"Ms. Pillsbury's gonna love that ring, Mr. Schue," Finn smiled as they left the jewelry store.
"Yeah, um," Will hesitated, "that was quite a bomb you dropped on me back there, Finn."
"You mean about the army thing?" Finn asked sheepishly.
"Well, yeah, Finn!" Will replied, "it's kind of a big deal, don't you think?"
"Well," Finn began, shrugging, "I just think maybe it's what I'm supposed to do, you know? I'm not smart enough for college, and I want to get the hell out of this town—I mean, no offense to you, Mr. Schue-"
"Finn," Will began sternly, "first of all, that isn't true that you don't have what it takes to get into college. You know, even if you had to go to the community college for a semester to get your grades up, you could always transfer to a four-year school. You've got so many great skills, Finn, you're a leader-"
"Exactly," Finn interrupted, "but what else am I gonna lead? Cooter says my football days are over, and I'm not good enough to be a singer at NYADA or anything. At least in the army I can do something that I'm good at."
"Okay, Finn," Will conceded, "I disagree with you about you not being good enough for other things, but all that aside—what is your mother going to say?"
Finn frowned and looked at the ground, shoving his hands in his pockets defensively as they walked along.
"Finn," Will said sharply, grabbing his arm. Finn reluctantly stopped and turned towards Will, still avoiding eye contact.
"Your mother lost her husband in battle," Will said, taking a gentler tone, "what is she going to think about the prospect of losing you too?"
"I don't know," Finn mumbled, nervously running his hand through his hair. Suddenly, he straightened up and looked right at Will.
"But she knows he was a hero," Finn said proudly, "she knows he did something that mattered, that meant something, and I want to do that too."
"Of course he was a hero, Finn," Will said quietly, "but there are other ways to be a hero, other ways for you to be a hero, if you would just believe that."
Finn looked down at his shoes again, silent.
"And what about Rachel?" Will prodded gently, "don't you think she would worry about you? Don't you think she would miss you?"
"Rachel's stronger than anyone I know, Mr. Schue," Finn replied, "she's going to go to New York and be a star. I love her, Mr. Schue. Heck, I hope that one day I'll be lucky enough to marry her, but I can't do that until I'm somebody too. I'm not the smartest or most talented guy around. I've got to do something to make her proud of me too."
Will gave a light chuckle and placed a hand on Finn's shoulder.
"Finn," he smiled, "I've known that you and Rachel had a special connection for a long time."
Finn's eyes softened as he waited for Will to continue.
"Back in our first year of Glee, when you had everything going on with Quinn and the baby, Rachel clearly had feelings for you that she thought you couldn't reciprocate," he explained, "and in trying to hide from these feelings, she developed a little teacher crush on me."
"What?" Finn gasped, "why are you telling me this?"
"Relax," Will laughed, "it's totally normal. Anyway, I sat down to talk with her about the feelings she thought she was having, and I told her that there was a boy out there who would like her for everything she was, including the parts of herself that she didn't like. I told her that those would be the things he would like the most."
"Were you talking about me?" Finn asked shyly.
"I didn't know if you two would end up together, given the circumstances at the time," Will replied, "but yes, I was thinking about you when I told her that. Because I could see that you saw her differently than the people who wrote her off. That you appreciated her and you liked her, in spite of what she thought about herself."
"I did," Finn said earnestly, "I do. I love her. I know a lot of people just see her as some kind of diva or something, but it's her passion that makes her so special. I just love her for who she is."
Will paused, looking at Finn expectantly.
"What?" Finn frowned.
"Don't you think she feels the same way about you, Finn?" Will asked, "You may think you're not smart, and other people may tell you that you're not talented enough to succeed in music, but that's not what she sees."
Finn resisted the tears that began to sting the corners of his eyes.
"She sees a guy who follows his heart and does the right thing, whether it's popular or not," Will continued, "she sees a guy who constantly rises above what everyone expects of him. You don't need to go risk your life in some desert to prove to her that you're a hero. To her, you already are."
Finn swiped at his eyes with the heel of his hand and looked back at Mr. Schue.
"You think so?" he asked skeptically.
"I'm sure of it," Will said confidently, "just as sure as I am that music is not done with you, yet, Finn. You came alive inside when you joined the Glee club. Part of that was because of Rachel, and part of that was because music woke something up in you that you never even knew was there."
"I know," Finn nodded quietly.
"And you have to promise—for me, for your mom, for Rachel, and for you, that you are not going to give up on that part of you, you got it?" asked Will, searching Finn's eyes for a sign of acceptance.
"I got it," said Finn hoarsely, hugging Will, "thanks, Mr. Schue."
"That's what I'm here for," Will grinned.
"Mr. Schue? I gotta run. There's something I have to do," he said hurriedly.
Will waved goodbye as Finn jumped into his truck and began driving to Rachel's. She had offered a million times to help him search for music schools, maybe even ones with percussion programs. He had shrugged off following his dream enough times, thought about settling for less-satisfying options for long enough. Now it was time to start acting like a hero.