A/N - So despite the spoilers I've heard (read), I'm still posting this on the assumption F&R do NOT get back together over the summer. Seems to make more sense to me if they don't. If this becomes A/U, so be it, but hopefully I'll entertain some readers along the way. Mostly this is in response to the fabulous Fildos community who all told me they loved my one shot, The Answer and when I casually mentioned I had ideas to fill in the space around it, I got encouraged to post more. So here's the first installment. JannP, you rock lady! Thanks for the very quick beta reading on this, and I love our back and forths about stories and the show.

Disclaimer - Don't own Glee, blah blah blah, all belongs to FOX TV and the R.I.B. triumverate, blah, blah, blah. Really, it's FanFiction, people. We should all know

Finn groaned and turned over in his bed, ignoring the alarm that disturbed his sleep. His last exam for the school year had finished at 3:30pm yesterday and all he had wanted to do since then was hole up in his room so he didn't have to walk through Lima pretending he was fine and didn't feel like he had a sucking chest wound; like a fuckin' zombie.

"I'm…I'm sorry Finn. I – I just can't."

The words Rachel had said to him in New York circled through his mind like an annoying thorn that just wouldn't go away and wouldn't stop biting. The hurt was physical, a bullet straight through his heart, aimed and fired just as he thought he had finally figured things out. Fired just as he was taking some step, any step, to correct what he wasn't sure he could; he'd been too much of an ass, too indecisive, too self-centred to see how much his actions had hurt those around him. Now he'd just given her massive heartache at the absolute worsttime of year. He had dumped Quinn right after Sue Sylvester's speech at her sister's funeral. The speech had clued Finn into how attached he still was to Rachel. Kurt had reamed him out for his attempt to set things right with Rachel, and Rachel, after New York, hadn't given him more than cursory and polite greetings of either hello or goodbye. He noted with slight dismay that, other than Puck, no one had even bothered to text him about his absence the night before from the Glee end-of-year party.

After thinking about how he'd acted for the last six months, he couldn't say he was surprised. He'd fucked up this year-royally fucked up. He hadn't thought it was possible to fuck up more than Puck had sophomore year, but he'd definitely proved he could be just as big of a douche, if not a bigger, than Puck was ever capable of.

What were you thinking? His mind asked him as he lay there, squinting at the sunlight pouring through his windows. His immediate answer to his mind was I wasn't! And that was part of the problem, he concluded in a rare moment of early-morning insight. Nothing he did was really thought through. He didn't really think about trying to forgive Rachel for her indiscretion with Puck at Christmas, one that he had partially caused due to his dishonesty. He didn't really think about if getting back together with Quinn would be a good idea given their history; didn't really think about if attacking St. Jackass at prom was worth the consequences, and didn't think or even consider the possibility Rachel would not want to try again with him.

Now he felt isolated, lonely, and just plain stupid.

Maybe everyone is right about me, Finn thought to himself gloomily as he sighed and covered his eyes with his arm. Maybe I am just too fucking dumb to get out of this place. Too fucking dumb for girls – no – STARS like Rachel. Too fucking stupid to do anything worthwhile.

The door to his room opened and his step-father, Burt, walked inside a couple steps, arms hanging loosely by his sides. He already wore his standard dress; jeans, button shirt, vest jacket and ball-cap on his head. "Finn, come on, buddy. Time to get up."

"What for?" Finn responded lackadaisically. "School's out, summer's started. Hooray for summer holidays." His head dropped back on its pillow.

Burt sighed. "Yeah, you're bummed out. I get it. I know you loved her, Finn, but…"

"Not loved- love her. In love with her," Finn corrected quickly.

"…but shit like this happens sometimes. We can't force people to be with us. You have to just respect her wishes, get up and get on with your life."

The quarterback made a derisive raspberry sound. "Pffft. Doesn't feel like there's much point."

He heard Burt walking further into his room, and expected his somewhat gruff step-father to pull the sheets off his bed or something, but instead Burt just went to the blinds and drew them up, allowing the sunlight to flood his room full force. Finn grimaced as the bright rays struck his eyes and he turned over in his bed, more to keep the light out than to ignore Burt. He felt the weight on the bed behind him shift slightly, cluing him into the fact Burt had sat down.

"Look, just because Rachel's said no right now doesn't mean it'll always be that way. You think Kurt's mom agreed to go out with me the first time I asked her? You think we got married without any problems along the way? We broke up three times, Finn. I can tell you from experience…if it's gonna happen, it will. "

"Don't really want a pep talk right now, Burt."

