You Are Like A Sunset to Me

by freewithme

AU FINCHEL - It all started when Finn's dog wouldn't stop barking at Rachel's cat at the veterinarian's office.

1. you're all kinds of beautiful

AU. It all started when Finn's dog wouldn't stop barking at Rachel's cat at the veterinarian's office.

Based on the prompt "my dog won't stop barking at your cat in the waiting room at the vet's au" I once saw on tumblr.

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Hey, everyone! :) Long time no see! I still have no idea when I'll be able to update my other two WIPs because my baby girl is still at the hospital. However, I've been writing this in the meantime. I hope you all enjoy. I'm currently writing the second part. I really hope you guys like it.

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You Are Like A Sunset to Me

And in case you were wondering, you are like a sunset to me

You're all kinds of beautiful as you end my day

And you sweetly retire as stars chase you away

(Sunsets and Car Crashes - The Spill Canvas)

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Chapter 01

~.~

This is not Finn's idea of a fun time.

He is sitting down in a narrow, uncomfortable chair, way too small for his big genes, the AC is broken, and Ernie keeps barking incessantly at this lady's cat. A cat that could not care less about him and his attention seeking barks, simply ignoring his presence since the frustrating sound first started a couple of minutes ago. It happened as soon as they got inside the room, actually.

Given that Ernie is a 30kg golden retriever, Finn is quite impressed with the cat's nonchalant attitude at the moment. A little amused, too.

The other people in the waiting room of the vet's hospital, however, are not impressed. And they are kind of giving him the stinky eye. Their pets are sort of judging him, too.

Wait, is that even possible?

He looks at the lady again, shooting her an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, he's usually not this way."

She laughs, chocolate eyes shining, "It's perfectly fine."

Finn combs his fingers through Ernie's fur, so much of it falling on the floor and on Finn's clothes. He's trying to calm him and his restless heart, which Finn can feel beating through his full, large body. Given that Ernie is a very calm dog, something must be really wrong with him. Finn hopes the doctor calls them soon enough.

Finn keeps trying to calm him down and that works for about 1.3 seconds and then Ernie is at it again.

The thing is, Ernie is more agitated than normal and it breaks Finn's heart, he's never seen his dog this upset before. He's got sick before, sure, but it's like he knows what's going to happen and he's afraid of what is going to be the outcome of his symptoms.

Oh, man. He heard dogs have some sort of sixth sense, what if he's dying and he knows it and that's why he's so fussy? Shit, he can't lose Ernie! They've been together for only three years!

The lady interrupts his inner panic attack, letting out a small giggle, lightly rubbing her cat's fur and says, "I always knew she was trouble. I mean, at least with the pets in my neighbourhood, but I didn't know she could grab a strange dog's attention, too…"

He chuckles at that, making Ernie turns his head and look at his face for a second and then he goes back to barking once again. "I feel like he's pretty desperate at the moment. I've been taking him to the dog part and no other dogs seem interested in being friends with him. He's kind of lonely, I guess."

"Oh, no. That's so sad. Are you guys new in town?"

"Not exactly. I used to live here, but stayed away for 10 years. I've just moved back in a few days ago."

The assistant's voice cuts through their conversion, "Mrs. Carl and Thompson."

An old lady gets up with her shih tzu on her arms, still giving Finn and Ernie an annoyed look, what seems to spur Ernie on even though he can't stop looking at the lady's cat.

See? Sixth sense.

Finn hangs his head in embarrassment.

"This way, please," the assistant says, showing them the way to the doctor's office, and Finn finally raises his head, a few glares still being shot his way and making him grimace. Ernie is still not giving a tiny rat's ass.

"So," The lady, Nice (and Pretty) Lady, he decides, clears her throat, getting his attention. She adjusts her body, sitting a bit forward in her seat, turning her full attention to him and Ernie, who keeps on barking. "Are you enjoying moving back home?"

"I really am. This is the greatest city in the world."

"I agree," she beams, eyes sparkling. "Have you tried taking him to Spanish Banks beach? Perhaps you could go there, if it's near your house. There is plenty of room for him to run and on Sunday mornings it's absolutely packed with dogs. I'm sure he will make a friend there."

He let's out a breath of relief and grins, "Yeah, that's actually near my house. I never had a dog before so I don't know places to take him. Thank you so much, I'll be there on Sunday morning for sure."

"You're welcome, I'm glad to help." She offers him a kind smile, which Finn reciprocates, his dimples showing. He doesn't know if he's imagining it or not, but her smile seems to grow impossibly bigger.

In that moment, not even Ernie's barks could deviate Finn's amber eyes from her chocolate ones.

~.~

He gets home a while later, Ernie on his arms, still shaking from the doctor's shot. Finn doesn't think he'll ever get used to it, it's like it's an odyssey every single time he has to take a shot, suddenly believing he's a puppy once again and lodging himself in Finn's lap and arms, refusing to come down.

Finn tries to put him down, only for Ernie to climb over his chest and back, effectively putting his butt on the side of Finn's face.

Finn is plain exasperated by now.

"Seriously, dude?"

This dog is freaking huge, what the hell?

Trying to disentangle himself from his dog, a dog that seems extremely interested in living on his back forever, by the way, Finn remembers he has those ham treats he makes that he only gives Ernie when he's really desperate for him to do something.

He makes his way to the kitchen, with Ernie still glued to his body, picking up the treats from a jar inside one of the cabinets. He takes a piece and puts his left hand behind his head, manoeuvring his body to reach Ernie's nose and mouth, trying to make him interested enough to be sufficiently distracted so Finn can put him on the ground.

The dog quickly wags his tail, reaching forward to grab the treat. Finn moves to the living room, trying to make Ernie get down from his back and onto the couch, but he's having none of it. He cries softly, tries to reach for the treat, but doesn't make a move to get out of Finn's back and shoulder.

Dammit.

Finn sighs and tries to think of something else, narrowing his eyes and scrunching his nose in thought. And then he remembers it.

Allan! Hell yes!

He goes over Ernie's big cushion at one of the corners of his living room, near the fireplace, kicks off his shoes, reaches for his left feet with his left hand and takes off his socks.

Okay, that was some awesome work out. I definitely deserve a piece of cake after this.

He has no idea how he does this with a giant dog hanging on him, but he does. He flexes his toes and reaches for Allan, Ernie's stuffed puppet turtle, bringing it to his left hand.

Since Allan has a hole on its body because, ya know, it's a puppet, Finn goes back to the kitchen and stuffs treats inside of Alan's hole.

He frowns midway.

This is weird as fuck.

He then keeps going because this is his life now so he might as well bend over and take it.

Finn puts his hand behind his head, yet again, and lowers his body to the ground, trying to put Ernie's leg on the floor. Since Finn finally, finally distracted Ernie enough, the dog is pushing against Finn's chest and shoulder sniffing Allan animatedly, his tail wagging wildly and hitting Finn right in the face, making him close his eyes and make a face in response.

As Ernie reaches inside of Allan's hole to get his desired treats, he slowly lets go of Finn's shoulders and back, making Finn put him on the floor quickly before he realises what Finn's doing.

Once he's completely free of Ernie, Finn slowly stands up from the floor, lifting his hand in the air and silently celebrating.

"Fuck yes!"

He looks over to the floor and sees that Ernie is still preoccupied with Allan and the treats.

Honestly, still a puppy.

Forever a puppy.

~.~

For the next few days, Finn pays close attention to see if Ernie is feeling better.

His mom is gravely concerned for her son's dog's well being after Finn calling her and telling her what's happening. Carole comes over during the week with her youngest children, the twins Nathan and Hannah, both 6 years old, and brings chicken soup for Ernie.

Finn looks at his mom with an amused face. "Um, mom? Chicken soup? You know he's not human, right?"

The twins let out a giggle, covering their mouths, their eyes sparkling. Finn looks at them and scrunches his nose at their cuteness.

Carole's face is surprised, seemingly just sinking in that Ernie is, in fact, a dog. "Oh goodness! I'm sorry, sweetheart. You know we never had a dog before. I don't know how to do this," she says, slapping her hand against her forehead.

Finn chuckles, "It's okay, mom. I'll keep the soup to myself, it smells great," he says, offering her a smile.

She smiles tightly, eyes still apologetic, "I'm sorry, honey, but you treat him like a child, I keep forgetting he's a dog!"

Finn looks thoughtful and whispers under his breath, "Kurt says that, too..."

Nathan interrupts Finn's thoughts, pointing his tiny finger at the direction of Finn's face, "It's true, Finny! Ernie has more toys than me and Hannah!"

Finn pretends to look offended, gasping dramatically. He bends over and reaches for his brother, tickling his stomach, making him squirm. "No, he doesn't, take that back!"

"Will not!" Nathan squishes and giggles in delight, making Hannah jump on Finn's back, screaming right into his ears. "It's true, Finny! It's true! He's your doggie baby!"

"What is this? A twin attack?" he asks, both Nathan and Hannah trying to tickle Finn themselves, which doesn't seem to be very effective, given the giant nature of their older brother. "That's it! I'm going to get you both and tickle you until you can't take it anymore."

At Finn's words, the twins start to run all over the house, screaming and laughing, giggling their way though the hallways and onto the backyard, making Ernie join in on the fun as well.

All of this wonderful atmosphere creates an incredible and comfortable feel inside of Finn's chest, spreading all over his body and making him so fucking happy.

He smiles, ecstatic to be home again. Beaming at his mom, who has an equally peaceful happy look on her face, Finn runs after the twins.

~.~

Satisfied to know Ernie is not vomiting or excessively shedding anymore, Finn decides to take him to Spanish Banks on Sunday morning. Before he goes, he calls him mom's house and asks if his brother and sister want to come with him and Ernie to play down at the beach.

Their excited screams in response are enough to let Finn know they are definitely interested.

He goes over to his mom's house, Ernie lying down on the trunk of his SUV. When he gets there it's 7am, Nathan and Hannah are already waiting on the front porch, literally bouncing on their little legs and Finn can't help but chucle at their excitement. Carole is sitting by her traditional "mom chair", an amused smile on her face. By her feet, there are two child seats, the ones she has for when the twins ride in other people's cars.

Finn knows they're just waiting for his okay to run over to his car, Carole being strict that they cannot leave the porch area unless they are allowed to, so he makes a spectacle of taking his seatbelt off and slowly gets out of the car, like he has allllllllllllll the time in the world.

"Finny! You're doing this on purpose!" Hannah shouts, stomping her feet.

He tries to contain his smile when he says, "Am not!"

Both Nathan and Hannah give him an annoyed look and shout in unison, "Are too!"

He moves tortuously slow through the front yard of his mom's house, opening the gate and pushing it all the way. He leans down to tie his shoes, stands up, the twins almost fuming. They look so angry, their lips pressed together, eyes judging their brother.

Finn stops right before he reaches the porch. He puts his finger on his chin, pretending to remember something and then turns back around, making the twins complain loudly, screaming, "Finny! Stop being mean!"

He turns around smiling, goes to the front porch and extends both of his arms, the twins forgetting they are upset and throwing themselves against their big brother. The three of them hug and Finn says, "Come on, guys, get in the car. Mom and I will set up your seats whilst you guys look after Ernie."

The twins run to the car, Carole and Finn grinning after them.

"Finn, I already put sunscreen on them, but in two hours, you have to reapply it. I set up a bag with their sunscreen, do you have anywhere to put it?"

"Yeah, I do. I made a few snacks and got water for us, too. I'll just put it in my bag."

