly she needed her mom to help piece her costume back together! She walks into the auditorium, her mother is right there running practice with Vocal Adrenaline, she knows she shouldn't have walked in while they were in the middle of their number, but she really needs help. "Mom?" "Rachel, you know you can't just walk in here while we're practicing!" "Yeah I know but mom" Rachel open her jacket to show her monstrosity of a costume, "well neither of my dads can sew and I really need help with my outfit, I was thinking you could help?" "Oh Rachel, come here sweetie, I'd love to help!"
Don't you know I'm thinking?
Driving 405 past midnight
You know I miss you (Don't you know that I miss you?)
Ninth and Ash on a Tuesday night
Finn can't help but think about Rachel as he sits in his room, he wants to help her through this, he feels like they have a connection, but he remembers she's off limits. Well really they can only be friends, Jesse has made that quite clear. He misses the old Rachel, the overconfident, bossy, star in the making. He wonders what has happened recently that has made her question her dreams. His thoughts can't help but drift to his own childhood, he clearly remembers what it was like to grow up without a parent. He wants to tell Rachel that there's nothing wrong with only having one parent, he grow up without a father, he thinks he turned out to be as good a man as any. Does she regret not knowing her mother? Maybe he can help her contact her birth mom. He's tired now, it's 3 a.m and he's been thinking of Rachel since Glee ended, he needs to sleep.
I would write to you from museum mile
A toast to you:
Your whisper
Your smile
Up the stairs at the Wheatherford
A ghost each place I hide
Finn sits in Glee wondering where Rachel could be, he hears Mercedes and Quinn talking but doesn't think much of it, the girls of Glee club have gotten close lately. Suddenly he hears Quinn say something about Rachel's mom, did he really hear that right? Rachel found her birth mother? Rachel walks in with a new Gaga outfit, he must say she looks good. "Hey guys!" "Hey rach, nice Gaga outfit" "Oh thanks, my mom helped me make it!" He really did hear her right, she found her mom! "That's great Rach!" "Thanks" She still looks sad though, shouldn't she be glad, she found her real mother!
(If you don't know why would you say so?)
Would you mean this please if it happens?
Won't you get your story straight?
Finn decides he's going to follow her, she just seems so happy when talking about her mom, but she gets this lonely lost look when she thinks of her. He watches Rachel walk into the auditorium, he decides to hide in the balcony seats at least he can hide in the shadows. "Mom?" "Rachel, it's good to see you again but honestly, you need to stop barging in to my practices" "I know mom, I just wanted to thank you for helping me with my costume!" "Okay guys take a break! Yeah sure Rachel. So what else is going on?" "Not much really, I just wanted to come by and get to know you a bit, My dads never really told me much about you. Now that I found you though I'd like to get together for some coffee or something!" "Look Rachel, it's great that you want to get to know me, but there was a reason why I decided not to get involved with you. I'm sorry but I can't walk into you life and expect everything to work out how I hoped!" "Oh, well that's okay, I mean I guess I kind of expected more than I thought was possible!" "I'll see you around after Regionals, be good honey!" "Yeah, okay I'll see you around mom." Finn couldn't believe it, her mother was the coach of Vocal Adrenaline? What a fucked up town Lima turned out to be.
If you don't, now honey why'd you just say so?
'cos I need this now more than I ever did
If you don't, well honey then you don't
He wants to go console her, instead he opts for a neutral contact, he'll text her! "Hey, everything OK? Finn" Yeah he thinks that looks good, well at least he hopes it does. He hits send, he waits for his phone to beep or vibrate or something, he needs to know she got his text! Then he feels his phone going off, one new message! "Hey Finn, I'm alright just a little confused~ Rachel*" He hates when she's unsure of herself "Do u need 2 tlk?" He wants her to say yes, he really wants to help her figure this out! "I'm not too sure really, but I'd appreciate it if you came over~Rachel*" As soon as he sees this message he's running around looking for his keys and sweatshirt, he vows to himself that he'll be there anytime, and do anything for this girl!
I left you waiting
At the least could we be friends?
Should have never started
Ain't that the way it always ends?
On my life I'll try today
There's so much I've felt I should say
But even if your heart would listen I doubt I could explain
Finn pulls up within five minutes of texting that he's on his way. He looks up and sees Rachel in her room pacing, he realizes that although he might not be the smartest, coolest, funniest, or even most handsome guy, he can be the most supportive. Especially when it comes to this particular girl! He walks up and knocks, one of her fathers open the door, he introduces himself politely and asks to talk to Rachel, her dad point him in the right direction. He knocks on her bedroom door, she opens as soon as he knocks. She has tears in her eyes, he knows she takes rejection badly, but he can assume she'd take rejection from her mother worse. "Rach, you don't look too good, are you alright?" "No Finn, I'm not "alright!" I got rejected by my Birth Mother. She wants nothing to do with me until this whole Regional competition is over! I just wanted to get to know her! I've always wondered what she was like, so when I finally found her I wanted to learn everything there was to know about her. She wants me to wait and see if that's really what I want!" "Rach, I'm sorry honestly. I can relate to you, I know what its like to wonder what your parents were like, to wonder if you're making them proud. It's hard I get it, but you have a shot now! Just wait until this competition is done!" "No, Finn I can't wait. I've thought about her for so long, I've imagined her being a broad way star, I've imagined singing with her on broadway one day, can you imagine how horrible I felt finding out that she hasn't made it out of Lima? I'm not entirely sure you can relate Finn, You've had everything you needed growing up: friends, family, popularity, athletics, you've been blessed!" "Rach, I haven't been blessed, yeah I had friends but it was at the expens eof my happiness, they were friends because of athletics, I come from a hard background too Rach! I never knew my dad, he died in the Gulf War, I grew up wondering about him, everytime I asked a question my mom would start bawling. I eventually stopped asking about him. I got involved with sports and clubs because I couldn't stand being in my house, thinking about my dad, wondering if I was making him proud!" Finn was trying hard not to cry at this point. "I never got to meet him, but you, Rach you have a chance to meet your mom and get to know her. You can find out everything you wanted to know, I'd give anything to have that opportunity with my dad!" "Finn, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't know, I'm acting like I'm the only one with troubles"
So here we are now
A sip of wine, a sip of water
Someday maybe
Maybe someday we'll be smarter
And I'm sorry that I'm such a mess
I drank all my money could get,
I took everything that you had and never loved you back
He helped her, she appreciates that more then he'll ever know. She watches him during Glee, and thinks that there is definitely more than meets the eye to Finn Hudson. He smiles at her, his first real smile since letting her know about his childhood, and his feelings of inadequacy, she has helped him with so much more than he could ever know. He realizes that he loves her, he's made huge mistakes in the past, but he'll make it up to her. She deserves happiness, and he wants to be the one that gives it to her. They have an appointment to meet with Shelby after Glee today, He's going to be her support. She's grateful, and empathetic. She wants to help him get closure with his dad, eventually one day she will, but for now she's content with him supporting her, being her rock. They hold hands as he drives, she's nervous not because she's going to find out everything she wants to know, but because she has the boy she fell in love with supporting her. The talk with Shelby is brief but very informative. She returns to his car with a wide smile. He asks how it went and she tells him it was great, He leans down to hug her. He wants to show he'll always be there for her, they break apart and he opens the door for her. She climbs in and he runs around to get in the other side. As he buckles up she leans over whispers thank you and kisses him on the cheek. He wishes her lips lingered a bit longer, he wished her aim had been to the right, but most importantly he wished he had the balls to tell her he loved her before she ran into the arms of another guy!