"Too bad, Kid, 'cause you're gonna get one anyway." Burt then turned and did exactly what Finn expected. He yanked down the covers and exposed Finn to the bedroom's cool air. "Part of the pep talk is to tell you to get your ass out of bed and come with me to the shop. I've got a ton of work to do, and if you plan on moping through the day, you might as well do something useful and help in the shop. I'll even pay you under the table for your time. Now come on. Carole's already left for work and Kurt's off doing some spa thing with his friends, but they're coming back here after lunch."

Finn flinched a bit and looked away. He knew what Kurt's plans were and he knew which friends he was with: the two he had been hanging around with increasingly since Christmas had come and gone.

Mercedes and Rachel.

He didn't really want to see Rachel right now. Well, that wasn't entirely true…he did want to see her, he just wasn't so sure it would be a good idea for his wounded heart. Seeing her reminded him what he'd had, what he'd lost, and wasn't able to get back; reminded him of the last six, horrible months of his life where he couldn't figure anything out, wasn't sure what he wanted, and was then rejected when he tried to make amends. The more he rolled the thought around in his mind, the surer he was seeing Rachel right now would not do him any favours. He was already thinking about her too much and feeling far too many horrible feelings.

Reluctantly, Finn nodded to Burt. "Yeah, I don't think I want to be here when they get back. I'll come with."

Burt nodded in return before heading towards the bedroom door. "Wise decision…let yourself heal. I'm leaving in fifteen, so if you get up now, you should have just enough time to use the washroom and get dressed. See you downstairs."

Finn rolled off his bed and quickly washed and dressed, choosing clothes he wouldn't mind getting dirty in the auto-body shop. It was actually a relatively safe plan to pass the day…he had never seen any of the other Gleeks in there other than Puck and Kurt. Puck was likely off doing something with Lauren (or waiting outside 7-11 for someone to buy him beer…again). It also let Finn do something he always enjoyed: work with his hands. It was a love he'd had since before he was even in Glee, before he'd ever met Rachel, heck, before he had even gone to high school. It would almost be like going back to his roots, when everything was simple and uncomplicated.

Yeah, he could definitely use that right now.

XXXXX

"So, what are the plans for the summer, Kid?" Burt asked as he plunked down two Subway sandwiches on the shop's lone staff/lunch table. Finn grabbed his foot-long steak and cheese sandwich and unwrapped it hurriedly. His stomach was aching for food since he'd unwisely skipped any sort of breakfast in his haste to get out the door with his step-father. Burt had chosen a simple six inch turkey and honey mustard sandwich for himself, one that also sported every kind of vegetable available. Finn knew Burt had to be careful with his diet since his heart attack, and he was definitely loading up on the vegetables to abate his hunger.

Finn chewed a large bite of his sub and took a giant swig of his cola, thinking a bit about the question before he responded. "I hadn't really decided," he mouthed around his lunch. He shrugged and wiped his hands on a napkin before opening his bag of chips. "I guess I figured I'd be with Rachel and didn't want to commit too much aside from that, but now…" Finn looked at Burt with sad eyes and shrugged again, sniffing a bit before grabbing his sandwich and devouring another large bite.

Burt leaned back and wiped his own mouth, taking a sip of water from the bottle he had purchased with the subs. "Well, ya gotta do something, Finn. Kurt's found some summer work with the community theatre doing costuming, and your Mom and I are gonna be busy with our own jobs. And I hate to say it but I can't pay you to come in here everyday."

Finn nodded. "I know, I know. I just…really didn't plan to have a summer like this. I figured I could make things up to Rachel…to everyone really, but…I don't even know where to begin. I hurt so many people this year. Rachel, Sam, Quinn, Kurt…even Puck since I wouldn't talk to him when he tried to apologize for what happened at Christmas. I've just…I don't know what to do about everything."

"Maybe you're worrying too much 'bout them," Burt said after swallowing another bite of his turkey sub. "Sometimes it's not the other people you need to worry about, Finn. Sometimes it's yourself you need to focus on. You haven't seemed real happy 'bout anything since you guys won that football championship; even at Regionals you seemed out-of-sorts. "

Out of sorts. That's a nice way to put it, Finn thought silently. Out of sorts didn't even begin to describe how he'd felt after Regionals, or since. How do you put a name on feelings that just continued to fight back and forth with each other? How do you sort through strong feelings you have for one girl and conflicted feelings for another at the same time and then battle with yourself to decide which one is "the one"? How do you describe the sheer rage at seeing some asshole about one step away from hurting the girl, the same girl you saw him hurting last year and who means almost everything to you?