Finn opens the door of his truck, grabs his messenger bag and puts the twins' sunscreen inside. He picks up the twins and puts them inside with Ernie until he and his mom finish setting up the child seats.

As they are setting up the car seats, Carole asks, "How is the restaurant going, sweetie?"

"It's going really well, mom," Finn responds, "I stopped by yesterday and it's around 70% finished. Tina said we can open in about two months, maybe seven weeks."

"That's so exciting!" Carole says in an encouranging tone, "I'm sure that with Tina in charge, you guys will open just in time. I'm so happy she's your partner with this, Finn."

"Thanks, mom. It means a lot to me that you feel that."

"I do. I'm also really happy that things are working out and that you're finally back home," she says, touching his arm and squeezing it. "Burt, the twins, and I missed you so much, honey."

Finn side-hugs her, leaning his head over hers. "I missed you guys, too. I'm happy to be home."

Carole smiles at him and asks, "Finn, do you think you can you spend the afternoon here after you guys come back from the beach? We can have a barbecue, if you want. Invite Santana, Quinn, Grace, Tina, Mike... what do you say?"

Finn's eyes light up at the mention of his closest friends. "That would be awesome! I'll text them when we get to the beach and then I'll call and let you know. If they can't come, I'll be here anyway."

Carole grins. "Great! I'll be waiting!"

As they finish setting the chair seats, Finn goes to the back to get the twins.

"Come on, guys," he claps his hands together. "We're all set, let's go."

"Finny, can we stay here and ride with Ernie?" Hannah asks in a small voice.

"I'm sorry, Banana, but no. It's really dangerous to be without seatbelts here in the back."

"But the beach is not that far away!" Nathan tries to insist, making his eyes go wide, just the way he knows it melts Finn's heart every time.

Finn tries to be stern and gives both of them a pointed look. "I know it isn't, guys, but we have to follow the law." They seem unconvinced, so Finn tries his best, drawing dramatic scenarios just as he learnt with Kurt. "Do you want me to get arrested and stay away forever?"

The twins gasp, looking utterly shocked. "No!" they say, both of their mouths hanging open in fear.

Finn holds back a smirk and goes on, "Then we have to do what the law says, okay?"

The twins appear to give in, lowering their heads, and whispering in unison, "Okay, Finny."

Satisfied, Finn picks up Hannah first, hands her to Carole so she can set up her in her seat. Finn then picks up Nathan and puts him on his designated seat.

He goes over to the driver sit and they all say goodbye to their mom, driving off to the beach.

As they pull down at the parking lot at the beach, the twins are euphoric once again.

"Beach! Yay!" they scream and clap their hands, making Finn beam, so glad he brought his two little monsters along with him and Ernie.

Finn looks at them through the rear view mirror and asks, "Are you guys excited?"

They let out a joint excited scream, "So!"

Finn smiles, stopping his car and taking Nathan and Hannah off their seats.

"Guys, listen," he says in a firm voice. He bends his knees so he can look into the twins' eyes, a tactic he learnt from him mom long ago. "I brought some stuff for us to eat and drink, and I also got some of Ernie's toys, they're all in this bag," He points to his messenger bag. "I need you guys to hold hands and do not let go until we stop somewhere to sit down, understand?"

The twins nod their heads, reaching for each other's hand automatically, which makes Finn give them two thumbs up.

Finn gets Ernie out of the trunk, holding his leash with his right hand and holding Nathan's hand with his left, making sure Nathan is tightly holding Hannah's hand.

They walk on the beach until they find a tree trunk to sit against.

"Sit down, boy," Finn instructs Ernie. As he sits, Finn reaches into his pocket and gets him treat, which he promptly eats. Finn pets him gently, "Good boy."

Finn gets a blanket from his bag and spreads it open, asking the twins to sit down for a second.

"Okay, we're going to need two basic rules. Number one, you guys can play with Ernie as much as you want. I'm going to play with him and you guys, too, but you can't go far away from me," Finn explains, "Number two, if Ernie's ball goes far away and he doesn't want to catch it, you guys have to stay here and I will go get it myself, is that understood?" Hannah and Nathan nod their heads. "Okay then," he says, reaching for his bag, and pulling out a few of Ernie's toys and puts them on the blanket. "We're going to let Ernie decide which toy he wants to play with first. And then, when he gets tired, he'll pick another one and we'll keep going until it's time to leave."

The twins start bouncing with excitement, calling Ernie closer to them so he can grab a toy. Nathan subtly, or so he likes to think, pushes the frisbee to Ernie's line of vision, which of course gets his attention. Ernie ends up grabbing the frisbee, making Finn laugh and look at Nathan, who only smiles in return.

~.~

Two hours later, because he never was one to disobey his mom's rules, Finn tells the twins he has to reapply their sunscreen so they have to stop for a little while. When they protest, because they don't want to stop playing ("It just got fun, Finny!"), Finn brings his silly face out, "Do you guys want to look like big tomatoes? All red and swollen?" he jokes, sticking his tongue out and making a face.

The twins giggle, shaking their heads. They go over to their blanket, Finn reapplying the sunscreen whilst Ernie drinks his water. Shortly after, they go back to playing again.

After a few hours of throwing balls and frisbees and sticks, Finn is exhausted. Apparently he forgot how full of energy 6 year olds could be.

It hasn't been that long since I played with them... right?

He tells the twins to stay close and then sits against the tree trunk, gulping an entire bottle of water down as he watches them play with Ernie.

He then grabs his phone and texts Santana, Quinn, Tina, and Mike, inviting them over to his mom's barbecue later that day. They all confirm, so Finn calls his mom and let's her know. She's excited, letting out an excited shriek and Finn can't help by smile at his mom's happiness. She loves to have a house full of family and friends and given that Finn was living away for the last ten years, her chances of hosting barbecues and parties were sadly reduced. Even when Kurt lived back home, he was never much into having a lot of friends, always concerned with his boyfriend Adam and Adam only.

He leans against the tree trunk and observes his surroundings, half expecting to see Nice (and Pretty) Lady from the vet's hospital. But then he remember she has a cat and cats don't go to the beach much… right?

I mean, they're scared of water and everything...

Finn shrugs those thoughts off, focusing on his siblings, who are jumping around and playing with Ernie.

"Guys?" Finn calls for them, grabbing their attention. "Do you want any water or food?"

The twins shake their heads at first. They then look at each other, lean their heads together and exchange a few words. Finn looks at them suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.

Hannah then comes over to where Finn is sitting, Finn already bracing himself for a request, it's blatantly written on his sister's face and he loves the fact she thinks she's so sneaky.

"Hey, Hannah Banana. Do you want some water?"

"No, thank you," she says, shaking her head, and taking her pretty chestnut hair out of her face, sticking all over her with sweat. "Finny, can we take Ernie to the water?" she asks.

"Hmm—"

"I swear it's just for him!" she tries harder, taking him response in a negative way. "We don't have to get in, too!"

Finn laughs at her request. "Are you guys in your bathing suits? I forgot to ask mom."

She hesitates for a second. "We are… but we don't have to get in! We just want to see Ernie get wet and shake his body," she giggles, covering her mouth.

Finn thinks about it for a moment, mulling over the thought that Ernie is going to get very wet. But then again... it is pretty hot so it's not going to take long for him to dry off or anything.

"Yeah, let's do it," he says, making Hannah jump with joy. "Hang on, I'll come with. Tell Nate to bring over Ernie's frisbee, okay? We'll only take the ball to the water."

She nods, calling Nathan over and waiting for Finn to get up and grab the ball.

They go with Ernie to the water. Finn calls him close, holding him back through his collar. He gives Hannah the ball, instructing her to throw it as far as she can and then telling Ernie to catch it.

Hannah picks up the balls, throws it and says, "Catch, Ernie!" To which Ernie responds quickly and sprints to the water, swimming over to the ball and bringing it back.

Finn grabs a treat from his pocket and hands over to Ernie. "Good boy, Ernie!"

"Me now. Me, me!" Nathan says, jumping up and down. Finn laughs, holding Ernie back again and giving Nathan the same instructions.

"Finny, can I give him a treat this time?" Hannah asks.

"Of course you can, Banana. Here, take a few," he says, putting them on her small hands.

"Okay. Ready, Nate?"

Nathan nods, smiling. "Catch, Ernie!"

The dogs does the same as before, coming back and getting a treat from Hannah's hand whilst Finn tells him, "Easy, boy. Easy."

Ernie is careful when taking the treat from Hannah's hand, just like Finn asked him to, so Finn gives him one more treat for being good. "There's my good boy."

They keep it up for a while more, Hannah and Nathan taking turns on throwing the ball and giving Ernie treats, Finn supervising them, making sure Ernie is being gentle with the kids. Not that he wouldn't be since he's gentle with pretty much every single person or animal ever (except Nice (and Pretty) Lady's cat), but Finn has to make sure.

Later, when the kids finally seem to show some sort of tiredness, they ask Finn for water and food. Everyone comes back to the blanket and the twins eat and drink whilst Ernie dries off, shaking his fur and rubbing against a big towel Finn put down for him.

The twins watch the dog and giggle incessantly, thinking it's the funniest thing in the world how Ernie seems to rub himself in the towel and pull it over his body, rolling around like a burrito.

Finn looks at his brother and sister, then looks at Ernie and laughs along with them.

His morning couldn't be better than this.

~.~

When it's around lunch time, Finn tells the twins it's time to go home. They protest a little bit, but then Finn reminds them that he'll bring them to the beach to play with Ernie again if they're good and listen to him. The twins them promptly go over to where Finn is sitting, helping him to gather their stuff and take Ernie to the car.

Finn puts Hannah and Nathan on their seats and Ernie in the trunk, heading over to his mom's house. As he gets there, he sees two cars in front of her house and gets excited because he knows he's going to see his friends again. He hasn't had a chance to meet up with everyone since he moved back.

He gets out of the car, takes Hannah and Nathan off their seats and gets Ernie from the trunk. They head over to the front door and Finn opens it, a welcoming, delicious homey smell invading his senses. He lets Ernie off his leash, making him run to the backyard like he knows he'll find tasty food there, the twins going after him.

Finn gets to the backyard and is received with warm smiles and plenty of hugs.

Santana is the first in line, as expected, hugging her long time best friend. "I missed you, Finnocence. I'm glad you're back," she says, giving Finn a hug.

Behind Santana is Quinn, who's holding one year old Grace in her arms. She comes over to Finn, hugging him to the best of her abilities with Grace between them. "I missed you, Finn."

"I missed you, too, Q," he says warmly.

Finn then stretches his arms for Grace, "Come here, munchkin." Grace only watches him at first, leaning her head back and giving him a suspicious look. Then, all of a sudden, jumps out of her mom's arms, flying into Finn's and snuggling against his neck, closing her eyes in bliss. Finn kisses the top of her head and rubs his warm hand against her small back, leaning his head against her.

Santana and Quinn smile at the scene in front of them, knowing how much Grace will love to have her godfather around. It's not like they will mind a cheap manny either.

"You know, Santana's not the same without you around to, ahem, control her, you see?" Quinn says, knocking her elbow gently against Santana's ribs.

Santana pretends to be offended and says, "Hey! I resent that!"

Finn and Quinn share a laugh, knowing well how much Santana did miss having Finn around. And he was always good at balancing her excited energy with his calm presence.

Santana takes Quinn's hands and heads back to their table. "I'm going to eat and then make out with my hot wife now that you're holding my beautiful baby, the cutest cockblocker in the world."

Finn lets out a loud laugh, Grace stirring against his chest, whining. Finn rubs her back and gently rocks his body, making her settle down again. He goes over to a wood lawn chair, sitting next to Tina and Mike.

"Hey, partner," Tina says, smiling.

"Hey, fave partner," Finn responds, making Tina and Mike laugh.

Mike says, "Glad to see you, Finn."

"You too, man. How's the new job?" Finn asks, gently rocking Grace back and forth, who seems to have fallen asleep in the cosiness and warmth of Finn's embrace. He looks down at her and smiles.

Mike answers, "Still adjusting, but it's pretty cool, the guys at the company are huge nerds like me, testing video games all day everyday just one thing we share in common."

"I'm glad you're liking it," Finn replies honestly.

Tina chuckles and says, "Oh, he really is. Doesn't seem to ever stop talking about it."

Mike shakes his head and adds, "Not entirely true. I do talk about other… stuff."

"Yeah? Like what?" Tina teases him, which make Finn grin and shake his head, so glad to be able to be together with his friends again.

"Mmm, I talk about the beaches here?"

Tina laughs, "Ha! Yeah, you're right about that." She turns to Finn and tells Finn. "Finn, he's obsessed with the beaches here. And I didn't even had the time to take him to the islands yet."

"Man, you haven't been to the islands yet?" Finn asks.

Mike shakes his head. "I've never been on this coast before."

"Loser," Tina mutters under her breath. Mike gasps, making Tina giggle. "I'm kidding, babe. We'll take you there, okay?"

Mike fake pouts. Tina puts her hands on his face and smiles at him, he smiles back and nods.

Tina then says, "I'm sad I haven't seen you at the restaurant yet, Finn, the time you came by I wasn't there."

"I know, I suck," Finn grimaces, "I should be there more often, but Ernie is kind of sick lately, I can't take my eyes off of him, you know?"

"No need to explain, I can only imagine how much the change of coasts could affect him, the trip was awfully long. Alma has been moody, too."

Mike nods furiously, which makes Finn chuckles and ask, "Yeah?"

Tina nods and Mike, too. He says, "She's been more than moody, babe. She's even biting me, what's up with that? She used to love me."

Finn says, "I didn't even know cats were into biting, to be honest."

"Me neither. And they're good at it, too. Tina think it's because sh—"

"Shhh!" Tina hisses to her husband. "We're going to tell him later, when everyone can hear."

Mike grimaces, "Sorry, babe. I forgot."

That makes Finn curious, sitting a bit straighter in his chair. "What? What is it?"

Tina shakes her head and says, "We'll tell you later, Finn, hold your horses."

Finn narrows his eyes. Tina refuses to say anything, staring him hard. He lets out a breath and gives in. "Fine, but I will ask about it when we're all around the table."

Tina laughs and nods, "Sure thing, partner."

The three chat up some more when Finn feels Grace sleeping and sucking on her thumb. He excuses himself and goes over to where Quinn and Santana are sitting, and gently puts Grace on the stroller next to their table, smiling at her peaceful sleeping self.

He then goes over to the grill, where Burt is, his eyes glued to his iPad, watching some tennis match, probably Wimbledon from the time of the year. Finn watches amused, clearing his throat, trying to get his dad's attention. When it doesn't work, he resorts to using his words.

"Hey, dad."

Burt finally turns around. "Son!" He hugs Finn, letting all the years of Finn being away show and getting both of them a little emotional. "I'm so happy that you're back, son, we missed you around here."

"I missed you guys, too. Can't wait to sit down and talk to you about sports, I was suffering in Toronto. Neither Adam nor Kurt like anything we like, and Ernie doesn't talk," Finn says, "I mean, not like a human, he does bark and everything." Burt laughs at Finn's rambling. Finn chuckles and says, "Anyway! It was hard."

Burt snorts, "Tell me about it. Your mother is not into sports and the twins are not interested in that right now so I was in misery, too."

They share a laugh, patting each other on the back and hugging again.

"So, what are you grilling?"

"Just some vegetables for now," Burt opens the top of the grill, showing Finn some potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, onions, and obviously, asparagus. "Your mother told me to wait until you were here to put the meat, she says not even my extensive experience could be as perfect as having your input because 'A chef's input is always valuable, honey'." Burt says, imitating Carole's voice and shaking his head.

Finn laughs loudly at that. "She means well, you still are the best griller I ever met, you don't need my opinion on anything, dad."

"Yeah, yeah, you tell her that."

"Don't worry, I will."

"In the meantime, can you go to the fridge and get some meat, please? I've been dying for a steak, you know me."

Finn nods, "Sure thing, be right back."

After plenty of meat and vegetables grilled, everyone sits on the table to eat. As they are chatting away, Tina gets up, knocking a fork against a glass to get everyone's attention.

"Guys, Mike and I have something to tell you all."

Everyone stays quiet and turns their attention to the couple.

"I'm sure that by now you guys know that you're not only our friends, but you are our family." she starts, "And we love you all so much. We're thankful to everything you guys done for us and for accepting us into your homes and lives," Tina says, getting a little bit emotional and teary eyed. Mike squeezes her hand, giving her a silent comfort to go on. "We were so excited and happy when Finn invited us for this barbecue. It was the perfect time for us to gather, and to tell you guys..." she trails off, lowering her hands, and meeting Mike's halfway, in her stomach. "We're pregnant!"

Everyone around the table cheers and congratulates the happy couple, getting up from their seats to hug them both.

As Finn looks around his mom's backyard and watches his family and friends happily interacting with one another he can't help but think this is exactly where he belongs. He can't believe he lived ten years without these people and the warm atmosphere that seems to come with them, signalling one important thing in life: he's finally home.

~.~

Ernie seems to get sick again on Wednesday, which makes Finn worry two times harder this time. All of the symptoms that had gone away, the fever, the diarrhoea, the vomiting, the excessive shedding... they're all back now. And now excessive panting and weak legs seems to be added to the mix. They all seem to come back with a vengeance and Finn hurries to take Ernie to see Dr. Yokas again. He's so glad the restaurant is not opening for another few weeks because this way, he has the entire day to be around Ernie and take care of him. He would feel awful if he had to work and leave him alone.

Ernie stays quiet and doesn't quite move when they are in the waiting room this time, resting his head over his pawns and Finn just knows he's sad. He knows his dog and he is so upset right now. Finn pets Ernie, trying to make him feel better somehow.

Last time they were here, Dr. Yokas said he was stressed because of the moving and probably had separation anxiety concerning Finn's brother given that Kurt lived with them in Toronto and took care of him everyday, taking Ernie with him for his morning run and then walking him again at night when he got home from work.

"He was used to having your brother around," Dr. Yokas explained. "It's going to be hard for him to adjust to your new life for the next few days. Perhaps even weeks. I'm going to give him a shot for his physical symptoms, but make sure you give him plenty of affection." Finn nods at the vet's words. "Finn, I'm talking about spoiling him all day long, hugging, petting and giving compliments. Try to take him to for walks in your neighbourhood so he can get acclimated to the new city, too. Make sure you do all of this and he'll be fine before you know it."

Finn really did try to give him as much love as he possibly could, petting and hugging him constantly, taking him to buy new toys and treats, letting him sleep on his king size bed, taking him to his mom's house to play with the twins, taking him on long walks around the neighbourhood (when Ernie felt like getting up from his sad corner on the couch, that is), but nothing seemed to completely work.

Now, here they were. Back at the vet's hospital to see Dr. Yokas, Finn's heart breaking all over again for his dog.

The assistant calls for Finn and Ernie to enter the doctor's office. Finn gets inside and puts Ernie on the table, making him lay down on it, but not without some soft cries and whimpers that make Finn's heart physically hurt.

"Hey again, doc."

"Hello, Finn," Dr. Yokas approaches them and pets Ernie. "What seems to be the problem this time?"

"Well, he's just as sick as before, but now he's panting, too," As Finn is talking, the doctor is examining Ernie. "And his legs seem kind of weak."

"His anxiety seemed to get worse. Have you noticed any change in his behaviour after last time? After you guys left here?"

"Hm, let's see. He was kind of moody the first day..." Finn says. "A few days later he got better, so much that I took him to the beach with my brother and sister and he played the entire day. Even after when we went to my mom's house for a barbecue. He seemed happy for a little while, but then we came home and he went back to his earlier sad self. I took him to walks, took him to my mom's house to play with my brother and sister, bought new toys and made new treats, nothing seems to interest him."

"Yeah, he seems to be really depressed," Dr. Yokas says. "I'm going to give you some medicine for you to give him for his physical problems again and we're going to figure out a strict routine for you and him," Dr. Yokas explains, "How are your working hours?"

"Well, right now I'm not working. I'm setting up a new restaurant and we're opening in about six weeks or so."

"How is your routine going to be when your restaurant opens?"

"I'll work 6 nights a week and 3 mornings, I just didn't decided the exact days yet."

"Understood. Here's what we're going to do." Dr. Yokas grabs paper and a pen from a desk in the corner, handing them over to Finn. "You're going to set up a routine for him as of tomorrow. I'm going to tell you what you need to do and you'll write it down." Finn starts writing on the piece of paper the vet gave him. "You're going to walk him three times a day. You may choose the times, but you have got to stick to it, no matter what happens. He needs rigid stability for now, and he needs to be sure nothing is going to change again for the time being otherwise his anxiety levels will go through the roof."

Finn nods his head and keeps writing.

"You're going to take him to your mother's house in specific times and days, too. You can't just take him whenever you feel like it, he needs to understand it's something that happens certain days. He needs to feel safe within your routine." Finn writes down everything he's saying. "When you leave the house to go to work or for groceries or errands and stuff like that, do not make a big deal out of it because it will make him more anxious, if you act like it's natural, so will he. The same thing when you come back home, don't make a huge deal, just walk inside and do what you have to do. After a few minutes, call him over and pet him," Dr. Yokas finishes. "Got any questions?"

"Hm, I don't think so. Thank you for this, Dr. Yokas."

"You're welcome, Finn. He'll be fine, just stick to your routine and he'll get acclimated fast."

"I will. Anything else?"

"Hm, since you're not going to work for the next two months or so, now it's the perfect time for you to get out of the house for a while and leave him alone. But you have to be consistent with him, Finn. First leave for five minutes. Then stay out for ten and then fifteen and twenty, keep going from there. Whenever you come back and see that he's okay, stay with him for a few hours and then leave again. This will help a great deal with his anxiety because he knows you'll return whenever you leave. It's not like you're leaving him forever. Got it?"

"Noted."

Dr. Yokas prescribes Finn some medication for Ernie and then says, "Come back a week from today whether he's fine or not. Although if he continues on like this, you may return sooner than a week. I want to see how he's doing."

Finn nods at his words. They say their goodbyes, Finn carrying Ernie once again because he still doesn't feel like walking. It breaks his heart and Finn really hopes he gets better soon.

~.~

Finn and Ernie come back a week later, just like Dr. Yokas asked them to. Finn was really happy that they didn't have to come before, the routine seemed to help quite a lot. He walked Ernie in the morning at 6am, just so he could do his business, given that whenever they came back, both would sleep again, most times they would both cuddle up and sleep on the couch, going to the second floor was way too much work for their semi-lazy asses.

Then they would go out for a walk again at 11am, right before lunch and then at 6pm. Sometimes they would go out at 10pm if the night was pleasing enough and Finn would notice Ernie getting a bit antsy.

Going to his mom's house in defined days also helped a lot. Finn decided to go three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He also made a deal with him mom that when he started working she would pick up the twins from school and then swing by Finn's house to take Ernie for the day. Then Finn would pick up Ernie when he left the restaurant.