The main entrance opened, ringing a bell that could be heard in the small staff room, and Burt smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Finn, I have to…uh…"

The tall boy nodded at his step-father. "Yeah, I get it Burt. Customers are money. You go ahead."

Burt returned a small smile before exiting the staff room, heading towards the front counter to see how he could help the person who walked in. Once Finn had determined it really was a new customer based on the bits of conversation that filtered through the open doorway, he took one more bite of his sandwich and sighed before standing up and walking towards the window to turn the blinds open and allow some daylight to enter into the staff room. He noticed across the street was the usual view from Burt's auto-body shop: a small grocery store which held the Subway restaurant where they'd acquired their lunch, a home care medical store which catered to just about all kinds of medical needs, a nail salon he knew almost nothing about (save a time or two Quinn had decided to get her nails professionally done), and then beside that, the National Guard recruitment office.

For some reason he couldn't understand, his eyes focused on the office with the U.S. flag and Ohio National Guard colours out front, both blowing lightly in the breeze. He watched as a couple of uniformed men made their way outside, their steps sure and their uniforms clean and crisp. They spoke for a minute or two more, and then one of the men saluted the other, which was immediately returned, before they both went their separate ways. Finn watched the one soldier as he walked past the window where he was observing, focused on his given task and allowing nothing to deter him from it. He wondered idly how he'd do if he decided to pursue something like that…drop out of school, join the Army, following in his father's footsteps, maybe head overseas and work in difficult or dangerous situations. Would he be able to help? Make a difference? Be all that he could be?

Without realizing it, and unsure how he'd gotten there, Finn suddenly found himself outside staring straight at the recruitment office across the street. He couldn't say what it was or how his feet had carried him from behind the window in the staff room to where he now was, but his eyes soaked in everything about the office. The colours of the flags, the navy blue sign above the doors and the U.S. military insignia all seemed to be screaming something to him about how right this would be.

"...sometimes it's yourself you need to focus on."

Burt came up and stood beside him outside the shop, his eyes and facial expression as serious as Finn's. He took another sip of his water bottle and then regarded Finn with a small smile. "Should we go over there?" He asked. Finn turned to regard him and Burt's face was nothing but a reflection of his encouragement and pride. His eyes told Finn everything the tall quarterback needed to know: he had his step-father's full support.

Finn frowned as another thought hit him and he shrugged a bit. "I don't know. I like the idea, but...I don't think Mom would like it if I did."

Burt took a breath and then turned back toward the National Guard office. "Finn, you're becoming a young man now, and sometimes that means making decisions based on what you want, not what your parents want. " He smirked and looked at Finn. "Besides, we're just getting information for now, right?" Burt raised his fist awkwardly, trying to mimic the standard greeting Finn and his friends gave each other.

Finn considered the situation briefly. If he decided this was something he wanted to do, it would definitely get him a severe tongue lashing from his mother. She made no secret of her distaste for almost anything related to the military after his father had died, often scoffing at the news or rolling her eyes at the number of military type celebrations there always seemed to be. "Warmongers" is what she often called them. But then, his father had been a part of that system. He'd served willingly and ably in whatever capacity the Marines had deemed necessary, and had made the ultimate sacrifice with his life, saving three others in the process. Maybe, just maybe, this would be a way of Finn being able to connect with his father. A way to somewhat understand what his Dad had gone through, and why he had been so dedicated to such a life, dangerous as it was.

Deep down in his heart, he knew this was something he could do...and do well. He was sure of it. And odd as it was, he almost sensed a nod of approval over his left shoulder where he knew no one was standing. He wasn't sure, but it almost felt like his Dad had approved of his decision, too.

The tall boy smiled and then bumped Burt's fist. "Right. It's just information."

XXXXX

"Are you out of your freaking mind?" Carole shouted across the kitchen, causing both Finn and Burt to wince slightly. In front of them were the information packages and parental admission forms which Finn had acquired in regards to enlisting. She had now abandoned her efforts at making a simple hamburger casserole dinner and was glaring at both her husband and son with fire in her eyes. "The Ohio National Guard! It isn't bad enough I lost your father to the army, now you want to join?"