The twins were ecstatic that Finn bought Ernie over every other day, already trying to set up activities and "courses" for Ernie to go over. Honestly, Finn thought his siblings were the cutest little things on Earth, even if they had no idea how to set a course and only put down two ropes on his mom's backyard, trying to make Ernie stay inside the "path with no lava", as they called it. It wasn't exactly the best exercise, but fuck if it wasn't the single cutest thing ever.

Carole was excited, too, telling Finn it was like the twins had their own dog, only without the high maintenance that came with it. Finn laughed, keeping the thought to himself that maybe someday having Ernie over every other day would not be enough for the twins, maybe they would want a full time dog. He didn't say anything, though, otherwise his mom would totally back out of their agreement.

Ernie had a pretty good week, he seemed calmer after the medication and the routine Finn set up for him, showing particular excitement whenever they would go to his mom's house and spend some time with the twins. After about four days he would wake up Finn before their morning walk, already knowing their schedule. Finn was so happy he had a smart and well trained dog.

Fuck yes, golden retrievers!

The only thing that still made him anxious were the times Finn would leave him alone. He did how Dr. Yokas told him, a few minutes at the time. The first time Finn went out the door and could hear Ernie crying. He walked down his street and when he came back Ernie was still crying by the door. It almost made Finn want to give up this whole things altogether and never leave Ernie's side ever fucking again, but then he remembered he wanted the best for his dog, so he kept working on it. He figures it's good practice for when he has kids anyway.

He tried again and again and again and again and six days later – finally! – he was able to leave Ernie without him crying. Finn made a happy tiny dance the moment he step out the door, so happy they finally made it.

Now, here they are, a week later, at Dr. Yokas' office once again.

Finn takes Ernie out of the trunk of his car, happy to know he doesn't mind walking this time. As soon as they enter the waiting room, Ernie starts barking again, just like the first time they were here. Finn quickly notices that the Nice (and Pretty) Lady is with her cat again, sitting in a chair.

Her cat acts just as unimpressed as the first time, doesn't even bothering to look in Ernie's direction, stretching in the nice lady's lap and yawning, which makes Finn chuckle because it makes Ernie barks harder. It's like the cat is totally snubbing Ernie, acting like it doesn't have time for Ernie's nonsense. The Nice (and Pretty) Lady looks at him, first surprise then recognition crossing her beautiful chocolate eyes, and he gives her a small smile, mouthing, "I'm really sorry."

She smiles this huge beautiful smile back at him, shaking her head and mouthing back, "It's okay."

Finn stands at the waiting room, literally everyone looking at him and he doesn't quite know what to do or how to react. He tries to read people's eyes, but only for a second because the death glare game is strong for everyone at the moment, and Finn wonders if they know goldens are supposed to be one of the most quiet dogs ever given that they don't really bark a lot, they're basically a fluffy obedient ball of fur.

Wait, is everyone here an expert and are totally judging me as a shitty person who can't even keep his dog calm? Oh shit, am I a bad pet owner?

Having another inner panic attack, something that seems to only happened in this damned vet's office, he hears the assistant calling, "Rachel and Nina, please."

The Nice (and Pretty) Lady gets up from her seat.

Huh, Rachel, is it? Pretty name for a pretty lady.

Ernie keeps barking harder, Finn wondering if he thinks they're coming to their direction. They obviously go another way and Ernie actually drags Finn a bit forward with the weight of his body. Finn seems to regain his thoughts and composure, and takes Ernie outside because he does not want to subject those people to Ernie being kind of ass one more minute. Also, he doesn't want magazines and chew toys to be thrown at his head, which seems to be possible given the way people were looking at him just now.

Finn and Ernie go outside and Ernie seems to morph into his regular low-key self, calming down in a second and sitting by Finn's feat, wagging his tail and sticking his tongue out.

What the…?

Finn looks suspiciously at his dog, narrowing his eyes and pursing his lips. He leans down and pets Ernie. "What was that about, huh, buddy?"

Ernie turns his head again Finn, gets closer and licks Finn's palm.

"Are you apologising for being an ass to the nice lady and her cat?"

Ernie continues on licking Finn's hand and wagging his tail. "Dude, you can't just lick me and hope it gets better, it doesn't work like that. A few licks are not going to fix this," Finn says, but makes no move to stop petting Ernie. "No, wait. That sounded weird, actually," he laughs to himself. "Phew, at least no one heard that, what the heck they would think, eh?"

"Actually, I heard that," says a soft voice from his back.

Finn turns abruptly, standing up with wide eyes and an open mouth. It's the Nice (and Pretty) Lady, errm, Rachel. But she doesn't have her cat with her. What she does have is a smirk and twinkling eyes, dancing with an amused expression.

"Shit, that must have sounded horrible."

"I'm kidding, promise," she says, leaning down and petting Ernie. "Wow, didn't know you could go five seconds without barking, huh?" she laughs, rubbing her hands on him, his ears, and neck. When she goes for the neck, Finn knows what's coming next because if there's one thing to be sure in life is that Ernie will throw himself on the floor, doesn't matter where they are, as soon as someone rubs his neck. It's like his magical, happy spot.

Ernie does what's expected of him and totally gives in to her petting, throwing himself on the floor, full belly up and begging for more attention.

She laughs gently and concurs to his request, rubbing his belly and making him stick his tongue out, a look of pure bliss on his face.

Finn chuckles, "He's kind of addicted to petting, you won't be able to stop now."

"Oh, it's okay, I'll be here for a while anyway…" she continues on petting him and laughing, the prettiest laugh Finn has ever heard.

Finn tries to be smooth and cleans his throat in hopes to get her attention so they can talk, but ends up chocking somehow. Shit. She gets up and puts her hand on his arm, "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

He continues on coughing and nods his head, his hands indicating he's okay with his thumbs up.

She looks at him with a worried expression, her eyebrows drawing closer, "You sure?"

He finally composes himself and says, "Yeah, sorry. Ernie's hair must have gotten in my mouth or something."

She looks at him and gives him an amused look, arching her eyebrow, unable to contain her smile, "Well, I mean, if he licks you and everything… I would hope you would—"

Finn finally gets what she's talking about, his eyes widening and almost shouts, "Oh my god, no! Ew! No!"

She looks at him seriously for a split second, but then a big smile stretches and invites all of her face for a delicious laugh. She lets out a full belly laugh, throwing her head back and holding her stomach because she's laughing so hard. He looks at her like she's out of this world crazy, but can't help and laugh, too.

She's funny, he'll give her that.

She collects herself, picking up her hand and wiping beneath her eyes, saying in an apologetic voice, "I'm so sorry, I swear I was just kidding. My sense of humour is kind of messed lately, I'm sorry."

He grins, "It's okay."

"So, Rachel, is it?" he asks, extending his hand. "My name's Finn." They shake hands, Finn pointing to his dog, "And you met Ernie."

She nods, petting Ernie's head once again, "I have, yes. He's so cute."

"Meh, he's alright," he says jokingly, trying not to make a big deal of Ernie being the best dog ever.

At least the best dog Finn has ever met.

He also doesn't think right now is the time to brag about his dog, considering Rachel didn't get to see the best of him so far, you know, with him barking at her dog like a jerk and all.

She looks up at him and smiles, pretty white teeth showing, "Nice to meet you, Finn."

He smiles back, "You too, Rachel."

"Tell me, Finn, did you try that beach I told you about?"

"Oh yeah. It was so awesome, thank you so much for the recommendation. I went there Sunday morning."

"You're welcome, I'm glad you liked it. Sunday, huh?" he nods, "I didn't see you there."

His eyes go wide again, "You take your cat there?"

She laughs at his confusion, "Oh no, I take my two dogs there. I have two dogs and two cats, Nina is just one of my many babies."

"Oh," he smiles sheepishly. "So where is she, by the way?"

Her face, which was happy until seconds ago, falls. He instantly feels bad, feeling like a jerk for making her beautiful smile go away. She bites her lower lip, "She's in there getting some exams done. I came out here to take a breath."

Uh oh. By her tone of voice and her face, that doesn't sound like a good thing. "Is she okay?" Finn asks in a soft voice.

Rachel looks up at him, her eyes glassy and her lower lip trembling a bit.

"It's okay, Rachel, you don't have to tell me or anything. We just met."

"No," she shakes her head, inhaling. "No, it's okay."

He gives her an empathetic look.

"She's just… a bit old, you know? She's 13 now. That's why she doesn't look at Ernie when he barks, she's deaf. She hasn't been able to hear a thing for a few years now."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Do they know what's wrong with her?"

"She has a kidney problem, they're failing. Fast. Her blood is also super messed up because of it and it's just—" her voice starts to waver and she tightly closes her eyes. Finn can't help it and reaches for her arms, rubbing them.

She gives him a shy and thankful smile.

"I hope she gets better soon, Rachel."

"Thank you, Finn. That's very kind of you."

"And, you know, I'm sorry Ernie keeps barking at her, he can be an ass. He doesn't even bark, like, ever, but he barks at her for some reason, I don't even know what's up."

She finally smiles again and he's relieved, glad to see her pretty lips stretching and filling her face with charm once again. "That's okay. I think he likes her, to be honest. I mean, it's not hard to like her, she's the best cat I've ever met."

Finn wonders for a second. "Now that you mentioned it, I think he might like her, too. Poor Ernie," he looks down at his dog, that's now sitting down. "He has no idea what he's gotten himself into."

She giggles in response, "So, on Sunday, has Ernie made any friends at the beach?" Rachel asks.

"Not exactly. When I went there he only played with my brother and sister, he didn't exactly wander off and explored or anything like that."

"Aw, why not?"

"My brother and sister are only 6, I didn't want Ernie to run around and drag them with him, you know? I only have two hands, they outnumber me if they want to do something," he jokes. "My mom would kill me if something happened to them."

Rachel grins, "I can imagine how they are, I teach Elementary School."

"Oh man, you really know what I mean then."

"I really do," she emphasises.

"That was pretty much it. We stayed by that most secluded area where the sand is thinner, by the trees, at the far west side, you know?"

"I know where. Yeah, there's not much room there so people usually bring their dogs more to the centre of the beach where there's plenty of sand for them to run around."

"I think I'll bring Ernie there on Sunday then. Thank you, again, for the tip."

"Since you're going back maybe we can meet up, and let our dogs play together. Ernie can be friends with my dogs."

"That sounds awesome, thanks. Which kind of dogs do you have?"

"I have two corgis," she beams, so proud of her babies. "They are literally the cutest dogs you will ever met in your life. Ever." Finn mock nods, pretending to get along with her. She turns serious, "I'm seriously, they are the actual best, Finn."

"Uh huh. Sure they are."

"Are you implying Ernie is more cute than my dogs?" she sounds half annoyed and half amused, if that's even a thing. Finn's just glad he got to distract her from the sadness that seemed to take over a few moments ago.

His only response is to shrug, which actually make her stomp her feet, making him remember Hannah just the other day and he tries as hard as he can to hold back a smile because she looks damn cute right now.

"Say my dogs are cuter, Finn."

"I will not."

"Say it"

"Nope," se says, making the 'p' pop, crossing his arms and staring at her.

She narrows her eyes and pursues her lips, staring hard at him. "On Sunday…" she starts, "…you'll see. We can try asking for random people at the beach, if you want."

He snorts, "That's not fair! You go there a lot, people must love you."

She is the one who shrugs now, making him cock his head to the side, eyeing her in a suspicious manner.

His face turns serious, eyes piercing through hers, "Oh, it's on, Rachel."

She giggles, pointing a finger at him, "Good!"

"Don't worry, you'll see it on Sunday. Ernie's the definite best."

"I can't wait," she turns around, going for the building's door. She turns to face him again, walking backwards and waving her arms, "But listen, I have to go back in now," she points to the building behind her. "But don't worry, my dogs are extremely well behaved, they don't bark at strangers at all, Ernie will not be taken off guard, okay?" she teases him, grinning, eyes shining with laughter and gets inside the building before he can respond.

He laughs at her retreating figure and leans down to pet Ernie. "I think we got ourselves a play date, buddy."

~.~

On Sunday, Finn and Ernie arrive early at Spanish Banks beach. Just to make sure they would already be there when Rachel and her dogs appear, you see. Finn pats himself on the back for his strategy. Clearly, he's such a wonderful strategist he might as well be a part of the Avengers or something. Cook them awesome food, then kick some ass.

Ahem. Anyway.

After all, Finn has been incessantly practising army crawl and high five with Ernie for the last couple of days in hopes of trying to impress Rachel when she and her dogs arrive.

As soon as they got home from the vet the other day, Finn quickly went to the internet to research unusual tricks. He has never been happier that Ernie is one of the smartest breeds ever.

Ernie: 1

Rachel's dogs: 0

He actually wants to impress Rachel and wants her to see him and Ernie from a distance doing the tricks. He imagines her fawning over Ernie and laughing her pretty laugh again. He really wants to hear her laugh.

The little 'competition' they have going on is actually kind of awesome. Finn has always been proud of Ernie and loves to show people how smart he is and can be.

They get there at 7am and wait by the parking lot at the centre of the beach, hoping to see Rachel arrive so they can find a nice spot for their dogs to run around.

Finn is by the trunk of his car, talking seriously with Ernie, explaining to him he has to be nice and a good boy because they have to show Rachel how awesome he is. Ernie stares at Finn and when he says 'good boy' Finn swears he actually nods his head. Finn is instantly impressed, and gasps, "Seriously, there's no way Rachel's dogs are smart as you, Ernie."

"Oh yeah, wanna bet?" her voices comes from behind him and Finn jumps a little. Again.

Why does she needs to do this? Oh man, is she a spy disguised as a kindergarten teacher like in 'Kindergarden Cop'?

"Why do you do that every time?"

She giggles and Finn smiles in return.

There it is, her pretty laugh.

"Hello, Finn. Good morning!" she says, standing with a basket on her left arm, and her right hand holding the leash for both of her dogs. Dogs that are trying to stare at his face but not being too successful given how small they are and how much of a giant he is. He looks at them, and goddamn, they are cute. He won't admit it, though. Yet.

"Hey, Rachel," he smiles at her. "Morning. Are these your dogs?" he asks, pointing to the two little cuties by her feet.

"No, I just stole them, actually. Chose the smartest dogs I could find," she answers seriously.

"Are you serious?" he asks, his face falling. "That's not fair to our competition!"

A laugh bursts through her face and rocks her body gently, and she shakes her head. "I'm kidding, silly! Loosen up. It's our fun morning at the beach."

Finn can't help but chuckle. He does tends to be a bit more serious when meeting new people, it's nice to know she's being funny. It makes him act more naturally and be more comfortable.

"Alright then, smarty pants," he says, reaching into his trunk to pull Ernie out, putting him on the ground and grabbing his leash, moving towards the beach, Rachel and her dogs by his side. "Let's get going."

As soon as Ernie gets out of the trunk, he's immediately interested in Rachel's dogs, sniffing and trying to lick them, his way to show affection. Rachel's dogs are not timid and both sniff Ernie back, too. They start to circle each other, sniffing, licking and getting acquainted.

It's fucking cute and Finn grins, a big smile on his face.

Rachel laughs, "Okay, I think they already know each other enough. Let's go."

Finn nods and they start walking.

"I know a great spot that has a few trees, I think maybe we can stay there, what do you say?"

"Great. I brought some food, I hope you don't mind. I make Ernie's, and I always bring stuff for him, so it's easier."

"Oh, I don't mind at all. I brought some stuff, too. My dogs are addicted to carrots, if I leave the house for a couple of hours and don't bring them, they get impatient."

"That's awesome. Natural food is so much better than that industrialised crap, you know? I took courses on how to make food for dogs and I prepare all of Ernie's meals."

She nods, eyes searching for her spot. Finn mistakes her multitasking for disinterest and quickly says, "Wow, I'm boring you. Sorry, it's just that I work with food so it's kind of a big deal to me."

She grins and looks at him, "Not at all, I love to talk about food," she assures him. "And you're right. There are so many bad foods out there. I've heard horrible stories about dogs getting sick, it breaks my heart. I still give my dogs dog food, but my ultimate goal is to make it myself, like you do."

Rachel finds the tree and points to it and they head there, putting their stuff down. Finn reaches for his bag and Rachel goes for hers, both spreading blankets, one next to the other. Finn sits down, telling Ernie to sit, too. Rachel sits on her blanket, her dogs quickly lying down.

"So..." Finn says. "How do we do this?"

"Well, there aren't many people around yet. I usually let my dogs roam when there are dogs near and go play, they run around, splash in the water. Sometimes I throw balls, which is hilarious because when there are a few dogs around, they have to compete for the ball. So I've got..." she reaches into her basket and pulls out a plastic bag filled with tennis balls. "...this!"

Finn laughs and claps his hands, approving of her smartness, "That is so cool. Hey, people must really love you around here. I don't think I want to ask them which dog is cuter now," he ponders.

She looks at him seriously, whispering. "Are you scared?"

"No," he laughs, "I just don't want to do this anymore."

She giggles, "Whatever. I win by default then." She leans forward, petting both of her dogs and saying. "We won, you guys! Yay!" she says, reaching into her basket and pulling out two baby carrots, offering to her dogs and they take it right away.

She looks at him, a big smile on her face.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," he says dismissively, waving his fingers in her direction.

She looks at him and sticks her tongue out and he can't help but chuckle in response.

"What are their names?" Finn asks.

"Well, this one is Alfie," she points to the white and red corgi with a blue tag on his neck. "And this one is Bisou," she says, pointing to the also white and read corgi, but with a bright pink tag instead.

"Kiss, huh?"

"Yes. When I first got her, she wouldn't stop kissing my hands and face. I think it fits her, she's very affectionate."

Finn smiles, "That's cute."

"HA! You admit it then. My dogs are the cutest."

"No, wait a second," he protests, shaking his head. "I didn't say cutest, I said cute."

"Eh, same thing! I'll take it either way," she says, her eyes sparkling.

He grins in response, making her beam harder. They stare at each other for a while until they hear people close to them, bringing in their dogs, too.

Rachel leans towards her dogs and takes their leash off. She gently pats them on their tiny butts and says, "Go, guys. Go!" Throwing a couple of balls as hard as she can and making them and a few other dogs run to catch them. Ernie gets up and gets excited, looking at Finn and asking for permission. Finn takes his leash off, too, reaching into Rachel's balls and throws them, making Ernie run as hard as he can.

Finn can't help the smile that stretches over his face, his dimples showing. He scrunches his nose and looks at Rachel with a peaceful and serene smile on his face.

"Thank you for this, Rachel. He seems really excited to play around," Finn says, then turns his head in Ernie's direction, observing Ernie running around and playing with other dogs.

"I'm glad to help," she says. "He can make a lot of friends here. Did he have friends where you guys used to live?"

"Yeah, he did. We lived with my brother and he would walk with him in the morning and nights and I used to take him to the dog park just down our street every afternoon for at least an hour."

"I understand. Change can be tough on them, right?"

"It really can. That's why I was taking him to see Dr. Yokas so much, he was having a really hard time moving here, but I think he's better now. We set up a routine so I think he feels safer."

"Routines are fantastic, I have no idea how I would maintain four pets and still have an unbroken home."

"I don't even know if I can take a single pet, much less four. Do you have a roommate?"

"No. But I do have a big backyard and plenty of trees, I guess that makes things easier, they have a lot of space to hang out when I'm not at home. They're really good at keeping themselves entertained."

"Yeah, that's nice." Finn leans back against the tree and stretches his arms above his head. "My backyard is decent, but I wish we had more space. Ernie never gets tired of running around and playing."

Rachel folds her legs under her body and reaches into her bag, pulling out some grapes. She puts them between them and silently offers Finn some. She says, "I can imagine. A dog so big like him must have plenty of energy."

"I think he's the most energetic dog I ever met," he says and reaches his left hand to get a couple of grapes, putting them in his mouth. "I love it, though. I like to run a few times a week and he's a great companion for that."

"That's so good for them, to exercise like that."

"Sure is."

The sit in silence for a while, watching their dogs and laughing at how happy they are to be with each other.

After a while, they get up to play with their dogs. Finn carrying his trustworthy frisbee and Rachel getting a few chewing toys she likes to throw at the water for them to retrieve.

Finn throws the frisbee around, making Ernie run and run and run and run until he starts to get thirsty, indicated by his tongue out of his mouth all the time.

Finn takes Ernie to their blanket, giving him water and pocketing a few treats.

This is the time to impress Rachel.

He looks seriously at Ernie, "Are you ready, buddy? This is our time, okay?"

Ernie stares back, barks once and humps around Finn, who gives him a treat for being so. damn. adorable.

When they get back, Rachel and her dogs are playing catch in the water. Finn stands close-ish to her, trying to be stealthy, throwing Ernie's frisbee far away and waiting for him to bring it back. Just after he returns, Finn takes the frisbee from Ernie's mouth and says in a firmer voice, "Good boy, Ernie. Gimme a high five!" he says, stretching his hand and waiting for Ernie.

Ernie obediently stands on his two back paws and promptly knocks his front paw against Finn's hands, making a few people around them clap and congratulate Ernie, who surely gets a few treats for being awesome.

Rachel was watching the whole thing and asks, "Are you trying to win over people's hearts?"

Finn throws the frisbee once again, shrugging his left shoulder and saying in a nonchalant voice, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Rachel."

Rachel laughs and promises, "Like you said the other day: it's on, Finn."

She goes to her basket, grabs a few baby carrots and puts them in her pocket. Coming back, she calls Alfie and Bisou.

"Alfie! Bisou! Come here, babies," she calls them and they come back from the water, shaking their bodies, trying to remove the water.

"We're going to dry off, okay, guys? How about a little dance?" she asks, making the dogs jump with joy. "Annnnd... go!" she says, shaking her own body and turning around, making her dogs stand on their back paws and shake their little butts, in a move that Finn has got to admit, looks like actual dancing.

Oh my god.

He stares at the three of them, his mouth open, hands hanging loose by his side, Ernie trying to give him the frisbee back and asking for his attention, but he can't stop watching. Rachel and her dogs are actually dancing as she softly hums a tune for them.

They finish dancing and everyone claps and screams their names. Rachel and her dogs bow to the people around them. A bunch of shouts like 'Go, Rachel!', 'Alfie, rock that booty!', 'Shake it, Bisou!' come from the small crowd of people and Finn is left speechless.

Rachel looks at him with a satisfied smirk on her face, making him lift his arms in defeat.

He finally admits, "Your dogs are fucking awesome."

She giggles, throwing her arms up and letting out a high-pitched scream, "Yes! That's what I wanted. Thank you, Finn!"

He laughs at her reaction, his stomach suddenly fluttering whilst he's looking at her. He's surprise that the pure happiness radiating off of her is reaching deep into his core, moving him and making him shiver at the reaction she got out of him.