Finn took a breath before going through the information again. All the kept him from moving forward was for Carole to sign the 'Parental Consent' column in the application form, a prerequisite for any recruit under the age of eighteen. Burt would have signed it himself, but given Finn and Kurt's ages when he and Carole married, they had agreed it wouldn't have made sense to legally adopt each other's sons. As a result, for all legal matters and documentation, only Carole had the right to give such consent for Finn. Burt grimaced slightly. He'd been thinking his wife might react like this. He couldn't blame her, really, knowing how he'd feel if it was Kurt's decision to do something like this.

The high school quarterback spoke quickly. "Mom, it wouldn't even really be joining the army, alright? Not full time. It's the National Guard. The guy at the office told me they're, like, part-time military. I could go do basic training this summer, come back, finish high school, and then do my trade training next summer; that's two summers of full employment. And there are a ton of scholarship and pay benefits to help for college, too. I'd have a job to go to while in my last year of high school, and a job during college, but because it's only one weekend a month, I'd have lots of time for everything else too. It's...it's like a perfect fit for me, Mom."

"If it involves a uniform and a weapon, Finn, it is not a perfect fit for you. You'd be at the government's beck and call; it's a job you can't just say no to. If they order you into some God-forsaken country in the Middle-East and tell you to kill people, do you think you'll be able to just walk away?" She shook her head disgustedly and turned towards her husband. "And I cannot believe you're encouraging him to think this way. Just because he broke up with a girl-"

"Rachel was not just a girl!" Finn declared angrily, starting to come to his feet before Burt pulled him back down again by yanking on his arm. His outburst, however, did quiet his Mom down to let him talk further. "And she's not the only reason, Mom. This is something I could be good at...really good at. I already meet the fitness portion of it, and the recruiter said if I'm passing most or all of my high school courses then I shouldn't have any problems with how the army teaches." Finn ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Mom, I...I sucked this year, okay? Sucked bad. I hurt a lot of people and I kind got lost wondering what it is I want or need in school or just what I need for myself. I let a lot of people push and pull me without me giving any thought to anything, and I hate feeling that way! I need something else than just what everyone tells me I should do. I need to...just know I can do something else; that I'm not just another high school football hero who turned around and wasted his years as a Lima loser."

"You know I hate that phrase," Carole spoke dangerously as she crossed her arms.

"But you also know what I mean," Finn said pointedly. He was about to say more when Burt put a hand on his shoulder and motioned towards the door with his head.

"Finn, why don't you go play some of your X-Box games for a bit and calm down, okay? Besides, your Mom and I need to talk."

Confusion etched his face but Finn swallowed and then shrugged slightly, sighing as he got up from the kitchen table and headed out the door. Burt sighed himself and took another swig of beer before looking up to see his wife wipe tears away from her eyes. "He's seventeen, honey."

Carole shook her head. "He's just a kid."

"No, he's seventeen." Burt emphasized the word, causing Carole to look at him again. "He's becoming an adult now, whether you want to admit it to yourself or not. You can't protect him all his life. At some point he's going to want to take flight and try something you're not sure he's ready for."

"I know he's not ready for something like this, Burt. Honestly, you saw the mess he was in after he and Rachel broke up at Christmas. He didn't have to talk to us for us to see it."

"That's kinda why I think this would be good for him," Burt continued, getting up and coming to stand beside Carole where she leaned against the kitchen counter. "He needs to know the world is more than just this high school; more than just the friends he has now and more than just Rachel." He again emphasized his word. "He needs something to focus on and honestly I think this would make him use that head of his in a way McKinley never really does. The Guard will take care of him, too- he won't want for anything. He'll have his clothes provided, be given three square meals a day, and have shelter over his head. He'll be learning stuff he can use the rest of his life; teamwork, discipline, self reliance... And really, how many part-time jobs around Lima can offer this kind of experience?"

Carole sighed and cast her eyes to the floor and Burt could see her struggling with the decision. A lone tear escaped and trailed down her cheek as she breathed in deeply and turned back to Burt. "He's the only son I have, Burt. Kurt is a wonderful step-son and I love him with all my heart, but Finn's my baby. And he's...he's all I have left of Chris."

Burt hugged her quickly, letting her sob into his shirt. "I know, Carole. I know. But Finn is also becoming a man, and he needs to be his own man, honey. He can't and won't stay with us forever. How often has he said that his biggest dream is to get out of Lima? Even through all the problems he's had this year, he's always said that. He needs to know that, if he wants to, he can leave. And he needs to know we're there for him no matter what he chooses."

"But all summer?" Carole asked him, looking into his eyes as she rubbed more tears away. "Why all summer?"

"We'll miss him, I know." Burt nodded at her. "But that's how the military does things, Carole. They aren't going to use kid gloves on him. And he needs to know he'll be okay when they start throwing serious...well...serious shit at him."

She closed her eyes and bowed her head in defeat, swallowing back yet more tears. Before Burt even knew what she was doing, she suddenly turned to the kitchen table, grabbed a pen, and furiously scribbled her name in the parental consent column. She stared at the form for a moment afterwards, as if not really sure what she'd done or what caused her to do it, before she clicked the pen closed and took the form in her hand. She sniffed again and gave a wan smile to her husband. "I'll go tell him," she said simply as she began ascending the stairs to Finn's room, wiping the last of her tears away and putting on a brave face.

Burt was never more proud of her or his step-son than in that moment.

XXXXX

"I assume you've told everyone already?" Kurt asked, leaning against the doorframe to Finn's room.

Finn looked up from where he was folding clothes into his large duffle bag, carefully checking each item from the list the National Guard had given him. After his mom had given him the signed form allowing him to submit his application, the Guard unit had fitted him for everything and given him all of the basic gear that he would need while training. All he had to do was pack it accordingly and ensure none of it was missing. If all went well, he'd be leaving the following afternoon for the first week of pre-combat fitness training, tests that the recruiter assured him he'd easily pass given his already athletic abilities and experience.

"No, I haven't," Finn admitted, carefully placing another shirt into his duffle bag and shuffling a few items around to make it fit better.

"Not even Rachel?"

Finn snorted. "Especially not Rachel."

"I thought you guys were still friends, at least."

"With friends like me, she doesn't need enemies."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "No need to be overdramatic just because she didn't want a romantic relationship, Finn."

The taller boy shrugged. "Besides, other than you and Mom and Burt, no one knows."

"That won't win you many friends with Glee," Kurt argued.

Finn shook his head as he packed a couple more items. "I don't think I have many left, Kurt. No one seemed to care that I wasn't at the Glee party a few nights ago."

"They were curious," Kurt said with a small smile as he walked into Finn's room and made himself at home in Finn's leather computer chair. "But I think they all assumed someone else was going to call to try and persuade you to join us. Puck told them he thought you'd hooked up with one of the girl's volleyball players."

The tall quarterback chuckled at the comment. "Leave it to Puck to start that rumour just because one of them smiled at me; I barely even know those girls. And I wasn't really in the mood to celebrate, especially not that way." Finn admitted, grabbing a pair of pants and packing them next.

"Was it because Rachel was at the party? Is that why you opted out?"

Finn stilled for a moment, and then shrugged as nonchalantly as he could. "Partly."

"You have to stop letting her rule your actions, Finn. You don't rule her, you know."

"I don't wanna talk about her, Kurt. I need time away from all that...and from her."

"Alright," Kurt said with a dismissive wave of his hand, flipping his bangs off his face in the process. "Then help me understand why you've decided to drop everything here with your life and friends to go camping and shooting and whatever else it is they do in those poorly coordinated, vomit-green uniforms. Can't you get enough of that on the paintball course?" Kurt scrunched his face up at the mere thought of it all.

"Because I don't feel right with myself, Kurt!" Finn turned on his step-brother as his arms went wide with exasperation. "I feel like a douche, okay? Everything was fine up until Karofsky started harassing you and I didn't step up to stop it. Then you transferred and everything...everything... went the fuck downhill. Santana spilled the fuckin' beans about us in Glee, and then Rachel kissed Puck, we broke up, I convinced Quinn to cheat on Sam, got back together with her knowing it was a bad idea, hurt Rachel even more by rubbing it in her face for weeks, then ruined both hers and Quinn's night at the prom. Then when I finally figured out what the fuck I want, Rachel pulled away and told me she can't. After all that I can't even blame her because I'm a fucking asshole, alright?"

A loud bump on the floor echoed through the room. "Watch the language up there!" Burt called down from the main floor where the two boys knew he was sweeping out the hallways.

Kurt sat silently in Finn's chair, legs crossed and his hands clutching his top knee while he pursed his lips at Finn's outburst. Finn turned and continued packing his list as he checked items off the printout of what to bring. After another minute, Kurt spoke again. "You're not an asshole, Finn. You're also the one who helped convince Rachel to not have a nose job. You lead the football team to a conference championship. You helped Sam out by donating your old clothes and gave toys to his siblings."