So. This is new.

It's strange, too. It's been a while since he felt like this. But Finn decides to embrace it, whatever it is.

Finn snaps out of his reverie, Ernie nudging his hand. He finally pays attention to his dog again and throws the frisbee away, making Ernie run for it.

~.~

After a few hours of their dogs playing around, Finn and Rachel decide to head to their respective homes. They call their dogs back and prepare to leave.

Ernie has other plans, though. When they get to Finn's car, Ernie, Alfie and Bisou wait and then when Finn turns his head for a split second, Ernie starts running towards the beach. Rachel is shocked, her grip on her dogs' leashes loosening, which makes them run after Ernie.

The three of them run back to the beach, crossing the parking lot and running as fast as they can possibly go.

Finn and Rachel look at each other, a desperate look on both of their faces. They drop their stuff and run after their dogs.

Ernie, Alfie and Bisou don't stop until they reach the water. They jump and swim and Finn and Rachel are hot on their heels, screaming their names and asking them to stop. They obviously don't care a tiny bit.

When they get near the water, Finn leans over, putting his hands on his knees, panting. His heart is beating so freaking fast.

Dammit, Ernie!

Finn looks over at Rachel and she has her hands around her waist, trying to breathe at a normal pace. She's shaking her head and has the tip of her tongue on the side of her mouth. Finn looks at her and she looks incredibly attractive right now, all out of breath, her chest rising and falling and Finn wants to know what else makes her react this way.

What else makes her body flush.

He snaps out of it when she looks at him. She says, a hint of delight of her voice, "We have a gang on our hands, Finn! They totally planned this!"

Finn bursts out laughing. He looks at the water and sees Ernie swimming around, only his head over the water.

"You're right. Whatever we're gonna do with them?" Finn asks, his voice teasing her.

She smirks and fuck if it's not the sexiest thing Finn has seen in a long time.

She goes over to his side and drops her voice, putting her hand around her mouth like she's sharing a big secret. "I suppose we'll have to join forces to surpass them." her eyes are mischievous and Finn can't stop staring at her, their eyes locked, an intense moment between them.

Alfie barks to get Rachel's attention and it works. Their gaze break and they turn their heads towards their dogs. Rachel is watching the three of them play around and she has a small smile tugging on her lips.

She looks at Finn and they share another smile, something that seems to be happening a lot. They're both happy that their dogs decided to get along and be friends.

Even if it's to turn against them.

~.~

Next Sunday, Finn and Rachel agree to meet up again. They're both sitting by the same tree and eating a fruit salad Finn brought for them whilst their dogs are running around and playing with each other.

"So, Finn, you mentioned last week that you make Ernie's food yourself?" he nods, reaching for a few slices of mango. "Why did you decide to do that?"

"Well, I'm actually a chef."

Rachel eyes go a bit wide and she whispers softly, so softly that Finn almost doesn't hear it, "Goodness."

He does catch her words and tries his very best to contain his smile. He clears his throat and keeps going, pretending to look around for Ernie. "Besides that, my brother's boyfriend is studying to be a veterinarian. We talked a lot before getting a dog and after extensive research I decided to make his food at home so it's more natural and without anything artificial, which is something that freaks me out," he says. "I make food for him to last a week. I put it inside his fridge, he has a smaller fridge it my house just for his food because I may have accidentally eaten his food once and um, no freaking thanks," They share a laugh at his misshapen. "So then I give it to him, it's really not that hard once you get into it after you get the hang of it."

She nods her head, "I see."

He looks back at her, eyes open and sincere, "I think of it as preparing for when I have children, you know?"

She smiles at his words, "I understand. It sounds like you're going to be a good dad, Finn."

He blushes and smiles coyly at her, "I dunno, Rachel. But I do think about it a lot, so I certainly hope so."

"Well, how many children do you want to have?"

"Honestly, as many as my future wife want to give me," he chuckles, "I love children. Always have."

"Really?"

He nods, "Yeah. I even thought about being a teacher like you, but food took over my life and I couldn't say no to that, right? I mean, food is pretty awesome, too."

Rachel laughs, "I suppose it is."

"Do you want to have kids?" Finn asks.

Rachel doesn't waste a second, nodding furiously, "Oh yes! I do! I really, really do."

Finn grins at her eagerness, "How many?"

"A billion!" she laughs, "Just kidding. Maybe three or four."

"I think that's a good number. My mom has four kids and she loves it. Says it's the best number ever. She has this theory and everything."

"Seriously? How's that?"

"Okay, so this is what she says. One kid is, and I quote, 'sad' because they can get too lonely." Rachel gives him a funny look and he chuckles, "I know. Just wait, the best part is coming up."

She laughs and encourages, "Of course, go on."

"I know it sounds kind of weird, but it made sense after the fifth time she explained it to me. So, two kids, okay?" she nods. "Great number because the first one you can kind of mess up a bit, but the second one you already know what the deal is, you won't smother them as badly. Or like, go out to the grocery store and take three full bags filled with literally everything they could possibly need."

She giggles, "Are you serious?"

He laughs, "I really am. My mom has actually done this. Multiple times, in fact."

She laughs again and gestures for him to keep talking, interested in his story.

"Okay, two kids so far. These two have to grow up sometime, right?"

"Right."

"And when they do grow up, you get the empty nest syndrome. Teenagers are also super embarrassed when it comes to their parents, so it's good to have more children that you can look after and take care and love when you're older and you can be a better parent because you're more mature and emotionally stable, being able to handle plenty of crisis without breaking down. So. You have one more and ta-da, best number ever!"

Rachel starts to smile, but then gives Finn a confused look, "But that's three, where and when is the fourth one?"

He grins at her, "That's the thing. My mom wanted just one more to spoil rotten, but the twins came instead. When she found out, she couldn't be happier, so she decided fourth is the best number. Just a little adjustment in her theory, see?"

She gives him a knowing smile, her eyes sparkling, which is something they seem to do a lot when he's around, "Very wise."

He grins, "Yeah, she's pretty awesome."

Rachel smiles, thinking it's adorable how much he seems to love his mom.

"So," he says, "What about you? Do you have siblings?"

She shakes her head, "No. Actually, I'm an only child."

"Do you like it?"

"Mmm," she says, biting her lower lip. "I mean, it can be really lonely at times, particularly when you're a kid. But, thankfully, me and my dads – I have two – are so incredibly close, I feel so blessed to have them. They were the absolute perfect parents. They played with me ever since I can remember, took me to parks, encourage me to play with other kids at school and to make friends. They're amazing."

He smiles, "They do sound awesome."

"They really are. Their encouragement was what gave me a lot of strength to go through some hard stuff, you know?" she asks somehow cryptically, making Finn wonder what happened to her that required her to be strong.

They just started this friendship thing, but he figures if he opens up about his own struggles, she can do the same if she feels comfortable. He gets this strong feeling and he really wants to know her.

He wants to know everything about the Nice (and Pretty) Lady. It's still the name he calls her on his head sometimes. Because she is nice and she's obviously pretty.

"I understand," Finn says, "I feel the same with my mom. Although there was a time I felt really lost, even though she was always there. Fucking High School and all, you know?"

She smiles sadly at him, "I know."

"Even though I'm over everything these days. I mean, I'm 32 now. But still sucks to think about some stuff. I was so gullible and super easy to manipulate," he lowers his head, messing around with the grass close to his blanket. "I mean, put that together with me wanting to impress everyone and fit in and that's a recipe for disaster. I eventually grew up when I went to Toronto at 18, but learning and being an adult hurts." She gives him a sympathetic smile and he backtracks, feeling bad for the mood switch, "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring the mood down or anything—"

"It's okay, Finn. I don't mind," she reassures him, putting her hand on his arm and squeezing. "I like to get to know people and you're a very interesting soul. A gentle one. I would love to learn more about what made you the way you are," she gives him a coy smile, cheeks turning a soft shade of red. He stares at her, surprised (in a good way) by her honesty and interest. She wants to divert her stare, embarrassed by what she just said, fearing she was too straight forward, but she can't. His eyes are soft and honest and she can't look away. It's like they're sucking her in.

After a few moments, Finn feels his cheeks warm, but doesn't stop looking at her. He smiles softly and covers her hand, still on his arm, and squeezes back.

~.~

The next week goes by in a flash, mostly because Finn set up to meet Rachel the next Sunday and they've been texting back and forth all week.

After their brief, but meaningful, sweet moment and "stare game" (as Kurt calls it because Finn has the power to lock his gaze with someone for a long time), Finn feels like this friendship could go somewhere exciting. Rachel's kind of super fucking awesome. In fact, he's certain she is. He has been talking to her during the week and she always finds a way to make him smile, whether it's a video of her dogs doing something cute, like chasing leafs of lettuce on her backyard on a particular windy afternoon or making a joke about how much of a 'big boy' Ernie is turning when he sent her a picture of him in a dog tie after a bath.

It's incredible because no matter what she always finds a way to put a smile on his face every time he talks to her. He likes that. And her.

He likes her a lot.

~.~

"Why did you move back home?"

Finn scrunches his nose in thought, "I never truly wanted to leave, to be honest, but… I got a scholarship to a really good culinary school in Toronto, which ended up being amazing, giving me the opportunity to work in France for four years."

"Wow, that's amazing, Finn. Congratulations."

"Merci, mademoiselle," Finn says, making Rachel giggle.

"Anyway, I moved to Toronto when I was 18. Then went to France when I was 22, not too bad, right?"

"Gosh, not at all, that sounds fabulous." Rachel leans against her crossed legs, supporting her elbow on her knee and leaning closer to hear his story.

"It was. I stayed there then came back six years ago. I never actually wanted to open my own restaurant when I first went to Toronto, but after staying in France and seeing the instability of being a chef without a restaurant of their own, I decided to save money to open my own someday. This industry is plain cruel," he explains. "If there's a better chef, or so they think, they have no qualms in throwing your ass on the street, so I decided to get smart," he shares, picking up a few other slices of kiwi. "Let me know if I'm boring you with my story."

She grins, "Don't worry, I'm loving it. It's a great way to know each other."

"It is. You have to tell me your story afterwards then, yeah?"

"Absolutely."

"Good!" he smiles at her, "So anyhow. When I came back to Canada, I was so excited and energetic, my head filled with ideas for a restaurant. I first wanted to come back to Vancouver already, but my best friend Tina and I talked a lot and decided to open the restaurant in Toronto because of the chances of succeeding there."

"Very smart, Finn."

He smiles at her comment, shooting her a thankful smile, "I was in France for the culinary experience so the only things I did there was to work and sleep, making me save all the money I could. I travelled a bit, but things are not so expensive there when you learn the tricks, so I managed to save a good amount."

He reaches for a water bottle, taking a drink and keeps on talking, "So when I came back, Tina and I talked. She's a nutritionist with a minor in business so that helped a whole lot. We put our money together, bought a building, re-stored it, hired people and opened our restaurant."

"That's amazing."

"It was not like a huge deal or anything, it was a midscale restaurant, but we always loved every single second of it. We're best friends and make good partners, I couldn't haven chosen a better person to start a business."

"That's so great. For both of you," he agrees with his head. "So why did you move back here?"

"Hmm–" he pursues his lips, thinking about her question.

Suddenly she's all flushed, mistaking his pause for discomfort. "Oh, I'm sorry. That was too personal. We're not in that level yet, sorry!"

Finn decides to tease her for her comment and agitation, "Oh? What level are we then?"

Rachel blushes, giving him a pointed look. She mutters, "Finn."

He's holding back a smirk and trying to sound innocent, "What, Rach?"

He does that sometimes. Calls her 'Rach' like they're the most intimate people in the world. He did that a few times during the week, calling her 'Rach' and it makes butterflies take the entire space of her stomach. She never had a real nickname before and it sounds wonderful to hear that word coming out of his mouth, with his constant raspy voice. She tries to contain (or disguise) her shudder, putting her hands on her face and shaking her head.

"Anyway!" she insists, trying to change the subject.

Finn grins. Oh, he got her good, "It's okay, you can ask personal stuff. I mean, we're getting close, right?" Her eyes widen at the implication of his words.

Rachel looks at his face, open and sincere, and can't help but smile. She licks her lips, Finn's eyes following the tip of her tongue. "Yes, that we are," she says, grinning at him.

Their eyes stay locked for a while and then Finn remembers her question.

"So, anyhow, it's not even that or anything. Personal, I mean. Well, maybe a little, but it's nothing too personal or something," he tries to explain, failing miserably. He decides to just go for it, "I was just tired of being away from my family. Particularly my baby brother and sister. They were born the year I came back from France, I didn't exactly was a good brother, or son for that matter, for a long time. Even though my mom doesn't agree. But I really was because I didn't come home as often as I should. Because of the restaurant and everything, I didn't exactly had money to fly a lot back and forth, and I suck at accepting money, even if it's from my parents. I came home about six to eight times a year, but it still sucked. Living back in Canada should have made things easier, but it wasn't exactly like that. And, I mean, even in Toronto I still wasn't home, you know?"

She nods, encouraging him to continue.

"So Tina and I talked for months about it and she, and her husband, agreed to move to Vancouver. We were only waiting for Mike, that's her husband, to find a job here and that happened two months ago. We sold our restaurant and bought a building here, reformed it and here we are. We're opening in a few weeks."

She gives him a smile, "I'm happy for you that everything worked out."

"Thanks, Rach," he grins in return, "So," Finn says, "Your turn now."

"Okay! What do you want to know?" Rachel asks.

Finn doesn't miss a beat, giving her one word that carries a very intense feeling, "Everything."

She beams at his fast answer, "Everything?" she asks, raising her eyebrow, challenging him.

"Yep," he doesn't back down. "I mean, we don't really have time for everything right now, that'll come with time, right?" he asks, making her cock her head to the side and stare at him harder. "So, for now, just the basics will suffice," he winks, making her – and himself, really – blush at his forwardness. Finn's actually not used to being this forward, but he can't help himself around Rachel.

"Mm, let's see," she starts, still smiling, "I was born in Seattle, actually. My dads met because my Daddy, Hiram, the Canadian one, was in Seattle on a conference and my Papa, Leroy, lived there. My Daddy went to a restaurant one day alone for dinner and my Papa was there with a few friends. Papa felt bad for Daddy sitting by himself, called him over and the instantly got along. Daddy move to Seattle. A few years, and a surrogate later, I was born. Ta-da!" she says, stretching her arms, sing-songing the last part.

Finn laughs at her cuteness.

Fuck, she's so cute.

"They started to resent Seattle after a while, though," she says.

"Really? Why?" Finn asks, interested in her story.

"Just the amount of bigots they encountered in their neighbourhood. Daddy convinced Papa to go to Canada, so when I was three they moved to Vancouver and I've been here ever since," he nods. "High School sucked a lot, I never made a single friend. I have to agree with what you said the other day: effying High School."

Finn feels bad for her, but decided to take away the focus from her sad memories because he's amused at her lack of cursing, "You mean 'fucking'?"

She scolds at him softly, "Language, Finn. You know I don't care for cursing." Secretly, though, she gets a little bit excited at his cursing. It's kind of… hot. She's not used to finding cursing hot.

He laughs at her being all proper and she shakes her head at his behaviour.

Finn does know Rachel doesn't like it, actually. One particular day during the week Finn was making a video of Ernie running around the living room and he hit his toe against the corner of the couch and screaming quite a few 'dirty words' as she later called them, after Finn calmed down and they talked about it for a while.

"Anyway! People taunted me for the smallest things, from my handwriting to my weight to my height to my nose to my mouth. High schoolers are the worst. I always knew I wanted to teach, but didn't decide Elementary School until I was a junior. I don't want to encounter high schoolers in a professional ever again."

"I'm sorry, Rach. They were a bunch of idiots, they had no idea what they were missing on not being friends with you," he reaches for her hand and gives it a soft squeeze. She reciprocates the gesture, giving him a small smile.

"Thank you," she whispers. "Things got better, though, I went to UBC and also got my Master's there. Teaching at Kerrisdale Elementary School is love to me. My students are the best. I want to get my PhD as soon as possible. With Nina sick I can't really handle that plus my duties as a teacher and then study and research. I want to do it in the future, though."

"That's awesome. How's Nina doing? Hopefully better?"

Rachel gives Finn a sad smile, but says in a hopeful voice, "She is better, thank you for asking. This week we didn't have to go see Dr. Yokas once. And she is eating by herself, which makes me so excited for the future. I've been researching a lot and talking to Dr. Yokas about it and some cats live until they are like, 20 years old. So she can still get better. We're trying literally everything."

"I hope she gets better and gets to live a long and healthy life, Rach."

"Thank you, Finn. You're so kind."

"I know Alfie and Bisou are doing good, what about your other cat… Charcoal?"

Rachel giggles at Finn mistaking her cat's name, "It's Shadow, Finn. And he's fine, my little trouble maker." Finn gives her a knowing smile, leading her to think he got the name wrong to make her smile.

"Oh, right, sorry," he says, winking at her.

She blushes under his stare, "Charcoal would be a cute name, though. I'm going to keep that in mind for future use."

He let's out a laugh, "That's a great idea, Rach. I support your decision."

She beams at him, scrunching her nose.

~.~

The next two Sundays, Finn, Ernie, Rachel, Alfie and Bisou meet and spend the morning together at Spanish Banks. Finn and Rachel talk the entire time, whilst the dogs, particularly Ernie, makes many doggie friends, much to Finn's joy.

They get closer and closer every time they meet. Texting during the week helps, too. The conversation, as well as the flirting, is easy. Finn thinks about a definitive move, but doesn't know what the right time would be because even though the flirting is easy and fun, sometimes Rachel will cut it short and change the subject.

Like, a few times he tried to lean a little bit closer and try to touch her in a more intimate way, and she would always put her hand on his arm and squeeze it, turning her face and changing the subject.

He's confused. It's obvious to him that he is acting in a way to show her he is interested in being more than friends and at times he feels like she shares his feelings and they are on the same page. But then all of a sudden… they're not.

Finn doesn't want to be one of those asshole who pushes women to do something they don't want to do, but the genuine connection he feels with Rachel and their glances at one another are so precious to him, he doesn't ever remember feeling this way about someone and he wants to take a chance on her. On them. Maybe it could be great and fucking epic or something. Obviously it could suck, but he is really trying to think positively about this.

He decides to invite Rachel to his restaurant opening next week as they are packing their things and heading to their cars. He tries to make it clear she was the only person besides his friends and family he would invite.

"All of us are allowed to bring a special guest, and I want you to be mine," he says in a soft voice.

Rachel's eyes widen, her bags slipping off of her hands. She's speechless, quickly agreeing and making him believe she knows this is… well, not exactly a date, but a pre-date. Mmm, more like a special occasion just so they can get comfortable with the idea of a formal date.

He tries to be positive, but he has a feeling his idea will blow up in his face.

Sigh. Here's hoping.

~.~

The day of the opening of the restaurant Finn is nervous and restless the entire day. He spends the morning doing prep work and getting his staff ready, triple checking every single thing and detail, just like he learnt many years ago.

He tries to make everything perfect, he wants everyone invited to have the best dining experience of their lives. He has been working on the launch menu for a long time and after meeting Rachel he sneaked a few of her favourite things into the menu, hoping to please her.

It's 5pm before Finn knows it and he feels ready, but at the same time not really ready. But he's kind of ready. And then not really.

He eventually decides to just go for it.

~.~

The launch has been going awesome, his family and friends arrived not to long after 6pm and the atmosphere is amazing. He knows he can start making dinner as soon as he wants, but he wants Rachel to get to know people before sitting down to eat.

Just as he's thinking about her, he looks at the door and there she is. With her pretty hair cascading down her shoulders, in a dark blue fit and flare dress that takes his breath away.

Finn goes over to her, giving her a hug and inhaling her familiar scent, closing his eyes for a moment and taking it all in.

"Hey, Rach," he says against her neck.

She smiles at him, "Hi, Finn."

He smiles back, and gestures to her outfit, "You look… wow, stunning."

Rachel blushes and lowers her head, biting her lower lip and then looking up at him, eyes shining, "Thank you."

They keep smiling at each other and completely forget their surroundings. Finn feels like he could stare into her eyes forever. And he feels it is a completely possible thing to if it wasn't for Santana calling his name.

Finn looks over his shoulder and notices Santana and Quinn approaching him and Rachel. He makes a face and then quickly turns to Rachel and says, "I'm sorry for what's about to happen, Rach."

She gives him a questioning look, but he just waves his hands in the air as the married couple approaches them.

"Hey, Finnocence. Is this the famous Rachel?" Santana asks not subtly at all, for which Quinn gives her a nudge on the stomach with her elbow, making Santana mouth 'What?' to her wife.

Rachel laughs nervously, once again lowering her head to hide her embarrassment. Finn gives Santana a dirty look. She just shrugs like it's no big deal. Might as well adjust to Finn's friend right now anyway.

Quinn tries to save the major gaffe her wife just committed. "Don't mind my wife, she's as well behaved as a bull in a china shop." Rachel laughs at looks at Quinn, and extends her hand to shake Quinn's waiting one.

She shakes Quinn's hand and says, "I'm Rachel. Glad to meet you, Quinn."

"Nice to meet you, Rachel. I'm Quinn and this is my delicate wife, Santana."

Finn watched the exchange with a smile on his face and sends Quinn a thankful look, receiving a wink in response. She did always have his back when it comes to women.

"Pleasure, Rachel!" Santana exclaims, reaching out her hand and shaking Rachel's. "Damn, you are hot as fire. Finn has some taste."

Rachel blushes at Santana's bluntness and says, "Nice to meet you, too, Satan. Wait, I mean Santana."

Finn chuckles at Rachel's subtle dig, making Santana give him a weird look, with Finn mouthing to her 'Screw you.'

Finn looks at Rachel and gives her a knowing look, making her giggle in response. Quinn feels like she and Santana are intruding an intimate moment, so she puts her hand on Santana's back and says, "We'll talk more later, we have to check on Tina and Mike."

Finn and Rachel keep looking at each other, and don't even notice they're gone.

~.~

As the night goes on, Finn introduces Rachel to his parents and siblings, including Kurt, who flew in from Toronto with Adam just to be at Finn's restaurant opening.

Not surprisingly, she gets along swimmingly with Nathan and Hannah, who fall in love right back at her. Particularly because she tells stories about her pets with funny voices, faces and gestures. The twins won't stop giggling and keep asking when is the next time they can go to Spanish Banks beach with Finn to meet Alfie and Bisou. Finn is thrilled, of course. He can't wait to make Rachel see him in action with his siblings, hoping she'll like him better after seeing how he is with them.

A while later, Finn goes back to the kitchen to finish setting up dinner, leaving Rachel safely sitting down with Tina and Quinn, since Santana and Mike are currently in the kitchen annoying him about Rachel.