Finn shrugged off the praise. "Too little, too late," he replied. He sighed and turned to face Kurt fully. "This may sound weird, but this is also a chance for me to kinda know my Dad. He went through everything I'm about to; basic training, core values, all that stuff. The only stuff I have in common with him is what Mom tells me I have. Now...now I have a chance to share something of his Mom never did...I can share experience; maybe get to know or understand why he liked this so much."

Kurt nodded a bit, and then shrugged slightly. "Well, you seem to have made up your mind, brother dear. Far be it from me to stop you on your quest." He looked disdainfully at the uniform shirts Finn had been issued earlier that day. "Are all the colours green and camouflage?"

The tall quarterback laughed at him. "It is the military, Kurt."

"If there's ever an opening for a new design specialist, be sure to tell me so I can drop in a resume." Kurt stood from where he was sitting and looked up at him. "I'll miss you, Finn."

Finn smiled and playfully punched Kurt's shoulder. "Hey, it's just for two months. I'll be back on September fourth."

"Yes, but still, I've gotten used to having you and your gorilla-like ways around this house." He rubbed his shoulder where Finn had punched him as if proving how gorilla-like Finn was. "And it's going to be hard to not have a wardrobe to critique every day."

"You've always got Burt," Finn replied. They smiled at each other before they exchanged a brotherly hug, and Finn stepped back to regard the smaller teen fondly. "I'll miss you too, man."

XXXXX

"You make sure you write to us, okay?" Carole said as she hugged Finn a final time before he made his way over to the group of recruits standing by the large green bus, waiting to take them to Camp Grayling in Michigan.

"Yeah, Mom, I will. Sounds like that's about all I'll have time for anyway if the schedule they give is true. And I'll email as soon as we're allowed to use the computers but that won't be for a couple weeks." Finn shouldered his gear and took a deep breath in near disbelief that he was here, about to embark on a journey that even a year ago he never would have imagined himself taking. There would be no get-togethers with friends from Glee, no lazy summer days spent by the side of a pool, and no impromptu jam sessions with Puck and Artie.

And no romantic nights with a certain small brunette whom he still loved with all his heart.

But he would have one thing that all of that wouldn't or couldn't give him: a chance to follow in the footsteps of his father, and maybe gain some idea as to why he had loved this lifestyle so much before his far-too-early demise. And that was what he clung too, even as he felt pangs about leaving his friends and family for the next two months.

Knowing that he was about to be grouped together on orders of their Sergeant, he quickly pulled out his cell phone and sent a mass text to everyone in Glee and football. After a few keystrokes, he smiled and handed the phone over to Burt. "Can't take that with me, so I guess I'll let you take care of it."

Burt nodded and pocketed Finn's phone. "You take care of yourself, Finn. And don't forget, work on you this summer and forget all the rest of that crap you went through. This is a chance to start fresh. Make it a good start."

"I will. And thanks for everything, Burt."

"Attention, recruits!" A loud voice, belonging to an imposing looking black man with several stripes on the upper arm of his uniform, suddenly rang through the parking lot. "Fall into ranks here for transportation to Camp Grayling. On the double! Move it!"

Finn waved quickly to Burt and Carole and hurried over, quickly falling into line alphabetically after a few last names were exchanged between the other soldier recruits. He fell right between "Graham" and "Kent" and easily towered over both of them by about four or five inches. He followed the others up the line until he came to the Sergeant, who looked him up and down with a menacing stare. "Hudson, I presume?"

"Yes, Sir!" Finn nodded at the Sergeant.

The black man sneered and pointed at him in the chest. "You don't call me 'Sir', maggot! I'm a Sergeant and I fucking well work for a living. Remember that or you'll be doing push-ups until you puke, understand?"

"Yes, Sergeant!" Finn replied automatically, biting back a grin. It felt like football summer camp all over again (with a few additional swear words thrown into the mix, of course.)

"Good. Now get your lanky ass on the bus and get ready to ship out."

Finn nodded and hurried on the bus, selecting a seat near the back where he could stretch his long legs a little easier. He turned towards the window and gave a small wave to both Burt and Carole, who waved back, and then before long the bus lurched forward and pulled away. Finn sighed as he watched the streets of Lima roll by through the bus' window and eventually give way to sprawling countryside, focusing on the words his step-father had said to him just a few days before.

"...sometimes it's yourself you need to focus on."

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