"So, Finn. Tell us more about you and Rachel, have you close the deal yet?" Santana asks, with Mike smiling behind him, "She seems shy, but those are the freakiest ones, I would know."

Finn huffs as he's cooking and says, "Not now, San. Stop being a jerk."

Santana tries to defend herself, "What? I was just asking!"

Finn glares at her, "Well, don't. This is neither the time nor place."

Santana huffs and relents, "Fine. But I want to know all the details later! I can even give you a few hints that will make her crazy." she winks at Finn, slowly backing down from the kitchen, Mike laughing right behind her.

Finn scoffs again and goes back to his cooking.

~.~

As the first course is being served by the waiting staff, Finn goes to the main floor and presents his food.

"Hey, guys," he says, and receives a round of applause. He puts his hands up and says, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

The cheering gets louder, with Santana leading, and Finn bows, getting emotional and so thankful this day is finally here. He can't believe he reached his professional dream and it's in his hometown, too. This is what he has been working towards all these years and being away from his family has finally paid off.

He looks over and Rachel has a big smile and a tearful gaze directed at him. He tries to give her a discreet questioning look and she mouths to him, "I'm so happy for you." He shoots her a thankful smile and goes back to talking to everyone.

"Thank you, you guys are awesome," he says as people calm down. "So," he goes on, "thank you for being here and being supportive of my dream to open a restaurant in my hometown. I am so thankful for each and every one of you."

People start clapping again and Finn laughs, so undeniably happy.

"We're going to have a four course meal tonight," Finn starts.

Santana can't contain her excitement and shouts, "Wooo!"

"Settle down, San," Finn says, making everyone laugh. "Well, you guys know that my cooking is from all over, but mostly France and South America since my mom always loved and cooked food from there given that both her parents were Brazilian. So we have a mixed menu that I hope you guys are going to approve." He rubs his hands together and continues, "The first course you guys are going to hopefully enjoy is cabbage soup with smoked bacon, fennel and white beans. Then we have a niçoise salad, to remember my years working in France. Afterwards we're going to have a Brazilian sirloin with potato purée with Madeira sauce reduction. To finish it off we are going to have, to Santana and the twins' delight, two desserts."

Nathan and Hannah scream and clap together, "Yay, Finny! You're the best big brother ever!"

Santana doesn't disappoint and goes, "Best night ever!"

Quinn jokingly gives her a dirty look, but she just leans and kisses her shoulder and neck to apologise.

Everyone laughs and Finn keeps going, "So anyway, one is the classic Brazilian sweet brigadeiro and we're also going to have another classic: crème brûlée. Because this is 'go big or go home', right?" he asks and everyone claps again. "Okay, I'm going to go back inside, but I'll see you guys after. Have a nice evening and a good meal!"

"Brigadeiro, yay!" The twins shout together, making Finn scrunch his face on how adorable his brother and sister are.

Finn then goes back to the kitchen and works on giving the best meal of his life. He has his friends and family over, but also a few food critics that could really make or break this opening. He's been working so hard ever since he found his passion for food that he tries to channel his entire journey into this meal. And he really hopes it works out.

~.~

The dinner, and therefore the opening, ends up being a success. Finn's family and friends absolutely love it. Kurt tells Finn afterwards that the critics seemed happy, too. Everything is great and he couldn't be happier.

I mean, it can always get better. He could have Rachel in his arms, snuggling the night away. But he's not expecting to end up being that intimate with her in a single night. A kiss wouldn't hurt, though.

After most people leave, Finn, Rachel, Kurt, Adam, Tina, and Mike stay behind and end up talking and getting to know each other better.

Soon enough, Tina and Mike leave, silently gesturing to Finn how much they liked and approved Rachel. Kurt and Adam are next, leaving Rachel alone with Finn.

They talk easily, like they always do. As the night goes on their flirting seems to get stronger and more intense, with touching hands and knees and arms and hair getting more insistent and present.

Finn slides a little bit closer to Rachel, which makes her look up at him with wide and bright eyes. She interrupts her story about something Shadow did a few days ago to stare at his face and lock eyes with him. She goes on and Finn puts his hands on her knee and lightly moves his thumb against it.

Rachel's breath catches in her throat and she focuses all of her attention on Finn's hand.

"Rach..." Finn whispers.

She looks up at him again and he goes in for the kill.

As he's lowering his face against hers, she suddenly gets ups, breaking the spell and nervously pacing around.

"Rach…?"

"I need to go," she says, not looking at him. She's looking anywhere but him, really. And he feels a pain deep within his chest because the Rachel he knows is not one to avoid or break eye contact.

"What—?"

She's nervous and jumpy and talking really fast, Finn doesn't know what's happening. "Bisou and Alfie are probably hungry right now, their dog sitter went home a few hours ago and they're probably upset and hungry and nervous… Shadow and Nina, too!" Finn holds his hand up, trying to make her stop talking so he can say something, but she's having none of it. "So yeah, I'm going to go and we'll talk more later, okay, Finn?" she asks, walking towards the door of the restaurant and away from him and the couch they were sharing. "Thanks for tonight, Finn. The food was lovely and I re—"

"Rachel, wait, I'll drive you," Finn tries to say, standing up and holding his hand out for her.

"It's okay, I'll just take a cab and we'll talk later, okay? Bye, Finn!" she says, disappearing through the door and leaving a very confused and bewildered Finn behind.

~.~

Later the same night, or dawn by the current time, because he just couldn't sleep, Finn is sitting on his couch with Ernie when he decides to go for it. He texts Rachel because he can't take this anymore. He decides to be bluntly honest because what the fuck is even happening?

Rach, are you up?

Her answer doesn't take long.

Hi, Finn. Yes, I am!

Good. Can I ask you something?

Of course! :)

Why didn't anything happen between us tonight?

He stands up in his living room, nervously looking at his phone, waiting for her response.

Pardon me?

He doesn't get why she's playing dumb, but it's fine. He's just going to go for it because he literally has nothing to lose. Losing her friendship would certainly suck, of course… but he has to make her see and understand his feelings and intentions.

I like you, Rachel. I like you a lot. I thought my intentions were pretty clear.

Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't know.

What? What is she even talking about?

What? How come? I tried to put myself out there as much as one could possible do it. I flirt with you every time we see each other. I don't get how you can be confused. I mean, you flirt back. I don't get it. Do you not like me back? Do you only see me as a friend?

I'm truly sorry, Finn. I don't really know what to say…

What is it? You can tell me.

Men don't just like me.

He's kind of irritated, but softens immediately at her confession. He needs to hear her voice and make her listen to him, too. He has some stuff to say.

Can I call you?

Yes.

She answers after only a single ring.

"Rachel, what are you talking about? What's happening?" he asks through the phone line.

She takes a deep breath and he knows something big is coming.

"Finn, you're wonderful," she starts, making Finn even more confused. "And patient. And kind. And handsome. So handsome." she lets out a dreamy sigh, which makes Finn smile. "You treat Ernie with so much love and care, I've never seen anything like it. And you're a chef, for crying out loud! You're pretty much a perfect specimen. And I'm just... Rachel. There's nothing special about me, really. You're one hundred light years out of my pathetic little league."

"Rachel..." he scoffs. "You can't possibly be serious."

"Well, I am," she tries to be firm, but her faltering voice betrays her. "This is the truth, it really is. Men like you are certainly not interested in women like me."

"Men like me?"

"Yes. Successful, devastatingly handsome, independent, tall..."

"Tall?" he chuckles.

"Do not laugh at me, Finn Hudson."

He sobers up immediately, his voice firm, "I'm not, I promise."

The line is silent for a while.

"Rachel, do you like me?" he asks.

"Mmm… I…" she mumbles.

He clarifies before she can go further, "More than a friend, I mean."

The line is quiet for a moment. He knows she's thinking and he doesn't want to push her so he waits. They have been friends for a while now and he knows sometimes she needs time to deal with things.

When she answers, her voice is small and vulnerable, "I do. I really, really do."

Finn inhales, exhales and decides to go all in.

"Then you're being silly with this, Rachel," he pushes. "You're amazing. You're the most amazing woman I have ever met. You're beautiful, generous, breathtaking, and radiant. And I like you. I honestly do. And I want to be more than friends, but you have got to believe me when I say these things. Let your insecurities go, kick them away, and focus on me and now."

He can hear her breathing hard on the other side of the line so he asks the question he's been wondering all night, "Do you want to be with me?"

She doesn't hesitate, saying in a barely audible voice, "Yes."

"Then let me take you out tomorrow night. On a date. A romantic date. A romantic date with plenty of second intentions. I don't want to be just friends anymore. I want more. A romantic relationship. Is that clear enough now?"

She laughs, "Oh, Finn." She takes a deep breath, making him hold his one. After a moment she says, "I would love that."

Finn grins, "Great! Then it's a date."

~.~

They're walking around, after a great dinner downtown and the mood is quiet and solemn, which is weird because conversation was flowing easily until they started walking outside the restaurant.

"Rach?"

"Mm?"

"Why are you so quiet? I thought we were on the same page on this?"

She looks up at him, biting her lower lip. It seems she goes to say something, but then she stops, looking down at her feet.

"Rachel?"

She looks at him again. "Finn..." she whispers, "I'm scared."

"Why? What are you afraid of?"

She lets out a breath that Finn feels like she has been holding it for a very long time, and says, "Of you realising there's a more interesting and pretty woman out there for you, leaving me high and dry, heartbroken."

She immediately looks down again, seemingly ashamed of what she just said.

"Rachel," Finn says as they come to a halt. Finn stretching his hands and holding her tiny ones between them, "You have to believe me when I say I would never do that to you."

She avoids his eyes, "You're just saying that..."

He shakes his head, "I'm not."

He takes a deep breath, "Listen, Rachel, I'm going to be completely honest with you, okay?"

She looks up at him. After trying to read his eyes and not being able to, she nods her head.

"Rachel, I promise you. I have never met a more alluring and exciting women in my life before. You're just... you're everything, Rachel." She gasps at his words. She was not expecting this at all. He goes on. "You're so stunning and everything seems to be attracted by some sort of gravity field that exists deep inside of you, down to your beautiful core. It pulls everything to be around you, including me. After I met you, my life has become so much better. My smile if more honest when you're around, I breathe better when you're near me. You make everything in the world better, how can't you see that?"

She has tears in her eyes by now, trying to hold them in by biting her lower lips.

"Take a chance on me. On us. I promise, Rach, it will be worth it."

She throws herself onto him, hugging him tightly. They stay quiet for a few moments, Finn rubbing his always warm hands on her back and making her relax against him.

She detangles herself from his arms, curves her tiny fingers against his shoulders and says, "I believe you, Finn. It's hard for me, but I do. I truly do."

He reaches for her face, long fingers holding her head and caressing her cheeks. He softly pulls her body against his, giving her plenty of time to back down.

"Then let's do this. Stop over thinking and let's do what feels right for both of us. Together."

She answers quietly, "Let's do this."

Bringing his lips to hers, he delicately touches her upper lip with his bottom lip, kissing her gently. She pushes her lips against his and lets go of his shoulders to bring her tiny fingers to his hair, gripping it smoothly and pushing her body against his, opening her mouth and letting his tongue caress hers in a slow and steady way that makes her shiver.

Finn later decides their first kiss is the Superman of all the first kisses around the world. It just is. Nothing could ever top it.

---

AN: Thank you for reading. :)

For those who don't know, brigadeiro is the very best thing made out of chocolate and I recommend it asap. Just google "brigadeiro brazilian candy recipe" and you will be a happier person, I assure you. :D